It hadn't registered yet that this was the same unconscious man you'd found in the forest. He glared at you, narrow and pumped with adrenaline. Those once soft blue eyes you had the pleasure to see in the forest, now took on a different demeanor.

"Oh... You're awake." You said politely, disregarding the literal pistol pointed at your head. His expression only tightened into one of ample anger.

"Oi! I asked you a question." He grumbled, jolting the gun.

You put your hands up and played along, stepping towards the man, "Is that how you greet someone who just saved your life?"

He gritted his teeth.

"I already emptied the barrel." You continued, and placed your hands down by your sides—almost challenging him.

The man put down the gun but his eyes were just as threatening, "Why did you do this? Do you work for the government?" He said in a hurried rant.

"The governme-. I don't work for anyone, I found you unconscious in the woods on my way into town. I couldn't just leave you there... sir."

He clicked his tongue, "I find it hard to believe you people do things just out of the kindness of your hearts."

That's when you put the pieces together. His hostility towards you began to make sense.

"You're from Paradis... Aren't you..?" You said meekly.

He heaved a sigh, "I have to get back to my squad."

"Hey, just wait a minute. You really should let yourself rest-." You suggested as he stormed off into the bedroom with an overt limp.

"I'm fine." He said, coming back out with his harness in one hand and swords in the other. He started for the front door with a flimsy frame. His back slowly drooped, and within seconds—the man tipped over like a glass figurine falling from a shelf.

You scurried to his aid and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Are you alright Mister?"

"You don't have to be so formal." He scoffed.

"Then what's your name?"

"It's-." His words were interrupted by a violent fit of coughs. He covered his mouth with his hand, attempting to restrain himself.

When he moved his hand away for a moment, the two of you gawked at the little flecks of red on his fingers.

He was coughing up... blood.

"You sure you still want to leave? You're in pretty bad shape." You asked.

"Fine." The man muttered, "But that still doesn't mean I trust you." He added.

You rolled your eyes, "C'mon, you need to eat something, and I swear it's not poisoned."

-ˋˏ ༻✧༺ ˎˊ-

Sun light warmed the room as the two of you sat on opposite ends of the kitchen table, locked in silence. The rhythmic clink of utensils was the only audible sound. One of you would pass an occasional glance to the other before quickly focusing back on your food. You were both almost finished with breakfast when you decided to take a chance and speak up.

"So um... I never got your name." You said casually, or in an attempt to sound casual.

He looked up at you with tired eyes. You started to regret saying anything. Maybe he didn't feel like talking.

"It's Levi... Just Levi." He said in a deep bariton. It had just the right amount of rasp to it with a low richness. Levi... you repeated the name in your head. It was quite fitting for him somehow.

He twiddled with his fork before breaking the pause, "...Your name?" Levi asked.

"Oh, it's Y/n."

He nodded and looked back down at his food.

Well this was awkward.

"How did you end up in this part of the forest? I mean... it's pretty far from the battle." You said.

Levi took a moment to answer as if trying to remember how he'd ended up there himself. On one hand, he wanted to remember, while on the other, he didn't exactly want to tell you everything. So he kept it brief and to the point, that pretty much summed up his personality.

"I was trying to protect my squad. I thought I'd be able to make it to the enemy trenches by going through the woods. I wanted to kill them all in a sneak attack. I just got lost, and ambushed."

"You must be pretty sure of yourself to go off alone like that."

He looked at you like you were dumb as you smiled coyly.

"You must be pretty sure of yourself living out here alone in the forest."

"Well, perhaps I am. Although I'll admit, it was quite daunting to bring a stranger here... And you're a guy so..."

"Don't worry I'm not gonna put my hands on you. I'll be out of here soon enough."

"How comforting."

Levi cracked a closed mouth grin while in the middle of chewing his food. "I reckon you don't trust me as well." He replied.

"Well you are quite..." You placed a finger on your chin, "How do I put this, brash."

"I've gotten that a few times."

"Not a people person are you sir."

"No and... like I said you don't have to be so formal."

You got up and smirked, heading to grab his tea cup, "I know, I just felt like messing with you... Levi. More tea?"

He raised his brows and forced himself not to crack another smile, one was already enough.

Levi cleared his throat, "I'd appreciate it."

You nodded, it was obvious Levi was one of those serious types. However, that made teasing him all the more fun.

When you came back to the table with his cup, you noticed him clutching at his shoulder. He removed his grasp upon your presence as to delude you of how much pain he was actually in. He pretended like nothing was wrong. But when you got close, you saw something he probably hadn't caught. His gunshot wound was opening again, crimson blood dripped down his chest.

He averted your eyes.

"You're bleeding... Here I can sew that back up for y-." Levi grabbed your wrist.

"It's fine, it doesn't hurt."

"Yeah sure, tough guy." You scoffed, "I'll be right back, I'm gonna grab the supplies. And don't move too much, it'll open the wound even more."

Levi sighed in defeat. It's not that he didn't want the slash sewn up, but he just hated feeling weak. You were starting to catch onto that. After all, soldiers were usually like this anyway.

You placed the aid supplies on the table and began sterilizing around the wound. A hazy sigh escaped your lips as you examined the gash.

Opposite to how it looked, Levi only shot a quick glimpse at it and fastened his eyes back forward like it was only a scrape. You assumed he must've been used to getting injured.

You laced the thread and tucked the needle's tail between two nimble fingers. Your free hand fixed against his shoulder for support. You leaned forward as his head tilted and inserted the needle into his bare chest. His skin was latent in muted scars which gave you just a peak into the brutality of war.

You began sewing, your tresses of hair glazed over his forehead while you focused.

"Whoever shot you, got you good ah?" You said quietly.

"Mm, you've got keen eyes. Surprised you're not a military medic."

"I was for a bit... But after my brothers left for the war, someone had to take care of this cottage and keep it afloat. So it's just me out here."

That did at least answer one of his questions. What's a pretty young woman doing living alone in the woods? He'd thought to himself earlier.

"What do you do here?" He asked.

"Well, I sell my crops and livestock to the local villages. It makes me a decent living, a peaceful one too. I like it."

Levi begged himself to keep his eyes down and ignore the curiosity which sprung inside him. You two were so close, and he just wanted to study your face. Something about the way you spoke about the things you enjoyed, intrigued him.

The tension between his urge to look at you and his caution towards the matter made him tense.

You tapped a finger to his shoulder blades and spoke gently, "You can relax, I'm not gonna stab you with the needle."

Levi chuckled, "Let's hope not."

Again you leaned in, your cheeks cupped in rose from the morning chill, mouth slightly open. As you drew closer, he shrunk to a rigid frame once more. Muscles grooving in the outline of his upper chest. The closer you got, the more tense he became.

You pulled away, "Levi, I can't fully mend it if your muscles are strained."

He nodded, drawing his shoulder blades up in a vertical motion and letting them drop. His muscles shifted like marbles lost in silk. Leaving acute slopes and peaks along the dips of his pale skin. Your gaze roved over his features.

"There." He said bluntly.

You poked the bridging wound with the needle a third try. Your face pulled close, breath dancing down his bare chest in a warm sensation. Your hair tickled his vulnerable skin.

"You don't really get taken care of like this do you." You said, filling the silence.

It took him a moment to respond, "I just do it myself." He said frankly. You could tell it was his hand who'd stitched those faded scars on his body. They seemed to have healed quite... chaotically to say the least.

"I guess I could give you some pointers then for the next time you're sewing yourself." You giggled.

Levi looked down and plastered on a fake stoic expression. Once again, to hide the smile he so desperately wanted to beam.

"Sounds like a plan." He muttered.

You flashed a faint grin and focused back on his skin. You could feel his breaths puff against you as your face moved in. And well, you hadn't been this close to a man in a while. Not that you were crushing on the guy but it was a rather unconscious response to his presence. He wasn't a bad looking man anyway; blue eyes, dark hair, balanced features. Under any other circumstances, you'd probably fall for a man who looked like this. He seemed like the type of person who was oblivious to his own good looks.

"Almost done, you can get your break from me in a moment." You laughed.

"Who said I wanted a break from you?"

You paused and looked him in the eyes, a shameful heat surged in your skin.

"I'm messing with you." He replied, imitating your words from earlier.

So the serious man did have a sense of humor after all.

"Mocking me huh Levi." You said sarcastically.

"It appears so... Y/n." That voice of his was like silk. You could listen to it all day, especially the sound of your name on his lips. You quickly finished up before letting yourself crush on the guy. In addition, you'd also just met him and not too long ago he was pointing a gun at your head. You reminded yourself not to get too comfortable.

"All done." Your meek voice was nearly inaudible; an effort to keep yourself reserved in his presence after all that tension. You ran and grabbed him a top.

He didn't take the time to examine your job. Only standing up and throwing on the t-shirt you'd given him.

"Thanks..." He murmured beneath a husky tone. You nodded while situating the aid materials back into the bag. Your pink cheeks were hidden from view beneath your hair.

He adjusted his collar and pulled down the edges. Once again covered up.

"I'll be outside if you need anything just ask, the guest room is right over there." You said, pointing to the same bedroom he came out of earlier. Upon deeper thought, you ruminated over how stupid you probably sounded reminding him of where the room was when he was literally just there not too long ago.

"What about you? You must be tired." He asked, starting for the bedroom.

"Oh I'm okay, I've got to do some work outside in the garden."

"Well... don't overwork yourself. Trust me I know how that feels."

"Mm." You nodded with a smile, and headed out. It felt so strange knowing that there was a random man staying in your house, a bit surreal. But he wasn't that bad of company. He was a bit cold, oblivious in an endearing sort of way, maybe even crass... You wondered how long it would be like this. You even imagined what his life was like back on Paradis, he was sort of a mystery.

But you liked it that way...

-ˋˏ ༻✧༺ ˎˊ-