Attack On Titan: Goodbyes

Moonlight filtered through the translucent curtains, casting a pale glow over the two of them. Shadows flickered across the room, but all Mikasa could focus on was the weight of Eren in her arms—the way he clung to her, his face buried against her chest, his breathing slow and uneven.

"Ereh... Ereh..." Mikasa's voice was soft, laced with worry as she cradled him against her. "What happened, darling...?"

Her brows furrowed, fingers threading through his hair in a soothing rhythm. "Eren..." she whispered, brushing stray strands from his face.

He didn't respond, only pressed himself closer, his grip tightening around her with each passing second. It was as if he was afraid she'd slip away if he let go.

Her heart ached at his silence. A week. It had been a week since he had spoken a single word to her.

"Please... I beg you..." Her voice trembled slightly as she pulled him closer, her warmth wrapping around him. "Say something. Anything."

Still, he remained quiet.

Mikasa swallowed hard. "Are you mad at me?" she asked, her tone barely above a whisper. "Did I do something wrong? If I did, then... I'm sorry."

Nothing. No answer.

Just the quiet sound of his breathing, the rise and fall of his chest against hers.

All Mikasa could remember was that a week ago, Eren had gone to town at dawn to sell the extra fish he had caught. She had spent the entire day worrying, her mind restless as the hours stretched on. By the time dusk fell and he finally returned, relief flooded through her—until she saw the look on his face.

"Mi... Mikasa... Please..."

His eyes were brimming with tears, teeth clenched, breaths uneven. She quickly ran to his side, his movements were hollow as he almost stumbled and fell. He quickly wrapped his arms around her tightly, pressing his face against her neck.

And then—he broke.

She felt his shoulders tremble before she realized what was happening. Silent tears spilled onto her skin, warm and desperate.

"Eren…" she whispered, her hands cradling the back of his head, but he wouldn't answer.

No matter how many times she asked, he never told her what had happened. He only wept, soundless yet aching, his breath uneven against her collarbone. Eventually, exhaustion claimed him, and he drifted off in her arms.

Since that night, he had barely eaten. A regretful frown constantly tugged at his lips, his eyes distant, as if haunted by something only he could see. He carried himself through the days in silence, going about his chores mechanically before retreating to bed.

He was even worse than when he first gained the future memories after kissing Historia's hand. And that terrified her. But even without words, she could feel it—the weight of something heavy pressing down on him. A storm raging behind those pained unreadable eyes.

And now a week later they were here with her embracing him, she pulled back just enough to look at him, a gentle smile gracing her lips, though her eyes shimmered with concern. He lifted his gaze to meet hers, but there was nothing behind them—just emptiness, as if something inside him had died.

Without hesitation, she pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, his skin warm yet unnervingly cold.

"I don't know what happened to you… and I don't know if I can fix it," she whispered against his skin. "But, my Eren… don't hide things in your heart. That will only suffocate you. I'm here. I've always been here. I always will be."

She opened her arms to him, offering him a place to fall.

His breath hitched. His dull eyes flickered with something—something raw, something fragile. And then, before she could say anything else, he collapsed against her, his body shaking.

A sob tore from his throat, then another, and another. His cries were loud, unrestrained, echoing through the room, his tears spilling freely, rolling down her neck.

Mikasa held him tighter, stroking his back, letting him break apart in her arms. Eren's voice trembled, frail and broken, piercing through the silence like a dagger.

"They… They're dead… All of them…"

Mikasa's breath hitched. Her eyes widened in alarm as she pulled back, one hand cupping his cheeks the other hand pressed against his chest. His skin was cold, yet his body trembled as if burning from within.

Eren clenched his teeth, his jaw tight with anguish.

"Historia, Sasha, Connie, Jean, Levi, Hange, Erwin…" His voice cracked, and fresh tears spilled down his cheeks. "Every Eldian… Marley killed them all… And they… they invaded the island."

For a moment, Mikasa forgot how to breathe. It felt as though something had seized her lungs, as if her entire world had been thrown into a void she couldn't escape from.

"It's… it's all my fault…" Eren choked out, his hands balling into fists. "I thought… I really thought… that if we lived here peacefully, away from all of it… and just before the Curse of Ymir took me I'll return back and pass my power to someone in Paradis… the island would survive."

His voice was barely more than a whisper now, thick with guilt, his body shaking with every breath.

"I didn't know… I didn't know it would happen so fast… two... two. Just two years?" His fingers dug into his forehead, his nails pressing against his skin as if trying to claw away the torment in his mind.

Mikasa's heart twisted painfully, her own tears started to spill down her cheeks in silent streams. "This can't be... It's not possible..." Her voice trembled, raw with grief.

Eren lifted his hollow gaze to meet hers, his voice barely a whisper. "Mikasa..." His fingers curled around her cheeks, thumbs brushing over her damp skin as if trying to ground himself.

She let out a broken sob, her body shaking as she sat upright. Her hands, trembling and desperate, slid down his arms, then lower, brushing against his feet as if searching for something—anything—to hold onto.

"Sorry... sorry... sorry..." Her voice came in ragged breaths, her hands gripping his feet, each word a plea, an apology she couldn't even name.

Eren jolted up pulling his feet, hands clutching her shoulders. His hands trembled as he shook his head, tears falling on the bed, his breath uneven. "Hey Mika—"

"It's all my fault..." she choked out, her head lowering. "If I hadn't asked you to run away with me... if we had stayed behind... they—"

"Don't." His voice broke, rough and pained, and when she finally looked up, his expression was devastating. "Don't say that."

Eren's jaw clenched, his fingers gripping her tighter. His eyes, dark and stormy, bore into hers with a desperate, unspoken plea.

"It was my choice, you have nothing to do with it." he whispered.

Her breath hitched, "All I've ever asked for is to be with Eren. Nothing else. But was that too much to ask?"

Mikasa squeezed her eyes shut, her hands gripping his arms. And Eren pressed his forehead against her. "Forgive me Eren... In every single world my idiocy leads to countless deaths..."

Eren clenched his teeth his sleeves rolling against his cheeks and eyes, "Idiot... Shut up... Didn't I tell you it has nothing to do with you..."

She looked up at him eyes shining," Eren... I... We shouldn't have given up on fighting... We shouldn't have left Paradis'... We shouldn't be here..."

His entire body tensed, and for a moment. But instead, he inhaled—shaky, unsteady—before pulling her into his arms, holding onto her like she was the only thing left in the world. "I was depressed... You saved me... I wanted to cry... You gave me your shoulder... I had nothing... You gave me everything... You damn idiot..." Eren's grip on her body tightened, his fingers trembling.

"Mika... I'm sad... I'm really sad, but I don't regret being here with you." His voice broke, and his breath hitched painfully.

Mikasa let out another choked sob, her hands pressing against his chest as if she could somehow hold him together but wanted him to hold her even more.

"I'm still grateful that you said those beautiful words in that beautiful night." he whispered again, his forehead pressing against hers, damp with sweat and grief. "Just think... If that day you said family what would've we achieved?"

Mikasa squeezed her eyes shut, her breath shaky and uneven.

"We wouldn't be together," he whispered. "You'd see me become someone else's."

Mikasa stilled.

"A life where I was meant to die by your hands, Mika,"he continued, voice breaking.

Her hands trembled against his skin, her jaw clenching as she swallowed thickly.

He rasped, eyes burning. "What would have happened to Erika? To our twins? They wouldn't even exist."

She sucked in a breath—sharp, unsteady, like she had just struck him in the chest.

"Would you rather have that?" he asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Her entire body trembled. She clenched her jaw, eyes wild and filled with so much pain he thought she might collapse from it.

"Of course not," she whispered, voice hoarse and raw. "But—"

"No buts, Mika." Eren shook his head, her fingers tightening around his shirt. "You saved us. You saved me. Don't make me regret that."

He pressed his forehead against her again, his lips trembling.

"Even if the world burns... even if we're the only ones left..." His voice was soft, but steady. "I'll always choose to run with you. Fuck humanity... I'll kill everyone for you... Even myself damnit."

Eren let out a shaky breath, his hands sliding down to grip her waist. His fingers curled against her skin, desperate, afraid—like he was terrified she might disappear.

"For me... You're my humanity, my freedom, my world... No one else matters... No one else..."

Mikasa cupped his face again, her thumbs brushing against his damp cheeks. Her heart filled with love affection at such beautiful words.

"Um... Sorry," she whispered, her lips brushing against his. "I'm really sorry... I didn't mean those words. I... I wasn't thinking straight..."

Eren finally exhaled, his body sinking into her embrace," It's alright... Just... Don't regret any of it." And he hugged her tight as she pushed him into the mattress. Though a frown tugged at his lips his heart aching with apologies for his friends.

"I'm sorry... Everyone..."