This takes place in chapter 9 ("Revelations") of OMWF, after the Battle of Trost.

Chapter 2: That One Time Nora Kicked a Wall

…and Levi wasn't amused.

Sometime over the past day, Hange and Nora had run out of desk space. The chaos had spread to the floor, where they were currently sitting amongst books, notes and empty teacups. A faint, pounding headache was gaining momentum in Nora's temples, disrupting her focus.

She looked up from her reading when Levi walked into Hange's office, balancing a tray on one hand.

As soon as he'd closed the door behind him, his nose wrinkled. "The stench in here is abominable. Open a window, you pigs." He placed the tray right on top of the notes that were covering up every single square inch of the desk, then strode to the window and did so himself. "How are you supposed to think when you can't even breathe properly?"

"What's this?" Trying to see what exactly was on the tray her captain had just brought, Nora craned her neck from her spot on the floor, letting the piece of paper she'd been holding float down.

"What's it look like? Tea and breakfast, since you two missed it." Levi crossed his arms, looking even grumpier than usual.

That didn't seem right. She hadn't been sitting on the floor that long, had she? "It's morning already?"

"Yes, you moron. When's the last time you've eaten? You look like shit."

Nora got up on stiff legs and stretched her arms over her head. "Thanks a bunch. Just because you brought food, you don't need to waltz in here and fling around insults—"

"If you aren't capable of eating regularly, you'll have to deal with it, brat." Scowl deepening, his tired eyes scanned her from head to toe. "Have you looked in a mirror lately?"

Nora returned his scrutiny with a frown. Unfortunately, Levi never looked like shit, not even covered in blood, and certainly not now. "One minute," she said, retreating into Hange's bathroom.

The mirror provided quite a view. It was worse than she had expected; her hair wasn't just messy, it was a matted, tangled, bushy catastrophe around her head. Her face was ashen, lips parched, and the dark shadows under her eyes could rival Levi's. She didn't wear them nearly as well as him, though. Dammit, life was unfair, and it really shouldn't bother her as much as it did that he was seeing her in such a disarranged state. And this time, Nora didn't even have a leg injury as an excuse. She sighed; there was no time to sort that shit out now.

Smoothing down her mane with her hands—though the effort was most likely futile—she returned to the office. "Alright, you've got a point."

"You don't say. Now eat." His expression as blank as his voice, Levi indicated the tray with his chin. He then frowned at Hange, who was still sitting on the floor and scribbling furiously into a notebook, glasses askew. She hadn't even lifted her head since he'd entered her office. Levi closed the two steps' distance between them and clicked his fingers in front of her face. "Oi! Same goes for you, four-eyes."

"Wha—" Hange blinked at him, mouth slightly agape. Her greasy hair had come loose from its messy ponytail. "Since when are you here?"

Levi uttered a deep groan of frustration. "Why am I even wasting my time with you two lunatics?"

The question remained unanswered as the three of them settled around the desk. Besides two bowls of porridge, the exasperated captain had brought three cups of tea; one of which he'd grabbed for himself.

Hange was reading in a book that lay open on the desk while shovelling her breakfast. Less enthusiastically, Nora chewed her meal without tasting, staring into nothingness. She realised she might be kind of tired when she repeatedly lost trace of her own thoughts.

After a while, she noticed Levi's watchful gaze on her face. A minute or so passed without him looking away even once; during that time span, he took several sips of his tea.

It was bloody unnerving. "Has no one ever taught you that it's rude to watch people eat?" Nora frowned at him. "Keep this up, and I'm bound to spill my food."

"Tsk. As if I'd give a damn." His steely eyes bored through her. "And it's not like you're an expert on manners."

"Be that as it may," Nora said, her cheeks warming, "it's annoying the shit out of me."

"Someone has to make sure you don't accidentally starve to death, brat."

She rolled her eyes, making a point of ignoring him through the remainder of her meal, locking her gaze on her bowl. It took a decent amount of concentration, but she managed not to make a mess, after all.

Setting his empty cup back on the tray, Levi stood as soon as Nora had taken her last spoonful. He turned, heading for the door. "I'm off to see Erwin. There's some stuff we—" He paused halfway, pointing at a notch the width of a boot tip on the wall; the plaster damaged. "What the hell happened there?"

At his change in tone, Hange finally lifted her nose from the book. "Oh, that?" she said in a studied, casual manner, "That's always been there."

"No, it's not." Levi's voice was flat.

Well, shit. Clearing her throat, Nora turned towards him in her seat. "Alright, so, I might have gotten a tad frustrated with how our entire existence has devolved to chaos these past days, and how said existence might be based solely on lies... And the anger might have gotten the better of me, and… I might have kicked the wall."

His glare would have sent a titan running. "What the hell was that good for? Why'd you do useless shit like that?"

"I didn't exactly weigh the pros and cons beforehand." She shrugged, contemplating if she should seek cover.

"It's fine, Levi," Hange said placatingly, "I don't give a damn—"

"Yeah, of course not, you're a fucking mess," he interjected, barely sparing her a glance before aiming his glower back at Nora. "Where'd we come to, if anyone in the HQ would kick the damn walls as they please?" She thought it wise not to answer that. "Tsk. As if it wasn't already messy enough in here." With a gesture of his arm, Levi encompassed the papers and writing utensils strewn all around them. "Shitty brat. You and your goddamn temper." Impossibly, his scowl deepened, silver eyes flashing at her. "Do that again and I'll have you do the stable cleaning duties of the whole squad for a month. Understood?" He waited for a response, done with his rant.

For a reason unrelated to fear, Nora's heart was beating inexplicably fast in her chest as she tried to think up an answer that wouldn't get her into even more trouble. "Yeah. Thanks for the tea and breakfast." Pernickety clean freak.

He marched out without another word, the door falling shut behind him.

For a few seconds, it was utterly silent in the office.

Then, Hange snorted. "Well, that was fun."

Nora turned her head, opening her mouth to object. As soon as she met her friend's eyes, however, both of them burst into laughter; spluttering and gasping until they were holding their sides.

So, I hope this justifies that humour genre I put on here. I sure had a blast writing this. I don't know if many will read these little one-shots, but that said, I'd highly appreciate it if you'd let me know if it was a hit or miss for you in terms of writing, characterisation, humour, ...

It would help me out immensely. Hope you enjoyed!

Next up: The Special Operations Squad discusses the nature of the relationship between their captain and his second in command, and Eren is confused.