Levi lay sprawled on the soft mattress, blankets pooling at his feet, eyes on the ceiling. The warmth from the day was still present in the room, the mild breeze flowing through the open window providing some relief, fluttering the curtains softly.
Apart from the muffled sounds outside, it was quiet, silence enveloping him while he lay there in the gloom of the impending night. At some point, his eyes strayed from the ceiling toward the clock on the nightstand. He barely could make out the time. Levi let his gaze wander toward the open window.
Hange was late.
Not that that was a big concern. Not really. Not when there were no titans - not when they were safe and free to do whatever the fuck they wanted. Not when he knew better than anyone else that Hange was capable enough to look after herself and get shit done if needed. Not when she just went to meet some of her colleagues after work. And yet - yet there was this silly spark of worry in Levi's chest, a sensation that often left him breathless, his heart beating a tad too fast and the palms of his hands clammy.
It was stupid. Really.
He had no idea how long he lay there before the front door opened and fell shut again. Muffled footsteps led through the small apartment and up the stairs, and to the bathroom. When Hange entered the bedroom, she was a ghost in the dark in her white nightshirt. Without a word, she padded over to the bed and sat on the end, facing away from Levi.
Levi sat up slowly, a frown spreading his face. "Something wrong?"
A pause.
"No. Nothing's wrong."
Fuck, definitely something wrong.
"Hange, come here."
After a moment of hesitance, Hange slipped into the bed and laid down next to him. She turned to face him. With her forehead pressed against his chest, breathing slowly and deeply, Levi let her cling, the faint scent of alcohol and sweat and something so Hange in his nose. His fingers ghosted across Hange's back, tracing the bumps of her spine. He felt a shiver go through her frame.
"Are you cold?" He asked into the darkness.
"Levi-"
"Hm?"
"It's stupid."
He lifted an eyebrow. "I've heard a lot of bullshit through the years. Can't be worse than that."
Hange let out a long breath. "On my way home, I heard something in an alleyway. It turned out to be a cat. It was still young and badly injured, probably attacked by a dog or something."
Fingers dug into his skin, but Levi didn't move, just listened.
"While I was trying to think of what to do- it passed away. It died just right there while I was holding it. It was as if- " Hange swallowed and pressed a little closer. "It died, and I had not been able to do anything. It was in pain and scared, and there was blood and-" she huffed out a short laugh that sounded almost painful. "It's stupid to be so upset about this, right? After all that we have seen and done-"
"It's not stupid." Levi interrupted her, letting his fingers glide through tangled strands of hair. He felt Hange deflate a little beneath his touch, taut muscles relaxing somewhat. "It's not stupid to feel that way. I fucking hate seeing animals in pain too." He muttered, his fingers ghosting across her shoulder. "It died before you had the chance to do anything, but you showed it kindness in its last moments when there was no one else," Levi murmured.
Hange just stayed silent for a while, taking in his words. The only sounds breaking their quiet were the hushed sounds outside.
"I buried it behind a tree in the nearest park."
"Hm," Levi hummed. "We can pay it a visit tomorrow if you want."
"Yeah," Hange breathed, her fingers tracing the scars across his face. "Yeah, that sounds good."
000
The night air was still warm, a bit clammy even. Hange hummed a song she could not remember the name of while she made her way to Levi's apartment. Everything was so familiar now, the trees on the side of the road, the uneven pavement under her feet, the faded hues of the bricks of the houses she passed. Time went by so fast.
Hange smiled to herself. The outing with a few of her colleagues had been fun. The comfiness of idle chatter washing over her, people with insightful ideas; it reminded her of past times, times now long gone she cherished dearly and always made her a little sad thinking about them. She sighed, pushing down the sting of melancholy. Aside from good food, there had also been wine. Promptly, she stumbled a step, the world around her swaying for a moment. Hange blinked. And yeah, maybe she'd a bit too much. The buzz of alcohol left her feeling cozy and warm. And Hange wondered how long it had been since alcohol had been anything more than just a method to drown your sorrows in, aching and cold and frantic. Years, probably.
Her musings came to a standstill when a noise obtained her attention. Short and high-pitched. Hange backtracked a few steps and slowly rounded the corner of an alleyway where the sound had seemed to originate. She squinted into the darkness, her heart pounding a bit too loud in her chest. At first, she could not make out anything in the gloom, but then she noticed it, curled up next to a few empty boxes: a small creature. When Hange stepped closer, she realized it was a cat. She kneeled, frowning. "Hey there," she whispered. The cat made another quiet sound but didn't move. It was evident that something was wrong here, but there was not enough light to see clearly. Hange reached out a hand carefully.
A shrill sound of distress pierced the calm.
Hange retracted her hand, fingers coming away wet, the warmth and stickiness so very familiar and sickening. The buzz left behind by the alcohol was abruptly gone, leaving the world around her sharp and cold.
