[ It's only been a few hours since the ending of the thrall.
Memory and realization had returned in an unyielding rush, like waking from a dream only to find all of it real. The scent of blood and filth is still in his nostrils.
With Erwin thankfully already at his side, Jean and Eren are the first things on his mind. The sound of ribs cracking repeats in his mind as though echoing directly in his ears. Eren's visceral anger humming into the air, so palpable he could feel it against his skin prickles goosebumps on his arms.
The memory of the look in the teen's eyes tightens his already twisted gut.
Levi only makes a preliminary check on them both - at a distance, just to reassure himself they're still here. Something holds him back, though. Suddenly, he's entirely unsure of his place in their lives. Jean, because he had nearly caved in his chest, Eren, because he can feel the black pit of his fears beginning to widen like a deep, angry maw - and he still doesn't have any fucking clue what to do about it.
He goes home and scrubs himself until his skin is pink and irritated. He snipes at Erwin to rest and pretends to fall asleep himself until the man passes out and carefully slips away. It's difficult, fighting off the paranoid thought that some other bigass shoe is going to drop, and something will happen to him, too, and the invasive, incessant, irrepressible need to re-exert a modicum of control - if not over the things around him, then at least over himself.
So as ever: he cleans.
The bookshelves are probably the quietest activity, so he starts there; organizing Erwin's random piles, pulling everything else off shelves and wiping them down. Windowsills, trim, baseboards - everything in the little reading nook is thoroughly dusted, small rug taken out and mercilessly beaten.
It's as he's finally starting to put things back together when Eren knocks on the door - still piles of books and things and furniture slightly askew.
It only takes that one greeting; the formality at once underscored and somehow a mockery with the lack of a salute and the shell of something that surrounds him, like wool muffling a sound.
Levi stares back with a wary concern, his usual frown slightly deeper.
But there's no small amount of relief there, too, a much needed gentler wash of emotion. ]
Eren.
[ His eyes sweep the teen, and somehow in such a short amount of time, he looks so starkly different than before.
...Levi thumbs back behind himself, into the cottage. ]
HELLO SON--- OH BOY also oops sorry I wrote a book
Memory and realization had returned in an unyielding rush, like waking from a dream only to find all of it real. The scent of blood and filth is still in his nostrils.
With Erwin thankfully already at his side, Jean and Eren are the first things on his mind. The sound of ribs cracking repeats in his mind as though echoing directly in his ears. Eren's visceral anger humming into the air, so palpable he could feel it against his skin prickles goosebumps on his arms.
The memory of the look in the teen's eyes tightens his already twisted gut.
Levi only makes a preliminary check on them both - at a distance, just to reassure himself they're still here. Something holds him back, though. Suddenly, he's entirely unsure of his place in their lives. Jean, because he had nearly caved in his chest, Eren, because he can feel the black pit of his fears beginning to widen like a deep, angry maw - and he still doesn't have any fucking clue what to do about it.
He goes home and scrubs himself until his skin is pink and irritated. He snipes at Erwin to rest and pretends to fall asleep himself until the man passes out and carefully slips away. It's difficult, fighting off the paranoid thought that some other bigass shoe is going to drop, and something will happen to him, too, and the invasive, incessant, irrepressible need to re-exert a modicum of control - if not over the things around him, then at least over himself.
So as ever: he cleans.
The bookshelves are probably the quietest activity, so he starts there; organizing Erwin's random piles, pulling everything else off shelves and wiping them down. Windowsills, trim, baseboards - everything in the little reading nook is thoroughly dusted, small rug taken out and mercilessly beaten.
It's as he's finally starting to put things back together when Eren knocks on the door - still piles of books and things and furniture slightly askew.
It only takes that one greeting; the formality at once underscored and somehow a mockery with the lack of a salute and the shell of something that surrounds him, like wool muffling a sound.
Levi stares back with a wary concern, his usual frown slightly deeper.
But there's no small amount of relief there, too, a much needed gentler wash of emotion. ]
Eren.
[ His eyes sweep the teen, and somehow in such a short amount of time, he looks so starkly different than before.
...Levi thumbs back behind himself, into the cottage. ]
...come in, I'll make some tea.