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(AN: I love this version of Reluctant Heroes. It's so beautiful)
I took as long as possible to get to the bridge. I didn't want to go there but, knowing Levi, he'd probably come over and practically drag me to the bridge so I didn't have a choice.
As soon as I arrived, I saw Levi. I didn't get the warm feeling I usually got though. In fact I felt nausea, shame, embarrassment, sadness and many other negative emotions. It's ok Eren. Just pretend nothing happened. Just grit your teeth and smile like you normally do. Don't be too obvious.
"Hey Levi." I shouted over, smiling and waving. Why am I doing this? I should just go home.
"Oi brat. Come over here and help me." He beckoned me over. I saw a load of cleaning products. Oh. We're cleaning the bridge. Is that the only reason why he wanted me here?
"Oh. Ok." I said, running over to the bridge. "So why did you ask me to come here?" He responded by throwing a cleaning cloth at me.
"Start cleaning." So I did. The bridge was quite muddy and full of leaves, scattered across it. It was harder cleaning it then it was last time since it was actually dirty. We cleaned in silence, me keeping quiet, too embarrassed to talk. He wasn't acting any different. He acted like nothing happened. I don't know if I was relieved or hurt by this but the silence was broken by Levi's voice.
"You seem awfully quiet."
"So do you." I replied.
"Yes but I'm usually like this. You usually won't shut up."
"Yeah well..." I didn't know how to respond. What was I supposed to say? Yeah I am because I'm too embarrassed to talk after confessing to you. It didn't sound too bad in my head but I knew it wouldn't go to well if I said it aloud.
"Oi. Jaeger. About your confession." Crap. There it was. Shit. This isn't going to end well.
"What about it?" I said, feeling myself turn red.
"Do you understand why I said what I said?" No. No I didn't. He said he "didn't have time for it". What the fuck did that mean?
"Not really. I...I didn't understand what you meant by 'you didn't have the time.' It wasn't a very clear answer but I could tell it was rejection." I said, feeling myself tear up a little. Pull yourself together Eren.
"But it's ok. I think I do understand now. It's because I'm not good enough for you."
"That isn't it."
"Then what is it, Levi?!" I snapped. Eren. Stop. You're making things worse. But my anger and other emotions were pouring out.
"What don't you have the time for? Is it because I'm too talkative? Is it because I'm always fainting and asking for your help? Because if it is I could just walk out of your life right now."
"Eren." But I ignored him and carried on.
"I know I'm not perfect. Not everyone can be perfect like the famous Levi."
"Eren."
"You are humanity's strongest after all-"
"Eren!"
"What?!" I was panting, realising how much this effected me. Humanity's strongest? What?
"It's because I don't want you to remember ok?!"
"Remember? What do you mean?"
"Never mind. Ignore what I just said." He was seriously getting on my nerves now.
"No. I won't. Explain."
"Eren." I only just realised. He called me Eren. Not Jaeger. Not brat. Eren.
"You used my real name this time." I whispered, my dream coming back. The dream where Levi executed me, last words being "nice knowing you, Jaeger." Not even my real name. The thoughts were coming back. Was it true? Did that happen? No. That's impossible. But why did that suddenly appear? And what did Levi mean by me remembering? What was there for me to remember? I looked over at Levi, his head hanging low, a shadow cast over his face.
"So you do remember?"
"Remember what?"
"The day. The day of your..."he sighed then finally said "The day of your execution."
~
"Heichou. Wait." I said, running towards him, panting. "What is it brat?" He said, as I finally caught up.
"Um...well there's something I want to tell you." I said, blushing, fiddling with my fingers.
"Yes? What is it? And hurry up. I'm going to be late for a meeting."
"Oh. Then it can wait. I'll tell you afterwards." I said. I didn't want to be the reason Levi was late.
"Ok..." he said then walked off. I sighed and headed back to training.
~
"EREN!" I heard hanji scream, as she was running towards me. Crap. Another experiment. "Yes hanji?" She took my arm and started to drag me around. She had that crazy look on her face. "Um hanji? What are you going to do? And where are we going? We just passed your lab." She just laughed and said "You'll see." When we arrived at out destination, I was surprised. It was Levi's office.
"Hanji. What are we doing here?" I said then whispered "We're not allowed here."
"Yes but Levi is in a meeting and I want to ask you something."
"But in Captain's office?"
"Yes." She just squealed then slowly opened the door to see if anyone was in. It was empty. "It's clear." We hurried in, me feeling extremely uneasy about it.
"So what is it you want to ask me?" She fixed her gaze outside the window. "Ok. He's nowhere near here. So we're safe. Sit down." So I sat in the chair in front of Levi's desk. "Where are you going si-" but I stopped as she jumped into Levi's chair, feet hanging over the arm rests.
"Ok Eren. I'm going to ask you a question and you're going to have to answer me honestly ok?" I simply nodded, waiting for her question. "Good. Now." She sat up properly in Levi's chair and leaned over the desk, her face inches away from mine. "Do you like Levi?"
"Yes. I look up to him. He's humanity's strongest. Of course I like him."
"You know that's not what I mean. I meant do you have feelings for for him?"
"Wha-!" I replied, blushing like mad, looking away from her face which was still so close. "Maybe." I mumbled.
"I KNEW IT!!" She said, shaking me and laughing crazily. "This is amazing. Haha. Wait until he hears about this."
"Hanji no. Don't. Please. I was going to tell him before his meeting but he said he was going to be late so I left it. Now I'm not so sure." Hanji was still staring at me, but pulled her face further away from mine.
"I'm going to tell you something now. But you can't tell anyone ok?"
"Ok."
"Levi-" but she was interrupted by the slamming of a door opening.
"What are you doing here?" I knew that voice all too well. I flinched at the sound of his voice and sunk into the chair hoping he wouldn't see me. Of course, being the giant I am, he did.
"Oh. Heyyy Levi." Hanji said, still leaning back in his chair.
"Get out shitty glasses." Hanji laughed then got up.
"Come on Eren." She said. I got up about to follow Hanji when Levi said "Eren. Not you. You're staying here." I sighed. I'm going die. "Bye Hanji." She leaned in and whispered "Good luck. And you know what I mean." Then she giggled and ran out, slamming the door on the way out.
"What did she say?" He said, leaning against the wall beside the door,arms crossed. I jumped, suddenly on edge.
"Oh." I laughed nervously, rubbing the back of my neck, "She just wished me luck." I said, avoiding eye contact.
"That shitty glasses." he muttered before pushing himself away from the wall, standing in front of me, then he said "Oi. Before my meeting, what were you going to tell me?" I blushed, just thinking about it.
"Oh. It's nothing. Forget about it." I said. I knew Hanji wanted me to confess but I was afraid of rejection. Suddenly he walked closer to me, slamming his hands against the wall I was standing in front of, placed either side of my head, preventing me from being able to get away.
"Tell me."
"N-no." I said, blushing even more. He's close. So close. I don't know how much more I can take. My heart was beating so fast, it was deafening and I was afraid Levi could hear it too.
"Tell me or you'll regret it." He said, clutching onto my collar, pulling me closer to his face.
"Ok ok. But y-you're...um...really close to my face...a-and I'll f-find it easier if y-you weren't this c-close." I stuttered.
"So?"
"Can you move your face? Please?"
"No. It seems to get you all flustered so I'm curious. Just spit it out."
"Ok." I sighed. "Heichou. I-I..." I tightly shut my eyes. "I have feelings for you Heichou." I said quickly, wanting to hide my face in embarrassment but couldn't for Levi was still holding on to my collar.
"Is that so?" He replied, no expression in his voice. I nodded. Then I felt a pair of lips press against mine. I melted into the kiss, feeling his soft lips, tasting them. My heart was beating out of my chest, my face was red as a tomato, but overall I was over filled with love for this man. I loved him and what made me happier was that he loved me back.
He pulled away and looked at me, smirking. "Bet you weren't expecting that now, where you."
"I love you Heichou."
"I love you too Eren."
~
My execution. My execution.
"You mean...you mean it was real? It wasn't a dream?" Tears were threatening to fall again. I tried to keep them in but was failing miserably.
"No. Eren, I didn't want you to remember. I tried to make sure we'd never meet, but when I saw you for the first time and saw that you drew me from memory, it-it frightened me." Levi's face, for the first time, showed some expression. So many emotions were in that one facial expression. Worry, sadness, fear, regret and many more.
"I kept it, hoping you'd give up on the idea. I tried to repel you but you kept coming back." He wanted to get rid of me? He didn't... he didn't want me around? More and more pain was striking my heart.
"In the end I gave up and realised I enjoyed your company. I couldn't keep myself away from you anymore. So I thought it would be enough for us to be friends. However, when you confessed, I acted cold towards you, hoping it would make you never want to see me again but it hurt so much. It hurt to hurt you. Just to imagine your reaction was too much for me. I texted you to come here. I could see you weren't ok. I wanted to clear things up but..." he ran his hands through his hair. "You remember. It was too late." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. What did I remember?
"I still don't understand. What do I remember? When did you..." I couldn't bring myself to say it but he knew what I meant.
"Our previous lives. The Titan world, it's all real. The city I live in is that city but renewed. I'm guessing after the Titans, people decided to live outside the walls. I was born inside the walls. You were born outside."
"You mean to tell me reincarnation is real? You mean I was I soldier killing those Titans even though I was one? You mean to tell me that because I fucked up once, you easily took out your sword and killed me?" I was starting to feel sick again. My anger coming back. My tears, so close to falling.
"Eren. You don't understand."
"No I do. You killed me to keep some lousy secret. What secret was so precious, precious enough to kill me? It's because you didn't care about me did you? You couldn't care less if I died."
"Secre- you mean your heard-"
"Yes. I heard you and Erwin and the 'friendly' conversation you had."
"Then you'd know I didn't want to."
"But you still did. Tell me Levi. In our previous lives, did I mean anything to you?"
"Eren. I-"
"No? Oh ok. I get it." Everything was coming back. Me being a soldier, working for the survey corps. How Levi and I used to be together. We used to be together. We loved each other. We'd fight side by side. We promised we'd be together no matter what. Did that all mean nothing to him? The pain was coming back. The memories. They were more vivid. They made me feel like smiling and crying at the same time. But how could he want to get rid of those memories? They were so important.
"Eren." He grabbed me by my collar and looked into my eyes. "You have no idea how..."
"You're right. I don't. Then tell me Levi. Tell me ho-" but I was cut off by a pair of lips pushing gently against mine, kissing me passionately. Levi? I was so shocked, I didn't know what to do. I just sat there, stunned.
He pulled his lips away, looking down at how I responded.
"I-I'm sorry Eren. I didn-" but this time I cut him off by kissing him passionately, like how he kissed me. He started to kiss me back. My heart was beating out of my chest, my cheeks burning up. This is so familiar. I felt like we've had this kiss before. Many times. I remember this feeling. The feeling of love over filling me. It's finally coming back. I loved him then and I love him now. He pulled away.
"Eren. I loved you in our previous life and I love you in this one. I only wanted to protect you but instead..." he pulled a strand of hair away from my face, "I ended up hurting you. I'm sorry Eren."
"Levi." He loves me. He said he loved me. "Levi. I'm sorry as well."
I couldn't hold them back anymore. I tried but I couldn't. The tears I had been holding back, all came out.
"Shh. It's ok." I heard Levi say, as he embraced me into his arms. This was real. It was really happening. I was crying on Levi's shoulder but it was all ok because for once in a long long time, I was finally in his arms again. We were finally reunited.
(AN: Thank you all for reading. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter even though it wasn't the best. Thank you for the 200+ reads. It's amazing really. Thank you thank you thank you. I love you all.😊)
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