Trees began to sprout from the ground and covered the whole area. Long gone with the beautiful horizon, now all her eyes could see were the tree lines. Mikasa turned her head to the side and noticed how he hadn't moved even an inch, his head was still hung low as his hair continued to hide it.
"What are the Paths?" She found herself asking, it finally dawned on her what a marvel this was.
"A plane Founder Ymir created, a place with infinite time and no restraints. We are all connected after all." He explained.
She scratched the side of her face, this was too much to immediately understand and she made no effort to hide it.
"Is my conscience here. . .?" she began.
"No, you're here as a physical person. A single second would pass on the outside but here it could be as long as fifty years." He continued with little to no life in his voice. "I made a closed space and brought you here. It's just the two of us in this infinity."
She tried to wrap her head around the idea, but it proved to be difficult. She simply decided to sigh and out of habit touched the place where her scarf used to be. They sat like that for a while, as the breeze shivered the trees encapsulating them.
She heard leaves crackle to her side, before she even looked up she could feel his figure looming over her. A hand was stretched in front of her, compelling her to look up and absorb his dull green eyes. His hair continued to hide his face, casting an ominous shadow over his pained expressions.
The lonely stretched out hand invited her touch. She looked at it for a moment before she fully made up her mind, and decided to take it. Their fingers intertwined and Eren pulled her up. He didn't let go afterwards, instead chose to lead the way and she followed behind. She could help but notice how warm his touch and how firmly he held on as if he was afraid she'd slip away.
He walked towards a destination he knew. Along the way, she spotted a river and wildlife growing in the forest. She could feel the greenery, reminding her how real everything was in the Paths. If he had told her that he teleported them to an isolated forest, she'd have believed him. Soon they came to a clearing and she spotted a wooden cottage in the middle.
He stopped walking, she was so taken in by the surrounding that she bumped into his shoulder. She retained her balance and left a little space between them, while her hand was still firmly clasped by him.
"We ran away from everything," he reinstated and began to briskly walk towards the cottage. She went along with the path he picked and played out the little story he had crafted for them.
"Then we decided to live here," he continued narrating but stopping in front of the door. "And we spend the rest of the four years I have left here."
The last part had caught her off-guard, as her mind went back to where he had plucked her from. Everything was in ashes, everything was in flames as a single voice echoed asking her to kill him. She scrunched her eyes closed trying her hardest to not remember.
He turned back to face her, noticing full well where exactly her mind had gone. He took the opportunity to stare down at her, how long had it been since he saw her? The same face which was his sole salvation, the same face he had often seen saddened by his actions.
His eyes fell on the scar and he remembered how he was the cause of it, causing him to grimace over his actions. Almost instinctively, he gently caressed the scar with his thumb and refused to take his eyes off it. The action caused Mikasa to snap out of her mind's clutches and feel how soft his skin was against hers. Wide-eyed she looked at him demanding some kind of explanation, but all he did was get mesmerized.
"Ereh?" She slowly began, her head tilted a little to the side.
The word broke his trance and he fully acknowledged what he was doing. Immediately he stopped and looked away. The same hand still buzzing from feeling her soft skin, he scratched the back of his neck to subdue the feeling. For few minutes they awkwardly absorbed the action, while he still wouldn't let go of her hand.
Not being able to take the silence he cleared his throat.
"This cottage will be our home." The implication filled them with a sense of warmth which the cruel world stole.
Authors note: This might be a little slow-burn because well, let's be real Eren and Mikasa have never done anything more than hold hands xD so, I don't see them being suddenly okay with all the touchy aspects and pounce at each other. I've taken this approach in writing instead. Also, if there's something about the PATHS or something you didn't understand let me know, I'll try and clear it up in the chapters.
Do leave a review would love to know your thoughts ~