[Cold dread. Eren feels his heart beat faster. Damn this stupid bitch. He has no choice but to play along; still, it's not hard to tell the truth, in this case. He isn't lying when he says he wants to protect her. He just isn't revealing more than the tip of the iceberg.]

I don't know how long you've been here, but there's dangerous shit around every corner of this place. You can't run from it. Aubrey needs someone that can fight.

[Never mind someone to fight off the cold with, or break beneath the weight of their own love when the world pulls the truth out of their throats. Never mind thumbing tears away, or laughing, or dancing.

[He wants to cringe, anticipating more grinding, churning, enclosing. She's only getting farther away.]