Nachtigall (Yandere!Erwin x Reader) [COMPLETE]

Part 1: Lullabies

WARNING: This is a Yandere story. It is NOT a love story. Don't expect it to be fluffy and cute for long. TW for blood/gore and general creepyness.

You knew Erwin had nightmares. He put on his mask during the day – as the commander, he had to. But you could see they were wearing him down. You never approached him about it, and he never told anyone, but you knew. He seemed unaware that you could hear him. At night when you lay awake, still drenched in a cold sweat from your own dreams, his cries echoed down the hall. You had no doubt the others could hear too, but it went unspoken. They all knew there was nothing they could do for him – they were all too busy dealing with their own demons, demons with gaping, dripping maws that thundered through their unconsciousness thoughts.

One night you woke crying from such a dream, shivering uncontrollably in the claustrophobic space you shared with the other female team leaders. You knew they were awake – you could hear their shuddering breaths as they cried themselves to sleep. But they said nothing as you slid from beneath the covers and wrapped your evergreen cloak about your shoulders, slipping carefully from the room and letting the door fall silently shut behind you.

You were surprised, and somewhat relieved, to find the halls silent that night. Sometimes Erwin's shouts would find their way into your dreams and you would watch him die over and over in your mind until you managed to jolt yourself awake. As you crept past his door, you pressed your ear briefly to the wood, but heard only silence. Perhaps tonight he had managed to find some respite from his demons. You smiled to yourself and left him to his sleep, creeping out the front doors of the barracks and into the night air.

Though winter had ended weeks ago, the wind was chilly and your coat flapped around your body, the Wings of Freedom fluttering at your back. You only wished they were real so you could fly away from that place. You hated the feeling of being trapped, by those walls or by the jaws of a monster, there was no difference. The only time you felt truly free was when you were flying amongst the colossal evergreens of the forest to the song of steel wires and rushing wind.

As you wandered further into the grounds, the cool pre-dawn air worked its way into your lungs and you felt less stifled. The wind whipped away the bad dreams and you found yourself softly singing a lullaby your mother used to sing when you were young. As they did all those years ago, the words soothed your troubled mind.

The melody was broken when you heard a fallen branch behind you snap and you felt a presence hovering nearby. You whirled around to find Erwin watching you, smiling sheepishly.

"I'm sorry if I scared you," he said. "Please, don't stop." 

There was a hint of something unfamiliar in his eyes that made you hesitate, but at his silent prompting you picked up the tune where you had left off. He sighed contentedly as he sank down onto the grass and with his back propped against the trunk of a tree, he watched you. His gaze unnerved you and you found yourself turning away to escape his searching eyes, but the back of your neck prickled unpleasantly and you knew they never left you for the duration of the song.

When you finished, the sun had already peeked above the rim of the horizon and you could hear the first of early risers stirring in the barracks behind you. The stable hands would be up soon to tend to the horses.

"Commander, perhaps we should go back inside now."

He did not reply, and when you turned to look at him, you found him fast asleep, head resting gently against the tree as if it were made of the softest down pillow. His handsome face was for once free of worry lines and you smiled. He looked at peace. It was still cold out, fog and frost clinging to the hills in the distance, so you left your cloak with him before heading inside for breakfast.