Hello, Stranger (Hange Zoë x f!reader)

Part eighteen

“No.”

Hange had you trapped between them and the bathtub. Their eyes were half lidded, boring into your own and pleading, holding your uniform.

“No. You need a bath.”

They plopped their head on your shoulder, rolling it closer to your neck till you could feel their breath even through your bandages. It was quick, hot, needy. You couldn’t give in, even as they pulled you closer.

“So do you. Two birds, one stone. You said if I came back in one piece, darling...” They trailed off, running their good arm up your torso.

“That – that doesn’t count,” you slipped free before they could pull anything else, trying to quell your frantic heartbeat. Hange was trying to rile you up, force you to give into them, and they were succeeding. You wanted to, you did dearly, but they weren’t in their right mind. It was the inebriation of the medication that was making them this bold and clingy. You wanted them, but when they were themself. It would just be a matter of convincing Hange of the same.

You poured some lavender into the water, testing it again with your hand. Just right.

“Get ready while it’s filling, and I’ll wash your hair, but no funny business.”

Stepping outside to collect their pyjamas gave you the air you desperately needed. Hange sighed audibly from within, and with the sound of fumbling you figured they had finally given in finally. You sat on the edge of the bed, waiting. How the hell had you ended up here, you mused. Months ago you had assumed you would die as you had lived, unknown and alone, and now, here you sat as a fledgling soldier in your commanding officer’s bedroom. Nothing could have prepared you for how drastically your life had changed in so little time, but you weren’t complaining.

“I’m in the bath, you can come in now,” Hange’s outburst was enunciated by a slosh.

You slipped back in. They let their bound arm hang limply out the side of the tub, and sat absentmindedly toying with the water. Their eyes lit up when they met yours. Be it because of the drugs or indeed something else, you couldn’t deny the buzz when they looked at you like that.

Their hair was already drenched and down as you ran your fingers through it, lathering shampoo from scalp to ends. Hange moaned contentedly into your touch, half hidden under a mountain of bubbles. There was something innately personal about it. Hange was completely vulnerable here before you now, and the amount of trust they had so willingly given you was almost hard to swallow.

“’S not so bad,” they sighed as you rubbed circles into their temples. You chuckled.

“Mhm, I thought it would be. Baths are definitely one of the best inventions people have come up with.”

Hange nodded in agreement. “People are smart.”

They reached up, dripping, and touched the bandage on your neck, face contorted in sympathy.

“Just a training accident, don’t worry it’s fine, at least I didn’t break an arm.”

“Fracture, actually,” they corrected you, “and it wasn’t my fault the titan hit my horse.”

They suddenly became quiet, uncharacteristically so. Had you really scared them that much? The lump in your throat hardened.

“Do you, want to talk about it?”

Hange stared at the water, flickering in the candle light. You wondered what exactly they saw in it.

“Something killed the titan that was going to eat me. It wasn’t a shifter like Eren, it wasn’t a titan at all. It was huge, and cat like,” they turned to you, their eyes wide, “but it protected me. It could have killed me, Y/N, easily, but it didn’t. Even when Moblit was prepared to kill it, it didn’t hurt him. It turned into a bird and flew off. Sounds crazy, I know, but I swear it happened.”

You rinsed their tresses, smoothing your fingers through it in an attempt to soothe your companion.

“It doesn’t at all,” you were careful as you spoke, “there’s so much we don’t know about the world. If there’s titans, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility there are other giant creatures outside.”

“I just didn’t even consider it.”

You took the towel from the rack and began to dry off their hair, containing as much of the frizz as possible. Hange again leant into your touch. The bath had visibly relaxed them, and you hoped for their sake they would be able to sleep soon.

Hange rose to their feet, allowing you to wrap them in a towel. The tiredness bad caught up with them.

“I’ll get you into bed now, ok? Sleep it off.”

“No, I need to see Erwin.”

You stopped your eyes from wandering as you helped Hange to get dressed. Even like this, they were still helplessly devoted to their work. You admired them.

“I saw Moblit, he was going to see the commander. It can wait,” you assured Hange as they blinked back at you.

“Fine, but I want you in bed with me.”

You flushed once more. How could they say that with a straight face? There was no coyness in their features, Hange just didn’t want to be alone, simple as that. You nodded in acceptance, watching the last of the water spiral down the plughole. You would get changed and follow them, and after settling Hange into bed, you did.

They were half asleep when you finally joined them in bed, and after a couple of heartbeats, they were wrapped around you as much as possible. Their breath fanned over your chest, slowing into repetitive monotony as slumber claimed them. Looking at them, you still felt guilty. You had tried to protect them, you had, but still, they had gotten hurt. You should just be thankful you had been there to prevent any further damage, you reasoned, pulling the duvet further over their shoulder. Stooping down, you placed a chaste kiss amidst their still damp tresses.

“I’ll keep you safe. I promise. So, just keep being you, and I’ll worry about the rest.”