Work Text:
Tick tock tick tock
Mikasa opened her eyes; she was on the banks of a small waterfall, sitting on a strip of grass that preceded the sand. Hmm, she looked around; beams of light cut through the abundant leaves of the trees and reflected on the water. There was no sign of anyone there besides the girl; it was silent. Only the sound of the falling water, the birds singing, and a clock could be heard. She stayed still, listening to the birds in a nearby tree, for almost ten minutes or maybe 3 hours or even a year, she couldn't tell, but it didn't matter to her anyways.
Mikasa looked at her feet, now submerged in the water. She hadn't even moved, but she didn't question it.
A noise coming from a clump of bushes caught her attention, but when she turned around, she was almost blinded. A bright light emanated from something in the middle of that undergrowth. "Argh!" It was so bright it hurt to look at. The sounds of footsteps grew louder, coming from where it was. "Hello," a voice came from that brightness. Mikasa opened her eyes, forming a familiar figure. "Leonhardt..." she groaned, her hand still covering part of her eyes. "I came to keep you company." The light of the figure seemed to gradually fade, making it easier to perceive its features.
"I've been waiting for you for almost seven years."
"And I've been looking for you for ten years."
"I don't know if I believe you."
"I don't care if you believe me or not, it doesn't stop being true just because you doubt it."
"You never care." "I wonder what you went through, was it the same as me?"
"Maybe, or maybe not. Probably different, similar in the middle."
"Hmm, funny." The two laughed softly.
A silence then hung in the air, not shameful, but as if the two girls could read each other's minds. The two remained motionless until Annie placed her hand on Mikasa's bare chest, feeling her heart beat, almost like she only came here for this.
"Do you know what this means?"
"My heart?" Mikasa held Annie's wrist, also feeling her heart.
"Yes, dk you know what she means?" She spoke in a playful tone.
"I'd like you to tell me," she said, giving a slight smile as she stroked the girl's hand.
"It's that you're alive, breathing." She seemed somewhat happy with her answer, almost enthusiastic.
"But that doesn't mean I'm human," she added, firmly grasping Annie's wrist again.
"No, I never said I was human, I only said you are alive." She pulled her hand away from Mikasa and violently plunged her fingers into her stomach. "Uff!" That was the only sound the other girl made at the intrusion, caused by the impact taking the breath from her lungs. Annie's fingers became entangled in cables and electrical wires inside Mikasa before pulling them out, covered in oil.
"It's beautiful." The girl seemed fascinated by the sight of the entrails in her hand.
"You think so? No one has ever gone there, I've never let them." She said, embarrassed.
"It's a shame, but I'm honored to see this." Annie took Mikasa's hand, anointing it with the oil from her own threads, and guided it to her own bare belly.
"Your turn." She chuckled softly, before having her breath violently ripped from her lungs, just like the girl's earlier.
Like Annie, Mikasa found wires and more wires inside the girl, all intertwining in her fingers. She pulled carefully.
"Yours are beautiful too."
Annie held the wires together with Mikasa's hand and with her free hand picked up the loose wires from the girl's belly.
"May I? Will you allow me? You know I'll only do this if you want me to."
Mikasa nodded, making Annie begin to intertwine the copper of both wires. The girls' naked, bloodied bodies, now connected, began to emit a bright glow. "Are you feeling this? It feels good, doesn't it?" Annie said, still intertwining the thin copper wires. "It... It's great, I feel alive again," they both laughed.
The glow grew even stronger as they connected more. Mikasa placed her hand on Annie's face, caressing her soft skin.
"I love you."
"You love me?"
"Yes, very much."
"Me too, that's why I'm doing this."
"Do we love each other because we are the same? Or is it because we are different?"
"It's because we are something separate, the finished whole has nothing to complement it because it is already complete."
"I never stopped to think about it, maybe you're right."
The light was stronger than it could be, a feeling of relief spread through the two, it was as if they had spilled something but it was strangely liberating.
Finally, the glare subsided, Mikasa opened her eyes again and looked around; she was at the foot of a waterfall, but soon lay down and fell asleep again.