Chapter Text
Greece
3 months before the wedding
It was a quiet night on the Greek island of Kalokairi. All of the residents were sound asleep except for one: Sasha Zoe.
Sasha was rowing her boat towards the nearby island of Skiathos with a mission. She felt many emotions go through her as she got closer to the island.
She felt excited and very nervous at the same time. Sasha began to hum a song her mom sang to her as a child to help calm herself down.
She finally makes it to the port and docks her boat before locating the mailbox. Sasha quietly hums to herself again as she makes her way to the yellow mailbox. The mailbox is the key to the answer to her ongoing question.
She takes a deep breath when she reaches the mailbox, gives herself a short pep talk, opens it, and looks over the letters one last time.
“Mike Zacharias” drop
“Erwin Smith” drop
“Levi Ackerman” drop
Sasha closes the mailbox and makes her way back to the dock and leaves Skiathos before anyone on the Kalokairi notices her absence. She sends a quick prayer for each letter to make it to its respectful destination on time and heads back to Kalokairi.
Together with their families
Sasha Zoe & Niccolo Bottura
Invite you to share in their happiness as they join hands in marriage
7:00 in the evening | July 28 20XX
Agios Ioannis Kastri
Kalokairi, 370 03
Greece
Dinner and dancing to follow
Timeskip
Frankfurt, Germany
3 days before the wedding
Levi Ackerman rushed out of Cafe Kuchel when his shift ended and put his best employee, Eld, in charge while he was away. He met his butler/personal driver, Gunther, standing outside of his car before hastily throwing his things to the car and heading to Frankfurt Airport for his flight.
Now Levi is typically a well kept and organized guy, but now was not the time to think about his appearance when his mind is full of Hange Zoe.
Yes, Hange Zoe. The woman he consciously met when Levi booked a random flight to Greece to escape responsibilities back home. It was a bit selfish of him to do, but Levi was tired of everyone constantly breathing down his neck when he wanted some peace.
He knew of Kalokairi thanks to his cousin, Furlan, who took his wife, Isabel, there on vacation a few years ago.
Levi met Hange while he was in Skiathos. She introduced herself first and Levi only gave her his first name. He didn’t want to reveal his last name to her yet. Hange told Levi how she wanted to go to Kalokairi because her cousin often visited the island. Levi. not wanting to give too much away, told Hange how he was on vacation to have some peace.
Hange suggested they explore the island together. Levi was surprised that she practically invited a total stranger to hang out with her.
‘Her vision must be really shitty’ he thought but agreed after seeing the cute look on her face.
They both got to know more about each other on the ferry, and they clicked really well. Hange would go on and on about her dreams, and Levi was there to listen.
Levi didn't show it, but he was interested in hearing Hange talk. He could listen to her for hours.
It was then when Levi knew he didn’t regret saying yes to her offer. He decided to take her to a few spots Furlan mentioned. One spot was a private beach on the island Furlan and Isabel accidentally found one day.
Hange and Levi spent 12 days together exploring the island and getting to know more about each other. Soon enough they both started to fall in love with one another.
Levi cannot forget the special night he spent with Hange. To him, it felt like a dream, and he never wanted to wake up.
Of course, he had no choice but to when he saw Hange’s heartbroken face that day. Levi was ready to beg on his knees and ask for her forgiveness, but Hange practically kicked him out of the island. She threw his stuff out of her house and yelled about how she never wanted to see him again before slamming the door on his face. Hange left him no choice but to return home with his broken heart.
As Levi looked out the window, he couldn’t stop thinking about the letter and why it took Hange so many years to finally reach out. Did she forgive him? Is she planning on humiliating him when they meet again? He felt like he deserved it anyway.
Levi started thinking about the mysterious Sasha Zoe. It’s obvious she is Hange’s kid, but who is the father? More importantly, where is he, so he can beat him up.
Gunther glanced up at the rearview mirror to find Levi glaring at everything passing by. What he didn’t see was Levi's determination to get his answer from Hange one way or another. First, he needs Gunther to drive faster.
“Speed up,” Levi says before going back to thinking about Hange again.
His mom once told him to live his life with no regrets. The thing is, Levi only has one regret, and it was letting Hange Zoe walk out of his life that day.
New York City (NYC), USA
2 before the wedding
Erwin Smith held his suitcase in hand as he navigated his way through the JFK airport to get to his flight to Skiathos in Greece. He thought about Hange as he made it to the gate and sat down. They met when he visited Kalokairi after the suggestion made by his colleague, Dot Pixis. Apparently, Pixis bought him a 5-day pass to Kalokairi so Erwin can take a vacation from college and go to Greece.
Erwin had a feeling Pixis had an unsaid plan for him to see the beautiful women there.
Erwin quietly laughed to himself at the thought. Pixis wasn’t technically wrong when he said there were beautiful women in Kalokairi. It was where he met Hange while on his vacation. Erwin reminisces on how lost he was on the island and knew no Greek at all. It was then when Hange approached him with her yellow crop top and forest green palazzo pants. She asked if he was lost and offered to be his guide and translator.
Soon enough, Erwin fell in love with her free-spirited personality and how her smile can attract anyone to look at her. He even got to spend the night with her on the fourth day.
Sadly, all good things had to go to an end, and Erwin had to return back to NYC. Erwin would never forget how devastated Hange looked when he announced his departure. He gives Hange his great grandfather’s emerald bolo tie on his last day in Kalokairi.
“Take this, Hange. I kept this bolo tie with me for luck. I hope this gives you luck and you can look at it to remember me.” Erwin kissed Hange one last time before heading to the ferry.
It wasn’t until he spent one whole day in his penthouse in NYC that Erwin realized he needed to see Hange again.
Erwin booked tickets to Skiathos that morning and was back on Skiathos the next morning. Erwin makes it to the port to find Hange on the island too. However, she was on a yacht with another guy and didn’t notice Erwin at all. He noticed her hug him, kiss his cheek, and give the mystery guy the same smile she used with him. It broke Erwin's heart and he thought she already forgot about him.
(Little did he know that Hange kept the bolo tie in the pocket of the dress she was wearing for luck)
Erwin thought he was lucky when she didn’t notice him. She didn't have to see his broken heart as he left the port to go back to NYC.
Erwin sometimes wondered what would have happened had he left for Greece earlier. He was shocked when received the letter after so many years. The biggest mystery was being invited to a wedding, especially when he didn't personally know the bride.
He had a feeling the bride was Hange’s daughter. The unanswered question was who is Sasha’s father? Was it the mystery guy he saw Hange with or another man?
Erwin sighed at the thought as he made his way through the gates and into the plane. He knows he may not get Hange’s heart again, but he hopes to at least see Hange’s smile one more time.
Gothenburg, Sweden
2 days before the wedding
Mike Zacharias was texting his friend Gelgar before his flight to Skiathos. He planned on visiting his grandmother’s grave in Kalokairi after the mystery wedding he was invited to.
He found it strange that Hange invited him to a wedding when he doesn’t know the couple getting married. However, Mike noticed how Sasha had the same last name as Hange, so he decided to attend to investigate.
“I hope Hange has the answer.” Mike thought to himself
Mike started to reminisce about Hange and how close she was to his grandma. It was almost 21 years ago when he visited his Kalokairi, and he remembered how his grandma couldn’t stop talking about a woman named Hange every time he called her. Mike decided to search for her the next time he visited Kalokairi.
Mike was at Skiathos heading to his yacht while also thinking about Hange. He was too caught up thinking about her that he accidentally bumped into a woman and caused her to fall and drop a few things from the impact. He picked her up from the ground while the other women that were with her picked up the items she dropped.
Mike apologized and introduced himself after they cleaned up their mess. Hange introduced herself and her friends Nanaba and Rico.
“You're the one helping Alexandra Zacharias, right?” Mike asked
“That’s me!” Hange replied happily “You must be her grandson Mike. Mrs. Sasha talks about you often!”
Mike realized that his grandmother must trust Hange a lot to reveal her nickname from when she lived in Russia. If his grandma can trust Hange, then he should too.
“Let me help you carry everything to my yacht, and bring you back to Kalokairi as an apology for earlier” Mike insisted
“That’s perfect!” the three girls exclaim happily before following Mike to his yacht.
(Mike also noted how Hange smelled like white musk and vanilla. Nanaba had a fruity smell, and Rico had a woody smell).
Mike couldn’t forget Hange's smile before she hugged him and kissed his cheek after they left the port.
Once they reached Kalokairi, Mike accompanied the girls to his grandma’s villa to help drop off her stuff. They ate dinner at the villa and the girls listened to his grandma tell embarrassing stories of Mike as a child.
After dinner, Mike took the girls to a bar he used to frequent after giving his grandma’s caretaker instructions while they were out. The group spent most of the night at the bar while getting to know more about each other, sharing stories, and having fun.
At the end of the night, Mike walked the girls back to Hange’s house as they were exhausted for the day. Hange, who didn't look tired, didn't want to sleep just yet, so Mike invited Hange to his yacht to explore more of Kalokairi. They learned more about each other like why Hange was in Kalokairi and how she met his grandma. He also learned about her dreams of visiting other countries and discovering new flora and fauna. In turn, Mike told her about how his parents would visit the island every year for vacation, and his own stories about visiting other countries.
“Just do it.” Hange had told him “You look like a guy who would be free rather than staying indoors.”
Hange’s words had deeply moved Mike, and he started to fall for her.
Hange and Mike took nightly yacht trips for 6 days and spent the night together on the final day before Mike had to go back to Gothenburg
Mike remembers seeing Hange cry before he left. He didn’t want to leave, but his parents needed him back in Sweden.
Mike hugged his grandma one last time (little did he know that she would pass away a few months later) and kissed Hange’s forehead before wishing her farewell.
Mike visited Kalokairi once after his grandma died. He never saw Hange during the trip and didn't ask because everyone was busy grieving.
Mike was sitting in his home in Sweden when he remembered his grandmother’s last words to him.
“Go out and explore the world, Mike. Write about your adventures and share them with everyone.” He also remembered Hange’s words the day they met and decided to become an adventurer/author.
Mike smiled to himself after remembering how he wouldn’t be where he is today without Hange. He only hopes that she has an explanation for the mysterious letter he got a few months ago.
Mike knew Sasha was Hange’s daughter the moment he saw her name. He thought it was sweet of Hange to name her after his late grandmother (he assumed she did). Although he may not be Hange’s husband, Mike wanted to at least meet Sasha.
‘She might have a similar personality to grandma’ Mike thought before he heard the announcement to start boarding.
‘First’ Mike thought as he stood up and grabbed his things to board 'I should thank Hange for everything’