𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐲 || 𝐭. 𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐦𝐚

⤷𝟟𝟡: 𝕨𝕚𝕤𝕕𝕠𝕞

growing makes us wiser.

sounds like a given, right?

it is the things we experience every day that make us who we are. it's the people, the beautiful moments, the memories... it's the combination of the things we've loved, hated, and felt, that help us move forwards.

and maybe it's hard to see the difference in day-to-day life, but someday—in the far future, perhaps—the light of a new daybreak will shine through.

and on that day, what awaited us will be none other than wisdom. it'll flow through the air, and seep into our lungs. as natural as breathing.

sounds a little too easy, doesn't it?

nothing ever comes that easy. because in order to reach that fateful day of the future, there is a whole other world we must cross.

one that's filled with remorse, anguish, guilt, sorrow, despair, and absolute, heart-shattering grief.

it's never easy to leave something behind. it's never easy to leave a part of ourselves somewhere else—somewhere we'll never return to.

the process hurts.

with sadness in your heart, you opened your eyes.

or rather, you took off the device.

it was the device that allowed you to meet everyone in your dreams, and to create memories with the impossible.

levi, who had stood in front of you mere seconds ago, was gone.

so was the ape-shitting monke (zeke).

not to mention, eren, mikasa, armin, jean, sasha, connie...

a virtual world, one that consumed you, had disappeared as easily as it arrived.

you might not know much, but the one thing you did know was that you've won. the scouts have won—whatever the battle might've been, it was a win.

so what, though? so what if you won? you might've 'won', but you'll never see them again, will you? you'll never see the same levi you've grown to love, never see the considerate hange or the heartwarming family of the scouts.

it was like it never even happened.

that comes with the price of victory, sometimes.

this aching pain lasted for about a second, before you noticed who stood in front of you.

his smile made you forget everything else.

"took you long enough."

subconsciously, you smiled back.

well, maybe 'smile' isn't the right word to phrase it.

you threw yourself at the boy.

"oi—," kageyama laughed as you fell into his arms, "are you trying to kill me again?"

you gave kageyama a fake look of anger. "you dumbass! who said you could sacrifice yourself for me like that?"

a laugh spilled from kageyama's lips. "obviously i would. and it's like i said: i'd do it again."

you could feel yourself start to get flustered.

"ahem."

upon hearing the small cough, you immediately let go of kageyama.

and turning around, you saw your best friends look at you with amused looks.

very...knowing looks.

oh, shut up.