A/N: Did you guys really think I would miss an October update?

No seriously though, I was actually so close to not updating this month because I was really unsatisfied with a lot of the stuff I've had in the works for a while. I had gotten really busy near the end of September, which was why I updated really early last month. I couldn't find the 100% effort in me to write sometimes, so I hate to feel like I'm putting something out that's half-assed. But anyway, I wanted to keep a promise to myself no matter how small, so here's a little something for October. It's one half of an unfinished piece I've had laying around for a while. I'm planning on finishing it eventually, but decided I'd put this little segment out just to meet my monthly quota lol. Sorry if it's a little inconclusive, but I'll hopefully have the second half out in the coming month.

Hope you enjoy. This is kinda wholesome but overall depressing lololol :P

Another Perspective

Mikasa walked through the sturdy wooden halls, Eren by her side. His long hair, his titan marks near his eyes, all of it reminiscent of the mass genocide he had just committed against the world. The ends justify the means, they say, but Mikasa still couldn't find it in herself to accept that the Eren she'd loved her whole life was the one who'd thrown the hammer down on millions of innocent people, including their own.

But he had done it, just like he had said. The titan powers were all extracted, and all resided within him now. Now he was the singular titan shifter in the whole world, the last Eldian with the power of their ancestors.

And now the only human being affected by the Curse of Ymir.

"I brought you all here because I care about you," Eren had said to all of them back in the meeting room. All the people that were left. Her, Armin, Jean, Connie, Annie, Reiner, Historia, Falco, and Gabi. They were truly the only ones left. The last of the 104th. "And also because there's no more that you can do. I've accomplished my mission."

"You've accomplished it," Jean had spat bitterly, "But you've murdered millions."

"He's right," Connie echoed him. "The blood on your hands is insurmountable. You've freed Eldia, so what? How do you expect us to live happily in a world born out of blood?"

Everybody in the room, save for Mikasa and Armin, who reminded silent, had voiced their objections to the horrors he'd committed. He'd remained silent and unmoving as each of them raged and ranted at him, stoic as always. Annie and Historia gazed at him philosophically, both the blondes knowing they could do nothing.

Once they had all calmed down and their energies spent, Eren spoke again. "I know you don't agree with me, and that's fine," he began. "I don't expect you to, or ever will. Regardless, the world is free, and you'll recognize that soon enough. You've all been relieved of the curse, of your responsibilities, now what remains is the rest of your lives. Pursue your loves, your goals, your ambitions, your curiosities." A few of them opened their mouths to object, but Eren silenced them.

"Now, as for me…" he began. Suddenly, his eyes shut, and from his nose came an outpour of blood. He gurgled once and struggled to hold it, making a sound as if he was in great pain. His hand reached out to find a table, an edge for him to grab and stabilize himself. When he opened his eyes his former comrades could see that his eyeballs spun and were out of coordination.

Eren shut them again, his expression pained but defiant as ever. When he faced them again with all under control, he was going by deep, racking breaths as if he had just fought off something terrible.

"My body is failing me," Eren spurted out, and by now all his friends were hanging to every word. "I am not Ymir Fritz. I am not of royal blood. My body can't handle nine titans at the same time." He paused, took another deep breath, then dropped the bomb on them. "My twentieth birthday…is in three days. The three remaining years I was supposed to have were taken from me when I extracted the power from the rest of you. The Curse of our ancestor will take me on my closest nameday."

The room was silent, and Mikasa and Armin felt tears rise to their eyes as their best friend basically proclaimed his own death.

"I am going to die in three days," Eren said bluntly. His stoic and strong persona had dropped, and taken its place was the same, driven and emotional Eren they had all met. The boy, the comrade, the friend, that they had trained with, shared roofs under, ate with, faced danger with.

His green eyes, normally so bright, were faded and the fire within him seemed to be nothing but a dim memory. He'd accomplished his goal, this was it. The end of the line.

"If you could all…" Eren sounded almost as if he was pleading them. "If you could find in yourselves just the thinnest thread of mercy you may still have for me…please let me live my last days in peace."

…

The group disbanded, shocked still and retired for the night. In this small building outpost near the edge of Paradis's beaches, Eren had decided, was where he wanted to spend his last days. He'd had this small building erected long before he'd embarked on the Rumbling; he must have known he'd end up here, either that or his titan powers had given him an insight of such.

Eren was still on shaky legs, and Mikasa offered to walk him to his bedroom. He accepted, and here they were, walking down the wooden hallway that led to his isolated room on the third floor. Occasionally, Mikasa would see blood drip to the floor, something that Eren hastily tried to cover with the cuff of his sleeve, which only increased her worry. Then she really felt the dark hole being gouged in her as she let the reality of his statement sink it: he was going to die. Her Eren was going to die. She'd faced the prospect of it so many times before, but this time there would be no titan power to save him; rather, it would be that same power that would be taking his life. For not the first time today, Mikasa's eyes watered at the fact.

He'd succeeded at freeing them all, but at what cost?

They made it to the front of his bedroom, and Eren placed a hand on the wall to steady himself once again. Mikasa remained by his side, like she always had, and was hesitant to let him go. She knew that he'd probably just push her off of him and tell her to stop treating him like a child. As bitter as he was when he said such words, Mikasa'd rather him spit them to her face for three decades rather than him die in three days.

But Eren would surprise her tonight. Eren was anything but dense, but quite the opposite. With the power he possessed, he could very well be nearly omnipotent. A hand met Mikasa's where it laid across Eren's chest. It was Eren's, and Mikasa looked up hesitantly to meet his eyes.

Eren may not have been dense, but he was still the blunt and unapologetic person he'd embodied throughout his lifetime, and he was determined to live it through to the very end. It was also that same Eren that had given Mikasa her scarf, the same Eren she'd fallen in love with so long ago.

"Mikasa," he said. "Lie with me."

Mikasa felt her heart rate falter. "W-what?" she asked, a blush coming to her face and nervousness creeping into her voice.

Eren was unmoved. "I said, lie with me, Mikasa," he repeated, then tilted his head to the side. "Or am I mistaken about your feelings for me? What am I to you, Mikasa?"

"I…I, Eren you are…" Mikasa stuttered.

"I'm what? Family?" he finished for her, echoing the words she had told him in Liberio all that time ago. Mikasa shifted her feet awkwardly.

"I mean, yes, yes you are. Always have, always will. You're my family, Eren."

Eren stared her down intensely. "Do you have desire for me, Mikasa?"

The red on Mikasa's face deepened. "Eren, I…"

"Say so now, or never, Mikasa," Eren sounded like fatigue had hit him out of nowhere, and he exhaled as he said this. It looked like it pained him to drag this out any longer. "I don't have much time left, please, tell me now. For the sake of both of us, please tell me now."

"I…do. I do," she replied, looking up at him and trying to gather herself. "I love you, Eren. I always have and I still do. I'm in love with you." She repeated, feeling a huge weight being lifted off of her as she finally, finally was able to say those words to her beloved.

Eren leaned down, slowly and delicately capturing her lips in a kiss. Mikasa melted right into him, yearning for this moment for so long. His lips were warm, and he parted her lips to connect their tongues. The way he moved indicated he moved with experience, although this was his first real kiss, the first one gartered by genuine feelings of lust and romance. And guided by the memory of hundreds of titan holders before him, many of whom were well versed in such acts of intimacy, Eren moved purposefully and without hesitation.

He laced his hands with hers, and with the other pushed the door of his room open and lead the both of them inside, their lips never breaking. When they did, it was at Eren's bedside.

Mikasa found herself seized with a sudden insecurity and nervousness that she had never experienced before. Perhaps it was all the pent up angst and emotion she felt, or the millions of times she'd fantasized about such a moment happening between them. The fact that it was actually taking place made her head spin. Or simply, perhaps it was the justified nervousness of a young maiden about to lose her innocence.

Eren sat down on the bed, and pulled Mikasa onto his lap so that she straddled him. This time she took initiative and moved herself forward, locking their lips again. This was her moment, she realized. She wasn't going to let shyness get in the way. This could very well be the last time she and Eren would be so close. So close that she could feel the heat in his skin, the desire he had for her, the hungry look in his eyes that she'd never seen before, and all of that mirrored in her own expression. Their tongues danced and their saliva mixed, both of them mutually enjoying the taste and sensation of the other.

Eren's hands went to her shoulders and slid the familiar rough leather uniform jacket down her arms, and Mikasa freed her arms to shrug it off and do the same to Eren's dark woolen coat. He wore a matching woolen shirt under, a simple, untied at the collar shirt that he wore nearly everywhere. It reminded her of when they were kids and they'd wear the same garb nearly everyday.

Eren pulled away, and a small bridge of saliva hung between their two mouths. They were both breathing hard, out of breath, and both their cheeks tinted a dark red. Somewhere along the way, Mikasa's hands had wandered up to his hair and undid his bun, and she ran her hands through his smooth auburn locks.

"I want to lie with you," Eren whispered to her, the hot air of his breath sending tingles down her neck and spine. "Let me lie with you for my last three nights on this earth. It's the least I can do for you. I loved you, too," he assured her, and Mikasa could feel her heart flutter from her chest. "But I'm afraid I did not love you enough to give you what you deserved. I'll do my best to make it up to you before…before I'm gone."

Mikasa swallowed. "Eren…" she breathed, not wanting to think about such things when they were finally getting the moment that they had both deserved. "You did nothing wrong."

Eren kissed her again, more lovingly than the last. When he parted, she could hear the sound of him separating from her, their lips still aching for each other, aching for more.

They started with their shirts, Eren bare from the waist up and Mikasa left in her small clothes, a simple dark tied cloth as a brassiere. Mikasa was slow in her advances, running hands over him and tentatively touching the nuances and dips in his skin and muscle. But wasn't long before she resigned to her own lust and held him and clutched him for all he was worth.

Eren encouraged her, knowing that the first step would be for her to overcome her nervousness and find comfort in him, with him. Still, she couldn't help but gasp when his hands went to her chest. She was well-developed, firm, the healthiest a woman could be. Eren marveled at the softness of the touch, despite still being through that thin piece of fabric, which he eventually removed.

Mikasa instinctively put an arm across her chest, shy, but Eren moved it away and treated her gently. He used his hands at first, then worked her lightly with his mouth and his tongue, earning him a whimper and a moan from humanity's strongest soldier.

When they finally relieved each other of their bottoms, Mikasa laid herself on Eren's bed, still doing her best to maintain her composure, and with her entire body burning with excitement, opened herself up in a way she'd never done to another person in her life.

Oh, God, Mikasa thought. It was for Eren. It finally was for Eren. She'd been saving herself for so long, just for him. And here he was, nude as the day he was born and hovering over her, planting a soft kiss to her lips before slipping himself in with careful attention.

The process was long and painful, and Mikasa remained miraculously tight throughout. Eren was gentle, patient, and content with letting her set the pace. He caressed the side of her face whenever it would wince in pain and would continue to until it went away. Mikasa had never felt more loved in her life.

Eventually, they were able to get comfortable with each other. This led to a slow and steady buildup, enjoyed by both of them, but nowhere near the full extent that they could achieve. Instead it was guided by simple love and affection that ended with Mikasa reaching that sweet high twice, and Eren once. He gave her his seed, and she made no objection to it. She welcomed it, feeling the warm sensation overtake her and spread throughout.

They had switched positions some time during their love making, where Mikasa now sat on top of Eren, as to make it easier for her to control her own descent. It also gave her an extra amount of leverage sitting up on her knees like that, which proved to help make her more comfortable. After they were done she collapsed on top of him, both the mental and physical strain taking a toll on her.

"Mmm…" she sighed into Eren's shoulder, still slick with sweat. "I love you, Eren."

Eren traced a hand up and down her back. "I love you, too," he replied, not wanting to spoil the moment for her. She fell asleep in that position, her head tucked in the crook of his neck and arms tightly wrapped around his midsection. Her legs were comfortably squeezed in between his, and their bare bodies pressed together as if they were one.

Eren stayed awake. Mikasa could afford to sleep, but he wanted to savor every little bit of precious time left he had in this world. As the moonlight shone in streaks through his window, Eren ran a hand up her back again, and into her hair. It was so short now, cut perfectly to frame her face. It felt like silk under his hands. He spent a good while playing with it, tucking it behind her ear, brushing it away from her face so he could gaze at her; whatever he could get his hands on, he did, devoid of shame, knowing that the clock was ticking for every single second he spent here.

When he did manage to fall asleep, he was awoken not long after by a wet touch to his face. His eyes snapping open, he reached a free hand up from under the blanket to find blood on his fingertips. He gently unattached himself from Mikasa, keeping her warm and wrapped in a blanket as he went to clean himself. When he came back, he found her fearfully clutching a pillow, desperately trying to find a substitute for the warm presence that had left her momentarily.

Eren slipped back under the covers, and Mikasa's eyes fluttered open to see him scoot in next to her, and she awoke just long enough to wrap her arms back around him and place her head on his chest, still warm and comforting to her even after his few minutes in the cold night air.

Just before dawn broke, Eren recalled shedding a few tears over her. He would not be here to comfort her for much longer. The thought alone made his heart throb. But no, he reminded himself. It would be alright. Mikasa would be free now, free to go and find anybody she pleased after him. Someone who could treat her well, who could be the warm presence she relied on. It would be alright, he told himself, even though the image of Mikasa beside someone else tore his heart in half. This was the path that he had chosen, now it was time to walk it.

They woke up the next morning, and got dressed with a certain amount of awkwardness about them, or on Mikasa's side at least. Eren nonchalantly threw on his pants and shirt, while Mikasa blushed as she did and turned away from him slightly, even though there wasn't a part of her that he hadn't seen now.

Making way back down to the living room for breakfast, Eren was still met with icy stares from his former comrades as they were left in conflicting emotions about whether or not they should reprimand him for his actions or well and truly just let him be. If he really was going to die, there wouldn't be no reason to make this anymore of a hassle, and Eren knew they'd eventually warm up to the idea. He'd cleverly placed them into that impossible position.

He did however get just as many notices of him entering the room with Mikasa a step behind, scarf around her and head down as she promptly began to follow Eren like a shadow. Armin immediately saw them as the younger, two inseparable kids he'd known since childhood. He could also guess, along with everybody else in the room, what they had been up to when Mikasa didn't return from walking Eren all the way to his isolated room the previous night.

Eren unapologetically made himself a breakfast of oats and poured himself a glass of milk, then as he brought his food to the dining table, stared at all his friends eyeing him from the couches. "There's plenty breakfast for all of you," he offered. "There's more than just oats, I had this place stacked up a while ago. Feel free to take what you like." Then he sat down and started to eat.

Most were hesitant, but Connie was the first to move and open up a cabinet. To his surprise, he found out Eren was telling the truth. There was meat, flour, bread, dried fruits and vegetables and some non perishables. He quickly lit a stove and started preparing his own meal. It had been too long since they'd had good food.

His friends quickly followed, and soon everybody was a mess of eating this and that and lounging all over the living room. Eren still sat at the dining table, finishing his oats while Mikasa sat next to him, her chair scooted so close to him that their shoulders were touching. For the rest of the day she would remain like that, clinging to him in a way she had never before, because Eren had not allowed her to. Now on his last days, he let her as much as she wanted.

Around noon, Eren announced that he would be going hunting, and asked if anybody would like to follow him. Mikasa volunteered first, and Historia second. Connie and Jean decided that there was nothing else to do, so they tagged along.

Eren shrugged on a cap and a bow over his shoulder and went into the woods, the four of them right behind. They stalked a large moose for an hour before Eren finally got into a place to shoot it dead in the throat. Connie remarked that it was a clean shot, and to that Eren turned around and said, "I learned it from Sasha," sparking a bout of emotion as they remembered their fallen comrade, Connie especially since he still blamed Eren for her death. But seeing as it were his last days and he basically had just tributed the animal in her name, Connie let it slide.

The four of them lugged the animal back to the house, where Reiner came out and helped them skin it and string it up to dry for the next morning. Following this, Eren told everybody that he was tired and would be taking a nap, though not in his room. Instead he would be going to the beach, where he would lie down till sunset. Mikasa sat up to follow him again immediately, but this time Eren refused her. He took off on his own, and he returned just as the sky began to turn purple.

He came back to find they had already cooked and prepared the animal they had caught earlier, passing cuts of it on bread around a fire. Eren stepped up to take his own, and Mikasa was next to him immediately, reaching to get him a portion. She followed him around again, now knowing that she would be permitted to.

That night, Mikasa would sit herself in the living room alone as one by one Eren would have lengthy conversations with each individual. There were some outbursts, some silent ones, some full out conversations. She even heard laughter at some point. She did notice though, the two people he neglected to speak to were her and Armin.

When he did finally come back in it was quite late, but Eren allowed Mikasa what she desired. She looked up at him, hopefully, begging, silently asking for his closeness, and Eren relented. He gave her a wave forward, and she jolted up to her feet and followed him into his room.

Eren shut the door and was taken by lust, much to Mikasa's delight. Their session was significantly longer than the night previous; they were both in peak physical condition after all (save for Eren's supernatural strain) and were more than willing to oblige each other. Eren handled her with care and aggressiveness at the same time, and she absolutely loved it. It was a night of carnal lust for both of them, and Mikasa was rather shameless in making no effort to conceal her shrieks of pleasure. She pawed at him and treated him and held him close. He was her love, now and always, no matter what would happen or whatever curse that would befall them. Wherever they were destined to be once they left this room, this moment would be theirs.

Their night continued into the wee hours of morn, where Eren, finally torn from exhaustion collapsed on top of her. Mikasa would awake when the sun was already well into the sky, to a distantly gazing Eren lying beside her, brushing her hair away and stroking her face.

They shared a few intimate words, words that would leave Mikasa in soft tears. He loved her, he really did. After all these years, she finally knew. Well past the point of no return, she finally knew, and now her heart could rest.