Pairing: Eren/Mikasa

Setting: Modern Day AU

Rating: K+ (Light Language)

Words: 2160

Day 11 – Snowed In

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Eren couldn't remember the last time he saw it snow so much; he had to have been just a kid. Yeah, it was dark out when he was looking out the window, but he still could barely see the cars in the driveway. He zipped up his jacket any way; hat pulled firmly on his head and over his ears. He started searching through his pockets for his gloves, which is where he thought he left them but when he couldn't feel the soft material he really wasn't sure.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

Eren turned his head away from the front door and towards his mom's voice.

She was standing in the kitchen doorway behind him, one hand on her hip and the other one holding his gloves. She had an eyebrow arched as she watched him. "Not out there where there's already inches of snow on the ground and more coming down by the second."

"Relax, Ma, I'm not driving out there." He tried to reach out to grab the gloves from her but she held them away from him again, clearly wanting an answer before she gave into anything; he shouldn't have expected anything less from her. "Mikasa called," he relented. "Her brother is away for the weekend so she's stuck alone in the storm. I told her I'd go over and keep her company. It's not like she lives more than two minutes away from us."

His mom tossed his gloves at him as her face changed from stern mother to perfectly happy with life mother. "Well, why didn't you say so sooner? Don't make that poor girl sit in that big house alone. Oh wait!" She darted back off to the kitchen causing Eren to roll his eyes as he tugged on his gloves.

He was pretty sure his mom was the only mother who was okay with their seventeen year old son going over to a girl's house alone. Granted Mikasa had been his neighbor since they were nine but he would've thought his mom's mindset would've changed as they grew older; Levi's sure as hell did, well, not like he ever liked Eren all too much even when he was a kid. Yet his mom still let Mikasa stay over if she wanted to.

"Here," his mom came back in holding a covered glass tray. "Take her some dinner for you guys."

"Mom," Eren started trying to tell her it was fine that Mikasa probably had something they could heat up but the sudden stern look in his mom's eyes changed his mind. Best not to fight when he was trying to leave the house. With a sigh he reached his hands out to hold the hot tray.

"Be careful walking out there." She opened the door for him as she pulled her sweated closer around her. "Let me know when you get there so I know you didn't get stuck and die of hypothermia."

"Okay, Ma," Eren rolled his eyes again. "I love you I'll see you later."

"Love you too," she called back, the light from the house leaving the walkway as she shut the door.

Shit, it was cold out.

The wind was blowing the falling snow right into him, the chill cutting through his jacket with ease. Thankfully the warm tray of food was keeping his hands from going numb. His dad went out and shoveled the walkway at one point but it was already piling back up as Eren walked along, trying to see past the wind and the snow in his face.

He managed to reach the side walk but that snow was already up to his knees; the things he did for the people he loved. Eren took a step into it, the cold seeping into his jeans right past his boots. Chills went down his body but the faster he went the faster he could warm up again. He put his other leg into the snow and started to trudge down the sidewalk to the house just a little bit down the street.

By the time he hit his immediate neighbor's house, the deep tray was still warm against his upper body but his legs were not. They had moved from just cold against the snow to very cold and now rather wet from the snow melting on him. He saw the lights of Mikasa's house on in the next house over; he was pretty sure this was the longest time it ever took him to walk two houses down.

The lights were completely off upstairs, he could easily tell that, just the downstairs lights; probably the kitchen, foyer for the front door, and the living room where he had no doubt Mikasa took her place in. She never liked being home alone, let alone being upstairs alone. It really was no surprise when he got the call asking if there was any way he could come over even if she thought she was being discreet about it. She always had the tough guy appearance on, never letting anyone know when she was scared, but Eren knew her better than that.

Her walkway wasn't shoveled at all, causing Eren to get no relief as he turned off the sidewalk and into her yard. His mom would probably kill him if he didn't do it for Mikasa before he left tonight; something about being a man and shit. Maybe once his clothes had dried and he didn't feel like he was a walking snowman.

He made it up her steps, knowing them so well that he could find them even covered in snow, and pulled open the screen door. He balanced it on his body as he reached for the handle to the front door but he wasn't too surprised to find it locked. He instead rapped his gloved knuckles against the door.

"It's just me," he called out, knowing she was probably nearby.

Sure enough, he heard the familiar click and saw the even more familiar face poke into his view. Mikasa pulled open the door as he stepped in, the heat of the house hitting him in all the best ways. She was dressed just in her pj pants and a top, a fleece blanket over her shoulders as she shut and locked the door behind him.

"You look like you just walked through the Antarctic," she said as she turned around to face him, a small smile pulling at her lips.

"I sure as hell feel like I did," he grunted, trying to kick off his soaking wet boots.

Mikasa reached out to grab the still miraculously warm tray from his hands so he could pull his jacket and gloves off. "Courtesy of Aunt Carla I presume?"

Eren snorted tossing the gloves over by his boots. "Like she'd ever let me leave you here without a three course meal." He pulled off his jacket which was wet too but at least it kept his shirt underneath dry. He hung that up on the nearby coat rack; Levi already set down enough plastic in the foyer to catch any type of snow or wet objects imaginable. Eren tucked his hat in his jacket pocket before he reached up to try and flatten his now static hair; it wasn't working so well. He didn't care too much about that though, what was bothering him was his jeans that were soaked from the knee up to his thighs, the heavy material sticking to his skin all the most uncomfortable ways.

He turned around to see Mikasa walking back in from the kitchen where she must've left the food, but this time she was holding a familiar looking pair of flannel pj pants.

"I thought you might need them walking over in the snow," she said, tossing them over to him.

He caught them but he couldn't help but feel a little amused. "I haven't seen these in so long. Have you been hoarding them here?"

Mikasa turned around to head back into the kitchen before Eren saw her face. "I just happened to find them here, probably from the last time you stayed over."

Eren didn't quite buy it but he was relieved he had something to change into. He quickly replaced the wet jeans with the warm flannel of the pajama pants and walked the short distance to the kitchen where he could already smell his mom's cooking.

"Are you hungry yet?" Mikasa asked, the top of the container peeled back some.

"I'm actually okay right now," he said. "Maybe when I can feel my limps again I'll be hungry."

She covered the food and slid it right into the fridge for safe keeping; he assumed she wasn't very hungry either. Mikasa grabbed her blanket off the counter and gestured for him to come with her.

The TV was playing lightly in the background when they walked in the living room, some movie or something, but judging by the book open on the coffee table it was only on to keep out the silence of the house. Eren followed her and sat himself right down on the couch, pulling a neatly folded blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over his shoulders, letting the thick fabric try and bring warmth back to his frozen limbs. He wasn't a fan of the winter but he was a fan of making Mikasa happy.

She sat down next to him, her feet dangling over the couch while Eren had tucked his underneath him. She was still being quiet, which wasn't too unusual for her, but in this case he knew why. After all, the whole reason he came over was to keep her from being all alone in the house.

Eren reached over and grabbed a hold of her waist, pulling her into him until her back was up against his chest.

"Eren!" she cried out when his cold fingers brushed against the skin of her stomach but she was laughing now at least. She tried to hit at his hands to let her go, but he only held on tighter, intentionally trying to get his cold skin to brush against hers where he could. "You're freezing, knock it off!"

"Hey, I came out here for you; it's only fair to share your warmth." He was only kidding, he probably would've done it even if she hadn't asked him to but he felt her go still against him.

Mikasa's head turned to face him; her eyes were still bright but her face went back to her usual serious expression. "Thank you for coming out here. I really appreciate it."

"That wasn't a guilt trip, Mikasa." He poked his fingers against her sides causing her to laugh again. "I wouldn't have come if I didn't want to."

She laid her head back against his shoulder, her own hands reaching to grab a hold of his; her warm touch already melting the cold away. "How long can you stay?"

He shrugged, leaning his head against hers. "A few hours probably. If I wait longer than that I might've to swim through the snow to get home." Eren felt her chuckle.

She was quiet for a moment, her fingers trailing designs against his hands, before she looked up to him again. "You know, it's pretty cold outside."

"Yeah, I'm rather aware of that one."

"Well, I wouldn't want you to go back outside even later at night and risk getting sick or anything. It's almost Christmas break; no one wants to be sick over the holidays." Her voice was full of concern but Eren knew that small glisten in her eyes.

He was inclined to agree with her, of course, and he'd rather not go back out there at all but there was something a little bit more than that. Ever since the break in that left her without her parents, Mikasa hated being home alone; he knew she'd probably never sleep tonight and just be curled up somewhere alone; he knew because he found her like that before. How could he ever leave knowing that's what her night would be?

"Hmmm," he said, his tone light. "Well, I mean that's a good point. It is rather cold out."

"And your clothes probably won't dry until overnight," she added leaving out they could always use the dryer.

"Aren't you the queen of persuasion." He reached for his phone but remembered it was probably still in his coat or jean pockets. "Gimmie your phone, I'll let my mom know."

Mikasa moved to reach onto the table where her phone was sitting. She passed it to him and even if Eren didn't know how she would feel if she was stuck in the house alone all night, the smile on her face would've still made it all worth it.