Chasing After
Eren's brow furrowed as sweat beaded across the crease of his forehead. The corners of his lips twitched over and over and his fingers slowly clenched and unclenched. He was having those dreams again… She had always been able to tell ever since they were little, but whether they were just dreams, nightmares, or something in between she wasn't sure. Every time he did this something deep in her gut would always pull at her anxiously- almost as if to tell her to take note or to be wary. Maybe they weren't so much dreams or nightmares as they were prophetic visions…
She folded a small towel and gently swabbed the sweat away then carefully rested her palm against the corner of his forehead just above his left eye. But the trembling didn't stop; in fact it worsened. His eyebrows started to twitch downward, the left corner of his mouth started to twist in a sort of grimace, and she could hear his breath start to pull in short heavy rasps. She let her right hand slide down to hold his cheek, and she clasped his right hand with her left. What kind of dream… "Eren," she called softly. She would always call to him like this- try to wake him, keep him from seeing whatever it was that causing him distress. But there was no response. "Eren," she called again, firmer; there was simply more trembling. "Eren," she said once more, trying not to get too loud. Sometimes she was able to wake him- sometimes she wasn't, and it seemed that this would be another one of those times where she would have to wait and wonder what it was he saw.
Mikasa retrieved the towel again to wipe more trails of sweat from his face before she lowered her lips to his ear to try again. "Eren, wake up…" she told him. Eren was deeply lost in his dream. She looked over him solemnly and carefully for a while. Finally, she rested her head upon his chest as she held his hand. It was something she had done more times than Eren was aware of- holding his hand and wishing the nightmares away. Mikasa had never told him though. He never liked it when she "babied" him, and she was sure he might respond to this in the same way he had responded to her protection so many times before. So she simply stayed quietly by his side as she had before for so long.
Mikasa let out a long sigh and clasped his hand a little more firmly. She could feel his shaking chest and quick heartbeat through his shirt. Each tremble felt like it were a small string of his own emotion leaking from his dream and snaking its way into her chest. They were like that for a minute or two, her head on his firm but shaky chest, her eyes slowly switching between the twitching features on his face and the open window. Those words from earlier came creeping back into her mind. "It felt nice actually…" Eren had said, "Enough that I almost felt like I wanted to die."
Her grip quickly tightened on his hand as she buried her face in his chest. No, she thought, it won't happen like that. I won't let it.
That was when a light knock came from the door. She picked her head up to see Armin and Jean walk in. Something about Jean's eyes seemed to light up a bit as he entered and saw her, but something else immediately made it disappear as a slight frown tugged at his lips. Mikasa noticed that seemed to happen every other time he caught sight of her and Eren. She ignored it and turned to Armin.
"So he's still asleep, huh?" Armin remarked softly as he sat in a chair at the end of the bed. Jean leaned against the wall closer to the door.
"He's been sound asleep for a while now," Mikasa replied.
"Well, I hope he decides to get up soon," Jean cut in. "No doubt the commander's already drawing up our next plans, and Eren should be up and moving when it's ready to go- not lazing in bed all day." Mikasa's eyes sharpened at Jean.
"It was a long and tough fight," Armin said calmly as he observed Eren, "He deserves a little rest. But even so, with his regenerative titan power, I imagine it shouldn't be too much longer before he's up."
"Lucky bastard," Jean muttered under his breath. Mikasa had seen his lips move but hadn't made out what he said.
"So what did they say about Eren and the Survey Corps?" she asked Armin.
"It would seem everything is clear, at least for now." He raised his gaze to meet hers, "But there's no doubt that they'll still be keeping an eye on everything, what with all the damage done to the city and Annie's escape." Armin could tell by her eyes that Mikasa was worried about something, and judging from the way Eren was trembling it had to be about nightmares he was having again.
Armin had seen those two shake with nightmares countless times since the fall of Shiganshina. Many a night between that time and their enlistment in the military they would all huddle close and hold each other as they slept, usually with Armin looking on worriedly. Even still to this day he felt bad about it. No one should have to go through the things those two did, and what made him feel worse was the fact that there wasn't anything he could do to take those nightmares away.
Armin glanced at Eren before looking back to Mikasa and softly patted her knee with reassurance. She gave him a small smile.
"Yeah," Jean commented, continuing on Armin's note, "I doubt they can hardly turn a blind eye to everything we're starting to cost them."
Armin picked up there, "But it is a price that has to be paid if we, if humanity, ever hopes to defeat the titans." He closed his eyes. "I just hope they come to see that sooner rather than later." Silence filled the room as the stakes settled in on their minds again.
Armin opened his eyes and stood up, "Anyway, we just wanted to come by and check on you on our way to eat. You want me to bring you and Eren back something?"
She gave a small nod, grateful for Armin's insightfulness, "If you wouldn't mind."
Armin nodded and turned to walk out the door. Jean followed but paused for just a moment as he gave one last glance towards Mikasa and Eren- then he shut the door. Mikasa's gaze lingered on the floor for a bit, unsure of what to think. Finally, she looked back over Eren and, seeing no sweat to wipe away, rested her head back on his chest. But a cold shiver slid down her spine when she did; Eren still had yet to stop trembling.
