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No more than a handful of small clouds populated the night sky above Detroit, giving a clear view of the stars. The moon was almost full and shining bright.
The engine of Eren's bike roared as they rode through the abandoned industrial district. Mikasa rested her head against Eren's back, calmed by the warmth of his sturdy body. She was exhausted, physically and mentally, the past month having taken a heavy toll on her.
Everyone thought that the life of a superhero was all fame and glory. And that was true, if that's all you cared about. Those who were in it for the fame would only perform acts of 'heroics' at their convenience. Swooping in and making a big spectacle. Compared to those who actually cared about helping people and making a difference, it was night and day. There was always crime, and saving everyone was not always possible. Rest was usually in short supply, and stress was usually in excess.
The two of them had been part of a team, which definitely made things easier. Having more resources at your disposal and teammates to help you out and cover for you made the world of difference, especially when you were only fifteen. But Mikasa currently had a target on her back, and so had left the team in order to keep them safe. Eren had come with her, despite her protests. Although she was worried about getting him involved, there was nothing she could do to stop him. And in truth, she was endlessly grateful for having him with her. To have someone to watch her back. His pressence was soothing, made her feel safe and secure.
They rode past abandoned factories and warehouses, eventually coming to an open area and pulling up in front of a humble little building that served as their hideout.
The bike stopped, Eren putting his foot out to prop it up. He allowed Mikasa to dismount, before getting off himself and walking the bike over to the side of the building, leaning it against the wall and throwing a tarp over it.
Eren pulled out the key from his pocket and undid the padlock on the door. He opened the door and they entered, Eren holding the door open for Mikasa and letting her in first. He looked out, scanning the area for anything that seemed out of place or concerning. Not picking up anything, he entered the building, closing the door and sliding the bolt. He flipped the switch on the wall, turning in the simple light bulb sticking out the wall.
Mikasa's shoulders visibly sagged as she let out a heavy sigh. Her hands came up to remove her menpō-like mask. It was shaped like the muzzle of a cat, with bands extending upward and across her forehead, to which two cat ears were attatched. Having been held back by the mask, her hair fell back down. It was white rather than her natural inky black, due to her using a special white hair colorant. It washed out with soap, but right now, she couldn't be bothered. The rest of her outfit consisted of a white and light blue bodysuit with clawed boots and gloves. Along with it she also wore her pink leather jacket as well as her prized red scarf.
Eren's suit consisted of a grey sleeveless bodysuit and heavy metal boots, along with a beige Trenchcoat with the sleeves crudely ripped off. He wore armored gauntlets, which were made of almost pure tungsten. As a result they would be extremely difficult to carry let alone wear for someone without his super strength. Around the collar of his suit was a mane of brown fur, which along with his hair resembled a lions mane. He used a hair gel like substance to push his hair back so it looked different from how he normally had it. Two gas canisters were affixed on the sides of his collar, from which two hoses ran to a metal mask, the way the hoses ran along to the front of it resembling a jagged line of teeth.
Mikasa took the zipper of her bodysuit between her thumb and for finger, pulling it down to open it up a bit. She didn't pull it down too far. She was quite shy, and didn't want to show a lot of cleavage. She made her way to the sink and grabbed two glasses to fill with water.
Eren removed his mask and cannister assembly, followed by his coat and then his gauntlets. He too reached for the zipper of his bodysuit and pulled it down. He was not as self-concious as Mikasa, pulling it down below his chest. It wasn't that he was immodest, rather he just had poor self-awareness and often didn't think about his actions.
Mikasa turned to him, "Here," she said, holding out one of the glasses. Her breath caught in her throat, her cheeks heating up. She was frozen in place, stuck staring at and taking in the sight of him. She couldn't take her eyes away from where the front of his suit was unzipped, from the exposed solid, toned muscle of the center of his chest, and some of the muscle below.
"Thanks, Eren said, oblivious to the effect he was having on her. He drank greedily, some of the water spilling from the corners of his mouth and dripping onto his chest. Mikasa couldn't keep herself from staring at him, her body heating up as she watched the rivulets of water running down the exposed tan skin of his muscular chest.
Eren sighed as he removed the glass from his lips, having drained almost half the glass. He noticed her looking at him. "I'd something wrong?" he asked obliviously. Mikasa snapped out of her trance, "Ah... no... sorry," She turned and walked off toward the simple bed on the other side of the room, taking a sip of her water to cool herself down.
She sat down on the edge of the bed and drank her water. She stared at Eren vacantly, not really taking in what he was doing, just staring at him as he was doing, just staring as he opened the cupboard in the corner of the room next to the sink, taking out a can of mixed fruit in syrup and a bowl.
The two of them had a strange relationship. They both cared very much for each other, though they never spoke about it. They were close, but Mikasa thought of him more as just a friend. But she hadn't known if he felt the same way, and not wanting to lose what they already had, had been happy to just be friends.
That was until a few nights ago, when they'd ended up sharing a kiss. Neither of them had expected or knew how they'd ended up in that situation, and neither of them had mentioned it since, acting like it had never even happened.
Eren walked over to the bed. He held out the bowl of fruit to her. "I'm not hungry," she said. "You need to keep your strength up. Eat." he said, firmly but gently. Resignedly, she took the bowl of fruit, Eren sitting down to her right, eating the other half of the fruit from the can.
Mikasa spooned small pieces of fruit into her mouth absentmindedly, her mind elsewhere. She couldn't bear it. What happened between her and Eren. They had been acting like it hadn't happened. But it did. She couldn't handle it, them just go back to them being friends, after that. It was a heavy burden, on top of her already heavily burdened shoulders. She was at her limit, her strength was vast, but she had used up the last of it.
Her chest grew taught, her vision becoming blurry. She tried to hold it back, but it was no use. The tears began to roll down her cheeks and into the bowl in her lap, her body beginning to shake as little sobs escaped her in defiance of her will.
Eren looked to her, "Mikasa?" his voice was full of concern. He quickly placed the can on the small table beside the bed and turned to her, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." she said weakly, not meeting his gaze. She sniffed, "I'm fine." Even Eren didn't buy it for a second. He grabbed her by the shoulders, turning her to face him. "Mikasa!" She stayed looking down. He took her face in his hands forcing her to look at him. "Mikasa! What's wrong?" he asked. She looked like a lost child, tears filling her eyes, spilling over and running down her cheeks.
Eren was lost for words. The sight was like a knife to the heart. He didn't know what to do. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his strong embrace, holding her tight.
Mikasa didn't fight it. It felt good, which is why it hurt so much. She pushed away, turning to face the other way and wrapping her arms around herself.
Eren didn't know what to do. He was stuck, frozen in place. He desperately wanted to help her, but didn't know how, this was far from his strong suit. "I can't take it anymore." Mikasa said between sobs. "I can't act like the other night didn't happen." She took a trembling breath. "How am I supposed to just go back to normal after that?" Her body shook as she continued to sob. There was no response from Eren for a while.
Eventually, she felt him moving closer. She felt his strong arms wrap around her waist. She felt his body pressed against her back, his face resting in the crook of her neck. She couldn't fight it.
"I'm sorry." he said, "I didn't mean to hurt you." he placed a calloused hand over hers, rubbing her fingers with his thumb with as much gentleness as he could muster. "I'm not good with this kind of stuff. I didn't know what to do or say. I'm so sorry."
Mikasa's eyes were closed, feeling like she was melting in his warm embrace. Eren spoke again.
"I love you."