𝐁𝐔𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐒 [ 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 ]

the beginning

"I was at soccer practice when it happened. My parents and two younger siblings were on their way to pick me up. I remember I was practicing hitting the ball in the goal. I sucked at it. The wind was raw, and it was the kind of humid that suffocates you. The sun was hidden behind clouds when I suddenly felt it. There was this pain in my chest. I couldn't tell you now or why it even happened, but it felt like I was having a heart attack. That was the exact moment a drunk driver crashed into my family's car, killing my younger siblings instantly. My mom and dad suffered for some time before the paramedics came." Connie cleared his throat as he blinked some more tears away, his eyes clouded over.

"Sasha and I were in soccer together. We were already super close, so her family took me in. So that's why when we went to the hospital, Dr. Ackermann, Erwin, and Dr. Zoë all knew who I was. My mom was on a vent for some time and she wasn't waking up at all. They didn't think she ever would. They gave her a 10% chance but she ended up getting worse every day until she finally went brain dead. That was when they told me I had to say goodbye." Connie paused for a moment, and your grip on his hand tightened.

"But she was my mom and she was everything to me. I couldn't end her life when she looked so alive, even though it was the machines doing everything for her. So I visited, and I sat by her bedside and I begged her to wake up. But she never woke up. So I knew what I had to do, because she couldn't stay like that forever. It'd be torture."

You felt yourself crying, not in a dramatic way, just simple tears falling down your cheeks as you nodded your head, listening to Connie's story. He sounded so heartbroken and all you wanted to do was hold him and tell him it'd be okay, that you were there for him.

"So when I tell you that I care about you in a way that terrifies me..." Connie looked at you, his body trembling after literally spilling his guts out.

"I'm so sorry...I didn't know," you apologized, realizing you weren't the only one scared to give your heart away.

"It's okay," he reassured you as he sat up. You scooted closer to him, leaning into him as he placed his head on top of yours, his body relaxing as you comforted him, hoping he'd stop shaking soon.

"It happened when I was still in high school. Sasha's family ended up fostering me until I became an adult and now they're helping put Sasha and I both through college. She's like my twin sister. I don't know where I'd be if it weren't for her," Connie was quiet after that, the silence comfortable as you sat with him.

You couldn't imagine that ever happening to you, nor would you ever want to. Your whole family just gone in the blink of an eye...having to stop your own mom's life. It was awful.

And now Connie was saying he cared about you in a special way, and now it was only fair if you told him your story. A heartbreak for a heartbreak. Mikasa said he would understand.

"I'm kinda tired, but I don't want to sleep alone. Would you mind staying in here with me?" Connie asked, shutting you down before you could even speak.

"I'm not going anywhere," you promised, and pulled away, turning to face Connie and placing your hands in his, smiling softly.

"Thank you for telling me. If you ever need to talk about it, just say the word, okay?" He nodded his head and you leaned forward, kissing his forehead.

His honey eyes gazed at you warmly and you felt your stomach flare with butterflies. You let out a soft laugh and a frustrated groan, placing your forehead on his as you looked at each other.

"Butterflies?" He asked.

You furrowed your brows and gave him a questioning look before you asked, "How did you know?"