chapter twenty-four: aftertaste

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AFTERTASTE

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AFTERTASTE

mikasa's cabin

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mikasa's cabin

despite the sting of your crush's cruel rejection still fresh in your memory, your friends had convinced you to set aside your pride and join them in celebrating his birthday. you weren't thrilled, not by a long shot. but being part of a group meant playing along, even when it felt like you were swallowing shards of glass just to be there.

the guest list was an exclusive circle: levi, naturally, erwin, oluo, gunther, eld, petra, eren, mikasa, sasha and connie, since the two couldn't be separated, and you. the usual crowd. people who'd grown to accept levi's quirks like the back of their hands. and tonight, you had to pretend everything was normal, even though your nerves were frayed and your patience with the birthday boy had worn thin.

in the hours leading up to the celebration, you and the girls took over mikasa's bedroom, transforming it from its immaculate state into a warzone of tangled cords, tossed clothes and scattered makeup. lipsticks rolled under the bed. heels lay abandoned in odd corners. and yet, there was a sort of chaotic camaraderie in it all.

"has anyone seen my shoes?!" sasha shrieked, tiptoeing over some discarded dresses.

"do you want to borrow mine? i have an extra pair."

"thanks, petra!" sasha shouted from across the room, already rifling through the heap of footwear."but mine were supposed to match my dress!"

"sasha, check by the door," mikasa suggested, holding up an eyeshadow palette and brush."you probably kicked them off when we came in."

"oh right!" sasha bolted out, leaving the rest of you chuckling.

while mikasa resumed perfecting the colour on your lids, petra crouched beside her, tightening the lace-up back of her dress.

you couldn't help but feel the tension simmering between the two of you. ever since that awkward run-in at levi's apartment a few days ago, petra had been distant—keeping her answers clipped and finding excuses to conveniently leave the room whenever you were near. you'd still kept it a secret from the others, though the possible reasons for the redhead's bizarre behaviour still nagged at you.

IF HAPPY EVER AFTER DID EXIST; levi ackermanWhere stories live. Discover now