Levi x Reader | Cold

Chapter Thirty-Two - Stains

I awake to a beautiful orange light coming in the window. The sun is setting nicely; a reminder that no matter what, life goes on.

It seems like mockery, however. After yesterday's events, not many are in the mood to celebrate.

"She's awake," I hear someone say. I was so fixated on the window I hadn't seen Levi and Hanji standing in the corner of the room. I remember them bringing me here, to the infirmary.

"Good evening," Hanji chimes.

"Evening?" I half-heartedly reply, scratching the back of my head. "How long have I been out?"

"Since yesterday," Levi answers, his voice dripping with boredom. "We didn't even get to change you. As soon as you came in, you passed out."

"Oh," I murmur, propping myself up. "Where's Eren? Is he okay?"

"He's fine," Hanji gives me a slight smile. "Tired, but fine."

"That's good," I inspect my hands. Light scabs are beginning to cover what used to be my bloody and torn palms. Scratch upon scratch is on the skin I can see.

"It's about dinnertime," Hanji walks over to me and offers a hand. "Can you walk?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," I mutter as I place my two feet to the side of my bed. All I have on my feet is my socks, somebody must have removed my boots. I have to force myself to go down the halls of the large building. Hanji offers to assist me but I shake my head, knowing I can do things myself.

Dinner isn't anything exciting; the regular bread and soup. I eat it with pleasure, though, glad to finally have something in my growling stomach.

Out of the corner of my eye, I look around the room. Connie and Sasha are playfully throwing food at one another, and Jean is trying to stop them, clearly annoyed. Ymir is smirking as Krista appears to be telling her an amusing story, and oddly enough, Petra and Auruo seem to be enjoying talking amongst each other in the corner of the room. It feels empty without Eren and his friends, who are most likely standing by his bedside. I feel the corners of my mouth turn up at everybody else's light moods. A weight feels like it's lifted off of my shoulders.

"Estelle!" Hanji pulls me back into reality, quite literally, as she's shaking me by the shoulders.

"Hm?" I blink a few times and stretch as she releases me.

"You were out of it for a second there," she remarks, putting her spoon down.

"Oh, sorry," I say sheepishly, consolidating the plates and silverware on my tray. "Uh, I'm going to go visit Eren."

I excuse myself from the table and push my seat in. As I walk, it occurs to me that I didn't even ask where his room was. Dammit, I curse to myself. Most of the doors that are open appear to be empty, so I walk past them quickly without further investigation.

"Eren?" I call as I go down the narrow corridor. I find myself at a door just barely cracked open, and surely enough, as I open it a brunette boy is spread out across a bed, linen wraps around his head.

Taking it upon myself to enter, he grins as I walk in. "Hi there," he smiles ear to ear as I take a seat beside his bedside. He props himself up so he's facing me.

"I don't think I ever got to say this," he mutters as I make myself comfortable, sitting cross-legged with my sock-covered toes pointing up, "but I'm really sorry about what happened two nights ago, when we were all out. I didn't think that'd happen."

I blush at the memory of Eren's sudden confession and Ymir's annoying dare. "That feels like forever ago, doesn't it?" I ask.

"Yeah, it does," he agrees, offering a small but sweet smile. I raise my hand up to ruffle his already messy hair.