Taken aback, Mikasa lowered herself slowly back onto the chair. Yet again she found herself gazing straight into his eyes. The soft dying light sharpened his features. It was a sight she knew perfectly, having seen it thousands of times. So why did it feel so… different?

He wasn't the same volatile boy who had dreamed of joining the Scouting Legion. She had watched him grow up to be a strong young man who learned to take a lesson from his mistakes. The changes might have simply escaped her attention, since she had been constantly by his side. Him scolding her for her overprotectiveness was a thing of the past. She'd never held a grudge against him for being churlish toward her, because frankly, he could be churlish toward anyone. That was what he had always been like, from the first days after she'd met him. It was his way of being, a feature engraved in his character. And after his mother's death, it had only become stronger. His inner anger had begun to swallow him and make him lose control over it until he could no longer contain it. Even though Mikasa knew that all this rage wasn't directed at her or any of their friends, she couldn't help but fell slight pang in her heart because of it. After all, that was what used to create space between them. It was a relief to notice how narrow this space had become.

Eren brushed the back of her hand with his thumb, his eyes never leaving hers. "Thank you for not giving up on me."

The girl parted her lips to answer him, yet no sound could be heard. She was genuinely affected by his openness, but at the same time baffled. Was it Hannes's demise that had had such an influence on him? Or was it simply her confession? None of it mattered, actually. He was by her side again and that was of greatest importance. She gave him a small nod in response, smiling faintly.

This hardly noticeable expression let her companion feel relieved. He knew that further prattle would have been pointless. There was a thousand things he could tell her, however, he wondered whether they would actually change anything. For years they had lived together and understood each other without the need to explain what they had in mind or what they felt. Of course, they would share their thoughts and concerns whenever something bothered them. But somehow Eren had never found stating the obvious useful or any helpful. Words weren't the only way of expressing oneself and Mikasa knew it well.

His gaze shifted to the tray waiting on the nightstand. "Alright then, I guess it's time to take care of this." he sighed. Even though it had been an exhausting day, he didn't feel hungry at all. The food must have already cooled, which would make it even harder to force down his throat. Not leaving his seat, he reached for the loaf of bread, but that was when he heard Mikasa's quiet voice right near his ear.

"Eren…"

Still leaning slightly forward, he turned his head toward her. What he noticed straight away was a strange glimmer in her deep grey eyes. There was something odd, yet hypnotizing about them. The familiar warmth they held would always make him feel at ease. But now there was something more to it. Her face was unusually close to his, so close he could see every detail in her features. She was beautiful. She had always been. He tried to recall whether he had ever let her know it. That was when he saw a faint shade of red on her cheeks.

A sudden feeling of déjà vu came over him. He remembered the vast green field stained with the blood of his comrades, the pandemonium all around him, his friends fighting for their lives with their last breath. He remembered the shadow of the beast towering over him, its reeking breath on his neck, its hand lazily reaching for him. But he also remembered a face. Her face, right before him. The last thing he had expected to see back then was her smiling. And yet, the smile had been there, like a beautiful flower amidst a field of weeds. With his thoughts being a tangled mess, he was too despaired to think clearly and fathom her behavior. All he knew was that she had resigned herself with what would come next and that the last thing he could do was let it happen.

And now history was repeating itself. Although no titans were around and they were both safe sitting in his room, she was as close to him as back then. Too close. The smile which had graced her lips at that time was now replaced with insecurity reflected in her wide-open eyes. It was something Eren rarely had the occasion to observe in her, let alone see her acting this way during a simple conversation with him.

Suddenly he felt his stomach being replaced with a sucking void. The time seemed to have stopped. Was she going to stay silent like this? What the hell did she intend to do? Her closeness had never bothered him directly; they used to live under one roof after all. But it was different this time and Eren feared he knew the answers to his questions. And when for a split second Mikasa's gaze flicked down to his lips before returning to his eyes, as if asking for permission, he had no doubt.

With that realization his mind became hazy. Should he pull away? Even if he wanted to, it would have been impossible. As her face inched closer and closer to his, he wasn't able to move a single muscle. All he could do was stare into the deep grey eyes in front of him, gape at the lovely thin lips, and the scar on her cheek, which would always send stabs of guilt through his heart. He felt the grip on his hand tighten nervously and with it unfamiliar chills ran down his spine. Was it really something to fear? A quiet voice at the back of his head was telling him that he didn't want to pull away at all, although he couldn't tell if it was right or wrong. Perhaps it was only the fear of the unknown…

He captured one last reflection of the candle flame mere inches from his face before closing his eyes. Before he even knew it, her lips brushed his.

The touch was feathery-light and the sensitive skin of his lips tingled under it instantly. The sensation was so foreign. Nonetheless, it felt surprisingly good. Pleasant… exciting… thrilling. His face felt hot, his throat dry. He didn't have the slightest idea how to behave. He was constantly immobilized, unable to stir, unable to think.

And then suddenly… it was over. The feeling was gone, as if it were meant to be just a cruel tease. After a longer while Eren lifted his eyelids slowly only to see the same stunning grey eyes fixed on his. However, he didn't have the chance to admire them once again, for Mikasa averted them hastily, her brows slightly furrowed. A deeper shade of scarlet had shown itself on her cheeks. She lowered her head, suddenly abashed.

She had been yearning for this for a long time. For so long she had wanted to openly reveal her feelings to him, regardless of the consequences. She didn't care if she would be rejected or scolded. She wasn't able to conceal it any longer, to keep all her feelings bundled up inside her. If he didn't know how much he meant to her before, at least now he would finally see it.

Since the bloody battle in the field Mikasa had been pondering over one issue. She wondered at what point her love for him had developed into this - an intense romantic feeling which never ceased growing stronger. Even though she'd kept convincing herself that he was her family, Eren never considered himself to be her brother. She had been deceiving herself, trying to deny her true feelings and conceal them from others, knowing that as a soldier she shouldn't occupy her mind with such issues. It was the highest time to face the truth and let him know it… before anything could separate them again.

And now, after that short moment of courage, she couldn't even look him in the eyes, afraid that he would turn his back on her.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

Eren was still gazing at her in amazement, his ears filled with the sound of his racing heartbeat. At that moment all of his concerns were gone, as if a giant boulder had been lifted off his shoulders. There was only her right in front of him, shy as never before, his hand in hers. He could never name the feeling he had developed for her, having never reflected on it, but he'd always known that she returned it. She had been proving it to him in every look, every gesture. And now the brief touch of her lips left him craving more… as if a living creature had been just woken from a long sleep inside his chest. He needed to continue what she had started, wanted her to stop holding back.

Mikasa nearly shuddered in surprise when she felt his fingers under her chin lifting her head gently till their eyes locked again. Confused, she studied his face, as if she were trying to see what was going through his mind. Eren's usually penetrating gaze seemed softer, though the change was subtle. Initial daze had been replaced by something she couldn't quite recognize in his eyes. His hand slid along her jaw to cup her cheek, setting goose prickles all over her skin. And suddenly she was the dazed one. Eren leaned closer, tilting his head to reach her lips with his.

Creak… creak…

The sounds were coming from behind the door of the bedroom. Someone was walking down the corridor, but Mikasa couldn't care less. She had been waiting too long already. Feeling his breath on her face, she leaned forward in anticipation so as to meet him halfway. Her eyes fluttered shut.

"Eren…?"

Armin's familiar call was followed by the sound of the door being opened.

Everything happened in a split second. Mikasa slipped her hand swiftly out of Eren's grasp, her soft hair brushed his fingers as she straightened up, jumping to her feet, and before he could even turn his head towards the door he found himself choking on a loaf of bread which she had just shoved roughly into his mouth.

That was when Armin peered carefully into the room only to behold one of the most bizarre sights. Eren was sitting on the side of the bed trying to bite off a large piece of bread, coughing and wriggling in the process. Standing over him was a startled Mikasa who looked as if she wasn't sure whether make a move to help him or not. Three feet behind her stood a chair, not by a wall, but somewhere in the middle of the room. Had it been left there purposely?

"Eren! Are you alright?" Armin exclaimed, running up to his friends, his worried gaze shifting from one to another. "What happened?"

"Eren was just very hungry and ate too fast." Mikasa answered promptly.

Armin raised his eyebrows in confusion. He started to imagine the situation, trying to estimate its probability, but that was when Eren regained his breath, having swallowed the bite with difficulty.

"What the hell, Armin!?" he growled hoarsely.

"Umm… sorry, I just wanted to see if you were alright." his friend stammered shyly.

"He's fine." Mikasa chimed in calmly. "But he has to stay in bed till tomorrow. I was just leaving anyway, so…" She drew the chair back up to the bed, offering a seat to Armin.

But her blond-haired friend was occupied with studying the unusual colors on her face. Only a second afterwards did he realize what she was up to. "Wait, you don't have to…"

"Make sure he empties the plate." she added quickly, giving him no time to finish the sentence, and headed towards the door.

"But… I thought he was hungry…" Armin said, now completely puzzled. He could swear he'd noticed her eyes widen slightly at his words as she passed him by.

Eren on the other hand was busy pondering over what just hadn't happened, surprised at how much this fact bothered him. Not until silence had fallen in the room did he notice her leaving.

"Mikasa…!" he called after her at once, a hint of disappointment and longing in his voice.

She halted in the doorway for a brief moment to glance over her shoulder hesitantly. Eren only caught a glimpse of her regular stoic expression before she walked out and disappeared behind the closed door.

Armin stared at it in disbelief for a good moment. He was bright enough to realize that he had definitely interrupted something. He just didn't know whether he should feel apologetic because of it, or celebrate the fact that there was finally that something to interrupt. His lips turned up into a knowing smile. However, it faltered a little once he turned around to see his friend looking directly at him with an annoyed expression.

Armin gave him a crooked smile. "So… how are you feeling?"

Eren fell backwards onto the bed.

Behind the door Mikasa leaned against a wall and brought a hand to her lips. She let her fingers linger there, lost in her thoughts. After a while she headed down the corridor, smiling softly.

A/N: …and it's official: since the beginning of holidays I've been suffering from a massive writer's block. Now the worst thing is that I really really want to write another chapter (it would be cruel to leave the story like this), but I can't get the ideas out of my head and onto the paper, so to speak. It's hard to tell when this story will be finished.

Anyway, thank you very much for all the kind words and favorites. I hope we'll meet again soon.

Update: The last chapter is already halfway finished.