See You Soon pt 1
Pairing: Levi x Black fem reader
Synopsis: Levi is the regimented, hyper-competent captain of the Scout regiment who's lost too much and has had enough of everyone's shit. Until he sees you, a Marleyan scientist he's so hopelessly in love with it pisses him off. The question is, when will he admit his feelings to himself, and her, before it's too late?
Tags: romance, flirting, canon-compliant, yearning, denial, worldbuilding, will they/won't they, light smut (later)
Wordcount: 900
Let me know what y'all think so far <3
Levi had no love for mornings—they always wanted something from him, and usually got it. This summer was hot as hell and his fan conked out last week. He could run it over to the mechanics’ wing after duty, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t fix himself.
After leading formation, he was chained to his desk playing hurry up and wait. Equipment requisitions, blade replacements, death certs—everything needed signing. Even if you died, you needed a good dose of red tape before the squad made it official.
His throat went dry when he read the next page:
Lang, Heinrich
Age: 25
Cause of death: Tension pneumothorax, titan encounter
Date: July 2nd. Yesterday. Guy talked a lot of shit but he was still a kid. Levi penned an additional cause of death in the margins: building collapse. Logistics likes to order more beer than steel. How about that?
He was almost done with the first stack when he was interrupted. Again.
“Sir!” A young cadet sporting little red wisps on his top lip marched in, out of breath. He saluted, holding it until Levi nodded. “Shadis says it’s urgent. The survey mission is being moved and he needs to run the changes by you.”
Hurry up.
“When?” Levi asked.
“This afternoon.”
Wait.
“All right,” Levi said, getting back to the mountain of paperwork waiting for him.
Something must have knocked this kid silly, because he was still standing there. Levi wiped his hand over his face and sighed. “That was a dismissal, son.” When he glanced down at the kid’s boots, they were so abysmally scuffed he should have just wrapped burlap over his feet. It would have looked better. Levi gave him a look that said as much.
Benji saluted, red spreading across his cheeks. “Sir,” he said, then turned on his heel and left.
Levi shook his head. The MPs needed to run a tighter ship. They were giving titles out left and right now. Have you sneezed lately? You too can be a member of Paradis’ esteemed Eldian police brigade.
Just when he thought about closing his door, someone knocked on it. It was a soft knock. Polite, like that would annoy him less.
“Yeah?” he said without looking up.
The first thing he noticed was your smell. It was familiar by now. Floral but not overpowering, probably something you dabbed on your wrists before work. Your skin was dark, like yew after rain. You sat across from him without invitation, and smiled. “Morning, Captain,” You said. “Care to hear my report?”
He’d forgotten to ask. “Right.” He cleared his throat. “Sure.”
You crossed your legs and smoothed out the report over your thigh, brimming with glee. What were you so goddamn happy about all the time?
“The speed serum is nearly ready for field testing. Our lab has produced internally consistent results across all sample populations, with minimum side effects.” your voice had lilt to it. You punctuated each clause by looking up at Levi, inviting him to share in your delight. “There’s a slight decrease in verbal recall, but we’ve corrected it in every participant with a vigorous sleep protocol. It’s—”
It’s not that Levi wasn’t listening to you. He was. But you were so profoundly irritating that he had to fight down the urge to interrupt you and get to the fucking point.
When you finally finished. You were flushed with pleasure, chest rising and falling like you’d been running. Who loves what they do that much? “That it?” he said.
Your expression fell, but only slightly. “Well, yes,” you said, “but there’s one caveat. We need you to decide who to test it on first. We have their medical reports, but you know them best. Anyone in mind?” You pushed your glasses up and got your pen ready.
Your dark eyes were trained on him. Straightening his collar, he told you that was a conversation best had with Command, and you understood. Of course you did. You understood things for a living, didn’t you?
As you stood up to leave, you toyed with the thick curls of your hair. There was nothing nervous about it, it was just something you did. He thought about what it might be like to—
“They’re serving tea at the mess hall today.” You leaned closer, eyes glinting with a hint of conspiracy. “Chamomile.”
He could give two shits about chamomile tea. It tasted like soap. He preferred a crisp earl grey with orange peel, but he couldn’t stand the thought of disappointing you. “Yeah. Sounds fun.”
Idiot, what does that even mean? “Hey,” he continued.
You tilted your head in a way only you did. Playful, inviting. “Hmm?”
“I…” He clicked his pen a few times, then set it down. “Don’t go blabbing about the speed serum to anyone out of rank. It’s classified. Do you copy?”
You almost laughed. “It’s my lab, Levi. Yes, I think I ‘copy.’”
He schooled his features into a neutral expression, gave you a sharp nod, and out you went. The moment you left, he let out the top two buttons of his shirt and massaged his temple. A nice, juicy migraine was brewing and it was all your fault.
Great, now he couldn’t concentrate. He should have closed his door to begin with, but the Survey Corps wanted an ‘open door policy’ to boost morale. Time for a cigarette. Paperwork could wait five minutes.
It was hotter outside, but at least his mind was clearer after a few drags. He put his cigarette out on the side of a bench, and took a napkin from a bread stall to wipe off the ash. Suddenly, he had a craving for chamomile.
