Erwin x Reader: Hearts to the Cause

Chapter 2: Unexpected

You stumble out of bed, you were never really a morning person. In fact, it was safe to say that you hated the mornings. I picked the right career, you thought sarcastically as you quickly got dressed to go down to the mess hall.

On your walk there you try to distract yourself from thinking about the oceans that are Erwin's eyes. The way he looked at you made you shudder, even though you are sure he looks at everyone the same way. Whatever, you think. Get a grip.

You turn the corner to make your entrance into the mess hall, and eventually you see him. What is he doing here? He never eats breakfast down here. This is not what you needed this morning. All you wanted was to sit down by your comrades, and enjoy a hot cup of tea. Apparently, the universe didn't have that in the cards today. Erwin notices your presence and you both lock eyes. The contact doesn't last long, for he breaks it quickly, but in your heart it felt like an eternity.

You walk over towards Sasha and Connie, they usually wake your spirits right up in the morning. You get over to your usual seat and you notice that they are both already arguing about some trivial topic, something to do with stealing food.

"Hey there," a familiar voice calls out from behind you, a delicate hand is placed on your shoulder. "have you seen Eren at all?" Mikasa, as usual, only has one concern. The world could be ending and she would still be calculating ways to save Eren's life. You admire her loyalty, though. You feel lucky to have a friend as passionate and strong as her.

"I haven't, I'm sure he will turn up." you say, dazed and still consumed by your recent Erwin eye contact.

You look over at Mikasa, and you see the worry consuming her face. This is her typical morning routine with Eren. You decide to pour her a cup of pear blossom tea to try to calm her nerves.

"Thanks." she says flatly, staring intently at the door.

You feel and itch to look over at the Commander, but you resist. You decide to look down and get lost in thought instead.

"Hello! Earth to Space Scout!" a voice whines.

You look up, realizing that Eren and Armin snuck in while you were in a haze.

"Oh hey guys. Sorry, I sort of had a restless night. I am feeling more tired than usual." you lie through your teeth. But they seem to believe you, you said it genuinely enough.

"You better sharpen up! Combat practice is starting soon and I intend to take you down this time!" Eren says, too eagerly for your current mental state.

"Yeah, yeah." you say, brushing him off.

"Wow she really isn't in the mood this morning." Eren says to Armin and Mikasa. Connie can still be heard in the background questioning Sasha's morality.

The itch you had to look over at the commander was now all consuming. Coupled with your comrades banter, it was driving you insane. Maybe I would be able to focus better if I just looked over there for a second. You turn your head in his direction. Immediately you are whacked in the face with his joyous smirk. Erwin is sitting across from Hanji and Levi, and they are enthusiastically arguing about something and Erwin is loving every second of it. The way his lips curl upwards drives you absolutely crazy. You cannot help but linger in your stare. Unfortunately, you linger a little bit too long, and the handsome man you were once observing is now also observing you. This time, you both stare intently at one another.

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Erwin has been looking in your direction since you walked into the mess hall. He followed your slender figure as you threaded your way through the tables and crowds. Eventually you made eye contact with him. He didn't want anyone noticing what he was just doing, so he broke contact shortly after. I can't let anyone see me starring at her, he thought to himself. Levi and Hanji walked over and sat down arguing over a training regimen for Eren. He always finds it comical when those two butt heads. Two absolute power houses.

The kibitzing was borderline annoying this morning though. Every time he would become inundated with frustration he would look over at you. Look at me, god damnit. Breakfast was to be over soon and you hadn't looked over at him once since you sat down with your comrades. He was aching for just one more moment. This is ridiculous, he thought promising himself to let these urges go.

He tuned into the argument with Levi and Hanji for a while. Interjecting where he felt it was necessary. This is why I eat breakfast alone in my office. He cared for and cherished his friendships with the two captains, but sometimes it felt as if he couldn't be around them without working. However, he was impeccably curious about your existence; he had no other choice than to eat down in the mess hall. Reflexively he looked over at you, and to his surprise you were starring back at him. You were looking at him in a way that he had always longed for. He thought about breaking the connection with you, but it felt too good to crack. He gave himself to the moment and all of his frustration and anxiety dissolved.

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You couldn't believe that you were starring into those spellbinding blue eyes again. You didn't know how to react in the moment, you felt anxiety start to creep into your system. What if he is freaked out by my starring? You sharply look down at your hands, blushing like a freshly bloomed rose.

No one had seemed to notice the silent interaction between the two of you thankfully. What just happened, you thought. Why did he look over at me?

You figured that he was just frustrated with you for all of the paperwork you made him do the night before. He did say that he would be "keeping a close eye on me," you remind yourself. This is probably just protocol.