What Could Have Been (HangexFemReader)

Chapter 13: Surprise

"Got it, thanks," (Y/N) nodded. She walked ahead, leaving Hange behind. She took in a breath, and then two. The man who killed Sasha could be behind those doors. The man who killed Connie could be sitting there, eating breakfast like any other normal person. (Y/N) had to remind herself not to kill him the second she saw him. His intel was vital to finding out the man in charge behind the whole Shimmer operation.

--

He wasn't there. (Y/N) had entered the mess hall, discreetly eyeing each and every guard there. She didn't recognize a single face. Her heart fell, her mind flooded with doubts about this entire plan. Was she just wasting her time? Surely, she would have run into the guard by now. Or maybe she didn't remember their faces...no, that wasn't true. She'd always remember the face of the man that took her family from her.

(Y/N) sighed and grabbed an apple, leaving the mess hall as quick as she could. She wasn't in the mood for conversing with anybody. Besides, she was sure there were some guards that would see through her act. (Y/N) began to walk down to the left flank, where she was stationed for duty.

Light streamed in from the window, not helping (Y/N)'s grumpy mood. She stared out into the courtyard, eyes glazing over the guards that were stationed to make sure she didn't recognize any of them. She was about to turn around and go straight to her position, but something at the corner of the courtyard caught her eye.

(Y/N) walked closer to the window, straining to the man that had caught her attention. All the way in the corner of the courtyard, hidden between the shrubbery, were two men. One of them was short, wearing the dark blue slacks of the Sina Guard's uniform. The other was tall, wearing a fedora and a vest. The rim of the man's hat covered his face, but for some reason, (Y/N) felt as if she had seen him somewhere before. She leaned in closer, trying to figure out what the two were doing.

The man with the fedora said something before reaching into his pocket and sliding out a glass vial with a shimmery liquid. (Y/N) froze. Shimmer. Even from this distance, she was able to recognize the drug. The shorter man quickly took the vial, pressing a stack of money into the other man's hands.

A drug deal? Was this a drug deal? Happening in the middle of the palace courtyard? None of the guards were paying attention, almost as if they had been trained to not care about what was going on around them. (Y/N) leaned in so close, her face was pressed against the glass of the window. Who was that man with the fedora? He nodded once and tucked the money away. And then he looked up.

(Y/N) felt as if someone had punched her. As if all the air had been knocked out of her lungs. She recognized the man. She knew him personally. She had grown up with him. But no—this wasn't possible.

The man with the fedora, the one that had been in possession of Shimmer, was none other than Jean Kirstein.

--

Later that evening, (Y/N) paced the lengths of the small dorm, her mind racing with thoughts. No. No. It couldn't be. She must have hallucinated it. Jean wouldn't be dealing drugs. He wouldn't want anything to do with Shimmer. But then again, she hadn't seen him in years. What if he had changed? What if he...how had he even gotten to the topside?

A dull ache spread its way across (Y/N)'s head and she sunk onto the bed. This didn't make sense. None of this made sense. There was a knock at the door, distracting (Y/N) from her racing thoughts.

"Come in," she called out, not caring about who her visitor was. She had just learned that Jean, a person whom she had thought of as a brother, was dealing Shimmer. There had to be some sort of logical explanation.

"Hey," Hange slid into the room, their hands clutching a small box. "Thought I'd stop by to see my favorite kidnapper slash pretend guard and savior. How was your first day on the Sina Guard?"