Chapter 10: In and Out of the Woods

The gang has to survive at Kenny Ackerman's humble abode.

Crossing the boundaries of Kenny's turf is really just entering a house.

A haunted house.

Which should be normal, so to say. Nothing to worry about. Really. Except for the fact that they're in the middle of nowhere, just trees surrounding them for miles.

Kenny could chop them all up limb per limb if he wanted to, put all their body parts in separate plastic bags, bury their bits and pieces in the backyard, and life for everyone else would still go on as they know it.

Levi thinks this is totally a big mistake on his part. He should never have agreed to this. But they're all past that now. All the gang has to do is last one night at Kenny Ackerman's humble abode, make it alive until early morning, and then they're ready to bolt out of the door, forget about the rest of their vacation plans, and never talk about this. Ever again.

It's dark inside the small cottage, the wooden floor creaking in every step they take. The eerie wind outside doesn't help at all; the sound reminds them of a wailing ghost, followed by the tic-toc-tic-toc of the old grandfather's clock.

Somebody yelps when Kenny shuts the door behind the entire group, sending a heart attack to each of them. The old man snickers in the shadows.

"I'm sorry," Armin whimpers, "This reminds me of The Conjuring."

Mikasa adds, "Or an insurance commercial."

"I can't do this." Mike is trembling, teeth chattering. "Nanaba dared me to see Insidious before, and it was the worst two hours of my life."

"What happened?" Hange was curious. "Were you able to understand the flaw in demonology?"

"Are you kidding me?" The look in Mike's face is incredulous. "I had to watch the movie in between my fingers."

The floor creaks once again and Mike is now holding up both hands in front of his face.

"For fuck's sake," Levi says, exasperated. "This place isn't haunted."

He runs his hands through the wall to find the switch. The lights flood into the open space where they can see their surroundings clearly, and they all wish they could get swallowed back up by the darkness once more.

"Oh no," Nanaba exclaims, "We are so gonna die."

All of Levi's friends gasp so hard their lungs have run out of air.

There's dust everywhere inside the house, ranging from the small dingy sofa to the old-fashioned TV set in the living room. They may have heard a rat scurrying in the corner or so, but they can let that go. The house is mostly empty since Kenny doesn't really have a lot of belongings.

But on the farthest side of the room is a huge cabinet with the most uncanny collection of items: throwing knives, daggers, crossbows, several hatchets and a machete, plus a huge saw, and of course, a multitude of guns and rifles.

It's Kenny's arsenal.

Erwin breaks the silence. "What the hell. This house is a torture chamber."

"What, this?" Kenny gestures to the weaponry after he's done hauling in some of their stuff from the van. "It's my sporting gear." And then he realizes he owes the kids an explanation, the way their mouths are hanging open. "Was in the military, so hunting became my pastime."

"Even the flamethrower?" Mike shakingly points a finger towards the huge contraption hanging on the wall. He's terribly horrified at this point.

"For firefighting," the old man elaborates with a proud smirk, "Keeps the damage in wildfires minimal."

"Oh cool!" Hange beams at the recently-discovered information. "I didn't know you could do that. Can you teach me how to wield a flamethrower when you get the chance?"

Hange's statement stupefies him. Kenny wrinkles his nose at the unexpected enthusiasm from this visitor of his. He honestly doesn't know how to respond to that, but maybe he can teach her a few tricks here and there.

"How the fuck did this place end up to be so disgusting?" Levi can't help but lash out at his uncle. "I cleaned this all up before and now it's back to being a shithole."

"Oi, shortstack, don't blame it all on me," he says, grinning. It pleases Kenny to see his own nephew so agitated over dirt. "The last time you were here was six months ago."

Levi can no longer hold off his contempt. "And you didn't even bother calling for a housecleaner?"

"Why would I?" Kenny scratches his head, as if calling for a housecleaner wasn't the most obvious plan of action. And then he snaps his fingers when an idea sparks up his mind. "Well, now that you're all here, you guys might as well help clean. In return for the free food and lodging, you know."

Kenny kicks open the door to the broom closet and shoves a mop and a broom into Mike's and Nanaba's hands.

They all look at each other, stammering at the audacity of Levi's uncle to turn them into househelpers. It's either this or being left-for-dead in the woods.

"This is slavery," Eren mutters, as he grabs the feather duster.

There's no use protesting.

The house isn't really that bad, so to say. Sure, it's old, but it's where Levi spent most of his childhood. Kenny volunteered to give his friends a tour around the area, but none of them would budge. From the windows, they can see that there's a small lake right behind the cottage, the moon glowing on its surface. A dock also leads to a small pontoon boat that they assume to be Kenny's.

Nobody wants to think how many bodies Kenny might have dumped in its waters before. He seems to be the type who would have done so.

"By the way, uhm, where's your mom, Levi?" Erwin asks him while they're cleaning the bathroom.

"She's abroad for now."

Being an overseas worker, Kuchel Ackerman only comes home during Christmas. Most of her stuff is still in her bedroom, but Levi has kept everything in order as if she hasn't left. Mike and Nanaba had wandered around the second floor where they found photos of Levi in his childhood years together with his mother.

"Jeez, Levi," Nanaba calls out to him, her eyes switching between Levi and the picture frame. He's a spitting image of Kuchel. "I now believe that copy-paste works in real life."

Mikasa recognizes the woman in the photos. "Oh, that's my dad's cousin. I've seen her in some old family albums."

"Eh? You're that brat that Kuchel was talking about?" Kenny raises an eyebrow as he leans on the broom. They all jump out and crane their necks towards him hesitantly, afraid that the old man would do something scary. But instead, Kenny just continues his story, "That sister of mine mentioned to me that one of our cousins' kids had just entered the same university where this shortstack goes. Did he even tell you that we're all related?"

He ruffles the top of Levi's hair only for Levi to slap Kenny's hand out of the way.

"Beats me, we hardly know each other," Mikasa huffs as she incessantly scrubs all the grime off the wall.

"Treat Levi as an older brother, then. He's grumpy and high-strung. He'd be perfect," Kenny suggests, before heading downstairs. "And then you can let me be the cool uncle who smokes in a shack."

Somehow, Mikasa is hesitant. "Thanks, um, I'll try."

The girl doesn't tell Kenny that she wants nothing to do with either of them.

It took them an entire two hours to polish every nook and cranny of this supposedly small shelter. Once they're done cleaning the house and dragging their sleeping bags upstairs, Levi reluctantly shows them his old room out of Nanaba and Mike's incessant whining. It's the last one on the farthest end down the hall. There are more photos of him on the walls; Levi tried to take them down several times before, only for Kenny to glue them back permanently to spite his nephew. In the middle of the room is the bed, big enough for only one person to sleep in.

To his surprise, they all start unpacking their stuff, opting to fit everything in the available space.

"What the fuck? We all can't fit here. There's like," Levi scowls, counting his friends with his fingers, "...eight of us. Somebody has to sleep elsewhere."

"No can do." Nanaba is adamant.

"Please, Levi?" Mike is wringing his hands. "Your bedroom floor will be alright."

"There's a pull-out couch downstairs."

They all shake their heads in protest.

Apparently, nobody wants to call dibs on the sofa in the living room for reasons they all know: Kenny might walk in on them with a knife and then they'll never live to see another day.

Erwin proposes a modest solution. "Okay, how about this: we can sacrifice the freshmen to your uncle and then the rest of us can lock ourselves in your room."

"Us? Why us?" There's a knot forming on Mikasa's forehead. "I thought you seniors are supposed to take care of us?"

"Who said that?" Mike frowns.

Armin points at them. "Uh, you guys did?"

The freshman can hardly believe that the upperclassmen are turning their backs on them.

"Well, in this situation, to each his own," Erwin says. "No offense, but it's a sacrifice we're willing to make."

Armin and Eren have to hold Mikasa back from strangling their club moderator.

The entire bickering goes on for another five minutes or so, and no one wants to offer themselves up as the sacrificial lamb. Upon Mike's suggestion, they have resorted to playing rock-paper-scissors to see who the unfortunate person will be sleeping on the couch tonight.

As karma puts it, the losing end turns out to be Erwin.

"You guys owe me one," the tall blond man says, trying to be dignified as he packs up his stuff once more.

They're heading back down to the living room when they all freeze in the middle of the staircase.

Kenny is whetting the blade of his knife with another knife. They can't see him from where they are, but his looming figure is casting a shadow against the wall. Mike is ready to faint at every shiiiink that the sound of blades are making. The TV is on and even though they can't see that as well, they can hear the bone-chilling shrieks from The Chainsaw Massacre, all the cries and the whimpers echoing inside the house.

Nanaba is the first to remember how to breathe. "Alright that's it, when I say run, we all run."

"You all look stupid, you know that?" Levi scowls. As much he also dislikes his own uncle, he is so not buying into this kind of stupidity.

But Nanaba is already tiptoeing down the stairs, with the others following right behind her. Unfortunately, the staircase creaks all the more with their entire weight combined. "I am not going to last another minute in this household," she says.

They all do look like the gang from Scooby-Doo walking sideways and feeling the wall right beside them as they take one step at a time. And Levi is just watching them from the top of the staircase. He doesn't know how he ended up with a bunch of idiots for his friends. From afar, he can still hear all of them whispering at each other.

"Stop pushing me."

"That wasn't me, asshole."

Hange raises an eyebrow. "Weren't you the one who suggested this, Nana?"

"I did, but I never thought that—"

There's a loud sound of Nanaba falling onto the floor.

Nanaba has just bumped right into Kenny who's holding a cleaver up high, its edge glinting against the dim light. Blood is dripping from it all the way down to the floor.

The Ackerman household has never heard of such a shrill ringing in the air: Mike, Erwin, Nanaba, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and Hange…

They're all screaming at the top of their lungs, together with a cacophony of all the curse words they've ever known.

The entire sight has sent shivers down their spine.

Levi's friends are crouching on the floor, all of them huddled together. Their whimpers are blending in with the audio from The Chainsaw Massacre playing on the TV.

"Please don't kill us!"

"We're not going to tell the police!"

Mike is now bawling his eyes out. "We'll do everything you say, we promise! Just don't chop us into pieces!"

"Ow, pipe down, will you?" Kenny puts a finger in his ear to clean it. He puts down his cleaver. "What are you all yapping at?"

They're all shivering and cowering from fright, while Levi comes down the stairs to confront his uncle, his eyes glinting with fury.

"Kenny! Why the hell are you holding a bloody cleaver?"

"Heh? This?" Kenny scratches the back of his head, looking at the bloody blade. "I was skinning a wild turkey for dinner. Hunted one this afternoon. Had to wrangle its neck, you know, and then all those feathers, jeez, what a mess, but at least now that's done…"

"Wait a minute. Did you just say… dinner?" Levi is astonished.

At that moment, all their stomachs rumble simultaneously. It's been hours since they had their last meal. They don't notice Kenny already heading back to the kitchen as he grabs some ingredients from the cupboard pantry. He's chopping the meat and vegetables in a very precise manner, like he's a chef extraordinaire.

Now that they're closer in plain view, they could inhale the wonderful smell of Kenny's cooking: all the butter and fresh herbs, the boiled potatoes, the roasted green beans, the delectable homemade gravy from turkey drippings… my, oh, my.

It's a small Thanksgiving feast.

Reluctantly, they all take their seats at the small dining table, embarrassed at the way they acted a while ago.

Kenny then sets the table for them, carefully putting the plates and utensils in a formal dinner setting. "You guys must be starving."

"Oh, uhm, thanks," Mike says, straightening out the table napkin in his hands. "We just didn't expect the hospitality."

Nobody has been expecting this. Nobody.

"What do you think I am, some run-off-the-mill sleazebag?" Kenny pretends to be offended.

Everyone else looks away in order to avoid the question.

"Something like that," Eren says. Armin nudges him by the rib, but Kenny has already heard it.

"Well, huh." The old man grins as he continues cooking. "Not all Ackermans are created equal."

Hange lets out a loud snort. "Yeah, some are shorter than others." The sarcasm is dripping in her tone.

Levi, in a spur of a moment, stomps his shoe on her from beneath the table. He's no longer letting Hange get away with all her backhanded insults at him.

Hange mouths an inaudible 'ow' and stomps her foot back on his, to which he retaliates with another shoe stomping. Levi doesn't even know why he's mad in the first place anymore. All he knows is that he's not going to lose to her. Hange manages to avoid his foot just by a split-second, but she aims harder with a kick to his shin.

The thump thump thump goes on for a few more times, until Mike has finally lost his mind.

"Can you please just make up with each other now?" Their friend is now pissed off.

But proud as they both are, the two idiots roll their eyes at the same time before looking away from each other.

Erwin, trying to be the goody two-shoe mediator, intervenes. "We're on vacation here. How are you two still avoiding one another? This is the longest I've ever seen the two of you this far apart."

There's a sigh that escapes Hange. The tired, I-want-to-get-over-this kind of sigh. Something tells me he probably shouldn't be so stuck-up about this. Levi tries to catch a glimpse of her expression, but when he sees Hange's frown turning into a deadly gaze at him, he finds the urge to match it with such intensity once more.

"Dinner is served!" Kenny announces while holding the entire plate of turkey with roasted vegetables on the side. The rest of the gang cannot help but salivate at the food before them. They've never had a feast together before. The freshmen are the first to dig in, followed by the seniors, all of them scooping several spoonfuls into their plates.

"Oh my gosh, this is good, really, really good," Armin exclaims at Kenny who's sitting at the head of the table, proud of himself. The younger man speaks again, "I've never had anything like this before. Thank you for the meal."

Nobody talks for a while as they indulge themselves with all the turkey. The others are already getting a second round, having already forgotten all their worries just a few minutes back. However, Levi and Hange continue their death-staring at each other while the rest are eating.

From the way Hange's giving him the deadly stare, he can already imagine a scene where Hange is oh-so ready to tackle him to the ground as if they're in a wrestling match, with Mike and Nanaba making bets, Erwin frowning, the freshmen trio worried, while Kenny's in the background offering them knives.

This is not going to work. Not with all this unnecessary distraction right now. It's now Levi's turn to deeply sigh.

But Kenny catches it and chuckles. "Well, this is new. Usually it's me and you doing the death-staring contest. What did you do this time, shorty?"

Levi lazily points his fork at Hange. "She started it."

"M-me?" Hange stammers, almost choking on her potato. "Excuse me? What in the world did I even do wrong to you?"

Levi is pushing the potato absentmindedly on his plate. This is his pride talking. Something sinks deep inside him. He grits his teeth, unable to think of a comeback.

"I will apologize on behalf of my nephew," Kenny starts. "Sometimes he's just too proud to admit that he cares. His huge ego is compensating for his height. Isn't that right?"

All his friends nod in agreement, slowly.

There is no winning here. Levi puts down his fork on the plate and huffs. He scans the room once more, feeling the tension, and starts, "I guess, there are some times... when I tend to be, uh… a little bit grouchy."

"You guess?"

"Some times?"

"A little bit?"

Mike, Nanaba, and Erwin have chimed in unison.

He shoots his three blond friends a dirty look. "Oi, I'm trying to make an apology here."

Across the table, Hange is just sitting, her arms folded in front of her chest. "Well? Go on."

Needless to say, she is still not impressed.

Why can't he just let it go? What is he so desperately trying to prove? Is he even holding onto something? Or is he just afraid of letting go and taking a big leap of faith? Will Hange even forgive him? Can they still be friends? All these thoughts come crashing down his brain.

Levi starts again. "I just, I can't… I don't… shit, you are so… and I'm, fuck, where do I begin…"

Hange is dumbfounded.

"Is he even speaking in English?" Mike asks.

His friends' faces are all contorted in confusion. It's hard to make an apology speech when everyone else is listening intently to what he has to say.

Finally, Kenny cuts him some slack. "Don't be too hard on yourself, brat. Just breathe for now. Allow some room for mistakes."

His uncle then stands up with his empty plate. The rest of them follow, including Hange, leaving Levi alone at the dinner table.

"More like, they were unavoidable," he says to himself.

They help with the clean up once more, the silence and the distance once again in between him and Hange. If only he can gather up the courage to talk to her alone and tell him how he really feels, then maybe he could finally clear up the damn mess in his mind.

"Just remember, you're an Ackerman." Kenny taps his shoulder, as if he can read his nephew's apprehensions. "You'll figure it out eventually."

"Easy for you to say," he mutters.

His uncle doesn't know what it's like to be in love with someone who wants to strangle his neck right now.

"Anyone up for a swim? The lake should be pretty warm to dip your toes in."

Levi arches an eyebrow at his uncle's unexpected offer. They're all sitting by the living room, their stomachs bloated and fully-stuffed. The Chainsaw Massacre is coming to an end. Mike and Nanaba are covering their faces with throw pillows, Erwin is sitting upright and already snoring on the farthest end of the couch, while Hange is sitting on the armchair, deeply engrossed in the movie. He doesn't know where the freshmen are, but the brats are probably asleep in his room upstairs by the looks of it. They're also pretty much ready to snooze for the night since they still have to get up so early in the morning.

However, his friends think the night is still young.

"I could go for a swim," Mike says, and Nanaba agrees with him. "Should be nice to relax after a long day."

Kenny flashes a grin. "Great, let me just get you guys some towels then."

Levi rolls his eyes. His uncle is probably trying to pull a prank on them later on, and he's not falling for it. "Fuck this, whatever, I still have to get the rest of my stuff from the van."

He gets up and steps out into the clearing, the full moon glowing brightly high up in the dark sky. This is pretty much his home, small and quiet as it can be. He misses his mother, though, and hopes she's alright wherever she is. It's hard trying to act like a fully-grown adult when he himself is still trying to figure out a lot of things on his own.

His ruminations are interrupted when he overhears two people talking behind the van. Inching slowly, he cranes his neck to see Mikasa and Eren facing each other, heavily-blushing.

"Mikasa…" Eren says, holding her hand. "I don't want to wait anymore. I'm ready if you are. I want to live far away from everyone and just be with you. And then from there, we can build our relationship together."

"What about your family? Your studies?"

"I've saved enough to get us our own apartment. I should also be able to find a job that feeds both of us."

But Mikasa only looks down at her feet.

"We just can't… rush these things, Eren." The tone in Mikada's voice is concerned but also affectionate. "You're very important to me."

"Then what am I to you, Mikasa?"

Levi has to inhale sharply. The two brats are confessing to each other.

And it sounds like a melodramatic soap opera.

He presses his ear against the cool metal of the van, eager to hear more.

"You're, uhm, someone I… oh my gosh, my family, uh, they were, we…" Mikasa is also stammering, trying to find the right words to say.

Ackermans are really bad at revealing their feelings, Levi thinks.

Eren sighs into the clear air, and leans against the back door. The vehicle creaks. "Sometimes, you're just as bad as that midget senior," he says.

Levi wrinkles his nose. How did he even get involved in their discussion? And he's not that bad with words, is he?

Finally, Mikasa ends the conversation. "I… I need more time. Sorry."

And then she heads back to the cottage. Levi has to duck so the girl wouldn't see him, but he's already short to begin with, anyway. Who knows what she'd do if she found out that he has been eavesdropping on them this whole time. Levi has had half an inkling to just get inside the house as well, but something in him wants to have a heart-to-heart talk with the boy who is now kicking the rocks on the dirty road, the frustration evident in his cussing.

"Shit. Shit." Eren gnashes his teeth.

"Well, that was a shitty confession. Planning to elope, huh?"

Eren turns around. "Boss!" The freshman keeps forgetting that Levi's height is so short he can just pop out of anywhere, like daisies. "You heard everything?"

"Sort of, yeah. Including that comment about me."

"Huh. Sorry about that," Eren apologizes. "But you're also really bad with confessions."

Levi also leans against the van right beside Eren. They're looking at the misty skies above them, the moon now disappearing behind the clouds. Maybe he just needs to know that he's not the only awkward person when it comes to these kinds of things.

"Have you always liked her?"

"Mikasa?" Eren asks, but he knows there's no one else that Levi's talking about. "She… she's been a good friend of mine. Our families know each other. They think we'd make quite a pair. Really. But I'm a shitty person, and Mikasa's so pretty, so perfect, so smart… And I think she deserves better."

Levi clicks his tongue. "What a martyr. Maybe you should go slow with her, though. I don't think she's the type to be rushed into a relationship, even though you've been friends for so long."

"You think so?"

He nods.

The way Eren has described his crush kinda reminds Levi of Hange. All those wonderful things about her definitely outweigh her flaws. Eren continues rambling about Mikasa's amazing traits, and that's how Levi knows the boy's in love. Neither of them have ever expected to have this discussion with each other. Especially not in the woods like this.

"Can I ask you something?" Eren cranes his neck towards the smaller guy. "Would you rather be friends forever with someone you like, or would you confess and risk your friendship just to hear their response?"

Levi feels cornered. He doesn't have an answer to that. Hange appears in his mind, all the flashbacks of them being together making his heart flutter for a bit. Sure, she's been his friend through and through, and he's hopelessly in love with her, but he still doesn't know what to do with his feelings. Sooner or later, he'll have to make a decision.

"I guess… we just have to let things be?"

The freshman doesn't seem pleased with Levi's complacency.

"Let's make a bet, then," Eren is now determined. "If I ask Mikasa out once again, and she agrees, would you confess to your best friend as well?"

"Why would I do that? How am I—"

The sound of a chainsaw starts whirring behind them, making Levi and Eren instantly jump up and turn around. "What the hell?"

Kenny is cutting a huge log a few yards from them. "I need to chop some firewood. We're doing a campfire tonight!"

The two boys look at each other, and then back at Kenny. "Wait, who asked you?"

The revving echoes louder. Kenny continues slicing the log with the chainsaw. "Uhm, all your friends?"

Levi furrows his eyebrows at his uncle, tries to scrutinize his expression to check if Kenny's fibbing, but it doesn't seem like he is.

He runs to the back of the house, right where the lake is. Mike and Erwin are night-swimming in the calm waters, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Armin and Mikasa are sitting in flimsy beach chairs in front of an empty campfire, just small flashlights and lamps in their hands. They can hear nature around them, the owls hooting and crickets chirping.

"Ah, paradise." Nanaba slumps in her beach chair and stares at the stars right above her while drinking a milkshake. She's in her swimsuit like Hange who's sitting right beside her. Both of them are still dry. "Who knew you have this hidden gem at your home, Levi. And your uncle, wow, he's so nice."

Levi can hardly believe what he's hearing. Kenny getting complimented? He usually gets death threats.

"Now all we need is some music," Erwin says, coming up to them dripping wet in his beach shorts.

"I wanna hear you belt out a song, Levi," Mike prods him before taking a loud slurp from Nanaba's milkshake.

"Not gonna happen."

Nevertheless, Mike sings to lighten up the mood. "Turn around…"

Nanaba joins him on that, continuing, "Every now and then I get a little bit nervous that the best of all the years have gone by…"

Erwin's deep voice is booming. "Turn around... every now and then I get a little bit terrified—"

"And then I see the look in your eyes—"

"Turn around—"

"Bright eyes," Mike sings in a higher pitch. "Every now and then I fall—"

"Shut the fuck up," Levi says out loud, and the singing finally stops.

Erwin then pulls out his phone and goes through his playlist. The moment the intro of Careless Whisper comes on, Erwin starts rolling his arms and moving his body like a macho dancer like he's in a strip club.

Levi's about to stop him when Hange speaks first. "Why do you have to be such a killjoy?"

He can only groan. What was he supposed to say? That they don't deserve to have fun like this while he and Hange are still mad at each other?

Kenny then calls for Mike and Erwin to help him out in hauling in the rest of the firewood to which the two boys agree. Levi can hear his friends singing and laughing from a distance, their happiness unable to make him feel anything. He's still thinking about Eren's bet with him. Maybe he should really go for it. Once in a while he would turn to watch Hange from afar and they would lock eyes with each other for a split-second before averting their gazes once again.

"Hey, Nana, wanna do the cannonball challenge with me?" Hange points to the lake dock where she wants to jump into the waters as a distraction.

"Nah, thanks."

"I'll make a bet that I can hold my breath underwater longer than you can," Hange says.

Out of spite, Nanaba then agrees. The two of them head off to the end of the dock, arms swinging, ready to hurl themselves into the lake. "On 3, 2, 1…"

There's a loud splash as they jump together, with Nanaba yelping and swimming immediately back to the lakeshore, the water too cold for her. Hange is still underwater, ready to win the bet.

When Nanaba's already on land, she calls out to her friend who still hasn't resurfaced, "Gah, Hanj, I have no idea how you can do that—Hanj?"

There's the sound of thrashing and then some yelping from Hange. It seems like a prank, but something in the air tells them it isn't. Another yelp echoes into the clearing followed by utter silence.

And then Hange disappears into the dark lake once again.

The waters remain unmoving.

He gets up and runs straight to the dock, looking for ripples on the surface.

"Hange!" he calls out. Nanaba repeats Hange's name as well.

Only the echoes respond back. The air is stifling. The seconds tick by. Everything is still.

"Oh no," Nanaba says.

Levi doesn't think twice about it. He backs away for a few feet away from the edge of the dock and then launches himself into the lake, clothes and all. The water is indeed freezing despite Kenny's claims that it should be warm. Every nerve and fiber of his being seems to seize up.

But he's not going to let Hange drown.

He's hoping, praying hard that he makes it right on time as he gets closer to where Hange is. There's just darkness everywhere so he has to rely on the dim moonlight for her shadow underwater. He then finds Hange, eyes closed and limbs immobile, her hair flowing around her. If this weren't an emergency, he would have thought she was sleeping. Levi swims straight down to where she is and grabs hold of her waist, pulling her up to the surface, swimming, swimming, and then—

Their heads are finally above water.

His lungs are grateful for the air once more.

He draws a sharp breath the moment he's able to, keeping Hange close to him. "Hange, say something."

No response. As fast as his arms and legs could muster, Levi swims back to the shore with Hange in tow.

"What the hell happened?" Kenny has now returned with Mike and Erwin, their arms full of logs.

Nanaba answers, "I think… Hange may have gotten a cramp."

The others are trying to register the current situation when Levi gets back on land with Hange in his arms, still unconscious.

Mike then goes over to Hange and before Levi could react, Mike slaps her right on the face. Hard. "Hanj! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" he says, shaking her by the shoulders.

Levi maneuvers her away from Mike, shielding her with his body. "Oi, stop it."

Nanaba then pulls her boyfriend away from them. "I'm pretty sure that's not how you revive a person who just drowned."

The freshmen brats are now panicking and wailing which doesn't help at all: Armin is crying in his chair, while Mikasa is sobbing against Eren's shirt. Now, Levi has to make some quick thinking. He then lays Hange down on the ground, the mud and dirt clinging to her pale skin.

Going on his knees, Levi angles himself properly to give her a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, pinching Hange's nose shut while he breathes into her mouth.

Levi then listens for a pulse.

Nothing. He does it again. Hange's lips are still cold.

"Shit, don't die on me, Four-Eyes," he says as he pumps his hands against her chest, praying hard to the heavens above that he's doing this correctly. He doesn't know what else to do if it doesn't work.

"Somebody call 911!"

Before anyone else can do so, Hange starts sputtering the water out of her lungs like a fountain. Her eyes are red, and there's some snot coming out of her nose.

"Thank fuck," he exhales.

Hange's eyes are now fluttering open. "Levi…"

"Four-Eyes, it's alright," Levi comforts her, pushing away the strands of hair that are clinging to her cheeks. "You're safe now."

"Levi…" Hange is finally able to compose herself. "That was scary."

She weakly yanks him down for a hug. Levi's surprised but relents to this. He misses her touch, anyway.

"This is all your fault." Levi glares at his uncle. Hange is now sobbing against Levi, her face buried in his neck. "You were supposed to supervise all of us."

Kenny only gives him a half-shrug. "You're welcome?"

And so they do end up having that campfire.

Mikasa and Eren are sitting right beside each other, both of them looking down at their feet. Mike is silent, playing games on his phone, Nanaba is slurping her now-empty milkshake absentmindedly, while Erwin is close to dozing off once again. Hange and Levi have cleaned up since the mishap, the two of them now in plain tees and shorts, towels bunched around their shoulders.

"So…" Armin breaks the awkward silence. "Does anyone want to say something? Anything?"

"What, like a joke? Ooh, I've got one," Mike says, but Nanaba only stops him.

"Mikasa?"

"I, uhm, I don't have anything to say."

"I do," Eren says, standing up. Mikasa looks at him just in time when he speaks, "Mikasa, the things that have happened tonight made me realize how short our lives are. No offense, Hange."

Hange gives a weak thumbs up and chuckles.

"She's not dead." Levi says, deadpan.

Eren continues while looking at Mikasa, "Our friendship matters to me a lot, but I can't hide my feelings anymore, I just can't turn around and pretend nothing's changed…"

Mikasa has started blushing at this point. "Eren," she says. "Ah, I'm always awkward when it comes to these things." She looks away and the seniors are all waiting with bated breath, as if waiting for some sort of motivations, some words of wisdom from all of them.

"Go on, Mikasa," Hange says, straightening herself up on her chair.

"Yeah, whatever you choose, we'll support you," Nanaba adds.

"I mean, I don't know how to say this, but it's just that… I still have to factor a lot of things."

"So, would you rather regret the rest of your life not being able to tell how you really feel? You've been friends for so long, I'm pretty sure you're already comfortable being around him, and he should also be able to understand if you still have reservations," Hange says to Mikasa. Hange then continues, "You just have to go for it, no-holds barred, you know?"

As she says this, Hange's hand is on the young girl's shoulder, but her eyes are looking straight at Levi.

With those words of encouragement, Mikasa gathers up the courage to reveal her feelings, "I've always liked you, Eren."

"Yes!" The boy jumps out of his chair, but Mikasa raises her hand to stop him.

"But. I'm not ready to move in with you yet. It's something that will have to wait."

"I don't mind." If Levi hadn't told him to take it slow, he would have considered this a rejection. But Eren's eyes are now bright and bursting with affection. "So will you be my girlfriend?"

"I'd love to."

There's a round of 'awwwws' from the rest of the gang as Eren pulls Mikasa in for a hug. He then kisses the top of her head.

"Finally, a real confession," Hange murmurs loud enough for Levi to hear.

Eren then looks at Levi, his eyes flitting over to Hange for a bit, enough for Levi to understand what he's trying to signal to him. A deal's a deal. Then the freshman clears his throat. "Wow, it's really been a great night. Maybe we should all head to bed, don't you think?"

"I agree." Kenny smirks, finally standing up. He puts out the fire and starts folding up the seats. He then comes to Levi and Hange and puts a hand on each of their shoulders.

They look up at him. "Huh?"

"You've got one chance."

And then Kenny leaves.

Levi's wondering what that was all about. He's probably going to allow the mosquitoes to eat him alive. It's past 1 am. The campfire has now dwindled to embers in front of them, fireflies now glowing in the dark.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" he asks her.

Hange cranes her neck at his standing figure behind her and then faces the dying campfire again. "After my near-death experience, I think my brain is wide awake right now."

"I see."

Hange is kicking the small rocks on the ground with her flip flops as if deeply-interested in them. "About that… Thanks for taking care of me a while ago, by the way. Never expected you to jump in and save me."

"Did what I had to do."

"Can I ask you something…" She looks at Levi. "How do you master the art of not giving a fuck?"

The question has floored him. He supposed there's really no sense being able to keep his grudge on her. Levi sighs and sits down beside her, arms on folded knees. "Simple, I list down the things I care about, and anything that's not on my list means I don't give a shit about."

"So… am I not part of that list?"

Levi puts his hand on her knee. "You are, I just..." He sighs again. "I have no chance when it comes to these kinds of things. And that Moblit, he—"

"Oh, is somebody jealous?" Hange gives him a small smile.

Levi doesn't answer for a moment, instead turns his face away, his cheeks already red. "...I am."

Hange's mouth drops open; she wasn't expecting him to admit it. She then bites her lip and looks up at the moon-lit skies. "You're emotionally-constipated, you know that?" she laughs softly.

"And you're totally ridiculous."

Hange weakly punches his ribs. "Levi, you should practice with your words. That's the only way you can snag a date."

"Believe me, Hange, I've already tried. The words fail me all the time."

"Well, practice with me then. Pretend I'm your type."

He scoffs. "That's not too difficult."

She hits him on the arm with the back of her hand. He's going to have a series of grave injuries by the end of the night. Hange then continues, "Hey, come on. What compliment would you tell me?"

He looks up to think about the first thing he notices about her. Probably the sharp outline of her nose? Or the shape of her eyebrows? Her nice lashes? Maybe her lips? No, no, he can't, not yet. Somehow he still ends up with the worst answer: "...That you have eyes the color of mud."

She kicks him lightly. "Try again."

This time he actually thinks it through. The flashbacks come by so fast: Hange's contagious laughter, Hange's smile that warms up his heart, her mere company in all his daily adventures, her words of wisdom. Levi then looks at her. "Your hair is disgusting whenever I touch it—"

"But you still touch it." She moves closer to him, their shoulders brushing against each other.

"...You barely shower and I have to forcefully bathe you all the time when you're running on coffee for three days straight."

"But you like it. Don't you?" Her face is way too close to his. If he looks closely, he can see his reflection in her big brown eyes.

He looks down at her lips. "I am 50% sure that what I'm saying is true."

Hange nods, an acknowledgement.

And then he kisses her.

It's actually a terrible kiss. Hange's practically chewing his bottom lip, but not before their noses bump against each other. So Hange ends up laughing it out, but only presses her mouth harder against his. Finally, Levi's eyes flutter open and then they pull away.

"That was my first time," Hange breathes. Her cheeks are flustered in the dim light.

"I could tell." Before she can even ask how, Levi explains, "Hange, you were supposed to close your eyes."

END OF CHAPTER

Author's Notes: Not as comedic as the previous chapters, but I hope you guys still like it!