Work Text:
The sound of a massive log hitting the back of a titan’s neck is as grotesque to hear, as it is to watch. The "Executioner from Hell" as Hange had garishly dubbed it, was the weapon they were currently testing, and was exactly as fearsome it sounded. Still, despite the ghastly name, its creation was due to be one of humanity’s greatest leaps forward, as evidenced by the gleam in his superior officer’s eyes- something Moblit can’t look away from.
“Pull!” Hange shouts. Like clockwork, their squad mate Abel takes his axe to the rope, dropping the enormous log from the other end of the pulley.
The mallet drops exactly on the nape. With it, a thunderous boom that Moblit feels in his chest, followed by silence until the steam appears, and then, finally, the shrill, but sweet sound of Hange’s excitement.
“That’s the third ten meter!” Hange shouts into the open air of the top of Trost’s outermost wall. “Not only was that another ten meter, but,“ they practically salivate with a smile that meets their eyes, “we’ve managed to exterminate eight in a row!” Hange’s hooting grows louder and louder, drowning out even the pulley creaking back up, primed to go again.
“That’s right.” Moblit laughs, his own smile tugging at his lips at Hange’s infectious joy. “Fantastic. Just fantastic. We’ve got the method down pat, haven’t we?”
Hange nods up and down, the goggles on their forehead nearly falling off in unbridled enthusiasm as they continue to dance around. Below them, some smaller titans make strange noises as they gather around the newly disappeared corpse.
“Just about done, eh?!” Abel yells across the way, a desperate plea in his eyes begs for either a drink, or for Moblit to urge Hange to finally wrap up today’s experiment. He nods at Abel as he moves to the wall’s edge where they now stand.
“If we manage to get this last one…” Moblit muses, seemingly echoing Hange’s thoughts, watching as they preen on their tiptoes much too close to the edge, eerily eager to see a bludgeoning. He puts his hand out, gently urging them to step back, and thankfully they oblige despite never taking their eyes off the seven meter titan that tries to creep inside the wall.
“Now!”
The log crashes down as brutally as the previous test run. Though this time, the smaller titan is nearly wholly obliterated by the force of the impact- an instant death, leaving no room to doubt the magnitude of what Hange had created, and how many lives would be saved.
“Yeah!” Hange cheers as their fists pump in the air, “Hell yeah!”
Moblit softly applaudes the sight. Behind him, he can feel the warmth of Hange's exuberance, and thinks of himself as the sunflowers in his garden back home. Tall enough to tower over the fence, he recalls that they shift towards the sun, seeing no shadows as they reflexively look for a familiar warmth. Lost in thought, he turns to face his superior, and he’s abruptly met with a crash against his lips, paired with clumsy hands that roughly hold his face.
“Sect-” Moblit mumbles against their cracked lips, and just as quickly, they're gone and the cold returns.
“We did it!” Hange beams, licking their lips as their eyes shine with a childish joy. “Moblit, we did it!”
“We… did it.” Moblit repeats after them, touching his fingers to his lips, tracing the memory. Before he can truly allow himself to live in the moment- committing the memory of those vivacious eyes directed only at him, trying to imagine the brushstrokes and charcoal that would allow him to memorialize such an ephemeral thing- they turns on their heel and practically skip away.
“Are we done yet?” A new recruit asks aloud, nervously looking from their section commander to him. Visible relief colors their entire face as Hange nods and continues walking away. Moblit’s eyes fix themselves on their back, like always, and he falls into step behind them.
For all long as those honeyed eyes glittered, humanity would be safe. To ensure that bright future, Moblit fixes himself at Hange’s side, and basks in halo of their warmth, knowing none of those fabled shadows could ever touch him- not for as long as sunbeam smiles remained in this world. He'd stand tall enough for them both.