Underground (Levi x Reader)

Sea

5 Years Later....

I stood there, listening to the calls of the others in the distance, the slight breeze cool against my skin, the smell of salt strong in my nose, and I couldn't believe it was real.

We were here. We had made it. It was over.

Humanity had survived.

The crashing of the surf against the beach drew my gaze back to the vast, blue sea stretching out before me, as far as the eye could see. The damp sea air was heavy and warm against my skin, and I could taste salt on my lips and tongue, the taste new and exciting and indicative of change.

An excited call from a ways down the beach drew me out of my thoughts and I glanced down the long line of sandy land, to where Hange stood in the surf, the water pooling around her calves, as she held up something for Arlert, who stood on the beach, to see.

Arms snaked around my waist, and then I felt Levi's chest against my back through my shirt, as his voice spoke, low and disgusted in my ear. "Tch. Four-eyes is going to get sick from that water. We don't know anything about it."

I laughed slightly and dropped my hands to cover his, which were clasped at my waist. I laced my fingers through his, still watching Arlert and Hange, who were now both knee deep in the sea water, excitedly conversing over something else they had discovered. "Let them be. Nothing's ever going to be as dangerous as what we've already survived."

Levi's hold around my waist tightened slightly at my words and then I felt him rest his chin on my shoulder as we both watched the two in the surf for a few moments in silence. Finally, he spoke again. "Oi, (F/N)."

"Mmm?" I made a noncommittal sound, my gaze drifting out over the calming presence of the teal water laid out before us, moving in and out in rhythmic fashion against the sand of the beach.

"What are you thinking about?" His voice held a curious edge.

I glanced down the beach, past Hange and Arlert, to where Ackerman stood on a small bluff alone, staring out over the ocean, the breeze whipping her dark hair around her face so her features weren't visible.

I let out a long sigh and leaned my head back, so it was resting on Levi's shoulder, as I closed my eyes for a brief moment. "It hurts like hell that they're not all here to enjoy this with us." I felt a lump of emotion rise in my throat, and swallowed hard, my voice quavering just a bit when I spoke again quietly. "They would have loved this."

Images of those we had lost flashed across my dark, closed eyelids. Johnson, Jaeger, Erwin, Isabel, Farlan. Why were they gone? They had fought just as hard as we had to be able to free humanity and get to where we were today. So why did they have to pay with their lives, when we were still here? Still here to see the ocean and the land outside the walls?

It seemed anything but fair. It seemed damn unfair right now.

I felt Levi brush his lips gently across my neck. "Oi, (F/N)." I opened my eyes and shifted to meet his gaze. He stared at me for a few moments, his dark eyes unreadable, and then he said gruffly, "Stop thinking like that. We knew going into this that there was no guarantee the people who stood beside us today would be there tomorrow." He raised an eyebrow at me. "We have to live with our choices now. And those who got left behind, they don't regret it, so we shouldn't either. They made the ultimate choice for humanity-the choice with no regrets."

I reached up to wipe a tear from the corner of my eye and then took in a deep breath, before I nodded to him. "You're right." I gave him a slight smile and squeezed his fingers between mine before I stepped out of his embrace. Sitting down on the sand, I began to unbuckle my boots, shooting him a mischievous glance as I did so. "All we can do is embrace today. There's no guarantee about tomorrow."