"What the hell…?" Jean muttered. Being the first to enter the mess hall, he was also the first to spot the bundle of two cadets near the wall. The other trainees quickly entered upon hearing him curse.
A varied selection of gasps and 'oh's could be heard, along with someone chuckling. Jean turned to the noise, spotting Armin with a knowing smile.
On one of the benches lay Eren against the wall, with Mikasa cuddling into his chest. On the table beside them were two half-empty bowls of soup. Both of them were fast asleep and their chests were rhythmically rising and deflating.
Armin takes a seat with a bowl of soup. He sends the two sleepers a smirk. "It only took a few weeks, huh." He said, probably to himself. Jean frowned. "What are you talking about, do they do this often?" He said. Armin chuckled. "They used to. After Eren's mother died in front of them, they would often have nightmares. They only ever slept well when near each other."
Jean's jaw dropped and Connie let out a loud Huuuh?! Ymir raised an amused brow and then sent a quick look to Krista. Krista didn't notice, she was too busy staring at the two cuddling trainees with big eyes and pink cheeks. Annie looked on with an indifferent expression, though Armin could spot a peculiar emotion behind her mask. Armin himself was unsure whether to indulge his fellow trainees at the cost of angering Eren and Mikasa.
Eren yawned and slid down a little, leaning his head on top of Mikasa's. Mikasa shifted her legs slightly and tightened her grips. A high pitched indignant whining noise came from her but quickly disappeared once Eren was still.
The girls in the room had wide eyes or let out 'Awww's. The boys either looked on with amusement or jealousy. Jealousy in Jean's case.
Nina's quick voice piped up. "Why are they sleeping now? It's lunchtime." Connie whirled around quickly and pointed a finger at nothing in particular. "Eren told me he didn't get any sleep yesterday, or, well… tonight?" Connie wore a confused expression as he tried to figure out what he was saying. "Oh… Yeah, I remember Mikasa mentioning something like that as well." Nina said.
Potato girl popped up with bravado, bouncing on the bench. "Me too! I woke up a couple of times and Mikasa was up each time! She looked really uncomfortable and had this kinda grrr look." She said, trying to imitate the expression she saw yesterday.
Armin A-hah'd with a finger on his chin. "That makes sense, she tried to sleep but had a nightmare and couldn't."
Reiner sent him an odd look. "What? Is this normal for them?" Armin nodded and then chuckled a few moments later, remembering something. "When Mikasa moved in with the Yeager family, there was no room for her, really. So she bunked with Eren for a while. Eren's parents eventually decided to just leave it like that."
Connie teleported to him and screamed, "They shared a bed!?" The volume of his voice made Mikasa stir which made Connie shut up and she eventually stilled. "They shared a bed…" He wheezed out. Krista was now red-faced with Ymir smirking at her (not that Krista noticed). Reiner looked utterly confused. "For how long?"
Armin raised his hands as if counting on his fingers. "two years."
The trainees look at him with incredulous expressions. "... TWO YEARS?" Jean bellowed, making Mikasa bounce up, hitting Eren along the way with the top of her head, making Eren bite his tongue.
She looked around, in search of danger. There was none.
Eren was rubbing his bruised jaw with an open mouth, steaming flowing out.
No one seemed to notice.
A few weeks later.
With the exhausting day of training coming to an end, the crew are eating their supper. The noise in the room consisted of small conversations and the sound of cutlery hitting plates. Eren was trying to be engaged in conversation with Reiner and a few others about techniques but was having a hard time. His head was drooping and nicking every once in a while.
Mikasa looked equally tired, though her silence didn't catch much attention due to her personality.
As if psychically connected, Eren and Mikasa rose at the same time. The other trainees each sent an odd look towards them but the pair didn't seem to notice. Without saying a word or even sharing a look, the pair walked outside.
A few minutes later, when the rest of the trainees had finished supper and made their way to the sleeping barracks, the boys noticed that Eren was missing. Meanwhile, the girls were quite surprised to find Mikasa embracing Eren, her scarf weaving them together. Their legs were intertwined and Eren was resting his head between the crook of her neck and her breasts, arms around the small of her back.
The boys quickly realised where Eren was when they heard the loud eep of Krista. Ignoring propriety the boys ran over to find the two in the same way the girls did.
Armin was straight out laughing now as Eren and Mikasa were squirming sleepily trying to get comfortable again.
Eventually, the girls sighed and shooed the boys out, leaving Eren and Mikasa to cuddle through the night. Potato girl noted that this time when she woke a million times that night, Mikasa was blissfully asleep, smiling to herself.
