Fandom: SnK, Aot
Pair: Bert/Mikasa
A/N: Oh god I did it. I wrote a Bertholdt/Mikasa story. I'm trash hahaha. -cries-
Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me.
Reviews are welcomed and greatly appreciated.
'Eren.'
He's the one thing thats been on her mind ever since she's regained consciousness. The one name that recycles itself through her head at all times.
'He's safe. With Corporal Levi.'
Thats all that mattered to Mikasa. His unconscious self had been grabbed by Levi and the two had rode off. It had been a difficult choice to let go of his hand, but it was either that, or have the titan that had sunk its teeth into her arm at that moment kill them both.
Her mind could only fathom why Reiner and Bertholdt had saved her. After all, she didn't think the blond man could so easily forgive her for slicing off his hand in the midst of her cold wrath. No, she knew why. Bait. Leverage. They were going to take their chances to barter. Her life for Eren's release to them.
She scoffed. If was a pointless gamble. Eren was worth so much more to humanity than her life, even Mikasa believed that.
She struggled to turn her broken leg off the bed, trying to gain the strength to at least stand up on her own. Her 'babysitter' was right outside the door of the small homely room they kept her in, having recently brought her food. So she couldn't afford to fall and make too much noise, or the tall man would barge in, gently scold her, and carry her right back into bed. The dark-haired woman turned to her goal.
The window.
She wanted to see outside, to try and figure out where the two titan shifters had brought her. Holding onto her bandaged and stitched arm, she stumbled towards the window with small shaky steps. She had almost lost her balance once, before she caught herself.
'Almost. There.' She thought, hands reaching out to steady herself on the sill. She pressed her forehead against the glass, letting out a long exhale that wasted no time fogging up the window. She appeared to be in a shambled three-story building, with a couple of building that were barely standing or completely demolished.
'This is probably….. One of the outside villages that had been overrun by titans. Perfect for hiding out.' She pressed her hand against the glass.
Then something flickered in the corner of her gaze. She looked up to see a moth, struggling frantically to escape from the large spider's web it had become trapped in.
"You're going to die…" She said, although the message became unclear as to whether she was speaking to the moth or herself. The white winged creature continued struggling, and Mikasa remembered seeing a similar scene when she was younger. A Mantis had caught a Butterfly, and she had watched as it was killed and devoured. A strange sense of sympathy hit her then.
"No. I'll save you…" She whispered, reaching a hand up to try and untangle the moth. Her fingertips barely grazed the bottom of the web. "Come on!" She spoke, louder this time. She leaned up on her tip-toes, managing to snag the bottom end of the web and tearing it apart. She heard the door creaked open.
"Ackerman? Whats going on?" It was Bertholdt. Whatever he said next was lost on Mikasa as she focused on saving the moth from its fate.
'Please just a bit longer. I can save it, I can…' She thought, reaching as far as she could manage. She heard footsteps right behind her and found an arm wrapping itself around her mid-section and carefully lifting her up. Her fingertips were now able to reach the moth, and soon a larger hand encompassed her own as Bertholdt's fingers curled around the top of the web before he tore it down completely.
Mikasa now held the white dusted creature in her palm.
"There! Always hated spiders….Nasty things… Least we saved the little guy there right?" The taller man laughed, albeit nervously, as he slid his free hand underneath Mikasa's knees to lift her up into his arms. "Now its back to bed, your leg is never going to heal if you keep forcing yourself on it." He chided lightly, long strides leading him back to the bed in no time. He set her down on it. He watched as Mikasa cupped the small moth in one hand while she carefully removed the excess webbing from it.
"This world is cruel…But also very beautiful…"
Bertholdt blinked, surprised. This was the first time he had heard her speak to him since he and Reiner had brought her her to heal and then hope to trade her for Eren. He thought about her words.
Yes, this world could be cruel in all forms. But Bertholdt had seen beauty in it, in sharing the peaceful times that he could spare with his comrades and with the trainees he had come to somewhat care for. In the forest that surrounded them. Even in this woman, who despite had threatened and attacked Reiner and Himself, he found her beautiful. And not only in appearance. Her earnest love for Eren, her devotion, her skills in combat, her fearlessness, her care for her friends.
He used his pointer finger to softly stroke a half-circle over her palm, brushing against the moth in the process, along with a lining of white dust.
"I think we're all moths here. Every now and then someones a butterfly. But we're all trapped. But sometimes a helping hand can make all the difference in the end…" He said softly.
Dark orbs belonging to Mikasa flickered to his face, before her thumb bent to meet his skin.
"Yes."