Work Text:
It was a steady, persistent thud, thud, thud that roused Hange from her sleep.
Up until that point, she had found herself on the great blue ocean, sailing along the landmasses and having the time of her life in what was her absolute favourite place on the entire world. She had just dipped her hand into the cool water, letting it sift through her fingers, when the sound reached her ears. It felt like someone was knocking on a door, which didn't make sense. She was sitting in a was in a small boat, surrounded by nothing but water, and there were no doors. She leaned over the edge and looked down at the rippling waves, trying to determine whether it might've come from below—a fish bumping against the hull, maybe? Moments later, the sound rang out again, much louder this time.
Before Hange could figure out where its source was, everything around her went black. She opened her eyes to find herself in her bed, her arms wrapped tightly around the pillow she'd been clutching. Rolling onto her back, she took a few deep breaths as the last remnants of the dream, the soft breeze on her skin and the smell of saltwater she loved so much, vanished.
Still half asleep and very confused as to what had woken her, she blindly groped for her glasses and slid them on. Since it was dark, though, she still wasn't able to see much more than before, and she instinctively turned her head towards her nightstand. Her digital clock showed it was a little after three in the morning. That was odd.
The tapping sound started up again, and she realised it was coming from her window. After blinking at the source of the sound for a few dazed moments, she clambered out of bed and padded across her room. Slowly, she pushed aside the curtains, ready to jump back in case whatever was there turned out to be dangerous. She let out a sigh of relief when she recognised the face on the other side of the glass.
"Levi," she breathed, hurrying to open the window, a remark about waking her up in the middle of the night on the tip of her tongue—on a Saturday, no less. The words caught in her throat, however, when she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and got a proper look at her friend, noticing the state he was in.
"What on earth happened to you?" she exclaimed, one hand flying to her mouth to cover it. "You're hurt!"
There was half-dried blood on Levi's face, coming from a gash just above his right eyebrow. The area around his eye was swollen, as was part of his lower lip, which had split open. A mix of blood and dirt covered another wound on his arm, and he was clutching his side as though standing was difficult for him, his breathing shallow and laboured.
"I fell, but I'm fine," Levi mumbled, unable to meet her eye. He stared at the window frame instead. "Do you have, uh, a plaster or some bandages I could borrow? Sorry, I didn't know where else to go."
It was probably the biggest lie he had ever uttered, and Hange let out an exasperated huff. "You fell? Are you fucking kidding me? You need much more than just a plaster!"Her stomach tightened when he didn't even offer a retort and remained silent instead. They were close enough that she knew she should've expected him to retaliate with a snarl—he'd become comfortable around her to do so. The fact that he hadn't done so meant that something was very wrong.
"Where does it hurt the most?" Hange asked, her tone much softer now. "Did you bruise or fracture anything?"
For the first time since she had opened the window, Levi shifted to meet her eye. It was clear he didn't want to go into too much detail, his lips pressed together tightly in a thin line. He had probably assumed he would just drop by, get some bandages, and leave again. Hange raised her eyebrows at him, a silent demand for him to speak up. She could be just as stubborn as he was. Besides, he had come to her for help, and she wasn't going to let him leave without it.
"I think I bruised a rib," Levi finally mumbled, looking away again when he saw her eyes widen. "Hurts like a bitch, but it's nothing."
"What? Levi, that's not nothing! If you don't treat it properly, it can be pretty dangerous. I think it's best if you get it checked out at the hospital right away. I can take you there if you'd like. And I promise I'll stay with you the whole time; you don't have to be scared."
"No!" Levi took a step back, panic flickering in his eyes. "I don't need to go to the hospital. I'm fine, I can't—" He broke off, taking yet another step back, and Hange reached out a hand as though she could stop him. She couldn't let him leave under any circumstances. Not in that condition.
"Don't go away. Please," she said, a pleading note in her voice as she leaned out of the window as far as she could. "I'll help you, I promise. I'll do my best to clean your wounds, and I'll get you something to cool your ribs. But you'll have to come inside."
Levi looked sceptical, his eyes flitting back and forth between her face and her outstretched arm, her palm turned upwards. Then, after what felt like an eternity, he nodded—albeit slowly—and approached the window again.
"Hold on, I'll open the front door and help you inside," Hange said, pointing to her left. "I don't think climbing through the window is a good idea right now."
Before Levi could protest, she had closed the window and was already halfway across her room. On tiptoes, she scurried across the hallway so as not to wake her parents. She carefully opened the door to her family's flat, the tiled floor of the stairwell cool beneath her feet, then opened the front door to let Levi in. Much to her relief, he was already making his way towards her in slow and tentative steps, and she hurried to his side, cautiously wrapping an arm around him to support him.
During the four years they had already been friends, Hange had never seen him like that, and worry gnawed at her as they shuffled up the stairs to the apartment building and into the stairwell. It had taken her a lot of effort to befriend him, finding pleasure in pestering him when they were assigned as seatmates in year six. As time went on, they had become inseparable both in and outside of school. The Levi she was currently leading into her room, however, was so different from the one she had known up to that point that she had to take a few deep breaths to calm her racing thoughts, which were desperately trying to figure out what exactly had happened.
She had him sit on her bed while she fetched the first aid kit from the hallway, making a quick stop in the kitchen to get him something to drink. He accepted the glass without protest, taking sip after sip until half of it was gone. In the meantime, she disappeared into the bathroom to filled two bowls with warm water and laid out the softest wash clothes she owned.
He held completely still when Hange started softening the dried blood on his temple, the only signs that he was in pain being the slight twitch of his lip and the low hiss he wasn't able to suppress. It was only now, in the light of the nightstand lamp she had turned so it illuminated exactly where she was working, that she realised his trousers had been torn at the knee. His shirt seemed to be in a similar state, the fabric not ripped but streched in a way that suggested someone had grabbed him by the collar and shaken him roughly. The cold knot that had started forming in her stomach grew tighter with every passing second, and her thoughts started to spiral once more.
What on earth had happened to him?
After cleaning and disinfecting his wound, Hange briefly slipped away to fetch a bag of frozen peas. She seized the opportunity to pause in front of her bedroom door for a moment and take a breath, her brows drawn together tightly. "Here, can you hold this against your eyebrow? It should help somewhat with the pain," she said, forcing lightness into her voice as she pushed aside her worries and reentered the room. She knew she wasn't going to be helpful if she ended up freaking out. Levi immediately pressed the bag against his skin, the sigh of relief too heavy to be reassuring.
The injury on his arm was much more difficult to clean, with little stones and earth stubbornly clinging to it, even after she had tried to wipe them away with a damp cloth. So she resorted to using the tweezers, trying to be as careful as possible, but wincing nonetheless whenever Levi let out a hiss of pain. After what felt like an eternity, she was finally done, dabbing away the fresh blood that had begun to ooze out, and gently applying some disinfectant before wrapping a bandage around his arm.
"Can you take off your shirt? We should definitely cool the area if you've bruised one of your ribs," Hange said, rolling her eyes when a sudden bashfulness flickered across Levi's face. There was really no time for that. "Do you want me to help, or do you want to do it yourself?"
"I can do it." A bit of life returned into Levi, who had simply gone along with everything in an almost lethargic manner, his half-closed eyes fully opening again. He tried to wiggle one arm through the short sleeve, but instantly let out a groan that made Hange grimace. Before he could hurt himself any further, she placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Let me help you," she said, her tone gentle but firm. Her voice shook despite herself, even if she tried to hide it. Seeing her best friend—who had always insisted on handling everything himself, never backing down from any challenge he was faced with as though he were invincible—in such a state was incredibly unsettling, and Hange wasn't sure how to deal with it.
Moving as slowly as she could, she guided his arm through the opening, lifting the shirt up over his shoulder, then over his head, making sure Levi moved as little as possible. Finally, she carefully eased the shirt over his injured arm. As her gaze fell on the side of his rib cage, she was unable to hold back the gasp that left her lips.
"Who on earth did this to you?" she whispered, reaching out and letting her hand hover over the green and purple bruise that stretched across several ribs. She desperately wanted to soothe the immense pain he must be in with her touch.
"No one did anything. I told you, I fell," Levi replied. All of a sudden, his tone became overly defensive as he glared at her.
For a brief second, anger simmered in her stomach. She was going out of her way to help him, at an ungodly hour no less, when people were usually gast asleep, only because he refused to see a doctor. She could've just closed the window and left him to deal with it himself—he needed her help, not the other way around. But once glance at his face was enough to dissolve any frustration that had begin to build. The almost childlike fear showing through the cracks in his carefully composed façade, and the way his shoulders slumped as he curled into himself, protecting his bruised side, made her want to wrap her arms around him and keep him safe.
"Then you must be the most unlucky person I've ever met," Hange said instead, her voice soft despite her words. "I'm the clumsy one, remember?"
"Guess you're rubbing off on me," Levi mumbled, only briefly meeting her eyes before glancing away again. She knew that he knew she wasn't buying his lie, but she hummed in agreement for his sake, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves.
Hange briefly slipped into the kitchen again to fetch the gel pack she knew her parents always kept there and wrapped it into a kitchen towel before returning to her room. Kneeling in front of Levi, she gently held it against his side, relieved when his pained hiss quickly turned into a sigh, hoping it meant the coolness was bringing him at least some relief.
"I think I can hold it." Levi's voice pulled her out of her concentration, and she felt his muscles tense underneath her hand, the one she had placed on his stomach to keep him steady. Suddenly, she was too aware of their closeness, of Levi's state of undress, and her thoughtless choice of where to place her hand. It felt inappropriate to be having such thoughts considering his injuries, her mind flickering between worry and… whatever this was. She quickly pulled it away, as though his skin had burned her, wordlessly handing him the wrapped gel pack and trying to ignore the fact that his ears had turned bright red, or that her heart was stumbling in her chest.
"Do you need anything else?" she asked, clearing her throat when her voice sounded unusually tight. "I can make you some tea, or get you something to eat. My parents would probably kill me if I started cooking now, but I can make you a sandwich if you're hungry."
"I, uh— no, thanks. I'm not hungry," Levi replied, straightening up a little. "You've already helped enough. I should probably leave."
Being more than familiar with his manner of speaking, Hange knew that the little pause meant he wasn't entirely opposed to the idea, but was too reluctant to agree. And since she wanted to keep him right where he was for as long as she could, she only shook her head and rose to her feet in front of him, putting on the sternest look she could muster.
"If you leave now, I'll be mad at you for a month. Maybe even longer, probably half a year. I'll go make you a sandwich, but you aren't allowed to move while I'm gone. Understood?" Grabbing a fleece blanket from the foot of her bed, she placed it next to him on the mattress. "Use this if you're cold, and I'll get you one of my shirts when you're eating, okay?"
Levi nodded silently, his gratitude so visible in his eyes that it made goosebumps rise on Hange's skin.
In the kitchen, she made haste to prepare the sandwich while the water was boiling, picking turkey instead of ham because she knew Levi liked it better. She blinked against the harsh light of the fridge as she opened it a second time to fetch some cheese and cucumber. From the latter, she cut a few messy slices, almost catching her nail when she stifled a yawn that brought tears to her eyes, blurring her vision.
The sandwich was far from perfect, definitely crooked and missing about half of the usual ingredients it should contain. But at four in the morning, she was too tired for any form of haute cuisine, and it would simply have to do. She placed the sandwich on a tray, right next to the two cups of tea she had prepared—one for Levi, one for her—then headed back to her room.
Levi had wrapped himself in her blanket and was staring at the bookshelf opposite her bed when Hange entered, wincing in surprise as though his mind had been somewhere far away. His eyes, empty with exhaustion, regained some of their usual sharpness when they fell on the tray in her hands, and he gladly accepted the cup of tea she handed him, curling his fingers around it.
With a sigh, she settled onto the bed next to him, pushing up her glasses to rub her tired eyes as she waited for her tea to cool. Levi was already biting into his sandwich, waving off her apologies for it being very bland and insisting that it was more than enough.
While he was eating, Hange started sifting through her closet in search of the grey sweatpants she knew were very soft on the inside and wouldn't irritate his scraped knee, along with one of her baggier shirts. Levi had already finished both the sandwich and the tea by the time she held the clothes in her hands, a sheepish expression on his face as she took the empty dishes from him and placed them on her desk. He really must have been starving.
She loaded the dishwasher as he got changed, and insisted on throwing his clothes into the washing machine, together with the washcloths she had used for his wounds, the red patches on them looking as though they had just come back from a battlefield. Luckily, her clothes seemed to fit him all right—the shirt was maybe a little tight around the shoulders, while the pants were slightly too wide at the waist but adjustable thanks to the drawstring—so there was no reason for him to talk his way out of it.
"I think I should get going," Levi said once she was back in her room, the blanket he'd wrapped himself in neatly folded back on her bed. "You've been too kind to me already, and you should really get back to sleep."
"You should too," Hange said, a knot forming in her stomach at the prospect of having to watch him leave. Those were exactly the words she had been dreading. Her head was still filled with questions left unanswered, and whenever she tried to answer them herself, even more questions came up that weren't exactly calming. "Are you going home? I'm not sure if you should walk too much with your bruised ribs. I could call you a cab, if you'd like?"
Levi only shook his head, remaining silent as he had so often during that night, and Hange wasn't sure whether his answer belonged to her first or second question.
But she knew that she had to be careful not to put too much pressure on him if she wanted to get to the bottom of what had truly happened. So she pulled out the cooling salve from the first aid kit and had him lift the side of his shirt again. She squeezed a dollop of the sticky gel onto her finger and gently began to rub it into his skin, a procedure he endured without any protest. At least he wasn't trying to run away anymore.
"Levi, what really happened to you tonight?" she asked, making a careful attempt to coax the truth out of him. She did her best to ignore the softness of his skin beneath her fingertips, and the flutter it caused in her stomach. It reminded her, most unhelpfully, of the position they found themselves in—her hands under his shirt, with her elbows resting on his knees—and she had to force away the blush that threatened to rise on her cheeks. "I think you know I'm not stupid enough to believe you simply fell and hurt yourself like that. Did you get into a fight with someone?"
"It wasn't my fault," Levi replied, running a hand through his hair, then over his face. It seemed her suspicion had been right, but the admission didn't exactly make her feel triumphant. "It's nothing you should worry about, though. I'm fine. Besides, it's not the first time this has happened, and it probably won't be the last. At least until I'm out of there."
"What do you mean by 'this'? And what is it you're trying to get out of?" Hange's hands stilled, and she glanced up at Levi, who was avoiding her gaze again. His face had gone cold in a way that proved to her that whatever was he was hiding from her affected him deeply, but that he was trying to downplay it for her sake—or maybe for his own, not wanting to be vulnerable around someone else. He only shook his head in silence, refusing to answer, and Hange let out a frustrated huff.
"Come on, Levi, talk to me. You show up at my window in the middle of the night with blood on your face, and you expect me not to worry? I can't just act as though nothing happened. I'm your friend and…" She paused, brushing her hair away with the palm of her hand. "I want to know what's wrong."
"I have to run errands for my uncle, okay?" Levi mumbled, the words heavy, like he had to drag them over his lips. "He's got his own little underground business—nothing big, mostly black-market electronics and moving cash around, that kind of stuff." He made a sweeping gesture with his hand. "Part of the deal for letting me live with him is that I have to help him and his gang who live in our district, and keep my mouth shut about it. And well… sometimes things don't go too smoothly."
"Your uncle knows you could get hurt, and he still has you do it?" Hange asked, wiping her fingers on a wet towel, not daring to take her eyes off his face. This wasn't the truth she had expected to hear, not in a million years, and her heart was racing in her chest.
"Tch, he doesn't care," Levi said dryly, and for a moment, anger flashed in his eyes. "He just wants the job done, as easily for himself as possible. The only person he truly cared about was my mother, which I think is the only reason he took me in." His shoulders sank, and he let out a bitter sigh that seemed to hold all his frustration. "But it's just a little over a year until I'm eighteen and out of there, and he knows that. So he's making sure he makes good use of the time I have left there, and I put up with it because I don't have another choice."
"Oh Levi," Hange said, her voice barely above a whisper. She didn't know what to say, nor what do to, one of her hands moving to rest on his knee in a poor attempt of comforting him. Even though she had known Levi lived with his uncle after his mother had died, she never would have guessed that this was what his life was really like. That he was forced to do his uncle's dirty work just to have a roof over his head. Now she understood why he never talked much about his everyday life, or why he had never invited her to his home, keeping some parts of his life hidden from her. If only she had known about it…
She felt stupid for every single time she had complained to him about something petty, knowing now that his worries were a thousand times heavier than hers. The injustice that had been done to him over years and years felt personal to her, and she felt a sharp ache in her chest. He had the kindest heart she had ever known; this wasn't fair.
"That's why I didn't want to tell you," Levi said, sadness tinging his voice as he lowered his head and lightly poked her arm with a finger. "You always worry too much. I'm okay, I'm used to it. Stop looking so sad."
"But you shouldn't be used to it!" Hange exclaimed, jumping up from where she had been kneeling on the floor, and starting to pace back and forth in her room. "No one should! We have to do something about it. You could just live here with us instead, if you'd like. I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind having you stay here. We could turn my dad's office into a bedroom, or you can sleep on a mattress in my room. Maybe—"
The tiniest hint of a smile appeared on Levi's lips at her overhasty offer, and she broke off, a little ashamed. Patting the space next to him on the mattress, he said, "It's just one more year. Or fifteen months, since you always like to be precise. Then I'm free to go wherever I want to. And I'm not going to die by then." Hange sank down next to him on the bed, throwing him a reproachful look at his slightly morbid wording.
"Besides, this incident was an exception," he added, gesturing to his swollen brow, then to his arm. "Those guys are usually best at handing out empty threats and a few harmless knocks to the head. This time…. Kenny and his guys are just one of many groups, and you're not exactly welcome everywhere if you're involved with one of them. I was told it was okay to enter a rival's territory because the recipient was one of their members. Apparently, the message hadn't gotten through, and on top of that, part of the money was missing…"
Levi trailed off, grimacing in a way that was supposed to make Hange laugh. Instead, tears welled up in her eyes. How could he talk about this so calmly, while every word he said made her so angry she wanted to scream?
She knew there wasn't anything she could do to make his situation better, no words that could take his pain away. With a silent, understanding nod, she reached out to clasp his hands in hers, careful not to hurt his bruised knuckles as she rested them in her lap.
"Don't make me regret telling you," Levi said softly, wiggling free his thumb from her grip to run it over the back of her hand. "I don't like seeing you like that."
"Well, excuse me for worrying about my best friend," Hange huffed, sniffling as she tried to will away the tears still stinging in her eyes. "If you're miserable, I'm miserable too. That's how it goes."
"Then how about we both stop being miserable, hm?" Levi said, trying to force some lightness into his voice. "You've already done so much for me tonight, even though you didn't know what was going on. And you really saved me from freaking out. Why are you still so patient with me, Hange? How do you do that?"
He spoke the words slowly and softly, his voice so low she knew they were only meant for her to hear. His gaze had dropped to their joined hands, her olive skin against his pale one, their fingers still holding onto each other after everything that had been said. Her heart fluttered against her ribcage, so strongly that she wondered if whatever was inside was about to break free, as she watched his expression grow gentle.
Maybe it was the overwhelm of everything Hange had just learned, and her desire to show Levi just how much he meant to her, that he wasn't alone as long as she was by his side. Clutching his hands tightly in hers, she slid the fingers of one hand into the spaces between his, and they fit together like they had always belonged there. The words were little more than a whisper when they slipped from her lips, but she knew Levi heard them nonetheless.
"It's not difficult if… if you care deeply about that person. It makes you want to do anything just to see them smile, and know they're alright."
It was the closest she had ever come to telling him that she loved him, and the realisation sent her stomach into somersaults before giving way to a free fall that momentarily took her breath away. She didn't even know where she stood, whether he liked her as a friend, as something more, or as both at the same time. But when she saw his eyes soften in the most beautiful way, as though she had, if only for a moment, taken away all the weight from his shoulders, she told herself she didn't care. She would do anything to see that very expression again, and she promised she wouldn't let a single day pass without telling him that he mattered to her.
Because, oh, he did. Infinitely so.
"Hange," Levi said, and she wondered whether the slight tremble in his voice had truly been there, or whether she had imagined it. She had never thought of her name as beautiful before that very moment.
Carefully, he released his hands from her grip, only to lift them towards her face. His hands brushed away her bangs in the gentlest of gestures, and Hange's eyes fluttered close, relishing the feel of his skin against hers. She had never shied away from hugging her friends, but having Levi be the one to take the first step did something to her she couldn't quite explain. He repeated the motion, tucking another loose strand behind her ear, and she had to force herself not to shudder. The faintest blush had settled on the bridge of his nose, and she burned the image into her memory, smiling when he let his hands linger on her cheeks as he tried to convey what he wanted to say when words failed him.
After a few more heartbeats, his hands lifted away, breaking the contact. In the spur of the moment, and because she was yearning to be as close as possible now that she had gotten a taste of his affection, Hange wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him close again. She was mindful of his injury, tightening her grip only on his good side, her heart swelling when he didn't protest and allowed his weight to rest against her.
Levi's arm came around her, settling on her back as he slumped further against her. His long, deep breaths brushed against her collarbone, and she closed her eyes at the sensation they created on her skin. One of her hands buried itself in his hair, rubbing circles against his scalp, then carefully started to untangle the tousled strands that had gotten tangled when he'd changed.
Hange wasn't sure how long they remained in that position—time seemed to stand still, the only sounds her own heartbeat and his breathing, which momentarily grew uneven before growing calmer again the tighter she held him. Eventually, though, he started to shift, and she let go of him slowly and reluctantly, ruffling his hair one last time before pulling away.
Levi's eyes were a little too glassy to pass as unaffected, and if it had been up to her, she would've pulled him into a hug right away and held him until any traces of sadness or frustration had disappeared from his eyes. She really hated her current situation—wanting to do more than offer moral support but being unable to do so—and if she could've, she would've marched right over to whoever had done this to Levi and given them a piece of her mind. Then, she would've torn Kenny a new one. But as things currently were, it was impossible.
For the third time that night, Levi rose from her bed, insisting it was time for him to leave at last. But Hange didn't want to hear any of it and gently pressed him back onto the mattress before standing up to shut the curtains against the early sunlight that had started to shine through.
"Hange, I can't sleep here," Levi protested, doing his best to fend off her hands as she tugged her blanket over him and forced him to lay still when his own squirming made his side hurt. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight either way. But it's okay; I'll catch up on it during the week."
"Absolutely not," Hange said with a shake of her head, pulling out a small bottle and unscrewing the cap. "You're staying here tonight, and I'll watch over you. Now open your mouth and stick out your tongue."
Levi gave her his usual 'are-you-serious' expression, but seeing there was no way out, he sat up in bed and did as she said. When she dripped a few drops of the sleeping aid she swore by onto his tongue, he grimaced, but swallowed them willingly. She realised he had accepted them without hesitation despite his usually distrustful nature, certain she would never do anything to hurt him, and she didn't know what to make of that.
"Ew, that's bitter," he said, gratefully accepting the glass of water she had refilled for him. "What was that—did you just drug me?"
"Of course not," Hange laughed, storing away the bottle before slipping under the covers next to him. A sudden bashfulness flickered in Levi's eyes at the unusual intimacy of the moment, but she did her best to ignore it. "It's just herbs; they're supposed to help you fall asleep. I'm pretty sure it's what got me through many exam seasons already, so I thought it couldn't hurt to give them a try."
Levi hummed something she didn't quite understand, looking down at her where she had flopped back onto her pillow. The exhaustion and unusual activity for that time of the day were finally catching up with her. Stifling a yawn, she patted the pillow beside her, and to her surprise, he barely hesitated before sliding down to lie on his back, keeping his eyes fixed on the ceiling as she pulled the blanket up for the second time that night.
"I'll wake you if something comes up, or if you have a nightmare," Hange said, turning onto her side and tucking one arm beneath her head. She remembered him mentioning that he often struggled to fall asleep and that he was plagued by bad dreams. Now she wondered if that had anything to do with what she had learned about him that night.
"Just think of this as a little nap, nothing more."
"A nap?" Levi echoed, not sounding very convinced. But his eyelids were already drooping, and he had to fight to keep them open. If she was exhausted, how must he be feeling?
"Yes, exactly. A nap. Sleep is very important for your injuries to heal well." She took off her glasses and placed them on the nightstand behind her—it was always the last thing she did, and tonight was no different. Levi's blurry figure seemed to sink deeper into the mattress, and then his eyes closed and he let out a long sigh, finally resigning himself to his fate.
With a satisfied smile, Hange allowed a yawn to overcome her, opening her mouth so wide it made her ears click. The quietness felt immensely comforting, like a protective bubble settling over them, and she stretched her tired limbs underneath the blanket. Despite everything, though, there was still some tension lingering in the air as more time passed, and she wondered whether Levi was in pain, or if it was because of her.
She had just lifted her head to peek at Levi's face, to see whether had already fallen asleep, when he suddenly turned onto his side, making her wince. He kept his eyes tightly shut, but his body was facing her, and he scooted closer, just a little, the movement so subtle she almost didn't notice it.
Hange hoped she wasn't misunderstanding his action, for if she was, it would not only be deeply embarrassing but might also make things between them very awkward. But then she remembered the expression in his eyes when she had told him she cared about him, and the softness of his hands on her cheeks, and some of that doubt crumbled. Instead, it was replaced by a giddy rush of courage as she decided to take a chance.
Spurred on by her own thoughts and the frantic beating of her heart, she reached out and placed her hand gently on his shoulder. Levi inhaled sharply, peeling one eye open to look at her, and for a terrifying moment, she was convinced she had just messed up. But then he simply closed it again and slowly shifted towards her, stopping only when he reached the edge of his pillow.
There was still a small sliver of mattress between them, and with a determined tug, Hange pulled her own pillow closer to him, until they lay side by side. Her arm carefully curled around his shoulders, and Levi let his head drop against her chest, every last bit of strength leaving his body in that very moment.
"You've got nothing to worry about," Hange whispered, her other arm slipping through the narrow space between the mattress and his side. Butterflies danced in her stomach when he followed her movement without resistance, his knees briefly bumping against hers before retreating again, keeping a safe distance while still staying close.
Soon, her hand had found its way into his hair again, her fingers carding through the smooth strands and over the shorter ones at the nape of his neck. Levi wasn't hugging her back; the arm on his injured side rested loosely on the blanket, while the other was folded and pulled up against his chest. Instead, he was simply letting her hold him, and the trust he was giving her by letting his guard down made her heart swell.
It took Hange a long time to fall asleep, despite having only gotten a few hours of sleep that night. Levi had already drifted off by the time she dared to lift her head, his eyes closed and his features relaxed, the view coaxing a smile from her. But she didn't dare let go, didn't want to, and the hand in his hair eventually stilled its movements so as not to accidentally wake him again.
Her mind was busy with her own thoughts anyway—attempts at fixing Levi's situation, which turned into memories of all the years they had already spent together, and moments that stood in a different light now that she knew a bit more about his life. Then, her imagination decided to interfere, creating horrible scenarios of dangerous situations in which he always ended up hurt, making her want to scream at her own head to shut up.
She pressed her face into his hair, breathing in his now all familiar scent of him, mingling with the smell of the washing powder of her own sheets, trying to dispel her unsettling thoughts. There was something incredibly comforting about having him that close, a feeling she wanted to savour for as long as possible—who knew when the next time they'd be that close would be, or if there would even be a next time.
Despite her unease, she felt her eyes finally fall shut, and not much later, sleep claimed her too.
Hange dreamed of the ocean again. Huge, powerful waves were shaking her small boat, a stark contrast to her first dream. The water came crashing inside with a disruptive force, and she was loosing her grip on the edge, her eyes frantically searching the horizon for any sign of land, but seeing only dark water and grey clouds.
Then, a hand closed around her wrist from behind, and she turned around, her eyes meeting a pair of grey-blue ones that, despite holding the colours of the raging storm around her, were calm and comforting.
"We'll be fine," Levi said, standing firmly on the boat as he pulled her towards him, holding her up when she stumbled. "We're together now, aren't we?"
For a few seconds, everything around them blurred. Suddenly, her initial fear was gone, replaced by a deep sense of joy at having him there. At not being alone anymore. Hange pressed her feet into the ground, relieved when she finally found her footing and was able to hold herself upright.
With a firm nod, and newfound hope stirring in her chest when another wave rolled in and they still weren't drowning, she believed him.