'Eren, this isn't a good idea. She's going to kill you.'

'Shut up, Armin. She's gonna love me for this.'

Armin scoffed. 'This won't be the only reason.'

'…and what is that supposed to mean?'

Armin rolled his eyes. 'Nothing.' Some people see less than the blind, he thought, a bit amused. He pulled his bag higher up on his shoulders; a tell-tale clink emanated from the contents that had been dislodged in the process.

They continued to walk on in the darkness, down the path they had trudged so many times that they did not need light to guide them. Soon they reached Room 102. As Eren had predicted, the lights were on; she was awake.

'Must be studying,' said Eren shaking his head disbelievingly. 'At this hour, no less!' Armin ignored him and rapped softly on the door, so as not to wake the occupants of the neighbouring dorms, and waited patiently. There was no response. Eren shifted the package he was holding onto one hand and used his other to open the door. It was unlocked.

'Eren!' hissed Armin reproachfully. 'This is a girl's room! When will you learn to respect privacy?!'

'It doesn't matter! It's just Mikasa!' Eren swung the door open, strode into the room confidently and began 'Mika–!' His eyes hit her still form quietly dozing at her desk, using her book as a pillow. Her pen had fallen from her hand. Her deep breaths punctuated the still night air of the room like the sound of water flowing in a steady brook. Eren shook his head, laughing silently. She has exhausted herself to sleep, he thought. Carefully, he placed the package he was holding on her bed and walked over to her. The light from her lamp fell softly across her features, illuminating every sharp curve of her face and getting lost in the ebony black of her sleek, short hair.

He knelt down beside her and placed his hand gently on the side of her face, his thumb automatically caressing her cheek as he whispered close to her ear, 'Mikasa?' She stirred a little, and the light caught her features at a different angle – Eren stared unabashedly at the way her lips seemed to glisten under this new angle. He found himself transfixed, as he had done several times in these last few months, by the beautiful rosy pink crescents which seemed to tempt him so –

'Dude, maybe we should let her sleep…' Armin walked in and stopped short at the expression on Eren's face. He smiled inwardly, as he dumped the bag at the foot of her bed (more clinks). Eren hastily got up and withdrew his hand. 'Armin, it's her 18th birthday. I am not letting her sleep it off!' Besides, thought Eren, this year marks a special year in our friendship.

Mikasa's birthday signalled ten years of friendship between herself and Eren. They had met at the tender age of eight, when Eren had pulled her hair as he whizzed past her and her father outside the department store, on a skateboard. He remembered the moment clearly. She had whined in anger and he had turned back and given her one of his brightest, most dazzling, most mischievous smiles. She was caught aback, and stared at him, confused. He later went home to discover that they were their new neighbours, and that Mikasa's father remembered him from the afternoon. He remembered feeling incredibly embarrassed that first night they went to greet their new neighbours. Carla was angry, of course, but Mr. Ackerman laughed it off, saying that Mikasa did not get hurt so it was okay. When the adult talk had become boring, he had sought Mikasa out and dragged her to his porch to play with his toys, and found that she was brilliant at hide-and-seek. He found out that that day was her birthday, and to make up for his having pulled her hair, he quickly made a crown of leaves for her while she was hiding, and placed it on her head when he found her. He vividly remembered how red she had turned when he did so, but had thought then that she was probably feeling cold.

A beep suddenly sounded from his watch, signalling midnight.

'Wha–?' said the present day Mikasa, startled awake by the sound. She looked up and around. 'Eren! Armin! You… I must have dozed off.' She frowned. 'How did you get in?'

'The door was unlocked' Eren waved dismissively. He gave her a wide grin and pulled her onto her feet. 'Happy Birthday, Mikasa!' he exclaimed as he drew her into a big hug and buried his head in the crook of her neck. Mikasa's cheeks flared red and Armin was sure she was glad that the hug effectively prevented Eren from noticing this. He snorted. 'Thanks, Eren' she whispered.

'Happy Birthday, Mikasa' Armin said and pulled her into a hug after Eren. 'Eren's got a surprise for you.' She turned around and looked at Eren, who only grinned mischievously at her. 'You're legal now, you know.' he said, reaching into the bag.

'Eren!' she said, a mixture of amusement and exasperation written across her face. 'I told you I am not interested…' but she couldn't stop the smile that appeared on her face.

'Oh, come on, Mikasa! Drink with us. You'll love it–' Eren couldn't finish his sentence, for at that moment, her door burst open and in came Jean, Sasha and Connie, screaming 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MIKASA!' as loudly as they could, given the hour of the night. Sasha grinned and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. 'We got you booze! You can drink now! You're gonna love it' she exclaimed excitedly, 'I used to have it all the time with father when he celebrated a good catch!'

'Hang on,' said Eren. 'I already got her booze.'

'Well, the more the merrier, is what they say, right Jaeger?' Jean said, as he and Connie walked up to Mikasa and wished her. Mikasa looked star struck. Armin was sure she didn't expect to see so many people tonight, all for her birthday.

'Thanks, you guys… I really appreciate it. But is the alcohol absolutely necessary… not even allowed in the dormitory…' she began.

'Absolutely!' 'Of course it is!' 'How else will you celebrate coming of age?!'

Armin smiled at her unease and hesitation. 'Try it, Mikasa. If you don't like it, we will agree never to ask you to drink again, how does that sound?' There were squawks of protest at Armin's suggestion, but they soon died down after Mikasa slowly nodded her head in acceptance.

'Excellent.' Sasha moved forward and moved the gifts her party had brought aside. In no time, she and Eren had set up a little space in the middle of the floor, and had poured out measured amounts of an incredibly strong beer into 6 glasses. Eren saw Mikasa smell hers and wrinkle her nose at it. She looks adorable when she does that, he thought, smiling to himself.

'To Mikasa!' yelled Connie, and they all clinked their glasses.

Jean, Sasha and, impressively, Armin (who wasn't a fan of alcohol) downed the contents of their glasses in one go. Eren raised an eyebrow at Armin, who just shrugged. 'Hey, if I'm drinking tonight, might as well get drunk and have fun', he said. Eren grinned, and looked to his side, where Mikasa sat staring uncertainly at her glass. 'Go on, taste it,' he nudged her. 'It's an acquired taste, so don't get scared if it stings you initially.' Mikasa frowned. 'Alcohol does not scare me.' She said it very seriously. With that, she threw her head back and downed her glass as well. Once she was done, she put the glass down with a soft thump. She was quiet for a minute. 'Not bad…' she said. Cheers erupted all around the room, as Eren, grinning, poured them all a second round.

xxxxx

'Never have I ever been kissed by a guy,' said Connie, and looked around eagerly, glancing for a second too long at Sasha, who looked slightly guilty and downed a shot of vodka. Jean too, looking greatly embarrassed, swallowed his shot, eliciting gasps from everyone in the room. 'Seriously, Jean?! Who was it?!' screamed Sasha in excitement. 'Just a guy… my first kiss. We were curious,' said Jean, a little too casually. 'What about you, Sasha?' She glanced at Connie before saying 'He was just a friend, from pre-school. We didn't know what we were doing…'

It was well past midnight, and the effects of the alcohol were slowly starting to hit the six teenagers. Armin was humming tunelessly to the soft music they were playing in the background, and Sasha was leaning heavily on Connie's shoulder, having drunk quite a bit herself. Mikasa hadn't moved a muscle since she started drinking, all the while sitting resolutely beside Eren, who was wondering how high her capacity really was. 'My turn!' screamed Jean with a shit-eating grin on his face, swaying drunkenly as he raised his shot glass. 'Never have I ever survived an urge to punch Jaeger in his gut!' Eren scowled at him, while Connie and Sasha groaned. 'That was too particular to you, Jean!' he said, as he, along with the others, downed a shot. Mikasa took a second too long to finish hers, and Eren looked at her, concerned. She turned to him and gave an unbelievably bright smile. 'Are you worrying about me? I'm fine, Eren! I'm really enjoying this. I did not know alcohol can make one feel so relaxed, or I would have had it ages ago!' Eren raised an eyebrow while Armin and Jean laughed.

'Looks like it has finally kicking in for her. I wonder if she'll be one of those crazed drunks,' said Jean impishly. Mikasa glared at him. 'Watch your words, Jean-bo. I am not a crazy woman. I can still take you on in this state.' Jean didn't look like he doubted it. Eren, strangely satisfied with this, raised his glass and said, 'Never have I ever kissed a girl.' To general surprise, Armin took a shot. 'I'm not revealing anything so don't ask,' he said before anyone could comment. Eren gave him a knowing look and Armin nodded. Annie.

Sasha then coughed consciously and took a shot as well. 'What, you've kissed a GIRL too?!' Connie exclaimed, dropping all pretences. Sasha looked extremely guilty and started mumbling apologies. 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It isn't what you're thinking… It was just… I'm sorry…' Connie looked unconvinced and extremely upset. Sasha pulled his hand and yanked him to his feet as she got up. 'Come on, Conn, there's something we need to do,' she said. She seemed steadier than Connie and guided him out the door, bidding everybody a good night and hugging Mikasa once more, before lightly pecking her on her cheek. 'Mikasa, you're one of my best mates. Everything is in place tonight. Strike while the lightning rod is hot, or whatever it is! Love you, babe.'

Eren frowned at her. 'What was that all about?' Mikasa gave a very un-Mikasa-ish giggle as she replied, 'Oh, nothing!' Eren's frown deepened. He looked around. Jean and Armin were the only ones left apart from them, and they both looked quite sloshed. Jean was dozing off and Armin was reading a book upside down. Eren thought it would be safe to leave them alone.

'Come on', he said and pulled her to her feet. She stumbled into his arms and gave another giggle as she clutched him for support. He quickly grabbed the package he had brought and guided her outside her room. 'Where are we going, Eren?' she asked, as she clutched onto his arm. Eren unconsciously covered her hand with his and said simply, 'To my room'. She uttered a small 'Oh.'

xxxxx

The walk from Mikasa's room to Eren's room had been a long one. She had never let go of his arm the entire time, and he had never let go of her hand. Once they had reached the room, he pushed her inside and locked the door. Eren turned around to see Mikasa shyly standing at the centre of his room; for some reason, she seemed hesitant to touch anything in his room that night. Eren drank in her appearance: her dishevelled dark hair, her simple tan t-shirt and her green pleated skirt. He walked slowly to her and looked into her dark eyes, and felt something deep within him ache. He held the package out between them, and softly whispered, 'Happy Birthday…' My Mikasa, his mind finished. Wait. My Mikasa?

She took the package and smiled, a very genuine smile. 'Thanks, Eren.' She opened it to reveal and hand-knit maroon scarf and a crown of leaves. She looked up at him, surprised and pleased. Eren grinned and said, 'To commemorate our 10th year of friendship.' Something in her eyes went dull at his last word, and she looked down, smiling a little sadly. 'Thank you very much, Eren.'

Eren stared at her carefully. Was he imagining her sudden sadness? What happened, my Mikasa? Wait. My, again?

'I wish all your wishes come true, Mikasa…' Eren said, as he pulled the scarf he knit from her hands and clumsily wrapped it around her neck. Mikasa looked into his eyes as he did so, with a twinkle in her eyes, and said, 'You can make my biggest wish come true, Eren.'

Eren continued to stare at her, trying to figure out the meaning of her words. The intensity of her gaze bored into his eyes, and he found he couldn't look away. There was that ache within him again. The alcohol slowly clouded his mind, while at the same time making his thoughts very clear.

My Mikasa. She had always been his. Hadn't she? He couldn't remember a single day from their first meeting when he hadn't spoken to Mikasa. His life wasn't really his life without her in it. Yet over the past few months, simply having her next to him hadn't been enough. He wanted her alone more often, and couldn't stand it when too many people were around them. Even Armin seemed to be an imposition sometimes, something that was a new realisation to Eren. Unlike the others, however, Armin, being perceptive, seemed to realise this and had stayed away whenever he realised Eren wanted to be alone with her. But each time he did so, he had his all-knowing Armin-grin on him, which made Eren want to punch him. So had Armin figured all this out? Figured out that Eren had changed in his behaviour toward Mikasa? That their hugs always lingered a few seconds longer? That Eren glared down every guy who looked Mikasa's way? That he found solace and peace when looking into her dark obsidian eyes? That every time in these few months, when their skins had come into contact, he had felt electrified? That every time this happened, she quickly pull away from him too?

He had always loved Mikasa as a friend. But just as a friend? Or is there something more?

Eren looked down at Mikasa as his thoughts slowly cleared. Her eyes seemed to be searching his for something, desperately. Eren's eyes glanced over her lips, which were reddened by the alcohol, and he was possessed by a sudden desire to bite and mark them.

My Mikasa.

Yup. Definitely not just as a friend. But did she feel the same way?

You can make my biggest wish come true, Eren.

Maybe she does… He carefully took the crown of leaves and placed it on top of her hair. However, he didn't let his hand drop. Instead, he ran his fingers through her hair and began stroking her ear. Mikasa closed her eyes and hummed in satisfaction. She leaned into his hand, and whispered deeply, 'Eren…' Eren. His name. But the way she said it! She seemed to pour out a deep sense of longing and need through those two syllables, and it was enough confirmation for him.

Had he been sober, he would never have attempted it; he would have been too scared. But the way she said his name awoke that ache within him again, and he needed to stem that ache. He placed his other arm around her waist and pulled her closer, his thumb slipping under her shirt and rubbing soft circles on her skin. Electricity sparked, and he saw her eyes open wide as she looked at him, something he had never seen before swimming in her dark irises.

'Mikasa?' he questioned. Does she?

'Eren…' his name again, in a breathy sigh. She does!

Eren slipped his fingers in her hair and held her cheek, angling her face upward. Slowly, very slowly, he lowered his forehead to hers, their lips almost touching, and hesitated. She does, doesn't she? He didn't have time to think however, as she raised her head and pressed her lips to his.

Electricity.

His heart seemed to have gained twice its usual speed, and his palms were burning, tingling. He realised how long he had wanted this, his mind laughing at how he could survive so long without having it. He tightened his grip on her waist and pulled her closer, as close as he could, removing any gap between them. She responded by wrapping her arms around her neck, standing on her toes so she could kiss him better. His lips prowled over hers protectively, and he took her lower lip between his teeth. My Mikasa. He groaned when he felt her tongue push against his lips, seeking entrance, and quickly parted his lips, retaliating with his own tongue. The sensation was something so natural, yet something so exhilarating.

He didn't know how long they stood wrapped up in each other, kissing fiercely. He broke the kiss first, panting for air, and she grinned at him, a lazy satisfied smile. She pressed her nose to his and looked adoringly into his eyes. He had never seen her this happy before. At that moment, he knew exactly what he felt, for his Mikasa. Eren suddenly heaved her up by her waist, holding her in the air to her shock. He looked up at her and declared, proudly, softly: 'I love you, Mikasa'.

She cradled his head. 'I love you too, Eren.'

Eren slowly slid her down his body, feeling every inch of her waist, hip and back as she settled back on her feet, still pressed up close to him. He could even feel her soft breasts pressed up against his chest. He loved how she felt in his arms. He could hold her like this forever, he thought.

Mikasa's eyes widened. She looked down, and Eren suddenly realised. He was hard.

Shit.

Before he could open his mouth, she had left his arms and walked to the switchboard. She flicked a switch and the room was plunged into darkness, save for the low light from his lava lamp. She walked back towards him and wrapped her arms around him again, pressing her body flush against him. He groaned once more, and she kissed him, deep and with passion.

I love you, my Mikasa.

xxxxx

Armin was the first to wake up in the morning. He groggily looked around and realised he had fallen asleep in Mikasa's room. Jean was snoring at her desk. He looked around and wondered what was bothering him. Something was missing. Of course! Where's Mikasa?!

He sprang out of bed, worried that she might have passed out in the common toilets. She had had a lot to drink, after all, and it was her first time. He quickly walked out of her room and began searching for her. He saw Connie's room and hurriedly opened the door to check how he was, when he caught Connie's eye. Sasha was sleeping nestled against his shoulder. In bed. Connie had a pleading look in his eye. Armin smiled and quietly closed the door. Wow. A lot seems to have happened last night.

Armin continued walking around, searching for Mikasa, when he suddenly realised that Eren was missing too. His sharp mind, even in its semi-hungover state, quickly formed a theory, and he walked towards Eren's room to test it out. He didn't even have to reach his door. As he approached, Armin saw the unmistakable fluorescent green slippers that Mikasa owned sitting innocently outside Eren's door. Armin grinned his Armin-grin. Finally! A lot really did happen last night.

Armin walked quietly away, a happy feeling in his heart.

Around the next corner, he found Annie drinking water from the fountain, and his smile widened.