[Maybe he is expecting her to argue, challenge him. Maybe it's easier to think of Annie as a monster who enjoys spilling blood, who denies his accusations, who prides herself on the lives she's taken.
[A friend, a comrade, a lover - someone who did what they had to do because they saw no other option, not because they wanted to hurt anyone - that's harder to swallow. The fact that Eren, once a hero to humanity, can relate more to bloodlust than Annie, the traitor, can - that's hard to swallow too. Part of him means it when he says that he's doing what he's doing to protect the people he loves, just like Annie fought for her father.
[But only part of him. "Pathetic and cowardly and selfish."
[Yeah. She's right about that.]
We really are the same.
[With this, he raises his hand. The tips of his fingers brush across her right cheek. They linger there instead of dropping. He's touching Annie Leonhart again for the first time in four years.]
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[A friend, a comrade, a lover - someone who did what they had to do because they saw no other option, not because they wanted to hurt anyone - that's harder to swallow. The fact that Eren, once a hero to humanity, can relate more to bloodlust than Annie, the traitor, can - that's hard to swallow too. Part of him means it when he says that he's doing what he's doing to protect the people he loves, just like Annie fought for her father.
[But only part of him. "Pathetic and cowardly and selfish."
[Yeah. She's right about that.]
We really are the same.
[With this, he raises his hand. The tips of his fingers brush across her right cheek. They linger there instead of dropping. He's touching Annie Leonhart again for the first time in four years.]