Levi x Reader Oneshots

Don't Hold Your Breath (Levi x Reader AU)

"The aquarium is now closed," a synthetic female voice chimed over the loudspeaker.

Finally free of the visitors that had been trickling through all day, you slipped into the back to change. You hated the khakis that you were required to wear during the long hours that you stood by the tank, waiting for someone to ask a question. At least today, you were stationed at the manatee exhibit. While you loved all the animals under your care, the manatees, with their gentle calm, provided a welcome balance to the obnoxious humans that you were forced to deal with as part of your job.

Now in a wetsuit, you sat on the edge of the manatee pool before slowly sliding into the water, so as not to startle the gentle giants that swam below. In your opinion, manatees were vastly underappreciated. They were actually some of the most graceful creatures in the world, but people never took the time to watch, preferring instead to cheer for the dolphins' nimble jumps or marvel at the sharks' deadly teeth.

You swam lazily around the pool, occasionally feeling the pull of the current as one of the manatees passed close to you. Once your body had adjusted to the water, you set a timer on your waterproof watch, took a deep breath, and dived down.

Moments later, you broke through the surface, gasping and treading water.

"Finally," an annoyed, male voice echoed through the otherwise-empty room. "You were down there so long that I thought you were doing to drown." Despite his words, he sounded rather unconcerned.

You checked the timer on your watch and growled. It read 1:07 – twenty-three seconds off from your goal.

"Did you know that manatees can hold their breath for up to twenty minutes?" you asked, eyes still on your watch.

"Tch. Is that what you're going for? You know Navy SEALs only hold their breath for two or three, right?"

You looked up to see your boyfriend, Levi, standing at the edge of the pool with his arms crossed.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to be better than a SEAL," you chimed as you swam over and rested your arms on top of the wall.

Levi rolled his eyes and crouched down, getting closer to your level, although you still had to tip your head back to look him in the eye. You could tell he was exhausted. Levi had been stationed at the orca show, as he often was. The show director constantly chided him for not smiling, but ultimately she let it slide, since Levi was the best trainer at the park. He really was phenomenal with the animals – much better than he was with humans. Thus, performing in several shows day after day was a rather draining experience. He hadn't even changed out of his wetsuit yet.

He stared at you with glazed-over eyes before letting out a sigh. "May I join you?"

You smiled softly, knowing how much he needed to decompress. "Of course. The water's perfect," you replied, flicking a few drops at him for emphasis.

Levi flinched as the water flew toward his face. "Brat," he hissed, though you could tell he wasn't really angry.

You smirked and kicked off the wall, beginning another lazy swim around the tank as Levi slid into the water. For a while, the two of you drifted casually. You were in the same pool, but you didn't swim together, instead giving each other space to wash away the day.

You decided to try copying the manatees' movements, dancing through the water with gentle arches and turns. As you spun, you looked across the pool and caught Levi watching you. Keeping your eyes locked on his, you continued slowly turning through the water. You began to show off your flexibility a little – just a little, just enough to tease.

It worked.

Pleased with yourself, you smirked and looked away, continuing your therapeutic swim.