Auf Wiedersehen

Disclaimer: I don't speak Deutsch very well, and I also don't own Shingeki no Kyojin, nor the poem "But You Didn't".

Warning: Trigger for character death and the Feels Train coming through. Also, spoilers for manga chapters.

Inspired by the poem "But You Didn't"

Goodbye

Eren knew something was wrong as soon as they set forth for their latest mission. A deep sense of dread tensed his muscles, sending the hair at the back of his neck to stand upright. A knot was forming in the pit of his stomach. We should turn back.

Commander Erwin ordered the charge, and the soldiers followed through. They soared among the trees, hacking and slashing at the titans around them. It was going well, one of the most successful missions yet, but Eren felt something was coming.

Do you remember, Corporal?

The pounding of his heart echoed the pounding of the ground when a large mass of titans broke through the forest. He knew their victory would be short-lived even before he saw the Ape Titan leading a battalion.

It was time to transform. Eren bit down on his hand, the goal of defeating this threat as soon as possible humming through his being. Steam rose around him in an explosion as his body was enshrouded with his titan form. He took the lead, as Erwin commanded, and barreled through the army of titans. Other soldiers accompanied him, using their gear to maneuver around to aid him on his way through.

Remember the day we first met, my eyes alighting on the wings of freedom across your back?

I thought you'd kill me next.

But you didn't.

They all agreed beforehand that the Ape Titan needed to be taken down before it could mobilize the rest of its kind and finally destroy humanity. Eren was part of the main force to take down Mankind's Enemy.

As well as Corporal Levi. Eren watched as his superior flew past him, dodging the lesser titans, cutting a few down that got in his way. The titan shifter's heart clenched, sending a pulse throughout his entire body. He tore through the army, letting the soldiers around him take out any who escaped. He couldn't let Levi get there first.

A roar sounded, sending the titans into a frenzy as they obeyed the shifter's command to turn on their leader.

Remember in the courtroom, when I lost my temper and screamed at the Military Police?

I thought you'd let them have me.

But you didn't.

Eren's command didn't keep them in line for long. The Ape Titan raised a hand, pointing in his direction, and the titans turned, once again attacking the Scouting Legion. Levi raced past them, losing the protective squad at his heels.

Eren threw out a hand, reaching for Humanity's Strongest so far away from him. He surged forward, running through the army, knocking the smaller ones away, shoving the larger ones to the side.

"Eren! We have to kill these titans before we can reach the Ape Titan! We need your help!"

He ignored their cries. Something was wrong.

Remember when you taught me how to clean, but I could never meet your high expectations?

I thought you hated me.

But you didn't.

Levi went for the Ape Titan. Humanity's Strongest against Humanity's Enemy. He swung his blades, darting forward and back, looking for a way to its weakness. The monster followed his movements closely, watching, waiting…

Eren needed to get there in time. Sludge slowed the blood in his veins. His legs weren't fast enough.

Remember when I accidentally transformed trying to grab a spoon, and the squad turned their blades on me?

I thought you'd say, "I told you so."

But you didn't.

The smartest titan was a bigger threat than the entire army combined. More dangerous than the other shifters: Reiner, Bertholt, Ymir, Annie. It wasn't motive. It wasn't emotion.

It was pure intelligence.

The ability to sense your opponent's movements and intentions, to snatch away their hope of victory, to see and feel with a hyper intensity and use it to your advantage.

Eren saw the Ape Titan swipe at Levi and panicked frantically for a moment until he saw the Corporal emerge unscathed.

Remember when I couldn't control my transformations, couldn't fight back the urges, and failed?

I thought you'd leave me behind the walls.

But you didn't.

Levi swung, whirling mid-air, and struck. The world held its breath. The Scouting Legion watched, desperately hoping for the end of the war with one swift movement. It all hinged on Levi, on his attack, on his triumph.

Eren gasped with the rest of them when the blades bounced off the titan's back, protected through the thick hair. He was close enough to see Levi frown, glaring at the mistake, swinging away to rethink his ideas.

He was close enough to see what the Ape Titan saw: a vulnerability. Levi was fast, but his foe was faster. Snagged by his own gear, he was thrown around, helpless as he tried to cut his way out. Slammed against a tree, one blade slipped from his grasp. Clenching his teeth, he grasped the other with both hands and jumped forward.

Only to be snatched by a giant hairy fist.

Yes, there were lots of things you didn't do for me, but you still put up with me, loved me, and protected me.

Eren was close enough to see the life squeezed from the Corporal's frail body, hearing the snapping of bones and the last breath leave his lungs.

Close enough for his fist to connect with the Ape Titan's mouth before he could swallow Levi down whole, grabbing the jaw and ripping it out of the titan's face.

Eren's roar ripped from his core, loud enough to deafen soldiers nearby, impairing the titans within the vicinity. They stumbled and scrambled away, terrified by his fury, unable to refuse his command. The Ape Titan didn't stop them from running away, fleeing the scene as Eren collided with their leader.

There were lots of things I wanted to make up to you, when you returned from the battlefield, victorious.

His foe decimated, Eren crawled out of his titan form, running over to the body flung to the ground. A crowd was around it, but he pushed them all away. Erwin urged them to step back, give them room.

Collapsing on top of Levi's body, Eren sobbed. He screamed, he wailed, clawing at the bloody form beneath him, pale and cooling beneath his fingertips.

"LEVI!" he yelled into the sky.

But you didn't.

The ride back to the Wall was solemn and silent. Eren rode alongside the cart that held Levi's body, covered with his own scouting cape.

Kneeling over the burial site, looking down at his captain one last time before they covered him with dirt and filth, he whispered softly, "Gute Nacht, Corporal Levi," because he couldn't say goodbye.

Not when he looked to be peacefully sleeping, finally free. Eren imagined his wings soaring through the sky.

He could never say goodbye.

Author's Note: Even Humanity's Strongest is mortal, with vulnerabilities and a time limit.