AN: Ahhhh, I got a tad stuck thinking of how I want to continue. I have a lot of ideas, but I don't want to use them QUITE yet. So often I kinda just sit down and type out a scene and then go with it. Thank you all for your support! The one thing I kinda want to address in this chapter is something that bugs me...I always hate when people push aside Mikasa for the sake of a pairing and sort of ignore her. She's a major part of Eren's life and I feel that's unfair if not done right. I love Mikasa, she's one of my favorite characters.
The door creaked open and the light squeak of the wooden floorboards echoed through the small cabin. Although the sun began to set, thin light streamed through the dusty windows. A loud thud resonated as a large, dirty, duffle bag is dropped on the floor. Eren peaked out to see a familiar silhouette standing in the doorway. His face lit up as soon as he recognized who it was.
"Mikasa!" Eren shouted as he rushed over to her.
"I'm home," she smiled softly at the warm welcome. She slowly shook off her military jacket and hung it on the coat rack. Armin walks out soon after and immediately notices Mikasa.
"Mikasa! When did you get back?" He asked, pleasantly surprised.
"A few minutes ago," She casually remarked, a small smile on her face.
"Well, welcome back! How long are you staying this time?" Armin grinned, he had missed Mikasa, but not nearly as much as the green-eyed boy standing beside her.
"A few days, they let me take a temporary leave," She replieed, loosening her trademark red scarf. With a tired sigh, she slid onto the sofa, stretching comfortably as she looked around the living room.
"You two have kept the place surprisingly clean and intact... nice," She sayid in a joking manner, but was actually somewhat shocked by their ability to survive without her. She was always worried about Eren, he could be rather flighty and irresponsible, running head-on into danger. He did have Armin, though, so she wasn't overly worried. The three of them having been childhood friends for as long as she could remember, she had grown to trust Armin with her step brother.
"So what would you like for dinner, Mikasa?" Armin asked, causing Eren to perk up.
"I'll help!" Eren quickly added, grinning. Armin laughed, seeing the brunette so excited was a nice change of pace. The last couple of months had been rather harsh on the two boys as they fared their way through crowds of the deadly homonculi and broken bones.
After the Armin and Eren prepared dinner, the trio sat at the table as Eren slurped away at his soup. It was a rather quiet dinner, but peaceful nonetheless.
"So have you still been cleaning up the titans in this area?" Mikasa asked as she took a small bite of her bread.
"Not as much as I would like, but yeah," Eren grumbled, recalling the past few months of him recovering. Mikasa stayed silent for a bit, but the reply piqued her interest. Finally she asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, I just got hurt, so I had to go easy for a while. It totally sucked, right Armin?" Eren replied casually, waving his spoon in the air before taking another bite of bread. Armin jumped as soon as he was called out. He can feel Mikasa's burning glare and he quickly avoided eye contact. The soup suddenly seemed an interesting subject.
"So, uhh, how long did you say you were going to be here again, Mikasa?" Armin asked, quickly changing the subject. He took a sip of the soup, adamantly refusing to look her in the eyes.
"A few days. Wh-" She was cut off before she could pose the question.
"Oh! then you can totally kill titans with us while you're here, right, Mikasa?" Eren's eyes held a certain gleam, and Mikasa's attention was diverted back to the green-eyed boy.
"I don't see why not." She shrugged, biting into her bread.
"Great!" Eren exclaimed, and quickly finished up the rest of his soup in a haste. Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he jumped up from the table.
"Let's go!" He shouted, bouncing excitedly, energy radiating from him. Mikasa could only smile as she finished her soup. When finished, she grabbed her gear and slung back on her coat.
"Alright. Are you coming too, Armin?" She asked and glanced behind herself to make eye contact with the blonde boy.
"Ah, no thanks, I need to clean up anyways," Armin answered politely. With Mikasa accompanying Eren, he had nothing to worry about, so he could finally get some things done around the house without fearing for his friend's life. Mikasa nodded as Eren grabbed his swords. Adjusting her red scarf, a slightly muffled reply was iterated.
"Well, we're off." She said in her usual, calm demeanor.
"We'll be back later, Armin! Take care!" Eren waved, a silly grin plastered on his face. Armin couldn't help but smile as he saw them off. It was always nice to see his friends so cheery. The worn wooden door swung shut, and Armin sighed.
"Guess I better get to work." He shrugged, looking around the room.
The air was cold and crisp, and moon shone brightly below, it's rays illuminating the surrounding area. The green-eyed boy took in raspy breathes in an attempt to steady his heartbeat, as his coat was stained slightly with blood. The raven-headed girl had yet to break a sweat. Spending nearly a year in almost solely combat had her prepared for the worst. Eren had fared rather well, he was still keeping up with her. Something seemed slightly off from his usual self in combat though, Mikasa noted, still unable to pinpoint what it was. Suddenly she saw a blur in her peripheral vision.
"Mikasa, on your left!" Eren shouted. She leaped without hesitation. Using her momentum as a boost, she built up speed in the air and spun quickly as her blades stuck out. She mowed down the attacking homonculus and cleanly disconnected it's head from it's shoulder. A hiss of steam arose from the corpse, causing a sigh of relief escaped from Eren. She was about to reply when a shadow loomed over Eren. He quickly noticed the lack of light above him, and nimbly rolled to the side. A distinct click of teeth snapped as a titan had been mere seconds away from taking a bite. Eren sliced the now unprotected neck of the attacking homonculus, causing it to collapse, the severed head rolling a few feet before erupting in a cloud of hot steam.
It all clicked in Mikasa's head. Eren had become more aware of his surroundings. He had taken action before she could even speak up to warn him or take action herself. A relieved smile spread across her face as she ran over to hug him. Somehow... Somehow he'd changed. It was definitely for the better, and although it was just a slight change she was so happy. As Mikasa squeezed him tightly, Eren stood confused, his grip on his swords slacking slightly.
"Mikasa?" He asked, befuddled. He was not met with a verbal reply, but rather a physical one as Mikasa silently gripped him tighter. Eventually, the brunette gave in, and hugged her back.
The next few days followed the same routine. After eating dinner together, the two half-siblings would leave and take care of business while Armin took care of his own. Mikasa carefully noted how much Eren had improved in combat; he started taking the time to observe his surroundings and formulate a rough plan rather than dive blindly and head-first into the situation like he used to. She decided to ask Armin about this change.
"Armin, can I talk to you?" Mikasa stated bluntly. The blonde boy quickly closed his book, returning his pen to his desk as he looked up surprised at the raven-headed girl.
"Sure, Mikasa. What's up?" He asked.
"Eren's been more observant in battle lately. He hasn't been pulling his usual stupid stunts and has been taking less risks. Do you know why?" The steel-eyed girl cut to the chase, asking the question that's been weighing on her mind as of recently. Armin smiles softly, if what Mikasa says is true, then that means that Eren actually listened to him and was thinking about more than just himself now.
"Really? That's great. I'm really glad he decided to hear me out!" He replied with a bright smile, causing Mikasa to raise an eyebrow.
"So you helped him change?" She asked.
"W-Well, I guess I kind of helped...but it was mostly him for actually listening and stuff..." Armin's ears turned a slight shade of pink. He had helped?
"Thank you, Armin," Mikasa's normal cool demeanor now replaced with genuine relief as she grasped at her scarf.
"It's good to know Eren's in good hands while I'm gone," She added before turning around to leave. As she exited the room, Armin's face was flushed. Had he really made that big of an impact on Eren? It was relieving to know that Mikasa trusted him, he would do his best to upkeep that trust. Before he could reply, he had noticed that she was no longer in the room. Standing up, he walked into the living room where he saw her slide her jacket back on. Grabbing her duffle bag once more, she reached for the handle of the door.
"You're leaving already?" Eren called out from the sofa. She nodded.
"I told you it would only be a few days," She replied as she opened the door and in retaliation, Eren sighed.
"I'm gonna miss you, Mikasa," He mumbled as he stood up from the sofa and walked over to her, pulling her in for a hug as he whispered his goodbyes.
"You better not die, okay?" Eren tells her, his voice stern as he looks her in the eye. She smiles and nods her head as they break apart from the hug.
"I promise," Stepping out the door, she turned back around and called out to both Eren and Armin.
"I'll be back soon!" She said seeming cheerfully, but still is reluctant to leave.
"Bye!" Both boys called out to her as she finally shut the door.
AN: I feel that Eren and Mikasa act too much like a really close brother and sister and that's one reason why I could never hop aboard the Eremika train. It just feels like incest to me. I still love Mikasa to pieces, though. Don't get me wrong, I just don't see them in a romantic light.