#beach!

Beach episode!

mild snk 139 spoilers!

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In the moments after Mikasa had disappeared into the titan’s mouth, its body had stilled and collapsed against his. Armin pulled himself out, tearing away the red tendrils from his steaming skin, and skimmed across the mass of sinew and flesh, down the neck and arms of his titan, right to where Eren was. As he approached there was a low, resonating sound that washed all over the cavern of the Founder’s chest, and the moment his hands grasped its exposed bone he felt the wind knocked out of him and everything went black.

The first thing he noticed when he came to was that the roaring sound had grown louder. It was all around him now, and as he opened his eyes he realised it was the crashing of waves along a moonlit beach. Eren was waiting for him in the pale light, his features softened in its glow and long hair blowing gently in the salty breeze. He was sitting among the waves as they rolled in and out along the shore, legs splayed out in front of him and leaning on his hands.  The waves curled back and the rivulets of receding water were drawing his outline across the sand. He looked small and stark, an ink-stain against the white expanse of the sandy beach.

When he saw Armin he merely tilted his head to the side, motioning at the space beside him. The other boy sat down wordlessly in the shallow water.  The foam-tipped waves snuck past his ankles and up his legs, soaking his clothes. He felt his skin chill as the water drew back, and then after a breath it was flooding him again, drawing up and around him, around them, as they sat together among the waves.

Eren was the first to speak.

“I’ve done terrible things,” he said, voice wavering. “I can’t go back —”

“No,” Armin said, even if he knew it was a lie.

The other boy shook his head wordlessly.

Then, almost to himself, very quietly:  “But this is what I wanted, wasn’t it? I said: When I heard about the people beyond the walls I was disappointed…” he faltered, “…I thought I wanted freedom for its own sake-”

And then he stopped in surprise, because Armin had reached over and laced their fingers together. Then, the other boy’s blue eyes urging him on, he continued: “But that wasn’t freedom - no, not for its own sake,  I wanted freedom to - to do things with it. To live a long life with friends, find love, give love…”

At his words Armin tightened his fingers around the other boy’s and he felt Eren grip his hand harder, his own fingers curling into the back of Armin’s soft palms.

“And seeing everything - the past and future and standing in the stream of time? I could only watch myself. I don’t know if I chose, not properly. But I’m choosing again now. That this is how it ends. I’m not asking you to forgive me - and it’s a mess and I’m sorry you and Mikasa are always left cleaning that up. I just hope you make the best of this. That…you make my death mean something. Can you do that for me?”

He bit his lip, hard, and looked out to meaningfully to the dark water. Armin could see that his eyes were also dark and wet. The endless expanse of water with its rolling waves was reflected in them.

Armin took a long, slow breath as he thought over what exactly the boy was asking. “Yes,” he said finally, and felt Eren relax just a little in his hands, even if both of them were trembling.

And they talked: about everything, about what it was like to be children again, what they imagined the lands of fire and ice to be like, what they were going to tell Mikasa and Jean and Connie and Levi and all the ones who were left. Their words blended into the night and it was like old times again, under the shade and sprawling branches of the rain tree behind their houses. Lying in the warm afternoon sun and speaking about the future. Speaking about anything they wanted.

Soon the edges of the ocean were beginning to light up, the first rays of dawn peeking over the horizon.

Eren flicked his gaze to the shimmering waves and then to Armin’s.

“It’s time to go,” he said, and Armin nodded.

Eren stood up first, pulling the other boy to his feet, still holding his hand like he had so many times, so many years ago, and lead him deeper into the water’s embrace. The rhythm of rolling tide matched the even rise and fall of their chests as it drew close around them.

The waves had been calm before, but as they stepped deeper the water began to get choppier. Still they walked on, hand in hand, slowly, until it was right at their chests, until it was dark and churning, washing over their faces and they were left gasping in between breaths. Armin licked his lips and wiped the back of his palm across his face with his loose hand. His eyes were wet and stinging, and he couldn’t tell if the salty wetness against his skin was the ocean or his tears.

Amidst the currents he felt Eren give his hand a hard squeeze, before loosening his grip. But Armin was the first to let go, and the other boy copied his motions, warm touch lingering for a second before the cold water ran between his fingers. He watched Eren took another step away, watched as a dark wave rolled by and swallowed him up, a mop of brown hair and familiar grey-green shirt lost among the swirling, inky waves.

Armin took a big breath, careful not to inhale the seawater, and stepped backward slowly to shore, gaze fixed on horizon. He looked on as Eren’s tiny form drifted further and further out until he couldn’t spot it anymore, lost among the roiling waves.

When his feet found the sand the waters were calm again, the ocean wavering and caught up in the gentle light of dawn. He threw himself back onto the sandy shore, chest heaving, and drew his knees to his chest. Armin closed his eyes, focusing on the roaring and crashing of the waves which seemed to swell and consume him.

When he opened them again, his knees were still curled against his chest but the ground was mud and firm underneath him. His eyes were wet as he let his gaze trail up, along the forms of the titans - their titans - before him, taking slow breaths as he looked at the scene in front of him.

Rising above the mist were two smouldering colossi. Once locked in combat, they were now slumped against each other in an embrace.

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hello anon - thanks for this and you’re too kind...i’m glad i do him justice, he’s my favourite:”) here you go & i put it on ao3 - which is a bit better bc you can contextualise it, but anyway if not i recommend it goes with this.

and I was thinking about this last night so thanks for giving me an excuse to indulge in this. Also my comprehension sucks I thought you meant eremin for the end lol so…this was made…and (bad) excuses on my part again but this is not exactly canon...but it is a loose interpretation of or riff on canon events and it is personally how i’d like to see it end? More thoughts under the cut bc i’m sure you’d appreciate being spared more messy snk discourse:”)