The holidays zip by faster than you would've liked, and before you know it, you're thrust back into school and into the last semester of your undergraduate degree.
It's been a couple of weeks without a lot of socializing, so when Hange invites you over, you agree nearly immediately. You're excited to see Hange, and seeing Erwin might be nice- and now that you and Levi have a truce, it won't be awful to see him too.
The snow's not coming down today but it's certainly cold as hell, so finally getting in the door of Hange's house is a massive relief. "Hi!" you call, tugging your boots off. "I made it!"
"She made it!" you hear Hange holler, and then their head appears at the top of the stairs. "New year, new Vee?"
You scoff. "Hardly."
"Apparently, it's new year, new Erwin and Levi," Hange continues, and you throw your coat over the railing before you head up the stairs. "They've been to the gym four times this week! Although I think it's mostly been Erwin dragging Levi."
You're flashed back to the glimpse of Levi's abs you got in that motel room and you blink rapidly to get rid of the images. "Must be nice, having that time to yourself," you say.
"It is! I'm going to remodel the place."
"Don't even think about it," Levi says as you come up to the top of the stairs. He's standing in the kitchen by the kettle, wearing a black hoodie and sweats. He glances up at you. "Tea?"
"Yeah, that'd be great," you say, surprised. "Thanks."
Hange grabs you in a hug. "It's so good to see you," they say brightly. "I've gone through half of the notebooks you got me for Christmas!"
"Seriously? What do you do to them?"
"You don't want to know," Erwin says, emerging from the hallway. He nods to you. "I assume you had a good holiday?"
You smile bitterly. "Not nearly long enough."
"Amen," Levi mutters.
"Want to watch some crappy reality television?" Hange suggests eagerly, bounding into the living area. "There's this new one called Too Much To Handle. They throw a bunch of hot people on an island and then tell them they can't fuck, and they get super pissed."
You laugh, and then you realize Hange's not kidding. "Wait, that's a show?"
"There's something with money involved, but yes, that's the main idea," Erwin says. He's putting together some platter of crackers and cheese. "It looks awful."
"And you..." you trail off, glancing around the group. "You guys watch this stuff?"
Hange nods vigorously. "It's our guilty pleasure."
"All started when Hange put on the first episode of some stupid reality dating show," Levi grumbles, moving towards the couches with tea cups in hand. He passes one to you before he moves to sit down. "Absolutely god awful. Stupid people."
"But engaging," Erwin supplies. "We had to know what happened next."
"And thus began our tradition!" Hange says with a flourish of their arms. "Bad reality shows so that we can feel good about ourselves."
You shrug, sitting down on the other couch. Hange collapses next to you. "Sounds awful. I'm in."
"Woo!" They sling an arm over your shoulders, nearly knocking your tea out of your hands. "We've got another one for the crew!"
"No one deserves that, not even you," Levi mutters.
Your lips twitch. "Wow."
Erwin sets a tray of food on the table in front of the television; Hange turns the screen on and starts to hunt for the show. "Does this mean you two are on amiable terms?" he asks, sitting down on the couch with Levi. "You two seem to be in better tolerance of each other."
Levi's eyes meet yours. You sip your tea, indicating that you don't want to speak. It's good tea, actually- Levi put sugar in it.
"We made a truce," he says eventually.
You nod. "After the Christmas party."
Hange perks up immediately. "So you two are-"
"No," you and Levi say at the same time.
His eyes flicker to you, then back down to his tea. "We still hate each other," Levi says casually.
You nod. "Oh, of course."
"Not a single redeemable quality about her," he continues, sipping his tea. "It's like talking to a brick wall."
"Brick wall would be an upgrade for you, considering what I'd compare you to," you counter.
Erwin's smiling as he reaches forwards for food. "The usual then."
"Oh, come on," Hange complains, flopping back into the couch. "I wanted to put this on my matchmaker resume!"
"That can't be a long list," you mutter.
"It will be, if only you two would get together!"
"Let's just watch the damn show," Levi grumbles with a roll of his eyes. "Easier than listening to you two talk."
Hange sighs. "Fine, fine!"
The chipper show announcer starts to speak over a gorgeous shot of a beautiful island paradise, and you snag some crackers for yourself before you settle in to your spot next to Hange. It's nice, to be a part of a group of friends like this again. And the tea's not that bad.
You sip the hot drink again. There's definitely sugar in it. Your eyes shift to Levi; did he remember that you mentioned liking sugar in your tea?
His eyes are fixed on the television. He doesn't look over.
Hm. Your gaze turns back to the television, taking another gulp of tea. Maybe this year won't be so bad after all.
.
January, somehow, flies by.
The cold weather does nothing to deter the chaos of your floor, and the first years are back in full swing. Mike mentioned that he lost two of the kids on his floor- dropped out after first semester- and you're pleased to say that none of your first years met the same fate. Even Marco, the poor boy who was inches away from failing the first half of his first year, managed to scrape through.
You host a small get-together towards the end of the month, using some of your provided budget on some snacks and drinks for a Saturday afternoon rendezvous. Someone proposes a game of two truths and lie, and the first years start getting ridiculously involved.
"Okay, okay," Eren says, taking a sip from his hot chocolate. "I have an older half-brother, I... wait. Okay. My dad's a doctor," he continues, "and I survived a shark attack."
There's a chorus of shouts; Eren gets smacked around by several of the guys. "You can't make two easy ones and then one crazy one!" Jean protests.
"At least make it a challenge," Connie says, with Sasha nodding in agreement.
"Who says that one's the lie?" Eren challenges.
"Votes for option three being the lie?" you suggest, and every hand in the room goes up.
Eren stares around, jaw agape, and his eyes widen as they land on Mikasa and Armin, who's another kid from the floor you don't see too often because he likes to coop up in his room and study. "Traitors," he mutters, crossing his arms.
You roll your eyes. "Who's next?"
"I got it," Ymir volunteers. "I'm a raging lesbian, my father left when I was five, and I accidentally killed my pet hamster when I was nine."
"Holy shit, Ymir," Bertolt says in surprise.
"Pretty sure this isn't supposed to be a trauma dump," Reiner mutters.
You clap your hands to quiet the chattering group down. "Alright, guys, which one's the lie?"
"Not the first one," Historia murmurs, so quietly you nearly miss it.
"It's got to be the third one," Connie announces, snatching a cookie from the tray you had set out. "If Ymir was truly a killer, they wouldn't let her into university. Obviously."
"But if it was an accident," Sasha murmurs, taking the cookie out of Connie's hand before he can eat it.
Armin pipes up. "Maybe it's the second one."
Reiner gestures to Ymir. "Take one look at that and tell me she doesn't scream daddy issues." Ymir raises both of her middle fingers at him.
You laugh. "Okay, votes for option one."
Bertolt sheepishly raises his hand, and he's immediately booed. "Have you been paying any attention in first semester?" Jean demands.
"It's kind of obvious," Marco admits sheepishly.
"She's literally dating Historia," Eren says, gesturing between the blonde and the brunette.
Historia squeaks. "We- we're- oh, that's..."
She trails off, cheeks as red as a tomato. Ymir laughs and loops an arm around her shoulders, grinning wildly. Obviously, she's okay with the attention.
"Option two," you say, and a few hands go up. "Option three?" Most of the hands in the room go up. "Alright, Ymir, give us the big reveal."
"My dad left when I was three, not five!" Ymir gloats, sticking up both middle fingers again. "Suck on that, dickheads."
"That isn't something to be proud of!"
"Okay, my turn, my turn!" Connie announces proudly. The chatter settles down, and Connie gestures widely with his hands. "Okay, here goes. I've ridden more camels than I have horses, I accidentally nearly drowned my dad on a family vacation, and my full first name is Constantinople."
There's several yells. "Your name is what?!" Eren practically shrieks.
"No way," Marco murmurs.
"Say it again," Mikasa urges.
"Constantinople."
"Again."
"Constantinople!"
"Ain't no way," Jean dismisses, banging his fist against the table. "There's no way two people would go 'yes, the perfect name for my kid is Constant- Constance-' oh whatever the hell it is."
"Don't break my table," you warn.
A chorus of arguments breaks out with people insisting that Connie repeat the given first name ("He's not messing it up, so it must be true") and it's almost humorous how everyone has completely dismissed the first two options that Connie brought up (including the mildly concerning accidentally-almost-drowned-my-dad).
Your phone buzzes, and you temporarily ignore the chaos around you to check your phone.
Egotistical Bastard (13:47): report work tomorrow? modelling approach is due next week
A new semester means new class times- and unfortunately, the second part of your animal physiology class has switched to the evenings. With class three times a week going until 9pm each time, trying to work on a report after class isn't exactly ideal anymore. Without even having to discuss it, you and Levi have transitioned to working on weekends.
Your lips twitch. This is the first time he's suggested it and not you- you were going to text him later tonight, but he's surprised you by texting you first.
You (13:48): as long as these kids don't drive me crazy
Egotistical Bastard (13:48): crazier than usual?
You (13:49): of course
Hm. You think for a minute, then update Levi's contact name in your phone. At this point, you think he's earned it.
You (13:49): tmw at 2? I work a shift at 8 so that gives us plenty of time
Levi (13:50): sure
You (13:50): bring tea
Levi (13:51): i'm not your servant
You roll your eyes and tuck your phone away, looking back just in time to hear Connie declare, "ha! Fooled you all! Of course my full name isn't Constantinople!"
"But you said it properly every time!" Jean insists.
"That obviously doesn't mean anything!" Reiner protests.
You sigh to yourself and started trying to reign in the first years. Only three more months of this semester left- you hope you can hold on long enough to make it there.
.
He brings you tea.
As a thank you, you don't give him shit for it. You just take it from him and say something about his tardiness, and he gives you shit, as per usual. You try it: there's sugar in it again. The fact he cares enough to add it makes something warm inside your chest.
And, as usual, work goes well. You and Levi are done what you intended to finish within an hour, so the two of you settle into your alternate routine: studying, but honestly, it's just a bunch of bitching and complaining.
"Wait, wait, so Hange..." you laugh. "Hange's set off the smoke alarm how many times?"
"Last night makes the third time this month," Levi says with a shake of his head. "Trying to make pancakes at two in the morning."
"Pancakes? Seriously?"
"Something about a late night craving. Woke everyone up."
"Not you, I'm sure. Weren't you telling me you never sleep?"
"Fine. Woke everyone up but me."
You shake your head, rolling your eyes. "Of course they did. Were the pancakes good, at least?"
Levi shrugs, crossing his arms. "The ones that weren't burnt beyond belief, I guess. They had chocolate chips, so they were tolerable."
"Chocolate chip pancakes!" you exclaim. "Oh, that's worth a two in the morning craving."
"Not you too."
"What? They're good."
"Good enough that you'd wake up everyone on your floor?" he says, shaking his head. Levi pauses, then adds, "never mind. From the sounds of it, you live with a pack of hungry wolves."
You laugh. "Exactly. I swear, some of those kids have gone through half of their meal plan for this semester already, and it's only been a month. They're always hungry."
"You don't feed them enough?"
"I have nothing to do with it."
"No, you're somehow partly responsible."
You roll your eyes. "Of course you think so."
"I know so." Levi check his phone briefly, then glances over at you. "They sick of you and voted you out of leadership yet?"
"They don't get a choice."
"Lucky them."
Once again, your eyes roll. "Some of them have midterms as early as tomorrow," you say. Tomorrow's the last day of January, so theoretically, it's common for midterm season to start- but it still seems like it's all happened much too fast. "I did a thing with them yesterday- hosted a get together with some food. Seemed to calm them down well enough, but I know they're stressed."
"First years and all their stupid stress," Levi scoffs.
"Oh, come on. You can't tell me you weren't stressed in first year."
"I wasn't."
"I don't believe you."
"Only thing that's ever stressed me out is the dirty state of Hange's room. No exam holds a candle." Levi leans back in his chair, and his eyes meet yours. "Worst exam you ever took."
You frown. "Worst exam I ever took was..." you trail off. "Probably one of the first midterms I took in my first year. It was a massive step up from high school and I felt so out of my depth the entire test."
"Still came out of it with an eighty, I'm sure," Levi mutters.
You roll your eyes. "Not quite. How about you?"
He shrugs, still focused on his laptop. "Had to defer an exam in second year, and that one was shit. I had to write it with the prof staring at me the entire time. I wanted to throw something at him."
He deferred an exam? You're tempted to ask what for, but you keep quiet. "Still ended up with an eighty, I'm sure," you mock softly.
Levi's lips twitch. "Fuck off."
There's a howl of wind, and the two of you look towards the windows in the study room. The wind's been moderately noisy all afternoon, but now it's starting to snow. A storm's brewing.
Storm- shit. "I, uh, I'm going to get some stuff done before my shift," you say. "Just some RA business."
He raises his eyebrows, then nods. "Fine. I was just about tired of you anyways."
"Asshole," you mutter, rolling your eyes. "Fine."
You and Levi both pack up your stuff, and you nod goodbye to him as he leaves. The snow's starting to pick up- you hope he makes it back before the storm gets too bad. You don't actually have anything to do- you just figured you'd save Levi his pride and wrap up so he doesn't have to walk home in a heavy storm. Besides, it's not like you two had anything left to do in your report.
Time flies, and your shift time comes up faster than you anticipate. Fortunately, your shift with Mike goes well. It's a Sunday night, so it's not overly busy, and Mike is great company. You spend most of the time chatting to each other and trading gossip; Mike seems to know every single bit of drama that ever happened in the residence.
Something only goes wrong when one in the morning hits and you're stumbling home from your shift.
You're more tired that you realize when you tap your keycard against the doorway to your floor, walking down the girls' hall to get to your room at the corner. You yawn to yourself as you fish for your keys, but something behind you catches your eye.
Someone's in the boys' hallway. There's a person seated on the ground with their back against the wall, head buried in his knees. You walk towards them, curious, and as you get closer, you realize it's Connie.
"Connie?" you call, frowning. "What're you doing out here?"
He looks up, and immediately, you wake up. His eyes are red and his expression is painfully hollow, and he's clutching his phone so tightly in his hands that it looks like he might break it. When he meets your eyes, he forces a smile and says, "nothing, ma'am, I'm just headed to bed."
You crouch down in front of him. "Connie," you say. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, yeah..." the boy murmurs, trailing off. He wipes at his eyes with the back of his hand. "I'll be fine. Thanks."
Leaving Connie out here now doesn't sit right with you. "I can't force you," you say measuredly, "but you're always welcome to talk to me. I might be able to help."
Just those words alone cause Connie's expression to crumble. His façade falls away, and he blurts out, "I just got a call that my parents got into a car accident on their way home from a play they were seeing and they're both in St. Sina Hospital in critical condition and my younger siblings are home with the babysitter and have no idea and," he sputters out, gasping for a breath, "I have a midterm at eight thirty tomorrow morning."
Your lips part. What?
You don't know what to say, and for a second, you have no idea what to do. Connie's dropped an information bomb on you and you're reeling, trying to organize the information. His parents are in the hospital, and he's... he's got a midterm tomorrow?
Fuck. What do you do? What can you do?
You close your eyes, then reopen. You've got to try.
With a roll of your shoulders, you exhale. "Come on," you murmur, standing up and gesturing for him to follow. "Let's get out of the hallway."
Connie stares at you, blinking tears out of his eyes. "Wh- what?"
"I'm so sorry this is happening to you," you say quietly, trying to formulate a plan in your head, "and I want to try and help, if you'll let me. I'll get you to my living room and make you some hot chocolate."
"Oh- okay."
Connie stumbles to his feet and follows you down the hallway. Your head is spinning as you lead the way, unlocking the door to your room and trying not to lose your mind.
He collapses on your couch as you move to your kitchen, moving on autopilot to turn on your kettle, then grab a mug and your hot chocolate powder. Alright, what can you do? Mike is probably still awake- you only just finished your shift with him- so maybe you could take his car? He's let you borrow it before. It'd probably do Connie a lot of good to see his parents.
But there's the issue of his midterm tomorrow. Can you get him out of it? This is definitely serious enough of a situation to qualify for a deferral, but you've got no idea...
Fuck. Fuck, fuck-
Levi. Levi mentioned that he'd deferred an exam before.
You grab your phone, pulling open your contacts and clicking on his name. Would he be awake right now? He mentioned that he never sleeps. Maybe he's up.
Fuck. Is your go-to person really going to be Levi right now?
You swallow and thumb in the text.
You (1:05): you up?
Nothing to do but wait, supposedly. You'll give him five minutes; if he doesn't get back to you by then, you'll try something else. But you can't strand Connie, not when he needs someone right now and you'll all that he's got.
The text sends, and you sigh, turning off your phone. You turn back to Connie, who's still sitting on the couch, shivering. "I'll grab you a blanket," you say quickly, dropping your phone on the counter and going to your closet. You pull out your favorite fuzzy blanket and bring it to him, holding it out. He takes it from your hands. "You're safe here," you add, but you're not sure if it means anything to him or not.
Connie musters up a smile. "Thanks."
Smiling weakly, you head back to the kettle, which clicks to signal that it's done. You pour the hot water into the cup you prepped for Connie and stir in the powder, trying to keep yourself calm. This is above your paygrade. What the hell do you do? Connie needs your help and support but you don't even know what to do.
Trying to keep your hands from shaking, you set the hot chocolate mug on the table. "Anything else I can get you?" you ask.
He shakes his head, reaching for the mug. "No- no, I'm good. I'm intruding already-"
"No, you're not," you say sharply, frowning. "I'm your RA. This is my job. You are never intruding. I'm glad I found you."
Connie's smile is genuine, which makes you relax a bit. "You're the best RA we could've asked for," he murmurs, taking a sip. "And you make a mean hot chocolate."
You laugh quietly. Your phone buzzes on the counter, so you reach for it.
Levi (1:06): Tf do you want
Well, he's up.
You turn back to the first year. "Connie," you say softly, and he looks up. "I know someone that I think knows how to get you out of your midterm tomorrow, or at least postpone it to a later date. Are you okay if I call him and tell him what happened?"
Connie holds your gaze, thinking for a minute, before he nods. "Yeah," he whispers. "Thank you."
You force a smile and turn back to your phone, pressing the call button and bringing the phone up to your ear. It rings twice before Levi picks up and says, "it's one in the morning."
"Look, I wouldn't have called if it wasn't important," you say quickly, glancing back at Connie. He has his head tipped down, bundled in the blanket. Deciding that maybe you should give him a bit of privacy, you step into your bedroom. "I- I need help."
"And it couldn't wait until a reasonable hour?"
"No," you snap. You force yourself to breathe, trying to calm down. "I found one of my first years in the hallway, and he's shaken up and he- well, he- oh, I don't know," you say desperately, and the careful demeanor that you've been trying to keep up in front of Levi cracks. "He's a mess and he's got a midterm tomorrow- well, today, I guess, in seven hours, ish? You told me you deferred an exam once? So I thought I'd try. I need to..." you trail off. "I need to help but I don't know what to do."
There's a pause on Levi's end, and you start to beat yourself up in your head until he says, "midterm at eight am? Eight thirty?"
You nod, then after realizing he can't see you, say "yeah."
"That's shitty." There's another pause and some rustling, then, "he'll need the deferred form from one of the campus guidance counsellors. Or therapists. Same shit. Office doesn't open until..." he pauses, "seven. And they'll only excuse it if it's legitimate."
"Legitimate?"
"They're not going to let him skip a midterm if his girlfriend broke up with him."
You sigh, exhaling slowly. "His, uh..." You trail off, poking your head out of your bedroom. Connie's eyes are cast downwards and his gaze is so dark that it makes something sting in your chest. "His parents were in a car accident," you whisper, feeling heat behind your eyes as you say it out loud. "They're in critical condition in the hospital downtown."
Silence on the other end. You pinch your lips together, tipping your head back to glare at the ceiling and blink the heat out of your eyes.
Then, finally, you hear Levi speak. "Do you have a printer?"
"What? What does that have to do with-"
"Answer the question."
"Asshole," you mutter. You pinch the bridge of your nose. "I don't, but there's one in the main cafeteria."
"Is he responding to you?"
You glance out the door at Connie again; he still hasn't moved, his gaze still trained on the floor. The hot chocolate is half empty though, so that's a good sign. "Yes," you reply.
There's rustling on Levi's end. "How long ago did it happen?"
"He just found out. I think."
"Where are you?"
You blink. "Where am I? I'm in my room, dumbass."
He scoffs. "Yeah, asshole, where the hell is that?"
"On my wing of my floor, at the corner. What does that have to do with-"
"I'll be there in fifteen."
You're floored. He's coming over? "Wait," you say quickly, pacing across your room. "Wait, Levi, are you sure? The weather is-"
"Fifteen minutes," he says, and then he hangs up.
For a second, you're completely dumbfounded. Your mouth opens, then closes. It takes another ten seconds before you can collect yourself and put your phone back in your pocket, head still spinning.
It's a damn blizzard outside, and Levi's scared of storms. Why the hell is he coming all the way out here in the middle of a god damn storm? It was just a question- he could've told you who to contact or where to go to get that form. Why's he coming all the way out here?
Okay. You force yourself to exhale. It's fine. Levi's going to come over, and he's going to help. Never would you have expected that thought to be so relieving.
.
His phone buzzes. Who the fuck is texting him at one in the morning?
Levi scowls, then picks up his phone. His sour expression falls. You? Why the hell are you texting him this early? He shoots you a quick text back- tf do you want- but he doesn't turn his phone off, instead leaving it open to his chat history with you.
He glances back at his report. It's due at 8:30 in the morning and he's still got a fair bit he wants to get through- he'd been planning on working for another hour or so before submitting, so if you've got a question about something, he'll be awake for another hour.
Then, his ringtone goes off. You're calling him.
Levi panics for a second or two before he finally picks up his phone and forces out, "it's one in the morning."
You reply, something about needing help, and he quips back that maybe it could've waited until a reasonable hour. But then he hears the panic in your tone, the worry, and Levi immediately shifts to high alert. Something's wrong, and you're calling him for help. He can help you.
He asks you questions as he closes his laptop, then starts darting around to grab anything he might need- charger, hat, gloves. He starts jamming things into his pockets as he asks for where you are, staying focused on what you're saying to him, and then focusing on how you're saying it. You're calm; that's good. Makes it much easier for the poor kid you're with.
"I'll be there in fifteen," he says, moving to the door.
"Wait. Wait, Levi, are you sure? The weather is-"
You're thinking of his feelings at a time like this? Levi wants to laugh; your compassion is ridiculous. "Fifteen minutes," Levi interrupts, and then he hangs up.
"Levi?" Erwin pokes his head out of his room down the hall. He's got his glasses on; he must've been studying. "Is everything okay?"
Levi's already halfway down the stairs as he calls out, "fine. I'll be back."
And then he's gone, the howl of the wind and the viciousness of the snow not even at the forefront of his mind.
.
You guys are crazy- I love you all (even those of you that are, like, scarily horny). I promise, good things are coming- you're going to love chapter 11 ;) Thank you guys so much for reading!! See you next Friday!! <3