Levi x Reader Oneshots 2

A Matter of Stature (Levi x Taller/Girlfriend Reader)

Author's Note: Hello, lovelies! For this one, the reader does have to be at least a few inches taller than Levi. If you're not, please pretend. Thank you, and enjoy!

You had been dating Levi for several months when he finally opened up to you about the elephant in the room.

His height.

From the very beginning, his body had betrayed him. Because of his small stature, people automatically expected certain things from him. Certain tendencies. Certain weaknesses. And in this cruel world, Levi couldn't afford to show any weakness at all.

You'd always assumed his height didn't bother him, and indeed, he made a good show of pretending it didn't. He'd also done everything in his power to compensate for it. After all, he was Humanity's Strongest Soldier, the biggest badass to ever exist, the guy anyone would be crazy to mess with.

Yet, he could never silence the insecure voice in his mind – the self-loathing that popped up whenever he was surrounded by six-foot-tall men, whenever people derisively called him a "runt", whenever he was humiliated as fans discovered Humanity's Strongest was "shorter than they expected".

All of this came out after Levi had to ask you to grab something off of the top shelf for him. You gathered it must've been a taxing day, as far as his height was concerned, and not being able to reach the item himself had been the last straw. Now, he was pacing around his office like a caged animal, clearly agitated.

"It's just..." he growled, his words coming out rough and stilted as he searched for the right way to articulate how he was feeling. Unfortunately, expressing his emotions was also difficult for him, given how often he had to suppress and shut down in order to stay strong for everyone else. "I know I shouldn't let it bother me. I know that. But...shit, I hate this body! All the damn time...people...and it's so...it's so..."

"It's unfair?" you supplied gently, trying to help him out.

Levi sighed. Ran a hand through his hair. "Yes, it's unfair," he spat. "And I know I sound like a big baby saying that. Of course, life isn't fair. I should just forget about it and move on."

"No, you shouldn't," you murmured, stepping closer to him with arms held open. When he didn't resist, you wrapped him in a hug and tucked him close. "You're allowed to feel things, Levi. Especially with me. I get that, out there, you have to be strong and stoic and all. But in here, when it's just us, you can tell me these things. It's not healthy to bottle it up all the time."

After taking a moment to absorb your words, Levi slid his arms gently around your waist, his body finally relaxing into your own. Rather, it would be more accurate to say his body went limp – drained of energy after what had likely been his first emotional outburst in years. You were glad he felt safe enough to show you that weakness, to give you his burden and let you shelter him for a little while.

"Thank you," he mumbled. "It's just...so frustrating."

"I know. I'm sorry," you cooed, acknowledging his pain. "And you're right – it's not fair that people expect certain things from you just because of your height. You should be free to act however you want. Only..."

You took a deep breath before hugging him closer, letting your fingers brush the small, fuzzy hairs of his undercut. "Please don't hate your body. It's perfect the way it is. You've taken really good care of it, so you're healthy and strong, and you always look amazing. I know being shorter can be frustrating, but there are a lot of benefits to it – like all the cool stuff you can do with the ODM gear, and your extra agility in hand-to-hand combat. And honestly...personally, I really like your height. Because it means I get to hold you like this."