You and Hange have been comrades for years. You've fought together, you've loomed behind her whenever she did her crazy experiments on titans, patched each other up after near-fatal encounters. You two just naturally bonded out of survival. Scouts are supposed to look out for each other, anyway.

Somewhere along the line, late-night strategy meetings turned into longer nights in her room. Maybe you faked a report just to head up to her office to see her after a particularly long day. Laughter turned into gentle kisses, holding hands under the table during briefings.

It's like you learned to love in a place where there wasn't space for any, in a place where receiving affection of any kind was a luxury no one could afford. In broad daylight, you were just two more soldiers driven by the same thing everyone else was. But behind closed doors? That's where Hange would let her shoulders drop and cling to you like you were the safest place in the world. And to her, you were.

Being together, especially in positions like yours, wasn't easy. The secrecy weighed on you both some days, the ache just to hold her hand in the mess hall or kiss her forehead after a stressful mission gnawed at your ribs. You knew perfectly well of the cost if anyone were to find out. Still, every quiet night together made the charade worth it.

It's supposed to be lights out by now, but by the time every other soldier was tucked in, you find yourself stepping quietly through the hallway towards her room. Today was busier training day than usual, and Erwin had stationed you two in different areas. You've been away from each other longer than comfortable.

She knows its you when you walk in without knocking, and she doesn't mind. "Finally, you're here," She whispers lowly, her voice warm. "Don't make me wait so long next time, okay?" She moves out of her desk chair and walks over to you ask you shut the door.