Never Let You Go ▶A Levi Ackerman X Reader◀

Chapter Fifty-Five

2 Years Later

"Good morning, darling." I say to Levi as I sit up in the bed we share.

"Good morning." He responds. He's sitting up, his back against the headboard. He holds a book in his hands, a pair of round glasses perched at the end of his nose. He only wears them to read. I wish he wore them all the time.

I lean over, pecking his cheek. He smiles softly as I do. The skin around his eyes form tiny creases. The past couple years have brought on much stress. It has aged him a little.

I swing my legs over the edge of the bed, pulling my nightshirt over my head.

"There's a warm bath ready for you." Levi days from behind me. I can feel his eyes against my backside as I pull my undergarments off, dropping them into the hamper.

I peer over my shoulder. His eyes snap up to my face, his cheeks dusting over with pink.

"Caught you." I grin, giving him a wink. Our second anniversary is coming up, but he sometimes acts like he did when we were first dating.

I walk across the room and step into the bathroom. I swipe a match across the wooden counter and hold it close to the candle wick. It ignites and I use the light to see.

I step into the hot tub, the warmth of the water sinking deep into my skin. We have an expedition today. We've been planning it for months. While scouting we have noticed a forest outside the walls that always has a vast population of titans. Even more so than the surrounding area. We're going to explore it and see why they flock there.

I wash and get dressed, letting the water in the tub drain. Then I meet Levi downstairs where he has a steaming cup of tea and fresh bread waiting for me. I sit beside him at the table while we eat breakfast.

"I'm going to go wake up Kuchel and Hajime and get them ready to go." I say to Levi as I set my mug in the sink.

"I'll have breakfast ready for them."

"Thank you." I say, leaning in, pecking his lips.

I walk up the stairs, stopping outside Kuchel's door. I turn the knob, peeking in. She's fast asleep in her little bed, her dark hair in a wild mess around her head. Her arms are above her head, one of her legs dangling out from underneath her blanket. She sleeps in the weirdest positions.

I walk over, opening her drawer. I pick out a couple outfits, packing leaving one aside to dress her in and packing the rest with some of her toys.

I feel reluctant to wake her. She's almost 3, and she hates being woken too early. I leave her for the time being to check on Hajime. I can hear his voice from his partly cracked door.

"Hey pumpkin." I say, entering his room. He has a hand carved wooden action figure that he's bouncing off the walls.

"Momma!" He says, grinning. I walk over, sitting on the edge of his bed. He crawls over, climbing onto my lap. I run my fingers through his straight, dark hair.

"Are you excited to go to Aunty Beth's today?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay. Let's get you dressed." I tell him. I put his clothes on him, brush his hair, and pack some things in his bag. I carry him downstairs where Levi gets him breakfast. Then I wake Kuchel and do the same for her. We take them, by carriage, to the nearby city where she lives and drop them off.

I hug her, kissing her weathered cheek. She smiles warmly at me.

"Stay safe." She tells me. She looks happy, but I can sense a tinge of worry in her voice.

"I always do." I respond, squeezing her tight.

From there we ride to HQ and meet in the conference room.