Author's Notes: I'm not going to lie; this chapter was written solely because I needed some cuteness and because a close friend of mine asked/demanded more Levi/Aria. Enjoy some shameless fluff!
I don't own Attack on Titan.
'Smile' belongs to Uncle Kracker.
You're better than the best
I'm lucky just to linger in your light
Cooler than the flip-side of my pillow, that's right
Completely unaware
Nothing can compare to where you send me
Lets me know that it's okay
Yeah, it's okay
And the moment when my good times start to fade
Hanji looked up as Aria walked back into the suite that night. The redhead was completely silent, a rarity for her, as she walked into her room to put down whatever she was holding and walked back into the living room. Hanji was about to congratulate her on the performance when she noticed her friend's distracted and almost worried expression.
"Aria? What is it?" Hanji asked.
Aria looked up. "Huh? Oh, it's nothing. I'm just thinking."
"About what? Is everything okay?"
Aria hesitated before going to sit next to Hanji on the couch. She kept her eyes down, refusing to make eye contact.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. I feel like I'm stuck in a glass case of emotions."
Hanji blinked. "Wow, can you narrow that down for me? I mean, I know you normally go to Bri or Petra with stuff like this but I might be able to help you. I know serious advice isn't my strong point but..."
A small smile crept up on Aria's face. Over the past few months, Aria and Bri had come to view Hanji and Petra the same way they viewed each other: as the sisters they never had. Petra was usually the more responsible of the two and was the most frequent go-to person when the girls had emotional troubles. Hanji, on the other hand, was the one they went to when they needed to blow off steam and have a good time. She was more of a 'Forget about your problems, tinfoil's shiny!' kind of person, and emotional advice wasn't something she was especially skilled at.
"Okay... Well, I... I think I'm starting to...develop feelings for someone," Aria said hesitantly.
Hanji was directly in front of Aria in a flash. "Are you serious?! That's great! Who is it?"
Aria's face flushed a bright pink. "It's... It's Levi."
You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed
Sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile
The room was dead quiet for a moment as Hanji simply stared at Aria. The silence was broken by the high-pitched squeal that erupted from the brunette. "Oh my God, I knew it! I've shipped you two since the day I first heard him call you 'Red'. Bri and Eld are already a thing, so that means I'm two for two, baby, two for two!"
Aria sighed. "Hanji, he's my best friend. I don't want things to get awkward."
"Then don't make things awkward," Hanji replied simply. "The only ones who can make your friendship awkward are you two. Just act like you normally would around him. It's a crush, right? As much as I hate to admit it, there's a chance it'll fade on its own."
Aria took a moment to consider before nodding. "I guess you're right. No sense in getting worked up over it. Besides, all it's doing at this point is giving me a headache. I think I just need some sleep. Thanks, Hanji."
"No problem, Aria. Hope you get to feeling better," Hanji said as Aria walked back into her room. 'Oh yeah, I can totally rock the whole serious advice thing. I really don't hope this crush of hers fades, though; she and Levi would have the cutest, shortest babies ever!'
Even when you're gone
Somehow you come along
Just like a flower poking through the sidewalk crack
And just like that
You steal away the rain
Yeah, just like that
Unfortunately, Aria's headache had not improved by the following morning. In fact, it appeared to have gotten worse over the course of the night; it had been an inconvenience at most when Aria came home, but now she felt as if someone had a death grip on her skull.
"I guess you're not feeling any better, huh?" Hanji asked as Aria flopped down next to her. "You haven't even gone for the countertop today."
Aria didn't offer anything more than a noncommittal grunt.
"Do you still want to come and meet everyone for lunch? You haven't eaten anything since before the show last night, right?" She paused, continuing when Aria nodded. "Maybe a little fresh air will do you some good, too."
Aria shook her head. "If it's all the same to you, Hanji, I think I'll just sit this one out. I don't really have much of an appetite and I don't really think bright sunlight is going to help. Say hi to everyone for me, though, okay?"
Hanji nodded. "I will. Feel better, Aria. Text me if you need something," she said before walking out the door.
Aria curled up on the couch to watch a little T.V. and see if she could go back to sleep. She didn't get much last night due to the pain and she imagined that may have been a reason her head felt so much worse now. She stayed in the same position for about twenty minutes before she heard a knock on the door. Groaning, she pushed herself off the couch and was mildly surprised to see Levi when she answered the door.
"Your insane roommate said you weren't feeling well. What's going on?"
Aria sighed. "It's nothing major. I've just had a really bad headache since last night."
"Did you sleep at all?" He blinked when Aria shook her head. Usually, she'd be yapping his ear off by now and he'd be pretending he didn't find it amusing. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was a little concerned. "Get your keys and come with me."
Aria quirked an eyebrow, but did as he said. "Where are we going?"
"Back to my room. You need to sleep and it'll be quieter there than here, especially once Hanji gets back," Levi replied. "Besides... Lunch was so boring without you there to talk to. So you need to get better."
You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed
Sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile
Despite the pain she was in, Aria couldn't help but smile. She gathered up her keys and phone and followed him out, locking the door behind her. Upon reaching and entering Levi's room, she promptly curled up on his couch and closed her eyes, her head resting on the armrest. She opened her eyes again when she felt Levi throw a blanket over her.
"Sleep," Levi ordered.
Aria looked at him for a long moment, considering something, before asking, "Levi? Would you mind... Would you mind laying here with me?" Upon seeing his incredulous expression, she quickly threw in, "J-Just until I fall asleep..."
"Why?" Levi asked, feeling his face heat up.
"I like to cuddle against someone when I'm not feeling well. That might actually be why I had a hard time sleeping last night," Aria replied. "Normally, I'd ask Allegro or Bri but since neither of them are here..."
Levi studied Aria for a moment. Lately, he'd been getting a strange, warm feeling in his chest whenever she was around. After their hugs the previous night, he'd found himself wanting, almost craving, more contact with her. And after one look into those big green eyes, he knew he couldn't say no. "Fine, but only until you fall asleep. Now, move over."
Aria gave him a small smile before lifting up the blanket and moving back so that she was pressed against the back of the couch. She gave Levi enough time to settle next to her before slowly sidling closer to him. "Thank you, Levi. I know you don't really like stuff like this but it means a lot to me."
"Shut up and sleep," Levi ordered again, wrapping his arm around the back of Aria's head. He began running his fingers through her hair, stopping every so often to gently massage her scalp.
Aria sighed happily and closed her eyes, relaxing against him. 'Hot damn, this feels incredible. I can't believe I haven't turned into a blushing mess yet. Guess I can be thankful for the headache.' She giggled softly as his fingers brushed against a ticklish spot on the back of her neck. 'I'll have to get headaches more often if this is the kind of treatment I get.'
Aria soon felt herself starting to drift off. A small yawn left her lips before she nuzzled further into Levi's shoulder and, before she knew it, she'd been whisked away to dreamland.
Don't know how I lived without you
'Cause every time that I get around you
I see the best of me inside your eyes
You make me smile
Levi felt Aria's breathing change, becoming deep and even, signaling that she had fallen asleep. He had intended to get up and go back to his room to work so she could nap in peace, but he made the mistake of looking at her sleeping face. She looked so content that he didn't have the heart to move. As he brushed a stray piece of hair from her face, he took a moment to study her face.
'Soft red hair, pale skin, beautiful green eyes... And those cute pink lips... I could stare at that face all day.'
Levi was well aware of his growing attraction to Aria. He'd thought she was pretty from the day they met and hearing her sing only increased her attractiveness to him. His crush on her hadn't emerged until he realized how much he enjoyed spending time with her and how genuine she was when she let her guard down. He had initially believed the attraction was due to Aria being one of the only girls he could truly relate to and would fade if he gave it some time. However, all time did was allow his feelings to intensify and her sleeping this close to him was not helping.
His eyes found themselves repeatedly drawn to her lips, parted just slightly as she slept. Without realizing it, his hand removed itself from her hair and came down to gently cup her cheek, carefully stroking it with the pad of his thumb. He began leaning closer to her before he could stop himself. 'Her skin is so soft. I wonder if her lips are even softer...'
Aria stirred, shifting slightly, before sighing in her sleep and nuzzling his shoulder. That was enough to snap Levi out his trance and he mentally slapped himself. 'It's for the best; I'd probably look like such a creep if she woke up during that.'
Levi watched her sleep for a while before noticing that his own eyelids were starting to grow heavy. A yawn escaped him as he wrapped an arm around Aria to pull her closer, lightly and briefly pressing his lips to her forehead.
'Sleep well, Red.'
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
The first thing Aria noticed when she woke was that her headache was completely gone; she wasn't in any pain at all. Slowly, she blinked the sleep out of her eyes, taking a moment to register that she wasn't in her suite. She started slightly when she felt an arm around her waist and warm breath hitting the back of her neck, calming down when she remembered the events leading up to this point. 'Oh, that's right. I crashed on Levi's couch.'
She rolled over slowly to face Levi only to find that he was asleep. She marveled at how serene he looked as he slept and she reached up to run her fingers through his raven hair, reveling in how soft it was.
A quick intake of breath sounded from Levi, and Aria quickly pulled her hand away as he stirred. His gunmetal eyes slowly opened and he blinked a few times before he focused on her. He sat up, bringing her with him, and stretched.
"You feeling any better?" he asked.
Aria nodded. "Much better, actually." She paused before hesitantly adding, "Maybe we should spoon like this every time one of us isn't feeling well."
"Can't say I'd be opposed to that. This was probably the best sleep I've ever had," Levi agreed.
"How long were we asleep for, anyway?" Aria asked, stretching a bit herself.
Levi looked out the window, surprised to see that the sun was setting. "Longer than we meant to, apparently." He grabbed her phone off of the small table in front of the couch. "We got back here around one, and it's...holy shit, it's almost seven."
Aria blinked. "And you stayed with me the whole time?"
Levi froze for a split second before relaxing. "Yeah, I guess I did. I ended up falling asleep not long after you did."
You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed
Sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile
Aria was about to respond when her stomach growled loudly. "I, uh... I guess I'm hungry," she said sheepishly as her cheeks turned pink.
Levi smirked. "That makes sense. You haven't eaten today." He stood up from the couch, stretching one last time, before turning and pulling her up as well. "Let's get you something to eat before you pass out."
"The cafeteria is closed by now, though," Aria pointed out.
"Yeah, but the bakery isn't. I don't know about you but I could go for a sandwich. And after that we can come back here and watch Sweeney Todd. Sound good to you?"
"A sandwich does sound epic right about now," Aria agreed, smiling up at him. "And you know I'm always up for a little Sweeney. Let's go."
Oh, you make me smile
Ending Notes: Hope you enjoyed!
Once again, feedback is always welcome and appreciated!
Also, I'm still taking requests for 'True Days', if there's anything you'd like to see!
Geekinthepink, out!