Key to a Caged Heart

You Don't Understand Me

Hi guys! Thanks for being patient, I know I haven't updated in a while. Hope everyone is doing well! The song for this chapter is by The Raconteurs.

Hanji done fucked up and they knew it.

Erwin often warned them that their behavior could one day ruin friendships. It seemed that day was drawing near.

The teasing was all in good fun but Levi and Eren didn't seem to agree. It was all Hanji's fault that Levi's first romantic interest was moving farther from his reach. If they had kept their mouth shut at that dinner last month, then things wouldn't be awkward between Eren and Levi. And if those two were on good terms, then Levi wouldn't be grumpy and Eren wouldn't be sullen. Hanji hated seeing their boys like this, especially if they were the cause.

Wanting to fix things, Hanji cajoled the two into getting dinner after work. Food has healing powers and so does Maria's Diner. Being in that familiar setting where so many laughs were shared was bound to fix things.

Eren slid into the booth and leaned his head against the window. He had been distracted the last few times Hanji had seen him and it was no different tonight. His body was in the booth but his mind was elsewhere.

Levi was uncomfortable though only Hanji noticed. Eren hadn't turned his attention away from the window once, not even to answer Hanji's questions. He spoke to his reflection. Levi kept glancing swiftly at Eren before returning his attention to Hanji as they blathered on about inconsequential matters at the club, holding up the conversation single-handedly.

"Can we please stop avoiding the issue?" Hanji could only handle the tension for so long.

"What issue?" Levi crossed his arms to ward off the conversation. Eren curled further against the booth wall.

"Look, I apologize. I'll stop insinuating things about your relationship. So you guys can hang out and joke together again without having to worry about me taking pictures without your knowledge to add to my scrapbook."

"You better stop insinuating things. Eren has a boyfriend," Levi responded.

"You what?!" Hanji screeched in Eren's face. "Since when?"

"Uh, since, like, sometime last month?"

"Is that a question?"

"No?"

Hanji flopped back in their seat. Eren had been dating someone for the last month? How did they not know this? Oh! But that would explain why Eren and Levi weren't teasing each other anymore. So maybe it wasn't Hanji's fault?

Hmm...dating for a month? Basically around the time Hanji aggressively suggested they liked each other. So maybe Eren's decision to date someone was to get Hanji to quit it?

"Sorry, Levi. Now there are more problems for you."

Eren's ears perked up. He overheard Hanji mentioning that Levi had problems a few weeks ago, which is why he tried his best to give Levi more space and not add to them.

"Problems?"

"Yeah. Now that you're dating someone, things are worse for Levi. Like, if you bring your boyfriend over to the apartment, that must be awkward for Levi when he's home."

"Ow!" Hanji yelled as they received a kick to their knee from under the table. Eren didn't notice, his mind was focused on how he was still causing problems for Levi. He thought being out of the house two nights a week was enough, but on second thought, Levi was used to having his privacy 24/7. If he didn't want to be a nuisance to Levi, he would have to find places to hang out at least five nights a week.