Long Time, No See - Levi x Reader (Modern!AU)

34 - What The Holiday Season Brings

"Move in with me," he said softly, so softly that I thought for a moment that I'd misheard him. I thought that I might have imagined him saying it. Did he really... did he ask me to move in with him? This was Levi. Levi Ackerman. And he just asked me...

I had to imagine it. There was no way.

But with the way he was looking at me right now...

"What was that...?"

He suddenly flushed, dropping his hand away from my cheek and to his side as he averted his gaze. And suddenly the window across the room had his full attention as heat rushed to his face. "I didn't mean to say it like that," he said. "I'm sorry. I-"

"You want me to move in with you?"

Still refusing to meet my gaze, I was met for a moment with only silence. I was worried he might actually have said something different, that I really had misheard him. As the silence dragged on and on, I rolled my bottom lip between my teeth, taking it as bad news. Had I seriously just misinterpreted his words? Had I only imagined him asking me to move in with him because I've been meaning to ask these past few weeks if I could?

God, this was embarrassing. I began to draw away, only for him to take my hands into his own, holding them steady. "Yes," he said quietly. "Only if you're comfortable with it. You already have enough of your shit here anyway, and after this semester you'll be done with classes, right? Even if you aren't, I..."

He trailed off, clearly thinking he'd overstepped some kind of boundary. He searched my eyes, probably looking for any sign that I was uncomfortable, that I didn't want this. But now that I knew he did want me to move in with him... I smiled. I smiled warmly, nearly laughing at how confused he looked.

"Levi," I cut him off gently, sensing his growing unease. I shifted my hands in his, so our fingers were interlaced comfortably. "I'd like that."

"..."

In the silence, my smile grew. Something about it must have inspired him to speak, because he blinked and was pulled from his shocked reverie.

"Really?"

I nodded. "I would love to move in with you." His lips parted with more shock, and I giggled lightly. "What? Did you think I was going to say no?" To my surprise, he nodded. I lowered myself to plant the lightest of kisses to his lips, as though to seal my words in stone. "I love you. Why wouldn't I want to move in with you?"

"It's stupid."

"Nothing you say or feel is stupid, Levi," I assured him. "Not to me."

"I thought you'd say no because of how I am."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... how I am with the cleaning," he said in a huff, conveying clearly how little he really wanted to admit this. "I'm not exactly the best with... any of this. You know that. We've been together for years and I'm still fucking terrified I'm going to mess this up."

"Oh, Levi," I murmured, shaking my head and running an affectionate, gentle hand down his cheek. My hand then twisted, tucking under his chin to tilt it up to look right at me. "For one thing, I can certainly appreciate having a clean home... and I kinda already consider this home, anyway. I've known you since I was eleven, and have I ever criticized you for your cleaning habits?"

"No," he answered begrudgingly.

"And that's because I don't mind it. I'd rather be with a clean freak than a total slob. And for the record, I think you're doing just fine with this whole dating thing. If you weren't, I'd let you know. I like to think my communication is pretty good, don't you?"