Creature ; Levi Ackerman

CHAPTER IV: I Am My Demon

WALL ROSE, 850
TROST DISTRICT

THE SUN'S DYING RAYS caught the teal in his eyes.

It was a beautiful sight; Eren, standing there, alive, the sunset sprawled across the sky behind him like a lazy cat.

She couldn't believe it. Evelyn couldn't believe it.

She couldn't do anything but stare.

Quickly, before she could doubt it, Evelyn threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest, just as Mikasa had an hour or so before. He returned the hug with haste, and a sudden weight on her head told her he had laid his chin there.

He was alive, he was alive, he was alive.

Her eyes stung with tears for the umpteenth time.

"I — still can't believe you're alive and — I'm so sorry because —"

"Hey," He shut her down, almost aggressively. "Don't you dare think like that. You were scared, and you froze up. That's human nature. You shouldn't be sorry about anything."

She almost admired him for putting up with her blubbering so much. It was nearly impressive.

Breaking away, she slowly allowed her eyes to meet his own; blue met green, tan met white; they were so different yet so similar. It occasionally frightened her.
"Why did you save me? Why did you so easily give up your life for me?"

Eren gave her an incredulous look. "What are you talking about? You think I wouldn't save a comrade in need?"

And then he did something Evelyn didn't think he would.

He brought her to his chest again and mumbled something. Evelyn caught it, a whisper on the tip of his tongue.

"'S not like I could live in a world without you, anyways."

What?

He smelled like pine, she noticed. Pine trees and —

"Are you two ready for this? I'd suggest you stop fooling around and focus on the task at hand." Evelyn jumped; a nearby soldier in the Garrison had approached them, nose scrunched.

"Now, now, captain," General Pyxis said, a wise hand on his shoulder as Eren and Evelyn parted. "Let the young ones have their fun. Don't know what could happen to them after today."

"Yes, sir."

"Eren!"

Armin's soft-spoken call broke the exchange. Brushing the blonde hair from his face, Armin shielded the sun from his eyes as he approached the two. "I'm so sorry, Eren. I was just talking out of my head — it wasn't my intention for you to be pulled into all of this!"

He was referring to his impromptu plan, Evelyn realized. Shortly after it was discovered that Eren was alive, his life had been threatened again by Commander Keith Shadis, a member of the Military Police and (in Evelyn's opinion) the village idiot. Eren had saved herself, Armin, and Mikasa from a canon blast by transforming again, this time into a decrepit bone-and-muscle halfling of a Titan. Armin, ever the strategic thinker, proposed that Eren use his abilities to plug the hole in Wall Rose, and while that may have saved them from a bad situation, it stuck them in yet another one. Now all of humanity's eyes were fixed on Eren Jäger and what his powers can do.

Eren turned to Armin, the sincere glint in his eye contradicting the stern tone of his voice. "Stop apologizing. The fact is, you have a gift for strategy and you know it. I believe in you, Armin."