In Another Life | Levi x Reader/OC

Last Breath

20k words. Will probably edit later. Take your time! I have a few line breaks in there.

-

The next day, you woke up with an overwhelming sense of fuzziness and warmth. Initially, you had assumed it was due to the intensity of the sun beaming down on you from above, but you were proven wrong the second your eyelids parted open.

"Morning," Levi greeted you in a rasp tone. His hand brushed over your head softly. Your lips curled upward at his touch.

"Morning," you replied with a grin, staring up at him with adoration. He returned the same expression while he continued stroking your hair. Your head was pressed up against his shoulder while the lower half of your body was resting on top of his lap, covered in a blanket; his other hand was holding up your back.

"Didn't want to wake you so early, but your sister came by to give us some more stew Hange made for breakfast. We've gotta leave soon."

The smile gradually dissipated from your face, reminded of the amount of danger you and everyone else would be put in today. Being in his arms made it easy to forget.

"Right." You sat up from the comfort of his lap, unraveling yourself from the wool blanket. "I should hurry up."

Your body felt empty and incomplete in the absence of his touch. The longing look in his eyes indicated he felt bare at the separation too.

You folded the wool blanket and set it on the grass, grabbing the two bowls of stew for the both of you. He thanked you for passing him the bowl as you sat cross-legged next to him.

The forest was much livelier in the morning as opposed to the night - it unveiled a cluster of pink and purple flowers you hadn't noticed previously. Birds were chirping in the air, leaves floating down from the trees, and animals scurrying across the branches. It was a peaceful ambiance to take in, considering the mass destruction occurring not so far away from where you were situated. The thought of it made it hard for you to even digest the stew.

Here you were - calm and well-rested - appreciating the beauty of nature while millions of other people were currently running for their lives to prevent themselves and their loved ones from getting crushed to death. If you didn't stop this soon, you could very well be crushed yourself.

"Your sister informed me that Nifa will be arriving with us shortly," Levi said, sipping from his bowl. "She's going to be joining us."

"I'm glad she's okay." You mimicked his actions. "I'm happy she didn't drink the wine even though the soldiers were trying to influence her."

"She's always been careful with that stuff," he replied. "But anyway, it was my fault for even letting them have the wine. I don't know what I was thinking."

"Hey." You reached down to place your hand over his own, staring at him intently.' "Don't start blaming yourself for things you can't control again. You couldn't have known what Zeke was up to."

He shook his head, pulling his hand from your grasp. "It was stupid of me to even let them drink wine on a mission."

You sighed, tipping your head back on the bark. "You just wanted to please them a little. You didn't know."

He chose not to respond, sipping his stew quietly to himself. You decided it would be best to change the subject.

"By the way, thank you for... last night." Warmth spread across your cheeks. You felt like a shy schoolgirl in love again. "I appreciate you looking out for me, even after everything that's happened."

"If we're going to work together, I have to make sure you're okay too," he replied. Your lips split into a wide grin at his words.

"Thanks. I'm sure your arms must be cramping, though."