A place called home
Levi loved the outside world. To be above ground level instead of continuing his life living in the Underground. To be able to see the sky, the sun, smell the fresh air outside and see it´s neverending wideness stretching out infront of him. He truly loved it. But there was one thing Levi hated about the outside world too. He hated the rain.
Whenever a strong rain storm followed by thunder occured he would become quiet. Become even less opened up to others than he already was before.
Because whenever it happened it would remind him over one of his first regrets.. over that fateful day he lost two precious friends... He even considered them his only family during that time... The day he lost Isabel Magnolia and Farlan Church.
Today was such a day. The sky was grey as rain was pouring down onto the earth. Maybe the world itself knew about the new many lost lives humankind had to mourn over and showed it's sorrow as the remaining Survey corps soldiers returned from another expedition into the walls.
With a blank expression, well hidden behind his green hood Levi entered the gate right behind Erwin on the front. Next to him were Mike and Hanji. Due to the heavy downpouring rain and lighting the streets were completly empty. Not a single citizien was waiting for them.
To be honest Levi felt grateful for it. All they could do was either feign over how great they were, how great so called 'humanity strongest soldier' was or complain over how much taxes they had to pay and how futile the whole act 'reclaiming the outside world from the titans' was anyway.
While the other, younger soldiers were hanging their heads low, fixated on the ground in defeat, Hanji was one of the only ones taking the emptiness of the streets as a chance to start a conversation. Riding a bit closer to Levi she turned to him.
"Hey Levi, say-" she chirped way too cheerfully.
"No." was his short annoyed reply.
Only now Hanji noticed how emotionsless his expression was on his face. He didn´t even once look into her direction, his gaze fixated straight ahead as he rode out of formation, past her next to Erwin, telling him something Hanji couldn´t quite understand before he rode ahead.
"But- Wait! Levi!" she shouted after him as loud as she could.
But too late. Levi was already gone.
No one has seen Levi since then. His horse was already eating in the stable as the other soldiers slowly came in with their horses. Hanji put 'Moppel' the name of her horse which was her partner since she joined the Survey corps in her barn. Giving the horse something to eat and drink along with some small petting she went outside and started looking around for Levi.
After seeing his emotionsless face earlier she couldn´t help but be worried over him. It´s a while since she saw him like this. Probably not since- her eyes widened as realisation hit her.
"Could it be...? Damn it I'm such a idiot!" she cursed making all the other soldiers around her turn around to her direction.
Not wasting anymore time Hanji ran out into the stormy weather.
Tired, dripping wet and cold and on top of that without success Hanji returned back inside the barracks. She looked everywhere she could think about for her little shorty, the stables, the training grounds, the barracks, the cantine, her laboratory, she even checked her research area where her titan subjects were tied down and research was conducted on them but nowhere she could find him.
By now it was completly dark outside and mostly everyone was either asleep or trying to cry himself to sleep because of the loose of a important someone, be it a friend, a sibling or a lover.
There was only one place she could think to try out again. Even if at the first time she did she didn´t got any reply from him.
Not even caring about the waterpuddles she left behind, Hanji dragged herself down the empty dark corridors. She passed one room after another until she reached her destination. The room next to her own sleeping quarters... Levi´s room.
Now or never. Taking one last breath she knocked.
No reply.
There was no sound from inside too.
"Levi? Are you in here?"
Still nothing.
Hanji was about to give up and go into her own room as a quiet mumble answered her.
"Go away."
She stopped in her tracks immediatly and went back.
"Levi! You´re here afterall. I was looking for you and-" she started.
"Shitty glasses I´m not in the mood for your research shit now."
"...ahaha..I´m not here for that." There was a pause. "I´m here for you...Levi.."
"..."
Hearing no answer from him, Hanji feared she said too much until she heared footsteps approaching her. The door opened and revealed a short, wet as herself Levi.
"L-levi..?"
"Get in. That´s why you came here for, right?"
Without waiting for an anwer he turned around leaving her standing around at the doorway. With worry Hanji watched him making his way back to his bed where he sat down, his head hung low so his bangs were covering his face making it unable to read him.
What was he thinking?
This was not the Levi she knew all these years now. The Levi she knew would never walk around with wet clothes dirtying the floor in the process or even dare to sit on his bed staining the clean white sheets.
With a soft click she shut the door behind her and made her way up to his private bathroom. Since Levi has the rank of a captain he was in possession of some luxuriously like his own quarters and his own small bathroom just like her.
Not long after Hanji came back with a towel.
"What cleanfreak are you to just sit around and making everything wet. If you continue like this I won't be able to call you like this anymore. I can't allow this" Hanji joked trying to light the mood a bit as she made her way up to him and started drying up his hair.
At first Levi tensed up because of the sudden contact but soon he found himself relaxing again. He could smell her scent on the towel. The mysterious scent of the earth, herbs and flowers. She must have used it to dry herself up a little in the bathroom a few minutes ago before she came back.
Satisfied with his now dry and a bit messy hair, her hands moved lower. Cupping his cheeks with her thumbs softly, Levi moved his head up to look at her making the towel fall onto the bed in the process.
With the thunder being one of the only light sources it was harder to see his face, seeing his searching lost eyes which lost the normal strong light in them. He looked so lost and vulnerable at the moment at which Hanji could only smile softly.
"Levi, I'm sorry about earlier...you mustn't tell me what's troubling you but I want you to know.. I'm here for you and I will stay by your side if you want me to. You should know you are not alone. You will never be alone." she whispered quietly.
For a short moment Levi didn't know what to do as he simply froze on the spot. Those words hitting a nerve, feelings he thought he didn't had anymore.
And he was a bit scared about it if he wanted to be honest. Everytime he allowed those feelings to get inside for someone they ended up disappearing from him...
He wanted to say something but his mouth felt dry opening and closing it again without a sound coming out of it. His hands moved up to hers, placing them on top of them. They were soft.
"Hm? What is it Levi?" Hanji asked him with such a caring voice his weak state couldn't handle at the moment.
There was nothing much he was thinking, he only wanted comfort HER comfort as he pulled her down and placed a soft kiss on her lips.
It was short, too short to give Hanji a chance to return it only taking her by surprise and even more after his next words.
"Shitty glasses... Would you.." He paused averting his eyes. "Stay.. for tonight..?"
He was sure she would say no to his foolish request anyway but Hanji nodded and sat herself down onto his lap, straddling him, her hands moving around his neck as she kissed the top of his head. Being so close Levi inhaled her scent which calmed him down as he pulled her even closer to him.
They stayed like this for a while simply into each others embrace until Hanji started unbuttoning his shirt. Levi didn't stopped her only observing her and waiting patiently what she would do next.
His wet shirt fell to the floor followed by her own wet shirt as she pushed him softly down onto the matress and lied down next to him.
"We cannot sleep wearing those wet clothes. I will clean up tomorrow in the morning, I promise shorty" Hanji made a apologised hand gesture.
He grunted so that was what this was about. Hanji truly didn't had any shame. It was him yes, but still she did expose herself infront of a man and exposing the man herself as well.
"Shameless woman" he muttered.
"Haha, I guess so. Now come here, you said I should stay now you must bear with my cuddling Levi" she grinned. This sounded more like Levi.
Hanji pulled him again to her, embracing him. With one hand caressing his masculine back the other entangled in his hair.
Feeling as she placed another tender kiss onto his head Levi completly relaxed. His own arms moved around her delicate body pulling her as close as he could while his head rested between her breasts.
The way her hand massaged his undercut, feeling her warmth all around him, shielding him from the cold and any bad memory... along with her heartbeat he listened to which muted the sound of the rain and thunder.
It didn't took long until Levi's eyes closed and he fell asleep. Watching him sleep peacefully almost like a kid Hanji felt relieved and smiled while carefully pulling some hair wisps out of his face.
"Good night Levi. Have sweet dreams"
It's a long time ago since Levi slept this long. The sun was hitting his face from the small window in his room. It was morning. The rain had stopped and the birds were chirping announcing a new day along with some quiet sounds from some recruits training outside.
Opening his eyes, blinking to get the sleep out of them Levi remembered everything that happened the previous night immediately. It didn't took him long to notice he was not alone and unable to move and get up. He was still trapped in Hanji's tight embrace and he could swear she was drooling from the corner of his eyes and if she was drooling onto his head during the night... god forbid but now he didn't wanted to think about this nightmare and continued studying her sleeping face.
It was strange he thought but being like this with Hanji was not so bad..
He felt safe and it reminded him of a place from long ago... way before the Survey corps before Isabel and Farlan.. before he learned how to survive, before he became a thug... a place he once called home and was happy during the time he himself was a small brat.. together with her.. his mother...
Levi curled back into Hanji's embrace closing his eyes again.
He knew very well he had a meeting with Erwin today in the morning.. the bastard could wait for a while. It was easy to find him anyway. So until someone from his squad or Hanji´s squad, Mike, Moblit or Nanaba were sent to get him he would stay like this... enjoying this feeling having a place to return to, a place called Home.