Bee

Levi Ackerman! :)

(I included a bit of a longer blurb than just the one-sentence compliments I usually include in appearance match-ups, since you only wanted one fandom and this was an exchange so I wanted to give you a little bit more than usual!)

I think Levi would be drawn to you from the moment he first saw you, though he likely wouldn’t admit that for a long time (if ever). He’s really good at covering up his attraction, and in the survey corps there’s never much time to sit around, but even though you don’t realize it his eyes always tend to linger just a little bit longer on you than on everyone else whenever he catches sight of you. There’s a softness to you, a gentleness in your style in the rare moments where he spots you out-of-uniform. And that aesthetic is so different to his own that he just can’t help but feel drawn to you from the very beginning. (Also I just think he’d be the kind of guy to be drawn to someone with short hair! He finds it stunning, and he likes to run his fingers through it once the two of you are together, if you'll let him. It soothes him.) And especially after a life filled with fighting and war, once the two of you have settled down, he adores waking up in the morning to find you sitting in a cozy sweater vest and smiling that sweet smile of yours and raising your brows at him. It manages to melt his frosty, jaded heart in a way he never thought another person could <3

It’s funny how quickly time can fly by when you’re not paying attention. When you’re so focused in on all the small details of your life and failing to see the bigger picture, when you’ve found yourself lost in the seas on your mind and the monotony of an everyday routine. It’s easy for days to turn into weeks, weeks into months, and to forget about the fun spontaneity life can bring when you allow yourself to be a part of it.

Summer’s shift to autumn was always a difficult adjustment period for you, with the return of school and the many arduous hours of homework that came along with it while still struggling to maintain a job and enough income to pay rent. Most days were a drag through your morning routine and into classes, time slipping by between them until you were finally forced to swap out your textbooks for your work uniform as you spent your evening working to earn a living wage. Life was tiring, and in the interim between summer ending and your body and mind adjusting to a new school schedule, you hardly found time to just be with yourself and your thoughts. But eventually the monotony and consistency of your routine became too dull to continue, and you feel you must allow yourself a small break from your typical Sunday homework session for the sake of your mental state as you took the opportunity of a sunny day to go on a walk and clear your head a bit.

Despite the simplicity and clichè-ness of it all, just the feeling of fresh air in your lungs and the slight chill of the autumn wind against your skin does wonders for your mind in that moment. It gives you a moment to intentionally try to push the stressors you so often face at work and in school into the back of your mind, to try and find small things along your walk to focus on in order to distract your mind from the issues and troubles that so often plagued it. 

The couple walking along the opposite side of the street, and the way they smiled so brightly at one another, leaving you unable to tell if they were newly dating or in their honeymoon phase or if they still carried so much adoration for one another after several years together. The squirrel that ran across the street right as a car drove by, forcing the car to a screeching halt as it challenged itself without a care in the world as to who or what else it may inconvenience. The colony of ants all huddled around a large, sharp lollipop chunk on the sidewalk beside you, all eagerly enjoying the sweet treat. It may seem like a clichè, but taking a moment to notice the small things manages to give you a hint of calm as you make your way along the cement path, if only for a brief second before a sudden interruption comes darting your way.

At first, all you can see is a large, dark mass of fur. It seemed fairly far off initially, little more than a shifting blob, which is why you find yourself startled when you find its paws pressing against your stomach in a matter of seconds, suddenly right on you when it had been so far off moments ago. The animal’s sudden contact immediately has your heart racing as you momentarily freeze with shock, but as it quickly becomes apparent that the dog has no harmful intentions and is only angling towards the granola bar stuffed into your bag, the pounding in your chest begins to soothe itself a bit. Its fur is soft and well-groomed between your fingers as you give it a tentative pet, and the way its tongue hangs from its mouth in an almost lopsided grin and it gazes at you with the most eager expression instantly melts any of your remaining worries.

As you gently pet the dark, fluffy canine, you faintly hear a voice that grows louder moment by moment shouting repeatedly. And it doesn’t take long for a man’s silhouette to reveal itself to your gaze, rapidly running towards you with a fairly frantic look clear on his face as he grows closer. It doesn't take long to put together that this is likely the dog’s owner, prompting you to stand as the dog falls back onto all fours at your side, blissfully ignorant to its owner’s approach as it continues sniffing at the bottom of your bag for the tasty treat held within.

“There you are! You can’t just run off like that, you brat!” The strange man hisses out towards the dog once he grows close enough to slow his pace, and even though he had been running quite fast, he somehow doesn’t seem winded at all, nor does it seem like he's broken a sweat from the sudden activity. The subtle scent of vague powdered sugary sweetness makes its way into your system as he approaches, and when he looks up to meet your eyes and offer a confident yet slightly apologetic smile, you're engulfed in a sensation not unlike a bucket of cold water unceremoniously dumping itself onto your head.

He's undeniably gorgeous, completely stunning from head to toe. There's no way around admitting it. Soft, glowy skin, shimmering cyan eyes peeking out from beneath a pair of round sunglasses, and flowy white locks that expertly frame his skin as if each individually placed by the gods. His grin is so relaxed, so simple, and yet it incites that classic rom-com butterfly effect that always seems to signal no good. But his stance seems genuine, if slightly guarded, and his gaze appears relaxed and friendly as you're finally greeted with the sound of his voice up close.

“Sorry about him, he’s like an escape artist or something. I think his leash may need to be sized down a bit.” The man apologizes, his voice only worsening your infatuated stupor with its smooth tone. He's truly ethereal, you can’t seem to find a single flaw on him as he continues to speak. “I hope he didn’t knock you down too hard or anything, are you alright?”

He’s still smiling as he speaks, even with the hint of concern present in his voice. It takes some effort to bite back a swoon, but you know you should respond, to soothe the inkling of worry in his stunning features. Maybe, if luck was on your side, you could even make a good impression. You knew you’d likely never see him again, but even making him smile once would improve your day immeasurably.

“Oh, no, I’m okay. He didn’t knock me down or anything, just jumped up looking for food. I think he smelled a snack in my bag.” You muttered, a slightly awkward smile on your face as you managed to avoid stumbling over yourself or your words. And his smile brightened at the reassurance, only making your legs feel more weak as he reached out to grab the dog’s collar, prompting you to speak once more. “He’s a beautiful dog, by the way. And super fluffy too, he seems well-groomed.”

The man’s grin only brightens at your compliments, a creature of pride even to his core as you feel a flutter in your chest from the sight of the crinkles beside his eyes through his glasses. “Yeah, if I don’t keep up with grooming, he sheds all over my shit.” The man mutters with a small laugh, his eyes bright and vibrant as they meet yours with an almost eager look. “But he’s my kid’s dog, really. He’s young, but I’m trying to teach him to care for the furball himself with what he can.” He continues on, and at the mention of a son, you feel your heart drop slightly even though you knew hopes of any more than passing friendliness from the man were beyond far-fetched.

“Ah, how sweet….. Does your partner like the dog?” Though you feel like you’re being obvious, struggling to hide the disappointment in your eyes even if this stranger was far too radiant to not already have someone by his side, you can’t bite back in the question even as it feels a bit pathetic to ask. But suddenly, you catch a quick flash of what seems almost like concern in the man’s gaze before he quickly manages to mask it, though there’s a titch of urgency in his voice when he speaks again that you feel wasn’t present before.

“Oh, no. No partner for me.” He’s still composed as he speaks, but you think you can detect a slight rush in his words, one that brings the flutters back into your abdomen despite yourself. “Both my kids are adopted, found them in a bit of a… rough situation, so I took them in. I’m not even old enough to be their bio dad, honestly.”

His last comment makes you laugh, the mood lifted at his obvious attempt at self-flattery. But the realization that he’s somehow not already taken lightens your heart and your laugh alike as you look at him with a glimmer in your eyes, unable to stop yourself from wondering if just maybe, he was so eager to correct you because he saw something in you, too.

Before you can question much else, however, you’re drawn back into the realities of your world as the alarm you set for yourself to return home and continue studying sounds off from your phone. Despite how much joy your walk had brought you as a break from your typical monotony, and the way you wished to talk to the handsome stranger until your lips turned blue and your feet stopped working, you didn’t have any more time to waste when your academics lay waiting at home for you.

“Damn, that’s me. I guess it’s time for me to head home and get back to work.” You try to keep the annoyed grumble out of your tone, an apologetic smile crossing your face as his eyes widen in surprise at your words. “It was lovely meeting you, though. And this sweet little guy, too.” You mutter while mentally preparing to walk away from the first person to bring a spark into your life in quite a while, threading your fingers through the dog’s fluffy ebony tufts one last time as you prepared to walk away from the meet-cute rom-com you had built up in your head.

Until a hand reaches out, gently grabbing the fabric of your jacket to halt you briefly.

“Wait, you’re just gonna walk away before even giving me your number?” He mutters with a lighthearted grin that betrays just a hint of nerves. And it’s impossible to care about seeming a fool with the way your heart lights up at his words, an eager smile replacing your mopey one in an instant as he speaks once more. “Maybe one of these days when I’m walking this guy, you can join me. My kids may even come with me to the dog park.”

The subtle excitement in his voice is hard to catch, yet the subtle details give way to the clear mutual interest between the two of you. And as you happily type your number into his contacts list, even working up the courage to add a cheeky heart emoticon beside your name, you feel the melancholy and frustration of fall and school and work all meld into this moment of positivity, showing you a horizon of light and a hope that this may be the change you’ve been looking for in your life. 

A/N: Hi hi everyone, happy Flufftober! I started writing this right at the beginning of September to hopefully get myself started preparing for this month early, so by the time this is actually posted it will have been a while since I actually worked on it. But I just couldn’t resist starting off the month with one of my favs and one of the (obviously lol) most popular characters in my survey! I hope y’all enjoyed this, I’m so so excited to hopefully get through the rest of Flufftober as well with y’all! My requests are also open right now, so if you have any requests feel free to send them over to my inbox :>

Taglist: @flufftober @ace-lavender