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For a small town boy like Eren, he considers the movie theaters as a luxurious hangout spot.
It isn’t very often that he and his friends get to indulge in a nice night out, away from the stresses of schoolwork and equally annoying classmates. Their hangout spots usually take place at a convenience store or at an empty school parking lot. And as odd as it sounds, those were really their only options other than their own houses. It also doesn’t help that neither of them have their driver’s license to go anywhere else without asking others to drop them off.
Eren’s mother constantly nags at him for still being unlicensed at seventeen. He doesn’t mind it, or so he thinks. It’s not like I’ll die without it, he tells her. And though he claims it isn’t a bother to him, it’d be really nice if he could have one to sneak out and take off on those late night drives or maybe take a certain girl out on a date.
A yawn fell from Eren’s lips for what seemed like the tenth time that evening as flashes of fight scenes and car chases on a large screen became a blur in his sight. It's not that the movie was boring him but he supposes that the number of cheesy cliches kill his mood to enjoy a film. Perhaps Armin’s habit of harshly criticizing everything was growing on him. He sneaks a glance to his side and rolls his eyes at the sight of his blond friend blissfully snoring away, slumping down in his cushion seat with a string of saliva slowly falling off the side of his face.
It annoyed him to no end how Armin had been hyping up the movie they were seeing all week, pestering him and Mikasa to get tickets for that specific weekend because of how everything would’ve been sold out. And yet, the three of them sat in an almost empty theater on a friday night.
He’d never dare to admit it out loud, but if Eren had to confess, he’d rather watch the corny romance movie Mikasa had been dying to see. If anything, it probably would’ve been more entertaining watching terrible acting, uncomfortable make out scenes, and poke fun at some questionable dialogue. Maybe a movie like that would’ve pissed Armin off so much that he wouldn't have fallen asleep the way he did.
And it totally wasn’t an excuse to watch something romantic with Mikasa in the same room as him. Nope, totally not.
Eren looked over at his other side to see Mikasa getting up, waving her half empty popcorn bag at him.
“I’m gonna grab another refill, wanna come?”
At any other situation Eren would’ve bailed and stayed behind to keep an eye on an unconscious Armin, however, he’ll think of this as payback for his friend’s annoyance driving him mad all week.
“I’m sure Armin won’t mind,” he says before getting up and following her to the exit.
The lights along the hallway and around the building were a painful glare in Eren’s eyes, having adapted to the darkness of the theater, he stumbled a bit behind Mikasa who was too busy refilling her bag with piping hot popcorn and melted butter. He rubs away the tired look in his eyes and watches the girl in front of him as she twirls around with a sweet smile on her face, munching away at her popcorn.
Newly trimmed bangs were swept over the gentle slope of her nose, under dark lashes were mysterious grey eyes and he swears there were stars shining in them, galaxies even. Her pale skin glows with the neon lights behind her and Eren can’t help but feel like an idiot whenever he stands near her. There was just something about the girl that bewitched him.
He wanted to pinch himself.
She was talking about something but Eren barely paid attention to whatever it was she was saying, only focusing on the way her pretty face beamed at him and the slight upward curl in her dark painted lips. Mikasa began to move past him but before she could walk back to where they came from moments ago, he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to the other door.
“Lets go this way,” he says, his tone cool and relaxed yet if you listened close enough there could be a smile heard within his hushed voice. He was stupidly giddy.
“But this isn’t-” Mikasa yelps while he ignores her and quietly rushes them through the door and into the darkness of the large theater.
“It’ll be fine, as long as we don’t get caught.”
“Eren!”
“Shush, no talking,” He pops his head out from behind the stair railings and scans the room, silently cheering as he sees there’s no one around besides another couple making out at the front row seats. He helps her walk up a few steps before sitting down in a nice spot high up the stadium.
Eren hears a soft gasp erupt from her, “I didn’t know you were into Twilight.” She settles comfortably in her seat as if she wasn’t protesting to him about sneaking in mere seconds ago.
He huffs, “I-I’m not! Romance movies and all that mushy shit is stupid.”
“Then why’d you drag me in here?”
Touché.
Just like a mouse caught in a trap. Literally any kind of made-up excuse could be some kind of help to Eren in this situation, but he had none as he scrambled for ideas in his head. It doesn’t hurt to be honest sometimes.
“… I just wanted to be alone with you,” he mutters with his eyes averting from her. He figures she hadn’t heard him since her eyes were glued to the screen like a moth was to a lamp. “And also because Armin’s been a pain in my ass all week, so uh yeah that too.” Eren says it almost too quickly and, though he wasn’t trying to amuse her, earns a hearty giggle from the girl beside him.
He hated how the awkward tension in the air seemed to hover over them like an uncomfortably hot blanket during a warm summer night. Or maybe it was just awkward for him since he didn’t know what to do but fidget in his seat and bounce his leg anxiously. Mikasa on the other hand seemed to be enjoying herself. The scene played out naturally to him as he saw it in every teen movie, he’s finally alone with his crush in close proximity and making a move on her was now or never. Except he doesn’t, and continues to painfully watch an intense make out session displayed on a wide screen. How ironic, he thinks.
Whether this feeling was out of discomfort or jealousy, he couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the corny dialogue, “How do people find this shitshow romantic?”
Mikasa boos and throws popcorn at him. “Lighten up a bit will you? I might even say Edward is more charming than my dark knight.”
He tries to ignore the feeling of jealousy boiling up inside him because of that lighthearted comment and just looks past it because it’s harmless and stupid to lose his shit over a nickname and fictional character on screen. Fuck, he thinks. Am I seriously getting worked up over this right now?
Eren’s arms were crossed and he grumbled at the screen before him. “He’s literally eating her face.” His eyebrows knit together and he wonders why on earth Mikasa enjoys such a thing. “Do people not know how to kiss properly?”
Mikasa scoffs beside him, “Are you saying you know how to kiss better than him?” She wore that look on her face with her brows arching over her cunning eyes and her rosy lips curling into a devilish smirk. Eren had a love-hate relationship with this expression of hers because one, she looked absolutely fucking adorable, and two, she was definitely going to make him reveal some ugly truth about himself in the next few seconds.
“What? No! I mean- that’s not what I- I haven’t even-”
“You haven’t what? Kissed anyone?” Her question hung tightly in the air like a painfully bright lightbulb.
It takes Eren a moment to answer her and he did so quietly, “So what if I haven’t.” He was a bit surprised at his own sudden defensiveness, cringing internally and biting the inside of his cheek.
“I wasn’t asking that to make fun of you,” she says reassuringly. There was something in his tone that she found it hard to detect; was it embarrassment? Offense perhaps? “I was asking because I was… surprised.”
Eren doesn’t know how to respond and finally sits still. Surprised? What the hell is she talking about?
The two remain silent throughout the rest of the movie. If the awkward tension between them was unpleasant before, it had only escalated. And for that brief amount of time, Eren was grateful for the movie keeping him and Mikasa at bay until the ending credits rolled in. He always had a tendency to rush into tough situations head on with no clue of what would happen next, and he knows that after tonight he would leave the movie theater with either a broken heart or a dumb smile on his face.
The girl beside him takes a moment to contemplate before clearing her throat. “So…” She begins, “Why did you decide to take me here and ditch Armin?”
It was now or never.
“Mikasa?” He tries to ignore the way his heart throbbed against his chest, how her bewildered expression made it seem like she was expecting something of him.
“Yes?”
He gulps audibly, “There’s something I need to tell you-”
“I like you too.”
“It's nothing bad I swear- wait what.”
Simultaneously, they share a moment to hold their breaths as the rigid tension in the air fades away and envelopes around them like a warm scarf, each waiting for the other person to make the next move. Eren felt his heart skip a beat and he couldn’t stop himself from bursting into a jovial fit of laughter. He felt like he was flying.
“W-Wait, you knew!?” He was smiling so hard it was starting to hurt his face, which was quickly turning beet red.
Mikasa wasn’t any better, her fair skin tinting to a rosy color as she was practically melting under the boy’s intense gaze. “I’ve known for a while now, and my suspicions have also been confirmed by Armin.”
It was a good thing he was in a happy mood, otherwise he would’ve stormed off to find the blond. “Armin, when I get my hands on you..” He was definitely going to have a talk with him about that later. His hand comes up to scratch the back of his head before he continues, “So why did you say you were surprised I hadn’t kissed anyone earlier?”
“Don’t laugh, it sounds stupid.”
“I won't, I promise,” he says as he struggles not to burst into another laughing fit.
They let a moment of silence pass before erupting into childish giggles. “I just thought that you were too cool not to have kissed anyone.” She was looking away as she said this, a hand covering half of her face as she wheezed into her palm. Eren’s head was thrown back and he cackled like a madman, not having felt like that in a long time.
She shakes her head and feels tempted to join in his infectious laughter. “I’m not sure when I became a comedian to you, but it really wasn’t that funny.”
Eren wanted to retort and make them fall into a playful banter, but he knew there was another big question he had yet to ask.
“Mikasa, can I ask you another thing?” His voice was quieter this time as he spoke, the vulnerability shining in his eyes as he looked at her with sudden timidness.
“What is it, my dark knight?”
That damned nickname again. This girl was going to be the death of him, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“... can I kiss you?” He hears her inhale a soft gasp, “Or at least try to? You know I’m not used to these kinds of things-”
“-and I thought you said ‘all that mushy shit’ is stupid?”
He fails to bite back a chuckle at her impression of him, his blush blooming across his face and onto the tips of his ears as he sheepishly looks to the ground. “You caught on to that huh?”
There was a sudden boldness in her eyes that he rarely saw, and she leaned over the gap between the seats until their faces were mere inches apart, onyx colored orbs meeting forest green.
“Kiss me, Eren.”
He didn’t need to be told twice. Slowly closing his eyes, his hands clutched onto the arm of his seat as he slowly closed the gap between them. Mikasa’s dainty hands, pale and unnaturally cold, covered his warm ones on the armrest. And then their lips met with a chaste greeting.
In the shadows of the room, their lips slowly yet timidly moved together tentatively, like inexperienced ice skaters finding their footing. One of Mikasa’s hands comes up and tenderly cups the side of his face, her lips pushing eagerly against his. Eren found the sweet cherry flavor of her mouth intoxicating and was a blissful high that he never wanted to get down from.
It was one thing to watch a kiss scene in a movie, but it was another thing to experience it all together. It wasn’t like the movies, but it was even better than that. And as Eren tilts his head to deepen the kiss, he thinks he could die happily just by kissing her soft lips.
They were so caught up in the passion that breathing was forgotten until he pulled away to catch his breath.
Panting heavily, Eren allows his senses to come back to him, the buzzing sensation in his head gradually fading unlike his desire to recapture her lips and do it all over again. Mikasa presses her forehead against his, flicks of her hair tickling his face, and exhales a chuckle against tanned skin.
“What? Was I really that bad?” He says anxiously, the insecurity coming back to him.
“No it's not-” she shakes her head and laughs again. “You did good.” Her hands slithered up his wrinkled shirt and made their way to the sides of his face.
“And besides,” she rested her elbows on the armrest and lifted her face until their noses bumped against each other. “It was my first kiss too.”
Her words were magic and casted away his foolish worries and doubts. A shy, boyish smile beamed across his flushed face, “And probably the best you’ve had, right?”
She giggles at the sudden pride in his demeanor and lightly smacks his chest as he laughs with her. “You’ve got a little something right there,” she says, pointing at the dark lipstick stains smudged across his mouth. “Here let me help,” and she connects their lips together, brushing against each other with more confidence.
Unlike their previous kiss, there was more spice thrown into the mix and neither wanted to play coy anymore. Mikasa grabbed onto his collar for leverage as he trails his arms around her thin waist, one of his large hands finding the small of her back and pulling her closer to him. She follows his lead and crawls over between their chairs to straddle him, her arms slipping past his wide frame and resting her elbows on top of his shoulders.
The boy groans against her mouth, the animal part of him revealing itself when he begins to nibble her bottom lip, her lips parting slowly and allowing his tongue to slide inside. He could taste their shared breath, felt the rapid thudding of their hearts being pressed close together as lips and teeth clashed violently like waves. Warmth blossomed in Eren’s chest and spread around them like a wildfire, that familiar buzzing sensation making its way back into his head as he feels himself drowning in euphoria, slowly becoming consumed by the addicting saccharine taste of her lips and-
“Well I’ll be damned.”
Pulling apart with a loud, wet plop, they whipped their heads around at the direction of the intruder. Cue in the cricket noises, Mikasa squeaks and hops off Eren’s lap.
A pair of ocean blue eyes stared back, crossing his arms and looking at them with a knowing, yet unsurprised look. Armin teasingly whistles as he walks up to their seats.
“How was your nap?” Eren says dumbly when the blond stops in front of him. He realized how he and Mikasa must’ve looked like in the other’s eyes and immediately felt a blush burn up the sides of his face.
“I-” Armin’s stern expression cracks and he throws his head out with a snort. “You actually fell for that act?”
Eren tilted his head quizzically and looked at him like he grew two heads. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Being the smarter one of the two, Mikasa gets the idea of what Armin was implying, “Did you set this entire movie night up just for us to-”
“Yep. My grand master plan to get you idiots together.” He took a step forward to grab a handful of popcorn out of Mikasa’s bag, popping one into his mouth. “Took you guys long enough. Although…” He darts his eyes at Eren, “I was doubting you a little bit.” He snickers and flicks popcorn to the brunette’s face. “Thought you were too pathetic to own up to your feelings.”
“I was gonna confess to her on my own anyway.” Eren was a terrible liar, and it shows in the way he mumbled through clenched teeth.
“Just cut the crap and thank me for being the best wingman.” Armin hops on the armrests between their seats and snuggles in the tight space, casually wrapping his arms around their shoulders. “But I didn’t expect you two to ditch me like that! God, what is wrong with you two, really!”
Eren retorts by whacking the popcorn out of his hand’s grasp, spilling down to his shirt and littering the red carpet of the theater. “It was my idea, and the movie you picked was hot garbage anyway.”
In return, Armin flicks his forehead, “And your lipstick stained face looks like shit, so who’s winning here?”
No matter how old they got, the two would never stop their banter of quips and endearing insults. It was a special thing to behold in their lovely little trio, with Mikasa always being the one to calm everyone down. “How’s it going with you and Annie?” She teasingly blurts from the side. She doesn’t miss the way his breath hitches at the mention of a certain name, jumping off the armrests and walking away with both hands flipping them off.
It was safe to say that Eren wasn’t going home with a broken heart that night.