Work Text:
It was by pure accident that Hange found out what the term meant.
It was a cold and snowy morning for the Survey Corps, and she was happily spending it with you, Moblit, Erwin, and Levi at your house. Currently, she was sipping on some really good hot chocolate that had those cute and squishy ‘marshmallows’. She was sharing the really big blanket with Moblit, who was happily sipping on his own mug of hot chocolate.
Erwin was laying diagonally on the other end of the couch, his hair messy for once as his one arm laid on the backrest of the couch whilst the other was draped over you and Levi. You were laying on your back on top of Erwin, your head laying on his chest with Levi laying on his stomach on top of you. His face was pressed into your chest, his hand intertwined with Erwin’s hand that was laying over you.
Erwin let his arm fall off the backrest as he played with your hair.
You were a bit sleepy, but it was the kind that was perfect for cuddles.
Levi was fast asleep on top of you, minus the occasional whine he’d let out whenever he’d feel your hand move off of him.
Christmas music was playing from your tv, and what was currently playing was ‘Mistletoe’ by Justin Bieber. The two-hour-long playlist had been playing for a while now, and you would occasionally hum to the tune that was playing. Your fingers ran through Levi’s hair, your nails scratching his undercut since you knew he loved it.
The adorable little whimpers he let out whenever you found that spot was what kept you going.
“I should be playing in the winter snow
But I’ma be under the mistletoe”
A content smile appears on your lips as Levi snuggles up more into you.
“I should be playing in the winter snow
But I'ma be under the mistletoe”
Hange pauses mid-sip.
She looks at you, about to ask something but then notices that damn you looked comfortable. No. She couldn’t. Bothering you right now as you laid there with the most content smile on your face would be a crime.
So instead of asking, she grabs your phone from the coffee table and goes onto Google.
‘ What does miseltow mean???? ’
Upon reading the first thing that popped up, Hange concluded that mistletoe was a parasitic plant that thrived during the winter, latching onto trees and other plants. Even when the said trees and plants are left bare, the mistletoe stays green and vibrant.
Hange still didn’t get what ‘under the mistletoe‘ meant though.
She scrolled down the page, finding a suggested question.
‘ Why do people kiss under the mistletoe? ’
Hange blinked. That was a thing? She clicked on the question, reading a brief summary which led her to read the whole history of this parasitic plant. Apparently, mistletoes were a symbol of love and/or fertility and life. On one of the websites, it even stated that it was a classic tradition during Christmas.
So with that, Hange came to the conclusion, that the whole concept of being ‘under the mistletoe’ meant that whoever ended up under one, presumably two people, had to kiss.
Because by the law of tradition that’s how it’s supposed to work.
Hange checked the ‘images’ section of the page.
With nothing more than a hum leaving her lips, Hange exited the app and set your phone back down. She leaned back onto the couch, snuggling next to Moblit as the two of them drank their warm, sweet, and oh so silky hot chocolate.
Hange didn’t quite understand the concept of it, but she thought that it was interesting at best.
-
It was when Moblit and Erwin fell asleep that you and Hange got up. Levi whined when you disturbed his little cat nap, but settled back down once you laid him on top of Erwin. The aforementioned could only chuckle in amusement as he wrapped his arms around Levi, who snuggled into Erwin’s chest. Despite the sweaters and sweatpants that you gave them, you still grabbed the extra blanket draped over the backrest of the couch.
Erwin gave you a small, appreciative smile as soon as the two of them were covered by the thick, knitted blanket.
You ruffled Levi’s hair, just for funsies.
You sighed, content as you went to the kitchen to grab something to eat. The playlist had just stopped a few minutes ago, which you thought was very fitting. Though you did end up just clicking on a five-hour loop of bonfire crackling noises just for the effect. Moblit was laying on the couch, a pillow under his head as he was also buried under a very thick blanket.
You stood in front of the counter, using your clean hand to place some frozen cookie dough onto a piece of parchment.
It was really, really cold.
But just like Hange usually did, she stood behind you and wrapped her arms around you.
You smiled, putting your head on Hange’s shoulder so you could kiss her on the cheek. She looks down at you, smiling. You kissed her jawline, giggling. “Hi”, you say.
Hange was going to sob.
Who gave you the right to be this cute?
Seriously.
Nobody on this planet should be this charming and irresistible.
Hange wanted to just-
Kiss you.
She just wanted to kiss you.
And so she did, doing no more than just angling her face so your lips met in a soft kiss. Hange smiled into the kiss, her arms tightening their hold around your waist. You pulled away, licking your lips whilst also licking Hange’s.
Hange couldn’t help but find herself amused at the way you had an effect on her.
A simple gesture like the one you just did, licking two lips in one swift motion. Goddammit. Hange was not going to even start. Her hands took a firm hold around your waist, but before she could turn you around, you held your arms up dramatically.
“Salmonella”, you say, walking to the kitchen sink.
Hange snorts, deciding to help you by preheating the oven.
“350 degrees?”, she asks for confirmation. You hum in response, grabbing the kitchen towel as you wiped the water droplets off. Hange took your kitchen timer and set a 15-minute timer.
You went to the fridge, grabbing the bottle of milk that you used earlier when you made the hot chocolate.
Hange went behind you, twisting your body around as she grinned at you. You laughed, wrapping your arms around her shoulders, the bottle of milk dangling behind her. Just as Hange was about to speak, your eyes went up and you laughed.
Hange looked up, curious.
“We’re under a mistletoe”, you chuckled. Hange blinks, looking down at you.
“I thought that mistletoe grew on trees and plants?”, she asks, confused.
You laughed, pleasantly surprised. “How do you know about that?”, you ask, smiling as you felt Hange’s arms rest on the lower curve of your back. Hange shrugged, looking down at her favorite person.
“I found out about a thing or two”, Hange says, pulling you closer as she pushed you against the fridge innocently.
You laughed. “That’s a fake one. It’s for decoration, just like everything else”, you refer to the multiple Christmas decorations around the house. Garlands adorned your staircase, decorations covering pretty much everything. Down to the red and green blankets.
Hange hummed in revelation. “I see”, she says, fascinated.
“In that case…”, she looks back down at you. All amusement left your body when Hange’s face leaned in. “Shall we?”, she asks as one of her hands held your chin up with gentle care. You smiled bashfully, looking off to the side.
“I mean… we are under a mistletoe. So we can’t really break tradition”, you say, looking back up to meet Hange’s gaze.
She chuckles, pulling your lower back towards her as your lips meet.
“ Mmm ”, you let out when you felt yourself go pliant in Hange’s hold.
Hange pulls away just a bit. “You must have a blast when you remember just how much you affect me”, Hange chuckles. You leaned up to give her another kiss. “It’s quite entertaining. But could you blame me?”, you ask, smiling menacingly.
Hange kisses your forehead. “I suppose not”
You laughed, unwrapping your arms from Hange as you went to the kitchen counter. There were ten minutes left on the timer, so you opted to just make the hot chocolate as soon as you put the cookies in the oven.
Hange stood still, blinking.
“Oh”, she whispered.
I get it now.
-
Everyone that day felt a collective shiver, despite the fact that everyone was bundled up in their own blankets and sweaters.
-
The first time it happened was the morning after.
Of course, the fact that Hange was cackling at six in the morning was already a telltale sign that something was happening. You got up from the couch, careful not to startle Moblit who was fast asleep. You found Levi glaring at Hange from where he stood next to the fridge.
Erwin was standing next to him. Too close, in fact. Hange was standing next to them, laughing her head off as Levi glared at her whilst Erwin looked at Levi in amusement.
“Is being stuck under here with me really that bad?”, he asked.
Levi wanted to die.
“Good morning to you too”, you spoke groggily. Hange stopped laughing as she went over. She quickly presses a kiss on the top of your head. “G’morning angel”, she smiles, looking back at Erwin and Levi as she crossed her arms.
“They don’t believe me”, Hange pouts.
You raise an eyebrow. “Believe what?”, you ask. Erwin points above him.
You look up, your mouth forming an ‘o’ shape as you finally understood. You look at Erwin and Levi once more, a shit-eating grin slowly appearing on your face.
“You have to kiss y’know?”
Hange jumps in excitement. “See?!”, she cackled once more.
“It’s tradition. You cannot break it”, you say pointedly. Levi gives you an agitated expression.
Erwin chuckles, scratching his messy bed of hair. “Well-”
“No”, Levi says.
“It’s tradition”, Erwin repeats.
“A tradition that I do not practice”, Levi argues.
Erwin chuckles yet again, just opting for giving a kiss on Levi’s head. His hand reaches for Levi’s nape, where his fingers took a hold of his neck firmly. Levi basically went pliant, letting Erwin move him as he felt the blond’s lips press against his head.
You and Hange watched in amusement.
But before Erwin could walk off, Levi forcefully grabs his wrist and pulls him back next to him.
“Levi?-”, a hand on his nape pulls Erwin down as his lips pressed against Levi’s.
The squeal that left both of you and Hange unfortunately woke up Moblit.
That and it was maybe heard by the Scouts who were on patrol.
Maybe.
-
Today was the day when you promised to cook dinner for the Survey Corps.
Besides the fact that potato soup was disgusting, they rarely ever had meat. So, since it was the time and season for Christmas, you happily volunteered to cook tonight’s dinner. The task in itself wasn’t tiring at all, especially when you had four other chefs to assist you.
By the time you were done and food was served, you sat down with Erwin, Hange, Moblit, Levi, and the other squadron leaders as everyone began eating.
It felt really cozy.
With everyone bundled up in jackets and scarves, plus the fires just crackling at the fireplace.
But then, like most things in this world, things went chaotic not even twenty minutes into dinner.
“What’s that?”, you heard one of the Scouts say as you turned around to find them pointing at something on the ceiling.
You look up curiously, nearly choking on your food when you recognized what it was.
There, in the middle of the ceiling, was a fucking mistletoe.
A fake one too.
Things finally clicked as you looked at Hange. But once you turned to face her, she was no longer in her seat. You blinked, looking at Moblit who was also seated next to the empty spot. He smiles awkwardly, gesturing with his elbow to the spot behind you.
“It’s a mistletoe!”, Hange says, acting surprised.
Everyone blinked, confused, besides you, Levi, and Erwin, who just slowly succumbed to the chaos all three of you knew would be happening for the next few days.
“I have learned recently, that there is a tradition where, if two people end up under a mistletoe, they must fulfill the act of giving each other a kiss”, Hange says, tone completely serious. Everyone gaped at her words, unsure if she was serious or not.
“So! With that said…”, Hange looks up at the ceiling.
And looks down at the two unfortunate souls who found themselves under it.
Having realized the concept of the mistletoe, everyone found themselves doing the same, and looked at the two people standing under it. A pair of wide eyes stared at Hange with the most annoyance and embarrassment.
“Absolutely not”
“I’m not doing this”
“Not with him”
“I’m going to hurl myself into a titan's mouth”
The Survey Corps all collectively laughed as Eren and Jean stood frozen under the mistletoe.
“Somebody please help me”, Jean says, dramatically making eye contact with his group. Sasha and Connie just looked away, pretending to not know him. Eren looks at Armin and Mikasa.
“It’s tradition”, is all he gets from Armin.
Eren looks at Mikasa.
“You heard Section Commander”, Mikasa says simply.
The entirety of the Survey Corps just burst out laughing as Jean and Eren stood there, denying their fates. You chuckled to yourself, getting up and standing next to Hange.
“Oh, and if you don’t, you’ll be cursed with bad luck”, you add, sipping on your water. Hange’s breath hitches from next to you, and you suppressed the urge to smile at seeing her trying to hide her laughter.
Everyone gasps.
“You’ll get bad luck if you don’t do it Eren! You have to now!”, Armin says, acting all frantic despite you being able to see through his facade.
The little shit , you chuckled to yourself.
“It doesn’t have to be on the lips by the way. But a kiss on the lips ensures that the good luck will come by instead of the bad luck”, you say, smiling innocently. Hange nods from right next to you.
“Damn you Y/N”, Eren curses beneath his breath. Jean didn’t like that he swore towards you, but right now he might have to agree. He sighs, exasperated. Their best bet was to get this over with.
“Oi”, he calls.
“Hah?“, Eren responds.
Everyone went silent when Jean grabbed Eren by his nape. You and Hange shared the same expression , glancing at each other frantically as you watched the scene unfold. Eren’s whole body went stiff.
Like, stiff.
“Are you fine with this?”, Jean asks, still bewildered that he was actually pulling through with this.
“Are you? ”, Eren exasperates in disbelief.
Jean clicks his tongue, annoyed. “I don’t have much of a choice right now”, he admits.
…Though the thought of kissing this suicidal maniac was a bit…
He snaps out of his thoughts real quick.
“I swear on all the the fucking Walls-”, Eren curses as he grabs Jean by his collar and pulls him down, their lips pressing against each other.
You and Hange screamed.
The rest of the Scouts followed suit.
-
When asked about how it was, Eren simply cursed, saying that it was the worst moment of his life.
Spoiler alert: It wasn’t.
-
And when Sasha and Connie asked Jean if he enjoyed it or not, he simply…
Looked away.
-
Thanks to that little incident, everyone suddenly became wary of every ceiling they stood under.
Which, was pretty fucking hilarious in your opinion.
Because Hange failed to mention, that mistletoes grew on trees and plants too.
So when you found yourself training with some of the Scouts in the training forest, you couldn’t help but cackle when you heard someone say:
“Freeze! You two!”
You stopped mid-air, looking for the source of the voice plus the cackling that followed it.
You eventually found who it was, and you couldn’t help but nearly fall to the ground as you saw who the two people were. You made your way up the trees, finding Connie along with some of the other Scouts looking at the two people who were caught under the mistletoe.
“Miss Y/N”, one of the Scouts call out when they noticed you.
Connie turns to face you. “You wouldn’t believe who it was”
You raise an amused eyebrow, looking at where Connie suddenly pointed.
You fell off the branch, cackling.
Everyone screamed but was quickly calmed down when you launched yourself back up. “Sorry, sorry”, you laughed, wiping the tears off your face as you looked down at Mikasa and Sasha.
“You know the drill”, you smile, crouching down as you smiled menacingly at them.
Mikasa blinked, unbothered. Sasha looked confused.
Jean suddenly appeared next to you. “C’mon Sasha! It’s tradition! Plus, you don’t want to get bad luck do you?!”, Jean shouts, completely amused that Sasha finally got to experience it. Connie laughed with him, not even bothering to help Sasha.
Mikasa blinks, wanting to get this over with.
So she turns to Sasha, and plants a kiss to the corner of her lips.
Connie and Jean stopped laughing as they screamed and went to catch Sasha who went limp and fell off the branch where she was previously standing.
-
Sasha was fine.
Physically? Well, that was up for debate. She may have hit a few branches on her way down when she fell. Mentally? She was unresponsive for a good hour for the rest of the training.
-
Mikasa, well, she seemed to think nothing of it.
But as she walked away, you didn’t fail to notice the subtle red dusting her cheeks.
-
You and Erwin were discussing the recent performance of the newer recruits.
You were bundled up in coats and sweaters, due to the cold weather. Not just that, but it was already snowing. Your face was buried in a scarf as you walked around the Survey Corps’ grounds. That was when you passed by Erwin, who was also bundled up in warm clothes.
“Y/N”, he says, smiling.
You smiled up at him, and that’s when you noticed the stack of papers he was holding.
And that was how you ended up discussing the recruits’ performance under a tree, because it sheltered you two from the snow. That, and because there was a bench conveniently placed under it.
“He’s been slacking off in training”, you noted, pointing at the profile of one of the recruits. Erwin hums, putting the document under the stack as the two of you continued to read through the reports.
“Aren’t you two having fun”
“We’ve been looking for you!”, Hange exclaims, jogging up to you with Levi trailing behind her.
Before she freezes.
You and Erwin could feel the drop in temperature, so you slowly looked at Hange.
“There’s a mistletoe above our heads, isn’t there?”
Hange nods excitedly.
Levi blinks as he stood next to Hange, just the slightest bit amused.
Erwin chuckles, and so do you.
The two of you turn to face each other, smiling before your lips pressed together as Erwin leaned down. You cup his nape with your hand, deepening the kiss. You could hear Hange’s faint ‘hehehehe-ing’ in the background, but you were slowly getting too lost in the feeling of Erwin’s lips and tongue just ravishing you back.
God damn he was a great kisser.
It didn’t help that Erwin placed his hand on your thigh, gripping it gently as his fingertips inched up your thigh.
“Oi oi oi”, Levi interrupts.
“The tradition is to kiss not to have sex!”, Hange exclaims.
You and Erwin couldn’t help but chuckle, breaking the kiss as you pulled away.
“Well shit, we might have to change the tradition now”, you say, putting your hands on your waist with the most sass you could muster. Hange bursts out cackling, whereas Erwin just laughs.
Levi walks up to the two of you.
Then yanks Erwin off the bench.
And then, like he just didn’t yeet the Commander of the Scouts off the bench, just plops down onto where Erwin previously sat. Erwin stood next to Hange, blinking. How the fu-
But before any of the three of you could ask, Levi just simply points at his own lips.
“Kiss”
You blinked, staring at him.
But Levi just stared back, waiting.
Which led to you just laughing, shaking your head as you leaned down to press your lips onto his lips. You could feel him go lax under you, his breath softly ghosting your face as he relaxed. You smiled into the kiss, amused at the way Levi just let his more clingy side out.
Levi lets a faint whimper slip past his lips when he felt your tongue lap over his bottom lip.
Your hand placed itself on his waist.
Words couldn’t describe just how much you thanked the hellforsaken parasitic plant above your heads.
-
It was the week before Christmas.
It was getting busy at the Survey Corps, and by busy, it meant setting up the Christmas decorations.
Everyone found themselves being completely infatuated with the winter-time traditions. Decorating pine trees was a Scout Regiment favorite, and it arrived at the point where pretty much every tree you would pass by would be covered in colorful cloths and handmade ornaments.
And,
Okay, you’ll be honest, some of them looked bad.
But it was the intentions that mattered! Watching the Scouts be genuinely happy for once was definitely a sight that you were going to prolong as much as you possibly could.
So here you were, helping the Scouts decorate the main hall of the Survey Corps.
Christmas music was playing from the Bluetooth speaker you brought, only bringing even more joy and energy to the usually shallow and quiet halls of the Scout Regiment.
“A little bit more to the right!”, you shout, guiding the two Scouts who were hanging from the walls using their ODM gear to hang up the garlands and other decorations. You watched as they repositioned the decorations, and you smiled once it was perfectly in place.
“Great job!”, you shout, turning back around to busy yourself with the other two Scouts who were waiting for your assistance. But before you could even look back at them, a garland was swinging its way down towards you.
“Oh shi-”, you made a position to dodge the heavy and huge piece of garland, which-
Was an actual garland meaning if it smacked you in the face it would hurt like a bitch.
But before you could, a hand stops the heavy decoration as a body suddenly positioned itself in front of you.
“I’m sorry Y/N!”, the Scout who dropped it shouted.
The person who saved your face from a bad bruise sighed.
“Here”, he hands the garland to one of the Scouts who was standing by.
“Thanks, Moblit”, you smiled, putting your hands on your hips.
But before you could say anything else, the whole group of Scouts that were helping you decorate the main hall of the Scout Regiment went silent. You blinked, looking at Moblit who seemed to know what was happening.
The Scout who was now holding the end of the garland, sucked their lips in, their hand slowly pointing at the garland piece that was dangling over your head.
You didn’t need to look up to know what it was.
Moblit stood there, completely frozen as he looked at everywhere and anywhere except at you. You chuckled, looking up to confirm that, there was, in fact, a mistletoe.
Yep.
There it was.
Dangling off the garland like the little shit it was. You clicked your tongue, looking up at Moblit.
“So”
He coughs, looking down at the floor. “So?”, he asks.
You finally laughed, finding his embarrassment way too adorable.
“We have to, you know?”
He finally looks at you. “I don’t want you to force yourself”, he admits, looking off to the side once more.
Everyone waited, and you could only get more and more amused.
“But I want to though”, you say simply, to which Moblit chokes on his own breath. You laughed, doubling over as you clutched your stomach. The man just stood there, wishing to be swallowed by the ground.
“U-Unless”, you coughed, clearing your throat. “Unless you don’t to then I won’t force you”
.
.
.
“Please”, he mumbles, shyly looking at you.
You smiled.
You happily went closer, going on the tips of your toes as you pressed a chaste kiss to his lips.
Ooh soft.
The screams and wolf-whistles that were in the main hall were heard all the way to the outside, where the other Scouts were invited inside from pure curiosity.
And much to Moblit’s dismay, it just had to be Hange’s squad who saw him kissing you.
But your lips just.
Felt fucking amazing.
So maybe this little pinch of publicity didn’t really bother him.
-
Armin was having a blast.
He had always been fascinated by the concept of finding out what other traditions were like.
Christmas was definitely a favorite now.
Just-
Everything about it was so fun . The decorations, the music, the traditions, the food, the cold. Usually, a lot of the Scouts dreaded the cold, but now, it’s like everyone wanted it to stay. The presents too! The whole concept of giving each other gifts was so fascinating and just fun to him.
Even if he had to pull Sasha aside to tell her that wrapping up baked potatoes was not a good idea, it was still fun!
That was until Sasha and Connie cackled at his face as he stood frozen under a tree.
“Whoever stands next to you suffers the same fate”, Sasha says in between cackles.
And then Eren arrived since he failed to realize why Sasha and Connie were laughing at Armin who was standing under a tree. And like the not-so-bright person he was, he decided to stand exactly next to Armin exactly under the mistletoe.
Which was when he realized his fate too late.
“I’m so sorry”, Eren mumbles, covering his face in misery.
“It’s fine, Eren”, Armin mumbles back, covering his eyes with his hand as he sighed.
“The faster you kiss the faster you’ll be able to leave and forget this ever happened!”
The four friends stopped, turning around only to find you and Hange by the corner of the grounds.
“Just saying”, you hold both hands up, smiling innocently as you and Hange slowly walked off, walking backward as you saw the deadpanned expression on Eren’s face plus the flustered expression on Armin’s face.
“Fucking- dammit ”, Eren sighs as he puts his hand around Armin’s waist, pulling him close as he pressed an agape kiss on Armin’s parted ones. Armin feels his cheeks heat up when his lips pressed together against Eren’s surprisingly soft ones.
The faint gasp and whimper that accidentally left his lips were what made Eren finally pull away, cheeks red as he glared at Sasha and Connie.
“ I will bring you to your demise ”, he says, voice and tone completely not his own.
Sasha and Connie gulped. Scary, they thought.
Armin gulped as well. Attractive, he thought, biting his lower lip secretly.
-
You and Hange laughed as you sat down on the top of the Walls.
“That was like, twelfth time this week?”, you recounted.
Hange chuckled. “Yep. Eighteen times if you include the ones from last week”, she muses, to which you laugh.
You chuckled, scooting closer to Hange as you laid your head on her shoulders.
Silence.
Nothing but the Christmas music was playing now, and it was still very much faint. The chatter of the Scouts as they passed by could still be heard, and something about it just felt calming.
The sudden gust of cold wind made Hange pull you closer, her hand suddenly placing itself on your waist.
You smiled, scooting closer to her.
“That was fun”
You perk up.
“Hm?”
You look up at Hange, who’s looking at your house from the distance. Christmas lights brought the whole place to life. Hange couldn’t describe it, but for the first time since… never,
It finally felt like she was alive.
Hange smiled.
“Setting up all of those mistletoes!”
You blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
Heck, you just kept blinking, trying to comprehend if what you heard was correct.
“You-”, you cut yourself off, blinking rapidly yet again.
Oh my fucking Go-
“You set up…”, you made a rotating hand gesture. “All of those mistletoes?”, you ask, the genuine surprise and disbelief clear in your face and in your tone. Hange nods, kind of like a satisfied puppy.
“Mhm! Things turned out quite well don’t you think?”
Your mouth stayed agape.
No way.
There was no way-
“I’m doing the gods’ work, I know”, Hange smiles smugly. You sat there, your brain processing yet un-processing the information over and over. What the fuck. Hange didn’t seem to have anything else to say about it, so you slowly just dropped the subject.
“I also placed the one above our heads right now”
You perked up, looking above you to find.
How the fuck.
Was the mistletoe floating?!
But then you saw the string it was hanging off of, and it didn’t take a while for you to find the poles where they were tied to. All that left your lips was a breathy chuckle.
“You’re unbelievable”, you sigh, smiling as Hange laughed.
The two of you turned to each other.
“Merry Christmas angel”
You smiled, leaning in. “Merry Christmas Hange”
Hange places her hand around your waist, and you placed your hand on Hange’s cheek. Fondness glazed over both of your eyes as the two of you smiled at each other.
Then your lips pressed together.
Just like all of the other kisses in the last two weeks,
It was under the mistletoe, and you knew that it was just the right amount of perfect.