Old Ties: A Levi x Female Reader

Chapter 1 - Happy Birthday

Mandatory pre-story author note!
Maybe you've read an old piece of mine, or maybe you're new. My name is Lexie and you have stumbled upon a tribute to my middle school days. I remember the first fanfiction I ever wrote had 2k views and it was such a nice feeling to know that people read my work and loved it. Unfortunately that piece is no longer up because I did what some writer's do and scrapped the whole thing because I was unhappy with how the story was developing. I've always had an affinity for romance stories because it's nice to know someone gets a happy ending (even if it's fictional). Anywho without further delay, I present Old Ties: a Levi x Reader.
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Chapter 1 - Happy Birthday

Just outside the Trost district inside Wall Rose, the sun pierced through the sheer white curtains of a farmhouse, lightly illuminating the small room in the attic. It was small but tidy with little dust to be seen. A weathered desk sat in the corner next to the window with a vase full of wild flowers that only grew by the creek nearby. A large bed takes up most of the space in the room, and inside of it lies a little girl whose hair is messy from a sleepless night.

I woke up to the sun shining brightly through my window. The rays shone directly on the flowers Mom picked for my birthday today.

I smiled and sat up, stretching my arms over my head and yawning groggily, I sighed to myself, "Happy birthday." Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I gently placed my feet on the ground, careful not to drag my blankets with me. Standing up now, I made my way over to the window and peered through the curtains to view the street below and see people with carts on their way to the market. Dad would've left to go work in the city by now but I sniffed the air lightly and could smell the eggs and toast coming from the kitchen. Grabbing the clothes I had set out the night before and my brush, I pulled myself together in the mirror and made my way down the stairs to see my mom scraping the last bit of food onto a plate for me.

When she heard me she turned and smiled lovingly, "How is my sweet little girl doing this morning?"
"Just fine Mom. Are those for me?" I replied pointing to the steaming eggs on the table, "Also will Dad be home in time for dinner?"

She nodded and turned to the sink. My mom was the most beautiful and kind-hearted woman I have ever met, but sometimes I wonder if she's really as okay as she says she is because I find her staring blankly off in the distance quite often. After breakfast I wandered outside to start my daily chores. By the big oak tree in our yard we kept the chickens, and in the barn by the road was the horses. We lived in a small village surrounded by a forest that had a large creek running through it right by my house. Because our farm wasn't very large I didn't have much to accomplish in the mornings. Usually I would start by fetching water from the creek for all the animals and then go to my neighbors yard for some wheat but today was my day and I wanted to spend most of it in my favorite spot so I moved fast. When I finished mucking the stalls I ran straight back to my house to have lunch with my mother. She must've gone to the market because on the table was a plate of potatoes and meat, and a note saying she'd return soon. I ate and washed up the dishes before stepping back outside into the warm spring air. I stepped off the porch and broke into a run to get to my favorite place in the whole world, the creek. It was crystal clear and I could see little minnows swimming through the patches of sun created in between the tree's shade. Hundreds of flowers grew on the edge of the creek in the lush green grass and by an old knotty tree was a big smooth rock that I like to sit on. I took my boots off and put my toes in the warm stream and closed my eyes. This was going to be a good day.

I must have dozed off for quite awhile because when I opened my eyes again I could see the sunset peering through the trees. I picked up my bucket on the way back to the house to fetch some water from the well but something was off. No birds were chirping. The streets were still. I saw my mom on the porch talking with three gentlemen who had come in a large covered wagon pulled by 2 horses. I slowed my speed once I got to the large oak tree and squatted down with my bucket of water in the shade to watch what was happening. Mom looked really upset and all three men stood there with their arms crossed over their chests. The two on either side disappeared behind the wagon but the one in the middle remained. I could barely make out his features but he was a large man who was heavily bearded. The other two were not as big but they appeared muscular with clean shaven faces and they all wore the same clothes. I wanted to get up and go closer but I was stopped by a sudden intense itch on my leg.