Chapter Text
Hange didn’t know how they got here.
All they remember is burning to death when they faced the colossal titans, Levi, as always, in their mind as their light faded from existence.
Hange thought that was how their story ended.
It was supposed to be the end. They saw Moblit, Erwin, Mike, Nanaba and the scouts in the afterlife, wherever that was, and when their beloved friend offered his hands towards them, they accepted, the pain and grief all of a sudden washed away. Nothing mattered anymore, except to be with their loved ones.
Were they so wrong.
There used to be good things. A bed in the castle which they sometime share with Levi, the light passing through their window, the flutter of their cloak in the wind, the voices of the Scouts they chose to devote their life and heart to.
So it was a no brainer, to choose to sacrifice theirself for the flying boat. After all, wasn’t that their purpose? Wasn’t that the reason they lived for so long, to buy time when it mattered the most?
Everything’s so foggy lately, but Hange's brain was prized as one of the most important treasures at home — or Paradis, as they were called — so they try to think.
Think, how did they get here?
Think,
Think.
How did it all lead up to this?
They try not to hyperventilate in ther chains, the shackles tied to their hands and feet, limiting their movements within the small prison that is disguised as a deranged man’s cottagecore fantasy bullshit.
Levi keeps calling their attention, four-eyes, shitty-glasses, or just plain Hange, but they couldn't stop the tremors in their whole body, and they couldn't think, they couldn't think straight.
Hange believes that died with them, when they fell in the ocean in Odiha.
“I’m home,” Zeke Yeager calls in a sing-song voice, and Hange has never been more utterly terrified.
“Hi, honey, how’s your day?” Zeke sets down his briefcase on the dining table.
“Horrible.” Hange sneers. What did he expect, their trapped all day in this stupid cottage, no light, no windows, only one door, one of the two things they could never reach?
Hange thinks they're living in hell, a payment for all their sins, for living, surviving and failing.
“Don’t say that,” Zeke says, “You didn’t touch the food Yelena left for you, that’s unfortunate. It’s the best cuisine in Hizuru, I thought Humanity’s Smartest had taste?”
“Not anymore.” Hange tries to stop the panic taking a hold of them. “Maybe if you take off these chains, I’ll think about it.”
Zeke turns to them with the most shit-eating grin possible and sits down on the bed. “And let you escape as you stab me with any object that’s available? Why, we both know that’s not an option.”
“And besides,” He inches closer towards them, and Hange keeps moving until their back reaches the headboard. Fuck. He strokes their cheek. “I like you this way.”
Hange slaps his hand away, and with intense hatred in their eyes — “Get the fuck away from me.”
Zeke just laughs. “You’ll learn to love me too, Hange Zoe. There’s nothing left for you. Not Eren and your Scouts, not your Commander position, not even your achievements, or humanity’s memory of you. There is nothing left of your existence, except me, and only me. We don’t want anything to happen to your dear Captain, would you?”
Levi is in a prison beside their bed, shouting profanities wordlessly, banging the plexiglass. Aside from the metal bars, glass separates them forcing Levi to hear them, but not hear him. In a twisted way, it’s the perfect punishment for someone as outspoken as him, who like Hange, uses his words like how he uses his blades.
Too bad it cannot help either of them.
“Why are you even doing this?” Hange widens their eyes. “You’ve won. Marley is extinguished, the Eldians are euthanized. How did you even manage to resurrect me? What’s all this for? Just let us go, Zeke. We can’t pose a threat to you.”
Zeke pauses. “You’re not just a threat to me.” He starts caressing their arm. “Do you ever feel how the world is at your fingertips, everyone following your every move, and well, you got everything you wish for and aimed for, but you’re still not happy? Still not content? I saved the Eldian people, but who will save me? What do I live for now?”
Zeke looks at them genuinely, and it scares them. “Then I found you, washed away by the shore. I remembered all those times we talked until night, of plans and of our burdens as leaders of our respective countries. Two opposing foes, but united. I want you. I want what you have with Levi, Zoe. I will take you from him, as long as it takes.”
Hange shakes their unruly head and immediately removes their hand from his. They have not taken a bath in weeks, only what was necessary. They tried to make themselves disgusting as possible, tried to look emancipated by not eating, tried to look pathetic by not combing their hair and trying out the ridiculous amounts of dresses and clothes and coats he bought for them, but to no avail. Zeke Yeager is either fucking with them and Levi here, or he is actually in love with them and obsessed with beating his rival, and both scenarios can’t be good.
Besides, what he’s saying cannot be true.
Hange died. They know that for a fact, at least. They know how the ocean works, they cannot be washed away to any shore as Zeke claims, as their body would have been trampled, eaten away by the various ocean creatures, or sunk to the depths of the ocean and destroyed with pressure.
Then how are they alive right now? Living, breathing, feeling, their very much alive body subject to this torture and imprisonment and —
— violation.
Hange wishes they were dead, instead of rotting in this hellhole. They wish they were dead again, back with Erwin and the others, exploring the afterlife and eternal happiness. Instead, they were stolen away, the very last thing they remember is Moblit’s outreached hand towards them.
“We will find a way to escape you, motherfucker.” Hange threatens and seethes. “Those times we spent together were torturous and I only did that because of our alliance. If I just knew I would have slit your throat. You will rot in hell and you’ll never have what we have because we’re not as heartless, cold, and pathetic like you. We don’t imprison each other in a cage and call that love. You are a miserable human being, I pity you and I would just like to remind you, despite all the things you did to me you don’t fucking own me and you never will.”
Zeke grabs their arm tight enough to bruise. “Oh but my Zoe, I already do.”
A mouth is on their mouth.
Hange struggles, but then he pins their arms with his heavy frame and keeps on kissing them, putting himself on top. Levi keeps banging the plexiglass, but as always, he can only watch helplessly.
Zeke immediately pulls away as blood dribbles down his chin.
“Do you think I like doing this?” He pulls out a handkerchief and wipes the blood like a pompous asshole. “Do you think I like forcing you? I want you to do it out of your own free will, darling.”
Small victories, Hange. Small victories. They spit on him.
Zeke sighs and gets out of the bed. “Here I thought after three months, you’d be more willing. Well, I need to go and meet with Eren.”
Hange freezes. It’s been three months? They've been imprisoned here for three months?
He kisses their forehead tenderly. They wipe it off with the sleeve of their dress shirt.
Zeke frowns then shrugs. He grabs his briefcase and heads out the door, looking at Levi with disgust. Then his gaze lands on them.
“I’ll be right back.”
He always is.
“What do we do,” Levi asks, defeated. He has spent days upon days trying to dig through the cell, but he only damaged a small enough hole to transmit his voice. They keep this from Zeke, who will only beat him more if he knew.
“I can’t keep watching, four-eyes. I’m losing my mind whenever he touches you and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“What do you think I feel?” They snap. "I feel... disgusting. What I would give to be back in the barracks, to be anywhere than here.”
“Sorry.” He grumbles. “We shouldn’t have left you in the ocean. I...if I only knew, I would have sacrificed myself instead.”
Here they were again. “Levi, I don’t regret it. You know what I’m mad about? You are not telling me what happened that day.”
He looks away. “You wouldn’t want to know, shitty-glasses.”
They raise their voice. “How am I supposed to react if I don’t know?”
He stares at their golden irises. “Do you promise not to feel worthless, not feel as if your death was for nothing if you knew, Hange?”
“I — “ Hange cannot speak. No, they cannot promise that.
Levi softens. “I thought so.”
There are bruises blooming on his face and arms. Levi could beat Zeke in hand to hand combat anytime, but Hange is always used as leverage the same way Zeke uses Levi for them. Plus, he’s not been eating, the both of them aren’t, how are they supposed to escape from this if they have no more strength left to give?
Still, Levi presses his hand against the glass, and Hange does the same, parallel to his.
Despite everything, they are still together.