Levi vs. Leslie

Levi felt something grab him—pulling him toward the light with an irresistible force. Then, his eyes were filled with a deep blue—as if he had reached the point where the sea meets the sunlight.
“Hah—” His lungs filled, and Levi breathed deeply, as if resurrected. When his vision cleared—he finally realized that the deep blue… was Claude’s eyes.
Levi stared intensely at Claude’s eyes. An oxygen mask covered his mouth and nose, so he couldn’t speak, nor did he know what to say.
Claude’s furrowed brow slowly eased in Levi’s view—like clouds gathered and then blown away by the wind.
Levi raised his hand slowly, making a “hello” gesture with a wry smile.
Claude turned his head and scoffed, unclear whether he was mocking Levi or just couldn’t stand him.
This wasn’t the first time Levi had ended up in the ICU, but to him—the smell of disinfectant was far fresher than the stifling air of the sealed pod. Plus, the smell reminded him that he was still alive.
In the command room, Claude stood before the screen—staring at the now-barren mining field, lost in thought.
“You’re calmer than I expected. I thought you’d take the Pristine Lady out to rescue Levi,” Morris said, spinning around in his chair behind Claude.
Claude remained silent.
“I’m curious. Did it ever cross your mind that, before we arrived—Levi might have been boiled alive by the heat from the particle cannon? No one could guarantee the sealed pod would withstand it.”
Claude, still gazing at the desert—finally turned his face toward Morris. Morris suddenly felt a cold, intense pressure.
“Lieutenant Colonel Morris, if you have time to wwast—you might as well go fine-tune the Pristine Lady’s systems.” Claude stuffed his hands into his pockets—standing in a posture similar to Levi’s, but while Levi appeared laid-back, Claude exuded an oppressive air.
“Haha… Of course, Levi came back alive, didn’t he? Obviously, you’re not planning to replace the pilot now…” Morris stood up from his chair, knowing that if he didn’t get back to work—he might lose his head.

Lying in the hospital bed—Levi was wide awake. The lights were off—it was hospital policy that after 10 p.m., all rooms must go dark.
Levi had once liked the peace of darkness, that feeling of not having to hide anything. But after his time in the sealed pod, darkness only seemed like a terrifying color—a void where he couldn’t see the future or find a way out.
The door to his room slid open slowly, and someone walked in. The light from the hallway flickered in as Levi turned his head—but before he could see who it was, the door closed again, plunging the room back into darkness.
“Hey, I didn’t expect anyone to visit me this late,” Levi’s voice was a bit hoarse.
“Why?” A cold voice echoed, making the night feel even chillier. That voice—it could only belong to Leslie.
“What ‘why’?” Levi chuckled as he sat up, leaning against the bed. He wanted to see Leslie’s expression, though he knew it was impossible to see anything like gratitude on Leslie’s face—it was pure fantasy.
“What you did to protect me was pointless. I’ll never like you.”
Levi suddenly understood why Leslie had come at this hour—because he needed the cover of darkness even more than Levi did.
“Since I found out you were a guy, I haven’t thought about liking you again. And for the record—I didn’t save you because we’re comrades. I’m not that noble.”
“Then why?”
Now accustomed to the dark—Levi could make out Leslie leaning against the wall, arms crossed. Levi remembered an ex-girlfriend once telling him that this posture usually signified rejection of others’ opinions and excessive self-protection. Leslie likely embodied both.
“Because… I was fooled by your pretty face,” Levi answered with a deliberately flippant tone—trying to lighten the tense atmosphere. He would have preferred if Leslie just said a few cold words and left.
“Don’t try to provoke me.” Leslie walked closer, and the air seemed to thicken—as if drawn out. He sat beside Levi, leaning in.

Suddenly, all of Levi’s senses sharpened. He could hear Leslie’s faint breathing, the sound of his hair brushing through the air, and when Leslie’s hand hovered near Levi’s ear—a strange pressure settled in.
“Why are you getting so close?” Levi was about to push him away, but Leslie grabbed his wrist and pinned him to the bed.
“Do you think you’re a hero? Things aren’t the same as when we were kids.” Leslie’s face was almost touching Levi’s—his breath brushing against Levi’s lips, leaving him unsure of how to respond. “Your enemies aren’t just older kids or creepy old men who like little boys. If you want to protect me, at least know your limits.”
Levi’s wrist hurt. He had always known Leslie’s strength didn’t match his delicate appearance, but being overpowered by another man like this made Levi deeply uncomfortable.
“I suggest you let go,” Levi said coldly. Leslie may have been his first love—but that was a long-dead first love.
“Why? I’m finally willing to hold onto you, shouldn’t you be happy?” Leslie’s voice dripped with sarcasm—the kind that sent chills down one’s spine.

In an instant, the world flipped. Levi twisted Leslie’s wrist, flipping them over so that he now had Leslie pinned beneath him.
“I once liked you, so what?” Levi straddled Leslie’s waist—pressing his wrists firmly to the bed. Though this move usually gave Levi more satisfaction when it was with a woman, he was undeterred. “I fought older students and those creepy men for you, and that’s my choice. It’s not a reason for you to mock me. Just because I liked you doesn’t give you the right to lie to me.”
“When did I ever lie to you?” Leslie, still a man, broke free from Levi’s grip with a flick of his wrist and sat up, now in a questioning stance—forcing Levi to rise as well. Their positions were awkward, with Levi still straddling Leslie’s waist.
“What, you don’t remember?” Levi’s frustration flared at the mention of the incident—his hair almost standing on end. “That time, you asked me to meet you at the Luna Park entrance, said you had something important to tell me. I waited from eight in the morning until my mom dragged me home in the evening. Where were you?”
“You have the nerve to bring that up! Who’s the one who clung to me like a leech, and then when I finally asked you to meet—you were nowhere to be found? Now you’re telling me you waited at the park entrance? I waited there all morning—waited for ages! I never saw you!” Leslie’s normally cool eyes suddenly flared with volcanic anger.
“You waited for me? A princess like you would wait for me? Look at that time I asked you to go swimming, I waited from morning until noon!” Levi grabbed Leslie by the collar, barely resisting the urge to punch him.

Suddenly, the room fell silent.
The two stared at each other—as if trying to read the truth from each other’s eyes.
After a moment—Levi broke out into laughter, clutching his stomach, “I… I just remembered something… Luna Park has two entrances… which one were you at?”
Leslie frowned, looking at the laughing Levi. “The one with the castle.”
“I was at… the one with all the cotton candy stands.” Levi finally stopped laughing and spoke seriously. “Now that you mention it, how long did you wait for me?”
“Not long,” Leslie muttered, turning to leave—only to realize Levi was still sitting on his lap. “Get off me.”
“Oh, don’t be in such a rush! It’s not every day I get to be this close to my princess,” Levi teased with a grin. “So, were you going to confess to me at the park?”

With a cold smirk—Leslie flipped Levi over, making his head hit the pillow with a dizzying thud. When Levi regained his bearings, Leslie’s face was right in front of him. Even in the dark, Levi couldn’t help but admire Leslie’s features—the kind of beauty that came from the genes of Vivian LeClerc—every man’s dream woman. Leslie’s features were sharp and cold, exuding a distant elegance.
“That day, I was going to tell you I’m a guy, and you should stop following me, you leech.” Leslie spoke slowly, each word cutting like ice.
“Hey, how long did you wait for me?” Levi, still grinning, seemed unaffected by Leslie’s coldness or anger.
“I waited for you to die,” Leslie said—releasing Levi and stepping off the bed. He turned his back to Levi, about to leave but hesitated. “You still haven’t told me why you shielded me from that missile.”
Levi sighed, “Fine, come here and I’ll tell you.”

Just as Leslie turned back—Levi suddenly stood behind him and planted a firm kiss on his face.
“Of course, it’s not because I have a crush on you—why are you so hung up on this? Could it be that “ you” have a crush on “me”? In that case, let me make your dream come true!” Levi teased with an exaggerated expression, while Leslie stood there, stunned.
Two seconds later, Leslie grabbed Levi by the neck. “I’ll kill you—”
Levi’s eyes rolled back as Leslie choked him—until a nurse on duty walked in and, in shock, pried the two apart. Otherwise, Levi might not have died from the particle cannon but from Leslie’s fury.
The next day, when Levi woke up—there was more than just the doctor doing rounds in his room. Miller stood there too, his glasses reflecting a cold glint in the light. There was no doubt Levi piloting Blue Crisis into battle had probably driven this already-stressed mathematician to his breaking point.

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Proofreader/Editor: meowrii