☆WRITTEN IN LATE 2018- EARLY 2019☆

A/N: Soooo I had this idea a while ago, and since again, I've forced myself to exercise more, I'm writing this while on this crazy skiing type machine in our basement. Imma study soon, but this has to last at least 30 mins. Soooo here goes:

Without too much superfluous explanation, what happens is this: you can't sleep. Someone else can't sleep. You find a way to do that...not...alone.

Heh.

Okay!

{{Lines indicate time skips, as always.}}

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Starlight: soft, coaxing and tranquil filtered down through the windows just above your bed. All around you, your fellow soldiers rested; everyone was relaxed (as relaxed as they could be) happy to have made it home safely.

You, on the other hand, found no tranquility in the peaceful light of the stars. You decided it was a lost cause to get any more shut-eye that late evening, or, depending on one's classification, early morning. You wanted a drink, so, you went to find one.

Leaving your unsuccessful attempts at sleeping behind, you left as quietly as you could. The door opened silently. Your dexterity was useful; you'd learned how to be much more quiet over the last few years. So much had changed. You felt stronger, less afraid.

Still, some of your higher ups were nothing but imposing. You liked them enough, but damn they could be testy.

One in particular seemed to freak everyone out the most. The captain. Levi.

You weren't too crazy about him. He didn't have to be so mean all the time. You guessed there was a reason for it, but that didn't excuse his unabashed cruelty, how he'd lose his shit over any and every speck of dust in any building your regiment repurposed.

You muttered to yourself after sneaking into the makeshift kitchen you'd help to start up outside the walls. Expeditions always made cooking strenuous. Potatoes and the rare hunk of meat were all you could hope for. That, and the occasional cup of really nice black tea.

Stupid ass Levi.
How old is that guy, anyway?
He looks like a damn child.
He thinks he's soooooo great.
He wants to scare us?
Scare ME?
Good luck.

You grabbed the closest thing you could find that'd perk you up, not caring at all to whom it belonged. You finally managed to finagle some water into a small cup, heating it up in an equally cumbersome way. You continued to grumble throughout the entire process.

Stupid. Short. ASSHOLE.
He's always so damn cruel.
I'm in his stupid special squad.
Can't he be nice to me?
I offered up my...

You paused, setting your tea aside to mock the gesture that everyone in the military considered sacred. With a fist to your chest and your hand at your side, you whispered a clandestine scoff.

Heart to humanity!
Can't I get a little resp-

You were cut off. Someone else was there. You sighed (still quietly) before turning to see who it was. It sounded like they might have shown up before you wised up and noticed. How much did they witness?

Your eyes opened wider than you'd have liked, as you took in the visage of the last person you'd have liked to see that night.

"Shit."

"Are those my tea leaves?"

"Levi! I- I mean captain....I didn't know they were-" he stepped forward. You anticipated hostility. Strangely enough, he passed you, pulling out a chair directly in front of the saucer of steaming liquid you'd pretty much stolen from him.

"Save it." He picked it up, pausing before drinking anything. He looked back at you. "Did you..."

"No." You crossed your arms. "Not yet." You didn't get the chance to indulge in one measly sip of what you still considered partially yours. Squads shared resources didn't they?

"Good." He went ahead and claimed it, confident now that he knew it was clean. "Why are you down here?" He turned back around. "Did you wake up early to voice your complaints about me?"

You stood where you were. "Uh, no. Not exactly." You cleared your throat. "How much of what I said did you actually hear?" You decided direct confrontation was the best tactical approach.

He didn't show any emotion as he replied. "Pretty much everything." You weren't unafraid as he continued. "starting with Stupid ass Levi." Did it look like he smiled? It was hard to tell. He was still facing partially away from you. You shook your head as you stepped forward, too. "You know," you were in front of him now. "You are my subordinate. You're not really supposed to address me by my first name."

"I didn't. I wasn't talking to you, so it was hardly an address." Your arms were still crossed. "captain." You did your best not to sneer. He intimidated everyone, you included, but now, your prior anxiety had subsided. "I apologise for my disrespect." You almost mockingly bowed, but thought it best not to. You didn't want to get ahead of yourself.

"Don't worry." He waved his hand. "I never much cared for formalities."

"Yeah." Your arms fell. "I've heard that about you."

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" You were still standing. You wondered if it'd be permissible to sit down. You hesitated.

Again, opting for a direct approach seemed most pragmatic. "Back when I first enlisted, I was told you were some sort of criminal before joining us. You lived in that underground city, didn't you?"

"Oh." Again, he was terribly hard to read. "A criminal, eh?" He made that noise again. You resisted the urge to either roll your eyes or retreat back into that quiet room in which everyone but you was resting soundly.

"Uh, I mean..."

"It's fine." He held up the teacup. It was strange how he did so, though. "You're not wrong." He looked at you, waiting for you to continue.

"So, um, why are you awake?" You fidgeted.

"I only sleep a few hours a night." He leaned back. "I guess you could say I'm an insomniac."

"There's a word for it?" You felt a bit more relaxed.

"There's a word for everything." He extended his hand. "Sit down. I've got nothing better to do than talk to you." You didn't listen.

"Is that an order or an insult?" You swore he seemed happier, like he thought you were funny.

"Neither." He slid the emptied cup away from him. "It's an invitation."

You agreed then. "I can't sleep either."

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Almost a year had gone by since the first time you did what you did, stayed awake all night, insulting then conversing with your superior, before unexpectedly finding someone worth waking up for.

You were shocked when you were offered a higher ranking position in the Scouting Legion, after being pissed off to no avail when Levi kicked you off his squad, but you eventually put two and two together, discovering that it was for a pretty good reason.

About a month earlier, you had almost gotten hurt, really really badly, to put it lightly, and he just freaked out. It wasn't like before, when he was angry and hostile. It seemed as though he really cared about you, and he showed it that day, rather openly. That was new.

You didn't even have a scratch on you after what happened. You were stunned when he came back for you. No one seemed to think anything of it, but you did. He didn't have to turn around, and you were alive because of him.

About two weeks later, you'd woken up in absolute terror. A nightmare wrenched you from the one peaceful sleep you'd had in well, months, and you all but ran back to the one place you wouldn't be bothered.

This time, you were inside the walls again. No titan was going to hurt you. You even had a fully (mostly) stocked kitchen, and decided to make yourself something to eat. However, you couldn't finish what you made. You were too rattled.

You tried to console yourself, unsuccessfully, when a hand fell on your shoulder.

"{Y/N}." You knew who it was. "Did you have a bad dream?"

You spun around. "No!" You lied. "I'm just an insomniac or whatever!" You weren't fooling anyone.

"Can we talk about it?"

You agreed, and he sat down beside you.

"I don't want you to think you deserve special treatment. Now that you're an officer, I'm not in charge of you anymore. So-" you cut him off.

"I know! You didn't have to help me." You crossed your arms. "I'm prepared to die for this cause, same as you."

He looked confused, almost worried. "Well," he seemed almost nervous. It seemed unnatural for him. "I don't want that to happen." Even more shockingly, he reached out a hand, placing it over yours. "I care about you. Maybe even a little too..."

"A little too what, Levi?" You felt nervous yourself.

He didn't answer you. You were already closer to him than you thought you'd ever be. It seemed easier, especially lately. You didn't really think about what you were doing, but it was late, and you were alone, now on equal ground. You felt hands in your hair, and then, you felt more secure and happy than you'd ever felt before. You pulled away, breathing a little too heavily for someone your age. You were only a few years younger than the man who'd just kissed you.

"I think that answered my question." You pulled him back to you as your fears subsided completely.

________________

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." He raised his arm behind his head, rubbing his own shoulder. He was definitely anxious.

"Levi..." you were alone again, this time somewhere far more intimate. You looked around you. "You kept all these?" You changed the subject. You stepped forward, around the crappy, tiny bed that even officers were forced to sleep in. The Survey Corps hardly got the respect it deserved. You picked up one of the several patches bearing the blue and white emblem, the wings of freedom that were so important to you all. "Who's is this?"

"I don't remember." He looked away from you, up at the same limitless dark sky broken only by tiny rays of starlight. It seemed brighter that night. "So many people I...loved...have died. I can't go through that again. It's why I-"

"That's why you're so testy." You laid the little swatch of fabric back down. "It's a protective thing."

You took his hand. He wasn't cruel. He was hurt. You understood. You'd employed your own fair share of unhealthy coping mechanisms. Self-preservation was key in the lives you led. Still, that night, you weren't really focused on obstinacy. "Levi. It's not weak to care about people."

"I don't just care about you, {Y/N}." You felt it a cliché, lame even, but your heart beat faster then, even before he said it. "I love you."

You pulled him into your arms. "I love you, too."

You didn't talk much after that. You knew what you were about to do wouldn't be easy to come back from, that it wouldn't be wrong, but it'd come with repercussions. If you died, or if he died, you'd both be crushed in one way or another. You wanted to say that, that you'd die for him, but you weren't most effusive person. Emotions scared you, too.

Instead, you laughed, breaking the pleasant yet somewhat heavy atmosphere, offering a more lighthearted definition for the significance of the night you'd share with him.

"I've heard this helps people sleep."

He actually smiled. "Yeah." You felt safe, happy, a rarity in the war that was your entire world for as long as you could remember. "You can stay here afterwards, if you want."

"Won't people tal-"

"{Y/N}." He laid your concerns to rest before you could utter another word. "I'm sure you weren't the only one who noticed me acting differently around you. Come on, I'm allowed to have a girlfriend if I'm going to die young, aren't I?"

"You're not going to die young, Levi." You were a bit annoyed that you weren't let in on the fact people knew about you, but you let it go. He did call you his girlfriend. "I'll protect you."

"Oh." He actually laughed. "Well, then it's been nice knowing you."

"Jerk!" You struggled to get out of his arms. He only held you more closely.

"I'm just kidding." You relaxed as you looked up at him. You closed your eyes again, as effortlessly as the last time, before he broke away to say one last thing. "You're one of the strongest people I know, {Y/N}."

"So are you, Levi." You smiled as your arms knotted in his hair. "That's what everyone calls you, isn't it?" He shrugged before kissing you again.

You never thought you'd be where you were then, but you were glad you couldn't sleep all those nights ago, when you came to know someone you'd never expected to not only like, but love.

You'd sleep well that morning, to say the least.

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A/N (x2): Wellll, that was cute, eh? Even though the ending was implied. (_ _).｡o○ I've been getting worse at writing adult/sexy stuff, even as I get older.

Ah, oh well. I hope it was good enough! Lemme know if anyone has anything they wanna see.
I don't get get very many requests so it'd be DOPE if someone did so once! (Not that I expect anything more than what someone wants to do. Still, ya know, it'd be nice!)

Thanks dudes!
~ Britt