My first AoT fanfic, starts as a hanji centric and then there is some Levihan at the end.

Also posted on Archive of our own.

It had been days since she had seen the light of day, she wondered how it Levi and the others had rescued Eren and Historia. On her way back to them after visiting Erwin and being named the new commander she was taken by the MP's along with Erwin when he was arrested. She has no idea where they'd taken Erwin as she had been left alone for the entirety of her time there.

Hanji hadn't spend her time just sitting around she had spent the first week or so trying to break out the cell but with what she had there was little she could do to escape. She tried to break the wall of the cell with the bed frame which she had some what took apart, she now no longer had a bed just a mattress.

"Zoe, get up you have been summoned." A voice said outside the door, Hanji stood to her feet and as the door opened ran at full speed out the door in an attempt to break free. She knocked the first MP down but was caught by two more who were standing behind the first. She kicked, she struggled to break free but to no avail, she was dragged down the corridor to a small room and strapped down to a chair. A man walked in to the room after she had been tied down, she'd never seen this man before and was getting concerned for Erwin safety.

"Let's cut to the chase Zoe where is Corporal Levi and the titan shifter?" The man asked with his back to her looking at something on a table against the wall. The room was silent Hanji wasn't going to say anything to him and he was waiting for an answer.

"Look we can make this easy or we can make this difficult just tell me where they are and where their going and both you and Erwin will be let go." He asked turning to face her, he talked calmly as if he was trying to gain her trust. Hanji stayed silent.

"Okay my dear have it your way." She was told right before a fist slammed into her check, at this point she realised the chair must have been bolted to the floor because she should have landed on the floor with the force of that punch. She sat there check throbbing with the taste copper beginning to make an appearance within her mouth nothing she wasn't used to. Hanji had received a lot worse whilst fighting outside the walls, so she stayed silent. Her silence got her a punch to her stomach, she leant forward and groaned who ever this person was they were strong but she was stronger.

"Where are they Zoe?" The man asked the calmness in his voice had faded a bit.

"Like hell I am going to tell you." Hanji growled out trying to keep her voice as steady as possible she liked to think that she done that fairly well considering she just made the man a lot angrier. There was another punch to her stomach worse than the first one but that didn't matter she was going to protect her Corps no matter what, even if it meant her death. She couldn't lose any more people and most defiantly not the MP's.

"When I ask a question I usually want get a response with answer fairly quickly. If you tell me where they are now no harm will befall them, Erwin or you. Only the ones who have committed crimes against the crown will be punished." She was told to which she laughed at, she didn't hold it in or try to hide it she laughed without control. It was hilarious to her that statement.

"Only the ones who have committed crimes" Hanji said in a low dangerous voice. " According to you lot they have all committed crimes against the crown and you will kill each and every one of them. Do you really take me for a fool; am I that stupid that you believe that that promise will make me tell you anything? I will die before I tell you where they are." By the end of it Hanji was screaming at the top lungs tears stung in her eyes.

Hanji was suddenly grabbed by the hair and her head was dragged back as far as it could go it hurt but she could deal with it.

"I do not appreciate being talked to like that" The man said with a smirk when suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. It took her a moment to realise that a knife had been dug just below her shoulder. "If you won't talk today maybe a few more days in isolation might loosen your tongue a bit."

With that 3 Mp's came back into the room undid the straps while restraining her and dragging her back to her cell. She was thrown to the floor onto the side that had taken the stab from the blade, and it hurt. She moved herself onto the mattress and laid down in hopes of falling into some form of sleep as long as she could pretend she wasn't here.

True to their word she was left alone in her cell for at least three days by herself the only time she caught a glimpse of anyone was when some shoved food and water into her cell. She was dragged through the corridor once again and once again was she still fighting the whole way there.

"So you still have a lot of fight left in you, we'll break that soon enough." The man told her "We have heard rumours of the group being in Trost does that sound right to you?"

Hanji made no comment.

"Because it doesn't sound right to me at all, now if I said I knew where they were a few days ago would you be inclined to tell then. Save us the chase and possibility of hurting them before they get the chance to defend themselves." Hanji chuckled as the question. "You should fear more for your own men than mine."

Than did get her another punch to the face, to Hanji's surprise she still hadn't lost any teeth yet but had hurt more than the last time he had punched her.

"I wonder what the reaction from your troops will be when we capture them that their commander was the one who told us where they were. What will they do to you?" He asked

"Why would they believe you?" Hanji growled

"They might not believe me but really how else would we have caught them?" The door slammed open a soldier came in

"Sir you are needed up stairs"

He sighed "Take Zoe back to her cell."

When Hanji awoke she was felt groggy and light headed she realised that her dinner must have been drugged. The room she was in was different to the one she was usually in there was another chair opposite her with the same straps to restrain someone. The door opened and he walked in looking smug.

"Sorry about dinner last night but we need to move you somewhere else for today. We're going to have someone else to join us today."

The door opened and a group of MP's were dragging in some else, they placed them on the chair and did up the restrains. The group stood in front of the other person blocking Hanji's view of whoever it was at first but then moved Hanji was in shock. It couldn't be, how did this happen, why, it shouldn't be like this. There in the chair across from her was Erwin battered and beaten, blooding dribbling from the side of his mouth, bruises covering his face in horrible shades of purple, green, red and blue. Erwin looked horrible just what had they done to him she had to wonder but not for long. Out the blue came a knife to her throat, it was being held there digging in slightly just enough to draw blood. Erwin's eyes widened as he watched his former major's blood trickle in a small stream down her neck.

"Since neither of you have been very cooperative let's see if this works any better. Here's the deal one of you tells me where they are and that person gets to live. Let's start with Erwin, where is Levi and his squad?" They were both told.

"No" Erwin's response was blunt with no emotion.

"Okay then." He turned to Hanji the guard behind her dug the knife a little deeper into her neck increasing the trail of blood, nothing lethal yet. A blade was suddenly stabbed into the side of her upper right thigh, slightly missing the major arteries there but still painful. Another was stabbed just above her collar bone on her right side. Hanji gave a small yelp in pain but was trying to restrain herself from showing too much pain. Hanji thought they were done for now and were going to try and ask Erwin again when the knife was removed from her throat and replaced with a pair of hands. The hands squeezed her neck she was unable to breathe, for the first time since this whole ordeal started was Hanji genuinely scared for her life and the look Erwin was giving her was not helping at all. Erwin looked scared his eyes were wide and he was trembling slightly in both rage and fear, she was going to die. Her vision started to go blurry before beginning to fade altogether to black. She tried to fight of the tears threatening to fall but one escaped and fell down her check, before she blacked out completely.

When Hanji regained consciousness she realised she mustn't have been out too long, but the attention was no longer on her. Erwin was begin slapped in the face repeatedly as well as begin kicked in the stomach and chest area. By now she though both of them must be quite the sight a rainbow of purple, red and blue. They seemed to have noticed that she had reawakened and were approaching her.

"So Zoe are you going to tell us or are both of you dead?" He said with a smirk it almost seemed like he wanted her not to say anything. However before she could even think of saying anything or nothing Erwin suddenly shouted "You talk Hanji if you wish, better you be left alive than me."

Hanji had the choice she could save herself or die with her friend, but if they really were the only two who knew where the others were she really did have doubts about their death threats. Why kill the only people who have any idea of the plan is and where they squad was supposed to go. Hanji took her chance and just sat there not saying a word, more violence seemed imminent but it would be worth it.

"Really that's disappointing, neither of you want to live. Fine by me I will give you one more night to come to your senses but I do think it's best for you to say your goodbyes now. I do not think either of you will be seeing each other again." They were told.

Neither spoke to each other they just sat there staring at each other and through the pain in each other's they could see the same thing a burning hope and passion of protection each knew the other would not give in. They would protect their soldiers; this was something they could do for the first time they were facing human opponents not titans. There was a chance of having their troops survive even if they did not.

The night dragged on like usual, Hanji found it difficult to sleep she wondered if Erwin felt the same. For the first time since her capture she thought deeply about the squad she was protecting there was the sibling Eren and Mikasa one a titan shifter with a burning passion and the other a skilled fighter and protector. Then there was Armin who was always so curious about her research and any other knowledge she had to spare, great strategies he really was a mini Erwin. There was Jean a strong boy who was a good mix of the first three with amazing skills on the 3D gear. Kind Historia the rightful queen with a heart of gold but a decent soldier as well. Sasha and Connie keep the mood light and provided an outlet of laughs when the squad needed it most but were skilled when paired with each other and a force to be feared. That just left Levi there was so much to say about him and so much she hadn't told him yet, if she did die here that would be what she regreted never telling him her feelings. She knew he probably wouldn't care much for her romantic feelings towards and really she only ever realised what the emotions she felt for him when she almost died one time. If she survived she vowed she would tell she would confess no matter what the reaction. She now just had to stay alive long enough to achieve her new goal on top of killing and researching titans.

She was dragged out of her cell for what could possibly be the final time today and taken back to the room with only one chair in it. She was strapped down as per usual except today was different there was no one there. The guards who escorted her left her in the room by herself and she was left for hours as much as she hated to admit it she was scared for both herself and for Erwin. She was left just to her thoughts she felt like she was going insane, Hanji realised that that might have been why to see if she would break just with her own thoughts. Eventually the door slammed open and her captor walked in.

"Sorry to keep you waiting hopefully it wasn't too long." He said with a grin. He walked to the chair and begun releasing the restraint but before Hanji could react her hands were handcuffed behind her back and she was being dragged by the hair to the back of the room. At the back there was a toft of water and it dawned on her what was about to happen as she quickly took a large breath before her face was shoved into the ice water and held there. Her head was lifted and a shiver ran through her body as her wet face was met with a blast of cold air, before she had time to react her head was shoved back under the water. It repeated for what felt like hours, she was freezing and tired but there really was nothing she could do.

"Tell me where they are and this will stop, I can get you dried up and place somewhere warm instead of that horrible cold cell you were in." Truthfully it was tempting but Hanji wasn't going to give in that easily one life was hardly ever worth the sacrifice of a group. Instead Hanji placed her thoughts elsewhere while her head was shoved back into the water. Her thoughts drifted to a world where there were no titans, where this wasn't happening, to a world where she was with the man she dreams of and her friends were still alive and in once peace. A world where the kids still had their parents and friends, where they were happy just to be alive not in the constant state of pain and loneliness that they were currently lived in. But that was just a fantasy and all must be broken, in this case with a kick to the guts as she lied on the floor shivering and gasping for breath. How she wished she had stayed with Levi and her squad and had not needed to visit Erwin. She wished that this world wasn't run by the corrupt and greed. All she could hear were screams of abuse from her captor but she was to cold and out of it to pay much attention she just lay there and hoped it would end. She hoped that he would end her, as she fell into the bleakness once more she heard a commotion outside but slipped away into unconsciousness before she could find out what was happening.

The first thing she noticed as she awoke was the warmth the surrounded her cocooned in thick blankets. The second thing she noticed was that someone was holding her hand tightly, she felt safe and though just maybe she had died back in that horrible place. But as she tried to move her body all she felt was pain, okay she was definitely alive. Hanji kept her eyes closed if this was just dream she didn't want to wake from it anytime soon.

"Wake up now." A voice said to her, it was coming from the same side as her hand that was being held and she knew that voice well. Hanji tried to open her eyes and it was a bit of a struggle but eventually she was able to flutter her eyelids open, to see a familiar face next to her. There beside her bed in what looked like the Survey Corps infirmary was Levi, sitting there gasping her hand tightly with a slight expression of relief on his face.

"Your finally awake shitty glasses." He said to her, she tried to respond but could only groan he throat was to dry. Levi grabbed a jug off the side table and filled a cup with water, he gave it to her but he still kept hold of it and held her keep it steady while she drunk the liquid. She finished the cup and Levi took it away from her and placed it back on the table. Hanji seemed to relax after her drink but suddenly she shoot up from her position, Levi quickly placed his hands on her chest and tried to force her back down on to the bed. Hanji turned to him panic in her eyes "Where's Erwin, is he okay?"

Hanji was in a panic, where was he, was he still alive?

"He's fine, the blonde idiot was in a better shape than you. He was just bruised, you shitty glasses are not only bruised but have broken ribs and hyperthermia as well." He told her anger laced his voice as a thought about finding her in that dingy building dripping wet in the freezing temperature, covered in blood and bruises. He was angry he had lost enough friends to the war against titans and many more in his in the slums and underground. He'd almost lost one of the last things holding him together.

"Where is he?" Hanji asked she had calmed down slightly but still seemed to be in a bit of a panic.

"He was already cleared to go; you've been out of it for the last few days." Levi told her "The nurse said you should be fine
to leave in a few days and go back to your own room."

"That would be nice. How did you find us?"

"You didn't come back and after we got the brats back we overheard some MP's talking about the Survey Corps member that had been caught. Really it was not difficult to find where you were once we got them talking." Levi said with a smirk as he remembered the screams from the MP's as he extracted information from them.

"Thank you for saving us." She said as she drifted off to sleep.

When she was released from the infirmary she went straight to her lab to continue her experiments. Molbit tried to stop her, but she just went straight to her desk and started planning the next experiments and reading the notes she'd missed while she was gone. What she didn't notice was Molbit leaving the lab and then the lab slowly emptying out and someone else entering the room. When suddenly the notes were dragged from her hands and placed on her desk while she was spun around in her chair to meet Levi face to face.

"What part of rest, do you not understand you stupid shitty glasses." Levi growled at her as he dragged her out of the chair and through the lab towards the door.

"But I've missed so much; I've fallen so far behind I need to continue now." She said try to free herself from his grip but she wasn't getting very far at all. Levi stopped dragging her but still kept his grip on her and told her. "I know, but you're not well you're still hurt and need rest. If you come up to your room now I will bring up your notes and send Molbit up tomorrow to update you while you rest."

"Promise?"

"Promise, come on let's go." He said as he released his grip on her arm and lightly held it instead to help keep her steady as she walked with him to her room. Once there he help her remove her boots and 3D straps before helping her to bed making sure she had enough blankets. He looked around the room it was messy not as messy as he had seen it previously. He tucked Hanji up in her blankets and went to leave the room, he felt a hand tug on the back of his shirt.

"Don't leave me." Hanji said her voice laced with sleep barely more than a whisper. The harshness on Levi's face softened as he turned and took a seat next to her bed holding her hand.

"It's late, you could just share with me." She said with a giggle. Levi rolled his eyes and got himself comfortable next to her. It wasn't the first time they'd slept like this and it wouldn't be the last, as strong as they both were they both needed human contact on occasion.

"I thought I was going to die." He heard her say. "I realized I had things I still needed to say."
Levi looked at her with a puzzled expression trying to figure out what his friend was talking about. "What did you need to say, and to who?"

" You I needed to say it to you." She said "I needed to tell you…..that I lo"

"Think is that really what you want to say." Levi cut her off. "Because once you say it you can't go back."

Hanji looked at him in the dark she couldn't see his expression, but it would be worth the risk she could die at anytime, they both could. She didn't want to have any regrets. "I love you."

She thought he was going to leave but instead she felt a pair of lips on hers kissing her deeply. He wrapped his arms around her pulling her close to him, she felt warm and protected her injuries didn't matter anymore. For the first time in years she felt happy not the happiness that came from experimenting but the happiness that came from caring.

"Theres no going back now shitty glasses, I'm not letting you go so you better not get eaten from now on." He told her as he moved away from her lips just long enough to say those words before replacing them once again.

They feel asleep wrapped in each other's arms feeling content and happy both having something in cold and dreary world. And when morning came Hanji would be resting her head on Levi's chest with his arm wrapped tight around her waist and his other hand in her hair. Levi would wake her up with a kiss to her forehead and one to her lips it was the start of a tradition neither would regret starting.