I would be lying if I said I didn't stifle a laugh at the sight of Eren's expression when Levi and I walked through the door. The look of horror on his face as Levi ran his fingers underneath the wooden table was hilarious. The same boy who could transform into an enormous titan stood before Levi, broom in hand, shaking with fear.

I'll admit, Levi's definition of "clean" is quite a bit different from anyone else's and damn near impossible to obtain. So when Levi wiped the minuscule amount of dust from his hand and mumbled something about "discussing the lax cleaning job later," I just rolled my eyes and shook my head. Oh Levi, you're ruthless.

Everyone quickly finished their tasks in order to prepare for Hange's arrival in the morning. I'm sure she had a few interesting experiments planned for Eren, as per usual. The woman was incredibly smart, but equally as insane.

I followed Jean and Sasha into the kitchen and began assisting them in unloading the new rations. Sasha was a sneaky one when it came to food, so I took it upon myself to "help" her put everything away. If given the chance, that girl would eat everything in sight in a matter of seconds. Honestly, I always wondered how the hell a tiny girl like her could eat so damn much...

Her eyes kept darting back and forth between me and the box of potatoes. So I reluctantly picked up the whole box and carried it to the pantry. As I began to lift the box onto the top shelf, I suddenly winced from a shooting pain in my side. Losing my grasp, the box crashed to the ground, sending potatoes rolling across the floor. I yelped and grabbed my side where my stab wound was apparently still healing.

When I looked back up, I noticed Sasha and Jean staring at me, wide-eyed. I paused for a moment, then swiftly picked up the two closest potatoes lying beside me. With a stern glare, I approached Jean and Sasha, slapping a potato into one hand each.

"Don't say a word about this to Levi," I growled.

I bent down onto my knees and began gathering the rest of the potatoes, when I felt Jean's hand on my shoulder.

"(Y/N), I apologize if this isn't my place to say it, but I think you should get some rest. I- I saw you back then, when Captain Levi brought you to the barracks and-"

"Thank you, Jean. I appreciate your concern," I interjected, slowly returning to a stand. "But I think I'd rather stay and finish up here, so we can all get some rest."

Sasha grinned and bit into the potato hungrily. Jean nodded and said lowly,

"Alright then. Not a word to Levi."

-------------------------------------------

Being able to slowly open up to the new members of Squad Levi was quite enjoyable. Even though I had fought alongside them for the past month, I barely knew anything about them. I wasn't exactly used to "making friends," so even though the small-talk was awkward at first, I eventually got the hang of it.

I totally understood why Levi chose them for his Squad. The level of camaraderie between them was incredible. Going through so much together in such a short amount of time had created an extremely strong bond among them. It was almost like having a family again...

As the evening died down, Levi eventually called it a night and ordered everyone to retire to their rooms. Everyone except for Connie, who was next to stand watch. I observed him as he slowly shuffled outside, rifle in hand, hiding a large yawn.

I followed Levi down the hall, where we would share a room, due to limited space. I slipped into bed, wearing just my button down shirt and underwear. Levi stood at the window for a moment, making sure Connie hadn't fallen asleep already. But he was pleasantly surprised to find him locked at attention and scanning the treeline.

"I can't believe how strong they've all gotten," I whispered, as Levi approached his side of the bed.

"Not like they had much of a choice. Either that or get eaten," Levi grumbled as he pulled the blanket up to his chest.

There was an awkward silence between us, and I felt my stomach flip. This was the first time we had shared a bed since before leaving for Stohess. And we hadn't actually slept together since before I left for the Garrison. Levi seemed to sense my sudden anxiety and slowly turned to face me. Although seeing him without a shirt on was quite as beautiful sight, I kept my gaze locked on the ceiling.

"Oi. Look at me."

I held back my oncoming nervous tears as I reluctantly turned towards him.

"Tell me to sleep on the floor, and I will. Tell me to sleep by your side, and I will. But if you tell me to sleep with you before you're really ready... I won't."

Smiling through my tears, I caressed his face and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Okay... then stay by my side tonight," I whispered softly. "And for every night after."

Wrapping his arms around me gently, Levi held me close, kissing my forehead softly. I rested my cheek and hand against his chest and sighed. He was all too aware of what kind of trauma I had endured and wasn't about to unintentionally hurt me. Only once had Levi asked about what had happened to me the night we were separated in Stohess, and my answer was enough for him to never ask again.

Even though we both missed how intimate we had once been, I didn't know how I would respond to such vulnerability yet. And he wasn't going to push me either. Deep down, I really wanted to be with Levi that night, to share my soul with his again. But I also wanted to be sure that my fear wouldn't transfer over into him. So, I would wait until the moment was right; when nothing else mattered.

The soothing rhythm of Levi's heartbeat was easily my favorite lullaby. My eyes began to grow heavy and my body was spent. There in the comfort of each other's arms, we were finally able to drift off to sleep.