Stunned {A Levi X Oc}

21: Mad Scientist

Levi woke slowly, his eyes cracking open. He squinted into the sunlight, letting his body wake from the unusually long slumber. He felt warm, on the inside too, as he felt Tay shift behind him. Something in him told him to run, but the rest wanted to stay in the safety of her embrace.

He didn't want to move, not with her wrapped around him. Her scent, her warmth, they filled a void he didn't know he had. Something about her fit, though he couldn't tell anyone exactly what it was.

He felt a hand slowly rake through his hair, raising goosebumps along his arms. Levi sighed, tilting his head back to see her.

She startled when his head fell back against her chest, his grey eyes peering up at her. "Good morning." She croaked, her voice scratchy from sleep. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Good morning." This time she sounded like her usual self.

Levi hummed, too busy admiring her face to care. "Noon." he corrected.

"Noon?"

"It's too bright in here for morning."

Tay blinked, confused, and Levi sat up. He gestured to the window, like that explained anything. Surprisingly, it clicked in Tay's sleep fogged mind. He had been living in this place for so long he could judge the time based on how bright it was in the room. She never thought of doing something like that.

"That is...."

"Effective. We need to go." he interrupted, not moving from his place between her legs.

Tay didn't either, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"These moments- they're not going to happen a lot." Tay started, breathing slowly. She intended to treasure this.

"Yes."

"I wish it would never end. This calm." she continued, pulling Levi back against her. He resisted, instead turning around to face her. He took both of her hands in his, holding their palms outstretched between them. He marveled at the size of her palms, compared to his, for a moment.

His mind flashed back to when their roles were reversed- Tay was holding their hands together while sitting on the corner of his desk, something that used to irritate him. He could picture the scene perfectly, down to the way light reflected off her hair. She looked so wonderous and happy, though there were tired rings under her eyes.

His gaze shifted, capturing hers.

"Then let's make a world where it doesn't."

The intensity of his gaze took her breath away. His eyes burned into her, layers of emotion and certainty making the stare feel palpable. She felt a tiny piece of her heart melt as butterflies fluttered in her chest.

She didn't know what to say. Nothing she could think of sounded good enough, deserving of a request like that. So Tay used actions. Words didn't mean much anyway.

She kissed him before he could react, catching him by surprise. He froze, not quite understanding, but his eyes slowly drifted shut as she shifted closer, their hands now intertwined.

The kiss was slow and sweet, not lustful or fiery, though those emotions were still there. It was expressive, more than any words Tay could have used. She would do everything she could for that goal. A world where peace is normal.

She pulled away, resting her forehead against his and smiling at the blush covering his flustered face. He was so sweet.

"I guess that means yes." He mumbled, not meeting her eye.

"Always."

They sat together for another slow moment, stubbornly refusing to let the feeling fade. The feeling of completion. Of belonging. They wanted to stay away from their reality, at least for the moment. Their breath collided between them, rushing over their intertwined hands.

Surprisingly, Levi was the first to pull back. He leaned away just enough to create space and gently released her hands, running them through his hair.

"It's time." he said, sighing. Hints of sadness tinted the sound.

Tay, reluctantly, nodded. She admired his frame as he stood, then held out a hand to help her up. She accepted, letting him pull her to her feet.

"I'll call a meeting to get you up to speed." his tone was very suddenly all business, monotone and commanding. Much different than how he usually spoke to her. Something in him seemed to register what he'd done and he blinked, looking away.

"You can put on the rest of your uniform on in here. I'll take the washroom." He added, sounding a lot lighter. The command was mostly gone, replaced by a tenderness he never thought he would hear coming from himself.

Tay's lips barely twitched at the corners as she smiled, nodding. "Right. Go on then."

He blushed, realising he was still standing right across from her, and turned on his heel to walk away. Her smile stayed, only growing when he disappeared around the corner.

Then let's make a world where it doesn't.

That sentence kept repeating in her mind, bringing with it a sense of anticipation. At the time, Tay knew those words held great importance. She couldn't tell why, or how, but they carried a heavy weight. It wouldn't be until years later that she really understood, when everything was coming to a close. Wisdom only comes after the moment you need it.

A promise and an apology.

They both finished at about the same time, leaving Levi's room together and walking swiftly through the dim hallways of the hideout.

Levi guided her through with a gentle hand on her lower back, just brushing against her. The gesture brought a sense of security to both of them, something neither had much of in the past week. They would hold onto that feeling for as long as they could.

Somewhere along the walk, Levi decided to look for Hangë. Knowing her, she was probably somewhere outside staring at titan pieces. They had cordoned off a piece of land just for her titan obsession, a place most sane people avoided. Except Levi and Moblit. And Tay, when she was last there.

"Hangë is the same as usual." Tay said, amused. Her and Levi had found her standing over a long table, grinning and cackling in the manic way she does.

"Hahahaha! Look Moblit! If I slice it like this it steams more! Ooohh, and this matches so many things! It'll take hours of research here to figure out an even closer examination to find the more specific analysis!"

Moblit, as usual, looked slightly scared as the mad scientist happily moved around her table, comparing two sheets of paper with other stacks scattered all around. "I'm not sure that's a good thing, Hangë...." he said, trailing off when her eyes snapped up to his.

"Huh? Of course it's a good thing! Now I can-"

Levi scoffed. "Shut up, Shitty Glasses."

Hangë stopped all movement, looking between. Tay and Levi with the most suggestive expression. Her eyebrows wiggled as she grinned at them like a shark.

"Oh hello there Short-shit. And Tay! Can you talk about what happened to you yet? I heard all about an underground prison break caused by some kind of explosion and I'm dying to know what happened."

Tay blinked at the onslaught of words, smiling. Hangë was nuts, everyone knew that, but she was also incredibly smart. She was also Tay's closest friend in the Scouts, aside from Levi. She was a surprisingly good listener. Tay was pretty sure it was because she was so intelligent.

"I don't want to repeat myself too much, so please come with us to meet with Eren and his damage control squad." Tay replied, smirking.

As expected, Hangë exploded into laughter. Even Levi chuckled under his breath at that one. Hangë walked to them, still laughing her ass off, with Moblit close behind.

"Let's go then!" She exclaimed, excitement evident in her voice. "I want to hear everything. And I want an explanation from both of you." She pointed between Tay and Levi, that shark-like grin still on her face.