In Another Life || Levi x Reader/OC

Shiganshina

One more day.

Tomorrow, the soldiers of the Survey Corps would arrive in Shiganshina to take back Wall Maria and fight against their enemies. To make sure they were well-fed for tomorrow, they were all given a plentiful feast today.

Levi's squad was ecstatic to see the bounty of food at dinner, especially the mound of meat on the table. Sasha had to be ripped away from her seat before she devoured the whole damn thing, and eventually, the whole room broke out into a ruckus. Levi couldn't stand to continue eating while listening to the infuriating noises coming from the room beside him, so he had to intervene and shut it down like he always did. He found himself without an appetite after that, choosing to step outside with a drink in hand to clear his mind.

He made a discrete exit before Hange could interrogate him about why he wandered off. It was no surprise to anyone seeing Levi wander off on his own, but Hange had been particularly intrusive with him lately. He knew why, of course, and although he always appreciated their concern for him, he just wanted to be alone. That was always how he coped, after all - by isolating himself.

Until he met you, that was.

Levi hadn't realized how much comfort you brought him until you were actually gone. Your absence lingered heavily next to him, each day draining him the longer he was away from you. He knew it would have been difficult to let you go, but he never thought it'd feel like a part of his soul was ripped out of him.

There was an empty corner by an alley outside. He slumped down against the wall beside it, waiting for the night to pass while he drank a bit of whiskey from his cup. Levi normally didn't drink, but he found himself drawn to the bottle on the shelf tonight. Maybe it was because it reminded him of you, or maybe he just wanted to get rid of the numbness in his chest. Maybe it was both.

He pictured you finding him sitting here. He wouldn't have told you where he went, but you'd have still been able to find him anyway; you always seemed to find each other, somehow.

And he knew exactly what you'd say. You'd tease him for getting a drink, then call him a 'lightweight' for feeling a little tipsy already. You'd probably snatch the drink from his hand to take a swig at the cup yourself. He wouldn't have minded. He liked sharing things with you; it became natural to share things with each other in the little time you were together.

You would have said the whiskey was too bitter for your taste, which would have made Levi laugh to himself. You'd have smiled in response, then flopped down to sit next to him. The two of you would've been listening in on the conversation Eren, Mikasa, and Armin were having a few feet away. Armin was talking about that damn sea again. Levi would have made a snide joke about it; you would have shut it down by saying Armin just had big aspirations like any kid did.

You'd also ask him about Erwin and if Levi was still mad at him. Levi would reply by saying he wasn't mad, just upset that Erwin was being careless. You would have said that Erwin was the type of person who saw a goal and did anything he could to achieve it - that he would do anything to see what was in that basement because his biggest aspiration was to find out the truth about the titans.

Levi would have said he was being stupid and toying with his life. You would have said, 'Some people are blinded by their passions and there isn't anything you can do to change that.' Levi would have nodded, agreeing with that statement. You were stubborn, but could be level-headed when necessary. Erwin already made his choice, and Levi had to make peace with that no matter how anxious it made him feel.

And then you would have shifted closer to him, resting your head on his shoulder while he wrapped his arm around you to pull you in closer.

He scoffed to himself, taking another sip of the whiskey. How pathetic of him to still envision you sitting next to him as a way to comfort himself even after all the bullshit you did.