a/n: originally published on ao3 september 12, 2015.
"Good news dude," Connie said, flopping down on the couch beside Eren. "I found you a date."
"Um," Eren replied.
He was holding a small get-together at his and Armin's apartment to mourn the end of spring break and the beginning of the new quarter. With Armin studying abroad for the quarter, it made shopping and preparing the apartment more of a rigorous task than usual. It didn't help that now he had someone-accidentally and otherwise-distracting him every step of the way.
He tried not to look at her now when Connie mentioned a date.
"Is that so?" Eren said, forcing himself not to glance toward the kitchen, where he could hear Mikasa's voice.
"Yes siree," Connie said. "My co-worker asked me if I could introduce her to any of my friends, and I asked her what kind of guys she's into, and she said, 'Oh Connie, only the loudest, most obnoxious ones for me, and make sure they don't brush their hair...'"
Eren gave a fake laugh for Connie's benefit, but as Connie went on, Eren was trying to think of a way out of this. His friends had been becoming more and more persistent about trying to set him up since their junior year of college began, finding it pathetic that he was twenty-one and had never dated.
Well, he was dating someone now. Yet as much as he would like to wipe the sympathetic smirk off Connie's face, Eren couldn't tell anyone he was seeing Mikasa.
It was out of love for their best friend Armin that he and Mikasa had been keeping their relationship a secret for the last two weeks. They wanted to tell him in person, and didn't think a lagging Skype call to Spain would suffice. Armin had been encouraging Eren to figure out his feelings for Mikasa for years, and soon after they started dating Eren learned that Armin had been doing the same for Mikasa. They knew he would be delighted by the news, and they wanted to see the look on his face, even if it meant keeping quiet for three months.
"So she's free Saturday night," Connie was saying. "And I know you are too."
"You know nothing," Eren said.
"Eren, we're in the same study group on Saturday afternoons," Connie said, rolling his eyes. "And literally every week you say, 'Bye guys, gonna go home and do nothing the rest of the day.' And half the time me and Sasha come over anyway and you're always home doing, guess what, nothing."
"Well aren't you smart." Eren actually was busy this Saturday night, for once. He and Mikasa had made elaborate plans to go to the nice movie theater that just opened in the next town, the one with the oversized reclinable seats. They were going to squeeze into one, mix a bag of M&M's in with a bag of popcorn, and poke holes in the plot of the latest Marvel cinematic disaster.
Of course, since it involved Mikasa, he couldn't mention this to Connie. Eren and Mikasa had been best friends for ten years and it wasn't unusual for them to hang out together, but they didn't want to encourage any rumors. Eren was already far too aware of the way he was drawn closer to her, how he wanted to linger when he hugged her, how the sight of her made him smile embarrassingly. He didn't need anyone else catching on. Not yet.
"So you're in?" Connie asked.
"Um," Eren said, watching Mikasa head down the hallway toward the bathroom. "Excuse me for a sec."
Leaving Connie waiting, Eren leapt off the couch and hurried after her. She turned when she heard his footsteps, out of sight from the others.
"Hey Eren, wh-" Mikasa cut off when he took her by the arm and steered her into the bathroom.
"We've got a problem," Eren said, closing and locking the door behind them.
"Okay?" she said, looking concerned.
"Connie's trying to set me up. Like on a date."
Mikasa raised her eyebrows. "You too, huh?"
"What?"
"Oh yeah, Ymir was telling me about this guy on her co-ed wrestling team, real subtle."
"This guy" didn't have a name or a face, but Eren couldn't help hating him a little anyway. "Hm. What'd you say?"
"Swooned and accepted immediately, of course," Mikasa said.
Eren snorted, and for a moment forgot about his own situation. There was something about the familiarity of her that never failed to ease his stress. Most people saw Mikasa as a cold person, but he could hear a laugh hidden in the flatness of her voice, and it was like coming home in the first light of morning after a long trip.
Mikasa tilted her head at him, and he became aware that he was staring. Eren cleared his throat abruptly.
"Anyway," he said. "Connie wasn't being subtle, and he's probably texting this girl right now telling her that I can't wait to see her this weekend. What should I say?"
"Tell Connie to go out with her himself if he's so interested in dating. Make it all about him, it'll keep him off you."
"Maybe for a minute, he's too damn nosy."
"Him and Ymir both."
"Oh God, what else did she say?"
"She thinks you've been posting too many pictures of us together lately."
Eren frowned, feeling indignant. He had a social media habit, and everyone knew it, so he assumed nothing would seem amiss if he happened to share a bunch of selfies of him and Mikasa.
"People know we're friends," Eren said. "What's wrong with that?"
"Well, usually our pictures have Armin in them," Mikasa said. "And usually we're not all dressed up."
"Hm."
"Hm," Mikasa agreed. "Looks we both have a lot to learn about this secret dating thing."
"Guess so," Eren said, and he gave her a small smile. Mikasa's hair was growing out, and the choppy ends hung over her face when she ducked her head to look at her feet, but he could still see a smile of her own. Even in the dingy light of his cramped bathroom, looking at her was enough to make him feel content and buzzy. He was still getting used to seeing her like this.
Sometimes he wondered if it could be love.
"Um, Eren…" Mikasa stepped closer, and laced her hands with his.
"Yeah?" he breathed.
She leaned in slowly toward his ear, her soft hair tickling his cheek and making him squirm.
"I have to pee," she whispered.
He laughed, and let his head fall to her shoulder.
"Right, that's uh. Why you were coming in here."
"That'd be why," Mikasa said, and he could feel her smiling against his temple. "And I know we've known each other forever, but I think the rules say we need to date for more than two weeks before we can pee around each other."
"Yeah, I remember reading that one." Eren pulled back, squeezing her hands before dropping them. "I'll let you, uh...get to it then."
"Oh, and Eren?" Mikasa said as he turned toward the door. "I thought of another way not to encourage rumors."
"What's that?"
"Don't drag the person you're secretly dating into a bathroom and lock the door."
"Hm," Eren said thoughtfully. "I'll have to keep that in mind."
Mikasa snorted and closed the door on him.
So they had something to work on. They'd figure it out, and after all, how long could three months be?
For the most part Mikasa had no problem keeping her relationship with Eren a secret, being a private person in general. At the moment she was more worried about scraping by spring quarter of her junior year with a 3.0, something becoming increasingly difficult the further into her major she went.
However, there were times when she wished they could just get it over with and go public. For example, when Ymir and Historia were throwing an engagement party and they had to bring separate gifts instead of saving money on a joint present. And when they had to drive separately to said party instead of saving on gas. And when Eren showed up to said party looking like that, and she couldn't even dance with him.
They had gone dancing last week, to sample more "coupley things," as Eren put it. Neither of them were very good, with Mikasa's movements being too rigid and Eren's a little too wild, but they enjoyed poking fun at the music and each other. In any case it was nice just being close to him.
Watching everyone dancing together at the party, Mikasa found herself missing that closeness already.
Ymir and Historia had rented out the rec center of their apartment building, and it was packed, which at least made it easier to avoid Eren. Mikasa was spending most of her time hovering by the refreshment table with Sasha, who was currently chattering excitedly about her upcoming track meet.
"You're going to come, right Mikasa?" Sasha asked. "It's this Saturday."
"Yeah, I think I can make it."
"You better! Hey, how's your paper for Zacharius going?"
"It's, um-"
Mikasa broke off when she felt a buzzing in her purse.
"One sec," Mikasa said, and dug her phone out. She unlocked the screen to see a text from Eren.
8:56 p.m.
Love your dress
She raised the phone to her mouth to hide her growing smile, and glanced around the room. She found Eren slipping his own phone back into his pocket, leaning against the opposite wall and staring far too innocently at one of the globe lights in the ceiling.
"Oooh, who is it?" Sasha said, making a grab for Mikasa's phone.
"No one," Mikasa said, holding her phone out of Sasha's reach. "Wrong number."
"Sure. Well, whoever it is, go ahead and text them back." Sasha downed her drink. "This is my favorite Gaga song, and I'm gonna go find Connie."
Mikasa waited until Sasha had disappeared into the crowd before looking back at Eren. He met her gaze and the room felt warmer than it already was. Even ten yards apart it was a wonder everyone couldn't tell what was between them. What they had was old and new at once, easy in how well they already knew each other, and exciting in what they still had to learn.
She tore her eyes away to send him a text.
8:58 p.m.
That new shirt looks cute on you
From across the room she saw him smile, scratching the back of his neck almost shyly. Mikasa smiled too, then decided to try and get a different sort of reaction out of him.
8:58 p.m.
Wonder how it'd look on my floor
Mikasa stared at him, expressionless, as she hit send. A moment later he checked his new message, and immediately lapsed into a sort of coughing fit, turning bright red.
Deciding to leave him with that, she walked away from the table, passing several dancing couples, including Sasha and Connie, each of whom seemed to be trying to lead the other unsuccessfully. Mikasa had just caught Annie's eye and was on her way over when she felt her phone buzzing again.
9:00 p.m.
Mikasa Ackerman, was that a sext?
"Hey, Annie," Mikasa said. "Sorry, just a sec, gotta get this sent."
9:00 p.m.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Mikasa stored her phone away in her purse and turned her attention to Annie, her friend from high school fastpitch. Parties like these weren't normally Annie's scene, and Mikasa could relate to her on that level.
They talked for a while about Annie's efforts to put together an intramural team, and when Mikasa felt her phone vibrate she ignored it for a minute. When Annie's friends Reiner and Bertholt came over and Annie had other people to focus on, Mikasa snuck a peek at Eren's latest message.
She could see why it had taken him ten minutes to respond; it was long, and rather detailed. She exhaled slowly, sweeping her hair off the back of her neck to get some air.
While the others weren't watching her, Mikasa typed a quick response.
9:11 p.m.
Meet me outside in five minutes
She rejoined the conversation, hoping she didn't sound too distracted. After about thirty seconds a real distraction arrived in the form of an arm slung around her shoulders.
"Hey, Reiner, Bert!" Eren said brightly. "Annie...Mikasa," he added as an afterthought.
Mikasa turned her head to look at him properly, biting her lip against a smile. It was a little too obvious for him to act like he didn't know her as well as the others; they had been close friends too long for them to get away with that. She had to admit, keeping their relationship a secret had its perks, such as getting to watch Eren make a dork out of himself trying to hide it.
Though with his sudden appearance at her side after he had gone and worked her up with his latest message, it was all she could do to hide it herself.
"Just making the rounds," Eren said. "See you guys around, yeah?"
"Uh, yeah…" Reiner said, a little taken aback by the quick farewell.
"Great," Eren said, and gave Mikasa a friendly pat on the shoulder before lowering his arm. "Five minutes," he whispered into her hair as he passed, low and close enough to make her shiver. It was a miracle no one else noticed.
"Is he leaving already?" Annie asked, watching him go.
"Oh, he texted me earlier that he's having car trouble again," Mikasa said, waving a hand. "Probably just going to check it out."
"Serves him right for refusing to give up that clunker," Annie said, and Mikasa was grateful that she wasn't the sort to pry.
"Does he need any help?" Reiner asked. "I can come take a look."
"Oh, it's all right," Mikasa said. "He probably just locked the wheel again. I'll go check it out."
She gave them a wave before turning and heading for the door, trying not to walk too fast or too eagerly.
It was an unseasonably cold April night, and she pulled on the sweater she kept hanging over her purse. Mikasa walked around the side of the building, seeing no one. She was about to quietly call out to him when someone grabbed her wrist, tugging her toward a nook between the building and the ice machine.
"That wasn't five minutes," Eren said, looking smug.
"Oops," she said unapologetically. With her hands on his hips she nudged him up against the side of the building. "That was some text there."
"You didn't even blush," Eren complained. "You're like, the master of poker face. I-mm-hate you," he said, stuttering a bit when she started kissing his neck.
Mikasa still had enough presence of mind to remember she didn't want to go marking him up right before they had to go back inside, and so she stopped after one more light kiss below his ear.
"You cold?" she asked when he shivered under her hands.
"No," he said, a little breathless.
"Ah," she said. "Wait, say you're cold. I want to use a line on you."
"I'm cold," Eren said, already amused.
"Then let me warm you up," she said, as soppily as she could. It sounded so remarkably unlike herself that Eren burst out laughing.
"Oh my God," he said He leaned in to kiss her, still laughing in puffs of air through his nose. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms more firmly around his waist, and the joke was forgotten.
Eren used the ends of her sweater to pull her flush against him as they kissed, a little longer and slower each time, both of them aware they wouldn't be going too far when they were still relatively out in the open. Mikasa let her fingertips play along the edge of his shirt, the soft blue button-up he looked so good in. She remembered the text she had sent him earlier and couldn't help chuckling against his mouth.
"What?" Eren asked, his voice lower and rougher than it had it had been a few minutes ago.
"I'll tell you later," she said, leaning back in.
Mikasa didn't register the sound of the main door opening several yards away, but she did become aware of the sound of footsteps coming closer after a moment.
"Shit," she mumbled, and pushed herself away from Eren. They each attempted to smooth down their clothes, but when she saw Eren's red face and mouth by the streetlight, she knew there was no way to hide what they had just been up to.
Ymir appeared a moment later, holding a large empty tin.
"Oh! Um, hello," she said.
"Hey," Mikasa said, regaining her breath quicker than Eren. "Saw you were running low on ice, so we thought we'd come get some."
"Thanks, I've got it from here," Ymir said. Even in the dark Mikasa could see the way Ymir was smirking.
Mikasa and Eren stepped aside and Ymir opened the door, beginning to shovel ice into the tin.
"So," Ymir said. "How long has this been going on?"
When Mikasa and Eren both stammered denials, Ymir paused and turned back toward them.
"It's okay," she said. "I won't tell anyone if you're insisting on this secrecy thing."
Mikasa looked at Eren, who shrugged and gave her a grimace that seemed to say might as well.
"Since spring break," Mikasa said.
"So...like, a month now," Ymir said. "Okay, how'd it happen?"
"Um." Mikasa looked at Eren again. They hadn't told anyone the story yet, and she wasn't sure how she was supposed to tell it. "Well."
"We went to the beach," Eren said, saving her. "Like we always do, except this time Armin couldn't come because of Spain. And eventually I just sort of...asked her if she wanted to go out sometime."
"That cannot be it," Ymir said, raising her eyebrows skeptically at Mikasa.
Mikasa didn't know what to add. It was hard to put into words what had changed that week, and what had really been changing slowly for years. How they couldn't help noticing the way they avoided each other's eyes when suddenly stuck together for a prolonged time. How fidgety they both got when their hands accidentally brushed, without school or other friends to distract them from their embarrassment. How Eren had finally mustered up the courage to tell her the way she made him feel, how relieved she was that she wasn't alone.
"That's basically it," Mikasa said.
"God, that's boring," Ymir said, laughing and shutting the door of the ice machine. "I was going to at least tell Historia, but now I won't even bother."
"Congratulations, by the way," Eren said.
"RIght back at you," Ymir said.
She left to go back inside, and Mikasa turned to Eren.
"So one person knows," she said.
"Two, really," Eren said. "You know she's still going to tell Historia."
"But that's okay, right?" Mikasa asked. "It won't get back to Armin."
"No, we can trust them. In any case they've got themselves to focus on for the next few months."
Mikasa felt reassured. "True. Let's go help them celebrate."
So as not to look suspicious, she let Eren go back in first.
Two more months. They could make it. Hopefully without anyone else finding out.
For a midterm project, Professor Zoe assigned their geology class a partnered presentation. Normally Eren would have turned to Armin to help him through, but as it was he ended up with Jean, the only person in his class he knew well. They had been something like friends since junior high, though their friendship had been punctuated by squabbles about everything from football to Mikasa. Jean had been a little too vocal about his interest in her back then, and Eren once convinced himself that the reason he had hated Jean for it was due to friendly protectiveness. It took him a few years and a talk with Armin to realize he had actually been jealous.
Eren wished he knew how to ask Jean about his feelings toward Mikasa now without being obvious.
They were studying together for the presentation in Eren's room, Jean sprawled out on the bed like he owned the place and Eren twirling absentmindedly in his desk chair.
"So if you're doing the conclusion," Jean said, "could you also do the discussion questions?"
"Sure," Eren said, and scrawled a note to himself on the paper he had spread out over his textbook.
When his eyes had glazed over the same paragraph on aquifers eight times, Eren knew he wasn't going to survive this without a sugar rush.
"Snacks," he said, and leapt off the bed. He crossed the room to his dresser, where he still had a stash of old Halloween candy mixed in with his socks.
"Eren," Jean said after a moment. His voice sounded so eerily like Eren's mother's when she caught him doing something wrong that Eren felt a nervous twinge of guilt before he could even ask Jean what was up.
He turned around and was horrorstruck to see Jean gingerly holding a pair of women's underwear in one hand.
"Um," Eren said, trying to sound confused rather than caught. "Where did you find that?"
"Right here under the blanket."
"What were you snooping around in my covers for?" There, turn the tables on him, the asshole. That'll make him drop it.
"How long have you been sleeping with Mikasa?"
"What makes you think it's hers?" Eren demanded, his heart speeding up. "And put them down, for god's sake."
"I know it's hers, unless there's another girl who likes her underwear with little cartoon axes all over the front." Jean held it up higher to show Eren, then tossed it over the side of the bed.
Eren knew he couldn't argue with that. He remembered how it made him grin when he saw her in them the night before, how he teased her for her violent tendencies in between kissing each cotton axe, how her own laughter turned to sighs.
Mikasa had woken up late for class that morning, and he supposed that was why her underwear had been forgotten. If only he could have been one of those people who made their bed more than once a month.
"Look, Jean, you can't tell anyone, all right?"
Jean frowned. "Okay…"
"Especially not Armin."
"Why?"
Eren explained. Jean looked a little suspicious, but agreed not to talk.
They were both quiet for a minute, and Eren went back to his desk, taking a small pile of candy with him.
"Jean…" Eren began, feeling it was as good a time to bring it up as any. "You're not...you weren't still into her, were you?"
"No!" Jean said, quickly and sincerely enough that Eren immediately believed him and felt better. "No man, I'm over it, trust me."
"All right," Eren said, and tossed him a Reese's cup as a gesture of good faith.
Jean tore it open, looking more at ease already. "So...how long have you two been at it?"
"We're not just sleeping together," Eren said defensively, and felt his ears go red. "We've been dating for two months. And I dunno, I think this might be the real deal."
"After two months?" Jean said, raising his eyebrows.
"Oh come on, you know how long me and her have known each other."
"I don't, actually. You two have been this...thing before I ever met either of you."
"Well, we've been together for a really long time, even if we only recently got together together. She's always been there for me, and I guess I always want to be there for her, too. She…" Eren broke off, staring at his knees. "She deserves that."
"Wow," Jean said thickly through a mouthful of Reese's. "You really love her, don't you?"
Eren was never sure what it was before, but he had been thinking about it, and he thought Jean was right. It began as a yearning that ached almost like real pain, and had relaxed into something more soothing ever since they started dating. It was a swell of happiness when her name lit up his phone during class. It was the way everything fell into place when he finally got to kiss her at the end of a day. The way he couldn't imagine the rest of his life without her there. If it wasn't love, Eren didn't know what it was.
Jean took Eren's silence as confirmation. "Does she know that?"
"No." Eren said.
Jean threw his empty wrapper at Eren, a gesture that would have been more impressive had it not twirled limply in the air and landed back in Jean's lap.
"Idiot," Jean said. "Why not?"
"What if she doesn't feel the same?" Eren asked. "I mean, I can tell she likes me well enough, but-"
Jean groaned. "You are the dumbest ass I have ever met. The only reason I didn't ever ask her out back in high school was because of how obviously in love with you she was."
Eren felt his stomach swoop. "What?"
"I so don't have the patience for this. Let me know when you've figured it out, I'm going to try and shoot for a solid C+ on this project."
"But-"
"Nuh uh, I'm done."
Jean held his textbook firmly over his face, and Eren went back to twirling slowly in the chair. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense that Mikasa could love him back, but he worried about upsetting what they already had. In the last two months she had made him happier than he thought possible, and he didn't see the point in potentially ruining it by revealing something too soon.
In any case, they still had another month to get through, in a secrecy that had just become less secret. Once Armin returned home, then they could work out the details.
Just one more month.
Mikasa liked going to a college less than an hour from her hometown. It was far enough away that it felt like an escape, and close enough that she could make day trips in cases of emergency. When it hadn't rained in a week, for example, and her cousin Levi texted her at five thirty in the morning, asking her to take care of the plants he had forgotten to water before work. He had even included an exclamation mark, which for him was truly a cry for help.
Knowing she would make it back in plenty of time to get properly ready for class, Mikasa didn't bother to change out of her pajamas before jumping in the car.
The sun had risen fully by the time she pulled up in the neighborhood that had been her home since her parents died and her cousin became her legal guardian. Mikasa knew where to look at avoid the glare of the sun on her windshield, which slabs of pavement to avoid if she didn't want them coming loose, and where to slow down before the road dipped suddenly.
When she stepped out of the car she saw something else endearingly familiar, in the shape of a person coming out of the house next door. Carla Jaeger was standing on the front step and squinting in the bright morning sun, arms folded over her bathrobe.
"Mikasa?" she called, surprised and delighted.
"Hi, Carla," Mikasa said, waving at Eren's mother.
Carla hurried down her driveway and Mikasa met her halfway in a hug.
"What are you doing here at this hour?" Carla asked when she let her go.
"Watering," Mikasa said.
"I see," Carla said, knowing how Levi was about his lawn. She followed Mikasa next door and trailed after her as she hosed down the grass and plants.
Partly through telling Mikasa about the latest neighborhood news, Carla stopped talking. When Mikasa looked up to see what was wrong, Carla was frowning, scrutinizing Mikasa closely.
"Isn't that Eren's shirt?" Carla asked.
Mikasa looked down at her torso, at the red letters spelling "Maria High School Soccer." She might have been able to pass it off as someone else's, if not for Eren's number emblazoned right on the front.
"Yeah," Mikasa admitted, trying to pass it off as no big deal. "He let me borrow it last night."
Carla's eyes widened.
"Not-I wasn't staying over or anything," Mikasa said hastily. She swept the hose over a row of bushes, trying to appear unconcerned. "The laundry machines at my apartment were all broken, so I ran over to borrow some clothes, that's all."
"So you borrowed from him, instead of Sasha, or someone closer to your height?"
"He was closest, so…" Mikasa's heart raced when Carla continued to look unconvinced.
"You wouldn't lie to me, would you, Mikasa?" Carla asked.
"Of course not," she said earnestly.
Carla nodded, but her eyes showed hurt, and Mikasa felt a horrible pang of guilt. Carla Jaeger had stepped up as a substitute mother since the day Mikasa moved in next door, doing everything from showing up at all her fastpitch games to providing a place to cool off when Mikasa got into a fight with Levi.
Mikasa sighed. Sorry, Eren.
"Okay," she said. "Me and Eren, we, um…we've been dating."
Carla gasped, and a smile began spreading over her face before she remembered she was supposed to be cross.
"How long have you two been keeping this from me?" Carla asked sternly.
"Look, the only reason we didn't tell anyone is because Armin's away, and we didn't want-"
"How long?"
Mikasa cringed. "Eleven weeks?" In her head, it sounded better than almost three months.
"Eleven-" Carla sputtered, then started back toward her house. "Come with me, young lady, we've got some things to talk about. And I hope you're hungry."
Mikasa hurried to shut off the water before following.
Carla, to her credit, waited until she had placed an enormous plate of breakfast food in front of Mikasa to resume interrogation.
"So, it must have been over spring break, right?" she asked, sitting in the chair next to Mikasa.
"Yeah," Mikasa said, swallowing a bite of scrambled eggs. Carla remembered that she liked extra hot sauce, and Mikasa felt affectionate toward her, even as Carla continued to look disapproving.
"And when were you planning on telling me?"
"It's like I said, we were going to tell everyone once Armin got home. You would've been the very next person, of course," Mikasa added quickly.
Carla looked slightly mollified. "Armin's lucky I love him."
Mikasa smiled, and tucked into her hash browns.
"You love him, don't you?" Carla asked.
"Armin?" Mikasa said. "Sometimes he'll text me these weird theories on the world in the middle of the night, but otherwise-"
"Eren, honey."
"Oh." Mikasa looked down at her plate, trying to appear greatly interested in her breakfast to avoid eye contact. "Well..."
"I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable, Mikasa," Carla said in a surprisingly gentle tone. "He's my son, but you know I've always loved you like my own, too. You can be honest with me."
Mikasa wished she could express how much it meant to her to hear Carla say that. Instead, she settled for giving Eren's mother the honesty she deserved.
"Yes," Mikasa said. "Very much," she added in a mumble, and tugged at the collar of Eren's shirt in a vain effort to hide her reddening face.
Carla beamed. "I thought so, but it's so nice to hear it from you."
Mikasa smiled at the table, and Carla leaned over to kiss her on top of the head.
"You're both still in trouble though," Carla said, standing and going to the sink to start on dishes. "I'm thinking lawn-mowing duty for at least a month this summer. And the attic could use organizing, too."
"Sounds good," Mikasa said, chuckling.
She wondered how Eren would react when she told him Carla knew. They only had another week until Armin got home, but based on their success so far, that would be enough time for half the junior class to find out.
Eren had his alarm set to go off in five hours so he could pick up Armin from the airport. He had planned on getting to bed much earlier, but he had gotten the last-minute whim to run to the supply store with Mikasa. Now his room was filled with brightly-decorated "Welcome Home" posters they could hang tomorrow, and he thought the effort was well worth the lack of sleep.
"He better like them, that's all I have to say," Mikasa muttered, her eyes closed. From the scant amount of streetlamp light filtering through the window, Eren could see a few specks of decorating glitter still stuck to her cheek. She was completely still under the blankets at his side, dressed only in a tank top and boxer shorts, much as he was. Yet where she already sounded close to sleep, Eren felt wide awake.
"He will," he assured her. "Man, I can't wait to see him."
Mikasa grunted in acknowledgment.
"And hey, we can finally go public."
She snorted at that. "Yeah, for the three people on the planet who haven't already figured it out."
"Aw, we didn't do that bad."
Mikasa smiled, opening her eyes and waking up a bit.
"It's been hard," she said thoughtfully, turning a bit to look at the ceiling. "But maybe it's a good thing we had to keep quiet for a few months."
"How so?" Eren asked.
"It's like a trial run, you know? To see if we'd even work out."
"What, did you think we wouldn't?"
When Mikasa remained quiet, Eren sat up.
"Mikasa?"
"Just…" Mikasa traced absent-minded patterns on the pillow for a moment, avoiding his gaze. "For as long as I liked you, I never imagined we'd be here. So sometimes it's just a little surreal. And I know we're still young and there's a lot of ways our lives can go, but I want to you know I'm glad for this, whatever this is."
Mikasa was the strongest person he knew, and the new vulnerability in her voice made his throat tighten. Eren didn't want her going another second doubting how he felt about her.
"Mikasa, I love you."
She finally met his eyes, her own wide in surprise.
"You-"
"You don't have to say anything," Eren said. "But I love you, more than in the way I've always loved you as a friend. I wasn't sure, because I've never loved anyone else like this, and I don't think…"
He stopped, wondering if he was saying too much.
"What?" Mikasa asked, her face slowly lighting up into something so hopeful and sweet it made him ache for her.
"I don't think I ever will," he finished.
Mikasa sat up beside him. She gently took his face in her hands, sweeping her thumbs over his heated cheeks and pressing her mouth to his. Eren kissed her back, without hurry or hesitation.
After a minute she pulled back enough to speak, staying close. "I love you, too."
Eren's heart fluttered madly. "Yeah?"
Mikasa looked surprised. "Of course I do."
Eren was sure he looked rather dumbstruck, but found himself unable to care. As he grinned and leaned his forehead against hers he heard a rustling of keys outside.
"Weird hour for the neighbor to get home," Eren said. Mikasa hummed in agreement, her eyes closing.
A key slid into a door, much too loud and close for it to be the neighbor's.
"Shit!" Eren launched out of bed, sending Mikasa sprawling. He scrambled to find a suitable pair of pants.
"Who is that?" Mikasa whispered as she hurried to put on more clothes. Outside his room Eren heard the front door opening.
"Who knows, too many people have a key to this place," Eren said. "Armin's grandpa, I think Armin even made one for Jean, oh and my mom…"
"Your mom already knows," Mikasa reminded him.
"Yeah, but do you really want her catching us like this?" Eren asked, already cringing at the idea.
"Shit," Mikasa muttered, pulling a shirt hastily over her tank top.
"I'll go first," Eren said. "Come out after a few seconds, real casual, like we were just watching a movie."
"Right."
Looking presentable, Eren opened his door and saw the last person he expected.
"Armin!" he said, shocked. His best friend was standing in the entryway, bags over his shoulders and a sunburn peeling all across his face.
"Surprise!" Armin said cheerfully. "Caught an early flight and I didn't want to wake you up if-"
There was a small thud in Eren's room, as if Mikasa had knocked something over in her efforts to dress quickly in the dark. Armin looked slowly toward the room at the end of the hall, then back at Eren, who was still too surprised by Armin's sudden appearance to say anything.
"Who've you got back there?" Armin asked. Eren inwardly cursed him for being far too shrewd, even when jet lagged.
"Hey, c'mere," Eren said, and took the bags from Armin, setting them down so he could give him a proper hug. "I haven't seen you in forever."
"You're changing the subject," Armin grumbled, but hugged him back tightly. "So who is it?"
"Well, it's uh...I have some news for you…"
"Oh hey, Armin!" Mikasa said happily, walking in from behind Eren. "You're home early!"
Armin pulled back from Eren, his jaw dropping as he looked from Eren to Mikasa.
"How, um…" Mikasa faltered at the odd look on Armin's face. "How was your...flight?"
"Fine," Armin said slowly. "Your shirt's inside out."
"Oh." Mikasa looked down at it. "Yes it is."
Eren met her eyes, and they both shrugged in defeat. It wasn't how they planned on telling him, but Eren supposed it would have to work.
"So," Eren said. "Armin."
"Oh my God!" Armin exclaimed, his face splitting into a wide smile. He threw an arm around Eren's neck and his other around Mikasa's, bringing them both back in for an even greater hug. "You idiots. You finally figured it out. God, I love you."
Eren wrapped an arm tightly around each of them. This was what he had been waiting for, and it was more worth it than he could have imagined. After all, Armin had known long before Eren what he and Mikasa meant to each other. There had plenty of times throughout their lives when Eren had to admit that Armin was right, but this time was by far the best.
"Wait, does anybody else know?" Armin asked, pulling away enough to look at them both.
Eren and Mikasa glanced at each other.
"Well," Mikasa said, and Eren laughed.
"You were supposed to be the first," Eren said.
"As it turns out, we suck," Mikasa said.
Armin nodded slowly, not understanding, but looking amused nonetheless.
"We can tell you about it in the morning, though," Mikasa said. "You must be exhausted."
"Oh hell no," Armin said, holding up a hand. "I want to hear this whole thing now, and then I can tell you guys about how I almost got killed by a bull."
This caused Mikasa to gasp and immediately ask about his wellbeing, despite Armin clearly being alive and whole before them. As Armin tried to reassure her, Eren watched them both with fondness.
"Staying up sounds perfect," Eren said, cutting them both off. "I'll get snacks."