Also, The People Saying That She Isn't Attractive Enough, Like, That's A Whole CHILD!!?! (both The Actress

also, the people saying that she isn't attractive enough, like, that's a whole CHILD!!?! (both the actress and the character). why would you worry about the atractiveness of a kid and even go as far as attacking her??!!? (wich is beyond upsetting bc thalia is the sweetest girl ever istg) what the actual fuck

feeling so very icky going on tiktok and seeing hate for mai’s casting and people focusing on how a child looks :((( makes me genuinely upset like that is a child !!! so sorry a child doesn’t look like a drawing idk

once a mai defender always a mai defender

I am so so so so so TIRED to see people fatshaming two perfectly healthy girls because they have round faces. It’s disgusting.

The actresses of Mai and Azula are on point for their roles. Hell, if they were chosen there must be a reason, it’s not like there’s no Asian actresses out there they could choose from.

People can’t accept that Azula can have a characterization beyond “crazy and sadist sicko”. She’s a perfectionist. She’s an asset to her father. She’s jealous of Zuko’s birthright and of how it might take what she has away. Those are things that OG Azula too had. The only difference is that we actually see it in season one and have a background on her, rather than writing it in a rant. And what has been added only makes her a more complex character, given the change in the family dynamic as well.

And Mai? The actress is talented, she delivers a good Mai, and does justice to the character. She’s 17 and at the beginning of her career, of course it won’t be perfect. She gets to grow. Thing is, you guys won’t let her, because a square jaw scares you so flipping bad that you feel the need to shame her for it.

Everyone is a body positivity advocate until a girl with a rounder face shape is cast as a character in a live action you are NOT forced to watch? Seriously?

I’ve seen so many people on the internet calling them all sort of names, fatshaming them, insulting their work without even focusing on the acting. And I’m like, what’s to fatshame there? Let me tell you: nothing.

If I have to put it through your thick head like this, so be it. Even though I hate talking about and comparing bodies.

This below is a picture of Azula’s actress.

She has the face card, she has the jawline, and she has a fit, enviable body. And you still have the audacity to “fat-shame” her?

These two pictures are in costume. Again, face card and an enviable body. She even has the expression for Azula. You see a girl with a rounder shape of face and will automatically go “no she’s too cute to be Azula!!” Dude. No. When she will actually deliver as the crazy girl we know, she will devour. She will, and you all will switch back because that’s what you are, slimy switchers.

And now, onto Mai’s actress, a very beautiful girl with talent and looks. She is literally so pretty, and you dare hate on her? You dare shame her for how she looks? From what I’ve heard she’s a minor, too, so this makes you 100000% more slimy and undeserving of any sympathy in my book.

This is her, this is the girl.

She’s literally so pretty. Maybe she hasn’t got the same facial structure of Mai, but she delivered all her lines she had in the little screen time and with the discutibile scenes she was given. She was good. But you see a square jaw, a rounder shape of face, and are immediately triggered.

And you can’t even use the stupid argument of “she’s fat”, because this is literally her.

A very normal, very healthy young woman. Not as skinny as OG Mai? So what? She’s still a fricking thin girl. Nowhere as “fat” as you haters make her to be.

I shouldn’t have to explain common sense and basic decency to grown adults, and yet here we are.

This is honestly so frustrating. In the year of 2024 you can’t possibly justify insulting girls like this, with no shame. It’s absolutely idiotic and shows very a big lack of brain cells. I see you, haters, behind your device, with your insecurities and shame for yourself, laughing at two girls who made it farther than you ever will. You can critique the acting once you’ve seen it in full potential. Until then, shut your tramp up. This is very small dick energy of you.

I don’t see why I should treat you with kindness when you are so eager to make this kind of jokes about pretty and in shape girls you are very obviously jealous of. Go touch some grass, incels.

...what in the whitewashing is this?

Maybe... I need a fic about this 👉🏽👈🏽

Omfg😭imagine Levi just tryna pass his report to the commander at night but found Hange in this state instead😳

i don't know if he'd be saddened or aroused....... but i'm both

Ok so, THIS is what I call a ✨Perfect timing✨, and a beautiful writing as always, of course

the devil you know

Сharacters: Hange Zoe, Levi, Moblit Berner, Zeke Yeagar, Armin Arlert

Genres: Action / Drama

Summary: Can you still miss a person, if everything you knew about them was a lie?

Сhapter 8/?

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Сhapter 6

Chapter 7

Levi thought he was ready. He thought he was prepared, from the moment he had set his eyes on that son of a bitch, he was expecting Zeke to betray him and their rocky alliance.

It wasn’t just his gut, his hatred that turned him so suspicious, there were signs of something crooked going on too, lots of them. Levi saw the growing tension in everything: in the tight press of Zeke’s lips, in his eyes that were hidden not only behind the lens of his glasses but behind a worn-out book too, in the absence of his jabs, in every carefully chosen word, in every glance, move and breath.

The monkey was planning something, and Levi naively reasoned that whatever the bastard was going to do, he’d be ready.

But when he heard that ear-shuttering scream, when he saw the bright flashes of explosions that lighted up the dark shadows of the deep forest better than any sunbeam could, he froze, for a moment too long. He was confused, lost and the good honest men and women, skilled soldiers and devoted comrades transformed into disfigured, terrible creatures.

They were everywhere – in front of Levi, behind him, around him, falling from the skies. His first reaction was turn to despair and blind rage; then, as the red fog before his eyes vanished, so did the distracting feelings. The only thing left was fierce determination. And so Levi gripped his blades tighter and activated the ODM-gear. For every lost life, every soul that was exterminated today, he was going to make the bastard pay.

Following on that promise wasn't all that difficult, and catching up to Zeke wasn’t nearly as hard as he had probably anticipated. If Levi wasn’t filled with so much fury, he’d honestly scoff at his stupidity. Did he really think he could run away? Was he that foolish to believe that he could get away? That Titans could stop Levi? Even if they were created from his own team, the ones placed under his care, it didn’t change a thing – Titans were an enemy Levi was specialized at killing. He was the best at it, it was his one true talent, and he had killed them all, slashed their napes effortlessly, without a second of hesitation, without wasting a single moment to mourn.

Titans didn’t stop him. Zeke’s rouse had merely slowed him down. And so, thirty lives had been lost because of him in vain. Again.

Anger, liquefied fury coursed through Levi, as he chased after the hairy fucker. He was sick of him and his stupid games, plans that always ended with people dying. He had enough of it.

Now the time has come for Zeke to lose his life. In the most painful, torturous way Levi could think of.

___

When he reached the beast, appearing right behind him, Zeke looked surprised, shocked.

What a fool. Did he really expect that Levi would let him go?

What made Zeke think he could away from him?

Bringing the beast down was easy, pleasant. And, although, slashing through his muscles, tendons and skin didn’t make the boiling anger disappear, didn’t allow Levi to forget about the deaths of his squad, it did bring him some comfort, if only just for a moment. Taking the bastard out and looking at his scared, terrified face was almost soothing, therapeutic in the sickest way possible.

Fearful eyes and quivering lips suited Zeke so fucking much. Levi would make sure that he’d die while wearing the same pathetic expression.

After pulling the beast out of his horrendous Titan, he pushed him onto the ground, face first into the dirt, right where the scumbag belonged.

With Zeke immobile, through the heavy cloud of smoke that evaporated from his already healing injuries, Levi checked what weapons he still had; unfortunately, there wasn’t much: only two of his blades and a single thunder spear. Even so, he had done more with less.

And that thunder spear... He knew just how to use it.

___

The sun was setting and they’ve already travelled a considerable distance away from the forest by the time Zeke came back to his senses. His eyes opened and he tensed immediately, gaze shifting frantically.

“I would advise against it,” Levi warned, stopping Zeke from acting on his first instinct – to kick and scream. “An extremely useful weapon,” he further noted, pointing his chin at the thunder spear, sticking out right from Zeke’s belly. “Four-eyes is truly a genius if she managed to create this thing, using our outdated technology. Precise and deadly, just as I like it. I’d be more careful with it if I were you. See the other end of the rope?” Levi nodded at the bindings that ran all over Zeke’s body, ending right at the top of the thunder spear. “One wrong move and you go boom. I can’t help but wonder – was that a part of your plan too?”

He stood up, blades drawn. The bastard had regenerated. He couldn’t allow that, couldn’t give Zeke even the slightest opportunity to gain enough power to transform.

The first cut made him scream, the second – sob in pain. Served him just right.

“What, you didn’t anticipate this turn of events? Didn’t prepare another plan? Are your shit for brains only good enough to steal other people’s lives?”

His voice shook, fury, hatred, deadly venom slipping from it. How sick he was of being Zeke’s babysitter, how the mere sight of his face disgusted him. If Levi could have his way, he’d kill him right there and then, or, better yet, back at Liberio, with all of the Marleyans watching their noble defender fall. But… he had strict orders. And Zeke wasn’t worthy of betraying the trust Levi had built with the rest of his comrades.

In the face of his anger, Zeke garbled, choking on his own blood. Then, faintly, he whispered, “I…didn’t… kill them… I saved them. I will save...”

Levi cut the monkey’s feverish nonsense off by cutting another slice of his leg. Zeke hollered, his back going rigid. Another cut, and the blade etched in the wooden surface of the cart, in the same place where moments ago Zeke’s calf was. Levi didn’t bother taking it out. The beast had enough.

For now.

After all, a long way was waiting for both of them. For Levi – from the forest back to the city, and for Zeke – straight into a Titan’s mouth and down its throat. Levi would gladly watch it happen.

He hoped that Zeke would suffer. That he would regret every decision that led him to this moment. It was the only fitting end for a man as vile as him.

___

Halfway into their trip, the rain started falling.

The skies darkened, heavy clouds obscured any kind of light. Any other day, Levi would have hated that miserable weather, would have been haunted by the visions of the ones he had lost in the rain. But today, he was thankful for the downpour, enjoying the steady fall of the raindrops that muted Zeke’s painful groans and sobs.

The relative silence continued for a long while, the ride almost becoming bearable for Levi.

But then, the monkey’s muttering became louder, still staying incomprehensible enough for Levi to only catch something about ‘euthanasia’. The word seemed too outlandish to mumble it during a feverish haze, but Levi cared not for it. Wondering about that kind of shit was not his job, his specialty was cutting up meat. And if Zeke was getting strong enough to mumble gibberish, the time has come for his legs to become shorter once more.

Levi readied his blade, the edge of it glinting. That was the last thing he saw clearly.

Suddenly, Zeke screamed, shuttering the eerie silence, muffling the steady fall of the rain. His cry, his plea of “Mr. Ksaver! Please watch over me!” carried over the empty, dark field.

And that was it. Levi didn’t expect, could never anticipate that Zeke would become desperate enough to pull a reckless stunt like this. He thought – foolishly, in hindsight – that the only life the beast truly treasured was his own.

But a blinding white light, a raucous sound and a powerful force that lifted Levi up in the air was evidence to the contrary.

It was utterly futile, but his body acted on its own accord, raising a blade in hopes of protecting itself from the impact of the explosion. It didn’t work. He burned, he crashed, he hurt so much that after a moment Levi stopped feeling the pain, became completely numb to it. As from a distance, as if it wasn’t actually happening to him, he felt the cold seeping in, something wet and slippery softening his fall.

Whatever it was, Levi didn’t care. He was too tired, too injured, too broken to continue fighting.

He didn’t know, couldn’t possibly track the amount of minutes that trickled by, but when he felt tentative, careful touch, when he recognized those strong, but gentle arms, the ones – that even in death - he knew could only belong to her, Levi stopped struggling and let the darkness consume him completely.

Hange, his shitty four-eyes, she came back to him. And to die in her arms – for him, there was no death more preferable.

___

No. No. Hange refused to accept it. Levi didn’t die. Humanity’s strongest, the kindest man she had ever known couldn’t die, not like this.

He was destined to die on a battlefield, shining in all of his glory – the last hero standing, his trusty blades readied for whatever enemy would be his last; or he was supposed to die grey-haired and wrinkled, bursting a vein after shouting at some poor soul who had done a shit job at cleaning for too long; or— he had to die in her arms, after bickering for hours, days, years at end, they’d hold each other tightly, simultaneously drifting into an endless slumber.

Any and all of these scenarios were accepted, seemed right, but— not this. Levi couldn’t die like this, not in the mud, not under a downpour, not— not here and not now.

Goddamn it, she wasn’t ready. She wasn’t ready to let him go.

Her hand moved, trembling fingers pressing desperately into his neck, searching for something, anything.

She was met with nothing. She pressed a little harder, growing more frantic as the sounds of people approaching cruelly penetrated through the fog around her head.

Hange ignored them all, ignored everything, except Levi. But a long, tortuously lengthy moment passed, and she felt the same nothing. The despair was rising, threatening to drown her. In last, hopeless attempt, she curled her fingers around the spot under his jaw, begging whoever was shaping their fates to let her feel something there.

Nothing, the same fucking nothing, but then, quieter than the rain, not nearly steady enough and a little too slow under her shaking, cold fingertips, she found it – that heavenly beat, the evidence of Levi’s working heart, the song of his life.

Alive, he was alive.

Relief washed all over her. As she saw the subtle movement of his chest, Hange could breathe again as well.

He didn't leave her, he didn't, he stayed. Wasn't that the evidence of his love to her?

Cradling his body protectively, she lifted her eyes, seeking out Moblit.

Even in the rain, she found him fairly swiftly – still on a horse, he was standing a little distance away, pale in the face and with shining, wet eyes.

Hange gave him a discreet nod, a barely noticeable movement of her head. Levi is alive, her gesture meant, he is still with us.

Not all hope was lost.

But it would be, if they didn’t hurry. Levi was alive, but his injuries were severe, too severe for a regular person to be able to survive. And, superhuman or not, extensive blood loss could still kill him. Besides, they weren’t alone. Yeagerists had them surrounded. Thankfully, though, their attention was directed elsewhere, as all of the soldiers stood in the circle, gawking at something she couldn’t see. However, the smoke emanating from the scene had made it pretty clear for Hange what was going on. But she didn’t care; at least, not right now. For the first time in her life, Titans weren’t her first priority, thirst for knowledge wasn’t her main concern.

Distracted or not, though, their captors wouldn’t let them run away, couldn’t allow them to escape. Moblit, on the other hand… He hadn’t dismounted, he wasn’t standing so close, there weren’t that many soldiers around him.

He could make it, Hange reasoend. He had to make it, she decided. As for herself and Levi… she’d figure something out.

She looked Moblit in the eyes, hoping that he would see her resolve in the hard line across her forehead and a tight press of her lips. Hoping that he would understand her plea without words.

He did, reading through her body language and thoughts easily, as though they were a written book. But he did not like what Hange was proposing, was shaking his head resolutely, almost frantically.

That wouldn’t do.

As much as Hange wanted, the three of them couldn’t escape together. But Moblit had a chance, he had to get away. If he did, he’d be safe, just like she promised he would be. Besides, he could provide a distraction Hange so desperately needed.

She fiercened her scowl, lamenting that Moblit wasn’t her subordinate anymore. It’d be so easy to just order him to run away. Knowing Moblit and his hypertrophic sense of loyalty, however, he probably wouldn’t leave her even then. That was a quality she always admired about him. But right now, it was nothing but another obstacle for Hange.

Growing desperate, she decided to switch tactics, distract Moblit from his desire to protect her. So she turned her decisive expression into a pleading one.

And, finally, Moblit surrendered.

He clenched his jaw, dropping his gaze for a second. She was starting to worry that he’d continue to refuse her plan, but when he looked up, he gave Hange a nod and pulled on the reins of his horse.

After a silent promise to meet with her again, he dashed away, forcing his brown stallion to start a swift gallop. Shouts and shots followed after him. Nothing reached him, however.

And when the first soldier got on her own horse, a fierce cry of ‘stop this traitor!’ on her lips, another voice joined the wild cacophony, slashing through it, like a warm knife through butter.

“Let him go. In the grand scheme of things, he is… fairly useless.”

Hange recognized that deep, smooth voice (how could she not?), and when the owner of that voice stepped out of the fog, appearing before her eyes, she couldn’t help but gasp. Zeke, who was in the same terrible explosion as Levi, who had to be just as injured if not more, stood completely… unharmed. Not a bruise or a scratch, not a sign of his body recovering from the wounds.

How was that possible? Even a shifter couldn’t get out of this accident alive, but Zeke was fully unscathed. Just what happened here? The Titan she had seen briefly, where did it disappear?

“Hange,” Zeke crouched beside her, a charming smile on his lips. “I’m so happy to see you.”

With easy familiarity, born from years of comradery, he lifted his hand, reaching out to her. Hange recoiled sharply, instinctively tightening her arms around Levi.

She cared about Zeke, after years they’ve spent together fighting side by side she just couldn’t not to. He understood her, was one of the few people in her life who truly could. There was a time she thought she was in love with him, perhaps, she wasn’t wrong and truly loved him. But that time was long gone. And right now, Zeke wasn’t a confidant, a friend or even a comrade. He was a stranger, even worse – he was an enemy with unclear motives.

And in her arms she held a man she truly loved, a man who not only understood her, but accepted her, despite all her shortcomings and weaknesses. Levi was supposed to be a real enemy, a devil she had to bring down. But now, she was ready to lie down her own life for a slim chance of saving his.

“Is he still breathing?” Floch approached them warily, the barrel of his rifle staring right at Levi. “I think we should put a bullet in his head, just to be sure.”

“He’s dead.” Hange said in the most impassive voice she could muster.

But even that wasn’t enough to fool Zeke.

“He’s useless now, Hange,” he spoke, all too softly and condescendingly, as though he was comforting a child. “He can’t fight, I’m not even sure he can walk. He’ll be a deadweight to you. Let him go.”

Not swayed by his honeyed voice or cruel words, Hange remained silent, stubbornly glaring at Zeke.

“I know you care about him,” he tried again. “As you do about all of these people. I can save them, all of them. And you can help me, Hange. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?”

It was what she had wanted. But not like this. Not by their means.

“I don’t know what you’re planning,” she had an inkling, though, from the long nights years ago, when she and Zeke sat under the starry skies, sharing their ideas, dreams and a bottle of wine. Whether he was still holding onto his hopes remained to be discovered. Whether his naïve dreams were just as naïve was yet to be seen. “But you shouldn’t trust Eren. I think he’s lying to you, Zeke.”

His demeanor changed, smile slipping, features hardening. “He’s my brother,” Zeke said. “We’ll save Eldia together.”

Hange could have tried to sway him, could have tried to convince Zeke to take their side and go against his brother. But she had no time for debates and arguments about morals. And with the rifles still aimed at her and Levi, she had no opportunity to do it either.

Perhaps, Zeke would reach the right decision himself. Or he wouldn’t, and the world would suffer the consequences. But right now, Hange couldn’t save the world, she could save only one man, the man who meant the world to her.

“I hope you change your mind,” she told Zeke. “Before it’s too late.”

Zeke had another argument prepared, already, it was on the tip of his tongue. Hange decided not to listen. She pulled Levi closer, holding him tightly, and jumped to her feet, leaping straight into the river. Instantly, the stream had taken them in, embracing them like a treacherous, uncaring lover.

The shots rang all around them, but, miraculously, not even one had met its target yet.

“Stop wasting time and bullets!” just before the distance grew too big, Hange heard Zeke’s command, spoken in a tired voice that was growing more faint with each moment. “Forget about them. They won’t be a threat to our plan.”

The sounds of arguing followed, but they were too quiet for Hange to decipher. And so… she relaxed and let the current carry her.

___

The further they went, the swifter and crueler the current became. It did everything it could to separate Hange and her precious charge. But she held on tight, refusing to let go.

If she had the breath to spare, if the situation wasn’t quite so dire, she probably would have laughed, straight up cackled at the irony. All her life she hated that helpless feeling, the necessity to always follow the current and accept its every ruthless turn. And here she was, doing exactly that on her own volition.

Besides, now the current was her salvation, getting the two of them away from their captors. It was fast, too dangerous, but it did its job, protecting them in its dark waters. But the help came with its own complications.

Back at the bank, she thought that the hardest task would be escaping from the captivity by jumping into river. Then, when the stream started to move them further and further away, a more vexing problem arose – she had to keep both of them from drowning and had to make sure that Levi’s head stayed firmly above water.

It wasn’t easy, swimming with unconscious body that was dragging her down came with its fair share of demands. Besides, the current kept getting wilder, and water covered Hange almost completely, rendering her already blurred vision completely useless. To make the already drastic matters worse, every time the stream took a turn, they had to turn with it. And so Hange had to wrap herself around Levi even tighter, shielding him from any harm or further injury.

It was exhausting, painful. And the worth was yet to come.

When the river thinned out, she deemed it was time to get out. Their persecutors were left far away, the water was cold enough to make Hange shiver, despite her heavy efforts, and Levi’s prolonged silence was filling her heart with worry.

However, she quickly realized that… getting out of the river was so much harder than getting in. She could barely touch the bottom with her legs, there was nothing she could use for support herself and Levi, and the additional weight of their wet clothes made her heave with terrible effort.

By the time both of them were safely laying on the wet, slippery grass, the last of her strength left her. Her muscles were aching, her lungs burning from the extensive exertion and extended lack of air.

Hange wanted nothing more than stay right there and not move for another millennia or two. But as she took one deep breath after another, panting heavily, she noticed… a suspicious absence of the same sound coming from Levi.

She sharply turned around, heart getting stuck in her throat. Levi was motionless, his body limp. His chest not moving.

Fear gripped her, spreading through her veins, freezing her chest and limbs. Shaking like a leaf, Hange crawled to him, trembling hands wiping away blood and water.

Fuck. He was so pale. And completely unresponsive.

How long was he not breathing? How much time she still had?

Without wasting another precious second, Hange tilted his head back, opening his mouth as gently as she could.

Here I go stealing your kiss once again, she thought, as she pressed her lips to his. Hopefully, Levi would forgive her for this little self-indulgence. Hopefully, Levi would open his eyes again.

Chasing those morbid thoughts as far away as she could, Hange focused on the task at hand. She pinched his nose, sharing with him her own breaths. Immediately after, she put her hands on his chest, starting the compressions.

Thirty compressions, two more breaths. And nothing.

Another thirty compressions, another two breaths. Still nothing.

Levi remained just as pale, just as motionless. Hange felt her vision starting to blur. She banged her fist against the wet, cold ground, the fear making her choke and sob.

“You— you fucking asshole!” she cursed at him, not caring anymore if she wasted the breaths that he also needed or not. She was sick of it. She was sick of people leaving, she was sick of not being able to stop them and keep them by her side.

Levi told her that he loved her, years ago to another Hange Zoe, but he did say that. He did love her. Then why wasn’t he waking up? Why was he making her cry, why did he decide to break her heart once more?

“I hate you!” she cried out, before putting her mouth on his once more. “Hate you, hate you! If you leave me again, I—”

A sound interrupted her furious tirade. A sound – unexpected but so desired, so needed - a sharp intake of breath, followed by a vicious cough. Coming from Levi.

Hange stared at him, mouth open, eyes wide like she was looking at the miracle. In a way, she truly was.

She didn’t know what she wanted to do more – punch him or press him tightly to her chest and never let go. Humanity’s fucking strongest. There was some truth to these words, wasn’t there?

“Calling me an asshole…” Levi managed weakly, after he got rid of all of the water that was stuck in his throat. “Need I to remind you that you were the one to leave?”

“It’s not— I didn’t—” all of a sudden, she was flustered. Only now she realized that it was the first civil conversation they’ve had ever since her return to the island. And she told him that she hated him. Fuck. Some attempt to mend their relationship it was. “I didn’t know what I was saying. Y-you scared me.”

“Careful, four-eyes,” he croaked, returning to his previous prone position on the back. Hange shifted, awkwardly sitting down next to him. “You start to sound like you care.”

“I don’t,” she claimed, even as her eyes stated otherwise, still bearing the signs of her tears. “I just— need you…”

“Need me?” he raised an eyebrow, his expression playful despite his injuries. “What for?”

It wasn’t what Hange wanted to talk about, wasn’t what her mind was fixated on. But if Levi wanted to play this game, she’d readily oblige.

“I’m going to give you back to Marleyans. As a sign that I’m still loyal to them.”

“Ah,” Levi nodded. “So all this desperation about saving me…”

Shit. He found a flaw in her claim so quickly? Now that was straight up embarrassing. Hange had to rectify that miscalculation immediately.

“Obviously, I have to bring you in alive.”

Levi didn’t give her the courtesy of even feigning that she had him convinced.

“Marleyans feel icky about receiving the heads of their enemies? Do you prefer to kill all of them personally?”

“Shut the fuck up,” she growled, his attempt at light banter only bringing more frustration to her. He almost died, for fucks sake! Hange was still reeling from it, she didn’t have the energy to crack jokes in this moment. “Save your breath and rest, Levi. You’ll need it.”

“For our long and exhausting trip back to Marley?”

Asshole, gods, he was such an asshole. Couldn’t he see how shaken she was? Couldn’t he understand that she was still in shock? Hange wanted to him kick him so badly, needed to let out her frustrations at least in some way.

Considering his tender state, however, she could punish him only with a fierce and dark glare.

But just as she turned to face him and show Levi the extent of her anger, she gasped, her ire turning into a sharp surprise.

Levi was smiling – lopsidedly, crookedly, and ultimately too fondly, too gently for Hange to bear the sight of it without letting another heart-wrenching sob.

“What… why are you so happy all of a sudden?” she mumbled, feeling even more confused now.

Slowly, with a pained grunt, Levi reached out, destroying the inches that had separated them. His bloodied, disfigured hand found her wet and shaking one; the three fingers that survived the explosion wrapped themselves around her palm.

“You came back,” he murmured, resting their joined hands on top of his heaving chest. “At last, you came back to me, Hange. How can I not be happy about it?”

He was killing her. The bastard, the devil was killing her, ripping out he heart with his words, his kindness. His love.

What did she do to deserve him? What noble deed had committed that overshadowed all of her sins?

With a hand that wasn’t holding his, she caressed his cheek, wiping away blood as tenderly and carefully as she could. Hange ignored the tears that were once again streaming down her face, gazing lovingly at Levi, the only man she ever loved.

“I’m happy to be back,” she confessed, resting her forehead against his. “I’m so happy that I came back to you.”

___

The forest was perfectly visible from the riverbank, and the track appeared to be fairly short. But it was not easy.

Levi was heavy, and the grass was slippery. Besides, Hange was already exhausted.

And so very soon she learned that not every soldier listened to Zeke’s strict order. The Yeagerists were still roaming around, rifles held in tight grasp, narrowed eyes shifting, searching for them.

It was by pure luck that Hange was the one to notice them first. It was a blessing she found a knife, strapped to Levi’s ankle. It was a damn miracle that she managed to slit that girl’s throat before she alerted the rest of her comrades.

That the girl was carrying a rifle and a med kit on her was an added bonus. But it wasn’t worth the young life Hange had taken away.

That girl was an enemy, one who hated the likes of Hange, one who sought to exterminate her whole country. She was still young, though, perhaps, she was simply misguided. Perhaps, she didn’t know better. She could have rectified all of her mistakes, learnt to do better.

But Hange had taken that opportunity from her. For that, she couldn’t help but shed a lone tear.

___

When all of their enemies were taken care of and she brought Levi to the relative safety of the thick, dark forest, he already lost consciousness. And this time, Hange was relieved. His injuries had to be taken care of, and… it was good that Levi wouldn’t be wholly present while she was busy with it.

Her touch was careful, her stitches as even as possible, and even though Levi didn’t curse, didn’t hiss or groan in pain, barely twitched as she worked, she couldn’t stop the trembling of her hands.

One on his cheekbone, one running across his right eye and his lip, one on the side of the left cheek, his face would be covered in scars from now on, rendered almost unrecognizable because of his wounds. He had been through hell. And his face reflected it now.

Even so, he remained just as handsome, just as gorgeous and beautiful to Hange. His skin was as smooth and soft as she remembered. His lips as plump and desirable as they always were.

Finished with bandaging the freshly applied stitches, she sighed, sitting down next to him, finding a considerable amount of comfort in their proximity.

Levi was alive and right here, so close to her after so many years of being apart, and the forest was quiet around them, the darkness providing cover and the opportunity for rest. It was peaceful, pleasant. With crickets chirping and slight wind moving leafs and bushes, creating a sweet, subtle melody. And suddenly, amidst all of this beauty, Hange realized - wasn’t that what she yearned for so long? A quiet life with the one she loved?

“Maybe, I shouldn’t have left,” she whispered, to no one in particular. After all, her only audience was fast asleep, unresponsive to her words. “Have you ever thought about it, Levi? I did, more times than I probably should have. Remember what I once told you? About a dream I have, of leaving all of this behind. You probably don’t,” she chuckled, feeling silly. Of course, Levi wouldn’t have remembered it, both of them were drunk that night and he probably thought that her confession was nothing more than mumblings of an exhausted mind. “And you probably don’t… want to have this dream with me anymore, but I… can’t help but think of it. Just imagine – a small house in the middle of nowhere, a garden and a nearby lake. A cute puppy, and… the two of us. You’d be cleaning, I’d be cooking. Wouldn’t it be great? Maybe, it would be. Maybe, we should live together. Maybe…” she closed her eyes, taking a deep, shuddering breath. “Maybe, you still want the same thing, Levi. Maybe, there is still a chance for the both of us.”

As her words caught up with her, Hange shriveled, shame and mortification filling her up to the brim. What was she saying? What was she thinking?The two of them— they had no chance of life like that, they didn’t deserve that little heaven. Especially now, with the world as they knew it on the brink of collapsing.

There would be no house in the middle of nowhere, no garden, no nearby lake or a little, adorable puppy. There would be nothing at all, if she kept sitting idly, dreaming of something that could never be. There was a work she had to do, a fight she had to continue.

There was no time for rest, no time for yearning for a better life. There was no time— for both of them. There never was.

Besides, she just saved humanity’s strongest. Saving humanity was the next logical step.

And for that, she needed to get ready. So Hange stood up and shook off the clutches of exhaustion. She brushed off the dirt from her pants, rolled the sleeves of her shirt… swept a tender gaze across Levi’s serene face.

At last, she gathered all of her determination, all the conviction and drive she needed to put her mind in the right place.

___

Working with wood, building something as simple as a cart, was so very different than operating the heavy machinery, and much more relaxing than creating tools, meant for destruction and murder.

Listening to the steady beat of the makeshift hammer, Hange could almost pretend that the danger was absent, that there was no possibility of the world coming to its end.

To put her mind at ease, she imagined a different place, a different life, where she wouldn’t be building a cart to transport a half-dead Levi, but— creating something no less useful, but completely harmless – a shovel for working in their garden, a new mop for Levi, a toy for their dog.

Hange started humming under her breath after monologuing to herself became a tad boring, and along with it, the continuous toud, toud of the hammer set a rhythm to her work; thoughts of a life so much better than hers kept her mind from collapsing in on itself.

But in Hange Zoe’s life, the calm never lasted for long.

And this time, the catalyst for another disaster presented itself in the form of a sharp, sudden gasp that was followed by Levi swiftly sitting up from the improvised bedding Hange had made for him.

“Levi!”

Instantly, she was by his side, close but not too close, not wanting to aggravate him. Their last conversation was… nice, devoid of any ill feelings, but was that real Levi? Or was that adrenaline and confusion from the near-death experience talking?

“Hange,” as she entered his vision, he relaxed, falling back on the blankets. “Have you… have you seen it too?”

“Seen what?” she frowned, heart speeding up at the thought of Levi developing a fever. She made sure to check his body temperature at regular intervals, could the delirium spread so quickly?

“Eren… he showed me something through the… paths, as he called it.”

“The paths?” her voice shivered, mind turning into frenzy. Could it really be? The paths that allegedly connected all Eldians, could they really exist?

“Yeah, I saw you there, we were— ah,” he lowered his gaze, as though in shame. “It was just a vision then.”

“A vision?” every word from him made Hange more confused. “What are you talking about?”

"Doesn't matter. But there is something that does." His jaw tensed, hardened steel appearing in his single narrowed eye. "The rumbling. It started.”

Fuck. So that was it. The rumbling had started. And she didn’t prevent it.

Would she able to stop it?

“That bearded bastard,” Levi growled, fists clenching at his sides. “We have to find him. And I have to kill him.”

“Bearded bastard? You don’t mean—”

“Your buddy Zeke?” he gave her a chilling, furious look. “Who else can I be talking about?”

“Levi…” Hange paused, carefully picking her next words. Whatever she was going to say could be taken by Levi in a very, very wrong way. But she had to convince him she was on his side, however improbable it seemed. “I know how you feel about Zeke, and I agree that all of your hatred is more than deserved, but…”

“But?” Levi pressed, voice tight.

“But I know him better than you do. And, as cruel and uncaring of human’s lives he can be, Zeke would never have done something like this.”

“So you’re on his side?”

“I’m not on anyone’s side!” Hange snapped, getting tired of this discussion. It was stupid and would lead absolutely nowhere. What was the point of arguing if they weren’t even aware what had truly happened? And what would happen next? “I just think that we should go after Eren, but if it turns out that Zeke is at fault…”

“What?” he rose on his elbows, staring intently at her. His gaze burned, hurt her. “You’re going to kill your lover then?”

“M-my lover?” despite his dark expression, Hange couldn’t help the nervous chuckle that escaped her. What on Earth Levi was talking about? Who he was talking about? It couldn’t be—

“Zeke,” he spat his name like it was a curse. “Isn’t he your—”

“Hell no! Why would you even think about that!”

Levi shifted his gaze to the side, the part of his face that wasn’t covered in bandages suddenly became extremely red. “Zeke had said some things to me, and so—”

“So you believed that he was telling the truth and not bullshitting you in an attempt to rile you up?”

He gave her another sharp look, but after a moment, conceded, realizing his mistake. “Well, when you put it that way...”

Hange laughed, more freely and happily than she had done in a while. “Didn’t know you were a type to get jealous, Ackerman.”

“There was no competition before.”

Oh? So he checked?

“You can rest easily now,” she patted his arm, still quietly chuckling. “Zeke definitely can’t compete with you.”

There was a beat of silence, and Levi almost seemed to relax. But then, his brows furrowed once more.

“Is there someone that can? After you left, did you—”

“No.” Hange shook her head. “There was no one for me after you.”

“Good,” Levi, the possessive bastard, nodded approvingly. “There was no one for me after you left as well. Which brings me to my next point…” all of a sudden, a bright, mischievous sparkle lighted up his only eye. Instictively, Hange tensed. How was he going to bewilder her this time? “I’m more of a cat person.”

“Huh?”

“I like cats more. Dogs carry the dirt around, and their drool is disgusting.”

“Huh?” Hange shook herself. She was starting to sound like a broken recorder that Porco still kept in his room for some reason, or a parrot Pieck had convinced her to buy some years ago. But she couldn’t help it, her thoughts were still swimming around, unable to freeze in one place. “Levi, what are you—”

“If we’re going to live together,” she couldn’t see it, but Hange was fairly sure that Levi was smirking, getting a blast out of her confusion. Asshole. “I want to take a cat in. You can have a dog, but only if you’ll be the one to take care of it. That’s my main condition.”

It had taken moment of staring at Levi to realize the true meaning of his words. And so, now it was her turn to blush.

“So you’ve heard me talking to myself…”

“It was very hard not to,” Levi scoffed with a signature roll of his eye. “You were too damn loud, four-eyes.”

“And…” she closed her eyes, suddenly all too aware of the words she had said and the weight they were carrying. She didn’t think that anyone would hear them, though. Least of all, the man she had dedicated them to. And now, this newfound knowledge had her heart thumping in her chest, afraid to learn about Levi’s thoughts on that matter. “What do you think about… my offer?”

“We have to save the world first. But I guess, you’re taking care of that already,” he pointed at the half-built cart. “And then… you have to get me a cat.”

“Alright,” she nodded readily, a little too enthusiastically. She’d save the world, she’d get as many cats as he wanted, if it meant that she could start a life with their dog and her Levi. “You got yourself a deal, shorty.”

Levi relaxed back on the blankets, practically glowing with content.

“Now take off your clothes, four-eyes.”

“What!” Hange shrieked, eyes wide. Whatever she expected to happen next— this was not it. “Ackerman, you damn pervert!”

“Stop screaming,” he huffed, wincing. “I didn’t mean it like that. Hate to disappoint, but I’m really in no shape to have sex. But your clothes,” he fixed her with yet another heavy and strict look. “Are still dripping wet. Do you want to save the world while coughing your lungs out?”

“I…” truth be told, she had completely forgotten about her wet clothes. In the face of a storm they were about to face, all physical discomforts had faded into a background. But now that Levi had mentioned it, she did start to feel… a little too cold. “Fine,” she surrendered, getting back to her feet. “I’ll hang them to dry next to the fire. Just… don’t look, alright?”

“It’s not like I haven’t seen it all before,” Levi noted dryly, just the barest hints of smugness seeping through.

Hell, was he always that cocky? Or did the boldness come from surviving a terrible explosion?

“You should rest as well,” he instructed, while Hange fought with the buttons of her shirt.

She gave him a quiet hum in reply. Levi cursed under his breath.

“You have to sleep, Hange. Who knows when we’ll get another chance to rest.”

“I know, I know,” she mumbled, promptly ignoring the ‘we’ part that made her heart swell.

“Hange.” His voice was low and steely; the hushed force of it made Hange turn around and meet his eye. “Do I really have to spell it out for you?”

“Spell out… what?”

“Un-fucking-believable,” he muttered hotly. “If you’re so dense, I’ll say it plainly - I’m injured, in terrible pain and fucking exhausted. And I want nothing more than to fall asleep in your arms. So can you stop being an idiot and come here already?”

Oh. Another moment passed before his words registered in her mind.

Was Levi Ackerman, the most dangerous of the devils from Paradise, humanity’s strongest soldier truly asking her, measly Hange Zoe, to cuddle with him? Why in the world would she refuse?

Swiftly shedding the rest of her clothes, she laid down beside Levi. He scowled when he saw that Hange didn’t get under the blankets.

“Stop being an idiot,” he repeated, shifting to create more space for her.

With an awkward giggle, red cheeks and smile so wide her face was starting to hurt, she complied and covered both of them with the blanket. Immediately after, another challenge arose – she now didn’t know where to put her arms. This time as well, Levi decided for her, tucking himself under her chin.

Hange forgot how nice it felt to be so close to Levi. How warm his presence was, how pleasant and familiar. How right it was to hold him in her arms.

"Levi?" as good as she felt, though, doubts refused to leave her. They were wracking havoc in her head, forcing her to second-guess everything. "Are you really okay with... this? With me? How can you not hate me, after everything that I have done?"

"What exactly have you done, Hange?"

"I lied, I betrayed..."

"You left me alone for four years," Levi said. "And I'm fucking furious with you for doing that to me. But you didn't hurt any of us, and were helping us with your research and inventions for years. And what did you lie about again? That you didn't know where Titans came from and that you grew up in a farming village near Sina? I can live with that."

"You know that's not all that I've done," Hange protested weakly, avoiding his eye. "I was working for your enemies, I pretended to be someone that I'm not. You don’t even know me."

"Oh really?" Levi quipped sarcastically. "So you're not an obsessive workaholic with unhealthy lifestyle? Your sense humor isn't actually terrible? You don't snort when you laugh? Didn't enjoy the tea I brewed for you? You don't close your eyes before going in for a kiss? Don't hog all the blankets during the night? And these?" with practiced ease, he took off her glasses. Instantly, Hange's world became blurry, Levi remaining the only clear piece of it. "You don't actually need them?"

Hange was torn once again, this time – between her desire to cry her eyes out and kiss Levi until both of them were promptly out of breath. But even after his passionate speech and with her heart telling her to just let go and enjoy the dream she was suddenly grunted, Hange refused to believe Levi, couldn’t accept that his feelings were still true and just as strong.

"Why... why would still believe in me? Why don't you hate me?"

"You risked your life to save mine," he answered simply. “I'm not greedy enough to ask for another confirmation of your feelings."

Hange sniffled. Again, for what seemed like the thousandth time during this horrible, horrible day, she was ready to cry. Damn Levi and her feelings for him.

"Making you emotional was supposed to be my thing, you know?" she spoke, nose buried into his hair.

"Tough shit, four-eyes. Times are changing. Now shush and go to sleep."

"Mm," Hange didn't need a lot of convincing. She was scared, physically exhausted and emotionally spent. Besides, what could be more relaxing and pleasurable than falling asleep in Levi's arms? She had been dreaming about it ever since she left.

And so, with a heavy heart, more than dozens worries on her mind, but a faint smile on her lips, she drifted off to sweet, sweet slumber.

___

Nothing disturbed Hange in her sleep. No nightmares or dreams tormented her unconscious mind.

However, the bliss was as sweet as it was short-lived. Hange opened her eyes at dawn, woken up by a loud, booming sound. Something big, enormous shook the earth, creating ripples and waves of vibrations.

Looking up at the sky, she squinted, but even without her glasses, despite the thick foliage of the forest, she saw the dozens, hundreds of giant, terrible creatures marching mindlessly towards the circle of the rising sun on the horizon, determined to eliminate each and every one of Paradis' enemies.

"Fuck," she whispered, heart shivering in unadulterated fear. The sight before her eyes was more horrible than she have expected, more frightening than any Marleyan scientist could have ever imagined. "What are we going to do now? How are we going to fight them?"

"Together," a voice appeared by her side, its gentleness completed by a warm hand grasping hers.

Hange tore her gaze from the nightmarish spectacle, meeting Levi's eye.

Together, he said. She liked the sound of it.

Besides, they weren’t alone. Hange was sure, there would be more volunteers to fight off the disaster. They could find some allies. And with their forces combined, perhaps, they'd be able to win. They’d be able to save the world.

With Levi by her side, Hange couldn't help but hope for the best.