The Promise to Be Better

by erenjeagerJ

Summary:

He didn’t say anything after she confessed. Not really. Just kept fighting. Kept running. But her words never left him.

In another timeline, Eren lets them fade.
In this one, they echo.

After the battle beneath the cavern, Eren begins to shift—quietly, stubbornly, painfully. The road ahead is still cruel. The choices still brutal. But this time, something is different.

This time, he’s trying.

A canon-divergent rewrite of Seasons 3 and 4, where one moment changes everything—and maybe, just maybe, saves what mattered most.

Notes:

I always wondered what might’ve changed if Eren had truly understood Mikasa’s words at the end of Season 2. This story explores that—what happens when he starts to listen, to question, to grow.

It’s a slow-burn fix-it, rooted in canon but bending its path.

 

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After the battle beneath the cavern, something shifts in Eren. Her words echo, quiet but relentless.

He still doesn’t know what he’s becoming—but for the first time, he wants to try. To be better. To be someone who stays.

The war rages on. The stakes only grow heavier. But between the silence and the ruin, a different future begins to take shape.

A canon-divergent rewrite of Seasons 3 and 4. Slow-burn Eremika. Fix-it flavored. Emotional. Messy. Hopeful.

 

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Disclaimer: I do not own Attack on Titan or its characters. All rights belong to Hajime Isayama and associated copyright holders. This is a non-profit work of fanfiction made with love and deep respect for the original story.

Chapter 1

📖 Prologue – A Note Before We Begin

Hey there.

First off, thank you for clicking on this fic. I’ve been thinking about this story for a long time—how Attack on Titan could have gone differently if just one moment had played out another way.

This is a fix-it story. It begins at the end of Season 2, when Mikasa tells Eren her feelings in a subtle way. Except this time… he hears her. Maybe not fully. Maybe not perfectly. But something shifts, and that one shift slowly begins to change everything.

This fic is for anyone who:

Wanted Eren to grow instead of self-destruct

Believes Mikasa deserved to be truly seen

Felt like there was still a future worth fighting for

 

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🗓️ Updates:

I’ll be updating this fic three days a week (unless life throws a Titan at me).
If there’s ever a day I can’t post, I’ll leave a quick note in the End Notes of the last chapter so you’re never left hanging.

This is going to be a long journey—possibly a million words. Slow-burn, canon-inspired, emotionally messy, and filled with all the what-ifs I couldn't stop thinking about.

If you're here for that... welcome. You're exactly where you're meant to be.

Let’s rewrite this story together.