ErenKoru: Don't Blame Yourself (Dedicated to CrumpetsRGood4U)

For my writing senpai! I was pretty shy about writing romance, so everything I had was pretty vague and quick. But once I finally saw her works on wattpad, my confidence boosted. So here's a little fluffy-ish/cliché/dramatic/emotional drabble for you and Eren, Cole-chan!

By the way, if you have no idea who this is, then I suggest you go check out @CrumpetsRGood4U right now. Like seriously. Forget this, go right now.

    ~~~

    ErenKoru: Don't Blame Yourself.

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    I promise I'll always be there for you.

    Cole knew that she nor anyone that has become a soilder is in the position to think that, let alone tell that to anyone. But what else could she do? Eren Jaeger, her long-time friend was slipping into depression. His will was stronger than anyone else's, his bravery was admirable. No matter how hopeless everything seemed, no matter how overpowering the enemy looked, he would go for it. Cole had admired him from the very beginning. But there was this pain that struck her the last time she saw Eren. Her heart had sunk to her toes and it felt like she had been punched in the stomach; it was so vivid and instant that she wanted to bend over and cry.

    She's seen Eren in pain before, many times. She's been in pain before, many times. Even their other friends Armin Arlert and Mikasa Ackerman have experienced something that has caused them pain. They all as a group shared common traits: They know the fear that Titans induce to one, they know the anxiety of being outside the walls...they know what it's like to lose family members and friends. But Eren is going through something different. Ever since they got back from their first expidition outside the walls, Eren hasn't been speaking to everyone as much, he's been skipping meals. Unless he had orders to be out, he would find a room to lock himself in and he wouldn't come out until someone found him.

    As Cole walked along the 50 Meter wall, her head turned to the recently rescued Trost district. All she could think about was Eren, and his condition the last time she saw him. It was when they met up upon returning from the Expedition outside the walls.

    She finally spotted the three people she had been looking everywhere for. "Mikasa! Eren! Armin!" She jogged over to them, heart racing at the fact that they're still alive.

    "Cole!" Armin called when he saw her. She caught up with them. "Thank god you're okay."

    "Same to you guys!" She tucked some of her short black hair, similar to Mikasa's without the strand between her eyes, behind her ears. She then noticed how injured Armin was. He had a bandage that had a large dark red blot staining almost all of it wrapped around his forehead. "Armin! Are you okay?!"

    He calmly brought his hand to the red patch on his forehead and laughed it away. "I'm fine, it just stings a little."

    Cole nodded, somewhat relived. "And Mikasa?"

    She didn't say anything at first, and it was then Cole noticed she was ushering the green-eyed boy by his shoulders herself. His jacket was off, his hair was a complete mess, and the scent wasn't too pleasant either. In fact...it was also familiar. She recognized the smell almost instantly, it was almost like the scent she noticed when she was face-to-face with a Titan while up in the trees, it's mouth wide open. A taller girl with dark brown hair-the one who was connected by the hip with Krista Lenz, had killed it before anything could happen, and she was greatful for that. Before Cole could even thank her, she walked away, and she still doesn't know her name. But the bottom line is, that's the rotten scent of the inside of a Titan's mouth. Only this one wasn't nearly as strong, and it wasn't mixed with blood at all.

    After the few seconds of connecting the dots, Mikasa responded before she can say anything. "Cole...I'm glad you're okay." Her voice was cool and monotonous, as it usually is.

    Worry began to pour into Cole. "Is he okay?" She stepped up ahead of Mikasa and Eren's path to get a look of the Titan boy. What she saw gave her a feeling unlike any other. There was no light in his eyes, his face was drained of emotion, there were fresh tear stains running from his red eyes to his chin. It was something she's never seen before. It was very similar to the expression he had for a while after his mother's death, but there was something else there that she just couldn't figure out.

    Eren's eyes were fixated to the ground, and they slowly rolled up and met Cole's, which causes her chest to tighten. "Cole..." he began.

    "Eren, what's wrong?"

    Mikasa spoke up. "Please." Cole switched her sight from the broken boy in front of her go the girl he had saved from being sold as a sex slave at the age of 9. "He doesn't want to think about it..."

    Cole opened her mouth to protest, but then paused. As much as she wanted to know, if it was something so horrific and tragic that Eren doesn't want to replay it, then she felt like she had no right to bring the images back to him. But it might have been too late since she already asked him. Instead, she went with a nod and stepped aside to let them continue walking. She followed along side Armin, not saying another word.

    "Soilder." A voice said behind her. Cole was pulled from her thoughts and jumped in surprise. A breeze flew by and lightly played at her hair and brown short jacket as she turned around to meet it's owner.

    Lance Corpral Rivaille. (It's a miracle, his ankle isn't broken! #ForgotThatFactlol) Cole blinked, her eyes widening, and she quickly saluted the short man. "Y-Yes, Heichou."

    "Do you know the whereabouts of Armin Arlert?" Rivaille's smooth and unchanging voice reminded her of the way Mikasa spoke.

    "Uh, yes, sir. He was actually walking her with me for a while, and then we split up."

    "Find him and report back ASAP." Rivaille ordered. (Okay, what is the place the SL stays at called again?)

    Cole nodded, looking down obiently to her superior who's ironically much shorter than her and everyone else. Before he could leave, she decided to speak up. "May I ask why you need us, sir?"

    Rivaille walked to the edge of the wall; she just now noticed his 3D Manuever Gear on. "We need you two along with Ackerman to be with us in a meeting. It's about Eren's condition." Cole's lower jaw dropped slightly, her eyes opening up a little more. About Eren? She thought. "Any further questions?" Rivaille pulled out the triggers that usually have the blades attached to them, but they weren't in sight.

    "N-No sir." Rivaille leaped off the wall, and three seconds later Cole heard the familiar zip of the ropes shooting out, along with the sliding that follows after. He got here on the 3DMG? Oh, that's right! She began running along the wall in the direction Armin had gone, her heart beating faster and faster. She became worried. Why is there a meeting about Eren? What happened to him!?

    The blonde was soon in view. She decided against shouting for him while still far away and continued to jog until she caught up with him. Armin had heard the footsteps and turned around. "Cole? What is it?"

    "We--" she breathed, then quickly caught herself. I shouldn't just talk about him out of the blue like this. "We need to report back right now." Armin looked confused.

    "Okay, but why?"

    Cole leaned in to his ear and uttered "Eren."

    "Is he okay?" Armin asked hushily when she pulled back. She didn't know how to answer him at first; for one she didn't know if he had been asking if Eren was feeling better or if he's not been hurt recently; she knew the answer to neither of them. Cole ended up nodding for the sake of Eren's friend who was beginning to look worried.

    ~Back in where ever they have their meetings. Has it ever been specified?  Or did I just forget?~

    Cole brought her hand up to the wooden door and knocked. This hallway has always creeped her out, being underground and lit by torches. The door opens and Mikasa is behind it. "You guys..."

    "Come in." Rivaille says. Cole and Armin enter the room, choosing a random seat from the long table. His squad isn't here? Where are they? Cole thought. "Let's get straight to the point: Something is wrong with Eren." The words hit Cole with more force than she prepared herself for.

    "Why did you call us here?" Armin asked.

    "I thought that his close friends could help snap him out of the void that he's in. If we don't do something soon, we're gonna have huge problems later on thanks to him. Almost everyone thinks that little sh*t's a monster, but if we were to become unstable." He drank some of his tea, holding the cup oddly.

    Cole's eyes then focused to Mikasa, sitting ahead of her. It's not difficult to see the hint of anger in her eyes; she's always been over-protective of all her friends. "Um, Heichou." Cold shyly said. He set the cup down and his dark grey eyes met Cole's brown one's; they were practically the same color as Eren's hair. "I would just like to ask, where's the squad? Why aren't they here?" It was an innocent question, and she wasn't wrong to ask it, but Cole has never regretted doing something so quickly before. She saw the Captain's eyes fall to the table.

    "Ah--" Mikasa barley sounded and brought her hand up, then ceased any further action.

    Cole's suspicions weren't confirmed until she turn to Armin with a questioning look; he simply shook his head and then she understood; chills crawled down her neck. No...no way...They're...they...? Cole couldn't bring herself to finish the thought. She suddenly saw Eren's expression back then. Is that why--?

    "Anyways," Rivaille broke the silence. His voice sounded the same, but upon hearing it after that question, guilt had overcome the soilder. "You three have to help Eren. You guys have lived with him forever, you all know him. I gave it a shot at bringing him back and it didn't do sh*t, so I'm expecting results from you. That's all." he stands up. "If you fail, then you know what my next method will be."

    "Yes." The three teens said simultaneously and followed.

    "Where is Eren?" Mikasa asked.

    "Somewhere in this building," Rivialle answered. "You guys have to find him."

    ~~~

    "Any luck?" Cole asked as they regrouped. They had searched the whole third floor together.

    "No sign of him." Armin said.

    "Maybe we should split up completely." Mikasa suggests. "I'll get the second floor, Armin-first. Cole-underground."

    "Sure." Armin said.

    "Okay." They then made their way to the stairs, Mikasa leaving at one point, then Armin, and Cole continued to descend.

    ~~~

    She was about to give up. Cole felt like she's knocked and checked in twenty different rooms, all resulting in failure to find Eren. Eren, who appeared to be so strong. Yes, he's had his mistakes and his moments of weakness just like everyone else, but it takes a lot more of something for it to get to him. Eren was the one who helped her find her strength; it was his scolding that convinced her not to quit being a soilder. When Cole saw the extent of his determination, a willpower that stands out from everyone else's. She admired that, she wanted to grasp something, anything like that. To see him like this...

    Cole found another door, and, like she did with all of the others, she turned the handle. She was ready for it to open right away anf she would walk in to an empty room, but that didn't happen. It was locked. "Hello?" she called. "Is anyone in there? Hello?" No answer. "Please, if anyone's in there you have to tell me. Please unlock the door." She waited several seconds. "This is your last chance. If you don't answer, I will kick the door down." A few seconds later and that was her cue. Cole took a few steps back, then took a running start and kicked at the door as hard as she could. It didn't fly open until three other tries after. She cautiously took a step in. It was pitch black in the room. "Hello?" She walked in to the center of the room, the light from the torches outside the room barley helping at all. She was about to give up until she heard something - breathing. "Who is that?" She quickly ran back outside, but not from fear. It was to get a torch from the wall and bring it in the room. There was a person curled up in the corner, the hair texture and color giving it away even thought their face was hidden. Cole's heart leapt. "Eren!" She frantically searched the walls for a spot to place the torch; she lit a few others before placing it down. It was a simple square room with nothing in it; probably an unused storage room. Yet there was a key for the door nearby? Cole thought.

    "Eren." She got to her knees and crawled over to her friend of who knows how many years. "Hey, Eren, c'mon." She put her hand on his shoulder and shook him a few times. "It's me, Cole." No reponse. "Eren!" He slowly lifted his head up from his knees: there was no mistaking it when she saw his eyes - it's him. No one else she's ever met had that beautiful mix of green and blue. "Eren..."

    "What are you doing?" He asked in a raspy voice.

    "We've been looking for you!" She says a little too excitedly. "I mean..." Eren didn't make any eye contact with her. "Eren." she ordered. No more playing around. "Look at me. Please, sit normally." He obeyed, stretching his legs out and leaning his back against the wall. Cole did the same. "Eren, we're worried about you." She began. "What's wrong? You can tell us, don't keep it to yourself."

    "It's hard to explain." he said.

    "I don't care how hard it is to explain, you have to tell us. You're humanity's last hope, and you can't be in this position right now." Cole didn't know what else to say - she wanted to get the normal Eren back as quickly as possible.

    "Just like Rivaille-heichou. Do you think I'm okay with being Humanity's Last Hope, and that isn't just a huge burden on me?" Eren continued angrily. "I just don't know what to do. Whenever we get a mission, they just tell me to do so and so and I have to." He's certainly speaking more.

    "What do you mean?" Cole didn't understand him.

    "Like with the boulder." He began. "I didn't know myself if I was able to do it, but if I backed out..." He broke the eye contact. "That little shred of hope that everyone had would have been gone. But if I went out there and couldn't do it, then all the people who died for me on that mission would have dies for nothing. It..." he got quieter. "It could have been all my fault."

    "But, you didn't fail! You got the boulder in and we took back Trost! Yes, it was a risk, but we had faith in you!"

    "Faith..." Did I say something wrong again? He brought his hands up and grabbed his hair.

    "Eren--?"

    "--I was too weak to save my mom." he began in a faltering voice. "If only I could have been stronger...If I didn't leave like that...it would have been different." he suddenly stood up. "If I only made the right choice back then...Oulo, Petra, Erd, Gunther...they'd still be alive. All those people that the Female Titan killed, they--!"

    Cole got to her feet, standing in front of Eren. "You seriously can't be blaming yourself for what happened...?"

    "It's just the truth." his voice was slowly raising. "That's just the cruel, goddamn truth: I can't protect anyone!"

    "That's not true, don't blame youself! Don't forget that you saved everyone back when we were out of gas, you protect us when we were almost hit with the cannon, and you took back Trost!" Think! Cole told herself. Eren looked like he didn't want to listen, his head was down. "You can't succeed all the time, that's just how it is!"

    "Then why must it cost so much with each failure?" he whispered.

 

    Cole searched for an answer, but found nothing. "I don't know..."

    "Humanity is putting their faith in me...and if I can't do anything, or if I fail...how many would have died because of me? How many hopes would be crushed because of me?" He shut his eyes tightly.

    Cole knew where this was going, and grabbed his shoulders. "Eren, don't!"

    "Why did they put all of the burden on me?!" he starts crying. "I spent all this time telling myself that I'd kill them all, every last one of them. Until there are none left. But I never expected that I'd have to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders...I didn't want any of this..."

    Cole's eyes began to feel warm. The Titan Shifter continued to cry, and Cole's hands slid from his shoulders down his arms and stopped just before his elbows. That's when she decided to embrace him, her arms going around his neck, her eyes just above his shoulder. Eren stopped crying, shocked by the action. "Eren, you're not alone in all of this."

    "Cole..."

    "You may be the one with the Titan powers, but we all carry the same burden you do. We're the ones who give you your missions. It was humanity's choice to use you -- if you couldn't do something, it wasn't your fault."

    He doesn't respond. Cole begins to think that she herself had made a wrong choice. Maybe that was too sudden, or maybe this isn't the way to comfort him. Just as she began to pull away, she felt Eren's arms accept her. He hugged her back rather tightly but she could still breath, so not really a problem. He had one arm across her back and with his other arm, his elbow was on her right shoulder blade, his hand on the back of her head.

    Cole felt her face light up. "E-Eren?"

    "Thank you..." He was himself again.

    Cole smiled to herself, the next words leaving her mouth without her mind's consent to do so. "I can't promise that I'll always be there for you, but I'll do everything I can to make sure that I'll be there for you as long as I can."

    Eren pulls away from her, smiling. The sight causes Cole's stomach to churn. She had been hoping for that for so long. "What's that supposed to mean?"

    "Exactly what it sounds like." She returned the smile, cheeks still pink.

    "Cole! Are you down here?" Armin's far away voice called out. Cole and Eren looked at the door, knowing he was looking for them.

    "Over here!" Eren yelled, then turned to Cole. "Let's go."

    "Yeah!" Cole was out the door first, Eren following. "Armin! I found him!" After a few scarmbled footsteps later; Armin appeares at the end of hallway.

    "Eren!" Mikasa is suddenly right next to him.

    "Eren..."

    They ran over, noticing the difference in Eren. "I found him." Cole said. "And I think he's feeling a little better."

    "That was my line." Eren said.

    ~~~

    I hope you liked it! I rushed the ending because I'm tired but yeah...I SHIP YOU TWO TO DEATH! <3

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