Chapter Text
The place is clean. Well, Levi is sure if given two hours he can make this room impeccable, but the current state is acceptable.
The room is spacious, with a desk in the centre, several couches, chairs, bookshelves and a dark cupboard. He is already planning to transform it into a nice space to keep his tea set.
He taps his fingers on the smooth dark red surface, eyes carelessly going over the stack of papers, a pen and a pencil, several books. He stands up, walking around the room, casually fixing the huge red fabric with a distinct white symbol on it. Levi has grown accustomed to seeing swastikas in every corner of Germany. Yet he can't get accustomed to people saluting him after noticing his uniform and the number of medals on his coat.
They call him ' humanity's strongest soldiers', ' A hero of ancient Arians', ' A protector of pure blood'. Sometimes he wonders how it is possible to deify a person, or a group of persons who are in charge of the genocide, a massacre, the cruelest period in humanity's history. Sometimes he wants to get away from it all, become a doctor, or at least doctor's apprentice and save people for real.
Just like her.
But it seems like in this life his hands are supposed to be coated in blood. In this life he is supposed to suffer alone.
' I see you have already settled in your new room, captain' A tall, muscular man with golden locks and round glasses opens the door.
' I have. The place is fine, general’. Levi seems impassive, a very strange reaction considering he is standing in front of the mastermind of this war.
' I am happy, let me introduce you to the team' he opens the door ajar, one hand extended in a motion that instructs to go outside.
Two men are opposites. Zeke is a blonde, tall, wearing glasses. Levi is short though it is compensated by the athletic complexion and distinct appearance: raven hair, eyes of a rare grey color, straight nose and high cheekbones. Their personalities also clash. While Zeke prefers to sugarcoat things, to be overly friendly with certain people, Levi prefers mental distance. He doesn't care about titles, power or influence. One might be surprised, but the lack of ambition somehow gave him an edge, he got on top of the hierarchical system at a relatively young age: 32. Even Zeke, being a prodigy, hasn't been promoted so fast. In fact, he would definitely yield in a hand-to-hand combat against Levi. Though that didn't hinder him from getting ahead thanks to his strategic thinking.
Levi couldn't care less about Zeke being above or below. All he needs is silence and peace. Yet , Levi is not sure he can find peace he lost several years ago.
' This is an experimental laboratory. The team is working on the procedures to cure typhus. The findings are very essential so it is important for us to provide safety and order here. Someone who can be present here. Someone strong and disciplined like you'
' I will do everything I can' Levi is awkward at answering the pleasantries, he feels out of water when someone compliments him. He is a soldier, not a social butterfly.
They enter the hall and are greeted by a group of people.
Levi always believed there is no fate, no predetermined events. Whatever happens is within human's control. Yet he can't wonder if fate loves to trick people and put them in unexpected situations. Like ancient Greek Gods, he used to read about at school, fate or rather his duties are playing the cruelest trick with him now.
' Please meet Hange Zoe, the lead of the scientific team. I hope you two will work well together'
The last time they saw each other was six years ago. She was a biology student, a rare phenomenon at that time when girls were supposed to sew, cook, be a good mother for children and a good wife for her husband.
Hange was not made for it.
' It is just the same as being a concubine. You have no worth so you will not be respected' chewing her lunch, a frugal salad with a piece of bread. ' Marrying a rich person will not solve any problem. So I am not gonna follow this path and lose my dignity'
Levi smoked, listening to her
' What are you gonna do then?'
' Well, for now, it is finishing university, then I will gather a team, find a place, a decent place for the office and do experiments. Breakthroughs aren't done in a secluded library'
So much ambition. So much determination. Of course, this is Hange. Bare minimum is a foreign concept for her. Whatever she does, she puts all her energy and effort, whether it is class assignments or edging him till he begs for release on the narrow bed in his dorm room at night
' I will be there with you Hange'
He truly wanted this to happen. But fate played a trick with them.
' I haven't thought of meeting you here, Levi. Humanities strongest is going to be my personal bodyguard'
Thanks God, Zeke left them or else Levi wouldn't avoid the uncomfortable situation of exposing his past to such a dangerous man.
' I am here to supervise you and make sure you aren't blowing this building. Don't think too much of it'
' Sure' she grins and that alone sends tingles down his spine. How many times has he seen this smile? He hasn't kept the count. But he can recall each occasion so vividly, he still remembers her moans, hands tied to the headboard, hair scattered across his pillow. He thinks her smell never left his clothes she used to borrow.
How the hell am I going to work with her?
Surprisingly, it is not that bad as he initially predicted. Hange, or Dr. Zoe as he addresses her in front of subordinates, has become mature, attentive and serious. Her previous bubbly demeanor has been replaced by professionalism and responsibility. Sometimes Levi senses how tense she gets before every trial, as if the outcome is a life or death matter.
‘ Four eyes, don’t get too worked up about that. If this trial is a failure, you will have another one’
‘ Zeke doesn’t like waiting’ she nervously skims through the report for the sixth time.
‘ Zeke will not do anything. You are too important to him so he will most likely extend the deadline or give you another chance’. Somehow Levi always knows what Hange needs the most. The woman is brilliant, exceptionally brilliant yet at the final stage or the significant point of the project she often backs up, drowning in endless worries. For Levi, it is just her perfectionism, her desire to do everything right.
Maybe there is more to do with that.
‘Hange, it is almost 9 p.m., you need to go home’ he folds today’s meeting notes in the yellow binder, putting a label and making sure the papers are neat. Levi hesitates, not sure whether to voice his suggestion or not. Can I accompany you till your apartment? It is alright to take a female coworker home especially when it is so late, right? Moreover, they are good old friends. But are we still friends? Most importantly, have we truly been friends? You wouldn’t fuck your friend.
‘I am waiting for Zeke, he must come soon’. Levi raises his eyebrow, surprised at the late visit of the general.
‘Can’t Zeke wait until tomorrow to review the reports?’. Levi is aware with this type of work one can not predict when his workday will finish or if it will finish at all.
‘No’.
‘Then see you tomorrow’. He opts for safe retreat. Levi is a soldier and soldiers must know when to charge into battle and when to ignore the call.
Before leaving the office, he double checks all locks, equipment and the archive where the findings and samples are kept. As he slowly walks in the empty hallway, the echo of his footsteps filling the void space, his peripheral vision catches two figures outside. He slowly approaches the window and freezes.
So fate truly exists. And it seems to be ruthless to him.
Because what he sees is Zeke pressing Hange to the wall, kissing her neck, one hand already disappearing into the hiked up skirt.
Levi is angry. Not for the fact that the woman occupying his thoughts is being ravished right in front of his eyes. It is her expression that makes him see red. Hange is struggling, face contorted with pain and disgust.
Is Zeke…
Levi has seen a fair share of violence women are subjected to. Most of the hostages he took were either starved to death, used as a lab mice or sex dolls. At that moment, he couldn’t object since he is not that powerful to defend the innocence. His mercy will be regarded as a weakness or worse, as a treason.
But now he can’t just wait while Zeke is having his way with Hange. So he marches towards the exit. The left palm is already clutching the pistol in case he will face resistance. Albeit he understands what the shooting at the general will result in.
Levi is not afraid because it is for Hange.
He rounds the corner heading to the spot he saw them before. Here are Zeke and Hange. Yet, now they are not doing whatever they were doing before, Hange is smiling at him, tentatively trying to fix her skirt. Zeke chuckles, taking her hand and leading towards his car.
To say Levi is shocked is to say nothing. What the fuck just happened? Has it really been an abuse or are they… No, that can’t be true. He perfectly saw that Hange was hating the whole thing. He knows firsthand what makes Hange moan, get wetter or plead for the finish. What Zeke did was not one of them. So why is she tolerating it?
The next morning Hange comes to work visibly exhausted, eyes a bit puffy, the usual enthusiasm fading away as if an ice cream under the boiling sun.
‘ Dr. Zoe, please meet me in my room after work. There are details that need to be discussed urgently’. Emphasizing the last word, Levi exits the room.
There is a knock on his door after half an hour. Impressive. In the past, he would need to drag her all the way down the hall to detach her from her experiments.
‘ I’m all ears, Captain’ she is using his title and strangely it causes heat to gather around his inner thighs. Oh, if only she was calling him like this in his room, moaning under his weight, yielding to his strength.
‘ Close the door’ he instructs. Once it is locked, and Hange has sat in front of him, he starts
‘ Four eyes, what is happening between you and Zeke?’ a straightforward question. Why beat around the bush?
‘ Nothing’ she is surprisingly nonchalant
‘ So for you making out against the wall in a public place is nothing?’
For the next few minutes, Hange doesn’t answer eyes fixed to the swastika.
‘ So you saw us yesterday’ she mutters still not turning to Levi
‘ Yes, and I thought that asshole was going to rape you!’ Levi doesn’t even notice the rise in his tone. Did he seriously forget that the walls here have ears too?
‘ Levi, I and Zeke… we are more than just colleagues’
‘You are dating him?’
‘No’
‘Are you engaged?’
‘No’
‘Then why the fuck you are letting him grope you like a cheap whore?!’
Instantly, he regrets his words because Hange’s face turns pale, then suddenly red. He can’t say for sure since the edges of her glasses are reflecting the light from the lamp but he thinks hazel orbs are filled with tears.
‘ Because I am a cheap whore, Levi. Yes, I hate what is going on but I have to endure it. Because I don’t have another choice!’
‘ You have. We always have another choice. Leave this place, go back to our town and get low if you are afraid of harm he can cause you!’
‘ I can’t! I fucking can’t. He is the only one who can protect me. Without him, I am gone’ her white lab coat is rising and falling swiftly over her chest, hands trembling. She turns away to hide her tears, she doesn’t want to expose her weakness. He has already been exposed to the secret she adamantly kept.
‘ Hange, what the fuck did you do that you need his protection?’
‘ I did nothing. But still I am guilty’
Oh, here we go. She started speaking with riddles to eventually fuck his brain up.
‘What is it supposed to mean?’ he is exasperated, tired of it. Just cut the crap.
‘ Stay away from it, Le-’ she can’t finish her sentence because the sobbing is too hard to control ‘ You can’t do anything’
Oh, why are you so ruthless, Hange. One sentence is enough for Levi to feel so small, useless shit. Can’t he even protect the person who broke all his walls, melted his heart with her warm smile? Can’t he stop whatever is causing this woman to cry and suffer in the arms of the man she doesn’t want?
She is here within his arm’s length, crying because of him yet he can’t do anything. Never in his life has he felt so feeble.
Slowly, with calculated steps he approaches her. He remembers how she had mood swings in the past each month. That time the worst idea was to make her mad. She would crush anything in front of her, sob for half an hour and at the end, blame someone else, anyone else for her outbreak. Nothing could calm her down except for… hugs. When he got into her bed and sneaked his hands around her waist languishly rubbing small circles on her lower abdomen, she would finally relax. ‘ Easy, the pain will go away soon’ he would whisper into her ear proving the comfort she needed the most.
Now times have changed. They aren’t buddies they used to be. He is a Captain and she is a scientist who sleeps with his general, to say the worst. He should obey the distance, stay away as she said but his body moves on his own. The right palm softly lands between her shoulder blades, the place she is very sensitive as far as he remembers.
Levi waits for her reaction: yelling at him, shoving his arm away, telling him that he is a coward. But just like years ago, she starts relaxing under his touch. So he gets bolder. The next thing he does is hug her waist and bury his nose into her hair. Oh, how much he missed her scent.
‘ Easy, Hange’ he holds her like this for what seemed to be an eternity. Suddenly, he is not a soldier anymore, they are not hugging inside the military lab in the middle of the night. They are just Levi and Hange. There is nothing but them in the whole world.
Levi carefully kisses the side of her neck, especially the visible outline of teeth hidden under the collar of the yellow shirt. He licks that puncture as if that will erase the unwanted memories out in her mind. He feels so sorry imagining how long she has been enduring Zeke’s touches. How many places does that monkey groupled? Seen? Ravished?
Levi will replace all of those memories, all of those imprints on her olive skin will be gone leaving only his gentleness.
They are kissing each other, mouth shut, lips pressed tightly. It is Hange who takes the lead and darts her tongue inside Levi’s mouth. The two have missed each other’s warmth that they can only stop for a second to catch a breath before launching back onto another one.
They have already moved to the leather couch when Levi yanks her lab coat off, tossing it to the farthest corner of the room. She as well practically ripped his military uniform off, struggling with the buttons on his jacket. As students, they used to not care about clothes amidst the wave of lust, all they sought was release, the sweet sensation of the slick heat and fullness that comes with being united. Now they are savouring every inch of their body as if they are not going to do it again.
‘ Your breasts are still small’ he chuckles, taking the nipple inside his mouth.
‘ Oh, it seems like you enjoyed other voluptuous women’ he can easily recognize the venom in her voice.
‘ No one can be like you, Hange’ that is definitely not the best time for confessions but he wants her to know he still feels the same. But he himself can’t label the emotion. Neither can she.
‘ You are the shittiest and the most annoying person in the world, four eyes’ with that he peppers kisses on the apex of her hip.
‘ But still you like me’ she chuckles, gripping his hair, guiding him to her dripping core.
He doesn’t answer, instead circling her clit and sucking it the way she loved it the most. Levi fingers her while sucking on her clit.. He lavishly licks her, buries his face, laps her labia. With his thumb, he adds pressure to her clit. stimulating her. He drinks all her juices while she is panting. He takes the dripping juices and runs his finger over his lips and sucks all her juices, cleaning off his digits.
‘Yes!’ she moans. It doesn’ take her too long to come, erupting with a high pitched cry. Her eyelids are heavy when he finally goes inside her. She reached for him, her eyes widening as they took in every inch of exposed flesh. Her vagina widening as she is adjusting to his big girth. Staying still, he lets both of them get accustomed to that ecstasy.
‘You okay?’ he asks her between heavy pants ‘I am not hurting you?’
‘ You never do, Levi’ she kisses him with such sincerity that Levi wants to hold her close and cry. Because he suffered so much without her and he wasn’t there for her.
His thrusts are powerful and fast, the grip on her hip mercilessly strong leaving the blue bruises. For a second he thinks of Zeke seeing them but he doesn’t care. From now on, Levi will do whatever he can to keep Hange by his side.
‘ Be with me, Hange' kissing her collarbone he whispers ‘ Never abandon me’ Hange hugs his shoulders. Her knees shake, nails scratching Levi’s back in a desperate attempt to hold onto something. He pounds with such ferocity that she is scared the couch will give up under his force. She can feel how close she is and with a single brush on her clit, her whole body shakes, waves of pleasure coating her from head to toe.
‘ We will face everything together’ With that she is flooded with his hot semen, reveling at the wonderful feeling of being filled by him.
As they recover from the mind blowing orgasm, Levi draws her closer ‘ No need to be afraid anymore, I am here’.
The next week everything seemed to be as usual: Levi and Hange would keep their distance in front of the team and Zeke who visited them thrice a week. But as soon as the office becomes quiet, occupied by only endless stacks of paper, equipment and research results, the room of the captain is filled with lustful grunts, slaps and tender words. Levi understood very well that whatever they have will eventually set them both on fire, burning to ashes. He knew that in case someone from Hange's team, or worse, Zeke finds out about this affair, he will likely be sent to the frontline, where despite his inhuman strength, he can't survive more than a week. And she... Well, the pigs know so many disgusting ways to torture her, he doesn't even dare to contemplate one of them.Still, none of them can stop at this point. Nonetheless the danger and their duties, they can't abandon what keeps them sane.
' You are so mean' Hange pouts running her hand through his hair ' You are probably thinking of dumping me like 6 years ago’ There is a pang in his chest, it stings so hard that he can't lift his eyes. He let her down, alone, on her own
' I had no choice, you know it better than me' Of course she did . Through many years of being friends and later lovers, Hange saw through the thick mask Levi is hiding behind. Although seen as a stoic, emotionless man, he in reality felt deeper than any person she knows. The humanity's strongest soldier has his own fears and one of them is to lose the ones he loves, holds dear. At the time of getting recruited to the military, Levi decided to cut all ties with her no matter how much it hurt them both. Because if he hadn't done that and died on the battlefield, she would have been broken. So he concluded it was better to have a heart broken by a cowardly asshole, than to mourn the death of the loved one forever. But now he survived the training, proved himself to be a capable soldier and finally reunited with her.
' That won't happen again, Hange' Now, his task is to protect the woman lying on his chest, to ensure she is happy and safe.
' Zeke will come tomorrow to pick me up' . It is not too difficult to understand what he wants.
' Tell him you have other plans'
' He won't buy into it, I need to endure, just a bit'
Just a bit. Just a bit of patience, obedience. Just a bit more pain
' And then what? When will everything end?' He doesn't want a truth, he needs assurance albeit false: an assurance that soon the war will be over with both of them surviving, they will flee this country, elope to distant lands where they will never see two crossed arms on the crimson fabric anymore.
' I don't know' Neither does he. Until then he breathes in her scent and kisses her cheek.
He deliberately drives home early, to avoid seeing Zeke taking Hange away. He drinks, something he doesn't do often. In fact he had got drunk only three times: when he found the hidden stash of his uncle's alcohol, when he came back from his first battle and now when an unknown feeling is scratching his insides, setting him ablaze. He doesn't want to think of Zeke's hand roaming over her belly or giving her pleasure that he could not give. He perfectly knows that she never enjoys Zeke's company, but it doesn't help to ease the growing discomfort inside. He is about to gulp the nth shot of whiskey when someone knocks on the door. It is not often he is requested so late and usually he at least is informed beforehand. Carefully taking the gun out of the hoister, he approaches the entrance. Another knock
' It is me, Zoe' the familiar voice dissipates Levi's anxiety. He puts the weapon safely inside the hoister and rushes to let her in. She looks ... fine , a bit alarmed and somehow scared but not her typical sour expression after the long night of 'scientific discussions' with the general.
' What happened?'
' I need to tell you something important' she briskly moves to the hall, closing the window and curtains shut. She motions to the man to come closer
' Zeke told me there is going to be a massive attack. The Army is preparing for the attack'
' Where?' considering how many enemies they have acquired, the list will be very long.
' He didn't reveal that. Levi, soon you will be out there in a war. Zeke plans to put you in charge of a massive battalion and place you in the frontlines. This is death' she clutches his hand voice breaking down.
‘ Four eyes’ he gently hugs her ‘ Even if he puts me in the frontline, it won’t be until the whole plan commences. By that time, we will figure a plan out’ At least, I will ensure your safety no matter how much it will cost me.
‘ Where is he now? He let you come here?’
‘ He returned to his home, left me in the office’
‘ You mean you two didn’t…’
‘No’ It felt as if the mountain crushing him down suddenly disappeared.
Levi doesn’t understand what’s going on. Zeke has invited him to lunch, being overly nice again.
‘ It is so great to have you here, Captain’ he cheers, filling his glass with expensive wine.
‘ The pleasure is mine’ Levi lifts the glass giving an impression of tasting the wine, in fact, it was a mere show, the same as Zeke’s.
He patiently waits for Zeke to move to the real purpose of the meeting. All his fussing about current affairs or falling economics is a mere veil, a bait to put Levi’s guard down.
‘ Captain, I appreciate your opinion, tell me please, shall I give you your own squad?’
‘ I do not think I can be in charge of a big group. I am more efficient working in a small squad. It is easier to navigate, don’t you think?’ Levi knows how inflated Zeke’s ego is. Careful to choose the words he continues:
‘ The war is getting more dangerous, more serious. A lot is placed at stakes. I bet the internal security and peace is as important as fierce military out there’
‘ Yes, Captain, so what do you think, who shall I leave here to oversee the country?’
‘ It is up to you, general’ he leans back keeping his cool
‘ What if I suggest you? Will you be happy? Zeke gulps the wine and takes a bite of meat.
‘I am happy as long as I serve my country’ the well reversed, well learned phrase has saved him more times than his weapon did.
‘ Then, Captain, you will stay here. You are disciplined, sufficiently merciless to put the strikes down, you are not clouded by the desire of power. However’ Zeke’s finger circles the rim of the glass ‘ I see you are quite infatuated by a certain woman’
Damn, the observant fucker suspects something
‘ Hange has got so sad when I told her I want you to join me on the battlefield. I know she hates our rendezvous but she never showed true emotion till now. I am impressed, Captain.’
What should I do ? How to act?
‘ Don’t worry, I am not saying you can’t have an affair. As long as the lust doesn’t cloud your vision. Don’t forget, duty comes first’
Levi’s life gets hard, really hard. To add to mood swings, sudden breakdowns and fatigue, Hange stops eating properly since whatever she puts inside her mouth (and sometimes it is not only food or drinks) she throws everything up.
‘ Four eyes, go to the doctor. It seems to be serious’ He insists which only leads to worse mood and more fights
‘ Don’t you dare to dictate what I need, Ackerman. Just because we are fucking doesn’t mean you can act as if you know my body better than me’ In fact, he does. He will never forget the mole just below her belly button or the ticklish point on her calves, or how many minutes it takes until she cums on his fingers. But Levi doesn’t want to agitate her even more so he keeps silent.
Soon all pieces are put together: Hange is pregnant.
He doesn’t know how to react, should he be happy for her or should he be sad or angry? She doesn’t reveal the father getting away with some shitty excuses. ‘ Ah, he is living in another city’ ‘ We’re friends’ ‘ We can get engaged maybe soon’. He doesn’t press it too much, guessing it is Zeke’s child. It is certainly not his since they used protection most of the time. And he doesn’t believe Hange can sleep around with random men.
How many secrets do you have, Hange Zoe?
Nine months passed in a blink of an eye. Zeke charged ahead with all his forces. That brought peace to their life. Levi kept looking after the lab as well as managing the administrative work. He worked all day but still managed to find time to cater to Hange. Sometimes, her food craving got upright crazy, but he was patient and fulfilled her wishes.
And in mid-June, the day he dreaded came.
‘ Captain, Dr.Zoe is in labor ' Moblit, her trusted assistant, rushes to inform him.
Although he is not the father, still he feels responsible to Hange and her child. Even if the baby is going to be a striking copy of Zeke, Levi will not leave them.
‘ Push, Dr.Zoe, push!’ Hange is screaming, her face and the pillow sheets drenched in sweat and tears.
‘I can’t. I can’t!’
‘Hange, get yourself together’ The midwife shoots a gloomy stare at Levi for shouting at a woman in labor.
‘ It hurts. It fucking hurts’
‘I know but you need to do that. For the baby, Hange, be strong for the baby’
‘ It is almost here’ midwife’s sentence encourages Hange to push harder.
And the cries of the baby fills the room.
‘ A healthy boy, congratulations’ she places the crying child on her mother’s chest.
‘ Welcome, baby’ Hange cries, kissing her son’s forehead, fingers brushing the tuft of brown locks.
Wait brown?!
Levi thinks the stress is making him hallucinate so he comes closer and takes a look at the baby: no way he is mistaken. A beautiful boy with locks of darker shades than his mother’s, crooked nose and pink pouty lips is snorting.
There is nothing that remotely resembles Zeke. Then who the hell is the father?
‘Hange, you okay?’
‘ I am tired as fuck, but I am ok. More than ok’ she tenderly places the bundle on the cribble ‘My angel is here’
The midwife gives Hange a crash course on baby nurturing, starting from breastfeeding. Levi watches her expression changing from curious to anxious to scared within several minutes. He can tell her mind is racing with so many questions and fears.
Will I take good care of him? Will I do everything right? Will I ever be a good mother?
When the midwife finishes educating, or rather scaring the shit out of Hange, he comes closer to her. She is holding the baby, one hand slipping the gown halfway and exposing her breast ready to feed the boy.
Levi can’t help but look at how big her boobs got. He wonders whether he will ever touch them again.
If Zeke is not the father, does that mean she has another lover?
He doesn’t want to discuss it now, just letting a mom and a baby bond.
Or so he hoped.
Someone frantically calls for him
‘ Captain, please open the door. It is urgent’ Moblit shouts and it scares Hange off.
‘ Don’t move, I’ll go’ he opens the door just enough to see Moblit’s face but not too wide to expose Hange. Another man should certainly not be a witness of her half-naked state.
‘ What happened?’
‘General Yeager, he is dead and’ Moblit is shaking so hard he barely forms coherent phrases. ‘ His men are looking for Dr.Zoe. They announced her as a traitor’
For the first time, Humanity's strongest soldier feels real fear.