Be Kind (Doctor Reader x Levi Ackerman)

Chapter 45: Promise Everlasting

Notes:

Guys! I'm sorry this took a while to update, the story has pretty much concluded since Chapter 44, but I felt like it needed this one last chapter to really seal things off. Enjoy!

Chapter 45: Promise Everlasting

That evening, you twirled in front of your mirror in an elegant baby pink dress and white heels. The dress was sleeveless and had a v-neckline that drew attention to your collarbones and revealed a slight cleavage. The length reached all the way down to your ankles and was nicely cinched at the waist, embracing your curves in all the right places.

You bought this dress from a neighbourhood dress shop a few months ago, as your wardrobe was begging to be filled with some decent clothes. After the Rumbling, you wore the most basic of outfits and reused the same few pieces of clothing repeatedly. It was only after people started producing garments again that you finally got the luxury to wear other types of outfits.

Your eyes fall on Levi, who's wearing a white collared shirt with a black blazer and a pair of black trousers. He's holding a bouquet of red and pink roses. Huh.

"Whoa," you mumble out before you could stop yourself.

"For you," Levi smiles tenderly, handing the bouquet to you. They were beautiful. You take the roses from him, cheeks suddenly feeling warm and tingly.

"Thank you. This is.. unlike you," you smelled the roses.

"I realised I have never gotten you flowers before. Well, not like there was any after the Rumbling," Levi snorts.

You fought back a laugh. "You idiot."

"Shall we?" Levi offers his arm.

"Yes, please."

Levi took you to a cozy, elegant-looking diner near the beach that served good quality seafood. The restaurant was crowded with patrons, mostly couples and groups of friends. Everyone was dressed nicely, munching on seafood platters and sipping on wine. When the waiter took your order and asked if you'd both like to be served their specialty wine, you and Levi opted out. For some reason, your appetite for wine never returned after what happened years ago. You and Levi ordered gin and tonic instead.

Your seafood platter came pretty quickly, a mesmerising plate of grilled shrimp, lobsters, and fresh clams. You recalled the first time that you tasted seafood in Paradis. Niccolo had cooked up a bunch of strange dishes and you had crinkle your nose at the alien-like creatures (they were just squid and clams). When you first tasted a clam, you nearly threw it up. It tasted briny, salty, and fishy. It had a distinctive taste that you couldn't describe. Some seafood tasted fishier than others, with lobsters and shrimp being the most tolerable and clams being the most difficult to get used to.

Levi wasn't a fan of seafood at the start either, but over time, you both learnt to appreciate the taste. It was definitely an acquired taste. You were glad that you got started on eating seafood back in Paradis, otherwise, you would have had a really hard time eating after the Rumbling when seafood became one of your main food sources. Now, you liked seafood enough that you actually crave for it at times.

You and Levi talked about your day today and discussed some idle gossip you heard from your tea shop patrons.

"Heard Luca got a girlfriend," Levi said while chewing on his shrimp.

"Oh, yes he did!" you said. "He met this nice Marleyan girl at his training centre with Doctor Richter. Apparently it's another trainee medic."

"You've met her?"

You nodded. "Tall girl. Dark hair, pixie cut, sharp eyes, sharp tongue. Didn't think she'd be Luca's type but he's head over heels for her!"

"Good for him," Levi shrugged, reaching for a clam. "How's the food?"