Close Your Eyes (LevixChild!Reader) 1/2

(You are five years old and living in the Underground in this fic.)

You looked around, hopelessly lost. You couldn’t find your parents anywhere, and you had been searching relentlessly for days.

You had been kidnapped by a couple of thugs who had intended to sell you in the black market, but you had managed to escape. Luckily, the men were often drunk, so you were able to easily sneak away while they were passed out.

You had tried to go home, but you had never been outside by yourself before, so you did not know the way. You had been walking in circles for days with no success.

You painfully clutched your empty stomach, and tears welled up in your eyes. You couldn’t go on much longer like this. You were cold, hungry, and alone. You sat against a wall in the alley, convinced that you were going to die here. After all, that fate was to be expected of a deserted child in the Underground.

-

Levi was cleaning the blood off of his knife as he walked. He couldn’t stand his possessions being as filthy as everything else in this dump, but he convinced himself that, one day, he would make it to the Surface, and he wouldn’t have to live in this disgusting place any longer.

As he entered the alley, he heard the faint whimper of a child crying. Curiosity struck him, and he followed the sound.

When he found you, your knees were clutched to your chest, and you were sobbing into them. You didn’t even hear him approach you.

“Tch.” You looked up, and he got a good look at your tear-stained face. You couldn’t be more than five years old. You were filthy and obviously hadn’t eaten for a few days. You looked scared, and you had that look in your eyes that told him that you had already given up.

Memories of his own childhood came back to him, reminding him of how weak he used to be. He had lived like this before: just waiting to die. He sympathized with you and felt a sudden need to help you.

“Hey,” he said, bending down next to you. You shied away from him, being as weary of other people as you were. “Oi, I’m not going to hurt you.”

You stayed where you were as you tried to decide whether or not to trust him.

He ran a frustrated hand through his hair and stood up.

“Well, if you want to stay here, then fine,” he said as he turned to walk away.

With each step he took, you felt the unbearable loneliness return to you. In that moment, you decided to ignore your fears, and you ran over to hug his leg before he could leave.

He looked down at you with shock on his face. You didn’t even know him, and, yet, you were putting your life into his hands. He put his hand on your head, and you squeezed his leg tighter. You were grateful that someone was showing you kindness in a world as cruel as this one.

Levi left you be for a minute. You continued to clutch his leg for dear life, and he let you. As you hugged him, a warm feeling began to well up in his chest. He was taken off guard by it, having no idea what it was, but he kind of liked it.

He picked you up, noting how light you were. He figured that, before you had gone those long days without food at all, it was likely that you hadn’t been eating well long before that.

He walked home with you in his arms, trying not to draw any unwanted attention.

In all honesty, he didn’t know what he was going to do with you; he had never cared for a child before. He would get you home and then figure it out.

When he got back, the first thing he decided to do was put you in a bath. Being the obsessive clean-freak that he was, he insisted that you scrub off all of the Underground filth off of you.

“Clean up, then we’ll get you something to eat,” he said, placing a towel near you and walking out of the room.

You took your time, since you were still a little wary. You had always been told not to trust anyone. Life in the Underground was cruel, and one little slip up could put you in danger; your parents had always told you this. However, there was something about this man that made you want to trust him.

You scrubbed yourself as clean as you could and walked out into the kitchen. Levi was sitting in a chair, waiting for you and eating his own meal. He looked over at you. You were wearing one of his shirts that he had left for you (he would wash your other clothes before giving them back to you since they were absolutely filthy). The shirt reached all the way to the ground, so you had a difficult time climbing into the chair opposite him. You were so adorable, trying to climb into the chair while wearing the oversized shirt. You were like a frustrated little chibi, and Levi was very amused.

Once you had finally sat yourself down, you devoured the food that was placed in front of you, but Levi made sure that you didn’t eat too fast as to make yourself sick. Once you were finished, you sat back, letting the food settle into your stomach.

“So, what’s your name?” Levi asked, suddenly breaking the silence. You looked down, avoiding eye contact. Levi sighed in frustration.

“Look, brat, I can’t do anything for you if you don’t talk to me. I just figured a name was as good a start as any.” You slowly looked up at him. He had an annoyed expression on his face, and his features were stern, but you saw in his eyes that he was really trying to help you.

“(Name),” you whispered. “My name is (First) (Last).” Levi leaned back in his chair, satisfied that he had finally gotten you to speak.

“I’m Levi,” he said.

-

After he got your name, you completely opened up to him. He got you to tell him about your parents, and how you were tragically ripped away from them and tied up by those terrible drunken thugs.

Levi listened intently to your story, mentally cursing the men who had brought you so much pain. Seeing your distressed face brought sorrow to his heart.

After your story was done and you had finally calmed down, Levi noticed you yawn and rub your eyes.

“Come on,” he said, leading you to an unoccupied bedroom. It was small, but you were small, so it was perfect. “Get some rest,” he told you. “I’ll see what I can do about finding your parents. But while I’m gone, don’t go outside, and don’t let anyone see you inside. Do you understand?” You nodded; it was pretty much the same rules that you had followed your whole life. “Good. Now, shut your eyes and go to sleep.”

“T-thank you…Levi,” you said sweetly. Your words struck him in his heart. He nodded in response and walked out of the room.

It was hard for you to fall asleep that night. Even though your stomach was full and you were in a warm bed, your fears kept you awake.

Eventually though, exhaustion took over, and you were finally able to escape the horrors of life in your dreams.

-

A couple of months later, Levi still had no luck in finding your parents. He would go out and search for them every day but always return with the same result.

He headed back home after another long, unsuccessful day.

Levi slammed the door behind him in frustration as he walked in. You ran over to him in excitement at the familiar sound.

“Hi, Levi!!” you said cheerfully.

“Hey, brat,” he sighed, ruffling your hair a bit.

Since you had lived with him, you had quickly gotten over your shyness, and you trusted him wholeheartedly. You were actually very chatty and talked his ear off at times. As far as your health was concerned, he fed you the best he could, and you were growing stronger with each passing day.

“Did you see them?” you asked, looking up at him with hope in your eyes. This happened every day–you looking up at him with your beautiful (color) eyes. After all this time, you had never lost hope; you believed in him, and every day it broke his heart to have to tell you the truth and bring sadness to those beautiful eyes.

He shook his head, and your gaze dropped. Levi sighed and leaned back in his chair. After a minute or two, he spoke again.

“Oi, where’s the tea?” Your eyes widened as you remembered, and you ran to fetch some for him.

He had taught you how to make tea within the first week of your stay. He figured that, if he was stuck with you, he could at least teach you a few useful life skills. Making tea was only one example. Since you were by yourself all day, he expected you to keep the house clean.

He had also planned to train you a bit in self-defense. He had this kind of training when he was young, so he thought that he would teach it to you as well.

At your first lesson, he handed you the knife, which was almost too large for you to hold in your tiny hands. You had looked blankly at it with wide eyes, holding it awkwardly in your hands and having no idea what to do with it.

When he looked at your eyes, he knew he couldn’t let you do it. You were so young and innocent; he didn’t want to corrupt you and make you like him, and he most definitely didn’t want to extinguish that light from your eyes that he loved so much. After that, he wouldn’t let you touch the knife.

However, that day he made you a promise. He promised that he would protect you and keep you safe.

You placed a teacup in front of him, snapping him out of his daze, and he gratefully drank it. He looked up to see you staring wide-eyed at him.

“What are you looking at?” he growled. You shrugged. He set the empty tea cup down and returned your gaze–although it was more of a glare. “What are you staring at me like that for?” he asked in irritation.

“I was just thinking,” you said, slightly in a daze.

“About?”

“A question to ask you.”

He leaned back in his chair. “If you want to ask, ask,” he said.

Your cheeks became red. “Levi, are you going to get married when you grow up?” you asked innocently. Levi was glad he had already drank all of his tea. If you had asked him a minute ago, he would have definitely spit-tanked.

He stared at you for a moment, wondering why you would ask such a question (Also, did you not know that he was a ‘grown up’?).

“Why would you ask that?” he asked (Were you thrown off by his height?).

“I was just wondering,” you said with the blush on your cheeks burning a deep crimson. “Because I know that I’m gonna get married, and I’m gonna have kids too!”

“Alright kid,” he said, patting your head. “Just do me a favor and get out of this dump before you do any of that,” he whispered low enough that you couldn’t hear.

“You still haven’t answered my question!” you said, crossing your arms.

Levi pinched the bridge of his nose. “If I do, will you stop being a pest?”

You stuck out your bottom lip at him. “Maybe. If I feel like it,” you grumbled, a little upset that you had been called a pest.

Levi sighed, admitting defeat. “No, I’m not. Happy now?”

“Aww, why not?” you asked sadly. Levi outlined the brim of his teacup with his forefinger, a bored expression on his face.

“I don’t exactly like people,” he explained matter-of-factly. “But, then again, they don’t like me either.”

You jumped off of your chair and climbed onto his lap, looking him in the eye. “I like you, Levi,” you said, grinning at him.

He couldn’t help but smirk. “Thanks, brat,” he said, a little touched.

“I would marry you.”

Once again, Levi was glad that he had finished his tea.

“Oi, you’re a little young for that, aren’t you?”

You shrugged. “Well, not right now, silly, when I get older,” you said goofily. “When I grow up to be as old as you, then we can get married.”

Levi raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think you quite understand how all of this works,” he said, but you ignored his comment.

“Sooooo, do you want to marry me someday?” you asked, an eager look on your face. By this time, Levi had begun to grow tired of your endless questions.

“Yeah, sure, whatever you say,” he said in monotone. At this point he was willing to say just about anything to get you to shut up.

“Yay!” you cheered, placing a kiss on his nose. He rolled his eyes at you in return.

“Now, go to bed, all of your babbling is giving me a headache,” he grumbled.

You began to pout. “I don’t want to go to bed! I want to stay up with you!”

Levi rubbed his temple.  “Well, I’m going to sleep.”

“Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease stay up with me, Levi,” you pleaded. “I don’t get to see you all day.” He looked at your sad face, which sent a jolt to his heart.

“Fine,” he grunted. You threw your arms around his neck in a hug. “What do you want to do, brat?”

“I don’t know,” you said with a shrug. “Do you want to talk some more?”

“Sure, why not,” he grumbled. He let you do most of the talking while he dozed off a bit.

After a while, your speech slowed and became more jumbled. He smirked to himself when he finally heard you yawn.

“Ready to sleep yet?” he asked.

“No,” you said, rubbing your eyes.

“You look tired.”

“I’m not!”

“Yes you are.”

You laid your head on his chest and closed your eyes. “Nuh uh,” you protested, your voice soft enough to be a whisper.

With a heavy sigh, Levi picked you up and carried you to your room, carefully laying you down on your bed. As he did, you instantly fell asleep. He smiled to himself at seeing your passed-out, but still adorable, sleeping form. Levi pulled a blanket over you, and headed off to bed himself.

-

Five months had gone by since he had first found you. Even though it had been less than half a year, Levi could hardly remember life without you in it. Every day, he would leave before you woke up, go out, do whatever needed to be done during the day, come home and see you running to greet him with that adorable little smile on your face.

But, one day, you had not been there to greet him.

It had been a long day. Recently, he had been having a few run-ins with a local gang that didn’t seem to want to leave him alone. He had just gotten back from one of these incidents and was looking forward to seeing you, but when he got back you weren’t there. He scoured the house looking for you, but you were nowhere to be found.

This didn’t make sense. He had told you to stay inside, and no one should’ve know that you were there.

He cursed under his breath and slammed his fist down on the table. As he did, he noticed something on the table, or more accurately, under it, so he bent down to inspect it. He touched the red substance that stained his floor.

Blood. Your blood.

It appeared as though you had given chase, but your kidnappers were faster and stronger. They had eventually captured you as you had tried to seek refuge under the table. You had gotten hurt in the process, and who knew what else they were going to do to you. However, despite all this, he had one comfort. The blood was fresh, so you had to be close.

He stormed out the door, knife in hand. If he found these people who had taken you, he would make them suffer, and, if you had so much as a scratch on you, he would kill them.

-

Your hands and feet were bound together. You were also gagged because “your crying was giving the boss a headache.” Tears streamed down your face, and you were shaking in fear and agony.

“Thought you could get away from us, eh, brat?” One man said as he kicked your side, igniting another flood of tears. “Lucky I’m a good tracker.”

“Careful now. We have to keep her in one piece if she’ll sell,” the boss said.

“Aww come on, boss. They’ll still take her if she’s just a little banged up,” the other man said in a sleazy tone while grabbing a fistful of your hair and pulling it, making you cry out in a muffled voice.

You were frightened and wanted Levi. Where was he?

Suddenly, you heard a thump. One of the men who had been in the room had just collapsed, a pool of blood flowing from his neck onto the ground. You looked up to see a shady figure with a blood-stained knife in hand. His eyes were like fire, and his entire body trembled in rage.

“Let. Her. Go.” he ordered, holding the knife threateningly at his side. The figure stepped out into the light, where you could get a clear view of him; you instantly recognized him.

“Ah, Levi, right? Rumor has it you’re one of the most dangerous thugs in the Underground.” The boss spoke calmly, but his posture gave away his uneasiness. “I think we have a misunderstanding here. The girl belongs to me. I’ll let the fact that you’ve killed one of my men slide if you’ll just leave now.” Levi’s gaze flickered over to you, and his eyes narrowed.

“I told you to let go of her, you-” at this point, he began shouting an impressive string of profanity towards your captors (which I will not dare write down). In the past, he had done his best not to curse around you, being the innocent mind that you were, so you cringed as he fiercely hurled these profanities at the men. You didn’t know what these words meant, but Levi’s tone frightened you.

“I will say this one more time.” Levi raised his knife in preparation for a fight. “Let her go.”

“Oooooh, let me get ‘em, boss,” the man holding you pleaded, releasing you and drawing his own weapon. “I’d be my pleasure to take this little punk down a peg.” The boss clapped his hands, and seven other men walked into the room, all very large and scary-looking.

“I’m sure it would, but ‘this little punk’ is good at what he does. There’s no way you could take him alone.” He nodded to the other men. “Teach him his place.”

Levi looked over at you once more. There was a gash on your temple and blood dripping down your face. There was also a small cut on your lower lip and various scratches and bruises along the rest of your body. To see you in so much pain sent his blood boiling.

He looked into your eyes and was surprised at what he saw: complete terror. Of course, fear was only natural considering all that had happened to you, but he had a feeling that this fear was not of your captors. In his heart, Levi knew it was him that you feared.

You had been so happy to see Levi when he first walked in, but, now, you couldn’t even recognize him. His features were harsh, and his speech was fierce and threatening. However, it was his eyes that disturbed you the most.

From the moment you met him, you had loved looking into his eyes; they had always been so warm and caring towards you, but, now, his eyes were full of rage and bloodlust. He had already killed someone without a second thought!

Was this the man you knew and had come to love so much?

“(Name),” Levi called, catching your attention. Your eyes darted up to his, although you were afraid to look into them. Sensing this, Levi softened his gaze when your eyes met.

“Close your eyes.”

You immediately did as you were told.

You didn’t watch what followed, but you could hear a lot of what was going on. Eventually, you got too scared of that too, and you tried your best to block it out.

After what seemed like hours to your childish mind (but was really only a couple of minutes), the noise stopped. You held your breath and waited to see what would happen next.

You could feel the ropes that bound your arms and legs being cut, so you guessed that Levi had been the victor. You peeked open an eye, but Levi quickly covered both of your eyes with his hand.

“Don’t look,” he warned. He picked you up made you bury your face in his shoulder so that you wouldn’t be tempted to look at the horror that surrounded you. “Let’s go home,” he said with a sigh. With that, he carried you out of the room, carefully stepping over the pile of bodies that covered the floor.

-

“Tch, filthy,” Levi grunted in disapproval as he tossed you into a bath. You whimpered a bit when the water made contact with your skin and seeped into your open cuts, but it was otherwise quite soothing. “Come out when you’re ready,” he called to you as he walked off to find a change of clothes, since he had gotten blood all over the clothes he was wearing.

He had come out of the scuffle mostly unscathed, save for a long, but not terribly deep, cut across his abdomen. He quickly wrapped it up and sat at the table to wait for you.

You were taking longer than usual, but, considering what you had just been through, it was to be expected. He remembered how you had looked at him, and guilt dug into his heart. He didn’t want you to be afraid of him. He would give anything if only you never had that look on your face again.

As these thoughts began to roll around in his head, you finally appeared.

“Took you long enough,” Levi said, trying to make things seem as normal as possible. You looked away from him, afraid to meet his gaze. “Oi, come here,” you walked over to him, and he bent down next to you in order to get a better look at your wounds.

The gash on your head had already stopped bleeding, and the cut on your lip would heal quickly. Your arms and legs were covered in bruises, and he could tell that it was painful for you to move. There was one cut in particular that stuck out at him on your leg where it looked like a knife had cut into your skin. It was deep, and he knew it would scar. Levi scowled at the sight of it.

“A-are they going to come back?” you asked, your voice shaking.

Levi shook his head. “No. They won’t.”

“You promise?”

“Yes. I promise.” He stroked your cheek. “They can never hurt you again.”

You looked at him with tears in your eyes, and you suddenly ran into him to hug him. “Thank you,” you said as the tears began to fall.

Levi rubbed your back. “I’m sorry, (Name). I failed to protect you.”

You squeezed him tighter. “You didn’t fail me, Levi. You saved me, remember?”

He smiled to himself and pulled you closer. After several minutes of silence, he spoke again. “Come on. Let’s get you to bed,” he said. You didn’t object, but you also didn’t stop hugging him either.

He picked you up and carried you to your room, setting you down gently on your bed. After you were attended to, he went to get some sleep as well, as the day was beginning to weigh on him. Both of your minds were troubled as you drifted off to sleep, and both of your dreams were plagued with nightmares.

-

You walked into Levi’s room in the dead of night. You were surprised to find him awake. He looked as if he had been tossing and turning all night. You knocked on the open door, and his eyes darted over to you.

“Levi?”

“(Name)? What’s wrong?” Levi asked, sitting up. As he did, you saw his bandaged abdomen; you wondered if that was from the fight.

“I-I had a bad dream,” you said, holding back the tears that threatened to fall.

“Me too, kid,” Levi sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“Can…can I sleep with you?” you asked. Levi nodded and patted the space next to him.

“Yay!” Your eyes suddenly brightened, and a smile spread across your face. You jumped up on the bed and plopped yourself down next to him. He winced as your body collided with his stomach.

“Oi,” he groaned.

“Sorry!” you quickly apologized, but he waved it off and closed his eyes.

“Don’t worry about it. Just lay down and relax.”

You did as he told you.

“Did you get that from today?” you asked, pointing at his stomach; he nodded, his eyes still closed. “I’m sorry you got hurt,” you said, feeling guilty that he was in pain because of you.

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault,” he comforted you. You smiled sweetly at him, but his eyes still remained closed.

“You’re my hero, Levi, you know that?” you said, wanting to get his attention.

Levi opened one eye. “(Name).”

“Yeah?”

“Go to sleep,” he told you.

You sighed. “Okay,” you snuggled up against him but still continued to look up at him.

“Close your eyes, idiot,” he said, wrapping his arms around you. After a couple of minutes, you finally began to drift off to sleep. “Goodnight, (Name),” he whispered to you.

“Goodnight, Levi,” you yawned. “I love you,” you whispered, half asleep. His eyes suddenly opened in shock. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had heard those words; no one had ever loved him before.

He looked down at you, but, by this time, you were already asleep. Your words echoed in his mind. You actually cared about him; you loved him. His heart began beating a little faster, and he lightly kissed your forehead, careful not to wake you.

He stared back down at your small figure, still snuggled against him, once more. Suddenly, he knew what he felt. It was a curious thing wasn’t it? Just how was it that someone so small could put so much love into his heart?

-

You had been living with him for ten months now. Ever since the incident, Levi had been coming home earlier, and you would spend most of the day together. You healed up nicely, save for the scar on your leg. Levi would always look a little sad when he saw it, but your bright smile would always put him at ease.

One day, Levi took a little longer coming home than usual. When he finally walked through the door, you ran and hugged his leg.

“What took you so long? I’ve been waiting foreverrrrrrrrrrrr!” You did a few dramatic motions to emphasize your distress, and Levi rolled his eyes at you in return.

“I was having a conversation with someone, if you must know.”

“Who?” you asked, your curiosity peaked. Levi shook you off of his leg and sat down. He thought for a moment, debating on whether or not he should say.

“He told me he was your father,” he eventually said. Your eyes widened and your mouth was slightly agape.

Levi had met the man while he was out. He didn’t remember exactly how you had been brought up in conversation, but the man had said that his daughter had been kidnapped several months before. After describing what you looked like, Levi realized that he was talking about you. He hadn’t said anything to him right away though, in case there was a chance he was wrong.

“Really?” you asked in disbelief.

“Well, not directly. But yes.”

You stood still for a moment, processing the new information. Suddenly, you leapt into the air with excitement.  “You found them, Levi! I knew you would!” You hopped onto his lap and hugged his neck. “Can we go see them?” you asked eagerly.

“Tomorrow,” he said in his casual monotone. “It’s too late now.” You shrugged your shoulders and hopped off of his lap to climb onto the chair opposite him. Levi reached for the teacup that was in front of him.

“It’s cold,” he grumbled.

“Well, if you came home faster, it would still be warm,” you teased.

“Oi, I went to a lot of trouble to find your family, brat. So, shut up, and get me something drinkable.” You sighed and rushed off.

Levi didn’t know how things were going to go tomorrow. He would stay close to you, and if you didn’t recognize the stranger, he would know that the whole thing was a trap. In fact, that’s what he suspected. He cleaned off his knife and held it close by. After all, anyone who had any link to the gang that had kidnapped you would know your appearance and that you lived with him, so he would come prepared.

-

Levi stayed close to your side as you walked through town. It was the first time you had been outside in months, but it wasn’t much better than being inside. You looked around at each person who passed by until you saw two familiar faces.

“Mommy! Daddy!” you cried out, running to them. Your parents turned and cried tears of joy when they saw you, and they hugged you tightly.

Levi stood motionless, genuinely in shock.

After quickly thanking Levi for taking care of you, your parents began to lead you away. You stopped in your tracks.

“Wait! What about Levi? He’s coming with us too isn’t he?” You looked at your parents and then back at Levi. He shook his head. You walked back over to him. “Why not?” you asked with tears in your eyes.

“I have to go back home,” he said, bending down to be at eye-level with you. “And so do you.” The tears began to stream down your face.

“But you’re going to be all by yourself! Who’s going to keep the house clean while you’re away and make tea for you when you come home?” You hugged him and sobbed into his shoulder. “I’ll miss you too much, Levi.” You hiccupped. “Please don’t go; I love you! Don’t leave.”

Levi wrapped his arms around you, hugging you tightly, and he lightly kissed your head. He had been convinced this was all a trap. He had never considered what he would do if the strangers were actually your parents, but, since they were, he knew that he couldn’t keep you.

His heart hurt. You were the one thing in his life that he actually cared about. He didn’t want to ever let you go, but he knew that he had no choice.

“Take care of yourself, (Name),” he said, reluctantly pulling away.

“Will…will I ever see you again?” you asked, wiping the tears from your eyes with your sleeve.

“Sure. I’ll come visit from time to time,” he said reassuringly. You seemed to cheer up a little bit at his words.

“Okay. Bye, Levi!” you said, starting to walk back over to your parents. You knew that the sooner you got home, the sooner he could come to visit.

“I’ll see you, brat,” he said as he stood up.

“I miss you already, Levi!” you called, waving to him as your parents led you away.

“I miss you too, (Name),” Levi whispered to himself as he began the lonely walk back home.

-

Levi hadn’t seen you for a couple of months now. He had visited once or twice since you had gone back home, but his life was becoming more dangerous, and the last thing he wanted was to lead his enemies to you and your family.

Well, that was the excuse he made for himself. That was only half of it. Honestly, seeing you was just too painful. He would visit you, and you would talk and be so happy to see him, but he would eventually have to leave, and it hurt that he couldn’t take you with him.

He didn’t know how lonely he was until you had come into his life, but now he was alone again. That was the real reason that he kept himself from going back to the tavern where your family worked and lived. He just couldn’t bear to see you and not keep you.

Lately, he had heard rumors about that particular tavern. Apparently, it had been closed for a while, which was unusual since business there was typically good. Levi became concerned but held off on investigating for a while, until he heard that it had been looted.

He rushed over there as fast as he could. The place looked like it had been abandoned, and there was a hole in the window from where a rock had been thrown into it. Levi opened the door and looked around, finding no one. He found no trace of you or your parents or any clue as to where you could’ve gone, so he was forced to assume the worst.

His knees suddenly became weak, and he sunk to the ground. If only he had gotten here sooner or come more often, he could’ve prevented this. He had lost you, and, the worst part, he had never told you that he loved you. In fact, you had probably never known that he cared about you as much as he did. He clenched his hands into fists and swallowed the lump in his throat.

Many Years Later:

You stood in position as the inspections were underway. You had decided to join the military and had just recently graduated training.

You had made the difficult decision to join the Survey Corps, even though you knew that you were most likely throwing your life away. However, you had always had a deep respect for this particular military branch, and you were glad to serve in any way you could.

You looked over at the superiors, who were inspecting the raw recruits. There was a tall blonde man with majestic eyebrows, a hyper brunette with glasses, and another who was shorter and looked very irritated. Your jaw dropped. You knew the annoyed-looking short guy! It had been many years, but you had never forgotten his face.

Your mouth was still slightly agape as the trio approached you, and you were so shocked that you didn’t even hear them ask for your name.

“Oi, quit gawking and answer the question, brat. We don’t have all day.” Levi growled, rolling his eyes.

“L-Levi?” Levi squinted curiously at you. No one in your position in the military would dare call him by just his first name as you had just done. He wanted to be angry; however, he couldn’t help but feel that there was something familiar about you.

“That’s Captain Levi to you,” Erwin corrected. “You need to learn to respect your superiors.” You nodded your understanding as you directed your attention to the commander. “Name?”

“(First) (Last), sir,” you said, saluting.

Everything clicked, and it was Levi’s turn to be shocked. His eyes widened as they scanned you.

“(Name)?” he asked in disbelief.

You nodded. “Yeah…it’s me.”

To be continued…