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Somehow, they were friends.

She wondered about it occasionally. She knew it was sometimes gossiped about. She also knew that it had caused some raised eyebrows and speculation when they first became friends. How could a former thug like him and a former rich kid get along so well? They were so different, in their personalities, how they were raised, life experiences leading up to the military... There was so much distance in their commonalities, and yet they were friends.

Sure, there were moments they'd ignore each other, or pick on each other until the other exploded. But people saw what they wanted to see. So, of course people focused on their titles, and not on them as human beings themselves. Levi, humanity’s strongest soldier, the former thug. Hanji, research scientist, the crazy titan-lover. Very few were aware of how Levi mourned each life lost. How Hanji did all she could with her research to find the answer, to save lives, to give Levi the best edge possible.

People only focused on the nickname Levi gave her - Shitty Glasses - but few knew why he called her that. That it was a reference back to their early years, and not as much of an insult as people thought it was.

Others focused on how messy she was, and how much of a clean freak he was. They wondered and speculated how that friendship didn't result in them killing each other due to their differences.

Soldiers reflected on their difference in personality the most. Hanji, excitable, messy, unnameable. Levi, stoic, focused, OCD. Those folks didn't pay much attention to the little details, of what a good team they were. When in the mood, Levi would seek Hanji out to ask her about her research, and to be a sounding board for her ideas. (he'd also use that time to make sure she was eating and bathing) And for her, after particularly grueling missions, she'd grab Mike or Petra and seek Levi out, to just sit with him, to talk or be quiet as needed, and to make sure he wouldn't drink all the Vine by himself (a drunk Levi is NOT a polite Levi). They balanced each other.

Fewer yet knew of the nights they'd spend together. The nights where sleep evaded them, and they'd find themselves wandering the halls until they found themselves at the others door, and how they'd stay up late, talking of dreams of the future, strategies against the titans, remembering fallen friends.

Erwin knew all this. As did Mike, Levi's team and a few of Hanji's squad. They knew when Hanji couldn't be found, if she wasn't already with Levi, he'd know where to find her. And vice versa. On the rare night that Erwin needed to find one of them, and he'd had to actually hunt them down to find them, he'd often find them awake, sometimes tipsy, if the memories hurt too much, but almost always side-by-side. They would sometimes act as if it was a secret, the depth of their friendship. But that could be due to the teasing that Mike and their friends sometimes gave them.

Once, Erwin had found them curled up together like cats on Levi's bed. Mud from Hanji's boots littered the floor from the doorway (and hallway and beyond), and on to Levi's bed. The sheets and blanket looked to be beyond the help of bleaching. 80% of their force that day had been eaten, killed or injured to the point of almost dead. It had been a gruesome day, and now the two soldiers were curled in, facing each other, holding their fingers over the others wrist pulse point. They had fallen asleep like that, feeling the beat of life under each other’s skin. Clearly, they both had felt traumatized, if Levi had actually fallen asleep with a muddy Hanji, and mud throughout his personal quarters. Erwin had only shared that special scene with a few - Mike, Moblit and Petra specifically. Just enough people to know that Levi did have a soft side, and just enough people so he could tease Levi and Hanji with the safety of a group.

As much as others thought there was distance, there wasn't really. With one exception: love. They both maintained as much distance as possible in that one regard. They both thought highly of each other, their fighting ability and their skill of survival. But as it was already, if one of them died, the other would be feeling bereft of a close friend, and that would be deeply painful enough as is. How much moreso if they were in love or even lovers?

No, until the war with the titans was over, they would maintain that distance as much as possible.

So it was a moment of surprise to Moblit when he walked into the mess hall in the early morning to find them slumbering away. He paused in the doorway and debated quietly on how best to proceed. His squad leader was curled into a chair, blanket tucked securely around, glasses askew while she lightly snored. Levi Heichou was stretched out in a chair across from her, arms folded, a rare peaceful expression softening his features. The fire in the fireplace was just brightly glowing embers, and providing just a little more light than the rising sun outside.

Still debating, Moblit jumped when he felt a hand rest lightly on his shoulder. He turned slightly to see Commander Erwin inches from his face, studying the two sleeping soldiers.

“We need to win this war. And those two just need to accept the risks and move forward. C'mon.” Erwin squeezed Moblit's shoulder and turned to walk away. “We can get coffee in a bit. Let's let them wake without our interference.”

Description
Somehow, they were friends.

She wondered about it occasionally. She knew it was sometimes gossiped about. She also knew that it had caused some raised eyebrows and speculation when they first became friends. How could a former thug like him and a former rich kid get along so well? They were so different, in their personalities, how they were raised, life experiences leading up to the military... There was so much distance in their commonalities, and yet they were friends.

Sure, there were moments they'd ignore each other, or pick on each other until the other exploded. But people saw what they wanted to see. So, of course people focused on their titles, and not on them as human beings themselves. Levi, humanity’s strongest soldier, the former thug. Hanji, research scientist, the crazy titan-lover. Very few were aware of how Levi mourned each life lost. How Hanji did all she could with her research to find the answer, to save lives, to give Levi the best edge possible.

People only focused on the nickname Levi gave her - Shitty Glasses - but few knew why he called her that. That it was a reference back to their early years, and not as much of an insult as people thought it was.

Others focused on how messy she was, and how much of a clean freak he was. They wondered and speculated how that friendship didn't result in them killing each other due to their differences.

Soldiers reflected on their difference in personality the most. Hanji, excitable, messy, unnameable. Levi, stoic, focused, OCD. Those folks didn't pay much attention to the little details, of what a good team they were. When in the mood, Levi would seek Hanji out to ask her about her research, and to be a sounding board for her ideas. (he'd also use that time to make sure she was eating and bathing) And for her, after particularly grueling missions, she'd grab Mike or Petra and seek Levi out, to just sit with him, to talk or be quiet as needed, and to make sure he wouldn't drink all the Vine by himself (a drunk Levi is NOT a polite Levi). They balanced each other.

Fewer yet knew of the nights they'd spend together. The nights where sleep evaded them, and they'd find themselves wandering the halls until they found themselves at the others door, and how they'd stay up late, talking of dreams of the future, strategies against the titans, remembering fallen friends.

Erwin knew all this. As did Mike, Levi's team and a few of Hanji's squad. They knew when Hanji couldn't be found, if she wasn't already with Levi, he'd know where to find her. And vice versa. On the rare night that Erwin needed to find one of them, and he'd had to actually hunt them down to find them, he'd often find them awake, sometimes tipsy, if the memories hurt too much, but almost always side-by-side. They would sometimes act as if it was a secret, the depth of their friendship. But that could be due to the teasing that Mike and their friends sometimes gave them.

Once, Erwin had found them curled up together like cats on Levi's bed. Mud from Hanji's boots littered the floor from the doorway (and hallway and beyond), and on to Levi's bed. The sheets and blanket looked to be beyond the help of bleaching. 80% of their force that day had been eaten, killed or injured to the point of almost dead. It had been a gruesome day, and now the two soldiers were curled in, facing each other, holding their fingers over the others wrist pulse point. They had fallen asleep like that, feeling the beat of life under each other’s skin. Clearly, they both had felt traumatized, if Levi had actually fallen asleep with a muddy Hanji, and mud throughout his personal quarters. Erwin had only shared that special scene with a few - Mike, Moblit and Petra specifically. Just enough people to know that Levi did have a soft side, and just enough people so he could tease Levi and Hanji with the safety of a group.

As much as others thought there was distance, there wasn't really. With one exception: love. They both maintained as much distance as possible in that one regard. They both thought highly of each other, their fighting ability and their skill of survival. But as it was already, if one of them died, the other would be feeling bereft of a close friend, and that would be deeply painful enough as is. How much moreso if they were in love or even lovers?

No, until the war with the titans was over, they would maintain that distance as much as possible.

So it was a moment of surprise to Moblit when he walked into the mess hall in the early morning to find them slumbering away. He paused in the doorway and debated quietly on how best to proceed. His squad leader was curled into a chair, blanket tucked securely around, glasses askew while she lightly snored. Levi Heichou was stretched out in a chair across from her, arms folded, a rare peaceful expression softening his features. The fire in the fireplace was just brightly glowing embers, and providing just a little more light than the rising sun outside.

Still debating, Moblit jumped when he felt a hand rest lightly on his shoulder. He turned slightly to see Commander Erwin inches from his face, studying the two sleeping soldiers.

“We need to win this war. And those two just need to accept the risks and move forward. C'mon.” Erwin squeezed Moblit's shoulder and turned to walk away. “We can get coffee in a bit. Let's let them wake without our interference.”