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Year 852
Levi was annoyed. And why? Because he was wasting precious time on his one day off to go look for a cat he didn't even own—or want to own. Sundays were for isolation and reset, a day where he could be alone to give his mind and body a break from the daily demands of trying to forge their place in a new world. There was so much happening at all hours, new faces and names and Marleyan captives.And he'd thought the world was too big before.So when Sunday came around, he blocked it all out to focus on simpler things—giving his quarters a good scrub, patching holes in uniforms and socks and underwear, making his way through one of the hundreds of books Erwin had left him. Some were boring, some were too difficult to understand, but some were actually entertaining and it was nice to lose himself in another world for a short time. All he needed in the afternoon was a comfortable chair, an interesting book, and a cup of hot tea to soothe the stress away. As much as he hated killing and watching people be killed by Titans, the old life was somehow still more simple. Sundays were a break from a fast-paced world he didn't understand and honestly wasn't sure he wanted to.Yet today, he was traipsing over the grounds looking for a stupid cat. Alert even in his sleep (a habit he'd developed by necessity), he'd been awakened one night by a yowling from outside his window. He'd known it was a cat, recognized the sound. He'd groaned and turned over onto his side, away from the window, and tried to go back to sleep after pulling the blankets tighter around himself. But of course his mind was awake then, and it wouldn't quiet down once he thought about how damn cold it must be outside if it was that cold in here, and how it was raining outside, and...Yes. Of course his brain would throw that memory at him. The time his mother had brought an injured cat into their room at the brothel and they'd tended its wounds together. How Levi had begged to keep the cat as their own, only to be reminded that the owner of the place didn't allow pets and she could lose her job (and them their home) if she tried to. So with tears streaming down his chubby cheeks, he'd hugged the cat and said goodbye before his mother set it free.Levi hadn't thought of that in years. He'd gotten to a point where the sight of a cat no longer pierced a hole in his heart. That cat was long gone, and so was his mother. So was that life.Lying in a room that was chilly but warm enough that he wasn't shivering, he remembered that cat and how much he'd loved it even though it had only stayed in their room for one night. He'd slept beside it, not wanting to leave it alone. He'd been terrified that it would meet more danger in the outside world.The yowling grew louder; he could hear it even over the sound of rain pounding the roof. He'd closed his eyes again, wishing it would stop.
Ma would let it in. Just to get it out of the rain, Ma would let the damn thing in.
That was something he couldn't ignore. It got him out of bed and to the window, cursing the whole time. He'd opened the window and looked around. There was a soaked, sad little face peeking up at him from the muddy ground. The stupid thing meowed at him in question, and Levi sighed. “Give me a second.” After putting down a towel under the window on his side, Levi nodded at the cat. “Fine, come on in. But only until it stops raining. And stay on the towel.”The cat gave one loud cry before it hopped up and through the window. It brought with it mud and rain and shivers. It hunkered down on the clean towel, shaking so visibly that Levi felt the urge to warm it up. He closed the window, then bent down and gathered it up in the towel. Its tiny bones quaked in his arms. “You're filthy,” he scolded with a scrunched nose. “And you stink. How do you live like that?” He was halfway through an attempt to dry the thing when he realized this would be the perfect time to give it a bath. “You're already wet anyway, right? Can't hurt.”So an hour (and more than a few scratches) later Levi found himself with a clean, dry cat in front of a fire he'd lit just to warm it up. Normally he didn't indulge in that too much for himself, he suffered. He'd locked the cat in his room long enough to fetch a bowl of milk from the kitchen (being second in command of the Survey Corps had its perks), and now it was contentedly lapping at that while purring loudly enough to wake the whole damn building. Levi sat on the floor next to it, watching and trying to push memories from childhood away. Ma had been a softie for animals. She'd instilled in him the idea that it was up to him to protect those weaker than himself. This cat certainly was that, all skin and bones and big, bright blue eyes that were so damn trusting.“You can stay just for tonight. Rain's supposed to stop in the morning, or at least Hange says so. She's like a damn witch, always able to predict the weather. So after that, you're out of here. Enjoy it while it lasts. I'm going back to bed, asshole.”Levi had climbed back into bed and snuggled down into the warm blankets. He was almost asleep when he felt the press of tiny paws crawling around the bed. Too tired now to argue, he sighed and let the cat do what it wanted—which was apparently to curl up in a ball behind the bend of Levi's knees. “Whatever,” he mumbled, and then he slipped into sleep.In the morning, as Hange had promised, the rain ceased. The sun was just starting to peek out when Levi opened the window to shoo the cat out. From its perch on the windowsill, it gave him one meow that he took as a thank you. “No problem,” he grumbled. “Now get out of here.” Instead of following the command, the cat rubbed its face against his wrist and the back of his hand. The damn thing was purring again. “No, you don't get to stay here. Rain stops, you leave. That was the deal. Out.”There was one more headbutt, then the cat leaped out into the cold morning. It was fine, the sun would warm everything up before long. The stupid cat would be fine.When he returned to his quarters in the afternoon, it was to find the cat sitting on the windowsill staring at him. It meowed once. Levi knew what it wanted. He ignored the cat for as long as he was able, but eventually opened the window just enough for it to slip through. The cat thanked him yet again, rubbing against his ankles, and for the rest of that night it was content to stay at his side when he was actually in the room. He told it again that this was not home, that when morning hit the cat would be sent away, but since it was still so cold out, he'd allow it to stay one more night.Yet the next morning, after he'd kicked the cat out, he left the window cracked. Just in case.And so, the pattern began. The cat would leave in the morning, Levi would go about his day, and when he was finally freed from the hell of having to plan and think and fight, he'd return to his room to find the cat curled up on his bed waiting for him. He refused to think of it as his—it wasn't, it was just a stray cat that had found a warm place to take refuge in. It wasn't about him, it was about the room and the safety it provided from the elements. That was fine, Levi had learned not to get attached to living things; they had a way of leaving him anyway.Two weeks later, he'd returned to his room after a late lunch fully expecting the cat to be waiting for him on his bed. It wasn't. The small pang of disappointment in his chest pissed him off. He wasn't getting attached to the damn thing. He just...liked routine. He liked knowing what to count on. And the cat, curled up and greeting him with a friendly meow after a long day, he'd come to count on that.He let it go, deciding it was life's inevitable way of taking things from him that he'd grown used to. It was Sunday, his day of rest. He didn't need to be worried about some stupid cat that only used him for warmth anyway. Besides, it was easier to focus on his book when there wasn't a purring mass of fur on his lap keeping him from moving.That worked until he heard the first boom of thunder. Startled from the fantasy book he'd been engrossed in, Levi glanced toward the window and saw the first drops of rain start to fall. “Son of a bitch,” he muttered. The cat was out there somewhere. It should be here, where it was warm and safe. “It's fine. The stupid thing knows where to go, it will show up begging me to let it in just like the first time.” It wouldn't have to beg, of course, because the window was always cracked now. It would just slink in and come find him, white fur smelly and wet and dirty after all the hard work Levi had put into making it clean and soft. “Asshole.”Twenty minutes later Levi was still having trouble focusing on the book because the cat hadn't shown up. He'd had to read some of the paragraphs four times before comprehending them. “Son of a bitch,” he said again, finally standing up to throw the book down on his bed in annoyance. He'd have to go looking for the damn thing.He took just enough time to pull his boots on and find his cape with the hood, then he braved the storm. He thought he had an idea where the idiot might be holed up in safety, the one other place he'd ever seen the cat outside of his own room. It liked to nap in the stables; Levi had caught it doing so more than once during the day. He'd heard some of the soldiers comment on it but none had dared to attempt touching it because every time anyone got near the thing, it arched its back and hissed with a swipe of its paws. Ears flat back against its head, it had scratched more than a few of the corps. Levi found it amusing. That cat hated everyone.Except him. For some reason, the damn thing seemed to love him. And only him.And for that reason, Levi couldn't just let it fend for itself. It wasn't like anyone else would be able to rescue the cat, it wouldn't let them.Which led to him wasting his precious Sunday trying to track it down and save it from the elements. Clearly the cat wasn't meant to be wild, it craved domesticity. He'd check the stable first and then scout the perimeter of the main building while listening for its pathetic yowling. After that...well, he hoped he wouldn't have to think past that. The rain had picked up to become a downpour that soaked him within two minutes of leaving the safety of the main barracks.The stable was empty save for horses. In this weather, nobody wanted to venture out. He'd spied much of the corps gathered around the fireplace in a bid to keep warm while behaving like hooligans on a free day. Normally they tended to head into town and get up to antics Levi was better off knowing nothing about. Today they were all happy to just stay in and be annoying.Which Levi could've done himself (minus the being annoying part) were it not for the stupid ball of fur.Levi did a search of each stall, making a point to stop and pet each horse in a soothing manner before moving to the next. He made it all the way to the last one, and still no sign of the cat. “Idiot asshole got stuck out there somewhere, didn't you?” he muttered. “And now I have to go find you. The things I do for you, you little shit.”He was about to head out into the storm again when he paused near the exit. He'd caught the cat sleeping in hay before, and there was always a large pile of that in a corner to the right of the door, out of sight and safe from outside weather forces. Maybe the thing had buried itself in the pile to keep warm and dry. It wouldn't hurt to check.The cat was indeed sleeping on the pile of hay. Relief washed over Levi when his gaze fell on it, but then he was overcome by what else was asleep on the pile—the cat had settled itself comfortably over a makeshift pillow that took the form of Armin Arlert.Armin was stretched out across the pile on his back. He wore a white button-up shirt and trousers, along with the standard-issue uniform boots. His eyes were closed, breathing even, the cat in a huddle on his chest. It had tucked its face under his chin. One of Armin's hands rested on the cat's back as if he'd been petting it to soothe both of them into sleep. Even in the dim light making its way through dark clouds, Armin's hair was bright and soft. His bangs were a mess over his forehead. The cat's fur wasn't even wet, which meant it had been here before the rain started. Levi had worried for no reason; it was safe and dry here with Armin.His annoyance faded at the sight before him. There was something so innocent about it, about Armin, who never had a bad word to say about anyone, cuddling with a cat on a pile of hay. Levi's life had become anything but innocent; he saw and heard things daily that made his stomach turn, no matter how well he was able to keep a stone face. A moment like this felt completely out of place in the world he'd come to live in. And maybe because of that, he was unable to look away or even think about disturbing it.On top of all of that, the cat was allowing Armin to touch it. This cat who liked no one besides Levi was content with the attention. Levi supposed it made sense considering Arlert was probably the one member of the corps who didn't irritate him. He'd grown close to those on his squad, but they still exasperated him on a daily basis. Armin had a way of not annoying him that was...acceptable. It figured that the cat had sensed that, too, that Armin wasn't someone to fear or recoil from. Armin was, in an odd way, comforting.So comforting, in fact, that the idea of curling up on the pile of hay next to him wasn't...repulsive. Levi knew that some were actually allergic to hay, a word he'd learned from Hange. Levi thought it was a convenient excuse to get out of stable duty. He'd never suffered any symptoms from exposure to hay. For him, hay was just dirty and something he'd rather not interact with unless forced to. Yet watching the sight before him now, Armin and the cat at such peace together even with thunder rumbling around them, the hay looked almost inviting.As if sensing in its sleep that Levi was near, the cat opened its clear blue eyes to regard him sleepily. It yawned, a high-pitched squeak escaping at the last second before it let its mouth close again. “So,” Levi said softly, so as not to wake Arlert, “you found a new friend. Good for you. Better for me. I don't have to share my bed anymore.”The little gray face, framed in white on all sides, stared up him. Its claws flexed a few times. Then it settled its head back down on its paws and closed its eyes.“Fine,” Levi sighed. The way his heart sank pissed him off. This was for the best. He didn't need a stupid cat to worry about on top of everything else. Let Arlert deal with its dirty paws that left mud prints on the windowsill. Let Arlert be trapped under its weight and unwilling to move lest he wake it. Let Arlert go traipsing about in the storm to find it and unable to focus on relaxing until he knew it was safe. Truly, this was the better option for Levi. He was lucky to be rid of the thing.Yet standing over Armin, so serene in sleep that his chest rose and fell evenly in a way that slightly lifted the cat each time he inhaled, Levi didn't feel lucky. He felt...empty. He'd grown to like the damn thing, whether he wanted to admit it or not. It was a thing of beauty when clean, and he liked that its white ears were outlined in gray. He liked that its paws matched its face, that same gray color that made it look dirty even when clean. He liked the way it was so persistent, not giving up even when Levi had been determined to keep it out of his room after the first night. He liked the way it came to greet him after he'd slid under the covers, searching out his hand for a pet and meowing softly as if to say “Finally. I've been waiting all day to cuddle with you.” Levi would have some sarcastic remark for it while rubbing its face and head, the cat would purr outrageously loud, and then Levi would settle in while the stupid thing went to the bend behind his knees and curled up into a ball of contentment—still purring. He liked that if it got too cold, the cat would burrow its way under the blanket before returning to its favorite sleep spot.Mostly, he liked the way he wasn't alone.“This is better,” he whispered to himself. “At least it won't be dependent on me. When we go to war again—because eventually we will, no matter what Hange manages to accomplish—I won't be leaving behind anything that needs me to survive. Armin's a better choice as a caretaker; there's no way they're taking his Titan out, not with him being such a fucking genius. Really, cat, you made the right choice here. You're smarter than I gave you credit for.”Levi nodded once in acceptance and turned to go. He'd get back into the book now with nothing to distract him, no cat to worry about, and he'd be able to close the window against the storm to keep the chill out. No matter how you looked at it, this really was the best thing that could've happened. He'd tell himself that as many times as needed until he believed it.He'd taken two steps when a monstrous crack of thunder hit, so strong that the mere sound of it shook the stable walls. The horses were startled enough to whinny. Levi stopped in his tracks before moving to the nearest stall to soothe his own horse with a steady hand and comforting tone. Out of the corner of his eye he caught Armin stirring, one hand immediately going to the cat to soothe it in a similar way. “It's okay,” Armin murmured. “You're safe in here. I won't let it get you, I promise.” The cat rubbed its face against Armin's hand, the same way it had Levi's so many times. He tried not to be envious.But then the cat looked his way and meowed. It was the tone it used at bedtime, that greeting when it wanted him to just settle and be near. Armin followed its gaze, eyes widening comically when they fell on Levi and recognized his face under the hood. “Captain!” Armin scrambled up off the hay, the cat hissing its displeasure when it was dumped aside.Levi caught him in mid-salute. He waved a hand in dismissal. “Stop. I just came out here to check on the horses. They don't like thunder.”“Right. Of course.” Armin's intelligent eyes were brighter than the cat's as he mentally ran through the consequences of being found napping in a place that was generally off-limits unless you had business with the horses. “I uh...I...” His cheeks flushed when he gave in and admitted, “It was too noisy back there. I was tired, and Eren and Jean wouldn't stop sniping at each other, and I just needed a quiet place.”“Understandable,” Levi nodded, one hand still petting his horse. Secretly he thought it was good that Eren was showing signs of that fire he used to carry with him everywhere; the damn kid had been too morose and broody lately. But he could see how annoying it must get for Armin, who craved peace and unity, to put up with those two bickering constantly. “Got a friend there?” he couldn't help but ask, using his chin to gesture toward the cat. Which was, predictably, slinking itself around Armin's ankles like the traitor it was.“Oh!” Armin's eyes widened again before he looked down. “This is...she just...um.”She. Well, Armin had already gotten farther than Levi ever had; he'd never even stopped to wonder if it was male or female. It was probably the first thing Armin had checked. “She seems to like you.”“Do you think?” Hope filled Armin's gaze. He bent down to pick up the ball of fur, and Levi had the thought that its color reminded him of slushy snow. He'd never realized that before. “I don't know where she came from, she's just out here sometimes when I need a horse. I was warned that she scratches and bites, but I've never had a problem with that. She always lets me pet her.”She was doing so now, basking in the attention Armin's hand was giving her—long strokes down her back interspersed with digging fingers near her ears. The way she was practically begging for his touch disgusted Levi. Two-timing whore. Clearly I'm not special.“And with the storm and all,” Armin continued, “I was worried about her. So I figured between that and just wanting a quiet place to nap...” He shrugged, heat rising to his cheeks again. “This seemed like the place to be.”Levi nodded again. He certainly couldn't fault Armin for that, could he? He'd braved the storm for the same reason. When a fresh wave of thunder broke above them, Levi smirked. “And you thought this would be a quiet place?”“Well,” Armin chuckled, cuddling the cat closer to his chest. “You have a point. But thunderstorms actually soothe me.”One of Levi's brows shot up. “Do they?” His mother had said that once. Levi would never understand it, the sound was like cannons firing when it got bad like this. Even in the Underground they'd been able to hear thunder when it was strong enough. Then again, it was muted down there, so maybe in some way she had found it soothing.“Yeah. Don't ask me why, I know it's strange.” He cleared his throat and shifted the cat so that it was perched on his shoulder. “Anyway, I should get back inside. I don't really want to leave her here in the storm, but I know we're not allowed to—”“She can come into my room.” The words were out before Levi had a chance to stop them.Shock registered on Armin's face. “Sir? We um...we're not allowed to—”“Yeah, I know. No pets. But she's skittish in storms and if she runs out into the wild, she could get struck by lightning or just...attacked by something bigger. You can't get away with that, but I can. I'll take her in with me.”“Oh.” Armin's sudden smile brightened his whole countenance. “You'd do that?”“Like I'm gonna let it drown out here?” He held out his arms. Armin approached, not one hint of hesitation in the movement; he trusted Levi implicitly to care for the cat. Once in Levi's grasp, the furry traitor scampered up onto his shoulder and held on, rubbing its face against his neck.“Captain, I think she actually likes you!” Armin was ecstatic about this.“Yeah, she's a little attention whore.” He couldn't resist stroking his fingers over her head and behind her ears, a sense of satisfaction coming out when her motor started running. He'd fallen asleep to the sound every night since she first appeared at his window. He was going to miss it once she got tired of him and moved on to Arlert full-time. “She really loves this.” He used his short nails to scratch the area just above her tail; predictably, her ass shot up as if begging for more. She added a yowl of happiness that pulled a chuckle from Armin.“Wow, you're not kidding.” Perhaps sensing that Levi would allow it at the moment, Armin stepped closer so that he could join in. He stroked underneath her chin, and with both of them giving her affection at once she was clearly in heaven. With a knowing smile, Armin asked, “What did you name her?”“Name her? Why would I do that? She's not mine.”“No?” He looked as if he didn't quite believe that. “She seems to know you.”“She sneaks into my room sometimes,” Levi admitted, acting like it was the most annoying thing to ever happen to him. “When it's raining like this. Or cold. Or she's just hungry. She's a whore for milk. Even likes the tasteless stew we get most nights.”“Milk?” Armin asked in surprise. “I thought the milk was only for special occasions. We're not allowed to touch it.”“You aren't allowed to touch it. Not that I have it often myself, I stick mostly to tea and water. But she needed something, she was looking like a rack of bones, so...” He shrugged, unashamed of his actions. She definitely looked better now; her ribs weren't visible beneath the fur, and the bones under Levi's fingers had a bit of cushion over them.“What would you name her? If she was yours?”Levi shrugged, having not given it any thought. It was pointless to. He said the first word that popped into his brain. “Whore.”A snort of shocked laughter broke free from Armin. “Captain, you can't call her that!”“Why not? It's true. Just look at her, all pathetic and rolling around in my arms.” She chose that moment to let out a yowl of contentment, her head lifting higher so that Armin could better reach. “See what I mean?”“Still, it's not a nice name. She's sweet.”“Tch. Watch out, she's trying to fool you into taking her to bed with you.” There was another boom of thunder, this one much quieter. Levi peeked out of the stable to see that the rain was letting up. This might be their chance to get the damn cat back inside with minimal exposure to the downpour. He shifted her so that Armin could take her fully, then started working his cloak loose. “What would you name her?”Though Armin seemed to give it thought, it was obvious when he replied that he'd already spent time thinking that problem over. “Her colors remind me storm clouds. She's mostly white, but clouds get that gray ring around them just before it rains. Kind of like her ears and her face.”“Clouds, huh?” Now that the cloak was free, Levi folded it into a combination pillow/blanket that she could burrow into. “She makes me think of dirty snow.”“I can see that,” Armin agreed. He shifted her so that he could study her more clearly. “But clouds are nicer than dirty snow. So I think Stormy is a good name for her.”“Stormy, huh?” Levi had to admit, it wasn't bad. It did describe her coloring well. He held out the cape. “Here.”Realizing what Levi had in mind, Armin settled her into place and made sure she was covered well. Her head stuck out, blue eyes flashing from Levi to Armin before she snuggled down into the warmth. “She looks happy.”“She looks smug. She knows she's got us wrapped around her...paws, I guess.” He rolled his eyes and said, “I think now's a good time to head back, the rain's mostly let up. Let's go before it starts up again.”“Sounds like a good idea.”They made their way back to the main building slowly, not wanting to disturb the cat too much. Levi kept catching Armin glancing over as if to make sure she wasn't going to flee. Every ten steps or so he'd reach over to rub a finger over her head.“So she sleeps with you at night?”“She has for the past few weeks.”“Good. I'm glad she has a warm, safe place to go.”Levi grunted. Even through the truth of that statement, he heard Armin's longing to provide that for her himself. If he could've, Levi would've gladly handed her over for Armin to keep.
No, you wouldn't. You'd worry about her as much as he does. You'd leave the comfort of your room to battle a damn thunderstorm just so you knew she was safe.
He couldn't hide from that anymore. He'd really come to think of her as his. There was a part of him that felt bad for Armin, that he couldn't say the same even if he wanted to due to the fact that he didn't have a room of his own. “I think Stormy fits,” he said suddenly. Not only was it true, but it would give Armin a small sense of the ownership he craved.“Really?” Armin's face, bright and lit up even in the pale light of a cloud-covered day, made the concession worth it. His big blue eyes shined with happiness. “We can call her that?”“We can call her that,” Levi nodded. They were closing in on the building now. Soon he'd be comfortably settled in his chair, a blanket on his lap, and Stormy curled up on the blanket while Levi read a book. Poor Armin had to go back to the idiots who couldn't stop bickering, and of course the Weird-Ass Twins who were always doing something inane that Levi couldn't understand. That was fine; when he needed them to be serious, they always came through. “You know,” he said, without planning to much like he had earlier, “she probably gets bored just hanging out with me in the evening.”“I doubt it, but it's not like I could take her into the barracks with me anyway. Even if it was allowed, she hates everyone.” Armin crossed his arms over his chest with a sigh.“Doesn't mean you can't come visit her.”Armin's head swung over sharply, shock showing again in the oceans of his eyes. “In...your room?”At this point Levi didn't even know what he was saying. Words were tumbling out without his permission. “Hange wants us to brainstorm about what to do with all these Marleyan captives anyway, right? Come up with ideas about our next step? We never have time during the day, too many meetings. Too much other shit going on. What we need is time after all of that, just you and me. No distractions. And uh...” He hated to admit this out loud, but Armin never seemed to judge him. “You can teach me more about the outside world, what you're learning in all those books you have access to now. You've pretty much picked up the written language, right?”“Mostly,” Armin nodded. “I'm working on learning other languages now, too. That'll help when we eventually have to negotiate with other countries, besides Marley. I can teach you some basics. Maybe even some of the foreign customs. There's so much to explore in the world!”Armin was getting that look in his eyes again, the one that reminded Levi of someone else. In moments like this, he knew he'd made the right choice. “I might need to know that shit someday. So I'm thinking maybe an hour after dinner each night. Unless you'd rather not.”“No, I'd love that! It would give me a break from the others, plus I'd get to spend time with Stormy!” He grinned while reaching over to stroke under her chin again. She started up that motor.“It's settled then. I'll let Hange know that's our new plan, and if you need nights off just let me know. Otherwise expect to meet with me after dinner. Every night except Sunday, that's my day to relax. I don't want to think on Sundays, not unless I have to.”“I completely understand that.”Before entering the building, Levi pulled the cloak over Stormy's head to hide her. “Nobody has to know about her,” he whispered. “Let them think I'm drinking the milk and eating the stew.”“Scout's honor, Captain.”They parted ways just outside the mess hall. Levi halted so that Armin could lean in to murmur to the cat. “I'll see you tomorrow, Stormy. Keep him warm tonight.”Levi almost chuckled. It was the opposite. But maybe Armin was referring to more than physical warmth. In that sense, as much as he didn't want to acknowledge it, Stormy provided emotional warmth. “Goodnight, Armin.”“Night, Captain.” A shyness that Levi hadn't seen in Armin for a long time crept up. “If um...if we try this and you find that I'm annoying or you just would rather not, please let me know. I would never want to be a bother.”Strangely enough, Levi didn't think that would be a problem. Not with Armin. “I'm not worried about it. You seem to know when to shut up, unlike everyone else around here.”“Yeah, I read people pretty well,” Armin smiled. “I'll probably know if you don't want me around.”Levi was about to respond when Mikasa poked her head out of the mess hall. “Armin, there you are. Will you please come in here and settle a stupid argument between them? We complain that Eren's too quiet but the second you get him around Jean, you just want him to shut the hell up.”Armin rolled his eyes. “I'm coming. See ya, Captain.”“Later.” He waited until he was alone in the hall to peek in at Stormy. Her ears perked up, eyes zeroing in on the door that had just closed where Levi could barely hear Armin's measured, calm voice. “Tomorrow, you little whore. You can hang out with him tomorrow.”She offered a meow that he took as begrudging assent. He'd get her to the room, then go back in for dinner. Hange hated it when he took his meals alone, so he only did that on Sundays. He'd pick up some food and some milk for Stormy. They could eat together, and then afterward they could cuddle together.“The things I do for you,” he muttered again as he walked toward his room. “Now you got me willingly spending extra time with a soldier. You're lucky it's Armin you took a shine to, because I'm telling you right now if it was anyone else...”He didn't finish the thought. He didn't really have to. Armin was special, and Stormy was smart enough to sense that.