As soon as the bell rang for the end of school, Hange grabbed Levi's wrist and loudly called for Nanaba, Mike and Erwin to follow. As soon as they left the gates, Hange gazed at the neighbourhood, which was covered in a thick layer of shimmering white snow. Her glasses became foggy, but that didn't stop her from making her next move.

Picking up a wodge of crunchy snow in her hand and moulding it into a sphere, Hange threw it directly on the back of Levi's head. He was mid-conversation with Erwin at the time, when the cold, icy clump had struck his neck and crumbled down the back of his scarf.

He slowly spun around, glaring. Hange was wide-eyed, Nanaba scared for her life, Erwin's thick eyebrows extended to his scalp and for once, Mike had stopped sniffing the air.

"Oh, it's on," he growled, taking up snow in his hand as fast as he could and throwing it straight to Hange's face. Hange ducked quick enough not to be affected - instead, Nanaba was hit causing a wide grin to form on her face, until all five of them were undoubtedly throwing snow at each other, with broad smiles across their faces.

People who they didn't even know had joined in on the fight, and soon everyone's winter coats were sprinkled with snow. Nanaba, shivered, her nose red as though bitten by the cold.

"Guys we should stop by somewhere and get hot drinks," she suggested, standing between Erwin and Mike for warmth.
"I second that," Erwin said, fixing the earmuffs on her head.
When they had all agreed and made a brief attempt to dust themselves of the wet snow, they made their way to the nearest coffee shop, sitting inside for warmth. 

"Shall we play a game?" Hange suggested, sipping her cappuccino.
"Sure," Erwin said. Mike nodded.
"Ooh I wanna play a game!" Nanaba said, enthusiastically. Levi made a small noise, while he sipped from his beverage and motioned for Hange to explain.
"We'll go around the table and it's 'Would You Rather'. No rules, apart from the obvious things." 
"Ooh some tea 'bout to be spilt," Nanaba chuckled, nudging Erwin's shoulder.

"Nanaba you start...my question is...would you rather jump off a cliff or be pushed off a cliff?"
"..."
"I'd rather jump. Ain't no asshole gonna push me off a cliff without them being dragged down, too."
The questions circled around the table, with questions ranging from whether they'd save a dog or an old lady from drowning, to whether they'd sue McDonald's or KFC, until finally Levi's turn came.

"Levi...hm...would you rather...experience unrequited love, or never fall in love?" Nanaba asked, taking a bite out of a blueberry muffin she had ordered. Levi put down his drink, tapping his fingers along the wood of the table. He buried his nose into his red scarf and made two-second awkward eye contact with Hange.

"Never fall in love," he said, clearing his throat.
"Really? How come?" Nanaba asked.
"It's easier. You can't be hurt."

"Yeah, I'd agree with Levi. I don't even think Marie seems to notice I exist..." Erwin mumbled.
"The deal is, Erwin's tried subtly to get Marie to notice him and it never seems to work very well," Mike explained to Levi and Hange.
"Gee, thanks a lot, Mike..." Erwin remarked sarcastically.

"It's true, though. Last term, he got the highest result on midterms and was at the top of the leaderboard. Marie didn't even congratulate him. On the bright side, Rico did," Nanaba teased. Mike chuckled, while Erwin had seemed to give off a dark cloud.
"Hey~ lighten up, Erwin. There are plenty more fish in the sea," Hange said, punching his arm playfully.
"What does that Nile guy have, that I don't?" he said, sadly sipping his coffee.
"More like what you do have, eyebrows," Mike muttered.
Erwin turned to Mike, his face dropping.
"Y-you think it's my eyebrows?"
"Hey, the right girl won't care about the thickness of your eyebrows, Erwin. Besides, you've probably got a league of girls lined up for you in the future, Captain Handsome," Nanaba reassured.

"I have no chances do I...Hange do I have a chance?" he asked, eyebrows raised and a downhearted expression worn on his face.
"Of course you do. If you like her enough," she said, nodding awkwardly.
"Levi, do you think I have a chance with Marie?"
"You want the long answer or the short answer?"
"Short answer."
"No."
"Long answer."
"You do not have a chance with Marie. It's obvious that if she hasn't noticed you yet she's not interested. You'll get over her, though."

Erwin's lips parted, his face conveying shock - he had heard something he didn't want to hear, but needed to hear. He slunk into his seat, smiling in a constipated way, then sipping from his mug.

"Well...Levi and I should really get going...we have to put dinner on." Hange said, nudging his arm and whispering the last part.
"Y-you two live together?" Nanaba shrieked, nearly choking on her drink.
"Uh-
"Yeah we do. Our parents kicked us out so we're living together," Levi casually cut in. Hange looked down at her hands in her lap at the mention of 'parents'.
"What're you guys like...dating?" Mike asked, leaning forward.
"No."
"Oh," all three of their new friends chimed.

"Must be heading. See you guys tomorrow," Levi said, pulling Hange up by her wrist.
Hange saluted two fingers away from her head in a goodbye motion, while the two of them left the cafe.

Barely a minute after Levi and Hange left the table

"How long you betting until they get together?" Nanaba asked, finishing what was left of her muffin.
"A month."
"Two."
"I'm gonna hold out on Levi's stubbornness but also consider their close friendship, and say six weeks."
"So... Mike says one month, I say two and you say six weeks?" Erwin said, jotting it out on a dollar bill.
"Yup," Mike said, blowing his nose into a napkin.
"Twenty bucks. Losers have gotta pay up twenty bucks and cleaning duty for a term," Nanaba suggested.
"You're on," Erwin said, stuffing the bill into his coat pocket and taking a final gulp of his coffee, before they all left for home. 

*****
A/N: Author just checking in - hoping it'll be a nicer year for all of us!  Remember to vote and comment :) Stay safe out there, as always.