Hange Zoe Short Story Collection

Yellow (Part 7)

"I drew a line, I drew a line for you...what a thing to do and it was all yellow"

The months went by faster than anticipated, and there was a new discovery almost every day. The revelation of titans within the walls became a well-known and puzzling topic for Hange. Try as they might, they couldn't get a word out of Pastor Nick. (Y/N) remained by their side as much as she could, supporting them through their research along with their mission to figure out the truth. Even through the trialing times, Hange still maintained their lighthearted demeanor towards their comrades. Although, (Y/N) had gotten to learn more about their anger as well, and it was definitely not something she would want to be on the receiving end for.

Things only got rougher as time went by, and soon the scouts became targeted by the military police. The discovery of the true identities of the armored and colossal titan along with the discovery that titans were once humans caused many of the survey corps members to question the universe they lived in. Hange, although acting unperturbed in front of everyone else, was quite affected by that knowledge. The gruesome experiments their captured titans had gone through, the titans they had slain...they were all human?

"You didn't know," (Y/N) said softly, placing a hand on their shoulder. "You're not a bad person, Section Commander."

Hange looked up from their desk, looking at (Y/N) with a startled expression. They had been writing in their journal, jotting down a new idea for an anti-titan invention that would help with future combat.

"(Y/N)..." Hange trailed off. While they had been thinking about that, Hange hadn't thought that (Y/N) would have been able to read their expression. "Thank you, dear. I've really appreciated all of your support these past few months, you and Moblit have definitely kept me sane for this long."

"I should probably thank you," (Y/N) stared down at Hange. As time passed, (Y/N) found that being in Hange's company kept her still. It sounded strange, but every time she was around them, all of her anxious thoughts and buzzes of anticipation grew quiet. Every time she stared into their eyes, she felt peaceful.

"Why is that?" Hange smiled, leaning back in their chair.

"For inviting me onto your squad and giving me the position of your assistant," (Y/N) admitted. While she was still subjected to the occasional nightmare and thought of self-deprecation, Hange's presence had allowed her to know what calm felt like. In the desolate world she lived in, Hange had quickly become her lifebuoy, the thing that kept her afloat amidst the dark murky sea.

"There's no need to thank me," Hange stretched as they got up. "I love having you around. Now, why don't we begin with the blueprints for the thunder spear designs? We've got a lot to cover tonight!"

~~~~~

Even more days went by, and it seemed as if things were just getting worse. (Y/N) could tell that it was causing Hange's bright demeanor to falter. Dealing with the military police was exhausting, and she could tell by their slumped shoulders that they were getting tired. It wasn't quite obvious to the rest of the squad, but to (Y/N), a person who had relied on Hange's radiant personality, it was very prominent.

(Y/N) walked down the dim stairway, pondering about ways she could help Hange. They had down quite a lot to help her get over her fear, the least she could do was help ease their stress. A loud crash sounded from a room nearby and (Y/N) hurried to see the source of the noise. Her eyes widened when she realized it was Hange. She entered the room tentatively, eying the upturned table.

"Section Commander?" (Y/N) asked quietly, watching as Hange rubbed at their temples.

"There was...there was a cockroach," Hange attempted to smile.