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Brain on Fire

Summary:

Hange suffers from Epilepsy, the loves of their life help them through it one day at a time.

Or three major moments where Hange seizes around them.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:

The fist time, it was when they were alone with Levi.

Erwin was working late so the two of them were in their shared apartment, keeping each other company until the third of them arrived.

Hange was sprawled on the couch engrossed in their notes from their last chemistry class. Both them and Levi were in their second year of college, while Erwin was already well into his career. He was the CEO of some massive company, pharmaceuticals maybe? Hange couldn’t recall. Erwin makes it a point to keep his business life away from theirs. He wouldn’t want to ruin what they have, he tells them, which Levi thinks is absolute bullshit.

“God this exam is going to kick my ass!” Hange groans from underneath their notebook.

Levi appears from the kitchen, holding to steaming mugs of tea. He hands one of the mugs to them when they sit up, and Hange thanks him with a smile.

“Don’t over exert yourself, remember what the doctor said.”

Hange hums as they sips on their tea, relishing in the bittersweet flavor.

Yes, doctors orders.

Their condition wasn’t grave, not as much as it was when they were a child. When Hange was eight they had developed a mild case of Generalized Epilepsy. Their epileptic spasms had no apparent cause to them, they suffered no trauma, it didn’t run in the family, they were just one of the unlucky ones. They would often happen during their sleep at first, but as their doctor predicted they became much more frequent during their childhood.

They became much less frequent during their last year of High school, medication helped a bit but it wasn’t a cure. During their first year of college they had only a total of six seizures, two of them lasted longer than two minutes.

Hange immediately made it known when they started a relationship with Levi and Erwin. They immediately did research on their condition, they took their time to learn the severity of it and they made sure that they took good care of themselves. Hange always told them not to worry when they would hover over them like mother hens. The assured them that they had it under control and that the medication kept them in check, they would never have to worry.

Until it finally happened around for one them to witness.

Hange finished their tea and deposited the empty mug into the sink. Levi remained on the couch, flipping through his own homework.

They are first hit by a wave of dizziness. They grip the edge of the kitchen counter to steady themselves, immediately recognizing what’s about to happen. They open their mouth to call out to Levi but is cut off by a strange sensation coming from the back of their head. They lose all sense of what was happening around them.

Levi, noticing Hange’s sudden quietness, calls out to them as he makes his way into the kitchen.

Levi is greeted by Hange’s now pale face as they grip the edge of the counter hard, knuckles turning white from the exertion.

“Han-”

Before Levi can even say anything to Hange they faint, body collapsing onto the floor, head narrowly missing the counter by a couple of centimeters.

Levi immediately panics and slides down on the floor next to them.

Every muscle in Hange’s body contracts, causing them to convulse and shudder against the tension.

Hange’s convulsions cause him to snap into action, he’s done a heck of a lot of research with Erwin so they both could be ready for when it would happen.

Levi shrugs his sweater off of him and folds it underneath their head for cushioning against the floor. With shaking hand he removes their glasses and turns them on their side. He can feel them shaking beneath his touch, he swallows down the lump in his throat at the sight of her fluttering eyelids and clenched fists.

“It’s okay Hange, I’m here baby.” He whispers to them, then glances down at his watch.

It’s been about a minute and a half, maybe two?

Fucking long enough. But he waits.

It hits the two minute mark when Hange’s convulsions stop, their breathing is labored but it begins to slow.

“Hange.” He calls out to them and pushes their bangs away from their forehead.

Their eyes open sluggishly and a small noise escapes from their throat.

“I’m here, it’s Levi.” He says softly as Hange rolls their head up to look at him. They bore a confused expression, Levi figures that the loss of consciousness caused them not to remember a thing.

“You had a seizure, Hange.”

Their eyebrows furrow and they blink away the last of their drowsy trance.

“Oh.” Is all they can say.

Levi helps them sit up against the fridge.

“What day is it?”

“Tuesday.” Hange responds, as they adjust.

“What’s my major?”

“Criminal justice.”

“Erwin’s favorite brand of shaving gel?”

“Old spice. Your favorite brand of floor cleaner is Lysol, the clean linen scent, and yes I was the one who melted your special rubber spatula from a year ago....accidentally.”

Levi is finally able to breathe easy.

Hange chuckles to themselves and Levi almost wants to cry.

“This isn’t funny Hange, you scared the fuck out of me.”

Hange gives him a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry.”

Levi shakes his head and curls himself around them, Hange leans their head against his shoulder and he presses a kiss on their forehead.

“Don’t apologize for anything, especially for something you can’t control. It was just....fuck Hange, your head almost split open.”

Hange cringed slightly and looked up at him.

“Wouldn’t be the first time.”

Levi gives them his version of a horrified look.

“Seriously?”

Hange nods and shifts in his arms to fully face their partner.

“Levi look, I’ve been through this countless of times. I get why you were afraid, it’s a scary thing to witness, and it’s a dangerous thing for me to go through. But you did wonderful-look!” They gesture to themselves with a grin. “I’m not injured, I remember who I am and most importantly I am safe.”

Levi gives his partner a long look, the slight burning at the corners of his eyes finally begins to ebb away. He takes their face into his hands and presses a soft, warm kiss to their lips. Hange hums and returns one that is just as sweet.

When they part, Levi slides their glasses back onto their long nose. He helps them up and back onto the couch, wrapping them up in a warm blanket and slumping down next them. Hange latches onto him, still a bit disoriented from the episode. They can tell that Levi is still shaken up so they grab their phone from the coffee table in front of them.

“What are you doing?” Levi asks them

“Calling Erwin.” Hange mumbles before speed dialing their other partner.

“Oh yea, he’s gonna be pissed if we don’t.”

Hange grins.

“This is more for you than it is for me, Erwin is best at keeping you from being a worry wort.”

Levi rolls his eyes. Yea they’re fine.

 

 

The second time it happens when they are having sex, much to Hange’s embarrassment.

They are naked, straddling an equally naked Levi on the bed. Erwin, still wearing a pair of briefs, slides in behind them and kisses Hange on their shoulders and neck. Hange leans forwards to suck at Levi’s neck as his hands grip at their thighs. They’re all pressed together, Hange in the middle, Erwin behind them and Levi in front with his back against the headboard.

Both Levi and Erwin dip a hand in between Hange’s tan thighs, causing them to let out a moan of encouragement.

Hange goes to slide their hands in between both of the men’s legs, and that is when their body begins to tingle, not in the way they expected it to. Erwin notices when they freeze and goes to ask them what’s wrong but is cut off when their body slumps over Levi’s.

Both men are caught off guard when Hange’s limbs begin to rapidly convulse.

Levi quickly slips out from under them and Erin helps him turn them onto their side. Hange grunts lightly as their jaw clenches and eyes rolls back.

“Time.” Levi says to Erwin who whips his head around to look at their shared alarm clock.

“Eleven fourty-eight.” Erwin answers, heart clenching at the sight of Hange’s shuddering form.

It’s over just as quick as it started, about a minute.

This time Hange was aware throughout the whole thing. When the convulsions stopped they reached a hand out for one of them to take. Erwin gently wraps his large hand around Hange’s smaller one and call out to them in a soft voice.

“Hange, you with us?

They say nothing as they slowly sit up and lean back against the headboard. Their cheeks become red with embarrassment as they draw their knees up to their naked chest. Erwin settles on their right and Levi on their left.

“What’s my major?” The ravenette asks and Hange shakes their head, causing their loose hair to fall over their shoulders.

“Criminal justice- can we not do this part?” They beg him before grabbing a pillow and burying their face in it.

Erwin and Levi share a glance.

“Hange.” Erwin starts, trying to get their attention.

They just whimper into the pillow.

“Zoe.” Levi pipes up and this time Hange turns their face away from the pillow to face him.

“We need to know if you’re okay.”

They sigh pitifully before leaning their head back

“I’m fine, just extremely embarrassed.”

Erwin chuckles softly before wrapping an arm around both them and Levi, the latter pressing a chaste kiss against the blonde’s hand.

“There’s no reason for you to be embarrassed han, you can’t help it. We only care that you are safe.” He reassures them.

“But I ruined our sexy time.” Hange whines and Levi snorts before Erwin tugs at a strand of his jet black hair. Levi leans his head on Hange’s shoulder and plants a soft kiss underneath their jaw as an apology.

“That’s okay, we’ll have plenty of time for that later. It’s getting late anyways.” Erwin continues and Hange groans. “But Hange, we love you and always will no matter what. Your condition will never get in the way of that.” Levi grunts in agreement an wraps an arm around Hange’s bare waist.

“Plus, it takes way more than a seizure for you to ruin a moment.” Levi pipes up.

“Like the time you time you tried to use those test tubes.” Erwin teases.

Hange shrieks before whacking the both of them on the shoulder.

“You jerks, I thought we agreed to never bring that up!”

Erwin chuckles and Levi smirks at Hange’s pouting face.

The throuple settles into a comfortable silence, Hange with a hand in Levi’s hair and the other on Erwin’s hairy thigh. The large blonde still has his arm wrapped around the both of them and Levi has head buried in the junction of Hange’s neck and his arm is stretched over thier lap to interlock his fingers with Erwin’s free ones.

“Thanks guys...for looking after me the way you do. I love you two.” Hange whispers.

Both men press a sweet kiss on each of their cheeks, making Hange grin like a madman.

“I still want to cuddle though.”

“How do you want it?” Levi asks them, voice laced with a seductive undertone that makes Hange’s grin widen.

“I want Erwin to spoon me while I spoon you.” They demand.

Levi snorts.

“So like always.” Erwin says with a smirk, already shifting to lay down.

Hange cackles before slipping under the covers and throwing a long leg over Levi’s thighs and wrapping their arms around his middle. Erwin envelops Hange and stretches his arm over both them and Levi, stroking his thumb over the shorter man’s s pale hip. Levi leans over to turn of the lamp on the bedside table before settling back into the comfortable position he was in before.

And just like that they sink into a comfortable sleep, legs tangled and hearts in sync.

 

The third time it happens, it’s the most frightening of them all.

Hange pulled an all-nighter at their campus laboratory for their Chem project and they were waiting for Erwin and Levi to pick them up so they could get some Pho together on their way back home.

They had spilled one of their failed solutions all over themselves, so they decided to clean themselves up in the shower reserved for the lab. They texted Levi to bring an extra set of clothes, much do his delight. Any chance to get Hange clean was a win in his book.

Halfway though scrubbing the solution out of their hair Hange suddenly doesn’t remember what they were doing there in the first place. Their head begins to feel a bit fuzzy and their arms start to tingle. Panic begins to rise up from their throat, causing their stomach to churn in fear.

 

‘Fuck.’ They think before quickly shutting the water of and fumbling for their phone in their discarded lab coat behind the thin curtain.

They were alone. They were alone during a seizure.

They couldn’t reach their phone in time because they black out.

 

Erwin and Levi reach the lab a few minutes after, the latter holding a backpack with Hange’s change of clothes.

“Let’s just hope they actually used soap this time and not just water.” He mumbles to his blonde partner.

Erwin chuckles as he pushes the double doors open and leads Levi into the laboratory.

“This is Hange we’re talking about. Plus I think the showers here are just for a quickrinse off.”

Levi groans.

Both men immediately stop in their tracks when they realize that the lab is empty and unusually quiet.

“Maybe they’re still in the shower stall?” Erwin mutters.

Levi shakes his head, thin eyebrows furrowing in suspicion.

“They don’t take long showers, especially for a quick rinse off.”

And suddenly, just after he said that, it felt like a bucket of ice water had been thrown on him.

With no hesitation, they both make a beeline for the shower stall. He first thing Erwin sees is Hange’s wet, messy, brown hair and then the rest of their equally drenched body collapsed on the floor of the shower stall.

“Hange!” Levi yells before sliding onto his knees and turning them over, ignoring the wetness soaking through his joggers. Erwin drops down onto the floor to examine them and notices that they still have on their sports bra and a pair of boxers they borrowed from Levi. Other than that he couldn’t detect any injuries. He checks to see if they are breathing and is relieved to see that they are.

Levi wipes Hange’s hair away from their face and lightly taps their cheek.

“Hange, baby can you hear me-shit!”

Erwin takes Levi’s face in his hands and forces him to look at him.

“They’re still breathing, they are alive. Help me put them in the car so we can take the to the hospital.” He breifs him in an ever so calm manner.

Levi clenches his jaw and blinks away the tears that had begun to form in the corner of his eyes.

The two of them quickly scoop up the unconscious Hange and safely deposit them into the backstop Erwin’s BMW. Before Erwin can reach the front seat, Levi plucks the keys out of his hand and slides in.

“I drive faster.” Is all the ravenette says.

Erwin doesn’t question him. Instead he sits in the back with Hange’s head on his lap, stroking their damp hair softly as Levi speed out of the campus parking lot.

The Hospital is about ten minutes away from the campus but Levi makes it in half the time, record breaking stuff really.

He roughly pulls into a parking space near the emergency entrance, ignoring his haphazard parking, and scrambled out of the drivers seat. He yanks the door of the backseat open and Erwin gathers Hange in his arms and hands them over to Levi.

They rush their way inside the emergency room and Erwin make a beeline for the front desk to explain their emergency to the nurse. She calls for a stretcher just as Hange begins to stir in Levi’s arms.

Levi sets her on the stretcher that two EMT’s brought out and takes their hand as they begin to take their vitals. Erwin is on their other side, smoothing down their tangled brown hair. Hange’s eyelids flutter as they groggily look up at them.

They are admitted into a room and examine by a doctor who also insisted on performing a CT scan and an MRI so they wouldn’t miss anything serious. Other than suffering a small bump to the head and a bruised hip they were fine, but they were to stay overnight for observation.

Hange was now laying comfortably in the hospital bed, head propped up against a large pillow. They were now conscious and still a bit sluggish, but this didn’t stop them from talking animatedly with their partners who sat in two armchairs near the bed.

“..I guess I just got the formula wrong, I’ll have to try less sulfate next time.” They say mostly to themselves.

Levi shakes his head which was leaning on one of Erwin’s broad shoulders.

“Nothing will ever keep you from talking science, not even a brush with death.” He mumbles.

Hange snorts.

“That’s a bit dramatic Levi.”

He lifts his head up to glare at them, dark strands falling over his face.

“Are you serious?” He looks at Erwin who huffs.

“It’s could have been worse than it really turned out Hange, you shouldn’t be alone in the lab anymore.” The Blonde tells them in his signature authoritarian tone.

“Yes sir!” Hange salutes, and Erwin smiles at them

“Glad to see you’re feeling better.” Levi says, rolling his light eyes.

“Aw,” Hange coos at him. “Come here shorty.” They grin softly before spreading their arms out for him.

Levi kept an angry pout on his face, but he still slid into their awaiting arms. They drew him towards their chest and ran their fingers across the nape of his neck, relishing the feeling of his buzz cut.

“I’m sorry for scaring you guys again.”

Levi shakes his head, cheek rubbing against the small swell of Hange’s chest.

“Don’t apologize for shit you can’t control, Zo.”

They smiled at the nickname, Levi always used it when he was being sincere. Hange found it very cute.

They reach an arm out towards Erwin who was smiling fondly at the sight.

“C’mere you big gorilla.”

“Hey now.” He teases before getting up and shuffling towards his partners.

Levi grabs the front of his shirt and pulls him fowards, causing him to fall against Hange’s side. They let out a small oof before giggling childishly.

“Mmm, my boys, I love you!” Hange squeals as both men snuggle up close to them.

“I love you too.” Levi whispers before softly pressing a sweet kiss on Hange’s lips, then turning to give Erwin the same.

The larger man hums contentedly and presses a kiss to one Levi’s thin dark brows and then turns to kiss Hange.

“Same here.”

Notes:

One of my good friends had a seizure during class once, it was pretty scary :/

( sorry if any of it is inaccurate i tried my best to research the condition.)

Thanks for reading 💜