Chapter Twenty-Three

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You woke to all six of your friend's faces hovering over you. As soon as your eyes had opened, they beamed with smiles. 

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY (Y/N)!!!" They all yelled, and Altiena jumped on top of you. Her built-up muscles made her a lot heavier than she used to be when she jumped on you. 

"Aww.." You said, barely able to wheeze out the words because of Altiena's weight. "Thank you, guys." Mylius peeled Altiena off of you. 

Renko sneered. "Be prepared for tonight to be the best party of your life, (Y/N). I got our friendly courier to bring us some booze." Jun gave him a high five, and Ella's eyes widened. 

"You scoundrels!" She whacked them on their shoulders. No doubt she'd be joining in the fun later, though. You spent a little while talking with your friends, but you all eventually had to attend to your duties. Various other cadets wished you a happy birthday as you supervised training, as well. Even sweet little Armin had picked you a flower he found. 

The weather was beautiful today, just like two years ago. This day would have been perfect, but it was just missing one person. You wondered what he would be doing right now. Probably working his butt off because of your absence. 

-

And that's exactly what the captain was up to. He was buried in paperwork, wishing he had not let you leave. His only respite came from waiting for your eventual letter to arrive. When he had finished about all he could take, he yearned for your company. Something else would have to do. 

"Levi? What are you doing in here?" Hanji said as she lifted her safety glasses.

"I'm just walking around. Mind your own business." He said. 

A sly smile spread across her face, and she set down the chemicals she was holding. "Don't tell me.... You're missing (Y/N), aren't you?"

He glared at her. "So what if I am? You know she's a valuable member of the scouts. I don't miss her, I miss the fact that I used to have much less paperwork to get through. It's killing me." He said. 

"Sure, sure. It's just for work-related reasons." Hanji teased. 

"What do you want me to say?" 

Hanji changed her expression to that of a serious one. "I just want you to be honest with yourself, Levi. You can lie to me all you want, but you can't lie to you."

He scoffed and folded his arms. "Whatever, four eyes. I shouldn't have come in here in the first place." He turned to leave her lab. 

"Wait, Levi. I know you'd probably never sit down and have a conversation about your feelings with me, but if you ever want to, you can. I'm not gonna judge ya." Hanji said genuinely. 

Levi stopped in his tracks, seriously considering her offer. The only person he really feels comfortable confiding in is you, but before that he would have talked to Hanji or even Erwin. He had sort of forgotten that he had a network of people who cared about him in some way. He didn't feel like he was ignoring them, but you were just so much easier to talk to, and he always wanted you by his side. But now that you're not here, he's reminded of the friends that were always there. 

Hanji waited at her desk patiently while the captain deliberated on what to do. He could either sit down and unload everything onto Hanji, or he could walk away. He knew which choice was easier, but which one would actually be better for him?

He thought about how much time you had spent with Hanji. It had to almost be as much time as you spend with him. Surely if you were as talkative with Hanji, she would have picked up on a few things about your feelings towards him. Maybe if he sits down and talks with her, he can clear some things up in his head. 

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