Prompt: It's Hanji's birthday and it was cause for celebration. Always quick to handle a situation herself, she threw herself a birthday party. Eager to celebrate, she awaits who she thinks will show up but unfortunately, no one does...or rather...almost no one does.
Modern AU Setting
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Rays of sunshine beamed through a window of a small cozy apartment. Inside that apartment sat Hanji who was currently seated at the head of a long table with her hands clasped together. She was waiting for something, or rather...someone. Why you might be asking? Because it was her birthday of course! A red velvet cake sat in the center of the table, one that Hanji stared at hungrily. She wanted nothing more than to dig in and devour that delicious delicacy in front of her but she fought tooth and nail with her own mind to keep herself from doing that. After all, she had to share it with the guests that were bound to arrive. Surely they wouldn't take long right? Right...?
"Alright, where's everyone at? It's been an hour since I set this whole shindig up. Surely it won't be much longer until someone showed up." Hanji muttered to herself as she patiently waited for the guests she was expecting to arrive. Minutes passed...nobody came. Hours came...again, nobody came. In this time, her morale had plummeted. She'd already eaten the majority of the birthday cake she had made for herself as well as taken down the decorations, and had given up on enjoying the day with someone. She didn't even care who it was at this point. She just wanted someone to show some sign that they remembered her birthday. Suddenly, a knock on the door shook her free from her saddened state. She stepped over towards the door and opened it, revealing the man she had been seeing on time to time, Levi Ackerman.
"Sup Four-Eyes. Sorry I'm late. The drive over here was shitty given the weather and the traffic." Levi said, hoping his explanation would be enough to make up for his tardiness. Thankfully for him, Hanji was just happy someone showed up and was quick to practically jump onto him and wrap him up with her arms for a great big hug.
"No worries Levi. I'm glad you could make it. Please, come in. I'll make you some tea." Hanji replied as she released the hug and backed into her apartment, allowing Levi to step inside. Levi did exactly that, stepping into the colder apartment as Hanji shut the door behind him before stepping past the shorter man and towards the table she was previously seated at. Meanwhile, Levi's eyes met with the trash can beside him, noticing the discarded decorations filling it almost to the very top of the can.
"Party's already over, huh?" Levi asked as Hanji suddenly stopped and hung her head low. Levi had no idea just how Hange's special day had gone thus far, but he had a feeling he was about to find out.
"There was no party...no one came." Hanji muttered quietly, feeling far more emotional about it than she intended to let on. Levi took a couple steps towards Hanji, feeling a bit sorry for the partner in front of him.
"I'm sorry, Hanji. I tried to get here sooner." Levi replied as the saddened woman shook her head and turned around to face Levi. A tear fell from Hanji's eye which affected Levi internally. He didn't like to see her in pain, but seeing that the otherwise overly positive Hanji was currently shedding a tear caused him feel even more empathetic towards her. Hanji then smiled which kinda helped alleviate the pain in Levi's heart.
"You showed up at least. That's what's important to me. Sorry about the cake. I got a little hungry waiting on everyone to arrive." Hanji said as Levi's gaze fell onto the practically destroyed red velvet cake on the table, feeling even more guilty that he wasn't able to make it as early as he intended. "Don't apologize. It's me who should be sorry."
Hanji shook her head at this comment from Levi before turning towards her kitchen. She had offered to make tea for him and she was going to make good on that offer. Levi began to follow her, removing his jacket as he did so before draping it across the back of Hanji's couch. He entered the kitchen to see that Hanji has already begun getting his tea made, something that made the man behind her feel conflicted. He appreciated her gesture, but seeing her do this for him on her birthday was causing him to feel a great deal of guilt. It wasn't his birthday so why was she making anything for him on her's?
Meanwhile, Hanji stood there in silence, waiting for Levi's tea to finish brewing when suddenly, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her from behind. A bright pink blush formed on her cheeks as she quickly realized these arms belonged to Levi. They've been seeing each other every now and then, but Levi wasn't the overly affectionate type. It was always her that initiated a hug or got handsy, yet here he was giving her a bit of affection that caused her heart to melt.
"Hey, seriously. I'm sorry for not being here when you asked me to. I got caught up with so much shit with one of my coworkers and by the time I got off work, the sun was already setting so I rushed over here as fast as I could. I know it doesn't excuse anything, but I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me." Levi said as he planted his head on Hanji's back causing her blush to darken even more. A smile crept along her face as she lifted her hand and placed it over Levi's which rested comfortably on her stomach.
"Hey shorty, I didn't know you had this sweet side to you. Making a girl feel oh so special on her birthday." Hanji teased, causing Levi to scoff against her. His grip loosened a bit as a means to get back at her but she was having none of it. She reached back and pulled him back towards her, not wanting to be free from his grasp. He heard her giggle softly which honestly set his heart aflame.
"Shut it Four-Eyes. You're lucky I care..." Levi said coldly, but Hanji didn't pay that chill tone of his any mind. He was being sweet to her at the end of the day and to her, that meant more than anything. They weren't officially an item but given their actions, you would be convinced that they had been in a serious relationship for months. That's how they made one another feel in such a short amount of time.
"Looks like your tea is done, Levi. I'll fetch you a glass to drink from." Hanji said quietly as she regretfully pulled herself free from his grasp. She reached up into one of the various wooden cabinets above the marble countertops and retrieved a small glass teacup before pouring it full of Levi's favorite beverage. She turned around to hand it to Levi but gasped loudly when she saw Levi standing there, holding an envelope.
"I...wanted you to have this." Levi said as he reached the envelope over towards Hanji. Hanji looked down at the envelope and back up at Levi before setting the teacup down back onto the counter. She then reached forward and grabbed the envelope and quickly opened it, removing a folded up piece of paper. She unfolded it, and her eyes were met with a long note from who she assumed was Levi.
Hanji,
I couldn't figure out a way to tell you this vocally, but hopefully this letter will tell you what I want you to know. Since the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew that I needed to keep seeing you for as long as you'd keep giving me that opportunity. This world is cruel and it's honestly hell sometimes, but you keep finding a way to make it a little more bearable. Since today is your birthday, I wanted to get you something. It's not all I wanted to get you, but it was all I was able to afford for now. I hope you like it.
Hanji looked back up at Levi, stunned as she never even expected a gift to be tossed her way. The fact that he was even standing here was enough for her but out of curiosity, she reached into the envelope and removed a necklace with a small yet beautiful sapphire gemstone, which just so happened to be the birthstone attached to her birth month, September. She looked at Levi once more and she began to shake as she tried to keep her emotions in check but those walls were beginning to crumble as the reality of it all began to sink in within her mind. Not even twenty minutes ago, she thought no one cared about her. She thought that her life was meaningless and that she'd never have the chance to meet someone who truly cared about her. Now here Levi was, showing up for her birthday, and giving her gifts that he absolutely did not need to get her.
"Levi...I...this is...beautiful." She said, holding back tears the best she could. Levi though awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck as he had a confession to make about the gift.
"Yeah...you should know that the sapphire isn't real. You can blame my shitty wage for that. Still, I saw it and I thought of you so I wanted to get you it. Maybe one day, I can get you the real thing but for now, that's just-" Levi was cut off by Hanji reaching forward to grasp his face before pulling him closer in an instant down into a deep passionate kiss. Levi froze once their lips made contact, not able to even comprehend what was happening but after a few seconds, he start to reciprocate the kiss and kissed Hanji back with just as much or perhaps even more passion than his partner. The two of them tumbled around the kitchen as they got lost in the experience as Levi finally pulled her towards the hallway just outside of the kitchen. The two of them traded heated kisses as they both subconsciously made their towards Hanji's bedroom. Their hands started traveling in places hands don't usually travel to as they stepped inside, with Levi kicking the door close behind them. The two of them were eager to cap off this birthday for Hanji in the most romantic way possible.
*Some time later*
Both partners lie in bed, panting for air as the experience the two of them shared had taken every ounce of their energy away. Hanji had her head resting on Levi's chest as Levi stared up at the ceiling while his hand slowly rubbed Hanji's back, causing the woman on top of him to hum softly against him.
"Thank you, Levi." Hanji muttered as she shifted her body so she could rest her head further up on Levi's chest. Levi looked down at Hanji, confused as to why she was thanking him. "For what exactly?"
"For being here...with me. It means a lot after the day I've had. We've been seeing each other for awhile but...I never thought it'd ever get this serious. I figured you'd be like everyone else who I've grown a significant interest in. They oftentimes think I'm a big weirdo and just...bail on me. I guess I'm just kinda used to being alone at this point so when I saw you actually show up...I don't know. I guess it just made me feel wanted...for the first time in my life." Hanji said as Levi raised up from bed, bringing her, along with himself, up to a seated position so he could look her in her eyes. Hanji looked at him, eyes filled with both admiration and genuine affection towards Levi. Meanwhile Levi was showing her one of the most serious expressions she'd seen from him yet.
"Those pricks weren't worth your time, Hanji. Yeah, you ARE quirky, you ARE weird but if you want my opinion, I wouldn't change a thing about you. I'll take all of your quirks and odd tendencies as they're the reason I started seeing you to begin with." Levi said softly to her as he raised his hand and gently brushed the loose strands of hair dangling over her eyes out of her face. He could see how wide they were growing, and without those pesky glasses of her's in the way, he could see just how beautiful they were.
"Levi...I don't know what to say. Do you...do you mean what I think you mean? Is what we have...real? Am I really who you want?" She asked, nervous as can be as she really didn't know what to expect as an answer to her question. She cared about him, she really REALLY did but out of every single one of her partners before Levi(and there weren't many), all of them abandoned her due to her quirky nature. Yet here Levi was, making her feel like maybe this was it. Like this was the best chance she had at pure happiness. Still, she needed confirmation as her heart was doing jumping jacks waiting for a response. Thankfully a response would come swiftly as Levi gently pressed his lips against her's, causing the both of them to groan into one another's mouth. After a seconds of their shared kiss, they pulled away for air as the both of them smiled. Yes, Levi smiled too which caused Hanji's heart to melt...again.
"Does that answer your question?" Levi asked softly as he grips her face ever slightly tighter. Hanji smirked, almost laughing at the smartass remark that just popped up in her head.
"This is your last chance Ackerman. I don't know if I'm gonna be able to let you go if we make this official now." She said, her cheeky smile growing by the second. Thankfully, after another kiss was planted on her lips, their fate was sealed. They were partners. They were now in a relationship and with Levi gently pressing her back down onto the mattress, it seemed as if this was going to be a loving union between two people who deserved happiness. Things got heated once again that night, marking the end of what Hanji was now more than sure of was her best birthday yet.
Word Count: 2420