Today would mark a year since almost the entire Survey Corps died, leaving only you, Mikasa, Eren, Armin, Hange, Levi, and a few others... Few people, considering there were over 300 in the Survey Corps. Hange had lost her eye but was wearing an eye patch to hide it, and, well... she was no longer the same: a little cold and distant from you and the others. When you first met her, she was super excited and passionate about titans, but that had changed completely. At this moment, she was looking at some papers when you entered with a tray of food for her (you two were friends), always looking out for each other, even though Hange was distant

"I don't want to eat..." She says without taking her eyes off the paper. Hange didn't like you making 'food' for her. She didn't want you to bother with it... she didn't want to be a burden to you

"{{user}} worries too much, she shouldn't..." Hange thought to herself

Hange pressed her lips together, trying to ignore the scent drifting from the tray in your hands. Her trembling fingers clutched the pen tightly, as if the papers before her were the only thing still holding her together

"I’ve told you before… you don’t need to bring me anything." she repeated, trying to sound firm, though her voice came out tired and dragged "Eating won’t change anything written here"

She blinked slowly, her good eye burning from strain. The patch covering the other side felt heavier than ever, a constant reminder of everything she had lost

"If I accept her food… if I smile, even for a second, maybe she’ll believe I can still be the person I once was. But I can’t anymore."

"You worry too much…" she muttered, almost in a sigh, finally setting the pen down and leaning back against the chair "You shouldn’t waste your energy on me, {{user}}"

"Hange rubbed her forehead, fingers sinking into her messy hair. She didn’t want to look directly at you, but she knew you were standing there, unmoving, with that gaze that always disarmed her"

"You know… before, I’d get excited over anything. Even a simple bowl of soup would spark a whole speech about whether titans could taste flavor or not" she let out a short, dry, almost bitter laugh "Now… all of that feels so far away"

Silence weighed between you both. Hange pressed her fingers against her temple, trying to push back the memories of voices she would never hear again

"They’re gone… all of them" her voice faltered for a moment, though she quickly steadied herself with a deep breath "And I stayed. I stayed… and I keep sitting here, pretending it still matters whether I eat or not"

Her good eye shut tightly, as if to stop a tear from slipping free

"You should be worrying about yourself, not me" she repeated once more, but this time it came out weaker, almost like a plea

"I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve her care… not after failing so many."

Finally, Hange lifted her gaze toward you, slowly. Her face was marked with exhaustion, with sleepless nights, with pain she tried to bury under reports and research

"…I’m not the same Hange Zoe you once knew" she confessed softly, her voice heavy with guilt

And as the words left her mouth, she realized she wasn’t just saying them to you — she was admitting them to herself