As it Was | Hange x Reader

Chapter 23: Allies

Hange Zoe!"

The auditorium erupted into a thunderous applause. Hange's name and the title of their project was displayed on the huge screen. Hange had won. They had won. Their project had been better. They had received the scholarship.

Both Hange and (Y/N) stared up in shock. And then slowly a smile crept onto Hange's face. Their was a brief flash of victory in their eyes...and then they looked over at (Y/N). At her utterly defeated expression. The shoulders that hung low, her eyes that held no more hope. Her dream had been destroyed at that very second. Hange's smile faded.

"And the runner's up for this years regional science fair...is (Y/N) (L/N)! Her project came very close to our winner's, and deciding who would get the prize had been a very difficult task! Congratulations to you both, come up here and get your trophies!"

Hange stood there in horror as they realized what they had done.

They hadn't thought they'd win.

They hadn't thought they'd get the scholarship.

(Y/N) had done them wrong. She had stolen their project. But Hange? Hange had stolen her dreams.

They had done so on purpose. As a way of petty revenge. They could have done anything else. But they chose to take away the only thing she had wanted more than anything else.

"(Y/N)..." Hange reached out, hand hovering in air. How would they fix this?

(Y/N) turned to them, her devastated eyes looking at them. She wasn't angry. She wasn't upset. She was in despair. She was witnessing her future crumble before her. Hange's heart ached. They hoped, at that moment, she knew that they had never meant to hurt her like this. That all they had wanted to do was get even.

"Go," (Y/N) rasped. She was referring to Hange going to retrieve their trophy.

"(Y/N), ple—"

(Y/N) took a step back, staring down at her feet. She was going through too many emotions to process at once. She didn't know how to react. She wasn't sure what to do. She wanted to disappear.

Her entire life, Hange had been her comfort. Her entire life, she sought out Hange whenever she felt this way. Yet at that moment, she wanted them gone.

She didn't need them.

And so, she pushed Hange away.

The elevator doors closed shut behind Hange and they stood there in silence, eyes studying the way (Y/N) was leaned against the wall. Her panicked expression was obvious to anyone. But it was okay. Because she was breathing. She had this handled. She would be able to go back out and win the stupid tournament. She didn't need comfort or consolation.

"I'm fine," (Y/N) said curtly, noticing the way Hange was looking at her. "Just out of breath."

"From dodging all the reporters back there?" Hange walked over to her, leaning against the elevator wall too. The elevator began to move up, the slow whirring noise filling the air.

"You saw?" (Y/N) sighed. She should have stayed back and stood her ground. The fact that her first instinct was always flight bothered her. "I didn't expect them to bombard me like that." She was tired. Extremely tired. And the tournament hadn't even begun yet.

"They were wrong," Hange said, slowly. So, they were in one of their civil moods, huh?

"Of course, they were."

Silence. (Y/N) inhaled deeply again, counting down from twenty. She was practically all better now. If nothing else went—

The elevator jostled suddenly, and (Y/N) stumbled at the sudden impact. Hange looked up, startled. There was the sound of a loud crash, and then there were falling. (Y/N) didn't have time to scream before the elevator halted abruptly. The lights flickered off. They weren't moving. The doors weren't opening.