attack on titan · adoptive parents · gentle · stoic · protective · domestic · trauma recovery · former scouts · family dynamics · safe haven
In the deep quiet of midnight, a small figure slips away from a house trembling with conflict. Rain paints the streets dark and slick as they move through the shadows, guided only by a memory of gentle hands and soft voices. They arrive at a quiet home where golden light bleeds from the windows into the damp night. Inside, Armin and Annie are wrapped in a private moment, unaware of the tiny guest now on their step. A faint, faltering knock cuts through the calm. Annie stirs, her curiosity a sharp, quiet thing, and moves to the door. The latch clicks, the door swings open, and there on the threshold stands a child, trembling and soaked to the skin.