Shattered Like Her Lenses (LeviHan Angst)

Is This A Dream

Levi leaned forward, his head burrowing into his knees.
He stared out at the sky outside.
Curtains pushed aside.
The sky through the glass filter.
Then his gaze lowers to the walls.
It's hard to imagine that the peace he had for many years when he stepped into the Survey Corps was gone.

That was when his gaze met Hanji Zoe's.
"Leviiiiii," Hanji said his name with a cheerful lilt,"You awake?"

She didn't have her glasses on this time.
Levi stiffened. He had a million things he wanted to say about Hanji's missing glasses.
Part of him wants the glasses to be missing.
Forever.
To reveal the face beyond those lenses.

"What do you think?" Levi wanted his voice to come out dull, but a tinge of fondness could be heard in them.
He would like to think the reason for that was lack of sleep.
But looking at Hanji who sat next to him brought along a ghost of a smile so rare for him.
Perhaps Hanji could restore that peace taken away.

"You've been disrupting my sleep more than usual these past nights," Levi muttered.
"Well... I just wanted to talk to you, and I couldn't sleep."
"At least keep your problems to yourself."
"But Levi," Hanji spoke with the annoying sing-song tune that she knew Levi hated, "your problem is my problem so you should consider my problems as well."
"Unfortunately."
They sat on Levi's bed in the silence. Levi studied the pool of moonlight which was casted on the wooden floor through the window.
A few moments passed.
"Don't die tomorrow," Levi spoke, still studying the patch of light. Hanji didn't laugh but he could hear a hint of amusement in her voice.
"I can't guarantee that, but I'll try my best."
"You better."

The simple mention about the titan hunt tomorrow brought along a never-ending rant about her theories.
"Hanji, it's 4 am."
Hanji stopped her lecture.
The passion she had in her discoveries. It died away like a radio being tuned down.
Her eyes met a pair of stormy black ones connected with hues of grey here and there.
His eyes weren't as cold as they used to be.
"Yeah so?"
"If you're going to capture a titan, I want you to have sufficient rest." Levi's eyes darted to the stars that were fading outside,"I need you to stay alive."
"Why?"
"Because..." He looked up at that brightest star,"You're like that star. And I don't want its bright light to die down."
"What do you mean?" Hanji's mind was adjusting outside of titans and her theories.
"Sometimes the coldest and darkest nights need that star to bring light to it."
Fading. Fading... Skies indigo to pink, almost like an artist had painted out Levi's dark world. Dark feelings. Being lit up. All by the person who sat close beside him.
"The night may be much closer than you think..." He added her name softly,"Hanji."

"That means the stars would need the night too, because they aren't visible without darkness." Hanji pointed out before looking back to grin at Levi.

The same shit-eating grin that took away all the pain.
One he could stare at for ages, without ever getting tired of.

"Which means both of them are important to each other."
Hanji felt a warm hand take hers as he looked at her in the eye, faster than she could even respond," Perhaps that answers your question why I need you to be alive?"
A deeper shade of rosy pink was dusted over the sky, just like the girl's cheeks.

"See that sun rise? Once we get rid of those titans, promise you'll go see it, at a place where the sky stretches for eternity, you won't know where the ends of it will be." Hanji was hardly ever that quiet.
She hung on to Levi's every word.
"But no matter where we see that sunrise, you'll be right beside me. Promise?"
Time froze for a second. Then Hanji's words came out almost like a whisper.

"Promise."

"Then there's all those places we'll go to, where there'll be so many discoveries you won't know where to start..." For the first time in a long while, Levi voiced out his thoughts all in one night.

Found a home in Hanji Zoe in one night.
A future ahead promised for them in one night.
Hopefully there will be another tomorrow.

His words slowly lulled Hanji to sleep; Her head on his shoulders. His arm around her.
His other hand still holding onto hers, not too gently. Not too tightly. Just enough to let her know he will be by her side.

And by her side is where everything is so perfect.
So safe.
So calm in the world tonight.

With that serenity they had now, the pair would have long forgotten about the fears they'll be going to face.

If Levi's words were really a lullaby, Hanji would have want him to keep singing.

If all these was a dream, Levi would never want to wake up.