Attack on Titan || One-shots

Sweet Dreams (Levi x Reader)

A.N.: [A: *retreats under the bed and grabs a mic* So, this is a oneshot featuring Captain Levi this time. (Yay~!) It's just short, *covers mouth* but please enjoy!]

A painful sensation tore through his chest. He broke out in cold sweat, his emotions churning into something sinister.

Don't let emotion guide you.

His heart thumped in speeds that wouldn't have even in the face of the enemy. Everything was dark. At night, in a world without light is where he goes - the source of his restlessness.

Don't let fear control you.

Nightmares robbed him of his sleep, dripping on his old wounds like poison. There was no sound. No colors but the color of darkness. Every bit of his strength was left in the battlegrounds alone, where it ought to be.

Becoming strong is the only way.

Memories from his past were all drawn back. Every single one he failed to protect, even his ideals. They all haunted him.

To defeat monsters, you must become one.

His hands clenched, his jaw tightened. A darker part of himself whispered to him every night, reminding him of the demon he was and the one he would be forever.

Throw away your humanity.

A hand stroked his cheek, instantly making his worries fade into the darkest hollows of his being. He clung to her kindness, her warmth. Her soothing voice is like a lullaby that brings him to sleep.

"It's all right. I'm here."

You watched the pain fade away from his face and felt yourself sigh in relief as his features seemed to relax in your touch.

He was sleeping peacefully again. After everything, he needed rest the most, as a new day of peril approaches.

Gently, you lifted your hand away from his face. He slept with the lights in his room turned off and the moonlight streaming from the window. In the dimness you saw his eyes slowly open.

He fastened his hand around yours and held it to his lips.

"Levi?" You asked, both confused and worried as to why he was acting like that.

Without a word, he grabbed your waist and pulled you to his side, holding you close to him, his hand still intertwined with yours.

The covers of his bed held his scent. It gave you a feeling of safety as much as being this close to him did.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." His response was softer than a sigh.

"Are you sure? You seem--"

"I'm fine," he cut you off as his grip tightened on your waist.

Trying to come up with an excuse, you said, "It would be bad if someone saw us like this."

"No one would mindlessly barge in here." He said, impatience showing in his speech.

Feeling your skin graze his the smallest bit made you edgy, but here, you were strangely confident. You didn't want him to fight off his nightmares alone. He already had so many lives to carry on his shoulders.

Even if he was indifferent to your presence, you wanted to believe you could reach out to him. At least you wanted to carry some of the weight he had to bear.

In this room, where he wasn't your captain and you weren't one of his subordinates, things like status were thrown away into the night. You were more than a leader and his aide but less than lovers.

Tomorrow, everything was meant to be forgotten. You could not bear to harbor any type of emotional attachment. The same applies to him.

But you hoped every time you set foot in his room, time would stop, but time in this world was terribly cruel. It was time that took everything away, and time itself that brought back memories you didn't want to remember.

In his warm embrace, you felt the safest. His warmth was what kept you fighting and wishing to survive each day, hoping someday, you'd only have your hidden feelings for him to worry about.

His breathing grew more silent as sleep finally came to him. The stillness in his expression seemed to affect you too, giving you a sense of peace while you watched his chest rise gradually with each breath.

 You brushed your lips on his cheek before quietly leaving his side.

"Sweet dreams, Corporal."

As the night ended and gave rise to a bright morning, the moonlight followed you into the halls and mirrored your secret.