Hanji had a problem. The room at the basement was spinning. The furniture was twirling around her, gaining in speed.
"Please stop."
But it didn't listen. Instead, it just changed the direction. She had to stop it before Levi would see it. He'd probably be mad, if he saw that she let the furniture spin around, after the lab had just been renovated.
"Please stop," she said. This time more energetic, in hope that it would frighten the table, or at least the sink. But they continued spinning.
"Stop it now," she repeated. The room stopped abruptly. 'Ha!' Hanji thought triumphantly, she did it! But just as she wanted to continue her work, the bar stool she was standing on, threw her off.
/
Levi was standing at the last stair to the lab, asking himself what the hell was going on.
Hanji hadn't heard him coming down – as always, given the loud music that was blasting through the room. As he was used to it, he just wanted to step in front of her, as he always did and see how long it would take her to notice him. His record were three minutes standing right in front of his girlfriend without getting noticed. That is, if he had the time for such games. But it was always fun to startle her, when she finally looked up from her work.
So, Levi was just about to go to the table, when Hanji climbed on top of the stool she had previously been sitting on. It was one of those stools doctors sometimes had, which had rolls on the bottom. He wondered how she didn't fell down yet.
"Please stop," he heard her scream over the music. She was glaring at the wall across her.
Levi stopped on the last stair. Yes, Hanji was a nutcase sometimes, but witnessing her screaming at the wall was a first.
"Stop it now," she screamed again, raising her hand in a fist.
'What the hell?'
Then, she lowered her fist and her scowl softened. She actually looked rather pleased with herself. Levi could see how she mouthed a 'ha' and then, that idiot lost her balance and crashed on the floor.
"Hanji!" With a few quick steps, Levi was beside her. "Are you okay?"
Hanji's face lit up when she saw him and from what Levi could see, she had no injuries. So, he left her on the floor to search for the remote to switch that goddamn music of.
"Levi, I'm so glad you're here!" He heard Hanji scream as the music went off. She was still on the floor, showing no attempts to stand up.
Levi went back to her. "Are you alright?"
An enthusiastic nod was the answer.
"So, what happened?"
Hanji looked slowly around her and then she gave him a sign to come closer. Levi got down to her. He had learned a long time ago, that this would spare him time and nerves, instead of trying to talk with normally her.
"The stool," Hanji whispered. Her voice was dead serious. "The stool tried to kill me."
Levi rolled his eyes. He did not understand her kind of humour. But as Hanji still didn't move – and, also didn't burst out into laughter, that's why he ignored her answer and asked again what happened.
"The furniture", Hanji said, gesturing around her.
"Did it also try to kill you?" It was hard to keep a serious voice.
"No, it's spinning."
"It's what?" And then, Levi saw it. Hanji's eyes were completely brown, the pupils not noticeable from afar.
"You've got to be kidding me," he groaned. "Have you drugged yourself again?"
The answer was obvious. Of course, she had. The question was more, what did she took?
"Alright, get up," he said while pulling her up. Hanji had no body tension at all, and she just crashed into Levi's chest.
"They have to stop before Levi gets here," Hanji said conspiratorially and giggled.
"Of course." With a quick move he picked her up from the floor and carried her to the stairs, bridal style. Apparently overjoyed with the situation, Hanji threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into the small of his neck. He heard her mumble his name again and then she was silent.
If this had happened a few months ago, Levi would have panicked. He would have called Pixis, screaming into the phone, that Hanji was unconscious and that her pupils were small. And then he would demand that it was urgent and that Pixis had to send someone over. Levi knew that the doctor would do all of that, because he had done it when this had happened the first time. Back then it had scared the shit out of Levi to see Hanji on the floor. Unconscious. He hadn't known what to do and he had been afraid that she wouldn't make it until the medics arrived. And then – when they did arrive – he had felt like the biggest idiot ever, because his idiot there was only asleep after accidentally drugging herself. Yes, accidentally drugging herself.
After that, this scenario had happened another three times, counting this accident as well.
"You really have to wear a mask, you idiot," he said as he climbed up the stairs with her.
Hanji didn't react and so Levi guessed that she must have fallen asleep. As he didn't have a free hand, he let the door to the cellar open and they entered the main room of the club. Just as he passed the bar, Hanji suddenly jumped out of his arms, tumbling a few steps into one direction before she caught her balance.
"Oi, Hanji, we were trying to get to the car," Levi called.
She turned around to him, with the biggest grin on her face. "No!"
Not sure if he was annoyed or amused, Levi slowly took a step in her direction. He felt like approaching a stray kitten, one sudden move and she'd probably sprint away. "Come on, Hanji."
He saw how Hanji tilted her head and blinked a few times, while looking in his direction. Then, she threw her hands in the air and started running towards the empty dancefloor. "You'll have to catch me first," she shouted back at him.
'Fucking wonderful'. But nevertheless, Levi started slowly running after her. Not that he had to, she'd probably tire herself out in no time without his interference, but that way was … more fun? When Hanji noticed that he was coming after her, she let out a shriek and went straight to the seating area. With a few quick steps Levi caught up to her, but before he could grab her arm, she slid into the booth, bringing a table between them.
"No," she said again and smirked provocatively.
"You do know that the table won't help you," Levi said and jumped on it.
Hanji let out another shriek and lied down, face first. on the couch, giggling. Levi let himself down next to her. "Caught you," he whispered in her ear.
"You did," Hanji answered and looked up to him.
Her pupils were still too small, and she had more strands of hair in her face than back in her ponytail. She was grinning and looking at Levi, like he was the sole reason for the smile. He couldn't help himself, but to grin back. "I love you, you crazy person."
/
Hanji woke up in a dark room. She blinked, trying to see something, but it stayed dark. Then, she noticed the dryness in her mouth. Water! She needed water. She pulled herself up and immediately felt a throbbing pain in her head.
"Fuck, what happened?" she winced. Her memory was blank, she didn't know where she was, and how she ended up there – in pain and thirsty. Slowly, she felt panic rising. "Hello? Where am I? Hello?"
In the distance, she could hear steps. Was this the person who brought her to this dark room? Did someone kidnap her again? 'Fuck, fuck, fuck'. What was she supposed to do? What if she's in trouble and there was nowhere to hide? "Fuck, I don't see anyth-"
And suddenly, light hit her. She blinked a few times to adjust her eyes to the brightness and saw Levi standing in front of her … with a sleep mask in his hand. He was grinning, obviously amused.
"Did you think that the furniture managed to kidnap you?" he asked.
"What?" His words didn't make sense and Hanji wondered whether she had heard him right. "Did you just say furniture?"
Levi scoffed, which was the closest thing to a laught anyone ever got from him. "Don't you remember last night?"
Last night? No, she didn't.
But Levi's reaction could only mean one thing … "Oh, no. Please tell me I didn't drug myself again," Hanji said, looking away from him. How stupid. Stupid and embarrassing.
"You need a mask, idiot." His voice was neither harsh, nor strict, it actually sounded lovingly. He shook his head and held a glass of water in Hanji's direction.
She took it gladly and chugged it down with huge gulps.
"Breakfast is on the table," Levi said, trying his best to suppress a comment about how she was spilling half the glass on herself and the bed.
Hanji took her last gulp and put the empty glass on the bed beside her. "Oh, I'm starving!"
She jumped out of bed and regretted her decision in the same moment, as a piercing pain throbbed through her head. But nevertheless, she powered through and took off to the kitchen in a half-sprint.
/
Levi observed her in disbelief and then picked up the glass from the mattress to take it with him to the kitchen. When he got into the room, Hanji was already at the table, piling up an insane amount of chocolate syrup and berries on the French toast Levi had made. He sat down across from her.
"I'm sorry I drugged myself … again," Hanji said as she noticed him.
"It's okay, you did so much stupid shit, that I can tease you for the next five years with it," Levi answered and winked, which got him a big grin from Hanji.
"Oh, is that so?" she asked and then tried to take a bite from her toast.
Half the berries landed back on the plate and in seconds her chin was covered in chocolate. Levi resisted the urge to throw a dishtowel at her. Sometimes he wondered how someone, who's that intelligent as she is, could be such an idiot. And yet he couldn't bring himself to feel appalled by the sight of the mess, because Hanji's hangover-self looked so happy and content with her life, stuffing her face with the toast. It made Levi briefly forget about the outside world.
"You didn't come home the last two nights," Hanji said, while chewing on her food.
"Can you please swallow first?" Chocolate on the face and flying berries were one thing, but he most certainly didn't have to see chewed food. "Work just didn't stop and when I finally got out, you were drugged." He paused for a moment. "Are you alright, though?"
This time, Hanji made sure to speak with an empty mouth. "I'm fine. Just have a little headache."
"And about the thing on the news?" Levi asked slowly.
Ever since Reeves had publicly declared that anyone who's part of the Recon Corps would be sentenced to death, Levi hadn't slept for more than a couple of hours, and he hadn't seen Hanji in person since then. They had talked on the phone, but never more than a few minutes, there had always been something coming up between, interrupting. To be honest, Levi had dreaded this conversation the most, ever since hearing the news on tv. He was afraid, that this would be the straw that broke the camel's back and made her leave for good. And the worst part was, he'd understand it.
There were still nights, when he would wake up drenched in sweat, because he saw Hanji lying on that damn roof, covered in bruises and blood streaming down her neck. He'd sometimes still hear how she'd try to suppress the pained moans when she tried move, so that he wouldn't know in just how much pain she really was. Every time she would goof around when they were out, as if she didn't have a care in the world, Levi would feel the guilt hitting him like a ton of bricks. She didn't deserve any of this mess, he had put her in. Bringing her into the Corps was the best thing that had happened to him, because that brought her into his life. But at the same time, it was the one thing he had ever done that he regretted the most. She didn't deserve any of this.
"Are you going to that place in your head again?" Hanji's voice cut through the train of thoughts in Levi's head. "Please, don't," she said gently and reached across the table for his hand.
"Look, I'm terrified about what could happen, but I have faith in you and Erwin to get us out of this mess. So please don't go to that place of guilt, because I need you to tell me that everything is going to be okay and I need you to do it in a way, that I'll be able to believe."
Levi looked at Hanji's concerned glance. It was the same look she had given him back then in the hospital, when he had wallowed in self-pity and she had to bring him out of it. 'I chose this life, with you, with all its ups and horrible downs. After everything, if I had to go through it again, I would still choose you in the end,' Hanji had told him back then.
Levi felt anger rise in him. For Christ's sake, he had this unbelievably though and absolutely incredible woman at his side and he was almost letting himself sink into his pit of self-pity, instead of focusing on what's important. She deserved at least that much.
Levi squeezed Hanji's hand more firmly. "I'll put an end to this, I promise. Even if I had to take down the Wall-Cult on my own, I'll put an end to this."