Eren awoke in cold sweat, moonlight breaking gently through the curtains on his window, cool night air washing away the nightmarish images from his mind.

Thinking back to the moment Thomas was killed, he felt so foolish. Charging in gung-ho, he knew the others would follow, he was their leader. Now their dead, all of them dead and he may as well be.

Two weeks prior

Eren thrashed in his bed, ripping stitches through his skin, screaming as the images assaulted his mind, everyone dying, the titans smiling, his leg and arm being bitten off. No doctors, nurses or friends could calm him, just the sound of Mikasa's voice flowing over him to sooth him. His tears soaking the bandages that covered his face.

Present

Eren remembered that fear, of waking into the unknown, nothing to tether him to sanity as the pain washed over him. Looking over to the cot in the corner he saw Mikasa's slumbering body rise up and down. She had barely left the room in nearly two months. Two whole months thought Eren…

One week prior

"Eren Yaeger" the pompous Captain Wellman screeched, "for conduct unbecoming a leader and 5th ranking graduate you are hereby…"
"Awarded a medal" the cheerfully blithe General Pixis butted in.
"Sir this boy…"
"Survived a titan assault with no prior experience and giving new definition to the term 'single handed' removed many titans from our walls."
"But sir!"
"That will be all Captain, I only needed you to show me where this place was anyway."
Harrumphing and turning sharply the Captain left the room in a huff, leaving Eren, Mikasa and General Pixis.

Present

During that enlightening conversation Eren found out he had been unconscious for over a month, before waking up a couple of weeks ago and was being presented with a medal for valorous conduct in the face of severe adversity.
A short while later Jean dropped by, slightly worldlier and a lot less up himself, Jean and Eren had quite a good talk until Jean told him about Marco. Mikasa eye's dropped and Eren gasped in horror, Marco a top graduate like themselves had been devoured, it just didn't seem possible that so many of them made it but Marco had always been such a good man. So much had happened…

3 days ago

"Eren!" Armin shouted
"Armin is that you?" Eren responded in kind cracking a smile for the first time in days.
"Sure is!" Armin smiled, turning his head "hey Mikasa."
"Hey" was the only reply as she got up and moved to a chair by the window.
Armin looked after her with a sad look in his eyes giving Eren pause, wondering what had happened while he was out. His usual obliviousness seemed to have left him, everything seemed so very open to his eyes now.
"So even a General came to visit but had to wrangle you out here huh" Eren teased.
"Haha you're not far off, the General and I came up with the idea to take back Trost with the help of the scout recon team and I've been helping put everything back together since we plugged the hole."
"Wow aren't you all important now."
"Knock it off Eren or I'll call Annie in for some practice sessions!"
"Okay I give, I give!" laughing with his best friend like nothing had changed.
After some more good natured jabs Armin revealed some bread and meat he had nabbed from commands luncheon, Mikasa came over and after some of the usual fuss allowed her to feed him.
After some time the walls between her and Armin came down and everyone laughed so hard when food shot out of Mikasa nose while sneezing. There was no dignifying way to come back from such an action so the response was walloping both the troublesome boys with pillows until they yielded their memories.
"It's been good Eren" chuckled Armin, face still pink from the days laughing, "I'll try not to be so much a stranger."
"You better not." Eren threatened.
"Armin" Mikasa mumbled.
"Mhmm?"
"Have a good night."
"You too!" he shouted while bouncing out the door.
Shifting at the numb feeling in his leg, Eren decided to broach the subject.
"So what happened between you two while I was gone?"
Mikasa flinched and rushed over falling to her knees and grabbing his head "You weren't gone you hear me!"
"You will never be gone, I won't allow it, I'll never leave your side, I won't!"
"Mikasa…"
"I…I…I thought you were dead" she sobbed falling onto the bed, "'I blamed Armin I…I… hit him, I yelled at him."
"Then even after you were back you were so still, you never moved, I couldn't do anything. If I had just stayed with you."
Eren could only hold her while she sobbed, unable to think of anything to say that would comfort her.

Present

The sheet as blocking the air from hitting his skin, Eren threw the covers to his side hoping to cool off, realising only after it wasn't the sheet getting him hot. Thick, white bandages, covered from his neck to the waist, extending over the stub of what used to be an arm and further down what used to be a leg. Eren remembered his thoughts from when he escaped the titan, a cripple can't fight titans, he wouldn't be able to live up to his promise, avenge his mother, find his father's secret or join the recon squad. Worst of all he couldn't be by…

"Eren?" said a familiar feminine voice.
Always astounded by how quietly she could move, Mikasa was knelt by his bedside, already wiping away the hot tears he wished could have been hidden. Her eyes bore into his, making his heart race, the hair he told her to cut just above her shoulders, waving gently in the nights breeze, hands calloused yet soft holding his face.
"Mikasa…" Eren began tears already welling in his eyes, "how can I go on, how can I?
Mikasa's gaze never left him or faltered, staring deeply, almost unnervingly intimate.
"Eren" she began "do you remember what you told me? All those years ago?"
"Wha…"
"Think hard, back to when you saved me."
Eren mind flashed back to those few moments he had decided to take a life to save that a beautiful young girl, so scared and alone.
"I told you…"
"You told me to fight Eren" she whispered, standing up, but never breaking her hold on him.
"If nothing else you told me to always fight, to never surrender and that was living."
In a move that set his face aflame she gently placed a kiss on his forehead, her lips burning a mark in his skin, then drew him into her embrace.
"You will fight and if you fall I'll be there to pick you up again" she continued to whisper as Eren wept into her gown "no matter how many times you fall, no matter how long, I will always be your sword, your shield, your back, your armour and… your heart Eren."
Eren's good arm had supported him but now fell, as they did back into the bed, as he wrapped the arm around her. Mikasa stroked his hair as he cried himself to sleep in her arms. Mikasa hoping that the dark had erased the blush which accommodated her cheeks whenever she touched him.
Eren listening to the sound of Mikasa's heart and the smoothing strokes of her hand, for tonight at least, no longer feared tomorrow.

Authors Note: Okay back in the groove! Not as much action as I'm sure many were hoping for but I always prefer a little bit of story in between huge sections. As probably realised I intend to flesh out an entirely new story into the narrative of the old one. A lot more character development and a whole lot of romance. Which seriously people who write manga, I don't care if your story is action oriented, you need character depth to dammit even if it is superficial. Peace. (I know this is forward but a review either telling me I could improve or just saying this is freaking awesome will go a long way.)

C.C.