Just to check

Levihan 4

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  "You did well bandaging this, miss." the physician smiled at Isabel, all the while examining Hanji's arm. "The bone wasn't completely broken, just fractured, and it's setting well." he said as he gently pressed his fingers into the swollen skin.

  Hanji flinched at the ministrations, it hurt, but not as badly as it had when she first broke it.

  "I'd keep it on the splint, and in the sling for now, maybe two or three more weeks, and then you can have it out of the sling." he began to rewrap her arm, "If you weren't travelers I'd have you come back so I could examine it again." he said, "But just see another physician when the time comes, they'll tell you when to remove the splint."

  Isabel helped him tie off the splint, and Hanji put the arm back into the sling herself. "Thank you, sir." the redhead procured a gold coin from her pocket.

  "It's no trouble, miss." the physician took the coin with a warm smile.

  "Come along, Hanji." Isabel helped Hanji off of the examination table and linked arms with her as they walked out. "Feels good to get you properly examined." she sighed, heading for the inn and their waiting horses. She had insisted on having a real doctor check on Hanji before they left town.

  "Yeah, it is." Hanji agreed, ducking her head when she saw Levi waiting for them...with Farlan, but she was only focused on the shorty. She had decided she preferred sleeping in Isabel and Farlan's tent to the inns, as she was separated from Levi that way. As infuriating as he was, seeing him behind the changing screen morphed her view of him. Granted, now she loathed him for that. She couldn't look at him without imagining his body and wondering what the rest of him looked like.

  Hanji had to remind herself of her mother's words to her when she was younger.

  "Never judge nor trust someone according to beauty, child." her mother had said in a soft voice, "Even devils can look like angels. Only believe in those who are worthy of your trust, those who have earned it."

  Now Hanji knew Levi wasn't untrustworthy, and of course he wasn't a devil, that was silly to think. But she knew better than to admire him simply for his looks. And besides, she would much rather kiss a pig than be romantically involved with him. She snickered under her breath at that thought while she carefully mounted Chance. Levi seemed to be blissfully unaware of her detailed opinion for the most part, and she was glad he couldn't read minds. Though she didn't know whether he would either be flattered or insulted over her tumultuous inner feelings towards him.

  Hanji noticed on the day's ride that he made it a point not to talk to her, or to avoid her gaze, and she very much appreciated it. After all, it helped her keep her mind off of that scandalous mental image of him. She decided to direct her thoughts to the scenery while they traveled. After all, the region they were traveling through was vastly different from her homeland in Macedonia.

  The mountains were far more prominent for one, and she found they had traveled through many canyons on their journey. The only valleys or meadows they could find to spend the night in were becoming few and far between. And she found they had spent most nights without the tents, as the thick forests made it difficult to set them up. Instead they would just use their sleeping bags and lay positioned in a square around the campfire.

  Tonight, however, one night after leaving the inn, they had the tents, a fact Hanji was most thankful for. And they had also managed to procure her a tent of her own.

  Isabel told her that they were only about a week's travel away from their home, where Mikasa was living. And Hanji was excited to finally meet the girl. Isabel told her a lot more details about her younger sister as they traveled. She learned that Mikasa was a strong, beautiful young lady, that she was gentle, and that she was kind. From how Isabel spoke, Hanji knew she would come to think of the girl as yet another sister.

  Hanji sighed, peering over at the stew they were boiling, hoping it was ready. She was starving after a long day of travel. Well, not starving, but most definitely hungry.

  "Hey, Hanji..." Isabel said, catching her attention.

  "Yeah?" she turned to her friend with a small, expectant smile.

  "There's a stream just down the hill, and since there's no more streams for the next few days...Levi insists we bathe while we can." she rolled her eyes and twirled her finger in a circle pointed at her forehead, indicating that Levi was a bit nuts. Hanji chuckled in agreement at that, "Anyway, Farlan and Levi already got their baths done earlier, so you and I will bathe before dinner is ready. I just wanted to let you know so you can get your stuff ready." Isabel informed her with a smile, settling back against a tree as she continued to sew a fur into a shawl in preparation for the winter months.

  Hanji nodded, "Right." she stood and made her way to her pack (she had bought a proper pack to replace her cumbersome sack back in town). She prepared some clothes and pulled her soap out as well, she had some because Levi insisted they all had soap of their own. She supposed it was because he didn't want to have them all use the same soap. He was so germaphobic it was ridiculous from her point of view, but by now she was pretty much used to it.

  "I'll go get started then." she called to Isabel, ignoring Levi's glance as she walked past him.

  "Oi! Wait for me!" Isabel scrambled to her feet, collecting her own clothing and soap and chasing after her.

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  Hanji had just finished her bath, and she tugged her shirt on as she walked back to the camp from the nearby river. Isabel was a quick, efficient bather, and she had finished a few minutes before Hanji. So she was left to finish up by herself. Not that she minded, she was more than capable.

  She smiled at Isabel and Farlan when she entered camp, and she honestly felt rather good that evening. She was refreshed after her bath, despite the fact that she still had some trouble washing herself. The pair returned her smile briefly, but both looked rather nervous upon seeing her.

  "What's wrong, guys?" Hanji asked, still rubbing a towel into her hair.

  Isabel's gaze moved from Hanji to someplace (or someone) behind her, and she spun around to come face-to-face with Levi. She yelped and took a few steps backwards, nearly tripping over a log. When she glanced at the man again, she could see he looked far different from how she had ever seen him. He looked like a tumultuous mix between irritated and livid. Which was strange to her, as emotion was rare when it came to that man. "W-what's wrong, Levi?" she stuttered when she realized his gaze was fixed on her.

  He said nothing for a moment, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply.

  "Well what's the deal? I told you not to sneak up on me." she scolded.

  "I can't take it anymore." was all he said before he approached the suddenly cowering Hanji.

  She didn't even realize he had picked her up until she was draped over his shoulder. "Huh?" she gasped, looking up at Isabel and Farlan's resigned faces. "Oi! Levi what the hell are you doing?! Put me down this instant! This is undignified!" she exclaimed, kicking her feet and pushing against his lower back with her good hand.

  She looked desperately towards Isabel when she realized she couldn't maneuver her way out of Levi's iron grip. He was walking out of the camp, and she was absolutely terrified. "Isabel? Oi! Someone get me down! Hello?! Help?" she cried.

  Neither of the two made a move, simply looking at one another with stifled grimaces. Isabel mouthed the word: sorry.

  "I said help me!" Hanji screeched as the camp disappeared from her sight. She grit her teeth and grunted as she tried to wiggle out of his grip yet again. "Put. Me. Down!" she emphasized her statement by repeatedly pounding her fist against his back. He didn't even flinch. She recognized the bubbling sound of the stream and paused, trying to look over her shoulder.

  Levi finally set her down and she blinked before she turned red with fury, "Levi, what are-" she stopped speaking out of shock when he pulled her arm out of the sling, tugged her shirt over her head, and then tugged her pants back down. She stayed frozen in place, and before she could register that she was completely bare he was pushing her by her shoulders towards the river.

  He pressed against her shoulders until she had plopped onto her rear in the water, then he began to wet a bar of soap. By now she was finally coherent, and she gasped as she covered herself frantically. "What the fuck, Levi?!" she yelped, pulling her knees to her chest. "What are you doing?!"

  "Shut up." Levi used a tin cup to dump water on her head, where had he gotten that?. "I'm tired of your stink. And besides, it's nothing I haven't seen before." he explained. She gasped indignantly and looked over her shoulder at him with mouth agape and cheeks flushed. Did that mean...? He didn't seem like the type, in her opinion that is, to be a man who slept around.

  Levi noticed her flabbergasted expression and rolled his eyes, "I don't mean like that." he corrected her train of thought. "Perverted brain too." he added, as if adding another trait of hers to some invisible list in his head.

  "Then what the hell do you mean?" Hanji demanded. "And I am not perverse! Who's the man washing a naked lady?" she scowled, waiting impatiently for a response.

  Levi was silent, lathering the soap in her hair. She sighed and turned back around, seeing his silence as a refusal to answer her question. To be reluctantly honest with herself, it felt nice, to have his fingers threading through her hair and roughly massaging her scalp. It was like the days she spent in her home, when maids bathed her. But she'd never admit that of course.

  "When I was younger, in the orphanage-" he began, and her form went still, not truly believing that he was actually telling her something about himself. "-baths were rare, and when we had them, they were usually cold by the time you got your turn." he explained, and she listened intently, her eyes slightly hooded over the glorious sensation of calloused fingers on her scalp. "So Isabel, Mikasa, Farlan, a few other kids and I would share. Over time, as we aged we changed, of course. As a result, I - for one - don't see it as scandalous to see one naked." he explained, "And besides, you don't have much to show anyways." he added quietly.

  Hanji nodded, taking in that new information and lowering her arms from her chest hesitantly. "Do I really stink that bad?" she asked self-consciously.

  "Tch..." Levi scoffed, "You just don't wash properly." he said.

  Hanji suddenly realized the meaning of what he had muttered before her question, "Oi...hey!" she exclaimed. He was saying she had small breasts wasn't he? "I'll bet you don't have much to show either, what with how short you are!" she muttered, crossing her arms and pursing her lips in a pout.

  Levi's hands froze in her hair, "What did you just say?"

  "Oh what?" she spun around to face him, never mind her nudity, "I'm not allowed to insult you? You've done it to me plenty of times." she scowled.

  Levi stared at her with widened eyes, as if she had stunned him, before he scoffed again, "Touché." he conceded, surprisingly, "Now turn around so I can finish." he ordered.

  Hanji obeyed, surprised that she had been so bold, mouthing off to him like that, and he didn't react beyond his usual apathetic glare. She closed her eyes and sputtered when the soapy water from her hair ran into her face multiple times. She coughed and wiped at her eyes, "Is that it?" she asked.

  "No, you need to wash your ass. I'm not going to do it for you." he said in disgust. "Also, there's still your limbs, and....for fuck's sake! Don't you ever wash in the creases?" he asked as he cleaned her neck. That sensation was rather uncomfortable, and she cleared her throat a couple times when it felt like her airway was constricted. His hands quickly moved to her armpits, and she hesitantly laughed at that. "Shut up." he murmured.

  "Well sorry! It tickles! What did you expect?" Hanji defended. He simply moved his hands and the soap to her back. Of which hadn't been washed properly since she left her home. She sighed in resignation to this humiliating washing, shifting when he spun her around. He stared at her torso for a moment, and she was about to reprimand him before he handed her the soap bar.

  "I think you can handle that." he said, standing and crossing his arms while he waited.

  Hanji agreed rather fully. She had been worried that he would actually wash her chest, at least he left her that much dignity. She also fleetingly wondered how she was already so casual with him seeing her naked. Then again, he'd only seen her chest, it wasn't as if he saw her maidenhood. 'And he never will.' she determined mentally, crossing her legs, 'I'll see to that.'

  She clumsily managed it, washing her chest and stomach, and he gave her a slight nod of approval when she handed the bar back to him. "I'm sure you can do better. But that will do for now." he said, tossing more of the cold water on her chest to rid her of the soap. Hanji flinched and glared at him, as the water was pretty damn cold.

  "Now-" he handed the bar back to her, "-wash your ass."

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  Hanji sat down on the log by the fire and hugged herself, her demeanor shy. She honestly needed some personal space after her experience earlier that evening. She curled her arms tighter around her chest when she felt Isabel's concerned gaze. And she turned away in embarrassment when Levi re-entered the camp. Now she was desperate to spend some time apart from him. At least they were going to be at their home soon. She was excited to finally be back in a house, with separate rooms, hopefully.

  But, she didn't know what to think of Levi anymore, to be honest. He kept on changing and confusing her whenever she had decided she felt a certain way about him. At first she had been scared of him, and she also felt as though she needed his trust and approval. Well, he had quickly worn her resolve down to a nub and made her lose her patience. And so she decided to change her approach and simply loathe him. Then he went and pulled those ridiculous stunts like asking her to pick up her clothing when he was only half-dressed or forcefully bathing her because she smelled.

  Now she didn't know what to feel around him besides embarrassment, and tentative admiration. In a nutshell, he was driving her crazy.

  She subtly scooted further away when he sat next to her and began to scoop a bowl of stew out for himself. Hanji peeked at him through her wet, unruly locks and observed quietly. Amongst her embarrassment, she was starting to feel rather strange when she looked at him now. Like her heart was suddenly pounding faster, like her head was light, or like her stomach was buzzing with butterflies. If she thought carefully about it, he made her feel ill. Like she had a flu.

  Isabel suddenly came into her line of vision, and Hanji didn't miss the glare that the redhead sent her brother's way. "Here." she handed her a bowl of stew with a desperate, apologetic smile.

  Hanji blinked at her face and looked down at the bowl, her stomach constricted at the sight (or was it her thoughts?) and she grimaced. "I'm not very hungry." she murmured. Isabel's face fell most noticeably, and her gaze turned to her brother, who stared at Hanji in surprise. Hanji tugged her light jacket around herself and stood, "I think I'm going to sleep, I don't feel very good." she said, glancing once more at Levi, if only for a second.

  She noted that he returned her gaze, and he looked concerned, as if he was worried he was the cause of her behavior. 'Good. Let him worry about something for once.' He would be right if he thought she was upset with him, but not in the regard he was probably thinking of. She wasn't trying to avoid him because of the bath. She was a little worried herself, over what she was starting to feel every time she looked at that man.

  How long had she been traveling with them? Maybe two weeks?

  Her stomach dropped again as she sat down on her sleeping bag inside her new tent and rubbed her eyes. She had pondered if she should leave after her arm healed, but then Isabel's promise to teach her how to shoot a bow would come back to her and she'd groan in frustration.

  Hanji didn't like what she was feeling, and she feared it was something more than it seemed. Something she had only ever felt once, and that was for her mother, in a different way, on a far more novice scale. If what she had read in fictional stories was true, she felt she should talk to those authors about their portrayal of the sensation. It was overly romanticized and far less painful in stories, it would seem. Or say least it was in her case. And she didn't want to accept it. She didn't want to fall, not for him at least.

  She sighed as she slipped into her sleeping bag and closed her tired, aching eyes. Longing for sleep. She didn't want to think about it anymore tonight. But her wish wasn't granted, as Isabel walked through the tent flap only seconds later. "Hanji? What's wrong?" she asked.

  Hanji groaned in protest, she didn't want to talk, didn't want to think, she just wanted to sleep. "I'm tired...and I said I didn't feel good." she muttered.

  "Does it have anything to do with Levi? You know we would have stopped him if we could but he's not exactly one to argue with." Isabel hastily explained.

  "No, no...it's not that. I'm just not hungry, and I don't feel well. Simple as that." Hanji opened one eye to peer at Isabel.

  Isabel sat back on her haunches and hummed, placing a hand on her forehead, "You don't have a fever. Are you sure you're sick?"

  "I think I ate something bad, just let me sleep, Isabel." Hanji rolled over and shut herself off from the impending conversation.

  Isabel stayed silent for a time, and the atmosphere quickly grew tense. Hanji could almost feel her deciding whether or not to press the conversation. But she soon sighed, and she heard her shift to stand up, "Alright. Come and eat if you get hungry." she said before leaving.

  Hanji sighed when she finally left, she didn't like being rude, but she just wanted to be alone for a while. Levi was completely dominating her mind, and she wanted to be able to think of something other than him. Especially after the bath. What on earth had gotten into his head? Why not just say that she wasn't washing herself well enough and let her fix the problem herself?

  She didn't understand him, and she was certain she never would. It's not as if she didn't want to, though, she already bonded so well with Isabel and Farlan. She had wanted to bond with him too, but now she wasn't so sure it'd be good for her. He wasn't necessarily easy to get along with, and he made her feel so strange, conflicted...confused. She shook her head and rubbed at her eyes again, attempting to alleviate her sudden headache.

  Hanji sighed deeply and let her thoughts drift, falling into subconsciousness. Her sleep was not plagued by dreams, but she was restless despite that fact.

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  "What the hell were you thinking?" Isabel hissed at Levi, who blinked in disinterest. "I think you've traumatized her, she's acting all strange and distant. She practically told me to shut up. She never behaves like this!" she gestured wildly to the tent pitched between her's and Levi's

  Levi raised a brow at her, "It's not my problem, besides, she didn't seem to care much when I was washing her. And she's been acting bitchy to me since I met her. It's nothing new." he said dismissively.

  "She hasn't-ugh! She wasn't being 'bitchy'!" Isabel sighed, exasperated, "She was legitimately upset! Now I don't want you touching her again. She doesn't need anymore of your germaphobic nonsense. You're lucky she didn't have a knife or something on her the first time, she might have hurt you, you know."

  "Oh please..." Levi scoffed in amusement, "Whatever. If she washes herself properly next time I'll be happy never to lay another finger on her in my life." Levi ran a hand through his hair and stood, "You know I wouldn't have done anything if she would just clean herself properly."

  "She's got a fucking broken arm, Levi!" Isabel sighed again, pressing her forefingers to her brow, "What did you expect?"

  Levi shrugged, "Like I said, it's not my problem." he brushed his pants off and began to make for his tent, "Get some sleep, we'll be traveling through the pass tomorrow." he said, ducking behind the canvas flaps.

  Isabel frowned, "Right." she murmured, sitting down on one of the logs they were using for seats. Her expression turned into a strained smile when Farlan sat beside her. "I really wish those two would just get along." she said, looking forlornly at the tents.

  "They're not that bad, actually." Farlan said, and she looked at him as if he's grown a second head. "Considering..." he added.

  "Not that bad?! He's always insulting her and she's always getting angry or sad when he's around. I just don't think they work well together. It makes me upset, because I like Hanji, she's a great girl, and I want her to stay with us. But if Levi keeps doing this shit she'll want to leave in the future." Isabel rubbed at her temples and leaned into her husband. "And then with the bath..." she groaned, "Good Lord. I thought she was washing well enough, I can't believe he did that to her. Poor Hanji." she lamented.

  "Mhmm." Farlan hummed with a smile, poor Hanji indeed. However, he'd experienced this struggle himself. Not in the same circumstances, of course, but he'd been through roughly the same patch as Hanji. He may have grown up with Isabel, but she was a hard fish to catch. There was no doubt in his mind that this girl had a smidgen of feelings for his brother-in-law. He could see it in how she behaved.

  She became so frustrated whenever Levi didn't pay attention to her, or angry when he said the wrong things. And just now, before she claimed to be ill, she was admiring him, he could see it in her eyes. If anything, Levi administering a bath was nothing but good for their developing relationship.

  Farlan also understood how sick she was feeling. After all, he knew that in the beginning it kind of hurts if you don't understand what it is. He remembered how he used to feel when he thought of Isabel, or when she looked at him with that energetic smile of hers. There was no doubt in his mind that he was going to marry that girl. It just took him a while to sort out his feelings though. He hoped Hanji wouldn't have to wait so long before she sorted her own feelings. And if she was lucky, Levi would come around soon too. Granted, she would likely regard her feelings as a simple attraction for now.

  He'd seen how Levi acted as well, he wasn't himself lately around her. Granted, he was still a short, quiet, (mostly) emotionless germaphobic, but he had changed, ever so slightly. When Hanji was around he tended to send subtle glances her way, he would even help her down from the horse sometimes, and just now, with dinner, he had seen the foreign concern in his brother-in-law's eyes.

  Farlan suspected that Levi was interested in her too, but he didn't really seem to want to admit it to himself. It was why he had taken to privately teasing him over her: he got such blatant reactions from the man. He had teased him about women in the past, and he barely reacted at all. Why else would Hanji be an exception?

  "They are getting along in their own way, Isy." he sighed, smiling softly to himself. He figured to himself that his clueless trio of friends would probably realize exactly where this was all going before winter was over.

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