-Things that don't bother -
He was sitting in the dining room alongside Mike and Erwin, chatting about the new recruits when he saw her appear by the door with Nanaba. She was wearing a simple black dress, sleeves to the elbow and a closed neckline. It was short, very short, the skirt was more than a span above her knees.
" Hans, how beautiful," Erwin said with kindness.
"Thank you, I feel strange, I didn't wear a dress before joining the corps of scouting," she replied smiling, turning around on herself. "Don't you think it's too short? It's Nanaba's, but it's longer on her..."
She wore very high heels that made her long legs stand out.
" You look good, Hans, " said Mike raising his glass. " Perfect."
She smiled again, shaking her head, her hair was loose and a little messy. Under the lights of the dining room, it shone.
The dress was really short.
"With those shoes you look like a titan," he grumbled, looking at her through his beer jug.
" Thank you Levi," she replied, frowning and sticking out his tongue. - Try not to confuse me with one and murder me when I get back.
He snarled something between his teeth and kept looking at her, and heard Erwin try to hide a laugh.
" I'm going, I'm late," she said, saying goodbye to them as she walked away from the door and disappeared from his sight.
" Where is she going?" asked Mike curious as Nanaba sat with them at the table.
" On a date," she exclaimed, clapping her hands in illusion. "With a man she met at the last dance of the military."
He remembered that guy. An asshole, like most of the people who strutted around at that stupid annual meeting they had been forced to attend.
Hange had to explain the progress she had made in her research so they would continue funding them.
And to him, they used him as a performing monkey so, those that didn't move the ass of their comfortable seats could see the strongest soldier of the humanity. He disliked it utterly, but now Erwin owed him a favor.
The moron had been hovering all night around Hange, and even dared to ask her for a dance. An arrogant and pretentious prick.
" I'm glad for her, she spends hours locked up in her study, it's good for all of us to get out of this routine, forget about the titans and the war for a while," he heard Mike say.
He turned to look at him and snapped his tongue annoyed. Hange didn't need to go out to dinner with any idiot, what she needed was an end to all of this. So she could do what she loved most. She could go outside the walls without fear of being devoured. She could sit on the grass and draw plants. She could be free.
" Does it bother you that anyone is interested in Hange?" Erwin asked, smiling wickedly as he rested his hand on his chin.
" Why would it bother me? Hange is an intelligent, funny and pretty woman, any man would be interested in her. " replied as if he didn't care about it, drinking his beer.
Erwin burst out a long laugh and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Levi...," he filled his lungs with air to recover his composure and without being able to hide an enormous smile he added. "If you told that instead of grunting nonsense in her presence, you wouldn't have to worry about her dates."
He wasn't worried, Hange was free to do what she wanted, to spend time with whoever she wanted. It didn't bother him, but he had a knot in his stomach. And he was in a bad mood.
Later, when they got tired of drinking, he went back to his room. Insomnia threatened to drive him crazy. Even if he didn't care what she was doing, he couldn't think of anything else but the four eyes and her stupid date, with her stupid companion.
He stood up grumbling and headed for the kitchen to prepare some hot tea. All this was meaningless, if he hadn't managed to fool Erwin and the others, he wouldn't be able to fool himself.
It wasn't too late when she arrived, she carried a pair of books under her arm and a purse hanging by the hand.
" Levi, you awake again?," asked when she saw him leaning against the wall next to her door.
He snarled without answering and she stopped when she came to him.
" Is something wrong?," asked curious, looking down at him.
He clicked his tongue without saying anything. Hange laughed opening the door of her room and went inside. The heels raised her almost ten centimeters and he snorted in annoyance.
" How was your date?," he asked, walking behind her.
" Uuh?, " She raised an eyebrow and looked at him full of curiosity. "Date?"
Levi leaned against the door and sighed looking at the floor.
" Today you had a date with the idiot from the dance, didn't you? " he asked again, trying not to sound interested.
" Ah... Yes... yes," she replied without making a big deal out of it, sitting in the chair as she rubbed her feet. " Well, I suppose."
" You suppose?, " he lifted his head and looked at her, she had risen again and was taking off her dress.
" Boring," she replied, stretching her muscles, dressed only in her underwear. " I don't know."
He turned his eyes away, flushed. Hange had never been shy. She was pure muscle, the marks of the maneuvering gear crossed her endless legs. Her body was marked with scars. He felt nauseous, hated each of her wounds.
" Hans... Don't make this more difficult," he sighed frustrated, rubbing his eyes.
" Do what?" she asked while dressing a T-shirt, looking at him in a curious way. "Levi, what's the matter with you?"
" Nothing," he snorted, sitting on the sofa. "It doesn't matter."
She smiled and sat next to him, crossing her long legs under her looked at her with attention, the glasses had left a mark on her nose and he felt the urgent need to rub it.
She began to tell something, as enthusiastically as always, with a smile on her face. She stared at him bowing the head and her hair was falling over part of her face. Without realizing, he moved closer to her. Her lips were dry, and when she spoke, there were small wrinkles in the corners. He couldn't take his eyes off her lips. The soft contrast they made with the whitish tone of her skin.
" Levi, are you listening to me?" she asked suddenly hitting a tiny tap on his forehead.
"No," he replied with his eyes fixed on her mouth.
She moistened her lips in a nervous way and smiled looking into his eyes.
" Levi what...? " She tried to ask, but was unable to continue. She laughed again and kept her eyes on him, and licked her lips one more time.
" Hans... I..." he muttered, getting closer to her. - I'm annoyed.
" With me?" she said only in a whisper, not getting apart from him.
" No..." he raised his hand and pulled the hair away from her face, placing it behind her ear. "Hans... I don't know what I'm going to do, I don't know what I'm doing..."
She smiled resting her head on his forehead and he ran a hand over her neck.
Her breath was warm but she was nervous and still didn't move away from him. She smiled sweetly and ran her hands behind his head.
"Are you going to kiss me? " she joked without being able to hide her jitters.
He closed his eyes and kissed the bridge of her nose, where the mark of the glasses was. She blushed like a first-time teenager and rested her head on his shoulder. She put her fingers between his hair and hugged him.
"Zoe, raise your head," he whispered in her ear.
She muttered a soft "no" burying her head against his neck and pressed harder against him.
"Hange, are you going to get shy now?" he said, sliding his hand down her back and tucking it into her shirt.
"Yes," she chuckled giving a small bite on his neck.
"Hans, raise your head, please," he repeated again leaning his head on hers.
She separated herself from him and gazed into his eyes, blushing, wetting her lips that he kept looking at.
"Why now?" she asked without raising her voice.
" Because I'm wasting time we may not have," he sighed and stood a few inches from her mouth. She breathed nervous, and the air tickled his cheeks. "And because I like you."
"Oh..." smiled biting her mouth and ran her fingers through his hair. "I like you too, Levi."
" Good," he replied, finally resting his lips on hers. They barely touched each other and she was smiling again. But he didn't take long to kiss her again, making the contact a little longer, Hange laughed and bit his lower lip, without stopping smiling. She broke away from him with a warm smile and closing her eyes gave him a longer and deeper kiss.
He hadn't realized how much he wanted that to happen until that moment.
"How impatient," he muttered seriously, holding her face with both hands. Her mouth was red and her lips moist, and he couldn't stop looking at her.
"Oh, shut up," she replied, laughing, pushing him over the sofa and laying on him. "You started this."
He made a little smile and put his arms around her. Hange smiled tenderly and caressed his face. She bowed and kissed him again, in a fleeting way, knocking him for more. A fresh laughter burst out, crashing into his ears like bubbles. She was so full of life, in spite of everything, of pain, of wounds, of losses, of loneliness... She looked at her in detail, trying to memorize her features, her smell, her presence.
"You are so serious..." she whispered, lying next to him, caressing his cheek with the back of her hand, gently kissing him again.
"Does it bother you?" he asked, hugging her against him.
"No," she grinned. "Not at all."
He sighed, kissing the marks on her nose again and brushed her lips with his fingertips.
" Good," he murmured as he approached to kiss her again. " Is good..."
