The Last of Snow [Levi x OC]

Chapter 18: Small moments

"I do not want to be a part of this anymore. I want to escape from everything. But I also want to do something, anything, to make it all worth it."

- Katniss Everdeen, The Hunger Games Series

Levi's eyes followed Adira's hands that laid atop of his bruises, gently spreading a thin layer of whatever was inside the tin. His skin felt the cooling sensation and it did help relax his muscles. Slowly his eyes trailed to Adira's hair, free from the braids she would always adorn, he admired its slight curls that reached all the way to the ends of her hair. Now that he had a clearer view of her face, he enjoyed how relaxed and calm her features were, clearly focused on what she was doing.

Even with the comforting silence, he wanted to strike up a conversation, get closer to her. Trying to come up with topics to talk about, the first thing he said that broke the silence was rather laughable. "The ointment." Rolled out his tongue to his surprise.

"What about the ointment?" She asked.

"What's in it?"

Adira explained how it was from avocado, aloe vera, and the like. Though it never stayed in Levi's head, he nodded along to her words, but the only thing in his mind were the melodies of her voice and how enthralling it is.

By the time she finished, he put his shirt back on and wanted an excuse to keep her longer. Before she left, Levi stopped her.

Curious, Adira closed back the door and questioned Levi, only to see him open up a cabinet and bring out some sort of antiseptic and cotton. "Since you treated my bruises, I think it's only fair that I treat your wounds as well."

Levi motioned for her to sit back on the bed, where they were just a few moments ago and he brought out his hand. "Show me the arm I cut." He ordered monotonously. "You really didn't have to, you know." She replied but showed him her arm anyways.

"Right, and you really didn't have to treat my bruises yet you still did." He rebutted. Surveying the arm, he noticed its redness and noted that it was only a shallow cut. Despite the wound already being dry, he dabbed the cotton with antiseptic gently on the wound. His hands were gentle and made sure that he didn't hurt her any further.

"You know it's been a while since someone looked after my wounds." Adira shared. "No one ever treated mine." Perhaps it was because he didn't trust anyone to do it nor did he think that their hands were clean enough to touch him.

"Was I your first then?" She asked with a hint of teasing. He remained silent and she let out a laugh with how easy it was to tease him. "Shut up." He ordered but it really didn't do anything to her because she was never intimidated by him.

"After every hunger game that I've participated in, I would always get treated by my personal maid. She bathed me and treated my wounds. It was really something I looked forward to."

"She bathed you?" He asked and silence ensued.

"Was that really the only thing you heard out of what I just shared." By then he was already finished treating her wound, he looked at it one more time, making sure he didn't miss anything. "Thanks." He heard her yawn tiredly as he stood up from his bed, placing back the materials in his cabinet.

He was going to offer her tea to drink with him before he went back to his paper works but was surprised the moment she saw laying on his bed, fast asleep.

Utterly confused on what to do, he stayed still from where he stood, blinking and thinking on what to do. Adira was laying on his bed, her breathing relaxed and the only sign of movement was her chest rising and falling. A slight shiver from her brought him back to reality and without thinking, he took the thin blanket he never used and unfolded it for her to use.

Covering her with the thin blanket, he saw the way her hair fell and covered her face. Slowly, he lightly brushed her loose strands of hair to tuck it behind her ears. He admired her looks at this close proximity and the way she doesn't have her guard up like she usually does when around others.

It seemed that whenever they were alone, she was a completely different person. To others she was a cold hearted person who rarely talked, and if she did it wasn't clean from any vulgarities. But to Levi, and Levi only, she was calm, relaxed, and spoke longer sentences alone with him than she did with his squad.

Then again you could say the same thing about Levi. His words were short and straight to the point around his squad, rarely ever spoken up unless it was an order since he was the captain. But to Adira, and Adira only, he was able to hold up a conversation perfectly well. His mind wasn't plagued with orders and stress, he felt comfortable when he was with her. Felt secure in a place cursed with titans.

From her closed eyes to her plump and porcelain cheeks, down to her nose that bled a while ago during their spar. No more blood evident. Then from her nose to her rosy lips. Usually she would wear a smirk or simply show no emotion, but now it was like another Adira that laid on his bed. He knew this since he was a child, the first time he watched her from afar and until now, now that he was at a close proximity, she truly is a beauty with goddess features.

Adira slightly stirred in her sleep and Levi hurriedly went back to his table, afraid that once she woke up, she would see him standing and looking at her rather closely.

Sitting back down on his chair, his right hand grabbed a hold of a quill and dipped it in a small pot of ink, getting back to his paperwork with Adira sleeping in his room at the back of his head. He didn't mind that she was sleeping on his bed, after all, he was never one to use it. The bed was simply there for decoration that grew cold from the lack of human warmth.

Stealing a few short glances on her sleeping figure, he found comfort with her around. He felt at peace like when he was still with Isabel and Furlan. Because it wasn't the place that brought him warmth, it was always the people he was with.