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the past month has been one of the biggest tests of your patience you think you’ve ever had to endure. the wrapped boxes of gifts have sat dormant on the floor of your closet since you bought and wrapped them back in the beginning of december, and each time you’ve gone into your closet to retrieve something to wear, you’ve caught a glimpse of them and itched to go give them to their future recipient.
levi, your squad captain, who you’ve come to be quite friendly with, is a christmas baby. he’s never told anyone, mostly because he doesn’t care to talk about “trivial” - in his words, not yours - things like that. but when you’d inquired about it over a late night cup of tea with him while helping him with paperwork, he had no qualms about telling you. and when it had come to your realisation that since nobody knew about it besides really only you and hange, you decided that this year you were going to make sure the man got the celebration he deserved.
and - okay, maybe this grand gesture also has something to do with the fact that you had a huge, fat crush on the man. maybe. but, still, feelings aside, you know deep down levi probably wants some sort of recognition. the man works tirelessly, night and day, to keep his cadets safe, his colleagues safe, his community safe, himself safe, and never gets even so much as a pat on the back for it. sure, to be dubbed “the world’s strongest soldier” has probably stroked his ego once or twice, but for the most part, he’s moreso talked about like an asset rather than a person.
you resent that. you haven’t gotten very far in your relationship with levi, the main reason being that you haven’t found the courage quite yet to admit to him or yourself that your schoolgirl crush is developing into romantic feelings. but you know one thing for sure; levi is more than just a captain.
many nights in his office after bringing him some tea and sitting there just to keep him company, you’ve learned that he is actually quite sweet and laid back. sure, he isn’t a huge conversationalist, but he’s never rude to you when you try to chat with him. he’ll give quiet answers as he fills out his paperwork, seeming to be relieved to talk about something other than titans and war against other islands.
you’ve learned that his motive behind ordering your squad mates and you to clean so much isn’t because he’s being bossy, or a control freak, but rather he’d grown up in squalor and seen what an effect it could have on your health. he explained one night that it was good to instill a little cleanliness into these kids while they’re young enough to make a habit of it.
you’ve learned that levi actually prefers a sweeter brew of tea, but being that the military budget is already so tight, he’s just making do with the plain black tea he drinks every day. he told you, upon your inquiry, that an ideal cup of tea for him would include two teaspoons of sugar and just a dash of milk. just enough to lighten it up to a caramel coloured brown.
you’ve even learned that every so often, when you’re being extra quiet, and levi forgets you’re sitting there, he’ll hum quietly under his breath as he tucks away the paperwork he’s finished filling out. it’s a soft, quiet tune, almost like a lullaby of sorts. the first time he made that sound in front of you you’d been mesmerized, the deep rasp of his voice filling the air with a gentle hum. and when he’d noticed you were in fact, still in the room, he’d stopped, but with a breathy chuckle and a quiet “sorry.”
you asked him where that tune came from and he’d told you it was one his mother sang to him as a child to help him sleep. you’ve learned sometimes as he was getting ready to head to bed for the night, he’d subconsciously start humming that to himself. almost in a self soothing way.
you aren’t quite sure at what point in your friendship with levi that you started to fall for him, but you know one thing - he’s much more lovable than he makes himself seem. and you’ve fallen hard, fallen fast, and aren’t sure how to proceed from there.
maybe celebrating his birthday with him will be a good start.
“oi, brat.” the nickname comes out from the man’s lips as he hears you open his office door, but without the typical bite that comes behind the words when he’s saying it to the other cadets. you know when he refers to you specifically as a brat, it’s only teasing. “did you forget how to knock?” he raises a brow as he looks up at you from his seat at his desk.
“i know how toooo, i just didn’t want to.” you smile eagerly as you step into the room and shut the door with your feet. behind your back you’re currently hiding two boxes, one in each hand. levi’s eyes roll slightly and he gives a dry chuckle, saying nothing more to reprimand you. had it been another cadet, he would have more to say - but you are special to him. you’ve earned your place in his office, being the good company that you are. “got a minute?”
“ a minute, yes, several minutes, no.” he shuffles through the papers, in search of a specific one before pausing and looking up at you, brows furrowed in realisation. “why are your hands behind your back?”
you smile even wider, bouncing on the balls of your feet. “guess.”
he quirks up an eyebrow. he doesn’t have a guess.
“do you know what day it is?” you ask, eyebrows raised questioningly as you hint around for an answer, approaching his desk. he thinks about it for a few seconds before pressing his lips together, nodding slightly.
“i didn’t even realise. merry christmas, y/n.”
you gasp, shaking your head. “nooo, not christmas! your birthday!” you quickly pull the presents out from behind your back, placing them onto the desk on top of levi’s paperwork. you can’t help the excited giggle that escapes your lips as he looks down at them, taking several moments to blink at the two packages before looking up at you. he almost looks to be in disbelief.
“you.. got me birthday presents?” his voice has a hint of surprise, his hands moving up to rest on top of the boxes but not opening them quite yet. you make a quiet ‘mhm!’ sound and you could’ve sworn a hint of redness began to make its way onto the man’s cheeks, over his nose. “well, i wasn’t expecting this.”
you pull out your chair and sit in it, scooting closer and drumming your hands on the edge of the table. “open them! open them!”
it’s the first time you’ve ever heard it, but a breathy laugh - not a chuckle, or a scoff, but a laugh emits from his lips. not a loud one, just a quiet one, but it’s beautiful. it’s enough to make your heart flutter in your chest. he shakes his head in almost disbelief before reaching for one of the boxes, wedging a finger under the paper and beginning to tear through it.
warmth blooms through your chest as he pulls the paper off, crumpling it and setting it on the edge of the desk. the look on his face is indescribable. there’s a smile he’s fighting back - you can tell, and a dusty rose painted over his cheekbones that you know he’s probably cursing himself for right now. but he looks happy. for the first time ever, you swear there’s emotion in his eyes, like his inner child has been woken up.
his fingers pull the lid off of the box, setting the top to the side to reveal a porcelain jar, with a lid and a small, silver spoon wrapped in bubble wrap next to it. as he takes it out, confusion paints his features, his brows furrowing ever so slightly as he takes the lid off to reveal the sugar inside of the container.
“a jar of sugar?”
his tone isn’t judgemental, just curious, and you giggle, wiggling back and forth in your seat.
“for your tea! remember, you told me you would prefer your tea with two teaspoons of sugar? i mean, i know it’ll run out eventually and we’ll have to wait til we can afford more, but… this could be for special occasions! like today!”
levi’s features soften as you speak, his lips parting slightly as his he grabs the spoon, unwrapping it and placing it into the container. he pushes the sugar back and forth for a moment before placing the lid back on it, chuckling under his breath and shaking his head. he looks up at you.
“i don’t even know what to say… thank you, y/n.” his voice is quiet, barely above a whisper, and you blink as you think for a moment you see an extra shine to his eyes, like there’s tears in there or something.
“don’t thank me just yet, captain. there’s still one more present.” you reach forward and tap the other box in front of him excitedly, making him close his eyes, a soft grin on his face.
“alright, alright. let’s see.” he seems less skeptical about this one this time, unwrapping the paper from the box and tossing it to the side before pulling the lid off again and revealing another bubble wrapped item. as he pulls it out, his lips part again in surprise, being greeted by a brand new, shiny white tea-cup with the scouts badge hand-painted on the side by none other than yourself. it had taken you a bit of money saved up, and some pottery classes, to learn to make it, but you had done so just in time to have it ready for this day.
he bites his lower lip, a finger coming up to trace the hand-painted logo on the side of the cup before his shoulders untense, a bashful smile taking over his face. he doesn’t say anything for a while, just runs his fingers along the handmade cup - over each and every ripple and bump from your amateur pottery skills, to the little swirl you attempted to make at the bottom of the handle, just to add some stylish flair to it.
“do you like it?” your voice is hopeful and eager, and he looks up with a tender look on his face, nodding with a small smile.
“i do. i like it very much.”
you do a little victory dance, and levi chuckles at the sight before setting the cup down next to the sugar and looking at them both again like they might disappear if he looks away from them. as you drink in the wholesome sight of him once more you sigh. he deserves this. he deserves the world.
there’s a small sniff, and you glance up at his face. there’s no tears running down his cheeks, but his eyes are shiny, and he’s pushing back in his seat to stand up. he walks around the desk to you, reaching for your hand, and as you give it to him, you’re pulled up from your seat gently and into his embrace.
it feels like all of the oxygen has left your lungs the moment his arms are around you, his chin pressing into your shoulder, and your eyes fall closed. you melt into the warm embrace with a smile on your lips, your arms coming up to wrap around his waist and hold him back just the same.
he loves you, he loves you so fucking much, and in this moment, it almost feels safe enough to say it. but, just in case, he doesn’t want to fuck it all up. he opts for a safer, “thank you, y/n. you gave me the best birthday i’ve ever had.”
and from that day forward, you vow to never celebrate christmas again. from now on, december 25th will always be levi day for you.