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Armin had never given up on Eren. Ever.
From the time that they were children, Armin had always known the true potential his best friend had held. He had seen it ever since the day Eren had confronted him in the alleyway when they were just kids. He had been the first person to treat Armin with any kind of respect, the first to listen to Armin's dreams without judgement-- and not only that, he shared them, shared his vision of seeing the unknown, of discovering all new places, having new experiences that they could never have inside the walls. His passion shined through, his ice gray eyes a beacon to Armin.
He had never given up on his friend. When everyone else thought that he was an uncontrollable monster, he knew differently. When they called him the hope of humanity, he remembered who Eren truly was underneath that title. When Eren learned the truth of how he inherited his powers, when he nearly gave up on himself, he continued to stand by him.
Even when they finally saw the ocean. Eren had been shattered by the things he had seen in his father's memories. He had been too devastated to truly enjoy the sight of the ocean. Armin had known that his friend had been changed irrevocably by all that he had been through.
It was almost no surprise that Eren had chosen to attack Marley. That he had fought with everyone. With Armin. That his entire demeanor had changed. He had known why, though he didn't understand. He had always known Eren to be rather violent and vengeful, but he had never known the other boy to want to exterminate entire cities. He had always been far more compassionate than that.
Armin still hadn't given up on him. He knew that Eren couldn't have changed so completely inside. Eren could never lose his spirit, his will to protect others. Armin knew there had to be some reason, some motive behind his actions. Eren couldn't have become the enemy.
Armin would never give up on Eren.
And when the smoke cleared and Eren's true motives were revealed, when the conflict between Marley and Eldia finally came to an end, Armin knew why he had never given up on Eren.
He had known Eren his entire life, understood him better than anyone else. He had known that Eren must have known what it was he was doing, even if no one else could quite understand what it was. He knew that deep down, Eren still loved his friends, loved humanity, that he was still trying to save everyone. So he couldn't give up on him, even as he watched his friends give up on Eren, one by one.
Armin would never give up on Eren.
Because he had always known who Eren truly was.
And he knew that that would never change.