When I feel alone
I reach for you, and you bring me home
When I'm lost at sea
I hear your voice, and it carries me
'Heaven is a Place on Earth' - by Belinda Carlisle
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The days and weeks that follow your dream go by in a blur and the weeks of May are spent reflecting on that long sleep, that long sleep that expanded over the course of 3 years of a life for you. It wasn't the most glamorous, adventurous life but that was the point; it didn't have to be. It was a life where you were married, where your children were alive and well, where you were all together and happy.
For the first week or so, you walk around in a daze of sadness. You write about your dream in your journal, sniffling as you do. You write about how you and Eren killed your would-be murderer, you write about your therapy sessions and how you came to a place where you were healing from your trauma. You write about Oliver and how he loved trucks and trains and drawing Spiderman, how he had the makings of a bad temper but had a kind and sensitive soul. You write about Lily and how she loved Disney princesses and Sailor Moon and acted spoiled but had a gentle spirit and a deep love for her family, especially her father.
One morning in mid-May as Eren sleeps after a late night of clubbing, you head over to your piano and sit in front of it for minutes. You hear the sounds of your children laughing and chatting. You can see them running around your garden with Luna as you and Eren watched from the porch steps, drinking your beers, and laughing together. You close your eyes, and you can see them so clearly and as you do, you begin to play a soft and sad lullaby.
You compose one from your broken heart, letting the lullaby play out as slow and tragic. It's soft and soothing and yet the sadness behind it is completely unmistakable. You write it down on your old sheet music and play it again, playing it over and over again until it's ingrained in your memory. It's a soft lullaby but it's also a requiem; a requiem for the memory and the life they never had.
Eren wakes up to the sound of you playing and walks over to your second bedroom to quietly listen to you. You sniffle and tear a bit as you do but you keep your composure, playing regardless, wanting to remember this melody even after you forget his face and forget theirs.
"It's May 18th Eren..." you say quietly as you play.
Eren looks at you before he nods and his eyes lower. "I know... just a little over six months to go Eury..."
You nod and finish your lullaby and get up to go to your bathroom, Eren turning to follow you as you do. You numbly look at yourself in the mirror, and without a word, you create a pair shears and begin cutting your hair. You cut your long locks of red hair, breathing calmly as you do. You don't know why but cutting your pride and joy, your favourite feature, it feels good, it feels cathartic, almost cleansing. You keep cutting until your feet are surrounded by a layer of red curls and your hair only reaches down to just past the nape of your neck.
You turn to Eren and you both smile at each other solemnly. Before you know it, he grabs the shears himself, pulls out his hair tie and begins cutting his own hair.
"No, Eren..." you murmur, your eyes widening slowly. "Not your hair too..."
"Shhh,"he says as he watches himself cut his own long locks. "I wanna do this with you love..."
You watch as he cuts it off until his hair is short, as short as it was at the cabin, and he looks himself over as he inspects it. "You're not in this alone Eury, I'm here with you. Don't suffer this alone, okay?"
He turns to you and smiles sadly as you reach up and caress him. You two look at each other quietly before giving each other a long and sad embrace. You don't have any family here in this foreign city, you don't have your children here, but at least you have each other. You two will be alright as long as you have each other.
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Soon spring gives way to summer and the heat sets into New York City like a heated blanket. You wear your black lace corset top and short shorts as you walk out of work one day, your ankh glimmering in the bright sunlight. You run your fingers through your red hair, now in a short bob, as you head for Vinyl Underground, Eren's record shop. You grin as you stroll, stuffing your hands into your pockets as you walk, the song Summer in the City by The Lovin' Spoonful playing from someone's stereo as you pass kids on bikes and skateboards and adults smoking and chatting on their tiny balconies and stoops.
You smile as you walk into Eren's work to find him laughing and joking around with Wes as they sit behind the counter and smoke a joint, not even trying to hide it.
"You better pray no cop walks in here guys," you say, raising an eyebrow as you grin wide and stroll up to the counter. "Smoking marijuana in a public area is a serious criminal offense...."
"Heh I've done worse," Eren grins up at you deviously as he offers you the joint.
"Mmm yes you have," you chuckle as you take a slow hit and pass it to Wes. You hold the smoke in and lean across the counter and Eren quickly gets your drift and leans across to kiss you and pass the smoke between the both of you.
"Mmmm I love you baby," he coos and you giggle as you quickly kiss him again.
"Ugggh for fuck's sake, save it for the back room," Wes groans in annoyance as he gets up to go change the The Cure's CD playing through the speaker.
"Wait! Hold on man!" Eren laughs and turns. "Put on the song I said I liked first!"
"Ugh are you fucking serious," Wes turns to look at you both, his face comically skewed in a grossed out scowl.
"Just fucking do it dumbass," Eren grins as he turns to you. "Go on Wes."
Wes turns and puts on Friday I'm In Love as Eren grins and jumps over the counter to pull you into his arms as you laugh wholeheartedly. He grins goofily and begins singing along as he sways you from side to side, not caring at the looks he's getting from Wes or the other regular stoners hanging around, flipping through cds and vinyls.
♫ I don't care if Monday's blue
Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too
Thursday, I don't care about you
It's Friday, I'm in love ♫
♫ Monday you can fall apart
Tuesday, Wednesday break my heart
Oh, Thursday doesn't even start
It's Friday, I'm in love ♫
You laugh along and begin singing along to as your fingers run through his short hair as he leads you in a dance around the record store. You pass stoners and high school kids and the occasional eclectic local, but you only keep your eyes on each other.
As the song finishes, Wes lets out a raspberry noise and gives the thumbs down as he petulantly cuts the song off to switch out for Stone Temple Pilots' Core.
"Blergh, you fuckin nymphos are worse than my parents and they've been married for 30 goddamn years."
"Whatever man. Ignore him, he's just pissed that I cut my hair," Eren grins, not taking his eyes off you.
"You look like a fucking yuppie narc," Wes mutters, half-jest, half-serious at Eren's short hair.
"Anyways," Eren rolls his eyes, "Wes wants to take some of the gang west to Wantagh for Lollapalooza this year... Chilli Peppers, Pearl Jam, and Ice Cube are supposed to perform..."
"And fuckin Soundgarden, don't fuckin forget Soundgarden," Wes calls out from the back room.
Eren grins and shrugs, "So? What do ya think, up for a drive Red?"
You laugh lightly as Eren tucks your short bob behind your ear and pecks your nose. "I dunno Eren, you know that music and multi-day music festivals aren't my thing. I only went to Woodstock for a day, I couldn't stand the smell..."
"I know hon, but I swear, hand to Ymir, you'll have a good time with me..." Eren grins confidently. "Come on, pleeeease. We'll be with the gang, chill out in our two-person tent..." he winks. "We'll smoke reefer, drink beers, chill out to music. We'll have a great time."
He pouts and gives you his big puppy dog-kitty cat eyes and you immediately fold. "Fiiine. How could I say no to a weekend of music... we've never been camping before, have we?"
"Mmm, we have, don't you remember out at the cabin..." Eren grins and winks at you, instantly sending you a quick fragment of a day you two camped out in the woods with Oliver, not too far from the cabin in the other world.
"What do you mean you have?" Wes scoffs with a raised eyebrow as he comes back out to stock some CDs. "You two always act like an old married couple, it's so fucking weird..."
"Mmm never you mind Wes," you laugh and caress Eren's cheek. "Let's do it, we'll never get the chance to again..."
Eren grins and pecks your lips, "Thank you baby, you really are the best..."
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A few weeks later, you say good-bye to Luna, kissing her and cooing at her before you and Eren leave with your backpacks and a rolled-up tent. You giggle as you kiss Eren, dressed once more in bootie shorts and a white lace corset top, your ankh glistening as does Eren's cabin key. He presses his forehead against yours and plays with your short red bob.
"What do you say to changing up your color... for old time's sake..." he grins and winks and you roll your eyes and change your hair to platinum blonde.
"Just this once and don't you dare call me Marilyn..." you grin coyly.
Of course the minute you get yourselves downstairs to Wes' waiting station wagon, the group of headbangers inside all sarcastically 'ohhh' and 'awww' you.
"HEY MARILYN, DOES JFK KNOW YOU'RE FUCKIN' AROUND WITH JAEGER?"
"Ohhh shut up Graham!" you scoff and shove your backpack in the back of the wagon as Eren snorts and suppresses his laughter at your visible irritation. He grins as he settles himself into the backseat next to Pete and Pete's girlfriend.
"Don't act like you don't get off on the comparison honey," he grins smugly as he pulls you into his lap and struggles to get the door closed on the packed backseat. Wes grins back at you as he, Kelly, and Graham sit in the front seat.
"Alright, let's goooo," Wes says as he pulls away from the curb and turns on the tape deck. The soft melodic sounds of Blackbird by The Beatles starts up much to groans and boos from your friends as you and Eren let out a laugh.
"Come on man! I get enough of that hippie dippie shit from my old man!" Pete jeers.
"Hey fuckin sue me! This is my parents' fuckin' wagon, get off my fuckin' back!"
"Ahh leave The Beatles alone," you laugh as Kelly switches out the tape for Sublime's 40oz. To Freedom. "I've seen them in concert, they were magnificent..."
"Wait, what?" Graham turns to look back at you skeptically as you giggle and Eren grins and pinches your ass teasingly.
"Nothing Graham, she's joking around; inside joke."
The wagon fills with weed smoke as Wes drives east down the NY-27, heading for Wantagh. Eren ducks your head down into his lap every time Wes calls out a state trooper up ahead . Soon as you get close, you all take in the countless cars parked on the sides of the highway, the concert's large field for parking already packed full.
"Fuuuuck," Wes groans as he finds a spot and struggles to maneuver the wagon. "Take all your shit guys, I'm pretty sure someone's gonna take off with this trash rocket."
You and Eren grin and hold each other's hand as you shuffle your backpacks and become two of a crowd of hundreds walking up to the festival. Walking through the ticket gate and to the campground to set up your tent next to your buddies', make a fire pit, and head for the main stage. You watch as Red Hot Chilli Peppers take the stage and scoff as you see Flea grab his bass guitar while standing only in his underwear.
You enjoy the band's set while Eren keeps his arm around your shoulder, grinning behind his short hair and sunglasses. You two move to the set list and even attempt to headbang with barely more than a few inches of hair between you. You than find yourself in Eren's arms, swaying and ironically slow dancing to Under the Bridge, laughing and smiling and singing along to it along with thousands of others.
♫ I don't ever wanna feel
Like I did that day
Take me to the place I love
Take me all the way ♫
♫ I don't ever wanna feel
Like I did that day
Take me to the place I love
Take me all the way
Yeah, yeah, yeah ♫
As the festival continues and Pearl Jam comes on, Eren swoops down and under you from behind and lifts you up on his shoulders. You can't help but scream and laugh as Eren grins up at you and you lean down and kiss him.
"HEY MARILYN, TAKE OFF YOUR TOP!" some pothead shouts out nearby and a few others chime in.
"YEAH!! TOP OFF! TITS OUT! TOP OFF! TITS OUT!"
"SHUT UP!!!" you and Eren both shout furiously and the guys all quickly shut up and sheepishly turn their eyes forward. He grins up and winks at you and you again lean down to kiss him fully.
You keep your top on, your days of pleasing men outside of your husband well and truly over, and instead enjoy the music as much as you can. It's an amazing time, despite your initial misgivings, you enjoy getting to watch so many rock and alternative acts, feel the energy of thousands around you. By the evening, you and Eren walk back to your tent, one among countless, laughing and chatting happily.
"Well, go ahead and say it," Eren grins smugly as he kisses your hair and leads you to your temporary setup.
"Fine," you giggle and sigh as you cuddle into his bicep, "you were right Eren, I'm having a great time..."
That night, the two of you sit around a firepit with the rest of your party, laughing, smoking weed, and drinking beer as the main stage pumps loud music off in the distance. The atmosphere from the camp grounds is surprisingly chill as the ground reverberates from the bass and crowd. Eren inhales his joint deeply and shotguns it into your mouth, holding and caressing you as you at first inhale before kissing him deeply. You two make out like new young love, completely enthralled with each other while your buddies laugh at you both, shaking their heads before turning back to their conversations.
Later that night, you two are the only ones still up, sitting at a simmering fire and watching the stars together. You sigh in slight disappointment, you'd had hoped that this would give you two a real camping experience, being out in nature and one with the stars. Instead, the large expansive field where your tent sits has become its own city, with hundreds of tents stretched out as far as the eye can see. It's loud and crowded and it stinks of garbage already.
"This isn't exactly what I had in mind, camping-wise," Eren sighs as you nestle into his arm. "I was hoping it would be a little... campy I guess..."
"Well... at least we have the stars..." you say helpfully and Eren chuckles and shrugs.
"Mmm barely, the light pollution just from this festival alone is making it hard to see 'em." He sighs again and reminisces as he turns his face to the sky, his green eyes shining from nearby flashlights. "You know... sometimes I really... really miss my old life Yurie..."
"You mean in 2026?" you ask gently and Eren shakes his head slowly.
"No... I mean yes, but I meant to say my old life as Eren Jaeger, scout of the 104th Cadet Corp..." You look at Eren in surprise and he grabs a stick and tosses it into the fire. "I miss being able to camp outside as a scout and just stare at the stars, breathe in the fresh air, be in the quiet nature of Paradis without having to worry about Titans eating me at night..."
You smile and sigh gently. "I wish I knew you back then Eren, I wish we had those quiet moments together... how different our lives could've been—"
"I'm sure mine would've been even worse," Eren says sadly and kisses you gently.
"Why would that be?"
Eren's quiet as he stares at the embers. "I don't know Yurie, I just feel like it would've been..."
You nod quietly and try to imagine that kind of life, being a scout with Eren, seeing the world through his eyes. But you still see the Rumbling and you still see yourself as the broken-hearted woman he left behind to fulfill his destiny.
"I guess we just were never meant to have our happily ever after..." you sigh heavily.
"Not in life at least," Eren says and holds your hand and squeezes it. "We'll have our happily ever after in the afterlife, I promise..."
"Let's make sure of it," you say gently and look up at him. "Because I can't do more than three lives Eren... this life is the last I have to give..."
"I know..." Eren murmurs just as gently and kisses your hair. "Another 35 years to go, it'll go by in no time..."
You nod and look back up at the sky, "Knowing that I'll be leaving this world in 35 years leaves me with such relief Eren, but it's also sad in a way."
"Why love?"
"Because... it's so final," you say as you hold his bicep tighter and squeeze his hand. "I only have 35 years left on this earth before I'm gone from it forever, no more starry skies or rainfalls, no more lightning storms or rainbow or changing of the seasons."
"Oh so you like lightning now?" Eren chuckles and nestles into your neck, calling back to your old lightning phobia.
"Of course I do," you laugh lightly, "I'm dead now; there's nothing lightning can do to me that's worse than death..."
"Fair enough," he sighs and holds you. "I'll miss it all too... I'll miss leaving this world and its beauty and unpredictability behind... but I'll miss it a little less when I'm with you..."
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The weeks pass by after your trip to Lollapalooza and you and Eren continue life as always, working at your respective coffee shop and record shop, going out to clubs, to bars, to friends' and acquaintances' house parties. You soon step into July, and Eren watches you one day as you sigh in irritation from the heat and the stuffiness in your coffee shop. You're summoned by a regular to pour coffee and you begrudgingly go do it before going behind the till to put the coffee pot down, louder than you hoped you would. You sigh and wipe your hands on your apron before turning to see your love smiling at you like he's got something up his sleeve.
"What? What Eren, why are you smiling like that?"
Eren grins and shrugs, "You know your birthday's coming up right?"
"I'm aware," you sigh as you walk closer to lean your hands on the counter. "So?"
"Sooo, obviously we're celebrating," Eren grins wide and you shake your head.
"No, I really don't want to Eren, I'm fine not celebrating it..."
"Ohhh my god, don't start that stubborn shit," Eren groans in mock exasperation before smiling at you. "Come on Eury, it's like... the one time we'll probably ever celebrate your birthday. You did something for me, now lemme do somethin' for you..."
You sigh heavily and smile as you shrug, "If you insist. But no theatrics and no big gestures. A cake will be fine..."
"Fine."
"I mean it Jaeger, nothing dramatic," you laugh and stand up to get back to work.
"You got it Captain." Eren grins, the wheels in his head already turning.
About a week before your birthday, you're sleeping blissfully, cuddled into your blankets, and sighing happily from a good dream you've just had. You blink as you open your eyes to find only Luna's in bed while Eren's out in the living room, chatting over the phone with someone. You get up and groggily step out into the living room as Eren's nodding on the phone.
"Oh well, I'm sure you'll have no problem finding someone to cover my shifts...How long will we be gone? Mmm," Eren contemplates as he smiles at you, "I'd say not till September long weekend at the earliest... yeah we'll think about it, we'll see... k thanks man, I'll keep in touch. Enjoy your summer, bye."
You look at Eren with a raised perplexed eyebrow. "We'll be gone long? What on earth are you talking about Eren?"
"Ohhh you'll see," Eren grins widely and comes up to give you a big hug and a kiss. "I already spoke to your work, someone's covering for you too."
"Wha—why?" you ask in total bewilderment. "Eren what the hell's going on?"
Eren gives you a tight embrace and sighs happily as he kisses your hair and caresses your shoulder length wavey bob. "Baby, let's run away to the cabin..."
You're now totally taken aback, "Th—the cabin?! The one in Paradis??"
"Yeah the one my dad built!" Eren exclaims enthusiastically. "I know he built it around this time, let's go there and spend some time together!"
"You wanna go spend time in the cabin?" you ask Eren in total skepticism.
"Totally! We're always saying we wanna run away from this city, well what place are we always dreaming of running away to together?"
"The cabin..." you say slowly before laughing in disbelief. "Eren, this is crazy, we can't just go back to Paradis—"
"Of course we can! And we should," Eren exclaims and takes your hands in his. "Baby, we belong on Paradis together, we always have. We belong in that cabin, away from the world and all its bullshit... come on, let's go..."
You look in his eyes and see just how serious he is, he's so hopeful and optimistic but there's something else too. He's homesick for his island and his people, for the rolling green grass and the mountains, for the meadows and the sea. For the cities that are expansive but give way to the countryside and to the air that always has a touch of the sea to it.
"You want to go home, don't you Eren?" you say gently and squeeze his hands.
"I do," he nods, not even giving it a second thought. "I like New York Red, I really do. But it's not our home. We don't belong here; we belong with our own kind Eurydice. We belong on that island together..." Eren pulls you in closer and kisses you gently on the hair once more. "There's not a day that goes by where I don't wish I could've taken you back to Paradis to begin with. I always dream about whisking you away on that airship and taking you home... It wouldn't have stopped anything but you would've been safe there..."
You nod slowly and sigh happily, "Okay... let's go Eren. Let's get out of this place and go back home..."
"Good," Eren grins wide and kisses your forehead, nose, and lips. "Do you wanna teleport honey? Or are we travelling the old-fashioned way?"
"You mean the way normal people travel?" you laugh and flush. "Mmm... why the hell not? I haven't actually travelled on a plane in ages..."
"Me neither," Eren laughs and sighs. "Okay well, the next flight out leaves at 12 so we got about...40 minutes to pack and get ourselves down there..."
"Oh shit!" you squeal in happiness and run for your room. "This is Liberio all over again! You better not leave me at the terminal this time!"
"And what if I did?" Eren grins as he grabs Luna and puts her in her kennel. "Maybe this is another elaborate ruse to get you outta my hair all over again..."
"Ha! You would..." you smirk as you shove clothes in a suitcase as he comes up behind you and kisses the back of your head.
"It's different this time Woods, I promise it is..."
You smile and stop and look over your shoulder at the green expressive eyes of your one and only. "I know it is, my gut isn't feeling that terrible sinking feeling this time..."
Eren chuckles and holds you and sighs happily. "Let's pretend that this is what would've happened if I got on the train in Liberio. We're finally going to our cabin to be alone together..."
You nod and look at yourself in the mirror, take in your short red bob and Eren's hair that hangs down a little past the nape of his neck. "You look almost exactly the same as you did that first day we met Eren..." you say thoughtfully. He nods and looks at himself.
"Nah I look exactly like I did..."
"Mmm except you look older now," you giggle and Eren balks.
"Eh! I do not look that much older!"
"Mmm your tired lines and the bags under your eyes say otherwise," you grin cheekily.
"Mmm not too much now Ms. Woods, I could say some stuff about you..."
"Oh?" you laugh and turn to him with your arms crossed. "Like what?"
Eren blushes sheepishly. "Mmm never mind..."
"No go on, tell me. What? Do I look older?"
Eren grins and shakes his head.
"Do I look more haggard?"
"Pfft no of course not..."
"Well?" you laugh. "Go on then..."
Eren grins and looks you over thoughtfully. "You look exactly the same as you did the day we went to the train station Yurie Rose Wieder..."
You smile as your cheeks flush. Damn he's good. "That was my name..." you say thoughtfully. "That was the name my Eldian mother gave me before I was taken in by my Marleyan father..."
"Yeah," Eren says gently. "That's what your name would've been if you grew up in the Eldian internment zone... that was—that is your real name..."
You nod and give him a hug, "It's hard to believe how much life is full of these little things that happen... the most mundane decisions can change the course of history..."
"Mmhmm," Eren hums and kisses your hair. "Like if I hadn't stopped to check my tie in the mirror, I never would've caught that purple ribbon..." he murmurs and raises your chin to look in your violet eyes that shimmer and hold galaxies in them. "And now I get to look at purple every day..."
You both share a look of longing before you startle. "OH FUCK! THE PLANE!"
"SHIT!" Eren exclaims and quickly runs and packs his clothes. "Shit fuck what the hell do I pack?!"
"I dunno!" you laugh, "Just pack that drawstring shirt and call it a day, I know that's all you ever wanna wear Eren."
"Ha ha, very funny," Eren laughs and grabs it eagerly.
You're soon outside with your suitcases and Luna mewing in her kennel, flagging down a yellow cab eagerly before climbing into one.
"Do you think we could ride horses?" you ask earnestly as the cab speeds off for JFK International. "We haven't ridden in so long Eren."
"Of course we can," Eren grins and kisses you. "We'll do everything at the cabin, just like we did in Marley..."
"Mmm so growing vegetables and fishing for dinner?"
"Yep, and berry picking, log chopping, everything we ever dreamed about..."
You two smile and kiss dreamily. "Let's do it, like we always wanted," you murmur. "Let's be alone, just the two of us..."
The cabbie eyes you in his mirror but keeps his mouth shut as he drives you off to your first stop. The airport is packed with people as it always is and you two groan as you have to stand in line to check in, with no electronic check-ins available in 1992. You go through a long line of security but the TSA's so much more lax and they even allow Eren's lighter and cigarettes on board. You quickly run to your gate number just as the plane pulls up to it and grin happily, you two are finally going home.
"I haven't been on Paradis for...200 years..." you say slowly and let out a gasp of disbelief. "Has it really been that long..."
Eren grins and holds your hand as you two step up to the counter to hand them your boarding passes and passports. "Don't worry Woods, that's all about to change..."
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The flight to Paradis Island contains a long stretch of several hours over open ocean. It's nothing but the Atlantic between New York and Shiganshina and you two spend your time quietly watching the sea from your cabin window while Luna's kennel takes up the third seat, your little fur baby sleeping peacefully within. You smile and happily buzz with glee when the plane begins making its descent and people pull out cigarettes to smoke up after the plane touches down, no doubt a way to calm their nerves.
You and Eren wait your turn before stepping out and onto the tarmac of the Shiganshina Airport, taking in a deep breath of happiness to be back on your island. You breathe in the fresher, cleaner air and sigh in total contentment as Eren grins wide and takes your hand. You two walk towards the older, slightly dilapidated airport, still left over from the 60s, well-demolished by the time you two flew out to Marley for the band tour.
"Let's grab a rental car in the morning..." Eren grins as you step into into the melee of a busy international airport. "We'll head straight for the cabin after a good night's sleep..."
The next morning, you two lay in a hotel suite, situated right next to the airport, readying yourself to visit the cabin. Eren showers you in kisses as you lay in bed together, holding you supportively. The cabin visit is filling you with unexpected apprehension, given what happened the last time you were at the cabin...
"How are you feeling baby?" he asks you gently. "Are you ready to go back..."
You take a deep breath and sigh deeply. "I... I am but you know it'll be weird for me to be back there Eren... at least for the first little while..."
"I know baby," he murmurs and buries his face in your neck. "It'll be strange for me too..."
"We'll get through it together," you say gently and kiss his head. "Maybe doing it now will mean we'll be able to go back in the future more easily..."
Eren nods quietly and sighs shakily. "Okay... let's go baby..."
You two get up and take Luna with you to head over to the rental car place. Eren grins as he hands over his forged license to the man behind the counter.
"Ahhh... Eren Jaeger, born March 30, 1967, huh? You wouldn't happen to be related to Grisha Jaeger? He's a super famous younger doctor we have here."
"Mmm nah, that's just a coincidence..." he turns around and looks at you as you're standing at the window, scouring the rentals outside. "See one you like babe?"
"Ummm..." you hum as you slowly look, trying to see one... Suddenly, one does catch your eye. It's a vintage convertible, teal blue, and of course it catches your eye right away. "That one baby!"
Eren sees it and raises his eyebrow in amusement. "No fucking way! It's your car babe!" He turns back to the agent and nods as he drops his shades down from his head and onto his nose, "We'll take it."
Not long after, you both are sitting in the convertible, sitting on the bench seat, cuddling into Eren as he drives. You both sing along to music as you roar down the highway, heading out of Shiganshina. You sing and cuddle, and every now and then look back to check in on kenneled-Luna in the backseat.
"How's she doing?!" Eren calls out as he speeds past a trucker.
"Mmm she's sleeping!" you laugh. "She's the chilliest cat out there! Nothing scares her!"
"Mmm just like her mama," Eren grins and squeezes your ass, and you laugh and smack his hand.
"Not so fast baby, you're driving!"
"Oh am I?" Eren laughs and takes his hand off the steering wheel. He grins and twists to look at you fully as you laugh in delight, the car officially on autopilot. You both kiss passionately, holding each other in a tight lovers' embrace. "Fuck, I love you so much..."
"I love you too baby..."
You pass cars, trucks, and semis, none of which seem to notice that Eren's not driving the car. He's too busy lavishing you with kisses as you laugh and feel the wind in your hair as your eyes twinkle behind your own sunglasses.
You drive for an hour and stop at the old diner you two went to with Zeke. It looks exactly the same, seems to have the exact same clientele of young and old country folk. You two grin as you slide into your old booth table and Eren grins as he takes off his sunglasses and eyes the waitress.
"No fucking way," he laughs in disbelief.
"What?"
"It's the same fucking waitress Rose. Remember? The one we weirded out with our PDA?"
"No way..." you laugh as you look up and follow Eren's eyes to see the waitress who wrinkled her nose in disgust at Eren's heavy metal look in 2024. Where she had had grey roots with her box-dye hair and a snooty country holier-than-thou attitude in middle age, she now had brown chestnut hair and a much friendlier disposition. She grins wide as she comes up to you two, eyeing Eren's arm tattoo with a much less judgemental eye.
"Good morning y'all, what can I grab you this fine Friday morning?"
Eren grins wide as he slides his arm around your shoulders. "We'll get those Eldian berry pancakes if you still got them around..."
"Mmm sorry, we don't offer those," the waitress laughs nervously.
"Well you got berries in the back of the property," Eren keeps his grin on. "Why don't you go ahead and add those to the menu, would you?"
The waitress nods and goes ahead and writes it down. "Sounds good, we'll do that right away..."
You laugh as she walks away to go talk to the cooks. "You just totally manipulated that girl's mind Eren...and all for what? Pancakes?"
Eren grins devilishly and shrugs, "This is hardly the worst thing either of us have done to manipulate the future."
You flick his brow space, "So this is the real reason you decided to come back to this diner huh?"
"Mmm nope..." Eren laughs and kisses your hair. "But still, when the opportunity presents itself..."
A little while later, you're back on the highway, driving as fast as you can to the cabin. You're climbing in elevation, driving higher and higher through the Paradis mountains, passing meadows, skiing lodges and summer resorts, fields, towns, and forests as you keep driving north.
"Ahh! Here it is!" Eren exclaims and smiles from ear-to-ear as he sees and turns the car down an old gravel path. You squeal happily, super jumpy with excitement to see the cabin once more. You drive down the path, the forest on either side of the car so deep and dark that sunlight can't break through the tree canopy.
You both laugh and exclaim but your smiles drop instantly as you drive up to the property, only to see there's no log cabin.
"Wait, what?!" Eren says in disbelief, raising his sunglasses. "Where the fuck is it?!"
"You said your dad built this in 1990??"
"Yeah, I know!"
"Well... are you sure you didn't get the date wrong?"
Eren scoffs at the very suggestion. "Uhh no, my dad said how many fucking times that he built it for Zeke in 1990!"
"Well... you sure he didn't get the date wrong?"
"I dunno, who the fuck does know," Eren shrugs and gets out to look around, as if the cabin has just moved.
"It doesn't have wheels Eren," you say warily as you get out as well.
"Well... fuck...now what?"
"Mhmm," you hum as you get on the car's hood and cross your arms. "I can't believe we flew thousands of miles for a cabin that's not even here... we should've just transported here..."
Eren groans as he comes and sits next to you. "Fuck. I'm such an idiot... now what are we gonna do..."
You shrug and sigh, "I dunno... I guess we could camp out in the car or go find a hotel?"
Eren nods and looks around for a while as he thinks hard. "Or we could just build the fucking cabin ourselves..."
You look at Eren in disbelief and he shrugs and smiles. "What? We built a cabin before; we built the one out in Marley..."
"You mean in our dream?" you say and Eren shakes his head.
"Nooo that wasn't a dream and you know it. You made that world for yourself..."
"Mmm true, just like you made this one for me..." you smile as you look out at the mountains not too far from the property. "Alright babe... let's do it..."
Eren grins as he gets off the car. "Well... if we're gonna do this, we'll have to do it the same way we did before..."
You think for a moment before raising an eyebrow. "Wait... that included you turning into a titan Eren... that was the only way we could get the thing built so quickly..."
"Yeppp," Eren grins as he starts stretching out his limbs. "Looks like we'll have to do that again Red."
You laugh and shake your head, "You can't be serious Eren."
"Of course I'm serious," he chuckles. "You want the cabin or not?"
"Of course I want the cabin," you say as you slide of the car hood. "But what if someone sees you?"
"Well... we'll just manipulate their brain, we're the Founding Titan babe. No big deal..."
"No big deal to make a person lose their memory?" you chuckle and shake your head. "You're strangely blasé about that."
"Mmm, like I've said, we've done worse," Eren smiles and looks over his shoulder at you.
"That we have," you murmur as you go up and kiss his cheek. "Soooo you're gonna turn into the Attack Titan for me baby..."
"Uhh huh," Eren grins smugly. "You remember that uhh... that deal we made back in January?"
"Mmm which deal?" you smile coyly as Eren sighs and turns to you to play with your short red bob.
"You knooow... you get to see my Attack Titan again... I get to do... anything in bed..."
You nod slowly and sigh, "Oh I did agree to that, didn't I?"
Eren grins and tips his head on yours, "Okayyy you don't have to if you don't want to..."
"No I do want to..." you chuckle throatily. "What uhh... what did you have in mind?"
Eren grins sheepishly, a hot red blush erupting on his cheeks. "Ohh uhh ... I dunno... maybe you could uhh... maybe "top" me..."
You grin roguishly. "You want me to "top" you again Eren?"
Eren does a little puppy whine and nods. "Please? I liked it, I had fun."
You laugh lightly and flick his nose. "Ahh I forgot to pack the uhh 'strap', we'll grab it one next time we're in the city. Now lemme see your titan already... I'm dying to see him..." you purr alluringly.
"We're not doing anything dirty babe," he laughs, and you bite your lip as you look into his eyes.
"Don't be so sure..."
Eren flushes and sighs, "Okay... lemme see how I feel about it once he's out..." He kisses you again and walks into the clearing without another word.
"Where are you going?"
"I don't want to blow you up, I need space!" he calls out as he stretches out his arms. "Is Luna gonna be okay?!"
"Mmm she'll be fine!" you laugh as you offer her your finger to sniff through her kennel. "Go on then!"
You cross your arms in anticipation as you watch Eren walk further into the field where the cabin will sit, looking around to make sure the coast is clear. He paces around, clearly trying to psyche himself out. He spends minutes pacing and doing little jumps as he gives himself a little pep talk.
"Come on Er—"
"WOULD YOU JUST DO IT ALREADY?!"
"YEAH YEAH! GIMME A FUCKING MINUTE!"
"More like five," you mutter and put your sunglasses back on. You watch as he nervously jumps around, you can hear him still talking to himself.
"HURRY THE FUCK UP EREN! WE HAVEN'T GOT ALL DAY!"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
"YOU CAN'T DO IT! I KNEW YOU COULDN'T!"
"YES I CAN! SHUT UP ROSE!"
"MAKE ME!"
"UGHHHHH! JESUS FUCK FINE!"
With that, a ball of lighting rains in all directions, and a loud crack of breaks the sound barrier. Wind blows in your face as you watch in amusement as the large shape of a muscular godly titan roars loudly and forms out of where Eren stands. His long dark hair blows from the wind blowing from the impact and his eyes glow green against the bright blue sky. He stands tall and roars once more, sure to be heard far and wide.
"RAAAAAAAAWRRRRR!!!"
He snarls down at you, his eyes large and evil looking, his muscular body defined to the sharpest degree. You saunter up to him with the confidence and hip swing of a woman not afraid to show her open desire. You smile coyly as Eren's gigantic hand comes down to the ground for you to step onto. He lifts you up to his eye level and you smile even wider and lean in to kiss him on the brow space as he lets out a low rumbling sound.
"Hi baby," you coo desirably as you rub his cheek. "You doing okay in there?"
The Titan growls and nods his head as you caress his long hair. His large fingers curl and caress your body as you giggle and kiss him once more.
"You look positively frightening, I love it..." you sigh. "I wish I could transform into a big baddie like you..."
"Rrrrrgh" Eren growls lowly and you laugh.
"Okay okay I know you don't like that idea. I suppose we'll just have to uhhh make do with what we have love."
Eren nods and grumbles low again, caressing you once more suggestively.
"Okay baby, enough of that. Let's start on the cabin, we can continue this later..."
Eren growls and nods and sets you on his shoulder to hold onto his hair. He grabs strong spruce trees and pulls them out of the earth, roots and all. He grabs tree after tree, pulling them out with little effort and piling them together. Once he's piled enough, Eren pulls away from his titan enough to burst through his neck.
He gasps at the change of temperature, the cooler summer air cooling his sweaty body. He turns to you and grins roguishly with fresh titan marks running down his cheeks.
"Well? What do you think babe?"
"Mmm I think I know what we're doing tonight..."
Eren laughs and smirks, "You're such a fucking freak Rose."
You grin as you sit on his shoulder and shrug, "I'm a 2000 year old goddess Eren, I've lost all interest in being squeamish about what I want. Besides, first time I've heard you complain," you smirk coyly at him as he chuckles.
"Trust me I'm not complaining. Now be a good girl and cut up the logs and make the rope, I'll start putting the cabin together."
"Mmm yes Daddy," you purr teasingly and Eren rolls his eyes in amusement.
"Behave yourself. You don't want this one punishing you."
"Mmm don't I?" you grin mischievously and stand up, "Alright, get me back on the ground then."
Eren smirks and nods and buries himself back into the nape of his titan's neck, holding his palm out for you to step onto once more. You use an axe and your strength to cut through the thick bark of each uprooted tree. You then quickly make twine strong enough to rope the logs together. Then you cut some logs into wooden planks to make the cabin's floor while other material is collected by your titan to be tied and stacked and made into your cabin's foundation.
For a creature whose sole purpose is destruction, it's funny to watch Eren's titan work so patiently and expertly to assemble the cabin. You pick up stacks of long planks to carry to your husband, whistling up to him as he works methodically. He'll glare down at you, his eyes now milky white, and growls in thanks, incapable of speech in his monster form.
You two work through the entire day, you working on the stairs and windows and door while Eren's titan works on the entire cabin and the roof. By the time the sun begins to set, you two have made yourself a cabin. A smaller cabin made for two with a bathroom, a kitchenette, and a small loft bedroom. The final room made is a beautiful screenroom that leads out the back, that overlooks the creek to the back of the property and the nearby mountains.
You grin as you look over the cabin, in total disbelief that you've made it together. A real cabin that will stand tall for well over 30 years and be the place you and Eren will dream of running away to. It's like the cabin you made in your dream; the dream you and Eren made together where you lived in the woods for Eren's last four years with your children.
Eren's titan holds his hand out once more and rumbles throatily as he lets you back onto his shoulder. You grin and move his hair to kiss his temple before he moves his large face for you to kiss his nose as he closes his eyes and savours your acts of devotion.
"We've done it," you sigh happily. "We've made the cabin we always wanted Eren... and in 2023, you'll think of this place as somewhere to run away to, just like we always wanted to, across all our lifetimes. A place we could've been together for four years..."
The Attack Titan nods quietly and turns to watch the sunset with you as you snuggle your body into his temple, caressing it gently as you also turn your eyes to the sunset. You both watch it as it slowly sinks into the side of the mountain as you both are lost in thought.
"Do you remember the sunset my darling?" you say gently. "The sunset where we sat on your mother's tree just a few yards from here and you proposed?"
"Grrrrgh..."
"It was just like this," you sigh and cuddle into his temple. "We were so optimistically happy, even with everything going on..." You turn your eyes to the back of the property, to that spot only a few yards from the house, a spot with a small bush of lilies and roses cultivated on it now.
You watch it quietly before turning back to the sunset and breathing the air in deep. You cuddle Eren's titan head, nestling into it as it growls gently and nestles into you. You suddenly hear childlike laughter in your ear and turn to see her beautiful face and the violet in her eyes. You see violet and then green, hear the laughter of both of them as if they're sitting next to you on that large shoulder.
You again turn to watch the sunset and Eren breaks from his titan once more to move over and sit next to you, kissing you gently as you remain lost in your own thoughts. The titan begins to sizzle and steam as it slowly disintegrates and Eren gingerly picks you up to hold you as he jumps down to the ground. He carries you gently over to the flowers and without a word but with unspoken understanding, you sit down on the small flowerbed. You breathe in gently as you hear those tiny giggles again in your ears.
"She's here Eren," you murmur.
"I know baby," he says gently and you shake your head slowly.
"No, I mean it," you say and breathe in deeply. "They're here Eren, I can feel their spirit..."
"You can?" Eren murmurs and you close your eyes and breathe in deep. You become one with your body and tune into your instinctual maternal nature. You fully feel their hands on you, playing with your hair, and rubbing your back before they take off laughing and running, chasing each other as if two breeze sprites blowing through you both.
"They're here... I can feel them Eren. I carried my babies, I was in tune with them, I know when they're clos—" you say before stopping abruptly as you murmur and feel something else. You feel something low and deep in you, something fluttering and forming. You can feel something building inside you, deep within your insides, low in your body, just beneath the layers your abdomen.
You gasp in total surprise and pull up your shirt to feel yourself as Eren pulls away from your shoulder to look at you. "What? What is it Rose?"
You're in total wonderment, feeling yourself, feel things build inside you and you let out a laugh; a type of light, happy joyful laughter that you never ever thought you'd let out again.
"Rose?! Eury, what is it?" Eren asks as he shakes you gently and you turn to him with the biggest smile on your face.
"I can feel something inside me Eren! I can feel my body making a womb!"
"Wait? What?" Eren says in total bewilderment, and you laugh happily.
"It's like it's building a natural incubator around itself—"
"What do you mean?!"
"Don't you get it?! It's burrowing itself into the womb it's making! It means I'm pregnant Eren!" you shout delightfully, your tears turning from grief to joy.
Eren looks at you, searching your eyes, in such shock he can't articulate a single thought. You sniffle and laugh as you grab his hand and put it on your belly.
"Feel it! It's tiny but it's there!"
Eren sniffs and breathes short breaths. "It...it's no bigger than a few cells Rose..."
"Yes!" you laugh and nod enthusiastically. "It's from the night in April Eren! It's taking its sweet time..." You grin and look at your love, your life, caressing his cheek as his attack titan sizzles away only a few steps from you. "This baby is going to be different Eren. It's not mortal, it has its own powers... this baby will live, I know it will..."
Eren takes a deep breath and closes his eyes to savour this precious moment. He breathes in the air as a light warm breeze blows through the field and the bubbling creek rushes by.
"I can feel them here too Rose... it's like they're both waiting here for us. They're waiting for us to enter the spirit world to reunite with them..." he sniffles as he opens his eyes. "They're in the cabin in Paradise, they'd wait forever for us. Right now, they just want the three of us to savour life on earth while we can..."
He pulls you into his arms once more and you breathe in deep as you both savour this moment where you and all of your children are together once more. The sun burns brighter as you feel Oliver and Lily's presence among the flowers you sit in and the breeze that rushes past you and the waters that rush down the creek. You and Eren stay in each other's arms, just feeling them, feeling the microscopic zygote settle into its small womb deep within you.
Once the sun sinks into the earth, the breeze dies down and you no longer feel your children's presence. The titan skeleton is down to the last steaming remnants as you and Eren smile gently and stand up from the bed of lilies and roses before heading inside the cabin together.
------------------------------------------------------------
On July 26th 1992, you wake up to light pouring in your window on your birthday. In a year's time, you'll be born as tremors coming from Meteor Lake shake this island to proclaim your arrival into the world. But for now, you lay in bed, marvelling as you rest a hand on your stomach, hardly believing that life's growing inside of you before you're even born. It's equal amounts unbelievable, creepy, and wondrous but you hardly care. All you care about is that you're in bed with the man you love and a child growing inside you once more; one that will never leave you, just as you've always wanted.
You cuddle into your pillow, sighing happily as you lay inside your cabin. It's so cozy inside as if it's hanging onto the love and warmth between you and Eren. It's so cozy and lovely and it already feels like home, your very own home, the home you'll one day emerge from the sea to come back to.
Before you can dwell on that memory for too long, Eren rolls over to spoon you and give you a soft kiss on the neck. "Ohayō my love," he murmurs Eldian dreamily into your ear, his hair newly cut for the heat. "Otanjōbi omedetō Rose-san..."
"Mmm Eren-san, arigatō aishi no hito," you sigh as he kisses your ear and pulls you right into his chest.
"The day's so beautiful Rose, just like you..."
You nod and sigh gently, "It is, it's absolutely gorgeous... tell me you have something planned for today, besides laying in bed together..."
"Of course I do. Trust me, this will be one of your best birthdays ever," he chuckles and lets his hand travel south.
"Mmm it already is the best one I've ever had," you sigh as he begins rubbing your throbbing clit.
"Mmm why is that baby?"
"Because I'm here with you," you murmur as you turn to look up at him and look into his pools of blue and green. "Because we're together and with our baby... and it's more than a dream..."
Eren sighs and kisses you deeply as he pulls his arm away to wrap both around your chest and slips himself inside you. You let out a soft moan as he buries his face in your neck and slowly slides out before sliding back in. His hands keep rubbing and his arms keep squeezing as he slides in and out, filling you inch by inch.
You're in total bliss as your chest swells and your body stretches out. Your love moans as he keeps thrusting gently inside you, savouring the feel of your warm velvet walls enveloping his cock. He squeezes your breasts and lets his moans drive into your neck as he picks up his speed.
"Ohh fuck Rose," he whimpers as he moves his arm to cradle your head and grip your hair. "Ohhh fuck I'm so happy right now..."
"S—so am I," you pant and whimper as you move your face up to his to grip his shorter hair and lower his face to yours. "Oh aishitemasu..."
"Ah—aishitemasu...ohhh a—anata o totemo aishiteimasu..." Eren moans lovingly as he begins pumping faster, unable to stop himself from wanting you over and over again.
You both pant and moan and find yourselves deep within a state of shared euphoria. You gasp and cry out as you feel his cock thrust into you again and again as his hand lets go of your breasts to grab and raise your thigh.
"Ohhh god you feel so wonderful," he murmurs as his lips graze yours. "I wanna do this with you forever."
"I—I do too," you moan as you pull him out so you can turn yourself around. You two face each other as you maneuver your hips once more and tangle your legs together for Eren to slide back inside. He moans as he does and wraps his arms around you once more. You sigh and arch yourself to allow him a better angle to lower his head and kiss your breasts tenderly as you two lock into a lovers embrace.
You're a body moving as one, your leg hanging on his hip as his hands travel up and down your body and he showers you in kisses as you tilt your head back in pleasure. It's at once one of the most lovingly intimate moments you've shared in a sea of intimate moments. You both moan and pant and sigh happily as you press your foreheads together and keep your eyes locked on each other. Eren lets out a powerful groan as you let out a cry of pleasure as you climax together, your bodies shuddering as one as you both release your juices. Eren pulls you right into his chest and kisses you deep as he rolls you over onto your back so he can bury himself deep within you, moaning as he lazily thrusts himself in again and again. He looks at you through his gorgeous bedroom eyes and kisses you passionately as he moans and twitches and feels himself empty inside of you.
You both sigh and kiss as he sinks into you completely and kisses your lips as you hold him. He rests his head on your pillow, and you turn to look at him fully, kissing him gently and languidly, as you both come down from your high.
After some time, Eren pulls away and dreamily kisses your lips, his eyes still half-lidded as he lazily gets off the bed.
"I'm gonna go make you something to eat so don't come downstairs..."
"Mmm but I wanna help..."
"Not today my love," he chuckles and stands up, his manhood on total display. "Today I want you to stay in bed and relax..."
"Fine, I'll stay in here... for now..." you chuckle as you spread out and snuggle back into your pillow.
"Oh don't worry, we'll be heading out when we're ready," Eren chuckles as he heads down the stairs just as Luna jumps up to keep you company, kneading her paws into your tummy like she used to with Lily. It seems she can sense this newest presence as well.
Soon enough Eren's coming up with sausage, eggs, and tea biscuits with melted whipped butter and raspberry jam. He grins and hands you some tea and a deep kiss.
"Please tell me you're not gonna turn things down with your nose being all weird now..."
"Huh?"
Eren laughs and cuts a piece of sausage to feed you. "You hated red meat when you were pregnant, are you gonna put up a big fight with it now?"
"Eren... I've been pregnant for almost 3 months now and the baby's the size of a grain of sand"
"So?"
"Sooo," you say as you happily bite into the sausage and hum happily. "So, you don't get things like cravings and repulsions till for several more weeks... which going by this gestation timeline means I probably won't feel my first morning sickness till like... I don't know, the Spice Girls get popular..."
"Maybe," Eren grins and shrugs, "or maybe the kid will just stop developing once I'm gone..."
"What like, put its development on pause?" you scoff and Eren sighs as he caresses your skin.
"Well... stranger things have happened Woods. Wouldn't it be weird for you to have a kid before you're even born?"
"I'm trying not to think about it," you laugh and spread the jam on your biscuit, savouring it happily. "It's just as weird to carry a child for 35 years Eren..."
"Ahh, you're a trooper," your husband chuckles and pinches your cheek as you finish up. "If anyone can do it, you can." He grins as he pulls the tray away so he can have unobscured access to you both and sighs as he rests his hand on your belly. "I still can't believe this is really happening," he says gently as he touches it and rests his head into your shoulder. "My head's swimming from this..."
You nod and pull him in to cradle him and he sighs and kisses your breasts lazily. "I can't believe it either, it hasn't fully sunken in yet..."
Eren and you exchange looks and without another word he kisses you and lowers you down to your pillow, accidentally kicking your tray and plate onto the floor, neither of you caring as you giggle and get under the sheets once more.
Later that morning, you two lay in your bathtub together, sighing gently as Eren kisses your neck from behind. He smiles and kisses your hair lovingly and breathes it in.
"God, I never realized just how much your bob hair suits you," he chuckles. "It turns you into such a little cutie..."
"I don't want to be cute Eren," you pout as you pull his arm forward to scrub it clean. "I wanna be alluring..."
Eren laughs and kisses the nape of your neck, "You'll always be alluring babe, don't worry about that."
He turns you around and moves you to sit on his lap as he looks up at you dreamily and strokes your back.
"This really feels like Paradise, being here with you Yurie..."
"You were calling me Rose earlier, why do you keep switching my names around Eren," you giggle playfully as he kisses your neck. "What's up with that?"
Eren flushes and shrugs as he rests his strongly toned arms on either side of you as you begin trailing your fingers over his tattoos. "I dunno, I just always kinda see you as three women in one..." he says, scratching the back of his head.
You eye him to go on and he sighs, "I know, it's embarrassing but it fits right? Yurie is always your most gentle and nurturing side, Rose is your sassy, funny side, and Eurydice is you when you're most fierce and passionate..."
"So why's Yurie the one you were invoking just now?" you ask as you cuddle into his neck as he caresses your skin.
"I dunno," he says gently and kisses your forehead. "I guess because she's the one I first fell in love with. She's the one who I almost ran away with to a cabin similar to this. When I close my eyes and picture Paradise, picture myself going there after I die, she's there with our kids, looking so heavenly..."
You flush and smile, "Is it wrong for me to feel slightly jealous of her?"
Eren snorts and chuckles, "Of course you do Eury..."
"Well, it's just that you keep going on and on about Yurie while you're in a bath with me," you feign offense as he nestles his face against yours and kisses you. "How could I not be jealous?"
"Well... as long as it's healthy jealousy Eurydice, don't go blowing the tops off any volcanoes again," he grins and leans back against the tub as you groan in humiliation.
"Stop...That uhh... that wasn't my finest hour..."
"Ya think?"
"Shut the hell up," you laugh and flick him on the forehead as he grins roguishly. "It still pales in comparison to your misdeeds..."
Eren groans and runs his hands through his short hair. "Don't fucking remind me..."
You sigh as you caress his face and look in his expressively green eyes. "What's happening with the Doomsday Titan right now?"
Eren sighs and thinks, "In the history of this world, the first few thousand years of existence went by in a flash. Barely a minute passed between your death, this world's creation, and its first 2000 years. Time only really started passing once you were born."
"Well... I guess that explains why there were tremors when I was born. It was like time was starting to sync up more, even if it was still insignificant..." You nod and breathe in deep, "So what does that mean for your other half?"
"Yeah," Eren nods and rests his head on his hand. "Right now we're still in the paths Eury, and I'm still under the tree in 2026 while Jean's still making his way up the Doomsday Titan's ribcage, on his way to blow my head off my neck."
You murmur and sigh as you lean into him. "God, I don't want to think about it..."
"Then don't," Eren says and kisses you gently. "Let's find something else to dwell on today..."
"Like what?" you mutter, and he sighs, his bare chest raising your head.
"Mmm I was thinking of taking you to the beach..."
"But there's no beaches around here."
"There is, there's this beautiful beach a bit of a ways up north. With a lighthouse. It's popular with being this underrated gem with the prettiest water and sunsets..." He smiles gently as he looks down at you and caresses your cheek. "I wanna see the place honey. I wanna be there with you... maybe just leaving my presence there will help in some way..."
You sigh and cuddle more into his chest, too comfortable and utterly overjoyed to take issue with going to that place. "Okay, let's do it Eren. We'll make a day of it."
Eren sighs contently and kisses your head before grabbing you to pull you out of the bath. You two grin and quickly change into your bathing suits, Eren putting an open button-up on as you slip short-shorts on. You laugh and wink as you nestle your sunglasses into your hair and pack up a lunch and books and your portable radio.
You hop into the driver's seat as Eren hops in beside you, adjusting his aviators and pulling out a cigarette. "Ready when you are babe," he chuckles as you giddily turn the key in the ignition and pull away from your new cabin.
------------------------------------------------------------
The radio blasts loud as you two laugh and pull into a snaking gravel road that leads down to that smaller stretch of beach near the lighthouse. You take a deep breath as Eren sits right beside you and squeezes your shoulder as you follow the path winding in front of you.
"It's okay, just breathe. We'll make a good day here; I know we will..."
As if to hammer in Eren's point, you hear the cry of a white bird among many above your head and the sounds of laughter and screams on the air. You smile softly and wind around and drive onto the stretch of parking stalls, most taken on this gorgeous July day. You grab the beach bag, he grabs the blanket, and holds your hand as you both step onto the sand that overlooks the Eldian sea, an expansive stretch of rocky cliffs nearby that curve slightly around the bay. And in the far-off distance you can make out the small shape of a mansion, but you avert your eyes quickly, that's neither here or now for you.
You spread out the towel and sigh deeply as you get on your stomach as Eren yawns and gets on his back, pulling off his shirt to suntan. You smile and untie your bikini strings and let the sun beat down on your skin as well. Sighing happily, he rests his hand on your ass and watches the birds above his head while you read your copy of Orlando by Virginia Woolf.
You grin as you read it cheekily, listening to the radio playing early 90s pop, as people all around you take in the gorgeously hot summer day. Eren starts snoring softly and you giggle as you gently lift his aviators to see him dozed right off. You hear some trucks pulling in as the beach day really gets started, one being a food truck, and clear your throat.
"Baby, you want something to eat?"
"Mmm? Yeah, why?"
"Cause that food truck smells delicious, can you get me some fries and a coke?" Eren groans as he's risen from his sleep and mutters a protest. "Really? You're gonna deny your pregnant wife fries on her birthday?"
Eren comes to for a second and quickly sits up. "No," he yawns, fully awake. "Of course not, lemme grab my wallet." He kisses you and takes off to grab some food, making a beeline past families and kids and teens and other young adults. You kick your feet happily as you take in the sunshine and watch the water, every now and then flicking your eyesight to that isolated speck of a mansion in the distance.
"Here you go babe," you hear his chuckles as he dangles the bag of fries in front of your face. You blink in a quick memory of a bird swooping into your room with this same bag of fries, and your eyes trail back to that speck as Eren sits next to you. "Hey..." he says gently as he squeezes your arm. "Where did you go just now?"
"Hmm? Oh nothing," you laugh gently as you grab the fries and eat them slowly.
Eren breathes in deeply and you see his eyes, telling you to tell him the truth and your eyes inadvertendly go back to that speck. Eren follows it and sees what you can't help but look at every now and then. He looks at it and his eyes darken in silent anger.
"Fuck..." he says under his breath, "I outta fucking burn that fucking place to the ground..."
You smile and hold his hand and kiss him gently. "Don't bother my love, it won't change anything..."
Eren nods slowly and you kiss him sweetly, caressing his smooth strong jawline. "Never mind that my love, don't let that ruin my birthday..."
Eren chuckles and nods. "No, you're right. Just pretend it's not there." With that, he dunks into your fries gleefully and pulls out a handful to your protests.
"Eh! Those are not your fries Jaeger!"
"So?" he grins and grabs another handful to stuff in his mouth. "Come on, it's not like you need them, Woods."
"Uhhh I do actually," you scoff and rub your belly and Eren chuckles and rolls his eyes.
"Right, I forgot about all the nutrition you get outta greased up fries..."
"Ha ha, one more fry and the rest are for me," you smirk and watch as he pulls out a long one and hold it in his mouth.
"Mmmm..." he hums playfully.
You laugh and cheekily eat his fry bite by bite before kissing him. You two kiss and hold each other happily before you turn and finish the rest of your fries as your husband kisses your ear and cheek happily. Once you're finished, he crumbles up your bag and quickly gets up.
"Come on, we're going for a swim," he grins and pulls you to your feet. "Race you to the water?"
You laugh and nod as you quickly retie your straps, "Alright, on the count of three okay?"
"Okay...."
You grin cheekily and swing your arms. "Okaaay, one—"
You immediately bolt as fast as you can, laughing cheekily to get the upper hand.
"Heyyyy, you little cheater!" Eren calls out as he takes off running, easily catching up as you run as fast you can. You both laugh at the top of your lungs as you run through the sand, feeling the breeze and the sea hit your skin, this is true freedom.
Eren grabs you as you get close to the water and carries you bridal style as he runs into the water and you both scream in happiness as he runs deeper and deeper. He stops and pants a little as he settles into chest deep water and you quickly scurry to wrap yourself around him comically.
You giggle and stare into his eyes and run your hands through his shorter brown hair as he begins to tread the water while you keep yourself wrapped around him. You both kiss lovingly and whisper sweet nothings before you let yourself lean back and dunk the back of your head in the sea. You sigh happily as Eren pulls you back up to check out your soaked short hair and he grins and sighs as he tucks it behind your ear.
You make out for a long while, in your own little world away from everyone else visiting the beach and swimming in the water. Soon enough you're both frolicking in the waves, splashing at each other, racing and chasing each other, Eren grabbing you to toss you in the water every now in then as you erupt in laughter.
"What do you say Woods," he laughs as he grabs you once more. "Wanna get out of here? Head home?"
"Mmmm no Eren!" you laugh as he kisses you happily. "I wanna stay out, it's such a gorgeous day!"
"Alright, twist my arm babe," he sighs and envelops you in his kisses as he starts carrying you back to the beach. "Let's go for drive, see where the road takes us..."
You both grab your stuff on the sand and quickly head back to your convertible, grinning at the idea of just going on a drive, feeling the wind and freedom blow through your hair. You grab your shades as you slide onto the bench seat to cuddle right into Eren.
"Prrronto maestro," you roll your r's happily as you look across the beach and at the lighthouse sitting right near your car as Eren turns on the radio.
"Right away miss," he says in his best Brit as the first notes of a familiar song ring out.
♫ Ooh, baby, do you know what that's worth?
Ooh, Heaven is a place on Earth
They say in Heaven, love comes first
We'll make Heaven a place on Earth
Ooh, Heaven is a place on Earth ♫
You let out a happy shriek as Eren laughs and watches you geeking out. "Eren, it's my mom's song!"
"I know baby, how great is that?!" Eren grins wide and kisses you. "Happy Birthday baby..."
"Arigato my darling..." you sigh dreamily.
He pulls out of the parking lot and winds around the path to head back onto the highway as you cuddle right into him and start singing along to song.
♫ When the night falls down
I wait for you, and you come around
And the world's alive
With the sound of kids on the street outside ♫
♫ When you walk into the room
You pull me close, and we start to move
And we're spinnin' with the stars above
And you lift me up in a wave of love ♫
You two drive along the coast as you keep singing, caressing Eren's jawline and kissing his ear as he smirks and hangs an arm around your shoulders. He drives with one hand and breathes in the fresh sea air as he caresses your arm and savours the joy of being with you as you sing happily.
♫ When I feel alone
I reach for you, and you bring me home
When I'm lost at sea
I hear your voice, and it carries me ♫
As the chorus takes over you raise your arms and pull your legs up to the seat to exclaim happily as you keep going.
♫ In this world, we're just beginnin'
To understand the miracle of livin'
Baby, I was afraid before
But I'm not afraid anymore ♫
As the song continues, you kiss Eren's cheek and eagerly hop up on the bench-seats' backrest as you feel the energy of the song takes over you. Your love laughs as your legs lay next to him, bumping into him playfully. He wraps his arm around them and caresses them as you keep singing along happily.
♫ Ooh, baby, do you know what that's worth?
Ooh, Heaven is a place on Earth
They say in Heaven, love comes first
We'll make Heaven a place on Earth
Ooh, Heaven is a place on Earth ♫
The interlude takes over and you sigh contently and close your eyes as you let the wind blow through your hair. This feels too wonderful, too good, it feels just right. Eren smiles up at you and grabs you to pull you down on his lap, sending you into a giggling fit. The car keeps driving as you wrap your arms around each other lovingly.
You both hold and caress each other as the sun warms your skin and the wind blows through your hair. This feels like heaven, being here with your one and only, driving down the highway, feeling this freedom together. It's strange to think about but it feels like you've already ascended to the afterlife with Eren, to a place where you're both free from the injustices that held you down in life.
"I love you Eren Jaeger," you sigh happily as your lips graze his.
"I love you Eurydice Jaeger, I wanna spend the rest of eternity driving down this highway with you..." he sighs happily and pulls your head closer to kiss you passionately. You both hold each other tight and kiss, totally content with this. Content with this feeling and this moment, driving down this highway as Heaven is a Place on Earth blasts from your car radio.
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The golden sun slowly sets on the evening of your birthday as you two drive around aimlessly in your blue vintage convertible before making your way to another side of the coast, rolling right up to where the grass meets the beach and only a few yards away from a food truck restaurant with picnic benches all around it. Eren sighs as he turns off the car and pulls you into his arms, kissing you yearningly.
"Let's spend the night here Eury," he sighs gently as he cradles you in his arms. "We can fall asleep under the stars and let the waves send us to sleep..."
"Mmm that sounds lovely Eren, I'd love to..."
"Perfect," he murmurs and kisses you. "Let's go grab something to eat first..."
You hold hands and make your way over to where blues music plays from the truck and fairy lights light the small dining space. You order some popcorn shrimp and waffle fries and Eren orders a beer for him and a water for you, much to your amusement.
"You realize this baby isn't exactly human Eren," you laugh as you both settle into a picnic table with its red and white checkered tablecloth. "I'm sure it can handle a little beer."
"I'm aware," Eren chuckles as he feeds you a fry. "I'm not taking any chances Woods, no alcohol."
You look at Eren softly and caress his jawline, "I just hope I can sense I'm pregnant once this whole curse takes place..."
Eren nods and kisses you sweetly. "I'm sure you will my love... and even if you don't, you won't be alone. You'll have a part of me with you until we meet again..."
You nod and sigh, your breath becoming a little shaky as you two gaze into each other's eyes. "It'll be August next week Eren..."
Eren gets what you're hinting at and nods solemnly. "Yeah... just four months left Eury... "
"Four months that will go by in a flash," you whisper sadly as Eren kisses your face and pulls you into his arms even more. He presses his forehead into yours and sighs heavily.
"I know... what's four months to 2000 years of seeing you grow as a woman and a goddess; seeing you grow and thrive and fall from humanity only to see you earn it back..." he murmurs as he caresses your short red bob. "I am so beyond proud of you, I'm so proud of everything about you..."
"I am so so glad we were gifted this year Eren..." you say gently as you wrap your arms around his neck. "I don't know what I'll do when it's time to say goodbye to you..."
"Let's not think about that now love," Eren soothes you. "Today is your birthday, let's enjoy the last hours of it without the sadness..."
You sniffle and nod as you close your eyes and savour Eren's kisses all over your face and hair. As you do you see a car roll up and a young couple with a small baby walk up to order some food. Eren looks up to follow your gaze and he smiles gently as he sees the little one.
"One day we'll have that too Eury," he says gently as he turns to you, his green eyes wide with emotion as he takes your hand and squeezes it tight. "I promise, even if its after death, we'll have our family too..."
"I know Eren," you say gently as you watch the baby giggle and coo in his mother's arms. "I just wish we were given the same simple pleasures as everyone else..."
Eren nods in agreement as he turns to watch it to as the father takes over, "Yeah... I'll always wish that too. It just wasn't meant to be for us. We can't change that, we never could..." He turns to you and smiles, "But once we're both gone, we're free from all that. Fate can't touch us once we're both dead Eury. We'll be free to forge our own path."
"That's right," you smile gently and kiss his strong jaw. "We just need to remember that one day we'll be free from all of this..."
After your meal, you two retire to your convertible as the food truck shuts down and the beach empties of people. You two are the only ones left, listening to blues music on the car radio as you cuddle and watch the sun sink down into the ocean. Eren holds you, his fingers brushing your skin as you sigh gently and hold his free hand. He nestles his head into yours, kissing your red hair and breathing in the smell of oils in it. You smile at that and sigh as you keep cuddling him. You two are silent, just enjoying each other's company as you listen to the waves and breathe in the fresh country air, far removed from the always-present scent of garbage back home in New York. After some time, Eren chuckles and you look up at him quizzically.
"What baby?"
"Oh... it's nothing," he says tenderly and tucks some hair behind your ear. "I'm just... I'm kinda experiencing things with you right now..."
"Ahh," you chuckle lightly, "such as?"
"Such as right now I'm standing next to you, watching you as you develop pictures in Liberio and tell a funny story about taking a picture of a clown..."
You laugh as you experience the moment with him, talk about how ridiculous he looked, a big towering bulky clown with a little lollipop as you two stand side by side tapping your tongs into the photos in your respective vats of chemicals. You sigh and look around your dark room, taking in every nook and cranny, every hanging picture of Liberio's residents both inside your studio and out on the street.
"I can't believe that I told you that joke only months ago," you say as you look out to the nearby highway. "It was really only ten months ago... that night we went to the café for dinner after a really busy workday than out for a late-night stroll down the harbour. Then we came back to the studio and..." you trail off, exchanging a knowing look.
Eren chuckles throatily as he remembers what you're hinting at. "Yeah, that was the night alright... kinda hard to believe we didn't even plan on that happening..."
"Well... we were both young and dumb and in love," you sigh as you cuddle into Eren's arm and kiss it gently. "We weren't exactly thinking about anything except being together in the moment..."
"Mmm true..." Eren murmurs as he watches the highway with you. "It's hard to believe we were both so different back then, sometimes I don't think my counterpart even recognizes me..."
"Well, you live a life that's so completely removed from his Eren," you sigh and nestle into your man. "How is he by the way? I haven't seen him in... well over 2,000 years. Not since the dream of the cabin..." You scoff softly at that dream; it happened so long ago and yet really didn't. "It's hard to believe in the present day, that dream of Liberio and the raid and the cabin only happened a week ago..."
"That's the beauty of the paths Eury," Eren sighs heavily, "like I've always told you, time moves quickly yet so slowly here."
"Mmm you don't have to tell me twice," you murmur and move to rest your head on his chest, his strong, supportive chest. You breathe in his masculine musk, enthralled with the scent of him and the sun-kissed tan to his skin as he holds you and caresses your hair. "Eren?"
"Mmm..."
"I think you should try and reach out to him, to younger you..."
"Huh? Why?" Eren says gently, confusion in his tone. "Why should I? After everything he... I did..."
"Because Eren, he's you," you laugh just as gently. "It's absurd of you to hate yourself so literally..."
"Even after what he did to you?" Eren says skeptically and you sigh and caress his chest.
"I've made my peace with him just as much as I have with you. As for you, you should be grateful to him Eren..."
"Umm why should I?"
"Because, you obtuse boy," you laugh and kiss him, "you're in Paradise compared to him. Think about it my love, you're sitting here at 26 in a convertible with your hot pregnant wife, watching the sun set and feeling the warmth of summer. All while he's 19, all alone, in that cold expanse of the paths..."
Eren nods as he listens and sighs heavily. "Fuck, I hate it when you're right Eury. You're right, he's suffering there..." he says as he looks up at the white bird that's been following you both since you left the cabin. "I know he's going through hell. I wish there was something I could do..."
"Well, you could just go and be there for him, be nice to him. He needs a friend now more than ever," you say gently. "He won't have anyone before the end..."
"Well... he'll have Mikasa," Eren says gently. "Right now they're sharing a different world in the paths where they ran off to a cabin together."
You nod and chuckle gently, "That's lovely. I can see no matter the lifetime, a cabin in the wilderness is all you want deep down."
"Mmm that's what I wanted with you," Eren grinned and kisses your head. "I wanted that with you so badly... I asked you to run away with me a few days into our relationship and now after all this time, we've finally done it... we're finally home..."
"I mean it though Eren," you say gently. "I want you to devote some time to go hang out with him every now and then. Give the kid a break, I'm sure he'd appreciate some time to get to know you better."
Eren nods and sighs, "Alright. I'll go, you're right; I owe him a debt of gratitude. If he didn't do this," he says, gesturing around, "I'd be alone in the paths too."
You nod and sigh contently as you lay in his arms as you both watch the sun begin to hover just over the waters of the Eldian Sea as if it's getting ready to stick its toe in. You both let your senses take over and lose all thought to just being here in this moment as you both run your hands over each other's bodies.
You turn your lips towards each other and begin kissing softly, feeling your desires rage inside you as they always want to do. You two are meant for each other across time and space and you've embraced that you'll always want to feel each other, express your love physically and tangibly. You moan softly as you wrap your arms around him as he does you, locking you in a passionate lovers' embrace. Your passion for each other is insatiable and palpable, unbreaking, and all-consuming. You sigh and moan as Eren pulls your bikini top off as you slide your shorts off and slide his jean shorts down. Eren smiles dreamily as you kiss him needily, running your fingers through his hair.
He grabs you and pulls you closer, as you reach for his cock, wrapping fingers around his hardness. You moan into each other's mouths, completely enthralled. Eren holds you close as his lips refuse to part from yours as you start jerking him off, feeling his hard shaft slide against your hand, it's power immense as pre-cum drools down from the tip.
"Ohhh fuck," Eren groans gently as he moves you off of him, already unable to contain himself. He gets you on your knees, facing the backrest of the bench sea, facing out to the highway as Eren gets up to squat behind you. You moan softly in anticipation as Eren aligns himself with your pussy and slowly slides in you, wrapping his arms around your chest as he does. You both moan and kiss gently, taken in by the scenery and the sun setting on your backs as Eren begins thrusting in and pulling out steadily.
"Ohhh Eury..." Eren sighs gently in your ear as he kisses your flesh. "You feel so fucking good..."
You moan and feel your face flush as his cock slowly inches into you, stretching out your lovely velvet walls. Sighing, you lean your head back into Eren's shoulder as he moves delicately inside you, his soft short hair nestling against your head. He turns his face to you and moans slowly as he presses his forehead into your, squeezing your breasts gingerly as he does.
"Ohh Eren," you say gently as you again feel him thrust achingly slow into you. "I want us to do this forever..."
Eren nods and moans against your lips as he kisses them gently and moves his hips to push into you a little faster again and again and again. You both graze each other's lips as Eren's slowly thrusts into you before you moan and present him your bare neck which he gladly groans and buries his face in as he picks up the pace slightly. You watch the cars from the highway, far enough away not to make out your faces as you two make love in the front seat of your rental convertible. You're bounced against the backrest, your arms hanging off the top of it as Eren groans into your neck and his arms wrap around you tighter. You both pant and move as one, your lover pinned to your backside as he thrusts into you and reaches out to hold your hands in his, stretching them across the bench seat.
"Fuck you're amazing," he whimpers into your ear and kisses it tenderly. He keeps sliding so slowly as he whispers tender words of love to you. "Mmm you feel wonderful, you make me feel like I'm whole again baby," he sighs. "Fuck I love you completely..."
"A-and I love you," you sigh passionately as he looks at you. You both kiss wonderfully as he begins to go faster. You feel his cock push in more and more urgently and you let out a series of needy moans as Eren lets go of your hands to wrap around your waist. The slapping noise coming of his skin hitting yours in the throes of passion is like music to your ear and sends shivers up your spine.
"Ohhh fuck baby," you moan and arch your back in total pleasure as he thrusts deeper and deeper into you. "Ohhh fuck my pussy so good babe...heh you're so good to me..."
Eren pants and shoves his face into your back, grinding and gyrating into you as he tries hard to suppress the loud groans brewing within him. He pants breathless and doubles down into your back and kisses the skin delicately.
"Heh, fuck... heh you're s-so fucking beautiful..." he pants breathlessly. "S—say you'll be mine, that you'll wait for me baby..."
"I-I'll wait forever for you," you pant out and start hungrily backing your ass up, relishing the sound of your skin and his balls clapping against each other as he stands up fully and holds your waist as he pounds into you. You both pant and groan and sigh passionately as you arch together, letting the heat of the moment carry you away.
Eren moves to push the bench seat down fully and moves to lay on it, motioning for you. You happily pant and straddle him, holding his shoulders as you slide down on him, both of you moaning in unbridled lust as you do. You both buck into each other eagerly, letting out synchronized moans of pleasure as Eren quickly grabs your waist to help guide you onto him.
You moan and press your weight into his shoulders as you grind and rock on his devoted cock, always on the ready for you. "Oh—Ohhh ohhh fuck Eren," you pant pleasurably as Eren leans up on his elbow and moves to thrust in deeper.
"Ohhh fuck yeah," he moans as looks up at you with total devotion. "You're my fucking queen, my fucking goddess... please don't forget that baby..."
"I won't, I promise I won't," you whimper and hold your ankh necklace while holding his cabin key. "I promise I won't Eren..."
Eren sits up and rocks you on his lap, moaning as he looks at you with a mix of adoration and sadness as you both move as one. You kiss longingly and moan hard into each other's mouth as you rock back and forth. You turn your gaze to the water, moaning and sighing and resting your head on Eren's shoulder as he moves his legs to thrust into you deeper as he holds you tight. You're jostled by his bucking, and you feel so good as he rubs your g-spot and clit perfectly in his tight embrace but you can't stop looking at the sunset dipping into the sea.
You watch it for minutes as he kisses and holds you and soon he grabs your hair as he speeds up, grunting and whimpering as he moves closer and closer to his edge. You turn and kiss him as he bucks into you erratically, filling every inch of you and you both let out a cry of pleasure as you climax together. You cry out and gasp and moan as you're filled up completely as Eren groans and nestles his face into your neck. You once again turn to watch the sea, watching the sun as it slowly slips beneath the waves, as if to remind you that nothing lasts.
------------------------------------------------------------
You both spend that night sleeping on the flattened bench seat, completely naked to allow the sea breeze to blow through you. You cuddle into Eren as he keeps an arm behind his head while his other grazes your backside, his fingers dancing on your skin. You both stare at the stars above you, basking in the afterglow of your union. Eren sighs heavily and kisses your hair as you nestle into his chest and caress his tattoos. You trace the lines over the small heart he had inked on him when you were missing, and you sigh as you run your fingertips over your name and Lily's.
"Rose...Lily..." you murmur gently, "do you think you'll ever get Oliver's name on here?"
Eren chuckles throatily and sighs, "Probably. I'd like to one day..." He smiles softly and presses his hand into your belly. "Maybe I'll get this one's name done after the end..." His eyes widen slowly as he thinks. "Shit, do you think I'll get to keep my tattoos in the afterlife?"
You laugh at the randomness of the question and shrug, "I don't know, I guess you'll just have to die to find out."
"God that's so dark," Eren chuckles. He keeps chuckling before he slowly begins to break out into a laugh. He keeps laughing, going into fits of laughter and you slowly grow quiet as you observe him. He keeps laughing and laughing and you reach up to hold his face to calm him down.
"Eren... what is it honey..."
"Ahhh fuck, it's nothing," he laughs and sighs as he rubs his face, his eyes still skyward. "I guess sometimes I forget that at the end of this, I'll be fucking dead."
You nod slowly as you start caressing his jaw gently. "That's not an easy thing to be reminded of I'm sure..."
"No, I'll be honest, it's not," he sighs as he looks at you, his deep green eyes twinkling. "It's weird Eury, I'm so happy to spend eternity with you but every now and then I'll get this thing deep inside me..."
"What thing?"
"This... this feeling of dread and sadness. This feeling of just... being devastated that I won't be around anymore. That I'll be dead and gone for good... and I can't even do anything about it cause I'm powerless to stop what's happening in the other world." He looks off and sniffles. "When I get back to my timeline, I'll... I'll have to start thinking about the end. I'll have to think about my legacy and my music and leaving my brother behind and my friends behind..." He goes quiet as he thinks of one friend in particular.
"It'll be hard for her too I'm sure," you say gently. "It'll be hard for her losing you in two timelines... I can't help but feel terrible for her..."
"Can you promise me something Eury?" Eren asks gently as he turns to you, his eyes now tearing up.
"Yes of course you can..."
"Can...can you look out for her once I'm gone Eurydice," he says earnestly as he holds your hand. "It doesn't have to be forever but... I just need you to watch over her, make sure she's comforted, that she isn't suffering too much..."
You sigh and sniffle and nod, "Of course I will. Let that be the last thing I do on earth before it's time for me to leave. I won't until I know she'll be alright..." You move up to look down at Eren. "I promise I will do that for you Eren, and you make sure you're there for my brother this time around. Don't alienate yourself from him. His children carrying my name, that will be part of my legacy; you make sure to honor it. Don't break up our family again..."
Eren nods emphatically as he pulls you in for a hug. "I promise I won't again, I promise I'll do the right thing this time..."
You nod and sink into his arms, kissing him before pulling away to look into his eyes. "I'm sorry Eren... I'm sorry for what this leads to..."
Eren sniffles and holds you close as he closes his eyes tight. "I...I...I don't want to die Eury," he breaks down and cries, his tears pouring from his tightly closed lids. "I don't want to lose you but I don't want to die either..."
"I know," you murmur sadly. "I know you're scared Eren, I was too. I'm sorry baby..." You look up at the stars as you caress him and your mind wanders back to a conversation you had so long ago these same stars. "Do you remember when we lay under the stars on the night my aunt died Eren?"
Eren thinks back to that, to the night on that tropical island where you both lay in each other's arms and talked about death and you slowly felt that small creeping feeling that your own wasn't too far gone from the present.
"Do you remember what I told you about death Eren..." you say gently.
He sighs heavily and sniffles, "Yeah, you said we were all made of dust..."
"Yeah, each and every one of us will have to blow away one day... it's terribly tragic that the both of us will blow away so early but at least we'll blow away together..."
Eren bursts into tears at that, completely shattered and you sit up to cradle his head in your arms. "I know baby, let it out..." You rock him gently and cradle his head in your arm as he sobs into your chest, totally heartbroken. "I know Eren, I would give up everything to be alive again..." you say gently. "I hate that we'll both be gone... I hate that more than anything... but we just have to believe we have so much more waiting for us on the other side..."
Eren nods slowly and sniffles, "Yeah we have the kids..."
"And our parents," you soothe, "I'm dying to meet your mom and dad Eren, I really am... and I'm sure they all want to meet their grandkids. And we have this little one here with us to look forward to..."
Eren hums softly as he again presses his hand into your belly to feel the tiniest movement of the microscopic zygote inside you. He chuckles softly as he feels it.
"It's hard to believe these little, tiny cells are gonna form into a person one day..." he murmurs and presses his forehead into your womb. "I wanna meet you already kiddo, I could really use a pick-me-up right now..."
You laugh gently as you caress his hair and feel his lips gently kiss your belly. "I could use that too but just think Eren, we have another baby to look forward to, another little one to watch grow up."
"Yeah, we get to see if they're more like you or me..."
"I hope they're the perfect balance," you giggle as Eren sits up and wipes his eyes to smile at you. "I bet they'd be the perfect split in every way between you and me..."
"Mmm like maybe one eye will be green and the other purple," Eren sniffles and you laugh.
"Violet Eren..."
"Ugggh! You know what I mean Eury!" he laughs through his tears as you cuddle into him. "Thanks by the way, for making me feel better..."
You nod and sigh as you look up at the stars, "I'll always want to make you feel better Eren... death's not something you can take lightly, I know that..." You turn and look up at Eren, gazing lovingly in his eyes. "But when your time comes, I'll be with you. I won't let you die alone or scared Eren, no matter what..."
Eren nods slowly as he looks at you. "When I die, I want your face to be the last thing I see before I close my eyes forever Yurie... promise me it will be..."
You swallow a stone as hard as a rock as your heart shifts. "I promise you Eren, just like you were the last face I ever saw, I will be the last face you ever see..."
Eren half his eyes and savours the moment as you kiss his lips softly and hold his face in your hands. "I promise," you say gently, "I promise to be with you till the very end Eren... "
Eren nods, his eyes still lowered, the corners of his lips slightly moving. "Aishitemasu Rose..."
"Aishitemasu Eren..." you whisper quietly before cuddling back into his arms, both of you turning your gaze up to the stars and the great unknown above you.