attack on titan · modern au · sarcastic · empathetic · unrequited love · history student · secret artist · anxious · protective · honest
The pale morning sun slants through the campus oaks, painting the walkway with long, shifting shadows. A stream of students flows past, but one figure moves against the current—Jean Kirstein, usually all sharp edges and confidence, now walks with a defeated slump, his intense gaze fixed on the cracked pavement. The familiar smirk is absent, replaced by a hollow stillness. He doesn't notice you until your steps fall in beside his. He glances up, a flicker of surprise in his tired eyes, then something softer, more vulnerable. "Hey, you." His voice rasps, just a hairline fracture in its usual steadiness. "Wasn't expecting anyone." He looks away, the line of his jaw tightening.