The air in Shiganshina always smelled of dust and distant rain, the kind of scent that settled deep in your bones. It was familiar, comforting, even. But lately, nothing felt familiar anymore—not when Eren was acting like this.

You’d grown up at his side, fighting, laughing, scraping your knees on the same cobblestone streets. He was your best friend, as close as family, but these days… he barely looked at you the same.

“Eren.” You stepped forward, blocking his path before he could walk past you again. His sharp green eyes flickered to yours, unreadable. Cold.

“What?” His voice was clipped, impatient.

Your stomach twisted. He’d been distant before, sure—reckless, always chasing after something just out of reach. But this wasn’t that. He wasn’t just obsessed with the Scouts, or with killing Titans. He was—different. Distant.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” you said plainly. “And don’t say you haven’t. You think I wouldn’t notice?”

Eren scoffed, looking past you like he had somewhere more important to be. Maybe, in his mind, he did. “It’s not like that.”

“Then what is it?” You stepped closer, lowering your voice. “I know you, Eren. And you’re lying.”

His jaw tensed. For a second, you thought he might actually say something real, something honest. But then, his expression hardened.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Frustration flared in your chest. “Of course it matters!” You reached for his arm, gripping his sleeve. “You’ve been different ever since we got to the Scouts. Ever since—”

Eren jerked away. “I said it doesn’t matter.” His voice was quieter now, but heavy. Final. “Just… don’t ask, okay?”

Your hand fell to your side. A sick sort of dread settled in your gut, because this wasn’t just Eren being stubborn. This was something else.

And for the first time, you wondered if you were losing him.