Thanks for all the support everyone!
This story is getting a plot of sorts. Nothing too fancy though, things will happen, between reality and dreams, it's still romance and yes the road trips are not over. I assure you.
She awoke to the sun shining on her face and the man next to her muttering curses. Her eyes opened to narrowed slits, sleep filled and mind hazy, she couldn't recall for a moment, where she was until she looked ahead of her and saw the lining of stilled cars. The sunbeams reflecting off of them in iridescence.
Lazily, her eyes wandered off to the surrounding areas, they were on a small, single file cement paved road and on both sides, laid flat grass land, surrounded by big trees and perched mountains, the sky was a clear blue without a cloud in sight.
Shrugging off the stifling cardigan, she rolled down the window to let in some air before looking over to Levi. He had shrugged off his blazer, and rolled up the sleeves to his pristine white button up to his elbows. His hair was tousled in a bed-head sort of way and his light grey hues peered through hooded lids as he regarded her with a simple stare before turning back to his phone.
He was attractive, she supposed, in a rugged sort of way. And short, very short.
Where were her thoughts going so early in the morning, she felt her stomach growl, and if Levi looking over with thinly veiled amusement but otherwise said nothing. She didn't know whether to be annoyed or thankful.
The blooms of heat on her cheeks were getting harder to ignore.
"We'll moving soon." he said.
She peered up at him through her eye lashes before switching gazes to the slow-moving car in front of them. The line was moving, albeit slowly, but moving nonetheless. She fastened her seat belt as he started up the car, stifling a small yawn that passed through her mouth. The car picked up on its speed as they entered the tunnel, the temperature lowering and the wind beating in her ears.
He didn't look at her once as she inconspicuously stole glances of him. The rest of the rise went uneventfully.
Seeing the familiar sites of the rustic buildings the city was so famed for, Mikasa felt a pool of dread in her stomach, what for, she did not know.
It was almost like a foreshadowing of events to occur once she entered the small hotel they were residing in. Levi pulled up the car, adjacent to the copper rimmed doors, where a valet and door boy stood, looking bored out of their minds. She unbuckled the belt and slid out of the car, stretching her legs and arms, feeling the fresh oxygen in her system and the weight of her satchel on her right hand.
Sleeping in a car for a night can do a number on you and your consciousness, she had only heard of the term jetlag from classmates and co-workers, never actually getting on a plane herself, for no particular reason. The opportunity never came, and Mikasa had never been a fan of travel, unless it was necessary. Like for now, she had only come to this trip for Eren.
They were about four hours from home by train and bus. Eren, having just graduated, wanted to see the famed and forgotten city that had in all honesty become a tourist trap, Armin, another long-suffering friend had tagged along, for research on a paper he was writing, and everyone else was a miscellaneous assortment of people she knew by name or face.
Passing by the door boy and into the lobby, the first site she was greeted with, was Krista reading a magazine and Ymir sitting with and arm around her. They both looked up as Mikasa entered. Krista's kind face lightened at the sight of her missing friend, while Ymir's naturally slit for eyes, narrowed into a leer. Out of defensive measures, Mikasa's face contorted to a glare, as if to shut Ymir's big mouth.
"Well, well, well..." Ymir hollered. Krista quickly put the magazine down on the coffee table and turned her head towards the taller girl with an expression that subtly promised pain.
Mikasa bypassed them both, ignorance, as they say was bliss after all.
Without another breath, Mikasa rushed into Eren and Armin's shared room, almost slamming the door shut on her way in.
The blond boy turned his head away from his large textbook to greet her with a smile. Once again, Eren was nowhere to be found.
"Mikasa, you're back!" He stood up to give her a hug, relieved.
Mikasa gingerly returned the hug with the slightest of smiles, "Where's Eren?"
Armin cocked his head towards the balcony, "Bored out of his wits." Eren looked over from the side railing, and ran back into the room to envelope her in a hug.
Her lips automatically tugged to a smile, as he let go, she took the time to inspect him for injuries. "You weren't hurt right?" She asked, her eyes darkening, she made a mental note to rough up Annie.
Eren scoffed, "Mikasa, I told you, I am fine, I knew where Annie would be, and I brought her back, that's it." She eyed him suspiciously, but dropped the subject for the time being. She was a little tired anyways.
"I'll see you both later." Was all she said before returning to her own room. Eren and Armin, both collectively surprised at her willingness to drop the subject and even more astonished that she was separating herself from them. The look at each other, while Armin only shrugs, "She must be tired."
Eren stares out his door to see her entering the room on the other end. "Yeah, probably." He mutters, not convinced.
She returned to her room, and dropped her bag and cardigan on the desk. She took a look around, the curtains were pulled to the side and the window was left open to let in some air, otherwise empty, to which she was thankful.
She threw herself on her bed, messing up the pristine white cotton covers, pulling it up to cover her eyes and dug her head in her pillows, wrinkling it. After a moment of tossing and turning, she fell asleep, with the sunlight casting a halo on her back. Hunger and worry forgotten, all she needed was sleep.
The first thing Levi did when he got back was chew out the two brats that thought it would be fucking hilarious to disappear for a couple of hours without telling anyone. Jaegar and Leonhardt, sat in wooden chairs, facing him, as he stood in front. Leonhardt, was famous for her impassive face and cold eyes, she took the lecture, gulped it down and dismissed herself with a quiet 'yes sir.' Not a flinch or a blink out-of-place. Jaegar, however, sat squirming in his seat, speaking out in inopportune moments and defended his action of finding annie.
It was going out of control, quickly, until Erwin had come into handle the situation. Not dismissing, or reprimanding the boy, but openly letting him reflect on the choices and the dangers. Levi stalked off to the side table, his hands clutching a porcelain coffee mug, he lifted it by rims to take a sip and a breath. All night with his sister, and now coming back here to listen to Jaegar whine, fucking perfect trip this is turning out to be.
He turned around in time to see Jaegar get up from his seat, nod to Erwin and walking off into the general direction. He unceremoniously slumped in the plush red velvet covered table seats, Erwin sat across from him, a plate of standardized breakfast, evenly spaced and concisely portioned. If there was one thing good about Sina, it was the measure and balance. It was so apparent, that it was ingrained in their culture and their language.
Levi would know of course, it was the only thing he liked about his ethnicity.
"The brats came back on their own." He meant for it to be a question, but it ended up coming out as a statement. Erwin lifted his eyes from his plate to look at the younger man across the table from him, he nodded, "That is what Hanji said, they were unharmed."
"That's unfortunate." He grumbled, putting the empty mug on the table and tapping his fingers on the table top softly.
Erwin said nothing else, taking a sip out of his coffee, "I heard you and miss Ackerman were held back by the traffic."
Levi looked up, he was expecting this confrontation of sorts, but it was none the less startling. "Yeah, we were by the mountains, by the time we came back, it was crowded, an accident."
Erwin nodded and gently set aside his utensils. "I hope there was no trouble."
"None at all." Levi replied robotically, this situation was getting a little awkward.
The sat in disconcerting silence. Well of course, people would wonder, they had spent a night outside their designated area, if something had happened, the ones taking responsibility for this would technically be them. Not to mention it would put the integrity of their College and Levi's well-built reputation on the line as well. But it made the situation no less tense.
Erwin cleared his throat after placing his now empty mug on the table, "We are heading back to Trost, day after tomorrow, we should be grouping to view the Wall ruins tomorrow."
Ah, the wall. That was the real reason everyone comes to visit Sina anyway. It was a strange site, plagued with mysteries, the exact reason for its origin was unknown, archaeologists, dictate it goes back millenniums. For what purpose it was built, nobody knows, and it was definitely not man-made. Its mysterious qualities draw tourists and horror enthusiasts to the most skeptical of people like moths to a flame. Levi didn't ind it interesting however, just dirty and dusty.
"Oh?"
Erwin nodded, before getting up, "Get some sleep, you look like you could use it."
"Is that a nice way to say I look like shit?" Levi asked, also standing up.
"Yes." The slightest hint of amusement coloring Erwin's voice.
"Gee, thanks." He raised a hand as farewell, as he walked over to his, sleep was well deserved.
Mikasa seldom dreams of much, juggling work and school and of course Eren was very stressful. Granted, that he was an adult, but it had been a habit from childhood, they would look out for each other, for him however, it was annoying then and it is down right infuriating now.
Something about growing up and independence, his rants, mostly angry, the good-natured angry that teetered on the scale of annoyance to murderous. However it was endearing in a twisted way for Mikasa, he cared enough to acknowledge she cared for him, though it did not stop him from his recklessness.
It was a long winding cycle, and it was something she had grown accustomed too.
However dreaming was not one of them.
She felt like she was wading in water, in an open bay, surrounded by trees so big she needed to crane her head. She felt weighted and light at the same time, her body aching and her mind heavy, as if someone had hit her with something hard and heavy.
It buzzed and whirred when she moved her head from side to side. Only making note of the surroundings and her floating form in the water, shore was close by, lined with rocks colossal in size and black like her hair. She half limped to shore, her white pants, wet with brown smudges and her cheek sliced open.
She wandered aimlessly walking along the bay shore, in her limp and water-logged clothing. Her head felt less heavy now as she gazed east to watch the pink and orange combination of dusk, the water reflecting the colors and the waves rolling in mercilessly. She didn't realize for how long she stood in that exact spot looking at the setting sun, until she felt a tap on her shoulder.
She turned around, her movements slowed by her battered and bruised self. It was Armin, he looked like he had seen hell, and hell was after him. His temple covered in dirty bandages and his eyes weighed with bags beneath.
"Mikasa!" He was breathless and relieved. "We did it!"
Her only response was the tilt of an eye brow. "Eren—, Eren's waiting for us!" When he saw the girl not moving, he took her hand in his and ran the direction he came from.
The run was long and tiring, she was out of breath, mildly surprised at herself, she was a fast runner usually, but she supposed, this was a dream after all. And of course, there stood Eren, clad in a ripped shirt and pants similar to her own, she gave a once over to Armin, he was also in similar dressing, for reason's beyond her.
She turned her gaze over to Eren's, he was perched in one of the smaller of the big rocks, his legs, barefoot and hanging, his turquoise eyes glistening in the sun, he turned around, misty eyed and all, "we made it."
He reached his hands out to both of them, they wordlessly take it. He lifts them up and for a moment, Mikasa awed at his strength.
There standing beside him, looking into the setting sun, Eren whispered, "We made it."
He looks at Mikasa, his features triumphant, then at Armin, they both look so ridiculously happy and relieved, she is stunned, they turn back to her and their faces dim down when she looks at them quizzically,"Wha— What?"
Eren was about to say something, but it was hazy, like a heavy gust of wind, separating her from them and she felt the consequent shaking of someone.
The wrinkled white covers are thrown off of her head, and she is greeted with the sight of Sasha, who looked at her worriedly. "It's already noon, don't you want lunch?"
Mikasa sat up, the covers dipping down to her lap, and her white sun dress and hair are equally messy. She utters a 'yes' as the other girl pushes her towards the bathroom to freshen up and tells her all about the buffet awaiting them. Mikasa splashes cold water in her face and grips the rims of the porcelain sink.
What was all that? Was all she could think of.
Levi, after trying for many times, could not go back to sleep. His stomach grumbled, and he remembered the only breakfast he had today was a cup of mediocre coffee. He threw his covers off and stomped off to the bathroom for a quick shower.
Casting a glance at the pristine room, he buttoned up a fresh white shirt and black jeans. He walked down to the dining hall reserved for them to see its massive crowd, his eyes going over the faces of the people he was stuck in this hell hole with. Without a thought, he sat in an unoccupied chair, head in hands and Hanji jumps to the seat next to his with a plate of whatever it is.
"Levi! I haven't seen you in days!" She exclaimed, shoveling a spoonful into her mouth. "I missed you."
Levi narrowed his eyes in distaste, "finish your food first, shitty glasses."
Hanji only rolled her eyes good-naturedly before smiling, "Try some, it soooo good!" She lifted up a spoonful to his face, his eyes narrowing on the ontaminated spoon, he smacked her hand out-of-the-way before getting up for his own plate.
The line to the buffet was relatively less than he anticipated, a good thing of course, because he was in no mood for anything stupid. He reached for a plate the same time someone else did, she lazily looked from the corner of his eye, to see Mikasa.
He withdrew his hand long enough for her to get a plate, before he got one himself, they moved through the line in relative peace and quiet. After gathering the stew and what he assumed was paella, they moved in opposite directions.
"Mikasa! Over here!" called out a voice, suspicious in the direction Levi was supposed to go. From the distance he spotted the golden and brown-haired head of Armin Arlelt and Eren Jaegar, flanked on either sides of a giddy Hanji. Mikasa turned around and walked over to the table for five, taking the seat next to Eren and Levi, wondered if this day could get anymore annoying, as he took in all the other full tables.
AN: Thank you everyone for reading, if it's not too much to ask, please leave your thoughts or pm them to me, i would love to hear what you have to say.
TBC.