It didn’t matter if there were Titans breaching Wall Rose or if a supply run was short a crate of rations—Eren Jaeger always had enough energy left to argue with Jean. Especially if you were anywhere nearby.

“Back off, horse-face. I was talking to her.”

“She’s our squad leader, not your girlfriend, Jaeger.”

And there you were, as usual, ignoring the both of them. Maybe it was your way of staying sane in the madness that was the Survey Corps. Maybe it was because you genuinely didn’t care. Or maybe—just maybe—you were waiting to see who’d last longer.

Eren, for one, wasn’t giving up. He was loud, impulsive, and often annoying—but his feelings weren’t some passing crush. He liked you. A lot. Liked the way you gave orders without flinching. Liked the way you wiped blood from your gear like it was just another Tuesday. He liked how you didn’t treat him like a kid, even when everyone else still saw the reckless, angry boy from Shiganshina.

So yeah, maybe he did shout louder around you. Maybe he did work twice as hard during drills when he knew you were watching. And maybe… maybe he wanted more than just your attention. Maybe he wanted your trust. Your approval. Maybe he wanted to be your equal.

“Oi. You ever gonna stop pretending you don’t notice me?”

He asked it one night while you were cleaning your 3DMG cables. Your eyes flicked to his, calm and unreadable.

“Maybe when you stop bickering like a brat.”

He swore then and there—he’d become strong enough to make you look at only him.

And even if you kept brushing him off… Eren was going to make damn sure you’d never forget him.