Author's note: hey there! Thank you immensely for all the votes and views. Due to high demand, between comments and messages, I caved and a part 2 was in order. Enjoy! Xoxo
Edit: so as I'm writing this second part out, I realized it's going to need a part 3 and maybe 4. So I will be doing those as well in between other little one shots. It's like a short story within other ones. :) also this ended up being longer than expected. And way more fluffier too. I apologize
Part Two
*************************************
"I do not condone this at all in the slightest," said Levi's voice behind you after you finished a clip of ammo from your new sidearm.
"Then don't watch," you replied flatly, raising your arms again and aiming.
It's been two and half weeks since your encounter with The Dark Angels and receiving your gunshot wound. For the most part, the skin was healed over but your private doctor warned you it would take a least a month to two for it to fully heal internally. You understood that, seeing that moving certain ways caused you tolerable pain. Even if it was endurable, you still found yourself wincing every twenty minutes.
The first week you were completely bed ridden, other than to use the restroom and to shower. As Levi promised you, he rarely left your side, to a point that you were annoyed with his presence hovering over you. He would wait outside the bathroom, ask if you needed help changing, and follow you around his house. Whatever room you were in, he was there. He refused to let you go home, fearing your injured state would leave you as an easy target for an attempted kidnapping and hostage situation in order to retrieve the Pink Rose. You understood his point but part of you felt guilty for crashing in his bed.
Another part of you knew that you did this to yourself. High off medication the first night, you admitted you were scared for your life and didn't want to be alone. Since then, Levi took it up himself to let you sleep in his bed with him. Nothing ever happened between you; most of the time you'd just lay there and talk until you fell asleep, usually keeping the largest gap possible between you two.
Well, that's not entirely true. You knew he moved himself to the chaise in his room to sleep once he thought you were. You figured it was out of respect for you. Several times you tried to get him to let you trade places so he could have his own bed but he outright refused to let a woman sleep on the couch.
Presently, you were in the headquarters' sound proof shooting range, testing your skills now that you had been injured. You would pitch a fit if you found that you had to be replaced if you couldn't maintain your near perfect accuracy. As much as you knew their skills were good, you weren't keen on letting Mikasa or Levi take over sniping. Levi, however, felt it was far too soon for you to be firing any weapons but you were tenacious. After a warm up round of bullets, you thankfully found your aim was as perfect as ever, but the issue was the kick on any gun was giving you waves of pain. You thought it was strange since your wound was in your torso, not your shoulders or arms.
"Enough." You had just finished emptying your forth clip from your handgun and had just reached out for your sniper rifle when Levi's hand was at your forearm, roughly pushing you to lower your gun.
You removed your earmuffs that drowned out the sounds of the gun firing while shooting Levi a warning glance. "What's your problem?"
"Don't be so damn stubborn," he said firmly. "You're in pain, it's written on your face. Give yourself more time-"
"I don't have time!" you cut in. "Who is to say we have time? We don't know what the hell the Dark Angels are doing and I need to be ready in case they strike. Injury doesn't take precedence over priority!"
Levi let out a very exasperated sigh. "Your life is a priority!!" His tone had raised and it was enough to make you recoil from reaching for the rifle again. "And you will be of no use to us if you end up hurting yourself more because of your pride."
He had a point, not that you were entirely willing to admit that.
"We know more than the Dark Angels do with the Pink Rose," continued Levi in a calmer tone. "So don't push yourself so hard."
Ever since you informed Erwin of Reiner's offhand comment about the ring being a key, he and Armin had been nonstop researching what that meant. Unsurprisingly, they figured out a lot of intel in a short span of time. From what you understood, the ring was a map, and the map marked four individual places around the world with specific coordinates.
The only way the ring would show the map is if it a beam of light, such as a laser light, hit the gem a certain way. It would then project an image of a world map. The four places marked were Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Osaka of Japan, Ensenada in Mexico, and finally Madrid in Spain. According to Armin's research, each place held a piece of what was called the Vault Key. Once the four pieces united, it could the open the Vault.
This is where the intel stopped. Despite their efforts, Erwin nor Armin were not able to figure out just what was in the Vault or where it was because there was nothing about the location. Although, you were surprised enough as it was for them to even figure out the ring was a map; information like that wouldn't be easily accessed by anyone.
You sighed through your nose; the last thing you wanted to do was piss Levi off anymore than you had. Since you were staying here with him and that he was your superior, technically, you felt it would be best to bow out of this fight.
"Alright, you win."
You were surprised to see him visibly relieved that you agreed to stop. Just as you were about to comment on this, a resounding doorbell sound filled the room. Both of you looked up automatically, knowing someone was at Levi's door upstairs.
"Were you expecting someone?" you asked curiously. If it were any of the Phantoms, they would have had a key to the house so they could get into the secret HQ underneath Levi's house.
"I wasn't."
He went over to the intercom system and pressed talk, looking wary. "Who is it?"
"Open up Shortie!!!" shouted a chipper voice on the other end. "I got some business with you. Lemme in, yeah?!"
Levi rolled his eyes and grumbled. "Yeah yeah, I'll be up in a second."
You followed Levi upstairs, perfectly aware of who it was and why Levi's mood dropped dramatically. You stifled your laugh as he was muttering to himself. You didn't hear much of it other than snippets of "ridiculous" and "don't have time."
Upon opening the door, you found the smiling, half-crazed face of Hanji Zoe, one of the lead detectives on The Phantoms case. Luckily for your team, your team's ally.
"What's up!" she said promptly.
Hanji was well aware of who every single person was in the Phantoms. From the beginning, she was sympathetic with the group's deeds, knowing your team stole things that were already stolen and sold for profit. She knew it was for a greater cause and therefore, did her best to make sure any leads on your identities remained a mystery. Your team needed this kind of ally within law enforcement to make sure none of you were ever caught and she provided inside information if the police get leads on anything of use to your team as well.
"Oh, you're here too (f/n)? Good, because I've got some news for you toooo," said Hanji, practically shoving right past Levi and walking to his kitchen.
"Oi! I didn't invite you in, Four-Eyes!" Levi snapped, slamming the door shut. "Where's your manners?!"
"Manners schmanners!" called Hanji, opening up his fridge and gazing into it for a minute. "Ooooh pizza. I'm eating this!"
Levi attempted to open his mouth but you touched his shoulder to urge to him leave her be. Hanji was a person who could irritate Levi just by looking at her and you didn't want him to snap at her for no reason. At your meaningful gaze, he ground his teeth together and took to standing at the island counter.
"What do you want? I'm a very busy man-"
Hanji whipped around, a slice of cold pizza flopping in her mouth. "No you're not. You haven't been to work in over two weeks, claiming you're on a vacay. But I know the truth! You're taking care of (f/n)'s gunshot wound."
Levi's work. How did you forget about that? You had been so wrapped up in his presence, it completely slipped your mind. He was a chief executive of a prestigious software company and you didn't think he had the time or the liberty to not be at work; maybe he was working from here but that seemed unlikely. You yourself were just a bartender at a upscale club and you made good money but you had to call out sick for obvious reasons.
But another thought occurred to you before the wave a guilt hit you. "How'd you know I was shot?" you asked.
Hanji chewed thoughtfully. "Between bullet casings littering the roof of that mansion, your DNA found on a destroyed earpiece, and your blood all over the grounds..." She paused and you felt the color leave your face. "Well, I put two and two together and realized you were shot. Some witness saw the Dark Angels fleeing the scene so I didn't think you were shot by a cop."
"What about her DNA?" said Levi before you could.
"Taken care of!" sang Hanji dismissively. "All of it destroyed and the police are under the assumption it's the Phantoms doing to keep their identity secret. It was difficult to do without leaving tracks so you may thank me now!"
You breathed easy again and put your head in your hands. That was close. Not that it was entirely your fault for being shot, but that would have made things incredibly complicated if you were the suspect of the heist.
"And the Dark Angels?" you said finally. "What about Annie and the others?"
Hanji frowned once she swallowed her last bit of pizza. "They have always been hard to track," the detective replied. "If you guys can't find them, police definitely won't. Oooh they're just too good at hiding."
You knew that, of course, but you were hoping someone had a lead. However, it seemed the Dark Angels disappeared without a trace. You figured they'd remain that way; the police are aware of their identities so they couldn't exactly hold down jobs or make themselves known.
Hanji only stayed for another fifteen minutes; apparently the only reason she came by was to check on you since you never checked into a hospital (she investigated that) and to relay info about your DNA. Levi thought it was just to annoy him. Although she was an ally of the Phantoms, neither of you told her what the reason the clash with the Dark Angels was for. She knew it was over the ring, but didn't know it wasn't about money. She and the Phantoms had an unspoken understanding that she would never know the full story for any heist, not if she didn't want to get too involved and threaten her life.
"That woman exhausts me," growled Levi, collapsing onto the couch and pinching the bridge of his nose. "She could have just called."
"Could have been wiretapped," you replied offhandedly. Levi looked up with you with a strange expression.
"True."
You glanced at the clock for the time. "Well, I'll make lunch. We can discuss planning while eating."
Twenty minutes later you had simple sandwiches made for the both of you and laid it on the counter top for Levi.
"So, when your back is fully healed, we can make a trip to Madrid-" he began.
"No way, you and I are going to Rio!! Carnival is next month!" you protested. "Make Eren and Armin go to Madrid."
Levi held a stoic gaze at you. "This isn't a damn vacation. We have business to attend to."
You automatically pouted. "You're honestly no fun at all, jeeze," you sighed and turned to open the fridge to pour yourself some iced coffee you made this morning. Unbeknownst to you, Levi was grinding his teeth together behind you, having a mental battle with pleasing you and business.
"We always are so serious around here," you were saying to the fridge, moving stuff around. "Mikasa and Jean are in Osaka right now and she is having the time of her life! Her Instagram posts are killing me too. Here look at her pictures."
"I don't want to..." said Levi, annoyed.
"Too fuckin bad," you replied with a good natured smile. You clicked on her most recent post, one of Jean looking like a complete idiot trying to eat with chopsticks with the caption reading: "Pony Boy's daily struggles with Asian culture. #WhiteBoyProblems."
Levi snorted.
"See? See! You just laughed so you can't disagree with me! Let's go to Rio! Pull some strings and get us a hotel." You found yourself almost begging. "Please! Carnival is the perfect time to search for the Vault Key piece. Everyone will be totally distracted with everything else."
Levi flicked you hard across the forehead. "You'll be the most distracted, you fucking tourist."
With a hand at your head, you frowned playfully. He did not understand that you were not giving this up, not until he caved. You didn't care how obstinate Levi was, you'd break him.
"Levi," you whined, flashing puppy dog eyes. He ignored your despairing look and picked up your empty plate to wash. "Please!"
"No."
You started poking him in the back, to which he did not respond to. "But I really wanna go. Please let's go to Rio. Madrid is lame this time of year. Think of Carnival!!"
"No."
You didn't give up and starting tailing him around the house. Every time you pleaded with him he would refuse. So you upped your tactics and resolved to be so annoying to him that'd he would have to say yes.
"You're such a child!!!" he shouted from behind the toilet room door. You were on the ground, lips near the crack between the tile and the bottom of the door. "I can't even take a shit in peace!"
"Pretty please!" you whined into the gap. "CARNIVAL, LEVI!! CARNIVAAAAALLL!!"
You did not stop your relentless begging and the door swung open. Levi ignored you, promptly stepping over your body and went to wash his hands. You followed him, tugging on his shirt and staring at him through the mirror.
"It'd mean so much to me. I promise to work hard while there, I swear. Please please please please!!"
"For christ sake, shut up already!" said Levi, exasperated beyond reasoning now. "I'll take you to fucking Rio. Just stop acting like a twelve year old! You're making my ears bleed."
You leapt up with a happy yell, punching the air in triumph. It only took an hour for him to give into you and you a mental note of that. However, at the sharp movement, your side ached and you winced painfully.
"Dumbass," chuckled Levi dryly. "That's what you get for being fucking annoying."
**********************************
"Oi! Stop being a goddamn tourist for three seconds and help me out here!"
Levi and you had just stepped out of a shabby cab in front of a fancy hotel, the sun having just set across the Brazilian sky. It was a month later, your back fully healed and as promised, you and Levi standing in Rio de Janeiro during Carnival week. You found yourself enamored with all the festivities going on around you but Levi was all business as usual. There was a light of pure excitement in your eyes. It's been a long time since your last mission around the world. The last one had been a year ago in Hong Kong...and your team had a run in with the mafia there, but that was irrelevant.
"Right, sorry!!" You promptly ran back over to Levi by the cab and picked up your two bags.
The two of you were able to check in upon ten minutes of setting foot into the hotel and you both were given hotel key cards. Hotel employees offered to bring up your bags but Levi refused, having some trust issues with that for some weird reason you didn't know.
It was decided that the rest of night and tomorrow, you two would do some sight sightseeing and then the day after you would visit the Carnival Parade for a little before getting to work on locating the Vault Key piece.
Mikasa and Jean were able to locate the one hidden in Osaka and Eren and Armin just returned from Madrid two days ago with the second piece. Jean couldn't get the time off work but the other three would be off to Ensenada next month for the final piece. There was no intel found yet on where the Vault was located and Erwin was still trying to break that wall down. There was even less news of where the Dark Angels were hiding. Although, they seemed like such a small issue now compared to this grand mission the Phantoms were embarking on.
"Oh wow, you went all out with the accommodations," you noted as you stepped into the room. It was as luxurious as everything else, equipped with amazing living space, technology, and a bathtub you'd kill for.
"I'm not extravagant, it was the only one left in the time frame we had," said Levi in deadpan, dropping his bags by the bed. "Thanks to someone who so desperately wanted to see Carnival..."
You hesitated, not aware of his jab and noticing something that shouldn't really bother you. "Only one bed....?"
Levi turned to you, seeing you look uncomfortable. He let a wide smirk play across his lips. "Oh, did you think you'd get to come with me on all expenses paid trip without returning some sort of favor? Especially after being annoying as hell about it."
You slapped him hard on the arm. "Oh shut up."
He sort of laughed. "I am joking, of course," said Levi. It actually did not sound like a joke at all but you didn't point that out. "You shouldn't have an issue. We shared a bed for three weeks straight. Why are you suddenly shy now?"
"Because you always moved to the couch," you replied, avoiding his eyes. "...it's fine. The bed is huge anyways."
"That's what I thought."
You flopped down on the pillows, taking in a deep breath as Levi disappeared into the bathroom to rinse off. He had been complaining since landing in Brazil about how humid it was.
You closed your eyes, listening to the drumming of the water and letting your mind wander. Ever since the day Annie shot you, there hasn't been a single day where you weren't with Levi at any point of time. Once you were mostly healed, he let you go home but made daily unannounced appearances to check on you. You found it endearing, even if he did do some annoying things around your apartment. He slept over a handful of times too, using the couch in the living area.
"Do you remember what you said to me the day after you were shot, (f/n)?" called Levi's voice from the open bathroom. "When you were high off your ass on pain killers."
You opened your eyes and stared at the ceiling, wondering why he was bringing something up from over a month and half ago. "I remember some stuff..." You were thoughtful for another second and then laughed. "Oh yeah...I said you were hot."
There was an indignant snort in the other room before Levi came out in just a towel again. You were used to this by now, having been accustomed to his brazen behavior. It didn't even faze you anymore, even if his body was extremely attractive.
"No, you said handsome. 'Hot' is degrading."
You rolled your eyes. "Whatever."
"Do you remember what you asked me right after that?" Levi gazed at you with a very pointed look, pausing in drying his hair.
You raised an eyebrow and sat up. "Something about sleeping in the bed with me and I don't really remember anything after that. Why?"
"Tch." He turned away again to dig through his bag for clothes. "I'm not surprised you forgot. You asked me to kiss you."
"Whaaaaat!?" you exclaimed, aware of how suddenly hot it was in the room. "Why would I-? I did not! Did I!? Seriously!?"
"You did." He chuckled, albeit a little humorlessly. "You were acting all coy about it too. It was nauseating."
"Why are you even bringing this up?!" you snapped, embarrassed that you would say something so stupid.
"I was just curious if you remembered our conversation." He said it with such finality that you wondered if he was maybe trying to get at something. You didn't press the issue though.
"You didn't, right?"
Levi paused from returning to the bathroom, glancing at you with a mischievous grin. "I thought about it."
"Oh hah hah," you grumbled as he disappeared. "I hate you."
You heard him laugh quietly.
The rest of the day was spent in a relaxed state, heading out to the nearest little market to try some local food. You wanted to hit the beach at some point but Levi refused to gallivant around in the dark with you.
Finally, after some of your tried and true nagging, he agreed to it. This did not stop him, however, of complaining every step of the way about the sand and the humidity of the night air. You ignored him, of course, running around and straight to the water, clothes and all.
Levi made some snide comments about you being a kid but you were just happy to be here with him. Enjoying the warm waters and the still warm sand between your toes felt so refreshing compared to home. To get payback for him being mean, you leapt into Levi's back when he was on the phone with Erwin, your soaking body getting him wet.
"What the hell!" Levi was shouting, somehow managing to get you off him and into a sloppy bridal hold. You knew you really pissed him off but you wanted him to lighten up. "I'm all fucking wet, you little shit."
Levi promptly threw you ungracefully into the sea and returned to his phone call.
"Sounds like you're having fun," Erwin's smug voice said from the other side.
"Whatever," Levi grumbled, keeping an eye on you. "Just call me back if you get more intel. I have a small child to punish right now."
He ended the call and rounded on you, causing you to yelp at the menacing look. You ran off in the other direction, yelling playfully as you went.
After your fill of the beach, you agreed to head back to the hotel to appease the man who paid for everything. He wasn't very outdoorsy and you knew that this was all to accommodate your need to have fun. As the night wore on, you could tell by his grumpier than normal attitude that he was hungry. It also didn't help that he was wet and sandy.
You two hit the hay pretty early, feeling jetlagged from the flight, so you could have an early start tomorrow. Like all the times you had before, you laid in the bed together, talking about nothing and everything until you fell asleep. In the morning, you found he had not moved to the couch and you secretly found yourself grateful for this.
You always felt safe with Levi, like nothing would ever be able to hurt you again. You sincerely enjoyed his company, even if he was picking on you most of the time about trivial things. It was strange how the last two months of being together nonstop made you almost need his presence.
The new day was spent visiting Christo the massive sculpture of Jesus that Rio was known for, as well as wandering through the city during Carnival week. You did a little shopping, much to Levi's displeasure, and continued on throughout the day bickering constantly.
Levi kept you focused, to some degree; every time he turned around, he found you either snapping pictures or speaking excitedly with locals about Carnival. Little did you know, the more he watched you, the more he felt that strange feeling in his stomach.
There was always a bright look in your eyes, the way you would get excited about random, little things. You really did have the heart of a child sometimes, but he was weirdly attracted to it. You took your work seriously, be it bartending or thief work, but he liked that you felt at ease to be yourself around him and your team. In a way, you provided a sense of warmth and innocence.
"Hurry it up, (f/n)! We have a sunset to catch!" Levi called as you had stopped at a little jewelry stand.
You turned to him as he was hailing a cab of some kind. "What? That's like three hours from now,"you replied once you caught up to him.
Levi opened the door for you of the Jeep, smiling slyly. "Don't ask questions," he said as you climbed in. "Your ass was begging to sightsee so I'm doing my best here."
You eyed him curiously. Levi never really went out of his way for anything or anyone so you wondered why he was making such an effort now. You recalled earlier how badly he wanted to just stay in the room.
Levi turned to the driver and spoke something in another language, catching you off guard. "You speak Spanish?" you asked, amazed. You thought you knew a lot about Levi, but were never aware of his linguistic skills.
He shook his head. "It's Portuguese," he corrected, looking smug. "Other than English, I know Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian. They're all relatively similar. I can get by conversationally with French but I wouldn't say I'm fluent."
You found your mouth slightly agape while you stared at him. Levi reached over with a brief laugh, using a finger at the bottom of your chin to close your jaw.
"Surprised?"
You narrowed your eyes at him. "I guess I shouldn't be," you sighed, looking out at the passing scenery. It was an open air jeep so the wind was ripping through your hair. "Mr. Perfect strikes again!"
"Tch..." Levi let out a huff. "Hardly."
The hour long drive to wherever you were going was filled with amiable small talk. The topic ranged anywhere to your bartending job to the Dark Angels to Levi's personal life.
On that topic, you found yourself highly curious and had every intention to dig into it.
"Oh c'mon," you said, turning to face him fully. "I mean, yeah, you're kind of an ass and you're sometimes super emotionless about things, but I'm sure all the women at your work are all over you! They've gotta be!"
Levi held a doubtful and near disgusted expression. "What gives you that impression? Are you simply basing that off my looks?"
You opened your mouth before shutting it quickly. You actually wanted to say yes but then realized that could be offensive to him...maybe. "Well," you hesitated, "yeah....partially. But I meant because you're so successful too. And I don't know, some girls like the asshole type because a lot of them have a really sweet side in them. That, or maybe the sexual attraction is high in them."
For the first time all day, Levi laughed genuinely, having not taken any offense to being labeled "the asshole type."
"I'd prefer the latter to the former."
"Ugh, of course you would," you sighed, realizing this was getting no where. He was never going to tell you why he didn't date anyone. You knew it was not any of your business though and probably shouldn't have pried. "God, you're such a closet perv."
You stared at the greenery again while Levi gazed at you. The feelings he had been wrestling with for months came rushing forth like a wave inside him and he nearly broke the silence. However, he remained motionless and settled to look at your face for a while. There were a lot of things he wanted to say to you, but he had never honestly been very good with his emotions and therefore, kept them under wraps. Not like you; your emotions were always prevalent in your expressions, work mode aside. You were the easiest person to read.
In some ways, he did not like the way you made him feel. That was largely why he had been so quiet about them for as long as he has. Levi did not like that you occupied his mind the majority of his day, nor did he like that he was always worried about your well-being. He had this strong desire to take care of you and shield you from the world's dangers, especially because you seemed so childish at times.
"I'll tell you why..." he said finally. You turned again, eyebrow raised. "But you have to wait until sunset."
He was sure most women would have gotten that dropped hint easily but you were as naive as they come, it seemed. All you did was smile brightly and agreed to wait before plowing into how excited you were to see a Brazilian sunset.
******************************
With a last burst of speed, you sprinted up the last bit of the hour long hike Levi took you on to the top Pedra da Gávea, a large stone mountain in the Tijuca forest just outside Rio. Supposedly, this was a hike most would take as a tour but you and Levi were fit enough to trek it alone.
The entire way up, you had been running around and taking pictures. Any time you aimed at Levi, he gave his signature stoic expression. One of the posts you put on Instagram with his annoyed face was captioned with "Levi Ackerman having the time of his life. Clearly. #HeHatesMe."
The only look you were able to catch with your camera other than a bored countenance was his infamous smirk.
"Jeeze, you look like you're daring the camera to have sex with you!" you had noted when scrolling through your pictures. "What is this? Your bedroom eyes?"
"Don't compare me to Kirschtein," was his snippy reply.
Presently, you two had made it to the top, only a handful of other tourists up there with you. According to Levi, sunset was twenty minutes away and you chose to sit down at one of the empty benches. Levi sat down next to you, stretching out his arms along the back. There was a long silence that passed through you but you liked how comfortable it felt.
"Hey, Levi?" you said quietly, gazing at the sky.
"Hmm?"
"Thank you." Your voice was sincere and gentle. "For everything. Not just this trip but for taking care of me for the last two months. You obviously didn't have to but you've been so good to me and I don't really deserve it."
Levi shook his head and smiled slightly while staring out at the expanse of sea and sky before him. "You deserve it," he replied, uncharacteristically soft. "You should know I wouldn't go out of my way for just anyone."
"You don't go out of your way for anyone period. Which is why it's is weird that you've done it for me."
Levi glanced at you. "You're the only exception."
There was a strange swooping sensation in the pit of your stomach but you ignored it.
"I guess I'm like a little sister to you, huh?" you laughed uneasily.
Levi completely turned his head to you, catching you by surprise with how serious he looked. "I do not see you as a little sister, (f/n)," he said firmly. "That is far from what I feel."
You stared at him, feeling heat rise in your cheeks with the way he was staring into your eyes. "But..." you hesitated, very suddenly aware of how nervous you felt, even if you could not quite place the feeling. "You're always calling me a child!"
Without warning, Levi's warm lips were on yours and you made a noise of astonishment. His hand was behind your head, as if to stop you from pulling away and his kiss was gentle. You had little time process what had happened, much less respond to him, before he pulled away from you.
"I only see you as a woman."
Your wild eyed stare didn't break and your heart was pounding violently in within the walls of your chest. Being kissed by Levi was the last thing you were expecting to ever happen.
"Granted, I see a woman who has the mentality of a teenaged girl at times but a woman nonetheless," said Levi, his smirk growing wider.
With no other way to react, you buried your red face in your hands to hide. You let out a series of noises, to which Levi had no clue what you were saying.
"Oi! Stop being so shy and look at me."
You shook your head and moaned. Levi sighed, feeling impatient to know if you felt the same. He reached out and pulled your hands away, finding your face so red he nearly laughed.
"This is what I meant by teenaged girl," he said flatly. "I can't believe you're embarrassed."
You realized now that everything he has done in the last several months, even before you were shot, had been obvious signs about how he felt about you. How could you be so completely oblivious? Maybe because it was Levi and not someone other guy that you assumed he couldn't possibly hold any sort of affection for you.
"I'm so dumb!!" you whined. "I had no idea!!! I thought it was all just some weird brotherly affection or something!"
Levi chuckled. "Imagine my struggles."
Without thinking, you buried your face in his chest. You really didn't want him to see your red face right now.
"This is kind of surreal..." you whispered, eyes closed and listening to the wind. You felt his hand touch your hair.
"Why? Did you think I was incapable of feeling this way for someone?"
You didn't reply immediately. "...Actually, I had hoped you were," you admitted. "In a way, I wanted you to always be my side and protect me, not that I can't take care of myself, but I knew if you were ever to fall in love with someone, you wouldn't always be there anymore. It's selfish, but that's the truth."
"I promised you though."
Confused, you sat up. "Promised me what?"
"That I would never leave you. You made me promise." Levi stroked your cheek, surprising you with how completely gentle he was.
"When did I say that!?"
Levi smirked and stood up, noticing the sun was about to set. He held out a hand to you. "Well, you were high. And were falling asleep."
You face palmed at your stupidity as you walked hand in hand with him to the edge of the cliff.
"Ugh, I'm such an idiot."
The sky was lit with beautiful orange and light purple hues, the clouds creating dramatic rays, just as the sun was setting on the horizon of the sea. Never in your life did you think you'd get to see something so beautiful, especially not with the knowledge of Levi holding feelings for you.
He turned to you. "I'll just say it outright and I'm only going to say it once so don't make me repeat it."
Again, heat rushed to your cheeks. "You really don't have to..."
"Please be quiet," he said, his arms crossed and looking a little grim. You were sure this was not very easy for him. He was horrible with emotions and it was apparent in how uncomfortable he looked. It's one thing to kiss a woman but another to say how he felt with words.
With a heavy sigh, he averted his gaze for a second.
"I am in love with you. I can't really promise that I won't hurt you because I'm sure I will," he said. "But I can promise to protect you and that I will never intentionally hurt you.... I love you."
You smiled kindly at him, amused with how aloof he looked even while confessing.
"Fuck, that was the hardest thing I've ever had to do," he sighed. "Say something to make me feel better."
"Pfft!" you laughed before you kissed his lips quickly. "Well...I'm glad I have you in my life, Levi. I'm grateful to always be by your side. I never knew that the man I couldn't stand seven years ago would be someone I cared about so much now.... And I love you. I didn't even realize I did until now but...I do."
Levi unfolded his arms finally and wrenched you into an embrace. The two of you continued to watch the sun set for a long time after, sharing intimate kisses every so often.
However, what you weren't aware of was the danger of what lay before you. The Vault was still a mystery.