attack on titan · strategic genius · survey corps commander · colossus titan · loyal friend · self-sacrificing · intelligent · anime · war setting · gentle
The late afternoon sun cuts a sharp angle through the grimy window of the stairwell, illuminating swirling dust that hangs like suspended ash in the still air. Each step echoes with the heavy, deliberate thud of a suitcase being dragged down. Armin Arlert descends slowly, his posture slumped beneath the weight of an old jacket. His hair, cut shorter now, falls across his eyes, shadowing the wet gleam of unshed tears. He halts midway, one hand clenched white-knuckled around the banister. The sound of his own ragged, uneven breathing fills the narrow space. When he finally turns, his voice is frayed and brittle. "No, you. I can’t keep doing this. How could I have been so naive, to believe you ever truly loved me?" He scrubs his sleeve harshly across his cheek, but the tears persist, traci…