When the whole world seemed to be burning, going back and forth with alliances and seats in Marley issue, Sophie and Levi seemed to be completely cut off from these things, unbothered by everything but their family.
"Hope, baby please," Sophie cried out as she tried to feed her daughter. She just pouted her lips in response and shook her head shortly after. "Please, do it for mommy," she tried one more time, copying her facial expression which caught her attention. She finally opened her mouth, looking as if she was doing it out of mercy for her poor, tired mother. "That's my girl. Oh...Hope, take more," she requested, but she started acting like before.
"Is there some trouble?" Levi asked as he stepped inside. He just finished his training as he promised himself to exercise daily, no matter how exhausted he would be. It was important for their safety, especially since Sophie focused entirely on motherhood and put training aside. She was still athletic, but Levi was afraid that somehow, despite her combat-blessed genes, she would fall short in fight, especially if the people she'd be fighting with would be other members of the Leitz clan. The mere idea was boiling blood in his veins.
"Our little one starts to rebel," she smirked as he approached them and kneeled in front of Hope.
"Oi, why won't you eat?" Despite the harsh tone at the beginning, his voice got softer with every word he spoke. He just couldn't be tough around his daughter, especially when she looked at him with her big, emerald eyes. It always warmed his heart, no matter if it was Sophie staring at him or Hope. He was defenceless with these two.
"D'nt," she blabbered a barely understandable word that they took as 'don't'. She was already one year old.
"You didn't want to?" He asked just to be sure and she pouted again, this time nodding. "Even for mommy?" He asked and she shook her head. "What about daddy?" At first he didn't like these demunitives. He told Sophie that he'd prefer something that would sound more serious, but as soon as he saw his child, he couldn't call Sophie and himself anything else around Hope.
"I tw'y," she mumbled and urged him to hand her a spoon of the fruit mousse that Sophie was feeding her.
"That's my girl," he smiled at her and her whole face lit up. Not only hers as Sophie seemed content as well.
"I love seeing you like this," she later cooed in her husband's ear when he put Hope to sleep. She wrapped her hands around his waist from behind and placed a soft kiss on his shoulder blade. "So calm and...present."
"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked as he turned to face her. She was confused, his defensive attitude caught her completely off guard as he seemed fine before.
"N-nothing, I just...I appreciate you so much, you know? And what we have," she said as she gently grabbed his hand and entwined it with her own.
Suddenly his face became less tense and his whole body seemed to relax as he pulled her close, urging her to bury her face in his chest. "Sorry," he just said. He felt guilty at times. Guilty that he couldn't fully focus on his family despite being with them this entire time. He felt like a betrayer for thinking about the Ackerman farms and making sure that he's up to date with recent world's news. Sometimes he wished to be as devoted as she was. She abandoned every doubt she had, every other thing...she dropped it all to be with him and give him what he yearned for - family. Family and peace. A home to come into every night and bed to fall asleep and wake up by her side every day. He wished to have that all. Heck, sometimes he felt like he enforced that on her, subconsciouslly using her fuck ups from the past. And now that he had that all, he just couldn't forget about the issues that were still existing.
He felt like closed in some sort of water globe, away from the issues and unable to fix them. His whole world was limited to the little house he was living in like a rat, hiding from the Leitzes and Tyburs, failing in some many roles - as a man, husband, father, soldier, Ackerman. It was driving him insane at times.
"That's okay," she just replied, caressing his back. He didn't want to let go of him. He was constantly next to her and yet...she missed being touched by him in a more intense, intimate way. But how on earth if they had to look after Hope this whole time and they didn't have a seperate room? Impossible. Hence this brief moment of holding each other in arms was the most they could allow themselves. "Let's go to sleep too, shall we?" She asked and he nodded. He wished nothing more than to fall asleep by her side and let his worries be put on pause for a few hours.
Unfortunately, that didn't happen. It was quite the opposite actually. He had nightmares and not for the first time. Every single one of them is the same - Tyburs capturing Sophie and Hope and experimenting on them, locking them in one of these farms and hurting them. Fuck. It was too painful to even recall these images, no matter the fact they were just imaginary. That didn't happen, it was just a bad dream, he kept on telling himself, unfortunately with no success.
He looked to the side and realised Sophie was already awake and out of bed, probably preparing breakfast. Hope was still asleep and so he kept on watching her. It was a great source of comfort seeing or hearing his daughter and wife, knowing they're safe and sound and nightmares were indeed just nightmares.
"Did Nathalie buy something for us?" He heard her question which caused him to get up and join her in the kitchen area.
"Not as much as before. She said that the prices increased again," he said. His reply was met with a loud sigh on her part.
"That's fine," she mumbled finally, even though it clearly wasn't. "We still have some bread and a few eggs. We can work with that, right?" She turned to face him. She was smiling, but her eyes were desperately seeking comfort.
"Sure," he reassured her. They kept on fooling themselves. How on earth were they supposed to defend themselves if they weren't even consuming enough calories? How were they supposed to be strong to take care of their child? How were they supposed to feed her as well? "She should come over later," that was true. She was checking on them every few days no matter if she managed to buy them something or not. If she didn't get anything, she at least provided them with information. And that was crucial.
Later that day Nathalie came by with two shopping bags full of food. "I bought reserves. You know, the prices are going wild right now and the gas to get to the city isn't getting any cheaper," she said as she put the bags on the counter.
"To be honest, I thought that Burgesses of all the people shouldn't worry about prices. Government always paid you well," Sophie pointed out.
"Right, about that," she was clearly perplexed as she tried to avoid eye contact. "They're cutting my funds. Grandpa was called in for a meeting at the Tybur mansion."
"And he went there? Is he insane?!" Sophie's eyes widened. She only met Gustave once, but he came across as someone of good nature, someone who didn't deserve being around merciless creatures like Tyburs or their puppets Leitzes.
"What other choice did he have, Sophie? We were scared as hell. They could do anything to him and this all for my betrayal," she whispered, biting her lip as she tried to hold back her tears. Whenever she recalled it, she was getting surprisingly emotional.
As she said these words Levi and Sophie looked at each other with confusion in their eyes. It was one of these rare moments when they could communicate with one another without a single word as they wondered the same - did Nathalie agree to betray them? No, that was out of the question. She proved her loyalty, no one discovered their location after a whole year. It meant something. She wouldn't pretend this long. Besides, she loved Eric and Eric would never let any harm happen to Sophie and Levi.
"So...uhm, what did they talk about?" Sophie cleared her throat as she looked at Nat again.
"Exactly about that. How I put Marley in a bad position by helping you and Paradis. They demanded a punishment for me."
"What kind of punishment?" Levi furrowed, ready to protect Nathalie as well as she was a family's friend, almost a family member thanks to her relationship with Eric.
"Financial of course. What do you think we're talking about this whole time?" She rolled her eyes as she was getting upset just talking about it. "So, yeah. Not long after I moved away from the city grandpa called to inform me about this. Tyburs insisted on giving me the lowest salary. It's barely enough to survive, leaving hardly anything for my research and they force me to make frequent updates, otherwise they'll come and visit me and we can't risk that. They could find your house by accident," she sobbed as she broke down, finally telling them about everything she was dealing with in silence.
"We...we didn't know," Sophie said as she approached her and hugged her, which she returned. "I'm sorry Nat."
"One thing doesn't make sense to me," Levi admitted as he sat in front of the two of them. "Eric could expose their dirtiest secrets with the abilities he has. And yet they decided to turn their back on you and punish you? It's weird."
"Yeah. Just because of Eric they decided to punish me financially and not physically," she winced. "He was mad at them, you know? Threatened to expose them, but...what would happen next? I forbade him to do it."
They understood that. She didn't even have to explain. Love could make the person ready to sacrifice everything just to make the loved ones save. Sometimes it meant the greatest sacrifices, the ones that were forcing people to live in poverty or resign from the things they love. Sometimes it meant terrible suffering. Not everyone was cut for it.
"Right...so I guess you don't have any news about our passports, do you?" Levi asked, finding himself in a need to change the subject as he started feeling uncomfortable. He rather moved onto a different topic.
"No," she shook her head. "Oldin works on it, but...other things have consumed his attention," she said vaguely. She didn't want to give away the fact that he made documents for Erwin and Hange first, instead of them. "Speaking of it, there might be an issue with getting them for you now." She hated to bring this news to them, but someone had to. "They want to make blood tests designed specially for our clans to keep a track of us moving."
"Shit," he grunted as he clenched his fist. He got up from his seat and started walking back and forth in the room, thinking intensively. "They want to count us like sheeps or what the fuck?" He punched the wall due to anger and that's when Hope woke up, pulled from her sleep by the loud sound he made. Guilt was written all over his face as he rushed to his daughter's side and picked her up, rocking her in his arms. He didn't mean to wake her up like this. He didn't want her to wake up in the middle of an argument. "Daddy will take you outside, alright?"
"Y's," she mumbled as he stepped outside. He liked to spend time with her in the field, admiring nature. It was good for her immune system. He and Sophie hadn't been exposed to this as kids nor sunlight. He wanted his child to be able to enjoy what he couldn't. At least in that one thing her childhood was better than his.
When the two women were left alone Nathalie changed the subject as she got an impression that it would be appreciated. "It's good that he takes such good care of Hope. Not every father is capable of that, trust me on this one."
"I know he does. You don't have to tell me this," she reassured her.
"But you seem...excuse me for my directness, but sad. You seem sad when you look at him."
Sophie bit her lip as she looked down. She wondered whether she should say something or not. "I'm not sad, I just...I miss him."
"Meaning?" She was confused, not actually understanding. "He's with you this whole time and- oh, " she stopped talking as she realised what she meant. "When was the last time?"
Sophie cringed and immediately regretted talking about this as it felt like betrayal. Alas, she was really frustrated at this point and she needed someone to open up to. "Before Hope was born," she said quietly, embarrassed by it. But they seriously had no time to focus on one another, no place to be intimate without a worry that they would be seen by Hope and even if they had that place, they would have probably been too concerned about their daughter to just laser in on each other.
"Damn," she just mumbled. "That's it. I'm making Eric babysit with me for you guys."
"W-what?"
"Tonight. Me and Eric take care of Hope. You and Levi go for a walk or something, be together. We'll prepare dinner for you."
"Nat...come on," she shook her head as she tried to reason with her, but she was adamant about this one, partially because she felt slightly responsible for that as a person born in Marley.
"I don't even want to hear it. It's settled, deal with it."
﹡﹡✹﹡﹡
"That's stupid," Levi said as he saw Eric and Nat again the very same day. He had nothing against their visits, but to leave them with Hope? He was hesitant about it.
"Levi," Nathalie grunted and pulled him closer to say something only he would hear. "You need time with your wife, can't you see?" She asked and so he took a glimpse at Sophie, seeing how sheepish she looked, standing there and hoping that he would agree. What was he supposed to do? He wished to spend time with her as well, of course he did. Alas, the gripping pain he felt just thinking about separating with their daughter was hard to overcome.
"I promise to take care of Hope. You like uncle Eric, don't you?" Eric said to Hope and she eagerly nodded. "See?" He grinned. "We'll feed her, play with her and then put her to bed."
He still hesitated as it was hard to leave Hope with someone else, even trustworthy, for the first time. Fortunately, he was aware that this day would have to come anyway, so he figured that it was probably for the better to do it now. "But we won't go far from here and if anything happens you-"
"We'd inform you. Don't worry," Nathalie reassured him, using her most soothing tone. And with that being said, Nat and Eric pushed Sophie and Levi outside, closing the door behind them and leaving the two of them staring at one another.
Sophie was happy to be left alone with him, but the look on his face wasn't very promising. "Come on, it won't be bad. Hope needs to socialise," she tried to reason with him as she grabbed his hand and urged him to go with her for a walk.
"She socialises when they drop by with food," he grunted, but followed her anyway which she took as a good sign.
"You're so moody recently, I swear to god," she huffed as they climbed up the hill.
"Maybe I have my reasons."
"Meaning?" She almost turned to face him, but something else caught their attention. There was a blanket with a basket laying on the ground, close to the edge of the hill, but not enough to be afraid of falling down. There was also a note waiting for them and she recognized Eric's handwriting immediately.
"What does he say?" Levi asked.
"That they knew we would choose this path and that they're wishing us to have fun," she read the message.
"What are they thinking? That we're sort of teenagers?" He growled, but sat on the blanket anyway, crossing arms on his chest.
"Would it be so wrong to act like ones for one fucking moment?" She sat next to him and sighed with frustration. She rarely cursed and thus he looked at her with surprise. "We never got a chance to be like that. We were forced to be adults way too early."
"That's true," he gave her a sad smile and visibly relaxed as he urged her to get closer. "Come here," he asked and thus she rested her head on his shoulder, letting his hand gently rub her waist. "But we won't ever be carefree, you know that right? We have a child now, Soph. Plus, the situation in the world," his hand involuntarily clenched on her body due to anger. It was a reaction he couldn't help whenever he was thinking about it.
She kissed him suddenly, linking their lips in the most tender yet sweet kiss he ever experienced. His heart fluttered, being completely opposite to his words. He felt like a young man again, the man who was always serious but didn't have this much weight on his shoulders. The man that could only care about the person that was now kissing him, her tongue begging his own to reciprocate. How could he not? He was defenceless when it came to her. His hand slipped down to her hips and pulled her closer, causing her to sit astride on him. Just like she used to in the past.
He didn't know for how long this kiss lasted, but he was sure she stopped it way too soon for his liking. It felt like she unlocked the needs that he tried so hard to suppress for the last few months.
"What are your dreams?" She asked out of nowhere, catching him off guard as he didn't know how to react nor what her words were truly supposed to mean. "You can't sleep," she explained, seeing how confused he looked.
"It's nothing new really," he rolled his eyes, but she didn't let him fool her. She knew him too damn well at this point. He was part of her, a tissue on her body, a piece of her heart that was inextricable.
"You used to sleep well with me," she cooed as she cupped his face and gently stroked his cheeks and jaw. The soft brush of her fingers caused him shivers that he couldn't control nor the twitch in his crotch that made his pants feel tighter. "But nowadays you're tense, shifting in bed from one side to another and don't even make me start on all those times when you just pretend you're sleeping," she shook her head. "What are you dreaming about? What's going on?"
He bit his lip as he looked down. He was having a battle inside his own head, trying to decide whether to tell her or not. But oh, her fingers lingered on his body so nicely, her voice like a melody to his ears and her scent intoxicating enough to tell her everything, especially that they were alone for the first time in a year. This unexpected moment of privacy was godsend. "I'm worried. Soph, when I close my eyes I see...things. Terrible things," he shook his head, still avoiding her eyes. She frowned, but didn't say anything, letting him talk instead. He was finally opening up and she wasn't going to ruin that. "You and Hope...being chased and captured and-" he stopped as his voice started breaking. She pulled him even closer, locking him in her arms and caressing his back. "I'm afraid, Soph. Afraid that it's going to happen if we won't move the hell out of here and now that Nat told us about yet one more obstacle in getting out of here...I'm just...I'm terrified. I can't fucking breathe at times," he mumbled. God, it felt good to finally say that. Alas, it was weak of him to admit this all. It was weak to force his wife to share these concerns as he was sure she had plenty of her own that she didn't share with him as well, being smarter and more considerate than he was.
"Forget that I said anything. I'll take care of it."
"Levi," she sighed, urging him to finally look at her and he saw such determination in her eyes that it was electrifying. "I won't forget it and don't even suggest that. We're both in this and...I'm worried too. I want Hope to have a normal childhood and I fail at providing it," her voice got surprisingly high-pitched as she said that.
"Oi, we'll figure something out. Maybe Nathalie will develop something to fool their new tests and we'll get out. But we have to start working on it, Soph. I'm tired of sitting on my ass and hiding like a coward. We need to do something, we need to change this shit."
"We will," she promised. She kissed him one more time and smiled as he returned it eagerly.
The promise she made really calmed him down. He was secretly counting on it. Now that she met his expectations he was ready to use the opportunity of being alone together in the right way. In a way that they both were desperate for. He was ready to let his guards down for one night and feel true relief of holding the love of his life in his arms for the whole night.
He took control over their kiss as his hands quickly unbuttoned the loose shirt she was wearing. He urged it to fall down, exposing her bare arms and breasts. She wasn't wearing a bra these days, finding no point in it as they were alone in the woods, away from the city and people. "My beautiful," she whispered as he sucked on her neck, wandering down with his lips to her collarbone. She gasped and pulled him closer, her fingers tangled in his hair and messing it, but he didn't care. He was breathing her in, hoping to devour her completely. After such a long time he wanted to both make it last eternity and quickly get inside of her. Memories of all those times they were driving each other crazy in a good way filled his mind, putting the seal on what they were going to do tonight. "My only," he cooed, gently fondling her breasts. He almost forgot how nice it felt to touch them, how good it was to feel her erect nipples pressing on his palms. It was truly indescribable.
"Levi," she moaned as she felt his cock pressing on her. She rocked her hips on him just to feel the much needed friction again. The sound of her voice was making him drunk. He didn't remember when was the last time she said his name so softly yet powerfully. She had him under her spell, making him completely devoted. "I need you," words that worked like a charm, causing him to push his hips forward, letting them meet her own.
She reached for his shirt and urged him to take it off. She gulped as she saw his perfectly chiselled torso. She placed his hands on his chest and pushed him down. She was on top of him and her lips met his body, kissing and licking it in a way that was making him lose control. He was burning up, feeling how she was leaving wet traces of saliva on his body. "Such a tease," he managed to say, but she sucked on his lower abs, making him forget what he wanted to say next.
She smirked, realising how quiet he was right now, patiently waiting for her next move. Such a change, she was usually the submissive one, letting him be in control. It was probably going to be like this soon again, but she was going to enjoy every minute he was letting her do this. She sucked on this sensitive spot again as her fingers worked on unbuckling his belt and pulling his pants down.
Her heart fluttered seeing him exposed. It was already dark outside, stars and moon lighting their skins, giving them a beautiful shade that they weren't going to forget. Suddenly he clenched his hands on her body and switched their positions, hovering on top of her. Their lips close enough to kiss yet he stalled the moment, just brushing them with his own.
He placed her hands above her head and smiled, eyeing her up and down with pure adoration. She was his everything. She was the reason for all of his actions. Whether it was to stay in place or keep moving, it was all because of her. Even when it was causing a split in his mind, reasons contradicting one another...he was thankful for that as there couldn't be anything more beautiful, more worthy of appreciation. "You're my everything," he gasped, squeezing her hand a little tighter and she smiled at him. It was pure. It was good. It was more than he could've asked for. That unexpected moment of intimacy was cathartic, erasing every ugly feeling that could potentially stir trouble between them. Sometimes sex was the best solution, the greatest source of relief.
"Love me, Levi. Love me like I love you," she cried out, suddenly emotional. Whenever he trapped her in his arms and she laid under him, she was vulnerable. Emotionally naked, just for him. God, she almost forgot what it felt like.
She didn't have to say anything else. He understood as he felt the same. At that moment he was glad that she was able to make him put his worries aside and just be present, just be with her. He finally kissed her, sucking on her lower lip before his tongue explored her mouth, giving her much needed sensation. His taste was exquisite and so were his hands that were now pulling her pants down. As soon as he did it, his hands were placed on her thighs that were spreading so easily for him, inviting him to rest between them.
His cock was throbbing, eager to finally feel her inside, but he was dosing the pleasure. He just kept on rubbing her clit with his tip, letting her juices cover him. He was sliding easily, making her gasp with each movement. He was mesmerised just looking at her opened agape mouth and hazy eyes. At that moment he knew her mind was scorching, desperate for more, willing to submit to him entirely, even though he already knew that.
"Take me," she begged, a moaning mess with flushed cheeks their colour matching his own. "I'm yours, darling."
There was nothing else he wanted to hear. His tip finally slipped down, finding her hole. As he felt how wet she was there, he moaned himself unable to keep quiet. She was turning him on too much to control it right now.
"I'm yours too, Soph. My love," he whimpered as he buried his cock in her. He moaned lingeringly as her warmth coated him. It was just one push, yet it was enough to make him feel overstimulated. It had been so long since he entered her for the last time. "Fuck, you're s' good," he mumbled incoherently as he pushed himself further, exasparated to feel her better. He was sure that the blanket under them was drenched thanks to her excitement.
"Y-you're so good," she cried out as she placed her hands on his back and dug nails deep into his skin, showing him just how exquisite she felt. "L-Levi, please," she wasn't sure what exactly she begged for, but luckily he knew. Sometimes he felt like he knew her better than she knew herself.
He sped up, causing her to see starts with every movement. Her lower lip was almost bleeding because she was biting it so much, driven insane by the feeling of his girth forcing her walls to spread. She felt full. As she realised that, she felt her walls starting to clench around Levi's cock, milking him the way he loved. "Soph," he growled his warning as he didn't want to finish yet. He'd rather sink in her for eternity. Alas, it felt too good to last for long.
"Baby," she moaned into his ear, causing shivers down his spine as he picked up his pace, sliding in and out of her in rough movements that were causing her to see stars. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him even closer and causing his cock to only go deeper, reaching her most sensitive spot.
At this point she was desperately whimpering, which made him kiss her roughly. He wanted to silence her, despite loving the sounds she made. He just didn't want anyone to hear them, worries still present although less intrusive than before.
After a while he lost his pace and came with a gasp of relief before he laid limply next to her. His mind was finally empty, the only thing he was thinking of was the sky and its beauty, the joy of admiring it with the perfect woman by his side. "It was good," she chuckled, placing her head on his torso.
"It was great," he corrected her as he kissed her forehead, trying to calm himself down. "We need to do this more often."
"I agree," she giggled. "Seems like Eric and Nat will babysit for us again soon."
"It does," he smiled at her, urging her to sit on him again. "But now I'm gonna give you as much pleasure as you gave me," he teased, his cock close to her entrance again. She was excited just at the thought of it, smiling like she had no worries in her life, happy to get this one night of oblivion.