[. . . Ah.]

[She won’t ask. The fury dissipates, and the weight in Aubrey’s chest sinks deeper, heavier still.]

[She doesn’t want him to start shaking again.

[Maybe....]

[Aubrey closes her eyes, takes in a slow, unsteady breath.]

Hey. [Just a whisper, to let him know.]

[Tentatively, with one hand, she reaches out.

[And if Eren will allow it, she’ll rest her hand wherever it lands—his arm, his chest, his face—and leave it there, as she remembers something else.]