Eren Jaeger Oneshots

Tie A Knot, and Hang On

Note that in this Eren and Erwin are not shipped, Erwin is like a grandfather/father figure to Eren, not a lover. Anyway, enjoy!

It's been a couple weeks now since Eren's first attempt, and everyone was sure he was getting better. In truth, he had been. But when Hannes died because he wasn't able to transform quick enough? Yeah, that got to him. He started losing all the progress he had made in just a short couple of weeks. The first and only person to notice this was Commander Erwin.

See, after Eren's first attempt that Zeke was able to stop him, the group of four adults decided to keep up a routine on watching the young boy. Zeke would watch him from Monday to Tuesday, Hange would watch him from Wednesday to Thursday, Levi would watch him Friday and half of Saturday and Erwin would watch him the second half of Saturday and Sunday. Today was Sunday, meaning it was Erwin's turn to watch him.

Sitting in the chair across from the boy's bed, Erwin heaved a quite sigh. He knew the boy was struggling again yet didn't have the proof that he needed to prove such claims. He knew he would need to speak up soon for the boy's sake, but he was worried the others would just say that he was 'overthinking things'. However, Erwin knew he wasn't 'overthinking', he knew Eren was struggling and needed help.

Head snapping to where Eren lay in his bed at the sound of pitiful sobs, the Commander's heart broke as he ventured closer, peeling back the cover to see the brunette laying with his arm covering his mouth and tears streaming down his cheeks. "Oh, Eren," murmured Erwin as he gently pulled the young boy into a careful hug, the boy's sobs getting louder in response. "What brought this on, bud?"

"I couldn't save him," sobbed the heartbroken boy. "I couldn't save him, and he died because of me!" Erwin merely held him tighter, neither confirming nor denying the boy's thoughts knowing it would go in one ear and out the other with the state he was in.

Once he had calmed down some, the man pulled back to look at him. "Listen to me, Eren," the blonde commander whispered as Eren moved to rest his head against his chest, listening for his heartbeat to confirm he was here. Erwin took note of this to tell the others in the morning. "When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. Someone will be there to pull you back in, I promise." Eren gave a sniffle and a nod in response.

Smiling gently, Erwin moved the drained child so that he was laying down in the bed. "Get some rest," with that he went to leave only to feel a small tug on his sleeve.

"Stay?" came the weak question which made the commander turn on his heel and climb into the bed, pulling the boy close to him as Eren drifted off.

"Get some rest, my boy," he whispered, smiling as he too, drifted off. And when Zeke came up after the two hadn't shown their faces for breakfast and saw the grandfather-grandson duo asleep in bed? He didn't utter a word about it to anyone.