Be Careful What You Wish For (Prostitute Levi x Reader)

Chapter 3: Where He Didn't Have to Fight

The brothel smelled awful. You could barely keep the disgust off your face as you made your way to the counter.

"I'm looking for Levi," you told the man standing there.

"Levi?" he asked. Then his eyes lit up in understanding. "Oh! You mean Raven! Yeah, he's here."

"Raven...?" you muttered.

The man looked you up and down. "Not to seem rude, but you don't look like the usual clientele."

Your eyes narrowed. "I'm not," you growled. "So, Levi works here? As a..." Your throat tightened. You couldn't make yourself say it.

All the same, the man nodded, grinning from ear to ear. It was sickening. "Yes, ma'am! Raven...er, Levi is one of my best! I can set up some time with him, if you like? I promise it will be worth your while."

"That won't be necessary," you bit out. "I'm taking Levi away from here. He's not going to work for you anymore."

The man only laughed. "That's a tall order, little lady. Do you have any idea how much that boy is worth?"

"How much?" you asked without hesitation.

The man stopped laughing and stared at you, slightly shocked. "More than you can afford, missy. But if you'd like an hour or two –"

"How. Much." Your voice had become deathly quiet.

The man cowered under your glare. Then he named the sum.

It was exorbitant. Completely unfair. But that was how these places worked. They were set up so that the workers – slaves, really – would continuously rack up debt to their employer. They would never have the money to pay it off, to buy their way out. So they were stuck there forever.

Your eyes never left his as you slapped the money on the table and growled, "Levi. Is. Free."

You waited just long enough for the stunned man to give you a paper stating Levi's release from the brothel. Then you stormed off in search of your husband.

You had to ask for directions from a girl you found cleaning the hallway. Still seething, you made your way to Levi's room. The door was cracked open, so you went inside.

What you found made your heart stop.

Dirt and dust were everywhere. It was filthy – something Levi never would have put up with. The bed wasn't any better, the sheets being stained and threadbare.

Levi was slumped on the edge of the mattress, wrapped in a blanket. From the amount of skin that was exposed, you guessed he wasn't wearing anything underneath. And on his face...was that makeup?

Tears formed in your eyes.

Levi's head snapped up as you entered. "I-I'm s-sorry," he stuttered meekly, jumping to his feet. "I'm n-not ready yet."

Without thinking, you quickly crossed the room and pulled him into a hug. "Levi," you cried softly. "I'm so sorry."

He froze. "H-how do you know my name?" he breathed.

You pulled back enough to look him in the eye, though you didn't let him go. "This is going to sound crazy," you explained, "but...well, the world isn't how it's supposed to be. What I mean is, things used to be different. You used to be a soldier, but then I made a wish to a creepy carnival woman, and reality was altered, and now..." You trailed off, trying to think of how you could put it into words.

You sighed. "This is my fault," you muttered. "I wished for a world where you didn't have to fight anymore. But that turned out to be this world, and I swear, I never wanted you to go through this. I know you don't know me, but I'm your wife, and I love you, Levi. That's why I came to find you. I'm getting you out of here."

Levi stared at you as if you were insane, and he slowly edged out of your arms. "Okay," he said in a placating tone. "That's very nice of you. But I can't leave. You see, I'm indebted to my employer –"

"I paid it off," you stated.

Levi stopped. "You...what?" he gasped, his eyes widening.

"I paid your debt, Levi," you repeated, handing him the document. "You're free."

Tentatively, Levi took the form. Tears welled in his eyes as he read the page. Then he looked up at you, the wariness replaced by awe.

"You can go wherever you want, of course," you murmured. "You belong to no one but yourself. I'm just asking that you come with me. Please, I want to fix this."

Levi gaped at you. Of course, your story was completely unbelievable, but all the same, he couldn't deny the sincerity in your eyes. Whoever you were, you meant what you said. Plus, it wasn't like he had anywhere else to go.

"Okay," he breathed. "I'll come with you."

You sighed in relief, smiling softly. "Okay. But first, let's get you cleaned up." As an afterthought, you added, "My name's (f/n), by the way." You felt a twinge of sadness as you said it, the words driving home the fact that your own husband didn't know you.

Levi sat down on the edge of the bed, letting you clean his face with your handkerchief.

"Is this...lipstick?" you asked, disgust coiling in your gut as you gently wiped the substance away.

Levi averted his gaze, mumbling, "My last client...he liked it..."

Anger once again swelled in your chest, but you pushed it down, focusing on taking care of Levi. "Hey, it's alright," you murmured soothingly. "You don't have to do this anymore."

Levi only stared at the ground, his gaze empty. You got the sense that he was used to the humiliation by now, though it didn't hurt him any less.

You finished cleaning him in silence, taking the opportunity to assess the Levi in this reality. His body lacked the chiseled muscle that he had gained after years of using the ODM gear, and he was thin enough to be starving. Although he hadn't been fighting, wounds still littered his skin – bruises, scratches, even bite marks. And clearly, he was a lot more submissive than the Levi you knew. But while it broke your heart, none of it mattered. He was still your Levi. You were certain of that.

You turned away while he dressed, giving him some privacy. You had seen it all before, of course, but Levi didn't remember any of that, and you didn't want to make him uncomfortable. He had suffered enough.

Delicately – giving him the chance to refuse if he wanted – you took his hand. Then you led him out of that hell.