DILAN'S P.O.V.
"Oi, brat. Wake up, we're gonna be late." Levi's voice rang through her ears and Dilan sighed as she felt him stroke through her hair. She took a minute to understand his words before stubbornly keeping her eyes closed and snuggling into him. She was comfortable. She didn't want to wake up yet.
Levi chuckled softly, placing a kiss on the top of her head and holding her close. Dilan hummed in approval, wondering how it was possible for him to be so freaking warm.
"I want to stay in bed as much as you but if we stay in here too long people are going to start looking for us. You don't want them to know, right?" Levi pointed out, stroking his hand up and down her spine. Dilan frowned, recognising his point.
But she was too tired to give in just yet.
"Fuck em. I'm happy here." She mumbled tiredly into his shoulder. Levi snickered and Dilan could practically feel him rolling his eyes.
"Fine. Stay here, but I have to get up." Levi replied, a smirk in his voice as he started to shift away. Dilan gasped and attempting to cling onto him but Levi stood up before she could.
"No! Bastard!" She whined, glaring up at him. Levi laughed, flicking her on the forehead and she scrunched up her nose in annoyance.
She missed cuddly Levi.
"Come on, idiot. You really want them to find out?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Dilan sighed, pouting.
No she didn't. Not yet, anyway.
"Fuck you." She glared, reluctantly getting up from the warmth of the covers and heading towards the door. She felt hands on her hips before she could reach it and she was twisted round. Dilan barely had a second to stare at Levi's smirking face in surprise before his lips were on hers. She melted into him, running her hands through his hair and he kissed her until they were both breathless before pulling away.
She smiled at him; all her earlier agitation gone. She couldn't be any less than ecstatic when he looked at her with those loving eyes. Levi glanced down at her collar bone and smirked at the red mark, tugging up her shirt collar.
"Only for my eyes, remember brat?" He asked with a smirk. Dilan bit her lip, looking at him as she felt a strong pang of something in her gut. She didn't know what it was, but she didn't hate it and Dilan's heart was starting to pound with him looking at her like that.
Damn, it should be illegal for someone to be this sexy.
She managed to nod, not being able to say anything else in her flustered state. She had never felt this way before.
Levi smirked and kissed her again quickly before pulling back, heading towards his bathroom. Dilan watched him go for a second before shaking her head slightly and blinking out of it. She took a breath and stepped outside, trying to rub the heat from her cheeks. In her daze, she stupidly forgot to check the coast was clear and ran into the one person she really didn't want to.
Eld stared at her with wide disbelieving eyes and Dilan stared back in shock.
Oh shit.
"Eld, I um-" She tried, cringing as Eld looked at what she was wearing, realising she was pretty indecent. She had gotten hot doing paperwork in her room last night because it was so damn stuffy so she took off her trousers and forgot to put them on when going back to Levi's to return the paper work. She figured it wouldn't be a problem since the shirt covered most of her and it was so late in the night anyway.
Yeah, this did not look good.
"Oh." He said awkwardly and they stood there for a few tension filled seconds before Eld tried to walk away. "You didn't waste much time, did you?" He muttered under his breath but Dilan heard anyway. She sighed and grabbed his arm before he could get far, dragging him back to their old room. "Dil let go, I don't want to hear it!" He hissed. Dilan ignored him and his pathetic attempts to get out of her hold.
She was still a lot stronger than him.
She opened the door, shoved him inside and closed it again. Eld glared at her, crossing his arms.
"Eld-"
"What? What are you possibly going to say? I know I told you to go for it Dil, but I figured you would take some time! At least more than a fucking week to mourn our relationship that lasted a year before jumping on the Captain." He spat, clearly hurt. Dilan sighed, rubbing her face.
Clearly he was not as accepting about the break up as she thought.
"Eld we broke up. I took some time. I thought about what I wanted and I told Levi how I felt about him. He felt the same way and we're together now." She explained calmly, having no intentions on added fuel to the fire, even if he was being slightly unreasonable.
Eld frowned and looked away.
"You told me to go for it with him. You told me you wanted me to be happy. Was that a lie?" Dilan asked, confused. She thought they were good.
Eld clenched his jaw, continuing to be unresponsive. Dilan sighed.
"I didn't sleep with him if that's what your so pissed about." Dilan mumbled, looking at her feet.
Eld's eyes widened slightly in regret and he softened his scowl, adopting a less defensive posture.
"It's not that Dilan. I just... I thought that even though it was a mess in the end, our relationship meant more to you. It just hurts." He sighed and rubbed his face. Dilan felt the guilt twist in her stomach.
She really didn't want him to find out this way.
"It did mean something to me, Eld. It meant a lot. You were the closest man that I let near me after what happened and that speaks volumes. I let you hold me, and I let you kiss me. Perhaps those things aren't a big deal to you but to me they were massive. I put so much trust I you. You helped me start to heal. That means a lot to me." She said genuinely. Eld's eyes softened but there was still sadness on his face.
"I'm sorry Dil, I just need some time to get over the breakup. I thought maybe we could be friends after our talk, but I need some more time before I can get there. I know you cared for me and it means the world that you trusted me but- and I don't mean to be a dick by saying this but- I actually loved you. I still love you... that doesn't just go away." He whispered the last bit and Dilan swallowed, blinking back the tears.
"I'm sorry." She apologised. She didn't mean to hurt him.
Eld offered her a sad smile.
"We'll be okay, I just need some time." He reassured. Dilan nodded, unsure of what to do.
"I'll give it to you." She replied. Eld nodded.
"I won't tell anyone about you and the Captain." He informed and Dilan nodded, keeping her eyes down, the guilt curdling. "I-" Eld started but cut himself off with a sigh. There was a moment of tense silence before Eld just left the room, closing the door softly behind him.
Dilan sighed, sitting down on the bed and rubbing her face. She felt like such a bitch. Was Eld was right? Maybe she should have waited longer.
But regardless of that did she regret her decision? No. She was on the verge of exploding and she needed Levi to know how much he meant to her. Now she had everything she wanted. Yes, she felt guilty, but she wouldn't let it taint her happiness. Eld needed time but hopefully one day they would be able to get back to normal.
Dilan got dressed and ready for the day, making sure all of her collar buttons were done up, accept the top one, so the mark wouldn't be seen before heading downstairs.
When she got into the room, she noticed Hanji was back with her squad. They must have gotten in late evening. Dilan was met with smiles and good mornings and she looked for a place to sit, seeing there was only one space remaining next to Levi. This was both a good thing and a bad thing after her conversation with Eld.
Still, she sat down anyway.
"Morning Dilan!" Hanji greeted with a bright smile. Dilan forced a smile back and grabbed a plate.
The tension in the air was clear from the way Eld wouldn't meet her eyes and the progress they had made yesterday with convincing the squad everything was fine was gone.
It was obvious now; everything was not fine.
Dilan bit her lip and focused on her food, cringing at the awkwardness of the situation. Levi gave her a curious look, clearly wondering what was going on.
"Dilan are you okay?" Eren asked, from the other side, clearly picking up her discomfort too. Dilan gave him a reassuring smile, not wanting to make the kid worried and was about to open her mouth to reply when Eld got there first.
"I think she's more than fine." Eld mumbled spitefully but immediately looked regretful.
Clearly, he was having some pretty conflicting feelings.
Silence.
Levi frowned slightly, looking pretty pissed at Eld's snarky comment but he didn't say anything, taking a moment to observe Eld then herself and realisation dawned on his face.
Eld found out.
Dilan was starting to get nervous. The silence was too much. Was this how it was always going to be from now on?
Before Dilan could started spiralling, Levi's hand found hers under the table. Just the initial contact had her taking a breath, but Dilan relaxed completely when he laced their fingers and gave her hand a gentle squeeze for support. She calmed down and focused on her food. The silence was still horrible, but she had Levi here with her, comforting her through it.
"Okay what the hell happened?" Hanji's shrill voice cut through the tense atmosphere, startling everyone. Eren flinched and dropped his buttered toast onto the table with an audible splat.
Everyone gasped and looked at Levi who was glaring at the boy.
"S-sorry, Captain!" Eren squeaked, already well aware of the Captains cleaning habits by now. Dilan bit back a smile of amusement and squeezed Levi's hand, asking him to let it go for now.
He frowned but complied.
"Clean it up." Levi ordered simply and Eren practically slumped in relief at the lack of punishments, scrambling to grab some paper towels before starting to clean his mess.
"Okay I say again, what the hell-" Hanji started but Petra, who was sitting next to her, cut her off and whispered something in the section commander's ear. Dilan cringed, assuming it was about the recent break up.
Levi stroked his thumb over her knuckles to comfort her and Dilan relaxed again.
"WHAT?!" Hanji screamed, looking between Eld and Dilan and everyone cringed at her lack of social skills. Moblit practically face palmed. Hanji snapped her head between Eld and Dilan before going between Dilan and Levi with wide manic eyes, a slow grin spreading across her face.
Dilan and Levi stared at Hanji in horror, begging her with their eyes not to say anything stupid.
Please don't do it. Please don't do it. Please don't do it. Please don't do it. Please don't do it...
Dilan begged again and again, tightly gripping Levi's hand in dread as Hanji opened her mouth to out them in a most definitely loud way before fast paced footsteps echoing down the hall cut her off.
"Huh?" Hanji mumbled and they all looked at the door as it was thrust open.
"Section Commander, I have a message!" He panted and Hanji's face grew serious, standing from her chair.
"What happened?" She asked.
"The test subject... they've been killed!" He exclaimed.
All eyes widened in surprise and Hanji's knees seemed to go weak as she stared at him in shock. Moblit stood up to steady her and there was a moment of stunned silence before Levi took over. He squeezed Dilan's hand one more time before letting go and standing up, giving out orders.
"Ready your horses. We leave for HQ immediately." Levi ordered and everyone stood, saluting.
"Yes sir!" They replied, running out of the hall.
Hanji sniffed, her eyes tearing up and Dilan moved over to her.
"D-Dilan... are my titans dead?" She asked in anguish. Anyone else and Dilan would have told them to fucking sort their priorities out but Hanji was different. A crazy type of different and she did love those specimens with her heart and soul.
"We'll have to go see, yeah? We'll keep it together for now." Dilan comforted, rubbing her arms for comfort. Hanji took a shuddering breath and nodded, blinking back her tears.
"We'll keep it together. Let's go." She agreed and Dilan nodded in approval. She shared a worried glance with Levi. If the news was true... that could only mean the worse.
They rode to HQ at full speed, Eren in a cloak so no one would recognise his face. They made it to the experimental section of the compound where everyone was already gathered around the steaming titan bones and Hanji gasped, running to them, falling onto her knees and crying out in agony.
"MY BABIES! NO!" She howled.
Dilan moved to comfort her, but Levi put a hand on her shoulder.
"She'll be fine. We have things to deal with right now." Levi reminded, glancing at the squad as they were talking to some other soldiers. Dilan heard the person who did it had cleared out on 3DMG. Meaning... either a civilian had access to military equipment, which she knew was near impossible from experience... or... they had a traitor amongst them.
"We need to talk." Erwin's voice called from behind them and they turned around. One shared look told her they were all on the same page.
"I'd say we do." Dilan agreed. Erwin nodded, walking over to Eren he leant down and said something to the boy. Dilan raised an eyebrow before Erwin came back and gave them a look to follow before walking away. Dilan spared a glance to her crazy ass friend before following Erwin and Levi.
"I assume we are all aware of the situation we find ourselves in." Erwin started seriously.
Dilan and Levi shared a look but waited until they were out of the open, in the hallways before replying.
"We have a traitor." Levi replied.
"Someone who doesn't want us to make progress. Someone who doesn't want us to figure out the origins of the titans." Dilan continued and Erwin nodded in approval. They continued in silence until they reached some sort of planning room with a large table. Erwin gestured for them to take a seat, taking one at the head of the table himself.
They did so, waiting for him to continue.
"Our situation is a complicated one. It wouldn't be going too far to call it dire. We have a traitor in our ranks, and it could be anyone." Erwin said seriously.
"Anyone?" Dilan asked. If it could be anyone, surely, they weren't in the clear either. The titans were killed around the break of dawn. They could have ridden there and back to base before anyone noticed. Of course, Dilan and Levi were together the whole night but the Commander didn't know that.
"Anyone. Except for a few individuals that I have narrowed down to be in the clear." Erwin explained and Dilan assumed her, and Levi were part of those individuals.
"And those are?" Levi asked as the door was pushed open with an unnecessary amount of force and Hanji came in, red faced with anger. It seemed she had moved onto face 2 of the grieving process.
She wanted revenge.
"I am going to kill those mother fuckers! Tell me you know who did it, Erwin!" She yelled, slamming her hands on the table. Erwin gave her a look to calm down.
"Please take a seat Section commander. We are about to discuss this very situation." Erwin informed and Dilan noticed there were people behind Hanji too. Mike and Nanaba walked into the room and the doors were closed and bolted behind them. Everyone took their seats.
"This is it?" Dilan asked.
"These are the people in the clear of high enough rank to be in this room, yes." Erwin replied.
Mike and Nanaba looked confused.
"Why are we here, sir?" Nanaba asked.
"We have a traitor. The titans were killed by military personnel who had access to 3DMG." Erwin briefed and the other's eyes widened slightly.
"How do we know it's a scout. Surely it could be an MP or Garrison member?" Mike asked. Admittedly, Dilan thought this too, but it didn't make any sense.
"They've never been after our titans before and with all the fuss with Eren, the other military branches weren't briefed on the new specimens, anyway." Dilan explained and Erwin nodded in agreement.
"She's right. This was an inside job. If on the odd chance it is someone from an another regiment they must have been present at the Trost battle." He agreed. "But I believe there is a bigger deception at play. I believe the traitor is connected to the titans. The colossal and Armour. There's a high chance someone in our regiment is a spy. In fact, that spy may even be one of them." Erwin said seriously and Dilan, raised an eyebrow. She hadn't thought of it like that, but it did make sense.
"So, what do we plan to do about it?" Levi asked. Erwin sighed, leaning on his interlocked hands.
"During this upcoming expedition, I want to capture the traitor. If I'm right and they are a person with titan abilities, then we will set up contingencies. If they are human then we will take them down all the same." Erwin explained.
Dilan was intrigued.
"Why would they come? What would pull them out into the open like that?" Hanji asked, less angry now. More curious.
"I believe they are after Eren Yeager." Erwin informed and there was silence for a moment.
"You want to use him as bait." Dilan got there easily. She knew how the mans mind worked. Erwin spared her a glance before nodding.
This made more sense the more she thought about it. If the traitor was planning on making a go for capturing Eren, they would realistically need the abilities to capture him. Unless they were skilled like Levi or herself, it was probable that they had titan powers.
"No one outside this room will know the full plans. Eren will stay in Levi squad in the centre, the most protected part of the formation. Every other squad will be told something different, so no one knows exactly where Eren is. We will use this to buy time, draw them out. Hopefully they will get desperate enough to find him that they will change into their titan form to speed up the search but even by that point, we will have reached our checkpoint." Erwin continued.
Dilan frowned.
"And what if she reaches before then? What if Eren gets taken or killed?" Dilan asked, anger seeping into her tone.
Erwin looked at her evenly.
"That's the gamble. It's a risk I'm willing to make." He replied sternly. Dilan opened her mouth to object that it wasn't his life, so he didn't have the right, but Levi took her hand under the table and gave her a look to drop it for now. Dilan took a breath and didn't retort. Levi was right that they should listen to the full plan first.
Erwin observed her and Levi for a moment with a look that Dilan didn't care for before continuing.
"We'll set up a trap in the tree line that only a handful of people will know about." Erwin explained, pointing at a cluster of tall trees on a map of wall Maria.
"How do you know if these people are safe? How do you know that any of us are safe?" Mike asked. Erwin looked up at him.
"Anyone who was here before the fall of wall Maria is safe. However, there is a high chance that there is more than one traitor present, so I am hand picking the recruits, going as far back in service as possible. Even they can't know the whole plan. Only the 6 of us will know the full details." He explained and they nodded in understanding.
Erwin took a moment to glance out of the window.
"If we pull this off... we'll be one step closer to uncovering the truth." He murmured and silence followed. All of them wanted that, more than they would care to admit. They wanted to know... why? Why this was happening? Why there had been so many pointless deaths? Why they had seen so many friends die?
Erwin stood, facing them.
"The plan will be worked on in greater detail and you will all be briefed. Get back to your squads and remember... one slip up, one accidental hint to what is really going on in this mission and it all goes up in smoke. Are we in an understanding?" He asked.
Everyone stood and saluted.
"Yes commander." They replied seriously. He nodded.
"Very well. Dismissed." He ordered and everyone left the room.
Levi was quick to grab her as soon as they got into the hallway and start dragging her away, and Dilan knew exactly why he was so eager to disappear but unfortunately, you don't always get what you want.
"STOP RIGHT THERE." Hanji demanded and they stopped walking, letting out a sigh of defeat. There was no getting away from her now.
"Probability of escape?" Dilan whispered. Levi gave her a grave look.
"Slim to none." He answered.
Reluctantly, they turned around after sharing a look of annoyance to face Hanji a few meters away from them, hands on her hips.
She grinned and started towards them.
"I want a straight answer. Now. Are you two stubborn idiots finally together!?" She asked excitedly. Dilan and Levi grimaced at the same time at the personal question.
"What makes you think that?" Levi asked plainly. Dilan agreed that other than the fact her and Eld broke up, Hanji didn't have any proof.
Hanji took one look at them and smirked evilly.
"How about that?" She grinned, gesturing to their hands which were connected, fingers interlocked and everything. Their eyes widened and they ripped their hands away from each other. Dilan didn't even remember doing that.
"Um..." Dilan cringed, her cheeks heating up. Levi scowled at the brunet, crossing his arms. Hanji cackled loudly, clapping her hands, pure delight on her face.
"I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! FINALLY! 8 FUCKING YEARS I'VE WAITED FOR THIS DAY!" She screamed, jumping up and down on the spot like a maniac and doing a weird dance.
Dilan furrowed her eyebrows.
"You told Hanji from the beginning? Hanji?" She whispered in exasperation. Levi rolled his eyes.
"Like I'd ever tell this crazy shit. She just... figured it out." Levi frowned at the crazy woman.
Suddenly she stopped jumping and screaming, lunging at both of them and using one arm to wrap around each of their heads and pull them into a tight hug.
"Oh, it's been so hard waiting! But your finally together! Finally!" She sobbed, hugging them so tightly she was cutting off their air supply.
"Hanji!" Dilan gasped.
Levi didn't let it last a second longer before kicking her in the shin.
"OUCH!" She screamed, stumbling back and falling over on her butt.
"No one can know. Okay?" Levi demanded. Hanji rubbed her leg with a pout before looking up to them with a grin.
"I will keep your secret on one condition." She smirked devilishly. Dilan gulped, not liking the sound of that.
"What?" She asked hesitantly. Levi frowned at her.
"I want to see you kiss!" She exclaimed happily.
Dilan and Levi balked at her for a moment before they both exploded.
"Are you fucking kidding me!?" They yelled at the same time. Hanji chuckled and pushed herself up.
"Oh, I'm dead serious. Kiss or I'll find the squad and tell them right now." She flashed them a mischievous smile.
Dilan was left utterly wordless.
"No. No fucking way, you, sick fuck! Why does your perverted mind want to see that anyway?" Levi hissed. Hanji smiled and shrugged.
"I've been waiting for so long! I want to see you together!" She squealed. Dilan rubbed her face, unbelieving that she called this woman a close friend.
"No." Levi spat. Hanji frowned.
"Fine. I'll tell Oluo first. That guy will get this juicy gossip around the compound in no time." She grinned, turning to leave and Levi moved to hit her, but Dilan gathered there was only one way to end this quickly and without any casualties.
She checked they were still alone, grabbed Levi's wrist to turn him around to her and slid her other hand around the back of his neck, bringing him down to press her lips to his. Hanji squealed and Levi tensed at first but clearly got distracted as he relaxed into it, kissing her back. Both of them quickly forgot what was happening. Dilan grabbed his shirt and walked backwards until her back hit the wall of the hallway and Levi kissed her up against it.
Neither of them gave a shit that someone was watching anymore.
"Well, um... okay well... I'm going to go. That's a little more than what I asked for. Very happy but... yeah too much. I'll be going now." Hanji spoke out awkwardly before hurrying away. Dilan had to break the kiss, bursting out laughing into Levi's shoulder.
Perhaps they had gotten a bit too lost in the moment.
Thankfully no one else had entered the hallway, that would have been an odd scene to witness. Humanities Strongest and The Titan Ripper making out against the wall, Hanji watching them with an awkward expression.
"Brat that was totally your fault." Levi sighed but a smirk was clear in his voice. Dilan pulled back to grin up at him.
"Think of it this way. We just found a new way to get Hanji to disappear." She joked and Levi laughed at that, rolling his eyes. He kissed her again quickly before grabbing her hand and pulling them away.
"Do you think Erwin's plan is going to work?" Dilan asked, slightly nervous about what's going to happen to Eren. Levi gave her a comforting look, squeezing her hand.
"Whatever happens, we'll deal with it together." Levi reassured and Dilan breathed out in relief, feeling much better from his words.
"Together." She smiled.
LEVI'S P.O.V.
It was late night, on the verge of very early morning. Levi had woken up to grab a drink, managing to detangle himself from Dilan to slip out of his room for a moment and go down into the kitchen. He filled a glass with water and took a sip, looking out the window and sighing.
Did the corps really have a traitor?
It just didn't seem right to him. Sure the regiment was full of fucked up psychopaths but they were good people. No only was here unless they wanted to be. Unless they wanted to fight for humanities freedom, minus the special cases of Levi and Dilan. But even they had been turned. They wouldn't admit it but they shared the same goal as the blonde bastard himself. To discover the truth and secure humanities victory.
No, if there was a traitor. It wasn't one of them, he would bet his life on it. Meaning, it had to be one of the fresh cadets. If he'd worked this out then it was likely Erwin had thought of that possibility too. The next move would be to check the cadets gear but if they're smart then they would have switched it out for someone elses already. Guess they'd just have to wait until the expedition.
Levi couldn't wait to look the bastard in the face and-
"Cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck..."
Levi tensed and made a face, taking a second to figure out what exactly was in the room with him.
Then he sighed in utter annoyance.
"If there is a chicken behind me, I may just lose my shit." Levi mumbled to himself, turning around and sure enough, there was a chicken on the table staring at him.
How the hell did this bastard sneek up on me?
Levi made a mental note to make sure Eren would be properly punished for his idiocy, letting a filthy animal roam about the castle instead of throwing it outside after it shat out the key like a normal human being.
There was silence for a long time while they just stared at each other. Levi didn't exactly know what he was doing but it almost felt as though… the chicken... was challenging him.
"Bwaarck!" It screeched and Levi almost flinched.
"Fuck." He breathed, setting down his glass in annoyance. He took a step towards the chicken, intending on throwing it outside or maybe making it into a soup but the chicken turned its head and gave him a look with one dangerous red eye.
Levi did a double take.
Suddenly this seemed like an idea he would regret in the morning. He had no intentions of chasing a chicken around the kitchen at who-knows-a-fuck in the morning. Besides, not that he would ever admit it to anyone, especially those morons he called a squad, but the chicken did indeed have something very... unsettlingly about it.
He decided the bird could have the kitchen tonight.
He would get the squad to chase it out of the castle tomorrow. That way if the chicken pulled anything funny, at least Levi would still have his dignity by the end of it.
"Well played." He mumbled, narrowing his eyes at the bird. For a moment there he was pretty sure the chicken narrowed his eyes right back. There was another moment of silence before Levi caught what he was doing, realising he was talking to a chicken. With a deep sigh, he rolled his eyes at himself and walked out of the door. He was spending too much time with the brat. Talking to animals is definitely something she would do.
She was turning him into a nut case.
When he got back up to the second floor and stopped outside his room, he tilted his head, seeing the light spilling from the crack underneath the door. It took him a second but he registered the muffled sobs on the other side and his eyes widened, quick to open the door and close it behind him.
Sure, enough Dilan was in bed, legs pulled up to her chest as she cried, hiding her face. She lifted her head at the sound of the door closing and Levi's heart twisted at the pain on her expression. He was at her side in a second, sitting down on the bed next to her and pulling her into his arms. Dilan eagerly accepted the hug, clinging onto him desperately, she let out another sob and Levi rubbed her back.
She was shaking slightly, and her breathing was a mess. Levi didn't have to ask to know she had a panic attack.
"Shh, it's okay brat. Take a breath for me." He whispered comfortingly, pressing a kiss to the side of her head and stroking her hair. Dilan seemed to relax at the affection, managing to take a deep shaky breath. "Good. Keep going." He encouraged, holding her close, he took her shaky hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze for support.
Dilan struggled for a bit but managed to calm down. She was still shaking slightly but her breathing was a lot more even.
Levi was pretty sure she'd be able to talk now.
"Dil, what happened?" He asked softly. Dilan sniffed, pressing her face further into his shoulder. Levi didn't push her to answer straight away and gave her the time she needed to compose herself a bit more.
"I-I… I don't-" She cut herself off as her voice wavered.
"It's okay." He reassured, not wanting her to get upset and worked up again. Dilan released a shaky breath.
Levi took a moment to figure out what she needed before it came to him. He gently moved her off his lap, reassuring her that he'd be back in a second after seeing the panic in her eyes. He opened his wardrobe and pulled out a black jumper of his that had a hood, moving back over to her and carefully pulling it over her head, helping her get it on properly. He wrapped a blanket around her for good measure and wiped the tears off of her face.
Then he opened the door and picked her up, heading out of the room, silently closing the door with his foot.
Dilan was obviously confused.
"W-where-"
"The roof, brat." He explained, pleased at the immediate relief that sparked in Dilan's eyes. She blinked out another tear and leaned into him. Levi kissed the side of her head and kept moving until they reached the roof, stepping out into the icy air. Levi was glad he wrapped her up so well. It wasn't winter but the nights had been really cold recently.
He sat them down by a wall, Dilan resting sideways on his lap. He adjusted the blanket around her to make sure she was warm. Her body was still shaking slightly and while it wasn't from the cold, he didn't think it would help. Dilan leant into his shoulder again and Levi held her close, gently rubbing her back while she got over whatever she saw in her sleep.
It was a while later before Dilan managed to speak up.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, almost guilt in her tone and Levi rolled his eyes fondly.
"Idiot. Why start apologising now after all this time? How many times have we ended up out here? If I minded I would have said. You know I love you, I'll always be here when you need me. If you should be apologising for anything it should be about how many of my shirts you've dirtied with your tears." He joked in a gentle tone and it brought out an emotional chuckle in the brat.
"I guess that's true. You must be obsessed with me if you let me gross up your clothes." She mumbled. Levi smiled.
"No other explanation." He said, stroking some hair behind her ear. He pulled Dilan back slightly so he could look at her face, his heart lurching as tears filled her eyes again and she bit her lip. "Talk to me." He asked. While Dilan never used to tell him what her nightmares entailed, more often just briefly explaining what it was she saw, he hoped now they were together she would be able to put that trust in him. That she would be able to open up that part of herself that she always held back, even when they were best friends.
Dilan hesitated before answering.
"I-it was a proper nightmare… not like normal." She whispered, leaning the side of her head on his shoulder so she could look at the stars. He knew they calmed her. Levi squeezed her hand for support while she took a second.
She didn't have to clarify on the 'like normal' part of her sentence. He knew what she'd meant. Normally she was just shown memories. Some of her past was so hellish, there was no need for her brain to think up real nightmares to torment her with.
"The Titan shifters... they came back… they came back and-and the wall fell." She swallowed. "Everyone was dying, left and right. There were too many, I couldn't save them. I-it was just like Maria." She shivered.
Levi held her closer, waiting for her to continue.
"The scouts tried to push them back, but they kept coming. They just kept pushing and killing until Sina fell too. Then- then everyone I knew started dying. Hanji, the squad, Eren, Mobilt. Even the Birch family. They were torn apart and I couldn't do anything." She said thickly, tears rolling down her face again.
Levi didn't say anything yet, sensing there was more, he just continued to hold her and let her get it all out.
"A-and then… and then you died too. It felt so real. Too real. I couldn't breathe." She sniffed and Levi's heart lurched, but he let her finish. "I was just alone. Completely alone, standing on a pile of the dead. And-" She swallowed again. "-and I wanted to die. I wanted to die so badly, and I started slicing up my arms. T-there was so much blood, but I wouldn't die. I just wouldn't fucking die, Levi." She cried and Levi felt his eyes gloss over. "I-I woke up and you were gone. I got confused and I thought you were dead. And t-that feeling I felt in the dream lingered. For the first time in a long time I-I wanted to die. It wasn't even just an urge to cut. It's an unmistakable feeling that I've felt enough times during my episodes. The desperate need to disappear. The worst part was I wasn't in an episode. I wasn't in my right mind, sure, but the feeling... it was real. I-It was terrifying." She bit her lip as more tears fell.
Levi stomach twisted in guilt, wishing he had been there when she woke up to comfort her when she needed it. Obviously, everything that's going on was starting to get to her. She was scared. Honestly, Levi was too. He had just gotten everything he wanted. If life had taught him anything it's that happiness isn't long lasting. He wanted Dilan to be different. He was going to make her last. He'd do whatever it takes.
"I-I felt so lost. I didn't even know where I was. If you didn't come back I don't know what I might have done." She admitted quietly, on the verge of another break down. " I-I don't want to die, Levi. I swear I don't-" she tried, more tears building up in her eyes and Levi bit back his emotion best he could.
"I know, brat. I know you don't. I'm so sorry I wasn't there. I'm proud of you for resisting. I'm proud of you, okay?" He reassured, feeling Dilan relax slightly.
"You died." She whispered, another fat tear rolling down her face and Levi's heart broke slightly but he remained strong, wiping away her tears and making their eyes meet.
"I'm here, Dil. I promise, I'm not going anywhere, okay? Things are bad right now, there's no denying but we've got hope this time. We've got that titan brat and we've got a goal. We are going to do this; we are going to win. I'm not going to die, okay? Who would annoy you if I was gone?" He joked lightly, pleased as Dilan cracked a small smile.
"We'll win?" She asked hopefully. Levi smiled, stroking her cheek gently.
"We'll win, brat. Promise." He assured and Dilan let out a breath of relief, the tension seeping out of her muscles.
"Okay." She whispered. Levi smiled, as she reached out for his hand, interlocking their fingers and cuddling into him as she closed her eyes. He stroked some hair behind her ear with his free hand, pleased with the contented expression on her face. "Thanks for bringing me up here. I needed this." She said.
Levi hummed in agreement, looking up at the stars.
"It's been a while." He mused. Dilan smiled.
"It really has." She sighed. Levi held her close, not wanting to make her upset again but he had to ask.
"This last year, you never came to me. Have you been having nightmares like that a lot?" He asked carefully, worried she had been struggling by herself. Dilan tensed a bit but managed to calm down again.
"Not that bad… but there were a few. I'd normally just lock myself in the bathroom until I calmed down." She admitted and Levi sighed. He thought as much. There was no way her nightmares would just vanish completely. "I'm sorry, I wanted to come to you-" She tried to apologise, looking guilty but Levi cut her off.
"It's okay, Dil. I get it. I just wish I could have been there for you." He said. Dilan smiled sadly, squeezing his hand.
"Me too. But it was my fault for not reaching out, not yours." She mumbled. Levi smiled, stroking her cheek.
"It's in the past, brat. I got you now." He reassured. Dilan smiled wide at that, looking into his eyes, cupping his jaw and pressing her lips to his for a moment. When she pulled back she smiled at him before looking down at herself and a smirk pulled at her lips.
"You were cute to wrap me up all warm. Such a softy." She teased with a grin, obviously back to her old self. Levi glared at her and she laughed.
"Call me cute again and I will murder you, brat." He warned with dangerous eyes. Dilan smiled in amusement, rolling her eyes slightly.
"I don't believe you." She replied, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Levi raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? And why's that?" He asked. Dilan smirked.
"Because you love me way too much." She said, matter of fact. Levi supressed a smile.
"That so?" He asked, deadpanned. Dilan saw straight through the façade.
"Yep. You would never murder your brat." She smiled and Levi's heart warmed slightly.
"My brat, huh?" He asked, a smile pulling at his lips that was pretty much unsupressable. Dilan smirked, nodding. "Hm… I don't hate the sound of that." He replied, leaning his head down slightly to kiss her. Dilan kissed him back gently before pulling away with a sigh of content, melting back into his embrace.
"If I'm your brat. You should be my something." She mused. Levi smiled, happy as he stroked through her hair, looking at the stars. He really needed this too. It was odd to think there was ever a time during their roof visits that they used to sit one metre away from each other, rarely speaking and stubbornly keeping their eyes on the stars. That was back when they were reluctant friends. Back when Levi struggled to admit Dilan was even important to him.
"Like?" He asked.
"My sweet?" She teased with a wide smirk. Levi's face dropped and he glared at her dangerously. "No? What about my cutie-pie?" She asked with a smug smile, thoroughly enjoying embarrassing him.
"Brat-" He warned in a low tone.
"My kitten?" She asked innocently. Levi was not amused.
"That's it. We're done here." Levi decided, about to move her off his lap when luckily Dilan took the bluff.
"Wait! Fine, fine. I'm sorry." She smiled apologetically. Levi narrowed his eyes at her but settled back down. There was a moment of silence before Dilan continued. "Pumpkin?" She mused.
"Dil! Quit it!" He protested and Dilan burst out laughing. "You are insufferable." He grumbled, looking away and trying not to blush.
Dilan giggled, snuggling into him.
"What? I have a pet name." She pointed out, stroking some hair out of his eyes. Levi frowned.
"That's not a pet name, it's an insult." He shot back.
"You don't say it like an insult." She smiled. Levi's heart warmed slightly but he remained stubborn.
"Noted. I'll be sure to make my insults more obvious from this point on." He replied dryly and Dilan chuckled.
"Dumbass." She mumbled, pressing a kiss to his neck and leaning into him. Levi hesitated before relaxing again. He cracked a smile, unable to be mad at her for long.
"Would you even be able to call me any of those things with a straight face?" He asked, amused, and Dilan laughed.
"Fuck no. I'd rather be caught dead than publicly call you my sweet. I'd throw up then you'd throw up and there would just be a whole lot of fucking vomit everywhere." She ranted with a grimace and Levi laughed.
"Sounds right." He smiled, amused by her vulgarity. "Besides you've already got a name for me." He pointed out. Dilan looked at him, tilting her head.
"What?" She asked, confused.
"Grumps, idiot. You have a shitty memory." He rolled his eyes. Dilan smiled brightly at the reminder.
"Oh yeah! Perfect. You are my grumps. Glad that's settled." She decided, closing her eyes and relaxing into him. Levi chuckled.
It was insane how much he loved this idiot.
"Me too, brat."
A/N: I'm back guys! I'm not dead!
I'm sure you must have thought I was for a minute there. How long has it been since I posted? 4-5 days? Crazy. I normally post every other day, or every three days if I'm busy. 5 days without posting is unthinkable. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you guys. In all honestly, it's been rough recently. You know the kind of rough where it's hard to get out of bed and all you want to do is play video games and watch anime, lol. I'm feeling better though, hopefully I'll get back to my strict posting schedule now. Sorry for ranting but I do enjoy venting on this site. It's cathartic, even if no one reads my little authors notes rants I still enjoy it, lol.
On to the story, if you enjoy the drama and fluff as much as I do then I hope I made you proud with this chapter. Nothing major but clearly theres an issue with Eld. We'll need some closure there. Sure, I could have just let them be friendly but you know that aint me. Any chance for drama and I'm going to write about it ;) Don't worry, her and Eld will be fine. But for now, enjoy the awkwardness between them.
By popular request, the chicken came back! I have mad respect for that bird, being able to out-glare Humanities Strongest.
I feel like Dilan's nightmare was a long time coming. She's been ignoring her nightmares for a year instead of going to Levi to talk about it. That combined with all of the trouble going on, there was no way that wasnt going to remind her of the trauma she faced during the fall of wall Maria. She'll be fine, she just needed to let it out. Levi got back in time to talk her down. Idiot spent too long hanging out with the chicken, lol.
Adripadher: Hey! Thanks for reading my story. I'm impressed you managed to get through it in a day and a half. Thats a lot of frustration to go through so I'm glad by the time you got to the last chapter, I had already posted the confession. For my other readers, they werent so lucky. I tortured them a lot longer, lol. I'm glad you're liking the fluff, they are adorable. Thanks for commenting, I hope to hear from you again!
Traveler Lovegood: Hi! I hope I did you proud with the chicken scene in this chapter. Levi will definitely get the squad to chase the chicken around the castle. I'm not sure if I will actually write that scene in the story but whether I do or don't, it definitely happens, lol. Thanks for commenting and following along! I appreciate it!
Angie200116: You liked the fluff! I'm so glad. We love the feels these two are giving out. "Head empty tooth rotting fluff" indeed. Thats exactly the vibe I was going for, lol. Did you like the Hanji part? I just couldnt see her reacting any other way. She has no boundaries, of course she's going to ask them to kiss. They made her regret it, lol. Youths in love. They are totally in the honeymoon phase, minus the sex... so far. I'm glad you agree with me they would definitely already be this affectionate. Thank you for all your support with my story! Hope you're well!
MoonysLibrary: Hey! Your comment about the surprise Pikachu face made me laugh! It was totally how I felt when I was reading through and editing. Regardless of the fact I did write it, lol. Those two are surprising sometimes. And I know! Levi is adorable, always making sure she's comfortable. But we didnt expect anything else really. I wanted to make the difference between Eld and Levi really clear and I hope I continued that in this chapter. With Levi it's real. He's making her feel things, things she should have been feeling all along with Eld but just wasn't. With Levi, she's seeing what a real relationship looks like, what she's been missing with even small acts of intimacy. You're right about him slowly building her up. He isnt going to push her and he doesnt expect anything, but he does want her to experience some of that thrill that she's been without all her life. I'm so glad you liked the chicken scene! One of my best works, honestly. I'm happy I made some people laugh with it. The chicken has gained much respect holding power over the special operations squad. The real question is where did the chicken come from? We will never know. Anyway, about your question about whether the sex scenes will be explicit? I'm thinking yes. I mean, I'm don't think I'm going to make it super dirty but Dilan's first time with actual consensual sex is a big step for not only her but the story as a whole. I don't intend to brush past it. It's going to be slow and nice and just comfortable. We already know Levi's going to be super gentle and make sure she's enjoying it every step of the way. Thanks for asking! It was a good question. I appreciate you commenting so often, hope you'll keep following along!
MordredVisor: I'm glad you are finally in peace. I think we all feel that way, lol. I tortured myself writing this. Although I may have enjoyed hearing all of my readers frustrations with me just a tad. Is that bad? Probably, lol. You're right that they are a team now, this chapter proves that. Levi's not just there for her like he used to be but he's more now. She's opening up to him in ways she didn't used to feel like she could. She's being vunerable with him. This new dynamic will benefit them both, especially when the squad dies and they need that support from each other. Thank you so much for following along! Hope to hear from you again!
Purple Dragon Ranger: We did it! They were killing me too, don't worry, lol. I'm glad you enjoyed the fluff because there is so much more to come. Got to let them have some fun before we get back to all the AOT drama. Thanks for commenting!
Sodabo: Hey! I'm sorry for making you cry but at the same time, I almost feel proud. Means i'm doing something right, doesnt it? Lmao, I'm glad they lived up to your expectations! I was worried about that, actually. I mean, I'd been building the story up so much, what if no one liked them together?! It would have been a disaster, lol. But thankfully all of the responses have been possive so far. Fingers crossed it will stay that way. Thanks for following along! I hope to hear from you again!
Karans: Hey! Thanks for commenting. I'm glad you like the Eren and Dilan interactions. They really are brother and sister. Sometimes when I watch AOT, i'm just like... damn... Eren really needs a hug, and no ones giving him one! It pissed me off and here we are. Now when those times come, Dilan will be there to provide that sisterly comfort. Thanks for commenting and following along! I appreciate it!
vain-gl0ry: Hi! I'm so glad you liked it! In a weird way, I was nervous for your reaction. I felt I had to do you proud as one of my longest followers, lol. It was nice of you to thank me but I feel like I should be thanking you for commenting so much, lmao. Some days I really needed the motivation! Levi being careful is indeed adorable. But he was never not going to be careful. He knows her pace and he respects it. Thats what makes them so perfect for each other. And it's why sex with Levi will work. Because he will be respectful enough to go at her pace and always give her the option to bow out. He's a 'Thoughtful bastard' as Dilan would say, lol. Thanks for commenting as always! I hope to hear from you again!
Thanks for reading! Stay safe guys! X