Ordinary Hero (Attack on Titan // LeviHan)

Chapter Three

The following morning, I woke up quite a bit later than I usually did on a Sunday. Saturday had always been our busy nights and I normally didn’t wake up until eleven, but I was so tired that I had slept past noon. After my eyes had adjusted to the bright light pouring in through the window, I flipped the covers of my bed back, standing up. A chilly jolt ran up my spine as my feet made contact with the floor, causing me to shiver. I typically kept the temperature down low while I slept, not only to save on my heating bill, but because the sudden shock of cold helped wake me up. Otherwise, I’d probably crawl right back into bed and sleep until opening hours. Some days, that didn’t seem like a half-bad option. However, I couldn’t even consider doing that today – there was another person residing at my house, Hanji, and I needed to tend to her and her hangover as much as I loathed the idea.

I left my bedroom, finiding Hanji still snuggled up on the couch where I had dropped her off the previous night. She had rolled onto her side in her sleep, now facing away from me and toward the couch cushions instead. Her arms were wrapped tightly around the yellow blanket I had given her last night, which she had most likely kicked off. She held it like she was hugging something, or even someone. Her hair was an even bigger mess than it was the last night, due to her tossing and turning around overnight. Hanji had an awful case of bed-head, her brown hair sticking out in every single direction, some pieces straight and some pieces slightly wavy or curled. A few chunks were even standing straight up. I had no idea how she was ever able to tame that beast she called hair, let alone live with it. A tiny bit of drool was hanging out of the corner of her opened mouth, slowly slipping down her shin as she breathed deeply. In, out, in, out. Her eyes were still closed, showing me that she was still asleep.

I had figured that she would have woken up by now, or at least shown signs of consciousness. I decided that it would be best for me to let her sleep. Other than not wanting to deal with her so shortly after waking up, she looked peaceful in sleep. Like there was nothing in the world that could bother her. Honestly, I wished that there wasn’t, for her sake.

I decided to put off my morning shower for a little while. It seemed unlikely, but there was always the off chance that Hanji could wake up and accidentally stumble into the bathroom while I was showering. I didn’t particularly want me in the nude to be the first thing she encountered when she woke up, and I didn’t exactly want to deal with that situation, either. Instead, I thought that making a bit of breakfast – well, more like lunch – would be good for the both of us. I made a bit of toast for Hanji and I, which I knew would help her and her hangover. Once she woke up, I knew that she wasn’t going to feel like eating much, so I only made just a little bit. Even though I wasn’t the one drinking all night, I wasn’t too terribly hungry, either. I just needed a bit of substance in my system.

As my now-afternoon tea was steeping, I poured a glass of cold water for Hanji. I did everything I could, preparing things for her by the time she woke up so that she could be on the track to feeling better as soon as possible. Luckily, I had learned a lot of tips and tricks from Petra, who used to treat my hangovers when we used to go barhopping together, back when I didn’t own my own bar. Just as I had poured my tea, I heard a loud groan from the couch, followed by some obnoxious swears.

I turned my head over my shoulder to see Hanji, now covering her face with her hands as she moaned in pain. She soon moved one hand to clutch her stomach, covering her mouth with the other. Her brown eyes darted over to me, filling with panic. “Bucket, bucket!” she mumbled through her hand, waving me over with the hand that sat on her stomach. I raced over to her with a plastic bucket in hand, guiding her head to face into it as she vomited. I held her hair back for her, cringing as she hurled into the plastic tub. Once she was finished, she leaned back and wiped off her top lip as I let go of her hair, letting it fall down around her shoulders. She turned her head to the side, staring up at me with her big, brown eyes and a confused expression. “What… what’re you doing here?”