orders || levi x oc

three.

Another spasm flared through my ribs. I tensed, hand desperately tightening around Levi's as I turned my head away from him, blinking away the hot tears beginning to pool along my lash line. I gnawed at the inside of my cheek, fighting the tears on the verge of tracing down my cheek.

"Don't. If you think this is bad, you'll never make it through expeditions." I heard him say as I went back to face him, tears settling in my eyes.

His words were rather delicate and soft, lacking his usual harsh nature as he continued, "There's worse than bruises, Emelie."

My hand fell from his as I stared at him in surprise.

Despite my current pain, I was taken aback when I heard him. Did he just call me by my first name? I cycled through my thoughts, going back to all of our encounters up until now. He never once called me by my first name, maybe that's why it was so odd to hear it fall from his lips. It was always cadet, Altmann. Never Emelie.

When he removed the cloth from my side I noticed the pain had dissipated slightly. He placed the small towel beside me before unraveling a roll of medical wrapping.

"Arm up." he nodded toward me as I complied, being careful to keep my shirt lifted high enough but not exposing anything passed the seam of my bra.

I sat still, watching intently as he worked with the bandage, applying a little compression as he wrapped the bruised area. He went around my torso until it was fully covered before adhering the ends of the bandage to my right side that suffered no injuries. He straightened his back, a few dull cracks sounded as he sat up.

He reached for the towel again, seeping the cloth with another round of green medicine. He came closer to me this time as he brought himself to the edge of the chair again. I felt a hand rest upon my cheek before cupping underneath my chin. He motioned upward, tilting my head up ever so slightly in order to start mending my bruising jaw. I didn't wince when the medicine met my skin.

Focusing instead on the small sense of vulnerability I felt around my neck as Levi continued working at the results of his uppercut.

Levi set a square of gauze over the area on my chin before gently sealing it in place with medical tape. I felt his fingers graze across the side of my face before guiding my chin downward, directing my focus to the left; the cut across my cheek now in his view.

He fiddled with a few other glass containers, opening another bottle and dropping a few clear drops of antiseptic onto a fresh cotton ball. I flinched away, sucking in a sharp breath through gritted teeth as soon as it met my opened wound.

Levi steered my head back to him, "You cleaned this like shit. You would've gotten an infection, idiot."

I didn't see the need to respond. My focus remained on the steady flame of the oil lamp over on my bedside table as he continued to clean the cut, delicately swiping a layer of antibiotic upon my cheek. I heard him suddenly call out to me as I blinked out of my trance, realizing he was now standing on his feet.

"Emelie. Your washroom." he said, bringing my attention to the towel and used cotton balls in his hands.

"Oh, through there." I weakly pointed as he continued through the doorway.

From the bathroom not too far away, I heard the creak of the sink, the stream of running of water for a few seconds before it grew silent again. I sat patiently, ghosting over my cheek that had a dull throb every so often. In my peripheral vision, I saw a figure exit my washroom; and there was Levi, drying his hands with a handkerchief as I stared at him in silence, suddenly remembering what I saw at dinner.

I nodded my head to the chair in front of me, gesturing for him to sit. He took a few strides over before doing so, crossing one leg over the other and folding his hands neatly in his lap. I shifted nervously, this being enough for Levi to raise an eyebrow my direction.

"What is it." he said rather indelicately, clear aggravation dripping from his question.

"At dinner. Your cloak had blood on it... why?" I asked softly.

I watched his head tilt to the side at my unanticipated curiosity, "Quite observant, aren't you."

He squinted my way, brushing away a few stray hairs masking his vision, "I had to deal with a pair of abnormals on my way back."

"That seems an easy task for you." I admitted to Humanity's Strongest as he slowly shook his head at my compliment.

"It's my job."

I couldn't help the light smile form on my lips at the captain's humble nature and his obvious dedication.

"Did you not watch your blades?" I asked in all seriousness.

Levi looked offended at my question, glaring at me with a deep crease between his brows, "Huh?"

"Your blades..." I repeated myself. "There was only a set left in the slots."

He folded his arms across his chest as his shoulders raised slightly in annoyance, "Tch, don't be smart with me. Of course I did. I don't consider myself blade crazy like you."

I let out a small chuckle before shrinking at the erratic contraction running through my bandaged side. I lifted my gaze to Levi as he raised an eyebrow at me, "Stop doing stuff like that, you won't heal if you do."

He stood to his feet before placing the chair back where he got it from, over by my desk. As he headed for my door, I felt the growing weight on my chest. A part of me didn't want him to leave. I knew the chances he was going to stay for a little while longer were slim, and I for sure did not expect him to stay.

"You know, I'm harsh on you because I think you have the potential to learn from it."

My head turned to him, my eyes coming to rest on his back. It took a few seconds to comprehend what he had just said. Was I to consider that a compliment? I sat there absorbed in my own thoughts before the sound of his boots signaled he was leaving.

"Hey." I called out to him, making him stop in his tracks and take a slight glance over his shoulder, "Thank you... Levi."

I anticipated for him to reprimand me for not addressing him as his proper officer position. But he remained still, silent, and unfazed. There was no nod of his head, instead he exhibited his usual demeanor before turning the doorknob, "Go to bed."

The door closed softly behind him as I heard his footsteps move farther down the hallway. I glanced down to my rib cage, instinctively placing a gentle hand on the bandage underneath my shirt before a small smile made its way across my lips.

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a/n:

permission to use/credit to icarus-fell-in-spring on tumblr for quote: "you know, I'm harsh on you because I think you have the potential to learn from it."

full permission/credit whenever mentioned here or in future chapters.