Young Adults

CHAPTER 15

By the end of Tuesday, (Y/n) found herself perched at her desk, laptop propped open to a familiar Skype call. She'd grown used to these evening chats with Armin, Eren, Mikasa, and Ymir—now a comforting part of her routine. They each appeared in their respective little windows on the screen, the low hum of casual conversation serving as her background noise while she tried to catch up on the previous day's work.

She still blamed Levi for her half-finished notes; after all, her stolen glances in class had hijacked most of her attention. But hey, at least she had a chance to focus now. Sort of.

Across the call, Armin was also hunched over his desk, scribbling in a notebook, periodically glancing up to acknowledge the chatter in his headset. Mikasa, as ever, wore a calm expression, leaning back in her seat with a half-absent gaze—likely scanning an online article or toying with her phone. Ymir sprawled on her bed, her camera at a low angle, giving everyone a close-up of her face whenever she leaned forward. And Eren, in his usual gaming chair, was spinning in slow, lazy circles.

"You know what vegetable you'd be, Armin?" Eren asked out of nowhere, his voice slicing through the lull in conversation.

Armin paused mid-sentence, lifting his eyes. "Hmm? What is it, Eren?"

"You'd be a banana," Eren declared with an unnecessary flourish, "'cause you're blonde."

All screens went silent. (Y/n) peered over the top of her textbooks, arching a brow at Eren's logic. Mikasa's eyes flicked up with mild puzzlement, and Ymir just let out a loud snort.

"Are you dumb?" Ymir asked bluntly, lifting her chin toward the camera.

Eren immediately threw his hands up in defense. "I'm kidding, obviously!" he sputtered. "Bananas aren't even vegetables! It's a—look, I'm just messing around."

Armin shook his head, a faint smirk curving his lips. "Your jokes need work, Eren."

(Y/n) let out a small laugh despite herself, shaking her head at her screen. "I think we need a new definition of 'joke,' personally."

Eren grumbled something incoherent, spinning once more in his chair, while Mikasa's stoic expression gave way to a quiet chuckle. Ymir, still smirking, kicked her legs out on the bed, looking far too pleased with Eren's embarrassment.

In the midst of it all, (Y/n) felt a warm sense of normalcy. Despite her earlier daydreams and anxieties, moments like these reminded her that life went on in the simplest, most amusing ways—usually involving Eren's brand of humor and everyone else's exasperation.

As (Y/n) returned her attention to her homework, her mind drifted back over the events of the school day. A wave of disappointment settled in her chest when she realized she hadn't seen Levi anywhere. Not in the hallways, not in detention (though she couldn't think why he'd be there), not even lingering outside the school gates. Nowhere, she thought, tapping her pen absently against the page.

A small sigh escaped her. Maybe because we don't share classes on Tuesdays, she reasoned, nibbling on the end of her pen. I probably just kept missing him. But even that explanation didn't quite quell the odd sense of restlessness gnawing at her.

She remembered how, just yesterday, he'd offered her his copy of 'Flowers for Algernon.' The mere thought sent her heart racing again. 'He's giving me a book', her mind repeated, a small thrill mingling with her nerves. 'It's just because I said I like to read... right?'

She swallowed, her cheeks warming. She tried to convince herself it had no deeper meaning. 'He's just being considerate', she told herself firmly, noting how her gaze had slipped away from her homework to stare at nothing in particular. 'He must just think I'd enjoy it. That's all.'