A/N: For the record, I DO NOT see Eren and Mikasa as brother and sister in ANY way, because they are not siblings in any form, She only lived with his family for a year and it has never been stated in the manga or anime that she was even adopted by Eren's family anyway, but for this story, I kind of made it like she was adopted into his home when she was young, so just bare with me.
Mikasa was only supposed to drive him home after he was done working on a physics project with Eren, who he had the bittersweet misfortune to be partnered with against his will.
This meant spending a portion of his Saturdays with him-the person he despised probably the most-but then also getting to be in Eren's house and seeing the girl he'd had the biggest crush on since middle school; Eren's adoptive sister.
The past month had been both a curse and a blessing.
Every Saturday he would go to Eren's house and work on that damn project. It was a good thing they started on it so early because Eren was the worst partner in the history of partners and he was lagging this project out far longer than necessary.
He always wanted to do things his way, he would rage quit when things got tough and then come back to force himself to keep working even when their brains were fried. Not to mention how nitpicky he was about the parts Jean contributed.
The only good thing that ever came from being around Eren was Mikasa, who in contrast, was much more calm and serene.
His peek at her home life every Saturday was his favorite. Eren never seemed to notice how Jean would nervously glance at Mikasa every five seconds whenever she entered the room. Sometimes she would come into the living room where they were and watch TV. He would see her in pajamas, sweats, over-sized sweaters, hoodies, comfy clothes he didn't usually see her wear at school.
She always seemed so reserved and uninterested at school, which made her seem mysterious to Jean. But now he was getting to learn things about her he never knew before. Like the fact that she had a thing for Scooby-doo fruit snacks because she would always eat them upon returning home from school... and he noticed several boxes of them in her room when passing by her opened door once. She liked to watch Americas Funniest Home Videos and would still laugh at the old ones replayed from 1998 that he knew she'd already seen.
He loved seeing her laugh and her strange potty sense of humor pleased him greatly. He didn't expect her to be the type to laugh at fart and poop jokes.
She wasn't a very 'out there' kind of person but she was truthfully a little weird in her own way, and Jean thought it was the cutest thing.
He always observed her from afar. They talked sometimes, but not an awful lot. He could easily keep up a conversation with her, but those times were usually interrupted by Eren and the project, reminding him that he was there for schoolwork and not to fraternize with his partner's sister.
By some fate on this Early November day, Jean was without his car and Mikasa had volunteered to take him home to his complete and utter surprise.
She was only supposed to drive him home.
Yet here they were, leaves crunching beneath their feet, the crisp wind trying to seep its way through the stitching of their hats, her warm, gloved hand clutching his bare icicle fingers. Trees flew by, both of them dodging stray twigs, low hung branches, and jumping over fallen logs that blocked their path every now and again. The sky was a bright, solid white, threatening the first snowfall of the season at any moment to cover the dead leaves and paint the forest with snow to cover the brown that was once a mix of oranges, yellows, and reds.
They were running.
They were running for seemingly no reason at all, adrenaline coursing through their veins, pushing them through the woods. Jean was sure he had never run so fast in his life without being tired. He didn't even think about being tired, it did not cross his mind. All he could feel was the exhilaration, the cold air whipping his face, and the hand that held his.
Mikasa was in front of him. The color of her red scarf was shocking and vibrant in contrast to the dull pallet of the barren woods. She was pulling him along; to where? He didn't know, really. She had spoken of a secret place, a place she and her brother had never shown to anyone, a place of tranquility. She didn't need to explain, he'd follow her anywhere.
When her head turned for a mere moment to glance back at him, it was like the world slowed down. She was smiling at him. Smiling; something she rarely ever did, much less at him. A few of her short, ebony locks managed to peek out from under the knitted hat she wore. Her otherwise pale face now adorned a rosy tint on the tip of her nose and her cheeks. Shell pink lips parted over perfect teeth and formed the most beautiful smile Jean was sure he had ever seen. The sight was a treasure, so he took a mental picture to keep locked away in his mind to never forget.
Jean had been staring so long that he didn't realize they had finally stopped running. Her smile faded and her brows furrowed.
"Jean," She shook his arm. "Jean stop that, we're here, look."
Jean wanted to punch himself for how stupid he must have looked just standing there, ogling at her like some love-struck buffoon. Except that's what he was if he was honest with himself; a love-struck buffoon.
He pushed his embarrassment away and looked to where Mikasa gestured. Where they stood was a makeshift path that lead into a rather large hole in the woods, deep enough to completely submerge yourself into, and wide enough around to feel like a small room. It looked as though it was a spot where the forest floor had caved in long ago. There were a couple old wooden stools and a small matching table in it that were corroded from being outside in the weather for many years. There were also two metal fold-up chairs that didn't seem quite as old, though rusting around the joints.
Jean suddenly remembers that he and Mikasa are still holding hands. He looks down between them to confirm it, and then looks to Mikasa's face. She must notice as well because she quickly pulls her hand from his and begins to walk into the nature-made room before them, convincing herself that the warm blush on her cheeks was from the cold and not because of him.
She gestures for him to come in and he does so, looking around and taking in the little cove. He looks up at the trees above, their leafless branches reaching high into the stark white sky as if they could poke straight through the clouds. The roots of those very same trees weave their way in and out of the dirt walls of the den surrounding them.
Mikasa crouches before a sizable wooden chest that was almost tucked away in the confines of the mossy dirt and undergrowth. She merely swats away the dead leaves from the top and unlatches it, revealing its contents.
Inside were antique board games and toys, probably from around the 30's or 40's if Jean had to guess.
"What is this place...?" He shoves his hands in his coat pockets in fists, trying to regain body heat to his frozen fingers.
"I don't know really," Mikasa gingerly pulls a vintage game box from the chest. Jean recognizes it as the game 'Sorry'. "Eren and I found it when we were young. We used to come out to the woods together a lot... to distract ourselves. I remember one day Eren tripping down that path there and to our surprise, it lead into here. The wooden stools, table, and the chest full of old games were already here. Even then, it felt like it had been untouched for quite some time. Something about it just... pulled us in. It felt so magical, our own little secret hideout..."
Mikasa sat down on one of the stools, which seemed more suited for a child than for someone grown. Jean took his place at the stool opposite her.
She set the game down and removed the cover, only to pick up a wooden pawn and roll it between her fingers. Jean listened intently as she continued on.
"We kept coming back. Over time, we began to fill the chest with toys of our own. Those two metal chairs were brought by us, too. We came when it rained, when it snowed, when it was sunny, almost every day. In the beginning, I only came because Eren wanted to but eventually this place helped me start to think less and less about my parents and gradually get back into the habit of doing things normal kids do..."
She sets the piece down. She hasn't looked at Jean once since she started talking and he understands that she's opening up to him, telling him things she did not discuss with anybody. He knew enough about her to know that her parents had died when she was very young, and Eren's family took her in after it happened.
Though, he begins to wonder why; why had she taken him here? Why was she so suddenly deciding to show this side of herself to him, of all people?
"When Mrs. Jaeger got cancer, we started coming here less and less. When she died, I was sure he didn't come here anymore at all. Eren has always been a rather... intense person but after his mom died, it got worse. He's so reckless, always doing before thinking. Eren doesn't know this, but... his mom spoke to me in private when she found out she wouldn't have much time left. She asked me to look out for him. She apologized for Eren being so hard to handle sometimes, but I couldn't let her do that... the Jaegers took me in when I had nowhere to go, I was and still am very grateful. So I promised her."
Jeans heart caught in his throat when he noticed her voice waver only the slightest bit on the last sentence.
"Mikasa..." his voice was tender and soft, but in the quiet stillness of the woods it was as if he had just shouted. He was so awkward when it came to comforting people, he didn't really know what to say or even if it would help. Her face was turned away from him, her short raven hair providing a curtain for her to hide her expression behind. Was she crying? He didn't know.
"I'm sorry Jean," She brushes a few strands away for better to look at him. "I'm probably not making any sense. I'm just rambling on..."
Her eyes held no tears. He was always so amazed at her skill for hiding and controlling her emotions.
"Why would you say that?" He asks.
She answers his question with one of her own, "You don't find it odd that I brought you here?"
"Yes kind of… well I mean-! Uhm I guess it's odd that you brought me here specifically, I don't mean it's weird that you brought me here to this place… 'Cause I mean I like it… y'know, It's nice being out here with you."
Crap. Insert-foot-in-mouth, Jean. He was rambling like some befuddled idiot.
"Uhm, I mean, y'know, you're a lot easier to hang around than your brother" Okay he needed to shut up now. He felt he was probably only making it worse for himself.
"Ah, not to say that I don't like Eren or anything, we just butt heads a lot." He spoke the truth for the most part. He didn't hate Eren, he just found him annoying. He was very difficult to deal with a lot of the time and that was a well-known fact.
"Oh I know Jean." She catches him off-guard with a small laugh. "Most the time when I'm out in the living room I'm not even watching T.V., I'm listening to you guys argue. It's pretty entertaining. You fight like an old married couple."
Jeans face contorts in disgust and he leans away "Ew, no, stop. How about no. We argue like two guys who disagree. On everything."
Mikasa stifles an amused snort. "I'm surprised you've stuck around this long. If it was bad enough, you could've just asked to have a partner change."
Jean scoffs. Oh, and then not get to see her every weekend? No way.
"Oh, and just give Eren all the power over me? Nah, I won't go crying to Ms. Hanji just because of him."
Mikasa simply rolls her eyes, the hints of a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.
"Well, the due date for the project is getting closer," Jean sighs. "So I won't need to come over on the weekends anymore." There was reluctance in his words. Of course he would be relieved of his duties as Eren's partner, but he wouldn't be able to see Mikasa anymore.
"I think…" Mikasa starts. "You can still come over on the weekends even after the project is done."
"But, why?" Jean asks. "There would be no point."
"Oh, uhm… yeah. I guess there wouldn't be…" Mikasa trails off, noticeably a bit disappointed.
Jean looks at her, confused. Then suddenly, he gets what she means. Hopefully, it really is what he thinks she means.
"Oh, wait, ah! I mean, yeah! I could still come over… on the weekends… if that's what you want! I know I want to, so…!"
"Yeah, I want you to." Mikasa smiles at him again, taking great amusement in the way he stumbles over his words. He seemed to do that a lot when he was around her. She didn't know why, but she liked it. He was the only one who seemed to enjoy being around her. She didn't understand that either, people usually thought she was boring, but he didn't; he liked her.
"Maybe next weekend," Jean starts. "After I'm done working on the project with Eren… we can go see a movie… or something?"
He grins widely, but quickly adds in clarification before Mikasa can reply, "Oh, and by 'we', I mean just me and you…"
Mikasa gives a short laugh in amusement, "Yeah, I'd like that."
She feels something in her chest, like something was tugging at her heart. She'd felt a tugging at her heart many times before, but it was usually drenched with grief and pain, never before had it felt so pleasant. It made her feel warm, spread throughout her limbs, to the tips of her fingers and her toes. Is this what a crush felt like? She didn't have a clue, she'd never really had a crush on anybody before.
She supposed there was always time for a first.
A/N: I never said anything about it, but I felt like in this story maybe Eren's dad was Mikasa's Godfather, and that's why his family took her in.