Deviate | Levi Ackerman x OC

Ch. 24

Levi collapsed in bed beside me, both of us trying to regulate our breathing, though he wasn't down for long. He reached into a side table drawer from behind him and returned with a folded up cloth. He carefully wiped me off, ensuring I was cleaned up thoroughly and discarding the rag in a nearby basket.
That happened, I thought to myself. That really happened.
There was so much to unpack from that interaction, but I had no idea where to begin. Had this been a common affair for us? How deeply involved was the nature of our relationship? Had that 'I love you' exchange taken place previously or could that really have been the first time? So many questions yet no clue how I was ever going to get any of these answers.
After helping me, he picked up my right hand in his, lacing his fingers with mine again and bringing it to his mouth for a kiss. I wanted to completely fall apart all over again.
"Don't you want to–"
"Clean up?" He finished for me. "Of course, but it can wait a few minutes."
I hummed in agreement, surprised but nestled closer to him anyway. This has to be the closest to being on cloud nine I'd ever been.
"Listen, Ace," Levi started again, his thumb rubbing the back of my hand. "I'm sorry if that was... a lot."
I pulled my eyebrows, trying but failing to understand what he meant.
"I just...," he sighed, taking his time with putting his words together, "I really missed you. And I probably got a little carried away."
I turned onto my side to be able to face him better.
"Please do not apologize for any part of that," I assured him, kissing his cheek, "None of it."
He held me firmly against him. I wasn't sure I'd ever get enough of this tender Levi, even if he only existed behind closed doors. We laid like this together for a few more minutes until he stretched and finally sat up. He got to his feet and helped me to mine, directing me to the bathroom. I adjusted the light in there to help our visibility and started the shower. Bringing us fresh towels, Levi waited for me to step in first before following after.
The water was hot but not scalding, its soothing sensation welcome after how he'd all but turned my legs to jelly. I was a little curious to see if this environment would take another sensual turn, but he seemed more interested in taking care of me instead, helping to wash my back and hair. I tried to return the favor whenever I could, looking for any excuse to run my hands over his powerful form. He'd spent so much of this evening doting on me, checking in with me as we progressed every step of the way, and overall prioritizing my experience that I wanted to make sure he knew I wished to serve him the same way.

When we both were what Levi deemed sufficiently clean, he grabbed a towel for me as I wrung out my hair and gave me space to get situated. I wrapped myself up and promptly rejoined him in his bedroom. He wore only a pair of loose flannel pants and handed me a small pile of folded up clothes.
"It's late to go back to your room," he specified. "You can just use these. I know which ones you like."
I nodded, accepting them and removing my towel to get dressed. I changed into the pair of boxers and an undershirt he'd lent me while he changed his sheets and worked on remaking the bed. I had no idea what hour it was and honestly, I didn't want to know – I knew it couldn't, but I wanted this little bubble we were existing in to last forever. I walked over to him as he was finishing up and wrapped my arms around him, holding my chest against his back. He paused briefly, allowing me to soak in the moment before he turned around to face me and hugging me around my waist.
I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his gently. "Ready for bed?"
"For the first time in a really long time."
He pulled the blanket back and gestured forward. I crawled into his bed first and waited eagerly for him to join me. Once he was comfortable, Levi reached an arm out for me. I scooted closer to him, laying my head against his chest and listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. The complete and utter bliss of this moment was unlike anything I'd ever experienced in my life.
"Hey, Ace," he mused from beside me.
I was teetering on the edge of dozing off and that quickly brought my attention back. "Yeah?"
He sounded like he was hesitating with what he wanted to say next, his words coming out barely more than a whisper. "I just wanted to make sure you knew that I meant everything I said earlier."
I looked up to see his face. His expression looked conflicted and I offered an earnest grin in an effort to ease his mind. "Yeah, I know that, Levi. And I hope you know that I did, too – every word."
I guess that's how we were going to address the in-the-heat-of-the-moment-'I love yous', but that was okay with me. There were plenty of other details I was already racking my brain trying to figure out about us and my life here overall, it probably wouldn't hurt not to overanalyze this one, too.
He kissed the top of my head, breaking me out of my thoughts. He traced his fingertips up and down my arm, the sound of his breathing lulling me to sleep.
"I love you," he murmured once again a few minutes later.
I wondered if he thought I was totally under by then, waiting a moment before answering. "I love you, too."