Chapter Text
Domestic life didn’t come easy to Levi.
The same could apply to everyone else who survived the Rumbling. How anyone could manage to grasp a semblance of normalcy after a world-threatening catastrophic event was beyond comprehension. Nevertheless, when the day arrived for the man formerly regarded as Humanity’s Strongest to leave hospitalization, Armin Arlert saw it through that he was immediately thrust into retirement. It was a long time coming and he saw its arrival from a mile away, he just didn’t expect it to be delivered so forcefully. Then again his stubbornness and workaholic tendencies were taken into account when issuing the order, making his refusal an impossibility.
But the 15th commander wasn’t the only one waiting for him to take leave. Yes, a certain bespectacled abnormal awaited him, and Levi knew this person lacked the patience to hold out forever.
When he first heard of Hange’s supposed viability Levi was quick to deny it. There was no possible way a human could survive a fall from that height and after catching fire nonetheless. After everything they went through it seemed too good to be true; he didn’t want to be given false hope. He had half the mind to believe Onyankapon said it to provide meaningless assurance to keep him hanging, clinging onto that fleeting idea that maybe just maybe, one of his dear comrades would survive. That particular term lacked the depth to describe the extent in which he cared for Hange, but he didn’t have the time to contemplate a better suited replacement. If they were alive, he would have to see them to believe it.
Fortunately Onyankapon was telling the truth, the refined pilot lacked the cruelty to conduct such a trick anyway. Levi’s cynicism was disproven with the sight of the former commander lying in a hospital bed, the burn marks webbing their skin covered in dozens of ice packs and bandages.
Levi was speechless as he wheeled himself up to their bedside. He reached out and grasped their hand just to know if they were real and was rewarded with the rough texture of scabbed flesh against his palm emitting a steady pulse.
Hange was alive, and Levi could hardly believe his luck for him to receive a second chance with them.
They flickered in and out of consciousness for a couple weeks before they could manage a real conversation with the scarred raven-haired man. The waiting was worth it, as Hange promptly gathered him in their arms and buried their face in the crook of his neck, sputtering apologies between sharp breaths. So much had happened and the first thing they thought to do upon seeing him for the first time since their sacrifice was to repeatedly say sorry. As if they were the one at fault for getting stuck in their shitty situation at the port. Leave it to ol’ four-eyes to think of others without bothering to address their own sorry state.
“Don’t apologize, we understand.” He assured them solemnly, managing to keep his voice neutral despite his racing heart. “You did your duty, and nothing can undermine the hell you took to ensure the safety of the flying boat.”
It was a marvel they persevered, and long enough to receive medical attention in the hospital at that. Falco, on the basis of a theory surrounding the bird-like characteristics of his Jaw Titan, took a gamble and caught Hange mid-air using his flying form for the first time back in Odiha. He ended up sinking the boat upon landing, hence their eventual arrival to the final battle against the Founding Titan. Hange was too battered to participate in the fight, so they stayed behind with Yelena and Kiyomi while the others risked their lives. It wasn’t something they were proud of, but their physical condition was beyond compromised to partake in any kind of combat. From that point on their memory was hazy, but all in all they owed the kid their life. Levi himself was beyond grateful.
From there healing progressed relatively smoothly with only a few minor bumps in the road during their recovery process. Against all odds, Hange made a miraculous comeback from the severe burns obtained through their intended last stand against the Colossal Titans. Both veterans still required physical therapy treatment for their respective injuries alongside actual therapy which would surely be addressed eventually, hence why they remained in Marley across the sea instead of back home in Paradis.
Turns out Hange Zoë is an unstoppable force that defied the world’s very laws of nature to avoid death yet another day. It was a wonder if Hange could even be killed. Levi wasn’t keen on finding out. They had one too many close calls against the Colossal Titans for his liking and despite their erasure from existence, he didn’t want to take any more chances bargaining their life. Upon their release from the hospital, Onyankapon immediately offered space in his apartment for the two to stay while they enrolled in the physical therapy program.
There were only two bedrooms available in the suite, and if Onyankapon was already using one then it only left a single queen-sized bed available for the two of them. They awkwardly declined his offer that they share with Levi volunteering himself for the couch, hence starting a debate.
“I’ll take the living room.”
Hange immediately objected with a stern frown. “Oh no, don’t even try to give me that bullshit. You’re getting the bed for sure and I’m not taking no for an answer.”
Onyankapon’s confused expression was a clear indication that he required context, which the brunette was quick to clarify.
“He’d sleep upright in a chair while wearing his uniform.”
The taller man winced, his face contorting in a mixture of discomfort and concern. “Well that can’t be good for your posture. And not even changing into pajamas?”
“I know right?” Hange raised their hands over their head in exasperation. “That’s exactly what I’d tell him but noooo let’s just ignore all that and rest in our harnesses for maximum comfort!”
He scoffed at the poorly impersonated assumption made. “There was a lot more to it than that.”
Hange understood his dilemma, they really did, and would be a hypocrite to oppose this lifestyle given their frequent nights passing out in the lab. They could all be called to action at any moment, and ever since the Colossal and Armored Titans breached Wall Maria, Levi had taken to making sure he had his gear handy at all times in case of immediate emergency. However, that life was now far behind them. There existed a time and place for one to relax and receive a full night of rest, that of which was difficult to acquire with the restrictions placed upon Levi’s quality of sleep. But it didn’t have to be that way anymore.
“How about we share it then?” Hange suggested, to which the shorter man vehemently disagreed.
“You’re full of shit if you think I’ll willingly join you in a bed.”
“You’ve shared a tent with me on expeditions before, I fail to see how this is any different. Besides, this is to try benefitting your lackluster sleep performance! I’ve got a hypothesis that if you’re in the company of someone you trust, then you’ll sleep easier!”
“Only if the conclusion is that it worsens as a result of you talking my ear off.”
“Oh come on, I can be quiet!”
“You’ll still smell.”
“I’ll even take a bath!”
That would make the scenario bearable, that is if they remembered to do it consistently. To their credit, Hange fell into a passable routine schedule bathing during their time as commander to maintain an appearance. That is, sans the few instances where they would lock themself up in their office until Levi barged in unannounced to act as a motivator. Regardless, it wasn’t the most ideal scenario and he could only imagine the shenanigans they’d get into experimenting on him like so.
“You’re ridiculous.” Was the answer he eventually settled on.
“Coming from one abnormal to another. Is that a deal then?”
He ran over the scenario in his mind again. He and Hange, sharing a bed, simply sleeping on opposite ends of the mattress in hopes that their presence will ease his insomnia. It was up to whichever choice he’d regret the least, and he wouldn’t know unless they tried. All in all, as long as they weren’t a sleep-walker, talker, comforter hog and or didn’t roll around too much then it was a situation he could live with.
He sighed and sunk his misshapen fingers into his raven locks. “Fine, but the moment you step out of line your ass is on the curb.”
Hange beamed, overjoyed for managing to convince him. “All good with me!”
Onyankapon watched the exchange with a shrug, not knowing what else to say. All he needed to know was if anyone was going to require blankets on the basis that one of them was taking the couch, but those turned out to be unnecessary. His view of the two Paradians’ relationship was challenged once more with this new development. He smirked. They’d have to wait and see how this experiment fared.
—————
That night the two veterans got themselves situated. The guest bedroom where they would be staying contained a queen-sized bed, two nightstands on either side of it with the one on the left having a lamp and a small patterned area rug covering that section of the hardwood floor. It additionally had two windows with blinds on the right side and a mirror on the opposite side of the wall that led into the connecting bathroom. A large dresser was stationed against the wall in front of the bed which held a fan and another lamp. Overall it was a small space, but it contained all the bare necessities.
Hange had been gifted some high quality silk yellow pajamas from Kiyomi upon their release from the hospital which fit them perfectly, so they were all set. Having never possessed any actual sleepwear himself, Onyankapon lent Levi a pair of his blue striped long-sleeved pajamas to wear. While the shirt fit his broad shoulders excellently, the bottoms pooled at his feet, oversized in terms of length. This predicament was easily solved in him choosing to roll up the pant-legs until they reached his ankles and tying the drawstrings secure around his waist in a neat bow.
Once the two were dressed down and finished with their evening routines, they bid each other goodnight and settled down in bed with Hange taking the left side and Levi on the right.
Levi laid on his back with arms folded across his chest and face to the ceiling. On the opposite wavelength, his bedmate was curled up with their back to him, perfectly sated. The bed’s size accommodated both of them, leaving enough room between them to provide him his proper space while allowing them to sleep peacefully. Only the former was wide awake now.
Despite the fact that Levi thoroughly trusted Hange to where he agreed to allow them refuge here, his body refused to relax. There was an acute awareness of the secondary body present beside him that remained impossible to ignore. Something within him instinctually urged him to leave, to evacuate the area before he could lower his guard and face the consequences. He used to sleep with a knife concealed beneath his pillow both in his room in the Underground and in the survey corps barracks for such emergencies. An enemy is most eager to strike when their opponent is at their most vulnerable, and what better time than when they’re completely unconscious? With criminals and potential threats lurking about at every corner, one could never be too careful.
But this wasn’t a scenario where danger loomed over him like a knife tied to a string. This was Hange, the person he grew to trust and develop a thorough bond with that transcended any semblance of normalcy. Someone whom he deeply cared for. And it bothered him that he couldn’t bring himself to be tranquil at this position.
Levi awoke the next morning groggy and discontent. He ended up clocking in a meager two hours of sleep, which was around the usual parameters. Hange journaled his progress in their notebook and the two got up to take on the day. Onyankapon would usually wake up early to attend his engineering gig in the city, helping build and test fly planes in the Marleyan port, so the two veterans wouldn’t see him until an hour before sundown. He struggled getting through the day, especially during physical therapy where he was required to exert himself a certain amount to overcome his exercises after the specialists would work and stretch out his bad leg. By the time he arrived back he was exhausted, but far too awake to try returning to bed.
It was going to be a long week.
—————
The days that followed would repeat in a similar fashion. The two of them would go to bed with Hange falling asleep within the hour while Levi would remain awake for several more, feeling as though he were standing on the edge of a cliff with a faint gust of wind threatening to push him off. When he did finally fall asleep, he got no fulfillment out of what little rest he got. On the last day of the week he decided he couldn’t take it anymore and left to take the couch instead, hoping for better results there. He failed to distinguish a noticeable improvement. Onyankapon frowned worriedly on his way out, asking if he was sick. He was quick to assure him that he simply wanted to try a different setting. Hange took a more amusing reaction to waking up alone.
“It must’ve been pretty bad if I managed to drive you out of bed.” They remarked upon meeting him in the kitchen that morning.
Levi didn’t get the chance to clarify and pardon the blame from them, as they immediately took to crafting theories for his decision purely out of curiosity for their experiment.
“Did I snore? I could never tell if I have, I’ve never had the chance to ask someone before. Or was it a really nasty fart that I let out and you needed to evacuate? That’d be reasonable.” Their tone was light-hearted and unoffended, which assured him that they weren’t taking it personally. At least not from what he could tell on the surface.
“No, it was nothing like that…” He trailed off, turning to fixate on the view visible outside the open window. "Trying to sleep near other people in general doesn't come easy to me. You may be a pain in my ass sometimes but you didn't do anything wrong there. That'll give you something else to write down."
“Hmmm…” Hange placed their hand on their chin, deep in thought. So if it's already been tested not to change depending on the person we'll have to look to revise other aspects. I'll remain as one of the dependent variables. “Perhaps if we alter the manner at which you take to sleep then we’ll get better results. You’ve slept upright in a chair for years and flat on your back when it came to resting in sleeping bags during our expeditions. Simply lying on your back with your arms crossed like a corpse dressed for burial doesn’t make for the best sleeping position, hardly anyone chooses that one to my knowledge.” Or it could be the pajamas. Their thoughts added silently. The change in fabric material could take some adjusting to as he isn’t accustomed to them. But he hadn’t complained about the clothing yet so they doubted if it was anything of the sort.
“Then what would you suggest to be the superior method?” Levi asked them with a brow raised.
“Try sleeping on your side, you could curl your legs up slightly if it doesn’t make you uncomfortable. Or you could lie flat on your stomach, although you'd probably need to hold onto something. I imagine keeping your arms stretched out to your sides while you suffocate yourself planted face down in the pillow wouldn’t be pleasant.”
“And what exactly would I be holding?”
“Well traditionally-speaking people would usually hold each other-”
“No way.” He hastily interrupted them.
“Hey I wasn’t finished!” They objected, their face heating up realizing what he believed them to be suggesting. “That’s not what I meant anyway. Regardless, you haven’t made any improvement over the week-length timeframe we’ve been conducting this experiment thus far. I think it’s time we implement new variables and giving you something soft or cushiony to hold onto is at the top of my list of options!”
“You were already pushing your luck prompting me to share a bed with you to begin with but now you’re just getting greedy.” Clutching something like a stuffed animal in the same manner as a helpless child? It was humiliating to imagine.
“Oh come on, it can’t be that bad! It doesn’t have to be a person after all, you can start out testing via hugging a pillow!”
Levi blinked at them hard with wide eyes as if they had just announced they voluntarily slid through a garbage chute. Now this was getting ridiculous.
“I’m serious! Plenty of people do it, not purely children!”
He continued to stare at them wordlessly.
Hange let out an exasperated sigh and slouched forward in defeat. “Can you please at least give it some thought? Try the other sleeping positions first and then we’ll see.”
—————
Unfortunately, the world wasn’t on his side, as he would soon find out a few nights in advance. Levi had experienced a threshold of difficulties throughout the week tossing and turning, testing out various sleeping positions while avoiding to wake Hange with his noisy stirring. But this particular evening’s conditions proved to be a challenge for a distinctly different reason.
Rolling thunder washed over the sky like mountainous waves crashing at the shoreline. The cacophony of sounds brought unpleasant memories, with the bright flashes of lightning yanking him into the past. The bolts of electricity were a foreboding reminder of what used to proceed after a Titan shifter activated their powers with the rumbling of thunder being too similar to a different kind of rumbling belonging to hundreds of gigantic footsteps.
Levi turned to his bedmate, whose back was facing him lying on their side while he remained flat on his back. Having spent the past few nights in their presence, he was able to pick out certain traits exhibited with their sleep mannerisms. He was certain that the twitching and soft whimpering were not common habits of theirs.
Another loud crack causing them to wince once again, drawing back as if they had been struck. He reached out with his right arm to probe them, but before he could make contact they suddenly rolled over and firmly wrapped their limbs around him, completely enveloping him in a tight hug with their entire body.
Levi stiffened. There may have been times where he’s allowed Hange to invade his personal space, but nothing ever this close. Or intimate. Now he felt on edge for a completely different reason.
“Hange.” He lightly tugged their shirt collar.
No response.
He pulled again with more force emphasized in his tone. “Four-eyes.”
The brunette groaned and stirred in their sleep, loosening their shoulders before tucking their face in the crook of his neck. Levi’s breath hitched. They were so close, their breath ghosting his collarbones as he fought to remain still. Every muscle in his body screamed that he move, to unravel himself from their caring arms and ignore the desire to return the sentiment with his own which remained folded on his abdomen. Not that he could move them anyway, as Hange’s limbs encircling him pinned them there, unable to move without further disturbing their deep slumber.
All signs pointed to the thunderstorm rousing their quality of rest, the variety of sounds negatively affecting them in their dreams. He was tempted to wake them, to assure them that whatever they were reliving internally wasn’t real. But he would risk making it worse, and causing Hange pain of any kind was intolerable. Yet this wasn’t the first instance of them stirring and muttering in their sleep. Perhaps outside variants had an effect on the persisting dreams tormenting them amidst their slumber, meaning he wasn’t the only one suffering from sleep problems. Suddenly it all clicked.
You’re not doing this experiment for my sake alone are you?
It shouldn’t surprise him. Hange was the kind of person to sweep their personal problems under the rug instantaneously if it meant repurposing that attention on aiding someone else, especially if they believed this person needed the help more than they did. Even still, it bothered him the extent at which they belittled the issues they face. Regardless of how one ranked their problems in terms of being of meager importance than others, it didn’t make their personal challenges any less valid.
The sound of a close-range thunderclap elicited yet another flinch from Hange followed by smothered gasping and with it, the cracking of his heart.
Without a second thought, Levi moved the arm previously pulling at Hange’s shirt collar upward, snaking it through the open space between their neck and shoulder and curling it around their head. Gently, he drew small circles in the baby hairs along their nape with his fingertips before working his way up, fully nestling them into the wavy halo of reddish-brown locks. The wrinkle furrowing on their brow smoothed out as he continued to comb their hair and massage their scalp. They let out a long shaky sigh and relaxed into his touch, his ministrations having a calming effect on the former commander. Watching Hange’s breath slowly even out gave ample time for Levi’s chest to cease its aching, replacing it instead with a soft fluttering sensation. It brought his soul at peace knowing that he successfully calmed them down; a person this beautiful inside and out didn’t deserve to suffer as they did. He hoped for his comforting actions to prolong the trauma enough to allow them to sleep easy for the rest of the night, but for now he would admire their tranquil facial features; no longer tense with stress and undisturbed by the horrors of reality.
Levi Ackerman was hopelessly enamored.
Soon enough he matched his breathing with theirs and drifted off alongside them, the two one-eyed veterans remaining secured in each other’s arms.
—————
Thunder rumbling outside the apartment woke them up early prior to sunrise.
Hange inhaled sharply and froze up, tensing up at the achingly familiar noise. The force at which they repelled from the bed would’ve sent them flying upon the floor had it not been for the warm body weight pinning their left arm to the mattress, fastening them in place.
“It’s far off.” A gravelly voice informed them.
The brunette glanced in the direction of the deep voice, their vision hazy. Nevertheless, the blurred mop of black hair settled atop the muscled figure beside them was easily identifiable. Even if he wasn’t up close, they wouldn’t require glasses to recognize him.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” They instinctively apologized, although it was directed more at their physical situation rather than the emotional one. Seriously, how did they both manage to get their limbs entangled? Weren’t they on opposite sides of the bed before?
“At ease. It’s still early, lie back down.”
Their eyes widened, unable to keep the surprise out of their voice as they replied. “You’re…okay with this?”
He gave a noncommittal shrug. “I don’t mind it.”
Hange blinked a couple times, still processing the open invitation to snuggle up with Humanity’s Strongest soldier. Everything this experiment indicated pointed in the direction of him being in opposition to maintaining human contact while resting and what he was suggesting now went against their theory completely! Not that the premise wasn't unappealing- far from it- it was simply…unexpected. Had they been approaching this experiment from the wrong angle? Surely they heard that incorrectly- he couldn’t possibly be serious, right? His tranquil expression and monotonous tone gave nothing away, how were they supposed to tell?
After a while Levi grew impatient and reached out to tug on their shirt tail, finding it without even opening his eyes and pulling to regain their attention.
“Are you constipated or some shit? Come on, you’re letting the cold air in.”
In the end Hange gave in, nestling into his side and resting their head on his chest. They repositioned their arms around his torso and he wrapped his right arm around theirs in return. Once properly settled, Levi draped the covers over them and let out a long sigh. A comfortable silence fell over the two with the shorter man’s breathing acting as the perfect white noise generator to cancel out the distant thunder, thus lulling his companion to sleep.
At the brink of succumbing to unconsciousness, Hange could’ve sworn they felt a pair of warm lips brushing against their forehead followed by a faint murmur wishing them ‘sleep well’.
—————
They didn’t bring it up after the sunlight peeking through the blinds roused them awake. Exchanging a simple ‘morning’ was all they got. What was there to say? Hange didn’t expect someone as closed-off as him to provide an in-depth explanation as to why he allowed for a cuddle session to transpire and wasn’t sure how to go about asking either.
Levi wasn’t feeling much better. He never held the greatest image of himself before but this was a new low. Kissing them on the verge of sleep like that, what was he thinking? He imagined his mother would be disappointed in his sudden creep behavior. He hardly remembered doing it as he was barely conscious as well, but there was no telling if Hange realized he did it. The only way he could know for sure was that he asked, but he couldn’t possibly bring something like that up in a natural way. On one hand he’d be exposing himself for instigating the act had they not been aware. Whereas if they did know, they’d either run from the topic or demand an explanation, both of which he wished to avoid.
An unfamiliar knock at the door brought Levi out of his thoughts with Hange abandoning their tea at the table to answer. It seemed someone had come to his rescue to prevent him from this potentially embarrassing conversation. Since the doorway wasn’t in his direct periphery, he couldn’t catch a glimpse at the visitor. However, his ears managed to pick up the sound of a tired female voice conversing with his housemate. Their conversation faded into the background upon him averting his attention to the newspaper in hand. The talk must’ve transpired for a long time, as Levi had finished his breakfast by the time they closed the door. When Hange turned the corner, returning to the kitchen, their expression was unreadable. It filled his stomach with dread, but he kept his face neutral upon asking.
He put his paper down to take a sip of his tea. “Who was that?”
“Pieck. She stopped by to inform me of a collaboration opportunity with Kiyomi. They could really use help in the northeast near the ruins of Hizuru to help gather and reconstruct their lost architecture.”
Levi froze in place and lowered the teacup he held while his other hand squeezed an arm of his wheelchair. He had a bad idea where this was going.
“How long?”
They let out a heavy sigh and closed their eyes, bracing themself for the inevitable refusal.
“At least eighteen months.”
That would be over a year and a half spent on the other side of the world.
“Hange no-“
“I need to take this opportunity, Levi.” They insisted, much to his disapproval. “People are counting on outside aid and as someone closely aligned with Kiyomi and the Azumabito clan I perfectly qualify for the task. I’m fit enough to travel and endure strenuous activity regardless of my previous injuries, you can even ask my physical therapist for proof. There are only so many people left in the world and even less willing to set aside their personal lives to aid former enemies overseas.”
He wanted to remind them that they were retired, that Hange was no longer bound by their duties and had no reason to endanger themself on a faraway trip with little resources. Not to mention the thought of them being potentially lynched by straggling Jaegerist extremists left a sour taste in his mouth. Individuals who considered themselves devout followers of Floch were popping up here and there during ambassador assemblies to protest and stage attempted assassinations, with a recent incident nearly costing Armin’s life had it not been for Connie’s quick interference, pushing his friend out of the way just in time before the criminals were apprehended. Hange was more than capable of taking care of themself, he knew them well enough to reach that conclusion, with their escape to the forest of giant trees being key proof of their capabilities against former comrades. Lacking hesitation to kill regardless of previous feelings and connections was a required trait that they possessed. Even so, it didn’t stop his mind from assuming the worst. It obviously took a tremendous toll on them at the time seeing them gun down people they once deemed allies for his sake. He didn’t want them to relive that again.
Hange’s heart ached to see the pleading look in his eye. It was a painfully familiar expression that reflected the same silent demand that he implored in Odiha that fateful day:
Don’t go.
Much like their brief talk in the forest, the two had yet to discuss that event in detail. Neither of them could ever find the words. How does one even open a conversation like that? ‘ Hey I suggested that we live together back in the forest and I was wondering if you wanted to still do that? I know it was during a moment of weakness where I was simply hoping to escape the pressure of my position but I genuinely want to spend the rest of my life by your side loving and cherishing you with everything I have but only if you want to so are you in?’ It was completely out of the question. While he never outwardly rejected the idea, he never agreed to it either. For all they know he could’ve just been holding his tongue out of pity. All in all there was no way of knowing if he cared about them in a distinctly romantic context unless they said or did something. Potentially ruining their friendship over such childish feelings was the furthest from their priorities. Shaking off the thought, they turned their attention back to the situation at hand.
“I may have renounced the commander title to Armin but I still have work to do. There are endless opportunities for me to take up, and if there’s a location that requires action then I refuse to run from it. I can’t stand by idly while the rest of the world lies in ruin. I failed before in my position as commander and if I can make up for it by helping others then this is the least I can do.”
“Stop.” Levi raised a hand to cut them off. “For fuck’s sake, you didn’t fail. You did your duty to the best of your ability given the situation. Don’t blame yourself.”
“It’s more than that, I won’t be able to live with myself if I pass this up. Please, Levi just-“
“-don’t say it-” he interrupted them mid-speech but they continued regardless.
“-let me go.”
There it was. The phrase he dreaded to hear the most. He bowed his head as the memories came rushing back. It took him a moment to recover, to ensure his voice wouldn’t break speaking once more.
“I can’t do this again, I just can’t.”
Hange underestimated how their words would affect him and seeing him react this way made them already regret uttering them. His voice was steady, but his posture betrayed his stoney exterior. They strode forward and dropped to one knee, taking his hands in theirs.
“I won’t be gone forever. Yes, it’ll be for a while and there’ll be plenty of roadblocks along the way to make this difficult. But I need to do this, both for the sake of my own sanity as well as for humanity.” They met his eye and spoke with fervorous determination without breaking contact to emphasize how greatly they meant it. “Even then, I refuse to leave you again the way I did in Odiha. It won’t be like it was then, I swear on my life that I’ll come back to you.”
Levi’s stoic expression faltered at the blatant mention of their sacrifice before averting his gaze at their ode to return. “You can’t promise something like that.” Don’t give me hope. If having Hange here was his second chance at loving them then he doubted the world would be so forgiving as to bless him with a third or fourth.
“You’re right, I can’t.” They agreed. “But I’ll be damned if I don’t at least try.”
He said nothing, unable to reply with a valid argument that wasn’t attached to his own selfish desires. Taking the message, Hange released his hands and stood up.
“I’ll give you some time to think it over, but I don’t plan on changing my mind.” Their voice was soft when they said it, but it did nothing to assure him of the implications.
Hange left the room to leave him stirring in his thoughts, thoroughly contemplating this imminent shift in their future.