Earrings – Levi x Petra Clothing Prompt
Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin.
~oOo~
Hardly anyone notices Petra's ears.
Generally her copper-colored locks keep them partially concealed, not at all that unusual. And when she speaks the listener cannot help but to become engaged in the liveliness of her voice, to want to be interested in what she has to say. The little things are so easy to overlook, and she is secretly grateful for that because Petra hates her ears.
Not for their shape, size, or color. In fact, they would be perfectly normal if it were not for the torn earlobes, the places where two small stone studs used to twinkle. It was an accident. Her earrings had snagged onto her sweater and it did not take as much strength as one would expect to pull them through the soft skin. Initially she did not feel the pain, and then of course there was all the blood but it still took awhile for reality to sink in. There was not much to be done about it except to bandage them and hope that they would heal together (unfortunately, this is not the case). To this day an unsuspecting person might casually catch a glimpse of the tears and it is almost always an uncomfortable experience.
Still, most people do not notice. When Levi finally discovers their existence he does even question it. Petra calmly allows him to brush back her hair so that he can better examine the old injuries. He mutely traces a finger along the outer shell of her ear, his hands being significantly cooler, perhaps due to the warmth that slowly floods her face as he does it. There is something marvelous about his quiet curiosity that eases all the apprehension away. Petra becomes increasingly more receptive to the touches. This simple gesture introduces a new level of intimacy that entirely revolves around ears, such as the sensation of his breath when he whispers dirty little things to her in passing. When he bites the damaged earlobe and tugs gently with his teeth. When he suckles on that sweet spot behind her ear until she cannot take his teasing anymore and she coaxes his wandering lips to hers. Levi never spoke a word of reassurance in regard to her self-consciousness, never acknowledged it and probably would never need to.
~oOo~
A/N: This request was greatly influenced by my own experiences of having my earrings ripped out. You don't realize just how popular of a gift they are until you can't wear them anymore. Be careful girls and guys. In addition, I wanted to make this more about Petra and her internal conflict rather than her just being Levi's love interest. Well, I tried. ^^ Much thanks to all the reviewers, favoriters and followers!