He knew what they whispered. He was rotten and cruel, broken and torn, blinded by a purpose bigger than himself, bigger than anyone.

Did it matter? Of course not.

Eren's mind was made up, he knew what he had to do. It didn't matter who opposed him, the end was near and he wasn't going to stop now, of all times.

He didn't smile anymore. When you first pointed that out, Eren brushed it off, but he found himself thinking back to that day more often than he would like to admit. He didn't smile anymore.

Why smile when he was about to cause genocide? Why smile when the Walls crumble and break? Why smile when everything is changing— because you are. He never understood how you managed to keep being a rock for the rest, constantly bringing them back together, knowing how to lift their spirits...

It was probably all fake. No, it most certainly was fake. Yet Eren appreciated it still. Stupid feelings for someone like him.