Author's Note

Everybody wants to rule the world

Levi rotated the lantern's top lid. An opening on its copper, cylinder-like structure slid to the side, and the blinding, blue glow from the ore inside flooded his office. It was almost too bright in that gloomy room of his, but those shining rocks from the Reiss Cavern were better than ashy torches and rotten-smelling oil lamps.

He reclined on his seat and stared at the cast ceiling, the chilling breeze coming from the awning window brushing the back of his head. It had been so long since he had last worked until late that he had almost forgotten how cold and dark it could get in there.

And, truly, nothing was keeping him from leaving. He had cleaned the cabinets and shelves. The papers with the new recruitment files, carefully organized over his desk, had already been revised and signed. His only reason to stay there had been his scheduled chess game with Pixis, only for him to cancel at the last minute.

A series of loud, repetitive knocks on the door interrupted his thoughts.

Levi cleared his throat, "Yes?"

One of the newer recruits, a blonde and tall teenager girl, stepped inside. She was one of those who had come after Shiganshina, even after clearing the Titans outside the Walls. He could tell because of that spark she still had in her eyes—the one that didn't know death and loss yet.

"Sir, Commander Zoe asked to see you. They said it was important." Seeing Levi's frowning expression, she added with a shaky voice, "Very important."

Hange's meaning of important was always a blur. They deemed it more important to find out that Titans couldn't shit than preparing their equipment for an expedition. But something in that girl's urgent gaze, the tense situation of the island, and Hange's new role made Levi promptly stand up. Without asking further, he grabbed his green corporate coat and stomped outside his office.

It had to be important indeed.

After thanking the girl for the notice, he locked the door and sprinted towards Hange's office on the upper floor. Once he reached the spiral staircase, he jumped from step to step, skipping the intermediate ones. With each sprint, his heartbeat raced, and his breathing became shallower in anticipation.

Had they found a way to break the island's dilemma? A strategy to trust Kiyomi without Zeke being involved? A way to free Paradis without risking its survival?

Once he reached the grand, oak door of Hange's office, their name written on a shiny, golden plaque, he didn't bother to knock. Instead, he turned the metal handle and pushed the door open.

"Gwah!" Hange screeched, turning to Levi with their mouth wide open.

"I'm here!" he gasped, stomping in.

Hange stood completely frozen next to their desk, wearing black pants and suspenders over a creased white shirt. Then, Levi noticed the bottle of wine in their hand and the two matching glasses over the table, the glow from the iridescent ore lamp above them shining on their rim. Not only that, but their office was also surprisingly organized. And, most importantly, clean.

"What's going on? What's so important?" he said, closing the door behind him with a grunt. He looked at the setup once more, his lips curling in disbelief. "What the fuck is this?"

Hange swayed their head, smiling as they gushed, "A celebration!"

"A celebration?" repeated Levi with bitterness. Hange hummed and poured some red wine in both glasses, but something in their relaxed stance told Levi that it wouldn't be their first drink that day. He approached the desk and crossed his arms. "Is this what you call important when we are on the verge of a fucking war?"

"Oh, but this is important," they said, playfully smiling as they signaled Levi to sit down.

"It better be," he grunted, grabbing one of the two guest chairs and letting himself drop over it. The tension in his muscles began to disappear, but not his annoyance for Hange's carelessness.

They grabbed both glasses and handed one to Levi. Instead of heading towards the Commander's seat on the other side of the desk, Hange sat on the remaining, modest guest chair. They faced Levi directly, with no barrier of responsibility and rank separating them.

Hange remained silent, their gaze switching back and forth between him and the glass in his hand. And he knew they wouldn't talk until he had had a taste of the drink.

Levi smelled the wine. Strong, but with a sweet hint. It wasn't his preferred drink of choice, but he could still appreciate its taste. He took a small sip, letting the flavor and whiff invade his senses.

"It's good, isn't it? It's from one of the new vineyards in Wall Maria," said Hange before drinking from their glass. They moistened their lips, looking down as they scoffed, "Who would've thought that after all the horrors that happened there, we would be drinking wine from that bloodstained land."

Levi didn't reply. Instead, he stared at the crimson color of the drink, a drop from the rim sliding down to the bowl. Bloodstained indeed.

"Did you ask me to come here just so I could be your drinking buddy?" he said right before taking another sip of the drink, drowning the memories and thoughts that were about to assault him.

"Nothing further from the truth." A proud smile returned to Hange's face, followed by a wink. Levi pushed himself back. He had almost forgotten how carefree and lively Hange could get when they were tipsy. It was almost as if the crazy scientist was back.

"So?" he inquired again.

Hange leaned forward, stretching their neck, and revealing their teeth.

"We found new deposits of iceburst stones."

Levi shrugged, "And? We barely use ODM gear anymore. We don't need those stones to power up the gas cylinders." Just as Hange opened their mouth to begin one of their lengthy explanations, he corrected himself. "Oh, right. We need them for industry and our non-existent railway system."

"And…?"

"What?" he grunted. "You are the one obsessed with Titans and rocks here, not me."

But Hange continued to stare at him decisively, probably biting their tongue to resist the urge of drifting into a monologue of crystals and whatnot. Levi frowned, trying to recall any useful information from Hange's rambles of scientific gibberish.

"Kiyomi," he finally said. "They want the iceburst in exchange for their help."

"Yes!" screamed Hange, lifting their arms and almost spilling some wine in the process. "Ugh! Charles and I were racking our brains for months. We had to figure out a way to administer the current iceburst to fuel the operations and save some for Kiyomi." They gulped down their drink and left the glass back on the desk, mumbling between giggles, "Oh, this is good. This is so, so good."

Levi also left his glass, more annoyed than Hange. "Wait, so you didn't even know if we could pay off Kiyomi's deal in the first place? What the hell?"

Hange placed a finger over their lips. "Shh, yes we did." Their confident tone made Levi even more suspicious. But the straining feeling began to dissipate as they continued, "We already agreed and reserved the quantity. But this? This is our upper hand, Levi."

He blinked several times. He was used to sleepless nights, and alcohol had never had much effect on him, so he didn't have an excuse for his confusion. And still, he gathered the courage to say, "I don't understand."

"We are not going to tell her that we found more deposits," whispered Hange, pausing to read Levi's expression, who couldn't help but let his lips fall ajar. "As far as she knows, the amount in the books is everything we dug in a hundred years. Everything that there is and will be."

"But it isn't."

"But it isn't," Hange repeated. "You've seen how they didn't hesitate to share their technology in exchange for a few of those rocks. Just imagine what else they would give up for a couple more once they've exhausted the first cargo." With a light scoff, Hange poured some more wine into their glass. "This will be our way of securing their trust. Ha! Maybe we could even renegotiate some of the terms from the fifty-year plan."

Levi threw his head back. As long as they had iceburst, Paradis would have Hizuru as an ally. And the more iceburst, the more docile and trustworthy they would be.

But that wouldn't be enough: they still needed the Founding Titan in Paradis. They still needed Zeke and Historia, and there was no way around that. But despite his wishes of revenge and protection, he had to let them go. In the end, it wouldn't be the first time.

Instead of nit-picking on Zeke's involvement, Levi grabbed his glass of wine and signaled Hange to pour some more. Wars were won one battle at a time, and perhaps, after being between swords and walls for so long, they deserved to celebrate every small victory.

"So, what's your plan?" he asked as Hange finished filling his glass.

Hange swayed their head. "For now, we keep Kiyomi in the dark about this. I have the feeling that Hizuru can give us more help than what they offered." They took another sip and looked up to the ceiling with a playful smirk. "We'll see how these diplomatic meetings go before we renegotiate the deal. Maybe they aren't the only nation willing to trade with iceburst stones. And maybe…" They cut themselves off, using their hand to hide a quiet laugh.

"Are you having one of those crazy ideas of yours?"

"Crazy, huh?" they chuckled. "I know it sounds dumb, but maybe this is the way to solve all of this. We can use the iceburst and the Titans to show the world that we are on their side. We can trade our way into peace."

Levi stared at the wine again. No more bloodshed.

"No more wars," he mumbled.

Hange lifted their glass and smiled again. After months of stress and doubts, they were finally happy. And that made him just as happy.

"No more wars," repeated Hange with a cheerful tone. Levi lifted his glass as well. They both toasted, the clink of the rims resounding in the room, asserting their wish.

After they were done drinking, Hange stared at the empty bottle on the desk, playfully rotating it with their fingers.

"Were you even supposed to tell me all this?" asked Levi.

Hange scoffed, their eyes still fixed on the bottle. "After our conversation at the training yard, I realized that it's better if we trust and help each other. Just like before." They took a deep breath and turned to Levi. "You know I value your opinion."

Despite the warmth in his chest, he couldn't help but look down as he mumbled, "Thanks."

"Just… Keep this whole thing between us, okay? Not even Charles's Board knows about it yet."

"Sure thing." He leaned back on the chair, taking a moment to observe Hange's bright spirit. "You know, you keep whining about not being a qualified Commander, but this whole secret scheme reminds me of a certain bushy eyebrowed bastard."

Hange let out a loud laugh. "You really think that?"

With a sigh, Levi passed his finger under the desk. He noticed his heartbeat racing when he saw the filth gliding down to the floor.

"His office was cleaner, though," he grunted, taking out a handkerchief from the jacket's pocket and cleaning his hand.

"Oh, come on! I tried my best today!"

"Tch."

Silence had just begun to settle between them when Hange sighed, "So, are we good?"

Levi nodded, "We're good."

"I'm glad," they smiled and stood up, bending towards one of the lower cabinets. Levi followed them with his gaze as they pulled out another wine bottle and a corkscrew. "Anyway, how is it going with your new roommate?"

Levi couldn't help rolling his eyes. Just because Hange trusted him, it didn't mean that trust was extendable. Their agreement was still very much present.

"I haven't seen her for a week."

"Really?" they hummed, uncorking the second bottle. "I haven't seen her either. So, she either chickened out, or she's working her fingers to the bone."

"Knowing her, I bet it's the latter one."

"Yeah, she's dedicated. I'll give her that." Hange left the corkscrew on the table and poured even more wine in their glass. "Can I ask what the deal is with you two?"

"No."

"At least I tried." Hange tilted the bottle in his direction, offering more drink, but he declined with a gesture. And he wasn't sure whether it was wise of Hange to keep drinking.

"And you?" asked Levi.

Hange sat back on the chair with a sigh, "Me what?"

"Do you have… someone?"

Hange grabbed their glass, gently swaying it as they frowned. "If you are trying to make some Titan-lover joke, please don't."

"Well, you and Shadis…"

Hange talked over him, "Okay, I think I prefer the Titan-lover joke." After taking a few gulps of wine, they made a gesture and asked, "Since when do you care about that stuff anyway?"

"You were the one who told me to listen to gossip more often."

"But I didn't expect you to start a whispering campaign."

Levi cleared his throat, "I'm just curious."

"About what, your comrade's love life?"

Levi stared at Hange drinking, the light above them glaring on their glasses. Even if they had stopped fighting for their lives against the Titans, the fear of closeness, of having another coffin with a fellow friend inside, was still there. But, unlike before, it didn't seem impossible to let go.

"We never talked about it." With a quieter voice, he added, "We were always too busy fighting. Or mourning."

"Oh, well, sorry to disappoint you. I'm afraid I don't have a teenage sweetheart, now a reformed criminal, drooling over me."

Levi played along, clicking his tongue. "That's a shame. It's an interesting experience."

"I bet it is," they snorted. "Let's just hope she doesn't try to kill you like she tried with the other one." With their words, Levi blinked several times in confusion. Hange stretched their neck with a smirk as they continued, "Oh, didn't she tell you? She tried to stab the hubby with that pointy thing of hers."

Levi shrugged. Hange's games of provocation had grown weak on him, even more so when alcohol was the sole trigger.

"Seriously? You are not even a bit surprised?" they growled.

"That someone who grew up in the Underground tried to kill an asshole that was annoying her? Not really."

"But it's not like her life here didn't follow a trail of blood either. No wonder why Zachary and Nile are shit scared of her," said Hange, adjusting their glasses. A vague question came out of Levi's lips when Hange interrupted, "And you know what the worst thing is? Deep down, everyone knew that there was something off about her and Asbel, but no one questioned it because it worked, right? He was the charming, golden Prince, and she ruled Stohess like fucking clockwork." They moved their glass closer to their lips, whispering over the rim, "The whole thing was… perfectly convenient."

Hange gulped down the remaining wine. Levi had lost count of how many glasses they had finished, but he didn't have it in him to stop their drunk ramble. It was giving him more insight on Chief Lhant than any high-class gossip ever could.

Hange let their arms fall back and stared at the ceiling for a quiet moment.

"I'm not sure if I'm mad at her for lying to me, or at myself for being part of that wheel," they finally said.

Seeing their distant expression, Levi felt the need to intervene, "You didn't know."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever." With a quieter voice, they added, "I should've known."

Levi recognized that look on Hange's face. He had seen it many times. Most recently, in the twilight of the training courtyard, remembering their fallen comrades in Shiganshina. It resembled what he hated the most: guilt and regrets.

They sat up and scoffed, "Come on, you know her. How did she do it? How did she keep a straight face every day while she lied to everyone above and below? Because I sure as hell wouldn't know how."

Levi could feel time stopping, with Hange judging every single breath of his, waiting for a sign that would make him stand out in that frozen portrait. He could understand why she had kept quiet for so long, hiding in fear. He could see why she had stayed with Asbel in the name of a former closeness. But he couldn't comprehend how her lying habits had followed her all the way to Yormgen.

So he replied with the truth.

"I don't know."

"Not even you, huh?" Hange tsked, shaking their head. "I swear, those two are the most fucked up people I've ever met. And what I can't believe is that after everything that happened, they still got the best part of the cake! They aren't hanging from a noose or rotting in jail." Hange paused, clucking their tongue. "No, Stohess is back at her feet, and he still has us eating from the palm of his hand. That's just how fucked up and smart they are."

Unlike before, Levi's suspicion made him instinctively interrupt them, "Hold on—"

But an unannounced creak from the door was faster and louder. Levi and Hange turned their heads towards it, only to find Sophie confidently stepping into the office.

"People usually knock first," grunted Hange.

Sophie hummed with a sneer and used her foot to close the door behind her. Levi scanned her, a cautionary way to assess whether she had heard any of their conversation. But her walk towards them was clumsy and tired, oblivious to their presence. Her wide, mustard-colored pants and white shirt were wrinkled and worn-out. An old, blue rag acted as a headband, pushing her hair backward and revealing baggy, darkened skin under her eyes. Just like when she had left the Central Building, her hands held a large stack of brown folders and papers, tightly pressed against her chest like she was protecting something. Herself, or the documents?

Before reaching the desk, she stopped. Her eyes switched back and forth between the glasses and bottles of wine. But before Levi could clarify, she rolled her shoulders and continued walking.

"Am I interrupting something?" she asked, her gaze briefly returning to the wine.

"Would you apologize if you had?" said Hange, crossing their arms.

"No, not really," she sighed.

Hange swayed their head as they jeered, "Then no, Sophie. You weren't interrupting anything."

Levi observed their exchange in silence, still too tense from both the previous conversation and Sophie's unannounced presence. She stared at the two occupied chairs and, without waiting for anyone's invitation, she sat at the Commander's seat.

As Hange babbled a complaint, she put the heavy stack of documents on the desk and pushed it towards them.

"There you go," she said. "Updates from Armory regarding the equipment. The folders are the blueprints and reports from Civil."

"That's…great, but I don't—"

"There's a copy on Charles's desk along with the prototypes. I thought you would appreciate it too since you are both teaming up for the railway system."

Hange spread the documents over the desk, flipping them around as they placed their glasses over their head.

"You brought this all the way from Stohess?" they asked, frowning as they scanned the documents. Suddenly, they lifted their gaze. "Wait, how do you know about the railway?"

"Pretty much everyone except the Juniors and me is assigned to it in some way. What do you think frustrated engineers talk about during lunch, Hange?"

"I thought you always ate at your office."

"It's called socializing. You should try it," she replied, taking out a rectangular, metal box from her trousers' pocket. She placed the case on the desk, the shimmer above highlighting the carved, intricate pattern on its surface. And as she opened it, it revealed a set of cigarettes and a silver lighter inside.

"Don't smoke here," said Levi almost instantly.

"Where did you get that?" asked Hange, placing their glasses over their nose again.

With the cigarette between her lips, she replied, "Charles's desk."

Sophie turned on the lighter and brought it closer to the cigarette, the embers on the tip brightening with her breath.

"So you stole it," they pointed out

"He stole my job."

A cheeky smile appeared on Hange's face. "Is it stealing if it was never truly yours?"

Levi leaned forward, tensing up as he feared Sophie's reaction to their words. But to his surprise, she simply used two fingers to remove the cigarette from her mouth, slowly exhaling a fine stream of smoke towards the Commander.

"Hange, I've had a single-digit number of hours of sleep this week. You do not want to test me."

"Relax, I was just kidding," they coughed, shaking their hand to dissipate the fumy air surrounding them. "That smoke is clouding your judgment. So how about you put that out, huh?"

Sophie used her elbow for support as she leaned forward. "I delivered those projects after working with whining, baby engineers who can't put two and two together when I barely have clearance to go get sandpaper on my own. So yes, I will relax. But with this cigarette. Thank you."

Instead of focusing on their hazy confrontation, Levi stared right into Sophie's eyes. Beyond that veil of smoke and bitterness was just a frustrated, exhausted woman. And Hange's petty drunkenness was dangerous enough.

Hange grabbed the empty bottle of wine and slid it towards Sophie, signaling the cigarette. Sophie tapped its tip on the rim, but not all ashes fell inside the bottle.

"Next time you wonder why he is the one sitting his ass on the uppermost floor and not you, remember this," grunted Hange, leaning back on the chair. "It's because he is nice."

"Yeah, nicely useless," she remarked, taking another puff of the cigarette. "We both know he is there because his family is the only aristocracy Zachary tolerates."

" Because they are nice."

" Nice doesn't work," she replied. "And if he were so nice, he would give me the team that I asked for."

"Like what?" said Levi.

Sophie blinked several times and frowned. "What what?"

"What team do you want?"

Hange turned to Levi with a worried expression, and Sophie's gaze switched back and forth between the pair. Just because he wasn't as involved in their department, it didn't mean that he didn't want a compromise between the two.

Sophie uncrossed her legs and leaned back on the chair. "Charles's whole organization is just a blunder. He thinks putting all the Seniors together will speed up things, but they end up getting stuck in minor, time-consuming tasks that the Juniors could easily do, which also helps them gain experience." Sophie paused and traced the outline of the wine bottle's base with her fingertip. "I only need a couple of Seniors as Head Engineers to show those kids how it's done while I coordinate the rest."

Levi turned to Hange, looking for their reaction to the same display of knowledge he had witnessed in Yormgen. And he could almost see what they were thinking written over their lips: Fucked up and smart.

Hange took a deep breath. "All right, I'll take a look at your reports and ask him to reconsider."

"Seriously?" scoffed Sophie.

"Of course! That's what friends are for," they smiled with bitterness. "Talking about friends, this is the first time we've all been properly together. Right, Levi?"

"Right," he gulped.

"Maybe it's finally time to settle that old bet of ours, don't you think, Sophie?"

Sophie took another puff of the cigarette, her eyes fixed on Hange, full of defiance.

"No."

"Come on, don't be such a sore loser!" Hange's smile widened with every playful tap of their fingernails on the board. "We are here, in Trost, surrounded by empty bottles of wine. Just like that night!"

"No."

"Oh, yes," they mocked and bent their neck towards Levi. "And we finally got shorty to join us. This is simply the perfect time for this."

He knew he shouldn't give in to whatever crazy scheme Hange had in mind. But he had had enough of the mockery, the alcohol, and all those damn secrets.

"What the hell are you talking about, Hange?" he growled. "What is that Trost thing?"

Hange smiled, "I'm sure Sophie will love to explain it."

"No."

Levi observed Sophie's impassive stance, frozen like a statue. Her neck and collarbones were so tense that she didn't seem to be breathing anymore. The only thing giving her some sense of liveliness was the thin stream of smoke from the cigarette in her hand.

In contrast with Sophie, Hange rested on the chair, their elbow over the top rail. They seemed more relaxed than ever, but it wasn't the alcohol's doing anymore.

"Very well, then I will explain it," they said, turning to Levi. "Do you remember that couple that tried to fly over the Walls with that big balloon? The one that technically exploded mid-air and burned them alive?" Before Levi could open his mouth to reply, Hange turned to Sophie instead. "Oh, by the way, we later found out that Reiss had sent some Military Police to slaughter them, but you probably knew that already, didn't you?"

"I did," she muttered, her mouth barely moving.

"Okay, so what about them?" asked Levi, not letting Hange follow that route of resentment.

"Miss Lhant over here… Or were you a Missus at the time? Please, refresh my memory."

"It doesn't matter."

"I would say it does," they noted, swaying their head with a hum. "Anyway, back then, Engineering wasn't allowed to build anything that could lift off the ground more than a few centimeters. For safety reasons, they said. But Sophie swore she could get the original blueprints of that balloon system and reconstruct it."

"Really?" asked Levi, frowning as he observed Sophie obliviously smoking her cigarette, her eyes fixed on the drops of wine staining Hange's glass.

" Really, " replied Hange instead. "She was so sure about it, and I was so sure that she wouldn't manage it, that we decided to bet on it." With a scoff, they turned to her. "Seriously, Sophie. As if I hadn't annoyed the hell out of those engineers about it already."

"I wasn't Chief back then," she said, gritting her teeth. "And when Asbel found out I was looking where I shouldn't, he very politely ordered me to stop and behave ."

"Excuses, excuses, excuses," chanted Hange, waving their arms. "You lost, so come on. Pay up."

"But what did you two bet?" asked Levi, confused. "Hange?"

No one of them heard their question. Or at least, they pretended not to. Levi became reduced to a distant witness of their silent dispute. Hange's cheeky smile towards Sophie showed their teeth in an expectant yet menacing way. She remained impassive, crossing her legs once more without daring to take another smoke of her cigarette. But the atmosphere in that office became stuffier with every second that passed.

"Hange asked for embarrassing stories about you from our time in the Underground," she finally said.

Levi slowly turned on their seat towards them, the chair's wood loudly creaking in response. But Hange's attention was fixated on Sophie, although not with a smile anymore.

"You asked her what?" he seethed.

Hange clicked their tongue. "Oh, come on. I needed to tease you with something else than clean-freak jokes."

"Well, there aren't any stories." With his words, Sophie let out a loud snort. He turned to her and repeated, "There aren't any."

"There has to be. Otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed," said Hange. "Come on, Sophie. Honor your word."

With one swift motion, Sophie smashed the tip of the cigarette against the bottle's rim, ashes falling and sliding over its contour. The sight elicited a cold sweat on Levi, but before he could complain, she dropped the stub inside the container.

"You are gloating," she argued, stretching her neck.

The silence became just as heavy and musty as the air. Levi wasn't sure whether Sophie was judging or insulting Hange. But he also didn't know whether Hange was teasing Sophie or trying to make her crumble.

"I'll give you the airship project."

With Hange's words, something changed. Sophie's eyes were no longer narrow and tired. They slowly opened to reveal a bright spark in their pupils. Probably a reflection from the lamp above her, but to Levi, it seemed like something else. It was the same spark he had always seen in her down at their den's basement, the one he had referenced in Yormgen. But at that moment, it scared him more than their little bet.

"What airship project?" Sophie asked, slowly leaning forward.

"It's the next step after the railway. It's called a dirigible. Like that couple's hot air balloon, but larger," they explained. "Tell me that story, and it's all yours"

Levi attempted to intervene, "Sophie…"

But Hange was faster. "What? Would you rather let Charles keep you counting bricks day and night? We both know you are better than that." After a tense pause, they added, "It's your choice."

Levi knew what hanging from a single, tight rope felt like. And he could feel that someone was about to fall.

Sophie stood up, the chair slowly and loudly screeching against the parquet floor. Using her hands as support, she leaned forward over the desk. Hange rolled their shoulders and took a deep breath, indifferent to her menacing stance. Levi's heart pounded against his chest, rising until it got stuck in his throat.

Sophie opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Instead, she used one hand to slide the bottle of wine standing between her and Hange to the side.

"Yes, I am better than that," she said with a quiet, harsh voice. "But you clearly aren't, Hange."

"Excuse me?" they scoffed with bitterness.

"First of all, I don't negotiate in-between drinks. It's just a personal preference," she said, her right cheek lightly trembling with her forced smirk. "Second of all, I believe my word doesn't hold much honor around here anymore. So, honestly? I don't give a damn about that bet. And lastly, you wouldn't have asked me to come back if things weren't truly fucked around here. Which, by the way, they are. So, given the circumstances, this little power-play of yours is rather pathetic."

Hange imitated her threatening posture, barely whispering, "You and I have very different definitions of pathetic."

"If you are ever in doubt, just take a look at those railway system plans," she replied instantly, with no doubt or shakiness in her voice. "You and Charles can assign me to fix every toilet in Sheena, but if you care the least about Paradis, you know who the right person to sit their ass on the uppermost floor is. So the choice to make here is more yours than mine."

Without giving Hange a chance to counter-attack, or just even reply, Sophie stretched her back and walked around the desk, heading towards the exit. Levi didn't dare to watch her leave. Instead, the only sign that she was gone was the loud bang closing the door.

The brief stream of incoming air had managed to dissipate some of the smoke in the room, but he still found it hard to breathe. And his eyes were too wide open to switch his attention to Hange, in search for an explanation of their conduct.

Then, the door opened again, and Sophie glided between Levi's and Hange's seats, only to bend over towards the desk and grab the metal cigarette case on it.

"Excuse me," she chanted, right before leaving again with a louder slam of the door.

And that second blast was enough to awaken Levi's senses again.

"What the hell was all that about?" he seethed at Hange.

Hange stretched their legs and reclined on their seat. "It's what some call killing two birds with one stone ." They bent their neck, looking at Levi with more satisfaction than when he had arrived. "We secured Kiyomi and Sophie today."

Taking a closer look at their attitude and position, he also realized that Hange wasn't as drunk as when Sophie had arrived. Not on alcohol, at least.

"You were just testing her, weren't you?"

"Yep," they replied, moistening their lips. "She didn't sell you off for her dream project, which is nice. Her speech was unnecessarily rude, though."

"Given how much you've pissed her off, I think it was fitting."

"The feeling is mutual," they scoffed, grabbing a folder from the desk and flipping the pages inside. "At least I'm glad that bringing her back was the right choice. This is…impressive."

"So you are going to give her that project?"

"I'll see what Charles says first." Hange exchanged the folders, frowning as they scanned the content. "Most likely yes, but I still want to keep her in check like Zachary asked a bit more. She really needs to chill before she starts gouging everyone's eyes out again." With a swift move, they placed the documents back on the desk and reclined on their seat. "I trust that you will help me out with that, right?"

Levi rolled his eyes and growled, "Sure."

He stood up and headed for the door, but Hange interrupted him, "Leaving already? I still have another bottle."

"No, thanks." Levi turned to Hange and taunted them instead. "I have to make sure she doesn't start gouging everyone's eyes out."

He found her standing next to the row of arched windows in the hallway. Hanging her head, the light from the gleaming lamps barely shone on her.

His footsteps resounded in the empty corridor as he approached her, and Levi could distinguish a faint tap of her fingernails on the metal cigarette case. At least, it was still closed, no roll between her fingers.

Levi leaned next to Sophie and crossed his arms with a grunt. "Hange was drunk."

Sophie scoffed, "You don't say."

"They were just—"

"Playing with me? I know. But I don't think that's going to help them in the long run." Sophie used her thumb to open the metal case, but Levi placed a hand over hers. She tilted her head, and he got a clearer view of her tired, pale face, even the tiny, red patches in the corner of her eyes.

"A smoke won't help you either," he mumbled.

Sophie raised her hand holding the case and clamped it closed, Levi's fingers gently slipped away from her wrist as she left the box on the window's ledge.

"I'm just so…tired," she whispered, looking down. "I get it. I fucked up. Big time. Many times . But I'm here now, and I want to make it right." Her voice began to crack as she added, "You know I want to make it right."

"I do know," he assured her, resting his hand on the ledge, right between the cigarette case and her back. "But to them, it seems more like you want to make Engineering right. "

"Because that's the only thing I can do," she hissed. Her eyes were still fixed on the wooden planks of the floor, arms crossed. And the blue headband could barely keep the brown hair strands away from her face.

Levi moved closer to her, slowly wrapping his arm around her back. With the gesture, he could see Sophie's armor of bitterness slowly fade away.

"I have the experience. I have the knowledge. If they could just…" she cut herself off and lowered her voice. "Trust me."

"Give it some time."

Sophie shook her head and scoffed, "No, it's not a matter of time. That's not how this place works." She took a deep breath and threw her head back, finally revealing her helpless frustration. "Everyone always pushed me to be better, faster, and smarter. I delivered, and they all praised me for it. But now that the truth is out, they all wash their hands before pointing at me." Sophie turned to him, a light, fake smirk on her face. "You should've seen how they humiliated me when I arrived at the Central Building."

As he remembered the cruel words from that cold hallway, he tightened his grip on her arm and brought her closer to him. Sophie followed, resting her head over his shoulder. He noticed her breathing, the rising and falling of her chest. She slowly looked alive again.

"I don't know about the others, but Hange cares about you. They just don't want you to lose yourself because of this," he said.

They remained silently embraced in that dark, empty corridor. Even though Hange's office was a few steps away, it felt more distant than ever.

"I'm not so sure about that," she said, pressing her head more against him. "The only thing I want is to not go back to where I started. I don't want to be anyone's slave anymore."

Instead of replying, Levi continued to hug her, wishing he had words to say, but his brain was too focused on understanding her. Was that the force that had fuelled her lies for a decade? An endless pursuit of power, a quest for control over a life that had always followed someone else's path. A toxic protection of herself, of whatever could make her important and irreplaceable to everyone else.

Distant footsteps began to resonate over the hallway, and before Levi could even acknowledge it, Sophie glided away from his embrace. She hid herself behind the arched column contouring the window. And just a few moments later, Levi could sense a pair of soldiers passing by, obliviously chattering, but not with hurtful intents like the last time. And yet, he didn't even bother to check which division they were or scold them for the noise. He was too focused on the shadow standing in front of him.

"Maybe you should go back to where you started," he breathed out. "Maybe you should go back to where you truly started."

Author's Note

Uh oh.

This chapter is titled "Bloodstain" because wine and blood are probably the hardest stains to remove from clothes, especially white ones. Sort of like trust, right? Once you tarnish that, it's hard to return it to its original state. And that's also how Hange feels towards Sophie, no matter how good she is at her job. But then again, there are no saints in Paradis.

In any case, Hange should be worried about who they are giving the keys to the kingdom to.

The next chapter is actually rather...fluffy? "Big" reveal included. Some of the clues are in earlier chapters, though.

Also, shout-out to PrettyxVenom99 for her amazing insight into neo-colonization and development rhetoric. It's a surprise tool that will help us later.