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“I told you the gas would run out before we got there”
“And I told you we should’ve taken my short cut”
“Your so called ‘shortcut’ was through a field of cows”
“The literal point of a shortcut is to shorten the cut, don’t know what else you were expecting really,”
“I’m not gonna be responsible for a cow massacre, Eren,”
“Nah you’d just rather be responsible for us being late,”
“Enough with the smart ass-ness please,”
They walked on in silence, trudging through wet leaves before Eren opened his mouth to speak again and Mikasa internally sighs.
“I don’t see how this is much different to the field of cows,”
He continues of course, “Personally, i would take the field of cows over a muddy forest road any day,”
Mikasa had to admit, when she had agreed to go to Historia’s party, she hadn’t pictured herself getting there on foot on a narrow grassy road to where it was located, which of course was in the ass end of nowhere.
“You think this is an inconvenience, i’m the one that’s gonna have to deal with Levi’s wrath when i tell him i had to dump his car on the side of the road!”
“And who’s fault is that?”
“Yours!”
“No it is not!”
“You were the one who was too stubborn to stop for gas!”
“Again! refer back to the the field of cows plan!”
“Oh my god you’re impossible,”
With that she sped walked on ahead of him, fuming from their back and forth banter.
“…might i remind you, you have no clue where you’re going!” he shouted out to her.
“I do too!”
“Okay then, which way is it?”
She halted to a stop when she realised they had come to a crossroads. Shit. Damn you Historia and Ymir, and your nice cottage out in the countryside Mikasa angrily thought to herself.
Eren quickly caught up to Mikasa and stopped, to stand beside her.
“I’ve got no service out here so I can’t use google maps or call anyone” Mikasa scowled
She was right ready to explode when she heard Eren chuckle beside her, looking up to the darkening sky.
“I don’t know why i’m surprised to see you find this hilarious,” She sighed
“It is hilarious Mika, we never get into situations like this in the city”
She turns to look at him, properly this time. His green eyes are shining, hair becoming slowly more wet and slicked from the light mist. His flushed expression is childish and excited, something she has admittedly not seen in a long time. The burden of monthly rent and city lifestyle still marks itself under his eyes in shades of dark purple but is outshined by everything else on his face.
Mikasa has to turn away for a minute to regain her breath and halt her train of thought.
She was now being dragged against her will, down the left path of the road. She yelled his name twice but all he did was pull her further by the sleeve and laugh more.
They were now effectively running down a road to which they had no idea if their destination was down. Mikasa yelled Erens name but did not shake off his grip. The deep breaths she was inhaling were ice cold down her lungs but had the welcoming scent of fresh countryside.
Shit Mikasa, don’t get sidetracked she reminded herself.
“Eren this is ridiculous!” she panted.
“If it’s not down this road we’ll just run back up and try the other!”
“Eren I’ve got heels on!”
“That can be easily fixed!”
Before she can ask what he means by that she’s being carried bridal style bundled in his arms. She makes her protest clear but he just throws his head back cackling louder.
And now even she can’t deny giving into his genuine cheerfulness as she wraps her arms around his neck and gives him a smile that’s all teeth. He’s now walking at a slower pace, panting from exhaustion of his exhilaration.
“It’s good to see you enjoying yourself” Mikasa says, her tone genuine.
“Truth be told, i’ve seen how these last few months have weighed down on you, you always take everything in your stride even if it has you down on both knees, but know that the people in your life… we’re here for you and you don’t have to deal with it on your own,”
His pace becomes even more slow from this sudden intimate conversation.
“I know you Eren, don’t think asking for help makes you weak”
Eren was right, she would’ve never been able to do this in the city.
All he does is nod with a slight smile unable to form a coherent response to her sudden gentleness. His eyes stay looking on the road ahead of them. But his flush from his rush of excitement stays to form into a blush from her words of honesty.
He opens his mouth to try and form his answer but a crack of lightening interrupts. Rain follows in pursuit pouring down in buckets.
“Shit, okay I think it’s time we actually should figure out where the hell we’re going!” he yells.
They can barely see anything and Mikasa has to jump out of the comfort of Erens arms and discard her heels so they can run faster. It makes no difference as they constantly have to blink back the rain.
“I’m starting to think we took the wrong path Eren!”
He squints his eyes and scans their surroundings. It doesn’t look like there’ll be another house for miles.
“It’s probably best if we found some kind of shelter!”
He looks across to the field beside them and notices a tree. It’s branches and leaves, he ponders, seem like they would be strong enough for shelter for now. Mikasa follows his line of sight which is fixed on the tree.
When he turns to look at her and her features are turned into a look of “Really!?”. He responds with a look of. “Yes, really”.
She sighs but nods her head. If they really had no other choice.
They run as fast as the muddy fields tall grass would let them, their clothes now soaking them to the bone.
“I swear to God, if we end up meeting a herd of cows i’m blaming you”
“Once again, would take the field of cows over walking down wet road”
“I mean, I didn’t mind you carrying me down it” Mikasa said in a small voice, it sounded so quiet he could barely hear it over the thunder rain, but he did.
He was still trying to figure out an adequate response to the words she said while he had held her so close in his arms bridal style. Mikasa was so good with words of intimacy and honesty. The glistening veil she would get over her eyes was so entrancing that almost every time she left him gazing at her with a mouth stuck dumbfounded in the shape of an ‘O’. He was never good at words. At feelings. But try as he might he would show her with actions.
He grabbed her damp hand and gripped tightly. It was ice cold against his always warm palm.
“Cmon, we’re nearly there”
And so they ran, hand in hand, mud splashing in spurts onto their legs, but they didn’t care. How could they care? How could anyone care about anything else except the person they were running through muddy fields with.
He liked to pretend in his mind that they were running away with each other. Not from anything in particular, maybe city life, maybe unfulfilling jobs and meaningless dead lines. Off to a secluded house they could call their own and grow old together in. That’s all he wanted. Her by his side and he beside hers. Why couldn’t he just tell her all of this?
They finally arrived at the tree hands on knees and bent over gasping for air. Their clothes were uncomfortably sticking to them but at least they were now sheltered from the rain.
There was a small rock nestled beside the tree. It had a sort of inscription drawn on it, Eren noted, but it had faded away with time and seemed to be in a language neither him or Mikasa could understand.
Shrugging with indifference he sat and leaned against it. He beckoned Mikasa to sit down too and so she did. But instead of beside him like he intended, she sat in his lap and laid her head on his shoulder.
He could hear her shallow breathing clear in his ear and it oddly calmed him. A reminder of the life that buzzed inside the girl that he loved so dearly, clear to his hearing.
“I wish we could do this everyday” he whispered leaning to her and pressing his chin on top her head.
“Me too”
And even though she had complained and whined for the duration of most of their ‘adventure’ he knew it was true from the way she wrapped her arms around his torso.
“Then what’s stopping us”
“Eren…”
“Seriously Mika, if Ymir and Historia were able to do it whats stopping us?”
“I can think of a few things”
“Okay then, weekends then, you and me. We get away just the two us of us, no bills no job no loud noises. Just us and I dunno, peace”
She smiled and teased “Wow, you have such a way with words”
“Seriously, I haven’t stopped thinking about what you said on the road, you know i’m no good at this but… I love you, Mikasa. I love you more everyday. Everything about you just… fits with me?”
Her breathing was becoming more hitched and fast. He could feel it cold on his neck where her head was nestled.
“We’re good together, we just, make sense, to me at least, Days are longer and nights are shorter and even so every minute feels worth living”
“Now he becomes Shakespeare” She says softly but he can hear the smile in her words.
“‘Cause of you”
She hums softly as he buries his nose in her head smelling her mixed berry shampoo. This is all he needs right now. What they need. Their bodies close together and warm.
They stay like this for 15 minutes. They probably would have drifted off to sleep if not for the sound of the harsh rain becoming quieter and quieter. They both groggily open their eyes and Mikasa stands up helping Eren up aswell.
The sky is tinged grey but sun rays manage to burst through cracks of the clouds. The sun is just setting buts it’s bright yellow still shines over the dewey nature And what a sight it was.
“How about we actually try and get to that party” Mikasa says smirking while looking up at the sky.
“Let’s take our time, we have plenty” He said shrugging with a smile.
This time she reached for his hand first and brought him along. They continued their journey squelching through the grass and back to the road.
“Yeah we have all the time in the world now,”