Levi x Reader Oneshots 2

Sing for Me (Levi x Scared Reader)

Author's Note: Hello, lovelies! "The Deal" is officially complete, so we're back to weekly oneshot updates. However, I do have three more long stories currently in progress, so you can expect to see more chapter books in the future (and some of them will literally be novel-length, hehe). For now, I hope you enjoy this one!

"You can't stay in my office all night," Levi told you gently as you sat curled in the chair opposite his at his desk. "You need to sleep, sweetheart."

"I know," you replied. "I want to. But I can't. I can't shake this feeling that something bad will happen."

You'd been having nightmares for almost a week straight. You scarcely remembered what they were about, but the feelings they inspired – terror and despair – remained clear as a bell. It was impossible to fall back asleep after you woke from one of these awful dreams, and even going to sleep in the first place was a struggle. While you knew the barracks were perfectly safe, you were still gripped by a sense of foreboding, and you weren't sure if that was the product of your nightmares or the cause. Maybe it was both.

After so many nights of this, you'd become too exhausted to function properly, to the point where you had to excuse yourself from training for fear of having a serious accident. Moreover, you were starting to feel sick from the lack of sleep, experiencing a variety of symptoms that included headaches, lightheadedness, nausea, chills, sniffles, and a foggy brain. Yet, even with all this, you couldn't get yourself to sleep. You wanted to – but your body was too busy bracing for a threat that wasn't there.

Levi had been quick to notice your state, and he'd been making you extra cups of tea over the past several days – which you hadn't asked for, but greatly appreciated. Despite Levi's callous demeanor, he cared deeply for those around him, and you especially. Yet, neither the extra caffeine nor the warm fuzzies inspired by Levi's attentiveness was enough to combat your exhaustion.

Your partner sighed. "What can I do to help?" he asked.

You bit your lip shyly, hesitating to answer. You knew exactly what you wanted – even though you weren't sure it would help, it was the only thing you thought might make you feel safe enough to rest. However, it was a bit of a childish request. "Could you hold me while I try to sleep?" you murmured, your voice small and quiet.

"Of course," Levi agreed, acting as if your request were perfectly natural – which made you feel a lot less ridiculous. "Go get ready for bed. I'll meet you at your room."

You did as he told you, showering and brushing your teeth before going back to your bedroom and changing into your sleepwear. A few minutes later, Levi arrived at your door, wearing casual clothes that weren't technically pajamas but nonetheless looked comfortable enough to sleep in. He guided you to your bed, where the two of you crawled under the covers and cuddled close.

You did find it easier to relax with him here. After all, it was difficult not to feel safe when the strongest man alive was holding you in his arms. And then there was the soft, soothing rhythm of his breath, the warmth emanating from his body, the secure cocoon of his muscles.

However...it wasn't quite enough.

After a few minutes of cuddling in silence, you asked, "Levi? Would you..." You bit your lip, once again feeling childish. "Would you please...sing for me?"

"You want me to?" he murmured, raising his eyebrows, somewhat nonplussed by your request.

It wasn't something you'd ever asked him to do. In fact, you'd only ever heard him sing once before, just a bit under his breath, on a night when the Scouts were all camped outside the Walls and he thought you were asleep. His soft, melodic voice had sounded so soothing then, so you thought, maybe...

You gave a small nod. "I just...thought it would be...comforting," you explained, embarrassed by your own silly desires. "But you don't have to, if you don't want to."

"No, no, it's okay," he assured you while brushing a lock of hair away from your face. "I'm just not used to singing for people, is all. But...I don't mind singing for you."

You squeezed him a little tighter, once again appreciating how he treated your needs as normal, not at all making you feel embarrassed or stupid. "Thanks, Levi," you murmured.

He kissed your head in reply. Then he was quiet for a moment, idly rubbing your back while he thought about what to sing. He didn't know many songs by heart, and most of the ones he did remember were tunes he routinely heard at bars when some of the other officers dragged him along on their nights out. However...there was one. It was an Underground song, and half of it was in some old, forgotten language, but...he thought it might work. He hoped it would.

Levi cleared his throat before singing softly:

"Die Stühle liegen sehr eng

Wir reden die ganze Nacht lang

Dieser niedrige Raum ist nicht schlecht

Wir können uns gut verstehen

So ist es immer, unser Licht ist nur das

Trinken und singen wir, begrüßen morgen

So ist es immer, unterm riesigen Himmel

Leben wir zusammen, die Nacht ist lang

Da die Sterne nicht leuchten

Kann der Mond auf diese Stadt nicht scheinen

Schauten wir das Licht selbst an

Singen wir unter dem Sternenmeer"

You sighed, relaxing into Levi's embrace and the mattress beneath you. You'd never heard this song before, and you didn't understand the words – but even so, you could sense the intent, somehow. It felt like warmth, familiarity, and home.

"Chairs so close and room so small

You and I talk all the night long

Meagre this space but serves us so well

We comrades have stories to tell

And it's always like that in the evening time

We drink and we sing when our fighting is done

And it's always so we live under the burnt clouds

Ease our burden, long is the night

Just as no stars can be seen

We are stars and we'll beam on our town

We must all gather as one

Sing with hope and the fear will be gone"

Levi's voice was gorgeous, deep and soothing. And the best part – he was singing only for you. The act felt so wholesome and intimate that it chased away the last traces of fear and anxiety in your mind. Nothing bad could possibly happen when Levi was singing for you like this. You nuzzled into him, allowed your eyelids to fall shut, and before you knew it, you were sound asleep.

"Die Stühle liegen sehr eng

You and I talk all the night long

Dieser niedrige Raum ist nicht schlecht

We comrades have stories to tell

So ist es immer, that in the evening time

We drink and we sing when our fighting is done

So ist es immer, we live under the burnt clouds

Ease our burden, long is the night

Da die Sterne nicht leuchten

We are stars and we'll beam on our town

Schauten wir das Licht selbst an

Sing with hope and the fear will be gone"