Starlit Solitude

On the nights that aren't too terribly cold, and when sleep is too far to be reached, Eren finds himself craving the company of the stars. He prefers their presence over another, enjoying the way that conversation isn't a default, and emotions don't have to be understood. Like introverts, the stars will remain at a comfortable distance, yet not so aloof that they become obscured. Eren has always enjoyed laying with the stars, and it's to his recent knowledge that the Corporal does, too.

It was a few days past the solstice, when sleep was no longer under Eren's grasp. Tossing and turning, hoping that the sound of sliding bedsheets would not wake up his comrades, he huffed with irritation and slipped out of bed altogether. If he wasn't able to sleep, why bother rolling around on an aged mattress, when the stars were always so inviting?

Shuffling about as quiet as a field mouse, Eren tip-toed his way down the hall. He made sure not to step on any of the creaky floorboards, and it was with skillful precision that he'd accomplished his task. Only when he was about to reach the end of the walkway did he let out the breath that he'd been subconsciously holding in.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Eren could have done a multitude of things, in a situation such as the one he was presented with. He could have screamed, which in the spur of the moment, he'd really wanted to do. He could have explained himself, but it was with only a fifty-fifty ratio that his story would have been bought. Lastly, he could have apologized, which would have probably been the smartest of options, but instead, he chose against it. He chose against all scenarios and went with a forth: he stood absolutely still, somehow hoping that the mere act would cause him to fade into invisibility.

"I see you, Eren." There was the sound of footsteps. "I'll only ask you one more time." Closer, much closer. "Where do you think you're going?"

"...To lay with the stars, sir."

Getting caught hadn't been a part of the plan. Eren had been able to slip out with ease countless times before. Why was it that when his desire was most urgent, he'd have to be stopped by his superior? And what exactly would the Corporal say to that? Laying with the stars? Surely, he wouldn't understand.

However, what Eren had received was a response he had definitely not been expecting.

"You'll catch your death like that, if you go outside without a jacket."

It wasn't until his Corporal was pointing over toward the hanging coat rack, the one that Sasha had fashioned out of an oak branch, that his eyes caught sight of something white and plush. Looking down at the wrist that was stretched outward, Eren quickly noted that Corporal Levi was full equipped to brace the elements, whatever they were. Already wearing his required, winter uniform jacket, paired with his cattle leather gloves, it seemed as if he was planning to step out, as well.

"Sir," Eren began hesitantly, knowing that what he was about to ask was considerably out of line, "where are you going?"

"Same place as you," was the answer he'd received. "Put on your jacket, and let's go."

Eren had never stargazed with another before. It may have been a possibility, once or twice, with either Armin or Mikasa, but neither of them seemed to show much interest in the idea of staring up at the sky. The notion of it only made them angry and sad.

Now, he didn't feel as unbiased as before. Somehow, conversation felt necessary, and emotions were pounding in his chest, begging for closure.

As he lay there, with his fox-furred hood pulled tightly around his cheeks, Eren broke the ice. No, he literally broke the ice. He'd accidentally shifted one of his boots, causing a fragment of the sister to snow to crunch beneath the pressure.

He was shushed.

"Sorry," Eren apologized.

He was shushed again.

"Uh...?"

"Shut up, Eren," Corporal Levi hissed. "I'm trying to listen."

Listen? What was he listening for? In all of his nights, the stars had never once tried to talk to him. Was his Corporal merely hallucinating? No, he had a stronger head on his shoulders than that. Eren, a bit jealous, didn't care that he had been hushed. He just wanted answers.

"What are you trying to listen to?" he asked, speaking quickly enough that he'd dodged another silencing sound.

The way Corporal Levi closed his eyes and furrowed his brows made Eren wonder if he was trying to tune him out, or something. That hadn't been the case, though, because he was lucky enough to receive a decent, albeit confusing, reply just moments later.

"The stars," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm listening to the stars. They're laughing at us."

Bemused, Eren propped himself onto his elbows and looked to his right. He eyed his Corporal in a way that expressed his perplexity, before prompting, "They're laughing? I don't hear anything. Why are they laughing?"

It took much longer for Corporal Levi to voice his next response, so much so that Eren had begun to wonder if he'd fallen asleep.

"Because we're fools. We're fools, and they're free. Their laughter isn't playful, it's condescending."

Eren couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could his Corporal, someone who had never uttered anything other than concrete statements in his entire life, say something so astronomically abstract?

It must have been a symptom of his sleepless evening, when Eren had the gall enough to wonder, "If you don't like the stars, then why are you out here?"

A white cast of the Corporal's breath ghosted across Eren's nose, as his superior rose on his arms and turned to face him. If looks could kill, he would have been slaughtered.

"Who ever said I didn't like the stars?"

Reduced to a stammering entity whom had assumed incorrectly, Eren shook his head and left his Corporal without an answer. Hopefully, he'd explain himself on his own.

"No one. No one ever said that, so don't go making assumptions, alright?" He laid back against the frostbitten grass once more, settling himself against the ground. In his efforts to get comfortable, he'd done just the same as Eren and broke a shard of ice.

"Shh."

"Okay, now you're being smart with me. I'll have you know that-"

"No, shh," Eren quickly corrected. The last thing he wanted was to get a major scolding for his behavior, in the morning. "I think I can hear them now."

"Hear what?" Corporal Levi inquired. "The stars?"

Nodding, Eren moved to stand up, the complete opposite of what his superior had just done. Raising his head to the sky, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, allowing his senses to be awaked by the sharp and biting air that had assaulted his lungs.

Parting his lips to speak, Eren made sure to choose his words carefully, before saying, "I don't mean to contradict you, sir, but I don't think they're laughing." Silence was as good to him as any verbal response from his Corporal, at this point. It set the mood wonderfully. "I think it sounds like they're crying. I think they pity us, sir. They pity us and the world that we were forced to live in."

Corporal Levi made a sound of curious acknowledgment, as he joined Eren on his feet. "You know," he started, breathing life into his gloved hands, "maybe you're right."

It was after a few minutes of standing there, sharing in each other's quiet, that Eren realized everything they'd said to each other made no sense to him at all. He'd always believed the stars to be the ideal portrait of solitude. He was a bit angry with his Corporal, over the fact that he'd smeared his definition of peace.

"We should head back."

"Yeah, we should."

Those were the only spoken words, that evening, that Eren had actually been able to take for what they were worth.

After returning to the cabin and stripping of their coats, Eren felt almost obliged to ask his Corporal once last thing, before either of them headed back to their quarters.

"Sir," he whispered softly, "have the stars ever been that noisy for you before?"

Corporal Levi shook his head negatively.

"Never." And there was a pause, one that was comfortable enough for both soldiers to relish in. "It's a shame. We must have disturbed the starlit solitude."

Hi there! Chappy here!:D

Happy Christmas Eve, everyone! It's the day before Levi's birthday, aren't you all excited?! I know I am. I actually don't shut up about it, oops.

I definitely took a different approach on this, but I hope you've enjoyed it just the same! I really like how it turned out.

I hope you all have a wonderful day/evening! Eat lots of yummy foods and have a good time. (:

Thank you very much for taking the time to read!

- Chappy