Between life and death, there is hope. But every ending has the same outcome: the Rumbling razes the earth, taking the person you love with it.
After you die, you reawake in the day you met your best friend, Eren Jaeger. In every life you relive, y...
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One of the worst things about living in a time loop was having to go through your teenage years again.
It was bad enough living with the mental trauma of seeing your parents die multiple times, being aware of everybody's fate, and not knowing if you were going to succeed without telling anybody. The fact that you had to go back to awkward growing stages and hormonal impulses while having to train your body into becoming fit again was the cherry on top.
And yet, you still found yourself falling in love with the simplicity of childhood. It was a shame that your new plan was going to end innocence.
Snow crunched as the 104th cadets neared the summit of the mountain. Indifference painted your features when a harsh drift of wind blew past, causing a chill to run down the group. People side-stepped towards their nearest classmate, embarrassed of sharing body warmth, of needing help.
"Almost there," Eren said as the cadets trudged through the snow, to the cabin that provided warmth from the cold mountain you'd been hiking on. "[Name], you look sick."
"It's been a long journey," you answered.
He frowned with concern. "It's too late to turn back now."
It was your third life, your third time hiking it, and it was your third time having this conversation.
Your main concern was the rear group. You'd snuck bottles of alcohol onto the supply wagons, passing it off as the commander's supply. It added extra weight to their load. You tried to glance back at them, but the dim sky rendered you blind. You stumbled.
"[Name], it's just a little farther up," Eren said, pulling your elbow to steady you. "Just keep looking ahead and we'll be fine."
"Sorry," you said. "I was... cold."
Eren looped his arm around yours so that your sides pressed together, like a hug. The heat underneath his coat sent a chill down your spine, and despite the barren flakes attacking your face, you heated.
"Is this better?" Eren asked. His cheeks were flushed, most likely from the cold. You were suddenly aware of how dry his mouth looked. You forced yourself to look at his collar, at his neck, because you realized you were staring at his lips.
"It's better."
When you arrived at the cabin, the cadets collapsed. Eren rested his head on your shoulder as he caught his breath. You'd learned to become softer and lenient when it came to young Eren. You didn't awkwardly freeze when he'd lean to you, unlike in your first life.
"Just friends," Sasha mouthed as she passed you a thermos full of hot cocoa. You gave her the stink eye and she grinned.
You feigned fear when Historia (aka Krista), Ymir, and Daz were missing. When Eren announced that he was going to go after Krista and rescue her, you sighed, which made him turn to you, disgruntled.
