Author's Note: I have my 'Once' fic to be updated since last year, but after arcadianwishdom on tumblr asked me memento headcanons, the idea for this one appeared and here I am.
This is a two chapter fic. This first part is very small, and sweet. Almost domestic fluff in comparison to the second but it's too late in the night for me to finish it today.
It's also my 50th fic.
Title is obviously taken from Silent Hill 3 OST, planned and written mostly to 'Forgotten Hopes' and 'Transacoustic' by Anathema.
Disclaimer: Still don't own Shingeki no Kyojin.
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Erwin had an organization problem.
Paperwork was already painful and irritating as it was. On that aspect, he did seem to have some form of chaotic order that allowed some roaming and grasping for other people who needed to access paperwork or help with it - it was chaotic, but slightly functional.
But when it came to personal documents, or files, or memoirs...
"...or journals or letters or whatever the hell you have here, for fuck's sake, you need to learn how to organize things."
From his end, Erwin was self conscious enough to only quietly sigh as Levi decided to yet again clean - or attempt to clean, which was in truth the real source of the problem and of his humor - while Erwin had dozen of reports to read, approve and write more in return. Levi knew that the reports were important, albeit ridiculously useless when they were to be sent to the King, and normally he would try to be as undisturbing as possible. It wasn't as if the Commander's office was the most horrible of places; again, it was acceptably functional. But it was hard to meet with Levi's standards. And that pile was part of Levi's nightmares.
"You know it wold be just so much practical if you compiled these together on an actual journal."
"Yes, you're right-"
"Or a box. Boxes. Folder. Anything."
"-but those are just old scattered pages. Not all are journals."
"Either way," Levi persisted, displaying his point by picking one paper sheet. And another, and another, clipping them together with the tips of his fingers as if afraid to dirty himself and showing what he thought of its lack of order between them or sense of their purpose. Not to mention Erwin's very method of organizing the 'old scattered pages' was in accordance, scattering them to form shaky and uneven piles that only gathered dust. "You have no idea how much filth this attracts."
"Yes, I know," Erwin sighed, giving himself the moment of human resignation over his own failure on the subject at hand, before diving back to his reports. "I'll throw them away someday."
"Either that or organize them."
"Be glad I hardly write any more of those for years now."
"Me? It's your fucking tangled up unreadable thoughts and your office that gets filthy, not mine."
Erwin chuckled quietly, dipping the tip of the pen on the ink bottle and emphatically writing down the end of the sentence with a polished swirl. The nobles from Sina would probably not even notice, with the lack of precious attention they gave any report.
"I meant, be glad you made my thoughts more understandable. Or rather, I'm the one that's glad."
"Uh?" Levi emerged from behind a chair Erwin had strategically placed as a support pillar for one of the paper piles. It hadn't been moved from place since he started using the office. Erwin had muttered the words, so Levi had barely caught them.
"These journals and letters never got any reply to the thoughts they express. You, on the other hand, not only listen but give sense to most of them."
Levi clicked his tongue.
"Clearly I'm not doing my job right then. This chair is like a death trap in this condition. How the fuck hasn't Hange not wrecked the whole thing down?"
Erwin held his breath for a moment.
Levi didn't seem surprised.
"Should have thrown it all away at the time, then."
Finding more amusement in this report than he probably ever had, Erwin continued scribbling as Levi continued his typically thorough cleaning, hissing at the piles at every glance.
"I'll throw them away," Erwin said again. But he muttered.
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