Attack On Titan: Goodbyes

Eren's POV

"Come with me... I'll tell you a story..." I murmur, and she nods, following me as we move toward the bed. We settle in, her head resting on my shoulder as she sits on my lap, her body curled against me.

One of my arms wraps around her shoulder, keeping her close, while my other hand traces slow, gentle circles on her swollen belly, feeling the lives growing inside her.

I pause, unsure how to start, but I finally speak, my voice soft. "Long ago..." It's the most awkward, cliché way to begin a story, but I don't care. She doesn't mind either, her gaze drifting toward the window, her eyes distant.

"There was a kid, named Eren Yeager... He had two friends, Armin Arlert and Mikasa Ackerman. His entire life, he questioned: Why was he caged inside these walls? The only answer he could find was the titans. The titans are the reason for this misery and this suffocation that he's stuck within the walls. And on top of that, he shared a dream with his friends—a dream to explore the wonders of the outside world. So he decided to join the scouts and told his friends about that. Armin supported him but, his beautiful traitor exposed his truth to his mother..."

The words "beautiful traitor" slip out of my mouth before I can stop them, and I notice the faintest smile cross her lips at the mention of it.

"His mom didn't want him to throw his life away, so she tried to stop him. But that idiot... The same day he yelled and shouted at her was the same day he lost her. The titans invaded the walls. He never had the chance to say sorry, never got the chance to say 'I love you,' and the self-hatred consumed him. And He also blamed the titans for everything, and so he joined the cadets. Mikasa and Armin followed him, just like they always did."

As I speak, my hand gently slides up from her belly to her face, my fingers brushing against her soft skin, tracing the lines of her cheek. I smile at the way she leans into the touch, eyes half-lidded as if she's trying to hold onto every word, or was she just sleepy?

"And so he made new friends while being in the cadet corps. He graduated, ranked fifth, with Mikasa ranking first. And the thought, that Mikasa was doing all of that just for him, it made him hate himself even more, because he couldn't even protect himself, let alone fight titans. But despite all that self-doubt, he kept going. He kept pushing forward."

Her eyes never leave me, even as I continue. "And the titans attacked the next day. It was then that the truth came out—that he had titan powers. And from that moment on, he became humanity's hope, even though he never felt like one. He started to think he was special."

Before I could continue, her cracked and broken voice pierced through the still air. "Eren is so special."

I smiled softly, though a weight pressed against my chest. "Don't doubt yourself, my Eren."

Even though the urge to hold her, to kiss her, surged through me, I kept my composure and continued.

"So Eren ultimately starts to fight for humanity. He witnesses betrayal, loses comrades... but he pushes forward. And through it all, his hatred for the Titans—and for himself—grows. So much so that he forgets his dream to see the outside world. But there was one thing he knew for sure: he wanted to create a peaceful world for his people, for his friends. And there was no room for giving up. If he did, he would've forsaken the sacrifices of his comrades. So he pushes forward."

The memories surged, a flood in my mind, choking me as I kept speaking, my mouth dry, my voice strained.

"Yet, after all of it, he's still useless, and Mikasa... Mikasa always saves his useless ass... And he barks at her and pushes her because he thinks he should be the one to protect her." Her soft chuckle met my words, and it made me smile despite everything.

"As time passed, it was revealed that Eren held something more: a power to save humanity—the power his father gave him. The Founding Titan. And that thought? It suffocated him."

Her hand moved slowly to my shoulder, her fingers gently clinging to me, grounding me. "But there was something he became sure of, for once," I whispered. "That idiot started to have feelings for his childhood friend, Mikasa."

I glanced down, only to catch her face flushed with a light pink, the corners of her eyes shifting away.

"Heh? Are you seriously getting shy now?" I teased, but she only shifted her gaze to the side, her cheeks deepening in color. I didn't push further.

"Idiot, it's Mikasa... You can't... That's what he kept telling himself. A strong, beautiful, caring, and loyal girl who stayed by his side, not because she had to, but because she chose to—because he was weak, because he couldn't take care of himself.

He knew himself that he liked her, that there was something there deep in his heart. That whenever he looked at her he just wanted to be with her, even for a while. But would she ever feel the same? After all these years, all he had done was push her away, treating her in ways that no girl should be treated, doing everything that might make her resent him. And yet, she stayed. How could he ask her to love him when all he'd given her was distance and pain?"

She got up and stared at me, her voice shaking. "Ereh, that's not true. I—"

But I smiled, gently silencing her by pulling her toward me, and continued, my voice steady despite the storm inside me. "So he told himself, she just thinks of him as family. And with that, he buried the thought deep within his heart, focusing more on humanity than on himself.

And then, one night, his friend Armin randomly vowed that they would witness the sea together. For a fleeting moment, his long-forgotten dream resurfaced. But nothing went as planned. Wall Maria was reclaimed, but at a terrible cost. Armin died, and with his loss, Eren's world fell hollow. On top of that, the truth about everything was revealed to him."

I let my eyes drift toward the window, the weight of the words settling into the silence between us. I was sad recalling it but I continued anyways,"It all came crashing down at once. But through it all, the one person he loved—the one person he had pushed away his entire life—became his everything. And he realized, the beauty he'd always searched for was never beyond the walls. But just as he thought he might carry on and live for her... the bell rang.

The powers of his Titan awakened, and he realized who he truly was: a bastard who had traveled through countless worlds, killing innocent people, only to be killed himself in the end. A loop. A punishment for his sins."

A bitter smile tugged at my lips, a question lingering in the back of my mind. Wasn't this option easier, living far away with her, here? "He had nothing. As time passed, his future memories began to overtake him, and he became a slave to his own visions—restrained by the fate he could neither escape nor change. A slave with less than eight years to live. He had two choices: save Eldia or watch it fall.

So he gave himself 2 options: One option was to marry the queen, bear a royal blooded child, initiate the Rumbling, kill everyone beyond the walls, and then either get killed by the women he adored or give his powers to his child, continuing the cycle. The other option... was her. The girl he loved more than ever with each passing day—Mikasa."

Her gaze locked with mine as I spoke again, my voice quieter now. "So he decides. In Marley, he'd ask her for her true feelings. If she didn't love him, if she said 'family' like she had in every world before... then he'd go with the plan, kill everyone, and create a better world for her to live in."

My voice crack as I speak," But somehow, just somehow, if she says what he so desperately wanted to hear. And in that moment, he would ask her to marry him, right there, and they would live together peacefully. Even if it meant fighting against his own people."

Mikasa looked up at me with a tender smile that made my heart ache in ways I couldn't put into words. Without thinking, I leaned in and kissed her, soft and lingering. She smiled against my lips before gently pushing me back onto the bed, her movements slow and deliberate. Now we were eye to eye, her body nestled against mine, her head resting on my arm while she hugged me tightly.

"And then it happened," I continued softly, brushing a strand of her hair away from her face, "against all odds, she replied honestly. They got married and ran away. Far, far away from everyone. Just the two of them, living in a cottage, spending his last four years together in peace. And during that time, they had a beautiful angel—a little girl they named Erika Yeager. A part of her, a part of him. Bonded together."

Mikasa scooted closer until our noses brushed, her charcoal-blue eyes locked onto mine. I could feel her breath mingling with mine, warm and comforting. "And two years later," I whispered, "he wakes up at midnight to find her crying. Crying because her husband only has two years left to live. And do you know what her husband says?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly.

She nodded slowly, her lips curling into a bittersweet smile, as she leaned in pressing her forehead with mine.

"Thank you for making this life so special for me. Thank you for giving me a purpose to live. Thank you for always letting me wrap that scarf around you. Mikasa Ackerman, I love you—and I always will."

I didn't know why, but suddenly, both of us were crying. Tears streamed down her face and mine as she buried herself in my embrace, her sobs mingling with soft kisses. We held each other tightly, our emotions pouring out in the quiet of the night. I could feel the warmth of her tears against my neck as I pressed my lips to her hair.

"I love you too, Ereh," she whispered fiercely, her voice breaking, and hearing her call me that ridiculous nickname made me both laugh and cry harder. Relief flooded through me—relief that I could finally say all the things I'd been holding inside, that she could feel my love in every word.

We stayed like that, wrapped in each other's arms, until the storm of emotions settled into something gentler. I smiled at her, my thumb brushing away the tears on her cheek. "Now it's your job to make these last two years special for me, Yeager," I whispered, my voice low and teasing.

She nodded, her lips trembling, before leaning in again. This time, her kiss was deep, filled with all the love and sorrow and hope we shared. Her lips pressed against mine, and the world around us faded to black. All that remained was her touch, her warmth, her love.