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You didn't stop running.

You didn't look back.

You didn't wait.

You kept running straight ahead.

You could feel your cheeks heating up again at the thought of Levi. Your vision blurred with angry tears and your head was spinning like a top. Not focusing on where you were heading, your foot connected with a small stray branch lying around the grassy area underneath the bridge. Feeling yourself stop abruptly, you fell. You rolled forward, landing it perfectly but the momentum of the fall flung you forward once again. As you fell, you heard the loud rip of your shirt being snagged on another twig. Grunting and groaning in pain, you rolled down a small hill until you finally came to a stop in a ditch. You just lay there for a long time, staying silent aside from the occasional sniffle and cough.

You blamed Levi for your current state.

You couldn't decide if you hated him or felt something towards him. He was able to change your attitude towards him so easily and so quickly. But what bothered you most was that it was finally starting to get to you. You were questioning your resolve.

"…Have I been wrong about him?" you whispered into the dirt.

You slowly pushed yourself up from the ground, taking note of the ripped hems of your pants and the rip in your over-shirt. Clutching your most likely now bruised left arm and avoiding limping on your definitely bruised leg, you sauntered out of the gutter and made your way home. Once you had barricaded yourself in your room, you rested your back against the wood of your door and slid down until your were sitting on the floorboards. In an attempt to calm your breathing, you listened to the wind blowing through the tree leaves outside your window. The calm symphony of the breeze calmed your aching heart rate and the temper that had slowly but steadily built after you booked it and ran from Levi earlier.

Why did he suddenly make you nervous?

What was it about him that so suddenly appealed to you?

Your crews had been at war for years now, save for the exception when a newer crew had recently appeared and caused grief and havoc beyond measure. That was the one time where the two of you had decided to put aside your differences and drive this third crew out and put a stop to their madness. You and Levi were protective of your home and the third crew was driven out. During the fighting, you did defend Levi's back one time and literally taking a punch for him. After the fighting died down, you assumed that everything would return to normal and your crews were rivals once again. Apparently, that wasn't so. Levi's behaviour towards you lately had been the turning point.

Your temper had built up slightly and you let out a constrained growl. Rising up, you tended to the bruise on your leg but luckily finding barely any bruising on your left arm. You were able to walk and move around fine on your leg, you simply had to avoid bumping it into anything. Changing out of your ruined clothes, you threw on a slim fitting long sleeved shirt that only reached to your midriff and a pair of khaki cargo pants. You were feeling more tomboyish than usual today, especially after what you had encountered earlier. The frown line on your forehead mixed with your annoyance had stirred a slight headache. Shaking it away, you fell back against your bed and let out a deep, exasperated sigh.

Looking over at your clock it read 6:45 pm, you decided to make a move for the warehouse in hopes of your friends being able to cheer you up. Taking the scenic and much more energetic route, you slipped out silently into the tree and ran into the night, making a mad dash for your true home and family.

--

The music pounded through the speakers but strangely enough, you had no motivation to join in on the dancing whatsoever. You stood alone, high up on a hidden staircase looking out over the railing. You could see everything from up here. You spotted Mikasa and Eren practising flips and such as you had a battle coming up and everyone was to help each other out in order to learn new moves and work together. You watched as Eren performed a near flawless sideways throttle, spinning his body and slicing the air, landing perfectly, with Mikasa following suit. Smiling faintly, your eyes scanned the large crowd for your crew members, encountering many of them helping one another and enjoying themselves.

The one rule that you all established when you all decided to form a crew was to battle fairly. Even if meant in your loss, you would not degenerate yourselves into becoming cheaters or foul play. Your main reason which you all agreed on was to play fair and make the most out of it. So long as you all had fun, that should be the only thing that mattered. You decided to head further downstairs and join the crowd. Your motivation to dance hadn't especially risen as there was simply too much on your mind. Instead you made your way over to the speakers, sitting down next to the DJ hub and watched everyone communicate through their moves.

It was one thing to watch performers dance, but it was an entirely different thing to listen to their movements.

Letting your eyes fall upon different people, you became entranced by how they expressed their feelings. One person moving rather aggressively indicated that they should be steered clear off and allow to get their anger out. You spotted another couple grinding up against each other, obviously telling you that they were in love. However, there were other kinds of dancing. Your eyes became fixed on a younger boy trying to follow the beat of the music with his steps, but constantly ending up with two left feet and losing his way. This told you that he obviously had something on his mind that was distracting him. Emotions communicated through movements was what enticed you so much about dancing. People already underestimated dancing as an art enough as it is, let alone completely brushing your style of dancing as rash, uninteresting and juvenile. They believed that you and your people were only out to cause trouble, but that wasn't true. You simply expressed yourselves in a different way. A way that was frowned upon by society but that didn't make it wrong. Others just didn't understand why you do what you do…

…However, sometimes you liked to believe the idea that your way of life was a revolution.

Stepping up and showing others that this was how you lived and expressed yourself. Making art with your movements, telling a story with no words, singing a song with no lyrics. For those newcomers who joined your crew or even just to dance for a night, there was only one question you and they had to ask themselves:

Were they ready to step up?

That was the only question that mattered in your life. Stepping up and showing off what you got was a way of life for you and your friends and was not one that could be easily taken away.

The music switched to a more slower song and you leaned back against the speakers of the DJ hub and felt the vibrations of the sound waves fill you up. However, unbeknownst to you, a pair of eyes had been watching your every move, taking in your expression and your surprisingly lack of movement. Swift feet made their way through the crowd, slipping silently through the mass amount of people. Short, dark tresses framed his face as he slowly made his way towards you. Before long, a young man stood before you, gazing into your eyes.

"Hey." That was all he said before squatting down to your level, a look of concern laced his features.

"Hey," you answered nonchalantly.

"How come you're not dancing?" he asked.

"Didn't particularly feel like it." Wow. Your answers were short. You didn't want to sound like a prick so you tried to control your tone as you answered the man in front of you.

You felt a hand rest against the skin of your forehead, checking for any signs of fever.

"What are you doing?" you asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"Checking for any signs of sickness. If you don't want to dance, something must be seriously wrong," he joked as he pulled his hand away and instead held it out for your to take.

"There's just stuff on my mind that's distracting me…" You looked back down at your hands sitting in your lap, trying to shake those feelings off your reddened cheeks.

"Well, I can help you forget any troubles. I just have one question for you," he whispered, leaning closer to your ear before standing back up and staring you down; his hand still outstretched for you to take.

You looked up his face and tilted your head to the side, as if you were giving him a silent 'go ahead' while you waited for this question of his.

"Are you ready to step up?"

You were taken aback. You had never had anyone ask you the question before; it was always you asking others. You eyes widened and your mouth gaped as you processed his words.

…Were you ready to step up?

You were always ready to step up.

You took the boy's hand and he pulled you to your feet. He gave you an eccentric grin and you grinned back just as smugly. You heard the DJ stop the first song and was starting to change over to a new song. You squeezed the hand of the one you were holding in gratitude for pulling you back into reality.

"Thanks, Eren." That was all you said before dragging him into the the middle of the dance floor.

I, I, I, I, I, I, I can pay for everything that's on you,
So everything is on me.
Got them girls gone Cindy Lauper, Gaga and a little Blondie.

You heard the music start up again and as soon as those first words left the speaker, you and Eren immediately swung into action. Robotically moving your bodies to each syllable that was quickly spoken and then slowing down your paces. You decided to take the first turn. Spinning around, you swung your arms to the right and left and then up. Throwing your head around, your watched as your hair rained down upon your face, watching Eren through you long locks.

If you ain't drunk, then you're in the wrong club,
Don't feel sexy, you're on the wrong beat.
Tell the bar that we don't want no glass just bottles and I'm buying everybody one each.

With a flail to finish your move, Eren swung into action. Keeping his eyes on you, he briefly shook his in a circle before twisting his body around twice. At the end of the second spin, he jumped and brought both legs up and landing on his knees, still watching you. Giving you his goofiest grin, you couldn't help but laugh at his antics. Eren was known to be something between a spastic and a seductive dancer. His moves drew you in, but you always left with a smile on your face after watching his energy to move fly across the dance floor.

Yeah, so bring the Veuve Clicquot,
D about to hit the big 3-0,
Party like it's carnival in Rio,
Life's too short, Danny DeVito,
Yo, we live, we die, we give, we try, we kiss, we fight
Oh, so we can have a good time, yeah!

Still on his knees, Eren sat up on them and shrugged his body left and right. Almost magnetic, you strutted towards him and walked behind him. As he moved to the right, you moved to left, pulling off a pose. Shaking your hair again, you moved to the left as he moved to right and brought one of his knees back up. As the short sentences of the end of the verse of the lyrics began to be spat out by the speakers, you offered a hand for him in accordance with the lyrics. Catching onto your thoughts, he griped your hand to beat. Pulling him back up and looking the other in the eye, he gave your hand a reassuring squeeze.

I'm in here busy looking for the next top model,
Who's wearing something new, And something old,
And something borrowed.
I know this crazy life can be a bitter pill to swallow,
So forget about tomorrow,

Tonight, we're drinking from the bottle!

Eren still gripped onto your hand, moving it above your head in order to give you a small twirl which you giggled at. Following his movements, he spun you back out so both your arms were outstretched but still gripping onto each other. As the pace quickened and the music built up to its peak, he pulled your body back into him. Gliding alongside your arm and wrapping yourself in his, you felt him catch your body with his free hand a dipped you slightly as the music hit the climax.

We're drinking from the bottle!

Unknown to you, a familiar face had gathered inside the warehouse. Not bothering to hide his identity, his lowered the recently cleaned hood of his jacket and let his steel grey eyes scan the bustling crowd. Levi had become increasingly worried about your sudden disappearance earlier today. Feeling almost guilty, he felt obliged to go and find you and see if he needed to apologise for anything that he may have done.

He would let go of his precious pride just for you to know that he meant you no harm.

Yo, as long as they ain't getting it wrong,
Then everything is alright.
Got the girls going Heidi Klum, the Kardashians, Rihanna, all types
If you ain't lean, then you're in the wrong scene,
If you ain't high, then you're not on my vibe,
Tell the bar that we don't need no sparklers or nothing, just keep the bottles coming all night!

He ran a hand through his silky locks before heading into the sea of people in order to find you. Levi had decided to come alone. Gunter and Auruo had offered to come with him but he refused them. He needed to go alone. Pushing his sleeves up, he entered through the crowd in search of you. 10 seconds into entering the dance floor, he felt a delicate hand on his shoulder, causing him to turn around and give a well earned cold stare to the owner of the hand.

"Hey, gorgeous~ Wanna dance?" A young girl, he guessed was roughly about the same age as you, wearing a very tiny dress that just barely covered her rear had started to gyrate against him, obviously trying to entice him to dance with her.

"No," he flatly refused before moving to take off.

"Aw, come on~ just one dance!" She grabbed his wrist, to which he shook off immediately and effortlessly.

"I said no." With that final remark, he vanished into the crowd once again.

Yeah, so bring the Veuve Clicquot,
D about to hit the big 3-0
Party like it's carnival in Rio,
Life's too short, Danny DeVito.
Yo, we live, we die, we give, we try, we kiss, we fight,
Oh so we can have a good time yeah!

After a short while of searching, he had come to mosh pit inside the dance floor which the crowd had circled around, barricading him outside. Levi gave up trying to push his way through and ended up climbing on top of a nearby raised dance platform which gave him a perfect view of what the calamity was about. What he witnessed caused his mouth to gape open ever so slightly.

The good news was that he had found you. The bad news that racked through his mind was that you were dancing very closely with a brown haired brat who looked like he was enjoying himself with you. Jealousy surged through his veins at the sight of you being held so close to Eren.

I'm in here busy looking for the next top model.
Who's wearing something new,
And something old,
And something borrowed.
I know this crazy life can be a bitter pill to swallow,
So forget about tomorrow,

Tonight, we're drinking from the bottle!

The two of you were holding hands and Eren was swinging you left and right and finally spun you back into him and letting you wrap one of your arms around his neck and bringing your face close to his own. A little too close for Levi's comfort. Instead of jumping and cutting in like he would've done if he had not seen your next expression.

You were happy. You were smiling. You were laughing. You were having fun.

He didn't want to ruin that. Not for you. But a twinge of sadness and jealousy still lingered in the back of his mind. Still, he sat there and watched you dance your heart with this shaggy haired brat. He took in not only your movements, but the way you listened, waited and interpreted each individual lyric of the song.

We're drinking from the bottle!

I'm in here busy looking for the next top model.
I'm in here busy looking for the next top model.
I'm in here busy looking for the next top model.
I'm in here busy looking for the next top model.
The next top model,
The next top model,
I'm in here busy looking for the next top model.
The next top model,
The next top model,
The next top next top

Tonight, we're drinking from the bottle!

Ever-so slightly bobbing his head to the beat of the song, he began to imagine him dancing with you right now instead of Eren. In his own mind, he continued to watch to the dance but instead of Eren, he saw himself holding you in his arms. Moving with you to beat and synchronising each of your movements with his own, matching together perfectly like pieces of a puzzle.

We're drinking from the bottle!

He watched you twirl once more into his, or rather Eren's, arms as the song came to a finish. Snapping out of his daydream, he pulled himself back into reality. Cold, but sad eyes observed you catching your breath and pulling Eren into a hug. Eren responded in kind and wrapped his strong arms around your petite waist. You rocked each other side to side, still laughing as the music died down. Levi jumped down from the platform, calming his breath and refraining from stepping over to Eren and punching him square in the face.

"Thanks for that, Eren. That's just what I needed," Levi heard you say, still attempting to catch your breath, "Just what I needed to clear my mind."

"Anytime, ______." Eren ruffled your hair which was very tangled after the workout it had.

So there was something bothering you. The thing that Levi wanted to know now if it was his fault.

"No, it can wait for another time…" he muttered to himself, hiding his eyes behind a curtain of dark tresses.

Heading towards the door, he shoved his hands in his jacket pockets suddenly feeling very chilly. Sensing something was a bit off, you turned around ever so slightly and looked for any unusual activity. You left Eren's side as he continued dancing, darting in and out of the crowd. Finally reaching the end of the almost seemingly never ending sea of people, you managed to squeeze your way out of the crowd. In the distance, you saw the silhouette of a young man trudging towards the doorway. You took note of his movements:

He was hunched over.

His feet weren't picking themselves off the ground, merely shuffling.

You couldn't see much of his head which indicated that he was hanging it low.

The pace he was walking at was almost zombie-like; slow and lifeless.

The only emotion you had ever picked up from such movements such as these was one in a million:

Sorrow…

As the man pulled his hood back up and entered into the moonlight of the night, he faltered in his step for a couple of seconds to look back. Noticing you, his eyes gave off a shining gleam across silver pupils which were slightly hidden behind a curtain of raven hair. Your eyes widened at the familiarity of such eyes. You couldn't help to think of Levi.

"It couldn't be…No, he wouldn't come here without his crew, you thought to yourself.

Holding his gaze a little longer, as soon as you took one step forward, he took off. Disappearing out the door, you sprinted after him. Turning the corner and into the moonlit night, you saw nothing. Not a single trace was left behind of the mystery man.

You were simply left outside in the cold, dark night trying to process many thoughts and questions…

…all which you ended up thinking about a certain grey-eyed, raven haired man.