Work Text:
His bed was warm. He blinked, squinting and frowning at the bright light pouring in through the window. The blankets were shoved to the bottom of the bed, and they’d twisted around his feet during the night. A weight pressed against his arm; his hand and fingers prickled with numbness.
Blinking blearily, he glanced down.
There was a head nested against his arm. Hanji’s, to be specific.
Her brown, tousled hair spread over his shoulder and his pillow, and she’d pressed her face into the space between his neck and shoulder. Each slow breath tickled his skin.
His other arm wrapped around her. Where the back of her shirt had ridden up, his fingers brushed against warm skin.
Oh. He thought sleepily, and blinked again. A dream, then.
As he shifted back onto the pillow, Hanji sighed and rolled closer.
Closing his eyes, he tipped his head down. His nose brushed her cheek, and she heaved a drowsy breath. Rubbing her face against his shoulder, her brows drew together. She muttered something sleepy and incoherent into the fabric of his shirt.
Eyes half-lidded, Levi watched her, captivated.
A stray hair slipped down her face. She wiggled her nose.
He reached for it, fingers carefully brushing it back.
Dark lashes fluttered against her cheek, and she opened her eyes. She blinked, unfocused, and said, her voice hoarse with sleep, “Hmmn...morning.”
And since it was a dream, he didn’t stop to think. Cupping her face, he gently pressed a slow, lingering kiss against her lips.
When he pulled back, her brown eyes were wide. She blinked once, and then blinked again. Her mouth opened and closed, before she finally managed, “Ummm…wha- what?”
At which point, Levi abruptly realized three things.
- He was not dreaming.
- Hanji was actually in his bed.
- He’d just kissed her.
Levi jolted - jerking spasmodically back.
His dorm was tiny, and therefore so was his bed. With that single, violent spasm, Levi’s ass slipped over the edge. With an undignified yelp, he tumbled to the floor, dragging half the blankets off with him.
Hanji sat up. Her hair, a mess, had seemingly found a way to bypass the laws of gravity.
“Levi?” she said, leaning over the bed. She sounded alarmed.
Twisting, he rolled up, struggling to free his legs from the sheets. “Fuck- Four-Eyes, Hanji - I thought it was - I mean, I was confused?” he said, desperate, swearing again for good measure as he stumbled to his feet, throwing the tangled sheets to the ground.
“You were...confused?”
He couldn’t look at her. He knew, with every fiber of his mortified being, that he would actually die if he looked at her right now. So instead, he stepped over the blankets and opened his dresser. Using the long door as cover, he tore off his sleep shirt and without looking, grabbed the closest t-shirt within reach.
“I’m sorry,” he called through fabric as he tugged the shirt over his head. “I was - fuck - I was really out of it.”
“But Levi-”
“I was tired and I just thought it was - uh - god, a weird dream or something,” Levi said, dragging on his pants. Huffing a breath, he yanked on his shoes.
Scooping the blankets off the floor, he tossed them in her direction and said, “Won’t happen again.”
“Levi-”
“Gotta get to class,” Levi interrupted. Ducking his head, he snatched his backpack and made a beeline for the door.
“...it’s Saturday?”
He flung the door open. “Got a project - thing. Very important. Lock the door before you go,” he called over his shoulder and slipped out of the room.
He shoved the door firmly closed behind him.
Raking a hand through his hair, he practically jogged down the hall. He strang together a quiet but impressively varied stream of curses under his breath.
He’d fucked up.
“Motherfucking shit, fuck, god-damn, shitass, fucking shitdick-”
He’d really fucked up.
He’d dreamt about her before.
And fuck, it definitely sounded creepy when he said it in his head.
The dreams - everything - it had all started with that damn party. The feelings had been undeniable. Like electricity, jolting through him, zapping in his stomach when he looked at her - when she smiled. Up until now, he’d done a pretty damn good job of ignoring them. Hanji was his friend - one of his only friends. Levi wasn’t about to let a few feelings and some fucking dreams ruin things between them.
Well. So much for that.
He’d offered to let his friend sleep in his bed, and she’d woken up in the morning to him kissing her, like a fucking creep.
God.
How the fuck was he supposed to face her after this?
The room shook with the force of the slammed door.
Hanji, perched in Levi’s bed, stared, shocked, at the door.
Balling up the blankets Levi had tossed at her, Hanji wrapped her arms around them and frowned. She touched a hand to her lips.
Levi’s lips had been warm. And the kiss - surprisingly soft.
“Huh.”
Levi hid at the library, then went to work, and then hid at the library again. When he finally snuck back to his room, it was a little after one in the morning.
He turned his key in the lock and held his breath as he flicked on the lights.
Empty.
His shoulders sagged in relief.
Hanji had been trying to reach him all day, and he wouldn’t put it past her to have camped out in his room, waiting him out.
As he shrugged off his backpack, he tossed his phone on the bed. The screen flashed with a long line of notifications. Hanji had left countless texts. She’d tried calling a few times as well.
He bent to untie his shoes, and when he straightened, the screen lit up again. He swiped the phone, dismissing the most recent text and rapidly hiding the string of notifications.
Levi rubbed his hand over his face and groaned.
He would talk to her. Try to explain. Just...not yet.
He kept his phone on silent, studiously ignoring any messages sent his way. One day became two, and then two - three. And then he had that big test on Thursday, so he had to focus on that. Friday was a full day of classes, and then it was Saturday.
A week.
He’d ignored her for a week.
After work, Levi trudged up the stairs to his dorm. He felt guilty, and embarrassed, and generally like a shit excuse for a human being - but at least it was quiet. All of his floor-mates had left on a weekend camping and river-rafting trip. They’d invited him along, but honestly, fuck the outdoors - so Levi had the floor to himself.
Back in his room, he stripped, giving his phone a cursory glance. No texts. No calls. The last one had come on Wednesday. Tossing the phone, he grabbed his shower basket and wrapped a towel around his waist.
He twisted the shower handle, turning it until the narrow shower swam with steam. The scalding water felt good, and he rolled his neck, standing under the stream as it reddened his skin.
Tomorrow.
He’d talk to Hanji tomorrow.
He’d get a good night’s sleep tonight, and tomorrow he’d figure out something to tell her. He’d have to figure out some way to make it up to her too.
Fuck, he’d kissed her and ignored her for a week.
What a shithead.
He turned the water off with slightly more force than was necessary. Thick steam reluctantly dissipated as Levi rubbed the towel over his head and then tied it neatly around his waist.
Goosebumps prickled his skin as he hurried from the bathroom to his dorm, flip flops squeaking in the silent hall.
Grabbing the knob, he twisted.
Click.
He felt as if the contents of his stomach had plummeted down to his toes.
Squeezing the knob, he twisted again.
Locked.
Levi looked down at his wrist - though he needn’t have - he knew it wasn’t there.
The spiral keychain he brought with him for instances just like this, wasn’t on his wrist. Distracted, he must have forgotten it. It was likely still on his bedside table. Useless now.
Folding his arms over his bare, dripping chest, Levi glanced up and down the empty hall and swore.
Of fucking course his flatmates were gone this weekend.
He walked up and down the hall anyway, knocking on every door just to be sure. When he got to the end of the hall, knocking firmly on the last door, he swore again.
Adjusting the towel at his waist, he grimaced and marched downstairs.
The Resident’s Assistance Desk was empty.
Leaning over the counter, Levi slapped the service bell. Repeatedly.
Cold water dripped rhythmically on the desk as Levi stared daggers at the nameplate: Todd McMiller, and the empty chair beyond it.
Motherfucking Todd.
Clutching at his not-nearly-big enough towel, Levi frowned, considering his options.
Hanji sat in bed, cross-legged, wrapped in blankets, loudly slurping at the biggest frappuccino the campus coffee house would sell her.
Nanaba was at the closet, slowly packing a weekend bag and casting periodic concerned glances her way. Mike, lounging on Nanaba’s bed while he waited, nodded towards Hanji’s drink.
“Didn’t know they sold them that big.”
“They do,” she said, “when you refuse to take no for an answer.” Hanji smiled thinly and took another long slurp.
Nanaba and Mike shared a quick glance.
“That’s, er, a lot of sugar and a lot of caffeine, considering it’s,” Nanaba glanced at her watch. “Eight-thirty at night.”
“Have you considered that it’s exactly the right amount of sugar and caffeine?” Hanji slurped again and added, “I was thinking about going to the lab tonight anyway. Have a few more trials I can run for my Mechanical Control Systems project.”
“Er - you sure?” Nanaba hesitated, “It’s just... you’ve been going to the lab an awful lot.”
Hanji shrugged, further puffing the giant blanket around her shoulders. “Just keeping busy.”
Nanaba nodded, pressing her lips firmly together, then tentatively added, “...have you heard anything from Levi?”
Hanji sucked loudly at the drink, drowning out the question.
At a loss, Nanaba looked to Mike.
Swinging his feet off the bed, Mike sat up. “Hanji - you sure you’re okay staying by yourself this weekend? Nanaba and I can always do something for our anniversary next weekend-”
Hanji straightened, throwing her arms up so fast she nearly toppled her icy beverage. “No! You are not cancelling anniversary weekend on my account,” she demanded, jabbing a steely finger at Mike’s concerned face.
Righting her tipping drink, she sighed. “Really. I know I’m a little down about the Levi situation - but I am alright. I think it’ll just take some time to get out of this funk. Some ‘me time’ will probably do me good.”
And it probably would.
Probably.
Sure, she’d been confused when Levi had kissed her out of nowhere. And yes, she’d been upset when he hadn’t answered any of her calls or texts. And then she’d been pissed when he started outright avoiding her. And then, yes, she’d missed him, and that - well that part had been pretty sad.
But she was fine.
Or she would be. Eventually.
The giant frappuccino was certainly helping.
Pouting her lips, Nanaba looked between Mike and Hanji, fretfully clutching her bag.
“Really Nanaba,” Hanji said, “It’s alright-”
A short, quick knock rapped against the door.
From the other side of the door, came a muted voice.
“...Hanji? It’s me...Levi,” the muted voice added, completely unnecessarily. Hanji had always found his low voice to be incredibly distinct.
Nanaba’s mouth was open.
The blankets around Hanji’s shoulders had fallen loose.
Mike looked between the two of them, eyebrows lifting toward his hairline.
The knock sounded again.
“I can see the light on in there.” There was a long pause, and then, “I’m a complete dick. And an asshole. I get that you’re pissed at me. But uh, just this one time, I really need you to please open the door.”
Mike slapped his hands on his knees and said, “You want me to punch him, Hanji?”
“I’m capable of doing my own punching should the need arise.”
Setting the frappuccino aside, she rose, discarding her blankets. Standing up, she squared her shoulders, determined to appear as confident as anyone wearing sweats they’d put on two days ago possibly could.
Tightening her ponytail, she marched to the door and wrenched it open.
“Yes, Levi, you have been a di-ick?”
She stopped, struggling with the last word - because the subject of her sentence was, coincidentally, only covered by one very small towel.
Hanji was aware her mouth had fallen open, but at the moment, was too preoccupied to bother with closing it.
Levi stood in the hallway, arms folded tightly across his bare chest, waist wrapped in nothing but a small, white towel.
Against her better judgment, Hanji’s gaze traveled from his still dripping hair, down to his damp neck and lithely muscled shoulders. There, a single drop was rolling, gaining momentum as it slid over his chest and down the ridges of a remarkably defined abdomen. When the drop slipped past his hip bone and disappeared beneath the towel, Hanji swallowed and jerked her gaze back up.
From behind her, Mike cleared his throat, “...so were they having a sale on tiny bath towels or...?”
Ears reddening, Levi clutched self-consciously at the fabric.
“You know what, Hanji - we can go now,” Nanaba butted-in. Shouldering her bag, she hurriedly shuffled into her shoes. “You want us to go?”
“Uh-uhm, yes? Sure?” Hanji had never seen quite so much of Levi before and was honestly having a difficult time looking away.
Levi stepped aside as Nanaba and Mike slipped by. Nanaba’s gaze flicked down to the towel once before she managed to reign it back in. Grabbing Mike’s hand, she called over her shoulder, “Call us if you need anything Hanji!”
Mike, dragged along by Nanaba, turned, pointing threateningly at Levi has he passed. “Hanji will punch you if you act like a jackass.”
“Noted,” Levi said, frowning after them, still clutching at the towel.
“Um…” Hanji eloquently said, trying and failing to find somewhere to start. She was usually so much better with her words - but a new drop was currently making its pilgrimage between Levi’s abdominal muscles.
“Could I, uh, borrow some clothes?”
“Right. Clothes. Sure,” she said, and frowned, determined to say something that sounded slightly less like it had come from a neanderthal, “Um. Clothes. Why?”
Jesus.
And there went another drop.
Levi blinked. “I got locked out. Of my room.”
It was Hanji’s turn to blink. She frowned, letting that one sink in. “...You walked across campus...in a towel.”
“Yes.”
“Oh my god, Levi!”
“My flatmates are camping and you’re like my only fucking friend, so can you please let me inside or give me some clothes?”
Right. He was standing in the hall. In a towel.
Grabbing his arm, she dragged him in.
He leaned against the door as she dug through her drawers. She tossed a pair of her shorter sweatpants and a t-shirt blindly in his direction.
Turning away, she covered her eyes. “I won’t look.”
“...you’re turned away. You don’t need to cover your eyes too.”
Hanji thought of the drops sliding down his toned chest and decided she didn’t completely trust herself not to sneak one final quick peek. “Nah. This is fine.”
There was the swish of fabric and the sound of a damp towel striking the floor.
“Thanks.”
When Hanji turned, Levi was bent, picking up and rolling the wet towel. Her sweats were a little long, but he’d rolled them around his ankles. Other than being somewhat tight in the shoulders, the t-shirt seemed to fit alright.
More importantly, Levi’s frankly unnecessarily toned chest was covered, and Hanji looked forward to once again being able to speak in fully formed sentences.
“Why - what - why did you do that. With the-” She gestured vaguely at her lips, “With the- I mean, the kiss? And then - me,” She waved her arms, “with the texts and the calls. And you? Just disappearing. And the kiss?” She repeated, doubling back for good measure.
Shoving his hands in the sweat’s pockets, Levi looked at the floor. “Yeah. About that. I’m really fucking sorry.”
Hanji’s shoulders sank, and she found herself alarmingly lacking in anger. In its place, she felt horribly, achingly sad.
“Oh,” she said, and turned, sinking slowly onto her bed. She reached for the frappuccino.
Levi sat gingerly beside her and said, “...that’s a huge frappuccino.”
“Yeah, I think it’s actually an empty bottle of flavored syrup or something - but they filled it up with blended ice and coffee when I started screaming,” Hanji said, waving her hand as if it didn’t really matter.
“Oh.”
Hanji nodded and sighed.
Levi folded his hands in his lap. “Look. I really am sorry. It was a fucking dick move to ignore you. But I basically kissed my best friend in her sleep - which is the fucking worst. And I was embarrassed, and I dealt with it in a really shitty way.”
Hanji bit her lip. She didn’t want to look at him, and so instead, picked determinedly at a reddened hangnail. “I’m not mad that you kissed me, Levi. I’m mad that you kissed me and then ran away and didn’t talk to me for a week.” She swallowed. “I get that you made a mistake, but we could have talked about it. Like friends.”
Head bowed, his hands squeezed over his knees. “Yeah. Fuck. I know.”
For a long moment, they were both silent.
“If you still want me as a friend, I do want to make it up to you,” Levi said, voice hoarse.
Hanji, eyes stinging, blinked rapidly and bumped her shoulder against his. “Of course I still want to be friends, you dick,” she said, throat aching. She wondered how it was possible to feel elated and defeated at the same time.
“Are you crying?”
“No! I’m not!” Hanji said, vehemently rubbing underneath her eyes.
“Shit. Hanji. Please don’t fucking cry” Levi said, panicked. “Yes, absolutely, I’m a dick. A complete asshole. The worst human. Why are you crying?”
Hanji managed a smile. Sniffing, she rubbed angrily at her face. “No - No. It’s good. I’m good.”
“Hanji.”
She shrugged, and picked at the hangnail. “I’m relieved and -” she closed her eyes, “just a tiny bit disappointed,” she breathed, forcing herself to be honest.
Yes, this was about to get awkward as hell, but she’d always found honesty to be best course of action. It was like ripping off a band-aid. It would be painful - and probably more than a little uncomfortable. But afterwards they’d be able to move forward with their friendship.
Because, honestly - she’d really liked it when he’d kissed her.
Sure, she’d always liked him. He was funny, grumpy, undeniably kind.
But that morning, she’d woken up, and he was right there. His arm was underneath her and his eyes were dark and warm. His fingers had brushed her cheek and then - and then - he’d kissed her; a slow, impossibly gentle brush of lips. It was the slightest touch, but it was like he’d ignited something. A colorful, wonderful inferno that burst to life within her marrow, between her ribs, filling every empty space beneath her skin.
“...Disappointed?” Levi finally managed.
Hanji closed her eyes because this was actually the absolute worst, and admitted, “So it was a nice kiss, okay? And then you left, and I started thinking about you and me - and us. And then you ignored me for a week.”
“Us?”
Annoyed that he seemed incapable of doing anything other than repeating her own words back at her in the form of a question, Hanji pinched the bridge of her nose and breathed, “Yes, Levi-”
Two cool hands carefully brushed either side of her face, gently turning her towards him.
“Hanji,” Levi said slowly, quietly.
Hanji, now twisted in his direction, realized that they were very close. His nose was inches from hers and their knees were bumping.
“Can I kiss you?” he asked.
Hanji blankly stared as her mind did some very rapid re-calculations, and she at once remembered one particular thing he’d said during the chaos of the morning - he’d thought it was a dream. Which meant -
Oh.
The wonderful, colorful feeling was returning and Hanji thought she might burst with it - and so she really meant to say yes, but somehow said instead:
“I don’t know, can you?” parroting the annoying phrase an elementary school grammar teacher had been overly fond of.
Levi closed his eyes and breathed a long-suffering sigh, “Hanji-”
“Yes,” she said, and captured his mouth in a kiss.
Color burst, radiant within, and when he leaned in, cradling her neck as he deepened the kiss, she thought she might melt.
“So…. you avoided me for a week because...?” she said, pulling back.
“Because I thought you didn’t feel the same way and I didn’t want to ruin our friendship.”
“Hm, yes,” she hummed, “In that case, ignoring me was such a good strategy.”
“Well,” he said deadpan, “I was, as we established, a fucking idiot.”
Sandwiching his face between her hands, she kissed him again - because kissing him was new and she really enjoyed it. “At least you’re learning.”
He rolled his eyes and she kissed him again.
Yes, she could definitely get used to this.
“You can still make it up to me,” she said.
“Whatever the fuck you want,” he said, and now he was kissing her, and it was less gentle this time, filled with more heat. Her mind returned to those lazy drops sliding down his bare chest.
“Put the towel on again.”
“It’s all wet!”
“The towel, Levi.”
“It’s on the floor!”
“And whose fault is that?” Hanji said, laughing.
Levi silenced her with another kiss. “How about I get you another giant ass coffee and,” he paused, “a thousand more kisses.”
“Hmm no, not enough. You unnecessarily complicated this entire situation. I mean, look at me, I’ve been wearing these sweats for days. I think I legitimately went through a few stages of grief.”
Levi glanced dubiously down. “That’s gross, Hanji.”
She shushed him with a hand to his lips. “For that, it’ll be at least a hundred thousand kisses,” she stated gravely. “Maybe more.”
Levi, pressing his lips together, nodded. “Okay. Two-hundred thousand kisses - and a um, a date?”
“Hmm, a date. That does sound nice,” Hanji said, fighting back a smile. “And the two-hundred thousand kisses might work. Obviously we may need to renegotiate the terms if-”
He interrupted her with a kiss.
“So we’re counting that as kiss number one, then?”
Rather than answer, he pulled her into his lap. Cradling her face, he kissed her slowly, languidly, soundly. At which point, she decided to pick up the conversation at a later time.