The metallic taste of blood is warm in her mouth as she coughs crimson splatters on a threadbare carpet. She wipes a bruised hand across her mouth, smearing red as she looks up at the looming figure above her. Despite the fact that she is bloody and aching on the floor, and he is upright and unharmed, she smirks, a hysterical laugh bubbling up from within her chest.
"Go ahead," she jeered, her weak arms giving way beneath her. "You've done better before." Another high-pitched laugh. A vicious kick to the ribs, and still she laughs.
"Shut up!" He roars. "I swear, I'll fucking kill you, you useless cow!" His bottle, the first of the evening, is swung through the air, crashing into the wall and shattering into dozens of shards, raining glass upon her.
"Go ahead, get my blood all over your hands!" Her giggles give way to coughs and more blood. "See if it makes you feel more like a man!" She lets her head fall back, bouncing on the floor. She's baiting him, daring him to keep going, to push her too far this once and end it all. She's weary of this game, the constant treading on eggshells, the smell of cheap beer in the air, the apologetic tears and whispering of sweet nothings, the screams and kicks and roars. She feels tired, isolated, and she has fallen into thinking that she doesn't mind how it ends.
He's crouching now, his face livid, inked arms outstretched, thick fingers closing round her fragile neck. She hardly fights as he squeezes, white hot anger blinding him again. She barely feels it, welcoming the sudden lack of oxygen. A pounding fills her head, urgent and obnoxiously loud…
Ray jerked awake, the insistent pounding continuing, only now she realised it for what it was, a fist knocking on her door. She stumbled up from where she'd fallen asleep on the sofa, her work uniform rumpled, her choppy hair sticking up at odd ends, the room bright as morning light streamed in through the window. She unlocked most of the locks on her door, but left the chain on, opening it and peering through the crack. The knocking ceased and Ray recognised the impatient blonde standing in the dim hall outside.
"Open the damn door," Ali ordered exasperatedly. Ray closed the door slightly and undid the chain, letting her childhood friend shove her way in. Across the hall, the door to flat C opened, revealing the stoic occupant. He locked steely eyes with her momentarily, his gaze flickering over her crumpled clothes witheringly. Ray shut the door without a greeting, pulling the chain back across and locking everything that didn't do so automatically. When she swung round to face Ali, she found her with a bin bag in one hand, tossing empty coke cans and takeout boxes from the low table in front of the scrappy red sofa she'd purchased from a charity shop when she'd moved in.
"Nice to see you too." Ray greeted dryly, making to sit on the couch. A hand shot out and stopped her.
"No, go change. I can't believe you fell asleep on the sofa again. You look like shit, and you've got to leave for work soon." Ali, done with the living room, moved onto the slightly cleaner kitchen, only tidy because Ray hadn't attempted to cook since moving in a month ago. Leaving her friend to do as she pleased, the shorter girl moved into the bedroom, filled mostly with boxes of things she had yet to unpack. Hung up on the wardrobe were three more replicas of the clothes she currently wore, washed and ironed by Ali over the weekend. Ray shed her clothes, remembering at the last moment to toss them in the half filled washing basket, and slipped into a crisp white blouse and black skirt. She left the top button undone, peering at herself in the mirror and poking at her hair. It hadn't been cut very neatly, she and Ali had decided to chop most of it off on a spur of the moment decision, and now the black tresses barely brushed her shoulders, the fringe jagged and a little uneven. Her face was pale, she didn't go out much, and there were faint shadows beginning to appear under shallow blue eyes. Ray stuck her tongue out at her gaunt reflection before heading back into the living room, where Ali seemed to have finished cleaning and begun unpacking some plastic bags she'd dropped by the door.
"You know you don't have to keep doing this Ali." Ray commented, seeing the fresh food being packed into her friend. She felt a flash of guilt as she recalled all the other food that had been bought, and then wasted when she hadn't eaten anything but takeout. Ali snorted and rolled her eyes.
"You are not getting rid of me so easy. I will keep helping out until I'm sure you're okay." She finished unpacked the food, as well as some new cutlery and bowls. She rolled all the plastic bags up and stored them in the cupboard under the sink, dusting her hands off and looking pleased with herself. "And now, I'll walk you to work, and then I'll walk you home and make sure you get to eat something healthy, and take a shower, and get a good night's sleep in a bed, wearing pyjama's." She picked up Ray's thick and worn denim jacket and helped her into it. Ray slipped her feet into low black heels and collected her keys from the hook by the door, and Ali led the way out of the flat.
"What did I ever do to deserve you?" Ray asked, smiling slightly as they strolled down the hall and skipped the elevator, taking the slightly grimy stairs instead.
"You nicked my crayons in nursery." Ali told her. "Instant friendship." She grinned, throwing an arm over Ray's shoulders. Ray chuckled, pushing open the door at the bottom of the stairs and striding into the lobby. Despite her building being in one of the seedier parts of town, it was pretty clean, the lobby decorated with various potted plants and paintings of pretty countryside views. The people all kept to themselves mostly, and Ray was rarely stopped when she came to and from the block of flats, not that she ever left unless Ali was with her.
In unison as they exited the building they both shivered, pulling their coats tighter around them to ward off the chill of the October morning. Ray found herself wishing bitterly that her uniform included trousers, her teeth chattering slightly, much to Ali's amusement.
"So how's Phil?" Ray asked. Ali, as usual, lit up at the mention of her fiancé.
"He's great!" She answered. "Being a real champ about all this, very supportive. He asked if you wanted to come round for dinner one of these days, now you're settled into the flat." Ali's eyes took on a hopeful look and Ray shrugged.
"I guess." She answered non-committedly. Truthfully she'd love to come to dinner, Phil was a professional chef and could prepare exquisite meals with an ease she wasn't even sure she'd ever match up to. Not that she was a bad cook, she just didn't see the point anymore, and she hadn't had to in a long time.
"We'll sort something out." Ali assured firmly, giving Ray The Look. It involved two creases between her brows, narrowed eyes, and pursed lips. It promised that she would not be wriggling out of it.
"Oh look, there's the café." Ray exclaimed with slight relief, the green canopy of the shop a pop of colour on the cloudy grey day. Ali snorted derisively.
"Great swerve Ray," she commented, poking her friend as they approached the café. "Now, behave at work. Smile, socialise, and don't insult the customers." She stopped to hug Ray, who rolled her eyes but wrapped her arms around her grudgingly. They pulled apart and Ali gave her a mock stern look. "And try and befriend your co-workers. They're all really nice and you could do with more than just me for a friend." Ray looked indignant.
"I have more than you. Phil's my friend." She pouted. Ali laughed and ruffled her hair.
"See you soon Ray."
o0o
Hanji reclined in her seat cheerfully, her feet jiggling under the table. Levi aimed a glare at her over his steaming cup of tea, holding it in his usual strange manner. He kept the rim between him thumb and index finger, tipping it when he wanted to take a sip. They'd been sat in near silence for almost 10 minutes now, and Hanji grew ever more impatient. As was custom, Levi had to finish his first cup of tea before the slightly eccentric woman was allowed to begin the onslaught of words. He drained the dregs of his tea with taunting slowness, knowing how eager his old friend was to start a tirade on her life, new combinations she'd mixed up, strange things she'd seen, something stupid her dozy dogs Sonny and Bean had done. The minute his cup hit the saucer she was off.
"I hate that you make me wait," she complained first, pulling a face. "I've been so excited to tell you about the café! Firstly, I invented a new cupcake, with spinach buttercream, I'm sure people will love it, especially since I plan on putting it on potato cakes!" She paused to give him time to comment on her idea, her eyes shining excitedly.
"Sounds like shit," Levi told her, signalling for a refill on his tea and Hanji's disgusting combination of coffee and hot chocolate.
"I'm sure it'll sell out in a day!" Hanji retorted cheerfully. Armin, a gentle natured boy with a blonde bob made his way over, knowing what they wanted, with two steaming cups ready. He put them down wordlessly, but beamed as Hanji thanked him. Levi simply nodded in thanks, picking up his cup. "Anyway, I also hired a new waitress, her name's Rachel. I mention this because well, mostly her height, Christ she must be smaller than you!" Levi narrowed his eyes at Hanji, a warning glare that if she didn't shut up she'd end up with his foot in her face.
Hanji laughed good-naturedly. "Oh calm down Levi," she told him, picking up her mug. "I also think she's very interesting, a lot like you in attitude as well as height." She told him. "She's the most unsociable girl I've ever met, and I know your cousin." She glanced to the back of the café, where said cousin – Mikasa – was working the counter with Sasha, a sweet girl with some terrible eating habits. The kitchen door swung open before she turned away, and the waitress she'd been talking about emerged, her face guarded as she carried two plates out and towards a table near the window, where a couple were snogging over the sugar bowl. Hanji pointed cheerfully. "That's her." She told Levi, who glanced at the girl as she set the plates down with perhaps a little too much force, startling the couple into breaking apart indignantly.
"I know who she is," Levi muttered. Hanji blinked in surprise, scooting her chair closer and leaning across the table to him.
"Really?" She asked. "Spill then! I can't get anything out of her, don't even know her favourite drink!" She sipped her drink, eyes wide with slightly crazed curiosity. Levi rolled his eyes, leaning back and swinging in his chair.
"Nothing to tell," he told her. "She's a paranoid slob who moved into the flat opposite mine a month ago."
"Paranoid, eh?" Hanji looked interested. "Why'd you say that?"
"It's not hard to tell," Levi snorted. "She's got at least 5 locks on her door, she only ever lets one person in, she's constantly checking around her, and since all she eats is takeout I have the pleasure of seeing frustrated delivery guys trying to pass shit through the door with the chain on."
"And you keep a gun under your pillow." Hanji pointed out. "So I guess paranoia can be added to the growing list of traits you two share?" She grinned, and Levi wrinkled his nose at the sight of something green caught in her teeth.
"You have shit in your teeth." He told her, and Hanji shrugged, leaning back and gaining a look of great concentration, her tongue fighting to release the thing, which turned out to be spinach from her earlier experiments with the leaf.
"I gotta say Levi," she continued as if nothing happened. "She could be the one for you." She waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "You know how me and Erwin think you should be finding someone, she'd be perfect!"
"Except for the fact that she's a complete slob. I've seen glimpses of her flat, it's a mess, and so is she." Levi rebuked firmly. He was of the belief that he didn't need any women in his life, not after the fiasco with Petra. Hanji however, waved her hand dismissively.
"She only moved in recently Levi, she's probably busy. Maybe her friend though, that blonde girl. She speaks to me sometimes, very friendly, very sweet." She nodded her head in thought. Levi sighed, hiding the bottom of his face behind his tea.
"Will you shut up about fixing me up?" He ordered in a dark voice.
"Is there anything I can get you?" A voice beside their table had both of them glancing up. The ever impassive Ray stood there, fidgeting slightly under their sudden scrutiny. More so from Hanji than Levi who had merely passed her an assessing glance before turning back to his tea.
"Yes!" Hanji exclaimed, pulling the chair beside her out. "You can have a seat!" Silence fell for a moment as Levi looked up sharply and Ray blinked down at them, an expression of slight surprise and what looked to be fear breaking through her blank mask before she composed herself.
"Sorry Ma'am, I'm working right now." She replied. Hanji waved her hand.
"Nonsense, I'm your boss, and I say take a seat! The café isn't busy, and Armin can take your tables!" She jabbed a finger pointedly at the chair. Ray shook her head.
"No thanks Ma'am," she told her. "Maybe another time." She spun on her heel and hurried back to the kitchen. Hanji, looking disappointed, turned back to Levi.
"See?" She moaned. "She's so unsociable, any of the others would be happy to take a rest and chat for a while." She slumped down on the table. "It's a sham! I make a point of knowing all my workers, we're a big family, 'cept for her, she won't cooperate." She pouted. Levi rolled his eyes.
"You can't force someone to become a part of your family." He pointed out.
"I did it to you."
Levi didn't have a reply for that, merely sipping his tea and ignoring the childish woman before him.
o0o
Ray stood just outside the café, huddled deep into her coat to fend off the evening chill. She was fidgeting from foot to foot, nervous as it grew steadily darker and Ali showed no signs of turning up soon. Across the street a few men stumbled drunkenly from the pub, laughing and shouting to each other, and Ray felt her whole body tense. She wanted to bolt and get back to her flat, lock all the doors, order a takeout and huddle on the sofa until she fell asleep. She didn't want to risk the possibility of missing Ali however, and therefore worrying her friend.
She jumped when the café door opened behind her, the bell ringing shrilly, and Hanji popped out with Levi in tow. Ray had recognised him as her neighbour when she'd seen him earlier, and Hanji had made enthusiastic introductions for them both. Now, she grinned at Ray, tying the belt of her own trench coat around her waist and locking up the café.
"There was a phone call for you Rachel." She told her. "Your friend, Ali. She wanted to tell you she's sorry but she can't meet you tonight." Ray tensed further at her words, her heart sinking and her breath picking up by a fraction.
"Okay, thanks for telling me." She mumbled, ducking her head and turning away. Hanji grabbed her shoulder before she could hurry away.
"Levi'll walk you home, you're both going in the same direction." She ordered. Her voice was so enthusiastic there was barely any room for argument, not that that would stop Ray, who opened her mouth to insist she walk alone, when Levi grabbed her arm and began to lead her away.
"Go home, shitty-glasses." He called back, before turning them round the corner, where they lost sight of the woman. Ray pulled her arm back, perhaps a little too viciously, and put a few feet between her and Levi, walking with her arms wrapped around herself protectively. Levi glanced at her out of the corner of his eye but otherwise showed no emotion on his face. They walked in silence for a few moments before Levi spoke.
"Is he behind bars then?" He asked. Ray glanced up, startled.
"Who?" She retorted sharply. Levi rolled his eyes.
"Your ex." He said bluntly.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't dick around. I can tell it's your ex that made you so damn paranoid." Levi was starting to think making conversation was a bad idea. It was Hanji's fault, she'd pestered him all day, chipping away at his resilience in an attempt to draw the most unsociable people she knew into an unlikely friendship.
"I…" Ray swallowed thickly. "No, he's not in jail." She answered shortly. Levi raised a thin eyebrow.
"Why not?" He asked sharply. A second later he regretted his tone, his thirst for justice taking the wheel for a moment.
"Who cares? How'd you know it was my ex?" Ray dodged the question with skilled ease.
"I'm a detective, it's my job to pay attention to detail."
"And you can't switch it off and mind your own business?" They approached the tall, grey block of flats, Ray getting the door for Levi and holding it open for him.
"If only it were that easy." Levi muttered, thinking of how nice a break it would be if he could just switch it all off and not think about anything, all those miniscule details nobody else ever notices that bug him and drive him crazy. "So why isn't the shitbag rotting in jail?" They approached the stairs, Ray walking slightly ahead of him.
"Mind your own business." She told him again, fishing in her pocket for her keys – even though they'd barely passed floor 4 and both flats were on floor 7. Levi shrugged, Hanji would at least be pleased he'd made a damned effort. The rest of their ascent was made in silence, as was the walk down the darkened corridor to both their doors. Ray hesitated as she put the key in the lock, turning to face Levi slightly. "Uh, have a good evening." She muttered, before sweeping into her flat and slamming the door behind her.
