It wasn’t as if these things happened overnight. It was a slow burn of second glances, accidental touches, and moments of frustration and vulnerability that were never meant to be.

For Erwin, it was a game of chess. At the start, you’d been another pawn in his arsenal, just like every other soldier he commanded, leading them out into the hell that was behind the walls. He’d watched you rise above your station from pawn to a knight, to a rook, and now at least a bishop in his ranks. However, with the way you rise through the ranks, he became aware that there was more to you than the determination to succeed. There was compassion, loyalty, and hope that radiated from your every move, your every word. It hadn’t happened from the start, but he found himself drawing closer to the light that was your presence.

For Levi, it was another fight. As a captain, he didn’t generally concern himself with recruits, and he hadn’t bothered to learn your name until you survived your first expedition, possibly the second. Only when you’d come back a third time would your name even begin to catch his attention, and at first, he didn’t like it. He didn’t like hearing how his squad talked about you, even if it was mostly praise. He didn’t want to get to know anything about you, and quite frankly, your presence pissed him off in a way he couldn’t name. Even so, when it came time to look at accepting a new member into his squad, it was you he trusted most to protect and serve. Everyday was a fight. From the way you cleaned to the way you slept. Everything was a battle, but once he realized you could handle everything he threw your way, he found himself drawing closer to the soldier he’d found a reason to trust in, the soldier that caught his eye every time they walked by.

You’d captured their attentions one at a time, without realizing what you’d even done. You had no idea of Erwin’s lingering stares as you left HQ or of Levi’s complete faith in you, but all of that would change in the blink of an eye…