Welcome back, all.

This chapter is a bit shorter than the usual ones I write. I really took my time to think of how I believe these two would act at a reunion such as this, and it took a lot of time as a result.

Thank you for reading! I appreciate you all more than you know.

There were no words adequate in the entire Eldian language to describe the tidal wave of emotion that crashed over Mikasa, flooding every nook and cranny of her entire being. Her jaw dropped impossibly fast, a small squeak emanating from her throat. She found herself clumsily scrambling backwards, overwhelmed by instantaneous confusion, fear, and intense rapture. Her lips worked, struggling to form the words she so desperately wanted to say. He was here, sitting directly across from her, and he was perfect. Her entire body began to quake fervently. The violent tremors made it difficult for her arms to support her weight.

She believed that she had for sure gone completely mad. There was no reasonable way that he could be with her, none at all… She had killed him. She had swung the swords, kissed those lips as they grew cold in her arms, and buried him in this very spot. But here he was, eyes boring into hers, lips turned upwards in a smile that she'd not seen in ages, and - God, had she missed that smile, more than anything -

"Mikasa."

His voice. She wasn't hearing things. His voice was real, and it was ringing in her ears, enveloping her in security, warmth, and everything she had desperately been missing from him since he had left Paradis. It was overwhelming. It was almost too much to bear, too much good all at once.

She raised a hand towards him, hesitant and trembling fiercely. She still couldn't express her words. Her chest was held in a vice grip by some unseen force, and she knew she couldn't contain the emotions any more. She felt the sobs clawing up her chest, tearing through her throat and escaping her mouth forcefully. She did nothing to contain them. Hunching over, she clasped her hands over her mouth and stared at Eren from under her lashes, tears dripping through her fingers, shoulders heaving. She was terrified that if she looked away, he would disappear.

"Hey, it's okay… I'm not going anywhere," Eren soothed, voice low and concerned. His eyes roamed Mikasa's face, drinking her features in like a man starved. She'd lost weight, and her skin had paled. But he didn't care. All he could think of was how damn beautiful she was, how the tears gleaming on her cheeks accentuated the color of her eyes, and how incredible it was to be sitting so ridiculously close to her after all this time. He couldn't help but smile, tears threatening to appear. "Wow," he breathed, running a hand through his hair, "I can't believe you're here. I can't believe I'm here… Just…" He held a hand in front of his face, tightening it into a fist, veins cording over the bones. He was hyper-aware of Mikasa's gaze, the way she assessed him amongst her sobs. He could see every emotion written in her eyes. He focused on her scar for a fleeting second, hating its origin but adoring the way it made her look even more attractive.

The urge - no, stronger than that - the longing compulsion he felt to reach out and pull her into his arms was nearly overpowering, but he resisted. She looked so fragile, and he was about as sensible as a bull in a china shop. Clenching his teeth, he extended his arm, intending only to brush his fingers along her knee. He wanted to comfort her, but he needed to know that she was real, too.

He saw her eyes sharpen. Another emotion flashed across her face - frantic anticipation. He could see the pulse in her throat and noted how quickly her heart raced. Carefully, so as not to frighten her further, he placed his palm on her knee.

Shit. He could never have anticipated the explosion of electricity that ignited at the connection. It took every ounce of his self control not to pull her in, because he was being incinerated alive by the aching need to hold her, to apologize for everything he had said to her and the things he had put her through, to kiss those arresting tears from her face.

However, they had never shared an affectionate moment as a couple together in this world. They knew of a world where they did, and they had seen it together. They knew of each other's feelings, but nothing had ever been said aloud between them outside of that potential life shown in the paths. Eren had no idea how to bridge that awkward gap, pulling them from the cliffside of 'family' and 'friends' into more intimate territory, but he also knew that he would be damned if he let her out of his grasp, if this weren't too good to be true.

"Mikasa," he repeated, lifting his other arm. He saw her tremble at her name. Cautiously, he gently pressed his hand to her cheek, swiping the tears away with his thumb. Her scar brushed under his skin. A shudder wracked her small frame, and he couldn't help but lean further forward, concerned.

"Hey, you've gotta tell me," he murmured, hesitant to speak too loudly, "is this okay? Is this too much? I can back up, if you want, I know this whole thing is a lot to -"

He was cut off rather suddenly when he realized he was falling backwards. He landed with a soft thud on the cold grass, taken aback. Mikasa had bolted forward, incredibly fast. Her small fists were entwined in his shirt, her forehead pressed to his chest, thin frame snugly curled across his torso.

Eren froze, brain short-curcuiting. He couldn't move a muscle. He couldn't process a thing, save it for her scent filling his nostrils, obliterating his self control and dragging his tears to the surface. She smelled amazing. She smelled like home. He buried his nose in her hair, inhaling fervently, absorbing every atom possible of the soft, petal-like fragrance. Breath hitching in his chest, he wound his arms around her and held her as close as he could, baffled by how frail she was.

"Eren," she finally whimpered, and Eren swore the heavens themself opened up to her voice. He clutched her closer, conveying his understanding.

"Yeah?" he responded, voice thick with emotion.

"How?" she asked simply, breath hot against his chest. "How are you here?"

Eren blinked, eyes drawn to the spaces between the branches of their tree. How, indeed? He watched the stars beyond. He could barely make out the constellation of Ymir.

He didn't feel like diving into the details of his appearance at the moment. He wanted to avoid discussions of what, exactly, he had gone through in order to see her. He wanted no part in that existence. He wanted only to relish in Mikasa's presence.

"Later," he promised, moving a hand to thread his fingers through her hair. "Mikasa… I missed you, too."

Note: Can you tell that I like these two a little bit?