SORE • l. ackerman ✓

𝐗𝐈𝐗 | 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭

~ R e a d e r ~

I woke up the next morning, groggily rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I smiled in instant remembrance of the night before. Thankfully, I had the day off meaning I could relax for once. I pulled my phone out to text Levi, hoping he would want to hang out again.

9 : 3 8 AM

Me: Hi Levi :)) can you come over today?

Levi ♡: I have therapy at 11
Levi ♡: I'll go after my appointment, okay?

Me: mkay
Me: be safe

Levi ♡: I will

L e v i ♡ i s o f f l i n e.

I smiled and set my phone back down next to my pillow and stretched, a yawn escaping. I decided to make breakfast and take a hot shower since I had nothing better to do while I waited for him.

The wait seemed longer than it actually was. I was eager to see him already though we had been spending almost every waking moment together. Eventually, the time came for him to come over and I had already started on lunch. Though I told him that the door was locked and to come in, he knocked anyways. After letting him in, he kicked his shoes off and followed me to the kitchen.

"Hey," he said lowly.

"Hiya,"

For some reason, I sensed a thick tension in the air, contrast to every other time we were together as of recently. Was it because of the night before? Did he regret it?

Those thoughts subsided when I turned around and felt his arms around my waist.

"Do you want one?" I asked him simply, cutting a sandwich into two triangles.

"Yes, please,"

I picked one up and reached behind me to hand it to him. He accepted it gladly and let go of me.

"How was therapy?"

He shrugged.

"Good I guess. Nothing interesting," he said with a small, awkward laugh.

"I'm sorry,"

I took a bite and turned around to look at him, his eyes deep and sad. I'd almost completely forgotten about that side of him, but it was still there and still very real.

Neither of us knew what to say, so we opted to eat together in silence, his hand resting against the top of the deep freezer with one leg crossed over the other.

"I'm sorry if this is a little personal but..." He avoided my eyes and clearly contemplated whether or not he should ask the question. After debating with himself for a moment, he made the decision and started to speak again. "Why don't you have any family photos up?You don't have to answer it if you don't want to."

I didn't say anything back for a long time and stared blankly at the kitchen tiles. When I finally found the courage to say something, my voice felt weak and my throat felt dry.Tears welled up in my eyes, but I quickly blinked them back.

"My dad was abusive. He was an alcoholic. He left shortly after 8th grade year, and I never knew my biological mom, so I was left with my step mother and her son. He was way older than I was, we never got along and I think that's cause of the age gap. He eventually moved out and I never heard from him again and he was really the only person I could've possibly made any family memories with. After I was old enough to move out, I did, and my step mom..."

I trailed off and swallowed thickly, blinking back tears.

"She passed away I think six months after I left, leaving me no family. I've never had contact with either of my parent's families," I finished, my voice barely above a whisper.

I felt his fingers lift my chin up, forcing me to look at him. Tears clouded my vision, but I met his eyes.

"Hey,"

He reached up with his other hand to wipe my tears.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that but I'm here. Hanji and Erwin are here. So is Mike and Marco and all of our other friends. You choose who your family is,"

He pulled me close to his chest and allowed me to cry, and though he didn't say much, I understood that he was barely getting used to the whole emotion thing again and he wasn't great at comforting people.

"I don't know how to help but you're strong, ______."

-

Somehow, we ended up in my bedroom, laying next to each other just like the night at the party. Music played faintly in the background while we talked, side by side, both wanting to be closer but neither one of us acting on it.

"Top of your class?" He questioned with an impressed smile. I nodded and smiled back. "Why didn't you go to college?"

"It's a waste of time and money. If I would have gone to college, I never would have moved here, meaning I never would have met Hanji,"

He cocked an eyebrow up.

"Which also means I never would have met you,"

"Fair enough."

"What about you? Were you a sports guy or a band kid?"

He reached over to brush a strand of my hair back into place.

"I liked art and culinary,"

I hummed in response.

"You're a good cook, but do you still do art?"

He shrugged.

"I haven't tried in a while. I don't have the patience anymore,"

I finally moved closer and leaned in.

"We'll have to change that."

Our lips met again, his tasting slightly like vanilla chapstick.

It became my new favorite taste.

-

I haven't been updating because I went back to school, but we just got out back on lockdown, so I'll have way more free time. My boyfriend might have gotten Covid.

Literally half of my school including teachers had to quarantine already and we were only back for like... two weeks.

-TJ