Chapter Text
As you opened your eyes to the sound of birds chirping outside, you found him already watching you.
The morning sun spilled through the windows, casting a warm glow across his bare skin. Loose strands of dark hair had fallen over his forehead, softening the sharp lines of his face. He looked impossibly peaceful.
"Hey," he whispered, brushing a strand of hair away from your face.
A smile tugged at your lips.
"Good morning," you murmured, slipping your arms around his neck and gently pulling him closer for a brief kiss.
The bedroom was spacious, its wooden walls bathed in golden morning light. Sunlight poured through the large windows, filling every corner of the room with warmth. It was quiet.
Peaceful. Just like every other morning.
The bedroom door suddenly flew open.
Levi immediately pulled the blanket over you, shielding you from view.
"Iris," his voice almost loud, "manners!"
You were almost certain you caught the hint of a chuckle in his voice.
"But Dad," Iris whined, "I'm hungry! I've been waiting forever for you two to wake up."
She sounded genuinely disappointed to find both of you still in bed.
"Honey," you said with a smile, only your face visible above the blanket, "give us just a minute. Mommy needs to get dressed first, and then I'll make you pancakes."
With a quiet grumble, Iris turned around and closed the door behind her.
You buried your face in the crook of his neck, unable to hold back a quiet laugh. He took a slow breath, as if memorizing the scent of your hair, before pressing a gentle kiss to the top of your head.
"We should get up," he murmured. "otherwise she will find us in a more inappropriate position." you lifted your head just enough to catch the faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips and answered with a quick kiss.
His hand found your waist before he effortlessly rolled you onto your back, bracing himself above you. His arms caged you in without making you feel trapped.
The morning light suited him. It was dancing in his good side.
It softened the sharpness of his features, caught in the dark strands of hair that had fallen across his forehead, and traced the definition of the muscles in his shoulders. Moments like these made it hard to believe this was the same man who terrified an entire regiment.
You propped yourself up on your elbows and kissed him once more, slower this time, reluctant to let the morning end.
But reality always had a way of finding you.
Breakfast still had to be made. Iris was waiting downstairs. You and Levi had to leave for work.
Your husband was a soldier.
Not just any soldier.
Captain Levi Ackerman.
Commanding Officer of the Valerian Special Operations Unit.
There wasn't a soul in Valeria who didn't know his name. You had lost count of how many times strangers had thanked him for his service, or how many children dreamed of becoming soldiers because of him.
You couldn't blame them. You were proud of him, too.
Valeria meant everything to both of you. You had grown up believing that some things were worth sacrificing everything for.
Levi always insisted there was one thing he valued even more.
You.
Whenever he said it, no matter how quietly, your heart never failed to betray you.
You had known each other for as long as you could remember. Falling in love with him had never felt like a choice. It had happened so naturally that, by the time you realized it, you couldn't imagine a life without him.
Even as a little boy, Levi had always stood between you and anything that threatened to hurt you.
You became a nurse when you were sixteen.
That was also the year he finished his cadet corps and now he was going to join the army.
You were terrified but you smiled at him anyway.
You smiled and told him he would become the greatest soldier this country had ever seen and you meant every word.
You had always known how strong he was. When you were eleven, he had nearly killed your father for beating you after you snuck out to play with him. Even back then, everyone knew Levi Ackerman wasn't someone to be underestimated.
He quickly proved himself in the army.
Commander Erwin was always the first to send him into the most dangerous battles.
You spent countless nights crying yourself to sleep, careful not to let Iris hear you. You never wanted her to be afraid every time her father was away.
There had been so many nights like that.
Five years ago, when you were pregnant with Iris, he had been sent on another dangerous mission.
You prayed and cried every night.
You slept only when exhaustion finally won.
Every night, you begged God not to take him away from you but he always came back.
Always.
Reluctantly, the two of you climbed out of bed, neither of you wanting to let go just yet.
"Erwin might send me on another mission today," he said as the two of you got dressed.
Without a word, he reached for you.
He knew you hated watching him leave.
"But you just got back—"
The words died in your throat the moment you met his eyes.
They were so soft.
He looked at you as if he already knew every thought running through your mind and somehow, he was telling you it would be okay.
Gently, he took your hand and placed it against his bare chest.
His heartbeat was slow.
Steady.
"You know I'll be back as soon as I can."
A small smile appeared on his lips.
He was always so gentle with you.
With everyone else... not so much. His soldiers feared him. Not because he was cruel, but because they knew exactly what he expected from them.
And they all knew one thing.
There wasn't a better captain in all of Valeria.
Erwin was the mind.
Levi was the battlefield.
Closing his eyes, he pressed a soft kiss against your knuckles.
You smiled, even as tears threatened to spill from your eyes, you swallowed them back. You couldn't let him see how completely you fell apart every single time he left.
He had only just come home.
But Valeria needed him.
So you stayed silent.
"Mom!"
Iris's impatient voice echoed from downstairs.
"Coming!" you called back.
Once the two of you were fully dressed, you headed downstairs together.
He was already wearing his usual uniform.
The deep pine-green fabric fit him perfectly, his medals neatly pinned across his chest. His sword rested at one hip, a pistol secured at the other.
He looked good with the uniform, always making you want to climb on his lap and kiss him with want. You would do that when he came late in the nights and both of you were alone in the sitting room. You would look at him thinking of how he wears it.
He wears it with dignity.
Breakfast was filled with laughter. Iris would say something so ridiculous that you couldn't help but laugh, and Levi would simply pat her head, earning an even louder giggle from her.
She adored her father.
She loved you just as much, of course, but Levi was different.
To her, he was her hero.
She looked at him as though he hung the stars himself. Her eyes lit up every time he walked into the room.
After breakfast, you dropped Iris off at your neighbor's house.
Carla was one of your closest friends, and her son, Eren, was a five years older than Iris. He always looked after her, playing with her for hours without ever complaining. Eren adored Captain Ackerman just as much as every other child in Valeria.
Mr. Yeager was the doctor in the hospital. You would work with him all the time.
Knowing Iris was with them made it easier to focus on your work at the hospital. You never had to wonder if she was safe.
You trusted them completely.
"You're late," you said, straightening the collar of his uniform.
"I'm not," he replied, the corner of his mouth lifting ever so slightly.
"Yes, you are."
Even though every part of you wanted him to stay, you knew he had to go.
Valeria needed him.
"Five minutes."
He cupped your cheeks in his hands before leaning down to kiss you.
Yeah...
Five more minutes would do.
You kissed him, smiling against his lips as his hands found your waist.
You knew you might not see him again for a while.
He said it was an important mission.
You pushed the thought aside and kissed him one last time.
He answered by pressing gentle kissed along your neck, your cheek, and finally your forehead, lingering there for just a moment longer than usual.
Your fingers found his hand, holding onto it until the very last second.
"Now you really have to go," you said, forcing yourself to let him go.
He let out a quiet sigh.
"Go protect our homeland," you whispered, forcing a smile. "And come back to me."
For a moment, he simply looked at you.
Then he stepped closer.
"You still don't get it, Lily," he murmured, resting his forehead against yours. "You are my homeland."
A tear slipped down your cheek.
He brushed it away with his thumb before pressing one last kiss to your forehead.
Then he turned and left.
You closed the door, only to hurry to the sitting room window. Just as you expected, he was already climbing onto his horse. As if he could feel your eyes on him, he looked at the window.
He smiled.
He always knew you would watch him leave one last time.
You smiled back before he turned his horse and rode away.
You stood there, watching until he was about to disappeare around the corner.
Only then did you realize how strangely heavy your chest felt.
You couldn't explain it.
You had watched him leave countless times before. This shouldn't have felt any different.
Yet somehow it did.
You almost opened the window to call him back and tell him not to go.
Just one more minute.
Just one more goodbye.
But by the time your hand reached the latch, he was already gone.
Taking a slow breath, you pulled yourself together and made your way to the hospital ignoring the devil whispering to your ears that something was not right.