[closed] levi, no: vol.1 (bad at communication)

[wingbound]

WHO: Levi, Eren, Hange, also open to other castmates or close CR that might be up to speed!
WHAT: Levi went on a ten-day quest and neglected to tell his family (or anyone). People are mad and letting him know about it.
WHEN: Nebulous early July (after everyone involved returns from Windy Risks)
WHERE: Eren's Levi's apartment, Hange's apartment, the park, department store, cash him ousside
WARNINGS: language, blanket AoT warnings

Comments

for Eren; what if dad never told you how many days it actually takes to get milk,

[wingbound]

[ Levi still isn't sure why apparently his perfectly normal note to Eren was so offensive to Hange, but by the time he reaches the city he's aware that apparently it was, and that apparently they're not the only one who thinks so. He hadn't really intended to make anyone worry; he told them what was up and he thought they'd trust him to handle it. Apparently not. ]

[ After some consideration, he pays a quick visit to the store before finally heading home. He has the sinking suspicion that Hange is about ready to tear him a new one, and decides that nightmare can wait until he's dealt with the somehow less terrifying world-destroying brat instead. Surely Eren would be more agreeable, right? He was never exactly forthcoming with his activities either, was he? ]

[ And so, it's their shared apartment that Levi heads to first. He unlocks the door, hangs his coat and takes off his shoes, planning to go straight to the bathroom. ]

[ It sure would be a shame if he had to stop to talk to anyone, wouldn't it? ]

[dreamsofwings]

[ It's true that Eren doesn't really...tell Levi where he's going a lot of the time. He does say he's going on missions, of course, but most of them aren't long. The one with Hange wasn't entirely his fault; he had no idea what Levi knew about that. Somewhere in this whole tangle, Eren got caught in the communication deadzone in the middle and now everyone looks like an asshole. Good times!

But Eren's a hypocrite about other things, so what's one more thing, right?

In the end, it's the cat that gives Levi away. It's in the living room, doing whatever creepy shadow cats do, and it makes some wildcat yell (affectionate) and dashes towards him. Eren has his door open, since he's not doing anything but looking at the network and thinking about what to order for dinner (cooking? nah).

He hears the door open and close and then he hears the commotion from the cat.

The cat doesn't yell like that at Hange (also Hange doesn't have a key? right?), so...that means Levi must be home.

Eren hits the kitchen in record time. Worry and anger sit on his face the same way, probably because anger is easy and worry isn't, and emotions just tilt towards anger when you're Eren. ]

Captain.

[wingbound]

[ Levi's somewhat startled, though he's heard similar noises from the cat before. He almost expected it to forget him, honestly, but apparently whatever infatuation the void has with him is strong. The cat yowls one more time, then weaves around his legs, purring, and he stares down at it for a few moments before carefully trying to take a step without tripping. ]

[ And that's enough time for something bigger come into his field of vision. A way too tall brat. He turns to stare at him instead. ]

Eren.

[ Ah, this exchange brings back memories. There's no crutch whistling through the air or terrifying sounds of jaw bones cracking this time, though. Instead, Levi holds out a small brown paper bag toward him. (It contains a single peach. That's his idea of a peace offering. Hange liked them, at least...) ]

I'm back.

[ He says like it's not already obvious, and waits for Eren to take the bag before he'll just... continue his attempt to walk by? Oops. ]

[dreamsofwings]

[ Captain.

Eren.

In some distant/still ongoing memory Eren can feel the pain in his face. A boot, a crutch, it's all the same. The airship. This kitchen. A blank stare. His lack of resistance.

There's no crunch of bone this time, of course.

There's no blank stare, either. At least he's got that going for him.

He takes a second before he takes the bag, because he's not expecting it. He takes it but he's already half blocking the hallway. ]

I was worried about you.

[ Emotional honesty no longer comes naturally to Eren, not after everything he's done, all the repression he's forced on himself. But what else can he say or do? He can't really make demands of Levi (though Hange can, and probably will). All he can give him is honesty for once, and worry morphed into anger because he doesn't know how to be normal. ]

[wingbound]

[ He certainly does have that going. And maybe it's not because of it, as Levi is aware on some level that he may have possibly done something in a way that may have possibly been suboptimal, but it certainly contributes to the fact that this time, there's no hostility in his expression at all. ]

[ There's just some uncertainty -- and he's maybe even a little glad to see him again. It's been a while, after all. Good to know there haven't been any more apocalyptic events, too. And he maybe, possibly, feels a little bad for apparently causing worry for not one, but two people. What were the odds? Didn't they trust him?.. ]

[ Whether or not Eren can decipher all of that from the stare he's getting, well, that's up to him. ]

I left a note.

[ He says, as if that explains everything and should have alleviated all worries, and inches to the side in an attempt to walk around him. ]

[dreamsofwings]

[ Eren moves the same direction Levi does, still standing in his way. He's not done talking, thanks! He frowns down at the captain, for once entirely aware of how much taller he actually is. He's been taller than Levi the whole time they've known each other, but not this tall.

Sometimes he forgets, because he doesn't know when he is. Just Eren things.

He's also aware that height difference or not, wrecked leg or not, Levi can move him any time he feels like it. He's plenty strong, but Levi is Levi.

Still. ]

After what happened to Jean, you thought that was enough information?

[ It isn't actually about trust. Eren trusts Levi more than he trusts almost anyone alive, though Eren's trust is a fractured thing. There are things he doesn't trust anyone with. There are things he told people who were untrustworthy (Floch, Zeke).

He trusts Levi to stay alive, too. He does! Just…sometimes that fear of loss is too much. ]

[wingbound]

[ Finally, Levi scowls, because it seems clear now that this absolute tree of a teenager -- no, he's an adult now, isn't he? -- is deliberately in his way. ]

[ He stops and folds his arms, considering simply muscling his way through -- he could, he's sure -- but he figures he'll be forced into this talk sooner or later. Might as well get it over with, even though his skin itches for a proper shower. ]

[ But what the hell does he even say? That he's sorry for worrying everyone? That he didn't think it would be such big of a deal? He's seen people leave for days without so much as a word. Sometimes forever, even. He actually had the foresight to leave a note for them, and they're still acting like it's no good. So, maybe it wasn't. How was he supposed to know? How did he go about fixing it if even the peach didn't help? ]

[ Ugh. ]

My bad. I'll include the schedule and color chart for my shits next time.

[ ...of fucking course. Because clearly there are only those two extremes and nowhere in between is the possibility of actually reasonable amount of information. ]

[ But he had said where he was going and why, was it really not enough? Even if they knew the exact coordinates in the segment he was in, there's no way they could have done anything if something did happen. Right? ]

[dreamsofwings]

[ Eren's answering scowl is there immediately. Two can make that face! ]

Better too much information than nothing.

[ He's an adult but he can do "petulant teenager" all day. ]

If we knew where you were or who you were with, if something happened, I...

[ What could they do? Would they worry less? ]

Maybe we could fly an airship to find you. I don't know. But I'd rather know than be in the dark.

[ Like he didn't run off for basically a whole year then commit war crimes. Whatever! That was then, this is now. ]

[wingbound]

[ Damn. Levi has more experience with it, though, surely that should count for something. He's been scowling since before you were born, Eren! But the poop chart acceptance is certainly not the reaction he was hoping for. This whole thing is worse than he thought, apparently. ]

[ He feels annoyance, maybe even anger flaring up, even if he keeps it steady and choked down deep inside. "Nothing"? Does he have any idea how having nothing looks like? Not a note, not a word, not even an inclination -- that's nothing. Something he's actually familiar with, which is why he made an effort to let them know, and it wasn't good enough. Nothing ever was, was it? ]

If something happened, it would've taken you over five days to get there. [ Pointless. That's what it would be. He needs to look up at Eren, which he hates, thanks, and considers kicking him down to size. ] You don't trust me to handle myself, is that it?

[ And here he'd thought they all had an understanding regarding his injuries by now. Guess he was wrong. Maybe they acted normal in his face and then pitied him behind his back. Maybe this was why -- ]

[ His glare suddenly darkens further, the cross of his arms more tight. ]

Is this why Hange didn't tell me shit about what you were going out to do?

[ Ah, yes. He did notice. ]

for Hange; when you overcompensate for being bad at communication but you're still bad at it;

[wingbound]

[ He sends Eren off with the message, settles in the kitchen, watching the voidcat devour more leftovers as if it hasn't eaten ever in its life. ]

[ He wonders if he maybe has time for that shower. Depends whether Hange decides to immediately come over and tear him a new one, or try to keep him on his toes or whatever. He'd rather not let them catch him offguard like that, though, so he waits. ]

[ He's going to pull out another paper bag with a peach and put it on the table in front of himself just in case. ]

[ Maybe he has time to wash the dishes, though. It really looks like no chores have been done here since he left. Damn it, Hange really knows how to hit him where it hurts, huh? And to think they managed to get Eren on their side, too... ]

[titanscience]

[Eren finds Hange in their apartment and after delivering the message, the poor guy doesn't even get a 'thanks' for his troubles. After snatching the note from his hands, Hange is out the door almost instantly and racing down the hallway. Eren should close it whether he stays or leaves, it's fine right?]

[Barely a minute later and they are (barefooted by the way) barging into Eren and Levi's shared apartment at top speed before skidding to a halt in the kitchen.]

This is all you have to say? Huh??

[Welcome back, Levi. Enjoy having your little note being waved in your face from an uncomfortably close distance.]

[Honestly the anger from before had died down over the past couple of days having been replaced with something more resembling worry. Who knows where Levi was, and who he was with! But then Eren appeared with a shitty three-word note and that seemed to have rekindled everything from before, whoops.]

[wingbound]

[ Well damn. He can practically see their footprints in the dust. ]

[ He leans back in his chair and crosses his arms, as if trying to create some more distance between them, expression unreadable even as the note is being shoved in his face. ]

You wanted to see me, didn't you?

[ Please explain what's wrong with him letting them know he's returned to that end? Why does everybody have such intense hatred for his nice, thoughtful notes? ]

[titanscience]

So you let me know by writing a shitty note and having Eren deliver it? You did that on purpose, didn't you!

[Wave wave, look at the crumpled paper, Levi! Him moving away doesn't do much, because it just means that Hange shoves it at him further, their free hand moving over Levi's shoulder to grip the back of the chair and leaving him little options for escape as Hange looms over him.]

Your other messages were useless too, by the way! You never even told me where you were, or who you were with. What if something happened to you?

[wingbound]

He's been doing a good job. I heard more from him about your expedition than I did from you.

[ TOTALLY ON PURPOSE. ]

[ He's also not particularly enjoy being caged in like that. He's not actually trapped, of course, they both know he's the stronger of the two, but it's the sentiment that counts. Hange is actually angry at him and he's not sure if that's ever happened before. Came close a few times, sure, but he usually watched them unload on someone else. That's the part that makes him most uncomfortable, probably. ]

[ Which means that he's getting more unpleasant to deal with as result. Oops. ]

Why, so you can go stick flowers on my corpse a week after the fact?

[titanscience]

I at least told you I was taking on a longer guild mission and that I'd be taking Eren with me! I had my reasons for not giving all of the details! But that's more than I got from you!

[The crumped note gets dumped in Levi's lap because Hange doesn't want to see it anymore.]

[Hange is aware that they're getting riled up over something that isn't completely Levi's fault, and that really should reign it in, back off and have an actual conversation about it once the chastising is out of the way, and they almost do let go and give him some space, but then Levi opens his mouth again and says something that just blindsides them because it absolutely strikes a nerve when it comes to the reason why this whole reaction got blown out of proportion.]

It would have taken more than a week! We had no idea where in the world you are! The crows would have picked your corpse apart long before we found it! You were mad at me so you thought you'd worry me to death over the possibility that you're rotting in a ditch somewhere? Is that it? Huh?

[Hange's other hand being note-free means they now get to use it to jab a finger into Levi's chest. Answer the question!]

[wingbound]

You had your reasons and I had mine.

[ Would Hange had really been less worried if he said he was going out to bumfuck nowhere with a partner that the guild assigned to him? He doesn't think so, but perhaps he was wrong? He... really had not anticipated this level of worry, actually. Haven't they both been out in much more dangerous expeditions with much worse chances of survival? Hasn't Hange actually died?.. Why would they make this into such a huge deal? ]

[ His eyes follow the crumbled ball of paper landing in his lap, and he lets out a soft "tch". Suddenly, he's feeling sort of bad about what he said, especially when it seems to set Hange off worse than before. He's never exactly been shy of joking about death, to be fair, but them thinking he'd do that to them on purpose is... ]

[ Well, hasn't this gone to shit? He's half tempted to leave, maybe add something else crude, but... he can't leave it like this. He can't let them spiral into thinking they're not important to him again. ]

...no. [ He finally says, frowning, still staring at his note rather than his enraged Commander. He doesn't lift a hand to defend himself, at least yet. They both know he could. ]

We made a promise, right? [ He does finally look up at them, looking vaguely offended, but also something else. Stressed? Probably a decent word for it. ] Do you think I would break it so easily?

[ Is that how little you think of me now, Hange? ]

[titanscience]

It isn't only about the mission, we had no idea that you went with someone, since everyone we knew from home is still here!

You know what happens if you don't touch anyone for days, right? Because I looked it up in the research center! After five you'll start to get fevers and joint pain. After seven, you'll turn to stone! Did you know that? Huh?

[Do you see where Hange's going with this? It wasn't only the concern that something could go wrong on whatever expedition he signed up for, but until the texts went through both Hange and Eren thought he went alone, which only means the potential danger doubled.]

[Looming over him like this is beginning to feel uncomfortable with the strain it puts on the spine, so Hange stands up and removes their hand from the chair, but only so they can shove things aside on the table and hop up to take a seat right in front of Levi, arms crossed and bare feet perched upon the edge of his chair either side of his knees, still effectively trapping him in because Hange remains very much in their 'pay attention to only me' mode as they need to continue venting their frustrations.]

I know you would do everything not to break it, but I had no idea how many days you were gone or if you were with anyone, you get why I was upset, right! Apparently the phones don't always work outside of the city but I didn't know that, so we thought something was wrong! What if you were a rock somewhere? What if you got injured and were bleeding out somewhere? Telling me you can't even scrub floors still didn't help, by the way!

[The accusations just keep on coming until needs to stop and actually take a couple breaths, after which they just... let out a prolonged, heavy sigh. This whole thing is a mess, huh?]

A few days after return

[rustyhonesty]

[Jean's heard Levi's come back and he decides to visit him just to check on him. He wasn't worried, but he knows Hange and Eren definitely were, so he wanted to see how he's doing after getting bombarded by them first.

He knocks on the door and waits. He has with him some black tea and some sort of chocolate mint chip cookies he found from a supermarket on his way. At least the tea seems high quality enough (he hopes).]

[wingbound]

[ Levi may or may not be grounded at the moment, but at least he's definitely home right now. It will take a moment, but soon enough the door opens, revealing Levi's usual vaguely irritated expression behind it. ]

Jean.

[rustyhonesty]

[At least that's normal. Jean lifts up the box of tea he has.]

Hey. I brought tea and snacks, if you have a moment to talk.

[wingbound]

[ Levi stares at the box judgingly for a few moments -- he has had a bad experience with tea bags and swore them off forever, but it seems Jean had the foresight to bring actual tea leaves -- and ultimately decides it's not offensive, stepping to the side and opening the door further so the younger man can come in. ]

Sure.

[ Talk about what, exactly? Well, he should find out soon. ]

[rustyhonesty]

[We've been trying to reach you concerning your vehicle's extended warranty.

Jean offers Levi a smile as he walks in. This is the first time he's actually inside the apartment, so he takes a look around. It feels similar to the one he and Mikasa had when they arrived. Which is probably to be expected.]

Where can I put these?

[wingbound]

[ Do horses have warranty... ]

[ The apartment is... very clean for sure, but it probably doesn't look particularly lived in. There's the standard appliances and a new picture box TV, and a roomba quietly whirring about, but neither Levi nor Eren seem to have much in the way of personal belongings or room decor, even after spending months here. ]

...Kitchen.

[ He closes the door behind Jean and leads him toward the kitchen. There's a hint of a limp in his step despite his brace, but it seems better than it used to be. He goes straight to the kettle and puts some water on to heat up for the tea. ]

[ He's half tempted to ask if everything is alright, but he figures Jean will state his business eventually. ]

[rustyhonesty]

[Of course. Horse Warranty.]

[The apartment is as clean as Jean imagined it, even with Eren living there. Of course Levi would keep him in check. He wonders if he had visited while Levi was gone if things would have looked different. He would have taken blackmail images. The roomba is new to him, but he doesn't question what it is.

Jean follows Levi and places the items on the counter.]

I'm not here to scold you or anything. [He doesn't have the right to scold Levi of all people.] I just came to check how you're doing after Eren and Hange finally caught you.

[wingbound]

[ Why do you need to talk about his Extended Horse Warranty? ]

[ They might have. He should probably hold onto that thought for later. ]

[ Levi raises an eyebrow slightly at him, as if appalled by the suggestion that Jean could "scold" him about anything, especially considering he's the one who has died recently, and puts down a couple platters with cups for the tea. ]

They didn't "catch" me. I finished my mission and went home.

[ Important distinction! ]