Dangerous Territory

Outside Nicolo's Restaurant

Levi woke up slowly. The bed under him was heavenly, far better than the stiff military cot he had been sleeping on for over a month. The air was warm, not cold and damp. He realized he was naked, but that was fine with the cotton sheets wrapped around him.

Comfort! What a simple yet odd experience in war.

He heard humming. Eren. He was so used to it now.

That idea struck him. They had not known each other for very long—not really known one another, at least—and they had been separated for over a month. So why did hearing Eren hum in the bathroom feel like an old, familiar, comforting experience?

As he rolled over, Levi saw a stack of clothes set on the nightstand for him. How thoughtful! He must have really been sound asleep to not hear Eren set the clothes out. Sitting on the top of the pile was the house key on a chain necklace. Levi recalled taking it off last night as he was preparing for the pleasure that came after both were naked.

Right away, Levi strung the key back around his neck and smiled down at it. Then he pulled on a white undershirt that was far too big and some cotton boxers that drooped off his hips.

The humming stopped, and quiet English words said, "I'll be out in a minute."

Levi rather missed the thick German accent. Eren had teased him yesterday that perhaps Levi thought it was sexy. He had to admit, that was true. Now, there was a distinct American softness to the words. Rather than stern, it was cute with those gentle vowels, a softer 'T' sound, and unique American 'R.'

Just how much had Eren needed to practice to get that American accent? Then again, in a life-or-death situation like war, being able to trick the enemy by speaking like them was vital.

Levi looked around the room. He had noticed how bare it was last night, but with the sunlight beaming through the curtains, he now saw that Eren had not even unpacked. The room was mostly empty, save for a duffel bag that had been opened and rummaged through. Likely, Eren searched the bag for these clothes.

This showed Eren was fresh off the battlefield, without even the time to put away his gear.

He did not mean to pry, but Levi drifted over to the bag. Not much was in there, but he saw an envelope. Levi plucked it out and looked it over. He pulled out the folded paper and read the first line.

My dear husband...

Louise!

Just then, Eren stepped out, shirtless and only wearing his underwear. He saw Levi dressed in his clothes, and his heart warmed up. However, he saw the letter in his hands, and Eren's face fell in worry.

All of his things were blown up in the Maizières-lès-Metz town hall. His books, his childhood mementos, the letters from Louise, everything. That letter arrived while he was healing in the hospital. Apparently, when Floch packed his things and took them to the hotel, that included the letter.

"Are you jealous?" he whispered.

"No." Levi folded the letter back up without reading it and tossed it into the bag. "I know you have no romantic feelings for her. At this point, she's part of your act, nothing more."

Eren walked over and sat on the bed, hunched over as he realized he had not explained Louise's part in the past month of hell. "We wrote back and forth. Her letters were a comfort to my men: descriptions of her farm, her family, simple things. It was a reminder of what we're fighting for."

"You're fighting for French farmers? I doubt it."

"Her family is Deutsch," Eren pointed out. "Many people in this area are from Deutschland."