DILAN'S P.O.V.
The next morning Dilan woke up with a sense of purpose. Today she was going to talk to her best friend. She figured she really should wait a bit before trying to tell him how she felt. She had just broken up with someone the night before and it wouldn't be fair to Eld or Levi if she didn't take some time to just be by herself. And yet, that didn't mean she wasn't still falling apart. She needed Levi, if not as something more right now, as her friend.
And she was determined to make him see that if he didn't already.
Dilan checked the time and her eyes widened at how late it was. Guess the drama had taken a lot of out her. She was normally quite an early riser. Dressing quickly, she got down the stairs in record time, looking around for anyone.
The castle was pretty much empty.
"Guys!?" Dilan yelled down the empty corridor, frowning to herself.
Where was everyone?
Dilan sighed in relief as she walked into the kitchen where a poorly dressed Oluo was tiredly making some coffee, Eren yawning at the table in the corner, leaning on his elbow and dozing.
"Hey, where is everyone?" Dilan asked curiously. Oluo jumped a bit and Eren fell off of his hand with a flinch.
"Tch. Walls Dil, you scared the shit out of me!" Oluo scowled before turning back to his coffee and taking a long sip. Dilan glared at him while he took his sweet time to answer.
He finished his sip. Swallowed and sighed. Then he looked at her for a long moment before taking another sip.
"OLUO!" She yelled at him, frustrated. Oluo rolled his eyes before swallowing and answering.
"Erwin's called the Captain back to HQ for a few days. He needs some help, told him to bring the squad. You were asleep so the Captain said we shouldn't wake you but basically you need to stay here to watch over Eren and make sure he doesn't go all Titan." Oluo sneered, glaring at Eren who shrunk in on himself.
Dilan's eyes widened. Levi was going to HQ?
HE WAS LEAVING!?
"Why are you here?!" Dilan asked, panicking.
Oluo shrugged.
"Captain said he didn't need me. Plus... I was kind of half asleep." He admitted with a nervous chuckle. Dilan raked a hand through her hair in distress.
"When did they leave?" She asked quickly.
"They actually just left the building. They're probably still saddling their horses if you want to catch them?" Eren offered with a smile like the sweet boy he was. Dilan's heart jumped in hope and she grabbed the teen, hugging him tightly.
"Eren, you, magnificent little shit, you!" She exclaimed, kissing his head and running out of the room, ignoring the surprised males and sprinting to the front, opening the door and almost falling over at her abrupt stopping. She scanned the area, seeing her friends mounting their horses and a grin spread across her face.
She walked over to the stalls as quietly as possible, not wanting to be noticed by the others so she could talk to Levi. They got on their horses and started trotting away after Levi gave them the order to start moving and Levi was about to mount his horse and follow them, but Dilan grabbed him before he could.
"Dil?" Levi blinked in surprised. Dilan smiled at him, unable to stop herself from pulling him into a tight hug, ignoring how he tensed in shock.
"Let's talk when you get back. Can we talk?" Dilan asked hopefully. There was barely a second of hesitation before Levi hugged her back just as tightly.
"Yeah brat. We can talk." He whispered and Dilan sighed in relief, closing her eyes for a moment and enjoying the warmth in her chest before pulling back.
"I'll see you in a few days then?" She asked, smiling again. Levi, again, looking surprised by her sudden decision to open back up to him but didn't complain. He smiled back and nodded.
"A few days." He confirmed, mounting his horse.
"Stay safe." Dilan said seriously. Levi smiled.
"You too." He replied, hesitating before kicking his horse and catching up with the others. Dilan sighed in relief, praying he would return to her soon.
She had something important to say.
LEVI'S P.O.V.
"Head to the inn and get settled. We'll be here for a few days minimum. I'll talk to Erwin, see what this is about." Levi ordered as they got through the gates.
His subordinates nodded in understanding.
"Yes Captain." They replied and broke away from him, moving towards their home. Levi glanced back the way they had just came for a moment, his heart speeding up a bit.
"Let's talk when you get back. Can we talk?" Dilan asked hopefully.
What did she want to talk about? And why did she choose to reach out then? Levi thought she was pissed at him for blanking her, but her smile was so genuine, so happy. He had really missed her smile this past week.
Levi had cursed the commander the whole trip here. Just when Dilan finally reached back out to him, he was pulled away from her. Levi wished she could have come with them but Eren's location wasn't supposed to be disclosed to the scouts yet encase someone came looking for him. They couldn't risk bringing Eren onto campus for a long visit, meaning one of them had to stay behind. Since Erwin had asked for Levi personally, that someone had to be Dilan.
Levi knew the brat would be fine, that wasn't what was bothering him.
He missed her and he wanted to talk to her. He didn't give two shits about what she wanted to talk about as long as he got to spend some time with her. She could talk about titan shit for all he cared and it would be the most pleasant conversation he'd had this week by a long run because it was her. He missed his brat. He did not want to be here.
"Shitty Commander. Fucking take me away from the brat again." Levi mumbled angrily under his breath as he walked through the HQ towards Erwin's office.
He got to that annoying door he had stopped infront of so many fucking times in the last 11 years and knocked on it with a deep frown.
"Come in." Erwin said and Levi opened the door, stepping inside and closing it behind him. Erwin looked up from his desk. "Ah, Levi. Take a seat." He suggested. Levi pursed his lips but did as he was told, knowing the fact that he was impatient was not going to make this go any quicker. The blonde bastard likes to drag things out. "How are things with Yeager?" He asked.
Levi sighed but supposed there was some things to report on.
"We're making progress. Theres even a chance we can cut him out if he goes beserk but he may lose a limb or two. It'll depend on the individuals skill." Levi updated. Erwin hummed in approval. "Why am I here?" Levi asked.
Erwin sighed and looked up.
"I have a feeling, Levi." Erwin muttered, concern and paranoia in his tone.
"A feeling?" Levi asked, raising an eyebrow. Erwin nodded.
"Yes, a feeling. Somethings going to go wrong and soon. I want you to be here, do your best to stop it from happening." Erwin said. Levi frowned in confusion.
"What am I stopping from happening?" He asked. Erwin sighed, running his fingers through his hair.
"I can't tell you because I don't know myself. But somethings coming, Levi. Something isn't sitting with me well and it hasn't since Trost." He mumbled to himself, deep in thought. "Look, take a few days, survey the campus with your squad and if you find anything of suspicion report it back to me. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, you can go back to Eren in a few days tops. No harm done." Erwin suggested.
Levi was reluctant.
This didn't seem all that important. Not as important as guarding Eren and certainly not as important as going back to base and talking to Dilan.
"Levi, I need you to do this for me. You know my feelings are rarely wrong." He said seriously.
Levi took another moment before sighing. He would trust him.
"Understood." Levi agreed, standing. "I'll let my squad rest tonight but we'll scout the lands, report back if we find anything." Levi said and Erwin nodded in approval.
"Thank you, Levi." Erwin replied. Levi nodded and left the room. He supposed it will be a few days tops until he saw Dilan again then.
What shitty luck.
Levi got back to the inn around lunch time. When he got in the front door, he heard part of a conversation before it abruptly ended.
"You sure your okay man?" Gunther asked. Eld sighed.
"Yeah, I think it's for the best." He replied.
"Well is Dil okay? I hate that she's just alone. With Oluo, oh god, that idiot is going to cause such trouble." Petra sighed.
What are they talking about? What's it got to do with Dil?
"She's fine, Petra. I think-" Eld started to reassure before Levi came through the kitchen and he cut himself off.
Levi glanced at them nonchalantly, not wanting to make it seem like he was eager to hear what they were talking about, before walking through to the lounge, standing behind to the door. Petra asked if Dilan was okay. If there was something wrong with the brat, Levi wanted to know about it, as confused as it would make him.
She seemed so happy when they spoke earlier. Was it just an act? She did want to talk about something. Was there something bothering her?
"Dude, why'd you just stop talking?" Gunther asked, confused.
"Because I don't want him to know." Eld explained. Levi made a face.
Know what?
"Why?" Petra asked. Eld sighed.
"Because... I just don't alright. Besides... it shouldn't come from me." Levi heard him mumble the last bit. "Anyway, can we just change the subject? This is getting depressing." He chuckled.
"Sure. Gunther change the subject; I'll make some tea." Petra suggested kindly. Levi hesitated before silently walking away, his brows furrowed in confusion as he entered his office and sat down at his desk, rubbing his forehead.
Eld doesn't want him to know something... because it should come from Dil herself... and the subject of conversation is depressing.
For the first time in a long time... Levi was completely stumped.
Was the brat dying?!
"Shit." Levi mumbled, raking a hand through his hair. 3 days. He just had to hang on for three days and he could be back. They could talk. That didn't mean he wasn't going to spend every waking second obsessing about it.
If she was dying, Levi might just kill her.
He looked at the time and groaned. What a long shitty few days he was about to have.
DILAN'S P.O.V.
Dilan pouted, bored.
Levi and the others had been gone for a day now. She couldn't deny she missed him but Dilan was glad she had been able to catch him before he left. She had been planning on taking a few days for herself anyway so perhaps this would be a good thing for the both of them.
It was about dinner time and none of the three left in the castle could cook.
"So... I could make my famous shitty sandwiches." Dilan started and the boys grimaced. "Or... we could go into town and order in." She suggested with a smirk.
Oluo smirked back, clearly pleased with the idea.
"I knew I liked you for some reason. Where are we thinking?" Oluo grinned. Eren on the other hand, didn't look so sure.
"I thought the Captain told us to stay on the grounds..." He said nervously.
Dilan chuckled, ruffling the kid's hair.
"One, Captain's not here so I'm in charge. Two, I'm hungry as fuck. Don't worry Eren, I'll keep you safe." She reassured. Eren swallowed.
"After yesterday it's not really me I'm concerned about. I mean, what if I turn by accident again?" He asked, his voice wavering slightly, he looked at his hands. Dilan sighed and glanced at Oluo, gesturing with her head to say something encouraging. Oluo was hard on him yesterday, as were the others.
Eren already knows that Dilan trusts him. The encouragement would be a lot more inspiring coming from Oluo. Even if he is an idiot, Eren somehow still respects him.
Oluo made a face.
'Why me?' He mouthed. Dilan rolled her eyes.
'Do you want real food or not?' She mouthed back.
Oluo frowned.
She sighed and took out her wallet, shaking it slightly. Oluo raised an eyebrow, interested by her offering to pay.
He nodded before turning back to Eren.
"You'll be fine, greenhorn. Because if you mess up again, there will be dire consequences." He threatened, leaning closer to try and be more intimidating and Dilan balked at him as Eren shrunk back in fear.
"OLUO!" She yelled, slapping him in the face with her wallet.
Oluo flinched in surprise.
"What?!" He yelled back.
"You were supposed to say something nice! Not threaten him, you freak!" Dilan yelled.
Oluo scoffed, incredulous.
"How the hell was I supposed to know that?!" He shouted in exasperation, throwing his hands up.
"You SERIOUSLY think I wanted you to threaten him?! You!? If I wanted him intimidated, I would have done it myself, you, bozo! You are the least intimidating bastard on this planet! Your face SCREAMS, 'I only have one braincell please speak slowly to me'!" Dilan mocked, standing up.
Oluo gasped and stood up too, highly offended.
"How DARE you! I have the highest titan kill count in this legion!" He defended himself.
Dilan pulled at her hair in frustration.
"No, you fucking don't! If anything, you have the fourth highest kill count in this legion!" She spat back. Oluo's eyes widened in fury.
"Behind WHO!?" He demanded.
"OH, I DON'T KNOW. ME, THE CAPTAIN AND MIKE!" She screamed at him.
"MIKE!? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! I'M WAY BETTER THAN THAT RELIC!" He screamed back.
"NO, YOU'RE NOT! AND IT'S BECAUSE HE'S A FUCKING RELIC THAT HE HAS MORE KILLS THAN YOU OLUO, YOU DUMBASS! HE'S HAD MORE TIME TO KILL THE FUCKING TITANS!" She shot back.
There was silence for a minute as they stared at each other with wide furious eyes, chests heaving as they breathed forcefully with frustration. Dilan's throat hurt from shouting so hard and she imagined Oluo's felt similarly uncomfortable.
This is why you never leave Dilan with Oluo.
What the hell was Levi thinking?
"U-um... fine, I'll go. Please stop shouting." Eren whispered, practically shaking at this point. Dilan didn't blame him. He had never seen one of her and Oluo's piss contests before.
They were... intense.
But pretty much over with the moment the last person says their piece.
Dilan and Oluo dropped their scowls and Oluo smirked.
"See? All a part of my plan to get him to come along. You are so welcome." Oluo boasted, his voice kind of scratched up from all the screaming.
Dilan looked at the ridiculous man for a second before bursting out laughing. Oluo erupted into a chorus of laughter with her and they had to lean on each other for support.
Yes. They had a weird friendship.
"Somehow... this is more troubling to watch." Eren mumbled to himself as his superiors laughed so hard, they fell on the floor, flopping around like fish.
Dilan had the feeling this was going to be an interesting few days.
A few hours later and the night was pretty much over. The trip into town had been quick and efficient with no problems. Eren wore his cloak and they brought food from a place Oluo assured was, in his words, 'very decent' and took it back to base.
They ate in the kitchen and talked about random things. Dilan made fun of Oluo for acting like Levi, which Eren enjoyed thoroughly, laughing so hard some water came out of his nose. Oluo was not impressed but Dilan and Eren were practically dying. They also chatted about Eren's friend in the 104th, more specifically about how much he despised a boy nicknamed horseface. Dilan had heard a lot about this horseface over the last couple days. He seemed like a very interesting character.
Dilan told Eren the story of the first time they captured a titan, which Oluo disliked since he wasn't included in that story. The man always needs to be centre of attention.
It was a pleasant evening and Dilan was glad Eren had fun. He could use a night off after the stresses of last night. In all honestly, so could she. After much deliberation, they had even let the teenager have a beer. Eren, the sweetie pie. He was wasted on the first few sips.
"Come on, kid. bed time." Dilan smiled, helping the sleepy teen up. Eren swayed and Oluo rolled his eyes but lent down and picked up Eren over his shoulder and they started moving towards the basement.
"Tch. Stupid greenhorn." Oluo mumbled without any real spite. Dilan chuckled at him, knowing while the man would never admit it, he had definetly grown on Eren after tonight.
They got down to the basement and Dilan opened the door for them, allowing Oluo to step inside and drop Eren down on the bed, mumbling another 'tch'. Eren groaned at the harsh landing and Dilan glared at the man before pushing him out of the way and taking off Eren's boots before helping him under the covers.
"Night kid." She smiled as Eren cracked his tired green eyes open for a second, gently ruffling his hair.
Eren yawned, snuggling into the covers.
"Night mum." He mumbled quietly. Dilan's eyes widened a fraction before softening. She smiled fondly and pulled the covers over his shoulders before stepping out of the cell and locking the door.
"You're too close to him, you know." Oluo pointed out seriously as they walked up the steps. Dilan sighed and raked a hand through her hair.
"I somewhat agree with you there." She mumbled. The kid had become important to her there was no denying that. If she was ordered to kill him... there was a strong chance she wouldn't be able to follow through.
"I won't lie, he's a good kid, but we have orders, here. Maybe you should set down some ground rules." Oluo suggested as they got back into the dining room.
Dilan sighed and took a seat.
"Maybe. It'll be easier when he has his friends again. He's just so alone right now, I feel bad for him." Dilan admitted.
"I can get that. It's got to be hard for him. He has the power to turn into the very thing that killed his mother and destroyed his home. Everyone thinks he's a monster or a spy." Oluo said, taking a sip of his beer and sitting down opposite her.
They had all read his file but Eren had told her personally about the day his mother was eaten by titans. How it changed something in him. Changed his future.
Dilan could get that.
"The kid is dealing with it better than I would." Oluo added.
This happened sometimes with Oluo. The conditions had to be right but at a certain time of night, under a certain level of intoxication... sometimes he would become tolerable. Good company, even.
"I heard about you and Eld. You alright?" He asked genuinely. Dilan smiled tiredly, leaning on her arm.
"I think I am. It kind of sucks but we weren't right for each other. I think we're better as friends." Dilan replied honestly and Oluo nodded in understanding.
There was a moment of contented silence before Dilan spoke again.
"Oluo?"
"Hm?
"If you loved someone... would you tell them?" She asked, taking opportunity of tolerable Oluo while he was still around.
Oluo thought about it for a second.
"Yeah, I think I would." He replied. Dilan bit her lip, tapping her finger on the table.
"Even... even if you aren't sure if they would say it back?" She asked quietly. Oluo took another moment before nodding again.
"Who knows what's going to happen? Things are getting crazy and we could die any day. If I'm going to bite the dust, I'd rather do it with no regrets." Oluo said thoughtfully.
Dilan cracked a smile.
"How are you giving out good advice right now?" She chuckled. Oluo laughed.
"I don't want to be that guy all the time. Even I find him exhausting." He joked and Dilan laughed.
"So, you aren't going to ask me what I was talking about?" She questioned. Oluo shrugged.
"None of my business." He said simply. Dilan smiled, nodding.
A moment of silence.
"Besides it's clearly me! I'm sorry Dilan but I'm not ready for a relationship right now." He went right back into character and Dilan glared at him.
"Come on, man! We were having a nice moment!" She hissed at him and Oluo laughed.
"I'm messing, I'm messing." He chuckled. Dilan rolled her eyes, taking another sip.
"So how about you? Anyone in your life?" She smirked.
Oluo gave her a look.
"If there was, I'd never tell." He grinned and Dilan chuckled.
LEVI'S P.O.V.
"Nothing?" Erwin asked, stroking his chin. Levi clenched his jaw.
"Nothing." He confirmed. They had already stayed two more days longer then agreed upon when the first three days came up with nothing. Levi was on the verge of losing his mind. "Erwin, I need to get back to base. Back to Eren. Isn't there the chance that this bad feeling could be centred around him. I should be there to protect him." Levi convinced.
Erwin frowned slightly.
"Didn't you send Ral over there to check on how Eren and Dilan were doing just a day ago?" He asked.
Levi's face grew serious.
"We both know full well a lot can change in a day." Levi said seriously. Erwin hesistated before sighing in defeat.
"Very well. Finish the night watch and then go back to base. Give Dilan my best." Erwin joked lightly, knowing full well Dilan didn't give a shit. Levi rolled his eyes at the shitty joke but nodded in understanding before turning to leave.
"Levi?" Erwin called. Levi glanced back at him. "Stay on alert." He said seriously.
Levi nodded once and left the room, meeting his squad outside. It was early evening and they were all exhausted with doing the same boring pointless job every day.
Levi couldn't blame them. He was too.
"We'll stick out the night watch and then head back late evening." Levi informed. Their faces dropped slightly at the idea of another dull nightwatch but they didn't complain, nodding in understanding.
"Yes sir." They replied. Levi nodded in approval, pleased his soldiers knew not to argue back.
He wasn't in the mood.
The last week had been hell. He had indeed spent every waking moment obsessing over the brat and what was apparently wrong with her. He hadn't caught anymore conversation about it with the squad, no matter how sneaky he was at eavesdropping. Levi was pretty certain Petra had brought it up again once the second day they were here, but Eld had shut that down quickly, telling her he didn't want to talk about.
Didn't want to talk about what?! It was driving him insane.
He needed to get back and talk to her. Now.
And yet he had another few hours of a meaningless task to complete because his boss is paranoid as fuck and is completely lost his shit.
"Fan out, usual posts. Be on alert and meet back here at 8. We'll ride back to base." He ordered, mounting his horse.
They nodded.
"Yes Captain." They replied, separating out.
A few more hours. He just had to wait a few more hours and he would be going back to Dilan.
DILAN'S P.O.V.
"What is even happening right now?" Dilan asked in exasperation.
"Beats me." Oluo replied.
"Do... you think he knows how stupid he looks?" Dilan asked, eyes flicking left and right as they continued to watch the scene.
"I mean... he has to." He shook his head in disbelief. Dilan did the same as they continued to watch.
Eren... Humanities hope... was running around the courtyard chasing a chicken.
Dilan had no idea what had compelled him to do such a thing. She leaves the boy for a second to grab a drink and this happens. Oluo was apparently 'busy' and didn't see what happened either. Dilan took 'busy' as substituted in for 'taking a shit'. They had been watching the kid for 10 minutes now and he hadn't stopped chasing the chicken. But then again, the chicken hadn't stopped running either.
Dilan had an overwhelming urge to laugh and it was creeping up her throat but she couldn't get there. She was too fucking baffled. What the actual fuck was he doing?
Apparently, Oluo could stand it no more.
"OI! GREENHORN! WHAT IN WALLS NAME DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" He yelled across the courtyard and Eren flinched in surprise, not knowing he was being watched. Dilan watched as his face heated up like a tomato, seeing his embarrassment from all the way overs here.
"S-sorry sir!" He yelled back, rubbing the back of his neck. Oluo moved to yell again but Dilan beat him to it.
"EREN! WHY ARE YOU CHASING A CHICKEN!?" She asked, astounded. There was a moment of hesistation.
"It-!" He paused awkwardly. "It ate my key!" He admitted.
Both of the adults faces dropped.
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" Oluo yelled.
"SERIOUSLY EREN! DEFEATED BY A CHICKEN!" Dilan yelled.
Eren chuckled nervously, taking a step away from their fury.
Dilan took a deep breath and pinched the brim of her nose.
"We're chasing a chicken now... aren't we?" Oluo asked flatly. Dilan sighed.
"Yeah. We are. God, what has life become?" Dilan whined, shrugging off her jacket before jogging towards Eren and the chicken. Oluo cursed under his breath before following her.
They looked at the chicken cautiously as it peck at the ground.
"Okay... we pile it on three. Someone use their jackets as a net." Dilan whispered.
"Wouldn't a real net be better?" Oluo whispered back. Dilan glared at him.
"Of course a net would be better but we don't have a fucking net." She hissed. Oluo scoffed.
"I was just pointing it out." He mumbled.
"What'd you want a fucking medal?" She shot back.
"Guys... it's looking at me." Eren whispered before Oluo could retort. Dilan scrunched up her face and looked to see the chicken was indeed staring at Eren, edging towards him.
There was utter silence for a moment before the chicken screamed an unnecessarily loud cry and they all flinched.
"Damn that's a scary ass chicken." Dilan shivered as it looked her in the eye. The bird was too brave and it was very unsettling.
"I know! I-I was just trying to feed it some bread and it jumped on me, scratched up my neck, see!" Eren explained, pulling his shirt to the side and the others saw nothing. He looked down after observing their confusion. "Oh. Well it healed." He chuckled awkwardly.
Dilan rolled her eyes.
"It doesn't matter what happened. We need to trap it until the key... passes..." She grimaced, as did the others. Of all the things, the chicken had to swallow the very thing that could lead to humanity discovering the secrets of the titans.
"On three?" Oluo asked.
They shared determined nods.
"One... two... three!"
5 long, cruel hours later and Dilan had officially lost the will to live.
It was over.
The chicken had beaten them.
Who knew a bird could be that swift? That agile? That manipulative? The chicken had earnt Dilan's respect, there was no denying it. Over the last five hours it had bitten, scratched, jumped, flew, and simply scuttled away. The amount of time the team mates clogged heads while attempting to grab the thing was embarrassing. Dilan had face planted in a pile of mud but she had gotten off lucky. Eren and Oluo managed to fall back into horse maneour.
The fight was over. The chicken had won in the fight against humanity.
The three were half passed out on the courtyard floor. It was dark and the moon was high. They had missed dinner altogether, too exhausted to move.
The worst part was, the chicken had ample chances to escape and it didn't. It stayed, silently mocking them. The bird was currently perched on Oluo's back, watching them cry and breakdown with a look on its face.
A clear look that said... I own you.
Dilan had never felt more shame in her life.
"What the actual fuck is going on here?" A familiar voice spoke behind them. The three of them groaned, no energy to pick themselves up.
"The chicken, sir..." Eren sobbed, completely broken. "W-we lost! She owns us!" He cried.
"The chicken owns you?" Levi repeated in a deadpan tone. Dilan didn't even have the strength to lift her face off of the stone to look at him.
"Yep." She mumbled.
"That's right. We belong to her now." Oluo sniffed.
"Oh my god... are you covered in shit?" Gunther asked, exasperated.
"They are... I'm covered in mud." Dilan sighed. The others nodded.
"A chicken... did this?" Petra whispered.
"She's more than a chicken! She's powerful. She could tip the scales in the battle against the titans!" Eren protested, clearly dyhydrated.
But so were the others.
"I agree, we need her Captain." Dilan commented.
"She's our saviour. Enlist her, make her second in command." Oluo mumbled. Dilan nodded.
"I am second in command and I support that course of action." She agreed.
There was a moment of very tense silence.
"Everyone covered in shit-"
"And mud." Dilan interrupted. She could practically feel the grimace on Levi's face.
"And mud... get off the fucking floor now." Levi warned in a low tone. Dilan tried to move her limbs but they didn't listen to her.
"Petra I need you!" She sobbed. Petra crouched down next to her, making a face.
"Dil you're covered!" She complained, pulling Dilan's arm around her shoulder and helping her up.
Dilan nodded.
"That I am." She mumbled.
"Eld!" Oluo whined.
"Gunther! Help!" Eren begged. They boys stayed where they were.
"I'm sorry Captain but I'm not touching them while they are covered in shit." Gunther said seriously. Levi glanced at the three of them and scowled, clearly agreeing.
"I don't blame you. You know what... put Dilan back down and get the hose. They need to be cleaned before they get to go back inside." Levi ordered and the threes eyes widened in horror.
"Not the hose!" Dilan whined, clinging onto Petra.
"Sorry Dil. You sink." Petra apologised, prying her off and laying her back down next to the others. Eld went to get the hose and the three on the ground shared looks of horror.
"Guys. I want you to know." Dilan said with a shaky breath as Eld started coming back. "I love you and even though we didn't win this fight... I'm proud of you for sticking it out to the end. So fucking proud." She said seriously and the others eyes watered up.
"Thank you for leading us!" Eren yelled, emotional.
"You did you're best! We just weren't strong enough." Oluo said strongly.
"For gods sake." Levi muttered, pinching the brim of his nose as Eld stood next to him and Gunther ran over to turn the wheel upon Levi's command.
"Close your eyes boys. This is the end." She gritted, covering her face. The boys did the same.
"Fucking hell. Fire." Levi ordered in exasperation and they screamed as the cold sprays attacked their body.
Five minutes later and the three were shivering heavily but a lot cleaner. Petra had brought them towels and they were sitting in a row, shaking and dripping while they stared up at their unamused superior. Thankfully the icy water had cleared their haze of exhaustion. They weren't talking gibberish anymore.
"F-for the record, I don't think the chicken should get my post." Dilan said shakily.
Levi gave them a deadpan look.
"I'm going to ask you this once." He started, deeply unimpressed and Dilan cringed. "What happened here?" He asked.
"W-well Captain... Eren, the stupid greenhorn, let his key get eaten by a fucking chicken!" Oluo yelled at the boy.
The rest of the squad balked at him as Eren cringed with embarrassment.
The Captain took a deep breath, clearly trying hard not to completely lose his shit.
"Petra grab the chicken. It can sleep with Eren in the basement." Levi ordered and Eren tensed in horror. Dilan and Oluo felt the same way.
The boy wouldn't survive the night.
"Captain, even if Petra could pick that devil up... Eren doesn't deserve that harsh of a punishment. You don't know what that chicken is capable of." Dilan commented seriously.
"I disagree. And I think you two will do the same unless you want to spend the night in the basement with Eren and the chicken?" Levi threatened as Petra walked back over to them, holding the chicken, gently petting it's feathers and the bird cooed softly.
The three blinked.
Then they blinked again.
"Magic." Eren mumbled.
"Socery." Oluo whispered.
"Witchcraft." Dilan gasped.
Levi sighed again.
"Get inside and have showers, the lot of you. Walls, I'm too fucking tired for this bullshit." Levi mumbled as he walked away.
"Whoops." Dilan mumbled. Gunther chuckled and helped her up, putting her arm around his shoulder for support. "Thanks, bud. I'm beat." Dilan yawned.
Gunther chuckled.
"Got your back. Even when you're crazy." He teased. Dilan laughed.
"Much appreciated."
LEVI'S P.O.V.
Levi paced the length of his quarters, clenching his fists. He was getting desperate. In fact, he was way past desperate. If he didn't talk to the brat now, he felt like he was going to explode. But she slept in the same room as Eld. It's not like he could just waltz up and knock on their door in the middle of the night. Still he needed to see her. Maybe he could make up some kind of fake emergency? Was that going too far?
They were supposed to talk when he got back. But after the whole chicken thing, he asked Petra where she was and apparently Dilan had passed out. Was he just going to have to wait until tomorrow? Levi honestly didn't know if he could do that. Levi heard a knock on his door and stopped his pacing. He raked a hand through his hair and looked at the door with confusion before moving over and opening it. His eyes widened as he was met with the brat, holding a rather large bottle of alcohol.
She smiled at him and Levi's heart melted.
"Want to go on a walk?" She asked hopefully. Levi didn't waste time with answering, stepping out of his room and closing the door behind him. Dilan smiled but said nothing else and started walking. Levi walked with her.
His heart was jumping.
He wondered why she chose to change her mind before. Why did he choose to change his mind before? Had she been as miserable as him this past week?
They walked in a comfortable silence, getting out into the open. Dilan continued walking and Levi followed her, guessing she had some sort of destination. They entered the tree line and Dilan kept walking until they reached the end of it 30 minutes later. They'd come to some sort of rocky cliff overlooking a large lake that shined in the refection of the stars. It was beautiful. At least that's what he thought until he looked at the woman beside him.
She was the most beautiful sight he had ever laid eyes on.
Dilan sat down over the edge and Levi did the same. She opened the bottle of whisky and took a swig before passing it to him. He swallowed down a decent amount, finding it eased his nerves before passing it back to her.
"How was business with Erwin?" She asked. Levi hesitated before answering. Did she really want to talk about Erwin right now?
"Fine. There were no real problems." Levi answered, unable to take his eyes off of her. Dilan nodded, looking straight.
There was another moment of silence before Dilan took a deep breath and finally spoke up.
"Me and Eld broke up." She informed, keeping her eyes on the horizon as she took another sip. Levi's eyes widened and his heart jumped in utter surprise.
That was what they were talking about then...
Why? It didn't make any sense. They were happy, weren't they? They were supposed to be happy.
He swallowed hard.
"Why?" He asked, managing to keep his voice straight. Dilan glanced at him for a moment, as if trying to read his thoughts. Levi's heart was pounding, uncertain as to what she would see.
"A number of reasons. We weren't right for each other." She admitted, looking back out.
Another moment of silence. Levi was pretty sure he could explode at any moment. He wanted to tell her, he wanted to yell it to the entire human race, but he kept quiet. She just broke up with someone, what was he thinking? She probably just needed a friend, right? That's the only reason she brought him here, right?
But nothing was making sense. Why did she look so happy before? What did she want to talk about?
"I'm sorry." He forced himself to say, not meaning it at all.
Dilan looked at him.
"Is that all you have to say?" She asked. Levi said nothing, a lump forming in his throat as he looked into her fiery eyes. "Because I..." She sighed. "I can't play pretend anymore, Levi." She whispered, her eyes glossing over. Levi looked at her in surprise.
What was she saying?
"I can't pretend I don't think about you constantly, I can't pretend that I don't find it hard to breathe when you're not there. I... can't pretend that I'm not completely, utterly and hopelessly in love with you." She confessed, a tear dripping down her face.
Levi couldn't breathe. He actually couldn't fucking breathe.
Dilan wiped her eyes and looked straight forward again.
"I understand if it's not mutual but like I said I couldn't pretend anymore." She sighed, looking up at the stars. Levi still couldn't force his mouth to move. He was in too much shock. "I'll let you think. Goodnight, Levi." She said softly, standing up and starting to walk away.
Levi's eyes widened.
Why wasn't he moving?
What the fuck was he doing?
DILAN'S P.O.V.
Dilan closed her eyes, trying not to cry as she started walking away. That was a lot harder than she thought it would be. She had imagined every possible outcome over the last few days. Him saying nothing was pretty much expected. She knew he might need some time but that didn't make it hurt any less.
Dilan blinked as she felt a hand on her wrist and turned around and stared into Levi's eyes, the shock of what she had told him was still very evident on his face.
"You love me?" He asked bluntly. Dilan's heart race as he got a bit closer as she got lost in him for a moment. Then Dilan blushed, registering the question. She didn't think this was going to be an actual conversation, preferring her original plan of telling him before bolting out of there and crawling under her bed covers so she could obsess over what a cringy idiot she was the rest of the night in a cloud of self-loathing and stupidity.
"Um... yes?" She whispered, trying to read his face but there was too much going on there.
"Are you sure?" He asked in disbelief. Dilan made a face, annoyed at his scepticism but mostly just embarrassed.
"I think I'm pretty fucking sure, Levi! You think I brought you out here for a joke? My heart his fucking pounding you stony faced bastard! I have no idea what you're thinking and I'm fucking terrified, but I said it anyway because I love you more than this overwhelming dread! I mean walls, I'm about to shit myself-" She rambled, getting more flustered as she went on but thankfully Levi stopped her, pulling her closer and pressing his lips to hers in a kiss that made her whole-body melt into him. Then she tensed in total shock, wanting nothing more than to just lean in and kiss him back but, unfortunately, her brain was too surprised to shut down and just go with it and she pulled back to look at him in disbelief, utterly breathless.
Dilan swallowed hard, trying to slow her beating heart.
"Huh?" She said stupidly, not expecting it.
Levi let if a small scoff of amusement, a slow smile spreading across his face.
"I thought that was pretty easy to understand, but okay. Let me spell it out for you, idiot. It has always been you. It will always be you. I love you too, stupid brat." Levi confessed.
Dilan looked at him in shock.
"You-?"
"Yes." Levi cut her off with a genuine smile. Dilan narrowed her eyes, sceptical. It seemed too good to be true.
"Are you sure-?" She asked, completely lost on the irony of her response.
"Yes." He cut her off again. Dilan pursed her lips, her brain still not comprehending.
"So, you-" She started again slowly, trying to wrap her head around it. Levi let out a small laugh of disbelief, shaking his head.
"Dilan, I love you. I love every fucking thing about you. I love your eyes, I love the way you laugh, I love your dark humour, I love how you're a mild psychopath. I love... how you care about and find value in everyone. And I love how when I'm with you... that feeling that I've felt my whole life, that feeling that I'm just... broken. It doesn't exist. You make me feel whole. I love you because you give my life meaning." Levi smiled softly, wiping the tears off of her face while blinking back the tears himself.
Dilan bit her lip, trying not to get too emotional, but the bastard was making it really hard. He was so perfect part of her was certain this was a dream. If it was, she never wanted to wake up.
"So, you can shove your 'I understand if it's not mutual' right up your ass. Okay?" He smirked and Dilan looked at him in disbelief before cracking a wide smile, a bubbly laugh escaping her throat.
"Dumbass." She muttered fondly. Oddly the ass comment didn't ruin it at all. It was very Levi and she couldn't do anything but love him more for it.
Levi loosened the gentle hold on her wrist even more to hold her hand and Dilan smiled as she moved even closer to him, her heart racing as she stared into his eyes. Levi smiled back, lifting his other hand to gently run his thumb over her cheekbone, tucking some hair behind her ear and Dilan completely melted. She tugged on his shirt collar, silently telling him what she wanted, and Levi smiled a bit more, leaning down to her.
His lips met hers and everything fell into place. As long as she had this man, she needed nothing else in the world.
A/N: WE DID IT! 57 CHAPTERS AND WE DID IT!
Oh my god. I can breath again.
It was messy and full of scepticism but were we expecting any less? This is Dilan and Levi. But it was also sweet and real and very them. The dumbasses.
I hope I did you proud. You have no idea how long I spend on this, even if it wasn't much of the chapter. At the beginning I was going to go for an angrier confession but then I was like, no. These stubborn idiots have suffered enough recently. Let's make it as clean as a Dilan and Levi confession would allow.
The next few chapters are going to be cute. Almost unbearably cute. They deserve some time to be happy and really just be together and I am going to give it to them. Especially since in a couple weeks the squad will be dead. I'm actually reluctant to kill them off. I don't want to ruin their happiness! But we've got a while. Don't panic just yet.
By the way, if you found the chicken thing random that's because it was. It came to me in a dream and it made me laugh so I wrote it down, lmao. I thought it could be a nice little break in all the frustration. I also found it funny to imagine Levi coming home just to find the three laying on the floor covered in shit (and mud) in the middle of night with a chicken sitting on top of them, lol.
And Erwins bad feeling was in reference to how Annie is about to kill the Titan specimens but I also just wanted Dilan and Levi to have a bit of time away from each other so the confession wasn't rushed straight after the break up.
Thank you to everyone who has been with me all this time. It's been a long stressful and frustrating road but we got there. I appreciate every comment I have gotten as well as every like and follow. You've all been amazing motivators and you've all really helped me. Not only with writing the story but with helping me stay sane in this stressful time, lol.
I hope you'll keep reading because we aren't done yet.
I've got big plans.
Thanks for reading! Leave a comment if you have the time, I would love to hear what you thought! Stay safe! X