#I keep thinking about Levi threatening to break hid legs just to make sure he doesn't risk his life in the shiganshina operation

[to-fangirl-or-not-to-fangirl]

Freedom

Levi watched her from a distance, jotting down notes as she yelled to him. Hange had dragged him out at dawn, begging him to go to the ocean with her. He'd agreed, if only to get away from the chaos of life for a day.

Despite her incessant begging, Levi stayed on the shore. Hange had grumbled and complained, but now she was knee-deep in the ocean, completely preoccupied. Levi was fine with that. He was perfectly comfortable on the beach, curled up beneath a tree with his cape over his lap like a blanket. He enjoyed watching her as she inspected every aspect of the ocean life. Levi hadn't seen Hange smile like that since she became commander; even if it included waking up before the sun, he was glad she'd dragged him out.

"Levi!" Hange stuck both her hands in the air, waving for his attention. "Come here!"

He rolled his eyes. "I'm good, thanks."

Water splashed around her legs as Hange made her way back to the shore. Levi set aside Hange's journal, pushing his cape off as well, just in time for Hange to stretch her wet hands down toward him.

"We had an agreement," he said.

"But I want to carry some of these rocks back and I need more hands!" Hange wiggled her fingers, like that would somehow change Levi's mind.

"Make trips," he replied, crossing his arms.

"Oh, don't be such a baby," Hange complained. "The water won't hurt you! It's just like that little lake in the woods! I mean, it's saltier, so I wouldn't recommend drinking it. . . . But still!"

Levi sighed. "You're not going to walk away, are you?"

"Not unless you're coming with me."

Exasperated, Levi accepted her hands, letting her haul him to his feet as she cheered victoriously.

The water was colder than Levi had expected, and Hange simply laughed as he jumped in surprise.

"You're evil," he stated.

"Last I heard, I was psychotic," Hange said. "Come on, it warms up quick enough."

Levi cupped his hands as Hange started to deposit shiny, colorful stones into his palms.

"Why do you want these?" he asked.

Hange was already leaving toward the shore with her own collection, and Levi scowled, trailing along behind her.

"They'd really brighten up headquarters, don't you think?" Hange asked, placing the stones in her saddle bag. "Everything's been so dreary lately. I think the kids would really like these."

Levi narrowed his eyes. "That's why? You made it sound so important. . . ."

Hange placed her hands on her hips. "High morale is important, Levi. We can't keep working the kids like veterans and not give them anything in return. Sure, these aren't much, but I'd much rather wake up to something sparkly than bare, empty walls. Wouldn't you?"

Levi held a single rock up to the sun, squinting. "I think it'd give me a headache."

Hange plucked the stone from his fingers, tossing it into the bag. "Okay, you can go back to your nap now." She ruffled his hair as she walked past, leaving him scowling behind her. "You know, I think I'm gonna go deeper."

Though he'd started stalking back to his spot, Levi froze. "Deeper?"

"Mhm!" Hange began unbuttoning her shirt. "I wanna see what's out there!"

"I don't think—"

"I'll be fine. I can swim." She dropped her shirt and pants with the rest of her stuff beside Levi. "You could always come."

Levi sat down, picking up her journal and flipping to the nearest blank page. "I'm good, thanks."

"Suit yourself." She settled her goggles over her eyes, tightening them as she made her way back to the ocean.

Honestly, Hange didn't mind if Levi wanted to spend the day tucked away in the shade. She'd only brought him with her because she knew, otherwise, he would've been working all day. He'd barely stopped working since the battle, always finding something new to focus on. He talked often about how Hange needed to take it easy, but Hange thought that was just the pot calling the kettle black. So, she dragged him out of his room and out to get some fresh air. She hadn't expected him to agree as quickly as he had, but she wasn't about to complain.

Levi watched her run toward the waves, disappearing beneath the surface the moment she could. Though it made his chest tighten, heart threatening to break free, he had to trust Hange. Instead of worrying, he flipped through her journal, scanning the words until his eyes ached, and he shut them for a brief moment.

He hadn't noticed his thoughts slipping away until they were gone completely, and he quickly opened his eyes, shaking the urge to sleep away. He squinted into the distance, barely making out Hange's form as she surfaced for a breath before diving back under. He scanned the horizon, searching for visible threats. He was sure most of the dangers of the ocean lurked beneath the waters, but he would do his part on the surface.

It was after his third time almost falling asleep that he decided to stand, stretching out limbs as if that would get rid of the exhaustion. He watched Hange's head appear, and an excited yelp carried through the wind before she dove back under in search of whatever she'd found. Levi shook his head, fighting a smile.

His eyes flickered to the side, catching a glimpse of something disappearing beneath the waves. He understood that it was nowhere near Hange, but he found himself moving closer to the waves anyway, staring at the spot the object had disappeared. A moment later, it showed itself again. A gray triangular shape, larger than Hange's head, had crossed half the distance between it and Hange in the moment it had gone beneath the waves.

Levi broke into a run, ignoring the chill of the waves. "Hange!" He yelled as loud as his voice would allow, and watched as she surfaced.

"Levi?" She frowned, looking around her. Instead of appearing afraid at the shape, Hange grinned, disappearing beneath the surface.

Of course, this was the woman who found entertainment in socializing with Titans. He really shouldn't have been surprised, but his mind didn't seem to want to cooperate as usual.

Hange surfaced a moment later with a howl. "Levi, you have to see this!"

"Hange, get over here!" He wasn't a strong swimmer, and just the feeling of the ground disappearing beneath his feet had his heart stopping. But he couldn’t leave Hange.

Hange obeyed, to her credit, and swam toward Levi, the creature behind her following.

"But it's so cool!" Hange said, looking over her shoulder. "You should see how many teeth it has!"

"Hange!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

The creature turned and swam away before Hange had even reached Levi, but she continued to swim toward him anyway. She recognized the urgency in his voice; she didn't want to push her luck.

"I'm okay, I'm fine," she insisted once they'd reached the shore. "But really, you should've seen it, Levi! I've never seen anything like it!"

"I don't care!" he said, and she frowned in offense, crossing her arms. "I don't care what it looked like! I told you it was a bad idea, but you never listen to me! You always let your curiosity get the best of you, and it's going to get you killed! What if I hadn't been here? What if—"

"Levi," Hange started, reaching out.

"Titans aren't our only threat anymore, and you need to understand that! I'm not always going to be here! You need to grow some common sense—"

"Levi." Hange clapped her hand over his shoulder, squeezing. "It's okay."

"It's not—"

As she frowned at him, expression holding that warm concern she showed when an expedition went wrong, Levi realized with a start that his vision wasn't blurry from anger.

"I know I can't always rely on you to save me," Hange said, cupping his cheek. "You have to focus on other things sometimes. I understand that. But I can take care of myself. Whatever that thing was, I don't think it wanted to hurt me. If I saw it as a threat, I would have done something. I promise." She tipped his face up, forcing him to meet her eyes. "I need you to trust me, Levi. Trust me with my own life, like you trust yourself."

He squeezed his eyes shut, and Hange felt his entire body going rigid. "I need you to be careful," Levi said softly. "I can't . . . I can't lose you, too."

Hange swept him into a hug, squeezing him close. His arms immediately found their way around her body, locking in—Hange couldn't let go, even if she wanted to. She gave him a moment to soak in the embrace, to process that she was safe and sound. She understood that sometimes the anxiety of losing someone close became so overwhelming that it was all one could think about. She'd spent countless nights with Levi, wide awake as they worried together about what the next day's expedition would bring. Since becoming commander, Hange had spent countless nights alone, staring at the ceiling and wondering what she would do if—when—she lost Levi. She understood exactly how he felt, as he hid his face against her neck, like she wouldn't be able to distinguish the difference between the drops of water from her hair and the drops from his eyes.

"I won't leave you," she promised after a moment. It wasn't a promise she could logically make, and they both knew that. Still, Hange continued. "When I die, I'll be taking you with me, rest assured." She received a short, sharp laugh in return, and she smiled, resting her cheek against his head. "I promise, I'll take care of myself. For you."

"Good."

After a moment longer, he pulled away, eyes downcast.

"Can we go home now?" he asked, and Hange laughed at the hope in his tone.

"Yeah," she said, shaking her head. "We can go home."

Hange longed to explore the ocean, to see what rested within and what lied beyond. There was a whole world past the dark waters. Humans would no longer be trapped within stone walls, but free to roam where they chose. If Hange could figure out how to brave the waters, they would have unlimited freedom.

At least, that's what she'd always thought. As she rode side by side with Levi, fingers intertwined between them, she wondered if she was wrong. A new world or not, Hange would always be free, so long as she had Levi at her side.

#levihan #levihan fanfiction #levi ackerman #hange zoe #snk #aot #hurt/comfort #shameless fluff #probably ooc #but i needed it in my life #levi needs a hug #so hanges gonna give it to him