Pairing: Eren/Mikasa, Shingeki no Kyojin

Setting: Modern Day AU; Where Mikasa and Eren grew up in the same house

Words: 2909

Rating: K+ (Light Language)

Day 1 – Christmas Shopping

All I Want for Christmas is You

Eren immediately regretted coming to the mall with Mikasa the moment he stepped in. Okay, really it was driving through the traffic just to get to the mall and finding a parking spot but he was giving it the benefit of the doubt at that point. The area was so packed that he didn't even know how he was gonna get to a store let alone in it, not to mention his vision blinded by the green, red, gold, and silver Christmas decorations and Christmas songs blasting over the speakers. Needless to say he was feeling far less festive than this mall was apparently.

"Is it even December yet, Jesus," he grunted shaking some snow off his jacket.

"It's the first of December, therefore this is actually acceptable now." Mikasa gave him a smile before grabbing a hold of his arm to lead him through the crowds.

"I'm pretty sure it's the only time Mariah Carey is acceptable."

"Eren." Mikasa was trying to be serious but he heard her laugh.

He grabbed her hand off his arm to hold onto it so they wouldn't get separated in this mad house. He was beyond thankful she wanted to wait till after Black Friday to go Christmas shopping.

"Okay," she said pulling him off to the side of the walkway and away from the moving crowd and pulling a list from her pocket. "Who do you want to start with?"

"Uhhh," he skimmed down the list of their friends and family. "Armin, we were gonna split that new game system for him anyway."

Mikasa nodded putting the list back in her pocket. "Do you have yours?"

"My what?"

She rolled her eyes. "Your Christmas list of who you need to buy for."

"Oh." Eren put his hands on her shoulders as she started to walk back through the crowds. "Is the same people you buy for. Mom, Dad, Armin, Sasha, Connie and all them, and well, you, which you haven't actually told me what you wanted for Christmas."

He felt Mikasa shrug under his hands as he pulled her back a few steps before a kid ran through nearly tripping them both.

"I don't really need anything," she said, walking through the crowd again.

"Mikasa, it's Christmas, I'm getting you something so just tell me whatever it is you want."

"Here's the store for Armin's gift." She quickly squeezed by a mom trying to get her crying kid away from the video game store.

Eren could tell she was avoiding his question, but whatever, he'd figure out what she wanted before this trip was done. They might've lived together since they were nine but Mikasa was never good at keeping anything from him.

He should've figured the video game store would be packed but he managed to get to the front of the line with Mikasa grabbing a few games off the shelves. "Do you have any left?" Eren asked the girl behind the counter, pointing to the system behind her.

"Yes," she nodded before one of her colleges went to go grab one from the back room. She scanned a barcode and scanned the games Mikasa put down. "Is it for your son?" the cashier asked once the total was posted.

"Heh?" Eren looked up from pulling his card out of his wallet.

"The system, is it for your son?"

"I don't…" he looked at the cashier who was looking back and forth to him and Mikasa. "Oh, oh! No, we don't…we aren't…" What was he supposed to say? Sorry, lady, the girl you just mistook for my girlfriend is actually my best friend who my parents took in at a young age.

"It's for our best friend," Mikasa answered with a smile to the cashier who was starting to look a little panicked.

Eren swiped his card trying to ignore the surge of irritation he felt. It really shouldn't bother him; it wasn't like people hadn't asked that before. They looked too different for anyone to think they were related, and apparently having a girl for one of your best friends wasn't anyone's first thoughts.

The cashier was apologizing profusely but Mikasa just smiled and said it was okay; though there was something a bit off with her tone. Maybe she was just annoyed too. Eren grabbed the bag while Mikasa led them out of the store and back into the walkways.

"Where to now?" she asked, pulling at her note, but avoiding actually looking at him.

Eren tried to push aside the situation they had just been forced into out of his mind because clearly she didn't want to talk about it. "What are you getting my dad?"

She glanced up at Eren. "He asked me to renew his medical journal subscription like I normally do and I was gonna bake him something. I think the question is what are you getting him."

"Some boring medical book."

"Eren, you get him that every year. C'mon, let's get a little creative." She rolled her eyes but there was a smile pulling at her lips. She turned to head down the walkway again but Eren reached to grab her hand to make sure they didn't get separated.

Unlike last time though, Eren was suddenly very aware of what the cashier had implied. He dropped her hand quickly, glancing away when she looked up at him. What the hell was he thinking? Honestly he didn't even know. He was torn between yelling at himself because he held her hand countless times, in public and in private, that he was acting stupid. Yet at the same time that was an act normally between people in a relationship, not…not whatever they were.

Eren started to walk again, this time shoving his hand in his coat pocket. He looked over to ask where they were going but before he could, he saw someone walk into Mikasa from behind, sending her forward and nearly to the floor. He reached both his hands out to catch her shoulders before she tripped, standing in front of her so no one could push her over while she regained her footing.

"Hey, watch the hell you're going," Eren snapped at the guy who was looking apologetic from behind her.

"I'm sorry, man. Is your girlfriend okay?"

"She's not my..." he started to growl but the guy was already walking away. Eren looked back over to Mikasa, his hands still holding onto her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just surprised me," she said, giving a smile that he knew wasn't quite her full smile.

"Alright." He let her go and took his spot next to her again as they started to walk.

At least it was a little clearer over on this side of the mall away from the main entrance and they could actually walk. He glanced over to Mikasa but she wasn't looking over at him, she had her eyes in front of her. Scanning stores to go in maybe? Eren really wasn't sure, but he knew something was wrong. He wanted to ask her but he wasn't sure she'd tell him in the middle of a busy mall and he had an inkling he knew what it was. Yeah, it was weird that people kept assuming they were together, and Eren knew it was bugging him so it was probably bothering her too.

Was it because it was so ridiculous for them to actually be together? Or was she upset because she'd never want a guy like him. It could be because there's someone else she'd rather have people assume she was together with. He shook his head to get the thoughts out; he'd just ask her in the car but if it was any of those answers he wasn't sure he liked that if the sudden and sharp jab to his chest meant anything.

"Eren?" Mikasa asked snapping him back.

"Hmm?"

"Can we stop here? I have to get a charm for Aunt Carla's bracelet." She was gesturing to a small jewelry store on the corner of the mall aisle.

"Yeah, of course." Besides there weren't a lot of people in there at all; it would be a nice breather.

Mikasa went up to the glass cases that showed all the charms for his mom, while he wandered down a little ways, eyeing over the jewelry sparkling under the lights.

"You know, the engagement rings are over that way," a woman's voice said, startling Eren so much that he almost backed into another glass case.

He looked up to see a female sales associate leaning over the cases right next to him, her head gesturing down to where Mikasa was. He felt his face twitch in anger, not even being able to hold it back any more. "Why the hell is everyone obsessed with me the girl who is most definitely not my girlfriend," he snapped at her, hands clenched against his sides. "Just mind your own damn business." He probably shouldn't have talked to her like that but God damn, couldn't people just leave them alone?

She didn't seem too bothered by it though. "I think really what you should be asking is why people insinuating that she is makes you so angry."

Eren dropped Armin's present by his feet, crossing his arms against his chest. "Listen…" he looked over to her name tag. "Petra. I don't need life advice in the middle of a jewelry store. I'm just waiting for her to get her charm and leaving. Why don't you go help your actual customer?"

As if on cue, another sales associate walked over to where Mikasa was, asking her about what charms she was looking at.

"I'm pretty sure I have my own customer to help," Petra said with a smile at Eren.

He scoffed. "I'm not buying jewelry."

"I never said you had to but I do want to know why that pretty girl isn't your girlfriend."

"This is none of your business."

She shrugged. "No probably not, but she looks like she's gonna be here for a while so you might as well get some of that anger out while she's busy."

Eren looked over to Mikasa who was only on the third page of the book and was already having the sales associate pull out charms. He sighed and looked over to Petra who was still watching him. This was so stupid, but maybe he'd feel better. "We grew up together, and by that I mean she's lived with me since her parents died when she was nine."

"So she's like your sister?"

"God no, yeah we grew up in the same house but I've never seen her as my sister, she's just always been…Mikasa, she's family, yeah, but she's…my best friend."

Petra gave him a knowing smile. "So she's not like a sister, and she's not a girlfriend, she's just your best friend?"

Eren shrugged, not really liking the way his heart had jumped in his throat at the question. "Yeah, of course."

"Huh, that's funny."

"What?"

"Cause I'm pretty sure that's not how someone who just wants to be best friends looks," she nodded over to Mikasa.

Eren looked over to see Mikasa watching him. Clearly she hadn't been expecting him to look back, because he saw the small smile on her face fade and her cheeks getting red before she quickly looked back down at the book.

Petra clicked her tongue. "That was some blush."

Eren ignored her. "Did you need me, Mikasa?"

She looked back over to him, this time with her normal smile on her face. "Yeah, do you think your mom would be offended if I got her Margarita charm?"

"From you? No. From my dad? Yes."

Mikasa laughed, her whole face lighting up as she did, her eyes turning into half crescents like they did when she smiled too big.

It was impossible for Eren not to feel a smile pulling at his lips when Mikasa looked back to the charms.

"And that look on your face is definitely not the look of someone who wants to just be best friends."

Eren felt a scowl again as he looked back to Petra, looking smug as ever. "What do you even know about it?"

"I just can see why I wasn't the first one to mistake you two as a couple. It's the easy air between you, the way no matter where you are in the room you gravitate towards each other, the way you both look at each other when the other isn't looking."

He wanted to snap at her that it wasn't true but Mikasa caught his eye before he could. She was looking at something, probably a charm, her eyes were shining and there was a small smile on her mouth. She must have found something she liked; she always tried to keep it in when she wanted something, but Eren knew the look. It was how he always managed to surprise her with gifts. He knew her tell when it came to something she wanted. Eren wondered why he never noticed she looked at him the same way.

He reached his hands up to rub his face. "Shit."

"Ahh," Petra said. "You can see it now can't you. Take it a step further now. When was the last time you went on a date?"

Eren dropped his hands. "I don't know, a year or so ago? I'm busy okay."

"And how long did that last?"

"I don't remember. A few dates maybe."

"Who ended it? You?"

"Yeah," Eren shrugged. "Wasn't what I wanted."

"Has it always been that way? Date a girl for a bit and break up with her because she wasn't what you wanted?"

"I guess."

"Let me tell you something, kid," Petra gestured for him to lean in a little closer. "It's because you always had everything you wanted right in front of you the whole time." She nodded back towards Mikasa.

Eren glanced back to the girl he knew for so long. She was paying for whatever she had bought a satisfied smile on her lips. Mikasa was always there, she was always by his side and really Eren wouldn't want it any other way. The girls he had dated never stuck because if Mikasa wanted to do something, Eren would easily rather be with her than most anyone else. He'd rather be with her general; everything always seemed better, brighter with her. No one was good enough for him because they weren't her.

"And I can guarantee the reason you get angry when people insinuate you two are together isn't because you aren't angry at the insinuation," Petra continued. "But upset that's not the way it is."

"Eren?" Mikasa said causing him to look back over to her. She had a small bag in her hands. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," he said, reaching down to pick up his bag.

"Hey, Eren," Petra said, causing Eren to turn around while Mikasa walked out of the store. "Don't forget to tell her you love her." She slid a small white box across the counter towards him.

"I can't take th-"

Petra shook her head. "My treat, just take it."

Eren reached over to grab the box from her. He popped open the top and saw a silver bracelet sitting inside; it had a plain heart charm with another charm of wings attached behind it. "Wow," he said looking up. "Thank y-" He looked around but the woman, Petra, she wasn't there anymore.

"Excuse me," Eren turned to ask the woman who was helping Mikasa. "There was a woman working here, Petra, she gave this to me, but I don't see her anymore."

The woman looked confused. "There's no one that works here by that name. Let me see the box."

Eren passed it over and the sales associate looked inside.

She looked up before passing it back to him. "It's lovely, but it's nothing we sell here."

Eren gestured back to where Petra had been standing. "I…I'm not sure what to say. She was-"

"Just say Merry Christmas," the woman said with a smile looking out to where Mikasa was waiting. "She's a pretty girl, I'm sure she'll love it."

"Uh," Eren looked down to the box before a smile pulled at his mouth. "Merry Christmas." He looked up at the sales associate before slipping the box in his pocket and walking out.

"What was that about?" she asked, looking up at him when he walked over to her.

"Nothing," he shook his head. Eren wasn't entirely sure what just took place, but there was one thing he was sure of; something he probably always had been sure of, but just needed a point in the right direction.

Mikasa clearly wasn't buying it but she started walking again though the mall. "Okay, next is Uncle Grisha. Try and get him something that isn't just gonna sit and collect dust."

Eren reached over to grab a hold of her hand after someone tried to wedge themselves between to get through; this time though he didn't let go. "Yeah, yeah. Let's go to that store with all the gadget stuff. I'm sure we can find him something there."

"Excuse me!" A vender called out getting Eren's attention. "Holiday pictures for you and your girlfriend?"

"Oh, we're no-" Mikasa started.

"No thanks," Eren said with a smile before she could finish.

Petra was right; that felt much better.