No one knew where Falco is. After they returned from visiting Mikasa on Hizuru, he already disappeared.
He stood there grasping his bow and katana, unique sword of nation of Hizuru. The stench of deer's blood and guts filled the air, as the brown-haired woman turned and looked at him - sharp, judging - familiar, calculating. Even after they live together for over one month already. Both of them now lived on small wood cabin built by Erin herself. No one knew about both of them and most of the people who passed the cabin assumed the cabin is occupied, but never approached the cabin. Not even Mikasa and Armin know that she still alive. She still don't fully trust him.
Well, it's true he just invited himself to her cabin, so it's natural for her to distrust him. She probably thought he here to report or to spy on her. He sighed, why every girl he liked always so difficult? First, Gabi that too dense to notice his feelings, and now Erin Jaeger, the Demon of All The Earth, the Enemy Of Humanity, the once-Founding Titan and Attack Titan, occupied that spot.
"Falco? Why you here? Why you just didn't kill me that day?" She ask him one day, after they had their dinner, cooked by her. Both of them is on the couches when she asked him that question, doing their own things.
(Why you here, with me, instead of that girl, Gabi wasn't it? She prefer "brat that killed Sasha" over Gabi anyway. That girl... She can't stand that little girl. Maybe because she once just like Gabi too, her mind providing it's own answer. Her silent question went unanswered.)
"It's because I like you, Erin-san."
"I killed almost 80% of world population. And I indirectly killed your brother. How you still can love a monster like me?"
"I don't want to have a grudges like the Marleyan once had. You maybe a monster, but even monster have feelings." When he finished, he noticed her hand started to shake and he can see tear started to form on her grey eyes.
"I-i killed them, Falco. The elderly, even the children that don't know anything. I betrayed Floch and everyone from Jaegerist too. I-i'm a failure." Her body started to shake too and now her tears flowing freely down her cheeks. "Everyone leave me, never understand me."
His hand goes to her cheek, trying to stopped her tear. She huddled closer to him. At that moment, she feel very small to him. She putting her face at his small shoulder, wet tears staining his shirt.
"Will you leave me too?"
"Didn't I tell you that I liked you, Erin-san? I'll never leave you."
"Thank you."
(Later, much later, when they already over half a decade and have left the experience behind like a bad dream, she finally kisses him, and all he can think is that it's worth more than anything. And while she is always young and immortal, and he is not, so he make sure to make her will always remember him when he's gone.)
