Silent Love, Silent Pain [Levi x OC]

83. Harm

"Are you sure you really want to go there?" Nathalie asked Eric the next morning. It felt like he was gone far too long to let him engage in another mission again. Doctor Burgess has always been independent and could easily take care of herself, but just because she didn't need her partner's company, it didn't mean she wanted him to be away. On the contrary, she loved spending time with him. She loved having him in her lab and discussing important scienticial matters. It felt so good and natural to be around him that everytime he had to leave felt like ages. Not to mention the constant fear of his well-being. Yes , he wasn't going to travel this time, that was the good part of it. But after hearing many stories about his childhood and his portrayal of both the Leitzes and Tyburs, left her with an impression that he was just endangered with them as he was in a different universe.

"Do I have another choice?" He replied while he put on his best jacket. Even after years of neglect and hostility, he still wanted to impress these people. He looked at himself in the mirror and smirked, shaking his head with amusement. Even though he smiled, his eyes stayed sad, raising Nathalie's concern. She approached him from the back and pressed her body to his own, trying to give her man a much needed comfort that quickly washed off the sad look from his face.

"There's always a choice. Your words, not mine Mr. Time Traveller," she mumbled and placed a soft kiss on his arm. He smiled again, this time genuinely.

"Someone's being a smarty-pants, turning my words against me," he teased, reaching with his hands for her body, fondling gently her hips.

"Everything's allowed in war and love," she whispered and let him go, knowing too damn well that he wasn't going to change his mind. It was worth a shot, though. She watched how he buttoned his shirt and that's when the idea popped in her head. "I should go with you," she said. Eric stopped immediately, looking at her with a look of surprise on his face. She never liked the very idea of visiting his family. She only insisted on doing it once in the past and after that she never suggested it again. Until this day.

"Why?" He furrowed his brows, the look of concern was clear in his eyes as he approached her again and brushed her lower lip gently with his thumb.

"Because they'll focus on bashing me instead of trying to figure out why you came there in the first place,"

"But-" he didn't even have to vocalise his arguments. Nathalie already knew everything that he was doing to say and she agreed with it all. Alas, she wasn't going to let him go there alone. It was dangerous.

"It's fine," she cut in and leaned close to kiss him softly. "You'll figure everything out and I'll be the greatest distraction with my mind," she smirked at him and he couldn't help but smile, seeing how confident his partner became over the years spent together. When he first met Nathalie she was very insecure, even though she was smarter than the majority of the population. She was aware of her intellectual advantage, but there was always something about herself that she was insecure about. It took him a great amount of time to convince her that she had every right to be proud of herself and deem herself beautiful, even though back then she wouldn't even entertain the thought. Seeing her now speaking like this was his greatest prize for working on it with her.

"Besides, who's going to drive you there?" Nathalie grinned. "I don't recall you owning a driver's licence, Mr Leitz,"

Nathalie drove them both to the Leitz's manor, placed on the outskirts of Marley's capital. The Leitzes were always outsiders, trying to stay away from the city's bustling life. They didn't associate with it, often finding other people's company annoying. It was very unlikely to see them wandering on the streets of the capital. It only happened under special circumstances, usually after Tyburs requested them to. Otherwise they preferred to stay out of the spotlight. It was easier to work like this, they used to tell Eric when he still lived with them.