Pairing: Eren/Mikasa
Setting: Post Series in my happy world
Words: 2382
Rating: K
Notes: Happy Birthday to me getting to post one of my favorites of the week on my birthday! You guys actually get two at once cause I'll have no computer for the weekend at the con ^^
April 2nd - Scarf
Eren had nearly forgotten what a quiet household had felt like after the near decade of having children in the house but here he was laying on the couch without even a noise around him. He knew it wouldn't last for too long. Mikasa had only taken Carla into town; once they came home the noise that followed the four year old around was sure to come back. Eren loved his daughter so it wasn't like he was complaining but the quiet was nice every now and then too. Nicolas was upstairs somewhere but he was old enough to entertain himself and not get into too much trouble. Granted, Eren was pretty sure he got into plenty of trouble by himself when he was seven years old.
As if on cue, Eren heard a small sound, nothing too big just like something was closing but very deliberately like someone didn't want anyone to know that he was getting into something he shouldn't be. Eren might've not been in the military for many years, but some things never left. He could tell it was coming from his room and not Nicolas' or even Carla's, and judging by the creak, it was the old trunk that normally had quite a few things piled over it to keep it shut. Judging by the way Eren didn't hear any footsteps, Nicolas was probably in the process of covering it back up.
There wasn't anything too bad in there; mainly just old letters and photos from Eren and Mikasa's military and childhood days along with their old uniforms and a few medals from after the war was won. Regardless, they kept it shut to keep out their old lives from their kids even though Nicolas was at least mildly aware of what went on in his parent's past.
The footsteps started to move.
"What're you doing that you shouldn't be," Eren called up though he didn't move from his spot. By the way Nicolas suddenly halted Eren assumed the boy realized he got caught. He really should've learned by now that between his mother and Eren there wasn't too much that went unseen.
"Nothing?" came the unsure voice of his son.
"Why don't you come down here and tell me what kinda nothing you got yourself into." Curiosity was a natural thing especially since Nicolas was getting to the age where he knew his parents were keeping things hidden away from him. Eren wasn't mad at Nicolas for it, but Eren knew he'd be the one to get killed if Nicolas read something he wasn't supposed to about the parts of their lives they had buried long ago.
Nicolas' slowly walked down the stairs, hands behind his back and his eyes wide, probably trying to see if Eren was upset.
"I'm not mad," Eren said, a smile pulling at his lips as he pushed himself up to sit on the couch. "But that trunk stays closed for a reason so I suggest telling me what you saw because your mom might not be as forgiving."
Nicolas' shoulders slumped as he walked into the room careful the keep from turning his back to Eren as He took a seat across from his father. "I didn't know what most of it was," he answered honestly, having learned long ago lying didn't quite work with his parents. "Aside from the military stuff." He shrugged. "I looked at the pictures and saw some letters. That was about it."
"Then what's behind your back if that was it?"
Nicolas probably couldn't lie if he wanted to not when he got that guilty look in his eyes. "I just found something and I didn't see why it was in there."
Eren held out his hand and gestured for Nicolas to give it up; everything was in there for a reason.
Nicolas slumped over in his chair but he pulled his hand out from behind his back and held out something that nearly surprised Eren. Draped over Nicolas' hand was the dark red fabric of Mikasa's scarf that Eren hadn't seen for years.
Eren reached out to take it from Nicolas, letting the worn but still soft fabric fall over his hands. His heart clenched over the sudden memories that rushed to his mind. The night he met Mikasa, the years she wore it as a kid and into the military, the way he could always find her in a crowd because of it, that fight in the fields…
"Dad?"
Eren's head snapped up to see Nicolas watching him. "Yeah, sorry. What is it?"
"I just asked why it was there. Seemed kinda outta pace."
It wasn't, but Eren wasn't quite sure how to tell Nicolas that. It was what entwined Eren and Mikasa for all those years, the beginning of their bond to the day she didn't need that protection anymore. "Its…" Eren paused struggling to find a word to describe it. "Your mother's. Well, it was mine once, but I gave it to her when we were a little older than you."
Nicolas seemed instantly interested and Eren couldn't blame him; neither Eren or Mikasa talked much about themselves, let alone when they were young. "Really?"
"Yeah." Eren felt a smile tug at his lips. "On the night we met." He regretted it the moment it was out of his mouth because Nicolas had latched on.
"How did you meet?" he asked eagerly.
Oh boy.
Eren always knew the question would come up eventually and really this wasn't the first time Nicolas had asked, but before they had diffused the situation just by saying they had known each other since childhood. This time though Eren had given him a specific event and tangible article to connect to the story, and Eren had to work it in somehow without telling his young son the exact details.
"Well," Eren started, leaning back against the couch as he tried to think of a way to water down the story the best he could. "I was nine when your grandfather took me to see the Ackerman's. They were a family who lived deep in the woods and my dad was going to check up on the little girl who lived there."
"Was that mom?"
"Yeah, that was her but believe it or not; I fought my dad the entire way there. I didn't want to meet her."
"Dad," Nicolas laughed. "Why not?"
"I was plenty satisfied with your Uncle Armin being my only friend but your grandfather thought otherwise so he quite literally dragged me up to the woods to meet your mom."
"Did you like her when you met her at least? Did you like her parents? What were they like?"
Eren's heart sunk; he should've known those questions would come up. While he talked about his parents every now and then, Mikasa rarely ever spoke of her parents. It was natural to wonder what they were like. "Well, Nic, I never actually got to meet them."
The disappointment in Nicolas' eyes was obvious but it didn't seem to stop his curiosity. "Why not?"
Eren hesitated; this was where it got tricky. He still saw the scene that laid in front of his eyes when his father opened the door, he felt the sudden fear and the horror as he looked over the dark room; it was a moment that was hard to forget. "Well, due to uncontrollable circumstances, your grandparents on your mom's side were already gone." Eren just hoped Nicolas didn't ask where they had gone.
"Where was mom then?"
Eren breathed a small sigh of relief. "She wasn't there either but it was clear something wasn't right. My dad went to get the police and I went to go find her, against his wishes but I had to go find her."
"And you did, right?"
"Of course I did, who do you think I am?"
Nicolas laughed, his eyes still bright. "What happened next?"
"Well," Eren started again, his fingers playing with the fabric of the scarf. "I found her still in her night gown terrified and got her to safety as quickly as I could."
Nicolas didn't look convinced. "That simply?"
No, not at all. They were both almost killed as opposed to the other way around, but Eren thought there could be a few more years before he told his son the whole story. "Simple as that."
"Where did the scarf come from then?"
Eren felt a smile again; this was at least a bit happier. "I was wearing it the whole time. It was cold that day so your grandma made sure I was wearing it when I left the house. After I got your mom to safety, my dad gave her his jacket since she was wearing practically nothing. She kept saying she was cold and in my mind I figured she meant physically cold so I took off my scarf and…" he leaned forward and tossed the scarf around Nicolas' neck. "Gave it to her then I took her hand and brought her home with me."
Nicolas ran his fingers over the material as he looked down at it. "And you were always together after that."
"We were, and she always wore that scarf ever since that day."
A grin pulled at Nicolas' lips. "She must've really liked you."
"She married me didn't she?" Eren laughed. It was hard to convey exactly what that scarf meant to Mikasa and to himself to a seven year old who lived in a free world and who never had to wonder if he was gonna live or die never seeing the person he loved again the one piece of fabric being the only comfort, the only warmth when they were gone; Nicolas had plenty of time to meet the person he would fall in love with, but the feelings that were wrapped up in that scarf that now laid around his neck, Eren was sure he'd always be able to feel. Some things never went away.
The front door opened letting the warm spring air into the house and the quick footsteps whose absence made the house much quieter.
"Daddy!" Carla cried making a beeline for his legs.
Eren caught her in his hands before she grasped onto him, pulling her up to sit on his lap. "Hello, did you have a good morning with Mama?"
Carla nodded her head quickly.
"She helped me pick out lots of good vegetables, right?" Mikasa closed the door behind her, balancing a basket full of food from the market on her hip.
"Yeah, potatoes!"
"My favorite," Eren wiggled his fingers against Carla's sides making the girl squirm in laughter.
Mikasa started to walk by them to put the food away in the kitchen but she stopped short, her eyes landing on Nicolas, and the red scarf still around his neck. She didn't look angry, just more surprised than anything. "Where did you…?"
"I'm sorry, Mom," Nicolas said, quickly took the scarf off from around his neck.
"It's okay, I already talked to him about it," Eren said, Carla's hands reaching up to touch his face.
Mikasa arched an eyebrow at him as if to ask how much he actually told their son. Eren lifted his hand up putting his thumb and pointer finger close together to tell her it was just a bit of the actual story.
"I know it's your, I'll put it back." Nicolas jumped out of the chair and moved to go upstairs but Mikasa kneeled down in front of him before he could, putting the basket in her lap.
She took the old scarf in her hands, thumbs running over the material before she looked back up to Nicolas. "Why don't you keep it." She draped it over his neck, flipping on edge over his shoulder. "I hope it keeps you as safe and warm as it always kept me."
Nicolas grinned as he ran his hand over the scarf. "Thank, Mom." He wrapped his arms around her neck to hug her.
"You're welcome," she hugged him back. "Why don't you do me a favor and put the vegetables away, okay?"
"Kay." He reached down to pick up the basket and heaved it over to the kitchen while Mikasa pushed herself up.
Eren opened one arm against the couch as Mikasa sat down next to him, Carla leaning her head back against her mother's chest.
"What did you tell him?" Mikasa reached a hand up to Carla's hair but her eyes were on Eren's.
"Nothing really, just the bare bones of it. I left out anything…inappropriate."
Mikasa nodded as her eyes moved to watch Nicolas in the kitchen; Eren watched a smile pull across her lips. "It's like looking into the past when he has that one. He looks just like you."
"Well, we were just a few years older than him."
"Daddy," Carla whined, obviously not happy the attention was off her so long.
"Yes, Carla?" he asked reaching down to pull her off Mikasa and back fully into his lap.
"Can we go play with the horses?"
"Of course," Eren pushed himself to his feet taking Carla with him in his arms. "You wanna come, Nic?"
Nicolas shook his head. "I wanna stay with mom."
"Bye, Nic-las, bye, Mama," Carla waved from over Eren's shoulder as he turned to head out the door.
"Bye," Mikasa waved back as she waked to the kitchen where Nicolas was waving too.
"Hey, Mom," Nicolas started, causing Eren to stop after the screen door shut behind him. "Did you always know you loved Dad?"
Eren turned his head to look back into his small home.
"I met him when we were just kids," she said with a smile, reaching one hand over to tug lightly on the scarf that she had passed on to Nicolas. "Well, he told you the story, of course I did."
Eren put Carla down letting her run towards the stables with himself following close behind. It was quite a story, one Nicolas probably wouldn't even believe when the day came that he could hear the truth of how his parents met. At least, there was some proof in the memories of that red scarf and yeah, Eren thought with a smile, a long time of love.