In Another Life || Levi x Reader/OC

Torn

A/N: Hi! The beginning of this chapter is very similar to the last part of Chapter 9, except this is in Levi's perspective - just wanted to clarify that, because I don't think I was clear in the way I presented it.

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Levi was in a severe state of hopelessness.

His dreary eyes lingered down at his cup of tea that now surely went cold. He was lost in thought for hours, hoping that the black tea would ease the emotional discomfort he was enduring, but alas, he felt completely broken tonight. The tea went to waste.

It was well past midnight. Everyone had likely already gone to their rooms aside from him. He needed to get some rest, knowing that he had to be up early to speak with Erwin and the others. Apparently, Erwin had some significant news to share regarding the past day's events.

Levi stood up from his chair, groaning slightly at the pain in his ankle. He had yet to find a medic to take a look at it, so he was trying not to put pressure on it for now. He picked up his tea cup and limped towards the sink to pour out the contents, exhaling deeply while washing the cup. At some point, his eyes wandered up to look out the window above the sink. He squinted his eyes at the figure sitting below a tree.

It was you - knees tucked in close to your chest with a bottle of what seemed to be liquor in your hands.

That idiot.

He wondered how someone with your level of skill seemed to have no common sense. What kind of rational person was going to sit outside in the dark by themselves while drinking alcohol? Did you not know of the consequences?

He dried the tea cup and set it aside. Evidently irritated, he decided to leave the building to come drag you inside.

"Eden," he said quietly while approaching you. "It's getting late. You have to come inside."

"How did you find me?" you asked him, taking another sip from the bottle. He stepped in front of you with his hand extended out.

"Give me the bottle."

You shook your head; he was clearly not content with that response. Forcefully, he grabbed the bottle from your hands, wanting so desperately to chuck it across the field. He was fed up with your sudden need to cling onto alcohol. It was frustrating to watch.

"Get up, Eden," he said sternly.

"No."

He went to grab your arm, but you fought him off.

"Don't touch me," you said.

"You have to come inside."

"I don't care."

While paying closer attention to your expression, he suddenly felt a wave of concern. Dry tears stained your cheeks, and your eyes were swollen and puffy. You hadn't changed out of your uniform, either. You looked like a complete mess, but he understood why. Levi coped with his grief by brewing some tea and cleaning; however, you dealt with it much differently. He realized now that your current state - no matter how abysmal it was to watch - was simply your way of coping.

A sigh escaped his mouth as he carefully slumped down against the tree next to you, being cautious not to aggravate his injury any further. He set the vodka bottle aside, far from you, then looked out into the distance.

"I know how you feel," he said. "It never gets easier."

Levi reflected back on all the losses he had suffered throughout his life - the first being his mother. He was too young to recall the severity of his mother's death, but he still remembered being alone with her dead body for far longer than he should have as a child. He was confident he'd have ended up dying with her if Kenny didn't show up.