My Neighbor's Friend

What Are You Doing to Me?

"Oi brat, pass the popcorn."

Ah, yes. That's Levi calling me. Don't ask me how I degraded from 'cute' to 'brat'. Fuck if I know how his brain works!

After that awkward conversation in front of the gate, Hange dragged me inside the house, yelling "MOVIE TIME!!"

And no, nobody bothered asking for my consent.

We made ourselves comfortable on the couch while Hange brought the popcorn, then flooded the rest of the couch with their movie collection.

"What are you, an ancient moron?" Levi muttered.

Hange raised an eyebrow at him. He huffed. "Who the fuck watches VCD these days?!"

"Hey! Don't insult my babies!"

Levi grimaced at the mess in front of him, but started going through each of the CDs. I joined him. And from the corner of my eye, I saw Hange sitting on the carpet. Legs folded, elbows on the knees and chin resting on their intertwined fingers. They watched us with a huge grin, eyes sparkling with a predatory gleam. I heard Levi mutter something under his breath, something about 'damn Hange' and 'no fucking sense of hygiene'. But I could be wrong.

We made small talk while searching for a movie to watch. I learned that Levi is, in fact, Hange's colleague. Both of them work in the same department in some advertisement company. And the CEO, Erwin Smith – nicknamed 'Shitty eyebrows' by Levi and 'Blondie' by Hange – is also their friend. Together they are called the 'weird trio'.

"Fucking lazy assholes! Got nothing better to do than give us names", Levi retorted.

I barely stopped myself from reminding him that he does the same.

I also learned that Levi's apparently a clean freak. That explains why he was sitting on a blanket in the lawn earlier. I chuckled.

What? It's kinda cute...

Hange asked about mom and dad. I told them things are the same as before, with dad being less 'in' and more 'away', and mom being... mom. Levi listened quietly, never saying a word. And I was thankful for that. The last thing I wanted now was to have someone pity me for my family issues. They both understood my uneasiness and changed the topic. I told them about Armin and Mikasa, and others. Hange seemed genuinely happy to know that I've made some good friends.

I asked Hange why they hadn't visited all these years. They smiled and said that this place reminded them of their parents. I bit my tongue. Hange's parents died when I was around 10. Too young to understand the gravity of the situation. I remember often seeing Hange sitting on the lawn and staring up at the sky after their death. The usual cheerful smile was gone, replaced by a distant look my childish mind couldn't fathom.

I remember sitting by their side and staring at the sky together with them, without speaking a single word. We spent months like that, until one day Hange put their arms around me and cried. And I could only sit still while my shirt got soaked with their tears.

Hange noticed my guilty look and placed a kiss on my cheek. We smiled.

"Okay shitheads! Enough drama for one day." Levi's words lightened the mood instantly. Hange let out a short laugh, patting him on the shoulder. I glanced at him, mouthing a silent 'thank you', and he nodded. He wasn't smiling, but there was something affectionate in his eyes. Something that made me feel all warm inside.

I turned to Hange. "So are you here on some business?"

They laughed. "Not really. This guy here", they pointed to Levi, "thinks I should, what was it again? Yeah, 'wipe my ass off of shitty memories and get a fucking life'! So here I am, fulfilling his majesty's wish."