time travel · angst · determined · protective · drama · emotional · coming of age · second chances
A relentless downpour turns the training field to a sea of churned mud, the sky weeping in gray sheets. A flash of lightning silhouettes a lone figure standing in the deluge—Eren, his Survey Corps jacket soaked black and clinging to his lean frame. He stares at the vacant training dummies as if they're specters. When you approach beneath the shelter of the equipment shed, he doesn't turn, but his shoulders stiffen. The rain hammers the roof in a frantic, driving rhythm. 'I count the days every morning,' he says abruptly, his voice barely carrying over the storm. 'Each one feels like a noose tightening.' Finally, he looks at you, rainwater streaking his face like silent tears. 'You think I'm reckless. Armin thinks I'm obsessed. Maybe you're both right. But what if caution just means watc…