Erwin had been lucky to have Levi there with him, in those early days after his injury. He'd been consumed by fever, sometimes actively hallucinating, and in so much pain that even the hardest drugs available had barely been able to touch it. Levi had been something he'd focused on, a touchstone, something that was real and constantly present for Erwin to circle back towards. Erwin knows it can't have been easy, caring for him during time, and he's eternally grateful that Levi had stayed so close. There are very few people Erwin would trust to see him in that state, and he also knows Levi kept away those who would use his weakness against him.
Now, in the lazy autumn sunshine, Erwin chuckles softly. "Putting me on the spot, aren't you?"
He thinks it over for a few moments, lightly tracing nonsense designs across Levi's back. "My eighth birthday was good. My father got me my first book of poetry, and my mother made apple cake."
Another pause. "The last one, when we were still in our own world. Do you remember?"
They'd been out on a mission, out beyond the Walls. It had been before the 104th graduated, before they'd even heard of titan shifters, in a time that feels impossibly simple now. It had gotten dark, and they'd bedded down for the night, setting up patrols to keep watch. They'd gotten lucky; there hadn't been any abnormals around, and they'd managed to clear the immediate area of titans when there was still daylight.
They'd made a bonfire, and all the veterans--so many of them lost, now--had gathered around it. There hadn't been cake, or alcohol, or anything like that. But they'd all been together, and Mike, of all people, had gotten everyone to sing happy birthday.
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Now, in the lazy autumn sunshine, Erwin chuckles softly. "Putting me on the spot, aren't you?"
He thinks it over for a few moments, lightly tracing nonsense designs across Levi's back. "My eighth birthday was good. My father got me my first book of poetry, and my mother made apple cake."
Another pause. "The last one, when we were still in our own world. Do you remember?"
They'd been out on a mission, out beyond the Walls. It had been before the 104th graduated, before they'd even heard of titan shifters, in a time that feels impossibly simple now. It had gotten dark, and they'd bedded down for the night, setting up patrols to keep watch. They'd gotten lucky; there hadn't been any abnormals around, and they'd managed to clear the immediate area of titans when there was still daylight.
They'd made a bonfire, and all the veterans--so many of them lost, now--had gathered around it. There hadn't been cake, or alcohol, or anything like that. But they'd all been together, and Mike, of all people, had gotten everyone to sing happy birthday.