I'm actually apprehensive uploading something for this section since I've read really good ones here, but my Levihan feels got the better of me anyway, and I just started reading and watching the series this year. This is set in a world without Titans, so there will be characters who are alive in this story even though they're dead in canon.
I'd like to know what you think. :D Please leave a review if you can. It helps! :D
Chapter One: Eight (Part 1) - Crush
Their story began at the neighborhood playground where he spotted this weird kid in a messy pigtail crouched on the far end of the area. Normally, little Levi wouldn't give so much crap about other kids and their businesses, but she had been there for about a good ten minutes (since he reached the place ten minutes ago to sulk after his uncle didn't let him watch his favourite afternoon show) already that it bothered him so much he had to know what the hell was up with that weirdo.
He allowed himself to land clumsily on his two feet as he jumped off the swing. The young boy tried to be as stealthy as possible as he approached the kid. What could be so interesting that made her stay in that tiring position for a long time? Levi immediately regretted his decision to check when he spotted tiny, gooey stuff from behind the kid's shoulder. Before he could stop himself, little Levi let out gagging sound, loud enough to disrupt the little girl who was now facing him.
The first thing he noticed wasn't how big and shiny her brown eyes were or how the small smile in her face made her look amiable, but how her glasses were askew as it rested on her nose. She reminded him so much of the nerds he knew from school. Perhaps she was a nerd herself?
"...That's really gross," he stated, his features contorted to disgust and disbelief.
But the young girl only looked at him blankly. "I know," she affirmed, "but I wanted to know how the insides of the bird looked like."
This made him even more disgusted. "Psycho," he muttered.
She pouted, her lower lip portruding. "It was dead when I found it okay. I didn't kill it. Maybe some cat did."
But still, it disgusted and alarmed Levi.
"Who are you anyway? I surely don't see you around. Are you new here?" The young girl began to ask, momentarily stopping with her odd hobby.
Technically he was still new here since he and his uncle moved to this neighborhood two weeks ago, and it was the first time he went out of the house by himself. "Yeah. My name's Levi. And you are?"
The young girl grinned. "Nice to meet you, Levi! I'm Hange. Have you gone around the neighborhood?"
He really didn't know what compelled him to confirm that he really hadn't explored the place, but Levi just found himself being dragged along by this Hange girl who was weird, cheery, and seemed to know almost everyone in the area down to their favourite colours. She showed him her "secret places," which Levi supposed weren't secret anymore since he knew about it already. And while they walked, she told him more about the place, though he doubted he'd remember all of them right now.
All the while, Levi's sulking mood slowly ebbed as Hange entertained him like a proper hostess would.
"Where do you live, Levi?" she asked him nonchalantly. The young boy was aware that the grip she had on his hand loosened as they walked along the street.
"I live on Maria Street." He replied curtly, thoughts still occupied with her tiny (and not to mention clammy) hand on his.
She quickly turned to face him, eyes wide at his reply. "That's so far from here! How did you get to the playground by yourself? Did you get lost along the way?" He shook his head and frowned.
Hange sighed. "Wow."
It was almost sundown when both kids agreed that their adventure was finished for the day. They stopped in front of a two-storey house with patches of wildflowers peppered around the yard. The wildflowers reminded him so much of the state of her hair after their small adventure around the neighborhood, he almost chuckled at that thought.
"This is where I live," she mumbled. Levi noticed the way her hand slipped lazily from his, leaving his palm a little sweaty and empty. "Can you find your way home?"
The young boy snorted. "I've been here for two weeks already. Of course I can."
Hange giggled. "Okay. Goodbye, Levi. It's really nice to meet you."
And with that, the young girl ran to their porch without looking back, and inside the house when her mom finally opened the door. Levi didn't leave until he saw her enter.
The long walk home didn't seem so heavy compared earlier. Levi assumed that it was probably because his mood lightened up after the impromptu trip with Hange. He supposed Hange's cheery disposition probably rubbed on him somehow; she held his hand the whole time after all.
Suddenly, a meatphorical brick hit Levi on the head causing him to stop on his tracks as a dumb realization struck him.
Hange was probably the first girl-first kid, in fact-that didn't seem to be a little afraid of him. And she was the first one to ever hold his hand like people casually held hands everyday. Levi stared at his hand again and he swore he could still feel hers on it, but it wasn't just because it felt warm from her clammy hand; no. Levi's eyes narrowed in disbelief.
At the age of eight, Levi Ackerman had his first silly crush, and with a girl who got a kick dissecting dead animals no less.
This was when he started to agree that the world was an indeed odd place after all.