[ It's true, isn't it? Even when Eren was completely hollowed out, dead eyed and miserable in those days after Mikasa, Maruki was the one who could elicit any emotion from him, even if it was grief.

He runs his fingers up and down one of Eren's forearms, feels himself smiling despite the subject matter. ]

I think I'm beginning to cling a bit too tightly to everyone here. They're all dead or about to die, so...

[ He feels so, so intensely lonely these days, no matter how close he tries to keep to them. ]

Anyway... I guess it helped to hear you say that in at least one situation, you would rather live.