Slap.
The sharp sound echoed through the room like a gunshot, stunning everyone into silence.
Eren stumbled slightly, his cheek stinging from the force of Mikasa's strike. He didn't move, didn't even raise his hand to touch his reddening skin. His wide eyes lifted to meet hers, only to find her trembling, her chest heaving with ragged breaths.
Her nose twitched as she glared at him, tears welling up and spilling over. "How... how dare you..." she whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of fury and anguish.
Eren stood there, frozen, his gaze darting to the floor, unable to meet hers. The betrayal of Levi and Armin weighed heavily on him, but it was nothing compared to the storm building in her eyes.
"How dare you think you could make me hate you... How dare you try to push me into someone else's arms, like I'm some burden you can just shove aside." Her voice cracked, and the sound of it shattered something deep within him.
Eren didn't reply, his head hung low as her tears splattered against the cobblestones. She stepped closer, her fists clenched so tightly they trembled.
"Eren... it hurts," she choked out, her voice raw. "It hurts so much... to know that you—despite knowing how I feel, knowing how much I adore you—could still think about throwing me away. That you could even imagine me with someone else..." Her hands grabbed at the front of his shirt, clutching the fabric as if it was the only thing keeping her upright.
Eren's breath hitched, his voice barely escaping. "Mikasa... I... I was scared," he admitted, his words breaking apart like shards of glass. "Seeing you injured in the field... I thought I'd lose you. I thought—"
"Idiot!" she interrupted, her voice trembling with both anger and desperation. Her fingers tightened against his chest, her nails pressing into the fabric.
"You've always been the one to save me! Every time, it's you. You risk everything for me, over and over again, and now you want to back away? Do you think I'll ever look at anyone else but you? You're the only one I've ever wanted. The only one I'll ever.... want."
Her legs buckled as her emotions overwhelmed her, and she sank to the chilly ground. Eren instinctively knelt with her, his hands catching her trembling form before she fell. "I'm tired... of everything... Eren..."
Her words reminded him of the same frail and clumsy little girl from the past...
"It's cold, Eren," she whispered, her voice barely above a breath. Her hand moved to the scarf around her neck, tugging at it weakly. "This scarf... it's not enough. It doesn't keep me warm anymore."
The words hit him like a punch to the gut. His jaw tightened as his chest heaved, and before he could stop them, tears spilled down his cheeks, falling onto her face. He pulled her close, holding her as if she might disappear if he let go.
"Please..." Her voice broke, the plea cutting through the icy air. She looked up at him, her tear-streaked face raw and vulnerable. "I can't do this anymore. I don't want to. I'm tired, Eren... of everything. The fighting, the fear, the walls. I'm so tired. I just want to be with you. That's all I've ever wanted. You... and nothing else."
Eren's throat tightened as he looked at her. She was crying, trembling, vulnerable, but even now, in her disheveled state, she was the most breathtaking thing he'd ever seen.
His hand rose slowly, hesitating for only a moment before brushing lightly against her tear struck face. A part of him shattered completely after hearing those words.
They sat like that for a while and she doesn't respond, until her sobbing quiets down. When her body finally stops shaking from her crying, he feels fear rip through him - which is vanquished momentarily when he feels her turn her head.
"Eren?" she whispers, her charcoal blues fixed on his shiny emerald orbs glistening in the faint like.
"Yeah?" he replies softly, sniffling, refusing to loosen his grip.
She is silent for a while. But then, he feels her light, warm breath on his ear, feels her lips gently graze against it, feels her fingers fist tightly on his shirt.
"I... I love you."
The words come out in a choked sob, and they should not at all come as a surprise, considering the heartfelt words she just said to him not a moment ago. Yet, they still blindside him completely, and his emerald greens widen like saucers, and he is paralyzed in her grip.
She presses her forehead to the side of his, sobbing softly.
"I love you so, so much," she says, voice a quivering, cracked whisper as she weeps, and the words burn and sting and truly fuck him up, his head spinning, stomach turning in both horror and elation, and before he knows what he is doing, he is pulling back only enough to turn his head and press his mouth to hers.
And he finds he never wants to pull away, because, though she tastes of salt from their mingled tears, she is soft and warm, and touching her like this feels terrifyingly natural, and he is immediately filled with regret at discovering so, far too late.
When he pulls back, remaining close enough so that their noses are still nearly touching, her eyes flutter open, exhaustion mingling with her surprise.
She blinks up at him, eyes shining as she tugs weakly at the bottom of his shirt.
"Again," she commands in a whisper.
Despite the circumstances, he finds a small smile creep across his mouth before he presses a chaste kiss to her mouth, and he can feel fresh tears begin to stream down her cheeks.
He has barely pulled away when she repeats, "Again," the corners of her lips quirking up in a slight smile at their sick and twisted and beautiful and tragic game.
He obliges, heart breaking and soaring all at once as he moves in, first pressing a kiss to her nose making her eyes crinkle in watery mirth before kissing her full on the mouth once more.
When Eren pulled back, Mikasa's eyes were still, a soft, tear-streaked smile gracing her face. Her fingers brushed against his cheeks, tenderly wiping away his own tears that he failed to notice as if each drop carried the weight of the world.
"Sorry," Eren muttered, his voice hoarse with emotion. "For pushing you away... for hurting you like that... for everything."
Before he could say anything else, she leaned in again, her lips meeting his with a newfound intensity. This time for Eren, it wasn't just a kiss; it was a surrender, a giving in to the softness of her warmth. She tasted like something he couldn't name, something he'd been starving for his entire life.
When they parted, her face was flushed, her breath uneven. She met his gaze, and for the first time in forever, they both laughed—a genuine, relieved sound that felt like a release from years of tension.
"I love you," she whispered again, her voice steady despite the tears brimming in her eyes.
Eren pressed a kiss to her forehead, his lips lingering for a moment. "I've always loved you," he replied, his words carrying a weight he'd never spoken before.
Her face turned an even deeper shade of red as tears slipped down her cheeks, her emotions laid bare.
Before they could lose themselves in each other once more, an exaggerated sniffle broke the moment.
"So beautiful," Petra crooned, dabbing her eyes dramatically with a handkerchief.
"Ayo! Hell na!" Armin exclaimed, throwing his hands up. "You two, I'm begging you—stop making out with each other in front of me! It's weird seeing my childhood friends do... this!"
Hange, ever the chaos enthusiast, was grinning ear to ear. But it was Levi who stole the show with his deadpan comment. "Let's get moving, you hormonal idiots. Or do you all wanna stick around to watch them fuck each other like rabbits?"
Eren's jaw dropped, and Mikasa buried her burning face into his chest, clinging to him as if he could shield her from the embarrassment. "Ereh," she whispered, her voice muffled against his shirt, "say something to that shorty. He's being mean to me."
She looked up at him, her big, watery eyes wide with indignation, her lips pulled into an adorable pout. Her nose twitched slightly, her expression practically screaming, Defend me, Eren! like a little cat.
Eren's heart skipped a beat—no, it combusted. His nose began to bleed, and he gritted his teeth, a dangerous fire lighting up in his eyes.
"OI, LEVI!" Eren roared, fists clenched. "HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT MY MIKA—"
Before he could finish, Levi's fist shot out like lightning, driving into Eren's abdomen with practiced precision. Eren doubled over, his forehead finding solace on Mikasa's shoulder as he groaned.
"F-Fuck... Why does everyone keep hitting me today?" he muttered, wincing.
Mikasa gently stroked his hair, glaring daggers at Levi. "You little chibi... I swear one day I'm gonna—"
But Levi with his expressionless face, slipped his hands into his pockets. "Tch, pathetic..." he drawled.
Petra stifled a giggle and tugged at Levi's sleeve. "C'mon, Captain. Let's leave them like that. We've got a doctor's appointment to catch, remember?"
Levi cast one last glance at the pair before nodding. "Fine. Let's go."
As the others filed out, the heavy weight of their presence left the air. Eren and Mikasa were alone again, hugging each other. She held him close, her arms wrapped protectively around him, while his forehead rested gently against her shoulder.
This wasn't just a moment; it was a culmination of every hardship, every heartache, every fragment of suffering from infinite worlds. For the first time, they were free—free to love, to hold on, to exist without fear.
And for the first time in a long while, Eren felt something he'd almost forgotten.
Peace.