I'm Here (Exhausted Levi x Reader)

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It was almost 2am when you left the library, creeping through the deserted castle to your bedroom. You should have been asleep hours ago, but you were so absorbed in the book you had been reading that you lost track of time. At least now, you didn't have to wait until tomorrow to find out how it ended.

The small candle in your hand was your only source of light in the dark halls, until you came across a door that had a faint yellow glow emitting from underneath. You frowned when you realized that the office belonged to your boyfriend, Levi, meaning that he hadn't gone to sleep yet either.

Normally, you wouldn't have thought twice about it. Levi had a habit of only sleeping about two hours per day. However, you knew that he hadn't slept at all for several days in a row, and it had you worried. Levi claimed that he was too busy to sleep, (and indeed, he seemed to always be occupied with training or paperwork), but even he couldn't go on like this forever. With each passing day, you noticed the growing tension in his muscles, the darker circles under his eyes. He needed to rest.

You knocked on the door. "Levi?" you called softly, trying not to wake anyone up in the surrounding rooms. "It's me."

"Come in," he replied.

You slipped quietly through the door and clicked it shut behind you. Levi was sitting at his desk, a stack of paperwork in front of him. He was scribbling intently on one of the pages. Without looking up, he stated, "You're up late."

You raised your eyebrows. "So are you. Aren't you tired?" A hint of concern crept into your voice.

"No."

You scoffed at the lie. Even from across the room, you could see how exhausted he was. "You should get some rest."

"I have to finish this," Levi mumbled, sounding slightly irritated.

"It can wait, Levi." Your voice was almost pleading now. "You haven't slept in days."

Levi didn't respond and continued furiously writing notes on the page. Apparently, he had decided to ignore you until you gave up.

You stared at Levi for a moment before an idea popped into your head. You walked over next to him and leaned on the desk, assessing his hunched form. His shoulders were visibly tense beneath his jacket. His right hand held the pen in a death-grip, while his left was clenched in a fist on the desk.

You gingerly took his left hand in both of yours and lifted it from the desk. One by one, you uncurled his fingers. Cradling his hand in one of your own, you used the other to push back his sleeve. Then, gently but firmly, you began massaging his hand and forearm.

The sound of scribbling stopped.

Levi laid his pen down, though he still wasn't looking at you. After a few moments, you felt his left limb slowly start to relax under your touch. Once the tension was gone, you set it down on the arm of the chair. Then you reached for his right hand and gave it the same treatment.

Levi closed his eyes, his senses narrowing on your fingers as they worked the tightness from his muscles.

When you were finished, you climbed into the chair, straddling him. You tilted his head back and started running your fingers through his hair. You could see the change as the stiffness melted from his body. He groaned softly, savoring the relief you gave him.

You gradually came to a stop, lightly tugging on the ends of his hair. "Are you ready to go to sleep now?" you whispered.

Immediately, you felt some of his tension return. His eyes flew open, and you could see the exhaustion in them. "No."

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