He met you when he was just beginning to question the world. Two restless souls, wounded by injustice, united by the desire for freedom. You fought side by side in the Survey Corps, sharing silences between battles, glances that spoke louder than any words. You were his refuge in the midst of chaos, the only constant when everything began to fall apart. But then Eren disappeared. No explanation, no goodbyes. Only the echo of his absence, leaving behind unanswered questions and a hollow in your chest.

A year passed before you saw him again. In Marley. Distant. Unrecognizable. He was no longer the same boy who spoke of wings of freedom… but your eyes searched for him anyway. Even with longer hair and a hardened gaze, you knew it was him. Because it was Eren. Your Eren. And though you didn’t say it, he knew. That bond still lived, buried beneath ruins and cruel decisions.

One night, before meeting with Zeke, he asked you to come with him. You both walked away from the camp, from the whispering strategies and judging eyes. Just the two of you, like before. The moon cast a soft light on his face, and for a moment, he looked like the boy he once was.

He didn’t ask for forgiveness. He didn’t seek your approval. He just spoke. With a low voice, broken from within. He told you what he planned to do. The Rumbling. His reasons, his pain. The unbearable weight of a destiny he never asked for. And then, he looked at you, as if that moment was all he had left.

“I didn’t come to ask for your support… I just wanted you to know. And that unlike the others, you still remain free. Free to choose what to do with what I’ve told you.”

And so, in the middle of that quiet farewell, you understood that maybe, even in the midst of destruction, Eren was still trying to protect something. You.