author's note: hello all! as stated in the summary, this is a collection of one-shots surrounding my favorite ship from attack on titan, levi and historia! i will be adding notes in the beginning with the rating, if it's canon or au, and a brief summary so you can get a feel for what the one shot will be about. ratings will vary from K to M for content like smut so please pay attention to the notes in the beginning if any of that bothers you. some of these chapters i previously have published on ao3, but some will be newer works as well. i hope you all enjoy! let me know thoughts in a review. if you have a request, let me know and if it's possible, i'll make it happen!

Flightless Bird

The Captain likes talking to the birds because they remind him of Isabel and Farlan. Historia overhears, and she grows to appreciate him more.

Canon Universe, set sometime after she becomes Queen and the squad helps at the orphanage. Rated T for Levi's language. Fluff, light pining.

Levi doesn't sleep much, Historia notices.

Even with the kids and chores around the orphanage to wear him out, he may retire to a room, but he doesn't actually sleep. Most often he sits in the armchair by the fireplace downstairs, whether it's to "sleep" for a few hours or to read and drink tea. Historia, who is usually first to rise, will find him in the chair and chide him for not resting properly.

"You have a bed, you know," she reminds him every morning.

"Yes. I'm in it," he deadpans, but with no irritation. Historia just smiles tiredly and will make fresh tea and toast for him. He'll accept it silently with a nod of gratitude and go outside with his food while the sun rises.

One morning, Historia finds herself curious as she makes her own toast. Levi is such an odd man, yet he's incredibly simple all at once. She's more intrigued about the Captain now that she's not his subordinate anymore, but he always leaves her in the morning to eat alone. Once she's put some preserved fruit on her toast, she goes to the back door, ready to join her former Captain when she hears him talking on the other side of the door.

"Hey, shit head," he says quietly. She furrows her brow; no one else is awake yet but them. "I'm starting to get lazy out here. All this dicking around with the kids is great, but I'm getting antsy just doing nothing." Historia shifts quietly to the window, peering out while trying to be discreet—there's no sneaking up on Levi, after all—and she's shocked by what she sees.

He's sitting on the porch, taking a half of toast and is sharing it with two robins. One is perched on his knee, the other on the porch beside him, both looking up at him expectantly. He breaks off another piece, handing it to the robin on his knee. It picks it from his fingers eagerly, chirping happily once done, and he rubs the orange patch on it's chest affectionately.

"Yeah, yeah," Levi replies. The one beside him flaps it's wings indignantly and chirps in turn until Levi gives that one bread too. "Shut up," he scolds.

Historia observes the whole scene with wonder, not quite sure what she was expecting.

She eats breakfast alone.

Every morning continues the same for the next week: Historia wakes up and finds Levi in the armchair, urging him to sleep in a real bed. He shrugs off her comments when she brings tea and toast, leaving her to eat alone. She goes to sit on the other side of the door while he feeds his birds, talking to them about the simplest things. She feels awkward listening in, but she can't help but feel drawn to this side of Levi that he only seems to share with these robins that find him each morning. She hears him speak about his squad with mild annoyance and endearment, about the children, and then one morning he speaks about Historia herself.

Her breath catches in her throat when she hears her name in that relaxed tone he uses with them.

"She's not quite as stubborn as Eren, but she's relentless when she wants to be," Levi remarks. "It's definitely helped—these kids wouldn't be here now without that spirit. She's done more than I could've ever hoped for, and it's kind of incredible to witness."

Historia puts her hand over her mouth to muffle her gasp, her heart pounding wildly within her chest. She knew Levi felt passionately about her bringing up the children from the Underground, but to hear this kind of praise from him? She smiles behind her hand until he speaks again, interrupting the birds chirping.

"She means well though. Even if she's a nosy, eavesdropping brat."

Her stomach sinks.

"Just come on out, Historia."

She doesn't know what else to do, so she opens the door anxiously. Levi sits on the porch, but is looking over his shoulder at her with a bored expression. "I—"

"Shut the door before you wake anyone. You're too fucking loud every morning." He turns back to the birds without waiting for her to respond.

Shutting the door behind her, she sits beside Levi, her feet dangling off the porch as the grass touches her toes. The birds fly away a few feet, unsure of Historia now that she's joined their usual feeder. She glances at them before looking at Levi. "I'm sorry for eavesdropping, Cap—ah, Levi," she apologizes. Levi corrects her every time she calls him Captain, reminding her that I'm not your Captain anymore and you're the fucking Queen now, remember?

"I'm not angry, so calm down," he tells her bluntly. "Why did you do it?"

"I..." Historia hesitates, trying to gather the reason. While she struggles to muster the words, Levi shifts his steely gaze to meet hers, and suddenly she finds the words as they look at one another. She didn't realize how close she sat to him at first, but with him in arm's reach she can see the flecks of blue in his grey eyes, the lines around his eyes from years of stress and lack of sleep, and the beginning of a shadow is visible on his chin in the morning sun. She swallows nervously before answering timidly, "I like listening to you talk. I didn't know you talked to the birds, but you tell them things I didn't know about you, but that I'd like to know."

Levi cocks an eyebrow and the beginning of a smile pulls at the corners of his lips. "You could've just come out here and talked to me like a normal person." Historia blushes deeply and looks down at her lap, embarrassed she snuck around at all. A moment passes by with silence between them, only for Levi to speak again. "I talk to them because they remind me of old friends." At his words she looks up again, and this time he's looking at the robins that approach with apprehension. He gives them the remaining pieces of toast, which they scarf down happily. "We took care of a bird in the Underground—well, Isabel mainly did. Farlan and I helped," Levi explains.

The two robins chirp as Levi speaks, fluttering their wings in excitement as they hop on the ground.

"Is this the kind of shit you really like hearing?" Levi asks as he looks at her again. The early sunlight reflects in his eyes, making her heart flutter as she gets lost in his dark eyes. One of the robins chirps again, making her blink and refocus on Levi, who's searching for an answer in her bright eyes.

Historia nods with a warm expression. "Yes, it is."

The tension seeps from his shoulders and he allows that smile to finally show. He starts with Isabel and Farlan, speaking of memories he had buried long ago with a fondness she's never seen in him before, yet she yearns to see more of. The birds eventually fly away, returning each morning faithfully to share in those peaceful moments.