Be Kind (Doctor Reader x Levi Ackerman)

Chapter 30: Beast Titan Arc Part I

"Are you cold? Do you need water?" Levi walked next to you, while pulling his black horse on the reigns.

"No, I'm good," you nodded quietly, holding onto Jungfrau's reign.

"This is the same horse you rode in the Titan forest right?" Levi asked, referring to the time when you got stuck with him overnight at the forest and you had to whistle for Jungfrau to come rescue you both.

"Yes, he's always stuck with me ever since," you looked up and rubbed your horse's mane.

There was a short moment of silence and as you walked in the dark, Levi somehow walked closer and closer to you. You're rubbing shoulders at this point.

"You have goosebumps. You're cold," Levi pointed to your hands.

"Yes, I'm a little cold, but I'll live." You rolled your eyes. Suddenly, you hear a high-pitched shriek from the front of the formation.

"There's a Titan here!" Jean shrieked, alerting everybody to their toes. On instinct, Levi dashed in front of you and held out an arm, shielding you behind him.

"Stay behind me," Levi said. In a flash, the Scouts rushed to shine their lights at the Titan.

"It's.. sleeping," Jean said.

"It must be one of those Moonlight Titans," Hange said. "We're lucky the moon isn't out tonight. Otherwise, these Moonlight Titans might be awake from the sunlight's reflection on the moon. Let's just leave the Titan be and move on."

Sighing with relief, the Scouts carried on trudging and Levi finally lowered his stance.

"That was pretty scary. I can't believe we didn't see the Titan until this close," you whispered to him.

"Yeah, what's more unnerving is that many of us haven't been out here in several years. Shiganshina and Wall Maria are basically unknown territory to us," he responded.

Under the cloak of the night's darkness, Levi's hands brushed against yours and he managed to interlace his fingers around your own. Your heart rate quickened and you looked at him, his eyes keen and trained on you. As if noticing your anxiety, he grips his hands tighter around yours, reassuring you that you'll be fine as long as he's with you.

—

Hours later.

"Scouts, take a fifteen minute break. Rest your horses, drink some water, get a quick shut-eye, go pee or whatever," Hange announced. "We continue walking at fifteen."

There were sighs of relief and groans of drowsiness. Some Scouts have started brewing coffee and many have started lining up to get a dose of caffeine. With how cold the weather is and the darkness of the night, it's hard to stay awake.

After checking on your Military Doctor recruits and giving them a brief pep-talk, you crouch on a rock next to Mario and Niko. Mario's eyes are half-lidded. You grab his head and make him rest it on your lap.

"Sleep," you said to Mario.

"Hey, hey. Isn't your prince charming going to get jealous if you do this?" Mario whispered.

"Prince charming?" Niko raised a brow.

"No," you muttered. "He knows you're like a brother to me."

"Who are we talking about?" Niko prodded on.

"Nobody." You and Mario said at the same time and Niko let out a huff.

"I don't want dawn to come," Mario whimpered and you brushed your fingers across his blond locks comfortingly. "I'm scared of what's to come."