Chapter 21: Glowing Embers
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When Mikasa gets back from her therapy appointment, she walks into the living room to find Levi curled up in the armchair fast asleep, with Carla lying on his feet. She can hear Eren humming in the kitchen, and something that smells like chili is cooking on the stove.
Not bothering to announce her presence, Mikasa closes the front door quietly and takes off her coat, scarf, mittens, and boots before she walks into the kitchen. "I'm back," she says, keeping her voice down.
Eren grins at her. "They were like that when I got home," he says, obviously referring to the sleeping duo in the next room.
Mikasa is walking over to turn the burner on under the kettle and heat up some hot water for cocoa, but she pauses at that. Eren just called this place 'home'. It's the first time that he's used that word that she can remember since the day his parents were killed.
In something of a daze, she sits down at the kitchen table. She can see Eren eyeing her in confusion as he turns on the burner for her, already knowing what she came into the kitchen for. Mikasa reaches out and grasps one of his hands lightly, trying to put her sudden mood into words.
Eren stills at her touch, and lets her gently pull him closer, until he sits down in a chair next to her. She spends a few minutes rubbing his hand between both of her own, his skin warming her fingers.
"Is this place really home for you now?" she asks softly.
Eren blinks at her question, but then he smiles again, and squeezes one of her hands in return. "I think so, yeah," he admits. In his eyes, Mikasa sees a fragile sort of happiness settling there, and her heart warms in response.
"I think so, too," she says. The kettle whistles, and Mikasa lets Eren's hand go so that he can get up and fix their drinks. "It's strange," she adds honestly, "thinking of a place as home." And not just the boy standing a couple of feet away from her.
But home is so much more to her than just Eren now. Home is Levi being there for her to talk to when Eren is annoying her, and Carla curling up on her chest when Mikasa sprawls out on the couch. The table she's sitting at, the smell of cleaning solution in the bathroom, even the quiet way that she can just tell when one of the other two are somewhere in the apartment, knowing that she's not alone. She feels safe here, and wanted, and happy.
"I'm almost afraid to trust that it's real," Eren says, setting a steaming mug down in front of her. "I keep expecting this life to disappear someday, too."
That took a lot for Eren to admit out loud, she knows. He still doesn't like to share his doubts with her, not that she can throw stones there. No, Mikasa understands exactly why Eren struggles with always wanting to appear strong in front of her.
"This is real," she reassures him. "We're going to make sure that it stays real, too, Eren. All of us." Now that she's finally found a home with Eren once again, Mikasa refuses to let anything come along and take it away from them.
Mikasa wants to cherish moments like this. She wants to remember this warm feeling of belonging for forever. On impulse, she pulls out her phone and holds it up, taking a quick picture of Eren's face.
He looks at her in confusion. "What was that for?" he asks.
Mikasa shrugs. "Just memories," she says. "I think I'm going to buy a camera the next time I'm out." If she has pictures of these little moments, Mikasa's sure that she'll never forget them. She turns her phone around to show Eren the picture of his startled face. He looks utterly silly, especially with a small streak of sauce on his cheek. "What do you think?" she asks him, mock-seriously.
"That's awful," Eren moans, but Mikasa catches the grin on his face before he can make it disappear. "Delete it."
She shakes her head, pleased. "No way," she declares. Mikasa stands up and carefully walks out into the living room again, happy to find both man and kitten still asleep. Quietly, she takes a few pictures of the two of them before retreating back into the kitchen, where Eren is chuckling into his drink.
"He's going to delete those if he finds out about them," Eren tells her, still laughing.
Mikasa nods, already emailing them to herself. "I'm making copies," she informs him.
The two of them finish their drinks before Levi finally wakes back up and walks slowly into the kitchen, blinking at the brighter lighting. "How long was I asleep?" he mutters, but he doesn't seem to expect either of them to answer him.
Mikasa steals a quick look at Eren, who silently mouths 'I dare you' at her, grinning cheerfully.
Straightening her shoulders, Mikasa opens up the new blackmail folder on her phone and calmly turns the screen so that Levi can see one of the pictures that she took earlier. Levi squints at the screen, and then snorts once he deciphers it. "Cute," he says.
Eren leans over eagerly, only to pull back and thump his head down on the table with a moan. Mikasa showed Levi the picture of Eren, of course. "Why?" Eren asks her, his tone resigned.
She smiles, saying nothing. Soon, all three of them are gathered around hot bowls of chili and talking about their respective days, Mikasa threatening to take another picture of Eren when he crams a huge spoonful of chili into his mouth and promptly chokes. Dinner is fun and comfortable, just another day at home with her family.