Some of the guests started the joke that Levi would probably subject himself willingly to cleaning up after his own birthday party, but as the evening wears on and people start to trickle out the door, it's getting pretty clear that yeah, that's going to happen.
When Eren, Armin, and Mikasa leave, it's down to Hanji, Erwin, and Levi; Levi gets up absently (and at the same time like a cuckoo clock bird whose moment has come) to start gathering stray paper plates.
"Levi!" Hanji says, standing up. "We didn't really make much of a mess! Erwin and I can clean up; you don't have to worry about it, it's your birthday!"
"It's my birthday it's my birthday it's my birthday, at this point I've had so many people fuss over me I want to make someone cry," Levi says, continuing the plate hunt in strict obliviousness.
"You might make me cry if you don't sit down and relax," Hanji says with emphatic worry that's real and fake at the exact same time somehow. But she doesn't try and stop him or try to help. They know each other too well.
"If relaxation was what you wanted for me, you shouldn't have made a spectacle of me with this dumb party," Levi says. He's found all the plates, and now he's limping over to the trash with them.
"The more grumpy you get, the more I want to cheer you up… you do know that that's how it works, right," Hanji says, sitting back down, pulling her feet up onto her chair, and resting her head on her knees, looking at Levi with a big grin and a sharp twinkle in her eye. "Besides, Erwin's the one who threw the party; you should be grouching at him."
Erwin looks up; someone said his name.
"Well, he pulled whatever strings to get this conference room," Hanji continues. "That counts as throwing a party, right?"
"Got the floor tiles all counted up, big guy?" Levi says as he consolidates the tiny army of uneaten cookies to a single plate. A lot of the food got taken, but there's still a decent amount left.
Erwin laughs, good-naturedly, awkwardly; "Seriously," Levi says, "if you ask him he will give you a number."
"What, Erwin, just tell us something he knows?" Hanji says happily.
"Ha ha ha, very funny," Erwin says; they're not really talking to him, so he goes back to staring at the floor. He doesn't say a number, though. And he does have one.
"I'm not taking any of this home," Levi says, surveying his neat stack of packaged and organized leftovers.
"But I made those wonderful cookies JUST for you!" Hanji says.
"I'm not a goddam six year old," Levi says. "I'm pretty sure I get excited about other things at this age."
"Did you at least have fun stacking them neatly?" Hanji says, burrowing her face a little so her nose is not visible but her eyes are.
"I'm going to throw out anything you guys don't take," Levi says.
"I want it!" Hanji says immediately.
"Sorry Erwin, you don't get anything," Levi says, with a hint of a smile, he can't help it, he looks at Hanji.
"No, I mean I want what Erwin doesn't want!" Hanji says.
There's Erwin's name again, twice now; he seems to have come back to the room, mentally, and wordlessly signed back into the ambient conversation; now he looks like he's trying to decide whether to speak up about what leftovers he wants or wait to be asked.
"Erwin, will you take the cookies?" Hanji asks. "I made them for my best friend, and… well, I think that might be you now."
"I'd be happy to," Erwin says. They get up and come over to see what Levi has for them. They notice, of course, he's pleased to have organized it, but they dare not say anything because then he'd say something surly back and stop being pleased. Decisions are made. Erwin's opinions are non-opinions but he will help Hanji figure out what she wants, and if he doesn't take anything he knows she'll pitch a fit. Hanji would literally be open to taking home everything if that wouldn't look really rude and also prevent Erwin from having anything; she encourages him to take things but tests the waters. Retests. Can she really have that half pie? She's not taking it from Erwin? He really doesn't want it?
Levi was expecting Hanji and Erwin to leave together, but soon Hanji, and her uncanny gift of perception, leaves alone. Suddenly, it's just Erwin, Levi, and a cloud of something's up.
Erwin goes back to his chair, reaches under his jacket, ages a few years, and returns with a flat wooden box about the size of a book.
"This is a better present," he says quietly, and Levi can rule out being in trouble. "Your real one. From me. I couldn't… not with everyone around."
Levi takes the box. Should he know already what's in there? He has no idea.
He opens the box. Yes, he should have known; he's surprised, but only that he never thought to anticipate this. Of course Erwin found out...
There are four brand new scouting legion badges.
One for Aurou.
One for Eld.
One for Gunther.
One for
For
For Petra.
Levi can only hold them and look at them.
"I can't give them back, I could only take them away," Erwin says, with the quietest voice.
You can almost hear the snow falling outside.
"Nobody took them away," Levi says. Then, more coldly, "Annie Leonhardt took them away."
"Forgive me; I should not put you in a position to comfort me, you of all people…" Erwin says, a little startled, with the voice of someone who hasn't thought this conversation through, who's sure he's just unknowingly hurt a dear friend, who has no one else to go to with all of this guilt. He picks up a plate of leftovers, as if to get it ready for when he has to go, but it's already ready; all he does is pick it up and set it down again and stare at it.
"I'll comfort anyone I damn well please," Levi says, closing the box with a snap. "You didn't know them. You did, but you didn't. They were in this heart and soul. They were fighters. If we could bring them back, by some miracle, they'd be back out there taking risks and fighting titans. On anyone's orders. They'd organize themselves if no one was there to. If you're going to be concerned about something, pick losing their fire because we'll get no better."
Erwin looks briefly at Levi then nods at the plate of food.
"This was a good gift," Levi says, opening the box again, taking out a badge (the one for Petra, he decides), holding it. "This is how I want to remember them. Strong and new."
Erwin nods at the plate of food again.
"At the same time that's pretty depressing for a birthday present… TELL me you're not going to pull this shit on Hanji when I finally get smushed."
"LEVI, DON'T SAY THAT," Erwin tells the plate of food, then looks at Levi briefly.
"Because I'm still going to get her just shoes or something if you get eaten first," Levi says, putting the badge he's holding (Petra's badge) in his pocket and closing the box.
"That will make being eaten much easier to cope with," Erwin has to agree. Slowly. Wryly. Tentatively.
"And if she gets eaten, I'm still going to just get you gloves or a scarf or I don't know. Be prepared."
"For the love of all that is good, please take those cookies home," Erwin says.
"Don't tell Hanji," Levi says, putting the wooden box on top of the plate and picking up both, after a moment's consideration.
They leave together.
"You alright?" Levi asks.
"Better," Erwin says, and clearly means it. "You?"
"…Better," Levi says, with a voice that would truly terrify their enemies.