No matter where you are- Levi x Reader

Chapter 5

Levi and my evening walks became a weekly thing and soon a daily thing. Every evening after dinner, we would go to the lake. Sometimes we would talk for hours and sometimes we would watch the stars in silence. We talked about everything. Even though I did most of the talking, I knew he felt comfortable around me. He told me about his friends, Farlan and Isabel, how he met them and their time in the underground. I could feel the pain in his voice when he spoke about them and I realised how much he missed them.

In the two months that I had known Levi, I had started to like him even more. I could no longer ignore my pounding heart every time we were together. I could no longer ignore how he looked under the moonlight. I could no longer ignore how happy I felt around him. What started out as a mere attraction had become something more serious. The more time I spent with him, the more I understood him. Beneath his cold attitude, there was a boy who cared a lot about his friends and comrades. It was not difficult to fall for Levi once you got to know him.

But I could not bring myself to tell him how I felt. Even though he occasionally flirted with me, I knew he was never serious. Having grown up in the underground, Levi's speech was always crude and rough. He had an unfiltered way of speaking, even to his superiors. So, whenever he teased me, I assumed that was his style of talking. Besides, I did not want to jeopardize what we had. I did not want to lose his trust.

Neither Levi nor I mentioned to anyone about our little "outing", not even to Hange. Even though they were my best friend, I wanted to keep the time I spent with him to myself.

One night we were sitting by the lake, gazing at the stars as usual, when Levi suddenly asked me, "How old are you?"

"I'm 20. You?"

"21.", he replied looking at me. "You don't look 20.", he added.

"Oh? Do you mean I look younger or older?", I asked him curiously.

"Younger. Not more than 17.", he replied casually.

I blushed. "Although sometimes you sound like a 10-year-old.", he smirked.

"Oh shut up!", I gave his shoulder a light nudge. We both fell silent.

"I wonder how many years it will take for me to go outside the wall...", I said mostly to myself, but Levi heard.

"Huh? You want to go outside the walls?", he asked perplexed.

"Yeah, don't you? Don't you want to know what's outside the walls?", I asked my eyes shining with excitement.

"Tch. I've been outside the walls, Y/N. There is nothing but titans.", he said in an irritable tone.

"You're wrong!", I yelled and he turned his head towards me looking surprised at my little outburst.

Realizing that I had yelled, I spoke in a softer tone, "I-I think there's more. As a kid, I have read books which father used to keep in his library. It said that outside the walls, there are many things we don't know of. Like blue waters called sea! land covered with nothing but sand! volcanoes that inject fire!" 

I got excited thinking about the pictures in my head. Pictures from the book that were still fresh in my memory. "I don't know if all that is actually true but I'd like to see for myself. Someday." I got lost in thought and when I finally back came to my senses, I noticed that Levi was still staring at me with an expression that I could not read.

"Enjoying the view?", I asked to lighten the mood.

But to my surprise, he replied, "Maybe I am."

My heart skipped a beat at what he said. I looked into his eyes and they looked serious.

"Levi...", As I began to say, I felt a drop of water fall on my forehead.

"Tch. It's starting to rain. Let's go.", Levi said quickly getting up. I followed his lead but as soon as we reached the forest, it started to pour heavily.

"Quick, let's get under that tree.", Levi grabbed my hand and we ran towards the nearest tree that was leafy. We decided to take shelter under it till the rain subdued, but when we realized that it was not going to stop for a while, we sat down next to each other. The trunk was not very thick, so we had to sit really close to each other, not that I minded. Our shoulders almost touched, and I could hear him breathe. Somehow it made me feel relaxed. Soon my eyes began to droop, and I felt myself slipping into slumber.

Levi's POV

I was lost in thought looking at the rainfall, when I fell Y/N's head on my shoulder. I was startled at first but when I turned my head slowly, I saw that she was asleep. Her lips were slightly parted, and her breathing was slow. For some reason I felt the need to move the strands of hair that were covering her face. When I did, I saw how peaceful she looked. I did not want to wake her up. The rain stopped soon after and I realized it was time to head back to the dorms. I felt reluctant to move. Why do I want to sit here longer?

I slowly moved her head, grabbed both her legs and lifted her off the floor. She shifted a bit in my arms but fell back asleep, her head gently pressed against my chest. I took her to her room, which to my surprise was not locked. Idiot.

I reached her bedside and carefully placed her on the bed, making sure she didn't wake up in the commotion. Next, I put the blanket on her carefully, and ensured that she was tucked in well. Once I was satisfied, I decided to leave. But as I started to turn, I noticed that her hair were covering her eyes again. I slowly brushed them off with my fingers and tucked them behind her ears. With one final look at her, I made my way back to my room, feeling a bit lightheaded.

Y/N's POV

When I woke up the next day, I found myself in my room. When did I get here?

I started to think of the events of the previous night and remembered that I was with Levi, sitting under the tree, getting shelter from the rain. Wait, did he...

As I began to wonder, I heard someone knock on my door. Confused, I went to open it.

"Erwin!", I exclaimed not expecting him so early in the morning.

"Y/N, we have an emergency. A factory in Karanes district has caught fire. The houses nearby are also in danger. The Garrisons are in-charge of the situation. They don't know the exact numbers but there are a lot of casualties. The hospital doesn't have enough staff so they've requested us to send our medics. I want you, Anna and Thomas to leave immediately. Pack your clothes as you might be there for a week or two depending on how bad the situation is." Erwin finished finally catching his breath.

"Oh no...", my voice was shaking as I tried to take in the information.

"Hurry up, a wagon is waiting outside. I'll meet you downstairs.", Erwin commanded and left.

Without wasting another second, I started packing as many clothes as I could. I quickly changed and rushed outside. I met Erwin at the entrance and saw that Anna and Thomas were already seated in the wagon. I was suddenly afraid. Afraid of leaving my comfort place. Afraid of not knowing what was waiting for me in Karanes. Afraid of not being able to save anyone.

"Y/N, you're going to be fine. I know you can do this.", Erwin said reading my expression.

"Erwin...",

"Shinzo wo Sasageyo!", he said as he gave me the Military salute.

I nodded my head and returned the salute. His face softened. "Take care.", he whispered so that I only I could here. "I'll see you soon.", I gave him a smile and ran towards the wagon. 

As soon as I climbed on top, it started to move. I turned to see Erwin one last time. Then it suddenly hit me. Levi. My heart sank as I realised that I couldn't say goodbye to him. It's okay. I'll see him when I return. There was an unpleasant feeling in my heart like something bad was going to happen but shaking it off as nothing, I turned to face ahead, focusing only on the mission in front of me.