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The room was empty lest for the floating dust particles illuminated by the setting sun, the light also bringing out the soft curve of the girl's features. Her eyes danced over Eren, perched on the baren windowsill, staring down at the training grounds below. He seemed fixated on something, or perhaps someone.
“You wanted to talk?” she stated, taking a calm step forward, further into the room.
Eren hummed, his golden eyes shimmering in the evening rays. A small, delicate smile played on his lips for all but a moment before he moved his eyes to rest on her. He was different now, stronger. He wasn't the boy she once knew, but she still loved him all the same.
“I have request,” Eren answered, sliding down from his seat on the ledge, “It's selfish but if you refuse I'll hate you. Forever.”
Her back straightened and she felt her hand subconsciously lift to play with the frayed ends on the scarf he had once bestowed upon her. She used to believe she'd do anything for him, but since joining into the new Squad Levi her immediate responses and actions had changed dramatically. But this request must've been important to him. Sure he'd told her he hated her on numerous occasions when they were younger, but that was only when she'd been too clingy or overprotective. He'd never, not that she could recall, made such an honest threat.
Gulping down her concerns she offered up a reply.
“I'm listening.”
The boy moved forward, his brows furrowed and his mouth pulled into a tight line. He stopped half a metre away from her, his eyes searching hers. She had to fight the urge to take a step back, he was scaring her. It felt like the time he'd lost control in Trost, only this time he wasn't a titan. He was Eren, he was completely in control of all his actions.
“Tomorrow we ride out to reclaim Wall Maria,” he said, finally breaking eye contact to look back over his shoulder out of the spotless glass of the window, “I don't want my safety to be your top priority-”
“Eren,” she tried to intersect but he wasn't listening, brushing her interruption off to continue his own speech.
“I want you to make sure nothing happens to Armin,” he continued, “I'm going to have the entire Survey Corps watching my back. But who is going to be watching his?”
Mikasa wished he look her in the eyes again, wish she could read perfectly what was going on in his mind. He knew Armin hated having special treatment, he knew Armin could get by on his own. After all their friend had made it this far already.
As if she voiced her thoughts out loud Eren's head snapped back around, his eyes fierce with flames locked with hers. When he stepped forward she took a step back, finding her cornered, trying to keep her breath even.
“I know he hates thinking that he's weak. I know he wants to be strong on his own. And I fucking know we've drifted apart,” Eren spluttered, tears begin to decorate his waterline, “But once this is done we're one step closer to seeing the ocean. I don't want to see it without him. I won't see it without him. I've almost lost him twice. You know if I had the choice I would be the one watching over him. But my part is so much bigger. Please Mikasa, I need you to promise me you'll make sure he's safe. Promise me”
Before long his speech became incoherent blubbering, his knees giving out as he fell to the floor, head coming to a rest on Mikasa's stomach. She reached out fisting her hands through his brown locks, it was longer than before and she was certain she heard Armin the other day offering to cut it for him. A sigh she hadn't realized she'd been holding escaped her lips as Eren wrapped his arms around her hips, pulling her in closer to him.
“Please,” she heard him muttered between deep breaths, “Please, please, please.”
She let her fingers brush through his hair one last time before letting her arm fall back to her side. Simultaneously Eren dropped his hold of her.
“You love him don't you?” she said, barely a whisper.
Eren bit down on his bottom lip, staring at the fists resting on his thighs. The movement of his head was barely noticeable.
“I love him,” he answered, his voice hoarse and strained.
They fell into silence, the brown haired boy on the floor refusing to look up at her as the tears freely spilled down his cheeks and left damp patches on his shirt and trousers. Mikasa felt her fingers twitch, fighting the urge to crouch down and wipe away the tears from his cheeks before pulling him into her tightly. Deep down she'd always known that he'd truly loved Armin, hearing it out loud only made her chest feel tighter. It wasn't jealously, no, it was happiness. Her friends, her brothers, her family, they loved each other and they loved her. The type of love didn't matter just that she was loved and in return they were loved back.
“I can't live without him,” Eren added after the silence began to hang over them like a rain cloud, thick and heavy and ready to burst, “I love him. I'm in love with him. If anything were to happen to him-”
She silenced him, falling to her knees and pulling him into her embrace. His face, damp with tears rest on the crook of her shoulder and they stay like that for a long time. Neither moving, both just breathing and clinging to the other.
They only fall apart when the door to the room is opened and a small, delicate figure enters.
“Eren... Mikasa.... What's wrong?” his voice cuts calm and gentle through the air.
The light from outside has all but vanished, it's just the three of them crowded in the small office tucked in the isolated corner of the barracks.
Armin kneels down beside them, his hands on a shoulder of both. Eren turns his gaze, watery and wide-eyed, on the small blonde boy, whilst Mikasa settles for staring down at the cracked floorboards they knelt upon.
“Armin,” Eren mumbled, lifting his hand to rest atop of his friends.
There's only a split second for the smaller boy to register what's happening before he's engulfed by the large arms of the brunette. Mikasa watches them, silent from her position in the corner. A smile gentle and practically invisible tugs at the corner of her mouth as she hears Armin's surprised giggling.
The laughter and smiles calms down shortly after Eren presses a kiss to Armin's jaw, just below his ear. The boys stared at each other, the smaller of the pair tucked underneath the other on the floor. There eyes are only for each other, but are pulled apart when Mikasa rising from her corner, hand reaching up to play with her scarf. She offers them a nod of her head before beginning to exit the room.
“Mikasa,” she's stopped in her tracks, hearing scrambling come from behind her.
A hand, warm and rough rested on her shoulder, turning her around. Her eyes were met by Eren's, a frown back on his face.
“My request?” he inquired, “Will you...?”
She nodded.
“Yes,” she answered, “But only because I love him too.”