(Levi Ackerman x OC) Melting A Frozen Heart ~ Attack on Titan

Chapter 30: A Single Memory

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"Leviiiii?" Hanji called as she burst into the room, holding several documents in her hand. She stopped when her almond eyes landed on Chi. "Chi! You're awake?!" Hanji instantly rushed over and grabbed the younger woman's face, turning it side to side to inspect it carefully. "And you look almost unharmed! Levi, why didn't you tell me she'd woken up?!"

"H—hey!" Chi grunted, trying to wrestle Hanji's hands off of her face. "S—stop it! Who're you?!"

"Who am I?" Hanji leaned in even closer to peer into Chi's daffodil irises. "You mean, you really don't remember?" It clicked in her head when her gaze wandered back to Levi's crestfallen face.

"I—I don't think I remember," Chi replied, knitting her brows together. "I mean, I don't think I've ever met you. I'm Chisaki. What's your name?"

Hanji's eyes widened when she realized the fragile state in which Chi's mind laid; it was no puzzle as to why Levi looked so horribly pained.

"I'm Hanji," she introduced, deciding to play along. "You must be hungry. The others have gotten back now, so we can eat dinner with them."

"The others?" Hanji pulled on Chi's arm and led her out of bed before whistling lowly.

"I mean, maybe you should go wash up first... and then we'll eat."

"Okay...?" Chi followed Hanji to a bathroom where she indicated there was a shower inside, along with a fresh set of clothes and shoes. Nodding, Chi slipped inside and locked the door behind her, shuffling over to the mirror, where her jaw dropped in shock. Her skin, hair and clothes alike were all completely bloodstained, leaving a filthy sensation all over her body. A shocked squeak escaped her lips and she stripped down, desperate to get rid of the feeling of blood.

When she turned the water and filled the bucket, she took a rag and she scrubbed herself down raw, washing her hair three times through with soap. Her skin turned red from the mass amount of rough scrubbing. It was only then that she felt clean enough ti step out, the water that drained from her body tinted crimson. Using a towel she found hanging from a hook, she quickly wiped down and rubbed out excess water in her hair without bothering to brush it. Hastily, she took her clothing and discarded them before grabbing a neatly folded set of clothes and slipping them on. A white button-up shirt with a defined collar, some strange-looking jacket with a symbol of white and blue wings on the back and sleeves, and a pair of white pants.

Chi considered such attire to be strange, but she shrugged as she pulled on a long pair of brown boots, the flaps reaching above her knee. Next came this set of leather straps, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't figure out how to put it on, thus leading to her stalking quietly back to her bedroom from before. Once inside, she'd intended to search for Hanji, but the older woman was not there.

"Um," she stammered as she found only Levi, "where'd Hanji go?"

He looked up, the dark bags under his eyes defined and gloomy.

"She went to get food ready for you with the other cadets," he answered. "What do you need, idio—" He caught himself and cleared his throat.

"Could you—could you help me put this on? I have no idea how." Levi's eyes slid over to the set of straps Chi held in her hand and he stood, taking them in his. Without another word, he began to strap on the leather, around her shoulders, over her chest—though he let her clip that one herself—around her back and her waist. When his arms snaked around her hips to tighten them, she felt a familiar sense of touch and stiffened, a redness rising to her cheeks. Without thought, she turned and grabbed his face, roughly pressing her lips to his. Levi froze, eyes wide, and he felt something inside of him want to kiss her too—to make her his—but he knew he couldn't. Setting his hands on Chi's shoulders, he pushed her backwards and immediately regretted the feeling of her warmth leaving his lips, but he shook his head.