[Aubrey dreams of shadows. Mocking figures, dispassionate; a glimmer of hope smothered by undeniable truths; an inhuman roar wrapped in a very, very human touch. It’s hazy and scattered, blurred by sheer exhaustion—but even before she can wake to question it, the mere fact of the subconscious pyre promises her that none of this was a nightmare.

[As long as they’re stuck here… life is like this.]

[Two things rouse her, with varying levels of intrusion. The pain: unwelcome, if graciously dull. The snoring: light, mildly confusing. Who th…?

[He’s alive.

[The thought wakes her immediately. Although bleariness lingers, her attention falls on him. His face. And—

[It’s strange.

[Not his features, exactly. It’s the rest. It’s seeing Eren Jaeger wrapped in a blanket. All traces of the usual cold, hard expression she’s used to, the animal anger or fear she’s glimpsed (and god, she never wants to see him frozen and shaking like that again)… it’s all gone. He’s just… asleep. Maybe even at peace.

[He’s human, despite it all.]

[This is the person who… among many, many other things… saved her life.]

[Aubrey stares at him, silent, for what feels like a long time. Her eyes don’t leave him once.]