She was the beauty in his life. There was nothing like waking up each morning and realizing that soon, soon he would be able to get home to her. After all, he was fighting for his country, for her. For the family they would have once he returned home. For the words behind the ring that he had hung on his dog tags, that warmed up every time his heart beat against it. And that happened a lot. Taken on as a paratrooper, he had to admit that he didn’t particularly feel prepared. Much like many others among him, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, he had been forced from school and into the war. Away from her. But because of her, he was more than ready to put up this fight.
Armin,
I think you’d probably like it here! I mean… Under different circumstances. The _____ countryside is really nice. Maybe after I get back and finish school, we can come here instead. Though mom still wants our honeymoon to be in Istanbul. Good thing they’re _____ with us! Wish I could send you pictures though.
Love, Eren
He would do this once every few days. Just little notes to her, just to know that he was safe, sound. Nothing major had happened to him, short of a bullet cutting into his cheek. But in comparison, that wasn’t bad at all. The issue started once the notes started having a longer and longer wait time. It started off as once a week, and then once every other week.
Then they stopped. Entirely.
It would be weeks after the battle that an officer knocked on her door, the dog tags, ring, and folded flag in his hands.
There was no way that she could know that he was alive, laying in a bed and still talking about her to anyone that would listen.