#Grow With ODM

[odmeducationalgroup]

Grow with ODM: Master the Art of Pronunciation!

Ever wondered how to pronounce those tricky words correctly? We’ve got you covered! Join us as we break down the correct pronunciations of common words and help you speak with confidence and clarity. Let’s refine our language skills together!

[snehakar]

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Unlock your dribbling potential with this ultimate guide to football dribbling techniques!

Learn and master 8 essential moves: Inside Cut, Outside Cut, Step-Over, Scissors, Cruyff Turn, Roll-Over, Elastico, and Fake Shot. These skills will help you outmaneuver defenders and elevate your game to the next level. Practice regularly, focus on ball control, and incorporate these techniques into your play. Watch now and become the best on the field!

[eskymoos]

Levi Ackerman As a Romantic Partner

Headcanons by Eskimos

Levi Ackerman is the Captain of the scouts.

Of course he will have high expectations of you. His eyes are always on the target and his strength never fails. However, he knows to keep you close during every mission. Regardless of whether his behavior betrays it, his heart beats for you. Levi would sooner put himself under a guillotine blade than let anything or anybody hurt you.

He's also the type to hold a long speech to you about how you're using your ODM gear wrong and then, when you finally get the chance to shine, he will fly past you and slash three titans at once. Is he doing it for the safety of everybody or just to impress you? That remains a mystery.

Levi Ackerman is Humanity's Strongest soldier.

He doesn't crow about his strength. Nobody questions it because it's a fact. What's more, you've seen both sides of the coin. Levi implements harsh, disciplinary methods on young, delinquent soldiers. Sometimes he even punishes them physically. You might catch the Captain in the hallway dragging somebody like a ragdoll by their hair or kicking the back of their knee to trip them and the next moment you're in his office doing your work alongside him while his fingers rest in your hair. The same fingers that just tormented somebody tangle in your hair and mess it affectionately. You know how to find comfort in his cold presence. In fact, you know he would turn the Earth inside out if something were to happen to you.

Levi Ackerman is a member of the exiled Ackerman clan.

Levi is many things and definitely not proud of his origins. He knows a thing or two about how the Ackerman clan came to be and why it's so despised. The only reason he chooses to associate himself with the name is because it reminds him of the first person he ever truly loved- his mother. Or, well, that used to be the explanation before you stepped into his life. Now he daydreams about making you an Ackerman. His partner until death does you apart. In his eyes, the shame is all gone because you're his other half and he would happily make that bond eternal.

Levi Ackerman is a hyper ultra mega clean freak.

His room? Spotless? His office? Shining clean.

Hygiene is a thing he will never ever overlook (his past can explain that mania). There's nothing more enjoyable than a deep clean and a fresh start.

However, there's a secret he will never tell anybody. Your disorganization and chaotic, aimless persona holds some charm that he never expected to find in the first place. Yes, he certaintly won't be encouraging a filthy work space but you being the polar opposite can give him butterflies and gradually drive him mad. Before you know it, his entire mind is a mess because of you and you don't even suspect a thing.

If you're a clean freak like him, then you're undeniably the soulmate he yearns for. Levi's obsession can only grow deeper if he sees a reflection of his own ideas in you.

Levi Ackerman is a murder weapon.

Having been recruited from a young age to serve Erwin, Levi is very much used to the blood bath that comes with his job. He is ruthless from the core of his beating heart. If justice stands behind violence, then he won't mind being the bad guy even if it ruins an innocent life.

Things are not so black and white behind closed doors. If you're the lucky person who owns his heart and soul, you will have the honor of receiving limitless amount of devotion from the depths of his eyes. His touch will always be gentle and his words- thoughtful. He will always be a shoulder to cry on and a shelter to stand under.

Even during more intimate moments, his focus will be entirely on you and the gentleness of his actions will make your head spin.

''Deep breaths, come on.''

''Eyes on me.''

''That's it. Just like that.''

Levi Ackerman is human. More human than people think.

There are days when things just get too much. And when the world is too loud and all burdens weigh on his shoulders, he will find you and keep you close.

Levi is confirmed to be a very emotional character. Even his silence speaks volumes when he sits beside you, arms and legs crossed and his head resting on your shoulder. He will relish you and worship these bits of tranquility that he rarely gets.

Levi Ackerman is an insomniac.

His nights are a hellish loop. Memories, work, plan-making, strategies. The man doesn't have it easy. You are the antidote for all his problems. When you sleep near him, even if you've passed out in his office, he will observe you and take care of you to the best of his capabilities. The sight of a loved one being at peace heals all his scars and suddenly he feels like he is dreaming.

''Huh-- Levi, are you alright?''

''Go to sleep,'' he'd murmur, looking into your tired eyes. ''I am here. Sleep.''

And it's true. He is always there. He always will be.

Levi Ackerman is short.

And he wishes there was a way to change that. It's an insecurity he can't mask so easily but it doesn't affect him too strongly. Truth is, building a healthy relationship with you will only fuel his desire to demonstrate other good traits. For example, if you're struggling to reach something he will walk behind you and position his cold, slender hands on your waist just to lift you up and help out. He's short, yes, but outstandingly intelligent.

Levi Ackerman? He is like no other.

[sincerely-anascot]

Levi thought your long hair was impractical as a soldier in the Survey Corps. Even though you always kept it in a neat braided updo during training and expeditions, he doubts it’s an easy task. There’s also the fact that hair fall sounds like hell for a clean freak like him—he shivers imagining the shower drains after your turn.

He shuts up about it when he finally witnesses your skills with the ODM. You were a decent soldier at the HQ but an even better titan killer outside the walls.

He learns from someone(Hange) that you kept it that way since your mother adored your thick hair and taught you how to do all sorts of hair styles growing up. When she passed away after the fall of Wall Maria, your father learns to do your hair for you as you both grieve. It becomes a routine to commemorate your happy times. So, you go through the painstaking daily trouble of wrangling you hair with a brush and spending a good chunk of your hard-earned money on hair products. It’s all worth it when you get your leave to visit your father and he happily tells you he’s been practicing with the neighbors’ kids.

After the Battle of Trost, you had no more reason to keep your hair long anymore.

Levi catches you just as you motion to slide a knife across your hair. He admonishes you for being outside after curfew but then surprises you when he offers to cut your hair.

Just before he starts to slice away, he sees the hesitation in your eyes. You talk and explain why you kept your hair long after all these years and he pretends it’s his first time hearing the story. You break down and he does a very shit job at comforting you.

“When you braid your hair in the morning, will it remind you of their deaths or will it remind you of their love?” He asked you.

The question felt like a slap to the face when you realize the moments of peace when your parents did your hair was one of the happiest memories you had of them. And like a fool, you were about to rid of the only reminder of those times.

Years later, Levi would visit you with your favorite flowers at hand after the war.

He’d apologize if he didn’t have enough fingers to braid your hair anymore. But ruminates that you wouldn’t mind;

They buried you with your hair down after all.

[marsbutterfly]

A Field Of Sunflowers

a/n: yeah this is based on this post i saw a couple of years ago. anyway hehe enjoy

warnings: NSFW, canon setting, fem! reader, nb! Hanji Zoe, oral sex(f! receiving), fingering, semi-public sex, mentions of alcohol, not beta read (we die like men teehee)

The warm sun feels amazing on your skin. The bruised marks of your as a result of your ODM gear finally fade from your body the longer the areas are allowed to breathe freely.

Finally being able to take a day off and relax away from the prying eyes from the survey corps, you find yourself laying on a blanket atop the grass, a small flower placed behind your ear as you rest your head on your hands.

The sky above you is a shade of blue you have never seen. The clouds dance with each other, forming images and figures that bring giggles out of you. The silly idea that you could easily dip a brush into the color and paint an entire ocean out of you comes to your mind. Maybe the day is just so beautiful that you can't seem to stop smiling.

Or maybe it's the sheer amount of wine that travels through your veins, causing your cheeks to heat up and your breathing to get shaky. A couple of empty bottles sit beside you inside the picnic basket, a third one loosely in your hand as you gasp quietly.

The sunflowers in the field match your yellow dress, the fabric tickling your skin as it's pushed up by an eager hand. A pair of pillowy soft lips leave marks along the skin of your thighs as desperate fingers hook themselves on the edges of your underwear, pulling it down and tossing it on the grass.

The second Hanji's tongue comes in contact with your aching cunt, you can't help but allow a loud moan to escape your throat. The way the tip flickers against your clit, licking the area from top to bottom before slowly entering you causes your head to spin.

Your moans grow in volume, getting higher and louder with each hum that passes through Hanji's mouth. Though you try your best to avoid it, you can feel their gaze focused on your expression, fully taking in not only your juices but the just as delicious expressions you make.

"H-Hanji…" You whimper, crying out their name. The flowers brush against the bare skin on your left arm while the right arm comes down to the area in between your legs, your fingers digging at their head. You can feel the smile that forms on their face, you can tell how proud they are for making you whine and cry out like this.

Hanji wraps both of their arms around your thighs, carefully digging their digits into your skin while holding you perfectly in place. The placement of your hips perfectly aligned with their lips as they continue to feast on you, their cheeks a bright shade of red as the alcohol takes its toll on them.

The suckling sound they make while paying close attention to your folds is enough to draw a warm sensation to your face, your cheeks burning up in embarrassment like you have a fever while you try your best to decide what to do with your hands.

"Will you stay still for me?" They ask, mumbling against your clit. You pout in response to their abrupt interruption but quickly begin to nod, unable to form words as your brain turns to mush. They chuckle in response, knowing how you are getting increasingly desperate, "Good girl."

Without giving you much time to react, they readjust themselves, their nose brushing against your clit while their tongue begins working on your entrance once more. They let go of your left thigh and quickly bring their hand up, pulling down the upper part of your dress and ripping apart the straps that held it over your shoulders, exposing your breasts to the chilly breeze.

You can't contain the yelp that leaves your lips, especially when the palm of their hand perfectly encapsulates your nipple, tightly gripping the sensitive area for dear life. You don't have time to even process what is happening before they make their next move.

You try to keep your promise to remain still, but with their left hand, Hanji carefully inserts a finger inside of you. Your pelvis immediately rises, searching for more contact with their lips and you can feel a small giggle leaving their body.

"So tight, my love," they whisper. Their tongue begins to work on you once more, leaving no part of your pussy unattended: the tip of their nose brushing against your hardening clit, their tongue eagerly working its magic on the inner lips while their finger continuously pumps in and out of you.

Your throat begins to dry as you realize you can't keep your mouth closed for more than a millisecond, let alone swallow anything. Your hand rests on their head, nails fidgeting with the locks as you twist them into knots. With their left index and middle finger, they begin twirling your nipple around while still having the remaining digits squeeze your breast. You close your eyes tightly, the wave of pleasure that continues to wash over you becoming more and more overwhelming with each lap of their tongue.

"You wanna try two fingers?" They ask, a slightly smug tone to their voice. You look down at them, only to see the sun reflecting on those whiskey-brown eyes, your heart almost missing a beat at how angelic they look. A pathetic whimper exits your throat and you nod, feeling Hanji's middle finger tease your entrance, "I need you to ask for it, baby."

You groan and wiggle your hips forward, silently begging for more and hoping it would be enough but, deep down, you know it has never been that easy with Hanji. So you look deep inside yourself to gather any amount of strength you can muster to allow the words to leave your throat, "P-Please… Put two fingers… I-Inside of me."

They don't waste any time before complying with your request, your voice sounding like a beautiful symphony, filled with desire and need. A sound they could spend every second of the day listening to for the rest of their life and never get tired of.

With two fingers now inside, you cry out loudly. The idea that someone might hear you is making its way into your brain so you have to remind yourself of how far away from the city you are. But thinking about anything that isn't Hanji proves itself to be increasingly more difficult.

Hanji continuously swirls their tongue on your folds, their nose paying close attention to your clit and their two fingers continue to stretch you from the inside out, occasionally spreading themselves apart in a scissoring manner and it earns a jerk of your body. You can't help it anymore, the need to move your hips, to search for more contact is overwhelming.

When your walls begin to tighten around their fingers, Hanji realizes you are getting close. Though a part of them wants to tease you for it, to stop their movements and make you beg, their mind suddenly drops the facade once their eyes land on your face once more.

A couple of tears of pleasure stream down your cheeks, your grasp on the bottle of wine finally loosening as you cling to the grass close to your head, you chant their name like a prayer, a sacred word that could heal every wounded soldier in the world.

"Fuck… H-Hanji, I can't…" You cry out, your hips bucking against their face desperately, wanting nothing more than to be close to them. Their breath gets caught in their throat, their tongue beginning to pick up speed, working its magic against your pussy in the hopes of tipping you over the edge.

Their fingers pump in and out of you, down to the third knuckle as they fold inside of you, the tips perfectly brushing against your g-spot and making you see bright stars in the sunny sky. You cry out once more which causes their tongue to swirl around your cunt, taking in every last drop of your essence.

"Come for me, baby," They whisper against your cunt. Those four words are all your body needs to allow itself to fall over the edge. Your hips rise and buck against their face in a rhythm you aren't able to control, and the cry that leaves your chest is so loud, that you are sure anyone within all three walls was able to hear you.

"HANJI!!!!!" You scream, one hand desperately gripping their hair and guiding their face towards the area where it feels best while the other rests above theirs on your breast. You can feel the small chuckle they let out, gently using the tip of their tongue to help you ride out your orgasm for as long as they can.

"Oh, that's my good girl," they whisper, planting gentle kisses on your folds, on your clit and your thighs. They use the edges of your dress to wipe their mouth, a smile plastered on their face and you can tell just how proud they are. Slowly, they make their way up your body, planting kisses over any small piece of exposed skin they can find, their fingers finally making their way out of you.

In a drunken and pleasure-filled haze, you grab their wrist and bring it towards your lips, placing their digits in your mouth. Hanji gasps quietly, a moan escaping their chest as they feel your tongue swirling around their digits, licking away the essence you left behind.

Once you are done and your lips are free, they plant their face against yours, lips meeting in a hunger-filled kiss. The world melting around the both of you and you can swear the sunflowers are facing you, watching carefully over your act of true love.

"Your legs are shaking," Hanji whispers against your lips, their arm wrapping around your waist as they hold you close. Your eyes roll to the back of your head, not in annoyance, but as an aftershock due to the amount of pleasure your body has just experienced.

"I wonder whose fault that is," you manage to whisper and it earns a small giggle out of them. In a quiet voice, you say, "I wish we had more days off.."

"I do too," they whisper back, your arm wrapped around their shoulder as you nuzzle your cheek against the top of their head. After a long pause and a heavy sigh, they continue, "This spot always reminds me of you."

"Oh? And why's that?" You whisper, closing your eyes and enjoying the warmth of their skin against you. A smile forms on their face.

"You are always calling me your sunshine," they whisper, lifting their head to take off their glasses, placing the pair on the grass beside them, "It would only make sense that you are my Sunflower."

You chuckle, "I thought I was your Moonlight."

"I dunno, then I just think you are pretty like a sunflower," they mumble, "Ask me again when I'm sober."

You laugh quietly, hugging them a little tighter. You throw one leg on top of theirs and completely tangle your bodies together, your hearts beating as one and, for the first time in forever, you allow yourself to relax in the arms of the one you love most.

[her-devils-advocate]

It's all for you, everything I do

pairings: Levi Ackerman x reader

genre: fluff

summary: Inspired by the sweetest post by @humanitys-strongest-bamf (can be read [here])!

You and Levi spend some well-needed downtime together, sharing each other's company and relaxing with a hot bath.

word count: 1,813

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55328983

You enter the dimly lit room with a small groan, the loud creak of the ageing door alerts the empty room of your arrival. Your muscles do their best to protest as you manoeuvre your weary body towards the bed. You had pushed yourself too far, yet again, feeling the burn that only an extended ODM session could provide. Training in such cold weather isn’t ideal, the bitter air had caused your skin to sting more and more with each passing minute spent flying around in the forest, leading up to your reluctant retreat back to your room.

You're sure you will regret it in the morning, as you will no doubt find yourself achingly curled around a lukewarm bowl of porridge, a common occurrence for you. But for tonight, you don't care as you flop onto the firm mattress, letting your body sink into the soft blankets decorating the bed. You groan as you wiggle into a more comfortable position on your back, one arm thrown over your face while a single leg hangs off the edge of the bed.

Just as you are about to drift off into a peaceful slumber, eyelids heavy with exertion, the door to the small bathroom is thrown open. The unexpected sound causes you to jump and you slowly lift your gaze to the figure watching you from the doorway.

There's only one person who has unrestricted access to your private quarters, having taken to spending more time there than in his room. You remember his gruff voice as he attempted to explain himself the day you called him out on it: “Don’t let it get to your head, people are less likely to hunt me down here to deal with their bullshit.”

You snap yourself out of the memory and glance up at him. Levi's figure is bathed in the soft glow of candlelight, bleeding around him and breaking into the dark room surrounding you. You cannot catch his expression, his body is consumed by the shadows hiding from the light, yet his posture is relaxed. A halo of light hovers over him, ripples of water reflecting on the ceiling above, dancing in the amber haze of the room. Looking closer at his hidden form, you can spot the bare skin of his forearms, his sleeves having been rolled up before your appearance.

He lets out a small breath, close enough to a chuckle, before making his way to the bed. You smile up at him, now looming over your relaxed form.

“Hey there.” You break the silence, voice low to not disrupt the soft moment weaving around the two of you.

“Hey,” his reply is equally soft and he bends down to gently prod at your forehead, earning him a lighthearted scoff. “If your muscles haven’t turned to stone yet, get up. I’ve prepared a bath, don’t let it get cold.” 

“You ran a bath for me?” You murmur in disbelief and awe. Part of you shouldn’t be too surprised, Levi usually prefers to show his affection through actions, yet the domestic act causes your heart to swell. You begin to sit up, moving to lean on an elbow, still comfortable on the bed and giving no signs of relocating any time soon.

“Did you train so much that it caused you to lose your hearing?” 

He grows impatient at your lack of movement and before you know it, his strong hand is gripped around your ankle, giving you a warning tug. You meet his amused stare with your own, without a single word, you then make a show of flopping back down onto the bed. Your laughter almost drowns out his groan, and before you know it, he begins to move away from the bed without releasing you.

“Hey!...hey, hey, hey…!” Your weak protests, mixed with shocked giggles, are interrupted by a small crash and you let out a yelp as your body collides with the wooden floor. Levi stands over you with his arms crossed over his chest, looking a little too proud of himself.

“That was mean.” You state plainly, watching as his eyes flick up to the ceiling before falling back onto you. 

“You would only complain if you ended up having a cold bath.” He shrugs before crouching down and wrapping his arm under your legs, easily cradling you to his chest as he stands. 

With no retort ready to toss at him, you simply snuggle closer to his chest instead, letting him carry you towards the bathroom. A wave of heat hits you once he crosses the threshold and you watch the steam rise from the tub, twisting in the air before fading away.

A few candles are dotted around the room, the wax dripping down and onto the small plates below while the condensation does its best to cling onto its waxy stick. The rest of the room is covered in a light sheen of mist, growing foggy with the heat infiltrating the air. You are speechless at the effort he has gone to just to get you to relax.

He bends to let you stand on your own, silently turning around to gather the soaps while giving you enough privacy to undress. You make quick work of your uniform, leaving it in a messy pile in the corner of the room, something you know he will complain about later once the domestic bliss has faded and the reality of the world kicks back in. But for now, you embrace the tender atmosphere and slowly sink into the hot water, a small groan slipping past your lips as your aching muscles slowly begin to relax.

The water comes up to your shoulders, gently lapping over your skin with each movement. Once he knows you are settled, Levi finally turns around and places the collection of soaps along the edge of the pristine tub. Before he gets the chance to move away, your hand darts out of the bubbly water and latches onto his exposed forearm.

“What is it?” He raises an eyebrow, his head tilted in confusion at your sudden movement.

“Join me?” Your voice is tender while you gaze up at him longingly, “It’s been a while since we got to spend time together. And no, doing paperwork together in silence isn’t the same thing.”

He stays rooted on the spot for a moment and you almost begin to worry that he will reject the offer, but he is quick to begin unbuttoning his shirt. You look away with a small grin, extending the same courtesy to him while you shuffle forward in the tub.

You entertain yourself with the bubbles floating atop the water, collecting some within your palms and gently blowing on them. You watch the small collection of suds float through the air before rejoining the fizzing pile below. You can hear the small rustling of fabric to your side, Levi is no doubt making sure each piece is folded and stored where they can’t get damp. Once he’s finished, content that not a single crease will dare to find its way onto his clothing, he carefully slides behind you into the warm water.

He gets himself settled, his legs resting on either side of yours as he pulls you closer to lean against his firm chest. His hands find yours as he laces your fingers together, softly resting your intertwined hands against your stomach while you allow your head to rest against his shoulder. Moments pass without a sound while the two of you allow yourselves to have a moment of peace together, the consistent slosh of water breaking the silence as you wiggle to get more comfortable. 

He gently rubs small circles onto the slowly pruning flesh of your hands while he places gentle kisses against your shoulder, the action bringing a small laugh from your lips as his nose passes along a rather ticklish spot. You give him a small warning splash, earning yourself a soft poke in the side in response.

“Thank you for this, Levi.” 

“What? For the poke?” An incredulous tone colours his voice and you resist the urge to roll your eyes, knowing he would most likely sense the action even if he can’t see it.

“No, not for the damn poke. For setting all this up.”

He holds onto you tighter, his legs crossing over yours to cling with every limb possible. You free one of your hands from his grip and raise it to run your fingers through his hair, the black strands feeling like pure silk. Even with his face hidden from you, you can feel his soft smile against your shoulder.

“It doesn’t take much effort to run a bath, but it is nice to spend some more time together.” You give him a small hum in agreement, idly playing with his fingers while he watches with fond amusement as you poke and bend the individual digits.

“Yeah, it’s nice to try and act normal every now and then as well.” You can feel the gentle shake of his chest, the silent laughter reserved for you and you alone. 

“Oi, are you trying to say I’m not normal?” Levi tries his best to let the usual aloofness show through his voice, yet his humour remains.

“Oh, I’m sorry ‘Mr. I could kill a titan with my glare’. Are you trying to argue that any aspect of our lives happens to be normal?” You try to turn to give him a disapproving look, yet his arms keep you held firmly in place.

“That’s an exaggeration and you know it. My glare isn’t that bad.” Before you can interrupt him to remind him of the time his glare caused a fresh cadet to burst into tears, he continues, “Now hush, stop ruining the moment and relax for once, will you?”

You gently knock your ankle against his, grinning in victory before feeling his retaliation. He lets out a small swear as a wave of water is released over the side of the tub and onto the tiles below, covering the floor in a soapy current. You silently mourn your dry clothes, which are now proceeding to soak up the rogue water. With a small sigh, you shift so that you can rest your head against his chest, hearing the gentle beating of his heart. His free hand comes to rest atop your head, tenderly stroking his fingers through your hair and absentmindedly playing with the ends of each strand.

The still warm water tickles your flesh with each slow ebb and flow of its man-made waves, the gentle thump of his heart allows the exhaustion you had been trying to hold off to overtake you once more. You let your eyes flutter shut, the knowledge that would be safe to doze off within Levi’s warm embrace follows you as sleep finally takes you.

[wing-ed-thing]

Tandem (Levi x Reader)

Synopsis: The two of you work together seamlessly. Your clear intimacy was usually left unspoken... that is, until Eren asks the stupid question.

Word Count: 2.8k

Tags/Warnings: Language, Fluff, No Reader Pronouns

Notes: I think it’s funny that my last Levi fic was about Levi and reader like... hating each other hahaha. I guess I simply must bring balance

“Do you have the—”

“Right here.”

Watching the two of you in action was fascinating. 

Levi tossed you a canister from over his shoulder. The metal container flipped through the air, nearly smacking Eren directly in the face. He ducked just in time. The canister landed perfectly into your outstretched hand. You didn’t even look up from the crate of supplies you were tending to. Eren sputtered.

“Hey, watch it! You almost hit me!” 

“Don’t be in the way.” You spoke the command in unison. Neither you nor Levi missed a beat. Eren caught a mutual eye roll as you and Levi continued to organize the new cargo shipment. 

You secured a thick wooden lid onto your crate and made a tick on your clipboard. You maneuvered out of the way just in time for Levi to heave over an equally massive wooden box. He stacked it on top of yours.  

“Tell me that’s all of it,” Levi grumbled, placing a familiar touch on your shoulder as he peered over your amassment of papers. You flipped the pages with a solemn shake of your head. 

“Between what we brought back from the expedition and the disaster that was this last shipment, I’d say we’re done with barely half.”

“Fucking hell…” 

Immediately after expeditions, your leftover supplies would be checked and consolidated into storage to prepare for the next outing and regular patrols. That had always been an undertaking and typically took the whole night. But when you were away, a new shipment of supplies had come early. A disorganized mess of various crates and trunks, Commander Erwin nearly hit the roof before he stormed over to the supplier’s office to complain. 

The company had apparently shifted management, and the new owner thought he could cut corners. At least, that’s what you guessed. 

Levi slowly turned to Eren as you made a few frustrated scribbles in your notes. The crease in his brow deepened, and a vein above his eye twitched. 

“What are you doing just standing around, Jaeger?” Levi stepped forward, gesturing to the chaos of stacked and scattered materials across the room. “You think these big-ass boxes will grow legs and walk to storage by themselves?”

“Section Commander Zacharius sent us in here to help. He’s finishing up outside.” A bead of sweat formed on Eren’s temple. Levi stared wordlessly, scowling. “Sir!”

“You can help Jean,” you said, glancing up from your attempt at an organization sheet. You gestured over to where Jean knelt by a mountain of wooden crates. Heavy pouches and metal parts poured out of the sprawling containers. “He’ll need all the help he can get separating the flour sacks from the deconstructed ODM gear.”

Jean met Eren’s eye, exhausted and annoyed at the prospect of working with Eren on top of his menial task. Mikasa carried three boxes stacked on top of each other somewhere in the background. 

The entire regiment worked into the night. Empty crates were slapped with proper labels, refilled with the correct material, and sent to storage. The rate at which you and Levi put together a plan was astounding, and you quickly ordered your exhausted soldiers around in teams to get the job done. 

Jean and Eren worked to separate the flour sacks from the gear, moving gingerly to avoid crushing anything. Some bags were broken. Eren blew white particles off of a grip and onto Jean’s slacks. Jean scowled but was too tired to complain. The two of them took to sorting out the pieces of gear quietly, Jean placing the parts in their respective bins as Eren sifted through the mess of metal and wires. He was left with a small box of screws at the end of his work.

“Um, do we have a box for screws?”

“Screws?” Jean repeated, glancing over the closed crates. “No?”

Eren shrugged and put them in his pocket. 

You and Levi continued to work seamlessly together, racing throughout the room and ensuring everything was sorted. You passed your clipboard back and forth as you elapsed each other. Eren could hardly see the handoff. He chased after you after he closed the last crate of flour. 

“Section Commander!” you turned with a stack of random materials in your arms. The soldiers from your squads gathered around you, deliberating with each other over the orientation of the storage. “Jean and I finished. Where else can I be of assistance?” You handed your supplies to one of your team leaders, giving instructions before returning to Eren. 

“Captain Levi has the list,” you said, moving another set of boxes down to the floor. Your team took to opening them. You looked down and groaned at the sight, running a hand over your face. Inside, the supplier had packaged together explosives and yeast. “What a mess.”

Eren ran off to find Levi, who stood in the courtyard supervising the organization of horse feed. Levi gave two firm slaps to a neat assembly of boxes as he addressed a group of six. The compilation had been mislabeled as “bread grains.”

“You’ll take these to the stables. You hear me? The stables. If I see a lick of this shit in the kitchen, you’ll eat horse food for the rest of your life.” Eren approached him cautiously, offering him a salute.

“Sir! How can I be of assistance?” Levi huffed, blowing a tuff of his bangs away from his forehead. 

“I just gave the list back. Go ask the Section Commander.”

“Uh…” Eren croaked, having just spoken to you. “Well, I just spoke to—”

“Eren!” Armin appeared in the doorway out to the courtyard with a wave. The torchlight made his blond hair shine even more golden. “We need your help with the swords!” 

“There you go,” Levi snorted, gesturing down the hall where Armin disappeared. He bumped Eren’s shoulder as he passed.

Luckily, things were beginning to wrap up by the time Eren nearly dropped from exhaustion. After the swords came lentils mixed with the smoke-gun pellets and then the tangled ODM wires. You and Levi were powering on at the same pace you had been for the night— perhaps even more rigorously— but Eren could see the burnout on your faces. A rule of thumb whispered among the cadets dictated that the two of you appeared visibly grumpier with tiredness, not that anyone would dare tell you that. 

Levi maneuvered around you, snatching something you offered wordlessly in your hand. He sent off the last of the cargo boxes with a small team of drained recruits, and as he turned to you, he didn’t have to say a thing before you tossed the clipboard to him. He caught it like a frisbee. 

“That’ll do it,” you announced. Your voice echoed off the stone walls of the now-empty room. “Thank you, everyone, for your hard work. I’m sure you’re very tired. Dismissed!” 

Eren breathed a sigh of relief as you marched out of the room. He quickly took his leave, filing out with the rest of his friends as they trudged back to the barracks in exhaustion. No one said a word as they crossed through the courtyard, too drained from the expedition and the organization disaster to say anything. 

Eren stuck his hand in his pocket, stopping short when he felt the small box of screws he had put in there earlier. Armin shot him a worried look as he started back toward the packaging room, too fatigued to ask where he was going. Eren said nothing, jogging back so he could return as quickly as possible. 

You and Levi sat on the stone floor, back to back, as he read over the materials list. Your head tilted back to rest on his shoulder. He did the same, his short hairs brushing against your cheek. Two cups of tea sat on the floor next to you. That must be where you went when you dismissed everyone.

“The twenty units of ODM wire—”

“Southwestern storage with the grips,” you yawned. You closed your eyes, letting yourself slouch back into Levi. He said nothing as you nuzzled into the shoulder of his jacket.

“Updated uniforms and linens—”

“Forth floor. They need to be organized, but they can be distributed soon.”

“Great. Like we haven’t had enough of that tonight.”

Eren stood frozen in the entryway. He clutched the box of screws in his hand, stepping off to the side to avoid being seen. Something inside told him that he shouldn’t be there, that the scene in front of him was too intimate for his prying eyes. He watched on anyways, wondering if he should just wait until tomorrow. 

You finished your tea, placing it on the ground with a disappointed hum. You reached for Levi’s and took it in the pads of your fingers. Levi brushed his cheek against your hair and tilted his face to look at you. He didn’t get very far with your head in the way.

“Excuse you,” he frowned. “You have your own.”

“Finished mine,” you muttered, half asleep. Levi shook his head before returning to read the rest of the list. He flipped a page. 

At that display, Eren decided that he could definitely wait until the next day. Stealthily, he returned to the little, lit hallway to take his leave. 

That was until the little box of screws clattered to the floor. The sound reverberated off the stone, causing both you and Levi to turn to the noise. You sat up straight with eyes snapped open with alertness. Eren cringed, picking up the box, and with no choice, he revealed himself. 

“The hell are you doing up?” Levi snapped with a deep scowl. “You were just dismissed. Or do you want more work?” Eren almost flinched.

“I forgot about this.” He held up the forgotten cargo, giving it a rattle. You yawned again, a strangled noise of affirmation escaping you.

“Oh, thank you, Jaeger. You can leave that with me.” Eren scampered across the room to your outstretched hand. It dropped with the weight of the tiny container. With a simple thanks, you once again sent him on his way. 

***

“Do you think the Section Commanders are, you know, together?” Eren asked in a hushed tone at the dinner table the next day. Armin’s forehead wrinkled in thought.

“Which ones?”

“Yours and Captain Levi.” Eren played absentmindedly with the leftover stew on his plate. The entire table seemed to stiffen. A few nervous eyes glanced around the mess hall for any leadership within the radius to overhear. Eren hardly noticed the way the former members of the 104th seemed to lean forward.

“I think they’re all together,” Reiner finally spoke, eyes darting around the room again.

“What? You mean like all at once?” Bertholdt laughed nervously, swiveling his head as he spoke. He rubbed at the back of his neck with his large palm.

“Yeah!” Reiner exclaimed in a hushed tone. The table leaned closer. He gestured emphatically with his hands. “I mean, you’re in this line of work. Everyone’s ripped and sexy—”

Connie let out a roaring cackle.

“You did not just refer to Captain Levi as ripped and sexy!” 

Reiner sputtered as cheeky grins and bouts of laughter spread across the group. Reiner clutched the edge of the table as his pale skin turned a bright shade of red.

“You know that’s not what I meant!” he stammered, just about standing up to slam his hand on the table, causing various utensils to clatter. The noise was not too out of the ordinary for the cafeteria. “That’s not what I meant! I meant my squad leader!” Connie propped an elbow on the table, counting his fingers to accent his words. 

“Section Commander Levi: ripped and sexy. Section Commander Miche: ripped and sexy. Section Commander Hange—” Reiner slapped Connie’s hand from across the table, causing Connie to just about go into hysterics. He collapsed into Sasha’s shoulder. Bertholdt tugged the back of Reiner’s shirt, urging him to sit back down. 

“That is the opposite of what I meant!”

“You said everyone, Reiner!” Connie had nearly burst into tears. He heaved between labored breaths. “What— what if they…! What if they made— Hahaha! A calendar?! What if they made one of those sexy calendars?!” His deranged delirium was contagious, the taboo notion enough to make Mikasa cover her face with a shake of her head. She continued small bites of her food. 

“Shirtless Levi calendar just for you, Reiner.” He stood at a loss as Jean reached up to knock against his bicep. Reiner sat down in defeat, hands rubbing over his face as Bertholdt gave him a heavy-handed pat. 

“What made you ask, Eren?” Christa’s gentle voice somehow made it down to the other side of the table. He craned to be able to see her before looking off, wondering if he should say anything. He didn’t think for long, if at all.

“I walked in on them last night—” An eruption of astonished gasps and cries cut him off—a jumbled chorus of sounds molded over each other. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute!”

Sasha’s voice carried over everyone else’s. 

“Levi and Reiner?!” She exclaimed. Reiner somehow grew redder. 

“Of course not!”

“No, he means our captain and Levi, right Eren?” Armin clarified, and Eren nodded. 

“When you say walked in on them—” Jean glanced around the room, eyes widening with emphasis. “Did you mean walked in on?”

“No, no,” Eren stuttered, running a hand through his scalp as he thought of describing what he saw. “I’d say they were more cuddling.”

“Cuddling,” Reiner repeated with a single downward nod. He crossed his arms over his chest as he squared his shoulders back. “You walked in on the squad leaders… cuddling.”

“Well, they weren’t really cuddling. They were sitting back-to-back against each other more… nuzzling. And sharing a cup of tea.” Eren trailed off, face contorted in a pained expression as he continued to play with his hair. Armin nudged him under the table, barely picking up his head to offer him the contrite look painted on his expression. 

“Eren…”

“I think it’s kinda romantic!” Christa brushed a few hairs behind her ear. “Two soldiers fighting for their lives with no one to lean on but each other! I could see them together. Maybe Captain Levi would loosen up a bit if he was dating.” Ymir grumbled something incoherent. 

“I think we’ve all been in a room where Captain Levi’s shared a cup of tea with all the leadership.” Reiner glanced around the table, unimpressed. “Is that supposed to be a euphemism or something?”

“It was the same cup!”

“Things sure are lively over here.” Everyone froze. “What are we talking about?”

You placed a warm hand on his shoulder. Eren’s eyes followed the length of your sleeve to your smiling face. You glanced over the group, slightly taken aback at the sudden silence. Levi came up to Eren’s left with crossed arms. 

“We heard from everyone coming the other way that you couldn’t shut up, and now you decide to be quiet?” Connie met Reiner’s eye from across the table.

“The calendar,” he mouthed, and Reiner resisted the urge to throw a spoon at him. 

“We were just talking about Sasha’s dating life!” Eren exclaimed, much to Sasha’s horror. You beamed.

“Oh, how fun!” Levi rolled his eyes, maneuvering around you. 

“I’m grabbing food. You want the usual?” He leaned in slightly, a gentle touch on your back. The table watched with bated breath. You smiled and nodded.

“Yes, please!” With your confirmation, he left. You turned back to the table, your hand still on the back of Eren’s chair. “Dating! That’s so exciting! You have to tell me!” The group exchanged looks. Normally, they would tell you. That is if there was anything to tell. 

“Are you dating, Section Commander?” Sasha quirked an eyebrow, hoping to turn the heat onto someone else. 

“Oh, uh—” You stuttered, thrown off at the sudden question. You could feel the heat of their intense stares. —“No, not really.” You let out a nervous laugh. Surely you were missing something. You missed the silent eye contact Eren made with Armin.

“Not really?” Eren repeated, twisting his mug in his hands as he stared at his water. Reiner studied him, wondering that perhaps Eren had been onto something after all. Mikasa kicked Eren under the table. He flinched, composing himself just before Levi returned with your food. 

“You guys are sure acting strange tonight.” Bertholdt refused to look you in the eye. You let out another nervous chuckle before taking your plate from Levi with thanks. 

“They ran out of the rolls, but I got you the—”

“The baguette?” Your face lit up at the sight of the tiny baguette on the corner of your plate. You faced Levi with a grin. “Have I ever told you that you were the best?” 

“Sure, sure.” He didn’t acknowledge the rest of the 104th as he stormed toward the exit. You offered them a wave goodbye.

“Sorry, we can’t stick around. I’ll see you all later! Good luck, Sasha!” With one last wave, you hurried after Levi and left together. 

As soon as you were well down the hallway, the table erupted in debate.

Thank you to all who liked, reblogged, followed, and supported. Your support means so much and is greatly appreciated.

Notes: Ah, I love writing young Eren as the stupid little baby he is 🙏 Heavily channeling Bluey “do you have a wife?”

[atarathegreat]

Tell Me Everything is Okay! Armin Arlert.

Over the years you've been a great source of comfort for the blonde. His low self esteem and waning confidence always find a port in your words to grow like a baby in a womb. Armin would've been ashamed for anyone else to see him in such a state, head in his hands and unable to make eye contact with you as he ranted and rambled about his insecurities. You never seemed to mind all the hours it would take to make him calm down. A soft smile plastered on your face all while you rubbed his back and shoulders, assuring him that, yes, he can feel less than he is but he needs to acknowledge the good he's done.

"I don't know..." Armin sighs, rubbing his hands down his face as he looks up to you for the first time since entering your room, "This can't work, can it? A whole invasion?"

You shrug, warm hands never leaving his shoulders, "You planned it. I think it'll work."

Once more he sighs, shaking his head. There were too many things that could go wrong, too many uncertainties. People could die, get injured, get captured. There were so many ways his plan could go wrong. And you believed it would work? You had to be aware of the ways it could fail, the ways it could make Armin a mass murderer.

"Armin." Your soft voice reached through his worries and pulled him to the forefront of his mind, warmth from your hand layered over his, "We can pull it off. I know we can. You're a genius!"

He moved with you as you pulled him into a hug, careful fingers caressing his neatly trimmed hair. The way you seemed to calm all his nerves with a simple touch, the way you smiled at him, the way you cared about every little thing he said made Armin feel safer in your arms than the walls ever made him feel. "Thank you." Came his usual mumble, his ocean blue eyes closed and seeing over his plans again.

The fabric of his shirt pulled easily from where he'd tucked it in his pants, your hands running under to rub his back without the cover in the way. You liked his skin, how soft it was and how warm he always stayed. "You're amazing, Armin." Hearing those words awoke something needy in him, something that begged for you to praise him again. However he could make you praise him, he wanted it.

It wasn't something he ever thought to do. Who kisses their best friend? But there he was, holding your face, his lips pressed firmly to yours as he silently begged for you to grab him, dig your nails in, anything. Armin needed for you to show any sign that you wouldn't hate him, wouldn't push him away. "Armin?" You sounding breathless was almost what he needed, almost. He licked his lips, glancing at your chest for only a moment, "I just... I-I-I don't know..."

But you were intuitive when it came to your friend, not that it wasn't easy to read what he wanted in his eyes. Armin was the opposite of opaque in every way. The way his heart stuttered when you smiled at him, you're lithe fingers trailing too slowly up his arms where they wrapped around his biceps. Armin was sure then that he needed your approval in everything. Why else did he seek you out for reassurance? Why else were you the only one he needed to tell him that his plans made sense for him to believe it?

"I just..." Armin always mumbled, rambling on and on about whatever was on his mind at the moment and right now he was focused on getting your praise. He leaned his weight into you as if to make sure you couldn't escape from him and the bed, his lips capturing yours tenderly. His hands were soft despite the last few years of training and ODM usage as he trailed them under your shirt, "...I need you to speak like that again. I need to, to know that you're pleased with something I'm doing."

"That's fine." Gentle fingers pulled at his buttons, opening his pearl white shirt to reveal the body beneath. He groaned as you dragged your nails over the faint lines where straps had been for too long or too tight or tugged on too roughly. "Will it make you happy?" Doe eyes peered at him through pretty lashes, your hues taking in his needy expression. It was unbelievable that you'd ask, that you would thread your hands into his sleeves and push the shirt from his shoulders. Happy was putting it lightly. And in that little, hardly lit room, Armin came to terms with the fact that you might have had the strongest hold on him. His voice was low and nearly too quiet to hear when he responded to you, "I'd be so damn happy..."

Excitement filled every inch of Armin as he moved to make you comfortable. If you weren't then you wouldn't praise him or smile at him, or-

He didn't have time to worry about all the things you'd deny him. The sound of fabric falling to the floor was like blood in his veins, and he positioned himself under your knees while never breaking his eyes from yours. Pink was barely visible in the candlelight, but he took the blush on your cheeks as a good sign, as a subconscious praise for his actions. It was enough to take the doubt in his mind and throw it out the window. He pushed the bottom of your nightgown up, tucking it under your breasts to save them as a sort of present for when he got there.

"Tell me this is okay." Soft, open-mouthed kisses trailed from your knee down toward your sex, "Tell me I'm doing something good." The depths of his eyes begged and pleaded for you to praise him. "Doing amazing, Armin." It was your breathy voice mixed with the positive words that just got to him. He bumped his nose to your clit and licked a stripe up through your folds, his eyes never left yours. Armin wanted to see the way you reacted to him. "Good, Armin, feels good." You whispered with your eyes closed, wanting nothing but to feel the way he could make you feel.

The way you tasted was fascinating to him, a sort of experimental find, one he didn't want to share. So many people looked at him with contempt or indifference, not even Sasha smiled at him anymore. But here you were with your hands grabbing at whatever was under your fingers and moaning out his name. Knowing that he could make at least one person happy while being the worst version of himself...

He never wanted it to end.

Kisses were placed carefully as he moved upwards, your release coating his lips and dotting where he kissed until he reached up under your breasts. "May I?" Armin looked like a child asking for candy. He'd argue that's exactly what he was doing. There was nothing but sweetness on his tongue when he tasted you and your clothes were little more than a worthless wrapper in his way. Each second that you took to respond was another muscle that tensed in his body. "You may." He'd always appreciated your giggles, and when they came from underneath him he nearly couldn't breathe.

Unwrapping your upper half brought him closer to you, his lips leaving more gentle kisses on the bare skin and his ears picking up on every single one of your sounds. Warmth enveloped your chest, Armin flicked his tongue out to feel your nipple. He completely dove in, sucking the tip of your breast into his mouth and swallowing as much as he could fit into his mouth.

Shame. He should've felt shame, but he didn't. Armin was satisfied, even as he begged you to let him do whatever he wanted, as he begged you to tell him he was doing something right. Of course you obliged, moaning his name and keeping him close as he explored every inch of your bare skin. How could you deny him when he was so sweet?

There was a pain in his own stomach that demanded his own pleasure. Armin wasn't concerned about it and only allowed himself the slight friction of rubbing against your leg. Gentle fingers reached past his waistband and touched his cock, the sensation made him hiss as he bucked harder against you. "It's okay, Armin. We'll both feel good, okay?" How was he supposed to deny you? Those pretty eyes and smiling lips that told him it was okay.

Angry, red, and swollen, Armin rubbed his tip around your hole as his moans mixed with yours. Velvet wrapping around him was only pulling him deeper into his mind and the wordless pleas for you to assure him of every movement. He started slow and felt the way you sucked him in, your muscles clenching to hold him as tight as your body could. You wanted him, needed him, and bad. He'd mindlessly teased you, not meaning to, up to this point. "Armin, move faster." The lilt in your tone brought him to a mindless, mind-numbing speed. Armin wanted you to praise him, and he was too far gone in his mind and his want for it that he barely recognized when you came.

Moans, cries, pleads. They all reached his ears but he wasn't there to respond to them. His vision went white and warmth spread through his body, the strength of his orgasm bringing him back to his senses. You looked so perfect, fucked out and begging for one more. Armin reached down and wiped the tears from your face, moving more softly to add to the already thick ring of cum around his base. "I'm sorry." He whispered as he kissed your cheeks.

[gallery-of-writing]

Imagine going to the Underground with Erwin to bring in Levi

“The plan is simple,” Section Commander Erwin Smith announces. “We travel to the Underground where we flush out Levi and his accomplices. According to our sources, he is working with two people, and all three of them are equipped with stolen ODM gear.”

Miche, Thomas and I stand in front of a tunnel that presumably leads to the Underground, a city constructed in a cave right beneath the Capitol city, Mitras. I have been part of Erwin’s squad for a while now, and I’m grateful for his elaborate plans that saved me from the titan’s grasps many times. While Erwin briefs us about our strategy today, I can’t help staring at the barely illuminated staircase that leads into the ground, and the longer I keep staring, the bigger the dreadful feeling grows in the pit of my stomach.

Are people really living under the ground?

“They are highly skilled with their stolen ODM gear, so be careful!” Erwin’s voice pulls me back to reality before the dread can creep into every fibre in my body.

He signals for us to follow him, and we begin our descent to the Underground.

After a few turns in the staircase, we reach the gigantic cavern which functions as shelter for houses and a few town squares. The town looks oddly similar to any other town you would usually see above the ground, except for the massive pillars scattered around the houses. Chills run down my spine as I marvel at the illuminated streets in front of me.

“Keep moving.” Erwin instructs us.

He guides us towards one of the tallest buildings in the area, and we take our places on the roof. From this position we should be able to spot anyone using ODM gear to fly through the streets below. After a few minutes of carefully watching over the town, my eyelids start becoming heavier and I can’t help yawning every two seconds, as if my perception of time has been thrown off by the constant darkness in this place. It must be so weird to live here.

“Over there!” Miche yells, startling me out of my drowsy state.

He points his sword towards one of the streets below, where three civilians equipped with our gear are indeed being chased by Military Police officers, zigzagging through the buildings with great speed.

“After them!” Erwin commands as he jumps off the roof. I quickly follow him, activating my own ODM gear.

Despite being untrained, the three criminals move increadibly fast, making it almost impossible for us to catch up to them. One of them knocks over a supply crate, scattering all of its contents in the air in front of the MPs. They get thrown out of balance by the numerous vegetables hitting them in the face, while we fly over them with ease. To my surprise, a flash of white flies past me in the opposite direction, which I recognize as one of the criminals we are supposed to be chasing after. I adjust the controllers as fast as I can, turning around mid air, barely avoiding the brick wall behind me. That bastard!

We all manage to avoid hitting the wall, and we resume pursuing the criminals. At the following intersection they separate, each going in a different way. Erwin and I fly straight ahead after the one with the loose white shirt, while Miche and Thomas go after the two others.

“Go above the houses!” Erwin instructs me. “I will follow him through the streets.”

“Yes, sir!”

I maneuver high above the roofs, maintaining visual contact with the white shirt that easily stands out from the grey surroundings. He breaks into the house at the end of the street through one of the windows, and I navigate over to the other side of that street, looking for the place where he might emerge. I find a small ventillation gap to the street on the right.

“Section Commander!” I yell to get Erwin’s attention, and I point my sword to the vent.

Erwin gives me a quick nod, and we maneuver ourselves to that spot. A few moments later, he indeed shows up from the vent, breaking through it with breakneck speed. He certainly knows how to take advantage of his stolen ODM gear.

Erwin tries to break his momentum, but the criminal is faster than him and he changes his course. I engage my gear to follow him, but he disappears under a tunnel. Relying on instinct, I lunge towards the end of that tunnel, praying that I get to him right when he emerges. I really don’t want to crash into the bricks.

We arrive at the end of the tunnel at the same time, and I manage to catch him off guard as I harshly knock into him. We both crash into the ground below.

Disregarding my aching joints, I roll over to stand up as quickly as I can, coming face to face with him. We are roughly the same hight, his dark blue eyes bear into mine with fury I haven’t seen before. He lunges at me with a pocket knife, which I swiftly block with my own blade.

He moves with incredible speed and precision, shortly making me exhausted from parrying all his attacks. After a dangerously close encounter with his knife, Erwin jumps protectively in front of me, knocking the criminal a few steps back.

When Erwin pins him against the wall behind him, I let out a sigh of relief, the fatigue setting into my muscles after the chase and all the fighting.

“Stop! Look around you.” Erwin orders just as Miche and Thomas turn the corner with the other criminals in cuffs. Miche has a hard time keeping the brunette girl in place, who trashes against his hold, demanding to be set free. The pale blonde guy stays silent while his eyes dart between the guy in the white shirt and us.

Seeing his accomlices brought in, the last criminal drops his knife in defeat.

“Seems you posess sound judgement.” Erwin comments as they both take a step backwards.

I reach for the handcuff in my pocket, walking behind the criminal while he continues glaring at the section commander. After I put his hands in a tight bind, I take his sleeve and he obediently follows me as I lead him next to his little squad, nicely lined up in front of Erwin with Miche standing behind them threateningly. I put my hands on his shoulders to push him down to kneel as the other two, then I walk over to Thomas who stands a bit further on the side, his hand hovering near his sword handles as if he was expecting the criminals to try and escape from us.

“I have some questions for you three.” Erwin says in his polite yet firm tone. “How did you obtain your ODM gear?”

Unsurprisingly, none of them give him an answer.

“You’re quite skilled with maneuvering with it…” Erwin continues, “who was it that tought you how?”

Erwin crouches down in front of the guy with the white shirt, the one I cuffed a minute ago. “I take it you’re the group’s leader? Just how much military training do you have?”

The supposed leader only growls in response, his bangs hanging over his eyes as he keeps his head low. Erwin glances up at Miche, who seems to understand the message as he grabs the criminal’s hair in the back, and forcefully pushes him down. His face lands in the puddle in front of him with a loud splash.

“YOU JERK!” The brunette girl screams at him, wriggling against her own binds as she sends a fiery glare at Miche.

“I’ll ask you once again,” Erwin states completely ignoring the girl, “who trained you in the use of ODM gear?”

“None of us were trained, okay?” The blonde guy finally speaks up, his voice trembling as he sends a worried glance at the guy struggling against Miche’s hold. “We taught ourselves!”

“That’s scarcely possible. I don’t believe you!”

“Yeah? Well, the definition of possible changes when you tryin’ to survive in a dump like this. But unless you know what sewage tastes like, I doubt that’s something you’d understand…”

“Tell that bag of yours to let Levi go already!” The girl shouts at Erwin. “You can’t just torture people in the streets!”

They have a good point. We don’t exactly come off as the good guys right now and we have no idea what it’s like living in this dump. Staying here for a few hours was enough to get me in an agitated state, an animalistic instinct prickling under my skin, constantly urging me to get out of here as fast as possible.

The one called Levi turns his face to shoot the most disgusted look towards us. I take a step towards Miche, ready to get him off of the guy he’s straddling, completely aware how that means going against my own section commander’s orders. Yet, Miche lifts his face from the ground on his own, allowing the criminal to breathe freely again. I halt my movements, earning a curious look from the brunette girl.

“I’m Section Commander Erwin Smith of the Scouts. What’s your name?”

“Levi.”

Erwin’s voice softens as he stares into the criminal’s furious eyes. “Levi, I’d like to offer you a deal.”

“What kind of deal?”

“I’ll overlook your various crimes and you lend me your strength and skill. As members of the Scout Regiment.”

His eyes widen at this revelation. As do mine, since Erwin conveniently left this crucial part out of the plan he shared with us before the mission. Sure, these guys are great at maneuvering, but is that a good enough reason to enlist them without any formal training?

“And if I refuse?”

“We’ll give you to the MPs,” Erwin says standing up from his kneeling position. “You’ve been thorns in their side for some time. So if you go that route, I doubt you and your comrades will receive decent treatment. The choice is yours, so pick a path!”

“Alright, fine.” Levi says defeatedly. “If that’s how it is, then we’ll join the damn scouts…”

Our three new recruits reluctantly hand over their stolen ODM gear before they reluctantly sit on the transpont wagon. The brunette girl stares at her confiscated gear with a red face, holding back her anger no doubt.

“You’ll be given proper ones at headquarters.” I reassure her as I mount my own horse. Her eyes perk up at the thought, but as if remembering that she was supposed to be angry, she shifts her gaze down to her lap.

The ride towards the Scout’s Headquarters goes relatively undisturbed. Thomas guides the wagon with the new recruits and our supplies, while the rest of us follow them on horseback. I ride on the wagon’s left side, giving me the perfect opportunity to occasionally steal glances at the strange trio. The blonde guy and the girl sit right in my line of sight, but Levi sits with his back turned to me. From what I could tell so far, the two boys are around my age, maybe a few years older, but the girl is significantly younger, perhaps only a teenager, eighteen at best. They sit in the wagon without saying a word, staring into the distance.

I accidentally lock eyes with the girl and I send her a bright, encouraging smile. Her eyes widen, a curious sparkle crossing through her green eyes as she continues staring at me. It’s a start.

“What’s your name?” I ask her, hoping to break the tension a little bit.

“Isabel.” She answers slowly, glancing at the boys as is she wasn't sure whether she’s allowed to talk to me.

“Nice to meet you, Isabel. My name is Y/N!”

“What are you doing?” Miche’s gruff voice cuts through our conversation. “Why are you so friendly with them?”

I turn my head to send him a glare. It’s not like we are forbidden from talking…

Turning back to Isabel, I gesture towards the blonde guy riding behind the wagon. “That grumpy guy is called Miche. The one at the front of the wagon is Thomas, and Section Commander Erwin has already introduced himself.”

Thomas turns back to give them a small smile, and Erwin gives them a court nod from the other side of the wagon.

Isabel erupts into a bright smile as she throws her arm around the blonde guy sitting next to her. “This is Furlan! And that’s my big bro Levi!”

She points to the black haired guy sitting in front of her. He sits with his arms crossed over his chest, and from what I could see he didn’t move a single muscle ever since we began our journey. I imagine he has the same grumpy scowl as he did when I cuffed him in the Underground.

“Nice to meet you all!” I greet them, matching the enthusiasm in Isabel’s voice. “Have you ever been above the ground?”

“No, we could never afford it.” Isabel says looking down at her feet, and the cheerful conversation turns sour as soon as she stops smiling. “OW! What was that for?”

Levi has kicked Isabel’s shin, eliciting a loud groan from the girl. I can’t help but chuckle at their childish bickering.

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about that,” I reassure them, trying to lift their spirits a little. “What matters is that you are here now. Isn’t that great?”

“Yeah,” Isabel says as the excited sparkle returns in her eyes. “Where are we going now? Is it far?”

“We are headed towards the Scouting Regiment’s Headquarters inside Wall Rose. We still have at least a few hours of riding ahead of us, but we should arrive by dinnertime at the latest.”

“That’s too long!” She slumps in her seat with an exaggerated sigh. ”I thought we’d go somewhere nearby!”

“Oi, stop whining already! And you—” Levi turns his head pointedly towards me, the annoyed scowl indeed showing up on his face as he fixes me with an irritated glare. “You talk too much!”

I stare into his icy glare for a second before I burst out laughing. Miche chuckles along with me, and from the corner of my eye I even catch a glimpse of a smile on Erwin’s face.

“You are not the first one to tell me that.” I say after calming down a bit.

Glancing into Levi’s perplexed expression almost sends me into another fit of giggles, but I try to contain it for his sake.

“You know,” Miche says teasingly with his wolfish grin, “I could get used to you talking less.”

“Well, too bad! All of you are stuck with me!” I exclaim performing my best maniacal laugh.

While everyone bursts out laughing, I turn my attention back to Levi, who is the only one not smiling. We stare at each other for a second, before I give him a sweet smile, hoping he understands that I mean no harm. In response he turns his back to me, but I could have sworn that I saw his expression soften a bit before he crosses his arms against his chest once more.

[odmeducationalgroup]

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[cutecinnamon]

Concurrence

CW: ⊹₊ MDNI ⊹₊ Mention of Punishment ⊹₊ Pregnancy ⊹₊ Possible mention of sex ⊹₊

Fic Story Idea, I would just like to drop it here incase I do decide to write it one day.

This post has a synopsis and snippet attached to it. ><

NOTE: Concurrence I already posted ♡

( EDITED: Currently starting to write it and I already have a few drafts, this fic will be posted into seperate parts. )

------♡----------------♡------------------♡---------

Synopsis:

(Y/n) was a soldier under Levi's squad, she was a very skillful and effienciently trained scout until one day her cover was blown and the whole squad found out that she was in fact a Marleyan, and she was a warrior sent as an agent to infiltrate the survey corps. When Levi and the others found out she was to be executed until Queen Historia decided that the best punishment for her was to in fact stay at the survey corps since she was one of the most liable scouts, but one thing she did not expect was that she was ordered to carry the child of Humanity's strongest in order to keep the Ackerman Bloodline alive.

------♡----------------♡------------------♡---------

Small snippet idea:

The peaceful sound of water can be heard coming from the kitchen as (y/n) was washing the dishes, despite the calm gush of water echoing though the kitchen her mind was a mess, it was very chaotic, it was as if she was stuck in a dark place. Levi was at the living room doing his paperwork while drinking tea when

(y/n) suddenly approached him holding a blade from their odm which was placed across their room.

"Captain... please just punish me now... please just end me now..." (y/n) says while passing the odm blade to Levi who had a stunned expression written all over his face.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Levi responds, while looking at her, the way he saw her eyes that almost lost the light of hope.

"I know you hate me... I'll always be a traitor in your eyes... even if I- if I try my best to prove my loyalty to you..." (y/n) said in a low and sorrowful voice as her gaze locks with Levi's gray orbs.

Levi shifts his attention towards the growing bump on (y/n)'s belly, she is currently almost in her fourth mark of pregnancy, and Levi felt a storm of emotions starting to explode inside him as he stared at (y/n) who was holding the odm blade towards him.

"No (y/n) fucking let go of that blade and look at me. I am not about to kill the mother of my child." Levi said sternly, and nothing can mend or break his words.

[itsnathateasy]

Armin Week | Day 4 | SFW Prompts | Childhood OR Friends to Lovers

word count: 836 warnings: none author’s note: i made myself suffer with this one

@armin-week-2024

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

armin is the type of man i can imagine you to be in love with for a million years

like had you known each other as kids, it’s high likely that you’d hang out, you’d always be so impressed by his knowledge and soft demeanour, you can never resist a sweet friend like armin, the cute boy, never causes trouble, is shy and probably needs to man up a bit but he’s so smart that he knows he has to stand up for himself but he often doesn’t see the point to it, knowing how he’s significantly smaller than the boys that pick on him

growing up, armin is slowly transforming into something else. his body has become more muscular with age and the loads of training he’s been through but that’s not half of the change. armin now not only has an opinion, he also expresses it. you’re doomed if you don’t let him speak up, as he has the greatest comebacks. all his years of studying and learning about the world have paid off, now there’s not one person out there to ever go against him. they can try, but those who picked on him and those that think of him as less than them will probably regret speaking against him or disagreeing with him. if they’ve a point to make, armin listens with respect, but if they’re just being obnoxious, armin is quick to point it out and tolerates zero of their bullshit. armin was growing up to not only be a person you loved with all of your heart, but to a person that you admired and respected to the fullest.

all the while, you’ve become an even closer friend, a companion if you will, watching him, growing with him, learning his deepest thoughts and sharing dreams, aspirations and all of the awkward confessions of the growing up process. but it isn’t until much later that you realise you’ve been pining for him for years and years and you didn’t even know.

armin is good with the ladies now too. sure, he’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but once he starts talking them up, he’s so respectful and brainy that no girl has ever denied him, he’s having them smile back and forth, makes them weak in the knees.

armin however, seems to be oblivious to all these changes. he doesn’t know how his shoulders are now broader or that his once tiny palms that you used to hold on to when running through the streets, are now tough and thick, often calloused by working his odm and weapons.

he also seems to be oblivious to his feelings, as well as yours. so when you once sat down for one of your usual late night talks, he confesses that he doesn’t know why he never truly likes other girls. they may be fun and pretty and he’s attracted to them, but he can never think how the rest of the story goes with them, because it simply doesn’t work out in his head.

“maybe there’s something wrong with me too armin because i keep thinking the same. is it normal to never have been in a relationship in our age?”

“i’m sure it’s normal… it might be uncommon though”.

there’s was a silence between you, a familiar one. you dont need to speak to know the other person is there. “you might be the only person i can see myself with” he utters out of nowhere. “we’ve been friends for so long though, it must be why i always brushed it off. it’s difficult to differentiate between the love i have for you and the love i may have for a future partner”. you were left inspecting his face in the dark, your eyebrows furrowed. the warm light coming from the fire in front of you highlighted the colour of his hair and made his eyes more prominent. when did armin become this handsome???

“what are you saying armin? we should be together because you can’t settle with anyone else?” the hurt in your voice was obvious. you kept looking into his eyes, hoping to catch any glimpse of a lie. armin wasn’t one to lie, especially not for such matters, especially not to you.

lifting the hand that he previously rested on his knee, he placed it on yours softly, his touch was almost weightless. “on the contrary. i’m saying i can’t be with anyone because i’m in love with you. frankly, i think i’ve been for a while”. he’s hand now rubbing and gripping at your knee slightly, eyes boring into yours. whatever doubt you had a few seconds prior had completely vanished. “frankly, i think i have been in love with you for a while too” you said as you placed your palm to touch his own, soft smiles appearing on your faces. armin moved his other hand to sweetly poke your cheek, resulting in you squirming backwards, smiling even wider than before. “let’s do it then” he suggested.

[st4rry-sp1d3r]

Just Imagine...

You've been friends with Levi for such a long time, we're talking Furlan and Isabel kind of long of time.

You guys met when you joined the survey corps together,you the firstborn of a famous doctor and him a criminal from the underground. Initially you approach Isabel given her more friendly behavior and later start to get along with the other two. After the death of his long time friends,you stay close to him more than ever,both physically and emotionally. Maybe even invading his personal space sometimes in a good willed accident,but Levi's keen senses recognize that you're doing it in good faith,even though he's mostly abrasive and stoic basically all the time.

As his comfyness around you grows,Levi starts to come to you to get his wounds patched up, refusing to go to the nurses all together ever since that day,that day that he had to watch the most beloved people he had on this shitty earth ripped from his grasp,that day that after Erwin grounded him back to reality,you were there patching him up, your hands,albeit roughened up like his by ODM training,so very warm and comforting, barely even there,as if feathers.

And for a long time,that's all the contact he allows himself to make with you... because he sees himself as nothing but filth...

In his eyes,his soul is tarnished by the blood he spilled,from the lives he took and you...you almost act as if the bad of the world doesn't exist. As if it's all sunshines and rainbows. Sure,you're levelheaded and mature,what one needs to become a soldier,but you're just so...optimistic...but it's an optimism he could almost say he...enjoys...

It's not blinded by naivety,or it's not a "believe in destiny" kind of optimism. You put facts behind your optimism,you are optimistic because you daily work your ass off to make those optimistic scenarios happen,and if they don't, it's as if you're being pushed on one knee and standing up on the other,truly something else.

And all of this to say,that when that day,the day when his squad died right under his very eyes,onyx eyes wide at the so very delicate touch of your palm on his cheek,comforting and soothing is very soul. Furrowed brows relaxing,jaw unclenching,wide eyes becoming now hooded as his whole being melts into you and you're there to catch him as tears silently fall down his cheeks,so warm and wet.

And in that moment...he just wants to stay there forever...

[14dyh]

hiii!! could i maybe request 7 (yearning) for hange obv with fluff 🫶🫶 im a slut for fluffy friends to lovers or strangers to lovers :))

A Shared Yearning | H.Z.

Pairing: Hange Zoë x female reader Summary: Hange found Y/N after being lost during the expedition, leading them to share their feelings. Word count: 1.5k A/N: i think they're really cute on this one, aghh! thanks for the request anon :D

Hange warned her that the latest expedition had to follow the new strategy Erwin had come up with. He was stricter this time around as it seems. Y/N was assigned to be on the rear of the group and being in that position has an advantage. She had more time to look around, the oncoming threats dulling down by the time it reached her.

This opportunity allowed her to spot an abnormal titan a few feet away from the group. It wasn't attacking unlike the others despite its proximity but its interesting quality doesn't end there. It has something attached to its body. Y/N would describe them as solid, indefinite substances that seem to grow under the surface of the titan's skin. It possessed an unusual appearance, one that couldn't just be shrugged off as hardened dirt.

When she found that the threat within their group had diminished, she began to withdraw, mindful of not being noticed.

For a few minutes, she followed the titan with as much silence as she could before launching an attack that would kill it. Once she did, she ripped a few samples of the strange material from its body, carefully wrapping it in cloth. She gained a few scratches and a wound but the material in her possession seems like something Hange would be interested in studying.

By this point, her horse had run away during the capture so with the remaining gas in her ODM gear, she leaped and stayed in a thick tree that would conceal her well from the other titans roaming around.

Night time fell and Y/N stared at the material for a few minutes before eventually falling asleep safely in the comfort of the thick tree.

However, at the crack of dawn, she was awakened by heavy footsteps and the clopping hooves of horses.

With a shoot from an ODM gear, the branches and leaves of the tree shook. At once, she saw Hange approaching her under the foliage.

"There you are..." Hange whispered as they reached out to take her out of the tree. Was their tone of voice desperation? Relief to see her again?

Y/N took the hand they were offering and muttered with a chuckle, "Thought you'll never come."

Hange pulled her towards their horse and wrapped her safely around the back before riding into the darkness of the morning as if chasing it towards the horizon.

"You'll haunt me a thousand lives over if I didn't come for you," Hange chuckled. "What a sweet friend you are."

Y/N only smiled from the back and shook her head in amusement, "How did you even find me?"

“I know you like weird trees. I went for the oddly-shaped tree. And there you were. Funny, huh?” Hange responded shortly, hiding the fact that they went through all the possible places she could've been during the night.

As they both got down from the horse, Y/N realized how much Hange's eyes had darkened overnight. They seemed so tired, so worried... but a smile broke on their lips when their eyes met hers.

"Let's get inside," Hange only said before getting inside the hidden hiding spot, waiting for her to follow.

Y/N noticed that Hange only ate very little that morning, either distracting themself with the report or saying they had to check on the other scouts.

She could recognize the determination in their eyes in a heartbeat. Y/N often teases them about it after all. But now, Hange just seems to avoid something altogether, like a feeling brewing inside them.

Y/N snapped out of her thoughts when Hange went to check up on her. They noticed the injury on her body and began tending on it. The tension was thick in the air as they both continued the usual friendly banter between them.

"Oh, before I forgot," Y/N beamed, fishing something out of their uniform pocket. It was a sample of the strange material from earlier. She placed it on the table for Hange to see. "I found it attached to a titan. I thought you might like to experiment with it."

Hange looked at the material closely before touching it and tapping the material on the table.

"Did you get stuck out there because of this?" Hange questioned.

"Well, sort of..."

Hange shook their head lightly, they sounded like they would scold you but the small smile on their lips betrayed them. "I can't believe you endangered yourself for a humongous titan scab. You know your mother would gut me alive if I brought you home injured like this, right?"

"Oh come on, she loves you better than me," I joked, rolling my eyes at them. "That's so out of character for you, though. Don't you remember the last time we almost became titan food because you were chasing a titan with a weird hair color?"

Hange laughed at the memory and defended themself, "Oh, shut up. That was five years ago."

"Well, what changed now?"

"Some things, I guess," Hange murmured as they continued tending to her wounds. Only silence followed as Hange attempted to cut their conversation short.

"You know... we've never had an awkward silence since forever," Y/N spoke.

Hange tried to remain silent before muttering, "Well, I guess we just had the first."

"That's stupid, I don't want that," she told them, chasing their gaze. "Why won't you even look at me?"

Hange muttered a silent tch, not out of annoyance but frustration. As if they want to get away or have the ground eat them. Their cheeks reddened noticeably, something Y/N only sees when they're finding something new about titans. However, it looks different this time around.

"I..." Hange began. "I can't pretend like my heart doesn't want to rip itself apart whenever you're around."

Hange spoke again, their words unwelcomed and unwanted by their lips, wishing that they had never spoken in the first place and kept the awkward silence.

But that's not the Hange she knew and loved, right?

“There I said it. I was losing my mind... Whenever I look at you, my chest does this weird little spasms. I thought I was having heart problems so I even went to the doctor. It's embarrassing. And when I can't find you last night, I was scared shitless. I... I would've hated myself if I let my selfish yearning overtake me. If I never got to tell you how I truly felt," Hange rambled on, a hand clutching around their shirt. Every word seemed like it was taking a breath out of them.

Y/N looked at them, the trace of Hange's worry evident on the dark circles under their eyes. It was such a huge contrast to their loving eyes that always looked alive.

"We've gone so far, half of my life I was already with you... I don't want to risk ruining what we have," they mumbled, with longing and regretful eyes, a trepidation about this moment ramming into their heart.

Y/N could not speak, her heart beating louder than her words. She tried to mask it with light-hearted humor despite her heart urging her to let all she felt go. "You didn't want to give it a shot...? Oh, come on, where's the risk-taking little devil within you?"

"I won't risk something like that, dumbass," they muttered with a chuckle, their hand still covering half of their face, their brown sparkling eyes looking away as their next words became serious. "Not when it's you."

"You big idiot..." Y/N crouched down to their seat and pulled them in a hug. It was tender and loving and the first time she would acknowledge all their hugs to be. "I... I've always wanted to tell you that... I..."

Y/N gulped her heart leaping in her throat, she buried her face further on their shoulder. The tell-tale touch from Hange's hands remained hovering on her back.

"... I love you," Y/N put emphasis on the way they said those words before continuing. "And it's weird when you kept stealing glances from me like an idiot when you could've just confessed earlier. Can't you see that it's always been you?"

Y/N let her words rush, the intensity within her shooting all over the places that it almost shook her.

Hange gave a slight laugh before asking, "And you're not shitting me?"

"No, I'm not, idiot," Y/N insisted with a small grin on her face.

Her mind looked back at what it was like before. Always subtly keeping an eye on each other, worrying the other sick when one is gone, they've always been a pair that couldn't be separated. You wouldn't see the one without the other. The depth of their love translates into understated forms of affection. Thinking back, they were circling each other, finding a way to let each other know what they felt with their efforts multiplied.

"We're weird, aren't we?" Y/N breathed a laugh.

"Yeah, but that's a bonus since no one could tolerate us except each other," Hange responded as their hands finally found their way to her back without trembling. The hug they shared remained warm and tender, giving a whole new meaning both of them understood.

"I'm holding you like this from now on, don't think you can escape me," Hange laughed before pulling them closer until their body intertwined with hers.

"Bold of you to assume I'll let you go," Y/N replied, a soft relieved smile creeping on her cheeks.

The afternoon sky was rather rosy, the clouds letting enough rays of sun to bathe the lovers in faint pink and orange.

[amywritesthings]

silver underground. / chapter 10.

( Read on AO3 )

Pairing: Levi Ackerman x F!Reader (Attack on Titan / Shingeki no Kyojin)

Word Count: 4K

Summary: Day 163 - also known as the day the world changed

Warnings: dual pov, mentions of sensuality, bloodshed, graphic violence, titan deaths, peril, cliffhanger

Previous Chapter. / Next Chapter. | Masterlist.

CHAPTER 10.

Don’t leave me.

He wouldn’t.

He’d never.

Whether you remember that past conversation with him or not, Levi promised it would be the one thing you could rely on. He intends to stand by his word.

As a Scout, as a friend, as whatever the hell the two of you became between the darkness of morning until the disappearance of day—

Yet reassurances go so far. 

He’s only a man, flesh and blood.

He cannot will your memories to return — believe him, he has tried.

Fuck, he has tried.

No matter how hard he stares when you aren't looking, or how vast a distance he creates between the two of you, the world you once knew doesn’t seem to be returning any faster. There are glimpses as wide as slivers about inside jokes, hopeful hypotheticals — a secret language. 

Yet you’re remembering the bad well before the good.

Given the trauma, it makes sense.

The way Hange explains the fractal mess of your mind, bad before good makes sense, but it doesn’t make this shit any easier.

This shit — going at a pace that not only comforts you but protects him.

And he failed at that pace so hard that he doesn’t know what to do except demand your immediate replacement here on the first watch.

Levi cannot see your departure, but he hears the ODM gear wheeze to life as you finally — finally — obey a direct order. The sound echoes through the quiet of night, leaving the captain to revel in his own heavy breath.

You listened.

Thank fuck, you actually listened.

If only you hadn’t pushed. 

(If only he could have found the tact in yesterday’s spat rather than drowning in his own panic.)

All things considered, he has managed to handle your return to the Levi Squad with grace — minding his time, allowing you to learn your environment and grow as this new person.

Because that is what you are: new.

New and brilliant, yet just as determined and formidable as you’d always been.

But you aren’t her, not really. You share the same eyes, the same nose, the same smile, the same face; you have similar hands, similar stances, similar voices; you are identical, in every sense of the word.

You even kiss the same.

It’s a torturous realization he’s going to have to live with for the rest of his life.

His lips still feel electric, face hot from the fingernail scrapes on his cheeks. His hands keep flexing like they’ll be able to reach for you again.

It’s all he wants. It’s all he can think about.

If you hadn’t listened, if you’d pushed further — pulled his hair, pressed your chest into his, whimpered his name — he would’ve lost his mind.

Arguably he has lost his mind b ecause, when you kissed him back, the world was right-side up. Levi could swear he was right where everything left off. Having you in his arms again felt so goddamn good . 

You fit like you never left.

Like your muscle memory held onto him, absorbed him, when your mind slipped away.

(How badly has he fucked up?)

“You didn’t need a second pair of eyes.”

The words rip him clear from his spiraling thoughts. Levi lifts his chin when his second-in-command of the squad meets the proverbial hornet’s nest.

Waiting.

Uncertain.

Levi gently shakes his head. “No. I didn’t.”

“Then why did James ask me to join you?” Eld asks as if afraid to poke too hastily.

Levi keeps his back turned.

“I didn’t want her to feel like she’s isolated with only me,” the shorter man says, lying through his teeth. “She already feels like a freak. I don’t need to constantly babysit her. She can take the second watch with Oluo.”

Eld sighs, gently. “He’s going to talk her ear off.”

“She’s not afraid to tell him to shut up,” Levi reassures. “She’s still James.”

For a moment, Eld stays quiet. Levi’s thankful he does.

The second-in-command Scout shifts, walking across the flattened branch with apprehension.

“This feels a lot like last time, huh?”

Finally Levi turns his chin towards the sound of a twig breaking under a heel.

“What do you mean? Speak your mind, Jinn.”

“As in the forest, the expedition…” Eld trails off, his chin to the clouds. “Kinda like we’re right back where we started. I want to be optimistic and say it’s a second chance, but it feels more like a do-over — right?”

Levi chooses not to agree. 

His silence does that for him.

.

.

.

.

.

“What was that all about?”

Although Petra’s voice is monotone, the sound of it startles you.

Oluo is sleeping, dead to the world. Gunther has taken to relieving himself somewhere in the forest. 

It’s just the two women of the squad at base camp, but you would argue that you’re not here — not really. Not beyond your body as you huddle close to the fire.

The tingle of his lips pushed against yours lingers long after you’ve departed. There is a haze in your brain that takes over the fog of your amnesia, settling on a feeling beyond all else: warmth. 

Lying to Petra is probably your easiest route.

Telling her that you nearly went fist-to-fist with the Captain could make sense, given the spars at the castle, except you can’t do it. 

Over and over you replay the event of him shouting in your face, how you egged it on so seamlessly — then it all blanks.

All you can think about is his lips. 

You’d rather sport a shiner from disobedience.

Anything is better than the pink of your lips, the lines on his face.

Mistakes. All of it.

(Right?)

“We fought,” you provide just as flat.

“I know,” she says. “I heard.”

Fear turns your blood cold.

“You used to do that a lot.”

You lift your gaze to study the glow of green on her back from her cloak as she packs up food rations and shovels them into a satchel.

“Argue to the brink of a fist fight,” she clarifies. “With Captain Levi.”

When you say nothing, she cranes her chin over her shoulder. Although she doesn’t smile, her tone turns melodic. Cheery, like there’s something funny between the lines.

“In the past, you two had a knack for disagreeing. You didn’t mind getting in his face. I’ve never seen Levi get so openly angry. It’s a wonder he never punished you, but I think it's because you both... well, you grew up together. You remember that, right?”

So fighting was a common occurrence.

(Did he always end his argument with a kiss?)

"Yeah, I remember that," you hoarsely answer.

Her shoulders drop with relief. "Okay, thank God."

You squeeze the fist at your side. “So how much of the fight did you hear?”

“Don’t worry,” she assures, poking the dying embers with a stick. “I didn’t eavesdrop the specifics. All I could hear was Levi shouting, then it got really quiet. But…” 

Petra trails off, her eyes flickering over to yours. 

“...is everything okay?”

She can’t know.

None of them can.

You nod. “Yeah. Just… told the captain I was mad I didn’t get to take down any titans. He wasn’t a fan of me questioning direct orders, and I told him that I wasn’t a fan of his need to stick me on the sidelines.”

Not completely a lie, but not wholly the truth.

“I could tell you were pretty frustrated back there. But, hey, we all know you’re still a badass, James,” Petra reassures with a smile. “I think he’s just being extra careful, all things considered.”

Don’t shut me out.

Won’t.

Don’t leave me.

Never.

“Yeah,” you agree, vocal chords taut. “All things considered.”

.

.

.

.

.

Fingers curl softly around your bicep, shaking you awake.

You breathe new life into your body, panicked when you see the stoic expression of Gunther peering down at you.

“You good, kid?”

“Yeah,” you murmur, quick to press your palm into the earth beneath your aching body. You push, hard, to sit up. “What time is it?”

“I let you sleep in a little longer,” he mumbles as he holds up your pack, "since it’s been a little while. We’re venturing out in fifteen minutes.”

“Okay,” you tell him. “Thanks. Give me a sec, I’ll help with cleaning up.”

“Don’t worry about it. I took care of your horse and mine. All you have to do is get yourself together so we can continue onward.”

"I'm... thank you, Gunther."

Unlike Levi on the first leg of the expedition, Gunther speaks with empathy. As if he somehow knows something is wrong, haywire, and you dislike the lingering feeling of uselessness that seems to follow you in a constellation tying you to the rest of the team.

You want to be valuable, but they won’t let you.

You want to be part of the squad, but they’re too scared.

You’ve remembered enough of the end — finding yourself in a freefall to the ground, the roar of a titan just out of reach hoping to snatch and swallow you whole —

Enough to know why they’re acting this way.

Because it’s the same forest.

The scent of the morning dew peppered along the weeds on the ground clued your senses to it. You recognized the sensation in the middle of your slumber after the second watch, but consciousness drives the confirmation home:

Everyone’s on edge because of what happened last time.

(You’re not a liability. You can do this.)

By the time you gather your pack, brush the accumulated dirt from your uniform and stand, you see him: Levi Ackerman’s back is turned to you, tending to the black stallion at the edge of camp. He gently runs a palm over its mane, gentle and sincere.

You find yourself yearning to call for him.

You can’t.

“Hey, Sleeping Beauty’s joined us!” Oluo calls with a hefty chuckle.

You turn just in time to watch the smug older man walk past you towards his horse.

“It’s her first mission back, Oluo,” Petra reminds sharply while pulling her pack over her shoulder. “Leave her alone.”

Oluo snorts as he mounts his horse at the back of the formation, straddling the saddle. “Oh, I’m sorry. You didn’t get stuck with the silent treatment last night.”

“It’s only because you’re a terrible conversationalist, Oluo,” you force yourself to jest, pushing out of the twilight that last night’s problem has set you in.

Eld whistles low. Gunther snorts. Petra can’t help but grin.

“Terrible conver— I’m— I’ll have you know, I am a wonderful conversationalist,” he argues back in a sputter.

“To what, the birds?” you ask flatly, making your way to your horse. The animal bristles as if it means to huff in amusement.

“You used to think I was wonderful,” Oluo remarks.

“When?” Petra chortles as she hops onto her horse, the last to join. “Was she asleep?”

That earns an open-mouthed laugh from Gunther. “Even then, she used to make earplugs to block out all of Oluo’s hot air — or, as he’s calling it, conversation.”

“Oh, sure, pick on poor Oluo,” the older man grumbles.

“Did I actually make earplugs?” you ask, trotting your horse into yesterday’s diamond formation. Eld and Levi have already assumed the same positions as before. They remain silent.

“Yeah!” Petra answers. “You used to really rag on Oluo back in the day.”

“It hurt my feelings,” Oluo adds.

“Oh, please,” Gunther snorts. “You were thrilled a woman was paying attention to you.”

“Are you implying I receive zero attention from women, Gunther?”

“There weren't any implications, Oluo,” Gunther reassures with utter sincerity.

Petra squeaks with amusement, round eyes peering over at you.

Oluo’s face falls a second later in realization.

“Hey—!”

“Oi. We’re moving out.” 

Levi’s voice cuts the banter, causing the four of you to momentarily stop the chatter. Simultaneously your heads turn to view Humanity’s Strongest as he cranes his chin over his shoulder. 

“Stick close to each other. Be alert.”

“Yes, sir,” the four of you reply together.

With that, Levi Squad departs.

In the early hours of the morning, the forest is beautiful. Shades of green fill your surroundings, blocking out the rest of the world. Birds chirp happily and cast shimmering shadows on the earth beneath the charging horses’ hooves.

It’s easy to forget the chaos and carnage of the world here.

As if there won’t be buildings in ruins at the end of this curved forest, dilapidated and rotting away with the newly grown vines of the environment. As if there aren’t stories of torn-apart families and lifetimes of trauma burnt into the very roots of the weeds and flowers that flourish where human feet used to walk.

You once believed coming to the surface was the ticket to paradise.

You would have given anything to feel the sun on your face, the shade from overgrown leaves, the scent of fresh air.

Briefly you stare at the back of Levi’s head as his dark hair bounces with the movements of his horse.

“You’re worried about going up there?”

“You can’t really want to spend the rest of your life down here, right?”

(Was the surface any better than what the Underground offered below?)

“Hey!” A voice rips you out of your mind, and you see Oluo grinning behind you. “You’re spacing out after getting the most sleep out of all of us?”

“I was just thinking about how Gunther’s right!” you quickly recover, and Gunther outright chortles at your abrupt insult. “When’s the last time you had a girlfriend, Oluo? It had to have finally happened during the time I was out, right?”

The question makes Petra tilt her chin to the sky with a giggle.

“Oi!” Oluo scowls. “Don’t you lecture me about a lack of dating life, Miss Amnesia.”

“Remember that one time James dared Oluo to ask that really nice Trost barmaid for dinner?” Petra chirps, riding alongside you.

“If you can call it that,” Gunther reminds. “Guy couldn’t even say hello to the poor woman.”

“Froze up,” Petra gravely agrees.

“Almost gave her the wrong name,” Gunther adds, deepening his voice. “Greetings, beautiful, my name is Levi—”

“I did not!” Oluo shrieks, causing Levi to sharply turn his head at his name.

“What?”

“Nothing, Captain!” Oluo recovers, waiting for the man to turn back around before he leans over his horse to seethe back at Gunther. “Are you trying to get us in trouble?”

“Did you end up asking her out?” you jump in, readjusting your grip on the reigns.

“Oh, you’ve seriously got a memory problem.”

“I think it’s been very established that I do.”

“Because I know your ass would delightfully recall that you were the reason I got rejected,” Oluo says with a sharpness.

“Me?” you ask.

“Yeah, you,” he grumbles. “Pretended to be my goddamn wife.”

“You’re joking.”

“Caused a whole scene,” Gunther mocks in a grave voice.

Petra grins with a nod. “You put on a pretty great show, Lieutenant.”

“I would have only intervened if I knew your attitude was scaring her, so you must have done something stupid, Oluo,” you tease.

“It was not my attitude that scared her away. It was you.” Oluo groans, waving a hand carelessly to the wind. “And if you—”

Something thick enters the atmosphere of Levi Squad’s formation.

Something large waiting between two large trees.

Something grinning.

Tall. Thirteen meters, give or take.

(The biggest titan you’ve seen in the wild to date.)

And it doesn't hesitate to strike.

Helplessly you watch the abnormal titan’s hand reach for Oluo’s torso, forcing him to abruptly detach from his horse.

Its pinky finger narrowly misses Oluo’s cape.

The sharp whizz of his ignited ODM gear fills the air as he departs from the group, suddenly trapezing through the trees. The abnormal, distracted by the fast-paced movement, follows swiftly after the Scout.

“Oluo!”

You whip your attention behind you, calling out to your attacked colleague with concern. The titan continues to follow close behind, swiping mindlessly with both fists to catch him. Oluo twirls expertly through the air as clouds of gas exhaust trail his movements.

In and out, left and right, he disappears and reappears through the thick trees lining the forest grounds.

“Captain Levi! Should we go back for Oluo?” Petra yelps at your side, attention square on Levi.

“He’ll be fine!” Levi shouts in return. “Stick to the plan and get to the clearing.”

Except he’s not paying attention to what’s happening behind the horses.

No one is but you.

You see Oluo reappear, slashing at a titan eager to feed. And—

Shit.

Two on the left — seven and ten meters.

One on the right — just shy of nine meters.

Three more join the original abnormal as if they're drawn to the prospect of fresh meat, flanking Oluo’s efforts.

“He’s not alone!” you shout, letting go of the reigns of your horse. “He needs—”

You can’t think beyond the word help.

Before anyone can say anything, before Levi can give his next order, you curl your fingers into the mane of your horse’s neck for stability. Both feet swiftly unlatch themselves at your sides as you hop to a stance, perching you into a stance on the saddle.

Help the team.

Help Oluo.

Your boot shifts, planting firmly on the unstable leather beneath.

Eld is the first to notice you’ve risen. His eyes round with confusion, then instant recognition. 

“James, wait—!”

The blond-haired man reaches behind him, leaning back on his horse, as if he can catch your attention — or your leg. 

Anything to keep you from doing exactly it is you’re angling yourself to do against the Captain’s orders.

(Too late.)

In an instant your ODM gear ignites for the first time in the wild. You fly off the back of your horse and into the air, weightless in the whipping breeze. Each of your spears connect with the bark of tree trunks as momentum propels you into the sky.

Detach, reattach. Detach, reattach.

Everything is second nature.

You spin upside-down and swing back towards Oluo and the four titans. Metal clinks when the blades at your hips connect with their sheaths, and you extend the swords to your sides.

You’re not taking any chances.

“I’m coming, Oluo!” you shout, calling to your squad member.

Oluo yells incoherently, slicing the arm of the seven-meter titan clean off its limb. He manages to escape the jaws of another titan, the nine-meter, as it rams its head into him, chomping with abandon. An exhaust trail follows his narrow escape.

Zipping between branches, you hold your breath when the nape of the nine-meter titan’s neck comes into clear view.

Up until now, you have yet to strike one in the wild.

Cardboard training only goes so far.

Now or never.

You strike once, slicing across skin.

Blood sprays all over your white uniform and face.

The nine-meter titan stops dead in its tracks and tumbles straight to the forest floor. Its body shakes the very foundation of the trees surrounding you. The steam of its decaying corpse quickly fills the air.

Flying straight through the steam with your arms crossed over your chest, you use the momentum to reattach to a nearby tree trunk and swing around it, angling you in the direction of the seven-meter without its left arm.

“James?!” you hear the gasping shout of Oluo. “What the hell are you—”

“Keep distracting that one!” you shout back. “I got you covered, just give me an opening.”

You can do this.

Oluo continues flying in the same direction, creating a pocket opportunity for you to strike.

You raise your swords over your head, the blades steaming from evaporating titan blood.

Act.

Don’t think.

You shout, cutting into the right arm of the titan, leaving it armless. It howls, flailing a limbless torso as jaws chomp for any meal. Your gear latches onto a tree, whipping your body in a vertical semi-circle to return to the fight.

In a shout of frustration, you slice.

Its nape explodes with molten blood, ceasing all movement of the gargantuan.

“Holy shit, James!” Oluo shouts, perching himself against a tree trunk. His fingertips hold him in place, allowing him precious pause to catch his breath. “You really are back!”

The praise makes you feel good. In the moment, you feel closer to the person you lost — she was once so far away, but here?

You’re useful.

(You’re not holding the Scouts back. You are a Scout.)

You attach to a tree on the other side of the path, grinning through the dissolving blood. “Did you see anymore?”

Oluo curtly nods. “We still have two to take care of, but unfortunately I think I saw more running this way in the east.”

“Shit, really?”

“Yeah.”

You instinctively whip your attention to where Oluo points and steel your nerves.

More.

So it’s a feeding frenzy.

“Okay, then we worry about taking one each.”

“What about the Captain?”

“He’ll soon realize something’s up and come back, I’m sure of it!”

Except you’re not sure why you’re so confident he will. He told Petra to stick with the plan. He’ll return when he realizes Oluo hasn’t come back quickly.

(Or that you’re still out there.)

Guilt lines your gut, but you choose to ignore it.

“C’mon, before they make us their morning snack,” you say, pushing with both feet to propel you from the tree trunk.

You both zip through the trees, targeting the nine- and ten-meter titans searching the forest for the two of you. Everything feels like it’s entirely too fast yet completely in slow motion. It feels… like you’ve done this your entire life.

It’s just as natural as it is to throw a punch. To breathe.

Taking down titans doesn’t feel impossible.

You detach from a tree as you flip backwards, avoiding the jaws of the nine-meter titan in a swoop under its legs. It grabs at nothing, frenzied for the kill. 

Oluo flies past you, climbing higher with each swing. You follow suit, flying up, up, up, until you abruptly attach to the nearest tree once more and fly straight past its ear.

Its brown eyes track your sudden movement into its peripheral, staring straight into you.

Oluo seizes the moment.

He slices the nape of its neck while it’s preoccupied. Its mouth opens wide instinctually, as if it hopes to capture its final meal, before tumbling forward.

Something at your hip tugs sharp, rocking your entire body.

The right grapple hook of your ODM gear is compromised by the falling titan’s wrist, latching onto the wire to break its fall before its demise.

Shit.

Abruptly the mechanism gives under the weight of the titan’s body weight, not quite yet weightless in death, causing the taut wire to strain.

The jerk of its movement takes the wind clear from your lungs.

The grapple hook wavers its grip on the tree trunk, creating the perform storm.

Everything around you happens in slow motion — the fluidity of Oluo’s body through the air, the sweeping limb of the slain titan, the glittering sunlight peeking just above the leaves.

You take a singular breath.

Your eyes widen.

The equipment snaps nine meters high off the forest floor.

Gravity catches up to your mortal mistake and soon the world feels that much smaller. You watch as your fingers flex higher to grab a nearby branch as if it’ll help, but it’s too late. 

Flying backwards.

Weightless.

Your mouth is open and you should be screaming, but you can’t remember how.

Branches fly past your peripheral as you stare straight ahead at the light.

You want to move, but there’s no time.

You’re falling faster than you can fix your gear.

Then a silhouette eclipses the sun. The entity speeds straight towards you, the trail of gas following straight behind.

A voice shouts your name.

It’s guttural, echoing with desperation.

(Fear.)

“James!”

Levi Ackerman calls to you as he speeds through the trees at an otherworldly pace. His arms press expertly to his sides to fall faster, his emerald coat billowing behind in an angelic halo. As he nears, you can make out the whites of his widened eyes.

Instinctively, your hand reaches for him—

A certain sort of deja vu—

Then it hits.

.

.

.

.

.

Why did you do it?

Do what?

You gave me a second chance.

Because where you go, I follow.

author's note: i apologize for leaving you all on a cliffhanger as i run off on my holiday, but the next time we meet... i think we're ready to finally go back in time, don't you?

tag list: @lazylizzy3 @notgoodforlife @sad-darksoul @dailydoseof-love @maliakealoha @nube55 @kateastrophies @blinkingsuns @gomigami @voidszoro @tanyeonn

[her-devils-advocate]

Everyone I've cared about has either died or left me. Except for you.

pairings: Levi Ackerman x (GN!) reader

genre: Hurt/comfort, fluff

summary: Based on the prompt from the list found here. You and Levi have a moment amidst the final battle

Warning for the final chapter spoilers. This is just a small drabble I wrote after getting inspired by one of the sentence starters!

word count: 1,106

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54683590

The hot air rushing past you causes your hair to uncomfortably stick to your forehead. You, Levi and Gabi soar across the sea of wall titans, somewhat safe atop Falco's back. How the kid had managed this, you would never know. Honestly, you are more than happy to try and not focus on anything now. Too much is happening. Too much has been happening in such a short amount of time and you can feel yourself hitting your limit. You want to praise yourself for having such a fairly sturdy limit, all things considered, but the overwhelming amount of nerves squash that thought before it can take root. Too much has happened, too much has been lost, too much can still be lost. 

Your head throbs as you attempt to ignore the onslaught of thoughts rushing through it. Your eyesight grows hazy as you try to focus on the view below you, it's all too much.

Your hands shake as they cling onto the harness attached to Falco's titan, tears pooling in your eyes as you try to blink them away. Levi is next to you, struggling to hold on tight with his newly missing fingers, which had yet to start their healing process properly. His solid presence helps to quell your rising anxiety as you reach over to hold onto his arm tightly, doing your best to help keep him secure. If he were to fall now, a piece of your heart would fall with him, never to be reclaimed.

You smile to yourself when you hear his thankful grunt, his eyes not once leaving the skeletal horror, as if his glare could lure Eren out. Once upon a time, it just might have been possible. The sight of his towering titan still causes your heart to break. The Eren you once knew has slipped between everyone’s fingers, the young cadet is now a beacon of destruction. Where had things gone wrong? How had you not seen him drifting?

For the first time in your life as a scout, a part of you is glad for the head injury you had sustained during the first assault on the founder. The events are a blur, you remember flying through the air while dodging all the rocks thrown by a beast titan. You remember a sharp pain shooting through your skull as the feeling of something sticky begins to slowly run down your temple. You remember the shout of your name from several voices before the world faded to black.

Now you are on the sidelines, simply watching rather than having to bear the pain of helping to end the kid you once helped train. 

You feel some guilt for inadvertently forcing the burden onto your scouts, his friends. But the nagging tug at your heart, paired with what is most likely a nasty concussion, would only get in your way. This way, you can also keep an eye on the captain, who is more than happy to keep throwing himself into the fray despite his injuries, something you will never get used to. Your heart plummets each time he doesn't hesitate to throw himself around with his ODM gear.

You look towards Levi with a small frown, his injuries are only a few days old and yet he still fights. How much of himself is he willing to give to save humanity? How much of him are you willing to lose? You knew becoming involved with anyone in the Survey Corps was a recipe for trouble and heartbreak, but at the time, you weren’t expecting a threat bigger than the titans you had been facing. You don’t regret a single moment and while you are both still alive and fighting, you don’t need to regret anything. 

You repeat his mantra of ‘no regrets’ until it slowly begins to sink in through the rising haze of panic, the two of you are still alive, yet your mind races faster than the scouts below fighting for their lives. 

“Pull it together, now isn’t the time to falter…” You risk bringing a hand to rub your eyes, smudging the dirt and blood further around your face, groaning as the dull pain worsens. 

Your stomach drops as Falco dips through the air, dodging stray attacks while circling the battleground below. Bile rises in your throat and you’re unsure if it's due to the head injury or the harsh movements.

“Those kids are fighting to save the world and here I am, worrying over losing him when we’ve already lost too many. How can I be so self-centered?” 

“Oi,” Levi says, his voice cutting through the near-deafening wind surrounding you. He’s looking directly at you now, seeing past the mask of professionalism you like to wear when on duty. He looks through and sees the swirling anxieties, the shaking of your hands, the tense shoulders and the way you bite at your lip in worry.

“Everyone I've cared about has either died or left me. Except for you.” Your heart breaks at his words, the tears you had fought back now happily run down your cheeks, parting through streaks of mud. You try to hide your face from him, refusing to show weakness in such a moment, but he continues, capturing your attention once more.

“So you better survive, understood? Get out of your head and back in the moment, we need you alert.” 

His eyes soften as he stares you down, letting you see a glimpse of the worries he keeps shackled deep down. He has managed to shuffle closer towards you while you were lost in your thoughts, now subtly pressing himself against you for support. He hooks his arm around yours, giving you a gentle squeeze as he averts his gaze to the horror below.

He can feel your eyes lock onto him, the smile on your face widening despite the tears. “Don’t get all smug, it’s hard to grab onto this rope with eight fingers.”

He always did have a way of dissolving your worries and bringing you out of your head, even when staring down hell. Wall’s know you both need to keep your eyes forward and your minds focused, no matter what.

“Whatever you say, captain. That goes for you as well, you know. If you die on me, I’m breaking into the paths and giving you such an earful.”

The small scoff you get in response is almost lost to the winds, but you don’t miss the way he places more of his weight against you. 

“Well, we can’t have that, can we? Guess we’re both making it out of this one alive then.”