Late December 1998
"Levi!" Hanji cried coming up behind them as they all walked into the cafeteria. "Furlan! Come sit with us today!" She didn't really give either of them a choice as she pulled them along by the arm. Levi dragged his feet and groaned internally and a little out loud. He had been trying to keep his head down and mind his own business. They sat down with the rest of Hanji's friends. It was the last day before Christmas break and he really wanted to not deal with so many people.
"Nanaba invited me to her New Years party." Hanji explained why she had dragged them over her today. "She said I could invite you guys if I wanted."
"Why does she want us to come?" Cenzie asked suspiciously. "She's never spoken a word to me in her life."
"Cause I got her an A- in math,"she explained between bites of her sandwich. "She wants me to come but I don't know anyone else there too so I'm inviting you guys!"
"Well, Imma pass I don't hang with that crowd and have no interest in starting." Cenzie told her.
"Moblit, Nifa?"
"Sure." Nifa shugged. "I might as well go to at least one party in high school."
"Yeah, it sounds fun." Moblit agreed immediately.
"Furlan, Levi?"
"Can't. I already got plans, sorry Hanji." Furlan told her with an apologetic smile.
"Levi?" She prompted again. He had kept his eyes on his lunch tray, childishly hoping it would turn him invisible and he would just be ignored. Hanji nudged him under the table with her foot.
"I don't like that shit." He said in his pasta.
"Come on Levi! It's just a party, live a little!" Hanji whined.
He knew she was going to continue to nag him about this, he knew she wouldn't drop the subject. He met her eyes. He didn't like parties and he didn't like that group. Hitch and Boris were major partiers, at least Marlo wasn't annoying, but he didn't like any of them. He didn't think this was a good idea for Hanji or Nifa and Moblit to go just because Nanaba invited them. "Fine, Hanji." Levi gave in. "I'll go with you."
New Year's 1998
Levi should have just said no. It would have been a much nicer and quieter New year if he did. He didn't like loud noises, messes, people, alcohol, or even celebration. So here he was on the backstairs trying to pretend he was anywhere else. At least it wasn't freezing cold out tonight. Nifa came out and said, "Um, I think it's time to go and I need your help." she said awkwardly. None of Hanji's new friends particularly liked him, which was fine by him. Nifa had just double the amount of words she had said to him in the months since he had met her.
He nodded and gestured for her to lead the way. The house reeked of booze and weed even more now and Levi wanted to gag. Nifa was right, Hanji and Moblit were very drunk. " I called his sister to come pick us up but I think she needs to go home too." She said, gesturing at Hanji who was flailing her arms wildly. God they shouldn't have stayed this late.
"I can take her, it's not a far walk from here." Levi told her. "Let me make a call and then we'll get them." He slipped away to use the phone he had seen near the back door. He had known as soon as he saw her that he was not going to have an easy time getting her back. Levi didn't even bother thinking about pretending or trying to sneak in, opting to just call Hanji's parents instead. He dialed the number Hanji had told him. "Hello?" The voice on the other side asked.
"Its Levi, uh I'm with Hanji–"
"Are you alright?" her mother asked.
"Yes, I'm sorry to bother you. But uh we're going to head to your home now. Do you mind unlocking the door for us? We'll be there in 30 minutes."
There was a pause and a heavy sigh on the other end. "Are both of you sober enough to walk back?"
"Yes ma'am. I'm sober. We'll be fine, sorry to bother you, but Hanji doesn't have her keys."
"Well that's why her jacket's on the table. Yes I'll open the door for you, ring the bell when you get here."
"Yes ma'am sorry to wake you." He hung up and found Nifa and a much too rowdy Hanji and Moblit.
"Great, now we just need to get them out the door." Nifa said. It was like herding cats. When they got one of them to go in the right direction, the other would disappear. Levi regretted and cursed every decision in his life that had ever led him to this point. He ended up just grabbing Moblit and literally throwing him out the door and letting Nifa drag Hanji. Out front Hanji threw her arm around his shoulders. "Leevvii!" she practically slurred.
"Oi Shithead!" Levi grumbled trying to steady both of them as she swayed haphazardly. "Get off, we gotta walk home."
"What! Why?" She said shocked and too loudly. "But we were having so much fun!"
"Would you stop screaming in my ear." He snapped.
"Oh come on," She pushed off of him. "Let's have some fun!" She began to wander off in the wrong direction and Levi grabbed her arm pulling her back towards her house. She stumbled forward too fast and slammed her head into the top of his. "OW!" both of them exclaimed. Then Hanji started to crack up hysterically.
Levi glared at her clenching his fists, trying to resist the urge to punch her. "Fucking crazy ass shithead." He growled, grabbing her arm again and wrapping it around his shoulders and set out towards her home.
It didn't take long before he knew he should have just knocked her lights out. It would have been easier to simply carry her all the way home than to try and half walk half drag her there. She had this uncanny ability to throw her weight in the exact opposite direction as he was mid step causing them both to stumble around hopelessly. At least the cold air had begun to sober her up as they neared her block.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Do I have a choice?" He droned.
"Well, no." Hanji said sheepishly. "Are you some kind of gangster?"
"What?"
"Everyone seems to think you are." She protested.
He rolled his eyes. "You're drunk, we aren't having that conversation."
"But Moblit and Nifa and Floch–"
Levi stopped walking as Hanji tripped at the sudden stop. "Why the fuck was Floch talking to you!" He snarled, clenching his fists.
Hanji was still too drunk to notice his anger. "They all say that you and Furlan are gangster and I shouldn't be around either of you."
He forces himself to relax. "Don't listen to him, Glasses." Levi told her. "I can't believe he was talking to you again."
"Come on Levi! I know you get in a lot of trouble." She continued as if she hadn't heard a word he said.
He figured he might as well answer her. He did kinda owe her that. "I don't want to be like that Hanji. I– you've seen where I live you can't avoid some of that shit but I'm not in a gang."
"Okay good. Because I like being best friends with you." She hugs him tightly around his neck.
"Ugh, let go, dumbass." He grumbled pulling out of her embrace and began to drag her again.
The truth was he hated it. He hated living in the hood. He hated the poverty and the crime. He hated all of it and worked hard to try to keep himself as far away from being associated with most of it as he could. He dressed well, always well fitted neat clean timelessness clothes. His hair is always brushed and trimmed. He spoke well if short and blunt. The only place where this wasn't the case was school work. He didn't like school, he struggled concentrating and he was too far behind at this point anyhow. He occasionally fought when he needed to. But he genuinely hated it all and would much rather just be left alone so he could avoid school and fighting, but school was still better than the hood.
Hanji rambled most of the rest of the way home. The problem was when she started talking she stopped walking and he had finally given up and told her to just hold on and he would give her a piggyback ride home. It turned out that it was much easier to just give her a piggyback ride than deal with her flailing and stumbling and errand elbows to his jaw.
It's 1 in the morning by the time he manages to drag her home. Her mother is the one that opened the door for them. "It's too late for me to get this mad. I don't want to know anything." She told him, not even bothering to look at them, simply leading the way upstairs.
Levi dragged Hanji the final flight of stairs and dumped her in her bed. He dropped down next to her bed. She was heavier than she fucking looked.
Beth handed him a trash bin to put beside her daughter. "Just tell me if there's anything I seriously need to worry about tonight."
He shook his head. "No, Ma'am. Only alcohol. I didn't think that much, I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize for her, it's entirely her fault and she'll feel it in the morning." She sighed. "You are staying here tonight. I don't want you wandering around anymore at this hour."
"Yes, Ma'am." Levi nods from his position sitting next to Hanji's bed. "You should go back to sleep, I'll make sure she doesn't choke on her own puke." he told her mom.
"You need to rest too."
"It's our own fault, let me take care of it. It's the least I can do. I should have stepped in sooner."
"Fine but try to sleep some Levi." Hanji's mother gave in.
He woke up mid morning to find Hanji sleeping beside him on the floor, tangled haphazardly in a blanket.
"Oi dumbass, what are you doing?"
Hanji groaned. "Why so loud?" He huffed at her expectantly, "I felt bad so…"
Levi rolled his eyes. "Go sleep in your bed, you're making yourself feel even shittier."
"No, not fair to you, besides…" she trailed off not finishing the thought. Her head fell back on her folded arms and she passed out again.
He sighed, taking the time to study her the cute way she curled up almost childlike wrapped up in the fleece blanket. He shakes his head, maybe that one drink was stronger than he thought for him to think the way the sun hit her disgustingly tangled hair as anything other than a rat's nest. He pushed himself off the ground and half stumbled to the bathroom. Maybe he did have way too much to drink last night too.
