[Continuation – Gallery Studio, Late Night]
[Levi POV]
Isayama straightened slowly, a faint smile pulling at his lips. "There's something I brought with me," he said. "A small gesture of thanks. Not for the name, but for the man who carried it."
He reached into the case slung at his side and carefully pulled out a flat wrapped board. One with a frame.
When he turned it around, my breath caught.
It was a complete illustration. His style is unmistakable but not what I expected.
It wasn't Captain Levi from Attack on Titan.
It was me.
Me as I am. Wearing a suit, the sharp lines of my face, the quiet tension in my shoulders. But softened somehow, like he'd seen through the armour I carried and found the human beneath it.
And beside me, drawn with the same care and detail, was Haruka.
Not just standing there, but with me. Close, natural, like we actually really belonged in that same frame.
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
Isayama's voice was quiet. "This isn't for the world. It's only for you. A way of saying thank you for allowing me to use your name and for giving me something real to build upon. You may not have asked for it, but you gave me a legacy to honour."
I stared at the drawing, my chest tightening in a way I hadn't expected. The lines, the colours, it wasn't just art. It was acknowledgement. A piece of myself I didn't even know I wanted to see.
Beside me, Haruka leaned forward slightly, his eyes wide. "It's beautiful," he whispered, almost like he was afraid to break the moment.
I finally found my voice, low but steady. "I don't usually say this… but thank you."
Isayama gave a small nod, his expression softening. "No. Thank you, Levi Ackerman. Both of you." His eyes flicked briefly to Haruka, then back to me. "For existing. For inspiring. For being."
I let out a quiet breath, and for the first time all day, the heaviness in my chest felt lighter.
And as the night settled around us in the empty gallery, I realised that maybe, just maybe, my story had already become more than the weight I carried.
It had become something worth passing on.
[Levi POV - Moments Later]
Isayama eventually took his leave, quiet and respectful. He left us with the drawing, wrapped carefully again, though my eyes kept flicking toward it like I still didn't quite believe it was real.
The gallery was silent once more. Just me and Haruka.
I leaned back against the bench, arms crossed, letting out a long exhale. "Didn't think I'd ever see someone who would turn me into art without me knowing."
Haruka didn't answer right away. He was staring at the package on the table, his expression unreadable.
"Oi," I muttered, nudging his shoulder lightly. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."
His eyes flicked to me. His eyes were wide and softer than usual before he looked back at the wrapped board. He hesitated before finally speaking, his voice quieter than I expected.
"...I've never been drawn like that before. With someone."
The way he said it made my chest tighten.
He looked at me and then continued, "I mean… yeah, you did give me a drawing of us before. But this, it wasn't just a portrait. He captured something. About us. About you. About how you and I…" His words trailed off, his throat working as if he wasn't sure he had the right to finish.
I watched him carefully. Haruka wasn't the type to wear his heart on his sleeve. But right now, it was all there, flickering behind his eyes.
"...I didn't realise how much it would mean to me," he finally admitted. "To be drawn beside you. To be seen as part of your story, not just standing in the background."
The silence that followed pressed into me harder than any words.
The way his voice broke at the edges, the way his eyes softened, it hit me harder than anything tonight.
I leaned in before I even thought about it, catching his chin with my hand and tilting his face toward mine.
"Seriously," I murmured, my chest tightening but certain. "I really love you."
And then I kissed him.
Not tentative. Not hesitant. But steady. Certain. The kind of kiss that said what words never could. His hand curled against my sleeve, gripping tightly, and for a few breaths, the world outside this gallery didn't exist.
When I finally pulled back, his lips were still parted, his breath uneven.
I let my forehead rest lightly against his. "You've always been part of my story." I said simply.
He turned to look at me then, eyes shimmering with something unspoken, but I didn't need to hear it.
For once, neither of us needed to say more. The drawing had already said everything.
//SKIP//
[The Next Day - Hakodate, Hokkaido]
[Haruka POV]
The train ride north was quiet, the kind of quiet that came after too many storms. Levi sat beside me, one hand resting over mine on the armrest, his gaze turned to the blur of scenery rushing past the window. Mountains in the distance, fields brushed with snow, small towns waking up beneath the pale morning sun.
I hadn't told him much. Only that I wanted to see this place. Hakodate.
When we finally arrived, the air was sharper than in Tokyo, cool enough to sting but clean, almost bracing. The scent of the sea carried on the wind, mixing with the faint smoke of early cooking fires from the portside stalls.
Levi stopped just outside the station, his eyes narrowing slightly as he took it all in. "Why here?" He asked, voice low.
I smiled faintly, tugging gently at his sleeve to pull him along the street. "You'll see."
We walked through the narrow lanes, past brick warehouses and sloping roads that wound up toward the hills. The sound of gulls echoed overhead, the sea glimmered against the horizon, and everywhere we passed, it felt untouched by the noise of the world we had left behind in Tokyo.
Finally, we reached it. The quiet hilltop overlooking the bay, where the city sprawled below in neat lines and the ocean stretched endlessly beyond. The view was the kind that stole words from you, leaving only breath.
Levi stopped, hands slipping into his pockets, eyes fixed on the horizon. "...Hmm. Not bad."
I laughed softly, stepping closer until our shoulders brushed. "This was one of my mother's favourite places when she was younger. She used to bring me here whenever she wanted me to remember what peace looked like."
He glanced at me briefly, then back at the bay. His expression was unreadable, but I caught the way his shoulders loosened, just slightly.
"This is why I brought you," I said, voice quiet. "You've carried too much these past weeks. I wanted you to breathe. To remember that your story isn't just about pain or legacy. It's about moments like this, too."
The silence between us wasn't heavy anymore. It was soft, filled with the cry of the seabirds and the slow rhythm of the tide below.
Levi let out a slow exhale, almost like he was finally letting himself unclench. "Tch. You always know where to drag me, don't you?"
I smiled, watching the horizon with him. "Only to places worth it."
And then, we wandered through the street without rushing, letting the day stretch out as it pleased.
The cherry blossoms had only just begun to bloom, it was a bit early this year. Pale pink petals scattered along the roadside trees like delicate brushstrokes. Some petals had already drifted to the ground, catching in the breeze and clinging to the edges of Levi's coat.
He didn't brush them off. Just keep walking, hands in his pockets, eyes roaming over the streets like he was memorising them.
I slowed my steps beside him, watching his profile in the soft light. "You've never been here before, right?"
"No," he said simply. "Never had a reason to."
"And now?"
His eyes flicked towards me briefly before settling on the line of trees ahead. "Now I do."
The words were simple, but the weight of them pressed warm against my chest.
We stopped at a small teahouse tucked between the older brick buildings. The owner, the elderly woman with a kind smile, welcomed us without question, seating us by the window where the blossoms outside framed the view.
Levi watched as the tea was poured, the steam curling gently between us. For once, he wasn't on guard. No sharp edge to his posture, no mask for the world. Just quiet. Present.
I leaned forward, resting my chin on my hand. "You look like you could actually get used to this."
He gave a short huff, not quite a laugh. "Don't push your luck."
But when his hand brushed against mine on the table, he didn't pull away.
We stayed there longer than we needed to, sipping tea, watching the petals drift past the window. Outside, the city moved at its own pace, unbothered by who we were or what names we carried.
And for the first time in a long time, it felt like the world wasn't asking anything of us.
Just letting us exist. Together.
[Hakodate – Late Afternoon, Streets in Bloom]
After the teahouse, we wandered further through the sloping streets, where the old stone walls were touched with moss and the sakura branches leaned overhead. The air was cool, but the petals carried their own warmth, drifting lazily in the breeze.
Levi walked just ahead of me, his hands still tucked in his pockets, his pace unhurried. A petal landed on his hair, pale pink against the dark strands. He didn't notice.
I reached up and brushed it away before he could.
He turned, brow raised. "What was that for?"
"There was a flower petal on your hair." I said simply, holding the petal out to him before letting it slip from my fingers.
He gave a soft tch, shaking his head. "Figures. Even flowers try to cling to me now."
I laughed quietly. "It suits you."
His eyes narrowed slightly, like he wanted to argue, but instead he let it go, turning back to the road. His silence said enough. He didn't hate hearing it.
As we reached the slope overlooking the bay, we stopped at a small bench. From here, the ocean stretched wide, and the sky had started to glow faintly orange with the setting sun.
We sat together, the petals drifting around us, settling at our feet. The breeze was cool, but when Levi's shoulder brushed mine, it was warm enough.
For a while, we didn't speak. We didn't need to.
It was enough to sit here, watching the sea and the falling blossoms, knowing the night view of Mount Hakodate still waited for us.
[Hakodate – Evening in Motomachi]
We made our way up the hillside street of Momotachi as the light began to shift toward evening. The stone-paved paths climbed steadily, lined with old buildings that carried the weight of history.
Churches with tall spires, foreign consulates turned quiet museums, and rows of houses with weathered wooden facades.
Levi slowed his steps more than once, his gaze drifting to the details most people would pass by. The carved iron railings, foreign consulates turned quiet museums, and rows of houses with weathered wooden facades.
"You're sketching with your eyes again," I said quietly, falling into step beside him.
He glanced at me, almost smirking. "Old habits."
We stopped at the top of one of the slopes, where the street stretched downward in perfect symmetry toward the sea. The water shimmered in gold, the horizon framed by ships and cranes at the port. A breeze carried the faint scent of salt and blossoms, wrapping the air in something strangely tender.
Levi rested one hand on the railing, the other slipping into his coat pocket. He stood there in silence, just looking.
"This place has… presence." He finally murmured.
I tilted my head, studying his expression. "Presence?"
He nodded once. "It feels like it remembers. Everything that's passed through here… the people, stories, lives. The air keeps it."
The words were soft, but it pulled at something inside me. Because that was Levi, he could see weight where others only saw scenery.
I smiled faintly, stepping closer so our shoulders touched. "Then maybe that's why I wanted you to see Hakodate. It remembers. And so will we."
He turned his head toward me, his eyes catching the last of the fading sunlight. He didn't reply, but the way his gaze lingered said enough.
We stayed there until the bells of the church chimed softly in the distance, and the sky deepened into a shade of twilight.
[Hakodate – Small Local Restaurant]
The streets had grown quieter as twilight settled, lanterns glowing softly outside shopfronts. We found a small restaurant tucked into a corner street, the kind of place only locals knew — wooden sliding doors, a faint scent of broth and grilled fish drifting out.
Inside, the warmth wrapped around us immediately. Only a handful of customers sat at the counter, their conversations low, the clatter of chopsticks and the sizzle from the kitchen filling the air.
We were shown to a small table by the window, where a paper lantern glowed faintly overhead. The menu was simple, fresh seafood from the bay, steaming bowls of miso, and rice served with pickled vegetables. Comfort food.
Levi scanned the options quickly, then set the menu aside with a faint grunt. "You pick."
I smiled. "You trust me with that?"
His eyes flickered toward me, sharp but not unfriendly. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't."
When the food came, it was unpretentious but perfect. The fish was tender, the miso rich, and the rice soft and steaming. Levi ate quietly, his movements precise as always, but slower than usual. Like he was letting himself savour it.
At one point, I caught him staring out the window, where a lone cherry tree stood in bloom, petals drifting in the lantern light.
"You're thinking again," I said softly.
He glanced at me, then back at the tree. "Just… how rare it feels. To sit like this. To not have the world demanding something from me."
His words pulled at my chest. I reached across the table, brushing my fingers slightly against his. He didn't pull away, instead he squeezed mine gently.
"That's why I brought you here," I said. "So you could have this. Just you and me. No weight, no names. Only this moment."
For a heartbeat, the silence between us felt heavier than the air itself. Then Levi's lips curved, the faintest hint of a smile.
"You're good at this. Dragging me into moments I didn't know I needed."
I laughed quietly, holding his gaze. "And you're good at letting me."
We finished our meal without hurry, the world outside wrapped in blossoms and lantern light. And when we finally stood to leave, Levi reached for my hand, not in secret, not in hesitation. Just naturally, as if it belonged there.
[Hakodate - Goryokaku Park, Twilight]
By the time we reached Goryokaku Park, twilight had deepened into that fragile hour between day and night. The star-shaped fortress spread wide beneath us, its moat reflecting the soft lantern that had been lit along the path. And above it all, the sakura.
Thousands of them, in bloom.
Branches heavy with pale pink petals, glowing faintly in the dim light, like the whole park had been painted into a dream.
Levi stopped at the entrance path, his eyes lifting slowly to take it in. For a moment, he didn't say a word. He had his coat collar turned up, hands in his pockets, expression unreadable. But I knew better than anyone what it meant when he got this quiet.
He was remembering something.
Or recognising it.
He stopped.
His breath caught.
"Is this…"
I turned to look at him.
"Yeah," I said softly. "It is."
His eyes widened. Just a little.
"This is the place. From that scene in Detective Conan Movie 27."
I smiled. "I knew you'd recognise it."
He glanced sideways at me. "You brought me here on purpose."
"Of course I did."
He turned to face me slowly, something soft flickering in his expression. Not quite a smile. Not quite tears.
"You… brought me here for that?"
I gave a small shrug. "No one ever brings you anywhere, Levi. You're always the one taking care of everything. I thought maybe, just once, you deserved to be taken somewhere you've dreamed about, even if you didn't realise it."
He didn't say anything right away.
He just looked out at the water again, gaze distant but warm.
I stepped forward gently and reached out, my fingers slipping around his wrist.
"Come," I said. "I'll take you somewhere even more beautiful."
He raised an eyebrow but didn't resist when I tugged lightly.
"We're not staying here?" He asked.
"Not yet."
The soft breeze picked up again, rustling through the trees as we crossed the narrow footbridge together. The star-shaped garden slowly disappeared behind us, but the quiet lingered, not silence, but peace.
He didn't let go of my hand.
And for a while, we just walked.
Not toward a destination.
But toward something that felt like home.
[Moments Later - Mount Hakodate]
The wind was cooler up here.
Not sharp, just enough to make me tug my jacket a little tighter as we stepped onto the quiet observation deck. The crowd had thinned. Only a few couples lingered in the far corners, speaking in hushed tones.
Levi stood beside me, silent.
But I saw the way he slowed his steps, the way his eyes scanned the view like they couldn't believe it was real.
And it was unreal.
Hakodate stretched below us, like a sea of stars. Lights in perfect curvature, the bay dividing the city like two mirrored wings. The shape. The shimmer. The stillness…
Just like in the movie.
He didn't speak at first.
Just stared.
Then softly, without taking his eyes off the view, he whispered, "It really looks like that scene."
I smiled.
"It's the final shot. Where everything comes together. Where the mystery disappears and the meaning reveals itself. Not in the crime, but in the beauty of the city."
He looked at me, something faint flickering behind that stoic expression.
"But I believe I told you I wanted to be the one confessing my love to you again here," he murmured. "Are you taking the idea from me now?"
I turned to him, warmth creeping up my chest.
"I'm not," I said, voice low. "I'm giving you the chance to confess your love properly to me now."
Then, I smiled. Soft and certain.
"After all… today's White Day."
He blinked once.
Then laughed softly, the kind of laugh I only ever heard when we were alone.
"Tch," he muttered. "You really remembered that."
"Of course I did."
He was silent again.
And then he turned to face me fully, hands finally slipping out of his pockets.
There was no hesitation in his voice.
"Haruka Charles Auclair," he said, his voice steady. "I love you. I love you more than I ever thought I could love someone," his voice became softer. "You taught me how to live without fear, how to be soft without breaking, and how to feel without hiding. You're the person I want beside me… in silence, in chaos, in every version of my life."
I felt the breath catch in my throat. Then I stepped closer, just enough for our shoulders to touch.
"And Levi Ackerman," I whispered back. "I love you too. I'll tell you this thousands, no, millions of times, or as many times as you want from now on. You may not be my first… but you'll be my last. I love you, Levi."
His hand reached for mine.
I looked at him.
He looked at me.
And without another word, Levi leaned in to kiss me. Slow, deliberate and full of everything he'd never said aloud.
The wind whispered around us, cool and steady.
And below, the city glowed.
Two halves connected by lights.
Just like us.
And in that moment…
I heard my own voice speaking quietly inside my heart.
Who would have thought…
that I could fall in love with the older brother after being betrayed by the younger one?
Who would have thought that pain would bring me to the person who would kiss me like this — like I'm everything?
Levi Ackerman, starting today, and forever…
I give you my heart.
THE END.