Chapter Text
Tossing and turning in bed throughout the night wasn't an odd or rare occurrence for Hange. At times, her brain ran at ninety miles per hour, clouding her mind with needless thoughts until it got to the point where she had no choice but to stay awake and jot everything down. But, she supposed under this particular circumstance it was considered normal enough.
It was her first night spent in her new home, and her excitement and anxiousness were at an all time high. A new environment was both unsettling and thrilling, and she couldn't help but stay awake in marvel in it all. It may have seemed silly enough, but she felt like she was in college once again, young and anticipating what was to come next.
After a few hours of staring up at her white painted ceiling, she reached over to the bedside table and grabbed her glasses hastily. She might as well go fetch something to drink, or maybe something to eat as well. It was then that her stomach let out a loud grumbling noise, and she sheepishly came to the realization that she had neglected to feed herself during the day. In all fairness, she had been extremely preoccupied with other errands, so the thought had slipped her mind completely.
With a grunt, she pushed herself upwards and onto her feet. Hange stumbled clumsily in the dark, bumping her hip harshly against her drawer. She let out a low hiss through her teeth, baring through the sharp pain and continuing on to the door. The brunette padded down the long hallway, entering the open space area and making her way into the kitchen as quiet as she could. It would be a disaster if she'd awoken Levi and pissed him off the first night of her residing in the apartment.
She flicked on the light after running her hand up and down the wall blindly. "Oh!" She jumped in startlement, not expecting to see the shorter man hunched over the table somberly, his palms wrapped around a tea cup. She relaxed after a second, hesitantly approaching him.
He looked up at her upon hearing her footsteps nearing. "Something the matter, Four Eyes?" He asked blankly, and Hange couldn't help but note the heavy bags beneath his narrowed eyes.
She shook her head, wandering towards the fridge and pulling out the bottle of water she had placed in the cold storage earlier that day. "I just came out to grab something to drink." She answered him, shaking the drink to show him.
He nodded understandingly, returning his cold gaze towards his tea. A tense silence settled over them, and Hange contemplated a few ways to make things easier on the both of them. "So. why are you awake so late?" She inquired in curiosity, already having an inkling as to what the answer would be.
"I don't know what sleep is." He answered her truthfully, his deep voice coated in apparent exhaustion.
"Neither do I." She admitted easily. "Tonight has been especially bad, but I suppose it's to be expected considering I'm living in an entirely new environment. It'll take some getting used too." She sighed lightly, taking a quick swig of her water.
He let out a soft hum in response, too tired to conjure up a proper reply. "Do you usually spend your night in the kitchen, or?" She observed him in slight amusement at the odd interactions between the two of them.
"No." He stated simply.
"Ah, I've stumbled upon a rare occurrence then. I'm sorry for disturbing you." She let herself tease him a bit, her tone light despite her current mood.
"I have a feeling you'll be doing that a lot." Levi raised his pale gaze once more, both his facial expression and tone of voice dry.
She let out a small snort at his words. "Honestly, I wouldn't doubt it."
She couldn't help the tired sigh that escaped past her lips while pushing herself upright from where she was leaning against the countertops. "Well, I'm going to go back to bed now. I hope sleep finds you soon." She wished for him in a sympathetic tone.
"Me fucking too." He grumbled out tiredly. "'Night." He added as a quick afterthought. She let a small smile tug across her lips, before turning her back towards him and maneuvering her way back towards her room.
It was too soon to tell just what kind of person her new roommate was. She could tell he was easily irritated, that he preferred doing things his way, and that he was extremely unsociable and rude. Hange had yet to see an instance where he had been nice without a backhanded insult or a name thrown in the midst of it. Even despite that, she knew he wasn't exactly a terrible person, Erwin had to have his reasons for being such close friends with him for so long, and she was determined to find them out.
She let out an exhale upon plopping down in her bed, the bed sheets cooling against her warm skin. She slipped her glasses off of her face, beginning to feel sluggish in her mannerisms. She was grateful that her body and mind could take a hint and let her rest. Her day would be starting especially early come tomorrow. She had to run a few errands before catching the bus for work (thankfully only one) and then she would return home and begin unpacking her room and sorting through her things. She wasn't looking forward to unpacking in the slightest, looking through her things and attempting to organize them in her eyes was a waste of time that could be spent doing something useful.
Her breathing eventually evened out, and her eyelids grew heavy to the point that opening them would be more hassle than it was worth. Reluctantly, she let herself drift off to sleep, and for the first time in several months, slept in a bed she could call her own.
~
Levi clenched his fingers around the glass of his teacup, enjoying the warmth it provided for his chilled palms. His bangs fell in front of his eyes as it tilted down towards the surface, his steel gaze locked on the dark liquid.
Loneliness was an emotion that Levi rarely allowed himself to feel. However, sitting alone at one in the morning with the thought that the one person he felt he could confide in leaving thousands of miles away, there was no other way to describe it. Well, besides pitiful, that was.
The brief conversation with Hange felt uneasy, yet familiar in an odd way. He observed that she was a fairly easygoing person and had no problem approaching others, so it came as no surprise that she was laid back and casually talked to him as if they'd known each other for years. He decided that her personality, while he only knew a tiny fraction of it, was unsettling in a way. She seemed much too eager to barge her way into his life, and while he knew that they were now living together, he wanted a line to be drawn.
He let out a soft sigh, unwrapping his hands from around his cup and standing up from his chair. He turned on the faucet, letting the water grow hot before he got to the task of washing it thoroughly. He dried off his hands afterward before he resigned to his bedroom for the night, knowing that sitting in the kitchen would get him nowhere sleep wise.
He decided that he was definitely on edge after three hours passed by without so much as a wink of sleep. There was no way he'd let himself succumb to slumber with a complete stranger just down the hall from him. Perhaps he was being too paranoid for his own good, but he certainly wasn't about to let his defenses go down so easily. No, he'd be fully prepared if she came barging in with a weapon and threatened to kill him. Though, with her clumsiness, he wouldn't be surprised if she'd just fell on the weapon during the process.
The imagery he'd conjured up in his mind was doing nothing to lull him to sleep. In fact, the disturbing thoughts had stood with him throughout the entire night, and before he knew it, it was five A.M and the sun was beginning to show its presence. He let his heavy eyes travel to his bedroom door, debating on whether or not to get up and shower in preparation for the day or attempt to gather a few minutes of much-needed sleep. The former won out after a few brief seconds; he knew that there wasn't a chance in hell he'd be able to doze off anyway.
He was more than surprised to see that the bathroom was preoccupied with his new roommate. He was almost entirely convinced that she wasn't even aware of what a shower was. He stood at the doorway, a little annoyed that his routine was being delayed, if even by a few minutes. The sound of water pattering against the tub echoed throughout the hall, and Levi crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for her to be done. He considered speaking up and telling her to hurry her dumbass up, but before he could open his mouth he was cut off by the sound of a woman singing.
What the actual fuck?
He quirked a thin brow at her actions, holding in a snort as she brokenly bolted out the lyrics to a pop song. "Oi, Madonna, believe it or not, there are other people besides you who use hot water." He droned out, bringing his mouth closer to the door so she could hear him better. Much to his irritation, she seemed intent on ignoring him. Or perhaps her hearing abilities were just as bad as her eyesight?
He rolled his eyes, knocking on the wood of the door in another attempt to catch her attention, to no avail as she failed to respond once more. "Goddamn it, Four Eyes." He sneered out blankly, moving away from the door and retreating towards the kitchen area. So far, his day was going splendidly. In fact, his entire week was going splendidly.
He busied himself by preparing breakfast for himself. He skillfully cracked and scrambled eggs, the task having been done so many times he felt as if he were on autopilot. Considering the amount of sleep he'd gotten (zero) it didn't surprise him.
"Good morning, Levi!" Levi looked up at the sound of her voice, and immediately his features settled into an apparent scowl. "Didn't expect to see you up so early." She hummed out, her hair loose dripping wet around her shoulders, effectively making her top damp.
"Likewise." He stated dryly, placing his breakfast in a plate neatly.
"Did you sleep well?" She asked in an attempt to start a conversation. She scooted past him, reaching upwards and scouring through the cabinets until she found what she was looking for. Levi raised a brow as she pulled out two granola bars, plopping down on a stool beside him and opening the first one.
"No." He admitted blankly.
"Ah, any particular reason why?" She pried further, her mouth full of food.
Levi scowled at her, feeling the urge to scold her for her bad manners. "Don't fucking talk with your mouth full."
Hange let an amused smile grace her lips, taking another bite of her breakfast. "Don't avoid the question, Levi," she told him cheekily, not listening to his earlier spoken words, speaking while she chewed.
"Why is it any of your business?" He spat out blankly, shoveling the food back and forth in his plate uninterestedly.
She shrugged her shoulder once, leaning back further in her chair. "I figured I could maybe provide some advice of some sort. However, if the reasoning behind your insomnia is too personal, I completely understand not want-" Levi swiftly interjected before she could finish her sentence.
"I couldn't fucking sleep because the thought of you killing me in my sleep kept me up. Are you satisfied now?" He narrowed his light orbs at her, annoyance painted across his features.
Hange lifted her brow in surprise at the confession, her sepia eyes widening slightly before she quickly recomposed herself. "I see." She hummed out in thought. "Well... I'm sorry my presence caused you unease. However, in order to help ease your anxiety, I think I should tell you a bit more about myself to make you feel more comfortable." She suggested slowly, carefully watching his outside demeanor for any sort of change.
"This is stupid." He said with a huff of breath, taking a sip of his coffee.
"No, this is completely necessary." Hange countered back swiftly. "Okay, I'll start, then. Hi, I'm Hange Zoe! I'm thirty-one years old, and when I was five years old I planted acorns in my backyard because I was convinced they would grow into a magic treehouse that would teleport me to the world of Sesame Street." She revealed brightly. Not an ounce of embarrassment in her tone, Levi noted.
Levi stared at her almost incredulously, unsure what to do with this tidbit of information. "Well? Come on then, it's your turn." She urged him on encouragingly. "Alright, fine, let's start with something simple then. When's your birthday?"
Levi furrowed his brow forward at the question. He despised answering it due to the unneeded amount of awe or gushing people did when he did reveal it. "Geez, is every subject touchy with you?" Hange joked, finishing off her granola bar and beginning to unwrap the second one.
Levi ignored her teasing, unwillingly answering her earlier question begrudgingly. "December twenty-fifth." He muttered out dryly, lifting the cup to his lips once more.
"Holy shit, that is the most ironic thing I've ever heard." Hange snorted out in amusement. "Mine's September fifth." She responded back comfortably. "Is this helping any?" She inquired with a head tilt.
Levi shook his head once. "No."
"Okay. I was born and raised in California. I moved out to Seattle when I was eighteen to attend the University of Washington. I've known I wanted to be involved in science since the age of seven. I don't have any criminal records except for the one time I was taken to the police station and had to be picked up by my mom for attempting to dig a hole in the cement with a shovel near a memorial statue, I was nine." She blabbered on without looking even a bit gassed, and strangely enough, Levi found himself listening despite himself. "My favorite dog breed is a Border Collie, my favorite color is and always will be yellow."
"Oi, okay, I've heard enough." Levi stopped her suddenly.
She grinned at him. "Do you still think I'm a serial killer? I can go on if you'd like." She paused for a brief moment, before continuing on, albeit somberly. "I know that you beginning to feel comfortable with me around isn't going to be a magical overnight transition, believe me. But, I'd like to provide any sort of help I can with making it easier for you in the meantime. However, I'm not going to pretend you don't exist when we live in the same space, it's unhealthy, and in my opinion, silly."
Levi grunted once she finished talking, pushing himself away from the island and placing his dish in the sink. Hange merely observed him as he cleaned up after himself, slightly peeved at his silence. Upon finishing the task, he whipped around once more, facing her properly. "I'm gonna leave for work now. Don't forget to lock the doors once you leave, Four Eyes." He reminded her, walking towards the door, but not before he pulled on his thick coat and grabbed his car keys.
She watched him with keen eyes. "Have a good day." She told him as he was leaving, and not even a second later, the door slammed shut.
Serial killer, huh? She supposed she could see it...
~
"Hi, Levi." Petra smiled warmly at him as she walked in the coffee shop. Her pale cheeks were tinted pink, even despite the five layers of clothing she most likely had on. "Good morning."
Levi glanced up from his task of organizing the register, nodding towards the red-head as a sign of acknowledgment. "Whew, I'm so happy to be back home and working again. I love my family to bits and pieces but it's good to be separated from them again."
Levi nodded in understanding and ignored the small huff that his longest working employee gave him for his non-responsiveness. "Oh, by the way, how's the new roommate? You're not giving them a hard time are you?"
"Are you implying something, Petra?" Levi droned out.
"You're not the warmest person to have ever lived, Levi." Petra choose her words carefully. "I just wanted to make sure she wouldn't run off because of your intimidating demeanor."
Levi rolled his light eyes. "Trust me, it's going to take more than that for her to run away."
"...Is that a good or bad thing?" Petra questioned in confusion, hearing the slight disdain in his voice. Their conversation was put on halt as yet another person walked in the shop, and Petra rolled her eyes upon seeing her fellow employee; Oluo Bozado.
"Good morning, Levi." He greeted the raven-haired man casually. Levi's eyes narrowed as he took in what the man was wearing; the exact same coat that Levi wore almost every day.
"Really? You're still upset?" Petra huffed out, looking up at the man.
"Not at all." He blatantly lied, ignoring her gaze.
Levi eyed the two of them briefly before ignoring their presence altogether. Whatever had happened between the two of them was not his business, nor did he care enough to make it his business despite knowing the two of them for years.
"What about you, Levi? Have you got any plans for the holidays?" Petra chimed out happily, and Levi snapped out his thoughts.
He frowned at her words, knowing what sort of spiel she would most likely delve into next upon hearing his next statement. "No." He answered truthfully, waiting for her response.
She sighed in disappointment; the usual reaction. "Levi, when are you going to give in?" She moved closer to him, her brown eyes revealing sympathy. The raven-haired man didn't miss the glare of envy that swam in his other employee's eyes as she moved closer.
"It's not about me giving in." He told her blankly. "I don't like them, and they don't like me, simple as that." He explained in a bored tone, having had this conversation far too many times with the woman.
"But they're your family, Levi. And besides, no matter how much you deny it, I can tell how much you care about Mikasa."
"How about instead of hassling me about useless matters, you clock in for work?" Levi told her firmly.
She looked frustrated before she masked it, nodding in understanding. "Alright, I'll let it go this time." She told him pointedly, slipping off her coat and her scarf, replacing the layers with a white apron.
"How gracious of you." Levi droned out snarkily, turning his attention Oluo who seemed displeased. "Something wrong?" He voiced blankly.
"Not at all." He shook his head quickly, slipping into the back room. Levi shot a glance behind his shoulder as he left, inwardly noting that the entire exchange took more energy than he would have liked.
He slowly turned his attention towards the large window panes. The sunlight trickling in the otherwise dim area, painting the walls in pale yellow. He mentally checked off his signs of approval; no hints of dust anywhere, floors mopped and polished, chairs and tables in position.
It was no secret that he prided himself on what he had been able to accomplish and overcome with this space. He had inherited the shop when his mother had passed away, for whatever reason he still couldn't be sure of. He had re-opened it at the age of twenty-seven, one year exactly after his mother had gone. The entire process of revamping the space and rebranding had been much more than he had been willing to take on, but, Erwin had been the one constantly encouraging him. In the end, Levi thanked his friend for believing in him enough that he had stuck with it until the end.
Truthfully, he couldn't imagine himself anywhere else now.
Before taking over the business, he had worked as a part-time bartender. He was alright at his job, or so he was told, but he never felt like that was what he was supposed to be doing his entire shitty life. He figured making coffee was eerily similar either way, but at least he found enjoyment in the drink, unlike alcohol.
He had broken out of his thoughts when he saw a familiar blur of brown hair whip past the window and down the block. Levi frowned in bewilderment, had that been Four Eyes? He scoffed and willed himself to forget about the woman altogether for the day. The last thing he needed was another headache after getting sleep the previous night.
"Oluo, refill the espresso machine." He ordered out calmly, shooting a glance over his shoulder towards the man who had just appeared from the back room.
The man nodded slowly and swiftly got to doing the task placed upon him. Levi moved away from the front counter and moved towards the wooden door towards the back of the shop that was practically hidden. His office space. "Kirstein should be coming in soon, don't worry about running the counter." He informed the man while walking away, stepping into his safe place.
He sat down in his office chair, fingers absentmindedly playing with the frayed edges of his notebook. Mikasa had an off day today, while Yeager didn't, meaning he would have to put up with Jean and Eren's banter throughout the day without anyone interjecting. Well, unless the blonde boy came in which was highly likely all things considering. He always attempted to get the both of them on different schedules, but with only five employees at his disposal, it was difficult. He needed at least one more person in the shop for things to work properly.
He leaned his head back against the chair, letting his blue eyes flicker shut in a moment of tiredness. Petra's earlier spoken words were still irritating him. His mother had passed away nearly five years ago. He had run away from home and had been living with Erwin for about nine years at that point in time. His father was never a factor in his life, his mother had told him he was the product of a one night stand and he didn't even think the man knew of his existence. Or perhaps he did and just didn't give a shit, either way.
His mother had gotten married when he was nearing the age of fourteen, and truthfully he had felt out of place ever since. When Mikasa had come into the picture, the hidden feelings grew into more. He definitely didn't belong there, he didn't deserve to have a place in their picture-perfect family lifestyle was what he had told himself. Looking back, Levi could admit that he had been far too angsty at that age, but he didn't regret leaving them once. He was sure he never would.
He had somewhat kept in touch with Mikasa, occasionally he would talk to her over the phone for holidays and her birthday. It wasn't until she turned fourteen that they began to see each other once again, and he had offered her a job once she was old enough, which she gladly took. Still, he had never bothered returning to his childhood home, in his mind he had nothing left there to return too. His mother was gone, so he had no obligation to visit the man she was married too, they had never had a relationship in the first place. He saw Mikasa almost every day, so it wasn't a big deal, but no matter how many times he tried to convey this to Petra, it never got through to her.
A knock on the door made his eyes drift towards the wood, he raised a thin brow. "Come in." He droned out, moving to sit up properly in the chair.
The face of Jean Kirstein made itself known as his head popped in through the crack in the door. "Hey, boss. I've got a theoretical question for you." He started slowly, and Levi dreadingly prepared himself for what he was about to hear. "If an entire pound of coffee beans were to metaphorically be dropped into the bucket of mop water, metaphorically, of course, would they be salvageable?"
"Kirstein, I'll give you three seconds to step away from my office before I stick my foot up your ass," Levi warned him with a heavy sigh. His fingers rubbing his temples in an attempt to soothe his headache.
"Okay." And with that, he left hurriedly with a slam of the door.
Fucking fantastic.