Summary: When a sudden downpour damages the roof and floods the dormitories, temporarily relocating soldiers becomes the top priority. Unbeknownst to you, Levi arranges for you to stay with him and the friendship you’ve both formed begins to blur into something else. Especially, when late one night, you end up sharing the bed.
Word Count: 6.1k (oops— the words flowed)
Warnings: mild references to after effects of flood damage, no others apply.
Categories: canonverse, fluff, friends to lovers, mutual pining and flustered Levi.
Authors note: this is my fic for @anlian-aishang ’s july collab, for a roommate trope, which is super fun!(: Thank you for hosting it <3
Thank you to @jean-does-not-have-a-horseface for proofreading for me, I’m so beyond grateful for your kindness <3
The morning’s light drizzle had sharply turned into a sudden downpour, pelting against the barracks roof and capturing the attention of those inside. No one had anticipated such heavy rainfall, nor did anyone expect the barracks to have been in such desperate need of maintenance repairs that a section of the roof would cave inwards, leaving the downpour to flood through the gaping hole.
Yet, once it did, a flurry of shouts echoed down the halls, accompanied by thudding boots as soldiers desperately headed to investigate. The women’s dormitory had been most notably affected, rain drenched the bunk beds, soaked personal belongings and with water pooling on the ground, the wooden flooring was detrimentally dampened.
The situation had escalated rather quickly, you and your comrades had followed suit to uncover what was happening. Area cordoned off, soldiers dashed about with mops and buckets, hauling ruined furniture out of the way. Erwin could be seen at the side of the scene, eyebrows furrowed in utter seriousness as he oversaw the desperate effort to contain the water damage and cease the flooding moving any further.
The moment he saw you and your roommates standing there, shocked and forlorn at the ruined room before your eyes, he’d ordered you all to await further instruction in the mess hall. These were unsafe sleeping conditions; alternative arrangements would be decided promptly.
Levi, one of the best written characters in manga history
At the end of attack on titan, Levi solidified the fact that he's humanity's strongest not only in the aot world, but also in the entirety of manga world.
Levi's first introduced in chapter 9.5, and as soon as we see him we're presented to one of his most memorable quirks: being a clean freak. Levi's very indifferent to his title as humanity's strongest and seems to go as far as to feel embarrassed by it at times, since it makes all eyes go on him when the sc is passing by.
Later in the chapter, when one of his comrades Is about to die, we see Levi go against his aversion to dirt by holding his dying friend's hand. It is then that we are presented to my favorite personality trait of Levi's: he's extremely caring with those he loves.
Levi's care is shown in the ACWRN spin off in its crudest form, in a Levi in his 20s that still hadn't learned how to control his impulses, that would do anything to protect the first friends he ever made in his life.
The complexity of Levi's relationship with violence is insane, because while he despises those that enjoy violence, despises those that think blood should be spilt for fun,
He also doesn't mind becoming a monster to achieve a greater goal for humanity.
Levi was born in violence. He was raised in it, practiced it, and still, he was able to maintain the kernel of his heart intact. Levi has seen and done horrible things. He's an abnormal, and one of the most human characters in the whole series.
A moment where we're able to see Levi's pain shine through is when he kills Zeke. Levi spent years readying himself for that moment. He spent years waiting for the day he'd finally follow through with his promise to Erwin, waited so he could save humanity. And then, when he finally does it, he feels nothing but pain. Because Levi was born in violence, raised in it, practiced it, but was still aversed by it. At the end of the moment, when his promise was fullfilled, when his goal was achieved, he felt pained that this.... This is what it all came down to.
Levi doesn't say "i love you" conventionally. Instead he says "thank you", because that's the way he feels love. Levi feels love in the form of gratitude, because its in those people -his friends- that he's able to find fhe strength to fight. Levi isn't strong because he's an Ackerman, or because he's just unbelievably skilled. Levi's strong because of the love he feels for those around him.
The way Levi sees the world...
And the way he interacts with it...
All come from love, in its purest form.
Now in his 40s, Levi's the only person in all of humanity that lived the world of the walls in its crudest, most violent form. Levi's the only one that knows the stories, the faces and the names of those that made their win possible. Levi's the only one that lived every bit of it, from humanity's worst moments of dispair to its most glorious days of victory. Levi's the golden stem that connects the past and the future. He's a product of all the love there is in this world. And I'm so thankful that, even after so much loss, he's not alone in the end.
Levi's not humanity's strongest because of his speed, his agility, or his last name. Levi's humanity's strongest because even in death, he was able to find love, and move on. And I know living is a choice he doesn't regret.
can i please request for late night road trips with not-yet-boyfriend levi ackerman? they're pining for one another and wanted to know each other on a deeper level. so, they went on an impromptu road trip at night and they had deep talks <3 tysm aaaa
ready to love — levi ackerman
— levi ackerman x female reader (modern au)
— warnings: none, just fluff <3
— summary: levi is one of your best friends but before he became one, he admitted to having feelings for you. and now with an impromptu hang-out, you started to realize that he's more than just a friend all these years.
— word count: 6.6k
— author’s notes: i'm so sorry for replying to this request late aaaaa i hope this poorly edited fic will compensate for your wait njwebj i can't help but put the new song of seventeen as the title because i'm obsessed with it since their mini album released. btw, i think i didn't comprehend your request that well so i apologize in advance if it's starting to drift away from the main theme of your request dnwbje happy reading and thank you for requesting !! <333
i can't help but imagine a much taller levi every time i write something set in the modern world lmao and i actually tried a different writing style for his point of view so i hope it works out ksksks
reblogs are greatly appreciated !!
You don’t know where you can place your relationship with Levi Ackerman.
He confessed to you out of the blue while walking you back to your dorm after working on a group project together. To say you were surprised was an understatement because that man has never talked to you outside of your academic requirements. Hell, the first sentence he said to you was about splitting the workload and he looked ready to bury you more than six feet under the ground with his indifferent eyes. When he confessed to you, an unhurried ‘Please hear me out, I have feelings for you for some time now’, you actually didn’t know what to say. You racked your brain for your interactions with him that might give away his supposed feelings for you but it came into a blank. In the end, he managed to continue with a flushed face that he will wait for your answer no matter how long it takes. You had no choice but to nod in understanding. Your voice didn’t come until you went inside your room, with your roommate, Hange, asking what made you look like you saw a ghost.
Can you blame yourself though? You never had someone confess to you before. You always do those things, never the other party. It was mainly the reason why you avoided relationships since you last confessed to a person you liked during high school. That was a nasty experience — them saying you’re not their type hit you closer at home than you anticipated. In short, confessing to someone is a savage thing to do if you don’t want to get hurt while letting go of your feelings.
Levi confessing to you, however, happened in your second year in college.
Oh, how you wanted to go back to those times because being a college senior wasn’t for you at all. You groaned when you noticed that you forgot to buy your daily coffee from the university café. You’re running late for a lecture so you had no choice but to jog a little to avoid being in the spotlight. The fucking door to the lecture hall is in the front of the seats and you don’t want to experience being the center of attention just because you’re late for a couple of minutes. Plus, the professor you have for this class isn’t compassionate and understanding at all.
Thankfully, you arrived seconds before your professor entered the lecture hall. You didn’t even drink your version of a serotonin boost, much less eat a balanced breakfast, so you were already drifting every fifteen minutes of the class. You promised yourself that you’ll be serious for your senior year, not that you weren’t taking your previous years in college seriously, but you needed to focus since it’s your final year before graduate school. More like a New Year’s resolution but make it a resolution for a new academic year that you always narrate in your mind but you failed to always make it happen. But it was starting to be draining listening to your professor drone the theories and applications when you have an empty stomach and zero social battery. The whole time you were sitting in the middle of the seats was spent staring mindlessly at the projected slide and your iPad. Your notes weren’t even that legible anymore.
With a final reminder of your college thesis (you had a small internal meltdown at this), your professor dismissed you after three hours of lecture.
“Hey, [Name],” came a familiar voice behind you.
You turned around and flashed a small smile at the person. Even though you always have a drained social battery when it comes to interacting with your classmates, there are still some exceptions to your little solitary moment, and the person calling for your name is one of them. “Hey, Nanaba,” you greeted the tall blonde and waited for her to reach you so that you can walk together out of the building.
“I saw that you didn’t take down that many notes this class so I wanted to tell you that I’ll be sending my notes in your school mail later,” she told you while hiking her bag on her shoulder. “You look out of it.” Nanaba rose a hand to feel your forehead. “Are you feeling alright, love? Did you stay up late because of your readings again?” She has this habit of calling her friends terms of endearment and it didn’t fail to make your heart warm. “I think you should go back to your apartment to give this day a rest. Self-care is always important and should be put first, you know?”
You chuckled, taking her hand and patting it gently. “I know. But I still have another lecture in about,” you looked at your phone, smiling at the photo of you and Levi after turning it on, “twenty minutes and it’s in the Science Department. I might have a free afternoon so I’ll use that time for sleeping.” You sighed, smiling at Nanaba who was looking at you with a knowing smirk. You rose an eyebrow at her in confusion. “What?”
“For a person who says they’re just friends, you still have that picture as your lock screen,” Nanaba teased, pointing at your phone.
You felt your cheeks go warm, looking away from your friend and fixing your attention on a group of students doing a round of review for an exam in the courtyard. One of them recognized you and rose a hand in a slight wave. Armin Arlert, the first-year who asked you for directions and advice knowing that you two belong in the same department. You returned his wave with a smile before glancing at Nanaba, who was still smiling smugly. “It’s cute,” you murmured under your breath with a jut of your bottom lip. “Plus, he’ll think there’s something wrong if I change it. And for your information, it was Hange who told me that it’s alright to put it as my wallpaper. We’re really just friends.”
“Hmm, now why is that?”
“It’s not what you think! I mean, he’s one of my best friends and I sort of appreciate him by putting this picture as my lock screen.”
Nanaba continued humming with a half-smile. You were so cute when you were flustered and the tall blonde couldn’t help but tease you some more. It was true that Levi’s one of your best friends despite having confessed to you when you were sophomores (Nanaba doesn’t know this fact) but the blonde could tell that something was underlying in your friendship. Friends don’t just casually kiss each other on the corner of the lips whenever they meet after a long day in university. Maybe Nanaba was looking too much into this because today, you can be platonically in love with your friends but the way Levi looked at you every time beholds something more than friendship. If Nanaba could place it in words, Levi is madly in love with you. Well, she doesn’t hang out with your friend group but she can tell when Levi picks you up sometimes.
It’s quite fun being a bystander to all of this so Nanaba patted you on the head as a way to stop her teasing. She will have to gossip about this to Hange later.
“Trust me, you won’t be friends any longer.” The blonde looked up and nearly cackled at a familiar man waiting for you at the nearby bench. “Well, speaking of your little devil, he’s here, [Name].”
“What?” You asked, looking up from your phone. Hange texted you about getting some groceries because they forgot to buy them yesterday. It was quite amusing rooming with Hange for your entire college experience, from the dormitories to renting out a decent apartment. Rather than getting mad at them for their antics, you found them endearing. You looked around with furrowed eyebrows. “Where?”
Nanaba gently guided your head to look at somewhere to the right. “There.”
True enough, Levi was casually sitting on one of the benches, scrolling through something on his phone. It was as if he felt you staring at him so he looked up directly in your direction, pocketing his phone and slinging his backpack over his shoulder right after. There was a familiar large cup in his other hand and it made you crave your coffee again. He never took his eyes off of you as he made his way over, glancing at Nanaba and nodding at her once he reached the two of you.
“Hey, Nanaba,” Levi greeted, tugging on a piece of your hair to get you out of your daze.
Nanaba’s smile made you narrow your eyes. (Levi tugged on your hair again to catch your attention.) “Hello, Levi.” She then perked up, not liking the way Nanaba wiggled her eyebrows at you. “I’m meeting up with Nifa for some late breakfast so I hope to see you guys later. And, [Name],” Nanaba pointedly looked at you, “think about what I said earlier. Rest and do things that can make you feel relaxed. Play your games or read a book, just don’t grind for academics for one second. Levi, keep an eye on her. Bye!” The tall blonde turned around and bounded off to the opposite direction of where Nifa’s department building is.
You didn’t notice Levi squinting at how you stared incredulously at a retreating Nanaba. The whole time he made his presence known, you didn’t give him the greeting you always exchange together. You heard a faint, “Hey,” near your ear. It made you turn to Levi, only for your voice to disappear when he leaned in to give you the usual kiss on the corner of your lips. The contact lingered for a couple of seconds so you returned it as soft as you can. However, Levi slightly turned his head to meet your pretty eyes, with your kiss landed at the center of his lips instead. The two of you stare wide-eyed at each other, not comprehending what transpired at the moment. As much as it ensued both of your heartbeats to pound in a song, Levi made sure to capture you with his stare. Your face started to become warm when you saw his face being painted with rouge as you pulled away.
Levi lightly licked his bottom lip. “You taste like watermelon.”
If the world stopped when you accidentally brushed your lips against his, his words just made an uncontrollable torpedo of butterflies flutter the insides of your stomach and chest. You hitched your backpack on your shoulders and walked away from him with fast footsteps. Nanaba was right, you two weren’t ‘just friends’ at all. There was something behind every gesture that made your body tingle with emotions that weren’t supposed felt for a close friend. You tried so hard to bottle everything up, resorting to thinking about Levi deep into the night whenever you have some backlogs to finish. After his confession during your sophomore year, you saw him in a completely different light. This man who was just a passing face in your day became one of the many people you look forward to talking to. Once he started being your friend, Levi made you feel loved and special through his little actions that sometimes, you wish it didn’t give you butterflies every damn time. You even wonder if Levi forgot about his feelings for you as the years go by.
What they said was true — that you’ll slowly notice the person who expressed their feelings for you.
You heard footsteps following close by but you didn’t have any strength to stop and turn around, fearing that looking at Levi right now could make your brain malfunction. A gentle hold on your wrist held you back, slightly turning you around, and yet you could only fix your stare on the pavement.
“Don’t be sorry, okay? It’s my fault. A-And it’s not like I don’t like it.”
You looked at him through your eyelashes, feeling his thumb rub the inside of your wrist. He was wistfully looking down where his hand was wrapping around your wrist before meeting your eyes, the eye contact spanning more than eternity. Once again, your face felt warm. “I don’t mind it either,” you whispered.
“G-Good to know.” He let go of your wrist to scratch his undercut. “Uhm, here’s my drink. I have an inkling that you didn’t get to order your coffee earlier so here you go.” Levi handed you his tall cup of hot tea, slightly raising his eyebrow when you only stared at it. “What? You don’t want it? There’s still caffeine in here, you know?”
“Are you sure?” You slowly asked him because you know how Levi cherishes his daily tea from the university café. One time, Hange reached out for a sip and Levi smacked their hand so hard that you had to apply ice on her hand. Levi apologized for that only because you made him feel guilty about it. After that incident, you, Hange, and Erwin always made sure to buy your own drinks when you have your hang-outs. “I don’t want to have a repeat of what you did to Hange.”
His shoulders shake in a silent laugh. “No, I will never hurt you. Four-eyes had it coming anyway because they didn’t ask for my permission but I’m genuinely offering this to you so it’s kind of different.” Levi fiddled with a lock of your hair and you felt your cheeks becoming warm again. “Are you just going to stare at me like I’m your worst nightmare or are you going to take it?”
You shook your head. “No, you’re not my worst nightmare and I’ll be accepting this because you so graciously offered it to me.” With a soft smile, you took the cup of tea from his hand and took a sip. At the taste of the sweet drink, you hummed in contentment. Nothing beats a good, sweet, and warm drink to fill up your serotonin levels every morning. You detect a slight scent of strawberries and a small amount of milk in the tea, wondering when Levi started asking for add-ons in his drinks. You always remembered his favored drink since you were sometimes tasked with telling the counter your orders and it was always black tea with nothing at all. You narrowed your eyes at him from over the rim of the cup, detecting the delighted shine in his gray eyes. “You don’t put anything in your tea. Especially sweeteners and milk.”
Levi shrugged with a small smile, ruffling your hair before wrapping his arm around your shoulders to steer you to your next class. “I wanted to have something for a change.” He glanced at you from the side of his eyes. “From the way you’re drinking it, I think it’s a good idea to change my order for the day. You need it more than me anyway. I can manage a day without some tea from the uni’s café. I make better tea than them, to be honest.”
You laughed at his last statement, slightly leaning on him. You felt his hand transfer from your shoulder to your waist.
“Is this alright?” Levi whispered in your ear.
“Yeah,” you hummed, praying that Levi wouldn’t hear your heart racing in your chest.
You seriously don’t know when you started falling in love with him but the present is all that matters.
Levi knew exactly when he started falling in love with her.
It was a coincidence that his schedule matched up with her but it wasn’t a coincidence that she caught his attention while walking out of a class with Erwin during freshman year. His tall friend was telling him about a new book that was coming out. All Levi could remember from his gushing was how the book had unknown creatures in them that made the blonde excited enough to buy it. Something was occupying Levi’s mind that muddled his memory of what Erwin was talking about. Actually, it wasn’t something. A girl walked out of the building they were walking along by and Levi felt his curiosity piqued, Erwin’s words becoming static as his gray stare never left her. She wasn’t even wearing flashy clothes but the moment she turned her head in their direction as if she was looking for something, Levi’s heart stuttered in his chest.
She’s so fucking beautiful to him — like the shooting star he found mesmerizing while he was stargazing with his mother when he was twelve. The whole minute was spent just looking at her, seeing how she shifted her attention to the other side of the courtyard before bringing her pretty eyes to him again. He saw how her eyebrows slightly furrowed at his gawking, irises glinting with suspicion. Levi didn’t realize he stopped walking when Erwin jogged back to him, checking to see what made his friend stop. Levi didn’t even register that Erwin was beside him once again as he watched her wave at a tall brown-haired person.
“Hey, Erwin, who is that?”
Erwin followed his gaze to the pair walking away, looking back at Levi who was still looking at the girl. He chuckled before patting his friend on the shoulder. “That’s [Name] if I can recall correctly. She’s also in my Statistics class. She’s pretty much a quiet person most of the time but when you try to approach her kindly, she’ll warm up eventually. The person with them is Hange, her roommate, I think. Why do you ask?”
“Nothing.”
It was not nothing, of course, because Levi found himself looking all over the campus for just a glimpse of the girl. She was very much like a passing wisp every time Levi walked down the hallways of the different buildings of their university. For a huge campus, there was no chance of seeing the girl again and Levi was left with the remnants of her in his memory. No matter how much he convinced himself that it was an attraction that he felt when he first saw her, Levi would always crane his head over the crowds, wishing that he could float on a cloud to overlook everyone else. All to search her. And finding her was like a stroke of luck because Erwin showed him an Instagram account with pictures of her. Levi followed the account without any second thought. That only added to his never-ending curiosity and interest for the girl named [Name], making his chest blossom with red carnations and yellow tulips.
Levi was perfectly content with admiring her from afar. Their paths sometimes intertwined with each other whenever there were events around the campus. She was always with that tall, talkative brown-haired person that Levi was starting to think that maybe she already gave her heart to another. But that didn’t stop him from glancing at her if they were in the same vicinity. Levi couldn’t fathom how a person could be that pretty without even trying – mesmerized at every action she did no matter how small it is. Everything paled in comparison whenever she’s around.
He always knew that he was the kind of person who never delved deeper into strange connections with others, relying on interactions to further deepen the bond they already established. This is the case with every person Levi encountered in his life. His hometown friends, Isabel and Farlan, and even Erwin were prime examples. Nobody could ever break down his well-crafted walls with just a single word. It wasn’t that [Name] was an exception (she still didn’t earn his permission to enter his life simply because they never talked once) but Levi will readily shed his guard little by little upon knowing what kind of person she is. Too bad Levi was too shy to approach her. The rest of his first year in university was spent complying with the requirements of his courses and thinking so hard on his newly-accumulated feelings for a girl he doesn’t know anything about (except for the little posts her roommate writes on Twitter, tagging her in some of them). He decided that if everything was unrequited, he will do himself the favor to confess to her and let the feelings go because it wouldn’t benefit him in the end.
Everything came into place when he was in sophomore year.
Every shred of his plan of burying his feelings for the girl vanished like a wisp he saw on the night sky.
“Please hear me out, I have feelings for you for some time now.”
Levi knew that was a wrong move. If this was a chess game, he was already risking his king of being placed in checkmate. He had no control over his mouth when it came to her and he hated himself for that. It might be the comfortable atmosphere they established or it could be that Levi found her beautiful under the stars, but he knew that his feelings were overflowing to the point that he couldn’t hold it in anymore. Her shocked face was piercing, hurting him in the best way possible because she still looked pretty. The disbelief painted on her face was enough for Levi to realize how stupid he was at blurting out his feelings.
But fate thought it would be funny to make them closer as friends after that incident.
The late-night musings immediately stopped when the next song played in Levi’s earphones. He was doing revisions in one of his courses, his desk piled up with readings and highlighters that were still aligned beside the papers. He ran his hand through his hair, making it flop on his forehead. The weight of being a senior was getting to him as he let himself fall back on his desk chair. The little glow-in-the-dark star stickers [Name] placed on his ceiling greeted his vision. She was cute while reaching up on the small ladder Levi placed in the middle of the room. Levi remembered how she slipped and how she snuggly fit in his arms in a desperate attempt to catch her. He shook his head to quell his fast heartbeat, every single thought revolving around the young woman rendering him breathless. The moment his stomach growled, Levi straightened himself in his seat and took a deep breath.
His phone was then in his hands, his fingers typing out a message without second thoughts.
Hey, I’ll be picking you up in ten.
With a pounding heartbeat, Levi put on one of his jackets before taking his car keys. Locking his apartment, he went out and drove to her shared apartment with Hange. The moment he parked his car, he went out and leaned himself on the door to the passenger seat. Levi was preoccupied with reading some of the tweets in his timeline when he heard the sliding doors to the apartment complex open to a very concerned [Name]. She ran towards him and patted his tense figure before turning his head from one side to another as if searching for any injuries. Her sigh of relief followed as she placed her hands on his chest.
“I thought something went wrong.” Her dazzling eyes looked up at him, narrowed yet captivating at the same time. “You rarely text something that cryptic, Levi.”
Levi said nothing, his silver eyes roaming on her figure. With a hum, he cupped her face with a gentle hand and wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her flush against his front. He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on the corner of her lips, hearing her breath hitch. His heart accelerated once again at the thought of kissing her fully on the mouth. If he could just tilt his head a little bit more to the right, he would’ve done that. He couldn’t forget the taste of her watermelon chapstick earlier, how intoxicating it was that it distracted him from all of his lectures. Not to mention that the hoodie she was wearing was one of his. The physical contact lingered for a few moments until they stared at each other, Levi’s thumb rubbing on the apple of her cheek. The warmth on their faces could be picked up at their proximity. Levi wished he could stop time right here but he remembered how hungry he was.
Pulling his face away from her mesmerized one, Levi caressed the small of her back. “I’m hungry.”
[Name]’s love-struck face turned into a reprimanding one. “You didn’t eat dinner again, did you?”
He shrugged. “Sue me.”
The woman in his arms sighed before turning around to gesture him to follow her. “Come in the apartment. I know Hange won’t mind if I cook for you at this hour. They’ll probably even rejoice you’ll grace them with your presence at this late evening.” She felt his grip around her tighten. “Levi?”
“Let’s drive around town.” Levi prayed that she wouldn’t see how his cheeks became red. “I want to spend this night with you. Alone.”
It looked like [Name] wasn’t breathing as she stared at her close friend. “Oh.” The locks of her hair fluttered from the wind as she looked at the side to hide her warming face. This man will be the death of her someday. It wasn’t fair that he was constantly running his mouth to say things that can make her heart stutter in her chest. “Uhm, sure, but I’m actually dressed for bed right now. I hope that’s okay with you?”
“You’re perfect either way.” Levi tugged at the hem of the hoodie [Name] was wearing with a half-smile. “I’d rather stare at how you look good with my clothes on.” When he continued tugging, he caught a glimpse of a very familiar shirt below the thick material of the hoodie. “And is this my old jersey from the volleyball team? You still kept it? It’s so worn out, you know.”
“It’s comfortable,” she smiled, fiddling with the ends of his hoodie. A laugh laced with playful disbelief bubbled in her chest. “I still couldn’t imagine you playing volleyball during freshman year,” she stated as Levi pulled her to the vehicle. Once the two of them settled in the warm confines of Levi’s car, [Name] turned to him with a grin. “I swear, I didn’t even know that fact until last year when Erwin randomly said it.”
“It’s not that important, to be honest. I was roped in because somebody practically shoved the application form in my hands while Erwin and I were walking around the welcoming booths at the start of freshman year. It was a chaotic mess and I couldn’t return it because the person got swallowed by the crowd. I didn’t know what came over me to join. All I know is that I can’t juggle academics and sports at the same time so I quit in sophomore year. I couldn’t get used to it, I guess.” Levi steered the car to the nearest McDonald’s, his hand comfortably placed on [Name]’s bare thigh (she was wearing shorts, a fact that always distracted Levi), rubbing on her skin until he felt warm in his side of the car. “What about you, any secret clubs you forgot to mention to me?”
[Name] hummed before Levi felt her fingers tracing the back of his hand. He mindlessly turned his hand palm up for their fingers to entwine, gaze focused on the road. “I once joined the softball team.”
“What?” Levi glanced at her for a second. “Really? When was that?”
“Same as you. At the start of freshman year. I quit before that academic year ended because I thought being on a sports team would take too much of my time. Hange was probably the one who convinced me to join the university team. They said that I should also focus on my physical fitness because I was acting like a slug most of the time in our dorm.” She chuckled at the memory, wistfully staring at the blinking cityscape as they passed by some of the establishments in their side of the town. “They even pinpointed my many mannerisms just to rile me up and eventually I joined.” Levi glanced at her once again, the sight of her measuring their hands together making him smile a little. “I had no idea how the sport works. The senior in the team was kind enough to teach me the basics but it wasn’t for me at all.”
“I understand,” Levi replied, turning the car to the right until they saw the sign of the fast-food restaurant ahead of them. “Peer pressure sucks. Especially if that friend is Four-eyes. I hate it when they put me in the hot seat sometimes.”
[Name] laughed. “That’s Hange for you. They mean well though.”
“For you, I guess. For me, I’m starting to think they’re trying to embarrass me.” He squeezed her hand to catch her attention. “Hey, should we order in the drive-thru?”
“Works for me.”
Levi nodded and drove towards the drive-thru of the building. Once their order was packed in paper bags, he handed them to [Name], who happily gasped when she saw that he ordered the strawberry shake she always bought. When everything is in place, Levi focused on the road again until he felt something poke his lips. He looked down on a piece of French fry being handed to him by a bright-eyed [Name]. He lowly laughed before opened his mouth to let her feed him the fries. His hunger made the food even more delectable, making him hum in satisfaction, with his last meal being lunch which was hours ago. “Where do you want to stop, beautiful?” The terms of endearment flew out of his mouth without him controlling it, never noticing how [Name] froze in the passenger seat with warm cheeks. “It’s going to be hard eating all of this in the car.”
“Anywhere you like, ‘Vi,” she murmured, trying so hard to brush away the nickname.
“Mm-hmm. How about going to that hill overlooking the university? We can stargaze as well.” Levi sheepishly gazed at her. “That is if you think it’s not too far.”
“Never.” She shook her head, an endearing smile painted on her face. “We have the night to ourselves, might as well go for it.”
Levi fell in love with her all over again.
The stars were brighter than usual as you gazed up at the canopy of constellations, the midnight hue of the sky is reflected in your eyes. The weather was in your side, with the night breeze occasionally ruffling your hair, with you wondering who was thinking of you at the moment for the wind to gently thread its fingers through your hair. Levi retracted the roof of his convertible to let the moment play out, the low tune on the radio filling in the background as you two munched on your food (for Levi, his dinner, while for you, a late-night snack). At times, you didn’t notice how his silver eyes flickered at your side profile. For him, the night sky and you are the perfect combinations for a distraction in the dreaded senior year of university. Everything you do is spell-binding for him, even if you were taking a bite of your chicken sandwich and slurping it down with your strawberry shake. As if sensing the stare, you looked back at him, raising your eyebrows cutely to wordlessly ask what was wrong.
Levi shook his head, his hand pinching your cheek. “Nothing.” He continued staring at you with the softest gaze, his smile reaching the corners of his eyes. “You just look so pretty, that’s all.”
“Don’t make my ego inflate even more, Levi,” you joked. “I look like a hobo. You look, well,” you shifted your attention on the windshield to avoid his inquiring eyes, “you look amazing for someone who is studying for more than three hours. Good for you.”
“I try.” The onyx-haired man shrugged lightheartedly. “But you’re the pretty one in this relationship, and that’s a fact.” He punctuated his statement with a bite of his burger, careful enough to not let the lettuce slide down his hand. “Hey, can I take a picture? I know I’m not good at taking pictures but I need a new post. Hange was pestering me to keep my account alive.”
“They’re right,” you nodded, popping a fry in your mouth. “Your last post was three months ago.” Wiping your hand on the napkin found in the paper bag, you shifted in the passenger seat so that your back was facing the door. “So, what do you want me to do?”
“Just sit still and look pretty.”
You laughed. “How do I do that?”
“I don’t know, you always do it. You’re just unaware.”
The heat on your cheeks was traveling towards your ears now, the butterflies continued fluttering inside your stomach and chest. You thought of how Levi continued to be your friend after spilling out his feelings to you and how he always made you laugh at the most random times of the day with his dry humor — the loving smile directed at the person behind the camera appearing instantly on your face. You didn’t know how many pictures Levi took but at that shot, he slowly lowered his phone with a star-struck expression stuck on his face. You also didn’t know what made him look like that but you couldn’t help but be captured in his gaze as well. The two of you looked at each other until Levi cleared his throat before opening his phone to tweak the filter of the pictures. However, the spell wasn’t broken because you sat near him, placing your chin on his shoulder as you watched him make the shots even more aesthetic. After a few moments, your phone dinged with the tag from him and you straightened on your seat, already missing Levi’s warmth.
“There,” Levi murmured with red cheeks. “Hange and Erwin should be happy by tomorrow when they see this.”
You smile at the comfortable silence, letting the radio play a random song. It was then that a thought came into your mind that you couldn’t stay quiet.
“Levi, when did you fall in love with me?”
You always ached to ask that question because you couldn’t draw something from your freshman year until sophomore year. You couldn’t believe how such an amazing person managed to stumble in your life. It was true that you don’t remember meeting his eyes while you just got out of your classes in search of Hange but you remembered how he always stared at you whenever you talked. He always made sure you were heard. But the times before that, you were beyond confused that he would randomly tell you that he liked you for a while. You wanted to ask him that question ever since his confession became reality two years ago and you wanted to know if he still feels the same way. You have to make sure because what you’re feeling for him at the moment wasn’t meant for friends. How could you even tell him that, to begin with?
“Which time are you asking?” Levi softly asked, never looking away from the beauty that is you.
“What?” Your confusion is apparent in the air but Levi only answered with a chuckle. “Hey, I’m serious. You know, I never had someone confess to me until you. It was always me who was doing the confessing. I stopped doing that in the last year of high school because I sounded dumb with my reasoning. Even though I know I don’t have a chance with him and that I wasn’t his type at all, I still said it. We were sort of mutual friends and I kind of ruined it. I was thankful when I found out he was going to another university.” You laughed humorlessly. “Every single time, it was always unrequited and I was sick of it to the point that I told myself to never engage in those feelings when college starts.”
“That guy’s an asshole,” Levi snorted. “When I started crushing on you, I was perfectly fine with being a distant admirer. Have you seen yourself?”
You looked anywhere except for the man beside you. “No?”
He softly flicked your forehead. “Idiot. What I’m trying to say is, those people you’ve been confessing to, they don’t know how lucky they are to hear you say those words. I’m not saying that I should be hearing those words from you right now but to have someone this amazing and talented and beautiful falling in love with them, they pretty much have the entire world the moment you said you liked them. I might be looking at everything in rose-colored glasses but everything you do, [Name], is absolutely mesmerizing to me.” He placed the large cup of soda in the cupholder before holding your face in his hands. “They don’t appreciate that a piece of art was doing the admiring when you should be the one being admired. I would give the world to hear you say you love me back, beautiful, but I’m willing to wait years for you to feel the same way as me.”
Your vision became misty, throat clogging with emotions, and bottom lip being bitten to prevent a small sob. “So when?” You asked again with a shaky voice.
“I fall in love with you so many times, [Name]. Every time we’re in the same frame for a picture. Every time you smiled at me, God your smile is just perfect. Every fucking time you call my name, no matter what kind of shit you’re pulling.” Your laugh rang through the night, making Levi smile. “I fall in love with you every time you’re near me, when you touch me with your soft fingertips, when I feel your hugs give me the comfort I needed. The power you have over me is something that I have no control over because you are just perfect to me.” He squished your cheeks softly when he saw you open your mouth to retaliate. “And before you tell me that you’re not perfect, screw that thought because you are in my eyes. Plus, your heart is so fucking big for welcoming me as your friend despite having feelings for you.
“Fuck, I still do.”
The butterflies once again came to life with his words, your breath heavy and years clinging on your eyelashes. “When’s the most recent time you fell in love with me then?”
Levi neared his face to yours, your foreheads pressed against each other. His lips were just centimeters away when he murmured, “Right now.”
“Me, too,” you whispered, your lips brushing on his. “I fell in love with you again at this moment, Levi, and I’m ready for you to make me breathless every single day.”
Levi’s eyes widened at your words. He was so drunk in you that he didn’t know he was making a face many people wouldn’t associate with him. “When?” He threw your question right back at you because he couldn’t believe what he was hearing right now.
“Ever since you started telling me to stop drinking too much coffee or when you started making me some of your tea recipes. Like you, it just started a loop with every little thing you do for me. I just accepted it when Nanaba talked to me earlier this day. I’m sorry I took so long to give you an answer, Levi.”
“No, it’s perfect. My wait is worth it.”
The stars swooned when your lips finally met his. Because when a person was ready to love someone, nothing can come between them. They will feel as if they reached the highest point in their lives as if they were blessed by the gods for finding their other half. Nothing can stop them, not even the cosmos shining down at the birth of the blissful lovers.
Absolutely!! I’ll do this I guess using the kids I have for him in my parent au? If you’ve read that, you know about Holden, but there are two more so prepare to meet them :’) happy father’s day to Levi <33
To begin with, you guys would plan to have your kids (to the best of your abilities; you were intentionally trying to have kids at a time when you both knew you were ready for them.
Although accidents to do happen, and Levi would welcome an unplanned child all the same; that being said, if you’re both want a family, you would have discussed it beforehand (which is to a degree, is a lot about mental preparation for himself).
In his perfect world, he’d have two daughters. They’d be equal parts him and you, and they’d be quiet and curious and lovely and life would be good. He’d spend his days with you and his two tiny daughters, raising his little family and doing all he could for his favorite girls.
So, naturally, he does get two daughters, but also a son in between; and the latter two kids are far from easy in their own unique ways lmfao
You might have already met Holden, and she’s the oldest in my dad Levi au, and the most like him. Levi’s dark hair, his grey eyes, his overall unimpressed visage, his knack for cleanliness and organization—down to the way she holds her sippy cups, she’s damn near Levi’s doppleganger.
Holden is somewhere between 3.5-4 years old before you have your second kid, and in that time is when Levi confirms he thinks he was cut out to be a certified Girl Dad.
Both Levi and Holden take quality father-daughter time very seriously. It’s impossible to change plans once they’re set: “Daddy, you promised we would go to the famer’s market on Sunday. You pinky promised.” And Levi wouldn’t dare break a pinky promise, so he makes time for it.
Levi doesn’t play favorites with his kids, but there is something special about Holden as his first born. He’s constantly in awe of just how much she resembles him. Four years into raising her and it’s still hard to wrap his head around.
Much to his chagrin, Hange and Eren are Holden’s favorite adults. Maybe Levi understands the admiration for Hange, but Eren... come on, Holden, you’re breaking his heart at that point.
It’s almost out of character for your daughter to be so openly affectionate about someone outside of your immediate family, but she really loves having Eren as a babysitter; and you know she’s playing favorites, because she remains neutral on Armin, even though he and Eren always babysit as a duo.
She doesn’t have a favorite grandparent, but Kenny spoils her the most. Levi tells him he shouldn’t, but when has Kenny ever listened to Levi. The man isn’t a fan of kids, but he thinks yours and Levi’s are pretty cool, and Holden is about the coolest 4 year old he could ever meet.
When she was learning to walk, Levi’s favorite thing was holding her little hand and guiding her around. Even now, when she can stand perfectly fine on her own two feet, Levi loves it when she reaches for his hand; Holden is a pretty independent kid, even at 4 years old, so Levi never takes affection from her for granted.
They’re best friends and Holden goes everywhere with him. Their favorite father-daughter activity is going to the grocery store, and Levi lets Holden point to and assess her favorite fruits and veggies while she sits happily in the shopping cart.
Sometimes there are other parents struggling with a kid throwing a temper tantrum. Levi simply clicks his teeth, while Holden shakes her little head. “That’s pretty embarassing, daddy,” she says, looking at the poor parent with an unamused glare that rivals Levi’s. He nods and pushes the cart past the scene, “Tell me about it, kid.”
Your second kid is a boy, and he looks more like you than Levi, but manages to have Levi’s signature hair color and pout when things aren’t going his way.
He comes as a shock to both you and Levi, because after your ultrasound, you were told you were having another girl. Turns out, they’d accidentally mixed up your files, and you were having a boy instead, which you do not find out until your mid-term check up a few months later. Cue Levi buffering like an old computer.
Kiaan is welcomed all the same, even tho Levi is still in disbelief; he was mentally preparing to have another daughter on his hands. He puts more pressure on himself with his son; not that he wasn’t trying his best to be a parent to Holden, but any insecurities he might have about being a good come out when your son is born, because Levi has no “man of the house” example to follow from.
You reassure him that your son will turn out to be just fine, and raising him the way you raised Holden, and would have raised another daughter is perfectly acceptable. Of course Levi rises to the occasion after the initial shock; he’s determined to be the dad to his son that he never had.
Where Holden is more reserved, Kiaan likes to talk and babble about anything whenever and wherever he can, to whoever is around. It’s not uncommon for you or Levi to find your son completely entertained by telling a story out loud to himself while playing with his toys.
Loves to rope Levi into making his toys interact and have “conversations” with each other, and Kiaan genuinely thinks his dad is hilarious, even if he doesn’t completely understand what he’s saying. It always makes Levi smile to hear Kiaan try and copy the bass and tone of his voice when he’s mocking him.
Kiaan loves messing with his dad, and Levi’s all talk, so of course he lets him. He’ll be on a Zoom meeting for work, and Kiaan will be sat in his lap, running little toy cars across the desk in front of him, or tugging on Levi’s hair, and Levi just lets him. It makes quite the cute sight, and Hange has definitely taken a few screen recordings.
That being said, your son is more of a mama’s boy than anything. Kiaan loves messing with Levi, but if you’re in the room, there’s a 95% chance he’ll be on your lap or at your side shadowing whatever you’re doing.
Kiaan is a universal copycat tho, so whatever you, Levi, or Holden say or do, he tries for himself. This makes him especially susceptible to repeating Levi’s foul language and bad habits than Holden. (“Kiaan, you can’t sleep on the chair, it’s not good for your back.” “But daddy sleeps on the chairs sometimes!” “...Alright kid, you got me there.”)
He’s a very loving kid with his words, too, always thanking people and proclaiming his love, so he doesn’t exactly have a “favorite” adult or babysitter, but he does get particularly excited when Erwin or Farlan come around. He feels especially tall when Erwin lets him sit on his shoulders, and Farlan always entertains his story-telling.
He’s a sucker for his grandma though, and gives Kuchel a million kisses whenever she comes around. Does not let go over her for the entire time she’s over at your house, and will sit on her lap throughout dinner.
The most affectionate child, so where Holden only likes holding hands, Kiaan loves cuddling with you and Levi, and likes to be held whenever possible. Levi spoils him a little too much, and more often than not, if you’re walking outside for more than two hours, Kiaan will end up on Levi’s shoulders or in your arms.
Your last kid is another girl, and, yeah she’s just a baby no older than a few months, but Levi can’t help but think she’s especially tiny, and he can’t help but to look at her and hold her whenever possible. Your baby girl also leaves Levi a little dumbstruck because she manages to look like a combination of you and his mother.
As she grows, it becomes apparent that you’ve got another daddy’s girl on your hands. Doesn’t matter if you’re literally breast feeding her, Aria will throw a tantrum if she’s separated from Levi for more than an hour.
The good news is, her sleep cycle is as irregular as Levi’s, so he’s got someone to keep him company when everyone else has gone to bed for the evening. Unfortunately, this also means Aria naps a lot during the day, which leaves Levi a little bored since Holden is old enough to be in school full-time, and Kiaan is gone for at least a portion of the day.
So, he would never tell you, but sometimes he wakes Aria up from her naps just a little bit early to spend more time with her (and cure his boredom). Having an infant trying to grab at his hair with her ravioli sized baby fists while he tries to cook lunch certainly makes the task more difficult, but it also adds welcomed color to his day.
You and Levi have to hold Aria constantly when she’s awake or else she’ll cry (although, if you leave her in the arms of her siblings, she does settle down, too); that, or she’ll find her tiny baby hands somewhere they shouldn’t be. Like dipped in a jar of strawberry jam. Or peanut butter. Or both.
Levi talks to his kids like he would any other adult, so it’s not uncommon to find him brewing tea with a baby strapped to his chest, narrating the steps to good tea-making out loud to her for her to hear. He swears she can understand him, and he attributes Holden and Kiaan’s growing vocabularies, and the early ages at which they started speaking to this.
Aria will be in her little chest strap thing while Levi’s cooking dinner, and he’ll look down at her like, “Alright, we’re gonna julienne your carrots today. Yesterday we cubed them, but you’ve got grabby hands, so this will give you more room to work with.”
Kiaan loves holding Aria and honestly just being around her, and you and Levi think it’s adorable how he loves to play with her, and how he knows to be gentle with her. He shares a room with her, and loves sharing his bedtime story times, so you or Levi will read them to sleep together.
Holden isn’t crazy about babies, but she’s a good older sister, and Aria seems to be obsessed with her. She crawls and scoots towards her if given the opportunity, and Holden will always look to you or Levi before attempting to hold or lift her up, as if asking permission. She’ll pat Aria’s head to get her to stop crying, or let her play with her hands.
Levi thinks one of the best parts about being a dad is seeing the different dynamics and relationships between your kids. Holden isn’t most physically or verbally affectionate, but she’s still compassionate, and Kiaan looks up to her; and Kiaan is the perfect middle ground, knowing when it’s appropriate to bother (affectionate) Holden, and when to give her space, and curiously hovers around his baby sister, too.
Heyyy! I love your works on BSD and AOT, they are all so sweet(☆´3｀) May I request something that's about Levi and y/n's life after ch.139, like opening a tea shop and stuff? Idk i just want to see happy Levi(´°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥ω°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥｀) Thank you so much!!
C/n: hello, sweetie. Thank you so much, I’m glad that you enjoy them. I love this idea. Thanks for requesting and I hope that you enjoy🤍
——————————————————————————
Better Days. (Levi x Reader)
The shop was buzzing with people as you refilled the tea stock. “Gabi, please tend to the counter. I’ll handle this.” You say and Gabi nods after giving you a smile. You lift up a box and place it on the table to look at its contents. New tea had arrived from a neighboring country as a thank you.
Strong arms wrap around your waist as a chin lays on your shoulder. “Looks like they finally arrived.” Levi says and you nod but widen your eyes when you realize..
“Levi! Sit. The doctor said that you mustn’t walk for too long.” You say and turn around in his arms. “Tch. Are you forgetting who I am, Y/n?” He says and you pout. “What? That you’re a man with injuries and needs to rest? Yeah, totally slipped my mind.” You roll your eyes playfully and he flicks your forehead. “I got my cane. I’ll be fine.” He shows you it and you sigh but smile anyway as you hug his torso. “I love you, you know that?” You mumble and he kisses your head. “I love you too. Now go and sort out the tea in the front.” He orders and you salute. “Yes, sir.”
You take two jars and walk out when you feel a soft hit on your butt. “H e y !” You look back to see Levi smirking as he put his cane down. Levi walked out and saw regulars who greeted him as you took orders and made the different beverages. He sat down at his spot as he watched you work and smiled whenever he caught your eye. Levi looked out the window and got lost in thought but was pulled away when a cup of tea was placed in front of him.
“Try it.” You say as you wipe the adjacent table. Levi took a sip and sighed in content. “It’s good. Really good.”
When the shop closed for the day, you and Levi sat outside and watched the sun set as you both shared a pot of tea and freshly baked cake. Levi looks over to you as you sipped your tea and reached over and took your hand. He held it and played with the ring that laid on your finger and brought it up to his lips.
The better days took far too long to arrive, but it was here. And that’s all that mattered to him.
——————————————————————————
“Consider this a fluffy version of Levi’s heehee.”
a/n: I haven’t wrote head canons in a while I kinda don’t like this 😰 this was only supposed to be only cuddling head canons 😭❤️🔥 and I wrote these at 1 AM and kind of gave up on it so I’ll edit this later I’m tired ☹️
one of levi’s love languages is acts of service
he likes taking care of you and making sure you’re okay :)
he makes tea for you and checking on you at random times of the day
he’ll bring food for you when you’re doing late night paperwork and might even help you with it.
“you forgot to eat dinner idiot.”
he might act annoyed or grumpy when you work late or something but he wants to take care of you
his love language is also physical touch
levi doesn’t like pda so he’s not gonna hug you in public or something like that
it’ll start out as small actions
him setting a hand down on your lap during a meeting
or holding your hand under the table in the dining hall while running his fingers over your knuckles.
he’s also very touched starved but he doesn’t really know how to ask for affection??
he’s not going to directly ask for it so you’re probably going to have to initiate it
he’ll be a bit tense at the start but ease and start to relax.
his favorites are when you run your fingers through his hair
or when you spoon him as he lays his head on your chest
he won’t say anything but you can tell he enjoys it.
he falls asleep sometimes as you spoon him
and cuddling sessions are your thing now :D
at first it won’t happen often but when he’s more comfortable with initiating things with you he’ll do it more :)
hiiiii i love love love your writing 💖 so i noticed your requests are open, and i would do anything for a levi wedding day scenario from you 🥺 hope you’re doing well 💖
Together
Warnings: Female reader mentioned. There are some ambiguous themes, such as the time point this is set etc.
Categories: fluffy
Word Count: 1.8k
Authors note: deepest apologies for how long it took me to write this. I'm nervous to share this... it was sort of a new area for me to write, so I hope its okay and that you enjoy it. Thank you for requesting, you’re very sweet and I hope you're doing well too!<3
Candlelight glinted against your engagement ring. Hand half raised in the air, ensuring the light captured it well enough to see through the darkness of the night, your lips curled into a small smile at the sight. You were going to marry Levi. Settled against Levi’s chest, his arms were wrapped around your body as you both laid in bed that night. Trailing featherlight kisses across your neck, Levi’s arms moved to hold you more securely. Embraced by your lover and with the sight of the ring he’d chosen just for you, with nothing but love; you couldn’t help a contented sigh falling from your lips.
“When should we get married?” You asked, your voice low and almost quiet, as you mused on the thought of setting a date. The hour was late, but neither of you could sleep yet, too full of love for one another and excited about the new engagement.
“I’d marry you in the morning.” Levi’s voice was lower than yours, the deep sound reverberating from his chest and your smile widened at his words. Wrapping your arms over his you found yourself saying “We haven’t made any plans yet.”
“Let’s make them then and marry soon.”
Your fingers trailed light and absentminded patterns against his hand, which only made a small sigh of content fall from Levi’s lips too.
“Alright.”
Falling into conversation about the wedding, Levi expressed his preference for something small and intimate. Which meant, Levi was content with just Hange and Erwin being present. Above all, it seemed Levi wanted the day just being about marrying each other and having the people who mattered the most as witnesses.
Shifting carefully, you moved from resting against Levi’s chest to facing him, legs wrapping around his waist you straddled his lap. One of his arms snaked around your waist and his other hand reached up to affectionately place his hand on your cheek, thumb brushing softly across your skin. “What about a date?”
Meeting his steel grey gaze, you saw the love he had for you emanating from them. Amidst the usually stoic and nonchalant demeanour, Levi reserved this look for you. Every time you saw it, you felt butterflies to not only be on the receiving end of it, but the cause of it.
“This day week.” Eyebrow arching ever so slightly he posed the question to you, and you took a moment before nodding happily, it would work. Seemingly satisfied with your answer, Levi’s thumb moved to rest on your chin, index finger on your jaw, capturing your full attention and his eyes flickered down to your lips, lingering there momentarily. “You’ll be Mrs Ackerman soon.” Uttering the words in a half mumble, it elicited a wide smile on your lips before Levi drew you into a soft kiss with his own.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ➴ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Time blurred into a whirlwind of wedding preparations and continuations of regiment duties. There was something surreal about carrying out the usual routine while planning to be married in a few days’ time. Both of you had decided to spend the night before apart and while it was an option for you to occupy your previous quarters, it somehow would have appeared utterly odd to leave the barracks in a wedding dress and instead you had opted to stay overnight in an Inn instead. It had already been arranged that the Inn would be where you both spent your wedding night as well.
Once the day of the wedding came, the sun shone brightly across the crystal blue sky. An excited nervousness for the day ahead settled within you. The night before, you had felt the tangible loss of sleeping without Levi and longed for when he would occupy his side of the bed again. Yet, the thought of the next time seeing him being at the altar, waiting for you, was enough for excitement to outweigh feeling that loss.
The schedule for the day smoothly slotted into place once Hange arrived to keep you company as you got ready. Steady chatter filled the room, a light atmosphere adding to the nervous excitement you felt. When you’d stood in front of the mirror, hands smoothing down the material of your dress, Hange stood beside you, a wide smile on their features and a glint in their eyes. “Levi won’t be able to take his eyes off of you.” Your smile grew wider at the thought, equally you had a feeling you would find it hard not to be mesmerised by the sight of your lover.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ➴ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
The carriage journey to the increased your heartbeat, the moments you had both waited for soon within your grasp. You couldn’t help thinking how far your relationship had grown to reach this point, if someone had told you the day you had met Levi Ackerman that you would marry him, then you would have been stunned in disbelief. The love the both of you had for each other had bloomed with each break of dawn, until both of you cared so deeply for the other, that neither of you could imagine a life apart.
Hange got out of the carriage first, extending a hand for you to take and you gratefully accepted your friends help before standing in front of the pathway to the chapel. Taking a deep breath you took your time, gathered yourself before embarking any further. You could hardly differentiate between the feelings growing in your chest, but after a few moments you knew you were ready to continue. Linking your arm with Hange’s, you offered them a warm smile, one they mirrored, and you both started to take the first steps forward.
Nearing closer inside, you caught a better picture of the scene before you. It was the intimacy Levi had wanted. Marriage officiant standing at the top of the altar, Erwin standing beside Levi and a space waiting for where Hange would join momentarily. Your eyes drifted to Levi, breath hitching at the sight of the back of him. You could see his hands were clasped in front of himself and even though you couldn’t see him fully yet, it was enough to make your heart flutter. Neat hair and freshly trimmed undercut, pristine and dapper suit, you noticed how his shoulders moved slightly with each rise and fall of his chest. Erwin standing by his side, he turned around to glance in your direction. You saw cerulean blue eyes fill with an emotion you couldn’t exactly place, a smile on his face and he leaned over towards Levi, seemingly whispering words of comfort. When he looked back at you with a satisfied expression again, you wondered if he had whispered something encouraging to Levi at the sight of you.
You could hardly recognise anything else, every thought on your mind was on each step taking you closer to your lover. Levi turned his head ever so slightly when he heard you approaching, and you wanted nothing more than to reach out to him then and there. Pausing close enough, Hange slowly unlinked their arm from yours, gathering your full attention and you looked towards your friend, seeing the light-hearted expression on their face. You would never grow tired of seeing it. Embracing you, they spoke of how happy they were for you both before carefully taking their position to the side.
Heart hammering in your chest, you reached your hand out to place on Levi’s shoulder. It felt like the world had become encapsulated in slow motion as he turned to face you, steel grey eyes widening as they roamed over your appearance. Lips parted, almost in disbelief, when his gaze connected with yours again, glistening slightly with unspoken emotion. You found your own breath hitching at the handsome sight before you, crisp black suit adorned with his familiar cravat; he was utterly breath taking. Levi’s mouth twitched into a smile, and he reached forward to grasp both of your hands in his own, raising them to place tender kisses against both of your knuckles. “Beautiful.” Steel grey eyes flicked to yours again as he spoke the compliment, the intimacy of the action causing your heart to flutter under his attentive gaze.
Keeping both of your hands in his, he encouraged you to stand beside him before the marriage officiant. It was then that they cleared their throat before beginning to introduce the ceremony. Throughout it, you found your gaze flitting to Levi every now and then and he returned your glances too. An almost shy smile on his face every time you caught him looking at you lovingly, thumb brushing soothingly over your skin in a rhythmic circle you could get lost in.
With the words of the officiant navigating the ceremony, the nerves you felt soon faded into the background as the love both yourself and Levi had for each other took precedence above all else. That love was expressed and brought to life through the exchanging of vows, promising to not only love each other through your happiest moments, but equally every other moment in between. Your vows captured the qualities at the heart of your relationship, a foundation to build your marriage from.
Until then the wedding rings had been kept safe in Erwin’s care. Brandishing the small and delicate box, he opened it to reveal the rings both of you had chosen for one another. You exhaled a steady breath at the sight of them once more and you found yourself reaching forward first. It had not been long ago since Levi had placed the engagement ring on your finger, and you greatly anticipated being able to engage in such an intimate action yourself. Holding his left hand, a soft smile was on your features as you slipped the ring on his finger. A moment later he took yours in his hold, placing your ring on. They looked natural on both of your hands, the physical manifestation of your love for one another.
The moment the officiant declared you both husband and wife, you both turned to face each other fully. You beamed widely in his direction just as both of Levi’s hands came to cup the side of your face and for a moment there was nothing in this world except both of you gazing at each other. Tilting your head, Levi drew you into a sensually soft kiss, lips moving against yours with utter familiarity. The act of public affection was only one he would display on his wedding day and in the safety provided by the presence of their loved ones. And when the almost fleeting kiss broke, the ghost of its presence lingered as he rested his forehead against yours: a grounding act as reality began to sink in.
Your husband. His wife. You were each other’s from that day forth. The thought alone was enough to cause those excited butterflies that had overcome you until that point, to vanish. Instead, the beginnings of a peaceful ease settled between the both of you, for the start of a new chapter had begun, one you would both weave together.
Right before the Peace Ambassadors’ departure for Paradis, you and Levi and the others manage to spend some quality time together during one of the most anticipated festivals of the year.
pairing: levi ackerman/f!reader
word count: 8.6k
series masterlist | part two | part four
the song that inspired this chapter
Sunday is, most certainly, both your and Levi's favorite day of the whole week.
When you first opened the shop, you both immediately settled on keeping it open six days a week — leaving Sundays out of the picture. You were still adjusting to your new life, and your apartment still needed some maintenance. However, your routine had become so perfectly enjoyable that even after completing furnishing you just chose to keep things as they were — and that's how Sunday became the main source of your happiness.
Levi genuinely liked working down in the shop, so it took him a while to get used to having nothing to do. It didn't take him much to find other ways to fill the time, though, and you weren't surprised when he told you that he intended to use those mornings to clean the whole house.
He's never said it out loud, but Levi does actually enjoy Sunday mornings. You know he finds the peace and quiet of not having to work extremely relaxing, and he's usually always in a good mood when you wake up at nine and join him in the living room while he relaxes (as far as you're concerned, however, nothing compares to the feeling of being able to oversleep... at least once a week). Then he usually cooks breakfast and the two of you start cleaning the apartment, with you turning on the radio or humming to your favorite songs.
Sunday afternoons are just as beautiful... well, maybe even more. It's the only time of the week in which you have the chance to spend whole carefree hours with Levi — chatting and exploring the town while pushing him around in his chair. Useless to say, there's nothing like being around Levi during those afternoons. It's your personal space with him out of your home, and even though you cannot know that he feels just as thrilled to share entire afternoons by your side, you'd do anything to make those little moments together happy.
"Want some eggs?"
Still sleepy you look at Levi, standing in the kitchen with an apron tied above his messy night shirt. It's Sunday again, exactly seven days after you've had that terrible fever. You're still a little bitter about not having been able to enjoy that day with Levi — staying in bed all the time and napping isn't certainly your most preferred way of spending your only free day of the week. However, today is even more special. It's not only a normal Sunday, it's the day of one the most anticipated Marleyan events of the year: the Spring Festival.
"Sure", you mumble from the couch while reading Levi's newspaper. You love the Spring Festival — there's something about all the colorful stalls, the laughter of children filling the air, the smell of food from all over the world, the music and the fireworks that makes you insanely excited — yet you cannot bring yourself to be totally happy today.
You swing through the newspaper's pages and absently read the headings. "Marley's youngest Peace Ambassadors, the heroes of the Battle of Heaven and Earth, ready to sail to Paradis for negotiations", one says. You already knew about it, but being reminded of it again saddens you more than you'd like — you're not ready to let them go. Armin, Jean, Connie, Reiner, Annie and Pieck are leaving tomorrow after weeks of arrangements, ready to fight for humanity once again. And you have to let them.
They've all grown up so much.
A comforting smell of eggs and bacon fills the house, so you approach the kitchen and sit down at the table as Levi puts breakfast into your plate. You eat in almost total silence, still lost in your own thoughts.
Levi seems to pick that up. "Oi, what's wrong? It's Sunday. There's the Spring Festival. Where's your usual excitement?"
You look at him confused. "I am excited."
"You haven't said a word since you started eating. Is it because of those brats leaving tomorrow?"
The sad look in your eyes is eloquent enough. "I hope they'll be alright in Paradis", you mumble. "Don't want them to get in trouble."
"They're not kids anymore. They can handle themselves."
You almost groan. "Levi. I know. Stop telling me that."
He studies you from the opposite side of the table, the apron still above his clothes. Frankly, he has never really understood your deep affection for them.
"They might be brats, but they're good at this whole peacemaking thing. They'll be back in no time", he says.
You sigh. "Yeah, no doubt. But I'll miss them."
He'll never admit it out loud, but he will miss them too.
He hands you a cup of warm tea. "Stop moping over it. The Spring Festival is today, and you better enjoy yourself. Plus they'll spend the day together with us, so you'll have plenty of time to say goodbye."
God, that sounded way too harsh. In moments like this, Levi would really like to bang his head on the wall by how bad he is at comforting people. His words probably did nothing but worsen your mood, and you clearly won't be able to enjoy the rest of the day like you did the other years. He internally grunts. You've already spent the previous Sunday all miserable and in bed. There's no way that he'll just let you brood over your memories of Paradis today — so he's stubbornly willing to spoil you all day long, even if it means buying you all the ice cream you want.
As you finish your tea, you get up from the chair. "Yeah, you're right", you say absentmindedly. "Let's go clean the house, shall we? I'll take care of the kitchen, you can go in the living room."
You might not notice how terribly empty the house feels whenever you're not in the right mood to clean, but Levi does. Actually, your cleaning is basically flawless as usual — yet there's something off about you not humming to your songs. That's why, by the end of the morning, Levi can't even bring himself to be satisfied about the pristine apartment by how hard he's internally struggling to find something comforting and reassuring to tell you. He knows how much you hold the kids dear to your heart, and he can easily imagine how empty you'll feel tomorrow knowing them gone. They've all been a huge part of your life, in Paradis and in Marley.
Even after lunch — some cold chicken along with cheese and celery — Levi's mind is still analyzing dozens of things he'd like to tell you. I don't want you to be sad. Please, be happy. I love you. The kids will be fine. I love you.
No matter the situation, no matter how selfish and out of place it would be. Those three words have been trying to escape his lips for fucking years, and all he wants is to let them out. Even now, when he should provide you with comfort instead of thinking about his own desires. Hell, it would be much easier if he wasn't hopelessly in love with you.
Gabi and Falco are supposed to come and fetch you in twenty minutes, so you distractedly read the most recent novel you've bought on the couch while Levi looks at you from the kitchen table. The fact that you look stunning in your navy dress with floral patterns adds itself to the list of the things he'd like to tell you today.
All of a sudden, he calls out your name from the kitchen.
You immediately gaze at him. If you hadn't know him for more than a decade, you certainly wouldn't have noticed the worry hiding behind that single word.
"Mmh?"
He stays silent for a while, clearly struggling to say something. You can tell from his body language that he's feeling uneasy, even though you have no idea of why. The smallest sigh leaves your mouth as you notice the way his raven locks hide his milky eye, while the light coming from the window makes his immaculate white shirt glow. He looks beautiful as always, yet seeing him so uncomfortable always stirs something in your heart.
"Levi. Don't worry about me, I'm fine."
He seems startled. How did you know that he was worried about you? Was it so evident? Or is it just that you know him better than anyone else, even better than himself? There's something so intimately comforting — and scary — about the fact that he doesn't even have to say anything for you to understand him.
The man clears his voice, nervously bending his bad leg over the other one. "The only one worried here is you", he says, perfectly aware of the lie he's telling. "Stop dwelling on it. Those brats will be just fine."
You look exasperated. "God, Levi, don't you think I know that? I do. You've repeated it to me more than enough. I know that they're good ambassadors. I know that they're still putting their life on the line to help this damned country, even after everything they've been through. And I sure as hell know that if everything goes down I might not even see them again. They could get trapped there for years — while I'll just stay here collecting dust on this stupid couch when I should be there to do my duty as a soldier next to them. Just leave me be."
Levi looks at you with his mouth wide open. He certainly didn't expect you to lash out like that. Especially not on him.
When you realize the impact your words might have left on him, it's too late. In less than a second, a brutal coldness clouds his smokey eye and you're so embarrassed that you have to look down at the book still open on your tights. You cannot stand his piercing look, even if you know you deserve it.
"Is that what you think?", says Levi slowly. "Do you regret coming to live here with me?"
You shake your head, still looking down and tears starting to form in the corner of your eyes. What's happening? This is not like you. You'd never hurt Levi with your words, no matter how careless you might feel. Your lips start to move — you have to tell him that you're sorry before it's really too late — when he abruptly interrupts you.
"Is that it? Would you really rather be out there and risk your life every day only to live in fear like you did back in Paradis? Is it because you care so much about those brats? Or is it because it's not worthy for a hero like you to spend your days with a useless cripple in a stupid tea shop?"
His words are so filled with poisonous sarcasm that they feel like a punch in the stomach. Your closed fists start to shake, and you try to fight back the sobs that are threatening to break you like glass. He has all the rights to be mad at you. You'd like to scream — tell him that you would have stayed by his side even if you weren't helplessly in love with him, that the silly little life you have built together here in Marley has made you happier than you've ever been — but no sound comes out. You are frozen, unable to speak as the exhausted tears you've been holding back for far too long start rolling down your cheeks. The guilt seems almost unbearable.
Shit. While you crumble, Levi stares at you with the most desperate look on his face as he falls into the exact same loophole. What has he done? He has never made you cry, no matter how much of an asshole he might have been in the past. Suddenly, it feels like his heart is being torn apart. He has to fix this. Right now, or he won't be able to look at you in the face again.
He stands up an approaches the couch as fast as his bad knee lets him. "Listen, I..."
"You're not useless." It was almost inaudible, but he heard it.
"What?"
"You're not useless", you repeat with a more steady voice. "What I said to you... it came out wrong, and it was horrible. You have every right to be mad at me... Levi, I'm so sorry."
There, you managed to surprise him again. You have every right to be mad at me.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Now it's your turn to be confused. "My rant. I wasn't angry at you, yet I hurt you with my stupid words. I'm sorry if I sounded ungrateful."
Levi is even more stunned. Why, for the love of God, are you asking him to forgive you as if you said something wrong? He made you fucking cry.
He clears his voice. "No", he says. "I should be the one apologizing. I messed up. I wasn't angry at you either."
He's pretty sure that he sounds shallow, disconnected — even pathetic. He just hopes that you can see the honesty behind his words.
You blink twice, eyes still swollen from your recent cry. "You... weren't mad?"
Levi shakes his head.
"So... you don't hate me for what I said? Even if it sounded ungrateful?"
Your eyes look almost pleading, and Levi cannot stop the sentence from coming out of his throat. "I could never hate you."
There, he said it. So raw and brutally honest that it's as if you'd just seen him naked.
His low — yet hollow of any hesitation — words fill your ears, and you stare at him in silence. He rarely lets himself to be this straightforward around you. "It's alright if you got hurt from it. I understand", you say gently.
"No, you don't. As I said, I wasn't angry at you."
You wait.
Levi has to lower his gaze before going on. Hell, he can't believe he's really saying this. "I was angry at the fact that you were fucking sad. I never want to see you like that. Never, you understand me? I don't want to see you having nightmares or drowning in whatever your thoughts are. I don't want to see you cry, especially for something I said. I... just want you to be happy."
His voice almost breaks at the last words. He sounds so pathetic, so desperate, so vulnerable. You have no idea of the effect you have on him. Absolutely none.
Silence fills the room.
When he's finally able to look at you, his heart almost stops. He can't believe what he's seeing. Your teary eyes are wide open — filled with such an unwavering devotion and tenderness that he wants to cry. You're not angry or sad anymore. Your perfectly kissable lips are dangerously parted too, and for a split second his most irrational mind indulges on the thought of filling the void between you and coming down on your mouth. Would you kiss him back? Would you pull away? Would you cry again or would you bring him closer?
Finally, you speak, putting an end to Levi's ravishing thoughts. "Now I understand", you say softly.
And it's enough. It's your way of telling him that — one more time — you've managed to get through his clumsy words and unravel the secret meaning between them. You understood his worry, and that he's never meant to hurt you in any way. For a terrifying moment he fears you might have understood the depth of his feeling for you — but his nerves relax when he hears you talking again.
"Levi... thank you for concern", you murmur. The ghost of a smile lingers on the lips he's still craving to kiss. "But, you know, it doesn't work like that. Nightmares will still come and go. I'll still miss the kids. My pathetic ass will still cry. Because, you see, I'm still struggling, just like you do. And sometimes everything fucking sucks, so I lash out. Not on you... just on myself."
Relief somehow fills Levi's untamed soul. You two have never fought, not once, and the few times that you did were because one of you was worried about the other. Even now, you're not mad. He's not mad. It's really in times like this that his heart seems to burst out of selfish gratitude.
Gratitude for you, because you are truly the best thing that's ever happened to him.
Slowly, he nods. He fears that he might fall apart if he talks, so he keeps his mouth shut until he's sure that his expression looks more composed. "I still want you to enjoy yourself today", he finally says — so low that it sounds like he's almost talking to himself. "You owe it to those brats. And, most importantly, you deserve it."
Before you can answer, the shop's doorbell rings.
"That must be Gabi and Falco", you mutter. Still sitting, you hold out your hand — hoping that he will take it and guide you upwards as you get up from the couch. "Shall we go?"
Levi's beautiful grey eye studies your face. You're not crying anymore, and you seem almost fine. Almost. Because he knows that these messy conversations will be carved into your thoughts for the rest of the day, along with the bitterness of having to say goodbye to your friends. He'd like to punch himself in the face for how he's treated you, but one thing's for sure: he managed to express some of his feelings. He told you that he cares about you, and you understood. To him, it's enough. It's a small step in the right direction.
His lips turn upwards when he sees you smile at the though of spending the rest of the day outside, absorbed in the Spring Festival you love so much. "Yeah", he mutters while taking your warm hand in his. "Let's go."
—
You are supposed to meet with the ambassadors at the pier, right in front of Gabi's favorite bakery. The sun shines brightly up in the sky and the warm sea breeze gently ruffles your hair as you absentmindedly push Levi's chair around the town. The kids are vehemently arguing about which school subject is the most difficult, and the sound of their lively voices fills the air. There's something so insanely charming about living near the sea, you think. At first it was weird — it took you a while to get acquainted with the constant sound of waves in the distance — but now it's almost comforting. You never get tired of watching the vivid blue waters, not even in winter.
For the whole walk, your mind keeps going back to your conversation with Levi. It surprised you to hear him just as shaken and vulnerable as you were. I want you to be happy, he said. He sounded really desperate when he said that, and the fact that he struggled so hard to express himself just for you fills you with warmth. You might have been friends for years, yet it still shocks you how much he cares about you and your happiness. You had never dreamt of becoming important to someone. And yet here you are, smiling with reassurance to the man you love every time he turns his head to check on you with a worried look on his pale face.
Without the shadow of a doubt, Levi is certainly much less relaxed than you are. He hates not being able to walk around like a normal person — not only because he often feels restrained on his chair, but also because he can't look at you if you're behind him. He wishes to stare at you all day and make sure you have a good time — so much that he has to stop himself from turning back every three seconds.
"Hey, look! It's them!"
Gabi and Falco immediately run to the people standing right in front of the bakery in their polished uniforms. Armin, Jean, Connie, Reiner, Annie, Pieck — they're all there, smiling and chatting while waiting for you guys to arrive.
Levi makes sure to turn his head right before you catch sight of them, not wanting to miss your reaction.
Your bright eyes immediately widen, and a huge smile is born on your face while your gaze warmly hugs the group of young men and women you've raised over the years. For a second you look so soft and relieved — and undoubtedly happy — that Levi cannot help but soften, his heart melting at such a tender sight. You look so young. God. In times like this, Levi wishes to have known you since you were a little girl. He wants to know how you looked when all you were was innocent and pure, laughing with your childhood friends and dreaming about your future. He'd give anything to be there with you — see you smile everyday, play with you in front of your house, give you timid flowers, run a hand through your delicate hair. You could have been both happy, even if just for a while. Too bad that the only things you got instead were death and misery.
"Guys! Oh my God, those uniforms look stunning on you! I can't believe at how you've all grown up", you say with the most adorable smile on your lips as you go greet the girls and pat the boys on their shoulders. They greet you just as enthusiastically: Reiner and Annie squeeze your hand with a smile, while Armin, Jean, Connie and Pieck even give you a heartfelt hug. It's incredible how easily people are attracted to your empathy and kindness — that's what Levi has always thought.
When the greetings are over, you go back to Levi's chair with a playful grin on your face. Good. At least, you don't seem upset anymore. Which means that you'll be able to enjoy yourself a little more... and he won't be able to see it. God, he really hates that stupid chair.
Your group starts moving around the stalls, and the way everyone's chatting and laughing with someone else makes you feel at peace. Levi was right. You've been worried and moody for no reason, when all you should do is just fill yourself with the sounds around you. The way Falco buys Gabi a chocolate and strawberry ice cream, or how everyone keeps teasing Jean about his constant bicker with Pieck.
("You guys look like a married couple.")
("Ha! That was harsh, Kirstein! Coming from miss Leonhart herself...")
("You guys are obnoxious... all jealous of the effect I have of ladies, huh?")
("No, Jean, it's because you can't stop bickering when you're flustered...")
("I don't get why you're all so interested in me when Armin is right there... I mean, have you looked at how red he gets whenever Annie addresses him?")
("Jean, we've already been there before...")
"So, are you guys nervous?", you ask Pieck as soon as you have the chance.
The woman walking next to you smiles hesitantly. "We are", she says in a low voice. "Historia reassured us that things won't be too harsh, but we won't know until we get there. And frankly, going back to Paradis still seems... strange."
You nod. If someone had told you that you'd be sailing back to the place that haunts your dreams the most, you'd be fucking terrified.
Pieck's smile fades. "You know, it's even easier for me... the time I spent back there is quite limited, and yet I'm afraid. You can imagine how scared the others are. I'm pretty sure that Reiner and Jean even have nightmares about it."
Your heart aches for them. None of you deserved this, yet you all have to face the hard reality of living in this world every single day.
"Sometimes..." you start. "Sometimes I can't help but think that I abandoned them. That — after years of fighting — I abandoned you guys and this world to its own destiny as soon as I retired from the army."
You lower your gaze, conflicted, sensing Levi flinching from his chair as Falco pushes him next to you. "I'm not ungrateful", you whisper so softly that you're not even sure if anyone can hear you. "I'm just... lost."
Relief hits you when you feel Pieck's hand gently squeezing your shoulder. She gives you a sympathetic smile. "It's alright", she says. "The world is already in an irreparable debt with what you've done. You and Captain Levi — you've fought longer and harder than any of us. You deserve some rest."
These words of reassurance warm you. "I'm sure you'll all be great", you say. "I wish you wouldn't have to do this, but if there's someone who can stop this war... it's you."
"We did learn from the best", she says with a wink. At those words, you laugh a little.
"Tell me, do you ever miss your Titan?", you ask her curiously.
The questions seems to amuse her. "I still get the urge of walking around with four legs some days. But... no, I don't miss it really. I was terrified most of the time when I was in there."
"Oh. Sorry, didn't mean to..."
"God, stop apologizing! It's alright. Water under the bridge", she teases you while dismissing your worry with a random gesture. It seems like she's about to add something else — when a loud voice resonates in the air, calling her.
"Pieck!"
It's Jean, hurrying over you two. With surprise, you notice that your group has stopped by a little square where some people are dancing a traditional waltz. An old man lively plays the accordion, and you smile at the sight of the ambassadors clearly enjoying themselves.
Jean approaches you with a huge grin on his face. "Pieck, you have to dance this with me. The others still don't believe that we won that dancing competition last month..."
Pieck lets out a heartfelt laugh as Jean puts an arm around her waist and takes her to the dance floor. "Alright, let's show those brats how stunning we are while dancing!"
Your eyes are still following them (did they always have this subtle chemistry?) when you suddenly notice Armin approaching Annie with a flustered look, right next to where you're standing.
"Annie... would you like to dance with me? Only once" he begs, cheeks reddening and eyes low. You almost melt at the sight. Oh, Armin, you haven't changed a bit.
Annie is clearly struggling with finding something to say, and you nudge her playfully. "Come on", you whisper in her ear. "You won't have another chance to do this for... who knows how long?"
She lets out a frustrated grunt, but you smile when she shyly lets Armin take her hand and guide her not far from where Jean and Pieck are.
"Falco, come on! We'll show you some moves!"
It's Connie and Reiner, gesturing to Falco to join them. They're both smiling.
The boy blushes a bit. "Is it alright if I leave you here?"
Levi nods. "Go, have some fun with those brats."
You're clearly delighted by the atmosphere, but you notice that you've been left standing alone in the square — so you walk to your place behind Levi. From there, you have the chance to admire your friends in all of their mundane, youthful and carefree side. You wish for them to be happy forever.
"It's just like that night."
Your eyes immediately dart away from the dancing crowd. It was the lightest of whispers, but you heard it. Much to your surprise, you realize that it was Gabi talking — you completely forgot about her. She's standing behind you with closed fists, and you immediately notice her pained eyes.
You slide one arm around her shoulders to bring her next to you. "Gabi, what's wrong?", you ask gently.
She sighs. "This. The festival. It all looks like that night in Liberio. Me Falco, Udo, Zofia... we were all having a good time just like today. Before... before meeting you all"
The memories hit you like a lightning. Of course, she's talking about your first mission in Marley. You still remember how worried and scared to death you were even before leaving Paradis — worried about Eren, Levi, everything. The nerve wrecking awareness of killing innocents, the sounds of bombs and guns ringing into your head, the horrible feeling of not knowing who you were anymore. The selfish relief of when you set foot on that stupid airship, right before Sasha died. Sasha.
"Gabi. Stop dwelling on it. The past is in the past."
It's Levi, practical but not harsh. You wonder if he's thinking about that night too.
You force yourself to focus on the soothing effect of his voice, taking deep breaths as you feel your legs get weak. Instinctively, you bring each one of your hands on Levi's shoulders from behind — finding comfort in his solid presence.
He seems to pick up your distress, because as soon as your fingers lightly squeeze his clothed skin he immediately turns. "Oi", he tells you softly, his gaze searching yours with worry. "Are you alright?"
You slightly nod, but he doesn't miss your widened eyes and your shaky breath. With deliberate slow movements, he places his good hand on his opposite shoulder — right on top of yours. The warmth of his skin instantly comforts you, yet you don't dare to move your hand to take his. It's unusual of him to allow such physical intimacy (especially in public), and the last thing you want is for him to stop touching you.
As soon as you manage to control your overwhelming thoughts, you unwillingly leave your hold on Levi and embrace Gabi in a tight hug.
"Levi's right, you know", you tell her in a low voice. "The memories might come back, but they belong to the past. You should focus on the present."
The girl buries her face on your chest and lets out some deep sighs. "Thank you", she murmurs. She pulls back and gives you a sad smile. "You always make me feel better."
You lean in again and place a kiss on her forehead. "No need to thank me", you say. "Now, you should really give Falco the chance do dance with you before the end of the afternoon. I'm pretty sure that he's been dying to ask you since the waltz started, but couldn't find the strength to do it."
She laughs it off. "Alright then", she says, and turns her head to give you and Levi a thankful glance. Then she starts running to the crowd. "Falco! I'm coming! You better have learnt some pretty cool moves, because I want to learn them too!"
Still a bit shocked by what happened, you turn to face Levi — finding him studying you carefully with his silver eye. "You fine?", he asks abruptly.
"Yeah. Wanna go check some of those stands?"
He nods, and you start pushing him around the square.
The wandering through the stalls immediately lifts your mood.
("Oh, Levi, look at those wooden sculptures! They look so cool!")
("Tch. Don't even think about getting one. My libraries are already full of those knick-knacks of yours.")
After a few minutes of walking around, you choose to stop in front of the most colorful fruit stall you've ever seen. The mix of bright colors and smells immediately caught your attention, and you find yourself longing for those huge red strawberries you see right next to the bananas. The greengrocer must be foreign, you think, because despite living in Marley you can't recognize almost half of the shapes you see.
You contemplate the idea of buying some of that unknown fruit just to try it, but before you can settle on it you notice that the seller is approaching you with something between his fingers.
He lively shows you some peach wedges at puts them in Levi's hands. "Sir, you absolutely have to try! These 're the best peaches you'll find around here!"
You kind of fear some rude reaction from Levi — he's usually startled and annoyed when strangers approach him too roughly — but much to your surprise he doesn't say anything and eats one slice with a thoughtful expression.
"It's good", he hums.
He turns in your direction only to find you absolutely stunned. As stupid as it sounds, you'd never thought of seeing Levi eating peaches with his bare hands — not to mention with such a relaxed expression on his face.
You're about to say something when the vendor turns to you with a grin. "Does his caretaker want some too?"
You immediately blush. It's not his fault, really, but that's what everyone always assumes: that you're either Levi's caretaker or his wife. And it's not only extremely frustrating, but also kinda embarrassing.
Before you can correct him, however — like you always do whenever someone mistakes your relationship — Levi intervenes.
"She's not my caretaker", he snaps coldly.
He's about to add something else — probably something unkind — when you grab his shoulder and smile awkwardly at the greengrocer. "He's right, I'm not his caretaker, but I'd still like to try those peaches."
Levi snorts. "Tch. No need to ask him. Here, take this", he asks while lifting a wedge to your mouth. Your mind goes absolutely blank — what the hell is he doing? — but before you can think about anything else you find yourself leaning onwards and taking a bite from his hand.
"Oh my God, Levi, this is so freaking good...!"
You immediately blush again, looking away from his evident smirk. His gesture was so damn intimate, and you're sure as hell that he knows it. He might not be aware of the feelings you have for him, but he never misses the chance to tease you a bit in these situations.
"Told you", he says while scrolling his shoulders.
Useless to say, not even three minutes later you're walking away with a bunch of peaches in your bag — thanking the vendor before walking to the next stand.
As soon as you're far enough from the fruit stall, Levi frowns. "I hate when people disrespect you like that. If only that brat had known that you'd be able to slice him in half with a sword, he would have ran away while shitting his pants."
You can't help but laugh hard. "It wasn't his fault, I don't mind it. But thanks you regardless", you say slightly amused. You absolutely love it when Levi tries to hide his personal concerns behind silly jokes or sarcasm. You sigh a little and look at the nearest stand.
"Oh, look, it sells jewelry", you say with a surprised voice. You've never had the chance to wear or even see such elaborate items back in Paradis — so you never got used to them, not even after the war. You do have some earrings you only wear in special occasions, actually, but you never felt the need of wearing other accessories like bracelets, necklaces or rings.
(You've contemplated buying a ring more than once, but that was mainly because Levi has worn one ever since you met him and you got curious.)
"Do you want to take a look?", he asks.
You scroll your head. "They're too expensive." Not that you really care, actually.
Levi snorts. "For God's sake. Our money can handle a necklace from time to time."
You look at him confused. "You want to buy me a necklace?"
He looks at you more seriously than ever. "If you find one that you like, I don't see why not."
Curious about this sudden wish of him, you approach the stand and start going through the necklace section. You have to admit, they all look pretty good — but it takes you a while to find one that actually speaks to you. The thin chain made of the smallest silver rings you've ever seen is almost invisible, but what really attracts you is the pendant: a small, teardrop shaped gemstone of a blue so light and tender that you immediately feel it yours. It's beautiful.
You must have been staring at it for a while, because Levi tilts his head and asks you: "You like that one?"
You nod, still fascinated by the way the gemstone glows more vibrant under the sun. You try it on and turn to him. "What do you think?"
"If you like it, then there's no point in asking me."
You roll your eyes, a little annoyed. "Levi, please. I need the opinion of a friend here", you say, trying your best to ignore the way your voice almost got stuck at the word friend. "How does it look?"
Levi directs his gaze to the exposed skin of your throat, almost glowing in the late afternoon light. The necklace and the pendant are actually pretty, he thinks — but he can only look at you. He does not even try to focus on the jewelry, all he thinks about is how fucking desperately he wants to bury himself — his lips — in the curve of your neck. Leave marks on your skin, hear you moan as his mouth lingers on your most sensitive spots. Breathe your refreshing smell, and drown in it.
The sudden desire stings so hard all over Levi's body that he has to look away. It's indecorous to stare at you so intensely, especially as he's aware of how unrequited that feeling is. He'd rather live miserably for the rest of his life rather than letting you see how shamelessly much he burns for you.
However, you certainly don't miss how his grey eye almost immediately pulls away from you.
Of course, you think, so embarrassed that you'd very much like to disappear. Of course he has no intention of looking at your bare neck. He must think it's indecent.
"Well, then, I guess I'll leave it here", you mumble while searching the cart for an empty space to leave the necklace. What a shame. You really liked it.
Once again, Levi is able to see through you and sense your disappointment — most likely caused by his underwhelming reaction. You're not looking at him, so you slightly startle when he quickly closes his fingers around your wrist.
"Wait."
You stare at him confused and surprised. "What?"
He clears his voice. The last thing he wants is to hurt your feelings, so now he has to make up for his mistake. "It looks good on you."
Your eyes widen. "It does?"
You seem doubtful, and he squeezes your arm. "Yes. That color compliments your skin." And, before you can answer, he turns to nearby the seller. "Oi. We'd like to buy this."
The old woman standing behind the cart lights up. "Oh, that one? I'm so glad. I've had it for months, and no one ever took it in consideration because of how humble it is... which was a shame, because aquamarine is by far my favorite."
You blink. "Aquamarine?"
The woman nods. "It's one of the less known gemstones, you know? But it's beautiful. It's bound to emotions and spirituality, and they say it helps you heal from the wounds of the past."
Without realizing it, a little smile blooms on your face. "Aquamarine. I like it. It's perfect."
Levi nods, almost impatient. "Then, as I said, we'll take it."
Suddenly, you turn to him — registering his words. "Wait, Levi! You didn't even look at the pri—"
He scrolls his head. "I don't care. It's a gift."
The seller seems delighted as she takes the necklace from your hands and puts it in a little box — all while you stare at Levi with your mouth open. "But..."
"No buts. I've already settled."
You almost tear up at the gesture, and instinctively throw your arms around his neck. "Oh, Levi, thank you!"
He immediately freezes, not used in the slightest by this kind of affection. His brain goes completely blank, struggling to process how warm and alive you feel in his arms — and he can't help but soften a little as he awkwardly puts one arm around your back. You almost immediately pull away, knowing how unexpected that might feel to Levi — and you're surprised to see him giving you the smallest smile.
"I told you, it's a gift", he says. He takes the necklace from the box and gently puts it around your neck, his hand lingering on your nape and making you shiver.
You lock eyes with him, feeling an invisible string tying you together. A connection so alluring and undoubtedly warm that it fills you with comfort. Does he feel it too?
You try not to daydream, but from the look in his silver eye... it seems like he does.
And before you know it, you're both blushing like idiots.
—
When the dancing stops and your group is ready to go again, you're still a blushing and smiling mess. You truly have no idea of what happened with Levi — you just know that it felt so damn magical and that you'd give anything for something like it to happen again. Your mind keeps replaying those sweet moments over and over again, even when you eat the sandwiches you bought from Reiner's favorite place for dinner.
The sun is setting and a fresh breeze caresses your bare legs, making your dress swirl around. The light dances on the aquamarine pendant, and you can't stop looking at it. It seems like it's been years since your and Levi's discussion this morning, and you're thankful for it.
You feel really happy right now.
You let yourself enjoy these last moments with your friends, carrying with you each one of their laughs. The way Gabi and Falco hold hands, or how Jean playfully carries Pieck in bridal style after she told him she was tired. With deliberate calm, you all return to where your little journey started — the pier.
As soon as you get there, the sun lazily hides behind its navy cover — slowly at first, then in a rush after. Truthfully, you don't you'll ever get tired of watching the sun set on the sea. Hell, the reason why you were always so eager to go on the top of the walls back in Paradis was because you so desperately wanted to see where the sun landed. You wanted to see it fade away, no matter how stupid and silly that juvenile wish of yours might have been.
With a smile, you remember that evening in Trost (more or less twelve years ago) when you asked Levi to take you there — and he refused to help you until you told him why. You were so embarrassed, painfully aware of how childish it sounded and ready to accept Levi's inevitable teasing. But instead, he looked at you with the most serious look and started walking towards the nearest wooden elevator.
"What are you doing?", you had asked him surprised. (No matter how much time passes, he's still unpredictable like the first time you met him. Even now, all he does is surprise you — constantly, to the point that you can't help but gaze at him in wonder every time he does.)
"Tch. Taking you up there, of course. You asked me to, no?"
You blinked. "Really? I thought you'd find it stupid. And, well, we're not supposed to go on the top of the walls without permission." At that point, you blushed. You had never really been one to break rules.
You remember Levi's smirk, and that was the first time you consciously noticed how handsome and genuinely human he looked when his expression wasn't stoic.
"I though you wanted to see the sunset."
You rolled your eyes at the teasing. "I do."
He had made a gesture with his arm, inviting you to join him. "Come on, then. If we keep waiting, the only thing we'll be able to see is the fucking moon."
You laughed, and ran to him as adrenaline rushed in your veins. You never had the chance to share such private moments with Levi, and you could feel your breath catching in your throat just at the thought.
"We'll be quick", you said. "So we won't get caught. And even if we will, maybe it'll be worth it."
He smirked again. The auburn light of dusk danced through his raven hair, and to you he had never looked more beautiful.
"Let's go see this sunset, then."
Useless to say, that was the best sunset you had ever seen.
You're still lost in the memories, so you don't immediately register the words you hear all of a sudden.
"What are you thinking about?"
There again, his voice. Practical, almost harsh, yet never rude. Always able to bring you back to the present.
"Huh?"
"You were thinking about something. Something... happy."
You turn to him. You're both sitting on a stone bench facing the sea, while the ambassadors are chatting nearby waiting for the fireworks. He's slightly leaning towards you, both of his eyes — the normal and the milky one — looking like steel in the early night. Starlight shines on his dark locks.
"I was thinking about that time when I asked you to bring me on the top of the walls to see the sunset", you say honestly.
He seems to immediately remember that day, even though you have no idea that the reason why it's so carved in his memories is because it's one of the most intimate moments you two shared together when you were still young and careless.
The sunset was beautiful just like you said, but he wasn't even looking at the it. He was looking at you.
He grunts. "It took you so long to get off that damn elevator that Erwin caught us. Good for us that he didn't say anything to the Commander."
You chuckle and look at him intensely. "Honestly? I'd do it again."
You didn't expect his answer. "Me too", he says in a thoughtful tone.
Just like before with the necklace, your eyes are locked. Unable to pull away. Frankly, you'd rather freeze time — and yourselves in it — rather than break the connection. You want to get lost in his silver gaze. You want to lean in and place a kiss on each one of those scars of his that you love so much. You want him.
For less than a second, your gaze falls on his lips — if your heart wasn't beating so fast, maybe you would have noticed the subtle way his whole body jolted towards you, hands shaking in anticipation — and you're right about to fucking kiss him when a scream interrupts your burning desire.
"Look, the fireworks!"
You both turn away, color pink secretly flushing both of your faces. You fix your eyes on the stunning deep blue of the sky, shining with stars — and now with the colorful joviality of the playful fireworks you love to admire every year.
At first the idea that people genuinely liked watching those noisy, scary things was hard to grasp — actually, you were so fucking terrified when you first saw them that Levi had to put his arm around you to prevent you from breaking down, the sound of loud explosions whistling your ears. Now that you got acquainted to them, though, they don't scare you anymore.
Well, they'd probably more enjoyable if they didn't make so much noise. But you still like them.
You lose yourself in the bright lights dancing above the sea, barely hearing everyone else's comments. You know how people tend to express their feelings out loud while watching something so exciting — but you don't, and Levi doesn't either.
Surprisingly, the glimmering show of bronze, red, pink — and silver — lights up some sort of powerful emotion in you. Fireworks are unpredictable, you think. You never know which color and emotion they'll wear — at least, not until they show it off in all of their fierce beauty.
Just like Levi.
"They're beautiful", you mutter under your breath to no one in particular.
"They are."
You don't even have to turn to know that it's Levi speaking, in the same absentminded tone you used. You don't look at him, choosing to focus on the fireworks, but you can feel him next to you.
My place is next to him.
That's what you said in front of Erwin and Levi a late afternoon of many years ago.
Even now, it's still true.
—
When you and Levi get home, it's barely eleven. The ambassadors had to leave early, hopefully getting a nice night of sleep before their departure tomorrow morning.
You told them goodbye proudly, holding in a tight embrace every single one of them as you stated how proud you are of knowing them. You ruffled Jean's perfect hair and kissed Pieck on both of her cheeks. Even Reiner and Annie let you hug them, a fleeting and warm moment you'll never forget. Because yes, the feeling of never seeing them for months — or even more — certainly stings. But, much to your surprise, none of you were sad when saying goodbye.
What filled all of your eyes wasn't fear, but hope. Hope and faith in humanity. And that's what made you the happiest.
Once you shower and dress up for the night, you go back to the living room. Levi is there, reading a book on the couch as always.
"Want some tea?", you ask lightheartedly.
His eye doesn't even leave the book. "Yeah."
You smile a little when going to the kitchen to heat the water. Your tea might not be perfect, but you're the only person whose one is good enough for Levi to drink.
After thirteen years, you most certainly have learned some tricks or two.
As soon as his black tea and your mint one are ready, you take the warm cups in your hands and go back to the couch. You sit right next to Levi, your bodies brushing as you take a peek to whatever he's reading. You grunt. "Another detective story? You must have read three of them only in the past week. Don't you ever get tired?"
He snorts, but he'd be lying if he said that every single touch between you didn't give him thrills. "Shut up, idiot. I know you'll be asking me to read it in less than a month."
You chuckle a little before turning serious. "Levi?"
"Mmh?"
"You were right, you know. About the kids. I'll still worry, but I think I've underestimated them. They're going to be fine, even in Paradis."
"Tch. I'm always right." Levi takes a sip of tea from his cup, still focusing on his book.
Too tired to tease him back, you close your eyes and make yourself comfortable while clinging to his warm, familiar body. Too bad that you're too tired to notice how he's been staring at the same page for ten minutes, still overwhelmed by how close you are.
He looks at you and rolls his eyes. "Idiot. If you really want to sleep here, you should at least take a blanket", he says. Without scrolling you, he moves his arm back to take the cover folded over the headboard of the couch for emergencies like this.
Gently, he wraps it around you and you let out a small sigh.
"I really liked those fireworks", you mumble from his shoulder.
Levi thinks back to the way your eyes dove into them, an innocent smile painted on your lips like a child. "I know."
His gaze softens as he watches you drift into sleep.
"They're beautiful", you said while looking at the fireworks.
"They are", he answered. And they really were.
Yet, he wasn't looking at them. He was looking at you.
author’s note: funnily enough, this chapter was supposed to be much shorter and mainly full of domestic scenes — i have no idea of how it turned into a mix of angst, fluff and yearning, but i like how it turned out. sorry if this took me so long to write! however, part four is basically already written and ready to be published soon :)
uhh so yk how levi grew up in the underground & basically didnt go to school or whatver?? what about a sweet moment where after he becomes captain, the reader (whos another squad leader) notices that he can neither read nor write so she teaches him in their spare time??
ughh could u imagine him shovin a book in ur hand n meekly askin if could read it to him?? </3
Closer
Warnings: none apply
Word count: 2.3k
Authors note: Thank you for the cute request!!(: and apologies for how late this is. Further apologies for my writing of this, I think its a bit disjointed in parts, but I can't keep nitpicking. So, I think I saw somewhere before that Hange helped Levi learn how to read and write, but I can’t remember where I saw that exactly, so don’t quote me or anything! I’ve incorporated that element here anyways!
It was clear to them all, after a few expeditions, that Levi’s skills far surpassed any other soldier. Not only had Erwin’s long-distance formation been a valuable addition to the regiment, but with Levi lending his strength, it had brought a boost in morale too. Shortly after Erwin replaced Shadis as Commander, Levi was promoted to Captain of the Scouts. Whispers of glee and joy at sighting him before and after expeditions always seemed to filter through the crowd. You couldn’t help feeling a small ounce of relief and pride at how the disapproval he had originally earned had melted into respect and admiration.
Since Levi had joined the Survey Corps, you had minimal to no contact with him. Keeping to himself, in the beginning he had sat with his friends and after their passing he was the only one occupying the table. It hadn’t taken long before Hange had managed to invite him to sit with them instead, but even then, he kept them all at arm’s length.
You had been content to not force any interaction, to leave him be and offer nothing but respect on the rare occasions you did exchange fleeting words. You thought that would be as far as your relationship would go with him, until late one evening everything changed.
Having just finished your own paperwork for the evening, a contented sigh passed your lips at seeing the work neatly done in front of you. Assuredly, there would be more tomorrow, the paperwork was an endless role that needed to be fulfilled, but for now, you were finished. After tidying away the last of your writing utensils, you made to blow out the final candle in your office and leave for the night.
Yet, when you closed the door behind you and made to turn the corner, it had been the worst timing as you bumped right into someone else. Stumbling backwards you landed harshly on the ground and by the sounds of it the other person did too.
‘hmph!’
The sound of fluttering paper accompanied the annoyance of the other person and when you gathered a moment to realise what had happened, you saw Levi on the ground himself and a harsh glare in his eyes at you being the cause of this. You grimaced at the predicament and eager to avoid his glare, you glanced around to see numerous documents were scattered around the two of you.
“Oh here let me give you a hand.” Swiftly pushing yourself into a kneeling position you went to gather the pieces of parchment together.
Only, offering this seemed to cause a flicker of alarm to cross his features and Levi swiftly began to grab pieces of paper before you could. “It’s fine.”
Between as many pieces scattered around the both of you and your eagerness to be of help to a situation you had caused, it was nearly impossible for Levi to have gathered them all before you could get to them. Which meant, once your eyes caught sight of lined pages with large and disjointed writing, you paused.
Kneeling on the ground and with the pages clutched in your hands, you saw the almost child like writing repeat words such as ‘cat’ ‘dog’ ‘horse’ the latter seeming to cause more difficulty judging by the scribbles and repeated heaviness of the ink. Keeping your eyes trained on the words you suddenly became aware of how intensely Levi was watching your expressions. It didn’t take you long to put the pieces together, Levi carrying sheets of paper that looked to belong to a child learning how to write and how quick he had been to try gather them before you could see.
The papers were snatched from your grasp and you blinked once, twice, before slowly raising your gaze to Levi. Flushed red, his expression remained as cool and indifferent as always, despite the colour, but in his eyes you saw the embarrassment as clear as day. If anything, you saw how he looked as if he was ready to bolt and walk away from this at a moment’s notice. Of course, he couldn’t write, who in the underground could have taught it?
Levi busied himself by clicking his tongue, muttering something about the mess of the hallway and he gathered the remaining pages before standing up and brushing down his uniform. Meanwhile you remained kneeling, keenly aware of how the next words you came out with had the potential to be utterly damaging.
“I have a spare notebook.” You blurted out and Levi’s eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion. “You might find it useful instead of carrying sheets of paper, the notebook would keep it all together…” Your voice trailed off at the end, silence falling between the both of you. Levi kept averting his gaze, but it seemed the look in his eyes that indicated he was a flight risk, was diminishing.
“Alright.” He agreed and you saw the way he seemed to swallow nervously. Able to breathe out in relief that you had avoided making him feel uncomfortable or even more embarrassed, you finally stood up too. Offering him a small smile you lead the way back to your office. It wasn’t his fault that he had been raised in such impoverished conditions and been denied rights that other children on the surface received.
Once inside your office, it only took you a few moments to light a candle and find the spare notebook in the desk drawer. All the while, Levi stood in the doorway, glancing around smoothly to watch for anyone passing. When you handed him the notebook, he took it and tucked it on top of the sheets of paper. His steely grey eyes leveled you with a cool look, the dim light failing to conceal how a light flush still appeared on his cheeks.
“Not a word to anyone else or you’ll regret it. Is that clear?”
“Yes sir.”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ➴ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Levi proceeded to entirely ignore that the incident had ever happened. Sometimes you would find yourselves crossing paths in the corridor and he would give a small nod in your direction before proceeding to avert his gaze again, the moment brief and fleeting. But mostly, you found yourself going about your own duties and him to his own. Enough time passed that it had all but left your mind.
Anticipating a long night ahead of you, you sighed lowly seeing the large stack of paperwork you still had to get through. After the last expedition, which had seen more causalities and deaths than the previous few, it left for numerous reports needing to be filled. It didn’t seem to matter how many reports you had gotten through, the pile of work that was to be completed, hardly diminished.
Deciding a cup of tea would invigorate your spirits, you made for the kitchens, all the while being careful to walk down the quiet hallway. The mess hall was completely empty when you entered and a soft hum passed your lips absentmindedly, it didn’t matter whether you were good or not, there was something liberating about a silent space and no one there to hear you. Pushing the door open to the kitchen you stopped dead in your tracks, just as Levi hurriedly shut a notebook and pushed it away.
“It’s only me.” You tried to offer, seeing the abandoned quill and the slight blush to his cheeks, despite how he tried to play off that nothing was amiss. His shoulders seemed to slightly relax knowing that it was just you “I thought I’d make some tea, I can make you one too. How do you like your tea?”
“Black, no milk or sugar.”
Your reply came in a short hum of approval before you busied yourself with making the tea to each of your preferences. Setting the cup of tea down beside him, you tentatively pulled out the dining chair across from him and sat down, grasping your mug of tea in both of your hands.
“You don’t have to discuss it if you don’t want to.” You offered kindly, giving him the space to know that what he wanted would be prioritised more than your own curiosity. “But what are you working on?”
Even the mentioning of it brought back a deeper blush to his cheeks and Levi cleared his throat, lifting the rim of his cup to his lips and letting an almost comfortable silence fall between the two of you. “Numbers.”
“Oh.” You raised your eyebrows, nothing but excitement in your tone at how he seemed to be progressing steadily. “That sounds good.”
“Tch. Your concept of good seems shitty.” It didn’t matter that he tried to deflect with insults and instead his words only caused a small smile to curl on the edge of your lips.
“Its progress and progress sounds good to me. Who’s teaching you?”
“…Hange.” Levi admitted lowly, his eyes flicking towards the notebook you had given him. It warmed your heart to see that it had been useful to him, you felt a small sense of pride at being able to contribute to his learning.
“But not tonight?” You inquired, quite possibly tethering on pushing it too far.
“No. Four eyes is drooling over plans for capturing a Titan.” Levi scoffed at the mere thought, the shift at talking about anything except his lack of writing skills seeming to bring back his usual confident voice.
“I see… so Hange is unable to teach you every night?”
“No, they cant always.”
“I could teach you on those nights then.” The words fell from your lips all too eagerly at the opportunity to offer more than just a notebook.
For a moment Levi seemed taken aback by your eagerness, his eyes narrowing slightly as if he was trying to figure out if you had an ulterior motive. You couldn’t help notice how he sometimes exuded distrustful mannerisms, no doubt from the years he spent in the underground. Even so, you kept silent after the offer, leaving it to his own decision and not forcing a single thing.
“What would you get out of it?”
“Nothing.”
That seemed to cause his eyes to narrow further, the calculating look in his eyes remaining even as he took another sip from his tea.
“Its not your fault that you weren’t taught when you were younger. I imagine its been practically impossible to complete your paperwork without the ability to write… so while I might not get anything out of it, personally, it is the right thing to do. You’ve offered your life to the scouts, allow me to offer something to you in return.”
Steel grey eyes almost softened, the calculative look disappearing and instead Levi nodded his head once in agreement. “Hange and I meet after dinner.”
“Then we will too.”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ➴ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
The first couple of nights that you both met had been awkward and difficult to get used to. Arguably, Levi seemed more uncomfortable with admitting how basic his skills truly were. It didn’t matter though, because he was met with no judgement and only encouragement from you. Both of you would sit side by side at your desk, you’d go over the different letters for words and through a series of writing them out and letting Levi copy them and discover his own writing style.
Knowing that he loved the decadence of tea, you always had a tray with a cup just the way he liked it waiting for him. It seemed to ease the discomfort he felt over his low leveled skills and slowly but surely, you both fell into a steady routine. Somewhere along the way you noticed how well he responded to praise, words of encouragement and a pleased tone with how well he was doing always seemed to make the usually composed Captain grow quite flustered. But you were more than eager to offer praise to him, always feeling a sense of pride at how far he had come and how the originally child like writing had began to form its own style, meticulous and clear to read. Between both your guidance and Hange’s, Levi was not only improving drastically, but was losing his lack of confidence along the way too.
In the beginning, the both of you had treated it almost like a business deal, meeting to practice before exchanging goodbyes and repeating the process a few nights later. However, as time progressed the dynamic between the both of you began to shift, sometimes you would both stray to different topics of conversation or indulge in a second cup of tea after the lesson was over.
On one such occasion, Levi had glanced around your office, having become so familiar with it over the past few months. His eyes landed on your bookshelf, a modest small collection, no doubt a reflection of what a measly soldiers pay could afford. That day you both sat opposite each other after the lesson was over, you had opted not to have a second cup of tea that day, but Levi indulged in his.
“Which one is your favourite?”
The title fell from your lips without hesitation and Levi’s eyebrows rose ever so slightly in mild interest. “Oh... read it to me…” voicing the request came out meeker than he had intended, and he inwardly cursed at how he could never seem to contain his composure around you. More recently he had found himself stuttering sometimes, but he was not yet ready to acknowledge why that was the case and instead leaned towards inwardly cursing himself when he did.
A small smile formed on your lips and his eyes lingered on it, liking how it only highlighted how attractive you were. Seemingly happy by the request, you rose from your desk and retrieved the book before flicking to the first page. That night, as you began to read your favourite book to him, Levi found his gaze trailing to look out the window at the twinkling stars permeating the canopy of the night sky. He grew lost in the tone of your voice, finding your words soothing beyond description as he raised the rim of his tea towards his lips. While he had only ever felt shame at his writing skills, it had brought him one good thing, the opportunity to get closer to you. It was then that he realised with a sense of fondness that, you had grown to be one of the most important people in his life.
After taking up residency in Marley, Levi and his Second adjust to a new life without Titans while sharing an apartment and managing a little tea shop.
pairing: levi ackerman/f!reader
word count: 2.3k
series masterlist | part two
the song that inspired this chapter
Settling in Marley wasn't easy.
It's been three years since what everyone calls the Battle of Heaven and Earth, but to you it seems like yesterday. Fear. Helplessness. Shocking revelations. These are only few of the things that come to your mind whenever you think of the battle that changed history forever. Things that still haunt you in your sleep.
Truthfully, you don't even know how you ended up in a foreign town while managing the cutest tea shop you've ever seen with your ex Captain by your side.
After the Battle, life went on. Not that any of you actually recovered, but people started building and living again. You should have done so too. But you knew it was impossible. Impossible and ridiculous, because your dream about a world without Titans had finally become true and you had no idea of what do to next.
Ironically, the months you spent in what was left of Marley after the Rumbling were the worst of your life. The emptiness in your heart was almost too overwhelming to bear — you had no purpose, no dreams, no hopes left.
The only thing you remember clearly is Levi.
It's hard to remember the constant state of fear you were in after everything broke down in Paradis and you found yourself in the middle of a war while Levi was half dead in Hange's arms. The blood, the bandages. You rushing next to him as soon as you were told he was going to get better, whispering his name and stroking his hair while crying on his scars. At that time, relief was your only thought. Relief that Levi — your Captain, your friend, the man you hopelessly fell in love with many years before — was still alive. Nothing else mattered to you back then. And nothing else mattered to you after the war. Taking care of Levi (just like you promised yourself back then) was the only thing that kept you sane during those months. You helped him with his wounds, stood beside him as he saw countless doctors, lightly squeezed his hands or shoulders when he was close to his breaking point: despite everything, you managed to keep faith to your old promise. And you stayed by his side, even though you didn't know what would happen after.
The pivotal moment came four months after the Battle of Heaven and Earth, when Armin, Jean, Connie, Reiner, Annie and Pieck chose to be Peace Ambassadors for Marley. You were genuinely happy for them and their fresh start: they had been like children to you, and you loved them deeply. But at the same time, it was hard seeing them go. It was as if everyone was moving forward except you. It kept you up at night, made you feel stuck. The only anchor you had left was Levi. And he needed you more than ever, because he couldn't walk properly anymore.
You still remember that September morning. The kids (they'll always be kids to you) had left, and you and Levi were having breakfast together as the sunlight shined through the windows. Onyankopon had brought you some pastries, and the two of you were eating in silence like you got used to after the Battle.
"So, what do you want to do?"
Your eyes immediately darted to him. You didn't expect him to start a conversation, not to mention with a random question. "What do you mean?"
Levi cleared his voice. "The brats chose their path as ambassadors. I was wondering if you figured something out too."
You looked down at the pastry in your hand and stayed quiet for a while. Then you sighed. "Not really."
"Well, me neither." A moment of silence, then: "Will you join the ambassadors too?"
You studied him more carefully. He looked pretty relaxed, with his bad leg bent over the other one and the grey eye seeing right through you. There hadn't been many times in which you two shared heartfelt conversations after the war — actually, you spent the previous four months in almost total silence — so you were a little surprised when he asked you such a straightforward question.
You sighed again. "No", you said slowly. "I'm sure that they'll be great ambassadors. But I just cannot imagine myself next to them." You shook your head. "Whenever I think about Paradis or the war... it's just too much."
Levi gave a small nod, as if he were expecting your answer. "Frankly, I have no intention of going with them either."
This time you were really surprised. "Is it because of the leg?"
"No. It's because I'm tired and I want to rest."
The depth of those words struck you, and the two of you sat in silence until he opened his mouth again.
"I thought... we could do something together."
Your eyes widened in shock. Levi was being so talkative and straightforward that you almost didn't believe it was him. It took you a while to uncover the full meaning of those words, but you did it. After all, you had known him for ten years. You knew that he was short with words, and that his raw and brutal sentences often hid more heartfelt meanings.
"So... you want us to stick together?" It was merely what he actually intended to say, and you knew it. Even though he'd never said it, you were aware of the fact that — for some reason — you mattered a great deal to him. Just like he was the only person you had left, you probably were his. And if your only wish left was to spend the rest of your life with him, then maybe he wanted something similar too. Thinking about it made your heart throb.
Levi moved uncomfortably in his armchair. He wished to be better with words. He was afraid that if he hadn't told you you how important you were to him you would have left, and he couldn't stand the thought of not having you around like you always were all those years back in Paradis.
"Yes", he said slowly. The way you were looking at him told him that you had understood how there was more to his words than just "sticking together", and he was thankful for it. (Honestly, even now he still doesn't understand how you — someone so tender, understanding and overall just perfect — could ever devote your heart to someone like him. But you did, and you've always been by his side no matter how bad things were.) He knew he never deserved you, but in that moment he had never been more grateful to have you around. And even if it was selfish of him, he's didn't want to let you go.
Silence set between you two. Levi could see that you were thinking, you were actually thinking hard to come up with a solution like you always did. Guilt settled in his stomach — he didn't want to rush your decision like that. He knew you were trying hard not to crumble, even months after the end of the war, and the last thing he wanted was to pressure you.
"Listen, you don't have to think about it right now..."
"No, it's alright", you murmured. "Thinking is good."
Levi finished his pastry and drank his tea, his grey eye studying you. His heart was beating fast. Please, don't leave. Please.
After a few minutes, you looked at him surprisingly calm. All of a sudden, the emptiness in your heart had stopped being a burden. It wasn't scary anymore, only... quiet. Peaceful, even. As if you were a white canvas, an empty room ready to be filled with something new.
For the first time in your life, you could start from scratch. You could choose your own future.
To Levi's surprise, a little smile appeared on your lips. He had never seen you more relaxed.
"How about... working together?"
The man in front of you raised a brow. "What do you mean?"
You blushed. "It probably sounds stupid, but... you once told me how you would have wanted to open a tea shop if it wasn't for the Titans. Well, now the Titans are gone. We could just... buy a shop in town and make it ours. Live in a small apartment above it. Work together like normal people, go out for dinner, do ordinary things. Would it be so bad?"
Suddenly, you couldn't look at him. You and Levi had spent a decade by each other's side, but you never actually lived together — not like some kind of couple. Just the thought made you feel terribly awkward, but at the same time you wouldn't have wished for anything else in the world.
Levi listened to you absolutely astonished. A... tea shop? That was unexpected. Never in a million years he would have thought about the two of you doing something so normal together. Yes, he wanted to keep you around, but... living with you and next to you? All the time? Scary. Terrifying. And exactly what his selfish heart wanted.
For a few seconds, he let his mind wander and explore the possibilities. Having your own shop and house, filling your apartment with little things, sharing meals together three times a day, reading together on the couch, going out for dinner... He knew you didn't burn out of love for him like he did with you, yet he found himself yearning for all of those little, ordinary, comforting things.
"Is that what you want?", he asked unsure.
Your eyes were twinkling as the light danced through your hair. The tea had certainly already gone cold.
You nodded. "I think it would be nice."
"Then let's do it."
After that conversation, everything happened quite quickly. It wasn't confusing or stressing, but actually pretty exciting. Your heart was bursting out of excitement as you and Levi officially resigned from whatever was left of the army two days later, and even though you both agreed to take things easily you couldn't help but be excited. You finally had something bright and hopeful to look forward to.
You definitely couldn't tell who was more surprised between you and Levi when you announced your decision to Gabi and Falco and they literally started dancing around out of joy. From that moment onwards they became your biggest supporters, and along with Onyankopon they actively helped you out in finding a small affordable place near the town centre.
It took you a while to set up the shop and the apartment, but both you and Levi were quite satisfied with how they turned out. Doing something so mundane such as panting the walls with the soft pastel colors you liked or watching Levi decorate his room was unusual at first, but quickly filled you with small sprinkles of lightheartedness and comfort.
Once everything was done and the shop was ready to be opened, your new life actually started. As you both predicted, things were certainly awkward at first.
("Levi, why the hell are you blushing? I just got up, I didn't even say anything...")
("Those silk shorts you bought... they're short.")
(This time you blushed too. "It's hot outside, you know? Try to get used to them. They're called shorts for a reason.")
Well, sometimes you really didn't want to share the only bathroom in the house with the man you were in love with.
It took Levi a while to get acquainted with the apartment. At first, he was much more comfortable in the tea shop: the only thing he had to worry about down there was making tea for customers as you worked by the counter and managed the sweets that came with the orders. After a while, though, he began to find himself more and more relaxed in the upper part of the house. Reading a book on the couch he personally chose, watching you sunbathe on the small balcony, cleaning his cherrywood library: all things that progressively went to their right place in the peaceful world you had built for yourselves.
Even now, after three years, every work day goes the same: Levi wakes you up at six o'clock, you make breakfast as he reads the newspaper. You both open the shop and work till midday, when you usually eat something from the near bakery. You work again till seven in the evening, when you clean everything up and Levi goes upstairs to shower. Then he usually cooks dinner as you wash up. Oh, evenings are definitely your favourite part of the day. Being able to spend such intimate moments with Levi makes your heart flutter every single time, not to mention those quiet hours after dinner when you both sit comfortably on the couch and read — sometimes together, sometimes by yourselves.
("Ah, he proposed!")
("Tch. Already?")
(You absolutely love romance novels. Levi secretly likes them too, but won’t explicitly tell you... how adorable is that?)
However, things aren't always easy. For example, you know that Levi still struggles with insomnia. He picked up the habit of falling asleep on the couch or in his bed rather than on a chair, but he never sleeps a whole night off. Other times, he wakes up so grumpy that you have to tell him to treat you a little bit nicer. Some days are tough for both: you rarely talk about the war or Paradis, but the ghosts are still there. The emptiness still visits you from time to time, and all you can do is rest your head on Levi's shoulder and let out some silent tears as he reads one of his novels.
People might point out that your so called "new life" is quite repetitive, but none of you two would care. After all, such repetitiveness is the closest thing to peace you've ever known. Peace. Who would have thought that it could come along a cozy tea shop and an ordinary apartment with a small balcony and a single bathroom?
Probably no one.
author’s note: i expected to write a little bit more than 2.3k words, but to me the chapter is already perfect as it is. part two (which will be set between one and three) will also serve as introduction to the main story. english isn’t my mother tongue and it’s my first time writing something so detailed in it, so please be patient :) feedback is always appreciated though!
Including a blissful family life [no warnings apply]
The pitter patter of feet running across the floorboards alerted you both before you saw them. Door opening as quietly as they could, your children launched onto the soft fabric of the duvet before they sweetly nudged their way between you both. Every morning started like this, your children rising early and eager to be with you both. Always starting the day by going into your room.
They’d lay there sweetly, either hesitantly poking Levi’s cheek softly in an attempt to wake him up or placing their tiny hands on his cheeks and whispering softly about how it was a new day and time to wake up. More often than not, Levi was awake before they came in and they would preform this routine on you instead.
They only ever wanted you both awake so they could be hugged and feel loved, all of which they received without even having to be asked.
These would be the moments Levi loves the most, where you’re all together, no rush to go anywhere, just enjoying being with one another. As it should be. For so long he was used to waking up alone that he knew, he’d never grow tired of the mornings starting like this. Eventually, he’d urge their children to go pick out an outfit to start the day and say that he’d come help them soon.
While their eldest child would move first and have to practically tug their sibling out of the door promising to help pick out an outfit they’d love, Levi would steal a few more moments with you. Only when he heard his children call for him eventually and complain about how long he was taking, he’d find nothing but mild amusement in it. He’d reluctantly get up, leaving you to your morning routine and for a moment he’d pause in the doorway. With the view of you laying curled under the duvet and hearing the familiar laughter of his children down the hall, he’d give you a look you’d seen before.
Summary: Things between you and Levi got weird ever since you saved him.
Pairing: Levi x Reader
Warnings: Fluff and some angst(?)
Words: 4.6K
A/N: I got this idea from a tiktok a while ago, can’t remember the user. Yes, I know the title is very cliche, I thought it was cute.
~~~
The uncomfortable mix of sweat and blood was a common feeling most scouts got used to, but not you. To you, it was probably always going to feel bothersome like an itch you couldn’t scratch. Not like anyone really blames you, even if the blood evaporated the feeling of it somehow always remained. With an annoyed groan, you grabbed the handkerchief from your pocket and attempted to wipe excess blood that remained along with sweet off your brow.
You sighed at the sight of your now dirty handkerchief and leaned back against the tree. It wasn’t a good idea, but you decided to close your eyes even if just for a moment. Ever since the destruction of wall Maria, there had been no expeditions outside the actual walls. At the moment, all there was to do was figure out ways to plug up the holes and exterminate titans skulking around.
WARNINGS: Season 4 Spoilers, Mentions of Blood, Stitching up Major Injuries, Somewhat Angst, Ending In Fluff, FLOCH SLANDER
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, they belong to Hajime Isayama
AOT Masterlist - Main Masterlist
Word Count: 3.6K
A/N: I REPEAT - SEASON 4 SPOILERS!!! Okay, so basically in this, you replace Hange in the little ride that she, Floch, and the rest of his little group takes out into the wilderness when they end up finding the remnants of the cart explosion. This also means you find out what happens to Levi (poor bby). I hope you enjoy, I had a lovely time writing this!
To put it simply, you were pissed off. If anyone could do a deep dive into your brain, navigate your nervous systems, and land themselves straight into your amygdala, they would find out just how livid you are. Being betrayed by your comrades was one thing. You’ve seen corruption in the military before whether it be in the Military Police or in the Garrison, so you knew it was only a matter of time that a seed of deceit sprouted within the Scout Regiment. However, you didn’t think that there would be so many to purposely go against their oath and betray the core values and people who helped the Scouts become who they were. But the real kicker was that you and Hange, two of the highest ranking people in the regiment, were being led out by gunpoint by Floch. As one of the last remaining captains of the Scouts, you were almost humiliated at the thought of cadets technically holding your life in their hands as the group of you rode on horseback.
Summary: Levi woke up in the middle of the night and you awoke as well finding him deep and lost with his own thoughts.
You stir from slumber when you roll unto Levi’s side of the bed and found it empty. You force your eyes open as you sat up only to find his hunched figure by the foot of the bed.
Levi sniffs, clearing his throat as he turns to look at you. “Did I wake you?” he asks, his hand reaching over to touch your leg. “I’m sorry, Y/n. Go back to sleep, I’ll just go get something to drink.” he mutters, slipping his shirt back on. He places a soft kiss on your head as he buttons up his shirt before heading out the room.
You scrub the drowsiness away from your eyes and took Levi’s cloak from the chair by his bedroom window. You wrap it around yourself as you trail Levi to the kitchen.
You found him leaning against the counter, waiting for the kettle to boil. His eyes held something it hasn’t for quite some time and it made your own heart ache.
“Levi?” you murmur, placing a hand on his arm. He didn’t seem to notice your presence before as his head snapped to your direction when you called his name.
“Hey. What are you doing up?” he asks, his voice an octave lower than usual. You also notice his eyes are brimming with tears which he quickly tries to blink away. “What is it, Levi? Is it a nightmare?” you ask, reaching for his cheek. Levi’s lips twitch as a small smile flashes on them. You know him way too much by now that there’s really no point in lying. He lifts you up and sat you over the counter. He then leans his forehead on your shoulder, his hands wrapping around your waist. “It’s fine if you don’t want to tell me.” you whisper, caressing his soft, smooth cheek, knowing well how much he struggles with expressing how he feels.
He sighs and pulls away just enough to look at you. He turns his head to place a kiss on your palm. “It’s not really a nightmare.” Levi finally confessed. “I.. I dreamt of my mom.”
“What was the dream about?” you ask, a sad smile forming on your lips. He told you once already about his mom and he said he wished he could remember more about her. You watch Levi thought about it for a second, his eyes then drifting off to nowhere in particular.
“What are you thinking about?” you ask as you lay on his arm, watching Levi staring blankly up at the ceiling, his hand tracing patterns on your bare back. He blinks and slowly let his gaze fall unto you. A small smile tugs his lips.
“A lot of things.” he says quietly. “Where do I start?”
You smile back, nudging him. “Whatever comes to mind.” you insist.
Levi wets his lips as he stares back up at the ceiling, eyes dancing, getting lost in his own thoughts. “A world different from the one we have. A world without the constant fear of being hunted and eaten alive. A simpler one. Where my hands get dirty preparing tea and food in the kitchen instead of gore and blood outside and within these damn walls.” You watch his eyes go from soft and thoughtful to remorseful and cold.
**MANGA SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 139 - DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU ARE ALL CAUGHT UP**
I’m obsessed with Reincarnation AUs right now, and I’ve been thinking about the ending of AoT as a whole, so this little angsty fic was born. This is also one of the shortest standalone fics I’ve written, so I feel weird about posting it like this. There’s a bit of fluff toward the end, but it’s mostly pain. And lots of it. I apologize ahead of time.
Fandom: Attack on Titan
Pairing: Levi x Reader
Words: 1.8k
Warnings: manga spoilers for Ch. 139, lots of angst, mentions of canon-typical violence, but it’s a Reincarnation AU so I guess everything’s ok in the end? (idk)
-
The smoke hurts his eyes, even through the bandages. It bites at his skin, makes his fingers throb. He’s no stranger to feeling the burn of Titan steam against his flesh—but he can’t wait for the day he doesn’t have to feel it anymore.
By the looks of the battlefield, and the faces of the brats around him, it seems that day has finally come.
Levi drags himself over to a boulder and props himself up against it. His eyes sweep over the scenes before him. Jean and Connie holding each other tightly. The two Marleyan brats throwing themselves at each other. Reiner and Annie reuniting with their parents. Pieck sprawled out on the ground, a lazy smile painted on her face. Mikasa and Armin, huddled together—exchanging soft words and tearful smiles.
His eyes burn from the steam. But as he leans against the boulder, he catches sight of something in the smoke—a flash of green among the silver.
He turns his head—and a crowd of faces smile at him. Faces he hasn’t seen in days, months, years. They all blend together. Silently, he names each face he recognizes, and not surprisingly, there are quite a few.
