Wild Card || Levi x Reader

twelve - when I have no regrets

You wake up slowly.

For a second, it all feels like a rather nasty dream. Like it was something out of a nightmare, being selected as a tribute for District 12, mouthing off to the Capitol, and then being thrown into a literal hellscape in which the gamemakers tried everything they could to kill you.

But it wasn't all a nightmare, was it? You had Hange, who made you phenomenal outfits and was confident in pushing you to say whatever you wanted. You had your bow and arrows. And you had...

Levi. Where's Levi?

You crack your eyes open, then blink a few times to get rid of the fuzz overtaking your line of sight. It's bright, which is funny, because you don't ever remember it being bright in the arena. You were either shrouded by trees or tucked away in tunnels. Come to think of it, you're laying on something much softer than anything you'd ever find in an arena. Wait a minute...

You finally get your vision to work. It's a large room, light grey in color, with large overhead lights. The walls are plain, and there's a thin blanket covering you- also plain.

Did you die? You try to move, shifting in your spot, but everything feels sore. Nope, very much alive.

"Twelve?"

Hey, that's you. But only one person calls you that...

"Easy, take it easy," Levi says, and it's so much easier to relax when you tip your head and you can see his face. He's sitting on a stool that's next to- next to your bed, or whatever the hell you're laying on. "Relax," he urges softly, noticing that you're trying to move. "Just lie down."

You listen, and you let your body sink into the bed that you're in. Levi's leaning on your bed now, his forearms folded across the edge of the mattress. He takes your hand in his, and you're happy to hold on, grateful for the assurance that this is very much real, whatever this is.

"Hey," he says, lips twitching up into a half smile. 

"Hey," you say quietly, smiling without meaning to. "God, you're the best thing I've ever seen."

The words slip out without you meaning to say them, but it doesn't make them any less true. You've been trapped in that hellish arena for the past... couple of days? Past week? Levi made the whole thing bearable. Assuming that you're out of it now, and knowing he is too... there's really nothing better.

Levi huffs, kind of like a laugh. It makes you smile wider. "Yeah, you don't look half bad either," he muses, raising his other hand to your forehead to brush some of your hair away.

Your grin doesn't falter. "Half decent, right?"

"Half decent," Levi echoes, remembering your conversation about your skills with a bow and arrows. "How're you feeling?"

"Shitty," you reply, eyes scanning the room to try and get yourself more context. There's nothing more to get: all it is is a plain room with a bed and a stool, currently occupied by Levi. "What... what happened?"

His half smile fades. "You got electrocuted."

"I did?" You frown. "That's a new one."

Levi's eyebrows rise. "That's your reaction to literally dying?" he asks incredulously. "'That's a new one'?"

Your eyes widen. "I died?"

His gaze is carefully measured for a moment, like he's trying to think of what to say. God, he's got pretty eyes. "You did," Levi confirms. "For maybe... maybe a minute."

"Holy shit." You can't think of what else to say to that, so you add, "well, that's definitely a new one."

He chuckles, shaking his head. The expression of emotion from him makes you smile again. "You're so fucking ridiculous," Levi mutters, squeezing your hand. "Fuck, I've missed you."