Fanart by "atrm_newone"
One sunny Sunday morning, Levi went to Hange's bedroom and found her sitting alone on her bed, thoughtful and a little downcast.
Hange lifted her head and with a sad smile, watched Levi sit next to her. He smiled back, gently squeezing her knee in understanding.
She laid her head on his shoulder and sighed.
"When I think the pain has already gone, it comes back and hits me so hard..."
Levi affectionately brushed her hair away from her eye patch, which from now on, Hange used to cover her injured eye, as Lara had suggested. Then, he took a folded paper out of his pocket, handing it to Hange.
"What's this?" she asked, unfolding it.
It was the house's brochure they got at the Festival they went to with Lara, a long time ago. The edges of the paper were already starting to turn yellow and the crease marks were erasing the lines of the house drawing.
"Do you remember this brochure?" asked Levi.
"How could I forget, huh?" replied Hange, blushing a little.
"Remember when I told you I was gonna buy it?"
She looked at Levi curiously.
"Yeah... I do... You gave me the biggest scare when you whispered that in my ear," chuckled Hange.
"Well... I bought it."
Hange widened her eyes and straightened her back.
"Are you serious?! I-I thought you were joking, 'cause you never talked about it again..."
"I bought it just the week after," Levi scratched his nose, shyly, "I talked with Erwin, who supported my idea. I went to the realtor, visited the house, thought about it and... Bought it."
Hange was perplexed, then, she looked at Levi with a doubtful expression.
"Oh..." he said, rubbing behind his neck, "You must be wondering that, if I bought it right after the Festival, why am I talking about it again just now?"
"I didn't know you could read minds."
"You do know we can communicate just with our eyes," replied Levi, making Hange blush again. "But, as I was saying, what happened was that I was right."
"What do you mean?"
"Remember I said that people tend to exaggerate a little in the aspects of the things they wanna sell?"
"Yes."
"I was right, in part," Levi shrugged. "The house is really beautiful, just like the brochure. But just on the outside, because when I got in to check, it was very poorly maintained. So, the answer to your question of why I took so long to tell you about the house, was because I was renovating it. That's why I kept asking you to wait..."
Hange was wide-eyed. After a period of silence, she was finally able to speak.
"You... Renovated the house?!" she covered her mouth.
"Why you're so surprised?" Levi raised an eyebrow. "You know I like to clean and organize stuff, and that for a long time, I lived all by myself, when I was in the Underground, before I met Furlan. Who do you think fixed the things where I used to live? I needed to make do with what I had..." he shrugged.
"But, you did everything alone?"
"Yeah."
"Gee, Levi..." Hange pouted, "Why didn't you hire a contractor?"
"Tks!" he clicked his tongue, frowning, "I like to do things myself, especially when it comes to my future house."
"But it must have been a lot of work!"
"Well..." Levi placed his hand on his chin, thoughtful, "It did give me a lot of work, indeed. But in the end, it turned out being pretty therapeutic," Levi looked down, "especially in the last few months..."
Hange smiled.
"But there's one thing, Levi... I'm still trying to figure out at what time of the day you did this renovation! You were always here when Lara and I would meet you for lunch."
"Oh..." he gave a mischievous smile, "I had Erwin's help for that."
"Erwin helped you with the renovation?!" Hange covered her mouth in disbelief.
"No!" replied Levi, indignantly. "That guy doesn't even know how to hold a hammer, or rather, he did not know..."
A light feeling of sadness invaded their hearts, and they sighed.
"Anyways..." continued Levi, "I told him that I had bought that house and that I'd need to renovate it on my own, which he also thought was absurd, just like you. But in the end, Erwin ended up finding the idea interesting and supported my project, saying that it would do me good. So, I arranged with him that, for about three times a week, in the morning, I would stay in the house, renovating it. Since you and Lara were holed up in that lab all morning and didn't go out of there for the world, I'm sure you didn't even notice my absence all this time. I was back before lunch..." Levi pressed his lips together and paused for a moment. "It's been just a little harder now in the last few months. Fortunately, everything was almost done before we went to Shiganshina, with just a few things to fix here and there. But, as our routine has changed a lot, because of all that happened, it ended up taking longer than I'd like. I finally finished everything last Friday, that's why I'm telling you just now." He gave her a sad smile, "Forgive me for making you wait so long..."
Hange shook her head in denial, while laughing.
"My my, Levi... I can't believe you did this... Why didn't you call Lara and me to help with the renovation? She would've liked it!"
"Huh?!" exclaimed Levi, "And let you both go in that mess?! It'd get much worse than it already was! You do know very well that Lara takes after you on cleaning. She's always pretty lazy when we need to clean here."
"That I cannot deny," laughed Hange, contemplative. "But on the other hand, she takes after you when it comes to fighting and killing Titans, doesn't she?"
"Yeah," chuckled Levi, looking at Hange, "She's an even smaller female version of myself in this department."
They both kept chuckling for a few seconds, until they slowly stopped.
"You know, Levi? Sometimes I forget that she's not our biological daughter..."
"Me too..." he was silent for a while and then, drummed his fingers on the mattress. "Hange, do you remember what our life was like before Lara?"
"Can you believe I can't remember it very well?!" she replied, taking Levi's hands, her eyes wide. "I thought it was just me, but when we used to take Lara to the park and I talked with some other mothers, they told me they also couldn't remember what their life was like before having kids. Not in the sense that they don't do the same things they used to, but, just like them, I can't imagine--"
"How we managed to live so long without Lara," they both completed the sentence, together. Holding hands, they smiled at each other.
"I have the impression that," continued Levi, "she has always been in our lives, at the same time she hasn't... I dunno, I can't explain..."
"I feel the same way too... It seems like I've known her since she was a little baby..."
Then, to Hange's surprise, Levi turned very red.
"What is it?" she asked.
"It's just..." Levi rubbed his hands nervously, "When you talked about Lara looking like our biological daughter, I can't help but imagine you being pregnant with her." Once more, he rubbed behind his neck and lowered his voice, shy, "I wonder how beautiful you would've looked..."
Hange's eyes widened, now quite red herself. She covered her mouth, hiding a smile.
"I really wanted to see you having to put up with me, with the hormones and all!"
"If I can put up with you when you talk about Titans, a pregnancy would be no match for me."
They both chuckled for a while and Hange began to wonder where Levi was trying to get at with that house talk and all, so she looked at the brochure again and turned it, because she saw something written on its back. When she read it, her eyes widened. In cursive letters - that was clearly Levi's - the following was written in the lower corner of the paper:
"Ackerman Family's House".
"What's this?" Hange slowly asked, turning to Levi, who was completely blushing, again.
"It's just..." he ran his hand over his face, "I-I didn't come here only to tell you that I bought the house and renovated it. Actually, I came here to ask you something else..."
Hange looked at him with curiosity, signaling him to continue.
Levi felt his heart race fast and his palms sweat. He wet his lips and cleared his throat.
"Hange..." he took her hands, looking deeply into her eyes, trying to keep his breath still, "Will you live in that house with me, with Lara, where we can wake up at any time we want, spend the whole day having fun in the yard, and at night, I cook a nice meal, 'cause I know you're disaster on this matter, and then play some board games, and when Lara gets sleepy, we put her in her bedroom and then, because of my insomnia, you and I spend the whole night making love?"
Hange gasped in such a way that Levi had to tap on her back.
"I-Is this..." Hange coughed once more, "Is this by any chance a--"
"Marriage proposal?" asked Levi, as if he were talking about the weather. "Yes. It is."
Hange gazed at him, hands covering her mouth, completely shocked. Levi stomped his foot on the floor repeatedly and then looked at her, worried.
"If it's possible, could you give me an answer within toda--"
"YES!" exclaimed Hange, raising her arms in the air. "A THOUSAND TIMES, YES!"
Levi stared at her in disbelief.
"Really?!"
"Oh, Levi! Come on!" Hange gave him a light slap on his arm. "Of course! What else do I need to do to show you that I wanna spend the rest of my life with you?!"
Levi had his eyes wide and gleaming, with a silly smile on his lips. Then, he acquired a worried expression.
"I just... Didn't buy any rings or such, 'cause I find these exaggerated and kneeling proposals quite cheesy. And I know you're not a big fan of these things either."
"Levi..." sighed Hange, "I don't need any of that. Only you are enough for me."
He gently took her face. When they were almost touching their lips, they heard a completely euphoric Lara burst into the room, screaming at the top of her lungs:
"PRAISE THE LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORD!!!"
Hange and Levi got married two weeks later.
It was a simple ceremony with only the closest people, at lunchtime on a Saturday. Hange was gorgeous. She wore a long white dress and had her hair down. Since her black eye patch was practically part of her personality, she also wore it. Moved, Lara cried so much that it was necessary for Sasha and Mikasa to fan her with some tissues, for she lacked some air.
The only thing that brought a feeling of sadness to Lara on that day was Armin. During the ceremony, she noticed that he glanced at her nervously, as if he wanted to say something, but wasn't able to.
Over the past few months, Lara thought it was better to keep some distance from him, as Armin seemed to still want to avoid her, talking about only Leader and Officer matters with her. Lara imagined that Armin was behaving this way because of the trauma he had been through.
However, over time, she noticed that he began to acquire a more melancholic behavior, gradually ceasing to be that happy boy. Armin was still polite as usual, but now he always had a sad look in his eyes. Even Eren and Mikasa were acting distant, not only with her, but with all their other friends as well.
Lara thought about talking to her mother about it, as Levi could probably misunderstand her. However, even Lara didn't understand what was happening inside her to be so shaken by all this and thought it was better to remain quiet for now.
In the end, Lara decided that exceptionally today, she would not let sadness take over her heart, and she tried to spend the rest of the party only worrying about being happy for her parents' realization.
With the wedding day coming up, Lara had a bit of common sense and, at one point before it, she told Hange and Levi she would still spend a few more days living in her old bedroom at the Survey Corps Headquarters, which she, for so long, shared with Hange.
To Levi and Hange's utter embarrassment, Lara argued she would do it because her parents needed to "make up the lost time", for every now and then, she still claimed that her father was too slow to finally ask her mother in marriage, and that, since a long time ago, when Lara was still a child and wasn't even been adopted, she noticed that Hange showed clear signs that she wanted to be married to Levi, even though he tried to argue back he was busy, doing the renovation.
In the end, it was agreed that Lara would stay at the HQ for only a week after the wedding, during the period her parents could enjoy their honeymoon in complete tranquility.
It was dusk when Levi and Hange arrived at their new home after the wedding ceremony, with some stars beginning to show up in the sky. By the time the carriage that had taken them there had already disappeared over the horizon, they both were standing in front of the house, gazing at it.
The sun was setting behind the mountains, reflecting its rays on the pine trees that surrounded the area. It was exactly like the drawing they saw on that brochure for the first time.
It was a big, one-story wooden house. It had a cozy front porch, accessed via a small staircase, and surrounded by a pretty flower garden. It had large windows and a chimney sticking out from one side of the house.
Holding hands, Levi looked to his side and noticed that Hange had tears in her eyes. It was like a dream coming true.
They entered their new home, heading to their bedroom, not letting go of their hands for even a second. Levi proved to be an excellent interior designer, as the furniture and objects were harmonious and matched with each other. Lara now had her own bedroom, Hange had her little lab, and Levi had a big pantry for all his teas.
They walked through the living room, which was quite spacious, where at least three couches could be placed, forming a letter "U" in front of a big fireplace. Their bedroom was the largest, which was at the very back of the house, with more privacy.
When they got there, they felt a soft breeze coming through the large window that faced the bed, with its white curtains waving, as if dancing, and with a gorgeous view of the sunset. Feeling the wind on his face, Levi couldn't help but remember that Hange was right, for the house was, after all, rather airy.
She had a dreamy smile on her lips, which made Levi smile too.
Slowly, he pulled her close to him, giving her a soft kiss. However, he noticed that Hange kept her fists closed on his chest and felt she was a little... Tense.
"What's wrong?" he asked, softly.
Looking down at her feet, Hange wet her lips. Still not facing Levi, she said, almost in a whisper:
"It's just..." she was quite red, "I'm afraid it's gonna hurt..."
The only mentions of sexual relations they had made in the presence of each other, were in the Festival and in the marriage proposal itself, where in this case, Levi only repeated Hange's words. But after hearing what Hange said, Levi even felt a certain relief. He placed his hand on her face, making her look at him.
"You'll guide me, because..." Levi blushed, "I know nothing about... That, either."
Hange's eyes widened in surprise.
"Really?! You've never...?"
"It's not something that I go around spreading," he chuckled, "but no. I've never done it. You'll be the one and only."
After hearing Levi's words, peace took over Hange's heart, and this time, she herself pulled him into a deep kiss.
As if they had agreed before, as they kissed intensely, Levi pulled down the straps of Hange's dress as she took off his gray jacket. When they least realized it, there were no longer any garments on their bodies. Pulling their lips away slowly, as they felt their breaths, they looked at the other's body ahead.
Hange had already seen Levi shirtless several times, as she always made sure to be the one to take care of his injuries, but this felt like the first time again. Despite being a body in excellent physical shape, it was even a little sad to see how damaged it was. Purple and green bruises filled his back and legs, and a few cut scars could still be seen here and there. Besides, of course, the deep marks from the belts of the ODM gear, which went through his chest, shoulders, back, and legs.
Gently, Hange ran her fingers over each bruise and scar on his torso, as if each touch erased them completely. One scar in particular, located on his left forearm, made her remember when they were in Shiganshina with Lara, when she was still very little.
Levi also looked at Hange's body. She was a woman who also had a great physical shape, but like himself, was also pretty damaged and had several marks on her body, only to a much lesser extent. Levi couldn't help but think about how beautiful she was, especially with her hair down, falling over her shoulders.
There, looking at each other's bodies, the only feeling they could have was of the deepest tenderness.
Then, in a soft and delicate way, Levi took off Hange's eye patch, who blushed a little. After giving her a light kiss on her injured eye, he took her by the waist with one hand and behind her hair with the other, pulling her into a passionate kiss, while Hange hugged his neck.
Even though she was taller than Levi, at that moment, Hange looked very small. Gently, Levi picked her up, laying her down on the bed. He crawled on the mattress until he was face to face with Hange, who was looking at him from below with the purest expression of affection.
Slowly, Levi ran his hands over both Hange's arms, until they were above her head, and then, they intertwined their hands. He kissed her passionately, ranging from her mouth to her neck.
Although she was still a little afraid, Hange felt extremely comfortable and safe, while Levi loved her with every part of his being. He was delicate, gentle, and intense at the same time. Hange ran her hands through his hair and down his back as he kissed her all over.
Levi felt his heart beating through his entire body as he wrapped Hange in his arms, slowly running his hands up her legs and back, until he reached her neck and finally, holding her hair from behind, as he felt Hange's sweet taste on his lips.
Every now and then, Levi would open his eyes to see if Hange was okay and he got happy to see her smile and at one point, he could spot a tear coming out of her eyes. They didn't know how long they stayed like that, feeling each other's deepest love.
The breeze waved the curtains on the window and the sky was now a colorful mix of blue, purple, pink, and orange, and long clouds reflected the last remaining rays of sunlight. The stars flashed quickly in the sky, as if they were applauding that moment.
When they least noticed, their bodies had already been completely joined and were moving with such synchrony, that it was as if they had already been doing this for years. Hange smiled as she realized she wasn't feeling any pain, and she loved Levi even more because of it.
"Hange...?" he whispered, panting.
"Yes?" she replied, her breathing uneven.
"I love you..."
Hange smiled.
"I love you too, Levi... Very much..."
Levi woke up very early the next morning. He looked to his side and saw Hange deep asleep, her head and hand resting on his chest. He smiled.
He brushed Hange's hair away from her face and gently pulled his arms away from under her, leaving her in a comfortable position to continue sleeping. Levi went to the wardrobe and changed into casual clothes.
Closing his bedroom door, he headed to the kitchen. Making as little noise as possible, he made his favorite tea and walked out of the house with his teacup towards the front porch.
The sun was rising just above the mountains ahead, filling the surrounding landscape with its orange rays. A cold breeze waved his hair and the smoke of his teacup. White clouds, which gave a slight appearance of mist, covered some mountains.
Levi breathed in the cold air deeply, watching the sun slowly rise to the skies. He felt his jaw tremble and tears well up in his eyes. Despite all the pain he had been through, he had never felt so happy in his entire life.
There, looking up at the sky, Levi could only say two words:
"Thank you..."