Summary: Eren spends time with Mikasa while on 'vacation' in the Jaeger household. He discovers more details about what happened to her years ago.
tw: mentions of blood, abduction and sexual harassment.
Eren felt great lying in his bed again. It's the first time in months since he laid on it, and boy, did he miss it. Before Zeke went off to military school, they would build blanket forts in this room and read their favorite comic books. Zeke would sometimes sneak in alcohol and he would let Eren take small sips, because he's the worst brother out there.
His friends also had frequent sleepovers with the Jaegers, and they would always try to fit themselves on Eren's bed. Armin would sleep on the side like a corpse, Connie would hog all the pillows and Jean would fall off because he's always been too big as a teenager.
Now that Eren has parted with his bed for life, he wondered whether married people missed their beds at home.
He stretched his sore limbs all over the mattress, his muscles aching from all that sudden physical work Carla put him through. As soon as they arrived earlier today, his mother made him scrub the bathroom floor and the kitchen tiles, and disinfect the countertops and tables, because according to her, "It's your fault you didn't inform me ahead of time that the Princess is visiting."
"Let her live in a filthy house," Eren replied, which only led to more floors to scrub and more cabinets to dust off.
He's pretty sure that his mother will outdo Reiner Braun's fitness program especially once she finds out what he just did.
"Eren Jaeger, you open this door right now!"
Well, that was quick. Carla pounded on his bedroom door so hard that it shook the wall. He was definitely getting an earful tonight.
She marched inside the room with her hands on her hips, her face turning cherry red as she restrained herself from screaming her guts out.
"Eren! What in the name of Maria are you thinking, letting the Princess sleep on the couch?"
Just outside the threshold of his room, Mikasa stood in her usual white nightgown, hugging the two pillows Eren earlier handed to her. He could hear Zeke's sniggers coming from the living room.
"Mom, she asked to sleep outside—"
Carla pulled Eren's ear, "Don't take me for a fool, Eren Jaeger!"
"Ow, Mom, stop! Alright, alright!"
She sighed wearily, looked around Eren's (messy) room, then began picking up the clothes and things he threw haphazardly on his floor a while ago. "What would the neighbors think, letting your wife sleep on the couch? What will they think of me? That I'm a bad in-law?"
Eren rolled his eyes. "The neighbors wouldn't know." They shouldn't, anyway. No one's supposed to know they are currently on 'vacation' in the Jaeger household, twenty kilometers away from the safety of the Palace.
"And not justa wife, but the Princess of Paradis!" She dramatically swung her arm to Mikasa who was visibly amused as Carla chewed him out. Is this supposed to be funny to her?
His mother jabbed a finger on his chest. "I did not raise you like this! Act like a man!" She limped to Mikasa and gently pushed her inside the room, all while whispering many apologies and words like 'ungrateful son' and 'headache'.
Awkwardness set in the room as soon as Carla left. Mikasa looked at anywhere and everywhere but Eren, still hugging her pillows like some sort of shield. He stood on the opposite side of the room, putting as much space between them as possible.
The couch solution came up when they found out that there was no extra room for her in the Jaeger household. An unspoken understanding seemed to have passed between them that they cannot stay in one room, or at the very least, they cannot share one bed.
No words were needed for this. It was just natural with the way things were, because while they live under one roof in the Palace, they haven't experienced such close proximity as sleeping next to each other. Sure, they have been in close contact during their wedding, in car rides, in events.
Sharing one bed, on the other hand, is a whole different story.
For Eren, the thought of being too close to Mikasa at night, the two of them under such a vulnerable circumstance sent tingles all over his body like he's never experienced before. Like his guts are all tangled inside whenever she's around him and makes him want to run to the bathroom, but ten times worse. It was just incredibly uncomfortable for him.
But now that the couch solution was a disaster, once again, they're confronted with the prospect of having to sleep together in one bed for the next three nights.
"I told you she wouldn't believe it," Mikasa murmured. "You should have thought of some other reason."
Eren scowled at her. "If you're so smart, you should have thought of it yourself!" She shrugged nonchalantly, but the flush creeping on her cheeks told another story.
He cleared his throat, trying to sound as normal as possible. "Well, we won't fit."
Lie. They could. The bed was actually big enough to fit the two of them.
But to Eren's surprise, she quickly nodded at him, "Yes, we wouldn't." For on brief moment, he had mixed feelings about this, because he knew Mikasa always took much joy in calling out his bullshit. Was he so repelling to her that she'd go along with his obvious lie?
He shook off these thoughts and rummaged through some stuff in his cabinet. His sore legs didn't help, but he managed to extract the musty sleeping bag underneath the boxes of his old stuff. Last time he used this was in middle school, when they went camping somewhere in Dauper.
"I don't have an extra mattress," Eren placed the sleeping bag on top of her pillows. "This won't fit me anymore, but you will." Also, there's no way in hell I would sleep on the floor for three nights.
Mikasa simply nodded at him without complaint. She began unzipping the sleeping bag and carefully unraveled it on the floor, right next to his bed.
"Turn off the lights when you're about to sleep."
He positioned himself near the edge of his bed, away from where she was and his back turned against her. He could tell she was wriggling herself inside the bag, and just before he drifted off to sleep, he thanked the Holy Mother Ymir that the Princess actually knew how to use a sleeping bag.
Eren woke up in the middle of the night to a full bladder. He felt disoriented when he couldn't find the crystal chandelier hanging on the tall ceiling, then soon registered that he was at home, there was no chandelier, and there were no tall ceilings. He could spot the paint peeling off near the light bulb, though.
He slowly sat up in bed. Got off with his eyes half open. Peed. Sluggishly walked back to his room. Stepped on something soft, like some silky cushion. Looked down, his eyes adjusting to the dark. Sleeping bag. An empty one.
His whole body went rigid when it dawned on him that Mikasa was supposed to be here. She was supposed to be asleep, goddamnit. Stupidly, he patted the sleeping bag several times just to make sure. Oh goddess, this is way too early for hide and seek.
Mikasa wasn't hiding, though. As Eren passed by their dark living room in his half-hearted attempt to find her, he caught a glimpse of her figure outside, standing motionless like a goddamn ghost. Eren stifled a laugh; that'll give the neighbors a scare. (Frankly, if he didn't recognize her at all, he would have freaked out as well.)
Despite his heavy eyelids, he grudgingly hauled himself towards the garden. Commander Levi will kill him if the oh so dear Princess will end up getting sick again, which she likely would with only her flimsy nightgown and his ratty scarf to shield her from the cold. For someone as important as her, they don't make her sleeping clothes thick enough.
He approached the garden with heavy footsteps, repressing the colorful curses his brain came up with just for her. Yet, with every step closer to her, Eren felt his jaw dropping slowly.
He was utterly mesmerized with the way her head was tilted towards the sky, her long, black hair flowing like waterfalls past her shoulders. Her eyes were closed, her doll-like lashes against her tinted cheeks, and her pale skin was luminous under the silvery moonlight…
Mikasa reminded Eren of those goddesses in Armin's storybooks that descended from the heavens— strong, graceful, beautiful. For a brief second, he almost forgot how to breathe. She's never looked so serene like this, it was enchanting to watch.
"Why are you here?" her gentle voice echoed in the dead of night, breaking off his trance.
His throat went dry. Must be due to the cold. "I- I should ask you the same thing."
"I couldn't sleep with you snoring so loud."
"Wha— you snore, too!"
"And how would you know that?" she turned her dreamy gaze to him. "Do you watch me while I sleep?"
Eren felt his face heat up. No he doesn't watch her sleep, he's not some creepy stalker. But he also couldn't deny that after he found her having nightmares, he made sure to check on her before he went to bed. In Eren's mind, it's perfectly reasonable. How come he's the one here who ended up getting flustered?
Mikasa ignored him and crouched to where the flowers danced with the cold breeze, the hem of her nightgown spilling onto the lawn. She gently cupped one of the red peonies in her hands.
"Your mother's garden is lovely."
"Yeah, that's been her hobby since she left her job."
"What did she do?"
"Don't ask me. I don't know any gardening techniques."
"I meant what her job was."
"Oh. She was a waitress," then Eren's eyes widened, "Which reminds me! What time is it?"
"Uhm, maybe one in the morning?"
Just right on time. He ran off inside the house, leaving Mikasa watching his hurried figure. He emerged five minutes later, swapping his pajamas with decent trousers and holding a thick jacket. The Princess blinked at him.
"I'm going somewhere," Eren walked over to the gate while slipping his arms in his jacket. He threw a quick glance at Mikasa, then instantly felt a stab of guilt when she looked so alone, clutching onto her scarf and nibbling her lower lip. He let out a soft sigh.
"Do you want to come with me?"
Eren and Mikasa strolled alongside each other on the sidewalk. A few cars passed by, some howls of dogs heard from miles away, but for the most part, the suburb was in deep slumber. Thankfully the streets weren't so dark. The clouds seemed to have parted for the moon and stars tonight.
He couldn't help his amusement, though, with how Mikasa was wrapped in Zeke's parka that was way too big for her, as if any moment she could drown in the thick fur lining and baggy sleeves. In his defense, she couldn't possibly go out with her attire earlier and that was the only decent coat left in the rack. He loathed to admit it, but she looked so adorable.
It was her first time to walk the streets of Sina at this time of night, she told him. There was a certain bounce in her every step, and Eren suspected it might actually be her first time ever to walk the streets of Sina without being surrounded by bodyguards. Her eyes explored each block they passed by, committing to memory every little thing she saw, and every so often she dangerously veered to the middle of the street and Eren had to drag her by her sleeve while muttering curses under his breath.
"I figured there would be no cars at this time of night," she pouted.
"Uh-huh, and they would drive recklessly because they would also figure there are no pedestrians at this time of night," he deadpanned.
"Hm. So where are we going?"
"We'll visit this diner that my mom used to work in as a waitress. Just a few more blocks left."
Mikasa cocked her head to the side. "Don't normal people visit restaurants during the day, when it's actually open?"
Eren tamped down the urge to laugh. Sometimes she's funny without even trying. "They open at midnight and close at sunrise."
"Oh!" Her gray eyes were shining at him in astonishment. "This is the first time I'm hearing about this kind of restaurant."
"Hannes runs the only midnight diner on this side of Sina, and he makes these really amazing cheeseburgers."
Mikasa only nodded expectantly at him, and Eren felt the urge to impress her more. "Actually, he doesn't have a menu. He'll make anything you want as long as he has the ingredients. His patrons usually go there for his noodles after a night of drinking."
"This diner is very intriguing," she breathed, then her face shifted to a frown. "I don't have any money with me, though."
"Don't worry. He told me this will be on the house."
She looked uncomfortable at the idea of having someone pay for her food, which was pretty ironic since taxpayers pay for her luxuries, but Eren brushed this aside, in no mood to argue with her.
They reached a shabby, dimly-lit alley next to the main road, shadowed by the bright lights from malls and luxury shops. Local diners lined up the whole street, some already closed at this time of night, others just starting to pack up. It looked a bit uninviting to someone unfamiliar with the place, but Mikasa didn't seem to mind.
In truth, it was Eren who was slightly terrified, his pulse quickening steadily as he kept looking around his surroundings. There were still quite a few people in the area— pedestrians, workers, rowdy drunkards, quiet drunkards, homeless drunkards. He realized how reckless it was to bring Mikasa without security, especially in this part of Sina. Lots of things could go wrong.
But by some miracle nobody noticed them as they passed by, people just continuing about their business at this late hour. Beside Eren, Mikasa was in good spirits, smiling to herself and enjoying the relative anonymity. Guess no one really expected the monarch in an oversized parka strolling in a dingy alley at this time of night. Plus she's trained in combat, pretty sure she'll be the one doing the work in case they get in trouble.
All the same, Eren drew the parka's hood over her head and kept her close to him.
Hannes hovered near the door of the diner, just below his signboard "Hannes Midnight Diner" (that's as creative as he could get), donned in his usual white headband and apron sewn by Carla. He picked up boxes one by one to get them in a push cart, groaning every time he had to bend over.
"Need help, old man?"
Hannes perked up at the sound of Eren's voice. The weary lines on his face vanished, replaced with a broad grin. He grabbed Eren by the neck to sweep him in an embrace.
"You punk! Long time no see, I thought you forgot about me now that you're some dashing Prince!"
"Ow, ow, let go of me!"
Hannes released Eren from a near chokehold with a chuckle. He then caught sight of the Crown Princess and immediately regained his composure, straightening his back in exaggeration. He gently held Mikasa's hand and kissed it. "Your Highness."
Why does everyone around him keep kissing her hand? First Zeke, and now Hannes! Eren shoved his hand in irritation. "Hey! Stop that!"
The old man guffawed and ruffled Eren's hair. "Relax, just paying my respects to the Crown Princess. Come on in, both of you! Princess, I hope you don't mind the small tables."
"Not at all," Mikasa replied kindly.
Not much has changed since the last time Eren visited, which was around three months ago when he found out he was engaged to Mikasa. The diner still looked the same— plain white walls, yellow lanterns hanging on the ceilings, a few potted plants here and there to fill the corners of the room, and some wooden tables and chairs. Hannes can only serve a handful of customers at a time which makes the business a little bit difficult, but he preferred it that way.
When Carla began working as a waitress in the diner years ago, Eren always made it a point to drop by. He often brought his friends with him during their sleepovers (teenagers always loved every reason to stay past their curfew). He sometimes tagged along with his mother and helped out in the kitchen, though they would kick him out because he kept sneaking bits of food to his mouth. Even when Carla left the job this year due to her abdominal pains, Eren continued to visit Hannes.
Luckily the place was still empty, allowing Mikasa to check the place around. Eren sat on one of the stools at the counter. It was his favorite seat where he could watch Hannes prepare his half-pound cheeseburger.
"Did you take these photographs?" Mikasa called out to him. Eren turned his head and found her facing the only wall with any sort of design. It was filled with almost a hundred photographs taped and scattered all over. She leaned forward as she examined each and every picture.
"What made you think so?" Eren approached her.
"These photos… you're not in them."
Huh. Indeed, Eren only realized that the wall only had photographs of Armin, Jean and Connie on different occasions; of Hannes cooking; of his mother with some patrons; of his mother with Grisha and Zeke; of Mina, the waitress who replaced Carla. There were even photographs from when they went swimming on the beach in Shiganshina. Eren didn't know Hannes had them developed.
He pointed to her a photograph of Armin sitting on the sand with a tear-stricken face. "Check this out. Armin got stung by a jellyfish here… Hm, I think I took this two years ago."
Mikasa giggled. "You are horrible, you just immortalized Armin's suffering." She then pointed at another photo of Armin looking unamused as Connie and Jean made goofy faces, and let out a hearty laugh. Eren never heard her genuinely laugh before; he glanced at her delighted face and suddenly felt an unfamiliar warmth spreading inside him.
"Eren is a budding photographer, and he's damn good at it!" Hannes declared proudly from the kitchen.
"Stop embarrassing me, old man," Eren grumbled as they returned to their stools to wait for their food.
"How come I have never seen you with a camera?" asked Mikasa.
"I only borrow Hannes' camera and I pay for the film. But then it got broken and I haven't saved enough money yet to buy a new one. Especially with, you know, my mom's operation coming up."
Mikasa looked at him thoughtfully. "Is photography something you want to pursue in the future?"
"Don't laugh at me."
"Hey, I'm not making fun of you," She held both hands up in mock surrender. "You have great pictures. They… they make me wish I was there the moment you captured them." She smiled wistfully, and Eren didn't know what to make of her statement, leaving him feeling awkward.
Fortunately Hannes came at the right time to serve their food, which, to Eren's delight, is still very much heavenly and flavorful. The cheeseburger from the Palace doesn't even compare. Eren let out a moan as he devoured his food like a man starved for days.
Mikasa then ditched the knife and fork, attempting— and hilariously failing— to eat the burger with her hands the way Eren did.
"You don't need to copy me, you know."
"I want to try."
Eren snorted. "OK. You have to grab the burger with both of your hands, then you tuck your thumb underneath—" he stood behind her as he guided her fingers in holding the bun, then felt Mikasa's back stiffen as he leaned towards her, "—will you relax? The juices and toppings will fall off. Right, then spread out your fingers… Grip it, but don't ruin it!... Yes, that's it."
Mikasa finally managed to take a bite of her burger, and she enthusiastically agreed that this was the best burger she ever tasted. Eren returned to his seat, but not without shooting daggers at Hannes who was watching them from the other side of the counter, stifling his laughter with one hand.
"I hope Eren is treating you well, Princess," Hannes addressed Mikasa while they ate.
Mikasa patted the corners of her mouth with the napkin and smirked. "Oh, he's annoying, alright, but… he has his moments."
"That's good. I still remember the dinners we had when he told us he'll join the revolution to topple the monarchy," Hannes joked.
"Still would," Eren chimed in, closely watching out for Mikasa's reaction to his treasonous remark that could land him in jail.
But to his immense confusion, she simply smiled at him. It was exactly that smile she had when she watched the fireworks display during their wedding.
"I don't expect any less. You're too free-spirited for a prison like the Palace."
Prison..?
Eren stared at her dumbfounded. She remembered. He felt the shame in his bones when he realized how immature he acted when he attempted to run away from the Palace. Moreso, she did not seem to bear ill-will over the incident, and it only made him feel worse.
Mikasa resumed eating her food, immersed in an animated conversation with Hannes as if they were old friends, and Eren could only stare at her with curious eyes.
After finishing their meals and making empty promises to Hannes that they'll visit again soon, Eren and Mikasa strolled once more on the way back home. They walked in companionable silence, but Eren was craving to hear her voice again. He racked his brain of things to ask her.
"Hey, you never told me this earlier, but... what would you like to do if you weren't the Crown Princess?"
Mikasa sent him a furtive glance and smirked. "Hmm. To not marry you."
She didn't sound serious which made Eren inexplicably relieved, but there was no reason for her to know that so he just huffed and rolled his eyes. "I meant what your dream is, what you want to be if you were free to choose what you want to do with your life."
She stayed quiet and kept walking. When Eren peered at her, she simply shrugged. "I don't know."
"Pfft. Sure you know."
Her hand flew up to her scarf to adjust it on her neck, something Eren noticed was becoming a habit of hers. "I… haven't really thought about it."
"Impossible," he howled. "Even when you were a kid?"
Her face was impassive, but she wrapped the parka tighter around her, betraying her discomfort caused by an otherwise innocent question.
"Well… When we were children, Historia and I would play a lot. And... when her sister Frieda died, Historia said she'd build an orphanage for kids with no loved ones left in this world, and we kind of agreed that I… I would be their teacher."
Mikasa… as a teacher for little kids? Oh, he could definitely imagine little boys clinging on to her legs and little girls squealing wanting to be like her. Eren was sure she'd do a great job at it.
"But of course that's never gonna happen for me," she lowered her gaze, shoving her hands inside her pockets. "Historia, on the other hand… She's doing a good job making her dreams happen."
There was a hint of bitterness in Mikasa's voice as she mentioned the blonde-haired lady they met before. Eren sensed a shift in her manner; she kept biting her lip, her brows furrowed and her gaze unfocused.
"Eren, I want to tell you something," she mumbled after a while. He anxiously observed her grave face, afraid to say something he might later regret, and waited for her to continue.
"When I was a child, I... I was… abducted and brought to the Underground. When we attended the event weeks ago, that was the first time I went there since it occured," she explained, and the frown on her face deepened. "I just thought you should know since you're my husband, and I… I guess I didn't want to make your impression of me worse than it already is."
Eren gaped at her sudden confession, then shook his head passionately. "No, of course not! But... you should also know that Commander Levi already told me about it," he admitted, and Mikasa's eyes widened a little. "He mentioned that it was hard for you to talk about it, so I… never brought it up."
She was stunned for a moment, then in an impressive show of will, she forced a stiff smile at Eren before dipping her head in her scarf like a turtle retreating to its shell.
"It's fine. I need to start getting used to it, anyway. Someone like me cannot back down at the simple mention of a past experience. Instead, I should make sure it never happens to anyone else. So it doesn't matter anymore."
She spoke with such resignation that hearing her words made Eren's chest tighten so much it became hard to breathe.
At that very moment, he realized that as he got to know Mikasa Ackerman little by little, it became incredibly difficult not to care. There were so many things racing through his mind right now, an awareness of emotions he couldn't quite comprehend yet, but he was certain of one thing. He hated seeing her hurting this much.
Eren stopped in his tracks and grabbed her arm. "Hey. Look at me."
Mikasa was taken aback, her eyes dropping to her arm as Eren gripped her a little too tightly, but he suddenly felt so overwhelmed he couldn't stop himself.
"Stop disregarding your feelings just because you think other people have it worse! No one should ever, ever have to go through something like that. I know you're afraid, but… you don't have to be. You're not alone. Your family is there for you. And… I want you to know that I'm also here for you. I will help you and protect you," Eren paused, then muttered under his breath, "I have no place else to stay but beside you, anyway."
She fixed him with a bewildered, searching gaze, clearly at a loss for words. Her dark gray eyes were shining with unshed tears.
Eren exhaled heavily as he collected himself from his outburst. He carefully loosened his grip on her arm and, impulsively, slid his hand down to hers.
He briefly glanced at her, then, without any hesitation, he brought her cold, trembling hand to his lips.
It was his vow under Sina's starry night sky, to let her know he meant every word he said.
Eren tugged her hand and they continued walking. The tips of his ears were burning and the embarrassment began to consume him, but for some reason, he also felt good, lightheaded even, as if he just inhaled barrels of liquor.
Admittedly, it was disconcerting for Eren to come to terms with how mistaken he was about Mikasa Ackerman. He even wondered why he hated her so much for so many years. Now, all he could see under the tough facade was someone who couldn't heal from her past, and was afraid of her future. Still, she carried herself with quiet strength, driven by her pride and hardened by the burden on her shoulders. He began to understand how easy it was for their friends to accept her, for Armin to care for her, for him to—
"Someone saved me that night," Mikasa suddenly whispered, pulling him out of his thoughts.
Eren's eyes widened in surprise. Commander Levi never mentioned this to him. In fact, when he checked the Palace records of her abduction, there was a significant gap of information from when she was kidnapped until they found Mikasa the next day, unconscious in the courtyard. They found the three men that brought her to the Underground, but the Royal Army never got to interrogate them.
"He… he slashed their throats in front of me, and the blood… so much blood… it was spilling all over the floor," Mikasa swallowed loudly, and fear prickled on Eren's skin. "He was just in time before… before they... t-touched m-"
Eren gently squeezed her hand, urging her to stop. Clearly the memory was too horrifying. Even just hearing about it, Eren felt an overpowering need to rip out the faces of those bastards himself for even daring to touch her.
"Why didn't you tell anyone about this?" Eren asked, exasperated.
"He… he made me promise not to tell. It was the least I could do for him after saving me."
It was odd for someone to say something like that, especially when they just saved the Crown Princess and practically the monarchy, but maybe they didn't want to get in trouble, too. He was probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Still, there was a lingering doubt in Eren's mind that he couldn't shake off.
He wondered aloud whether Mikasa remembered the man, but she only shook her head. "I… I just recall him carrying me out and bringing me home. I've been trying to remember his face but I couldn't… It was shadowed by his hat."
She squeezed her eyes shut and massaged her temple with her free hand. Recalling those terrible events seemed to cause her headaches, and he didn't want to aggravate it any more. He linked their fingers tighter, his sweaty palm against her soft hand, and she gazed at him again with the same bewildered look.
"Don't think about it anymore. You did well."
Mikasa was able to peacefully enjoy the rest of their vacation in the Jaeger household. Carla was thoroughly pleased with having another female presence in the house, and Grisha found her a worthy opponent in chess.
Zeke, meanwhile, was being a complete ass by sharing Eren's most embarrassing stories to Mikasa (he even recounted the time when Eren, aged ten, accidentally rented a pornographic film and the whole family was horrified in the living room). He wanted to kick his older brother out of the house, but apparently Commander Levi ordered him to keep an eye on things.
The days passed by in a blur, and they eventually had to return to the Palace.
Eren was gasping for air as he slowed down from his run. He could feel the vigorous pumping of his heart, and his legs were starting to give out. He staggered until he fell to the ground; he's desperate for rest, he could probably roll in the dirt right now.
From afar, Reiner Braun was yelling at him, forcing him to finish his sprint. Eren has never been this determined to get physically fit, but goddammit why is it so difficult? And was this even required for combat training? He's the fucking Crown Prince, right? Can he use that card and skip this torture?
The sweat trickling down to his eyelids blurred his vision, but he could see Reiner's hulking outline walking towards him. He wished he could get fit like him overnight. Reiner was only a few years older but he appeared so mature with his sculpted body, gruff voice and goatee. He always looked somber even when making jokes.
Reiner sat on the grass beside him and handed him a bottle. "Drink water, Your Highness."
Eren glared at him and snapped. "How many times do I need to remind you-"
"—Okay, okay, I'm sorry. You did well today, Eren. Your sprints were longer, and you were also able to run five laps around the Palace grounds non-stop."
As he should! He's been consistently training with Reiner for almost a month now to the point of exhaustion, he'd be enraged if there was no progress at all. Reiner told him it will get easier the more he trained, but the guy has also been relentless in his mission to get Eren into shape. In fact, after Eren returned to the Palace from their short vacation, the drills and workouts Reiner prepared were even more punishing. It reminded him of his harrowing training with Rico, and he shivered unconsciously.
"Next week, we'll add a few more pounds to your weights, and we'll start basic moves in hand-to-hand combat."
Eren just grunted and sat properly on the grass. Deep inside, he still couldn't believe that one of his childhood idols was training him. Even better, Eren could tell that Reiner was beginning to treat him as a friend. At times, he shared stories of his judo matches and his experiences in the Royal Army, and like the rest of the staff he met before, he empathized with Eren's struggles as a commoner in the Palace.
"Come on, let's go back to the Palace before the sun sets," Reiner stood up and urged him, but Eren only shrugged.
"Nah, it's okay. I'll wait here. Mikasa will come by, I need to talk to her," Eren replied.
"Princess Mikasa is coming here? In the training grounds?"
Eren nodded, "Yeah, she's out horseback riding with Commander Levi in the arena."
Reiner's jaw clenched, then only nodded stiffly at Eren. His trainer was probably uncomfortable at the thought of being around royals like Mikasa, but Eren couldn't bring himself to care. He's been on cloud nine since this morning, and it's all because of her.
When Eren woke up this morning, he found a large, black box sitting on his bedside table. There was a handwritten note on top, with an elegant cursive writing that could only belong to one person.
Consider this as my late wedding gift and a token of gratitude for the scarf, for being a tolerable host, and for being nice enough while I was recovering. Don't worry, I used my own savings for this.
P.S. I already requested the staff to clear up a space in the apartment and transform it as your darkroom.
Joy and anticipation washed over him like a tidal wave as he read the note over and over again. He tried to control his expectations, but his excitement was just off the roof; he could barely contain his scream and disturb the whole East Wing of the Palace.
Eren's hands trembled as he carefully lifted the top of the box. The heady fragrance from inside the box reached his nostrils, and it only thrilled him more. So this is how new things smell like.
He slowly took off the paper cover and gasped. There, in all its shining, extravagant glory, was the latest model of the SLR camera he had only dreamed of buying.
He immediately ran to Mikasa's room but found it empty. He looked for her in the apartment and on the balcony, but according to Petra, she's out the whole day with the Commander to practice with her horse. Eren was relieved that she's now well enough to go out again, but he couldn't hode his dismay over her absence.
"I'll tell her to drop by the training grounds later," Petra suggested.
To be really honest, he didn't know what to say to her. He was ecstatic with her gift, but this was the first time he's ever received something so precious, he felt like thanking her was not enough. He considered asking Reiner for advice, but at that moment, he heard the clatter of hooves nearby.
Eren scanned the vast grounds, and from a distance, he spotted Mikasa gracefully dismounting from her white horse. Far from the usual formal clothes she wore outside, she was only wearing a plain white polo shirt, beige breeches and black boots. When she removed her helmet, her long, ebony hair tied in a ponytail fluttered in the wind.
She caught sight of Eren and waved enthusiastically. She handed the reins to the stable and jogged towards them. Eren felt like he was sprinting again with the way his heart was pounding so hard in his chest.
Being thrust into this spectacularly awful world of royalty has got to be the most ridiculous thing that has ever happened to him. But as Mikasa drew closer to him with her flushed face and wide smile, he couldn't help but think that maybe having this beautiful woman as his wife isn't so bad after all.
She was so close to him and she only seemed to run faster, and she looked like her arms were wide open, ready to embrace him. Eren didn't think she'd be so happy to see him, they just saw each other last night after dinner. Also, he had never embraced her once, but he'd gladly take her in his arms. There's a first time in everything, right?
But then she passed by Eren like the cold wind of autumn, and instead pounced into the man behind him.
"Reiner! God, it's so good to see you again!"
Eren swore he felt his heart break.
A/N: hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well. just letting you know I have decided to continue this, because I love eremika so much and I enjoy thinking of scenarios with the two of them together lmao.
apologies though that this took extra long (almost six months!). I've been preparing for a major exam as I have mentioned before so I just do this in my free time. it was also extra difficult tbh 'cause I've been lacking confidence in my writing lately, like I don't know if I'm actually writing it the way I want to, or if it all just sounds good in my head and not on screen. Haha.
anw, i commissioned katsuwrites for an art in chapter 2, if you haven't checked it out, please do!
finally thank you to everyone still here reading this. just a few more notes about this chapter: 1) fair warning, but i have this reikasa fanon in my head, i am so sorry hahaha. they're both strong, reiner dreams about mikasa (hahaha) and they both look good together physically lol it's all in my head so i hope y'all bear with it hahaha. 2) the burger scene sounded a bit erotic jesus i just realized it. but it's totally innocent please, istg lol.
i hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please do let me know what you think! :)