Title: For Levi, I Love You
Author: Gothic-Neko-Writer
Summary: After 2000 years and 4 reincarnations, it really did seem like time for humanity to finally win. For Levi, he just wanted to have his imagined future with Eren, he never wanted to be left with just a mixtape and memories.
Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki No Kyojin nor the characters (except for Kasja Hirsch and Elias Kafka who I made up just for this story)
Note: Rated T for major character death and mild swearing – inspired by a fantastic Ereri mix on 8tracks (link on my profile)!
At least a thousand or so years passed and the titans were still wandering outside of the walls, trying to get through to humanity. The technology from the 800-900 era advanced greatly to fit this new modern setting. The same could be said for the 104th squad and Survey Corps. Every time they met death in past years, they'd always come back to finish up their mission of wiping out the titans and securing humanity's safety.
Now, around the year 2384, it seemed like it would be their last reincarnation. It seemed like this would be the time were they'd all live, they'd finish off the titans, and they'd finally live in peace. Sasha and Connie would be able to act like a normal couple, not like they didn't already, but with the fear of being killed by titans permanently engraved into their minds; it sure puts a strain on a relationship.
This time around, the betrayers – Annie, Reiner, and Bertolt – were tired of fighting against their once teammates and decided to fight with them instead. Hanji obsessed with titans, like she'd ever stop, Erwin was strict with everyone, just as he had been every time they met again, and Levi was still his easily irritated self. Eren was as impulsive as ever, Armin's intelligence grew with every reincarnation, and Mikasa still acted as their mother figure, scolding Eren whenever he'd stray from the original plans.
However, after the first reincarnation, something had shifted completely and stayed in that position up until now.
When Eren met Levi again, the brunet remembered every last detail of his death and everyone else's. He had been the last one to die and the only one to watch all his friends die at the hands of the titans. He especially remembered Levi, the only alive beside himself, throwing himself in front of Eren just as a titan's hand reached over to quickly grab the Corporal and dump him into its mouth.
After such a heart clenching sacrifice from a man he admired deeply, well, the brunet couldn't help it when he wrapped his arms around the shorter man upon his teal eyes connecting with those steel grey eyes. What surprised him was not the small 'brat' that came out of the Corporal's mouth, but the arms that wrapped around his waist and hugged him back.
Of course, they still had the same dynamic of Levi insulting him and Eren being his usual stubborn self, but everyone could feel the small change in their feelings for each other. The glares Levi sent the brunet held an undertone of amusement and, dare say, affection while Eren seemed to cling onto the Corporal just a tad bit more than he did before.
It took two more reincarnations, two more times of them witnessing everyone's deaths, for the duo to confess their feelings for each other. Or more like, Eren blurting it out one day when he was cleaning the Corporal's office followed by Levi getting up from his chair and hitting the brunet in the head before pulling him down for a kiss that portrayed what he couldn't say.
Everyone who passed them said their congratulations, obviously noticing the change between them. Mikasa, like the good sister she is, gave the Corporal a small talk about hurting Eren which ended in them having a mutual understanding that they should both watch over the brunet. Jean had teased Eren about it for a bit, but stopped at the insistence of Marco – and the glares the Corporal was sending his way.
Another failed mission passed and so did another death of the two squads. Thus leading to the modernized Stohess distract where they were all staying. Trost was filled with titans and at the rate they were going at, they may be able to breach Wall Sina.
That was before the 104th squad and Survey Corps reincarnated in that time. Thanks to their appearance, the titans had backed off Wall Sina, most having been in close proximity to the inner wall, but stayed in Trost.
With such progress, it made sense that Levi was feeling confident about this new era, an era where he could actually imagine a future for himself. Before, saving humanity and killing titans occupied every inch of his mind, no doubt it filled the minds of the rest of the squad as well, but it plagued his every day. That is, until Eren Jaeger, the brat who stole his heart, came into play and began fighting the titans alongside him.
Yes, he could see all the titans gone for good and humanity regaining their freedom. He could see himself retiring from the Survey Corps, or maybe staying to help Erwin, he wasn't entirely sure. The only constant in every small fantasy he indulged himself in, however, was that Eren was there by his side. Eren was in his future, smiling, laughing, and living with him. Something he once thought impossible seemed like a reachable dream now.
Because this was the era where everyone would live, he was sure of it.
"Eren! What the hell are you doing?!" Jean yelled at the blur of brown hair that passed by him.
Jean, Armin, Eren, Mikasa, and Sasha were out on a mission in the forests, clearing up the titans in the area because they were getting too close. Eren had been injured on the previous mission and so everyone tried to keep him from exerting himself, especially Levi who threatened to tie the boy onto the bed, but of course, he healed quickly and was out on the field with his 3D maneuver gear.
"There some more over there, I'm going to go get them!" Eren yelled back, not looking behind at Jean and whizzing past Sasha who was standing high in the trees, surveying the area.
"Over there…" Sasha muttered to herself when she heard Eren and looked to where he was headed. Her eyes widened as she jumped and chased after him, struggling to catch up. "You can't go by yourself, there's too many!"
Eren didn't hear her due to the wind rushing past his ears and he continued to move towards the group of titans entering the forest. Sasha grumbled and stopped on a branch, her eyes firmly placed on Eren's blurry figure. She covered one ear and shot off a red smoke signal.
Armin and Jean, who had joined with the blonde in order to tell him about Eren, were the first to see the red smoke in the sky.
"Shit, that's probably Jaeger!" Jean said and Armin looked at him with concerned, and slightly angry, blue eyes before moving towards to where Sasha was. "Oi, wait up!" Jean yelled and followed after Armin. A blur of black hair and red hurtled past him and he knew Mikasa had seen the smoke too.
The three met up with Sasha, who hastily told them about Eren's current situation, before jumping through the forest to get to the brunet.
By the time the four got there, Eren was in the grasp of one of the titans and was squirming in its big hand, trying to break free but failing.
"Eren!" Mikasa yelled from where she was situated on a tree branch. Eren turned his head to see Mikasa jumping off the tree branch and moving towards the titan holding him, her bladed cutting through its arm, letting it and the hand holding Eren fall to the ground.
The brunet landed on the ground with a small oof and he could feel a sense of relief at seeing his friends there. He had been genuinely terrified that he'd actually die and in this time, he was hoping he'd be able to live long enough. At least long enough for Levi.
The sense of relief didn't last too long and before he knew it, a large foot was quickly coming down onto him. One of the other titans had noticed Eren on the ground and opted for squashing him with its foot instead of eating him.
"EREN!" Armin screamed, trying to get to his best friend in time, but it was too late. Eren Jaeger was the first to die in this new era.
Levi was sitting in office, papers strewn across his desk. He wasn't really working, no, his anniversary with Eren was coming up and he knew how much that meant to his brat, so he was thinking of the perfect present for him.
He came to the decision of getting him something music related. During their third reincarnation, before humanity had advanced too much, cassette tapes that could play music had immediately fascinated Eren and he would play whatever music tapes he had when cleaning Levi's office.
A smile found its way onto the Corporal's face at the memory of Eren doing a small dance as he cleaned. The brunet had looked ridiculous, which the Corporal had pointed out to him. He had also looked incredibly adorable, but he wasn't about to say that out loud.
A knock on his door interrupted his small walk down memory lane and he wiped the smile off his face, eyes once again steeled and face impassive. "What is it?" he called out, the door opening as he spoke.
It was Petra and she had tears streaming down her cheeks. Petra knew how to keep her emotions at bay, just like the Corporal, so her crying meant something went terribly wrong. Levi stiffened as a list of possibilities ran through his head, all of them involving the mission Eren was currently out on, and he stood up from his chair.
"C-Corporal…" Petra choked out, "Eren's dead."
Levi was out the door before Petra could say anymore. He couldn't believe this, there was no way Eren was dead. He was too stubborn, strong, and full of will, life…love. He couldn't have died. They were supposed to live this time. They were supposed to defeat all the titans this time. They were supposed to have a future together.
The Corporal opened the back doors that led into a forest as well as a large plot of land and approached Sasha who was crying into Connie's shoulder.
"Where is he?" Levi's icy voice cut through the silence, save for some whispered conversation, as he looked at the crying girl who had been on the mission with Eren.
Sasha didn't say anything, her voice hoarse and the tears seeming to never stop. Instead, she pointed to where Armin and Mikasa were on the ground, a body covered with a large piece of cloth in between them.
"Corporal Levi," Armin said quietly, his own voice rough from crying, and got up to greet his superior. Levi nodded to him and Mikasa in acknowledgment before kneeling down and slowly removing the cloth placed over Eren's body.
He prayed in his head that they made a mistake. That Eren wasn't really dead and that his brat was still alive. The world seemed to disappear, leaving only him and Eren. Yes, this was Eren's body, he'd recognize that face, no matter how bloodied and bruised it had become.
He fought back a sob and kept the tears pricking at the corner of his eyes from falling. He couldn't show weakness now, not when his world had fallen apart. No, he'd be strong for Eren because that's what the brat would've wanted.
The world came back into focus as he covered Eren's body carefully and got up, walking away briskly from the scene and locking himself in his office. He needed some time alone.
Two weeks passed since Eren's death and, while everyone was still mourning over the loss, it seemed to boost their want of killing all the titans.
Levi was mourning over the death of his lover as well, though he didn't let it show, keeping his face as stoic and void of emotion as possible. He rarely talked to anyone anymore either, only speaking to Hanji or Erwin every now and then.
"What the hell's up with him?" Kajsa Hirsch, a waitress at one of the restaurants near where the Survey Corps was operating from, asked her friend as she joined him behind the counter.
"Who? The guy with the horse face?" Elias Kafka, another waiter, said as he tried to find the guy his friend was talking about.
"No, not him, the one in the corner with the shifty eyes," Kajsa said, trying to subtly point at Levi, who was sitting by himself at a corner table, and opting for staring instead.
"Oh, he's that emotionless guy in the scouting legion, Lance Corporal Levi. Heard he didn't even cry when that soppy little boy-crush of his got killed last week." He said when he saw who Kajsa was pointing to. "They say he never even got to say goodbye."
Kajsa nodded in understanding, "That'd explain his wrist. When I brought him his food, I saw a scar on wrist peek out from his sleeve."
Just then, Levi got up and left the establishment. Those two idiotic shithead waiters couldn't keep their voices down. Eren was not some soppy boy-crush. They were right about him not being able to say goodbye and that's what ticked him off.
After the day Eren died, they had given him an extremely traditional burial – well it wasn't really a burial, they set him off down the river in a burning boat; Hanji had called out it a Viking's Funeral yet Levi hadn't entirely grasped why they did that – and that was before Levi could say a proper goodbye to his deceased. For god's sake, he didn't even get to say goodbye to the brat before he left for the forest!
Levi strode through the headquarters and into his bedroom. He locked the door behind him and plopped down into the leather chair in front of his desk. On top of his wooden desk was a picture of him and Eren, taken by Hanji who found a camera and spent a whole day taking candid pictures. The only decent one of him and Eren was where Hanji caught them at the stables, Eren sitting atop his horse with his mouth open mid-laughter and Levi on the ground next to him, the faintest smile on his face as he stared up at the brunet. Next to that was a player for those music tapes Eren loved so much and a mixtape Mikasa had found in one of Eren's locked desk drawers.
He picked up the note attached to it, the paper wrinkled from his constant grip on it and some of the words smudged because of stray tears.
levi's "i love you" mix
{Give him this when I die}
For Levi (if you do get this and Mikasa doesn't confiscate it),
I love you so much
Please keep fighting and secure Humanity's freedom, if not for them, then for me
- Eren Jaeger
A few silent tears rolled from Levi's tired, grey eyes and he picked up the picture, his sleeve rolling back to reveal scars on his wrist.
"You weren't supposed to die, you asshole," he whispered as he stared at the picture, a sad smile on his face. "But I'll keep fighting, for you."
A shiver ran through his body and a gentle breeze came from the window he had left opened last night.
He could've sworn that he felt a pair of familiar, soft lips press against the scars on his wrist.
Three months passed since Eren's death and Levi was determined to fulfill his lover's dying wish, to rid the world of titans.
However, that proved to be hard at the moment with his special operations squad currently being swarmed by titans.
"Oluo!" He heard Petra shout followed by the sound of Oluo's screaming. Shit, at this rate, they were going to die. Eld had already been eaten by a titan and it sound like Oluo was just thrown at a tree, the force killing him.
"Retre-" Levi tried to shout to his squad, but it was cut off by a large hand grabbing him and throwing him onto the ground with enough force to kill somebody. He felt his breath leave his lungs, his breath and his life quickly draining out of him.
Corporal! You're supposed to stay alive!
Levi felt his lips twitch up, that sounded like Eren.
Shut up, brat, I did my best.
His whole body felt lighter as Eren's laughter filled his head, the sound of his lover's voice drowning out Petra's screams for him to stay alive.
Well, it seems like another reincarnation is going to come soon
Levi nodded; well he did in his head since in actuality his body was limp and beyond dead.
Looks like I'll be seeing your face again, shitty brat
He felt something pull at his arms as it suddenly got exceedingly bright. Levi squinted against the blinding white light, opening his eyes when it lessened. When he did, he felt his breath catch in his throat. Standing in front of him, holding onto his arms, was Eren.
"Nice to see you too, Corporal," Eren said jokingly, a goofy grin on his face. He was wearing the same clothes he died in, minus the blood and tears.
"Eren?" Levi managed to say quietly before violently pulling the other into a tight hug.
Eren laughed and wrapped his arms around Levi's shoulders, hugging the shorter man back.
"Come on, let's go wait for the others," Eren said as he let go of Levi and held onto his hand instead, dragging him towards the blinding light.
A small smile tugged at his lips and he followed the brunet. Sure, his wish for everything to end during that time didn't happen, but another reincarnation, another life to live with Eren, didn't sound too bad.
Before they walked all the way through, Eren turned around and grinned at Levi, as if he read his thoughts, and bent to down to softly kiss the Corporal's lips.
Nope, it didn't sound bad at all.