Work Text:
Hange was making her way to her office when a noise caught her attention from inside a passing door. She peeked inside the already opened door and made her way over to the source of the noise. She looked under the desk.
“UUAAH!” Hange looked down into wide set, staring, bulbous, unblinking eyes. A cat gazed back up at her. A scruffy looking thing with a face that could only be described as one thing; disconcerting. It’s lower jaw slightly protruded so that it’s teeth over lapped and remained visible and it’s nose was practically flat to it’s face, which somehow made the eyes more pronounced. Looking into it’s eyes for long periods of time would surely cause unease. “This cat… it’s… ADORABLE!” She picked it up and held it out in front of her. It’s large, round eyes looked back at, it meowed, it’s tongue slightly poked out as it’s head cocked to the side considering her. Hange did the same.”Hmm? Are you lost?” She looked out the open window where it must have entered. “You’re a long way away from the town if that’s where you came from.” She considered the cat in her arms. “Maybe… you’re in a need of somewhere. I could take you in.” She grinned excitedly. “Hey, what do you think? Would you like to stay with me?”
The cat made a small ‘Merp’ noise which Hange took as confirmation.
“I knew it! Come on, let’s introduce you to the others.”
Hange found Eren, Armin, Mikasa and the others all sitting together where they had just finished eating.
“Hey! Everyone! Look at this cute cat I found!”
Their attention turned to her and the ball of fur in her arms. The cat’s face was hidden at first, curled in on itself.
“Aw, don’t be shy.” Hange said as she held it up towards the others.
“Aaaaaahhhhhh!” They all screamed.
“What is it!?” Jean shouted pointing at it.
“It’s looking into my soul!” Connie and Sasha screamed in unison, clinging to each other as they stared horrified into it’s haunted eyes.
Armin looked at it nervously.
“It’s stare is somewhat… unnerving.”
Mikasa just stared at it.
Eren nervously approached it.
“Hange… Where did you even find it?”
“He was in my office, climbed in through a window. It must have been fate that brought him to me, no?”
“He might already belong to someone though.”
“Hm, you think so?”
“Who would want something so horrifying?” Jean asked.
“Hey! Be nice. It’s cute.”
“That’s your standard for cute?”
Eren took a better look at the cat and it looked back.
“I suppose, it is kind of cute. What’s its name?”
“Oh, I hadn’t thought to name them.” She thought a moment. “What about Allen?”
“Allen?”
Hange smiled.
“Yes, it has the meaning ‘handsome’.”
He reached out slowly to pet it.
Eren’s hand had barely touched Allen when it freaked out and lunged at him, clawing at his face.
“Aaah! Oh God! Get it off!” Eren yelled as he tried to pry Allen off.
“Eren!” Mikasa tried to help but Eren was moving too much.
Connie and Sasha were crying as they watched.
“It’s eating his face.”
“What a terrible way to go.”
“Allen!” Hange managed to pull the cat away and it settled back down in her arms.
“I’m sorry, Eren, I don’t know what came over him.”
Eren covered his face with both hands, tears in his eyes from the sting of the scratches on his face.
Hange backed away slowly.
“I’ll let you get that looked at. We’ll get out of your way.”
She tsked Allen.
“Bad kitty. Eren was just trying to be nice.”
“Mrow.”
It looked up at Hange with it’s huge eyes and she melted.
“Oh, I can’t stay mad at you~ Come on. I’ll show you around.”
On her way through the barracks, heading back towards her lab she came across Levi who was sitting and reading, a cup of tea in hand.
“Hey, Levi.”
“No.”
She rolled her eyes.
“I don’t want anything. I want to introduce you to Allen.”
Hange held Allen up right in front of Levi’s face.
He didn’t look up immediately, choosing to ignore her.
“Levi.” Hange whined.
He sighed and flicked his eyes up, meeting Allen’s bulging eyes. He stared at it.
“What the hell is that?”
“It’s a cat. I called him Allen. Isn’t he cute?”
“That has got to be the ugliest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.”
“He is not take that back.”
“Hange, I’ve seen better looking titans.”
Hange cuddled Allen to her.
“Allen doesn’t need to hear this. Come on, Allen.” She marched off with Allen under her arm.
Levi had already returned back to his book and didn’t notice Allen look back at him curiously.
***
Hange placed Allen down on her workstation and scratched it’s head. Allen purred and headbutted her hand.
“Don’t worry, Allen. I think you’re cute. You can stay in here with me while I work.”
For the most part Allen curled up on the desk and slept quite soundly but as Hange became consumed by her work, he became bored. Allen eyed some glass vials that sat by the edge of the desk. Hange was too busy to notice Allen sit by them seemingly innocently, tail hanging over the edge of the desk, wagging back and forth before reaching out a paw and pushing them off, smashing them and the contents spilling all over the floor.
Hange’s head snapped up at the crash and before she could say or do anything Allen suddenly started to knock everything off of the desk, jumping when he made a loud bang and even shredding up some papers.
“UWAA! ALLEN!” Hange tried to catch some books that he had knocked off in his sudden destructive freak out.
Her shrill shouting made him jump, his back arching and his fur standing up, hissing at being admonished.
Hange picked up everything she could and looked forlornly at the things that were ruined. She stood to tell Allen off but when she looked around he was gone.
“Allen?”
She looked under the desk and behind the stacks of books. She looked to the open door. She stepped out into the corridor.
“Allen? Where did you go? I’m sorry for yelling.”
Allen didn’t answer.
Hange sighed.
“I should go find him and apologise.”
She headed back outside and saw Eren and the others still together. Eren now had plasters all over his face.
“Hey! Everyone!”
Eren looked nervously around Hange.
“Has anyone seen Allen? He ran off.”
Connie shared a look with Sasha.
“Y-you mean it’s loose?”
“I think I scared him and he ran out of my office. Did he come this way?”
Eren shook his head.
“Sorry, Hange, haven’t seen him.”
Hange dropped her gaze.
“I see. Well, let me know if you see him.”
Hange ended up looking all over and was unable to find Allen. Maybe everyone was right and he did have an owner and he had gone back home.
The day was getting on and she finally decided to give up, resigning herself to having lost Allen for good.
“I would have at least like to have said sorry.” She said as she dragged her feet back towards her office. On the way she passed the small mess hall, she looked in as she passed and did a double take.
Levi sat at the far end, legs crossed and in one hand was holding a cup of tea, aimlessly looking into the distance as his other hand was slowly stroking Allen who was perched on the table, lapping at a small saucer.
“Eh?” Hange blinked a few times to make sure she was seeing things right before walking towards them. “Allen? Is this where you’ve been this whole time?”
Allen spared her a glance before going back to the saucer, purring happily. Hange looked closer and saw that it was filled with tea.
She looked at Levi.
“I thought you didn’t like him.”
Levi took a sip of his tea before putting his cup down and standing.
“He’s an ugly bastard but he seems to have good taste when it comes to tea, so I guess he’s not all bad.”
Allen murped as Levi gave him one last pat before leaving. Hange stood speechless staring after Levi then looking back down at Allen. She slumped down into the chair Levi had vacated.
“Well… who knew you were a little charmer, eh?” She scratched behind Allen’s ears. “You still mad at me?”
Allen continued to lick clean the saucer before licking himself.
“I guess not. You know you’re going to have to tell me how you managed to sway Levi into actually liking you. Words of wisdom though, he might try and bathe you at some point.”
Allen stretched out his front paws and yawned.
“Hm. It is getting late. I take it you’re sticking around then?”
Allen butted their heads together affectionately.
“Good, I’m glad.”
She picked Allen up into her arms.
“Come on, you can sleep on the bed if you like.”
Allen rubbed his face against hers.
“Seriously though, you’re going to have to tell me what you pulled with Levi. I think I might need to take some notes from you.”
“Mrow.”
“Not telling, huh? Well, I guess we’ll just have to see if you can keep it up tomorrow. You sticking around that long?”
Allen was already half asleep and purring loudly.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”