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Erwin waited for the last official to leave the briefing room before stepping closer to the newly promoted captain, who was staring unmovingly out the window. "Levi? The meeting is over. It' s time to leave!"
Levi didn't respond, as if he hadn't heard Erwin at all. Instead, he just kept gazing stubbornly outside, his chin propped on one hand and something akin to a curious gleam in his storm-grey eyes.
But perhaps, the tall blond was just imagining things.
After five minutes of watching Levi in silence, who didn't even acknowledge him, Erwin spoke up again: "Hey, is something the matter? You've seemed so absent-minded this whole time... It's very uncharacteristic for you not to pay any attention at a meeting."
"I was paying attention!" the dark-haired man replied in his usual snarky tone.
"Oh?"
Levi let his hand drop and took his eyes off the window to face Erwin instead. His eyebrow twitched in annoyance at having to slightly tilt his head back to do so. "You and those fly-by-night guys were talking about a whole lot of boring shit I already knew anyway." He rolled his eyes, before turning back to what seemed to be his most recent hobby.
"Levi.", Erwin said in an admonishing tone. Even though he had gotten used to his comrade's foul mouth, he knew he couldn't afford to tolerate it every time. Levi might be a captain now, but he was still his subordinate in the military hierarchy and therefore should show him a little more respect.
It wasn't even like Erwin himself insisted on that respect. If it were up to him, Levi could always talk to him harshly. It was a refreshing change from all those slimy officers he usually had to interact with. But the higher-ranking military officials could try and pull a fast one on the former undergrounder, something Erwin wanted to prevent at all costs.
He quietly sighed and then followed Levi's gaze. It was bright out there, probably due to the snow reflecting the winter sun's light. Hm... Snow?
"Oh... I see..." he murmured, almost too low to be heard.
"Yes, people usually do that with their eyes!" And there it was, the flippant retort Erwin had secretly been waiting for.
With a smirk, Erwin put a hand on Levi's shoulder. "It's your first time seeing snow, isn't it? Now, care to go outside with me?"
Levi snorted indignantly and shook off Erwin's hand. He tried to sound determined, but the older man heard the quiet desire in his voice when he said, "Why would I want to?"
"To properly experience the snow!" answered Erwin, tossing a slight smile to his friend.
The black-haired man rolled his eyes. "Tsk... I've been told it's cold and wet. No need to find that out first hand!" he grumbled, folding his arms dismissively in front of his chest.
Erwin hummed in agreement. "That may be, but... I still think you should go outside with me, Levi. If you won't do it for the snow though, do it to amuse me!" He gave the smaller man another smile, encouraging and optimistic.
"Tsk... Fine!"
Levi stood up with a jerk (his chair would have toppled over if Erwin had reacted even a second later) and walked toward the door. With far too much force he yanked it open, glancing back over his shoulder at Erwin who followed more slowly. "I hope it makes you fucking happy, bushy eyebrow!"
Oh, Levi had no idea how happy it actually made the commander.
"So, tell me, what do you think?" asked Erwin, a faint smirk on his face. His gaze was fixed on Levi, full of affection and fascination.
Levi had one arm outstretched, catching with the flat of his hand the white flakes that were slowly falling from the sky. He tried not to let it show, but in recent months Erwin had learned how to tell what the dark-haired man was truly thinking and feeling. To be able to read and interpret the subtle, almost invisible signs was the only way to see the real Levi, who always tried to hide behind a mask of disinterest, sharp words and strength. And so, now too, Erwin could see that Levi's controlled reticence was just an act, and that in truth he was overflowing with childlike curiosity and enthusiasm.
He almost laughed when Levi responded to his question, "It's fucking disgusting! Why does something have to be wet and cold at the same time? Couldn't it choose between the two or what? And also... Argh!"
Before either of them could react, Levi slipped and landed most inelegantly on his rear end. For a moment he just sat there, unaware of what had just happened, before his gaze fell upon a concerned Erwin. "Levi? Are you okay? You didn't hurt yourself did you?" it just bubbled out of the man's mouth.
A low growl left the lips of the addressed. His previously puzzled look turned into a furious glint. " What the hell just happened! That wasn't you tripping me up, was it?"
Erwin raised both hands defensively. A nervous laugh escaped him. "Like I'd dare ever do that!" he stated, seemingly having a mollifying effect on Levi. At least, it appeared that he believed Erwin had nothing to do with his fall and he even allowed the blond to help him back to his feet.
Levi brushed the snow off his trousers and frowned in disgust when he noticed the damp patches left by the white display of nature. "Then why did I..." he began to wonder aloud, taking a step forward, only to lose his footing again. This time, however, a strong hand grabbing his biceps prevented another painful collision with the ground.
"You have to be more careful Levi! You're standing on ice!" explained Erwin in a firm voice, not letting go of his subordinate's arm.
"..."
Levi blinked slowly, suspiciously staring at the treacherous ground beneath his feet. "Oh! I didn't realize it was ice," he murmured. The back of his ears reddened a little at this admission, and Erwin suspected hard that it wasn't just because of the icy cold.
"That's alright. I'm sure you'll get used to it quickly..." Erwin fell silent, blue eyes widening in a mixture of surprise and shock. " Levi, get down! "
The warning came a second too late. A ball of snow hit Levi squarely in the back of the head, causing him to skid again from the sudden impact. His fingers dug uncomfortably into Erwin's arm in a desperate attempt not to lose his foothold.
Using his free hand to pat the snow from his head and neck, the dark-haired man's gaze darted across the courtyard, angry and almost bloodthirsty, in search of the culprit. He eventually caught sight of a figure a few feet away, holding their stomach as they laughed.
"Haha, got you! Oh, you should see your face!" gushed Hange, their laughter growing louder and louder.
And Levi looked like he was just one step away from committing homicide. " Stupid four-eyes! What the fuck ?" he roared.
Hange bent down to pick up more snow and formed another ball with it. Levi automatically went into fighting position. This time he would not be taken down that easily.
"This, my dear Levi, is called a snowball fight!" declared Hange, presenting a broad grin.
"Snow-what?" repeated Levi, not understanding what they meant. He had never heard that word in his life before, and therefore didn’t know what to make of it.
Hange began playfully tossing the newly formed snowball from one hand to the next. "Just tell me you're more afraid of a little snow in your clothes than you are of being eaten alive by a titan, shorty?!" they teased him.
" Just you wait, you-" " Levi !"
With a surprised sound, Levi landed lengthwise in the soft snow as his feet slipped again on the ice. Bracing himself with his arms and ignoring Hange's growing laughter, he grumbled, "I. Hate. The snow!"
"Okay, maybe you hate the snow, but I know something that you’ll like for sure!", Hange announced after what felt like an eternity, during which Erwin had just managed to prevent Levi from snapping their neck. The group had withdrawn to one of the establishments in town to escape the cold and damp weather. "Actually, you can get it all year round, but I think it tastes best during winter!"
While Hange spoke to the waiter, Levi turned to Erwin, a suspicious glint in his steely eyes. "What's that four-eyed creature talking about, Erwin?"
"Hot chocolate."
Levi's right eyebrow twitched upward. "Hot chocolate?" he repeated, as if to make sure he had heard correctly. And after a slight nod from Erwin, he continued, "I thought chocolate melts if you let it get too warm. Wouldn't that make a huge mess?"
Erwin had to stifle a laugh as he looked at Levi's revolted face. "Oh, it's not chocolate you eat! You drink it!" he explained.
As they waited for the drinks, Hange engaged Levi in conversation about the exceedingly strange behavior of a Titan they had seen on the last expedition, and Erwin simply enjoyed listening to his closest associates. It was nice to be able to spend a quiet and peaceful moment with the two of them, far away from fights, war cries and bloodshed.
It wasn't long until three steaming mugs were placed in front of them. And after several seconds of uncertainty, Levi finally took a first, tiny sip of the brown liquid.
" And?!" Hange almost lay on the table, that' s how far forward they leaned to get a better look at Levi's face. Annoyed, he pushed them back onto their seat with one hand, not caring that the way he pressed against their nose surely hurt.
The dark-haired man's gaze dropped back to his mug before he admitted quietly, "It's... not bad."
Hange jumped up in celebration, earning them a few puzzled looks from the next table over. "Haha! I knew it! See Erwin, I knew he'd like it. Our Mr. Always Grumpy has a sweet tooth, that's for sure."
" Shut up !"
Hange sat down again, a broad grin on their features. Meanwhile, a look of astonishment flitted across Levi's face. "Huh? What's that in your mug, four-eyes?" he asked, nodding his chin toward the mug.
Hange blinked slowly. "Hmm... Oh, that's what you mean! I always ask the boss for some whipped cream for my hot chocolate. Want a taste?"
The scientist was already pushing their cup toward him, but Levi stopped them with a raised hand and a disgusted look. He had reclined on his chair and was eyeing them with utter distaste. "I'm sure as hell not drinking out of the same cup you just had on your mouth! Four-eyed bacteria is the last thing I want to catch today."
The brown-haired one looked flabbergasted for a moment. Grabbing their jaw in a pensive gesture, they muttered, "But I brushed my teeth yesterday..."
"You're so gross!"
"It's getting pretty cold. Maybe we should go inside," Erwin said, his hands buried in the pockets of his winter coat. Hange had already taken their leave, an important experiment required their presence, and so he and Levi had set out alone for a walk around town. "Levi, what do you say to a warm fire and a good book?"
Erwin walked a few more steps, but stopped when he noticed he got no answer. He turned and saw Levi standing a few meters behind him, his eyes fixed firmly on a group of children who were playing.
"Levi?"
The dark-haired man only glanced at him briefly before turning back toward the kids. He had a strange look in his eyes and his arms crossed in front of his chest. "Why are these brats rolling around in the snow? Have they lost all sense of cold, in addition to their puny brain cells?"
Erwin laughed softly. He stood next to Levi, watching the children. All they knew of the hell outside the walls were heroic stories that portrayed the Survey Corp as the saviors of humanity, rather than the tragic individuals they really were.
He was aware that some of these kids dreamed of one day joining the Corps themselves, and he fervently hoped that their minds would change soon enough. Joining the military was not a bad idea in Erwin's eyes, as long as you didn't get caught up in deceptive heroism. You were doing something good, meaningful, that was of benefit to humanity.
However, Erwin had learned over time that there were only three types of people who joined the Survey Corp. Dreamers, with unrealistic, far too ambitious goals. (He counted himself in this category.) Naive teenagers, who thought they could go down in history as heroes, predominated. (And mostly died first.) And then there were those who had been given no choice, those who had been forced to join. (Former criminals, like Levi, for example).
"They're just playing. They make snow angels and things like that. See, they even made a snowman!"
Levi's gaze darted back and forth before finally lingering on the crooked snowman. He frowned. "Tsk, if that's supposed to represent a man then I guess I'm a titan!"
Erwin couldn't help but laugh at that, which earned him a grim look. He knew for a fact he was playing with fire. However, he also knew that Levi would never hurt him, even if Erwin made him really angry. The one time shortly after his friends had died was an exception to this. They had been far from friends then, and Levi's actions had been driven by feelings of grief and despair.
It was really amazing how far they had both come since that day.
"Why waste your time on something like that?" asked Levi, sounding genuinely confused.
Erwin shrugged his shoulders. "That's just the way kids are. Always looking for a new way to have fun with their friends. When I was as little as those rascals, I used to build snowmen every winter too!" With a faint smile, he recalled those happy, lighthearted days. The proud expression in his beloved father's eyes whenever he presented him his latest work of art.
"You may not have had snow, but somehow I'm sure you passed the time, too," he continued quietly after a few seconds.
Levi snorted angrily. His gaze hardened. He no longer looked at the kids, but instead stared at a vague spot on the ground. "Oh yeah, brawling with thugs over a piece of moldy bread so I wouldn't starve to death was damn fun. On the best days, I might as well have almost been stabbed by someone one or two times!"
Erwin immediately regretted his carefree words. For a moment he had completely forgotten that the circumstances under which Levi had grown up were drastically different from his own.
"Damn it, Levi I-"
" Forget it, Erwin!" the shorter man interrupted him harshly. He turned completely away from the children and stomped off. "Let's get goin' before we freeze our asses off!"
Erwin wanted to say more, something that would have amounted to an apology. In the end, however, he followed his captain silently, a heaviness in his heart whose origin was all too obvious to him. ,
Many hours had passed since then. The two soldiers sat together in Erwin's office, in front of a crackling fireplace. Erwin had a history book that had once belonged to his father on his lap, while Levi was trying to read something light. The dark-haired man was no longer as helpless when it came to reading and writing as he had been in the first weeks after leaving the underground, but he had not yet perfected these skills. Erwin, however, was convinced that Levi would be able to read and write as fluently as the rest of the top brass in a month or two. And his handwriting already looked more elaborate and better readable than Erwin's ever would.
He fondly remembered the many hours he had spent here with the dark haired, hunched over textbooks and parchment. It had definitely been a pastime that had brought the former enemies closer together. They had learned to trust each other in the presence of soft candlelight and the smell of old paper and ink.
Sighing softly, he closed his book and placed it on the small side table that stood between them. "It's getting really late..." he murmured, casting a glance out the window. The moon and the stars were already visible in the sky. "I'm going to try to get some sleep. Levi, you should also..."
For a short moment, Erwin was unable to do anything but stare open-mouthed at his seatmate. Levi appeared to be fast asleep, as if nothing and no one could snatch him from the realm of dreams. His chin was resting on his chest, one hand dangling down to his side while the other lay relaxed on his book, making sure it couldn't slip off his lap. It was a rare sight. The kind Erwin had never witnessed before.
He knew how difficult it usually was for Levi to fall asleep. How haunted he was by nightmares and how fatigued he was as a result. It felt like an incredible honor that he could relax so much in the presence of his commander.
Seeing Levi like that, his facial expression placid and perfectly calm, it was hard to imagine him as the titan-killing machine that everyone saw in him.
A smile crept onto Erwin's lips. As quietly as possible, he stood up and retrieved a warm blanket from the adjoining room, which he carefully spread over the captain.
"It's been a busy day, hasn't it.... ", he whispered almost affectionately. "You've earned your rest, soldier!"
--- 6 years later ---
"Ah, there you are," Erwin said as he entered the meeting room.
Levi glanced over his shoulder for just a tiny second, greeted him with a faint nod, and then turned back to the window. The same window he had stared out years ago, fascinated by the softly falling snow.
"Erwin. Did you need something from me?" he asked quietly, his hands casually clasped behind his back.
"Nothing important!" At least not as far as the Survey Corp was concerned. Still, Erwin himself cared about the matter. "What are you looking at?" he asked, slowly stepping next to Levi to catch a glimpse of the outside world as well.
Levi frowned. "Eren and the others have completely lost their minds. They're romping around like toddlers, having a snowball fight or something!" His tone seemed headed more toward the sullen, disapproving direction, but his eyes appeared nearly gentle. He didn't mind his new team's unsoldierly behavior, then, but obviously wanted to continue miming the stern leader.
Erwin took a moment to watch the recruits as well. It seemed as if they had formed two groups that bombarded each other with snowballs. Apparently, they were having a lot of fun.
"Eren is supposed to be dusting in the library. Sasha and Mikasa are assigned to do laundry. Jean, Connie and Armin should be scrubbing the hallways on the second floor and Krista..."
Erwin interrupted Levi by gently placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing it. "Levi."
The way he pronounced the name of his closest confidant made the smaller man's breath catch for a second. He looked expectantly into those bright blue eyes.
"Even though it's easy to forget, we should remember that they are still children. They more than deserve a day off to play, don't you think?"
Levi exhaled loudly. "Yes..." he finally agreed thoughtfully, so quietly that Erwin almost didn't hear him. He turned away from the window, crossed his arms stubbornly in front of his chest, and continued, louder, "So, why were you looking for me?"
Erwin uttered an amused sound at this abrupt change of subject. "I thought maybe you'd like to join me and Hange for a cup of hot chocolate."
"Why not."
And Erwin was sure, this time, that for a second there had been an honest smile on those serious features.