Underdogs

THIRTY-ONE

❝All that you are is all that I'll ever need.❞

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂

Chapter thirty-one:

GIVING IN

Stained by blood, his shirt lay on the back of the chair as he sat on his bed. His eyes were closed, resting as exhaustion assaulted every cell in his body. He was tired, yet restless; his mind flooded with images and events that would not allow him to fall into slumber. So much had happened, so many emotions had risen. 

Running a hand through his jet-black hair, he tilted his head upwards and let out a heavy sigh. With parted lips and sore muscles, he fixed his eyes on a thin crack on the ceiling and followed the outline absently.

It looked like a scar, a tiny flaw in the perfect structure. But then, the ceiling took a different shape and so did the crack. And Levi didn't saw it as a defect anymore, but as the mark of a complex past. He found it fascinating; a tattoo formed on her smooth skin, a scar which hid so many secrets and increased her aura of alluring mysticism. His fingers twitched, yearning to run along its shape and memorize every inch of her.

Levi caught himself, and his eyes widened as he realized where that train of thoughts was leading him. With a click of his tongue, he lowered his head and gulped down the rest of his drink. The taste of whiskey burned his throat, yet he welcomed the feeling while leaning his elbows on his knees.

A knock on the door made him look up, but before he could tell them to fuck off, the hinges creaked and it swung open. Her brown gaze found his the moment she stepped in, and he stayed unmoving as it flickered down his shirtless torso before drifting back to his face.

"I have to use your shower," Galene spoke in a low voice as she closed the door.

Raising an eyebrow, Levi observed her as she looked around with a thoughtful expression. It was a rare sight; the slight frown on her lips, the anxious glint in her eye as she avoided his inquisitive gaze. He was at a loss of words, clueless about what could be going on inside that complex mind of hers.

"What's wrong with yours?" he asked in a bored drawl.

"It broke. I had a fight with my room this morning," she added with a shrug. Not waiting for his reply, she headed for the bathroom and walked in. "Hope you don't mind."

Not like it would matter to you if I did, Levi thought as the woman disappeared inside the bathroom. 

Only when he was alone again did he mull about her presence there, and his eyes darted towards the window. It was dark outside; no moon shone in the starless sky, and no lights illuminated the way. Their fight had taken place in the morning, and they had parted ways soon after Erwin had interrupted it...

What had she been doing up until now?

"Brat," he muttered eventually.

He placed the glass on his bedside table and stood from the bed, ignoring the beat inside of him calling for him to do something to fight off the sudden heat Galene had lighted with her mere presence. He couldn't believe he had been daydreaming about her; yet he wouldn't deny his attraction towards her ㅡ it was too late for that. 

She really had the worst timing, showing up and demanding to use his shower when he was a bomb about to explode.

Shaking his head, Levi swore under his breath before opening his wardrobe to get a clean shirt. His ankle cried in pain with every step, but he paid no mind to it and pushed through his discomfort; he would worry about it later.