I wake up in the middle of the night, partly because I feel eyes on me and partly because my stomach demands attention. I have half a mind to venture into the kitchen for a midnight snack when my eyes flutter open to find silvery eyes staring down at me. I yelp with surprise and snap upright, our foreheads just missing each other by a hairs' breadth.
"Could you silence your stomach? It could wake the dead," Levi deadpans.
"I'm sorry, Captain Levi. Did it wake you?"
"Just 'Levi' is fine, and no, your rumbling stomach didn't wake me. I don't sleep,"
"Oh, maybe you should ask Dr Hanji for some sleeping tablets-"
"Sleeping tablets don't work on me. And I don't need your help, brat,"
"Well- umm- I'm sorry for bothering you then. I will try to get some sleep-" My stomach grumbles in protest of my words.
"You're hungry," he sighs. "What can I get you?"
"Wh-ha-at, don't be silly. I'm fine-" Another growl, this time even louder.
"No, you are clearly not fine. It wouldn't do if Hanji saved your ass just for you to starve to death in my care. So what can I get you?"
My cheeks burn, I am pretty sure he can see it, while my stomach rumbles. "Umm, a double cheese burger and fries- no wait…a barbeque chicken pizza. Large, oh and with soda, please," I say and I can feel myself salivate at the thought of food.
"Isn't pizza the food that they make with their hands?" he asks with a sniff.
I look up at him quizzically. "Don't they make all food with their hands?"
The look on his face is as though I punched him in the gut. "Fine, Barbeque chicken and soda-"
"Large,"
He gives me a glare that could cleave my head from my shoulders. "Large barbeque chicken and soda-"
"Wait, make it cranberry juice. The crazy doctor lady drew a lot of blood and cranberry juice helps with keeping blood healthy and increases the production process-"
"Fine! Large barbeque chicken and cranberry juice," he exclaims irritably and stomps off to the glass doors along the far side of the room. He tosses them open, climbs on to the railing and leaps forward into the cool night air.
My breath catches in my throat; I dive over the back of the couch and sprint to the balcony. "LEVI!" I scream into the night air.
"What, brat?" I hear a voice say to my left. I snap my head in the direction of the voice just as the moon comes out from behind the clouds. I catch my breath; my jaw feels as though it might drop to the floor or even through the floor. The moonlight gives his jet black wings a soft silvery glow, making his skin seem impossibly light and his eyes shimmer brilliantly. He reminds me of a black sparrow-hawk. His wings beat almost soundlessly as he hovers in the air. Relief washes over me, you idiot! He has wings! Stop freaking out. Next thing I know, his wings wrap tightly against his body and he flips over so that he tumbles head first towards the city lights far below.
I watch until I cannot see him anymore. And even then I stay in the icy evening air. I watch the city while rubbing some warmth back into my arms. Damn this kink in my back, damn him, for making me sleep on the couch. But then it's not like I can just waltz into his life like I did and then commandeer his bed, now can I? It feels like forever before he returns with a package in hand. He moves with a practiced grace and I move away from the railing as he swoops in close before lightly landing on the balls of his feet.
"You didn't have to wait outside for me, brat," he says as he tucks his wings in, the arches resting against the back of his head while the tips gently brush the floor. His skin glows with a pink tinge from flying in the chilly air and his hair is ruffled.
"I know, I was just admiring the view,"
"And do you like what you see?"
"Well, yes. The city is beautiful at night," I utter as I stare out over the light dotted landscape.
Levi sighs. "A lot of things are beautiful in the dark. Now, come inside before I toss this pizza over the railing,"
I take his threat seriously and head inside, partly because I know in my gut that he would actually toss the pizza and partly because I am crazy hungry. I slide the glass doors closed behind me and the smell of molten chees and cooked chicken instantaneously fill the room.
I feel like I'm drooling all over the black carpet by the time I plop down on the couch. His 'chambers' are nothing like what I have seen of the tower. The walls are various shades of grey, the carpet and couches and his bed is black while the rest of the furniture is an ivory white. Levi places the large pizza box on the coffee table before me; he then produces a large bottle of cranberry juice, paper cups, a stack of paper towels and paper plates.
"There is no way I am letting you touch anything with your greasy fingers," he simply sniffs.
I can't help the grin on my face as I open up the box, the smell of it hitting me in the face like a brick wall and my stomach growls even louder than before.
"Wait! You're eating that with your hands? When was the last time you washed them?"
"Um doonaw," I shrug as I shove a slice in my mouth and chew. Okay, so I bit off a little more than I could chew but I'm so hungry!
"Swallow before you talk, che. Didn't anyone teach you manners, brat?"
I shrug again and gulp down the liquid cheese in my mouth. I just deep-fried all my taste buds, but hell if I care.
"Eat slower, dammit. Or do you want to choke?"
"Are you just going to stand there and watch me eat and tell me what to do?" I ask once I've gulped down another mouthful.
"Do what you want then, shitty brat," he holds his hands up as to say he washes his hands of me. He turns away from where he had been leaning against the wall to my right and walks off to his bed.
"Hey, um, did you want a bite of this? It's not the best pizza in the world but it is still pretty good," I offer. I watch his back as he pauses and contemplates his answer. "You better hurry before I eat it all,"
I watch him sigh and he turns to face me again. "Fine,"
He saunters over like he owns the place (which he does) and in a manner that makes his hips sway (which should be illegal). He takes a paper towel, slides it under a pizza slice and lifts it into a paper plate. I watch as he nibbles on it slowly, waiting for a reaction that never actually appears.
He eats the entire slice by the time I finished the entire pizza. He then helps himself to a glass of cranberry juice, all the while sustaining an exceptionally bored expression. I get ready to go back to sleep, but my body is still numb with cold. No matter how I try to wrap myself in the blanket, I just cannot find any warmth.
He must have been watching me because the next thing I know, his hand is pressed to my forehead. "You're still cold from being outside, you will make yourself sick. Che, stupid shithead,"
"I- I'm fine," I can kick myself for shuddering just then.
He sighs. "Come on, let's get you warm. This is a onetime thing, okay, brat?" He walks around the table and scoops me up from the couch, his one arm around my shoulders and the other slipping in behind my knees. Holy cow! He's strong!
He then walks over to his bed and sits down, swinging his legs on to the bed as well. He lies down with open wings and nudges me off of his chest and against his side.
"Wait, I can't lie on your wings," I say in shock.
"What? You think you can break my wings just by lying on them? My wings? My wings have carried me through hurricanes and gale force winds, they have carried me to and from battle without ever faltering and you think you can hurt them by sleeping on them, brat? Don't make me laugh,"
I swallow thickly at his little monologue, I feel stupid for doubting the strength of his wings. This man right here is truly remarkable. I mean, he carried me as if I weigh nothing at all. And then I insult him. So I just turn my back on him and rest my head on his splayed out arm, the blanket forgotten in my arms. I feel him roll on to his side next to me, his other wing folding over me gently.