"Ellie..."

I peeked up at the man who was still standing in the doorway. His eyes met mine, and something inside of him shifted. Was it pity that was seemingly engraved on his face? Sadness? Confusion? Anger? I couldn't tell, but he'd only begun to scratch at the surface of me. As he stood in the doorway, he couldn't see the splint on my leg from behind the gown or the endless bruising and stitching that that were covered as well. Even my hair covered the brutality that marred my face, leaving only the bandaging on my wrist for him to see. "What're you doing here?" I asked, my voice didn't sound like mine. It sounded so...small.

"Do you not expect me to look for you after you suddenly disappear for a few days?" he asked, a small sneer forming and I had to look away. The look on his face was making my throat burn like I'd just downed ten shots of hard liquor.

"You're right. Sorry." I said, not knowing what else to say that would calm him down. Levi stood there silently for a second, the anxious faces of Reese and the rest of The Boys that had suddenly showed up were visible from behind his legs. Then, ever so quietly, Levi stepped into the room and let the door slip shut behind him. My breath hitched as I heard the smooth lock of the door and the sound of that damned man walking over to me.

"Hey," he said, standing over me with his hands on his hips. It took him a moment or two to realize that I wasn't about to look at him before he eventually kneeled down to my level. "Look at me."

Concern instantly washed itself over his face once our eyes met again. That hard mask he always wore seemed to crumble once he brushed the curtain of hair back behind my ear. His hands settled on my arms as he knelt down, but his eyes were drawn down to the splint and bandages. He saw the bruises and scratches that littered every square inch of me, and gently pulled the gown away from me. His hands felt hot on my cold skin as they grazed the thick bandages on my stomach and chest. "Ellie...what happened to you?" Levi asked, his voice sounded almost as pained as I felt.

"I...I..." I struggled to form any sort of explanation as my throat seemed to suddenly stick together and all my frustration came forward in one giant swoop. "I just wanna take a shower!" I choked out, my eyebrows arching up painfully. The stitches on my eyebrow groaned in protest and I hate to admit it, but my eyes at that familiar burn to them. Levi looked at me as I hastily wiped away the moisture from my eyes with my better hand and gave a slight nod, never once looking away from me. I watched as he reformed that hard, emotionless mask on his face as he stood up and I couldn't help but put my head in my hand again. This was what I was afraid of, that I'd lose it and he'd walk out. Crying soldiers are a nuisance, in all honesty. Death was all around us, I've seen Levi treat lives of new recruits that lose control of themselves in the field. I'm just surprised he didn't treat mine as soon as I started getting choked up.

"Move over."

My head snapped up, not realizing that he was still in the room and my eyes widened when I realized what was going on. His jacket was hung up on one of the far hooks on the wall and he was just finishing rolling his sleeves up to his elbows. A dry cloth was clutched in one of his hands as he walked over to me and reached behind my back to turn on the faucet to the tub. "Levi, you don't-"

"I want to. Now move." he said, his deep voice was commanding but I did as I was told and moved my ass over so that he could squeeze in next to me. He didn't say anything as he wet the cloth and moved my hair over my far shoulder so that he could wipe down my neck. I couldn't help but close my eyes and sigh through my nose as the warm water ran down my chilled skin.

Another lapse of silence passed before I could speak again. "What did Reese tell you?" I croaked as Levi worked his way down my arm, carefully working around the splint.

"Nothing much. Just your little friend had your squad clean up the bloody mess you or whoever left behind."

I winced a little as he ran the cloth a little too harshly over my arm. Levi pulled his hand away and took a deep breath before starting again a little more gently. "I suppose it was me who left that mess behind." I said, and Levi took a moment to wring the cloth out in the tub.

"Who attacked you." he said, wetting the cloth and once again wringing it out, but over my head this time. I closed my eyes and tipped my head back as he poured more water on my head and started to run his fingers through my hair.

"I didn't really know any of them." I said. It wasn't really a lie, but it wasn't exactly the truth either. Levi's eye began to twitch.

"Them? How many were there."

"I don't know, maybe four or five."

"What did they want?"

"...They were teaching me a lesson."

"Lesson?" he asked, leaning over to look me in the eye. If it wasn't for that little wrinkle on his forehead, he'd be just was impassive as ever. I wrung my hair out in the tub and took the cloth from Levi so that I could quickly finish washing myself. "Eli, answer me."

"Can we talk about this later, please? Preferably when I'm dressed." I asked, and the man reluctantly nodded. Levi helped me stand and he even helped me with the gown, tying it in a way that it wouldn't slip open. Bless him, he was being so patient with me. It made my heart fly and sink at the same time. "Levi, hold on." I said, as I leaned on my crutch while he went to unlock the door with his jacket in hand.

"What?" he asked, his hand on the knob.

"I just- wanted to say thank you. You're kind to care...but you don't have to keep doing this..." I said, my voice once again becoming uncharacteristically small. Levi looked at me like I was an absolute idiot who was spouting nonsense. So the man sighed, with one hand on his hip and the other pinching the bridge of his nose before walking over to me.

"Come on, we can talk somewhere else besides a bathroom." he said, gently looping his arm around my waist and leading us out of the room. In the next room there seemed to be a plethora of people waiting for us. The Boys had knocked over their seats when they stood, causing the nurses to jump and the doctor to shoot them a look. Claude stood in front of all of them with his arms folded across his chest with a pissed look on his face. "What." Levi asked, his eyes narrowing just a hint. Claude opened his mouth to speak, but paused once he saw the two of us together. Maybe he noticed how uncharacteristically gentle Levi was being, or how his damp shirt and my wet hair seemed to make things add up for him.

"Nothing, just worried is all." he said, dropping his arms from his chest and shifting his eyes away. The Boys shifted anxiously in their spots and I rested a hand on my stomach to try to sooth the aching stitches. Levi seemed to take that as his cue and led me back to my bed where I could rest for the moment. The doctor immediately came to my side to do another exam while Levi took the opportunity to drag Claude out of the room by his collar.

I looked over at The Boys and offered them a reassuring smile to try to ease their anxiety, but Reese looked like he was about to throw up in his spot. "Reese," I croaked. "come 'ere."

The smallest of the brothers looked up at me with sad eyes before slowly shuffling over. When he became close enough I grabbed one of his hands with my good one and gave his arm a little shake. "What's wrong?" I asked. The boy wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket and I felt my heart drop down to my stomach. He was a soldier, but he was still a kid with a lot of feelings to sort out.

"I'm sorry..." he mumbled, his hand squeezing mine. "I didn't mean to tell, I really didn't! I just- I didn't- please don't be mad!" he sobbed, and I immediately yanked him down to sit on the bed with me. I put my arm around him with my hand resting on his head, pulling him close in a mock hug. However, my sad attempt at comfort only seemed to make him feel worse. His brothers just stood there watching.

"I'm not mad, Bud. Not even a little." I said softly, running my fingers through his hair. "In fact, Claude told me what you all did for me, and I'm very grateful for all of you." I said, addressing the rest of the group. Arlo was the next one to join me on the bed, then Gable, and then Nash. The bed groaned in protest from all the weight, and I didn't even mind the way my stitches throbbed as they enveloped me in a group hug, the cheesy bastards. Over the time that they'd been assigned to me, I've been assigned the role of Squad Leader Jackson and unofficial older sister. I was hesitant at first when they expressed how they felt, but then again...I've never had a connection to anyone like this before. It felt good, like the hole that was ripped in me from my past was slowly being repaired through...this. Levi said it was wrong, but I think he secretly likes seeing everyone at peace.

The door to the infirmary opened a couple minutes later to reveal a stoic Levi and an usually red faced Claude. The Boys slowly clambered off the bed as Levi walked up to me, and he held out his hand so that he could help me up. "Ready to go?"

...

By the time we got back to Levi's room, I was exhausted. The man practically had to carry me through the door and to the bed. Levi set me down gently and ran a hand over my cheek before walking out of the room again. I leaned against the pillows that were so much more softer than the ones in the infirmary and allowed my eyes to slide shut while Levi was gone.

I don't know how long I was asleep for or if I even fell asleep in the first place. It was like I shut my eyes for a second, and then suddenly Levi was sitting on the side of the bed with a cup of tea and a plate in his hands. His face looked rather bored, but something seemed off in his gaze. He almost looked distressed. "Levi." I moaned, reaching over to set my hand on top of his. He scooted back further onto the bed, beckoning me to sit up.

"Here. Now open," he ordered, handing me the cup of tea and holding out a forkful of some sort of noodles. We sat there for a while quietly while I finished my dinner but it wasn't long before it felt like the stitches in my stomach were going to pop. I continued to hold the cup of warm tea to my chest as Levi took the dirty dish out of the room only to return a moment later. "Are you ready to talk now?" he asked, and I reluctantly nodded. Levi nodded to himself as he slowly worked on stripping off his uniform. "Alright. Who attacked you?"

"I don't know."

"You didn't know who they were?"

"A couple looked familiar."

"Why did they do it."

I looked away from Levi as he worked on unbuttoning his shirt. "Because...they said that I wasn't good enough."

Levi paused. "Not good enough for what?"

"..." I didn't know how to say it. My mouth hung open like a fish gaping for water.

"Elijah. I'm not fucking around anymore. Tell me." he said, his voice holding a serious tone that was filled with warning and in one swift move, he slipped off his shirt. My throat suddenly felt tight, but I managed to keep my composure together for the first time about this.

"For you." I confessed, and Levi froze. His face remained impassive, but I could see his knuckles turning white on the fabric and as quickly as he'd taken off his shirt, he'd put it back on and was buttoning it up at lightning speed. "No, wait! Levi don't-"

"I'll be back in a bit. Don't wait up." he said, and I started to clamber off the bed in some sad attempt to catch him before he could leave.

"Please-" the splint on my leg became caught in the sheets and a small gasp escaped my lips when I went to jerk my leg out and twisted a little too far. Levi seemed to be there in an instant with his hands on my shoulders as I leaned over and clutched my stomach with shaking hands. He quickly untangled my leg and laid me back down on the bed before checking my bandages like the secretly good man that he was.

"You're a danger to yourself." he mused, but I just shook my head.

"I wasn't about to let you run out with that look in your eyes. It'd look bad if news got out that The Captain murdered some of his own soldiers in the middle of the compound over something stupid." I said, absently rubbing the sore stitching on my stomach and Levi couldn't help but close his eyes and turn away.

"You really are an idiot."

My eyebrows seemed to knit together after that comment. "What do you mean?"

"This isn't stupid." he said, gesturing to me. "We've been at this too long for me to take this lightly. I just...can't." he admitted, and I gave him a soft smile and grabbed one of his hands so that I could rub my thumb over it comfortingly. "So I won't do anything tonight out of fear that you'll end up killing yourself while I'm gone, but I promise that there will be consequences for this."

"I know, I understand. But tonight...can you just stay with me?" I asked, giving his hand one more squeeze. Levi looked at me out of the corner of his eye before giving me a small nod and I smiled again. "Thank you." I said and gently snaked my good hand around his neck so that I could bring him close. We sat close with our lips mere millimeters apart, just barely grazing each other's.

"It's no problem." he said lowly, closing the gap between us. His lips were soft and warm on mine and my heart swelled. After we separated, he stripped himself of his shirt, boots, and jeans before pulling on a pair of clean lounge pants and crawling into bed with me. One of his arms laid itself over my waist so that his hand was resting on my stomach while the other was simple tucked underneath his head. I shuddered at the soft puffs of warm breath that hit the crook of my neck.

"Hey Levi?"

"Hm?"

Say it, say it, say it!

"...Goodnight."