Amelia ☾ [L. Ackerman X OC]

Seventy Three

Thank you all so much for your patience, and I apologize for the delay in updates! I was both on vacation and waking up at 5:00am to study for my LSAT and going to bed around 11:00pm after I study then as well. I'm on my way home, but will still be working on improving this score. Because of this, updates may be slower than usual (around two to four updates a week); so sorry!

Anyway, here is the chapter you have earned!

Enjoy :)

Levi woke suddenly, coated in a displeasurable thin layer of sweat. He frantically searched the mattress, comforted to see Amelia's peaceful appearance directly facing him, her chapped lips slightly parted while she slowly breathed.

He hadn't dared close his eyes, afraid she would magically dissipate if he'd done so.

He kept a secure arm draped over her waist, refusing to let go like she would leave him again once he took his attention off of her, even for a second. And who could blame him? Sure, it'd been over two months since the whole incident arose, two weeks (nine total from the night she disappeared) since her memories resurfaced. It couldn't matter; her confirmed presence was one of the only things able to successfully suppress his anxiety. Honestly, Levi wasn't completely convinced that the worrisome feeling would ever retreat, especially with the upcoming expedition (Levi had NOT been looking forward to that difficult conversation).

Upon his internal deliberation, Levi, inches apart from her, studied Amelia's soothed features closely. Her head rested on his bicep, curls askew and marginally tickling his skin. Not that he minded. In fact, it seemed as though he actually preferred the strange sensation. He counted the freckles on her nose for the, what felt to be, nineteenth occurrence, utilizing the pattern to calm him.

It was then that he noticed Amelia's demeanor randomly shift, her brow furrowed and previously placid expression tense.

Nightmare, he astutely concluded. Unfortunately, regaining the memoirs of the past lacked the ability to utterly eradicate everything. Amelia, in a much more positive space, struggled. At this point, it mostly accredited blame on the bad dreams.

Her hallucinations gradually became less frequent before they ceased all together. Having the private sessions with Hange, presently titled as one of Amelia's best friends (and not just a frequent listener to their experiments) definitely portrayed a large role in this healing process. While recognition could be bestowed on the Commander, it also belonged to Levi as well. She failed to identify how many evenings she'd spent sobbing in his arms while he held her and swayed, murmuring sweet nothings in her ear until her panic attacks subsided.