Hello, Stranger (Hange Zoë x f!reader)

Part seven

You had searched for three hours. Nothing. Not yet, at least. Word had spread, and it seemed to have become universally accepted that, as Hange’s cat, you were allowed to roam the castle. There were a few stares, but no one had attempted to force you back outside, which you were thankful for. There was no guarantee you could get back inside.

Despite your failure so far, you’d managed to mentally map a good portion of the base within your head. Or, at least, come differentiate the different scents from different locations, from the mustiness of the basement to the aroma of the kitchen. It would undoubtedly prove helpful, somehow. You had brought yourself to another windowless dead end and swallowed a hiss of frustration. How damn hard was it to find a spare uniform? You headed back again, tasting the air once more. Something smelt fresh. Pleasantly fresh. You tried to place the smell. Hange’s bedroom, their bedclothes. Laundry room.

You hurried closer. The door was barely ajar, hooking your claws in the wood, you pulled it further. It smelt clean, vaguely floral. You padded inside. Bunching your shoulders you hauled yourself atop the lowest shelf. Sheets, sheets, uniforms. You purred in delight. Shirts, trousers, and more of those buckle things they always wore. You cast a glance behind you. No one. You pushed the door closed with your head, and after double checking no one was coming, you transformed. The ground rapidly ran from you as you regained your height. You just needed to find ones which fitted now. A grey shirt, only slightly larger than you. Perfect. A pair of those white trousers and jacket and you were halfway there. Now, however, you had to figure out how these belt buckles worked.

The two longest you determined were legs, and the large ‘x’ looking piece was for your back. Then, things started to make more sense. You were half afraid to bend your knees, for fear something would snap or come undone, resulting in a rather awkward waddle as you put the boots on.

“I’ve got this, I’ve got this.”

You inhaled, exhaled. Just walk out, walk around a bit, you looked exactly like them, they wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. It’d be fine. Completely.

Your legs shook slightly as you opened the door, turning on your heels you began back down the way you had come. Several other soldiers passed by, but they paid you no heed. Perfect. Perfect. You could walk several laps of the building and wait in Hange’s room. A relatively flawless plan, if you could say so yourself. You recognised several faces now, vaguely, from around the castle. You couldn’t name any of them, however, just nameless extensions of the wings motif. You shuffled past them, trying to avoid to eye contact. It was a lot quicker on two legs now. Even with the discomfort of the straps, it was refreshing.

So immersed in your own thoughts, you crashed into someone. You flinched. They were shorter than you, blonde. Armin.

“S-sorry, I was miles away.”

Armin stood back, flushing in embarrassment. 

“No problem, I wasn’t paying much attention myself.”

He looked up at you now. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Armin, Armin Arlert.”

You blinked at his outstretched hand. Shake it, you dumbass, you chided yourself, before obliging.

“Y/N, Y/N L/N. Pleasure to meet you.”

Armin smiled at that. It seemed Hange hadn’t told anyone about your experiences together, or at least, if they had, it hadn’t reached the cadet before you.

“Are you new here? I haven’t seen you around.”

“Yes, uh, just been moved here from another base, I’ve been sent to help Hange.” You prayed he wouldn’t be able to prove you wrong.

“Ah, that makes sense. Hange’s generally,” he trailed off, searching for the right word, “disorganised.”

You smiled in agreement. From what you’d seen of them, you could agree, yet in someway, it was endearing.

“Hange’s out with Eren and the Captain at the moment, but they should be back before sunset. Would you like me to show you around a bit?”

“Yes.” You answered almost immediately. “This place is like a maze.”

Armin chuckled lightly.

“Yeah, it took me some time to figure out too.”

The soldier showed you everything. The elites’ rooms, the barracks, dungeons, kitchen, laundry rooms, supply closets and everything in between. Your head reeled as you tried to mentally note everything. You had been used to living in a single room for years, but this castle seemed to have rooms for everything and anything possible. The tour had taken several hours. You had eaten lunch together in the mess hall, and Armin had taken the liberty of introducing you to several other soldiers who had graduated alongside him. Sasha, Connie, Jean, and two larger men that smelt strange, Bertolt and Reiner. It seemed no one else was aware of it. You smiled at them as they offered their greetings and made light conversation, before descending into bickering as Sasha attempted to swipe another bread roll. They were all so different, but so similar. Looking at them, how they interacted, how obviously they cared for each other, you couldn’t help but assume your mother was wrong. The humans before you seemed innocent. They weren’t inherently evil, they couldn’t be. You couldn’t help but smile at them.

He took you to the courtyard last, bringing with him another plate of food and water for ‘fluffy’. Your stomach twisted in mild guilt. He was a good kid. He called out for it.

“Maybe she went back home,” he shrugged, taking the used dishes, “she hasn’t been here long.”

“I’m sure she’ll come back,” you assured him, “especially with someone like you to look after her.”

He nodded, reluctantly agreeing. “I guess.”

The sun hung low now. The procession should come back soon, if what you had been told was indeed correct. You turned to Armin, you would wait in their office for Hange. The thought of so many armed soldiers was rather off-putting when you had just managed the courage to don the uniform. You weren’t entirely confident you could hold human form if instinct told you to run, and quite frankly, that was the last thing you needed. You’d be dead in half a heartbeat. He nodded, affirming he had things to do before they came back. So, with a final wave, he left you.

You were able to find Hange’s room easily this time, and slipped inside. Nothing had changed, you mused, you were simply seeing it from another angle. From your new height, the extent of the mess became even more apparent. Papers were heaped on top of papers, dousing every available surface in a crinkled handwritten snow. You sighed. Should you tidy? You lifted a stray sheet from the closest desk, squinting at their diagrams and notes. You could vaguely male out the face of what seemed like a titan. The writing seemed almost intelligible, and part of a stack. Flipping through several more, you found the missing sheets and placed them together, folding the top corner to keep them together. There was no harm in doing another couple, was there? It would keep you occupied, at least, and if you were indeed their ‘assistant’, you probably should.

Half an hour later, most of the papers had been sorted, books, vaguely alphabetised, and pens and pencils returned to what you could only assume were their original pots. You’d have to explain your system to them, you mused, otherwise the chaos would return with a vengeance. Now, you just had to wait.

((A/N - Those belts are legit a pain to put on. I cosplayed once and couldn't bend my knees in them, I had to waddle around the con))