The Perfect Fit--A Levi Ackerman x Reader Series

Chapter 8

Levi Ackerman x female reader

Warnings: cussing, blood, description of sewing up skin

The weather took an unpredictable turn, sheets of rain cascading down on the castle where the sun shone hours earlier. If this was any other afternoon you would've welcomed it with open arms but the Scouts were out on their expedition, deep in Wall Maria. Everyone knows it's too dangerous to evade titans, much less fight them, in conditions like this. You tried to quell your worried heart by throwing yourself into your newest project. You were using Levi's leftover winter pant fabric to create arm warmers for yourself. When you were done cutting the pattern and got your pieces ready to sew, you felt a dull ache in your chest as you realized this quite possibly could be the last bit of Levi you'd ever have. You did your best to quiet your thoughts as they helped nothing, focusing on your hands as they pushed fabric under the sewing machine. With that part over, you decided to embellish your new accessories with embroidery. You opted for the Scout Regiment symbol on the back of the arms so hopefully you could wear them as part of your uniform. The fronts look bare without anything so you added a small bunch of bell flowers. You noticed they were growing everywhere this time of year and to you they represented beauty and hope in times of despair. There was a slight chill that came with the storm so you put your newly finished work to use, relishing the warmth they brought you. As you went to the dining hall for dinner, you overheard a messenger that came riding in from the expedition, but you could only capture a few words here and there from your position as an eavesdropper.

"We... rain and thunder... sitting ducks out there... waiting for the weather to let up... too dangerous... not coming back yet."

You let out a gasp. They were supposed to be back tonight but it sounded like they were having to wait out the rain. After hearing that, you weren't hungry anymore. You spent the rest of the night in your room with a stomachache.

When Levi felt the first drops of rain land on him, he couldn't believe the bad luck. The weather was supposed to be clear for the rest of the week, why was it fucking them over now?

"Erwin. What are you thinking?"

The commander kept an unreadable face while his horse galloped forward. "We gather the troops under the trees for shelter. We need to bring these supplies back into the wall, there's no leaving the carts behind. It's a gamble we must take."

Levi wordlessly fell back, sending out a messenger and shooting off his smoke signal to show the change in formation. When all of the squads reconvened in the cover of the forest, Levi started feeling a headache coming on. Not only had they already lost some soldiers to titans taking advantage of the confusion of the regrouping, the rain was even worse and visibility was limited. They had to wait for a break in the weather and haul ass back to the walls before it stormed again. The black haired man's thoughts roamed to you. He figured you were probably enjoying the stormy weather, watching the rain pelt your window as you sipped on a warm drink.

Actually, he scoffed to himself, she's probably worried sick about us. Her and that big heart of hers.

Not that he was complaining—his own heart was guilty of caring too much as well. For his comrades, the people who relied on him to keep him safe, you. You had wormed your way into his heart with your kind smile, witty humor, and strong work ethic. Levi had an innate desire to protect people, especially those he cared about, but as his crush on you developed into stronger feelings over the months, he was sure that if a titan even dared to look at you with its disgusting eyes that he would chop it up and make it suffer, the same way he annihilated the one that killed Isabelle and Furlan. Levi shivered as the memory of their mangled bodies came to the forefront of his mind. Their deaths continued to haunt him, a constant reminder of his failure to keep them safe. He swore to himself he'd never get close to people again but he failed miserably at that. He was too empathetic and terribly compassionate. Erwin, Hange, his squad members, and now you, were all people he had let infiltrate his ironclad heart and he just hoped none of them were stupid enough to get themselves killed.