The Night Before: Levi x Reader

01: they're counting on you

You had never been a fan of the darkness.

At least, not the darkness provided to you in the underground city where you had called home for twenty-something years.

You liked the light, more importantly, the natural light. The way the stars twinkle in the night, the way the moon shines brightly in the sky, illuminating all the features that will soon become hidden by the morning sun.

When the water on the river glistened brightly in the sun's presence, it was still something you were still getting used to about this new world. You enjoy the way the light dances on the ripples of the waves. Something minuscule to notice, but you had never known many things to appreciate in this way.

Flicking ashes off the tip of your cigarette, you tip your head upwards gazing towards the sun, glowing brightly in the sky. Frowning, you turn to the man beside you, "These aren't good conditions for what we're about to attempt."

The man raises his eyebrows, but nods, "I have to agree, however, we weren't given a large window of opportunity. It has to be today," he concludes.

You nod, inhaling the smoke from the butt of your cigarette slowly. Sunny days like today aren't usually good for jobs (as you've been told), especially ones like these. There are too many people, too many witnesses. You hadn't had to worry about this sort of thing underground. It had always been the perfect sort of setting. Dark, dingy, buildings made for a good place to hide, and a guaranteed escape through alleyways. Here, it was much more open, more freeing. 

You hadn't quite decided how you felt about the openness until it was concluded that it made the job much harder to complete without recognition. Now you're not so sure the feeling of freedom is worth the risk of getting caught especially not after everything you've done against the city of Mitras.

"Gem."

Hearing your name, well your nickname, snaps you out of your thoughts, eyes finding the man walking next to you again. Blinking, you hum in response as he eyes you up.

"You're not getting cold feet, are you?" he half-jokes, although his tone's a twinge of seriousness that makes you straighten up.

"No, no of course not. I was just mulling over the different outcomes of this operation in case it goes wrong. Which, due to the daylight, might I add, it could go wrong," you state dryly.

"C'mon Gem, stop being such a pessimist, you were supposed to leave that attitude in the underground," he laughs pushing you in the shoulder with his own.

"Yeah well, I left a lot of things in the underground," you sigh raising your hand to fiddle with a piece of hair behind your ear. You puff out another breath of smoke from the cigarette between your fingers, studying the ground intently.

The man stops, turning to you, so you do the same lowering the cigarette. He lowers his voice, "Look, it's going to be fine, you're a great leader and a badass thief. You worked incredibly hard to get to where you are. Don't lose your confidence now just because we've moved a few hundred feet above ground. We're counting on you, Gem."

Something in your heart seizes.

They're counting on you.

Furrowing your brows, you nod firmly feeling a little better about what's about to happen.

You are the leader of a small group of thieves, notorious in the underground. Two and a half weeks ago, the MPs were hot on your trail, and by some miracle, you had escaped to above ground.

You still remember the first time you felt the fresh air, saw the sun, and felt the soft grass. You and your crew had run, ran until your legs could no longer carry you. Collapsing on the softest bed of grass, softer than anything you had ever experienced underground. It was relieving. You had honestly never thought you'd make it this far.