For the One I Love || Hanji x Female Reader

Chapter Twenty-Four: 愛 // Love

Hanji's curiosity was something they always took pride in, an ever-present attribute that was one of the main reasons why they were a scientist. But Hanji never would have guessed that they would have the same curiosity about the girl sleeping soundly beside them, enough to observe the expressions that graced [Y/N]'s features. Although [Y/N] had preferred to sleep facing the other direction, around ten minutes in, she tossed and turned in her sleep, ending up facing the scientist before settling comfortably once more.

Hanji couldn't help but smile, unable to resist reaching out to the girl who was merely inches away from them; their fingers traced her cheeks lightly in a somewhat trance-like manner, not wanting to interrupt [Y/N]'s sleep.

They were surprised when she leaned into their touch, and even more so when [Y/N] lifted her hand to cover theirs unconsciously. She then mumbled something incoherent, before letting go of Hanji's hand. Somehow, they felt disappointed about the loss of contact, but this was soon replaced with warmth when she felt [Y/N] snuggle closer to them - her hands were drawn close to her chest, her lips were parted slightly, and her soft hair was spread out on the pillow, with some of the strands covering her face.

Almost automatically, Hanji reached out to clear the fallen strands of hair, pausing all of a sudden when they heard [Y/N] say something in almost a whisper.

"You're warm."

Hanji chuckled softly at this as they asked amusedly, "Am I, now?"

[Y/N] nodded lightly, and Hanji would bet their soul that the girl wasn't even aware of what she was saying. Hanji wasn't going to complain though, it was as if they were seeing a whole new side of her, and the scientist craved to know more. Hanji wanted to know everything about her - her dreams so they could help her reach them, her fears so they could protect her from all of it, her wishes so they could give her everything she could ever want, and more.

"Is that why you're this close to me? Because I'm warm?" Hanji asked testily, wanting to know if she was still going to answer, realizing that at this moment, [Y/N]'s innocence and honesty were showing.

[Y/N] hummed in agreement, before she continued after a few seconds with a soft sigh, "I'm going to tell you something..."

Hanji listened carefully, their curiosity piqued, though they were answered by the girl's light snores instead. Hanji could only sigh in disbelief, their lips curling up into a genuine smile, before tucking the blanket around [Y/N] so she was comfortable.

"I'm going to tell you something too, [Y/N], something I've wanted to tell you for some time now. I hope it's not too late," Hanji whispered to the sleeping girl, before wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to them.

And for the first time since Hanji could remember, they were able to sleep peacefully - the nightmares kept at bay.

_

For some reason, I found myself back at the clearing in the forest, the day when I was first assigned to Hanji and Levi's group in the buddy system, with Hanji sitting beside me. We were both quiet for some time, enjoying the serene atmosphere and the sounds of nature that enveloped us.

"Are you cold?" Hanji asked, glancing at me in the process, to which I shook my head in response, "You're warm."

Shyly, I shifted so I was leaning against Hanji, their warmth a stark contrast against the cold night air. I heard them chuckle softly at this as they said, "Am I, now?"

I nodded in response, looking up at them in the process. I could only wonder how long this peaceful feeling would last, though I quickly dismissed the thought from my mind - I wanted to enjoy this moment with Hanji, without any care about anything else for now.