Author's note:
I realized just now, that I had been referring to Ocho as agent VII on some chapters, which was a huge error on my part. So I've put this note here to apologize to everyone who were confused. Rest assured everyone, from now on I'll make sure to avoid silly mistakes.
------------------------------------------------------
"You seriously don't plan to attend the practice today?"
".....Sorry, Riza...."
Inside a private basketball court. Levi lowered his head out of embarassment when I entered the court.
He was supposed to go meet up with the others at Ichika's family gym this morning, so Levi still being here in the afternoon means he just ditched everyone.
I knew this would happen so I immediately went here when I woke up to check on him.
'I expected this, but I still feel slightly disappointed...I should mess with him for a little bit. Hehe'
Levi never liked interacting with others. We grew up together so we knew almost everything about each other.
He always took care of me like family and I treated him the same way. I'm even closer to him than my own siblings, even though our personalities differed very much.
"Its been 5 years already and yet you still haven't made any friends. Anymore of these and you'll probably die a virgin."
"...But...I already told you.....Milady is the only friend I need."
'He's calling me Miladay again.'
When I first met him...No let me rephrase that with....When I first grew aware of his existence, Levi was very distant. Literally.
He guarded and watched me from another building when I played with my friends back then.
Father had hired many body guards for me, and that included Levi.
My first time approaching him, he suddenly jumped really high towards a tree and dashed away from me.
But after a few more interactions I finally managed to befriend him. And now he's not only a guard for me.
He is also my friend, brother, and.....my first love.
I never told him about my feelings, and that is simply because I don't want things to change between us.
"Y-you do know that you'd been saying that for coutless times now right? S-so that's not a valid reason anymore."
'He had been saying it since day one, and yet it still works....seriously.'
"....This will be the last time..so..."
He looked at me with his same droopy eyes and pleaded.
I could not continue my actions anymore and accepted my defeat already, so I took the ball out of his hands and declared
"A-alright, alright fine. I'll play with you instead so you could at least feel the real deal, even for a bit."
Levi tilted his head and replied
"Do you know how to play?"
"Nope. So you're gonna teach me. You know what they say right? The more you teach the more you learn!"
Levi only nodded his head as a reply to my boisterous actions and slowly approached me.
Aside from learning the basics of basketball, I was aiming to enhance Levi's interpersonal skills by letting him do all the talking as he taught me.
I am aware of his nightmares and the series of attacks of his PTSD.(A/N Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder).
Some nights, I would rush to his room to wake him up as soon as I hear him screaming his lungs out.
This issue made Levi grew up hating the night. And so I wanted him to at least enjoy the day with his friends.
Growing up and being a part of a mafia family, the word 'friends' is nothing but a far-fetched idea for someone like us who walks without eyes behind our heads.
But I still hope for him to see the better side of this life. And maybe one day, his nightmares would vanish along with his eagerness to waste his life.
"Yey! I finally scored!"
I exclaimed loudly after I finally got one basket and looked back at Levi.
He normally looks sad because of his eyes, but this time I knew that something heavy was weighing on his mind.
"Hey! What's the matter, aligator? Hahaha"
".....The Dragunov familia are arriving today....your father wants you to marry that guy, right?...."
'Ah right....he must've heard the marriage talk of my father and the head of the Dragunovs.'
"....I heard that your partner.....will act as the temporary guidance councilor of our school....starting next week.."
Usually, I was always the one who talks a lot while Levi listens. But this time, I could not find the right words.
"..Even if you do get married....I will still be by your side..right?"
I could never disobey my father.
"I will always support you...Riza."
Not a single word escaped my mouth when I heard that.
'Damn it! Why are you being supportive?!'
I wanted to cherish my remaining time with him. That's why I did not tell him anything. Hoping that maybe, just maybe, he develops the same feelings and decides to fight with me when he finally learns of my future.
'Why?! How?!'
Maybe it was Giovanni. He never liked Levi. He always treated him as a reusable pawn and always instilled on his mind that he was nothing but the property of my family.
Regrets, disappointment, hatred, and anxiety. This damn world is starting to mess with me again.
I felt my body getting weak and soon fell on my knees.
"Oh. I must've been tired already."
I could finally talk again and the first thing that came out of my mind was an ambiguous statement.
Levi walked towards me and levelled his head with me.
"If you're tired...then you can always lean on me....we promised right?...I will be your fantasy...someone who will color this dark world of yours..While you will be my reality"
He said after touching the crown of my head.
This promise of ours was made after I realized the reasons behind Levi's nightmares.
He was a product of bio-engineering that made him regenerate at an abnormal rate. So even if he got shot in the chest he would still be able to live the next hour solely because of his body.
But this gift of his turned out to be nothing but a curse.
The scientists that engineered his body, pushed their experiments to the limits and started working on his mental capacities next.
They made him experience dozens of traumatic simulated lives while he slept on a cryogenic coffin, and wanted to see how this will affect his almost invinsible body.
But it instead gave him a hard time sometimes to determine which is reality to one of his simulated lives.
On some rare occasions, Levi would suddenly attack everyone around him believing that he was a soldier abducted by the enemies.
And lately he started experiencing more nightmares than usual, even on day.
Our family consultant said that he needed something important, some sort of trigger, that was easy for him to recognize to help bring him back to reality.
And I am that something for him.
We made a promise that we will complete each other's imperfections.
"...Levi.....I...ve.you"
"..Pardon?"
"Nothing! I said thank you! Now enough of this drama. Let's go back to practice. I heard your enemies tomorrow are tough nuts to crack! HAHAHAHA I'll be cheering for you tomorrow!"