Disclaimer: I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan, or any of the characters in it. If I did, the manga would have been updated a lot less often than even a month. Hoho. Never trust me with a deadline.
A/N: Hey! So this was inspired by a little writing prompt given to me by tumblr user ask-levihan. I wanted to write a little bit about Levi and Hange's academy days (although this is pretty much the end of their academy days) and this was the result coupled with the prompt. I got really inspired with it. So, four days and 12 pages on OpenOffice Writer later, here it is: my first LeviHan fanfic, and, well, my first SnK fanfic as well. I hope I did okay; this is my first time writing these characters, so sorry if it's not perfect. Although, Hange will probably be a little OOC because I'm describing her as how she said she used to be before her first mission in the Legion; driven by hate for the titans. But I tried to have her general personality peeking out, because I doubt even anger could keep it at bay.
Anyway, I'm rambling. I don't know how I genuinely feel about this story, so please leave a review and tell me if I handled it okay. If you think's there's something missing or something I wrote that was off, I will probably re-write some of it later on.
EDIT: I changed Levi's age to seventeen instead of fifteen. I realized that it's really too much of a stretch to think that he was a thug before he joined the Academy at TWELVE YEARS OLD (since the Academy lasts three years and they all just graduated). It makes more sense that he would have to have been actually convicted of a crime at fourteen and then joined the Academy to get out of going to jail. When he was younger, he was probably part of a gang to be used as a sort of distraction as Kid!Levi. I imagine as he got older he got more into the bigger crimes, got stronger and was able to fend enemies off more easily, especially after stealing 3DMG, which would have to have been when he was twelve. Then I'm assuming he would have made his own gang for about two years and the rest is history.
Hange is still fifteen, because I'm pretty sure that as soon as she was old enough for the Academy she would have been deadset on becoming a soldier. But Levi's birthday is later than hers so she has time to catch up to age sixteen.
SO, without further ado, enjoy.
"Hey, prodigy."
Levi let out a small noncommittal grunt in response, hesitant to avert his attention from the half-polished floor beneath him and the damp sponge in his hand.
"Spar with me."
The words were uttered in a deep albeit feminine voice, which was a rare occurrence for the seventeen-year-old boy, as for the past three years most of his conversations consisted of being checked-up-on by Squad Leader Erwin. Curiosity ever-so slightly peaked, he turned his head, fixing a steel-blue gaze on the intruder.
He didn't remember her name, although that did not count for much (he hardly socialized with the other trainees), but he vaguely registered seeing her face a handful of times. She must have been a year or two younger than him. She had no distinguishing features, leave her goggle-framed glasses, with shoulder-length chestnut-coloured tresses tied back into a ponytail and eyes to match. What irked him was the decidedly disheveled air to her appearance; his fingers twitched, urging to correct every single fly-away strand of her hair. And if he sniffed hard enough, he could probably detect the telltale scent of a person that hadn't showered in days.
And she wanted to fight him, meaning he would ultimately come into contact with some of her filth.
Her face looked dark, eyebrows knitted in a hate-filled expression. Levi's own facial features did not stray from anything further than a clear slate of apathy.
"Oh?" he replied. "And for what purpose?" Absently, he noticed the clench of her fists and the mild cracking noise they emitted.
"You're the top of the top ten. They say you could probably hold your own against more than ten titans in less than a minute," came her quiet explanation. The girl's careful tone barely put a veil on her underlying feelings of anger.
"So?"
"So fight me." Her eyes were cold and hard, in a manner that told him refusal was nonnegotiable.
However, Levi continued to regard her dully, not swaying in emotion by the least bit.
"You're going to have to give me a better explanation," he said. And so he dipped his sponge back into the warm soapy liquid of his bucket.
The girl's fist collided into the wall behind her, still facing him, her shoulders shaking in vexation at his cool nonchalance.
"You're a short little punk with the dirt-tolerance of a housemaid, but if you're truly the most skilled trainee, then you are going to fight me right now." Levi sighed inaudibly as he set down his sponge, giving her a last glance of attention. Her head lifted as her volume raised, stamping her foot on the ground. "Tomorrow is the day we decide our fate; in which group we will place ourselves as new soldiers. But if I join the Scouting Legion unable to keep up with the best of the best, then I'm of no use to humankind!" At this point, the brunette's right hand was clutched in a tight ball over her heart, her goggles pushed up to her forehead.
Levi blinked at her, slowly, but a slight more intrigued. "So that's what this is about," he stated. She nodded, head bowed.
The boy rose to his feet, casting an almost regretful glance back at the mess he had yet to fully clean. When he was standing, he made his way to the corner of the room. There, he had left his mop, leaned against the wall. Picking his way across the dust, he carried the large cleaning utensil to the girl and thrust it into her arms. Her arms were of course still crossed over her chest, so she was taken by surprise, the mop clattering to the floor by her boots.
"Mop up the other half of this room, and I will meet you in combat." The other trainee blinked at him.
"What?" she sputtered.
"Make sure you do a thorough job." Levi returned to his own spot, eager to finish scrubbing. He left the girl feeling miffed as she bent down to pick up the mop. She studied it carefully, as if it were a foreign object. For her, by Levi's assumption, it probably was.
"If I finish your cleaning," she began, sounding determined, "you will engage me in combat?"
"That is what I said, isn't it, Four Eyes?" The bespectacled trainee seemed to ignore his comment, making swift strides to the bucket of cleaning fluid, and then promptly shoving the mop's head into it. The first splash hit Levi's uniform, smaller droplets flying out in every which way afterward as she swished the mop around for good measure. "A dip would have been enough."
Again not acknowledging his cool remark, the girl tore across the floor, aggressively dragging her mop as she went. She was obviously motivated by fury and impatience, from the warrior-like contortion of her face to the brisk, harsh movements of her arms.
Yes, she was causing quite a ruckus, knocking over chairs here and there. Levi was able to physically hear the sound of the mop's fabric creating friction with the tiles. He had now turned to just stare at her, seemingly blankly but genuinely exasperatedly. The boy was one-hundred-percent certain that she was missing five-sixths of what she was supposed to be covering, just going around in circles. In her silent rage she had forgotten to dunk the mop into the bucket again, and by now she must have been simply spreading the dirt.
Levi removed his gloves, getting up once more to walk over to the angry female. She nearly backed into him when he swerved out of the way, sinking his fingers into her ponytail. He gave the strands a gentle tug. "You're not going to accomplish anything like that."
She froze, swiveling her head to look at him with a dazed expression. His eyes were serious, eyebrows turned upward in annoyance.
The girl snapped out of it, turning her head back to hide her face. She gradually lifted a hand to the back of her hair, feeling for his and grabbing it, presumably so that she could pull it away. What Levi had not been expecting, was that he was in the perfect position for attack.
The other trainee got a firm grasp on his wrist, twisting her whole body to come around at his back, fold his own arm over his neck and haul him down to the floor. He landed roughly on his back, his head propped up against her knees. Her eyes bore into his as the lenses of her glasses caught the light. She smiled at him, sickeningly sweet.
"When. Are. You. Going. To. Start. Taking. Me. Seriously?" she articulated. Levi had to admit, the girl was impressive. She must have been playing him before she'd even laid hands on the mop. She would make a great strategist for the Scouts.
Although...
"You're forgetting that I still have one free hand." Before she had time to react, Levi snatched the hand that was holding his other wrist and yanked her forward, successfully flipping her over and in front of him. He used this opportunity to pin her to the floor, her legs strongly encircled by his own to prevent them from kicking out, accompanied by an elbow in her gut.
He did, however, let her hands loose so that she could push him off, signaling the end of their little scuffle.
"I don't have time to play germaphobe with you," she spat. "We can't have a real fight in here; I want to go outside."
"You don't want to have a 'real fight' with me," Levi told her. The brunette just glared at him and shook her head profusely.
"If this is because I'm a girl, then save it. I am not going to cry if I get injured." He gave her a stoic look out of the corner of his eye.
"I have no qualms over fighting a girl in hand-to-hand combat. The question is, do you really want to test your strength like this? By seeing how much you can handle before you break? How far are you willing to go for that?"
She was silent for a moment – gathering her resolve, it seemed. Then she gazed at him, with hard eyes and a bitter smile, offering him her hand.
"I'll go until I'm bruised so badly that I can no longer stand."
Levi nodded, shaking her outstretched hand. He almost ignored the smudge of dust left behind from her palm. Almost.
What an ugly day she picked for a training session.
Rain was coming down in heaps when they exited out into the fresh air. At first they were shielded from the downpour by the overhanging roof, but Levi's current companion (opponent?) was not reluctant to proceed. Her clothes and hair were soon drenched, and yet she confronted the torrent without flinching. A dark shadow passed over Levi's face. Rain meant mud, and mud meant dirty boots, and dirty boots meant grimy floors, and all that added up to a lot of cleaner...
Nevertheless, he merely huffed, barely cringing when his shoes touched the wet soil. Heavy droplets welcomed him as he followed his fellow trainee further and further into the darkness. It was strange, but only now did he realize that she was taller than him by about four inches. This wasn't actually all that surprising, though. He was definitely the shortest trainee and would be the shortest in the Legion; not that it bothered him, of course. If his past life in the streets had taught him anything, it was that he could take down many people, despite his small stature.
By the time they'd reached the training grounds, water had practically seeped into Levi's skin, causing him a great deal of discomfort that he decided to brush off. The female Scout-to-be faced him squarely once they'd entered the clearing, her side coming forward and her legs parted in a stance. Absently he could see that the powerful wind along with the moist air had slackened the grip of her hair tie.
"I have one condition," Levi announced to her. She didn't make any motion to suggest that she'd heard him, however she also made no motion to attack. "I like to know a person's name before I beat the shit out of them."
"Hange; Hange Zoë," she called back dismissively, but he could detect the hint of pride in her voice. "And you are Levi. Is that correct?" Levi nodded. "Then Levi, prepare yourself!"
Hange wasted no time, coming at him fast and strong with her fists. He was equally as swift, though, dodging the worst and blocking the milder blows. Their boots scuffed against the ground as they moved, hitting and missing, like a warrior's dance. Levi quickly analyzed her movements, as she did to him; he waited for one of her slower misfires. She shot out a punch to his jaw, which he ducked just slightly, feeling one of her knuckles graze his cheek. With this action he blocked her other fist from bringing in an uppercut, grabbing her other hand and tugging her down into the damp earth.
The brunette cursed, landing on her hands and knees. The ground was slippery, so she skidded a little, and this made her vulnerable to Levi's smashing kick. Hange cried out as his foot hit her back. Her fingers slipped and her knees buckled so that her stomach was now sunken an inch into the mud. And then, she fell limp.
Levi tutted silently. "Playing dead isn't going to save your ass against the titans." Hange smirked, then reached for his ankle. He scoffed, dragging his foot back, but this was in her intention. With the force of bringing himself away already in the equation, the girl surged out of the mud and rolled into his shins, wrapping an arm around the back of his knees. With a quick squeeze, she felt him tumble backward.
Hange was still holding tightly to his knees when she spoke, voice cheerful and light. "Imagine how long these stains are going to take you to wash out. I think I can venture a guess." Something awful flashed in Levi's eyes; he used the force of his legs being tied down to sit up quickly and punched her in the jaw. She immediately released his knees to leap back. Her jaw was already turning red, and she would no doubt have a nasty bruise from it later. She grimaced, but refused to occupy her hands by tending to her face. Instead, she hopped up onto her feet, preparing herself for another attack.
"I suppose I'll have to pay you for that, Levi," the girl chirped. Levi cautiously stood up as well, although it was a bit painful from the awkward numbness in the pits of his knees.
"Let's see, where should I hit you..." Hange contemplated aloud, surveying him. He raised an eyebrow at her.
"You should be more concerned about where you'll even be able to hit me, Shitty Glasses," he taunted in a deadpan. But her eyes only brightened wildly at this, her mouth spreading into a grin.
"Will I get you here?" she asked, spinning on her heel to aim a hit with her other foot in his abdomen. He shifted to the left, taking her poised ankle in his hand to spiral her away. But she quickly let herself become weightless as she jumped with her free foot, and as he yanked her toward him, she kicked blindly into his chest, to his right so as to not get his heart. He felt the sudden ache of nausea that accompanied that sort of blow, losing his catch on her leg. This gave her enough time to right herself on her feet. "Or here?"
"Not quite, Shitty Glasses," he said, a little breathlessly, one might add. Of course, because of the rough training they'd endured for the past three years, it would take a lot more than these few minutes of sparring to tire them out. No, he was short of breath from that evil hit to the chest. Where did she get off trying such blunt, lethargic-inducing moves, anyhow?
"You're right," she replied. "That didn't exactly leave a visible mark, did it?" Hange lunged for Levi again, perhaps more carelessly this time. He was able to fend her off due to this, albeit sluggishly, still feeling a bit numb. She did not let him spare himself a breath, for her punches were endless and savage. He was eventually forced to let a few escape, in particular a tough throw at his teeth. His head whipped to the side, instincts advising him to fall back a metre or so before continuing.
"Still feeling hot, No. 1?" the chestnut-haired girl asked him innocently. She watched him as he staggered on his feet. Her eyes gleamed, mocking him.
He certainly felt the smart on his cheek, and tasted a bit of blood where his teeth had connected with the inner wall of his mouth. But he was hardly one to get put down after a blow like this. So, as she did, he grit his teeth, bearing with it.
"I'd call us even, but you still have one over me," he said, voice rough yet somehow smooth. "This next one will be for my uniform." He ran at her, faked left, then grabbed her by the shoulder. When she whirled around to punch him, he ducked by slipping his foot in between her ankles and forcing her face-down into the mud. Levi did not relent here – no. He dug his fingers into her hair, pulling on it to lift her head out of the dirty water. Then, he shoved it back into the mud, and repeat.
"Had enough, Bloody Specs?" Hange coughed, turning her head to spit dirt on his jacket. Levi pushed her face back into the mud. She spit again and cackled.
"Did I give you permission to address me with such affectionate pet names, Levi? I don't think I'm comfortable with that kind of familiarity, yet." Hange kept laughing, but when he raised her head again she gave it a violent shake, briefly dispelling his hand from her hair. She then rolled a good three metres away from him, attempting to rebuild her composure.
Her glasses were now probably scratched and definitely caked with mud, blinding her vision. As an alternative, she pushed them up to her hairline and squinted her bare eyes at Levi.
"I wonder if I just hugged a clean freak like you while I was all muddy like this, I'd defeat you ten times faster," she mused, again stating her thoughts out loud. Levi puffed.
"Fat chance, Shitty Glasses. It's not like I don't have to clean myself later, anyway." Hange giggled hysterically.
"You're right. I think I wouldn't be able to hug you, anyway. You don't look very huggable, Levi, you know that? You're actually kind of scary. Which is really amusing because you're so short. In any case, I feel more like beating you right now; would you like that, instead?" The brunette laughed and laughed, clutching her stomach in her mirth.
"Pay attention, Four Eyes. Or do you think this fight is a joke?" She stopped, and her humor disappeared from her disposition. Levi put himself back on the offensive, utilizing different combinations of punches and kicks. Her head must still have been reeling, dizzy from being thrown into the mud so many times, her eyes also less-perceptive, so her deflections were slower. She would likely find bruises forming on her side, her bottom lip was split, and her head was dealt another large bump. Still, Hange was persistent. Levi wondered what exactly her goal could be, at this point. He prepared himself for a surprise.
The brunette started mixing defensive moves with offensive moves, to keep him distracted, no doubt. She kept hitting him in areas that wouldn't hurt him very bad, mostly around his shoulders. At one point her foot went for his head, which he blocked by striking her ankle. While he did that, she directed a weaker fist at his neck, to which he also blocked. Now with both of his hands busy, she used this second to send her right fist pummeling hard into his gut. Her concentration was at its maximum, for she did not stop there. In the moment he recognized the sharp pain he'd been delivered, she grabbed his arms and twisted them back.
Hange basically threw him onto the ground and jumped on him, putting her whole weight into keeping him immobilized. She sat herself on his stomach, her boots crushing down on his hands to keep them from even twitching, and just punched him in the jaw, over and over. She didn't give Levi time to think. The pain came fast and hard, no thought of moving crossing his thoughts at all. His head jerked back and forth with each hit, increasing the pain exponentially. At some points he had his breath ripped out of him, not given time to inhale. Soon enough his brain felt a little fuzzy.
But he'd been in this situation before; many times before, if he remembered correctly. He was sure he knew how to defend himself against this, but Levi wondered, were things supposed to happen like this? She was hitting him with so much passion and rage, that he realized, this couldn't be a way for her to better her fighting prowess. No, it didn't work like that. Hange seemed to be venting her anger at this point.
Levi stared up at her through impassive blue eyes, and it only made her pound his face harder, each blow becoming more barbaric than the last. Blood spilled from his nose, his cheeks stung, and all the while his head still throbbed. He saw her brown eyes, startlingly conveying madness as well as something else – something banished and without hope, looking lost and abandoned, something that resembled sadness in many ways.
One should have felt confused. If she was feeling remorse, then why was she beating him so mercilessly? But Levi felt that he knew why all too well. Why she'd asked for this fight, and why she'd seemed to be acting recklessly up until this point; like she was feeling impatient, waiting for something to happen that would set her off. She had certainly bested him more than once during this fight, but now he recalled that she was in the top ten as well, in the third spot or less. Hange no doubt could have fared even better against him than she'd already had. Levi knew that grief or vindictive emotions could make a person more irrational in a battle as well. All of these thoughts led up to confirm his final deduction.
She was not really looking to win against the top , to prove her worth. No, she was looking to get her hands on him. She wanted to hurt him, because of how she felt on a personal level, for whatever reason she had.
Levi noticed that her fists were raw and scabbing, and her hits were becoming less vicious; slower and wearier. She was tiring herself out.
And through the excruciating pain, it dawned on Levi that his hands were at liberty. Hange's feet were now tucked underneath her knees on either side of him, completely harmless. The boy tested his fingers, getting a sore but still functional response from all but one pinky. He let out a short breath as he closed his eyes.
One last defeated punch wracked Levi's skull, before a hand fell on his chest.
Then, a warm raindrop landed on his forehead.
Wait – no, that wasn't a raindrop. All of the other raindrops that hit him or initially soaked him had been cold and jarring. And this drop's warmth was quickly absorbed by the others, returning the temperature of his face to its previous state. But then more of these heated raindrops trickled over him. One of them in particular spilled over his mouth, and he tasted salt.
Salt.
Suddenly Levi grew an awareness to the sound of silent weeping, muffled by the sensation of cotton balls trapped in his head. He peered through the slits in his eyelids and saw Hange covering her face with her arm.
The other trainee's mouth was parted slightly, biting down on her bicep. Her eyes, uncovered by her glasses, were clenched tightly shut, unmistakable tears streaming down her cheeks. Hange choked back a sob. Then she cleared her throat and wiped her eyes with her sleeves. She forced her eyelids open to pin Levi with a menacing, red-eyed glare.
"What...what the hell is wrong with you?" she asked. Her voice was cracked but furious, spilling with emotion. Levi continued to stare at her, unflinching. "How...how can you look at people like that, like you don't care about anything in this world? Do you really not care, Levi? If you were sent to your death, would you care? Because I want to know. How can you not show hatred, with the thought of all those beasts that keep us caged and overpower us? Thinking about all of those monsters...who take lives in the Legion, the lives of people with families and friends, who have others looking up to them as a glimmer of hope for humanity. Is it because you're just another one of those selfish, self-important pigs that wish for a safe life in the Military Police? Then tell me, dammit! Tell me that you'd rather sit on your ass and dull your emotions so that you don't have to concern yourself over anyone else, least of all the rest of mankind!
"Tell me how you can look so calm, when people die in droves outside those walls with every single excursion, and you have the power to help! Why aren't you seething with the need for revenge like some of us? Even after I punched your lights out, you have no feeling whatsoever! What kind of callous person are you?!"
Levi listened to her carefully, finally understanding the root of all this. He was right, she had some beef with him. Or rather, she had beef with everyone that acted like he did, considerably the ones willing to join the MP. He just happened to be the one she'd decided to pick on, due to his status.
This girl was consumed by outrage at the titans that served Scouts as a meal everyday. And maybe she, herself, had had a family member that died in vain as a member of the Recon Corps; perhaps a sibling, or some other relative; (parents were rarely Scouts; the decision to risk one's life outside the walls was always made a fairly young age, and after a real mission, it was probably impractical to think of having a child who could be orphaned any day).
Or maybe she was a person of an inquisitive nature, who hated the titans for blocking humans from exploring the outside world. Whichever the reason, she had been taking this hatred out on him before she would have to face the titans within a month's time. She thought he represented the ignorance of humankind – the arrogance that came with the desire to put the needs of oneself above the needs of others.
And that assumption was so wrong – so atrociously wrong – that he felt he should set things straight.
Hange had quieted down now, face still buried in her sleeve, when Levi blinked open his narrow eyes. His nose wrinkled in disgust. He was sick of her grieving, ranting about something she couldn't entirely comprehend. It was giving him a headache, and she'd already given him one in the literal sense.
Levi's gaze traveled over her, and it was quite obvious that she'd dropped her guard. With her hands otherwise-engaged and her legs no longer restrictive of his movements, he curled and uncurled his fingers experimentally. It was time that he was the one to do the talking.
The boy reached for Hange's wrist in an almost comforting gesture, wrapping his hand around hers. She was startled instantly, ready to react in fury. But, not waiting for her to do so, Levi tightened his grasp on her digits as painfully as possible and yanked her to the side. As expected, in her stunned shock she toppled over, just her legs left sprawled over his torso. He grunted, his hand still clamped on hers. Levi then brought up his other hand to her right shoulder and used his remaining strength to throw her across the wet grass.
He wasn't finished there, however. Levi stalked over to her lying form, swiftly kicking her in the stomach. Hange swore at him, but he merely kicked her again with more force. The girl placed a hand over her stomach, groaning at the pain. Levi continued to refuse her of any grace as he used his foot to roll her face-down on the ground. Dropping onto his knees, he lifted one of them slightly, giving her a rough knee to the jaw. At last, when she raised her head in recoil, he grabbed a fistful of hair to drag her up to his level, one of his legs holding her down at the small of her back. His other arm kept hers pulled behind her.
"Maybe you're right," he said into her ear, "maybe I don't feel anything. I don't have anything to lose anymore, so why should I worry about things like attachments?" Here, he gave her hair a sharp pull, and she grimaced. "Who knows, though? I might be the worst human being ever. But you should know something, Hange." Her eyes widened, glancing at him at the sound of her given name. Levi's expression turned grim. "All this pain and hatred, all this thirst for revenge, isn't gonna help you reach your goal. People die because of these feelings. It's because of these feelings that a person becomes reckless and stops thinking, and gets himself killed.
"Wanting vengeance is great and all; and sometimes necessary to fuel your power to get things done. That, you have. But you have to ask yourself; when up against something as ruthless as the titans, comrades dying all around you, do you think it's better to give into your emotions and make a deadly mistake, or to keep your cool and manage to win something for the sake of all the people that died, so as to not make their lives, and yours, be in vain?
"In addition," - Levi kept her head up, as she was beginning to lower it, shielding her face with her bangs – "I can't afford to be arrogant as you thought. Unlike you, I don't have a choice except joining the Recon Corps. But I know I'll have a duty to fulfill, so I might as well make it count for something. Kill your emotions, or die on the battlefield. I wonder what sort of decisions you'll make, when faced with a bleak reality."
Hange blinked at him, looking utterly dumbfounded as he stood up, letting go of her weight and leaving her to stumble. Her eyes stared at him in awe as well as a growing guilt, differing from the blind rage of earlier.
Levi turned to walk away from her, rubbing a soothing hand over his face. What nasty marks she can make on a person.
"Eh...Levi." Her voice had called to him, small but sure.
"Hm?" The shorter trainee looked back at her over his shoulder. Hange's face was unreadable, then, brown eyes searching the space in front of her for some sort of clue. But a small smile played on her lips as her gaze fell on him.
"Ah, I guess...well..." She coughed. "It's embarrassing for someone to apologize so quickly after being proven wrong and looking like an idiot. I'll owe you it in due time, rest assured. I have to ask you, though, when the moment arises...can I trust you?" Levi continued to stare blankly at her, an urge for her to elaborate. Her smile became sheepish. "I still...hate titans. I want to slaughter them all...for the things they do to humans, treating us like prey. So there's no telling that...that this anger of mine won't boil up again. I don't expect myself to change my opinion just like that. But can I count on you, to snap me out of it and tell me, 'Hange, get a grip?'"
Levi nodded. So she was smart, after all. She was more open to his thoughts than he'd predicted.
"I won't have much of a choice, will I, Shitty Glasses? You're so damned impulsive, it might get more people killed than just you." Hange giggled. He figured she understood his sentiment enough.
"You're such a harsh speaker, Levi. You wound me." The girl pushed herself up to her feet and winced, no doubt because of the ache in her side. She jogged lightly to catch up with him, so they could begin to limp to the trainee camp together. "Ah, and I can't only say that figuratively." Hange clapped a hand over his back. Levi glanced sideways at her and chuckled.
"You're one to talk, Four Eyes. What kind of dirty trick was that, straddling me back there?" The girl widened her eyes at him.
"Don't say it like that – that sounds dirty in a different sense!" she exclaimed, punching him in the shoulder.
"Don't push it on me that you took it that way. Clean up your thoughts – and take a shower while you're at it, you reek," Levi scoffed.
"What?" Hange lifted her arms up high, wafting them around her nose. "I don't smell that bad."
"Tch, I can smell it even with this rain."
"I wonder what you would say if I showed up tomorrow without washing my clothes or hair or self. I think you would be proud of me."
"I wouldn't say anything. I would feel the stench before even entering the room and avoid it at all costs."
"Aw, but we got to know each other so well; you even have some of my spit on you!"
This little banter went back and forth for a while as they approached the camp. Then, suddenly, Levi halted.
"What is it?" Hange queried, flickering her gaze over their surroundings. Levi bent down, his fingers searching the mud behind them, until finally he picked something up.
"Your hair tie," he stated as he held it out to her. She stared at it in his hands, blinking, before she took it.
"Oh, I didn't even realize it came out," she remarked. Levi shrugged, resuming their pace as she twisted her loose hair back into its half-assed ponytail. "How do I look?" she asked, but Levi could sense from her tone that she was teasing him.
"Still dirty as shit," he bluntly replied. Hange beamed at the shorter boy.
"You know, I think I'll take that as a compliment."
"Take it however you want, it doesn't change the truth."
"Hey, Levi?" This time she was the one to stop, turning her face to look at him directly. He paused, facing her as well.
"What is it?" he questioned. An absent-minded smile crossed her lips.
"Thank you."
Levi took another step forward, expression hidden from Hange. He sighed, and she couldn't see it, but he smiled, too. It wasn't a big smile, in fact if she had seen it, she might not have even detected it without further inspection. But it was there, nonetheless – the sole display of his ever-so slight amusement and slighter still appreciation.
"Don't mention it," he replied. "Shitty Glasses."
She grinned, and followed after him with an enthused skip.
"What the hell happened to you two?"
When Levi and Hange had entered camp, they knew they shouldn't have expected to go unmentioned. After all, they were covered in cuts and bruises, specifically on their faces, mud smeared over them in large clumps. The pain had begun to settle in for both of them after the initial adrenaline of their fight, so each of them would release a disgruntled groan or cuss every minute or so. Many other trainees whispered conspicuously about them as they passed, staring holes into their battered backs. But it was Mike, one of the taller of the trainees, that had stopped them in their tracks to make an inquiry.
"You guys look like the devil chewed you up and spat you out. Or maybe it was a titan?" he joked. "Seriously though, what happened?"
"Just a sparring incident," Hange brushed him off, added with a crazed giggle. Mike laughed exaggeratedly.
"Are you two insane? Going at each other at a time like this? What's the Trainee Commander going to say if he sees you? What if you broke something? And you, Hange – you want to join the Legion. So how do you think you can fight titans if you're already sore from a fight with a comrade?" The boy was giving them both incredulous looks.
"I just needed to let out some steam. I can't afford to hold grudges during a mission. A few bruises is okay compared to that risk," Hange explained solemnly.
"The only thing broken is my pinky, because this girl is without mercy. For the record, that might hinder my abilities on the maneuver gear," Levi spoke up, aiming a pointed look at Hange.
"Haha," she laughed sheepishly. Hange scratched the back of her head, appearing awkward as she scrunched up her eyes. "I'll make sure to watch your back when you need it, then."
"Just don't lose your temper again, Four Eyes." Levi exchanged a glance with her, leaving Mike to feel like he was out of some sort of loop. He shook his head at them, bewildered, before stepping in between them and using their shoulders to support his weight.
"Well, we should get you guys to the hospital, anyway. And by the way, Levi, I'm surprised you left that room halfway through your cleaning. The water's just kind of sinking into the floorboards, I bet." One of the shorter boy's eyes twitched.
"And you didn't think to dry it up, at the very least?" he said, tone cool. Mike chuckled heartily, smacking his shoulder, and Levi had to contain his grimace when he struck a tender spot.
"Now, we can't all be conscious of neatness like you."
Levi scowled.
"I'll be going on ahead, then. I need to get cleaned up quickly to fix the mess you failed to." Mike lost his balance for a brief moment, no longer having the other trainee's shoulder to sustain him as Levi sped up his strides. He opted on removing his arm from Hange's shoulders as well, although she didn't seem to be bothered by it.
Mike scrutinized the female trainee's face, and he could catch a distant look in her eyes whilst she gazed at Levi's departing figure. He grinned, nudging her elbow.
"I thought you hated the small fry," he prodded, amiable and light. She glanced at him with a smile.
"Sometimes we focus too much on first impressions," was her simple reply.
Mike nodded.
We certainly do.
A/N: I'm considering turning this into a multi-chapter story depicting scenes of Levi and Hange's relationship over the years, and progressing it into more romance as I go along. But that all depends on this chapter's reception. So please remember to review! :3