Human (Eren X Reader)

I can hold my breath
I can bite my tongue
I can stay awake for days
If that's what you want
Be your number one


"Eren!" Hanji's voice called out. Eren groggily raised his head from where he had it in his arms on the wooden table. His attempt to fall asleep had failed, he only ended up staring at the dark table. He blinked a few times in order to adjust to the sudden light that hadn't seeped into his personal little cave.

"Huh?" He mumbled, straightening from where he sat and rubbing his eyes with his fist.

"We're not done yet! That was only test ten out of thirty-three!" She said in a tone that stated this-was-the-most-obvious-thing-ever. Eren's eyes widened as much as they could.

"What? But Hanji, I haven't slept in-"

Hanji shook his shoulder. "Oh, come on Eren! You're humanities last hope, you need to donate your time to all these studies in order to help us. Right?"

Eren opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it. She was right. He had to donate his time in order to help everyone, right? He yawned and stretched his arms above his head. "I guess a few more hours wouldn't hurt..." He mumbled, trying to ignore the voice in his head that told him to get some rest.

Hanji excitedly clapped her hands and grabbed the boy by his upper arm, hauling him out of his seat. "Well let's go! Twenty-three more tests to go!"

I can fake a smile
I can force a laugh
I can dance and play the part
If that's what you ask
Give you all I am

"Oh, come on! That was a good pick-up line, Sasha, you have to agree with me!" Connie said, cradling his foot from where the girl had stomped on it.

Sasha rolled her eyes and grabbed his loaf of bread. "The only pick-up line you need for me, is this." She said, holding up the piece of food before taking a large bite.

Eren grinned and let out a laugh as he raised his cup of water to his lips. He felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned around as he set the cup on the table to see a pair of (e/c) eyes locking with his, swimming with concern. "Are you alright?" She asked softly.

Eren gave her a confused look. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"You're not talking as much. And you haven't picked a fight with Jean yet." (f/n) said with a light laugh. Eren smiled and pressed his lips against her forehead.

"I promise, I'm okay." He reassured her. It almost freaked him out sometimes, how she could read him like a book. Did she really know that he was extremely tired and just wanted to sleep? Was it that obvious? Wasn't he hiding it pretty well?

(f/n) raised a hand to his face and ran her finger underneath his eye. "You look sleepy." She said gently.

He quickly pulled away and glanced down. "I'm fine, really." He said, avoiding her gaze. She sighed and leaned over to kiss his cheek. He smiled to her before turning his attention back to the others.

I can do it
I can do it
I can do it

Eren ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. He just needs to... not look as tired. Yeah, that's all. Then no one will have to worry about him. He just needed to donate his time to help, like Hanji said. Holding off sleep for a few more hours was okay. But after three days? No, no, he can do it.

He placed his hands on his hips and let out a soft sigh as he stared down at the ground. Just act casual around your friends. But there's (f/n), and she understands him. No, no, just remain as casual as possible, she might not notice. He looked up at the door and dropped his hands to his side. He put on a smile before opening the door and walking into the chatter-filled room.

But I'm only human
And I bleed when I fall down
I'm only human
And I crash and I break down
Your words in my head, knives in my heart
You build me up and then I fall apart
'Cause I'm only human

A choked sob escaped his lips before he got a chance to cover his mouth. He quickly draped his arm over his mouth before any more noises decided to leak through. Silent tears streaked down his cheeks as he shut his eyes tight.

Monster.

He breathed through his nose in attempt to slow down his sobs that were trying to break through their prison. How could so many people die when it was supposed to be a happy ending? Was it all his fault? That's what all those townsfolk said, so it must be true!

Freak.

"Eren?"

The boys green eyes widened at the soft voice. He sat up from where he was laying on the plush grass and turned around. He was greeted with shining (h/c) hair and kind (e/c) eyes. His arm came up to wipe at his eyes. "Why're you out so late?" He asked.

"I can ask you the same thing." She said in a playful tone. He smiled at her optimism and stared down at the ground. She sat down beside him and cupped his face in her hands. "Why're you crying?" She asked in the most gentlest voice possible. His heart fluttered at her words and he choked on his words.

"I-I-I wasn't-"

"Don't lie to me Eren. You're a bad liar. Your ears turn red when you lie." She said with a smile, nodding to his ears. His hands instinctively shot up to cover them as she let out a soft giggle. As if she could persuade the truth from him, she delicately pressed her lips against his. He dropped his hands to his side once she pulled away.

"Is it my fault?" He whispered, pressing his forehead to hers.

"No." She said simply. "Your decisions didn't effect their death in any way."

"But they called me a-"

"Monster? Freak? Animal? Eren, you're human, just like the rest of us. You make mistakes and you fix them, you cry and you smile. You're just like us. You don't have to listen to anything they say, they're just saying it out of fear." (f/n) whispered, her hands dropping to his shoulders.

Eren parted his lips to continue, but quickly closed them before she noticed. He was still worried. After all this, they still expected him to be a hero. But how could he be? He didn't say any of this to (f/n). She had enough on her plate, she didn't need to be worried about him.

He pulled away enough to look into her eyes. He gave her a sad smile. "Okay." He whispered while nodding. She smiled as he pressed a peck to her lips and forehead.

"You need to rest. Let's go back inside, okay?" She said. He hummed in response as she stood up. She stared down at him for a moment and smiled. "You don't have to be alone, alright? You can come to me if you need something." She whispered.

He was quiet for a moment, debating on whether to speak his thoughts or not. "Okay." He finally said, standing up beside her.

I can turn it on
Be a good machine
I can hold the weight of worlds
If that's what you need
Be your everything

"You need to concentrate!" Levi screamed into the poor boys ear.

"I'm... trying!" Eren said with a gasp. He groaned in pain as he stared down at his hand, covered in blood. "I can't always do it, you know that!"

"Stop being such a brat and change already! You're purposely not shifting!" The short man hissed.

"If I could I would've done it already!" Eren shouted back.

"Do you really want all our training and experiments to go to waste because you can't do one simple thing?"

I can do it
I can do it
I'll get through it

"It's not simple-"

"You have to prove those bastards in the towns that you're not a waste! You can handle whatever we throw at you, and you can't do this one task?! Bullshit! Do it, stop holding it off!"

"I'M TRYING!"

"WELL TRY HARDER!"

The Corporal let out a huff of annoyance and walked away, muttering a string of curses. Eren shakily sighed and ran his uninjured hand through his hair. He stared at the ground and covered his face with both hands.

But I'm only human
And I bleed when I fall down
I'm only human
And I crash and I break down
Your words in my head, knives in my heart
You build me up and then I fall apart
'Cause I'm only human

He had held it back for so long. But it was like something snapped and he couldn't take it anymore. He knocked on the door furiously before stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Who is it?" A voice called from the inside. Soft, sweet, and gentle.

"I-It's me." He stuttered out, voice cracking. The door immediately opened, revealing the girl with a concerned expression, worry swimming in her (e/c) eyes.

"Eren? What's wro-Oh!" She was caught off guard when Eren threw his arms around her waist and pulled her close. Sobs racked his body as he buried his face in her hair. She soothingly rubbed his back as she closed the door softly. "It's alright... Shhh..." She murmured.

She pulled away and kissed his tear-stained cheek while cupping his face in her palms. "Come on, let's go sit down, alright?" She said softly. He nodded, pressing his lips together in a tight line. She smiled and took him by the hand.

I'm only human
I'm only human
Just a little human

I can take so much
'Til I've had enough

She perched on the edge of her bed and patted the spot beside her. He sat down beside her and stared down at the white sheets. She extended her arms out, allowing him to come forward and rest his head on the crook of her neck. They fit together like puzzle pieces. He wrapped his arms around her waist as she draped hers around his neck.

"I can't do this anymore (f/n), I can't." He murmured, tears falling onto her skin.

"Eren, I know this is hard, but you have to be strong-"

He pulled away from her, still keeping his arms around her. "I've been strong for the past two months! And where did that take us? No where! I can only take so much (f/n), I can't do this anymore! I can't let them call me a monster, I can't let Levi boss me around, I can't let Hanji keep me up for three days straight!" He argued.

(f/n) smiled softly and raised her hand to his cheek. "Then just take a break. You're human Eren, you get stressed just like the rest of us." She whispered. She pecked his lips lightly.

He gave her a confused look. "Take a break?" He murmured.

"Just stay in bed tomorrow, I'll cover for you." She whispered.

He looked down and sighed. "I don't want to be a burden to you (f/n). I love you, and I don't want you to worry about me so much." He whispered.

"If you were a burden to me, do you think I would be covering for you tomorrow?" She answered. He let a chuckle escape his lips. "I love you too, and I want you to be okay. I want you to feel safe and relaxed, okay?"

He smiled and pressed his lips against hers. A gentle kiss that expressed all the words he didn't know how to say. "I don't deserve you." He murmured, lips brushing and foreheads touching. She smiled and pecked his lips once more before patting his chest lightly.

"You deserve the world, Eren. Now you need some rest." She said.

He nodded before pulling her tight against him. "Thank you." He whispered.

'Cause I'm only human
And I bleed when I fall down
I'm only human
And I crash and I break down
Your words in my head, knives in my heart
You build me up and then I fall apart
'Cause I'm only human