I ran up to the fence, looking through the gaps in the planks of wood. As usual, I couldn't see much from this vantage point. The slight sliver I looked through only offered me fleeting glimpses of the bustling activity outside. It was hard to believe that we lived in such a lively city as we did, because we were never able to go see it.

It was always so noisy, with the incessant honking of cars and fragmented conversations of people passing by. The people walked quickly to wherever they were going, and I could sometimes pick up on what they were saying.

"Yes, I'll pick the kids up after school."

"Oh, if you stop by the store, could you pick up eggs? I forgot to put it on the list."

"He's failing three classes, Jim. You need to have a talk with him."

"Didn't you see? He looked so good today in class!"

How annoying.

Though I had to wonder what it was like on the other side of the fence, for those to be the topics you discussed with others. Not much happened in here. To understand them, to be one of them... what was it like?

I could see someone on the other side of the road. He was walking his dog. It was a cute breed, a hound of some kind. I smiled and watched them until they were out of view. A car briefly blocked my view of the far sidewalk but as soon as it was gone, I could see a woman in sleek, professional wear walking briskly with her phone pressed to her ear. She looked angry.

I momentarily wondered what it was she was mad about. Maybe she just got fired. Maybe she just had to fire somebody. Or maybe her partner wouldn't stop by the store after work to pick up milk. Who could know?

Another dog being walked by its owner passed by. My smile grew as I watched it, but it faded once they were out of sight only seconds later. I sighed, about to back away from the fence, when I heard several hurried footsteps approaching on the sidewalk just outside the fence. I leaned back in, suddenly very interested in who was about to pass by.

Someone short – probably a kid my age – ran by. My eyes widened. He was fast, his body only a blur across the short frame of vision I had of the outside. More footsteps followed. One, a girl from the looks of the longer hair, and another, a blond boy. But the boy tripped.

A sudden shout escaped him, and the other sets of feet returned quickly to his side, right in front of the gap in the fence I was looking through. The two crouched down behind him and hefted him to his feet.

"Come on," the girl shouted. "Get up! They're gonna get us!"

"Go!" Barked the fastest of the three. He stood but suddenly looked around. Uh oh. "Someone's watching us. Go!"

Oops. Was he talking about me?

A pair of icy blue eyes searched the fence I was standing just on the other side of and suddenly, they met mine. His eyes were narrowed almost to slits and his brows had an angry pinch in them. Then he shoved the boy beside him forward.

It was a good thing they started running again, because only seconds after they were out of sight, a police officer went barreling down the sidewalk after them, shouting something into his walkie-talkie.

I backed away from the fence. Huh. Most interesting thing I've seen all day.

I stood up straight, stretching my arms over my head as I worked the kinks in my back out after standing hunched by the fence for as long as I had. I let out a sigh as I lowered my arms and walked back towards the house.

I turned and sat on the lowest step out front, letting one elbow settle on my leg to support my chin in my palm while the other absentmindedly ran through the grass and weeds growing up through the step.

What a thrilling life I led. One of my main sources of entertainment came from watching the world go by through a small gap in the fence keeping me from it. Absolutely thrilling. Though, if I was this bored, I could only imagine how boring it must have been for the plants.

Thank goodness they weren't sentient. My fingers, which had been running through them, plucked a blade of grass out of the ground. I studied it for a moment, my bored eyes trailing lazily over it before I got bored once more and dropped it.

The front door creaked open. I turned my head and there stood Armin, peeking his head out to look at me with a smile. I couldn't help but smile back. I was older than him by several years, but I seemed to be the one he was closest to here. He had only gotten here a few weeks ago, alongside a number of other kids. Recent attacks of some kind had led to a lot of homes being destroyed and a lot of people dying, leaving many kids orphaned.

The bigger orphanages of the area were overflowing already, so the extra kids without a place to go came here. It was a smaller orphanage, run by a single kind-hearted woman who genuinely wanted to help the community. I was happy I ended up here all those years ago instead of somewhere else.

Alongside Armin, a lot of kids had arrived suddenly; Eren and Mikasa, being two of them. Those two were always together. They weren't real siblings, but Mikasa had been adopted by Eren's family when they were younger, but the attacks had killed Eren's mother while his father... disappeared? That's what Eren told me, anyway. 

So, this wasn't Mikasa's first time in an orphanage in her short life, but hopefully it would be her last. I couldn't say I envied her, though at least she'd been able to get adopted before. Even I couldn't do that. Apparently, I'd been dropped off here as a baby, and had been here ever since. Only on a few special occasions had I ever gotten to go beyond this fence.

Armin's eyes of baby blue squinted slightly as he got used to the sudden change of light. It was a bright day but cool. It was spring, sure, but one of those cooler mornings that let the dew cling to the grass a little longer than normal.

The sun illuminated his hair, and even his smile seemed brighter than normal. He and the others were all around six or seven, and I'd be eleven soon. After that came twelve and soon, I'd be a teenager. And that was a problem. No one ever adopted teenagers. I'd be left here to rot until I died.

It wasn't a very encouraging thought.

No matter how many times Ms. Fields would tell me that many teenagers did get adopted, she always reminded me that I wouldn't stay here until my death: I could officially leave at 18. Well, that was a really long time away from now, so I'd be as good as dead.

Armin waved at me. "Hey," I greeted. "What are you up to?"

"I need your help," he admitted. "Could you help me, please?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Ms. Fields was cleaning last night and put the book I was reading on the highest shelf of the bookcase and I can't reach it."

"Oh, ok," I said with a smile, standing up. "I can help!"

I walked inside with him, closing the door behind me. As soon as we were inside, he grabbed my hand and led me right to the playroom where the bookcase was. Since I was taller than Armin, he'd expected me to be able to reach, but even I couldn't quite get up there on my own.

I glanced around. No one else was in here. It was kind of early, so they were probably still sleeping. And Ms. Fields was nowhere to be seen. Perfect.

"Don't tell anyone about this, and definitely don't try this yourself," I said as I grabbed one of the chairs from a nearby table. There were leftover arts and crafts on the table, and I had to brush off a few scraps of paper from the seat of the chair before setting it down in front of the bookcase. Before stepping onto it, I glanced down at him. "Promise you won't tell?"

He nodded, then stuck out his pinkie. I grinned and linked my pinkie finger with his, sealing the promise. Then I stepped up onto it, reaching right for the book he'd been reading these past few days.

I only knew which one it was because it was one that I'd told him to read. He'd asked me for recommendations and that was the one I offered because I had read it several times already without growing bored of it.

I grabbed it, then carefully stepped back down. I handed him the book and playfully ruffled his hair with my other hand. He smiled and held the book close to his chest in both hands as soon as I let go of it. "Thank you, (Y/n)!"

Then he ran, searching for a quiet, comfortable place to read. Knowing him, he'd go right back to his bed and snuggle up with a blanket. As people woke up they'd leave the bedroom quietly and come downstairs, leaving him in the relative quiet of the bedroom which was pretty empty throughout the day as everyone played.

Now I just had to figure out something for me to do.

Here on the first floor was the playroom, though it doubled as our schoolroom during the weekdays. There was also the kitchen, dining room, and living room, and of course a bathroom. There was another playroom and the laundry room downstairs in the basement. Upstairs were the bedrooms, more bathrooms, and Ms. Fields' room.

The house itself was fairly well taken care of. Ms. Fields took great pride in what she did and took care of all of us as best she could with what she had, which was why I helped her whenever I could. As the one here the longest, and the oldest of the kids, I was the most help, anyway. And she was like my mom anyway, so why wouldn't I?

Though I wasn't sure what she was up to right now. If she needed help, she'd come find me. That's what she did this morning, when she'd come back from grocery shopping and had wanted me to come help bring the bags in. Her sister had stayed to watch the house, but it'd been early enough so that she hadn't needed to do much.

It allowed Ms. Fields a way to get out of the home, anyway. I only wished she'd bring me every once in a while. But I got to come out to help bring them in and sort them away, so I had that going for me.

I stifled a yawn as I put the chair back at the table, then sat at it. I mindlessly began to doodle, not really thinking about anything at the moment. Nothing had really happened today yet, so there was nothing to think about.

Only a few minutes later, I could hear someone coming down the stairs. Whoever it was rounded the corner and came into the playroom. I knew it was Ms. Fields with the way her steps slowed to a stop behind me, and she loomed over my shoulder. I turned my head to look up at her, only to be met with her warm smile.

"Good morning, sweetheart," she said to me. She planted a kiss to the top of my head then stood up straight, starting to clean up the rest of the table. She gathered the scraps and discarded bits of everything left behind from whatever activity she was having the younger kids do last night.

I looked at her skeptically. "I already saw you this morning. You don't need to say it again."

She laughed lightly. "I know, but I wanted to." She gathered the colored pencils into her hand and headed to the shelf where the coloring supplies were stored. Opening the right drawer with her free hand, she pulled out a small bin and dropped the pencils in. "I'm sorry for waking you so early, (Y/n). Thank you very much for helping me."

"It's ok," I said to her. "Do you need help with anything else?"

"Not at the moment," she said, returning to the table to continue cleaning up. Even though she said what she did, I helped gather the leftover crayons as she picked up the markers. She smiled at me as I did. "Thank you, darling."

I smiled at her. "No problem."

She left the room and suddenly... I was bored again.

Great.

---

The next few months continued with that repetitive pattern. It wasn't until the summer that something changed. I was helping Ms. Fields prepare lunch in the kitchen when she got a phone call. She wiped her hands on the back of her pants and grabbed the phone from the counter. The chattering of the other kids in the next room over could be heard so she lifted her free hand to cover her other ear as she answered the call.

"Hello?" I put the sandwich I'd just made onto the plate and started on another. "Yes, this is her." A pause. "Oh, yes, I do have room for another child. Of course." The volume in the other room got louder and she stepped outside, shutting the backdoor behind her so she could continue the conversation.

Another kid. Great. One more lunch for me to make.

It was only just after lunch that day when Ms. Fields came to find me. I was in my bedroom, reading a book while lying on my stomach with the book open before me on the bed. At the sound of her heeled shoes coming up the steps, I figured she was just taking a short break.

Everyone was playing outside right now, but I wasn't, because there was a beautiful breeze coming in through the window and from what I could hear, Eren was being a tyrant and hoarding all the soccer balls. I could do without that headache.

But what surprised me was when she stepped into the room. "(Y/n)? Oh, there you are."

"Hm?" I looked up from my book, looking up at her as she stood in the doorway. She looked a bit frazzled but smiled when I met her gaze. "Hi."

"Hi," she said happily, stepping further into the room. She lowered herself to sit on the edge of my bed. She looked stressed. "I've been looking everywhere for you. I thought you'd be outside."

"Eren's being too loud right now," I said.

"It's a beautiful day out," she reasoned.

I shrugged. "The breeze is coming in. It's nice in here."

She looked at the window, and allowed herself a moment to just enjoy the cool air blowing in. Her eyes softened. "Yes. I suppose so."

"So, why were you looking for me?"

"We're getting a new boy in today," she told me, her eyes meeting mine again. The green of her eyes was accentuated by the sunlight streaming in through the window, as were the freckles dotting her cheeks. "He's older than you, but not by much."

She laughed lightly when she saw the surprise flicker across my face. Someone around my age? That wasn't common. Despite myself, I could feel excitement bloom in my heart.

"I was thinking you could show him around. Could you do that for me?"

I nodded, allowing myself to smile widely. "Of course," I said, perhaps a bit too excitedly, if the laugh she tried to conceal behind her hand was any indication. "What's his name?"

"Levi."

I grimaced. "That's a weird name."

Ms. Fields rolled her eyes. "Oh, hush you," she said, though her words held no heat in them. "The police are on their way with him. They'll be here in a few minutes. He'll need to shower first, I think, and there are clothes ready for him on the empty bed across from where Caden's is. You know which one, don't you?"

I nodded. "Mm-hm."

"Great," she said. "Show him to the bathroom, and then give him a tour, will you?"

"I can do that," I said.

"Thank you, sweetheart. I'm sure it will make him feel better to know that there's someone about as old as he is to talk to. Make sure to make him feel welcome, ok?"

"Ok!"

With that she stood, and I made to follow. I got my knees under me and knelt on the bed as I closed the book, marking my page with a piece of paper for now. As I could hear Ms. Fields' footsteps going down the stairs, I could just make out the sound of smaller ones pattering up. She scolded them for running, before continuing down, but the smaller set slowed only for a moment before speeding back up.

The steps led right into the room and to my bed. It was a good thing I was already sitting up because suddenly Eren had leapt into my lap, nearly knocking me over with the force of it. His pretty teal eyes were shining with excitement and his smile was equally as bright.

His smile was infectious, and my smile returned to my face. "What're you so excited about?"

"Didn't you hear? We're getting a new kid today! That means a new friend! Aren't you excited?"

I nodded. "Of course! He's about my age though, so he might not want to be your friend." Oops. Maybe not the best thing to say, because he pouted. "At first! He might not want to be your friend at first! Just give him some time, and he'll definitely grow to like you!"

His smile erupted back onto his face again. He hugged me tightly, then slid off my lap to run back downstairs. I could hear Ms. Fields scold him once more for running, and his hurried apology in return. And then the doorbell rang. That must be him!

...What was his name again?

I got to my feet then hurried down the stairs, my hand running along the wooden banister that was so worn down after all these years that there was no risk of getting a splinter. I rounded the corner into the living room and plopped down onto the couch.

She was just opening the front door and I turned around on the couch to look over the back, to see the front door. She smiled and greeted the officers stood there, and let them in. They entered, letting Ms. Fields close the door behind them. With the way they were standing, I couldn't quite see the boy standing between them.

"You're Ms. Fields, yes?" One of the officers asked.

"That's right," she said, nodding with a smile. Her brown curls bounced in the ponytail as she did, and I watched as she directed her attention to the boy standing between the officers. I leaned a bit to the side. Nope, still couldn't see him. Goodness, why did that one have such a big belly? "And this must be Levi!"

"Go ahead, boy," that same officer said. "Introduce yourself."

The boy – Levi – refused.

"A bit shy, I see," Ms. Fields said hesitantly.

There was an odd look in her eyes. Something about this boy worried her, but I had no idea what it could be. But she smiled brilliantly at him all the same. The officer in my way shifted slightly, taking half a step back as he adjusted his belt. The movement revealed the boy.

He was about my height, with dark hair. It was long, unruly, and unkempt. My head tilted slightly as I looked at him. His skin was pale, but dirty. He had a nasty looking bruise on his right cheek, and a scrape on his chin. And that was only what I could see from where I sat.

My heart constricted slightly with something strange – was it worry? Why? I didn't know this kid. Why would I be worried about him? Maybe I was just worried because this kid got hurt a lot and he'd go right through our supply of band-aids. Or... maybe because he might get into fights a lot. Was that what Ms. Fields was worried about?

"Shy," the officer repeated forcefully. "Exactly. He knows to behave, though."

The boy, as though noticing me looking at him, allowed his eyes to snap to mine. He looked at me sidelong, the nasty glare he had been directing to the floor now sent my way. I gulped when the force of it hit me like a physical weight had been thrown at me instead. 

How do I respond to this?!

His eyes were blue, yet icy and pale, not like the sky blue of Armin's eyes, which were usually hopeful and light. He had dark eyebags under them, thin dark eyebrows, and a sneer on his lips as he looked at me. Yeesh. And I was the one stuck giving him a tour? His clothes were ripped and tattered, specked with mud and grime and even blood in some places.

As though irritated because I was still looking at him, his glare narrowed further, and he turned his head to look at me directly. There was an angry, thin slice along his other cheek. Just what had happened to him? I didn't realize it, but a worried pinch in my brow appeared just as my frown deepened. 

That struck the boy as odd. His eyes lost some of their sharpness, just for a moment, when he noticed the slight change in the girl's face. Most people were wary of him. Even the woman standing before him, meant to care for him now, seemed nervous to be near him. But that girl looked worried? Why bother? Why waste something like that on someone like him?

Through the rest of the brief talk, the boy didn't talk much – or, well, at all, really. But Ms. Fields continued to talk to him, and smiled at him, and reassured him that everything would be alright now. The police left soon after, leaving the two of them standing in the entryway quietly.

"(Y/n)," she called, turning her head to look at me. She gestured for me to come over with a reassuring smile. "Come on over and meet Levi."

I got up off the couch and walked over. I tried not to walk as though nervous, but I was very hyper-aware of my gait and I'm sure I looked far more nervous than I really was. When I came to a stop next to Ms. Fields, I met the boy's eyes again. They were more intense up close, but I wasn't worried. Now that I was closer, I could read what was veiled in his eyes and honestly, he just looked tired.

"Levi," she said gently, "this is (Y/n). She'll be showing you around. Is that ok?"

"Fine," he said curtly.

"Alright," Ms. Fields said, setting a hand on my back to push me closer to him. "Go on, then."

"Ok," I replied quietly, glancing at Ms. Fields before returning my focus to Levi who was already looking at me. "Hi. I'm (Y/n)."

No reply.

Well.

This was off to a great start.

"Come on," I said, walking past him towards the stairs. He followed, much to my surprise. He stayed almost too close to me, but when I turned to look at him once we were up the stairs, he shied away, and his eyes became guarded and angry again.

"You're all dirty," I said as I led him down the hall towards the bedroom where he'd be sleeping, "so you should shower and change, first."

It was a good thing everyone was still outside; they'd overwhelm him if they were all swarming him right now. The room was empty as we entered, and he slowed in his step as I continued towards his bed.

"I'm not," he argued.

"Not what?"

"I'm not dirty."

I glanced at him, confused. "Yes, you are. And your clothes are all ripped."

"I'm not," he pressed, more forcefully this time.

"Ok," I said slowly, immediately figuring that this was an argument I probably wasn't going to win, "fine, you're not. But your clothes are. So you should shower." I picked up the pile of new clothes and held them towards him. He was skinny, very skinny. The clothes would be big on him, but it was better than nothing.

"They might not fit right," I told him, "but Ms. Fields will take you for new ones soon, so you can try them on and stuff. For now, this will work, right?" He didn't answer, but he took the clothes and averted his eyes. "Come on, I'll show you where the bathroom is."

He, once more, followed diligently as I showed him to the bathroom. I headed right inside, getting for him a washcloth. I also got him a new toothbrush, and showed him where the soaps, shampoos, towels, and everything else were. He listened attentively.

After I showed him everything, I made to leave, but stopped. I reached up into the medicine cabinet and got a box of band-aids out. "Go ahead and sit down," I instructed him. "Um... Please."

"Where?"

"On the floor is fine," I said, trying not to look surprised when he actually did it. When the band-aids were in my hand I knelt in front of him and ripped one open. I began to lean in to put it over his cut when he shied away, his eyes narrowing.

"What are you doing?"

"Helping you," I said. "You don't want to get soap or anything into your cuts, right? I'm just trying to cover them up so they can heal. And they're waterproof, too!"

"Why?"

"Why...? Are you asking why they're waterproof, or why am I covering them? Because I don't know the first question and I just said why for the second one."

"Not why are you covering them, why are you covering them."

"Oh," I said. "Um... because I want to? I don't know. It hurts if you get soap into a new cut. Or, like hand sanitizer, too. I got a papercut the other day, and forgot, so when I put hand sanitizer on later, it really hurt-"

"Shut up," he said, and despite the harshness of his words, I laughed. He looked at me curiously. I lifted one hand, showing the band-aid I had around my papercut. It was healed by now, but I'd just forgotten to take it off.

"Just so you know, I used the last of the Pokémon band-aids, so you'll have to settle for a Disney Princess."

"What? I don't-"

I ignored his protests and giggled once I'd managed to put the band-aid on him. "You got Cinderella! Cute!"

By the time I managed to cover the cuts he had, he was effectively annoyed with me, but I didn't mind, because his little pout was funny. When I finished, I threw the wrappers away and stood. I left the room, then turned. "I'll be back in that room where I got you the clothes, ok? That's your room, but meet me there once you're done, and I'll give you a tour!"

---

Levi didn't take long to shower. When he was out, he awkwardly stood hovering in the doorway of the room he'd been assigned and where I was waiting patiently for him. I smiled at him, then got off the bed to start the tour. I let him know that the bed there, the one I'd been sitting on, was his.

I told him how often we washed the sheets as I led him down the hall, pointing out the second bathroom, the other bedrooms, and Ms. Fields room, telling him not to go in there because, well, it wasn't ours to go into.

Then I led him downstairs, showing him around. The playroom, the kitchen, the dining room, the living room, even the closet where we kept our coats in the wintertime. He told me he didn't have a coat; I assured him that Ms. Fields would take him soon enough to get everything he'd need for clothes and even for school.

He'd questioned me about that: school?

I told him Ms. Fields doubled as a teacher, it was what she went to college for. But she found that she really wanted to open an orphanage, and so she did, with her sister helping her out when she could. Levi said he'd never been to school, but I let him know that I'd help catch him up, and so would Ms. Fields.

Downstairs we went, to see the second playroom and the laundry room. Then, back to the first floor, so we could peek outside at the kids playing out in the yard. They were all still terribly loud, even from in here. Ms. Fields was playing soccer with them, and Eren was clinging to her leg to try to keep her from scoring. She passed to Mikasa, who scored in her place, getting an angry shout from Eren.

I pointed out and told him the names of some of the kids, but he looked to be getting a bit overwhelmed, so I offered to show him to one of the quieter places in the house. He seemed a bit interested in that, but I smirked at him.

"I haven't shown anyone this spot," I told him. "So you have to promise that you won't tell anyone!"

"Promise...?"

I held my pinkie finger out towards him. "Yes, promise. No one else knows how to get there, so we have to keep it a secret. If you blab about it, I'll never forgive you!"

His eyes narrowed skeptically. "Then why are you telling me?"

"Because I trust you," I said. "Just, I'll trust you more once you promise." He seemed surprised by that. "Come on," I said, lifting my hand more to bring more emphasis to my waiting pinkie finger.

"Fine," he said quietly. "I... promise."

He lifted his hand to meet mine and I smiled once we linked fingers. "Great, now come on!" I took his hand in mine and started to run. He didn't say anything but ran alongside me. Back upstairs we went, to one of the closets in the hall.

I threw the door open, then let go of his hand and closed the door behind us. He watched as I started to climb up the shelves built into the wall. Once I was close to the ceiling, I reached up with one hand and pushed one of the boards away. It slid out of the way easily, and I turned my head to smile down at him. "See?"

He stood there transfixed as I continued to climb up, squeezing through the opening and into the attic.

Once upon a time, the attic had been used as another playroom, but the main way to get up – a pull-down staircase in the hallway – had been broken. At the time, Ms. Fields hadn't had the money to fix it, and eventually, she forgot about it. But I had found another way in. Well, I'd made one.

But it was perfect. It was quiet, and my own private space. My only private space, for that matter, and now... I was sharing it. But I could trust Levi. I wanted to trust Levi. So, I didn't feel the least bit bad about showing this to him. He climbed up only seconds after I had.

His eyes trailed around curiously. There were more bookshelves up here, and I'd stored my favorite books so no one else could read them while I brought the others down, only a few at a time, to avoid suspicion. There were a lot of discarded toys and playmats and things up here, and it stayed warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

That wasn't even the best part.

The open space that belonged to only me, the privacy, the quiet, none of those were my favorite part. "Over here," I called to Levi. I'd run to one wall, where the lone window in the attic was. It was circular, and was the face of a small, peaked section separate from the rest of the slanted roof.

I pushed it open, though it required more effort than usual because it'd been a few days since I'd gone out here. When it finally opened with a low squeak, I grinned, then looked back to make sure Levi was still here. He was.

I climbed out by sending my torso out first, then turning to sit on the windowpane. I set my hands above me on the peaked roof, then pulled myself up. I clambered onto the slanted tiles, then turned to help Levi if he needed it. He didn't, following my every move without hesitation.

I held my hand towards him, though I'm sure he didn't need it. Surprisingly, he reached for me, taking my hand. My grin grew wider, though I didn't even know that was possible, and helped him to his feet on the roof next to me.

We climbed up a bit further, and suddenly... we were looking at the whole of the city.

I sat down on the tiles, looking out at the city. It was a far better view than looking through gaps in the wooden fence, that was for sure. "Isn't it nice?" I asked. He sat down next to me, quietly, easing himself down onto the tiles as his eyes remained fixed on the view.

There was a far-off highway, lined with traffic. There was downtown, always busy, even on weekdays. And we could see the length of the road the orphanage was on, one that people drove along to avoid the highway traffic yet got caught in it again anyway as they tried to get back on. We could hear sirens somewhere, a firetruck going somewhere to save the day.

"You know," I said, looking over at him, "this makes us friends."

His icy blue eyes met mine. "W-What?"

I smiled. "I showed you this, and you swore to secrecy. This is my absolute favorite spot in the house, and I haven't showed it to anyone else. We're friends now."

He clicked his tongue, a funny, strange noise. He directed his head forward yet kept his eyes on me as his cheeks became dusted lightly with pink. "I don't know about that, brat."

I giggled; something about that was funny. "Brat? What are you, an old man?"

"N-No!"

"Right," I teased. "Sure."

"Shut up. You said this was a quieter place, and yet you're being loud."

"Sorry," I apologized with a light laugh. "But we are friends now."

He looked away from me and settled his focus on the city again. "I already forgot your name."

I gasped dramatically. "Levi, how could you?" He allowed himself to smirk, but he hid it by turning away. "(Y/n)," I told him. "That's my name."

Levi met my eyes again. He looked hesitant, even a bit nervous, but... he nodded. "(Y/n)," he repeated. "Fine. We're... friends."