Longing to Be Known | Levi Ackerman x OC

56

-Kaisa-

In the middle of the night, I awake, only to notice the sun hasn't risen yet. It must be around three in the morning, which means I have about four hours of sleep to keep me going for the rest of the day.

Sleeping isn't something that is necessarily easy for me. Even though I'm exhausted or tired, I don't actually feel sleepy. The moment my head hits a pillow, or whatever it rests on, my thoughts run rampant in my head. I'm filled with anxious possibilities and I remember the things that happened throughout the day, coming up with better responses to people when it's already too late. My eyes feel heavy, but I can never drift off completely for too long.

Being restless, I sit up and notice Levi's dress shirt is still rustled inside of the sleeping bag. With a sigh, I push it to the side before adjusting my own shirt, buttoning the holes which came undone during my rest. Curious with how the watch outside was going, I unzip my tent before putting on my boots to walk over to the others.

Walking by, everyone seems to be sleeping just fine in their tents. The leaves crunch beneath me as I weave my way through the bushes and trees to see who's on watch and perhaps spark conversation. It doesn't take me long to see Connie sitting on a tree, tossing a knife in the air before catching it for amusement.

"Where'd you get that knife?"

Connie jumps and looks down at me with eyes wide before hopping off the branch.

"I, uh, I found it on the ground and got bored." He says quietly, walking up to me.

He's grown quite a bit since I first met him which is surprising since it's only been about a little over a month since we've first interacted back in the dungeons.

I sigh, "Are you actually on watch or are you just playing around?"

He gives me an offended glare, "Of course I'm keeping watch, that's why I'm here, aren't I?"

"You didn't hear me coming, and I was already in the perimeters of the camp." I say, placing a hand on my hip.

"That's different, you're...you. Other soldiers are not you, so it's impossible to figure out where you are. Plus, I'd like to think I'm useful like the others in Levi's squad." Connie smiles.

His tone is lighthearted, convincing, and uplifting. I give him a soft smile before placing a hand up on his shoulder.

"Connie, the fact that you're already part of this squad speaks volume. You being here is enough to prove that you are deserving and are an integral part of this group."

He looks down at me with a faltering smile.

I give his shoulder a squeeze, "Levi hand picks those who fight on his behalf. As someone who's working alongside him, and has worked underneath him, he chooses those who will be able to handle their own in combat."

His head springs up, "You worked underneath Levi?"

With a small giggle, I nod my head while taking my hand off of him, "Yes, I have. Up until a year and a half ago, I was part of Squad Levi with that clean-freak as my superior."

"No way! And you listened?!" He exclaims.

"Shh! Be a bit quieter; other people are trying to sleep too." I berate him.

"Sorry..."

"It's fine, almost all of them are heavy sleepers." I adjust my sleeves before giving a small smirk up at the young soldier.

"But yes, I did listen to his orders even if I disagreed. Regardless, I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"That's so cool! Who else was on your team? Are they also squad leaders too?" Connie asks with a small glint in his eye.