A gift I made a while ago for @darkskywishes, and posted now as a hooray for the return of one of my favourite blogs, @scarletskiesinthepaths. Your presence and contributions are very much appreciated by me and many other people in the fandom. 🎉
summary: After Reiner is presumed dead in the Rumbling, Jean struggles to move on. Written for ReiJean Week 2025.
prompt chosen: Reiner's Birthday
sneak peek:
Constant dropping wears away a stone—that’s what Onyankopon tells him. Onyankopon says many smart things, ones that fly over Jean’s head, especially when he’s drunk and unwilling to listen.
He’s like that most days.
Two months have passed since Eren’s head rolled and Mikasa took off with it in an undisclosed direction. Perhaps it’s better this way. Perhaps that’s the only reason Jean isn’t being even more pathetic than usual and chasing after her like a dog. One that has been kicked several times by its owner and still refuses to take a hint.
Perhaps he’s just in the mood for a fight, but neither Onyankopon nor Levi are willing to indulge him.
Levi doesn’t say much. He hasn’t changed in that aspect, even though everything else about him has. He lost his mobility, his strength, his fingers… No, Jean is being a bitch.
None of those things ever defined Levi. He’s still the same man—reserved, calm on the surface. His eye hasn’t lost its sharpness, much like his tongue. Jean can feel Levi’s heavy gaze on the back of his head, can feel his disapproval, thick and dark like a storm cloud, but Levi rarely says anything.
Some post-rumbling activities Levi partakes in with his family.
When I'm downtrodden by life, or when my head gets to thinking about the end...I surround myself with thoughts of Levi settling into his life. Despite all that he has lost, he still has so many people who care about him. Here are some of the things I think he and each of his family members do to spend time and show their love with him. Quite wordy, so I've stashed it under the cut!
His Kids!! (Armin, Connie, Jean, Mikasa, Reiner & Annie)
(As full group field trips or in smaller groupings
- Attending concerts (Jean, Mikasa, Connie, Reiner)
- Dining out at fancy restaurants (Connie, Jean, Reiner, Mikasa, Armin, Annie)
- Sitting around at home catching up (Literally everyone, they have a big family dinner once a month, and then smaller visits sprinkled throughout the month when the schedule calls for it)
- Listening to the radio (Onyan on weeknights, weekends whatever family is over for a visit after dinner)
Gabi & Falco (grandkids basically lol)
- Going to the park
- Visiting local shops (Gabi teaches him how to treat yourself. Falco is there to reel her in. Levi quite likes the secondhand shops. Takes to tinkering with old things, cleaning them and fixing them up like new. He's very practical about it, but Gabi gets him to splurge here and there to get little tchotchkes just because.)
- Library trips
Jean specifically
- Watercoloring!
- Cooking
(Jeanbo teaches Levi how to make his mother's omurice)
- Clothes shopping (beside Onyan, Jean is the only one he trusts to help him pick out clothing. He thinks Jean is quite handsome and dresses nicely and goes to him for fashion advice.
Armin specifically
- Aquarium
- Birdwatching (Levi making really poor sketches of the birds he sees and field notes in the handbound leather notebook Armin got him. Watching Armin after all these years still have that boyish wonder and excitement sometimes chokes Levi up. He adjusts his sunglasses and looks away to play it off) [Jean encourages him to keep up with his doodling, so on some evenings to unwind while spending time with Onyan, Levi will attempt to watercolor some of the birds he sketched.]
- Zoo
- Bookstores (He reminds him so much of Erwin, it pains him to look too closely, but he does. Armin is dashing, curious and so sweet. Levi doesn't have favorites, but he thinks if he had to pick it would be between Jean and Armin)
Connie specifically
- Flower shops (connie gets into horticulture)
- Sight-seeing (conman would know some hole in the wall bars, tea shops and the likes he wants to exp firsthand with Levi in toe!)
- Toy shops (I feel like Connie would try to get Levi into puzzles, figurine collecting building little models. Stuff like that. They would go couple times a month to see what new things came out. Falco and Gabi would sometimes tag along if they have the time! Connie gives fun aunt uncle vibes, Reiner is aloof uncle who can't say no)
Mikasa specifically
- visit Eren
- botanical gardens (they share a similar grief so the two of them can get lost in a beautiful place together to mourn quietly, parallel play style. sometimes they get to talking, sometimes they get to crying. It was a bit awkward at first, but they quickly got accustomed to being vulnerable with each other and it is to both of their benefits
- farmers markets (she is the one who visits the most and makes sure he is eating well!)
Reiner specifically
- sporting events
- gambling joints (Levi thinks gambling is stupid but he is good at it and remains to be Reiner's lucky charm. He always splits his winnings with Levi despite Levi refusing. The money finds its way tucked away into a spot in his wheelchair he finds later in the evening when Onya is settling him down into his favorite armchair.)
- He likely does a lot of the other activities as the others, but these feel Reiner coded.
- Festivals/seasonal events (With Gabi in toe, Falco too. Really this would be a big family event, but I see Reiner being the one to get dragged along to these smaller ones like a cheese fest??? Gabi heard about it and said Levi would love it. Levi isn't sure how he feels but cheese tasting is kind of nice, and the weather is mild and nice out. He entertains them often, going with the flow.)
Annie specifically
- I feel like these two would seldom hang alone, as Annie would likely tag along with Armin or Reiner (the two shes closest too)
- She does on her travels procure different teas and they find their way into Levi's cabinets. They are both a bit quiet and standoffish, so their relationship is subdued, but they do care for one another. Just in an introvert's paradise kinda way haha. Onyan catches her one day going into the pantry, and a shy awkward exchange happens but Onyan assures her not to worry and he gets to talking and telling her which teas Lee has taken a liking to, which she mentally notes on to stock up on for him on her next visit.
Onyan!
- play cards and board games
- silly discussions (there's so much Levi doesn't know due to all that time spent in the underground so he and Onyan get to talking about the most random things. Levi asks questions and Onyan is happy to explain, no judgement.
- cooking! (Onyan can throw down in the kitchen. lee likes to help)
- baths (punching giddily into the air for nonsexual intimacy)
- reading (Onyan likes to read to Levi, curled up on the couch after a long day)
- listening to Levi open up about his life. (It's painfully slow, but it does happen eventually, and he shares stuff about his life to.)
- making tea! (Onya is keen on learning to master tea to impress Levi. It's one of the things he subconsciously started working towards before he realized what he was doing, trying to impress Levi.)
