A/N: I realise Inktober is really meant for artists, but well ... I wanted to give it a go as writing prompts - I have so many scenes between the characters of AQR which probably will never make the final thing because ... well, PLOT. So, using the daily prompts, I'll be posting these little one-shots, drabbles, monologues etc on tumblr, and then uploading them here. They won't all necessarily follow along with the story - some will be AU to the story, if that even makes sense, so yeah ... take them all with a pinch of salt :)

Don't worry - next chapter of AQR is in full swing too.

I hope these are somewhat enjoyable to read!

Inktober 2019 - Day 1

A Captain's Promise

PROMPT - Ring

Levi watched with amusement as Historia's feet carried her slowly about his room.

The neat bump at her abdomen seemed to have come out of nowhere, and it surprised him how quickly she'd begun to show - perhaps it had something to do with the smallness of her stature and frame. She carried it beautifully, though, and it made his heart swell with a pride he never thought himself capable of.

"What is your fascination with my stuff?" He mumbled at her from his comfortable recline in his worn, red armchair.

It wasn't often Historia managed to sneak into his place for their secret evenings together - more often than not, it was easier for him to steal up to her quarters using 3DMG, or meet her at the Orphanage. But this night was different.

"I can't help it," she threw back with a grin. "It still amazes me that I'm in The Captain Levi's room, touching his personal belongings." She turned back to where she was stood near his desk, picking up his stationary and examining it all one by one. "This is a lovely pen. Did you buy this yourself?"

He rolled his eyes at the realisation that she was probably going to do this with every damn item in the entirety of his quarters. All he really wanted to do was pull her back on to his knee; wrap his arms around her like the stupid soft shit she'd made him. But he didn't. He humoured her, because the smile on her face was a bit too beautiful to resist.

"No. That one was a gift from Erwin. I …" he fumbled for a moment, not really wanting to admit to her the story behind it, but also unable to deny the truth of it from her curiously wide, azure eyes. He sighed, resigning himself to his answer. "When I first came here, from the underground, my reading and writing wasn't especially good. Don't get me wrong - it was a lot fucking better than most of the poor bastards down there, but that's not saying much. Never really bothered me; I was hardly writing love letters to titans before I disposed of them, was I?" His fingers reached to his throat to straighten his cravat, but then he realised it wasn't there; he was in his casual shirt and pants after sharing a bath with her. His fingers curled awkwardly on the empty air as his hand lowered. "Then Erwin decided to make me Captain. It wasn't a promotion I especially wanted, to be honest, but when he explained to me what it entailed, it made sense for me to take it to support him. The only fucker was, it involved a lot more paperwork than I'd been exposed to in the past. Almost made me back out of the whole thing altogether, to be honest."

He felt her gaze intensely; almost as though it were boring into his skin.

"That would have been a huge loss for the Survey Corps."

He shifted uncomfortably with a small 'tch.'

"What changed your mind?"

He grimaced, hoping that she wouldn't think of repeating this to anyone. Especially not the person it was regarding.

"Honestly? Hange did. Stupid Shitty Glasses went on and on about how she could get me up to speed with my literacy skills in no time; I hadn't even told the cheeky shit that's why I wasn't taking the promotion. But she fucking knew, of course; like she always does. Anyway, in the end, I agreed just to shut her up. And, quite clearly, she was true to her word. Although fuck me, is her handwriting atrocious. Good job she's a half decent teacher. Anyway, Erwin gave me that as a gift when Hange told him I'd re-thought my decision. Four Eyes has a matching one. If I'd have known then just how much shitty paperwork there was involved, I'd have thrown it at his stupid thick head."

He met her eyes finally, and found her smile had spread right up into her cheeks, creating little dimples.

"What?"

She shook her head. "Just you. Commander Hange is a saint."

He spluttered, incredulous. "She's a saint?"

"Yes."

Damn his Queen and Commander for becoming so pally lately.

She turned back to his desk, and her fingers swept over the draw handles. His heart lurched uncomfortably as his mind shifted to the mahogany box containing the little squares of fabric emblazoned with the wings of freedom that resided in his bottom draw.
It wasn't the fact that he'd have minded her finding them; more the fact that their evening had been so sweet so far, and the idea of it turning to darker topics dismayed him.
Thankfully, they settled on the top drawer instead. She pulled it open slowly, peering inside unashamedly.

"You're such a nosy shit, you know?"

"Just checking there aren't any secret love letters in here, now you're adept at writing."

He cocked a brow at her. "You've seen the extent of my penmanship in that department." He left the chair, moving to stand behind her, a palm coming to rest atop her protruding abdomen. "I'm better with actions."

She twisted to look at him, and shit, if those eyes couldn't draw the right words from him then he knew absolutely no fucker could.

He lifted a hand to her chin, tipping her lips up gently to meet his in a soft kiss.

"Mm-hm," Historia murmured against his mouth in agreement. He couldn't help smiling a little into their kiss. No one made him smile like she did, stubborn brat that she was.

She withdrew from him after a moment, her attention turning back to his drawer.

"Hey - who said I was done?" He cocked a brow at her.

"Me," she fired back at him without looking, her hand reaching into his drawer.

"Fair enough." He rolled his eyes again. How could he argue with that?

Her fingers reappeared, and wrapped around them was a medal on a bolo tie.

The medal she'd placed around his neck after Shiganshina.

"Huh …" she whispered. "I'd almost forgotten …"

Levi frowned at the medal. "Feels like another lifetime, you giving me that."

He felt her lean into him, her head resting against his shoulder as she turned the item over in her hands. "I wished I could have been there. Fighting beside you all."

The thought made his heart constrict uncomfortably. "I'm glad you weren't."

She turned back to him properly then, her face suddenly twisted with an emotion Levi was unsure of. She seemed to search his eyes. "The thought of you going back … to something like that … I …"

He knew what she was trying to say. He felt it too; the idea of them being apart - him having to leave her for a battle he may not return from. But no matter how much he felt what she did, he couldn't reassure her. Couldn't promise her that there wouldn't be another battle like Shiganshina, or worse. And he most certainly couldn't promise her he wouldn't be there, fighting beside his comrades as always.

"I know." He curled his fingers around hers, pressing the medal to her palm. His eyes closed, and he inhaled, merely revelling in the feel of them being there, together.

All three of them.

He wondered how many of these moments they might all be allowed, in the future. Best not to ask himself those questions.

Fuck; if things were different … if they were in a different situation, a different time …

But they weren't.

He opened his eyes, and brought their clasped hands up between their faces. "Listen, Historia. I'm going to be honest with you here; I can't offer you what most men could - I told you this from the start. No cozy home, no stable lifestyle, no reassurances, no fucking gold ring." He grit his teeth between the words. "But if I could …"

No. No use talking like that.

She lifted a pale, dainty hand to cup his cheek, and right there and then he hated himself. Hated himself for stealing the heart of this pure, young girl that he didn't deserve. Robbing her of the life she should have, with a better man.

"I don't want all that, " she whispered, thumb stroking his cheekbone. "I want you. This. Us."

He stared into her sweet face for a moment, before pulling her roughly into his embrace. Damnit. He didn't deserve her, but he couldn't help himself greedily clinging to her with every fibre of his being.

When he stood back, he unwound the bolo from her grasp, and pulled the strings taut together until the loop was tiny. Small enough for a finger.

He clutched at her left hand, lifting it to his face as though inspecting it. Left was the hand for your ring finger, right? He took a long, deep breath, wondering if he was actually going to make an idiot of himself and actually do this.

Fuck it.

He knelt down awkwardly before her, and his mind was suddenly cast back to the day she placed the medal around his neck. Back when they were nothing more than comrades; acquaintances; Captain and Queen. He refused to let his eyes part from hers, crowned by crinkled brows as she gaped at him.

"What are you …?"

"I can't give you a ring or any of that shit, Historia. But what I can give you is my life."

His fingers pulled the loop of the bolo tie gently over her ring finger, and he adjusted it so that the little medal was facing upwards, Wings of Freedom glinting symbolically up at them.

"Levi-"

"Let me finish," he cut across her, willing the stupid fucking blush he could feel at his shirt collar to stay put and not rise to paint his features. "I promise you, and our child, that I will serve and protect you both until the day I die. No matter what, I will fight for you; anything you ask of me, I will give you - my blades belong to you."

It sounded a lot less cheesy in his head. He averted his eyes finally, waiting for her to laugh at him, or tell him to get a life. But neither of those things happened.

Instead, Levi saw a wet, glistening globe smatter on the floor before him. He looked up to find her face streaked with tears.

Rising swiftly, he pulled her to him again. She fit so snugly under his chin - it was as though she'd been crafted especially for him. The little ray of fucking sunshine to his gloomy cloud. And here he was robbing her jovial light again. He rubbed her back as he felt her breath hot and hurried against his neck.

"Shit; sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry. I didn't want to upset you. I …"

"No," she pulled back to look at him, and there was that damn irresistible smile again. "These are happy tears."