Chapter Text
Levi was finishing off some last minute paperwork in the night when a familiar pattern of knocks sounded on his door.
“Come in,” he said, knowing very well that only one person would bother to come over to his room in this time.
The door opened and Hange appeared, still in her military uniform, the commander’s bolo tie hanging loosely around her neck.
“Prepared for tomorrow?” she asked as she closed the door behind her.
“I had packed up yesterday itself,” Levi replied, gathering the papers and tying them up neatly in a cloth folder. “It’s not everyday you get to go to a new continent.”
“It’s strange to see you get excited about something, Levi.”
“Excited… is not quite the word.”
“It’s okay," she smiled weakly, "You don’t have to hide it.”
Hange plopped herself on his neatly made bed and took a deep breath, her fingers brushing the hair off her forehead and hooking it behind her ear. The lamp's yellow light caught in the oily sheen of sweat on her face, darkening the bags underneath her eyes. Levi wondered if the black eyepatch that she strapped on top of her damaged eye was just as uncomfortable as it looked to him.
She was clearly exhausted.
“You look like shit,” he commented, angling his chair towards her, “What are you doing so late at night?”
Hange removed her glasses and threw a hand over her eyes. “Got called in for a last minute meeting with Zackley and the other commanders,” she said thickly, “They wanted a final update before our first trip to Marley tomorrow.”
“I see,” Levi collected his papers and kept them inside the drawer below the desk.
“Done with your paperwork?” Hange asked, “Lucky you. I still have a huge pile of them left on my desk. They just never end. Earlier, Moblit used to deal with those so that I could concentrate entirely on my research, but now, it’s just me and my pen against the entire world. Feels like I’ve lost my right hand.” A humorless chuckle escaped her lips. “I’ve got quite the Erwin package deal, huh? He’d probably have dealt with this mess better.”
For Hange, Erwin, her predecessor, was the ideal commander- and that led her to constantly compare herself to him. Levi did not like that behavior, for he had witnessed the weakness and humanity that Erwin had revealed during his last moments in Shiganshina. However, he had refrained from revealing the truth to Hange, especially after seeing her reaction to Keith Shadis’s intentions.
He felt guilty for not giving her a proper explanation as to why he let Erwin rest, choosing instead, to stay quiet about it and hoping that Hange would somehow understand. To her credit, Hange never questioned him about the events back in Shiganshina. She seemed to trust Levi with her entire soul, and if there were any doubts or regrets, she just kept them to herself.
Taking Erwin’s secret to his own grave was a decision that he was firm in, not just out of the immense respect he had for his former commander, but also to not blemish Hange’s admiration towards him. But seeing the way she struggled to fill his shoes made him wonder if withholding that information was really the right choice. After all, it was her who had to deal with the burnt of the official consequences of his decision- be it taking over the position of the commander or being answerable to Zackley and the other higher-ups about all the things that happened in Shiganshina, including Levi’s choice to bring Armin back to life instead of Erwin.
“Stop thinking about what he would do and start thinking about what you’re going to do,” he muttered, closing the drawer and locking it shut. “The two of you are different people. Don’t force yourself to be Erwin just because you are the commander.”
Hange gave him a blank stare before her lips eased into a soft smile. “You always know what to say, don’t you?”
Levi frowned at her. He wasn’t especially known for his social skills, but then again, he never needed those with Hange. Every time he spectacularly failed to convey his message through words, she understood exactly what he was trying to get across the table. That was one of the many reasons why her presence was so comforting to him.
“Have you packed up your belongings?” he asked, swiftly changing the topic.
“Not yet,” Hange groaned as she sat up. “Please toss in some extra shirts in your bag for me too, Levi. It's only for a few days, so I can make do with yours.”
“Not a chance,” Levi replied drily. “My clothes won’t fit your gigantic ass. Besides, you are the Commander of the Scouts, so don’t you dare look like a slob during an important diplomatic trip.”
She sighed in defeat. “Thought you’d say that.”
Looking at Hange’s tired, slumped form, Levi felt pity grip his heart. He couldn't help but cave in to his concerns over her well-being.
“I’ll help you pack up, if you are so tired.”
Her expression brightened, as if Levi had lifted a part of the heavy burden from her shoulders. “Ah, thank you, I really appreciate the help,” she smiled gratefully at him. “On our way, let’s stop by the kitchen for some tea, like the good old times. How about that?”
With the long awaited Marley trip commencing the next day, Levi knew neither of them were going to sleep that night. Some hot tea sounded good to soothe his nerves, and Hange probably needed that too.
He nodded as he got up from his chair.
“Fine by me.”
By the time the dawn broke the next day, the elite Scout team, including Levi and Hange along with Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Sasha, and Connie, boarded one of Hizuru’s ship en-route to Marley by intercepting it secretly through a small boat, as the ship couldn’t exactly make a stop at Paradis. This transition occurred smoothly thanks to the help of one of the volunteers, who had boarded the vessel earlier from a different location.
Once the Scouts were safely aboard the ship, they were shown to a small suite reserved earlier for them. Levi had to admit he felt nervous to be around so many people who would turn against them in a heartbeat if their true identities as the 'terrifying island devils' were revealed, but he shoved down the discomfort deep within himself and acted as normal as possible.
On the other hand, he could already see Hange’s excitement rising with every passing second. She was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet.
“We’ll reach Marley tomorrow morning. Keep your bags in the suite and you can go explore the ship,” she chirped happily at the brats, “Enjoy your time, but with full caution of course.”
However, after they had left, Levi and Hange stayed back in the suite till late noon, going through various plans, other contingency plans, and backup plans for their contingency plans formulated for all the predicted ways that the trip could go wrong, as well as what to say to negotiate with the Eldian representatives to display the people of Paradis in a better light.
It was around early evening that they exited the suite. After checking in with the rest of the Scouts to see if they were safe, the two of them decided to stand against the railings near the deck. The salty wind ruffled through their clothes, making Levi’s dark blue blazer flutter, and whipping Hange’s hair across her face, messing it up even more than usual.
To Levi’s surprise, Hange had actually heeded his words and dressed well for her standards- in a formal deep maroon coat on top of a crisp white button-up shirt, along with a hat perched on her head. Considering that they did not have the luxury for a change of clothes till they reached Azumabito’s place, Levi approved of her rather neat appearance. It helped that she started taking regular baths after becoming the commander to maintain her professional front in the midst of the council. She had even trimmed her hair shorter to save time in the mornings.
A part of him felt relieved due to the fact that Hange had stopped being the irresponsible person that she was earlier, who seemed to put herself and her comrades' lives in danger with her reckless actions. Being the commander had made her acutely aware of the lives under her jurisdiction.
She had always been good at leadership as a section commander, at the helm of a skilled unit that had one of the highest survival rates. Over the years, Levi had come to know of her caring nature and it was no surprise to him that her subordinates adored her, despite her being quite the slave-driver at work.
From what he could see, Hange was growing into the position and held herself well. It had sobered her up and he should have been happy about it.
Then why did he find himself missing the older Hange?
At times, a sharp sense of guilt would shoot through him seeing her tired self, for he was the reason that she had to take up this heavy mantle. He missed the annoying, wild, unbridled part of her that yelled, jumped and laughed out in joy every now and then.
The arrival of the volunteers from Marley had brightened her up considerably. Levi was silently grateful as he watched her have the time of her life exploring the advanced technology and making new friends. She deserved that happiness and more after all that they had been through.
It was Hange’s idea to infiltrate Marley to set up bases and establish the groundwork for conducting diplomatic talks. I want to understand their perspective of us, islanders, Hange had told him as they returned to Wall Rose on horseback after their talk with Eren and the others, who were building the railroad. If we can appeal to our common humanity, we can establish a connection with them and end this cycle of hatred.
Levi doubted it would be that easy. But they had to begin somewhere if they wanted to stop the inevitable war. And he could think of no one who could execute this grand vision of peace better than Hange. If there was one person who could bring Marley and Eldia together, it was her.
The sun dipped in the horizon where the glittering sea touched the rosy sky. The two veterans stood in comfortable silence next to each other, gazing at the breathtaking sight as the sound of the waves and the breeze gushed through their ears.
“They would have liked this,” Levi said quietly, “All of them.”
Hange gave him a sad smile, knowing exactly whom he was referring to. The weight of the loss of their comrades hung like a dark, heavy cloud over them all the time.
“Yeah,” she breathed in the scent of the sea, “They would have.”