Levi x Reader Oneshots

Father Figure (Levi x Reader)

Levi wasn't sure of the answer, and that made him all the more annoyed at Kenny's presence, as did the small tug that he felt whenever Kenny was around – that lingering, instinctual desire for a father. So what if Kenny was proud of him? So what if Kenny cared? At the end of the day, he had still hurt Levi, more deeply than Levi wanted to admit.

Kenny shrugged. "Maybe. But you're one to talk. You did save my life, after all," he pointed out, not unkindly.

Levi said nothing, deciding just to ignore Kenny instead of discussing things that cut too close to his parental trauma.

His eyes drifted until they found you, several meters away, playing with the children. One of the smaller ones asked to be picked up, and you happily complied, lifting him into your arms. Then, as if you sensed Levi watching, you met his gaze and grinned.

The sight warmed Levi's heart, and he couldn't resist giving you a soft smile in return. If he could have gazed at you all day, he would have. You were just...so perfect...

"So, when are you gonna make that girl my niece?" Kenny drawled.

Levi's expression shuttered as his gaze shot to his uncle. "What?" he muttered, genuinely not understanding.

Kenny chuckled. "Come on, boy. I see the way you look at her. You're whipped. And it's obvious that she loves you too, even though you're a runt. So stop dragging your feet and pop the question."

"Tch," Levi growled. "Mind your own business."

Truthfully, Kenny had struck a nerve. The two of you had been dating for three years, and Levi knew – with absolute certainty – that he would never want to belong to anyone else. He had tried several times to work up the courage to buy a ring. However, he couldn't get over the fear and trauma that were holding him back.

He felt like he was cursed. Every time he allowed himself to care deeply for someone, they always suffered because of him. His mother, Farlan and Isabel, his squad, Erwin – they were all dead. And it was his fault. The only exception was Kenny, but to be fair, the jury was still out on what he meant to Levi.

Point being, Levi didn't want to lose you like he had lost everyone else. He was already tempting fate simply by dating you. Making you "Mrs. Ackerman" would be the equivalent of painting a big red target on your back. He was certain that if he took that step, if he bound you to himself in the deepest way humanly possible, the universe would come back with the biggest "screw you" of his life. It would rip you away at the very second that Levi thought he had finally found happiness.

He couldn't put you at risk like that. Not you. You deserved a long, fulfilling life. Levi didn't want to be the reason that it was cut short. He couldn't take the guilt of destroying one more person that he cared about, especially when he knew from the start that caring was a bad idea.

"Okay, okay, maybe that was a little harsh," Kenny grumbled, pulling Levi from his thoughts. "But in all seriousness, what's holding you back, boy?"

Levi didn't know why he bothered explaining. Maybe he was driven by that traitorous part of him that still saw Kenny as a father figure. Or maybe he just needed someone to talk to, someone who knew the traumas of his past without him having to spell it out – even if that person was the trigger-happy uncle that had tried to kill him just for power.

Regardless, he whispered, "I don't want to drag her into my shit." Then it all came tumbling out.

Kenny – quite uncharacteristically – was silent for several minutes while Levi spoke. Only when his nephew had faded into silence did he mutter, "Well, I can't deny that your life has been all kinds of messed-up. I can't deny that I played a part in that. But the past is the past. You can either learn from it and move on...or you can let it ruin your future."