#also i love levi calling me darlin'

[sprout-fics]

Spitfire

(Philip Graves x F! Reader)

Call of Duty Masterlist

Rating: Explicit (18+) Wordcount: 3.5k Tags: PwP, Quickies, Semi-public sex, Clothed sex, Hate fucking, Brat-Taming, Dirty Talk (Graves has insane rizz in this I don't know why), PiV sex Warnings: None A/N: Dedicated to @writeforfandoms who listened to be somehow convert myself to the Graves agenda. Apologies. Also let's see if this somehow gets the mark of moderation on here, yippee

“Been avoiding me, sweetheart?”

You turn, a retort ready on your tongue, but a set of gloved hands seize your hands and hauls them up so they press against the wall behind you. It takes a moment for the flurry of movement to settle, but it takes less for you to look up into the glinting, grinning eyes of Philip Graves, commander of Shadow Company. 

The smile on his lips tugs askew on his mouth, up towards the scar on his right cheekbone. Smug, pleased with himself at having caught you off guard, blue irises darting down to the thin press of your lips, annoyance souring your expression.

“Yeah.” You levy back at him, trying to flex your wrists in his grip. “You’ve had me running rookie drills for a week straight, Graves. Haven’t had time enough to wipe my own ass, let alone run into you.”

Graves only tilts his head at you, and you feel a familiar tug of both displeasure and need low in your belly at the vain, self-satisfied sparkle of his gaze. He loves this, you know that. You fight him tooth and nail, snarl and bite at him, only for him to dance just out of reach before catching you by the waist and dragging you back to him. The chase, the challenge of taming you is a special kind of addiction, and you can’t help but rise to his goading, making him work for whatever reward you dare to tempt him with. You are both like pieces of flint- striking each other over and over just so the sparks alight between the touches you share. 

Graves tuts at you, pouting, and it makes a little sneer rise to your features, trying to unlock the grip he has on your hands to no avail. When he speaks, you feel his knee pressing higher between your legs, making you stretch up on your toes just to spite him. 

“Yet here you are.” He purrs, the suggestion clear in his tone. “I managed to catch you anyways, darlin’.”

You snort. “Yeah, feel like I’ve caught you instead. Like a bad cold that won’t quit, or maybe an STD.”

Graves barks a laugh, head tossing back as the sound erupts from his chest. His hands flex on your wrists, hoisting them a touch higher, forcing you to balance on your toes. It sends a little thrill through you, being at his mercy like this, not that you’ll ever let him see it. You make a little grunt of protest at the motion instead, and Graves only coos at you mockingly, mouth puckering even as you seethe.

You both know that despite the bite of your words, despite the insults thrown between you both, that you’re exactly where you want to be. You hate it. Hate that he sees right through this little game of yours where you snap and snarl at him, only to inevitably end up mewling his name as he presses you into the too nice sheets of his quarters. He can take you apart like he’s dismantling a rifle in record time, knows your body like he’s squeezing down the trigger to your desire.

“That’s alright, sugar. I like having to work for my meals.” He purrs, leaning up to nip at your ear. You can’t contain a little shudder at that, a traitorous reaction that has his warm huff of satisfaction spills across the soft flesh of your cheek.

“Oh I’ll make you work for it, alright.” You manage, though the retort isn’t as venemous as you want, not when his knee rises to barely graze against the apex of your thighs. Your voice is a little shudder as his lips trail down the underside of your jaw, pressing little, open-mouthed kisses against the scant bit of skin revealed by the collar of your uniform. You can feel the smile against your neck, and you again want to snarl at him with just how much he’s enjoying this. 

“I’d expect nothing less, baby.” He replies easily, and then bites.

You yelp, knees going weak and dropping you down the last few inches fully onto his thigh. A moan chokes your throat before you can stop it, fueled even further as Graves sucks on the tender spot, forming a dark bruise that borders on painful.

“Asshole.” You seethe, and the chuckle he gives you in return curls with a sharp, thrumming intensity low in your core, building an electric current that pulses on the underside of your skin.

“Just had to leave you something to remember me by.” Graves tells you simply, pressing a half-hearted apology kiss onto the spot. “Can’t have you forgetting about me.”

It’s not like you can, you think. It’s a rarity Graves has left you alone as long as he has this week. More often than not he seeks you out, finds a reason to summon you to his office, comes to check on you in your duties. He slides a few snide comments over in your direction, taunts you so you rise to the challenge, curl your fists and grit your teeth and feel shame color your face that you know how it’ll all end. He’ll goad you, will whisper teasing, mocking little murmurs to you until you bite at him, only to easily turn the tables on your and have you pressed down by the weight of his body.

Even now, you know where this rendezvous will lead. You can tell by the way Graves cups you through your pants, hears the miniscule, shuddering little gasp you give him in response. He knows exactly where to touch you, which buttons to push to have you melt into his hands- open, pliant, pleading him for more like you’re begging for scraps. He’ll give it to you, will have you mewling and glassy-eyed by the end of this, limp by his expert fingers tracing against the bare flesh of your waist, gripping your nape like he’s scruffing a hissing, feral cat. 

“Enjoying yourself there, soldier?” He asks in a low, pleased murmur as you shift on his thigh, eyes scrunched and teeth biting down on your lip to keep your breathy little gasps swallowed deep down so he can’t hear. The friction grazing against your clothed core is just enough to make a murmur of delicious weakness pulse through your hips, arousal slickening your folds shamefully.

It feeds his ego to know he can make you come apart so easily like this. You hate him for it, hate that he’ll crow about how much he’s satisfied you, knowing he can back up his words with his record of your fists gripped into the bed, the claw marks he sports on his back, under his tactical gear. It infuriates you that Graves is good at what he does, that he leaves you dizzy and gasping wetly, the aftershocks of your orgasm making your muscles tremble under his soothing hands. Ire boils your blood, and when you deliver it to him, Graves only laughs, drinks it down like he’s addicted to the burn of your venom.

“Not at all.” You grit back, shooting him a glare despite your warm cheeks. Graves teeths his lip, like he’s excited at the thought of just tasting you, eyes glinting and lips slightly swollen from his ministrations.

“That’s not what you said last week when I had you screaming my name into your pillow.” He reminds you smugly.

“Fuck you.” You tell him even though it’s true.

“That’s the plan, baby.” Graves smirks, cheeks rising pink with a tell-tale lust. “Though I was going to wait until I got you in private so I could take my time enjoying you. But…” Graves trails off, tilting his head in thought, considering. 

“This’ll work too.”

You’re given little warning before Graves releases you abruptly, maneuvering you so he yanks at your belt, then scoots your tac pants down to your thighs. You try to shove at him, and Graves stumbles back a half-step even though you really didn’t shove hard enough to warrant it, eyes excited, eager.

“Someone could see.” You hiss at him, and it isn’t a ‘no’. You’ve done this in riskier places, but the idea of being caught by another shadow like this, with Graves having his way with you makes your skin itch under his gaze. 

“I’ll kill them.” He promises with a nonchalant little shrug before his head tilts down so his eyes fixate on you. You pause, shocked, and then shudder at the dark intensity of his gaze. There’s a low, dangerous tumble to his words, and you don’t doubt for a moment that he means it.

“Only I get to see you like this, understand sweetheart?” Graves asks suddenly, advancing on you with one large step, a hand raising up to tilt your chin up to him, gripping it so you can’t look away. There’s a storm in the void of his blown pupils, like the thundering, inky clouds that roil over the prairie, promising devastation. You’re caught in the gale of him, nodding in hopes the wind will lift you higher, lash at your skin so the mark of him remains there. 

“Good.” He soothes, a little gentler, desire still vivid in his voice as he descends to kiss you. You try to close your lips against him, but his hand that shoots down past your panties has you gasp, allowing his tongue to swipe wetly behind your teeth. Your hands reach up, grasp at him, unsure if you want to drag him closer or shove at him just to hear his breathy laugh at your feigned struggling. There’s no time to consider it, because you moan when Graves’ gloved fingers roll your clit between them just right, legs weakening under you. The length of his body presses flush against you, keeps you from slumping down the wall. You can feel the uneven surface of his gear against your own, both of you too consumed to dispose of it.

The wetness of you slicks across his fingers, and you watch Graves pause so he can tug his glove free with his teeth, tossing it to the side so he can feel you with his bare hand. 

“So wet, baby.” He drawls as you pant, try and grip down on his hand curled between your thighs. “It’s just that easy to get you to fall apart for me, ain’t that right?”

You try and hiss at him, try to bite a scathing retort, and instead mewl when he presses two fingers circling against your entrance, teasing. 

“Thought so.” Graves huffs, and even with your eyes scrunched shut you know the smirk that splays across his lips, egotistical at the uneven rise and fall of your chest, the little shudder in your hands as you grip at him.

Graves wastes little time in spreading you out on his fingers, and soon your fists curl into the straps of his vest to anchor you. His wet, pressing kisses drink down the sounds you offer him, swallow them with a knowing smile. You bite down on his bottom lip and Graves groans, like he’s addicted to the pain, kisses you in search of more. 

“Fuck, baby.” He gasps, a little desperate, voice rough. “Gotta get myself in this sweet little cunt of yours. Can’t wait any longer.”

One boot kicks your feet a little wider, has you hoisted a little higher against the wall as he frees himself from his pants. If you part your legs just a little wider for him to angle himself between them, Graves mercifully spares you his taunting as he slides into with one smooth, powerful thrust. 

“Fuck.” He snarls as you brace your damp forehead against his, moaning openly. “Fuck, that’s good. Sweetest little pussy I’ve ever had.”

He’s quick to set a pace, short little punches of his hips that angle up just right, graze against the slick clutch of your walls in a way that has you fumbling for him, a wet gasp tearing from your throat. Pleasure laces up your spine, a drum that pulses with every sharp jolt of his hips pressing into yours. You feel the stretch of him beat that rhythm higher in your chest, unfurling something thorny but good into your taut muscles- poisoned off your vexation and endless desire for him.

Just like this, you think. Here, one of his hands lifting a leg as far as your pooled pants will allow, angling himself so he can thrust deeper, fill you in all the ways you love to hate. His mouth laps against your neck, sucks a fresh bruise at an odd angle that has one of your hands digging into his short hair. It’s messy, it’s rushed, and the fire that licks between your bodies threatens to blaze out of control, scorch both your forms even as the world narrows down to the feeling of him fucking relentlessly into you. Your toes curl with it, your voice spilling out the secrecy of your desires loudly into the planes of his body flush with yours. 

“Yeah, that’s it. That’s it.” He pants as he leans to kiss you once again, hips stuttering for just a moment as you dig a hand under his collar, fingernails pressing harshly into his pale skin. “Mark me up, baby. Dig in, make it hurt.”

He’s drunk on the pain, your commander. He needs it like he’s addicted to violence, to the jolt of a rifle, to the slice of a blade that beads red against the pad of his thumb. He sports the marks you give him like war medals, hisses at the sting and then asks for more.

“I think I like you like this.” He confesses, slowing his hips to a lazy roll that has him pressing the zipper of his pants against the inside of your thighs. “All wet and ready for me. Maybe I should keep you like this, all needy and mewling in my room just so I can have you whenever I want.”

You can’t stop the groan that tears from your throat, dragging and far too loud for the debauchery of the sight he offers you with him kneeling behind your naked form, draping himself over you and taking you with little ceremony. You feel a gush of arousal coat the girth of him that presses up a little deeper inside you at the sound you give him.

“Yeah?” He asks, tone hinting his disbelief. “You’d like that, huh? Just waitin’ for me to get back and tame you, little spitfire? Have you callin’ my name so loud that all my men on base can hear you holler, huh?”

You suck your teeth, try and summon a response, but you don’t get a chance before Graves angles himself again and begins to thrust into you with rapid, squelching thrusts that have you wail.

"Ohh I know, sugar.” He soothes, kneading the bare swell of your ass in a bruising grip. “It just feels too damn good, you can hardly speak, huh? Got you all mewlin' and wordless for me. Pretty thing.”

“Shut up, Graves.” You manage, voice cutting but breathless, pinching the skin of his nape in retribution.

Graves laughs.

The angle of his hips has you split perfectly on his cock, has bright bursts of electricity blossom with every thrust. It drags the delicious coil of your muscles higher, has your veins thrum in a clenching need. You feel like he’s trying to burn you from the inside out, the flinting sparks of his touch setting something inside you ablaze, scorching out of control until the only thing left is the choked little series of groans that fog against his cheeks. 

“Goddamn, darlin. Look at the sight of you.” He breathes at your half-lidded gaze, starry with bliss and unseeing as you clench eagerly on his cock. “Prettiest sight I’ve ever fuckin’ seen.”

He kisses you, a low languid contact that’s so different from the sharp drill of his hips that knocks against something too bright, too warm inside you. It stretches outwards, glows golden in your veins, sizzles hot and draws pleasure thrumming through every fiber it can reach. It’s right, the way he fucks you, expertly unraveling you into putty in his hands.

“Where's that bite now, huh?” Graves goads, and you can hear the strain in his voice as he fucks into you vigorously, seeking out his own pleasure. “Have I got you that cock-drunk you can't remember how to insult me? Poor darlin’.”

It’s the mixture of spite and potent desire at his words that has you tighten around the press of him inside you, rippling over his cock and eliciting a sharp, choked groan from him in turn. 

“C-close.” You whimper into his shoulder, fingernails pressing half-moons that threaten to bleed against his flesh. Graves is just as lost in it, hips slapping against yours as he ruts into you. The hand on your ass drags you to him with every thrust, fingers flexing and leaving indents that you know will leave you wincing as you sit for the next day or two. It only has that coiling, searing arousal inside you tighten further, your voice rising as you begin to climb sharply towards your climax.

“C’mon baby, c’mon baby. Give it to me.” Graves grunts, gritting his teeth as you squeeze down on him. “Let it go, let me feel it.”

It’s sudden, like a tether snapping unexpectedly inside you. It takes a single breath and then you’re gone, feeling the reverberation of it lash outwards through your limbs, bringing the bright boil of your blood to a fever pitch. Your walls grip down on him and you hear Graves hiss at the almost painful squeeze of you onto him, pressing you impossibly further into the wall behind you, trapping you between the unyielding surface at the relentless drive of his cock inside you. 

He fucks you through it without stopping, has your wails trail off to little overstimulated whimpers as his pace doesn’t falter even as the aftershocks of your climax tremble through you. As they fade, the sting of too much begins to dawn over your senses, forcing you to grasp harshly at him, voice whimpering in search of mercy. He’s close, you can tell, but he doesn’t stop, making you at last choke out a breathless plea.

“Graves, please-”

Graves swears, hauls you flush against him as he grinds his hips up into the tightness of your cunt, rocking forwards until he finally releases a long, unsteady groan, spilling into you. You feel the heat of his release pulse low and sticky deep inside you, and make a mental note to bite him later for making you walk around with his cum slowly dripping into your panties. 

It takes a moment for you to both to even out your breathing, chests heaving as you come back to yourselves. Your hands relax from their grip on Graves’ tac straps, feeling blood rush back to your fingers from how tight you had been clutching to him. You brace your head on his shoulder, feeling your hips murmur with a little weakness that you know will have you wobbling around for the remainder of the day. You want to seethe at him for it, but find yourself not caring in the face of your ruinous orgasm. Your body feels warm, sated, damp as Graves huffs  against your neck. 

“Fuck, sweetheart.” He breathes at last. “You’re gonna be the death of me.”

You scrunch your eyes shut, something pulsing low through you for all of a moment before it’s swallowed down again. It’s as close to an ‘I love you’ as you’ll ever get, the two of you caught in an inevitable collision that will only end once one of you fizzles out like a shooting star in the midnight sky.

“I think you’ll kill me first.” You huff back at him, craning your head to look him in the eyes. “Just gotta figure out how I’ll get you to do it.”

Graves grins at you, eyes heavy with satisfaction, cheeks flushed red in a way you’ll know he’ll have to hide in front of his men. It’s a little bit of revenge, you think, another score in this endless tit for tat that you both can’t help but be addicted to.

Graves at last separates himself from you, withdrawing even as you give a little hiss of discomfort. He goes so far as you hoist your pants back up, teasing another touch to your clit through your panties and chuckling as you jolt. You shoot him a scathing look, unable to hide a mischievous little smile underneath your sneer. 

“Come see me tonight, why don’tchya?” He prompts as he tucks himself away and runs a hand through his hair, back to being the commander, the arrogant hero he thinks he is. “Unless you want me to chase you down again.”

You smile, feel your heart beat a little higher in your chest with excitement. He turns away from you as if to leave, but glances over his shoulder as you call out to him. 

“Catch me if you can, Graves.”

Graves shoots you a lopsided smile over his shoulder, eyes twinkling with that tell-tale knowledge of later.

“Oh I intend to, darlin.” He drawls lazily, confident as always. “Just you wait.”

[koolades-world]

Behind the Scenes

All it took was the watchful eye of your best man.

“How was yer day?” Mammon took your bag from you as the two of you began the walk home from RAD together.

“Uneventful mostly, but not bad. The fact that you were there during Seductive Speechcraft today was more than enough to turn my day around.” You turn and smile at him.

“What’d ya mean?” He glanced over at you.

"Just a bad day. Having you at my side make it better." You try to deflect.

"What happened?" He reached out to grab your hand, which you took.

"A couple things." You avoid his gaze.

“What’s the matter, darlin’?” Mammon stopped you in your tracks by standing in front of you. He looks right into your eyes, and holds your chin in his hands.

“You’re so caring Mams, but I’m fine. Thanks for asking.” You place a hand on his arm, trying to continue walking. He stops you, holding you close.

"Ya've been havin' bad days for a while now. What's the root? Ya can't hide this from me." You sigh, realize the jig is up.

"There's been this demon at RAD who's been picking on me. Today he stole my Potions homework, shouldered me into my locker, and almost drowned me in the bathroom. Thankfully the professor let me off since I never forget my work at home, but next time I might not be so lucky." You admit.

"He what? Forget the whole homework thing, I'll kill the bastard. Who did this to you? You gotta tell me about this stuff. Where does it hurt? Tell me the truth." Silently, you lift one of your sleeves to reveal the bruise you got from being slammed into the locker and pull down the collar of your uniform reveal the outline of fingers on the back of your neck. You wince at the memory. “What were ya planning to do? Suffer in silence? Mc, I don’t tell ya enough that I love ya.” He cupped your face in his hands, speaking to you gently.

“Usually when this happens, I just use a spell to cover it since I'm not good enough at healing magic yet. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for not telling you and I’m sorry for worrying you, but he…” You trail off, glancing around. “I don’t think I should even be telling you this.” Mammon looks at you, then around the both of you as well.

“Ya know damn well ya can tell me anythin’. Fuck him. If ya want, ya can wait until we get home.” Mammon knew whoever this demon was wouldn’t dare to both you while he was around.

“I want to wait until we get home.” You said. That was the only thing you had been sure about that entire conversation. Mammon, instead of letting you walk, opted to carry you, insisting it was for your own good. You couldn’t shake the feeling of paranoia, that he was somehow listening and that you said too much.

One you both arrived home, Mammon sat you down in the living room and called over everyone that was home. In a matter of minutes, Levi, Satan, and Asmo were gathered around you, concerned at how oddly serious Mammon had approached them. While you sat silently, Mammon explained. You could see the rage blossoming on Satan’s face, and the horror on Levi and Asmo’s.

“Sweetie, why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Asmo cuddled you in a similar way that Mammon did when he found out.

“I was afraid…” You search their faces for their reactions.

“What did he say to you?” Asmo asked.

“He told me he would hurt my family if I told anyone. Not you guys, my human family. I haven’t seen them in so long and I didn’t want anything to happen to them. I really miss them. He said it would be fun to…” You couldn’t continue. A silent tear makes its way down your face. Mammon wiped it away.

“You don’t have to continue.” Asmo pulled you in closer to him.

“What’s his name?��� Satan speaks up for the first time. His face was a little red and his eye has begun to tick, but looked eerily calm otherwise. To the untrained eye, it may have looked like he was calming down, but that couldn’t be more wrong.

“Please don’t hurt him.” You begged them.

“Why?” Levi, who had also been silent, nervously asked.

“He must have a reason for acting the way he has been. He probably has a family, and friends. I don’t think he deserves to be hurt, just maybe talked to.” Asmo gripped you hand tighter at your words and swept some hair out of your face.

“We’ll see what we can do, honey.” Asmo exchanged glances with his brothers. “How about this? We take you to Purgatory Hall to spend time with whoever’s there right now while we go talk to Lucifer, Belphie, and Beel.” He asked you.

“Can’t it wait? What if he’s listening?” You pleaded.

“I can assure you if he is out there and dares to act on his threats, I will see to it personally.” Satan’s tick was stronger and more noticeable.

“Anyways, I trust Sol with my life! If there’s anyone I would let look after you, it’s him.” Asmo told you.

“Ok, if you’re really sure. I trust you. Thanks guys. Can I have a hug?” You rose from your stop to be swarmed by the four demons around you. They took care to not hurt you more. You felt safe in the middle of them.

All of them personally went with you to drop you off at Purgatory Hall. Simeon answered the door, and as soon as he took in the scene, his usual smile faded and called for Solomon. Mammon explained the situation, to which they promptly agreed to help. As Asmo transferred you to Simeon, you heard Solomon asking them to save him a piece. It send a sharp shiver down your spine. As soon as the door shut, their facades dropped.

“They never told us his name. Even if it means I have to check every student at RAD, I will. After all, there can only be so many who meet his description.” Asmo chuckled. Satan was still doing his best to hold in his explosive rage until they were far enough from Purgatory Hall.

“Levi, take Satan somewhere to decompress for a while. We’ll reconvene here once we find the others.” Mammon took out his DDD and began making the calls he needed. Asmo also took out his DDD to check as many Devilgram accounts as he could to see if anyone looked particularly guilty.

As soon as Lucifer found out, he practically flew out of the place to meet up with his brothers. It was easy to see the similarities between him and Satan at this point. Belphie and Beel weren’t far behind. It was rare to see them both so agitated. The three of them quickly went in to see you, to see for themselves that you were ok, and to ask for the name of who has been bothering you. After much coaxing, they finally got it. Lucifer made Simeon promise to heal you, and with that, they vanished again. You didn’t know what to think, and hoped they would adhere to their promise.

Once they found him, they didn’t know what to do first. Question him or get straight to what they were there for: to make him pay for what he did. Each of them had their own idea, that they would never dare tell you. While you were safe and sound at Purgatory Hall, the brothers were having the time of their lives. It was a side of them they would never let you see; the side of them that truly reveled in misery and pain.

That demon vanished.

About a week and a half later, he reappeared a changed demon. He apologized for everything he did and remained out of your way from then on. He seemed physically fine, but was a different demon altogether. He was much nicer, and quieter. His friends avoided you like the plague, afraid of something you didn't understand. In fact, after that, everyone treated you like gold if they didn't already. You weren't stupid. You knew the brothers did something but nobody dared tell you. It was a little uncanny as everyone outside your household was pretending nothing had happened in the first place.

But the brothers were kinder, if possible. They kept bringing you small trinkets and gifts, like flowers and anything they thought you would like. They checked up on you more frequently and took you out more frequently. They always made sure you had everything you wanted even if you didn't ask for it. They even arranged for you to see your family in the human world with one accompanying you, although you suspected the others were watching from a distance. It was still chilling to think about what they did to that demon to make them stop so suddenly upon their return, or where they even went, but you settled on never knowing what they did. You just took their gestures at face value and appreciated them for it.

The brothers were glad you were recovering from everything. Anything you refused to tell them, they got out of the perpetrator. Simeon was an amazing healer, and even Lucifer wasn't sure how he brought him back together, mentally and physically. You could never find out.

errrr i don't really like this </3 the concept was more fun but I can't scrap it after how much i put into it

i kinda wanted it more ominous with less words but i think I need more writing practice for that lol

[denpa-dere]

Hellooooo! Your secret self ship gifter here again heheheh! Please bless me with your pet names in your self ships. :)

this was the most difficult question ive ever had to answer

i don't use them often (lie) but i mostly stick with the classics: dear, darling (sounds like "darlin'" when i say it), my love, etc. but I guess a few ship specific would be baby (Mammon- idk. he's baby), senpai (Levi, more of a joke but used affectionately), and sir (Lucifer, also kind of mockingly).

im not terribly picky what im called, i more care about if it makes sense in character for them to say it lol.

i hope this helps! 💕

[blouisparadise]

Today’s rec list consists of bottom Louis fics that take place in the country, the Midwest, or any rural area. We hope you enjoy. If you do, please be sure to like and reblog this post to help spread the word. Happy reading!

1) Save A Horse | Explicit | 2400 words

Louis goes to a rodeo with Liam, and gets a lot more than he bargained for. Featuring bull rider Harry, obnoxious t-shirts, and one hell of a night.

“Come on Jackson ain’t you been practicin? It ain’t fun for me if I always beat you,” the boy drawls out, voice slow and thick like molasses. “You comin out tonight?” he asks, nudging him with his elbow.

“Not tonight H, me and Liam are going to grab something to eat,” Jackson replies, the blush returning to Liam’s cheeks.

“What about you, what’re your plans for the night darlin’?” Harry asks, crooking an eyebrow in Louis’s direction.

Louis, who is the epitome of outgoing and confident, is at a total loss for words. He starts to say something but freezes, Harry now raising his other eyebrow and smirking, awaiting Louis’s response. “I uh- I’ll probably just go home,” Louis manages to stammer out, and what the fuck? Who is this man and how has he turned Louis into an introvert in a matter of seconds?

2) Gunsmoke | Explicit | 6527 words

Harry 'Gunsmoke' Styles and his boys Liam, Zayn, and Niall are all traveling cowboys who come across a small town on their journey to nowhere. They hang out at a tavern where Harry meets Louis, a cute and fiery bartender, and they may or may not fall in love.

3) Hey I Heard You Were A Wild One (If I Took You Home It'd Be A Homerun) | Explicit | 12106 words

Harry came to the bar to forget. Louis gives him a night to remember.

4) This Land Is More Than Dreams | Explicit | 12878 words

Louis is a student taking a gap year, travelling through the States. His plans change when he meets a cute cowboy-wannabe in one of the towns.

5) Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy | Mature | 13356 words

Harry owns a farm and Louis rides horses (and pretty boys sometimes) for a living. Harry hurts himself by being clumsy before he gets to ride a horse with Louis.

6) Manifest Destiny | Explicit | 15210 words

Louis is a Pony Express rider and Harry runs a station along the trail.

7) Baby Blue | Explicit | 39439 words

Harry Styles takes his time coming out to greet them. Louis only knows what he’s seen on file and what he’s heard them talking about, but he fully lives up to the image he had inside of his head.

He saunters down the front steps of the farmhouse in his Levi’s, brown snakeskin boots curving out from underneath the denim Louis’ sure he had specially made. He’s got on a plaid button-down tucked into the jeans because of course he does, curls spilling out from either side of his cowboy hat around his sunglasses and country-tan skin.

“Harry Styles,” he drawls, extending a hand to Louis’ manager, “Pleased to meet ya’ll.”

8) I Ain’t Gonna Fence You In | Mature | 40645 words

Louis Tomlinson is a 18 year old city boy who is forced to spend his summer before his senior year at his aunts farm. There, he meets Harry, a 19 year old country boy his aunt hired to help around the farm.

Maybe the farm isn't the worst place to fall in love?

9) Boiling Blood Will Circulate | Explicit | 42420 words

The wait isn’t long before something starts rustling in the bushes. Harry takes aim, squeezes the trigger, body moving unconsciously. They’re motions he’s done a thousand times before, and his body knows how to do it without the input of his brain now. It’s what makes him such a good shot.

He misses. The shot misses.

Something howls in the woods, a pretty clear indication that Harry hit it, but there’s no telltale sounds of a big body dropping, no animal charging out at him to take him out before he can finish the job.

Something does turn and run, though. “Fuck,” Harry spits out, scrambling to his feet and slinging the rifle back over his shoulder, giving chase. He’s not going to lose this hunt.

The trail of blood goes on longer than Harry thought it would. He doesn’t know how long he runs for, but his muscles are burning, chest heaving with exertion, until the trail just - goes dead. No more blood, just like that.

“Fuck,” Harry says.

10) Your Touch Shouldn't Make Me Feel Like This | Explicit | 48883 words

Uni AU in which Alpha Harry has been in love with his omega friend for the longest time and one motorbike trip to the countryside with Louis made him realize that he could no longer hold back his feelings.

11) For the Sake of Propriety | Mature | 52360 words

Louis Tomlinson is the caretaker of an estate that is not truly his, and when his Uncle calls upon him to take it back, Louis knows he will soon be out on the streets with four overly zealous sisters to care for.  His only solution: wed the eldest two off and pray for the best.  When an even better solution unexpectedly presents itself in the form of the charming Mr. Styles, Louis is faced with a difficult choice.  But as with all things in the regency era, reputation very well may threaten to outweigh the fleeting matters of his heart.

12) Through The Wheatfields And The Coastlines | Explicit | 52855 words

“You’re not from around here, are ya?” Hot Cowboy asks, tracking his little lamb with his eyes. Louis frowns slightly, having thought he was doing pretty well at not sticking out like a sore thumb. It’s not like he’s not from around here — it’s not his first summer he’s spent at his grandparents'. But he supposes that the Manhattan city lifestyle that he’s used to is always going to shine through.

“I’m visiting family for the summer,” Louis explains, cheeks a little pink. “Trying to get some work done without distractions.”

13) The Bachelor | Explicit | 53953 words

The one where Harry dates six other guys and still falls in love with Louis Tomlinson.

14) Apples Always Fall (As I Do For You) | Mature | 54609 words | Sequel

Louis is staying at his Aunt's farm in a small town in Minnesota for four months. To deal with the boredom that sets in a week into his stay, he starts working at the local apple orchard, owned by twenty six year old Harry Styles.

Louis quickly finds himself falling in love with the orchard, and he finds a family in Harry's friends Niall, Liam, and Zayn.

He also starts to fall in love with Harry.

Falling in love with him turns out to be the easy part.

15) Such Good Luck | Explicit | 66025 words

An Edwardian AU where Harry is a young aristocratic lord and Louis is a working class dairy farmer. Secrets are a necessary part of their relationship, but Louis has one that could topple their whole world.

16) Given a Chance | Explicit | 173511 words

Five years after One Direction took their last tour, the last thing Louis Tomlinson ever expected to happen while on a tea run at the local Piggly Wiggly was to run into his ex-boyfriend and ex-bandmate Harry Styles.

The odds of them ever running into each other again had to be super slim, right?

Wrong.

What happens when you mix ex-boyfriends with a large serving of Small Town America? Will Louis and Harry be able to set aside their differences, or will Louis be able to stay breezy as fuck in the wake of Harry’s arrival?

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

[justmywriting1313]

Mini HC’s for terms of endearment (Luci, Mammon, Levi, Satan, Asmo) Part 1

Heyyyyyo luvs!!! Hope you're all having a fantastic week!!

Soooo, I am incredibly depressed and just one bad comment away from a mental breakdown and dropping out soooo as escapism I was imagining or figuring out the nickname or endearments the boys would call youuuu Sooo yeah enjoyyyy!

LUCIFER: 

My love, my beloved, my heart, Darling, Sweetheart, Pet 

Basically ‘my’ anything. Lucifer likes to keep an image of sophistication and with that in mind most of his terms of endearment reflect that. I don't think he is the kind to use ‘baby’ or ‘babe’ because they don't encompass just how much care he has for you. He also thinks they are kind of trashy.

When he wants to be sweet and loving or romantic its soft whispers in your ear “My heart, you look absolutely gorgeous” or “My Beloved, come here, I want to hold you... I wont ask again”

When you act bratty or are not listening, especially in public its a firm “Sweetheart, not now and i wont repeat myself” or “Darling, wait until we get home and then you'll see the results of your teasing.” 

‘Pet’ is mainly for when Lucifer feels dominant in the bedroom. I feel like he is into degradation (as a kink) but he knows that you may not always be in that mood and so to keep his dominant nature but also be soft he would use Pet.

Overall, just very pride and prejudice hehehe 

MAMMON:

Babe, Baby, Darlin’, Beautiful,  

I don’t think it’s a surprise that this is what he calls you. I feel like he isn’t one to use sophisticated endearments. I also don't know why but he seems like he would be the kind to use quick terms of endearments that roll of the tongue really easily. Also suffice to say it takes him a long time to get the courage to be using terms of endearment for you.  

‘Babe’ and ‘baby’ is for like everyday things. For example, you'll be helping him make ramen and he will come behind you and hug you and just be like “Thanks babe, love ya” or when you're getting out of bed he will whine softly “Baby where ya goin’? come back now”. 

‘Beautiful’ is mainly for when he feels more romantic or when he is trying to pacify you if you’re upset with him. “Beautiful, come on, ya know I didn’ mean to!”

Lastly I think darlin’ is when you're teasing him and since I think he is a switch, he would get a little subby and be like “‘Darlin’ you're killing me here, ya know that?” 

Overall, he uses what i guess are like trashy endearments but like in a cute and sweet way. 

LEVI:

Y/N-Chan/ Y/N-Kun

Again, is this a surprise? Of course he calls you this. I mean it also takes him literal eons to even come up with the courage but finally when he does, he wants to be cute like the anime's and manga’s and so he would definitely call you with the suffix chan or kun.

I mean there isn't much more to this. I don’t think he will call you anything else besides your name. Again I think he is a switch like Mammon so when he is subby, which is very often, where he will just whine your name softly. 

On the rare occasion he is dominant he will just whisper, y/n-chan/kun into your ear and then tease you. He maybe also call you “Kitty” since he thinks its moe but it is rare

But yeah I think he finds it too difficult to get that courage but even then he does his best to be cute. 

SATAN: 

Darling, sweetheart, Heart, Kitten, Kitty, Pet 

Another one to hold an air of sophistication even for something as small as terms of endearments. To be honest I think Satan is the most romantic of everyone since he reads the most amount of books. He gets what women want and he knows what you like him calling you. 

With that said, ‘Darling’, ‘Sweetheart’ and ‘Heart’ is definitely for everyday situations or the ones he uses in public. ‘Heart’ is definitely for when he wants to be more romantic. You're swaying to music in the kitchen and he mutters “What would I do without you my heart” or “Sweetheart pass me that book would you?”

‘Kitten’, ‘Kitty’ and ‘Pet’ is definitely for the bedroom or when he feels dominant and wants to put you in that sub mindspace. Gently running his hands along the curve of your neck “Purr for me kitten would you?”. 

We all know he has that neko kink so yeah. “Kitty you make the loveliest sounds I wonder what other sounds I can pull out?”

Overall sophisticated in the same way as Lucifer. I think the only reason he doesn’t use ‘My - something’ very often is cause he knows its Lucifers go-to term and he of course wants to be nothing like him. If that wasn’t the case I could definitely see him saying My kitten or My heart. 

ASMO: 

Doll, pet, cutie, baby, love, sweetie, sweetheart, sunshine (literally everything)

Basically calls you any term of endearment under the sun. Has no particular situation in which he uses them since he can be suggestive even in public so even the more suggestive terms are used everywhere. 

I literally don't know what else to say besides be prepared to be called everything. 

This was just a small mini thing while i worked on the next part of Compliment so enjoyyyyy

Masterlist 

[bummie]

00 | 進撃の巨人 | ATTACK ON TITAN !

18+ | suitable for work.

( g.neutral. reader )

levi’s december: day three — a warm cup of tea.

content warnings: minor cursing, fluff.

synopsis: cold mornings call for warm tea, and gentle conversation.

love note: god this took so long. let me know if ya want a part two!! also lmk if there’re any typos! tyty <3

the first day of december in paradis was always such a crisp one. still, the cold air was — somehow — gentle as it stole the warmth from pedestrians walking the streets of their hometowns. yet, it was peaceful. comforting.

a chill breeze washed over the cracked brick roads, guiding scattered leaves, and the fresh scent of pine between buildings. nobody knew why the winter carried such an aroma, but my god, was it alleviating. so alleviating.

humanity needed this break. after fighting for so long, we deserved this kind feeling of contentment. we deserved to smell the fresh sweetness of pastries wafting through the streets, to watch as steam danced atop a savory cup of tea. this is what peace is.

this newfound peace, today, was something that you wanted to experience for yourself. no. something that you wanted to share with someone more special than anyone, or anything else in these godforsaken walls.

“what can i get for ya?” the distant chatter of the café was humming in your ears as your finger rubbed the tip of your nose, trying to bring it back to life. you sniffled, slipping your hand into your pocket as you stood tall, gazing at the menu.

it was warm in there, and it smelled so so sweet. almost like you were being embraced by a blanket made of fluffy bread.

you knew what you were gonna get, but you still wanted to see if there was anything new.

“can i get a black tea, no sugar, no milk, and a green tea with sugar? both to-go, please.” you finished, leaning on the counter as the burly man gave a kind smile, nodding.

oh-. what’s this? “i see you’ve got somethin new on your menu. what is it?”

“ah, it’s a lemon muffin. not too popular lately, but we got some regulars. might be because’a the price, but lemons ain’t cheap, so i ain’t goin cheaper.” as per usual, his voice was warm as he spoke. though, you were surprised to find it was laced with disappointment.

“mm, i see. i want one of those as well, then.”

“you sure, little one?” you nodded. “n i’m not little anymore, gerry.” he chuckled, chest rumbling the air as he did so. “i know, honey. just been a while since i seen ya. not sure i’m ready ta see ya all grown up, yet.” you looked down, tapping the toe of your boot on the floor, a small smile spreading across your lips.

“here you are, darlin.” gerry handed you your brown paper bag of goodies.

it smells good.

“well, i’m glad to see you’re doin okay.” your voice fell off into a sigh at the end of your sentence. you waved him off as you turned on your heel, “thank you!”. he nodded, “come back soon, alright?” humming as a response, you set off, the sound of your boots tapping on the wooden floor cutting into the indistinct chatter.

as soon as you stepped outside of that toasty café, the temperature difference shocked your nerves. chills ran all over your skin, even underneath your jacket, let alone the other layers of clothing. no wonder so many people were hanging about in there.

the wind was quick to slam the door shut, and it startled you a bit, but you were on your way.

as you looked down, you could see waves of steam sneaking out of your bag of warm breakfast, and not wanting it to get cold before you reached your destination, you held it close to your middle, hoping you’d be able to trap in the heat. though, it could have been doing the complete opposite.

the chilly air nipped at your nose, just as it did before you entered the café. at this rate, it could damn well just fall off.

it hadn’t even snowed yet, but man was it cold. you knew it was going to soon, it was just a matter of time now. somehow, weird enough, you could smell it. could just be your instincts, or maybe the frostbite, but nevertheless, you were quite excited to relax with your family and friends in the snow within the coming days.

your thoughts continued to wander, thinking about all the things you could do once it finally snowed.. the first year ever that you’d get to experience this peace, and you get to do it with the people you adore the most, as well. it felt unreal. you could actually feel excitement bubbling up in your chest as you danced around all sorts of possibilities in your head.

the smile plastered on your face continued to grow, probably looking pretty odd to the people brushing past you as you walked. that is, until you arrived at that same old dark-wooden building with the mis-matched grey bricks.

taking a deep breath, you exhaled what was left of your excitement, and took a step toward the large wooden door. though you knocked a couple times out of “courtesy”, you just let yourself anyway, the heavy door creaking loud as ever on its journey shut.

dropping the bag off on the table, you walked toward the stairs.

it wasn’t quite as warm in the house as you’d expected it to be, and it was even more concerning that as you made your way up the stairs, you found that it was colder up there.

“what’s the point of knocking if you’re just gonna come in anyway?” levi asked, standing in the doorway of his bedroom.

a smile cracked into your lips, eyes bright as ever as you lay your eyes on him, “good morning to you, too.” heading toward his shorter stature, you leaned to the side to press a quick kiss to levi’s temple. “you look cute in that.” the words slid off of your tongue with no shame, eliciting a flame to burn in levi’s pale cheeks.

“but you’re freezing.” sliding the fabric of your coat off of your shoulders, you wrapped it around him. albeit with a little bit of resistance, but you did.

levi shot you a dirty look and crossed his arms over his chest, but it didn’t phase you. how could it when he was wearing such a cute outift?

his shirt was white, baggy, long-sleeved, and most definitely not his size. the collar was nearly wide enough to hang off of his shoulder. he also had long, blue, plaid pajama pants on, and honestly, it was quite a sight to see. he never wore pajama’s.

is it christmas already?

“i brought you some breakfast.” it’s not like it was a surprise, but he sure did perk up like it was.

“what is it?” he asked, dropping his attitude and following after you. you ignored him, choosing to keep him curious. the house was spotless. especially the kitchen.

so this is what he does when he’s off-duty? also, the fuck does he need such a huge table for?

pulling the paper cups out, you set them next to eachother, only for levi to pick one up immediately after you set them down. he brought it to his nose to smell. “tea?” you nodded as a response, handing him the bag. “n this,” your voice soft as you pulled out a chair, ushering him to sit — taking your seat beside him as well. he peered at you for a second, then looked into the bag.

“what is it?” “it’s a lemon muffin. i know you like lemon, so i thought you’d wanna try it.” he was silent as he tried to hide his smile, but the swing of his legs gave away his excitement.

it’s contagious.

you tuck his hair behind his ear, wanting to see his pretty face. watching for a second as he set the bag back on the table, you swiftly rose to your feet, “ah, let me get a plate for you.”

“and a fork?” he asked as he adjusted himself on the seat, pulling your coat further into him. you didn’t miss it, your heart skipping a beat as he did so. “mhm.”

“and my cup?”

“and your cup.”

[levis-hazelnut]

Levi x Reader Hate At First Sight

Summary: after hearing about you getting into a fight with some Military Police, Erwin and Levi go to try and enlist you as a scout, much to Levi’s dismay. Though, after some months spent there, you found yourself to be disliked by many scouts.

(a/n: look at my baby his side profile he’s so beautiful. also i do not hate petra it’s just for the sake of the fic so please don’t @ me lmao)

You gripped your knees, your back hunched while your chest rose and sank as you tried to catch your breath. The reason you were running was that moments ago, some men tried to molest you. Though you were able to beat them down, you obviously didn't want to stay around that area of filthy MPs. Yes, they were everywhere, but that particular place isn't somewhere where you should be late in the evening. Only whores would walk around there. And you definitely aren't one of them. You may have the face and figure of one, but you would never stoop to that level just to get money and to pleasure foul men who treat women as objects. It's good that you're poor because then you have loose clothes that don't make your curvaceous body show. Walking at a slower pace, you made your way to your 'home' which was just a place behind a store, which had sacks piled on top of each other, making it comfortable enough to sleep there rather than the gelid ground. And to be able to get the owner to let you stay there, you had a massive dispute that caused you to get attention to yourself and you were on the verge of pulling out the blade you keep in your boot. But now, you are on good terms with him.

A lot of the friends you had didn't remain with you because of your temper. Or they would have been caught by the Military Police. Either way, you don't have any of your past friends. Hey, it's not your fault you would go out of control at any time, sometimes for no reason. Well, it is your fault but you didn't make yourself this way, so tell that to whatever god is up there.

You plopped down onto the stack of sacks, staring up at the midnight blanket, where stars sparkled in and the gleaming moon gazed down at you. As you rested your head on your arm and your other arm laid across your torso, your stomach slightly grumbled from being deprived of food. Sighing, you jumped up, heading inside the shop you laid behind. Thankfully, it was a small restaurant. As you walked in, the owner glanced at you with a frown. "(Y/N), it's closing time. Why are you coming in now?" You put a hand to your stomach. "Don't tell me. It's my hollow stomach." "Here." He chucked you a whole loaf of bread and an apple. "Now, leave. I've got to clean up." "Thanks.” Sitting back down, you threw the apple up in the air and caught it in your left hand as you ate the bread. After finishing the food, you relaxed and closed your eyes, so you could escape from the life you have and dream about living somewhere else, somewhere cosy, somewhere warm and more home-like. And maybe even someone you could spend your life with without them leaving you because of your fierceness or dying. ~/~ "Corporal Levi?" "What?" aforementioned person replied with an exasperated sigh. "Commander Erwin said he needs to talk to you." "Tch. Okay." He walked away with profanities soaring through his mind, wanting to just go to his office and avoid people that were getting on his nerves. Stepping into the Commander's office, he crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the wall after shutting the door. "What do you want?" The Commander gestured to a chair in front of him so the other male could sit down and he could inform him of the situation. "A while ago, in Wall Sina, there was a woman who got in a fight with a few Military Police and took off with ODM gear. She isn’t a soldier or anything, so she most likely hadn't handled gear before, but she was able to use it with ease, meaning she's someone skilled." "So?" "We need to go get her to enlist as a scout." "Tch. Why? She already sounds shitty and bratty." "We're going tonight, Levi." He stood up and left the office, clicking his tongue. All he wanted was to avoid people and now, he has to go get some bitch who probably doesn't even know how to wipe their ass. An hour, or so, ago... A group of four Military Police surrounded you, all of them having smug expressions that made you want to punch them in their faces... and then their balls. You wouldn't let them get away with only a punch to the face. Who do they think you are? A princess? You steal some gear thingy, that looked intriguing to you, from one of them and suddenly you're the bad guy? These idiots think they can beat you as well. You could just laugh. "Do you really think you can beat me?" you chuckled. You did just laugh. "We don't want to hurt you, darlin'. Just give us back the gear." "Who said you can call me darlin'?" you snarled and fly kicked one of them. He ended up slamming against the building behind him, sliding down the wall, knocked out. You charged at another, kicking their crotch and punching the top of his head as he dropped onto the ground with a thud.

Two more left... One of them came towards you with their fist drawn back to punch you with a force meant to harm you but you caught their fist and twisted their arm, pushing it towards their chest as they let out a cry of pain. You thrust your foot at his abdomen as he held his arm, groaning.

"Are you really going to try and beat me?" The last one only smirked, approaching you, so you pulled out the blades from the equipment you took from him and pressed it to his neck. He froze on the spot and gulped, cold sweat appeared on his flesh and dropped with a patter on the ground. "I'm going to give you five seconds to take your comrades and get your asses out of here." You put the blade back into its place and watched the panicking man pick up the other dirty humans and hurry away, not wanting to wait to see what you would do after five seconds. Ignoring the people gawking at you, you dusted your clothes before figuring out how to use the gear to head to your favourite shop, wanting something to drink. You were able to do it with ease, flying through the doors and swiftly landing on your feet. The bell rang to notify people that someone came in.

You sat on your table. Yes, it was your table and all the regulars knew that after seeing you pound a man for taking your table. Ever since then, no one has sat at that table apart from the drunk idiots who want your attention or people that haven't been to this place yet. It was near the window and it had the sofa seat so you would lean your back against the window, stretching your legs across the seat. You placed the equipment you took on the table.

"Oi, Luis," you called to the owner, and he looked at you from where he was at the counter. "The usual." He nodded at you and proceeded to make you your black tea with no sugar. After about five minutes, he placed the cup of tea in front of you as you handed him some money you were able to 'earn', paying him for the food he gave you the last few days as well. But you always got a discount so it wasn't too much of a problem for you to stea-- earn a bit of dough. "Hi, (Y/N)~" Yay, another drunken fool trying to hit on you. You rolled your eyes, disregarding his presence that sat opposite you as you drank your tea. He was saying shit you weren't listening to. But, seriously, who gets drunk during the day? He's probably just another jerk whose wife ran away from and took most of his money or something like that. All these snobby, egotistic people, who live within Wall Sina, piss you off to the extent that you want to make sure that their pained screams reach Wall Rose, so that those citizens would know what would happen if they pissed you off. "Hey, idiot, I'm going to give you three seconds to get out of my sight," you growled. All he did was smirk and lean over the table, trying to get closer to you. You punched him the middle of his face, but it didn't look like he could feel it. You stood up and dragged him off the seat, kicking him over and over as he laid on the sparkling, marble floor. "Hey, hey, hey!!" Luis jogged up to you. "(Y/N), you need to stop beating up my customers! Soon, you'll be my only customer." "Tell this bastard to get the fuck out and leave me alone, then." "I can't kick someone out for you." "Tch." You trudged out of the shop, wandering around the streets, hiding from any MPs that walked past, so you could evade another fight since you weren't in the mood for any action. "Hey, (Y/N)!" "Moritz," you greeted as he came up to you. "I haven't seen you in a while." "Just trying to stay away from any bastards. So, get away from me," you joked to which he chuckled softly. "My offer still stands... I'd like a daughter like you." "Sorry, Moritz. Leon isn't my type." "My son is in love with you. He's a kind and soft lad and if I'm being fair, he's handsome." "Exactly. That isn't my type. I want someone strong, feisty and someone able to handle my temper and maybe get into heated arguments with me. But of course, I want someone attractive." Several hours later... "Levi, are you ready?" "Yes." The stoic man let out a heavy breath and proceeded to leave his office, following the tall blonde. They both got their gear before leaving the building and entering a carriage waiting for them. "Why is this brat special? There are so many cadets that can use ODM gear." "As I said before, she isn’t a soldier and was able to use it without practice." "What's her name?" "(Y/N) (L/N)." The rest of the journey was quiet, only a few words of what they were going to do and the occasional click of the tongue because of how long the trip was. Finally, they arrived in front of a classy restaurant and it was filled with people due it being the evening when couples go there. You shimmied past the couples all dressed up in fancy clothes and you were able to make it out of it. Looking back over your shoulder, you rolled your eyes before frowning when you saw two men standing in front of you. You crossed your arms over your chest and arched an eyebrow. "Look, I took your friend's gear hours ago. Why are you still chasing after me? It's not that big of a deal." "Are you (Y/N) (L/N)?" the taller male asked. "... Yes. What do you want?" "May I see the gear you were talking about?" "Are you going to take it?" "No." "Okay. Follow me." You walked to your pile of sacks, expecting them to be behind you but they were in their place. "You coming or what?" They slowly approached you, wary of their surroundings. "What is this place?" the stoic male questioned, clearly disgusted. "Welcome to my humble abode." You ignored his criticism. You looked about for the gear but you couldn't find it, that's when you realised that you had left it in the restaurant. You hoped that no one took it. You sighed and looked into the restaurant, telling the two males where you left it, so they dismissed you, allowing you to get it and they followed you but waited outside. You opened the door, pushing people out of the way. "Move out the way, you fucking arrogant idiots," you muttered. You looked around your table where a couple sat but you didn't care since you weren't going to sit there and there wasn't any other space. You frowned when you didn't see it. Who the fuck took it? ... Oh, they did. There were two men and a woman on a table with the gear in front of them as they all put their nasty hands on it. The woman was drunk and holding a wine glass filled with a red liquid, one of the men was smoking and the other had a beer. You barged through the crowd, striding to their table. "Excuse me. This is mine." You tried taking it, but the man closest to you stopped you from doing that as he stood up, coming closer to you so you backed away. You could smell the cigarettes emitting from him as you held your breath at the foul smell. "Now, why would I let you take this without anything in return?" "Tch. Give it before I prevent you from having kids." "I wouldn't mind having a baby with a gal like you." "Get your breath out of my face. And give it to me. I swear, I'll knock you down so you won't be able to get up ever again," you grumbled. "I like my women feisty." You punched his left cheek and he stumbled back into his seat as you picked up the gear, turning around to face the entrance but all you saw was more people entering. Okay, you didn't care anymore. You swiped a man and stepped on him to get closer to the door but a woman came in your way, her boobs blocking your way. You slid through what little space there was and jumped over a short person, enabling you to exit and go back to the two men outside. The one with blue eyes looked surprised as you passed him the material. "That was impressive." "What?" "How you got past all those people." "Eh, it was nothing." "Anyway, are you able to use this properly?" "Yes. It isn't that hard." "Can you show me your skills with it?" "Why? Wait... how do you even know my name? Who are you people?" you inquired after realisation hit you. "I'm Commander Erwin Smith and this is Corporal Levi Ackerman. We're from the Scout Regiment and we heard that you got into a fight with some MPs and you were able to easily use this so I wanted to see your skills and see if you're worthy of becoming a scout." "Why would I want to join you? All of you are stupid to leave the walls to fight titans. I don't want to become like you. And there are a lot who don't even know how to fight and I don't want to fight with morons,” you responded. "Yes, I don't have a great life but it's better than risking it to go do something stupid. I don't care if you're the Commander and he's Humanity's Strongest Soldier, I'm not becoming a scout." "Tch. We don't do something stupid, we fight for humanity. You only fight to get away from trouble. I don't know why we have to save the likes of you but we do and we don't do it because we want to, we do it because we have to. And they may be idiots, but they're damn good soldiers who shouldn't be ill spoken about by someone like you," Levi growled lowly, venom laced in his words. 'Someone like you', who does this fucking midget think he is? You were probably around his height but women are generally shorter than men. You narrowed your eyes and proceeded to thrust your fist at his face but he dodged it before headbutting you. He punched your nose, causing it to bleed and he struck your gut straight after. He threw punches at you, one after another, until you had enough, bringing your leg up to kick the side of his head. He put his hand there, weakening the blow, and grabbed your ankle, slamming you down onto the stone ground. You felt slightly dizzy but you shook it off, standing up immediately, ramming your knuckles into his face and you tried to trip him over but he kept his balance. After punches being thrown and both of you being beaten up, to finish the fight off, he slid behind you and twisted your arm behind your back, stepping on your foot as his other hand held your wrist by your side. You tried shaking him off, but it was futile. He twisted your arm more, getting a quiet hiss of pain from you. "You may be able to beat up some useless MPs but we, at the Scout Regiment, are nothing like them. You better think twice before you try to fight with me." "Thank you, Le--" Erwin started but was cut off. "(Y/N)?" a gentle voice uttered, and you turned your head towards it. "What are you doing here, Leon?" "I-I came here to see you..." he shyly said, his ginger hair hiding his emerald eyes as he gazed at the ground where blood trailed. "What's happening? Who are these men?" He looked back up with concern pooling in his orbs. "It's nothing. Do you want to talk about something?" "It can wait. It looks like you have to deal with something." "Oi, get off of me. I won't try to put up a fight, or run away." "I don't trust you." You clicked your tongue and lifted your foot up to kick his groin but he wrapped his leg around yours so you weren't able to strike him. "Can I not talk to him?" you snapped. "Levi, let her go." "Idiot," you murmured loud enough so he was able to hear but he didn't say anything. You walked up to the boy. "Leon, I don't think you should tell me anything important because I don't know if I'm going to be able to see you after today. They're from the Survey Corps and they want to enlist me. I don't want to go, but it looks like they're going to force me." "But--" You could see the tears welling up in his pretty eyes. "I love you, (Y/N)." "I know. But that's how it is. Sorry." You didn't sound sorry at all, your tone was your usual dull, yet harsh one, but you genuinely did feel a bit of compassion for him. After two years of trying to get you to be his wife, you're going to leave his life without leaving any feelings for him. He was a gentleman and you liked him, however, not as a lover or whatever, he was just delightful to have around. You didn't want to leave him like this so you embraced him, gently rubbing his back and whispering a few words. "Will you ever come back?" "I don't know. It's a high possibility that I won't." "If you do, will you marry me then?" "We'll have to see," you smiled; it was the first smile you ever let break out onto your lips since you were around ten. "Tch. Why did I come to see this?" "Shut up, Levi. Just be glad that you'll have a valuable soldier on your side." A scowl replaced your smile. He scoffed. "We've got plenty of useful soldiers, including myself." "I might see you later, Leon. Bye." "Bye, (Y/N)." He took your hand and softly kissed it. And with that, you left the boy in heartbreak and started a new life as a scout after showing them your skills, which Levi scoffed at so you backhanded him. On the way to headquarters, you and Levi sat opposite each other and argued as Erwin silently sat there, wishing for the ride to be over. Since the journey was long and it was around midnight, you had fallen asleep after some time, allowing peace to settle into the carriage. Once you reached HQ, Erwin stepped out and stood by the carriage, waiting for you and Levi to get off. "Oi, brat, get up." Levi tried to awake you. "Brat, wake up." "Who you calling brat?" you asked tiredly, failing to convey your irritation. "You. Now, shut up and get out." "Tch. Don't go telling me what to do, Ackerman," you muttered angrily, too tired to put up a fight. All three of you entered the building and coincidentally, you were walking next to Levi, starting another argument so Erwin walked in between the both of you, leading you to his office, while Levi went to his.

"Take a seat, (Y/N),” he told you. "This is the key to your room. We'll fill out the paperwork and do everything tomorrow. For now, just go sleep and I'll tell you all you need to know tomorrow." "Whatever." You left his office after he told you the directions to your room and you went there, finding a single bed with a bedside table that had a lit lantern. The first thing you wanted to do was have a shower since you felt sweaty from all the action you had today. Once you showered, you went straight to bed, snuggling into the blanket, able to have a good night's sleep for once in ages. ~/~ After changing into your uniform, you looked at your reflection. It fit you very well but you didn't want it to. You don't like showing your curves, but it's not that you feel insecure with people looking, you just don't like it. You don't want your body to be the thing that attracts people and you don't want people coming after you because of your alluring figure. With no hesitation, you would punch anyone that tries to touch you. As you were told to, you went to Erwin's office before breakfast started, ignoring the gazes that were focused on your form. You rolled your eyes as you stepped into his office, slamming the door behind you. "Gosh, these idiots don't know how to keep their eyes in their sockets." You turned your head to the door, not noticing Erwin's cerulean eyes on you. He blinked to break himself out of his daze and cleared his throat as he gestured to the seat in front of him. You sat down casually, not caring about being formal. "Sit up, (Y/N)." "Tch." "Sit up," he repeated. "You shouldn't disobey your superiors." You sighed and did as he said. "Happy?" "I've got these papers for you to sign," he told you as he handed a few sheets. "And these papers have information that you'll need to know but I'm going to go through it with you. I'm going to put you in Hanji's command..." After about half an hour, you were able to leave his office and make it for breakfast. You entered the mess hall with him and grabbed some food, sitting down on an empty table since you have yet to get to know these people and you thought that people would come up to you first. "Who is she?" "Mmm~ Look at that ass." "Look at those boobs." "You lot are pervs." "You only say that because you have Krista." "Yeah, and she's better than whoever that woman is." "I think she's pretty." "She's certainly not ugly." "Eren?" "Mikasa, do you not say anything else?" "Eren?" "What?" "Stop ogling her." "I-I wasn't." "Yeah, right, Jaeger. Wipe the drool from your mouth." "I'm the one drooling? You look like you have rabies." "You want to take this outside?" "Both of you, stop being children." You glanced at the table making the most noise and saw that all ten of them were looking in your way. Some averted their eyes as others smiled at you, however, you gave a cold stare in return before looking back at your food. It wasn’t exactly intentional to look at them like that, it's basically just your usual expression. "Did you see that?" "She may be pretty, but she's rude." "Who does she think she is? Looking at us like that." "I didn't see what happened." "Of course you didn't. You were too busy stuffing your face with food." "I think we should go talk to her." "Yeah, teach her a lesson." "Guys, sit down. You can't do that do a new person." "Yeah, guys, what's wrong with you?... Wait like a week, then you can teach her a lesson." "Jean! Don't encourage them!" "Oi, you lot?" You stood at their table, their heads turning your way as they had just noticed that you were there. "If you try to beat me up, you'll be s-- What the hell are you doing?!" you yelled at the person on your left who just touched your ass. "Feeling your ass," he stated nonchalantly. "You people are pervs. I agree with whoever that it is." "Whoever that it is, is Ymir," said girl inserted. They all introduced themselves to you but you couldn't be any less interested. "Okay, whatever. I don't give a shit about who you are. I came here to tell you that if you, Eren, Ymir, Jean and Reiner, try to beat me up, you'll be sorry. And I don't understand, do you want to grope my ass or beat it, Reiner?" "Who said I can't do both?" he smirked as you rolled your eyes, about to go back to your table. "Wait, (Y/N). Why don't you sit with us?" "So I can get harassed? No, thanks." "Just sit with us. We promise we won’t do anything," Jean told you. With slight reluctance, you got your plate from the other table and sat on the end of the table next to Armin, everyone focused on you as you spoke about your life before you came here.

At times, you would notice brown eyes belonging to a strawberry-blonde girl and grey eyes belonging to a raven man flutter towards you, but every time you looked up, they pretended as if they weren't staring at you. You could feel their glares burn into you. And you knew Levi's stare was of anger, but what was that girl's problem? ~/~ You wore a vest top and shorts, training with Reiner who volunteered to, probably just so he could see you with fewer clothes on. It's been going on for the past few weeks. You were a bit distracted during training because you felt as if someone was watching you and they were giving off a dark aura. You looked around but couldn't find anyone. "(Y/N), are you okay?" "Yeah. Come on." You waited for him to attack you and he did but you were able to knock him down before you saw the cause of the dark aura in the distance. "Hey, you!" you shouted, going towards them. "Do you have something to say to me?" You crossed your arms over your chest. "No. Nothing at all." She clenched her jaw. "You're Petra, right?" "Yeah. Actually, I do want to tell you something, you stay away from Corporal Levi," she growled, scrunching your vest in her fist. "Woah, Petra! What are you doing to (Y/N)?" Reiner jogged up to the two of you. Damn, now you can't beat the crap out of her. She let go of you and put on a bright smile, facing Reiner who knew that that smile was fake. "Nothing. I was just giving her some advice about making friends." "We need to train so leave us alone," Reiner took your arm protectively and dragged you away, but you protested. "Wait. I'll train with Petra today," you smirked devilishly. "No." "Oi, Petra! How about you spar with me?" "... Why?" "Just." You shrugged. "Sure," she agreed when she saw Levi come outside of the building, taking the chance to get his attention. You knew she wasn't strong enough for her to beat you, so this wouldn't end well for her. You both got into a fighting stance, before you threw your fist forward at her face, but you stopped just before you hit her so she dodged the potential blow and wasn't able to elude the kick you gave at her side. She was about to topple over but she caught herself, not letting you be victorious just yet. She attempted to punch your gut but you blocked it by making a cross over yourself. A crowd formed around you two, including the Corporal that Petra seemed obsessed about. But, of course, with his short stature, he wasn't able to see who exactly was fighting, so he pushed people out of the way, able to reach the front and see you and Petra. She tried to trip you over but that failed miserably and she fell flat on her face. A few from the huddle snickered quietly as others applauded even though it wasn't a real win. You crouched down and whispered, "Good luck in impressing that stubborn idiot." You got back up, grabbed your uniform and walked off, ignoring Levi who called for you. "Hanji!" you called to get her attention as she strolled through the castle. "Yes?" "Does Petra like Levi or something?" "I think so, yes. Why are you asking?" "During my training, she was watching me and she said to stay away from him. We got into a small fight which quickly ended because of her stupidity. I'm guessing the only reason this happened is that she's jealous. But she's moronic if she thinks that I would try to move to Levi." "Who's moronic?" a familiar voice spoke from behind you. You turned around. "Petra. Why the fuck would she think that I like you? You're bothersome, you're stubborn, you're irritating, you're an ass, you annoy the hell out of me and you're a bastard." "Thanks," he replied sarcastically. "The same can be said about you." "Tch. Shut it, Ackerman." "You know, you have a temper problem. And you shouldn't talk to me like that." "This is who I am. I can talk to you in any way I like." "You might not be able to talk after I knock your teeth out," he threatened with a glare. "I'm not scared of you." "We'll see about that," he muttered before walking away. "And put some clothes on." "What did you do to Shorty to make him so angry with you?" "I called soldiers stupid. Got in a fight with him. We've argued a lot of times." "Oof. I would have advised you to stay on his good side." "Too late." You shrugged. "It won't last long. He'll soften up after some time." "I don't think he will. Whatever, I need to go 'put some clothes on'." "Okay. Can I borrow you after for help with experiments?" Hanji asked slowly, hoping you wouldn't yell at her like last time, saying how you didn't give a sh*t about it. "No," you bluntly said as you left her, going to your room but was stopped by an annoying figure who you rolled your eyes at. "Looking good, (Y/N)." "Shut up." "You look a little dirty, want to have a shower with me?" You grabbed Jean's collar and brought your face close to his, a glare etched on your visage as you saw his Adam's apple move down and then back into its place as he gulped. "Shut the hell up and I'll let this one time slide." He nodded and scurried off once you let you go of him, entering your room and locking the door behind you. You decided to shower since you were covered in sweat and you felt nasty. ~/~ "Eurgh, look who it is," a voice whispered a little too loud as you entered the mess hall for breakfast, striding to your usual table with a few of people that you don't mind being around and the few that aren't annoying you or bothering you in any way. "She doesn't belong here." "You know, I heard that before she came here she worked in a brothel." "Everyday, she wears her vest top and short shorts, acting like a slut." "The other day, she was being a bitch to me. She laughed at my figure when I was looking in my reflection. Then, she said that no one would love me when I have a body like this." "I've heard that she's flirted with every man she's had contact with." This has been going on for at least three months: people making fun of you, talking about you, pushing you about, calling you names and such. You haven't taken any of it to heart, but you wondered what happened to make nearly everyone despise you. Everyone but superiors and the ten scouts you had befriended first, and even though Levi dislikes you, he doesn't contribute to the crowd that is being cruel to you. He already hated you from the start. "They're still going at it?" "Forget about them," Erwin told you. "How can I when they're practically saying it to me? All of what they're saying isn't even true. And they shouldn't try to start a fight with me because I'll beat the sh*t out of them." "Well, you are a bitch, so that's true," Levi murmured. "Ackerman, I suggest you shut up before I beat the shit out of you." You rammed your heel into his foot under the table since you were opposite him. "Tch. You should be happy that some of us aren't part of those dumb brats." "Dumb?" you repeated. "So, you're saying that they're dumb for saying all that stuff about me?" "... No... They're stupid in general." "Mhm." "What was that?" He frowned. "What?" "That 'mhm'." "Nothing." After staring at each other questioningly, you both went quiet as the other superiors on your table carried on their own conversations. Halfway through breakfast, you felt something cold and wet being poured onto your head, soaking your shirt and falling down your shirt which sent a shiver through you. You stood up and turned around to the laughing bastards, kicking the boy in the nuts and slapping the girl which shut them up. "What the fuck is your problem?! What did I do to you?!" "Someone decided to go braless today," the girl whispered to the other. You looked down and felt your cheeks growing red, out of rage and embarrassment. Something landed on your head and hung over your chest. You realised that it was a cape that Levi threw at you, which you wrapped around yourself before heading to your room to change out of the drenched clothes that you had just changed into. "Why the hell are you doing this? Yeah, she can be a brat, but all of you are, so I don't know why you lot are acting like this towards her when she didn't do anything. Both of you have kitchen duty for two months. If I see you one of you two do anything to her, you won't see the end of it." "Yes, sir." "Now, get the hell out of my face," Levi ordered as he sat back down in his seat, the others on the table looking at him with surprise. Who knew he would stand up for you like that? "What are you looking at?" "How come you stood up for (Y/N) like that?" Miche asked. "I didn't stand up for her. I was scolding them for acting like that towards a cadet." "Yeah, yeah, that's what they all say," Hanji said quietly with a smirk. "You shut up, Shitty Glasses." "I'm just saying that I don't think you would have done that for any other scout." "... That may be true, but they're mistreating (Y/N) for no reason." "Getting close to her, are we?"

"Tch. Just shut up." "Shorty has a crush~" Hanji sang in a low voice near his ear as she sat next to him, her 'best friend'. "I've only known her for five damn months. How could I already like her?" "Why are you asking me? And five months isn't that short, it's quite long if you think about it." "I don't care. I don't like her." "Okay~ Whatever you say~" Levi shot daggers at her before going back to eating in silence, not interacting with any more annoying people who seem to have a habit of bothering him nearly every day. One day, they'll leave him and he can live in serenity. One day, when all the titans are rid of and he can leave this shithole. All he has to do wait for that damn day that's taking its time to arrive. Can't it be a little more considerate? "I have to agree with Hanji. You seem to be a little protective over (Y/N)," Erwin stated after some time. "I. Don't. Fucking. Like. That. Brat." "Calm down, Levi. It's not a bad thing to like (Y/N)," Moblit teased. "Tch." The raven stood up and left the mess hall as he could hear the others laughing at him in the background. He slammed the door shut and trudged to his office with a scowl. He found you standing outside his office, your hand reaching for the handle but you stopped when you saw him come your way. "What are you doing, brat?" "I was going to give you your cape back. Thanks," you muttered. "Shut up," he grumbled, snatching the material from your hands and stepping into his office, locking the door. "Oi! Why are you telling me to shut up when I said thanks?" you shouted. "Get away from my office!" he yelled back. You rolled your eyes and started to go back to the mess hall. "Last time I thank you, bastard," you mumbled to yourself. ~/~ Your door shut with a bang after you had stormed into it, and leaned your back against the wood, hiding your face in your hands as you cried. Your legs gave out so you dropped to the ground with your legs arched and your arms resting on your knees as you placed your head on your arms, feeling tears drop onto your lap, seeping through your clothes. Two minutes later, you heard laughing, yelling and then footsteps approach your room. Light knocks sounded from the door with the soft call of your name. You knew who it was, but didn't respond so they turned the handle, slowly pushing the door open, however, you prevented that from happening by sitting by the door. They slid through the small gap before closing the door again, crouching down to you. "(Y/N)." "Leave me alone!" you shouted, though it was muffled behind your sobs and your face was hidden. "No. You obviously need someone right now." "I hate you! I hate all of them! Just get the fuck out!!" you roared, tearing your face away from your arms and looking at Levi's gentle expression. He didn't seem startled at all. "... Why are they doing this to me?" you whispered and concealed your face again, not wanting Levi to see you in this state. "Ignore them." "You know, it's all that Petra's fault. The bitch is envious of me and just wants to break me down into nothing. All because she's in love with you and she thinks that I like you!" "Tch. I don't even like her. She can fuck off. And how is doing this going to make me fall for her? I was wondering why she was being more clingy than usual," he muttered, but it was more to himself before he turned his attention back to you. "Don't let her break you down. You're a strong woman, so don't let something petty like this ruin you." "What am I meant to do? You don't know how hard it is to overlook them. You don't know how hard it is to keep a straight face when I'm hurting inside. I don't care if Petra may be making them do this, I hate it!" Surprisingly, you felt arms loop around your cowered form and haul you onto Levi's lap which made you remove your head from your arms again, looking at the raven, who was now right in front of you and gazing at your bloodshot eyes. He gently wiped your tears away and brushed a few (H/C) tresses that stuck to your tear-stained face.

More tears escaped as you shoved your face into his chest, soaking his shirt with the salty moisture and snot. He cradled you in his arms until you stopped crying which was about under an hour. "Are you okay now?" "Yeah. Thank you," you murmured as you wiped your face with tissue that Levi got for you. "Don't mention it. Do you need to talk?" "What's there to talk about? Petra hates me so she got people to make my life hell and I broke down." "I don't know how you were able to put up with it for half a year." "Barely. I just put on a poker face." Levi gently grabbed your chin in between his index finger and thumb, tilting your head towards him as you saw a slight smile creep onto his lips. "Don't hide your feelings anymore," he whispered before tenderly kissing you, his eyes fluttering shut. You were taken aback before you were brought back to your senses, finding yourself kissing him back as you cupped his face with a single hand. One of his hands trailed up from your hips to your scalp, tangling his slender fingers in your tousled locks. He was the first to pull away with gleaming orbs gazing at you with affection, licking away the strand of saliva that connected his lips to yours. "I'll always be here for you. To protect you, to talk, to comfort you, or whatever else you want." "Thank you, Levi," you hummed, leaning your forehead against his, pecking his lips once more. "Come on. Let's go eat." "I don't want to go," you said with pleading eyes. "I told you that I'll be here for you. You have to eat something before you sleep." "Please, don't make me go." "Just sit with me. I'll make sure that no one does anything to you." "I can't." "You need to endure it to become stronger. I'll be right next to you, okay?."

Sighing shakily, you stood up with a nod. "Okay." "I like seeing this vulnerable side of you," Levi teased as he walked out of your room, you padding beside him. "Shut up. You aren't allowed to tell anyone about this." The Corporal only smirked as you rolled your eyes.

As you strolled through the corridors to get to the mess hall, a few people were lingering, standing on the side and snickering when you went past. You tried to ignore them, though, it was difficult. "I heard that she got Corporal Levi drunk to sleep with her." "I can't, Levi. I'm going back to my room." You proceeded to turn and walk away but he grabbed your forearm. "(Y/N)." He cupped your face with both of his hands, making you face him but you averted your eyes, feeling tears welling up. "Look at me." You reluctantly brought your eyes back to his. "She's a whore. She tried to make me have sex with her and my friend. She wanted a threesome!" "Levi, I'm going." You tried freeing yourself from his hold, but he didn't let you. "No. Look at me. Ignore them." "How am I meant to ignore them?!" "Look at me!" he commanded. "... You can ignore them if you put your mind to it. Don't let them cause you grief because then it pains me to see you hurt. I don't like seeing you in pain so don't get affected by them. Ignore them and keep your eyes on me." A tear rolled down your cheek so he embraced you tightly, stroking your back soothingly. He let out an inaudible huff, wishing he could relieve your pain. "I won't force you to go to the mess hall. Go to my office, I'll bring you food." You nodded and pulled away from his grip. When you made your way to his office, people would say or do things but you stayed strong, and you were kind of proud of yourself once you made it into his office. You sat down on his sofa, waiting for him to come back. About five minutes later, the raven appeared with a tray of two bowls, bread and two glasses of water. He settled it onto his desk after you helped him clear the surface. You both sat down and ate together, allowing him to see your smile that he was deprived of ever since people started to harass you. After years of dreaming of having a home, having someone to stay with you, they came true. You have someone strong, feisty and you're sure you'll have plenty more heated arguments to come. On top of it all, he was damn sexy.

[feralrunaway]

A New Day

CHAPTER 2

Summary: Captain Syverson finishes his latest tour and returns to his hometown only to find that things have changed since he’s been gone.

Warnings:  Cursing, Slight angst, Mentions of alcohol, Mentions of religion, Bad coffee, General confusion

Word count: 1,466

Chapters: 1 , 2

**Hi.  This is my first fanfiction ever, so bear with me.  I don’t know what I’m doing or how to tag things.  Also, I’ve never shared a story before it’s finished, and I’m doing this chapter by chapter and it’s giving me hella anxiety. I’m sorry if this sucks! I don’t own anything related to the SandCastle movie or its characters.  However, this is my original writing and I do not give permission for use of the idea or reposting without credit.**

*Also also, I’m trying my best to avoid any grammatical errors but if you see any, please let me know. I’m having a lot of fun getting to write in my own accent but spellcheck is having an absolute aneurysm over it so I’ve gone a bit blind to all the red lines.*

Sy’s morning walk through town was unusual, to say the least.  Waking up with a throbbing headache wasn’t making him feel the most chipper to begin with, and finding the only coffee available to him at the local convenience store was cold from a bottle had him scowling.  He was getting restless.  He’d known things would feel odd at first, given how long he’d been away.  But this?  Fresh paint, manicured lawns, nothing out of place anywhere he looked. Every street corner, every billboard, shop window, and newspaper had some advertisement for the local church. His parents had been pretty religious, but it hadn’t been something the whole town was engrossed in.  Seemed his brother was right about one thing, it definitely was a new day.  

Shrugging to himself, he made his way down to the shops in the small downtown area. Pushing open the door to the closest clothing shop, he was greeted by the ring of the bell above the door and the startled “oh” of the diminutive woman behind the counter.

“Good morning sir. What can I help you find today?”

“Call me Sy,” he said, “and I’m just gonna have a browse around if that’s okay?”

“Of course, sir,” she said quietly.

He quickly selected a few pairs of Levi’s in his size and a few plain tees in varied colors, and made his way to the counter.  

“Will that be all, sir?” she woman intoned.

“Sy, and yes, just a few things to get me by darlin’.” His usually charming grin was missed as the woman kept her eyes trained on the shop counter as she rang up his purchases.

“Vera! How’s a woman like yourself gonna forget your manners?” came the voice of a man approaching the front of the store.  “Syverson here has been away so long he probably near forgot what hospitality feels like!”

Sy recognized the older man as one of his father’s old buddies.  If he remembered correctly, old Jim Cade and his father used to play a similar tune at their favorite bar in town, loosening up and tossing their money at the bartender most of the evening before coming home a’stumblin to their families.  

“Jim.  How ya been?” Sy asked.  “Still keepin’ the waterin’ hole in business?”

“Oh definitely not,” Jim replied seriously. “Bar’s been out of business for over a year now, Sy. Ain’t none of us drinkers anymore. Church’s set me straight.  My only problem now is keepin’ old Vera here in line,” he smirked.

“Keep hearin’ a lot about this church.  Didn’t know y’all got so spirited while I’ve been away,” Sy said delicately.

“The church damn near saved this town Sy.  We was all lost and sinnin’ before they came along.  We learn the ways, keep to the roles we’re s’pose to, the church provides. It’s a new day, son.  This town’s learned to value a good hard workin’ day. It’s only too bad your daddy isn’t here to see it.”

Sy grunted in reply, not knowing what to say to that.  All this “new day” business had a ring to it that didn’t sit well with him.

“Well, Jim, Vera, thank you.  Best be on my way.”

Jim waved at him as he walked away, but Vera remained quiet, staring down at the shop counter.

_________

After stopping in at the local diner for lunch and yet another bottled coffee, then grabbing a newspaper to look at the classifieds, Sy drove his rental car on toward the local car dealership.

He approached the door expecting to be jumped on by one of the salesmen, but beyond a few friendly smiles, they left him to his own devices.  He found what he was looking for with little fuss.  He considered himself a simple man.  A good solid truck would be just fine by him.  As he inspected the blue F150, a flutter of yellow floral fabric caught the corner of his eye.  He turned his head fully and what he set his eyes upon made his breath hitch in his throat.  If he had one regret about disappearing, he was looking at it.

“HOO-LYY shit,” he drew out the syllables as his face broke into a shit-eating grin. “Little Olivia Harper. What a beautiful sight for sore eyes.  How the hell have ya been?”

Delicate fingers trailing over the side of a black version of the same truck Sy had been looking at, Olivia turned slowly, her short yellow sundress and long wavy auburn hair moving in the small summer breeze.

She looked up into his eyes at his question, a slightly confused smile crossing her face, as though she was trying to drag recognition up from deep in her memory.  

“…….Jude?” She sounded as if she was unsure if that was really his name.

What a punch in the gut.

“Uh…yeah Liv, it’s me. I’m back home for a while,” Sy replied, feeling more awkward by the minute as she watched him quietly.  

The Liv he remembered would have immediately given him shit for calling her “little”.  He always had, even though she was only a few years younger. He’d tease her constantly, but she would always throw it right back.  They had been friends all throughout high school and up until he’d left on his first deployment.  Troublemakers, the both of them.  He would never have told her at the time, but if he hadn’t been so desperate to run away from this town, he would have gone beyond their one single, forbidden kiss, shared one night after sneaking out to lay in the bed of his truck and watch the stars.  Her father had always hated Sy.  In his eyes the loser son of a drunk would never be good enough for his daughter, so when Sy left, he figured it was best to leave things the way they were.

Olivia stared and stared at the large man.  Something felt familiar about him. Something was tugging at her memory but it was hard to focus.  Always so hard to focus.  His voice made her feel warm inside, like she was basking in sunlight.  Sunlight?  Oh yes, she was outside in summer. Of course.  Who was this man talking to her again?  What was she supposed to be doing?  Blake would tell her.  Her eyes met the man’s blue gaze and she felt that tug again.   “Jude.” She said again, in confirmation.  This man’s name was Jude.  She was certain of it somehow, but it still felt off.  Her eyebrows furrowed slightly.  Had she called him by some other name before?  “Sy?”

His name on her lips held so much uncertainty that he was positive a small piece of his heart just chipped off.  

“Olivia!” A well-dressed man stepped out from around the other vehicles and up to her side. “Olivia, what are you doing over here?” He said testily, but stopped short when he saw Sy. “If you’re quite done wandering, we have a purchase to complete.” He handed her a bottle of water.  “Drink.”

Drink.  Blake.  Yes. She was supposed to be waiting with Blake.  Something had caused her to wander over to the truck she was standing by.  She touched it again.  Wouldn’t it be nice to lay in the back and watch the stars?  Drink. Yes, she should drink.  

Sy observed the exchange, completely bewildered and concerned.  Had something happened to Liv while he was gone?  Something requiring a caretaker?

The man looked Sy over, taking in the fatigue pants he was still wearing, giving him a winning smile, then stuck out his hand.  “Blake Turner.  You must be Captain Syverson.  Your brother told me you would be coming home.  Welcome back, and thank you for your service to our great country.”

Blake Turner was a smooth operator.  Too smooth. Sy hated him already.

“Nice to meet ya,” he said, accepting the proffered hand. “How do you know my brother?”

“Jonah works for my company. A great man, we love having him on board.  He really embodies the values we aim to represent within our company.  We can really do some good in this town with more men like him.”

“Yeah?  He didn’t tell me much about what he’s been doing for work now.  We didn’t have a lot of time to catch up yesterday.”

“Well,” Blake said, taking Liv’s arm in his grasp, “we have to go finish up.  Nice to meet you.  If you’re looking for work now that you’re back, have your brother contact me.” Sy knew instantly that he would do no such thing.  Blake steered Liv away and she followed with one more slightly confused glance back over her shoulder.  

Sy’s blue eyes met her green ones, and he found himself determined to find out what was going on.

[ship-ambrosia]

Jerza Week, Day 3

Hello everyone! I'm back with Day 3!! I skipped day 2 because I have an exam today that I studied for yesterday, and I wasn't totally inspired by that prompt. But it's okay now, because I am here!! (Become my bff if you get that reference plz)

Don't forget to check out my other Jellal and Erza fanfiction on AO3, Heavens Bringer!

Summary: Erza prepares for the day Jellal is reappointed as one of the Ten Wizard Saints.

~

The pace at which Erza brushed her long scarlet hair steadily increased, sitting in front of the vanity in her bedroom as her nerves set in. It didn't matter how much her friends encouraged her, or how much she might tell herself that the event this evening would be no big deal.

Any situation that involved Jellal was a big deal.

This party will be the first time I've seen Jellal since we fought Acnologia. What if he's not happy to see me? What if he's angry that I didn't try to do more in Crime Sorciere's favor before Queen Hisui pardoned them? What if he's actually found a fiancée after all this time? What if he laughs at me? Or if I just make him remember all the bad things that have happened over the years? I don't know what I'll even do if -

The frantic knock on her door suddenly frightened Erza, letting out a yelp and the ornate hairbrush she had been using flew out of her hand and clattered to the floor.

"Erza!" Called Bisca from the other side of the door. "Are you okay doll? Can I come in?"

She stared at the hairbrush on the floor for a moment before laughing quietly to herself. Erza bent over and placed it back on the vanity before going to the door and opening it to let her close friend in.

"I'm all right. Please come in," she stepped back to allow the sharpshooter mage in.

Bisca was dressed and ready for the party, wearing a beautiful velvet gown that hugged her curves without being too showy. As always, Erza was speechless by her friend's beauty. And after she'd already had a baby too! She was a superhuman.

Erza was distracted from her thoughts once again by the sound of Bisca's laughter.

"You look very stressed out, honey," she giggled. "And we all decided we'd meet in an hour to go together! You aren't even close to being ready!"

Erza begrudgingly agreed with Bisca; she was the one most adamant about going to the party, and yet she was too nervous to even be ready by the time they'd come to get her. She gave her friend a sheepish smile, and picked up the hairbrush once again.

Bisca put a hand on her hips, her ruby red lips playing up in a sympathetic smirk. "Lucy and I thought you might be like this. That's why I came to check on you."

She looked up from the floor as she slowly started to brush out her hair again. "Like what?"

"A bundle of nerves, darlin'! Your hands are practically shaking. You're famous for being punctual and on time for everything, yet we're about to go to a party celebrating Jellal, and you can't pull yourself together!" Bisca laughed again. "I've been there and done that, Erza! Alzack and I took forever to confess to one another! I know what love is like, and when you're unsure if they feel the same no matter how obvious it might be."

Erza paused mid-brush, her hands trembling. "I'm not known for being demure or gentle." She mumbled.

Her friend winked. "So don't! Be yourself! That's who Jellal cares about, after all!"

Bisca took the hairbrush from Erza, walking around to the scarlet-haired woman's backside and brushing her hair out herself. She quickly started to wrap it up, doing Erza's hair for her. For a swordswoman with normally steady hands, it was clear to Bisca that Erza would not be able to do her own updo.

"You know what I think?" She continued. "I think you should be yourself, and tell Jellal how you feel clear and simple tonight."

"What?!" Erza's eyes grew wide.

"You told me yourself about what happened before the Grand Magic Games," her friend's voice was light with amusement. "Jellal knows how you feel. It's clear to me that he feels the same. But he's just as nervous as you are, and you're right. You're bold and confident, Erza. You make the first move. And tonight is the perfect opportunity for it."

With a grin, Bisca finished her work; she'd given Erza an elegant, loose ponytail, but pulled the hair away from her face. Nervously, the scarlet-haired wizard touched her cheek beneath her artifical eye. Normally it didn't bother her but... when she doubted herself, it always became more of a problem for her. She tried to let her bangs fall back over it, but with a swipe of Bisca's hand she'd pinned them back in place.

"Uh uh uh," she scolded, waving her finger at Erza. "No hiding behind your hair for this. Jellal should be able to see all of you. Now come on, get changed so we can leave!"

Bashfully, Erza rose from the chair and looked at herself in the mirror once more before she re-equipped. Her body was surrounded in a blinding white light as she searched through space time for a gown to wear. Settling on a pretty purple one with straps that draped off her shoulder and a low back, she admired her reflection.

"Gorgeous," Bisca breathed from behind her.

Erza glanced over her shoulder to her. "It's difficult to think about, but thank you for the encouragement, Bisca. I needed it apparently."

"Hey, you weren't able to be there for my wedding, I'm definitely going to make sure yours happens, darlin'." The green-haired woman giggled once more, before opening the door for the both of them to leave.

.

The celebration was larger than she had ever imagined. Yes, Jellal's reappointment to the ranks of the Ten Wizard Saints was a wonderful, joyous occasion, but considering all that had occurred surrounding him the previous twenty years, she hadn't imagined so many wizards would support the decision. Erza had been in awe of Jellal all night. He looked particularly handsome during the crowning ceremony in which the emblem once again presented to him, bright and happier than she had seen of him in a long time.

Despite her conversation earlier with Bisca, Erza kept herself busy by babysitting her fellow mages and ensuring they did not ruin Jellal's night. She could not bring herself - no matter how much Bisca, or Lucy, or Levy, or Mira, Cana, even Juvia once (though she was promptly distracted by Gray a moment later) - to approach him. One look at Jellal across the room and she felt her legs turn to jelly. But as their gazes matched, she too, watched as Jellal coughed and averted his gaze. Around him, his Crime Sorciere guildmates, most of them former members of the Oracion Seis but also including Meredy, surrounded him and laughed.

When she saw Jellal start walking toward her, Erza's heart leapt into her throat.

"There we go," she heard Bisca mutter from somewhere in the crowd behind her. "Get 'im, girl."

"Good evening, Erza," the star of the party said to her. He offered a nervous smile. "You look beautiful tonight. And it's been too long since I've seen you."

She gave him a shaky nod. "Y-yes, you too. And well... congratulations, of course. I came to celebrate your reappointment, after all."

He cleared his throat. "Thank you."

"I'll be honest with you Jellal, I'm quite nervous to see you right now," she giggled softly. "But you seem to return the sentiment. Did you actually bring your fiancée here tonight, and worried she'll be upset to see me?"

Jellal chuckled. "You'll never let me live that down, will you?"

"Not a chance."

They stared at each other for a long time, before he reached out to take her hand. Jellal opened his mouth to say something, but was quickly interrupted by a loud outburst from Natsu and Gray.

"What did you say to me?!"

"I said that maybe if you stopped stuffing your mouth, you'd have time to breathe!"

"Bold words coming from a guy who's already down to his underwear!"

"What?! Oh come on, when did that happen?!"

Erza gasped, turning a new shade of red in embarrassment. "Boys! I can't believe they-!"

She turned to stop them, but Jellal grabbed her hand again. She whipped around to face him to find him smiling in amusement.

"Leave them, Erza. I suppose now is as good a time as any to get used to my new guildmates," his eyes sparkled darkly at the reveal.

She gasped, jerking away from him. "You're joining Fairy Tail?! When were you going to tell me?"

"Tonight seemed like a good night for a surprise. Erik, Meredy, and I will all be joining Fairy Tail," he rubbed the back of his neck. "You are happy, correct?"

"Of course I am!" She exclaimed. "Forgive me, I was just surprised."

"Let me add more to the mix then," he grabbed her hand for the third time, and pulled her closer to him. "You make me so nervous, Erza. I've gotten butterflies in my stomach since we were little when I looked at you and they've never gone away. I should never have pushed you away the way I did, because the thought of any other man with you drives me mad. I love you, Erza Scarlet, and I want us to finally be together."

Time slowed down around them as she took in his words. Erza closed her eyes and just nodded, when she felt so emotional that words would not come out. She was prepared to do what he had just done, confess; but she had not been prepared for him to do it first. She felt slow tears start to fall down her face.

"Yes, yes of course!" Erza gasped, throwing her arms around him. "I love you too, Jellal."

She heard him chuckling once more as his arms wrapped around her too, holding her close.

"You might be surprised to hear this, but I never actually had a fiancée."

[shutupandshipit]

Red as Blood - Ch. 13

Summary:  With trembling fingers, he pulled a page and pen towards him. The first words he wrote were, ‘The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.’

Chapter: 13/16

Previous <- Chapter 12

Chapter 14 -> Next

Masterpost

“So, Oslo, what the fuck do you want? When did brothels become your scene?” Akmazian's words were clipped, accent minimized by rage.

Oslo leaned his hip against the stage, mimicking Akmazian's position, arms crossed over his chest, but far more relaxed. There was a tension to his body though that spoke of the same rage showing plainly on Akmazian's face. “About the same time that you began smuggling for them, I suspect. Because of you, I'm under investigation. You know what they're saying about you, right?”

Akmazian huffed. “The Alliance? Of course I do. I'm not stupid. There's a reason I'm on the edge of the goddamn universe.”

A pleased smile pulled at the corners of Oslo's mouth. “That means you also know about the bounty they put on your head.”

Eyes narrowing to slits, he asked, “What do you want, Oslo? Are you trying to get blown up again?”

“No, I've had quite enough of that for one lifetime, but really, what is stopping me from telling the Alliance exactly where you're hiding? I know what will happen to you, we both do, but what will happen to all of these wonderful prostitutes if they raid this place, I wonder? Nothing pleasant, I'm sure.”

Akmazian snarled through gritted teeth, “What do you want?”

“What do I want? I want you to stop fucking Dr. Dalias. With you fucking him, he hasn't let me so much as tease him. From what I hear, he's a spectacular lover. I bought him, and I want my money's worth. That is all. Nothing terrible.” His words were flippant, accented by a cavalier flip of the wrist.

The smirk disappeared as Akmazian's fist connected with his jaw, metal impacting skin, sending him to the floor. Blood dripped from his parted lips.

“Fuck you, Oslo!” Akmazian forced himself to take a step back, fists curled at his sides, jaw clenched, so he wouldn't take that step forward and drive the steel toe of his boot into the other man's ribs. He wanted to break him knowing full well Ryan would never look at him again if he did. He wanted to break every single bone in his body. He wanted to send him to the grave.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Jane rushing towards them.

Dropping into a crouch, he snarled, “Fuck. You. Oslo. If you want to keep on living, don't you dare touch Ryan. I will finish what I didn't all those months ago. I will rip you limb from limb. He's not a toy. He's a man. He has ambitions and he loves and he trusts. He doesn't deserve a fuck whistle like you hounding him. If you ever touch him, if you so much as harm a single hair on his head, I will make sure you do not live through the day.”

With blood painting his lips, Oslo grinned.

Reeling back, his face contorting as horror spilled into his blood, Akmazian stood, stepping back as if he'd been struck. Spinning, he grabbed Jane by the shoulders, “Where's Ryan? Jane, where is Ryan?”

“W-what? He's probably getting ready for tonight's show. Dr. Urvidian just told me he advanced your performance-”

Not waiting for her to finish, Akmazian took off, careening through the hallways.

…..

Akmazian burst into the studio just as Ryan was finishing the end of his tango, their tango. He was breathing harshly, his cheeks red with exertion, sweat dripping down his skin. Anger carved deep furrowing into his expression. He stood carefully, his arms falling from where they were embraced around his invisible partner, rage transforming into confusion as Akmazian rushed towards him.

“Ryan, darlin', oh god,” he whispered frantically, hands running searchingly over him, his eyes following their path. “Are ya hurt? Where did he hurt ya? I am goin' to rip him to pieces-” Too panicked to focus on his accent, it came out thick and cloying around his words.

“Akmazian,” Ryan snapped, grabbing for his hands and holding them tightly as he struggled, eyes still scanning over his body. “Akmazian, look at me. What's going on?”

“Where did he hurt ya? I need to know!”

“Ak, I'm fine. Who are you talking about?”

“Oslo! Where did Oslo hurt ya? Ryan, darlin', I'm so sorry. If I had known, I would have stopped him. I would have-”

A gentle, feverishly warm hand pressed to his cheek, silencing him as effectively as a punch to the mouth. “Hey, calm down. Look at me. I'm fine. There's nothing wrong. Well, I'm not hurt, at least.”

“But he-”

“Look at me,” Ryan said sternly, jerking on his wrist, and he did look. His eyes traced over him slowly, taking in every inch of unmarked skin, of the steady rise and fall of his chest, of the concern and confusion making his eyes shimmer. Soothingly, he murmured, “I'm fine. No one has touched me. Now, what's going on?”

“I-” Akmazian paused, swallowing down the bile he hadn't realized had risen into his throat. “Nothin'. I... it was just a misunderstandin'. I'm- It's fine. You're fine. That's all that matters.” He raised his hands, cupping Ryan's face gently, tracing his thumbs over his cheekbones. “You're alright.” Tentatively, allowing Ryan the time to push him back, he pressed a gentle kiss to his mouth, sighing when Ryan kissed him back, fingers loose around his wrists.

When they pulled apart, Ryan stared at him in concern. “Are you sure everything is alright?”

Akmazian nodded, closing his eyes as he pressed his forehead to Ryan's. “Now that I know you're alright, everythin' is fine. You're safety is all I care about. I care about you so much, Ryan, do you know that?”

Ryan nodded, smiling. “It's the only thing I know for sure.”

His vision clouded and warped as he gave him a wobbly smile. “Good.”

…..

Akmazian paced back and forth in Ryan's dressing room, biting harshly at the arch of his finger. Jane sat on a stool by a full length mirror, following his steps with pursed lips. “You're wearing a path into the floor. Just sit down already. I still need to do your makeup since you're positively horrid at it,” she said idly, smirking as she shifted through an assorted pile of eyeshadows and lip stains. Plucking a pallet from the pile, she held it up, eyes flicking between him and the colors before shaking her head and setting it aside. “Seriously, Robin, you're just riling yourself up, and putting on your face is not going to take ten minutes.”

He waved her away with a hand, turning on a heel to pace back towards the opposite wall. “Help Ryan. I don't need any makeup. I don't think I could sit still long enough to have makeup put on me anyway.”

From behind a partition that had been erected around Ryan's corner, he called, “I don't need help putting on my makeup. I've been doing it for fifteen years.

“That must be why it always looks like shit,” Jane said sweetly.

“Dégage, Jane. It looks like shit because you see me after the show when its half melted or after a client when it's half gone,” Ryan quipped back, “Honestly, Ak, let her put some makeup on you, and then you can continue pacing.” He pushed back the partition, a silken robe wrapped tightly around his body. “I can't let you on stage without makeup. It's poor practice.”

“Darlin', I literally can not sit still for that.”

Ryan raised a shaped brow as if his words had been a challenge. “Come sit at my table.”

“Ry-”

“Sit.”

Akmazian sat heavily, his knee jumping incessantly against the last rung of the stool. He curled his fists against his thighs, sighing as Ryan slipped in front of him.

“Jane, go get ready, then help Levi. Lock the door behind you.”

“Aye aye, mon capitaine. Just make sure you don't make too much of a mess.” She threw a wink and wicked grin over her shoulder as she pushed into the hall.

Ryan waited until he heard the door click securely into place behind him before sinking to his knees.

Akmazian groaned, expression tight. “Darlin', I don't think I can get it up right now, not enough to satisfy you. We have to dance soon, anyway.”

Ryan rolled his eyes towards the ceiling as he pulled open the clip on Akmazian's belt, pulling down his zipper. “I'm not horny, Ak. You need to calm down. Just sit back, and let me take care of you.”

“Ry, I don't think this is a good-” His words were cut off by the quiet moan that slipped from his mouth.

Ryan raised that damnable eyebrow up at him again, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smirk. “I thought you said you weren't going to be able to get it up?”

Akmazian was a weak, weak man, and it showed as his head tiled back with a sigh of submission.

…..

Stupid. He'd been stupid allowing Ryan to pull him along until they'd both found their ends in each others' bodies. Oslo would know, would find out when his hands traced the path that Akmazian's had taken. He would know, and he would follow through on everything he had promised. Stupid. They had been so very stupid.

“Where's Ryan?” Jane chirped as she bounced on the balls of her feet, fidgeting with the short dress she wore. Her face was done up in muted colors of red and tan and pink to match her skin tone, the only splash of color the vibrant scarlet of her lips and sash around her waist. Her dress was black and soot grey. The skirt, a frilly mess of layered fabric, ended two inches above mid thigh. The corset was tight over her abdomen, ending beneath her breasts, covered in the same fabric and styled with stitched flowers and vines. “He needs to be here soon. We go on in just a couple minutes, and he's the star, dammit!”

“He'll be here. He told me I wasn't allowed to see what he was wearing until the performance,” Akmazain muttered, adjusting and readjusting his own outfit. He wore pants that would have been more comfortable painted on and a button up with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. He was the only one wearing the outfit.

Around them, the others all wore black shorts or pants with soot grey undershirts and dresses that matched Jane's, red sashes flashing in the dim light back stage. Their mouths were all painted the same vibrant scarlet. Akmazian's lips had been brushed with a blue so deep it nearly appeared black.

“Dammit, Ry. Where-” Jane started, biting at her thumbnail.

Levi cut her off, turning his head towards the back of the gathered dancers as they began to murmur excitedly, and said, “There he is.”

There was no time for Akmazain to turn as the music started on stage. He was ushered out, Levi dragging him forward until their movements fell into sync, mimicking each other. Faintly, violins sang, their voices vicious and cutting. “We have a dance in the brothels of Aryan 7 that tells the story of a prostitute, and a man... who falls in love with her.” Levi's words rang out over the crowd with only the barest hint of his accent, silencing any stray conversations still being held and slicing at Akmazian with ruthless efficiency as his eyes glided over him. He had never heard Levi's opening. He'd only danced to the instrumentation accenting every word, every blow.

From out of the corner of his eyes, he caught a flash of glittering white, a body sliding out onto the stage as a stream of black and red followed them, but his eyes were on Levi, his focus on the performance.

“First, there is desire. Then... passion!” Levi stepped closer to him than he ever had before, dragging fingers down his face. “Then... suspicion! Jealousy! Anger! Betrayal!” He shoved Akmazian back violently, forcing them apart, and then Ryan was in the space between them. He wore white as pure as a first snow, unmarred and untainted. His pants and vest glittered as if shot through with filaments of gold. In his pink locks glittered tiny, insubstantial diamonds. Delicate particles of glitter dusted every inch of exposed flesh, accenting the column of his throat and cut of his cheekbones. He wore no color save for his hair.

He was like an angel, shining and beautiful, and Akmazian instinctively reached for him.

He was snapped away from Akmazian as the others crowded in around them, dancing to the wail of the violins. Ryan slammed into Levi, staring up at him. Again, Levi shoved him back, nearly sending him sprawling though Akmazian rushed forward to catch him. “When love is for the highest bidder, there is no trust! Without trust, there is no love!”

There was a flash of dejavu, a memory of Levi saying the same words to him only hours before. He shuddered.

“Jealousy.” Levi stalked towards them, staring at the pair. “Yes, jealousy will drive you mad!”

The wail of the violins broke, and Akmazian and Ryan exploded into the next set of steps, pressing their bodies as close as they had been only a few minutes before.

Levi pulled them apart, entering a quick step sequence that slid them across the floor further from Akmazian.

He followed after them, Jane joining him as his partner, but his eyes never left Ryan. He dipped her low as he begun to sing. “His eyes upon your face. His hand upon your hand. His lips caress your skin. It's more than I can stand!” He threw Jane to Levi, pulling Ryan away from his grasp.

Those lyrics, simple words that should have meant nothing, were truer than anything he'd ever spoken.

Ryan was ripped from him again and again, passed from one set of arms to another, scarlet smearing across more of his skin each time he pulled him back, mingling with the blue that he brushed against him with each feather light kiss he gifted him. Their words mingled as his skin turned purple.

Akmazian couldn't find the moment when he'd begun singing to Ryan instead of to the audience that had faded into the background, his words pleading as he clutched at him desperately. “You're free to leave me, but just don't deceive me! And please, believe me when I say I love you!”

Something in Ryan's face crumbled, and he sagged into Akmazian's chest.

The stage paused, all bodies still against one another, Akmazian holding Ryan close, a hand cupping his face, as Levi spoke in his own language. The audience didn't need to know what his words meant. They only needed to hear the longing in Levi's voice, see the desperation in the way Akmazian held Ryan as if he could loose him at any moment.

Around them, the others began to move slowly, slinking around one another with sashes trailing from their fingertips. The violins began to screech.

Ryan and Akmazian threw themselves back into their tango, joining the others as their steps grew quick and Akmazian's voice rose with ever increasing need. “Why does my heart cry? Feelings I can't fight!” he sang over and over, eyes focused on Ryan's even as he spun from him, no longer wearing the vest, and skin red from the others' mouths, but for his lips. His lips were almost exclusively blue.

The others' voices rang out around them, chorus to his solo.

Ryan reached for him, despair in his eyes, forgetting for a moment that this was a performance, that he had a role to play, that it wasn't supposed to feel as real as it did.

Akmazian raced after him as the others caught him again, passing him around and around, until finally, as the violins wailed their last, unending note, Ryan returned to his arms. He fell limp, his head lolling back, his body half collapsed, as a black sash fell over the two of them, thrown into the air by Jane or Levi hidden by the others' bodies.

He held Ryan's body in his arms, tears burning at the back of his eyes, only provided privacy by the black shroud around them. Forcefully, he reminded himself that it was all a performance, that none of it had been real, that Ryan was still alive in his arms. Before the tears could fall, cheers rose around them.

Jane flung the shroud from them, and she and Levi bent to pull them to their feet.

“Holy shit!” she screeched, vibrating to the very tips of her toes, “You two were amazing! It felt real there at the end!”

Akmazian and Ryan gazed at each other, swallowing harshly before turning towards the crowd.

…..

“You did great,” Ryan murmured as they were herded into his dressing room, the door slamming closed to keep out would-be customers and admirers. “You didn't miss a step. That's amazing. You can expect some offers tonight, probably.” Eyes downcast and voice monotone, the only obvious emotion was the jealousy setting his mouth into a tight line.

“I-” Akmazian started, but paused, staring at the purple blotching Ryan's skin. Bruising, that was the color of purple the red and blue had created together.

Stepping away from him, Ryan stripped from his pants, folding them over a stool and slipping into the briefs Akmazian had slipped down his hips earlier. He lifted a cloth from a tub of steaming water, starting the long process of wiping away the paint. Clear, unblemished skin appeared with each pass of the cloth, the white material taking on the red and blue and purple. “You should clean up before that dries. It will stain you skin if it does.”

Startled, Akmazian pressed the tips of his fingers to his face. They came away smeared with red and glitter. He hadn't noticed the others' mouths on him, his attention fully focused on Ryan and his ethereal form.

He took the cloth offered to him, cleaning his face with efficient strokes.

Jane burst through the door, bottles clutched in each of her hands and smile wider than the sun. “It's time to party!” she shouted, Levi trailing after her, and closing the door behind them. She paused, glancing between the two, taking in everything from their expressions to the purple still splotched across Ryan's neck to the solemn air surrounding them. “Hey, what's wrong? What's going on? The performance was a huge success. You guys should be ecstatic. Especially after only being able to practice for a week before hand.”

“I believe they are sad because Dr. Dalias must meet with Dr. Osolong for their... arrangement now that the performance has ended,” Levi explained, setting Ryan's pants aside and sitting on the stool they had occupied.

Jane glanced over them again, sighing as she set the bottles down. “Look you two, I can't coddle you forever. We knew this day was coming. We had plenty of warning. Now, it's time for Ryan to do his job, and then we can all get on with our miserable existences. Any way you look at it, this is going to happen.”

“What's in those bottles, Jane?” Ryan asked as he pulled off his briefs again and instead jerked tight pink pants over his hips. They were similar to the ones the other dancers had worn, but bore more ornamentation and less fabric. Thin straps of black leather lined his hips, following the curve of his thigh until they bumped up against the laces that crossed down to his ankles. He laced the black threads that crisscrossed over his crotch tightly, tying them off with several harsh jerks.

Blinking, Jane glanced down at the bottles, squinting at the labels. “Uh, like, Raspberry Vodka from Earth and... some kind of something that looks like Orange Sangria, but I can't be sure. It's not from Earth though.” She looked back at him. “Also, those pants are ugly and you should burn them.”

Wrinkling his nose, Ryan stretched out a hand. “Give me the orange stuff.” His nose still scrunched, he cracked open the bottle. “Also, the uglier I am, the better. Maybe Dr. Osolong will be disgusted by me and decide he doesn't want anything to do with me.”

Jane sighed, “Not with that much skin showing.”

“Dr. Dalias,” Levi said carefully, eyeing Ryan as he lifted the bottle to his lips, “I believe if Dr. Urvidian were here he would ask if this is really a wise choice in your state, and since he is currently not here, I am asking for him.”

With the bottle pressed to his lips, he gritted his teeth. Slowly, he dropped the bottle. “No, it's not,” he hissed scathingly, pushing the bottle back at Jane and turning to pull on the see through top that had been laid aside for him. He slammed onto the stool before his vanity, his knuckles pressing white against his skin. His shoulders hitched. “Fuck,” he whispered, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes.

“Ryan.” Akmazian dropped to a knee at his side, pressing a hand to his lower back. When Ryan's shoulder shook harder, growing frequent and constant, he pressed his forehead to his knee.

“Oh Ry,” Jane said, setting down the bottle to wrap her arms around him, Levi following close behind her.

They pressed close to him as sobs trembled through his body, quiet as the keening that slipped passed his lips.

“I can't do this anymore. I can't.” His voice was watery, barely audible over the sob that overlaid it. “I want this to be over, Jane. I can't do this anymore.”

She shushed him as a mother would a child, and after a moment, turned him to face her. “Just one more night. One more night, and then we'll help you figure a way out,” she told him. Picking up his eyeliner, she began her work.

Any lyrics I used in this chapter were courtesy of the song El Tango de Roxanne from Moulin Rouge which I listened to on repeat while revising this chapter.

Let me tell y'all a thing, I have been waiting to write that dance scene from the moment I started this monstrosity of a fic, and it may not have hit you guys in the feels, but I can honestly tell you that I was in tears writing it. I'm pretty satisfied with how it turned out.

Another thing, things are coming to a close here. There should be maybe another four or so chapters before I draw this to a close. It's been a wild ride for me, and I hope y'all enjoyed it. Thanks for all of you who stuck around, and I'll see you at the ending.

[akaanonymouth]

Berena/ Holby City World Book Day Snippet

“Enough!” Serena throws up her hands. “This madness has to stop!” She jams her hat firmly on her head and stalks to the lift, the stuffed cat jammed firmly under her armpit. “It’d be quicker if you used the broom!” Fletch calls, ensuring the doors are closing before she can fly back out and hit him with it. Ignoring the almost frightened looks she is garnering from people she passes, she steadfastly makes her way to Keller, all the while muttering furiously. Sacha, sitting by the desk, gets to his feet slowly, hands outstretched. “Please, Ms. Campbell, I didn’t mean it. Don’t turn me into anything… unnatural, like!” he pleads, high pitched and trembling. Serena comes to a dead stop, and looks him up and down darkly. “Rather large for a hobbit, aren’t we, Mr. Levy?” “Gamgee,” he corrects, smiling rakishly. “And my mother said I could be anything I want.” Serena almost loses herself in the banter, but her mood is too established to be overcome even by a six foot halfling. “Have you seen Ms. Wolfe?” Sacha’s eyebrows raise. “Yes. I found her on the second turn. Won a Dairy Milk. Haven’t had any luck since, though. So I’m not giving any clues, if that’s what you’re after,” Serena almost growls. Since when,” she says, too measured, too calm, “does dressing up as a character mean embodying it so completely? I mean, you don’t see me flying about the place, cackling spells left right and centre; this is still a hospital,” Sacha opens his mouth, promptly closes it again as Serena’s face dares him to even try. She pinches the bridge of her nose. “I waded through half a ward full of Hogwarts wannabes down on E.D., AAU sent me on a wild goose chase, quite literally, I might add, thanks to the wonderful patient dressed as Peter Rabbit who brought a real life Jemima Puddleduck with him, Darwin… Well, does embodying an evil queen really constitute dressing up for Ms. Naylor, or just a well overdue coming out? Anyway, the Italian is quite the infuriating riddler, too – it seems the same person that explained World Book Day to Bernie, also explained it to him – and so…” she takes a deep, fortifying breath, and bestows a sickly, false smile upon Sacha, who has backed up a few paces. “I am still none the wiser as to where, exactly, Wally is, and, as you can probably tell, entirely unamused that the entire hospital has somehow become an embodiment of a bloody activity illustration!” “Maybe it would have been easier if you used your broom!” he chuckles, the humour almost literally melting from his face under Serena’s acerbic eyebrows.

He nods placatingly, his lips moving for a few seconds before forming words again. “You know, not all ice queens are evil, just… umm, just an aside,” he adds, quickly. “And you might want to cast your…umm, net, your net!… A bit wider. Think outside the box,” Serena’s arms cross almost violently. “Mr. Levy, apparently I need to spell it out to you, I am not in the mood. Where. Is. Bernie?” The Wally, Serena’s mind supplies, and she rolls her eyes at herself, at the fact that, even when she’s exasperating, Bernie can still slip past her facades and make her smile, even if not entirely happily. She feels a hand on her arm, and turns her head slowly. “Follow me,” Essie smiles, and Serena arches an eyebrow. Sacha barely contains a snort as Serena takes in Essie’s deep red cloak, the hood pulled up over her plait, the apron and the basket hanging at her waist. “Obviously,” Serena mutters, rolling her eyes.

They reach paediatrics to find as many beds and chairs as possible gathered around the windows, and other patients, carers and nurses navigating the mesh of machines and wires to find a space. “What-” Serena breaks off as a youngster squeals and points through the window, only for the various gasps of delight to melt away into disappointment. “The building opposite is empty, being demolished soon,” Essie explains. “This morning, the builders dressed up as Harry Potter characters, did a bit of a skit from a cherry picker. Kids were delighted. Some of them can’t leave, and can’t dress up themselves for various reasons,” Serena softens as she watches everyone staring avidly out of the window. She frowns minutely. “This morning? So, what are they doing now?” “Ah,” Essie smiles. “They’re looking for our big bad Wolfe, currently known as Wally.” Serena, thoroughly confused as well as exasperated again, sighs. “Oh, don’t you start. Simple sentences, please, for a simple mind, it’s been a long day.” “Ms. Wolfe went out for a break earlier, and a couple of kids spotted her. Started betting that so-and-so couldn’t find Wally, too. The nurses offered up prizes. Gave the kids something fun to do. The ones that could leave the ward came looking on Darwin, Rossini riddled them to Keller, Sacha found them, they found Bernie, and since then, every half hour or so, she pops up in one of the windows of the building opposite, in various shapes and sizes. She didn’t want to do it all round the hospital, said it wasn’t fair on the kids that couldn’t leave the ward. So,” Essie shrugs, beaming. “There she is,” Serena’s hand moves to her chest as she takes in the children, pointing and whispering and poking each other excitedly. “Yes,” she says, wonderingly. “There she is,”

Serena marches determinedly up to the builders, thankful that some of them, at least, are still dressed up, so that they don’t look at her as though she’s completely batty. At least, until she opens her mouth. “Fifth floor, third window, please, quick as you can,” she stands in front of the cherry picker, hands on hips, tapping her foot expectantly. “‘Scuse me?” one asks, a blonde fringe poking out from underneath his hard hat. “I need you to take me up to the fifth floor, third window in from the right, the one without the glass,” she explains, patiently. He looks between her, the machine, the window, her again. “Couldn’t ya just fly up, Professor?” he grins. “Very droll, haven’t heard that once today. And there are other literary witches outside the Harry Potter universe, you know,” she huffs, somewhat indignantly. He smiles, shakes his head. “Sorry, darlin’, no can do. It’s not really allowed,” “Oh, come now, Mr. Malfoy,” she drawls, hooking her arm in his, oozing charm. “Slytherins aren’t ones for cow-towing to petty regulations, are they? I won’t tell if you don’t. I really need to find Wally, or Wanda, or whatever the stripy hero is calling herself. She’s rather a big deal around here. Besides,” she squeezes his arm, breaths deeply enough to draw his attention to the pendant dangling tantalisingly on her chest. “You wouldn’t want your father to hear about this, would you?” He barks a laugh, untangling himself from her, and has a quick word with a couple of other men who have been watching their interaction with some amusement. “Alright,” he relents, unlocking the cage and ushering her in. “But if my father does hear about this, it’s your guts I’m offering him for garters, capiche?” She winks at him, and holds on to her hat as the wind picks up around the second floor. “What Professor did you have me down as, anyway?” she asks, a glint in her eye. He gulps and looks desperately up. “Let’s Obliviate it,” he says, hopefully, and she laughs, the final tendrils of the days annoyances flying away. The ascent is excruciatingly slow, but finally, they reach the fifth floor. Serena turns to face the hospital, an exaggerated frown on her face. She holds her hands up in the universal “Where?” sign, and after some jostling and earnestly searching faces, they start pointing frantically. Serena turns slowly, moves closer to the window as a red bobble hat comes poking up from the sill. When Bernie’s head follows, she is momentarily taken aback at coming face to face, quite literally mere inches apart, with Serena. “Bloody hell!” she exclaims, and leans out of the window to look around. “Contrary to the apparently universal belief, my preferred mode of transport is not a broomstick,” Serena remarks, drily. Bernie blushes, but recovers quickly. “Well no,” she says, smirking. “Go big or go home; good motto,” she gestures to the cherry picker. Serena arches a brow. “I wore out the broom flying around the entire hospital looking for you,”

Bernie laughs, and Draco Malfoy hangs over the edge to hide his silent chuckles. He pulls out his wand and starts entertaining the onlookers with some intricate, clumsy movements. “Well,” Bernie laughs more gently now, holding her arms out in surrender. “Here I am. What can I do you for, Meg on the Moon?” Serena’s quite forgotten why, exactly, she was so intently searching for Bernie; knows she can’t hide the fact, as Bernie’s eyes are sparkling and a smile just clinging to the corners of her mouth. So she ducks her head, smiles disarmingly. “Treasure,” she breathes. Then, more loudly, with a nonchalant quirk of her shoulders, before Bernie’s eyes widen impossibly. “I found you. I heard there’s a prize. And you know how I love a good prize.” They’re vaguely aware of Builder-Malfoy’s movements, of very distant yells and cheers as he riles up the crowd of spectators. “Sacha ate the chocolate,” Bernie whispers, her tone light and playful, laced with undertones. “And wine would have been unethical, illegal, cruel…” “A good prize, Ms. Wolfe,” Serena repeats, stepping as close as she can to the to the edge of the cage. “I don’t fly, not even for chocolate. Not even for Shiraz,” Her face is full of challenge, and Bernie’s be-striped chest rises and falls visibly faster. They see Builder-Malfoy’s wand waving dangerously over them, then jabbing at the air above them quite insistently. Bernie’s lashes flutter, her teeth worrying her bottom lip until she releases it, excruciatingly slowly. “Nope,” she says finally, a smile spreading lazily over her entire face, holding out her arms. Serena leans into them, her own coming up to reach out. “Seems I was all out of Protego charms.” They pull each other close, and capture adoring laughter in a kiss.

[levis-hazelnut]

Summary: when you and your best friend, Hanji, were younger, you had made up stories about your dream guys - what they would look like and how you would meet. What happens when the one you had made up appears to be real?

Warning(s): I don’t think there are any in this chapter. But, please do tell me if there are any.

Taglist (closed!): @castellandiangelo

Status: completed!

part 2 > part 3 > part 4

series masterlist

With every step he took, I slowly felt the tension rise and awkwardly stood there, slurping on my iced drink. "Eren, you know Levi. And, these two are Isabel and Farlan," I announced and gestured to introduce themselves. "Hi, Eren!" the hyper girl smiled. "Nice to meet you," the more composed, blonde male replied. As those three spoke, I stood opposite Levi. "Looks like we ended up going bowling after all," I smiled, easing the tension. "Is your argument with Eren over?" "I guess, yeah... Anyway, it's my turn now. What lane are you on?" "We're a few lanes apart. Make sure you don't cry if you miss me too much, darlin'."

I playfully rolled my eyes and said a small 'bye' to all of them as they went to play as well. I approached Eren to see him smiling, which made me frown. "Why are you smiling?" "Because those two people are nice. Now, I get why you're so comfortable with them." "Does that mean you don't have any problems now?" "No. Isabel and Farlan weren't made up, correct?" he asked and I nodded. "So, I don't care if you hang out with them because there isn't anything fishy about them like there is about Levi." "Tch. Fine. I don't want to argue again and I understand what you're saying, so let's carry on. We still have a few more turns." Now, it was me who was throwing a ball and Eren who slurped the slushie, making his tongue blue, which he was yet to find out. I squealed when I knocked down all ten of the pins and did a little victory dance, no matter how embarrassing it was. I looked at Eren to get his praise; I got a grin and messy hair since he decided to ruffle it. An inaudible huff left my lips as I fixed my hair, using my phone's black screen. "... I'm getting kind of hungry," I stated as I stood behind the brunette, watching the bowling ball roll towards the pins. "Let's finish this game then go and eat. What are you feeling?" "Hmm... I don't mind. You choose." "I don't mind either." "I don't understand how we've made any decisions together. We’re so indecisive" I joked and I heard a small puff of air leave his nose as he smiled. "Anyway, let's go somewhere close by." I picked up my phone and began to look for food places near us. "(Y/N), it's your turn." "Okay. Here, look for a place to eat." I shoved my phone into his hands and picked up a ball, getting ready to throw it. "Hi, darlin'," a voice whispered, very close to my ear which made me jump and accidentally drop the ball, with a bang, and it decided to make its journey down the lane. "Levi!" I pouted. "Don't do that, you prick, you ruined my chances of getting a strike. What are you even doing here?" "I'm getting drinks, and to do that, I have to go past here. Also, you might want to look at how many pins are left,” he told me, so I looked towards where he was motioning and a grin planted on my lips. I got another strike! "Bye." "I still hate you for scaring me." "I know you don't," he smirked and walked away. "Hey, are you up for some pizza?" Eren questioned, causing Levi's smirk to dissipate in my mind and I faced him, strolling towards him and sipping on the beverage that he held. "Yeah, sure. It's your last turn, by the way," I told him, taking the drink and my phone from his hands. "Oh, okay. Aw, you have so many more points than me." "Do you know why?" "Because you're/I'm amazing," we both said at the same time, causing a laugh to erupt from my mouth before a smirk settled onto my lips. Eren was able to knock down nine which he cursed at. One pin was always almost impossible to hit. "Good luck~" I sang teasingly. Soon, nothing was in his hold as we both watched the ball roll on the floor, making its way in the correct direction towards the last pin. The ball brushed it. It wobbled. And it slowly fell. I playfully punched his bicep with a smile. "Well done." "Thanks." "I'm going to go say bye to them." He nodded and followed me towards the trio. Isabel was the first to spot us and she grinned and waved. I love her energy; she's somehow always able to be enthusiastic, I seriously wonder how. "Hey, we're going to go." "Aw, okay. Hope you had fun with your boyfriend." "Uh, no, he's not my boyfriend. He's my friend." "But why does he have his arm around you?" I didn't even realise since he does that most of the time, it became a norm to me. "... Don't know. It's just a thing he does." "Her shoulders are the right height for me to rest my arm on," Eren spoke. "Wow, so you're just using me as an armrest?" "Yeah." I gave his chest a light push and he chuckled quietly, coming back to my side. "Anyway, I'll see you guys next week." "Bye, (Y/N)! Bye, Eren!" "Bye," the male beside me smiled. "See you later," Farlan said. "And, I'll see your annoying ass on Monday, Ackerman." "The same goes to you, darlin'." "Are you going to wear that same unicorn shirt?" I smirked as his glare burned into my very soul. "Don't bring that up again." Eren and I left with a wave and his arm came back on my shoulders. "... Why does he call you darling?" "Eren, don't. I'm not in the mood to talk about anything negative. I just want to enjoy this day without any conflict." "Fine." ~/~ "Nope." "Aw, (Y/N), please," Hanji begged as I ignored her and stepped into my room, closing the door behind me and locking it so she can't come in. "It was a party you planned so don't bring me into this. You clean up after your guests." "Why're you being so mean? You'd normally help me out." "Yeah, I'm just not in the mood today. I thought we already established that if it's your guests then you clean up. I wasn't even home so don't drag me into this." I heard a sigh of defeat from Hanji and some footsteps padding away from my room. Finally, I could just rest without interacting with humans. Yeah, I had fun with Eren today, but ever since I walked into my university in the morning, I wanted to be home. Once I changed into my pyjamas, I turned off the lights and nestled under the covers, staring at the ceiling for a while before getting interrupted by my phone since someone decided to call me. "Hello?" "Hey, (Y/N)~" Jean’s voice sounded. "Idiot," I whispered to myself. "Are you drunk?" "Yes... But not that much. I'm not going to have a mad hangover or forget everything once I wake up." "Okay. So, why did you call me?" "I wanted to hear your voice," he muttered. "Also, we only spoke at lunch today. That's not enough time to talk." "Are you at home?" "Yeah, I took the bus." "What do you want to talk about, then?" "I don't know. Even if you don't talk, it's fine. I just want your company..." he mumbled. "I missed you over the month I was gone, you know." "Mhm. I missed you, too." "And I miss having you near me all the time like I did when we were dating. Do you miss it as well?" "... You still have me and you aren't going to lose me." "Do you miss it?" he repeated. "I don't know what you want me to say, Jean." "I want you to say the truth." "... No, I don't," I admitted. "But that's only because I can still talk to you and act normal around you. The only thing that's different from our relationship is that we don't give each other affection. I mean, you still flirt with me, but I know you only do it as a joke." "Thank you for being honest with me, (Y/N)," he murmured, giving me a hint that he was falling asleep. "Jean, I think you should sleep. It's late," I told him in a quiet voice and I heard him hum. "Yeah, okay. Night, (Y/N)." "Goodnight, Jean." And with that, I hung up, letting out a huff. Starting to feel bad, I called Hanji (since I wasn't bothered to get out of bed) and she answered five seconds later. "Hey, Hanji, do you still need help?" "It's fine. I'm nearly done," she spoke in a hushed voice, which is something I rarely hear. "Are you sure?" "I mean, it would be helpful, but I'm guessing you're already in bed." "Yeah, well, now I'm standing up. I'll come and help you." "Thank you." "You can cut the phone now, I'm right next to you," I smiled and she softly laughed. We both did the last few things like brooming, which I did, as she put dishes in the dishwasher. Few words were exchanged but we were both tired so it was understandable. I wiped down any surfaces and put things back in their places, like cushions or any kind of furniture. "Hanji, did you see how much Jean drank?" "Not much. He was a bit tipsy but I'm sure he got home fine. Why?" "He called me, sounding drunk but he said he didn't drink that much. And then, he started to tell me that he misses our relationship before asking me if I did." "Did you say yeah?" "No. He wanted the truth so I wasn't going to lie. I doubt he heard what I said, though, because he sounded like he was going to knock out." "... I think he still has feelings for you. He hasn't dated anyone else and he persistently flirts with you. Maybe he wasn't happy with the breakup, but decided to go along with it to make you happy." "I was thinking that as well. I don't want him to stop himself from moving on but I don't know what to do." "Talk to him about it. Most things are solved by words." "But what do I say? 'Get over me and go date some bitch'?" "Along the lines of that. Just not rudely and don't call a girl 'some bitch'." "Anyway, are you done? I'm going to go to bed now." "Yeah, go. Thanks for helping me." "No problem." I walked inside my room, quietly closing the door and plopping down onto my bed, once again snuggling under my covers and eventually falling into a deep sleep. ~/~ "I'm so glad we get to go out since we barely hang out. I only see you around but we never have time to speak," the strawberry-blonde female piped beside me and I smiled at her, thinking the same. "I know. How's everything going for you?" "Great. Though, I have a project to work on. Thankfully, they're giving us two weeks to do it. What about you?" "Nothing important. Just going to lectures as usual." "... I've been wanting to ask for a while now... You know that guy, Levi, you've been hanging out with...?" "Go on." "I was wondering if he was single." I nodded slowly, forcing a smile onto my lips as we strolled around, going no place in particular. "Yeah, he is." Oh, Petra was so much more beautiful than me. So much smarter than me. So much more pleasant to hang out with than me. And, she also happened to have her eyes on the same man as me. "Well, I was kind of thinking of asking him out. Could you help me out since you seem close to him?" Another thing, it's been two months since I met him and Eren had given me permission to be all over him (not really, but you know what I mean) and he gave me Levi's number. This was such great timing, I could just squeal in excitement... Yeah, right *eye roll* But I can't stop others from asking him out since I don't want to. "Of course. He deserves someone like you." Oh, how much I wanted to rip my lips off my face so I didn't have to fake smile. "Aw, thank you so much." But Petra was a wonderful girl who also deserves Levi. They'd make such a perfect couple, it makes me want to cry just by thinking of it. However, I'm still going to stick by my promise and help her. Even if they end up getting married, I'll carry on smiling because I'll be happy for them as I slowly die internally. A hand was placed on my shoulder, knocking me out of my daze. Instinctively, I twisted around and thrust my fist into the gut of the jerk who decided to put their nasty hands on me. I heard a groan, I saw his face, and I bit back a smile and apologised. "Sorry," I snorted. "Are you secretly part of some gang or something?" he managed to speak with a strained voice as he clutched his stomach. I giggled at his response as we moved to the side to get out of people's way. "No. I thought you were some pervert." "I'm the pervert? Think before you speak, darlin'--" "Yes, yes, I know. You're going to say I'm a perv. Anyway, once you recover, I'll introduce you to Petra," I said, giving a knowing look to the female. "He's not this weak, he's just being a drama queen." "Tch. Sorry I don't have abs of steel." How are you going to lie like that? You clearly have the most perfect abs, I thought. "Are you about done complaining?" I arched an eyebrow and he sighed before nodding as we started walking again. "So, this is Petra, a lovely person that isn't weird like my other friends who you prefer not to hang out with." "It's not that I don't want to hang out with them, it's just I have no idea what you're talking about because all I hear is laughing and incoherent words that you somehow understand." "Yeah, well, with Petra, you can have a civilised conversation." "Well, then, it's nice to meet you, Petra." "The same goes to you," she beamed. "Where were you guys going?" "Nowhere. (Y/N) and I were just walking around," I let her respond so they could talk some more. "What about you?" "I was going to get tea since I've run out." "Oh, okay," she paused, thinking of what to say next, so I lightly nudged her and mouthed some words. "Um, do you want company?" "No, it's fine. It'll be quicker if I go by myself." "Yeah, but the more, the merrier," I blurted out to which Levi lifted a brow to. "Well, since you're basically on your knees, begging to come, let's go." Petra mouthed a quick 'thank you' and I grinned in return, saying that I was going to quickly grab a coffee and then join them at the store. Both of them nodded and I went to the cafe Eren worked at. Oh, looks like he isn't here. I ordered a coffee and waited by the side, looking down at my phone. "Why are you so upset, princess? Missing your favourite waiter?" a voice teased, causing me to look up at the grinning Eren. I mirrored him with a grin of my own. "Yeah, but only because he gives my broke ass a discount," I retorted as he softly chuckled. "I'm surprised I don't see you with Levi." "I actually was, but he went to get tea from the shop down the road with Petra." "Petra?" "Yes... You've met her a couple of times." I bit down on my lip. "And I may have promised her that I'll help her get together with Levi," I told him as he took a customer's order. Once they paid, he started to prepare their order. "Why would you do that?" he questioned with furrowed brows. "Because I couldn't just say no. And I shouldn't stop girls from asking him out just because I don't have the guts to." "You're too nice. You have to learn to say no. And, if I were you, I would punch every girl that talks to him." "Yeah, but I'm not violent like that. Even though I just punched Levi." "Why?" "I thought he was some random dude who put their hand on my shoulder, so of course, I would punch any idiot who thought it would be a good idea to touch me." "He got what he deserves," Eren mumbled as he faced away from me to give the customer their order, but I vaguely heard him, crossing my arms over my chest. "Leave him alone," I childishly pouted. "He's done nothing to deserve your hatred. He doesn't have anything against you, so I don't know why you're still bothered." The teal-eyed male sighed. "I don't know either. I'm just being bitchy." "I'll prove to you that he's a decent person that you don't have to be worried about anymore." "Sure." "Excuse me, miss? Here's your coffee," the young man smiled and passed it to me. "Thank you," I replied and he went to serve some other person. "Anyway, I've got my coffee and I'm distracting you from your work, so I'll see you later." "Wait, give me a sip." I gave him my coffee and he smiled as he passed it back to me. "Bye, princess." I playfully rolled my eyes before leaving the cafe and making my way towards the store Levi and Petra would be at as I mentally prepared myself for whatever was to come. I entered the building and saw them at the till, paying for Levi's tea and some other things as they held a conversation.

I waited by the exit, leaning against a wall and taking small sips from my coffee as to not burn my tongue. They approached me and I pushed myself off of the wall, walking beside Petra, who was in the middle of us. And I mean that metaphorically and literally since she's stopping me from forming a relationship with Levi (it's my fault so I can't really blame her) and she's also walking in between us. After Levi had gotten his tea, he went home since he said he 'didn't feel like going anywhere'. That left me and Petra as she thanked me for helping her and introducing her to Levi. We ended up going to the library and whispered to each other about whatever we had missed, forgetting the books that we were reading. We then got some food that I decided to eat at home since I wasn't hungry when we got it. That's when our day together ended and we parted ways. Now, here I am, at home, cocooned in some blankets with a bowl of popcorn as I watched a show Hanji's been telling me to watch with all the lights off. About halfway through an episode, I heard the front door open and in came Hanji and her boyfriend. I paused it, knowing I would miss an important part when they come into the living room. Oh, just a heads up, by the way: Hanji's boyfriend is also one of my professors at our university. "Hi, (Y/N)," Hanji beamed as Erwin gave me a nod as a greeting. "Hey--" "Oh my gosh!! You're finally watching it!" "Yeah, but I'm only on the third episode." "I don't care. I'm so happy you decided to watch it," she squealed. "Anyway, I don't want to disturb you, so bye." She doesn't want to disturb me, huh? More like she doesn't want to waste time on this conversation when she could be doing other things with her boyfriend. And I'm so glad that the doors and walls are all thick, almost as if they're soundproof. I resumed it before having to pause it again due to my phone ringing. Doesn't my phone ring at the perfect times, like when I just want to relax? I answered the call after reading the name. "Hello?" "Yeah, hi." "What do you need?" "Why were you acting weird today?" "What do you mean?" "You know exactly what I mean. You may have seemed happy, but you didn't look it at all." "And what is that supposed to mean, Mr Moody?" "Yeah, you were smiling but it was forced. And you spoke with a happy tone, but your eyes didn't match it." "Why the hell are you staring at my eyes?" "(Y/N), just tell me what's going on." "... Why do you even care?" I muttered. "Because you almost never act like you did today." "Well, it's something I prefer not to share. I'm flattered that you care so much about me, but don't worry about how I'm acting," I responded, throwing some popcorn in my mouth and grinding it with my teeth. "Fine. If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to. Sorry for caring." I sighed and held my phone to my right ear now, instead of my left. "No, I'm sorry. I am being a bitch." "You're always one, darlin'. You're being a grumpy bitch today." As he said that, I could imagine a smirk etching onto his lips as his hues shimmered with amusement. Oh, how much I wished to see his face and I wished I hadn't told Petra to basically 'Go ahead and marry the love of my life'. "Oi, are you okay?" "Hm. Oh, sorry, I just zoned out. You should know I do that a lot by now." I loved his soft voice that sounded like a purr. I could imagine that he was either lying in bed or on the sofa because there was no sound of movement. Maybe just staring up at the ceiling as he spoke. Isabel and Farlan were probably in their rooms because it sounded like he was alone. I bet there was a hint of Earl Grey tea on his breath. Oh, imagine if he was lying down shirtless, exposing his sexy abs that I have yet to see. Yeah, I sound like a complete weirdo and perv but we've gone over that already, so it shouldn't be a surprise. "Anyway, you should probably go to sleep now since we've got uni tomorrow." "Yeah... Wait, when's our first lecture?" "Ten o'clock." "Okay, thanks. Looks like I can finish off this episode before going to bed." I couldn't see him, but I could almost sense that he rolled his eyes. "Make sure you get some sleep. Goodnight, darlin'." "Yeah, night, Ackerman." I locked my phone once he cut the phone and I was finally able to watch the damn episode. ~/~ "What did I tell you?" was the first thing someone said to me the next morning. "Hush. I don't feel like getting a scolding right now," I murmured and massaged my temples as I felt a headache arising. Not only did I lose precious hours of sleep, but I also happened to start my period this morning, so on top of my headache, I had cramps. Aren't I just the luckiest person alive? Even though his mouth never opened, I could just tell by the way Levi was looking at me that he was mentally cursing at me for not sleeping well so I rolled my eyes. "At least you don't look like a corpse, though." "Why, thank you," I replied sarcastically. "Hey, do any of you have painkillers?" I asked both males - Jean shook his head and Levi fished something out of his bag. "Oh my gosh, thank you so much." I took a water bottle out of my bag and gulped it down, along with two pills. I'm not overdosing, don't worry, it's just how many I take since one doesn't work on me. "Thank you," I said once again and he simply nodded as Professor Erwin (aka Hanji's boyfriend) walked in. Of course, he would be smiling more than usual (if you know what I'm implying). As the lecture went on, I forced my eyes to stay open and made sure that I wouldn't nod off. At one point, I had no idea how or when, but my head ended up on Levi's shoulder. I don't how long it was there for, but he gently nudged my head with his shoulder which woke me up. I found out that it was the end of my lecture and let out a huff as I packed my stuff away and followed other people out of the hall. As I did that, I spoke a few words with Historia, another civilised human that I often talk to. "I'll talk to you later, (Y/N)," she beamed with her glistening blue eyes and walked away as I waved at her. "Hey, sorry for falling asleep on your shoulder." "I don't care. But you're taking your ass home and having a nap. Our next lecture is at one so you can have a two-hour nap. Just make sure you aren't late." "Yeah, yeah. I need a human alarm, though. Do any of you want to hang out at my place?" "Sure," both males replied and shrugged as I smiled at them and we all proceeded to mine and Hanji's apartment. Once reaching our destination, I slipped my shoes off, dropped my bag to the floor and plopped down onto the sofa on my stomach, closing my eyes. Before I could fully relax, I felt a weight settle on top of me. "Ugh, I hate you, Jean," I groaned once turning my head to see that he was sitting on my back. "Love you, too," he teased. "Okay, shhh. Let me sleep."

[ecoamerica]

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[levis-hazelnut]

Summary: when you and your best friend, Hanji, were younger, you had made up stories about your dream guys - what they would look like and how you would meet. What happens when the one you had made up appears to be real?

Warning(s): suggestions of sex. please do tell me if there are anymore.

Taglist (closed): @castellandiangelo @fandom-addict19​ @20coldhearts​

Status: completed

part 10 > part 11 > part 12 (final)

series masterlist

(a/n: sorry this is me just being thirsty for levi, it’s completely self indulgent and barely has a plot)

I think what I’m about to tell you right now is probably one of the biggest surprises.

So, you know how both of my relationships never lasted longer than five months? Well, my relationship with Levi has been going on for eleven months now. Almost a whole year. Which means I’ve been living in heaven for the past eleven months.

This man is just amazing in every way possible (but please don’t tell him I said this because he’s going to piss me off). He can pretend that he doesn’t care about anything all he wants because I know how much of a sweetheart he actually is, and I hate him for making me fall even more in love with him.

And another reason why I hate him is because--

That god awful sound of my ringtone screamed into my ear and I knew who it was, seeing as how there was only one person who would call me at eight a.m. on a Saturday.

With a few grumbled curses, I blindly reached for my phone and answered it, “What?”

“Good morning to you, too, darlin’.”

“For god’s sake, just tell me what you want. I’m trying to sleep.”

“I’d like for you to get your ass out of bed since our exam starts in less than twenty minutes.”

... Wasn’t it the weekend?

“... Excuse me? Exam? Since when?”

“Look at your calendar, please, you idiot.”

“I may or may not have put it into my calendar because I relied on you,” I muttered, jumping out of bed and scrambling to find some clothes before quickly brushing my teeth and trying to fix my bed head.

“Also, stop by at the café before you come. I want tea.”

“Are you fucking dumb? I’m not stopping to get you tea when I’ll already be late.”

“It’s on the way. It’ll only add a couple of minutes to your journey.”

“If I’m late, I swear I’m going to--”

“It won’t be my fault if you’re late. Thank you for getting me tea. Love you. Bye.”

He cut the phone before I could even reply and I rolled my eyes, slamming the apartment door behind me as I rushed down the stairs and made my way to the café to get Levi his precious tea since I’m such a loving girlfriend.

With a shrill ring of the bell above the door, my arrival was announced as I looked to the counter to see Eren talking to Levi, with a cup of tea in his hands.

I frowned, marching towards them to slap the back of the raven’s head.

“What the hell?” he spat, flicking my forehead in retaliation.

“What happened to getting you tea, so I can be late to the exam?”

“There is no exam, darlin’.”

“What do you mean? Why did you tell me that there was an exam? Why would you make me lose precious hours of sleep?”

“Seeing as how you don’t remember, I’ll remind you. Last night you asked me to help you study. For the exams. But I didn’t think you’d get out of bed for our study session.”

“Stop knowing me so well and let me sleep. Now, you have to buy me a cof--” I cut myself off when he presented a hot cup to me and the aroma of coffee wafted around my nose, calming me down after I took a sip. “Thank you, babe.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied before turning to the male with turquoise orbs. “Thanks for the drinks.”

“No problem. I also cleared a table in the corner for you guys, so that you wouldn’t get too distracted.”

“Aw, thank you, Eren,” I grinned. “Come on, let’s get this shit over with,” I huffed, dragging the raven towards the table, where we both sat down, and he took things out of his bag before tucking it under the table.

“What do you want to focus on?” he asked, and then glancing at me when I didn’t respond because I was too busy focusing on the black t-shirt he was wearing. Perfectly fitted around his arms, tight around his torso and pecs, exposing the ripples that I love to run my fingers over. And he was wearing a couple of silver rings on his hands, and I didn’t think he’d be able to look more attractive.

“... You,” I replied to his question with a smirk, causing him to roll his eyes.

“I will walk out of this café if you don’t stop staring at me like a freaking weirdo and if you don’t pay attention to what I’m saying.”

“But I’m tired,” I whined, facepalming the table.

“That’s not my fault.”

“I will fucking kill you, Levi. You were the one that decided to call me for five hours last night. And the one who thought it’d be a wonderful idea to wake me up at eight in the morning.”

“... Fine. We don’t have to start straight away,” he told me, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest, causing his biceps to bulge even more.

“Don’t sit like that.”

“Why?” he questioned, raising a single brow.

“Because I’m sure you don’t want to get fucked in a café.”

“Why are you always so horny, you freak?”

“You’re asking me that question while looking like that?” I scoffed with the roll of my eyes. “The audacity.”

“Just drink your coffee before it gets cold.”

“I will. By the way, do we have to stay in here? Can we go to the library or somewhere quieter?”

“Why? So you can fuck me?”

“No, you idiot. I just won’t be able to concentrate with all these people.”

“But you’ll get too sleepy if it’s quiet.”

“True,” I mumbled. “Okay, then. Just give me like half an hour and I should be ready to study.”

“What am I going to do for thirty minutes?”

“Maybe talk to your girlfriend, smartass,” I retorted, laying my head on the table again, squishing my cheek against it. There was no response, so the only sounds were the chatter of customers, glass clinking, and air conditioning because of the sweltering weather. I glanced at my boyfriend, wondering why he was silent, only to find that he was gazing at me. “You okay?”

“Mhm,” was his reply, which was unusual, before he took a sip of his tea.

“What are you thinking about?”

“About how we ended up here. Together. In a relationship.”

A tender smile conquered my lips as I reached my hand out for his, interlocking our fingers. “Thank you, Levi. For loving me like no one else did. And no matter how much you get on my nerves, I’m always going to appreciate you being here for me.”

“I’m not good with this shit, so yeah, same thing goes to you,” he said awkwardly, causing me to laugh.

“Can’t believe it’s going to be our one-year anniversary in about two weeks.”

“Going to be a year since I entered hell.”

“Shut up,” I muttered, kicking his shin, despite knowing he was joking.

“... You know what, let’s just go,” the raven-haired male randomly stated, standing up and gently tugging on my hand as our fingers were still intertwined. To my one-word question of: “Where?” he replied, “I don’t know, but I don’t feel like it’s day that we should study. We have plenty of time for that, so let’s do something.”

My hues shone brightly as I grinned and gladly accepted his offer, getting out of my seat and grabbing my coffee as he packed his things away prior to leading me out of the stuffy building, bidding farewell to Eren.

“Let’s go to your place. We’ll make breakfast, have it on the balcony, and do whatever after.”

“'Kay, then. But can we slip in a nap after breakfast because I’m still tired?” I requested.

“Of course.”

So, we made way to mine and Hanji’s apartment, relieved that I didn’t have to study all day today and could simply relax with the raven. That fact made me smile a little as I unlocked the door to the apartment, stepping inside and kicking my shoes off as Levi did the same, following you to your bedroom.

“Ten minutes, please. Then, we begin our date,” I sighed, plopping down onto my bed and he made himself comfortable, shifting my head onto his lap. Then, his slender digits began to soothingly drift through my tresses that were completely tangled, so he had gently unknotted my hair to make it easier to run his fingers through it.

“Remind me to never wake you up this early on a weekend again.”

“I always tell you, asshole. And you never listen to me.”

“Well, I’ve finally learnt my lesson. So, hush.”

After my ten-minute rest, I went to splash my face with water to wake me up a little, while Levi was in the kitchen, preparing everything for breakfast, seeing as how the only thing he ate for breakfast was tea and toast, and I only had coffee.

“Hey, darlin’, what do you want to eat?”

“Mmm, maybe crepes... Let me help.”

So, in the next forty minutes, I ended up with flour on my face and clothes, while that idiot was just smirking at me, and I had slipped because there was water on the floor. And all of it was amusing to my boyfriend, who seemed to be in a great mood since he kept chuckling (not that I was complaining because it was a beautiful sound). The annoying thing, though, was that I was too irritated to mock him wearing my floral apron that made him lose his debonair flair.

“You’re an idiot with her own comedy show,” he teased.

“I don’t know if that is a compliment or not.”

“It isn’t. I’m calling you an idiot.”

“Shut up. You’re the reason I’m covered in flour.”

“Just go sit down and eat. I’ll clean everything up.”

“You better, you clean-freak,” I mumbled, doing as he said, taking a seat at the table on the balcony as he placed down the plates and mugs before sitting opposite me. The sun grinned down on him, giving him an ethereal appearance and making him even more gorgeous. 

There was idle chatter as we ate because I was too exhausted and agitated to carry a proper conversation that had too much information for my brain to register.

Once we were done, the raven stood up to take the dishes to the kitchen and wash them (husband material right there) as Hanji approached me with a yawn, rubbing the fatigue from her eyes.

“How come you’re awake so e-- Oh,” she said when she noticed Levi.

“Yeah, he made me get out of bed early for no reason,” I complained as I stood up to help him. “There’s leftover batter for crepes, by the way.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks. Also, why is there flour everywhere?”

“Because of that idiot.” I rolled my eyes.

“You’re the idiot, darlin’,” he called from the kitchen before appearing before us, shooting an annoying and teasing look my way, and shot him a glare in return.

 From someone else’s perspective that don’t know us, we’d probably look like we hate each other, when in reality, this was basically our love language - annoying each other and glaring.

“I will punch you, Ackerman. However, I need to clean up, so you’re lucky.”

“Not like you would’ve, anyway. And before you say anything else, just go shower.”

Once again, I rolled my eyes but left the room to do as he said, grabbing some clothes and a towel before going into the bathroom. Just as I was about to close the door, however, it opened slightly and Levi stepped inside, shutting and locking the door.

“What are you doing?” I inquired.

“I said I’ll clean everything up, didn’t I? That includes you,” he whispered with a smirk, leaning in to latch his lips onto mine, tugging at the hem of my shirt.

~/~

Soft kisses were pressed along my hairline and my forehead, my cheeks, my nose, down to my jaw and further down to my shoulders. Lips continued to migrate, travelling to my neck where there were soft nibbles and flicks of a tongue against the flesh of my neck.

My fingers were tangled in ebony locks, damp and fragrant from our recent shower, and my nails gently scratched against Levi’s scalp as I drifted my hand through his hair. His touches were light and almost careful, like he didn’t want to hurt me, even though his teeth contrasted that when he sunk his teeth into my skin a couple of times before kissing the spot he bit as a wordless apology.

We were simply lying down in my bed, relaxing in a comfortable silence. I laid on my back with my eyes lidded, while Levi laid on his side, resting his head on my chest as he continued to pepper my skin in soft kisses and gentle nips.

These would always be my favourite moments. Just moments filled with adoration, silent declarations of love, and serenity. No teasing, annoying, or glaring. No retorts, no eye rolling, no grumbles. Only warmth, tenderness, affection.

“Darlin’?” he uttered in a hushed voice, but when I didn’t respond, he lifted his head to gaze at me, finding that I had fallen asleep. His ashen hues were full of fondness, admiring my relaxed visage before he pecked my lips and assumed his original position - his head on my chest and an arm slung over my torso.

While I was asleep, he was on his phone, scrolling through social media, occasionally sighing because he was bored. But he wouldn’t wake me up because I deserved to sleep.

It wasn’t until about twelve o’clock when I woke up with Levi’s head still laying on my chest, however, his grey orbs were hidden. So, with little movement, I attempted to reach for my phone, only to find that his fingers were entangled with mine, which made me smile softly because I hadn’t been holding his hand before I fell asleep.

And when I pressed my lips against his knuckles, his eyes fluttered open to meet mine, and there was a smile shimmering in his beautiful eyes.

“Finally awake, sleepyhead,” he hummed placing a single kiss on my jaw.

“Mhm. Did you miss me?” I murmured, unhinging my jaw and letting out a yawn.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes, putting up an act to support his lie. “No.”

I giggled softly, kissing his forehead. “Whatever you say, babe. Anyway, what are we doing for the rest of the day?”

“I was thinking something outside because the weather’s nice.”

“Oh, I know! There’s a funfair at the park just ten minutes away. Let’s go there.”

“Sure. We’ll leave in about an hour?” he suggested, and I hummed in agreement, tugging my boyfriend closer so I could nuzzle my face into his chest before we got out of bed. “Then, we can come back later and make dinner together.”

“That sounds nice,” I said in a hushed voice, feeling sleep taking over me once again. However, Levi attempted to save me before I completely gave in.

“Don’t fall asleep.”

“Shhh.”

For the umpteenth time that day, the raven rolled his eyes but he couldn’t help the smile that edged onto his lips every time.

He doesn’t know what it was. But every time I would do or say something, even if it was the most stupid and idiotic thing he’s seen, he feels something warm flutter inside. And he realises how much he’s fallen for me, which has changed him. In a good way.

And all this time I thought I was a bad influence.

[levis-hazelnut]

Summary: when you and your best friend, Hanji, were younger, you had made up stories about your dream guys - what they would look like and how you would meet. What happens when the one you had made up appears to be real?

Warning(s): ig there’s suggestions of sex, but only if you squint.

Taglist (closed!): @castellandiangelo @fandom-addict19​ @20coldhearts​

Status: completed!

part 5 > part 6 > part 7

series masterlist

(B/N) = brother’s name

"What's up with her? Why is she so bubbly and giddy?" Levi murmured to the female that stood beside him and gently gripped his hand as they both leaned against the wall outside Petra's lecture hall. "It's her birthday tomorrow. Did she not mention it?" Petra replied, looking up at her boyfriend. "Yeah, she did. But I don't get why she looks so happy as if she's getting married or something." "Levi, Petra!" I beamed and walked up to them with a grin on my face. I glanced down at their fingers that intertwined with each other before flickering my eyes up at their faces, not paying attention to it. "How are you two?"

"Good," was Levi's curt reply. "We're fine. What about you?" was Petra's sweeter reply. "I'm great. I was just heading to the cafe because I'm craving some coffee. So, I'll see you two later." "Oh, okay. Bye,” the female smiled at me before I walked away. "Wait, (Y/N)," Levi said just as I took two steps.

I turned around to see him peck Petra's lips and say a few words to her before she strolled into her lecture hall, and we made our way outside. The smile remained on my lips, however, it was not fake. You see, those two have been dating for two months now so any kind of affection they express doesn't affect my mood too much. Yes, I feel jealousy but it doesn't make me too upset like it did at the start. I mean, I kind of still wish for them to break up, but it's whatever. I don't want to be a bitch and mess up their relationship just because I like him. They're happy together and I don't want to ruin that, especially because seeing them happy actually makes me happy "(Y/N)!" Levi and I stopped in our tracks, looking behind to see Jean. I grinned at him and he returned it before the three of us continued our journey to the cafe which was a few minutes away. "Happy birthday, baby girl." "First of all, do not call me that. Second of all, why are you saying it today if my birthday is tomorrow?" "Because I might not see you tomorrow." "What do you mean?" I inquired before a frown made its way onto my face. "You better not go and disappear for a month again, otherwise my sole purpose in finding you will be to slap your ass. I swear--" "Hey, hey, hey, I never said anything about going anywhere," he chuckled softly. "Although, I wouldn't mind if you slap--" "Shut up. So, why won't you see me?" "I don't know. I thought you wouldn't come in since it's your birthday, and I'm guessing you would do something with your family or something." "Oh, I see. But, I will be coming in, even though we have lectures all day tomorrow, and I honestly don't know what I'm doing yet." "I can plan a little party for just both of us," he smirked, so I playfully slapped his arm. "Hm. Looks like you've also got many fans, darlin'," Levi muttered to me so I rolled my eyes. "What, are you denying it?" "Do I ever have a swarm of boys surrounding me if I'm just standing in the corridor, doing nothing? Or have males years older hit on me?" "No, but you do have quite a bit of fans that you may or may not know about." "What are you saying? Has someone said something to you?" "Who was the heartthrob before I appeared?" My eyes widened when I realised what he was saying. The heartthrob in our university likes me? Let me tell you a bit about him. First of all, his name is Lucius, sexy-ass name, hands down (no, I do not want to name my son Lucius, in hopes that he'll turn out to look like him). His skin is so smooth, spotless and is a tan hue (no, I do not want to caress his perfectly, beautiful face). He has the most beautiful green eyes I have ever seen; they're green with specks of brown around his iris (no, I have not just stared into his eyes in the middle of a conversation). He has a straight-edged nose that looks too fun to boop (no, I have never dreamt about doing that). He has the perfect, soft, plump lips that just urge females to kiss him (no, I am not one of those females). He has an angular jaw that could possibly cut me if I do so much as poke it (no, I have never tried touching it to see if my prediction is true). Now, let me go to his hair. Ah, his hair. It's a light brown which looks so soft and fun to play with (no, I do not want to run my fingers through his hair). And that is his description. God, I'll be lying if I said I haven't drooled over him. And the best thing is that he doesn't have that fuckboy personality, however, he is egoistic. But, it's not that bad. He's surprisingly kind and doesn't just talk to the 'cool people'.

I've only spoken to him a few times, and maybe we exchanged numbers, and maybe I've hung out with him, and maybe I've gone over to his house and he's come over to mine. Although, nothing has ever happened, and he has never tried to ask me out on a date, so I never saw this coming. "No way. You're lying," I spoke, still surprised. "I've never seen you speak to him. I don't believe you. Who told you? When did you find out? Lucius does not like me. Do not lie to me, Ackerman." The raven smirked. "Someone has a crush on him." I scoffed. "No, I don't... It's just shocking that the heartthrob of our uni supposedly likes me out of all people. Tell me where you heard this." "The previous heartthrob, I'm the current one," he corrected, being a cocky mf, before continuing when I rolled my eyes. "And just because you've never seen me talk to him, doesn't mean I haven't." "When did you find out?" "Last week." "Bitch, why didn't you tell me then, you asshole?" "Because I never knew you had feelings for him." "I do not. And I still don't believe you--" "It's true. What Levi's saying is true," the brown-haired male on my left told me as I walked in between them. "And how do you know?" I crossed my arms. "He told me as well, but this was a few months ago. The only reason he told me was that he knew you and I were close and thought that I could help him. However, I didn't because--" "Yeah, I know," I cut him off, already knowing the answer which was that Jean still liked me at the time. "Yeah, that's why he told me as well," Levi said, opening the door to the cafe. I let Jean go in first and I followed after him, Levi trailing behind. "I mean, he never told me to tell you, but to help him I thought I should tell you, which makes it easier. And since you two like each other, go fuck." I scowled and lightly slapped his bicep for being so vulgar. "I'm being honest, I don't have any feelings for him. What am I meant to do now?" "Darlin', Lucius, the former heartthrob, has his eyes on you. And you aren't going to do anything about it?" "What do you expect me to do? Lie to him, get into a loving relationship, which will be completely one-sided, and then get married?" I questioned, standing in the queue. "Yeah." "Are you a fucking idiot?" "(Y/N), there are probably hundreds of girls that would love to be in your place," Jean pointed out. "Yeah, I'm not one of them," I muttered, my heart still clinging onto Levi who was taken and obviously doesn't like me, whereas, there's Lucius, who's kind, sweet, funny, single and so damn sexy, and he's the one that likes me. Why is life so difficult? "I can't just force myself to fall in love with him." "What's stopping you?" Levi asked. "Even I think he's a dream guy." You are the only dream guy. "So do I," Jean said. "Nothing's stopping me. I just don't feel anything for him," I stated with a shrug. "Tch. Is Eren working today? I'm not bothered to wait in this queue and hear your shit." "You don't have to be so rude," I pouted in mock offence. "Anyway, I don't think so." "You might want to think again, princess," an additional voice joined the conversation. I found Eren walking towards us after clearing a table. "What are these two annoying you about?" "Apparently, Lucius Silva likes me. These two are trying to help him and want me to date him, however, I don't want to because I simply don't have any romantic feelings for him. They think something is stopping me from dating him. You know I've never actually developed feelings for that stupidly beautiful guy. Yeah, I do find him hot as fuck and so sweet, but I truly don't have a crush on him or whatever." "Lucius? That guy in your uni that every girl falls for?" he asked and I nodded. "He is charming, but you have no feelings for him, so forget about it." "Thank you. So both you idiots can forget about it. I'm going to talk to him myself so stay out of it now." "This is coming from another one of your fans. He probably just wants you to himself," Levi murmured. "Why are you so eager to make me date him? I'll date who I truly like and when I want to." "Who is this person that you truly like?" Jean inquired. "... No one. I'm saying that once I find that person, I'll date them." "Hey, leave her alone now, Horseface. Let (Y/N) do what she wants," Eren backed you up, draping an arm around your shoulders. "Anyway, here's a free table so you can sit down. What do you guys want?" "I--" "Wait, ladies first," Eren cut Jean off with a smirk. "Just my usual coffee. Thanks." "Of course. And Levi?" "An Earl Grey with no milk." "Okay. And what do you want, Jean?" "A--" "Sorry, we're out of that." "Eren, stop being a jerk. Let Jean order," I told him, holding back my laugh. "Could I have a tuna sandwich, please?" he said through gritted teeth. "Sure. I'll bring your orders soon." "Thank you, Eren." "He's such a prick." "Well, he's a prick that stopped you guys from forcing me to date Lucius-- Oh, god, why?" I groaned and flitted my eyes away from the entrance of the cafe as Levi and Jean's eyes wandered over to where I was previously looking, finding Lucius walking in by himself. "Ah, perfect timing," Jean smiled and I shot him a glare. "Are you going to say anything?" "No. But if he comes up to me, then yeah. Ugh, and it looks like he's coming to our table," I mumbled. "Hey, stop stressing. This would've been completely normal if we hadn't told you," Levi murmured. "Whatever. I hate people-- Hi, Lucius," I beamed. "Hey. Do you mind if I sit?" he asked in that husky, sexy voice that I wish I could listen to all day. And there was a sexy smile playing on his sexy lips, flashing his great teeth that made him all the more charming. Ah, and those dimples. Why does he have to look so good? “Of course," I smiled and removed my bag from the only unoccupied seat, allowing him to sit next to me. It was a round table that made us kind of sit in a circle and my situation was not okay. Uh, I'm kind of sitting in between both of the most attractive men I've met - Levi and Lucius. Ugh, I can just bet I'm blushing so hard right now. I want to get out of this position. Where's Eren? He'll save me. "It's your birthday tomorrow, right?" "Yeah. I haven't planned anything special since I don't know what I want to do." "I offered--" Jean started but I kicked his shin under the table. "Nevermind." "Why don't we do something together, like us four and any other friends you want?" "Um, I'll see because I think my family might be planning something. But, your idea does sound great." "Make sure you let me know if you're free." If he didn't say to invite other friends, it would literally sound like he's asking me out on a date. "I will. Anyway, tell me your order." "It's fine. I can go order myself." "You can, but you'll have to wait in the queue. Just tell me what you want." "Okay," he grinned. "Can I just have an iced coffee, please?" "Sure. I'll be right back," I stated and stood up from my seat, finally being able to escape. I exhaled and found Eren, holding a tray with our orders on it. "(Y/N). What do you need?" "Lucius kind of joined our table and I needed a way to get up from the table, so could I have an iced coffee for him?" "Yeah, you can wait by the counter if you don't want to sit there yet. I'm just going to give these to the two idiots and make his iced coffee." "Okay." I stood by the counter, waiting for Eren to come back and he soon did, beginning to make Lucius' beverage. "What happened? Why were you so uncomfortable?" "Well, I just found out today that Lucius likes me so obviously I don't want to talk to him straight away. And I was sitting in between him and Levi. And he told me that if I don't have plans for my birthday, me and those idiots sitting at the table should go out and I can invite other friends." "I see... I honestly don't know what you should do. Just try and forget about it since you have no feelings for him." "Eren, what if we do go somewhere tomorrow and he ends up asking me out or telling me he likes me?" "Wow. I've never seen a girl not want to date him. I bet even Hanji would even though she has a boyfriend," Eren chuckled and I frowned at him since it wasn't amusing for me. "Anyway, if that happens, turn him down. Don't be rude about it, just let him know you aren't interested in getting into a relationship." "But what if he doesn't talk to me anymore? I still want to be friends." "Why do you want to be friends with everyone? You have to let some people go." "Lucius is not a person, he's an angel. And I want to be friends with him because he's a great guy in general." "Then tell him that even though he likes you, things won't be awkward and you still want to be in contact with him." "I actually love you so much," I blurted out and Eren grinned, handing me the cool drink. "Anyway, thank you so much for your help." "No problem. Now, go sit down and forget about everything. Boys are idiots, just remember that." I giggled and nodded before giving him a small wave and sitting down at the table. I placed the iced coffee in front of Lucius who smiled at me. Do not smile at me. You're already attractive, a smile makes you look like a freaking Adonis. "Thank you." "You're welcome." ~/~ So, it looks like I'm going to go out with Lucius, Levi and Jean since my family decided that it would be better for me to spend my birthday with my friends. However, people I wanted to invite didn't come since they said they were busy with something. Like bitch, it's my birthday, you aren't allowed to be busy. Even Eren and Hanji aren't coming. I thought Eren, of all people, would come to help me. "(Y/N)! Hey," the tanned male smiled as he approached me, in the place where we agreed to meet up, which was just outside our university. "Oh, hey," I replied. "Jean and Levi have something to do. They cancelled last minute." "What?" I uttered, realising it'll just be me and him. I hate everyone. "Yeah, they said they have to do something, I don't know what it was. Do you still want to go somewhere?" "... Sure," I spoke after some consideration. "Do you have anything in mind?" "You're the birthday girl, you choose." "I don't mind. I'm literally up for anything." "Well, I was thinking of going ice skating, if you want." "Yeah, that sounds fun." "Let's go, then," he smiled. But it was a different kind of smile. I couldn't tell what it was, but it wasn't his usual, charming smile. I brushed it off as I followed him towards his car. He first opened the boot to let me put my backpack and the gift bags I had inside before closing it. He then opened the door for me, I gave him a small smile and 'thank you' before sitting down as he gently shut it before sitting in the driver's seat. "Did any of your other friends not want to come?" "They all apparently had something to do--" I was cut off by my phone ringing, so I fished it out of my pocket before answering it. "Hello?" "Hey, (Y/N)." "Eren. Aren't you meant to be busy doing something?" I asked coldly. "Hey, don't be annoyed. I have an assignment to give in on Monday but I didn't even make a start on it until now. Anyway, I'm taking a break to talk to my princess since I'm sure she isn't having a great time without me. Are you going out with Jean, Levi and Lucius?" "No. Levi and Jean also cancelled. I didn't expect everyone to try and avoid me on my birthday" "You're nineteen years old now, stop acting as if you're nine so don't sulk," he told me, making me wonder how he knew I was sulking. "And, I'm not avoiding you. Aren't I the only one who called you?" "Maybe... But, I'm still not happy with you." "Okay, so what are you doing now?" "I'm going to go ice skating with Lucius, my only true friend." Eren chuckled on the other side of the phone and I heard the male driving laugh as well. "I'm sorry. I'll try and finish this shitty thing before Monday and then I'll promise to take you somewhere. I'll even force everyone to come." "Thank you," I grinned. "I'll see you soon." "Okay, bye." "Everything okay?" "Eren just decided to check up on me. He has some assignment to do." "Brunette, teal eyes?" "Yeah. I introduced you to him before. And we hung out a couple of times." "I like him, he's a good person." During the rest of the journey, we spoke some more before we eventually reached the ice rink. We paid (well, Lucius did since he said he has to treat the birthday girl), we put on our skates and stepped onto the rink. However, I had some trouble since I hate falling on my butt if I slip. Also, what if when I fall, someone's skates slice my fingers? So much danger. "(Y/N), there are people behind you, come on." I bit the inside of my cheek before taking the attractive man's outstretched hand, stepping onto the ice. I wobbled but he kept me up, making sure that I wouldn't fall. I reached to grab the ledge of the rink, but Lucius had other ideas. He prevented me from holding onto the rim and took me to the middle as his grip loosened on my hand. "No! Don't let go!" I shouted, clutching his hand as he chuckled, puffs of air emanating from his nose and mouth. "I never knew you were scared of something like ice skating," he said, leading me back to the edge of the rink so I could hold onto it. He still stayed by my side, smirking at me. "What are you smiling about?" I inquired, with the arch of my eyebrow. "You look adorable when you're afraid," he told me quietly, causing a red tint to creep onto my cheeks. "I'm going to let go now. I'm coming back to you in five minutes, and I want to see you twirling in the middle like a ballerina," he teased and I playfully rolled my eyes. "You ask for too much." "Well, if you aren't skating by yourself in five minutes, I'm going to drag you back to the middle and leave you." "You're so mean. I'm going to die." "It's an ice rink. How the hell are you going to die?" he laughed softly. "Someone's skates can slice my neck if I fall." "That's very unlikely. Anyway, I'll see you in a few." "Okay." I tried skating by myself, but every time I did, I felt as if someone was going to knock me down and kill me. Yeah, I may be being dramatic, but I'm sure it can happen. Soon, I was kind of, sort of, not really skating away from the edge, which is when the heartthrob decides to scare me, causing me to flinch and slip. However, you know those stupid, rom-com films in those cliché moments when a character is about to fall, someone (and that someone just happens to be a love interest or some shit like that) saves them by catching them and it's all romantic and stupid and they end up kissing. Yeah, well, this is one of those stupid cliché moments where Lucius catches me and my arms wrap around him, and our faces are only centimetres away. He quickly straightened both of us so we were standing, and he just blinked at me when I stared at the ice beneath my skates. Fortunately, we didn't kiss. "Thanks," I muttered. "Don't worry about it. Also, I'm happy to see that you aren't holding onto something." "Well, I thought that it would be better to skate myself than to have you force me." "True. However, I don't see you twirling like a ballerina." "Hey, no, I'm not doing that. You can't even do that." "You sure about that? Watch." He seized my hand once again and took me to the middle where he started to spin and skate. I gaped in amazement before he came back to my side, bringing me to spin and skate with him. I refused at first, but he ended up getting me to do it. And guess what? I fell. On my butt. Which is what I didn't want to happen. However, no one sliced my fingers off and Lucius helped me stand. When I was standing, we found out that our session was over so we had to leave the ice rink (aka, death valley). "Do you regret skating?" "No. I had fun. Thank you," I smiled. "Anyway, you know me so you should know my next question." "Where are we eating?" he guessed. "Yep." "What do you feel like?" "Uhh... Maybe Italian? What do you want?" "I don't care. But, I don't feel like sitting in a restaurant, I'd rather relax at one of our apartments and eat there. So takeaway?" "Sure, that sounds so much better than being in a place full of people. Want to chill at mine?" "Okay, let's go." Lucius and I got our food before driving towards my apartment, where I'm guessing Hanji was probably doing work or something since she was so busy to miss my birthday. I mean, it's half past six so maybe I could do something with her later. We parked near the apartment complex and walked up the stairs before I got my keys, unlocking the door to find all of the lights off. I frowned before turning on the light in the corridor, taking my shoes off as Lucius did the same. "I'm home!" I called like I usually did before locking the door and padding over to the living room, where it was dark as well with the tall male following. "I'll get drink--" I started, turning the light on. "SURPRISE!!!" "What the fuck?!" I yelled, taking a step back as my eyes ran over every person that stood in the living room. A couple of tears brimmed my eyes before dropping. "... I hate all of you," I mumbled and covered my face with my hands as I heard laughs. "Aw, (Y/N)." "Why are you crying?" "Hey, come on, you're meant to be smiling." I ignored the rest of the statements when I felt arms loop around me, and I knew who it was without having to look at them. I returned the hug and stuffed my face into their chest. "Happy birthday, princess," Eren whispered as he ruffled my hair. "You know how emotional I can be," I murmured. "Why did you do this?" "Are you saying you don't like it?" "No, I love it. Thank you so much. It's just that I embarrassed myself in front of so many people." “They don't care." "I still hate all of you for tricking me into thinking that you guys don't care about me." "Love you, too," he teased and ruffled my hair once again, pulling away from the embrace. He handed me a tissue and wiped my tears away. "Go change - there's an outfit on your bed." "Okay," I grinned, my eyes only focusing on him since I didn't want to look at anyone else yet. I first went to the bathroom to wash my face before going to my room. I found one of my favourite dresses laying on it, along with some jewellery. I changed into it and put on the jewellery before styling my hair to my liking. I also put on a little bit of makeup prior to looking at my reflection, admiring my attire. Once I was happy with my outfit, I went back to the living room, where everyone was talking. I gave some people a grin when my mother approached me with a smile. "You look very pretty," she complimented me and I thanked her as she led me to the table where a cake rested with candles lit. "Happy birthday, sweetie." I blew out the candles with a smile before cutting it into slices. I was about to take a bite of my cake slice before my father stopped me. "Allow me," he said, taking the cake from my hands and bringing it to my mouth. Instead, he decided to smash it into my face as I let out a small gasp as others laughed. "Here." Levi gave me a tissue which I took. "Oh, Mr Moody, thank you." "Happy birthday, darlin'. I know I said it earlier, but whatever." "Thank you. Oh, I just remembered. I left all the gifts in Lucius' car, I'll go get them." "Oi, idiot, you're the birthday girl. Stay here and I'll ask him to bring them." "You're being surprisingly nice in a way." "Shut up." "Aw, you ruined it." He rolled his eyes before going to find Lucius as I went to Hanji, who was talking to Petra, Isabel and Farlan. They all grinned and greeted me, wishing me a happy birthday and passing me some presents, which I thanked them for. "Hanji, who and when did they plan all this?" "Eren and I did. We've been planning it for about a week, which is why no one went out with you today since they were helping. Thankfully, we had Lucius--" she cut herself with a gasp. "Does Lucius like you?" she asked once she saw that he was nowhere to be seen. "I think so. Both Jean and Levi said he does." "Oh my god!! That's amazing!" she squealed and I snorted. "Wait. Lucius Silva, the most attractive guy in our uni?" Petra questioned in surprise and I nodded. "Wow. I go for like two minutes and you're dreaming about another man," Levi teased when he joined our group conversation. Petra only smiled at him and muttered an 'idiot' under her breath.

"Anyway, has he asked you out, (Y/N)?" she questioned. "Nope. I don't want him to," I told them. "Are you crazy?!" Isabel suddenly shrieked. "He's so good-looking, and so kind, and so attractive, and just amazing! How do you not want him to ask you out?" "I don't wish to date him. I don't have any feelings for him." "Girl, you're crazy stupid." "Petra, you're dating this asshole here. Imagine you didn't like him and you found out he likes you out of all the other girls that hit on him. What would you do?" "I guess I wouldn't date him. I shouldn't force myself to just because of who it is, I should wait to date the right person I like." "Thank you so much. Your idiot boyfriend was saying the complete opposite and told me to get married to Lucius. In fact, other than Eren, you're the only person that understands me in this situation." "Levi, don't force her to date someone she doesn't even like." "Well, she claims she's not dating Eren and that she has no interest in anyone right now, so why shouldn't she go for it?" "I can find him sexy or whatever, but it doesn't mean I actually have feelings for him. I'm not going to magically fall in love with him if he asks me out. I'm going to be pretending and I don't want that. And shut up now since he's back." "(Y/N), I got your presents. Where should I put them?" "Oh, I'll take them to my room. Thanks for getting them." "No problem." I took the gift bags from his hold and placed them on my bed before making my way back to the living room, deciding to join another group. Ah, Eren, Jean, Armin, Connie, Sasha - all of them I knew from secondary school so they were the ones I loved the most. Except for Eren who I've known for more than half of my life. "Hey, guys!" I beamed and rested one arm on Jean's shoulders as the other draped around Armin. "(Y/N)! Happy birthday!" Sasha and Connie shouted at the same time and both of them passed me a present. "Thank you, both of you." Armin also gave me a gift which I thanked him for. Jean had already given me a present earlier at uni so he only told me how beautiful I looked, which I playfully rolled my eyes to. "I'm going to give you my present at the end of the evening," Eren told me. "You know, best for last." "Okay, thanks. Have you lot had drinks and snacks?" "I'm holding a plate of snacks right now," Eren pointed out with a soft laugh. I took some of his snacks and chucked them into my mouth, giving him a smile. "I just realised that I haven't eaten yet." "Go and get your ass some food." "I will. Let me just talk to you guys since they are going to be so many other people I have to talk to. And I love you guys the most here. Apart from my family, of course. But you're my second family."

I messed around with the five of them and burst into loud laughter many times. Soon, Hanji joined us and it was if we were back at secondary school since we're barely able to hang out like this now. "God, I actually miss this," Hanji grinned, wiping her tears away that fell when we were laughing. "Anyway, (Y/N)~ Lucius asked for you," she smirked. "Why? I don't want him to ask me out," I whined. "Lucius?" Armin, Sasha and Connie exclaimed at the same time. And I'm just glad that everyone is loud and there is music, otherwise he would've heard. I sighed before briefly explaining it to them, all of them being surprised. Before they could say anything else, like trying to force me to fall in love with him, I went to the man everyone loved. "Hey. You wanted to talk to me?" "Yeah. I haven't given you your present yet. Happy birthday." "Aw, thank you. I'll open it later since I've got a bunch and I'm not bothered to open all of them yet." "Okay. I hope you'll like it." "Thank you again. Also, we still haven't eaten, do you want to get some snacks?" "Sure," he said with a shrug and we both went to the kitchen where the snacks were set in different platters. He got both of us disposable plates and we filled out plates with food "Are you enjoying yourself so far?" "Yes, I'm so happy. This is definitely one of my best birthdays. And I'm guessing they asked you to keep me busy?" "Yeah. That's the only reason I said to get takeaway so I could bring you home. But I would still prefer that than staying in a restaurant, too." "Me, too. I'm never more comfortable than I am at home."

“You look very... beautiful, by the way." "Thank you. I didn't think I would get a compliment from you, the person that everyone swoons over." "Well, they can't help it. I'm too damn sexy," he smirked and winked. I laughed and lightly shook my head. "You're so cocky." "Are you one of those people that swoon over me?" "Nope. I'm not your ordinary girl." "You certainly aren't," he said quietly, causing me to glance up at him as both of us leaned against the counter in the kitchen, standing next to each other. "What do you mean by that?" I asked cautiously, hoping he wasn't going to tell me something in particular. "You're not like other girls. You're cool, smart, funny, kind, sometimes rude but in a jokey way, you can be strong, and on top of it all, you're beautiful," he confessed, and I bit the inside of my bottom lip. "(Y/N), I--" "(Y/N)!" a voice called, allowing me to breathe. I saw my mum calling me over and I quietly apologised to Lucius before going to my family. "What's up?" "You've barely spoken to us this whole time," my dad stated. "Well, dad, you smothered my face with cake." "Happy birthday, (Y/N)!" my little brother squealed and I picked him up. No matter how old he is, I'll always pick him up because he's too adorable. "(Y/N), who's that handsome guy you were talking with before?" my mum questioned with a smirk, so I rolled my eyes. "Lucius." "I'm going to have a talk with him," my father said, about to walk towards him but I stopped him. "Dad, I'm not in a relationship with him. And I don't like him either. There's nothing to talk to him about." "Fine. But if lays a finger on you, he's never coming near you again." "Well, we held hands when we went ice skating." "What?!" "It was because I was scared I was going to fall. Dad, there's nothing to worry about. He's a good person." "Okay, if you say so." "(Y/N), where's Eren?" the six-year-old boy asked and I turned around to look for said male. He was talking to Hanji and Historia. "He's over there. Why?" "I want to play with him." "I'll take you to him," I grinned. "Wait, (Y/N). Here's your present." "Oh, thank you. Could you leave it in my room, please, since my hands are kind of full?" "Okay." I smiled at my parents before making my way to Eren with (B/N) in my arms. He spotted me and gave me and my brother a toothy grin. "Hey, Eren. (B/N) said he wants to play with you." "Aw, okay." "Even though I don't want to, I need to go back to Lucius. I'm pretty sure he was about to confess his feelings to me but my mum called me," I whispered to Hanji who gasped and grinned. I don’t know why she was acting like I was going to get into a relationship with him, even though she knows I like Levi. I went back into the kitchen, apologising to the male once again as he brushed it off. "Um, you were saying something before I left..." "Yeah," he sighed and scratched the back of his head. "(Y/N), I... like you. Romantically," he proclaimed, and I pretended to be shocked. "Uh, are you willing to go on a date with me?" Okay, firstly, he's fucking cute when he's nervous. Secondly, I'm sorry but, I'm going to make him upset. "Lucius, you know I think you're a great friend. And as I was saying, I'm not one of those girls who have fallen in love with you. Don't get me wrong, you are sexy as hell, and you're sweet, and a gentleman, and any girl would be lucky to be with you. However, I can't be that girl. I'm sorry. I'm not interested in getting into a relationship with anyone right now. But, I promise you that we can still be friends and it won't be awkward at all. I don't want to lose you, you're a great friend, Lucius. Although, it's your choice." "..." He was silent and I bit the inside of my cheek, starting to feel guilty. I wanted to hug him, but I didn't want to give him any kind of affection after I said all that. "Lucius?" "... That's fine. If you're still willing to be my friend, that's good enough. Thanks for not being harsh about it," he told me with a small smile. It was a sad smile, which I've never seen on his soft lips. "I'm sorry." "You have nothing to apologise for. It's your choice on who you date or don't date. I'm sorry for bringing it up." "Don't say sorry. Everyone has feelings and should voice them out." "You're truly an amazing girl. Whoever you decide to date is going to be extremely fortunate." I giggled softly. "Thank you. Honestly, the same can be said about you." "Also, I know you think so much of me, so that satisfies me as well," he smiled, and this time, it was genuine so I returned it. "Well, if someone disagrees with what I said, they don't deserve to know you.”

He chuckled and pushed away from the counter, I followed suit.

"I'm going to the bathroom. Are you going to follow me there? Of course, I have no problem with that." I snickered. "I'm not following you, idiot. I'm going to Eren." "Hey, wait... Is Eren the person that stole your heart?" "No. No one currently has it." "Okay, good." I beamed at him before he went to the bathroom and I went to Eren who was still playing with my brother on the sofa. I sat down next to Eren and held my plate, taking a snack every now and then. He started to tickle my brother who squirmed on the furniture and his giggles echoed, making me smile. "You look like a family," a voice stated, causing me to look up and meet grey hues. "What, so you're saying I got a kid at thirteen?" "It happens." "Yeah, well, not to me." "But you don't deny that you're a couple?" "Whatever... You know Lucius just asked me out a few minutes ago," I muttered and stared at my plate. Levi's and Eren's head turned towards me. Eren told (B/N) to go back to my parents. "What?" "We were in the kitchen by ourselves. He started going on about how I'm not an ordinary girl and all my characteristics that he likes. He was about to confess, but my mum interrupted him. After I went back to him, he said he likes me and I rejected him in the most gentle way I could. We ended up just joking around and here I am." "I swear, every time you have a serious conversation with someone, it just turns into something casual and funny," Levi said. "Because I'm an amazing person that can bring happiness to people,” I said, causing Levi to roll his eyes. "Wait. So, he agreed to still be friends?" "Yeah. Since I said things about him, like how he's sexy and kind and whatever, he said he's happy that I still think of him like that. Everything's fine." "Good... Did he try to kiss you?" Eren asked. "No." "What are you guys whispering about~?" Hanji beamed and plopped onto the sofa, nearly squishing me. "Lucius asked (Y/N) out. She said no. They're still going to be friends." "You idiot! Why did you say no?" "Hanji, why do you think?" "... Ohh." "What's 'ohh'?" Levi frowned. "Nothing, Shorty!" "Tch." His eyebrow twitched at the nickname. "I already said not to call me that." "But it suits you perfectly." "Fine. I'm going to call you... Four Eyes, then." "They're so childish," I muttered to Eren as they started to argue. I rested my head on Eren's shoulder, letting out a small huff so he looked at me in question. "I'm waiting for my family to leave so we can bring out the alcohol." "Wow," he chuckled. "You know I love them, but I just want to get drunk." "Don't do anything stupid when you do get drunk." "I have no intention of sleeping with anyone." "Yeah, well, don't call me tomorrow afternoon, telling me that you woke up with someone in your bed." ~/~ A splitting headache was the first thing I experienced when I opened my eyes, glad for my blackout curtains that prevented light from coming in. I laid on my back, my body aching when I tried to turn on my side. However, once I did shift onto my side, my eyes widened and I scrambled to get out of bed, realising I was naked. When I went past the mirror in my room to find something to quickly slip on, my eyes somehow widened further at the sight of the hickeys that decorated my chest and neck. "Shit, shit, shit," I whispered, slipping on a t-shirt and some shorts, not caring about wearing any underwear since I was freaking out. I walked over to the side where a particular human being lay and shook them with the call of their name. "Eren! Eren, you fucking jerk, wake up! Eren!" "What?" he grumbled, his eyes still closed. "Open your fucking eyes and get up," I snapped, a scowl dancing over my visage. He did as I said, yawning and rubbing his eyes before sitting up. Once his vision was cleared, he took in his surroundings, saw the marks on my neck, and realised he wasn't wearing a shirt. Piecing it together, he shot me a worried look as I stood in front of him, with my arms crossed over my chest. "Did we...?" he murmured, his eyes walking over the floor to find his shirt, trousers and boxers, along with my clothes. "Oh, fuck..."

[levis-hazelnut]

Summary: when you and your best friend, Hanji, were younger, you had made up stories about your dream guys - what they would look like and how you would meet. What happens when the one you had made up appears to be real?

Warning(s): I don’t think there are any in this chapter. But, please do tell me if there are any.

Taglist (closed!): @castellandiangelo @fandom-addict19​ @20coldhearts​

Status: completed!

part 7 > part 8 > part 9

series masterlist

Me and Levi sat at the dining table at breakfast, consuming the waffles that I made with different fruits and sauces on top. "You can go home today," I spoke after swallowing the last of the sweet food. "Hanji will be back later. And I'm going out with Petra and Historia in about an hour, so you can go earlier." "Okay." "Why do you sound so sad? Are you going to miss me?" "Tch." He rolled his eyes before taking a sip of his tea. "You wish, darlin'. The only thing I'm going to miss is annoying you."

"You still somehow annoy me every day even if you're not here. I'm glad you're going." "Mhm. You can keep on lying to yourself." I scoffed. "You think I enjoy your presence?" "Of course. Why wouldn't you?" "Because you're an ass. And a jerk. And a prick. And--" I cut myself off when his eyes narrowed at me, an intimidating glare heading my way. "Why did you stop?" "... No reason. Just thought that words can't describe how annoying you are," I muttered, and he lifted an eyebrow, not believing me. "Fine. I stopped because you're none of those things, and I do enjoy your company." "Thank you. That wasn’t so hard to say, was it?” "Whatever. I'm going to have a shower, get ready and leave," I announced as I got up, taking both of our dishes into the kitchen. "Are you just going to go home?" "Yeah, probably." "Did you tell Isabel and Farlan that you were going to stay here, or did you leave them to worry?" "I told them because if I didn't, they would irritate the hell out of me. I already know they're going to be loud and all over me once I go back." I smiled, knowing how much those two love Levi. Well, who doesn't love Levi? "You're literally a celebrity everywhere you go." "So are you." "No, I'm not. I don't have people fangirling over me or people so happy when I'm around." "I don't know why you're denying it as if it's a bad thing. Just take a compliment because you're not going to get another one." "Aw, thank you," I grinned, wanting to hug him again when he came into the kitchen, but I knew he would push me away this time. He playfully rolled his eyes as I dried my hands before leaving to go to my bedroom, choosing clothes out of my cupboard. I then went to grab a towel and jumped into the bathroom for a quick shower. I slipped on a white, loose, full-sleeved shirt that hung below my shoulders, along with light blue, ripped jeans. Once I was out of the bathroom, it didn't sound like Levi was in the kitchen or living room. I approached my room, knocking softly on the door before hearing him call 'come in'. I stepped inside with a smile as he sat on the edge of my bed, glancing up at me before looking back down at his phone. I strolled over to my jewellery box, picking a simple, silver, chain necklace without a pendant. "Ackerman, are you going to leave the same time as me or after?" "I'll leave at the same time. I'm guessing you'll be ready in about five minutes?" "Yep," I replied with a nod. "... Hey, thank you for helping me and keeping me safe by staying with me," I murmured. "You're welcome, darlin'. Now, go finish getting ready." I grabbed my things, including a cardigan in case it got cold. I told Levi I was ready to leave and he got up, following me to the front door where we both slipped our shoes on. I locked the door once we were out and we made our way down the stairs. "Where are you going?" Levi asked. "I'm not sure. We didn't plan anything, we decided to just go wherever we felt like," I said with a shrug. "What, do you want to come as well?" He snorted and smiled slightly. "No. Anyway, which direction are you going in?" "Opposite to yours. So, I'll see you on Tuesday since we don't have lectures tomorrow." "Yeah, okay. Bye, darlin'. Stay safe." "Same goes to you," I beamed before we parted ways and I made my way to the meeting point me, Petra and Historia decided on. Once I got there, I found Historia as we both waited for Petra. Once the strawberry-blonde arrived, we started on our journey to nowhere in particular. During the day, we decided to go to an arcade since that was the cheapest thing I could afford. We then went to get gourmet burgers, not the cheapest thing I could afford, however, we were all in the mood for that. Once we were done, Historia stated that she had to get back home, leaving me and Petra alone. Since neither of us felt like going back home yet, we decided to stroll in the park as if we were some old couple. It was considerably quiet, the only sound being the birds tweeting away and the families deciding to head home since it was getting late for the kids. "... I know you like Levi. Romantically," Petra randomly spoke up as we sat on a bench in the park. My head snapped to face her and I immediately furrowed my brows, wordlessly requesting for an explanation for where she got that from. "And I think... he likes you, too." My frown deepened - Levi could never like me. He chose Petra, they've been dating for two months now. Yes, it's not that long, but they're happy together. And I wouldn’t want to take that away from them. "What are you talking about?" I asked. "I know what you're like around boys you like, (Y/N). I know there was a time, maybe for about a month, when you liked Lucius at the start of uni. You're more teasy with boys you like, you love annoying them, there's always a smile on your face even if you try to be irritated. That's how you act around Levi. You probably liked him before me, but helped me, nevertheless. And I want to thank you for that, he's a great person, but... I think you deserve him more than me. I don't dislike either of you since both of you are very lovable people and it's hard not to fall for each other. So... I'm going to break up with Levi." "No, don't...! Petra, please, don't. You obviously like him a lot, and I'm sure he feels the same way... I'll admit that I like him, but I don't want to ruin your relationship because of that. You're always happy with him, you are the one that deserves him, not me. You shouldn't let go of him for my sake. I doubt he likes me. How could he date someone like you - a smart, beautiful, kind and gentle person, and then decide to fall for me - an idiot, who can't grow up?" "Don't worry about me. I'll be much happier to see you happy. And, you let go of him for me. And don't bring yourself down like that; you're an amazing person and friend, and I'm sure Levi will be delighted to be with you. Go for it, (Y/N), I'm not going to let you live like this. It must be so painful for you." "... I can't do that. He's yours, I shouldn't take him away from you just because I'm selfish--" "You aren't being selfish, you're giving him up for me - that is not a selfish act. Eren or Hanji probably know, so I'm sure if I call one of them, you'll get shouted at for refusing to listen to me." "Okay, okay. Don't call them... But I don't want you to break up either. I'm going to feel terrible dating him." "There's no need for you to feel terrible. I'm the one that's causing it. And I feel like he’s trying to come up with a way to break up with me." “I’m so sorry.”

“Why are you apologising? It’s not like you made him fall for you. And I don’t blame him.”

“Thank you so much, Petra. You're honestly so awesome, I don't know how Levi was lucky enough to date you." "I know you'd do the same for me, and you basically did, which shows that Levi will also be lucky to be with you," she smiled in return. I couldn't stop grinning and I abruptly pulled her into an embrace, thanking her a million times over. This was it, I'm going to get what I've wanted for a long time - a relationship with Levi. ~/~ As soon as I heard the front door open and close with a click, I sprinted from my room to the entrance, finding Hanji standing there, taking her shoes off. "HANJI!! HANJI! HANJI!!" I squealed with a massive grin on my lips, clinging onto her arm and shaking her with excitement. "What's going on?" she inquired with the cock of her brow, thinking why I was behaving like her. "I THINK LEVI LIKES ME!" "..." It took her a moment to register my words before her eyes widened, her mouth agape and she gripped my arms, shaking me as well. "OH MY GOD! How do you know?! Did he break up with Petra?! Did he confess to you?! (Y/N)!!!! TELL ME MORE!" "Gosh, I don't think I've ever been this happy before!" I grinned, dragging her into the living room so we could sit down and fangirl together. I explained every little thing that Petra and I spoke about earlier, and her grin seemed to get wider and wider with every sentence I said. "However, I don't want them to break up because of me. I know I said it all this time, but now that it's truly happening, I don't want them to." "I swear, if you give up this opportunity, I'm going to slap you so hard that there will be an imprint of my hand on your cheek for the rest of your life." I laughed softly. "I don't know. I'm so happy. But I'm going to feel bad." "Petra herself said she's not going to hate either of you and she'll be fine with it. (Y/N), don't be an idiot again." "Okay, okay, fine..." I muttered before suddenly screaming. "I'M GOING TO DATE LEVI ACKERMAN!" "I know, I know!!! Why am I getting so excited?! Ahh, we made him up and you're actually going to date him!!" "Oh my gosh, I'm seriously going to faint." I took a deep breath and fanned myself, feeling hot and sweaty from all the squealing. "Did Petra say when she's going to break up with him?" "No. But I think she's going to do it by the end of next week... Wait! I'm not ready for this! I need to mentally prepare myself for this! This is so exciting! Wait... are we ever going to tell Levi about how we made him up?" "Uhh, he'll probably get creeped out and break up with you if we do, so no, we are not." "Okay. I need to calm down now." "Did he tell Petra that he was staying over?" "I'm not sure. Whenever I mentioned Petra, he didn't say anything. Ugh, how did I not realise anything? He was acting differently. He was so soft and considerate and-- Okay, (Y/N), calm down," I told myself before I explode. "You're literally in love." "No, I'm not. I just really like him." Hanji smirked and shook her head before getting up. "Anyway, I've got uni tomorrow so I need to sleep. You can fangirl or do whatever you want, just don't wake me up." "Yeah, yeah... Wait, I don't know how to act around him anymore. I need Petra to tell me when she breaks up with him so I know what to do. Okay, night, Hanji, you don't need to listen to my rambling." She smiled at me before going towards her bedroom, closing the door behind her as I laid down on the sofa, face-down, letting out whatever I needed to (squeals) before sitting up again. I took my phone from the coffee table and saw that I got texts from my mother and Eren. So I checked the messages in that order. I checked my mother’s message, which just some forwarded message about whatever her friends tell her. I mentally rolled my eyes at this before going to Eren. 'Hey' 'Are you okay?' 'Did Levi keep you safe?' Once again, I rolled my eyes, but this time, for real because Eren's so overprotective. 'Hi' 'I'm fine. You don't need to worry because Levi did keep me safe' I locked my phone, dropping it onto the furniture as I stared at the black screen of the TV, wondering what to do now. My mind is clouded with Levi so I won't be able to concentrate on anything I do. I'm not tired either, so what should I do? Okay, scratch that... I'm tired as hell, but I won't be able to sleep with all the excitement coursing through my body. Well, looks I'll just be sleep-deprived tomorrow because I'm seriously not going to be able to sleep. ~/~ So, luckily, I fell asleep on the sofa, during a movie and had a good night's sleep. When I woke up, light poured in through the windows and beamed on my face as I heard birds singing near the apartment. I opened my eyes and squinted, looking around the room as a yawn left my mouth. I sat up, checking the time to see it was almost twelve o'clock. I stood up before stretching as I walked to the bathroom, looking at my reflection to find my hair attempting to get tangled. I sighed, running my hand through my tresses to make it look neater before freshening up. Not being bothered to make a nice breakfast, I just got myself some cereal (I would happily eat cereal for each meal of the day) and sat on the sofa, going through social media. I then decided to clean the apartment, excluding Hanji's room because I know how annoying it can be when someone else moves your stuff. For motivation, I loudly played music on my Bluetooth speaker, which is why I couldn't hear when Hanji came home, frightening me when she tapped my shoulder as I broomed. I lowered the volume and smiled at her. "Hey. How was uni?" "Fine. Nothing special happened. What did you do all day?" "Well, I got up at twelve, had breakfast and then decided to clean." "Are you trying to prove that you'll be a great wife for Levi?" she smirked and I rolled my eyes. "I was thinking that we barely have time to clean, so might as well do it today since I was free. I just have the kitchen left to do and then I'm going to take a nice, long bath." "It's so nice to see you in such a good mood," Hanji smiled and I returned it with a wider one. "I wonder what you're going to be like once you finally start dating Levi." ~/~ So, I found out that Petra broke up with Levi today after university ended... What am I doing? I'm freaking out. What do I do? Do I ask Levi out? Or will he ask me out? Is he sad about the breakup, or happy? What if it's just like my other relationships that never last more than half a year? Am I making a mistake? Would it be better to stay friends? I've wanted this since forever, why should I give it up? They already broke up, what's the point in contemplating everything now? Ugh, what do I do? Is Levi not going to talk to me? Was Petra even sure that he likes me? Did Petra tell him about our conversation on Sunday? Does she hate me now? Should I get Hanji's help? But, she's in her room, why should I disturb her? Should I call Eren and tell him everything? What do I do with my life? I inhaled, then exhaled deeply, attempting to soothe myself. Everything will be fine if I don't freak out. I just need to stay calm and wish for the best.

Things are going to be weird at uni unless one of us ask the other out. I don't want to be that person. But what if he's thinking the same? Is he going to wait a while before dating again? Well, I'm going to stick to my previous plan and just wish for the best. There's no gain in freaking out and asking myself all these questions that just make me worse. Maybe Petra will tell me what happened. But I shouldn't just stare at my phone expectantly because that's not going to help me in any way-- My phone started to vibrate in my hand, my eyes widened and I flinched, hastily reading the caller ID. Fuck you, Eren... Getting my hopes up like that, making me think it was Petra. Despite being mildly annoyed at the male, I answered the phone, saying a shrill 'hello'. "Hi, (Y/N)." "Hey. Do you need anything?" "I heard some girls from your uni say that Petra Ral and Levi Ackerman broke up, and now they think it's their chance to take him. Do you know if they actually broke up?" "Yeah, they did." "What? Really? Why?" "... Because of me..." I muttered, guilt slithering into my body. "I didn't do anything, don't worry. Petra did it for me because she knew I did the same for her. She claimed that she knows I like Levi and she said that she thinks Levi likes me too. She said we deserve each other and said that she will break up with him so I can be happy. I didn't want her to, but she still did." "Petra's actually such a sweetheart." I laughed softly, not expecting Eren to say something like that about someone. "Yeah, she is. But I don't know what to do now. Should I initiate something, or will Levi? I need Petra to call me--" My phone vibrated and I saw that my call with Eren was put on hold because someone else was calling me. Petra! I cut the phone with Eren, deciding to talk to him later because right now, this call was more important. Sorry, Eren, you know I love you, I thought before answering the call. "Hi, Petra." "Hi... Um, I broke up with Levi a couple of hours ago." "How did he take it? Is he okay? Are you okay?" "Yeah, we're both fine. I told him the same things I said to you and he seemed pleased. He apologised to me for not breaking things off earlier, saying that he didn't want to hurt me. Everything's fine, though. I'm happy for both of you, so go get him." "Ah, thank you so much, Petra! I still feel so bad about this, though." "Don't. You have nothing to feel guilty about, I did this on my own volition." "I need to repay you with something massive. You're amazing, I love you." I heard her giggle. "(Y/N), honestly, it's nothing, you don't need to do anything for me. The only thing you need to do is not let this chance slip before some other woman takes him." "Okay, okay. Thank you so much! By the way, did he say what he's going to do now?" "No. Let me just tell you everything that happened," she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice, probably because of how happy I sounded. *FLASHBACK* Petra had asked Levi to meet her outside of the university after his last lecture because she stated that she had to talk to him about something. Levi had told me that he had to go somewhere so I just headed home. Once Levi and Petra met up, they strolled around the quiet streets as the raven waited for the petite female to speak up. "What did you want to talk about?" Levi asked, glancing at his girlfriend, who abruptly stopped walking, causing him to come to a halt as well. "... Levi," she started, looking up into his grey hues that flickered with concern. "You like (Y/N), don't you?" "What?" A small wrinkle formed in between his eyebrows. "You don't need to deny it," she smiled, staring at the pavement under their shoes. "I'm not annoyed, don't worry." "Wait. How do you even know? I've never spoken about it with anyone." "I don't know, I just had a gut feeling, I guess," she said with a shrug. "And... (Y/N) likes you, too. I spoke to her about all of this, and I decided that... I'm going to break us up. Since both of you like each other, you shouldn't let me stop you two from dating. And if you're wondering, (Y/N) wasn't the one who asked me to do this, I made this choice myself. I'm not going to hate either of you because I want to see both of you happy." "Petra... I'm sorry for doing this to you. I'm sorry I didn't speak to you about it earlier but I didn't want to hurt you... You're a great girl and I did like you. And you’re actually my first girlfriend. But as I spent time with (Y/N), no matter how much of an idiot she is, I guess I fell for her without realising." "You don't need to apologise about anything, I'm fine. You can't control your feelings," Petra finally made eye contact, a smile still staining her lips. "Anyway, I guess I'll go now." She was about to walk away but slender fingers caught her wrist. She turned her head to look at the male who had a tiny smile as he neared her and pressed his lips against her cheek. "Thank you, Petra. I hope you find a better guy than me." "Thank you. Now, go to (Y/N)." *END OF FLASHBACK* "I'm getting so excited, but I don't want to because--" “Be as excited as you want to be, don't let me or guilt stop you. Also, I don't think Levi's going to ask you out straight away, he might wait a couple of days."

I’m going to date Levi Ackerman in just a couple of days?

This doesn’t feel real. ~/~ It was the last lecture of the day, and I was falling asleep, however, I had Jean next to me so he kept me awake. I let out a content sigh and stretched when I stood up once the lecture ended. "I'm so glad this day is over. Tomorrow's Friday, right?" "Yeah." "Good. Just one more day until the weekend." Jean smiled and shook his head as both of us made our way out of the lecture hall. As we walked towards the exit of the building and spoke, a hand grasped my wrist, causing both of us to stop and turn around. My heart started to beat rapidly when I met those beautiful, grey orbs that I could always stare into. I'm going to tell the truth and say that I may or may not have been avoiding Levi for the past two weeks (definitely been more than a couple of days) because I was afraid of getting into another relationship that I think will fail. He's been trying to talk to me all this time, but I somehow evade him because I also think I'm going to be awkward around him. Hanji, once again, threatened to slap me since I'm letting this chance go. However, she spoke some sense into me, saying how Jean and I were close friends, so we're both idiots for deciding to date. And she pointed out that Reiner was a dickhead, so I was the idiot.

And Levi has proved to be nothing like a jerk, more of a gentleman so I should just go marry him. She still didn't get involved, sticking by her promise and I'm actually pretty proud of her for that. Also, her little pep talk gave me confidence so I, in some way, love Hanji more than I already did. Now, here I am, with Levi's hand gripping my wrist as we both just stared at each other, and Jean looking between us, seeming confused. "... You've been avoiding me for two fucking weeks," Levi finally spoke, and I just realised how much I missed his voice (although, right now, it's dangerously low and scary). "We're talking right now, I don't give a shit if you have something to do." "... Okay," I replied, glancing at Jean who had worry etched onto his face. "You can go, Jean. I'll see you tomorrow." He was too terrified to speak in front of Levi right now, so he arched his eyebrow, making sure that I'll be fine. I nodded with a small smile and he left with a smile of his own before I found myself being dragged through the corridors to find an empty room. Once Levi found one, he tugged me into it, closing the door behind us. He crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at me as I stood opposite him, not wanting to make eye contact.

[levis-hazelnut]

Summary: when you and your best friend, Hanji, were younger, you had made up stories about your dream guys - what they would look like and how you would meet. What happens when the one you had made up appears to be real?

Warning(s): I don’t think there are any in this chapter. But, please do tell me if there are any.

Taglist (closed): @castellandiangelo @fandom-addict19​ @20coldhearts​

Status: completed!

part 8 > part 9 > part 10

series masterlist

"Why in the fucking hell have you been avoiding me?" Levi snapped, but it wasn't too angrily. I fidgeted with my fingers as my gaze stayed on the carpet of the room as if it would talk for me.

"... I don't know," I murmured, feeling awkward like I predicted it to be. "I guess I'm just... scared." I heard a sigh emanate from his lips and he unfolded his arms, taking a step closer to me as he realised he may have been too harsh on me. I caught the action but didn't do anything about it. I mean, what would I do? "Scared of what?" he asked in a more gentle tone, but it was still laced with slight annoyance. "Scared that I would be annoyed with you for no reason whatsoever? Scared that Petra is going to hate you? Scared that I'm going to be like your previous dickhead boyfriend? What are you scared of?"

"All of that, actually," I confessed, looking up at him to see his beautiful face that I was deprived of for nearly three weeks. "After finding out about... everything, I just wasn't certain that everything is going to work out like a fairytale. There was a chance of you being annoyed with me, but that was just idiot me being stupid. Petra assured me many times that she won't hate me for anything. And you... you have proved that you aren't going to be like my jerk of an ex. Now that I really think about it, I have nothing to be afraid of," I said with a soft smile touching my lips. "You're damn right, you idiot." He rolled his eyes, taking another step closer. "I don't know what goes on in that brain of yours, so I don't know where you get these shitty thoughts from. But you better get rid of them, there's no reason for you to be scared of anything. Stop being a coward and do what you want without your thoughts stopping you." My smile widened at his words, but I was still waiting for certain words that I want to come out of his mouth. Not all this sh*t about me being stupid. I mean, it's helpful, but it's not what I want right now. "... Sorry for sounding so harsh, but you needed to hear that so you can change for the future." "It wasn't that harsh. You should hear the scoldings I get from Hanji." "Whatever. I didn't exactly drag you here just to talk about you being dumb..." he pointed out, taking two more steps and he was right in front of me, close enough to touch me. And he did just that - he cupped my face with one hand, a soft and tender expression conquering his visage. I reluctantly leaned into his touch, gazing at his features that just happened to look so much more attractive in this moment as he leaned in closer to my face, both of our eyes lidding.

Then, his lips came in contact with mine. If my heart was beating rapidly before, I have no idea how fast it was going now but it did feel like it was going to jump out of my chest. I just know that it could probably be heard in this empty room, and Levi probably felt it when he snaked an arm around my waist, drawing me closer to him. My fingers nonchalantly reached up to tangle in his ebony locks that were oh so silky. I have always wanted to tangle my fingers in his hair and tug on it to get a reaction. That's what I did, and in return, I got a faint moan. His voice is so soft and the best thing ever? Bitch, please, that sound just now was ethereal and I needed to hear it again. Levi asked for an entrance to my mouth and I decided to tease him (as always), however, he sharply nipped on my lower lip which caused me to gasp softly. He took the chance and his tongue slipped into my wet cavern, where we battled. It's like we can never stop challenging each other, we have to annoy each other for no reason, argue for no reason, and now we have a tongue battle for no reason. He won (as always) the tongue battle and instead of his tongue exploring me, his hand travelled over my figure, making me shiver under his touch. Unfortunately, we needed to pull away from the passionate kiss for that damn thing called oxygen. My eyes were still closed as I lightly panted, taking in what just happened. A smirk edged onto my lips once it sunk in and I unlidded my eyes to find Levi staring at me as our faces were still in close proximity. Why is he so damn sexy? Please, whatever god is up there, I need to ask why you gave this man to me. I seriously don't deserve him, no matter what anyone says. "(Y/N)," he uttered softly after licking his lips, and I hummed to show I was listening. He barely says my name, and in that husky, low and gentle tone he just said it in now was something I never want to forget. "Tomorrow, at six o'clock, you better be ready." "Okay," I grinned, kissing his nose as I've always wanted to do. "Also, I'm pretty sure some people just saw us kiss," he stated, using his head to gesture to behind me where the door was. There was a small window in the door and there were many eyes watching. When I turned around, I noticed Jean, Hanji, Farlan, Isabel, Connie, Sasha, Armin, Historia and Lucius grinning at us (well, not Lucius). There were also some of Levi's fangirls (and maybe my fanboys since Levi claims I'm a celebrity like him).

I giggled softly and shook my head, removing my hands from Levi and taking a small step back as he walked towards the door. I followed after him and got ready to glare at Jean, knowing he was the one who brought everyone here. As soon as the door opened, squeals sounded as they all exclaimed different things we could barely apprehend. "(Y/N)!!!!" Hanji pushed through everyone that had crowded around and brought me into a tight embrace. I groaned and rolled my eyes, hesitantly putting my arms around her. "I'm so happy! You've waited so long for this to happen!" I nervously laughed, not wanting Levi to know that I've liked him since he appeared. He lifted an eyebrow in my direction and I mouthed the words: 'help me' when Hanji still had me in her life-threatening hold. "Oi, Shitty Glasses, you're going to kill her." "Awwww, Shorty!!!" she screeched, pulling him into a hug now. "You're so cute!!" I laughed at his face and he shot me a glare, which seemed to have no effect on me as I continued to chuckle. He was finally able to shove the brunette lunatic off of him and took my hand, deciding to just barge past every idiot. We were able to make it out of there without them chasing after us like some predators. "... So you've waited for a long time for this? How long is a 'long time'?" "Uh, maybe... eight months?" I muttered, refusing to meet his eyes because I knew he would be smirking and he would just want to annoy the hell out of me. "So since we met?" he inquired, and I nodded. "You're telling me all this fucking time when I wondered who you like, it was me?" "Yes." "And is that why you didn't want to date Lucius?" "Yes." "I'm surprised you didn't expose yourself. Apart from that time when you were about to say it but stopped yourself. And you thought it was wrong in a way because I was with Petra?" "Yes." "And I heard from Petra that you helped her to get into a relationship with me even though you liked me at the time. Is that true?" "Yes." He smirked, seeing me act shy, which is something he rarely sees. "You're quiet now that I've found out who you like." "Where are we going, by the way? We're just walking," I said, brushing his statement to the side and regaining my confidence. "I don't know. I just wanted to get away from everyone," he replied, realising that he was still holding my hand, which was sweating. "Hey, why are you nervous? You don't need to be so tense." "I'm not nervous," I retorted. "Explain that to your drenched hand, darlin'," he snorted and I clicked my tongue, yanking my hand from his hold to flick his forehead, which caused him to briefly frown before he got hold of my hand again. "Shut up, prick." "Good. Now, you're back to normal." "Where are we actually going?" "I still don't know. But we're like a minute away from your apartment." "Don't you want to go home?" "You're finally speaking to me after like three weeks, I'm not going anywhere." "Aw, I never knew you would be the kind of person that always wants love and attention." "I'm not." "Whatever you say, Mr Moody. Hm. I'm going to love annoying you even more now." "Why do I even like you?" "Because I'm the best person ever who is very lovable and amazing." "Not one word you just said is true." "Shut it, Ackerman. You're not exactly--" I cut myself off, thinking what Levi wasn't since he's seriously the best fucking person to live. "Are you lost for words because I'm amazing in every way possible?" "No... I just didn't want to hurt your feelings." "Say what you want, darlin'." I rolled my eyes and fished my keys out of my bag to unlock the door. Once it was open, both of us stepped in, slipping our shoes off before I locked the door. We strolled to the living room and Levi sat down on the sofa. I was about to walk away but he grabbed my hand, pulling me onto him and I ended up on his lap, straddling him. He smirked, taking hold of my chin to tilt my head before moulding his lips with mine.

If dating Levi Ackerman meant getting kisses like these every ten minutes, I'm going to be living in heaven. I wonder if he was like this with Petra, or am I special? I sighed in delight when I felt his fingers sneak up my shirt and trace over my bare torso as his other hand travelled up my back to tangle in my tresses. My hands cupped either side of his face with my thumbs resting on his cheekbones. "AWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" My eyes snapped open at the sudden outburst and my lips parted from Levi's as my forehead rested against his. I huffed before getting off of his lap, looking at Hanji, Jean and Eren who decided to walk into the apartment without saying anything. "What the hell are you guys doing?" I snapped at them, meeting all of their eyes. My eyes lingered on Eren's for a bit longer than the other two before I frowned and didn't focus on any of them. "You could've at least said something instead of letting that kettle over there explode," I scolded them, motioning to Hanji, who was the aforementioned kettle. "Sorry, sorry!! Both of you are just so adorable!" Both of us clicked our tongues and I rolled my eyes.  "We came here to get away from people. So get the hell out." "Darlin', calm down," Levi said quietly before smirking. "You have a bedroom, don't you?" My eyes widened and I lifted my hand to slap him. "Hey, hey, hey, I was joking, you idiot. That's taking things too fast." "I bet you didn't say that to the many girls you--" "Oi, don't talk about that," he told me with a scowl. I guess it was a sensitive topic since he was probably annoyed at himself for being like that. Everything was now silent in the room. The three that were standing had no idea about what was going on, the raven next to me seemed to be thinking about his past, and I felt bad for bringing it up. No words were needed since there was nothing to ask about (other than what me and Levi were talking about but it's not like they were going to find out). "... Stop looking at me like that. You don't need to feel pity for me," he spoke in a light tone and tousled my hair, showing that he wasn't annoyed. "What are you guys talking about?" "Nothing, Shitty Glasses. Anyway, I think I'm going to go home," Levi announced as he stood up. "Oh, we can go if you want," Hanji suggested. "No, I didn't plan on staying long. I just wanted to get away from everyone that decided to snoop on us." "Sorry, that was my fault," Jean confessed. "It's fine. I'll see all of you later." Levi left the room and I followed after him, walking him to the door. I opened the door for him and he stepped out, turning around to face me. "You're being rather calm and kind today," I stated, leaning against the door as I held it open. "Well," he began, leaning towards me to peck my lips. "Your lips seem to put me in a good mood." "I doubt that but whatever you say, Ackerman... I'll see you tomorrow." "Six o'clock. Don't forget." "Okay." "You better not give me some shitty excuse about falling asleep." I laughed lightly. "I won't. Now, get your ass out of here." "Bye, darlin'." I smiled at him before he left, closing and locking the door behind him. Once I turned around, I saw three heads poking out from behind a wall. I giggled and ran towards them, jumping into them. "Ahh, I'm so happy!" I squealed as I clung onto Eren, who chuckled softly. "I never knew you liked Levi," Jean said with a frown. "Since when?" "Since we were--" I cut Hanji off since only Eren is allowed to know that we made him up.

"Since he joined our uni, I guess..." I told him, pulling away from Eren. "What?! Why did you never tell me?!" "Because I only trust Eren and Hanji, no matter how much of a big mouth she has." "And you call me your friend..." the teenager shook his head in disappointment and I smiled at him. "Oh, shut up, you know I love you." "(Y/N)! You haven't told me what happened!" Hanji demanded. "All we saw was you two kiss but we couldn't hear what you said." "I don't know if I will," I smirked, walking away from them and entering my bedroom, however, I left the door open so they all followed me. "Tell meeeeee!! Why was Shorty in such a good mood?" "I don't know~" I sang teasingly, enjoying Hanji's reaction. "Also, Eren, you haven't said anything. Are you annoyed?" "No." "Don't tell me you're still suspicious of him." "I'm not. I don't know. I'm happy for you, of course, but I just don't feel right." "Well, you said you don't think Levi was a good person at the start and you were clearly proved wrong. What's wrong now?" "He's jealous~!" Hanji exclaimed, hugging Eren's arm, and he frowned, attempting to shake her off as he felt his face heat up. "N-No, I'm not. Why would I be?" "Hanji, what idiocy are you talking about now?" I spat. "It's not idiocy, it's the truth!" she insisted. "People always point out how you have many fans. So how can the male closest to you not develop feelings for you?" I have to admit, she was making sense. But, this was Eren we were talking about. He wouldn't let himself fall for his best friend... Right? I flitted my eyes to Eren to see he was staring at the carpet in my room. I could see the pink hue on his cheeks and the way he avoided to look at me so I decided to question him. "Eren...?" I spoke, gaining his attention as Hanji led Jean out of my room, giving both of us some privacy. "Was Hanji saying the truth?" "... No..." he muttered before sighing and locking his eyes with mine that expressed disbelief. "... Fine. I did have feelings for you. But that was a few months ago, I don't anymore. I mean, there may have been other times when I think differently of you but I get over it every time. Don't worry, I'm not jealous. I honestly just feel like something's not right." "Well, thank you for being honest with me. And whatever's bothering you, I'm sure it's nothing. Just let me be happy because I'm finally dating my dream guy." "Yeah, I'm not going to ruin that for you. I'm not going to lie, you and Levi are actually cute together. I haven't seen you this happy in so long. And I know Levi will treat you right and I'm glad you met him." I gave him a soft smile and neared him, draping my arms around him and pressing my cheek against his chest as I closed my eyes, feeling his arms reciprocate the hug. "... I love you so much, Eren," I uttered quietly. "Love you, too," he replied, resting his chin at the top of my head. "Am I talking to the Eren that has feelings for me, or the one that's my best friend?" I asked jokingly, parting from the embrace. "Your best friend," he spoke with a small laugh. "Come on. Let's go to Jean and Hanji." I walked out of my room with Eren following me as we entered the living room where the two sat on the sofa, glancing at us. They saw the smile on my face and knew everything was okay.  The rest of the day, we just hung out like we would in secondary school, laughing, talking about shit no one would understand. However, seeing as how we all had lectures tomorrow (in the morning as well *eye roll*), we decided not to stay up too late (they ended up leaving at midnight). That night, I was able to sleep peacefully with a smile and nothing to worry about. ~/~ 17:38 That was the time. Twenty minutes until the time I had to be ready, and I'm guessing Levi, being the punctual asshole he is, will be outside the apartment at exactly six. However, as he predicted, I may or may have not fallen asleep and only had less than half an hour to get ready. I quickly sat up in my bed, chucking the covers off of my form as I ran my fingers through my hair, thinking what to wear. Ugh, why didn't I think about this earlier?

"(Y/N)! Wake-- Oh, you're awake. Isn't Levi coming in like twenty minutes?" Hanji said as she swung my door open. "Yes. I need clothes. Hanji, please help." "Of course! What kind of bestie would I be if I didn't help you get ready for your first date?" "Thank you so much," I sighed, getting out of my bed and opening the doors to my wardrobe. So many clothes to choose from. What outfit is the right one? "What kind of clothes do you want to wear? Girly, casual, comfy, sophisticated, etcetera..." "Um... Casual, I guess." She nodded, looking through my clothes with narrowed eyes and a thoughtful expression. Damn, she was serious about finding me the perfect clothes. After about two minutes, her whole face beamed up as she chucked some clothing at me. I blinked a couple of times, holding it up. It was a simple, white crop top hoodie and a pair of dark grey skinny jeans. I don't know if I felt like it so I stared at it for a moment, thinking if I wanted to wear it. "(Y/N), you have less than twenty minutes. Hurry up." "... Okay," I responded after concluding that this was the outfit I wanted. I shooed Hanji out of my room and changed into the clothes she chose for me. I looked in the mirror, feeling content with it until I glanced at my hair. It was a lost cause. Since I had only woken up about ten minutes ago, my hair looked like a nest and I still looked like I just woke up. I decided to go freshen up and brush my teeth since I'm certain my breath wasn't pleasant after sleeping. I came out of the bathroom and went to my bedroom, seeing I had exactly eight minutes left until six. Now was the time to rush. I did my hair and makeup to my liking, and when I was ready, I stuffed all the things I needed into a small purse. I sprayed myself with perfume and left my room, turning the light off as I padded through the corridor, slipping on my converses. Hanji spotted me in the corridor when she came out of the living room and grinned at me as I stared at my phone, checking the time and seeing Levi's messages, telling me he was outside. 18:02 Only two minutes. I'm proud of myself. "Have fun~!" "I'll tell you about it when I come back," I told her, seeing her grin widen. I left, shutting the door behind me and locking it before going down the stairs. Just before I stepped out of the building, I took a deep breath then stepped out, letting the warm, evening air engulf me as I spotted Levi's car parked in front of me and he leaned on it, scrolling through his phone until he locked it and looked up at me. I gave him a small smile, suddenly feeling nervousness spreading throughout my body. As I stood there, I took in his attire, which was a maroon dress shirt over a black t-shirt that was exposed because of the buttons that weren't done up. With that, he wore black jeans. "... You done staring, darlin'?" I slightly widened my eyes and realised I was gaping for too long. But seriously, the black shirt he wore underneath the dress shirt showed his perfectly, sculptured abs. I playfully rolled my eyes and approached him as he stepped away from the car, opening the passenger's door for me. I thanked him as I sat down and he shut the door before rounding the car and sitting in the driver's seat. I didn't know what to say so I quietly sat there as he began to drive, hoping that the raven would speak up instead. "I'm surprised you weren't asleep." "Haha, I actually was. I woke up about twenty minutes before you came." "I don't get how you can sleep so much even if you had a good amount of sleep." "Well, I didn't get enough sleep last night." "Were you too busy thinking of me?" "Don't flatter yourself," I retorted with a cocked eyebrow. "Jean and Eren stayed until late, so I wasn't able to sleep until they left, which was midnight." "Idiot," he whispered under his breath, and I glared at him. Though, his eyes were on the road.

"Shut up. It's not my fault," I scowled before silence took over again. "... What are we doing, by the way?" "Mini-golf. Grab takeaway. Chill at mine." "Hm. I like that idea," I smiled. "How did you know I would like what you planned?" "You were the one that claimed that I know everything about you. I guess I do." My smile widened. There's so much to remember about me and my life, it's impressive that he remembered small details. I guess he chose mini golf because he knew that I always used to go with my dad when I was younger. Getting takeaway and relaxing at home was something I loved to do, so it was probably obvious that I would like that. "Ackerman?" "Hm?" "Since when did you... like me?" "Why do you want to know?" "You know how long I have." "... To be honest, about two months after we met. But then that was around the time you introduced me to Petra and we started to hang out less. Unlike you, a weirdo, Petra was normal and a kind-hearted person, and I don't know, I just liked being around her. But, after a while, I realised that I didn't want normal, I wanted... you," he muttered the last word, and even though it was dark, I could see the tip of his ears burning. "You're so adorable when you're shy," I blurted out. "Also, 'I wanted you'... Why do you have to be so--?" I cut myself off, not wanting to boost his ego so he could annoy me. There was just something about that sentence that made me fall for him even more (if that was possible). "So...?" "Nothing. Continue.” "Okay... It was my fault for initiating anything, and even though she says she's fine with us, she's obviously still hurt. I don't know how she found out that I like you, but it was about halfway through our relationship when I realised that even though you're a weirdo and perv, it's more fun than someone normal. Don't get me wrong, Petra is a really sweet girl, but she was too normal for me... Feelings and relationships are confusing as hell." "I know," I said as I stared out of the window, taking in everything Levi said. "I don't understand why my two relationships lasted four or five months. I mean, I guess I do get it - I felt like I was forcing things with Jean, and Reiner was a dickhead. But why can't I have a long-lasting relationship?" Levi was silent, thinking about my words. Maybe we'll have a long-lasting relationship. Unlike her two previous relationships, there's nothing wrong with us dating. And unlike mine, I don't have feelings for anyone else. It was another five minutes until we reached the mini-golf site, and those five minutes were spent in a comfortable silence as both of us were drowned in our thoughts. "Hey? Darlin'?" "Sorry?" I spoke, turning my head away from the window to look at the male beside me. "We're here," he told me with a microscopic smile. "Oh, right." I grabbed my purse and opened the door, stepping out of the car before shutting the door. Levi locked his car and approached me with a certain glint in his eyes. I mentally smiled and reluctantly reached for his hand, my small fingers intertwining with his and he tightened the hold on my hand. Without my permission, a full-on grin sprung onto my lips as I mused on the fact that I was going on an actual date with Levi Ackerman. "What are you smiling about?" the short male inquired. "..." "Oi. You look like a creep now," he said when I didn't say anything, and only kept on grinning. "Hey, are you okay?" A frown wandered its way onto his face and he poked my cheek. Well, I always seem to love to just zone out so maybe he shouldn't be too concerned. I blinked twice, not realising I had just zoned out. "... I'm fine." "Are you sure?" "Yep," I assured him with a nod. He raised an eyebrow and I smiled up at him, causing a smile of his own to appear since he found mine adorable as fuck. ~/~ A light chuckle emanated from his lips when I attempted to hit the golf ball, but failed miserably. I may have gotten rusty over the years because years ago, I was remarkable. The raven came behind me, his torso barely brushing my back and I tried to fight back the blush. Since when did I act like a flustered schoolgirl around boys I liked?

His arms looped around me to hold the golf club my fingers were wrapped around. He then spoke, his breath caressing my neck and ear, "I swear, if you miss this, it's going to be hard for me to believe that you used to win tournaments. It's literally a millimetre away from the pocket and I'm helping you, so you better not fuck this up." I scoffed, lightly pushing him away from me but that didn't stop him from invading my personal space. "I do not need help, thank you very much. And that is not a millimetre, idiot, it's like a foot." "Shut up and take the shot; this is the last one." "If I get it in, what do I get in return?" "Another date." "Really? So you had fun?" "... Yes. Just hurry up." "Okay," I grinned. I took the shot and it went in. Obviously. Because I'm amazing. "Well done, darlin'. And before you say anything - yes, we are getting food now." I giggled and walked beside him as we went back to his car, deciding on what to eat. "I honestly don't mind. Pick whatever," I stated. "You better not complain about what I pick." "I won't. You know I'm not fussy with food, I'll literally eat anything." After some additional thinking, Levi asked if I felt like Chinese. Of course, no one could ever say no to that, so we got takeaway from the best Chinese restaurant I've been to before we drove to his apartment. "Isabel and Farlan aren't here, by the way," Levi informed me as he parked a short distance away. Both of us got out of the car and the male with steel orbs held the bag of our food. "Where did they go?" "I have no idea. But they both immediately decided to go out when I told them about our date." I smiled at the gesture. "Aw, they're so cute. I guess I'll need to thank them."

Levi unlocked the door and let me go inside first as he followed me, locking the door before taking his shoes off. I strolled towards the living room and flicked the light switch, illuminating the room. "You better not make a mess, brat." "Clean freak," I mumbled as I sat down next to him on the sofa. "What'd you say?" his inquired, narrowing his eyes. "Nothing, Shorty," I grinned with a wink. "Tch. Do you want to watch anything?" he asked, giving me my food and a fork. He stood up and went to the kitchen before coming back with two glasses and a bottle of soda. "I don't mind." "Are there any other words in your dictionary, other than 'I don't mind'?" "Well, I'll be happy with whatever which is why I say that most of the time." "Why are you so... not fussy?" "Why is that a bad thing?" I laughed. “And you only say that because you haven’t spent a specific day with me.” "What day?" "You'll know when it comes," I smiled, causing him to feel a bit uneasy. "You're making it sound like you become some beast or something." "Haha, you're not wrong." "You're scaring the hell out of me. Just tell me what and when it is." "I'm only going to tell you when it is. It might be next week." "Okay... I'm avoiding you for the next week." "Oi! You're so rude-- Hey, wait, I swear next week is our last week of the year." "Yeah." "So we have holidays. Oh my god. We're going to be in our second year of uni in a few months. Damn, time goes too fast. I don't even have plans." "Well, we have another date to plan. But I'm doing that after next week because I don't want to see you in beast mode." "Oh, yeah, I was meant to be shouting at you for being rude... You're so rude, you prick!" "I know, darlin'." "You know, if you add a 'g' at the end, you'll sound less like an asshole and more like a sweetheart." "Which is exactly why I won't add the 'g'."

"Jerk," I murmured before drinking the cool beverage in my glass.  We continued to eat while conversing about random shit that before we both cleared the coffee table that resided in front of the sofa.

I plopped down next to him on the sofa and rested my head on his shoulder, tucking my legs in on the sofa as an unexpected yawn left my mouth. "Why do I suddenly feel so tired?" I muttered, closing my eyes. "Do you want to go home?" Levi inquired softly. I shook my head, wanting to spend more time with him. "Are you sure?" "Yep. I'm just going to close my eyes for two minutes." Two minutes turned into twenty and I fell asleep without meaning to. "Hey?" Levi whispered, nudging me ever so lightly but I didn't open my eyes. "Darlin'?" he said quietly again, poking my cheek and I didn't awaken. "Two minutes, my ass," he murmured. The short raven found it difficult to move since my whole body was now leaning against his. About ten minutes later, Levi heard the opening of the front door which meant that Isabel and Farlan were home. The blonde male came into sight with the female trailing behind him. They both stared at the view in front of them, grinning and mouthing 'aw's, causing the raven to roll his eyes. "Farlan, can you pick her up without waking her up?" "Yeah. Where should I lay her down?" "... Put her in my bed. I'll sleep here on the sofa." "Are you sure?" Levi nodded as Farlan scooped me up and carried me to Levi's bed. Levi and Farlan shared a room as Isabel had her own, which made Isabel question if Levi was okay with Farlan sleeping in the same room as me. "Farlan won't do anything to anger me, it's fine." "Okay, then. Also, you seem different with (Y/N). Like, you treat her differently to Petra. Not in a bad way, though, you're more... caring and cute!" "Tch. Whatever. I just don't get how she fell asleep when it's only ten o'clock and she had a nap earlier." "Leave her alone. She's a sweetheart and there's nothing wrong with sleeping," Isabel told her friend with a frown, seeming to take a strong liking to me. Farlan came back into the room, sitting down next to Levi. "Anyway, I'm tired because of uni so I'm going to head to bed." "Okay." "Night, Isabel," Farlan smiled and the hyper female left the room. "... You are more caring towards (Y/N)." "I'm not." "Why are you denying it? It's not necessarily a bad thing. I guess you like her a lot more than Petra." "... Yeah, I do. She's not like other girls," Levi admitted as he leaned back against the cushion of the sofa, staring up at the ceiling as his best friend smiled. "I never knew that someone like her would be my type. She's nothing like me." "You two are a kind of similar, she's just more happy and smiley. However, she acts tough, loves to tease and annoy people she values, gets annoyed at things but still isn't as bothered as she seems to be. Both of you are just big softies on the inside." "Tch. We aren't similar. She would never purposefully hurt someone, she does selfless acts even if it will hurt her, and she's just a--..." "What? Why did you pause?" "I sound like an idiot. Thinking about a girl I went on one date with." "But you've known her for longer, it's not anything weird." "I don't like it. I sound cheesy and not like me." Farlan chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. "Soon enough, you'll be all lovey-dovey with her." Levi snorted. "Never." The taller male smiled and stood up. "I'm going to have a shower and go to bed. Night, Levi." "Touch her and you'll be sorry," the raven threatened, half-serious, half-joking. He then sighed, getting up to grab a pillow and blanket before settling back onto the sofa. He turned the TV on, seeing as how he wasn't going to sleep anytime soon.

~/~ Blinking a few times, my vision cleared as my gaze bounced around the room I was in. I then sat up, confused since I remember falling asleep in the living room, beside Levi. I glanced at the bed on the other side of the room and saw Farlan's sleeping face. I tilted my head in question before laying back down, knowing Levi or Farlan must have moved me here. That meant Levi was probably on the sofa. A small huff left my lips as I searched the bed for my phone that must have fallen out of my pocket during my slumber. I soon found it and lifted it to my face, seeing six missed calls from Hanji, along with several messages from her and one from Levi. Of course, Hanji would be worried about me since she wasn't informed that I fell asleep and hadn't heard from me since I left for my date. I decided to respond to her troubled texts and put her mind at ease, telling her what happened. Once I did that, I checked what Levi sent me. 'Did Farlan do anything to you?’ I rolled my eyes at this before responding with a simple 'no'. I soon got out of bed and left the room quietly, so Farlan doesn't wake up. Entering the living room, I saw Levi lying down on the sofa, covered with a blanket as he was on his phone until he heard my small 'hey'. He turned his head to look at me and discarded his phone. "Sorry about falling asleep and making you sleep on the sofa." "I don't care. Go freshen up while I make breakfast." Why does it feel as if this is a normal morning routine? Like I've lived here for a long time. I guess I treated him the same when he stayed over at my apartment. I did as he said and realised how bad my bed hair was so I tugged my fingers through it as an attempt to fix it. But they decided to be stubborn and I gave up, walking out of the bathroom to meet Levi in the kitchen. I peeked over his shoulder to see what he was making and he glanced at me from the side, quickly pecking my temple. "How does everything you make always smell so good?" "Because I'm an amazing cook." I playfully rolled my eyes as he continued to make breakfast. We spoke as he did that before we migrated to the dining table to eat, where we carried on our conversation. Once we finished the food, Levi stood up and took our plates, placing it in the kitchen before coming back to me. "Let's go out. The weather's nice,” he proposed. "But I don't have any clothes to change into." "You can borrow Isabel's." "She's smaller than me." "Tch. Just try something of her's on. She's already awake." "Should I borrow that unicorn shirt?" I smirked, reminding him of the incident that happened months ago. He glared at me before leaving to take me to Isabel's room. He knocked a couple of time before she gave permission for us to come in. "Oh, hi, (Y/N)!" she grinned, shooting up into a sitting position. "Hey," I greeted with a smile. "Isabel, can (Y/N) borrow one of your clothes, something that will fit her?" "Of course! What do you want to wear?" "Maybe a dress?" "Sure. Give me a few minutes." "Thank you so much." Levi and I wandered out of her room and waited for Isabel in the living room. It was quiet until the male opposite me spoke up, "... You can count this as a second date." "Already?" I inquired. "Yeah. Because... you're an adorable shit."

[ecoamerica]

Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!