"Ouch, four-eyes! Watch it!" Levi said, lifting his shirt, as Hange outstretched her fingertips to touch the bruise.
"I'm sorry. You've just gotta...can you move your finger for one second?"
"This is stupid," he groaned.
"C-can't I just...take it off?" he said, looking away from her, his cheeks lightly dusted with pink.
"Uh...sure," Hange replied, flustered a bit. He removed his shirt, clutching it in his hands. Hange averted her gaze elsewhere and tripped on her way to the freezer, fumbling around for an ice-pack.

She covered it in a cloth, then returned to Levi who was perched on his bed.

"It's gonna be a bit sore, kay?" she warned. He nodded, which she took as a signal to press the pack against the purple area on his skin.
He winced.

"Levi, can I ask you a question?" she asked, her attention focussed on his bruise.
"Yeah."
"Why the fuck did you do something so irresponsible?"
"That piece of shit started it. Getting in my face and deliberately saying bullshit. Calling you a slut. You think I'd take that?" he spat, as though still wanting to fight him.
"They're just rumours. No-one gives a shit. Sure he's a liar and I'm glad he got put in his place, but we could've got expelled! Then what? Our whole adventure would be over and our fresh start...everything we've done would be a waste!" 

"Our fresh start?"

"...W-well...yours...Your fresh start."

A moment of silence passed between the two of them, the pair looking solely into each other's eyes. Levi's silvery rings holding an expressive glint, Hange's deep brown pools illuminated with a soft radiance.

Hange cleared her throat, telling him to keep the ice pack in it's position, while she grabbed the Deep Freeze cream from their bathroom cupboard and smeared it over the bruise located under his lower rib.
She moved on to the more minor injuries on his face. She wiped away the remaining dry blood from his brow. Noticing cuts on his faces, which were a bit red around the edges, she took Vaseline on her index finger and massaged it over the affected areas.

Coming to his lips, she hesitated to touch them, but since he was looking down and he didn't object, she reached out to apply it on him - her heart racing with each passing second.

"There. All done."
"Four-eyes?"
"What?"

"I...need to tell you something."

"What is it?"

His heart lurched into his throat, a familiar pounding rising to his ears. He clenched the shirt in his hands tighter, his nails digging into the fabric, knuckles becoming white. His bangs covered his eyes, making Hange bob her head slightly to see his face.
She sprung up from her crouched position and slowly walked to his position. She rested her hand on his back, stroking it lightly in an attempt to comfort him, then lowered herself a little to be eye level with him.

He was still facing the wall with his ebony locks covering his face.

"What's wrong?"

He slowly turned to her, eyeing her lips then... 

Hastily looking away.

"It's nothing."

Realising he was probably just tired, she sighed and ruffled his hair.
"Tsk, not my hair four-eyes."
She giggled.
"I'm gonna go take a shower. Rest up, okay?"
"Okay." 

He waited for her to leave his room and close the door, before softly lying down on his mattress.

'What was I thinking?'

-----

The evening passed, Hange making soup for Levi, since he did get punched in the jaw. She wasn't sure whether she should give him solid food just yet.

'Chewing might be painful for him,' she thought.

Outside, the raindrops were falling softly, creating soft pattering on the windows.
Levi was cleaning his wardrobe up, then set his eyes upon his black puffer jacket which was folded at the bottom.

'Now this needs to be on a hanger.'

He picked it up, a paper falling out from the inner pocket. It revealed the first photograph the two of them took of their journey. Hange and Levi in the train, smiling - Levi being forced with two of Hange's fingers.

He put down his puffer and took the photograph in his hands attentively. Holding it as though it was something precious to him.
He sat on his bed, tracing his finger affectionately over Hange in the picture. Her grin was so pretty. Her eyes were full of happiness. 

And it was without a doubt that he had fallen for her.

He sat on the edge of his bed, Nike brushing against his ankles and hopping onto the bed, looking at Levi questioningly, if that was possible for a cat.

Levi tapped his foot anxiously, biting his lip, all sorts of thoughts running in his mind. Most importantly, the last one being:

'Fuck it.'

He swung his bedroom door open and stood in front of Hange's bedroom door. Debating whether to knock, his hand hovered over the door.

It seems he wasn't the one who had to do anything - for she opened the door instead.

"O-oh...hey," she said nervously, with a little wave.

A pause.

"Levi...why...why do you keep looking at my mouth?"

Another pause.

Until their lips connected. And she nearly busted a blood vessel.
He worked his mouth around hers, familiarising himself with the feel of her lips on his. It felt so...natural.
All he could hear was his heart. He'd heard that a lot lately.
Hange had never known what it felt like to miss something she'd never known - until now.
He encased her form in his arms, wrapping them around her waist, Hange allowing her fingers to explore his silk ebony tresses.

Their faces were both flushed after pulling away from each other, the two of them allowing the taste to linger.

He gulped.

"Hange..."
She silenced him, hugging him close to her, almost afraid to let go.
"I know," she said, her voice hoarse.

The pair looked at each other and smiled, touching their noses against one another in affection.

Right now, this felt like home.

That's when they finally realised that this home they had been searching for this whole time was in fact...always there. Because to each of them, home was a person.

Not the orphanage.

Not this flat they lived in.

But that special someone who ignited a warmth in them.
And although they were orphans, they never really lacked that warmth - because they always had each other.

Hange giggled.
"You kissed me, shorty," she said with a smug grin, scrunching her nose.
"You're an idiot, four-eyes."
"But you love me."
"Tsk...that doesn't change the fact that you're an idiot."