Be warned. This chapter contains homophobic thoughts.

Martha was told not to enter her Master's room and well, she knows it wasn't appropriate but she went in, peeking through the door.

It was two in the morning and she could hear some hounds howl but such things don't baffle her. There are things more horrifying than those.

She gazed at Erwin's sleeping countenance and she looked at him sadly. There were tears gracing his cheeks, an evidence that he cried himself to sleep.

Martha ruffled her Master's hair a bit and turned to the desk, seeing the piece of paper that was filled with words.

She looked upon it sadly and went out of the room, praying that her Master would feel better.

•••

Weeks has passed and Levi got used to Erwin and the same went for Mikasa.

Mikasa was a great companion in the manor and the fact that she could sew and do embroidery made Rika very fond of the young lady.

The winter has slowly faded and everybody in the streets talked about how they were delighted that spring was near.

Levi would sit at his room for hours when his tasks were all finished. He would stare at the lavenders in their vast and infinite space as they danced their waltz, welcoming the jolly spring. The sight calms the man and he felt content.

It has been weeks after his weird thought and the opinion never crossed his mind again.

He was startled from his thoughts as he heard a knock at his door.

"Levi?" A voice called. It was Mikasa.

"Come in." Levi said and the door creaked open and he saw Mikasa, now well-dressed and warm. "What brings you here?"

Mikasa had a smile on her lips and she presented a handkerchief on her hands and showed it to Levi. "I want you to have this... It's to show my gratitude for saving me."

She handed him it and he felt the silky texture of the cloth. At the side of the square cloth was his name embroidered in beautiful cursive. The thread was black but around his name were small, golden stars.

"I'm sorry if it looks too..." Mikasa began and clasped her hands together nervously. "Feminine. I-"

"No," Levi interrupted the younger girl. "I love it. You have my gratitude." He smiled softly.

Mikasa smiled shyly and sat on his bed, beside him. Levi noticed a red scarf around her neck and it made him wonder if Mikasa ever wore it when the they found her.

Mikasa seemed to notice and took a piece of it and lifted the scarf closer to her face. "This? I think you are wondering about it, right?"

Levi felt ashamed for prying into her past since he believed that it was a very private subject, thinking that they found Mikasa in the ruins of a brothel.

Levi nodded reluctantly and said. "I do not mean to pry in your past. Please believe me, Mikasa."

Mikasa shook her head, "I believe I can trust you. Besides, you and Erwin were the ones who saved me.

"This scarf," She said as she tugged at the fabric that meant a lot to her. "This was given to me by a boy-"

"Ah, a boy!" Levi blurted out, teasing her. He rested his palms on the sheets of the bed and looked at the ceiling.

Mikasa shushed him and elbowed him slightly. "Hush," She rolled her eyes and continued her story. "He was a neighbor of mine who gave me this scarf since he thought I was getting too cold. I was nine...and ever since I've clung to this scarf, and after that day, my parents were killed and I was sold to the owner of the whorehouse...the filthy place where you had found me."

She bit her lip and Levi started to think that maybe it was hard for her to talk about it but she continued, "I spent the remaining days of my childhood in that..." She paused. "Hell..."

She exhaled and looked at Levi. "I'm sorry for raining on your parade."

"Nay, you are not." Levi insisted and looked out to the fragrant fields of lavender. He stood up and pushed the windows open. The cream colored curtains burst into a little dance as the wind blasted through the window. Levi's hair was all over the places, swaying in every direction they can. His features were highlighted by the gentle sunlight filtered by a fair amount of clouds. "You deserve to live, Mikasa. Fight for it."

Mikasa, nodded to him, astonished at the simple words that he uttered to her. She smiled. "I will, Levi."

Due to the vastness of the fields of lavender, Mikasa could smell their comforting fragrance and she believed that if the lavenders in the fields ceased to exist, the manor of the knight named Erwin will be bleak as ever.

Levi only smiled in reply and his gesture made the young lady's heart flutter, not because she fancies him but because she never really saw him smile before.

She excused herself and went outside, leaving Levi alone in his beloved place filled with solitude.

Levi gazed at the fields of lavenders. He has been staring at it for months and yet, he never got sick of it.

The knight, his lord, Erwin Smith has been busy over the months so Levi never really saw him again. He never got the chance to help out Levi in designing that plain, wooden stool.

Levi didn't really care.

Did he?

He sighed in exasperation and ran his fingers towards his dark locks. Thinking about Erwin never made him feel so perplexed but now, he was experiencing it and it was troubling the small man.

A knock was heard on his door and he presumed that maybe it was Mikasa again.

"Come in."

The door creaked open, showing that it was Erwin. He wore his usual attire, his white dress shirt and some black dress pants. His hair was kept the way he always did. His eyes, still blue and intense as it should be.

Seeing all this things relieved Levi. He was relieved that Erwin was the same way as he was-

And Levi simply hated himself for thinking that.

On Erwin's hand was the boring wooden stool.

"Hello, Levi." The taller male greeted him with a smile. "Would you mind if I join you?"

Levi shook his head. "Nay, it is alright."

Erwin smiled again and Levi could see someone behind him. It was Martha and she had handfuls of paint, carving tools, paintbrushes and the like.

"Hello, Martha." Levi said to her.

Martha looked like she didn't have the heart to reply. She put down the tools and surprisingly replied, "Greetings and I shall see you both later." And with that, she left the two of them, closing the door behind her.

It's strange to see her at morning and Levi guessed that Erwin bothered Martha to take the paint and bring it to Levi's quarters.

Erwin sat at the foot of Levi's bed and Levi, not wanting any more closeness from the taller man, decided to sit on the stone window sill.

Erwin noticed Levi's distance to him but he did not dare to point it out because he'd hate to anger the young man. "Forgive me for not being present for a while. I became occupied with-"

"Cleaning up scum. Aye, right." Levi said, crossing his arms. "Anyways, forget that. Are you here to help me design that boring stool?"

Erwin nodded as his palm rested on one of the smooth, wooden legs of the stool. "Aye, I nearly forgot so I made sure today that we can make it."

Levi stood from his improvised seat and sat beside Erwin sloppily which made the wooden bed frame creak.

"I...you actually got me worried that maybe you forgot about it." Levi stated, hating himself for hesitating to speak.

Why am I so conscious about what I should speak? He asked himself.

Erwin smiled and handed Levi a carving tool. "What would you like to emboss on the legs of this chair?" He looked out to the windows and immediately saw the infinity of lavenders. "Lavenders, perhaps?"

Levi stared at Erwin's face who was studying the lavenders outside. He wanted to reach out and touch the older man's cheek, caress it and kiss it...but he cannot do that. He mustn't.

He was taught that a man should only love a woman and that a woman should only love a man, nothing more, nothing less but somehow, the little fact pierced Levi's heart and to him, hearing it was a deadly poison.

"Aye, lavenders would do." He replied as he swallowed back his feelings and stored them in the deepest depths of his heart. Then, he began to carve on one of the legs of the stool. He began to carve a line and then added small, thinner lines to both sides of the line, trying his best to carve an image close to the lavenders that his eyes marvel at everyday. His hand was holding the tool and carving while his other was placed in front of the sharp edge of the tool.

Erwin was eyeing him intently and was shocked when Levi accidentally jabbed the tool to his finger as he carved.

Levi looked blankly at his finger as blood began to trickle from the stab.

"Oh."

Erwin grabbed Levi's hand, pressing on the wound to stop the bleeding. "What do you mean 'oh'? You're wounded!" The blonde man shouted in alarm.

Levi felt heat rush to his face as he felt Erwin's big hand press the bleeding puncture on his finger. He wanted to protest and at the same time he did not desire it because he wanted to enjoy it.

Levi's conscience began to accuse him of being a sinner, a pervert, a demon.

He did not want to think that but he was brought up by 'pious' people that believed that loving someone with the same gender as you are is a mortal sin and that it could not be forgiven.

Never.

And that person who loved someone who has the same gender like himself will be sent to Hell and eternal flames and damnation will consume him forever.

Levi was just frozen as Erwin stopped the bleeding on his finger. His brows were knitted in concentration as he looked if Levi's finger was still bleeding. Levi looked at Erwin's face, the face that he always longed to see but every time he sees Erwin, it's a pain.

Erwin was killing him. If there is going to be one reason why Levi will descend in Hell to be punished, it would be Erwin.

"I am fine." Levi insisted as he pulled his hand away from Erwin's grasp. He continued in carving lavenders as his thoughts ran through his mind.

"Are you certain-"

"I am certain." Levi said firmly, praying that Erwin would not bother him anymore.

"Alright." Erwin said as he took out the paints and a thin paintbrush that was suitable for painting the insides of the carved lines that represented the lavenders. He had a pallet filled with colors that could help him achieve different shades of violet that will suit the lavenders.

Levi moved to another leg after he finished carving a huge lavender that covered the entire front face of the leg. Erwin began painting the finished lavender and tried his best to be careful so that the paint won't bleed out of the lines.

Levi noticed that their progress was fast and this frightened him. He did not want this activity to end soon, he wanted more seconds, minutes, hours, and days with Erwin.

He wanted an eternity with Erwin and he's sure that Erwin is oblivious to it.