Youโre sitting on the couch, legs tucked under you, animatedly telling him about your entire day. From the weird cashier at the store to the drama you overheard on the bus. Your hands move just as much as your mouth, gestures big and expressive.
Levi sits beside you, one arm draped lazily over the back of the couch, sipping his tea in silence. Every so often, he gives a small โhmโ or nods, his eyes fixed on you like youโre the only thing worth looking at in the room.
You pause mid-story. โYouโre not bored?โ
He arches an eyebrow. โIf I was bored, Iโd walk away.โ
You blink. โโฆOh.โ
He sets his tea down, leans in just enough that his knee brushes yours.
โGo on. I wanna hear the rest.โ
And thatโs how you end up rambling for another hour, while Levi listens with the quiet patience of someone who (no matter how much he pretends otherwise) likes every single word that comes out of your mouth.
the corridor smelled of soap and steel. levi was polishing his blades again, cloth moving in those infuriatingly perfect circles.
โyouโre going to wear them down to nothing,โ you snapped, leaning against the doorframe. โwe ride at dawn. sleep, levi.โ
he didnโt look up. โif you spent less time nagging and more time cleaning properly, maybe i wouldnโt have to redo everything.โ
โredo? i scrubbed this floor twice. youโre just being an obsessive prick.โ
โtch. bold words from someone who still leaves corners dusty.โ be finally glanced at you, grey eyes sharp. โmost people know better than to talk to me like that.โ
you stepped closer, crossing your arms. โgood thing iโm not most people. someone has to tell you when youโre being an idiot about rest and training and everything.โ
levi set the blade down with a soft clink. he stood, shorter than you but somehow towering anyway. his hand caught your wrist before you could poke his chest. โyou talk too much.โ
โand you listen too little.โ your voice dropped, the familiar heat crackling between you. โbut you only let me talk to you like this.โ
a faint smirk tugged at his lips. down the hall, someone whispered, โtheyโre bickering like an old married couple again.โ
levi didnโt deny it. he just pulled you a fraction closer, thumb brushing your pulse. โget some sleep. thatโs an order.โ
you smiled, refusing to move. โonly if you do too, captain.โ
he clicked his tongue, but didnโt let go.
everyone heard the arguments.
only you two knew how much he needed themโฆ and how you were the only one he let stay.
โย Summary: Levi Ackerman has never been good at flirting, which is unfortunate, because insulting you is no longer enough to hide the fact that heโs hopelessly, embarrassingly in love with you.
โย Pairing: Levi Ackerman x Female Reader
โย Genre/Tags: Canon Compliant, Female Reader, Mutual Pining, Levi Ackerman is Bad At Feelings, Soft Levi Ackerman, Flirting, First Kiss, Love Confession, Humor, Fluff, Smut
โย Content Warnings: Explicit sexual content, oral sex (f. receiving), unprotected piv, creampie
โย Word Count: 9.0k
โ AO3 Link
โ Check out the other fics in this collection!
โ a/n: this is day 2 out of 7 for my birthday week celebration! thank you to my beta reader @slaytherinthoughts <3 also please don't ask for a part two i will take a sledgehammer to my laptop if you ask for a part two
Levi first sees you in the morning in the hallway outside of Erwinโs office. Youโre holding a stack of reports tucked under one arm, your cloak clasped crookedly, and a half-finished piece of bread pinched between your teeth because you realized eating breakfast and walking to your briefing is an efficient way to multitask.
Levi sees you from the end of the hall and stops walking. His entire body locks up for the stupidest reasonโbecause itโs you. He immediately thinks There she is. Then, because his mind is determined to ruin him, it adds, Her hair looks nice. He almost turns around and walks directly back to his office just to avoid facing you, but because heโs Captain Levi Ackerman, a man who has faced Titans without blinking and therefore shouldnโt be taken down by a woman holding paperwork and chewing bread, he keeps walking forward.
โYou look like hell,โ he says as soon as heโs close enough.
You stop and look at him, taking the bread out of your mouth as you lift your brows. โGood morning to you too, Captain.โ
Levi stares at the bread, then your mouth. He tries to find something else to focus on. Maybe he can tell you your cloak clasp is twisted and Erwin will absolutely notice. Maybe he could ask whether you slept, because the shadows beneath your eyes look darker than yesterday, and yesterday they had already irritated him enough that he left a cup of tea outside your office and convinced himself he only did it because your exhausted handwriting was difficult to read.
โYou look better than yesterday, though,โ he adds, because he doesnโt know how to shut up around you.
You half-smile. โThat might be the closest youโve ever come to saying something nice to me.โ
He feels his stomach drop. Was it? Was that nice? Had he been too obvious? No. No, thatโs impossible. No one could hear โyou look like hellโ and think it was sweet unless they were deranged. But youโre not deranged. In fact, youโre too competent and too observant for his peace of mind.
โYouโre insane,โ he says, reaching forward before he can stop himself to fix your cloak clasp. The moment he brushes his fingers against your throat, he wishes the floor would swallow him whole.ย
You freeze out of surprise, then lift your chin slightly as his knuckles graze the skin beneath your jaw. Leviโs mind goes blank in the most humiliating way possible. He hears the scratch of your breath, feels your pulse at your neck, smells the soap you useโbecause of course you would be the only other person with proper hygiene standardsโand everything heโs learned in life to survive abandons him. He steps back as if youโd burned him.
โThere,โ he says, voice flat. โTry dressing yourself like an officer next time.โ
You glance down at the straightened clasp, then back at him, amusement tugging at the corner of your mouth. โAre you always this charming before breakfast?โ
โNo.โ
โOnly with me, then?โ
He turns and walks away. Behind him, you laugh, and Levi immediately knows by the burning of his cheeks and the repeating Stupid, stupid, stupid in his mind that this is going to be a very long day.
He insults you again five minutes later inside Erwinโs office, where Erwin stands at the head of the table. Hange lounges over a chair, looking as if theyโve only slept for either four hours or not at all. Miche stands near the window quietly, as always. You take the seat across from Levi, who keeps his eyes on the meeting notes. He refuses to look at you. If he does, he wonโt be able to stay composed.
โYouโre quiet,โ Hange says to him after Erwin begins explaining the revised training schedule for the week. โYouโre either listening or plotting something.โ
โUnlike you, I can do both quietly,โ Levi says.
Hange grins. โThatโs what I admire about you, shorty!โ
You snort under your breath. Levi looks at you without meaning to. Youโre clearly trying not to smile, one hand pressed over the bottom half of your face, eyes lowered to the table. He sees it all, because he always sees too much where youโre concerned. Thatโs the problem. It means he notices the loose strand of hair against your cheek, and the warmth in your eyes when you catch him looking at you. Levi looks away immediately, thinking to himself Idiot.
โSomething wrong, Levi?โ Erwin asks, quirking up an eyebrow.
โNo,โ Levi says.
โYou were staring into nothing.โ
โI was just assessing whether her paperwork is as sloppy as her uniform.โ
You mock an offended gasp. โMy paperwork is pristine.โ
โItโs tolerable.โ
โFrom you,โ you say, pointing your quill at him, โthat is basically a marriage proposal.โ
Everyone in the room goes quiet. Hange inhales like theyโre about to burst. Levi goes completely and utterly still. Marriage proposal. You said it as a joke. Obviously, right? Itโs just a harmless, casual joke, banter shared between squad leaders when too much paperwork has turned everyoneโs brains into horse feed. Thereโs no reason for his mind to take the phrase, drag it and him into an alley, and start beating him with it.
Marriage proposal. His mind races before he can stop himself, supplying a series of images: you standing at an altar, you and him in his office alone, your laughter at breakfast, your hand in his, your mouth on hisโ
No. Heโs not going there again. Not now.
Hangeโs grin grows wider. Miche looks out the window, but his shoulders shake with silent laughter. Erwin, who is the worst kind of friend to you both, simply looks between the both of you, silently filing this moment away for later to use against either of you when the time comes.
Levi picks up his teacup. โYouโd make a terrible wife,โ he says.
You grin and rest your chin on the top of your linked hands, elbows on the table. โWhyโs that?โ
โYouโre loud, annoying, and you donโt even know how to chop a carrot.โ
โYou notice the strangest things about me.โ
Levi drinks his tea to avoid having to answer, and even though the tea is too hot, he refuses to cough. Unfortunately for him, you notice his eyes squinting slightly, and your smile softens so much it nearly kills him on the spot. No, he thinks. I canโt let her do this to me.
He spends the rest of the meeting saying as little as possible, which would work better if Hange didnโt keep sneaking glances at him with barely contained excitement.ย
Levi expects the week to improve after that. It doesnโt. The problem is that youโre everywhere. Youโre in the training yard in the afternoon, walking between your squad members to correct their positions. Youโre at the stables in the evening, arguing with someone about your saddle in disrepair. Youโre at the mess hall the next morning, laughing with Nanaba over something silly, your head tipped back in a way that fully exposes your throat and immediately makes Levi think of how nice it would be to kiss it.
Itโs nothing. Itโs not attraction, itโs not a crush, because heโs a full-grown man and he has no use for romantic attraction. Itโs justโฆ a normal appreciation of competence. Itโs nothing.
Then you bend to pick up a dropped training knife, showing off your ass perfectly, and Levi walks straight into a wall.
So, not nothing, then.
.
By the fifth day, heโs found numerous excuses to pass through the training yardโat least three times.
The first time, he claims heโs merely checking formations and whether the recruits are holding it correctly. The second time, he claims the training dummies arenโt being raised correctly. The third time, he says nothing at all because even he knows another excuse wonโt fool anyone.
You catch him near the fence line with his arms crossed, watching as you demonstrate a disarming technique to your squad. โCaptain Ackerman,โ you call, breathless from your exertion. โAre you here to criticize my form again?โ
His mind immediately says Yes, then No. Tell her she moves well. Tell her that her squad trusts her. Tell her she can command a room without having to do anything. Tell herโ
โYour stance is less terrible than usual,โ Levi says. He slaps himself in his mind. Stupid.
You turn slowly. โLess terrible? Are you praising me?โ
โIt wasnโt praise.โ
โDefinitely sounded like praise,โ you sing.
โGet your hearing checked.โ
You grin. Levi looks away, biting the inside of his cheek. Your squad disperses after another hour, groaning with exhaustion, and you remain behind to gather the practice blades, humming under your breath while the wind blows through your hair.ย
Levi knows he should leave. He has reports, he has inspections, he has an office to clean and tea waiting for him thatโll oversteep if he continues standing here like some lovesick idiot. He finds himself walking toward you anyway.
โYouโre wearing that wrong,โ he says.
You look down at yourself, squinting your eyes. โWearing what wrong?โ
โYour harness.โ
โNo, Iโm not.โ
โYes, you are.โ
โIโve worn ODM gear for years.โ
โThen itโs embarrassing that you managed to fuck it up this badly.โ
You put both hands on your hips, cocking your head at him. โAlright, then. Fix it if it bothers you that much.โ
His soul practically leaves his body, but because he has absolutely no self-preservation, he mutters, โFine.โ
He steps behind you and reaches for the strap crossing your back. Itโs only slightly twisted, barely enough to matter, but he focuses on it as if the fate of the Walls depends on that strip of leather lying flat. Focusing on the strap is easier than focusing on how warm you are, how close you are, how you freeze when his hands settle at your waist to adjust the lower buckles.
This is normal, he thinks. Youโve adjusted soldiersโ gear before. He pulls and tightens. Then, he finally realizes this is not normal at all. Heโs too busy thinking about your waist. How nice it feels under his hands. How nice it would be to hold it while he presses up against you from behind. Goddamnit, get it together. He tightens one strap, loosens another, checks the angle, then checks it again because he canโt bring himself to pull away.
โYouโre awfully thorough,โ you say.
Levi freezes. He hears the smile in your voice. A small one. Possibly innocent. Probably innocent. He canโt lean forward and investigate, because if he sees your expression, he may just blurt something stupid out like I like standing this close to you, and then heโll have to desert the Scouts and live alone in a cave for the rest of his life.
โIf you fall out of your gear, Iโll have to hear about it,โ he says.
โAh, so this is precaution.โ
โObviously.โ
โYouโre very thoughtful.โ
โMore like annoyed.โ You laugh softly, and he finishes the adjustment too quickly, stepping away in an attempt to restore whatever part of his dignity just died. โThere,โ he says. โTry not to embarrass your rank.โ
You turn to face him, completely oblivious to the fact that heโs just survived an internal war. โThank you, Levi.โ
He blinks at the use of his name. You usually donโt say his first name. Itโs always Captain, Captain Ackerman, or Captain Levi. Never just Levi. He looks away before his expression can give him away.
All he says is a simple, โTch.โ
.
You still donโt realize that Levi thinks of you differently, even weeks later.
Levi is rude to almost everyone, blunt with everyone, sparse with praise and allergic to any kind of emotional displays, so it doesnโt occur to you immediately that the insults he gives you are not the same as the ones he gives everyone else. You just assume Levi tolerates you, perhaps even respects you. You donโt assume Levi watches for whether youโve eaten, or that heโs memorized how you take your tea, or that he once spent ten minutes deciding whether he should knock on your door with medicine in his hand when you were out sick one day.
Hange assumes all of it, and unfortunately for you, Hange assumes very loudly.
In the mess hall, you sit alone at the end of one table with a bowl of stew, a cup of tea, and a stack of formation notes youโre trying to read without dripping broth on them. Even now, you donโt know how to stop working. Hange slides into the seat across from you so quickly that the table shifts. You look up, raising your brows.
โHello to you too,โ you say.
โYou and Levi,โ Hange says.
You pause with your spoon halfway to your mouth. โMe and Levi what?โ
โOh, donโt do that.โ
โDo what?โ
โPretend you havenโt noticed.โ
You stare at them, and Hange stares back, eyes bright behind their glasses, their expression so gleeful itโs almost terrifying.
โHange,โ you say slowly. โI genuinely have no idea what youโre talking about.โ
Their smile falters, then returns even wider. โOh, thatโs even better.โ
โWhy am I scared?โ
โYou should be. I know something.โ
โYou say that a lot.โ
Hange waves that away, then leans closer. โLevi has a crush on you.โ
You almost drop your spoon into your lap. Surely they must be joking, right? The words donโt even make sense at first. They enter your brain, bounce around for a few seconds, then immediately get rejected by every sensible part of you.
โLevi,โ you repeat.
โYes.โ
โCaptain Levi Ackerman.โ
โYes.โ
โHumanityโs strongest soldier. That Levi.โ
โDo we have another emotionally stunted short man named Levi wandering around?โ
You look across the mess hall at Levi, standing near the far wall, speaking with Erwin. His arms are folded across his chest, face blank as always. Nothing about him suggests he has a crush on you. The man looks like he was born to disapprove of everyone and everything. To be fair, he already does.
โHe insulted my uniform,โ you say.
Hange leans even further in. โI saw him fix your cloak.โ
โHe told me my paperwork was tolerable.โ
โLevi considers tolerable high praise.โ
โHe said I would make a terrible wife.โ
โHe was totally thinking about you being his wife.โ You open your mouth, then close it, because you have absolutely nothing to say in response to that. Hange presses on with a devilish smile. โHe brings you tea, too,โ they say.
โSo?โ
โGood tea.โ That makes you pause. โHe corrects your supply forms before Erwin sees them.โ
โSo? He corrects everyoneโs forms.โ
โNo, he writes โredo this garbageโ on everyone elseโs. Yours come back fixed.โ You can only blink in response. โHe always says something when your squad gets stable duty, and somehow those assignments always mysteriously change.โ
โThat could be Erwin.โ
โItโs not Erwin, trust me.โ
โOkay, wellโฆ he criticized my gear.โ
โThat was only an excuse to touch you.โ
โHange.โ
โWhat? Iโm observant.โ
You sneak a glance at Levi again, and as though sensing your gaze, he looks over. His eyes meet yours across the mess hall, and you see the smallest shift in his expression. A fondness you hadnโt seen before. He then notices Hange sitting across from you, sees the wide grin on their face, and he narrows his eyes with immediate suspicion. Hange waves. Levi looks like heโs considering whether he could get away with murder. Then you noticeโand youโre entirely convinced youโre just seeing thingsโthe redness blooming across his cheekbones when he looks at you again.
Oh.
Oh?
That is, unfortunately, very cute.
Then you realize. It all hits you at once. The tea outside your office, the fixing of your cloak, the bread that mysteriously showed up on your desk, the fact that he somehow always manages to appear when youโre carrying something heavy, the way his insults land just a little softer when theyโre directed at you.
โYouโre enjoying this, you naughty thing,โ you accuse Hange.
โImmensely.โ
โIf youโre wrong, Iโm going to look very stupid.โ
โIโm not wrong.โ
โYouโve been wrong before.โ
โIโm rarely wrong in matters this entertaining.โ
Across the room, Levi pushes away from the wall and starts walking toward you. You feel your stomach drop as Hange stands up.
โGood luck,โ they whisper.
You look to them in panic. โHange, donโt leaveโโ
โBe gentle. Heโs not emotionally housebroken.โ
They vanish before Levi arrives, leaving you sitting with your lukewarm stew, your scattered notes, and the sudden realization that Levi Ackerman has been crushing on you for who knows how long now?
Levi stops beside the table. โWhat did they say?โ he asks.
โNothing.โ
He narrows his eyes. โNothing usually means something.โ
โIt means nothing, actually.โ
โThatโs somehow worse.โ
You look up at him and, for the first time, allow yourself to study him with the possibility of affection returned. He looks the same as always: tight mouth, sharp eyes, neat cravat, straight posture. But now you see the tiny tells beneath it. He doesnโt look at you directly for too long. His attention flicks to your tea, your food, your notes. His fingers twitch once at his side before he forces them to be still.
Heโs nervous. Levi Ackerman is nervous.
You nearly break into a way-too-obvious smile, but thankfully, you manage to just tilt your head. โCaptain,โ you say, โare you worried about me?โ
โNo.โ
โWell, that was a quick answer.โ
โBecause it was an easy question.โ
โSo youโre not worried about me.โ
โNo.โ
โAnd if I skipped dinner?โ
His eyes flick to your bowl. โYouโre eating dinner.โ
โBut if I did.โ
โThen youโd be an idiot.โ
โYouโd notice, though.โ
Levi looks at you pointedly, and you smile. You see the visible tightening around his mouth and the subtle shift in his breathing.ย
โHard not to notice when someone is being an idiot in public,โ he says.
You lean your chin into your hand. โYou know, if you wanted my attention so badly, you couldโve just asked for it.โ
You swear Levi stops breathing. You see the hitch in his breath. His face doesnโt change as much, but you see the subtle shift in his eyes, the catastrophic collapse happening behind them that heโs so desperately trying to hide.
She knows, Levi thinks, then with rising horror, She knows, and Hange told her. Iโm going to kill them. โI have better things to do than ask for your attention,โ he says, swallowing through the tightness in his throat.
โAnd yet, here you are,โ you say, smiling widely.
Because he doesnโt know where else to look, he peers at your notes. โYour handwriting is messy again.โ
โDeflection.โ
โMere observation.โ
โYou make a lot of those about me.โ
โSomeone has to.โ
You laugh. Levi wishes he didnโt love that sound as much as he does.
You become an absolute menace after that.ย
.
You donโt do it immediatelyโyouโre too clever for that, and Levi is too slippery to corner. So, you start with small things, such as sitting beside him instead of across from him at the next briefing, which he notices immediately. He stiffens in response.
โMorning,โ you say cheerfully.
He looks at the empty chairs around the table. โThere are other seats.โ
โI like this one.โ
โItโs too close.โ
โTo what?โ
โTo me, idiot.โ
You look at him innocently, batting your eyelashes. โAm I bothering you, Captain?โ
Yes, Levi thinks, because youโre too close that he can clearly smell your divine scent, and because your sleeve brushes his when you reach for a report, and because he can see the little crumb that you must not have fully swept away on your mouth and wants to stupidly wipe it off.
โNo,โ he says.
โGood.โ
Hange bites their knuckles across the table.
Later in the mess hall, you ask Levi to pass you a fork. The utensils are closer to you than to him. It doesnโt go over his head, but he reaches for it anyway, because heโs embarrassingly obedient to you. When he hands it over, you deliberately brush your fingers over his. Levi nearly drops the fork. He doesnโt, thankfully, but he manages to keep his hand steady, even though internally, he wants to run face-first into a wall.ย
You lower your voice. โCareful, Captain. You seem distracted.โ
He glares at you. โYouโre imagining things.โ
โOh, am I?โ
โYes.โ
โThat was also a very fast answer.โ
โYou ask stupid questions.โ
โAnd you still answer them anyway.โ
You catch his eyes flicking down to your mouth only once, only for the smallest amount of time, but you see it, and all traces of wanting to tease him escape your body.
For all your amusement, for all the fun of watching him unravel, youโre not immune to him. Leviโs awkwardness is adorable, yes, and his insults are ridiculous as they are normal, but you know how to decipher the way he shows you attention. Heโs always fiercely contained. Youโd be lying if you said you didnโt want to crack that composure just a little.
After dinner, he follows you in the always-empty corridor outside the mess hall, the one just around the corner. He positions himself in front of you, standing near a window where the moonlight cuts across his face.
โYouโre doing this on purpose now,โ he says.
You stop walking. โDoing what?โ
โDonโt play dumb.โ
โIโm not. I want to hear you say it.โ
He clenches his jaw. Thereโs no one else in the corridor, so surely, he can say it with little repercussions, right? Levi looks at you, then shifts his gaze away.
โYouโve been acting strange,โ he says.
โIโve been acting strange?โ
โYes.โ
โThatโs interesting.โ
โNo, itโs just annoying.โ
You step a little closer, but Levi doesnโt move. โAm I making you uncomfortable?โ you ask softly.
โNo.โ
โNo?โ
โYouโre not making me uncomfortable.โ
โThen what am I making you?โ
His eyes meet yours, and for once, he doesnโt seem to have an insult resting on the tip of his tongue, ready to strike. The silence stretches for a moment longer than necessary.
โAnnoyed,โ he says finally, crossing his arms.
โOoh, thatโs the answer youโre going with?โ
โItโs the answer youโre getting.โ
โLevi.โ
His name again. You use it gently, and the effect it has on him is visible in the slight flare of his nostrils and his fingers flexing once against his sleeve.
โYou can tell me to stop,โ you say.
โI know.โ
โAnd?โ
โAnd I wonโt.โ Levi looks irritated by his own honesty, but he doesnโt retract. His gaze drops to your mouth, snaps back to your eyes, drops again before he can stop it, and this time both of you know. Both of you feel it. Both of you stop denying it. โI canโt think straight around you,โ he says very quietly. The words seem to surprise him as much as they surprise you.
Your smile melds into a softer one. โDo you want me to back off?โ
โNo.โ
You take another step closer. โDo you want me to keep teasing you?โ
Levi looks genuinely pained when he says, โYouโre enjoying this too much.โ
You shrug. โA little.โ
โBrat.โ
You raise your hand slowly, giving him enough time to move away if he so wishes, and you touch the edge of his cravat, feeling the fold beneath your fingers. He tracks the movement with his eyes as if your hand is a blade.
โDo you want to kiss me, Levi?โ you ask.
Leviโs heart drops straight through the floor. There are many things he can do under pressure. He can make impossible decisions with blood on his hands. He can move faster than fear. He can face death with a blank expression. But thisโa direct question, so clear in its intent, asked in your soft voice while you stand close enough for him to count your eyelashesโdestroys him completely.
But heโs tired of losing to himself.
โYes,โ he says.
โThen whatโs stopping you?โ you whisper.
He waits a second longer, just enough to make sure you donโt step back or retreat fully, just enough to give you the chance to change your mind. You donโt, so Levi kisses you.
At first, heโs too careful, his mouth pressed against yours with restraint. It feels like heโs holding back an army, one hand hovering near your waist before he places it there. You feel the tension coiled in him, the uncertainty buried inside him. Levi doesnโt kiss you with any sort of confidence. Heโs scared. You can tell. So you help him. You step into him, sliding one hand to his shoulder and the other to the side of his face, and kiss him back hard enough that his breath leaves him in a startled exhale.
Then he changes. Some guarded place inside him finally lets down its walls as his hand grips your waist and his mouth moves against yours with deeper intention, having thought about this moment for longer than heโll ever admit. Every insult and cup of tea has been leading him here, to this corridor, to this moment, to the relief of wanting you and discovering that you want him too.
And goddamit, do you want him.
When you part, you stay close, your noses brushing, his hand still at your waist, having forgotten to let goโand when he remembers, he still doesnโt pull away. He notices your smile first.
โWhat?โ he asks.
โYouโre totally blushing.โ
โWhat? No Iโm not.โ
โYou are.โ
โStop it.โ
โLevi Ackerman is blushing from one kiss?โ
โYou and your fucking ego.โ
You laugh, and he canโt help the small smile that creeps onto his lips. Then heโs pulled back to exactly how you even got to this point, and his almost-smile curdles into a scowl.ย
โDonโt flirt with me in front of Hange again,โ he says.
โWhy?โ
โBecause theyโll never shut up about it.โ
You tilt your head. โAnd?โ
Levi looks down the corridor once, then turns back to you. โAnd because Iโll probably embarrass myself,โ he almost mumbles.
โYou didnโt embarrass yourself,โ you say. He looks slightly skeptical. โLevi. I asked you if you wanted to kiss me and you said yes. That was actually very impressive.โ
โTch.โ
โFor you, I mean.โ
He narrows his eyes. You just laugh and kiss his cheek once before walking away with glee in your steps, leaving behind a very miserable, blushing Levi.
.
The days after your kiss are strange, for lack of a better word. You and him donโt announce anything to anyone else, which Levi appreciates, because if Hange finds out, heโll never know peace again. But privacy doesnโt mean mercyโyouโre too evil for that. Youโre gentle with him still, but youโre also you, and youโve realized very quickly that Leviโs composure is a door with a faulty hinge.
You touch his hand in meetings. You call him Levi and sometimes Vi in passing and watch him stop as his face flushes red. You smile at him over your drinks and soup and bread in the mess hall. You tell him, after one long afternoon of reports, โYou know, youโre almost sweet when youโre pretending not to be.โ
He looks up from his paperwork and accidentally leaves a line of ink across the page. You stifle a laugh. Heโs not going to be happy when he looks back down.ย
โIโm not sweet,โ he says.
โAlmost sweet.โ
โStill wrong.โ
โYou brought me tea yesterday unprompted.โ
โI always do. And you looked dead.โ
โAw, you noticed?โ
โHard to miss.โ
โBecause I looked pretty?โ
โBecause you looked dead.โ
โPretty dead?โ
He stares at you. You stare back. His mouth twitches first.
Another thing that fits into your long, exhausting days are the stolen kisses. A brief one in the narrow hall outside the records room. A longer, messier one in his office after you bring him corrected notes. One in the shadowed stairwell that ends with him muttering, โYouโre going to get us caught,โ even though heโs the one who pulls you back by your wrist when you start to leave.
Every kiss teaches you something. Levi likes to pretend he isnโt affected by you, but heโs always betrayed by his hands. They start almost formal, then grow bolder when you respond, fingers spreading along your waist, your back, the side of your neck. He doesnโt make much sound unless you surprise him, and once you realize that, you become silently determined to surprise him every chance you can get.
He learns too. He learns that you like when he says your name softly, in the low, rough voice he uses when heโs too flustered to hide behind composure. He learns that you laugh into kisses when he deepens it out of nowhere. He learns that if he cups your jaw and tilts your face toward his, your breath catches so beautifully that it makes his heart flip.
One night, after a late strategy review, after Erwin dismisses the squad leaders and Hange leaves with an extremely pointed and suggestive look, Levi mutters, โWalk into a Titanโs mouth,โ under his breath as soon as the door shuts and returns to his office. You join him because Levi still has your patrol notes. Itโs just an excuseโboth of you know it.
Rain taps gently against the windows. Levi stands behind his desk with your papers in one hand while he scans the revised schedule. Meanwhile, you lean against the edge of a cabinet and try not to watch his Adamโs apple bobbing as he swallows.
โYou changed the rotation,โ he says.
โMhm.โ
โItโs better.โ
You raise your eyebrows. โWas that praise I just heard?โ
โObservation.โ
โA positive one.โ
โYouโre making it weird.โย
He looks up, but thereโs a different look to his eyes, something worn down by days of wanting you and stopping and wanting you again. You feel your body answer, a warm pull in your lower stomach, the ache thatโs been building every time he kisses you longer than you expect. Levi sees your expression shift, and he grips his papers tighter.ย
โDonโt look at me like that,โ he says.
โLike what?โ
โLike youโre about to start trouble.โ
You push away from the cabinet slowly. โWould you like me to stop?โ
He hates that question with a passion. Every time you ask it, it matters. You give him enough space to refuse, to breathe, to get himself together, and it makes him want you more than any stupid flirtatious remark ever could.
โNo,โ he says.
You approach him slowly. Levi sets the papers down, aligning them with the edge of the desk, as he always does. When you reach him, you donโt smash your lips against hisโeven though you desperately want to. Instead, you touch his sleeve first, then his wrist, then the back of his hand where his fingers rest against the desk.
โStop thinking so hard,โ you say.
โItโs what Iโm used to.โ
โI know.โ
His gaze drops to your mouth. โYou make it worse.โ
โGood worse or bad worse?โ
โDepends on what you do next.โ
You kiss him, and thereโs nothing quick about it this time. Leviโs hand rises to cup your face almost instantly, gripping your jaw firmly. The little sound he makes when you press yourself up against him is so involuntary, it makes your pulse jump and heat spread through your limbs. You back him into the desk by accident or maybe not, and he reaches up to grab your waist with his other hand. The desk creaks behind him.
Levi breaks away first, breathing unevenly, forehead nearly touching yours. โWait,โ he says.
You freeze immediately. โSorry.โ
โNo, notโโ He exhales sharply, frustrated with himself, then looks away. โNot stop. Just wait.โ
You nod, sliding your hands down to rest against his chest. โWe can wait.โ
โThatโsโno, thatโs not what IโI mean.โ
โWhat do you mean?โ
Thereโs no insult waiting on his tongue this time. Levi looks down at your hands against his shirt, at the simple intimacy of being touched without being grabbed or wanted without being cornered. He swallows. You watch the anxiety move through him, which might not be visible to anyone else, but itโs obvious to you now.
โIโm notโฆโ He stops, then sighs. โIโm not inexperienced, but Iโve only done this once before. Aโฆ a long time ago. It wasnโtโโ His mouth twists. โIt was fine. But it wasnโt this.โ Levi looks angry with himself for even saying it. โAnd now youโre looking at me like that.โ
โLike what?โ
โIโI donโt know. Like Iโmโlike you could break me.โ
โI donโt think that. But you are nervous, arenโt you?โ His silence answers for him. You lift one hand to his face, touching him with enough care that he nearly closes his eyes. โThatโs okay.โ
His laugh is barely a breath. โDoesnโt feel okay.โ
โIt is. I promise you.โ
โI donโt want to be bad at this.โ
You smile and brush your thumb along his cheek. โLevi, youโre not being graded.โ
โThat sounds like something you say before giving a bad grade.โ
You laugh softly. โIโm serious.โ
โSo am I.โ
โI want you,โ you say, and your directness makes him freeze. โI donโt want a perfect version of you who knows exactly what to say or do. I want you. Nervous you, awkward you. A you who insults me because you donโt know how to flirtโโ
โI know how to flirt,โ he frowns. โI told you that you looked better than you did yesterday.โ
โThat is the worst excuse for flirting Iโve ever heard, baby,โ you whisper. His ears turn red, and you grin.
โShut up,โ he mutters.
You kiss him again. His hand comes to rest on your waist, your fingers slide beneath his jacket, and his breath hitches when you move closer. Leviโs anxiety doesnโt just disappear, but his nerves settle under your touch. With your comfort, heโs able to move through them instead of having them stop him.ย
When you begin taking off his jacket, you pause, waiting. He nods once, so you continue, and the jacket falls from his shoulders. Levi catches it before it can hit the floor, and in a motion that stuns you, he turns, folds it once over the back of the chair, smooths the fabric out, then turns back to look at you.
You stare at him. He stares back. โWhat?โ he says.
โAre you seriously folding your clothes right now?โ
โIโm not leaving them on the floor like an animal.โ
โLevi.โ
โWhat?โ
โWeโre having a moment.โ
โAnd I can have a moment and have basic standards too.โ
You look at him for a second, then you start laughing, almost too loudly. It spills out of you before you can stop it. You donโt know what you expected, but you honestly shouldnโt be surprised that Levi Ackerman can be flushed, breathless, visibly aroused, and still be a clean freak.
โIf you laugh at me right now, Iโm leaving,โ he mumbles.
โNo, youโre not.โ
โNoโฆ Iโm not,โ he says, irritated that heโs proven your point.ย
You catch his face in both hands and kiss him before he can recover, and that completely breaks his restraint. He grips your waist as he turns you and presses you back against the desk, enough to make you gasp and make his breath shudder in response. You feel him tremble once, or maybe itโs just you, or maybe itโs both of you. When you slide your fingers into his hair, ruining his neat parting, he makes a low, strained sound against your mouth.
โYouโre sure?โ he asks.
โYes.โ
โYou tell me ifโโ
โYes.โ
He searches your face for any hesitation. โDonโt just say it becauseโโ
โLevi,โ you whisper, pressing your forehead to his. โI promise. Iโll tell you. You tell me too.โ
He swallows, then he nods. He folds his cravat next, because thatโs also non-negotiable, and you bite your lip so hard to keep yourself from laughing that he points at you and says, โDonโt.โ You help him with your own clothes and he tries not to stare too obviously until you step closer and guide his hands to you.
โYou can touch me,โ you say.
He flexes his fingers. โI know.โ
โDo you?โ
โIโm not trying to be an idiot.โ
โYouโre doing fine.โ
โI havenโt done anything yet.โ
โBut I trust you.โ
Levi pulls you into the adjoining roomโhis quarters, a space youโve only seen in glimpses before. He leads you there with your hand in his, fingers laced tight. The moment the door clicks shut behind you, you both stare at each other. You feel your heartbeat in your throat as you both begin shedding the rest of what youโre wearing.
Levi pauses, his shirt half-unbuttoned, eyes flicking over you with that same mix of hunger and hesitation thatโs been building for weeks. โCan Iโฆ undress you?โ He sounds like heโs asking for permission to breathe.
You nod. โYes.โ
He exhales, the sound shaky, and steps closer. His hands rise to your shoulders first, sliding your shirt off. He follows the path of the fabric with his mouth, soft kisses pressed to the curve of your shoulder, then the side of your neck. His breath is warm.
Then you feel the faint tremble in his fingers as they roam lower, tracing the line of your ribs, the dip of your waist, mapping you without looking. He tugs at the rest of your clothes, peeling them away until youโre bare before him. His eyes are dark and wide with want. He canโt believe that youโre real, that youโre here, that you want him. The anxiety spikes again, making his hands shake just enough that you notice.
You reach up, covering one of his trembling hands with yours. You whisper against his ear, โItโs okay, Levi. Breathe. Iโm right here with you.โ
You see his shoulders loosen by a fraction. He presses a longer kiss to your neck, sucking gently at the skin until a bruise blooms. He then pulls back to finish undressing himself. You donโt pay attention to where the rest of his clothes end up, because by the time theyโre off, heโs guiding you back onto the bed, the mattress dipping under your weight as he climbs over you.
He doesnโt hesitate when he shifts lower and settles between your thighs. Without warning, he dives in, mouth hot against you as his tongue strokes in a long, slow lick. It sends a jolt straight through your core. You jump, a gasp tearing from your throat. Your hands fly to his hair, fingers threading through his locks and gripping tight. The sensation is overwhelming despite its lightness.
Levi pulls up immediately, concern flashing across his face. โDo you want me to stop?โ he asks, then you see the panic overtake him. โIโm sorry, I should have asked first, I justโโ
โDonโt stop,โ you breathe out quickly, your grip on his hair easing but not releasing. โI was just surprised. It felt goodโreally good. Please, keep going.โ
You see the relief wash over him. Something hungrier takes its place. He nods once, then lowers himself again. His tongue teases your clit in firm strokes, alternating pressure that makes your hips twitch upward. At the same time, one hand slides between your legs, fingers slicking through your folds before one presses inside, curling just right as he adds a second.
The combination is devastatingโhis mouth sucking and licking with growing confidence, fingers thrusting in a steady rhythm that gathers heat in your belly. Leviโs thoughts race. He wants you to feel good. He wants to make you fall apartโand it shows in the way he devours you. His tongue flicks faster over your sensitive bundle of nerves while his fingers work deeper, scissoring gently to stretch you.
Your moans threaten to spill out too loud, so you grab the corner of the pillow and bite down hard, the fabric muffling the sounds as your back arches. Levi notices, glancing up with a small, breathless laugh.ย
โCute,โ he says, the word soft and fond before he doubles his efforts. His tongue presses flat and broad, then flicks rapidly while his fingers pump in time. The wet sounds of it mix with your muffled gasps. Pleasure coils tighter and tighter, your thighs trembling around his head as he pushes you higher.
Your orgasm crashes over you in waves. Your body clenches around his fingers as you ride it out, hips rolling against his mouth. He doesnโt pull away, licking you through every pulse, drinking you in with appreciative sounds until the peak fades and youโre left panting. The pillow is still clutched in your teeth.
Only then does he ease back. He presses gentle kisses to your inner thighs before crawling up your body again. His lips find yours in a deep, lingering kiss. The taste of you is shared between you. He presses against you, hard and aching to feel you, but heโs content to just hold you close.ย
He trails kisses from your jaw down to the middle of your throat. You feel the rapid beating of his heart against your chest, matching your own. When he pulls back slightly, his eyes are dark and wide, but you can see the flicker of anxiety within themโthe hesitation that he's been dragging with him the moment you stepped into his quarters.
โI want to,โ he says. His fingers trace your hipbones. โBut I donโt want to hurt you. I donโtโโ He stops, clenching his jaw, searching for the right words that wonโt make him sound as vulnerable as he feels inside.ย
You reach up, cupping his face in your hands, forcing him to meet your gaze. โYou wonโt hurt me,โ you whisper. โWe go slow. We stop if anything feels wrong. I trust you, Levi.โ
The sound of his name seems to unlock something in him. He exhales shakily, nodding once, and shifts his hips to align with you. His length presses against your entrance. You feel the tremor that runs through his arms as he braces himself above you. Heโs trying so hard to be controlled, to be carefulโbut you can see the strain in his shoulders and his breath hitching.
He pushes in slowly, and the stretch is intense. Your breath catches, back arching slightly as your body adjusts. Heโs thicker than you anticipated, filling you almost overwhelmingly. Levi notices instantly and freezes, his eyes snapping to yours with panic.
โAre youโshould I stop?โ he gasps, already starting to pull out.
โNo!โ you manage to say, gripping his shoulders tight. You wait a moment, letting yourself relax around him. Then you let out a breathy laugh thatโs half wonder and half sensation. โYouโre justโฆ youโre big. Really big.โ
Levi scoffs, though the sound is strained and his face is flushed. โStop exaggerating,โ he mutters. Heโs still holding himself perfectly still, afraid of causing you pain by moving.
โIโm not exaggerating,โ you insist, squirming slightly beneath him, which makes him groan low in his throat. โI need a minute to adjust. Youโre filling me up so much, Levi.โ
The explicit confirmation completely breaks him. His face goes redโtruly, deeply red, even coloring the tips of his earsโand he lets out a choked sound of embarrassment. He ducks his head down, burying his face in the crook of your neck, hiding from you. You feel the heat of his blush against your skin and his chest rising with mortified breaths.
You canโt help the small giggle that comes out. You thread your fingers through his hair, holding him close. โHey,โ you whisper. โItโs a good thing. I promise. Justโฆ give me a second.โ
He mumbles something unintelligible against your neck. His hands slide down to grip your waist. You feel the slight shaking of them. Even now, while heโs joined with you, he canโt shake his nerves. Itโs almost endearing.
Once the initial burn eases into a pleasant ache, you wrap your legs around his hips and pull him deeper. โOkay,โ you breathe. โOkay, move. Please.โ
Levi lifts his head slowly. His expression is still flushed, eyes glassy with arousal. He searches your face for any sign of discomfort. When he finds none, he begins to move. His first thrusts are almost torturous in their gentleness. He rocks into you with shallow rolls of his hips, testing the rhythm and depth, watching your face carefully for any adverse reactions.ย
โYou feel,โ he starts, then stops, letting out a sharp breath. โYou feel too good. I canโtโโ
โThen donโt hold back,โ you tell him, dragging your nails down his back. โLet go, Levi. I can take it.โ
The leash around his neck snaps. His pace quickens, thrusts deepening as he loses himself in the sensation of you wrapped around him. The bed shifts beneath you, the frame groaning as he moves faster and harder. The sound of your skin meeting grows louder in the quiet room. Heโs still trying to maintain some controlโyou see it in the strain of his neck muscles. But itโs slipping, eroding with every clench of your body around him.
You look up at him, watching the first bead of sweat forming on his forehead. His hair has fallen into his eyes. Heโs beautiful like thisโundone and desperate.ย
โCaptain,โ you whisper.
Leviโs eyes flash. He responds with a single, brutal thrust that drives the air from your lungs and causes you to throw your head back against the pillow. You cry out, hands flying to grip his biceps. Your nails dig in hard enough to leave marks.ย
He doesnโt apologize. He leans down, kissing you as he continues to drive into you. His tongue sweeps through your mouth, devouring, and you meet him eagerly. Your fingers tangle in his hair as he increases his pace. The kiss becomes messy, teeth clicking, breaths mingling in gasps. He pistons his hips, each thrust rocking the bed against the wall.
Youโre his. Thatโs the only thought in his mind now, primal, washing away the last of his nerves. Youโre here and youโre his and you want this, want him. He canโt focus on the kiss anymore, canโt split his attention between the taste of your mouth and the heat gripping him so perfectly. He breaks away with a low sound, forehead dropping to rest against yours. His eyes squeeze shut. He surrenders completely to the need pounding through him.
His hips become relentless, a rhythm that has you gasping and clutching at him. You feel the tension coiling low in your belly again. The friction of him drags against your walls, building you toward another peak. The sounds coming from you are embarrassingly loudโmoans and whines that seem to echo. You instinctively raise a hand to cover your mouth, trying to muffle the noise.
Leviโs hand shoots out, grabbing your wrist before you can hide your sounds. He pins your arm back against the pillow, then does the same with the other. He traps both wrists in one of his hands above your head. His eyes open, burning into yours.
โDonโt,โ he growls, voice gravelly. โDonโt cover your mouth. I want to hear you. Need to hear you.โ He ruts in particularly hard, angling his hips to hit that spot inside you that makes your vision blur. โLouder,โ he demands, practically begging. โPlease, let me hear how good Iโm making you feel. Let meโfuckโlet me hear it.โ
His words, the desperation in them, the way heโs holding you open and vulnerable while he pounds into you, has your toes curling and back arching off the bed. You let the sounds come freely, cries of his name breaking from your lips. He groans in response, a visceral sound of satisfaction. His free hand slides between your bodies, thumb finding your clit and rubbing in circling strokes.
โLeviโโ you gasp, straining against his grip. โIโm close, Iโm so closeโโ
โCum for me,โ he pants. His own rhythm falters slightly as his own peak barrels down on him. โCum on my cock, let me feel youโโ
The coil snaps. You cry out loudly as the pleasure crashes over you in waves. Your cunt clamps down on him so tightly he curses, a strained, filthy sound. He keeps thrusting through your climax, dragging out the bliss until his own control breaks.
With a final thrust, he buries himself to the hilt, his body locking into place above you. You feel him pulse inside you, feel the heat of his release flooding you as he cums with a ragged groan. He collapses forward, but catches himself on one arm. The other releases your wrists to cradle your face instead.ย
He kisses you messily as he empties himself into you, his hips giving small, involuntary jerks with each pulse of his orgasm. You wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him down. He kisses you through the falling peak, his tongue languid against yours now. When he finally pulls back slightly, his eyes are half-lidded and dazed. The anxiety has been completely washed away and replaced by something sated.
โYou okay?โ he mutters, thumb stroking your cheekbone.
You laugh and press a kiss to his jaw. โBetter than okay. You?โ
He huffs out a sound that might be a laugh. He hides his face in your neck again. โYeah,โ he breathes against your skin. โYeah. Iโm good. Weโre good.โ
When he pulls back again, you see the color high on his cheeks again. He slowly withdraws and falls beside you. The room is dark except for the grey light from the window. Levi lies stiffly at firstโas if sharing a bed with you is somehow more intimate than the sex. You almost laugh again, but then you see the uncertainty in his expression.ย
You touch his bare chest, fingers stroking his skin. He looks at you. โYou can relax,โ you whisper.
โI am relaxed.โ
โYouโre all tense like youโre on trial.โ
His mouth twitches, so you move closer, resting your head on his shoulder. After a moment, his arm wraps around you, tentative for half a second before it relaxes, drawing you against him.
โThere,โ you say. โWasnโt so difficult, was it?โ
โTch. Youโre annoying.โ
โYou like me.โ
Heโs quiet for long enough that you think heโs either asleep or just ignoring you, but then his arm tightens around you.
โYeah,โ he says.
.
Morning arrives. You donโt know where you are at first. Thereโs a strange warmth at your back, light pouring through at an angle that you usually donโt see in your room, the faint smell of black tea and clean linen, and an arm resting around your waist.ย
Then Levi shifts behind you, and everything comes rushing back to you so fast your only response is a small squeak. You remember the office, his confession, his stupid folded jacket, his mouth and hands, his body fitting against yours.
You turn carefully. Levi is awake, his hair slightly disheveled as his eyes fix on you, less guarded than usual. โMorning,โ you whisper.
He stares at you for a few seconds, then, because heโs Levi and doesnโt know what else to say, he says, โYou drool.โ
You open your mouth in offense. โI do not.โ
โYou did.โ
โI absolutely did not.โ
โOn my pillow.โ
โYouโre lying.โ
โBadly, apparently, since youโre not convinced.โ
You shove his shoulder lightly, but he grabs your wrist without the intent to stop you. He brushes his thumb over your inner wrist once. You look past him and notice his boots aligned near the wall, his pants half-folded on the chair beside it. Then, on the floor near the foot of the bed, you see his shirt. Wrinkled and abandoned and scandalously unfolded. Your eyes widen with joy. He follows your gaze, then freezes.
โOh,โ you say softly, โCaptain.โ
โNo.โ
โYou left that on the floor.โ
โStop.โ
โLike an animal.โ
He groans and closes his eyes. You start laughing before you can help it, and he rolls onto his back with a long sigh. He knows itโs way too early in the morning for such nonsense. You know it too. Will you stop? Absolutely not.
โIโI was distracted,โ he stammers.
โYou? Distracted?โ
โDonโt sound so happy about it.โ
โIโm incredibly happy about it.โ
โYouโre lucky I love you,โ he mutters.
Levi realizes what he said at the exact same moment you do. He opens his eyes, but he doesnโt turn to look at you yet. He stares at the ceiling, wondering if itโs possible to just disappear off the face of the earth forever. You turn toward him slowly, your grin widening and softening at the same time.
โYou love me?โ you tease.
His face changes in increments: irritation, realization, horror, resignation. โNo.โ
โReally? You just said it though.โ
โIโm tired.โ
โSo am I, and Iโm talking just fine.โ
โFine. Then I wasโฆ vulnerable.โ
โThatโs even worse for you.โ
โShut up.โ
You prop yourself up on one elbow, looking down at him while your heart beats hard. โYou love me.โ
Levi stares at the ceiling, hoping itโll fall on him and crush him at this very moment. Then, with a sigh that sounds like it was dragged from the very bottom of his soul, he reaches for you and pulls you down against him, hiding his face near your neck where you canโt see the color in his cheeks.
โYouโre making this weird,โ he says.
โIt is weird.โ
โDoesnโt have to be.โ
โIt definitely does. You insulted me for months because you had a crush.โ
โI brought you tea.โ
โYou called me sloppy.โ
โYou were sloppy.โ
โYou also fixed my cloak. What was that about?โ
โIt was crooked.โ
โAnd you told me my paperwork was tolerable.โ
โIt was.โ
โMarriage proposal,โ you whisper.
He groans into your shoulder. You laugh, smiling into his hair. Levi doesnโt tell you to stop, and instead just holds you there, letting the morning continue in all its noise and duty, while the two of you exist in the aftermath of your surrender to each other.
Levi still has no idea what to do with romantic feelings. Theyโll remain inconvenient for now. Messy and, quite frankly, a nightmare. But when you trace circles over his shoulder and whisper that heโs the sweetest man you know, when you laugh softly against his mouth after he tells you not to push your luck, when your hand finds his beneath the blanket and he squeezes without thinking, he decides that maybe being terrible at feeling doesnโt mean he canโt learn how to feel.
After all, if youโre the one teaching him, he might just survive it.
โ random hot things guys do that i think are levi-coded part l
minors dni contains sfw & nsfw
โผ when he unbuttons the top of his shirt and rolls up his sleeves to clean. jaw set, brows slightly furrowed in focus. he wipes sweat from his temple with the back of his hand, and the veins in his forearms flex when he wrings out the cloth. he catches you staring and pauses, just briefly, giving you a pointed look that makes your stomach flip and those tiny butterflies flutter.
โผ when heโs fucking you slow, one hand gripping the innermost part of your thigh to keep your legs spread while the other is pressed flat against the mattress. you can hear the faint rasp of his breath, the soft drag of it near your ear before he exhales your name in a breathy, groaned curse. and when your pussy clenches just right, he grits his teeth and mutters something low, like heโs trying not to lose it completely.
โผ when you wake up before him and roll over, only to find him already watching you with heavy-lidded eyes. his hand comes up to your waist, rough hands coming around to press against the skin of your stomach. he drags you closer without a word, tucking your head under his chin and closing his eyes again.
โผ when he lifts you onto the counter without asking just grabs you by the waist mid-kiss and sets you down like you weigh nothing. then stands between your legs, hands on either side of your body. he dips his head to trail hot open-mouthed kisses down your neck.
โผ when youโre straddling him on the couch and his hands are secured firmly on your waist. his lips moving against yours in a way that almost seems hungry. he pulls back just enough to look at you and mutters โtchโฆ clingy,โbut his grip doesnโt loosen. he doesnโt let you go
โผ when he cuts a guy off mid-sentence for looking at you too long. he doesnโt yell, doesnโt make a scene, just gives a low โwatch your eyesโin a tone flat enough to turn the air cold. and the whole room quiets.
โผ when youโve gotten dressed in a hurry and he silently fixes the collar of your uniform/shirt. he doesnโt break eye contact at first, his fingers linger for a half a second to long and he subtly looks from your eyes, to your lips and back in a way that makes it so you canโt breathe.
โผ when heโs balls deep inside you, one hand holding your wrists above your head. he rolls his hips in just the right way. slow enough that you feel every ridge of his shaft. your voice breaks, body trembling beneath him. a whimpering mess. he mutters โtch, youโre so loud.โ but he doesnโt stop. if anything, he fucks you harder.
โผ when he checks your gear before a mission. he doesnโt ask. just steps behind you and starts tightening the straps on your harness with precise movements. his fingers brush your ribs as he adjusts the buckles, than tug once to make sure theyโre secure. โtoo loose,โ he mutters. and when heโs done, he steps away without looking at you. like it didnโt make your heart drop to your stomach.
The hidden glances across headquarters. The way Levi would stand just a little too close when no one was looking, only to step away the second someone entered the room. The brief touches of his hand against your lower back in empty hallways. The quiet way heโd mutter, โEat,โ when he noticed you skipping meals, shoving half of his bread roll onto your plate before anyone could question it.
It had been like this ever since the two of you got married.
Not because Levi was ashamed of you. You knew that much.
He simply hated people knowing things about him.
Levi Ackerman could command an entire room with a single look, could stare down titans without blinking, could make seasoned soldiers crumble under the weight of his words. Yet the second anyone got too close to knowing him, truly knowing him, he shut down.
You were the only exception.
The only one who knew how he took his tea. The only one who knew he hated thunderstorms because they made the old wooden buildings creak too loudly at night. The only one who knew he liked sleeping with one hand tucked beneath your shirt, fingers spread against your stomach like he needed to reassure himself you were still there.
The only one who knew that beneath the coldness and sharp tongue was someone devastatingly soft in the quietest ways.
Still, it did make things difficult sometimes.
Especially with his squad.
โCaptain Levi seriously has never liked anyone,โ Eren said one afternoon, sprawled lazily across a chair in the mess hall. โI think he might actually hate romance.โ
Jean snorted. โHe definitely does.โ
Mikasa sat nearby, quietly eating. โNot necessarily.โ
Connie looked up. โWhat do you mean?โ
She shrugged. โHe just seems like the type to keep things private.โ
You nearly choked on your drink.
Levi, seated across the room, didnโt react at all. He continued drinking his tea like he hadnโt heard a word.
You stared at him.
He didnโt look up.
Coward.
Later that evening, after everyone had gone to bed, you found him in his office, papers spread across his desk. He looked tired, dark circles beneath his eyes, sleeves rolled to his elbows.
You closed the door behind you.
Levi looked up briefly. โYouโre still awake.โ
โYou let them say you hate romance.โ
โI do hate romance.โ
You raised an eyebrow.
He leaned back in his chair. โThe public kind. Flowers, stupid letters, dramatic confessions. Itโs embarrassing.โ
โAnd marriage?โ
His eyes flicked to the ring on your finger.
Then to his own.
A simple silver band he kept hidden beneath gloves most days.
โThatโs different,โ he muttered.
You smiled softly and stepped closer. โYou know, one day theyโre going to figure it out.โ
โThey wonโt.โ
โYouโre very confident for someone who kissed me in a storage closet last week.โ
Leviโs expression remained blank, but there was the faintest shift in his eyes. โYou started that.โ
โOh, so now youโre blaming me?โ
โYouโre distracting.โ
You laughed quietly.
His hand reached for yours under the desk, fingers brushing over your ring. He looked down at it for a moment, thumb rubbing against the metal.
โLet them think whatever they want,โ he said.
You softened immediately.
Because that was Levi. He wasnโt good with saying things directly, but sometimes he would hand you his heart in tiny pieces and trust you enough not to drop it.
Let them think whatever they want.
As long as he still had you.
The problem was that Levi had grown too comfortable.
Far too comfortable.
At first, he had been careful.
No touching in public. No lingering looks. No signs.
Then slowly, over the months, he had begun slipping.
It started small.
Heโd pull out your chair without thinking.
Heโd bring you tea before meetings without asking if you wanted any.
If you were injured during training, he was suddenly there before anyone else, jaw tight, hands checking over you with thinly veiled irritation.
โYouโre bleeding.โ
โItโs barely a scratch.โ
โItโs stupid.โ
Then came the worse offenses.
Like the fact that he knew exactly how you took your tea.
Or that he would show up outside your office late at night with blankets when you worked too long.
Or that he had a habit of fixing your cravat without a word whenever it sat crooked around your neck.
No one said anything.
Not for a while.
But you could feel it sometimes.
The lingering looks.
The confusion.
The way Hange would grin whenever Leviโs attention drifted toward you for too long.
You should have known it would be Hange.
โLevi,โ Hange said one afternoon, walking beside him as you all returned from a mission. โHypothetically.โ
Levi looked irritated already. โNo.โ
โYou donโt even know the question.โ
โDonโt care.โ
โHypothetically,โ Hange continued anyway, โif someone were secretly in love, what signs would they show?โ
Leviโs expression darkened. โWhat kind of idiotic question is that?โ
โMaybe they bring someone tea. Maybe they stare at them too long. Maybe they act weirdly protective.โ
โThatโs not love. Thatโs being annoying.โ
Hange grinned wider.
You looked away, trying not to smile.
Levi noticed.
His eyes narrowed at you.
You had to bite the inside of your cheek to stop yourself from laughing.
Then, finally, everything fell apart.
It happened on a rainy afternoon.
The kind where everyone was stuck indoors because the training grounds had turned to mud.
You had been in Leviโs office helping sort through paperwork. Or rather, pretending to help while Levi did most of the work because he claimed you organized things โwrong.โ
You stood near the bookshelf, stretching your arms over your head.
Levi sat at his desk.
โYou missed a page,โ you said.
โI didnโt.โ
โYou did.โ
โI didnโt.โ
You walked over, picked up the stack, and held up the missing page triumphantly.
Levi stared at you.
Then he sighed through his nose. โBrat.โ
โOld man.โ
His eyes narrowed.
Then, without warning, he reached out and tugged you closer by the wrist.
You stumbled slightly, laughing under your breath as he pulled you between his knees.
โLeviโโ
โYouโre annoying.โ
โYou married me.โ
He went still for half a second.
Just long enough for both of you to realize what had slipped out.
Thenโ
The office door swung open.
Eren froze in the doorway.
Mikasa stopped behind him.
Armin nearly walked into both of them.
For a long moment, nobody moved.
You were still standing between Leviโs legs.
His hand was still around your wrist.
Your wedding ring gleamed brightly against your finger.
Eren blinked once.
Then twice.
โโฆMarried?โ
Silence.
Levi slowly let go of your wrist.
โYou knock before entering,โ he said flatly.
โCaptain,โ Armin said weakly, โdid she just sayโโ
โYes,โ Levi replied.
No denial.
No excuse.
Just yes.
Mikasa stared at the two of you.
Eren looked like someone had hit him over the head with a brick.
โYouโre married?โ he repeated.
Levi looked deeply irritated now, mostly because he had been caught.
โYes.โ
โHow long?โ
โA while.โ
โHow long is โa whileโ?โ Jean asked from somewhere in the hallway because of course everyone had gathered outside the door.
Leviโs eye twitched.
โOver a year.โ
The silence that followed was deafening.
Then Connieโs voice rang out.
โOVER A YEAR?โ
Suddenly everyone was shoving into the office at once.
Jean looked horrified.
Sasha looked delighted.
Hange looked smug beyond belief.
โI KNEW IT!โ Hange shouted, pointing dramatically. โI knew there was something weird happening!โ
โYou knew?โ Eren asked.
โNo, but I suspected. Levi only glares at everyone else. He stares at her.โ
Levi looked like he wanted to throw himself out the window.
โYouโre telling me,โ Jean said, looking between the two of you, โthat humanityโs strongest soldier has a spouse?โ
โUnfortunately,โ Levi muttered.
You laughed softly.
Eren still looked completely lost. โBut you never said anything.โ
Levi crossed his arms. โWasnโt your business.โ
โYou wear rings?โ Mikasa asked quietly.
Without thinking, Levi tugged off one of his gloves.
The silver band sat there, simple and worn. The room went silent again. Because somehow that made it more real.
Levi Ackerman was married.
Actually married.
Hange walked over and grabbed your hand before you could stop them. โWait, wait, waitโhow did this happen? Who confessed first? Was there a proposal? Did Levi propose?โ
Levi looked offended. โOf course I proposed.โ
That only made everyone more shocked.
โYou proposed?โ Connie repeated.
โYes.โ
โWhat did you say?โ Sasha asked excitedly.
Levi went quiet.
You smiled a little.
โHe told me,โ you began, โโIโm not asking twice, so decide if you want to spend the rest of your life with me already.โโ
The room erupted.
Eren looked scandalized.
Jean burst out laughing.
Hange nearly collapsed.
โThat is the least romantic proposal Iโve ever heard,โ Connie wheezed.
โIt worked, didnโt it?โ Levi snapped.
You could not stop smiling.
Because honestly?
It had been perfect.
That was exactly how Levi loved.
Clumsy in words. Awkward in timing. But painfully sincere.
โI still canโt believe this,โ Eren muttered.
Levi looked exhausted already. โGet out.โ
โNo.โ
โNow.โ
โNo.โ
โYouโre all irritating.โ
โCaptain,โ Armin said carefully, โwhy didnโt you tell us?โ
Levi went quiet for a moment. The room softened a little. Even Hange stopped grinning.
Levi wasnโt good at explaining himself. Everyone knew that.
He glanced at you briefly.
Then back at them.
โBecause this is mine,โ he said simply. โSheโs mine. And I didnโt want people sticking their noses into it.โ
The room fell silent again.
Your heart ached.
Because there it was.
Leviโs love always came out in the strangest ways.
Sheโs mine.
Not possessive.
Not controlling.
Just honest.
You belonged to him the same way he belonged to you. A quiet thing. A private thing. Something precious.
Hange smiled a little again.
Eren looked awkward suddenly.
Jean rubbed the back of his neck.
Mikasa glanced at you, then Levi, and for the first time, there was something almost soft in her expression.
โThat makes sense,โ she said quietly.
Levi looked uncomfortable with the understanding.
โStill,โ Hange said, grinning again, โyou canโt stop us from asking questions now.โ
โYes, I can.โ
โYou sleep in the same room?โ
Levi stared blankly.
โObviously,โ he said.
โDo you cuddle?โ
The room went silent.
Levi looked murderous.
โGet out.โ
โYou do!โ Hange yelled.
โOUT.โ
Everyone scattered before Levi could physically throw them out himself.
The room emptied quickly, filled with laughter and shouting as everyone ran down the hall.
You could hear Connie yelling, โI canโt believe Captain Levi is married!โ from halfway across headquarters.
Then it was quiet again.
Just you and Levi.
He sat at his desk looking deeply exhausted.
You leaned against it beside him.
โWell,โ you said lightly, โthat went well.โ
Levi looked at you.
Then, after a moment, he reached up and wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you closer until you stood between his knees again.
โThis is your fault.โ
You smiled. โYou married me.โ
His gaze softened in that way only you ever got to see.
โYou talk too much.โ
โAnd you love me anyway.โ
Levi was quiet for a moment.
Then his forehead rested lightly against your stomach.
It was such a small thing.
So unlike the man everyone else saw.
No sharp edges. No coldness.
Just Levi.
Just your husband.
โI do,โ he muttered quietly.
You felt your chest ache again.
Because no matter how private he was, no matter how much he hid himself away from everyone else, you had always been the exception.
