Subordinates to Mates, Mates to Lovers (Levi Ackerman x Reader)

Chapter One

She stared at herself in the mirror, precisely watching each stroke of the bristles part through her black locks that cascaded past her low back. It was like a ritual, entrancing, yet a simple daily task. Regardless, it was something she tangibly took pride in, something no one could ever take away from her.

Everyone has their own obsession over something miniscule right?

She flounced her hair from one shoulder to the other, examining the shine and the silk texture that seemed to invite strangers' filthy touch. Shifting her weight from one thigh to the other, pressing her bare skin into the cold porcelain countertop, the coldness was unwelcomed, but that's the consequence of wearing a nightgown. She pulled at the lacey cotton fabric that rode up her thighs, nothing could beat the stuffiness of a well-dressed Marleyan, even their nightwear had to have some sort of embellishment.

"Marley certainly has interesting clothing choices..." she relented to herself.

"Not a fan?"

Her head whipped toward the direction she heard the voice come from. Leaning against the door frame to bear weight off his left leg, Levi gripped the cane, white knuckles and all.

"Can't say that I am, have you seen how revolting this nightgown is?"

Levi's eye scanned her figure up to her freshly brushed hair and back down to the hem of the nightgown. Maybe his gaze lingered around her decolletage a few seconds longer than they should have, her hair was pushed to the side, he did have a clear view of scars adoring her nape.

"Yes, I've seen it... but there's something more I'm not a fan of."

"What?"

"You sit on the countertop every time you brush your hair, that's -"

She shot him a look, anticipating his next line. "filthy, I know. It's not like I don't clean up after myself. I've been with you many years, and you don't think I've learned?"

Touché.

Watching his eyebrows knit together, a common micro expression his face seemed to have plenty of mastery over. His shoes scuffed against the floor with every step he took past the door frame. The air between them was suffocatingly thick, irritation seemed to seep out deep from the woodwork. Her olfactory glands wanted to stifle themselves from such an unpleasant scent. But how could she? Her natural aptitude was made to counteract circumstances like this... which happened more often than not.

"To what do I owe the pleasure Captain?"

"I need something for pain," gritting through his teeth.

Without a word, swung open the mirror that dualled as a medicine cabinet. It wasn't every day Levi would openly express his discomfort, hell, she practically had to force it out of him some days. Grasping the small glass jar of white pills she placed it on the countertop. With his pelvis leaning against the bathroom cabinets, his good hand was freed from the cane to dislodge the cork. He shook not one, not two, but four pills into the palm of his other hand.

She shot her hand out covering his palm, a physical barrier to intervene. Their eyes met, staring each other down. He hadn't even had the chance to place the cork into the lip of the jar, her reaction was instantaneous.

"Four, Levi? If it's not working the doctor said there's another painkiller you could try."

"(Y/n)..."

"Just take two... please."

"Tch."

Her unyielding eyes burned with panic. He broke the battle hardened stare, almost startled by the look in her eyes over something so trivial. Pulling his hand out from beneath, he complied, dropping two pills back into the jar. She placed the cork back into the mouth of the jar, already tucking it away back into the medicine cabinet she was gatekeeping. Levi breathed out a deep sigh, the smothering atmosphere dissipated, leaving it easier to breathe. He noted a new pressure, the air was quivering just like her.

Levi dry swallowed the two pills allocated to him by the gatekeeper. Gripping his cane once again, he hobbled past the door frame, pausing for a moment.

"If I can't sleep later tonight, it's your fault."

(Y/n) bit her lip, her captain was a chronic insomniac. Such callous humor.

"Last thing, get off the counter" he spat.

Now that was endearing.