𝐈𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲 | Levi Ackerman X Reader

| #28: Don't dismiss the obvious |

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Nearly exactly 16 years ago, you and everyone else who was close to your parents was mourning their tragic passing. You, as a little girl, so young and so naive, painfully unaware of the reality of the real world, had just lost the two most important people in your life, leaving you an orphan and with nobody to turn to. And worst of all, it happened on your birthday.

They died the night they were trying to rush to get back home to you, and lost their lives instead, because of you. It's all you could think about as a little girl. Your mind had convinced you that it had all been your fault because you were the one they were trying to get to in such a hurry, you'd made them hurry, and from that moment on, you'd never see them again and you knew you'd live with that guilt the rest of your life. You had nobody now, no one to stay with, no one to turn to, no other family members. You didn't know what to do.

Now, you were at a memorial center, sitting on the floor with your back against the wall, your knees close to your chest and your head buried in your arms that were propped up on your knees. You didn't want to look at anybody, you didn't want to talk to anyone, your cries had ceased a long time simply because of one realization you had when you attended the funeral just before this.

Just in the far wall in front of you were two pictures of your parents side by side, surrounded by flowers by people who were close with your parents and had left them there to pay their respects. Though, you were the only one who has stayed even after the memorial service was over. You didn't know where to go, who would come get you or if there was an angel up above who would make your sorrow go away.

You've kept your head down and remained up against the wall for a long time that you failed to see someone moving to stand in front of you, looking down at your small figure trying to make yourself smaller and imperceptible to anyone else. That person, was Grisha. He'd come to pay respects to your parents, because he knew them well, but he never met the daughter they talked about so much. As Grisha stood in front of you, holding himself steady with his cane on one hand, one of the workers at the memorial center noticed Grisha standing in front of you quietly, observing you, while you remained completely unknowing to his presence.

The worker quickly moved to stand next to Grisha, hoping this was someone you knew and who would come to pick you up to take you in temporarily. The worker noticed Grisha observing you and felt the need to explain what your situation was and why you were in that state, unmoving and unresponsive. "She's been like that the whole time. It's been hours," The worker whispered to Grisha, and he nodded understandingly. Not wanting to startle you, Grisha took small steps towards you, with his cane hitting the ground lightly every time he moved it forward.

And even as he'd gotten closer to you, you still didn't move. You didn't move your head up, you didn't flinch, you didn't say a word. You were frozen. Grisha decided he'd be the one to make the first move to talk to you, seeing if that would get any response. "So, it's you. You're their daughter I've heard so much about," Grisha said, and apparently that was enough, because when you heard a voice you've never heard before in your life, you looked up and saw a man with a cane, brown hair, glasses, black attire just like you, you tilted your head slightly in confusion. You've never seen him before. Could he have gotten the wrong person?

Grisha studied your face and his face creased slightly at what he noticed. You weren't crying, there were tear marks, but your face looked numb, devoid emotion. There was no spark in your eyes, no feeling behind them. Grisha continued to look down at you, seeing the features of both of your parents clear as day in you.

You were the one they spoke about so much, their pride and joy, and seeing you for the first time was conflicting. You looked like...your life had gotten sucked out of you. "You're not crying," Grisha said to you, pointing out the obvious, but after hearing that, you looked away from him and looked off to the side, remembering why you felt like you had no right to cry anymore. To feel sad about this.