Chereads / Attack on prime / Chapter 31 - 31.Next to me OVA ( 2/2)

Chapter 31 - 31.Next to me OVA ( 2/2)

"Guys, we really don't do anything anymore," Sasha declared as she and the others sat in the mess hall in Wall Sina, "We're not even exterminating the titans!"

"I'm kind of glad that we don't have to," Connie admitted.

"To be honest, I want to," Jean admitted.

"Why would you want to do that?" Sasha demanded.

"Because I'm still trying to process what we just learned about the outside," Jean answered.

"Fair enough," Sasha said.

"But would it change anything?" Armin asked, "We're still vastly outnumbered and the entire world wants us gone."

"They probably won't attack just yet because of Optimus and Megatron," Mikasa concluded.

"Then we should probably use this time to advance in weaponry and numbers," Jean declared, "We need more members in the Survey Corps."

"I wonder who would be stupid enough to join," Connie chuckled.

"If we have a good marketing strategy, enough," Jean answered.

"What are we supposed to even say?' Sasha demanded, "'Join the Survey Corps. We have cake?'"

They all stopped talking when Historia walked in with tired, red eyes. They watched as she walked over and grabbed a loaf of bread from the table. Historia walked out of the room without saying a word, leaving everyone confused.

"What's wrong with Historia?" Connie asked.

"She probably upset over Ymir," Armin answered.

"I mean, she punched her a couple of times," Connie retorted.

"That doesn't change the fact that her girlfriend up and left her," Sasha added.

"Wait a minute, girlfriend?" Jean questioned in confusion.

"Oh yeah, they were totally into each other during our trainee years," Sasha declared, "Ymir would not so quietly pine over her."

"Historia is nice to everyone," Jean retorted.

"Historia was lying to everyone and pretending to be nice," Sasha corrected, "Ymir was having none of that shit."

"How could you know that?" Connie asked.

"Who do you think hung out with them all the time?" Sasha reminded.

"And what if you're wrong?" Jean questioned.

"I bet all of my rations that I'm right," Sasha challenged with a smirk.

"You're on," Jean smirked.

"Wouldn't her actually loving Ymir be a bit controversial?" Connie asked.

"She's the queen, she can do what she wants," Sasha declared.

"It most likely would be controversial," Armin declared, "Ymir is a titan shifter, and I'm sure the populous wouldn't accept the queen in love with a woman."

"She'll figure something out," Sasha said.

Mikasa looked outside the window and noticed the sun rising higher in the sky. "When are they going to come back?"

"I'm sure they're on their way back," Armin reassured, "Just be patient."

Everyone stopped what they were doing when they heard a loud scream of joy coming closer and closer towards the mess hall. They jolted as Hanji kick open the door and looked at them with a wide smile.

"Meeting! Now!" Hanji ordered, "C'mon! C'mon! C'mon! C'mon! C'mon!"

They all watched Hanji run out of the room, only to hear her footsteps come back as she stood by the door.

"C'mon! C'mon! C'mon! C'mon! C'mon!" Hanji quickly beckoned.

"But we're not done eating," Connie retorted.

"Finish later! Meeting now!" Hanji stated as she grabbed Connie and carried him bridal style.

"Put me down!" Connie shouted as Hanji carried him out of the room.

"Our new leader, ladies and gentlemen," Jean sighed as Sasha finished the remainder of Connie's food.

Erwin yawned as he opened the door the make-shift classroom while Levi, Eren, Pixis, and Historia sat in the front. Hanji's cries of joy woke him up this morning and she was insistent on bringing him into the meeting. Erwin complied just to get her away from him for the time being. He did decide to make the effort and look nice at the very least.

He did tense; however, when he saw Optimus and Megatron at the front of the classroom. Optimus looked slightly uncomfortable in seeing him. Meanwhile, Megatron noticed him and gave a shit-eating grin.

"So, how was your twenty four hour nap?" Megatron asked as he leaning forward on the desk.

Erwin didn't respond to him and turned to Levi. "How bad was it?"

"You really don't remember?" Levi questioned.

"Remember what? How bad was what?" Eren asked.

"Oh I can spell it out for you," Megatron suggested as his smile grew wider.

"Megatron, enough," Optimus sighed in irritation.

"Quiet. I'm going to have my fun with this," Megatron said.

"Apparently, Erwin said something to Optimus," Pixis whispered to Eren, "I don't know what he said."

"I think I need to know," Erwin proclaimed.

"You really don't," Levi advised.

"I think we should enlighten him, dwarf," Megatron suggested.

"Levi, just tell me," Erwin said.

Levi stared at Erwin, trying to see if he was really okay with this before speaking up. "You said 'fuck you' to Optimus."

Eren's mouth dropped while Historia lifted her head from the table in disbelief. Meanwhile, Erwin looked ready to pass out, something that didn't go unnoticed by Megatron.

"Twice," Levi added.

Eren covered his mouth while Pixis was genuinely impressed. Optimus just pinched the bridge of the holoform's nose.

"Just to be sure you understand the implication of your actions," Megatron began as he walked up to Erwin and placed his arm on his shoulder, "You, a lowly, disabled, human with less than a century to live, said those words,"

Megatron pointed to Optimus. "To a Prime: a warrior chosen by the god of our world to carry the Matrix of Leadership. A knight that essentially saved countless worlds, including yours, on multiple occasions."

Megatron chuckled as he patted Erwin on the chest. "I always speak lowly of you humans, but you did give me a good laugh."

"Levi, please kill me," Erwin begged with a strained voice.

"Not this time," Levi said.

"Then let me leave," Erwin pleaded.

Hanji kicked in the door and dropped Connie to the floor. "No one's leaving this room!"

Megatron merely shrugged as he let go of Erwin, allowing him to quickly move to the back of the classroom.

Connie groaned as Eren got up and helped him to his feet. Connie dusted himself off as the other Survey Corps members walked into the room.

"Yeah, thanks for trying to stop her!" Connie exclaimed with sarcasm in his voice.

"Trust me, you wouldn't want to try," Armin proclaimed.

"Everyone, sit!" Hanji ordered as she sat next to Levi.

The Survey Corps all sat in the first two rows while Hanji was rapidly slamming the palms of her hands on the table.

Megatron sighed. "I told you we should have waited an extra day."

"It is already done," Optimus said.

"Alright, so I'm going to ask the question everyone is wondering: what the fuck is going on?" Sasha asked, "Why is she acting like this?"

Levi sighed as he placed his arm over Hanji's to stop her from hitting the table. "Better be something valid that gives Hanji a reason to act like this."

"We found a Cybertronian ship," Optimus answered.

Everyone stared in surprise while Levi let go of Hanji's hands, allowing her to hit the table once more.

"We need to go right now!" Hanji declared as she stood up.

"Sit," Megatron ordered, "Now."

Hanji grumbled as she slowly sat back down in her seat.

"Megatron found the ship north of our location," Optimus explained, "Outside of Wall Maria. Once we've cleared out the remaining titans, we can commence an operation to secure it and use the material to repair Wall Maria's gate."

"Did you find any other Cybertronians?" Hanji asked in excitement.

"No, they're all dead," Megatron bluntly answered, causing Hanji to pout.

"Which leads us to the main problem: scraplets," Optimus continued, "They are a type of species on our world that displays only the most basic functions. Their only objective is to devour anything metal that comes within their sights."

"Which would include you," Armin concluded, earning a nod from the Prime.

"Thankfully, they haven't devoured through the entire ship," Megatron said, "We speculate that your world's weather system might have killed them off. But we cannot be certain unless we send someone inside."

"Do we get to go on the ship?!" Hanji squealed.

"Hanji, stop," Levi groaned.

"I wanna go on the ship," Hanji whined.

"That is most likely our best scenario," Optimus answered, "Scraplets cannot detect organic life. You would all be blind to their sensors and be able to kill them."

"Hey, Sasha, we get to help out," Connie whispered to his friend.

"We must also take into consideration the possibilities of traps and other dangerous equipment," Optimus added, "Your only objective is to eliminate the scraplets; the last thing we want is for you to get hurt."

"Make a list! Tell us what to watch out for!" Hanji suggested.

"Hanji, shut up," Levi ordered.

"I want to go on the ship!" she shouted.

"We could use the crystals in the cave," Historia suggested, "Apparently, they continue to glow during the night. We could use them as lanterns to navigate the ship."

"But a plan cannot be put into action until all the titans have been eliminated and all of equipment is ready," Optimus added.

"It may take some time before we investigate the ship, but we must do it as soon as possible if the scraplets are still alive," Megatron stated.

Eren looked back at his friends to see that many were slightly nervous about the idea. He noticed Armin was quite excited at the idea. He supposed he couldn't blame him. They were going to find out more about these titans.

"Are you sure it's safe for us to go on the ship?" Jean asked.

"I do have my concerns, but this is our best option," Optimus answered.

"If we go in that ship, we will be devoured or critically wounded," Megatron added, "We don't have a medic that can repair us."

"Question," Hanji began as she raised her hand, "May I keep a live scraplet?"

"No!" Optimus and Megatron exclaimed.

"…a dead one?" Hanji pressed.

Megatron grabbed the closest thing to him, which was an eraser for the chalkboard, and threw it at Hanji, but she ducked under the table before it hit her.

"You two are no fun!" Hanji shouted.

Megatron merely deactivated his holoform while Optimus decided to remain.

"We can discuss the matter once we eliminate the rest of the titans on the island," Optimus declared, "The meeting is adjourned for now."

Optimus noticed Historia left the room first before everyone else walked out. Optimus saw that Levi noticed Historia's action and walked up to him.

"Is something wrong with Historia?" Optimus asked him as Hanji crawled out from under the desk and slowly walked out.

"You mean besides the fact that she hasn't slept in a while," Levi answered.

"Does it have something to do with Ymir?" Optimus asked.

"Probably," Levi assumed, "I heard she punched the titan shifter in the face when buckethead brought her back."

"She did," Optimus confirmed.

"Do you know if they have a history?" Levi asked.

Optimus shook his head. "I was never permitted to talk with any of the new recruits."

"Do you think you can do it right now before you go outside the walls?" Levi asked.

Optimus raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why are you asking me?"

"I'm not that good at giving emotional advice to the brats," Levi proclaimed, "She also punched me as her first act as queen."

"I see," Optimus merely said.

"I also do believe her situation is much more up your ally," Levi admitted as he stood up, "Just talk to her before she has a mental breakdown."

Optimus watched as Levi walked out of the room, leaving him to decide how he would approach the situation.

Historia slumped down at her desk in her room and just stared at the papers on her desk. She just wanted to tear them all up and throw them out a window, but she couldn't. She had a duty to fulfill.

She heard a knock on her door and quickly grabbed her pencil to pretend that she was working.

"Queen Historia, may I speak with you?" Optimus asked from behind the door.

Historia lifted her head in confusion before getting up from her chair and walking towards the door. She opened it slightly and saw Optimus' holoform looking down at her.

"Is there a problem?" Historia asked.

"I was asked to come and check if you were alright," Optimus explained, "There have been some concerns over your health and well-being."

"I'm fine," Historia proclaimed, "You should go and rest up for tonight."

"Are you sure?" Optimus asked.

Historia sighed. "Yes, I'm sure. Now please go."

"I do not wish to intrude, but is this regarding Ymir?" Optimus asked.

Historia's heart stopped before she shoved those feelings down and glared at Optimus. "Go."

Historia was about to shut the door, but Optimus wedged his foot in between the door to prevent her from closing.

"Queen Historia, this is a serious issue," Optimus declared, "You must talk to someone."

"I don't want to talk to anyone about that bitch," Historia hissed, "Not after the shit she said."

"Have you spoken with her?" Optimus asked.

"Leave me alone!" Historia yelled as she tried to shut the door.

Optimus ignored the pain in his foot as he continued. "You must talk to someone. I understand that you are upset, but if you are grieving this much then I cannot look the other way. The last thing I want is for someone to get hurt."

Historia stopped as she thought over the information. She could talk to him now, and get the Prime to leave her alone. Or she could try to kick him out, which could probably result in the others getting involved.

Historia sighed as she opened the door and looked Optimus in the eye. "You have five minutes."

Optimus entered the room and shut the door behind him before sitting down on the floor. "Queen-"

"Historia," she interrupted, "Just…Historia,"

"Alright then, Historia," Optimus said, "Have you spoken with Ymir?"

Historia stared at Optimus before she begrudgingly sighed. "Yeah…I did."

"What was said?" Optimus asked.

"Why should I tell you?" Historia shot back.

"Because I might be able to understand," Optimus reasoned.

Historia scoffed. "No you wouldn't. You're Mr. Perfect. You've probably never dealt with what I'm feeling."

"And what would that be?" Optimus prompted.

"These mixed feelings that I'm having regarding Ymir," Historia answered, "I'm happy she's back, but I'm angry because she left, after all the bullshit she said about living for ourselves. She told me that she thought I would be safer in Marley's hands! Can you believe that?! And then the bitch has the gall to say that she loves me?!"

Historia screamed as she pushed her chair to the ground and gave it a good kick. "I hate her! She's stupid and selfish and a liar!"

"But you still care for her," Optimus concluded.

Historia stopped and looked at the Prime before scowling. "Don't you dare get me started on that crap. Not you too!"

"Historia-"

"Megatron already said some bullshit regarding that!"

"Historia-"

"Some 'conjex endurance' or whatever!"

"Historia-"

"She is not my soulmate!"

"Historia," Optimus raised his voice.

"What?!" she shouted.

Optimus kneeled down and placed a hand on Historia's shoulder. "You have a right to be angry."

Historia merely blinked, trying to process the Prime's words. She was quiet for a good five seconds before she busted out laughing, catching Optimus off-guard.

"Are you alright?" Optimus asked.

"I'm fine," Historia giggled, "I just never thought I'd hear something like that come out of your mouth."

"Do you want to sit down?" Optimus asked.

Historia stopped laughing and was more willing to cooperate as she sat down next to the Prime.

"So…I'm angry at Ymir," Historia admitted, "I'm angry that she left. I'm angry at her excuse, and I'm just angry that she chose Reiner over me."

"But…," Optimus trailed off, expecting more.

"We've been fighting together for three years," Historia continued, "She's saved my life multiple times, even when she didn't have to. She could see through my bullshit disguise and…understood me."

"Do you…love her?" Optimus asked.

"…I'm not sure," Historia answered, "I think I do. I'm sure I do, but I'm still so angry with her for what she did."

"And you do have a right to be," Optimus said, "But you cannot remain angry with her forever."

"I can try," Historia grumbled.

"But is it truly worth it?" Optimus asked, "She does not have that much longer to live, and we all must prepare for an unknown enemy to come on the island. Do you really wish to leave things unsaid? Do you really want her to think you hate her for the rest of her life?"

Historia thought it over. "I suppose that would be cruel…but I told her I hated her, and that I never wanted to see her again."

"Is that true?" Optimus asked.

"Yes…no…I don't know," Historia said as her voice began to crack, "I'm angry…and sad."

Optimus looked down her with sorrow before gently rubbing her back.

"Why did you decide to come and talk to me?" Historia asked.

"I suppose I can understand what it means to be in love," Optimus admitted.

"You were…in love?" Historia asked in surprise.

"A long time ago," Optimus answered, "I lost her, and I was not able to save her."

"I'm so sorry," Historia apologized.

"That is why I am telling you to talk to Ymir once more," Optimus declared, "I know it is hard you right now, but it will be worse if you leave the issue unresolved."

"But…I said cruel things to her," Historia retorted, "Would she even listen to me?"

"You must try," Optimus pleaded, "Take a moment to relax and clear your mind. Stay away from your duties for a moment. And when you are ready, go to her. Go to her and try to make amends."

Historia huffed before quirking an eyebrow at the Prime. "You seem oddly okay with me having feelings for a woman,"

Optimus gave a small smile. "I do believe freedom is the right for all sentient beings. I have no right to judge someone based on who they love."

Historia looked at the Prime with appreciation. "Thank you, Optimus."

Optimus nodded his head and deactivated his holoform, leaving Historia to her own devices. Historia took a deep breath and stood up, staring at the chair on the floor. It was well over five minutes, but…she would take some time to calm down and think this over before talking with Ymir.

…If she was willing to talk to her.

"Eren, are you sure you got enough rest?" Mikasa asked as he grabbed his gear.

"Yeah, I feel better," Eren reassured, "Hopefully we can finish the job by tonight and not worry about titans for a while."

"Are you…feeling better?" Mikasa asked with hesitation.

"…Managing," Eren reluctantly said, "I'm sorry…for what I've said."

Mikasa stared at Eren with a hopeful look in her eyes. Before she could say anything else, Eren waved a small goodbye and walked towards Optimus' alt mode.

Mikasa sighed as she looked at the sun beginning to set and Optimus and Eren left. There was such little time left. If only she could say what she felt.

Ymir force herself off of the bed and saw that it was night time once more. She didn't want to get up at all, but her legs felt stiff from staying in bed the whole time.

She stood up and forced herself to move around to get her blood pumping and circulating. She wanted to crawl under the bed and disappear; however. She hated herself. She hated herself for leaving Historia, but she honestly thought that it would be better.

She just didn't know which one felt worse: leaving Historia and never coming back, or staying here, and having Historia hate her for the rest of her existence.

God sake she felt fucking sick.

She heard a knock on the door and growled in irritation. "I'm not hungry. Leave me alone with the fucking food!"

When she didn't hear the person leave, she sighed and walked up towards the door. She was unable to open the door, so she merely leaned on it.

"Whoever you are, I don't care," Ymir hissed, "Leave me alone."

"…Can we talk?" she heard Historia ask.

Ymir scoffed. "I thought you never wanted to see me again."

"Maybe I do," Historia continued, "Maybe I don't. I've…been thinking. I don't know who you really are, or who you were before."

"So?" Ymir said.

"Who are you?" Historia asked.

"Ymir," she answered.

"So…were you the one that made the deal with the devil?" Historia asked.

"What? No!" Ymir exclaimed, "I didn't even know who she was. Some jackass in a cult gave me the name and used me as a scapegoat when it suited him."

"Would you change your name?" Historia asked.

"No," Ymir answered, "And I told you why on that mountain."

Why was Ymir talking to Historia? Historia said she never wanted to see her again. So why would she be talking to her? Why was she answering her questions?

"So why the different attitude then?" Historia asked with resentment in her voice, "Why did you act selfish most of the time, but decide to save us at the tower? Or follow me into the military? Or-"

"Why are you asking me all these questions?" Ymir cut off, "I thought you hated me."

"…I'm not sure," Historia admitted.

"You're a fucking idiot," Ymir hissed.

"And you're a stupid bitch," Historia shot back.

Ymir huffed at her comment, thinking about how they were both pretty stupid.

"Why did you even come after me?" Historia demanded, "Were you after the possibility I might get you into the good life?"

"You know that's not true," Ymir retorted.

"How would I really know?" Historia asked.

"I came after you…because I understood you," Ymir answered, "I guess I couldn't bear the thought of someone going through the sorrow that I went through before I regained my freedom. I didn't want someone like you to sacrifice their life."

"So you pitied me?" Historia assumed.

"No, I didn't." Ymir proclaimed, "I understood you, and I didn't want to see you suffer."

"Why?"

"Because…no matter how shitty I was, you looked at me and still smiled," Ymir said before shaking her head in refusal, "Why the fuck am I still talking to you?! Why the fuck are you here?!"

"Because I don't want to leave the things between us unsaid," Historia answered in a calm voice.

"You're stupid," Ymir proclaimed.

"So are you," Historia stated, "Which brings us back to before: why did you choose Reiner over me?"

Ymir sighed as she finally sat down on the floor. "I would never choose him over you. Maybe I did because I couldn't leave him like that. Because I knew what was on the other side, and that if he returned alone there would be no mercy for him. Maybe because I felt Reiner wouldn't come after you if I stayed behind. I think the main reasons were either being selfless or feeling obligated. If Reiner and his pals didn't bust open the wall, then I wouldn't have met you. I would've never fallen in love with you."

"Would you…choose him over me if given the option?" Historia asked.

"To be honest…I'm not sure," Ymir admitted, "I just don't know if I would be selfish or selfless. I just know that if I was given a second chance to make that choice, the choice I would've made, I wouldn't have regretted it."

Ymir heard silence on the other side of the door and began to assume the worst. How was she going to torture her like this? But she continued regardless. "I know what I say will never be satisfying enough for you, but that is my truth. And I do love you, and I hope you are happy-"

Ymir stood up when she felt the wooden door pushed on her back. She saw Historia walk in and close the door, staring at her with anger and tears in her eyes.

"You really are a selfless bitch," Historia concluded.

"Historia-"

"And I want to be angry with you so badly," Historia admitted as she stomped her foot, "I've been angry with you for so long. For the past month, I've been angry. But I can't be angry with you forever. Not when in my heart, I know that I love you."

Ymir stared at Historia in shock as tears fell from her eyes. Historia walked up to the titan shifter and placed her hand on her cheek, wiping away her tears.

"I'm so sorry," Ymir apologized.

"I think I believe that now," Historia said.

Ymir noticed Historia was standing on her tiptoes to reach Ymir's face. Ymir kneeled down to allow Historia better access. She felt something get caught in her throat as Historia gave Ymir a soft chaste kiss on her lips. Ymir didn't know exactly what to do because she never thought she would be in this situation. Ymir let herself get caught in the moment, closing her eyes and tentatively wrapping her arms around Historia. Historia merely smiled in the kiss as she wrapped her arms around Ymir's shoulders.

Ymir felt like she couldn't breathe and had to part from Historia. She looked down at the girl and saw she was looking at her with the adoration and love she saw in their trainee years.

"Are you really sure about this?" Ymir asked.

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't," Historia admitted, "Although I'm probably being really stupid."

Ymir laughed with joy and kissed the girl more forcefully and passionately. She threaded her fingers through her hair as Historia held onto her like it was life or death. Ymir walked backwards and they ended up falling on the bed.

"Wait, wait," Ymir pleaded as she pushed Historia up slightly, "Do we…are we really going to do this?"

"Do you want to?" Historia asked.

"I don't even know how to," Ymir admitted.

"Me neither," Historia agreed, "But we have time to figure it out."

Ymir huffed before giving Historia a big grin before kissing her again. They finally did have time.

Eren smacked a titan in the face with Megatron's shield, causing the creature to fall to the ground. Eren stabbed it through the nape of the neck before beheading the titan with good measure. He heard a titan coming up from behind him and decapitated it before it got closer to him. However, Eren underestimated the power of the swing and stumbled forward a little. The titan shifter shook his head and stood up on his feet. He looked over at the Prime to see him shoot a titan that was a relatively far distance from them.

Eren then watched as Optimus contacted Megatron through his comm. link, asking him about his status and if there were any other titans in his position. Optimus ended to comm. and turned towards Eren.

"Megatron is going to fly around the island and see if there are any remaining titans in the area," Optimus explained, "This give you some time to rest for right now, since we have cleared the titans in our current position."

Eren nodded his head before forcing himself out of his titan form. He coughed as steam appeared and blinded him for a moment. The titan shifter felt Optimus gently separate him from the body and place him on his shoulder. Optimus then place Megatron's shield on his back and his sword at his side. Eren yawned as he felt himself drift off into sleep, but opened his eyes as he almost fell off the titan.

"Eren, are you alright?" Optimus asked.

"I'm fine," Eren reassured, "I'll be fine. Just tired."

Optimus looked down at Eren with slight hesitation, but decided not to respond as he transformed his other arm into his blaster and began walking around Wall Maria.

Eren held onto the titan and watched him survey the area of any other mindless creatures. He glanced up at the Prime to see him intensely focused with him mission. He shouldn't do this; he shouldn't say anything, but he might never get another opportunity so…

"Optimus, I'm sorry," Eren apologized.

Optimus stopped in his tracks and blinked before looking down at Eren. "What are you apologizing for?"

"For…for what I said," Eren explained, "What I said to you last time about forgetting me,"

Optimus hid his displeasure at the thought of that conversation before he fired once more at a titan ahead of him.

"Are you…going to say anything?" Eren asked.

"We must focus on the task at hand," Optimus answered, "We can have this conversation later."

"So you're still mad at me?" Eren questioned.

Optimus quietly sighed as he transformed his blaster back into his servo. "Eren, I was never angry with you."

"You weren't?" Eren asked.

"No, I was not angry with you," Optimus answered, "These were unforeseeable circumstances that I never predicted, and the information regarding humanity forced you to change your outlook on the world. You had every right to be confused and angry."

"But you should be," Eren proclaimed, "I said awful things to you when you were only trying to help. I pushed you away. I just didn't want you to face another heartache again."

"Eren…," Optimus trailed, "I have faced many trials and tribulations, and I have lost many that I have cared about. I knew the life expectancy of a human is faint compared to that of a Cybertronian, but I was prepared to stay here and help humanity. I will still choose to. I understand that you are upset, and you wish to protect the ones you care for. Just because you choose to distance yourself from others, does not mean I care for you any less."

"So…you're going to choose to stay," Eren assumed.

"Yes," Optimus declared, "And once this conflict is over, I will make sure you see the wonders of this world before you rest."

Eren stared at the Prime before he began laughing. "I really don't deserve this."

"I believe you do," Optimus said in a serious tone.

Eren looked at the Prime dead in the eyes before he thought of something important. "I know that this might be a long shot, but… promise me this. You can show me the wonders of this world, but if there is any way for you to return home, take it. Whether I am dead or alive by the end of this conflict, once it is over, and you have the opportunity to go home, go home."

"Eren-"

"I mean it!" Eren exclaimed as he stood on the Prime's shoulder, "You've fought long enough! You've suffered long enough! You deserve to live a life of contentment and peace. I'll be fine; my fate is already sealed. You deserve to be happy."

Optimus looked down at the titan shifter, hesitating at the idea. Could he really do that? Could he really commit a selfish act?

"No more wars. No more fighting," Eren proclaimed, "Promise me, please."

Optimus' mouth was pressed into a thin line and he closed his optics. "Alright, I promise you, that if I am given the opportunity to return home, I will do it."

Eren gave the Prime a relieved smile. "Thank you."

The two heard a familiar noise and looked up at the rising, morning sky to see Megatron transform and land right in front of them.

"What is it?" Optimus asked.

"I scanned the island twice," Megatron informed, "All the titans have been exterminated."

Ymir opened her eyes once more to see the beige ceiling of her room. She turned her head to see light coming in through her window, signifying a new day. She was about to get up, but stopped when she felt a weight on her chest. She careened her head downward and saw Historia resting on her chest with the blanket covering them both.

Ymir was confused as to why she was here, and wondered if this was all a dream, but she remembered the extents of last night and felt her skin heat up. She groaned in embarrassment, causing Historia to open and rub her eyes. She forced her upper body upwards, using her elbows to support and looked down at Ymir, who was trying to process the situation.

"What's wrong?" Historia asked.

"That was a lot of sex," Ymir answered.

"It felt pretty great," Historia admitted.

"Stop," Ymir groaned, causing Historia to chuckle at her antics.

"I mean it though," Historia continued, "I'm glad that I was able to do it with you."

"Didn't seem like it," Ymir retorted, "It seemed like you're still angry at me."

"I'm still pretty angry at you," Historia admitted, "But I still care for you. It will take me some time to forgive you though."

"So why even do this with me?" Ymir questioned.

"I missed you," Historia admitted, "And I just went on an impulse."

Ymir huffed in response. "So I would assume that the bite marks on my neck you left was 'tough love'."

"Probably," Historia shrugged.

Ymir sighed in response as Historia left a gentle kiss on her forehead. Ymir smiled at Historia and looked at her with utmost adoration. That adoration soon disappeared as she finally had to ask the question to the inevitable:

"What are we going to do now?" Ymir asked, "The Survey Corps are unsure about letting me on the team, and I don't think your friends are going to be happy about this."

"You don't know that," Historia retorted.

"Do you?" Ymir asked.

Historia thought it over for a moment before shaking her head. "We could try to convince them."

"The question is how?" Ymir reminded, "I know Hanji is going to want to experiment on me and I don't want to be used like a fucking toy. Besides, they already have Eren, the Prime, and that motherfucking monster."

"They might have to ask you from time to time to help," Historia retorted.

"But they don't necessarily need me," Ymir proclaimed.

Historia thought it over. "You could be my guard."

"Like your protector?" Ymir asked.

"Yes," Historia answered, "You come with me wherever I'm needed and make sure nothing bad happens to me. In the event that something does, you could protect me and bring me to safety."

"You sure that the Survey Corps is going to be alright with that?" Ymir asked.

"You can make those demands with Hanji, since she runs the Survey Corps now," Historia answered.

"That crazy bitch is going to burn everything to the ground," Ymir declared, causing Historia to snicker.

"But…I'll make sure nothing bad happens to you," Historia said.

"Even though I'm a terrible person and probably deserve it?" Ymir asked.

"I don't think you're as terrible as you think you are," Historia admitted.

Ymir gave a small smile. "Thanks."

"I do have one request of my own," Historia mentioned, "It might help you."

"How so?" Ymir asked.

"Do you trust me?" Historia asked as she sat up.

Ymir raised an eyebrow in confusion as she sat up to look Historia in the eye. "What are you-"

"Do you trust me?" Historia repeated.

"I do, but what are you planning?" Ymir asked.

"You'll find out later," Historia reassured, "But for now we need to put on some clothes and talk to Hanji."

Ymir felt her cheeks heat up while Historia got up from the bed to find her dress. How was Historia so calm about this?

Armin was writing down notes in the classroom as everyone listened to Optimus wrote a list what to watch out for on the Cybertronian ship. Many of these tips were unheard of as none of them knew of Optimus' culture or weaponry, so Armin decided to write down the information to keep better track of what to watch out for. The only ones that weren't in the room were Megatron and Erwin. Optimus explained that Megatron was commencing one more scan of the island to see if he missed any titans. Meanwhile, Erwin didn't want to be in the room because of something he said to Optimus not even Eren would mention.

Optimus was explaining contaminated energon when the door opened. Everyone turned to see Historia walk into the classroom with Ymir right behind her.

"Ymir?" Eren questioned in surprise.

"Historia, what are you doing?" Hanji demanded.

"Ymir said that she's willing to help us," Historia proclaimed.

"Is that right?" Levi asked while the others were confused by the proclamation.

"I got some conditions of my own," Ymir retorted, "I'm not to join you guys without having my say in the matter."

Hanji thought it over for a moment while everyone else looked at each other in confusion. "Alright then. What are your demands?"

"Are you seriously going to hear her out?" Connie demanded.

"As far as I'm concerned, Ymir hasn't really done anything to harm us," Hanji recalled, "She just kept her titan powers a secret."

"Which would've saved a lot of lives if she told us!" Connie retorted as he looked at Ymir, "Hey, ugly! Why did you lie to me about my parents?! You knew?! Why didn't you say anything?!"

Everyone waited for Ymir's answer, noticing that she genuinely looked guilty.

"I didn't exactly know how to tell you," Ymir admitted, "What was I even supposed to say? I am sorry about keeping it from you, but…I just didn't want to see you hurt. You're a good person."

Connie was caught off by Ymir's response, but he was still angry at the idea and what she did.

"What are your demands?" Optimus asked, changing focus back to the original topic.

Ymir stepped in front of Historia before stating her first demand. "I don't want to be experimented on."

Hanji groaned in irritation. "Why not?!"

"Because I've seen what they did to Annie, and I'm not on board with that at all," Ymir answered, "Besides, you already have Eren, Optimus, and the flying titan."

"Megatron's a fucking jackass!" Hanji shouted.

"Care to repeat that, mad scientist?" Megatron hissed as he walked into the room.

"You're a-" Hanji didn't finish as Levi covered her mouth with his hand.

Megatron glanced over at Ymir and Historia before walking over to Optimus to ask him what was going on.

"What's your other demand?" Levi asked.

"I don't want to fight titans anymore," Ymir answered, "I don't want to be on the front lines again and nearly get eaten alive."

Hanji removed Levi's hand from her mouth. "Well can we run some stuff by you and see if you want to join us? Because we're going to secure a Cybertronian ship and we need as much organic life as possible to do so."

Ymir thought it over. "Fine."

"Yay," Hanji quietly cheered.

"My third demand: I get to be Historia's protector," Ymir added.

"Get ready to pay up, Jean," Sasha whispered.

"This proves nothing," Jean retorted.

"Oh, that's actually a really good idea," Hanji declared, "Having someone of your caliber would definitely benefit in protecting Historia. Especially if Marley comes on these shores again."

"Are those all of your demands?" Megatron asked as Optimus picked up the chalk to write something on the board again.

"I have one request of my own," Historia proclaimed as she stepped forward.

"Okay…," Hanji trailed out, "What's your request?"

Historia glanced at Ymir and gave her a small smile before turning to everyone else. "I get to marry Ymir."

Megatron watched in confusion as everyone's mouths dropped. He heard Optimus drop the chalk and saw that even he was startled by Historia's request.

"HA!" Sasha smiled as she pointed at Jean.

"What does 'marry' mean?" Megatron asked.

"It is the equivalent of a sparkbond on Cybertron," Optimus explained.

"Oh," Megatron said in a now disinterested voice, "Awfully idiotic,"

"Historia, what are you talking about?" Ymir asked.

"I want to marry you," Historia repeated.

"People are going to start talking, and it's not going to be good," Levi retorted.

"Then it can be a secret marriage," Historia suggested, "Just the people in the Scouts know."

"Oh my god, you're serious," Ymir spoke.

"I mean…do you want to?" Historia asked her.

"I mean…I don't…Historia, I'm not good for you," Ymir declared, "I'm a complete mess. I'm selfish, I'm a bitch, and I only have eight years left to live."

"I know," Historia agreed, "But we've known each other for three years and have been willing to fight together."

"Why are you so calm about this?!" Ymir demanded, "We are really just jumping the gun!"

"Because I do want to do this with you," Historia declared.

"Historia, I really don't think you understand,"

"I do," Historia said, "Do you still want to?"

"I…I really want to," Ymir admitted, "I'm so horrible though, and I'm practically the worst person to even be with. I just…I don't have a lot to give you, and I can't give you forever."

Historia watched Ymir look down at the floor and rub her arm. Historia lifted her hand and touched Ymir's cheek, causing the titan shifter to look at her.

"Then give me what you have," Historia said.

Ymir stared at Historia with tears rolling down her cheeks before she let out a small laugh. "You're so stupid."

"You'd be just as stupid as me if you said yes," Historia retorted.

"I know," Ymir said, before kissing her in front of everyone. They parted and looked at each other with care, but stopped when they noticed everyone was still staring at them.

"Well,…damn," Connie spoke.

"Aw!" Hanji squealed.

"Dude, I don't even know if I should be mad that I lost," Jean admitted.

"Congratulations," Armin said.

"Thank you," Historia smiled.

"So how would we do the wedding?" Hanji pondered, "It can be an ocean wedding! We can see the ocean and have a wedding!"

"The ocean," Armin smiled at Eren and Mikasa.

"Are we really going to put the plans on hold for something as unnecessary as this?" Megatron asked.

"Give us a week to prepare for the wedding and then we'll go after the ship," Hanji proclaimed, "We can assign who will set up what and work from there. Now, let's plan a wedding!"

Hanji jumped over the table and grabbed Ymir and Historia before pulling them out of the room. Levi sighed as he grabbed Hanji's notes and followed Hanji out of the room.

"I suppose that we will continue this another time," Optimus stated as he began to erase the chalkboard."

Megatron watched as everyone walked out of the room, Sasha appearing to be the happiest considering that she won a bet of some sort.

"This is completely idiotic and impulsive," Megatron remarked as he crossed his arms and leaned against the desk, "The shifter only has eight years left to live and they want to something as important as a sparkbond."

"Humans can't physically merge beings with one another," Optimus explained, "The closest thing that they can do is have a ceremony."

"Sparkbonding is a private matter," Megatron retorted, "It's tedious and unnecessary to put it on display."

"This is simply human culture," Optimus proclaimed, "But…it is nice to see that love can still appear in times of uncertainty."

Megatron glanced back at the Prime and noticed a small smile on his face, but his eyes had a sense of longing and sorrow. The ex-con rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Please don't tell me you were sparkbonded with Elita," Megatron demanded.

Optimus was startled by Megatron's statement and turned to him. "Megatron-"

"Were you or were you not sparkbonded with Elita-1?" Megatron demanded.

Optimus didn't answer for a moment, almost making Megatron assume the worst. The Prime placed the eraser down and stared out the window.

"No," Optimus answered, "We decided against it. We considered our position and the possibility of one of us being captured or killed. The dangers of being sparkbonded in a situation like that would have hurt in a more catastrophic way than if we weren't sparkbonded."

Optimus turned his head away from Megatron. "It was still painful to see it happen."

Megatron noticed Optimus' hand grip the desk, and thought about what to do next. They didn't speak about Elita; she wasn't supposed to be brought up. It was even a miracle that he even caught her. Elita was a top ranking official and had the skill and firepower to prove it. She was in the wrong place and time then and his followers managed to corner her.

The moment she perished, Optimus broke down, and attacked Megatron repeatedly until Soundwave swooped in and managed to knock him unconscious. Megatron had the opportunity to kill Optimus then, but decided to keep him alive and retreat. Back then, he didn't know if it was because it was a cheap victory, or because he wanted Optimus to suffer with one of the biggest failures in his life.

But Megatron still owed Optimus, so…

"It was a rogue Decepticon that killed her," Megatron explained, "They disbanded from the cause and tried to kill me out of revenge for something I did to them. They thought the commotion of the battlefield might have been a great cover, but it didn't go unnoticed by Soundwave. They fought and the rogue missed. They escaped, but we found the deserter mortally wounded in the battle of Iacon."

Optimus didn't respond and Megatron assumed he didn't want to talk about Elita anymore. It was probably for the better if he didn't say anymore anyway.

"Back then," Optimus spoke up, "Did you plan on killing her?"

Megatron didn't want to answer that question, not for a moment. He didn't want to create a sound or word of an answer.

"Did you?" Optimus demanded.

Megatron took a deep breath. "I did. I was trying to destroy you mentally, and the opportunity fell into my servos…But a small part of me, regretted the situation happening."

"…Thank you…for telling me," Optimus said.

"I just admitted that I wanted to kill her," Megatron retorted, "Why are you thanking me?"

"It may sound selfish, but I finally have a sense of closure," Optimus answered.

"…That's not selfish," Megatron retorted.

The two heard footsteps and saw Hanji almost run past the door before backtracking once she saw them.

"You two better be at the wedding," Hanji declared, "That's an order!"

The two titans watched as Hanji ran back down the hall before Megatron sighed.

"Must I be a part of this human ritual?" Megatron groaned.

"Megatron," Optimus scolded.

A week later

Ymir stared out at the sun setting over the ocean as Hanji and Levi were setting up the makeshift altar. They already planned out how the wedding would go back in Wall Sina. Optimus was going to transport the material. Meanwhile the Scouts would help set up the seating and decorations. They decided on white and yellow flowers, oddly enough. How they've even managed to keep this a secret from the public was beyond her, but apparently Hanji asked the Commander of the Garrison to pull some strings to get what they needed. Time flew and she was already here in this position.

She noticed that the Scouts were really excited to see the ocean, and were almost tempted to go inside the water and get their clothes wet, but Levi threatened them and told them he would personally end them if they even tried. She wanted to help out and set up, but Hanji told her to simply wait for Historia.

Still, she was nervous about this entire situation. Three years ago, despite gaining her freedom, she never thought that she would be in a position like this. She never thought that she would be marrying the woman that she loved. Now she was in a blue dress and heels with a flower crown on her head waiting for the last of the preparation to be set up before Historia walked down the makeshift altar. She wasn't exactly comfortable in the dress, considering she wore one for the cult she was dragged into. But after having a good test run with it, she found herself growing to like the style and color.

A part of her was telling her not to do this. To consider how Historia would just be counting down the days until Ymir's time was over, but Historia…she was willing to do this with her. She was willing to be together with her despite her flaws. If Historia wanted this, then God damn it she was going to allow herself this.

She hoped that this wasn't a dream; and that any god was allowing her to be selfish once more.

Ymir watched as they finished setting up the altar and the chairs. She watched as the remaining members of the 104th were adjusting their formal attire. She almost managed to make a snarky remark at Eren for looking like he was about to suffocate in his suite. However she didn't expect Mikasa to be wearing a red dress of all things.

She did manage to speak with the other members of the 104th squad. She owed them all an apology. Oddly enough, they weren't as angry with her as she would've thought. She supposed now they knew the truth and the suffering she's been through, it cleared up some of tension between them all.

Ymir snapped out of her thoughts when she saw Erwin in a suit stand next to her. Ymir looked ready to bolt and the former Commander seemed to notice.

"I have no reason to hold a grudge against you," Erwin proclaimed, "I've honestly been the most relaxed in the long time. Besides, Hanji asked me to do this. I don't really mind."

Ymir didn't say anything as the ceremony began. The Scouts stood up watched as Historia began to walk down the aisle. Ymir's felt her heart get caught in her chest as she saw Historia was adorned in a white dress with a flower crown on her head. She held a bouquet of roses in her hand and a veil over her face. She could tell that she didn't put on makeup, but that didn't change the fact that she was still pretty fucking beautiful.

Historia arrived at the altar and Ymir flipped the veil over her head to see her face.

"Hi," Ymir whispered.

"Hi," Historia greeted back with a smile.

Erwin cleared his throat as he began to read from a note he pulled out of his pocket. "We are gathered here today to witness the union of Historia and Ymir,"

Erwin continued on, but Ymir continued not to pay attention and focused on Historia. This was happening. This was really happening. Sixty years of sadness, loneliness and despair, and she finally had a moment of happiness. She found someone as beautiful and flawed as Historia, who also saw her beauty and worth as well. Historia Reiss was worth everything to her.

Ymir felt a tear roll down her face, something that didn't go unnoticed by Historia.

"Are you alright?" Historia whispered.

"Yes," Ymir answered in a hushed voice, "I'm really happy."

"Do you: Ymir, take Historia Reiss, to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" Erwin asked.

"I do," Ymir answered.

"Do you: Historia Reiss, take Ymir, to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"I do," Historia answered.

"Then I pronounce you two married," Erwin declared. "You may now kiss."

Historia wrapped her arms around Ymir's neck as their lips collided once more. Ymir could hear the claps and cheers from the 104th, the most vocal being Sasha. However, none of that matter. In that moment of the surrounding chaos and heartbreak they faced, they were finally allowed a moment of happiness. Ymir parted from Historia before whispering in her ear.

"I never told you: Historia Reiss," Ymir began, "You have the prettiest name ever."

Historia giggled. "Oh my god, stop it."

Optimus and Megatron stood next to the Prime's alt mode in their holoforms, watching from a short distance as the rest of the Scouts walked up to the newly wedded couple and congratulated them. Megatron was still completely unamused while Optimus was quite happy for them. The two then noticed Hanji walking up to them in a black suit and waving 'hello.'

"Primus sake, you look horrendous," Megatron insulted.

"Megatron!" Optimus exclaimed.

"Let him have his fun," Hanji shrugged, "Honestly, it was either this or wearing a dress, and I was not going to let Levi force me into that shit. This is probably the nicest I've looked in years."

"You look just fine," Optimus reassured.

"Thank you," Hanji smiled, "But I do plan on ruining it, 'cause I'm going to go into the ocean and get it wet."

"I do not know if that is a wise decision," Optimus admitted.

"Gonna do it anyway," Hanji declared, "You're welcome to join. I'd ask Megatron, but he doesn't know the meaning of the word 'fun' and 'relaxing'."

"I might throw you in the ocean," Megatron warned.

"Do it," Hanji pleaded, "I want to piss off Levi."

"We might interact a while later," Optimus said, "But I do believe the others are going in the ocean."

"Oh shit," Hanji cursed as she ran back to the shores of the beach.

Optimus watched the 104th play in the water, and for once, at their own age instead of war hardened soldiers. Ymir twirled Historia around in the water while Jean, Connie and Sasha were splashing water in each other's faces, complaining about the taste of the salt. The usually calm and stoic, Mikasa was holding her shoes and giggling as she tried to jump over the waves. She looked over at Armin with a smile, and the boy was holding a shell in his hand with tears of joy streaming down his face. Hanji grabbed something from the water and was trying to show it to Levi, who quickly backed away and told Hanji to drop it. Even Erwin, looked ready to cry as he stood in the water, but the former Commander quickly wiped away his tears to prevent the others from noticing. There were probably many thoughts going through the man's head. Maybe joy, maybe guilt, most likely both. He just knew Erwin never thought he would live to see something like this.

In this moment, he believed that peace for this island would be possible.

Optimus and Megatron tensed when they heard the galloping of a horse from behind them. They quickly turned and got into a fighting stance as the rider approached them. Optimus saw that the man had dark skin, which was uncommon for people on the island. He was bald and had a small goatee. The Prime noticed the man wearing a dark green trench coat, and had the symbol of the cadet corps on his sleeve.

"It's a beautiful view," the man commented about the ocean as he got off his horse, "Apologies, I received a private invitation from Erwin, and I decided to finally use my vacation days. I didn't even think he would contact me."

"Who are you?" Megatron demanded.

"A bystander," the man answered, unbothered by Megatron's demeanor or attitude, "I'll only be here for a good few seconds. Then I'll be going. I feel as if I stay any longer; I would feel unwelcomed."

Optimus lowered his fists while Megatron didn't move an inch. "Why are you here then?"

"I just wanted to see how the 104th are doing," the man admitted as he looked over Optimus' shoulder, "And they have appeared to have changed. Can't determine if it's in a good or bad way."

"Why else are you here?" Megatron demanded as he crossed his arms.

"Well," the man began as he pulled out a small envelope from his pocket with some writing on it, "Something finally came to my door after all this time, and I need it to be delivered to the recipient. I never thought that something from five years ago would end up on my door."

Optimus took the envelope from the man's hand and read it. "'To Eren,'"

"There were instructions attached to it to make sure it got sent to him in the event he joined the Scouts," the man explained, "I suppose a mother's intuition is a lot stronger than I thought."

"Mother?" Megatron questioned in confusion.

"This is…from Eren's mother," Optimus concluded, earning a nod from the man, "But why the Survey Corps?"

"I was the Commander then, before Erwin," the man admitted, "I also knew Eren's mother back then, so she must've thought to send it to me. I don't know why."

"Then why not deliver it to the boy yourself?" Megatron demanded.

"There are many questions Eren will have that I can't answer," the man admitted, "There were also things I tried to do to prevent him from joining the military. I knew his mother never wanted that life for him, but he had the drive of his father, and there was just no way for me to stop him without getting caught. I can't do it. The only thing that I am asking is for that letter to be delivered to Eren."

Eren stepped onto the sand and made sure his formal attire wasn't ruined by the saltwater. He looked ahead of him and gasped when he saw Optimus and Megatron interrogating a familiar face. Eren ditched his shoes and ran towards the three of them. Before he could reach them, the man was already on his horse and riding back west towards the walls.

Eren stumbled to a stop, earning the attention of both Optimus and Megatron.

"Eren, do you know who that man was?" Optimus asked.

"That was my instructor, Keith Shadis," Eren panted, "Back in my trainee days. What was he doing here?"

Optimus looked down at the envelope in his hand and gave it to the boy. "He wanted me to give you this."

Eren raised an eyebrow in confusion and glanced down at the object in his hand. He felt his heart stop as he noticed his mother's handwriting. Eren snatched the envelope from the Prime's hand and tried to process if it was truly real.

"How did…?" Eren trailed off, "How did he get this?"

"Apparently it was sent to him with instructions to give it to you," Optimus explained, "It came to him years after the fall of Wall Maria."

Eren hesitated before slowly tearing open the envelope, not wanting to damage what was inside. Before he decided to read the two sheets of paper, he walked to the other side of Optimus' alt mode and sat down by the Prime's front wheel.

"What exactly is a mother?" Megatron asked in Cybertronian.

"A woman that has conceived or birthed a child," Optimus explained, "They usually help take care of the child and help them grow."

"So then judging by the boy's reaction, his mother is most likely dead," Megatron presumed.

Optimus didn't respond and merely nodded his head. The two stopped talking when they heard barely contained sniffles. Optimus quickly walked toward Eren and saw the boy was outright crying. He was covering his mouth in one hand while holding the letter in the other.

"Eren, I am sorry," Optimus apologized as he kneeled down, "Perhaps I should have given you the letter another time."

Eren shook his head and hugged the Prime with force, holding onto him for dear life while making sure not to let go of the letter.

"Thank you," Eren wept, "Thank you so much."

"Eren, you should not thank me," Optimus retorted, "You should thank your instructor."

Eren didn't say anything after that and continued to hold on to the Prime, letting go of the letter in the process.

Megatron walked over and saw the Prime comforting the boy before noticing the letter on the ground. The former warlord picked it up and stared at it. He thought about not reading it, considering it wasn't for his eyes, but curiosity got the better of him and he flipped open the letter.

"To my son Eren,

"I've decided to write this and send this to Keith in the event that you still wanted to join the Survey Corps. We were good friends, so I knew I could trust him with this. Even if Keith didn't survive, I told him what to do in the event you do join and he's not there.

"As a mother, it would be hard to watch her child go head first into danger and die before she did. That would be my worst nightmare, to hear that you died on an expedition outside of the walls. That argument we had that day, when I tried to tell you not to join, I suppose in the back of my mind I knew that you wouldn't listen to me. Every time I tell you to avoid danger, you always seem to be rushing head first back into it. I feel like you do it in order to prove your worth. That you want to be stronger than you are. I feel that you want to make yourself into a great person. You don't need to do that. You don't need to prove your special, and you don't need other people's recognition. You don't need to become better than everyone else. You're already great because you were born into this world.

"I love you with all my heart, and my request for you is to survive.

"From your mother, Carla Jaeger."

Megatron noticed the other piece of paper behind the letter and flipped it open so he could see it fully. He assumed the drawing was of his mother, and that the sparkling she was holding in her arms was Eren himself who appeared to be chewing on her hair. Megatron didn't respond or comment on what he just read, and merely folded the papers again. He handed back to Eren, who let go of Optimus and held onto the paper like a lifeline.

"Eren-"

"Can you hold onto this?" Eren asked Optimus as he slowly gave the letter back to the Prime, "I don't want to get it wet."

Optimus nodded his head and took the papers from his hand, holding onto the letters with care. Eren wiped the remainder of his tears and smiled at the Prime before running back to the water. Armin was about to ask what was wrong, but Eren tackled him into the water, causing Armin to almost drop his shell.

Megatron watched in silence as the humans continued to play in the water. He also took notice of Erwin breaking down and crying, causing Levi to step into the water and talk to him. Hanji tried to lift his spirits by showing him the items she found on the shore.

This was such an odd sight for him. An odd disruption in this string of this heartbreaking reality he never thought he would see. But…it wasn't as bad as he would've thought.

Megatron walked away from the Prime and deactivated the holoform before flying back to the walls. Humans were such odd creatures.

Blooper

Hanji jumped over the table and grabbed Ymir and Historia before pulling them out of the room. Levi sighed as he grabbed Hanji's notes and followed Hanji out of the room.

"So…you two haven't said a word about this," Connie said to the two titans, "You're not bothered by this."

"I believe that freedom is the right for all sentient beings," Optimus declared, "I have no right to judge them at all."

"Besides it was quite common on Cybertron," Megatron added.

"Wait, you guys had same-sex relationships?" Jean asked in surprise.

"Yes," Megatron answered, "Because we were more focused on advancements and scientific endeavors instead of something as mediocre as love."

"So…that means…," Sasha trailed off.

"Megatron might be Optimus' ex," Connie concluded.

"I'm Optimus' what?" Megatron hissed in an ominous tone.

Jean, Connie, and Sasha screamed and bolted out of the room, leaving Eren, Armin, and Mikasa confused.

"Um…should I say something?" Mikasa asked Optimus.

Optimus thought it over as he began to erase the chalkboard. "Perhaps another time."