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Levi was enjoying his usual late evening tea. It was probably his most preferred time as it was all to himself. No one was around as mostly everyone had gone to sleep.
Yes, it was his relaxing time if you could call it that. No work (at least none he had been made aware of), no rowdy brats who keep arguing and making a mess, just peace and quiet.
Taking a sip of his tea, he closed his eyes then inhaled and exhaled as a sign of him finally unwinding after a long day.
*squeak*
He sighed at the sound of the door opening, 'I knew it was too good to be true.'
"What do you want, four-eyes?"
The brunette approached him where he sat. She didn't say anything, so he put down his tea on the table and turned to face her.
She looked rather normal? No, that's not right. Her mouth was in a thin line and her expression gave a neutral look but her eyes screamed, "I need something" and personally he was ready to reject anything she wanted to ask while kicking her out of his space.
"Hange if you don't hurry up and say something, I'll kick your ass out of here."
She waved him off and cleared her throat, "I need your help with something."
'Like that wasn't plain obvious.' He thought. "Hurry up and say it, I don't have time for you to waste."
Looking around, she raised an eyebrow, "You're alone and you're drinking tea. I believe you do have time to waste."
"If you're not going to tell me, then get out."
"Okay okay! Geez, you got shit stuck up your ass or something?"
He glared at her, "I should be asking you that since you keep taking your sweet ass time."
"You think I have a sweet ass?" She asked with a smirk on her face.
"Get out." Replying with a deadpan look.
"Haha, okay I'll stop now, I promise."
He waited for her to speak as he sipped on his tea.
"Well…you see Levi…I have been trying to wrap my head on something lately."
Although she kept prolonging what she wanted to say, he listened nonetheless as he noticed Hange fidgeting which he found rather strange. She was usually a very straightforward person, especially whenever it came to asking him for a favor.
"When two magnetic objects are attracted to each other they are usually polar opposites, like a positive charge and a negative charge. They attract each other. If they were equally alike, they would repel. So what I'm thinking is that it is the same with nature, at least in some aspects. Like with humans, take you and me for example."
"Mhmm."
"Although we have the same desire to help humanity against the Titans, our methods and ways of thinking are very different from each other, yet we seem to get along rather fine, better even if I may conclude."
"Okay we get along, what does this have to do with anything?" Levi said before taking another sip from his cup of tea.
She gave him a very serious look before continuing, "I'm glad you ask, like the magnets, they become one. So what I want is for us two, to become one for the next three or so nights."
Taken aback by her words, he almost spit out all his tea. He put back his cup on the table and grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket to clean any of the tea he spit out on himself.
Once he finished, Levi cleared his throat before looking towards Hange who had a look of curiosity written all over her face.
"What did you say?"
She blinked a few times, "I said I wanted us to become one for the next three or so nights. Levi you really should listen carefully. I was thinking we could do it in my room since it's the furthest from all the rooms and therefore more privacy. Besides, no one would disturb us and most of my notes are over there anyways, so recording and comparing is much easier."
Levi could not believe his ears. Was Hange really asking him what he thought she was asking? The sound of his ringing ears probably made him misunderstand. Hange wouldn't ask that, would she? They have known each other for a long time now but he never thought their relationship would be designated around that.
They had a decent friendship and he wouldn't lie that he did find her rather attractive but never enough to try and risk it by going further than the restrictions allow. Obviously if someone asked him what he thought of Hange, physically wise, he would resort to the default response of her being a complete mess who barely showers. And even with that in mind, he never once found her unattractive. He found her disgusting but not unattractive. He never dared use a different word other than that when thinking about her appearance.
"Shitty glasses…you realize what you're asking of me right?" He said as he got off his seat and stared straight at her.
She blinked a few times but this time in confusion at him. "Yes? We went over this already. Why do you keep asking me the same thing?"
He approached her from where she stood. For some reason, even though she is taller than him, she looked smaller. 'Had she been eating enough lately?'
"Because I don't think you realize the situation you are putting us in by just asking me to "become one" as you put it."
Hange seemed to notice his figure getting too close to her which made her back up. He had no plans of stopping which made her back up all the way until her back hit the wall.
Levi outstretched his arms to each side of her on the wall, giving her no escape. She looked even more confused and gave him a frown that looked more like a pout. 'Cute.' Wait what?
"What are you doing?" She looked at him as she asked.
"I think you need to clarify what you mean because something tells me you don't even understand what you're saying."
Her eyebrows furrowed together as if trying to figure out what he's trying to say. It clearly showed all over her face that she didn't even know what had come out of her mouth.
He decided to help her out. He inched closer to her ear, his hot breath making her shiver as it made contact with her skin. He whispered in a rather husky tone, "If you and I become one , what would the result of that be?"
As he pulled away enough to look at her reaction. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes had widened in size. Then a sudden flash of realization appeared on her face.
"W-what…OH MY- NO!" Levi had a smug look on his face as she covered her face.
"Wipe that smug look off your face, Levi!" Even though she was not staring at him, he knew she could sense it, which only made it all the better for him.
Hange was usually always the one to annoy and mess around with him so it's only fair he does it back once in a while. "It's your fault for wording it that way."
She groaned, "It all makes sense now! I had originally asked Mike about it since he and I are also opposites in a way. He ran away all scared! I had assumed it was because his stupid nose could smell the horse crap that I had stepped on earlier. Oh my ugh!"
Seeing her all embarrassed was satisfying him. Although for some reason it slightly offended him to know that she didn't come to him first like she usually did.
"Do you mind actually explaining what the fuck you meant by becoming one with each other?"
"Agh! It was a metaphor! Like opposite electric charges have to connect with each other to show results, we would be doing so as well! But more on an intellectual level! We become one! Connect ourselves in a way where we put our minds together to understand different methods! I thought if we did that we could come up with an even better way of capturing titans or getting rid of them altogether!"
'Hmm, that actually makes sense.' He thought.
Sighing in embarrassment, she looked elsewhere but him, "I usually like to think of methods on my own and just share the idea instead of cooperating with someone else. That's when I realized that maybe best results could be achieved when two different minds come together. Through that I also figured how titans chase us because they're attracted to us but we repel it by running away or trying to stay as far away as possible meaning that we could possibly be a lot more alike than the opposite."
"The majority of us you mean, because you like to chase after them as if they were giant dogs or something. And what are you suggesting? That humans could be titans?"
She shrugged, "If something like a titan exists, then we can't rule out every possibility."
Rolling his eyes, he looked down to see her twiddling her fingers. He looked up at her face to see it was still red. That is when he realized he hadn't moved from their position against the wall except for a few inches here and there while they spoke.
The atmosphere changed suddenly as the realization kicked in. He froze as he looked at her. Her eyes decided to make a detour back to his face only to freeze as he just did.
Levi felt his face getting warmer and could hear her breathing becoming unsteady. Then all of a sudden moments similar to this in terms of proximity flashed through his mind.
The realization of how close they usually get to each other was never in question as it often wasn't. He knew Hange was someone who never sees how close she gets to someone until the person tells her to move. And usually her moments of crossing those boundaries were during her titan rants. Sometimes during heated tirades.
With him however, it wasn't as often which is why they were memorable. It's as if she always kept her mind straight when being close to him. She never let herself lose it like that around him. And if she does touch him, it's to annoy him and it's usually over as soon as it begins.
Even when they are completely alone in each other's rooms, she seems even more cautious. That didn't stop those memorable moments of being close to her.
What was happening now was different from those other moments because first, it was happening on purpose, second, it was initiated by him and third, they never have gotten this close, at least not one they acknowledge.
And at this moment he didn't know whether to apologize and pull away or ignore his consciousness while seeing where it goes, whatever that means.
"Now tell me Hange," his voice deeper than usual, "do you have to touch me in any way during the moment we become one?"
Her reddish brown eyes stared right at his grayish blue ones with an emotion that he couldn't quite pinpoint. "I- um, L- Levi, you know I didn't mean it that way…" her voice was low and soft, something very unlike her.
He smirked slightly as he said in a husky tone, "I didn't mean it that way, Hange. Now who has the dirty mind?"
Hange's eyes widened, her expression gave a rather shy look to her which he didn't realize she could have. "Y-you! You started it!" Her face was unbelievably red.
She was probably right but he wasn't about to admit that. "It was your lack of explanation. Who asks someone to become one with them and then add on to say it will take place in your room since it's the furthest room away from people so no one would disturb us for the next three or so nights while we do it ."
His eyes followed as she bit her lip, her rather reddish and plump lips…
Shaking his head off those thoughts, he decided now would be the best time to put her out of her misery or so he thought.
Before he could start to move away, she said, "So what if I actually meant that?" It was now his turn to be confused.
"What?"
"What if I actually meant it, for us both to actually become one in my bedroom? On my bed? What of it? Would you have agreed?" Her eyes challenged him and his eyes widened for a split second until he decided to challenge her back.
"Would you have been able to take it if I agreed?" His responses kept surprising her by the look of her expressions and he had to suppress a laugh.
However, she seemed like she wasn't going to back down just yet. "So you would have agreed."
"I didn't say that."
"But you insinuated it."
He raised an eyebrow, "You still haven't answered my question." As he got slightly closer.
"Neither have you." She seemed to also do the same.
"I guess then we won't know. But I will point out that you wouldn't be able to take it regardless."
She snorted, "You certainly are full of yourself, shorty."
"Wasn't it you who praised me for my skills and strength?" He couldn't help the smirk that made its way back on his face.
"On the ODM gear!" She emphasized.
"That doesn't mean I can't use those skills for other activities."
She pursed her lips as her irritation showed on her very red face. Hange was in a losing argument and it satisfied Levi to no end.
"Well, I wouldn't know. Have you used them in other activities before?"
"What do you think?" Her breath hitched as he got even closer. He had won.
"L-Levi…I d-didnt think you did that sort of… stuff ."
"You don't know what I can do..."
Now they were merely millimeters away from each other's face. Their breaths mingled together. The desire was there for both of them. They weren't touching yet they could feel each other being enveloped with just their proximity. Not even their bodies were touching. Not their shoulders, not their arms, not even their clothes, not a single piece of themselves were touching.
And yet the tension had increased immensely. That's probably why they didn't get this close to each other. It's as if their bodies knew that if they got closer, they wouldn't be able to handle it. And maybe Hange noticed it earlier than him. Maybe that's why she always avoided getting too close to him or would quickly withdraw any of her quirky touches.
He remembers when their thighs once touched while they sat next to each other during a meeting. They both ignored that tingle. He ignored it. She avoided him for the next four days after that.
Levi didn't know what this meant. Was it just a physical thing or was it more? He certainly would settle for it being only physical but the ache in his heart said otherwise.
With that in mind, he snapped out of it and flicked her forehead. "Ow! What was that for?" As she rubbed her forehead.
"For having a dirty mind." Then he pulled away, finally increasing that much needed space between them.
They remained silent for the next few minutes.
The air that was once filled with a heavy addicting atmosphere was now filled with awkward silence and a hint of whatever tension that was leftover.
Hange cleared her throat before breaking the silence. "I better go then."
She started heading towards the door, "I agree."
Turning around to face him, "Huh?" She looked at him in confusion with a hint of her cheeks still flushed.
Levi rolled his eyes, "To your experiment?"
Her eyes widened in realization, "Oh!"
"Yeah. We have to do as much as we can to defeat the titans. It's our duty as soldiers. " She became serious as soon as he emphasized the word soldiers.
"That's right. We're soldiers. And we need all the knowledge possible to bring humanity to its rightful freedom." He nodded in response to her while he decided to ignore that weird ache in his chest.
That's right, they are soldiers. And their duties are their first priority.
"Alright! Let's start tomorrow night!" She said as she clapped her hands together before opening the door.
He walked back to his seat to finish his now cold tea.
"Oh and Levi?"
Looking back at her, he waited for her to speak.
"I would be able to take it ." And then she ran out the room, closing the door behind her.
His eyes widened at the realization of her words. Shaking his head, he grabbed his cup of tea, "What a little shit." He mumbled with a hint of a smile before bringing the rim of the cup to his lips and finishing his tea.