I stood quietly in the background as reports were quietly made,  everyone subdued as those in the camp prepared to leave for the return  trip to HQ. It had been a hard blow to the troop and I didn't envy our  team leader having to face the new Commander with the news that was  being relayed to her when we met them on the way back, our squad having  broken off from the rest to perform routine reconnaissance. The losses  had been devastating for everyone.

I hid the wince as yet another scout came in and reported additional  losses, both of men and of supplies, horses having run off or been  killed and carts that were crushed beneath the titan's feet. It was  looking more and more grim with every person who opened their mouth.

Sometimes it sucked to always be the one put on watch so close to the  team leader, being one of the select few to hear all the incoming news.  Some days I would rather be one of the ignorant many who only heard  what was deemed necessary for them to be told so they could do their  jobs.

--------

Even after everything that had happened, nobody had expected to be  ambushed so close to meeting up with the main group. The fight was over  before it even began, the few survivors being the only ones able to flee  before they were snatched up and eaten or those who were able to be  saved when the titan was killed before they were able to do more than  take a bite of them.

Sadly, the ones doing the saving died in the attempt more often than  not, with the one they were trying to save often following behind. Very  few were successful with how many titans were surrounding them on all  sides.

--------

Out of the entire team, only five soldiers made it back to the main  squad with only minor injuries, with two more soldiers being carried  with them on horseback, both severely injured. Our team leader had been  killed trying to save those she was in charge of, managing to save only  one victim with any success, the rest being grabbed up again as soon as  they escaped the previous titan. That or dying of blood loss before they  had managed to get to the tree line and potential safety.

Taking only enough time to ensure none of them would bleed to death,  the new Commander had the troops hurrying back to HQ before any more  titans showed up.

--------

I opened my eyes to darkness, the smell of antiseptic and blood  mixing in a nauseating fashion. Blinking a few times, my eyes finally  adjusted enough to see part of the room around me, the faint outline of  beds and cabinets on each side of me. As I shifted to try and sit up, I  felt pain roar to life as the bandages wrapped around my leg shifted  against the bed sheets. Looking down, I watched as the crisp white  blankets slowly blossomed with red as the blood ran from the reopened  wounds.

"You should have still been asleep with the amount of medicine you  were given. Hmm, I'll have to make an adjustment to the dosage if you're  going to burn through it this fast." The soft voice of a young man  carried through the room quietly, my head turning to the left before  spotting him almost hidden in the shadows on the far side of the room.

"What happened? Where is everyone else? How did we get back to  headquarters?" The questions began spilling from my lips as fast as they  popped into my head, my heartbeat growing faster with each one as I  realized just how little I could remember after seeing the first titan  coming out of the tree line.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. The majority of your  teammates are dead. You are one of only seven survivors and your team  leader was not one of them. Sadly, this means all the information from  any survey reports is also lost, something that doesn't sit very well  with the new Commander." I listened to his soothing voice as he walked  closer, slowly coming out of the shadows to reveal a rather handsome  looking man with dark eyes and short, black hair.

The smile he gave me when he caught me staring had me turning away,  my cheeks growing warm as I heard his soft laughter. Trying to ignore  how embarrassed I felt, I coughed lightly and glanced towards him,  liking the way the smile on his face made him look even more handsome.  Bringing a hand up to cover my cheeks once I realized I was staring  again, I turned to face the other way again before speaking.

"I see... I take it the Commander is concerned about the missing  reports then and what they contained? I know he talked in length with  the team leader before we left for the mission and some of the reports  did contain information that could have impact on future missions." I  raised my hand more before running it down my face tiredly, as if I  could somehow wipe away the exhaustion that was filling me.

"You speak as if you know what was in those reports. Did your team  leader talk to you about them before the attack? I was under the  impression the attack happened while the reports were still being made."  I could feel his curious gaze on me as he spoke, fighting to keep my  eyes open.

"I was always positioned close enough to hear the reports as they  came in." Fighting a sudden yawn, I let my eyes close as I leaned back  against the pillows. "I have a really good memory for stuff like that,  so the team leader always talks... I mean, she used to always talk to me  after reports were made, to make sure she didn't miss anything or to  see if I had a different understanding of what was reported. She said it  was best to have two minds working on the same thing, because one would  often catch or understand what the other didn't."

With those words, I finally let myself slip back into the deep sleep I  had been in before, not even feeling the prick of a needle as more  medication was given to ensure my recovery.

--------

I woke up in the dark again, not knowing how much time had  passed and unsure what had awoken me until I tried to move my hand,  finding such to be impossible. Pausing in the attempt, I looked down to  find my fingers encased within the warm hand of a blonde male, his  sleeping face resting on my thigh. Stunned, I just lay there, head  twisted into a position that grew more uncomfortable as time passed.

"Ah,  I see you have woke up again. I apologize for the position you are  currently in. The Commander was interested in talking to you once he  found out you had heard the reports that were made before the attack,  however you were still asleep when he arrived. I'm afraid that he  refused to leave until you woke up and wouldn't listen when I tried to  tell him it could be hours. At least he's finally getting some rest."  The clicking heels of the one I assumed to be the doctor treating me  came closer as I felt the man resting so close to me begin to stir, his  fingers twitching as he gripped my hand a bit tighter before suddenly  letting go.

It was only moments later that the man, the  new Commander, sat up and looked around the room like he was expecting  to be attacked. After assuring himself of his safety, he slowly turned  towards me with the smallest quirk of a smile on his face, looking  almost unused to the feel of it on his lips.

"Hello  (y/n). I'm Commander Erwin Smith. It's a real pleasure to meet you." I  was shocked at not only how deep his voice was, but how gentle those  callused fingers were when he reached out and took my hand in his again,  giving it a gentle squeeze before releasing my fingers once more.

That tiny smile on his face never vanished, as for the next few hours he asked me questions about the various reports I'd heard.

--------

It  took a few weeks before I was able to convince the doctor to release me  from his care, something he seemed reluctant to do even though I had  healed up as nicely as could be expected. I mean, there wasn't anything  left that could be done about the scars and making me sit in that bed  any longer would serve no purpose but to drive me insane.

I  was just not one of those meant to spend all my time in one spot doing  nothing, one of the many reasons I ended up joining the Survey Corps  instead of getting an office job in one of the government sectors like  my father had wanted.

Grabbing the cane the doctor had  provided, I began limping my way down the corridor, more than ready for  some fresh air after so much time surrounded by the scent of cleaning  supplies and medicine.

I had just made my way out the  final door, the stars carpeting the sky above me, when I heard familiar  footsteps behind me. Turning my head, I sent a smile to the young man I  had grown so familiar with, his answering smile causing my heart to  nearly skip a beat.

"I told you I would be fine. You  didn't have to hurry out here so fast." I almost jumped when I felt his  arms wrap around me from behind, a warm breath against my neck bringing a  matching heat to my cheeks.

"Now what kind of doctor  would I be if I failed to keep an eye on my only patient?" I felt his  lips brush against my cheek before turning my head towards him, the  stars the only witness to what happened next.

--------

Blood,  there was so much blood... It was everywhere, my hands and face,  dripping from my hair... I could smell it with every breath, taste it  when I opened my mouth to scream... And once I started, I didn't feel  like I would ever stop screaming, the pained sound tearing from my  throat as I watched the titan drop what was left of my lover to the  ground and turn towards me.

Moments later the monstrosity  toppled to the ground, Erwin appearing from behind it with swords  drawn, his 3DM gear allowing him to land safely nearby before rushing  towards me.

"It ate him! He's dead, he's dead, it ate him  and now he's dead!" The words were rushing out of my mouth in a scream  of despair as Erwin put his arms around me, holding me tight as I slowly  crumbled into a sobbing mess.

"I swear I will kill them all for you, I'll do whatever it takes to make this world a safe place for you to live in. For us to  live in." I clutched at his shirt as he made his promise to me, not  really listening as all I could hear anymore was the screams of my late  lover as the titan had bit into his side.

I didn't even  stop to wonder how it had gotten inside what should have been a safe  area, no titans having been spotted for miles around. Nor did I wonder  how Erwin had appeared so quickly, so conveniently in time to save just  me.

--------

I was kept safe by him, by  Commander Erwin. Safe from titans, safe from the dangers of the world,  safe from everything. Everything but himself. I was hidden away from  everyone and everything I had known, kept within his secret room and  slowly forgotten about by all but him. It was easy for him to do, since  he was the only one who knew I had survived the attack of that titan.

What  was frightening was how he tried so hard to keep that one promise he  made to me, one that he renewed every time he saw me, kissed me and  touched me. He was determined to make the world safe from titans and he  was willing to sacrifice anyone and everyone to do it. Everyone but me.  If only he would realize that by now, I was the only one who didn't care  if he killed all the titans.

I'd finally realized it  wasn't the titan that killed my lover. Not really. After all, Erwin was  the one that lead it to us. It's amazing what you can find out if you  just listen long enough to put all the pieces together.