The Titan Queen - Levi X Reader

Chapter 25 - The Bargain

You woke up from your doze the moment before someone knocked on the door.

The daggers were in your hands before you had a chance to think about it, and you eased yourself from the seat with the ease of a feline. Farlan – due to him still being asleep or being scared stiff – stayed silent, and you didn't dare breathe loudly enough to think about hissing a warning.

The doorknob jingled, and you backed into Ymir's bathroom, twisting yourself to stand in the shower – thanking the merciful fact that it hadn't been used in a long time and it was bone dry. You covered the white jewel of the dagger in your right hand to stop any potential flashes, and rose the black one to eye level, just in case you needed to throw it.

The person on the other side sighed and the scraping sounds of a key being used cut through everything else – because Ymir hadn't taken her key with her. Farlan had used the key to lock the door last night.

The door opened and you held your breath.

"Seems empty to me, Sir," Petra said, and you heard the muffled steps of her footsteps. You heard your blood thundering as the sounds of her searching the room echoed. "I don't understand why the SO squad has to search every room, anyway."

"Less talking, more finding," Pixis said, sounding resigned. "The only reason I'm not there searching is because the rules state that no male is allowed to enter the bedrooms of females."

Petra tutted as she entered the bathroom.

She turned to the right first, sweeping the entirety of the bathroom before catching sight of you.

Her eyes didn't even widen.

"All clear," she called, walking out of the room and locking the door behind her.

You stayed in your position for a few minutes, trying to persuade your heart to calm down. Hearing Farlan's deep breathing even out in the other room, you started to move – slowly, deliberately. It wouldn't do to trip now – even if Petra had covered for you once, it was going to be hard to convince Pixis that no one was in Ymir's room again if the sound of shampoo bottles flying everywhere originated here.

You crouched down by the bathroom door, peering under the bed to catch Farlan's wide-eyed gaze.

"Good morning," he whispered.

You smiled shakily. "Nice to see you not in a dungeon."

Farlan made the move to shrug but thought better of it, considering he'd wedged himself into the furthest corner underneath the bed. With a grace that you begrudgingly admired, he eased himself closer to you so that his head was a mere meter away from yours whilst still being under the bed. "I thought I was a goner when she saw me," he said.

"For a moment there," you said, "so did I. But I trust her."

Farlan blinked. "What happened to you in three weeks? Didn't you want to kill her at some point?"

"Aren't all lasting friendships born from wanting to kill someone?" You replied, waving him off. "I don't deny I didn't like her a long time ago. But she's – she's earned my trust. She makes me want to rely on her."

Farlan raised an eyebrow. "Pride, relying on someone else. That's a nice change."

"You're on Team Pride, too – you don't get to insult us!"

"You can't hide me under Ymir's bed forever. What's the plan here?"

You hummed. "I just wanted to see Pixis's face. It doesn't matter if they catch me – Levi has my pardon in his bag. I'm basically free anyway – but now the problem is you."