Part 1 - The eccentric Dot Pixis
Warning: this story contains a big spoiler concerning the plot and our beloved Irwin Smith if you still haven't read beyond chapter 42 of the manga.
[STOP READING UNLESS YOU REALLY WANT TO SEE THE SPOILER!] If everything's okay then please proceed!
About half of the soldiers who participated in the most recent expedition did not return home. The whole reason of the pursue was Eren Jäeger and Ymir's abduction by the Armored and Colossal Titans. Irwin Smith firmly believed that Eren Jäeger, the titan shifter holds the ultimate secret to humanity's redemption. Immediately, he launched a full-scale hunt to retrieve the missing cadets. During the battle with a massive number of Titans, the Commander had his right arm bitten off, hardly managed to escape death. The objective of the mission was achieved, but the number of casualty had left the survivors grim.
This is where our real story begins.
A pretty, brown haired soldier lightly knocked and pushed open the door, followed by her eccentric superior, Dot Pixis. The Garrison Commander walked in, looking light-hearted as always, hands held behind his back.
"How you feeling, young man?" He asked.
Irwin sat up on his bed; his remaining arm gently stretched the blanket from slipping off his shoulders. "Commander Pixis, you really shouldn't worry about me in this time of chaos. After all, more than half of the soldiers had died because of my command."
"Hmm...hmm." The old man shut his eyes, stroking the tip of his moustache. He then reached into his inner breast pocket, but suddenly realized something, and retrieved his hand. "Oh, I forgot that my pretty assistant had confiscated my bottle."
Irwin smiled, "It's nice to take a break from your drinking habit once in a while." He cast a glance to Pixis' assistant, "And it's interesting to see how you always surrender to younger women."
"Hahahaha!" The older man full-heartily laughed. "What do you expect? I'm a man after all." The female soldier, who's usually stoic looking, slightly frowned and averted her eyes elsewhere. She really lacked the genes for humor.
The Garrison Commander sat down on the chair beside Irwin's bedframe and said with amusement: "now that your condition is more or less stable, I suppose the nurse won't check up on you so often anymore, don't you think?"
"Hmm." Irwin lightly smirked, "I'm not that fragile, you know."
Pixis slightly raised his chin, crossing his arms together. "Medical staffs are all attending to your wounded men from the hunt. Those are their top priority now. Your facial bones turned quite prominent. You've lost a lot of weight, Commander."
"This is nothing, I should be more concerned about my soldiers."
"Just now, I met your subordinate Elsbeth and talked her into taking care of you in the nurse's place. Her father was a doctor, so she knows a bit about medical science. Quite a gem you got there." Pixis gleefully said.
"Ah." Irwin looked surprised. "Elsbeth? How is she doing?"
"I heard she's a capable soldier, only suffered some light injuries." Pixis smiled under his moustache. "She looked healthy enough to slay Titans at any given moment."
"It's a relief to hear some of my subordinates are doing well. But I'm really fine, no need to trouble her for this."
Pixis amusingly stood up from his chair and fixed his wrinkled uniform. "No need to pretend being such gentleman. After all, who doesn't like the company of a beautiful girl?"
Irwin's pale cheeks slightly reddened, but immediately put on a stern face to prevent any suspicion.
The old man laughed again, obviously saw through Irwin's mind. "Those messy hair and unshaven beard should be taken care of first. She will be perfect for that job!" He walked to the door, his assistant saluted to the Survey Corps Commander and exited first. Pixis mischievously said: "I've done all the work for you. I told her that you are more than happy to receive her. She's coming tomorrow!" And he exited the room too, shutting the door gently from outside, leaving an extremely awkward looking Irwin.
The blond man's left hand rubbed his frowning forehead and sighed. "It would be so embarrassing to let her see me in such miserable shape."
Does the Commander have some romantic feelings for Elsbeth? Who knows, haha.