MIKE'S P.O.V.
Mike sighed wearily as he dropped his pen and straightened his stack of paperwork. No day was a free day for a squad leader. However, he had just finished, and it was only midday. I'm going to call that a success. A knock on the door had him frowning. That was probably nothing good. He sat up a bit at this desk and cleared his throat.
"Come in." He called. The door opened and a cadet saluted before stepping inside and closing the door behind him. Mike was confused for a moment before he recognised the cadet as part of the secret taskforce Erwin had given him for Dilan's background check. Glancing at the file at the boy's side, it was looking pretty promising. The last three months had come back fruitless. The girl was a mystery. The pawn shop wouldn't talk about her, neither would her place of work. They were loyal to the girl, even when money was offered. Mike couldn't get his head around how people that desperate would refuse such a thing just to protect her. More importantly what was she hiding? Was she paying them on the downlow to keep quiet? Mike thought she wasn't allowed access to the underground, although if anyone was going to find a loophole, it was Dilan. The girl was smart, quick and crafty.
The past three months had gone along without any drama. While Dilan was a model soldier and followed orders well now, Mike couldn't get the thought out of his head that there was something about her. Something they were missing. There was nothing dislikeable about her and yet she was mysterious, and Mike didn't trust her. How was he supposed to? The squad were still loyal to her, although Erwin was right that they calmed down a bit after Dilan got resettled. There were a few mishaps where other cadets would get too close to her or look at her for too long and both Tabitha and Levi would react. While Levi was more subtle in his protections, Tabitha forcefully removed several cadets more than once, telling them to keep to their own personal space. Its surprised Mike that Dilan didn't just defend herself, although he did notice that during those times Dilan would freeze up. Odd. This had cooled down recently though. It hadn't happened in a while.
Levi and Dilan's relationship was still troubling him, if not more so. The pair spent too much time together and he wasn't sure the nature behind their relationship. Where they... together? Mike couldn't imagine either of the awkward, violent youngsters together with anyone, let alone each other. He supposed he still hadn't seen them interact by themselves, and yet he did notice that Levi was a lot more relaxed these days when Dilan was around. He wasn't as uptight and his comments towards the girl, while they were still more often than not a string of insults, held a jokey tone and Dilan bantered back without the raven-haired man flipping a fuse. He almost looked... dare Mike even say it... content when she was around. Mike didn't like the idea of his second in commander dating one of their subordinates, but he wasn't sure how to figure it out. Perhaps they were just friends, as weird as that seemed for both of them. He couldn't ask Levi, that was for certain. The glare he would receive might turn him to stone. And Dilan... well... he would probably get a black eye.
"Sir! We have news sir!" The cadet announced holding out the file. Mike took it with a nod.
"Very good, cadet. Go enjoy your day off." He offered. The soldier nodded gratefully, saluted and left him alone. Mike all but ripped open the file, frowning at the minimal contents. Was this really it?! "Birth mother and father, deceased. Brothers whereabouts... unknown. Residency... unknown. The fuck?" Mike hissed. He had seen this file before. What was new about it? Mike shook the file a bit, acting rather immature but he was alone, so he didn't give a shit. He blinked as a small piece of paper drifted onto his desk. He picked it up and turned it over. As he read it, his eyes widened. "Holy shit..."
"And you're sure!?" Erwin asked for the 10th time, pacing the width of his office. Mike sighed and rubbed his face.
"I was given the file, Erwin. I read it and came here, like I keep telling you. But of all the names why would someone lie and put that one?" He said logically.
"Hm." Erwin replied briefly, stroking his chin while he continued to pace the office.
"Do you think... he knows?" Mike asked, watching as Erwin stopped moving. He took a moment before responding.
"Can't be sure. If they really have grown closer like you said, this could be the reason why. But on the miracle, he has no idea, we cannot let him find out. We'll lose his allegiance indefinitely. And Dilan... well if she doesn't know and she finds out, we can't predict what she will do, and we can't predict whether Levi would help her." Erwin said seriously. Mike nodded.
"So, what do we do?" Mike asked. Erwin sighed and sat down at his chair.
"We bury it and pray Dilan never tells him. I need you to try and find out if she's told him. Be subtle about it, they are both too quick for their own good. Walls, if I knew Dilan was going to be so much work, I may have just left the kid alone." Erwin frowned. Mike chuckled.
"You wouldn't have though. You're stubborn and she has turned out to be an amazing soldier. Take out all the complications and both her and Levi have grown in their abilities since she joined." Mike defended. She was in his squad and now that he knew the secret that had been bugging him... technically the girl was in the clear. It was a surprising secret, sure, but it did clear her.
"I supposed. But why... of all the people?" Erwin rubbed his eyes. Mike sighed.
"Fate's tricky. Are you... are you sure we can't tell him?" Mike asked, feeling a little guilty keeping his from him. Levi may be a prick sometimes, but he was like family. Their weird corps family with Hanji as the crazy aunt, Erwin as the overbearing father, Levi as the miserable brother and the squad as their weird excitable adopted children. Fucked up family but it was the only one he had.
"Yes. Levi can not know, Mike. Bury this." Erwin said sternly, passing the file back over. "Dilan Church must say dead, like her brother. She has one name. Let's keep it that way." He continued. Mike nodded in understanding.
After burning the evidence and briefing the task force to forget what they knew, commanders orders, Mike head down to the mess hall, completely exhausted. How the hell was he supposed to find out whether Levi knew Dilan was the sister of his fallen best friend? It wasn't an easy topic to bring up on either end. Both of them where annoyingly secretive. However, that was one of the reasons why Mike suspected neither of them knew. Dilan seemed to be oblivious that Levi and her brother were friends since they didn't recognise each other at all when they first met. Did Dilan even know her brother was captured? For the same thing as her? It was almost unbelievable. Of all the people in the underground Erwin had found two people with the same link that could cause a bond to form so strong that both of their allegiance to the corps will disappear in favour of helping each other.
Levi had already shifted slightly in loyalty. Mike wasn't sure what would happen if he was forced to choose. It was obvious Dilan would choose Levi though. She had some loyalties to the corps, but more in terms of the people rather than the idea. She hated the commander with a passion. Anyone with two eyes could see that. Was there a reason for that thought? Did Dilan know what happened to her brother? This was the underground; they might have been separated for years. Dilan might not even know she had a brother. One can only hope. Perhaps she didn't even know her second name. Mike's squad had managed to track down some old merchant friends of her parents and found out that they had two children. A boy and a girl. Farlan and Dilan Church. It was almost unconceivable. What were the fucking odds right?
Mike sat down at the usual table, noticing the squad was gone before he remembered that they were supposed to be going into town. He was so lost in his thoughts; he didn't even notice Levi until he sat down oppose it him and had to supress a flinch. The man was too sneaky for his own good. Levi quirked an eyebrow, probably at Mike's pale complexion. The news was still swimming around his head and it was making him a bit nauseous. Although this was the golden opportunity. If he was going to be able to ask Levi anything, it was better to do it when Dilan was not around.
"What's up with you?" Levi asked, monotoned as always, sipping his usual cup of tea. Mike swallowed down his guilt and steeled himself, formulating a plan. Risky as hell but it was all he had.
"Nothing. I was just talking to Erwin about bloodlines. Apparently, Hanji's got this crazy idea about linking people back to their heritages. She wants to do everyone. I said I'd ask you for her." Mike lied nonchalantly. Levi frowned but that was his normal reaction to everything.
"I don't have a second name, to my knowledge. You know that." He replied simply. Mike chuckled.
"Yeah, I told her that, but she wanted me to check with you. Now I've done it and she's off my back." Mike shrugged. Levi nodded in understanding and got back to his tea. Come on Mike force the words out. Stop being a pathetic shit. "Oh yeah, I was supposed to ask about Dilan too. You know her second name?" Mike asked, glancing up at Levi from the newspaper he was pretending the read. Relief consumed him as Levi simply shrugged. So, Dilan hadn't told him. Or was he just hiding it? There was no way to tell other than to ask Dilan herself and pray she doesn't reply. If she was unlikely to tell now, then it was likely she had a reason otherwise she would have told Erwin her name from the beginning.
"No clue. Ask her yourself." Levi jutted his head to behind him and Mike turned around, noticing Dilan at the food station, seemingly trying to drag the whole pile of food back with her. Had the girl never heard of a plate? There was an apple under her chin, a roll in her left hand, a carton of juice in her right and yet another apple under her arm. Mike watched with fascination as she almost tripped over thin air but managed to catch herself without dropping anything as she carefully walked back to the table. Mike looked back at Levi in time to see an amused glint in his eye before it was gone again.
"Sir, good afternoon." Dilan greeted Mike with a bright smile after sitting down opposite him, next to Levi, dropping her food on the table. Mike nodded in reply. Levi visibly grimaced.
"Fucking disgusting. Go get a plate." Levi ordered. Dilan rolled her eyes.
"Did you know, apples grow on trees? I think they can handle a table." Dilan countered, taking a bite of her roll. Levi frowned but didn't retort and got back to his tea. "Here."
Dilan put the second apple next to him. Mike was watching the interaction with mild amusement. They seemed to have forgotten he was there.
"Fuck off, brat." Levi pushed the apple back to her side. Dilan rolled her eyes.
"Because of the table?" She guessed, dryly. Levi spared her an annoyed glance.
"You're probably dirtier than the table." He replied with a shrug. Mike was worried about how Dilan was going to take that, surprised as she simply laughed and stood up. She returned a moment later with a small plate, an apple on the centre, placing it by Levi and smirking at his annoyed face before getting back to her own meal. Levi glared at her. "Are you secretly trying to poison me or something?" He deadpanned. Dilan laughed.
"If I was trying to kill you, sir, I wouldn't use poison. So unoriginal." Dilan replied and Mike watched with amazement as Levi's lips tweaked upwards slightly but he hid his amusement with his drink, taking a sip before Mike could confirm whether or not he imagined it yet. Levi didn't reply, taking a moment to inspect the cleanliness of the apple before taking a bite and the pair continued to eat in peace. Mike wasn't sure if he had ever seen Levi accept food from someone else before. Truly a day of surprises and they all involved Dilan.
"I thought you would be shopping with the others in town?" Mike asked Dilan. He decided to start up the conversation again before the quiet went on for too long. Dilan blinked up at him, understanding the question.
"Oh. Yeah well, I love Tabs but shopping really isn't my thing sir. I only had three outfits in the underground, and they suited me just fine. Said I had training and managed to get out of it." She nodded to herself, finishing the roll before starting on her first apple. Mike nodded.
"Mike wanted to ask you something." Levi interjected bluntly, clearly seeing behind Mikes whole making conversation thing. Mike resisted the urge to glare at the man as Dilan looked at him expectedly. He would refrain against using the Hanji story if possible. The pair were friends and Dilan would be likely to talk about it with her. Levi on the other hand wouldn't make conversation with Hanji if it wasn't necessary.
"We're recording linages. I was wondering if you have a last name?" Mike asked as casually as possible. He watched as Dilan immediately tensed up.
"No." She replied quietly. Mike didn't buy it. One because he knew the truth and two because she was being very obvious. He could smell a lie for miles. He observed Levi's reaction as he turned and looked at her curiously. Guess he had sensed her lie too, meaning Levi didn't know. This was good news. Now Mike just needed to make sure Dilan was stubborn enough not to tell anyone. Even with a little provoking.
"Really? No family?" Mike pushed, a bit of guilt forming in his stomach as Dilan looked down at her hands.
"...no." She defended. Levi shot Mike a look to back off which he ignored.
"I thought you said at the personal evaluation that you lost someone." He interrogated and there was a clear pain in Dilan's eyes as she looked up to him in shock.
"Mike-" Levi warned but Mike went against his better judgement and ignored him for the second time.
"Just making conversation. I'd say it's my right to get to know my squad." He replied.
"It's none of your fucking business." Levi hissed, immediately taking Dilan's side. Mike could only imagine how much more intense his loyalty would be if he found out.
"It's okay Levi." Dilan replied before Mike could. Her amber eyes were boring straight into Mikes, and he had to resisted from squirming. The girl was intense. "I fucked up on the last expedition, refusing orders. He's trying to remind me of that and what could happen if I fuck up again. I apologise for my previous behaviour, sir. Even though I thought we had moved past that." Dilan said coldly, grabbing the rest of her uneaten food before heading out of the mess hall. Mike sighed. It wasn't his intention, but he supposed it was only natural for Dilan to draw to the conclusion that he still didn't trust her or her skills.
"The fuck was that?" Levi snapped. Mike ignored the guilt and simply shrugged. It would be easier to get himself out of this if he agreed with what Dilan had accused him off. "Dilan disobeyed direct orders on the last expedition that almost got her killed. I need to make sure that doesn't happen again and make sure she knows what will happen if it does." Mike replied sternly. Levi gave him a disappointed look.
"So, you try to play mind games and interrogate her? That's fucked up Mike. She's not an animal, you can just talk to her like a normal human being and make sure you're on the same page. You're starting to act like Erwin." Levi frowned. Mike guessed that was true in some ways.
"I did what I did. Clearly it got through. Maybe she'll think twice tomorrow if she doesn't want to go through another personal evaluation." Mike suggested. Levi scoffed.
"Dilan does what she thinks is right. No matter how much she despises those evaluations after last time, which I still think was majorly fucked up by the way. If anyone close to her is in danger, she isn't going to hesitate to help them, regardless of orders. That includes you, sir." Levi glared, defending her so naturally it honestly scared Mike a bit. If this experiment taught him anything it was not to mess with Dilan. Consequences were sure to follow. He supposed Levi was right though. Dilan was too selfless to hesitate on what she thought was right because of a threat. He was going to have to accept that tomorrow.
"Perhaps. I'll apologise later." Mike compromised, feeling like he kind of needed to himself but also because Levi looked like he was about to rip his head off. Levi softened his glare and nodded in approval, getting back to his tea. Mike looked at the door. "Aren't you going to go after her?" Mike asked carefully. Levi furrowed his brows slightly but shook his head.
"She needs time to cool down." He replied simply. Mike blinked at him. When did the pair become so... supporting of each other if that was the right word? Helping each other fight better, Dilan making sure Levi ate which was something the boy never did enough, Levi defending her and knowing when to give her space. When exactly did they become so close? Why? And how? Mike was starting to lose hope that these questions of his would ever be answered.
DILAN'S P.O.V.
The rest of the day went in a bit of a blur. Mike had pissed her off and she went to go cool down, running some laps on the track. She just couldn't believe he still held the last expedition against her. She had come a long way and hadn't had any incidents for over three months. Did he not trust her? Would he ever trust her? Was it because of her background? He trusted Levi just fine. What made him feel the need to interrogate her like that? Was there something more that she was missing? It felt like there was, but she couldn't wrap her head around it.
The squad came back after Dilan had been on the track for half an hour and Tabitha dragged her and the others back to her room, meaning she likely wasn't going to be able to talk to Levi about it until the next day. Levi never showed up when the squad were around apart from training and meals. Dilan guessed he was reluctant to get close to people who he could see died any day. She knew the risks and she couldn't blame Levi for thinking that way. She knew he was pissed at himself for caring about her. But he really didn't have a choice. Like he said, she had annoyed him into it really.
The rest of the evening was spent talking, laughing and drinking. Intending on not drinking enough to have a hangover in the morning but just enough to get lightly buzzed. Dilan had never been drunk before but she either had a greater tolerance than these idiots or they had drunk more than her since they were shit-faced. Maybe it was because they had missed dinner too, lounging about. Dilan didn't feel like facing Mike just yet and Tabitha brought a selection of cakes from a bakery in town that the squad splurged on. Dilan didn't know where that girl got her money from. Still, it was obvious when she needed to take the bottle away.
"Levi's hot." Tabitha mused, causing everyone to look at her with confusion. They were all lying on the floor, passing the bottle around.
"Why-" Toby hiccupped. "Why did you f-feel the need to bring that up?" Toby blushed, pouting slightly. Dilan chuckled and rolled her eyes.
"Because... I get horny when I'm drunk. One of you guys want to do me?" Tabitha smirked wickedly as all the boys blushed a deep red. Dilan cackled loudly, loving the evilness of her friend. Tabitha laughed with her until hey were both gasping hysterically. "Your... faces!" She choked out. Brand frowned and snatched the bottle.
"Yeah, yeah. It wasn't that funny. Besides, Levi's not that hot." Brand huffed. Tabitha smirked.
"Don't be one of those guys, Brand. Levi's smoking, I think we can all admit that." Tabitha chuckled as the guys blushed again. Dilan was forcing down a small blush of her own. She was slightly worried Tabitha was going to bring up there who would you want to fuck question. So, she decided to change the topic. But Brand didn't let her.
"Well how about this. Levi or me?" Brand smirked, looking at the girls. Dilan and Tabitha shared a look before bursting out laughing again. Brand frowned. "What's so funny?" He protested.
"The fact you think we're going to answer that for starters." Dilan rolled her eyes, grabbing the bottle and taking a swig. She made a face at the sharp flavours but swallowed it anyway. It wasn't terrible. Johnson laughed at her reaction and pat her on the back. She tried her best not to tense, difficult since the alcohol was making her on edge slightly. It made her slightly drowsy like the drugs. Dilan didn't like the reminder and yet she hadn't stopped yet.
"Yeah, like they would ever answer that-" Toby defended but Tabitha interrupted.
"You. Levi's hot but I don't think I could get past that frown of his." Tabitha said shamelessly and everyone balked at her. "But we all know who Dilan would choose..." She grinned and Dilan's eyes widened.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Brand frowned, not liking the sound of that clearly. Dilan grabbed the bottle and corked it.
"That's enough. We have a fucking expedition tomorrow people. Go back to your rooms and gets some sleep. Parties over." She said sternly. They all pouted.
"But Dil!" Tabitha whined.
"No buts. Now." She warned, eyes narrowed dangerously. Seeing she meant business the room snapped into action and cleared out quickly. Dilan hid the wine in Tabitha's wardrobe so she wouldn't be tempted, helping her tipsy friend into bed before kissing her forehead and leaving the room.
Dilan strolled back to her room, smiling slightly at her stupid friends before dressing into more comfortable clothes and taking out her hair, collapsing on her bed. What a long day. She knew tomorrow would be longer.
"Dilan please... talk to me." Farlan begged softly. Dilan was wrapped up in her sleeping bag where she had been for the last 4 days. It had happened 4 days ago, and she still couldn't breathe properly. She knew her brother figured out what happened. While she denied anything did when she got home and he noticed how broken she looked, asking her if she was okay, she knew Farlan knew. He had contacts. It wouldn't have been hard to ask around. She still couldn't believe she had let herself get in such a position.She had been doing her rounds like normal, roaming the streets, lifting money and luxury items whenever she had the chance. She wasn't even sure when it happened but there was a pain in the back of her head, and she fell. Everything was blurry but she felt like she was being dragged somewhere. Then it was dark and cold and there was a whole lot of pain. Pain too indescribable to scream out for help. It didn't take long for her to pass out. She woke up with a creepy old man standing over her she later learnt as Jack and was quick to use her knife to threaten him. She wouldn't let it happen again. She wouldn't be that stupid again. She would never let herself get caught off guard like that again.Getting home was hard. Everything hurt and all she could feel was this painful shame that radiated throughout her entire body. She ignored her brother's worried questions when she finally showed up. She sunk into her sleeping back and curled up into a ball, facing away from him. Farlan tried hard to get her to talk to him and she would have felt guilty for ignoring him had she been able to feel anything but a numbness. She hadn't moved since. She hadn't eaten since. Sometimes she'd be able to gulp down some water but that was it."Dil... Dil, I know what happened and I'm so sorry..." Her brother sniffed, heavy emotion in his voice. Dilan blinked out a few tears but didn't reply. "I-I should have been there for you. I promised to protect you... Dilan, I'm so sorry." He choked out. Dilan wished she could respond but she didn't have the energy. "Little fox? Please say something? Anything?" Farlan whispered, reaching out to comfort her but Dilan flinched away. She just couldn't... not yet."I'm sorry Far." She whispered shakily. It was all she could manage right now."Don't be sorry, Dil. We'll get you through this okay?" Her brother comforted. Dilan forced a nod, biting her lip to muffle a whimper as she started crying softly. "I-It won't be like this always. We'll save up the money and we'll live on the surface. I'll get you a better life, little sis, I promise. I'll do anything okay?" He replied, his own voice shaking slightly as he struggled to make it even. Dilan wanted nothing more than to give her brother a hug right now. It hurt that it would probably take her a while to be able to do that."O-okay. I-I love you, brother." She sniffed. It was the best she could do right now. She heard a sigh of relief from Farlan."Love you too, little Dil. Get some sleep alright? I'll stay here and watch over you. You're safe." He reassured gently. Dilan nodded, closing her eyes making two fat tears roll down her tanned cheeks. Farlan started to hum their mothers tune, the tune he always hummed when Dilan was upset, and she quickly fell asleep in her brothers comforting presence.Dilan opened her eyes and sat up a bit. She sniffed and touched her cheeks which were slick with her own tears. She sighed, leaning her head on the wall and closing her eyes, trying to ignore the pain. It was those memories that hurt her the most. They didn't lead to panic when she woke, simply pain and heartache. She missed her brother. She missed the comfort she always felt when he was around. Now that she looked back, she realised how heavily dependent she was on him to protect her. She wasn't bad at self-defence thanks to Farlan's lessons, that bastard had just caught her off guard, but she wasn't great. He was stronger than her back then in every way.
It was after that day that she promised herself to get stronger. She was so ashamed of herself. Ashamed that her bad decisions caused her brother to sound so depressed. She hated that he felt guilty, and didn't want to be a burden. So as soon as she was mentally stable again, with her brothers help, she trained. She trained to be better, she trained to be stronger. Even... after Farlan was taken she trained in his memory to be the most dangerous version of herself so she would never get in that position. It's why it hurt so much when it happened again. She worked so hard to ensure it wouldn't happen again. She knew it was necessary in order to get help, but it didn't make her feel better. Her body was still full of shame. She felt like she disappointed him. Ugh, why does everything hurt?
Dilan wiped her face of tears and stumbled out of bed, pulling on a grey jumper, throwing her brown corps jacket over the top and sticking her hands deep in the pockets as she hurried to the roof. She needed some fresh air, she felt like she was going to throw up.
Opening the door to the roof, she breathed in the cold, her heartrate going back down again. Dilan looked around, breathing out in relief subconsciously when she found the person she hoped to see, and a calm filled her up.
"Hey." Levi turned to look at her and his eyes filled with concern. Dilan imagined she looked pretty rough. "A bad one?" He asked as Dilan walked over and sat down next to him against the wall. She wiped her eyes again and hugged her knees.
"You could say that." She chuckled humourlessly. Levi nodded in understanding. Dilan could tell he wanted to ask what it was about but they both knew there was no point. Dilan never wanted to talk about her nightmares. As much as she trusted Levi, her brother wasn't something she was ready to share with him. She imagined it was the same with his friends. There was silence for a bit as they watched the stars and Dilan continued to calm down. The view, plus her friend's presence, always helped her relax. She loved the roof but if she was honest with herself it was talking with Levi that made her come up here so much. "How long have you been up here?" Dilan asked softly after a while. Levi sighed and raked a hand through his hair.
"I... never went to sleep." He admitted. Dilan frowned slightly. It was an expedition tomorrow; he needed all the rest he could get. Dilan had noticed he came out here a lot more lately.
"Your insomnia's getting worse." She commented. Levi nodded.
"It always does before an expedition. I've never slept the night before one." He explained.
"Never?" She asked. Levi shook his head. Guess it made sense. A lot of people were going to die tomorrow. Levi may seem like a cold heartless bastard to most, but he was actually a really caring guy deep down. Dilan knew every death haunted him and every future death was going to haunt him, even before they happened.
"I'm sorry about Mike today, he was way out of line." Levi said out of nowhere. Dilan smiled sadly.
"I guess. I get why he would be concerned after last time, but I thought we had moved past the whole mind games thing. I thought he saw me as a real part of the squad. I thought he trusted me. To know he doesn't... it just made me feel shitty." Dilan sighed, resting her chin on her knees.
"I get it, brat. You have to remember this is a sceptical regiment. It took me a long time to earn people's trust. It was a long road of dirty looks and backhanded comments. Even after all the arrogant cadets died. It took a long time before I wasn't questioned anymore. There are going to be bad days like this, you've just got to remember it'll get better." Levi comforted. Dilan nodded, feeling better. It had only been 6 months. Maybe Mike just needed more time.
"Thanks. And hey, tell me the names of the soldiers who were dicks to you, and I'll fuck em up if you want?" She added with a smirk. Levi rolled his eyes but smiled anyway.
"They're all long dead by now but I appreciate the offer." He replied. Dilan shrugged.
"Levi?" Dilan asked quietly after another long stretch of silence. Levi looked at her.
"Yeah, brat?"
"Don't die tomorrow. I know your humanities strongest and all that but your still human. I honestly can't lose you... I don't think I can come back from that. You have to live. Can you promise me?" She asked seriously, meaning every word. Levi looked surprised for a minute. It was rare they were this honest with each other about caring about the other, but he had opened up in the forest, so it was only fair Dilan reciprocated.
"I'll only promise if you do to. Neither of us die tomorrow. We do whatever it takes to come back alive. Deal?" He offered, holding out his hand. Dilan smiled in relief, shaking it.
"Deal." She replied. Levi nodded in approval.
"It's late, you should try to get a few more hours." Levi suggested. Dilan frowned and pouted like a child.
"No." She huffed. Levi looked half amused, half annoyed.
"Dil, your clearly exhausted. Get some sleep, that's an order." Levi said sternly. Dilan rolled her eyes. She had no intentions of moving. Her room was so suffocating. Being in it would do her more harm for tomorrow psychologically than the few hours of sleep would do her good.
"I won't sleep, unless you do." She smirked, essentially checkmating him. Levi glared.
"You know I can't sleep, don't be a brat." He growled. Dilan ignored his aggressions.
"Impossible. Being a brat is in my nature, as you love to tell me." She teased. Levi had to look away to hide his smirk. He sighed.
"Dilan, I'm used to low amount of sleep. You're not and it will affect you tomorrow. We just made a deal on staying alive, you need to be on your best form to hold up your end of it." Levi said logically. Dilan sighed, knowing he was right. Still, if she had to sleep, she would do it her way. Dilan took off her brown jacket and folded it messily, shimmying down to lay on the floor and shoving the material under her head as a makeshift pillow. She sighed in content and closed her eyes, biting back a smile as she could practically feel Levi's glare boring into the top of her head. "What the actual fuck do you think you're doing?" Levi snapped. Dilan smiled but kept her eyes closed.
"Sleeping. Shh." She said simply. Levi groaned in irritation.
"Brat. You are not sleeping on this dirty floor." He hissed. Dilan ignored him. "Dilan!" He urged, shoving her shoulder. She ignored him again. Levi huffed in absolute annoyance. "You will seriously be the death of me. How the fuck do I put up with you?" He mumbled. Dilan smiled.
"Aw, love you too. Night Mr grumpy pants." She teased, earning herself a harsh flick on the forehead. "Ow." She pouted.
"Fucking go to sleep before I knock you out myself." He grumbled. Dilan smiled, curling in on herself a bit before drifting to sleep, a feeling of safety washing over her that she hadn't felt since her brother died.
A/N: Yo! The Erwin-Mike plot thickens in this chapter. I feel like it was a little bit messy during the Mike interrogation part but I did my best. I hope it makes sense. I'm glad people are liking their friendship so far. It's really fun writing them.
Next few chapters are going to pick up action-wise so I might not be able to post every day. I want to make sure I get it right. There's gonna be a lot of drama so prepare yourselves!
Thanks for the comments guys you're really helping me stay motivated and I love hearing what you think. Like and review if you can! Thanks for reading! X
