~from (y/n)'s POV~
I opened my eyes and blinked.
White lights.
Blink.
Small room.
Blink.
Foreign bed.
Blink.
IV drip, heart monitor, breathing mask...
I closed my eyes.

~from Eren's POV~
We were all outside (y/n)'s hospital room: Sasha, Hanji, Himuro, Levi, and I. We were the people that had footprints in our hearts and souls from the path (y/n) had chosen to walk throughout her life. There were others, of course - Koganei, Furihata, Sakurai...but Levi hadn't felt the need to invite them.

~flashback~
"There's something I have to tell you," Levi said, and I turned to him.
"I'm listening."
~end flashback~

But Levi had shook his head and clammed up after that, insisting that it would be easier to inform everyone at once.
And now...here we all were.
Levi met Himuro's eyes, and Hanji nodded at him as though for support, Sasha just looking down at the ground.
What do the four of them know that I don't? And why is it such a big secret?
For once, Sasha wasn't eating, and that made me even more anxious.
"(Y/n)..." Levi began, struggling to get the words out. "She..." He frowned, clenching his jaw, and without another word, he turned and drove his fist into the wall. A few nearby people let out startled gasps and moved away quickly, but Levi just turned to face me with a calm yet sad air. "(Y/n) is dying."
A sound came out of me - part laugh, part gasp - but the denial was clearly evident. "No she's not. I saw her just today...she's fine...she's not dying. That's a mean joke, Levi, even for you," I said, trying to laugh, but my words fell short and sounded flat even to my own ears. Then after a moment of silence, "You...you can't be serious. Why...How..."
"AIDS," Levi replied, his eyes blank and slightly unfocused. "She's been dealing with the symptoms for over a year, but due to stress and recent events, her condition worsened more quickly than expected." He fell silent, and I realized that even such few details as these must be difficult for him to discuss.
"Wait," I said, recalling his words, as I probably would for the rest of my life. "You said...you said a year ago? Then..." I swallowed, and my eyes widened as the puzzle piece smoothly fit into place. "Haizaki," I murmured, and Levi's eyes grew colder at the mere mention of his name, his hands forming fists as though he still could feel himself punching Haizaki.
However much of that bastard's blood is on Levi's hands, it's not enough. It will never be enough.
Levi forced himself to close his eyes and calm down for a moment, and his hands slowly loosened and back against his sides. "(Y/n)...doesn't have much time left. She's tried so hard...to be at school, to come to our practices and our games...she did it all for us," he said, opening his eyes, and there was a depth to them that I had never seen before, that Levi had never let me see.
Or maybe he wasn't even conscious of it. Maybe he was so far gone in his grief that he couldn't put up the wall he normally did.
And if Levi was having a hard time coping, how could I possibly live with myself, knowing that every moment I was having fun, (y/n) was in pain, masking it with a smile, and I'd never known?
I never knew.
"You all...you all knew about this," I said glaring at them in accusation, which turned to disbelief after a moment. "Even...even you, Sasha?"
She nodded limply. "Hanji told me not too long ago."
"And nobody...nobody thought to tell me? Even though (y/n) is my close friend, even though I care for her deeply?" I asked, angry and confused and hurt and every shade of grief in between.
"It's because you care for her so much," Levi said softly, looking away from me. "(Y/n) never wanted anybody else to know. I think that she didn't want to be treated differently. She wanted to be herself, and for others to see her for who she was, not how many years she had left." He stopped abruptly, as though shocked at himself for making a mistake. "How many weeks, or how many days..."
He looked lost, but any compassion I may have felt for him was concealed by my present anger as I grabbed his shoulders, shaking him roughly, but he didn't resist. "Stop talking about (y/n) in the past tense, damn it! She's still alive, isn't she?!"
Levi blinked and seemed to come back to himself. He easily brushed my hands off his shoulders, and I let him. "She is," he murmured before looking up and meeting my eyes. "And she probably wants to see you."

~from Levi's POV~
Of course, she wants to see her brothers first. Himuro looked like he was still shocked; he hadn't said anything, not since he'd seen (y/n) being loaded on a stretcher and had ran across the court to accompany Eren and I to the hospital.
I guess it's up to me, then. I have to be the strong one. That's always been my job, but...can I still be that person?
I didn't have time to question myself - (y/n) didn't have time for me to question myself.
I went into the room.
***
(Y/n) was still unconscious, but I went ahead and took the seat next to her bed, reaching out for her hand, and as soon as our fingers connected, her eyes flickered sleepily. She blinked at me a few times until I nodded and adjusted the oxygen mask, placing it around her neck so she could speak.
"Levi," she said with a smile, although her eyelids looked heavy. "Good game."
Those three words nearly shattered my heart. Why is it that she always seems to care more about the people around her than herself? How was she able to fake a smile for this long? Well, if she can do it for me... I forced a half-smile on my face. "You know it, brat."
She smiled at me gently, her eyes closed. "I'm so proud of you, nii-san."
I lost it before, that one time. I still can't forgive myself for hitting (y/n)...but I understand now. I won't snap. Caring for someone isn't a weakness. This time when I raised my hand, it was to ruffle her hair. "Couldn't have done it without our manager."
She grinned, opening her eyes and looking at me fondly. "Good. I'm glad I was useful."
I laughed softly. "(Y/n), you're our MVP."
We laughed quietly together before a comfortable silence fell between us.
"Levi?"
"Yeah?"
"I want you to take care of Buttons."
Her words were unexpected, but I did my best to hide my surprise. "Of course, but aren't you worried that when you come home-" The words hurt in my throat, "that Buttons will like me better?"
She just smiled. "I don't want you getting lonely, silly nii-san."
I swallowed but tried to keep that smirk glued to my face. Hold it...just keep a smile on for (y/n)..."Lonely? Me? Never." I tried to find something, anything, to say. "So...Eren, huh?"
She nodded, looking down at her hospital gown. "He's...very special to me."
I waited a moment before replying, but the lightness in my tone was forced. "Yeah, well, when you get back, I'll have you know that I'm not letting you bring home any boyfriends, got it? And saying that he's just a friend from school is not a viable excuse, I'll have you know."
(Y/n) laughed softly to herself. "Nii-san, you're just being over protective."
My world froze for a moment. My heart was caught in between beats, as with the heart rate monitor that was hooked up to (y/n). Then, just as suddenly as time had stopped, it resumed, and I was left with a faint ringing in my ears. "Have I really managed to protect you from anything, (y/n)?" I asked quietly. The lightness was gone now.
Then, "Yep! Because nii-san, you know what you are, right?"
"What's that?" I asked, each breath anticipated a little too soon.
"It's because you're the man of the family," she said, and I'm still not quite sure why, but those words were what sparked something in me, and tears began silently flowing from my eyes, tears that neither (y/n) nor I made a note to acknowledge.
Man of the family...I don't know if (y/n) knew how much that meant to me, to know that I had managed to become someone who was able to fill the void left behind by a destroyed childhood, to look out for and protect members of my family, to provide for them and take action in their best interests. The modern value of a true man has gone down in the world what with common divorces and separations leaving kids like (y/n) and I without a proper father figure. We'd both grown up without a strong influence that inspired a feeling of unconditional safety, both gone to sleep at night with worries that a father was supposed to dissolve.
And I've become a man of the family...The words honored me to the point of hugging (y/n), easier said than done from my position in a chair and hers, laying down on a bed.
And yet, I didn't shift positions until a few long, silent minutes later, when I finally stood up and squeezed (y/n)'s hand, quite possibly for the last time.
"(Y/n), you know that I love you and that I'll always be here to protect you, right?" I asked, my voice thin to my own ears and lacking its usual bite, but when there's no time left, how can I afford to waste it by pushing her away?
"I know, nii-san, and know that I love you and I'll always be watching over you, okay?"
And then I just stood there, holding her hand for the longest moment before I finally nodded, tears still shining in my eyes before I slipped the oxygen mask back onto her lips, gave her a final kiss on the forehead, and walked away.

~from Levi's POV, present day~
To this day, I can still remember the feel of her small, delicate hand in my own, and I'll have to stop what I'm doing and just look up, because I know that somehow, she's still watching over me and making sure I don't screw up too badly.
Some days, when I feel her fingers ghosting through my own, I let a smile come over my face, knowing that that's what she'd want me to do. It can't be forced; she'd know, otherwise, and she'd be upset.
Other days, I just cry.