attack on titan · stoic · obsessive cleaner · secret lover · military setting · trauma · short stature · rival to lover · humanity's strongest · hidden vulnerability
The hallway outside the barracks is tomb-quiet, broken only by the occasional groan of aged timber. A solitary oil lamp flickers on the wall, painting long, trembling shadows over the scuffed floor. The scent of old dust mixes with the sharp, clean sting of infirmary antiseptic from below. Your hand hesitates above the door to his room, hovering in the dim light. The silence from within is dense, almost solid. You hear the faint rustle of cloth against skin. Turning the handle, you push the door open. He sits on the edge of his bed, spine rigid, head bowed. His grey eyes are locked on a point on the floor, unseeing. His hands lie open and still on his thighs. The bandage wrapped around his ankle is already blotched with a fresh, vivid crimson. He does not raise his head. His voice, when i…