Chapter Text
A sharp knock on the door startled Hange out of her reverie, disrupting her thought process and causing her to whip around in her chair at the noise. "Come in!" She quickly recomposed herself, clearing her throat before she spoke.
Slowly, her door swung open to concurringly reveal Levi standing there with a frown. "Hi, what can I do for you?" She relaxed in her seat, sending him a cheerful smile.
He lazily leaned against her doorframe, his expression seemingly displeased. She furrowed her brow slightly at his expression, wondering what had made him upset. Before she could verbally ask him, he began to speak. "Do you have any idea how long you've been in your room?"
She shot him a bewildered look, raising her brow towards him. "Uh, a few hours?" She guessed blindly, admittedly having lost track of time. It wasn't her fault, of course, one of the flaws she openly admitted to having was how easily distracted she got when it came to her line of work.
"The entire day." He answered flatly.
She grimaced a bit, letting out a sheepish chuckle in response. It was then that she noticed her stomach rumbling insistently; something she had obviously ignored in favor of her research. She turned her head towards the window to her right, noting the navy blue sky outside. "I didn't even notice." She confessed, returning her gaze back towards her roommate.
"Get your ass out of that chair, you probably have severe swamp ass right now." He told her, tone laced with a touch of disgust.
She let out a soft laugh, closing her notebook carefully. She stood up to her feet, stretching her arms above her head. "Nice to see you were worried about me, Levi." She quipped teasingly, watching as he snorted dryly.
"I thought you were dead for a minute until you let out a screech a few hours ago." He moved out of the doorway as she approached him. "I don't want to know what the reason for that was."
She grinned at the mention of it, and Levi knew he had made a mistake upon seeing her face light up. "Oh! I stumbled upon a super interesting fact about -"
"Sit." He directed firmly as they entered the kitchen, interrupting her ongoing rambles. He moved towards the stove, hovering over a steaming pot as he stirred the contents within it.
Hange sat in a seat without a word, continuing to speak without stumbling. "The lifespan of a Welwitschia Mirabilis, which is a plant found in the Namibia desert, it can live up to as long as five hundred to fifteen hundred years, and it can survive through many extreme weather conditions!"
Levi listened to her talk despite not caring a bit about the topic at hand, grabbing two plates from the cabinets, before shutting off the stove burner. "That doesn't give you a reason to let out a battle roar." He droned out as he scooped up a few servings of the stew he made, silently pleased at the smell that drifted around his nose.
"I couldn't contain myself, I suppose." She shrugged her shoulders once. "I would give anything to study everything about them myself." She revealed with a gleam in her eye.
Levi silently placed a dish in front of her, handing her a fork. "Eat, god knows how long it's been since you've had a proper meal in your body."
"Thanks, Mom." Hange snorted through her nose, amusement dressing her features. "Oh!" She exclaimed, sitting upright in her chair. "I wrote a few more ideas down to help you with the shop." She said to him as she shoveled a forkful of food into her mouth.
He glanced up her, his eyes silently curious. Seeing this, she continued, "Well, you know how I feel about the renovation, already. Again, I don't see anything wrong with The Underground, but for teenagers and the customers you want to attract, you can afford to lighten up the place a bit! However, seeing as you're not quite ready for that step - which is completely understandable, by the way - I think that there should be a word of mouth reward; you know, if someone brings along a friend or gives them a recommendation, that friend gets a reward in return. Sounds simple enough, right?"
"And the other idea that you have?" Levi prompted.
"Buy a large drink, and get a free slice of cake." The brunette responded swiftly, pausing before she continued. "People love free stuff, what better way to attract a customer than by giving them a deal?"
"I've already thought about that." He said blankly.
"Ah, great minds think alike." She smiled at him. "I'm sure whatever you choose to do, The Underground will be fine, you're just going through a rough patch at the moment." She reassured him, taking a sip of her drink.
"That rough patch can cause me to fire a few employees." He pointed out flatly.
"That's the worst-case scenario." Hange sympathized with him.
He shook his head, no. "The worst-case scenario is that the shop goes bankrupt and I become homeless due to not being able to afford the rent."
"You're awfully optimistic today, aren't you Clean Freak?" Hange pressed her lips together in a straight line, staring directly at him. "Besides, I can always get you a job as a janitor for the lab I work at." She jested with a smirk.
Levi sneered at her. "I'd rather be homeless than clean up after you."
"You already clean up after me, though." She pointed her fork towards him, sending him a playful smile. "You also cook for me, and genuinely care about my well-being - no matter how much you deny it."
"If my new roommate finds out that someone died in their room due to starvation, I'll have to charge lower for rent." Levi let a small smirk grace his lips as he watched Hange tilt her head back and laugh. It wasn't often he found someone that chuckled at his morbid sense of humor; it was almost odd to see.
"Fair enough, I suppose." She let a few more soft laughs escape her lips. "I still think you're a caring person, though."
Levi wasn't sure how to respond to her words; of course, he wasn't an asshole who disregarded people's feelings without a care in the world, he hoped he could provide help for those that needed it, and he cared for the well-beings of many. Still, he also knew that he was cold and rude, and sometimes could be thought of as unapproachable, and downright scary at times. How Hange had managed to put up with his bullshit was beyond him, and he found it unsettling how easy it seemed for her to be able to get along with him.
"Anyway, so last night, I got up a three in the morning and found a huge spider crawling along the roof." She changed the topic flawlessly, drawing Levi out of his thoughts. "I tried to climb up and reach it, but it was too fast and slipped in through that crack in the ceiling." The amount of disappointment in her tone concerned Levi. She grew easily attached to things, he noted.
"And while I was climbing back down, I accidentally dunked my entire foot into the toilet," Hange told him exasperatedly. "I'm surprised I didn't wake you up with my shout of anguish."
"Hopefully you didn't take a shit in it beforehand."
"I did, actually, but it was a few hours later so I don't think that counts."
"Gross."
They ate the rest of their dinner in a comfortable silence, every once in a while Hange would say something remotely interesting to Levi, or Levi would throw in something he thought was stupid that a customer did earlier in the week. They both acknowledged how far their odd friendship had come in just over two months in that moment. Silently, they were both pleased with themselves and each other.
~
"Today's the big day, isn't it?" Hange bounced on the heels of her feet in excitement, a wide grin gracing her lips as she swung her jacket around her shoulders.
"Big day?" He echoed blankly, not following her train of thought. He paused before he came to the realization of what she was implying. "You mean the day I decided to give away free slices of perfectly good cake?" He deadpanned at her, watching as she moved away from their doorway slowly.
"You sound upset, but just think of all the traffic you're going to get with this! Tons of people will be stopping in!" She cheered out reassuringly, moving to lean downwards in order to pull on her shoes with some difficulty.
He looked unsettled at the thought of people coming in and out of the shop for a purchase of a large coffee and a free slice of cake. It felt like he was selling out, in a sense. "It'd be a damn shame if they didn't." He said flatly, grabbing his coat as well. It wasn't often he and Hange both left the apartment at the same time. He was usually up at the crack of dawn opening the shop while Hange left a couple of hours after him. This time, however, it seemed Hange was needed at her lab for whatever reason, and she would be leaving the same time as he was.
They both headed out of the door, Levi firmly closing it behind them, but not before testing to see if it would open first. Once he deemed it safely locked, they retreated down the hall and towards the elevator. "Hi, good morning." Hange greeted as the doors slid open, revealing a tall bald man with tanned features and a scowl to rival Levi's.
He grunted once in response, before he shifted his eyes to the left, ignoring their presence altogether. They entered the small space in an almost awkward silence, and Levi glanced towards Hange who met his gaze. She appeared amused, for what reason Levi couldn't determine.
"I am so unbelievably excited for today, you have no idea!" She told him excitedly, breaking the light tension that had blanketed them. Her warm brown eyes were visibly widened behind her lens; Levi couldn't help but compare their color to his favorite cup of tea. It was a fleeting thought, and he quickly pushed it to the back of his mind.
Without needing his response, she continued happily. "My team and I have an abundance of things on our schedule that needs to be studied and finished by today, hence the super early start!" She exhaled, slouching forward slightly. "We're going to be examining several different -" She was interrupted by the sharp ding of the elevator, indicating they had arrived at their desired floor.
"Oh, thank god." The man blew out in exasperation as he walked briskly away, leaving Levi and Hange to stare blankly at his back.
"What crawled up his ass and died?" Levi droned out loudly enough for the man to hear him, stepping out of the small space himself. He waited for Hange to catch up to him before walking towards the front doors. She pulled the door open for him without a second thought, holding it as he strode through, not sparing her a glance, nor thanking her in return.
"I'm not sure. Maybe your attitude is contagious." She jested, a smirk pulling at the corner of her lips. She took a few steps away from him, seemingly preparing to part ways.
"Where are you going?" He asked after a moment of contemplation, although, he already knew where she was heading and why. She shoved her hands in her pockets, her stringy brown strands of her bellowing in front of her face as a gust of wind blew from behind her.
"I'm going to be late for my bus." She explained as if it were obvious. Levi shifted his keys in his palms, wondering if the decision he was about to make would come back to bite him in the ass later on.
"Follow me, Dumbass." He sighed out after a beat, walking ahead of her. She stared at him, a bit dumbfounded before she reluctantly began to trot after him.
Was this Levi's way of offering to drive her to work? Certainly odd, but not at all out of character for the raven-haired man. She was very pleased to see him opening up a bit more lately, to the point of him offering to drive her to work. Of course, doing someone a favor didn't equal friendship in her eyes, but it more so proved to her that Levi was willing to spend time with her, whereas a few months ago he barely spoke more than two words to her. It was nice to see progress being made.
Levi unlocked the doors to his car, and Hange non-hesitantly slid into the passenger seat, strapping her seatbelt around her form. "I fucking hate winter." He grumbled out as he got into the car, the tip of his nose colored a rosy pink.
"Good thing spring time is only a month or so away." Hange chirped as he started the car, pulling out of his parking space and swerving into the road in a smooth manner. They settled into a comfortable silence as Hange began tinkering with the radio, switching between station aimlessly.
Levi glared at her for her actions, before stopping promptly at a red light. "What are you doing? Do you want me to kick your ass out of my car?" He said flatly as her hands lifted the storage trunk in the middle of them. "Oi, fuck off." He glanced at her as the light shifted to green and his foot pressed down on the gas peddle.
"Oh my god, what the hell is this?!" She sputtered out in laughter, holding up a 50 Cent CD. "Levi, you can't be serious, do you actually listen to this?" She grinned widely at him, turning the album around in order to read the tracklist.
"Yes, Dickhead, I listen to it, otherwise I wouldn't have it in my car. It's not like your taste in music is much better, anyway. I heard you attempting to yodel a few nights ago."
"It helps as a distraction to keep me awake." She defended herself, leaning her back aginst the chair in a relaxed manner. She resisted the urge to prop her feet up on Levi's dashboard. She knew it would result in a kick to the shin. In order to busy herself, she found her hands wandering back into the small storage unit, browsing through the small nicknacks and papers. Even his car storage was properly organized, she noted.
"This is an invasion of privacy." He frowned heavily, not bothering to stop her knowing she would somehow find a way to dig through his things regardless.
"Oh, wow." She marveled, holding up an album cover that read classical piano music. "Your taste in music just did a one-eighty. Rap and classical music? I didn't take you to be the type, Clean Freak." She told him as she set both CDs back in their proper place, a small smile graced her lips as she turned her attention towards him. "It's surprisingly fitting."
Levi snorted dryly at her words, loosening his grip on the steering wheel a bit as he made a sharp turn. "Geez, we're half a block away from my workplace. Time sure flies when you're having fun, am I right?" She said to him as her eyes came across the familiar sight of the building her transportation bus drove passed each day.
"That would explain the reason why I feel like I've aged five years since getting in the car with you," Levi stated blankly, looking ahead towards the road.
"Considering the fact you were already nearing seventy years old, you must be getting very close to death, then?" Hange responded back, leaning forward in her seat in excitement as her work building came in view.
"One can only hope." He responded as he pulled the car over to the side of the road, shifting gears in order for her to climb out of the car.
"Thanks for the ride, I owe you one, Shorty! Have a good day at work, you're gonna do great, I know it!" She shouted from her place on the sidewalk, her arm waving wildly above her in a goodbye gesture.
Levi pressed his lips into a thin line, debating telling her goodbye or not. "You too, Freak." He said loudly enough for her to hear him, before he quickly shifted the gear into drive, and pressed his foot on the gas peddle.
He still wasn't sure whether or not to be amused or embarrassed at her eccentric antics. He could admit that he felt less embarrassment lately, unfortunately. It seemed her bright personality was certainly growing on him, however alarming that seemed. He couldn't deny that he enjoyed her company. It was weird having someone besides Erwin to engage in long-standing conversation with, but it wasn't unpleasant.
No, not unpleasant at all.
~
Levi held up his phone in a stealth-like manner, quickly snapping a photo of the crowds that hadn't lessened in over five hours. Thankfully, he had enough time to take a short minute break, while Jean and Armin continuously took charge of the register and made orders. Mikasa and Eren were both hard at work in the kitchen, making sure they hadn't run out of the supply of promised free cake. Petra and Oluo had both just finished their shifts an hour ago but had contributed greatly in their own way.
He swiped his screen, tapping Hange's contact name and sending her the photo without a word of context to go along with it. She was smart, she'd figure it out eventually. Besides, he knew she would most likely want an update of how things were going.
From Shitty Glasses:
Wow! Fantastic turnout, I'm proud of u! :D
Levi stared down at the message, before typing a quick response.
To Shitty Glasses:
Is that sarcasm?
She responded back immediately, which wasn't to be unexpected.
From Shitty Glasses:
Of course not, I mean that genuinely. <3
"Hey, Boss, we need your help in the back!" Eren yelled, poking his head through the door, his brown tousled locks of hair even messier than they usually were, his cheeks a deep pink color, no doubt from the heat of the oven and running around in the backroom.
Levi stuffed his phone back in his pocket, not sparing it another glance as he made his way towards the teenager. In the back of his mind, the thought lingered that Hange genuinely cared about his business and wellbeing. She was cheering him on for whatever reason.
He appreciated her support much more than he ever thought he would.
~
Hange let her palms rest on her knees, pants escaping her lips as she paused to take a small break in the middle of the sidewalk. Her intent had originally been to visit Levi's coffee shop on her lunch break, but things had gotten a bit hectic research wise and she skipped lunch entirely in favor of doing more work. It was now nearing eight at night, and she had missed her bus by five or so minutes, resulting in her jogging towards her destination instead; The Underground.
She grinned as she stood up straight, looking forward. She knew she was only a block or so away from her destination, and she was eagerly looking forward to finally arriving. From what she could tell from the picture Levi had sent her, it seemed as if the place was garnering impressive traffic, which made her insanely happy. Levi had seemed even more stressed than usual over the past week, and she knew this would lessen it considerably.
A few minutes later and she was in front of the small coffee shop. The line had dwindled down a lot compared to earlier, which was to be understandable considering how late it was getting. She got in line, just a couple people standing in front of her.
"Hi, what can I get ya?" A teenager she recognized but did not know the name of asked. She glanced downwards at his nametag, noting the black print that read 'Jean'.
She laid her fingers on the counter, tapping them absentmindedly as she read over the menu. "What would you personally recommend I have?" She asked after a moment, moving her gaze towards the ash-haired boy who didn't seem a bit put on the spot at her question.
"I usually have an Espresso Macchiato or a Café Americano. I lean more towards the former, though, both are good if you're a coffee drinker. If you're not, I can recommend something sweeter for your tastes." He quickly said without taking a breath in between.
The brunette hummed in thought, before making a decision. "I'll go with the first one, then, thanks!"
Jean nodded his head and turned his head to look over his shoulder. "Hey, Babe, one Espresso Macchiato, for here." He told him, leaning towards the blond boy who was in the midst of mixing another drink. Hange was sure she wasn't supposed to hear the cute name-calling.
"You can have a seat, we'll bring it to you." He turned back over to her, shooting her a small smile.
Hange nodded quickly and took a seat near one of the windows, and it was then she realized that each time she visited the coffee shop, she preferred to sit at this very table. It was the very table where she had first met Levi, as well.
Her drink was brought to her no less than a few minutes later, and she contently sipped at it as she stared at the strangers passing by the shop, lost in thought. "You didn't tell me you were coming." Levi sat down across from her. His expression was masked, but Hange could tell he was tired.
"Surprise?" She tried lamely with a half-smile. "I wanted to check out how things were going." She looked around, noting the few people who had walked in at the moment. "It seems pretty busy compared to the last time I was here.
"Yeah, I think Eren is passed out in the storage room from exhaustion," Levi said with a frown, leaning back in his chair. He certainly didn't lack graciousness towards his employees, they all did a fine job today, and he had told them as such earlier.
"When are you closing?" She asked with a raised brow, wrapping her fingers around her mug.
"In an hour, or so," Levi answered her after checking the clock on the wall behind him. "Do you know how many people spilled their damn drinks all over the floor today? Clumsy bastards." He growled out.
"Look on the bright side, at least, you had enough people in here today that they made a mess! You can't be mad about that." She tried to cheer him up, pointing her index finger at him.
"I wouldn't be mad if people learned how to be careful. Especially around hot drinks that could potentially send someone to the emergency room." He rolled his light eyes. He noticed that most of the customers had been served and there was no line out of the corner of his eye. He was sure Armin and Jean were grateful for the small break. They seemed brighter too, as Jean playfully ruffled the blond's hair and leaned towards him.
"Thanks..." He looked back towards her after a moment, his expression becoming relaxed as he spoke. "For trying to help me out with this place." He clarified once he saw her bewildered expression.
Her expression lit up at his words, and Levi found himself inwardly regretting giving her thanks already and it hadn't even been more than a few seconds. "Oh, man, I knew it! I totally knew it! You are a good person, with good manners!" He distinctly heard Jean snort at her exclamations. He turned around and glared daggers at the teenager, which quieted him instantly.
"Honestly speaking, though, you don't have to thank me for anything. Friends help each other out when they need it, right? Besides, you didn't even use any of my ideas."
"Yet."
"Yet?" She echoed, before speaking again. "Are you going to change the name of this place?!"
He shook his head, slowly. "No, but I'm going to look into some renovations when I think we have enough funds for it."
"Awesome, I think a couple of coats of bright blue paint will do it." She laughed loudly at the look of disgust plastered across his face. "How about we change the name of this place to Zoe's, then? Sounds fitting, doesn't it?"
"How about instead I name a drink after you?"
"Holy shit, really?" She gaped at him.
"Yeah, it'll be the most disgusting thing on the menu and taste like absolute shit as well." He quipped flatly, his expression blank as it always was, but Hange caught the gleam of amusement in his eyes.
"You know what? I'll take it!" She said with a widening grin.