seasonsrpg | remember the day of grief

Entry tags:

remember the day of grief

WHO: Levi & various!
WHAT: Hange is gone from Ellipsa. Levi is feeling about it. Feel free to encounter him!
WHEN: June 6/7th and a few days after
WHERE: Solarpeak beach (late day), restaurant/bar in Solarpeak (early evening), Coldreach observatory (late evening), starter apartments building (few days later)
WARNINGS: sads :( also blanket AoT warnings (child soldiers, trauma no therapy, so much death, etc)

::

--1. Sun Sinks Into The Sea - open to anyone.

The thought has always been at the back of his mind. Never take good things for granted; everything can turn to shit in a moment. He'd hoped that they would have more time, though. At the very least, he had hoped that Hange would have more time, live the whole life they deserved to have here. But as always, even the most benevolent looking world has shittiness in it, and his heart sinks like a stone when the realization sinks in.

They're gone.

Somehow, it's almost worse a second time. Back home, cruelty was expected. People died, leaving nothing but memories and sometimes a mangled keepsake behind. But then they were here, and they'd been given hope. Death suddenly wasn't the end. They had another chance.

And now that too was ripped away.

Most of the day passes like in a trance. He stares at the message for what feels like hours, bitches out Olwen and demands Helene names the lake they'd found after Hange (which is approved). But the venting doesn't make him feel particularly better, though he's glad at least now more people will be able to remember their name. It's bittersweet, though. It doesn't bring them back.

He can only hope that Eren's theory is true. Jean and Mikasa did apparently visit other places like this before. Maybe Hange went to a different world rather than death back home.

But he can't know for sure. He might never know.

He goes about his morning tasks mechanically. He holds Erwin, suddenly anxious that he may too disappear as soon as Levi looks away. He cleans all three apartments until his knuckles bleed. He needs to keep moving or it just becomes too much.

Eventually he finds himself retracing the steps they took together, and so he finds himself at the beach of the Great Ocean Lake, crouching just out of the reach of the waves lapping at the shore, staring out into the horizon. A cane rests next to him.

He remembers the day they were all here, him, Hange and the kids, at something called a beach party. Hange had made a whole mess of themself, trying to scoop various sea creatures into a colourful plastic bucket, ignoring Levi's warnings. They'd ended up stung by poison noodles and Levi rushed them to a hospital in a panic with Eren's help. They hadn't learned anything, of course; at least not once the doctor assured there was no real danger.

He looks at the familiar rocks, forming a sort of natural bridge some meters deeper into the water. He can almost see Hange, pants rolled up, tip-toeing like a giant stork in the water, shoving disgusting sea creatures in his face, taking pictures. Slowly, he stands up and heads toward the rocks, jumping from stone to stone with some minor difficulty until he reaches the end of the rocky pier. He picks up a pebble and throws it into the ocean.

He thinks about the words they had spoken to each other the day they convinced him to oversee one of their experiments with Eren and after. As long as I have a say...

"You promised," he whispers under his breath. The ocean breeze stings in his eyes. He picks up another small stone, stands still like a statue for a moment, then lets out a growl of frustration and chucks it so hard it bounces off the water enough times that it's too far to be seen by the time it finally sinks under the surface.

--2. Sorrow In A Glass - open to anyone.

After finally leaving the beach his feet take him to a restaurant nearby where the Scouts had held a meeting of sorts shortly after his arrival. Hange had been excited about the bar, and against his better judgement, Levi sits down and orders the same monstrosity of a drink they had been sipping on back then.

Alcohol doesn't really affect him -- at least this amount isn't going to -- but he supposes it works on normal people. He's usually only seen it make them stupid, Commander Pixis being a notable exception to that rule, but there had to be a reason why they still did it, right? Maybe it made things hurt less. Wouldn't that be nice? He'd almost decided to test that theory, with Olwen tipping him off about Riki's potion, unfortunately the shop was apparently closed for renovating. Maybe he'd do that later. For now, he can still try to feel closer to Hange by taking part in something he knows they enjoyed.

It's probably poison anyway, so if he drinks a couple of them, maybe even he would feel it, right?

You can find him still sitting at the bar an hour later, elbows leaned on the counter, slowly sipping on a rainbow-colored cocktail that seems to go against just about everything from his style (all black today) to demeanor (surly and distant). There are several empty glasses of the same sort on the side by then, but there's not even a flush on his face; just a resigned deadness in his eyes... or maybe that's just his normal expression.

There's a cane leaned against the bar next to him. He's not sure how those things are related -- if they are at all -- but his leg had been hurting worse ever since he returned home from the chat with the city leaders. Maybe he overdid it scrubbing the floors; he had avoided that task for a reason, but now that Eren had moved out and Levi technically felt better he found little excuse not to do it himself. Maybe it's just one of those days. Maybe it's because he's not crying into his drink, and the outside has to match the inside in some way, he thinks bitterly, and sucks down more sickeningly sweet liquid. At least he's alive to feel that pain.

Hange isn't, unless they somehow lucked their way into another place like this. And what are the chances of that?

--3. Always Find Me Among The Stars - open to anyone.

When the shitty booze doesn't make this utter bullshit of a development make any more sense -- why now, why them, why was nobody able to do anything about sending people back to fucking die even though it has been months since the research started -- he heads for the final place that does. He often comes to the observatory -- to think, to reminisce, to simply stare up at the stars because he now could, after spending twenty six years in the dark of a cave. He'd been there to grieve and he'd been there to celebrate, too.

Stars make everything a little easier to bear, always have.

He leans against the railing of the observation deck, eyes on the sky, and blinks a few times to chase away the pain. Absently, he lifts his uneven hand to run his fingertips along the scar on the right side of his face. He has pictures now, at least, and he can probably loot Hange's bolo tie from their apartment, but even if he loses every material thing, he will always have this, a proof of them saving his life.

A proof that they had lived.

His knee starts aching again, and he drags himself over to the area with some chairs and beanbags, carefully settling into one before tilting his head back to stare at the hundreds of little lights again.

I hope you're still out there. You deserved more time.

--4. Picking Up The Pieces

a) (And Pieces, And Pieces) - close CR only!

The next couple of days remind him of the days after Shiganshina. Doing what is necessary, even if you'd rather be doing anything else. He wants to look through Hange's belongings -- if any of them are even still there, he's not sure if it's magic or some kind of secret service cleaning spaces out when someone disappears like this. He does manage to get his hands on some of their scientific notes and supplies and hand them over to Helene to copy, at least (she will let him have the originals back, and he will put the boxes in Hange's room in their new house, because of course they will have a room left for them). Maybe he finds the bolo tie he'd been looking; if not, he could always wish for it through the dandelion.

He can't make himself throw out what he thought to be junk last time he tried to clean the apartment up, with Hange still there. Now they're not, and the boxes still are. It doesn't feel real; just like it hadn't felt real to clear out Erwin's drawers back home. He'd never had to empty the office after that; after all, he never made it back to Paradis after Hange died.

Still, the mess is familiar, and he lingers, thinking of all the times they shared tea -- and sometimes other things -- at the tiny table and on the couch, of all the times Levi ended up nodding off despite having no intention to do so, of the jokes and banter and fights and their warmth.

When he comes back a day or two later, though, it's empty. The key doesn't work anymore either; he has to pick the lock to get in. The furniture the apartment came with is still there, of course, but there's no Hange; he didn't find their weird plant cat, either.

And just like that, the weight finally comes crashing down on him.

Maybe you had followed him, or just spotted the familiar door cracked open and peeked in, but the sight you find is the same; Levi quietly curled up on the right side of a nondescript couch in formerly-Hange's apartment, clutching an empty nondescript mug in his hands.

b) Out Of Sorts - open to anyone who happens to be in the starter building!

A few days later, you might be visiting to check on someone, or simply heading back to your own apartment when something odd catches your attention. A small-badger-sized but pissed off looking furry black animal scurries out of what you may or may not know as Levi and Eren's old apartment and makes a beeline toward either Hange's or Erwin's door, though if you or someone carelessly left their open, it might just dip in there instead.

Regardless, the tiny wolverine goes immediately to the nearest available pillow or cushion, drags it out into the middle of the hallway and murders it in a display of uncontained rage, somewhere between an overexcited puppy with a shoe and a cat breaking the neck of a bird. Then it seems to make actual eye contact with you and growls. It's not clear what the source of its irritation is, but apparently it might not be you.

...Is it wearing a cravat?

--5. Wildcard

(( If you'd like to pester him somewhere else or in a different way, hit me up on disco or

jigglyballs and we can hash something out! ))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Hand ignored once again, Erwin drops it, sitting back on his heels with a soft sigh. His expression softens to a little bit of an ache; how frustrating it must be for Levi, on top of everything else, to be stuck in an unfamiliar form. He watches him quietly a moment, sympathetic, before pushing back to his feet and going to fill a bowl with water from the kitchen. It's a little unclear exactly what Levi wants or needs at the moment, but putting water within his reach surely can't be a bad idea. Just in case.

He sets it down on top of a clean cloth in a clear part of the floor, then takes up the broom again to go out into the hall to start sweeping up the mess.

Erwin may need to just go ahead and try petting him if he wants to go anywhere with it; Levi is too upset to do something silly like nuzzle or lick his hand, especially since this time, he's very much still himself mentally. (He does remember it feeling really good when he was stuck as a cat person, though. He probably won't admit to it.)

He watches the man fill a bowl with water and lets out another small grumbling snarl. He's not happy about having to lap his drink up from a bowl like an animal... but then, he is an animal right now, and he's not sure if he wouldn't give Erwin shit for using his good tea cups for animals if he'd used one of those instead. Whatever.

Claws clicking against the floor, he walks over to the bowl and tries drinking. Of course, it's still new for him, so he ends up sticking his snout in and then sneezing a few times, in that muted way cats and dogs do, as he shakes off the water droplets from his face.

After managing to finally get some water in him, he slinks to the door again. Hopefully Erwin left it open so he can check how he's doing with the cleaning. He might still sneeze once or twice more as his airways get irritated by a leftover water droplet.

Levi can bitch at him for his choices when he's regained his form again - for now, he'll just have to make do with his efforts. The door is indeed open, and Erwin hums a little sweeping up fluff and feathers. He sneezes once himself -- and turns when he hears an echoing, but much cuter version of a sneeze coming from the doorway.

"Bless you," he says cordially, perhaps a little too tickled at himself for saying it to Levi in critter form. Circumstance aside, it's jut a little too absurd to not be a little amused about it.

"I wonder what you're meant to be," Erwin wonders aloud, and only just stops himself from voicing his next thought - Hange would know, or at least would be wasting no time to figure out. Perhaps they can do that next. "Some sort of weasel, perhaps? Why this creature, do you think?"

Of course, he knows Levi can't really answer him. That doesn't mean he should stop trying to make a conversation - perhaps it'll prove to be a nice distraction.

He carries on with the cleaning, gathering the fluff and feathers by the handful to shove into the bag when it proves easier than trying to keep it in the pan and dump into the bag. More manageable piles are swept and bagged, and when he's about done, Erwin turns back to Levi.

"How am I doing, Levi?"

He might do just that... or maybe he'll be too happy to have regained his human form to bitch too much. Time would tell.

Levi bends his hind legs to sit, a little dumbfounded but some amusement creeps in through his frustration. Erwin is absolutely ridiculous. Look at him, saying bless yous and it will be okays to a... whatever the hell he's supposed to be. What a nerd. An absolute weirdo. Levi would give his life for him.

(He's small by wolverine standards, but he is certainly a fair bit bigger than a weasel. Not that they really know a wide variety of animals in the first place.)

He has no idea, and he also has no idea why this place decided to put him in this shape in particular. There's probably books on it. Maybe it would provide some clues on how to turn him back to normal. Of course, that would mean wandering to the library looking like this. Maybe Erwin could put him in a backpack or something. Ugh.

He does know plenty about cleaning, though, so as the man invites him, he dutifully trots over and circles the area, sniffing a bit at the floor. It's... not great, maybe passable, but he expresses his verdict by making digging motions with his front paws. There's still small pieces of fluff here. Sweep over it again.

...as if he's not the one who caused the mess in the first place, but hey. Erwin volunteered, might as well do a decent job at it. Wouldn't hurt him to brush up on his cleaning techniques for sure.

No matter his form, Levi is still Levi. Although it's also entirely possible Erwin might have fallen into speaking to any pet the same way, should he have ever kept one. It might not have been unusual to hear him having little conversations with his horse from time to time.

(But then, who didn't speak to their mount? They were important members of the Corps too, after all.)

Erwin watches Levi inspect his work, and dutifully goes over to sweep at the spot Levi had scratched at - he doesn't quite understand the "do it over again" bit, though, so he just catches that corner and a couple other spots that he notices.

"How's that?"

Well, they have Shadow already. Has he been talking to her? If so, Levi probably finds it endearing, but that doesn't change the fact that it's weird.

The wolverine stares up at the man for a moment, then chitters annoyedly, sits on the floor and scoots a circle around the spot he just sweeped. His butt is probably clean but the sentiment should be clear enough.

It's ass. You can do better.

Erwin absolutely chatters at Shadow whenever he sees her - asks her how she's doing, if she's caught anything interesting lately, wonders aloud what a shadow cat even eats.

The tone of the chittering certainly...seems dissatisfied, although Erwin can't entirely be sure. So he errs on the side of caution and gives the whole area one final sweep, gathering a few extra bits of fluff.

The thing about fluff, though, is that it likes to blow around all over the place. He does his best, but at the same time, it's always been clear that his efforts will never quite be up to Levi's standards.

Erwin finishes the last sweep and ties up the bag so no more fluff can escape.

"I'm afraid that will have to do for now; I'm sure it's not to your satisfaction, but perhaps we can bring the cleaning pancake out here later to get the rest."

He'll stroll back inside, closing the door once Levi follows. A few moments of perfunctory sweeping for the shredded pillow in here (again, not perfect, but there's more important things going on at the moment), before Erwin pulls a few more down onto the floor to sit closer to Levi's level, hoping to coax him closer.

Adorable. Dorky, but adorable. This is part of his irresistable charm, no doubt. As for the shadow cat, it occasionally eats light, and also chicken. Levi always makes sure there is some in the fridge.

The final sweep does help some, and while there's certainly room for improvement, it will have to do. Levi can agree that there are more pressing matters to attend to at the moment. He grumbles and shuffles back into Erwin's apartment.

There's a bit of an internal conflict going on. He doesn't want to get fur on his clean couch (Shadow doesn't really shed, her coat being made of shadows and all), but also, he deserves better than to fucking live on the floor until whatever this is becomes sorted out. At least the transformation seems to have fixed his leg. Or maybe it's just strained less now that his weight is distributed among four of them.

He considers for a moment, then determinedly climbs onto the couch and curls up in the middle of it, leaving Erwin in the dust. (Sort of. He's technically probably closer to him now than he would have been on the floor, in fact.)

Erwin has no compunctions about being on the floor, but he still has to smile a little when Levi elects to hop up onto the couch (okay, perhaps he'd been uncertain if he could, given his stubbly lil legs). It at least puts them more face-to-face, and Erwin just can't hold off trying to go for a gentle touch any longer. He makes sure Levi can see his hand approaching slowly, just in case there's some instinct of the creature's to attack anything from above. In the event there's no serious snarling or even attempted mauling of his hand, he very, very gently, strokes at the soft fur, from the top of his head down his back, much like if he were a cat.

"How are you feeling, Levi?" He murmurs it quietly, no different than if Levi were human sitting next to him.

(He may have stubby little legs, but he's big enough that he can heave his top half onto the couch just by standing on his hind legs. From there, his giant claws come in hand to climb the rest of the way. He does mind the couch, but there may be a few threads loose afterwards...)

Levi side-eyes the hand a bit -- really, Erwin, is this the time? -- but doesn't move away, nor does he try to bite him. There's a bit of a quiet growl but it stops once Erwin's hand starts stroking him proper. It's a little ridiculous, all things considered, but it really does feel amazing; he slow-blinks a couple times, then closes his eyes, trusting the man next to him and enjoying the attention he's giving him. He's less soft than when he was Puss In Boots in this form, but it's no doubt still a pleasant experience. He grumbles quietly in response, ears twitching slightly.

Fine. Considering I'm a shitty weasel or something.

When else is a good time?? Since this doesn't seem to be his intention, surely he could use a little comfort - and though Erwin is well aware that Levi isn't especially tactile, he also knows that that general rule doesn't usually apply to him. If anything, he's the only person who could take advantage.

Besides, it might help him feel better about the situation.

As Critter-Levi seems to settle and accept the attention, Erwin smiles fondly, keeping up a slow rhythm. The grumble could, of course, mean a variety of things, and he has absolutely no idea what a "happy" sound from this creature might be. But surely if Levi was feeling chipper, he'd be more alert and awake, rather than curled up morosely on the couch.

"I'm sorry this has happened to you," he continues softly. "It is a cute little creature, if you don't mind my saying so."

Okay, probably not the best thing to say, but surely Levi will forgive him.

"Perhaps there is a book around here about animals...or I could possibly try to contact someone to find out how long the effect may last. Surely people can't just stay in animal forms indefinitely..."

He frowns, looking at him.

"...can they?"

Indeed he is. Looks like he's finally acknowledging his power.

Erwin is also absolutely right about Levi being in a pretzel of depression right now. The chitters seem to be the more upbeat communication while the grumbles are more resigned and bitchy. Hopefully this won't be an issue long enough that he has to learn to decipher it much more accurately than that.

The ball that is Levi curls up a little tighter, apparently not particularly cheered up by being cute. When Erwin frowns at him, he frowns back -- or tries, anyway, it probably looks more like a long look -- and nips at his hand halfheartedly. He's gentle enough not to draw blood, but he clearly does not appreciate the thought of being stuck like this forever.

Erwin takes that little admonishment gracefully, angling an apologetic look at him, his hand stilling in the petting.

"I'm sorry. I'm sure it won't come to that, and I won't let it," he reassure gently. "I should be very sad myself if you never returned back to normal."

(He can't kiss a weasel, after all. Or any of the many other things he enjoys doing with Levi.)

A few quiet moments pass, before an idea occurs to him.

"Perhaps I could read to you? Maybe it'll help you relax, and the magic will release its hold."

The reassuring seems to settle Levi back down. He'd better not let it happen. Levi doesn't want to kiss somebody who'd let animals lick their face, thanks. Even if the animal is technically him. Hopefully it doesn't come to that.

He seems to perk up again, though in a more positive way this time, at Erwin's suggestion. He thumps his tail against the couch cushion and kneads it with his paws a few times, as if urging him to hurry up and do exactly that. Although it's difficult to say whether he thinks it might actually work, or if he's just fond of Erwin reading to him, in any form.

Well, sir, you haven't yet licked his face, so that shouldn't be an issue-

The positive response is definitely cheering. Erwin smiles, gives Levi a couple more affectionate strokes on his head, and gets to his feet, stretching a bit. He probably shouldn't be sitting on the floor and definitely should be getting more exercise.

"Very well then...let's see..."

There's a scattering of books in various small piles and stacks around this very room. A mixture of fiction, non fiction, mysteries, poetry, science. Erwin picks up a book from his pile of books he intended to read sooner rather than later - it's a murder mystery, so perhaps something Levi might enjoy. After grabbing a glass of water (and stowing the peach confection in the fridge), he settles onto the couch next to Levi...leaving room for him to find his way onto his lap (or his chest, perhaps).

"Make yourself comfortable."

The keyword here being yet-

As a matter of fact, Levi does love murder mysteries. He also stares longingly at the fridge over the backrest of the couch, but as it seems he will not be getting the peach treat (yet), he settles back down into the cushions.

Erwin returns, and after a few moments of hesitation, Levi scoots closer, resting the top half of his body on the man's lap and laying his head on one of his thighs. Maybe he'll clamber fully onto him later, but for now he still seems a bit reserved, perhaps a little tense, though the stroking definitely seems to be helping.

Saving peach treat for human!Levi...so he can enjoy it more.

It's...really endearing, honestly, the way he curls up. Sweet. He gives Levi a few more gentle pets before settling in to read.

He keeps an easy pace, speaking in a smooth, low tone. The story starts off immediately with intrigue and mystery, and even Erwin gets sucked in, reading several chapters at once. Every now and then he takes some sips of water, strays fingers through soft fur. Eventually he finds a way to hold the book so he can keep one hand on or near Levi, and sprinkles little commentary on the story throughout.

After several chapters, he'll pause and check in: "Shall I keep going, Levi?"

It's probably a good call, but wolverine!Levi is still going to stare sadly at Erwin in an attempt to convince him otherwise, just like Shadow stares at them both when they try to give her kibbles instead of chicken.

In the end, though, he seems perfectly happy just with Erwin's company. He still feels the same anger and sadness and frustration that had been haunting him for days, but Erwin's deep, rich, gentle voice soothes him, word by word, sentence by sentence, until he inevitably starts relaxing.

By the time the Commander is done with a few chapters, Levi has found his way entirely on Erwin's lap, draped over his torso in a way that has his head and front paws rested on the man's chest (and he has probably poked him with the giant claws more than once, sorry about that). It's probably really damn hot, as furry critters tend to be little furnaces, but Levi at least is unbothered. He's almost dozing by the time his own name gives him a soft start, and beady little mismatched eyes blink up at Erwin blearily.

He lets out a breath that sounds almost like a sigh and settles right back down, content to stay exactly where he is. Erwin can stop if he's tired, but he's certainly not moving anywhere from this spot unless he feels like jostling his fuzzy partner. And Levi will gladly continue listening and letting that voice lull him into calm.

Edited (had to add a lil more authenticity-) 2024-07-05 00:45 (UTC)

Maybe if Levi doesn't change back after a while longer, Erwin will try the peach treat remedy.

He thinks he can feel Levi relax a little more - certainly when his little body seems to get heavier, when he starts to shift around (those claws do poke, but Erwin doesn't seem too bothered, or even complains). The weight and the warmth is nice, actually. But then, it would take quite a lot of discomfort for Erwin to have to dislodge Levi - for any reason, in any form.

Since he hadn't been completely asleep, he's happy to keep going, taking that little huff for agreement. Erwin gives him a little scritching at his ears before continuing. At the very least, he's pretty invested himself to carry on for quite a while - until Levi turns back, or he runs out of water and can't continue.

The scritching makes him go even more limp against Erwin -- he likes having his hair petted well enough in human form, but the ear scratches in a furry form feel absolutely divine -- the negative emotions continuing to slowly fade away, being replaced by a sense of tired calm.

It's maybe a chapter or two later that Levi starts to really doze off -- and sure enough, as he dips partially into unconscious slumber, the magic finally unclasps. For a moment, it looks like the wolverine is suddenly growing larger... and then it's Levi, his head rested sideways on Erwin's chest and his limbs tucked around him.

The shift does end up jostling him a little and he wakes from that almost-snoozing with a start and a quiet gasp, glancing around in confusion. I was going to say his clothes shifted with him but it would be kind of funny if due to him being new to this only the cravat managed to stay on... maybe too much of a mood shift though. We gotta do sad things here. He stares at Erwin a moment, sighs out something like an ugh, and plants his face right back into his ~~tits~~ chest, a half-muffled grumble following.

"I had to piss in the litter box."

Since the scritches especially seem to work, Erwin manages a few more before his Captain returns to human form again...and finds his fingers buried in dark hair instead of fur (the weight, of course, is substantially more as well, but it's definitely more familiar). He pauses when Levi finally turns back to himself, looking back at him softly as the haze and confusion begins to clear.

"Welcome back, Levi," he murmurs softly before the man collapses into his ~~tits~~ chest.

--and then promptly bursts into a laugh, despite himself. If there was any doubt that he's well and truly returned, that would have cleared it all away.

Erwin tries to settle his laughter quickly, not at all forgetting it must have been quite the harrowing thing, but he's still twitching with unreleased chuckles as he sets the book aside and wraps his arms around the smaller man, gathering him closer.

"I'm sorry." Don't snicker don't snicker don't- "That does sound distressing."

Edited (html i s2g) 2024-07-05 22:42 (UTC)

Levi raises his head to stare Erwin down with some incredulity.

"Oi," he says with a huff and punches him in the tit. Well, more like nudges him in the chest with a fist, since he doesn't want to actually hurt him. "Asshole. It's not funny."

...okay, he has to admit it's maybe a little bit funny. But it had been some very real existential horror for him, and yes, distressing. He wonders if him running around on all fours mean that his human hands had touched the floor.

Maybe he should have a bath just in case.

Still, he accepts the other man's comfort in the shape of an embrace and lets him pull him closer, grumbling more under his breath before sort of relaxing again.

"I don't know what happened. One moment everything was normal, and then I was like that."

The little punch and chastisement does make him snicker a little more, but Erwin just gives Levi a squeeze, luxuriating in the feel of him in his arms, and noses into his hair. Does he still smell a bit like creature? Maybe, but Erwin certainly isn't going to let him know that...yet.

He presses his lips to the top of Levi's head anyway.

"Mm. This place works in strange ways, doesn't it? As adorable as you were, I'm glad your ordeal is over. Especially because it means I won't have to eat the peach cake all on my own."

He could, but it's better that he doesn't.

Whatever further grumbling Levi may have in mind about his unfortunate predicament seems to be successfully squished out of him, and he relaxes further once he receives that little kiss to his hair.

He had hoped Erwin might have some more detailed theory or explanation for what happened to him, but it's not like weird shit wasn't going on in this place all the time. Still, he'd like to figure out how to avoid it happening again, if possible.

He seems to bristle slightly at the implication that Erwin would have denied peach cake to his creature form, even if it's probably for the best, and Levi doesn't care that much about cake anyway. But it's the principle of the thing.

"Yeah, and I won't have to shit in your shoes for it."

He makes a soft noise, almost a chuckle, rubbing his palm over Levi's back in gentle apology.

"Forgive me. I much prefer having you as you are to share it with."

With enough sad creature eyes, Erwin more than likely would have capitulated and given him some anyway. But it had made sense at the time to wait and see if the magic would wear off sooner than later.

After a few quiet, thoughtful moments, he speaks again.

"You were quite upset earlier," he begins softly. "Has anything else been that difficult since you've been here?"

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject