Chapter Text
Hange sat perched on the bench outside their house, watching the waves bite at the wooden pier. As usual, they woke up earlier than you, deciding to leave you asleep and take some time to themself outside. They dragged the cigarette out of their mouth, watching the cloudy smoke evaporate into the sky. They sighed, leaning their head back onto the window. They smiled at the thought of you laying only feet away from them. Something about it felt so domestic, and it comforted them more than they could put into words. Last night- though they'll never tell you- they dreamt of the future they could have with you.
A golden band adorning your finger, waking up beside you every morning. Hey, maybe even a kid or two. They shook their head, blush decorating their cheeks. They have to remind themself it’s too early, that they shouldn’t get their hopes so high. But also... they could picture it, so easily. You were their soulmate, they were sure of that.
They heard the front door open. You stumble out, rubbing your eyes as the morning sun blinded you.
"I thought it was going to rain today." You speak, smiling as they turn to look at you. "Well, it is the season." They reply, tilting their head at you with a bright smile. Today was April 19th. The shop was set to officially reopen next week. "It's still early and cold. Do you want to head back in?" They question as you plop down beside them, your eyes slowly opening to watch the sun dance on the sea. "Mm, I'm okay." You speak, pulling the sleeves of your sweater down to cover your hands.
Hange laughed, their breath visible in the morning air. "I'm sorry about last night." You murmur, your eyes flicking over to Bean and Sawney, who seemed to be play fighting over a chew toy. "What was that?" They tease, nudging your side. "I won't say it again." You scoff at their obvious act. "I know, me too." They sigh out, crushing their cigarette in the marble ashtray that was placed between the two of you. They run their hand over the scar that now decorated the left side of their face. "I think I'm going to stop wearing the patch." They say with a serious, thoughtful expression. Your eyebrows lift in confusion and a bit of shock. "Hmm? Why's that?" You question, holding yourself back from touching the scar yourself. "I think it'll be a good way to pick people up? Don't you think?" They laugh as they watch your face contort in annoyance at their joke. "Get over yourself, Hange."
-
"Wow, your eyes are sooo cool." The waitress is perched on the edge of the table, her chest on display as she leans close up to Hange’s face to observe their scar. It seems that the joke they made turned out to be more serious than they had hoped. "Aha, thanks." They say dryly, slowly bringing the mug of coffee up to their lips. "Can we order now?" You say in a snappy tone, aggravation laced in your tone. "Yep, sorry." She says with a chuckle as she stands back up. You stole a glance at her nametag. 'Nifa.' You'd remember her.
You and Hange decided to take a trip to the diner before work. Usually, Hange would be the one cooking for the two of you. However, in their words, they couldn't be bothered to do it today. The waitress tucks a strand of red hair behind her ear, her eyes still trained on Hange as she replies to you. You cough. "French toast, please." You reply curtly, slumping back into the seat. Your eyes squint at Nifa, as if judging her from the inside out. None of this goes unnoticed by Hange, they take note of your jealousy. "I'll have the same as my partner, please." They speak in a warm tone, sending a sweet smile your way as they drop the menu back onto the table.
Nifa straightens up, a disappointed pout forming on her lips. "Right away." She states before trotting off behind the counter. You clicked your tongue quietly, your expression still slightly sour. "Someone jealous?" Hange teases, nudging your foot with their own under the table. "Me? No. No way. Do whatever you want, it’s not my business." Your cheeks puff out as you glance outside the window towards the rows of cars parked outside. "Alright, lovely." They say, deciding to drop the conversation. They knew they shouldn’t tease you further, unless they wanted to deal with your attitude as well. "Let’s eat quick and get out of here. We have a lot of shit to do today." You say, irritation dying down only slightly as you shrug your coat off.
-
Hange stands on the ladder as you watch them closely as they screw on the bulb to the pendant light. "Okay, go switch it on." They say, smiling back at you. You grin back, running over to the lightswitch near the door excitedly before flicking it on. The shop lights up with a warm glow. Hange grunts as they hop down, pushing up their sleeves. Even amidst your excitement, you find the time to admire the display of their toned forearms. "Thank you, thank you!" You squeal happily, running up to them and tossing your arms around their neck, planting a chaste kiss on their cheek.
"It's only a light." They giggle, watching you stare up at it in awe. Their eyes trail down to your lips, bitten between your teeth in excitement. Their own lips part slightly as they start to admire you. "What would I do without you, Hange?" You question, your head tilting as you stare into their eyes. "Hire an electrician, probably. You could do anything with or without me. You’re amazing." They smile, watching your face redden in embarrassment. "That's enough. Quit teasing." You mumble, pushing their chest. "I'm not." They answer with sincerity. "Look at you, what you've done." They gesture to the building around you. "You coming here has changed so much." They whispered, leaning closer to you. You start to lean in, your eyes staring down at Hange’s chapped lips.
"Hey! Sorry I'm late." The door swung open and in came Pieck, stacks of papers in her hands. You both jumped. Hange flew backwards, their head hitting into the ladder behind them. You rush forward, hands flying to their shoulders as you inspect the back of their head as they rub it. "You scared me!" They shout, Pieck’s mouth hangs open. "I'm so sorry!" Pieck cries out, dropping the papers on the counter as she rushes towards you and Hange. You break out in laughter, Pieck joining soon after. Hange scoffs, practically pouting as they avert their eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Very funny." They grunt as they watch the two of you laugh.
They break out in a chuckle soon after.
You sigh, moving around Pieck toward the bookshelves, still smiling as the laughter dies down. You can’t help but hear Hange’s words ringing in your head. 'You coming has changed so much.' What could that actually mean? Your thoughts trail off, imagining what would've happened if Pieck didn’t burst in at that moment. A blush creeps onto your face as you imagine different scenarios.
-
The clock on the wall read '6:47.' Pieck had already left for the day. You stood behind the counter, rubbing down the surface with polish. Hange stands in front of you, a nail between their teeth as they hammer another frame to the green walls. You smile, your mind trailing off to how Petra would’ve reacted to this; You moving in and taking over her shop. The potential start of a relationship with the one and only Hange Zoe.
"Next week, huh?" A voice startles you out of your thoughts. Hange was suddenly next to you, dragging their glasses back down to rest on their nose. "Hmm, yeah." You spoke, dropping the cloth back down on the counter. "I'll miss you not being here as much." You say softly, leaning your elbows on the counter to look up at them. "I'll only be a few blocks away." They chuckle. Once the shop is open, you and Hange will part ways. In a work related sense, that is. "But you'll be there when I come home, right?" They ask, reaching out their hand to place it at the base of your neck.
You lean into their touch for a moment before nodding. "We need to go shopping, the fridge’s empty." You state, walking around the counter to grab your jacket off of a chair. "Yeah, right." They agree, running into the back of the shop and emerging with their coat, their hand fishing through their pockets. "How much have you got?" You ask, grabbing your wallet and hastily searching through it. "Thirty... Thirtyyy Five! Thirty Five." They reply, holding up the bills. "Great! I’ve got forty. Let’s go." You say, holding out your hand. Hange reaches out to wrap their warm hand around yours before heading out of the shop.
-
Hange leans on the handlebars of the cart; Hand in a packet of chips, every so often lifting it to bring them into their mouth. You scan the shelves as they watch you closely. "What shampoo do you get again? White or green?" You question. "Green." You answer the question yourself before they could. The green bottle read 'rosemary,' something Hange always seems to smell like. "You use coconut!" They exclaim proudly. "Correct." You grin, chucking the bottle into the metal cart.
You smile, dragging the front of the cart along as you continue to look up and down the aisle. "Oh! I just remembered." They pull the cart to a stop, leaning their hand to grab around another bottle of Dr. Pepper. "Hange, we have two of those at home already." You scold, your arms crossed as you look at them. "Yeah, two little cans, Y/n..." They whine, rolling their eyes. You roll your own eyes, watching them turn the corner into the other aisle. Their brown hair could be seen slightly over the shelves.
-
You stop the car, turning off the engine as Hange groans next to you. They stretch their limbs, having fallen asleep on the way home. You hop out, breathing in the salty air as your eyes fall onto Sawney and Bean, scratching at the door from the sound of the car pulling up. You walked around to where Hange was, attempting to lift four full bags at once, pausing to rub their eye with their free hand before walking towards the door. You turned back to the trunk, only to find it empty. Hange had, of course, taken all the bags. You tut, shutting the trunk and locking the car.
Hange stands on the porch, their mouth open in a yawn. You walk towards them, placing your hand in their pocket to fish for the keys. They smile widely, holding back an inappropriate joke. You turn and unlock the door; walking into the familiar hallway. They trail in after, laughing as Bean jumps up onto them. You walked into the kitchen, switching on the light and grabbing a bag from Hange’s hand to place it on the counter. You already start to unpack it, knowing that if you don’t, Hange would leave them in the bags on the countertop.
"Hey, I want to talk to you." They speak, placing the other bags down, moving to give you space as you organize the groceries. "Go ahead." You reply, hearing the chair scrape on the floor as they sit down at the kitchen table. For some reason you start to feel your nerves biting away at you. The radio you'd left on hums in the background, the tune surrounding the both of you as you waited for them to speak up. "I know you said you needed time, y’know, to commit yourself fully." They started, quickly interjecting themself. "A-And I respect that! And I don't want you to rush into anything. Just hear me out, I don't need a response." They said, stuttering slightly from their own nerves.
You pause your organization, leaning on the counter to give them your full attention. "I am- unfortunately for you, maybe- very much in love with you." Your breath hitches as you feel your cheeks already heating up. You can feel the warmth creeping up your neck. Your knuckles turn white as you grab onto the stone countertop. "And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I'm not a teenager anymore. I’m not even a young adult. I’m getting older and I feel like you... you might be the one." They laugh breathily, taking their glasses off and placing them on the table.
"A part of me felt it the moment you walked in the day we first met, it just took me a long time to admit it." Your eyes start to prick with tears, one slipping out as you blink. You’re too overcome with emotion to wipe it away. "I really, really love you. And if you’re not ready to return that yet, I'll wait until you do." They finish, standing up and turning to leave the kitchen. "Wait, wait." You call out, walking closer to them.
They turned back around, smiling at you. When you watch them standing there like that, with their hair ruffled, glasses hanging from their fingers, their shirt hugging their broad shoulders; you want to kiss them. You hesitate as you walk up closer to them, your hands enveloping their face. "Me too, Hange." You whisper. "I want to stay here with you." You tell them, your eyes falling to your feet from shyness.
Without warning, you feel their lips on yours, one of their hands moving up from your waist to cup the back of your head. You kissed them back. Your hands move to cling onto the back of their shirt. You could feel them run their thumbs over your cheekbone. You cling to them as if they were the only thing grounding you. Your lips smile into theirs, one of your hands moving to tangle in their hair. You reluctantly pull back to stare into their eyes. "I love you too, Hange." You whisper, stroking their hair away from their face as their mouth hangs open in shock, their eyes frantically searching yours.
They lean back in, pulling your body closer this time. Their arms tighten around your waist as they drag the both of you out of the kitchen. You pull back, laughing as they stumble past Sawney and Bean. You dive back in with a giggle, holding onto their neck as they kick their bedroom door open, pulling you in before shutting it behind them.