where my imagination rules and rambles.

"Oi, be careful—you almost got ketchup on your mattress," Levi hissed, cupping a hand beneath Hange's to catch the blob of ketchup that had just dripped from her fry. He grimaced at the feeling of the sticky sauce on his skin and immediately scrambled out of bed, heading for the small kitchenette in the entranceway of her dorm room to wash it off.

"Sorry, sorry. I'll be more careful from now on," Hange replied, raising a thumb but not bothering to turn around to look him. "It's just ketchup, though. Dab it with a bit of water, and the sheets are as good as new."

"If you get ketchup on these sheets and don't change them, I won't be sleeping here tonight." Levi arched an eyebrow at her as he flopped back onto the bed, laying out a few kitchen towels to keep the mattress clean, just in case. Even if he didn't want to admit it, he was very much looking forward to this weekend with Hange. They had been lacking time together lately, and he wanted to make the best of the opportunity they'd finally been given.

"You're really being fussy today," she said with a chuckle. "Don't worry, Levi. I've got it under control, and you'll be able to sleep in a clean bed. Now let me focus on the game—it's really getting interesting." She placed a hand on his head, patting him several times until he lost patience and pinched her side. As she shrieked and pushed him aside, it almost sent the paper tray of fries flying across the room, and he realised he'd nearly made things worse for himself.

"What's with your sudden interest in soccer, by the way?" Levi grumbled, resting his chin on his arms and staring at the laptop screen. To him, watching twenty-two grown people run after a ball felt incredibly boring—but apparently, Hange had developed a sudden liking for the sport, and he really didn't understand why. "You've never played or watched it before."

"I wanted to try something new, and this event felt like the perfect opportunity for it," Hange said with a shrug, pushing two more fries into her mouth. "You're right, I've never really cared about soccer, but I'm allowed to change my mind, aren't I? And I have to say, it can be quite entertaining." For the first time in what felt like hours (though it had only been twenty minutes), she turned to look at him, her expression sympathetic. "Are you that bored? We could hold hands if it'd make you feel better."

"Tch, I'm fine," Levi said, flicking a finger against her forehead, and only very briefly considering accepting her offer. "But why do you have to watch every single game? You don't even have a connection to most of the countries."

"Don't need one to have a favourite. Besides, with exams being over and this—" She pointed down at the cast covering part of her foot and her entire lower leg. "I've got plenty of time on my hands now." The weekend before, she had attempted to cycle down a flight of stairs after one of her classmates had claimed it was impossible. She had made it down, but at what cost. "Now hush, I'm trying to concentrate."

She held a fry in front of Levi's mouth, and he reluctantly let her feed him, her attention already drifting away from him and back to the game. He could think of a thousand other things they could be watching or doing instead, things that didn't require her walking around. But it seemed Hange had already made up her mind, and there wasn't much he could do other than wait for the damn game to be over.

He lasted exactly ten more minutes before deciding he'd had enough, no longer willing to waste another second looking at the black-and-white ball. Slightly irritated, he rolled onto his side, half of his face hidden in the crook of his arm, his gaze shifting to Hange's face.

She had just leaned forward slightly, her eyes widening as the minutes ticked by before her face fell and her brows drew together in disappointment. Watching Hange watch the game was a hundred times more interesting, and Levi felt his mood lift as he started drawing conclusions about the match from each of her reactions.

Whenever the team she had decided to root for was playing well, she was relaxed, her propped-up, uninjured leg swaying back and forth as she reached out blindly for the fries. (Levi would let her search for a bit before helping out and pushing the container towards her, snatching some for himself and grimacing when he accidentally picked one that had been soaked in ketchup.)

When her team seemed to be losing, however, she stopped eating entirely, her fingers clenching into a fist that she pressed deeper and deeper into the mattress the worse the match got. She yelled at the laptop the moment the opposing team scored a goal, and he had to suppress a smile at the pout on her lips when the players' complaints about foul play were rejected. The more time he watched her, the more relaxed he became, her features so familiar he almost knew them by heart.

Hange didn't notice his attention had been on her all along until the referee's whistle sounded and halftime began. She flopped onto her side and let out a long sigh, as though she had been the one playing on the field and was now dead tired. Her gaze found his, and she smiled, the most beautiful crinkles appearing at the corners of her eyes.

"Poor shorty, you really must be bored if you prefer watching me instead of the game," she said, reaching out to run a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to ignore you. For the next fifteen minutes, you'll have my unwavering attention, and I'll shut my mouth unless you want me to talk. Do you want me to cuddle you? You look like you do."

"I don't," Levi grumbled, though he was already being pulled into a tight embrace and didn't have it in him to resist.

Hange rubbed his shoulders and stroked the back of his head, laughing when he slumped further against her and hid his flushed face in the crook of her neck. A part of him wanted to tell her that watching her was better than so many things he could think of, and that he'd never grow bored because there was so much to behold in her eyes. But as always, the words got stuck in his throat, and he couldn't do anything other than accept the affection she was so happy to give him, lifting his hand to cup her cheek in the way he knew she loved.

"You're so cute when you're like that," Hange chuckled, bending down to press a kiss to his forehead. "I'm glad we're finally getting to spend some time together. These past weeks have been too stressful, and I've really missed having you around." To emphasize the point—or because she wanted to mess with him—she turned her head and playfully nibbled at the side of his hand.

"Don't be gross," Levi retorted, wiggling his hand free and pinching the tip of her nose before curling his arm around her neck, his fingers drawing slow circles into her skin as he pulled her close. I've missed you too.

Hange kept her promise and remained mostly silent, except for a few lighthearted jabs about how clingy he was being or how patient he was with her. But Levi didn't care, knowing she was enjoying this as much as he was.

When the fifteen minutes had passed, he expected her to peel herself off him, apologise, and return to her soccer game. But instead, she only shifted slightly, her arms tightening around him as she pulled him with her. Then she adjusted the laptop so she could comfortably watch the screen from their current position.

"There, now we've solved two problems at once," she said lightly as she unmuted the sound, and loud cheering cut through the silence.

"Fine with me," Levi mumbled, closing his eyes again and letting his body return to its earlier state of relaxation, making sure to keep his weight off her injured leg.

Every now and then, Hange would tap her finger against his cheek to feed him fries, and he would accept them, even the soggy, sticky ones that made him grimace. The sounds of the soccer match had drifted far away, to the point where he almost didn't perceive them anymore. He listened to her breathing instead, then to her heartbeat, feeling more content and at ease than he had in a while.