Can't Get Along (Levi X Reader)

17. Cracked

Reader POV

After that incident this morning, Erwin put me on medical leave for the next two weeks until my shoulder was fully healed, that also meant I'd be missing out of the next expedition in a week's time. Not that I really wanted to go out there again anyway. I spent most of my time just sitting in my room doing nothing since I couldn't train with my injured arm. But that got boring after a while and I went to roam the halls aimlessly, hoping I wouldn't run into Levi. He'd probably already heard the news about what happened this morning. It was almost dinner time by now but he was likely too caught up with supervising training and doing paperwork.

Any other time I'd be a little upset at not seeing Levi all day but I just knew I was in for a lecture if I ran into him. And boy was I right because unfortunately for me, I passed by his office just as he was leaving it with a file of paperwork in his hand. "Oi, brat. Come back here." He said and I stopped in my tracks, hanging my head slightly and refusing to turn around. I heard his footsteps approach me until he was standing right in front of me. "(Name). Look at me." I sighed and raised my head to look at him, avoiding eye contact because I could feel the bad aura coming off him. "What were you thinking this morning? Getting into a stupid fight with Cadet Ackerman? You even got injured enough to be put on medical leave." I looked off to the side, glaring at the wall beside me. "She's the one with a problem," I grumbled and he sighed in annoyance.

"That's no reason to get into a physical fight that you know you can't win." He tried to reason with me but I could feel my attitude acting up again. Today was just not a good day. Not at all. I looked over at him holding his gaze this time, surprised to see that it was actually quite soft but my emotions were already too far gone for me to rein back in right now. "She told me to stay away from you like she has some kind of control over your life or mine." "She doesn't have the right. You should have just ignored her." "She hit me first! What was I supposed to do? Not fight back and just let her beat me to a pulp?" Levi cut me off, raising his voice in frustration with me. "I don't care if she hit you first! You shouldn't have provoked her but getting in her face about it!"

Levi POV

I instantly regretted raising my voice at her like that but I'd been stressed with paperwork and the other cadets all day, and hearing that Mikasa had injured (Name) was on my mind through it all only adding to the stress of the day. (Name) glared at me but the light of anger in her eyes had turned to hurt and it was my fault. I shouldn't have raised my voice. I shouldn't have blamed her for the fight. She'd been the one who got injured and Mikasa had thrown the first punch. I should have been more sensitive about the situation. I should have read into what she was feeling before I opened my mouth. Had I taken a moment to get a good look at her before talking, I would have noticed her irritation with today and could have handled that a lot better.

She shoved past me with her uninjured shoulder and stared at the floor ahead of her as she stalked down the hall with her hand balled up in a fist at her side. I took a step to follow her but then decided that might not be the best choice. I'd give her some time to cool off and then try to apologize or at least get back on her good side.

~~~~

Reader POV

Jean came up to the empty table I'd sat at in the back of the mess hall and set his tray down across the table from me. I looked up, setting my spoon back down in my bowl of tasteless vegetable stew. "Hey, Jean." I greeted quietly, my voice level and bored sounding. "Hey. I'd ask why you're not sitting at the squad table but I think I can guess." He joked dryly, hoping for a laugh but he didn't get one. He just dropped the subject and we ate in silence for a while, well, he ate. I just sat there picking at my food. I wasn't very hungry after that sort of fight with Levi in the hall. As if on cue right before dinner time was over, Sasha came over to the table and asked for my leftovers. I just nodded and let her take the tray from me and when she was gone, I turned to look at Jean. "Jean... you got moved to the dorm with Armin when Levi changed rooms around, right?" He gave me a confused look but nodded. "Yeah, it's a lot bigger than the one I was in with Connie. Why do you ask?" I shook my head and stood from the table with a sigh, suddenly feeling too awkward to say what I had wanted to.

He stood too and followed me out of the mess hall. I didn't really know where I was going but I found myself outside the dorm I shared with Sasha and Mikasa, Jean standing right behind me. "Jean, would it be alright if I slept in the dorm with you and Armin tonight? I can't stay here with her... I would go ask Levi but... Uh, we kinda had a fight before dinner." I didn't look at him as I asked this, my hand on the doorknob to my dorm. He was silent for a while, probably pretty shocked and nervous about it. I didn't mean anything by it. But there was no way I'd trust Connie to not do anything and I certainly wasn't going to go sleep in that creepy basement with Eren. Mikasa would kill me a second time if she found out about that. So my best option was the room Jean and Armin shared. Armin was a little scared of me and Jean, as flirtatious and cocky as he was, I was pretty certain he wouldn't dare try to take advantage of me while I was in their room.

"I guess that'd be okay. We better go now before the other cadets finish dinner and people are in the halls." He said with nervousness evident in his tone and I nodded, opening the door to my dorm to go in and grab a few changes of clothes along with an extra blanket and pillow from my bed. I came out with my clothes in a bag and my blanket and pillow under my arm. Jean took the blanket and pillow from me so I could carry the bag of clothes easier. "I expect good 'girl sleepover' gossip you know." He joked and actually got a tiny chuckle out of me this time as we walked to his dorm. "I'd call you gay for that but it's painfully obvious that you like girls." I watched his cheeks turn slightly pink at my teasing but he just smiled and shook his head.

I really didn't like Jean at first, but since I joined Squad Levi and actually spent more time with him getting to know him, I warmed up to him. I wouldn't call him a good friend but we got along alright now and he'd stopped trying to hit on me so often. It was much nicer.