Stranded | Levi x Reader

Restoration

She pulled away, offering him a wide smile. And to her surprise, he smiled back at her.

After more than a year of friendship, she had never seen so much as an upturned lip from him- but now, he was donning this beautiful, pure smile.

~

It was the same smile that was plastered onto his face now. Wasting no time, he grabbed her face and pulled their lips together.

"I can't believe it..." He said between desperate kisses. "I remember everything, (Y/N)."

Tears started to stream down her face. "So do I."

The two hugged each other tightly. "Everything we lost... it's all back." He stammered. Three years of lost memories were now restored.

She chuckled. "Who knew an engagement ring would be the kicker, eh?"

He buried his face into the crook of her neck. "How did this happen?"

"I don't know, and I don't care." She held him close to her. "All that matters is we remember now."

After what felt like forever, they finally pulled away from each other.

"Those brats are probably wondering where we are. Let's just say I gave them extra time to clean." Levi said, grasping (Y/N)'s newly-bejeweled hand as they walked.

"We should tell Hange about all of this." (Y/N) said.

"Naturally."

"And everyone else. I can't wait to break the news that you're my fiancé..."

"Ah, don't make me sound soft. I have a reputation to keep up, you know." He scoffed.

She nudged him with her elbow. "Right, I'm the only one who can know that you're soft. And adorable."

"Mmhm." He mumbled.

After (Y/N) and Levi had returned to the squad and he had deemed their cleaning job insufficient, the ever-observant Sasha noticed the new piece of ware adorning (Y/N)'s left ring finger. Levi made sure to escape the scene before the hugs passed on to him.

They were to be married. Nothing would keep him from seeing that day.

~

Levi stood in front of the man who raised him. His head was filled with emotions- anger, hate, gratefulness, even, but he'd never admit that.

He stared down at the sad sack. "With those burns and that blood loss... there's no helping you now."

Kenny cracked a bit of a smirk. "Yeah? I wonder..." His left hand started to move. Levi's eyes darted to the scene- a small box containing a syringe. "I swiped this little one right outta Rod's bag. Seems if I inject this, I'll turn into a big, strong titan."

Levi's breath hitched. There's no doubt he could stop him before he managed to do any of that, but still. The possibility was there. 

"One of the dumb ones, unfortunately." Kenny sighed. "But it oughta keep me alive, for a while."

Levi held his composure. "You had the time and strength to inject yourself before I got here. Why didn't you?"

Kenny let his hand rest. "If I don't do it just right, I might end up all messed up, like he was."

Levi glared at him. "I know you aren't just sitting here waiting to bleed to death. Don't you have a better excuse than that?"

Kenny let out a long sigh. "Well, runt, the thing is, I don't feel like dyin'. Not without my dream coming true. But... I see now. After all this time, I think I understand why he did it."

"Huh?"

"Everyone's the same... every last one of us." Kenny laughed. "Alcohol, sex, religion, family, the King, dreams, children, power... everyone's gotta be drunk on something to keep them moving on. Everyone... was a slave to somethin'. Even him..." He caughed up blood. "And what about you? Some hero?" He looked up at Levi.

Levi leaned down and pushed Kenny back up against the tree by his shoulders. "Kenny! Tell me everything you know about the first king! Why didn't he want humanity to survive?" He yelled. 

"Beats me..." He breathed out. "That said, I know that's part of the reason we Ackermans decided to turn coat." He struggled with the last words, coughing up blood onto Levi's face. At any other time he would have promptly wiped the filth off, but this was too important. 

"So apparently, that's my name as well." Levi said. "Tell me. Who are you?" He seethed. "What were you to my mom?"

Kenny smiled a wide, toothy grin, leaning his head up and letting out a light chuckle. "Heh... you dumbass. I'm just... her brother."

Suddenly everything clicked. He stared at the coughing man wide-eyed. Images from his childhood flashed before him. 

"That day... why? Why did you leave me?"

He let the silence between them linger for a bit. 

"Because..." Kenny grumbled. "I just wasn't cut out... to be somebody's dad."

Pang!

Levi felt a jolt in his chest- Kenny had just pressed the box towards him, before falling back against the tree. He looked up at the man who had raised him.

He was gone.

"Kenny..."

~