That Saturday, Eren brought only two people with him to take the Jews down to the river to bathe. As much as he wished he could say he trusted his entire platoon in all things, for this issue he really could only trust Armin and Jean.
"Hey," Jean called out, pointing to the women undressing. "Two of them have bruises on their chests. What happened?"
Eren asked Levi in English, and then answered Jean. "They were assaulted by soldiers a few days ago."
Armin gasped in horror. "Are you saying German soldiers raped them?"
"You heard about Grützmacher, right? He was one of the attackers."
Armin struggled with a deep revulsion. "But ... but he was homosexual, a deviant."
Eren shrugged. "He was a rapist. It didn't matter what gender to him. Why is it easy to believe a man would rape another man, but you can't believe a man would rape a woman?"
"Because ... they're women! It's wrong."
"Raping a man is just as wrong."
Armin dropped his head. "Yes, but..."
Levi spoke some more, and Eren listened. "He says, you don't have to worry too much for them. They've learned how to deal with the shame. All four of them have been raped multiple times."
"What?" both Jean and Armin exclaimed.
"That's unacceptable!" shouted Jean. "Who was it? Which soldiers?"
Eren raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think they asked for names? We probably all look alike in our uniforms."
Jean marched up to the women, who drew back in fear at the sternness of his face. "If you recognize the attackers, come to me and point them out. You don't have to say a word, just point out who did it. I can't kill them like what Jäger did to Grützmacher, but I can make their lives a living nightmare until they wish for death."
Eren told all that to Levi, who relayed it to the women. They relaxed and even smiled. The youngest woman, no more than sixteen, spoke directly to Jean in French, which Levi translated to Eren in English, who in turn told Jean in German.
"She says, you are like a prince out of a fairy tale, and you would be a handsome man if you didn't have the face of a horse."
Jean swirled on Eren. "She did not say that!"
Eren burst into laughter.
"You bastard! I know the French word for horse, and she did not say anything about a horse. You're such an idiot, Jäger."
They laughed, and as the Jews bathed in the river, the three German soldiers watched them less closely than they probably should have.
Levi still guarded the four women, who bathed slightly upriver. He rolled his eyes as the German soldiers roughhoused each other.
So many openings! There were so many times he could have grabbed Armin's gun and shot all three. By the time troops came to check on the gunshots, their group could be over the river. Eren had not brought his sharpshooter, so they actually stood a fair chance of making it into the forest before the Germans opened fire.
Then again, he was not sure if he could run fast enough with his injuries. He could always be bait, stay behind, attack the Germans while the others forged ahead. He could take all three soldiers' guns, hole up somewhere, and probably last long enough to ensure the rest escaped. One life, to ensure the rest survived...
"Hey, Levi," Eren said with a laughing grin. "Go, wash up. It's not like you or the women have to worry about the three of us."
He could shoot him.
"Oh hey, Jean asks if the medication he gave you worked."
He could grab one of their guns, kill them all right now.
"Armin says, if you run out of those pills, he could get you some more."
He just needed to grab one of their guns. He was quick. He could shoot all three before they had time to draw their weapons.
"Levi?" Eren asked with concern. "I'm sorry if you don't feel like talking. They're just worried about you."
So easy, to kill them and flee.
Then he found the young woman standing before him, naked except for a rag she held in front of her. She was lightly touching his arm with a gentle smile.
"Tout va bien, Levi. Allez, au bain. Nous leur faisons confiance." Everything's okay, Levi. Go, bathe. We trust these men.
He nodded, glad for her concern about him. Then he looked back at the soldiers. "Tell him, the cream seems to be helping, but healing takes time. I don't need stronger medication, just soft shit and rest."
Then Levi flung off his clothes, showing all the bruises on his body, and waded out into the river. One of the other Jews handed him the bar of soap they shared between themselves. Levi began to clean, and he kept his back to the Germans.
It would be so easy. He could probably save all of them. How many more would die, or be raped, or brutally beaten? Why could he not do what he knew needed to be done?
Why could he not bring himself to kill these three Germans?
Memories of Eren's voice rang in his ears. "Besides, we're friends. I care for you."
If he had not said those words a few days ago...
No, long before that. Levi knew he could have killed Eren and escaped many times over the past four months, but he simply could not do it. Whereas he would feel no remorse for slitting the throats of any other Nazi, he could not bring himself to harm this man, not even to save his own life.
Levi glanced back over his shoulder, and he saw Eren's eyes focused on him, while Armin and Jean were talking. Their eyes lingered for what felt like an eternity, until Armin said something that forced Eren to look over. Levi spun back around, suddenly self-conscious that Eren had been staring at him as he bathed for all these months.
After they were done and dressed, the Jews returned to the village under armed escort. Plenty of German soldiers sneered as they were marched by. Rocks were thrown, but Eren quickened the pace. He could not shout in anger at those who wanted to attack the Jews. The captain's message had been clear: Jews were only barely tolerated as a source of free labor, but they could be killed at any time.
The youngest woman suddenly tugged on Jean's sleeve. He looked down at her as she cowered in fear and pointed into the sea of soldiers.
"Do you see him?" he asked, glaring around, wondering which one it was. "Who is he? Who did that to you?"
Eren asked Levi, who asked the girl, and the answer came back.
"She said, the one with a bruise on his jaw. She hit him there when he attacked her."
Jean saw who she meant, and he committed the face to memory. "He's going to wish his mother aborted him in an alleyway."
Eren sighed and shook his head. "Don't do anything to get yourself court-martialed."
"No one will catch me, Herr Leutnant." He patted the young woman's arm with an amiable smile. "I'll avenge you."
Somehow, she understood what he meant, and she stayed a little closer to Jean as they went past the bruised soldier. The man gave the girl a wink and made a kiss at her, and Jean shot him a scathing glare.
They returned to the castle and began to walk to the side kitchen where the Jews normally ate their Saturday lunch. However, Eren said in English, "A change of location! Let's eat below."
Levi glared at him. "I am not eating down there."
"Not the dungeon. There's an area next to it. Trust me," he said with a mischievous smile.
Levi saw he had some plan. If it was an escape, he was all for it, but somehow he knew they were not that lucky.
They got their bowls of soup and reluctantly followed Eren down a flight of stairs. Instead of going to the castle's dungeon, they went along another corridor to what was once probably an armory in the days of knights and honorable warfare. A blond woman was waiting for them there.
"Krista," Eren said, grinning with relief. "Sie haben das Zimmer gefunden. Ich bin froh." You found the room. I'm glad.
She curtsied pleasantly to him. "Ich habe die Burg ein- oder zweimal besichtigt. Ich helfe gern." I have toured the castle once or twice. I'm happy to help.
Jean grabbed Eren's arm. "I've seen this girl around the village. She's French. How is it that she speaks German?"
"That is a secret between only us," Eren warned.
"We've been using this roundabout way of translating with a Jew when we could've—"
"When we could have shot them all months ago? Is that what you're about to say? Would you like to shoot them right now, even the women you swore to avenge?"
Jean backed down.
"Yes, she speaks both French and German. I didn't tell the captain, because if I did, she would be forced to translate during interrogations. Do you want a girl like her to witness torture? I can tell you from experience, the screams are quite horrific."
Jean shook his head, but he did not say anything against him. His heart was in a battle. On one hand, translating was inefficient because it had to go through Levi to Eren in English. A direct French to German translation would be faster. On the other hand, he had just witnessed what Kitz Woermann would do to Jews, and he pitied the women who had suffered at the hands of the worst scum in the Wehrmacht. He did not want them to be tortured and killed.
Krista placed her soft hand on Jean's arm and smiled sweetly up to him. "Please keep this a secret. For me."
His cheeks flushed at her angelic face, and Jean looked aside stubbornly. "Of course I won't tell anyone. I would never put a woman in danger."
"Thank you, sir. You're rather cute."
Jean's face went even brighter red, and Armin began to laugh at his reaction.
Eren turned to Krista. "Never speak German again so long as the army is in this village, not even to me."
She nodded seriously. "It was my mistake. I was excited to help out." Then she looked over to the Jews. "J'ai des pains. Prenez et mangez en tous." I have loaves of bread. Take and eat, all of you.
She brought out a large basket draped with a cloth. Krista began to pass the loaves out to each of the Jews, who took the food with astonishment.
"Takhshet!" Levi exclaimed, half-amazed, half-horrified.
Eren chuckled at his reaction. "You were the one who told me that I should show favor to all of your people." He waved to the bread. "This is my way of helping. I can't do it every day, but Krista has agreed to help out whenever she can. At least it's more than a bowl of Gemüsebrühe. Also..." He brought out a tin of Scho-Ka-Kola and gave it a shake. "I was hoping to bring a full box, but Connie stole a few pieces again. At least this time I caught him before he ate half of it. There's not enough for all sixteen of you, but I can hand out one for each of the men who didn't get a chocolate last time."
"Thank you," Levi whispered. "I'm shocked you remembered."
"Of course I'll keep a promise to my friend."
At that last word, Armin looked over sharply. He spoke only a little English, but enough to know the word friend.
Levi took the tin of chocolates and passed them out. As Jean watched, he saw that only the men were getting some.
"Hey!" he shouted. "Why are you skipping the ladies?"
Eren choked up. Shit! There was no way to excuse Levi's actions without confessing what he had done. "To be honest, I gave the ladies chocolates a few days ago."
Armin gawked. "You gave the Jewish women chocolate?"
Jean grumbled, "I knew it! You've been seducing them since the beginning."
"No!" Eren said with a sharp glare. "I just happened to have a few pieces on me, so I shared it. Levi said I should bring some for them all, but Connie ate my Scho-Ka-Kola again, so there's not enough for everyone. Since the ladies already had a piece—"
"Nonsense! Ladies always deserve more chocolate." Jean reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a tin.
"You have some on you?" Armin asked in surprise.
"Yeah, because every time I leave my Scho-Ka-Kola out, Connie steals a few pieces. If you want to share chocolates with these people, keep the tin on you at all times." He handed out pieces to the ladies, winking at the one who had grabbed his sleeve and sneakily slipping her a second piece of chocolate. Then he walked over to Krista and offered her some. "Für Sie, Fräulein. Sie sind ein Engel, den der Himmel geschickt hat." For you, miss. You are an angel that heaven sent.
Krista giggled and accepted a piece of chocolate. "Merci, mon ami." Thank you, my friend.
Jean turned with a smug smile and strutted back over to the other two soldiers. "You hear that? I'm her mon ami."
Eren rolled his eyes and shook his head.
Armin looked down in regret. "I wish I could give them something."
Eren wrapped an arm around Armin's shoulders. "You're a good man. You have nothing to atone for. Jean is the one who's an asshole."
"Hey!" Jean shouted, popping a leftover chocolate into his mouth. "I just want the ladies to have chocolate."
Eren teased, "You want to get into their panties."
"If they're willing."
While the German soldiers joshed around, Krista slipped over Levi and motioned him to follow her. They drifted away from the others, to the far end of the armory. There, Krista whispered whilst keeping an eye on the Germans.
"Sasha m'a envoyé ici." Sasha sent me here.
Levi also lowered his voice. "Braus?"
She nodded. "I am known as Historia. Did you get our message?"
"I got nothing."
"Damn, he must have been caught," she muttered. "I'm part of Operation Bagel, liberating French Jews held in Nazi servitude."
Levi's eyes narrowed. "That's a horrible name. Who came up with that?"
"Sasha did. Her operation names tend to be after breads. It's become a joke in the Resistance."
"So does this mean the Resistance is finally planning to free us? About damn time!"
"I apologize for it taking this long. We had planned to get you out one at a time earlier this summer, but after we helped Isabel to escape, we saw how brutally you were punished. Nazis are known for their collective punishment, and we feared that if the Jews escaped under mysterious circumstances, the Germans might retaliate by slaughtering the whole village. Plus, we needed you here as a translator. Other villages throughout France have suffered greatly due to a lack of communication between Germans and French. If it were not for you translating, likely the whole village would have been burned months ago."
"So I'm stuck." Levi rolled his eyes. "The Ten Plagues weren't good enough, so God cursed me with something far worse: being useful."
"There is a way." She dropped her voice more. "We're planning an exchange. I speak German, I can translate for them..."
"Wait, you're planning on working with the Germans?"
"The problem with using you as a translator is you don't know what these Germans are actually telling you. You have to rely on one sympathetic German who happens to speak English. He, in turn, filters all the chatter down to something he can tell you. In other words, you can't spy on them."
"I know what being a spy involves, little girl," Levi said darkly. "Trust me, it's not a life you want."
She gave him a sad smile. "Maybe not what I wanted, but it's the life I was forced into four years ago when German tanks rolled into my town and killed my family. I realized my knowledge of the German language could get me close to the soldiers, gather information, and plant sweet little ideas into their heads. I'd be able to get even closer simply by taking over your job. Once I'm on the inside, I can soothe over Captain Woermann's aggression, even if I have to seduce him. At the very least, I can warn the people if he plans to do anything drastic. I'll also know how much information the Germans have, and we can begin feeding them false reports. The important thing is that we need to get you out."
"Me? Just me?" he realized. "Not all of us?"
"You're the main target for extraction. The others can come later. We need you, captain."
Levi shook his head. "Don't call me that. I'm not a soldier anymore."
"We're all soldiers in this war, all Allies. You have experience, talent..."
"Go find another captain," he snapped.
"We need your skills. You have friends in the British Secret Intelligence Service..."
"I have no British friends. I have people I conveniently did not kill."
"People who admire you, and when they heard you were slaving away under Nazi tyranny, they ordered us to extract you. I've been here since early June, the soldiers know my face now, and to them I'm just a sweet, innocent village girl. I came originally to assist in extracting one of our messengers who goes by the name Caven, but the same day I arrived, we learned she had been killed. Sasha came up with another plan. If we could not get our operative, we could get a former captain who once worked with the Deuxième Bureau."
Levi's eyes narrowed and his lip instinctively curled. His voice dropped even softer as he snarled, "How the hell do you know that?"
"I told you, you have friends in the British SIS. Sasha said she met with you."
"Yes, briefly," Levi said, recalling the tall brunette who shared her bread with him.
"When you told her your name, she recognized it. Apparently, you worked with her father, a cipher in the Deuxième Bureau, and he spoke quite highly of a small Jewish agent with deadly skill."
"Who are you calling small?" he grumbled.
"It's a shame you were needed as a translator, otherwise we would have extracted you as soon as possible. When Caven ... didn't make it ... Sasha got started on a plan. I was here anyway, I speak German, so I would spend a little time in the village until people got used to seeing me. Then at the right time, I would let slip that I speak German. The same day I offered my services as a translator, you would escape. The timing had to be perfect. Too early, and you could be shot; too late, and Captain Woermann might massacre the entire village, with me in it. It also relied on our friendly lieutenant not telling others about me, since the day I arrived in the village, I accidentally spoke German in front of him. I'm fortunate he's a sympathetic gentleman who thought he was protecting a sweet little girl."
"Your plan is too risky," Levi warned.
"Worth the risk to get you out, capitaine. After what happened to you a few days ago, we pushed up our schedule. We almost decided to put the plan into action today down by the river, but it was not safe, and the lieutenant ... we would have had to have killed him, but there are many people higher up in the chain of command who want to use Lieutenant Jäger."
"Use him?" Levi said in alarm.
"We think he can be turned."
Levi felt a chill. Turned! The Allies wanted to use Eren as a spy. "Leave him out of this.
"British Intelligence is particularly interested in him."
"The SIS can go to hell."
"His loyalties are conflicted—"
"His loyalty is to Germany; it's his emotions that are conflicted."
"Only around you..." She paused as it dawned on her. "I see. We could use that against him."
Levi turned sharply to Krista and growled as quietly as possible. "Do, and I will slit the throats of every single one of you."
She backed off a step at his cold rage. "I see. Maybe it's not the German lieutenant whose emotions are conflicted, but yours. Where are your loyalties, capitaine?"
"With my people. Get all of us out, and I will consider joining you. Try to rescue only me and let the rest be killed ... I've disobeyed orders before. My cooperation depends on the survival of us all." He glanced over to Eren. "Him too. That means, don't you fucking touch him! Make sure everyone involved in this Operation Bagel knows that. As for the SIS, they can go fuck themselves."
"I'll pass your message along, as well as your stipulations for compliance. We'll be in touch..."
"Allez! Foutez le camp d'ici." Go! Get the hell out of here.
Krista sighed in frustration at his stubbornness. "Franchement, vous faites une erreur, capitaine." Frankly, you're making a mistake, captain.
Then her face instantly became bright and playful once again. Krista picked up her empty basket and flounced over to Eren, Jean, and Armin. Levi watched her, keeping a stern eye on the girl.
With her emptied basket in her hands, Krista grinned at the Germans. "Est-ce tout pour aujourd'hui?"
Eren gave her a proud nod, showing she was right to follow his orders about speaking French even now. "Levi, translate please."
He shook his head. What a convincing actress she was! If she really did have four years of experience as a spy, then it was to be expected. Few spies survived that long unless they were talented.
"She asks, is that all for today?"
Eren bowed chivalrously. "Ja. Vielen Dank." Yes. Many thanks.
"De rien!" You're welcome!
Krista trotted off, humming happily to herself. Jean followed her with his eyes, and he could not help but glance at where her skirt swished over her calves. Eren smacked the back of Jean's head to force him to stop ogling.
Jean scowled and rubbed out the hit. "Das tat weh!" That hurt! "Where did you find a cutey like her?"
Eren shrugged. "She's just some local girl."
"I can't believe you knew she spoke German and hid that from everyone."
"Would you like the captain to treat her the way he treats his soldiers?"
"No! No, he ... he's crazy," Jean muttered. "Still, a normal officer wouldn't care so long as the army functioned at peak efficiency."
"When have I ever been normal?" Eren asked with a smirk.
Jean had to laugh. "Never since I've known you, sir. Well, we can go now, right? That bread smells really good. Maybe I can catch up to that pretty lady, ask her where she bought her bread, and watch her pretend like she doesn't know what I'm saying."
He left, and eventually Armin excused himself to get started with some tasks. Eren stayed down there, smoking a cigarette as he watched the Jews eat their bread, soup, and chocolate.
It was such a small gesture on his part. He happened to see Krista the day before and asked if she could bring bread to the Jews in secret. She looked far too willing to help him. He paid for it, and he set up a way for her to slip inside the castle while they were out. Now he watched the small group looking cheerful.
All because of a loaf of bread.
His gaze rested on Levi, tearing off piece by piece of bread, sniffing each morsel before dipping it into his soup and taking a bite, as if certain there must be a trick to this, a poison hidden inside, or laced with drugs. So distrusting! Then again, it had kept him alive.
Eren swung his bag around, pulled out the Tanakh, placed it on a table, and backed off again, not wanting to interfere in their special day. The Sabbath! It was obviously not how they used to spend this holy day of rest. In a few minutes, they would go off to slave away with the lowliest of chores, but for now they could take solace in their religion.
Levi read while the others continued to eat bread, soup, and nibble their chocolate. Eren listened, not understanding a word of it, but simply listening to Levi's voice soothed his heart. For a few minutes, he felt blessed to witness this moment of Jewish faith.
Then the bread was gone, the bowls were empty, melted chocolate was licked off fingers, and the Jews went off to face reality again. Levi handed the Tanakh back to Eren, who stuffed it back away in his bag.
"Am I still restricted from leaving?" asked Levi.
"You should take the time to rest and heal."
"I don't like sitting around with nothing to do."
"Then we can talk. Let me apply more medication."
Levi raised an eyebrow at the young soldier. "You're not touching my arse."
"N-No!" he yelped. Eren scrambled through his bag and pulled out a jar of arnica cream. "I mean the bruises. I saw down by the river, the ones on your back have gotten really nasty."
Levi stared at him, but gradually looked aside. "Do what you want."
Eren unscrewed the arnica jar. "Remove your shirt. We can do it here. At least it doesn't smell."
While Eren shut the door to the armory, Levi unbuttoned his shirt, tugged it off, and faced away. Exposing his back to an enemy! So many instincts drilled into him over the years said this was foolish. Never turn your back to an enemy! Yet Eren was more than some Nazi.
They were friends.
That one thought, that realization that he could trust someone, made Levi's throat tighten up.
Eren gazed at the scarred back and felt sick to his stomach. So many of the freshest scars were caused by him. With the jar of arnica cream in one hand, he scooped some out and started on the largest bruise. Levi flinched at the first touch, but he held still. Eren's fingers were tender, barely touching the swollen, inflamed skin. Still, to Levi, they felt like cold tickles as he rubbed the medicine over sore spots.
"You know," Eren said with a quiet chuckle, "I was very tempted to let you go today, down by the river."
Levi glanced around his shoulder. "What?"
"It crossed my mind a few times. I could have knocked out Jean and Armin, then shot myself in the leg, made it look like you attacked us, and let you run off. I was ... very tempted."
To think, Eren could have worked with the Resistance, and likely between them, they could have come up with a way to help the Jews escape without anyone dying! Not that Levi would ever let Eren knowingly work with the Resistance, not after what Krista said about people wanting to turn Eren into a spy. It was far too dangerous.
"Why didn't you?" he asked cautiously.
"I don't like the idea of hurting my friends ... nor of shooting myself," he added with an awkward laugh. "I also wasn't sure if you all could have made it. Especially you." His fingers gingerly rubbed arnica cream over Levi's swollen, purple skin. "With your injuries, you probably can't run as fast as the others. I especially want you to make it to freedom."
Levi thought about turning around, but he decided to continue watching the wall. "Why me?" he asked in hesitant confusion.
Eren smiled to himself and shrugged. "We're friends, right? I want you to live. I hate seeing you get hurt." His finger outlined one large, purple, swollen lump on Levi's lower back. "My mother used to tell me, it's unforgivable to hurt a friend. It's why I couldn't knock out Armin and Jean. It's why I have to shut down everything in my head just to punish you, and why it tears me apart now, knowing I did that."
His hand slid up Levi's back, over whip scars, knife stabs, old bullet holes, and other evidence of his harsh life up to this moment.
"I hate myself for knowing that some of these scars and bruises were caused by me."
Eren's fingers lingered, feeling the warmth of the skin. Levi barely moved, controlling his breathing as his heart beat faster. Then Eren's hand drifted up higher, tracing along the side of Levi's neck and giving him chills.
"So many injuries," Eren whispered in a mix of awe and sympathy. "I've hurt you. I feel like I need to make up for that."
Levi's mouth dropped as Eren's hand stroked along his neck and down his shoulders, feeling the muscles. He almost wanted to moan at the gentle touch. Then Eren's hand tightened, just a little possessively, as if ready to pull Levi into an embrace.
Suddenly, something flashed through Levi's mind.
Dark memories. Screaming for help that would never come. Hands grabbing him from behind. His wrists bound, bruised, struggling futilely. Disgusting touches to his neck. Possessive fingers digging into his flesh, pulling on him, pinning him down. A sickening realization that he was truly and utterly helpless.
Acid shot up into his mouth, and Levi yanked away. "Ne me touche pas, espèces de sales boches!" Don't touch me, filthy Kraut animals!
Eren's hand instantly drew back. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Levi jolted at hearing the voice. He looked around, only to see teal eyes gazing sadly at him. Eren! Levi nearly sank as he realized it had only been a memory, one still on the edge of his mind, still making him want to hug himself and scream. But this was Eren. He was safe. Everything was okay.
"No, it's ... it's fine," he said, his voice hoarse. "Maybe I should go back."
"Right, of course."
Eren put away the medicine while Levi pulled his shirt back on. The memory was still there, cycling in his brain, refusing to go away. Grützmacher had touched his shoulders after handcuffing him to the prison bars, caressing his bruises, almost seeming gentle, saying things in German that Levi could only guess were perverted compliments, before punching Levi in one of the bruises, making him scream in pain. And then...
No. He still could not bring himself to remember the worst parts.
Eren's words were so different. Rather than harsh and sadistic, his voice was soft, wistful, and longing. As Levi buttoned his shirt, he took a quick glance behind him to those flushed and smiling cheeks.
Idiot! He looked far too happy.
"So, did you find out if your teammates burned or buried Moses' body?"
The joyful expression crumbled, and Eren immediately sobered up. Good. A smile like that one was dangerous.
"They buried him out in the field. They warned, it was a shallow grave, but at least he was buried."
"A shallow grave is better than none. Did they loot the body?"
"Of course not!"
"Moses had at least one gold tooth. You could probably get enough money to buy—"
"Levi!" he snapped. "My men are not like that."
"It's fairly common with dead Jews. I once saw Nazis pry the gold teeth out of a woman's mouth while she was still alive. Then they shot her."
Eren looked angry at the assumption that his men would disrespect a corpse, but Levi was practical. It happened. It was common.
"If they looted anything off him, I'd like it back. If they left his corpse alone, then they have twice my thanks. Just warn that horse-faced one not to flirt with that French girl."
"Why? Is she married? Even that has never stopped Jean before."
Levi knew he could not say much without blowing Krista's cover. "Being bilingual puts her in a precarious position. If he were to brag about some sweet little nothing she said to him, other soldiers would wonder how he could know what his French mistress was saying, and her secret would be revealed."
"That's true," Eren realized. "I'll warn him, but frankly, Jean tends to charm ladies. God knows why!"
"People have fallen for odder things than a long-faced man."
Eren hummed in agreement as his eyes gazed over Levi's body. Then he jolted and turned away. "Well, shall we?"
They walked back to the dungeon, and Eren put a hand to his nose. How could any of them still be alive, sleeping amidst such foul fumes?
"I wonder if I could ask Krista to find a maid to come and clean this place. Then again, you'd need a whole battalion of maids to get rid of the stench alone."
Levi ignored the smell he was now used to and returned to his cell. "Keep to practical requests, takhshet."
"Then how about I request to come back down here in a few days and apply some more medicine."
"I don't think you need Krista's permission to do that."
"No, but I do need yours."
Levi rolled his eyes. "No, you don't. Besides, if I tell you no, would you disobey orders?"
"I would request an explanation for why my battle plan was not open for discussion."
"Perhaps the territory you wish to explore is too dangerous."
"I know the risks."
"Do you really?" Levi challenged, but he saw determination in Eren's eyes. He turned aside and sighed, unsure if Eren was just naïve, or brave. "If you want to return here, I can't stop you."
"I wouldn't want to force you to keep me company. That's being a bad friend."
Levi grumbled, "I ... don't mind."
Eren's face lit up instantly.
"Stop looking like that!"
"Like what?"
"Like a child who was just told he can have a candy."
"What you offer is sweeter than candy."
"I offer nothing, because I have nothing to give."
"You offer me company, friendship, because you're a good man with a lot yet to give to the world."
Levi was touched by those words, but he turned aside stubbornly, which made Eren chuckle. For a moment, he caught the pinkness of blushing on Levi's cheeks. How adorable! Then Levi slumped down onto his cot. As soon as his buttocks hit the bed, he flinched and hissed in pain.
Eren took a swift step into the cell, ready to help if he was still injured, but he held back, realizing why that area hurt enough for Levi to make such an agonized face. He felt instantly miserable. Here he was, trying to be playful, and Levi was still suffering both physically and emotionally.
Eren reached into his pack and pulled the Jewish holy book back out. He set the Tanakh down beside Levi. The Jew looked at the book, then up into Eren's face in confusion.
"I have the only key to this cell, so no one can check for the book. Make sure it stays hidden."
"You're giving it to me?" Levi said in astonishment.
Eren shrugged stiffly with a doleful smile. "Perhaps it will give you some solace, after everything that happened."
Levi picked up the worn Hebrew book and reverently caressed the binding. "Thank you," he whispered.
Eren stepped closer and put his hand on Levi's head. Levi began to lean into the comforting touch, but a second later he realized just who it belonged to. A Nazi! However, as he glared up at Eren, wondering if he was just trying to be condescending, treating him like a pet, he saw a gentle, longing gaze in those teal eyes. Eren stroked through Levi's black hair, letting the strands slip through his fingers.
"Your hair is so soft after you bathe," he whispered in awe.
His hand stroked again, from Levi's brow back across his scalp. A couple of his fingers slid down to caress the rim of Levi's ear. He heard a soft gasp from Levi, and Eren yanked his hand away in terror. He quickly laughed it off and turned away.
"Sorry. I forgot it was you for a moment there."
Levi narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Who did you think I was?"
"A ... A dog?" Eren said, sounding overly flippant. He left the cell without turning around. "Maybe not tomorrow, since it's Sunday, but I'll be back in a few days." He locked the door and left the dungeon without looking back.
Levi kept glaring long after Eren turned the corner to go up the stairs. Then he reached up, touching the same place Eren had caressed. He cursed quietly, opened the Tanakh, and began to read the first lines he saw.
"Yishokeini minneshikos pihu, ki- tovim dodeicho miyoyin." Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, for your love is more delightful than wine.
Levi stopped immediately and slammed the Tanakh closed.
"Lord, why, out of all the versus, would you have me open to that one?"
He shook his head, but he opened the Tanakh slower, this time to the first page, where names had been written in, owners of the book. First, his mother's signature, faded but still legible: Kuchel Ackerman. Then his own name under that, written in later after his mother had died. Under his, in a flawless script: Petra Ackerman.
He remembered the day he realized Petra had written her name in the book. He had gotten mad at her, at first angry that she thought so frivolously of what ownership of the Tanakh meant to him, and when he realized Petra knew full well what it meant to write her name there, he kept insisting that his religion was not one she had to follow. Hell, he barely followed it!
Still, she had insisted that they were married, and thus what was his was hers, and that included his religion and culture.
Even as it became obvious that Jews were in danger, even after France agreed to an armistice that included handing over all French Jews to the Nazis, even after they were forced to flee their village and live on the run, she had stayed by him, determined to share his fate.
Except, she died, and he was still alive. The only thing left of both her and his mother was this book with their signatures.
"For a moment, his hand felt like yours," he muttered, touching Petra's name. "I bet you put God up to this."
He closed the book and tucked it away under his pillow. Still, the warmth seemed to linger on all the places Eren had touched, and it left Levi feeling lonelier than he had in many years.
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Levi reads the beginning of Shir HaShirim ("Song of Songs" or "Songs of Solomon" in English). What he actually sees is this:
יִשָּׁקֵ֙נִי֙ מִנְּשִׁיק֣וֹת פִּ֔יהוּ כִּֽי־טוֹבִ֥ים דֹּדֶ֖יךָ מִיָּֽיִן׃
In English: "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, for your love is more delightful than wine." Don't trust my transliteration. Although my husband is Jewish, he admits he does not read Hebrew well, so I used an online transliteration program.
The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6, is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom. In World War II, they ran photographic reconnaissance missions with the Royal Air Force, fed misinformation to the Germans, and sent spies into German-controlled countries. In pop culture, the SIS has been glamorized in the character of James Bond, that dashing spy with a taste for martinis and exotic women.
The Deuxième Bureau (dew-zem bew-roh, or "Second Bureau") was France's external military intelligence agency, in charge of counter-espionage, surveillance, cryptography, propaganda, and intelligence. Before World War II broke out, the Deuxième Bureau sent an agent codenamed "Rex" to meet with a German cipher to obtain the secrets to the Enigma machine, used by the Nazis to encode top secret messages. The French could not fully determine how the machine operated; that would be solved by a Polish mathematician. The Deuxième Bureau was dissolved in 1940 when France signed the armistice with Germany. Agents who escaped took their notes and relocated to the Free France Forces headquarters in England. Both they and the Poles shared their information on the Enigma machine with the SIS. Deciphering the Enigma machine is considered to be "the single most important victory by the Allied powers during WWII." Much like "MI6," the name "Deuxième Bureau" continued to be used after the war as a term for all of France's intelligence service.
Fun literature fact: In the James Bond novels, René Mathis is a spy with the Deuxième Bureau, who works with Bond on many capers. The movies changed him to another British SIS agent. How dull!
As for how Levi is connected to the SIS and Deuxième Bureau, that remains to be seen.