Levi x Reader | Cold

Chapter Sixteen - Forward

Removing my leather Trainee Corps jacket, I pull out my chair and place it lightly across the wood.

I quickly sit down and bite into my bread, hungry since I haven't eaten much today.

Eren sits across from me beside Levi, and I sit beside Hanji, with Mike on the end of the table.

"So Estelle," Eren says between bites. "How's Mikasa?"

"Probably... worried. She did not look very happy about the trial," I laugh lightly at the memory.

"And Armin?" Eren asks.

"He's well. It was his plan that got me right here in the first place."

"Ah, you two," Hanji speaks up. "It is the first time we've met, and tomorrow we'll be on horseback. Why don't we all get to know each other?"

"How would we do that?" I take a sip of my tea, and glance over at Levi, who's watching me with a disinterested expression.

I glance down to avoid any further eye contact and direct my attention back to Hanji.

"Twenty questions?" She suggests.

"I'm too tired," Mike says whilst getting up. "I'll be going to bed."

Hanji nods and looks at the three of us. "Are you guys in?"

"Sure," I smile up at her.

"I'll do it too, then," Eren gives a grin that looks a little out of place on his otherwise bruised face.

"What about you, Rivaille?" she asks.

He lets out a sigh. "Only to ensure you don't scare them away."

"We'll go around the table then," Hanji says. "From me, to Estelle, to Eren, to Levi."

I take another bite of my bread as I wait for her to make up her mind.

"Favourite item of clothing?"

Eren says his shirt and Levi says his neckerchief.

"What about you, Estelle?" Hanji asks.

"This jacket," I reply nervously. I'm wearing the grey jacket I got from the Levi from my childhood.

Eren looks over at Hanji. "She's worn it every day since I've met her. Mikasa told me she even sleeps in it."

Hanji starts laughing way too loudly, and I know my face is tinted red with embarrassment. As I direct my eyes elsewhere, I notice Levi is staring at me more gently now, but he looks away once I notice him.

"I bet she showers in it, too," Eren jokes, and Hanji starts pounding on the table in her fit of laughing.

"How does someone like an article of clothing so much?" She says between laughs.

The joke wasn't even that funny, I think.

"What else happened on your squad?" Hanji looks at me curiously, tears from her laughter in the corner of her eyes.

"Every single day Eren would rant about the titans and how he was going to kill them all, and this guy-"

"-That looked like a horse in astonishing amounts," Eren cuts in.

"Would fight with him over if he was tough or not," I begin laughing at the memories.

"How much did he look like a horse?" Hanji asks.

"He looked just like one, long face and all," Eren chuckles.

Hanji's laughing maniacally with us and Eren tells Hanji everything, from Sasha eating a potato on her first day of training and having to run laps, to when Annie flipped Reiner over completely.

By the end we're all doubled over laughing, except for Levi, of course.

"Well would you look at the time," Hanji smiles at us, even though she's clearly very tired. She gets up from the table and stretches her arms above her head.

"I'll get that for you," I offer, as she tries to collect her dishes.

"No, you don't have to," she playfully slaps my hands away.

"You're clearly tired, and you've already done so much for me." I take the plates away from her. "And I'm really glad that I met you. Thanks for everything."

She looks at me with her lips spread apart and a her eyes sparkling. "You're such a nice recruit!" She hugs me tight and I try not to drop the dishes.

"Well, I'm going to bed." Eren yawns. "Will you take these for me, too?"

I take stack his plates on top of Hanji's, and they both leave. "Goodnight!" Hanji calls from the hallway.

"Goodnight!" I call back to her.

I silently continue picking up the plates as Levi drinks his tea.

Finding the silence between us unsettling, I take the seat beside Levi.

"How long have you been in the Survey Corps?" I ask.

He doesn't turn his head towards me, but I see him looking my direction. "Three years."

I blink. "You became Lance-Corporal that fast?"

Placing his mug down, he turns to look at me.

Now that I'm sitting having an actual conversation with him, face-to-face, I have trouble telling myself it isn't the Levi I used to know.

We stare at each other for a few seconds, but neither of us speak.

Please remember me, please remember me, please remember me. I chant in my head.

He lets out a sigh, and as if he was reading my mind, he mutters, "Of course I remember you, idiot," and stands up to leave.

I stand up as quick as he does, though, and can't help myself as I grab his wrist and shout, "Why didn't you say anything earlier, then?!"

He grabs me by the shoulder and pushes me against the wall, one hand over my shoulder, the other beside my waist.

"You may be on my squad now," his breath sends chills down my core, "but you will always remember who your superiors are if you plan on staying."

With that, he releases me, and walks out of the room without another word. I slide down the wall and sit with my knees in my arms, wondering how this became the reunion I've been looking forward to for years.

[A/N] this chapter is short-ish. also, the next chapter will probably be longer, so it might take a bit of time. I'm going to change the format up a bit today so that'll take some time [ no major changes, you won't have to reread or anything ]

Thanks for 2,000 reads! I thought this would get like, three reads what.

The support you guys give is amazing, and it makes me really glad! I say this like every chapter but I just appreciate it so much aaah