Chapter 13

Sitting up from her bed she checks her phone to find 5 missed messages from Levi.

[Levi]: I'm sorry about your family. I know I can't do much, but I'm here for you. (14 hours ago)

[Levi]: I tried the earbuds, they sound perfect. Thank you for these, I really appreciate it. (8 hours ago)

[Levi]: Goodnight, Crystal. I hope you're okay.

[Levi]: Goodmorning Crystal, would it be okay if I came over today? Maybe I can help take your mind off things? (30 minutes ago)

[Levi]: I can get you breakfast? (5 minutes ago)

Crystal still felt that numb feeling in her chest, but she knew there was no reason to push her friend away. She was all alone now, she needed to bring her friends closer to her than ever before. 

[Me]: Please come over. I want to see you.

Crystal didn't even care if it sounded weird or desperate. She was desperate, she wanted to see him, she needed to hear him.

[Levi]: Is everything ok? I'm omw.

[Me]: No. Nothing is ok. I just want to see you.

Crystal gets up from her bed in her pajamas and heads down the hallway into her living room, sitting criss crossed on the couch. Before long the lock on her door clicked and it opened.

"It's me." Levi says gently before walking into the living room with a bag of breakfast food, "I got everything. I don't know what you like…"

"Thank you… Levi." Crystal says with a small weak smile, she was happy to see him, his face alone made her feel better.

"You… Wanted to see me?" Levi asks as he sits down next to Crystal, "Is everything okay?"

"No." Crystal mutters, "My aunt and two cousins were murdered. That means the only one left in my family is me." 

"That means…?"

"I'm in danger. I might be safe for a while, but that person will come after me eventually." Crystal says softly and looks at Levi, "So… I have to start living life like everyday's my last…"

"Don't talk like that. As long as I'm around, no one will ever hurt you, understand?" Levi asks harshly and Crystal smiles weakly at him with a nod.

"I wanted… To see you. So badly it hurt." Crystal says softly, "I know my nerves have been rubbed down to the bare minimum, so if I say something weird, please stop me." 

"Okay…" Levi leans back against the couch, and Crystal holds her hands together.

"I can't get you out of my head." Crystal admits, "I'm inexperienced in these things, and I fear it may be too soon to tell if I have feelings for you or if it's just a crush. But I know that… When you kissed me, it made me so happy." Crystal smiles, a small genuine one, "I just… Thought you'd like to know that was my first." Levi tenses up next to her and a hand touches her lower back.

"You're not thinking straight." Levi says, soft but a harsh undertone came through, "You couldn't and shouldn't ever catch feelings for a guy like me." Levi leans up and pulls her into a hug.

"What…?"

"I kissed you to tease you, I'm sorry I took your first so carelessly." Levi says into her ear and she felt her heart shatter, she was hoping he would kiss her, tell her he felt the same as her. But here he was, telling her she was being delusional.

"Its… Okay." Crystal manages out and he pulls away from her, a new expression in his normally stoic face, he looked hurt.

"I want you to find a good guy, someone who can make you happy." Levi reaches over and gets Crystal's breakfast tray out, "Someone who matches better with you."

"Levi? Where is all of this coming from?" Crystal asks, a little pissed off now, "It's not up to you who matches with me better or makes me happy." Levi pauses in his movements, "It's not even up to you who I should or shouldn't be in love with. If I choose to have feelings for you, that's up to me." Levi puts the tray in her hands and remains quiet, "Levi! You can't tell me you don't feel anything-"

"I don't." Levi says harshly, "I never saw you as more than a friend, you mean something to me, but not like that." Crystal lets her head fall and she laughs.

"Right… It's okay. I knew I never had a chance to begin with. Just… Thought I'd get it off my chest." Crystal begins to eat and Levi looks at her before doing the same.

Hange walks in soon after and looks at them, "The door was unlocked. I let myself in."

"Want some breakfast?" Crystal offers and Hange reaches over, stealing one of the sausage biscuits.

"Thanks for the offer." Hange grins, "Oh? Did Levi get you breakfast?"

"Yeah." Crystal smiles sorrowfully and Hange notices.

"Huh. You two spend a lot of time together now. It's good that you're both getting closer."

"Yeah. He's a good friend." Crystal says simply. She regretted this, she should've never told Levi how she felt, now it feels awkward.

She watched as the two eventually left, Levi not saying another word to her and she just felt broken. Maybe she was being delusional, there was Jean who's always hit on her. If she wanted experience, maybe he was her shortcut.

Walking into the school, not waiting on the three to get out of their car, she found herself noticing people she hadn't before, her eyes locked onto every individual face before they landed on Erwin's. 

He was, in her mind, textbook handsome. His facial features were almost too perfect, and as she was thinking she felt someone slink their arm around her shoulders.

"Heya Crystal. I heard through the grapevine that you're finally doing better." Jean says, having lost his cocky tone he normally had, "I was wondering if you'd come with me to the new cafe during Lunch."

"Sure." Crystal smiles at him and his jaw drops.

"Say that again?"

"I'll go with you." Crystal says with a giggle, "Its your treat though right?"

"Y-Yeah. I'll get you whatever you want." Jean stutters with a grin, "I'll see you at Lunch then!" Jean runs off and Crystal snickers to herself before going up the stairs to her language arts class. Waving to Sasha before sitting in her spot, and pulling her notebook out, Erwin came in soon after, sitting in his spot next to her.

"Hey Erwin." Crystal smiles at him, "Would you let everyone know at Lunch that I'm leaving for the new cafe?"

"Yeah, I'll let them know. In exchange, tell me how the coffee tastes?"

"Sure." Crystal giggles when Levi sits down next to her, she looks and her eyes widened with concern, he looked like he hadn't slept, "Are you okay?"

"Tsk. Don't talk to me." Levi says harshly and Crystal flinches at his tone. Looking down in shame, she struggles to contain her tears.

"Levi? What's wrong?" Erwin asks over her slumped form. Levi clicks his tongue and Crystal just sighs softly, leaning her head into her palm, she willed for a daydream. She enjoyed the cool breeze of a sunset and the taste of a sugary ice cream. 

The bell rang and she went to Art Digital, drawing Jean and her in a super sketchy way, she imagined her cheeks blushing and his slightly pink. Smiling with their eyes closed, drinking two cups of steaming hot coffee.

"Hm?" A girl leans over her shoulder, "Damn I would've figured you were with that Levi guy."

"No Petra. He's not… My type." Crystal admits as she looks at the ginger haired girl.

"Does that mean if I went for him you wouldn't care?" Petra asks softly, "I only kept my distance because I thought you liked him first."

"No. I don't like him, do whatever you want. Just try to keep your fangirling in check, he doesn't like that." Crystal says simply before pulling up the piece of jerky that Mr. Tybur always handed out and chewed on it.

"Thanks. Also you and Jean look cute together like that."

"Thanks." Crystal mutters as Petra walks away with a small victory 'Yay!' Crystal rolls her eyes at that. As the bell rings she curses under her breath, knowing they still had a duet to do.

Walking in she spots him, and decides not to sit next to him today. Looking around she spots Jean and plops down in the free seat next to him.

"Something- uh- Wrong?" Jean asks and Crystal looks at him.

"We have plans right? We shouldn't lose each other in the Lunch rush." Crystal says with a smile and Marco smiles at her.

"Its good to see you're doing well, Crystal. But shouldn't you-" A piece of paper gets placed in front of her.

"The highlighted parts are yours. If you don't like something, improvise while we sing." Levi says harshly and Crystal smiles up at him, a little ticked off he had such an attitude towards her.

"Thanks." She grits her teeth as he walks away and Jean leans over to her.

"What happened between you two? You used to only smile like that at me."

"Levi is just cruelly being rude to me this morning, so why should I offer him my staple Kindness?" Crystal asks, and Jean chuckles.

"True, anyways. You should smile again, it was so much prettier on your face." Jean touches her cheek with the back of his hand and leans close to her. She felt her cheeks heating up, "Aw. That's cute too." Jean chuckles as he leans away and Ms. Finger gets started calling up groups until it was Levi and hers turn.

Walking up beside him, she held the microphone, visualizing the lyrics in her head when he began singing.

"She lost her brother a month ago, his picture on the wall, and it reminds me. When she brings me coffee, her smile, I wish I could be with her, until my last day. She said, she gave all her love to me, we dreamed a new life, someplace to be at peace, but things changed, suddenly, we lost our dreams, in this disaster." Crystal joined with him, keeping her eyes closed to not mess up the foreign lyrics, trying to keep her voice quieter than his.

"I'm Crying missing my lover, and I don't got the power, on my side forever! Whoa! Where is my lover?! And I've got no power. I'm standing alone, no way! Calling out your name!" She took over after this, grimacing at the lyrics. But she wanted to stay true to them, so she kept going.

"I said, I gave all my love to you. We dreamed a new house, someplace to be at peace. But things changed suddenly, I lost my dreams in this disaster." 

"We don't know what is wrong tonight everybody got no place to hide, no one's left and there's no one to go on, all I know is my life is gone!" The two stop singing and the class does a round of applause as Crystal puts her microphone up before Levi. Walking back to her seat she sat down breathing heavily.

"That was so weird." Jean says, "I'm used to you singing sad songs but that didn't seem to have your heart into it."

"Its because he wrote it. And I had 0 time to practice." Crystal says simply and Jean blinks in surprise when the bell goes off. He went to stand up but Crystal pulled him back down quickly, "Wait." Crystal says sharply and watches Levi pack his things and walk out, "There we go. Let's go try out this coffee shop."

"See ya Marco." Jean smirks at his best friend who gives him the signature wingman thumbs up. Crystal snickers as Jean wraps an arm around her shoulders and leads her out of the classroom.

—(Levi)--- 

"What do you mean she left?" Levi asks harshly to Erwin who had a slight smug look on his face.

"Obviously she didn't want to be anywhere close to Mr. Grumpy. You really crushed her spirits this morning!" Erwin shouts at the end and everyone shot a glare at Levi.

"Are you serious?" Hange stands up angrily, "After everything that happened yesterday! You really just treated her like shit?!"

"Tsk." Levi clicks his tongue and looks down at his drink.

"After she went out of her way to get you that special teapot set at the arcade." Eren says harshly, "God. You really are heartless. That poor girl."

Levi frowns deeper as he takes a drink of his tea, and Hange sits down after Erwin convinced her to.

His hand now doing small circles on her back, "Crystal is going with someone I think. I saw her walking out of school with a taller boy." Erwin says softly.

"What?" Hange asks, "She left with someone?"

"Yeah." Erwin looks up as he tries to remember what the boy looked like, "His hair was in a weird two tone from it being shaved. It was like… A light brown?"

"Jean?" Eren questions but everyone just shrugs, "How much taller was he to her?"

"Oh she was tiny next to him. Around my height I believe."

"Yeah it was Jean." Armin sighs, "He must have asked her out again and she decided to go."

"Wait. I thought she liked Levi Bro?" Isabel blurts out before slapping her hand over her mouth.

"She does." Hange glares at Levi, "And My theory is she told Mr. Grumpy ass over there."

"So then…" Farlan looks at Levi, "You turned her down?"

"I told her I didn't have feelings for her. Told her she was delusional." Levi sips the last of his tea, "It didn't seem to bother her."

"Wow." Hange says darkly, "So you were just leading her on? I knew you were an asshole, but I didn't think you'd go to that level."

Levi grumbles as he lifts up the blanket Historia still brought and puts it against the tree trunk. Sitting against it he groans a little at the pain, but he pulls out a book, his eyes drift though. Looking at the spot where she slept peacefully on his first day here. He turns his eyes back to the group that continued to chatter about stuff he couldn't hear even though he was right next to them.

Pulling out his earbuds, he cringes as he looks at them, they were perfect. The gift he got from her was everything he needed.