LEVI PROPOSING OUT OF NOWHERE
summary: when the Captain decides that the best time to propose is in a cramped cargo room in an airship on your way back after a month of being held captive in Liberio. Takes place after the Raid.
warnings: mentions of torture, sexual tension
âLevi, he knew,â you whisper. âEren fucking knew I was in Liberio, this whole time. Did he know I was being tortured too?âÂ
You sound desperate, and you hate it. You already know that you lost Eren, so why do you bother asking? Why? âI get that we sometimes have to make sacrifices â I get that some things are more important, like our comrades, the war, butââ
âItâs not,â Levi cuts you off, with so much finality that you pause your rant. You close your mouth with a small snap, eyes wide as you look at him.
âItâs not,â he repeats. âNothingâs worth what you went through. Nothing.â His gaze is intense as he looks back at you, his jaw set.
Youâre not sure what to say. The silence stretches between you, and Levi just keeps looking at you. Staring at you, like he did the first time you saw him on that training ground years ago, except now, heâs not looking at you as if heâs trying to figure you out, but as if he knows you.
Just as his burning stare and the silence is about to freak you out, Levi finally speaks.
Your fingers latch onto Leviâs uniform, twisting the fabric in your hands, as if you want to make sure heâs really here, and that youâre not still in that damn cell, dreaming all this up.
No. No â that would be too cruel.
The silence that follows is impossibly even more charged than before as you struggle to comprehend the meaning of those two words. âLevi, IâŠâ
âObviously, only if you wantââ
âOf course I want to!â The panic in your voice wouldâve probably been funny under different circumstances.
âOh.â The intensity of Leviâs gaze mellows into something softer, and colour starts rising to his cheeks.
âOf course I want to, dumbass,â you say, still struggling to get the words out. âI just didnât think you cared aboutâŠstuff like that.â
The admission doesnât offend you, because youâd expected it. You frown at him. âSo, what changed?â
With a sigh, he tips back his head, throat bobbing as he gulps. âMeeting you,â he murmurs. âFalling in love with you. Itâs funny, because I donât remember it happen. Itâs as if I just woke up one day and realised that itâd always been like that â me, loving you. And I didnât know how not to.â He lowers his gaze again to look directly at you. âI love you.âÂ
Tears fill your eyes. And for once, itâs not due to anger or grief or pain, but happiness and love, so much of it that you feel like your heart is about to leap out of your chest. The feeling is disgustingly sweet and sappy, but you wouldnât have wanted it any other way.
âI love you too, Levi.â
He then says your name, softly, almost caressing it as it leaves his lips. âWill you have me?â
You nod, a single tear slipping down your cheek. âYes, Levi. Yes, of course I will. And you knowââ you stumble over the words, ââthat you already have me.â
He smiles at you. A smile with no restraint, something so pure and genuine that you want to bottle it and store it in a jar so you could bring it with you wherever you went.
Leviâs eyes donât stray from yours as he moves his hand from your waist to what looks like a pocket sown into his uniform. Your breath hitches in your throat when he pulls out a small, plain box.
âWhen did you buy a ring?â you blurt.
He grimaces, fiddling with the box in his hands. You raise your brows at him â Levi doesnât fiddle.
âWhen I ordered the dagger,â he finally mumbles, averting his gaze.
âDaggerâ wait, you meanâŠwhat?â
âThe dagger,â he repeats impatiently, his ears growing red. âYou know, piece of metal stuck to a handle? Sharp and pointy?â
You scowl at him. âYou know thatâs not what I meant. I was just surprised is all.âÂ
He gives you a flat look. âDonât see what for.â
âCome on Levi, thatâs got to be what â two, three years ago? Donât tell me you bought the ring three years ago.â The thought makes your head spin, because that must mean that heâs been carrying aroundâ
that heâs been wanting toâ
that during this whole timeâ
âJust because you didnât know what you wanted doesnât mean I hadnât already made up my mind,â he says stubbornly.
You blink a couple of times, not knowing whether to feel shocked or flattered or annoyed because of his presumptuousness. Or your own predictability. âWow. JustâŠwow.â
âAre you done gaping like an idiot?â Levi snaps. âOr do you want to see the damn ring?â His ears have grown bright red, and youâd be lying if you said you didnât find it incredibly endearing.
You immediately sober up, however, when he closes his fingers around the small box and starts shoving it back into his pocket.
âWaitâ wait, okay Iâm sorry!â You grab his arm to stop him, reaching for the box. âSorry, sorry, I was being a jerk!â Letting out a huff of breath, you turn serious again. âPlease, show me?â
With a roll of his eyes, Levi slowly opens his fist to flick open the lid of the small box. A rush of excitement courses through you as you lean closer to get a look.
The ring is nothing particularly showy â just a plain silver band, resting on a nest of black fabric. You catch a glimpse of an engraving on the inside. Promise, it reads.
âI know itâs not much,â Levi says, his eyes guarded as he watches your expression. âBut I thought you might prefer something like this instead of anything too big or flashy. Of course, if youâd ratherââ
But before he can finish his sentence, you catch his mouth in a quick, but firm kiss. His eyes widen and he stops talking, looking almost shocked when you pull away.
âStop being stupid for a moment, will you? Levi, this is perfect.â
He clears his throat, looking flustered for a couple of seconds before he regains his bearings. Carefully, he picks up the ring and holds out his hand, palm up. âMay I?â
Heart fluttering in your chest, you hold out your own hand. Levi slips the ring onto your fourth finger with ease and doesnât let go of you for a while. He fingers brush lightly over your knuckles before he intertwines them with yours, raising both your hands to his lips to place a light kiss to the tips of your fingers.
It reminds you of the first time he told you that he loved you, and heat rises to your cheeks at the memory. Apparently, youâre not the only one, because Levi suddenly pulls you closer, slotting your hips against his. You let out a small gasp, and Levi closes his eyes, letting out a quiet, breathy sound that sends a jolt straight to your core.
After moment, however, he sighs. âUnfortunately, we canât spend the rest of the flight in here.â
âA shame,â you agree.
âYeah. Fuck, I shouldâve waited till we got back.â
snippet from chapter 57 which is up on ao3! this is the last one I'll post before I start revising for my exams, so I won't be updating the fic again for the next weeks:')
masterlists: more excerpts | more of my Levi works
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