Their P.O.V.

It took Levi longer than usual to shower. What was normally done within five to ten minutes now took more than forty minutes! Levi repeated all the steps in washing at least three times. Wash the hair, the body, and then the face. He felt so dirty that he would have loved to stay in here until the warm water ran out, but after he finished the fourth wash, he finally felt like a normal person again. At least on the outside.

He still felt dirty inside, and no soap or detergent in the world can remove that stain. The bathroom was filled with a thick fog and Levi quickly got to dry and get dressed. The clothes Mikasa had brought him were a bit too big, but that was not important. All that mattered to him was that these clothes were clean, and as soon as his own clothes were washed and dried, he would finally be able to leave, get his things from Erwin's penthouse, and head to the next bigger town, out of this place, out of all this agony that reminds him with every look, with every breath of what ate him up inside.

Maybe he can avoid Mikasa long enough to escape the threatening interrogation. Not that Levi had high hopes, but it was worth a try. He didn't want to have to tell everything again. Especially not to Mikasa. He just wanted to leave everything behind and forget about it as quickly as possible. Everything.

Nina has Erwin now, so Levi was not needed anymore. That's how it always was and always will be. Why had he even believed for a moment that he would be granted a little luck?

Another ten minutes passed in which Levi just sat in the bathroom and stared out the window. He could do this all day. Since he broke up with Nina, it happened more and more often that Levi just sat there and stared into the nothingness, his eyes glazed and empty, but he knew he couldn't hide forever from the inevitable. Sooner or later he would have to leave this room.

Not that Levi was scared. He was simply following the deepest and most rooted instincts of humanity: avoiding things that cause pain and discomfort. Can you really blame him for that? As reluctantly as Levi could, he got up from his seat, opened the window, and left the bathroom. With his back straightened, his head upright and proud, he marched down to where Mikasa was certainly waiting for him. Even if he didn't feel the same way inside as he showed on the outside, it was in his nature to never show weakness, not even towards his cousin. The only exception ..... was one special person that is no longer part of his life.

"I'm here, Levi." Even before Levi reached the end of the stairs, Mikasa called out to him from the living room, and with a deep sigh, Levi changed direction, crossing the door frame and aiming directly towards Mikasa, who was sitting in her armchair with a serious, tense posture, a teacup clutched in both hands.

Without a word of reply, Levi sat down opposite on a red couch. The stark, eye-catching color completely stood out from the otherwise rather dark interior, but despite the strong contrast, the couch fit surprisingly well into the overall picture.

Silence filled the room.

Just the sound of the leather as Levi leaned forward to take his teacup from the table, fingertips elegantly holding the edge of the china.

Neither of the two black-haired said a word while Levi sipped his tea, eyes closed and his free hand laid casually on his lap, Mikasa staring at him from the corner of her eyes with a death glare.

"And? Don't you want to start explaining or do I have to squeeze everything out of you? " she snapped at him, tapping impatiently with one foot. Mikasa was out of patience for this shit!

Erwin was clearly more cooperative than Levi, but it was only one side of the story. Levi's version was missing from the whole picture, and Mikasa had made the decision to put an end to this stupid argument.

There was too much at stake for everyone involved, and she was sure that if only she could get Levi and Erwin to cooperate, the biggest problem could be solved.

And Nina was one of them. This whole mess revolved around her, so it would be her opinion and decision that ultimately decides everything, but if even half of what Erwin Mikasa told her was true, then she had hope.

"Tch. Why should I tell you anything anyway? I assume you already know that I broke up with Nina. The reasons or the exact circumstances are none of your fucking business. "

All right. Let Mortal Kombat Begin!

"Excuse YOU ?! It is my business! Nina is my friend! And if you have even a spark of honor in your body, then you will tell me here and now the reason why. I want to hear YOUR version of the story before I rip your ass in half. "

"Pardon? My version? That means you've already heard everything you need to know. Just from someone else. Was it Erwin? Or Nina? You know what? Fuck it! I don't want to know. Nothing I could tell you would change the situation, and I highly doubt that no matter what I tell you, I can't stop you from doing what you've set your mind to do. So quit the acting with Good Cop and Bad Cop and get straight to the point. The sooner you're done with your ranting, the sooner I can leave this shithole of a city and never look back. "

"Are you fucking serious ?! Are you seriously telling me you want to leave? Then you are even more a coward than I thought! "

"YES! I'M A COWARD! SO WHAT?! How would you like to look out the window every day and everything you see reminds you of the person you wanted to spend the rest of your life with just to face the reality that they left you for your best friend ?! Tell me! Would you like that ?! I bet you would even enjoy it! You like pain, don't you? "

"IT'S NOT ABOUT ME, LEVI! This is fucking about YOU and about pulling your fucking head out of your ass and finally think! Did you even think for a SINGLE moment? About what you do not only to yourself but also to Nina and Erwin? Has it ever crossed your mind to listen?"

"I don't give a damn. Why should I listen? And above all: to whom? Erwin? Nina? To you? Don't make me laugh. What could YOU explain to me about this situation? You don't even have the slightest idea what I'm going through! "

"Oh, I have enough ideas! For what do you think I would've invited you to my place that easily then? Just to take a shower? Don't you make me laugh. You should know me better and believe me: I know more than you know. More than you are ready to admit. "

"Oh, is that so? If so: Please! Mrs. Smart ass! If you think you're so much smarter than me Please, enlighten me. "

How much Mikasa despised the condescending, contemptuous tone in Levi's voice. The cousins were yelling at each other most of the time, and Mikasa was now glad that she lived in a house with no immediate neighbors and that Eren was out.

Levi was beyond angry. Not only that his own cousin interfered so shamelessly in his private life, but she also said she knew everything better.

If she wanted to insult him, Mikasa would have preferred to stick to jokes about small people.

Whatever was between him and Nina, it was over. No matter how much his heart ached at the thought of leaving, about leaving all to Erwin and leaving her behind, he had no other choice.

For his own good, he had to put as many kilometers as possible between himself and the new lovers.

"Oh, the Lord is stiff today. Well, you asked for it, but let me tell you one thing, you jerk: I won't let you go until you've heard EVERYTHING I have to say. The door is locked and the key is hidden, which means you're stuck here. Like it or not; you WILL listen to me. "

"Tch, you're exaggerating once again. Get a move on, then. The sooner I can finally get out of here. "

"Well. Then I'll get straight to the point: First of all: It is NOT entirely your fault. "

Wait, what ?!

Levi's eyes widened as he stared at his cousin in disbelief.

"I beg your pardon? If you want to fool me then you have chosen the absolutely inopportune time. And I'm NOT in the mood for jokes! "

"Shut up your mouth and open your ears! You understood me pretty well. It was NOT entirely your fault. Rather, all three of you are to blame for the current situation. You in the same way as Erwin and Nina. I guess you're smart enough to know that I've already spoken to Erwin about it and listened to his version of the story. His fault was that he had absolutely no control over himself. Those constant touches here and there, the subtle tokens of love, and so on. You don't do that when you know that a woman is already happily taken! And then Nina ... "

Mikasa inhaled deeply before releasing her breath in a loud sigh.

"This girl .... actually, you can only feel sorry for her, or you want to constantly slap her in the face for her naive stupidity. She should have set clear boundaries from the beginning and should have made it clear to Erwin that he has no chance and that she is not interested, which she didn't. She allowed all of that, was always friendly and welcoming to him, let him get away with everything, the hugs, and kisses, the compliments. A platonic relationship on a purely friendly basis looks completely different and under these circumstances, the relationship between the two ceased to be platonic a very long time ago. BUT!"

Levi was still sitting there quietly, his eyes wide open as if he couldn't quite believe what Mikasa was telling him. He had expected that she would stab him in the back, that she would just ram the knife deeper to rob him of the last spark of his will to live, but it wasn't like that, to his amazement.

So it was not surprising that Levi didn't move from the spot and kept listening.

"Now to you, Levi. It was your fault that you allowed all of this to happen from the start. You knew very early that Erwin had developed feelings for Nina, you knew what he felt about her and you did nothing to separate the two. You should have protected Nina from that! The poor thing is completely inexperienced in matters of love and is then bombed from two sides with such concentrated manpower. Did you really believe that there would be no consequences? "

"No. I agree." Levi replied meekly, sighing heavily.

"Well, insight is the path to recovery. This one serious mistake of yours, which dragged on for so long, did not help you, Erwin, or Nina. However ... if you watched the three of you, you could see exactly how different you were. Both, you and Erwin have fundamentally different characters and because of that, you were both able to give your dear Nina things that the other couldn't because he simply lacking them. Without knowing it, the two of you, or the three of you, complemented each other, and that is why we are now in this desperate situation. Levi ... can you follow me this far? Do you agree?"

Mikasa's tone had changed dramatically compared to five minutes ago. Instead of screaming and throwing insults around, she now spoke calmly and even tried to be empathetic. After all, it was still an affair of the heart. A matter of love. This requires sensitivity and a high degree of understanding.

Levi sighed loudly and hung his head. It was a lot what Mikasa told him, and honestly, he hadn't expected such an intense and deep analysis. Everything she said made sense, and although a part of him still refused to accept all of this and insisted that it was all Erwin's fault, the logic in Mikasa's words was undeniable.

So he had no choice but to nod silently.

"Do you understand Levi? Both of you, you and Erwin, were just too much for Nina. You just came into her life so suddenly and shook it to the core. Nina was just overwhelmed. You both knew what she had been through and how emotional and fragile she was, and yet you kept pushing her until the inevitable happened. It may be that she is the suffering victim here, but she is not entirely free from guilt either. "

"It is true. I let it all turn out that way. I saw how ... happy Nina was with Erwin, that he showed and gave her things that I didn't see myself able to do. I think I allowed it for that reason. All I wanted was to make her happy. "

Mikasa finally made it to convince Levi to overthink things. That he admitted this and finally started to think was a big step in the right direction.

"And that is also very commendable of you, but unfortunately the three of you got it all wrong. Nina trusted you infinitely, she loved you so much that you could actually see it. Just one look from you and she started smiling. She loved you so much, Levi. Do you really want to give this up just like that? I understand that feelings sometimes force us all to say and do things that we don't really want and maybe even regret later, but are you really sure you want to just let it end like that? "

"Tch. Do I have another choice? If Eyebrows told you what happened, you should know about everything. "

"Yes he did, but I still miss your version of the story. What exactly happened the night you broke up? I need to know Levi. Please."

Levi sighed long and loud as he ran a hand through his hair. He didn't want to tell everything and go through it again. Even for Mikasa, it was clear that just remembering that moment hurt Levi very much. Which normal feeling person voluntarily relives the painful moment of separation? But this only confirmed Mikasa in her opinion that Levi still loved Nina.

Levi, in turn, knew that Mikasa would not stop asking and would not leave him alone until he had told her everything until she was satisfied. She left him practically no choice. If he believed her words, what he did, she had locked the door and he didn't feel like jumping out of the window like a criminal.

"It started with the fact that since I came back from my last job in London, I felt a big change in Nina. No matter how hard she tried to smile, whenever she thought I wasn't looking, her expression darkened and I saw a deep, endless sadness in her eyes. For a while I ignored it. I hoped it was just a phase that would pass. I had been away for weeks, so I suspected it had something to do with that, but one evening ... I couldn't watch this misery anymore. I asked her what was going on, asked her to tell me about her suffering, but that was the moment when she collapsed in my arms. She cried so long and so bitterly that it tore my heart apart. In tears, she then confessed to me that she ... kissed Erwin. "

Levi paused briefly to compose himself, inhaling and exhaling as he recalled the most painful moment of his life.

"Of course I didn't believe her. At least not that she said it was her fault. The more Nina told me ... the more I thought it was all Erwin's fault. I ... didn't listen to her. Or I didn't want to listen to her, I think. I left her apartment in anger, although she tearfully begged me to stay with her, I didn't. Another big mistake I made. "

"And then what? Is that all?" Mikasa was a little confused. That what Erwin had told her didn't match Levi's story at all.

"Wait a minute. The worst is yet to come, " Levi warned, his voice taking on a sarcastic, almost threatening tone.

"Shit ... Do I really want to know what happened after you left Nina's apartment?"

"No. In short, I went straight to Erwin and confronted him, but he told me the same thing as Nina. I called him a liar, didn't believe him that he said my Nina would love him. It ... became too much for me and I lost control. "

"Levi? ............ What have you done?" Mikasa seemed to sense what Levi had done. Her tone darkened threateningly and her gaze got a piercing expression.

"Tch. Can't you think of it on your own? Do you really want me to say it? "

"Yes. I want to hear what happened and I want to know if you're sorry. Whatever you've done. "

Levi growled in annoyance. Mikasa can really be an asshole if she wants to and she knows exactly which buttons to press on Levi to make him angry. Why did he come here again? Suddenly the reason didn't seem so important anymore.

"I --... we argued very loudly and ... we fought. I beat Erwin up so bad... and didn't even stay with him. I called an ambulance and then left him to go back to Nina. "

"Goodness... Are. You. Insane? That's inhuman! And hideous! Even for you. You should be ashamed of yourself! How can you ?! Erwin is your friend, your comrade! "

"I KNOW! .... I know ... I told you I was out of control. I ... couldn't go on with my anger. I just wanted to let out this unbridled fury and Erwin didn't stop poking me and then it just ... happened. Now, after I had enough time to ponder everything that had happened ... I regret it. I shouldn't have done that to him, I understand, but I can't undo it anymore. It wouldn't even surprise me if Erwin never wants to see me again and prefers to have a good life with his new girlfriend. "

Mikasa groaned loudly, pinching the bridge of her nose as she leaned back into her seat, visibly struggling with the information she was just given. She should be surprised, shocked even, but somehow...she wasn't. Levi is her cousin after all. She knows him better than anyone else, inside and out, and considering that they both are more like twins than cousins, they also share one or two brain cells.

"It's still too early for that, Levi, but..." taking a brief break to sigh, Mikasa opened her eyes to lock them with Levi's

"I think I understand why you reacted the way you did. That was just...typical you. Losing your head and mind in emotional pressuring situations, but do you REALLY think that's reason enough to beat up your best friend?!"

Mikasa just can't help it. Again and again, she poked deeper into the wound to make sure she'd squeeze the last bit of agony and suffering out of Levi.

That's probably the least he deserved...