EreMika Week Day 2 Prompt: Fight

Title: You Don't Need to Fight Anymore

Pair: Eremika

Theme: Angst, Romance

Rated: T

Author's Notes: Occurs on chapter 51, I decided to take the liberty to change things a bit. This is drabblish in nature - but I tried my best to convey Eren's feelings for Mikasa here. Enjoy!


It was chaos all over the walls that night as the expedition team came back from their mission of retrieving Eren Yeager. Shouts and cries echoed everywhere, medics were running up and down trying to help as many of the wounded as they could, while the remaining people counted with their trembling fingers who made it back alive.

Eren kneeled and put Mikasa down from his back gingerly. "Are you all right, Mikasa?" he said. "We should get you to the medics, hold on just –" he stopped, his mouth gaping slightly looking at her conditions. Mikasa was gripping the handle of both of her swords tightly. Her breath was quick and shallow. Her eyes weren't looking at him. They were oddly focused, looking at an object that wasn't on her sight. "Fight…" she said, under her trembling breaths. "We have to fight… or we cannot… live…"

Eren gasped. He was surprised, but even more than that, he could not describe how pitiful it was seeing Mikasa like this. To even think that the usually fully-controlled, clear-headed Mikasa, could be behaving this way. His heart throbbed with pain as he realized what drove her to this state. Mikasa was damaged, way more damaged than what she ever let anyone knew. She had been fighting so tremendously for his sake, putting herself under the blades so many times, with little regard to her own life. Fighting seemed to be etched into her memory so deep. Even in her sub-conscious state, with the injury that she just suffered, her brain still continuously told her to fight to live on – to protect him.

When he realized, he had rushed into her, gripping her tightly inside his arms.

"That's enough, Mikasa…," Suddenly there seemed to be a big lump stuck in his throat. His voice choked as he tried to swallow, but it only became even more painful. "That's enough. You don't need to fight anymore…"

Mikasa had been forced to endure the world's cruelty so many times – watching as again and again her family was taken from her, leaving her to live alone with the pain. She always tried to cover it behind her impassive mask, but he had been with her too long to be fooled. Inside she was breaking. And he wasn't going to make her go through that pain again.

Mikasa's body relaxed a little when she heard his voice. Her grip on her sword handles began to loosen a bit. "Eren…?" she asked, though her eyes still weren't looking at him. "Hush," he replied. Gently he caressed her hands and started to unwrap her fingers from the sword handles. "It's OK, Mikasa. You can stop fighting. We are safe now."

At least beside him, she didn't need to fight so immensely. At least in front of him, she could put her guard down.

"It's all right now, Mikasa…" He put his hands on hers and gently put her swords down, relieved when her now less-tense hands put no resistance, simply letting him pull her.

He wouldn't let her endure that pain alone. He wouldn't let her fight so tremendously alone anymore.

Because this time, it was his turn to start protecting her.