Thanks to osravix, angryhenry, guest (1), looppss32 and guest (2) for their reviews in the past chapter! Hope you guys enjoy this one~

I'm super grateful to Selena (Kaekiro) for always being such a sweet girl who, besides helping me out by looking over the English version of the chapters before I publish, leaves wholesome feedback (on AO3) about it!

LAWLESS


Chapter 16. Stohess


Kenny kicked open the door to the mess-hall while most of his men had dinner. Paul, the sturdy waiter, almost threw the stack of dishes he balanced on a metal tray. Others dropped their silverware or stood still with their dinner a few centimeters away from their open mouths. Levi, who shared a table with Volker and Luther, continued to drink his tea. The Ackerman leader's boots echoed in the mess-hall amid the silence at his sudden, loud entrance. Connie nudged Sasha to shut her mouth and swallow her food. The girl choked on it, but tried hard not to make too much of a fuss.

"How's everyone doing tonight, you fuckers?" Kenny greeted as soon as he stood at the center of the room. He was holding a nice bottle of clear liquor. A cigarette hung from his thin, parched lips, which barely budged as he spoke. "I'm so damn bored I told myself: hey old man, how'bout you go see your lads and have fun with them for a while?"

The men feasted and clapped at his proposal, falling silent as Kenny spoke again.

"Paul, you fat bastard, serve the first round of drinks for everyone. If they want more later, you send 'em to hell and tell'em to get their drinks themselves." The waiter nodded with a smile and Kenny gave him a crooked one in return. He spat out what was left of his cigarette and stepped on it, noticing Levi giving him a disgusted look. "What's up, little nephew?"

Levi put his cup of tea on the table.

"You stink, old man," he said, and a few men laughed. "When was the last time you took a bath?"

"I don't give a damn," Kenny approached Kuchel's only son's table, stretching to his full height. "And you, Levi, when was the last time you grew up?"

There were some hoarse giggles that stopped as soon as Levi quickly scanned the group, perhaps identifying each one of those who had found funny a repeated joke about his short height, so he could kick their asses later. Not having the slightest illusion for Levi to answer to his unoriginal offense, Kenny followed his gaze and his crooked smile widened. The pair of brats of the Legion were trying to hide their laughter by covering their faces with both hands.

"Oh yeah. Sometimes I forget that we agreed to be the Legion's fucking babysitters," he walked to the table where the teenagers were sitting. They uncovered their eyes and cringed when they realized they got everyone's attention, including Kenny's. Any hint of mischief disappeared from their childish faces. "You're good with the bow and arrow, right, brat? Go get that crap and bring'em here, quick," he said, snapping the fingers of his free hand. She stood up and ran away. The other brat clearly intended to go after her. "Hey-hey! Where the hell do you think you're going? You stay here, baldie... Or are you about to shit yourself? Cause in that case I'd understand your urgency. I'm not one to prevent your right to make sacred business with the throne."

"A drink, Kenny?" Paul showed him the variety of spirits he brought on a tray.

Kenny rejected the offer, holding up the bottle he had not dropped since entering the mess-hall. Paul then went to Levi, who chose to pour himself a simple pint of beer. The rest of the men began to pounce on the waiter as if they had a ravenous thirst, claiming the most expensive drinks.

"Don't you drink, baldie?"

The boy looked at him with his fried egg eyes.

"Huh... can I?" he asked nervously, fidgeting with his fingers. "In the Legion they hardly ever let us drink. A bit of beer, at most... Hange says that if we get used to drinking before seventeen we'll end up being drunkards like Moblit... And that hangovers suck."

Kenny spread both arms, pointing around him.

"Does this look like your goddamn Legion?" Connie shook his head vigorously at his question. "You're with the Ackermans, brat. Do what you wanna do. Here," Kenny took the cigarettes' metal box out of his jacket and handed it to the brat. "Since you're here, take the chance of smoking one of these. Today we're having a party! You can ask one of my idiots for a joint, if they have any, I don't give a single shit about what you do."

Unsure, Connie pulled out a cigarette and Kenny handed him a lighter, noting the boy had no idea how to light it. He watched him for a while as he tried to smoke in an awkward and unsuccessful way. It was funny. When the brat was finally able to light it up and breathe in the smoke, he started coughing, and Kenny let out a peal of laughter.

Several years ago, in his days as a cop executioner, Kenny did well with coderoine. Until ten years ago, some of his men also used it and it turned them into euphoric brutes thirsty for violence. The influence of coderoin made merchandise thefts and fights even more fun, bloody, and chaotic. However, after Levi brought the eight-year-old traumatized palish brat to live with them, Kenny knew the time had come to make a few changes and set certain rules, so he became more strict and severe with the members of his gang. Abuse of potent drugs such as coderoine or the regular use of hashish in the den was no longer something consented, except on specific occasions. He allowed most to get drunk occasionally, just like now, although he preferred everyone to maintain a decent level of alertness most of the time.

"What... are we celebrating, sir?" Connie wanted to know with teary eyes because of the cough and smoke that had leaked from his nose.

Kenny snatched the lighter from him to smoke another cigarette.

"Nothing. Don't call me sir," he released a long, thick cloud of smoke. Connie tried to imitate him with no success, and the smoke escaped from his nose and mouth like a misshapen cloud, making him cough again. Kenny laughed at him anew. "Didn't you hear me when I got here? We're partying cause I wanna, cause there's no other fucking thing to do. Your damn Legion hasn't done anything new or stimulating since they stole a bunch of bones from the royal swine, and I'm getting tired of waiting to start doing my part."

He felt pointed fingers on his back. Looking back and down, Kenny met the fawn eyes of the archer brat.

"I brought it, Kenny sir!" she informed, showing him the bow and the quiver of arrows. Kenny clicked his tongue and took a long drink from his bottle of expensive liquor. "I brought it in as fast as I could, sir," she said with a slight bow.

"Don't call me sir, goddammit…" he growled. "Call me Kenny. No obeisances or sirs here, that's noble's rubbish "

"But it's strange to call you by your first name, sir- I mean Kenny!" Sasha exclaimed, clinging to her bow. "Can we call you... um... Uncle Kenny?" she asked with an awkward little smile.

"No fucking way. I'm not your damn uncle," it was enough with the two nephews he already had.

Sasha brought a finger to her chin and tilted her head to the side.

"What about... Captain Ackerman?"

"You call big eyebrows's Erwin Smith a Commander, ain't it?" Sasha and Connie nodded and Kenny smirked. "Then I'll be the Commander of the Ackerman clan. Levi can be the captain. Now go get an apple, girl, I want you to demonstrate your marksmanship to us."

The brat exchanged a glance with the baldie, who held the cigarette between his fingers with a similar expression of surprise. When the girl noticed that her friend was smoking, she smacked him causing him to drop his cigarette.

"Hey!" the boy complained. "Why did you do that?!"

"Because you're loafer," Sasha muttered, puffing out her cheeks.

She turned around and went to get an apple as Kenny had told her. In the meantime, Kenny returned to the center of the mess-hall and caught the attention of the entire clan. He began to explain that they would play a game of marksmanship. That he would put an apple on his own head for Sasha to use as a target. The men began to murmur and some showed hints of disagreement with the idea, but Kenny ignored them.

"If the Legion's brat manages to hit the target, then she can gobble up as much food as she wants for three days," he yelled.

He had already heard that she was a glutton, what better than a generous incentive for her to dare to do it?

"You're crazy, Kenny" Levi muttered, coming to his side. "How many bottles of liquor did it take to erase what little and nothing you had left of judgment?"

"Aww, are you worried about me, Levi?"

"Fuck off. I'm concerned about what might happen to that brat if she hits your fucking head. If you miss someone throwing sharp-end things at you with no hesitation in between, I can bring Mikasa back when I go to Stohess."

"There's no damn way I'm missing that hellcat. She destroyed my poster in her last tantrum…"

"You have spare copies to replace it, but you still keep it in your office because you're pleased that Mikasa did what she did. I've seen you admiring it, old man," Levi crossed his arms. "Leave Sasha alone. You don't need to pressure her to shoot you a damn arrow that could kill you because you have nothing more fun or better to do."

"I don't keep the ruined poster out of treacle. And stop annoying me, Levi, you're always such a fucking party pooper. Sasha has an exceptional aim... don't you, girl?" Sasha had returned with an apple, which Kenny received from her trembling hands. "I'll stand against that wall. Stay here and shoot when I tell you to. You're so damn good at this, don't mind my stupid nephew" Kenny said, messing up her hair as he used to do with Mikasa.

Sasha swallowed and nodded. Kenny walked without haste to the far wall of the mess-hall, leaned his back against it and, taking off his hat, placed the apple on his crown. It made him want to laugh when he realized how everyone was looking at him, but if he did, the apple would fall. Levi, who glared at him, stood near the archer and kept his arms crossed and a sour expression. The Legion's brat, meanwhile, hadn't even drawn her bow.

"Get ready to shoot, Sasha," Kenny instructed, calling her by her name for the second time that night.

She opened her eyes bigger than she already had them and did what he told her to do. She braced herself, drew her bow, and took aim, watchful of his last command. The girl was shaking so badly that Kenny sighed impatiently and clicked his tongue.

"If you keep shaking like a scared little animal then you won't be able to earn all that fucking food that awaits you, or is it that you don't want it?"

"I want it!" Sasha admitted with a shrill and tremulous voice. "B-but-"

"But what? Do what you know to do, damn it," the leader of the Ackermans urged her in a bad mood. "Stop shaking like a rat, aim and shoot the hell out of it!"

In the blink of an eye, Kenny heard the buzz of the arrow ripping through the air, a tickle in his hair, and the crunch of the apple above his head, which then fell to the ground along with the arrow, whose metal tip was twisted after colliding with the stone wall behind him. No one in the mess-hall made a peep as he, with a deranged smile from ear to ear, bent down to pick up the fruit that the arrow had skewered. Kenny took a bite out of it. It was sweet, too sweet for his liking, so he threw it back to the ground. The apple was split in two.

"Excellent. You're the damn winner, Sasha. You have the biggest balls of this pigsty!" Kenny began to applaud. "Give the girl whatever she wants, at any time," he ordered, exulted.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Mikasa covered her mouth with Eren's red scarf as she yawned. They had been on the ferry for about half an hour on their way to Stohess.

Armin had accompanied them to the small pier in Shiganshina to bid them farewell. At first, the young teacher had hugged Eren and had only given Mikasa a handshake. Such a goodbye wasn't enough for her, considering that she had ended up hugging people she knew even less during her stay in her native district. For this reason, Mikasa stepped forward and wrapped Armin in a brief and clumsy hug, then kissed him on the cheek. It was the least she could do in gratitude for his kindness and for him having received them at his home with no buts in between.

"Thanks for the bike ride," she had said after moving away from him. A genuine smile stretched her pink-painted lips. That morning she had decided to put on makeup again to hide her haggard appearance. "Thanks for everything, Armin... I had a great time."

Armin brought his fingers to the cheek where Mikasa had planted her kiss, as her gesture took him by surprise. His fair skin had taken on a reddish hue.

"Many thanks to you for coming with Eren... I was glad to see you two arrive on my birthday and to get to know you better," the blond casted a look at Eren and his expression changed for a second, as if he had just remembered something. "Uhh... have a nice trip!" Armin said with a chuckle as he patted his best friend on the back.

Noticing she had stained Armin's cheek with her lipstick, Mikasa reached into her pocket for a handkerchief and wiped it off just as the ferry's ticket man invited passengers to board. Since then Eren had remained silent sitting next to her, frowning and staring at a worn-out book, without turning page fifty. The font size and the number of words printed per page couldn't be enough for him to take thirty minutes to read it.

"Eren, is there something you're worried about?" She asked in a low voice.

Eren gave her a sidelong glance, then fixed his gaze on the book again, turning the page at last.

"No, nothing. Why do you ask?"

"Because it gives me the impression that you can't concentrate on your reading."

"How about you?" He dodged after a few moments of silence. Mikasa let out a sigh. If Eren didn't want to tell her what was worrying him then she wouldn't insist, for now. "I can see that you couldn't sleep well enough last night, but I wasn't sure about asking you while we were having breakfast," he muttered, putting the book aside. "Are you okay?"

"Do I look so bad?"

"No, no!" Eren whispered quickly. "It's just you haven't stopped yawning."

"I had a bad dream," she replied, resting her head on Eren's shoulder to simulate a romantic behavior like whenever they were in public, although it was her desire to be closer to him that prompted her to do so. It seemed to her that Eren was upset with her or because of her like her dead parents, even though he had no reason to be, unlike them. Her stomach twisted. "I dreamed that... my parents didn't take well to my decision to not visit their grave again. I…" her voice cracked and she cleared her throat to continue speaking at the lowest audible level. Fortunately her eyes didn't sting because, since she didn't want to remain quiet, she didn't want to end up crying either. "I told them and swore to them over and over that I would never forget them, that I never intended to, but they didn't believe me."

Eren reached for her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers, his soft, warm touch against her skin. He gave her a slight squeeze. Mikasa's hand was small and pale compared to Eren's large, somewhat tanned palm and skillful long fingers. She had seen him take care of, operate on, heal and masterfully sew up others with those same hands. It wasn't strange for his graze to convey an immense sense of care, serenity and security on her.

"That sounds very distressing…" he murmured. "I didn't know them, but I highly doubt that they would blame you for trying to move on with your life. No parent would do that to their child, at least not yours or mine... You called it a bad dream and that's what it was. It wasn't a real event."

"When I woke up I tried to calm myself down by saying the same thing, that it had only been a dream," that morning she woke up agitated, sweating and with her cheeks wet with the tears she shed in the middle of the nightmare. Mikasa didn't understand how it was that her tears weren't yet exhausted after everything she had cried during the trip to her old home and her past. "But I find it very difficult to convince myself that it wasn't and that it can't be a real thing... after it looked and felt so real. I think... it will take me some time to deal with this," she finished, feeling a spark of pride in herself for having been able to communicate what had happened to her.

Eren gave her another gentle squeeze.

"If you want and need it, I can cancel some visits and return to the mountains with you. It's up to you to say it."

Mikasa smiled at his offer and, putting her other hand over Eren's, she raised her head from his shoulder.

"Thank you, Eren," was the only thing she could say after facing his always intense gaze, which she couldn't hold. She didn't know if this was something that would also take her a while to learn to endure, or if she would never be able to look at him in the eye for more than a few miserable seconds without cutting herself off and feeling short of breath.

A pleasant heat spread to her chest and face. All those days Eren had been kinder, more understanding and patient with her than ever. Mikasa didn't think she needed to return to the grave, however, Eren being more than willing to put aside some of his responsibilities for her sake astonished her and filled her heart. And it wasn't the first time he suggested such a thing.

"Do you feel like taking a nap?" Eren asked casually. "It seems that taking a nap on our trips is becoming a habit of yours, huh? It wouldn't hurt me to take one too."

"You couldn't sleep well last night either?"

"I slept well. My issue was falling asleep."

"Why? What is it that has you worried?" Mikasa wanted to know. "You can tell me... if you want."

Eren shifted in his seat.

"Not yet," he paused for a moment and added, with an awkward smile: "It isn't something as serious or as urgent as the nap."

Releasing her hand, Eren put his arm around her waist, pulled her to him, and helped her settle into the space between his neck and shoulder, being so careful as he did it. Mikasa couldn't help but lose herself in the heat the boy's body gave off and how the hand he rested on her waist burned her skin, piercing through the fabric of her coat and blouse. Part of her body rested on Eren's side, and Mikasa had to resist the urge to raise her face a few inches, brush his neck with her nose and kiss his jawline. The mere thought made blood rush to her cheeks, which already had gotten colored since the first moment that Eren drew her to him.

She needed self-control. Mikasa took a deep, slow inhalation. She was getting addicted to being so close to him. The sensation delighted her at the same time it frightened her because she thought that if she continued like this, she would soon lose her marbles. On one hand, she considered it was okay if she let go a little, that this didn't have to be an inconvenience at all. Letting herself flow with it could be taken as part of the pretence she and Eren were being part of, and it seemed as something acceptable to her until she remembered that the key to the pretence was the lie. Except for how she felt about Eren, whatever surged from it would be nothing more than a lie. Participating in such a game was dangerous.

As part of his performance on that barge, without appearing uncomfortable at her closeness and without the slightest sign of rejection, Eren held her in such an intimate and loving manner that Mikasa felt she had been granted permission to enjoy a bit of the game. Unlike the early morning in the cabin while he slept, now she did feel like she could get a little carried away. Only a little. Sluggish in the warmth of his embrace and affection, Mikasa fell asleep and didn't wake up again until an employee announced they had arrived at Stohess.

It was evident that people who inhabited the Stohess district were more affluent and that they lived, ate and dressed better than those of Shiganshina. Mikasa had only been in that place a couple of times at night, focused on other things. Compared to Shiganshina, here there was a bigger traffic of carriages and horses crossing the cobbled streets.

They arrived at an impeccable four-story hotel located on the main avenue, where they were assisted by a tall and slim man with a serious face and a refined treatment. The concierge handed them the keys to room forty-two and a young bellboy carried their suitcases upstairs. Eren gave the boy a good tip after he left their luggage inside the room.

"Thank you very much, sir. Madam. Welcome to Stohess. Enjoy your stay," the bellboy said, gracefully bowing before leaving. He must have been Mikasa's age... and he had called her madam.

She raised her eyebrows at the spacious room Eren had rented. It had a larger double bed than usual, with a thick mattress under the embroidered duvet and plenty of fluffy pillows, plus a carved pedestal table on each side of it with elegant burnished bronze and colored glass lamps. There were a pair of garnet sofas, a dark polished wood coffee table and a cream-colored chaise longue next to a large window that opened onto a narrow balcony. The carpeting on the floor was the same shade of garnet as the sofas. The walls were pristine white as was the high ceiling, in which delicate and detailed plaster decorations with sinuous abstract motifs could be seen.

"Is this where you stay every time you have to come to Stohess?"

Eren, who was checking his medical bag and was putting his things in order, seemed amused at her question.

"I stay in a cheap hostel several blocks south, steps from a market," he walked past her and approached the window, hitting the glass a few times with the back of his index finger. "It has a good view. It must be nice to open the window and lean on the railing as you take a look outside. In the middle of spring or summer, of course."

"So this is…" Mikasa studied Eren's back, "...the first time you rent a room in this place?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because this time I'm not alone," he said, turning to her with his hands in his pockets. "There's no way I'd take you to the cheap hostel."

Mikasa brought a hand up to her forehead. This hotel had to be so expensive.

"Eren, how much will you pay per night here and how many will we spend in Stohess? Tomorrow we should go to a hotel that costs half or a third of what you'll pay for this one," she exhorted, somewhat troubled.

"Don't worry about how much I'll pay," he raised and lowered his shoulders in a calm attitude. "We'll be here less than a week, about four or five nights."

When they were in Trost they stayed in a simple hostel, why was it that on this occasion Eren had chosen a luxury hotel? Mikasa didn't even want to go take a look at the bathroom. She was afraid of finding herself with a bathtub and sink made out of marble.

"I can tell Kenny to refund you for whatever you spend on this place tonight."

"Forget about it, Mikasa. It really isn't an issue."

"We stay one night here and then tomorrow…"

"Listen. If you're not okay with it, look at it this way," Eren hastened to say. "People who know who I am here also know that I have money and that I get it directly from the crown, regardless of the fact that in general I never squander a single cent. Whenever I travel I stay in cheap places, but I do that when I'm alone, or also on the few occasions that I go somewhere with Armin. He is also not interested in spending more than necessary... The difference is that now I'm here with you. You are my girlfriend," he took a hand out of his pockets and raised two fingers, moving them to imply the use of quotation marks. "And I can't... nor do I want to take you to any place other than this. Oh, and unfortunately Stohess' busybodies opinions count too. It would be frowned upon if I took you to a cheap place having the means to give you the best, wouldn't it? I…" Eren's green eyes glittered when meeting hers. Mikasa held her breath. She got surprised when it was him who avoided her gaze. She saw him purse his lips and put a hand to the back of his neck. "I'm supposed to be crazy about you. This is supposed to be the kind of thing I would do for you, without thinking twice."

She had no idea what to say or feel at what she had just heard and seen. Eren's body language and words were as clear as they were confusing. Especially confusing. Mikasa stepped back and sat on the bed, running her fingertips through the intricate embroidery on the duvet. Her face felt hot and she had gotten nervous. She tried to shield herself behind the logic that he had only referred to their mission when mentioning those things. That there was no deeper or hidden meaning in his words. That the emotional whirlwind of the past few days and her own feelings for him were playing tricks on her, leading her to suspect nonsense like Eren was trying to convey some sort of double message. Deep down, Mikasa knew she was being delusional. He only saw her as a friend.

"It makes sense... It's a good idea, actually," without risking taking a look at Eren and seeing mutual attraction where there was none, Mikasa got up from the bed to check her luggage and take out whatever it was she needed for the rest of the day. "So what is today's itinerary?" she asked in the most relaxed tone she could.

Eren had to make his first medical revision at half past ten in the morning. The place was only a few minutes of walking from the expensive hotel in which they were staying. Mikasa tried to see it as a sign that Eren had also decided to rent that room for practical reasons, rather than for the roles they were playing. They spent just over an hour in the huge apartment of a silent seventy-year-old couple. Just as when she had accompanied him to make his visits in Trost, Mikasa stayed in the living room of the house drinking tea and trying the snacks the attentive servants brought her during the wait. When she got bored, she walked around the room and scrutinized the huge family oil portraits hanging on the walls. In each and every one of them those portrayed maintained a grim expression, even the children. It seemed strange and somewhat funny. She imagined that if she hired someone to do a family portrait of her with Levi and Kenny, the former wouldn't smile at the painter and would complain about wasting his time, while the latter would constantly move from his place to supervise the artist's work. Mikasa would try to wear her best dress, choose a nice pose and draw a parsimonious smile on her lips. Without a doubt, her own family portrait would be more dynamic and interesting to see than the pile of repetitive paintings displayed in that room.

The second and, fortunately, last scheduled medical visit for that day went by much faster. Then they went to get lunch and took a carriage ride through the center of the district. Eren took the role of a tour guide, pointing out to Mikasa some of the most important points in Stohess, such as the theater, an eye-catching and voluminous white building located in front of a plaza. Six double columns and five windows with an oval-shaped upper part stood on its semicircular façade.

"I've heard that the plays of the Stohess Theater Company are worth seeing," Eren told her as the coachman advanced and left the building behind. "At the hotel I learned that the last show of this season is today at eight thirty. Would you like to go see a play tonight?"

Mikasa had never entered a theater to see a play, not even a dance performance or an opera. After accepting his idea, Eren seemed satisfied and told her he had to go do some shopping. There were still a few hours to kill before the show started. They got out of the carriage on a busy block with several shop windows of clothing, footwear and accessories. When she wanted to ask why he had decided to stop there, Eren took her hand and led her into a classy women's wardrobe shop. All the clothes in there looked and even smelled expensive, like the hotel.

"What are we doing here?" One of the store assistants smiled at them and began to approach them. Mikasa took Eren by the arm and pulled him with the intention of leaving the shop. "I thought you were talking about buying medical supplies and stuff."

Eren resisted her pulling and, grabbing her around the waist, brought her in the opposite direction.

"We came to buy you a dress."

"To b-buy a dress? You're taking this couple— couple stuff very seriously!" Mikasa hissed. The assistant was about to reach them. "I have enough clothes. Let's go."

"There's a dress code to enter the theater," Eren whispered, releasing her. "Just choose a dress and we leave."

"I can accept the hotel thing, but I won't accept that you continue wasting money because of me."

Eren let out a weary sigh and let himself get carried towards the exit by Mikasa. She heard him apologize to the assistant and tell her that they would be back later, so she took him further away.

"Do you realize how weird we look while jerking each other back and forth?" Eren grumbled, gesturing for a coachman to stop his free carriage in front of them. "Come on, let's go back to the hotel so we can talk about this."

.

"Eren, I want you to understand that you have no obligation to buy me anything," Mikasa claimed once they were in the room.

"Then I don't have to buy the tickets for the show tonight either and that's it, we don't do anything," Eren said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. Mikasa stood in front of him. "We sleep and have breakfast here, you go with me to work, we have lunch and dinner somewhere else and then we come back to make the money I spend for this room worth, is that what you want?"

"I meant the dress. Don't overdo it," she frowned. Why had not wanting him to buy her a damn dress put him in a bad mood? "We obviously have to go out together to do more than visit your patients and eat... And in case you don't remember, you once called me an 'opportunist' for expecting you to buy me something way cheaper than a dress in Trost."

"Oh, did I say that?" Eren glanced aside. "If I did, I didn't mean it."

"You meant it," Mikasa objected, deadpan.

"It must have been because I hardly knew you." A mocking smile appeared on Eren's lips. "You were a bit annoying, you know?"

"I had realized that at the beginning you didn't like me much."

"Well, you aren't exactly the nicest person I've ever met."

Mikasa looked at him with an offended expression. It was her turn to cross her arms.

"Neither are you," she muttered, miffed and somewhat affected though Eren didn't seem to mean it with malice or anger. However, what he said was true. Mikasa knew she wasn't the kind of person everyone liked. What's more, first impressions weren't her forte.

Eren put his hands inside his pockets.

"In that we are alike. Neither of us is easy to deal with," he shrugged and, raising an eyebrow, added, "but hey, at least I didn't ensnare you in the middle of a ball at the Royal Palace and then kidnap you using chloroform, nor tie you to a fucking chair. I had valid reasons for not feeling like being nice to you."

"Y-you know I didn't do all that because I wanted to, but because I had to," she said, embarrassed by her past actions. Sometimes she forgot that she had made him fall into a trap. "Would you have come with me if I asked you nicely? I don't think so."

The distance between the two experienced an increase in tension under Eren's sudden silence and scrutiny.

"No. I wouldn't have gone with you if you had asked me nicely back then," Eren acknowledged, without taking his eyes off her. "Any other man would have actually done it… I'm a bit dumb and slow." Mikasa blushed. She stopped feeling his gaze focused on her and heard him exhale as if he had been holding his breath. "Getting back on the topic about the dress, if you don't want me to buy you one, that's fine, and if in the end you decide that you'd like to have a new dress, it's still fine. I won't see you as a freeloader for accepting gifts from me. I proposed you go to the theater for you to have fun and relax... So that we could do something different together."

"I want to go to the theater and have a good time with you," she covered her face with the scarf. "The only thing I don't want is for you to spend more money than necessary on me."

"Why do you focus so much on how much money I'll spend? I already told you that that's not a problem."

"I… am concerned that you feel compelled to do so because of our stupid mission."

Eren moved a hand to her face. Mikasa widened her eyes, alarmed, and he gently tugged on the scarf.

"You've been using this since we were in the cabin," he murmured. "Do you think I went with you up there, put this scarf on you and supported you for the sake of the stupid mission?" Mikasa was silent, so Eren continued. "No. I did it because I wanted to. Because... I'm your friend. So could you please stop worrying about my money for a while and accept a simple gift so we can go see the play?"

A few hours later, when it was already dark, they both were in the entrance of the Stohess Theater foyer looking elegant and distinguished, like the rest of the people who were there to see the last performance of the season. Mikasa kept her mouth shut and a resigned expression since Eren bought her the new dress. She wore sober eye makeup, her lips painted in a matt dark pink and her hair arranged in a low bun. Instead of earrings, on one side of her head she wore the silver flower Eren had given her in Trost and that, until now, she hadn't had the chance to wear. He seemed to notice, but didn't comment on it.

Hidden under a warm black cape, the dress was made of dark purple velvet. The sleeves opened in two from the elbows and ended in a fine lace that reached a few centimeters before the wrists. The same type of lace adorned the rectangular neckline, which exposed her clavicles. A column of five small velvet-lined buttons ran down the center of the bodice that hugged her figure. Finally, a horizontal band accentuated her waist, from where the drop of the fabric acquired volume widening towards her feet.

Taking Eren's arm, she entered the foyer with him and was distracted observing the architecture and interior decoration. The flashes of the huge chandeliers' glass tears were reflected in the ceiling from which they hung and on the walls. Upon reaching the theater hall, Mikasa let out a small gasp of astonishment as she gazed at the countless details in white, red and gold, the rows of numerous red theater seats, the three circular floors of galleries with boxes of seats for two or more people and the stage in the background, with the heavy curtain closed. An attractive mystique could be perceived inside that place of evanescent illumination. It inspired her a certain feeling of melancholy and mystery, while the very idea of being locked in the dark in there gave her shivers.

"Where are we sitting?" she asked Eren, enthusiastic.

He indicated the second floor, the one with the private boxes of seats for two people. When they reached the compartment, Eren helped her take off her cloak and handed her small binoculars, cool to the touch. She carefully sat down in one of the comfortable red theater seats and held the binoculars in front of her eyes, pointing at the stage. It seemed like the curtain was a meter or less away from her face.

"So… Do you like your dress?"

She moved the binoculars in Eren's direction, but saw nothing but a blur.

"I like it," she said, and took her binoculars off so she could look at him. "I think it's very pretty."

"I'm glad you like it," Eren gave her a small placid and sincere smile. "It looks good on you."

She responded to his compliment with a shy thanks and, to not feel more awkward, she continued to fiddle with the binoculars until the show began. Mikasa witnessed a fun festival of colorful makeup and outfits, impressive performances, and singing. What she enjoyed the most were the plot-based songs and the passionate acting of the actors. Not all of them were necessarily excellent singers and it didn't matter, because the grace laid in their interpretations, in how their voices broke in the precise phrase or word. In how they turned into a whisper or got more powerful, transmitting anger, fervor, hope or despair, in the way that their voices got stifled as they addressed their fears and doubts. Witnessing such skillful execution of expressions, voices, gestures, and behaviors was fascinating. Through the hour and a half that it lasted, the play captivated Mikasa so much that she never realized her companion watched her with similar enthrallment almost all that time.

As they left the room amid the crowd of spectators, a man in his forties and his wife greeted them and invited them to a soiree that took place that same night. They had both been Eren's patients at some point.

"Do you want to go?" Eren asked her in a whisper.

"We should try going even if it's for a short while."

The truth was that it was convenient for them to attend these meetings. The four boarded a carriage and in a few minutes arrived at the home of a man with a complicated surname named Axel, where there were already several well-dressed people chattering. Axel politely admitted them even though they hadn't received a formal invitation from him, since he knew who Eren was and was aware of his closeness to the Royal Family. Most of the guests were ten or more years older than Eren and Mikasa and casted curious glances at them. Some covertly whispered to each other when they saw them. At least three different men kissed Mikasa's hand more eagerly and for longer than necessary when introducing themselves. It was disgusting. In order not to arouse suspicions, she imitated the behavior of the ladies of lineage and faked a charming chuckle every time that happened.

"I think you've already exceeded the maximum amount of saliva allowed on my girlfriend's hand, sir," Eren ended up saying to the guy who took the longest, not bothering to hide his irritation.

The only point of being there was that relatively influential people would see them together, since neither of them was having fun. Eren in particular made no effort to show himself interested when he was included in chats about anything. He even whispered to Mikasa that he already had enough and that it would be best for them to leave.

"Doctor Jaeger, a pleasure to meet you," an old woman of regal and severe look suddenly greeted him. "Considering that you are an intelligent and reputable professional, I would be interested in knowing your opinion about what happened in Trost."

Eren wrinkled his forehead.

"Excuse me, madam, but I'm not aware of any special situation in Trost."

Several people began to murmur, wanting to comment on the subject, but the woman silenced them with a wave of the hand. She must belong to one of the prestigious families in the district.

"Don't you read the newspapers, young man?" The woman questioned him with indifference, throwing Mikasa a prejudiced look. It seemed like she pointed to Mikasa as the reason for Eren's ignorance of whatever had happened. "Last night there was an explosion and fire at the Trost police station. Two police officers lost their lives and about three others were injured," with that said, the murmurs and rushed exchanges between the different groups resumed.

Annie, Mikasa thought, squeezing Eren's arm upon hearing the news. The image of the blonde police officer was the first thing that came to her mind. Her mouth went dry.

Annie Leonhardt... Could she be one of the victims?

"I'm very sorry to hear that," Eren said through the din. "Are the identities of the affected police officers known?"

"They have not yet published that information, they have only specified that the deceased were two male members of the police," Axel explained. Mikasa felt some relief knowing that Annie wasn't dead, although she could be among the wounded. "The odd thing is that there were no criminals detained at the police station at that time. It's a pity that we have lost two exemplary and honorable subjects of the crown instead of a few petty thugs who have dared to break the laws of our kingdom."

The guests agreed with his sayings. Mikasa tried her best to keep her initial worried expression and not allow it to reflect the disgust she was feeling at the amount of hypocritical and presumptuous comments she was hearing. She had lost her own family precisely thanks to the repulsive businesses some rich people like them practiced and encouraged.

"The causes of the explosion are being investigated, but all of the newspapers agree that it wasn't accidental. It obviously can't be taken as an accident," reported a man with glasses. "In fact, they wasted no time in using euphemisms and referred to it as a terrorist attack."

"The Mitras newspaper attributes the attack to an organization from the underworld that calls itself Legion," added the woman who had started the topic of conversation. "Criminals who simply seek to spread fear and chaos, enemies of the kingdom."

Eren took Mikasa's hand.

"I've never heard of this Legion before," he said in a derogatory tone. "But I find what happened unacceptable. The violence of this terrorist group deserves to be repudiated throughout the whole kingdom and receive an exemplary punishment."

Those present seconded his words.

"I hope they get caught soon," Mikasa joined the conversation with a trembling voice, clinging to Eren and giving a concealed tug to the lapel of his jacket. "I can't believe that there are people capable of devising such... such cowardly and appalling attacks."

A nervous short woman backed her words and said she was afraid of what could happen while the Legion wasn't caught. More and more people began to verbalize their fears about it. Taking advantage of the fact that not all eyes were on them anymore, Eren put an arm around Mikasa's shoulders and led her to a corner.

"Are you okay, Margot?" He asked out loud, as people were everywhere. She shook her head and Eren turned to Axel, who was a couple of meters away from them. "Sorry to interrupt you, but these kinds of topics make my girlfriend very anxious. Could you please tell me where I can be alone with her to help her calm down before we leave?"

The homeowner called one of his servants to take the couple to one of the guest rooms.


A/N: I wrote the scene with uncle Kenny over a couple of weeks ago and I really enjoyed doing it because I missed him, just so you know (I love him), and of course I had a blast while developing the eremika moments from this chapter. I had to cut the last scene and move the rest of it to chapter 17 otherwise the chapter would have been too long and it would have taken longer for me to update it on both versions (Spanish and English) and translating it into English would've been a pain in the ass. Also, after reading manga chapter 129 it was so nice to see Mikasa and Annie taking care of the other since I already had this draft where Mikasa worried about her :') there'll be a bit more about it and obviously more EM moments next chapter :x

Thanks y'all for reading. I'm excited to read your reviews about this update~ Remember you can also check the English AO3 publication of the fic and leave kudos there if you want too.

I hope that you, your family and friends are doing well and are healthy. Hugs and take good care of yourselves!