#Levi would be like a solid 6

[happybird16]

On a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being easy-peasy and 10 being abso-fucking-lutely impossible, how difficult would it be to get your fave(s) to let you paint their nails? What color would you choose?

[prickly-paprikash]

Pushing aside the fact that I am, quite possibly, a Kendrick fan—disregarding my biases, I think Drake needs to stop. Push Ups was a good diss. Surface level, vapid, but it possessed that mean, petty spirit that carries a diss track all the way. Even bringing up accusations that are, realistically speaking, unlikely still works because a diss is supposed to show just how much you hate a person and how cleverly you can bring it.

Taylor Made was weird. I get that it was a strategy. Drop the main diss first and then drop this one to really prod at Kendrick. Using Pac and Snoop AI voices sucks though. Distilling Kendrick as Taylor's underling also doesn't work because Kendrick only collaborated with her once (twice when they remade Bad Blood) and that's it. Meanwhile Drake is out here always looking for new, up and coming artists to pounce on their trends or cling to established artists. Then it got taken down, because of course it would have been. You used 2Pac's voice. Did you really think his estate, his family, wouldn't do anything?

So he bought Pac's ring and used his voice without permission. More and more we see just how much of a vulture Drake is.

And then Euphoria drops.

Your first diss was met with solid reactions. Your second got taken down. Kendrick drops on a random hot Tuesday, and in a matter of hours surpasses your numbers that took weeks to accumulate. Kendrick did that. Euphoria was also harsh, clever, and sounded so good that people kept replaying it over and over again. Once more, Kendrick schools you.

A few insiders then say that Drake will drop that night. Right after. But he then allegedly gets cold feet. A few hours later from when Drake was supposedly ready to drop but backs out, Kendrick drops 6:16 in LA.

In your previous disses, you begged Kendrick to drop something with quintuple entendres. Euphoria did that. But he took it a step further by naming his second diss 6:16 in LA.

June 16: Father's day. Referencing the fact that Drake has been proven to be a deadbeat father.

June 16, 1971: Tupac's Birthday. Kendrick idolizes him. Drake steals from him.

June 16, 2019: First episode of Euphoria drops. A show Drake is listed as a producer on. A show about underage girls entering a life of sex, substance abuse, and more. Things that Drake has been accused of repeatedly in the past.

June 16, 2011: in June 2, 2011, Kendrick posted on his twitter that there will be a concert at Toronto on 6/16. Allegedly this is where Drake and Kendrick first met.

6:16 AM: The time of release for this track.

6:16: Multiple possible Bible verses, given Kendrick's Christian background.

Other claims felt like reaches though, so I'll stick to that.

The final two lines of 6:16 also reference the Michael Jackson, R. Kelly, and their song "You Are Not Alone". Drake, who has always claimed he is Michael Jackson or at the very least his equal/successor, is now tied to him in a way he does not want. Because we know all of the dirt that came out after MJ's death. We all know what R. Kelly was sent to prison for. And we all know what Drake has been accused of multiple times.

Kendrick also alludes to the fact that you have a leak in your circle, Drake.

So Drake drops Family Matters. A scathing 7 minute song that makes fun of the GKMC van. Saying that Kendrick's daughter isn't his. Saying that his wife cheats on him with security. Saying that he beats his wife.

Now, these are enormous accusations levied. But Kendrick has responded before, years ago, that the DV accusations were false. He has also always been open about his faults. Adultery. Sex addiction. Insecurity. God complex. Kendrick, for better or worse, has always laid out nearly every aspect of his younger life on his songs. This also helped by the fact that in both Euphoria and 6:16, Kendrick says that Drake has spent millions on finding dirt on him but came up with nothing. Again, these accusations can still be proven true and if so, Kendrick needs to be held accountable for them.

But if not? Then Drake just adds another to the pile of "He's a liar and a master manipulator."

Drake also posts a Parody on his Insta that gains little to no attention because 30 minutes after dropping Family Matters and supposedly going on his victory lap, Kendrick drops meet the grahams.

Another thing. 6:16's cover was a glove. That meant nothing to us, the audience. meet the grahams makes it make sense by zooming out of the glove and showing off a shirt and drugs that Drake supposedly uses. Drake has not had any receipts with his accusations against Kendrick. Kendrick puts Drake's supposed prescription, his full name, on a bottle of Ozempic. Kendrick, for now, seems to make good on his threat. OvO, Drake's company, is full of leaks. And they're leaking it straight to Kendrick Lamar.

Nearly 24 hours later, Kendrick drops Not Like Us.

Euphoria was a general character dissection and assassination of Drake: Insecure about his identity as a biracial man. Culture Vulture. Blaccent user. Code switcher. Fake abs. Womanizer. Misogynist. Using black features just to feel black enough. A deadbeat dad that knows nothing of raising a child. And even revokes Drake's ability to use the N-Word (I have no stake in that I am Asian so I will keep my brown mouth shut for that).

6:16 in LA was an ominous threat that slowly reveals that Kendrick has insider information on Drake. That he is ready to leak so much more should Drake continue.

meet the grahams is a brutal open letter to Drake, his parents, and even to Adonis, Drake's son. Saying that Kendrick could be a better mentor to Adonis. Saying that Drake abandoned you and that's not your fault. Don't be like your father—whatever anyone says, for better or worse, you are a black man and don't code switch just to make yourself feel better. He says that Drake failed his mother for what he did to women. Saying that Drake's father is the cause of his gambling issues. Drake is a body shamer. Leaving the mother of his children to rot. And of course, the reveal that Drake has a secret daughter, the same way Pusha T revealed Drake has a son. Adonis.

And of course, now. Not Like Us. Where Kendrick goes all in on one topic that he has alluded to in every diss track before. Drake is a groomer. A pedophile.

I am sick. I should not be tuning into this beef. But my fever can go ahead and end me, I need to know how this ends.

[sparkbeast20]

Can't guess

Part 1

Lucifer: What do you mean, you can't tell who's the father!

Solomon: Normally, we can do a Paternity test to know who's the father.

Solomon: So I took MC to the human world-

Diavolo: Without my permission I may add.

Solomon: 😊

Solomon: So we got to the clinic and... Let's just say this pregnancy is too dangerous for the human's mind.

Satan: So that counts you out, since this baby is supernatural-

Solomon: Oh? I'm as powerful then any of you. Just because the child cause the doctors and nurses to go insane that does mean I'm out of the count of the potental father of this child.

Belphie: Of course, being here you're causing us to go insane.

Simeon: Wait, are the humans alright?

Solomon: They're fine. *He was lying*

Diavolo: ...

Solomon: Now back to the pregnancy.

Solomon: We can only make a guess on who's the father by MC's change of behavior.

Solomon: In the past, the mother display aggressive behavior when they were carrying a demon spawn.

Solomon: From what I gathered, they didn't know who was the father of those spawns, so we don't know if the mothers would display the behavior of the demon father or its a common symptom of Aggression.

Lucifer: How long would the pregnancy take?

Solomon: ... About 12 months.

Mammon: What!!!

Solomon: Or 6 months. Again there isn't actually a solid pattern of these demon to human pregnancy.

Simeon: What about an Angel Pregnancy?

Solomon: Don't know, no one gets to record them since "Someone" Keep interfering.

Simeon: What's the suppose to mean, friend?

Solomon: You know exactly what I mean, Simeon.

Simeon and Solomon glare at each other.

Barbatos: Oh my.

Lucifer: can you two stop being petty- What's with the grin Diavolo?

Diavolo: Oh? It's nothing.

Barbatos: I sense something bad about this.

Diavolo: Well. if you two must know, I think I have a higher chance of being the father.

Lucifer, Barbatos, Satan, and Belphie: ...

Diavolo: My blood is the strongest-

Belphie: I call bullshit on that!

Diavolo: Oh? *Turn to Lucifer and Barbatos, waiting for them to interject*

Lucifer: What? I agree with Belphie.

Diavolo Oh!

Barbatos: Smugness doesn't suit you, Milord.

Meanwhile in the other room

MC: I can I have some Beel

Beel: *Feels conflicted* Sure

MC: Yeah!!

Mammon: *Enters the room and growled when he saw Beel feeding you* Oi!!

Mammon: *He rushes over and pull you close to him* Who said that you can feed her?

Beel: *Deep down, he feels challenge by Mammon* She was hungry, and ask if she wants some.

Mammon: Oh? What! you think that the kid is yours?

Beel: *Stood up and looms over Mammon* Yes.

Mammon: *Gently push you to the side and got up at Beel's face and growled*

Asmo: Oh? the tension is real!

Asmo: Anywho, I'm taking MC to my room-

Asmo: *Stopped when a tail wrapped round his arm* Let go, Levi

Levi: No.

MC: *Senses trouble you slowly back away and quietly leave the room*

MC: Damn, these fuckers are going to kill each other before the baby is born-

Luke: Baby?

MC: Gah! Luke! When did you get here?

Luke: Simeon and Solomon took me along but said I should stay at the kitchen because they are having "Adult talk" with the brothers

MC: I see.

Luke: You're having a baby!!

MC: Yeah, it seems like it.

Luke: Who's the dad?

MC: ...

MC: We... Don't know exactly.

Luke: Huh? I thought you'll know the dad the moment you found it.

MC: "How am I going to say that I was whoring around with all the guys"

MC: It's a mystery.

Luke: ... *Looks down*

MC: What's wrong?

Luke: No-Nothing.

MC: Come on, Luke. You can talk to me.

Luke: ...

Luke: Would you still love me, even if the baby comes.

MC: Oh! Luke *You pull him into a hug* You'll always have my love. I can't never ignore you.

Luke: *Smiles and hugs you back*

MC: *Pulls back* Now, lets get out of here. Stay here is stressing me out.

Luke: Yeah! Stress is bad for the baby.

You nod and the two of you head out. As you two got far you both hear a loud crash from the HOL.

Luke: What was that!!

MC: Ignore it. When hasn't a day when something in that house broke.

Luke: Hm... Good point.

[nogenderbee]

♡˗ˏ✎*ೃ˚ 𝔸𝕥𝕥𝕒𝕔𝕜! ₊˚ˑ༄

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ anon request: Hi, I hope you're having a good day/afternoon/night :) I'd like to ask you for some platonic headcanons (although if it's not your style it's okay to ignore it) about the demons in obey me and how they would react if MC saves them from a surprise attack by a demon hunter (whether she ends up very injured or not I leave it to your choice 😉)

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Hello! I love this idea honestly. But I take up to 8 characters and there's total of 9 demons in OM! that I write for so I removed Lucifer and did the other demons because they're getting too little love </3 Hope you won't mind this little change and still like it!

Also I really hope I did platonic for everyone- I might've got ahead of myself and automatically did fluff for some so... lemme know if that happened!

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ platonic, TW: mentions of reader dying, small descriptions of cutting/sword swinging

✧ the moment news about demon hunter going around Devildom spread, you were paranoid and the weight of calming you down landed on Mammon

✧ your age didn't matter, he'd take you to casino to relax. Or... he'd want to... if you're too young for it Lucifer or security would definitely kick his ass for trying to do that

✧ luckily tho, he wasn't worried about you since the demon hunter obviously hunts just demons, even he knows that!

"Don't ya worry, human! I'm called THE Great Mammon for a reason!"

✧ but the moment he crosses patches with one... he's actually more concerned about you than himself

✧ he's gonna step in front of you, assuring you it's alright while it's actually him who's considering if it'll be better to fight or run away

✧ and the moment YOU save HIM is like a hit to him... I mean, he was supposed to protect you, not the other way around! But you'll still catch him blushing from emberassment as he mutters small thank you. Bur you better listen because he's not repeating it!

✧ that's if you wint end up dead... if you do, he actually breaks into tears when he realizes he lost someone important again...

✧ the demon hunter might not be here anymore but even then, he makes a promise to your empty eyes

"I'll make them pay... for doing this to you... I'll be the one protecting you this time. I won't fail for the 3rd time."

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✧ Levi would be just as if not more scared than you

✧ he's already isolating, what made you thought he'd even consider going out in such a circumstances? Well... you would...

✧ after solid 6 months, even you calmed down and figured that demon hunter must've calmed down so you thought you might as well go game shopping with the third brother!

"Uh... seriously? What if that demon hunter is walking around? No, don't go alone!! Alright I'm coming..."

✧ but as he imagined, 6 months were definitely not enough to calm down... because just before you entered the game shop, you had to be push Levi aside or he'd get hurt

✧ if you didn't got hurt badly, he'll definitely first talk them off but he will summon Lotan without hesitation if they decide to make second attempt

✧ but if you did got hurt badly... he summons Lotan immidietly, not caring about consequences, he just wants them gone after seeing you in this state

✧ but surprisingly you didn't even felt a single drop on you, he was ready to destroy all the buildings in this city but made sure you won't be anymore hurt

"Y/N please tell me you're alright... and that I didn't hurt you more... c'mon they're gone now, let's go back home, this store had nothing that catched my eye anwyay..."

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✧ Satan was the wise one here, like usual. He figured news must be playing jokes or that the problem will pass soon enough, so after 2 months, after news completely calmed down, he tried calming you down as well

"Remind me, for how long this 'demon hunter' had been quiet? 2 months, exactly. No murders, no signs, just quiet. You're being paranoid, Y/N."

✧ he eventually had enough and took you out by force to show you no one's scared anymore and it's just you

✧ but as he was dragging you along, focused on not bursting with anger from your whining, he didn't notice the swing which you took

✧ it definitely left a bruise on you, but let's assume it didn't kill you! He'd still be pissed, the moment he sees blood on you, he's already in his demon form ready to hunt down anyone who did this to you

✧ and if you're actually dying? He'd make sure to remember their facial characteristics, he want to run and get vengeance but he also knows you're close to death and need help QUICK

✧ but in the end, he can't save you... he becomes even more angry on daily basis and will hunt down anyone who looks at least a little similar to that demon hunter, he didn't care if it wasn't them, he can't risk not trying

"I'll make you pay... I won't kill you once, but 100 of times, so you can feel what you did to them."

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@miya-akane - come get your cat lover!

✧ let's be honest, both you and Asmo were absolutely terrified at the news of demon hunter going all around Devildom

✧ you can't count how many nights you two spend together and how many times he complained to you that he's running out of his beauty products but doesn't dare to go out alone

"I can't go alone!! Y/N c'mon... I'll buy you something too!"

✧ it wasn't helping your worries but you really had enough of his whining... so you figured one hour in the city shouldn't hurt! I mean, what's the chance demon hunter will appear in this exact city at this exact hour?

✧ well this hour apparently was enough... you didn't even had good luck around when you noticed something shining as Asmo was still rambling... you quickly realized it was a sword and without second thought, pushed him away

✧ at first, he was a bit upset because you pushed him on dirty wall, ruining his outfit but upon realizing WHY you did that, his emotions shifted on the person who caused it in the first place

✧ seeing the cut on you made him absolutely furious, and believe him, he wanted to fight. But whether the cut is deadly or not, he'll rush back home with you

"Ugh! They're the real demon here! Hang on Y/N... I will not let you end like this."

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@vodka-glrl - come get your pretty princess~

✧ Beel was actually quite cautious but still confident in his skills, always assuring you he can manage even if he gets attacked

✧ but you still insisted on going with him anytime he goes out, so that's how it also was today

✧ and he's actually more careful when he's walking with you so that's actually good for you both

"We should get something to eat while we're at it... I'm not this focused on my surroudnings when I'm hungry..."

✧ it was just the moment when Beel's stomach was growling that the demon hunter striked before he knew it. And before demon hunter knew it, you got in front of ginger demon

✧ it won't be a lie when I say his heart stopped for a second when he saw a sword making an injury on you, he even threw his food away just so he could fight the one who did that!

✧ believe him, that demon hunter tasted better than the food

✧ now, you injury doesn't matter, injury is still very risky for humans, he'll just be more worried if it's deadly one

✧ he's definitely not leaving your side, be it when you're alive or a ghost, he promised himself to always have an eye on you

"Hey... I brought your favorite snack... I thought we could... eat together or... appreciate it... however it wouldn't sound..."

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✧ Belphie is kinda simoliar to his third brother with it... why go outside and risk your life when you can sleep?

✧ you literally don't have to worry about him because he not only sleeps through whole days but also keeps you trapped so you can't go in the city, the only source of news for you is tv and media

✧ so when you heard cafe's are opening again as Devildom have calmed down... you thought it could be nice to go back to your dates!

"Uhh... it's so early... didn't that demon hunter just kill someone 2 days ago? ... Maybe 2 months, same thing... let's sleep together, it can also be a nice date..."

✧ you'll literally have to force him to go outside, not because he's scared but because he's lazy, and looking at how it ended... he'd actually prefer if he was stubborn enough to pin you to bed and not go out...

✧ because when you went outside, he just saw blade in one second and your injury in another

✧ no matter of your injury is deadly or not, he'll throw his fists at the one who caused it

✧ he's having flashbacks now and trust me, he'll go all the way out, especially with deadly injury

✧ he looks so scary and ready to kill, but once you're alone, he breaks...

"I'm so sorry... I'll save you in another life, I promise... Believe me, I or anyone won't hurt you once..."

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@miya-akane - come get your sleepyhead~

✧ Diavolo just wanted to see human world, he didn't expect there was still something like 'demon hunters'. And even if, he made sure to disguise as human well!

"Well isn't that nice... You certainly have quite a culture! What do you recommend we visit?"

✧ apparently tho, it wasn't good enough because in one second he was sharing a donut with you and enjoying the time, and in another he saw you getting in front of him we someone swinged their sword right through your stomach

✧ if you didn't end with deadly cut and more of a warning one, he'd manage the situation, it was just the attack from surprise that caught him off guard

✧ he chooses to try persuading them first but if that won't work, he'll only break their weapon and eventually knock them down, not wanting to cause too much damage

✧ poor boy will be like a puppy following you around because he feels guilty for this whole situation

✧ but if you did end up with deadly cut... he feels like he failed. Failed as your partner

"I'll do better from now on... I promise."

✧ his heart was telling him to get vengeance but his mind was telling him to wait... so with small sadness he tried persuading this demon hunter to give it up but when it obviously doesn't work, he will 'accidentally' finish their life

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✧ you decided to accompany Barbatos with his tea shopping in human world, thinking it could be nice to spend some time together and learn a thing or two about tea

"Now we'll be heading there. I know it seems like shady place but believe me, it's actually the opposite. It'll be best if you see for yourself."

✧ but he for one had a bad feeling about it... he tried keeping his guard up but in one moment, when he was checking what's tea made of, he let his guard down...

✧ he just heard you bumping into his back, making him turn around, realizing he was lost in his thoughts for a little while

✧ he'll be so relieved when he sees you with just a little scratch and makes sure to scare the demon hunter you're dealing with, be it with his appearance or be throwing them into wall, it all depends how cooperative they'll be

✧ but if you ended up with no chance of living, he wouldn't care to scare them off and would rather immidietly end them, apologizing while reporting to his lord for what he did

"How can someone so careless even call themselves a good butler... Eh... maybe I could mess with time again... just a little bit..."

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[leviismybby]

on a scale of 1-10 how attractive do you find the vets?

Oh this is a fun question anon! :))

Levi: Smash. Obviously he breaks the scale, so a 10. I don't think this is a surprise to anyone haha.

Erwin: Heh, okay I am not into blonde men unless they are Nanami. I have written for Erwin before tho, he has his moments. So a solid 7, he just isn't my type. I also love his nose shape lmao.

Hange: Love them so much even tho thier personality would overstimulatie me, they get a 7 like Erwin. Love thier nose shape too.

Miche: Oh, he is a big dude, I dig that but I don't find Miche that attractive, he is getting a 5 I am sorry. I love him lots tho.

Nanaba: Hmm, see she is a 6 to me, she is pretty don't get me wrong but again, blondes just don't do it for me.

Moblit: Meh but a sweetheart he gets a 4, I like him, he just isn't that attractive in my eyes. He is cute tho.

Would I let them all hit tho? Yes, yes I would.

[swallowtailed]

palisade 62 / finalisade side b track 6

on palisade!

one thing about fatt, they can stick a landing. more specifically austin and jack by their powers combined can stick a fucking landing. tbh let me talk about the outro first, actually:

stunning final track. loved hearing it morph from the palisade theme into other tunes.

a joy to hear from parti one last time!! probably my favorite npc of this season.

and to lift back out into the frame of perfect imperfect as hosted by layer luxurious (broadcasting from the planet of palisade, which is a lovely touch)—it’s my audio drama past coming out, but i do so love a diegetic radio show. we were promised that we would hear the end of the perfect millennium! and we did! satisfying.

i wasn’t sold on the plot of this sortie, but janine brought it home—has been bringing it home all arc. her work in this finale has been really, really cool. super solid science fiction. going from questlandia back into armor astir felt like an odd zigzag—much like dipping into and back out of the mirage—but the thread of blossoming sentiences was very strong.

(would like to take time to dig into the thematic structure of this season, now that it's over, but for now i am just pointing at it)

god, just knowing that brnine survived, and continued the fight… that's a win. closing on them bantering with thisbe was, i agree, the perfect final image.

brnine’s gravity clock changing to “thisbe is an important part of my life”... thisbe saying they’re a good captain and asking to watch a movie, and brnine immediately teasing her… they’re friends ;-;

also—season about grief—it was jokes, but thisbe saying “i was stating a fact, i wasn’t mourning�� and brnine replying “sounded like mourning to me”, and ending palisade on that exchange… a good note of closure on that theme, i felt.

there’s been a lot of excellent character work this season—brnine, thisbe, cori, figure, jesset, and august all stand out to me. i’m trying not to make this post too long but man. genuinely incredible stuff.

perennial blooming again with thisbe’s gift of the pollen was really lovely. as was all the imagery in that scene

thisbe throwing sixes to speak with perennial was so Dice Game. one last little bit of serendipity for the road.

also thisbe being integrated with various different ways of being is very “it’s not a field it’s a garden” to me

i am looking forward to seeing how they treat this new phase of the divine cycle, because a transformation like that of the divine arbor would be devastating to a lot of lifeways & ecologies. it is far from the only time this has happened in the divine cycle! but it’s a great chance to concretize that. kudzu and other invasive species were raised in a previous ep; i’m also reminded of area x from jeff vandermeer’s annihilation. what i would like to see: a focus on new social forms, cf scavengers reign. fatt typically does not dig into ecologies, land relationships, etc, but perhaps they will look more in that direction in the divine arbor’s new world? who knows. either way i’m gonna be sitting here talking about ecological readings because unfortunately i do think it’s important and relevant lmao. (while i’m talking on the season scale, this is something i really want to see in sangfielle as well. which is a setting that even more deserves some time spent on the land.)

cori’s scene with elle was great. her storyline this season has been so fun—losing none of the bravado, but coming more into herself. i thought she was gonna give elle some of her blood but a ritual knife is probably a better gift.

can’t wait to see where they’re at next divine cycle season!!

“if only you could get five more minutes” made me laugh

glad that levi made it out! starcrossed is a wild name for a team led by a guy who kicked off his career by defeating the fear of death—kinda thumbing his nose at fate—but it seems like he’s pulling it off so far.

can local plant-based organizing be a viable alternative to galactic capitalism? i sure fuckin hope so!!

leap vanishing with present would have been extremely space opera

perennial blue ribbon…

i did overall really enjoy this season. i think it’s their best yet, for character work and executing on big ideas. a sharper take on twilight mirage. it’s dense but it has momentum. they really do get better every season imo... like my season ranking does kinda just go directly up in chronological order

god. palisade.

stay tuned~

(also, while we’re here, thanks for reading! this is something like the sixtieth of these weekly palisade ep posts, which is wild. it’s been a weird year and a half, personally—a lot of time in motion—but tuning into palisade every week and then thinking and discussing together has been really fun. so shoutouts!)

[pyr0man1c]

Obey me reactions to me randomly throwing up at 2 AM (based on true events)

This has actually happened, basically I wasn’t feeling well before bed so I went to sleep hoping it would go away, it definitely went away after I woke up and immediately threw up all over me and my floor!

⚠️emetophobia warning (vomit and sickness mentions, gross shit basically.)⚠️

!Platonic!

Not a reader.

Lucifer

•Well this is great.

•Scott please he can’t handle anymore stressors..

•”What do you mean the “I should’ve gotten the puke bowl”? That’s disgusting.”

•Like the mom older brother he is he knows how to deal with sickness and injury.

•he’d help get clean clothes, and get a shower ready before cleaning the mess, changing the bed sheets and making sure everything is in order.

•10/10 handles it well.

Mammon

•Might throw up too.

•What do you want him to do!?

•”The…the “puke bowl?” What the hell are ya talkin about?”

•Bothers Lucifer for help.

•Probably stands there awkwardly but tries to help with smaller thing like retrieving supplies Lucifer made him get.

•6/10 not the best, not the worst, handled it like a champ.

Leviathan

•What to you-AH WHAT THE FUCK!?

•gags immediately.

•”DONT CARE ABOUT THE PUKE BOWL JUST STAY WHERE YOU ARE!”

•BACK! BACK I SAY!!! stay in that doorway heathen!

•Calls Lucifer in a panic as I’m just kinda 🧍‍♂️“Levi I frew up.”

•doesn’t really do much to help in the cleaning up process but seems like the after help person, like playing games and stuff with me.

•5/10 not the best help wise but games are nice.

Satan

•Well that’s not good.

•One of the calmer one out of his brothers.

•”The puke bowl sounds disgusting can I help you clean up now?”

•Researches how to clean vomit and what I can safely eat or drink.

•Very helpful, just like his mother he is one of the better help options.

•10/10 solid choice.

Asmo

•why are you ruining his beauty sleep?OH MY…OH oh…disgusting..back off let him call Lucifer, one moment.

•”Lucifer help, Scott came into my room with vomit on him while sobbing, help he said he should’ve got a “puke bowl”what even is that?”

•Not touching that, not cleaning it, sorry.

•He’d wait for Lucifer to finish the cleaning and then bring some care stuff into the room to give a late night álef care session.

•6/10 Not helpful cleaning wise but the self care is fun.

Beelzebub

•Is that food..well not from today at least.

•Probably has cared for Belphie while sick before and knows some care stuff, not the best with cleaning it up.

•”the puke bowl?…that’s not good.”

•who ya gonna call?…Lu-ci-fer!

•Lucifer is cleaning up the bed and mess while Beelzebub is cleaning me up and getting some safe snacks to eat.

•10/10 best boy.

Belphie

•it’s 2am what are you doing…now i know what you’re doing.

•stares at you awkwardly as he lays there and I just stand there.

•”The puke bowl sounds horrendous, go bother Lucifer.”

•Won’t do much unless bothered enough for it, even then most he’d do is go bother Lucifer for me and fuck off.

•Not gonna clean shit, do it yourself.

•might chill out in the clean bed while I’m trying to clean myself up.

• 2/10 thanks for getting Lucifer ig.

Diavolo

•what’s the commotion in the guest room?…oh!…

…….

Barbatos help!

•He should’ve noticed the guest wasn’t feeling well! Why didn’t you let him know?

•”puke..bowl? Is that a human tradition?…wait why are you sobbing, please, it’s not a big deal!”

•Hasn’t had to clean up anything really big, mainly had it done for him so he’s feels very unhelpful just making Barbatos do it.

•When Barbatos is busy with something else Diavolo might check up on you or help retrieve clean clothes.

•10/10 absolute sweetheart, handles it like a champ.

Barbatos

•Why are you wandering so late? Oh, no no don’t cry it’s not a bother.

•Immediately starts helping with all he can.

•”The…excuse me the what bowl. That’s not very pleasant sounding.”

•Cleaning, helping, food, everything he’s got it, absolute sweetheart it’s shocking he’s even a demon.

•stays to help making sure everything is comfortable and okay.

•too good for scale.

Simeon

•Why do I hear water running at 2am?…no no no! Don’t cry it’s okay!

•Had helped Luke many times with illness.

•”the puke bowl doesn’t sound too pleasant, will you take this medicine please?”

•Quickly but efficiently grabbing supplies and cleaning up, making sure everything is in order.

•Amazing, best father help ever!

•Also too good for the scale.

Luke

•Why do I hear sobbing out here?

……..

Simeon…help!

•panicky at first, aggressively gently shakes Simeon awake while trying to explain what’s happening.

•”Why are you talking about a puke bowl that sounds really gross..”

•helps Simeon set up clean sheets, clean stuff, get supplies, try to stop me from sobbing because I won’t stop sobbing.

•My amazing son.

•10/10 bestest boy

Solomon(derogatory)

•I just wanted a late night snack:(

•just kinda stands there before fucking off and either getting Simeon or a towel.

•”Your definitely should’ve gotten a puke bowl.”

•Kinda helps? He gets clean sheets and uses wizardry shit or smth so he’s doing something.

•will try and offer food but throwing up my stomach sounds more fun.

•3/10 he did something I guess.

[vampiricpancake]

Ranking the Obey Me bedrooms based on looks and personal head canon! 

MC's Room

First of all I don't get why there's a whole dining table in my room what is the reason??? Second of all does this room even have windows?? It's always been a headcanon of mine that the light above the bed comes from an artificial skylight window to remind MC of the human world since the Devildom is in complete darkness. Props to whoever decorated though (probably Asmo) it looks really comfy and inviting. I give it an 8.5/10 because I'm paranoid bugs might be hiding in those plants.

Lucifer's room

Does he even have a mattress or is it one of those beds with the framing all around the sides and the mattress is fitting in the center? Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if he just slept on a rock hard surface with how grumpy and tired he always is. Though imagine getting fucked by Lucifer and you turn your head and see that creepy skeleton looking at you the entire time. I feel like I wouldn't have a goodnight's sleep knowing that thing is facing me, I'd probably make Lucifer sleep on that side of the bed so he could hide it from my view 8/10

Mammon's Room

I hate everything about his room, it's way too big and it just looks cold and uninviting. Imagine all the fumes and smells you have to breathe in because of that damn car. Imagine how loud and echoey (is that a word?) it gets when you turn on the car and open the garage doors. It's a cool hang out/party spot but you'll never catch me sleeping here. 3/10

Levi's Room

HELL NO! I will not be sleeping here I'm literally terrified of most marine animals this is such a nightmare, I would feel so claustrophobic. Also this boy literally sleeps in a solid, stone cold bathtub. I would avoid this room as much as possible and only go in for manga and then run the fuck away 0/10

Satan's Room

I love and hate his room. The bed by the window is such a vibe... well it would be if there was at least some curtains. That purple couch looks so comfortable and cozy!! The only think that bugs me is that I am incredibly clumsy so I would be terrified even taking a step into his room since I might be crushed by a book avalanche! I feel like I would spend half of my time in there wincing in pain, stepping and bumping into the edges of the books. 6/10

Asmo's Room

His room is THE CUTEST!! The framing covering the bed?? the vanity?? the swinging egg chair?? Not to mention it's pink!!! only downside is once again all of those plants but I LOVE!! I just know Asmo picked silk bedsheets! 9/10

Beel and Belphie's Room

Maybe it's just the fact that I don't have any siblings but my room is my safe space so I would feel really uncomfortable sharing it with anyone. I really love the sun/moon parallel, and I love how cozy they're room looks. I imagine Belphie has a huge selection of pillows, blankets, and plushies to choose from. Now Beel on the other hand, I imagine his side is really messy, food crumbs everywhere, food wrappers, dirty cups and bowls everywhere, it looks a devastating hurricane decimated a grocery store. What does the staircase lead to?? it looks totally empty up there 5/10 (Beel's side) 8/10 Belphie's side)

Demon Lord's Castle Guest Bedroom

It's honestly really cute, the bed's look so lavish. I'm obsessed with he flower vase, might have to find some sort of replica online! Doesn't look like it has any windows though.... 4/10

Diavolo's Room

Obsessed, I feel like his room is smaller than the rooms at House of Lamentation which is funny because he's literally the future ruler of the Devildom so he should have a larger room. Not complaining though, I just know Barbatos makes sure the sheets are nice and fresh every night. I would sleep so well here! 8/10

Barbatos' room

Absolutely fucking not. Where is his bed? Does he just sleep on Diavolo's couch? Does sleep standing up? Does he sleep on the hard floor and use the bottom step as a pillow? Does he sleep AT ALL?? -100/10

If you made it this far, thanks for reading! I hope to do a Mystic Messenger and an Ikemen Vampire one in the near future :)

Alsoooo, I decided not to do the Purgatory Hall rooms simply because they're dorm rooms so they all look the same and they probably aren't allowed to remodel them!

[witch-craft-works]

Twst Fairy tail AU

So I was the new 100 year quest recently and since I've had Twisted Wonderland on the mind I thought it would be fun to think and brainstorm what type of magic the Twst boys would have if they were in the Fairy Tail verse this probably won't become a full fic maybe write some one shots or something IDK.

This probably will be only 2 or three parts with this part focusing covering Ramshackle, Heartslyabul and Savanaclaw:

Heartslaybul:

Riddle: Starting off with Heartslaybul's dorm leader, I had a little bit of trouble with Riddle but I think he would use Fire magic/Fire make. I chose this magic since he is a bit of a hot head if you think about it. It would be cool to have his magic at least in this Au reflect it and the fact that he set the ground on fire during Chapter 6 when STXY robots came after him. He would be a really strong mage to go up against. I can also see him use a form a nullification magic as well.

Trey: For Trey I can see him using Soild Scrip magic due to the fact that his unique magic allows him to over write magic. During the battle of Fairy Tail Levy is seen overwriting/nulifying Freed's barrier that was keeping Natsu, Gajeel and Makarov in the guild and I think it's a form of solid script.

Cater: For Cater he would use Copy magic. in this Au Cater is pretty strong as Copy would let him transform into other people and gain the transformed person's knowlage as well be able to use their magic. I think it fits as Cater is known to gather information when needed.

Ace: For Ace this one was tricky but...I went with Sky dragon slayer magic since Ace uses wind magic pretty often in the main story and I was trying to use the boy's unique magic and building off that but since Ace hasn't unlocked his unique magic yet I had to get creative with his choice of magic.

Deuce: Deuce was another one I struggled with. I wanted to give him a strength based magic but funnily enough Fairy Tail doesn't have one so I got creative and decided on Devil Slayer Magic and Iron make magic (since he can summon cauldrons and cauldrons are made of metal)

Savanaclaw

Leona: Leona would definitely have sand magic. Leona's unique magic plays such a big part in who he is as he was shunned by the royal attendants for his magic and I can't imagine Leona having another type of magic. Leona would definitely be really good at fighting in this Au he gives me Laxus vibes

Ruggie: Ruggie was another tricky one but I'm gonna give him Territory like Minerva. Ruggie is a very sneaky person being able to steal Riddle and Cater's pens without them noticing as well as Azul's keys to the vault in book 3 so he would be great at using Territory. Like Leona I can see him be really good at fighting.

Jack: Jack would use Take over magic. I considered Animal Soul since his unique magic allows him to shift into a wolf but in this Au Take Over Beast Soul would suit him very well

Ramshackle:

Grim: Grim would definitly be a Exceed who uses fire magic. Like in twst Grim would want to be a very powerful mage. I can see him learning how to get a human form like Carla did in the final season.

Yuu/MC: I can see Yuu having a hard time using caster magic unlike the other boys. So Yuu would use holder magic, I thought about having Yuu use card magic like Cana but I think Celestial Spirit magic fits them a bit more. I can see Yuu starting off with two golden keys and three silver Keyes

[pinkgy]

My Top Best L Cards in the Game and Why

This top makes no sense, tbh i don’t use my brain when selecting cards and artifacts, I strictly only use L cards and L artifacts and that’s it.

And I absolutely despise those cards that have a super short range, and you will notice.

Chapter 6 is coming probably next month, and this is my contribution so y’all can be unbeatable ;D

I see that people in tumblr mix S and A cards with L cards and make super strong combinations, I don’t do that because I don’t know how to, and that’s something you will also notice

1. Bloodshed Beelzebub

Best card ever, no one can top this card.

This Beel by itself carries a whole battle, i use it as a tank, and it’s not a tank, it has a large range (even tho the card is described as a short range) and the ultimate attack it’s literally all you need to win ANY battle when used at the right time of course.

If you level up his passive skill beel replenishes HP, and if you pair the card with its respective artifact, it’s unbeatable.

I love this card sm

Recommendations

- Level up his Ultimate Attack to at least level 3 or 4

- If you don’t have his artifact (Cracked Sunglasses) you could also level up his Passive Skill.

- Level up the card to at least lv 89 (if you can)

- You can use him as a tank sometimes, but if you’re not, try to position him in a centralized area during battles.

2. Satan Bath and Satan Selfie

They are pretty much the same for me, so I decided to put both of them in the second place.

Satan Bath is a bit better tho.

They have a very large range, you can place them really far away from where the enemies spawn and they still attack them the moment they appear.

They both have really good Ultimate Attacks, and their Passive Attacks are both really good too.

These two are basics and they are saviors when you’re just starting in the game.

I usually place them as far as I can from the enemies’ spawning point so both satans can slowly weaken the enemies.

Recommendations

- You don’t have to level them up to 89 or even 90 for them to be super effective, you are good to go if you have them at 70.

- Their artifacts are OK, they are a slight plus, it’s nothing revolutionary so you don’t have to stress out if you don’t have them.

- Leveling up their default attacks is super helpful, I would recommend having them at least at lv4

- Their Ultimate Attacks are good at lv 2 or 3 at most, they are good by themselves.

- If you want to level up their passive attacks, prioritize Satan Bath, his is really good.

- Their HP is shit tho, there’s worst of course, but theirs is really bad, never use them as tanks.

2.5. Leviathan Selfie and Leviathan Attacker

Hear me out

HEAR ME OUT

I know many don’t like Levi’s cards because of their HP, but HEAR ME OUT

The sole reason his selfie card is this high is because of only one reason.

His artifact

Beat artifact in the game ngl, when I pulled those damn gloves for the 2nd time in the lesser key gacha I almost cried.

The card by itself is okay, and his ultimate attack is okay too.

I only have him in my regular deck because of his artifact.

Summarized, when you have his artifact there’s a chance where the enemies disappear.

The chance is low tho, but it has saved me sooo many times.

It also includes boss monsters.

Bloodshed Leviathan is also reaaaaally good.

His Ult attack kills anything excluding boss monsters, which is really helpful during those battles where you have to beat like 50 enemies.

His passive attack is meh, he becomes invincible for like 6 seconds every minute, which is not a lot.

His hp is decent at his highest and his attack power is pretty normal too, a bit better that the other Levi’s

For me the Bloodshed cards are the most solid cards in the game.

Recommendations

- Enhance Selfie Leviathan’s artifact

- Bloodshed Levi works normally at lv 70, but if you want to keep if in your deck I would recommend that you level him up at 89.

- I don’t have his artifact in my Erolabs account :( If someone in the notes can point out its characteristics so I can rank it I would be really grateful.

- He has a decent range like all Levi cards.

3. Attacker Leviathan and Attacker Beelzebub

They are in the same place not because they’re similar, but because I couldn’t decide which one was better.

Attacker leviathan is a bit better because it has a larger range, a better attack power and a better passive skill but Attacker Beel has a better Ult Attack and a Better HP.

I don’t have their artifacts so I can’t say how they are, if someone knows I would be super grateful if you could say it in the notes of his post.

I have both of them in my regular card deck, tbh I only have attacker Beel because his Ult Attack is reaaaaally good, it’s similar to the one from Bloodshed Beel.

I could say that Beelzebub has the best Ult Attacks in the game if Selfie Beel didn’t exist.

I’m going to replace Attacker Beel when I (hopefully) get attacker Satan.

Depending on what you want, you can decide which one you like the most, for me they stand equally.

Recommendations

- Leveling up Beel’s Ultimate Skill is gooood.

- Leviathan’s Ultimate Skill is really good because it his the enemies twice, it’s okay, nothing revolutionary.

3.5. Beelzebub Butt and Leviathan Bath

Come to think of it, this Beel might be better that Attacker Beel.

His Artifact is amazing, and his Ult Skill is also really good.

And his Default Attack is also pretty decent.

Butt Beel a decent card in general.

And about Bath Leviathan, he’s decent too, not too amazing, not too deficient.

I don’t have much to add, I barely use them.

Recommendations

- I wouldn’t prioritize this card in terms of leveling up skills and other things, but he’s a good base meanwhile other cards get released.

- I looooove his artifact.

- And if you can and if you have some extra tears, level up the Ult Skill.

- If you pair his Ultimate skill with Bloodshed Beel’s Ult Skill, you’re unstoppable.

- Leviathan Bath has a very good Default Skill, again, if you have some extra tears I recommend you to Level up this skill.

4. Mammon’s

As I said at the beginning of this post, I hate those cards that have a very short range, and all mammon’s are like that.

They work well as tanks, but Bloodshed Beel is a better tank than them.

And their attack power is terrible

I just don’t like them, I’m sorry.

Bath mammon is a bit better tho, but just a little bit and only because of his Ult Attack.

Recommendations.

- I don’t use this cards, but if you have no other choice, level up Mammon’s Bath Ult Skill, it’s really good in comparison of the others Ult Skills.

- That’s it, again, I don’t like his cards (but I love him)

5. Selfie Beelzebub

Hear me out, when I started playing Whb I got this card in the quiz, and he saved me during my beginnings.

I’m attached to this card, I’m sorry.

It feels wrong to say this, but I hate this card so much.

It was good at the beginning, but it got overwhelmed by the newer cards.

If I’m being honest, all the selfie cards got overwhelmed, I can only save Selfie Satan.

Recommendations

- Don’t

- Jk, if you have no other option, his Ult Skill is … okay.

- There’s better of course, many better, but there’s worse too.

6. Attacker Mammon and Attacker Satan

I’m putting them here because I don’t have this cards yet, but when I (hopefully) do someday, I’ll edit this post.

I can’t wait to get Attacker Satan, I looooove his cards and this artifact looks really good.

And Mammon’s artifact has to be one of the best artifacts in the game so far.

7. Christmas Gabriel, Raphael and Michael

Please bring them back.

They’re also here because I don’t have them.

8. S CARDS AND A CARDS

I don’t use them, sorry, I’m not intelligent enough to learn how to use them efficiently.

I will edit this post when I get other cards.

This is just my opinion y’all, but I would like to hear yours, let’s help each other :D

Also, this is my current deck.

I perfectly demonstrates that I don’t know how to play the battles.

Hope this helped !

[shadyruinskryptonite]

Titan Bending Chapter 6

Warning: Violence consistent with cannon, NSFW so MDNI, language, major character death (both consistent with canon of both AOT and ATLA as well as diverging from canon), so much trauma literally everyone is so traumatized, very much slow burn, a little enemies to lovers, SO MUCH ANGST, hurt/comfort, hurt and delayed comfort, AFAB reader

Chapter Warnings: Mentions of death, injury, sparring, fighting, hand-to-hand combat, weapons

WC: 3660

Previous Chapter, Next Chapter

Masterlist

Tags: @mochminnie @sseleniaa

Walking down the hallway after breakfast, I see the kids that I’ve started to get to know, my squad if you will, on the training field. I stop to watch for a second and see that Armin is just sitting off to the side. 

Walking onto the field and up to him, I ask, “Whatcha doin all by yourself?”

I seem to have caught him by surprise because he pauses for a moment with wide eyes before responding, “Oh, there’s an uneven number of people so I have to wait for a sparring partner.”

“Sparring, eh?” I say with a gleam in my eyes. “How about I be your partner then?”

“Oh, um, you don’t have to do that.”

“I know,” I say reaching out my hand to help him off the ground. He picks up a wooden sword and I snort at him, “What’s the toy for?”

“Oh,” he looks at the sword in his hand, “it’s because our actual swords are so sharp that we don’t use those during practice.”

I nod and take a fighting stance. Armin gets into one as well and I have to be careful not to make a face.

Ooh, hand-to-hand is NOT this kid’s specialty.

It’s not until he takes a swing that I can’t contain myself anymore. “Okay, I don’t want to be rude but…can I give you a few pointers?” He nods enthusiastically at me. 

“Okay, well first let’s talk about your stance. Your feet are a bit too close together and it would be very easy for someone to push you off balance if not completely over.” I push him lightly on the shoulder and watch him stumble a little in order to demonstrate my point. “In the same vein, you need to be a little lower. Bend more at the knees. That way, your center of gravity is lower which also makes it harder to knock you off balance.” Once he gets into position, I push his shoulder again and show him that he’s already much more solid. 

“There, doesn’t that feel better?” He nods again in response.

“Alright, now let’s work on your motions. You used more of a stabbing motion, but that should probably be reserved for a finishing move because if you use it to open,” I take one hand underneath his wrist and push up while I use my other on the sword and pull down, knocking the weapon out of his hand in one move. I grab the glorified two-by-four before it hits the ground and continue, “it’s really easy to disarm. We haven’t been fighting continuously so I’m not tired enough yet. My suggestion is to use more side to side movements, at least early in a fight. They move faster so they’re harder to catch. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah! Like this?” Armin says as he implements my critiques.

“That’s perfect Armin! You’re a quick learner!” I say as I beam at him and I could swear I see him blush.

We keep practicing like this for a few minutes before Levi approaches. “Y/N, it’s nice to see you at practice. Arlert, I’ve been trying to say this to you for so long, what changed?” Armin stammers for a minute before Levi cuts him off, “well whatever it is, keep it up.” I smile at the kid and he blushes again.

Just as we’re about to work without the swords, Hange smacks her hands on my shoulders making me jump.

“Sorry to break up such a successful little practice, but I need you my dear,” she says, only barely containing her excitement. 

“It’s just about lunchtime Hange, how about we eat quickly and then we get to work?” She visibly deflates but ultimately agrees. The entire squad makes our way to the mess hall where we’re met with Erwin for the first time. Unlike the last time I saw him, he’s clean shaven and his hair is neatly styled. He doesn’t immediately see me amongst the kids, but when we do make eye contact he smiles politely and I grin at him saying, “it’s nice to see you out and about Erwin.”

“Thank you Y/N. It’s good to see that you seem to be getting along with everyone-” he’s cut off by Hange’s maniacal laughter. Everyone turns to look at her and I cringe knowing exactly what she’s about to say.

“Yeah, except for the wild suckerpunch she hit Levi with yesterday! It was truly a sight to be seen, no one has ever stood up to him quite like that!”

As Erwin turns to look at me with surprise and a hint of amusement on his face, I grimace and rub my neck as I see Levi look at the ground out of the corner of my eye. “Yeah, I apologized to Levi last night about that, I was definitely out of line and made the entire situation much more personal than it needed to be. My friends back home are all roughly the same age as Levi’s squad so…” I trail off. 

Going through the line, I decide to copy Erwin this time as he asks, “tell us a bit more about your friends, from what you’ve said so far it sounds like they could provide some more information.”

I sit down between Hange and Armin, with Levi and Erwin across the table and the rest of the kids huddled closely.. 

“Well, when I left Zuko was 17, Sokka and Suki were 16, Katara was 14, and Aang and Toph were 13. There’s a lot that could be said about all of them, but Aang is probably the one you’ll find the most interesting. I’ve mentioned the concept of the Avatar before as the only person that can bend all of the elements and that’s what Aang is. Part of what makes the Avatar who they are is the spirit they have. 10,000 years ago a human spirit fused with the spirit of light, Raava. So basically that’s what’s been passed down from person to person. Since it’s one spirit that all of the Avatars through history have shared, all of the knowledge of bending comes with it, so in addition to being able to bend all of the elements the person that is the Avatar is also the strongest bender in the world. After having lived with you all a little while, I know this is going to sound utterly unbelievable but Aang is actually, technically, 113 years old. He was an Air Nomad and when he found out he was the Avatar he ran away. Basically, he crashed his flying bison into the ocean during a storm and the Avatar spirit saved him in, essentially, a big iceberg-”

“What’s an iceberg?” Levi enquires.

“Oh, sorry. An iceberg is a massive hunk of ice. They can be as big as entire islands or countries. They float in the sea in super cold areas - specifically near the Southern Watertribe and the Northern Watertribe where I’m from. Anyway, Aang stayed frozen in that iceberg for 100 years until Sokka and Katara freed him accidentally. Sokka and Katara are brother and sister from the Southern Watertribe, and Katara is a waterbender like me but Sokka isn’t. Somewhat unrelated because we didn’t find this out for a while, but they’re actually my cousins. Anyway, they basically went on the journey with Aang then to master all of the elements. The thing about the Avatar cycle is that you have to go in order, and that goes both for learning the elements and for which element the next Avatar is reincarnated into. So first was water, then they traveled to the Earth Kingdom where they met Toph. Despite being just a kid herself, Toph is Aang’s earthbending master. She’s a blind girl from a noble family and uses her earthbending as a form of sight. Suki is a non-bender from a place called Kyoshi Island in the Earth Kingdom. She’s the captain of their elite fighting force and is crazy talented. The last person then is Zuko. He eventually became Aang’s firebending master. Zuko is from the Fire Nation and is now Fire Lord, which is basically king of the Fire Nation. At the time I met him though he was just the banished, exiled crown prince. That’s…that’s basically the overview. Is there anything in particular you want to know?”

Before anyone can say anything, Eren chimes in “how did you meet these people?”

I smile at him. “Well, I met Zuko first. I was living in the woods of the Earth Kingdom when he tried to steal food from me. I basically taught him how to hunt and fend for himself and then began traveling with him and his uncle Iroh. At the time they were on the run. We ended up in the capital of the Earth Kingdom, Ba Sing Se. Actually, that’s the city I thought I was in when I landed here. But it was here that I got hurt in a fight between people from the Fire Nation and Aang and Katara. When I came to, I was in the Fire Nation and still very injured so I escaped and found Aang and the rest of the group and they rescued me pretty much with open arms.”

“Will you shut up and finish eating so we can get to work?” Hange hisses in my ear. 

I chuckle at her and keep eating as Erwin asks, “so if Aang’s spirit goes back 10,000 years, do you think he knows anything about this part of the world?” A hush falls across the table and everyone looks at me with baited breath. I think for a moment before saying, “No, I don’t think he currently knows anything about the world being larger than the four nations. But he might be our best bet to figure out more. It’s not a guarantee, but it’s possible he can enter the spirit world and speak with one of his past lives about it.”

“But that would require us finding him,” Levi states bluntly. Hange slumps a little at this but realization dawns on me. No one other than Levi seems to notice my change in demeanor. “You have an idea?” he asks me directly.

I pause, mulling it over before simply saying, “Possibly.” I stop while everyone waits for me to continue. “Again, it’s not a guarantee but…I’ve actually been able to travel to the spirit world myself before. Only during full moons, but it is something I can do. I don’t have the same past lives, so it’s not a direct connection or anything, but it could be something.” The table falls silent again as everyone processes my words.

“Well,” Hange breaks the silence, “I think it’s time for us to get to work!”

As we stand up and place our trays on the return, I realize everyone is coming with us. 

“We’re going to have an audience for our first real experiment?” I ask her.

“Of course! You’re an anomaly and they have time before they have to start cleaning so everyone wants to watch,” Hange responds matter-of-factly.

I nod in understanding before asking, “So what's our first test?”

I can practically feel Hange start to vibrate with excitement as she starts in, “I think we can get through a few today! I want to see how close you have to be to a source of water in order to use it, and if that distance changes if the source is different-”

“-like if I’m pulling from something direct like a river or indirect like a tree,” I interject.

“Exactly! That shouldn’t take very long though so I also want to see how precise you can be at different distances. Oh! And maybe we can see how much water you can bend at once today too! And I’m working on ways to measure how much force you can hit a target with and we can also work with how you localize ice and-”

“Hange! We don’t have to do ALL of the experiments we discussed today!” I cut her off with a giggle.

Her excitement is adorable. It reminds me a bit of Sokka.

At this point, we’ve reached the field where she runs tests with Eren. With a clap of her hands, Hange announces, “Okay! So Moblit has set up markers every 10 meters for 50 meters. I have just a cup of water at zero. Start as far away as you feel you can.”

“Easy enough but I will say,” I begin to explain, “a small source like this is more difficult to bend from far away. If it were a bigger source, like a pond, I think I could pretty easily bend it from 50 meters.”

Her eyes fill with wonder and she scribbles down some notes without saying another word. I smile at her again before walking to the 10 meter mark. Before I can bend she looks up and her voice is tinged with a little disappointment, “Oh, you don’t think you can bend that from farther back?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. I’m not a super strong bender or anything so I think I can probably do farther back, but I’m not sure so I don’t want to start too optimistic if that makes sense.”

Her enthusiasm returns, assuaged by my explanation. Without another word, I return to my stance and bend the water out of the cup, bringing it to myself and realizing we can kill two birds with one stone. “Hange, I don’t know what you have planned to test precision but putting this water back in this cup might be a decent test of that.”

“Oh y/n! I love how you think! I’ll want to do other tests too but that is a brilliant idea!”

I smile again before returning the water and carefully lower it down into the cup without spilling a drop.

Haha! That’s what I’m talkin’ about!

A bit smug with myself, I walk to the next marker at 20 meters and repeat the steps, doing the same at 30 meters without a mistake at either. It’s at the 40 meter mark that I begin to struggle, unable to accurately sense the water in the cup. Ultimately, I can still bend it but when it comes to returning the water to the cup I lose about half. Moblit refills the cup and we proceed to test the increments between 30 and 40 to see exactly where I lose precision, and then we go past 40 to see where I lose the ability to bend it at all. 

These steps are repeated on a few poor trees, and it turns out I can bend a tree from 67 meters away while I can only reach 44 meters with a small source. After completing this series of tests, I reproach Hange and the group inquiring about the next test.

“Okay, so I don’t think we can test how much water I can bend right now. There’s nowhere near a large enough body of water and I’ve already killed too many of your trees.”

Erwin snorts and Hange seems dismissive as she says, “Oh, that’s no problem. It’s for a greater good!” I crinkle my nose up with disgust at her suggestion, but no one seems to pay me any mind as Hange continues. “I do think that bending the water in trees is not the most scientific approach to measuring the amount. I guess that just means that we’ll have to take a field trip soon!”

As Hange gets lost in her excitement, I see Levi turn to the kids out of the corner of my eye.

“Alright brats, that’s enough watching the circus,” I roll my eyes at his insinuation, “you all have your assigned posts for cleaning, disperse now.” He’s met with groans but ultimately they all salute and head in their own directions. 

I turn to Hange and say, “Well, until you figure out exactly how you want to run some of the other experiments, I don’t think there’s anything else we can do today. Am I dismissed?”

She looks at me incredulously and I can feel Levi and Erwin’s eyes on me as well, so I continue, “Levi’s squad is cleaning so I wanted to assist them. I know I’ve made it clear that I’m not a soldier, but I am living here too so I figure it’s the least I can do.” She softens slightly and while she’s still disappointed, she does agree that I should help with cleaning and decides that she can go synthesize what we’ve worked on today. As she and Erwin walk away deep in discussion, I walk with Levi.

“So where do you need me, cap’?” I say with mischief in my voice.

Levi gives me a bombastic side eye but doesn’t comment on my playful title. “Connie and Mikasa are cleaning the mess hall. Eren, Sasha, Armin, Krista, and Jean are on stable duty. The choice is yours.”

“Stables sounds like shit…no pun intended,” I say amused with my own joke. To my surprise, Levi lets out a snort which I think for him is the equivalent of crying with laughter. “So, I guess I’ll help Connie and Mikasa.”

Once inside, I split off from Levi and head towards the mess hall where I see the bald boy and the girl with the black hair.

So her name is Mikasa and that’s Connie. That must mean the other two girls are Sasha and Krista. Once I figure out the difference between the two of them, I think I’ll finally be able to put together everyone’s names.

As I approach, they both stop and just stare at me. Suddenly feeling like an outsider, I stop awkwardly and say “Hi, uh, I’m going to help y’all clean today.”

“I thought you weren’t a soldier?” Connie says with a hint of amusement in his voice, clearly referring to my little outburst yesterday. 

I sigh and explain to them the same thing I just did to Hange about wanting to pull my weight and this seems to satisfy Mikasa, so with the ghost of a smile she hands me a bucket and a rag. I take it from her, returning a warm grin that seems to make her even more comfortable with my presence.

Looking into the bucket, I’m struck with an idea. “I think I have a way that we can do this really quickly. Pour your buckets onto the tables,” I instruct the kids. They’re completely confused so I realize I’m going to have to demonstrate.

I pour some of the soapy water on the table closest to me before bending it to spread it out. Once the entire table is covered, I turn back to the wide eyed Mikasa and Connie and explain, “I can cover each table quickly, we let it sit for a moment so that it disinfects better, and then I bend it off and out the window. Then I can take plain, clean water and rinse the tables off. While I do that you can dust, then we do the floors the same way and we’re done in maybe 15 minutes!”

As we get to work, I catch them watching me. Their curiosity is cute and honestly not dissimilar from my own. We finish up in about 15 minutes just like I predicted. As we’re finishing the floor, Levi enters the mess hall to check in and is visibly surprised that we’re done already, although he shakes the emotion quickly from his face.

His eyes narrow and I hear him mumble to himself, “we’ll see about that.”

His cloth runs across every surface and not a speck of dirt sullies the white fabric. He glances at the three of us before walking up to a random table to inspect it more thoroughly. When his back is turned, I wink at Mikasa and Connie and they both give me hesitant smiles. Levi swipes underneath the table, clearly thinking this will get us but much to his surprise, this surface is also pristine. He huffs and almost inaudibly tells us we did a good job. I was expecting him to tell us to go assist the others, but instead he gives us the rest of the afternoon free so I decide to make tea for the kids and we can sit somewhere and just relax.

Mikasa smiles a genuine smile this time and says, “that would be nice.”

I’m taken aback by the pitch of her voice and then I chuckle. “You know, I think that’s the first time I’ve heard you talk.” The girl seems almost embarrassed but they both come to the kitchen with me as I start to prepare some tea. 

“So, why did you guys join the military?”

They both pause but it’s Connie that breaks the silence. “I originally wanted to be a hero and bring honor to my village,” he laughs without humor, “nothing really honorable about this though, and it’s not like there’s a Ragako Village anymore.” The look in his eyes is distant, and I want to inquire more but decide it’s not the time. I hand him his tea first.

Turning to Mikasa, she sort of just shrugs her shoulders and says “I wanted to make sure I could keep Eren safe,” she pauses before quickly adding, “and Armin too! It was always their dream to join the Survey Corps. Armin was the one that told Eren there’s an outside world and they’ve both wanted to go outside the walls ever since.”

“So that’s why they’re so interested in my stories,” I say as I pass her the tea and she nods.

“Armin is obsessed with the sea,” Connie adds.

I smile at this before getting lost in my own thoughts for a moment. I then simply say, “the ocean is pretty cool. I miss it.”

[vampire-superstar]

WELCOME BACK TO "I rate things because it's fun!"

Today we are rating full forms (?) Of characters but I have to be practical-ish

First off we have

Honestly, I can only say good things about him, this is by far my favorite design, however. I feel like they could've given him either a loincloth or harem pants, not both (I might be wrong and that's one piece) I still feel like it doesn't fit. It looks Arabian prince inspired (once more correct me if Im wrong), but the fur collar isn't add anything to the outfit. I feel like if they just accentuated his gold collar more it would have the same effect of fullness :]

Overall: 8.5/10

For some reason his png is huge so points off but even then, I want to draw attention to those sticks on his head. The bat bones? Kinda lacking. I feel like instead they should've just been tattered but other than that he's pretty cool. Tail might have to be fixed though

Overall: 9.5/10

First off when doing a quick glance compared to every other character, his demon form is the most traditional and simple. Because of this, I'm a little disappointed that the outfit didn't have much pop, you know? As the avatar of pride, you'd think you'd want his outfit to draw your eye but no ;( Instead of the flowy waistcoat maybe an actual peacock fan and more feather in his design. A problem you can't really fix but I feel like instead of to impress, he'd display the fan and open his wings to full size to look bigger and intimate

Overall: A disappointing 6/10

Much like Luci, his design looks more traditional and unlike him, his outfit makes up for it. However, my ONLY complaint is the orientation. It's good but not spread properly. All the detail seems to be drawn to the chest so maybe remove the jacket and do a full harness? Or do a full jacket with a harness peeking underneath. Also solid pants and combat boots to match

Overall: 9/10

For some reason all the pngs are different sizes idk how to fix it BUT not too many critiques on this. Just remove the jacket and go full turtleneck and suspenders. Or go full oversized hoodie. As usual, the pants are atrocious but they all are so no points off

Overall: Our first 10/10

A ten followed by an immediate -20. It's tacky and overpopulated like they added stuff and forgot they already had something there. It's atrocious and Asmo would never stand for this. The top should be without that collar (what's solomares obsession with non-practical ugly collars) and move the scorpion to his upper arm or turn it into a corset design. Scrap the quilt design and more evenly space the roses. Make the pant legs both black but add small chains and harnesses to get the same effect. Heels.

Overall: 🤢/10

This is atrocious for someone born from Luci. Putting aside my previous bias, it's an ok outfit. The top could slay but the pants drown it out. Bigass Gucci belt buckle also gots to go. Keep the boa because it's kinda cute. The tail looks like it pinches, no thanks. Keep that

Overall: 7/10

Not many complaints though it looks very similar to Mammon and Satan. Maybe not all three belts, just the one white one and the black one

Overall: 9.5/10

...

I'm speechless. All of it looks like another opportunity that was wasted. Buckles, no, he's highwatering those pants, I know his ankles ashy. Why are your pants spotted? Why is there a random horseshoe?? Also please just erase the other eye, it looks like a ghost eye. WHY ARE HIS SLEEVES CUT OUT.

OVERALL: -100/10

I don't have the room for the angels but I'm giving Simeon a 9/10 and Luke an 8/10 just because I feel like there's more they could've done for an angel form than just white clothes. Wings at least.

Overall the Design Score for demon forms is: 67% kinda average, not much past good. Still decent though. Levi, Dia and Tan carried. Next up, everyday outfits! But like next week

[still-a-morosexual-help]

I know what you mean! That Masquerade drip is incredible! I won't say anything to spoil the plot, but the Malleyuu stans really got fed in that one. I'm thinking that the Harveston event will likely drop in early March since most of the other events are canonically set after Book 6 and would give away a pretty major spoiler if they were released before part 2 comes out.

I already spoiled 3/4s of it for myself😔 and I saw - Malleus really isn't beating the otome game allegations. Man's the real main character and aiming for that MC route. He even did that "oh? MC's going over there? Then I'm coming too😊" shit that OM!'s LIs are always pulling. absolutely insane

Ohh lot of them being after book 6 would explain the ones idia is in and have i mentioned how much i love him? His little gremlin laugh? Obsessed. His hair was a big part of why I downloaded this game

The fact that Idia & Levi are the same character types on paper but somehow Idia makes Levi (whose only friends were a snake and goldfish for the longest time; who genuinely tried to kill someone because they told him spoilers; who summons a sea monster, floods his entire house & runs away from home when his favourite characters die; who regularly skips school because he's too anxious to go/would rather stay home and game/watch anime; who has a whole anxiety fuelled crisis while ordering coffee; and so much more) - he makes this Levi look like a fully functioning adult and that's making me chew through the solid steel bars of my enclosure

[xxanaduwrites]

DOWNFALL | a.b.

main hub of all important thangs

chapter 6

got your hands at the back of my soul and the more that i show you the more i'm afraid that you're gonna wake up and realize i'm not the one — paranoid, lauv

——

Butthead's snazzy shirt stared at me for an entire week.

After the superhero moves I pulled a few days ago with my sidekick — or maybe I was the sidekick and he was the main hero, considering how he was saving me the entire time — I got back to work an exhausted wreck.

Levi — wanting to throw Dax in the back dumper, as he so beautifully put it — needed a good gossip fix to make up for the pain he endured the entire time I was gone. Like a whole reporter on the scope, he barreled every question he could think of, while continuously going on about how fucking tiny the world was. How it was crazy the universe just threw us back together like that — that it was a sign.

Superstitious Jeans.

He also flipped the fuck out when he realized I was wearing Austin's shirt. Of course, his mind quickly went in the gutter, assuming we fucked around to which I immediatly denied. Even when I tried explaining the whole coffee shabackle, his smirk and knowing eyes that really knew absolutely nothing — didn't buy a word I said.

It was like I was talking to an entire brick wall.

"You can say whatever you want." He told me. "But I saw the way that hunk so smoothly caught my keys and then caught you. Y'all were staring at each other for a solid minute."

I wanted to throw myself on the floor, roll over, and dissolve into the floorboards.

Seeing where Levi's perspective on the matter lied, I was grateful Austin had texted me first when I was in the lot. Saved me the trouble of ever bringing it up to Jeans and giving that boy ideas. With my luck, Levi — being the wingman he loved to be — would totally take my phone when I wasn't looking, pretend to be me, and flirt his head off with Austin.

Would be better off if he didn't know I had his number.

That night, I locked up, went home, and peeled off his shirt. I still had no fucking clue what kind of cologne he laced his clothes with, but my god that shit smelled good. The most devastating part was tossing it in the wash.

A part of me wished I never did so while another was happy I could finally breathe proper air that wasn't drugged up in his scent.

Now, it just sat there, perfectly pressed and hung up on the doorknob of my closet. Like some sort of blaring billboard, it flashed its lights at me every single time I walked in my room. The worst was when I sat on my bed. I couldn't focus on my book, my laptop, or even the television — which were my favorite down time activities — with that thing just sitting there, staring straight into my soul.

I felt like I was going mad.

Being that today was Sunday, the bookstore was closed and I was off from work — meaning I had nothing to do. Syd always went to the gym or surfing on the weekends. It alternated depending on her mood, the weather, and if she had a competition coming up. Something I was glad she did without me, considering me and any form of physical activity in an athletic-esce form did not go together at all. Let alone get along.

Definitely not all chummy.

My noodle arms could never keep up.

Apparently she decided on the gym today, bringing Brock along for the ride — which hinted that she'd be gone for longer than usual. That meant, I was home alone, but not really alone — chilling with my not-so-good pal, Austin's shirt.

I needed out.

Bad.

I came to this conclusion when I found myself reading over a particular page ten times over, not grasping a single word of my book. And I was sitting in the living room — for fucks sake! Nowhere near Butthead's shirt. It was then that I figured I really needed to get out of the house — even though I really didn't want to.

As if this wasn't already bad enough, this man not only weaseled his way into my two favorite places, but also managed to infiltrate his presence into my bedroom where my bed — who was my main squeeze and boyfriend — lived — without ever stepping foot inside! Now, I guessed it was the whole fucking apartment.

Fan-fucking-tastic!

Getting kicked out of all my homes. Now where would I live?

With a huff, I grabbed my keys and tossed my book in my bag before heading out for the day. Where? I didn't know. But I was sure it would be one of the two places I usually went to. The bookstore was obviously a no for today. So that left me with Sunshine Spot.

I could only hope for the best.

Popping in my earbuds, I began my descent down the familiar stairs and out the door of my complex. When I stepped outside I almost went blind from how sunny it was. I immediately fished for my sunglasses, placing them on the bridge of my nose.

Sometimes I wondered if I was a vampire from how sensitive I always got. Or maybe it was just my introverted side making up more excuses to not leave the house. Either way, I definitely pulled off the 'fuck off, leave me alone' look with my earbuds in and my shades on. Not having to listen or look anyone in the eye sounded perfect to me.

And it was.

Until I got to my destination.

But to be fair, it was completely my own fault.

My dumbass was actually looking at her cellular device, trying to change the song I was listening to — but of course being the old piece of shit it was, the thing decided to lag on me right as I was walking through the door. Robotically, I messed around with every app and button known to man trying to fix it, but it just kept playing this one song that reminded me way too much of my awkward teenage years.

Somehow I managed to get to my favorite booth in the joint without even looking up. Sliding into the seat backwards, my back hit the wall and my knees shot up to my chest like a fetus — sideways in the booth.

I couldn't sit like a whole grown human — at all.

When I went to turn and slam the side of my phone on the table to wake it up, I almost died right on the spot when I realized someone was sitting across from me in my peripheral vision. Shutting my eyes for a moment, I tried to brace myself for what I would come face to face with —whoever was on the other side. Trying to figure out some sort of lame excuse that wouldn't make me look like a complete weirdo for sliding right into a booth that was already rightfully claimed.

Taking a breath and finally opening my eyes, I shut them just as fast when I captured the image of the person in front of me. Either I was losing my mind, or it was in fact him who was sitting in the same damn booth as me.

Saying him, I meant Austin with all of his butt related names.

You've got to be shitting me right now.

Why was this always happening to me?

Was he fucking following me or something?

Did his shirt manifest his presence right in front of me? —saying, 'Ha! Jokes on you! You can't escape me no matter how hard ya try!'

Reopening my eyes, I ripped my headphones out of my ears and absolutely lost it. "You!" I pointed at him as if I was blaming him for something — which I mentally was.

"Me?" he questioned and apprehensively confirmed, bracing a hand against his solid chest that was clad in a simple white t-shirt— clearly not understanding where I was going with this.

My mouth decided to work on its own accord and not cooperate with my brain. "What the hell are you doing here?" I grilled him immediately.

For a moment, he just stared at me blankly, seeming equally as confused but also slightly amused with the way his lips curled up. "Nice to see you too," he mused. Biting his lip, he looked down at the table. "Um." I followed his gaze, noting a small black moleskine journal that was sandwiched between his hands. One was inside the book, serving as a bookmark for whatever page I assumed he was writing on while the other was braced on top with a pen firmly tucked in between his fingers. It looked like I had totally interrupted his journaling— or journalism, if you will. "I should be asking you the same thing." He said, tilting his head as he studied me.

"Right," I sighed, readying myself for my long awaited explanation. "I didn't realize someone else was sitting here. Sorry —I'll just go."

I was in the process of awkwardly maneuvering myself out of the booth — finally rearranging my legs to be in a normal seating position when his husky voice spoke up. "No," he stopped me. "I mean, you can stay if you want. I'm not waiting on anyone anyways. Unless you're waiting on someone yourself."

"I'm not. Thanks, but —I don't want to disturb you, if you're working," I declined his offer, already feeling like a total intruder. Even though he unknowingly intruded on my favorite spot to sit when it came to avoiding people and having my own personal space to breathe.

"It's fine," he reiterated, not giving up for some reason unknown to me. "I was just finishing up anyways." To prove his point, he opened his journal back up, tucking his pen inside before closing it.

Looking around, I quickly assessed the available tables, only to come up short with a place to sit. The lunch hour was already hopping, meaning the joint was in fact packed and there was nowhere to sit that wouldn't have me up in somebody else's grill — listening in on their conversations. If I had to hear one more lady discuss the latest hot gossip about her neighbor's affair like a true Soap Opera while I was trying to read my book — I was gonna lose it.

"Sure," I gave in, unslinging my tote from my shoulder and shoving my phone and headphones inside.

It wouldn't kill me to sit with him for a little bit.

Right?

"So..." he began, starting some sort of conversation. "Did you end up at that nightclub?"

Well that was one way to get my attention.

"I'm sorry?" I questioned, totally not catching on to what he was going on about. Suddenly feeling extremely nervous, I braced my hands together on the table, hoping he wouldn't notice that I was shaking as I messed around with the rings on my fingers."What nightclub?"

He cupped his hand over his chin, displaying his ring cladded fingers that bounced against the light from the lamp hanging above us. Today he wore a few different silver bands that I found myself staring at. "The one your friend behind the counter said he was turning your bookstore into." He explained shyly.

"Oh!" He remembered that? "No." I shook my head, laughing lightly at the memory. "He didn't — thankfully."

"Good," he said. " It would've been a shame if he'd done it. I'd never get a chance to go back there and scan the collection if a dance floor and bar replaced all the shelves."

Picturing Levi running an entire nightclub that had a Saturday Night Fever Vibe with a John Trovolta-esce dance floor that lit up and changed colors, simultaneously made me want to laugh and cry. Laugh because I knew Marlon would absolutely be beside himself, and cry because I would lose it if Levi fucked up my displays and let people destroy the vintage portion of the collection where our rare books could be found. If I could take in all those babies I would.

Trying my hardest not to make a smart ass comment, I agreed with him."That would be devastating."

Which then left me to immediately overthink it.

Devastating in the sense of the bookstore being destroyed or devastating that he'd never get to see it?

Oh god.

What if he thought I was flirting with him — thinking I'd be saddened not to see him again?

"Maybe I could just shove all the books in a back closet and hide in there while he parties," I tried to save myself. "Problem solved."

"As long as it's against a wall, so you could live up to your name," he replied, reminding me of the 'Wall Girl' title he gave me.

"Very funny," I threw out sarcastically, rolling my eyes as a busboy placed two glasses on the table — filling them up from a pitcher of water. "And I'd have to lock up my toothpick umbrellas in a safe. Wouldn't want you ruining my pretty drinks."

"Oh?" He perked up with that one, intrigue flooding in his curious blue eyes. "So I'm invited to this theoretical nightclub?"

Oh. My. God.

"Um." My cheeks heated at the implication, making it impossible for me to conjure up some sort of response. He had me cornered. "I-I wouldn't be surprised if Levi invited you." Volly saved. His brows confirmed to me that he wasn't sure who I was talking about. "Levi is my co-worker. The dude behind the desk," I confirmed to which he nodded in understanding once it all clicked.

"Hi. Welcome to Sunshine Spot. I'm Sherry, and I'll be your server today." My favorite lady came over to take our order, whisking us out of our conversation. Flicking through her order pad, she didn't realize I was sitting right in front of her. "What can I get —" She immediately trailed off once she caught my eye, surprise washing over her features. "My girl! I should've known you'd be sitting here. My intuition must've served me right and felt your presence."

"Hey Sher," I greeted her back, my nerves subsiding as my gratitude rose the moment she appeared. It must've totally gone over her head that I was right here since I normally always sat alone.

She smiled back at me, before she glanced over at Austin, giving him a hard stare. "Who are you?" She asked him, her whole demeanor changing as she took him in.

"Austin," he introduced himself, a picture perfect smile gracing his face — totally disregarding Sher's judging stare in an attempt to butter her the fuck up. "It's nice to finally meet you in person."

She looked even more taken aback, baffled that he could say such a thing to her — completely forgetting they talked the other day.

Good.

Humble him.

"Sher." I got her attention. "You spoke to him the other day on the phone." She still looked lost, so I elaborated. "You thought I was being kidnapped while I was ordering coffees for Syd's meeting."

"Oh!" She clapped her hands, piecing it together. "That was you?" He nodded. "Good. Now I can keep my eye on you. If you even try anything with my girl here I will not hesitate to —"

"Alrighty then!" I cut her off, reaching for a menu and shoving it across the table for Austin to look at. "Shall we order?"

"Mhm," Austin mumbled as he flipped a page, searching it over.

God, this was fucking awkward.

Don't get me wrong, I loved Sher's spirit to death, but this was not the time for threats especially when there was nothing between me and Austin. We weren't even close enough to be considered friends.

"The usual for you, dear?" Sher asked, making it blatantly obvious of my regular appearances here.

"Yep," I confirmed, popping the p in exaggeration while passing the menu back to her.

Taking it from me, she turned to Austin with absolutely no cheer presence. "And for you?" She was already flexing her hand for the menu like she couldn't be bothered.

"Um. Just a coffee," He said simply. "Black. No milk or sugar, please."

"God." She put the hand with the pen over her heart dramatically. "Is that it?

We both nodded.

"Interesting." She paused for a moment. "Do you kids ever eat or just feed off of coffee like it's a drug?" She inquired, but didn't wait for us to respond. "I'm sending over fries and gravy for you two so I know you're not starving yourselves, and I can sleep peacefully tonight." She decided, jotting that last order down before walking away with no argument.

"I take it that you just ordered a coffee too? Nothing else?" he weighed, clearly reading between the lines.

"Just the drug," I firmly stated. "Certified junkie."

A stupid toothy grin threw up all over his face at my words, his eyes crinkling as they tightened in hysterics. I couldn't help but join him as he laughed his ass off right in front of me. It was the first time I ever saw him completely lose it like that, and it was such a fascinating sight to see. Especially since he always tended to hide it in front me.

Swiping a hand over his face to compose himself, he unknowingly pushed a curl out of the expanse of his hair.

"Makes the two of us," he said once he could get the words out without cracking up again.

I couldn't help but stare at the blonde lock casually lingering against his forehead like Danny Zuko. I supposed it really was a Grease kind of day. "Hm," I teased. "I'm the top junkie. Let's see if you fit the qualifications for certification."

Somehow, I managed to cough up the confidence to look him in the eye as he said, "Wow. Big words for the bookstore girl." He held his hands up in defense. "I see how it is."

Bookstore girl.

"What?" I inquired, absolutely flushed. "Scared you're gonna lose to the reigning champ?"

Thankfully a server came over with our drinks, and his gaze was trained on our coffees right in front of us. "Nope. I'm ready for the challenge." He licked his lips as he anticipated the taste of the coffee on his tongue, preparing himself for our little game.

Oh fuck.

"Of course you ordered black coffee," I spat out, not thinking before I spoke — far too focused on his perfectly sculpted cherry lips.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He leaned over the table, sizing me up.

"I don't know," I sighed, messing around with the straw stabbed into the lid on my drink. . "Reminds me of my basic ex-bosses at the publisher company. Boring bitter drinks, boring bitter men," I recalled, the memories of fucking up drink orders at my internship permanently etched into my head.

"So you think I'm boring and bitter?" He scoffed, clearly offended.

Shit.

Fuck.

"No!" I almost yelled, my heart racing out of my chest as I tried to think of a good way to maneuver out of the grave I just dug myself in. "I mean — not that you are boring or bitter. Well, I — I get milk and creamer in my drink, but that doesn't make me cool or peachy. Just the opposite. Trust me, I'm known to be very boring and bland. It's my middle —"

"Rianne!" He called, a smile etching onto his face as he cut me off. "I'm only joking with you." It was then that I felt his thumb dig into the side of my hand where my thumb and pointer finger met as if he was trying to bring me back to reality.

Oh.

Hello?

The realization dawned over me that in the middle of my excitement, I must have reached across the table and trapped his hand under my own out of reflex to console him in some fashion.

My fingers immediately tensed at the contact.

"Right," I gulped. A wave of electricity shooting from my fingertips all the way up to my arms jolted me awake, and I pulled back sheepishly.

Wrapping my hands around my drink, I tried to cool my hand down that felt awfully hot. I took a sip, tasting straight up sugar and creamer with the perfect amount of bitterness as a means to distract myself from the obvious.

I watched as he did just the same, using his other hand — that was never locked in my hold — to pick up his drink and take a sip. My eyes traveled to his other hand that was still braced on the table — still and unmoving. I thought I imagined it when his hand flexed for just a moment before he pulled it away.

"Hm," he hummed in satisfaction, averting my attention back to his face. "Pretty good," he complimented the coffee before taking another sip.

"The best," I hyped it up, almost halfway done with my own cup.

"I now understand why you come here so much," he commented in between sips before going back to our previous conversation. "So you used to work for a publishing company?"

"Interned," I clarified. "Not my finest moment, but hey — guess it just wasn't for me."

"Do you like the bookstore?"

He wanted to know if I liked working at the bookstore.

He wanted to know something about me.

"Yeah, I love it," I answered quickly, before I could over-think it any longer. Taking one last big sip, I almost slammed my cup on the table. "Done!"

"No fair," Austin whined, completely stunned. "They filled yours with a shit load of ice."

"Are you accusing me of cheating, Mr. Butt-ler?" I exaggerated the butt part again, absolutely cheesing my head off as I fucked around with him.

Not actually fucked.

Just joking.

Busted his balls a little.

Welp, that didn't sound any better. Anyways —

"Not that again." He blew out a breath, his gaze training upward as he tried to remove the curl off his forehead in frustration.

My hand suddenly tingled at my side, itching to reach out and touch him — to move the curl from his forehead. I momentarily wondered if his hair was as soft as it looked from here.

Jesus.

Focus, Rianne.

Maybe Sher was right. Maybe coffee was a drug. Maybe one of those peeps at Syd's office infected me or doused their addictive stimulants into my beverage.

Shoving my hand under my leg, I settled. "It's not my fault you nurse it like a baby."

"Maybe we should've ordered espresso shots," he suggested, ignoring my comment right as another server placed a plate of fries and gravy on the table for us. "Could be a hit for Levi's party though."

"Don't give me ideas now," I warned him, pointing a gravy covered fry in his direction accusingly to which he just smirked at me before munching on his own stick of potato — if you will.

A strange silence washed over us as we indulged in the plate, my mind suddenly feeling cloudy and heavy with every intrusive thought imaginable. For some reason, I couldn't comprehend the fact that I was here with him, in my favorite booth, sipping coffee and munching on fries — looking like this was a normal usual thing.

Something we did all the time.

Together.

The thought lingered with me for longer than I liked, burrowing itself deep into my insecurities and worries.

Warning me to flee.

Warning me not to get attached.

"Good, you're both eating." Sher was suddenly there, leaning an arm against the top of Austin's side of the booth observing us. "Everything good, my girl?" She asked me, going back to ignoring him once she was satisfied that he was being fed.

"Great," I forced out — my smile feeling robotic as I attempted to stretch it across my face.

Everything was fine, and now it just wasn't.

She sent a strange look my way, suspicion written all over her face as her eyes scanned back and forth between us. Sherry knew me well – well enough to know when something was up with me. Well enough to pick up my social cues in a heartbeat.

Before she could even let out a single word, my hand ventured into my tote bag searching for my wallet. "I probably should go." I told Austin, placing some cash on the table to contribute to my share.

"Wait – Take it back," he urged, pushing the cash back in my direction and then whipped out his credit card, trying to hand it over to Sher.

Not again.

Rolling my eyes, I picked up my cash and shook it in front of Sher. "Who are you gonna side with on this one? The dude you just met or your girl?" I questioned her, narrowing my eyes as a test.

Shaking her head, she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Neither of you." She surprised us both. "On me. I'm not gonna wait and watch you two argue it out. I've got orders to take and shit to do." She raised her manicured hands up in surrender. "Goodbye."

And then she just disappeared – leaving us sitting there confused.

In a quick attempt to stop him from even thinking about paying for me, I left some cash on the table as a tip for Sher since she didn't leave us a receipt before decking out of there. I ball parked what I thought the price would be and hoped and prayed she just took it. If not, someone else would. Either way it would go to a place I appreciated.

Looking back, I watched him leave his own wad of cash – which was definitely too much money at this point for two coffees and some fries – before trailing behind me – his steps urgent. On the way out, I thought I lost him, but heard the bell above the door ring the moment I stopped at the corner looking both ways to cross.

Damn it.

Long legs stopped right next to me as I went to click the button for the crosswalk. "You're walking?" he asked, surprising me when he dropped the 'I'm paying-no-I'm paying' game.

Guessed it was settled — more than settled.

I sure as shit thought he was gonna say something along the lines of — "Just let me pay, Rianne," or "You'll get me back next time, Rianne" — just to get his way. Or maybe I was just thinking that because a part of my subconscious selfishly wanted to hear him say my name again. Wanted him to see me again. I already knew another part was already shutting that thought down — canning it in the trash bin of my brain.

You're gone.

Deleted.

"Yeah." I replied, squinting up at his tall frame against — what would soon be — a setting sun.

His golden locks shone in the light, complimenting the rays and his eyes looked even lighter — like a light blue sky reflecting off the ocean. Seeing him standing up gave me the opportunity to notice that he had on a pair of jeans and scruffed up brown boots — that looked like they'd seen better days — and now a black leather jacket.

"It's getting late," he muttered. "And the streets are gonna be packed with people and traffic now that rush hour is rolling around." Leaning against the post he finally ripped off the bandage. "Let me drive you home."

"Oh, so you do drive?" I teased, being a complete and total smartass.

"I was away for a while," he explained, pulling out a key from his pocket to drive his point further. Ha— drive? Car? Alright. Tough Crowd. Awful joke. "And I left it here, so it had to go into the shop for a check up when I came back. That's why I couldn't drive myself."

"Is it good? You sure it isn't gonna break down on us during the journey back home?" I asked suspiciously.

"I was in your friend La— Le— sorry, what is his name again?" His hand shot up to his head, his fingers massaging into his temples as if it was physically paining him to figure out what he was trying to say.

I knew not telling him would give me the upper hand, but watching him struggle started to pain me as well. "Levi."

"Levi. Right." He brushed his hand across his face just as he did in the diner. I wondered if it was a habit induced by stress. "I sat in his — no offense — pretty old car, and I let you drive me." He pointed out.

"True." I mean I couldn't deny the evident point he made. Levi's car was way passed the drinking age and probably even surpassed me by a few years — probably flirty and thirty. "No offense taken but, you didn't have much of a choice now, did you? And I wouldn't be driving this time, would I?"

"Well." He kicked off the pole, standing up straight. "No, but —"

I advanced towards him, so close I ruined the little line I mentally drew between us, my finger poking his chest.

"Exactly!" I stressed.

I won.

Two out of three.

Take that—Toothpick Umbrella Thief!

"Scared of losing control?" He quipped, biting on that ridiculous lip for the a millionth time today — seeming completely unphased by my close proximity and more amused by my evident aggravation.

"How do I know you're a safe driver?" I avoided his question, whispering like it was some sort of confidential secret. As if we weren't standing on a busy street in Los Angeles, but in a library with a librarian shushing us across the way.

"You'll just have to find out for yourself," he breathed, his face towering over mine — so close I could feel his breath fanning across my skin.

Too close.

I shouldn't have done that.

I pulled away.

"Thanks, but I walk all the time," I attempted to deny another one of his offers, staring up at the stupid light stuck on green — waiting for the damn thing to turn. "I'll be fine." I assured him, sending him a tight lipped smile as I pressed the button again, but with a bit more umpt this time.

He sent a funny look my way, before lifting up his sleeve and sniffing his arm. "Do I smell or something to you?" He asked in all seriousness, his nose scrunching up as he tried to figure it out. "Is that why you want to get away from me so bad? Cause if so, you can just tell me straight up." He joked.

If he meant smell good — yes, in fact he smelled so good, I found it really hard to concentrate. Which meant I needed to get as far away from him as possible.

But, I knew what he meant.

And he sure as shit did not smell bad at all.

"No." I let out a short laugh. "I already intruded on your booth, your work, and your late lunch. You should be sick of me at this point."

"I'm not sick of you," he said just as fast, proving to me that he was truly trying to say whatever would please me to get me right where he wanted me. "In fact. If I remember correctly, you have a shirt of mine that I have to get back from you. So it's a win-win — I drive you home, you give me the shirt." He stuck out his hand, initiating to shake on it. "Deal?

Fucking stubborn.

Taking a long hard breath, I let the steam shoot right out of my ears as I reached out and shook his hand. My body immediately caved once his warm hand engulfed my small one— our rings clanking together. My mind screamed at me to pull away, but —

"Deal."

Electric.

If it meant giving him his shirt back so I could finally live at peace in my own home — so be it.

——

it's the way i was cheesing like a total idiot while writing this chapter —smiling at typed words on a screen. anyways, hope you enjoyed <3 —xanadu

[sayonarasanity]

Reverberation

Chapter VIII. II.

Chapter 1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7-8

link to AO3

The stars look far away.

Levi stares at the night sky. All vast, infinite, and black and he thinks about how lonely the moon is. The bottle in his hand is almost empty yet it feels heavy, nearly halfway to slipping away between his weak fingers. He holds onto it anyway. It is the one and only solid thing he feels at the moment. The sole thing that feels real, tangible. Under midnight, with the lone company of the moonlight, it is so easy to dream of oblivion. It is so easy to wish to vanish, to just not be anymore. If only there was a way, if only he could turn into dust and join the stars above, he would do it without a second thought. 

He wonders if his mother can see him now from wherever she is up there and what she would think of him if she could. Disappointment, possibly. Hurt. He is a failure from head to toe. There is only one thing that he is absurdly good at and that is letting the people he loves down. 

“Sorry mom,” he whispers to the night with a sliver of hope that maybe she can hear him and see how regretful he is for not trying harder. “I couldn’t save you.” 

It’s still so hard to accept. Thinking about his mother now is like parting the ground in half with his own bare hands. Only the ground is his heart, and it feels like it is being ripped apart. But he hasn’t shed a single tear since the funeral. He knows he should possibly scream, cry or maybe punch something around him. Just to let it out so that it wouldn’t kill him from inside out slowly like a deadly poison.

Rather, Levi brings the bottle up to his mouth to drink the last remnants of the bitter liquid. It fills his mouth briefly before rolling down his throat. He stares at the empty thing then, his drunk gaze barely focusing on the letters written on its vitreous surface. He barely stands on his two feet. Everything around is blurry. Getting drunk on the edge of a roof was not the best idea, probably. Yet the cold glass he grips has been the mere thing that is close to a friend in these last few weeks. And the roof is the one thing that he feels close to home. It is familiar but in the most foreign way. It has the warmth of a living room when there is a blizzard outside. All he can feel right now though is the bitter cold. 

It is a difficult task not to think about her now. On top of this building when he is alone with the night when he tries to forget about his loss, he remembers her. Her laughter and bright eyes, her wit and her foolishness, her voice and her existence. He thinks he needs them more than ever. To have her here with him now. The time had cruelly erased the sounds from his mind. No matter how hard he had tried to keep them by his side, treasure them in his heart and mind, he had given in to the passing years at last. Let them carry away the sound of laughter that felt like the only thing his soul needed. Now he is greedy, desperate to hear it one more time. Maybe one last time. He doesn’t deserve it; he knows but if only—

“Levi?”

He stills, fingers wrapping around the head of the bottle tightly. His body instinctively gravitates to the owner of the voice. His eyes nearly take the shape of the full moon when he turns his head to the side, his mind in a drunken haze, and he cannot believe, he cannot even fathom that what he has just heard was real. Because no amount of lost time or countless distance would be enough for him to not recognize who that voice belonged to. 

“Hanji?” he whispers to himself, dumbfounded. 

The bottle slips down from between his fingers and shatters to pieces on the ground. He stares at the broken pieces with shocked eyes, his heart pounds like a newly cut wound. It can’t be.

It can’t. Of course. He is drunk as hell. Levi blinks his eyes rapidly, and among the thick mist in his mind, he somehow founds the will to chuckle. A dry, humorless sound. “Fucking great,” he murmurs. “I am seeing things.”

“Levi!” The imaginary voice calls him again. This time he looks up just in time to see the dream Hanji standing in front of him. She looks painfully real, and different too from the last time he had seen her. Taller, somehow, and a little skinnier. She has grown up too. Levi hasn’t realized his dreams catching up with the present. He had always dreamed of her in her teenage years. Young, alive and bright. Now her eyes stare at him with apprehension, brows furrowed and a pair of oval glasses slipping down her nose. Hair a wild mess but even so she is beautiful. Cruelly beautiful.

“What the hell are you doing here?” The imaginary Hanji chides him. She is mad at him for some reason. For some reason? She had every right to be mad at him. Apparently, he manages to sadden her even in his dreams. “Are you out of your mind?”

Levi blinks. He is drunk. Incredibly so. And he is in no mood for the mind games his subconscious obviously takes great joy in playing with him. “Clearly, I am,” he murmurs. The dream Hanji looks even more pissed at his comment. She purses her lips for a second and Levi finds himself staring at them as if he is hypnotized. Even though he knows she is not real he barely holds himself back from reaching out to touch her face. To trace the lines of her lips, her eyes, and her cheek. To touch the soft hair adorning her face, to press his lips—

“Levi,” the dream talks again. This time the tone of her voice is different. It’s softer, quieter, and tender. As if she is afraid to cross a line. As if she is afraid to press on a deep, fresh wound.

Which is absurd. Because she is just a dream and dreams don’t think. They are not real. So is she. 

The imaginary Hanji takes a step forward and he sees her eyes alight with tears. They search his eyes and the look in them is almost pleading like she is trying to reach out to him, to find him wherever he has hidden behind the walls of his heart. “I’m here.” 

His lips tremble and he struggles hard to not avert his eyes from hers. Even though he knows he will look like he has gone mad talking to someone who isn’t actually here he answers regardless, “Hanji wouldn’t be here,” he says, determined.

“Why?” the dream asks, confused.

Eventually, he looks away, his eyes focus on the edge of the roof, and traces the lines of a puddle on the corner. It reflects the starry night, the moon shines on its surface, and Levi’s heart shivers when his next words leave his mouth, “Because she hates me.”

The imaginary Hanji is silent for a terrifyingly long moment, and he cannot bring himself to turn back to her eyes just to see the hurt and anger he is sure are hidden in them. His mind loves to torture him even in his dreams. This wouldn’t be the first time he faced those emotions. 

After a considerably quiet moment, the dream Hanji asks, “Why do you think so?”

Levi swallows. He is sure his mind knows the answer, yet it wouldn’t let go of him that easily. He listens to a plane landing, making a howling sound, cutting the silence. And then he moves his eyes up to the moon. It is a perfect circle and so bright. He thinks about all the secrets it had witnessed them giving to each other during those years they spent with its company. And how it was the onlooker of each drop of tear he had shed on this rooftop. All alone. Desperate. And hurt. “Because I broke her heart,” he whispers. 

A sharp breath leaves the mouth of his very vivid dream. This is it now, he thinks. She must be gone. He is still drunk. The alcohol runs through his veins, and it makes him unstable. It is not healthy he knows. His mother constantly chided him for giving up to the brief oblivion it provides. But she is not here anymore, is she? Just like Hanji. They both were the only things he had valued with everything he got and lost painfully. 

He decides he wants to look at her one last time before she disappears. Who knows when he will see a dream which feels as realistic as this one? He wants to make the best of it. Wants to engrave each and every detail of her face in his mind just so it will be impossible for it to ever disappear from his memory. 

Just when he moves his eyes back on her, he sees a drop of tear sliding down her cheek. “And I broke yours,” she whispers.

He hates to see her cry; he thinks knitting his brows and he almost almost reaches out to wipe the tear away from her cheek. 

But before he can do so he feels cold, soft hands cupping his face, and warm breath touches his face. And he freezes, eyes widening and mouth agape. A dream shouldn’t feel this real, this solid. A dream shouldn’t make his breath hitch and his heart skip a beat. A dream shouldn’t be able to hold him like this. 

Unless it is not a dream. Not a product of his drunk and mourning brain. But reality. Actual, palpable reality. “How?..” He says, bewildered. “Hanji…”

A sound between a sob and laughter escapes her mouth. “And you call me an idiot.” Her thumb traces his cheeks, wiping away the tears he hasn’t even realized fall from his eyes. “I’m here.”

“But why?” He asks again. Insistent. Because he is curious. He wants to know why after everything he has done, she has come here to find him in a place he has specifically made for himself just so nobody could.

She looks at him with wet and sorrowful eyes. The hazel-brown shade of them is so familiar it makes his stomach burn with longing and with the ashes of a love he had been hiding in his heart like a valuable mine. “Because you are still my best friend,” she says quietly and with tears shining bright on her face.

And somehow it is enough for his drunk brain cells to finally accept the fact that she is here with him for real. That the hands holding his face and the eyes searching his are not a dream. That she is not a dream, and he hasn’t yet crossed the line of sanity.

Blindly, his hands find her waist, circling around her to bring her body flush against his. He buries his nose in her neck, breathing in the scent of her he has been yearning to feel again for years. His eyes close and his arms tighten to hold her impossibly closer. Hanji’s arms wrap around his neck and her fingers run through his hair and his undercut. 

Maybe it is her presence, her solid warmth that in the end encourages him to speak out the words of truth he has been trying to ignore for days. There is no one else he can open his heart so blatantly to, without worry and without any fear. She is the only one who can kneel with him to pick up the millions of pieces of his soul that are scattered apart. And now she is right here, between his arms, just where he needs her. 

“I lost my mom, Hanji,” he whispers against her neck, throat tight with sobs that are ready to leave his lips at any second. The tears he has been holding so stubbornly now wait on the edge, threatening to fall down. 

“I know,” she says, and he feels her lips pressing hot kisses on his neck, and her tears leave wet traces on his skin. “I’m so sorry, Levi. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” She repeats it like a mantra, like the more she says it the more she can take away from his pain. 

His body is trembling as a result of how hard he is fighting against his tears and to not just give in and let go of everything that had been building out over and over in his heart like a skyscraper. His nails dig into her raincoat, and his teeth are pressed so tight it is nearly painful.

Hanji picks out the shivering that is shaking his whole body. And of course, she understands and sees the reason behind it. “Let it go,” she tells into his ear. Her voice is soothing, familiar like a spring breeze on his skin. “Let it go, Levi. I’m here. I’m here. You’re not alone.”

And as if he has been waiting to hear those words, let go he does. After a long, fierce battle he comes out bloody and wounded but rises the white flag all the same. Eventually, the sobs leave his mouth one by one, tears fall down like a waterfall and the mere thing that keeps him above the surface is her touch and her warmth. And as he wets her shoulder with his tears, as his whole body jerks with the force of his sobs she holds him throughout it all, whispering into his ear, her fingers caressing his skin.

And he prays, maybe for the first time since his mother passed away that if this moment is a dream, then please God don’t make me wake up.

*

Hanji stands quietly behind Levi as he very much struggles, given how drunk he is, to open the door to his apartment with his keys. Silent curses leave his mouth as harsh whispers and Hanji purses her lips to hide the smile that quite obviously wants to shape on her lips.

He hasn’t changed a bit.

They had taken a taxi ride to his home. She had learned from Kenny that he lived alone. Though not very far from his mother and Kenny he had an apartment a little away from the city center. They hadn’t talked much during the ride. But she had felt Levi’s gaze on her until the car had stopped to signal their arrival. 

It still feels like a dream. Him being in front of her now. He has grown up a lot as expected. His shoulders are wider, and he is a little bit taller, the lines of his face are sharper. His hair is still the same though. Straight black with an undercut. It looks smooth and clean. His overall appearance is clean. Very much like him. Very much like the Levi she has known.

Finally, after a lot of hard work, Levi manages to open the door. He pushes it open and gestures with his arm for her to step inside. His eyes watch her every move intently. 

Hanji smiles and enters his house with her heart beating loudly. It is dark before Levi follows her behind and closes the door and he switches the lights on. She is nervous. Completely opposite of how she felt when they were together while they were young. It is different now. She is aware of his very presence; of every breath he inhales and every sound he makes. On the one hand, it is normal considering that it had been eight years since they last saw each other. On the other hand, though…

“Would you like something to drink?”

Hanji winces, quite visibly, and stares at him with wide eyes. Too nervous. “Uhm…”

“Not anything that includes alcohol,” Levi adds, his eyes are a pretty shade of blue under the yellow light of the hall and they are slightly red around. But he has that same sharp gaze. Intense, even though they are merely talking about what they should drink. Somehow, it causes goosebumps on her skin. “I am still a little drunk.”

Hanji snorts, just to gain a little more confidence, and maybe relax a bit. “That was a big ass bottle, Levi.”

“It’s barely enough,” he says grimly, then sighs, “I do need to sober up tough.”

Hanji pushes her glasses up her nose and nods. Together they walk towards the kitchen. Levi’s steps are calculated like he might trip down any second. No wonder he had thought she wasn’t real with that amount of alcohol he had consumed. 

The kitchen is big and wide and the cupboards are white. There is a kitchen island in the middle with chairs lined around. While Levi fills the kettle with water Hanji travels her hand on the cold surface of the island just to have something to do other than thinking about the way he held her, the way he stared at her, and the way he looked like when he said, “Because I broke her heart.”    

It pains her even to think of. He had spent years thinking that she might hate him when in reality all she had felt was confusion and unresolved curiosity as to why he had chosen to be alone like that.

And how he had cried in her arms afterward like each drop of tear took away a part of his heart. It had taken minutes for his sobs to subdue and tears to dry. Hanji couldn’t even think of how long he had been hiding them inside, keeping them behind a barricade that was inevitably bound to break at some point. 

The sound of the kettle boiling disperses her thoughts. “So, what do you do?” He asks, his back facing her as he takes two teacups out from a drawer. Small talk with Levi as if they are two strangers feels awkward and a little bit painful, but Hanji goes along with it. That’s what they need now. A fresh start. 

“I am working as a space scientist,” she says, sitting on one of the chairs. “In Jeager Space Administration.”

Levi throws her a brief look from above his shoulder. There is a small smile on his lips which makes her heart flutter. He turns back to his work of placing two tea bags inside the cups. And although she cannot see his face now, she can hear the pride in his voice when he says, softly, “That’s my Hanji.” 

The sound of her heartbeats reverberates in her ears, her lips open and close with no words leaving her mouth and she finds herself dumbfounded, staring at his back. My Hanji. 

She shakes her head as if to clear the fog his words created in her head. “What about you?” she directs the question back at him, clearing her throat. “You’re an aerospace engineer, right?”

“Yeah,” he answers as he fills the cups with boiling water. “I am working at a small company. Nothing worth mentioning. It’s totally not as fancy as yours.”

Hanji chuckles and rests her cheek on her palm after placing her elbow on the kitchen island. She is fully aware of the fact that they are beating around the bush, ignoring the actual matters that they should be talking about completely. Like how, despite everything he had told her that day they were moving away, he had become an aerospace engineer still. Following the dream that they had set for themselves to work side by side, to be together no matter what. Knowing that the last part of that dream never came true was heartbreaking.

And Kuchel. Hanji can feel the matter hanging in the air, heavily between them. Though neither of them makes a move to say a word about it. It is not that difficult to see the dark brushes of grief on his face. It is all over his body. Settled on his shoulders like a dead weight. 

Unaware of what’s going on inside her head, Levi walks towards her, bringing two cups of tea to the island, the hot stream rises from their surface, and they have a nice, soothing smell. He places them on the island, then straightens up but just when he is about to walk around her to get to the other side, he stumbles on his feet, and with a startled huff he loses his balance.

Hanji doesn’t even realize what she is doing until they become face to face with bewildered eyes and her fingers are grabbing his upper arms. He feels solid underneath her hands. And warmth radiates through the fabric of his white shirt. Her fingers don’t even wrap fully around his arms. They merely hold a part of them which is quite weird because how the hell had he become so big?

“Have you been working out?” she blurts like the bewildered fool that she is. Immediately her cheeks heat up and she bites her tongue inside.

An almost smug grin lifts one corner of his lips. “Every now and then.”

“Good,” she comments. “For your health, I mean.”

“Mmm,” he murmurs, still playful smile hanging on his mouth. But then his eyes leave hers to travel around her face, past her cheekbones, and her nose, and they stay fixated on her lips. 

Her breath is stuck somewhere in her throat and Hanji cannot stop her eyes from taking the same route. Following his dark eyelashes, the circles underneath his eyes which are the remainder of his sleepless nights, his little, perfect nose, and the barely visible shadow of a beard around his jaw.

And then finally his lips. 

She feels her fingers tighten around his biceps uncontrollably. This isn’t what she thought would happen when she saw Levi again for the first time after all these years. Love had been an innocent, fragile thing while they were merely teenagers. And she had been so busy trying to ignore her feelings and accept the fact that they would never be requited she hadn’t paid enough attention to anything that was simply physical. She had been in love with his mind and the kindness he kept hidden in himself. Everything aside, it had been years. She must’ve buried all those emotions by now. She had thought she had. Yet, now they sprout again, emerging through what must have been the gravestone of her feelings. And it is different now, poisonous even, given how it affects her at the moment as if she had drunk it straight from a bottle. 

Somehow, that poison must have paralyzed her for she cannot look away from the way his lips move when he talks, “I should probably take a shower.”

The way her heart pounds is nearly painful. She finally manages to rip her eyes away from his mouth to carry them up to his eyes. She blinks. “Okay.”

Now under the white, fluorescent lights, his eyes are somehow darker, and they seem to be losing focus from time to time. And as seconds thick by but he doesn’t move, gradually they fill with much sorrow and undeniable longing. She can feel her own eyes reflecting the same emotions. They had a lot to talk about. So many things to unravel. Countless misunderstandings to fix.

His eyes soften and a little smile flutters on his lips. And just like old times, Hanji doesn’t get surprised when he says, as if he has read her mind, “We have much to talk about, don’t we?”

Somehow, that single question finally makes her relax. She can feel the tension on her shoulders at ease, and she displays a smile mirroring his. “Yeah.”

His smile vaguely widens then eventually he straightens up and Hanji’s hands fall on her lap. He doesn’t instantly leave. Instead, he holds up his hand and his thumb brushes her chin, caressing it with a featherlight touch. Yet it is enough to send a rush of goosebumps along her body. “Drink your tea,” he says unaware of what his little gesture caused. “I’ll be right back.”

*

Hanji has been watching the flickering city lights from behind the large window in Levi’s living room when he finds her. She sees his reflection on the glass first, resting against the door frame with a towel around his neck and wet hair combed back. He watches her for a while as if he cannot believe that she is actually there.

Then he comes to stand next to her. His shampoo spreads a sharp, fresh smell like that of peppermint. His eyes are thoughtful as they observe the past-midnight view outside. 

“Pretty view you have here,” Hanji says as partly an attempt to break the silence and make the atmosphere less awkward and more familiar. 

Levi shrugs as if it’s no big deal. He looks at her then, his eyes take in the frame of her face. Examining her features. “I think I do,” he responds.

Something in the way he has said those words makes her cheeks go aflame, “You’ve changed,” she remarks getting more and more aware of that fact. Change has been of course inevitable and while in some aspects he is still the same in some he is clearly different. He is more somber, thoughtful, and calmer.

He looks away, giving her a clear view of the self-evident sorrow on his face. “I’ve lost a lot.”

Her throat tightens, “I’m so sorry,” she whispers. “Levi—”

“How did you know?” he cuts, and he sounds curious like he has been meaning to ask the question since the moment he saw her tonight.

“Kenny called me,” Hanji answers, slightly taken aback by his abrupt question. “He was really worried about you.”

Hanji had texted Kenny to let him know that she had found Levi while Levi was taking a shower. Kenny had replied with lots of colourful swear words and a thank you in return. 

A muscle moves on Levi’s jaw upon hearing his uncle’s name and Hanji remembers her conversation with Kenny this morning. He must be still mad at him she thinks but his anger doesn’t seem to have been directed towards only one person. She has a feeling that he is angry with himself the most.

Then she adds, quietly, “I was too.”

But too late. She can clearly see the moment he builds his walls and surrounds himself with them. “I’m alright,” he says turning around and walking towards the L-shaped sofa in the corner of the room. 

Hanji follows him as he sits down. “You don’t look alright,” she comments. 

He runs a hand through his half-soaked hair and throws the towel wrapped around his neck on top of the back of the sofa. “Wonder why,” he murmurs. 

“Don’t be sarcastic.” It’s his trait, his way to cope with things she knows. But if he is sarcastic then she is stubborn and she won’t let him get away easily.

Levi looks up at her from where he sits, and she sees the thing she fears the most in his eyes, coldness.

“Why?” he asks, “What are you going to do about it?” And Hanji knows. She feels the sharp edges of the knife right on her ribcage before she even sees it. “Leave me again?”

Her body freezes, motionless as a statue and she cannot even talk for several seconds. Her remorse and pain resurface, rises like a hurricane, and almost drown her with its crashing waves. “Don’t,” she manages to say. 

“Why not?” he stands up and takes a careful step towards her. “Isn’t that the truth, Hanji?”

Hanji knows he is in pain, a pain she cannot even imagine. And she is aware that he has the right to be mad at her, to yell and demand answers. As much as she does. He had accepted her decision then. Never once questioned it after she left. Now it is time to pay back. Both for her and him. 

Nevertheless, his cruelty is what she cannot bring herself to accept. This isn’t a fair game though and being brutal isn’t an option but a necessity. So, she plays her own card. “You left me too.”

Her remark sparks something in his eyes. They flicker as if he is holding himself back from displaying whatever he feels inside. He keeps the walls safely around him though, doesn’t let her even touch their surface. And Hanji thinks there are only a few other things more painful than watching one person you know heart and soul now becoming a stranger. The person who once had been a book the pages of which she had known by heart now standing right in front of her having ripped all those pages and burned them to ashes.

“I had to,” he answers shortly as if that explains everything.

But she won’t hold back now. If he demands answers so does she. “I would’ve come with you,” she says, voice roughly trembling. “You know I would.”

“You didn’t even want to talk to me—”

“Because I was stupid!” She burst, causing his eyes to slightly widen with bewilderment upon her outburst. “I was in pain, and I didn’t know what else to do with it! But I would still come with you if you asked me for it, Levi. You know damn well I would.”

“So what?” he retorts, finally he lets the flames of his anger lighten his eyes. “What if you came with me? I didn’t even know what kind of hell I was walking into. My mother was sick, I was moving away to somewhere I didn’t know shit about, and we didn’t have enough money to fucking live properly. I barely managed to finish the first year of university because my idiot of an uncle lost all the money we had.” 

His breaths are fast, his chest moving up and down quickly as if he had run a marathon. Hanji merely watches, unable to do anything else. No matter how much she wants to reach out to hold him for all the years he had to live alone and all the suffering he had to carry on his own.

“You didn’t have to face all that alone,” Hanji tells him, she feels her anger dissipate and she waits for him to calm down. 

And he does, merely seconds after like he doesn’t even have the energy to yell, to be mad, or to feel anything anymore. “It was goddamn hell, Hanji,” he adds, now calmer. As if he is exhausted. “How would I have let you go through it as well?”

It hurts her to know that she had been the reason why he had made that choice. “That’s why you never picked up when I called?” she asks her heart tightening with sorrow. “The reason why you never talked to me?”

He nods, his eyes looking everywhere else but her. “I wanted you to hate me,” he says honestly. “I thought it would make it easier for you to go on with your life. Without me…”

“It wasn’t easier,” she completes his sentence. “You know how important you were to me. I was angry but I never hated you.” She takes a step closer to him, eyes searching his face. They burned and her vision blurred. “I wouldn’t care you know,” she whispers, and she doesn’t feel even a moment of hesitation while uttering her next words, “Going through hell with you.”

“I know.” He closes his eyes and a second later when he opens them, he looks at her with such candidness that it takes her breath away. “But you don’t understand Hanji,” he says, and the way he stares into her eyes and the emotions floating on their surface captures her soul like a tornado. “I was in love with you.”

Time slows down around her; air gets thick and the mere thing she sees is the blue of his eyes. The colour of the moon. Hanji thinks of that boy who watches the stars, and she feels like that girl on the rooftop again. A child and ecstatic, unaware. A teenager and heartbroken, in love. Hanji had always thought it was the rooftop that made feel her closer to the sky. But it wasn’t the rooftop that lifted her up to touch the stars.

It was him.

“You loved me?” She asks, silently, bewildered, dizzy, and without even waiting for an answer.

“I was going to tell you,” he continues as if what he has just said hasn’t turned her entire world upside down. “Remember the day I called you and told you that I had something to tell you? It was that. I was going to tell you that I loved you. I didn’t even care what would happen after. I was ready to take the risk but then…” 

He sighs and closes his eyes, but Hanji understands. “You learned your mother was sick,” she completes instead of him, a few drops of tears have already wetted her face.

Levi nods. “I had to leave you, Hanji,” he stares into her eyes as if he is begging her to understand. “It was the only way to keep you safe, to make sure you fulfilled your dreams, to know that you were happy. Away from me,” he releases a shaky breath. “I was a fucking mess. Believe me, you were better off without me.”

Hanji shakes her head, “You shouldn’t have faced all of that alone.”

“I managed,” he says. Barely is what is hidden behind his words.

Hanji wipes her cheeks and decides that it was only fair if she laid all her cards on the table. “I was selfish.”

Levi looks at her curiously, “What?”

“I left you because I didn’t—couldn’t bare seeing you with her.” She averts her eyes to the painting on the wall behind Levi. “I should’ve been happy for you as your best friend. But I—the more I tried to come to terms with it the more I realized that it was eating me alive like a worm. Bit by bit.”

“Hanji—”

“So, I broke our friendship before I made something stupid to make it even worse,” she carries her eyes back at him to see his somewhat shocked expression. “It was way too late when I realized that I had fallen for you already. But I chose to run away from that feeling rather than facing it.”

Levi stares at her with astonishment for a handful of moments and then he says, “And you were supposed to be the genius.”

Upon his obviously unexpected reaction, it takes Hanji a while to respond, “I am the genius!”

“Clearly you’re not emotionally intelligent.”

“You’re the one to talk!”

“I bet you didn’t figure it out yourself,” Levi challenges. “Who told you that you loved me?”

Hanji hesitates before answering, cursing at the way he can still see through her. “Erwin,” she says timidly.

“Glad to know you two gossiped about me,” he says, smugly.

“What about you?” Hanji asks, crossing her arms.

“Huh?”

“Who told you? You couldn’t have possibly found it out yourself either. You are not so good with feelings, are you?”

Levi glares at her before answering, so quietly that she barely catches it. “Petra.”

“Hah!” Hanji exclaims throwing her hands in the air. Unbelievable. “Congrats, we are both the fools of the century.”

“We are soulmates for a reason,” Levi says, and once again the mood instantly changes.

Up to this point they both had talked in the past tense. Hanji is perfectly aware that there is no guarantee they are holding the same feelings now. Life is like a constantly moving train. It never stops to wait for passengers. It merely comes to a brief halt only to pick up, bitter or sweet, all memories and nothing else. It collects all the laughter and pain, tears and merriness then it leaves, moves so swiftly the eye fails to catch even its silhouette. o

But, Hanji thinks, being someone’s soulmate is something the passing years cannot wither, cannot erase. Whether something like it exists or not. Hanji is sure some way or another other their souls are connected. 

No one in this world can understand her better than him.

And as such, she is certain that throughout all those years she never once stopped loving him.

“Sorry,” Levi says, probably having misunderstood her silence. “Was that—”

“Why did you study aerospace engineering, Levi?” Hanji drops the question finally. It had been demanding an answer for years for it was in contradiction with what he had told her the day he left.

They weren’t our dreams, Hanji. They were yours.

Hard she tried, she could’ve never forgotten those words. They had hurt her more than anything. The two had grown up building their future with their bare hands, piece by piece. And that day he had stepped on it as if it meant nothing to him.

For a second she is able to see the regret in his eyes and she knows he understood the reason why she asked this question. And it doesn’t take him long to answer it.

“Because it was our dream.” 

Taking off her glasses Hanji presses the palms of her hands on her eyes because at this point there is no way to stop the tears from flowing furiously. She barely manages to prevent her sobs to shake her shoulders by pursing her lips. It feels like an overflow for everything she had buried until now. For the lonely nights, she had spent on the rooftop without him as the cold wind pierced her clothes and she had thought that the stars meant nothing. For the days she had walked past his empty house staring at the naked windows and praying for the door to be open and be welcomed with the smell of newly baked apple tart and warmth. For the sleepless nights, she lay on the floor of the attic, staring up at the navy blanket with tears running down the sides of her face and wishing to hear his voice once again. To have him right beside her. To laugh with him one more time. And for the times she sobbed hugging her mother’s chest as her fingers ran softly through her hair, “I miss him, mom. I miss him so much.”

For Kuchel. And for the fact that she will never have the chance to see her smile again. 

And for Levi who has lost his mother, who has had to carry all the burden by himself because he loved her, and he loved his mother. Because he is selfless and the strongest person she had ever known.

“I’m sorry,” Levi whispers. “I don’t know if it means anything though for it,” he pauses, and Hanji waits for him to continue while her ragged breaths leave her mouth. “if I had to do it again, I would. Without hesitation. But Hanji… wouldn’t you do the same?”

For some reason that makes her cry even harder, and she no longer tries to subdue her sobs from jerking her whole body. She is somehow able to nod because he is right. She would do anything to protect him. 

Then she feels his presence right in front of her and his fingers grab her wrists. Hanji lets him pull her hands down but she is unable to meet his gaze as his fingers caress her skin softly and she is certain that there will never come a time when he will feel like a stranger to her. It is not possible given the fact that she knows him with every fiber of her body.

And then he hugs her gently, holds her carefully and tenderly. Completely opposite to the way he had held her earlier on the rooftop. Hanji presses her forehead on his shoulder, and her fingers grab his t-shirt weakly. And as he leaves a kiss on her hair as light as a butterfly, she wishes she hadn’t waited so long for this moment to come.

“I’m sorry, Levi,” she gives him her very late apology. “I really am.”

“It’s alright. Don’t think about it now,” Levi whispers, his fingers running through her hair. “Let’s get some sleep. You must be tired.”

We both are, Hanji wants to say but only approves with her head and lets Levi direct her out of the living room.

*

Hanji changes her clothes with the ones Levi had given to her inside the bathroom. Meanwhile, she washes her face and wets her neck. Though the redness around her eyes is still clearly visible. She places her glasses on top of her nose and reties her hair before leaving the bathroom. 

Levi is pulling the blanket of the twin bed down when she enters the bedroom. His room, as expected, is extremely tidy. There is nothing out of place or looks like a surfeit. He has a little library right next to the window and she can pick out the familiar backs of certain books she had read. And as she walks closer to it, she sees the copy of Macbeth, the one she had given to him on his birthday, on one of the shelves. A smile blooms on her face as if she had come across an old friend and she is about to reach out and take it in her hand when Levi calls her.

“You can sleep here,” he says, and Hanji turns around to see him pointing to the bed with his hand. “The sheets are clean.”

Her smile widens and Hanji walks closer to the bed and sits down, breathing in the fresh smell of the cotton sheets. She had never really realized how exhausted she actually had been for the last couple of days. No matter the fact that she had slept at Eren’s house and eaten a little before leaving to find Levi. She hadn’t been able to rest with a clear mind.

“I never doubted you, you know, clean freak.”

When he hears the old nickname, his eyes round slightly with surprise, and a pause after, a smile adorns his lips, and Hanji smirks. “That’s because you have no standard when it comes to hygiene, four-eyes.” 

Hanji gasps, obviously fake. “How dare you!” But then she starts to giggle, feeling lightened for the first time in years. “You’re right though.”

Levi snorts. “Of course, I am.” 

It’s been a long time, yet Hanji still remembers. Silence with Levi had never been something strange or uncomfortable. They, mostly her, one way or the other found a topic to talk about. However, at the moment as silence settled over, she feels awkward and doesn’t know what to say or what to do.

“Goodnight then,” Levi says eventually. And then turns around to leave the room.

That, in the end, is what prompts her. “Where are you going?” she sounds a little panicked because well she kind of is.

He stops and faces her, raising a brow. “To the living room.”

Hanji pauses. Well, naturally, that is the logical thing to do. “But…”

“It’s alright,” Levi interrupts. “I barely sleep on the bed anyway.”

For some reason that makes her feel even worse. “Don’t go.”

His shoulders tense, surprise paints his face and he seems ready to reject her. “Hanji—”

“You can sleep on the floor,” she suggests reminiscing about the old days.

“How is that better than sleeping on the couch?” he asks, confused.

Hanji shrugs and smiles timidly. “Or you can sleep in the bed.”

“What about—”

“With me.”

He inhales through his nose, patiently, “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Hanji.”

“Why not?” she tries once more. “It’s not anything we haven’t done before.”

“We are not children anymore,” Levi says. For sure, Hanji is overly aware of that. 

“The bed is big enough for the two of us,” she states. “We’ll keep our distance.”

Levi pauses as if he is at least considering her offer. “It’s a terrible idea.”

“Terrible ideas are my thing.”

“This is the worst you’ve ever come up with.”

“Worse than letting you cut my hair?” She smirks.

His eyes narrow while he seemingly compares the two of them inside his head. “Yes,” he decides to say at last.

Hanji pouts, picking at a stray string on the blanket. “You’re no fun.”

“This has nothing to do with fun, Hanji,” Levi says surprisingly gravely. “Sleeping in the same bed with you means I’m going to suffer until the damn sun rises.”

Hanji blinks his eyes. Truthfully that had made her feel just a little bit awful. “Well, sorry. Didn’t know you despised the idea that mu—”

“You’re the densest person I’ve ever seen,” Levi sighs. 

“Ouch.”

“Idiot,” the familiar word spills from his mouth easily but there is no heaviness behind it. He says it much affectionately as a smile lifts one corner of his lips. Hanji never thought of everything else she would miss the way he called her like that the most. Then he sighs again like he is fighting against what his heart desires and what his brain rationalizes. “I should sleep in the living room.”

Hanji doesn’t say anything this time and just confines with watching him silently as he walks towards the door and murmurs something like ‘oblivious woman’ and ‘hasn’t grown up a day’ as he slaps upon the light switch and causes the room to go dark.

Then he turns around and approaches the bed.

Her body locks and with wide, bewildered eyes she watches him through the dark as he sits on the edge of the bed, opens the bedside lamp then lies down and pulls the blanket to his chest. And when he turns his head a little to do side, she is still quite astonished. He places an arm under his head. His stare is nonchalant.

“So?”

“What?” she croaks. 

He lifts his head up a little. “Didn’t you want to sleep with me?”

Everything happens in a second. Hanji doesn’t even bother to think or consider as she grabs the pillow on her side, holds it up and it lands on Levi’s face with a loud pat.

His ultimate shock lasts barely a few seconds. When he grips the pillow and pulls it away from his face his eyes are fiery, burning like coals. “The hell?”

“You wanted to play it dirty.” Hanji points to the pillow with her chin. “Dirty it is then.”

A heartbeat later she feels the soft surface of the pillow hitting the side of her face. It isn’t painful or hard, yet it is enough to freeze her with surprise. Her shocked glare finds Levi who is now sitting on the bed, his expression challenging, almost daring. 

Her fingers clutch to either side of the pillow which Levi still grips as if his life depends on it. And when she pulls it towards herself, he pulls it back. The back and forth goes on for a while until it leaves Hanji sweaty on the forehead. He had become absurdly strong. “Give me the pillow!” she protests at last, out of patience.

“No,” Levi says casually.

“It’s mine,” Hanji remarks. “Give it back.”

“Technically it’s mine,” Levi slaps. 

“You know I won’t let it go until you do.”

“Likewise.”

Stubborn bastard. Hanji inhales through her nose, gritting her teeth. Then she forces a smile, not sincere in the slightest. “Let’s chat a little then, shall we?”

He shrugs. “Fine by me.”

His stare is indifferent, posture calm and relaxed. He knows that Hanji cannot win over him with just muscle power. But she has another thing up in her sleeve.

“How’s your love life?”

The question causes the effect she had been expecting. He seems caught by surprise. “Huh?”

“Love life?” Hanji repeats and although she had asked the question as a distraction her heart beats faster as she waits for the answer which she actually is in great curiosity to hear. 

“Oh that,” he says nonchalantly. “Non-existent.”

“Really?” That answer had satisfied her she couldn’t lie but apparently, she had been expecting a different one. 

“Yeah,” he responds easily. “I haven’t dated anyone since Petra.”

“Oh,” Hanji says. Feeling disappointed for some reason. “I see.”

“You don’t see a thing Hanji. Even with those thick glasses of yours.”

Almost subconsciously, Hanji readjusts her glasses. “Now you’re just being rude.” 

Levi sighs deeply, rolling his eyes. “Why have I—” He stops and looks into her eyes. “You know I broke up with her because of you.”

Hanji blinks her eyes, and she is about to react but why? But then again it is not rocket science to guess the reason behind it. He had said it himself. I was in love with you.

But before Hanji is able to let out a single word Levi acts faster than her. “Please don’t ask me why. You should know since you’re a genius.”

“You know Levi, the way you say it makes me feel like I’m a blithering idiot.”

He clicks his tongue. “Wonder why?”

Irritation fills her insides and Hanji pulls the pillow towards herself harshly, hoping maybe he has softened his iron grip on the corners of the poor thing. Yet his answering pull is even more powerful than before, and it makes her body jerk forward. She balances herself by pressing upon the pillow with her palms and stares at Levi with wide eyes. “This isn’t a fair game.”

“It never has been,” he lets his eyes roam about her features and her heartbeats go so fast they echo in her ears. Her fingers clutch the pillow even more tightly. For the second time this night, his stare pauses on her lips. “I told you this was a terrible idea.”

“Why don’t you elaborate?” Hanji challenges, feeling bold for no logical reason. What is the point of walking into the waters she is fully aware of that are deadly and perilous? None. But walking away for a dash of oxygen had brought nothing but dry air into her lungs and thousands of fractures in her heart. So why not walk into it instead this time? 

When he looks back at her, his eyes are sharp and under the dim light of the bedside lamp, they are darker like the midnight ocean. Yet unlike the ocean, they are not placid or still. His stare is scorching, menacing. But enough running. She responds to his stare determinedly, steadfastly. 

“Why do you think it’s a bad idea, Levi?”

But Levi doesn’t give her a verbal answer. Instead, he grabs her upper arms, fingers steady and robust but not quite painful around her flesh, and within a second, before she is able to give any kind of reaction, she finds herself laying on the bed with Levi hovering above her and the pillow they had been fighting for squeezed between their bodies. 

For a handful of seconds, she lies there, dumbstruck while Levi pulls his fingers away and he rests his forearms on either side of her head. Her chest moves swiftly with her thick, unstable breaths making the pillow rise and fall with its movements. And his face is tense, solid like a rock. His lips are pulled in a thin line and his eyes are switching between all kinds of emotions. Hanji realizes that he is waiting for a reaction from her. Any kind of a reaction. Or else he seems like he is going to crumble away like dust. 

Because he is self-conscious, Hanji notices. It is as if he waits for her to push him back, yell at him, or run away. 

But it’s Levi. Her Levi. Her best friend. Her first love. He had never felt like a stranger. He never would.

So, she smiles, and delights in the way his eyes slightly widen, and the way tension finally retreats its invasion from all over his body. And as he closes his eyes a deep sigh leaves his mouth as if he has been holding it for some time then he leans in, resting his forehead against hers. Her eyes close on their own accord and she merely focuses on his fresh smell and cold breath that caresses her skin. She raises her hand to rest it on his neck, her thumb traces the line of his undercut.

“It’s because I want to hug you,” he whispers, finally answering her previous question and Hanji keeps her breath. “I want to hold you so close I feel like I might die if I don’t. Because I’m still trying to convince myself that this isn’t a dream, Hanji. That you’re here, with me.”

Once again, his candidness leaves her stunned and the heaviness behind his words, the emotions he hides underneath them all feel like a giant wall towering above her. It is the sincerity of a man who has already lost so much that he doesn’t care about pushing a little forward. They had wasted almost a decade running away from their feelings. It was enough.

“I am,” Hanji holds his face with both hands to make him look into her eyes. “But I won’t be for long, Levi. So, let’s just… let’s just spent as much time together as we can, okay?”

“Right,” his eyebrows wrinkle, displaying his discontent. “How long will you stay?”

Hanji had asked for a week off but since she had a team to lead Mr. Jeager had only allowed her to take four days off. “I would love to give you a week off believe me,” he had said back when they both had been waiting for the bus. “But we can’t afford to be away from you that long.” A wink and a playful smile had accompanied his words so she couldn’t have told whether he was being sincere or not, but orders were orders and she had to obey them. 

“Just a few more days,” she says, disappointedly.

Levi nods, curtly. It is clear he is not content with her answer yet doesn’t say anything else. 

He rolls over to his side, and as Hanji picks the pillow from her chest and puts it back to its place, strong arms circle her body, pulling her towards his chest. She complies easily, settling over the side of his body, she hugs his stomach, resting her cheek near his neck. Levi kisses her forehead, his warm lips lingering a second too long on her skin and then he pulls back, covering them both with the blanket. “Let’s make the best of it then.”  

*

It's raining.

It’s the first thing her sleep-clouded mind notices even before she opens her eyes. She fights to at least lift her eyelids up just a fraction and through her misty gaze –both because of sleep and the lack of her glasses—she manages to pick out the dark sky painted with bleak clouds. The sound of the raindrops tapping against the glass is a beautiful melody, almost like a lullaby that is there to draw her back into sleep.

The arms that are wound around her middle tighten slightly, and in his sleep, he murmurs something unintelligible and buries his nose deeper into her neck. His chest rises and falls in a stable rhythm on her back, his warmth surrounds her, and her heart beats calmly as if it has found its place after it has walked through ruins and wracks to at last find peace in where it belonged to.

A smile easily curls her lips, and she presses her back against his chest, stealing more of his warmth. Then with the company of the rattling rain and Levi’s steady breaths she closes her eyes again letting sleep once more take her away. 

*

It wasn’t a dream. That part, he is sure.

Levi watches her while she is deep in her sleep. The side of her face pressed upon the pillow, lips parted open, and hair disheveled all around. Without allowance, his fingers follow the lines of her cheekbone, her jaw, and her lips. A sigh escapes his lips when he thinks about all the things he had done and said yesterday. He had crossed a line, hadn’t he? Not one, he had crossed plenty. Yet when he searched for a bit of regret in his heart, he couldn’t find any. 

He thinks about his mother and all the times she had practically begged him to go see Hanji or at least talk to her through his phone. Levi had always understood yet never made it clear that his mother had blamed herself for the two of them falling apart. More often than not he would find her staring at him sorrowfully, with eyes full of remorse and despair for she had no power in her hands to fix things. No matter how many times she had asked him to go he never had. He had promised himself that he would keep Hanji out of that mess, at all costs. He had told his mother as much. Told her that it was his decision, and she had no reason to blame herself for what happened. Levi never knew if his mother believed in him but after a while, she stopped asking.

He blinks back the tears that thinking about her had caused. Levi wonders if there will come a day when his chest won’t feel like it’s being crushed under a truck, or his heart being thrown right in the middle of a burning fire even at just the mere thought of her.

Hanji sighs in her sleep and wrinkles her body moving her cheek up and down on the pillow. It is a habit of hers, Levi recalls which makes him smile. She hadn’t changed much. Apart from the maturity and responsibility that being an adult had brought about her. Hanji is still Hanji. The brightest and sometimes the most foolish person he had ever met. Stars in her eyes and a galaxy in her mind. She had a universe in her heart. Big enough to fit millions inside.

A few more days is all he has and this time he promises himself that he won’t make the same mistake again. This might not be a dream, but reality still glues his feet to the ground preventing him from flying too high. She will be leaving, and he has to accept it soon as he can, or else the result would be nothing but heartbreak. And neither of them can afford that. 

Trying his best not to make so much noise so that she doesn’t wake up he gets up from the bed. Although it isn’t raining currently the sky seems dark through the curtains. So, leaning over he pulls the blanket up to cover her shoulders in case she feels cold. Then, because he is weak, the weakest person on the goddamn earth, he reaches out with his hand and touches her cheek with the back of his fingers. Featherlight but enough to feel her heat. And when she turns her head just barely towards his touch and her lips shape a smile so beautiful his poor, broken mess of a heart squeezes painfully inside his ribcage.

He thinks he doesn’t deserve this much happiness however short-lived it will be. Yet he is selfish and greedy, and he will use it to its very last bit. 

Swallowing hard he retreats his hand and walks away from the bed to leave the bedroom. 

*

He is flipping over the pancakes when Hanji steps into the kitchen, yawning and her head a mess as the clothes Levi had given her last night. One leg of her pants dragged up almost to her knee while the shoulder of her t-shirt looks like it’s about to slip down. His lips curl upwards without his consent, and he looks away when he realizes his heart picked up a pace that is not good neither for his physical nor mental health.

“Mmm smells delicious,” she murmurs, coming to stand next to him. She picks one of the pancakes that are stiffed on top of each other on a plate in her hand and takes a huge bite. “Taste delicious too,” she says hoarsely, mouth full.

“Finish your mouth first, you barbarian,” Levi admonishes her. Using the spatula in his hand he carries the cooked pancakes to the plate and adds the last remnants of the dough to the pan.

“You’re as cheerful as ever,” Hanji deadpans and shoves the rest of the pancake in her mouth. Levi twists his lips, disgusted. “My little sunshine.”

“Shut it,” he dismisses her. But he has to admit, this little back and forth, the bickering between them feels nostalgic yet so natural that it soothes all his worries and wipes all the anxiety he has been feeling lately away. 

Hanji ignores him and stretches her arms above her head, groaning. “I haven’t slept this much for ages.” Then when she lowers her arms, they land on Levi’s shoulders, and instantly she is so close he can smell the faint scent of her skin. “It wasn’t a terrible idea, after all, was it?”

He glances at her sideways and struggles to keep his expression neutral when he sees her bright eyes and sweet smile. She waits for an answer and Levi doesn’t know if he can give her one. Sleeping with Hanji in her arms, her smell on the tip of his nose had been his dream for years. He had given an intense fight against this desire, to give up on it and forget her altogether. Needless to say, he has failed, miserably so. 

And to know that that dark and deep desire of his had finally become reality is the best thing that had ever happened to him in the last few years. However, it was a terrible idea because now that he knows what it feels like to have her snuggled against him, her body fitting his perfectly he wants more and more and more. And the truth is he can’t and so he doesn’t have the answer Hanji is still waiting for.

She frowns as if she has sensed whatever chaos going on inside his head yet just as she opens her mouth to possibly question him a noise distracts them. 

Hanji startles and looks around the kitchen to find the source of the noise. Not much later she finds it on top of the kitchen island, and it turns out it is her phone that has been ringing. 

“Who could it be?” she murmurs to herself as she hurries to pick it up. Meanwhile, a smell that resembles suspiciously to burnt pancakes reaches his nose and he stares down back at the pan with panic to see the worst-case scenario happening right in front of his eyes. “Damn it,” he whispers sharply and turns off the stove, carrying the pan somewhere else along with the deceased pancakes.

“Mr. Jeager?” Hanji speaks to the phone while he takes the plate full of pancakes to the kitchen island. Jeager? Isn’t it the owner of the Jeager Space Administration thus, Hanji’s boss? Why does he call her on her day off?

“Ah, Hanji,” comes the man’s dusty voice from the other end of the line. Levi doesn’t mean to eavesdrop, he doesn’t really, but he happens to as he silently picks a seat around the table which also happens to be next to where Hanji stands with a confused expression on her face. “Sorry to call you like this. I’m not disturbing you, am I?”

“Of course not,” Hanji reassures. Levi doesn’t know the man, yet his smug voice irritates him. “What can I do for you?”

“Oh, nothing,” he says, and they exchange a look with Hanji. His narrowed stare is suspicious, while her eyes are round and full of questions. “I’ve heard that you visited my brother from Armin. Just wanted to ask you how he was doing.”

“Oh,” finally the confusion leaves her face, and she looks relaxed. Even a little smile shapes on her lips. “Right, yes. He was doing pretty okay, I guess. I didn’t see anything wrong.”

“Great,” comes the reply. “Heard he helped you find your friend?”

“Yes, he did.” Hanji smiles at Levi, her eyes twinkling. “I am more than grateful. I owe him a lot.”

“He owes you more so don’t mention it,” the man quickly closes the matter. “How is your vacation?”

“Pretty goo—”

“Oh, for god’s sake, leave the girl alone!” A female voice interrupts and Hanji seems kind of surprised, blinking her eyes. 

“Was that Pieck?” she asks.

“Yes, she wishes for me to leave you alone. But we were just chatting—”

“Hello, Hanji,” the female voice, Pieck, seemingly takes over the phone. “And goodbye. I’d love to talk to you longer but I’m guessing you’re busy.”

“Well…”

“I’ll talk to you later,” she cuts her sentence. “And sorry for that inconsiderate boss of yours.”

“It’s fine,” Hanji giggles. “I’ll see you in a few days, Pieck.”

Afterward, she hangs up the phone and smiles at him somewhat timidly. “Sorry.”

“Was that your boss?” Levi asks, trying not to reflect the irritation in his voice.

“Yes,” Hanji replies and takes a seat next to him. “And Pieck is my co-worker, but she and Zeke are old friends.”

“Zeke?”

“Yeah, his first name.” She picks up her phone, scrolling through her photos, and shows him a picture of a blond, bearded man with ridiculous glasses and a long, black-haired woman next to him.

“He looks like a monkey,” Levi points out, as it is the first thing that had come to his mind upon his first glance at the phone screen. Hanji seems startled upon his observation. She even turns the screen to herself to examine the picture.

Then inevitably her cheerful laughter feels the kitchen. “Oh my God, Levi!” she doubles over, holding her stomach with one arm. “Now there is no way I can look at him without thinking that he—he—”

“Looks like a hairy, dirty, and stinky beast?”

She laughs harder and has to wipe her eyes at some point. Levi feels somewhat proud of making her laugh like that. He had missed that sound so much he wants to hear more of it. But he also doesn’t understand the reason why he resented a man he doesn’t even know. 

But doesn’t he really? That man might look like a pathetic, idiotic animal but he had the privilege to see and talk and work with Hanji every day. So, in that kind of hierarchy, he is above Levi, no matter how much he despises the thought. 

“Why does he call you on your day off?” He questions after Hanji’s laughter subdues and she cleans her face with a tissue. 

She shrugs, “He said he wanted to ask me about his brother—they don’t get along well--. His name is Eren. He helped me find you.”

“I don’t like you being indebted to that man,” he says, gloomily. 

“He is not that kind of a man,” Hanji, for whatever reason, defends him. “But—why are you being so prejudiced against him? He is not that bad.”

“He sounded a little intimate for a boss,” he states. Then a thought comes to his mind and his whole-body freezes. “Are you two—”

“No,” Hanji cuts him off, thank fuck, before he finishes the sentence. ���He is my boss. I rejected him way too many times now.”

“Oh, so he did ask you out?” Levi asks the question before he even had a chance to reconsider it. And the way he sounded as the words left his mouth…. Well, fuck.

Just as he had feared, Hanji puts her elbow on the kitchen island and rests her cheek on her palm, eyes shining mischievously signaling danger. “Why? You jealous?”

He huffs and turns his head away swiftly. He wouldn’t tell it out loud, but he is, damn it. Of course, he is jealous of every man that is lucky enough to have her all to himself. “No,” he says but it sounds more like, yes, and I would like to kill the bastard, please tell me where he lives.

“I went out with a boy during college, for about a year,” Hanji, surprisingly, changes the subject, making Levi look back at her curiously. She is staring at the surface of the kitchen island, eyes lost behind a mist of memories. “He was sweet and loyal, but he was a little bit naïve, you know what I mean? And I did like him, but I don’t think it was love. And we wanted different things too. Like he wished to get married and have children right after college, and I… I couldn’t do that, you know, Levi? I had so many dreams and I was so young. I think he just never understood where I came from. He thought I didn’t want him in my life, so he left me the day we graduated,” she laughs like she genuinely finds it funny. 

Even though it surprises him, he snorts, “Douchebag.”

“Yeah, he kind of was,” Hanji smiles, and shrugs.” It’s alright though, it was for the best. It would’ve never worked out. The sooner I moved on the better.”

“What about later?” Levi asks, unable to stop himself.

“Huh?”

“After college. Have you found what you have been looking for?”

Hanji stares at his eyes, his smile fading and eyes full of meaning he cannot figure out. “No, I haven’t,” she replies quietly. And she holds his gaze for a while like she wants to say more but doesn’t know how. Levi waits, expectation grabs his heart and shakes it fiercely. He doesn’t even know what he waits to hear, what he wishes to hear but doesn’t matter. Because Hanji doesn’t say anything in the end. Her eyes are carried somewhere else; she sighs.

Right, what has he been expecting anyway? Time is ticking, hours are limited, and they had no time to waste.

“Let’s eat,” he says, dispensing the dreary atmosphere. “I have somewhere to take you.”

*

The cemetery is unwontedly peaceful. The smell of after rain encircles them from all around. The wind is howling every now and then, making the bushes and the trees rustle. On the gravestone they are standing before is written the name of the woman who is so unfairly buried under. Kuchel Ackerman. 

Levi places a bucket of tulips, his mother’s favourites, in front of the stone. Then he kneels, his fingers touching the cold marble as if he is caressing his mother’s hair, so gently and tenderly that it becomes impossible to stop the tears from blurring her vision. 

“I haven’t been here since the funeral,” he says, to her, to his mother, or to himself she doesn’t know. “Isn’t it a little cold in here, mom?”

Two drops of tear land on the ground and she presses trembling lips hard on each other so that she doesn’t start sobbing and steal the moment he should—need—to have to himself. 

“I’m sorry,” his sounds hoarse, like he is on the verge of tears which makes her throat go tight, and dig her nails into her palms. She doesn’t know what he is apologizing for but the word spills out from his mouth like it is meant for more than a single thing. “I’ve never listened to you when you wanted me to go see her,” he chuckles, tearily and his voice gets quiet when he continues, “So, I brought her to you.”

Hanji looks up, surprised, to see Levi smiling at her from where he kneels. His eyes are shining with unshed tears. And Hanji cannot hold back anymore. She takes a step forward, reaching out to him.

He reacts instantly, standing up he lets her circle her arms around him and to pull him tight against her. He presses his lips on her shoulder, whereas Hanji hides her tears on his neck, his coat crumpling inside her fists. 

“Thank you,” he whispers.

Hanji thinks about all the times Levi had held her like this when she was broken and sad when she didn’t understand how to cope with things that were on her way and didn’t know how to breathe when she felt like she was a puzzle piece that belonged to nowhere. A surplus, a lost part no one felt the need to search for. No one but him. 

And yet he had kept her together all the same. Never let her feel like she was a nuisance even though she was always so loud and so unnecessarily excited about everything. Despite her being his exact opposite, he had always been there, holding her, her hand, her soul, and her heart.

“Always,” she says, sniffling and leaning her cheek on his hair. “To the last syllable of recorded time, remember?” 

His laugh which is more akin to a sob is muffled. But his shoulders shake, and she feels him nod. 

And she smiles. It’s a promise.

*

Next, they go to Kenny.

Levi is tense when they both are waiting for the door to be open. Hanji bites her lip; she doesn’t know what to expect from this unison of an uncle and his nephew who had both lost someone precious to the both of them. Knowing the two men’s nature, she doesn’t dare to hope for even a slightly sentimental one though.

When the door opens, frantically, just after seconds Levi pressed the bell, Kenny stares at his nephew, eyes stern and unbending and Levi responds to his stare head-on. Lips pressed, and face muscles tense. Hanji feels like she is watching a ticking bomb and there is very little time for it to eventually explode. And as Kenny lifts one of his arms and extends it towards Levi she holds her breath, ready to push Levi out of the way in case Kenny aims a punch at his face.

But he doesn’t. Instead, the hand he is extending forward grabs Levi by the collar and in one swift motion pulls him to his himself. Arms tight around his shoulders, Kenny presses his nephew to his chest. 

“Brat,” Kenny hisses but he looks like he has lifted a tone of weight off his shoulders. “You scared the shit out of me.”

Levi stands still for a handful of seconds, possibly shocked by his uncle’s unexpected gesture. In the end, slowly, very slowly he lifts his hands and hugs him back. And even though Hanji can see it’s a bit reluctant she knows that deep down he appreciates it.

When she smiles, Kenny catches her eyes and mouths, “Thank you.” Grinning widely, Hanji gives him a thumbs up. 

Not long after, though it’s equal to an eternity given his cold nature, Levi pulls back, grunting. “Take your dirty hands off me, you stink.”

“I smell better than that cheap cologne you seem to be obsessed with,” Kenny snaps.

Levi stills, his mouth opening wide. “It’s not cheap,” he retorts. “And you had said you liked it!”

“Yeah yeah. Sorry to break your little heart. Come on in. We don’t want our Hanji to be frozen over there, do we?”

Levi stares at her as if he has forgotten that she has been there. And his face turns slightly red. “Does it smell that bad?” He asks, hopeful, and perturbed at the same time.

Hanji barely contains her laughter inside. He looks so worried. “Not at all.”

“Tell me the truth,” he insists as they both step inside the house. Kenny closes the door behind them, and they share a brief glance. Kenny winks, amused at the way he had annoyed his nephew.

“I swear it’s not that bad.”

Now he seems even more troubled. “So, it’s not good?”

“Levi, come on. You always smell clean,” Hanji reassures him and pats him on the shoulder. “You’re good.”

At that, he narrows his eyes like he doesn’t believe a word that leaves her mouth and clicks his tongue, annoyed. Then he takes off his coat and pushes it on his uncle’s hands. “For the record,” he says, glaring him dead in the eyes. “I still hate you.”

Kenny doesn’t even blink. “You and me both.”

Afterwards Levi turns around and Kenny and Hanji watch him walk down the hall, murmuring something under his breath they both cannot hear. Then they look at each other briefly before Hanji breaks down into a fit of laughter.

“He’ll never change, that brat,” Kenny says, chuckling. 

“He better not,” Hanji adds. “We like him the way he is.”

*

During dinner, Kenny fills four glasses with wine, placing one of them in front of the empty seat on his left. 

“Cheers, sis,” he says shortly before raising his glass towards the empty seat and swallows the liquid in one go.

Levi stares ahead, right where his mother should be but is hollow instead. Even after they start eating and having casual conversations about mundane things, his eyes remain focused on that one seat and the wine glass that hasn’t lowered a sip.

Her heart aches, knowing that there is no way she can take away his pain. He has to adapt, one way or the other. It might take time and it will, but Hanji knows that he is strong enough to bare it. Both mentally and physically. Nevertheless, they are human, and an earthquake might shake even the sturdiest of buildings. So, she will be there whenever he needs a helping hand. 

Under the table she nudges his knee, making him look at her curiously. Hanji doesn’t say anything, but she smiles and somehow it is enough to ease his shoulders and lift the corners of his lips upwards.

He nudges her knee back as an answer and finally takes a bite from his food that he hasn’t touched yet and keeps his leg pressed against hers.

They stay like that for the rest of the dinner.

*

Hanji hugs Kenny briefly before they leave his house. He pats her back softly and tells her to come back soon. Hanji promises that she will, and Levi cannot help but let the flower of hope blossom in his heart like a lotus. 

As Hanji waves and walks to his car, Kenny grabs his arm and Levi searches his eyes, wondering what he has to say. “Take good care of her,” he advises, grievously. “She needs you as much as you need her, brat. Mark my words. Don’t just let her go.” 

If it were any other time he would scowl and ignore his uncle, saying he had no right to meddle in his life. But this time it is different. He can see that Kenny is serious and waits for an equally honest answer. “I won’t,” he says, determined. 

Only after seeing the resolution in his eyes does Kenny let go of his arm. “You take care of yourself too,” he crosses his arms. “And don’t disappear on me like that again or I’ll break your legs.”

Levi rolls his eyes and waves him off briefly before turning around to join Hanji. 

 *

The next two days Levi takes her on a quick and admittedly insufficient tour around Rose. It’s a big city so naturally, it is nearly impossible to fit each and every place to visit into just two days. For every place they had skipped to not lose any unnecessary time, Hanji told him that next time they would go. And that word, the hidden promise behind it seemed to lighten up his features. 

Towards the evening of her last night in Rose, they go to the rooftop Hanji had found Levi in. Hanji had initiated the idea thinking that it would be nice to reminisce about their younger years. Thankfully Levi had agreed upon realizing her keenness.

“Aah, good old days,” she croons sitting on the ground cross-legged. Levi sits next to her, pressing their shoulders. Hanji leans on him, to share his warmth. He hands her over the snacks they had bought before coming here and a packet of chocolate milk.

She grins widely and starts drinking it with appetite. The taste leaves a nostalgic feeling on her tongue, and with the stars and moon above and her best friend right beside it almost feels like they are teenagers again.

“I miss our rooftop,” she sighs. “It’s been years.”

“Yeah,” Levi agrees, drinking from his soda. He swallows and seems hesitant before he starts, “We should…” He searches her eyes, looking for something, maybe encouragement and willingness, and then goes on. “We can go sometime. If you’d like to.”

She beams at him and nudges his shoulder. As if she wouldn’t. “Of course, I’d love to.”

Afterwards they simply talk. About work, about their university years, they remember their past days, the old friendships, people who are now just a memory, or places that are pushed back into their minds but still carry their value in their hearts. Hanji mentions Erwin, who has married two months ago, and Levi scoffs because he hadn’t invited him to his wedding and Hanji laughs as if he has ever been so eager to see him. 

Stars are bright, and vivid, and the moon is thin and welcoming. It almost feels like home with Levi beside her. His face is tranquil, the softest of smiles on his lips, his eyes argent with a touch of blue. His body is strong and real not a memory, not a dream. Hanji thinks he is beautiful. Then wonders how she had been so stupid enough to understand that what made her heart flutter when she looked at him was not the handsome shape of his features which everybody with eyes could see. But because he was her home, her safe place. That is why right now even on top of a derelict building she is not familiar with, her heart is content because he is here with her.

Levi points out the sky with his index finger to show her a shooting star. She watches it with a smile on her face and resting her head on his shoulder she makes a wish. 

Please stay with me even when the sky is empty of stars.

*

“Gosh, for real,” Hanji pulls her hair, frustrated. “Why the hell do I keep losing things?”

“What is it now?” Levi asks, raising his brows.

Putting her hands on either side of her waist, Hanji huffs, standing in the middle of the living room and eyes searching madly around. “I can’t find my charger.”

Since they returned home about an hour ago, she has been in a hurry to collect her things because her plane is at ten in the morning. Levi wants to help but doesn’t really feel like it. Would a lost charger make her stay longer? Probably not. But it is worth a shot.

“Maybe it’s in the bedroom?” Levi asks, reluctant.

Hanji sighs. “Already checked,” she clicks her tongue. “But I’ll check again.”

Levi follows her fast steps into the bedroom, his heart weight heavy in his chest. He has been thinking of ways to accidentally make her stay for a few more days. Like maybe ripping away her plane ticket, or hiding her suitcase, or maybe throwing her phone out of the window—

“I swear I’m gonna lose it,” she bemoans checking the drawers of the bedside table. “Where the hell have I put it?”

Levi decides, against his better judgment, that it is best to at least look like he is helping her. A pissed-off Hanji is a scary thing he doesn’t want to face right now. So, he crouches to look under the bed and wrinkles his nose at the side of the dust that has been collecting for a few days, or almost a week. He couldn’t have found time enough to do a proper cleanup. 

He doesn’t find her charger, but he finds a pair of her ridiculous socks she had worn only once and forgotten about later. And when he gets up and continues his fake search, he sees a black hair tie next to her earrings on one of the shelves. And the book she had brought with her is on his bedside table, half-read, unfinished. She had read it to him at night to help him fall asleep. It had been so easy for sleep to invade his mind when her voice filled his ears, and her fingers caressed his hair. Within merely a number of days how he had gotten so used to her presence when during the years she hadn’t been in his life, his heart and soul had failed to accept that absence? How he had been so foolish enough to let himself get carried away? Even though he knew from the start that it was to happen within just days. How had he forgotten that the time was always so merciless when it was filled with joy and happiness?

“I can’t find my earrings too, aah,” she grunts, laying her head backward. “I hate it when this happens. Zeke’s gonna kill me if I miss that plane.”

He cannot ask her to stay. He wants to, God knows he dies to do so, but he cannot bring himself to be that selfish towards her. But when will he see her again? She had promised to come back but how her work is going to allow her to do that? As for him, he had already taken a week off and because of his mother, he had used most of his annual leave already. When will they find time enough to see each other? What is he going to do now that he knows what her warm breath felt like on his skin, how his face fitted on the curl of her neck, and what she looked like in the mornings? Peaceful, soft, and beautiful. 

He is a fool, isn’t he? He is the goddamn fool of the century. An idiot who cannot let go when he needs to. A desperate, useless man who has a bottle filled with poisonous water in his hand and despite knowing that it will kill him, or worse it will make him suffer and so he has to, he needs to turn the bottle over end pour the water out he does the opposite.

Because he is so thirsty, he is going to die anyway. He just chooses the more painful death.

“Hanji,” he says, heart beating so loud he fears he won’t be able to hear her when she answers. She stares at him, her face flushed, eyes fiery and hair disheveled all because she couldn’t find a goddamn charger. 

His lips tremble. And he needs to stop, he knows, he is so fucking aware but—

Don’t just let her go.

“I’m going to do something very stupid,” he declares.

He has been expecting her to look confused, or curious yet she snorts, her eyes leaving him to continue her idle search around the room. “Don’t you dare steal my role, clean freak. It’s my job to do stupid things.”

He inhales through his nose, “You’re the smartest person I’ve ever known, Hanji.”

Now she is dumbfounded, eyes wide behind her glasses and she looks so ridiculous and so painfully pretty. He knows the moment he had laid his eyes on her that first night it had been over for him.

It’s ironic, compared to the long, seemingly everlasting thoughts and possibilities, and things that he is most possibly going to fuck up in his mind, it takes merely two steps, and hundreds of heartbeats to close the distance between them, hold her face with his hands and press his lips to hers.                                     

It merely lasts for a handful of seconds, yet it is enough to set his skin on fire. His heartbeat is still so loud he barely even hears his own thoughts which are a growing list of basically him trying to comprehend what he is doing at the moment.

I am kissing Hanji. I am kissing my best friend. 

Then as if he has been struck by a jolt of lightning he jumps back, because he realizes that Hanji hasn’t been responding. They both stare at each other with shocked eyes and red faces. Even worse, she stands rigid, her hands curled up as fists and shoulders tense. And right then a fear so profound creeps its seed into his heart and it grows so quickly that he feels it even on the tips of his fingers. 

He closes his eyes then, tightly. And opens his lips to apologize, and if necessary, beg for forgiveness. 

But just then he feels the smooth, almost timid touch of lips on his own, and then her hands cradle his face. He doesn’t dare to open his eyes afraid that if he does the moment will be over like a mirage in a desert. He lets her apply more pressure, her lips are hot, and her hands are trembling. And Levi can relate, really, for his whole body, his very own soul is shivering like a thin paper. Maybe, he ponders, he might have thought or even dreamt about kissing Hanji before but none of that could be compared to this now. To say that it feels like an otherworldly experience would be an understatement. He feels like he has been for his whole life for this very moment. 

And damn him, and his inability to think rationally and his lack of self-control. Damn him for choosing Macbeth and letting those goddamn lines stick with him for more than a decade. Damn his deep and dark desires to resurface now of all times, exactly when they shouldn’t.

Hanji starts to pull back slowly and almost immediately his mind rings alarm bells. How can he let her go now that he had tasted that poison and knows that it is sweet like honey and addicting like a drug?

Snaking an arm around her waist he presses her body against his and tilts his head so that he takes control, deepening the kiss. Their chests move almost in sync, up and down so fast there is no pause in between their thick breaths. When he pushes his tongue between her lips and tastes the chocolate milk on her tongue an unwilling sound escapes him, and he feels the shudder that travels throughout her body. 

The timidness and shyness pack up and leaves after a few brushes of his tongue. Hanji scraps her nails on his scalp, both arms around his neck. There is hunger in her touch, in the way she leans her body on his and in the way her tongue meets his, and in the little gasps and whines he manages to pull out from her lips. Levi responds with an equal or maybe more but not less hunger of his own. His hands trying to keep her impossibly closer, he runs his palms up and down her back, all the while fighting against the urge to travel them further down or place one of them under her—his—t-shirt to feel the hotness of her skin on his fingertips.

Can he? Would she let him go that far? Should they go that far? He doesn’t know, he cannot think straight when her mouth leaves his to press kisses along the line of his jaw and his neck. He throws his head back, eyes misty and head dizzy. “Hanji,” he gasps, and he means it as a warning, but it sounds much more like a plea. “Maybe—m-maybe we should—”

She rocks her body against his before letting him finish his sentence, pressing upon his currently overly sensitive areas and his whole world turns around him like a carousel. Groaning he lets his head fall on her shoulder. “Fuck.”

“I think we should,” she says, and he hears the amusement in her voice, and he feels so damn annoyed because how can she enjoy his torment like that? “Go on, I mean.”

His nails dig into her sides. “You’re gonna be the death of me, I swear.”

“But it would be so romantic, don’t you think?” Even though he cannot see her he can imagine her smirk as she goes on with her next words, “You know like ‘Those violent night has violent ends,’”

He groans, out of pure annoyance this time. “Hanji—”

“And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,” she recites, hardly suppressing her laughter.

“Hanji, I swear if you finish that sentence—”

“Which, as they kiss, consume,” she finishes ignoring him and his inefficient threats. She laughs heartily then, her body shakes between his arms.

He holds his head up and stares at her bright smile and just because he can, he kisses her hard on the lips. “Fucking Shakespeare,” he murmurs. 

“Careful, you’re talking about a legend.”

“That legend won’t take you to bed right now,” he places his hands on her hips and lifts her up and she wraps her legs around his waist just in time. Their faces are centimeters apart when he whispers against her lips, “I will.”

*

Levi is gentle. Not that it is a fact she had learned about him just now, yet this is a different side of his kindness. His touch is smooth, yet possessive. He is extra cautious when he helps her take off her clothes one by one. Then his eyes take in the shape of her body so intently it makes her muscles twitch. His lips are hot as they touch each part of her skin that is free from its layers. She bites her lips when he presses his lips on her inner thigh, one and the other. She gasps for air when his mouth lands on the centre of her desire, making her arch her body. The sheets are a crumpled mess inside her fists and on the ceiling, she sees galaxies rather than plain darkness. His name on her lips repeated like a prayer. Levi, Levi, Levi.

Afterwards she lies there out of breath and with misty eyes, she watches him throw off his clothes. Her eyes drink in his fine shape. She sits up with a growing need to touch him. He shudders and closes his eyes when Hanji moves her knuckles on his bare abdomen, tracing the lines of his muscles as if he is savouring her touch. She presses her palms on his chest and feels the radiations of how quickly his heart is beating. She leaves open-mouthed kisses along his torso, and he whispers her name over and over as her touch travels down and he has to grip the covers to not lose his balance. 

But he stops her with a gentle hand that grabs her hair. Then he brings her face closer to kiss her on the lips. She moves to straddle his hips, sliding her palms along his back, feeling his smooth skin without parting their mouths. He grabs her hips, his touch is firm, his thumbs caressing her skin. When they part, gasping, Hanji rests her forehead against his. “I wanna do this right,” Levi whispers.

He sounds concerned and she wants to take away all of his worries, and his hurt to the last drop of pain that paints his soul red, and his heart blue. So, Hanji kisses his nose, his brow, cheeks, and forehead. “It’s just me Levi,” she tells him, kissing the side of his lips. “It’s just you,” she kisses his chin. Holding his face between her palms, she leaves a soft kiss on his lips. “It’s just us.”

Because this moment already feels right, there is nothing else he should do. Sighing as if he has relaxed, Levi nods and places fevering kisses on her neck as he lies her down on the bed so tenderly that it almost brings tears to her eyes. Leaving a gentle kiss on her forehead, he places himself between her legs. His stare never leaves hers, now almost dark with lust but she sees her childhood in his eyes, in every corner of his face. Her thumbs move along the raise of his cheekbones, his eyelashes flutter and he kisses her palm. 

And then the tenderness slowly retreats. Levi laces their fingers above her head with a tight grip and captures her lips with a passionate kiss, groaning into her mouth just as he enters her, swallowing her desperate moans. He moves inside her with careful strokes at first which later turn into hard and swift thrusts that make her go blind with desire. And even after the loud noises and ragged breaths, turn to soft and satisfied sighs he doesn’t let go of her hands.

And neither does she. 

*

“We’re planning on launching a rocket to space,” Hanji tells Levi, as she plays with his hair, raven strands slip through her fingers like silk. She had always wondered if they were as soft as they looked. They are, she muses, smiling to herself. "It'll take a few years though."

Levi hums in response, shuffling to make himself more comfortable on her chest. The morning light creeps through the curtains, creating glittering patterns on the floor while they lie there, a tangled mess under the sheets. All but loose muscles and lazy strokes on each other’s skin. “Look how far you’ve come,” he says, attempting to sound serious but fails to do so for a mocking smile curls his lips.

Hanji pinches his shoulder, and he grunts, squeezing her thigh. “Four-eyes…”

“What?” 

Pulling his head slightly back he looks at her, eyes cautious, searching. His lips part open, and she can see that he is thinking, debating on whether to say whatever he wants to say or not. Her heart beats speed up as expectation builds up in her stomach. Because deep down she knows she wants him to say the word. Even if she cannot do it. And she wants to tell him to come with her. Even though she knows he can’t. 

In the end, what leaves his lips is a mere sigh and nothing else. And she smiles, raising a hand to brush his cheek. He closes his eyes then when she leans closer to give him a slow kiss on the lips he welcomes it, his arm tightening its hold around her waist.

“Let’s keep in touch,” he breathes against her mouth when pull apart. 

Hanji raises her brows to see if he is being serious and, in his eyes, she sees that he is. Very much so. She beams at him, “Deal.”

“I can visit you in Sina when I have time.”

Her breath hitches in her throat. “Really?”

“Yeah, and I’ll text you too,” he goes on. “You’ll probably forget.”

“I won’t!”

“You will, weirdo. You’re launching a rocket into space. You’ll forget that I even exist.”

Hanji gasps, offended. “How could you say that?”

“Because I know you so well,” he smiles, carelessly. As if they had all the time in the world. 

“That you do,” she giggles. “Oh, and I don't have enough money to you know, open a coffee in the name of you but—”

A hand clasps her mouth, muffling the rest of her sentence. “Don’t say another word.”

Hanji wraps her fingers around his wrists, and he miraculously lets her pull his hand down. “Why not? I was so touched.”

He pinches her side and she yelps. “Is this a joke to you, idiot?”

“Not at all, grumpy,” she kisses the space between his brows, smoothening the frown with her thumb. “But you don’t need to worry,” she gives him a reassuring smile. “I’ll text you all the time. I’ll text you so much you’ll block me and then I’ll find other ways to bother you.”

“Like jumping on a plane and flying to Rose?”

She laughs, “That too.”

“Then I’ll block you right away,” Levi says, determined.

“But you’re ruining all the fun!” she whines. “At least wait until you see my mind-blowing memes.”

“Mind-blowing?” he raises a brow. “More like mind-numbing?”

“I can’t believe I’ve been friends with you for all these years,” Hanji shakes her head, disappointed. “You have no compassion for my poor nerves.”

Despite all his great affords, he laughs. Heartfelt. “Dumbass.”

She presses her lips on his forehead, breathing in his fresh smell. And it feels like she is breathing in the scent of her youth. In her mind, she sees the cheerful girl and the sulky boy, hand in hand in cold winter streets, under the moon, and on the road between the autumn trees. “Yours truly, clean freak.”

 *

A few months later

He is not texting back.

No doubt, even though she hasn’t averted her eyes from the phone there is no notification coming from a certain, grumpy, clean freak that brightens her screen. She has to leave it at some point when her break is inevitably over yet until then she waits and waits. In vain.

“Hah,” she mutters, taking the phone in her hand, and sliding it open to search for any possible texts she might have missed for good measure. “And he was saying I would forget.”

Not that she is so bitter. Not entirely. He must have good reasons to not reply to her since… well since yesterday. And frankly, she doesn’t know whether to be worried or to be annoyed at being ignored for that long.

“Hanji, a little help over here!”

Seems like her break is already over. Sighing she puts her phone in the pocket of her trousers and goes back to work.

*

The next day, still no news from him except for an “I’m alive, geez,” message upon her constant texts and calls that obviously managed to bother him to that extent. She tries not to dwell too much on it. It’s Levi, after all. He can’t run away from her forever.

*

“I swear I’ll dig your grave, Ackerman,” Hanji furiously taps on her screen, so much so that literal flames are about to rise from the force of it. Because it’s almost a week and he still hasn’t contacted her, either via text or phone call. And she is growing a little concerned and admittedly overly angry. 

So, unable to control that anger she taps another text, “I’ll cut your—”

“Hanji,” a voice that belongs to her beloved boss stops her halfway from sending him a very threatening text. Hanji looks up from her phone, alarmed, to be caught in the act during work. 

“Yes?”

Fortunately, Zeke doesn’t seem very much suspicious or mad. Though it’s hard to see the man with such sentiments. He is generally quite laid back. “A minute please?”

“Ah, sure,” Hanji hurriedly stands up from her chair to follow her boss through the halls that lead to his room. 

“Everything alright?” he asks, eying her. “You seem… frustrated.”

Of course, he had noticed. “It’s nothing. I’m just a little stressed lately.”

He hums, and the corners of his eyes wrinkle with humour. “You won’t ask for another day off, will you?”

Startled at first, Hanji chuckles soon after, shaking her head. “No, no need for that.”

“Good,” he says as he opens the door to his room. “Because we have a new employer and I expect you to be on good terms with him that is if you aren’t already,” he winks and invites her inside. “Meet your new team member.”

The moment her eyes follow the direction of where he is pointing with his hand, her whole body jerks with shock, and an uncontrollable gasp escapes her mouth before she can avoid it. So much for being a professional in front of her boss. 

But how can she not when who stands in front of her clad in his black suit is the one only Levi Ackerman? 

Her Levi.

“What?” She blinks, to make sure he is not a daydream while Levi simply smiles calmly at her yet in his eyes there is victory. The victory of having caught her off guard. I won this time. 

“Levi Ackerman, our new aerospace engineer,” Zeke explains, not affected by her apparent bewilderment. “And this is Hanji Zoe, our space scientist. You’ll be working together from now on.”

That single sentence which to him means nothing while to the two other people in the room it means that a mutual childhood dream finally becomes reality swarms her heart and fills it to the brim. If only there was a way to reach out to that little girl now, to wipe away all of her tears and wrap her arms around her thin body and say that it’s okay, you’ll find him.

And he will find you.

Levi walks closer to her, a hand outstretched, that smile still in place. The same one that melts her heart and brushes her soul. My love, she thinks, my only true friend.

“I’m looking forward to working with you,” his eyes twinkle like he hides the whole sky in them. And she is sure, she will never get tired of watching its colours. “Four-eyes.”

A smile so big parts her lips and ultimately, she feels at ease. She lifts up one hand to shake his, looking into his eyes. “Likewise, clean freak.”

[grangerliam]

LIAM GRANGER HEADCANON'S (2/?)

HC: If you're friends with Liam, there's a chance you've seen, at least, one of these movies. If you're close friends with Liam, you've very likely saw majorly, or all, of these films plus some. These would be his top 9 movies, but they are not his only. There's a longer list, some of which involve sequels of the movies mentioned above. -- He also has a crush on Jane Levy because of Evil Dead and Don't Breathe. His first crush was on Jessica Biel as Erin in TCM. OOC Side note: I make my friends watch my favorite horror movies with me, so I know he do, too.

Evil Dead (2013) - A remake to the 1981 movie, and honestly, a damn good one. The main character is a heroin addict, and her friends, and brother take her out to a cabin to help her get clean. One of the friends end up reading from a book that unleashes an evil in the cabin. The main character tries to warn everyone because weird stuff happens and she knows somethings wrong. No one believes her because they just assume she's withdrawing. And it goes about as well as what anyone would expect from there. ---- A royal mention to Evil Dead Rise that came out last year. He also loved that one, and has watched it multiple times. He enjoys the originals simply for that fact alone, they're originals. But he prefers these two.

Don't Breathe (2016) - A movie where neither side is really in the right, and a lot could've been avoided have the main characters not tried to break into a house that wasn't theirs. Nonetheless, a solid movie about three thieves that go up against a blind man who isn't as impaired al they thought. Just cause he can't see, don't his other senses aren't A1. And it's a fight to the death after that.

The Forsaken (2001) - Most people when asked what their favorite vampire movie is, they'd say 'The Lost Boys' or maybe 'Interview with a Vampire'. Liam's is the Forsaken. A underrated movie in his opinion, that takes a interesting spin on the lore of vampires. A film student who is hired to take a car across the country runs into a hitch hitcher who turns his life upside when they both pick up a blonde who seems like she's on drugs outside a dinner. But she was actually bitten by a vampire, and then proceeds to bite the film student when he tries to calm her down. All three are then on a race against time to kill "The Forsaken" which is the head vampire that holds the virus in their blood.

Halloween (1978) - Do I really need to say anything? It's a classic, and it's beloved by just about everyone. Jamie Lee Curtis as Lorie Strode. Arguably #1 Final Girl. Baby sitter, stalker man in a mask who's just trying to stab people. It's a classic.

Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) - Once again, another classic. A very original idea for a killer. Can't go wrong with this sleep traveling demon thing with knives for fingers and a burnt face.

Scream (1996) - Classic, classic, classic. The movie that refreshed the horror genre at its time. A masked killer who calls you and taunts you before he chases you and kills you. A solid story line that follows all 6 movies, without missing a beat. Killer is always human, and always someone you know. Great characters. Sidney Fucking Prescott. He also appreciates the other 5 movies as well.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) - A remake of the 1974 film of it's same name. While Liam respects the OG, he finds that this one is a pretty solid remake, and enjoys it occasionally. Jessica Biel is everything in this movie as well, so you know. A group of friends are road tripping across Texas, picks up a hitch hiker, said hitch hiker unalives herself. The group of friends try to find the cops, but instead come into the family of cannibals that make their trip literal hell.

The Ruins (2008) - Four friends are on vacation in Mexico when they come across another man, who befriends them. This man is on the look for his brother as he went on a sight seeing adventure and never returned home. The five of them don't expect much, and the four friends agree to go with their new friend to a place called 'The Ruins'. When they get there, they are immediately trapped there by town people, who don't speak English. So it's a huge miscommunication trope, but they eventually find out that The Ruins are these poisonous cannibal like vines that once you touch them, you are infected. They try to figure out how to get the hell out of there, but everything's against them at that point.

Vacancy (2007) - If we were to ask Liam (or me), what was an underrated movie in our opinions, this one would be at the top of the list. First off, Luke Wilson is phenomenal in this, which you wouldn't think of him as a horror movie actor, but he's fantastic. A husband and wife are on their way home after a family visit. They take the back roads, but their car breaks down, and unable to get a mechanic in the middle of the night, they are forced to say at this hideaway motel until morning. Well, turns out said motel is a breeding ground for snuff films, and these two must work out their differences (they're going through a divorce and lost their child), in order to survive the night.