It felt strange having someone else know everything I had tried to forget. It was painful to recall it all, yet therapeutic in a way too. I knew my world was small, but discovering that Levi and I had unknowingly crossed paths once before made me realize just how vital he was to me. Personally, I was incredibly grateful for what he had done. But he was overwhelmingly guilt-ridden, continuing to grapple with the fact that he had taken part in giving me my scar, even if his actions did save my life.

No one else noticed, but he continued to hide his shame whenever he caught a glimpse of my scar. No matter what I said or did, he wouldn't let it go; he wouldn't forgive himself. He acted as if he had been the one who slit my throat all along, not my father.

There was such a silent debate between us, about how his actions had shaped my life. He felt responsible for not stopping me from running away; for being caught by Viktor while trying to at least die in the sunlight; for being forced to live in the Capitol under constant abuse; and for everything thereafter.

This was so unlike him, and I became worried about his ability to focus on the task at hand: working with Eren and studying his Titan abilities before our fast approaching expedition.

The day had finally come to a close, ending with the squad's usual congregation around the table, sipping tea and warming ourselves by the fire. Everyone could sense something was off with Levi, but dare not mention it. Once Eld had called it a night, everyone else was quick to follow, except for me. I poured myself another cup of tea, which was unfortunately cold by that time. I enjoyed the peace and quiet, since apparently I wasn't allowed to be alone.

I found the sound of the crackling fire to be soothing, watching the embers glowing happily. It reminded me of when I was a child, how I would stay up late to listen to the stories my parents would tell me. Looking back, they were all so whimsical, but they allowed my imagination to flourish. I would give anything to go back to those days where everything was so simple and innocent.

I tipped the tea pot for a refill, but it was empty. I slumped in my chair and looked around the room to find the tea leaves and kettle, but they had already been returned to the kitchen.

"Well, damnit," I muttered.

I stood up, making my way toward the pantry when I heard the shuffle of footsteps near the rear entrance of the kitchen. It was dark, so I couldn't see much. A few steps to my left were the knives, which I instinctively wanted immediately. Without taking my eyes off of the door, I began to quietly side-step toward the Butcher Block. The first knife I felt, I withdrew in haste.
The silence was unsettling, as I had yet to hear a retreat. I inhaled deeply, holding my breath as I swiftly charged through the door, busting it wide open.

I could feel resistance as I pushed through, so I knew I wasn't alone. Before I had time to turn and face my opponent, I was thrown to the ground. I couldn't see who had me pinned, but their grasp tightened around my wrist, trying to force me to drop the knife. I could feel them struggling to keep me grounded, but my adrenaline began to peak.

I seized the opportunity to throw my elbow back the moment I noticed their grip weakening. I could hear a grunt as they fell off of me. Instantly, I whipped around, throwing my weight against them, holding my knife to their throat.

"What the hell do you want!?" I screamed, realizing I had pinned down a young, terrified MP.

"Please! I'm sorry! I had no other choice!" He began to plead, fear bleeding from his eyes.

"Did Viktor send you!?"

"Yes, YES! I'm just supposed to confirm your whereabouts-- that's it... I swear!"

I glared down at him with a sneer, not releasing him just yet.

"You can just tell that bastard-"

Pain. I'm falling. Shit!

I heard another man scoff behind me as I fell onto the young MP beneath. I was stunned by an unexpected blunt force to the back of my head. I felt pins and needles rushing over my body. I couldn't move even if I wanted to, but I could hear a pretentious voice shouting,

"Ha HA! Did you seriously get taken down by this bitch? The hell's wrong with you, Duff!?"

"I'm sorry, Franklin! I didn't expect her to be that damn strong!"

"Fuckin' liar, you were getting--"

Just then, I could hear fist meeting jaw behind me, followed by an abrupt thud. I had finally regained enough feeling to push myself off of the young MP, referred to as 'Duff.' But I had naively fallen for his pity act, as he grabbed my wrist, yanking me back into him. Just as I began to struggle, he shoved a pistol against my temple and shouted,

"Don't come any closer, Levi... Or she's dead!"

I lifted my eyes wearily, to find Levi standing before me, a sharp knife in his hand. I saw him clench his fist around the handle, his eyes flashing, and I knew what that meant.

The moment he charged Duff, I whipped my head away from the gun, twisting out of Duff's arm. Just as I dodged, Levi drove his knife in between the MP's eyes, throwing him to the ground. Duff began screaming in agony as he slowly drowned in his own blood.

After claiming Duff's pistol as my own, I rolled over to Franklin, who was attempting to move. Furiously, I aimed the gun straight at his face, preventing him from going any further. Once he was aware of his predicament, he sneered.

"You really think that by wasting the two of us, you will win? This is just the beginning, sweetheart. You're nothing but a worthless whore, but Viktor is rather protective of his possessions... and you don't seem to understand the severity of your desertion..."

I knelt down towards him, shoving the barrel of the gun underneath his chin.

"I am no one's property."

Franklin just laughed evilly.

"Like hell you aren't."

Levi's boot swiftly met Franklin's jaw, exactly where he had landed his punch before. Sandwiching Franklin between the ground and his foot, Levi leaned over him with a death glare.

"As much as I wanna help you join your friend over there in hell, I'm gonna give you a new mission."

With a sharp kick to the gut, Levi proceeded to show Franklin what his mercy looked like.  Just before landing the final blow, Levi pulled the battered MP up by his jacket, bringing them face to face.

"Tch. Not sure what's worse, letting you live on the brink of death, or reporting back to Viktor empty handed... Now, get the fuck out of here."

Throwing him aside, he watched Franklin writhe in agony before pathetically making his way to his feet in retreat. Turning around cautiously, Levi stared down at me with his steel grey eyes. I felt stupid for not remembering that they all traveled together in groups of two or more. I had just been too rash. I dusted myself off, but winced as I stood, holding the back of my head.

"Oi, you wanna tell me how all this happened?"

I shook my head, but ended up following with a basic explanation.

"I heard a noise outside and went to investigate it..."

"Tch- idiot. You're too damn ignorant to understand the danger you're in. There's a reason I told you to never be alone."

I turned to look at the corpse laying beside us in a pool of blood, before a heaving a sigh.

"Ugh... Better clean this shit up then."

I took one step before wincing again at the pain shooting down my spine. I wasn't very good at hiding it, since Levi grabbed my arm and began inspecting my contusion.

"Tch- those bastards actually knew what they were doing. You've got one helluva concussion. I'll get Gunther and Oluo out here to take care of that," Levi muttered, cocking his head towards the body.  "As for you, I'm taking you back inside to get a better look at your head."

Caught off guard, I felt myself being swept off my feet as Levi scooped me into his arms and carried me through the kitchen, up the stairs, and into my room.  As gentle as possible, he placed me on my bed, helping me ease back onto the pillows.  My breath hitched as another stabbing pain shot through me.  Levi stood beside me briefly, then stormed out the door, alerting the rest of the squad to the situation.

He quickly ordered Gunther & Oluo to dispose of the MP's body, as well as perform a border sweep for any signs of other intruders. Eld was ordered to check on Eren, just in case there was an attempt to capture or hurt him. Levi reappeared soon after with Petra, who was carrying a few medical supplies in her hands.

She swiftly began assessing me as Levi quietly watched her work. Gently sweeping my hair to the side, she closely investigated where I had been hit. Even the slightest touch of her fingers against my skin caused me to whimper. She apologized softly, then slumped backwards with a sigh as she shook her head.

"They got you good, (F/N). All you can do right now is get some rest and keep your movement to a minimum. I'll go grab some ice from the ice box downstairs to work your swelling down, then I can clean you up.  Oh- and Captain, don't let her fall asleep while I'm gone."

I watched Petra leave, then looked up at Levi.

"Well, thanks for saving my ass again..."

He just glared at me, visibly annoyed by my inability to follow his rules. Slowly, he stood up and walked over to the window, checking the locks, before turning back around to say,

"Looks like you'll be staying in here for a while... I'm going to have to trust you, (F/N). Trust that you won't leave this room unless it's with one of us.  And I trust you to use this when you need it..." Levi said, as he set one of the MP's pistols down on the nightstand. I looked at it, then back at him.

"I'm not afraid anymore, Levi."

He glanced at me, dropped his eyes to my scar, then turned away in shame.

"And you shouldn't be either..." I added, addressing his reluctance to forgive himself. He shifted his gaze back to me as I gave him a gentle smile. He heaved a worn out sigh and took a seat on the chair beside my bed, giving me a simple pat on my leg.  I placed my hand on the back of his head, giving him permission to rest his arms on my leg, his cheek on his arms. I gently stroked his hair, amazed by the amount of courage he held.

I looked up to find Petra walking back in with the ice, but she stopped short in the doorway. I motioned for her to come in, and she did, although hesitantly. As she began applying the ice against my head, she smiled and whispered,

"Sorry, I wasn't sure if I would disturb him by coming in. I honestly don't think I've ever seen Captain Levi sleep before. I swear he is always just... fighting..."

Petra eased me back onto my pillow, ice intact, and smiled.

"I'll be back in a bit to check on you. You don't want the ice on for too long. But, I think it's safe to say, you're completely free from danger in here. I don't foresee the Captain leaving this room anytime soon."

I thanked Petra for her kindness and watched her quietly slink out of the room, careful as to not make a sound. I finally allowed my body to fully relax, still resting my hand on Levi's head.  As I gradually drifted off to sleep, I softly murmured, "Thank you, for everything... Captain."