Scaredy-Cat (Levi x Reader) ~Oneshot~

~Modern AU~

She’s always scared. Scared of this, scared of that. She’s afraid of everything, running away from the most insignificant things, jumping at the slightest sounds. Honestly, it’s ridiculous and annoying. She’s even afraid of human beings – distrust for human nature, as she liked to put it. Is she pessimistic? No. She’s a bright girl. She’s just always scared. I know I said that a lot, but it’s really how she is.

Honestly, we could be walking down the street and could–

“KYAAAAA!!!!”

And there she goes.

“LEVI!!!” I felt a weight hit me, snapping me out of my thoughts, and making my breath leave me with an ungraceful, “UMPH!”

I looked at the (hair colour) head that was currently clinging to my chest and frowned. I huffed and pried her off of me. For such a tiny girl, she honestly had some strength in her death grip.

“________, I can’t breathe. Let go.” I stated. She loosened her grip and she cried. She was trembling and I had to fight back a groan. “Alright, what is it this time?”

She sniffed and said, “Those boys over to your left. They were staring at me really with really weird looks.” She whispered. “It’s so scary! They looked like they wanted to eat me!”

I looked over to my left and saw two teenage boys – guys who seemed to be in their first or second year of high school, so just a few years younger than us – checking _______ out. They were smiling and looking her up and down.

I looked at her and said, “You’re wearing really short pants and a tank top with a light cardigan. I’m not surprised they’re checking you out.”

She huffed and shook her head. “No way! They’re super creepy! It’s scary! Besides! You don’t look at me like that!”

I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes. “We’ve been friends for years. I’m used to how you look.” That’s only half the truth. The truth is I’ve liked _________ for a long time now. We’ve been best friends since we were in the fourth grade, and I’ve protected her all this time. I’m just not the type of guy who scans a girl’s body like that. I’m used to it, but it’s really more that I think checking out girls is creepy.

She sniffed and rubbed at her eyes. I gave her a handkerchief and put my arm around her. I walked away with her, and when we were far away from the boys, I said, “They’re gone now. Happy?”

She stopped crying and nodded. “Yeah…. Thanks, Levi. You’re really the best friend a girl can ask for.”

“No, you’re just a scaredy-cat. All I did was walk away with you.”

She laughed. “Yeah. Sorry for being a nuisance.”

“If you know that, then be calmer. Just because they were looking at you, didn’t mean they would attack you and bite your head off.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

We just walked away. She eventually told me that she wanted to eat some ice-cream, so we went to the convenience store near her house. It sits along a road just across from a large park, so it’s nice to grab something and just relax in the park.

She got some ice-cream, and I got myself a can of cold tea. We sat down in the park and just talked about nothing.

“If you could have one wish come true, what would it be?” She asked. I smirked at her. “It’s a tough choice between getting the girl I like to like me back and getting you to stop screaming at everything.” She glared at me for that, huffing and finishing off her ice-cream. “It’s not like I enjoy being this way either!”

After a few moments she asked, “So, Levi, why haven’t you confessed to her? It isn’t like you to beat around the bush or cower for so long. You told me you’ve liked this girl since the fourth grade, right? We’re second years in university now. Don’t you think it’s time to confess?”

I leaned back on the bench and said, “It’s not that I can’t do it. If I wanted to, I could say it easily.”

“Afraid of rejection?”

“Not really. It’s her loss, and if she rejects me, we weren’t meant to be.”

“Then why?”

I looked at her before throwing my can into the recycling can a few metres away, and said, “I’m not afraid of rejection. Confessing is easy. But we’re friends. I’d rather not ruin it.”

She sighed. She always wanted to lecture me and say, “Go for it! If she likes you back, then you lose a friend and gain something better!” The only reason she can’t is because she’s too afraid of confessing to her guy at all.

Yeah, she’s had a crush on some guy for the past few years. I don’t know who it is, nor do I really care. I’m not really jealous or anything, and I’m not sad either. How can I say it? I feel whoever this guy is, it’s good for her. I can’t explain it. I’ve thought of every guy I know she knows, and it sickens me to think she likes any one of them. Eren, Armin, Jean, Connie, and Marco. But somehow, I’m fine with her getting into a new relationship. Whatever. It’s not really a problem I can fix anyway.

Suddenly she screamed again, and I felt myself fall sideways on the bench. “GET AWAY GET AWAY GETAWAYGETAWAYGETAWAY!!!” She screamed. I looked to the other side of her, and I saw a small, furry dog looking at her, its eyes wide and staring at her in curiosity.

“Really? A small dog? It even has a collar. It’s a pet.” I said.

“GET IT AWAY FROM ME!!!!” _______ yelled, as if the louder she screamed, the more likely it was that the dog would leave.

A woman ran up and said, “Oh, I’m so sorry if he scared you! But he won’t hurt you. He’s a friendly little pup.”

________ jumped backwards on the bench and nodded vigorously. “N-no. It’s fine, so please get him away.” She whimpered. I just got up, grabbed her, and pulled her towards the dog.

“NOOOO! LEVI! STOP IT!” She yelled. The woman tried to intervene but I just glared at her and she closed her mouth and halted in her tracks.

I brought the dog over to us and forced _________’s hand towards him. “Pet the dog, ________.”

“NO!”

“______.”

“NOOOO!!.”

I yanked her forward and her hand met with the soft fur of the dog. I forced her to pet the dog a few times, and the dog barked happily. It licked her palm, and she giggled. “I-it tickles.” She said.

“See? It’s not so bad, right?” I said. I let go, and she hesitantly pet it some more, before the dog barked again. She jumped back and landed on her butt on the ground with a quick, “EEK!”

I got up and brushed off my pants. “You can go.” I said to the dog owner. She nodded and quickly picked up the dog and ran away. I watched her go and finally looked at ________. “I’ll take you home, you big crybaby.” I said.

She just shakily took my hand, and I yanked her up. She let out an “eep” as she basically flew up when I pulled on her, and then giggled. “I’m always surprised by how strong you are.”

“And I’m always surprised by how little you weigh.” I picked up the backpack I carried with me and said, “Let’s go. We’ve got an assignment due next week.” She just nodded and followed me.

We walked the five minutes that were left to get to her house in silence. She was clinging to my arm again after a kid almost ran her over on his skateboard. I tried to tell her to get off me because she was cutting off my blood circulation, but she had an iron grip. I gave up after a little bit. After all, it’s not like I really mind it so much.

Finally, once we got to her house, we went straight up to her room to study. Her parents weren’t home because they both had left on a business trip together. She was alone in her house. I looked around. “Don’t you get scared just being in this house all by yourself?”

She nodded. “I… well, I just kinda hide in my room until morning, cuz it’s really only scary at night.”

“I can’t believe it. A twenty-year-old woman, and you’re still scared of the dark.”

“Hey! There are many others who are scared of the dark!”

“Yeah, but those people aren’t also afraid of animals, lightning, thunder, other people, heights, all insects, should I go on?”

She frowned and plopped herself onto the floor, where she had a few beanbag chairs waiting for us, opting to just ignore me. I sat down in the bright yellow one, while she did her work on the red one. We took a look at the assignment, divided up the work, and got started.

Around three hours later, we took a quick dinner break, which involved me cooking because she was afraid she’d burn herself or cut herself in the process. I honestly have no idea how she’s going to survive on her own in the future. Honestly, the only two good traits she really has is that she’s kind and she accepts me.

I don’t usually like people like her, but I’ve liked her since we first met. She was the first to befriend me. It’s crazy to think about, but when the other kids in class talked to her, she just froze and hid. But when I came and told her she was being stupid – literally how our first conversation started, by the way – she just laughed and told me, “I like you. Will you be my friend?” From then on, no matter how much I tried to get rid of her or was mean to her, she always stayed by my side, telling me things like, “We’re friends, right?” Even if I got into fights or did something horrible, she still just smiled and stayed with me.

I guess I just fell in love with that. That no matter what I did, she was always there. There are others now too, but there’s something about how she was the first.

After dinner, we cleaned the dishes, went up, and finished the assignment. When we were done, it was already eleven o’clock at night. It was dark, and honestly, I should have gone home a long time ago. But it’s not like I have anyone waiting at home for me. My parents both live in another country, trusting that I’d be able to take care of myself.

“I should go.” I said. I packed up my things and stood up. “See you tomorrow.” Before I could move another step, I felt her hand grab my jacket. I paused and looked at her. “_______, I need you to let go before I can go home.”

“Levi, it’s scary here. Can you please just spend the night?” She whimpered. I frowned at her. “I should get home.” I responded. “Pleeeeeaaaaasssseee?” She begged. I sighed. “Fine.”

She smiled at me and got up. “Great! You know where to get the spare clothes, right? I’m going to take a shower.”

“Yeah.” I said as she left. I couldn’t believe her. Sure, I’d stayed over before when her parents were around, but she was inviting me to stay at her house when we were alone? What was wrong with her? Would she do this to any guy she was friends with? I sighed. She’s an idiot, that’s all there was to it. That’s it. I need to teach this girl a lesson.

I waited about twenty minutes for her to come back. I got the spare pajamas I’d left at her house last time and waited in her room. She came back with her hair still wet, also in her pajamas, and I frowned. It was now or never.

She came and smiled. “Sorry it took so long. You know me. I take a while in the shower. The warm water just feels sooooo nice! You just relax and get lost in thought.”

“Yeah.” I mumbled. She looked at me. “Levi, is something wrong?” She came closer and put her hand on my shoulder. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

I grabbed her wrist and threw her onto her bed. She let out a surprised “eep!” again, and in her moment of confusion, I jumped on top of the bed and pinned her down. She blinked, looked at me, then tilted her head towards her wrists, which I had pinned down above her head. She looked at me. “Levi?”

I leaned forward and almost kissed her, stopping just before our lips met, but she made no sound. I waited a few more moments, but nothing. I growled and got up. “What’s wrong with you?” I growled.

“What?”

“You scream at every little thing. Animals, plants, insects, even freaking toddlers who can’t do a thing to hurt you! Why are you afraid of everything, cry at anything, but you won’t so much as make a sound when you’re in this compromising position!”

“Um…”

That just ticked me off more. “Furthermore, you just invited me – A GUY – to spend the night with you. What’s wrong with you? Don’t you know it could be dangerous? You idiot!”

She looked at me, completely unafraid of me, and said, “I’m not saying anything because I’m not scared of you.”

“How could you be unafraid of me? Me, of all people?” I asked. I tightened my grip on her wrists, and she flinched, but it wasn’t tight enough to bruise.

She then said, “Because I trust you, Levi.” She smiled at me. “I know you. You would never do anything to hurt me, or do anything I didn’t wish for. You would never hurt me, and even something like this,” she glanced at her hands again, “is probably just to teach me a lesson about being too comfortable around you. Right?”

I blinked at her. “You trust me? You can’t trust the human population, but you can trust me?” The next thing I knew, I was yelling. “YOU IDIOT! HOW COULD YOU JUST TRUST ME LIKE THAT! I GET I’M YOUR CHILDHOOD FRIEND, BUT DO YOU JUST NOT SEE ME AS A GUY OR SOMETHING?! HOW CAN YOU JUST LET DOWN YOUR GUARD LIKE THAT?!”

She screamed back, “ISN’T IT ONLY NATURAL TO TRUST THE MAN YOU LOVE?!”

I stopped and looked at her. “What?” I asked. She blushed a deep shade of red, tears welling up in her eyes. Then she said, “I trust you won’t do anything because I love you, you idiot! I’ve been giving off signs for years, but you’re just too dense to notice! How stupid could you be?!” She bit her lip and closed her eyes. “Of course I trust you. I don’t trust everyone like this, idiot. I know you won’t hurt me, and I know you’re probably doing this because you wanted to teach me a lesson, all because I watched you carefully. You’re a good person! That’s why I like you! I’m right, aren’t I? You’re just trying to teach me a lesson?!”

I nodded slowly and got off of her. “Yeah, you’re right.” I mumbled. She got up and wiped her tears, her shoulders shaking with sobs. “See? I knew it.” She muttered.

I leaned over and rolled onto my side, facing away from her as I lied on the bed. I felt her come closer to me, sniffling, and touched my arm. “Levi, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have confessed to you. It must be awkward for you now, right? I mean, you have that other girl you liked. And… I’m sorry Levi. I just, well, I-“

“I’m sorry for making you cry.” I blurted out, making her stop. She hugged me. “It’s fine.” _________ sighed before asking, “Hey, Levi? C-could you forget I said anything?”

I rolled over to look at her and said, “As if.” She frowned but then I leaned forward and kissed her. She blushed bright red and began stuttering, “But-why-how-wha-huh?”

I pulled her close to me, hugging her and placing my head into the crook of her neck. “Idiot. As if I’d go so far to teach a lesson to someone I didn’t care about.” I lifted my head and looked at her. “I love you, you brat.”

She looked at me and looked away. After a moment, she said, “Worst. Confession. Ever.” She then hit me lightly on the chest. “You don’t call the girl you’re confessing to a brat.”

“And you don’t call the guy you’re confessing to an idiot.” I retorted. She laughed. “I thought you were in love with Hanji, with how you two interact.”

“I don’t know if I should be shocked or go puke at the thought.” I growled. She laughed and looked at me. “I’m so glad.” She whispered. She started crying again and I almost freaked out.

“Hey! What are the tears for?!” I exclaimed. She laughed. “Idiot! These are tears of happiness!”

“I’ll never understand that.”

She hugged me. “You don’t have to.” After a moment, she asked, “Levi? Are we, you know? Um…”

“Yeah, you’re my girlfriend now.” I stated.

She nuzzled her head into my chest. “Good. I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else.”

Small Epilogue

“So… who did you think I liked if you didn’t know?” ________ asked.

“I honestly had no idea.”

“Why were you so alright with me getting a boyfriend then?”

“I didn’t know, but I think I somehow instinctively knew at the same time that you liked me, so I had nothing to worry about.”

“EEK!”

“What now?”

“SPIDER!!!!”

“Seriously?!” I got up and killed the spider. “Are you fine now?!”

She nodded and hugged me. “I love you.”

“I love you too, but you’re such a brat.”

“HEY!”