p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Mikasa froze in his arms, as rigid as a statue. Although she dared not move, her eyes widened and colour bloomed on her cheeks. For all he loved her, Eren really wished she'd at least say something and not leave him in suspense after all he confessed./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"But it seems that was not to be, as the only answer he received was Mikasa continuing to short-circuit and stare at him in shock./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"But then, Mikasa makes some strange, whimpering noise and can't help the tears rolling down her cheeks once again. Eren couldn't help feel a tinge of dismay that he made her cry once more, and so soon after he promised that he would make her as happy as he possibly could./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Even worse, this time he wasn't even sure what he did wrong or how to fix it. Unsure of where to go next or how to deal with the bawling Ackerman, Eren went back to his tried and true hasty apologies, always at the ready for when his reckless ass said something insensitive or outspoken. He quickly released his grip on her arms, to give her as much space as she requires./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't have sprung this on you so quickly. It's alright if you don't feel the same-" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""E-Eren, you damn idiot."/span/emspan lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;" Through her tears and soft hiccups, Mikasa finally managed to find her words. Her cheeks were still puffy and stained with tears, but her eyes shone with a happiness he hadn't seen since before he deserted his friends. Red lips curled themselves into a bright smile, one she showed off only sparingly and usually only to him or Armin./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Amazingly, she began to giggle quietly and shake her head at him. Great, now he felt even more self-conscious. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Grumbling to himself, averting his eyes and scratching his cheeks in embarrassment, Eren groused, "I'm glad my feelings are a real funny joke to you…"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Mikasa laughed fully then, a light, musical sound that put a smile to his own face, despite his own awkwardness. Eren felt a soft warm sensation caress his cheek. Mikasa had reached out to him./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""They're no joke, Eren. I'm just so h-happy that you feel the same way…"/span/emspan lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;" his flabbergasted eyes snapped back to Mikasa's smiling, content face. There was no deception in her eyes, no uncertainty at all. His mouth suddenly felt very, very dry./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""B-but that night in Marley, you said that em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"I was family/em." Mikasa shook her head./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I lied. You are family to me, Eren. But em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"you're so much more than that/em. You've given me so much. You're my beloved, the one most dear to me."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"He could barely even breathe at this point. It sounded too good to be true; the only thing he can seem to comprehend is Mikasa's vulnerable face; the entire world outside may as well be dead to him, without fail his body is moving without conscious thought. He unthinkingly reaches out to her with his arms once again, pulling her in close. No one would take this from him. Not Marley, not Zeke, not the titans, em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"nobody. /emBut still, there was something bothering him./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I don't get it. Why didn't you just tell me that back then?" Now it was Mikasa's turn to be embarrassed, cheeks enflamed and eyes pointedly looking away from his./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I was afraid. I thought you wouldn't feel the same…" The absurdity of such a statement forced him to laugh. It was just too goddamn typical of their relationship that both of them would be so deathly afraid of rejection by the other./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Through his mirthful laughter, he countered, "How could I not love you, Mikasa. You're amazing." The normally stoic woman, now bashful and blushing, buried her head into his chest and mumbled a muffled, awkward reply. She was so cute./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""What was that, Mikasa?" He asked, no doubt with a shit-eating grin on his face. Reluctantly, Mikasa peeled herself out of his torso and muttered, "I thought you had feelings for Historia. You two always looked like you had fun with each other…"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Historia?/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""/span/emspan lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Historia? She's a great girl, but she's not the one I love. She's not you, after all." Eren punctuated his words by craning his neck and pressing a chaste kiss to the Ackerman's forehead, followed by a second kiss to her cheek, drawing a squeak of embarrassment from the object of his affections. It was nice, but Eren, being the greedy man that he was, found himself wanting more. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"She whined, "em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"How can you say and do things like that so easily?"/em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I've always been reckless, haven't I?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"With furrowed brows, Mikasa stared back at him with fire in her eyes. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Eren, I can be impulsive too, you know." Perhaps it was just his nature, but seeing the unspoken challenge in the air, Eren couldn't help but encourage her further. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Rolling his eyes, he instigated, as he always did, "Really now? Why don't you show me, unless you're chicken?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Was it childish? Yes. Did he care? No./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Mikasa, however, did not take well his grave accusation of her being "em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"chicken/em". Pouting ever so slightly, she took the bait. Steeling herself, she got to her tiptoes and swiftly pressed her lips to his in their first kiss./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Mikasa kisses him and Eren's coherent train of thought was utterly derailed. The two of them were vastly inexperienced, outside of Eren's memories of the Attack Titan, and it showed. It was a gentle, chaste press of her lips against his, and fleeting; it only lasts mere seconds. Her eyes are a little wider than usual, mouth parted slightly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Eren feels his mouth upturn in a dumb, satisfied smile. It was a surprise, but definitely a welcome one. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"He grinned. "You have no idea how long I wanted that, Mikasa." Mikasa, breathing a sigh of relief that she didn't mess it up somehow, smiled a soft smile of her own./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I have some idea." Shaking her head, she continued. "But I'm just as happy to see you like this again."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Huh? Like what?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Smiling. Happy. Just like you used to be. I'm so glad you came back to me, Eren."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"He had no idea someone as worthless as him could have such an effect on her, just by his presence alone. He'd been such a fool. Quickly moving closer to the girl and erasing what little distance was between the two, he cups her face in his hands and looks upon her with almost pained eyes./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I'm so sorry."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""It's alright, Eren." It was just like her, to make no big deal of her suffering. He knew it well, he had done the same for years. But no more. He'd tolerate no more of it, from Mikasa or himself./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""No, it's not alright. /span/emspan lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"I made a promise to you that I would em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"always/em be there to wrap that scarf around you, and I broke it. Even if I left, I should've told you everything so we wouldn't be apart. I was an idiot."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"He can see her gasp, yet saying nothing, only nodding along with him almost enraptured. He presses onwards./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""But I'm not going to break it anymore. From now on, I promise to be with you until the end of my days, no matter what happens. Through war, peace, em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"anything/em. I won't let anyone hurt you, and I won't let anything tear us apart, even if it's my own stupidity responsible."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I want to be with you, more than anything. So from now on, I'll stay by your side, for as long as you'll stay by mine." He could literally em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"feel/em the sappiness of his words, his cheeks are probably so red an observer would think he was about to burst into flames./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""So, what do you say, Mikasa?" he finished, quite shakily./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Luckily for him and his dignity, Mikasa didn't seem to think his little speech was pathetic. On the contrary, she damn near tackles him back down onto the hospital bad, all but throwing herself into his arms./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I say em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"I love you, Eren Yeager/em." She replies before once again leaning into Eren, challenging him to claim her lips once more, a challenge which he eagerly accepted./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"But it seems that was not to be, as the only answer he received was Mikasa continuing to short-circuit and stare at him in shock./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"But then, Mikasa makes some strange, whimpering noise and can't help the tears rolling down her cheeks once again. Eren couldn't help feel a tinge of dismay that he made her cry once more, and so soon after he promised that he would make her as happy as he possibly could./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Even worse, this time he wasn't even sure what he did wrong or how to fix it. Unsure of where to go next or how to deal with the bawling Ackerman, Eren went back to his tried and true hasty apologies, always at the ready for when his reckless ass said something insensitive or outspoken. He quickly released his grip on her arms, to give her as much space as she requires./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't have sprung this on you so quickly. It's alright if you don't feel the same-" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""E-Eren, you damn idiot."/span/emspan lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;" Through her tears and soft hiccups, Mikasa finally managed to find her words. Her cheeks were still puffy and stained with tears, but her eyes shone with a happiness he hadn't seen since before he deserted his friends. Red lips curled themselves into a bright smile, one she showed off only sparingly and usually only to him or Armin./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Amazingly, she began to giggle quietly and shake her head at him. Great, now he felt even more self-conscious. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Grumbling to himself, averting his eyes and scratching his cheeks in embarrassment, Eren groused, "I'm glad my feelings are a real funny joke to you…"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Mikasa laughed fully then, a light, musical sound that put a smile to his own face, despite his own awkwardness. Eren felt a soft warm sensation caress his cheek. Mikasa had reached out to him./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""They're no joke, Eren. I'm just so h-happy that you feel the same way…"/span/emspan lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;" his flabbergasted eyes snapped back to Mikasa's smiling, content face. There was no deception in her eyes, no uncertainty at all. His mouth suddenly felt very, very dry./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""B-but that night in Marley, you said that em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"I was family/em." Mikasa shook her head./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I lied. You are family to me, Eren. But em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"you're so much more than that/em. You've given me so much. You're my beloved, the one most dear to me."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"He could barely even breathe at this point. It sounded too good to be true; the only thing he can seem to comprehend is Mikasa's vulnerable face; the entire world outside may as well be dead to him, without fail his body is moving without conscious thought. He unthinkingly reaches out to her with his arms once again, pulling her in close. No one would take this from him. Not Marley, not Zeke, not the titans, em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"nobody. /emBut still, there was something bothering him./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I don't get it. Why didn't you just tell me that back then?" Now it was Mikasa's turn to be embarrassed, cheeks enflamed and eyes pointedly looking away from his./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I was afraid. I thought you wouldn't feel the same…" The absurdity of such a statement forced him to laugh. It was just too goddamn typical of their relationship that both of them would be so deathly afraid of rejection by the other./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Through his mirthful laughter, he countered, "How could I not love you, Mikasa. You're amazing." The normally stoic woman, now bashful and blushing, buried her head into his chest and mumbled a muffled, awkward reply. She was so cute./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""What was that, Mikasa?" He asked, no doubt with a shit-eating grin on his face. Reluctantly, Mikasa peeled herself out of his torso and muttered, "I thought you had feelings for Historia. You two always looked like you had fun with each other…"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Historia?/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""/span/emspan lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Historia? She's a great girl, but she's not the one I love. She's not you, after all." Eren punctuated his words by craning his neck and pressing a chaste kiss to the Ackerman's forehead, followed by a second kiss to her cheek, drawing a squeak of embarrassment from the object of his affections. It was nice, but Eren, being the greedy man that he was, found himself wanting more. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"She whined, "em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"How can you say and do things like that so easily?"/em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I've always been reckless, haven't I?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"With furrowed brows, Mikasa stared back at him with fire in her eyes. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Eren, I can be impulsive too, you know." Perhaps it was just his nature, but seeing the unspoken challenge in the air, Eren couldn't help but encourage her further. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Rolling his eyes, he instigated, as he always did, "Really now? Why don't you show me, unless you're chicken?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Was it childish? Yes. Did he care? No./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Mikasa, however, did not take well his grave accusation of her being "em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"chicken/em". Pouting ever so slightly, she took the bait. Steeling herself, she got to her tiptoes and swiftly pressed her lips to his in their first kiss./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Mikasa kisses him and Eren's coherent train of thought was utterly derailed. The two of them were vastly inexperienced, outside of Eren's memories of the Attack Titan, and it showed. It was a gentle, chaste press of her lips against his, and fleeting; it only lasts mere seconds. Her eyes are a little wider than usual, mouth parted slightly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Eren feels his mouth upturn in a dumb, satisfied smile. It was a surprise, but definitely a welcome one. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"He grinned. "You have no idea how long I wanted that, Mikasa." Mikasa, breathing a sigh of relief that she didn't mess it up somehow, smiled a soft smile of her own./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I have some idea." Shaking her head, she continued. "But I'm just as happy to see you like this again."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Huh? Like what?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Smiling. Happy. Just like you used to be. I'm so glad you came back to me, Eren."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"He had no idea someone as worthless as him could have such an effect on her, just by his presence alone. He'd been such a fool. Quickly moving closer to the girl and erasing what little distance was between the two, he cups her face in his hands and looks upon her with almost pained eyes./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I'm so sorry."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""It's alright, Eren." It was just like her, to make no big deal of her suffering. He knew it well, he had done the same for years. But no more. He'd tolerate no more of it, from Mikasa or himself./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""No, it's not alright. /span/emspan lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"I made a promise to you that I would em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"always/em be there to wrap that scarf around you, and I broke it. Even if I left, I should've told you everything so we wouldn't be apart. I was an idiot."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"He can see her gasp, yet saying nothing, only nodding along with him almost enraptured. He presses onwards./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""But I'm not going to break it anymore. From now on, I promise to be with you until the end of my days, no matter what happens. Through war, peace, em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"anything/em. I won't let anyone hurt you, and I won't let anything tear us apart, even if it's my own stupidity responsible."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I want to be with you, more than anything. So from now on, I'll stay by your side, for as long as you'll stay by mine." He could literally em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"feel/em the sappiness of his words, his cheeks are probably so red an observer would think he was about to burst into flames./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""So, what do you say, Mikasa?" he finished, quite shakily./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Luckily for him and his dignity, Mikasa didn't seem to think his little speech was pathetic. On the contrary, she damn near tackles him back down onto the hospital bad, all but throwing herself into his arms./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I say em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"I love you, Eren Yeager/em." She replies before once again leaning into Eren, challenging him to claim her lips once more, a challenge which he eagerly accepted./span/p