Mikasa was outside. It was the middle of the night, and the stars that painted the universe shone brightly on her, lighting up her pale skin, and her blue eyes were which looked as though they were glowing. She gazed at the stars, her mouth quivering slightly from the cold wind that pierced through the night, sending chills up her spine. She lifted her maroon scarf slightly over her nose, the soft materiel tickling her nose.

This is when she heard the wooden door behind her, creak open and felt the warm air from inside the house hit her, easing the cold for just a moment before it shut again. Mikasa turned slightly, her eyes tracing the man who was behind her. She felt her shoulders ease, as her lips turned upward into a tiny smile.

"Eren…"

Mikasa gazed at him, her eyes lighting up. There he stood in his pajamas, his coat wrapped sloppily around his shoulders, and his green eyes gazing back at her, their forest green color captivating her, and drawing her in, making her wish she could just fall into his arms.

Eren smiled slightly as he sat down by her on the hard ground.

"Hey Mikasa. What are you doing up?" he asked, running his hand through his messy brown hair, his tan skin contrasting with the bright glow of his eyes.

Mikasa itched to scooch closer, but held herself back with much trouble, her hands gripping the white cloth of her nightgown.

Almost as if he read her mind, Eren scooched closer, to where their shoulders brushed. Mikasa felt her heart pick up, it's pounding in her ears, as she found herself going rather breathless, but held herself together as some color reached her cheeks.

"I couldn't sleep, that's all. What about you?" Mikasa asked, trying not to feel so gleeful over the fact that he kept looking at her, and her only.

"I couldn't sleep either," Eren answered simply, his fingers brushing against her hand, and he quickly noticed how cold they were. Eren's gaze turned to worry.

"Mikasa…you're freezing!" Eren realized then, noticing that she hadn't put her coat on. Mikasa looked down slightly, but was unable to stop staring at his beautiful eyes, that were always one of the most gorgeous things she had ever seen.

"…I'll be fine…" she said, unable to help the special feeling of knowing he was worried about her, and cared.

Eren shook his head, slipping his coat off, and slipping it onto her carefully. Mikasa's cheeks turned red, as she felt the warmth of the coat and the gentleness of the way he slipped it on.

"Eren…" Mikasa struggled to speak, unable to find the words needed to say. She didn't want him to go cold as well, but didn't want to refuse the kind gesture, which wasn't something she was used to from him.

Eren blushed at her gaze, trying not to meet her eyes but failing as he let himself get sucked into the world of beauty that she had always given him when she looked at him like that.

What he was feeling was something he couldn't understand, and wasn't quite used to. It held too much beauty to describe, and he really wanted to tell her about the feeling, to let her know of the strange way he felt when she looked at him, and when she smiled, and when she showed any kind of worry or happiness, but he was too scared to for the fear of her thinking him strange for those emotions.

But he wasn't aware that she had been feeling this for longer than she could comprehend, and had already accepted it, and had figured out what it was, and longed to tell him but was scared he'd reject her, and that would be too hard for her; too hard for the girl worth a hundred soldiers who could stand against everything except for one hardheaded boy who was full of fire, but was passionate.

"Eren…you'll get cold too…" Mikasa said, preparing for him to get angry with her, but much to her surprise, he didn't get the slightest bit angry.

"I'll be okay. I'll just go get a coat if I get cold. Anyway, how long have you been here?" Eren asked, and Mikasa suddenly realized that he was paying more attention to her than he usually did.

"…Two or three hours…" Mikasa answered. Eren sighed, his breath steaming up in the cold air.

"Mikasa…you really should be more careful, and at least bring out a coat. You could catch hypothermia," Eren said. Mikasa looked away, feeling slightly ashamed.

"…I'm sorry…" Mikasa said quietly, looking down.

Suddenly, Eren felt a surge of guilt which also came with the feeling of sadness that she had stopped looking at him with those unbelievably beautiful blue eyes, and suddenly he wanted to apologize and wrap her up in his arms and stroke her, and that's what led to a surprising action that he couldn't hold himself back to.

He took her hands, and pulled him towards her, gently embracing her frame in his arms.

Mikasa, having been completely off guard, suddenly went breathless, unable and completely forgetting how to breathe, as her face went red, surprise becoming the only thing she could feel.

Eren's eyes widened, surprised at what he had just done and feeling a sudden guilt surge through him.

"E-E-Eren…" Mikasa stuttered, unable to find the words she needed. Eren panicked, releasing her as the two looked at each other, cheeks red and flustered.

"Mikasa…I-I…um…I'm sorry, I-" Eren began, unable to meet her gaze when she was looking at him like that.

"N-no, it-it's fine Eren…" Mikasa assured, feeling a strange sense of hope that maybe, just maybe, he felt the same way she did.

That's when, suddenly, somehow, as if the atmosphere around them had changed, the two looked up at each other, their eyes meeting. The two immediately knew, without any words, knew what they were both thinking.

The realization for Eren was so quick and surprising that he wasn't sure how to react.

He loved her. Eren Jaeger loved Mikasa Ackerman. He loved her, every inch of her, from hair to toes, from smiles to tears, from her voice to her silence, and he even loved the flaws she had.

She was the most amazing, beautiful, perfectly-imperfect person to him, and he even loved the feeling of loving her. He wanted her. He needed her. He didn't care whether she loved him back or not, as long as she was happy, he was happy.

And as he opened his mouth to speak, he realized that his eyes were filled with tears. And as he prepared the words, his eyes traced the beautiful form of a beautiful girl who was gazing at him under the starry universe, and the moon that ruled this bright sky shone bright onto her.

But the universe meant nothing to him compared to her.

"Mikasa…I love you…" Eren said then, as he intertwined his hands with hers, relishing the feeling of her small yet strong hands in his.

Eren absolutely adored her reaction. Her cheeks went bright red as tears formed in her eyes, and she opened her mouth to speak, closed it, then opened it again as she readied herself to speak, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Eren…I love you too…" Mikasa said, her heart feeling as though it was soaring in a sky of pure joy and relief.

Eren's heart pounded loudly as he removed almost reluctantly removed his hands from hers, cupped her cheek with one hand, and waited a moment for her approval. Her eyes filled with understanding, and she smiled tearfully, meaning it as a yes.

Eren pulled her to him, not rushing her or going too slow, but finding the perfect time to take as he closed his eyes, ready.

The warm feeling of two lips locking together in a loving and beautiful moment was one neither would forget. Mikasa's eyes fluttered shut as they remained locked together, relishing the feeling of pure beauty. Eren began stroking her hair softly as he wrapped one arm around her, pulling her closer. Mikasa continued to cry tears of happiness as the two continued the kiss, allowing themselves to get lost in this beautiful moment.

When the two pulled away, they locked eyes and Eren smiled as he continued stroking her hair lovingly, his other hand stroking her back softly.

Mikasa closed her eyes, happiness the only thing she was able to feel. She allowed Eren to lift her up and cradle her in his embrace, keeping her safe and warm.

Mikasa looked up at his face, and he looked down at her, the two leaning in once again and locking into yet another kiss. When they pulled away, Eren continued running his hand up and down back, gently and softly. Mikasa shivered slightly under his soft touch, which was something she had longed for for so long.

"Eren…" Mikasa said softly, her voice quiet. Eren smiled when she curled into his chest, her head pressed against his chest to listen to his heartbeat which had always been the most comforting thing to her.

"You're so beautiful, Mikasa…" Eren mused, making Mikasa blush. He usually wasn't like this, so it was a special moment.

"Eren…" Mikasa whispered once again, her cheeks deep red as he stroked her cheek. Mikasa closed her eyes, enjoying it. She was so happy she could cry.

Eren then slipped off her coat and scarf, and wrapped them both around the two, tying them together.

Mikasa didn't open her eyes once while he did this and simply allowed him to, trusting him. She trusted him too much to be on edge or on guard. He would never purposely hurt her. That was something she knew for sure. And that was what safety and true love was.

When Eren looked back down at her, he realized she was sound asleep. He smiled at the peaceful and serene look on her face, not wanting to bother her. He continued to stroke her cheek, and held her close and tight, making hundreds of silent promises to her.

'I promise never to hurt you.'

'I promise to keep you safe.'

'I promise to protect you from anybody or anything that attempts to harm you.'

'I promise I'll never leave you.'

'I promise to love you forever.'

Eren softly planted a kiss on her forehead, soft and sincere, knowing that love was the only thing he could ever feel when he was with her.

Eren then lifted her up, struggling slightly but she wasn't as heavily muscled as she was before because of not being able to put strain on her ribs.

Eren cradled her in his arms as he opened the door and stepped inside, still tied to her from her scarf.

Eren walked to her room, and laid her down on bed, slipping the scarf off of his neck but re-wrapping it around her. He was about to get up and leave, when a very tired Mikasa gripped his hand. Eren turned back to her, and she didn't even have to open her mouth for him to understand.

Eren laid down by her side, and she curled into his chest, releasing a content sigh.

"…I love you, Eren…"

"I love you, Mikasa…" Eren replied as he wrapped his arms around her and the two drifted to sleep in each other's embrace.

Just two teenagers, finding solace in each other in a broken world. Just two tiny specks in a universe of stars, and planets, and millions of heartbeats and breaths taken every second. Just two people who were forced into the shoes of a soldier, and shared each other's weight on their shoulders.

They were just two people who could fade away at any second, and yet to them, none of it mattered, because they loved each other. And that was all that mattered to them.