Hanji was the first one to discover Dog.

Levi prided himself on how well he kept his secret from the rest of the Scouts. He didn't need anyone knowing he'd unwillingly adopted a puppy. He'd be mocked for weeks, months even! And no, he liked his privacy, thank you. His friends and subordinates could shove off.

They had come back from an expedition late one day, and upon arrival to HQ, Levi had jumped off his horse and promptly collapsed on the ground. He didn't remember much of what had happened, but the hit he'd taken from fighting a particularly tricky titan must have been worse than he thought.

He'd woken the next morning in the med bay, a diligent Hanji reading out of a book by his bed.

"Can't you leave me alone?" He groaned, shifting around.

She idly looked up from her book. "If by leave you alone, you mean leave you in the courtyard on the ground, passed out from jolting your four broken ribs like an idiot, then sure. I'll leave you alone next time." She had the audacity to wink at him, a bright smile lighting up the room.

"What do you want, shitty glasses?" He glared at her.

"Why do you always assume I want something?"

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Do you not?"

"Well no, there is something." She laughed. "I just thought I'd ask. Anyways, so I was walking past your room last night, and I heard something...whining inside?"

Levi froze.

"And I know how you are about your privacy so I didn't go in-what are you doing?" Her rambling was cut off by him attempting to sit up.

"Shut up." He grunted in pain at the protesting in his ribs. It felt like getting sucker punched in the gut but ten times worse.

"What are-why-Levi lay back down!" Hanji sputtered, shooting to her feet. She tried to push him back down, unsuccessfully, as Levi was quite motivated. "This is why you always complain about your body aching. Because you never rest!"

"I didn't ask for you to care!" He hissed at her, sliding his feet off the bed, still fighting off her pestering hands.

The second he put weight on his legs, pain laced through his body, and he doubled over, clutching the bed frame because he knew if he let go he would fall in a heap on the ground.

"Oh my god, will you just let me help you?" Hanji rushed to his side, putting her arm under him, steadying his weight, his weak body. "And you always accuse me of having a death wish, honestly!"

"You do." He grunted, though the jab was only half-hearted. Thinking was a bit challenging as only two things went through his mind. Dog. And pain.

"Will you tell me what's going on? Or are you going to make me force you back into that bed?"

"I need to go to my room." He said, trying to steady his breath. "Now."

"Okay. Let me help you?" Hanji said. "Please?"

"Fine." He shot her another glare.

The two of them set off, Hanji shouldering most of his weight, while he shuffled awkwardly beside her, trying to move his ribs as little as possible. Luckly, the majority of the Scouts were at breakfast and not in the hallways, saving Levi from a fraction of the embarrassment he felt.

A soft scratching sound met them at his closed door.

"If you need, I can leave you-"

"It's fine." He sighed. "You'd probably find out sooner or later."

Her demeanor brightened, and she reached for the doorknob.

"Perfect! I'm glad you feel so trusting!" She smiled.

She pushed the door inward, expecting, and was visibly disappointed when nothing out of the norm appeared.

Then she looked down.

Dog's innocent face appeared, padding out the door, making a beeline for Levi's foot. She sniffed him, and after a reassuring lick on his sock, greeted him warmly with a tongue out, ears up.

"Oh my god! Levi! He's-"

"She"

"What?"

"She, it's a she. I mean Dog, she's a girl." He muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"She's so cute!" Hanji burst out.

Levi whipped his head towards her. "What?" He demanded.

"She's ADORABLE! Here, can you stand up on your own? I want to pet her." Hanji positioned him against the wall for support, and bent down towards Dog.

"Come here girl! Come here sweet thing! Awww you're so cute! Come let me pet you." She cooed, pure glee in her eyes.

If moving didn't hurt him so much, Levi probably would have smacked her for making such annoying noises. "Hanji," He gasped, trying to steady himself against the wall without success. He was teetering, about to fall.

"Oops, sorry!" Hanji leapt up to catch him, saving him from a face-first meeting with the floor. "Let's just take you to your bed, yeah?" She laughed nervously.

"I'm going to end you." He gasped, clutching his stomach for dear life.

"Not if you're asleep." She led him inside the room and to his bed. Dog padded along with them at their feet. "And then who would bug you all the time and tell you about science?"

"I don't want either of those things." He winced, laying down.

"Sure you do." Hanji winked again. "You just don't want to admit it."

He didn't grace her with an answer, instead, glancing around, he spotted Dog's little black nose peeking up from the edge of his bed. She wasn't quite tall enough to reach the top, but that didn't stop her from wanting to be near him.

"Awww look, she's trying to find you!" His friend reached down to pick up Dog. "Here you go pup!" And sat her right down on the bed.

Levi's eyes widened. "Hanji, get her off my bed! Now!"

"But she likes it!" Hanji shot back, gesturing to Dog with both hands.

Dog lumbered up to his face, giving him a lick right across his cheek, and to his horror, part of his mouth.

"Hanji!" He spat, grimacing at the thought of all the disgusting contaminants and germs that had to be crawling around Dog's tongue.

But Hanji was laughing, she was laughing at him.

"Awww this is too good! This is too good! I didn't peg you as a dog guy Levi, but I can see it now!" She bent over, trying to hold her laughter in without success.

"I'm going to feed you to the next titan I come across." He muttered under his breath, closing his eyes.

Dog happily waddled to a spot under his armpit, and, settling down into his blankets, which he was going to make Hanji scrub clean now, rested her little muzzle on his shoulder. She let out a sigh. This was perfect.

Levi cracked an eye open at her. She kept her crystal clear eyes locked on his face, even as Hanji reached across to pet her fuzzy head and back. Her tail wagged lazily.

"How long has she been here anyways?" Hanji asked.

Levi thought for a moment, shifting his gaze upwards. "Two months, give or take a week."

"TWO MONTHS? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"

"No." He replied bluntly.

"But that's so long! And I didn't know-no one knew!" Hanji looked at him, wide eyed. "You were keeping her a secret from everyone?"

"Yes." He replied, closing his eyes. Why was he suddenly so damn tired? "Because I didn't want this to happen."

"What to happen?" Her voice echoed.

"This. You. Freaking out." He mumbled into a yawn. "It's just a dog. I'm not keeping her."

Dog's small huffs of breath were strangely comforting at his side. They made a soft white noise that he started drifting off to. It was a good thing he kept her so clean because if she helped him fall asleep, this sharing the bed thing might not be a one time thing.

"You're giving her away?" Hanji sounded far away, her voice registering deep in his mind.

"...gotta find...owner…" He breathed before giving in and falling asleep.