I bet you thought I'd never update this again, hm? Fear not, my people, I decided to rewatch SnK and I found some old projects in my old laptop that got me spiraling down the SnK waterslide once again.

It's been two years, it's two in the morning, I just wrote this, I don't know what I'm doing with my life. Bare with me, because I forgot all I had planned for these fics.

But don't let my creativity die, either. Tumblr's chinarai and I'm always, always open to prompts, so send them my way!

I'll see you all later, goodnight and goodbye!

IX: Icarus

II: Awake

They stared at the man, now wide-awake and agitated, each at a loss of what to do next. He looked menacing now that he was standing at his full height, which was not that tall, though, but the bed did really help, with his wings spread as if ready to attack. His cool gaze flickered over to them for a brief second before returning to the woman, and he barred his teeth with a hiss.

"Mikasa," Armin whispered, slowly lifting his hand, eyes never straying away from the stranger. "Stop glaring at him."

"No."

"Mikasa, he can kill us all," was his muttered reply, his fingers closing around her wrist softly and giving it a gentle tug. "Stop it."

She held her stare, unwavering and strong willed, before taking in a deep, silent breath and closing her eyes, shifting her body away. Armin's stance visibly relaxed, though the same could not be said to the man they found unconscious in the dirty sand of the beach. He trailed after her, studying her profile and deeming if she was dangerous to him, then focused his small irises on both boys to analyze them with a critical eye. Armin hoped he seemed innocent and harmless enough, while Eren had that look to his face that screamed that he was deeply intrigued with something.

The blond took a small step forward, immediately halting when the man bent his knees ever so slightly, readying to fight or flight if needed. "H-Hello." He started slowly and kept his hands visible to his sides to show he meant no threat. "Can you understand me?"

"I doubt something like him can understand us, Armin."

He sighed and continued, not wanting to sound exasperated, but failing. "I know, Mikasa." Licking his lips, Armin added. "Why don't you too wait outside while I try to sort things out?"

She needed not be told twice. Whirling around unceremoniously, she exited the room without missing a beat, throwing one last dirty look at the stranger from over her shoulder before disappearing around the corner. Eren took his time to budge from where he stood, but eventually left as well, though he backtracked his way outside as his round, wide eyes kept focused on him. Armin waited until the front door closed behind his friend's back to roll his shoulders and start speaking.

"This is Levi." He motioned to the man sitting cross-legged on the bed, still clad in his shorts and Eren's shirt.

Mikasa cast the man in question a suspicious glance before directing her words to her friend. "Did he tell you that himself or what?"

"He doesn't speak our language," he admitted with a shake of his head, "But he understands that we'll help him."

Levi was busy looking at them with disinterest, his back taut and straight despite his mostly casual position. Armin mentioned that he changed the bandages around his injured wings while they were talking in an attempt to get him to understand they were his allies. It seemed to have worked for his shoulders were not as tense as they were before, though he still had that mistrustful glint in his eyes.

Armin handed him a glass of cool water before ushering both his friends to the hallway, and spoke in hushed tones, even if the man could not understand them. "Eren, we're going to get some clothes that fit him." Mikasa quirked an eyebrow and crossed her arms under her bust, looking very much displeased with the division of chores. "What? You have more chances of stopping him if he tries anything."

"Just because I can knock some guys out in the gym doesn't mean I can do the same to a winged freak."

He hushed her with a finger pressed to his lips, and Eren spoke next. "I don't think that's going to be needed, but let's go." Already moving to replace his flip-flops with his sneakers, the brunet tied the laces and then slipped his arms inside the sleeves of his hoodie. "Get him to shower and make him eat something."

She watched on as they checked their wallets and grabbed the keys, hurrying out the door and closing it loudly behind their forms. With a sigh, she nearly dragged her feet back to Eren's bedroom, stopping at the threshold to look at Levi. He was glancing out the window at the falling rain from his perch on the bed, gaze sweeping over the dark grey skies as if looking for something. "Hey." His head snapped in her direction, eyebrows immediately pinching down in a scowl. "Now, don't give me that look. I don't want to babysit you either." Frowning momentarily, she dropped her shoulders in defeat and beckoned at him with a hand. "Come."

Mikasa waited, though not as patiently as she would like to say, for him to stand and move. It must have taken a full minute, but eventually he was on his two feet and following her down the corridor and into a small bathroom to the right. She explained what needed to be done, twisting the knob of hot water this way and that so he would know how to open and close it, pointing a finger from the bar of soap to his body and doing the same to the shampoo and his hair. Retrieving another soft towel from the cabinet under the sink, she made it clear that he was to dry himself with it, and finally pointed from the clothes he was wearing to the little basket kept in the corner for things that needed to be washed.

Satisfied that she had done a good job, Mikasa waved a hand in the general direction of the kitchen and told him to meet her there once he was done, then closed the door of the bathroom and stood outside waiting. He poked around for a handful of moments, but eventually the sound of running water reached her ears and she moved away to make him something to eat. While she personally would offer him a small bowl of cereal and call it a day, she knew her friends would be unhappy, so she rolled her sleeves up and dug around the fridge for any leftovers they had. They had pizza, cake, and some rice. Snorting, she guessed he did not know what a pizza was, so she opened a drawer and grabbed assorted vegetables to make him a stir-fry.

Carrots and onions were chopped finely and tossed in the skillet, followed by bell pepper and the very last handful of snow peas. The kettle chimed and she removed it from the heat, pouring the water into a cheap mug with a bag of black tea inside. Turning around and blowing air into it, the girl nearly spluttered and dropped her drink when she spotted Levi standing in the doorway, fully naked with the towel draped over his shoulder and looking at her quizzically.

"What the hell!?" Her voice sounded much too strangled for her liking and she strode forward with quick, long steps, leaving the mug on the table as she went past it. "Cover yourself up." He was leaning away from her, looking very much displeased, but she paid him no mind as she snatched the cotton piece from him and did her best to wrap it around his hips. It was awkward and enervating, wrapping her arms around him and knotting two ends together securely.

Mikasa stepped away as if burnt, glad that her face was not heating up although she felt deeply embarrassed, and threaded her fingers through her inky black hair hurriedly. "Here, you can have this." She offered him the mug, being careful to stand an arm's length away from him, and he took it from her hands, sniffing the contents. She snorted, and he glared. "Sit, it's gonna take a while."

Patting the nearest chair, the girl returned to her spot near the stove and stirred the food inside the skillet with a long spoon, briefly glancing at the clock and wondering if they would take too long to return.