Levi's POV

Out of the blue, she requested that she wanted me to stay in her room overnight. Claims that she has a bad feeling. And of course, it's my job. The number of times we're revealed "the truth," the more times I feel demoted. Blackmailed into the Survey Corps to be above ground... fought titans for a living. Now, it's been told that titans were once humans, so I've been killing humans. Fought more humans to stop a brat from getting killed. A different world out there where it's not just titans. For a man like me, I just wish things would be simpler.

Why can't this world be simple?

I walk up to her room with her dinner tray. Since I might be bored up there, I took up a small chessboard. I unlock her door and entered, seeing her nose deep in her current book. She gave a comforting smile as her eyes landed on me. 

"What else do you have there?"

"Chess."

"You know how to play?" Hanji raised an eyebrow, curious. "Never thought someone like you would know how to play."

"When I first started, we didn't know the rules. Someone had to teach me the proper rules later on." 

I remember when Farlan found the chessboard in the dumps, joking that even the privileged people above ground didn't want toys. We took it in and we started to play with the pieces, wondering what to do. We had no idea, but we tried to play our own game of chess. After their death, Erwin invited me to play chess. That's when he realized that I didn't know how to play a proper game. He taught me everything about chess. I never realized how complicated it was. The realization that this game of chess revealed everything about how Erwin's mind works.

I laid the board on the table, leaving her tray next to it. "We can play after you eat."

"Did you already eat?"

"If I didn't, I would have my tray, would I not?"

"What did you have for dinner then?" Hanji walks over to the tray, picking up her piece of bread. "I'm guessing you had something more... luxurious."

"What you're eating is what I had."

She stood frozen by my words. "R-Really? Nothing else?"

"Do you think I eat dog shit and drink pig's piss?"

"Do you consider that as something luxurious?"

"Considering there are fat ass pigs out there who would eat something like that, who knows?" That one seems to bring a small smile to her face. "Just let me know when you want to play."

*   *   *

We started to play an hour after I arrived. She was great at it, rightfully winning the game with a smile. She'll give a snarky response that she was better at chess, but I reminded her that I could break her arm in a heartbeat. She quickly went on winning games. We played a total of 5 games before the sun had begun to set. I won at least one.

She quickly went to her bed, tucking herself into bed before grabbing her book.

"Do you not shower?"

"I already showered yesterday. I can do it again tomorrow."

"You're disgusting," I say, getting up to my feet and pushing her bathroom door open. "Get out of bed and shower."

"So you can sneak a peek at me while I bathe myself? Hell. Fucking. No."

"I'm not a pervert. How else did you get yourself bathed when you arrived in this tower?"

Hanji fell silent. Before I knew it, I flinched as she flung her current book at my head. If I took longer to react, I would've had some sort of bruise on my nose. I then heard her screech at the top of her lungs.

"You did what?! I was passed out and you bathed me?! You're a damn creep! I regret asking you to stay in my room!"

I just stood in my place until she stopped her screaming. As if she lost all of her energy in her screaming. She wearily looked at me with a defeated look before she sighed heavily. "I'm not a creep. I rather not be around people who haven't bathed recently. Is that a problem?"

"It is. What else did you do when I was passed out?"

"Nothing. Just gave you a bath- which you needed."

"And you swear you did nothing else?"

"I don't lie."

"Let me guess, you don't lie, but you avoid saying anything near the truth. Isn't that right?"

"Take it as you want. But I will knock you unconscious again and bath you right now unless you shower."

She rolled her eyes in defeat, getting out of bed. "Fine. But I want you out of the room when I do it. I hate it when people are staring at me."

"I already saw you without your clothes on."

"Don't word it that way!"

*   *   *

After she showered, she let me back into the room. That's when I realized her hair was tangled. She's ruffling my feathers the longer I'm here in this room with her. I grabbed her arm and sat her down in her chair. She screamed protests as I grabbed her hairbrush and began to brush it. She began to cry slightly with the pain. I don't blame her. The amount of hair that the brush retrieved was a lot. 

After a few minutes of brushing, her hair became silk-like. Damp from her bath, I gently dried it with another towel, feeling prideful that I turned her tangled mess into something nice and clean. She gave me a small smile before running back to the bed. I gave her book back as I sat in a wooden chair.

She stared at me a bit before finally asking me a question. "Is that where you'll sleep? Not the floor?"

"The floor's filthy. And there's nowhere else to sleep. I'm comfortable with the chair."

"That's uncomfortable, is it not?"

"Whatever helps me sleep."

Hanji sighed, shaking her head. "I can't believe I'm saying this..." She murmurs under her breath as she turns to me. "Just sleep on the bed. Don't be touchy."

I raised an eyebrow, wondering what her plan could be. "Why?" It could be several things. She could try to frame me. She could attempt to injure me. Hell, I don't know what's going on in her mind. I don't know her yet. But... it could help with the game that Armin wants me to play with her. I have to be cautious.

"Even though you were introduced to me as an enemy, everyone deserves to sleep somewhere comfortable than some wooden chair."

"I have a different chair in my room."

"We aren't in your room, are we?"

"Are you suggesting something?"

"It's just a simple request, Levi." She scowls. "Now, get over here before I change my mind."

Play the game.

I sighed, walking over to the bed. I hid the key somewhere in the room where I hope she won't find it. Just in case she's luring me to steal the key off of me. I stayed on the side of the bed, not wanting to get too close to her. I shouldn't be in this position.

*   *   *

It wasn't long until the moon was high and the grandfather clock began to echo in the empty halls. Hanji began to stir in her sleep, murmuring a name. Even that stuns me to hear that name. Why is she murmuring my name in such a happy tone?