Breaking Barricades (Levi x Reader)

8. ** Return to Me **

"Oi, wake up already."

I reluctantly opened my eyes, still groggy from the night before, to find Levi sitting on my bedside, already dressed and prepared to depart. I slowly leaned upwards to meet him as the bed sheet casually rolled off my chest and onto my lap. Realizing I was still naked, I gasped and fumbled sheepishly to bring the sheet back over myself. But Levi was quick to grab my hand, preventing me from doing so.

"You don't have to hide from me dumbass... especially after last night."

I sighed softly, allowing myself to remain partially unveiled to him. I lifted my eyes to watch him visually trace me before returning to his stoic demeanor.

"I'm not sure how long this one will take, but we're leaving Wall Rose through Trost this time. Hopefully all the new recruits aren't too fucking useless."

I smiled at his childish complaining which left him a bit perplexed by such a reaction.

"I'm glad you woke me before riding out, Captain."

"Tch. I may be an asshole, but I'm not an idiot," he quipped, flicking my forehead in jest.

He stood back up and grabbed the crisply folded uniform off my nightstand, where he had neatly placed it the night before. Tossing it into my arms, he ordered me to finally get dressed. I stepped into my military-issued underwear (not the most attractive of lingerie...) and pulled my pants up to my hips. I hastily clasped my bra and slipped my arms into my sleeves, hoisting my shirt up onto my shoulders. I dropped my chin to my chest, lifting my hands to loop the first button, but Levi beat me to it, gently fastening them for me. Once he had finished, he gave the hem a swift tug before resting his hands on my waist.

We stood with our foreheads together, savoring the last few moments we would share before his departure. I felt his hand move to the small of my back as he tenderly drew me in closer. He tipped my chin with his other hand, seeking eye contact. I could get lost in those steel grey eyes of his forever. He looked at me sternly before repeating what he had said the night before.

"I am coming back."

I pushed my lips against his in response, expressing my confidence in his words. Our simple salutation naturally evolved into a more passionate kiss, as Levi parted his lips and began tracing mine with his tongue. I gladly reciprocated, deepening our kiss. I ran my fingers through his undercut and puckishly tugged his neatly combed hair. I marveled at the fact that it caused him to release an unintentional moan. He bit my lip in response, as if to discipline me for his sudden lack of self-control.

I could sense our hunger becoming more and more insatiable, so I reluctantly brought my fingertips to Levi's lips.

"Captain... You don't want to keep Commander Erwin waiting."

I then slid my fingers down his mouth and straightened his cravat as we both tried to regain our composure. He nodded, ruffled my hair, and turned to leave my room.  As he reached for the door handle, he paused. Glancing over his shoulder, he proudly muttered something coy.

"We'll pick up where we left off when I return."

I smirked at his smug comment and shook my head, whispering "smartass" under my breath.  I watched as he shut the door behind him, finding comfort in his unbreakable perseverance. 

*************************************

Being away from Levi made me fully aware of how incredibly in sync we had become within only a matter of months.  I had found there to be a certain duality to his personality.  His unrelenting desire to protect the weak and honor the fallen was often mistaken for heartless intolerance, being incapable of human compassion and understanding, but he just demanded justice and honesty from everyone, regardless of status.  And if he sensed any level of deception at all, he had a rather unique way of extracting the truth, especially if it was concealing mal-intent.

Levi was also one to invariably speak his mind, usually just vocalizing what most of us were too afraid to say.  Beyond that, I had yet to meet a solider who wouldn't blindly follow him into battle, emboldened by his absolutely infallible righteousness.

I would be lying if I said I didn't miss Levi while he was gone. But I didn't let his brief absence stop me from focusing on strengthening my atrophied muscles and healing my mind. I found myself beginning to open up to my comrades, at least those who had not left with Levi & Erwin. I was the only soldier who had stayed behind that was part of the Special Operations Squad, better known as "Squad Levi."

I had talked to Petra Ral a few times. Even though she was a kind and caring young woman, she was a bit too perky for me to handle at times. But her track record spoke for itself, and she was one hell of a badass in battle.  Her unwavering loyalty to Levi was inspiring and admirable.

Eld Jinn and I got along perfectly because neither of us were much for words. However, when he did have something to say, it was blunt and to the point. I appreciated his ability to call people out on their bullshit.  There was no question as to why Levi had chosen him to be second-in-command.

Oluo Bozado just plain annoyed the shit out of me. He was a cocky bastard who tried too hard to be like Levi, but was a damn good soldier. His impressive kill count was the highest of our squad, second only to Levi of course.

Gunther Schultz seemed to be the most reasonable of the group, but according to Eld, he had experienced so much trauma on the battlefield that he had become a completely different person by the time we met.

It had been a little over a week since I had last seen Levi, when a rumor began to swirl around about the Colossal Titan reappearing in Trost. My heart immediately dropped, and I lost all sensation in my body.
There's no way...it's been over five years since that bastard last appeared. How was that even possible!?

I found the nearest solider and grabbed him by the collar, demanding more details. He lifted his hands in defense, swearing he knew as much as I did. I began stomping around the grounds in search of anyone who could either confirm or deny the rumor. I was desperate to find out what was going on.

Beyond fustrated, I returned to the infirmary with the sole objective of being discharged. I was able to track down my medical officer (after threatening my nurse to give me a clean bill of health) and informed him that I was riding out to the neighboring town to see what I could learn. He shook his head in disapproval, but muttered something cryptic before quietly ordering me to meet him in his office at sundown. I found his tone to be somewhat odd, but just saluted him begrudgingly and retreated to my room.

Without the ability to quiet my cynical mind, I furiously drove my fist into the wall, fuming over my incompetence. Levi and the rest of my squad could be up against the damn Colossal Titan, maybe even dealing with another wall breach or... dead. And it was my futile attempts to heal fast enough that had rendered me useless.

I felt ridiculous getting so worked up over someone, considering I had stopped relying on people years ago. But I couldn't seem to stop my heart from aching so intensely. Levi said he was coming back... So he was coming back. I had to have faith in him. I inhaled deeply, followed by a long, exasperated sigh.

I looked out my window longingly, noticing that the sky had begun to fade into a deep orange. It was almost sundown, and I recalled my orders to report to the Medical Office. I was curious to hear what had to be relayed to me with such secrecy.

I knocked on the office door before being admitted entry. I stepped in with a salute to find a few soldiers turn to face me. My eyes shifted around the room, trying to figure out what was going on.

"(L/N), we need to discuss something rather urgent. I apologize for making you wait, but I had to get confirmation on a few more final details before relaying my orders," said the Medical Officer.

I became intrigued, pulling up a chair to join the other two soldiers in front of his desk.

"We have received orders directly from Captain Levi to have you accompanied to the Royal Capitol in Wall Sina. There has been an interesting development involving a new recruit from the 104th Training Corps. We cannot divulge much more information here, but he is expecting your immediate arrival."

I sat in silence, trying to process everything I had just been told. I was relieved to hear that Levi was alive, but really didn't understand why he needed me in the Capitol.  On the other hand, I was utterly horrified to go back to the place I had sworn never to return.