A Second Chance (Levi x Reader)

Chapter 4

"Where the hell did all of my makeup brushes go?"

"Check by the sink." 

"Oh! Thanks, now where did I put my-" 

"Under your bed," you interrupted. 

Another loud sigh was let out from your roommate, but you didn't give in to her attempts of whining. Clutching your papers closer to your face, you continued to ignore the obvious distress Hitch was in. 

Winter cleaning. It was something that everyone in the dorms -especially Hitch- has been dreading these past couple of days. While you only really needed to clean out your desk and bag, Hitch was going through a near-mental crisis trying to appease the hall RA before signing out. 

"I'm really gonna miss Jean, and you!" Hitch called out, letting a random piece of clothing fly out towards where you sat. "I wish I could just pack you all up and take you with me back home."

Lowering your stack of papers, you averted your gaze back down to your roommate, who was now halfway under her bedframe. You listened to her airy gasps as she continued to sift through what sounded like empty water bottles.

-You would have liked to go home as well for the holidays, and deep down you were envious of the fact Hitch had so much to see and do. While your parents made it pretty clear they wanted to go on a solo vacation this year, you were pretty much expected to spend break by yourself.

It was fine, really. A quiet campus, a vacant dorm, and an empty coffee shop didn't seem all that bad. You were determined to make the most of it while you had the chance. And, if it comes down to it, you could always travel back home. It's been a while since you got to sleep in your own bed anyway. 

"You'll be back before you know it," you sighed, throwing the last of your graded assignments away. It was a little too apparent that you were annoyed this time, because Hitch only listened with her brows raised. "And besides, I'm sure Jean has something up his sleeve, something festive and cheesy." 

The room became awfully quiet after that. Hitch, still sitting among her pile of belongings, only stared back at you with what looked like pity. 

You knew deep down that Hitch had her own set of opinions on Eren, opinions that you didn't really want to hear. After explaining the predicament of staying on campus while Eren was doing God knows what, her disapproval was more than obvious; normally she would spring at the opportunity to talk shit, but she was being mindful of what to say. 

It was already hard enough to maintain privacy nowadays; the fine line between giving advice and bragging has only become a blur. It was all nothing but a mess.

Taking a small breath, you began to clear your throat, set on changing the subject to save what little time the two of you now had. But before you could utter a single word, a loud vibrating knock erupted from the other side of the room.

The two of you flinched, shifting your attention toward the dorm entrance. There was a long pause before the knocking started back up again. Turning back to Hitch, you watched as she muttered a small "shit" before turning back to her bedframe. 

"Were you expecting someone?" you questioned, standing up so you could dust yourself off.

"I'm not here!" Hitch whispered back harshly. Before you could question or even reject the girl's request, she slid back underneath her bed, disappearing once more. 

You stood there for a moment wavering on what to do. Seeing as Hitch didn't dare to move or say another word, all you could do now, was in fact, take care of it.

What could it be this time?

Tightening your grip on the door handle, you slowly opened the door, peeking half of your face out toward the hallway.

To your surprise, Marlo was standing there. Hands behind his back, as if concealing something from view, you only stood there awkwardly once you saw the tired look on his face. 

"Marlo...hi," you started, speaking loudly enough so your roommate could listen in. "What brings you here?" 

Raising his eyes towards you, you watched as he looked back and forth from where you stood, to the mess laid out behind you.  

"Has Hitch signed out yet? I brought a parting gift."

You watched as the man turned his arms back around, revealing what looked to be a small bouquet. 

...Sunflowers? 

You hesitated on what to say next, watching as Marlo's hand slightly shook. 

He must have been busying himself with studying these past few days. Anyone could tell just by how fatigued he looked. You began to wonder if that was because he needed the distraction.

"I'm really sorry," You lowered your eyes, realizing now that he had his suitcase sitting beside him. "But she just left a few minutes ago."

A soft chuckle left the boy's lips, as if he was already bracing himself for such an answer. 

"Leaving a huge mess for you to deal with," he smiled. "That sounds about right." 

You eyed the sunflowers sitting in his grasp, observing the yellow hues that he had to offer for the girl. If you had to guess, Hitch would have preferred roses. You were curious about whether or not he'd throw them out, and you were even more curious as to why he thought bringing gifts for his situationship was okay. 

"Well, you might as well keep these then," he spoke again, lifting his shoulders upward. "They probably have a better chance at surviving with you anyway."

Raising his hands towards you, you could only accept the gift awkwardly, seeing as turning him away would come off as rude. 

"Thanks, Marlo," you looked away. "I hope you have a good break."

And with that, you watched as the man disappeared down the hall with his suitcase in hand. 

It was very unlikely that the two would ever meet again after this, especially with someone like Jean sitting in the middle of it. Who knows what he'd do if he ever found out.

"I told him to stop sending me gifts." 

You turned around, facing the sudden voice that found itself behind you. 

There was a tense, embarrassed look on the girl's face. You could only frown as she brought a hand towards the vase, grazing the petals with the ends of her fingers. 

"Maybe I'm wrong but," you paused. "I don't think he'll be sending anything else after this." 

"What makes you say that?" Hitch tilted her head, watching as you set the vase on the counter. 

"He just had this look, it's hard to explain," you sighed. 

Turning back to your roommate, you could only smile. In an attempt to lighten the mood, you grabbed the role of trash bags sitting beside the vase. 

"Enough about that though," you waved. "We have a mess to clean, don't we?" 

Letting out a whine, Hitch only looked down to the mess at her feet with a frown. She knew she couldn't refuse; this was the only time you would offer your assistance. 

After all, you've grown to hate the sight of dust.