A/N: I am so sorry for the late updates! I have actually had two colds in the past two weeks, and the second cold gave me a nasty sinus infection. I'm finally getting over it though! Please no more colds. I can't miss anymore school so close to graduation. T^T I lost my new laptop to a broken mother board (Three months old, 1000 dollars later. e-e) I have my new one now, and everything was taken off of the old laptop before it was junked. Yeah. Stuff happened. This is why I say follow my tumblr. XD

But hey! I'm finally back on track! Updates~! I'm so glad to be putting stuff up again, because I've been bored! . Ask Marika, she'll tell you. XD Please enjoy the new chapter! ^_^

-Misty

Song of the Day (Bum bum BUM~!): Mask

By: Stellar

The Change You Wish to See

(Original summary, but screw the stupid character limits) Levi's never put much care into things. He doesn't put much care into things at all. Nothing ever peaks his interest. Well, that's until he meets Eren Jaeger. Levi isn't sure what it is that's so interesting about him, and it irritates him to feel these feelings he's never felt before. Regardless, he goes to talk to the boy. When he doesn't receive an answer, he just thinks that the boy is rude; however, he understands why when Eren doesn't answer him. Eren is deaf.

Rated M for sexual content, adult language, some violence, mile character death
Main pairing: Riren with some side pairs
Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin (Attack on Titan)

Chapter Ten: Protective Big Sister

3:32 p.m. Levi:

"You've got to be kidding me."

The great thing about having his sister and friend in public school was that he got to have freedom at home during the day. He really didn't do much; he'd do school work, chores, play some video games, walk around the house in sheer boredom, and do just about anything else he could do to pass time. Besides seeing Levi at the bookstore, which he still needed Armin for after he "convinced" Mikasa that he and Levi were just friends, these were his only moments of freedom.

"No, I'm not."

This meant that he could do whatever he wanted. As previously stated before, however, there wasn't much he did. He would mainly send messages to Levi most of the time, which worked both ways considering Levi didn't do much at his job. They didn't talk about much when they did talk, however. They mainly got to know each other, but there was only so far Eren would go before something got uncomfortable for him, and he noticed that Levi acted like that at times as well.

3:34 p.m. Levi:

"Brat, you're just asking Lucifer to write out our passes to hell, aren't you?"

Eren wondered if he would ever know more about Levi. Levi didn't like to talk about his times as someone younger; he liked staying on the topics of anything past his days in college. Whenever Eren asked about Levi's family, the older man had a sneaky way of changing the subject and never answering Eren's questions. Eren tried steering the subject back to his family, but then Levi would seem upset, and that was when Eren knew not to breech the subject again.

"No, I really just want you to join us! It would be fun?"

Levi asked about him, and Eren was more lenient on answering tougher memories. He came to find out that Eren was an only child, but when they were eight, Mikasa was adopted. To her unfortunate luck, her house was robbed while she was at school, and her parents never picked her up. Eren's parents instantly took her in, for Eren's father was the doctor that found her parents, and she had become the protective and frightening older sister that Levi knew today.

Armin was different. He was an orphan as well, having lost his parents to a group of thugs from another country. Armin's parents loved to travel, loved seeing the world and what it had in store for them, and their passions eventually got them killed. His grandfather took care of him, but he only made it to Armin's tenth birthday before he was put into a home for elders. Armin was thankfully taken in by Eren's parents as well, and two years later, Armin's grandfather passed away, but the story around and after that time was fuzzy.

Eren never talked about anything from the "accident." Anything prior to the age of nine was fine, and Eren seemed okay talking about things after his fifteenth birthday. Anything about anyone other than him were fine as well. Anything between those times were blanks, but Levi had some ideas. With the sob stories Mikasa and Armin possessed, he could imagine Eren's being quite similar, or, God forbid, worse.

All he knew now was that the three of them lived together, having inherited the house from Eren's parents at the coming age of eighteen. Armin was getting his degree in Physiology and worked part-time in the school's public library. Mikasa was getting a degree in teaching, because, surprisingly enough, she loved children. Levi barely believed Eren when he told him that. She worked a few miles away at a rather popular restaurant, but Levi hadn't heard of it before, probably because it was one of those expensive restaurants that Levi couldn't afford to eat at. She worked from four to ten on weeknights, and on weekends, she worked twelve hour shifts. The girl was nineteen years old, only older than Eren by a month or two, and she worked something similar to what Levi worked. Of course Levi was a grown man who had no life to live, so his hours were acceptable. Hers weren't.

Eren was in online school, but Levi knew better. Eren's degree was for business, but the kid loved to write, and he showed his passions for it. After having to write so much, he developed a great skill at creating vivid imagery. Eren liked to doodle little stories into his notebook when he wasn't talking to Levi, or when he thought no one was looking. Levi peeked over his shoulder every now and again to read and find out what it was he was writing about, and Levi was always left impressed. The whole business degree was just Eren buying time so he could figure out what he really wanted to do, but Levi was going to leave that decision to him. That was Eren's life choice, and he had to make it on his own.

3:35 p.m. Levi:

"Kid, don't you ever listen to yourself? Let's reiterate: You're asking me to come to your place for Thanksgiving, where your sister will be waiting for me with a knife to carve the turkey after she's done with me. Is that about right?"

Eren's golden eyes moved over the words with a small blush on his cheeks. He curled onto his side, phone charger dangling over his shoulders as he sighed. This man was a hard man to convince of things. Of course, what Eren was asking of him was rather impossible in its own way. It was true that Mikasa knew they had split up, but still, asking this of her and his best friend was difficult, and now that they weren't together, she was mad at Levi for upsetting Eren.

Could Levi ever win against this girl? Considering it was Mikasa, probably not.

Before Eren began writing his response, Levi was already sending him another text.

3:35 p.m. Levi:

"It's sweet of you to invite me over for Thanksgiving, but that's a family thing. Enjoy that with your sister and Armin."

"But you can't be alone on Thanksgiving! That's not right at all! That's like saying you're going to be alone on Christmas!" Eren's reply was meant to sound enthusiastic, but it came out more charged with anger than enthusiasm.

3:35 p.m. Levi:

"Eren, did you even ask Mikasa or Armin if this was okay with them? Even if I said yes, have they agreed to it as well?"

Eren felt his throat constrict at the words.

No, or course he hadn't asked either of them. He had meant to run over the idea quickly with Levi just to see what he thought of it, but ended up begging him to come over instead. He completely forgot the original goal in his mind, which was just to plant the idea into the older man's head and let it simmer. Now he had no choice but to convince the man fully, and then try to find a way around his sister.

Or better yet, a loophole.

Armin was easy, and he'd probably say yes if Eren begged enough. He'd break and say yes easily, especially if Eren begged. He was easy to manipulate when Eren gave him some big puppy eyes and whimpered.

It was Mikasa who would be tough. She'd say no over and over again, and no amount of begging would help him. She didn't like Levi, and after the news that they broke up, she hated him even more. She didn't even care that Levi broke up with Eren in the first place to keep their relationship alive. She was angry with him no matter what happened, which is why Levi could never win.

If he could convince Armin first, maybe then she would say yes?

It wasn't Mikasa and her feelings that Eren cared much for, however. It was Armin's.

Armin was quiet about it, yes, but he couldn't hide his emotions as well as he thought he could. When Levi and Eren broke it off, anyone could tell that seeing Eren so heartbroken upset Armin profoundly. He didn't lose respect for Levi after the reasons, but he wasn't very happy with him either. Armin didn't want Eren getting hurt like that again.

He didn't show it as much, but he was definitely just as protective of Eren as Mikasa was. He just knew how to relax enough so Eren could live on his own.

The problem was just getting him to agree. After all, this was Thanksgiving, a time for family, and Levi wasn't family, not by any means. Family was important to the three of them, and after a few years of lonely holidays with just them, suddenly inviting someone else into the frame? Eren could see why they would say no.

So of course he didn't ask them. He just wanted to ask, but ended up begging instead. He just didn't want Levi being alone. The older man said that he thought about going to Hanji's again, which meant he spent his time there before for holidays, but that wasn't right, not at all.

And then Eren thought of something.

It wasn't right for Levi to come over, but what if Hanji was invited? Then it wasn't just Levi and discomfort for the four of them, but Hanji as well. It wasn't just Levi, but both of them, and then it would really seem like he was just inviting friends to their dinner on Saturday.

But he was just inviting friends, wasn't he?

"Hey, would Hanji like to come as well?" Eren wasn't even wasting time going over the idea completely in his head. He hit send before he could give it another thought, and he waited in the dense silence.

It didn't take long to get a reply.

3:40 p.m. Levi:

"Are you out of your fucking mind? Why not invite some of the prostitutes on the side of my road while you're at it?"

Eren sighed. He couldn't say that Levi's answer surprised him at all.

"Why not? Then it's less pressure. It's just two friends over for dinner."

Another message popped up onto his screen before he had the chance to hit send. He distantly recognized the number from Hanji's cellphone, but that was too coincidental for her to text him, right?

3:41 p.m. Hanji:

"Oh Eren! You're just too adorable! Of course I'll come, you little cutie you!"

Eren tilted his head at the message. How did Hanji know they were talking about her? Unless Levi told her about their plan already, he didn't have the foggiest idea of how she could have known.

3:42 p.m. Levi:

"Sorry, she looked over my shoulder and saw the message... And now she won't shut up."

3:42 p.m. Hanji:

"What time is dinner? Should I bring anything over? Does Levi need to bring anything? Don't worry, I'll make sure he brings something edible if he does. He'll take up some cooking classes so he can't poison you guys by accident."

3:43 p.m. Levi:

"Goddamn it. I blame you for this, Eren."

Eren laughed at the numerous amount of messages suddenly pouring into his phone.

Weren't they both at work right now?

Eren would have questioned this more, but he felt the vibrations of their house move. He lifted his head up, the realization of what time it was sinking in. He got up from bed, shoving his phone into his pocket as he made his way downstairs.

The front door was wide open, allowing a flustered Armin through with his backpack filled with books. The blond came home with all of his books again, and again he didn't bother to try carrying one or two. He did it the difficult way and stuffed them all into an under-sized book bag that would eventually break his tiny back if he didn't stop his reckless ways.

Mikasa followed close behind, some grocery bags in her hands and her backpack hanging off of one shoulder. She was just as flustered as Armin was, probably from the extreme workout (because she was that stubborn and wouldn't accept help from Armin). The two of them ever so rarely had a break.

"Hi," Eren said softly, almost a whisper. Had the two of them not seen him, they probably wouldn't have noticed it.

"Hi Eren," Armin said and dropped to the nearby table. Mikasa followed, allowing her book bag to fall with an extremely heavy thud against the table. Eren felt the vibrations from it as it landed, the feeling making him jump in place. She was in a particularly funny mood today, wasn't she?

"How was school?" Eren signed. In lieu of an answer, Mikasa set the grocery bag down and bolted out of the room. He watched her disappear up the stairs, but that was the last he saw of her. "What's her problem?" He asked.

"Work called her. They need her to come in today and cover a shift." Armin explained while resting his chin down on the table.

"But today was a vacation day for her. She hasn't had one this year either!" Eren made a sound of protest as he moved to sit down by Armin. "They can't do that, can they?"

"I'm not sure. She said yes, but she isn't happy about it. She had plans to make a nice dinner for us tonight and everything."

"Can't she just call them back and say she can't do it after all?" In response, Armin simply shrugged his shoulders. He didn't know, but why fight it? Mikasa wouldn't be short on her paycheck this week now.

"She took up the shift, so we need to leave her be." Armin sighed as he removed his heavy backpack. Eren felt his phone vibrating in his pocket like crazy, and out of curiosity, Eren pulled it out to read the messages.

3:46 p.m. Hanji:

"Gah! Levi is so incredibly boring on the holidays! It's just us eating at the table, and there only because he doesn't want me eating on the couch and making a mess! Why are you such a clean freak, Levi?"

3:46 p.m. Levi:

"Hanji, you're two fucking feet away from me. Why in God's name are you asking me that through a text message?"

Eren laughed as he took up a seat beside Armin at the table. Armin looked up at him, tilting his head to rest on the table with a small smile.

"Are you talking to Levi…?" He signed to Eren. The brunette nodded his head before pushing his phone into his pocket

"He and Hanji are having an argument, and it's really funny." Eren hummed as he lowered his head onto the table, following Armin's position to the point. He didn't see how this was comfortable for his neck, but if Armin was doing it, Eren really didn't have any arguments.

"I'm glad you and Levi are still friends." Armin signed to him. Ere paused.

"… You are?" He asked.

"Yeah." Armin said and nodded his head.

"Why…?"

"Because it was good for you to get out and live outside of the house. I know Hanji and Levi are good people, so it's not like you're hanging out with crazy nuts anyway." Armin chuckled as he sat up a little, just enough to set his chin on his hands.

"Hanji is crazy. She doesn't get offended by calling her it either." Eren pointed out, glad to see Armin was still smiling. That would change quickly. "So… You like them?"

"Of course. They're good people."

"So then… Would you be okay with them coming over for Thanksgiving?" Eren hesitated, but asked anyway. Armin's expression changed quickly, the smile on his lips falling, just like Eren had predicted.

"Oh… Eren, n-no…" Armin mumbled and shook his head.

"Please, Armin? It's only for one day, for just an hour or two. Hanji could bring some food over, and Levi-"

"Eren, really." Armin signed, stopping his friend from arguing any further. "That's just not a good idea. Why would they want to be over here anyway? Why don't they go to their families for the time being?"

"Levi doesn't talk about his family, and I don't know if Hanji has any family left. She doesn't talk about them either." Eren sighed. "Please…?"

"Honestly, I'm not comfortable with the idea of it myself. Thanksgiving is really just for family, and I was expecting just us to do that."

"I know, but-" Eren stopped when he felt his sister walk into the room. He turned, finding her walking over to the fridge, seemingly in a better mood, though not quite as happy as Eren would have liked her to be.

"Ready for work?" Armin asked her.

"Yeah, and we got here faster than I expected. I've got another ten minutes before I have to leave." Mikasa said, rolling her shoulders around as she got a cold water bottle out of the fridge to drink. She leaned against the counter, uncapping the water bottle and taking a huge swig of the drink. That seemed her calm her nerves some, making her smile. "So what were you guys talking about?" She asked.

Armin shared a look with Eren, as if warning his friend not to bring it up. Obviously, however, Eren had other plans.

"Well…" Eren began, but the blond grabbed at his arm to get his attention.

"Eren, please don't bring this up now." Armin pleaded with him. Things were finally quiet between the three of them, and Armin really didn't want any more tension between them.

"Bring what up? Did you fail another test, Eren?" Mikasa asked, slightly annoyed.

Oh, if only it were that simple.

"No," Eren mumbled and shook his head. He hated it that she would instantly assume it had something to do with his grades. He was on the Dean's List. What could there possibly be to worry about? "We were taking about-"

"Eren," Armin warned.

"Stop it, Armin." Mikasa said, setting the water bottle down on the counter. Armin looked away, knowing that tone from the older teen's voice. She knew something was wrong. She was on to their act. "Let him talk."

"We were… I was talking about the idea of having Hanji and Levi over for dinner on Thanksgiving." Eren said, though he left out the part about Armin and his involvement in the situation, which wasn't much. He didn't want his friend getting in trouble with her, because he couldn't stand watching them fight.

Although, now he wasn't so sure.

He wasn't really sure what expression showed on Mikasa's face. It hadn't been one he had seen before, but he was terrified nonetheless. She almost looked calmer than anything else, though she also looked annoyed, irritated, maybe a little pissed off. It was hard to tell with her.

"It was just an idea though. Of course I wanted to talk to you guys about it first." Eren added, though it didn't seem to help him any. Mikasa looked away, her cheek hallowing out, as if she was biting on the inside of it. She probably was, anything to keep herself from barking.

"Mikasa…?" Armin questioned. Mikasa's fingers tapped at the counter for a moment before she turned away, looking down at Eren.

"You know what?" She asked, and she didn't bother signing. She didn't care if Eren could read her lips or not; she just wanted to say it. "Do whatever you fucking want."

And with that, Mikasa grabbed her keys from the table and left the room. There was a pregnant pause in the room before the two teens flinched, Armin hearing the front door slamming shut and Eren feeling it vibrating through the house.

Oh, she was pissed.

Armin sighed, lowering his head into the palms of his hands. This was all going terribly wrong.

"I'm sorry…" Eren mumbled. "… Just an idea…" He looked down into his lap, knowing that he had just messed up the situation and only made it worse.

"There's nothing we can do about it now…" Armin signed and stood up. Eren watched the blond leave the room, feeling a sense of dread coming over him as he left without another word.

He didn't mean for this to happen.

It was late when Mikasa got home. Very late. Her shift always ended at ten, and she'd usually be home by ten fifteen, or somewhere around those numbers. Mikasa was home by midnight, and Eren was very nearly asleep when he felt her walk into the living room.

He had taken to sitting on the couch, waiting for the girl to come home so he could apologize and hopefully make things right, but he didn't think she'd be gone that long. He wasn't sure if the shift she picked up was longer than usual, or she had stayed longer just to stay away from the house, but it was still too late for her to be coming home. A nineteen year old girl shouldn't be out so late. At least that's what Eren thought.

He lifted his heavy head from the arm of the couch, looking around the room for a moment to find her in the darkness. Mikasa was lingering in the kitchen, removing her jacket and setting it on the chair to the table. Eren watched as she grabbed at the water bottle she had left on the counter earlier that day, or rather, yesterday, and took it with her as she went upstairs to her room.

Eren rubbed at his eyes before standing up, tugging the blanket with him to keep warm as he followed. Without his hearing, he truly didn't know how much noise he made around in the house. He could guess some, because he could feel the stairs creaking and groaning under his added weight, but he wasn't sure just how loud that could be.

Mikasa's bedroom door was cracked open, letting some light into the hallway. Eren followed that light all the way to her room before peeking into the room, finding her on the bed with her back turned away from the door, facing the wall against her bed. Had Mikasa fallen asleep already? Had she fallen asleep in her work clothes and on top of the blankets on a cold night like this?

No. Eren could see her shoulders shaking, her body shivering like she was cold, but he knew better. While he didn't doubt that she was cold, he knew that she wasn't shaking from that alone.

Mikasa was crying.

Eren watched for a few moments longer, a small sigh leaving him before he pushed his way into her room. He wasn't sure how quiet he could be; Eren knew he had very heavy feet, but Mikasa didn't seem to notice him in the least. It wasn't until he sat down on the edge of the bed that his sister wiped at her eyes and bolted up from her spot, trying to hide the evidence.

"Don't be dumb…" Eren said disparagingly. Mikasa huffed a sigh, rubbing the palms of her hands into her cheeks. Even though she knew she had been caught, she felt like she could still somehow hide the evidence.

She had to be strong, had to be immortal for someone who truly wasn't.

"What's wrong? Couldn't sleep?" Mikasa asked, her eyes low and glaring daggers at the ketchup stains in her pants.

"Mikasa," Eren said in a warning tone. He lifted his hand up from the blanket, only to sign something to her before tossing part of the blanket over her shoulders. "Where have you been?"

"I was at work." She answered, shifting uncomfortably when Eren tried to lay down with her.

"Work ends at ten for you." Eren signed and tugged at her arm.

"I stayed a little longer. There's nothing wrong with that." Mikasa almost growled as she tugged her arm away from Eren's grasp. The brunette was having none of that, however, and forcibly tugged until the girl was being held down on her back. She whined and she complained, though it fell on deaf ears, until she had no choice but to give in. Her brother was just stubborn that way.

"It's a problem when you have school tomorrow." Eren explained, his big, golden eyes glaring daggers at her.

"The recommended amount of sleep is six to eight hours. I can sleep now and still have enough sleep to wake up and not be fatigued, but only if you get out and let me." Mikasa's hands were visibly shaking as she signed, and Eren was sure the girl was probably hungry, along with cold and just exhausted. Eren wanted to let her sleep, truly he did, but things needed to be fixed before this got out of hand. There was still something he could do to fix it.

"You're pissed at me. I know you are." Eren declared. Mikasa stiffened immediately. Obviously he hit the nail on the head.

"I'm not." Mikasa bluffed.

"Mikasa, I really didn't think you'd be so pissed off. It was just an idea. If you're that upset by it, Levi and Hanji don't have to come at all." Eren reassured, sitting up slightly to look down at the girl. Still his sister's eyes hadn't looked at his once.

"That's not it, Eren." Mikasa tried rolling onto her side, but Eren wouldn't let her.

"What is it then?" Eren asked. Mikasa tried once more to break free, but it was a fruitless attempt that got her nowhere. "Mikasa-"

"I don't know," Mikasa signed, her eyes finally looking up to meet his.

"Are you mad?"

"Yes."

"Well don't be. I'll tell Hanji and Levi another time." Eren assured.

"Don't do that."

"I'm confused, Mikasa." His brother signed. "You want them to come over?"

"No," Mikasa growled, but Eren could still read her lips.

"Well then why don't you want me telling them different?"

"I don't want you to be mad at me."

And so the truth finally came out, and with it, a stray tear managed to slip its way past Mikasa's narrowed eyes. She wiped it away quickly, but her eyes were reddening and becoming puffy. Her defenses were weakening, her walls breaking down, and Eren knew that this was his chance.

"Mad at you…?" Eren asked, to which all Mikasa could do was cross her arms over her chest and nod her head. "I'm not mad at you…" He mumbled under his breath while shaking Mikasa's shoulder. It was only then that he was reminded of something crucial that he hadn't thought of for a while now.

'I hate you!'

He had forgotten about that, but obviously Mikasa hadn't. He didn't think anything of it, but apparently the words affected her greater than he thought they would. It had been weeks ago, but now that Eren realized it, Mikasa had been quiet since then. He hadn't put two and two together, and this was the outcome.

"Mikasa…" Eren sighed and draped an arm over his sister's stomach, effectively covering her with the blanket he still had wrapped around himself. "I didn't mean it…" He said softly. Mikasa looked over to him, her eyes still narrowed defensively at him. She looked unforgiving, unmoving, like she wasn't budging an inch for a second, and Eren knew why.

It wasn't hard for him to read her. For others, it might have been, but Mikasa was an open book to him.

"I don't hate you…"

It needed to be said in his own voice, not signed, and not read in a notebook. She needed to hear him say it, not read it. It was the only way the meaning could truly get to her, and it worked.

Mikasa's bottom lip trembled as she looked away, bringing a hand up to her face to wipe tears away that were freely falling now. Eren tilted his head some before helping, rubbing the pads of his fingers under her eyes that seemed darker than usual. A lack of sleep would do that to anyone, and Mikasa was no exception. How many countless nights had she spent crying herself to sleep?

"I'm sorry, Mikasa…" Eren continued. Mikasa nodded her head, wordlessly agreeing to him, even when she wanted to say something. Eren poked at her arm, getting her attention so she could look at him. "You know you're the only girl for me." Eren signed with a smile.

"Idiot," She chastised before slapping at her brother's shoulder. Eren smiled before pulling Mikasa against his body quickly, keeping her from having the time to protest again. Mikasa didn't put up much of a fight, however, opting to rest her head against Eren's arm and hide her face in the median of his neck and shoulder. This position was easy to relax in, easy to sleep in. She was so exhausted. "Eren, I need to apologize too." She had enough cognizance to lift her hand and continue signing to him.

"For what?" Eren asked.

"I didn't mean to yell at you, or to make you so upset." Mikasa didn't lift her head as she signed. "I lost my temper…"

"As you usually do." Eren had to say, because Mikasa wouldn't see it in this position.

"You know I don't mean it, right? I don't mean to be so hard on you…" Mikasa signed while looking up at him.

"I know. You'll apologize for it, say you won't do it again, but you will. I know you do it out of love. At least I have that."

"Eren," Mikasa whined, actually whined, and jabbed at her brother's shoulder. Eren chuckled lightly, taking no offense to her behavior. "It's bad that you know that so well, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it kind of is."

"I'm sorry," Mikasa sighed.

"It's okay. I know you do it only because you don't want anything happening to me. I'm telling you though that Levi wouldn't do anything like that." Eren persisted. Mikasa groaned, and Eren could feel the vibrations of it against his chest. "Mikasa-"

"You can invite him…" Mikasa admitted in defeat.

"Really…?" Eren asked, elated as he suddenly sat up from the bed.

"So long as Hanji comes with him," Mikasa added, though it didn't drop Eren's spirits. He was barely able to keep himself in the bed, and he had to bite his own hand to keep himself from cheering. Armin was still asleep in the other room, and Eren didn't want to run the risk of waking him up. Poor Armin had trouble sleeping enough as it was.

"Thank you, Mikasa! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Eren signed over and over again. Mikasa wanted to respond, but Eren flopped on top of her and pressed numerous amounts of sloppy, brother versus sister kisses all over her face. Mikasa all but shouted at him while pushing at his shoulders, but Eren weighed more than he looked, and with all of his body weight resting against her, the fight was one that she couldn't win like this.

The only reason it stopped was because there was a knock on her bedroom door, one she heard and one Eren felt. The two of them looked back to see a sleepy Armin standing at her door, blanket wrapped around his shoulders, pajamas hanging loose off of his body, hair askew, and looking too adorable for someone at the tender age of nineteen.

"Am I interrupting, or can anyone join in?" He asked in a scratchy voice while rubbing at his eyes.

"Sure, come on in." Mikasa said as she managed to push Eren to lay on her right side. Armin did without any complaints, sitting down on the side of her bed before laying on his back, his head falling against Eren's arm. He rolled onto his side, tossing the blanket haphazardly over Eren as he cuddled into the older teen's chest to stay warm.

"Is it cold in your room?" Eren asked. Armin quietly nodded his head, his eyes closing softly.

No, that was a lie. It wasn't cold in his room at all. He just had to make sure his family didn't kill each other while he was sleeping. He didn't want to wake up to a violent scene in the morning.

"Hey, Armin…" Eren mumbled and shook his shoulder. Armin startled, his eyes opening in surprise. He hadn't realized he was falling asleep until Eren managed to wake him up.

"Hm…?" Armin hummed while looking up at Eren with his tired, blue eyes.

"Mikasa says I can invite Levi and Hanji over for Thanksgiving." Eren signed with a wide smile.

At first, Armin thought it was a joke. There was no way that would happen, but as he looked over to Mikasa to see her fast asleep, huddled under half of Eren's blanket, he realized that it was probably the case. Mikasa didn't want Eren mad at her, not at all, and if it meant letting Levi over to make him happy, then she would have given in.

"Oh…" Armin lowered his voice to a whisper, and then let I disappear as he began signing. "So you two resolved things?" He asked.

"Yeah," Eren said with an enthusiastic nod of his head. "I think it'll be okay from here. She just has to see that Levi is a good person, and then she won't worry about me as much." He explained while rolling onto his side to face Armin. Armin let him, adjusting himself so they could sit comfortably without waking Mikasa.

"That's great, Eren. Just be patient with it though. It won't happen overnight." Armin reminded with a tired smile. Eren nodded his head before yanking Armin against his chest, keeping his arms around the blonde's shoulders so he couldn't get away. Armin tried, but all of his efforts were in vain. Armin wasn't what one would consider strong, not by any means, so he knew his attempts would prove worthless. He simply settled against the brunette quietly, his arms lifting and hands settling against Eren's chest. He closed his eyes, ready for sleep to take over his senses once again, but it wasn't so easy this time around.

If he were being honest, he didn't think that they'd resolve things. He didn't think that Eren would manage to convince Mikasa of letting Hanji and Levi come over, especially Levi. He didn't think they'd work it out, and now he was at a loss.

He couldn't come out and say that he didn't want them over, because he didn't want Eren upset. This was important to him, and if it meant something to Eren, it meant something to Armin. However, he hadn't much time spent with real family. Since his parents and grandfather died, he'd been all alone. Mikasa and Eren had been the only family he'd had for years now. It may have been selfish, but there were times where he only wanted just his family.

It was extremely selfish, but that was all he wanted. They worked so hard all year, barely had time for each other, and only a few times a year did he get to have them to himself. Now he had to share? Selfish, but it was all he wanted. He couldn't tell anyone though.

He had to suffer alone through this.