Hanji Zoe liked rain.
Rain was dependable. Rain was soothing. Rain gave her better excuses to stay inside and work undisturbed. It made everything peaceful, clean and her thoughts flowed when accompanied by the soft patter of rain on the windowpane. Rain was a good companion.
Levi Rivaille hated rain.
Hate was a strong word. Rather, he disliked it. Rain came whether he liked it or not. It was something that he tolerated. Rain led to mud, and mud led to needless scrubbing because someone forgot to wipe their feet properly. It gave him work and idle company that only served to annoy him in their own boredom. Rain was an inconvenience.
It brought Hanji to his room, jolting him out of his work with the sound of boots thumping into his open door. Her bloodshot eyes flickered open a few times before returning to a half lidded state that only meant exhaustion. She had pushed herself yet again, but bore an over the moon smile. Perhaps she had cracked something, her body now demanding for rest after doing its job. It also tracked in filth from outside, black mud caking her boots as she trudged to his bed and flopped onto it. Levi stiffened. The mud. He opened his mouth to scold her.
Hanji took the opportunity to whine just as he was about to speak. She waved it off, as she did so many things, giving off the air that she would deal with it later, that she would clean it later, that she would rise from her comfortable position, and do whatever he asked if he let her lie there.
That wouldn't be the case when she was done resting. She didn't take dirt seriously, instead indulging in the art of half done cleaning, shuffling things into messy piles that were somewhat better than what they were before, she claimed. A child's way of thinking, but it was enough for her. Not him. Levi always had to tidy up after people with squawks and curses ready for the one who had caused him extra work like the inconsiderate bastards they were. Hanji was no different, even with her boots sitting next to his bed, placed there with some semblance of care. She shuffled onto the bed, messing up the white sheets, and made herself comfortable. The scent of the clean sheets was quickly overpowered by her own. Oncoming rain, dampness, and sweat. Hanji sighed deeply and closed her eyes. Her feet worked on her socks, one eventually falling to the floor with a quiet smack.
Levi groaned. The woman had an incredible knack of not paying attention to social queues. Instead, he rose from his seat and went to fetch a mop and bucket to deal with the mud before it dried into his personal hell.
When he returned, the rain had picked up. It beat against the windowpane, snapping at trees and howling at the building. Nudging open the door, he expected a sleeping Hanji. Instead, she sat in his bed, his white sheet covering her shoulder, and the wet marks her body and clothes had left in her wake. The socks curled up at the foot of his bed, discarded and forgotten, like the rest of her clothing. Her shirt haphazardly clung to his desk's chair, the seat held her pants, and whatever else she had worn was somewhat spread out on the floor. She smiled at his arrival as if being naked on his bed was a common occurrence. Like he was welcome to join her.
When he looked away, slightly flustered, a frown crossed her face. Perhaps she'd annoyed him a bit too much. But when he closed the door and scrubbed at her mess, the smile returned. Carefully, her toes dipped out of their warm place, touching the cold floor with hesitation. Eventually, her body eased out of the sheets and carried her across to his belongings. Rocking back and forth on her toes, she dug through his things until she found what she was looking for. Ignoring the break in the incessant scrubbing, her slightly wrinkled hands clutched a black comb, its paint now chipped despite the smooth handle and, then retreated back to the warmth of the bed, letting the sheets drape over her bare shoulders.
Levi started on the mud caked boots, brushing off what dirt he could in silence. Outside, the rain howled and screamed, filling in for the noise that would normally be spilling out of Hanji's mouth without thought. An abnormal quiet sat between them. It made the boots heavy in his hand, his shoulders tense, and his lips draw themselves into a thin line. Above him, Hanji fiddled with the comb before drawing her hands out from the protection of the sheets. It fell from her shoulders, pooling around her like waves. She began to comb her hair, wincing at the knots, and using her finger to loosen a few of the kinks. The comb never stopped moving. She had come in exhausted and yet busied herself with the same things he would.
Levi finished cleaning her boots, placing them back at the foot of the bed. He then took care of her clothes, spreading them out the way a mother would soothe a child, smoothing and patting them until he was sure they would lie still. Knots and tangles had drawn tears to the corners of her eyes, and the breeze that rattled the window chilled her upper half. She persisted, smiling when he sat back down at his desk.
With the extra work of Hanji dealt with, he went back to his own paperwork. The storm crashed against the windows while the heavy clouds made the mid afternoon light feeble and weak. And still, she had said nothing of significance besides that annoyed grunt. A soundless siren sat on his bed, brushing her hair and -as if she read his mind- began to hum as she did so.
"I was stuck on a theory."
He had barely accepted her silence, and now she chattered.
"And I decided to take a walk around, because I thought it would help me think. It did, but then it started raining."
Her hands did not pause as she spoke in her playful tone and sweet demeanor.
"And by the time I got back inside, I was soaked. So I came here."
"So I could do all the work."
A giggle.
"Well, you always like doing things yourself." Hanji put the comb down. She stretched out, her long, scarred legs intertwining with the now dry sheets. Lying on her back, she pulled the sheets up to her chin. "And I knew you'd take care of me. I was too tired to do it myself."
"So you were just lazy."
Her laughter rivaled the thunder outside. It was loud, boisterous, and obnoxious, quite fitting for the woman before him. Some part of him missed her dedicated silence, when she concentrated on such a simple thing as combing her hair, the pensive and cautious look that decorated her face. But this was his Hanji, the one he had grown so comfortable with. A woman with no filter.
"Levi, come lie down with me."
No filter at all.