Hange had grown rather fond of Lucy and her daughter, Sasha. The three of them had easily become friends, as well as the other staff working in the bakery. Often, she saw Lucy as a mother figure and Sasha as her little sister. They had a good thing going, and she found she could finally grow into her new future.

"Here're your bagels ma'am...and here's your change," she said, as she struggled to pick up the flat coin from the counter, then placed it in the woman's hand.

"Thank you," the woman said flashing a polite smile, Hange reciprocating it.

She sighed, after a long shift, collapsing onto a bench in front of her locker. She undone a few buttons on the top of her shirt and wiped sweat from her brow, then stuffed her apron into the locker.
"Hange, could you grab last month's sales files from the cabinet in my office?"
"Sure, Lucy-san."

Sasha, munching on a cinnamon bun climbed yanked Hange's ponytail affectionately and smiled.
"Sasha!"
"It's fine Lucy-san," she strained, transferring the toddler into her arms.

The brunette softly opened the cabinet and fumbled through the files, then stopped, when her eyes laid on "Lucy and Arthur". But that wasn't the name of her husband - he was Eric.
Hange had clever ears.

A high-school romance maybe? A first love?

Her insides turned, as she hesitantly reached for the album. She looked around at her surroundings and peeked around the door, then bravely flicked to the first page.
Pictures of a young Lucy, next to a man with ashy hair - someone who shared a similar grin to Hange. At least she wasn't alone in her love of smiling.

She flicked to the next page, her heart stopping as her eyes laid on a picture...of a young girl in Arthur's arms. And the girl was oh too recognisable.

It was Hange. 

With a smile painted on her face and short hair spiking out in all directions.

She clasped her hand over her mouth, tears brimming at her eyes. Hange followed her gaze to another picture on the second page, but in this one...she was in the hospital, Arthur in the bed, while Lucy sat on a seat near it and held a small, chubby Hange in her lap. She clenched her jaw, tears threatening to fall with every second.

"Hange? Did you get that fi-
Lucy saw Hange slouched against the cabinets, shaking with the album in her hands.
"Y-you lied..."
"Hange, I can explain-

Hange closed the album and chucked it back into the cabinet, which slammed as she stormed off. Wiping her tears harshly as she walked out of the building, she heard a hint of desperation in Lucy's voice, who shouted after her.
"Hange, wait!" Lucy shouted, following her out into the street, Sasha waddling behind her, scratching the side of her head.

Hange picked up her pace and ran, the rain starting to pellet her with every step. But she didn't care. Her hair had begun to stick to her face, her clothes soaked and clinging to her skin, her tears moulded with the puddles beneath her.

And her mind? A mess. All questions. Thought after thought piling up and yet she didn't want to hear anything Lucy had to say. Why should she?
She stopped at the bus stop, gasping for air as she tried to forget her whimpers.

Erwin, driving down the street, had noticed his friend at the bus stop and she didn't look so well at all. He parked his car, then dashed over to Hange, pulling his hood over his gelled golden locks.
"Hange?"
She looked up, her glasses full of steam and droplets, then quickly went to wipe her tears.

"Hi Erwin," her voice hoarse.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"Can I give you a ride home?"
"Sure."

She climbed into his car, completely drenched, then took off her glasses and wiped them on the hem of her jacket. Erwin looked over at her, seeing her eyes red as she sniffled.
He didn't want to pry, because she clearly didn't want to talk, so he got the car running and drove her to her apartment complex.

They pulled up in the car park, Hange giving him an empty "thank you" as she got out.
"Take care of yourself, Hange," he said kindly, in an attempt to reassure her, then drove away although still concerned about his friend.

Levi was waiting at the entrance of the complex, arms folded looking very angry.

"Four-eyes where were you?! Do you know how worried I got?! I tried to call your workplace, but your boss was crying so hard that I thought something happened to you! What the fuck do you have to say for yourself?"

Hange couldn't talk, barely being able to breathe. Suffocated by the things she'd just seen, by her thoughts. She collapsed to the ground, in aggressive sobs, Levi's slate blue eyes widening at the sight before him. He had never seen her cry. Ever.
"H-Hange...what's wrong?" he said, crouching down to her level.

But she didn't respond, simply continued to bawl. She held onto his shirt tightly and nuzzled into his collarbone, wetting his shirt. Although hesitant to do so, for he didn't like affectionate contact, he gripped her by her shoulders and slowly brought her into his embrace.

'What happened?'

When she had composed herself, the two of them headed up to their apartment and Levi made some tea after telling Hange to go and freshen up in the bathroom. She obliged, still having not said a word about why she was crying. He handed her a teacup and threw a blanket over her shoulders, Nike peacefully resting by her left side on the sofa.

Levi perched himself beside her and grasped his mug almost anxiously, as he glanced at Hange who he could tell was spacing out.

"I'm not an orphan."
"What?"
"My mum is alive," she remarked, staring blankly at the wall.

Levi put down his tea and faced her. She slowly turned to him, her eyes red, her glasses off. She told him everything. The album. Lucy. Everything that had hurt her so much to see. Levi listened to everything she said, word for word.

"Are you..." he cleared his throat. "Are you gonna go live with her?" he said, a tone of sadness laced in his voice.
"Are you insane?! Of course not. I don't even wanna see her face again. I'd...rather be an orphan."
"You don't mean that."
"You're....you're right. Maybe I am a bit curious about everything, but I don't know if I can handle whatever the truth is. I just....I wanna stay here...with you," she said, leaning her head on his shoulder, her fingertips circling with the warmth her mug radiated.
"You don't have to go back there. I'll just get a job, if you quit yours," he suggested, moving the strands that framed her face out of the way so he could see her eyes. She made a noise, expressing agreement, as she yawned and curled up against Levi's side.

'Of all times to feel this way, you choose now?' Levi thought inwardly, Hange rested against him.

He didn't think, it just happened, but he brushed his thumb against her nose and rested their foreheads against each other for a bit. She gave him a broken smile, her eyes slightly opening.

"You know I can't see shit without my glasses."
"Good. Go to sleep," he ordered, taking her half-drank tea and drinking it himself - in his defence, he wasn't letting a good cuppa go to waste. 

Levi, who was still wide awake, carried Hange's sleeping form to his bedroom, while he climbed in next to her and faced the opposite side, his mind racing with all sorts of thoughts, but the one that kept him awake the whole night was none other than he had expected.

'Four-eyes...I think...I'm starting to like you...and it's pretty fucking painful...'