The bitter wind whips past us as we mill about the base, standing guard at our posts. Markus, Hanna, and I all peer out at the vast emptiness before us. We all are exhausted, and it seems as if every one of us has sustained injuries on this expedition. Blood is splattered on my winter cloak, and the cut above my brow is still oozing crimson. Every so often I must reach up and wipe away the blood.
I breathe in and breathe out deeply, watching the vapor leave my lips when something white catches my eye. My gaze shifts to the sky, and I can see the snow slowly drifting down from the gray clouds above. Slipping my hand out from my cloak, I allow a few snowflakes to land on my palm. They instantly melt upon my skin. A large gust of wind forces me to quickly pull my hand back into the cloak. I frown deeply as I begin to shiver. At this rate, we'll freeze to death before any titans show up.
The sound of footsteps reaches my ears, and I turn to find Petra and Oluo strolling over to us. Levi is slowly trailing behind them.
"Change of guard," Petra says with a smile, coming up to me.
I nod. "Right." I glance over at Markus and Hanna. "Head back to the horses! I'll meet you there!" I call over to them.
The two soldiers nod and begin heading back to where the horses have been tied up. Petra and Oluo move past me to take their places.
As they walk, I overhear Oluo mutter, "It's too damn cold out here. We should just head back to Trost district already."
"Stop complaining, Oluo. We've got a job to do," Petra retorts.
I ignore them and meet Levi halfway. He also seems to have been roughed up but is otherwise okay. His dark gaze is fixated on the cut above my brow. Glancing at his subordinates and then back at me, he reaches up and gingerly touches the small cut. I wince, and he pulls his hand away.
"That's going to need stitches," the captain says.
"I'll see the medic when we return."
"You better. Don't ignore it and then make me stitch it like last time."
I roll my eyes at him. "I didn't make you. You insisted on stitching it yourself."
He narrows his eyes a little at me and replies, "I wouldn't have had to do that if you had just gone to the damn medic like I told you to. So would you just listen to me for once?"
I smile a little. "Maybe," I say coyly.
"Tch. Well, you better catch up to Markus and Hanna."
"Yeah, I suppose I should."
I move to step around Levi when he holds out an arm to stop me. The captain reaches out and grabs my cloak. Pulling it tighter around my shivering frame, he leans in a little. His breath is surprisingly warm.
"Try to stay warm, you idiot. I don't want you to freeze to death. That would be a waste," he tells me.
"Awh, that is so sweet. You're so caring, Levi," I say sarcastically.
He pulls me a little closer to him and places a small kiss on my forehead. His lips are warm against my icy skin.
"I'm sorry I can't keep you warm myself. This cloak will have to do for now, so just keep it pulled tightly around you, brat."
With that, the captain lets go of my cloak and head off to take his position. I smile, feeling warm inside despite the bitter wind. Holding the cloak closed, I head off to catch up to Markus and Hanna.