Your Promise | Shingeki No Kyojin ;; Eren Jaeger |

Chapter Thirty-Five

Rose
Two Days Later

I bolt up from my slumber and gasp for air, practically throwing the covers off of me. I look around the room to see if I can recognize my surroundings. It reminds me of the infirmary but more cluttered like an office in the corner of the room. The door then opens, revealing a person wearing glasses and a ponytail. They yawn and rub their eyes but then drops their cup of tea when they see me.

"Y-y-you're awake!" They stutter and run off into the hallway, calling out for someone.

I glance down at my hands and breathe out. "How is this possible?!" I touch my arms, my torso, my legs, and my face, feeling everything being perfectly healed and normal.

"... Rose?" A voice suddenly speaks up. I look to the doorway as a man with jet black hair stands in the entrance. I immediately recognize him as Corporal Levi and bring my hand up to cover my mouth.

"His hair, it looks like the one who saved me! Could it be that Corporal Levi saved me from the Titan?"

He walks over to the bed and embraces me in his arms, practically shaking, and greatly shocking me as I look at him in utter confusion. "Don't ever leave me like that again, Rose..."

"What is he talking about?!" I back out of his hug and Levi stumbles back a little. His expression seems to reflect mine as we both stare at each other in confusion. "I apologize for my informal behavior, Corporal Levi, but what are you talking about?" I inquire.

His eyes widen and he takes a step back. "You're not her..." He mumbles.

"Who's "her"?"

The person from a moment ago runs back into the room and a smile appears on their face. "Ah, you're already here! Rose is finally awake, isn't this great news?"

Levi faces them and shoots a deathly glare. "You idiot, this isn't Rose,"

"What do you mean? She looks exactly like-"

Levi grabs the collar of their shirt and repeats, "That's not her."

Running footsteps echo in the hallway as they grow louder approaching my room. They abruptly come to a stop when they reach the doorway and I gasp.

"E-Eren!" I exclaim.

"Rose! You're finally awake, you're okay!!"

"This brat requested to see you when you woke up--you have five minutes," Levi clarifies and walks out with the other person following behind.

Once the door closes, Eren walks over to the bed and hugs me tightly. "You're alive... I can't believe this,"

"How did I get here?" I ask.

"When you... Died before my eyes, I couldn't accept it. We have so much we haven't seen, I wanted you to live so I brought you to the infirmary but they moved you to HQ into Hanji's office," Eren explains. "Although your injuries were far beyond healing, it was the only thing I could think of..."

"Eren... Thank you. Everything that you've done for me, you didn't have to but you didn't give up on me," I thank him, resting my chin on his shoulder.

He slowly backs out of the hug and hesitates for a moment before speaking. "... Before you died, you said that you love me, right?"

I turn red as an apple as I recall those memories. I stutter to form a sentence, my heart racing as I try to register my thoughts. "I-"

Eren takes hold of my hands, noticing my panicked state, and looks deep into my eyes. "I feel the same way about you, Rose. I... I love you too," He shyly confesses, differing from the straightforward and overbearing persona he usually displays.

Eren places his hand on my cheek, pulling me closer to him. As our lips touch, a chill runs down my spine but I feel a warm and comforting sensation throughout my body as well. His touch is gentle like he's still scared that I'll break and I'm nothing more than a dream. He then parts from my lips and I shakily breathe in shock of his actions. "He... He feels the same way?! Calm down, Rose, if you freak out, you'll ruin it all!"

He averts his eyes to the ground, avoiding eye contact due to embarrassment. He's not usually this vulnerable, it's a shock to see him like this. "Rose, I've loved you ever since I found out that you and I are the same. We have the same goals and ambitions aside from Armin and Mikasa. I've never met someone like you who thought like me. Honestly, when I was younger, I thought it was just a silly crush and that I would get over it, but my feelings remain unchanged even after so many years. They've grown way more than I could've imagined," He continues, "I've wanted to tell you but I also had to focus and I knew you wanted to stay on track as well in training. And to be honest, I was afraid of losing you and that you didn't feel the same way,"

I gasp and reach out to him. "Eren..."

"When you told me how you felt, I was so overwhelmed by all of my emotions, but then I lost you. I wasn't ready at all when you died, but now that you're here, I can say everything that I've wanted to say. I want you, Rose, only if you want me, too,"

A tear falls from his eyes and my eyes begin to well with tears. I tilt his chin up, allowing me to gaze into his turquoise eyes. His eyes make me recall the moment we first met and I weakly smile as my heart becomes light. "You've had me from the start."