FLO

➤• @levionlyyours ➤• Masterlist ➤• Hi! I'm the founder and admin of the Levi Ackerman network! I've been writing for about 11 years now and only recently stepped into writing for Levi "full-time." I'm happy to create this community where we can all share our love for humanity's strongest shortie!

➤• @inkedwhimsee ➤• Masterlist ➤• Hi, I'm Sarah!✨ I'm 33, currently writing The Quiet After The World Fell trilogy centered around Post-Rumbling!Levi and my OFC, Dahlia Bodea. I occasionally write one-shots of Levi x Reader, either in canon or a modern AU. I also create digital and traditional fanart of Levi :)

➤• @levislolita ➤• Masterlist ➤• hi friends 🫶🏻 you can call me tay. she/her, oc fanatic, the one who will always "yes and--" your ideas. corporate girly by day, fanfic writer by night. i bring the big-sister vibe to the function, so if you ever want advice or a shoulder to cry on, i gotchu babe.

➤• @devileyeswriting ➤• Masterlist ➤• Hello :) you can call me Essie! I'm a multifandom writer for AOT, Bleach, Stardew Valley, and JJK. Longfic Canon/OC is my bread and butter, but I've been breaking into the Canon (especially Levi!!) / Reader realm as of April 2026.

➤• @dont-rainonme ➤• Masterlist ➤• Hi, I’m Rain!! I’m an engineering & architecture student in my 20s and I’ve loved/written/read fanfiction for as long as I can remember! I only recently revived my tumblr after five years of nothing and similarly only started posting my writing for Levi again so a lot of this is still new to me LMAO My main platform for a while was AO3, but I’d love to use tumblr more and connect with other Levi writers/artists — the talent I’ve seen so far has been nothing short of incredible! Currently, I’m working on a rewrite of a Levi/Reader longfic I started a couple years ago which will be the main content of my blog (for now!), but I’ve got a whole bank of ideas that I’d love to explore in the future. I’m always down for a good chat, so please don’t hesitate to reach out :)

➤• @ladyofpandemonium ➤• Masterlist ➤• Hi! It's Yana ^^ I started my blog on AOT one-shots ages ago, took a very long hiatus, and have recently been dipping my toes into longer fics and coming back to writing. Looking forward to making some new friends and such here :)

➤• @niki-yoshhhhh ➤• Masterlist ➤• Hello! I started writing fics in January after rewatching AOT in December last year, and I didn’t expect that I’d enjoy it, so here I am, just continuing to write more Levi fics :D

➤• @sixpennydame ➤• Masterlist ➤• Your Angst Auntie, giving you the feels for Levi Ackerman since 2023.

➤• @lordalastar ➤• Masterlist ➤• You can call me either Alex or Sage. I write for a few different fandoms but Levi has been a constant favorite and I love to write for him, from AUs to canonverse, I enjoy it all.

➤• @bumblebeeonthistle ➤• Masterlist ➤• Hey all, you can call me Bee<3 Avid fanfic writer and reader by night, med student by day. I mostly write Levi/Reader content, both longfics, one-shots, and headcanons. I also draw fanart, play the violin, and I love making playlists for my fav characters and fics. Excited to be here!

➤• @aphroditaeon ➤• Masterlist ➤• Forever obsessed with Levi Ackerman 💖

➤• @amywritesthings ➤• Masterlist ➤• Hi! I'm Amy (33, she/her) and I've been writing fic since 2022. I'm a multi fandom author, but most of my works are based around AOT.

➤• @littlerequiem ➤• Masterlist ➤• Hi I'm Flo & I've been writing for Levi since 2021. I love to write stories centering around Big Feelings, nature, and fantasy. Happy to be there :))

➤• @starfallenlevi ➤• Masterlist ➤• I’m a new writer who loves art, music and poetry. I’m also an anime multifandom but I’ll be mainly writing for Levi Ackerman.

“Levi,” you say quietly. “Do you remember when you said you didn’t want to tell me anything because you didn’t think I’d believe it?”

He doesn’t say anything, but the glance he gives you resembles recognition enough that you continue.

“That’s the only reason I haven’t said anything to you yet. It’s… unbelievable even for me. I don’t want you to think that I’ve kept something out of malicious intent or something.”

He considers your words for a moment. “I guess we’ll see.”

Every step closer to your apartment makes your chest grow tighter, until you’re standing in front of your door and the weight of your key in the lock feels as heavy as the dread in your stomach.

Luna, (poor unassuming Luna), greets you both at the door, but you move around her without stopping to say hello.

You hesitate for a moment once you’re in the living room, unsure of where to begin. You could just sit him down and start the show, but would he even understand what he was watching?

“Would you like some tea?” you ask, spinning around to look at him.

Levi stares back at you with his arms crossed, still hovering like a hawk surveying prey in the entryway. “Just tell me what’s going on.”

Shit, okay. No stalling to collect your thoughts then.

You wring your hands for a moment, still deciding before finally pointing to the sofa.

“Here, why don’t you sit down.”

He doesn’t move.

“Okay.” You begin to pace back and forth, anxiety bubbling up in the strained silence. Finally, you come out with it. “Have you ever heard of Attack on Titan?”

From a quick glance, you see Levi’s brows crease. He shakes his head. “No.”

“It’s a show,” you tell him before remembering he likely doesn’t know what that means. “You know, like, uh… a play.”

He nods, albeit slowly, in an effort to show that he’s following along.

“Attack on Titan is like that,” you continue. “Someone came up with a story and they animated it. They drew the people and the places and everything that happens to them and it was so popular that they turned it into a television show.”

His head tilts slightly. “What’s a television show?”

Stopping in your tracks, you turn and point to the appliance next to you. “That is a television. I don’t know everything about how it works, but the short version is that things like shows and movies are made and recorded and can be watched on this device.”

It’s a quick explanation, and it’s clear from the look on Levi’s face that he doesn’t quite understand but he chooses to save questions about it for later.

“And what does that have to do with me?”

You turn to look at him, forcing yourself to meet his gaze. “When I found you, you were dressed exactly like one of the characters from the show I’m talking about.”

You see the moment that your words register. For a long moment, Levi just stares. Then he supplies the rest of your thought. The part that feels too silly to say out loud.

“So, you think I am that character?”

You stare at him for a moment, feeling the weight of that frankly insane admission settle in the room and begin to pace again. “I mean, no—because that’s impossible, right? But then his name is Levi and he looks and acts just like you and you’re telling me you’re from the year 854 and that’s around the time the show is set and I just…”

You trail off and throw your hands up in defeat, unable to find the words for an adequate way to end your train of thought. When you turn to look at Levi again, you expect him to laugh. To call you an idiot. Something that might put an end to your silly delusion, but instead he’s calm. In fact, he looks curious. 

Seemingly more at ease, his arms drop to his sides. “You said it’s set in the year 854?”

Not enjoying the direction his question seems to be going, you nod. “Something like that.”

“Can you show me?”

It takes a moment to get set up. Sorting through applications on your television, searching through shows.

Finally, you pull it up and quickly scroll to the first episode.

“Here, sit down.” You sit on the sofa and pat the cushion next to you, settling in a bit further. “Each episode is about 25 minutes long.”

At first, he looks reluctant to move but when the show begins, his expression shifts. You’re reminded of how he looked at the observation tower.

Not taking his eyes off of the screen, he sits down next to you.

He’s like a statue as the story unfolds. First, Eren and Mikasa appear, then the Scouts. Then Armin and the Colossal. You want to ask him what he’s thinking but he’s too absorbed, so you focus on petting Luna instead.

It isn’t until the last scene ends and the closing song begins that you dare to look over. 

Levi still hasn’t looked away, but can see the gears turning behind his eyes. After several long seconds, he finally speaks.

“I really thought saying I’m not from this time was bad, but this…” he trails off, turning to look at you. “This is entertainment for you?”

“It’s not real,” you defend lightly. As you speak, Luna meows and leaps from your lap, leaving you with nothing to fidget with. “At least it’s not supposed to be, not here. It’s fantasy. Giant man-eating titans don’t exist in this world.”

Levi raises a brow. “Are you sure?”

You place a hand over your chest like a mock-swear. “One hundred percent.”

He glances back at the screen for a moment, deep in thought. “I guess that makes sense,” he finally says. “I didn’t see any walls when we were up in that tower earlier.”

“There aren’t any,” you confirm. “For the most part, people can travel freely all around the world.”

“And there aren’t any problems?”

You snort. “Oh, there are plenty of problems. Just maybe not ones that you’re used to.”

It grows quiet then, but the air feels like it's buzzing with all of the words that are being left unsaid. Questions simmer on the tip of your tongue. He hasn’t exactly denied that any of what he’s seen is true, and the anticipation is making something uneasy squirm in your stomach.

“So,” you start slowly, “what do you think?”

For a few tense seconds, the only sound is of the song playing as the episode closes out. Levi watches as the credits roll and the preview for the next episode appears. A deep, puzzled frown forms on his lips.

“I remember that day,” he finally says, nodding towards the screen. “The Survey Corps had just come back from a standard expedition. I wasn’t a captain yet, so I was ordered to stay behind in Trost.”

That uneasy feeling becomes a substantial, solid weight. 

“Hold on.” You fold your legs under yourself, feebly grasping a thread of doubt. “But that can’t be real, right? It’s just a show.”

“How would you like me to prove it?” he asks, gesturing again towards the television. “I don’t know what you already know about my life. I’m assuming you know some of it.”

You nod. “Bits and pieces, yeah.”

He’s quiet for a moment, but eventually he gets to his feet and goes to his things. His cape is neatly folded on top of the blade boxes of his ODM gear by the sofa. You see him look through it before he turns back around and hands you something.

“Here,” he says, outstretching his hand. “This is all I have.”

Whatever he drops into your palm is cold. When you open your hand, you find a silver chain with two rectangular pendants attached.

They’re dog tags, you realize. Both pendants bear the same inscription engraved into the metal: Levi Ackerman, Squad Captain of the Special Operations Squad, Scout Regiment.

Well, that’s certainly something you didn’t know existed. Carefully, you hold it up and the burnished metal glints in the dim lamplight. There’s no mistaking the handmade quality, each careful mark made from striking the metal in the forging process.

Holy shit.

“This is insane,” you finally say, more to yourself than anything.

Beside you, Levi’s lip curls. “I’m not convinced yet I haven’t just died and ended up… wherever this is.”

“Well, you don’t die.”

The words are out before you think about them, and of course Levi notices.

“I don’t die,” he slowly repeats.

You know what he’s asking by the look on his face: what happens? You think of everything that occurs after the first episode. Erwin, Annie, his squad, the rumbling, Hange, the battle at Fort Salta, Eren. 

Everything he does. What he sees. What he goes through. What they all go through.

You swallow. “The show has been over for almost a year,” you tell him softly. “The closest you get is the thunderspear explosion, but it doesn’t…” you trail off for a moment, recalling when you first met him on the metro. He’d said something about a flash when you asked what happened to him. Then, there’s the small cut just above his right eye… And he’s still able to see out of both eyes.

“Holy shit, wait.” You resettle in your seat, angling yourself more towards him, and grab a pillow to hold in your excitement. “What were you doing before you woke up here? Do you remember?”

Levi’s gaze drifts as he thinks. “I was in the forest—is Zeke Yeager in this?” he points to the television and you nod. “We had just learned that we’d been betrayed and he turned my entire squad into titans and transformed. I was taking him to have his power given to someone else.”

“But he set off a thunderspear.”

For a moment, Levi looks surprised when you finish off the thought but he eventually nods.

It’s safe to assume the flash of light that he saw was the explosion itself, but something must have happened in that split second. But how? And why?

You look over again and it dawns on you that you’ve inadvertently gone from being skeptical to believing him in the matter of a few short minutes. But then again, it was a theory that had been stuck in your mind since he first told you his name, even if you didn’t want to believe it.

“You’re doing it again.” Levi turns to look at you, looking thoroughly unimpressed. “Staring.”

“It’s not every day you get to meet your favorite fictional character.”

“I’m your favorite?” Levi’s tone shifts slightly, somewhere between a mix of curious and somewhat apprehensive.

Shit. Did you really say that out loud?

“Yes,” you finally say, choosing to be honest. In an effort to make it feel less awkward, you toss the pillow you’re holding at him. “But if you get a big head about it though, I’m making you second favorite.”

Levi catches the pillow easily, then tucks it to his stomach, back to his usual dry self. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

You spend most of the afternoon and bulk of the following morning watching the show with Levi.

It’s fascinating in a new way, you think, to watch him go back through this part of his life from a different perspective. You learn that most things are very accurate to his lived experience, but you hadn’t been expecting much to be different.

Eventually though, when you get to the end of season one, you pause the show.

“Want to take a break?” you ask, stretching your arms over your head. “I’ll make lunch. What do you want?”

Getting to his feet, Levi follows you into the kitchen. “Whatever you want,” he replies. “Do we have more tea?”

“Only two bags left. That’s coming out of your allowance, buddy.”

You see him freeze with a tea bag pinched between two of his fingers before he gently places it back into the box.

“I’m kidding, Levi,” you snort. “We can get more tea.”

You make something quick and easy from the items you bought the day before—grilled cheese sandwiches with soup—and Levi joins you at the table.

It’s odd at times, reminding yourself that you’re sitting across the table from Levi Ackerman. He’s real, flesh and blood and not some ultra-bizarre dream or weird hallucination. You’d consider that maybe you’re the one that needs to be checked for a head injury if Dr. Holloway hadn’t physically examined him. He’s really here and he’s in your apartment.

Feeling warm at the thought, you glance up to find Levi already looking at you and you divert your gaze to your sandwich.

“So.” You clear your throat. “Do you remember anything else about when you first got here?”

Levi chews silently for a moment. “Not really,” he says, thinking. “I woke up outside. There was no one around and I saw the sign for the train, so I got up and walked to it. I ran into you a few minutes later.”

You take a bite of your grilled cheese and look out the window, watching idly as people go about their days on the sidewalk below.

There had to be something that transported him here, but what? And was it even available here in real life or something only accessible from his universe? Would he ever be able to get back? He had to, right? His part in the story doesn’t end with the explosion. He doesn’t just disappear.

“Maybe we should keep watching once we finish eating,” you suggest. “I can’t think of anything here that would have been able to pull you out of your universe, but maybe we can find clues in the show. There’s got to be something.”

And once Levi finishes the last of his sandwich, he agrees.

Wednesday morning arrives, and you check your watch as the kettle begins to emit a low rumble. Fifteen minutes before you have to leave for work, so there’s time to run through the basics again.

You point to the fridge and Levi watches from his spot against the counter. “Remember, there are some leftovers in there for you when you get hungry. Take whatever you feel like having. Everything should be okay to eat cold, but if you want…” you pause for a moment, taking a side step to the other side of the kitchen and place your hand on the microwave. “This will heat your food. Do you remember how to use it?”

Levi scoffs, his arms now folded across his chest. “I’m not an idiot.”

“I never said you were,” you grin. “But if it’s between going over something you already know and setting my entire apartment block up in flames, I'm going to repeat myself a little.”

Unimpressed, he gestures with a nod of his head. “I just put in whatever I need warmed and press however long it takes.”

“Yes,” you say. “But don’t put anything made of metal or wood inside. Glass and ceramic are okay. Just bowls, plates, or cups.”

He nods.

Behind you, the kettle clicks.

“Okay,” you say, gesturing vaguely before walking toward the living room. “I’ll leave you to it then. I won’t be back until after midnight, so just try to entertain yourself. You remember how to use the television?”

“Yes.”

“And if something happens, just—”

“Go next door so the neighbor can call you. I know.”

Your worry is probably misplaced, but there are so many variables that could go wrong in the next thirteen hours that you can’t help it. It feels a bit like letting a well-meaning toddler loose without supervision—not that you would tell Levi that. Not to mention the lingering fear that you’ve been duped only to come home to all of your valuables missing.

You slip on your shoes by the door and Levi watches on. Finally, you can’t afford to stall anymore.

“I’ll try to be quiet when I get back in,” you say.

“It’s fine,” he replies from the couch. “I’ll probably be awake anyway.”

“You don’t have to wait up for me.”

“I’m not,” he assures you with a bland look. “I just don’t sleep much.”

Struggling with what else to say, you bend down and give Luna a quick pat at the door. “Okay. Bye then.”

“See you.”

Thankfully, your shift serves as a nice distraction when you get into the hospital. There’s always something going on, something that needs to be done, and a lot of brainwork required to do it all correctly. But still, sometimes, between tasks, your mind shifts and you wonder how Levi is doing. If he’s comfortable, if he’s bored, if your apartment will still be in one piece when you get back. You had spent most of the rest of your time off watching the show with him, trying to pinpoint anything that might be a clue, but so far nothing stood out to either of you.

You don’t receive any sort of phone call from your neighbor either, so you try to push the thoughts out of your mind and focus on work. And you manage it well enough until Allie sits down next to you at the nurse’s station eight hours in.

“What’s up?” she asks before nabbing a piece of popcorn from a small bag you’d grabbed from the vending machine down the hall. “Don’t look so sad. You’ve only got four more hours.”

“Huh?” You look away from the chart in front of you. “I’m fine.”

Chewing, she works on pulling her hair into a tight bun. “No, you’re not. You look like someone’s kicked your cat. What happened?”

You shake your head. There’s no point in hiding it from her. Allie always finds ways to work information out of you if she thinks you’re hiding something. “I’m just thinking about Levi.”

She blinks. “The guy from the other day?” she asks, suddenly more interested. “So, what happened?”

Oh, nothing, you think. He’s just actually Levi Ackerman and I’m helping him find a way back into the television. No luck yet though.

“He’s still staying with me.”

There could probably be a code blue announced and she wouldn’t get up from her chair now. You can see it in her expression. She wants to know everything.

“Look at you, living on the edge for once.” She smirks, then practically lights up with an idea. “Are you going to bring him this weekend?”

You shove another few bites of popcorn into your mouth. “Why would I do that?”

“So I can meet him. Duh.”

You point at your chest. “I barely know him.”

Not exactly the truth, but not a lie either. But unfortunately, Allie has never met a stranger. She will talk to him if she has a chance.

“Come on, you can bring a date,” she pouts. “And Jessie’s girlfriend had a last minute work trip come up, so there’s an extra seat.” She grins before adding, “And you’ll have a reason to leave early that doesn’t make anyone feel bad because I know you’re already planning some excuse.”

Sometimes you don’t think you give her enough credit for knowing you so well.

But still, inviting Levi?

You shake your head. “I don’t think he’d agree,” you say, thinking.

But he did say he owes you. And she is right. Showing up with someone would make you feel like less of a loser, and you could leave early.

“Worst he can say is no,” Allie shrugs before getting to her feet. Her break must be over. “Just let me know what he says so I can update the seating chart.”

The apartment is quiet when you get back home just before one in the morning.

Just like he’d said, Levi is awake and sitting on the sofa. Luna slowly uncurls herself from his lap and hops down, stretching on her way to greet you at the door.

“I see you two are finally getting along,” you chuckle.

Levi watches as you crouch to scratch between the cat’s ears. “She’s a persistent little brat.”

“Really wore you down, huh?”

He doesn’t grace you with an answer, but you notice on your way toward your room that he does nothing to stop her when she returns to his lap a moment later.

Once you’re back in your room, you quickly strip off your scrubs and change into a pair of comfortable joggers and a t-shirt. A shower would come later, but first you had to get a quick bite to eat.

Allie’s words resurface in your mind when you return to the living room and find Levi absently scratching behind Luna’s ears. You begin to wonder what he’d say as you round the corner into the kitchen in search of food.

There wasn’t a zero percent chance he’d say no, but you could say the same about him saying yes too. Did you want to put him through that anyway?

You find an open container of yogurt and pluck it from the fridge, intent on mixing it with whatever fruit you have on hand. Moving around the room gives you an idea into how Levi spent his time while you were away. There’s a bowl, a plate, and two utensils in the drying rack next to your sink, plus a mug. Luna’s food dish is also full. Not a chore you requested of him, but you suppose he’s seen you do it often enough that he just knows where everything is.

You smile to yourself and head into the living room, still mulling over the idea of asking him to attend the party with you.

The worst he could say is no, just like Allie said.

Only one way to find out.

You take a spot on the sofa next to him, glancing only briefly at the soccer game that’s playing on the television in order to muster up your courage.

“Hey, Levi.”

“Hm?”

“Do you remember when I said I had a party I have to go to this weekend?”

There’s a pause. “Yeah.”

“Would you want to go with me?”

“No.”

Well that was quick. “Will you go with me?”

“Why do I need to go?”

Because you don’t want to go alone. Because some awful, destructive part of you maybe likes the idea of your ex seeing you with someone else. Someone like Levi.

“I was just thinking…” you begin, swirling the berries into your yogurt absently. “You said you wanted a way to pay me back. I don’t really want to go alone, and I’m allowed to bring a date.”

“A date,” he repeats slowly, like he’s trying to make sure he heard you right.

“It’s not like a date date,” you’re quick to correct, immediately growing slightly hot under his scrutinizing stare. “These days it can just mean two people who are not romantically involved attending something together. As friends.”

“Why not call it that then?”

“Fewer words,” you shrug. “Okay, if that’s so important to you—will you go with me as my friend?”

He takes an infuriatingly long time to respond. But once you’re nearly on the verge of calling it off entirely and going to bed, he says, “Well, it’s good to know you’re not above guilt tripping me.”

“You’ll get a free meal out of it.”

“I better.”

You perk up a little. “So, is that a yes?”

He doesn’t look pleased, but he shrugs nonetheless. “I guess.”

“Oh, perfect,” you smile and take a bite of your food. “I knew you were my favorite for a reason.”

That earns you a sideways glance and you can almost swear that the corner of Levi's lip twitches up, but the light from the television shifts, enveloping his face in shadow before you’re able to see for sure.

 Enough was enough.

You decided last night in haste, you were done.

You counted the minutes until 7:00 a.m. when your boyfriend clocks into work, then you could be sure he wouldn’t turn around because he forgot something. The second the time struck you were out of bed and digging in your closet for the emergency bag you packed for this situation, you never thought you would be brave enough to actually need it. 

Shaking hands dig through drawers, collecting a few last minute treasures to take with you. Pictures, mostly, you didn’t need anything else anymore. You shove them between clothes in your bag and immediately drop onto hands and knees, squeezing yourself beneath the bed frame towards the vent under your bed. 

“Please.” You plead aloud, contorting your body in a way that allows you to lower your arm deep into the vent, twisting your wrist around the bend in search of a ziplock bag you had taped there many months ago. “Please, still be here.” You hold your breath, scooting yourself forward just to get in a little further. 

Relief blooms through your chest when your fingers graze against the smooth plastic. You were so close, this was it. You snatch the bag free from the vent and pull your arm back, shoving yourself backwards so hard that the wooden frame catches the skin of your lower back. 

The second you’re back on your feet you’re running towards the front door, the taste of freedom thick on your tongue and burning in your throat. You snatch your car keys from the hook, thankful that they were still there, and rush past the threshold and into the driver seat. Your bag flies into the back, and before you knew it you were on the road.

Free. 

Within fifteen minutes you were on the freeway, still shaking with the fear of getting caught. You carefully pull your phone from your front pocket and hold down the button for vocal assist, commanding it to call your uncle. 

The call rings a few times, connected to your car’s bluetooth. You squeeze the leather of your steering wheels in anticipation. Just when you thought it would go to voicemail he picks up. 

“Hey Champ, it’s early, is everything oka-”

“Davie! Hey.” You blurt out, your attempts to sound collected failing miserably. “Hi. I’m going to Threadfin. Is there any way I can stay at Grans while I'm there? I-I can figure it out if not just,” you pause to inhale, squeezing the tears from your eyes to clear your blurred vision of the road.  

“Woah, slow down.” You can hear the distress in his tone. “What’s going on? It's him isn't it? Did he do something?” 

You should have guessed he’d know. Your family was suspicious of him. They had every right to be. 

“No.” You blurt out without thinking. “Yes. I mean I'm fine, just need a getaway.” 

“Why don’t you come here? We have room, I’ll help you figure this out kiddo.” He tries to reason with you.

The thought of staying with him and his family made you nauseous, only because your now ex knew exactly where they lived. It wasn’t safe. 

“No. I can’t.” You put it simply. 

“It’s been years since anyone’s been there, it hasn’t been maintained at all.” Davie says. 

“I’ll clean it. The whole thing, I’ll work on it throughout the summer. Please.” You beg. 

There was a long silence on the other end of the call and then,

“The key’s in a pot, in the garden next to the bird bath.” He sighs. “Please call me when you arrive.” 

“Thank you.” You say, relieved. 

Two hours later, when you’re passing over a small body of water, you snatch your phone from the cup holder and chuck it out the window. Damning yourself to the radio and your cars' built in navigation system. 

*** 

Your escape plan was perfect, conveniently the time it took to arrive at your destination was the same as the shift your ex worked today. Eight hours, including the two stops you made. 

One, to pull into a random city to purchase the cheapest bare minimum replacement phone you could find, and the other to refill your gas tank. You found yourself thanking any god that would listen that the money you hid was untouched since under no circumstances could you swipe the card to the shared bank account. 

***

Threadfin Bay is what you would call a ‘blink-and-you’ll-miss-it’ town, deemed the safest city in the world by the locals. 

Bad things didn’t happen here, when there were children in town (which was rare) it wasn’t uncommon to see them around unsupervised under one universal strict rule. 

Do not go in the water. 

The only time you’d ever see an ambulance was due to a passing. The worst thing you’d ever heard of was an incident before your time; two teenagers pulled in by the current. It was weeks before they were found. Two memorials were attributed to them as a reminder of the only danger known in Threadfin Bay. 

The small town includes two diners, a postal office, a tiny family owned grocery store, a church, a hardware store and a quirky museum dedicated to someone who once lived there that drew comics for the local newspaper. Most everything was right along the same road, at the end of the street was the marina, and on either side of that was public access to the beach. 

When you finally get into town, your grandmother’s house is one of the first you see. Placed right there next to the church. To get to the front of the house you have to circle around a side street. 

The rocks under your tires crunch as you pull up the makeshift driveway. You turn off the car and step out, immediately met with a chill that runs down your spine, the heat of June not yet caught up to the northern city. You cross your arms over your chest, trying to retain heat as you look up at the house, it looks just like it did when you last saw it. The wrap around deck was worn with age, the blue paint chipping showing the wear of the wood underneath. You glance up, noticing the dark gray clouds rolling in above the house before observing the balcony just outside the old room you used to stay in, the stairs leading up wrapped around the corner of the house. 

You make your way through the yard and crouch down by the large tree, the bird bath in front of it long dried up and cracking at the base, and pull one of the painted flower pots from behind. Carefully you dig through the dirt, trying your best not to disturb the plant that currently resided in it, until your fingers grazed the cold metal of the key. You stand and brush it clean and finally get a good look at the yard, every part of it still as beautiful as you remember it being. Like it had been maintained for years. 

The front door squeaks as you push it open, when you step inside you’re right in the kitchen. The sunlight through the window illuminates dust particles in air, the smell of old house fills your nostrils but underneath you still catch a hint of what your summers here smelt like as a child. 

Everything is covered in a layer of dust, you have no idea where to start. As you stand in the doorway you thread the key onto the lanyard for your car keys and hang them from the door knob, then throw your bag onto one of the kitchen chairs; a puff of dust blooms out from the cushion. 

First you figure out how to get the water running, then flip the breakers for the lights. You walk around the ground floor and fix the time on anything that has a digital clock on it, when you get to the microwave you freeze, a pit forming heavy in your stomach when you realize your ex has now been home from work for about an hour now. 

Your thoughts start to spiral. What if he was able to find out where you were? He couldn’t, right? You never told him about this place. What if he put a tracker in your car? Maybe he sensed that this was a long time coming. You can’t put it past him to do that. What if he went after your family, Davie has young kids at home. He wouldn’t, not when he tried so hard to seem normal around them. 

Snap out of it. 

You’re safe now. 

You shake the thoughts, walk towards the kitchen sink and kneel down, opening the cupboards and cursing under your breath, of course there’s not any cleaning supplies left behind. Would they even be good if there were? 

You snatch your keys from the door and head back out, walking along the wrap around porch until you get to the sidewalk. The store was less than a five minute walk up the road. 

The bell rings as you walk into ‘Threadfin Shoppe’, a physical bell hanging over the door not a sensor, part of the charm of this town that you missed. You make your way to the back and start filling your hand basket with various cleaning supplies. The store looks exactly the same as you remember it. Wood paneling around the walls, short aisles crammed with various household items, a small section in the back for a deli and groceries, and a rack up front by the window with t-shirts for tourists. You swing up front and grab a shirt two sizes bigger than you’d need, something comfortable to clean in that you don't have to worry about staining. 

You immediately recognize the cashier up front as the owner, Arte. He smiles at you while you place your things on the counter next to him. 

“Not too often we see new faces,” He comments as he begins to scan the items. “What brings you here?” 

“Not new, just been a while, I’m fixing up my gran’s old house.” You hum in response. 

“Really? Who’s your grandmother Dear?” Arte asks. 

“Josephine.” You reply. His eyes widen in surprise, reciting your name from memory as a question, when you nod a soft sadness takes over his face. 

“This place lost something special when Jo passed. Glad to have you back in town again.” 

You thank him and continue to make small talk as he rings up the last of your items, lightly going over the various tasks you need to get done around the house. 

He bags your items for you and gives you the shirt free of charge. 

“Does Dale still work on cars?” You ask as you gather the bags and hang them from your forearm. 

“Not for a couple years now hun, he’s not doing well.” Arte says. “His grandson Caleb is always working on some rusty old thing, he might be able to help you.” 

***

When you get back inside you immediately throw on your new t-shirt, stretching it out to read the large font “Threadfin Bay, EST. 1886” across the chest, soaking it in before the shirt is surely ruined beyond repair. 

You start easy, cleaning the countertops, the stovetop, the table and chairs. Normally this large of a task would stress you out to the point of breaking it into smaller goals, but the cleaning was doing a great job of keeping your mind off the fact that you couldn’t take your car to Caleb until tomorrow morning at the earliest, and that was if he could take a look at it. That gave your ex plenty of time to make it to town while you were asleep. 

Hours passed and you were able to get most of the kitchen and bathroom done, but that was it. The rest would be a problem for the next couple days. As you look around at all your hard work, you realize you probably should have worked on one of the bedrooms first. You knew it was no use trying to go out and find somewhere that might have bedding for any of the mattresses left behind. 

You pull the chair out from the table and take a seat, resting for the first time in hours. You notice the ache in your lower back and wrists. You let your head fall over your crossed arms and close your eyes, you can feel sleep dragging you away the longer you lay there slouched over the table. Just when you feel that familiar falling sensation that comes just before the point of no return you gasp and shoot up in your seat. 

You’d forgotten to call Davie back. 

The chair skids across the floor as you jump up and rush over to your bag, sliding the zipper open and taking out a small palm sized notebook from the bottom. You stand up and open to the first page where you have about ten phone numbers jotted down in preparation for what you did today. 

You pull your new phone from your pocket and flip it open, quickly typing in the number and pressing it to your ear. It only rings once. 

“Hello?” Davie answers, his voice laced with worry. 

“Hi, it’s me.” You say, the crackle caused by Davie’s sigh of relief buzzes in your ear. “I made it, I’m really sorry, I just got straight to work and lost track of time.” 

“Scared us all half to death kid, where are you calling from?” 

“The house. Got a new phone, couldn’t keep the other one.” 

“Glad you’re safe.” He says “listen, we’re really worried about you being alone up there. We’d like-“ 

“Davie..” you interrupt him, now pacing back and forth in the kitchen. “I’m okay, I can handle it on my own.” 

“I know.” He says, but you can still hear the worry and doubt in his voice. 

“He hasn’t tried to you know.. he hasn’t stopped by your place or anything right?” You ask, fear creeping back through your body. 

“Not at all.” He assures. “I don’t know what he did, but he surely knows it’d be a mistake knocking on my door.” 

Classic Davie, always protective. 

“That’s good.” You respond, one less thing to worry about for tonight. “I gotta go though, I have something to do in the morning so..” you trail off for a moment. “Thank you for letting me stay here. You really saved me today.” 

“She would have wanted you there, sorry it’s not been taken care of.” 

Davie was given the house in the will after Gran passed. For a few summers after there were family trips organized but they eventually stopped due to Davie having more kids, life just got in the way. You couldn’t be mad about that over the house. 

You say your goodbyes and hang up the phone, setting it down. You take a moment to gaze out the window, even in the darkness of an incoming storm the garden is beautiful. Different colored bushes created irregular pathways around the yard, coming up to the center where space was left for the big tree, the bird bath with the surrounding pots, and clusters of assorted flowers growing from the yard around the…

Your throat burns dry as it tightens, every hair on your arms and the back of your neck stick straight up. Right there in the yard across from the kitchen window you’re standing in front of, A man sat on the stone bench. It was just dark enough that you would have missed him completely had you not looked in that direction. One second you stood frozen in complete terror and the next you spring into action. 

You lunge over the counter and flip the lights off, immediately shielding yourself from the window as you think about what to do. 

Nothing bad happens here.

You weren’t interested in being the first person in town murdered in the middle of the night by someone staking out your new home. 

No.

You’d just escaped one nightmare, and you refused to accept walking right into another. 

Think. Think. Think. 

The closest police station was forty-five minutes away, who knows what could happen in that amount of time. Your breath picks up as you frantically look around the dark kitchen for something, anything that could scare whoever this was away from the yard. 

Your eyes fall on the old knife block you cleaned around throughout the day next to the microwave on the counter across the room. You drop down low and quickly crawl over, pulling yourself up and ripping the only knife in it out of it’s socket. You examine it in your hands and 

Shit.

It’s dull. So dull that it could pass as an oversized butter knife. The tip was rounded, the blade entirely useless. It was all you had, maybe it would be scary enough from a distance. 

You slowly creep to the door and twist the handle before stepping outside, the creak sends a shock straight through your body. You closed it anyway and slowly crept around the bend of the porch. 

The man sat in the same position you saw him in from the window, one leg crossed over the other with his head turned facing away from the house. Still, almost peaceful, like he hadn’t heard you at all. 

“Hey!” You screamed. It came out before you could even process what you were doing. The knife was gripped harshly beside your thigh in clear sight. Your voice was firm, assertive, but your body trembled. 

The man turned to face you, eyes lowering and lifting back up but he showed no signs of fear. As he stood you braced yourself to run. It’s been years since you’ve been here but you still know it like the back of your hand, but the same could be said for anyone that lives here. 

You watched with sharp eyes as he lifted both hands in an attempt to show he was no harm to you. 

“Sorry! I didn’t know anyone lived here.” He smiled, actually smiled at you like he was harmless. He must be crazy. That didn’t make you feel any better. 

“I have a dog!” You yelled. The silence that followed was deafening, shining a clear light on the lie you just told. 

Thunder rumbled above as the man took a step back, hands still up. “You’re not a dog person.” Is all he said before turning around, walking the opposite direction through the garden, towards the few neighboring houses. 

Definitely crazy. 

You waited a few seconds before running back inside, throwing the door shut behind you and turning the lock. You press your back against the glass and hunch over with your hands on your knees, letting out a shaky breath.

You’re safe now. 

For a moment you considered calling Davie back to tell him what had happened but he was already worried enough, and you didn’t doubt his dedication to send someone on the trip to come get you. He’s just like that. 

Instead you make your way through the house, checking every single window and making sure they were locked. You step into your grandmother’s old room to check her window and pause. Her room was the most untouched out of the whole house, her favorite sheets still on the bed. If you trusted them you would have slept in her room tonight.  

You make your way back out towards the kitchen, the door to the stairs beside the bathroom. You check the closet and see there are still a couple beach towels left behind. To your surprise they were soft, and didn't have any foul odor. They’d have to do.

Lightening illuminated the upstairs bedrooms once you reach the top of the stairs, the snap of thunder that follows causing you to freeze momentarily. 

In your old room there’s a simple full sized bed, a futon in front of an old box television,  a dresser you never used and an old toy box on the far wall. Next to the TV is a window and the door that leads out onto the balcony.

As you lay the towels down on the futon you start to really regret not starting up here first. As you rest your head on your arm you try to focus on getting to sleep, the loud rainfall and the creak of the wooden balcony in the wind making it hard. You always hated storms here because it made the house feel haunted.

***

Tears begin to form in your eyes the longer the storm went on, loud bellowing thunder shook the house and rattled the balcony outside. You’re in your bed with the covers pulled over your head, hands pressed over your ears with a stuffed toy kitten that’s seen better days crammed in your elbow. 

You curl further into yourself, turning your head into the pillow when you start to hear tapping on the window. 

You can’t look, too scared of what you might see if you did. 

Tapping turned into a series of rapid knocks, then muffled through your hands you heard your name being shouted over the heavy rain. You recognized the voice. 

You slowly peek above the sheets, making out the silhouette of your friend crouched outside of the window so that you could see him under the half drawn blinds.

“Let me in! Hurry!” 

You sit up quickly, slide out of the bed and scurry over to the large door. There's a sliding lock  that you have to jump a few times to get all the way. Once you hear the click of the lock sliding out you twist the smaller one on the knob and pull the door, yanking it a couple times before it pops open. The loud sounds of the storm amplified while it was open.

Your friend, another boy your age who visits during the summer, stumbles onto the floor as he bursts into the room. 

You blink in surprise at him, it’s night time, he’s not allowed to spend the night. 

“I was out there waiting forever!” He groans dramatically as he sits upright on the floor, using his hands to scrape the water from his arms, then shakes his head to unstick the hair from his forehead. 

“Why are you here?” You whisper

He looks up at you from the floor and smiles, 

“I knew you would be scared.” 

*** 

One loud crack rips you from sleep, causing you to spring forward on the futon. Recalling your dream you turn your head to look at the window just a few feet ahead of you. 

There’s nothing there. 

It’d been so long since you thought about him, being back in your old room must be bringing things back up. 

Odd.