Promise me [Levi Ackerman x OC]

XXI: Forgive me

Hazel froze in the door knob without open it yet. Laying her forehead in the door, she managed to clear her throat. "What do you want, Levi?" The tears fell down her cheeks remembering the loss of their friends, the pain and guilty she felt.

"There's something I want to discuss."

"Now you suddenly want to talk?" She turned around and slipped to the floor against the door. "What could you tell me?" She started to sob and struggled to keep talking. "I already know, Levi. I brought you all here without asking if you wanted this, I putted you all in a terrible situation between the mafia and the military. I brought them to their deaths." She paused to gulp and take a breather. "I know, I were a selfish brat."

He had his forehead against the door and his palms turned into fists. "What the hell are you talking about? Open the door." His voice turned more severe.

"No. I can't even look you in the eyes. Just leave."

"I won't." He gave the door a punch in desperation making her jump from the floor. "Haze... please, open the door." The tremble in his voice showed he was crying.

She wiped her tears before opened the door and found Levi with his both hands in the frame of the door, head hanged low and tears streaming down.

"Please forgive me, Levi." It broke her heart looking at him this thorned, the one who was always so neutral and not showing what he really feel was crying at her door helplessly.

Hearing this, he lifted his head to look at her. "Don't ever apologize for that. Their deaths was the titans doing. The one who needs to apologize is me." He tried to look at her eyes, but she kept looking at the floor until he caught her face with finesse into his hands. Her tears started to slip again.

"Forgive me for everything." He gulped and made a pause, it was really hard for him to show his mistakes. "For making you leave on your own, for not talking to you this past month, even though I've been dying to," his tears increased making his sight blurred, he started to feel his knees weak and fell forward holding himself from Hazel's waist. "for not trusting you could manage Lovof, for not taking care of them out of the walls," he buried his face in pain into her thigh, "for not keeping my promise to take care of you and...for breaking your heart." He burst deep in cry.

Hazel steadied herself by the force Levi had put onto her leg, knowing he was feeling guilty too, she empathized. Her tears dried and she started to stroke his hair hoping to eased him. When she thought he has already stopped his crying, she extended her arm to help him stand.

"Who's the big cry baby now?" She lightly smirk to him when he turned his head to look at her.

He clicked his tongue, then took her hand.

The easy going mood of Levi make her thought that was from the wine he have drank, but she didn't mind, she had been drinking too and it made both came to a closure of their detachment.

Finally standing, he suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist in a tight hug letting his head laid in the crook of her neck. "I've missed you so much, Haze."

"I know, I do missed you too, brat." She had her chin resting over the top of his head, both arms wrapped around his neck, with one hand caressing his strands of hair and the other stroking his nape where his haircut was freshly done.

After a few seconds of comfort and silence, Hazel recalled tomorrow was a normal training day. "It's late, you should rest."

Levi nodded and without pulling apart from her, he gave a couple steps forward making she mimic his feet backwards, he unleash one arm and closed the door of the office. The smirk he form against her neck make her giggle from the tickling sensation. "What are you doing?"

"Let me stay with you."

"Are we changing roles? I was the one asking you to stay before and I used to be the big cry baby." She undid the embrace to smile at him.

"Shut up, brat. Come on." He took the lead to her bedroom and got underneath the sheets. Resting his body in his right forearm and holding up the sheet with the left, he waited until she laid beside facing him and let it cover both. "Good night, Haze." He gave her a kiss in the forehead, she just yawn and fell asleep. He stayed a while contemplating at her peaceful face illuminated by the light of the moon and stars from the window, counting the freckles in her cheeks until he also fell asleep.

The next morning, Hazel waked up fright and sweating from her nightmares which consist on her dead friends and comrades under her feet, all in a pile of corpses and all she can do was stared. She covered her face with her palms, then remembered the one beside her under the sheets.

Levi was upside down the mattress, facing the other side of the room lightly snoring.

Taking care of not waking him up she went to her bathroom to take her morning shower, but he however waked up after she closed the door. Still drowsy, he climbed out bed and ashamed from his behavior from last night, he was deciding if he should wait for her or leave. He knew he has to go and take a shower too before training and after a few minutes of thought, he left her room and office to get ready for the day.

When Hazel stepped out the shower wrapped in her towel, she saw the bed made up and Levi was gone. Finishing her morning routine, she went to the mess hall for breakfast.

After free days, almost all soldiers were hungover, the room was silent everyone taking their food in slow motion suffering from headache and tiredness.

Hazel approached her usual table where Erwin was comfortably eating and joined him, in a merry voice announce herself. "Morning, Commander!"

"Morning, Section Commander." He said looking at the newspaper in his hand and taking his food with the other.

"What!?" Hazel was astonished for the rank he used. "You are kidding, right?"

He finally look at her leaving the paper in the table with a smile. "Congratulations, Hazel, you've been promoted."