This cruel world [Levi Ackerman x Neko reader]

30.

Sweat dripped down my limbs as I finally flopped down on the floor. Repairing the roof and walls of the house was truly unlike anything I've ever done alone. Maybe it was because of the lack of sleep, or missing out on lunch, but stamina drained quite quickly, having me take breaks every 20 minutes.

And yet by the time the sun peaked out from the horizon I was more or less done, having most of the holes plugged and all rooms reinforced. Good thing Hanji gifted us that gold - being able to afford better tools really saved our skins here.

Spotting the letter I had left to enjoy during one of the breaks, I rip away the seal, the familiar lettering pasting a smile on my face. Ever since we went our ways, Levi and I have been writing to each other, checking on each other's health and well-being.

Even though Levi's letters at first sounded more like military reports, they soon enough grew to have a more casual style. We'd always pick up new topics that we'd challenge each other to research, discussing military tactics or different authors' books. 

There was even an ongoing tic-tac-toe battle in the bottom right corner of the letter, reaching its climax with a win tightly ensured in my grasp. I wish I could show him how much things have changed. To show him the first house I bought with my own money. And yet our schedules clashed, both of us completely occupied by our jobs.

As my eyes ran through the neatly picked words, the expression on my face hardened. Every scolding he described for the new recruits sparked a bitter light in my chest. As untouchable as I felt in my current spot, proudly bringing up children and working to the bone.. I missed the life I left back in the survey corps.

Every morning my fingers itch towards the green uniform I had put away in the closet, and yet I had no right to wear it. I was no longer one of them. Just an outsider.

And yet Levi's sweet words console my soul, even if they're presented through rough remarks. Like a purest cure to sadness, it always spark up a smile, almost as if he knew exactly what to say to cheer me up.

"Everyone else's tea tastes bitter. No one can get it right." I lean back on the wall, laughing out loud. "That's so him to grumble about tea."

Bringing my legs closer I snort at each silly remark. It wasn't just tea; everything annoyed him - the way cadets brought documents late or didn't clean the office well enough, forgetting to air the building after using chemicals.

The painted picture reached a crescendo with the last written words, curved out with a fountain pen especially carefully.

I wish you could be here instead.

Heat rising in my cheeks I curl into a ball as my ears slide off to the sides, trying to hide the embarrassment. 

I miss him too.

Maybe soon enough I'll get to see him again.

<><><><><>

"Okay, up!" with a bigger swing  of the body I lift the end of the heavy plank that's already rammed against the hollow second floor of the building we were working on. 

The tense sunshine burns at my skin as I can't help but curse out the itching behind my ear that hasn't been going away for the last fifteen minutes. I swear to God, at this point being burned by the church might be better than this bright purple headscarf.

Watching that the newly employed kid listens, I put my weight into the push as the plank slowly starts sliding up.

"Okay soon I won't be able to reach, so just don't freak out!" Standing on my tip toes I shout again and the newbie shouts back a nervous agreement. "Ready?"