✘ "You have a new match!" [Riren] [R-18] ✘

42: Unapologetically yourself

(A/N): HI! 

So this was just meant as a nice, funny chapter with some character and relationship development, but ended up also being a reminder to me and hopefully others to be ourselves. 

Seriously, success starts with loving, accepting and respecting yourself. You will start noticing how other people will treat you better too if you try to treat yourself well and with respect. Even if you don't feel like you deserve it, continue acting like you, just the way you are, are an important person and it will eventually help change your attitudes, behavior, self confidence and love for yourself. Take my word for it, on this road my life has changed dramatically. DM me if you want to know more of what have helped me!

Anyway, I think we could all learn a little from our two bruised up but unapologetically themselves characters here. 

Next chapter will be up in another two weeks from now! Friday the 19:th of February. 

Enjoy! xoxo

Levi's POV

Sociability is hard. Levi was by no means a friendly or approachable person and human interaction can be fucking tricky no matter who you are. Sure, he could be a decent conversationalist with people his age over a glass of wine or whiskey, but with kids at a busy college cafeteria over orange juice and spaghetti?

Quite quickly into meeting them, Levi had been able to confirm that Marco and Sasha were quite normal kids. Meeting Armin had been a nice surprise due to that he had seemed intelligent beyond his years and like the type to not overthink or lose his cool easily. These two was however more of what he had expected college students to be like; young characters, a little unruly... lovable for sure, but not with much in common with him. Not people that he under normal circumstances would make the effort in trying to get to know since it might be hard for them to even find anything to talk about, but for Eren's sake he hoped their meeting could go well.

They had thus far spent some time talking while waiting in line for food and now sat down together to eat.

"You visited at the right day, Levi" Marco said while neatly cutting up his spaghetti Bolognese. "The cafeteria food isn't exactly great, but they make good Bolognese".

"I see" Levi just replied. He didn't have anything more to say in response to that since he himself had no reference point of college food and since there wasn't anything interesting about it that he could comment on. Most people would definitely find something to say in this situation, genuine or not, but he wasn't one to talk if he didn't mean it and it served some point. It would definitely come off as forced if he tried to comment on the food and he had no interest in forcing small talk.

"Well you look like you'd have expensive taste..." Marco added with a nervous laugh. Levi thought that his delivery made it feel like a perfect example of forced conversation, but at the same time, his effort seemed genuine. Because although he seemed like he was just filling up empty space, his wish to do so to create comfort and make the newcomer feel welcome was clearly genuine. Levi couldn't relate and he didn't think he could find much similarities between him and such a clumsy but caring person, but he did however appreciate the personality type. Despite the hint of clumsiness he was definitely a person he could see himself hiring, if not for anything else, than still just for his good spirits that he knew was very valuable to any group of people.

"Sometimes" Levi replied. "I'm not picky, I can eat anything, but if I am able to choose I certainly like to have my food well made". He was indeed not too picky about taste or its look... he was however concerned about the hygiene protocol in this place. While waiting in line, he had suspiciously eyed the lunch ladies and gents. It was a school kitchen after all. Sure, it was damn long since he last spent time in one of those and that school hadn't been nearly as nice as this seemed to be, but still. He was gonna need a whole lot more of convincing to get rid of his school hygiene prejudice.