"Can I even ask what the report is about?"
I leaned down to tug my boots off, rather than have to clear up the dust I would track in.
"To anyone else it's a general report about our squadron… for you it's more proof to get the military police off our backs"
tucking my boots into the corner, I tried not to look at him. Why the special treatment? Either he's that aggravated by Erwin, enough to risk giving me information I wasn't meant to know, or just maybe…
Looking up I see the hesitation in his eyes. He's really trusting me on this. I'm sure I'm smiling, fuck it I know I'm grinning. Despite the seriousness of the subject, the sentiment is so much more.
"That would explain why you're so hesitant to finish it"
He looks at me then, and whether consciously or not, he fucking smiles back at me. Holy shit.
"That and this castle is like a fucking ghost town"
"At least it doesn't look like one anymore. Can't say I don't enjoy company though"
His head flicks up at that, looking back at me. Damn that came out a lot weirder than intended. Quickly moving boots to the corner I step past him and try not to think too much about how badly he could take that. If Armin ever finds out, I might as well be dead. I try to settle on the bed as Levi starts heading back to his desk.
This is it. He might have well as shot me. Looking up at me with that sincere smile and fucking blushing too. God working with him right there is going to be torture. Why did he flirt back? Was it flirting? How is he legally allowed to do that? If this continues I'm not going to last three days.
Snapping out of it I realise he's moved to sit on the bed and that I should stop hanging round the door like some fucking creep.
Half way through writing a new account, his voice pipes up again, cutting through the silence that had slowly built up.
"Why me?" He's locked eyes with me, his eyes clouded with thoughts.
"I mean, you're going to need to be more specific Eren, I'm not telepathic" I wasn't willing to make the wrong assumption here, especially if I had read this wrong.
"I mean… why trust me with all of this? Surely someone like Mikasa would be better for this, someone more like you."
His voice was quiet, broken almost. The demands of comparing yourself to others settled deeply in his expression.
Though confusing I could see why he'd say that, we're not exactly akin to each other. He's more open, wearing his heart on his sleeve. The embodiment of hope and all the demons that hide at the edges. A different world to me.
"Eren, I chose to trust you, not anyone else, because I know you. And there's no one else I'd rather have stood by me. Besides I would never trust someone like me. Erwin is just further proof of that."
Nodding in a way that didn't stand for anything he leaned back on the bad somehow even further in thought. I suppose we're both different in physical appearance too, everything from stature to how we greet people after all he's not exactly known for giving 'death glares'. None the less here he was, sat on my bed, something I refused to even dream about a week ago.
The night came faster than expected, the hours had passed in deep thought and the scratching of Levi's pen. I had suggested I collect the cleaning supplies and meet him in my room, giving him time to pack up. As I left I glanced at the amounting pile of paper, his work from today.
"You should leave the work here, it'll bleed you dry."
"Sounds good to me" smirking at me as I left.
Leaving made me realise the different kinds of silence, as the warmth of a shared comfortable silence closed off behind the door, leaving me with only the cold empty silence.
Gathering the supplies was monotonous, the had slowly spread out over several rooms as I had stopped using them, as I retraced my steps I made sure to make a mental note to keep them together next time. As I headed down the stairs toward the storeroom on the way out, I looked back, it felt strange to see how the place had subtly changed with only a clean, even in the pale evening light the corridors looked better, rustic rather than ancient. Speaking of years of support instead of threats of collapse. Leaving things as close to 'the right place' as possible grabbed some more candles and left, heading out into the darkening day and towards the block of cells. At least this time there was no standard for tonight, I doubt things could get worse than having a nightmare and discussing drugging. Pushing the heavy wooden door open I stepped into the too familiar corridors for another night. Toward the back I could see the faint glow of a candle and the shuffling of boots echoed down to me, growing louder as I passed the cells we had deemed 'uninhabitable' in our first scouting of the cells. He exited at the sound of me coming closer, using a brass holder with the remainder of the last candle to fight off the encroaching darkness.
"Glad I restocked" I wave, gesturing with the new candles.
"Good I was going to be bored out of my mind I wouldn't have been able to read"
As I got closer I could see the pile of books he'd placed on top of the only thing close to a table in the cell block, the cabinet/bedside table thing I was currently storing my clothes in.
"Doesn't it seem a bit pointless to have your chair outside the room, when the only surface clean enough for you to put your books on is in my room?"
"Technically it's your room, and I'm hardly a fan of breeching privacy."
I stepped past him entering my room and gesturing to him,
"well consider yourself invited, and bring your chair in too"