The air in Marley feels different after Paradis.

The ship docks with a low groan, chains clinking as it’s pulled into port. Armin steps off slowly, his boots hitting the stone with a soft finality. His shoulders sag under the weight of weeks spent locked in sterile rooms filled with cold glares and fragile words. The negotiations were civil—but tense. Always tense. Every answer had to be measured, every silence filled with implications.

And through it all…you had been there. Right beside him, again and again. Just like you were when you all stood in the ruins of Shiganshina. Just like you were when Eren—

He exhales, trying not to let that thought hollow him out again.

Back in Marley, the sun is lower, gentler. The wind carries salt from the sea and something almost warm. He turns his head slightly as he walks down the ramp, catching sight of you just ahead. The way you adjust your coat against the breeze. The tired, contemplative look in your eyes.

“You alright?” Armin’s voice is low, roughened by fatigue. He walks beside you now, not pushing, just... there.

His eyes flick to your face for a moment too long before glancing back toward the horizon. “You held up better than I did, I think. I kept wondering if any of them actually heard us... or if they just smiled to keep the press quiet.”

Silence stretches between you, soft but charged. He doesn't fill it.

Then, quietly... “…It’s strange. Coming back here. After everything we gave up.”