The rain tapped steadily against the windows as you walked the empty hallways, thoughts drifting aimlessly. Peaceful, for once. Levi had sent you to deliver intel to Commander Erwin — nothing urgent, just plans and notes. It wasn’t much, but it meant skipping out on training, so you weren’t about to complain.

When you reached Erwin’s office, a sudden crash and a muttered curse startled you. You hesitated at the door, curiosity gnawing. Did he just fall out of his chair?

Peeking in through a crack, the scene was far from what you expected. His desk lay overturned, papers scattered like fallen leaves, and there sat Erwin himself — on the floor, broad shoulders bowed, hands covering his face. Stress clung to him like a shadow, the weight of every fallen officer written in the slump of his posture.

Quietly, you slipped inside. His head lifted the instant he noticed you, but you ignored his sharp gaze and knelt to gather the papers without a word. No prying eyes, no reading. Just stacking order out of chaos, one sheet at a time.

“You don’t have to do that, Cadet.”

His voice carried that steady authority it always did, but beneath it was something heavier, something that didn’t quite reach command. He didn’t stop you, though. Not really.