Hange sighed deeply, if only to catch her breath amidst her babbling monologue. She sat cross-legged on the bed in her yellow button-up shirt, her pants having been tossed with minimal care over the rim of the laundry basket. The room was small and simple, the soft light of oil lamps casting a cozy glow over the plain walls and wood floor. The door to the tiny adjoining washroom was open, and Hange's ponytailed head turned towards it. "Are you even listening, Levi?"

The sink water turned on briefly, only just enough for a razor to swish under the running stream. "As much as anyone can to your rambling." Levi tilted his chin up and tipped his head as he scraped the straight blade over the shave foam on his neck. As it was the end of the day, he wore only a pair of black undershorts with a white hand towel slung over one shoulder.

"Hmmph!" Hange snipped, straightening her back and holding her ankles. "You're really an awful listener, husband."

"And you're an incessant magpie... wife."

Hange tipped her head. "Did you know that the magpie is one of the most intelligent birds? They are one of only a few non-mammalian species who can recognize themselves in a mirror test."

The razor swished under the water again. "How the hell do you know that?"

"Oh, Levi!" Hange sighed exasperatedly, her shoulders slumping forward. "You really should read more..."

Levi very carefully dried the straight razor before folding it and placing it back in its case. "It seems I don't need to. I have you, don't I?" He patted the towel against his face and then flipped it over his shoulder again. He then reached for the brush and cup of shave cream and began meticulously cleaning them in the sink.

A grin lifted Hange's cheekbones and shoulders. Her insides did a funny flip at his words. It was true... he had her, and she had him.

The whole thing had been a whirlwind, as they'd gone from comrades to married in a matter of weeks. The simple signing of paperwork that had taken place in Erwin's office could hardly even be called a wedding, but Levi had surprised her with a matching set of thin, gold bands to be worn as a symbol of their vows.

With hardly anything of a courtship or engagement, the whole affair was said and done before most of the Scouts even knew they were a couple. Kuro had been the first of the 104th to learn the news, and by then, they were already married.

To many outside the Scouts, such unconventional ways seemed hasty and ill-advised, suspect of a scandal, even. But those within the Survey Corps understood a little better that tomorrow was not always promised, and a long life was a tremendous blessing that very few of them would ever enjoy. For that reason, and given that they'd already endured together what most couples never would in a lifetime, Levi and Hange had decided to face whatever time they had left- whatever joys, sorrows, and horrors- together.

Levi shut the cabinet and turned down the little flame in the mounted wall sconce. He turned and stood in the doorway, drying his hands and watching Hange, who now stood with her side to him, unbuttoning her shirt.

"They're quite beautiful, though," he said plainly yet softly.

Hange looked over, her fingers halfway down the garment. "Huh?"

"Magpies."

Hange felt a warmth rise up in her cheeks, and her expression softened into a smile as she averted her gaze to continue with her buttons.

His eyes didn't leave her, his slender-eyed stare somehow both bold and gentle. His hands were dry now, but the towel moved subtly around his smallest finger. Then he tossed it into the basket and walked over to where she stood.

"You're sweet when you want to be," Hange chuckled quietly, lifting the hem of her shirt to unfasten the last button.

"Am I?" Levi's voice was low and plain, but the backs of his fingers brushed aside her bangs with tender affection. Then he paused, his expression becoming stiff. "...you shitty four eyes, how the hell do you see through those?" He reached up with both hands to remove her glasses. The lenses were smeared, smudged, and all manner of filthy.

"Well enough," Hange stubbornly defended.

"Hold still." Levi stepped closer and used the corner of her open shirt to rub at the dirty glasses.

Chuckling, Hange took advantage of his proximity and ran her fingers sweetly through the hair that fell forward on his bent head.

"Well enough... Tch." Levi repeated her words in a disapproving mutter as he focused on his task. "How seeing clearly is so low on your priorities is beyond me." He held the frames up to the light before carefully replacing them on Hange's face.

Her eyes widened and blinked as she lifted a hand to adjust her glasses more securely. "Oh..."

"Incredible, isn't it?" Levi's sarcasm was pointed and dry.

"Thanks, Levi." Hange smiled and sighed, draping one arm around his shoulders as she placed the other hand against the side of his neck. "I'll admit, being able to see you better is quite nice."

"Don't mention it." His own hands came to her waist inside her open shirt. His eyes looked up into hers, and she saw in them what his words could never convey. This was his love language, right here. Closeness. Affection. Words would always fail to tell her how he felt, but the way he looked at her, touched her, allowed himself to be close to her... that was how he best said I love you.

Chuckling, Hange gently tightened her grip on his neck as her head tilted down to meet his lips.

He returned the kiss, letting his hands come around to the small of her back, one sliding higher than the other. He felt her shape, her skin, her scars, and he loved all of it. She was familiar to him now, but he never wanted to stop memorizing the features and details of her. She was his to love for the rest of their lives... however long or short that might be.

Her back touched the wall as he lifted his chin to deepen the kiss, and she responded in kind. A soft giggle rounded her mouth against his. He pulled away just enough to look at her as his hand pressed against the wall beside her head.

"What?" he asked shortly.

"Nothing..." Hange whispered with amusement in her voice. Her big, dark eyes were so adoring as she looked at him. "It's just... There's a side to you I never knew before. And I love it." Her fingertip tapped his nose, which wrinkled and pulled back in return.

"Don't do that." Even in his protest, his thumb moved softly against her waist where his other hand rested.

"You're a fighter, Levi." Hange's voice was soft but still bright... like a single candle in a dark room. "But you also know how to love. I'm not sure I ever knew just how much..."

"I do love you." There was a vulnerability in Levi's tone as the hand on the wall moved to touch her face.

Turning her cheek into his palm, Hange shut her eyes as she chuckled again. "And I love you, Levi." Then she moved out of his arms and around him. She hopped up onto the bed, leaning back on her hands. A half smile lifted one side of her mouth.

One of Levi's eyebrows rose ever so slightly. Having twisted at the waist to watch her, he now turned to follow. Bringing one knee up onto the mattress, he crawled over her, and she leaned back against the pillows. Soft laughter bubbled up in her, subtle and sultry, and her hands came to his chest. Her index finger traced a thick scar there.

"You shitty glasses..." he murmured, love enveloping his smoky words. His hand gently flipped open one side of her shirt and then the other.

"You know, Levi..." Hange looked up into his eyes, a mischievous spark in her own. "Most husbands call their wives 'darling' or 'sweetheart.'"

"You'd rather I called you those?"

"No," Hange laughed quietly. "On the contrary... You're not most husbands. And I wouldn't have you any other way."

The faintest smile softened Levi's expression as he gazed down at her. The lamplight flickered on their features, silhouetting them against the little room's warm glow.

"Oh Levi..." Hange crooned. She lifted one hand and let the backs of her fingers grace his jawline. "You really should smile more..."

Levi's back arched a fractional degree as he leaned down, his parted mouth just shy of a kiss. "...you really should shut up," he whispered.

And then her lips were captured by depth and passion, suppressing the smallest giggle, and her arms lifted to wrap around his neck. One hand slid up into his hair as the other traveled down his spine. She was wordless from there, save for the exhale of his name now and then.

He alone could shut her up so easily.