And here's chapter 2! Hope everyone enjoys it!
Chapter Two: Levi's POV-
I was convinced I was dying. What else could hurt this much? That was an exaggeration, I knew that, but it felt like I was on fire.
At first, it literally felt like someone threw me into an oven and left me to burn, and I knew I was screaming and cursing at the unknown force, but I didn't care, because as far as I knew I was in some disgusting Titans stomach right now. That would explain the heat after all.
However, after what seemed the eternity the burning faded and I noticed that sensation was actually was centered around the injury on my waist. Unfortunately, I managed to exhaust myself by screaming, and probably thrashing around, so before I could even open my eyes, I fell unconscious again.
…
Once I came to, I was certain that I was finally dead. There really was no other explanation. I wasn't in any pain, and everything around me was warm and soft. I could see red dancing behind my eyelid, and the smell of burning wood, one of my favorites, invaded my nostrils.
What had convinced me that I was dead and in heaven, though, was the sound of the most angelic voice I've ever heard softly humming a lullaby somewhere not far from me. The song wasn't familiar, but without a doubt beautiful, and the voice easily lulled me back to sleep as I curled into the warmth surrounding me.
…
Unfortunately, my little fantasy was shattered when I woke up the third time.
I suppressed a groan as I came back into consciousness only too hear the angelic voice again, but this time, it was singing.
"There is a wildfire inside you, a burning desire you can't extinguish. Your crimson arrow rips through the twilight. This is the moment for war."
The soft tenor rang out from somewhere around me, and that, on top of my uncomfortably dry throat, made my eyes snap open as I sat up.
I immediately regretted the action when my head split in pain, and white hot lights flashed in my vision. Groaning, I resisted the urge to double over and closed my eyes, waiting for the pain to ease and the brightness to fade. When I was sure the pain wouldn't get any duller, I carefully opened my eyes and examined the room around me.
I saw I was carefully tucked in on a futon, covered in blankets and deer hides to keep me warm in some sort of hut. The hut was small and made out of logs, and I could see a scarce amount of furniture scattered around the small space. A chest, a dresser, a bed side table, a table that was obviously hand-made, and a few tree stumps that surrounded a decent sized fire pit.
Besides all that, the hut was empty, causing me to wonder where the singing was coming from so I tried to stand, but a wave of nausea rolled over me causing me to curl into myself. The sensation, however, quickly made me remember what had happened before I passed out. The exhibition outside the walls, the Titans, and leading them away from the group so they could escape. Running out of gas, hitting my head, and landing on my sword... My eyes immediately snapped to my side, noticing for the first time that I was shirtless. I searched for the wound, which should have been a bloody mess and painfully sore, but instead, I saw a fully healed scar that was white against my already paled skin.
"What the fuck…" I muttered, my brow pulling together in confusion. How long was I unconscious? My thoughts were immediately interrupted when the deer skin mat that covered what was obviously the exit was pushed aside revealing a teenage boy carrying a basket of fruits and vegetables.
He didn't seem to notice me at first, because he went about with his business, placing the basket on the table as he continued humming to himself. The sound was smooth and peaceful, and immediately dulled my headache, which made me recognize him as the angelic voice I kept hearing. Unable to repress a soft sigh, I let my gaze linger on the brat and take in his appearance.
He was handsome. His teal green eyes shined with innocence, but I could see hardness in them, and his messy brown hair was shaggy with bangs that stopped just above his eyebrows and parted naturally in the middle. His tan skin was smooth and unmarked and lean with hidden muscles that flexed whenever he moved, causing them to ripple in a way that made my mouth slightly dry.
"Hn, not bad," I thought appreciatively. Besides Erwin and Hanji, not many people knew of my sexual preference to men. After all, being in the military didn't really leave much time for relationships, and I was in no way interested in any of the idiots in the Scouting Legion in that way. The last time I had any sort of "romantic" relationship had been before I joined the military, and even then they didn't mean anything. However, as I turned my attention from the teen's appearance to what he was wearing, I wrinkled my nose and grimaced.
His clothes were too big for him and obviously old considering how tattered and grungy they looked. His shirt was a plan, long sleeved green cotton shirt with string tassels at the collar that showed off his neck and collar bone. The sleeves were pushed up to his elbows and the skin on his hands and forearms were speckled and smeared with dirt, probably from working in a garden or something.
His pants were plan brown trousers, the hem torn and frayed, and considering how disgustingly filthy his feet were, I doubted he ever wore shoes. I frowned just as he turned; his eyes immediately making contact with mine.
He let out a choked yelp, nearly jumping out of his skin, which caused him to stumble back and trip over the leg of the table which sent him flying back, his arms flailing as he landed roughly on his ass. "Tch, dumb brat."
"Ow, ow, ow. Dammit, that really hurt," he muttered, pulling himself off the floor and rubbing his bruised tail bone. I couldn't help but find the action amusing, but I scowled at the boy. Not only did I want answers, but I was becoming irritable due to the return of my headache.
"Oi, Brat, who the hell are you, and where the fuck am I?" I asked harshly, causing the boy to jump again as if he wasn't use to such language before straightening up and holding his arms stiffly at his sides.
"My name is Eren, E-Eren Jaeger. You're at my, uh, my house," he explained, walking over and extending his dirt stained hand towards me in an attempt to be polite. I sneered at the appendage, nose subconsciously wrinkling in disgust while he chuckled nervously and instead used the hand to scratch the back of his head awkwardly. I glared at him as the headache got worse, my mouth forming a hard line. Who does this sassy little shit think he is giving such a half-assed answer?
"S-sorry, I'm not really good at this. This is the first time I've met another person besides my parents. I'm still kind of shocked that there are other people out there, not that I'm complaining or anything," he rambled, smiling slightly, and even though I didn't really hear him, I narrowed my eyes anyways. "I'm just really glad you're awake. You were pretty badly injured when I found you. I was worried I had been too late," he muttered sincerely, a frown taking place of his smile, and I briefly felt a pang of guilt in my chest for being so hard on the kid.
"How long have I been unconscious?" I asked gruffly laying down and, rubbing my temples in an attempt to ease the pain. Concern flashed in his eyes and he was immediately up again, grabbing a pot full of water from the table and carrying it over with a rag in his hand. Seating himself next to me on the floor, he dampened the cloth in the water before gently laying it over my eyes and forehead, forcing me to repress a shiver when I felt his fingers softly graze my temple and the tops of my cheeks.
"Only about a day; you had only just lost consciousness when I got to you," he suddenly announced before shuffling to his feet while I peeked under the cloth and watched as he grabbed another pot full of water and balanced it on a rock close to the fire. He then used an old knife to cut up carrots and other vegetables and throw them in the water, and then topped it off by adding what looked like cut up raw venison, creating some kind of stew. Frowning, I sat up again, causing the cloth to fall to my lap.
"What? That doesn't make any sense. Last time I checked right before I passed out I pulled a fucking sword out of my side," I growled, suddenly irritated while my gaze flicked subconsciously to the scar that now decorated my side.
"Well yeah, that's why I put Titan blood on it," he stated innocently, using a wooden spoon to stir the stew while my face contorted in horror.
"You put Titan blood on me? Why the fuck would you do that? That's disgusting!" I yelled, causing him to flinch, and I noticed hurt flash in his eyes. The stupid guilt came back, along with another painful reminder of my headache, but I pushed the feelings back and instead focused on how many showers it would take to feel clean again.
"W-well I didn't want you to die, so I thought you wouldn't mind…" he muttered softly, not making eye contact while I stared blankly at him. When I didn't say anything, he finally glanced up at me and must have noticed the confusion in my eyes, because his own brow pulled together in confusion. "You know… because Titan blood has healing properties?" he offered hesitantly.
I stayed quiet, trying to take in this information. Part of me wanted to believe him, after all, what reason did this kid have to lie? At the same time, however, how could a brat like him know something that Hanji didn't, or anything about Titans for that matter? He continued to stare at me, and as if he saw my internal debate, he hummed tunelessly before snapping his fingers.
"Ah! Uh, hold on," he exclaimed suddenly, standing up and walking over to the bed side table and pulling the draw open so he could sift through its contents. "Here, I don't know if this will help, I'm not actually sure what it says in there since my father never taught me how to read, but I think these are some of his notes," he explained, handing me a notebook.
I stared at him for a little longer before snatching the note book from his hands. I swiftly opened it, flipping to the first page before finally tearing my gaze away from the shitty brat. I began reading while Eren silently tended to the fire, adding wood and occasionally stirring the stew. However, I was immediately absorbed by the contents of the journal. Whoever this Grisha Jaeger had been, he knew more about Titans than even Hanji, and he found out the healing properties in Titan blood when he accidently spilt the substance on an open wound he had recently received.
Of course it had been a hypothesis, so he tested his theory, cutting his arm before coating the wound in the blood. He explained a terrible burning feeling, one he compared to sticking his arm into an open flame, and he recorded that by the time the blood evaporated, the burning had faded completely and the wound was gone. I immediately remembered the pain I had been in when I first woke up, and how it centered around my wounded waist; easily putting two and two together.
The notes said that the blood itself burnt skin, and I knew that was true from all the times I've cut the monsters down. The sensation I felt earlier, however, was a lot more vicious, and the journal explained that it was due to the fact that the Titan blood was forcing your flesh to grow back at an abnormal rate.
Another discovery he made was the slime that covered the crystalized pellets the Titans regurgitated actually repelled the monsters. His test for this was sneaking outside the walls with the scouting legion and coating himself in the stuff before just sitting and waiting. It described how the Titans around him would start to approach, but the minute he put the shit on they would actually turn away and leave.
He then started describing these plants he created that succeeded in doing the same thing. But a specific note stood out to me. "I planted these plants all around the edge of the clearing that surrounded the hut during the last expedition outside the walls."
Lifting my gaze from the pages, I starred at Eren and watched as he continued cooking the meat, a small smile gracing his features as he absentmindedly hummed softly under his breath. The words I accidently ignored earlier finally rang clearly through my head.
"S-sorry, I'm not really good at this. This is the first time I've met another person besides my parents. I'm still kind of shocked that there are other people out there, not that I'm complaining or anything."
Everything started to click. His grungy clothes, the reason he didn't wear shoes, his "half-assed" answer when I asked him where we were. I narrowed my eyes when I realized I made an ass out of myself when he had only been being honest. I never even stopped to think that "my house" could be the only answer he had.
"How long have you been living out here, Brat?" I asked cautiously, keeping my voice low and even while his attention snapped back to me, a confused frowning gracing his features.
"Ever since I was born," he answered honestly, drawing out his words slowly like he thought I couldn't understand, or was too stupid to. When I shot him an irritated look, however, he chuckled before turning back to the stew with a gentle look in his eyes. "My parents lived with me up until I was ten. Something happened and they got into a fight, and they both left. I haven't seen them since, but that with eight years ago so I just assumed the worst," he explained, his eyes becoming hard and distance.
I could tell he was holding back information. The guilt in his eyes said more than they were meant to, but I didn't push. I was honestly impressed. This kid, this shitty eighteen year old brat has survived on his own for eight years when some of the scouting legion troops could barely survive a few hours, and he didn't even have any type of weapons. But of course I would never tell him that.
"Tch, I guess you're not a complete dumbass after all," I mocked, smirking slightly while he frowned, his lips pursuing in annoyance. However, before he had time to respond, the water, which had been slowly rising, boiled over, exploding into steam while he cursed, shielding his face.
"Hmph, so much for that," I scoffed, but for some reason I couldn't help but think fondly of the stupid brat. I barely knew the kid, and I was very much aware he was hiding something, but he was interesting, and I'm positive he would've shot back a smartass remark if he hadn't been attacked by steam. Not only that, but he probably risked his life to save my ass, and the image of the deviant Titan flashed through my mind.
I leaned against the wall and attempted to piece together what happened after I passed out. I had been at that Titan's mercy, not only was I incapacitated, but there was literally no one else around, and it was right there. Had this kid killed the fucker?
Eren, however, pulled the pot away from the fire before carefully serving the stew into two bowls, placing a silver spoon into one of the bowls and bringing it over to me, along with a canteen.
"It's just water, I figured you're probably thirsty," he explained, and I wordlessly accepted his offerings after realizing how hungry I was. The stew was a little bland and tasteless but it wasn't bad considering his limited resources, and considering how hungry I was, I definitely wasn't complaining. Especially when I realized he had given me a much larger helping in comparison to his own.
However, as I lifted another bite to my mouth, I examined the intricate design on the spoon handle and paused. The silver was still shiny, and looked fairly new, and I realized the bowl, also, was in wonderful condition. In fact, looking around the hut again everything looked to be in good condition. After I realized he had been living out here his entire life, I assumed his he and his parent's must have gotten the supplies from abandoned towns outside the Walls, but if that was the case, all this furniture would be decrepit from over one hundred years of sitting there, wasting away.
"So tell me, where does a brat like you get all this stuff?" I asked, gesturing around the hut with my spoon, causing him to look up from his bowl, a piece of carrot sticking out of his mouth. He hastily swallowed the food in his mouth, taking a quick drink of water from his own canteen before shrugging.
"I'm assuming it came from wherever you came from," he stated, while I raised an eyebrow. Setting his bowl down on the floor, he got up and walked over to the chest, in the corner and dug around in it until he pulled out two Scouting Legion uniforms. "I found these not long after my parents disappeared. I was a kid then so I didn't really think anything of it until I saw you and the people you were with wearing the same thing," he explained and I nodded.
So his parents knew about the Walls, and even lived there. But why would they abandon their life there to come live alone out here? Also, if they were in the Scouting Legion wouldn't they have 3D maneuver gear?
"That's the Scouting Legion uniform. I'm actually Lance Corporal of that branch in the military. Our job is to go outside the walls and learn as much about Titans as we can so we can defeat them. Were your parents in the military?" I asked and he considered it, sitting cross legged on the floor and leaning against one of the stumps. His brow furrowed slightly, creating a small dent in between his eyebrows, and he pursed his lips together slightly.
"Nah, I don't think so," he decided, before pointing to my own set of (useless) 3D maneuver gear that had been stored under the table. "I noticed that the group you were with all had their own metal thing, and my parents never had something like that," he reasoned, and I decided I'd find out who Grisha Jaeger was when I got back to the Walls.
"I just don't understand… obviously there are other people living out there, wherever this wall you keep talking about is, and obviously my parents use to live there, so why did they come out here? Wouldn't they want me to live in a place with other people? What's it like?" he suddenly asked, a distant look in his eyes while I frowned.
"I don't really understand that one myself, but it's not like wonderland or some shit like that. We're basically trapped inside the Walls, like livestock, just waiting for the Titans to attack again," I scoffed, but my eyes softened, images of Hanji, Erwin, Petra, Auruo, Erd, Gunther, and all the trainees flashing through my mind. "But the people, even though they're fucking annoying… they're good people," I finished, remembering Hanji's face right before I left to distract the Titans.
"It sounds like you really care about them," he said, and I looked up and saw him smiling fondly at me, his eyes warm. I stared at him for a while, before smirking slightly and finishing off what was left in my bowl.
"Yeah…I guess those idiots have grown on me."