Freefall | Eren x OC

Chapter 91: Under the Tree Pt. III

I'll be waiting,

Waiting for you,

Let me hold you under the tree

'Under the Tree' by SiM

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The air is still, all life seems to come to a standstill. A white bird flies and circles around, calling out as if in sorrow before its talons open to grab at a gust of breath and take off for parts unknown. Tied to the earth below, Eren holds onto your body, shaking you as your lifeless eyes glaze over. He calls your name softly and shakes you. Every time you don't respond, he shakes you harder.

"Rose, baby, please, say something," he says, his voice growing more and more frantic as the lightning fades away and the clouds begin to dissipate. The moon glows bright over the cabin and in the small clearing, the air begins to move again and the sounds of nature emerge once more as you lay lifeless in his arms.

"Rose! ROSE! PLEASE!" he cries helplessly and leans in to listen to your heart and check your pulse but he can't hear or feel anything. He sobs as he shakes you and your head rolls back limply.

"No, no, no, no, no baby. No, you can't leave me here! YOU CAN'T FUCKING LEAVE ME HERE!" he shouts as he panics and shakes you even harder before he picks your head up. He stares into your eyes, looking off at nothing, the eye colour slowly hazing over, turning cloudy.

Eren breathes heavily and his face crumbles into sobs as he holds you and buries his face in your hair. "I love your hair, I love how it always glows like fire in the sunset. I love that you look so beautiful when the moonlight catches your face. I love that you hate mushrooms in pasta and make me eat every one of yours. I love that you can't take doctor's orders because you always think you know better. I love that you always nag me when I have more than three beers. I love that you always let me lay my head on your belly no matter what time of day it is..."

Eren waits and waits for you to respond; to tell him how more than three beers is excessive and that he'll turn into Alfred if he's not careful. He waits for you to say doctors don't know your body better than you do and he waits for you to sit up and hold him in your arms, let him rest his head on your chest, on your belly so he can hear the muffled yet strong heartbeat of his daughter. He waits, and he waits, but nothing happens.

He quietly gets up from the soil, holding you in his arms and hoists you up to lay your head against his chest as he brings you up the steps and into the cabin. He steps into the cabin's pitch blackness and sobs quietly as he fumbles his way over to the kitchen table. A few lights turn on by themselves and Eren startles to see the cabin fill with a warm almost ethereal glow. He moves you onto the kitchen table and your head rolls to the side.

Eren sniffs as he looks you over and reluctantly takes his two fingers to slowly close your eyes forever, kissing your eyelids as he does. He shakes in horror as he looks at you, sees the bruised neck, the bruise on your cheek, the stains, the dull colour of your wedding dress.

"You were wearing this the last time I saw you... he made you wear this the whole time, didn't he?..."

Eren touches your bruised face and neck. "You must have gone through the worst type of hell... I can't believe you suffered all this alone..." his face cracks as he breaks down. "I should've been there, I should've fucking been there... I should've been out searching every corner for you, not fucking hiding here! FUCK!"

He sobs as he grabs your face and presses his forehead into yours. Drool pours out of his mouth as he whines and whimpers in his unleashed grief and loss. His tears fall down onto your cold skin and his breaths become shallow as he holds you.