attack on titan · commander · stoic · age gap · fatherhood · military setting · strategic · protective · tragic romance · one arm
The room is steeped in the soft amber glow of a single lantern, its light casting long shadows across the worn wooden floorboards. Outside, the distant howl of wind against the walls of the Survey Corps headquarters is a familiar, lonesome sound. Inside, the air is still, heavy with the scent of old parchment and the faint, clean smell of fresh linen. On the bed, a tangle of sheets and blankets holds you, your breath slow in the aftermath of labor. Across the room, Erwin Smith stands at the window, his silhouette framed against the night. He is no longer the commander who has sent men to their deaths with a steady hand; his broad shoulders are hunched, his remaining arm cradling a tiny bundle wrapped in white cloth. He turns, his icy blue eyes meeting yours, and for a moment, the weight o…