Nine-year-old Eren Jaeger stood by the doorway, watching their new houseguest sleep. Mikasa Ackerman had watched her parents die today, and had also assisted him in killing their murderers. Now she was curled up on the Jaeger's couch with nowhere else to go.
She was still wearing the red scarf he had wrapped around her neck earlier. He wondered if she was cold. She stirred slightly, frowning in her sleep. Eren walked to his room, only to return with his own quilt. He slowly crept towards the couch and placed it over Mikasa, careful not to wake her up. Smiling, he patted her head slowly, before returning to his own bed.
Eren shivered as he slept that night.
When he woke up, Mikasa was already awake and was picking at the loaf before her. The red scarf was still around her neck. His mother had put the kettle on and his father was nowhere to be seen. Carla Jaeger gave him a look as he entered, as if to say, "Be nice to her. She's been through a lot."
"Morning, Mom," he said brightly, picking up a loaf of his own. "Morning, Mikasa."
Mikasa opened her mouth to say something, but changed her mind and shook her head instead. He frowned, his heart filled with pity. He was determined to get this girl to talk to him as soon as possible.
After breakfast, Carla spoke up. "Alright, Mikasa, how about I give you some of Eren's clothes and you give me yours to wash? Maybe later we could go shopping and buy you some new clothes to wear. How does that sound?"
Mikasa nodded stiffly, not looking up from her breakfast. Her bread was still whole, and the tea had gone cold. Carla left the room, and Eren and Mikasa were alone.
He decided to try something. "So, um, if Mom doesn't have any chores for me, d'you wanna play later? There's this field that I usually play in, and. . . ." He trailed off as he saw no response.
Mikasa just stared at him, not saying anything. Eren felt helpless. He wished he could say the right words and make her smile. Make her forget for a moment the terrible events of yesterday. But Mikasa seemed just as despondent as before.
Of course, that didn't mean he was going to stop trying.
Eren's mother returned with a tunic and a pair of pants. Mikasa mutely accepted them and disappeared to change. As soon as she returned, Eren bit his lip to stop himself from smiling. She looked very strange in his clothes, and the red scarf was still wrapped around her neck.
"Honey," said Carla gently. "Why don't you take that scarf off? You've been wearing it all night. I can wash it and give it back to you. I'm sure Eren wouldn't mind."
Mikasa shook her head violently, and pulled up the scarf over her nose, as if Carla would snatch it away any second.
"Alright, alright," laughed Carla. "So, Eren, why don't you go outside and play? Mikasa can help me with the sewing. How do you feel about that, Mikasa? Do you know how to sew?"
To Eren's horror, the girl's eyes filled with tears. She hung her head in shame, but he could still see little droplets fall to the floor. He shot his mother a panicked look that said, "What have you done?"
"Oh, my," Carla's hand flew to her mouth. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories for you." She wrapped the girl into a tight hug. "There, there."
Mikasa stood mutely, letting Mrs. Jaeger hug her. Tears flowed freely down her face and she began to sniffle. Carla handed her a handkerchief and the little girl blew her nose loudly.
"Um, Mom," said Eren slowly. "Is it okay if Mikasa played outside with me instead? I don't want to play alone."
"That's a wonderful idea, dear," smiled his mother. "Why don't you take her to the field? I'm sure she'll love it."
"Alright!" cheered Eren. He grabbed Mikasa's wrist rushed out of the house. "I'll see you later, Mom!"
"Have fun!" called his mother, waving.
Eren led Mikasa down the streets of Shiganshina at top speed. Mikasa wiped her tears with one hand, trying to stop the sniffling.
Even though he had just witnessed Mikasa cry her eyes out, Eren knew that playing with him would cheer her up. They approached the field: a vast, beautiful patch of grass and flowers, in which farmers would sometimes let their sheep graze. There was a big tree in the center, and on warm afternoons Eren could sometimes be found snoring softly under it.
Eren glanced at Mikasa, grinning. Despite the beauty of the sight before her, her face was still impassive, and her cheeks were stained with tears.
"This is my field," said Eren softly. "I come here sometimes to play . . . anyway, do you wanna play Scouts and Titans? It's my favorite game."
Mikasa just stared at him.
"Armin and I used to play it together," Eren explained. "Oh, you don't know Armin – he's my best friend. He would be here with us, but he said that he doesn't really enjoy being hit with a stick over and over again. So now he just reads books at home."
Mikasa continued to stare at him.
"So, here's how it works," said Eren, picking up two sticks. "I'll be a member of the Survey Corps, and these," he gestured to the two sticks in his hands "are my swords. You're a Titan, and you're gonna run and I'm going to try to kill you. It'll be fun!"
Mikasa shook her head and pulled the scarf over her nose.
"Well, um, do you want be the Scout then?" he asked. Whenever he and Armin had played this game, Eren was always the Scout. The thought of being a Titan pained him. But he would do it for this sad little girl.
"I'll be the Titan then," he continued, grimacing. He offered her his sticks.
But Mikasa shook her head again.
"Okay, then," he scratched his head, thinking of something else they could play. An idea struck him. He ran towards the edge of the field, where he hid his secret stash of marbles. Eren had won quite a few games in the village and now had a sizeable collection.
"Let's play marbles," he suggested, opening the little pouch. He pulled out three marbles – a red one, a blue one and a bright green one– and handed them to her.
"These are my favorites, but you can use them for now." He waited for her to say something.
Mikasa rolled the marbles in her hand, still not saying anything. Eren sighed. He was trying really, really hard to make this girl happy but nothing was working. Not that he could blame her. After what she'd been through, her silence was understandable. But what upset him the most was that nothing he said seemed to have any effect on her. He hated feeling so useless.
Then again, there was one factor he hadn't considered: Mikasa was a girl. He didn't know any girls, besides his mother, but she didn't count. Maybe girls didn't like marbles and playing Scouts. He would have to do something else to make her smile.
Eren had an idea. Armin was sure to know what to do with her. He was very smart and was always reading some book or the other. Armin probably knew a lot more about girls than he did. He had to go find him.
"Wait here," instructed Eren. "I'll be right back."
Armin Arlert lived down the street from the Jaegers; and Eren managed to reach there without breaking a sweat. Armin was lying across the front stairs, his hands behind his head and his eyes closed. His grandfather was dusting a futon on the balcony.
"Morning, Mr. Arlert," Eren waved at him. The sound of Eren's voice woke Armin up, and he rubbed his eyes in confusion.
"Good morning, boy," replied the old man, waving the beater at him.
Eren turned to Armin. "Great, you're up." He sat down next to him. "I need to tell you something."
"Oh?" said Armin.
Armin listened as Eren told him the whole story: visiting the Ackermans, the bodies, the kidnapping and revenge, ending it with Mikasa's behavior this morning. He watched his best friend's expression turn from sleepy to shocked and finally to concerned.
"Eren," he whispered. "I can't believe you did that. . ."
Eren shook his head. The memories of those monsters made him quiver with rage, and he didn't want to talk about it right now. "Not the point," he snapped. "So, what about Mikasa? Is she gonna be like this forever?"
Armin stood up. "Let's get out of here," he suggested. The two boys left the house and walked down the street.
"So she hasn't spoken since she came home?" asked Armin.
"Yeah," Eren stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I know that what happened yesterday was really bad, but – I'm doing my best, y'know? And nothing seems to be working! I even let her be the Scout! I said I'll be the Titan! Me, a Titan! Can you imagine that?"
"No," said Armin, shaking his head. "I really can't."
"Anyway, I was just wondering if you knew of anything I could do to make her happy," said Eren. "I've done just about everything I can."
"Hmmm," said Armin, frowning. They walked in silence for a few minutes.
"Eren," said Armin suddenly. "Don't be alarmed, but I think there's someone following us."
Eren's eyes widened and he turned around. "Who is it?" he bellowed. "Show yourself!"
A small figure peeked out from behind a nearby pole. Mikasa appeared, nervously tugging on the end of the scarf.
The boys stared at her for a few seconds. Finally Eren spoke up. "Mikasa, what are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay in the field"
Mikasa said nothing, as usual. Eren facepalmed.
"Oh, so this is Mikasa?" Armin smiled at her. "I'm Armin Arlert, Eren's friend." He extended his hand.
Mikasa thought for a moment, then stuck out a clenched fist. Armin raised his eyebrow, but nonetheless, shook her fist like they were good friends. "I'm sorry about what happened to your parents," he said gently.
Mikasa nodded. She seemed to have taken a liking to Armin, and Eren marveled at the way the blue-eyed boy had easily earned her trust. Armin really must be a genius.
"Well, well, well," said a voice behind them, and the trio turned to see an older boy looming towards them. "What do we have here?"
Eren's face clouded with anger. "You," he spat. The newcomer was a well-known bully in their village, and sometimes picked on Eren and Armin for no reason.
"Yes, me," sang the bully. "What are you two losers doing here? Oh!" He spotted Mikasa. "Is that your new friend? A girl? And she's dressed like a dude! Couldn't find any more boys to join your tea parties then, eh?"
"Shut up," growled Eren, his hands balling into fists. Armin cowered behind him, and Mikasa watched, unimpressed.
"You really must have no taste if you're wearing those clothes and hanging around these two," said the bully, turning to Mikasa.
"Don't talk to her like that!" yelled Eren. Before he knew it, he was flying towards the older boy, his fist extended. But the boy caught him by the wrist before he could hit him.
"Looks like someone grew a pair overnight!" taunted the bully. "Allow me to show you how to really land a punch." He raised his arm to hit Eren.
Eren closed his eyes, expecting to feel a hard one on his face. But nothing happened. When he opened his eyes, the bully had let go of him and was on his knees. His eyes were filled with tears and Mikasa's foot was in his crotch.
Armin snorted, trying to conceal his laughter. Eren, however, was not as successful, and began guffawing loudly. The older boy seethed with rage and advanced towards Mikasa.
"Why . . . you . . . little!" He staggered towards her, his arms outstretched. But Mikasa swiftly dodged the advancing bully and kicked him again in his already sore groin.
Eren and Armin winced, mentally thanking the Wall Goddesses that they weren't at the receiving end of those kicks. Mikasa was a lot stronger than she looked, as Eren should've known from last night. The bully cried in pain, cradling his privates.
"You'll . . . pay . . . for this!" he gasped, then hissed in pain. "But not today." The trio watched him wobble away. Eren and Armin high-fived each other and Mikasa smiled.
"Wow, Mikasa," said Armin. "I didn't know you that it in you!"
"Yeah!" agreed Eren. "Not that we needed your help, of course, since I totally had it under control. But thanks."
Mikasa smiled again.
"Let's go to the field," said Armin, leading the way. Eren and Mikasa followed him.
"Eren," said Mikasa, suddenly. The boys gasped and exchanged glances.
"Yeah?" said Eren slowly, as though he didn't want to freak her out.
"Um," she said shyly. "Your marbles." She held out the three marbles.
"Oh," said Eren. "Uh, thanks, I guess." He accepted them and shoved them in his pocket. "Did you follow me here just to return these?"
Mikasa shook her head. "I just– I– I didn't want to be alone." She looked at the ground sadly.
Eren's heart filled with emotion. And before she knew it, Mikasa found herself on the receiving end of one of Eren Jaeger's rare hugs. She found herself teary for the second time that morning, before Eren let go and called out, "Armin! Get over here!"
Armin, who had gone up ahead, turned back. "Hey," he said, approaching the duo. "What's going on?"
Eren put his arm around Armin and the three of them hugged, although Armin didn't know why they were hugging. "Mikasa," said Eren, warmly. "You have me and Armin and Mom and Dad. You'll never be alone again."