24
R I G H T O R W R O N G
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HE KNEW IT WAS WRONG to feel whatever he felt towards Irene. She, for one, was Hanji's ex-girlfriend. It would be wrong for him to even think of something else with her because of that. Another reason he thought of was that she still wasn't even over Hanji. She cried about her for two days straight, maybe even longer unbeknownst to him.
He rubbed his face with his hands, heaving a sigh in distress. The man was stressed about the entire thing. Only two days ago he had realized his feelings for her, and it bothered him greatly. Never in his life had he been in that position before. To be falling for his boss that was his friend's ex as well was something he never even thought of happening. It was a new feeling for him. One he hadn't had in years, but it certainly wasn't welcoming.
An exasperated sigh slipped past his lips when he heard his phone buzz with life. He recognized the vibration, it was the one he had set specifically for Irene Cider. His eyes fluttered closed as he rubbed them, trying to compose his thoughts about everything that involved his feelings for her.
"And they say that this is a wonderful feeling," he grumbled quietly, removing his hands and opening his eyes.
He grabbed his phone off the bathroom counter and read her message. He'd almost forgotten about how they were going to meet up to discuss his process about the photos he'd taken without her permission. Not just for that, but because she wanted to show him something at the location where she'd taken him to the buffet. Of course, it was just to assure if he was still able to come, something he learned she always did, even if it was work related.
Re-reading her message made the soft ripples of the dancing water form once again. Truth be told, it was also a churning sensation. He wasn't even sure if he was going to be able to go, especially in a yukata like she told him to. He didn't even have one.
A frown formed on his face as a reminder for his community services appeared on his phone. He knew something like that was bound to happen, that his work life and services would clash together, forcing him to choose between the two.
The words Hanji said, about telling Irene about his community services, came to light. A bitter scoff slipped past his lips when he recalled them, knowing he should have to prevent his situation from happening, but instead, he chose to avoid the topic to dodge the questions that would be slammed into him.
Levi wanted to see her, but he also couldn't miss his services. If he did, it would cause more trouble and made everything much more difficult for him.
He turned off his phone, not replying, and left his bathroom, slipping on a temporarily shirt before going to the kitchen where his roommate began to make something other than microwaved meals.
Furlan looked over at him, giving a small, teasing smile, amusement lingering in his calm gray eyes. Levi scowled at his expression, stomach still churning in distaste when he recalled how he'd fallen for the ridiculous trap.
The younger went back to preparing himself some food, knowing Levi was leaving soon. "You know," Furlan began, a chuckle slipping past his lips, "since you started working for Ms. Cider, we don't have to live on ramen or worry so much about bills."
Levi gave a small nod, his eyes diverting towards the kettle that boiled water on the stove. "You can quit one of your jobs very soon since we'll be able to balance out the money," he said, his gaze returning to roommate.
He gave a calm smile and gave a dry chuckle, shaking his head. "I'll keep it for another month just in case you manage to get fired somehow," he joked dryly, but Levi wouldn't have been surprised if he was being serious since it had happened before. "But, you might just keep this one since you've got a little crush on her," he winked, smile morphing into a smirk.
His eyes rolled, scoffing bitterly, but the dancing in his stomach became passive-aggressive. He couldn't deny it anymore, and he knew that Furlan already knew since he didn't defend his actions.
Instead, he changed the subject, wanting to get it off him. "Why are you boiling water?" Levi asked, motioning his hand towards the whistling kettle.
Furlan turned off that section of the stove and placed it on another side. He sent a small smile towards him. "You always smell like tea, and since we have some extra money, for now, I decided to get some tea packets to try."
Levi's eyes softened, guilt tiding over him when he recalled his wary behavior when Irene gave him her tea. He muttered a quiet thank you as his roommate began to prepare tea for the both of them, reading the box, unsure of how to do it.
The scent of herbs made his stomach churn in displeasure, a small frown on his face, noticing how it didn't smell like Irene's, despite it being the same kind. When Furlan was finished, he handed a cup to Levi. He placed it on his lips, looking at the light-brown color.
After it cooled down a bit, he took a sip, only for him to quickly swallow. He frowned in grimace, narrowing his eyes slightly, eyeing the liquid skeptically, Furlan's disgusted reaction and complaints muffled.
"It doesn't taste like hers," Levi mumbled, setting the cup down, grabbing the tea box and reading over everything.
Furlan's attention diverted away from the cup and towards him. "What do you mean?" he inquired, eyes flooding with confusion.
He grabbed the cup and poured the tea down the drain, disappointment lingering in his eyes. "Nothing," he muttered before going to the fridge and grabbing a bottle of water to wash the taste down. "Just that it tastes bitter and just straight up herbs."
"And it's weird since you always smell like it," Furlan said, mockery in his voice, "especially since you started working with a certain—"
"I won't be going to community services today," Levi interrupted, words leaving his mouth without a second thought.
That was his final choice, that was what he planned on going with. It was what he wanted. To him, it wasn't the wisest move in the book, but he needed to use this as a final answer, especially after his epiphany that was obvious to Furlan two days ago.
His words made Furlan's eyes to widen slightly, the shock evident. He was quick to narrow them, beginning to frown. "What do you mean, Levi?" he questioned with a small scoff, clearly displeased. "You can't just skip with your community services, especially since it's almost over. If you miss a day..." His voice trailed off and he heaved a sigh. "You said that Smith got them to not sue, you make a single mistake and they'll use that as an opportunity. Do you want to land in jail?"
As much as he didn't want to admit it, he knew Furlan was right. It was almost over, but he wanted to be with her. He wanted to get this chance to truly figure everything out, he needed it.
An idea ignited and with hesitation, he pulled out his phone, going to his messages. He exhaled and began to type out a message for Hanji, scornful eyes glued to his phone. "I know," he muttered, swallowing the lump in his throat, "but it's just this one day—I'm even telling Hanji—"
"Please don't tell me you're just skipping out to go meet your boss," Furlan pleaded in exasperation.
He remained silent before sending his message as he averted his gaze to him. "Yeah, I am, but—"
"Levi," the blond said carefully, exhaling softly as he tried to remain calm, "if you get caught, I can't do much. I've done everything I can, but everything with Isabel, your mom—"
"They have nothing to do with—"
"It has everything to do with them!" Furlan exclaimed, losing his composure and sending a look over at him. "You were trying to protect Isabel, but they don't understand that and look at us now. Your mom, she...Levi, don't just start doing ridiculous things for stuff you're unsure of. I respect you, I really do, but a single mistake will make us lose everything."
His roommate rubbed his eyes, jaw clenched as he did everything he could to remain calm. He heard Furlan heave a sigh, and he knew that he was everything but wrong. One wrong move could get him into trouble, and that would be the downfall of the two of them.
Levi ignored his message from Hanji and began to leave the kitchen. "I'll figure it out, don't stress over it," he said nonchalantly, but he knew he wouldn't deep down. "Just this once I need to figure things out, then I'll make up the service."
His roommate didn't say any other words, he just let him return to his room in a tense silence. When he closed his door, he heaved a sigh, shutting his eyes wearily. He rubbed them and walked over to his bed where he sat on.
He began pondering if it really was the right choice, to put his selfish desires before Furlan and him, before what needed to be done. He began to wonder if that's what his mother and Isabel would want, if they would want him to meet with Irene, or to just do the responsible thing and go.
A scoff escaped and he opened his eyes, looking over to the photo frame on his nightstand where his mother was. His heart ached and his eyes softened. "I think you would be pretty proud that I was allowing myself to feel this way," he mumbled.
This emotional pain.
His phone vibrated again and he pulled it out, seeing it's a reminder that he was supposed to meet Irene. His eyes landed on the message with Hanji, questioning if he was really all right.
Hanji 3 minutes ago
Don't go doing dumb things, Levi! I'll talk to Erwin about it, but you'll most likely have to make up the services.
That made him feel worse. To know that she was Irene's ex—to go meet her ex with the excuse that he wasn't feeling well. He sent an 'ok,' and threw his phone to his side, rubbing his eyes in distress.
"This will be it."