Sacrifice For You (Hange Zoe x Female Reader)

15: Crimson Fabric

Moving past Mikasa, I dumped a mix of carrots and potato slices into a boiling pot. A couple of days had passed since the encounter in the cafeteria, along with Hange's confession. The brunette had tried to catch me a few times and had done numerous little tasks to win back my forgiveness, but to no avail, as I completely disregarded them at every turn.

Only Sasha and Jean had known why at first, but Armin had been too observant and caught on to the tension almost immediately. He had been in disbelief when I revealed everything to him but reminded me almost constantly that he knew how to keep a secret, which I appreciated.

I'd gone over the situation countless times in my head, yet I still couldn't conclude. Who am I to forgive my friend's killer? What if it was still one big lie? It wasn't like my own mind had ever listened to me anyway. It seemed completely foreign to me most of the time like it wasn't even a part of my body.

I huffed, knowing I had more important things to focus on at the moment. We'd been in the woods for days, holed up in an abandoned cottage due to the political turmoil deep inside the Walls. The experiments to take back Wall Maria weren't going well either.

"My head hurts," Eren complained, running a hand through his hair as he walked into the kitchen area. I made eye contact with Jean, rolling my eyes as he mocked the Titan shifter silently.

"Eat," I said, filling up a bowl with soup and placing it in front of the tiresome boy as Mikasa grabbed a spoon for him. "I need to go switch lookouts with Sasha." She can probably smell the soup from outside.

"I didn't know your new rank came with such a big dose of bossiness," Eren retorted quietly, and I flicked him on the head with a low scoff.

"Take it up with Levi if you have a problem, I'm sure he'd love your input," I quipped, grabbing my hood and walking to the wooden post outside. The blue sky hosted a golden-ish light, casting it down onto me as I met up with Sasha.

"FINALLY!" She yelled, "I'm starving, Sugar! I'm going to dry up and turn into dust and bones if I have to wait any longer!"

I grinned at her enthusiasm, taking the shotgun off of her back and watching her sprint past me, beelining to the soup that awaited her inside the cottage. I swear she loves food more than life itself.

As I was about to climb onto the wooden post, the brush movement caught my eye. I quickly took the weapon off of my back, readily holding it at chest level with two hands.

Suddenly two horses emerged from the trees, and I immediately recognized the people accompanying the animals. "You're kidding..." I mumbled.

"[Y/N]!" Moblit called, waving with a kind expression. I mustered a friendly smile and did the same, ignoring the brunette beside him.

"I'm glad you didn't shoot us," the tall man joked, nervously rubbing the back of his neck with a laugh as he rode to my side and dismounted his horse.

"We need to talk to Levi," Hange interrupted, dismounting their horse as well, and I turned toward them. I noticed their eyes trail up and down my form, and they finally met my steely gaze with a hesitant one. A shameful, unwanted shiver made its way down my spine.

"...Did something happen?" I questioned, slightly annoyed at the ball of emotions that were starting to form in my chest. I ignored Moblit's tense expression beside me. They probably told him about everything.

They broke eye contact, and I tilted my head at their reddened face. "Pastor Nick- he was murdered," they revealed.

I frowned, faintly recalling the man who had briefly accompanied us the night we went to Utgard Castle and searched Wall Rose. That expedition was a fucking mess.