𝐰𝐞'𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 ; 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐢 𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧

Reason Ten ; II

YOUR BROWS WERE KNITTED TOGETHER, a huff leaving your lips as you frustratedly left the stairwell and made your way to the library. You muttered insults under your breath as your mind became muddled with confusion towards the past few weeks of your life: they both loved you?

Your best friend and your ex-boyfriend both had feelings for you, and most confusingly of all, you had feelings for both of them.

You wondered what they could be speaking about. Your imagination became clouded with different possibilities.

"Levi." Hange murmured, their eyes too filled with shame to meet with his.

"Hange. Talk."

Hange's soft lips parted as they tried to find the words to speak - they were the same lips you had kissed just moments ago. The same lips that felt soft as they crashed against yours; the same lips that tasted sweet like berries. The same lips that had spilt so many lied to you.

However, nothing but a sharp, hitched breath escaped.

They threaded their eyebrows together with a sad expression plastered on their face, their lips twitching down into a genuine, heart-broken town.

Levi clenched his sharp jaw with his thin brows bent downwards, "Hange-.." His voice softened, "How.. could you do that to me?"

Hange let out another short, hurt gasp, their eyes now refusing to meet his.

Levi took a step closer to his friend, his fingertips threading through his shirt: "When she returned four years ago.. you were the first person who knew of my feelings for her! I told you because I knew I could trust you.. because I knew you would listen to me."

"Levi-.." Hange brushed their fingers against his, before he pushed them back with a menacing expression on his face.

"You saw how I reacted when she left; you let me cry on your shoulder, for fucks sake.. and that whole time? That entire time, you were making plans take the only good thing in my life away from me!"

"It wasn't like that, Levi!"

Levi scoffed, his voice beginning to toughen with anger as his throat grew sore, "Y/N L/N is, and was, the only person I've ever loved; the only person I've kissed; the only person who truly knows me, inside-out."

Levi audibly inhaled through his nostrils as he took a few steps backwards, pressing his hand against his forehead as he attempted to catch his breath.

"And.." His voice cracked, "You wanted to take that from me." He glared over his shoulder, except the anger in his eyes had been replaced with pure sorrow, "Did.. I do something to hurt you? Were you trying to get back at me for something?"

"How ignorant can you get?" The Commander snapped as Levi's glaring eyes widened.

"Excuse you?"

"You heard me, Levi Ackerman!" Hange's exasperation increased as their fists balled together, "I've loved Y/N.. since the moment I first met her. She may know you inside-out, but I know her inside-out! Do you know what that does to a person?" Their voice cracked with genuine pain, "Being so deeply in love with someone.. for so unbearably long, just for them to not even pay you a second glance?"

A few moments of silence began to pass them as the gentle wind whistled on the rooftop of the barracks. The smell of grass from nearby fields lingered in the oxygen they both breathed, with a subtle, sweet aroma of flora.

Hange lifted their goggles above their eyes, pushing their fringe back as they used their goggles as a head band.

"I'm not expecting you to understand. You couldn't." They whispered, shaking their head with a fatigued sigh, "You don't know what it's like to love someone and not have them love you back, and you never have."

"I do. Thanks to you!" Levi's grey eyes rolled, "When you started taking her letters from me.. how do you think I felt?"

Hange's body tensed with pure apoplexy, "Exactly how I've felt since I was twelve years old!"

The wind began to settle as they both fell into agonising silence once more. Their pain; their love; their anger: they could smell the tension that polarised them both. Their eyes finally began to slowly meet: their gazes moved closer, inch by inch, until they were finally looking each other directly in the eye.

They both breathed out simultaneously, their eye contact speaking more than their words as they began to finally calm the storm raging inside of them."

"I don't want to fight with you." Levi muttered.

"Then maybe we should just end this. Once and for all."

"I guess we only have one choice, don't we?"

"I guess so, too."

Hours passed, time slowly dragging past you as you stayed sheltered in the safety of your bedroom. Each moment was eerily quiet, apart from the ticking clock on your wall that seemed louder and more oninious than usual.

All your mind could concentrate on was the tick.. tick.. tick.. of the rudely loud arm that swept around the circular clock.

Your back was pressed against the wallpaper behind you, your hands clasped around a note Hange had given you in an awkward rush in the hallway: all it stated was 'my office. 13:00. Need to talk.' You traced your finger down the edge of the paper.

The clock finally struck one as you slowly stood, feeling an ache in the back of your knees from staying in the same spot for so long. You dusted off your clothes, before reluctantly beginning to leave for the office just up the stairs.

With a single knock, you allowed yourself into the large room, being greeted by the eerily familiar presence of Levi and Hange in the office.

You swallowed at the sight, watching Levi's head reluctantly lift at the sight of you; his eyes looked sympathetic, which didn't help put you at ease as you wondered what this meeting was about.

Levi was leant against the desk, his arms crossed tensely over his shoulder; Hange was half against the book shelf with a somewhat calm expression.

It seemed as though their anger had subsided, both of their expressions seeming more flat than apoplectic.

You flinched as the door closed automatically behind you, instantly gasping for cold air as Levi's head shamefully lowered once more.

"I-.." You swallowed, "What's this about?"

"What do you think?" Levi began with a condescending tone, his eyes squinting with a sarcastic frown.

"Levi and I have talked.." Hange cleared their throat as their eyes glared towards him, "And we've decided that there's only one way to put this situation behind us."

Levi hesitated, letting out a sigh, "I'm sorry, Y/N," His sharp jaw clamped shut, "But you're going to have to choose."