Chagara - Chaos in the Darkness (Levi x OC Fanfic / AttackOnTitan)

59. "And why are you running?"

"Steve, could you please watch the shop for half an hour?," the soldier heard the bookshop owner say.

"What?," questioned Steve in irritation. Him? Alone with this Titan?

"Fine. If anything happens, just call for me!" That settled the matter for Henry Dober.

Just as the doctor heard an upstairs door fall into the lock, Ymir came back from the storage room. She was carrying a mop and a bucket. She raised her eyebrows as she passed Steve. Because the doctor pressed his back tightly against the wall and didn't take his eyes off her.

"I'm outside," the teenager said briefly.

"Mmh," Steve squeaked.

For a brief moment Ymir stopped in her movement and eyed Steve out of the corner of her eyes.

"Say something, say something. Act inconspicuous," Steve thought feverishly. "Impressive." He nodded vigorously. Ymir tilted her head. "The water bucket." He waved his hands wildly, pointing at the cleaning stuff. "That you're carrying something that is so heavy. You ... must be ... really strong. Stronger than a normal person." Steve felt beads of sweat on his forehead. "Right?," he added, barely audible.

Ymir showed no reaction. Steve thought he heard a speck of dust fall to the floor. He felt uneasy. Would he survive the day? Would she transform in the next second? Were they right in their speculation? He felt sick to his stomach. Only when he made choking sounds did the brown-haired girl take her piercing gaze off the doctor.

"Toilet is at the back on the left," she answered and opened the shop door.

As soon as she was out of the shop, Steve found himself sitting on the floor. He carefully checked his trousers. No, it was dry. Relieved, he exhaled. "Now what?" He heard the mop squeak down the shop window. Should he go out? Offer to help her? A knock made him jump up. Dumbfounded, he looked at a little girl who had knocked against the shop counter and was now eyeing him questioningly. She must have come through the door when Ymir had left the bookshop. Hastily Steve got to his feet. The blonde girl's cool expression did not change.

"You?," asked Steve in surprise. He had only recognised her at second glance. Her face wasn't as pale as it was when he had seen her the last time. "What are you doing here? Are you feeling better?" He felt her forehead. "No fever." It was the girl he had recently carried into one of the refugee shelters and cared for.

The girl nodded. "Thank you," she said.

"Don't mention it. But take care of yourself, okay? Understood? What am I supposed to do with this?," asked Steve in surprise as Annie held out a dark scarf to him.

"This is yours. You forgot this," she said, placing the folded scarf on the counter.

"Listen," Steve began, shaking his head, and leaned down to the girl with a smile. "Didn't I tell you to take care of yourself?," he asked kindly. For the first time Steve recognised a slight emotion in her face.

She had raised her eyebrows briefly. "Is that an honest smile? Why? I could have got him into trouble after all."

"That's all the clothes you have, right?" But the girl didn't get a chance to speak at all. "You'll only get sick again dressed so thinly." He took the scarf and shoved it into the girl's hands. "So at least keep that one. Now go. Your friend's waiting." Steve glanced at the lanky boy who was looking anxiously inside the shop.

"Why?," asked Annie as Steve pushed her towards the door.

"Because I care about your health as a doctor. And we're tighter on the medicines this year than usual. So do me a favour and take care of yourself," he explained as he helped the girl to wrap the large woollen scarf around her neck.