Was it a difficult decision? Yes. Did it need to happen to not make things more complicated? Definitely.

Levi never wanted to choose between you and work, between being pragmatic and listening to what his hearts tell him to do. He couldn't afford to be your captain and partner all at the same time, regardless how much he wanted to be.

God, how much he actually wished he could take back the rejection to your love letter.

Now that he is here, on the training ground, watching you from afar as you took down cadets like it was the last day on earth, he could tell how affected you were.

The spark in your eyes he secretly loved? Gone. Your usually straight posture? You were slouching more than ever before. Healthy relationships to food? No longer a thing, you skipped meals despite knowing how detrimental it was to your overall well-being.

When someone came over to ask if you were fine, a lie is all you spoke.

"I'm fine, don't worry."

The Captain knew those words weren't the truth, far from it. He could tell from the way your eyes glazed over as soon as his name was even mentioned in conversation.

It was all his fault and it hurt like a blade to the heart, to notice your breath get caught in your throat as soon as he made eye-contact with you from afar, noticing him observing his soldiers and you.

Seeing the affection still reflected but now subdued in your eyes shouldn't have felt so painful..

Yet it did.