Two chapters uploaded because I feel terrible for putting this on hiatus. A short but incredibly fluffy chapter. I can't wait to get to the… ahem… well. The lyrics of Eren's lullaby are mine. I really can't picture Eren singing 'A Part of Your world' to Levi. Please don't hurt me for writing such crappy lyrics. Some of the lines don't even rhyme! Enjoy!
Fear of hurting the already wounded and unconscious man in his arms, Eren did nothing but stroked the Captain's forehead, which burned from intense fever. It had been almost an hour since Eren saved Captain Levi from drowning. It had not been easy finding a safe place for Levi or find suitable items to staunch the wound and bind it. Somehow, he had managed to find a secluded bay, sheltered by palms, a fair distance from the battle scene but close to the city of Utopia as Eren could make out the turrets of the city buildings and the wall along the coast.
Eren sighed as events leading to this situation coursed through his mind. Although the man was short in stature, Eren had intense difficulty dragging him onto the shore. During this time, questions and troubles raced through his head. What was he to do? How would he stop the bleeding?
Wreckage from the battle had drifted all the way to this secluded area including the broken mast that Eren balanced himself on when he hid from the humans. The torn strips of sail that were still attached to the rigging was luckily clean, devoid of any impurities and such. He tore several strips off. This would do perfectly to bind the wound, but he'd have to clean and sew it surgically… Eren grimaced. He hated seeing a creature in pain or distress but if that wound wasn't treated, the man called Levi would die. He would have to disinfect it himself. For that, he needed a needle and thread and was forced to create a makeshift needle from the scorched tailbone of a stingray and fishing wire. It was painful enough having to kill a stingray, watching it wither in pain as Eren snapped part of tailbone off and watching the useless tail burn in a small fire to clean it. Hearing the cries of pain from the Captain later on would tear him apart.
Filling empty coconut shells with clean salt water from nearby tide pools, he dragged himself towards the collapsed man. The wound itself was very deep, long and glancing downwards along his rib cage but thankfully, after examining it, nothing was it it.
Gritting his teeth, he began to pour the clean water onto the wound, washing away excess blood and pus that had begun to form. Shocked by the pain but unable to move, Levi cried out, tortured in his fitful half sleep. With a spare piece of fabric, he gently placed it in the mouth of the Captain for him to grit on. Tenderly, he stroked the man's forehead. Levi's facial expression was a mask of pain and terror from the ordeal that was to come. Eren cursed. If only he found some washed up and intact whisky bottles for this man to drink, it would have helped numb this man's pain and make him senseless.
"Forgive me for doing this but I have to close the wound. Bite onto the fabric" Eren ordered softly.
Levi could barely nod, but obeyed this strange young man's orders.
Heaving a deep sigh, he knotted the fishing wire and pierced the stingray tail into Levi's flesh. From then on, it was trauma and agony for Levi. Never in his life had he suffered so much. Savagely, he bit onto the spare piece of fabric whenever he felt the sharp agonizing spine like needle pierce his cut flesh like a dagger. For Levi, it felt like eternity but it was only a few minutes until Eren closed the wound and tied the knot of the fishing wire. He washed the wound once again with clean seawater and bound his torso up tightly.
His chest heaving with effort, hot tears streaming down his cheeks, Levi turned to his saviour dreading what else was to come.
"It's alright. It's all over. Here, drink this" Eren said softly. Lifting up the Captain's head slightly, he poured deliciously cool fresh coconut water in his mouth. Levi drank greedily, relishing the sweet taste on his parched tongue. Once he had his fill, he lolled his head back onto the sand. As the moments spanned into hours, and the sun began to set on the horizon, Eren continued to ease and calm Levi in his feverish state. Every now and again, Eren would give him coconut water to drink and soon Levi's fever ceased. He now breathed peacefully, undisturbed from nightmarish thoughts and demons. Although Levi was still in pain, it was now a dull ache rather than the agonizing burning sensation.
What could he do to further calm this man? The only thing Eren could think of was to sing. Taking a deep breath, he began to sing a lullaby. The moment the first few notes were revealed to the world, everything grew silent. In the quietude of the cove, the only thing that could be heard was the mysteriously beautiful and somewhat melancholic lullaby of the sea.
"Sleep my love, my only
Let the ocean sing her shanty
Of pearls, coral and sunken treasure
And the merfolk of the seas"
"Dream on my love, my only
Sail far beyond the horizon
Far across the spangled stars
And to your dreaming"
"My love replies 'If only, If only'
Watching the night clouds roll by
But be strong my love, stand boldly
My love, my angel, my only"
"So, sleep my love my only
Let the ocean sing her shanty
Of pearls, coral and sunken treasure
And the merfolk of the seas"
Levi frowned slightly then sighed, enraptured by this stranger's lullaby. The voice was so melodic and soothing. It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard in his life. Like the ocean waves that lapped the shore gently, each line permeated the silence softly. The enchanting lullaby intertwined within his blissful wandering. Levi dreamt of wonders and mysterious worlds beneath the ocean blue so indescribable and a handsome face happily showing these secret treasures so unknown in his world of chaos. Quoting the lullaby sung to him, "If only, if only" he could stay in such a beautiful dream. He wouldn't have worry about vengeance, conquest or ambition… he could just be Levi.
Eren smiled. Feeling a burst of tenderness well within him, he kissed Captain Levi's closed and relaxed eyelids. He had no heart to leave this helpless yet mysterious man by himself, not in his condition. He would stay with him until tomorrow and when tomorrow came, maybe Eren would get to know the sleeping Captain in his arms.
Eren: (singing) "I don't know when, I don't know how, but I know something's starting right now… Watch and you'll see… someday I'll"
Levi: Shut it brat!
Me: (Shakes head)
OOOH! THIS IS GOING TO TURN SO FLUFFEH THAT I'M GONNA DIE! Love Evening Falls