literature

Just Human [Levi x Reader]

Deviation Actions

Anxnymous's avatar
By
Published:
29.8K Views

Literature Text

Author's Note: Hey Anxnymous here! I was thinking some pretty deep thoughts one night in the dark lying in my bed and I guess this is the result of it??? So, uh, I guess this is what happens when I read in too deep into a character and get attached to them. Enjoy, comment and fave?

Warning: Might be a tad OOC 





The door creaked open as you peeked through into the medical ward, trying to ignore the pained groans of soldiers lying in overcrowded cots. Your eyes found brown ones, and you slipped through the gap and closed the door.

                “Hello [f/n]…”

                “Oh [f/n], what are you doing here?”

                “[F/n]…”

                You smiled weakly in response to the soldiers that had a bloody bandage on their forehead, or an arm in a sling, but your [e/c] eyes skimmed over the bodies under white blankets that weren’t moving or making a sound. Walking over to a brown-haired woman closing a first-aid kit, you came to a halt beside her, saluting.

                “Hey [f/n],” greeted Hanji, waving away the salute. You smiled slightly, echoing her greeting.

    “How was the expedition?” you asked. Hanji’s expression fell, and she gestured around the injured soldiers.

    “It didn’t go to well as you can see…” she answered quietly, and you put a consoling hand on her shoulder, receiving a grateful glance from the woman.

    “How were the Titans?” you pressed and you were happy to see the woman’s expression brighten a little. For the next five minutes, she started ranting about what she learnt, the different theories she had and what how the new information could help future expeditions. You smiled and nodded through all of this, laughing at her exaggerated hand gestures and excited tone of voice.

    “–actually might not be true!” she finished, looking at you with glistening eyes.

    “I totally did not understand anything you said, but yeah, I agree with you,” you admitted and Hanji laughed.

    “You’re always like that, just listening through my ramblings in a happy manner,” remarked Hanji, smiling. “Thank you for that [f/n].”

    “No problem,” you said, but then your brow furrowed. “Where’s Commander Erwin and Lance Corporal Levi?”

    Hanji bit her lip. “Erwin’s in his office, I’m pretty sure, but Levi…” Her voice trailed off, and she looked down at her feet.

    “Oh god, he’s not dead is he?” you whispered, but Hanji waved her hands in front of her frantically.

    “No, no, no! Hah, Levi, dead? The only thing he’d die of is a heart attack if he saw a speck of dust on his bed! No, I just don’t know where he is…” she explained, and you stood abruptly up.

    “When did you get back? From the expedition, I mean,” you asked and Hanji put on a thinking face.

    “Um, maybe around fifteen hours ago? So maybe about a day?” she guessed, and you frowned. Darting out of the medical ward, despite Hanji’s protests, you shouted a farewell and an apology for your hasty departure.

    Feet thundering down the hallway, you navigated through the numerous hallways of Headquarters, greeting fellow soldiers and shouting apologies when passing superiors. Soon, you came to a door, and you knocked on it, before entering. Surveying the room with your [e/c] eyes, your frown deepened as you could see no raven-haired man at his desk, and judging from the silence that settled in the atmosphere, nowhere near here.

    Slamming the door in your haste, you rushed down the hallways again. Open this door, no one there, open that door, no one there. Soon, you stopped to catch your breath, hand on your hip, and noticed you were in an obscure part of Headquarters; in front of some elegant-looking wooden stairs leading up to a broken second floor; wooden boards bearing a wide hole.

    “This is the last place I’d expect you, Heichou,” you said aloud, and you were met with silence. Walking over to the stairs, you ducked your head and looked under the wooden structure and saw a bunched up form of a man.

    “What are you doing here cadet,” he growled, grey eyes glaring out of the dim light under the stairs. You leaned back a little, maintaining your eye contact, before tilting your head.

    “I was trying to find you, Heichou,” you answered, and he met you with another growl. “What are you doing in this vague part of the castle?”

    “Well you found me, so I guess that’s mission accomplished. Now go away,” he ordered.

    “You didn’t answer my question.”

    Levi considered you, before looking to the side. His black hair covered his eyes, and he didn’t meet your gaze when he answered. “I was cleaning this crap-hole; can’t you see the layer of filth you cadets couldn’t be bothered to clean?”

    “I never remembered the great Heichou trading his beloved broom and apron for a bottle of cheap wine,” you challenged, and the grey-eyed man shifted so the green glass of a wine bottle was hidden from sight once again. Levi looked back at you, but this time, there was no withering glare to accuse you for your existence, or a biting remark to be spat from his thin lips. Just a defeated look that laced his eyes and you noticed with a pang in your heart the dark bags under his eyes were more pronounced than ever.

    “Want some?” he offered, wiggling the wine bottle in front of him, drawing his legs up to his chest. Suddenly, Levi looked like a teenage boy who decided that the floor under the stairs was a prime place to stay. You ducked the stairs and sat down next to him, stretching out your legs and rolling your head to face away from him.

    “You didn’t sleep did you? After the expedition?” you asked, looking at the opposite wall a few metres away from you. There was no answer from Levi, and you turned your head to face him.

    “I don’t even know your name, cadet,” Levi stated, taking another swig from the bottle. Your [e/c] eyes softened, taking in his small form, unsure with how to deal with such a un-Levi Levi. Grabbing the bottle, you too, took a swig of it, before pulling a face.

    “Tastes like crap, Heichou,” you commented, before placing the bottle on the side where it was away from Levi. He looked at the bottle for a bit, before agreeing in a bored tone. Silence followed, but you didn’t feel like it was an awkward one, just one where there was no need to say anything. Levi’s face was half-hidden behind his knees, both arms wrapped around his legs.

    A muffled sound came from the Corporal and you blinked, before asking him to repeat it.

    “Why do you treat me like I’m so…” he began, staring at your [e/c] eyes in search of an answer.

    “Why I treat you so disrespectfully?” you finished, and he snorted.

    “Yeah that too, but there’s something else,” he replied, and you looked at your stretched out legs. Another period of silence as you both stared at the air in front of you.

    “You know Heichou,” you began, rolling your head to look at him. “I hear the soldiers and other cadets praising you constantly. Albeit the parts about you being a clean freak and a little scary, it’s all really good stuff.”

    You pause to take a look at his expression, but it is as deadpanned as ever, grey eyes staring in front of him. You roll your head to face the air in front of you once again, neck limp and continued with your anecdote.

    “The other cadets look at you as something of a role-model, a star, an idol. They’ve even named some of your signature Titan-killing moves; like the spinning one. Something like ‘the Spinning Hurricane of Death in the Cherry Blossom Grove’ or some crap like that; I think that was mostly Connie and Reiner though.” You laugh at the ridiculous name, and you hear a small snort from Levi. Your smile faded, leaving a tired, almost wistful look on your face. “They really look up to you, Levi.”

    You wait for a reprimand on the use of his first name, but no throaty growl came, and so you continued.

    “Scourge of the Titans, that’s another one I hear, and this time it’s among the general ranks. You’re like the Grim Reaper to those monsters; your swords a scythe, your cloak a tattered black robe. That’s how they like to imagine you sometimes, although I always thought that Death would be a little taller.” You get a nudge to the ribs, and you laugh again.

    “Levi, you’re that person that people want to spend their last moments with, the person who they want to hear: ‘Your death has helped humanity fight against the Titans.’ They want you to clasp their hand and assure them with a straight face and sincere words. I’m sure you’ve done that tons of times before.”

    “’The other cadets’,” interrupted Levi, and finally, he looked at you. You blink in surprise, halting your words. “That’s what you said, didn’t you? ‘The other cadets’. You’re a cadet, but you’re not ‘the other cadets’ are you?”

    You exhale and roll you head to look at the air in front of you again. “No, I’m not the other cadets, Levi.”

    “So you don’t think I’m the ‘Scourge of the Titans’ or the ‘Grim Reaper’ or your hero, idol or someone like that?” Levi asked.

    “No, I think you’re all of those things,” you answered, and out of the corner of your eye, you see him deflate a little.

    “Oh,” he muttered. You grabbed his hand, staring at his startled grey orbs with your own, resolutely looking at him.

    “Yeah, I think you’re all of those things, but I’m not the other cadets because I remember one thing while they forgot it in their praise. Levi, I remember you’re only human.”

    Levi’s eyes widened a fraction, and you release his hand. You had expected him to retort with something like: “Good job cadet, have a gold medal for noticing that,” but from the surprised expression, Levi just wasn’t too Levi today. You continue:

    “God, Levi, I’m so sorry to break this to you, but you’re only human. Behind the fancy titles and honed skills, Levi, you’re only human. People forget that way too often! Lance Corporal Levi, with his spinning signature Titan killing moves, with his cleaning obsession, with his scowl and glare, he’s only human.” You look back at him, poking him in the chest. “I think you forget that too.”

    Levi shook his head as you took your finger away, exhaling heavily. “I don’t imagine I’m some sort of superhuman guy–” he started to say, but you interrupted him.

    “Really, Heichou?! You really think that you aren’t trying to be some superhuman Lance Corporal, because I think what you’re trying to do is something only a superhuman would be able to handle without cracking.”

    “Oh yeah?!” challenged Levi, clenching his fists. “Then what’s this ‘superhuman’ thing I’m doing so badly? So unintentionally?”

    “It’s like you’re trying to hold the weight of the world,” you answered, and he his angry expression melted off, leaving a surprised one.

    “The weight of the world?” repeated Levi.

    “I heard from Petra that you promise soldiers just before they die that you’ll eliminate the Titans; that their death was not in vain; that they- they- they- I don’t know! You promise them outlandish things that are only supposed to be comforting words, but intentionally or unintentionally, you take that on board. Another death equals another promise for you; another burden, another weight.”

    Levi leaned his head on the back wall for a few seconds before lightly knocking the back of his head repeatedly on the wooden boards. “Can I have my wine back?” he asked.

    “No.”

    He gave you a half-hearted glare and then proceeded to continue his head-knocking.

    “How many hours are you sleeping every night?” you asked quietly. The taps continued rhythmically, not missing a beat. “Two, three hours?” you continued,” Is that really enough?”

    “Why do you care?” Levi retorted, and you open your mouth to reply, but no answer slipped out. The man smirked at your loss of words, and you folded your arms in frustration.

    “I don’t know why I care, okay?” you said quietly. “I just…do.”

    “Human,” Levi suddenly said, and you glance at him. He turned to you, grey eyes staring you down. “You treat everyone like their all human. Even that Jaeger-brat that has proven to be legitimately a half-Titan and you treat him so human. Me, the unapproachable, intimidating, grumpy Corporal is treated like he’s just another cadet. Another guy who you see is just human.”

    “But aren’t you just human?” you whispered.

    “Is that how you see everyone? ‘Just human’?” repeated Levi, a note of challenge in his voice. You weakly laughed, pulling your legs up in a similar position as Levi.

    “You got me Levi. As perceiving as ever, huh?” you remarked, but his look doesn’t let up. “I treat everyone like their ‘just human’ because I think there are already enough monsters in this world…”

    Levi relaxed his bunched up shoulders and tense arms, looking at you strangely. You didn’t elaborate because you knew from the realization in his eyes that he knew you weren’t talking about the Titans.

    “They say ‘it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there’ Levi, and in my opinion, that’s becoming way too literal,” you continued, but then quickly added. “Not in a cannibalism kind of way. Kind of like humanity becoming one-minded selfish beasts fending for themselves.”

    “What’s so wrong with that?” Levi asked with a slight hint of interest in his voice. But it was covered up by a half-assed try at his usual bored tone. You laugh weakly again.

    “It’s wrong because I don’t know what being ‘just human’ is anymore.”

    Levi stared at you and then blinked. “I don’t get how this is relevant.”

    Another feeble laugh. “Yeah, you probably don’t.”

    Sighing, you think of ending the conversation and giving Levi his drink back, but suddenly, words are pouring from your lips before you can stop it.

    “Levi, I think people have forgotten another thing too. In this dog-eat-dog world, where being the strongest, the most influential, the best is so important, we’ve forgotten something. Where humanity is on the edge of extinction and we have huge monsters devouring us like there’s no tomorrow, I’m starting to think that that’s the case. There is no tomorrow. And with that hanging over everyone’s heads you may think I’m stupid, even mad, to say this but we’ve all forgotten that being weak is okay sometimes. Levi, I feel that no one has told you that, and I guess it is a little contradictory telling this to ‘Humanity’s Strongest’.”

     You rub away the tears that are betraying to fall out and the words get stuck in your throat, but you swallow and press on.

    “It’s okay being weak sometimes, Levi…”

    His hair fell over his eyes as Levi turned away, and your heart catches in an involuntary jolt as it stops for a second.

    But in that second where your heart isn’t thumping and no one is speaking, you hear a noise where it’s like a dull tapping on wood.

    Water droplets falling on a surface.

    Plink.

    Plink.

    Your heart starts again and your expression softens. Your hand goes up to Levi’s hair and you pat it, all fear forgotten of the short-tempered Corporal.

    You exhale.

    “I think even Death can get a little sad sometimes…. Even Death can get a little lonely…”

    Plink.

    Plink plink…

    Plink plink…

    “I think the world’s forgotten to give their hero a day off, a day… to be… ‘just human’…”

    Plink plink plink.

    Plink.

    Plink. Plink plink.

    “I think that even the weight of the world becomes too much for a superhuman.”

    Plink plink plink. Plink plink.

    Plink.

    Plink.

    Plink plink plink.

    “I think… that the world forgot to tell you…”

    Plink plink plink plink.

    Plink plink plink.

    Plink. Plink plink plink plink.

    “That it’s okay to cry a little sometimes.”

    Your hand dropped down to his opposite shoulder, and you drew Levi in for a sideways hug. Looking to the opposite direction, you didn’t mind that he leaned his head on your shoulder. You didn’t mind that the man titled ‘Humanity’s Strongest’ had tears streaming down his face as he bit his lip to stop his sobs.

    “I think that the world forgot to tell you…”

    His hands didn’t even go up to hide his tears as they trailed past his dark shadows under his eye and down his pale cheeks. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was just ‘the moment’. You hugged him tighter, and wiped away his tears with your sleeve. He looked up with red eyes and blotchy cheeks and you smiled.

                                                                                                     

    “…that’s it’s okay to be just human.”


Hey Anxnymous here! Some of you will be hating me in the middle of the story like: "Anxnymous what the crap is this this is not what I signed up for" but I wondered if a character ever got tired of being in character. Then it led to the train of thought that OOC might just be being human, and then Levi came into the picture and I thought about that and this fic is the result. I was going to do it with an OC but I haven't released that AoT series yet so I made it a reader insert.

Probably update the description tmmrw. Whatever.

PICTURE SOURCE: Pixiv ID: 40334891
                              Member: chuka

I hope you enjoyed it. 

KFC Chicken Epic Dance >>Comment before you fave please?<<KFC Chicken Epic Dance 

Llama Emoji-02 (Blush) [V1]  Comment, +fav  and watch for more? Llama Emoji-02 (Blush) [V1] 
© 2014 - 2024 Anxnymous
Comments130
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In

Well written, well done, and justifyingly sad!🤓😉🌼🌺🌹