Usually his eyes are full of fury and blaze with absolute hatred. Screw the blades he wields, maybe the emerald flames in his eyes can incinerate the titans. But there are times when he isn't filled with a lust for revenge, when the fires in his eyes soften and glow rather than burn.
When he looks beyond the walls he sees a great green expanse, an endless sky, and complete and utter liberation from the stone walls that have contained humanity for so long. He loves the wind in his hair, brushing against his cheeks as if to kiss him hello and greet him to the beauty of the outside world. He's risking his life fighting against fifteen-foot tall monsters just to grab on to the sliver of a chance that humanity will win, but it's a decision he never regrets making.
What are you fighting for? they ask.
I'm fighting for freedom, he answers.
She wraps the scarf around her neck tighter, breathing in the smell of the worn-out cloth. It smells of her blood and sweat and tears. The faint scent of her old home in Shiganshina lingers. A hint of Eren – his rage, his passion, his kindness – remains. And it's warm.
It's love, she thinks, this warmth. When she closes her eyes, clutching the scarf as tight as she can, she can imagine her mother and father giving her a loving embrace. She can taste Eren's mom's soup, the absolute best thing she has ever tasted in her entire life because it was so full of warmth and tenderness that it burned her throat going down and filled her belly for hours. She can see Armin and Eren, holding their hands out to her and looking towards the future.
What are you fighting for? they ask.
I'm fighting for the ones I love, she answers.
He flips through the pages of the book, marveling at all of the pictures. Seas made of fire, entire oceans of salt water, intricate flakes of ice that blanket the earth when it gets cold. His friends take an interest as well, sneaking peeks together with him despite the jeers of the other kids in their neighborhood.
He knows going outside the walls is dangerous. He's seen his friends get eaten, even stared at the jaws of one of those hideous beasts in the face. But it's not always going to be like this and he is confident that humanity will someday be able to venture outside without fear.
What are you fighting for? they ask.
I'm fighting for the future, he answers.
A/N: I needed to write something that would comfort me somewhat during these rough times.