Can I Please Request For Late Night Road Trips With Not-yet-boyfriend Levi Ackerman? They're Pining For

can i please request for late night road trips with not-yet-boyfriend levi ackerman? they're pining for one another and wanted to know each other on a deeper level. so, they went on an impromptu road trip at night and they had deep talks <3 tysm aaaa

ready to love  — levi ackerman

— levi ackerman x female reader (modern au)

— warnings: none, just fluff <3

— summary: levi is one of your best friends but before he became one, he admitted to having feelings for you. and now with an impromptu hang-out, you started to realize that he's more than just a friend all these years.

— word count: 6.6k

— author’s notes: i'm so sorry for replying to this request late aaaaa i hope this poorly edited fic will compensate for your wait njwebj i can't help but put the new song of seventeen as the title because i'm obsessed with it since their mini album released. btw, i think i didn't comprehend your request that well so i apologize in advance if it's starting to drift away from the main theme of your request dnwbje happy reading and thank you for requesting !! <333

i can't help but imagine a much taller levi every time i write something set in the modern world lmao and i actually tried a different writing style for his point of view so i hope it works out ksksks

reblogs are greatly appreciated !!

You don’t know where you can place your relationship with Levi Ackerman.

He confessed to you out of the blue while walking you back to your dorm after working on a group project together. To say you were surprised was an understatement because that man has never talked to you outside of your academic requirements. Hell, the first sentence he said to you was about splitting the workload and he looked ready to bury you more than six feet under the ground with his indifferent eyes. When he confessed to you, an unhurried ‘Please hear me out, I have feelings for you for some time now’, you actually didn’t know what to say. You racked your brain for your interactions with him that might give away his supposed feelings for you but it came into a blank. In the end, he managed to continue with a flushed face that he will wait for your answer no matter how long it takes. You had no choice but to nod in understanding. Your voice didn’t come until you went inside your room, with your roommate, Hange, asking what made you look like you saw a ghost.

Can you blame yourself though? You never had someone confess to you before. You always do those things, never the other party. It was mainly the reason why you avoided relationships since you last confessed to a person you liked during high school. That was a nasty experience — them saying you’re not their type hit you closer at home than you anticipated. In short, confessing to someone is a savage thing to do if you don’t want to get hurt while letting go of your feelings.

Levi confessing to you, however, happened in your second year in college.

Oh, how you wanted to go back to those times because being a college senior wasn’t for you at all. You groaned when you noticed that you forgot to buy your daily coffee from the university café. You’re running late for a lecture so you had no choice but to jog a little to avoid being in the spotlight. The fucking door to the lecture hall is in the front of the seats and you don’t want to experience being the center of attention just because you’re late for a couple of minutes. Plus, the professor you have for this class isn’t compassionate and understanding at all.

Thankfully, you arrived seconds before your professor entered the lecture hall. You didn’t even drink your version of a serotonin boost, much less eat a balanced breakfast, so you were already drifting every fifteen minutes of the class. You promised yourself that you’ll be serious for your senior year, not that you weren’t taking your previous years in college seriously, but you needed to focus since it’s your final year before graduate school. More like a New Year’s resolution but make it a resolution for a new academic year that you always narrate in your mind but you failed to always make it happen. But it was starting to be draining listening to your professor drone the theories and applications when you have an empty stomach and zero social battery. The whole time you were sitting in the middle of the seats was spent staring mindlessly at the projected slide and your iPad. Your notes weren’t even that legible anymore.

With a final reminder of your college thesis (you had a small internal meltdown at this), your professor dismissed you after three hours of lecture.

“Hey, [Name],” came a familiar voice behind you.

You turned around and flashed a small smile at the person. Even though you always have a drained social battery when it comes to interacting with your classmates, there are still some exceptions to your little solitary moment, and the person calling for your name is one of them. “Hey, Nanaba,” you greeted the tall blonde and waited for her to reach you so that you can walk together out of the building.

“I saw that you didn’t take down that many notes this class so I wanted to tell you that I’ll be sending my notes in your school mail later,” she told you while hiking her bag on her shoulder. “You look out of it.” Nanaba rose a hand to feel your forehead. “Are you feeling alright, love? Did you stay up late because of your readings again?” She has this habit of calling her friends terms of endearment and it didn’t fail to make your heart warm. “I think you should go back to your apartment to give this day a rest. Self-care is always important and should be put first, you know?”

You chuckled, taking her hand and patting it gently. “I know. But I still have another lecture in about,” you looked at your phone, smiling at the photo of you and Levi after turning it on, “twenty minutes and it’s in the Science Department. I might have a free afternoon so I’ll use that time for sleeping.” You sighed, smiling at Nanaba who was looking at you with a knowing smirk. You rose an eyebrow at her in confusion. “What?”

“For a person who says they’re just friends, you still have that picture as your lock screen,” Nanaba teased, pointing at your phone.

You felt your cheeks go warm, looking away from your friend and fixing your attention on a group of students doing a round of review for an exam in the courtyard. One of them recognized you and rose a hand in a slight wave. Armin Arlert, the first-year who asked you for directions and advice knowing that you two belong in the same department. You returned his wave with a smile before glancing at Nanaba, who was still smiling smugly. “It’s cute,” you murmured under your breath with a jut of your bottom lip. “Plus, he’ll think there’s something wrong if I change it. And for your information, it was Hange who told me that it’s alright to put it as my wallpaper. We’re really just friends.”

“Hmm, now why is that?”

“It’s not what you think! I mean, he’s one of my best friends and I sort of appreciate him by putting this picture as my lock screen.”

Nanaba continued humming with a half-smile. You were so cute when you were flustered and the tall blonde couldn’t help but tease you some more. It was true that Levi’s one of your best friends despite having confessed to you when you were sophomores (Nanaba doesn’t know this fact) but the blonde could tell that something was underlying in your friendship. Friends don’t just casually kiss each other on the corner of the lips whenever they meet after a long day in university. Maybe Nanaba was looking too much into this because today, you can be platonically in love with your friends but the way Levi looked at you every time beholds something more than friendship. If Nanaba could place it in words, Levi is madly in love with you. Well, she doesn’t hang out with your friend group but she can tell when Levi picks you up sometimes.

It’s quite fun being a bystander to all of this so Nanaba patted you on the head as a way to stop her teasing. She will have to gossip about this to Hange later.

“Trust me, you won’t be friends any longer.” The blonde looked up and nearly cackled at a familiar man waiting for you at the nearby bench. “Well, speaking of your little devil, he’s here, [Name].”

“What?” You asked, looking up from your phone. Hange texted you about getting some groceries because they forgot to buy them yesterday. It was quite amusing rooming with Hange for your entire college experience, from the dormitories to renting out a decent apartment. Rather than getting mad at them for their antics, you found them endearing. You looked around with furrowed eyebrows. “Where?”

Nanaba gently guided your head to look at somewhere to the right. “There.”

True enough, Levi was casually sitting on one of the benches, scrolling through something on his phone. It was as if he felt you staring at him so he looked up directly in your direction, pocketing his phone and slinging his backpack over his shoulder right after. There was a familiar large cup in his other hand and it made you crave your coffee again. He never took his eyes off of you as he made his way over, glancing at Nanaba and nodding at her once he reached the two of you.

“Hey, Nanaba,” Levi greeted, tugging on a piece of your hair to get you out of your daze.

Nanaba’s smile made you narrow your eyes. (Levi tugged on your hair again to catch your attention.) “Hello, Levi.” She then perked up, not liking the way Nanaba wiggled her eyebrows at you. “I’m meeting up with Nifa for some late breakfast so I hope to see you guys later. And, [Name],” Nanaba pointedly looked at you, “think about what I said earlier. Rest and do things that can make you feel relaxed. Play your games or read a book, just don’t grind for academics for one second. Levi, keep an eye on her. Bye!” The tall blonde turned around and bounded off to the opposite direction of where Nifa’s department building is.

You didn’t notice Levi squinting at how you stared incredulously at a retreating Nanaba. The whole time he made his presence known, you didn’t give him the greeting you always exchange together. You heard a faint, “Hey,” near your ear. It made you turn to Levi, only for your voice to disappear when he leaned in to give you the usual kiss on the corner of your lips. The contact lingered for a couple of seconds so you returned it as soft as you can. However, Levi slightly turned his head to meet your pretty eyes, with your kiss landed at the center of his lips instead. The two of you stare wide-eyed at each other, not comprehending what transpired at the moment. As much as it ensued both of your heartbeats to pound in a song, Levi made sure to capture you with his stare. Your face started to become warm when you saw his face being painted with rouge as you pulled away.

Levi lightly licked his bottom lip. “You taste like watermelon.”

If the world stopped when you accidentally brushed your lips against his, his words just made an uncontrollable torpedo of butterflies flutter the insides of your stomach and chest. You hitched your backpack on your shoulders and walked away from him with fast footsteps. Nanaba was right, you two weren’t ‘just friends’ at all. There was something behind every gesture that made your body tingle with emotions that weren’t supposed felt for a close friend. You tried so hard to bottle everything up, resorting to thinking about Levi deep into the night whenever you have some backlogs to finish. After his confession during your sophomore year, you saw him in a completely different light. This man who was just a passing face in your day became one of the many people you look forward to talking to. Once he started being your friend, Levi made you feel loved and special through his little actions that sometimes, you wish it didn’t give you butterflies every damn time. You even wonder if Levi forgot about his feelings for you as the years go by.

What they said was true — that you’ll slowly notice the person who expressed their feelings for you.

You heard footsteps following close by but you didn’t have any strength to stop and turn around, fearing that looking at Levi right now could make your brain malfunction. A gentle hold on your wrist held you back, slightly turning you around, and yet you could only fix your stare on the pavement.

“Don’t be sorry, okay? It’s my fault. A-And it’s not like I don’t like it.”

You looked at him through your eyelashes, feeling his thumb rub the inside of your wrist. He was wistfully looking down where his hand was wrapping around your wrist before meeting your eyes, the eye contact spanning more than eternity. Once again, your face felt warm. “I don’t mind it either,” you whispered.

“G-Good to know.” He let go of your wrist to scratch his undercut. “Uhm, here’s my drink. I have an inkling that you didn’t get to order your coffee earlier so here you go.” Levi handed you his tall cup of hot tea, slightly raising his eyebrow when you only stared at it. “What? You don’t want it? There’s still caffeine in here, you know?”

“Are you sure?” You slowly asked him because you know how Levi cherishes his daily tea from the university café. One time, Hange reached out for a sip and Levi smacked their hand so hard that you had to apply ice on her hand. Levi apologized for that only because you made him feel guilty about it. After that incident, you, Hange, and Erwin always made sure to buy your own drinks when you have your hang-outs. “I don’t want to have a repeat of what you did to Hange.”

His shoulders shake in a silent laugh. “No, I will never hurt you. Four-eyes had it coming anyway because they didn’t ask for my permission but I’m genuinely offering this to you so it’s kind of different.” Levi fiddled with a lock of your hair and you felt your cheeks becoming warm again. “Are you just going to stare at me like I’m your worst nightmare or are you going to take it?”

You shook your head. “No, you’re not my worst nightmare and I’ll be accepting this because you so graciously offered it to me.” With a soft smile, you took the cup of tea from his hand and took a sip. At the taste of the sweet drink, you hummed in contentment. Nothing beats a good, sweet, and warm drink to fill up your serotonin levels every morning. You detect a slight scent of strawberries and a small amount of milk in the tea, wondering when Levi started asking for add-ons in his drinks. You always remembered his favored drink since you were sometimes tasked with telling the counter your orders and it was always black tea with nothing at all. You narrowed your eyes at him from over the rim of the cup, detecting the delighted shine in his gray eyes. “You don’t put anything in your tea. Especially sweeteners and milk.”

Levi shrugged with a small smile, ruffling your hair before wrapping his arm around your shoulders to steer you to your next class. “I wanted to have something for a change.” He glanced at you from the side of his eyes. “From the way you’re drinking it, I think it’s a good idea to change my order for the day. You need it more than me anyway. I can manage a day without some tea from the uni’s café. I make better tea than them, to be honest.”

You laughed at his last statement, slightly leaning on him. You felt his hand transfer from your shoulder to your waist.

“Is this alright?” Levi whispered in your ear.

“Yeah,” you hummed, praying that Levi wouldn’t hear your heart racing in your chest.

You seriously don’t know when you started falling in love with him but the present is all that matters.

Levi knew exactly when he started falling in love with her.

It was a coincidence that his schedule matched up with her but it wasn’t a coincidence that she caught his attention while walking out of a class with Erwin during freshman year. His tall friend was telling him about a new book that was coming out. All Levi could remember from his gushing was how the book had unknown creatures in them that made the blonde excited enough to buy it. Something was occupying Levi’s mind that muddled his memory of what Erwin was talking about. Actually, it wasn’t something. A girl walked out of the building they were walking along by and Levi felt his curiosity piqued, Erwin’s words becoming static as his gray stare never left her. She wasn’t even wearing flashy clothes but the moment she turned her head in their direction as if she was looking for something, Levi’s heart stuttered in his chest.

She’s so fucking beautiful to him — like the shooting star he found mesmerizing while he was stargazing with his mother when he was twelve. The whole minute was spent just looking at her, seeing how she shifted her attention to the other side of the courtyard before bringing her pretty eyes to him again. He saw how her eyebrows slightly furrowed at his gawking, irises glinting with suspicion. Levi didn’t realize he stopped walking when Erwin jogged back to him, checking to see what made his friend stop. Levi didn’t even register that Erwin was beside him once again as he watched her wave at a tall brown-haired person.

“Hey, Erwin, who is that?”

Erwin followed his gaze to the pair walking away, looking back at Levi who was still looking at the girl. He chuckled before patting his friend on the shoulder. “That’s [Name] if I can recall correctly. She’s also in my Statistics class. She’s pretty much a quiet person most of the time but when you try to approach her kindly, she’ll warm up eventually. The person with them is Hange, her roommate, I think. Why do you ask?”

“Nothing.”

It was not nothing, of course, because Levi found himself looking all over the campus for just a glimpse of the girl. She was very much like a passing wisp every time Levi walked down the hallways of the different buildings of their university. For a huge campus, there was no chance of seeing the girl again and Levi was left with the remnants of her in his memory. No matter how much he convinced himself that it was an attraction that he felt when he first saw her, Levi would always crane his head over the crowds, wishing that he could float on a cloud to overlook everyone else. All to search her. And finding her was like a stroke of luck because Erwin showed him an Instagram account with pictures of her. Levi followed the account without any second thought. That only added to his never-ending curiosity and interest for the girl named [Name], making his chest blossom with red carnations and yellow tulips.

Levi was perfectly content with admiring her from afar. Their paths sometimes intertwined with each other whenever there were events around the campus. She was always with that tall, talkative brown-haired person that Levi was starting to think that maybe she already gave her heart to another. But that didn’t stop him from glancing at her if they were in the same vicinity. Levi couldn’t fathom how a person could be that pretty without even trying – mesmerized at every action she did no matter how small it is. Everything paled in comparison whenever she’s around.

He always knew that he was the kind of person who never delved deeper into strange connections with others, relying on interactions to further deepen the bond they already established. This is the case with every person Levi encountered in his life. His hometown friends, Isabel and Farlan, and even Erwin were prime examples. Nobody could ever break down his well-crafted walls with just a single word. It wasn’t that [Name] was an exception (she still didn’t earn his permission to enter his life simply because they never talked once) but Levi will readily shed his guard little by little upon knowing what kind of person she is. Too bad Levi was too shy to approach her. The rest of his first year in university was spent complying with the requirements of his courses and thinking so hard on his newly-accumulated feelings for a girl he doesn’t know anything about (except for the little posts her roommate writes on Twitter, tagging her in some of them). He decided that if everything was unrequited, he will do himself the favor to confess to her and let the feelings go because it wouldn’t benefit him in the end.

Everything came into place when he was in sophomore year.

Every shred of his plan of burying his feelings for the girl vanished like a wisp he saw on the night sky.

“Please hear me out, I have feelings for you for some time now.”

Levi knew that was a wrong move. If this was a chess game, he was already risking his king of being placed in checkmate. He had no control over his mouth when it came to her and he hated himself for that. It might be the comfortable atmosphere they established or it could be that Levi found her beautiful under the stars, but he knew that his feelings were overflowing to the point that he couldn’t hold it in anymore. Her shocked face was piercing, hurting him in the best way possible because she still looked pretty. The disbelief painted on her face was enough for Levi to realize how stupid he was at blurting out his feelings.

But fate thought it would be funny to make them closer as friends after that incident.

The late-night musings immediately stopped when the next song played in Levi’s earphones. He was doing revisions in one of his courses, his desk piled up with readings and highlighters that were still aligned beside the papers. He ran his hand through his hair, making it flop on his forehead. The weight of being a senior was getting to him as he let himself fall back on his desk chair. The little glow-in-the-dark star stickers [Name] placed on his ceiling greeted his vision. She was cute while reaching up on the small ladder Levi placed in the middle of the room. Levi remembered how she slipped and how she snuggly fit in his arms in a desperate attempt to catch her. He shook his head to quell his fast heartbeat, every single thought revolving around the young woman rendering him breathless. The moment his stomach growled, Levi straightened himself in his seat and took a deep breath.

His phone was then in his hands, his fingers typing out a message without second thoughts.

Hey, I’ll be picking you up in ten.

With a pounding heartbeat, Levi put on one of his jackets before taking his car keys. Locking his apartment, he went out and drove to her shared apartment with Hange. The moment he parked his car, he went out and leaned himself on the door to the passenger seat. Levi was preoccupied with reading some of the tweets in his timeline when he heard the sliding doors to the apartment complex open to a very concerned [Name]. She ran towards him and patted his tense figure before turning his head from one side to another as if searching for any injuries. Her sigh of relief followed as she placed her hands on his chest.

“I thought something went wrong.” Her dazzling eyes looked up at him, narrowed yet captivating at the same time. “You rarely text something that cryptic, Levi.”

Levi said nothing, his silver eyes roaming on her figure. With a hum, he cupped her face with a gentle hand and wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her flush against his front. He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on the corner of her lips, hearing her breath hitch. His heart accelerated once again at the thought of kissing her fully on the mouth. If he could just tilt his head a little bit more to the right, he would’ve done that. He couldn’t forget the taste of her watermelon chapstick earlier, how intoxicating it was that it distracted him from all of his lectures. Not to mention that the hoodie she was wearing was one of his. The physical contact lingered for a few moments until they stared at each other, Levi’s thumb rubbing on the apple of her cheek. The warmth on their faces could be picked up at their proximity. Levi wished he could stop time right here but he remembered how hungry he was.

Pulling his face away from her mesmerized one, Levi caressed the small of her back. “I’m hungry.”

[Name]’s love-struck face turned into a reprimanding one. “You didn’t eat dinner again, did you?”

He shrugged. “Sue me.”

The woman in his arms sighed before turning around to gesture him to follow her. “Come in the apartment. I know Hange won’t mind if I cook for you at this hour. They’ll probably even rejoice you’ll grace them with your presence at this late evening.” She felt his grip around her tighten. “Levi?”

“Let’s drive around town.” Levi prayed that she wouldn’t see how his cheeks became red. “I want to spend this night with you. Alone.”

It looked like [Name] wasn’t breathing as she stared at her close friend. “Oh.” The locks of her hair fluttered from the wind as she looked at the side to hide her warming face. This man will be the death of her someday. It wasn’t fair that he was constantly running his mouth to say things that can make her heart stutter in her chest. “Uhm, sure, but I’m actually dressed for bed right now. I hope that’s okay with you?”

“You’re perfect either way.” Levi tugged at the hem of the hoodie [Name] was wearing with a half-smile. “I’d rather stare at how you look good with my clothes on.” When he continued tugging, he caught a glimpse of a very familiar shirt below the thick material of the hoodie. “And is this my old jersey from the volleyball team? You still kept it? It’s so worn out, you know.”

“It’s comfortable,” she smiled, fiddling with the ends of his hoodie. A laugh laced with playful disbelief bubbled in her chest. “I still couldn’t imagine you playing volleyball during freshman year,” she stated as Levi pulled her to the vehicle. Once the two of them settled in the warm confines of Levi’s car, [Name] turned to him with a grin. “I swear, I didn’t even know that fact until last year when Erwin randomly said it.”

“It’s not that important, to be honest. I was roped in because somebody practically shoved the application form in my hands while Erwin and I were walking around the welcoming booths at the start of freshman year. It was a chaotic mess and I couldn’t return it because the person got swallowed by the crowd. I didn’t know what came over me to join. All I know is that I can’t juggle academics and sports at the same time so I quit in sophomore year. I couldn’t get used to it, I guess.” Levi steered the car to the nearest McDonald’s, his hand comfortably placed on [Name]’s bare thigh (she was wearing shorts, a fact that always distracted Levi), rubbing on her skin until he felt warm in his side of the car. “What about you, any secret clubs you forgot to mention to me?”

[Name] hummed before Levi felt her fingers tracing the back of his hand. He mindlessly turned his hand palm up for their fingers to entwine, gaze focused on the road. “I once joined the softball team.”

“What?” Levi glanced at her for a second. “Really? When was that?”

“Same as you. At the start of freshman year. I quit before that academic year ended because I thought being on a sports team would take too much of my time. Hange was probably the one who convinced me to join the university team. They said that I should also focus on my physical fitness because I was acting like a slug most of the time in our dorm.” She chuckled at the memory, wistfully staring at the blinking cityscape as they passed by some of the establishments in their side of the town. “They even pinpointed my many mannerisms just to rile me up and eventually I joined.” Levi glanced at her once again, the sight of her measuring their hands together making him smile a little. “I had no idea how the sport works. The senior in the team was kind enough to teach me the basics but it wasn’t for me at all.”

“I understand,” Levi replied, turning the car to the right until they saw the sign of the fast-food restaurant ahead of them. “Peer pressure sucks. Especially if that friend is Four-eyes. I hate it when they put me in the hot seat sometimes.”

[Name] laughed. “That’s Hange for you. They mean well though.”

“For you, I guess. For me, I’m starting to think they’re trying to embarrass me.” He squeezed her hand to catch her attention. “Hey, should we order in the drive-thru?”

“Works for me.”

Levi nodded and drove towards the drive-thru of the building. Once their order was packed in paper bags, he handed them to [Name], who happily gasped when she saw that he ordered the strawberry shake she always bought. When everything is in place, Levi focused on the road again until he felt something poke his lips. He looked down on a piece of French fry being handed to him by a bright-eyed [Name]. He lowly laughed before opened his mouth to let her feed him the fries. His hunger made the food even more delectable, making him hum in satisfaction, with his last meal being lunch which was hours ago. “Where do you want to stop, beautiful?” The terms of endearment flew out of his mouth without him controlling it, never noticing how [Name] froze in the passenger seat with warm cheeks. “It’s going to be hard eating all of this in the car.”

“Anywhere you like, ‘Vi,” she murmured, trying so hard to brush away the nickname.

“Mm-hmm. How about going to that hill overlooking the university? We can stargaze as well.” Levi sheepishly gazed at her. “That is if you think it’s not too far.”

“Never.” She shook her head, an endearing smile painted on her face. “We have the night to ourselves, might as well go for it.”

Levi fell in love with her all over again.

The stars were brighter than usual as you gazed up at the canopy of constellations, the midnight hue of the sky is reflected in your eyes. The weather was in your side, with the night breeze occasionally ruffling your hair, with you wondering who was thinking of you at the moment for the wind to gently thread its fingers through your hair. Levi retracted the roof of his convertible to let the moment play out, the low tune on the radio filling in the background as you two munched on your food (for Levi, his dinner, while for you, a late-night snack). At times, you didn’t notice how his silver eyes flickered at your side profile. For him, the night sky and you are the perfect combinations for a distraction in the dreaded senior year of university. Everything you do is spell-binding for him, even if you were taking a bite of your chicken sandwich and slurping it down with your strawberry shake. As if sensing the stare, you looked back at him, raising your eyebrows cutely to wordlessly ask what was wrong.

Levi shook his head, his hand pinching your cheek. “Nothing.” He continued staring at you with the softest gaze, his smile reaching the corners of his eyes. “You just look so pretty, that’s all.”

“Don’t make my ego inflate even more, Levi,” you joked. “I look like a hobo. You look, well,” you shifted your attention on the windshield to avoid his inquiring eyes, “you look amazing for someone who is studying for more than three hours. Good for you.”

“I try.” The onyx-haired man shrugged lightheartedly. “But you’re the pretty one in this relationship, and that’s a fact.” He punctuated his statement with a bite of his burger, careful enough to not let the lettuce slide down his hand. “Hey, can I take a picture? I know I’m not good at taking pictures but I need a new post. Hange was pestering me to keep my account alive.”

“They’re right,” you nodded, popping a fry in your mouth. “Your last post was three months ago.” Wiping your hand on the napkin found in the paper bag, you shifted in the passenger seat so that your back was facing the door. “So, what do you want me to do?”

“Just sit still and look pretty.”

You laughed. “How do I do that?”

“I don’t know, you always do it. You’re just unaware.”

The heat on your cheeks was traveling towards your ears now, the butterflies continued fluttering inside your stomach and chest. You thought of how Levi continued to be your friend after spilling out his feelings to you and how he always made you laugh at the most random times of the day with his dry humor — the loving smile directed at the person behind the camera appearing instantly on your face. You didn’t know how many pictures Levi took but at that shot, he slowly lowered his phone with a star-struck expression stuck on his face. You also didn’t know what made him look like that but you couldn’t help but be captured in his gaze as well. The two of you looked at each other until Levi cleared his throat before opening his phone to tweak the filter of the pictures. However, the spell wasn’t broken because you sat near him, placing your chin on his shoulder as you watched him make the shots even more aesthetic. After a few moments, your phone dinged with the tag from him and you straightened on your seat, already missing Levi’s warmth.

“There,” Levi murmured with red cheeks. “Hange and Erwin should be happy by tomorrow when they see this.”

You smile at the comfortable silence, letting the radio play a random song. It was then that a thought came into your mind that you couldn’t stay quiet.

“Levi, when did you fall in love with me?”

You always ached to ask that question because you couldn’t draw something from your freshman year until sophomore year. You couldn’t believe how such an amazing person managed to stumble in your life. It was true that you don’t remember meeting his eyes while you just got out of your classes in search of Hange but you remembered how he always stared at you whenever you talked. He always made sure you were heard. But the times before that, you were beyond confused that he would randomly tell you that he liked you for a while. You wanted to ask him that question ever since his confession became reality two years ago and you wanted to know if he still feels the same way. You have to make sure because what you’re feeling for him at the moment wasn’t meant for friends. How could you even tell him that, to begin with?

“Which time are you asking?” Levi softly asked, never looking away from the beauty that is you.

“What?” Your confusion is apparent in the air but Levi only answered with a chuckle. “Hey, I’m serious. You know, I never had someone confess to me until you. It was always me who was doing the confessing. I stopped doing that in the last year of high school because I sounded dumb with my reasoning. Even though I know I don’t have a chance with him and that I wasn’t his type at all, I still said it. We were sort of mutual friends and I kind of ruined it. I was thankful when I found out he was going to another university.” You laughed humorlessly. “Every single time, it was always unrequited and I was sick of it to the point that I told myself to never engage in those feelings when college starts.”

“That guy’s an asshole,” Levi snorted. “When I started crushing on you, I was perfectly fine with being a distant admirer. Have you seen yourself?”

You looked anywhere except for the man beside you. “No?”

He softly flicked your forehead. “Idiot. What I’m trying to say is, those people you’ve been confessing to, they don’t know how lucky they are to hear you say those words. I’m not saying that I should be hearing those words from you right now but to have someone this amazing and talented and beautiful falling in love with them, they pretty much have the entire world the moment you said you liked them. I might be looking at everything in rose-colored glasses but everything you do, [Name], is absolutely mesmerizing to me.” He placed the large cup of soda in the cupholder before holding your face in his hands. “They don’t appreciate that a piece of art was doing the admiring when you should be the one being admired. I would give the world to hear you say you love me back, beautiful, but I’m willing to wait years for you to feel the same way as me.”

Your vision became misty, throat clogging with emotions, and bottom lip being bitten to prevent a small sob. “So when?” You asked again with a shaky voice.

“I fall in love with you so many times, [Name]. Every time we’re in the same frame for a picture. Every time you smiled at me, God your smile is just perfect. Every fucking time you call my name, no matter what kind of shit you’re pulling.” Your laugh rang through the night, making Levi smile. “I fall in love with you every time you’re near me, when you touch me with your soft fingertips, when I feel your hugs give me the comfort I needed. The power you have over me is something that I have no control over because you are just perfect to me.” He squished your cheeks softly when he saw you open your mouth to retaliate. “And before you tell me that you’re not perfect, screw that thought because you are in my eyes. Plus, your heart is so fucking big for welcoming me as your friend despite having feelings for you.

“Fuck, I still do.”

The butterflies once again came to life with his words, your breath heavy and years clinging on your eyelashes. “When’s the most recent time you fell in love with me then?”

Levi neared his face to yours, your foreheads pressed against each other. His lips were just centimeters away when he murmured, “Right now.”

“Me, too,” you whispered, your lips brushing on his. “I fell in love with you again at this moment, Levi, and I’m ready for you to make me breathless every single day.”

Levi’s eyes widened at your words. He was so drunk in you that he didn’t know he was making a face many people wouldn’t associate with him. “When?” He threw your question right back at you because he couldn’t believe what he was hearing right now.

“Ever since you started telling me to stop drinking too much coffee or when you started making me some of your tea recipes. Like you, it just started a loop with every little thing you do for me. I just accepted it when Nanaba talked to me earlier this day. I’m sorry I took so long to give you an answer, Levi.”

“No, it’s perfect. My wait is worth it.”

The stars swooned when your lips finally met his. Because when a person was ready to love someone, nothing can come between them. They will feel as if they reached the highest point in their lives as if they were blessed by the gods for finding their other half. Nothing can stop them, not even the cosmos shining down at the birth of the blissful lovers.