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You blinked a few times as you pulled yourself back from your thoughts and that memory. Your gaze remained locked onto the giant billboard, as its vibrant colors proudly displayed the Eldia Group logo against the gray skyline.

Memories began to flood your mind, as the bittersweet feeling of reminiscing that event reminded you of just how drastically things have changed over the past year.

With a soft sigh, your expression began to falter, and the weight of nostalgia suddenly settled heavily inside your chest. You couldn't shake it.

A year ago, there was still this naive hope inside of you that you were harboring, and you were blissfully unaware of what was swirling beneath the surface of your family's tendencies.

That lunch, even if back then it felt like any other get together, you could easily tell that the air was tainted somehow by the division your family was going through, and that you knew was deepening and worsening.

Things are a lot different now than they were back then and regret continued to gnaw at you as you reflected on how you allowed it all to spiral out of control.

Your family has only gone further towards the path of greed of ambition, and they couldn't hide who they really were anymore, and what they truly wanted. Their masks were slipping more and more with each passing day.

There used to be laughter that filled the air, that was truthfully just an attempt in trying to liven up the dark environment you were surrounded in, and now it was just replaced by whispers of so much rivalry and deceit.

You haven't talked to your cousins as much either since then. Somehow, things drifted away on their own and conversations became scarce, and each interaction felt like it was tainted with taint that you had no idea where it came from. It happened from one day to another, and it still puzzles you to this day.

That was yet another reason. To fill the absence of the lack of communication you held with the few people you actually got along with, you isolated and shielded yourself from the toxic web and everything you knew, which you began to assume was the very root of the problem, clinging to your strict and rigid work life.

You recognized that this wasn't a healthy choice. You weren't blinded or oblivious to that fact. But deep down you knew that you should reach out again, reconnect with those who felt like the only ones you could lean on, and be more open.

But what held you back from doing that before was the prospect of facing relatives who only relished and lived off of conflict, and fed off it.

You really didn't want to pretend anymore that you weren't surrounded by people who wished the worst for you, constantly. It was exhausting.

The alternative you chose meant you didn't have to feign happiness or gloss over their hurtful comments as if they didn't affect you at all, pretending it doesn't hurt. You were existing by your own terms, your own rules, and not by anyone else's. But sometimes you wondered if the solitude was really worth it.

The situation has only escalated since then, and it's worse now than ever because Grisha announced that he would soon declare who in the family would get his inheritance, including the entire conglomerate.

This just ignited a war within the family, and every gathering now felt like a war zone as your relatives are now pitted against each other and nothing was genuine.

Everything had a facade. There was an internal struggle for who would increase their power and legacy, and it was a battle of attrition against their own blood, and against people who were supposed to love and care about each other.

Genuine affection was a lost concept among them and everyone wore a mask, instead of the love that was supposed to unify them. That mask was a weapon now.

You had long abandoned the notion of a harmonious family that actually liked being around each other and your heart began to ache more from the connections you cherished that—Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Reiner.

When you said before that you wished you spent more time with a lot more people than Hange and Grisha, this is what you meant. You wanted to see the people that meant the most to you in your life and see how they've been doing and if they're okay.

You've spent so much time interacting with those solely associated with your work life that, now, you feel like you've protected your peace too much and you distanced yourself too much to the point that you barely saw any of them anymore.

It was a stark contrast to how much you used to hang around them. Interactions with your colleagues grew to be monotonous, lacking the warmth and authenticity that you realized you needed so badly.

They were the only ones who were able to see through the blurred lines, but your lives had drifted apart, and now you're all preoccupied with your own paths and the attempts to keep in touch had dwindled.

Despite how reluctant you were before about reaching out, you went back on those thoughts every once in a while and tried to convince yourself to reach out, even if it was just for a moment.

You built walls around your heart and it drew a wedge between the people you didn't know you needed the most until it was too late. They were constants, a common thread for you, and now it was frayed to nearly nothing. It saddened you deeply.

You regretted not making more of an effort, and as you expected to happen, most of your relatives stopped hiding their true colors and nobody wanted to stick around for that, so everyone dissipated, and all for one common reason. Still, you didn't blame anyone who did.

The environment now was just too hostile for your liking, and you could barely handle it. It took a certain mindset for you to be around them nowadays. Each family gathering felt like a minefield, and you just didn't have the strength to willingly put yourself through that.

The tension was unbearably palpable every single time and each conversation held an unspoken need for competition and hidden agendas. The bar was just nonexistent at this point.

The only other person who still firmly occupied a space in your life was Erwin. His presence was the very sense of normalcy that you needed amongst all the chaos, even through the hardships and distancing, your friendship with him stayed stronger than most.

And you came to the conclusion that most of that is because you and him stayed in contact a lot more since he offers to do the investments for your company very often. Even if you had a genuine friendship with him, sometimes when it was about work, it was just that and nothing more. You and him were work colleagues too.

You weren't completely alone in your retreat and decided to take distance. You didn't know this, but that conversation with Zeke that Eren eventually told you about was a big reason to finally step away, along with Mikasa and Armin.

The three of them were about to finish college soon and nearing the end of their academic years, so you understood their need for distance. You recognized that anyone with a clear conscience would feel compelled to escape a single afternoon in the toxic environment that became your family's new normal.

As you stared at the billboard, your thoughts spiraled into darkness as a distant look overcame your eyes. The logo blurred momentarily, and a message appeared on top of it, flashing across the screen: "Love the people around you. Trust leads to happiness'" It said.

A bitter laugh bubbled up in your throat and you felt the need to scoff. Unbelievable. It was painfully ironic how—your relatives of all people— were the very embodiment of betrayal and were still putting up that facade and masquerading as saints for the world to see. They should be the last ones to advertise a message like that. It was a load of crap. But what else could you expect from them?

With a frustrated huff, you turned your gaze away from the window and your fingers anxiously fidgeted and entwined them together on your thighs. The thoughts swirling and battling in your mind were too heavy, too insistent. They wouldn't leave you alone and let you think properly for a second. You just wanted peace for the rest of the ride back to the office, and you'd be okay.

And just as if the universe had been listening, knowing you wanted to escape your thoughts and were in dire need of a distraction, the stoplight flickered green, prompting Hange to accelerate and drive forward again, and thankfully pulling you back to the present.

You hadn't noticed the way that they had been glancing at you through the rearview mirror, with concern etched across their features, as they sent worried glances your way every once in a while.

They watched as your tension manifested into your posture and your body language, and worry deepened around your eyes. Hange's eyebrows were furrowed with skepticism and unease.

Everything about you said stress and anxiety. Ever since you'd left the building, Hange had been quietly preoccupied with your state of mind, and their own worry intensified as they sensed turmoil inside of you.

They were feeling troubled by the state you were in and what must be running through your head. You had promised them that you'd share your thoughts once the both of you were back at the office, but their curiosity was getting the better of them the more they observed you.

But they also knew that you'd either get past it, or when you feel comfortable you'd go to them. It's always been like that. It still didn't make it any easier to see you so troubled and upset.

The car ride was silent for most of the time after that, and all you could hear was the humming of the vehicle along the road.

The sounds of the city and the buzzing of the cars passing by in the background were muffled. But just when you thought you'd have peace and quiet until the end of the car ride, your phone suddenly began to vibrate insistently in your hand, breaking the silence.

You flipped over your phone, frowning and slightly furrowing your eyebrows at the unfamiliar number staring back at you. You've never seen it before in your life, and it wasn't a saved contact.

You couldn't recognize it. Your gut was telling you that it was probably just a spam call, but your curiosity and a bit of recklessness prompted you to consider answering it as your phone continued to ring incessantly.

After a moment of hesitation and a couple seconds of debating in your head passed, you decided to just take the plunge and answer. Fuck it, you thought to yourself, quickly swiping to answer and raising your phone to your ear.

There was anticipation hanging in the ear as you hoped that you heard something that indicated who was on the other line. You listened intently, but the silence on the other end stretched out, which compelled you to speak up first.

"Hello?" You asked tentatively, pausing afterwards to hear if someone was really on the other line. Your voice was just barely above a normal decibel or a whisper.

All you heard was silence, a quiet that gnawed at your gut. Realizing it was probably just spam, you were about to pull the phone away from your ear and hang up. But, then you finally felt a voice break through the stillness.

"Is this Ms. Y/n L/n?" The voice asked, and it was clearly a man. And it was completely unfamiliar to you. You've never heard it before in your life, you couldn't recognize it whatsoever. You hesitated, and your breath hitched slightly as a flicker of apprehension grew inside you.

"Who is this? Who am I speaking to?" You inquired, as the reluctance in your tone began to betray your discomfort. It sounded a little more unsure than you would've liked. Hange, still in the driver's seat, glanced back and forth between the road and the rearview mirror, as their eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Who were you speaking to?

This didn't sound like a typical phone call. Your entire body tensed and there was a weird feeling coiling in your body. The air in the car suddenly grew thick with uncertainty, and you couldn't ignore it.

"My name is Keith Shadis. I'm the head of Eldia Group's financial team, working for Grisha," He explained, but the name felt distant to you, and you came to a blank in your mind trying to see if you could recall it. But nothing came up. Then again, Grisha had thousands of employees, so this 'Keith' guy could easily be one of the faceless masses amongst hundreds of employees at Eldia Group.

You were somewhat reassured and at ease with the knowledge that he's calling from a familiar place that was known to you, and that it wasn't a spam call like you thought.

You realized that you could easily get this out of the way, since it was probably just a simple business call and that was something you were used to. But little did you know that this phone call wasn't like what you were thinking at all.

You thought you were talking to one of Grisha's associates who wanted to reach out for an inquiry or something of the sort, but you hadn't taken into consideration at all the way he was speaking. It was almost hushed, secretive, and almost like he didn't wan't to be heard and wanted nobody else to hear what he was saying to you.

At the moment, and completely unbeknownst to you. Keith was hiding in a dim, flickering bathroom stall, as the shadows wrapped around him. It was so ominous the way he used the darkness of the bathroom to hide as he spoke to you on the phone, using it to his advantage. You were completely unaware of all of that.

He was hyper-aware of his surroundings, acutely aware of any sounds around him to be alert for any footsteps that might intrude and come in between the gravity of what he was about to reveal to you.

"I'm making this call to share an important piece of information, but you must not share it with anyone" He said as you noticed how urgency suddenly lose its facade and there was urgency seeping into his voice.

The implications of his words suddenly sank in, you straightened in your seat, and the gravity of the situation suddenly began to shift beneath you. Something wasn't right.

You became aware of the fact that this isn't at all what you thought it would be and you straightened up in your seat. This was taking a different turn than you thought and it was starting to freak you out.

Your gaze flicked up to Hange, who locked eyes with you, as concern began to flare in her expression. With just their eyes, they asked what was happening and who you were on the phone with.

You shrugged, trying to mask your uneasiness. Hange's eyes widened and they tilted their head to the side, betraying her own confusion, all the while keeping her eyes on the road at all times.

The atmosphere in the car was only thickening, and palpable tension hung between the two of you. They were just as lost as you were, and nothing from this phone call was clear. It was so cryptic and unclear.

"What's this about?" You pried, wrapping your free arm protectively over your stomach, feeling that intense sensation of uncertainty in your gut begin to grow at the urgency in Keith's tone.

It was only more unsettling when you hear his breathing become heavier and tinged with desperation. You were feeling more and more skeptical by the second, and like this phone call wasn't safe at all either.

"I'm sorry, It's not something I can discuss or go into detail over the phone," He replied and the ambiguity left you even more perplexed. The silence on your end, solely from your inability to form any words because of your confusion, urged him to continue before it was too late for him to even get a word out. His urgency was getting the better of him. You just kept wondering what he was getting at or what he wanted.

"But all I can say right now..." He paused, and the silence stretched unbearably as you leaned your head forward in anticipation. Your heart began to race, hearing his voice falter and trail off, along with distant sounds indicating his carefulness—he was gauging his surroundings, making sure nobody heard him or was around during this part.

He paused because he'd briefly detached his phone from his ear for a second, and then put it back when you heard his voice get closer again, but this time his breathing was even more labored.

He had taken a moment to see if anyone could hear him or if he had imagined the sound of someone coming in. And you could recognize that it was out of fear, stress, and desperation all in one. It made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up with an unshakable feeling. Your emotions were spiking as you tried to stay collected.

Keith had briefly taken a moment to see if anyone could hear him or if he had imagined the sound of someone coming in. There was no way you couldn't recognize that all that shuffling and heavy breathing was out of fear, stress, and desperation all in one. It made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up with an unsettling feeling.

"...is that this information has the power to make you the new chairwoman of Eldia Group" Keith finally revealed, and your eyes widened, nearly bugging out of your head. Disbelief was crashing over you like a tidal wave and your mind began to spiral as you tried to process what you just heard.

Was he serious? Your mouth fell agape, and you nearly gasped. You didn't want to alarm Hange, noticing that their eyes were still focused on the road and you wanted to deal with this by yourself, and forget it ever happened.

The mere prospect of that revelation felt ludicrous to you. Was this a ruse to try and undermine Grisha? What kind of phone call was this? Were they trying to turn you against Grisha to take his place? It was no secret that despite Grisha having a lot of power, it was no secret that he's made, and still does, have many enemies.

Is that what this was about? If it was, why would you? Nobody could take his place, at least not for a very long time. And never in your life did you think that someone would be calling out of the blue to tell you that you would somehow be his successor. That wasn't even a thought in your mind. This had to be some sort of joke you weren't in on.

You've never met this man before, or even seen him in person, so why should you trust anything he was saying to you right now? For all you know, it could be someone who knew your position and was just messing with you, wasting your time, as unfunny as it would be. This had to be some sort of prank or scam of some sort.

"How did you get this number?" You demanded, your voice dropping to a low, serious tone. This is what really set of Hange at the front. Their gaze snapped to you in the rearview mirror, and an alarm flared inside them at the change in your demeanor. They could only see how you were completely immersed in that call and looking off to the side with a look they haven't seen on your face in a really long time.

You heard shuffling on the other end, and the urge to hang up right then and there began to claw at you. To tell him you weren't interested at all. But you remained on the line. "You have to trust me when I say that this information is priceless. You cannot share it with anyone. So please, think it over and call me back," He urged, his voice laced with frantic edge and desperation.

Just as you were about to open your mind to respond, the line went dead. Keith had hung up abruptly before you even had a chance to rebuttal. For a moment, you just sat frozen, and your mind was racing as you peeled your phone away from your ear. What just happened?

What was that call about? The weight of his words hung in the air like a cloud over you. The tone in his voice and his urgency for a moment made you believe that this was a serious matter that could take up minutes of your time and would be another issue you'd have to make time for to find a solution for, but after he said, you realized the exact opposite.

This was probably just a ruse to waste your time, but who would spend their energy doing something like that? You don't know what to think. Why couldn't you escape your family's business and had to be constantly be dragged into it no matter how hard you avoid it?

You're just trying to manage and run your company in peace and now you're receiving calls about you succeeding Grisha and take his place? Now you knew for sure someone's trying to mess with you.

You huffed a breath in disbelief and shook your head, dropping your phone down to your lap and looked out the window while a million thoughts suddenly resurfaced in your head. The outside world blurred by and a cascade of chaos began to swirl within your thoughts.

You don't know what it was but what was it with today and all these weird things happening? You just wanted the day to end already and forget any of this ever happened. You already had too much to think about to give that an ounce of energy.

"That was weird. I don't know what that was," You said dismissively as you kept your eyes were set on looking outside the window, quietly watching cars go by. One last time, Hange's eyebrows furrowed with worry as their keen gaze locked on you through the rearview mirror once again.

What you said now and how you reacted on that call did not correlate or connect at all. Your composure told a different story and they knew there was a fragile shield against the turmoil that was brewing inside you. They knew you were downplaying it again, trying to push it down, and Hange could tell from a mile away. It's become so easy over the years.

You were trying to save face, stay level-headed, pretend it doesn't bother you. But they could tell you were taken aback from whatever they told you on that phone call, and one day, Hange worries it might just be too much for you to handle to push it all down to appear strong for everyone else to see.

They have known you for long enough to see through your bravado, and that beneath your stubborn exterior, you had a need to appear strong, and the weight of the world felt unbearable.

From the moment they met you and became your assistant, you've always been so headstrong and nothing could ever change your mind once you're set on it. Hange just hopes that you can keep confiding in them like you've always done, and not try to keep up appearances and not seem weak.

That phone call looks like it only added to what's already happened to you today and you clearly weren't taking it well. They knew you were trying to keep to yourself, and be peaceful, focusing on yourself, but sometimes being alone isn't enough to maintain the peace you're trying to build up.

Those walls can come down just as easily as they came up, and even if you denied it, Hange would stand by you, no matter what. With a heavy sigh, and went back to more pressing matters, shoving aside the unsettling phone call for now, or forever, you hoped. You sent back any irrelevant thoughts to the back of your head yet again.

Even amongst all this chaos, there was still one thing that you had actually been wanting to settle once and for all ever since Hange confirmed for you who had been responsible. You were going to take care of it anyway despite the call happening and disrupting your original plans.

"Hange, could you please find out and send me Karina's schedule?" You requested, a determined edge creeping back into your voice and Hange was quick to nod and understand your request.

She knew there was a reason behind you asking that and found a solution to the problem, so if the article issue was what you wanted to focus now and you thought that's what you needed, then they'd happily make your request happen.

"Of course, y/n. Right away" Hange replied, their glasses catching the sunlight that was pouring in through the windows, a reassuring smile playing on their lips. You nodded, feeling a flicker of relief and satisfaction fill your body. This was the one thing you wanted to get out of the way amidst the chaos of everything that's already happened.

But it looks like the universe wasn't quite done with you yet. Just as you were beginning to settle your thoughts, your phone suddenly buzzed against your lap, cutting through the thick tension in the car that was just starting to dissipate. But this time, it wasn't a call, but a text.

You flipped your phone over again, unlocked it, you opened your messages app. The text was from Grisha. At first, you didn't think much of what you thought it could be—you were expecting just a quick update on how his appointment had gone, like he promised he'd do.

But this message was entirely different. You just couldn't catch a break today, could you? You opened the conversation, and as you read the text, your heart plummeted to your stomach, and you felt your blood run cold.

Grisha: Y/N, this is it. My time is here. I'll see you in heaven.

Your eyes widened, and you straightened up in your seat. Your heart rate began to pick up again. What the hell was this? What did he mean? Panic surged through your body, your mind went in overdrive for several seconds as you continued to stay fixated on the words on your screen.

Suddenly, your mind honed in on one thing and one thing only. You looked up from your phone and looked up to look at the driver's seat. "Hange! Take me the to the hospital Grisha's at right now! Please!" You said as you caught a glimpse of Hange in the rearview mirror.

They nearly jumped at the urgency in your tone, and the distress behind it. They didn't know what caused your reaction, but they were quick to understand nonetheless that by your tone, there was no time to ask questions or for explanations because they were sure not even you knew what was happening, and you just wanted to get to the hospital.

Without hesitation, Hange nodded assertively and they immediately switched lanes, swerving the car into a different lane, speeding directly towards the hospital. They changed their route as fast as they could, because they knew you didn't want to waste any time.

As the car raced forward, you looked back down at your phone again, reading Grisha's message repeatedly, as your leg bounced nervously. Your mind spiraled into worst-case scenarios of what this could be. That text couldn't mean what you thought, right? Just earlier he had seemed fine.

He texted you earlier and nothing from it indicated that he was in any sort of danger in regards to his health. You assumed he was fine. What if he wasn't? What if you've been so caught up with everything that's happened that you misjudged the entire situation entirely?

After that, the world around you became a blur. Soon enough, Hange halted the car to a stop in front of the hospital entrance, and before the car came to a complete halt, you flung the door open, hopped out of the car, shut the door again, and bolted inside.

There was hurry and distress burning in your veins as you pushed the door open and ran towards the front desk. You don't know how to keep it together right now and it felt as if everything was spinning out of control. This was all too much.

Hange watched through the window from the inside of the car as you dashed in, and anxiety was gripping them. They wondered what it was that caused you to have to rush here so suddenly.

If something had happened to Grisha, they feared you might not recover from it this time. You've been able to move past many things, push them down, and forget they ever happened. But whether it happened now or in the near future, there was no telling how it would change and affect you.

You reached the front counter, breathless and frantic. The receptionist looked up, surprised about your abrupt arrival. She regained her composure, straightened up, and adjust her glasses, noting how your fingers were drumming anxiously against the counter. She figured you were looking for someone by your entire body language.

"Good afternoon. How can I help you?" The woman asked as she intertwined her fingers together on the counter. You swallowed hard, momentarily frozen as the words you wanted to say caught in your throat.

But, finally, clarity broke through your haze of panic, you found your bearings and your mind finally allowed you to think clearly.

"Y-Yes, my name is Y/n L/n. I'm looking for Grisha Jaeger. He was here for a checkup, I need to see him" You said, and your voice trembled a little and you stumbled over your words at the beginning.

The receptionist quickly began typing away in her computer, and as you waited, you scanned the room as anxiety continued to gnaw at your insides. You waited for her to finish, and soon enough, she looked up again at you.

"Okay, and what is your relation to him?" She asked, and you suddenly froze at that question. Grisha did take you in when you were younger, and he's always treated you like you were his own daughter, the one he never had, but at times like this when questions became so literal and specific, you never knew what to refer yourself as when faced with the label.

After a moment, you managed to respond, your voice steadying despite the turmoil you felt inside. You found an answer, the fastest one that would get you to him quicker. You didn't have time to get technical right now.

"I'm his...daughter," You said, feeling a strange sensation hit you as soon as you said it openly. You've never really had a specific label when it came to your relation with him, but this would have to do.

Though, the lady raised an eyebrow at your answer, noting that there was a clear difference. The two of you had different surnames, so she needed to make sure before she gave you Grisha's information.

It also didn't help how hesitant you were when answering. "Different last names?" She asked skeptically, but you nodded and were quick to answer this time. You understood her confusion so you wouldn't mind clearing it up.

"Um, yeah. Adoptive. I kept my last name" You clarified, and the lady couldn't see but your foot was tapping anxiously behind the counter as you waited for the questions to be concluded. You hoped that what you answered would be enough for her to let you know where he is.

The woman hummed in response. "Understood. Give me just one moment" She responded and continued to let her finger fly over her keyboard in her computer.

Time seemed to stretch as you waited, with each second feeling like an eternity and the longer she typed and continued the procedure. Your fingers tapped against the counter and your leg continued to bounce nervously.

Finally, she looked up at you after it felt like she had been typing forever. You didn't want to let those intrusive thoughts of the possibility in your conscience that it might be too late already.

But you refused to let yourself believe it. Your mind was spiraling with possibilities. Finally spoke up, while still keeping her eyes on the computer in front of her.

"Alright, I can see you in his record. Go to the elevators, head to the 10th floor, he's in the VIP section, room 312," She said, and relief washed over you. You gave her a beaming smile of gratitude. "Thank you!" You said quickly leaving the front desk and dashing toward the elevators.

Your heels clicked against the floor as you rushed to get to the buttons, and when you did, pressed the button to go up and waited for the elevator to arrive. The elevator was currently at another floor so you waited anxiously, watching as the numbers went lower and lower.

It felt like an eternity and breathed out in relief when you saw the numbers lower to the first floor and the doors finally opened. You stepped inside, pressed the button to the 10th flood, and saw the elevator doors close a couple seconds after. The elevator started rising shortly after that.

You were tapping your foot against the floor with anxiety flooding your body even more. Please be okay, Grisha. You thought to yourself as you closed your eyes and leaned your head back against the elevator wall, trying to block out any intruding thoughts that were worsening your worry for him.

You just wanted to silence all these fears in your head that were trying so hard to overwhelm you and not see the silver lining. When the elevator doors opened on the 10th floor, you immediately rushed out as soon as the doors open and headed straight for the room you were told Grisha was in.

Your heart was pounding in your ears with every step. From how you were running across the halls looking for the room, people in your vicinity glanced at you, and stared with confusion, but none of it mattered to you and you payed no mind to them. You had much pressing matters to get to right now.

As you finally reached the VIP section, you turned a final corner and your heart raced at the sight of the door marked '312'. Adrenaline surged through your veins. Without a moment of hesitation, you pushed the sliding door aside, revealing a short hallway that led to a lounge area and another door at the end. You huffed, propelling yourself forward, with urgency pushing you to go forward.

You barely registered the inconvenience of the second door; all that mattered to you was reaching Grisha's hospital room as quickly as possible. But when you stood before it, you paused to catch your breath as anxiety tightened in your chest. You weren't sure you were ready for whatever was awaiting you on the other side, but you wouldn't turn back now. You needed to see if he was okay.

When you finally opened the door, and time seemed to freeze and stand still. You blinked as you tried to process the scene before you. You didn't know where to look or what exactly it was that you were looking at. You couldn't process it at all. In front of you, Grisha laid motionless in the hospital bed he was in, seemingly unconscious.

You felt your heart sink and plummet, your breath quickened and became more labored as more despair washed over you. Your eyes were wide in disbelief and felt paralyzed. You couldn't move a muscle. The scene you were witnessing felt horrific and the reality of his condition overwhelmed you and your entire body.

Every thought, every movement in your body, every sensation froze as you struggled to comprehend the gravity of the situation and what was in front of you. You'd feared this moment, and now it was a reality. Your mind went blank, you didn't know what to think.

"Grisha..." You whispered, releasing your grip on the door and cupping your mouth with your trembling hands as horror gripped your heart. Your eyes were wide with horror and distress. You wanted to run so badly to be by his side but your legs felt heavy, rooted down to the floor. Why couldn't you move? You wanted to so badly

Suddenly, you heard a familiar voice broke through the haze of your shock. "Y/n!" The voice called out, with footsteps following it, and when you turned, you finally caught sight of who the voice belonged to as Eren stepped into view.

Relief washed over you, but it was quickly overcome by the rush of such conflicting emotions you were feeling, that you were certain he was most likely feeling as well.

Since you hadn't opened the door fully, you didn't have a clear view of the room, so then after you heard that voice you began to hear footsteps from the part of room you hadn't quite had a chance to lay eyes on the rest of the room.

When you turned your head and saw Eren, you couldn't explain how happy you were to see him. You nearly teared up. There was just such an overflow of emotions that you couldn't quite process this, it was just too much for you.

You couldn't help but notice that he was alone; Mikasa and Armin were nowhere in sight. Their absence weighed heavily on you and it was one of the first things you noticed. The sight of Eren brought bittersweet comfort to you, and you kept wondering what was going through his head.

Grisha was his dad, and it looks like Eren arrived here a while ago and got here first, so you can't imagine what he's thinking right now, or what he's been thinking this entire time. Staying here by his dad's side while he's in that state.

At the same time you were feeling insanely glad he was here too. The moment you saw him, there was a whirlwind of emotions that surged within you—relief, sorrow, and the undeniable weight of what was happening right now.

"Eren..." You managed to say, as your hands fell from your mouth. Your voice trembled as you took a step towards him, with tears threatening to spill., leaving the doorway behind. You made eye contact and you knew you couldn't contain your emotions anymore, as much as you tried to see the silver lining.

Everything that's piled up today has made this the final straw for you and you couldn't handle it. You also couldn't ignore the toll that this situation has clearly taken on him. His eyes were somber and tired, his lips were downturned in a frown, his features dropped, and the weight of his expression mirrored the dread that was gnawing away at you.

His entire demeanor hinted exactly at what you had been dreading since the moment you got that text. It only scared you even more. The weight of his gaze told you everything you were fearing.

You hated that you couldn't relish in the fact that you're seeing him again after so long, but because there was clearly something bigger here happening. You could reminisce later.

That very realization was finally what got your legs to start cooperating. You stepped closer to Eren and into his already outstretched arms. The two of you embraced tightly, and the moment served for both of you as a reunion and a source for comfort simultaneously amongst all of this chaos.

It wasn't easy to see the most important person in each other's lives in a state like the one Grisha was in. You needed each other more than ever now. The two of you stayed like that for a few seconds, until you finally decided to speak up.

You needed to know how he got here, if Grisha sent him the same message, and what was the rundown of everything. You needed to know how it came to this. Why was it out of nowhere? Did something happen during the checkup?

"You got a text too, right?" You asked him, your voice trembling as you tried to swallow the lump that was forming in your throat. You detached from his embracce and when you looked up at him, he nodded silently, his expression unchanging.

When he placed a reassuring hand on your shoulder and he squeezed it lightly, it felt like a silent promise. But you wish he knew that from that hug, you swore that you would be there for him as well during this. The two of you wouldn't face this alone.

He needed that reassurance just as much as you did, if not more, and here he was, making sure you knew that everything would be okay in the end. "I had just gotten out of class. I didn't even think twice before coming here. Mikasa and Armin are probably wondering where I went but I had to be here" Eren said as his eyebrows furrowed, gaze pained. You saw the way his eyes flickered towards Grisha, as en unspoken promise lingered in the air from him to his dad.

Then he suddenly remembered its probably best if he tells his best friends what happened. He made a note to himself to call them after. They cared about Grisha as well and its best if they knew, too. The both of you stood side by side as you both turned your bodies to face Grisha, once again.

When your eyes landed on Grisha again after that hug, you couldn't help but feel like all of those emotions of dread flooded back into your body. You took a deep breath and quickly approached one side of Grisha's bed, while Eren went to his dad's other side, sitting down on the chair he was sitting in before by Grisha's bedside.

You were trying to push past the fear, but it was hard when you could hear all of those machines beeping, reminding you that this checkup was definitely not as simple as you thought it was. It was a grim reminder that you weren't here when he needed someone the most and you kept kicking yourself for that.

You placed a hand on his shoulder, another on the top of his head, trying to inspect if the reason for all of this was physical injury, but then remembered that he came in for a CT scan, and looking for an external injury was a waste of time.

But you were holding onto anything at this point. A single sign that could give you a shred of hope, you would take. The crushing reality was settling over you painfully. "Grisha? Grisha, please wake up," You pleaded as your voice that had gone from horror and desperation, was now beginning to waver and you couldn't even hide the fact that your voice was beginning to break.

That lump in your throat was getting harder to contain. You shook him gently, hoping he'd wake up, but nothing was working. He wasn't budging and reality was starting to set in. Your breath hitched and each inhale was a struggle.

Your breathing was getting more choked and labored, as hard as it was to control it. You turned your head back, grabbing the nearest chair, and pulling it by his bedside just like Eren.

And as soon as you sat down, you scooted closer to Grisha, and grabbed his hand with desperation, holding it tight as you looked up at him and how immobile he was. This wasn't real, this wasn't happening. He came in for a simple checkup. He woke up this morning as healthy as can be. What went wrong?

"Please, Grisha," You whispered as you raised his hand to press against your face and you closed your eyes. The tears were becoming harder to keep at bay.

This had spiraled beyond anything you could have ever imagined, and just didn't seem real to you. He had come for a simple checkup and that was it. This was too surreal and it felt more like a nightmare than anything else.

This wasn't supposed to happen at all, how did it come to this? Why has this day been the way it has with life throwing you one curveball after another? He had to be alive, this couldn't end like this. It just couldn't.

You looked up at Eren and saw he was leaning forward with his elbows on the edge of the bed and his eyes locked on his dad. His breathing was shaky as the pupils in his eyes darted all over his dad's form. One of his hands was covering the lower half of his face as his eyes continued to drop.

He has been here for a bit longer than you, and to you it looked like he was still holding onto the shred of hope that his dad would be okay. The fear in his eyes reflected how he was truly feeling even if he wasn't saying anything. But beneath it alll, there was a glimmer of resolve in his eye, as if he knew something you didn't.

"Don't go...please, we need you" You murmured, lowering your head and pressing your forehead against the mattress, while you continued to hold his hand in your grasp desperately.

He was your anchor and he has been since you were a little girl. He's the reason you were here today. If he was gone, what was going to happen? The thought of it was unbearable to you. You didn't even want to think about that.

You breathed in and out, clutching to him like a lifeline, hoping to get any sort of comfort within yourself that he would be okay. He needed to wake up. You inhaled deeply, trying to gather any shred of hope as you clung to his hand.

This day couldn't get worse than it already has. What would you do without him? He couldn't just go like this. You refused to believe that this was the end. But as you kept your head down, you remained blissfully unaware of what was happening beside you.

Suddenly, Grisha opened his eyes and glanced down at you. Realizing you hadn't noticed that he was awake, he turned his head towards Eren, whose expression of dread transformed into a knowing smile as he straightened up in his seat.

They exchanged a conspiratorial glance, and Grisha gestured with a subtle nod. They were trying to be as quiet as possible. Eren understood the message immediately.

With a mischievous grin, Eren reached down below the bed and retrieved a birthday cake that they'd been hiding beneath it, carefully placing the fancy box on his father's lap, all while trying to maintain the silence.

You could lift your head at any moment, and their surprise needed to unfold perfectly. They'd been planning it for weeks on end so that it could work out the way that they'd imagined it.

When Eren positioned the cake correctly and steadily, Eren raised his hand and gave his dad a thumbs up. Grisha smiled lightly and turned his head back to look at you.

It stung a little how he could hear sniffles starting to come from you, so that was when he decided he needed to do this now, and hopefully it would lift your mood.

Making it seem as if he just woke up, Grisha put on a facade and let his features on his face drop and finally spoke up, letting their plan go into action.

"What are you doing, y/n? Mourning me already?" Grisha asked, keeping his voice neutral, yet soft, and not even a second passed after hearing his voice that your eyes shot open while you still had your head down, your sniffles ceased and your body visibly tensed.

Are you hearing things now? Your mind stilled for a second and all you could ask yourself in your head is if you heard Grisha speak.

You kept your head down for a couple seconds, but then you were brave enough to slowly start to lift your very teary eyes, and look up to see that Grisha was looking at you with a fond smile on his face.

Your head felt like it was short circuiting for some reason, and you couldn't tell if you were imagining this. And you got even more confused when your gaze shifted from Grisha to Eren and saw that the brunette had a smile mirroring his dad's.

Your mouth was agape and your eyes were wide as you tried to piece this together. At this point, this whole day felt like a fever dream to you. What the hell was happening?

You genuinely thought Grisha was between life and death and now he's here smiling as if he didn't just put you through the worst shock you've had in a while. Your eyes went from Eren, to a box nestled in Grisha's lap, and you let go of Grisha's hand to straighten up in your seat without saying a word.

You didn't say anything either as you watched Eren's eyes soften, and then seeing him reach into the box, pull out a small cake that could feed a couple people at most, and set it on top of the box.

When he did, Eren and Grisha's smiles brightened and they both straightened up in their place. But you didn't know what was happening. You blinked at them as your eyebrows furrowed and you looked at both of them like they had two heads each. What was the point of this?

And you felt yourself losing more brain cells when they spoke up. "Happy birthday, y/n!" They both said in unison and bright smiles on their faces as they watched your reaction.

But all they were met with was how your look of confusion was morphed into a deadpan expression as you huffed through your nose. It finally clicked.

Without another word, you grabbed your purse and stood up from the chair, preparing to walk out of the room. But when Eren and Grisha realized you didn't find their little idea to surprise clever or funny, they immediately began to protest. "Where are you going?" Grisha said as he sat up in his bed, watching you walk out.

"Wait! Y/N! Come back!" Eren said through laughs and that enough seemed to make you halt on the way to the door, slowly turning around and giving them both unamused looks. When you turned around, you noticed that they were both giving you bashful smiles, trying to make the situation a little better.

"This isn't funny, do you guys know how scared I was? God, I genuinely thought you were gone," You said as you looked at Grisha directly in his eyes, feeling very irritated as you started walking back to them, but not sitting back down in your chair quite yet. You went from looking at Grisha to quickly turning your gaze to lock eyes with Eren.

"And you! You were going along with it too! God, you two are morbid" You said, lifting up your arm and gesturing to him with your hand and letting that arm fall to your side.

Eren raised a hand to rub the back of his neck as his bashful smile never left his face and he awkwardly looked off to the side to briefly make eye contact with his dad and then look back at you.

"Well, Dad asked me to come so I could help with the surprise. But I wanted to be here too. I wanted to be here for your birthday," Eren said, and hearing that, your features softened a fraction.

You sighed and ran a hand back through your hair. You understood what they were trying to do, and you loved that they went through the trouble to do this and get you a cake everything, but, did they have to do it like this?

"Well, then you're one hell of an actor, Eren" You said as you began walking back down to your seat and sitting down, shifting your eyes between the two of them.

Eren's smile grew as he watched you sit down, and that angry look on your face was no longer there. That was a good sign, and they'd both take that as a sign that your emotions were simmering down and you could enjoy your birthday properly.

For a couple of years, you haven't been celebrating your birthday in a grand way like Grisha has always wanted for you. Either you were overbooking your birthday with work so you didn't have to celebrate it, didn't want a big fancy party, or just weren't interested in celebrating it at all.

They knew you rarely celebrated your birthday nowadays, and for good reason. You never liked to talk about it, and nobody ever pried. While Eren knew you didn't celebrate it, he didn't know why, and neither did many people in the family. Grisha was the only one who really knew.

But, Eren and him figured if it was just a small group of people and intimate, just the three of them, you'd like it a whole lot more. That's how they decided it would just be the three of you and a cake. You seemed to be liking it so far, so even if it was a rocky way to get to this point, it was worth it to them.

He noticed the way your eyes and your expression softened as you looked between him, his dad, and the cake. "Well, did you at least like the surprise?" Eren piped in, gesturing with his head to the cake. He hoped you at least liked that part, even after the whole prelude to the surprise that you weren't fond of.

"I appreciate it, I do...but I'm sure there could've been a better way to do this. My heart almost leaped out of my body coming here. You guys know I never celebrate my birthday," You said, as you looked at both of them and they nodded understandingly.

"That's exactly why we did it. You need a break, too. Even if it's just for a couple minutes with us. It was the only way we could've gotten you here. You always find an excuse and would've tried to avoid it. Look, we even got you your favorite kind of cake" Grisha said as he raised a hand and placed it on your shoulder, gesturing with his hand to the cake.

Even if you never put in any attempts to enjoy your birthday like you should, and as Grisha has insisted that you do for years, you weren't going to shut down their efforts now. You were already here after all.

You came all this way, they went through the trouble to get you here, even if it was almost heart attack inducing, You appreciated that they did this, truly.

"Well, thank you," You said, as a small smile tugged at your lips, and Eren and Grisha both looked at each other in victory and watched you lean forward, closer to the cake as you looked at it. It really was your favorite flavor of cake. Your smile grew.

"Did we really give you that big of a scare? How did it feel to think I was gone? I have years ahead of me, y/n" Grisha said as he had Eren and him begin to cut small pieces of the cake for each of you.

"Did all of our memories flash before your eyes?" Grisha said as a teasing and knowing smile appeared on his lips. You deadpanned at him, because he clearly already knew the answer and was just playing with you.

"That's an understatement and you know it. I couldn't think of anything else, my mind felt like it was going through a movie. A horror movie, at that. So, thank you, old man," You said as you crossed your arms and leaned back in your seat, but your smile was matching his so he knew you were teasing him back.

Grisha chuckled at your words, and continued to cut the cake with Eren, who had a smile on his face just by listening to the conversation you were having with his dad.

"I felt like you could use this, dear. And you never like the surprises or the gifts I give you. I thought this would be the year you finally did" Grisha said, as he and Eren set aside some pieces in a few paper plates they bought so the three of you could eat here in his hospital room together. You gasped at his insinuation.

"What? That's not true. I like all of your gifts, or most of them anyway. Do you remember that time on my first day of class at college and you showed up with a limo?" You deadpanned, knowing he wouldn't be able to escape that memory. You crossed your arms as it vividly replayed in your head over and over.

You watched him look away and you knew he couldn't deny it. You shrunk in on yourself whenever you remembered that moment.

And back then, you understood and appreciated his attempts, but it didn't take away from how embarrassing it was. Everyone around watched it happen and it took you a while to move past it.

"He did that with me, Mikasa, and Armin, too" Eren cringed as he remembered how he and his friends couldn't face anyone else that day. It took a while for people to forget that. He couldn't forget the stares people gave them, it was haunting.

"Yeah, he didn't learn the first time" You said as you received a plate with cake from Grisha, not missing how he was giving you an impassive look, and you couldn't help but chuckle lightly. He knows exactly what he did, but clearly doesn't regret it.

-

FLASHBACK

The first day of classes had ended and you were walking down the steps of your university's entrance with a couple girls you met along the day. You had made a good impression, and felt like it was a solid start for a growing friendship with them for what awaited you for the rest of your college years.

Most of the students were walking out of the building too and were about to head out of the school, so there was chatter and conversation all around. Most of the student body was outside. But that came crashing down soon enough.

As you were walking down the steps with the girls you met on either side of you, all of you stopped in your tracks slowly on the stairs when you spotted a crisp white limo suddenly pull up on the curb to the entrance of the school.

There was also a big banner plastered on the side of it; 'Congratulations y/n on being admitted at the top of your class!' It said, And you felt your blood run cold as you realized what this was. There was also a big bow hung on the back of the limo.

Your mouth dropped agape and your eyes widened at what you were witnessing. But, as if that wasn't enough, when one of the windows rolled down and you saw Grisha poke his head out, you exhaled and closed your eyes with exasperation.

You should have seen this coming. "Congratulations, y/n!" Grisha exclaimed as he suddenly extended out a bouquet of flowers out the window and you felt all color drain from your face. You felt the girls suddenly turn to look at you with barely contained laughs and smiles, and not only them.

But it wasn't just them, but also every other student who was able to piece together that this gesture was for you was looking at you. You looked around and suddenly found it necessary to do the one thing you could possibly do in this situation.

Ignoring the stares you were getting, you immediately turned on your heel and began to make your way back up the stairs, not looking back for a second and ignoring Grisha's calls for you to come back.

"Y/n! Where are you going? You have to take this! Y/n!" He continued to call out for you, but you were already making your way through the doors of your school, and heading back inside.

-

You raised your eyebrows at him as you gave him a knowing look, clearly watching him recall what he did and then see the look you were giving him.

"What? I didn't want the other kids to look down at you for being an orphan, I thought it was a good idea. I already apologized" Grisha said bluntly as he laid his plate down on his lap, still very much avoiding eye-contact with you.

Eren raised an eyebrow at his father's words, but quickly went back to eating his cake. He didn't want to remember when it happened to him. You thought his reason for that occasion was fair, he had good intentions but there were many situations after that in which you still had no explanation for even after all this time.

"Then what about the time you payed my boyfriend in college to break up with me?" You brought up, and this was something Eren had never heard before, so his eyes widened and he dropped his fork, gaping at his dad with disbelief.

Grisha didn't mind the two of you staring at him, because in his mind, he had a very good reason for that too. You just needed to see the bigger picture. "I didn't like his vibe. He wasn't good enough for you," Grisha said simply and took the first bite out of his cake, and then fixing his glasses on his face. You narrowed your eyes at him.

-

FLASHBACK

You and your boyfriend at the time were spending study hall together one afternoon. The two of you were at the library and while you had left for a moment to look for a book you needed for your assignment, that was when Grisha came in.

When you were gone and your boyfriend was left alone at the table the both of you were sitting in for a couple minutes, so Grisha, with two employees of his right behind him, suddenly stopped right in front of your boyfriend at the table.

Your boyfriend, incredibly puzzled, looked up and saw a very powerful-looking man with bodyguards with behind him. Grisha was wearing dark glasses and one of his usual power suits that exuded just how much money he had.

After the incident with the limo, people knew you were related to Grisha and also started to put two and two together, starting to whisper amongst themselves. If he was trying to keep a low profile, then he failed miserably at it.

Once again, people were staring at Grisha and his sudden appearance, not just because of the bodyguards, but because of how he stopped to talk to a random student. It was even more bizarre for the rest of the students to see how Grisha suddenly dropped an envelope in front of your boyfriend.

He then leaned down to talk to him and say exactly what the situation was. "You know what this is, so I won't waste my breath" Grisha whispered, and your boyfriend was completely taken aback by this, watching as the man who gave him the envelope walk away with his bodyguards right behind him.

That was when you finally came around the corner with your book and couldn't understand what was happening. You first spotted Grisha walking away with two of his employees right behind him, which was weird enough already, but then your eyes turned to your boyfriend who was inspecting an envelope in his grasp.

That was when you understood and connected the dots. You had known Grisha long enough to know what was probably inside that envelope and he intention behind it.

Your eyes narrowed at Grisha as he walked away, huffing a breath of disbelief. Your boyfriend hadn't noticed your presence but you knew how awkward it would be when he did. You had a lot of explaining to do after that.

-

Eren was looking at his dad with disapproval as he took bites of his cake, leaning back in his seat. You were looking at Grisha expectantly with your arms crossed wondering what excuse he had for this. You never knew why he did it until now

"If you wanted to go all the way, you could've given him real money. He told me that all you gave him were gift vouchers instead of checks" You said, and all you were met with from Grisha was him clearing his throat and fixing his glasses as he continued to avoid eye-contact. In his mind, Grisha thought the vouchers were more than enough.

"But we got closer through all of that constant bickering, didn't we?" He said as he reached over and put a hand on your shoulder. You looked at him plainly, and you knew that from the look in his eye he just wanted to move past it.

You looked at him for a couple more seconds and a small smile tugged at your lips. That was a silent way of you saying everything was good between the two of you. He was right after all, because even after all of that, Grisha is still one of the most important people in your life. You wouldn't change it for anything.

"Still, it didn't help that the stress I felt on the way here only added to the day I've had" You said as you smiled tiredly, but still turning your head to the side and looking at Grisha knowingly, and your adoptive father immediately looked away. Eren's head tilted to the side in confusion as he stopped eating his cake and he looked at his dad, who had a very avoidant look on his face.

"Why what happened?" Eren said with his mouth full as he took yet another bite of his cake, darting his eyes between you and his dad. Your eyes landed on Grisha as a knowing smile came upon your lips. You sighed and leaned back against your seat once more.

"Why don't you ask your dad?" You said as you grabbed your fork and took a bite out of your cake. Eren's eyes darted back to his dad as he tried to piece together what this could be about, and after a couple seconds, it finally clicked in his head.

The only thing that could've caused this kind of reaction from you and the only topic that you and his dad have been going back and forth on for years.

Eren sighed and dropped his fork onto his place, letting his arms rest on the armrests of the chair, letting himself fall back on the chair. "Dad, you set her up on another blind date?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

Eren has been one of the few people you've ranted to about the guys that Grisha sets you up with, and he's just heard stories upon stories of these dates, so can't imagine how this one went.

Eren was looking at his dad with a deadpan expression that Grisha couldn't shake away. "Don't look at me like that, I thought this one would work out" Grisha defended himself as he crossed his fingers together in front of him.

You purse your lips and look away, crossing your arms over your body. If only he knew what it was like just spending 30 minutes with that guy.

"Well, the exact opposite happened. Like I said, I'm not doing these ever again. It was horrible" You huffed from just remembering what it was like to try and have a conversation with him. You were just glad you wouldn't have to see him ever again.

"Well, you could've at least seen things from a different perspective. Looks aren't everything," Grisha countered, but when he said that, your eyebrows furrowed with confusion.

By any means, Levi wasn't unattractive at all. Even if his personality alone burned down any sort of attraction you might've felt for him in the first 5 seconds of meeting him, you still couldn't deny that he wasn't ugly or unappealing by any means. You had no idea what Grisha was saying right now.

"What are you talking about? Looks were all he had," You said as a small chuckle left your lips in slight disbelief at the completely different views you and Grisha had on this guy.

Eren was listening to this conversation trying to piece together what was happening, but he was still very lost. Levi very much had the looks to make up for his attitude, but it still didn't mean you had to put up with it for a relationship.

"Well, I wouldn't say he has the looks, per se. I chose him because I thought he was a decent man for you, not so much his " Grisha said, looked at you quizzically, and then stretched out an arm to grab his phone on the table next to his hospital bed. You watched curiously as he unlocked his phone and began searching through it.

As he did, you and Eren looked at each other with mirrored lost expressions. Grisha definitely knew something the two of you didn't, or more so, he knew something that you didn't.

It sounded like he was talking about someone entirely different to who you were describing. You and Eren both leaned forward to look at Grisha's phone from either side to see what he was trying to find.

When Grisha found what he was looking for, he fixed his glasses, as if trying to see what looks you were finding in the guy he set you up with. "Maybe he looks better in real life," He said, but when you leaned closer and saw what he was looking at.

But, when you got a closer look at his phone your tilted your head to the side as your mind started to jumble in confusion. That certainly wasn't Levi.

"Who-who the hell is that?" You said, turning your head to see that Grisha was looking at you already and he looked just as lost as you did.

"That's not him. The one I went on the date with..." You said as you slowly began to piece together what was going on and you reached into your bag, pulling out the business card Levi gave you.

"...Is this guy" You said, showing it to Grisha. His face twisted in bewilderment and he looked at Eren who had sometime between the realization you and Grisha had, fallen back into his seat and covered his mouth as he tried to contain his laughter.

The more it started to hit you what was going on, your face felt like it was draining of color. But just before you could really panic, a knock sounded on the other side of the door and you turned your head to see Hange letting themselves in.

"Excuse my intrusion, Mr Jaeger" Hange said, and they quickly turned to look at you, noticing that there was a very strange look on your face.

They didn't know if the news they had would make that better or worse, but they're assuming now that it'll be the latter. They also noticed the way Eren was covering his mouth and actively trying to stifle his laughter and leaning his arm on one of the armrests.

Hange then turned back to you and steeled themselves before delivering the news. "Y/n, turns out that the location of the date got mixed up, I just got word of it" Hange said, pursing their lips together awkwardly and your eyes widened further and your mouth dropped open. No, no, no...this can't be happening.

Hange realized that when you came out of the building before after your date like you did, was because had a hellish experience on a date with entirely wrong and random guy,. Grisha wasn't taking this any better. He reached over to take the business card you had in your hand and read out the name that was on it.

"Levi Ackerman?" He read it out and you turned your head to look at him as your mind was reeling with panic. If this meant what you think it did then all you wished for now was for the Earth to swallow you whole. The hits just keep on coming.

"Who is that?" Grisha questioned and looked back up at Hange who fixed their glasses and looked away. You were frozen in place and that was all Eren needed to not be able to control his laughter anymore. He removed his hand from his mouth and burst out laughing, holding onto anything he could to contain himself, but he was failing.

You exhaled, closed your eyes and lowered your head, pressing your hand against your forehead. "This is not happening..." You muttered to yourself.

Levi was right all along. He had been invading his meal the entire time, not to mention the bickering and you hovering over him to help before you left when he clearly didn't need it, and now all you wanted to do was stay holed up in this room until you can face the world again. He wss brought to his limit to his patience and you'd contributed to that. What could you possibly do now?

-

Hey everyone! Hope you enjoyed this one! I personally really enjoyed writing it and I'm even more excited for the ones coming up! There are some many scenes from that i'm really looking forward to!

I had a vision for this chapter, and hopefully it was enjoyable! :,) There were some parts that were harder to write so that they flowed smoothly and that I was iffy about but I hoped you guys liked it in the end!

I don't have much to say for this chapter or this author's note for now but I love you all so much! <3 I got a little bit delayed with writing this week because of midterms but i hope to be right on schedule for this coming week!

That's all for now! see you next Sunday for the next chapter! Hope everyone has a good start to their week! <3

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