𝐰𝐞'𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 ; 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐢 𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧

Reason 10 ; Finale

HANGE WAS YOUR BEST FRIEND, and had been your best friend since just the age of twelve when you had first joined the Cadets.

You shared a bunk-bed and, despite you at-first thinking that Hange was strange and someone you didn't want to associate with, you clicked. From the first-week of training, you were attached by the hip: people in your class would often tease that wherever you were, Hange would follow - and vice versa. Even when it came to the Top Ten of your class, you had ranked second whilst Hange came in first.

They stood beside you when you rebelled against your father and rejected his last name; they followed you to join the Survey Corps.

You made a promise when you were both sixteen that you would side with each other, no matter what.

Except now, years later, you would be breaking that promise.

You looked everywhere for Hange Zoë.

You checked the stables.

Then their bedroom.

Then the balcony.

Then the rooftop.

Then the sparring room.

You began to grow more anxious as you realised that they were no where in sight, worried on where they were and what they were doing.

You sighed, your lips pressed together as you decided to leave back to the office to see Levi, before your eyes glimmered towards a cracked-open door, a sharp, yellow light coming out as a single line.

'MEETING ROOM'
- DO NOT DISTURB -

You pressed your hand against the door as it creaked open, your eyes being met with the familiar silhouette of Hange sat on the ledge of the table - they had their back turned to you, reading a sheet in their left hand.

You closed the door as your chest tightened.

You called out their name as they gestured up their hand to signal that they knew you were there. You heard them sigh, placing down the crisp sheet of paper on the long, wooden, meeting table; their back was still turned to you. You could visibly see the tight shirt that clung to their muscular shoulders and the shape of their back.

Their back arched as they tiredly began to speak: "Can you remember.. how we became friends?"

You stayed silent as you shrugged your shoulders up.

"I remember." Hange exhaled softly, shaking their head: "We were assigned bunk beds, and from the second I saw you.. I knew you would rather have been anywhere else. You wanted to be anyone else, not a Cadet."

"My father forced me to join the Cadets, I didn't have a choice."

"You kept to yourself for the first few days, refusing to speak to anyone or participate in training. Our instructor even went as far as to take your rations from you until you attended classes," They chuckled breathily, their back still turned to you: "I'm sure you would've been kicked out, too, if it weren't for your dad, Darius Zachary."

You felt your body tense up, taking a step closer towards them as their long fingers gripped tighter around the table.

Hange carried on telling you their story as their neck lowered, their eyes glaring towards the crimson-carpet floor of the meeting room: "By day four you were too weak to train, even if you wanted to: and when I realised you weren't in your bottom-bunk by curfew, I decided to sneak out to search for you."

Your eyelids widened as you finally began to remember the story, "I remember now! You found me in the empty study room after midnight, and told me that you'd saved me a piece of bread from supper from your own rations."

"I hated seeing you suffer, I hated it more than anything." Hange confessed as you heard their androgynous voice soften, having a subtle crack as they said your name: "I guess I've always felt that way about you, Y/N. No matter what comes between us, or what happens, you'll always come first to me. I'll always protect you. It didn't take me long to realise how in love with you I was," Hange scoffed with a faint smile, "But it did take me long to admit."

You didn't respond.

Thirty seconds slowly passed as silence flooded the atmosphere; it suffocated your lungs, making breathing an impossible task.

Hange sighed, beginning to finally turn their head towards you as you felt your heart chip at the sore sight of their glossy, crimson-shaded eyes. A single tear drop fell from their golden eyes, trickling off of their dark eyelashes before staining their pink cheek.

They sniffled, Hange's jaw clenching tightly shut as they struggled to look you in the eye.

"You're going to choose him, aren't you?" The Commander sniffled again whilst another droplet fell. They hesitated, furrowing their eyebrows: "Nevermind.. you already have chosen him."

"I have."

"I shouldn't have sent you that letter.. I shouldn't have even kissed you." Hange's voice began to raise as they cupped their face with their palms, feeling your presence draw nearer as you placed your hand against their shoulder blade, "I've-.. I've ruined everything, Y/N! I've messed everything up and it'll never be the same-!"

"Nothing has changed, Hange!" You tightened your grip around their shoulders before feeling as they shook away your touch, "I still love you, just not in the same way as I love Levi. And I don't regret what happened between us for a second!"

Hange crossed their arms defiantly whilst shaking their head, "I never should've have told you about my feelings. I was being.. selfish and ungrateful of your friendship! Why couldn't I just be happy with being your friend?"

"Hange, stop-!"

"I'm sorry.." Hange's voice cracked once more as their eyes flooded with clear, shining tears, "I'm sorry for everything. For what I did to Levi; for kissing you; for lying to you.."

They tightened the clench on their jaw before turning their shoulder, beginning to march out of the meeting room.

Your heart chipped away more as you extended your arm, reaching for them as they become just out of reach.
"Hange.. please don't go."

They flinched as you whispered.

They turned their head, their eyes locking onto yours as memories of your past began to flood through your mind. When you had first met; the day you graduated as Cadets; your first mission together; all of the endless nights of talking during your years together; you could see each memory through the gloss in their eye like a movie being played out in front of you.

"Please don't go.." You whispered again, scared of being alone.

"You're not alone." Hange murmured as their last tear fell, "You have Levi."

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐧:

𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

- 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐢