"What am I to you?"
The words came out of his mouth automatically as he looked down at Mikasa, feeling resigned to what he knew was coming.
When he first received his future memories at that ceremony, and saw what he would do, and what he would become, he'd been horrified. Surely that wasn't the only way. There had to be something else, some other means that his people would be allowed to live in peace, some way to get the world to leave them alone. Surely he didn't have to become the worst mass murderer in all of human history in order to ensure his people's safety.
Surely.
But as things unfolded, it only became clearer how hopeless their situation with the outside world truly was. The only country that was even willing to talk to them was Hizuru, and even then it was only because they had something to gain from it. All the others were seemingly content to think of them as evil devils. After all, Paradis had served as a useful scapegoat for the past century, why change that now?
But what had pressed down on him even more than the geopolitical situation was his future memories. As the years passed, one by one they'd come to pass, each happening exactly as he had seen them when he'd kissed Historia's hand.
That moment with the boy had been no exception, playing out exactly as he'd foreseen. Even when he tried to alter the outcome, even when he tried to leave that boy behind to whatever fate those men had in mind for him, he hadn't been able to. Just like Reiner, he had been unable to stop himself from acting the part of the hero, knowing full well he would one day murder the person he was saving.
And now, here he was, asking Mikasa what he meant to her, and she would tell him that he was just family, unable to be honest about her true feelings. And then, like clockwork, they would be interrupted by the boy's father, and then their friends, and he would have no choice but to keep following the awful path that had been laid out before him until the horrible end…
"I...I love you."
Eren froze, and Mikasa's face came into sharp focus.
"What?" He breathed, certain he had misheard.
Mikasa's cheeks were very red, but she repeated herself. "I love you. And not just as family. But...but as something more."
Eren's eyes widened, and it felt as though a dreadful weight had been abruptly lifted off of him.
Maybe the future wasn't written in stone after all.
Before he knew what he was doing, he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.
Mikasa let out a squeak, clearly not expecting that, but after getting over her initial surprise she wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her in close, his hands on her waist, savoring the feeling of holding her.
After a moment, they broke apart. Mikasa looked flustered, and Eren had to admit he did too, but the joy he was feeling far outweighed any awkwardness.
He rubbed her arms. "Mikasa...if you could have anything in the world right now...what would make you most happy?"
She looked down, her face still very red. "Um...well...if I could have anything...if I were being completely honest...I'd like to spend your last four years with you, just the two of us."
"I see." Eren smiled, then began to pull on her hands. "Well then, let's go."
She blinked. "Go? Go where?"
"Away. Somewhere far away. There's a railway station to the south of here, and I've still got some money on me. We'll find someplace remote on the continent to settle down and do exactly what you just said. Just the two of us."
Her eyes widened in shock. "Oh. But, what about-"
"I know. But...I love you too Mikasa. I'm sorry I wasted so much time dancing around this. But not anymore. I just want to live my last few years in peace. Please."
"...okay."
And with that, their path is decided.
As Eren led her away, he felt as though he were floating. Yes, there would still be some regrets, yes there would still be some bloodshed, and there would be consequences for abandoning everything. But right then, as he held the hand of the girl he loved more than anyone else, he didn't care.
He wouldn't have to become the monster he'd seen in his memories, and he would forever love Mikasa for diverting him from that awful fate.
Armin stared down at the letter, his hands trembling, his stomach twisting into knots.
Every time he thought things couldn't get worse, they did.
It had been several months since their trip to Marley, and Armin found it hard to believe that at the start of that trip he'd felt happy, optimistic even. He supposed the novelty of the new sights and sounds of the outside world, and all the interesting technology, food, and people they'd seen had distracted him from their situation.
Looking back, he should have known something was wrong. Eren had been acting off the entire time, as though he was only half aware of his surroundings, while his mind was occupied by something else.
And yet, even knowing that, he still couldn't quite believe it.
The first sign of trouble had come earlier that day, when they'd seen the blatant hostility the Marleyan citizens had toward a refugee child. If that was how they treated refugees, how much worse must they perceive the island devils?
Things only got worse at the conference the following day. They'd hoped they would be able to speak to the organization that advocated for the well being of the Eldian people. But their hopes had been dashed when it became clear that even the people who defended Eldians thought the islanders were evil devils.
But the worst part of the trip came when they realized that the worst possible thing had happened: Eren and Mikasa had run away.
They'd first noticed Eren had disappeared the night before. When Mikasa left to find him, and then also failed to reappear, they assumed that something might have happened to both of them. But when they found some witnesses who had seen them kissing, their worry vanished and was replaced with happiness for their friends. After all, everyone knew how close those two were, so what was wrong with them finally acknowledging and expressing their feelings?
They were slightly concerned when they didn't turn up by the end of the night, but after Levi suggested that they might have gotten a hotel room for...certain activities...they once again stopped worrying, and went to bed that night convinced that the pair of them would reappear in the morning.
But the morning came and went, and there was still no sign of them. And when they went looking for them, they eventually came across a Mid-eastern priest and learned the horrifying truth: Eren and Mikasa had gotten married, hopped onto a train, and could be anywhere on the continent by then.
They were gone.
At first Armin had been convinced that it had all been an impulsive mistake on their part, and that Eren and Mikasa would come to their senses soon enough. He fully expected them to turn back up at the Kiyomi residence, or on Paradis after stealing a boat, not too long after the rest of the Scouts returned to the island.
But as the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months, it became clear that they weren't coming back.
They didn't have the manpower to try to find them on the continent, and while Kiyomi had discreetly sent some of her agents to search for the pair of them, they hadn't had any luck or found any leads at all.
Which led to the letter that Armin was holding in his trembling hands, his eyes burning with unshed tears as he was filled with despair and fear.
The letter was from Kiyomi, and while it was very polite, professional, and complimentary, the message was clear: Hizuru was withdrawing its support from Paradis.
And reading between the lines, it was fairly obvious that they were going to go to Marley and tell them that they had lost the Founding Titan.
It said that they would keep Zeke's involvement a secret, but considering that Armin wasn't sure if they could trust Zeke that was such a small comfort as to be entirely meaningless.
Armin could sort of understand where Hizuru was coming from. The only reason they'd been interested in helping Paradis was because of Kiyomi's connection to Mikasa, and because they held the Founding Titan, and the various threats and opportunities that came with that.
But with Eren and Mikasa gone, both of those benefits had left with them, and now Hizuru was taking the safest bet by siding with Marley.
Armin let the letter slip from his fingers and float to the ground.
How could they do this? How?! Didn't they know that without the Founding Titan the island was virtually defenseless?! Did they not care about what happened to their people?!
Did they not care about what happened to him?!
Armin's head fell into his hands, tears leaking out of his eyes. He felt angry and hurt and afraid. He couldn't believe that he had meant so little to them that they would abandon him to this nightmare.
He may be the God of destruction, but that counted for little in the face of the threats lining up against the island.
The only things that had prevented Marley from launching a full scale invasion had been the Founding Titan, and the fear of the rumbling that came with it, the abundance of pure Titans on the island, and their various wars with other nations. All of those obstacles were now gone.
And if the latest information from Zeke was correct, the Tybur family was about to rally the leaders of all the major nations in the world into a global coalition against Paradis.
Armin squeezed his eyes shut in a vain attempt to stem the flow of tears.
What on earth are we going to do?
The devilish silhouette appeared through the red curtain like a shadowy demon, it's greedy hands reaching out and grasping the air. On the stage below, Willy Tybur was addressing the crowd, explaining the dangerous threat that Eren Yeager posed to the entire world.
Reiner watched the speech with a grim frown, knowing it was all bullshit. He'd been one of the few people who'd been privy to it, but a reliable source close to the Tybur family had revealed what was going on with the island. Apparently they had been discreetly trying to find a diplomatic way of dealing with the rest of the world. But after this had gone nowhere, it seemed that the holder of the Founding Titan, Eren Yeager, had disappeared, along with another member of the Scouts, Mikasa.
Reiner was surprised to hear this, as Eren hadn't struck him as the type to run away. But it had been four years. Maybe after learning the truth about the outside world, and learning that he had an expiration date in the not too distant future, it had all become too much for him, and so he and Mikasa had run off together.
Whatever the reason, Paradis had lost the Founding Titan, and while Marley had discreetly sent some covert agents to search for Eren and Mikasa (though the odds of actually finding them were pretty slim) they had been very careful to make sure this information did not reach the general public.
Because after the conflict with the Mid Eastern allies, Marley's image with the international community wasn't looking too good. So in order to restore people's faith in them, and to unite the various nations, they needed a common cause, a common threat. That threat was Paradis island.
And the only way they could get the world to rally behind Marley against Paradis was if they lied, and pretended that Paradis still had the Founding Titan, and was thus a real and imminent danger to the rest of them.
As Willy Tybur's speech went on, he brought up the threat of the rumbling, and how it could be unleashed by Eren at any time.
Reiner had to admit that Eren seemed like someone who would be capable of unleashing the rumbling. He'd meant it when he'd said that Eren was the last person in the world who should have that kind of power, and if he had still been with Paradis, the threat Willy Tybur was presenting to them could have been very real.
But with Eren gone, it was just another lie meant to bolster the world into action.
And judging by the reactions from the crowd, Reiner could tell that it was working.
"I declare war on the enemies of Paradis island!"
The crowd burst into applause, and Reiner belated joined in, even if he couldn't agree in the slightest.
Without the Founding Titan, Paradis didn't stand a chance, and knowing that an island full of innocent people was going to be slaughtered to satisfy the world's bloodthirsty need for a scapegoat made him feel rather sick.
Paradis received word about Willy Tybur's speech shortly after it happened from Zeke, and they were informed that about half of the major nations in the world had joined hands with Marley in its coalition against them. It would take several months for them to figure out the logistics and gather their forces, but once they did, the invasion would begin.
A few weeks before the invasion took place, Hange, Levi, Armin, Connie, Jean, Sasha, Floch, and many other Scouts met in their headquarters at the port. Everyone looked grim and resigned, and not a single smile could be seen.
Hange lightly touched the map that had been laid out on the table in the center of the room.
"Okay, so if the intel we got from Zeke is accurate, the invasion force won't go straight for our port near the southern tip of the island."
She moved her hand. "Instead it will land on this stretch of shore on the southwest side of the island. Most of their forces believe that we still have the Founding Titan, and so will stick together as much as possible so that they can have extra concentrated firepower if the Wall Titans make an appearance. We can use this to our advantage. We won't be able to stop them from landing, as we have nothing that could counter the firepower from all those ships."
She tapped several trees on the map. "But once their forces move inland they'll have to pass through or at least by several forested areas. Our ODM gear and their unfamiliarity with the terrain will allow us to engage in hit and run tactics, especially at night."
The Scouts grimaced, knowing exactly what kind of hit and run tactics she was referring to.
Toward the side of the room were several modified dart guns full of Titan serum. Since the Marleyan army distinguished Eldian soldiers by forcing them to wear an armband, it provided a nice marker for them to know which soldiers could be turned into weapons against their fellows. So all they would need to do would be to swoop in, shoot darts into every soldier they saw wearing an armband, and then retreat and leave the enemy to sort things out amongst themselves.
It was a low and rather scummy tactic, but if the numbers that Zeke had provided them were accurate, they had no choice but to do whatever it took to kill the enemy soldiers, as they simply didn't have the manpower to make a more "noble" strategy viable.
Hange shifted her finger along the ocean on the map. "Once the ships have dropped off the bulk of their forces on the southwestern side of the island, they'll head for the port and attack it. While most of the Scouts will be engaged in slowing down their soldiers, Armin will use the Colossal Titan to destroy as much of the fleet as he can when they reach the port."
While the Colossal Titan would be able to destroy some of the ships, he wouldn't be able to destroy them all, and so would have to retreat shortly after transforming or risk getting killed by the naval bombardment.
At the same time that the Scouts would be responsible for harassing and delaying the enemy in the relatively untamed southern territories, the Garrison had already set themselves up at Wall Maria for when the invading forces arrived at the walls.
Shiganshina and the southern parts of Wall Maria had been evacuated, but the seriousness of the invasion had been downplayed in order to avoid a panic by the civilians.
One of the newer Scouts turned to Hange seriously. "Commander, be honest with us. Can we stop them?"
Hange stared at the map for a long time before answering.
"No. We can slow them down and make them pay for every inch. But in the end their sheer numbers and superior weaponry will win out."
She ran her fingers through her hair anxiously. "Zeke mentioned something about a plan he had to halt the advance early on, but he was incredibly vague about it, indicating that either he's not sure if he can pull it off, or it wouldn't make much of a difference even if he could."
Levi scowled. "And that's assuming the bastard is really on our side, something I doubt."
Hange placed both of her hands on the table, her gaze glued to the image of the port depicted on the map.
"The smartest tactical move would be to surrender or retreat. But neither of those are an option for us. They won't accept our surrender. They've already decided that we're devils, and they intend to kill us all indiscriminately. And where could we possibly retreat to? A handful of people could run off and blend into the masses of people on the continent. But we have more than a million people on this island. There's no way we could move them all to a safer place. We don't have the infrastructure or manpower to pull it off, and even if we did, the world would quickly be able to figure out where all the people of Paradis had gone, and go after them again."
An uncomfortable silence swept the room, and though nobody said it out loud, everyone's minds went to Eren and Mikasa, the ones who had abandoned them.
Armin looked away.
Hange pushed herself off the table and looked at them all grimly. "Even if it's futile, we have no choice but to fight to the bitter end."
The day the Great Allied Forces arrived on the island began quite dramatically. Countless columns of smoke appeared over the horizon, and before long more than a hundred ships came into view.
From a distant forest, well away from the beach, Levi and Hange were watching with a pair of binoculars.
Hange grimaced. "So, it looks like Zeke was telling the truth, both about where they would invade, and the kind of numbers they had."
Levi absently kicked a nearby root. "Like that really helps us."
With no enemy in sight, the ships reached the shore uncontested, and deposited countless soldiers onto the beach. The first ones to land immediately began setting up camp, a base from which they could proceed into the interior, while other soldiers continued to arrive from the ships.
As Levi watched them pour onto the beach, he could tell that the soldiers definitely numbered in at least the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, which was not reassuring at all.
He'd known how grim their chances were, but it was still unpleasant to see it confirmed so blatantly firsthand.
As Pieck walked into the camp that had been set up for her and the other Warriors, Pieck couldn't help but admire the impressive size of the coalition.
For the first time in human history, many nations from varying cultural and regional backgrounds were working together for a common cause, with Marley at the helm, once again taking the fight to the island devils.
What was more, most of the Marleyan army consisted of Eldians. Once their victory over the island devils was secured, the world would be more likely to accept the good Eldians, and no longer see them as a threat.
Pieck felt a twinge of guilt, since they had lied about the island having the Founding Titan, and they knew how little of a chance the islanders stood without it. Still, there was nothing else that could be done. It was the island's fate to be destroyed, to rid the world of the last remnants of the Eldian empire.
In the end it was all for the greater good.
Pieck glanced around the camp. In addition to herself, Zeke, Porco, and Lara Tybur were also there. The only Titan of theirs not present was Reiner. He'd seemed incredibly reluctant to go back to the island, and they needed one Titan to stay behind in Marley just in case something happened, and so he ended up being the one to remain on the continent.
Gabi, Falco, Udo, and Zofia were also not present, as Zeke had insisted that they had gotten more than enough combat experience in the recent conflict with the Mid East Allies, and they weren't really needed.
Lara Tybur was there to show that the Tybur family was willing to put its money where its mouth was and be more proactive in the world, and so for the first time in a century the Warhammer Titan would be used in war.
It would take some time for all the soldiers to arrive on the shore, and there wasn't much for her to do in the meantime. So Pieck enjoyed the calm breeze passing through the air, and took a moment to relax.
She noticed that Zeke looked slightly tense, but she figured it was probably due to his PTSD from that unfortunate encounter with the Ackerman four years ago.
It was nothing to worry about.
Several hours later, the ships had finally finished depositing the soldiers onto the shore. The camp was now much bigger and bustling with activity, as preparations were made before they would begin to march inland the following morning.
The camp was divided loosely by the nations the soldiers came from, while the Eldian soldiers were segregated from the rest, and made to do most of the work in unloading and setting up equipment and weapons.
Zeke was reading a book near the very edge of the camp, while Porco was quietly discussing something with Lara Tybur.
Pieck was sitting next to the members of the panzer unit, laughing and joking like old times. It was nice to be out of her Titan form, though she knew she'd have to assume it before long.
Carlo turned toward Pieck, his face slightly flushed. "Hey, um, Pieck? Could you help me with something?"
Pieck looked at him with a kind smile. "Sure. What is it?"
He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "My girlfriend's birthday is coming up, a-and I was wondering if you had any ideas about what she might like me to get her."
Pieck chuckled softly. "Well, let's see. From what you've told me about her, I think she'd most appreciate…"
Pieck trailed off as she noticed something strange.
Zeke was running away from the camp as fast as he could.
Porco and Lara had also noticed this, and were staring at him in confusion.
Carlo spotted Zeke's retreating form and frowned.
"What is he-"
Then, without warning, Zeke screamed at the top of his lungs.
Pieck's eyes shot wide open, and an icy block of dread formed in her chest.
She'd heard that scream before numerous times. Which meant…
Levi and Hange stared at the beach in utter shock. One moment the enemy camp had been operating normally, then suddenly one section of the camp was engulfed by a massive light so big and bright it was like a second sun had appeared on the beach.
The wind from the enormous explosion sent shock waves in every direction, blowing over tents, knocking down equipment, scattering supplies, and sweeping countless soldiers off their feet and onto the ground.
As the light faded, they could see what had happened.
Every single Eldian soldier in the Marleyan army had turned into a Titan.
The second they appeared, most of them barreled through the camp and headed for the ships just off of the shore, while others began to tear through the rest of the camp, crushing, stomping, and devouring any soldiers that got in their way.
The non-Eldian soldiers had dissolved into an unorganized mass of screaming terror, utterly unprepared for the sudden appearance of thousands of Titans in their midst.
The mass of Titans that had gone after the ships swarmed them like ants on a piece of cake that had been left on the ground. The bigger ones clambered on the sides and ran along the decks, while the smaller ones tore the doors open and forced themselves down into the lower decks, crushing and devouring any soldiers that tried to flee.
The ships tried to fire upon the Titans, but their efforts were futile. For every one they managed to successfully hit, another ten took their place, and in their panic many of the ships ended up shooting each other in their efforts to take down the Titans.
Once the ships were overrun and all the soldiers still on board killed, the Titans returned to the shore and joined with their brethren in wiping out all the soldiers unlucky enough to have been part of the invasion force.
Pieck, Porco, and Lara had wanted to go after Zeke, but had been unable to, as several dozen Titans had run right at them, forcing them to transform. And while they were able to kill many of them, in the end their sheer numbers had overwhelmed them, and one by one they were captured, and had all of their limbs bitten off.
Less than thirty minutes after Zeke screamed, the beach had fallen silent, the sandy shore stained with the blood and desecrated flesh of hundreds of thousands of soldiers. The entire invasion force had been slaughtered, and the surviving Titans stood along the shore motionless.
Using several of his Titans, Zeke carried what was left of Pieck, Porco, and Lara to the nearby forest where the Scouts were waiting for them.
Hange, Levi, and the other Scouts looked down at Zeke in astonishment.
Lara had been knocked unconscious, but Pieck and Porco were still awake.
"You traitorous bastard!" Porco roared, and would have said more if the Titan holding him hadn't covered his mouth.
Pieck looked down at him in utter disbelief. "Why? Why Zeke?"
"That's a very good question." Hange said weakly.
Zeke let out a long sigh before answering.
"For Eren."
Levi looked at him bewilderment, while Hange tilted her head in confusion.
"Huh?"
Zeke grimaced. "Eren and I are both victims of our father. We just wanted to live normal lives, but that despicable man forced his own plans upon us. In Eren's case he forced the power of the Titans upon him, cutting his lifespan and placing an enormous responsibility upon him."
Zeke shook his head. "I don't know why Eren ran. Maybe the pressure became too much for him. Maybe he was tired of being used as a weapon. Maybe he couldn't stomach the thought of how many people he would have to kill in order to protect this island. Whatever the case, he decided to run off with the love of his life, and live out the rest of his days quietly."
He smiled softly. "It was undeniably selfish of him. But at the same time I can't fault him for wanting to carve out some happiness for himself in this cruel world. But even though he left you all behind, I'm sure he's worried about what will happen to this island. And that's why I did it. Even if he's living in a remote area, sooner or later he'll hear about how the invasion against Paradis failed, and that will help ease his conscience. Without the Founding Titan my dream is impossible, but at the very least I can ensure that my little brother will be able to live and die without regrets."
Hange, Levi, and the others were left stunned. They knew that Zeke had taken an interest in Eren, but they never suspected how deep this connection ran.
"WHAT?!"
Pieck's unexpected shriek pierced the air like a foghorn in a library. Everyone flinched and looked at her, and saw her looking more furious than anyone had ever seen her.
"You betrayed your comrades whom you've known for years for the sake of a brother that you met only once and spoke with for less than five minutes?! Are you fucking insane?!"
Zeke glanced at her, a look of pity on his face. "While helping my little brother was the main reason I did this, it wasn't the only one. The fact is Marley is a corrupt and selfish nation that deserves to be taken down a peg, and I have allies who were counting on me to defeat Marley. With their invasion force completely wiped out, Marley is going to be in a very tough spot for the immediate future."
Zeke turned back toward the others. "In any case, I trust my actions today make up for what I did four years ago?"
Hange slowly nodded. "Yes, I'd say so."
Levi threw his hands up into the air. "You know what, fuck it, I don't even care anymore."
Levi stalked off, a strange mix of emotions on his face.
As several stunned Scouts escorted Zeke back to their base, it slowly began to sink in for Hange.
They had won. They had survived.
They actually had a future.
Oliver looked up when he heard the door open, and a surprised smile lit up his face. "Ah, good morning mister Kruger, I haven't seen you in a while. How's the wife?"
Eren nodded. "She's fine. She was feeling rather tired today, so I came here by myself."
"I see." Oliver grinned. "Doctor Möller told me the good news. Congratulations!"
Eren smiled softly. "Thanks."
Eren walked down the aisles of the small store, picking up the usual supplies he needed for their home.
After fleeing from Marley, the two of them had eventually chosen a small village in a remote part of a neighboring country as the place they would settle down in. As luck would have it, there was an abandoned cabin about nine miles away from the village, and while it had taken some time and a lot of work to restore it, it had proven to be a good home. The villagers were decent, hard working people, and they were very nice to Mr. and Mrs. Kruger, but for the most part they kept to themselves, and Eren and Mikasa did the same.
Occasionally, though, they would come to the village to get necessary supplies that they couldn't make themselves.
Eren was quite fond of Oliver and his little store. Part of it was that he provided just about everything that they needed, but part of it was that he was one of the few people who kept tabs on what was going on in the outside world, and would often pass it on to his customers.
By this method, Eren and Mikasa had learned about Willy Tybur's speech and the global coalition Marley was rallying against Paradis.
Learning about this had made Eren angry and worried, and part of him was tempted to abandon the life they were building and go back.
But the thought of the rumbling always held him back. He didn't want to go back down that path. He didn't want to drown the world in the blood of his victims. He didn't want the images he still saw in his nightmares to become a reality.
And while Mikasa was obviously worried about Armin and the others too, after he'd confessed to her the reason he'd had them run away, she'd understood and been incredibly supportive.
For better or worse, they had made their bed, and they were going to lie in it.
Eren headed to the front of the store to pay for the supplies he'd picked up.
Oliver leaned on the counter. "By the way, I don't suppose you've seen the papers?"
Eren shook his head. "No, I haven't. Did something happen?
Oliver nodded seriously. "Yeah, something big happened. Apparently the coalition Marley led against Paradis was completely wiped out."
Eren's eyes widened in shock. "Really?"
"Yeah. And now Paradis is engaged in peace talks with other nations, with the holder of the Colossal Titan heading up the negotiations."
"Is that so?"
"They said that the only reason they wiped out the invasion force was because they were coming to kill them all, and I can't really fault that kind of reasoning. And they claim that as long as they're left alone they won't destroy the world. Personally I don't trust those island devils, but at the same time things have been relatively peaceful for the past century. Probably best to let sleeping dogs lie."
"Yeah."
"Anyway, Marley is in big trouble for having led the world into this ill fated invasion under false pretenses. And with a good chunk of their military wiped out, and having lost all of their Titans except for the Armored, they're going to be in hot water for quite a while."
"I see."
Oliver leaned back. "Well, don't let me keep you. Take care."
"Thanks, you too."
Eren walked away from the village in a daze.
They'd done it. He didn't know how it was possible without the Founding Titan, but they'd managed to defeat Marley and keep the island safe.
He still felt guilty about leaving them all behind, but at the very least he could rest easy at night now, knowing that his decision hadn't damned Paradis.
It also made him incredibly glad to know that Armin was alive and well, and was doing what he'd always wanted, namely working toward peace.
And he was sure Mikasa would be glad too.
As his home came into view, the first thing he spotted was Mikasa sitting on the porch, her hands resting on her slightly protruding belly.
She looked up, and a bright smile lit up her face as she raised her hand in greeting.
He waved back, a warm smile coming onto his own face as well.
As he stepped onto the porch he wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace, and she leaned up and kissed him.
A moment later they broke apart, and Eren looked down at her happily.
"Mikasa, I've got some great news."
Author's Note: This story was inspired by "some place to be at peace" and "pictures on the wall" by bacondestiny, two stories I've been obsessed with for the past few days. If you haven't read them, you should really go do that as soon as you can, they're really good.
For those of you who haven't read them, they basically take the dream world Mikasa saw in 138 and run with it, exploring what might have happened. While it explores some of the consequences, for the most part it's an idealized au that focuses more on fluffy character moments and less on the darker aspects of the AOT world. It's a bit unrealistic, but that's kind of the point, so it works.
Anyways, I had been wondering how this situation would play out in a more realistic world, and my initial thought was that Paradis would definitely be doomed. But as I thought it through, and I considered what Zeke might do if this had actually happened, it suddenly clicked for me that maybe Paradis wasn't necessarily doomed, even in a more realistic world. Basically the idea of Zeke using his abilities to completely decimate the Great Allied Forces came to me, and as soon as it did I knew I had to write this story, and here we are.
I think it matches up with Zeke's character. In canon even after finding out that Eren had intended to betray him, Zeke didn't give up on Eren, and still cared deeply about him. Admittedly this was largely tied into his massive daddy issues, and his mistaken belief that Eren was a victim of Grisha just like he was. But even so, if his euthanization plan was no longer possible, I think Zeke would have prioritized doing what he thought was best for Eren, even if he knew he would never get to see him again.
This story is intended to be complimentary to bacondestiny's stories, and once again I would highly recommend you go and read them. And I deliberately left certain things vague so that it could hypothetically fit in with those stories. But while they have certain deliberate similarities, there are certain details that don't quite add up between my story and theirs, so it's not possible for both of them to have happened in the same timeline. Though if you tilt your head and squint and ignore those details it might be possible to pretend that they're compatible.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this story. By the way, if you or anyone else makes a story that's an offshoot of one of my stories, be sure to let me know about it, I'd love to read it.
Be sure to let me know what you thought, and there will be more stuff coming soon.