Better Off This Way: Eren Jaeger x Reader [MODERN]

~Chapter 23~

DING DONG!
I was woken up to the intrusive noise of the front door bell ringing.
I noticed Eren and I had fallen asleep cuddling in my bed, Leo perched at the foot of it.
DING DONG!
Oh fuck, right! Doorbell!
I quickly rush out of bed, awaking Eren in the process.
DING DONG-DING DONG!
"Yeah yeah hold your fuckin horses I'm coming." I mutter.
I swing the door open with irritation, instantly seeing it was Levi.
"I need to speak with you for a moment." He drags me outside.
"Yeah sure just drag me outside-" I mutter under my breath.
"What are you doing?" He asks, an unimpressed tone coating his words.
"Excuse me?" I ask in confusion.
"I mean what are you doing with your life?"
"I-"
"Dismissing the fact that you were completely wasted on your birthday and not in a healthy way. Do you even remember vomiting?" Levi asks flatly.
"I... did?"
"I held your hair while your face was in the toilet bowl."
"I.... don't remember.." I trailed off.
"Anyways- whatever. It was your birthday, I can shrug it off. Just like I can shrug off the fact that you're now getting wasted constantly with your roommate and his friends. I get it, it's college." He huffs.
"But then I find out that the Titans have threatened to comeback to town and that threat was directed at you and your roommate WHILE you're on a fucking DATE together? What the fuck is going on between you two?" Levi asks.
I take a deep breath.
"We're. Dating." I crossed my arms.
Levi turns around, angrily grasping his head.
"Are you fucking kidding me with this?" He growled.
I look over to notice Eren in the window, peaking and then hiding.
"What are you doing to your life?" He adds.
"I'm- LIVING IT! That's what people DO with their lives. LIVE THEM." I snarl.
"He's. Your. Roommate. While you GO to college and try to BUILD yourself a life. You don't HAVE a LIFE to LIVE yet."
"I-"
"What happens when this thing between you two falls apart? This was a convenient arrangement while you focus on your real goals, and you're currently fucking it up." Levi states sternly.
"I- I- I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN." I growl.
"The world is a shit place! It's a fucking dangerous shitty fucking place." He retorts, pointing up at the sky.
"Especially when you don't have your shit together!" He says angrily, hammering his palm with his fist.
"You think I can't handle disappointment? Is that really what you think?" I chuckle and furrow my eyebrows.
"Yes! Exactly." He points at me.
"Need I remind you that I've been disappointed by the world my entire life?" I ask sternly.
"I actually didn't really need you piling it on by telling me that there were DARK, INSIDIOUS shadows waiting to FUCK MY DAY every chance they got." I chuckle sarcastically.
"I was trying to prepare you! I was trying to make you stronger." Levi hisses.
"For what, Levi?! For. What?!"
"For the kind of shit that happened on your fucking date." He huffs.
"This is real. This is dangerous. This isn't one of your fucking samurai fantasies!" He waves his arms around sporadically.
I cross my arms. "HAH. No matter what's coming my way, I'm ready to face it. Thanks to YOU."
"You need to turn that switch on in your brain right now, and gather some fucking reason." Levi snarls.
"Reason? REASON?! Really?! You're one to fucking talk. Aren't reasonable people supposed to be honest about things? Like I've been this whole time?" I scoff.
"What are you talking about?" He glares.
"So." I cross my arms again.
"You and Hange, huh? You know- one of my best friends." I smirk.
"That's- you- there's- there is NOTHING happening!" He hisses.
"Huh. Reasonable, hey?" I raise an eyebrow.
"I- I don't know what it is! And you know what? I certainly don't have to explain it to you." Levi uttered.
"None of us ever know what anything really is, do we Levi?"
"You don't have it all figured out either, do you?" I smirk.
Levi pinched the bridge of his nose with frustration. "You know what?" He sighs. "I'll tell you what I do know."
"What's happening here? Right now? Can really get you hurt. If you decide to become a part of it."
"Oh! So if I decide not to become a part of it, it'll just kill you, and Hange, and Sasha, and Eren, and Mikasa, and everyone else that I actually give a shit about? Right? Oh, and then! When everyone I care about right now is gone, I can just wait patiently at home until it finally decides to wipe me out too!" I chuckle sarcastically.
"That's not going to happen." Levi uttered.
"Wait a minute... how do mom and dad fit into all of this exactly?" I question.
"You know the story." Levi said plainly.
"Y'know, I don't think I really do." I say, pointing at Levi.
"Because I don't think you told me the full story." I cross my arms.
"There's nothing-"
"Try to be reasonable, Levi. Turn that switch on in your brain." I say maliciously.
Levi sighed. "[Y/N], you need to understand." He cups his hands together. "....I needed to protect you."
"Protect me from what? What are you hiding?" I snarl. "Did you- did you lie to me about my parents?"
"Not entirely." He sighs.
"Your mother killed herself when she found out your dad was doing drug deals with the Titans, the drugs bought his loyalty. She couldn't deal with the fact that her husband was a traitor." He explains.
"What happened to my dad?"
"After your mother died, he got heavy into.... using. I guess he lost all will. He didn't care how indebted he became to the Titans, he didn't care that they'd be coming for him. And so, they did."
"Based on the history of the Titans, how is it that you and I are still alive, Levi?" I choke.
"Because I took you and ran." He replied sternly.
"But not- before you- took a few of them down..." I began to remember.
"How can you possibly remember that? You were so-"
"Young. I know." I shake my head.
"It just came to me, it all just makes so much sense now." I then look at him.
"We're never going to be safe. No one we know or love is ever going to be safe, until we end this. Don't you get it?" I laugh sarcastically.
"We've all been living, blissfully in
K-town, just playing house. But you know what, Levi? Clearly they're back for revenge."
Levi was silent.
"There's only one way to end this, and you know it. We get them, before they get us." I add.
"We don't have to be apart of this, we can leave, we can go somewhere and start anew. I can keep you safe, we're not obligated and the General understands that." Levi says.
"Somehow I think you know as well as I do that that's not going to make a difference."
"It'll buy us time."
"Time? More time to count down to the inevitable? What good is that?" I scoff.
"I'm making this stand, whether you like it or not."
"[Y/N] I promised your mother I would keep you safe no matter what, even if it meant taking you and running."
"Then have my back, and I'll have yours. We need to avenge her." I state.
"You-"
"It's the only way."
Levi accepted defeat and began to walk away.
Suddenly though, he stopped for a moment and turned around.
"You're dumb, but.... you're brave."