He was floating. Around him, no sound, no shape or light, no smell. No sensations whatsoever. He was floating in a perfect void, simply existing.

He wanted it to last, but he knew it wouldn't. Resigned, he waited.

The wind came. It sent his hair brushing against his face, scarcely a breeze, more akin to the brushing of fingers against his temples than actual motion in the void around him.

The breeze brought words with it, spoken in a distant voice. It sounded young but weary, heavy with something he couldn't define.

"Wake up," it said. "You must wake up."

He scrunched his eyes, trying to get away from the faint touch of whispered words tickling his closed eyelids. Levi didn't want to wake up but knew he'd have to, eventually.

"Wake up," the voice said again. Its tone was still soft, but more demanding this time.

He didn't want to leave this empty space that felt so perfect in its absence of feeling. But even then, there was something to this voice that made him want to follow.

"Wake up," it pleaded one last time.

And so, he did.

Levi woke up, mind hazy from sleep and a dream he couldn't remember; his thoughts were fuzzy. Limbs heavy, he staggered towards his tiny bathroom and leaned onto the sink with both hands. His head was fuckin' killing him.

Waking up had never been a peaceful affair for him, but today was worse than usual.

He turned on the light, squinting at his reflection in the speckled mirror. His eyelids were definitely puffy, exacerbating his usual dark circles, and slightly red, as if he'd been crying.

He rubbed a hand on his face. He didn't have time or energy to waste on this shit. He sighed and opened the small cabinet above the sink. He downed a couple pills with some water, and having done all he could to counter that fucking headache, he turned the shower on.

Levi wasn't a morning person. He'd never slept well. Between recurring bouts of insomnia, whatever little sleep he managed to squeeze in was restless. Most days, he felt exhausted when opening his eyes. His whole body would suffer from all kinds of small aches caused by the lack of sleep. He felt like a fucking disaster when getting out of bed. And yet, he often woke up earlier than he needed to, unable to get more than a few hours of sleep each night.

Because of that, Levi reveled in his steady routine, which he'd perfected to be as smooth as well-oiled gears. He'd first hop in the shower to wake himself up. He liked to gradually lower the water's temperature, until he got it to freezing levels.

Levi rarely remembered his dreams. He would often sleep through the night, not even recalling whether he'd dreamed or not come morning. If he sometimes knew he'd had dreams, the contents of said dreams would usually escape him entirely. Even on the rare occasion when he'd actually remember, it was never a problem. Getting ready was a good way to distract himself from unwanted thoughts. By the time he got to the office and had his first cup of tea of the day, it would all be gone as if it had never been there. He hardly had the energy to dwell on any of it.

While today was no exception, there was a feeling of foreboding in the cold morning air, in every drop of water that slid down Levi's hair as he exited the shower, rubbing him wrong. It felt like he was missing something important. He couldn't shake off the foolish feeling that he ought to be searching, in spite of not even knowing where to start. That sort of thing drove him up the walls, so he did his best to focus on his routine instead.

He got dressed, unwanted dreams and feelings almost forgotten, but not quite. Bypassing breakfast entirely, as usual, he left his apartment. The commute to work was short, which was fortunate because Levi didn't like public transportation much. Too much noise, too many fucking people crammed in a space much too small. He walked the whole thirty minutes to work every morning, only taking the bus in case of strong rain.

"Good morning," the coworker he shared an office with said as he entered the room and dropped his worn-out canvas bag on his desk.

His only answer was a curt nod, but his coworker didn't take any offense, going on with whatever she'd been doing before he came in instead.

He leaned over his desk to turn his work computer on and opened a drawer to retrieve a tin can. He was about to head for the tiny office kitchen on their floor when the can's weight in his hand registered as way too light to contain enough tea for a pot. After inspecting its contents, Levi didn't even think there was enough left for a cup. He'd meant to pick up more of that delicious premium tea – earl grey mixed with tiny blue flowers – that had the greatest smell and an even greater taste, on the way to work.

He let out a weary sigh and sat down heavily.

"Rough morning?" his coworker asked.

Levi rubbed at his temple.

"You have no idea," he groaned from between his fingers as he rested his head in his hands.

She hummed in answer and went back to her computer screen. Her name was Gisele, and they'd worked together for a few years. She knew by now that he wasn't the most personable in the morning – not until he got a good amount of tea in him, anyway. Levi wasn't overly fond of her, but she was a little more tolerable than most of the people he worked with. At least, she knew to leave him alone when he'd run out of tea.

Tea was one of the rare luxuries he would spend any kind of unreasonable amount on. He'd drink it around the clock, making up for the usual lack of sleep, but mostly because Levi loved the taste of freshly brewed tea. Levi had worked several minimum wages jobs when he was a student, before landing his current position as a data entry clerk for a small insurance company. He'd picked the tea habit up during the time he spent working at a coffee shop that served horrendous coffee. There had also been a short time in a warehouse where he was supposed to move shit around, but that one was soon ditched for pizza delivery.

Levi spent his days deciphering handwritten reports for accidents and minor disasters, entering the information into the company's database with the regularity of clockwork. Despite the less than stellar pay, his current job was by far the most lucrative, but for all the financial security and stability it brought him, it was incredibly dull. He'd been looking forward to the only highlight of the morning: a fragrant pot of freshly brewed tea. At the thought of the long day ahead, he made an irritated noise.

"There's instant coffee in the kitchen," Gisele told him, her eyes not leaving her computer screen.

While he did drink coffee on occasion, he wouldn't come near instant. It was disgusting. He put the can back into its drawer.

"I'll pass," he said, starting on his work day despite feeling annoyed and cranky.

"Are you getting lunch?" Gisele asked him a few hours later.

She was standing next to Levi's desk, waiting for his answer. Levi, focused on a report written in tiny handwriting he had trouble reading, only shrugged in answer. By now, he was repressing the first symptoms of withdrawal. He didn't even feel hungry. He just wanted a damn cup of tea.

"The usual," he told her when she didn't move.

She would sometimes try and get him to join her for lunch, but Levi despised cafeteria food. He would bring a homemade lunch box and eat at his desk - during the winter and even summer, when the heat outside was at its peak, so he could take advantage of the office's air conditioning. In spring and the early days of autumn, he'd take his lunch to a bench in the nearby park. It was early October, and the nice weather wouldn't last, so that was exactly what he planned to do. He also tried having lunch before noon whenever he could, just so he could eat in peace. People would invade the park then, and crowds weren't Levi's thing.

"Right. By the way," she said, "are you coming on Friday?"

Levi's co-workers often went for drinks after work, usually on Fridays. He was always surprised to be invited. Levi had never been a friendly person. He'd had to train himself into remaining formal on the occasional phone call to a client. Around his coworkers, he made it a point to be polite but curt. He didn't care much for people in general, and he'd realized early on that others didn't seem to care much for his company either.

He couldn't be bothered to do anything about it. He was short, looked surly and uninviting, so what? He didn't mind.

"I'm busy," he told her.

He'd spent the entirety of his school years without a single close friend, only acquaintances. Aside from the occasional mandatory group project, he'd avoided his peers. He was more efficient when working alone, anyway.

He hadn't changed in that regard.

"Yeah," Gisele said, looking just a tiny bit disheartened. "Maybe next time?"

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Yeah," Levi said. "Maybe."

She never failed to issue those Friday night invitations, even though Levi had never agreed to come along. He didn't understand why she seemed disappointed each time.

On the rare occasions he actually tried, Levi didn't connect well with people. Small talk bored him to death, and he didn't like alcohol much. Most social situations made him feel inadequate. He wasn't the type to feel lonely anyway, though he sometimes missed having people around. But it never lasted, and he often thought it was better to be alone than bored in some noisy place with people he didn't care about.

While Levi wasn't overly fond of his coworkers, they usually didn't seek his company either, Gisele being the only exception. He was vaguely aware that most people found his life – found him – utterly lacking. He had no compelling stories to tell; nothing of interest ever happened to him. But he didn't find his life lacking, and was even content with it, even if it looked dull to others. Dull was good. Dull was safe. As far as he was concerned, it was enough.

He was fine with it. He didn't need anything more.

Levi liked the park. It wasn't large by any means, but still enough that he could usually find a quiet place during his early lunch hour. The trees hid the buildings looming over the small patch of verdure. Levi didn't like cramped spaces, but he wasn't exactly fond of large ones either. The park was perfect.

After finishing his lunch – a simple pasta salad – he exited the park, crossed the street and entered the nearby coffee shop.

Levi wasn't averse to coffee, provided it was good, not too sour, and black. But he didn't let the strong, heady smell of roasted coffee beans entice him. This was a chain store, and their coffee was mediocre at best. Their tea wasn't much better, but it vastly surpassed supermarket bought tea bags.

He got what he needed to last him until the order he'd made for his favorite tea was delivered, and headed back to the office. Crossing the street, he entered the park again. It was really a nice day, so late in the year, and he walked, head held up to watch the trees and sky, lost in thoughts of falling leaves and tea.

Something must have caught his attention, because he looked down. There was a wallet on the ground, probably fallen from some poor guy's pocket. Levi stood there for a while, uncertain what to do. He quickly surveyed the surrounding area, but the secluded path he'd taken on his way back to the office was deserted.

He almost went on his way without a second thought. It was a mere whim that made him change his mind and pick it up.

He examined the wallet, turning it around in his hands and brushing the dust away with a steady hand. Sober, worn black fabric. Small and inconspicuous, to say the least. Most likely a man's wallet, he thought. He opened it, and there was a student ID tucked in there, next to a fat stack of bills.

He would've dropped the lost wallet to the police station, but his lunch break was about to end. He could probably try and drop it when work was over. With that decision made, he headed back to his office building.

He didn't expect to find Gisele already back at her desk, trying to wipe the tears that were falling down her face like a tropical waterfall during rain season. She glanced at him when he entered their shared office, but quickly averted her eyes and hid behind a fat bunch of wet tissue.

"Ugh, sorry," she said before pausing to blow her nose. "Just – give me a minute, okay?"

Levi didn't answer. He hung his jacket on the back of his chair and, brand new paper bag in hand, went to their floor's kitchen area to make himself the long-awaited cup of tea he craved.

Gisele's coffee mug, a glittery, rainbow thing with frolicking unicorns painted on the side, was in the sink, waiting for its owner to wash it. While Levi waited for the water to boil, his hands strayed towards a nearby sponge and moments later, the mug was clean.

"Thank you," Gisele said when Levi placed her cup on her desk. "Sorry for..." She waved her hand at nothing in particular.

"It's okay," he said.

Steam was slowly rising towards the desk from the warm tea inside the cup. She preferred coffee, Levi knew, but he thought tea was more appropriate. She took the mug and sniffed at its contents. There were more tears in her eyes, threatening to spill again.

Levi sat at his desk and turned his computer on. He could hear the sound of a nose being blown, but he wasn't paying attention, until Giselle spoke again.

"I just found out I'm not pregnant," she said. "Again."

Levi raised his head to look at her. She was looking into her mug, held close between her hands. He wasn't aware that she'd been trying to get pregnant. She was single, and she'd never struck him as very family oriented.

But Levi believed he shouldn't care, and it was no business of his anyway.

"Its okay," he simply said.

It wasn't until his workday was over that Levi hesitated. He was tired – his earlier exchange with Gisele had been draining for some reason – and he still had to pick up some groceries if he wanted to eat tonight. Going to the police station was a long detour from his usual way home. A second glance at the ID in the wallet told him that its owner lived only minutes away from his own apartment building.

That was all it took for Levi to change his mind, despite the fact he thought it was a stupid idea.

The wallet owner's apartment building wasn't in much better shape than his own, which had seen certainly better days. He went through the list of names on the intercom. But the one he was looking for wasn't there. He stood there and stared. He checked the ID, then the list again, squinting against the late afternoon sun. This was definitely the right place.

Maybe the wallet owner's name wasn't on the lease. Maybe he'd moved. Maybe that person didn't live there anymore, and Levi should have gone to the police instead. The thought that he had wasted his time made him feel weirdly empty.

"Hey," a voice said from behind him.

Levi turned around. A young man was standing there.

"Can I help you?"

Levi's eyes flickered to his face when he spoke. An uncertain smile tugged at the stranger's lips when their eyes met. Levi took another look at ID that was still in his hand.

"Eren Jaëger," he said, looking at the young man again.

It wasn't a question, and he didn't get an answer.

They stood for a moment in the waning sun, silently appraising each other. Levi thought the young man looked a little older than when the picture had been taken, but he was definitely the wallet's owner. The features were the same – the remarkable, focused green eyes, the strong line of the mouth, and the well-defined, dark eyebrows that were currently twisted into a frown.

Eren Jaëger opened his mouth but seemed to change his mind midways. He stared at Levi, a look of concentration on his face.

"I'm sorry," he finally said, averting his eyes. "I know we've met somewhere, but I can't seem to remember, er, the circumstances. I recognize your face, though. Sorry," he said again when he didn't get a response. He looked nervous, playing with the zipper of his sweater and scratching his left palm with the opposite hand.

All that fidgeting made Levi anxious. He didn't want to make this more awkward than it already was.

"We haven't," Levi said.

Eren Jaëger seemed confused.

"Haven't?"

Levi blinked, not really getting why the kid had trouble understanding his simple statement.

"Met," he repeated. "This is the first time we've ever met," he added, in case further clarification was needed.

"We haven't?" the latter said, frown deepening. He looked more confused than ever.

Shifting his weight onto his other leg, Levi drug the wallet from his back pocket and held it out to its owner.

"I'm only returning this."

"Ah," Eren Jaëger said, looking at the wallet in Levi's hand.

When he didn't make a move to take it, Levi raised a brow. This was already taking too long for his liking.

"You probably shouldn't walk around with so much cash on you," he said, waving the wallet into the other's face. "What is it, drug money?"

"Shit, no!" Eren laughed, sounding nervous.

At last, a reaction.

He took the wallet and opened it, sighing in relief when he realized his money was still inside. Levi noticed that Eren didn't even bother to count it.

"Only rent, I'm afraid," Eren said. "I owe you big time for returning this. I'd be homeless by the end of the week without your help."

He looked at Levi, shooting that confused frown at him again.

"And sorry about earlier, but I could've sworn –"

"You're welcome," Levi replied, unwilling to make the moment last longer than necessary.

He'd delivered the lost wallet and its content to their rightful owner, and he had no reason to stall. He suddenly couldn't wait to leave.

"Bye," he said, already turning around to leave.

"Wait," Eren said. "I'd like to thank you. For returning this."

He tapped his wallet against his palm, before tucking it into his jeans' back pocket.

"It's fine," Levi said, waving dismissively and walking away.

He'd barely made a couple steps when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"At least, let me buy you coffee."

The hand on Levi's shoulder was light, as if the young man somehow knew that he wasn't too keen on being touched by strangers. Levi refrained from shrugging his hold away, knowing there was no tactful way to do it. He was irritated at the young man for being so insistent, and at himself since he knew he was probably glaring. It was rude, and he usually tried not to be. But rude was his default. Keeping his mouth shut was the best way he'd found not to pass for the crass jerk he probably was.

Not that it worked all that well with the glaring that wouldn't leave his face when he was annoyed. But maybe it was useful, because the young man seemed to get the hint and removed his hand. There was an awkward pause as the latter averted his eyes nervously to stare at the ground, worrying his lower lip. It only lasted a moment. When he raised his head, he looked determined.

"Are you absolutely positive we've never met? I'm pretty sure –"

The more time passed and the more this kid opened his mouth, the more Levi wanted to leave. Was he seriously more interested in Levi than his lost rent money?

"Look, kid," Levi said. "You're grateful, I get it. Let's leave it at that."

The line of Eren Jaëger's mouth was tense. His eyes, which refused to leave Levi's, had a subdued intensity to them.

"It's not –" he started, gesturing with his arm, but seemingly changing his mind in the midst of it, and dropping it at his side. "I just –" he tried again, and sighed. "Sorry. I don't want to impose, and you obviously have somewhere to be."

He averted his eyes from Levi's to look at his feet. His hands were back at his jacket's zipper.

"Thanks for returning this, I guess," he finally said, offering Levi a small smile.

He looked sad. Levi gave Eren a cursory, detached once-over. He was in good shape, and despite the creasing between his currently furrowed eyebrows, his youthful face was free of worry lines. Maybe he felt sad now, but he'd get over it soon enough.

Levi didn't care, and it was time for him to go.

"It's fine, kid," he said, turning to leave.

He didn't look back.

Less than twenty minutes later, he was finally home. He removed his shoes and placed them near the wall by the door. His jacket was hung above them on a cloth-hanger. Levi then crossed his small living-room and went to the open kitchen area to put his groceries away - eggs and vegetables in the fridge, bottled water under the sink.

His dinner was a quiet and simple affair. Levi liked it that way. He finished eating his meal in his silent kitchen. Levi didn't own a television. Books were more of his thing.

Most days, after dinner, he'd spend a couple hours reading. When he didn't feel too tired and the weather wasn't terrible, he'd put sneakers on, and go for a short run before bed. He didn't want to go first thing in the morning, because he would need to shower afterward rather than before his run. He never felt alert enough before showering to go running – or anything else, for that matter. During the day was out as well, because daylight meant more people getting in the way: the sidewalks weren't large in his neighborhood, and around the office was always crowded around lunchtime. The nightly runs were convenient because he could then go home, shower, and get in bed with a book he promptly fell asleep on, if he was lucky.

That night, slumber found him early. His mind was blissfully empty.