Author's Note: Thank you all for 100K reads! To celebrate, I decided to revisit one of my early stories from a different point of view. If you ever wondered what Levi was thinking during "Carnevale", here is your chance to find out! :)
Levi sat alone in his office, working through the mound of paperwork that Erwin had assigned to him, when a soft knock sounded on the door.
"Name and business?" he grumbled while scratching his signature at the bottom of a page.
"It's me," a familiar voice responded. "(F/n). May I come in?"
Levi's breath hitched, but he quickly got it under control. Lately, he had been getting strange feelings when he was around (f/n). After several weeks of trying to shove them away, he was finally forced to admit that he was in love with her.
However, he was too nervous to say anything about it. That was another new feeling for him – nervousness. But it couldn't be helped. He had never even come close to a romantic relationship before. He had no idea how they worked, or what he was supposed to do. On top of all that, Levi thought that (f/n) likely wouldn't return his feelings, and he didn't want to make things awkward between them, both as her superior and as her friend.
He cleared his throat, then replied levelly, "Yes."
He heard his door open and close as she entered, but he kept his eyes glued to the document in front of him. He was afraid that he might do something stupid if he looked at her – like blushing, or forgetting how to speak.
"You look busy," she observed casually. "Do you want any help with that?"
"No, thank you," he grumbled. The longer he was alone with her, the more opportunity he had to embarrass himself.
"Okay then," she responded, and an awkward silence filled the room.
A moment later, she murmured, "Um, Levi...the whole squad is going to the Carnevale festival tonight, and I was wondering...would you like to join us?"
Ah yes, that was tonight. Carnevale. The most atrocious festival of the year. Trost always threw an outrageous party for the occasion, complete with food, dancing, and music that spanned the entire city. These annual festivities had a reputation for getting quite out-of-hand as the night progressed, which was what Carnevale was all about.
Naturally, Levi hated it. Raucous social gatherings had always given him a headache, and Carnevale was the most raucous of them all. Levi couldn't imagine a worse way to spend his time than by fighting through the crowds of drunk, masked partygoers all night long.
He was pretty sure that he already told his squad that he wasn't going, but perhaps (f/n) was just trying to be nice. "No," he muttered simply.
She sighed quietly, and Levi thought he detected a hint of disappointment in her tone. Involuntarily, his chest tightened at that sound. He never wanted (f/n) to be disappointed. And he certainly never wanted to be the cause of it.
"Well, if you change your mind..." She crossed the room and placed something on his desk. "...the carriage will be here at eight."
After that, she quickly walked out the door. Only then did Levi glance up to see what she had left for him.
It was a mask – elegant, bird-like, yet masculine. Levi had to admit that the intricate craftsmanship was stunning. Had (f/n) bought this for him?
He rose from his desk and walked into the adjoining bedroom, stopping in front of the small mirror on the wall. Tentatively, he secured the mask over his face, then looked into the glass.
The mask was the exact color of his eyes.
Had (f/n) intended that? It seemed too perfect to be a coincidence. If that were the case, then not only had she bought a mask for him, but she had also taken a lot of care when choosing it.
Levi's chest tightened a little more, warring with his determination not to go to the party. Sure, he would probably have a terrible time, but (f/n) went to all this trouble. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. After all, he would get to spend the entire night with (f/n)...
No. That was exactly why he couldn't go. If he went with her, if he let himself relax around her, he might slip up and reveal his true feelings. At the very least, he would probably do something embarrassing. Not to mention, the rest of his squad would be there. He couldn't afford to get flustered in front of them. He was their superior, after all.
Levi returned to his desk, pulling the mask off of his head. He would pay (f/n) back for it later. But there was no way he could go to Carnevale with her.
Yet, as he continued working his way through the files on his desk, he couldn't stop himself from periodically glancing at that mask. And he couldn't shake the nagging sensation that he should go to the party anyway.
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The clock struck eight, and Levi loosed a breath. Well, that was that. (F/n) and the rest of his squad would be gone by now. And he wasn't going with them.
But maybe it wasn't too late...
Once again, his eyes were pulled to that grey-blue mask on his desk. He gritted his teeth, fighting against that nagging sensation that had been hounding him for the past few hours. Sure, (f/n) had gone to a lot of trouble to get it, and she would probably be disappointed...but he was not going. He was not going. He was...
Damn it, he was going.
With a soft growl, Levi grabbed the mask and stormed off to change.
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Levi piled out of the carriage with Hanji and her group. He had been lucky enough to hitch a ride with her. And after he had explained that he was trying to catch up with his squad, she was all too happy to let him join.
Hanji waved goodbye to him as she and her group disappeared into the crowd. Now all he had to do was find (f/n).
However, he was struck by the sheer impossibility of that task as his eyes took in the full extent of the festivities. The entire city was fair game for the party. There were street bands, food stalls, and games set up everywhere. How was he supposed to find (f/n) amongst this mess?
He thought for a moment, trying to determine (f/n)'s most likely course of action. Then he remembered that she loved dancing, so he asked the nearest shopkeeper where someone would go if they wanted to dance. The man pointed him in the direction of the square, saying it was the biggest dance floor in the whole city. Levi thanked him and headed off.
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When the shopkeeper said that this was the biggest dance floor in the entire city, he wasn't kidding. There must have been hundreds of people here. Locating (f/n) was going to be like finding a needle in a haystack. It didn't help that most of these people were taller than him, and he couldn't see over their masked heads.
Steeling himself, Levi began pushing his way through the crowd. Walls, this was disgusting. All these strangers, reeking of alcohol and covered in sweat. He was going to have to take a minimum of three showers just to feel clean again.
After what felt like an hour of searching, Levi saw a flash of color out of the corner of his eye. A shade of grey-blue that perfectly matched the mask on his face.
He turned, and there she was.
The feathered mask over her eyes was a more feminine version of his own. It glinted under the city lights as she danced and danced, clearly having the time of her life.
Levi glanced around. He didn't see the rest of his squad, so they all must have gone off somewhere. Just as well. At least he wouldn't have an audience if he made a fool out of himself with (f/n).
Relaxing a bit now that he had found her, he stopped for a moment, content to just watch her dance. She looked so happy, and the sight made his heart flutter.
All of a sudden, she tripped over another dancer's foot, and Levi mentally cursed as he rushed to catch her before she fell on the unforgiving pavement.
He grabbed her waist just in time. "Tch. You need to be more careful, brat," he muttered.
Her wide eyes slowly rose to meet his.
Heat flooded Levi's cheeks as he realized the position they were in. Thankfully, he had the mask to hide his blush from (f/n). He quickly set her on her feet and pulled his arm away.
"C-Captain, I..." she stuttered, clearly surprised to see him.
He held up a hand. "No formalities, (f/n)," he insisted. "This really isn't the place for it."
"...I thought you didn't want to come," she finished weakly, though her voice was still louder than normal, trying to be heard over the roar of the music.
Levi gritted his teeth. "I didn't. But, well, you went to all the trouble..." He trailed off as he gestured to the mask she had given him.
"Oh. That," she murmured. "It was nothing. I didn't mean for you to feel obligated –"
"Well, I'm here," he clipped, cutting her off. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel bad about all of this, especially when he had only come here to make her happy. And speaking of...
"So..." he stammered, glancing away as he held out a hand, "...should we...I mean..." Walls, he was pathetic. He couldn't even ask her to dance.
However, it seemed that (f/n) understood, regardless. She took his hand, giving him a smile that stopped his heart. "I would love to!"
The next hour was the best of his life. The proximity of the other revelers gave him an excuse to hold (f/n) close while they danced, which caused butterflies to flutter endlessly around his stomach. He didn't feel quite comfortable with the "rave" style of dancing that the rest of the crowd was adhering to, so he went with something a little more...respectful. Elegant. He hoped that (f/n) liked it. At the very least, she looked like she was having fun.
As the night went on, Levi noticed that the crowd was getting progressively wilder. He tried to ignore it and focus on (f/n). But then someone rammed into her from behind, and she fell forward into his chest. Her mouth opened as if to apologize, but she stopped.
Levi suddenly realized how close their lips were – close enough to share a breath.
His gaze drifted to her stunning, (e/c) eyes. She looked up at him a second later, and the rest of the world seemed to fade away. He could feel his heart start to pound as her eyelids fluttered, as she leaned up to meet him. He tilted his head...and was suddenly knocked to the side as a drunken partier crashed into him.
Levi shoved the filthy man away, glaring as he stumbled off in another direction. Anger and disappointment bloomed in his chest. Not only had his personal space been violated, but it had happened at the worst possible moment. He had been so close to...
Heat flooded his cheeks, and he was once again grateful that the mask covered his blush.
On the other hand, maybe it was better this way. The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that he must have imagined the way (f/n) leaned into him, the longing in her eyes. Yes, that had to be it, because there was no way that this perfect woman had been about to kiss him. Stupid.
(F/n)'s melodic voice yanked him out of his thoughts. "Do you want to go?" she asked, clearly sharing his discomfort with their current surroundings. Even though she was shouting, the crowd was so noisy that it was difficult to hear her.
Levi nodded and followed her out of the mob. She was taller, especially since she was wearing heels, and could therefore spot the quickest path to a less-smothering location. A minute later, they escaped onto a side street that was still teeming with people, but at least there was enough room for the two of them to walk without bumping into anyone.
"Where to now?" (f/n) asked.
"Your call," Levi told her. "I've never been to one of these before."
"Let's try to get away from the crowd – maybe find a place to sit down," she suggested.
Levi was filled with gratitude. Of course, he would have done anything she wanted, anything to make her happy, but he was glad that it didn't involve more drunk strangers.
It took several more blocks of walking, but the two of them finally found a small, empty park with a bench to sit on. Levi sat down beside (f/n) as she slipped off her heels. She rubbed her feet together and winced.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Mhm. I just need a few minutes. Heels probably weren't the best choice for tonight, but...well, I wanted to look pretty," she admitted quietly. Her eyes fell to the ground. "Silly, right?"
"No. I mean...you look nice," Levi mumbled. Then his nerves took over, and he quickly snapped, "Just don't expect me to carry you back to the barracks."
She chuckled, familiar enough with his personality by now to know that he didn't intend to be harsh. "Of course not."
A comfortable silence descended around them both. After taking a moment to gather his courage, Levi looked at (f/n) out of the corner of his eye and asked the question that had been gnawing at him ever since he saw her in the square. "Did you intend for our masks to match?"
She winced. "That obvious, huh?"
Levi took that as a yes. However, he didn't say anything, giving her the chance to explain.
"I guess, when I bought them...I was hoping that we could go to the party...t-together," she elaborated softly before turning her head away in embarrassment.
Levi felt his heart skip a beat. She had wanted to go to the party with him. Together. So...did that mean...?
"(F/n), look at me," he whispered.
Slowly, she dragged her gaze back to meet his. He turned to face her fully, and he couldn't help but admire the smoothness of her hair, the soft curve of her lips, her stunning (e/c) eyes that stared back at him from behind her mask...
Levi brought a hand up to cup her face, brushing his thumb across her mask where it rested on top of her cheekbone. He couldn't resist the urge to lean in closer.
"You chose well," he murmured. "But..." He moved slowly, giving her the chance to stop him if she wished. "I like you better without the mask," he finished as he slipped it off her head.
Levi gazed at her intently, memorizing every detail that was revealed to him. "Beautiful," he breathed.
As if in a trance, (f/n) slowly reached up and slid his own mask off. Time seemed to stop as they stared at each other. And he was unable to hold back any longer.
Levi kissed her, conveying with his lips what he had been afraid to say all this time. He loved her. He loved her. He loved her so much.
Almost instantly, (f/n) melted into him, as if she had been wanting this just as desperately as he had. His hands cupped her cheeks, holding her close, never wanting to let go.
Only a lack of oxygen caused the two to pull away. Levi's lungs finally remembered how to breathe as he softly gasped for air.
"This is probably obvious, but," he mumbled, a faint blush creeping onto his cheeks, "I love you, brat."
Her answering look was one of pure awe. "I love you too, Levi," she breathed, sending the butterflies in his stomach flying into overdrive.
He couldn't remember the last time anyone had made him smile, but he was smiling now, unable to stop himself as warmth spread throughout his entire being.
Somewhere, a clock chimed the hour.
"It's getting late," Levi murmured, almost begrudgingly. "We should start heading back, unless we want to spend the night in the city."
"The carriages pick up across town. They can't get through the crowds," (f/n) informed him.
"Can you walk that far?" he asked, genuinely concerned by those torture devices she called shoes.
"I'll manage." She slipped her heels back on her feet with a grimace.
"Tch," Levi scoffed, holding his arms out to her. "Come on. I'll carry you."
"But you said –"
"That I wouldn't carry you back to the barracks. Now let's go."
"Wait!" She cried, quickly sliding his mask back on his face. "Now no one will see Humanity's Strongest chivalrously carrying a damsel across the city," she giggled. "You wouldn't want your fans to get any ideas."
"Brat," he growled, though he wasn't really angry.
She slid her mask back over her face, then held her arms out for Levi. He picked her up bridal-style, giving her a light peck on the lips before carrying her through the still-celebrating city to a carriage.
Well, maybe Carnevale wasn't so bad after all.