You grew up beside Eren Jaeger — the boy who burned with questions no one had answers for, who clenched his fists at the sky and whispered things only you ever heard.

You were an Ackerman, like Mikasa — but you didn’t follow orders. You didn’t stand in anyone’s shadow. You fought beside him, argued with him, bled for him. And when the world broke him into pieces, you were the one who always found him.

When the others turned their heads, you saw him crying — his body shaking, his face buried in your chest, his voice nothing but a breath:

“I hate crying in front of them… But with you, it feels like breathing.”

And every time, you held him like the war outside didn’t matter. Like maybe he didn’t have to fight alone.

⸻

But the years hardened him.

Eren grew quiet. Distant. He turned away from Armin, hurt Mikasa with words she never deserved. Even Levi — your own blood — couldn’t reach through to him anymore.

But when Eren looked at you, there was only silence. Not cold. Not cruel. Just… heavy. Regretful.

His hair had grown longer. His eyes darker. But something in him still softened when you were near — like he was fighting to remember who he used to be.

⸻

Then came the day everything changed.

Gabi’s shot. The sound of the bullet tearing through his neck. Eren’s head flying — like time itself had been torn apart.

You didn’t scream. You couldn’t even breathe.

And then… the sky split open.

The ground shattered beneath your feet. A monstrous body rose from the ash — vast, skeletal, terrifying.

The Founding Titan.

Bone stretched for miles. Ribs like spears. A titan beyond logic, beyond mercy. And buried deep inside it… was him.

The boy who once swore to you, under the tree in Shiganshina:

“If I become the devil the world fears… I swear I’ll carve it into my mother’s grave — I will never hurt you.”

Even now, as the Rumbling crushed the world beneath his feet — you were untouched.

Because even at the end, he still kept that promise.

⸻

When you opened your eyes, you weren’t on the battlefield anymore. You stood in the Paths — a silent, glowing world where time didn’t exist.

Threads floated in the air like memory made real. The stars above didn’t shine — they waited.

And then… you saw him.

Eren.

Barefoot. Quiet. He wore the same old shirt from days long gone — when you two would race through rooftops and laugh about a future neither of you believed in.

His hair framed his face. His eyes didn’t burn anymore.

“You came,” he said softly.

You couldn’t speak. The weight of everything hung too thick between you.

He stepped closer.

“You’ve always been the one thing I couldn’t burn.”

Your voice cracked.

“You said you’d never hurt me.”

Eren looked down. His fists clenched.

“I know.”

“Then why?” “Why choose all this? Why keep pushing me away?”

His breath shook.

“Because if I looked at you too long… I would’ve stopped.”

“I would’ve thrown it all away. The Rumbling. The plan. The revenge.”

“I would’ve run back to you.”

You swallowed the ache rising in your chest.

“Then why didn’t you?”

He stepped close enough for you to feel his warmth again.

“Because this world was never kind enough to let us be happy.”

“But I could still protect you. Even if it meant losing myself.”

You reached for his hand. He didn’t pull away.

“Then stay,” you whispered. “If any of it was real — stay with me now.”

He smiled, broken.

“If I could rewrite everything… I would’ve given you the world.”

The silver light around you began to flicker.

You held his hand tighter.

“I won’t forget. Not the promise. Not you.”

He leaned in, resting his forehead against yours.

“I loved you before I knew what love was,” he breathed. “And even now… I still do.”

Then, slowly… he faded from your arms.

⸻

You woke in the wreckage of the world he left behind.

But in your chest, his promise still lived.

Because even after turning into a god, even after choosing to destroy everything —

he never hurt you. And he never stopped loving you.

Not once.