“Levi, my Love, my Hiraeth”

You, who worked worked at one of the many stalls, as a curator of many interesting things that you had worked with overseas trailers to bring to little old Paradis. One-of-a-kind trinkets, woven goods, and more. You were always back by the evening though and he would be waiting like the loyal, doting husband that he was, ready to fill your hands with a cup of hot tea or dive to give you a massage to spare your aching soles.

It was the least he could do for you, of course.

Levi Ackerman was content with his role, no matter how simple it all seemed, but sometimes, he’d run into some trouble.

~~~

You came home a little later than usual that day, kicking off your shoes at the front door with less care than usual in your stride. The air inside was warm, and welcoming and the scent of dinner wafted through the air, but you didn’t carry that same sense of joy that you always brought back with you.

Levi, of course, could pick up on this right away.

He knew all of your moods and even kept a diary to properly assess how to address you. If it was something hormonal, he’d be out to the general store, ready to splurge on some imported chocolate, or if it was a cold, he’d be over Hange’s pharmacy in a flash, ready to treat you however best he could. Today though, it seemed to be genuine sadness, with you looking upset from the moment you walked in.

“Did something happen?” he asked you in a tone that was more of a statement than a question. Levi’s voice was flat, accusatory, although, also determined. If you were upset, then he was too.

That’s just how things worked in this household.

You sighed as you sat down over a plush armchair, sinking your body into the cushioning. “It’s nothing, really, just a bad day…”

Levi shook his head softly, taking a step closer to you. “Doesn’t seem like nothing. What happened today?”

Your lips pressed together in a firm line, considering whether or not to involve him in this. Levi was always so patient with you, so gentle, and yet you always had your suspicions that there was something deeper, perhaps even darker brewing beneath the surface. His eyes were sharp and pointed, fixated entirely on you and when you didn’t satisfy his curiosity with an answer, he tried a different approach. Nothing ever damaging—never with you—but he needed answers and soon.

With a steady hand, he cupped your face, bringing your head to a tilt to meet with his soul-piercing glare. “Talk to me.”

You gulped down the unease you felt, and then finally succumbed to the weight of his demand. You knew that deep down, you shouldn’t keep things from your husband, that wasn’t the right way, so maybe he had a point to shake this information from you. It was out of care. It had to be.

“Someone stole from the shop today,” you finally admitted with a weary sigh, “I didn’t notice until it was too late and I didn’t notice until they were already making a break for it. I did try and stop him but… all that resulted was me being pushed back and the thief getting away…”

Levi’s eyes glinted with sudden anger, but he kept his expression calm and measured, not once revealing how he truly felt to further protect your feelings that were already hung by a thread. Poor you, having to deal with a thief, but also, that poor thief—what a sap—not knowing whose wife he dared steal from. Oh, he wasn’t going to let this one slide. Not a chance in hell.

“He pushed you?” he caught on. “Did he… hurt you?”

You shook your head. “No, no… it wasn’t like that,” you assured him, “he just pushed me away and I tripped.”

Levi’s eyes settled over yours as if gauging you for the truth to make sure you didn’t leave a hint of anything out. “Describe him to me.”

Albeit reluctantly, you did just that, from the way his hair curled to the colour of his eyes to what he wore. Once you were done, you spoke up with some hesitation, unsure of what exactly he was planning, “Why?”

“I’m going to file a report,” he lied, “clearly the authorities need to be on the lookout for a thief, right?”

“R-right,” you nodded.

He then smiled before taking a step back, flinging off his apron to drape over a nearby chair. “Dinner’s almost ready, help yourself to a bowl. Stew’s on the menu tonight - your favourite - made just the way you like it.”

“Wait, Levi, before you go—” you tried to catch him before he left, but by the time your voice caught up, he was already gone.

You slowly made your way through a hefty serving of the stew, indeed made the way you liked it, with the meat tender and falling off the bone. By the time he came back, it was significantly darker outside and the edges of his knuckles were raw with some blood clinging to his skin, indicating some sort of struggle.

“Are you okay?” you asked him, focusing on his hands.

“What? Oh,” he replied, realising that his little attempt to resolve the dispute or so to speak wasn’t without some evidence, “I tripped on the way here,” he decided to go with, bringing out a cloth bag filled to the brim with many items, “kind of a given, I suppose, just look what I had to carry back. No wonder, right?”

You got up, leaning over to peer into the contents of the bag, recognising them as your missing items, every single one recovered without a single scratch at all.

“No way, you got everything back?” you gasped, clutching the objects against your chest. “H-how?”

“They changed their mind,” he promised you, “maybe they felt guilty?”

“I thought you said that you were going to the police—”

Oops. Levi did say that, didn’t he? He took a sharp breath, before adopting a calm smile. “Yeah, I did. They were already there though, supposedly they were returning everything.”

You simply blinked. “That doesn’t sound like something a common thief would do…”

“I’m not sure what’s going on in their head either but that’s just the truth,” Levi comforted you, throwing a blanket around your shoulders as he walked you back to the armchair, ready to help make you forget all about the trouble from today, “besides, it’s all settled now, right? So… let’s forget about them.”

You stared at him, unsure how to respond exactly but ultimately settled on the notion that ignorance was truly bliss, offering him the same warm smile that he looked forward to by the end of each day.

“Of course,” you sleepily sighed, “how silly of me to concern myself with something that resolved itself.”

“Exactly,” Levi nodded along with you, “now sit tight, I’m going to fix you a cup of tea and you can tell me all about the rest of your day.”

With that, he left to attend to the matters in the kitchen instead, just a few strides away. He hummed softly as he gradually bought a pot of water to a simmering boil, portioning some tea leaves into a porcelain teapot. Your job lacked sufficient security, it seemed, perhaps he should appoint his good friends Farlan and Isabel to be the lingering, hired muscle. He recalled that they were out looking for work as well, so what a prime opportunity in the making!

Maybe they could even watch over you throughout the day too, perhaps going as far as reporting back to him when something seemed off.

Oh, how perfect it all was.

As he plotted his search, Levi leaned forward, extending his hand to grab at the flowers, rubbing the petals between his fingers to inspect them further. These were pricy. Likely from Petra’s floristry. Her assortments didn’t run cheap either, so someone splurged with you in mind.

How… unacceptable.

Just as he was done meticulously plucking the flower for all that it was worth, and right before he reached for another one, the front door flung open, revealing your return. Levi stopped in his tracks, dusting away the petals, turning his attention back to you.

“Finally got everything…” you opened up with, settling some produce on the counter. “Can you believe these were all free?”

Levi absentmindedly nodded, smiling for your victory but the gesture didn’t quite reach his eyes. No, he was too focused. He shouldn’t be though. At least not around you. With that, he sat up straighter, smoothing his expression into something warmer, allowing his eyes to wonder around all of the ingredients you managed to score.

“How wonderful,” he forced, “we’re going to eat so well this week.”

However, Levi also couldn’t resist.

“Where did you get those from?” he asked, pointing at the bouquet.

For a moment, you were dazed, but then blinked towards his guided direction. “Oh!” you happily chirped, unaware of his building internalised anger. “I got these from a customer just this morning. Isn’t that so sweet?”

Levi stilled and didn’t answer for a hot beat. He stared at you for a long time, studying both the way you reacted to receiving such a gift and how you spoke about it. You were oblivious. Of course you were. He was used to that much.

“Ah, of course,” he finally said, biting back what he truly wanted to say, “I'll be right back,” he added, slipping out of the front door before you could protest.

As Levi walked, he found himself walking into Petra’s floristry, ready to interrogate if needed, even when he knew he shouldn’t. He stormed inside, the bell above the door swinging with a violent ring that made the shopkeeper pause.

“W-welcome to…” Petra stammered, before realising it was just Levi, “oh, it’s just… can I help you?”

Levi didn’t waste a single second of time before he described word for word, petal for petal, the bouquet that ended up in your hands. “Who bought it?”

Petra blinked, her mind blanking as she tried to recall. “Right… well, um, I think… a military officer swung by for that one and his w—“

“—give me names, Petra,” Levi strained, catching her right before she could finish speaking. A military officer? How quaint. Perhaps it was someone who thought they had a chance. Not if he could help it.

Petra reluctantly gave him a wary glance before reciting the two names that sought the flowers. “It was a thank you gesture.”

Levi paused as a woman’s name popped up, but more importantly, the nature of the gift. He calmed his tone, reigning himself in, “A thank you gesture…?”

Petra nodded, looking a little less nervous now that he was calmer. “Yes, apparently she helped his wife out with something a while ago when she was sick, so they wanted to pick out a bouquet together as a gesture from them both.”

Levi stared at her, feeling the tension gradually leave his body. His shoulders sagged from his once taut posture and he let out a deep, strained breath.

“Ah,” he simply said, returning back to his regular, albeit still stoic self, leaving Petra just as uncertain as before, “in that case then,” he pondered before continuing, “I’ll take another bouquet exactly like that.”

“P-pardon?” Petra replied, although still idly moving to go and sort the arrangement, threading out flowers from pots and lining a sheet of paper on the counter.

“Add in some of those though,” Levi pointed at a few other varieties, knowing you liked those too.

So be it. You’ll have two bouquets on the table.

That much was fair wasn’t it?

His lovely wife who was so helpful, who deserved just a bit of extra praise. Seeing how happy those flowers made you too, thinking back to the glimmer in your eyes as your gaze glossed over them on the table…

Well, it was only fair that he brought you some every week now, wasn’t it?