A/N: So here we are with my second little one-shot! I hope you guys like it. Also, thanks for the positive response from the first one. It makes me absolutely giddy to know you guys liked it.

On an unrelated note, anyone here watched all of Death Note and want to sit around and lament .. things with me?

ENJOY!

Summary: Mikasa and Eren read a scary story together. Later that night, Mikasa is a little scared herself.

Word Count: 4,278

Warnings: I guess the story is kind of scary... Oh and a few minor innuendos.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Attack on Titan, or the urban legend my horror story was adapted from. This was written for entertainment purposes only with no intent on copy infringement.


It Was a Dark and Stormy Night...

~}0{~

Once in a small town just south of a large city there lived a beautiful little girl. One snowy day, her parents told her they had business in the city and would need to leave for a few days. However, the little girl protested vehemently, begging them to let her stay home. Reluctantly, they agreed to her request but only because they knew their pet, a fierce wolf, would protect her. Before they left, they cautioned, "Be sure you lock all the doors and windows."

Therefore, after they left, the little girl did as she was told and locked every door and window. But, there was one window in the basement that wouldn't shut completely. However, it was small, so the little girl decided it would be alright even taking an extra precaution of dead-bolting the door to the basement. Then, she ate a meager dinner and prepared for bed. Settling down to sleep near the stroke of midnight, the little girl snuggled up with the wolf and fell asleep.

But at one point in the night, a dripping sound awakened her. Believing that she had only left the water running and it was now draining down into the sink, she went back to sleep. However, the little girl still felt nervous, so she reached her hand over the side of the bed. And, the wolf licked her hand, reassuring her that it would protect her.

Again several hours later, she woke up hearing the dripping. Although she was irritated by being woken up twice, the little girl went back to sleep. Again reaching down to let the wolf lick her hand. Then she fell back asleep.

When dawn approached, the girl decided she'd had enough. She hoped her parents would return soon, so they could fix the problem. 'Because, I know I didn't leave the water on,' she thought. When she walked into the bathroom, however, she saw the source of the problem. There was the wolf, skinned and hung up on the curtain rod. The noise she had heard had been its blood dripping into a puddle on the floor.

Screaming, the girl rushed back to her room to find a weapon in case the intruder was still around. And, there on the floor next to her bed she found a small note, written in blood, saying: HUMANS CAN LICK TOO, MY BEAUTIFUL!

~}0{~

Mikasa snapped the book shut with a loud thump.

What a ridiculous story. First of all, the little girl had dead-bolted the basement door, so even if the intruder had slipped in through the window - which was supposed to have been small, right? - how would he have gotten in. Secondly, considering the sound of blood dripping was loud enough to wake the girl on three separate occasions, why had the sound of someone breaking in not awoken her. Or the wolf for that matter. Finally, there was the notion that someone broke into the girl's house, killed her pet, licked her hand - several times during the night, she might add - and then just left, not killing the girl or robbing the house.

Mikasa found it doubtful that anyone would go through that much trouble just to kill an animal. Sure, it was cruel to kill someone's wolf, but what was the point of it? She had trouble discerning the intruder's evil motives.

Regardless, Mikasa understood the moral of the story: don't be careless. Either that or always know what is licking you... And, even though she found it ridiculous, Mikasa admitted to herself that the story was more than a little unsettling. She would make sure the house was locked up tight that night.

"That's... creepy," Eren remarked from his seat beside her on his bed, reminding Mikasa that she hadn't been the only one to read the story. Whenever they had a new storybook to read, they always did so on Eren's bed; it had become a sort of tradition between the two of them.

Placing the book on the end of her bed, Mikasa pulled her scarf tighter around her, warding off a sudden chill. "Yeah," she agreed. "Where did Armin find this again?" She pointed to the small, well-read book titled "Urban Legends of the Midwest." Their blonde friend had let them borrow it after he had finished reading it. It was full of stories like the one they just finished reading, and though most of the print had faded, Mikasa could just make out the words "all true" written on the back. She found that difficult to believe as some of the stories had seemed less believable than the last one.

Eren shrugged, running his fingers over the cover. "Who knows where finds any of those books? I swear he's always reading a new one every time I see him."

Mikasa nodded in agreement. It wouldn't be all that shocking if Armin was always just reading regular books. However, what made it strange was that he always found these books pre-dating the Titan attacks and the construction of the walls. Armin's family wasn't exactly rich either, so Mikasa wasn't sure how they afforded them since they were all at least a hundred plus years old and most likely expensive. Armin was generous with his finds though and kept her and Eren entertained, so she decided it didn't really matter where he found them.

A moment of silence passed between Eren and Mikasa.

"Do you think that really happened?" the dark-haired boy asked, catching her eye.

Tilting her head in consideration, she furrowed her brow. "I suppose it could have happened," she admitted, "but I really doubt it. Parts of the story don't make sense."

For a second, she thought she saw relief flash across his face before he nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Why would the guy stick around after he had already killed the wolf?"

"Why would he come just to kill a pet wolf in the first place?" she retorted.

"Why would anyone keep a wolf as a pet?" Eren returned triumphantly, grinning. With a light laugh, he continued, "Seriously though? Maybe there was more to the story, and they just left it out."

"Like what?"

"Maybe the guy stole the family's belongings, or," he added morbidly, "maybe he killed the little girl after she read the note."

"Maybe," Mikasa conceded, feeling uncomfortable at the idea. "I don't understand why anyone would do something like that though."

Eren's features hardened. "Our world's full of unnecessary cruelty," he said harshly. Then in a softer tone, he added, "You know that better than most."

Mikasa paled, the fine hairs on her arms raising, not missing the reference.

"Maybe our world hasn't changed all that much since then." He tapped the book's cover. Realizing Mikasa's mood change and everything he had just dredged up, Eren attempted to lighten the mood. "Then again, maybe we're both putting too much thought into this, and the guy's crazy. Honestly, that makes more sense than anything else we've come up with." He shot a smile at her although she felt like it was more for her sake than his own.

She managed to give him a tense one of her own though it didn't reach her eyes.

"Eren? Mikasa? Can you come in here for a second?" Mr. Yeager's voice cut through the uneasy atmosphere between them.

Complying with Eren's dad, they slid off the bed and made their way into the main room, Mikasa following a little behind Eren. When the two entered the room, Mikasa raised her eyebrows at the sight of Eren's parents standing next to the doorway, two large bags hanging from their shoulders. What was going on?

"Where are you going?" Eren asked, echoing her own thoughts.

With a wry twist of her lips, Carla Yeager answered him, "It seems your father finally convinced me to come with him on one of his runs."

Mikasa continued walking until she was standing next to the older woman. Allowing a small smile to tug at her mouth, she mused, "How did he manage that?"

Fondness coloring her tone, Carla explained, "The patient happens to be an old friend of mine." She turned to Eren. "You remember Mrs. Narata, right?"

Eren's eyebrows drew together as he tried to remember. Finally, he gave up, shaking his head. "Sorry, I can't."

She waved him off dismissively, smiling gently. "It's alright. It was a bit much to expect considering you were only three when she last visited." Her gaze drifted off, immersed in fond memories. "Anyways," the older woman continued, "We received a letter this morning from her eldest son saying that she's come down with some sort of flu and is very sick. He's worried about her survival and asked if your father would be willing to come treat her."

"We should be back by tomorrow morning," Mr. Yeager added, speaking for the first time since Mikasa and Eren had entered.

The irony of his words was not lost on Mikasa. However, if they mentioned anything about getting a pet... Apparently, Eren had recognized the déjà vu of the scenario too. Eyes widening, he burst out, "You have got to be kidding me."

Misunderstanding her son's words, Mrs. Yeager's brow knitted in sympathy. "I know you two have never stayed home alone before, but I believe in you."

"You're responsible kids," continued Eren's dad, "and we trust you not to do anything to jeopardize your safety or something like that. Plus, you two are growing up. This had to happen some day, so it's best it's happening now." He grinned at them, taking any real heat away from his words.

"It will only be for one day," Carla reiterated. "It'll be over like that." She snapped her fingers to emphasize her point. Mikasa and Eren nodded.

"Okay, Mom," Eren affirmed.

"Alright, kiddos," Mr. Yeager began, "if that's it, we should be off." A measure of warning crept into his tone. "And be sure to lock yourselves in tonight. You don't want anyone getting into the house."

Mikasa stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Eren's mom, pressing her face against the older woman's stomach. Reluctantly pulling away, Mrs. Yeager knelt in front of her and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. She spoke so low that only Mikasa could hear. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine. Besides, you know Eren will be here to protect you, right?"

"I don't need protection," Mikasa mumbled stubbornly, avoiding Mrs. Yeager's gaze. In return, the woman just smiled again, and Mikasa turned and briefly embraced Mr. Yeager too. Eren did the same.

And so, after giving a hug to both, Mikasa and Eren found themselves pressed side-to-side, waving from the doorway at the couple. When Eren's parents turned at the end of the block and vanished from sight, the two kids returned to Eren's bedroom, a sense of disbelief and a touch of amusement at the situation hanging over them.

It was eerily similar to the little girl's. "That was... uncanny," Mikasa remarked after a long stretch of silence.

"No kidding," Eren returned, toying with the hem of his shirt. "Mom never goes on those trips. She would choose the day we read a horror book to leave us home alone," he added, an exasperated smile crossing his face.

"It could be worse." At Eren's raised eyebrow, she continued, offering, "We could have a pet wolf." A small, teasing smile lit up her face, and Eren chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess we are being stupid. It's not all that similar, I guess," he said, leaning back against the wall. They were sitting sideways on his bed with their backs to the wall and feet hanging off the edge.

Mikasa felt relief at the lightning atmosphere.

"No, you were being stupid," she corrected, trying - and failing - to keep her face completely blank.

"What? You were just as creeped out as I was," he insisted, sounding mock-offended.

They paused, both struggling to keep their faces straight as they locked gazes. Finally, though, Eren caved first and burst out laughing. A second later, Mikasa followed suit. As her laughter died down, Mikasa didn't bother to hide the gratefulness in her eyes and hoped Eren was able to see it. He was the only person she could fully relax around anymore and one of the few that could make her laugh. Her life would certainly be a lot bleaker without a friend like him.

Mrs. Yeager had said she didn't need to worry because Eren would protect her, and while Mikasa didn't doubt that for a second, she knew she would do whatever it took to protect him too. She cared for him deeply and believed she would follow him to hell and back whether he asked her to or not.

"Hey, I just realized something," said Eren, breaking the silence that had settled between them. An excited smile spread across his face, making him look more like the little boy he was.

"What?"

"We have the whole house to ourselves," he declared, oblivious to the blush that turned Mikasa's cheeks scarlet red.

She was ninety-nine percent certain he didn't mean what it sounded like to her. With a cough to cover her unease, Mikasa shifted awkwardly. "So what?" she asked, and though she wasn't completely sure she pulled off the nonchalant tone she was aiming for, it didn't really matter since Eren didn't notice. He didn't even pause to give her a funny look.

"Well," he elaborated, "we can do anything we want, you know. We can go to bed when we want, be as loud as we want.. Oh, we could eat whatever we want. If we have it, that is."

At his words, Mikasa's stomach gave a loud and embarrassing growl. Mortified, she wrapped her arms around her middle as though to stop the sound that had already escaped, or to prevent any new ones. Her blush chose that moment to make itself known again if the heated feeling of her cheeks was anything to go by.

Eren grinned at her; he'd heard and wasn't going to let her get away with it.

Forcing her features into impassiveness and hoping that her red cheeks weren't too noticeable, Mikasa punched him a little harder than necessary on the shoulder and stood. "Come on," she said, relieved to note she managed to keep any embarrassment out of her tone. Then without looking to see if he was following her, she made her way to the kitchen.

~}0{~

Mikasa and Eren spent the next few hours scouring the kitchen to come up with something to eat. Contrary to Eren's belief that they could eat what they want, it turned out that they basically had nothing in the cupboards and were forced to make a meager meal out of a half a loaf of buttered bread and water to drink. While it hadn't been the tastiest dinner she'd ever eaten, it got the job done, and she was full now. Eren's parents would be back the next morning. Hopefully, they would bring some food back with them. Or maybe, she Mrs. Yeager would let her go to the market with Eren again.

After dinner, she and Eren had lounged around, either talking about nothing in particular or playing with a deck of cards Mr. Yeager had brought back with him after one medical excursion a few years ago according to Eren Finally, when the last vestiges of daylight had fled and darkness settled over the district, the shops having closed long ago, Mikasa and Eren decided to get ready for bed.

Not taking any more time than was necessary, Mikasa changed into her simple white nightgown, the soft cotton material falling to her knees, swishing as she walked. Hastily, Mikasa made her way through the rest of the house, putting out the lamps Eren had left on. He always forgot to put them out. A quick glance into his room proved that he had actually put his own out and promptly went to sleep.

Sometimes, Mikasa thought it was unfair just how easily Eren could fall asleep. Every time she laid down, her mind returned to that night, turning the events over and over. She knew she was just torturing herself, but she couldn't stop herself from wondering if she could have saved them - her parents. Any sane person would argue that she had been just a child at the time. What could she do? Sometimes she would even use that justification on herself, but then another part of her would cruelly squash that: Weren't you "just a child" when Eren taught you to fight?

Shaking away those thoughts because she knew they would only bring further pain, Mikasa turned from Eren's room and hastily trekked to her room. Snuffing out the last light, she snuggled down into her mattress, tucking her blanket around herself. Moonlight filtered through her the window and cast the room in blue-black hues.

As she laid there, Mikasa's mind began wandering back to that night like she predicted. However, she refused to let herself sink into that rut again and tried to think of other matters. The only thing that came to mind though was the story her and Eren read earlier that day about the girl, the dog, and the murderer - if he could be called that. Even if she'd said it was ridiculous - which it is! - that didn't mean she couldn't admit it was just a little eerie.

Mikasa felt the first tendrils of unease settle over her. She had to consciously grit her teeth to keep her eyes shut because she kept swearing to herself that she heard someone breathing. But that was impossible; the silence in her room was deafening. Besides, it would be foolish to think someone was actually in her room. First of all, the doors and windows were locked up for the night. Secondly, the chances were nearly impossible for someone to be hiding under her bed the day she read that story. It was improbable and stupid... and she couldn't seem to make herself calm down.

She wasn't sure how much time passed as she tossed and turned fitfully, but it seemed like hours.

Suddenly, Mikasa's eyes snapped open, expecting to see someone, when she heard a noise. Nothing was there, and huffing in frustration, she squeezed her eyes shut, telling herself to stop being stupid. The next time she heard the noise, she sat straight up in bed, a hand clutching her chest. She told herself the noises were just the foundation settling, but - was something dripping?

Before she could stop herself, Mikasa found herself out of bed and scurrying towards Eren's room, trying to stay as silent as possible, just in case someone were to hear her... If they were there somewhere. As she padded past the threshold of his room, however, she paused.

Was she really going to do this? This was her being stupid; she knew that. So, if she knew that, why couldn't she calm down? Mikasa pinched her brow in frustration. She swore she would never read one of those stupid books again. For the sake of her pride, she needed to go back to bed - her own bed. Taking a calming breath, she started to turn around. The house creaked again, and Mikasa promptly rushed to Eren's side.

She gently shook his shoulder. In response, he mumbled sleepily and turned onto his side, facing away from Mikasa. She tried again. "Eren, wake up."

Groggy, he turned over, blinking up at her with sleepy eyes. "Wha...?" he asked ever so eloquently. Clearing his throat, he tried again, "Mikasa? What are you doing here?"

Her toes suddenly seeming very interesting, Mikasa kept her head down and blushed. Huffing an irritated sigh, she rushed through the words, almost blurring them together. "The house keeps making noises and it's freaking me out."

She didn't know what she was expecting. Maybe for Eren to make fun of her and tell her she was being stupid. Maybe he would just yell at her for waking him up and make her go back to bed. However, she certainly didn't expect his real reaction.

He fully sat up in bed, and when he spoke, his voice was calm - neutral. "Okay," he said acceptingly.

Her head snapped up to meet his gaze, confused. Then to her surprise, he stretched out his hand to her, offering it for her to take. She studied his features to make sure he wasn't making fun of her, but she didn't see any mockery on his face. Still a little wary, she placed her hand in his, and he surprised her again by pulling her forward, hard. To her ever-increasing embarrassment, she stumbled forward, landing on his lap.

Hastily struggling to clamber off him, Mikasa hissed, "What are you doing?" After she recovered her bearings, she settled herself into a sitting position between Eren and the wall. Lips pressed into a thin line, she raised an eyebrow at him expectantly.

"You didn't want to sleep in here with me?" he asked, confused and partially uncertain.

"I- well, yeah," she admitted, crossing her arms over her chest. "But, did you have to do it like that?"

"What's the big deal?"

Mikasa thought about hitting him; she really did. But, in the end, she just sighed and rolled her eyes. "Let's just go to sleep."

"Fine with me," Eren hastily agreed, perhaps realizing how close he was to being punched.

Mikasa crawled under the blankets and settled down as far away as she could from Eren, trying to allow him some personal space, as he laid back down too. As the silence settled around them, Eren startled Mikasa when he spoke:

"You know, you don't have to sleep on the very edge of the bed, right?" Well, it would be warmer if she wasn't pressed against a wall, she admitted to herself. Without responding, she edged closer to him, still leaving a foot or so between them. She heard Eren sigh through his nose and could almost see him rolling his eyes. "Come here," he said, grabbing her arm. With a squawk of protest from Mikasa, Eren pulled her against him.

Mikasa felt her cheeks heat at once. There was no space between them at all, and they were pressed together from thigh to shoulder with her head resting on his arm. Mikasa stiffened and repressed the urge to scoot away. It wasn't that she didn't like it. It was that she liked it a little too much. However, it was really warm and ... nice where she was, and she slowly relaxed against him.

He was being really nice to her, and she had been the one to come in there. Wouldn't it be rude to disregard his kindness? So, yes, she would stay where she was. What was the harm in it anyways?

Suddenly, next to Eren, the night didn't seem as scary as when she was alone.

~}0{~

Early the next morning, Carla Yeager stood behind her husband as he unlocked the front door and held it open for her. He really was such a good husband to her. Shooting him a soft grateful smile, she entered the door. They had woken up early, and after a quick check to make sure Mrs. Narata was recovering nicely, they set out for home. Hoping to get there in time for breakfast.

After entering her house, she immediately. set their supplies - they had gone to the market before heading home - on the kitchen counter. She would put it up later.

But for now, she wanted to check on her children.

Tip-toeing so as not to wake him, she went to Eren's room first and promptly pressed her hand against her mouth to stop the sound she almost made from escaping.

Mikasa and Eren had apparently shared his bed last night. Currently, Mikasa was all but laying on top of Eren, her arms wrapped around his middle and her head resting on his chest with bits of her hair sprawled on Eren's face. Her own son seemed content too as he had his arms wrapped around the young girl too, one resting on her stomach and the other somewhere near her hip.

Carla gave a knowing smile at the sight and slowly backed out of the room, returning to the kitchen.

"Are Eren and Mikasa alright?" her husband asked as he began putting away the supplies from his doctor's bag.

She nodded. "They're just fine, my dear... just fine."

The End


A/N: So, what'd you think? Was it still any good? Also, do you guys have any ideas for little short stories you have? I have more of my own of course, but I'd like to hear what you guys have to say.

Anyways, please review! I love them. Also, be as critical as you like, point out my flaws, anything. I crave feedback that will make me a better writer. So anything you've got will be appreciated. Not that I don't like the praise mind you...

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorite, and followed! You guys are the reason this chapter came out. ;)

ONWARD

-Alyssa