Levi awoke before he opened his eyes. He could tell right away that he was not where he fell asleep- he was not in his office chair.
Slowly, he opened his eyes. He was laying in (Y/N)'s bed. Her real bed, in her own reality.
He had jumped again.
He let his eyes wander slightly to the left.
There was a disheveled (Y/N), perched on a chair, hugging her bare legs to her chest. Her face was hidden in her knees, and he swore he could hear a gentle sob coming from her.
Her hair was a mess, and on her shoulders was draped the giant T-shirt that she had lent to Levi a month ago the last time they were here.
Seeing her in that state broke his heart. All the anger he had been harboring fell away, replaced by the need to comfort her.
He reached his hand toward her, still a little weak from the trip, he assumed.
"(Y/N)..." He choked out, his voice raspy. How long was he asleep for?
The woman's head lifted immediately, and she was on her feet in a second.
"Levi! You're awake! Thank goodness, I thought you were-" She stepped towards him, but stopped herself. "I... I'm glad you're okay."
"(Y/N)..." He said again, his voice a little clearer.
She ripped her eyes away from him. "I know you're still mad at me, so I'll just be over there-"
Before she could turn to walk away, he had sat up and grabbed her by the un-sprained wrist.
"Don't go." He pleaded. "Please."
Without a word, she slowly sat on the edge of the bed, his hand still connected to her arm.
"(Y/N), I..."
"You don't need to say anything, Levi. It's plain and simple. I lied to you, and you're right to hate me for it. I mislead you. At the time I thought it was harmless- a little white lie. But maybe, if I just hadn't said anything at all, they wouldn't have..."
"Stop." Levi said, tightening his grip on her arm. "You can't blame yourself for that. It was going to happen regardless of whether or not you or I knew."
"But I... you've been mad at me this whole time, d-don't you think it's my fault that they're dead?"
His heart dropped. Is that what she thought he was mad about? Had he been giving off the impression that he blamed his squad's deaths on her? He couldn't believe it.
"No, of course I don't, (Y/N), I... I was only mad because you lied about it. I never blamed you." He let his hand drop. "I'm sorry for making you think that. I'm an idiot."
"You're not an idiot. I'm the one who lied."
"I forgive you." He said. (Y/N) looked at him.
"You do?"
"Yes."
He lifted his hand to brush her fingers. That became him tugging on her hand, and reaching his neck up as she leaned down to meet him halfway- their lips connecting in the process.
This kiss was an apology from both sides. They both did something they regretted, and this was to show the other they wanted to make up for it.
Levi felt weak for some reason. (Y/N) took charge, but pulled away after noticing that his thoughts dwelled elsewhere.
"What's wrong?" She asked, holding his face in her hands.
"How long was I asleep for?"
Her eyebrows flinches a bit.
"A week."
"What?"
"A-and, I didn't know what do to, since it's not like you have any family I could call, and I don't think you have insurance or anything, and I really can't afford a random emergency room visit right now, and, I still haven't told my parents-
"(Y/N), it's okay, I'm fine now. You don't have to worry."
She crouched down into the bed, letting all of her tears come out, finally. Her arms gripped the sheets above his legs.
"I was so scared, Levi... A-and the last conversation we h-had was you screaming at me to go away, and if you... if you didn't come back to me, I don't know what I'd do..."
"Shh.." He whispered, stroking his hand on her head. "I'm so sorry I left you like that."
She kept sobbing into his lap for a few more minutes, until her violent cries turned into gentle sniffles. She picked herself up, and Levi looked into those sad eyes.
"What have you been doing all week?"
She pushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Isn't it obvious? I just... sat here. I only left to go to work, but I didn't even go to my parents' house. I just told them I was sick... which wasn't exactly a lie."
He pulled her into a hug. "I'm so sorry, (Y/N)."
She buried her face in his shoulder. "It's okay. You're here now."
"(Y/N)?" He said, pulling her in front of him so he could look into her eyes. It was difficult, since they were red and puffy- clearly his fault- but he stared into them with intent. "I love you more than anything. You know that, right?"
She nodded. "I know."
Her mind drifted to the month they spent in the world of the titans. Sure, there was a lot of time alone, cleaning, but when they were together- things were so sweet. They felt right. They felt like they were always meant to be that way.
The world was scary and uncertain around them, but they had each other, even if they didn't have their memories.
Eventually the two of them got up from the bed and cleaned themselves up- (Y/N)'s apartment had been an absolutely mess for the week Levi wasn't awake, so he took it upon himself to straighten it up as much as he could for her while she took a long, hot shower. Even with his gimpy ankle, he managed to do a good job cleaning.
When both of them were clean and warm, they laid together on the couch, the TV displaying some kind of loading screen with stock images of flowers.
"I had more dreams when I was asleep." Levi said, twirling a finger through her hair. "It was just like the ones I used to have about you. But now, in light of everything, I think... maybe, those dreams are actually just my memories of you."
"Is there anything specific you remember?" She said, tracing a finger along his jaw.
"No, everything is too blurry. It's really impossible to pick out anything but people's voices."
"Hm." (Y/N) hummed as she flipped over, pressing her back against Levi's chest. He draped his arm over her body.
"I wonder what four eyes thinks when we disappear." Levi said, his breath slightly tickling (Y/N)'s neck.
(Y/N) lifted a finger in the air, emulating the section commander in question. "Actually, I don't think any time passes in each world between the times we are gone. We just instantly go back to the point at which we left. And thankfully, we go back at the same time as each other. At least, that's how it's been so far. There also isn't any period of time for how long each interval is. You were here for like, 3 days and then I was brought to your place for a whole month."
"Hm. It seems you picked up a few things from that crazy woman."
"I had a lot of time to think while you were... asleep."
Levi instinctively hugged her closer to him. "I wonder if there's a way to control which reality we're in." Levi said.
"You are full of curiosity today, huh?" She teased. "Hange said it seemed random. I don't know if it's something that can be controlled. I... spent a lot of time on Google as well. Nobody had had any experiences that were the same as ours, by a long shot."
Levi sighed, and the two were enveloped in a solemn silence. Their situation was confusing and a bit scary, but they at least had the comfort that they were together. The absence of a pattern meant that they could transport between realities virtually at any time. The physical whiplash from it only lasted a few minutes, but it was still exhausting to go through.
The calm was anything but comforting, though. Because they were no longer talking and there was no more cleaning to do, Levi was forced to relive those scenes of each of his squad members, brutally murdered in that forest. The emotional pain highlighted the physical kind in his gnarled ankle whenever he thought of them.
Gunter.
Eld.
Oluo.
Petra.
They were the closest thing he had to a family. He thought that he had experienced enough loss- maybe the universe would finally cut him some slack.
But he was wrong.
There was a price to being humanity's strongest soldier.
It was only a matter of time before everyone got ripped away from him. Even...
"Hey, Levi?" (Y/N)'s voice ripped him out of his spiral.
"Yes?"
"I still can't remember everything. Story-wise, I mean. I know the same amount of knowledge I did back in your reality."
"Oh."
"I'm sorry." She sighed.
Her thoughts were also on everything that had happened. Of course, she had a week longer than Levi had to grieve, since he was asleep that whole time. But she still felt responsible- after all, she had joined up with Hange instead of going with Eren and the rest of the squad. All of that was per Hange's orders, and she outranked Levi, so it wasn't exactly (Y/N)'s choice. But she still felt bad about it.
If she had stayed with the squad, though, she would have died. There was no doubt about it.
She couldn't do something like that to Levi.
He started to hug her closer to him from behind, but the tender moment was cut by a violent vibrate from her phone set on the table.
She jolted so much she nearly fell off the couch, then scurried over to pick it up.
It was her mom- and it was a video call.
(Y/N) positioned herself so that Levi or any sign of another person in her apartment would not be seen, and accepted the call.
"Hello, honey!" Called her smiling mother. Levi was sitting up now on the couch, twiddling his fingers together, unsure of what he should be doing.
"Hi, mom." She responded.
"Ooh, you look a lot better. Does that mean you'll be good to come over tomorrow night? We missed you last week." She moved the camera over to (Y/N)'s father, who smiled and waved as he shoved some kind of meat into his mouth.
(Y/N) quickly glanced over at Levi before saying anything. "Yeah, mom I'll be there."
"Hey, I gotta tell you something. Remember that dress I was telling you about a few days ago? Well, I saw someone..." Her words started to drown out as (Y/N)'s thoughts drifted away. She needed to go home, or her parents would wonder what's going on with her, and they might decide to give her a surprise visit. If they did that... there was no more hiding that she had Levi living with her.
But she didn't want to leave Levi at home while she went away... especially not now that he was finally awake. She was sure he wouldn't want to be left alone either, after his behavior last time she left.
"(Y/N)? What are you looking at?" Her mother questioned from the phone. (Y/N) hadn't realized she was staring at Levi.
"N-nothing, I... I just got some new pillows, is all." She blurted out, trying to come up with some excuse.
"Ooh! Show me them!"
(Y/N) froze a bit at her mother's request. She didn't have new pillows- that was a complete lie. The only new thing on her couch was Levi.
Still, she approached the couch, grabbed one of the pillows, and held it up next to her face for her mother to see.
"Those look like your old ones, sweetie."
"Yeah, well they matched with the couch. They're different, I promise." (Y/N) insisted. Levi raised an unimpressed eyebrow. It took all of (Y/N)'s willpower to not shoot him a look.
"Okay, sweetie. Well, I'll let you go now, I know you've got work tonight."
"Thanks, mom. See you tomorrow. Love you."
"I love you too!"
Click.
(Y/N) was about to flop onto the couch and complain about her mother's clinginess, but she suddenly realized what Levi must feel when she talks about her parents. He didn't have anything close to a familial relationship like that- it would be highly insensitive of her to groan about hers.
She waited a little while before saying anything.
"We should probably go to work now." She said.
Levi nodded and stood up, offering her his hand.
~
The next evening had come, and Levi was alone in (Y/N)'s apartment. He made sure to keep his cell phone near him in case she texted or called him. He was busy familiarizing himself with the device. (Y/N) had told him to set up an email and try joining some social media websites, but he wasn't really interested. So instead he shoved the thing in his pocket and looked at the door.
(Y/N) had given him her extra set of keys in case he needed them. He was getting more used to the layout of the city, so he thought he'd go for a little walk. His ankle wasn't healed enough for a jog, really, but he felt trapped stuffed up in this apartment alone.
And so he was off- double-checking multiple times that all the essentials were in his pockets- his wallet, the keys, and his phone before closing the door of the apartment, making sure it was locked before he took off towards the elevator.
It was the only time he had ever gone out alone here, and he felt a bit odd. It took him so long to actually go out by himself.
About 15 floors down, the elevator came to a halt, and an old woman stepped inside.
"Going down?" She asked him, giving him a nice smile.
He just nodded.
"It's a beautiful day, today, isn't it?" She said.
"It is." He responded. He wasn't extremely pleased that this woman wanted to pick at a conversation, but he didn't want to be rude.
"My husband and I used to take walks on the beach on evenings like this... the nice cool breeze was so refreshing." She reminisced.
Normally Levi would have been annoyed that this woman was spilling her life story to him unprompted, but the word 'husband' struck a chord with him. His thoughts jumped back to what Hange had told him, about his plans to propose to (Y/N).
For some reason the notion was embarrassing, in a way. He felt as if his past self was going too fast with his relationship. After all, to him, they've only been together for about a month, and a week of that he spent unconscious. Though, his past self was still him, even if he didn't remember. He wouldn't have made a decision like that without thinking it over countless times.
And from what he could tell, he would have been making a good decision. (Y/N) has been nothing but compatible for him- save for the one slip-up. But he can't expect anyone to be perfect. After all, he had allowed those men in the alleyway to grab (Y/N) by the arm, and he wasn't able to prevent her from injuring her wrist, even though that wasn't really his fault. Though he would tell himself that- he felt protective over (Y/N) no matter what reality they were in.
"That sounds nice." He said to the woman.
She smiled sweetly at him. "You should try it someday with a wife of your own!"
Once again, Levi's heart was pulled at. He wondered if he could have that someday. He remembered the first time (Y/N) brought him out to the lake, on the Friday after they had first met. It wasn't even that far from her apartment.
"Look, Levi! Someone dug a huge hole in the sand!" She called. But Levi's attention was elsewhere.
His gaze was fixated on the water. He stepped forward out of the dry sand onto the wet, the waves just barely reaching his toes.
He bent down.
"This..."
"Right, you... you haven't seen the ocean, have you?" (Y/N) asked, even though she knew the answer. "This isn't an ocean- it's just a lake, but it's a big one. It's the closest thing we have to an ocean in this part of the country."
He reached his fingers down to graze the water as it came up to reach him. It was cold, as it often is this time of year. In fact, Lake Michigan was cold a lot of the time.
He stood up, shaking the water off of his hand, looking out to the half-dozen boats that dotted the horizon.
"It's beautiful." He said.
(Y/N) smiled. "I'm glad you like it."
There were a lot of couples on the beach during this time of day. Even though they had just recently gotten together, (Y/N) could see herself in those couples. Everything was so peaceful- which was something hard to find in the heart of downtown Chicago.
Absentmindedly, her fingers found Levi's.
He flinched for a moment, but relaxed into her touch. With a few glances behind his back, he concluded there were no threats here. He could stand to soften up a bit.
They stood there for a long time, just watching the water and enjoying the other's company.
The woman's expectant face ripped him out of the memory.
"Maybe I will." He said. He could see it in his mind's eye, the eventuality of him and his lover walking there together in old age, like how the woman in front of him remembers it. He supposed that's somewhat poetic, how this lady passed on her ideals to him without really meaning to.
He had meant to go on a walk to distract himself from her absence, but as he walked down the streets at sunset, his mind was flooded with her smiling face, her soft skin, and her perfect lips... the ones that he was allowed to claim as his.
"Oh, (Y/N)." He muttered to himself as he walked, not caring if anyone else heard him. "What are you doing to me?"
~
At 11:02, (Y/N) pushed open her door, kicked off her shoes, and dropped her purse to the ground. She closed the door behind her and blinked a few times before letting go of the doorknob. She hadn't gotten any texts from Levi while she was gone, so she wondered what he had been up to the whole time.
She walked deeper into the apartment. He wasn't seated on the couch like she expected.
"Levi?" She called.
No response.
She opened the bedroom door. Nothing.
"Levi?" She called again, this time more frantic.
Had he left?
Had he gone back to his reality without her?
She would have broken down right then and there if she didn't remember she had a phone- and that he had one too. She navigated to the phone app and hurriedly tapped on his contact.
ring...
ring...
ring...
"Hello?" Called the man's voice from the other side. (Y/N) let out a long sigh of relief.
"Jeez, Levi, you're going to give me a heart attack. I came back home and you weren't here."
"I went for a walk." He said.
"At 11 PM?"
"..."
"Levi?"
"I guess I lost track of time."
"It's late. You shouldn't be out by yourself. Where are you right now?"
"On a sidewalk."
(Y/N) lifted a hand to her face. "You're going to need to be a little more specific. What do the street signs say?"
"Adams... and Dearborn."
"Okay." (Y/N) switched the phone to speaker mode. "I'm going to send you my address, though I'm sure you already have it. This is just easier. You should be able to go into maps from there, and then it'll tell you where to go to get back here."
"I know how to get back."
"Oh. You do?"
"Tch. I pay attention."
(Y/N) was a bit impressed. She didn't realize he was actually taking note of where things were- she had underestimated him and thought he was too overwhelmed by everything. He is Levi Ackerman, though, and if his abilities translated between realities, then she shouldn't be so surprised.
"Then, I'll see you in about ten minutes. Okay?"
"Goodbye."
click.
He had ended the phone call before (Y/N) had the chance to say anything, but that was just how he was- no care for formalities.
She sighed. She might have to get used to his going off alone- it wasn't really fair for her to assume that he'd willingly stay cooped up in her apartment all the time. In fact, she didn't think there was ever a time he went out by himself, unless he did last time she left and just didn't tell her.
Once he had arrived home, her thoughts were only on sleep. She was exhausted.
She fell asleep cradled in his arms.
~
When (Y/N) woke up, Levi was absent from the bedsheets. Upon rearing her head around the corner, she saw him sitting at the couch- hair disheveled, only wearing loose sweatpants. His legs were bouncing up and down erratically and his head was in his hands.
She rushed towards him, kneeling down in front of him. "Levi? What's going on? Are you okay?"
His unsteady breaths hitched at the sound of her voice, but he didn't look up.
"S-s-sorry... Just l-leave m-me alone..." He stammered.
She placed a hand on the couch next to him. "Please tell me what's wrong, Levi..."
He spread his fingers, revealing a bloodshot eye. "Th-the nightmares... they..." A choking sound coming from his throat interrupted him.
Tears pricked the corners of (Y/N)'s eyes. She knew that Levi must have harbored some kind of trauma about his occupation, and that someday it would get to him. No one, not even humanity's strongest soldier, can keep it all together 24/7.
Hesitant to touch him, she asked for permission. "Can I hug you?"
It took him a few seconds to collect himself, but he gave a small nod and pressed his eyelids together.
(Y/N) moved up on the couch, and draped one arm over his back, connecting with the other across his bare chest. It was a bit of an awkward position, but she wanted to do anything she could to comfort him.
One of his hands moved to grip the arm across his chest. "(Y/N)... y-you... I s-saw you d-d-"
"Shhh..." She cooed into his ear. "I'm fine. Nothing happened, Levi. I'm perfectly okay."
He choked down a sob.
"You don't need to talk about it if you don't want to."
She continued to whisper comforts to him, until eventually, his breathing had started to regulate. He moved to face her on the couch, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face into her neck. He curled his legs into his chest.
After a long time, he let out a deep breath.
"I'm a mess." He said, his voice raspy and higher-pitched than usual.
"Yeah..." (Y/N) breathed. "And that's okay."
His arms tightened around her, then fell limp down to his sides. "I'm sorry."
She lifted a hand to his chin, then brought him to face her. He furrowed his brows and tried to avoid her gaze.
"Look at me, Levi."
"..."
"Please."
He dragged his eyes to meet hers.
She stared at him intently. "You're not weaker because you have feelings, Levi. I hope you don't think that. You're allowed to hurt." She paused. "No one thinks less of you if you can't keep up the mask all the time."
He let a sob break from his lips.
"It's not good for you to hold it all in. I know that from experience." She said.
She held him as he cried in her arms. It was like everything built up and broke through the dam at this moment.
The deaths of his squad members.
The nightmares.
The constant reality jumps.
The apparent lost memories.
His weaknesses were showing, and it was only breaking him further when he realized it. He was spiraling after that nightmare he had just hours ago. It woke him up, and he decided the best thing to do was to go sit alone.
'What an idiot...' He said to himself. He should have known the one thing that could have offered him comfort was the person he was already with. But instead he tried to go it alone, like he had always done. But one look at the woman in front of him now, and he realized it.
He wasn't alone anymore.
He didn't have to try to brave it all himself.
He had someone rooting for him, who didn't judge him when he failed.
(Y/N) was here.
He needed to say something to her, to let her know he heard her, to tell her that he needed her there.
"Please don't leave me, (Y/N)." He managed to whisper. It was a wonder if she even heard him.
But she did. "I won't."
Then, he did the only thing he could think to do. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, fueled by the simple need to feel her. She was the only thing keeping him from breaking down fully right now, and all he wanted was her. The way she tasted, the way she felt... anything to cut away the depressive thoughts from reaching farther into his mind.
She returned the favor with equal passion. She didn't care that his lips were salty with tears, or that his kiss was sloppy and awkward; she just wanted to offer him any comfort she could. His hands roamed around her body, pushing her so that her back was now against the couch, and he hovered over her. His kisses became more fervent, but they remained innocent and sad. He wasn't planning on taking this anywhere- all he wanted to do was this.
And, oh, how he needed it. He let out a gentle gasp as her fingers found their way to the back of his neck, to caress over that sensitive spot that only she would be able to know about. It was almost funny- the place where he had slashed dozens of titans also happened to be his own weak spot.
His hands dragged around her body- her arms, her sides, her hips, her face- anywhere that was appropriate but still intimate.
He kissed her until the darkness started to fall away.
He kissed her until all the thoughts of his dead comrades had been replaced by her warm face.
He kissed her until his lips were raw.
When he had finally spent all of his energy, he slumped on top of her, and she wrapped her arms around him, holding him there. He was heavy, and it was little hard for her to breathe, but she was just glad he was finally letting himself feel.
It seemed he was so emotionally drained and sleep-deprived that he just passed out right then and there. (Y/N) would have loved to be able to let him sleep, but she could only take the weight pressing down on her for so long- he was small, but all that muscle weighed a lot. She gave him a few gentle pushes on his shoulders.
He woke up just enough for her to walk him to the bedroom, where she laid him down in the bed. She was about to walk away and let him rest, but his hand shot out and grabbed her by the wrist. She looked into his eyes, and he didn't need to say any words for her to know that pleading look.
Don't go.
Please, don't leave me.
(Y/N) kicked herself for thinking she should have left him for a second. She huddled under the covers, pressing her body to his and bringing her hand to lovingly stroke his soft hair, matted from sweat. It was a wonder he would ever go to bed like this, but he was too drained to even care about cleanliness right now.
All he needed was sleep.
And he got it, free of the nightmares that plagued him.
~
When he awoke, he was met with his favorite sight- (Y/N)'s smiling face staring back at him. It was only a couple of hours, which was more sleep than he sometimes got anyway. She had spent the whole time taking care of him, making sure he was alright. She watched to make sure he wouldn't have any more nightmares as he slept.
When she saw that he had awoken, she hugged him close to her.
"I love you so much, Levi. And I'm proud of you."
"I love you too..." His voice drowned out as he looked around the room.
They were still in Chicago.
He sighed.
A part of him knew he had to go back to fight, but the slightly larger part of him just wanted to stay here forever, if for no other reason than his ankle was almost fully healed at this point. If they went back now, the time would reset as it always does.
Life wasn't perfect, no, but it was safer.
"We're still here..." He said, absentmindedly.
"Yes, is that a problem?" (Y/N) asked.
"Not at all." He sighed.
Levi was being especially clingy this morning- after his much-needed shower he practically attached himself to (Y/N)'s hip. He draped his arms around her waist from behind as she cooked the eggs, and rested his head on her shoulder as she prepared the tea- half because he wanted to be close to her, and half so he could make sure she was doing it correctly.
(Y/N) wouldn't have been so flustered about it had he bothered to put on a shirt- but it seemed the man was comfortable without one. Once his hair had fully dried, though, he disappeared to clothe himself, finally.
When he re-entered the room, (Y/N) was sitting at a laptop.
"What's that?" He asked. She hadn't yet used the computer since they met, so naturally he wouldn't know. They had seen a few people in coffee shops using them before, but he was too embarrassed to ask in public then.
"It's a laptop. It's kind of like a bigger version of a smartphone- you can do most of the same things on it. But there's more you can do and some things are better optimized for a larger screen, and the physical keyboard is nice.
She opened up a fresh page on Google.
"That's a stupid word." Levi said, scrunching his nose as he sat down next to (Y/N) on the couch, their legs pressed together.
"It's Google, you can pretty much type in any question you want into this box and it'll find you an answer. Look." She typed in 'restaurants near me.' and pressed enter.
Immediately a list and maps showed up of all the nearby restaurants. She looked over at Levi, who tried to remain unfazed. Truth was, he was amazed.
"Do you want to ask it a question?" She turned the keyboard towards him.
Slowly and awkwardly, he managed to type out: 'How do I kill all of the titans?'
The only things that came up were random high school basketball teams, whose mascots happened to be called the titans.
"Tch. Useless. Why would I want to know anything else?"
(Y/N) laughed. She took back the laptop and typed 'Fancy tea shops Chicago.'
That seemed to pique his interest. After that, Levi went down a few rabbit holes on google, clicking on each new interesting thing. (Y/N) stayed there to make sure he wasn't clicking on anything... sketchy. She made a mental note to give him a lecture on pop-ups and scams later.
Then, he did something she felt like an idiot for not thinking about before. She watched as his fingers typed out:
'Levi Ackerman.'
She expected nothing to come up, or, since it wasn't that unique of a name, she expected some random people's LinkedIn pages to show up. But instead, she was completely taken aback.
"Pilot Levi Ackerman gone missing during flight to Atlanta"
"Where did they go? The search for the 'Wings of Freedom' goes on"
"Levi Ackerman Missing: Boeing 737 passengers and crew disappeared on a flight to Atlanta"
"Pilot Levi Ackerman on his affectionate title of 'Wings of Freedom'"
"A sit down with O'hare's favorite pilot, Levi Ackerman"
"The search for the 'Wings of Freedom' continues a month later"
Next to all the headlines were photos- all of which were unmistakably the likeness of your Levi Ackerman.
She stared at the results for a long time, not saying anything because she wanted to know what Levi's reactions would be.
After a few minutes he spoke. "What's a pilot?"
She was stunned. "I-it's uh, it's someone who is in charge of flying a plane."
"You mean those things that are always making so much noise in the sky?"
"Yes."
"Hm."
"That's it?" (Y/N) shot her eyes toward him. "Hm?? You... you're a missing person, Levi! And from the looks of it, you were pretty popular!"
"And?"
"And... and... well, look! You went missing..."
She clicked on one of the articles- "A sit down with O'hare's favorite pilot, Levi Ackerman."
She started to read it out quickly. "We sat down with O'hare airport's youngest airline captain- at just 27 years old- Levi Ackerman. The world has watched his career with great interest, how he rose from the bottom and ended up at quite literally the top of the world! With his unorthodox methods and personalized nicknames, it's no wonder the airline world has been captivated with this young man. Here transcribes the interview between him and our representative, Alana Smits."
(Y/N) was about to continue- the article now being formatted to reflect a conversation, but Levi interrrupted her.
"I can read, you know."
"I-I just... how are you not freaking out about this? You were a pilot- a captain, crazy as that is, and people actually knew who you were! Wha-what are you supposed to do if someone recognizes you?"
"I'll just say I lost my memory. That wouldn't even be a lie." He folded his arms.
"How are you so calm about this??"
"What else am I supposed to do? It's not like I can change it."
(Y/N) pursed her lips together. This was a new development- she surely would have known about this had it happened in her reality- the fact of a young pilot in her city named Levi Ackerman surely would have held her attention. But she didn't remember anything like this happening.
"Should we... tell the airline or something?" He asked. "I don't know what good that would do- it's not like I know how to fly one of those things."
"I don't know... If we do that, the news would be hounding you... the youngest pilot suddenly vanished for three years and then turns up again with no memory... we'd never have a moment's peace."
They sat in silence for a few moments.
"Though... now, I- I think maybe, you could meet my parents. If this is all true, they'd believe about the disappearance of the pilot Levi Ackerman, and then you could just say you lost your memory, and you'd never have to answer any uncomfortable questions that my parents have for you."
He was silent for a little while, then spoke. "How would you explain our connection, then?"
"Well I would just tell the truth- I took you in and you come help me with my work. Honestly, I'm sure my dad would be gung-ho for that. He's always been uncomfortable with me going out at night alone."
Levi stood up from the couch. "That works out surprisingly well."
She thought for a moment that he was done with the computer, but he was just going to get another cup of tea.
He sat down and pointed at the screen. "I want to read the rest of this article. And the others, too. By the looks of it... I went missing right about the time you and I met."
(Y/N) raised her hands to her mouth. "No way..."
"That's not just a coincidence."
"No, it's not. Something happened to both of us when we met that day- in my reality and in yours. Neither of us can remember each other's existence before that day, even though we definitely existed. Though- I knew about you, since you were a fictional character in Attack on Titan. But that doesn't exist now. Which reality was the real one? Did... did Attack on Titan never exist as a manga series in this world? I'm so confused."
"You don't have to have it all figured out right now, (Y/N). Right now, I just want to find out more about myself, and all this 'pilot' business."
He took charge of the laptop, and the two spent the rest of the day in deep research.
It turned out, Levi was the youngest airline captain at O'hare airport, which is why he was well-known. He also was known for his given title to his most frequently-used aircraft, a Boeing 737 which he named 'Wings of Freedom'. How fitting.
The other reason the airline world was fascinated with him is because he started from nothing. He was gifted a scholarship by a random old rich guy for no reason, and got his pilot's license.
"Scholarship...?" Levi said as they stared at the screen.
"It's like a gift of money someone gets for doing well in school."
"School..." He raised a finger to his chin.
"That's-"
"I know what school is, idiot. I just never..."
"You don't know what it's like..." She finished his sentence.
"Yeah."
"Did Kenny teach you how to read, then?" She asked. She knew vaguely of his backstory, but not all of the details.
"All Kenny did was show me how to steal and kill." He said solemnly.
"So, how did you learn how to read and write?"
He averted his eyes. "Erwin taught me. Hange helped."
(Y/N) said nothing. It was probably hard for him to admit any kind of shortcoming, so she wanted to give him space in the conversation. Maybe she shouldn't have asked him about it- he seemed uncomfortable.
He spoke again. "I bet you think I'm pretty pathetic, huh. Couldn't read or write until I was in my twenties."
She turned toward him quickly. "Of course I don't think that, Levi! It wasn't your fault that you didn't learn that stuff- there was no one around to teach you!"
"Yeah... I guess..." His gaze was still fixed on the ground.
"In fact, I think that's even more impressive- it's extremely hard to learn basic skills like that once you're already an adult. And your handwriting is so neat, too. If I didn't already know about your past, you could have told me you went to the best school in the interior, and I would have believed you."
He looked up at her. "You're just patronizing me."
She grabbed his hands with hers. "No, I mean it, Levi. Against all odds, you've risen above that shitty upbringing. That's why I admire you so much. Hell, it's why you're my favorite character."
Unable to process and accept the kind words, his mouth instead curled into a small, evil grin. "I thought I was your favorite because I'm hot."
Her face filled with a deep blush and she pushed his shoulder. "Th-that's just a bonus!"
And then, something wonderful occurred.
Levi laughed.
That deep, husky sound would put any orchestra to shame. His laugh felt like smooth, high-class velvet- and any other noise in the area- the air conditioning unit- the footsteps in the hallway- the sound of the wind against the glass doors- it all muted as (Y/N) focused on his gentle chuckles. He raised his knuckles to his curled lips as his shoulders bounced.
Then, he opened his eyes and looked towards her, his mouth still lifted into a smile, his cheeks slightly pink and his eyes full of life.
It was the most beautiful thing (Y/N) had ever seen. It was too pure for mere human eyes.
But soon he raised an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
It was then that she noticed her stupor, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. She shut her mouth so deliberately it was almost comical.
Her mind was completely jumbled, cloudy after what she had just witnessed, but her mouth did not betray her. Her words came out crisp and clear.
"You're beautiful."
His smile dropped, his mouth staying slightly open and his eyes opened wide. His heart jolted at her words. He had never expected anyone to call him beautiful. In fact, he didn't ever really want anyone to comment on his looks.
His mother found success in the prostitution business because of her beauty. He would often hear people commenting on her looks, saying she was beautiful, or pretty, or sexy. And anyone who found out he was Kuchel's boy knew it as soon as they took one glance at him- he looked just like her.
Those people never meant those compliments in a meaningful way, though. They only used his mother for pleasure. None of those people loved her or even gave a single shit about her.
Levi was glad he looked like his mother, but he didn't want to be compared to her. It wasn't because he was ashamed of her- it was because he didn't want to be looked at the same way. She did what she had to do to survive. He respected her for that. But he had another chance- when Kenny took him away, he made a life for himself. He didn't have to be the prostitute's illegitimate son anymore.
For those reasons, he was uncomfortable anytime someone mentioned his looks. So when (Y/N) looked at him and told him he was beautiful, he should have shied away or brushed it off.
But he didn't. Coming from her, it meant something else entirely. This was someone who did love him, who cared for him, and who used the word in pure innocent love- not for some ulterior motive.
He didn't have to fear being looked at like a tool.
He wasn't just some object for her to use just because he was attractive.
He was a human being, and she loved him.
Levi wasn't much for verbal thanks, so he did what his body told him to do instead. He placed his hand on her cheek, brought the smile back to his face, and kissed her.
He was taking so long to react that (Y/N) had thought she said something wrong. The words came out rather suddenly, but she didn't think saying them would be a problem. But soon his lips were on hers, and all that insecurity fell away. She recognized this connection as his gratitude. The simple compliment had meant more to him than she could ever know.
~