Willow (Hange Zoë X Reader)

Willow

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"Down by the water, under the willow
Sits a lone ranger, minding the willow
He and his wife, once lived happily
Planted a seed, that grew through the reeds
Summers and winters, through snowy Decembers
Sat by the water close to the embers
Missing out the lives that they once had before"
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"And what happens after that?" A small face looked up as she tugged on the apron of her mother. She couldn't clearly remember what her mothers face looked like, so she roughly filled in the gaps.
"Well... that's up for you to imagine Y/N. It is your favorite story after all, so I feel it's only right for you to decide what happens." Her mother looked down at her softly, before putting away the last of the dishes they had used for supper that night.
"Well, I'm not deciding if it's based on a true story! I know what happens next, but I like to hear it from you." Y/N admitted, looking down now at her shoes.
Her mother gave a small chuckle "yes well, the man and his wife ended up settling down in a small town inside wall maria, that sits beside a quaint river, and had a daughter." she closed her eyes, as if remembering it as if it were long ago.
"Do you ever regret it? Leaving wall sina?" Y/N asked. Her little voice almost made her mothers heartache. Could Y/N have had a better life if her mother had stayed? She would never know.
"No. I was able to marry your father, and we were able to live a quiet life, away from the chaos of politics and greedy men." She said firmly, as she leaned down to pick up Y/N and carry her.
"I miss daddy."
"I know. I do too. He died a hero though." Y/N's mother laid Y/N down in her bed and tucked her in. "He was able to do what many cannot say they have done. Seen sights that others haven't. He lived a life to the fullest, and loved you with all his heart. What was there to regret? He now sleeps eternally, in peace." Y/N's mother always had such a way with words, it was no wonder she had been able to make a living for the both of them. Her father had been a scout with the scout regiment, and after 11 long years of service, had been killed on an expedition outside the walls. After her fathers death, Y/N's mother had become a writer to be able to provide for herself and Y/N, and surprisingly, many of the people within the walls valued her work, especially her poetry. It was enough of a living that Y/N's mother was not only able to support them, but she had also been adamant about her daughter's education as a result.
Looking back on it now, her mothers stories and voice were the only things she had taken and cherished from her childhood. It wasn't too long after that memory that Y/N's mother had become gravely sick, and left her daughter not only enough of a fortune to support herself before she became an adult, but an orphan.
Oh how long ago that all seemed. Left to the cold and harsh realities, Y/N had come to familiarize herself with the world.
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I wouldn't leave you
I would hold you
When the last day comes
What if you need me
Won't you hold me
On the last day
Our last day
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But why decide to look back on it now? That's a question Y/N had been asking herself for the past 5 minutes.
It could be the wedding jitters.
Yes, that's it. This was a big day. She was to be married to Squad leader Hange zoe after all.
Never in a million years did Y/N suspect that this day would come, especially after joining the scouts. In all honesty, she thought she would end up meeting the same fate as her father, albeit a bit sooner. But to her surprise, soon after joining, she was placed in hange's group and everything after that was soon just history.
Y/N's mind returns as she feels something placed in her hair.
"And there! Something blue!" Petra exclaimed as she looked at Y/N in the mirror, admiring her work.
Y/N sat and stared at herself in the mirror, hands in her lap. She wore her mothers old wedding dress, which she had returned home for, very shortly granted, to pick up. Her shoes she had commissioned from a shoe tailor with the bit of money her mother had set aside for this day, light gray flats that were made of fine satin, that fit her foot very comfortably. She would never wear the shoes again, only for this occasion, but she found them pretty to stare at, the way they shined in certain lighting. Y/N had borrowed one of Petra's necklace, a beautiful diamond one, that sat across her neck, and matched her shoes almost perfectly. And finally, the Blue Gemmed hair pin, that held her hair, was gifted as an engagement gift from Hange themselves. They said they saw it in a shop and automatically thought of Y/N.
Something old,
Something new,
Something borrowed,
Something blue,
As the saying goes.
"Come on, we should get going before we are late. Wouldn't want to leave Hange waiting after all." Petra gathered Y/N's cape as she stood up, and walked towards petra.
"Oh shut up."
Petra laughed as she placed the green cape over Y/N's shoulders and walked with her out the door. Y/N and petra also didn't have to worry about Y/N being seen by Hange or anyone else since it was most likely everyone was already at the service or preparing for it, and Y/N had been adamant about Hange staying in a different section of the building, to make sure they didn't see her before hand. It was also most likely they were already at the service themselves, waiting for her like Petra had earlier suggested.
"I-I'm nervous Petra..." Y/N admitted.
Petra placed a hand on Y/N's shoulder, looking at her with a gentle look. "They love you Y/N, there's nothing to be nervous about. You make a perfect team." Petra gave Y/N a nod, and walked in front of her, to the set of double doors. "I'll meet you out there, ok?" Y/N gave a small nod back as she stood to the side and watched Petra walk through the doors before her.
Y/N waited 20 seconds, before she heard her cue to enter, the doors opening before her, as she walked down the aisle.
Many eyes turned to her, making her even more nervous than she was before, though all of that seemed to disappear as she looked at hange. How could she have had doubts before? They looked dashing right now, and Y/N could see the rest of her life with them already, no matter how short or long of a time they may have.
Hange equally felt all of their nerves ease, watching Y/N walk down the aisle, her green cape over her shoulders, the stray pieces of hair that fell from the gathered hair in the back. And that's when they noticed it: the Blue gemmed Hairpin they had given her a few weeks back.
Y/N walked slowly down the aisle, before reaching them, and Hange just couldn't help holding her arms in theirs. The Officiant of the wedding seemed a bit surprised by the close standing of Y/N and Hange as they both turned to him. He didn't think twice as he carried on with the ceremony.
Yes, it had all come together, quite beautifully too. Though the hall where it was being held was just the dining hall, and the after ceremony was just the scouts heading outdoors and enjoying their regular food there, it was a celebration to be remembered.
The ceremony itself was resolved quickly with Y/N and Hange saying "I do." to one another, and sealing it with a kiss in front of their friends and comrades.
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Mr. and Mrs., dreamed of a willow
Carving their names, into their willow
If he had spoken, love would return
Spoken inside, too soft to be heard
Summers and winters, through snowy Decembers
Sat by the water, remembering embers
Missing out the lives that they once had before
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Y/N and Hanges honeymoon had consisted of a trip to Y/N's small town, where she had grown up. Despite joining the survey corps, she had kept her family's home, not only because it acted as a shed of sorts where she stored all of her parents and now her possessions, but because she couldn't find it in herself to let it go.
What had made Y/N want to go back over so many years, she wasn't exactly sure of it. It was the season between fall and winter, and expeditions and training had slowed down with the start of the snow. It wasn't like her hometown was exactly memorable or perfect during this time of year. She hadn't even been serious in suggesting it when they were talking about where they would go for their honeymoon, she had just suggested it since it had popped into her head.
"We could always go to my hometown." Y/N blurted out. "I mean, it's not exactly pretty this time of year, but where it's located, we wouldn't be bothered. It is at least a day's journey by horse however since it's near the ehrmich district." She winced at that.
"That sounds perfect! I'm sure the countryside is beautiful with the snow covering it, and we can always try to request leave during the summer in the future to see it during that season too." Hange suggested, with Y/N sighing with the idea of relaxing with her spouse. They were always able to see the good in everything.
"Yea, it is."
And so that's how they found themselves visiting her hometown.
It had been a long journey, with them stopping at an inn for the night before arriving after another 3 hours of horseback. It was mid day by the time they arrived at her house. It was just as Y/N had remembered leaving it, in a hurry to start her adventure as a soldier. It was long before she knew what was in store for her, and had met hange.
Y/N opened the creaky door and walked inside her childhood home, dusty, but still intact and just as she had left it. Books were strewn across several counter spaces and tables, and Y/N would no doubt force herself and her new spouse to spend the night cleaning up rather than 'sharing' a bed with one another. As Y/N set their stuff down near a chair that overlooked outdoors, she caught a glance of a familiar sight.
The old willow tree. The one from the story her mother would tell her.
The willow even looked the same, she reminisced her memories as her mother chased little Y/N around the house, and near the tree. The tree itself sat barely on the edge of where the river met land, a bit further down hill than where Y/N's house sat, to ensure that if it ever flooded, it wouldn't damage the house itself.
"What is it Y/N?" Hange took notice of Y/N's quietness and looked over their wife's head at what she was staring at. "Ah! We should go check it out! We can come back and put our stuff away later." They pulled on her hand before she could try and talk some sense into Hange, and just let them lead her.
Their hands were rough, but warm and firm in her hand, she noticed, as it contrasted with the cold air around them.
"It's my parents initials." Y/N muttered softly to Hange. She didn't look at them, but instead traced her hand along the old, worn cuts and lines that showed her parents' mark.