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The rays of the early morning sun beat down on the whinnying horses. Jean held the reins of the animals in between his deft fingertips as he stole a quick glance at the captain who was positioned behind him.
“Captain?” the young soldier said, tilting his head to look at the older man, “Where’s Commander Hange?”
Levi clicked his tongue against his teeth impatiently as he leaned on the carriage.
“Who knows,” Levi responded, barely sparing Jean a glance.
Jean nodded in acknowledgement, his lips twitching slightly. Hange had been looking forward to this trip just the previous day prior, and had taken the extra mile in order to make sure that all her arrangements were in order. However, before Jean could even encourage his captain to go find the commander, Levi beat him to it.
“I’ll drag her out of bed,” Levi told Jean simply while pushing himself off of the carriage and into the barracks.
Jean nodded absent-mindedly, watching from the corner of his eye as Levi started walking towards the entrance. Levi opened the door gently, before slamming it shut. Jean flinched at the sudden sound before letting out an anxious sigh.
Despite the scowl on Levi’s face, he was very concerned.
For the first time in a long while, Hange was late for something.
Which was incredibly unlikely. Hange’s excitement the day prior had even prompted Levi to wake up early, so that he could prepare the materials they needed for their trip. She was over the moon in her delight, a wide smile playing on her lips—something that Levi had not seen in a long time.
So where was Hange now?
Levi continued his walk towards her room, the familiar passageways coming into view as he went through the numerous possibilities as to why Hange was late.
The most likely one was that she probably overslept: but Hange had gotten rid of her habits of oversleeping after she had become the commander. It was primarily because a lot of the meetings they had were held in the morning, and Hange had adjusted her sleep schedule to accommodate the numerous people she had to put up with.
The second most likely possibility would be a sudden change of plans, but Hange would never randomly change her plans without informing Levi (or Jean, who had volunteered to handle the carriage) beforehand. Even if Hange wasn’t available to deliver the news herself, she could’ve easily told Armin or Mikasa to inform them of the sudden change.
As Levi turned the final hallway, he was greeted by the sight of Hange’s door sealed shut to the world. He sighed, before trudging over to the door and rapping his knuckles against the door thrice.
An obviously ( comedically, annoyingly, stupidly ) fake cough comes from inside the room. Immediately, Levi’s right eyebrow raises in light curiosity.
“Ahh, Levi!” He heard Hange say in the fakest raspy voice he’s ever had the displeasure of coming across, “Sorry, I’m not really feeling well today.”
He doesn’t believe her. Not in the slightest.
“I’m coming in,” Levi told her.
He heard Hange heave the softest of sighs. “Fine,” she replied, sounding defeated.
Levi shoved the door open, allowing himself entry. Tucked underneath the covers was a figure that greatly resembled his own commander.
He approached the bed swiftly, with footsteps that barely made any sound even though his boots made contact with the wooden floor. Hange heard him anyway, so she wrapped herself tighter around her covers, trying her hardest to disappear from his prying gaze.
“Oi,” he says unceremoniously, lightly jabbing where he thought her shoulder was. “You’re late already. Are you even dressed?”
A fake cough emerged from underneath the covers. “I told you, Levi. I’m not feeling well.”
Levi raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “You do know I can tell you’re faking it, right?”
It’s laughter that comes from the bundled sheets that contained Hange. “It was worth a shot,” she said, giggling.
Levi rolled his eyes before sitting on her bed, poking her figure once again with an accusatory finger. Hange slowly began to stir, and within seconds she was out of the fortress she created underneath the blankets. She was—contrary to what Levi had originally thought—fully-dressed and looked ready to leave, save for her disheveled hair.
“You’re ready,” Levi told her, stating the obvious.
Hange nodded before ducking her head down low and hiding from his gaze.
“Let’s go,” he prodded, but Hange shook her head immediately in response.
“Levi, I . . . I don’t think I’m ready.”
There is no malice in Levi’s tone when he answered, “And why not? Jean woke up early in order to take your lazy ass to your ‘very important destination,’ as you did say so yourself.”
Hange winced, keeping her eyes preoccupied with the palms of her hands. “I just don’t think I can go.”
It was only then that Levi realized what was bothering his commander. She was relentless in the battlefield, every step measured with calculated precision, and possessed an air around her of practiced ease that spoke volumes of her mere experience.
But sitting here, bundled in all her covers with her head down low and her eyes losing the spark they once had—she seemed like a shell of her normal self.
Levi hated it with every fiber of his being, because he knew he wanted to defy the world to make her smile.
He placed a hand over hers then, and she caught his fingers between her own, interlacing the limbs together as warmth slowly flooded from his hands to her cold ones.
“Just go,” Levi said, with as much sincerity as he could muster. “The least they can do is find you annoying, and that’s pretty much normal already.”
His words were rash, and to someone who wasn’t Hange, they would’ve probably thought he was still insulting her. But Hange isn’t anyone else, because Hange can read him like an open book and understand his feelings just by staring at the expressions on his face—no matter how much he tries to school his expressions into neutrality.
Hange raised her head, meeting his gaze with her amber orbs. She flashed him a small, grateful smile. Levi stilled, his heart skipping a beat.
“You’re right,” she stated, a grin spreading across her lips in replace of her smile. There was no fakeness in her joy, and Levi felt relief flood his being. “I think I like being annoying.”
“Pain in the ass,” he said before he could stop himself. Hange laughed, taking his hand and placing his palm on her cheek.
“You love me anyway?”
Levi looked away then, because he’s not one for sappy words or verbal declarations of love. But he squeezed Hange’s cheek lightly and she leaned into his touch, her lips lightly touching his wrist.
“I love you too, Levi!”
A tinge of red began to spread on his cheek, and Hange laughed. “You’re cute like that.”
“Glad to know my embarrassment brings you joy,” Levi said sarcastically, gently removing his hand from Hange’s.
She scooted closer to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. He began to run his fingers through her hair, gently untangling the brown strands.
“Who needs a comb when I have a Levi?” Hange teased, and Levi rolled his eyes. “What would people think when they find out that humanity’s strongest is my personal hair care specialist?”
“That’s because you can’t take care of yourself properly.”
“I take care of myself just fine. You just like taking care of me.”
Levi made a sound of disapproval. Hange let out the softest of giggles, before pushing herself off of him.
“We should go,” she said, slowly reaching for the hair tie on her bedside table. “They’re waiting.”
Jean was already snacking on a cob of corn he had stored away in his pocket when he saw his captain and commander emerge from the barracks. Immediately, he shoves the corn back into the cloth and stands up to salute.
“Stop,” Hange said before he was able to reach his full-height. “You know you don’t need to do that when it’s just us.”
“Sorry,” Jean replied, laughing. “Habits are hard to break.”
“No problem,” the commander told him as she boarded the carriage. “Sorry for taking so long, I was still asleep when Levi dropped by.”
Jean chuckled. “I hope the captain didn’t give you a hard time.”
“Oh, you bet he did,” Hange said in jest.
Levi scoffed as he sat next to her, before straightening his cravat and crossing his arms over his chest. “Let’s just go.”
A light smile played on Jean’s lips as he tugged on the horses’ reins at his captain’s orders. Hange had begun her tirade once again on how excited she was about what was to come. Jean could see Levi looking away from the corner of his eye, but Jean knew better. His captain was the type of person to look and act disinterested, but he was the one who listened to Hange’s tales and tangents the most.
It was a lovely day. The sky was colored a light shade of blue, with just the right amount of white clouds resembling the familiar cotton flowers they had seen so often from outside the walls. The ride was uneventful and silent; save for Hange’s light humming and the clacks of the horses’ hooves on the rocky pavement.
“We’re nearly there, Captain Levi and Hange-san,” he announced the moment he saw their destination. Looking back, he saw Hange grin excitedly and Levi acknowledge his statement with a professional nod.
Jean pulled on the reins, slowly bringing the carriage to the stop. Hange immediately got off the wooden transport, Levi right behind her.
“Thanks Jean!” Hange called, already on the way to the door of the large building.
“No problem!” Jean shouted back, but Hange was already inside. Levi, on the other hand, responded to him with a simple thumbs-up and a wave of his hand. With his signal, Jean whipped the reins against the horses and turned, heading back to barracks.
The task he had just accomplished was not required of his duties as a soldier, but the small effort was worth it because he could see his tired commander finally take a break from the responsibilities that weighed down on her shoulders like some kind of plague. With a sneaky grin on his face, Jean decided to treat himself to bread for his first good deed of the week, hoping that the commander and the captain would also take the time to enjoy themselves for the rest of their day.
The building was newly-renovated, funded by none other than Her Majesty, Queen Historia. Hange toured the place with slight awe, marvelling at the way the light played at the windows and trickled into the room. It illuminated the otherwise dark tapestry, giving the hallways vibrance and life.
“Where do we meet Historia?” she asked Levi immediately, and he shrugged.
“Probably the farm.”
“Ah, right! She wouldn’t be inside, would she?” Hange said. “She’d be out helping out at the stable. Maybe we can stay here for a little while and just wait for her. The building looks amazing.”
Levi raised an eyebrow at Hange’s ramble. “You can’t keep hiding forever.”
“What if they don’t like me?”
The question is sudden, and Levi is immediately taken aback. Hange stared at him for answers, brown eyes boring into him as if he had the answers to all the questions in the universe.
Levi returns the question. “What if they do?”
Hange looks away. “Then they’ll be sorely disappointed.”
“You underestimate the children,” Levi told her matter-of-factly, before taking her hand in his own and dragging her to the door. “Come on.”
She allowed herself to be dragged; Levi’s hands are firm but gentle at the same time, after all. Hange lost her train of thought for the briefest of moments as she focused on his presence, his skin against hers and the way he had comforted her in ways only Levi can.
The warmth of the sun against her face reminds Hange that she is indeed outside. From the distance, she can already see Historia’s taller figure running around with the smaller silhouettes chasing after her. A wave of anxiety rushed throughout her body, and she gripped Levi’s hand tighter. Levi reciprocated the gesture, squeezing her cold hands and running his thumb along the back of her palm.
Hange manages to put a smile on her face. “Let’s go.”
The grass looks lighter against the morning sun. Historia’s golden hair seemed as if it was glowing, and Hange understood why her friends would call the young girl an angel. Historia waves at them enthusiastically the moment she spots the two figures walking towards her, a large grin on her face.
“ Hange-san! Captain!” she called in excitement. The children around her froze in their step, curious as to who the newcomers were.
“Is that them?” a young, chestnut haired girl whispered as she tugged on Historia’s sleeve. “Is that the great Commander Hange Zoë?”
Historia smiled at the young child. “Why don’t you go ask her yourself, Hana?”
As Hana nodded happily, the young boy beside her tilted his head to the side in slight confusion.
“Who’s Hange Zoë?” he asked loudly, raising his eyebrow at Historia and Hana.
Hana looked at him as if he had just personally offended her. “You don’t know who Hange Zoë is?” she said incredulously, covering her mouth in disbelief. “Sander, how could you?”
“Now now,” Historia intervened, chuckling. “Why don’t the two of you meet her yourself? I’m sure she’d be happy to listen to you.”
Hana turned to Historia, mouth set in a determined smile. Before Historia could even return the gesture, Hana had already taken Sander’s hand between her own and shot off to meet the commander and the captain from the distance.
Hange blinked in confusion as she watched two gangly figures amble in their direction. Her grip in Levi’s hand tightened, and he squeezed her hand back in comfort.
The two children are panting when they arrive, so Hange and Levi give them a moment to recuperate before addressing them. However, before they could even speak—
“Hello!” Hana told Hange cheerfully, looking up at the Commander.
Hange felt a small wave of anxiety rush over her body when she caught a glimpse of the young girl’s shining blue eyes. “Hello,” Hange replied, steeling herself into a smile. “I’m Hange,” she said, detaching her hand from Levi’s and crouching down to level herself with the girl’s height. “What’s your name?”
“See, I told you Hange looked cool!” Hana said, wagging a finger at the young boy beside her. She turned to Hange afterwards, beaming. “I’m Hana, and this is Sander.” she announced, raising the boy’s hand as she said his name. “I wanna be just like you when you grow up.”
The words no you don’t, blooms in Hange’s mind, and for a moment she’s taken aback. She stared at the girl in disbelief, unable to find the words to respond. In almost an instant, her hands began to feel cold and her neck to warm as thought after thought began to shove itself in her mind, little by little eating at the confidence that she worked so hard to build.
I’m not even fit to be the comman —
“Stinky?” Levi interjected, automatically interrupting Hange’s negative train of thought. She snapped back to reality, blinking back at the young girl who was now glaring at Levi and not beaming at her.
Hange shot Levi an appreciative look, and he gave her the smallest of nods in response.
Of course Levi would know when to interrupt.
Hana broke the silence immediately, her fierce gaze still directed at the captain. “No, cool! Commander Hange is cool! Unlike you,” the young girl stuck her tongue out at the captain, before focusing her attention to Hange once again. “Commander Hange, Historia said you’re really smart! I wanna be as smart as you, and not a dumdum.”
“I’m sure you already are,” Hange told Hana, laughing. “Do you like books?”
“I love books!” Hana replied, bouncing in joy.
“Hana’s close to finishing the entire library,” Sander told the two adults, nodding in support. “Historia said that Hana might need glasses soon because she reads in the dark.”
“Shhh!” Hana hissed at Sander, embarrassed. “Don’t tell them that!”
“Sorry.”
Hange chuckled at the interaction. “Well, Hana, you can read all the books you want as long as you listen to your Queen Historia. Having glasses is hard, you know?”
Hana hummed. “Even if I’ll be like Commander Hange?”
“Trust me, Hana. I would give anything to be able to see without these glasses,” Hange said, and Levi nodded.
“Okay then!” Hana shouted, raising her hands to the air. “If Commander Hange says that I shouldn’t have glasses, I will work harder so I don’t have to wear them!”
And with those words said, she turned around and started running back to Historia, arms spread like wings. Sander followed soon after.
“Come on, Commander! Angry man!” Hana screamed, looking back at them. “You should meet the rest of my family!”
Hange and Levi shared a brief glance before following the two children.
Historia met them halfway, a light smile playing on her lips. “Sorry about that,” she said, running a hand through her hair sheepishly. “They suddenly ran off and I couldn’t stop them. Guess they were really just excited to meet you both.”
The three of them were headed back to the orphanage, with the two kids following closely behind them. Historia had unfortunately placed herself in a very uncomfortable position by deciding to walk in the middle of Levi and Hange. For the briefest of moments, she felt like their child.
“It’s alright!” Hange replied, patting Historia’s shoulder. “They’re very enthusiastic children.”
“Wait ‘till you meet the rest of the bunch,” Historia told Hange, chuckling. “They’re pretty wild.”
A guard opened the door for them, and Historia gave him a brief “thank you,” while Levi and Hange nodded in his direction.
“The kids are probably finished eating breakfast right now,” Historia said. “Hana and Sander wake up a little earlier because they’re in charge of feeding the horses.”
“How many children are here right now, Historia?”
“About twenty. We’re not allowed to just take in kids from the underground without the proper paperwork.”
“Kids in the underground don’t have paperwork,” Levi interjected gruffly.
Historia nodded. “Exactly.”
Hange hummed. “Alright. I’ll talk to Zackley regarding this. We’ll do something about it. Maybe you can form exceptions for children from the underground.”
Levi looked at Hange gratefully, but the Commander was already deep in thought.
Historia smiled. “That would be great, Hange-san. Please do. I’m sure the children would love the company.”
“Commander Hange!” Hana interrupted, tugging on Hange’s green coat. “Let’s go meet my family. I wanna introduce you to my closest friends!”
They are welcomed by the sight of a bunch of children of different ages, each with their own iconic personalities.
The first child who spoke was a young girl by the name of Dee. She reached up to Hange and asked to be carried. Hange obliged, of course, because how does one say no to a child?
The young children who flitted to Levi were all amazed by stories about his own heroic deeds, and Hange was more than happy to exaggerate tales about the adventures of Levi.
Levi glared at her the whole time, of course, but Hange told the kids that “Levi has to make that face, or else he wouldn’t be able to scare away the monsters!”
They accepted it immediately, cheers coming from the children as they celebrated Levi’s glare.
It was also there that Hange found out a subtle fact: Levi is better with kids than she thought.
He had managed to coax a shy young boy hiding from the corner of the room with a sugar cube he normally kept for his horses. The boy, whose name was Lukas, stared at him in disbelief before taking the sugar cube and flashing a small smile.
Hange felt something tug in her heart as she watched the scene with interest. Levi isn’t smiling, but the young boy is now excitedly hugging his leg already and asking for more sugar cubes.
“You’re cute,” Hange whispered, and Levi scoffed.
“No I’m not,” He responded. “I’m cool,” he said mockingly, rolling his eyes.
“Sure old man, keep telling yourself that,” Hange replied, laughing. “ I’m cool er .”
It was then that the toddler named Charles decided that Hange’s lap was the perfect place for a nap, so he decided to lay his head on her lap and curl into a ball.
Hange smiled, running a hand through the boy’s head and grinning at Levi. “You know, old man,” she said, tilting her head in his direction, “this was fun.”
Levi doesn’t look at her, but he nods as he hands Lukas his fifth sugar cube.