Everyone was busy, frantically trying to figure out what had happened. Eren had come out of a titan body. His body, hissing steam, rose from the neck of the beast. He was unhurt, and according to Armin, had regenerated some of his limbs.
Mikasa could only look at the boy she considered family. She hadn't considered him anything else even when people wondered what their relationship was.
But.
Her tentatively repaired world has come undone. When Armin had told her about his death, something inside of her fell away. The light that guided her had been extinguished. Her only reason to live had been just another casualty in the losing battle of humanity.
Even so, she had dared to hope. Eren wouldn't want her to act defeated. He would smack her on the head to make her understand. Her mind reeled back to when those men had abducted her. All she was was a puppet, frozen, unmoving, uncaring about her fate. When Eren had burst in, something like a small fire lit up. The way he defended her even when she herself didn't care. She wanted that. She got it. She would never hesitate ever again.
She scoffed a little. Now she was hesitating, but for an entirely different reason. The boy in front of her, wounded, seemed more like a man in her eyes. It never really occurred to her to seem him this way even when she'd overheard a couple of girls whispering about them, wondering if they'd kissed. Something warm and tender seemed to envelope her heart, making her yearn for this boy in more than just a familial way.
Her fists tightened on her knees as she straightened her back. This feeling was uncomfortable, making her heart beat faster. Yet it wasn't wholly unwelcome. The thought of a kiss with Eren, it grew to have some merit to her. She reached over towards the boy, her hand hovering. After a brief second, it rested on his head, feeling the locks slip between her fingers. His hair was smooth, but its tendency to spike up oddly made her feel it fit him. Sticking out, that's what Eren did.
Her heart nearly leaped into her throat when Eren moaned. He had a smile on his face. Did she do that? She put a hand to her chest, taking a few breaths to calm herself. Once it settled down, she went back to watching Eren breathe.
"Eren." His name escaped her lips, barely louder than a breeze. Yet it had more feeling than all the other times she'd called his name.
Her mind winded back, thinking about what those two girls had said. A kiss. Her lips, moistened by an unconscious motion of her tongue, tingled and imaged what it would be like. Would it be rough? Would it be sweet? Her lips smacked as her heart steadily rose once more. Her head moved of its own volition, to the point where she hovered over his face.
She felt his exhale and it strongly drove an urge within her that she didn't know she had.
It was a light kiss that she planted on his sleeping lips. His rough, raspy lips that were cracked from dehydration. And it was the most wonderful thing she'd ever experienced. She could feel her heart pounding in her ears, the drums held inside threatening to burst. Yet her mind was silent as not a single thought occurred in that brief moment of bliss.
She pulled away, content, and in awe to have such powerful feelings washing over her. Was this what love was like? She liked it. Her eyes reflected her desire, nestling itself on her lips as a pleasant tingle She leaned forward once more.
"I'LL KILL YOU ALL!" Eren shot straight up, his forehead banging roughly against Mikasa's head. The force knocked out Mikasa, but Eren's adrenaline-fueled dream kept the blow from doing too much damage to them.
He looked over to the side, rubbing his forehead as pain tears threatened to slip down the corner of his eyes. He saw Mikasa, on the floor, a small smile on her face. His gaze left her after a moment as he furiously rubbed his forehead.
"Dammit."