Why the fuck had he decided to do this? Rivaille found himself nodding numbly, ushering Eren forward as the shock-still figure of Mikasa looked at them in surprise. Then suddenly, she was off her horse, running at Eren with outstretched arms. Eren met her halfway, and spun her around in the air, smiling and laughing. "Mikasa!"
"Eren! What did he do to you?" Her voice was fierce, and she untangled herself from his arms, putting a iron pair of hands on his shoulders instead. "What did he do!? Tell me, and I'll kill him!"
"Nothing!" Eren said in surprise. "It's fine, Mikasa."
"Brat." Rivaille said sharply. "Get on with it."
Eren shot him a quick glare, then hugged Mikasa again. "Mikasa…" He breathed. "I finally get to see you again.." Rivaille tightened his grip on his remaining blade.
"Eren. Wherever you go, I will follow." Her voice was firm. "If he threatened or hurt you, you could've told me."
"..Ah." Eren sheepishly grinned. "Well, that is…"
"He threatened to do something, didn't he?" Mikasa cried. "I knew it!"
"Mikasa! I came of my own free will!"
Rivaille jerked upright against the tree trunk that he was leaning against. What?
"…Eren. Don't lie."
"I'm not lying!" Eren's eyes were defiant. "I came. On. My. Own."
"If you don't come, I'll hurt your friends." Rivaille growled, pressing his blade against Eren's throat. "You know I can."
What?
Why was Eren lying now?
"I came on my own, Mikasa." Eren repeated, sighing. "No one forced me."
Her eyes narrowed. "No matter how selfish this sounds-I don't think that you would go on your own, leave Armin and me-just to explore the outside with this guy!" She cried, motioning to Rivaille. His eyebrow twitched in irritation. Who did this bitch think she was?
"….I had reasons." Eren said shortly, looking away from her accusing gaze.
"Say goodbye, brat." Rivaille's voice cut lowly through their conversation. "We're going."
"You aren't." Mikasa growled, sliding her blade out and standing in a defensive posture, shoving Eren behind her. "Mikasa!" He said, some irritation in his voice. "I thought I told you-I'm not some child for you to protect!"
"You want to go, demon?" Rivaille hissed. "Let's go." He drew his blade out too.
"Eren would never chose you!" Mikasa screamed, sounding more like she was trying to convince herself. "He would chose his family over anything else!"
"You-" Rivaille roared, swinging his blade forward. Mikasa met it with a deft parry, and they both glared at each other, each not giving an inch.
Eren pulled on Mikasa's arm desperately. "Mikasa, I-"
"Stay out of this, Eren." She shot back, still facing Rivaille. Eren reeled back in shock.
He wasn't weak.
He wasn't some fucking pansy that people could fight over without even giving a care to his own feelings.
He wasn't stupid. He wasn't a idiot, and he knew that something was up with "Irvin" even before Rivaille had told him.
Why did everyone keep treating him like a foolish, naïve child who knew nothing?
"Listen!" Eren roared, gritting his teeth. "I choose! It's my own decision! Mikasa." He yanked her back. "You have no right to assume who I would choose. And you!" He pointed a shaking finger at Rivaille. "I've done what you've said in the past, because it was beneficial for humanity and myself! But you have no right either, to order me around like a cow!" Rivaille and Mikasa looked surprised at his outburst. Eren took a shaking breath. "Mikasa, I love Rivaille."
"No-"
"Can you listen?" He said harshly. He closed his eyes and rubbed his head against his temples. "I love Rivaille. Romantically." Eren added as an afterthought, and Rivaille almost spluttered in laughter at Mikasa's face, if this wasn't such a dire situation.
"…I see." Mikasa said quietly. "But-" She looked at Eren with pleading eyes. "Take me with you. Please. So that I know that you're safe, wherever you are."
"What about Armin and Jean?" Rivaille hissed. "You bitch, are you just going to leave them there?"
"Jean's with Armin, and Armin's crazy smart. Besides.." She looked down. "I think they have...mutual feelings. I would be a bother."
What the fuck about us, then?! Rivaille inwardly screamed. No more convenient sex when we want it…no more walking around naked and knowing that no one would care…no jacking off or getting horny either! The minute Eren walks out of her sight, she pounces.
"….No." Rivaille glared. "Eren, your childhood friend is not coming with us."
Eren looked at him, pleading. "But-"
"She can go back with Armin and Jean." Rivaille played the last card. "If you go with her, I'll leave."
Mikasa glared at him, then used her ace. "Eren, you promised you would never leave me."
Eren was stuck. His head was pounding. "Can't we all get along?" He asked timidly.
"No!" two voices roared in simulation. Rivaille and Mikasa each shot horrified looks at each other, each imagining the other with them and Eren.
Mikasa's imagination-
"Here Eren, do you want me to help you-"
"No!" Rivaille snatched Eren from her, wiping Eren's face with a clean tissue he produced out of nowhere. "Eren wants me to clean him, right?"
Rivaille's imagination-
"Ah-Rivaille-fuck me now." Eren breathed, twining his fingers in Rivaille's hair. "I want you-" he gasped.
Rivaille slowly started to strip Eren's shirt off, sliding the sleeves down his shoulders. He had a rising erection, and he was ready-when-"Eren! I've been looking all over for you!"
Mikasa burst out of the bushes, hair tangled. "Where have you been?" She paused, looking at them for a moment. "…Eren?"
Rivaille screamed in frustration. God dammit, what now?!
~X~
"….No." Rivaille grumbled. "Absolutely, horrifyingly, no." Mikasa gritted her teeth and glared at him, and Rivaille stubbornly glared back-who did she think she was?
Rivaille tugged on Eren's arm. "Eren. You wanted to go to the ocean, right?" He said softly.
Mikasa grabbed Eren's other arm-she wasn't going to give up. "Eren." She breathed. "With me here, we'll all be together again. Like old times. Before the wall. I can protect you."
"So can I!" Rivaille snapped-he was getting thoroughly tired.
Eren closed his eyes. "I don't know. Maybe I should just go on alone."
"Don't fucking kid with me." Rivaille rolled his eyes. "You would die the minute you step outside this forest."
That was the wrong thing to say, apparently. Eren grimaced and yanked his arm back-(Mikasa smiled in triumph)"I don't need you to protect me. I'm fine."
Rivaille opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. "Please." Was all he said. "Please, Eren. Talk with me."
"…" Eren moved towards him, shaking Mikasa off, but she followed anyway, looking wary.
"Alone." Rivaille growled. Eren nodded at Mikasa, who still looked worried, and followed Rivaille into a dense cluster of trees, wondering where the other was going.
When Rivaille was sure that Mikasa couldn't see them, he stopped, whirling around to face Eren. "Do you know what this means?"
"Rivaille." Eren patiently said. "Don't be jealous."
"It's not that!" Rivaille snapped, voice frenetic. "We won't go as fast with her tagging along-"
"I hate to say it, but Mikasa is stronger and faster than I am. Why would you drag me along, then?"
I don't like her. Rivaille wanted to say. I don't like the fact that she's coming with us-on our journey-maybe it's just jealousy, after all.
"..Do what you want." Rivaille finally mumbled. "I'm going."
"What?" Eren stared at him in disbelief. "Rivaille, be serious." He sighed.
Rivaille knew very well that he was acting strangely childish today-but he didn't care. He wanted Eren all to himself.
"I'll go on alone. But Eren-what about your father?"
"That's the reason I'm still going." Eren admitted. "It might be hopeless-but I want to see my father again."
"Leave Mikasa." Rivaille breathed. "Leave her, and come with me."
"I can't do that."
"I can't do that." Eren looked at him. "You know I can't."
But unlike last time, Rivaille couldn't threaten to harm Mikasa and Armin-the same trick wouldn't work twice. "…Then what?" He hated how his voice sounded so pleading-god dammit, he was supposed to be strong-not beg. Rivaille didn't beg.
"…She can travel along with us." Eren finally said. "We'll get extra protection too, am I right?"
"No!" Rivaille cried, thoroughly fed up. "That's exactly what we've been arguing about!"
"Besides, she wouldn't leave me, even if I told her. The only times that that's happened was in a battle-and even then, she was closer. Rivaille, she left Hanji and the Recon squad to come after us. What makes you think she'll give up?"
"I'll talk to her." Rivaille stumbled out of the grove, walking as if in a dream. "I'll talk to her." He uselessly repeated.
Eren looked at him reluctantly, then sighed and followed the other back to where Mikasa was waiting, blades still poised.
"I want to talk to you!" Rivaille barked, standing straight-although he still wasn't tall enough, god dammit.
"Yes, sir!" Mikasa said-god, old habits did die hard.
Rivaille grabbed her sleeve and yanked her towards the same clearing, and as Eren watched them go, he groaned aloud, putting his head in his hands.
Dear god, please let them both come out alive.
"Why won't you leave Eren?"
"Why won't you leave him?" Mikasa retorted.
"I-you know." Rivaille sighed.
"Well, I love him too."
"Not in that way!"
"Maybe I do-does that even matter? Love is love."
"I promise." Rivaille leaned against a tree trunk. "I'll take care of Eren."
"…I can't trust that."
"God dammit, I've taken care of him so far, haven't I?"
"But-"
"If Eren's titan goes on a rampage again-I'm the one who can stop him. And who knows-you might get injured in the process too."
"At least I'll know that Eren's safe."
"What good will it do him if you die?"
"I won't die." Mikasa breathed. "I won't die- for Eren's sake."
"I heard about your little-thing-from Armin. Just because Eren was presumed dead, you dropped everything-just for him? What about Armin? Don't you even care about that boy?"
"I do!" Mikasa cried. "I just…wasn't thinking straight."
"So." Rivaille said, raising an eyebrow. "If I showed you Eren's dead body, right now, are you telling me that you won't go jump off into a river?"
"…" Mikasa stayed quiet. Ten years ago, she would've said no, without a dobut, but now, she wans't so sure.
"I can't leave him." She said quietly. "He's the only family I've got."
"You have Armin."
"Are you suggesting that he's a mere substitute?!" Mikasa snapped, tone harsh.
"No. But now, I'm his family too."
"…I can't." She said hopelessly. "I can't."
"I love Eren." Rivaille explained. "I love him so much that I would jump off a fucking river for him-okay, maybe not that literally-but, Mikasa." He put a cautious hand on her shoulder.
"You're not the only one who cares about Eren."
Her head was down, strands of hair covering her face. "….I have to protect him. His mother entrusted me with that."
"Mikasa. Come to live with our family." Eren. Eren. Eren.
"Here...you can have my scarf."
"I'm not your little brother, or someone for you to protect!"
Eren wanted to be independent, on his own. Eren is...strong. Mikasa realized. I've just been covering up everything with my personal feelings-why? Why can't I let him go?
"…And here, I'll take that burden." Rivaille said quietly.
Why can't I let him be happy, to be with the person he loves the most? The person you are smiling to now, Eren, is not me.
For Eren's happiness-which I've always fought so blindly for-I never considered the fact that the source of his joy could be something other than me.
There will be a day, you say,
where the world stops and all that ever was
and all there ever will be would cease.
Trust.
There will be a time, he says,
when I will no longer love like how
you built the moon for me, balancing
upon a staircase of wooden boxes.
Trust.
You didn't care. You let him weave
with string, then with your soul,
your heart the ball of yarn at the end.
Trust in him.
You are a lover. You are a fool.*
But I loved you anyway, blinded by everything in front of my eyes, and selfishly keeping you here. Maybe it is time to grow up.
Trust in him.
"…You have to promise me that you'll take care of him." Mikasa's voice broke. "Promise."
"I promise." Rivaille closed his eyes, hearing Mikasa's shaky breath. "…Do me one more favor, okay?" she asked quietly.
Trust in him.
"What?"
"Tell Eren that I'm not going to be his sister anymore." Mikasa proclaimed. "I want him to see me as an equal-a friend, not family."
Trust in him.
"Will do." Rivaille promised, half-smiling.
Mikasa nodded, closing her eyes. "Then…I'll go."
Trust in him.
Rivaille's eyes softened, and he nodded back, quietly acknowledging the girl. And together, a safe distance apart, they walked back to the clearing where Eren was waiting.
*-Honey Stars, by Nicole
…I hope I didn't ruin Mikasa's character. To be honest, I don't hate her. I actually think that she's a really strong character in the SnK series-but one thing about her that really pisses me off is that she just has to be perfect at every little thing she does. If that doesn't scream-Mary Sue, I don't know what does. But her personality balances it out, so I guess she's not too bad. At first, I was planning on Mikasa coming with Rivaille and Eren, but then that would be too complicated and ruin all the scenes that I had planned for them..so…yeah. ^^" Sorry, Mikasa fans.
I finished the last oneshot! Whoo! It's a genie!Eren and Drugdealer!Rivaille fanfic-but I was surprised at the ending that I wrote..so..yeah! It's called Lamps of Reincarnation, and I would love it if you guys checked it out!
Anyway, WE BROKE 400 REVIEWS OMFG I KEEP ON BEING SURPRISED EACH TIME. Anyway, the winners of the oneshots areeeeeee…..
KittyKatsKanLoveYaoi
Hibarilova18
The Fujioshi
And…
FrozenEmpire-FlowerGarden
I'll PM you guys for the prompt themes! ^^ (god I'm killing myself slowly, aren't I?) But all of you who take time out of your day to review-thank you all so much-I can't express how much your comments and fangirling mean to me…I love you all! *big virtual hug*
Until next time!
K.K
Reviews make Eren and Rivaille take showers and baths together. *watches through hidden camera while holding nosebleed*
