A/N: Whew! Man, it's been forever! My bad guys. I meant to have this out sometime back in July. Excuse list: part of it was just laziness for about two weeks, but the rest was a mix of having family over, a friend getting hospitalized, and finding odd jobs to make some money because I spend all of mine on paint and converse.

So yeah, not really a good excuse, but still. Well, ORIGINALLY, this was supposed to come out after I got 100 follows... A little past that now, but I'm still counting it as that. Favorites and Reviews to I suppose. Seriously though, wow guys. Just wow. I am completely aghast at how well received this has been. SO THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

That being said, I really hope this one keeps up with the quality of the others. It's the first one that's out of sequence from the others, but I was in the mood to write something lighter and this was one I had been wanting to do for a while.

ENJOY!

Summary: "You know what it means when a woman show up with her clothes all wrinkled to hell and grass stains on the ass of her pants?" "That she's been gardening or fell down?" "Nope. Outdoor nookie."

Word Count: 4,595

Warnings: all that apply to Attack on Titan, and immodest accusations...

DISCLAIMER: This was written for entertainment purposes only with no intent of copy infringement.


Word of Mouth

"Your stance is too wide."

"This is how the instructor said to do it."

"No, it isn't. With your feet so far apart, all I need to do to take you down -" Ducking under his punch, she swept her foot between his legs and hooked it around his left angle, sending him to the ground. "is that."

Straightening, Mikasa reached down and pulled Eren to his feet. "Again," she commanded, nudging his right foot in and a little forward with her own since they were still too far apart. Earlier that day, Eren had asked for her help training in hand to hand, saying he wanted to get in some extra practice, and of course, Mikasa had agreed.

Despite her urgings early on, Eren was determined to see his dream to join the Scouting Corps through. He needed to be as strong as possible for that. Although Mikasa knew she would follow to wherever he lead and would protect him with her dying breath, helping him learn to better defend himself was a way of protecting him in and of itself. Just like he'd taught her to be strong, Mikasa wanted to help him be strong too, and if this was the way to do so, then she had no choice.

Not that she would ever say no to anything Eren asked for her help with anyways ...

Regardless, that was how she found herself in the middle of the woods after dark sparring.

Just then, instead of throwing the same straight jab, wide sweep, dodge and side hit pattern for the seventh time in a row, Eren pulled away from her when she countered and, keeping his head low and plowing straight ahead, tackled her to the ground. She cursed herself for becoming too distracted with her thoughts and too complacent with his pattern. Air leaving her lungs in a whoosh, Mikasa landed hard on her back and skidded a few feet on the grass. When the dust settled and their breathing settled, she felt a vibration on her stomach and after a second realized Eren was trying not to laugh.

"That wasn't part of the training," she commented staring up at the stars. At that, Eren began laughing harder, and a small smile touched her face. It both amazed and relieved her that after everything they had been through, after seeing all the cruelty the world had to offer, there were still times when they could laugh and smile and be happy. Mikasa realized that more often than not - for her at least - these moments came when she was with Eren.

Mikasa was not a fool. For quite some time, possibly since she was nine years old, she had known how she felt about Eren. Her world began and ended with him. She loved him. In truth, she wondered how he hadn't realized that yet. Every so often, there were heart-stopping moments when she thought that he must know. Surely, he noticed everything she did for him, and she knew he cared about her too. She'd seen the relief that he wouldn't have to leave her in his eyes when he'd passed his Omni-gear capability test. After everything they had both lost, all they had was Armin and each other, so she knew he did love her. However, she wasn't sure if he loved her in the romantic sense. And even though Mikasa hoped that one day he could grow to feel that way about her, she knew it would be okay.

She was content to just stay by his side, she thought glancing down at him.

Finally managing to contain his laughter, he lifted his head off of her stomach and shot her a wide grin. "I know. The training wasn't helping much, so I thought I'd try something new," he explained. It was then he seemed to realize that he was still laying on top of her. Smile turning apologetic, Eren pushed himself off of her and stood up, offering her a hand up. As she grasped his hand, Mikasa desperately hoped the darkness concealed the redness of her face.

Once standing, the dark haired girl dusted her hands off on her pants. "I wouldn't recommend trying that with a titan."

Eren shrugged and began walking towards the barracks with her falling in to step beside him. "Fair enough. But I bet it will work for the next time I spar with Annie," he told her nonchalantly. Frowning, Mikasa paused in her steps. When he saw that she wasn't beside him, he turned around. "What's wrong?"

"You mean you only wanted help so you could beat Annie in hand to hand?" she questioned.

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, not exactly. I mean, I really do want to improve and could use the extra training, but I just though being able to beat Annie would nice too. She's just so strong."

Stomping down on any jealousy she felt, Mikasa resumed walking, pace a little faster than before. "Why didn't you just ask her to teach you instead then?"

"You know how she is," Eren told her, lengthening his own stride to keep up with her. "She refuses to even really talk to anyone. I can't imagine she would help train me. That's why I came to you."

Swallowing, Mikasa ignored the bitter taste of disappointment in her mouth. "I see," was all she said in return to that, and with nothing else to really say after that, they lapsed into silence.

Honestly, she was being silly. There was nothing to be upset about. For one, Eren had promised her nothing, and he didn't say he cared for Annie like that anyways. In truth, it made sense though. Like Eren had said, Annie was strong. Mikasa had no doubt she would be one of the top ranking recruits by the time their training ended. If Eren could defeat her in hand to hand - an area the blonde excelled in - then it would mean he was strong too. So yes, she could understand his admiration. However, it really bothered her for reasons she couldn't quite explain, and she refused to name jealousy as a reason. Mikasa liked to believe she was above that sort of thing. Maybe it was just Annie. The girl had never done anything to wrong Mikasa, but after everything that had happened to her, she'd learned to trust her instincts. More than likely, it was nothing though, and she would just have to get over it.

After a few more minutes of walking in silence, they emerged from the woods into the area where their cabins were. For all of his obliviousness, Eren actually could pick up on a few things, and he could tell she was upset. It was written on the caution with which he spoke as though he was afraid that if he said the wrong thing she would bite his head off. "So, do you mind still helping me tomorrow?"

Mikasa blew out a hard sigh from her mouth. She wouldn't refuse him, and there was no logic in saying no because he admired someone else. "No. We can meet after dinner again."

He nodded, a grateful smile spreading across his face. "Thanks, Mikasa," he said, laying a hand on her arm and sending a curl of warmth into the bottom of her stomach.

"I'll always be by your side." After a moment of hesitation, she brought her own hand up to cover his. In the light cast by the lanterns hanging outside the barracks, Mikasa thought she saw his cheeks redden. However, the light wasn't enough to be sure.

A moment passed, and they separated, giving each other a short farewell before heading to their specific cabins. That moment they'd shared had left Mikasa with a lot to think about. For just a split second, she wondered if she had her answer to her earlier question about the nature of Eren's feelings. When he had touched her arm she thought ... something had passed between them. However, she thought it could just be her feelings clouding her thoughts and making her feel emotions that just weren't there. She didn't want to rule it out entirely, but she also didn't want to put stock in nothing.

Then another thought occurred to her: it didn't matter either way. They were training to be soldiers to fight a race of monsters; now was not the time for romance, and distraction could mean death later on. Perhaps it was best if nothing happened... That didn't stop Mikasa from wanting it though.

As she wandered through the large room and back to the latrine where the showers and bathroom was, Mikasa was too distracted by her thoughts to notice two of her comrades following her into the large tiled room. Looking at her reflection in an old, scratched mirror, she whirled around when she noticed a smug looking Ymir accompanied by Krista who was fidgeting with either nervousness or embarrassment, perhaps a combination of the two.

Keeping her face even and void of emotion, Mikasa didn't say anything to them and only raised a thin brow at their sudden appearance.

Calmly, Ymir turned to the blonde girl beside her and asked, "You know what it means when a woman show up late at night with her clothes all wrinkled to hell and grass stains on the ass of her pants?"

"That she's been gardening or fell down?" Krista replied hopefully. Apparently, she knew what her friend was thinking and was trying to diffuse it before anything was said that couldn't be taken back.

"Nope. Outdoor nookie." Crossing her arms under her bust, the brunette turned a triumphant grin at Mikasa. "I always knew you had to be sleeping with Yaeger. You two are always so close." When Mikasa rolled her eyes, Ymir tsked. "Don't even try to deny it." She pointed between herself and Krista. "We watched you two coming out of the woods together."

"We were just training," Mikasa told them blandly.

The girl just laughed. "That's the best excuse you can come up with?"

"Maybe that's the truth," Krista interjected, rubbing at one of her wrists.

Honestly, Mikasa didn't really care what they thought. She knew the truth, and if they wouldn't believe it, that was their choice. To Mikasa, their opinions didn't matter. They were two random girls and meant little in the grand scheme of things she supposed. Besides, she'd been accused of worse before...

~}(){~

Mikasa was always a quiet girl. For the most part, she kept silent and observed. Even before her parents had ... Even before everything that had happened in the past couple of months, she had been a solitary child. However, on this particular evening, she hadn't spoken a single word without prompting, and any answers she had give had been short, only what was necessary.

When she had moved in with the Yaegers, Mikasa had known it would be difficult adjusting to a completely different life. She would have a new room, a new house, a new city ... A new family, and if she ever thought about her parents, it made her heart ache. The little girl missed her father's warm hugs and the light chime of her mother's laugh. It pained her to know that she would never experience either ever again. If her mind lingered too long on the subject, the fear that she would forget about them.

She knew how mean the world was. How could she not after everything that had happened to her in just her short lifespan?

Today had been especially bad though. Truthfully, Mikasa didn't understand how they even knew, but the other kids in the district had heard about just why she had come to live with the Yaegers. However, they didn't know the real story. Whatever they'd heard had been twisted by the rumor-mill into a completely different story. Now, they were saying that she was found covered in blood standing over her parents bodies. They were all saying that she murdered her parents, and the reason she came to live with the Yaegers was because Grisha was a doctor and trying to cure her mental illness.

Of course, she didn't let them know it bothered her, and honestly it annoyed her more than anything. But a tiny part of her hurt at the idea that anyone could think she would murder her parents who she loved so much. That she had caused everything that had happened. 'They're just stupid kids,' she told herself as she pushed a boiled potato around on her plate.

"Hey, Mikasa," Eren said from his own seat at the table after Mrs. Yaeger left to bring Mr. Yaeger his dinner down in the basement. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she told him before taking a bite and chewing thoughtfully.

He looked like he didn't believe her, but didn't say anything about it. "Well," her friend continued taking about of his own food and talking around the mouthful, "I promised to meet Armin later tonight by the gates. Do you want to come?"

Mikasa paused in her eating, setting her fork on her plate with a gentle 'tink.' Though she had sometimes followed Eren when he left the house to go play with their friends, this was the first time he'd ever invited her - especially after dark, which she knew could get them in big trouble if his mom ever found out. It made a strange warm feeling bubble up in her chest, and she almost smiled. Instead, she just nodded quickly. "When are we leaving?"

Tapping his fork against his lips, Eren thought for a moment. Then he shrugged. "I'll come get you after Mom goes to sleep. Dad will be up for a while, but he doesn't ever leave the basement. So we should be okay."

Mikasa nodded once more, and the matter was settled because Mrs. Yaeger returned just then and sat back at the table to finish her own dinner, a small frown on her face.

At the idea of leaving the house after dark with Eren, Mikasa found she was actually excited. So of course, time passed slower than it should have. However, it did eventually pass and about twenty minutes after Mrs. Yaeger checked up on her before going to sleep, Eren gave a quiet knock at her door and slipped inside.

Mikasa had never actually changed into her night-clothes, so all she needed to do was slip on a pair of shoes which she did as soon as she heard the knock. Moonlight bathing her bedroom, she saw him give her a crooked grin before pressing a finger to his lips. Nodding, she tip-toed over to the window and pulled it open, letting Eren climb through before following him herself.

Once they were outside, Eren turned to her. "It shouldn't take too long to get there."

She thought about pointing out that she knew where they were going, but decided against it, just nodding in confirmation. As they sneaked through the streets of Shiganshina, sticking to alleyways and shadows, Eren talked to her about inconsequential things, and Mikasa found herself relaxing and genuinely enjoying herself for the first time in a long time. Ever since he'd saved her, Eren had become very special to her, and he made her feel happy just by being with her. He was the reason she thought she could handle whatever the world through at her. She'd been through the worst, and he'd helped her through it. If he was by her side, she could do anything.

Although it felt too soon for her, the two eventually arrived in front of the gate that led out of the district where they found Armin. However, he wasn't alone. Four older children were there too, crowed around him as he eyed them nervously, his back pressed against the rough stone of the wall.

When he realized what was happening, Eren yelled at them, "Hey! What are you doing?" The dark-haired boy picked up his pace to a run and Mikasa kept up with him as best she could.

Hearing someone shouting at them, the four kids turned to face them. When she saw their faces, Mikasa found she recognized at least two of them from just seeing them around the city. "Oh, it's just Yaeger," the tallest boy jeered.

The kid to the left of him crossed his arms. "What do you want, Titan-fodder?"

Mikasa frowned at that. To Eren she said, "We should just get Armin and leave. Ignore them."

Having just seen her, one of the other bullies snapped his fingers. "Oh I know you!" Laughing, he pointed over at her. "You're the girl who killed her parents."

"Just ignore them," Mikasa repeated through clenched teeth. Honestly, she didn't know if she was talking to Eren or herself at that point.

Eren was also visibly angry, but he knew they shouldn't do anything that could draw the attention of the guards. If his parents found out, they would be in big trouble. Instead of acknowledging them, Eren called out, "Armin, come on. Let's go somewhere else."

Nodding nervously, Armin stepped side ways, trying to avoid them. However, two of the bullies, the tall one and a red headed one, stepped into his path. "Now, it would be awful mean of us to just let you go with that murderer. Then your blood would be on our hands."

"Yeah, just think, Armin, we're trying to protect you."

"It's surprising she hasn't killed Yaeger yet. I mean if she killed her parents why would she care about him?"

Apparently, he'd had enough because Eren took a threatening step forward and shouted at them, "Mikasa's not a murderer! She's a brave person, and she and Armin are my friends! Leave them alone!" Then he leapt at them and punched the tall bully in the face.

For just a moment, Mikasa stood there, immobile, stunned by his words. Then a small smile crossed her face. He'd stood up for her, and he'd called her his friend. Suddenly, it didn't matter what those other kids thought of her at all. If Eren knew the truth and believed her and still cared for her, then that was all that mattered. No one else could touch her.

Then Mikasa rolled up her sleeves. She had a friend to protect.

~}(){~

It had been years since then, but the sentiment still rang the same. As long as Eren still cared about her, then it didn't matter what anyone else thought about her. Honestly, this wasn't even that bad of an accusation. It wasn't as though she minded the idea of her and Eren together. However, she didn't plan on telling them their idea had any merit.

Therefore, when Ymir just kept that self-satisfied smile on her face, the one that told Mikasa the other girl wouldn't listen to reason anyhow, she decided to just shrug them off and ignore them. Most of the time, that was the best way to handle situations like this, so Mikasa turned away from them and headed for the washing area, wanting to rinse off the sweat from the day before heading to bed.

Apparently, this was not the reaction Ymir had hoped for because Mikasa saw her cast a scowl in her direction. Krista placed a light hand on her shoulder. "Come on, we should go to bed," the blonde girl said, and Mikasa thanked the girl in her head because she was getting tired of this pointlessness.

After washing, Mikasa put back on her undershirt and underwear before heading towards her bunk. As she lay there, she thought back to Ymir's - she didn't really think Krista wanted to be a part of it - accusation. The idea of her and Eren ... together. A blush heated her cheeks. It wasn't so bad a thought.

Vaguely, before drifting off to sleep, Mikasa wondered whether she should mention it to Eren or not. Probably not.. It would just embarrass him, and most likely, he would want to quit training privately with her. Then again, maybe she wasn't giving Eren enough credit. What if he just laughed? Somehow that idea seemed to upset her more than him being embarrassed.

No, probably best not to tell Eren. Mikasa could handle two girls on her own, and over time, if they bothered to put in the effort to find out, they would see the truth. In all likeliness, that conversation in the bathroom had been the end of it.

Mikasa rolled onto her side and drifted off within minutes.

~}(){~

For days had passed since that night Ymir and Krista confronted her in the latrine, and it turned out that it had not been the end of it all. Instead of trying to catch them in the act and actually know the truth, Ymir - Mikasa was almost completely certain it had been her - had spread the rumor around camp that she and Eren were sleeping together. For the most part, Mikasa could ignore the whisperings and pointed glances when she thought she wasn't paying attention.

It didn't really bother her. However, what did bother her was how it was affecting her relationship with Eren.

Two days after the rumors had begun spreading, Eren had approached her before dinner and said that, while he was grateful for her help, he thought he had improved enough in his hand to hand. Mikasa doubted that was the case since the training had been his idea to begin with. No, she knew he'd heard the rumors as well and instead of letting it go as stupid people who didn't know how to mind their own business, it had embarrassed him enough to try to stop the rumors the best way he knew how...

And Mikasa wasn't having any of that.

Not after everything they'd been through together. Of course, this would pass eventually. When everyone had forgotten about it, Eren would likely stop acting so ridiculously. However, despite outward appearances, Mikasa wasn't very patient when it came to things involving her long time friend and crush. He meant too much to her to just allow him to avoid her, so she was going to put a stop to it.

That evening, an hour before dinner, Mikasa found Eren sitting out in front of the mess hall with Connie and Armin and several other recruits she didn't recognize. At her approach, the dark-haired boy glanced up at her, his face reddened and he glanced back down.

"Hi, Mikasa," Armin said politely. Although she knew he'd probably heard the rumors too, at least he wasn't treating her or Eren any differently.

She nodded back, but didn't say anything. She was determined now. Making a beeline towards Eren, she grabbed one of his upper arms and hauled him to his feet before turning and dragging him towards the wooded area where they had trained during the past week.

"Mikasa! What are you doing?" he protested, digging his heels into the ground. However, when she turned a dark glare on him, he stopped his struggling and followed her in resignation. As they reached the edge of the woods and began to head in, several cat calls reached their ears. Furious, Eren spun around and shouted back at them. "We're not together like that! We're just talking!"

A small frown spread across Mikasa's face, but she didn't say anything until they were out of ear and eyeshot of the camp. Then, when they were alone, she turned on him and studied his face. After a moment, he began fidgeting uncomfortably. She just didn't understand why this was bothering him so much. Back in Shiganshina, bullies called him names all the time. It always served to make him angry, but it was like this new one genuinely bothered him. Mikasa wanted to know why.

"You've been avoiding me," she said simply, toying with the edges of her scarf.

Eren shook his head. "I've been busy. I-"

"It's because of the rumors." Mikasa felt they were past the stage where he could deny it. It was ridiculous and a waste of both of their time, and she wanted to get them past this as quickly as possible. More than anything, she just wanted everything to go back to normal.

Her words worked because his face screwed up in anger and frustration. Crossing his arms over his chest, he huffed, "Yeah, so I have been. I just want these rumors to go away before they get worse."

"Why do you care?"

"You don't?" he avoided her question. "I just wanted our time with the cadet corps to be different from Shiganshina. For God's sake, we're training to be soldiers."

Mikasa nodded slowly. "That's true. But why are you letting this get to you?"

"I just- we grew up together! And they think that I would... with you?"

A sharp stab of hurt shot through her stomach. Blinking a little harder, she swallowed. Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, she asked, "Is it so horrible to imagine being with me?"

Seeming to realize what he'd been saying, Eren opened his mouth and shut it. More frustration in his tone than anger now, he replied, "No, of course not." He coughed, and in the light of day, Mikasa could actually see his blush for once. "You're a wonderful person, Mikasa, but I, don't the rumors bother you at all?"

She'd been thinking about that for the past few days, and no. No they didn't, and she told him so. "You and Armin know the truth, right?"

Eren nodded. "Well, Armin asked me about it - Armin! - back when it first started, but I told him it was a lie."

"Then it doesn't matter to me what anyone else thinks. An opinion is only worth as much as how much worth you place on it"

He stared at her in surprise for several long moments, the light afternoon breeze curling around them and tugging on the ends of her newly shortened hair. His scrutiny wasn't quite comfortable, but it wasn't uncomfortable either. Just when Mikasa thought he wasn't going to answer, he said, a little awe in his voice, "My opinion means that much to you?"

"It always has," she told him honestly.

At that, any remaining frustration or tenseness evaporated between them, and a small grin broke across his face. "I guess you're right." He scratched the back of his head, a short silence passing between them. "I'm sorry I've been avoiding you."

She nodded in acceptance. "You're forgiven," Mikasa told him. Then she slugged him on the shoulder.

He clutched his arm. "Hey!"

"Just don't do it again," she warned him as she turned around and began heading back for the mess hall.

The End


A/N: Well, there we have it. AND, it was quite a bit longer than the last few have been. I hope y'all have enjoyed it! It was a little different than the other ones have been in that I was a little heavier handed with implications of feelings and such. Also, went off my own template for them as their older selves too. OH and Ymir and Krista. They were there. I like them.

Once again, thank you all so much for supporting this little ol story. It means the world to this girl, and I just love hearing how much you've all liked it, and what you enjoyed. It's the best.

Also, special shout out to Minami Shimada, my partner in winning people over to the darkside that is anime, for kicking me off my butt and in to gear on this thing!

Unrelated to this story and everything, but CAN I JUST SAY, I'm unbelievably excited for my upcoming Death Note story. I'm so proud of it, and it's only half done. Anywho, enough squealing and advertising.

Thanks for reading!

ONWARD!

-Alyssa