A tail for an eye - Eren x Levi

Chapter 26

'A Plan In Motion'

As Levi began to walk throughout town with the metal board in his hand, he ended up standing in front of an old and familiar house. One that sat by the sea with the intention of being able to look out and admire the view. Levi couldn't help but stay put as he stared. Everything about the house used to radiate positivity and happiness. But now it looked empty, soulless. As though by perfect chance, the front door opened and out came a figure. A man, he adjusted his jacket as he left the house and locked the door behind him. As the man turned, his eyes met Levi's and they spent a moment staring and unmoving. 

He stepped forward, "Levi? You're back?"

Levi didn't move, but instead allowed for him to move forward. He couldn't find his words, he didn't know the right things to say right now and so opted for nodding without a spoken word. They now faced each other at a normal distance, out in the open. 

"When did you return? Zoe's not back yet," he said, turning the wedding band around his ring finger at the thought of his wife, "I thought I heard people mentioning you being back."

Levi dug in his pocket, deciding that words weren't always the best thing to start of a dark conversation like this. Usually telling people's families that someone had died out at sea went by smoother than this, but as Zoe had always been a close friend and he knew her husband fairly well now, it made everything impossible to deal with. Levi brought out the badge, placing it in his hand and closing it, that gave a puzzled face to him, "She didn't make it. Nobody did, but me."

He stared at the badge in his hand, all the muscles in his face dropped and he held nothing but momentary shock in his eyes, "What do you mean, Levi?"

"I'm sorry." That was the only thing Levi could think to do, "that's all that was found from her."

"You don't mean it, please tell me you don't mean it!" The silence that came from Levi answered his words. Tears formed in his eyes, his voice began breaking, "oh God no. How?"

Tears were now spilling from his eyes. as he clutched the badge, sending his fingers red. Watching him cry made Levi feel a tension in his face, as though he also felt the need to cry. However, he didn't well up with tears, "Our ship came down. She drowned."

"This can't be real," he said, whispering to himself between every sentence inaudibly. He stared at his wedding ring, tears falling down his cheeks. In a swift motion, he wrapped his arms around Levi and hugged him, sobbing loudly and barely keeping strength in his knees. to hold himself up. 

Levi helped support him, keeping him standing. Though reluctant at first as affection like this hadn't ever been something he was used to, he ended up hugging back. This hadn't been the way he thought he's have to break the news. Levi finally felt wetness in his eyes and he couldn't even control it. His face didn't wrinkle up and his lips barely quivered, yet the. tears simply rolled down his cheek one by one. He slightly lifted his eyepatch, wiping the ones on his left side away.

"God, I feel ill," he said, pulling back from the hug to wipe his face. He looked down at the badge, still sobbing and holding his head with his other hand, "I need her. I love her."

Unfortunately, Levi still didn't really know what to say, but tried to provide a comforting environment for him.

He continued staring down at the badge, before holding it out, "She'd want you to have this. I have everything else that belonged to her."

"No, it's not my place to take it," Levi rejected, refusing to hold out his hands.

"Please, Levi." He grabbed onto one of Levi's hands and placed the badge in it, closing his fist and squeezing it a little, "I know she'd want you to have it. Trust me, I know."