Attack On Titan: Goodbyes

The air felt thick, suffocating, as if the weight of the revelation was squeezing the life out of every scout. Their wide, haunted eyes reflected the depth of disbelief and confusion they all shared.

Connie, his voice barely more than a whisper, muttered, "What... Humanity exists beyond the walls?" He sat beside Sasha, who had only just regained consciousness after her injury, her expression dazed, still processing the shock.

Eren sat in silence above the hard surface of the wall, his head hung low, shadows cast by his hair dancing eerily across his face. His mind raced, struggling to make sense of the torrent of information. It was too much.

His father, an Eldian Restorationist. His stepmother, a member of the royal family—the same titan who had devoured his real mother, Carla. His half brother, Zeke Yeager, was the Beast Titan.

The Founding Titan, Marley, the endless cycle of hatred and violence. And now, the truth that the titans weren't monsters but Eldians, enslaved by Marley's will.

The crushing weight of it all bore down on him, suffocating any shred of hope or understanding. His ambitions, everything he thought he knew—it all lay shattered before him on top of that Armin was dead.

Eren's hand gripped his face as if trying to block out the world, to block out the truth. He couldn't take it anymore.

Mikasa sat beside him, her fingers tightly interlocked with his, offering a quiet comfort. She watched him in silence, feeling the tremors of despair radiating from him containing her own tears in her heart— The Curse Of Ymir: Eren had only 6 years left to live.

Eren remained motionless, his other hand gripping his face, his voice breaking under the weight of what he had just learned.

"How... How is that even possible?" Jean said his voice was a raw whisper, filled with disbelief.

Erwin, standing a few feet away, looked up at the sky. A strange smile touched his lips, not one of joy, but one of irony—of understanding long sought after. His gaze then fell on Eren, and for a moment, there was a calmness in his eyes.

"It's the truth, Eren. No matter how bitter it is. It's the truth." Erwin said, his voice steady yet filled with a sense of finality. "This is what my father and I always believed in.... It seems we were right all along...."

Erwin's gaze remained steady on Eren, though the weight of his words seemed almost unbearable. "Listen... I know it's hard. I can't imagine what you're going through right now. But you, Eren—you are the hope of all Eldians."

His voice grew even more serious by every passing second,"The power to control the titans, the power that could change everything, runs through your veins. With the little time you have left to live, make it count. Make it worth something, not just for you, but for humanity. Even if the two of us all destined to die, let's ensure that our loved ones can live long happy lives."

"Uck..." Mikasa swallowed hard, her throat tight as she fought back her own emotions. Her free hand reached up, gripping the fabric of Eren's sleeve. She closed her eyes, a tear slipping down her cheek as she pressed her face against his arm, trying to ground herself—trying to contain her tears in a moment where everything felt like a horrible nightmare.

Levi's voice, calm and as sharp as ever, broke the silence. "Listen, Eren. I know you probably hate me after everything that happened today." He didn't pause, his words steady, without apology, but also without judgment.

"But don't let that hatred blind you because, it might come at a cost the lives of hundreds of thousands." Levi stood up, his expression unreadable, before turning and walking away, Hange silently following in his wake.

Erwin said nothing more, simply placing a hand on Eren's back—brief, reassuring. Then, like Levi, he left, leaving Eren sitting there, his mind a battlefield, torn between the overwhelming truths he had learned and the people who still believed in him.

Mikasa stayed by his side, her silent tears and presence the only thing that kept him from sinking further into the abyss.

Eren sat there, barely registering the words Levi and Erwin had spoken—the truth of humanity, the weight of the world outside the walls, the looming fate of Eldia. It was as if those revelations, which should have shattered him, had been eclipsed by something far more important in his eyes.

The moment he noticed Mikasa sitting by his side, trembling as she fought back her emotions, Eren's focus shifted. Instinctively, his protective nature surged to the forefront, pushing aside everything else.

The horrors of the outside world, the truth about his father, the betrayals—none of it mattered in that moment. All he could think about was the girl who had been with him through it all, and how fragile she seemed right now.

Eren slowly retracted his hand from Mikasa's grasp, gently wrapping it around her shoulder, pulling her closer as her tears flowed. Her soft whisper reached him, fragile yet full of desperation, "Don't you go too...."

His heart clenched at the words, and he tightened his embrace, bringing her even nearer. "Hey, don't worry... it's nothing. I'm fine. I'm not going anywhere." he whispered, trying his best to comfort her, though the weight of the truths they had learned still weighed heavily on him.

Jean, sitting a few meters away with his feet dangling off the edge of the wall,noticed it almost immediately, "Hey, Eren... is it just me, or have you gotten softer towards Mikasa?"

His tone carried a hint of jealousy, though he tried to mask it with his usual bluntness. His gaze stayed fixed on the ruins of Shiganshina below, slowly shifting to the settling sun dipping in the horizon.

Connie and Sasha exchanged glances, noticing the truth in Jean's words. Eren, still holding Mikasa close, smiled faintly as her grip on him tightened. "Of course," he responded, his voice softer, more introspective than they were used to hearing.

"It took me so damn long to realize how important she really is to me." His gaze, like Jean's, lingered on the horizon, but it was clear his thoughts were elsewhere—focused entirely on the girl in his arms as her tears began to calm.

He sighed, the weight of his thoughts heavy. "That realization... it only came at the cost of losing Armin. After he died, it hit me—what if I lost Mikasa too? I was always driven by my own ambitions yet I never imagined, what if I ever lost her."

His voice, though steady, was laden with emotion. "She's been with me ever since my childhood. Just the thought of her slipping away... it could break me entirely."

Eren pulled Mikasa even closer, his grip protective, as though holding her would keep the nightmares at bay. "She had always been protecting me. "

Eren gently broke their embrace, his intense green eyes locking onto Mikasa's teary grey ones. "From now on, I'll protect you. I'll destroy anyone who even dares to lay a finger on you. You're my only childhood friend left... I promise I'll always cherish you. Now and forever." Without any warning, Eren leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Ah..." Mikasa gasped, her cheeks flaring a bright red, mirroring the crimson of the scarf she always wore. She blinked, looking around in confusion, clearly flustered by Eren's sudden attack. This was the first time she'd felt like this.

Her hands fumbled for something to hold onto, and before she could stop herself, she buried her face in Eren's chest, trying to hide the deep blush that had taken over her usually composed face.

Though Eren's words seemed like they could've come from someone madly in love but, there was a purity in his tone, something far beyond simple romance. It was a bond born from years of shared suffering, fighting, and surviving together.

Still, as the words left his mouth, he felt something inside him shift. A deeper emotion, unfamiliar and raw, stirred within him—but he didn't question it.

Mikasa remained pressed against his chest, her previous sobs quieted. The warmth of Eren's embrace melted away the walls she'd built around her heart for so long. The words he had spoken, though simple, reached depths she hadn't realized existed in her.

Connie and Sasha exchanged glances, still oblivious to the emotional weight of the moment unfolding before them. But Jean... Jean watched in silence. His eyes traced the two of them—the way Mikasa clung to Eren, the subtle shift in Eren's demeanor.

It was like the world around them had disappeared, and for a brief moment, it was just the two of them, bound by something deeper than words could express.

Jean sighed, his usual irritation replaced by something more resigned, maybe even bittersweet. "This suicidal bastard just uncovered the truth about humanity," Jean mused quietly to himself, "yet here he is, acting like none of it matters... all because of her."

His gaze lingered on Mikasa, her vulnerability laid bare in a way Jean had never seen before. He bit back the familiar pang of jealousy, but this time, it wasn't as sharp as before. Instead, it came with a strange sense of acceptance. Jean leaned back, his eyes drifting toward the sky.

"Maybe... even if you had ever been mine, Mikasa," he thought, "I wouldn't have been able to make you as happy as Eren can. I've been selfish with my feelings for so long, ignoring yours because I didn't want to admit it. But you belong with him, you always have."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Jean's lips. "Good luck, Mikasa... I hope he gives you everything I would never be able to." His eyes returned to the two of them, and for the first time, Jean felt a strange peace as he watched Eren hold her close, the weight of the world seeming a little lighter in that moment.