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It wasn't ideal for Levi for his restaurant afternoon that he had planned to have turned out the way it did. He spent some time cleaning up as much as he could, and even if it made his mood dull even more, he gathered the rest of the shattered parts of the tea set, straightened up the tables, and so on. After that, he finally left and felt like it was finally time to start heading back to work.

All of the things that unfolded while he was there were things he just pushed to the back of his head. You, the gang, the ruined tea, unnecessary use of his powers, and everything in between.

It was just insignificant to him and he could continue the rest of his day as he had been planning to do even if that happened or not.

Though, the only thing that irked him was that spending more time at the restaurant than he needed put him behind schedule. As soon as he got back to the Scouts Foundation, there were a couple things he needed to check up on.

He was the director after all and all the responsibilities and approvals fell on him. When he got back to the building, parked his car in the garage, Levi entered the building and began making his way to his first stop of the day.

The interesting thing about the structure of the building is that from outside, it looked completely normal, but on the inside, the halls to get to different levels of the building were in a spiral and the bottom floor could be seen in the middle.

Across the halls, going down, the walls were decorated with paintings that were salvaged from years ago and showcased the history and culture of Paradis used to be like.

This was a foundation that was created to do exactly that. To pay homage to the ancestors of the past who were able to rid the world of titans, especially to the military and Scouts of the island of Paradis, that is now a growing and prosperous country that prided itself in remembering the events of the past in order to never repeat the mistakes of the past again.

Since its beginning, Levi has organized regular performances to honor the fallen heroes of the Scout Regiment. These events pay tribute to the sacrifices made by those who lost their lives in the fight against Titan domination, and those who were able to rid the world of it in its entirety.

Their unwavering dedication of their hearts to live on, for future generations of humanity to live and prosper peacefully, the remaining Scouts fulfilled their goal of liberating the world from the menace that Titans and that the outside world posed on Subjects of Ymir simply because of their bloodline and their ancestor's mistakes that tainted their image to the world for centuries.

There are performances of all kinds, but most of them feature interpretative dance, where various dancers use swords to symbolize the bravery that the Scouts had back then.

It represents the courage and the sacrifices that those heroes faced in order to learn more about the learn beyond the walls that caged them in and to not have to live in fear of titans.

It was also to showcase the technology developed in Paradis. The artistic expression in these dances serve as reminders of their struggles in all the moments that eventually led to one crucial moment where everything came to an end.

The Battle of Heaven and Earth—is the name that this brawl received through the memories of the surviving population for years after the fight concluded and the entire perspective of the world changed after that.

As you go higher and higher up on the building, you can see art that shows the history from beginning to end and how it progresses, showing how the heroes of Paradis saved the world.

This foundation served as a memorial so that the efforts of the struggles of people from both sides of the war were never forgotten and they were continued to be learned from for generations.

Right now, Levi was walking down the spiral hallways silently as his gunmetal eyes trail over every single painting that he passed. But it was comfortable silence that gave him a serene feeling inside him that he desperately needed after today.

He walked past paintings, artifacts, statues, and recovered remains that were on display. He's spent years of his life, all 200 of them, collecting them all for his foundation so that he could showcase them.

He enjoyed looking at the paintings and artifacts, because it was history and it was all part of the idea of what he based his foundation on after all. The building was quiet today, though his employees were all at work, and the only thing that echoed across the walls were with each footstep he took.

But as Levi continued to walk down the spiral halls, he halted and stopped in his tracks in front of one particular painting. Every time he walked past it, he just couldn't help but stop to look at it.

He didn't know why, but there was just something about that piece of art that he retrieved that always made him wonder and stay in the back of his head for a while.

It was a painting of various people at once who were actively fighting, but the one most noticeable was a woman who was captured in the center of the painting. It's a very rough sketch that had been haphazardly painted because of the lack of materials at the time, since it was made by a bystander during the Battle of Heaven and Earth, so Levi couldn't really pick out very well what the woman really looked like or what the people around her looked like either. It just somehow...always made him stop. Every single time.

As he always did, Levi looked at it for a couple more seconds and dragged his eyes away from the painting, briskly continuing on his way to the first place that was expected to visit today. There was a performance coming up soon and he had been stopping by rehearsals to see how it's coming.

He also stopped by to see if there is anything on his end that he needs to do for the preparations to make sure the performance goes well in the end.

The performers on their end, put together a routine to put out to the public, and then Levi gives his thoughts on it. That's the way it's always been.

Soon enough, Levi reached the doors to the theater of the building and stood at the entrance and observed the rehearsal that was currently taking place. The performance that was going to be showcased this month was by a performer that has been part of Levi's foundation for years.

Her name was Petral Ral. She was a short girl, yet, she had powerful and impactful movements that she used with her swords as if they were an extension of her own body. Levi's always thought that she was one of their best performers. She's been doing it for a long time after all.

She has shoulder-length ginger hair and curtain bangs that frame her face. She has amber colored eyes that compliment her fair skin. Right now, she was wearing her practice attire.

The top is a long-sleeved and criss-crossed top on the top half of her body, and the bottom is a long, thin, silk, black skirt that flowed with every single movement she made, it added to her presence on stage.

She's been part of the foundation for years and is pouring her heart and soul into her performances, just like the one she's preparing for now.

As Levi walked in and stood at the entrance, at the top of the ramp that led down to the stage, watching Petra's rehearsal. She was currently doing her dance interpretation with swords accompanied with music from live musicians just behind the stage and brought her performance to light.

Just by the look in her eye and the way she moved, Levi could tell that she was in the zone and was completely in sync with her backup dancers as well.

From what he was seeing, the presentation was looking pretty good, but knowing Petra, he knew she would want to practice up until the last second in the day of her performance. She was a perfectionist and she was good at what she does, there was no denying that all. Levi's known Petra long enough to know.

Levi looked at the stage for a couple more seconds with a calculating gaze as he tried to pinpoint if there was anything missing, but as he crossed his arms and looked down at the seats, his face deadpanned when he saw a familiar face sitting down and 'watching' the performance.

But maybe that wasn't the right word. The right word was sleeping. Levi rolled his eyes and slowly began to make his way down the ramp, unnoticed by his associate.

When Levi stopped to the point that he was standing right next to his assistant, Onyankopon, and looking down at him, Levi saw how he was dozing off with his face propped up on his fist. He was out like a light in the middle of watching the rehearsal, not noticing Levi standing next to him.

Levi simply ran a hand back through his hair indifferently and simply proceeded to give a kick hard enough to the chair that Onyankopon was sleeping in.

And as soon as he did, Onyankopon jolted awake and immediately noticed Levi's presence next to him without even turning his head, so he quickly and hurriedly tried to compose himself.

Levi watched with an unamused expression as his assistant pretended to cross his legs over the over, pretending to settle into a seated position, clearly trying to feign to have been awake this entire time.

But Levi knew better and could see through it. With a sigh, he turned and walked away over to an aisle seat in the same row, just beyond the ramp aisle where Onyankopon sat. Taking a moment to adjust his posture on his seat, Levi glanced at his assistance as he finally came to his senses.

"Levi, don't you think the lighting is too dull or monotonous?" Onyankopon said as he tried to cover up his dozing off, but turning his head to see that Levi was looking at him blankly.

Seeing that his boss was already looking at him, his eyes widened and almost felt compelled to turn his head away again. But thankfully, Levi crossed one leg over the other and looked away.

"Why don't you wipe that drool off your face before pretending to know what you were doing," Levi said bluntly and turned his eyes to look back at the performance. Onyankopon's eyes widened and shamefully turned his head away from his boss' view and wiped his mouth off with his hand.

After that, Levi crossed his arms again and his gray eyes focused on Petra's performance. Both him and Onyankopon were observing the lighting, the choreography, hearing the musicians, the props, and making sure everything was in order and that the presentation was progressing.

As Petra danced on stage and was about to finish up her act, she was waving her swords around just as she practiced and when she caught sight of Levi in the audience all of sudden, since he just arrived, a knowing smile came to her lips as his presence made her want to improve her act even further, move more gracefully, and do a better job on this.

"How's Petra's performance coming along?" Levi asked, as he continued to assess everything he was seeing with a hard gaze. He has been in charge of these for years and he wanted this one to go well, too.

But as for this one specifically, Onyankopon insisted that he wanted to take more direction on this one production and take the leadership role for the whole thing, and Levi agreed and let his assistant implement his view on the show. Upon hearing Levi speak, Onyankopon turned his head to look at his boss once but then turned his head back forward.

"That depends on you. I've been overseeing this for the most part but you're the one who brought her in to the foundation, you know? You know what she's like during these productions better than me" Onyankopon said, and Levi began to scan his eyes across the stage as he noticed the creative choices that his assistant has taken on the show so far, and they're very different from what Levi usually sees for these things.

Levi huffed, expecting to hear something like that. He expected it. Petra can be very stubborn and she knows exactly what she wants, and she tends to clash with Onyankopon sometimes, especially when it comes to agreeing on one thing that they both can come to terms with when it comes to the show.

Especially since she's the one performing, she knows the kind of vision she has in her head and isn't so easily swayed. "Onyankopon," Levi started, and his assistant hummed and promptly turned his head to the side to make eye contact with his boss, who was looking at him with that same hard look in his eyes, making him swallow nervously.

Levi had very strong opinions on what happened around here and he should've expected that he wouldn't be happy to hear that there have been complications in the production of the show.

"What did I tell you when you told me you wanted to take charge in the planning stage of this show? That'd you'd leave me out of it because you said you wanted to go a different way and you said that you wouldn't bother me. You said that you were confident in-" Levi started, but his eyebrows furrowed when he was cut off by his assistant suddenly standing up from his seat and walking up the ramp, towards the room in the back where the lighting engineers were controlling the special effects.

"I still think the lights are too dull. We should fix that," Onyankopon called as he began to walk up the ramp and hurriedly walked up to the light engineers, avoiding his boss' questions, leaving Levi by himself in his seat.

The raven watched with exasperation as he watched Onyankopon walk off, so seeing that he was gone, Levi muttered a curse under his breath and turned back around in his seat, settling his eyes back onto the stage, all the while trying to keep his patience intact, but it was becoming increasingly harder.

But as Levi put his attention back on the stage and continued watch the rehearsal, his mood was just starting to come back to normal when he suddenly felt his phone vibrate in the inner pocket of his suit's jacket.

He furrowed his eyebrows and reached into it, grabbing his phone and narrowing his eyes down at the screen when he saw that it was an unknown number. He huffed softly and pressed his finger to the screen to answer anyway, putting up his phone up to his ear. "Hello?" He asked, hoping this would be quick and not to waste his time.

But little did he know that on the other side of the line, it was you that was calling. Or Hange, more or less. Back at the hospital, you were still Grisha's hospital room with him, Eren and Hange.

Your assistant was holding up your phone, keeping it on speaker, while Levi was on the other line. Everybody was listening intently to what he'd say.

Hange was standing up as they held the phone out in front of them, Grisha was sitting up on his bed as he tried to listen, you and Eren were on the edge of your seats, doing the same thing.

You had your head in your hands as you bent over, and Eren was kept his arm propped on the armrest of the chair. Everyone was on edge waiting to hear.

After hearing about the mistake and mixup that happened with your blind date, you felt like you had to make it up to Levi somehow. You weren't even mad that you wasted your own afternoon in the wrong guy, because all you kept thinking is how you ruined his for no reason.

So, you came up with the idea of quickly giving him a call through the number that was on his business card that he gave you. You hoped that it was his personal number and that he'd answer, and not just a company number that would be answered by an employee. You wanted to apologize directly to him. You felt so terrible, so boy were you glad when you heard his voice on the other end.

You gasped, raised your head from your hands and looked up at Hange with hopeful eyes. They noticed your expression and smiled softly down at you, and giving you a thumbs up, which silently told you that they would handle it. You begin to bounce your leg up and down nervously, continuing to hear how the rest of the conversation went.

"Yes, hello. Is this Levi Ackerman, by any chance?" Hange asked, even if you knew that was him on your phone. They wanted to make sure, so they didn't mistake his voice for someone else's by accident.

It wasn't long until Levi answered. In fact, he responded right away. But in the tone you were hearing just a couple hours ago.

"Yes. What's this about?" Levi answered carelessly, making everyone's eyes around the room widen in surprise, except you. Grisha and Eren looked at each other but then turned their heads back to look at the phone.

"My name is Hange Zoe. I'm Y/n L/n's secretary and assistant for Eldia Fashion and Beauty," Your assistant explained, but on the other end, Levi closed his eyes briefly in exasperation and pressed a hand to the bridge of his nose. He should've known this wasn't over.

"And?" Levi responded, once again, that blunt and disinterested tone you were not at all surprised by. Though, everyone around you was. Eren's eyebrows rose, Hange was clearly taken aback and Grisha turned to look at you in surprise.

You just gave him a shrug, which told him that you weren't lying about what you were saying before about what he was like. Yes, he was rude, but even if that might've been because you ruined his meal, it might just be how he is all the time.

"Geez, what's with his attitude?" Eren suddenly piped up in a whisper, and you turned to look at him, sighing and raising your hands up in defeat, and then letting them drop to your lap.

You chuckled as you shook your head at a very confused Eren. You really didn't know what to say, you were wondering the same before, but at least now you knew why.

After that, Hange proceeded to speak into the phone. "On our end, we heard about a mixup on our part and we would really like to apologize for interrupting your meal today," Hange started, but there was nothing said on Levi's end on the other side so you leaned forward to see if you could hear anything, but there was nothing.

Hange looked down at the screen and saw that he hadn't hung up, so they just gave you a shrug. They cleared their throat before they straightened up and continued.

"We'd like to propose an alternative and pay for your meal and offer compensation for what happened-" Hange started as they remained in their most professional tone, but then they were quickly cut off by Levi on the other end.

"No thanks," Levi said coldly and then hung up. The air in the room after that was awkward and silent after that. Eren and Grisha looked at each other, and Eren leaned back in his seat with a slump. Hange handed your phone back to you and you sighed.

You felt Grisha's eyes on you as you settled further back into your seat again, and crossed one leg over another. You turned your head to look at him and gave him a bashful smile.

"I guess he's like that with everyone" You said, as your eyes darted nervously away from him. You were a little bummed you couldn't make it up to him like you'd been hoping for, but if he doesn't want it, there's not much else you could do. You just had to accept it now and move on like he seemingly did.

"Sounds like it was a match made in hell, not in heaven" Eren suddenly piped up at the other side of the bed and you turned to look at him as a smiled lightly tugged at your lips. You huffed as you stifle a chuckle and rubbed your hand on your forehead. "I'll say," You muttered in response and dropped your hand from your head.

You were looking away but you heard from Grisha and turned to see that he had picked his phone up, you raised an eyebrow at how he was hurriedly scrolling on it.

You turned your head to meet Eren's gaze that was already on you and looked confused at you, seeing how his dad was suddenly rushing to search for something on his phone.

"Dad, what are you doing?" Eren asked, taking the words right out of your mouth. Though, you already had a feeling of what it would be. Since the date he set up for you didn't work out, you were dreading that your suspicions were correct. And unfortunately you were right.

"I'm setting up another date for y/n," He said, and your eyes widened. Your mouth gaped open and you looked up at Hange helplessly, who was pursing their lips as they tried to contain their smile.

You were frozen on the spot, but when Eren suddenly started speaking, you came back to your senses and decided to do something about it.

You made a decision and you were not going to go on another blind date. Ever. You were firm that he would never corner you into going on another one any time soon, no matter what he said.

"Dad, come on," Eren said as he tilted his head and looked at his dad with disappointment. Grisha noticed his son's tone and turned to look at him with confusion, not knowing what was so bad about it, despite you telling him multiple times that you didn't like going on them.

You noticed that Grisha was looking away so you decided to do something about this now and prevent it. You quickly reached with your hand and snatched Grisha's phone out of his hands.

Feeling it was suddenly taken away, Grisha looked appalled when he turned around and saw you with his phone in his hands. "Hey!" He exclaimed, but then he saw you with a smug look on your face that said 'I don't regret it'. It didn't matter that the encounter with Levi wasn't the real date, but to you, it was a very strong sign that you should stop going on with them, and it didn't matter who it was.

"Forget it. I only went on this one so you'd get the checkup, but I'm not doing that anymore, alright?" You said as your voice became stern and firm, and Grisha watched as you hid his phone in the chair.

He sighed and straightened up, looking straight in your eyes, but all he could see was sincerity. He closed his eyes momentarily, admitting defeat.

Your heart clenched slightly at his expression, but you still weren't changing your mind. You weren't planning to get married, and you've told him multiple times.

He's so desperate to marry you off to a random guy that you weren't even remotely interested in. You did it to please him and make him happy at first, but today was really the last straw.

"I still don't know why you're so insistent on this. I told you so many times I'm not planning on doing this anymore. I'm still pretty young to settle down. My career is taking off and I don't see myself getting married," You said truthfully and Grisha's eyes hardened at your words.

"Y/n, you know I want to see you get married before I die," Grisha said and you deadpanned at him, having heard this reason thousands of times before. Eren raised an eyebrow at his dad's words but quickly ignored it and went back to finishing the last of his cake. Your lips twitched a bit when you saw him doing that in the corner of your eye.

"Stop saying that. You're not dying any time soon. Even with this checkup, you've always been a pillar of health, Grisha," You said as you slightly leaned forward in your seat, but narrowed your eyes at how he was looking away from you and avoiding your words. When it came to conversations like this between the two of you, it never went anywhere because it was like talking to a brick wall. He just has too much pride.

"I'm happy the way I am," You continued, pausing for a second, darting your eyes on and away from Grisha. Then the wrong choice of words slipped from your mouth.

"Besides, if marriage is so great, why have you gone through 2 marriages and you're still unhappy?" You muttered before you could stop yourself and you turned your head to see Grisha drop his phone on the bed and give you a scolding glare that made you shrink in on yourself.

"Hey, watch it," Grisha said and you nodded, lowering your head slightly You didn't think that through, but it probably came out by accident after him bringing up marriage all the time. You didn't mean it, and you hoped he knew it too.

Right after you said those words, you heard Eren almost choke on his cake as he tried to conceal the bursting laughter that was about to come out of him. He was coughing and pumping his chest with his fist as he leaned over his seat. He was failing miserably at hiding it.

You also couldn't ignore how Hange was looking away to the window and adjusting their glasses, but there was a smile tugging at their lips. Well...on the bright side, if there was any. that at least got him to drop his phone and stop looking for dates for you.

There were a couple seconds of silence after that and you realized he wasn't going to budge just like that. You reached your hand into the chair and handed him back his phone, which he took back gratefully, but you rolled your eyes when you saw him not-so-discreetly start to search in his phone for what he was looking for before. You still kept darting your eyes away since his gaze on you was unwavering.

You heard the sound of heels suddenly shift next to you, so you turned your head to see Hange looking down at you and Grisha. "I should leave you two to squabble for a little longer," Hange said and you noticed how they said it with a barely concealed smile, accompanied by a snort that came from Eren on the other side of his dad's bed.

You turned your head and saw how he was smiling like a little kid and poking at the remaining cake on his plate once he finally calmed down. You shook your head at him and pursed your lips as you tried not to laugh. You turned your gaze and saw that Grisha had a smile tugging at his face too, which made you smile too.

"Y/N, I'll be waiting down at the car," Hange said as they directed their gaze at you for a moment, and you nodded understandingly. Hange then turned to Grisha and Eren and said her goodbyes.

"Excuse me," They said, turning on their heels and beginning to make their way out the door of the hospital room. Which left you, Grisha, and Eren alone again.

When Hange closed the door, you turned to Grisha again and saw that the annoyed look on his face was gone and was replaced with a much gentle one. You straightened up in your seat, and slowly turned your body to face him again. This gave him the go ahead to speak again

"I never said I was unhappy, y/n. I have you, Mikasa, Eren, Armin, and all of my grandchildren, who I believe will do great things when I'm gone. Seeing you all grow up already makes me the happiest I can be. But let me tell you, having someone by your side can make a bigger difference than you think" Grisha began, referencing your tendency to isolate yourself in your work to avoid burdening others, believing you can take on everything on your own.

That was yet another reason he hoped you'd find someone to marry soon; he wanted to be alive to witness that with his own eyes. He hoped you knew that he wasn't setting up these dates as torture. On the contrary, he wanted you to have a bright future, which you were already on the path of, with someone to share your burdens with, and shoulder theirs too.

Grisha knew that you didn't need a man to be successful or to depend on. You were the definition of independence and were already driven and hard-working. But what he worries about is that one day, it will all just become too much for you to handle alone.

The right person could be exactly what you didn't know you needed. Not only that, but Grisha is certain that when he's gone, the family won't go easier on you. In fact, he thinks it will get worse when you won't have him to lean on and to have your back whenever things get too hectic and the family starts to prey on your vulnerability.

Over the years, Grisha had noticed that you drastically changed your demeanor once it became too hard to ignore how much your own family was trying to undermine you. Once, you were able to balance your work with your personal life, and it was a healthy balance; now, you seem to have lost all sense of that and it pained him deeply.

Grisha was just trying to prevent you from descending a dark place that would be hard to get out of and come back from. He wants you to have someone because, even with your cousins, everyone goes their separate ways and they won't always be just a phone call away. He wants to make sure you're happy and live a long life.

"But ever since I was little, you've told me not to trust anyone so easily. It feels like no one's on my side lately " You retorted, remembering and recalling everything that Grisha has told you over the years in order to survive out in the world, and it's all words you've lived by.

But it seems you spoke too quickly and you heard scoff in front of you. "Hey!" Eren exclaimed, clearly offended at your words, raising his hands in the air in protest at what he heard you say. You also noticed that he still had his plate full of cake on one hand.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Eren said, clearly looking very indignant. You sighed and gave him an apologetic smile. You didn't mean him. Your words were mostly directed at those people who only seemed to be wishing the worst for you constantly, and that didn't include your cousins. "Sorry," You said as you raised a regretful smile at your poor choice of words.

Eren was quick to lower his hands and slowly smile back at you. He knew you didn't mean it that way, because your loyalty to those you cared about had always been evident from the moment he met you.

That was one thing that's never changed. He was quick to leave it behind and go back to eating his remaining cake quietly as you continued to speak with his dad.

"I did say that, y/n, because you never know who will stab you in the back when you least expect it, especially in this industry. What I meant by that is that when you meet someone, you should build trust with them, form a connection, and gain each other's trust. You want to know why?" Grisha continued, but you still weren't very convinced. It sounded too good to be true to you. Your eyes squinted a bit in hesitation as you let out a soft breath.

Grisha watched as your expressions continued to vary from hesitation and reluctance. You were still very skeptical about this whole thing, and you were never able to see what he sees, even now.

"Trust me, there will be someone you'll gladly let stab you in the back. That's what it means to have someone on your side. Do you see the difference?" Grisha said and you blinked at him trying to figure out what he was trying to say. How does that make any sense?

You darted your gaze from Grisha to Eren, locking eyes with him briefly and sharing the same look of confusion with each other, shrugging at one another. "Not really," You said honestly. Grisha sighed when he saw the two of you exchange lost glances, so he decided he'd make it a little clearer.

"The person that you're looking for is someone you'd understand if they betrayed you. Someone you know like the palm of your hand and have created such a bond with that when they deceive you, deep down, you know why and you have forgiveness in your heart to look past it," Grisha concluded, and after that, it somehow started to make sense what he was trying to say, even if it was just a little fuzzy, still.

But in a way, you were starting to see what he was trying to say. And you understood it even more once you heard his next words. "Where are you going with this?" You said as you brushed a couple stray hairs out of your hair, watching as Grisha adjusted himself a bit more in his chair and sent you a gentle smile.

"It's you. You're that person to me," Grisha said, reaching over and putting his own hand on top of one of your hands that was on your lap. Your eyes widened and you looked up from his hand that was on top of yours, to look up to face him with an unreadable expression on your face. You didn't know what to say, you were at a loss.

There were a couple moments of silence after that as you finally realized what he meant. The two of you spend so much time together, the two of you have been through thick and thin, and he has been through every single one of the milestones you've reached, that it would be hard to say that the two of you weren't bonded.

And now, he was saying that he trusts you so much that if you betrayed him, he would be able to forgive you, move past it, and move on. He cares that much about having you in his life. He wants you to find someone who you would be able to have that kind of relationship with in the future, and be with each other even through hardships.

"Hard not to feel hurt by that, dad" Eren jokes, as he finally put his plate aside and adjusted himself in his seat. You chuckled at your cousin's words and watched as Grisha turned around with a scolding look on his face, that he couldn't even hide his smile from, and raised a hand to smack Eren in his arm at what he said.

The brunette laughed as he watched his dad turn his head away from him again, but suddenly watched with anticipation as his dad reached under the covers while you weren't looking for the last surprise the two of them had planned for you. But this part specifically was all his dad.

This part in particular is one that Eren just didn't want to miss. His dad had told him about it, so when he saw him reach under the covers and pull out a small box, Eren leaned forward on the edge of his seat to see your reaction. You watched curiously as Grisha brought a small green box closer to you, and you leaned your body closer to see what it was.

"Now, I've already taken care of everything if you ever decide you're ready for a wedding, but just find someone who you'd put this ring on" Grisha said and your mouth dropped when he opened the box and you saw two twin rings nestled in the box right next to each other. You brought your head closer to get a better look and you continued to gape in awe and your entire body felt frozen on the spot.

These twin rings looked exactly the same, and the details were far too intricate for you to comprehend at first glance. It was a design with rectangular links that have cubic zirconia embedded in them.

They were brass, unisex rings that would fit you and, as Grisha hoped, your future partner. They were so simple but so beautiful, you looked back up at Grisha and saw that he and Eren were both looking at you expectantly and with so much excitement, truly hoping you'd keep the rings, and keep them safe until you hopefully decided to get married.

"Guys, they're beautiful. But don't get ahead of yourselves, okay?" You sighed as you looked between the rings and back up at Eren and Grisha. You didn't want to disappoint them and then the both of them having gone through the trouble of getting ahold of these.

Grisha and Eren both looked at each other, being not at all surprised that your reaction was along something like that. But the two of them weren't giving up. Grisha grabbed one of the rings from the box and then grabbed your left hand, quickly sliding it in your ring finger.

But he not only slid the one that you were supposed to keep, but he also went back to the small box, pulled the other one out, and grabbed your left hand again, only to slide the ring that was supposed to belong whoever you married in the future in your pointer finger. You did nothing to stop him and just watched helplessly as two rings sat on your hand now, and you looked down at them in silence.

"For now, you wear both rings yourself, that is until you find someone you'd like to give the other one to," Eren said, earning a nod from Grisha as you continued to look at the rings and let out a shaky breath.

It was all becoming a lot more real than you thought. At first it was just bickering back and forth with Grisha about the dates, him wanting you to marry someone, and insisting for years. It was all words. Now, the rings were on your finger and it was starting to really settle in.

"No pressure, right?" You joked, given that the rings were already on your finger and there's no way you could turn back now. The pressure to find someone to marry was on and up to you. The rings themselves held a weight on your conscience that you couldn't ignore anymore.

"Y/n, it's been over 16 years since your parents passed and I've been looking after you," Grisha started and you began watching as Eren helped his dad break out of the packet a candle for the cake.

Even if the three of you had already had a bite just to pass time and talk for a bit before, it was never too late for you to make your wish. You were 10 when they passed, you were on your own for 4 years after that and it's been around 12 since Grisha took you in. You couldn't process that it's already been that long since they passed. It felt like yesterday.

"Today's the day that you stop refusing to celebrate your birthday to commemorate their death anniversary. You deserve to be happy, so starting today, I'll make sure that happens" Grisha said as he got the candle from Eren and he stuck it in the middle of the cake.

You watched silently at what they were doing to the cake and heard their words as the mention of your parents turned your mood very sullen and you felt heat behind your eyes, but you held them back seeing as Eren and Grisha looked so happy to be lighting your candles and to celebrate with you. You couldn't possibly tarnish that.

"From now on, just celebrate your birthday," Grisha said as he lit up the candle and the light of the flames momentarily brightened up his face and you could see the reflection in his glasses. After lighting it, Eren grabbed the underside of the cake and lifted it up closer to you and Grisha turned his body closer to see you blow out the candle.

"You deserve it," Eren said as a gentle smile appeared on his lips and the two of you had their eyes on you. But that alone was enough to spark waterworks. Your eyes were slowly becoming blurry with tears as your chest began to feel tight and it felt like there was a lump forming in your throat that wasn't letting you get any words out.

You sent them a weak smile as a huff escaped your lips and you laughed slightly. You were sure they could see how red your eyes had become from you trying to blink away your tears. But even if they could see that you would burst into tears from how overcome with emotion you were, they were still smiling at you with so much love.

But, swallowing hard and letting out a soft laugh, you sat up in your seat and intertwined your hands together, propping up your head on them, and closing your eyes as a teary smile appeared on your lips. A playful smirk came up on your lips as you decided on what to say.

"May Grisha keep stabbing me in the back for many more years to come and he outlives all of us," You say and you opened your eyes and blew on the candle, only to hear hearty laughs coming from both Eren and Grisha. But then a look of recognition came upon your cousin's face as he gasped lightly once he realized something.

"You weren't supposed to say your wish out loud. What if it doesn't come true? Go on, make another one. We'll light it up again," Eren said as lowered the cake onto the bed and then he began shuffling around to look for the box of matches to try and find them. But you leaned forward and put a hand on his arm to stop him.

"Eren, it's fine," You said with a soft giggle and even if he hesitated, he eventually went back to where he was. You sighed with a happy tone to it and your tears were long gone now. You ran a hand back through your hair and then looked at Grisha who had a weird look on his face.

"What's with that face?" You said, and at your words, Eren turned to look at his dad who was suspiciously going back to grab his phone. You narrowed your eyes when he shrugged lightly.

"Nothing, but since you're asking...I was thinking that for your next blind date-" He started and your eyes widened and you and Eren turned your heads at the same time, looking at each other with panic before rising from your seats quickly before Grisha could get another word in. You were not about to have this conversation again.

"Actually, I have to head back to work, so..." You trailed off as you grabbed your purse from the chair you were in hurriedly, and watched in the corner of your eye went back to his chair to grab his phone.

"Yeah, dad, and I have to go meet up with Mikasa and Armin. I just got a text saying that they're waiting for me, but i'll see you later!" Eren said as he held up his phone to prove his point and briefly made eye contact with you. The two of you had the same idea.

The two of you began heading towards the door, and heard Grisha call out. "Hey! Wait a second!" Grisha exclaimed as watched the two of you leave through the door of his hospital room. "Bye!" You and Eren said simultaneously and shut the door behind the two of you, leaving Grisha to sigh in exasperation, even if a small smile broke through.

Grisha dropped his phone to the side and let go of the whole blind date thing for now. But just as he was about to lay down again to get some rest like his doctor had advised him to do, the door suddenly opened again and Eren came back into the room all of a sudden.

Though, it wasn't for long because to Grisha, it was comical how he just watched silently as his son burst into the room again, grabbed the cake, bid his father goodbye once again, and left the room without another word. "Bye, dad!" He'd said with a smile on his face as he held the cake in his grasp and walked out of the room again.

The moment Eren left, Grisha was left dumbfounded for a couple seconds before he burst into heartwarming laughter for a moment as he realized what just happened, but then started to think about everything that happened.

He hoped that this surprise made your day better, especially after hearing how bad it had gone, so after today and from then on he hoped things would get just a little bit better.

-

Back at the Scouts Foundation, as soon as Levi got off the phone, he let it drop back to his lap and leaned his elbow on the armrest of the chair. He brought his head down to rest his forehead on his hand, letting out a breath he hadn't known that he was holding.

He wasn't able to escape that incident no matter how hard he tried. It's following him everywhere at this point he was getting exasperated, and the worst of it all, is that he never got to have his tea like he wanted.

He raised his head away from his hand and leaned his head back. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he swallowed but then sighed and finally stood up. "Damn it...my tea" He whispered to himself as he stood up from his seat and began to make his way up the ramp and towards the exit of the theater. He needed to find a way to get his mind off of this whole thing without having it come back to him.

As he started making his way up, putting his hands in his pants' pockets, Levi was met with Onkyankopon suddenly walking out of the lighting room just as he made it to the exit door.

"Wait, hold on. You're leaving already? What's the rush? The rehearsal's not over yet" Onyankopon said, seeing that Petra was only halfway through her performance, seeing her dance in the corner of his eye as the two of them spoke.

"Yeah, there's just too many distractions here. I can't focus on anything today" Levi said and raised his hand to run it back through his dark locks. Onyankopon raised his eyebrows in surprise, because it was just very unlike Levi to be so distraught and out of sorts like he says.

"I didn't get to have any tea like I wanted" He said, surprising his assistant even more. He thought Levi had gone out to do exactly that, to have some tea, but it makes sense as to why he looks so moody today. Levi takes his tea very seriously so it must've been serious.

"What kept you so busy? I thought that's what you were going to do" Onyankopon said as he crossed his arms and Levi looked away as he tried his best not to resurface the hell of an afternoon he had.

But since Onyankopon wanted to know, there was just no escaping remembering it anyway. Levi sighed and ran a hand back through his undercut and looked at his assistant, with a look that showed that he had no pleasure or content in saying this or reliving it.

"I was, somehow I ended up....on date," Levi said, grimacing slightly, looking away, and then Onyankopon's eyes widened at what he heard. He thought Levi had reserved an entire restaurant to eat by himself, so it was shocking to hear that he was on a date from what he just said.

But just as Levi said that, both him and Onyankopon heard the music stop and swords clatter to the ground. They both turned around to see Petra standing in the middle of the stage with her swords at the ground and the musicians looking at each other with confusion.

"A date?" She exclaimed loud enough for the two men by the exit to hear, and by her tone, it was easy to tell that she was very upset and confused. Onyankopon looked at the stage with a surprised look on his face; "How did she hear us from there?" He muttered, while Levi closed his eyes, exhaling through his nose, knowing exactly what was coming.

Petra lifted her dress lightly from the ground so that she could walk to the edge of the stage, and the look on her face said that she wanted answers.

"What do you mean? On a date with who? A girl? Did you kiss her?" Petra asked anxiously as she stood at the end of the stage and looked at the two men with slight indignation all over her face.

Onyankopon turned their heads to look at each other as panic reached their faces. They did not want to be on the other end of her questions, and Levi most of all, since he wants to leave today behind and focus on other things as fast as possible and he wouldn't be able to if he stuck around. Onyankopon just didn't want to answer the endless questions that he knew Petra had for him if Levi didn't want to do it

They looked back at Petra for a second and saw that was still waiting by the stage for either of them to come down and ask all the questions that were swirling around in her head.

Levi turned his head back to look at Onyankopon as he looked at him with an obvious message in his eyes that said, 'I need to get out of here'. His assistant nodded silently and decided to go along with it.

"Don't I have paperwork to sign? The papers have been piling up, haven't they?" Levi asked as his eyes widened with an obvious intent behind them of wanting to sound as believable as possible and get an opening to leave and escape Petra's questions.

They were talking normally as they were before so they knew Petra could hear what the two of them were saying. "O-Oh, yeah! A ton of them," Onyankopon said, playing along, not noticing how Petra was narrowing her eyes at them. She knew exactly what they were doing.

"Let's go, then" Levi said, and Onyankopon nodded hurriedly as the two were quick to walk out the door and leaving Petra behind with questions simmering in her head and the musicians to look at each other awkwardly, and even more so when they left and she was left alone on the stage to replay everything she just heard in her head.

"He kissed her," She muttered to herself. After letting out a couple heavy breaths, she let her emotions go completely after she realized what happened. "He did!" She exclaimed out into the air as she bent over and the came back with a couple stray hairs that fell on her face.

She huffed once she straightened up, keeping her eyes zeroed in on the exit. After a couple seconds of trying to compose herself, she came back to reality and realized where she was.

As she walked back to her place in the middle of the stage, nobody made eye contact with her as she bent down to pick up her swords. How can she not help but be worried about him and concerned? She kept going back and forth about it.

They could all see how much tension she brought to the room and how it wouldn't be smart to say anything to her. Knowing she wanted to get back to practice, the musicians all looked at each other and started to take the performance from the top once again. Everything went smoothly after that, except for the millions of thoughts that plagued Petra's mind as she continued to dance.

-

Back at the hospital, you and him walked out of the hospital doors together and bid each other goodbye there. Back in the building, when the two of you got to the elevator and suddenly ran off but then came back with the cake, you almost burst out laughing.

You should've known that if he picked it out himself and had so much of it back in Grisha's room, you shouldn't be surprised. "Say hi to Mikasa and Armin for me, I haven't heard from them in a while," You said, and he sent you a warm smile and nodded.

After that, the two of you went separate ways and when you turned around the other way, you saw Hange standing next to the car, leaning against it.

You were about to say their name so that they noticed you were approaching, but it wasn't necessary since they must've noticed your presence and they turned their head and sent you a bright smile.

You couldn't help but reciprocate it and start walking towards them. You were also quick to notice that they were on the phone, but as soon as you walked close enough so you were standing in front of them, they were quick to wrap up the phone call, hang up, and look up at you.

"Y/n, good news. I have Karina Braun's schedule," Hange said and you straightened up as a smile came to your face with satisfaction. Your reaction made Hange very happy, knowing that it's exactly what you were hoping to hear. Now there was just one thing left to do.

"She's currently staying alone at an affiliate hotel nearby," Hange pointed out and after hearing that, you quickly realized that this is something you had to do alone.

You hummed and pulled out your phone from your purse, and saw that Hange had sent you Karina's schedule. "You know what? You can head home, Hange. I'll just drive myself there," You said, looking up at Hange from your phone.

Hange smiled and nodded at your words. "Sure, thing! Here you go," They said as they reached into their pocket and pulled out the car keys, extending them out to you. Your eyes widened slightly at their words as you looked down at their hand and a teasing smile tugged at your lips and you crossed your arms, still holding onto your phone.

"What's this? A part of me thought you were going to insist," You said and Hange's smile didn't falter as they exhaled a breath and kept their hand extended with the keys sitting on it.

"Y/n, your word is law to me. What you say goes, you know that" Hange said as they watched you extend out your hand, so they were quick to put the keys in your palm. You closed your hand around the keys and kept them at your side.

"Since when?" You asked with a chuckle and put your phone in your purse. You looked back up at Hange and saw that a knowing look came onto their face.

"Since always. You should know this by now. I have a bit of a loyal heart, especially for you, Ms. Y/n," They said and you let out a laugh, truly loving how close of a relationship you and Hange have developed over the years. It has never dulled for a second.

"You flatter me, Hange. I should've known. In all the years I've known you, you're not exactly a closed book, are you?" You said, as you began to turn your body and made your way around the car to the passenger seat. There has never been a moment where Hange has ever made it feel like you and her had an unsupportive environment. You loved it.

Just as you opened the door and were about to get in, you heard Hange call out to you; "I'm full of surprises, y/n" They said and you audibly let out a laugh as you began to slide into the car, sit in the passenger seat and close the door.

You were expecting Hange to get on the passenger seat but when you put on your seat belt and realized they hadn't, seeing that they were still standing outside. You rolled down your window and they were quick to see this and leaned down.

"Get in! We're getting some snacks along the way," You smiled at them but it faded when you saw Hange shake their head and send you their signature, warm smile.

You thought they were coming with you. "You're not coming? Let me give you a ride at least," You said, a little bummed that you were splitting ways so suddenly, but you understood.

"Enjoy your snacks, y/n. I have some errands to run but I'll meet with you tomorrow," They said as they stood up again and you watched them leave through the window of your car.

It was late in the day, so it was understandable. You wouldn't want them to overstay their work hours unless they wanted to, besides, this way you could handle the whole Karina issue by yourself and not delay it any longer. You needed to keep your focus, so you sighed and pressed a button to roll up your window again.

After switching gears, you stepped on the pedal and began to drive out of the entrance of the hospital. You were coming back eventually since Grisha had to stay for observation after the checkup and it was all a routine procedure for him to be discharged so you weren't worried.

You drove out of the parking lot and decided to go get some snacks by yourself, head out to deal witj Karina and then just relax for the rest of the day. Though, as you drove, all you could think about is how exactly you would go about it. You just know part of you was dreading it, knowing what she's like.

-

Earlier that day, just after you got that phone call in the car there was someone in particular who was still awaiting your call. Keith Shadis stepped out of the bathroom stall that he was in when he called you to tell you what he knew about the secrets of the company.

He was in one of the bathrooms in the basement of the main building of Eldia Group. It was a bit eerie and run down because nobody went down there, but to him, it was the perfect spot to make the call.

The kind of secrets that could make you chairwoman and knock Grisha off his spot apparently. But you hung up, for obvious reasons, and now he was standing in front of the mirror and the sink, looking down at his phone wondering why there have been no calls from you since he told you what he knew. Anyone else in that family would love to hear what he told you, but you didn't seem to be interested.

"Why hasn't she called me back yet?" Keith wondered to himself, letting out a sigh as he put his phone in his blazer's inner pocket and looked up at himself in the mirror to fix himself up before heading out.

As he checked over his face and leaned over the sink to get a closer look, a smirk came onto his face as he leaned away from the mirror and began to check how his suit looked and if he looked put together.

"Do you think you're the only person I can sell this idea to, y/n?" Keith muttered to himself and let out a scoff, knowing he still had plenty of people in that family he could tell this to, knowing how much they all would love to hear that. In silence, Keith opened the sinks valve and began to wash his hands appropriately.

He also paid no mind to the person that was suddenly coming into the bathroom, which even by looking through the mirror, he could tell it was someone from maintenance so he continued to do what he was doing. Keith could hear the clattering of the employee's supplies coming into the room, hearing how the man came into the bathroom.

The man who came in, before starting his work, put up a sign in front of the bathroom that said 'cleaning in progress, be careful', and then proceeded to roll in and position his bucket with supplies further in on a corner of the bathroom. There was a sense that something was wrong for Keith but he kept brushing it off thinking it was all in his head.

As he leaned down on one knee to grab the first few supplies he needed, it was barely noticeable but this man had blood stains on the back of his neck that clearly came from scratches. He was also wearing a cap that came with the uniform and thankfully concealed the top half of his face and a regular maintenance uniform.

Just as Keith was finishing up washing his hands, drying them and beginning to walk out of the bathroom, he passed right by the guy who was still kneeling by his bucket.

The moment Keith walked past him and almost got to the door, the man stood up and quickly went right behind Keith, putting a hand to his mouth and began to drag him forcefully across the bathroom and towards one of the back stalls.

In extreme alarm, Keith began to yell for help but it all muffled as the employee, who he didn't think was someone employed here at all anymore, restrained Keith from using any strength he had to try and get away. He felt powerless and knew his life was in danger

There was no use, he knew he was about to die here and there was nothing he could possibly do about it. He was fighting back with every fiber of his being but this person was somehow canceling out any attempt he did to use his own strength. What was happening.

He didn't let Keith use anything around him to grip on and try to free himself either, up until the moment that the man at last dragged him to the farthest stall. When they got there, the man who was clearly trying to kill him closed the stall and locked it shut.

The only thing that could be heard were the struggling grunts of Keith banging against the door of the stall, echoing through the walls. And after a couple of second, those pleading sounds of struggle and begging for help, went silent. That was the last anyone saw of Keith Shadis.

-

Hello! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! This one was a real tearjerker for me in some parts and I hope you guys enjoyed those little bits of it :,) I hope you guys are enjoying how im building the relationships between Eren, Grisha, Hange, etc. Because they play a big, big part in the future of this book.

For those of you who have already seen 'My Demon', and know who Petra is playing, know that I have big plans for her as a character. I love her in AOT and from her first appearance, I know it may not be the best but bare with me please :,) It'll be worth it!

I know it's been a bit of a slow burn up until now but this upcoming one is one I've been looking forward to ever since I started the book, and it's where everything comes together for one moment that sets up the premise for the rest of the book and Ive been planning in advance :,) I'm so excited for next week!

There is also now a playlist for this book if you guys want to listen to it as you read the book! Thank you gingersarchives for creating it and putting so much effort into it! They also have an AOT Hange fan fiction of their own and also created a playlist for it too :,)

(Screenshot the link and then copy paste into the Spotify search bar or to a search engine!)
The songs are constantly being updated, too!

Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4jwKTjptJGo4rXwWG04UjP?si=HYOnsDGxSmqiDKYiI5B7uw&pi=u-SgE6Mz8_

These are just some of the ones already in the playlist:

Also, I want to give a special thank you to kvmiicho and gingersarchives for being such a big part of this so far :,)

That's all for now! It was a longer author's note than usual shsj but see you next Sunday for the next chapter! Hope everyone has a good start to their week as well! <3

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