"Break!" Sharon screamed, her voice shattering the balance of his performance. What was she-?
He blinked, indistinguishable thoughts plowing through his head with a sense of renowned urgency. Was she okay? She hadn't gotten caught, had she? Reim was with her, but he was in front of the two of them so he couldn't be sure. For her to yell like that, with such fear and desperation in her voice, something must be up.
But he had checked, there was only one Titan in the area around them, and that was the one he was in the middle of attacking. He was already halfway through the air, he couldn't turn around now to check, but still. There was no way that one of them could sneak behind him so-
No.
No that wasn't what she was screaming for. She was perfectly fine, safe with Reim. Of course she was. She was yelling for him. A warning that came too late. That's what it was.
His eyes widened as time began to slow, head turning to see the giant fingers reaching towards him. Half a second later and they were no longer beside him but wrapped around his body. Tight, restraining breath, suffocating and positively terrifying.
He was going to die.
As his expression twisted into one of pure panic, he looked over at Sharon and Reim, standing there on that roof, safe. They must have looked as horrified as he did, but that mattered little, they were perfect to him.
Sharon… Sharon was stunning. She always was, but if this was his last chance to see her, he might as well appreciate it. She had worked so hard today, did she have any idea how proud he was of her? How much he loved her? No, she wouldn't. He never told her. He had been an idiot and never told her. And now he would die without her knowing how beautiful she was to him. That was disgusting.
Staring at her, at the two of them, he wanted to live. To be able to touch and kiss Sharon, to bother Reim. He wanted to be with them. Why did this— why did this have to happen?
Everything had been going so well. None of them had been hurt, together they had taken down more than a few Titans, had defended the walls. And him, he had just graduated, top of class. He was going to do so much. Going to love and be loved and laugh together with everyone and save the world and-
And-
He was supposed to live.
Panic began setting in, a sickening sort of fear that drove its way into his very heart. There was no stopping it, he was going to be eaten alive. It was hopeless, he was completely unsaveable now. In a matter of seconds he would be in that thing's mouth, he would be crunched between it's teeth. He would be eaten alive.
He felt himself being lifted onto the air, the fingers tight against his waist as the rest of him dangled uselessly. He could no longer see Sharon or Reim, couldn't see their horrified expressions or the tears in their eyes. Perhaps that was a good thing, considering everything.
He could, however, hear their screams. Hear the sound of Sharon crying out to him, sobbing and yelling and no doubt clinging to Reim. As selfish as it was, he didn't care too much. No, it was far too surreal for that, seemed more like a dream suspended in time than anything else. The only thing he could really focus on was himself, however terrible that really was. He wanted to live, to have a future and a life. He wanted Sharon, wanted to do something significant. Wanted to destroy ever last monstrous Titan off this planet; but he couldn't. Because he was weak and would be destroyed first.
A face came into view. Not a lovely one like Sharon or Reim's, but something twisted and grotesque, repulsive. The way it smiled at him, its eyes grinning and glowering in its obvious enjoyment. What sort of thing could do that? Could look at you with that kind of expression before ripping you apart in its mouth? Never before had he been so terrified. Not when he watched his family eaten in front of him, not when he was sent outside the walls to fight, no, not then. But this, this was… horrible.
In a surge of panic he let out a cry, useless sobs and tears allowed to escape. Petrified, he cried out to Sharon, to Reim, to anyone really. But of course that did nothing. It was pathetic that his final moments would be wasted by such a pitiful display, but he couldn't help it. He didn't want to die like this, he wanted to die a hero, in a flash of courage or the like, not sniveling like a coward. But he was going to be crunched up, torn apart and swallowed, ripped in half and consumed. For nothing more than sport, and never had that reality been so terrifying.
So despite his fear, despite the terror that left him trembling in the Titan's grasp, he found the strength required to shift himself around in the air. As he was brought closer and closer to the monster's mouth, the distance between them diminishing, he smiled. Through tears and trembles he managed to look up at his friends, at the girl he loved and the man he relied on, and actually smiled. Let him go out like this, with a grin.
"Goodbye… Sharon. Reim. You've done well." And as he was lowered into into the Titan's mouth, Break closed his eyes for the last time.
