Another glorious time skip
Authors POV
The day Erwin came to talk to you at the hospital was hard for him, although he didn't show it. It was his way of saying goodbye and letting you go. He knew that you had feelings of love for him, which is why he made you promise that you'd move on.
An old friend of his back in the day was the owner of the house in Wall Sina. Erwin and him had become close and when his friend unfortunately died during an expedition, he had Erwin under his will for the house since Erwin was the only person he'd consider family. This house was kinda something Erwin had forgotten about until the day he found out you would no longer be apart of the Survey Corps. He felt at ease knowing that you would have a good start to your new life.
Of course he couldn't get you out of his head so easily, he continues to distract himself with work and meetings but letting you go would definitely take some time. You were different than Marie, he was so young and inexperienced at the time but now he was a grown man with more experience on life and a true understanding of love.
Time flew by as you got yourself comfortable in your new home. You loved it, it was the perfect home for a family yet you were alone. The village was quiet and there were a lot of kind and successful people there. You felt a little out of place at first, being in the state that you were in but people welcomed you and you made friendly acquaintances. Therapy was going good, you felt more comfortable walking and you ditched the crutches. You took therapy very seriously, you just wanted so badly to get the casts off.
You did try to keep your promise to Erwin, that you would move on. You started a new hobby, turns out you're way better at sketching than you gave yourself credit for. Erwin was good at many things but he lacked some skills in the art department, to put it more nicely.
(Sorry I had to put in this hilarious photo Erwin drew even though I know he had to use his left hand😂)
..So he would always have you draw out maps and facial descriptions of people and you now finally started to put that small skill to use. It started with drawing everyday/slice of life things, like the children in your neighborhood, the old couple you saw every other day at the farmers market, and you even started to do commissions for some extra cash.
--
One night you were reminiscing about your late nights helping Erwin with paperwork. You missed his face so much, so you decided to sketch it. It was meant to be a silly sketch but you slowly kept adding detail after detail, not wanting to miss any of Erwin's features, sketching turned into drawing, drawing turned into shading and then you began coloring. It was the most detailed piece you'd ever done, probably your best work yet. You stared at the work of art every single day.
(Art by Wit_Studio)
One of the few parts of the promise you failed to keep was moving on. Including your friends. You still had a few friends in the Survey Corps and you would send out occasional letters, asking how things were going.
Your day was going great until you receive a response letter from one of your friends. He filled you in on what was going on, about Erens kidnapping, the other two titans identities and that Erwin had been hospitalized. He lost his right arm in the recent rescue for Eren. You felt devastated for Erwin. You debated on whether or not to go visit him in the hospital but you were scared. You didn't want to go against his wishes but you still loved the man, and he may have possibly reciprocated those feelings. You thought of the worst case scenarios, that he'd kick you out the room, give you a cold shoulder, or say something to completely break your heart. You decided to leave it alone and try your best to move on.
After a few more weeks of therapy, your cast was finally removed. You had to keep your arm and leg tightly bandaged but for the most part you could move around without a terribly noticeable limp. You slowly started to regain your confidence. So much so, that you caved in. You needed to see him.
Your POV
I'm going to do it. I'm going to see Erwin. It's been too long already.
I took a little more time to mentally prepare myself for rejection, but after finally talking to myself like a crazy person, I went for it. I heard he had been released from the hospital awhile ago.
I waited for the evening time, that was usually when he would be alone in his office doing paperwork. Although I'm not sure what exactly he's been doing now a days with his injury.
Come evening time I make my way to his work office. My heart his beating out of my chest, I felt as if I could collapse. After standing in front of the door for about five minutes I grew the courage knock but there was no response. I gave it another knock but still nothing. I wasn't going to give up so quickly. I decided to go to his personal office. It was his dorm/apartment. He had his own personal work desk, a small dining table with chairs and a bed. I had only been there a few times, it was normally when he granted me access to pick things up from his personal office and that one day where he was sick but refused to stop working.
I'm freaking crazy
I give the door a gentle knock. I heard large foot steps making its way to the door, I began to have heart palpitations. Finally I hear him unlocking his door and open it. He raised his eyebrows in shock, I was the last person he thought would be knocking at his door.
"(Y/n)?"
"Erwin.. sorry to bother you."
Erwin continues to stare down at me with the same shocked expression. After a long awkward silence he opened his door fully to let me in. I walk in his room timidity as he closes the door behind us.
"Is everything ok (y/n)?" He asks, very concerned.
"Y-Yes, everything is great. I... I heard what happened to you.." I couldn't help but look at what once was his right arm. He took notice and placed his hand on top of what was left of it. "I just wanted to see how you were, I wanted to visit while you were in the hospital, but.. I didn't want to be a bother."
"You never are (y/n). Would you like tea?"
I felt a little bit of a weight off my shoulders, he hadn't kicked me out. He does seem surprised that I was here but he was still inviting. I accepted the tea and he pulls a chair for me to sit in. Things were a little quiet as he made the tea, I couldn't help but stare at his back. I missed his presence.
He brought over the tea and sat down across from me. I initiated small talk, asking about his work. He was polite but whenever I tried to lighten the mood up by bringing up our past memories, he was rather serious.
"So, have you kept your promise?" Erwin asks, changing the subject
"Well, I promised that I'd try didn't I?"
Erwin gives me a small smile of relief. "I'm glad to hear. Tell me about what you've been up to then."
"Well, I picked up a hobby as you said. I started drawing, turns out I'm good at it, I have a whole list of commissions I'm working on."
"I could have told you that. You are very talented, why do you think I always made you draw out my blueprints." He says with a friendly smile. "Have you made new friends?"
"Not really but I'm friendly towards my neighbors and local shop owners."
"That's a good start. What about moving on? Are you still holding on to past friendships?" Erwin asks
"Well, I'll be honest with you. That's something I'm still struggling with. I've mourned my comrades and I'm in a healthy place mentally now. But I still can't help but to keep tabs on some of my friends over here, you know?"
Erwin nods, "That's understandable." He looked like he was holding something in. I sit there patiently waiting for him to continue talking.
"Are you.. also keeping your promise on finding someone that will make you happy?" He asks
"I am."
"That's good."
"In fact that's why I'm here right now"
Erwin gives me a puzzled look, waiting for me to explain.
"You made me promise that I would find myself a man who would make me happy and fulfill my needs, and that is exactly what I'm doing. I'm here because you're the only man who could do that for me Erwin."