A/N: Hi Everyone! I want to start of by thanking everyone who has read and supported this story so far. Thank you all for your kind words to me. I'm happy to know I am writing something you are all enjoying. Secondly, I'm sorry this update took so long. I meant to have it out last month, but had to keep pushing the date back even though I worked on it continuously.

If you have read the final chapter or saw leaks, I hope that this makes you feel better if you didn't like it and look on the series fondly if you did. If you're waiting until the 9th to read it, I hope this takes your mind off it and gives you that extra strength to keep waiting. If you're an anime-only, don't worry. There are no spoilers here. Please enjoy!

It started with a little sound, the tiniest of whimpers that brought Eren back to consciousness. He realized with a few slow blinks that he'd failed in his mission of staying up all night. There it was again, that little sound of pain breaking through the fogginess in his brain. Through the darkness, his sleepy eyes found Mikasa's curled up, shivering form next to him. Tears glistened in the dim light as they streamed down, most likely soaking into the pillow they shared.

"Hey Mikasa. Wake up." His hand settled on her shoulder giving a gentle shake. He had only ever seen her like this once on that day almost two weeks ago. He didn't like it then and he didn't now. Shaking her a little harder, he waited for her to wake – except she didn't. She lay there sniffing and crying and just not waking up.

"It's just a bad dream. Don't let it beat you." His heart sank into his stomach as his attempts to get her to shake off the dream seemed more and more useless. As he watched her struggle, Eren once again threatened to be overwhelmed by his exhausted emotions, but he knew he had to keep it together if he was going to help her. "I'll be right back, Mikasa. I'll only be gone a second." With that reassurance, he quickly slipped from the bed and very easily navigated the dark hallway into his parents room.

"Dad," he called from the foot of the bed, his parents shapes were huddled together in the middle. "Dad! Get up! Something's wrong with Mikasa." He clambered up the length of the bed, knees and hands going into places sure to get them up.

"Eren! I've told you about climbing on top of people when they're sleeping," Mom fussed weakly as Dad fumbled around the nightstand for his glasses with a groan.

"Mikasa won't wake up again. She's having a bad dream. I – I think something bad happened with that medicine you gave her. It's not supposed to make her feel bad, right?"

"What," his father asked. A scowl formed on his round face.

"That medicine did something to Mikasa, dammit!"

"Watch your language." Eren didn't particularly care about the chastisement. Mom was finally up and moving out the door, him behind her, and Dad coming in last. He watched Mom pull Mikasa into her lap from the hall as Dad sat next to them looking over her. It was weird seeing her cry out for her parents. She was moving and twisting and whining, yet she seemed so lifeless…almost worst than she had earlier that same day.

His insides were churning. The distance between him and her and Mom and Dad seemed so large and dark. That increasingly familiar feeling reared its head again. The suffocating one that mixed with the sadness. The one that made him feel like he couldn't do anything in this situation despite his best attempts which only seemed to make matters worse in the end. He was, however, familiar with the anger that blanketed over it all when the burning behind his eyes started. Eren turned and silently stalked away. He kept walking until he was out the front door and plopped down on the steps. It was hard to not cry, to keep the tears at bay especially when all these feelings that he didn't know how to deal with at one time weighed so heavily in his chest. Fast, sharp breaths came and went through his nose. The tightness in his jaw at his clenched teeth became almost painful.

Wanting to watch over Mikasa tonight, he had been determined to stay awake the entire night like she usually did. That was all he wanted to do, the only thing he could do to be of help. Just like he'd failed to do that, he also failed at keeping himself together. It all just kind of seeped out and he couldn't help it, so he just cried on the doorstep feeling utterly powerless.

"Eren, there you are." He quickly scrubbed his face on the sleeve of his sleep shirt as his mother sat down next to him. "Is Mikasa okay," he asked hoping he didn't sound like he'd been crying like a baby.

"Your father says she'll be fine when she wakes up. Unfortunately, she'll have to brave the nightmare," she sighed. He forgot all about hiding his wet face at the words.

"Brave the nightmare? Why can't he wake her up? Use those – those salt things like he did before!" She shook her head.

"The medicine is already doing its job, working very well, in fact, so waking her that way could be dangerous if it even worked. Trust me, I already asked." So none of them could do anything to help her. "Mikasa is a strong girl. You know that, Eren. She'll come out alright." When he didn't say anything, she continued, "No matter how strong she is, though, I know she'd want you to be by her side instead of out here by yourself. She'd definitely want a comforting face when she wakes up."

"Why would she want me there when I'm the one that got her into this mess in the first place." His mother didn't answer immediately but put her arm around his shoulders, hugging him gently to her side. Eren couldn't find it in him to resist the relief it gave him, making his chest feel the smallest bit lighter.

"Because she understands that you meant well – that you were trying to help her. Your heart was in the right place. I know Mikasa will get that. She's as smart as she is strong. Everything you tried to do was for a good reason, but the way you went about it wasn't the best. You should have told us sooner if you thought something wasn't right, so we could've helped too. Three heads are better than one, after all, and there's no shame in accepting help when you need it."

"I know that. I just...wanted to take care of her myself. I brought her home. I –

His jaw worked up and down as he struggled to find the words, to say what he wanted. His fingers curled into the cloth of his pants, gripping them tightly. Frustration began to build as his mind continued to draw a blank. He almost boiled over again when Mom gave him another soft squeeze drawing him back to the dimly lit street.

"It's okay, Eren. I understand what you mean." When his reddened eyes met his mother's gentle ones, her knowing smile comforted him a bit. He could believe that she did know – she knew a lot of things – even if he couldn't seem to say it out loud. "If you're trying to be a man for Mikasa, then come back inside and be one."

"But I've messed up pretty badly."

"People make mistakes all the time, son. That's just life. No one is perfect. What really matters is what you do after you mess up that makes the difference. Are you going to own your mistake and try your best to make things better or are you going to have a pity party and let Mikasa deal with this on her own?"

"Of course, I'm not going to leave her by herself," he snapped, the very thought disgusting him. That was never what he wanted. Eren stood to his feet, his mother's arm falling from his shoulder. He could hear her laughing at him as he stomped back inside, but he didn't care. She'd been laughing at him a lot lately anyway. He made his way back into his room to see his dad pulling the bed covers up to Mikasa's chin.

"She'll be okay," Dad reassured as he straightened. "We'll just have to try a different dosage next time."

"No!"

"No?"

"I don't want her to have the medicine again. Not if it traps her in a bad dream." He looked over at her pained expression.

"Eren..."

"There has to be some other way!" Dad watched him quietly for a minute. And for a second, he thought Dad would disagree, but then he nodded giving him some relief.

"Alright. We can try something else. I'd offer to let you sleep with your mother and me, but I take it you'll be staying in here tonight." It sounded like a question, but he said it as a fact - one Eren agreed with. "Try to get some rest. We'll check on her when we get up."

When the door shut and it was just the two of them, he crawled under the covers and lay right next to her where he started the night.

Feeling as determined as ever but still a bit unsure of what to do, he just watched her face scrunch up in little sniffles. It wasn't much to celebrate, but her breathing was much better now than the heavy laborious ones she took when she'd passed out. Just thinking of her like that still scared him. And he didn't mean for it to happen, just for her to get tired enough to go to sleep. He just wanted her to be able to rest at night. If she could get some shut eye, then maybe she'd be a bit livelier during the day.

See, at first, Eren thought everyone slept, but he soon came to realize that Mikasa didn't. At all. He knows it sounds crazy, but every time he woke, she was already awake. Not just in the mornings, but in the middle of the night when he had to use the bathroom too or when he just randomly awoke. It didn't matter when, she was always up and he realized he'd never actually seen her sleep. He was sure she wasn't a vampire. While that would have been cool, she didn't fit the rules for being one and they weren't real anyway. After the third time, he made it a point to wake up every night just to see if his thinking was true or not.

It always took Eren a few seconds to remember his goal as he slowly blinked awake, eyes struggling to adjust in the darkness, haziness falling from his mind. Once he did, though, he rolled onto his side glancing at the small form on his bed from the mattress on the floor. He could barely make out the outline with the help of the moonlight, but she was there.

"Hey, Mikasa. Are you awake," he'd whisper. Sometimes it would be quiet for so long that he thought she might actually be sleep, but then he could make out the tiniest of movements as she shifted to look at him. He didn't know why, but it always made him pause for a moment, his face growing annoyingly warm, when he caught her gray eyes and black hair dipping onto the bed and reflecting what little light was in the room. The dark hair and red scarf she never took off were the only things that kept her from blending into the white sheets altogether. If he hadn't saved her, Eren might think she was a ghost; but ghosts weren't real either – Armin told him that too – and she always eventually responded with,

"I'm awake." Her voice was as soft as it ever was and though he was still getting used to it, his ears strained a little less each night. After a few nights of investigating, he'd decided to ask Dad because he knows tons about people since he was a doctor; so of course, Mom decided to let him sleep late that day, and he'd just missed him. Even worse, he had to go back and wash his face and teeth before he ran out to catch up to his father on his way to work. And if he accidentally knocked over one of Mr. Nebbercracker's potted plants on the way, then that was Mom's fault too, not that he actually cared. The man was a crotchety old bastard anyway, and he was trying to get somewhere. Despite the morning's setbacks, he was still able to ask his father about it.

"So just to be sure, you're saying that everyone goes to sleep. Everyone?"

"Yes, Eren," Grisha said, answering the same question for what must have been the third time. "If it is alive then it has to sleep. People, animals, plants, they all sleep." He watched his young son nod with a critical look on his face. "Can I know why you're so curious about sleep?"

He looked up at his father's expectant gaze and then away at the people they passed on the way to the clinic. He could feel his face heating up but refused to give in.

"Alright," Dad chuckled. "You can keep it to yourself." And that's exactly what Eren intended to do. He was the one who brought Mikasa home and he was going to take care of any problems she had. She was his responsibility...he just needed a bit of information first and what he got didn't quite match what he'd seen the past few days.

"Eren, is that all you came this way to ask."

"Yeah, thanks Dad."

"Run back home and do your chores before you do anything else, okay?"

"But Daaad, I haven't seen Armin in ages, and all Mom and Mikasa plan to do is sew."

"That may be so, but you still need to do your part to help around the house. I'm sure Armin won't mind waiting a little while for you. Why don't you bring Mikasa along. I'm sure she would like another friend." He bristled at the thought.

"No!"

"Now, Eren, what's with that attitude? Just because you would prefer to have only one friend doesn't mean Mikasa is the same. I know Armin would be very nice to her." He remained stubbornly quiet not meeting his father's gaze. Of course, he knew Armin would be nice to her. He was the nicest person Eren knew, but he wasn't ready to share – Mikasa wasn't ready to meet new people yet. "Fine," his father sighed, "I mean it, though. Go back home and help your mother."

"Fine," he grumbled stopping in the middle of the road where carts and people moved around them. "Have a good day."

"You too. I'll see you after work. Be good," were Dad's parting words as he ruffled his hair and continued on his way. Eren turned to go back in the direction of their house. Just because he had to go back home didn't mean he had to hurry. Passing up the alley that would get him there quicker, he decided to take the long way around and trudged along.

Halfway there, he realized he didn't ask what to do if someone didn't sleep like they were supposed to...shit! He couldn't turn around because Dad definitely would have made it to work already, but if he asked tonight then Mom would definitely not let him get away without knowing all the details, then Mikasa would know he didn't fix her problem on his own.

Great, just great. Okay, think Eren, think. Hannes always got sleepy after drinking, but he balked at the idea giving Mikasa that disgusting stuff. No need to be a drunk like him. Besides, he wouldn't know where to get it from anyway. How did he always fall asleep? It wasn't something he thought about. He just kind of laid down and closed his eyes. But he did have to be comfortable too. Was she uncomfortable? Was she cold? Is that why she wore his scarf even to bed? Okay, he would start by making sure she had all the blankets she needed. What else?

Mom tried reading books to him when he was younger and that always put him to sleep. Did Mikasa like books like Armin? If she did, he would find the most boring ones he could get his hands on. Oh! And counting sheep. It's never worked for him, but it must have worked for someone if people kept preaching about it. Okay, he had a plan.

A plan that failed.

That night as they prepared for bed, he gave Mikasa two extra blankets. If Mom gave him a weird smile that made his face feel hot as he tucked in her and asked if she was warm and comfortable – she said she was - then he'd ignore it because she'd been making that face a lot lately, and he didn't even know what it meant. Whatever. Eren forced himself to stay awake for what had to have been at least half the night before asking if she was awake. To his frustration, she was.

"Why are you still up," he whispered going to stand by the edge of the bed. She just blinked up at him with large eyes which didn't surprise him. She never said much. It was weird sometimes, but he didn't mind. "Are you cold?"

"No. I'm fine."

"Then why are you still wearing this scarf if you're not."

"Oh...Um – I –

"Mikasa, this is your home now too, so you shouldn't be afraid to say if something is wrong," he scolded while grabbing his blanket from the floor and throwing it over the ones she was already buried under.

"B - but won't you be cold, Eren," she asked, and it wasn't with that dull, lifeless tone that always colored her words. Was she...worried about him?

"Of course not," he replied puffing his chest out. "I don't get cold. Now scoot over."

"What?"

"Scoot over, we'll share the bed and keep you warm with our combined body heat."

"Bo...dy heat?" Wow, she must be a lot colder than she let on to hide her face in her scarf like that.

"Yeah! Remember my friend Armin?" He didn't wait for her to confirm or deny if she did. "Well he has these books about the outside world, and there's this place called the arctic where it gets super-duper cold. And so the animals that live there called penguins – we don't have any here because it's too warm for them – huddle together in big groups and use their body heat to stay warm. We can do the same thing even though it isn't nearly as cold here." More blinking. "So are you going to scoot over?"

At his final prompting, Mikasa did as she was asked, and Eren slid under the warmth of the covers, his head resting next to hers on the pillow. Somewhere in his mind he knew sharing body heat like penguins meant they'd have to be close, but as they stared at one another, he realized he'd never been this close to a girl before, other than Mom. He quickly looked away, rolling onto his back. Why was his heart beating so fast?

The silence stretched on, and he could still feel her eyes on him, making his ears flame up. He didn't think it would feel so...weird? That wasn't the right word, but he couldn't think of another one, so he decided to just talk to fill the weirdness instead.

"Are you comfy?"

"Yes."

"Good." Another few beats. "Are you warmer?"

"Yes."

"You're not just saying that, are you?" He eyed her suspiciously.

"No, I feel much warmer. Thank you, Eren."

"You're welcome." To tell the truth, so did he. It was probably the nicest sleep he'd ever had, but he was angry at himself for falling asleep while Mikasa remained awake. Huddling for warmth like penguins didn't work, but he wasn't giving up.

The next night, they laid in bed together again and tried counting sheep. Just as he imagined, it also didn't work, but they made it to one thousand two hundred and seventy-six sheep before giving up on that method. If that wasn't cool, then he didn't know what was. His last resort was a book. A double-edged sword as he'd heard Dad once say.

Not that reading couldn't be fun, but he just didn't find books interesting that often. Well, he liked some of Armin's books, but they were about the outside world. Who wouldn't want to read about that? In the end, he'd settled on one of Mom's few recipe books, mostly because he couldn't understand the majority of the words in Dad's, and his few were about lessons or not good for putting someone to sleep.

Embarrassingly, Mikasa ended up taking the book and continued to read when his speech became too slurred from resisting sleep. He couldn't look her in the face in the morning, and that was how he ended up accompanying Dad on his way to work again. Maybe if he knew why people slept, he could figure out how to get her to sleep. Eren listened raptly to his father's knowledge.

"When we move about our day, it requires energy. So when I help patients, when your mother buys food in the market, when you run around playing, it uses up the energy we've stored."

"So... sleep gives us that energy back?"

"Correct. Very good deduction." He felt a slight thrill at his father's praise. "We normally run out at the end of the day and it's why we feel tired or sleepy."

"So, if we use up all our energy, then we have to go to sleep," he concluded, his thoughts already forming into his next plan which was sure to work.

"Correct again. Are you still not going to tell me why you want to know so much about this subject."

"No."

"Sure it's not because you want to be a doctor like your old man?" Eren's nose wrinkled and Dad laughed. "Alright, I get it."

"It's not that something's wrong with being a doctor. I just - I already know what I want to do."

"Oh? What might that be?"

"I'm not telling that either."

"Keep your secrets then. What are your plans for today." He already knew.

"I'm going to take Mikasa to the flower field to play."

"Finally going to show her around town, huh?"

"No, just the field." The way his father sighed meant he was about to say something he didn't like.

"Eren, I know you're feeling...protective of Mikasa, but she has to get out at some point. You can't keep volunteering to take her chores or run errands by yourself." And there it was.

"I know, it's just not time yet."

"When will it be time?"

"I don't know," he grumbled. Why was Dad talking about this all of a sudden.

"Son, Mikasa is safe here. Your mother and I are making sure of it, and you're doing a great job of it too." He already knew that! Nothing was going to happen to Mikasa ever again because he was always going to be with her from now on and he said as much out loud.

Grisha was quiet for a minute after the exclamation and Eren thought that was the end of that conversation until he spoke again. The words couldn't have struck a chord within him more or made him angrier. "She'll also still be with you no matter how many people she meets. I'm sure you're as special to her as she is to you, Eren."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he snarled, whirling around and stomping in the direction they came from all the while ignoring the calls of his father until he could no longer hear them. He was in a rather foul mood when he finally returned home, and he angrily shoved his cooled breakfast into his mouth.

"Eren! Don't eat so fast. You'll get a stomachache," Mom scolded him from her seat on the bench in front of Mikasa who was trying on the new dress they'd been working on for her.

"I don't care," he exclaimed but it came out more as sounds than words since his mouth was stuffed full.

"And don't talk with your mouth full!" But she talked to him first! Was he supposed to say nothing back? He was done. He'd had enough. The kitchen chair scraped loudly against the floor when he shoved it backwards and stomped to his room, not listening to his mother fussing. The door slammed shut behind him as he fell face first on the bed.

If anyone asked Eren what he was upset about, he wouldn't be able to say which was why he was glad Mom didn't come up to nag him and make him try to admit the issue, but before long the door was creeping open slowly and he rolled to his side so his back was to it. The long silence let him know exactly who it was.

"What do you want?" He was ready to snap at her to get out when he felt the bed dip as she climbed in, her warmth spreading to him as she laid with her back pressed against his. "What are you doing?"

"Warming you. Like the penguins," her soft voice answered. His brow furrowed, and he turned to look at her over his shoulder.

"But I'm not cold."

"Are you okay?" She peaked at him through a curtain of hair, and he flopped back down at the question.

"I'm fine."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing! I said I was fine."

"...Okay. I'll just warm you up then."

"I'm not cold!" But she stayed there behind him and he just stared at the wall. It felt like a long time before he asked, "How long are you going to stay there."

"Until you're warm." Why did she keep saying that? Eren sighed, not bothering to deny it.

"I'm warm," he said sitting up. "C'mon. We're leaving. I want to take you somewhere."

"Like...leaving the house." When he nodded, Eren noticed Mikasa's fingers grip the ends of her scarf. "Oh...will you stay with me? The entire time?"

"Well, I'm not going to just leave you by yourself."

"Okay."

"Let's go," he exclaimed grabbing her hand and dragging her out of the room.

"W-wait, Eren. My shoes."

"Right! Shoes!" After booting up and promising to be home by lunch, Eren pulled Mikasa behind him all the way to the field. That's where it all went wrong because he got so excited playing with her.

It was the first time they'd done so together, and he soon came to realize he maybe enjoyed playing with her better than anyone else. Armin didn't like to run around as much and the other jerks in town always cheated or wanted to change the game when they were losing.

They played all of his favorite games; hide and seek, scouts and titans, and tag. She never complained, always doing what he wanted, and she ran super fast. Thinking he was out running her, Eren didn't really notice her gradually getting slower and slower, didn't notice the gap getting larger and larger, didn't notice her getting further and further behind until he looked back and couldn't see her at all.

"Mikasa?" No answer. "We're playing tag now, not hide and seek anymore." He waited a moment longer before walking back the way he came. It wasn't long before he caught sight of the lightly frayed edges of his scarf - her scarf. His eyes followed the red threads with a building sense of dread; and there she was, lying in the tall grass and blue flowers looking awfully pale. Eren dashed over dropping to his knees next to her prone form.

For a moment, everything was silent but the loud pulsing in his ears, and the traveling beadlets of sweat from running around pouring from his skin. Then he shook her, called out to her, wondered why she was suddenly not responding because she never ignored him, wondered why she was suddenly sleeping on the ground. He told her it wasn't funny if it was a joke, but from what he'd seen, Mikasa didn't really joke. That was when he really began to panic. It was all he could do when he situated her on his back and ran to Dad's clinic as quickly as he could without shaking her around too much.

Eren felt like he was watching everything from outside a window as Dad took care of her. He couldn't even really talk to her, ask her if she was okay, because Dad did it all before putting her back to sleep. He insisted on being the one to carry her home, but when they got there, Mom took her and changed her clothes and tucked her into bed. They had done everything then, just like they had this time, and staring at her distressed face, he had no idea of what he could have possibly done to help.

Still, Eren wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, because Mom always hugged him after a bad dream. She always talked to him. He never remembered what it was about the next day, just that he felt better. Would Mikasa be able to hear him if he talked to her? Eren didn't know, but it was worth a try. He had to try. He had to do something.

"I'm sorry," was the first thing that softly fell from his lips. It was weird how easily it came. Not that he wasn't sorry, because he was, but it was almost like talking to himself since she couldn't hear him. What else could he say? "I know you're not here for the best reasons but I'm glad you are." He could feel heat blooming in his face. Okay, maybe it wasn't as easy as he thought. Having felt a little bit too exposed, he simply changed the subject, telling her about all the cool places he'd show her around town, that he would eventually introduce her to Armin and Hannes, about the wonders he wanted to see outside the walls one day. Through all of his talk, eventually, her tears stopped, expression becoming smooth. And so did Eren's

When he awoke to blinding streams of sunlight and an empty bed, he was up in seconds stumbling down the hallway to their main room where he saw his family quietly eating breakfast; no doubt, the loud footsteps alerting them to his incoming presence. He stared at them, feeling like the air was strange or rather that he was the one who was odd. As he sat at the table, a steaming bowl of porridge in front him, he glanced to his left where Mikasa was also eating at her calm pace despite the red on her cheeks.

He wanted to ask her how she was feeling, but nothing past the quiet chorus of 'Good Mornings' left his lips. He wanted to ask Dad if he'd thought of something else that could help with the problem, but he and mom sat across from them equally involved in their food, so he joined them without complaint. The weird franticness and unease he felt didn't match how they were going about the day as normal, almost as if last night – all of yesterday – didn't happen. He pondered this, equally as silent, and almost finished his meal before noticing a black bag near the door. Dad's overnight bag.

"Are...are you going somewhere, Dad." There was a pause between his parents as they glanced at each other for a few seconds the way they sometimes did, like they could have secret conversations with their minds or something, before turning back to him.

"Yes." Dad's tone was...cautious. "A messenger came early this morning. A family is sick and has requested my services."

"But –

"Are you finished," he interrupted looking into Eren's bowl. "Why don't you walk with me to the gate. Grab my bag and wait outside. I'll get my coat." He wanted to argue. To tell him he had to stay until they figured out how to help Mikasa, but glancing at her gentle face then to his mother's hopeful expression, he stood from his chair and grumbled,

"Fine."

The walk was quiet for most of the way, and Eren was losing more and more of what little patience he had when his father refused to say anything aside from greeting people on the street as they passed. There must have been some reason he was asked to come along. Or maybe it was just a way to get him not to give them a hard time about the fact that he was leaving when Mikasa needed him here. Would they do something like that? He stopped just as the gate through Wall Maria came into view, waiting until his father noticed and turned back.

"Why did you ask me to come with you." Dad's eyes glanced over hm before smiling lightly.

"Well, I'll be gone for a few days. I thought it would be nice to walk together." Eren frowned.

"Is that all?"

"No," Grisha laughed. Shuffling Eren off to the side, he sat his bag on the ground and placed a hand on his son's shoulders. "No, I wanted to tell you that I know you don't feel comfortable with me leaving at this specific time, but…I trust you to stay here to help your mother out and look after Mikasa in my place." He inhaled sharply, not quite believing what he was hearing.

"You do? Even after -

"Listen Eren. I know your mother mentioned this, but I want you to really pay attention. It takes a brave person to step forward and try to help others, to right wrongs they see; but it takes an even stronger person to admit that they've made a mistake and learn from it. Believe me when I say I know this very well." Curiosity bloomed.

"How do you know?"

"That…that's something that will have to wait a few years."

"Aw c'mon! I'm old enough to know things." His parents always said they'd tell him certain things or let him do stuff when he was older.

"I know, but I'm the one not ready to share that just yet. For now, do your best here, okay? I should be back in three days if everything goes well. I'm counting on you." With those words any lingering doubts Eren had faded away. They were replaced by a fire igniting within. Determination brimmed over.

"I've got it, Dad!"

"I know you do."

When they finally reached the gate, Grisha gave his son a tight squeeze before going through and joining a rather nicely dressed man on the other side. Eren watched his dad until he disappeared into the crowd before turning around and running off with a purpose to his steps. Dad believed he could get to the bottom of this, and he was going to do it if it was the last thing he ever did. Well, not by himself. Mom said it was okay to accept help, and he was out of ideas. That was how he found himself banging on the door of a little house not too far from the town square.

"E – Eren," his best friend stuttered while narrowly avoiding being hit in the face when he opened the door. "What are you doing here so early?"

"Yes, what brings you by at this time of day." Armin's grandfather appeared from the other side of the door.

"Can Armin come out and play?"

"We still have today's lessons to go through."

"Oh." But he needed to talk to him now. "Well, can I talk to him really fast? It won't take long, I promise!" He waited patiently as the older man deliberated before finally nodding his approval.

"Fifteen minutes. If you want to play, you'll have to come back later, alright?"

"Thanks, Grandpa Arlert!"

"C'mon, Armin. We can talk in your room," he said grabbing the blonde's wrist as he barged into the house.

"O-okay," he agreed, having no choice but to be pulled along by his enthusiastic friend. When the door was closed behind them, he asked, "What did you want to talk about that made you come by so early."

"I need your help. Mikasa doesn –

"Oh, your new friend? How is she?" Armin sat on his bed looking down at his feet.

"That's why I'm here." Eren rolled his eyes at the needless interruption. "She can't sleep, and I can't figure out what to do. I've tried everything."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

"What can I possibly do if you've already tried everything?"

"I don't know, but you're the smartest guy I know, so you have to be able to think of something."

"You really think I'm that smart," Armin asked shyly and Eren didn't miss the way his cheeks reddened but paid it no mind.

"Duh. I wouldn't be here if you weren't. Plus, I need someone I can trust with this since Dad trusted me to take care of Mom and Mikasa while he's away."

"Your dad left?"

"Yes, but that's not important. I need you to focus, Ar! We don't have a lot of time. How can I get her to sleep if I've tried everything?"

"Well…what's wrong?"

"I already told you. She can't sleep. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine. What I meant is what's wrong that she can't sleep? We can't figure out how to fix the problem if we don't know what's wrong." Green eyes blinked at blue ones, the question settling into his mind.

"I…I don't actually know." Why couldn't she sleep?

"Okay. Has she said anything was wrong?"

"No." She would have said if something was wrong, right? Well, maybe not because something was obviously wrong, and she hadn't said anything about it – not that she said much in the first place.

"Maybe try asking her." Eren nodded. That was a good idea. He doesn't know why he hadn't thought of it before, but that's why Armin was the smartest.

"Thanks! Oh, and do you still have that book about the different places in the world? I was telling Mikasa about penguins, but I couldn't remember everything, so I figured I could just show it to her instead." He hopped off the bed and dropped to his knees pulling a heavy book from underneath it.

"Yeah! Maybe you can bring her over, and we can look at it together."

"No!" The word was out of Eren's mouth before he could even think about it making the cheerful atmosphere vanish almost instantly. Silence hung in the air as Armin stared at him with wide eyes and he in shock at himself.

"W – well that's okay. Here." He held the book out, gaze finding his feet again. "I'm sure you and her will have fun looking at it together." Eren didn't move to take it but kept watching his friend who liked to read a lot and wasn't the best at fighting or running but still tried for his sake. He watched his friend who hung out with him and played with him and listened to him complain. He watched him until he pushed the book down and came to a decision.

"Keep it. I just meant not yet, is all. I wanna make sure she's feeling up to it first. It won't be as much fun if we have to worry about her keeling over on us. Besides, she's gotta meet my best friend at some point, right?"

"Yeah. Definitely!" Eren was relieved to see the smile back on Armin's face. He left the Arlert residence feeling even lighter than he did when he'd first came. Of course, the minute he got home Mom set him to work, but he did everything with no fuss, all the while stealing glances at Mikasa who always happened to be looking at him at the exact same time. It was so weird how she kept hiding her face in her scarf every time he caught her. Was he supposed to not know how colored her face was because he could obviously see it; and why did she keep looking at him like that anyway? Another mystery to get to the bottom of.

It was at lunch when they were finally free to go outside, which was how Eren got the idea to eat their sandwiches on the porch. The sun was high in the sky, so he didn't have to worry about her being too cold. Just as he was about to bring up what was on his mind, he was surprised when it was Mikasa who spoke first.

"Thank you." It may have been the first time he heard her so clearly. He pulled a half-eaten sandwich from his mouth and looked over at her.

"What for," he asked leaning forward to catch her eye. A frown formed on his face when she scrunched away, so he scooted closer until their shoulders were touching and waited. She was obviously having trouble, so he did his best to be patient. It took her a minute to answer but eventually she whispered,

"For talking to me…when I was having that dream. I – I felt like it would never end, but then I heard your voice and then…it was okay again. So, thank you." Woah. She had heard him, heard everything he'd said when he thought she couldn't.

"That's nothing so don't thank me for something like that." This time he was the one who couldn't look at her, and he hoped his hair was long enough to hide his burning ears (it wasn't). "If you have a bad dream then I'll always be there to make if okay again. Got it?" It came out rougher than he wanted it to, but she understood anyway saving him the need to prolong this embarrassing conversation. They finished their meal while watching people go by, and a sudden thought occurred to Eren as he shoved the last bite of sandwich into his mouth.

"Is the reason why you can't sleep because you have bad dreams?"

"Hm?"

"Your dreams. Are they the reason why you can't sleep."

"Oh...um…I don't know."

"You don't know?" He found that a little hard to believe, especially with the way her fingers seemed to be twisting nervously in their scarf.

"I – I…"

"Well are they," he pressed despite her obvious discomfort. She looked like she might explode before ultimately fizzling out.

"…No. Bad dreams aren't as scary when you're there to keep me warm." His face was not enflamed.

"Then what is it?"

"The sounds. The sounds are different." What?

"What sounds?"

"At night, the sounds are different from the ones with…mama and papa. It's so noisy." That was it. That. He didn't think it was noisy, but he supposes that was because he'd only ever heard the same noises at night.

"Why didn't you say anything?" When she refused to speak, he knew it was for the same reason she hesitated to answer his earlier question, the same reason she didn't tell him when she was cold. Mikasa still thought she was a burden. She didn't want to bother them with how she felt. Gritting his teeth together, he held back the angry words he wanted to spit at her for thinking of herself that way, for thinking they didn't care, that he didn't care. No, now that he knew what the problem was, he would find a solution and prove to her that she was a part of their family now, that she belonged with him – them – and that nothing would change that.

And that's exactly what he did. It took two days of searching. It would have taken three, but Eren was determined to have this wrapped up before Dad came back. His mother wondered where he'd gone off to everyday and reprimanded him when he refused to tell her, but he didn't care because this was for Mikasa and no one else.

He was antsy that morning and couldn't wait to drag her out the house by the wrist ignoring Mom's calls to be back for lunch. That wasn't going to happen, but not necessarily for the reason he thought. As they got further and further from home, venturing through the gate into Wall Maria, Eren could sense Mikasa's unease, but he didn't pay it any mind. The end result was more important.

"Eren, should we be going this far away," she finally asked when they'd left people behind to venture into a wooded area.

"We're almost there. This is going to be good. I promise." She didn't say anything else, glancing up at the gray clouds that darkened the sky. The first raindrops were cool on his skin, little pinpricks, but he pushed forward, their destination now in sight. As they reached the edge of a clearing, he finally dropped her wrist. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what," she asked after a moment of listening and wiping a few droplets from her forehead.

"Exactly! It's quiet and the grass is probably the softest I've ever laid on, so…I thought maybe you could sleep here, at least for a little while. I would have brought the picnic blanket for you to lay on, but Mom would have gotten suspicious and I wanted to show you before anyone else knew about it." There was a nervousness in his chest as he watched her eyes roam over the trees and grass and flowers. Mikasa stepped forward slowly, fingers grazing the tall blades of grass.

"It's very pretty," she said turning back to him. He could barely see it, wasn't quite sure if it was really there, but he was blown away by the slightest quirk of her lips. Eren had never seen her smile before and just stared at her as more rain fell, not quite sure about the feeling spreading through his body; but not really alarmed because it was just something else that accompanied her unexpected arrival in his life.

He didn't have time to say anything else on the matter as a crack of thunder opened up the sky to pour down on them. In seconds, his short hair was flat to his head, rivets of water streaming into his eyes, blurring his vision. He could feel Mikasa quickly tugging him across the field, to a rather large tree. As he tried to find a place on his shirt to wipe his eyes, he saw her crouching down at the trunk and crawling into the large opening at its base.

"Come in. There's enough room for both of us. We can wait here for the rain to stop." Eren hesitated, running through his limited options before admitting defeat. He got down and joined her in the little cubby.

"Are you okay," he asked once settled next to her.

"I'm fine," was her whispered reply, but they were both wet and sure to be cold soon, no matter how close they were. He wouldn't do a good job of warming her and he'd brought them so far out that going home wasn't an option if he wanted to avoid getting sick or exhausting her again by hurrying the entire way. Any excitement he felt at finding this place had all but fizzled out, because even after all of this, he'd still failed. She hadn't even gotten to see how soft the grass was.

"It looks like I have to say sorry, again. I tried to help and only made things worse. Again. I can't seem to get anything right." He stared staunchly ahead at the falling water. Disappointment weighed heavily on him as he waited for no reply. Was she mad at him for another screw up? The idea made his insides shrivel a little bit. "Look, I'm really sorry, okay? I really thought this would work after what you told me and I –

The weight of her head suddenly finding his shoulder made Eren pause and look over at her. "Are you even listening to me? Mikasa?" For a second he was panicked, thinking about the last few days when he noticed her eyes were closed; but it became apparent that her breathing was calm, her face was relaxed, and she was quiet as she shifted slightly closer to him with a sigh. She was sleeping. Mikasa was asleep. Peacefully asleep.

The hold he had of his bent knees slackened, his head going blank for a few seconds in surprise. Obviously, that was the goal of coming all this way, and he really hoped it would work, but seeing that it actually had, Eren felt that strange happiness bubbling inside again. The same happiness he had when he played with her before she passed out, the happiness he felt when they laid next to each other in bed to keep warm, the happiness he grudgingly admitted to feeling even when reading his mother cookbooks with her. It was a happiness that he felt only with her.

Before he realized she was more than capable of taking care of herself, before he became blinded by the fear that her strength meant she no longer needed him as much as he did her, before he became so angry that he couldn't process things clearly anymore, Eren was happy.

Those months before it all came crashing to a fiery burning end felt like years because she was there. To be honest he didn't remember much of life before Mikasa. It felt like she'd always been there, right by his side. As the dark of night reformed around him, crickets filling his ears, Eren remembered clearly how nothing else mattered to him but that moment of watching over a sleeping Mikasa as rain cascaded around them. Not the fact that his mother ripped him a new one when they finally returned in time for dinner or that he wasn't allowed to leave the house for the next two weeks. It didn't matter that he didn't fully solve the problem or that his parents thought up the simpler solution of putting cotton in her ears until she got used to her new home. Just those times with her, those moments.

They didn't seem to have many of those anymore, or maybe they did, but he was just too out of it, too concerned about other things to notice. When was the last time he'd lived in the moment, just enjoyed being with people he cared about, just enjoyed being with her. Standing up to leave the clearing, Armin's words came back to him.

You're thinking like you're already dead.

The more he thought about it, the more Eren could admit that his friend might be right. All this time, he'd been fighting, working hard to ensure that everyone he cared for could live long lives without such heavy burdens; but somewhere along the way, he'd forgotten that living wasn't much without at least a little bit of happiness. Being with Mikasa was enough, it really was, but what if he wanted more than enough?

As he quietly entered the men's barracks, Eren wondered if he could really live the rest of his days knowing instead of imagining what could have been? Would it be fair to try and experience some semblance of contentment before he died? Because the mere thought of being with her… If he was being fully honest with himself, then he would say no, he couldn't just live with what he conjured in his mind. He wasn't a kid anymore who didn't understand his own feelings, who had such tunnel vision that he couldn't see those around him.

So was that it then? Was that his decision? Maybe he wouldn't be able to make her forget him when he died or if he had to do what he might, but if she was as happy as he was when they were together, that was worth something, right? He could leave her with some happy memories before he fucked it all up, like he did most things. He sighed, wrapped fingers gently tapping the door handle as something struck to him. Given the current atmosphere between them, how would he begin to mend the rift he created?

"Are you going to just stand there all night like a dumbass or actually go in? Eren started, not expecting anyone to be about.

"What's it to you, horseface? What are you doing up anyway?" He blinked in surprise before answering by gesturing to the bathroom door he presumably just came out of, all the while looking at Eren with a look that made the shifter…uncomfortable, but not necessarily in a bad way. Eren couldn't quite pinpoint what it was exactly, but he knew.

"Is everything okay?" Jean looked away at the question, running a hand through his sandy blond hair.

"Yeah, yeah. It's just…I can't remember the last time you called me that," he chuckled lowly looking back at Eren. Sentimental. His expression was sentimental and Eren didn't quite no what to make of it.

"Was there something you wanted," he asked after too long a silence in the dimly lit hallway. Jean rolled his eyes.

"You're blocking the door, idiot."

"Okay, jackass." He frowned when Jean only laughed not paying any attention to the fact that he'd moved out of the way. "Seriously, what is wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

"Well, you're being weird."

"And you're being almost normal." So Jean thought he'd been different too. He shouldn't be surprised at this point, but still felt discontent at further proof of his neglect.

"Ah…yeah." A hand rubbed at the back of his head as he struggled for something to say. "Sorry, I guess."

"I don't want your apology, Yeager." One look at his folded arms and serious eyes had Eren sighing. He was so not in the mood for whatever talk Jean felt now was the perfect time to have.

"You really want to do this now? In the middle of the night?"

"It's not like you're going to sleep." Did everyone know about that? "And I don't know when you'll be…receptive to what I have to say again." That made him pause. "Besides, it won't take long. Then you can go right back to having your head up your ass, although, I hope you won't."

"Fuck, fine. What is it?"

"You need to get your shit together." The laugh that came out at those words was abrupt and loud and had Jean covering his mouth to smother the sounds as he looked shiftily up and down the corridor. "People are sleeping, stupid! Shut up!" He knocked the hand away, quickly getting ahold of himself. No need to bring more people to this conversation.

"Sorry."

"Sure, you are. I didn't realize I said something funny." Eren shook his head.

"You didn't, not necessarily, but getting my shit together? It's much easier said than done. Believe me, I've been trying."

"Then try harder."

"What?" He took a step forward not at all liking the tone being used towards him.

"You heard me, Eren. I said try harder. From where I'm standing, it doesn't look like you're doing enough." Please don't tell him this was about what he thought it was. He knows his friends aren't blind or deaf, but of all the things that had to go just right to put him in this moment with Jean of all people…

"What are you talking about?"

"Look, I'm not trying to pretend like I know what is going on or get into whatever it is –

"Sure seems like you are to me."

"Oh, fuck off, Yeager."

"Gladly," was his glib response as he spun around and reached for the door.

"I didn't really mean leave!"

"Then just say what you have to say, horseface. I'd like to go pretend to sleep." Jean pinched the bridge of his nose as he took a calming breath, his hazel eyes finding Eren's.

"I don't like seeing you like this. Either of you. None of us do and it's just plain bizarre, so even though it may be easier said than done, do something. Even when you didn't know what you were doing, you still jumped into action no matter how suicidal or reckless. Not that I'm encouraging that behavior, because I'm not, but it's not like you to just – just let things be for so long, at least not where she's concerned."

"Jean…"

"That's it. Take it or leave it," were his final words before pushing into the room, leaving the door open for Eren to follow. Jeez, everyone just said their piece and went on their way as if they'd just bestowed upon him some grand knowledge. What an asshole. Still he followed anyway, shutting the door behind him. No point in not going to bed when he'd come all the way here. Besides, Jean would surely mention it now that he'd seen him and had actual words with him.

As he lay in bed, the words rang in his mind.

Do Something

Do Something

Do Something

He wanted to do something, to jump into action and fix this, but Mikasa was involved. This was about him and her, so he couldn't afford to be reckless. Nine times out of ten, that didn't work out for him and Eren just refused to take that chance. What could he do to say he was sorry for putting her through this, for taking so long to make up his mind, to show her how he felt. While he didn't necessarily have an answer, he would try, and tomorrow he would finally be by her side again. Hopefully, she would still want him there.

A/N: I will say this is not my best work, but there are some moments here and there that I enjoyed in this chapter so it's not a total loss. Eremika week is coming up, so I don't think we'll be seeing more of this until June, but look over for my works for the celebration (hopefully!).

I hope you enjoyed it too. Let me know your thoughts!

Final chapter: I have read it and I don't know how I feel. It definitely wasn't bad, but it wasn't the best either. I think it wrapped up things nicely for the characters. I want to thank Mr. Isayama for such a wonderful series and all of his hard work. I will hold AOT in my heart for years to come.