(A/N: I realize that the timing is off in this story. It's currently 850 and in winter at the start of this chapter, meaning that the story is behind by about a year. Sorry for any confusion. Art Cred: KSYUPIC)
You woke to an empty bed, but could hear booted footsteps and hushed voices coming from his office. The door was closed, so you got up and grabbed a bar of soap from your bag. You didn't need a full shower, but you did want to freshen up, especially since you didn't know who the company was. The water was warm, allowing you to relax a bit. When done, you come out to find Erwin's clothes and the washcloth gone and your dress folded up on top of your bag.
Preferring to wear more casual clothes, you put on the outfit you first arrived in the city in and put your new dress up. You opened the door as quietly as possible to find Erwin talking to the man he was with yesterday, Levi, and a woman wearing glasses with her hair pulled back. Both Erwin and the woman were looking over a paper on his desk, Levi was sitting on the couch while drinking what you assume was a cup of tea. Nervously, you stood in the doorway and rubbed the back of your neck. You didn't want to interrupt what was going on, but you did want to say goodbye before you left.
"Morning." Levi was the first one to notice you. Both Erwin and the woman looked up towards you at his words. A small smile splayed on his lips and it made your heart flutter. The woman looked between you two, rather knowingly. 'Oh, no. Was she the one in Levi's room last night? How much did they hear?'
"Morning." You quietly replied, relieved that you didn't have to speak up to be noticed. "I didn't mean to interrupt."
"You're not interrupting. I hope you weren't running off so soon? Please, hang around a bit."
"Sure." You sat at the opposite end of the couch from Levi and pulled your feet up under you. Originally wanting to leave, you felt compelled to stay now.
"Have you met Four Eyes?" Levi asked.
"Nope!" She answered, exuberantly. "I'm Hange."
"It's nice to meet you." Hange seemed very upbeat, in contrast to Levi's calm exterior. "It seems like Erwin keeps great company." That elicited a smile from Levi's stoic face.
"She thinks you're great company, Hange."
"Because I am!"
"And you, too, Levi."
"Tch." Another drink of tea.
"If you're hungry, y/n, there's food in the mess hall. You're welcome to go grab something to eat."
"Oh, no, I couldn't. I don't know my way around here. Not to mention that I'm technically a stranger here. I don't feel comfortable with making myself at home yet."
"Understandable. We shouldn't be busy for much longer." Listening to Hange and Erwin talk about their jobs was interesting enough to keep you from grabbing a book off of the shelves, even if you didn't know what they were talking about. You'd be lying if you didn't say that he was attractive when he talked or worked. His serious, stern face somehow made his features sharper. It made you want him even more. And what makes it worse is that you still have feelings for him. The years apart have changed nothing.
Levi huffed as he stood up, snapping you out of your stupor. You lost track of time, watching and listening to them talk. He made his way to the door and opened it. Before leaving, he turned back to give his goodbyes, empty tea cup in hand. Hange was soon to follow, leaving with a wink and a grin. 'Oh, she knows for sure.' A blush crept across your face.
"Are you ready to go? If you want, we can stop for food on the way back."
"That'd be great. Let me get my bag and we can get going." You put your shoes on and grabbed your back. Before you left his office, he took your hand and kissed before kissing you.
"I had a great dinner. And night, for that matter. We should do this again sometime." The way he looked at you made your heart flutter.
"I'd love to. If you're ever in Trost again with free time, come and see me. You know where I live." You gave him a soft smile.
"I'll make time to come and see you. I want to see more of you." His eyes trailed to your collarbone before opening the door for you. When the door closed behind him, his mood completely changed. He became more stoic and almost regal. Like he had to fulfill an image to those around him.
The officer's quarters were more populated now that it was during the day. Various people in the Survey Corp stopped to talk to Erwin as we passed them in the hallways. Several tried to hand him papers, only to have him tell them to set them on his desk. Once outside the building, you give a pause.
"Is something wrong?" Erwin asked. You rubbed the back of your neck.
"It feels like someone is watching me." He looked confused.
"You're safe here." He gave your hand a squeeze, but let go. "Wait here. I'll be right back."
"You know the commander?" A voice from behind you piped up. It startled you, not realizing how close this man was. Your first instinct was to turn around and pop him in the stomach with the back of your hand. Upon realizing that he was in a Scouts uniform, you apologized profusely. He rubbed the area you hit him in and laughed.
"You're fine." Smiling, he looked down on you. He had to be about the same height as Erwin, but with shaggy brown hair. Granted, he was attractive. Especially when he smiled. You offered one back, trying to be friendly.
"Um," You rubbed the back of your neck. "Yeah, I know him. We grew up together." You didn't want to say too much, especially since you didn't completely know the nature of your relationship. He nodded, accepting the answer.
"I see you've met Miche." Erwin said, returning with a carriage. "He's one of the section commanders for the Scouts."
"It's nice to meet you." You were nervously, still unsure of what to think of him. You offered your hand. He took it and proceeded to bring it to his face. Confused as to if he was going to kiss it or if he was sniffing it, you looked to Erwin for intervention. He didn't say anything, but the look in his eyes as he stared at Miche sent shivers down your spine. Almost as if he didn't want him to be that close to you.
"I think it's time for us to go." He said finally. Miche let go of your hand, unaware of the daggers that had been sent his way. Erwin opened the door to let you in first and roughly closed it behind him.
"Let us get you home, shall we?"
——
It was hard to focus on your job the following week. Your mind bounced between your night with Erwin and meeting Miche. The man was attractive and you were curious as to why he would ask about you and Erwin.
"You're fine." His voice replayed in your head along with that smile of his. It felt wrong for thinking about him like this when you and Erwin were together. 'Are we together?' You hadn't talked it over with him, but rather just assumed that since you had dinner and sex, y'all were exclusive. You could be very wrong.
Wanting to get them off your mind, you made your way into town. The sun was bright overhead and Trost was bustling with people talking and children laughing. You watched as children ran past you, quietly hoping that they enjoyed being young while it lasted. Deciding how to spend the rest of your evening after work, you found a cafe and sat on the patio. A waitress brought out a menu to order from. The coffee would keep you up for the rest of the day, but that didn't matter. You had an early shift that morning and were exhausted.
Taking in the sun and the cool breeze, you were thankful to be able to enjoy a beautiful day. It felt like nothing could ruin the mood you were in.
Except for the Colossal head peeking over the wall.
You hadn't noticed that everybody in the street had stopped moving as your blood ran cold. Cup of coffee still in hand, you sat still, as if you moved he would see you. You hadn't seen the Colossal in the first attack in Shiganshina, but you definitely weren't expecting to see him here in Trost five years later. It floored you, having previously thought that it wasn't real. That people were making it up.
Just as quick as he appeared, he disappeared. A breath you didn't realize you were holding left you as you were able to regain control of your body. Your hands were shaking, but your mind was clear, you instinctively went into nurse mode. In Shiganshina, titans weren't the only thing that caused damage and injuries, but panic from the citizens as well. People had already begun screaming and desperately running for safety.
The commotion was sure to cause trouble, but your main concern was were the Colossus had been. If this was anything like Shiganshina, then it had kicked a hole in the wall and titans were spilling through. You were nowhere near skilled enough to fight, but you could do your damn best in helping people get out. Already out of your seat, you made your way down to where you thought you were needed the most.
People pushed past you, some tripping on their way by. It wasn't long before you made it to the breach. There were only a couple stragglers left, crouched down and hiding around corners. Imagining that they were probably too scared to move, you made sure they weren't injured and there were no titans around before you went to them. One by one, you looked them over and sent them on their way, telling them to be careful. Most had minor injuries - cuts, bruises, and the like.
Getting closer to the breach, you noticed that the Scouts were retreating. Thinking that you weren't needed after all, you headed down a darkened alley, hoping that staying in the shadows would keep you from being noticed. You weren't expecting to be greeted with someone equipped with ODM gear, on their knees.
"Hello?" You called quietly. The black haired female didn't respond. She seemed to be mid-thought.
"Do you need help?" You tried again, however were interrupted by a titan appearing, heading straight towards the both of you.
"Hey!" Not knowing what to do, you yelled. Realizing that she wasn't going to move and not wanting to risk your life to save her, you started backing away. The titan went to grab her. Snapping out of her daze, she cuts it's finger off. Relieved, you turned back the way you came, only to be cornered by another titan. Cursing yourself for not thinking things through, you could only watch the woman dodge the titan focused on her. It backed her up to where you were. Not wanting to get in the way, you pressed yourself against the wall of the building next to you. Your heart was pounding so hard that you couldn't hear anything else around you.
The titan that has blocked your exit walks past you without a second thought. It's footsteps shake the ground as it heads to the woman only to punch the opposing titan. Sending it yards away. It proceeds to stomp on it until it ceases moving. Realizing you have a way out now, you run back the way you came, not wanting to risk the abnormal titan turning its attention to you.
What would make a titan want to attack its own? Was it confused? Did it smell us and not see us, making it seem as though the other titan was human? You didn't want to stay around to find out. You passed the cafe on the way back through town; it's door is now open and the inside empty of people. The streets were dead and you knew that because of your actions, you wouldn't make it to the gate in time. It would be closed by the time you got there. You could only imagine how many people were crammed, trying to fit through it now.
You made a hard left as you sprinted, making your way to your house. You didn't pass any titans on the way to the breach, so you were hoping none came this way while you were helping people. As you ran, you could hear people scream in the far distance, and while you regretted not being able to help them, you wanted to live through this. To see Erwin again. He had just come back into your life and you didn't want to be without him again.
You were almost there, just had to make a right and head to the end of the street. Your heart filled with hope with every step you took. And as you made your last turn, your pace slowed. There were no in sight, so you allowed yourself to take a breather and jog the rest of the way. Being home has never brought you so much joy in your life. You decided that you'd be safe by closing the curtains and hiding yourself underneath the windows. Out of sight, out of mind, right? If the titans couldn't see you, they wouldn't know you were there. Or at least that's what you hoped.