DILAN'S P.O.V.

Dilan woke up to soft kisses on her neck and an immediate smile spread across her face. She was already addicted to sleeping in Levi's arms. She doubted she would ever be able to go back to her own bed.

Last night on the roof was exactly what she needed. She stumbled but Levi helped her stay standing. But then again, he always had. It was nice to talk to him again. She had never told him about her dreams that in-depth before. She'll admit, it was difficult opening herself up like that, being that vunerable but she didn't regret it. If she was going to be vunerable with anyone, it was Levi. And he was able to pull her back from the edge effortlessly, the bastard. She may love him too much.

They stayed up on the roof for a couple of hours before heading back down to bed. With the lasting tranquillity from watching the stars, combined with the safety of being held in Levi's arms, it was easy to say Dilan had the best sleep she'd had in a while. It felt good to get her worries of her chest. It felt even better to get some reassurance that everything was going to be okay. There were no guarantees but it's what she needed. Some hope.

"Morning." She sighed, happy, she leant into his shoulder, keeping her eyes closed as the warm sun spilled through the curtains and warmed her face. She felt Levi smile against her skin.

"Morning." He replied in that low rich voice that she had grown to love.

"Do we have to get up?" Dilan asked tiredly, frowning at the very idea. Levi chuckled at her clear annoyance.

"No. It's a free day today, we probably have an hour or two before everyone else starts getting up." Levi informed and Dilan smiled, humming in approval. She was so warm and happy she didn't think she could get up, even if she wanted to.

"Good." She whispered, letting out a breath and delighting at the small affections that Levi continued to give her.

"What'd you want to do today?" He asked after a while. Dilan guessed they did have a whole day together to do whatever they wanted without training or anything. A whole day with Levi. Her heart warmed at the thought.

"Maybe… we could go to this lake I found while you were gone helping Erwin? It's not that far away but remote enough to not worry about seeing other people." She suggested and Levi hummed softly, clearly liking that idea. "We could pack some food." She continued as Levi kissed her jaw. "And I can kick your ass in sparing." She finished and Levi choked on a laugh, pulling back to smirk at her.

"How romantic." He teased. Dilan smirked back.

"Oh, I'm romantic as hell. I'll even let you win a few matches for your ego." She teased back and Levi chuckled.

"That right?" He asked, amused. Dilan smiled, stroking the side of his face.

"Yep. I love you Levi, but you are a shitty loser. It would ruin the day out if you pouted the whole time." She said with a smug look. Levi smiled, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Brat. You're going to make me blush." He whispered, kissing her. Dilan giggled, pulling him closer, her heart so completely full. Then she remembered something that happened yesterday, and her mood drop slightly. Levi noticed and pulled back to look at her. "What's wrong?" He asked.

Dilan sighed and sat up a bit, running a hand through her hair. Levi sat up too, looking at her curiously.

"It's just…" She bit her lip, unsure of how he would take it. Levi took a moment before reading her thoughts completely.

"Eld." He deduced and Dilan sighed, looking down. "Hey." Levi got her attention, squeezing her hand. "It's okay to miss him, brat. I'm not going to get jealous." He reassured. Dilan's eyes widened a fraction.

"Really?" She asked in surprised. Levi chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"Really. So talk to me." He suggested, pulling her closer. Dilan sighed in relief, smiling at him, almost annoyed at how amazing he is.

"He's mad at me. I can feel it and I know it hasn't been that long and I know I should give him time, but I just have this feeling that the longer I wait the worse it's going to get. The truth is I do miss the way things were. We used to be really good friends and I want that again." She explained, slightly nervous as to how Levi was going to react but to her surprise he simply just smiled in understanding.

"Then you should talk to him, try and get him used to the idea of you being friends again." Levi suggested.

"How?" She asked. Levi frowned slightly, hesitating before answering.

"Use today. He's got no work either so you can try and spend some time with him." He offered, only partly reluctant. Dilan's eyes softened that he would be so selfless as to give up their time together.

"But our day out-"

"They'll be other chances for us to spend time together brat. I'm not going anywhere. Besides, knowing you you'll spend the whole day worrying rather than actually having fun. So, take today and make up with Eld. I'll be waiting for you when you're done." He smiled. Dilan looked at him in shock, a slow grin working its way onto her face.

"You are so annoyingly perfect." She shook her head in disbelief. Levi smirked and pulled her closer.

"Sorry, I'll work on that for you." He teased and Dilan laughed, kissing him gratefully. She felt like she could do anything with Levi supporting her through it.

ELD'S P.O.V.

Eld sighed, staring at the ceiling of his room. Well… his shared room with Gunther. He was currently sleeping on his friend's floor because he hadn't been bothered enough to clean a room by himself. But he didn't want to be alone yet anyway. He was still going through some stuff and his thoughts were quite depressing.

Honestly, he wasn't sure what he was feeling. There were a lot of emotions there. He was pissed at Dilan for not mourning their relationship more. He was pissed that he cared so much considering he had told her to go for it with the Captain. And was pissed at himself for being pissed at Dilan because he knew deep down, she hadn't done anything wrong. It's not like she only waited an hour. She took a good few days, even though she was in love with him, out of respect to their relationship.

Eld grit his teeth at the thought.

There wasn't much he could blame her for and that's why he was so angry. He was mad because he still loved her, and he was one of the things that drove her away. He pushed her over and over to do something that she was terrified off. Why did he never see it? The scared expression on her face. Or perhaps he did see it and he chose to ignore it. He prioritised his fucking hormones over the mental wellbeing of his girlfriend. He was so shitty to her and he had to live with that for the rest of his life.

The worst part is that she just forgave him without any strings attached. He wanted her to yell at him, to get it all out into the open. Then maybe he would be able to live with himself. Maybe then they would be able to move on.

Eld sighed for the hundredth time that morning, letting out an oomph of surprise as a pillow was whacked into his face. He sat up, looking at the pillow as it slid onto his stomach before turning to Gunther with a deadpan look.

"Seriously, dude." He said flatly. Gunther rolled his eyes and swung his legs over the side of his bed, resting his hands on his knees.

"You know I got like 1 hour of sleep last night. How much oxygen do you have in your lungs to be able to sigh that much and at the volume you do it? It's almost incredible." He ranted. Eld didn't have the energy to retort, laying back down and looking up at the ceiling. Gunther stared at him with confliction, scratching the back of his head.

"You're really that bummed about the break-up, aren't you?" Gunther asked. Eld rubbed his face.

"Yeah." He admitted, truthfully.

"I thought you were fine with it." Gunther pointed out after a moment of silence. Eld gave him an annoyed look.

"Well clearly I bullshitted both of us. Do I look fine!?" He said in exasperation, shoving the pillow over his face. Gunther sighed, grabbing the pillow off of him.

"Come on, man. You can't just lie here all day."

Eld scoffed.

"Why? I have no work. I'm perfectly content with sitting here and sulking." He retorted like a stubborn child. Gunther frowned at him for a moment before getting up and walking out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Eld glared after him.

"What a shitty friend." He scoffed. He wasn't supposed to give up that easily. First, he lost Dilan, now his friends were fed up with him.

Oh life, what a joy you are.

And with that depressing thought Eld sighed again, pulling the covers over his head and trying to block out the daylight.

A minute later the door opened and, annoyingly, he was wrong.

His friends hadn't given up on him.

Gunther came back in, followed by an irritatingly optimistic Petra.

"Come on, Mr Mopey, up you get." Petra said, pulling the covers off of him entirely.

Eld glared at her.

"Hey!" He complained but Petra ignored him, folding the sheet and setting it on the bed before walking over to the curtains and pushing them open. Eld squinted as the bright light of the morning attacked his face and he groaned, pushing his face into his pillow. "Leave me alone." He whined.

"What's going on?" Oluo yawned as he stumbled into the room, scratching his wild bedhead. Eld heard Gunther whisper something to him and assumed he was filling the idiot in. "Oi Gin, get your lazy ass up. It's been a week. Get over it." He said bluntly. "Ouch!" Oluo complained as Petra likely slapped him up the back of the head.

"Eld you aren't going to get over her by lying here brooding." Petra said logically, hands on her hips. She was already up, showered and ready for her free day, dressed in a blue and white summer dress, sunglasses ready on the top of her head.

"Why not?!" He spat, sitting up, irritated with people telling him what to do. "At least if I'm in here, I don't have to look at her, I don't have to look at what my stupidity cost me. I don't have to look at-" He started but cut himself off, biting his tongue. He promised Dilan he wouldn't tell them about her and the Captain. He wasn't going to break that promise because he was pissed off.

He had done enough to hurt her.

Petra's eyes softened and she sighed, turning to the boys.

"Give us a minute." She suggested. They opened their mouths to protest but Petra had already shoved them out the door, shut it and locked it. She sat down next to Eld with her back to the wall and sighed. "This is about Dilan and the Captain." She said and Eld's eyes widened.

How did she...?

"She told you?" Eld asked, surprised. Petra smiled sadly.

"No, but it's obvious. The way they kept looking at each other during training yesterday after we got back from HQ said it all. They used to look at each other with longing but... it's not longing anymore. They're just… happy." She whispered, staring straight ahead. Eld sighed and took the redheads hand, squeezing it for support.

She must be feeling as crappy as he was.

"Are you pissed at them?" Eld asked curiously. Petra chuckled, wiping away the moisture from her eyes.

"No. Sad, sure, but I don't have it in me to be mad at them. I've known about the Captain's feelings for a while know. It isn't obvious until you tune in but the love he has for that girl is crazy. So genuine that sometimes I would get upset. Not even because I wanted him to love me like that but because he looked so sad and I wanted him to be happy. How stupid is that? I love him so much I can't even be jealous." She sniffed, wiping away a tear. "And Dilan." She sighed. "I wanted to be annoyed but again… once you tune in and you see it for yourself. I'm sorry Eld, but she lights up around him." Petra said, squeezing his hand.

Eld sighed and looked down.

"I know… I know and I want to accept it. I want to be like you but I'm just- I'm just so angry. Why couldn't she just look at me like that? It's not fair." He mumbled. Petra smiled sadly.

"Sometimes it's not fair. But you love her, don't you?" Petra asked. Eld blinked back a few tears.

"I do." He admitted quietly.

"Then you'll try and find a way to move on past the anger. So you can still have her in your life." Petra said seriously.

Eld let out a shaky breath.

"I just don't know if I'll get there Petra." He whispered. There was a moment of silence.

"Well, these things take time. You can start step one, at least." Petra smiled, standing up and offering him a hand. Eld looked at her in confusion.

"What's step one?" He asked.

"Getting you in some clean clothes and having breakfast with the squad." She said firmly. Eld frowned slightly, not sure if he felt up to it but Petra gave him a stern look and Eld realised it didn't matter what he wanted because Petra was a badass and she was going to get her way.

"Fine." He sighed, taking the hand. Petra smiled in approval.

"Great."


After a shower and dressing in some casual clothes, Eld was herded down the stairs by his friends against his will.

He was having some second thoughts.

"Guys I really don't think this is a good idea-" He tried, attempting to escape up the stairs again but Gunther grabbed one arm, Oluo grabbed the other and Petra was pushing his back.

He was very much trapped.

"Come on, Eld. You're being stupid." Petra whispered.

"Yeah you aren't going to spontaneously combust if you see her." Oluo scoffed, ignoring the glares from their friends to be more sensitive.

"Yeah, well it feels that way." He hissed back, trying to escape again when he was shoved into the room and his eyes went wide when he was met with Dilan staring at him. He swallowed dryly, glancing back to their friends for help and his eyes widened in panic when he saw they were gone.

Damnit Petra!

He had no doubt this was about the whole getting used to Dilan thing again.

"Hi?" She said with an awkward smile. Eld felt a strong pang of guilt and resentment just looking at her and dropped his eyes to his feet. "I um… I made breakfast. It's probably shit but um… if your hungry?" She asked, biting her lip. Eld hesitated before managing a nod. "Cool. I'll be back in a sec." She said, walking off to grab the food.

Eld sighed, rubbing his face. He felt like this was a terrible idea, but he took a seat anyway and waited for Dilan to come back. She did so a minute later with a burnt looking omelette and a mug of coffee.

She placed them down in front of him and Eld felt a small smile pull at his lips.

"Did you use oil?" He asked. Dilan blinked at him.

"Oil?" She asked, confused. Eld let out a puff of amusement and shook his head slightly.

"Nothing. Thanks, it looks great." He said, grabbing a fork and tucking in. It was very overcooked, but he did appreciate the effort. But that appreciation didn't take long to turn into guilt.

Why was she doing this for him?

"Don't you have one?" Eld asked, noticing she didn't have any food in front of her.

"Oh, well… I've been up for a while. I ate the practice omelette. And damn, if you think this one looks like shit." She chuckled. Eld smiled slightly.

Practice omelette.

It was such an easy thing to make and he had taught her so many times. For someone so fast at learning she really is shitty at cooking food.

"You should use butter or oil in the pan before you put the egg in. That way it doesn't stick and get all burnt, see?" He explained, pointing at the burnt bits and the patchy bits that were no doubt forever stuck to that poor pan.

Curiosity filled Dilan's eyes.

"Oh! I remember you telling me that. We really fucked that up." She laughed. Eld chuckled and rolled his eyes, about to reply when he caught her phrasing and his stomach sunk.

We.

As in most probably, her and the Captain. Suddenly he wasn't all that hungry.

"Where's the Captain?" He asked quietly, staring at his food. There was a moment of silence.

"Eld-"

"Look you don't have to pity me, Dilan. You chose Levi so why don't you just go and spend time with him." Eld said in a bitter tone before standing up and walking away without giving her a second glance.

He got outside and lent back on the wall of the hallway, rubbing his face.

"Shit." He hissed, angry at himself. He was still treating her like shit and he hated himself for it.

"Are you alright, sir?" A familiar voice asked from his right and he flinched slightly, standing up straight to turn his head, looking at Eren.

"Yeah, kid, I'm- wait, what are you doing?" He asked, blinking in surprise and confusion at what the boy was wearing. Eren looked down at himself and chuckled awkwardly. The kid had large oven mitts on and was padded head to toe with taped on pillows and cloths, a bowl on his head that was secured under his chin with a bit of string.

"Well… I'm…" He tried but mumbled the last bit so Eld didn't hear him.

"You're what?" He asked.

"I'm… chicken hunting." He admitted reluctantly.

Eld stared at him for a moment.

"Chicken hunting?" Eld asked slowly. Eren visibly cringed, hiding his oven mitted hands behind his back.

"Yeah… apparently the chickens running loose around the castle… I guess I forgot to do something about it after I legged it out of the basement. But-well the Captain told me this morning that thanks to me everyone has to chase the chicken and I felt bad because it's your day off and all, so I volunteered to search by myself. Captain Levi said if I don't find the chicken by 12 then I have 50 laps on the track." He explained with a pout.

Eld suppressed a smile of amusement.

While he wasn't exactly Captain Levi's biggest fan right now, he sure knew how to hand out amusing punishments. It was normally Gunther or Oluo facing the brunt of it. Still, it was nice of the kid to try and save them from the Captain's chicken hunt.

But he had one more question.

"And… the outfit?" Eld asked, failing to keep the judgment out of his tone.

Eren blushed and looked at his feet.

"Dilan didn't want me to get hurt. She was very thorough, even though I have healing powers, she said she wanted me to have a bit of protection." He chuckled, tapping the metal bowl on his head.

Eld let out a small puff of amusement.

"Sounds like her." He mumbled. Eren smiled in agreement before looking around him nervously.

"Honestly, it doesn't feel like enough." Eren shivered slightly despite the warm day. Eld supressed a laugh and rolled his eyes.

He supposed there were weirder things to do on his day off then chicken hunting. None came to mind… but it's obvious Eren could use some help.

"Come on then. We better get started." Eld decided. Eren tilted his head.

"Started on what, sir?" He asked, hurrying to keep pace with him as Eld started walking, a padded mitten holding the bowl in place as it slid forward and covered his eyes.

"Finding the chicken. You are clearly out of your depth. I grew up on a farm, you know." Eld smirked. Eren's eyes lit up slightly and a grin spread across his face.

"Yeah, you kind of have the farm look." He replied cheekily and Eld laughed, rolling his eyes.

"Watch it kid, 50 laps seem like it would be a lot for you." He reminded and Eren paled slightly at the reminder.

"Yeah…" He frowned at the very idea. Eld chuckled silently.

"We'll start upstairs. If this bird really is as smart as you are all making it out to be then won't be hiding out in the open."

DILAN'S P.O.V.

Dilan sighed, biting her lip as she heard Eld angrily stomp away.

That didn't go exactly as planned. Dilan stood up and took the plates, walking back to the kitchen where Levi was still stationed at the sink, scrubbing relentlessly at the scorched pieces of egg that were clinging onto the pan for dear life. She smiled a bit, setting down the half-eaten omelette on the side and walking over to him, hugging him from behind and pressing her forehead into his lower shoulder, needing to recharge from that shitshow of an attempt to make peace.

"I've been here for 20 minutes and this shitty pan isn't getting any cleaner. What the hell did we think we were doing going anywhere near the stove? Sandwiches, Dil. That's where we thrive." Levi commented, scrubbing harder in annoyance.

Dilan chuckled.

"Noted." She replied and Levi stilled his scrubbing, obviously sensing her tone.

"It didn't go well then?" He asked. Dilan sighed and shook her head. Levi set down his saucepan and scrubbing brush to quickly dry his hands so he could turn around to face her. "What happened?" He asked, wrapped his arms around her waist and tugging her closer. Dilan lent into him, closing her eyes.

"It was going well until… it didn't. He hates me." Dilan mumbled. Levi sighed, pressing a kiss to the side of her head and Dilan let go of some tension, relaxing into his embrace.

"Want me to try talking to him?" Levi asked. Dilan smiled, finding it cute that he would offer to do that for her, but she didn't see that conversation going well.

"Talk or threaten?" She asked. Levi let out a puff of amusement.

"What's the difference?" He joked and Dilan laughed a bit, pulling back to look at him.

"Exactly." She said, rolling her eyes playfully. "Thanks, but I think it would be better if I try and talk to him again." She sighed, kind of discouraged. Levi stroked some hair behind her ear and offered an encouraging smile.

"It'll be fine, he probably just needs time to cool off." Levi suggested. Dilan nodded, fiddling with his shirt.

"I hope your right." She mumbled.

"I am. Until then, how about you kick my ass out on the training field." He offered with a smirk. Dilan felt her spirits lift considerably and she cracked a smirk back, pulling him down to kiss him gratefully.

"You're on." She grinned after pulling back. Levi chuckled and nodded, grabbing her hand and leading them back outside.

Dilan smiled, at him.

The grumpy bastard always managed to cheer her up.

LEVI'S P.O.V.

"Son of a bitch!" Dilan hissed; her face crumpled up in pain as she was thrown onto her back. Levi stood over her, a foot either side, smirking down at his annoyed girlfriend.

They had been sparing for a few hours now. Training was a weird thing to be doing on their day off but sparing with Dilan was something of a guilty pleasure and it always had been. They didn't get much chance nowadays with him being Captain and the squad always being around. But right now the fields were completely deserted and Levi was thoroughly enjoying releasing some tension the way they used to. He was reminded of the days when they were helping each other become better soldiers.

It was nostalgic, especially with Dilan cursing him every few seconds.

"That's 5-1 to me, brat. I thought your intentions were to kick my ass. This is just embarrassing." He egged, couching down to flick her on the forehead. Dilan glared at him dangerously, a growl bubbling her in her throat.

"You better watch yourself, Levi. I was going easy on you but now I'm thinking you deserve a beating." She huffed, stubbornly. Levi smirked.

Just what he wanted to hear.

He offered her hand and Dilan grabbed it, he pulled them both to their feet and they took a breath.

"No holding back?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing's off the table." She agreed. They rarely ever fought like this, mostly because the squad was always around but Levi had to agree it was intense. No holding back was dangerous, letting go of their restraints, almost giving in to their bloodlust, but Levi trusted himself and he trusted Dilan. They had never hurt each other badly before and they didn't intend to start now.

"Ready?" He asked as they took a step away from each other, eyes burning with determination.

"Ready." She confirmed. There was silence for a moment while they sized each other up. The sun burned brightly on the tops of their heads, warming the feel of their clothes settling on skin. They weren't in uniform today but they were wearing decent enough outfits for sparing. Levi didn't mind getting a bit of dirt on this t-shirt. He just had to remind himself to wash it before it stained.

Levi's eyes flicked down as he heard the twist of dirt as Dilan scuffed her shoe. His eyes flicked back up to orange and just like that she lunged at him. A punch was aimed at his shoulder but he redirected it, grabbing her arm and pulling her closer to him. Dilan lifted her leg up, driving it into his side and he was forced to let go, instead, slipping his leg behind hers, he tugged.

Levi smirked as Dilan slipped.

What he didn't notice was the tight hold she had on his shirt until her boot slammed into the back of his knee on her way down into the dirt and he was pulled down on top of her.

Dilan rolled them before he had a shot to pinned her, lifting a fist to deck him in the face but Levi twisted her leg and she winced, using the momentary distraction to shove her off of him, leg shooting out, he aimed for her stomach but Dilan had already sprang back, breathing heavily as she collected herself, analytical orange eyes looking him up and down for weaknesses.

Levi took his time getting up, just to piss her off, smirking at the annoyed glare he was given. This time he didn't wait for her to figure out a plan, going for her, he twisted on his heel and delivered a roundhouse to her temple that she blocked with a wince. He didn't stop, getting closer to give a punch to her shoulder that she, again, blocked.

Punches and kicks continued to be thrown and Levi wondered what her strategy was. She wasn't fighting back, only blocking. She could have easily dogded most of them. In blocking, she was allowing him to get closer and closer. It wouldn't be too long before he found and opening and was able to win the fight. Still, Levi stupidly chose to ignore the voice in the back of his head that told him this was a trap, eyes hardening when he found an opening and put enough force behind his incoming blow to get her to the ground.

Levi's eyes widened in shock when suddenly Dilan stopped defending, lifting her leg up, kicked away his incoming attack with her foot before grabbing his shoulders and jumping on him, wrapping her legs around his waist in a death grip.

Before he could react in anyway, Dilan's lips were on his and his entire mind went blank. When he was kissing her he wasn't sure he was still on earth. Dilan seemed to have noticed and used the weakness to her advantage.

Suddenly her lips were gone and he only got a split second to stare at her smirking face before she raised her fist and sent him a head spinning blow that caused his body to fall backwards, especially with her added weight, sending him to the ground.

Levi blinked dizzily, his lungs breathing rapidly, trying to regain some of the energy he had worn out.

The fight was very much over.

"Fucking hell… brat. That was… totally cheating." Levi protested through sharp breaths. Dilan was breathing as heavily as him, probably more worn out than he was from having to block so many blows. Both of them were sweating heavily with effort. Levi wasn't even sure how long that match had gone on for.

She sucked in a massive breath before bursting out laughing.

"You… looked so… stupid!" She choked out, shaking with hysterics, she put had hand over her mouth to try and muffle the sound as tears dripped down her face.

Levi gave her a deadpan look, not impressed.

"Oi. It's not that funny." He frowned, watching her laugh so hard she couldn't breathe. He couldn't deny how warm his heart was seeing her this happy but his pride wouldn't allow him to laugh with her. "Dil, take a breath!" He reminded, almost worried.

"Y-you're face!" She gasped out. Levi sighed, rolling his eyes. He let a small smirk pull at his lips while she wasn't watching. Guess he was right about her having a plan. He shouldn't be surprised. From day one, her quick thinking was described as unparalleled by Eyebrows Smith, himself.

"Okay, okay, I looked stupid. Now breathe, you idiot." He chuckled, rubbing her back as she managed to suck some air into her lungs again. Dilan took a massive breath in and wiped her eyes, looking back at him with a grin.

"I won." She boasted.

Levi was unable to supress his smile.

"That you did. Pretty decent win, even if it was cheating." He smirked. Dilan chuckled, leaning down ontop of him to rest her head onto his shoulder.

"We said nothing is off the table, if you recall. Don't be spiteful, grumps. You'll get to my level one day." She teased. Levi laughed lightly, stroking her back as she relaxed into him and they laid their for a moment of peace, catching their breaths. "How's your head?" She whispered after a while.

Levi winced slightly as he touched the side of his head, rolling his eyes.

"Ringing." He replied dryly and Dilan cringed.

"Whoops." She cringed and Levi smiled.

"It's fine. How are your wrists?" He asked, gently picking up one of her arms. Her wrists had taken most of Levi's blows when she was trying to find her opening to pull that crazy finishing move on him.

"Bruised." She mumbled tiredly as Levi rolled up her sleeve and saw the red bruise already forming.

"Sorry." He whispered, gently smoothing his thumb over the damaged skin before pulling her sleeved down again and pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

Dilan hummed softly in approval.

"We should lay on the floor more often. It's very peaceful down here." She mused. Levi chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"I'm on the floor, idiot. It's dirty as fuck and bumpy as hell. Enjoy your peace, princess, I'll just lay here and continued to be your chair." He teased, grimacing slightly as he thought of all the dust.

Dilan let out a bubbly laugh at that.

"Shut up. You think you're some sort of cloud. Fucking muscle here and muscle there. Do me a favour and eat more. It's like lying on a slab of stone." She shot back and Levi bit back a laugh of his own.

"Fuck off. I didn't ask you to lie on me." He pointed out; his words harsh but his tone pretty gentle as he stroked some hair out of her face. It's not like he actually wanted her to move.

"Yeah, well I want to." She huffed.

"Why?" He asked teasingly, delighted as the brat blushed and hid her face.

"Because… I like being close to you." She admitted quietly. Levi smiled, his heart warming with happiness. He pressed a kiss to her temple, pleased as she sat up a bit to look at him, smiling back. She leant closer to him and Levi was about to close the gap when annoyingly something interrupted him.

"Captain?!" Eren called as he rounded the corner and the three of them froze.

Five tense seconds passed, the only sound being the slight bonk of Eren's makeshift helmet as it fell over his eyes, leaving his mouth hanging open as he balked at them.

Dilan took the opportunity to scramble off of him, a slight pink dusting her cheeks. Levi smirked and stood up too, sparing a glance to the flustered brat before walking over to Eren and tapping his fist against the tin bowl. Eren flinched in surprise, reluctantly lifting the bowl off of his head.

"What's that expression for, cadet?" Levi asked as Eren blushed furiously, looking at the ground.

"I'm sorry sir… I didn't mean to… I didn't know…" He cringed deeply. Levi rolled his eyes.

"Didn't know what?" He asked, bored. Eren cringed even more if that was possible.

"That you… that you two were…" He tried, deeply uncomfortable.

"Training, Yeager. Ever tried it before or are you really as lazy as you look?" Levi said dismissively. Eren blinked.

"But-"

"But what? Surely you've gotten that close to others while training." He cut him off, raising an eyebrow. If he couldn't convince a brat like Eren Yeager that what was happening over there was purely professional, then he might as well pack up and go home now. This kid was naïve as they come.

"I guess…" He mumbled.

"In fact, I'm pretty sure I've seen Petra restrain you to the dirt more than once." He pointed out and Eren blushed, more from embarrassment than from what he saw before.

"That's correct, sir." He sighed. Then he jumped, immediately looking regretful. "S-sorry! I didn't mean to suggest-! It was just surprising; I mean, I thought everyone had the day off!" He scrambled to explain himself, clearly thinking he'd overstepped. Levi suppressed a smirk.

"Dedicated soldiers take their days off to improve on the skills they are lacking in. Unfortunately for you, Yeager, the day doesn't have enough hours in it." He scoffed and Eren blushed again. "What did you want?" He asked.

Eren blinked.

"Sorry sir?" He asked.

"You came around the corner yelling like an idiot. What did you want to tell me?" Levi asked, annoyed. The sooner the boy was gone the sooner he could get back to what he was about to start over there.

Eren's eyes widened in understanding.

"Oh yes. Sir, a problem has arisen. " Eren stated seriously. Dilan walked up to Levi's side, raising an eyebrow. Levi noted the relief in her eyes that he had managed to convince Eren it was all innocent.

"What problem?" Levi questioned. Eren hesitated.

"... me and Eld. We searched everywhere for the chicken." He informed.

"Eld helped you?" She asked, curious. Eren nodded.

"Yeh, he said he grew up on a farm, so he had experience with chickens and stuff." Eren shrugged. Levi watched as Dilan forced a small smile that was obviously fake. He knew her lacking friendship with the blonde was bothering her.

"And I'm assuming you found it?" Levi asked, impatient. Eren cringed slightly, scratching the back of his head.

"Not exactly... we found trace of where the chicken has been." He continued.

"What'd you mean?" Dilan asked. Eren looked at his feet.

"The chicken… it um… it got into the pantry… and um… it ransacked most of the food stock… as well as… defecating… in your tea leaves, sir." Eren explained reluctantly.

"Holy shit." Dilan muttered under her breath.

Eren chanced a glance at Levi, cowering at his dangerous expression.

"Those were expensive tea leaves, Eren." Levi said in a terrifyingly calm voice. Eren swallowed thickly.

"I'm sorry, sir." He apologised.

"More expensive, was the large amount of food we had stored away in that pantry. The supply that was supposed to last us the whole month that we are stuck here watching over your miserable existence." He continued in the same tone.

Eren paled, looking at Dilan for help.

"Sorry, kid. You brought this on yourself." She whispered, not daring to interfere. Eren panicked, looking back at Levi, who had yet to continue.

"Did you at least catch the creature?" Levi asked, completely done. How much more trouble was this animal going to cause?!

"No sir... we lost it. The chicken is in the wind." He answered. Levi was not impressed. "S-should… I start running, sir?" He asked, terrified. Levi glared at him in utter annoyance.

"I think that would be best."

ELD'S P.O.V.

After helping Eren, Eld broke off from everyone. The squad asked him if he wanted to go somewhere to get his mind off of things, but he wasn't feeling up to it and he didn't feel like bringing down everyone's mood. He ended up riding to his family home that had relocated in wall Rose. It wasn't too far from base. Seeing all of his siblings helped him get his mind off of things.

He had dinner around his parent's house and the evening was good for him until they asked how things were going with his girlfriend. They hadn't met Dilan yet due to their strict schedule as soldiers and Eld was starting to think that was a blessing in disguise. He explained they broke up and while the pitied looks made his stomach churn, the hug from his mother did make him feel a bit better at least. As well as the apple pie he got to take back to base when the evening was over, and he had said goodbye to all of his brothers and sisters.

Eld had just pulled into the stable and finished un-tacking his horse when he heard someone come in behind him.

"Eld? Could we… could we talk?" Dilan asked hopefully and Eld sighed. He didn't really feel like talking.

"I'm tired, Dilan." He mumbled, trying to walk past her. She caught his sleeve in a weak grip and Eld stopped but didn't look at her.

"I… I…" She tried. There was silence.

"Night, Dil." Eld shrugged off her hold and continued back to the castle. He got back to Gunther's room, ready to collapse onto the uncomfortable floor. He really needed to find some energy to clean a room for himself.

Changing into some more comfortable clothes, he sat down with a sigh. Gunther came in a second later, clothed but obviously freshly showered if his slightly damp, curly hair was any indication.

"Oh, your back." He noticed, offering a smile as he sat down on the bed. Eld forced a small smile back, laying down. "How's Mr and Mrs Gin?" He asked.

"Fine." He answered, still not feeling like talking. Honestly, he just wanted to be alone right now. Gunther seemed to get it as he gave him a look of understanding and nodded before pulling the towel off of his neck and relaxing into his bed. Eld shifted around, trying and failing to get comfortable. He had just closed his eyes when Gunther spoke again, startling him. "Oh! I forgot!" Gunther said and Eld flinched slightly, sucking in a sharp breath.

"Shit, Gunther. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" He hissed, annoyed. Gunther chuckled, sitting up again.

"Sorry. I just forgot to say, there's a room for you, if your uncomfortable there. I don't mind if you want to stay here, but all your shifting reminded me." Gunther shrugged. Eld raised an eyebrow.

"You cleaned me a room?" He asked, almost impressed. Gunther smiled awkwardly.

"Sorry mate. I'm not that good of a friend. Dilan cleaned you a room. She told me to tell you the squad did it, but it didn't feel right." Gunther explained. Eld's eyes widened slightly.

"Oh." He mumbled, his brows furrowing.

"Stay here as long as you want, man. Just thought you should know you have another option." He added, laying back down.

Eld was quiet for a moment longer before picking himself up.

"Yeah… thanks for letting me stay but I think I'll take it. That floors killing my back." He replied with a small chuckle. Gunther smiled and nodded, laying back down.

"It's down the hall. Third door to the right." Gunther informed. "I don't know what happened between you and Dil but… she's really trying with you, dude. Don't throw a friendship like that away." Gunther advised. Eld sighed, hesitating. He nodded his thanks, grabbed his pack and left the room, moving down the hall. He opened the door and walked inside. It was a good room and running his hand along one of the surfaces it was obviously cleaned well. Eld sighed and sat down on the end of the freshly changed bed.

He wanted to be friends with her again. But… there was just too much holding him back.


A/N: Hey!

More fluff, more drama. Are we sensing a theme for these next few chapters?

We can understand Eld's resentment but we've also got to remember that they did break up. And it was mutual. Yes, Eld loves her but we know a lot of what he's feeling right now is jealousy coming out in different ways. Like when one child sets down another toy and another kid picks it up and suddenly the first kids like "I wasn't done with that", lol. Which is kind of sad because they were both in agreement that they should end it. In a way he's still being possessive over her and it's just a bit petty.

But no one can help how they feel.

In other news. After much consideration I have decided to write the scene where the squad chases the chicken. Humanity against poultry for one final showdown. Who will be the victor? Honestly right now I'm routing for the chicken, lmao.

I wanted to say thank you to everyone who commented on the last chapter. I appreciate all of the comments hoping I'm well and telling me that it's okay to take a break or just letting me know they love my story. You guys are so great and I really am thankful for all of the support.

Thank you to everyone reading my story! I hope you're all well! Stay safe! Xx