Disclaimer: Me no own Attack on Titan nor the cover art. All rights go to their respective owner(s)!
Author's Note: I've always loved these type of plots - so I thought to myself 'why not make it into an Eren x Mikasa'? Hope you enjoy!
- IN YOUR ARMS -
The fog is like a wall of white, thick and surrounding Eren on all sides, closing in and rolling across the snow-clad ground. He squints, but he can't see anything ten feet in front him. He spurs his horse, Clyde, onward in the hopes of coming out on the other side, but it doesn't help. Mikasa's hold on him tightens (her horse having been kicked by a titan earlier), her chin resting against the junction of his shoulder and neck, her body keeping him warm from the bite of the cold.
"The smoke flares are useless in this," Eren mutters as quietly as he can, the heels of his boots digging into Clyde's sides. The horse whinnies in response before snorting and picking up the pace. "Think we should turn around and try to find someone?"
"No, there could be a titan nearby. It's best to keeping going forward." Mikasa replies calmly. Eren slumps against her, frowning. They had been assigned to the center of the right flank, but the others suffered a blow by titans which temporarily destroyed the formation. Just as they were about to recover the fog rolled in, cutting off all communication.
"Damn it," Eren hisses, "this is bad. We're like sitting ducks out here."
Mikasa bobs her head in agreement. "We need to find shelter and stay there until the fog clears up."
"If we can find a place . . ." he reminds her with a sigh, focusing back in front of him.
Ten minutes pass before they come upon a place. It's an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere. The roof is caved in on one side, but fortunately the door is on the other end, making access to the inside without breaking out a window and making unnecessary noise possible.
"This will have to do," Mikasa says as Eren guides Clyde to the side of the house. "I'll tie him up, you check out the house."
Eren halts the horse and waits for Mikasa to hop down before following suit. He hands her the reigns. "Don't go too far."
She raises an eyebrow and snatches the strip of leather out of his grasp. "I'm not as careless as you."
"Yeah, yeah," he retorts with a roll of his eyes, the right corner of his lip twitching upward. Mikasa shakes her head and tugs Clyde in the opposite direction. Eren watches her for a moment before heading for the front door of the house. He frowns at the state of the door - splintered wood, peeling paint, and a glass window that's cracked and dirty. He doesn't access it much longer before he reaches out and wiggles the doorknob until the door opens with a soft squeak and groan.
When he steps inside he is greeted by the sight of an old kitchen table and rickety floorboards. A cold draft leaks in from the other half of the house where the roof is caved in, but thankfully the debris covers most of the hole. Titans shouldn't be able to see them unless they peer in through a window or lift the roof up - and if that happens Eren will just try to control the titan (he still hasn't got a firm grip on his new ability) or transform. Due to the house's location, the maneuver gear isn't an option.
"Looks passable," Mikasa says, slipping inside the house quietly.
"Yeah," Eren agrees, turning towards the sixteen-year-old. "Did you bring in the -"
Mikasa holds up a sleeping bag which Eren had rolled up and secured on Clyde's saddle before heading out on the expedition earlier. "This?" The titan-shifter nods. "I'll set it up, just in case we have to stay all night."
Eren looks through the window and runs a hand through his bangs, sighing. "From the looks of it - that fog isn't going anywhere anytime soon." His shoulders tense up. "I only hope the others make it through okay."
Mikasa answers him with silence as she works on rolling out the sleeping bag, but Eren knows she's just as worried about the others as he is - especially about the third member of their trio: Armin. The blond had been positioned further back on the right flank with Sasha and the last they had seen of them was when they fired a green smoke flare. Then a titan attacked and the fog rolled in behind it.
Armin is a capable strategist, however, he isn't so strong physically. Not to say that Eren doesn't believe in his friend, because he does, but Armin wouldn't do so well on his own in the field. Then again, his brain might be able to keep him alive a little longer than most out there.
Armin . . .
The warmth of a hand slipping into one of his own snaps him out of his internal reverie. He glances over at Mikasa just as she laces her fingers between his own. He raises his eyebrows, confused.
"He'll be okay," she says, "we have to believe that."
He takes a deep breath and exhales, the air from his lungs visible due to the cold air. "Yeah, I know."
She steps back (when did she get so close?) and gently tugs on him, coaxing him to follow her. "Come on, you need to rest."
"I can't rest knowing that the others are still out there," he tells her, despite allowing her to push him down onto the sleeping bag. She removes her hand from his and places it against his chest.
"You don't know that."
Eren bites his jaw. She's right. If they're smart, which most of them are (maybe not Jean), they will have sought out refuge in either a tree, cave, or house by now. That is if they were able to find one of the three in the first place. "Still . . ."
"Eren," she says in a stern voice, "we've ridden on horseback for a long time. Your ribs or anything might be injured. You need to sleep."
"Tch," he begins, "even if they were, they've already healed. If anything, you need to rest." He attempts to sit back up but Mikasa pushes him right back down.
"I'll rest later," she assures him. "I'll take the first watch."
Eren huffs, frustrated. "You're too damn stubborn, you know that?"
Her pink lips curve upward. "So I've been told."
"I just wish you'd listen to me for once," he mumbles.
"Hmm, maybe if you'd listen to me, I'd listen to you."
His eyebrows twitch and he groans. "Alright, you got me there, I'll let you have the first watch."
Mikasa nods and stands up. "Good."
Thirty minutes pass and Eren is still wide awake. It doesn't help that he can hear Mikasa's soft breaths and see the way she hunches forward, her body racked with shivers. Not that he can say much; he's shivering despite being wrapped up in his sleeping bag. Then again, winter has always been horrid with temperatures sometimes dropping below zero and the snow getting about two feet deep on occasion.
Being exposed to this cold - it's not good for either of them. He may have titan DNA running through his veins, but that doesn't mean he is immune to illnesses like a cold, the flu, or strep throat. He shudders at the thought.
Mikasa peers over her shoulder, their gazes meeting. "Having trouble sleeping?"
Eren sits up. "Tch, it's hard to sleep when your teeth are clacking together from the cold."
A look of concern flashes in the depths of her opal irises and she immediately moves away from the window, her fingers fidgeting with the button sewn on the front of her coat. "This should help -"
He shakes his head. "You're cold, too, idiot!"
"So -"
"Just shut up and get over here," Eren interjects, pulling the zipper on the sleeping bag down and scooting over to let her in with him. She gives him a look of uncertainty in response. He sighs. "I'm not going to bite - well, not too hard."
Mikasa hesitates a moment longer before approaching the sleeping bag and sitting down beside him. He wraps the excess material of the sleeping bag around her shoulders and pulls her against his chest, instantly becoming warmer. His face heats up, most likely turning redder than it already was due to the cold, but thankfully it's too dark to really notice.
"Thank you," Mikasa murmurs, looking over at him with half-lidded eyes.
"Whatever, just try and get some sleep," Eren tells her, refusing to meet her stare. Not that it matters, she soon slumps against him, her head resting against the base of his neck. He leans back against the wall and releases a small breath of air. For some odd reason, he feels like having her here in his arms is right. But why?
He closes his eyes.
"Come on let's go home together." A young boy reaches out and takes a young girl's hand.
"Home . . ." the girl murmurs, some tears clinging to her dark eyelashes while some of the others manage to escape, landing on the rounds of her cheeks and running down to her jawline before meeting at her chin.
His eyes snap back open. Why was he remembering that all of a sudden? It has been a long time since he recalled the day he first met Mikasa. It had been a trying time for the both of them; she lost her parents, and he took two human lives. As such, it isn't exactly a memory he likes to ponder on.
Eren glances down at the girl resting against him, her pink cheeks slightly obscured from view by the red scarf wrapped around her neck. He reaches up and brushes a few strands of silky black hair from her face, his fingers lingering on her forehead momentarily, surprised when she doesn't stir.
Mikasa is a tense person with honed senses, yet she's let down her guard completely while in his arms. It's her way of displaying the trust she has in him. He feels a smile tug onto his lips. He will never break the trust or the bond that they share. It's something sacred to him - she's his family now - her and Armin.
"There's something I want to tell you, Eren," she said, silently crying while her fingers tremble against his palm, "thank you for being together with me." Her grip on him tightened. "Thank you for teaching me how live." She leaned closer, her lips just a few centimeters away from his own while she touches the scarf around her neck, a broken smile reaching her face. "Thank you for wrapping this muffler on me."
He pulled away from her warmth. "Tch, something like that . . . I'll wrap it as many times as I need to."
Oh, that's what it is, Eren thinks. He may have lost his house and his parents a long time ago, but he never lost his home. No, Mikasa is his home now. He just had been too stubborn to admit it - too blinded by his hatred for the titans and his inability to do anything, to realize what he has had all along - a young woman that loves and cares for him more than anything and has always supported him in her own way.
He buries his face in her hair while pulling her more firmly against his chest. "I promise to be better from now on."
Mikasa awakens a few hours later, feeling more alert and well-rested than she has in a long time. She suppresses a yawn and opens her eyes, pleased when she finds herself still wrapped in Eren's arms. She doesn't remember them falling asleep laying down, however. If she's correct she had put her head on his shoulder while he had been sitting up . . .
Oh well, she's not complaining. When they had been living in Shiganshina, she had fallen asleep plenty of times in bed with Eren. Whenever she had a nightmare she would always go to his room and he would let her crawl in bed with him and snuggle right up to his side. Back then those were the only times she managed to get a good night's rest. Her gaze softens fondly.
Apparently she still needs him for that.
She takes in the sight of his relaxed facial features and smiles. He looks so calm, peaceful, and happy, the usual scowl he wears nowhere in sight. It makes her think of the nine-year-old boy he used to be - the one that was either lazing about while she helped him with his chores or talking about the world beyond the walls with wide-eyes - the one that risked his life to save hers when she had nothing left to lose and helped her find her footing in a cruel world.
"Such a dark and bleak world," she murmurs, reaching up to cuff the side of Eren's face, her thumb grazing the right corner of his lips, her heart racing, "but I've found my light."
Eren's eyelids part, revealing shimmery teal irises glazed over with sleep. He leans into her touch as if drawn to her and yawns. "Mikasa?"
"Go back to sleep, it's still too early."
His eyelids slant back to their previous position, but she can still tell he's restless based upon the way he mindlessly pulls her closer to him (not that she's complaining). "The fog?"
She removes her hand from his visage and glances briefly at the window, not surprised to see the white wall of mist clinging tightly to the glass. "Still there," she answers, returning her gaze onto Eren, only to see that he has already fallen back asleep. She hesitates a moment before allowing her fingers to run across his chest, up the side of his neck, and rest on his cheek once more.
"I've loved you for so long, Eren," she whispers, propping herself up on the elbow beneath her, her face just an inch or two away from Eren's. "I'm too afraid to tell you this while you're awake," she adds, voice trembling with unshed tears. "It's stupid, I know," she says, "because - because one of us could be gone in a blink of an eye; we don't have the privilege of knowing that we'll have tomorrow. But I don't know what I'd do if you rejected me . . ."
She closes her eyes and shifts forward, "I love you so much - and I will until I take my last breath, just know that," she trails off just as she presses her lips against his, the tears finally falling from her eyes -
..
..
..
..
..
..
Warm, calloused fingers wipe the tears away, startling Mikasa.
Her eyelids fly open, her dark stare being met with Eren's turquoise one. Before she can apologize or even begin to form a coherent thought, he is returning the kiss with equal fervor, his hands cuffing both sides of her face, his fingers buried in her hair. He gently rolls her onto her back, their lips still connected in a passionate series of kisses, all of which send shivers down both of their spines.
It's as if Eren is returning her feelings with every kiss, each screaming 'I love you' over and over so she doesn't forget - and she won't. She wraps her arms around his neck as he shifts his weight, one knee resting between her thighs while he removes one of his hands from her face to the floor beside her head to support his upper body. They briefly break apart to catch their breath before going back in for a second round, Eren's free hand settling on her hip.
Mikasa takes his bottom lip between her teeth and gently sucks before he pulls away and penetrates her mouth with his tongue. She moans causing his entire body to vibrate as her back arches and her toes curl in her boots. Eren deepens the kiss in response, coaxing her into fighting back with her tongue, the slick muscles rubbing and sliding past one another as they delve into the other's mouth, indulging in every dip and hollow.
Eventually they separate, both heavily panting and staring into each other's eyes. Within Eren's gaze, Mikasa can see the love and affection he holds for her no longer obscured by anger and guilt. She returns the gesture as best as she can, allowing the walls she built a long time ago to come crashing down, a wave of strong emotions washing over her in a warm blanket as if a dam just broke.
Eren must see this, because one of his hands soon finds its way back to her face, his fingers gingerly caressing the scar on her right cheek, a pained look crossing his features. She quickly places a hand over his, her fingers slipping in the gaps between his. "Stop," she says, leaning into his touch, "it's just you and me. Focus on that."
The left corner of his lip flicks up. "Just so you know . . . I," he pauses to take in a sharp breath of air, "I love you, too. I just suck ass at showing it."
Mikasa's heart flutters in her chest. "Eren . . ." she mumbles, breathless and in awe. Her cheeks become pink.
Eren looks away and rubs the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed. "You're looking at me weird."
"I am?" she questions, eyebrows raised. The brunet flops over onto his back, forcing Mikasa to lay across him. "Eren?"
He shuts his eyes, one hand laying against his abdomen while the other tightens around her waist. "Just go back to sleep, will ya?"
Mikasa doesn't complain, nor take offense to Eren's words, because they're so in character. He isn't one to share his feelings unless it's anger - and she knows this. She doesn't have to pry to understand, because she's the same way.
She nuzzles closely to his neck, taking in his scent - sweat and something masculine and appealing. She smiles against his skin as he lets out a contented sigh before allowing herself to slip into unconsciousness.
"There they are!"
Jean Kirstein snaps out of his thoughts, his head whipping around so fast to face the direction that Armin is currently pointing in that it's a miracle he doesn't receive whiplash. The moment he sees Mikasa's face peeking over Eren's shoulder, he releases a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, his shoulders alleviated of all tension. She's safe.
Eren rides up on his horse, eyeing the others (most likely to see who all is present and who isn't). "What the hell happened?" Levi demands in his usual cold tone of voice, his blank eyes focused on Eren and Mikasa.
"Yeah, those of us that managed to make it through rendezvoused at the forest like we planned," Hange chimes, eyebrows arched over the rims of her glasses.
"We had to take refuge in an abandoned house," Eren answers.
"I meant before that, shithead," Levi adds in a grumble.
"We got intercepted by a titan just before the fog rolled in. We got separated from the rest after that." Mikasa explains calmly, her hands visibly wrapped around Eren's waist, her chin propped up on his shoulder. Jean's eye twitches.
"Very well," Levi says, leading his horse past Eren's. "Let's head out."
Jean rides over to Eren's horse. "Are you okay, Mikasa? This idiot get you hurt?" he inquires, bobbing his head in Eren's direction.
"Fuck off, Kirstein," Eren growls out, narrowing his eyes.
"No, in fact, he saved my life," Mikasa answers, a blush on her cheeks. Jean feels a pang of jealously stab deep within his chest. He looks away, his face red.
"Tch, for once," he grumbles, frowning.
"I'll make up for all those times she had to save my sorry ass," Eren retorts, looking down at Mikasa with a fond expression. Jean blinks, shocked. No way!
"You two . . . I know that look!"
"What the hell are you going on about?" Eren demands, scowling over at the older teen. Jean tightens his hold on the the reigns in his hands.
"Are you two a thing or something?!"
Please say 'no', please, because Jean doesn't know if he can handle rejection like that in its greatest form. He's the one that has always liked Mikasa - treated her like an equal - saved her from certain death when Reiner and Bertolt had kidnapped Eren -
Eren and Mikasa look at each other bashfully, both now with pink flaring across the bridges of their noses.
Jean feels like a part of himself just died - he was too late. He sniffles disheartedly and focuses on the ground ahead of him. Fuck my life.
END
Yay! Another EreMika. I missed writing about them. They're my favorites!
I feel this story is slightly different than my others. At least I hope so. Anyways, I think they're more open with their affections here. It does involve a small time skip after all - and I feel that Eren and Mikasa's relationship altered after the events of chapter 50 - like they're more comfortable around each other - more understanding.
Anyways, please drop a review and tell me what you think!