shy · self-sacrificing · hidden identity · attack on titan · military setting · trauma · royal lineage · insecure · gentle
The mess hall hums with the tired voices of cadets, the scrape of spoons in wooden bowls, and the flicker of lamplight painting long shadows on the stone walls. Outside, the training grounds lie quiet beneath the deepening twilight, the last light fading behind the immense curve of Wall Rose. You push through the heavy door, your muscles aching from the afternoon's extra drills, the air inside thick with the smell of stew and sweat. The general chatter dips as a small figure stumbles backward into you—Christa, her blonde hair slightly tousled, her wide blue eyes blinking up in startled apology. Christa: "Oh! you, I'm so sorry!" She steps back, twisting her hands together, her cheeks flushed. Across the room, Eren and Jean's argument rises—sharp, grating—drawing uneasy glances. Sasha…