Please note the change in rating. Couldn't help it, JK is too hot. Feel free to skip the relevant part if it's not your cup of tea.
Warning: this short little chapter is quite cheesy/fluffy; well-deserved after all that angst!
"Would you like a receipt?"
"No, thank you," Mikasa replies politely to the old woman she frequently bought groceries from.
The old woman asks while bagging all the groceries, "By the way, how is your husband, dear? I was pleasantly surprised when he came around again the other day to buy some flowers from Hannah," she sniggers coyly, causing Mikasa to bluish brightly, as she takes her bags from her.
"He's fine," she manages a courteous smile, trying to seem nonchalant at the mention of the flowers and her darling husband.
"You know, I've been insisting to my daughter that she get married. I tell her to look at how in love the two of you are, but she's set in her ways, and I'm afraid her youth is running away from her," The old store owner cups her cheek in worry for her daughter.
In love?
"I think she'll be fine. These things happen when you least expect it. Take it from me." No one knew this better than she did. No one from the outside would guess this, looking at her now. Mikasa nods her head to the lady in acknowledgement and exits the store.
The sun is uncharacteristically hot, shining down on her directly with no obstructions on the grassy plain to shield her. She has to look away when the sharp glint of her ring hits her eye. She would have to traverse for a considerable period of time before reaching her home. Winter had come late and left just as early in a storm. It's incredible how there are no trees around here at all unless she crosses over to the other side of her cottage. She hears they will be clearing out more and more of the vegetation, in line with the new "urbanisation" plan to drive Paradis into modernisation even faster.
So much for living in the middle of nowhere. She feels out of shape as the bags in her hand feel heavy, and the walk tedious. If the city was going to come here, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to move to the city themselves, select the kind of area they would want to live in instead of being stuck in an area that would soon be unrecognisable to her.
She was thinking they could move somewhere nice in the Central District. Jean might like that. She was hoping to broach the subject sometime soon as a surprise. It should ease Jean's daily commuting burdens and give her more of an opportunity to keep up with the times and meet new people. It's only when she goes to the markets that she realises that their location is quite inconvenient. She considers how much she loves nature though, and Jean had taken a real shine to it too, enthusiastically helping her with her vegetable garden and flower beds, and rushing to fell trees for firewood or catching fresh fish from the sea and lakes. These factors dissuade her until she remembers that box of baby clothes that husband of hers had sneakily accepted from Historia. Her mind might have been wandering to that of late, which is when she thinks it would be fun to experience city life while they were still young, before investing in a large cottage in the forest for their perhaps, expanded family…
Mother too would probably prefer it if they shifted to the city. She worries that one day, a disgruntled group of armed men would attack Paradis from the coast as revenge and they would be the first ones caught. The thought always made her laugh. Mikasa may not have been as fit as she used to be, but she is certain that she can still easily take on at least a dozen people at a time with ease. The woman worried too much, unabashedly babying both her son and her as though they weren't well-known veterans that had contributed to changing the course of their depressing world. It was heartening and she wouldn't have it any other way; she made them feel ordinary.
Then there were the restaurants too that would be more accessible, should they decide to move. All the good ones were around Stohess, and they had to settle for home style food around Shiganshina instead. Dates were always fun. She found that she liked exploring new places with Jean. He was perfectly pretentious, rattling out complicated food names like it was second nature to him. She would look at him incredulously, shaking her head in disapproval at the disgusting attempt at impressing her. But it worked, as most things did. She laughed more easily these days, letting him know that she did indeed appreciate his antics, feeling like quite the country bumpkin herself when she gulps down fine wine or whiskey without sniffing it first, more excited about the pleasant buzz rather than some esoteric flavour that was apparently infused in it.
They were reckless when they were around each other in private. The walls between them seemed to tumble down quite smoothly one after another right after they re-exchanged rings. The space between them shrunk to naught when they lay in bed together after she officially moved into the master bedroom with him – the way things should have always been from the start. It seemed silly in hindsight that they tried so hard to stay away from each other when all the forces in nature seemed to be working in full gear to bring them together.
There were no big fireworks, or one grand romantic moment when they joined together. That night itself, she only needed to tilt her head upwards and look at him in reaction to the electricity that she felt every time he was even around her. He was staring down at her too in tentative consent, nibbling at his lip while he tightened his hold around her.
They leaned into each other, letting the gravitational force do its work, until their lips met. There was no stopping it anymore. She was sure this time, and he was too, both of them going crazy at the prospect of exercising any more unnecessary restraint. They didn't have to say it, but she felt it when he traced every curve of her body lovingly, making her shiver in the wake of his touch, and not just from the cold of him effortlessly stripping them off their clothes. She felt the ache from below throb even stronger, just wanting him to relieve her of all the tension that had built up between them from all those lonely months of depravation. She made sure she communicated her want to him, intensely gazing at him until he shed his cautious hesitation, acting on their mutual yearning wordlessly.
His kisses along her neck were soft, but she needed more, a hunger gripping her unlike ever before. She wanted to feel all of him in the rawest form possible. She had flipped him over, taking the lead, nipping at his skin with the fire that he had ignited in her, his unabashed groans spurring her on into leaving the only kind of bruises she would ever bear to inflict again. They fought for dominance until she let him win over eventually, too embarrassed when he started to trail down her navel into her untouched source of flush heat she was radiating, feeling the urge to push him away from the shy realisation that what they were doing was way out of her expertise levels, always having been innocent in her thoughts until he came into her life. He managed to put his mouth on her in spite of her shy protestations, and her body went limp from the rush of pleasure she felt at the skilled caresses of his tongue.
She couldn't control the final wave that hit her from the build-up, letting it wash over her. She didn't think anything could possibly match the feeling, until he was inside of her. It felt like she had passed from the intense bliss on becoming one with him, the weight of his naked body on hers imprinting a contentment in her that she had given up hope for until just a few weeks prior to that. She felt free, more uninhibited with every thrust, all her doubts, her sorrows, her tragedies leaving her. When their breaths aligned after, spent from their intimate liaise, she knew his beating heart would be the only lullaby she would ever need to fall into the peaceful nothingness she had been craving for, for an eternity.
After that penultimate wall had been breached, physical distance between them became obsolete.
She found that he is unbelievably affectionate, sneaking in kisses on top of her head, and cheek, even in public, much to her chagrin, being the prude out of the two in the outside world. But in their tiny nest, in the safety of their home, she surprises him with roaming hands and a deep kiss even as he aims for innocent ones to her temple. Once she gives him the green light or the slightest indication that she wanted more, not even the heavens could stop him from ravaging her passionately, making her body hot as they lewdly engaged in unspeakable acts in inane corners of the house.
In one such tryst, when he was chasing her around the house, and she pretended she didn't want him – an ode to their early days – he had triumphantly caught her against the island of the kitchen, pinning her against it, as she laughed and panted against his broad chest. In one dramatic sweep, he had knocked off whatever was on the counter to lift her onto it, with a loud shattering noise that shattered Mikasa's heart into even tinier pieces, when she realised that he had just knocked off the one nice thing they had in their house – an expensive, exquisitely carved tea set that Kiyomi had specially sent for them from the Hizuru export collection.
She was furious at her blind, lustful husband who was scrambling around in a panic for a broom, and for ways to make it right. Her violent tendencies, however, were not functioning at the moment as she just fell to the floor instead, bawling her eyes out, refusing to let him touch her. Lots of apologising and cajoling later, she had let him pull her into his famous embrace that functioned like magic in erasing any troubles. That did not mean he did not have to sleep on the couch that night, revoking his privileges to her temporarily. Of course, that was just as much as a punishment for her as it was for him, but she liked to think it kept things exciting; it was just as exciting to give him a quick taste of her in the middle of the night on said couch or second bedroom before excruciatingly dragging herself to her own room.
Things got aggravated when he returned with a television the next day, very proudly proclaiming how this was his make-up present to her. It was the newest technology Paradis was incorporating. Apparently, one could watch movies in the box all day long, similar to a theatre, and there were several options as to what they could watch, the programme schedule neatly written down in the daily newspaper fraught with propaganda they had started subscribing to.
She was of course, livid. Jean, she had discovered to her dismay, was an impulsive spender. This meant that they had agreed that she was better suited to managing their finances. Now, how was she supposed to manage their finances if they didn't have any thanks to the random, very expensive things he purchased under the guise of necessity? But when he shows her the people dancing around in the box to silly music, and he gave her those sad eyes that begged her to take him back to their bed, her fury was partially placated.
So now, she was stuck buying popcorn and some drinks for their television movie date. They would first visit Eren's grave and plant some flowers there, as per the designated schedule they had set, and then watch the premiere of a sappy romance movie that she was very excited for. He had groaned, insisting how unrealistic those are. She reminded him of her ire and his debt to her. He readily shut up then, taking the opportunity to describe cheekily to her how he was going to set the mood and ensure that they left their little movie nook only after inaugurating it.
She had narrowed her eyes at him externally but her mind ran away from her, picturing them lying at an angle to the fire on the floor, rolling around on the sheets they would spread for the movie, the orange glow reflecting off of his skin, the warmth only acting as a preview of the heat they were to create… he was basically a walking, talking sappy romance movie himself, proclaiming loudly and proudly to everyone who would listen that she was his wife. He was kidding himself if he found such movies unrealistic. He was honestly so embarrassing.
So much so, that she decided to adopt said embarrassing husband's surname after all, retaining hers as an initial in her middle name. Ackerman reminded her of a phase of life that brought her unrivalled pain for a decade. She was hoping Kirstein would bring her a pure, brand new joy to last for at least six times of that. This meant that when she did break the news to Jean of her decision, she had to spend the whole night showering him with affection, because apparently, his tears of happiness and disbelief wouldn't stop, and he had to keep wiping at them furiously so she wouldn't see.
A single droplet of water falls straight atop her head, bringing Mikasa out of her fond ruminations that were distracting her from the annoyance she was feeling at the terrain. She glances up at the sky, the earlier blue having morphed into a sullen grey with the sun still peeking out of the nimbuses invading the sky. With no umbrella in hand, she curses that that there were no buildings nor trees to take shelter under. There was only one tree she knew of – that one tree on that one hill because of which she had insisted on living here in the first place.
Her luck was just bad. Her already foul mood ready to snap as more droplets descended upon her mercilessly. At least her groceries were partially rain proof. She usually enjoys the rain with the warm sun bathing the scenery in a dazzling glow after, the endless sea of grass, the free birds chirping around her - nature is beautiful and her travels home peaceful. But she was in a hurry to get home, excited for the act of anger she would have to put up to be coaxed out of lovingly, twice as much. And she hates how unfit she has become and decides to move up the timeline of her plan of joining the military again, to take part in the rehabilitation process of the Island that she was so scared to involve herself with before.
Not to mention, she was not in the state of mind to appreciate the magnificence of the phenomenon that is rain, threatening to slow down her movements even more with the weight the water would add to her clothes. The ground was also known to get sludgy around these parts. She would have to tread even more carefully to avoid slipping and further ruining her day. Additionally, while no one was around, her shirt was sure to become see-through, her modest attire suddenly revealing more than she would ever dream of. Just great.
Defeatedly, she slows down her pace until she almost comes to a standstill, ready to take on the rain head-on, seeing no escape in sight with her cute little home too far away to make it while dry even if she did run with the load in her hands. She closes her eyes with a sigh, preparing for the cold water to drench her.
But it never came.
"What are you doing here in the middle of nowhere like this? It's starting to rain," her heart jumps at the familiar voice of her husband who had come in from behind her and shielded the both of them with an umbrella, unnoticed by her in her defeated conquest with the gloomy weather.
"I don't have an umbrella," she replies to him blankly, watching as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her flush towards him.
"Happy coincidence, looks like. I just happened to be carrying the umbrella from the office to home today and I just happened to catch you in time," he smiles at her and gives her a lingering kiss on her temple that has her melting. She can't help but stare at him, her heart beating wildly suddenly at the simple coincidence.
Somehow, he always made it just in time when she was ready to give up.
"You seem kind of lost in thought. You still mad at me?" He looks at her with puppy dog eyes.
"Maybe not as much," she replies coquettishly, both knowing very well that no one was mad.
He pulls her even closer and she leans into his shoulder as they match their pace and stroll forward, "I hope the raindrops aren't hitting you. I wish you hadn't chosen today of all days not to wear your scarf. The air is oddly cold right now."
"It was hot, and a little rain isn't going to hurt me. You know I've been through much, much worse," she rolls her eyes at him for his bad habit of treating her like a doll made of glass.
"Ah, well, forgive me – I can't help it, you know. Plus, I take it as my own personal mission to prevent any harm from befalling you," he says light-heartedly, before capturing her lips for a sweet kiss.
She pulls back quickly and he protests, "There's no one around to see us!" He sighs at her prudishness and then frowns at her as he catches her stare at him in awe. "What? Have I got something on my face?"
"No."
"You're looking at me weirdly. You can tell me if you're still mad. You know I have some interesting plans on making it up to you."
"That's not it," she looks back straight ahead, pretending like nothing happened, with a playful grin on her face.
"Then what?" He whines with curiosity.
"I think… I love you, Jean," he halts abruptly, as she looks up at him with a big, innocent smile on her face. "No, I – I am in love with you."
He kisses her hard, abruptly, grabbing her cheek with his free hand to guide her lips into an angle towards him, and she responds just as passionately, her heart now hammering at finally, finally letting it out, for breaching the final wall between them. He whispers back an "I love you too" to her along with other sweet nothings. Her happiness is unmeasurable. She might as well be walking on air instead of the sludgy grass she was complaining about earlier.
It seemed that she had made the right decision after all, and this was the accidental – no - inevitable result of it.
When they pull back, her face is flushed red, and he pulls her back close to him, leaning their heads slightly into one another. He always managed to leave her breathless, and now it made sense why. It had taken her too long to admit it. She had never felt lighter in her life, like she could do anything now.
"Can I ask though, what brought this on? Not that I'm complaining," There is a big grin on his face that she thinks suits him, and makes her even more elated to know that she had brought it on.
She debates with herself once, before the fluffy trance she is in takes over for her as she dreamily says, "Because you're always there with an umbrella somehow just when I'm about to get drenched in the rain."
There is a silence between them as she swims in her heady thoughts. He interrupts them in a playful tone, "Man, that was uncharacteristically cheesy."
"Jean!" She covers her face in protest to hide her face in self-consciousness.
He chuckles and gives her a little peck on top of her head. "Honestly though, Mikasa, I'd follow you anywhere with ten more umbrellas as back-up. There's no way I'd watch that happen to you," he says softly.
"I know. That's why," she leans into his shoulder again.
"Now, let's hurry home," she chirps, as they walk together to their cabin tucked near the hill with the lone tree.
That's officially the end of it! Mikasa's character arc comes to a close and Jeankasa are unbearably happy and in love ❤️ not to mention horny, lol.
Wanted to give a little shout out to twitter user nekomama727 and her Jeankasa doujinshis: /nekomama727/status/1421798216849190922, /nekomama727/status/1408395751898501124, /nekomama727/status/1412399935945805830
Her work inspired some ideas for this fic and I think she is perfectly able to capture JK in a very heartwarming, canon-compliant way, so please do check her out!
Lastly, thank you everyone for the feedback. I wouldn't have been able to complete this without it :) Hope to write more and see some of you there!