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She’s fallen asleep with her glasses on again. Not only that, but she’s fully dressed, her clothes are stained and dishevelled, and her tangled hair is making a bid for freedom from its ponytail. A small stream of drool trickles down her cheek.
At least she had the decency to fall asleep in the bed this time. Sometimes Levi’s come home late at night, only to find Hanji slumped at her desk, snoring into her latest report on Titan anatomy. Tonight the desk is deserted, both by Hanji and her collection of books and papers: she’s actually had the nerve to move her reading material into the bed with her. It’s scattered all over the sheets and pillows, some of it crumpled and folded, some it piled in a precarious book tower right in the spot where Levi normally sleeps.
Well, then. No sleep for him until he deals with this mess. Damn her: why can’t she be more considerate sometimes? Not that he minds cleaning: it calms him down and clears his brain. It’s just that he’s had a very long day and would benefit from a good long sleep, preferably curled up next to Hanji. And ideally in a clean bed. Curled up next to a clean Hanji.
She rolls over toward the wall and away from him, knocking a couple of books onto the floor in the process. Her glasses crunch softly against the pillows as she turns.
How can she sleep with all that glass and leather on her face? It must dig into her skin sometimes.
Sure enough, he notices a red mark streaking across the bridge of her nose where a strap has been sitting for who knows how long. There’s no way she’s keeping them on any longer. He carefully cradles her cheek in one hand and undoes the buckles at the back of her head with the other. They click, making a faint noise, but Hanji doesn’t even stir. Good. The mission is going successfully so far.
He’s dealt with her glasses, but they’re quite possibly the least of his worries. He’s both physically and mentally exhausted, but he just can’t bring himself to sleep in a bed as messy as this. Working as quietly as he can, he stacks up her papers and books and piles them on her desk, making sure that none of them are arranged in the high, easily knocked over towers that Hanji favours. They’ll have to be properly organized in the morning.
Her clothes prove to be a more interesting challenge. He gets her out of her boots and socks easily enough (Going to bed in boots? How can she live like this? They’ve got dirt all over them!), and with some effort he manages to unbutton her shirt. He’s attempting to get one of her arms out of its sleeve when she begins to stir, muttering something in her sleep.
Dammit! He tries to back off with all the stealth he can muster, but something catches his waist, preventing him from going anywhere. It’s Hanji; she’s rolled over, and her arms are now tightly clenched around his middle. With a contented sigh, she pulls him in close.
This calls for drastic measures. He’ll just have to wake her up now.
“Hanji…” he whispers in her ear “Hanji, get up. You’ve got to get changed.”
“Mmph.”
“Hanji, it’s me, it’s Levi.” He manages to free an arm from her grasp and uses it to shake her by the shoulder. “Let me go, wake up!”
“Nooooo” she mumbles “Stay here, Levi…”
“You’re filthy: what have you been doing all day? You’ve got to get washed.”
“But the bed’s warm… You’re warm…” A hand reaches up and strokes his cheek. She attempts to pull him into a kiss, but he’ll have none of that. At least not yet.
“The bed will still be here once you’ve cleaned up. Now come on, Hanji!” He sits up, pulling her with him. She’s bigger than him (and never stops teasing him about it), but with a little effort, he drags her out of bed. He tries to stand her up, but her knees give way and he’s forced to catch her, draping her arm over his shoulder. Slowly, carefully, he half-carries, half-guides her across their room.
“This way, Hanji. You’re going to have a shower, all right?” He hopes that he sounds gentle and persuasive: he’s never been very good at that, unfortunately.
“A shower?” she perks up, suddenly not mumbling anymore “Will you come in with me?”
Of course she had to ask. “I can, but we’re not doing anything special in there, not tonight. We’re both too tired.”
“You’re no fun, Levi.”
“That’s not what you said to me the other night.”
“You mean last time we had a shower together? You enjoyed it too, admit it.” She plants a quick little kiss on his cheek.
“Yes, I did, I have to admit it. But we can do more of that when we have the energy for it. Look at yourself, Hanji, you’re barely awake!”
“Only because you woke me up in the first place!”
“Because you’re filthy. Now, get in the shower.” Oh no, that sounded too commanding, didn’t it? “Please, Hanji. You’ll feel better once you’re clean.”
“As you wish, little guy.” Hanji slides out of her unbuttoned shirt and strips off her pants. “But I’m not going any further without you: you promised that you’d get in the shower too!”
He can’t argue with her and win, and anyway, he could use a shower. The one he had in the morning feels like a very long time ago. They get in together, enjoying the sensation of warm steamy water running over their skin. The shower stall is a small one, really meant for one person, but there’s something comforting about being pressed together in this tiny pod of a room. It takes a fairly long while to get them both clean enough to satisfy Levi, but, surprisingly, Hanji doesn’t seem to mind staying in the shower longer than usual. Normally she’s in and out of there as quickly as she can.
As soon as she’s out of the shower, Hanji can only focus on getting back to sleep. Without a word, she haphazardly drapes an oversized shirt over her shoulders and lurches off in the general direction of the bed.
“Hanji, wait! You haven’t dried off properly!”
“Oh, does it matter? I’m tired, Levi!”
“It always matters. Get back here, you.” He helps her out of her shirt and envelops her in a towel, pulling her close as he dries her off.
“Hmmm, that feels nice.” She leans down and kisses his forehead. He feels a hand running through his hair. “But you’re still wet too. Let me dry you off, sweetheart.” She transfers the towel to his back and wraps it tight, pinning his arms to his sides.
Suspicious… Before he can do anything else, she lifts him clean off the ground, cradling him in her arms like a small child.
“Hey! Hanji! Put me down! What do you think you’re—” Hanji kisses him hard on the lips. Nothing wrong with that. He returns the kiss, opening her mouth with his tongue. Oh, that’s wonderful. She tightens her grip around his middle, bringing her own tongue into play. Oh, damn, this again, this is good, yes…
Without breaking away from their kiss, she carries him across the room and lowers him into the bed. He gently pulls away from her, his breath coming in long, deep gulps. Hanji looks down at him in what would be a romantic gaze if she weren’t squinting.
“I can’t see you properly right now: where did you put my glasses?”
Took her that long to notice, did she? She must be really truly exhausted then. “They’re on your bedside table. But if you’re just going to sleep, why are you putting them on?"
“Right as usual, my small angry clean man,” she sighs, deliberately not picking up her glasses. “Sleep well, Levi, I love you.” Hanji crawls into bed next to him and rolls over. It’s only a matter of minutes before her breathing slows and she drifts off.
Finally the bed and the person lying in it are clean enough that he can bring himself to sleep there. He gets up, adds his and Hanji’s dirty Survey Corps uniforms to their laundry pile, puts on something looser and softer, and gives the desk one final quick tidying. He’s about to curl up next to Hanji when he realizes that she’s fallen asleep without a blanket.
That won’t do. Doesn’t she realize that it gets cold at night here? Or is she always so full of warmth and energy that she never feels the cold? Regardless of Hanji’s internal temperature, he can’t sleep without any covers. There’s a blanket crumpled up at the foot of bed; he unfolds it and carefully tucks it around Hanji before climbing into bed beside her and covering himself with the heavy wool fabric.
He closes his eyes, focusing on the sound of her soft, regular breathing. He has his back turned to her, and they’re not making any sort of physical contact, but somehow her mere presence fills him with a sense of peace and security. He’s on the verge of sleep when an arm gently clasps his waist and pulls him close. For once, he doesn’t mind being grabbed from behind. This time, he turns around in her grasp so that they’re lying face to face and wraps his arms around her, planting a few gentle kisses on her cheeks before nestling his head against her collarbone.
“Mmm Levi, feels good…” she murmurs, her voice fuzzy with sleep again. She kisses the top of his head and buries her face in his hair. He reaches up and finds her own hair still tangled, but he can wait until morning to brush it out for her. He runs his fingers through it as he begins to lose consciousness. Gradually, Hanji’s heartbeat slows as she drifts off to sleep, her body pressed close to his and her arms wrapped tightly around him. He’s almost completely surrounded by Hanji: her slow rhythmic heartbeat, her long and wiry limbs, her clean scent, the sense of love and protectiveness she radiates. He falls asleep there, lulled by her breathing, basking in her warmth.