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Assistant: Title: Halcyon (EreMika)
        Author: itadorys itadorys 
        Chapter: 1/1 
        Summary: “Hi.” She said, just loudly enough for him to shoot upright, hurriedly dusting his palms against the backs of his pants to clean them. She had clearly flustered him.

  “Hi.”

  “You came.” She breathed, trying not to let the relief currently lightening her chest reflect too much in her cadence.

  “Of course I came.” Eren smiled up at her, and he beckoned her down. “Come on.”
 On a peaceful night in Autumn 1921, Mikasa Ackerman fell in love. A young man, with chestnut hair, striking green eyes, and a laugh like tinkling bells. -a 1920s EreMika AU-
        Contents: Chapter 1: prologue
    

    


  

  
  
    
    
  Autumn, 1921
 Eren Jaeger was often running.Muttering a curse under his breath, he ducked underneath a low-hanging branch and raced down the cobblestone pathway leading out of the main estate.He had been stupid. Stealing anything from the Ackerman estate was a bad idea for a multitude of reasons. The fact that they were one of the most prominent families in the town did nothing to prevent the rumours that they had ties to the Mitras Underground. And while the Ackermans repeatedly insisted that their wealth was clean, a knot of anxiety still squeezed around Eren’s midriff at the thought of getting caught.Inhaling sharply to refill his lungs, he clutched the hairpin close to his chest. It hadn’t been a tough task to steal it. He’d been taking routine walks around the estate for a few days now, noting the fact that the second floor balcony window remained unlocked even throughout the night. Slipping inside and swiping the first pricey item he could get his hands on had been as simple as taking candy from a baby. A family with this much wealth wouldn’t miss something like this. Pleased that he’d bought his neighbourhood an extra two week’s worth of food, he had allowed himself to get bigheaded, and it was during his escape that he had slipped up and knocked over a large vase, alerting the guard stationed at the entrance.Eren skirted round the neatly trimmed hedges lining the garden, veering left, right, then another right in an attempt to shake off the guard at his tail. He risked a glance behind him: no sign of the guard anywhere. Ready to breathe a sigh of relief, Eren found himself in an open clearing, and to his complete horror, barely a few paces away from the guard, whose persistence had begun to really irritate him.“Stop right there!”“F@ck.” Eren swore, breaking into a run once again, despite the burn in his thighs, the stitch in his side. He sprinted along the path in the direction of the woods.Getting caught today was not in his cards.—Mikasa sighed at the cloud of white wisps as the breeze carried it away. This was ridiculously overrated, she thought, frowning at the cigar balanced between her thumb and index finger. She’d never understand why the men in her life were hooked on the stuff. She tried again, taking a large drag of it before exhaling once more. Nope. Still not good. Holding it closer to the dim lamplight, she squinted at the printed script on the body. Maybe this wasn’t the right brand…She startled at the sound of footsteps, fear gripping her chest. She wasn’t supposed to be out here, her parents would be furious if they discovered she’d snuck out here in the graveyard hours of the night. Smoking, no less! They would never let her out of the house again. Not like they let her out much anyways.Thinking quickly, she shot upright, snuffed out her cigarette against the windowsill and tossed it into the overgrown grass, stashing the remaining cigars and lighter under the lid of the grand piano in the centre of the room.
Opening the door in preparation to escape back into the house, hopefully undetected, she peered out into the night, and her heart dropped like a stone in water when she saw him.A man, running at full speed towards the her, something that looked vaguely familiar to her clutched in his fist as he pelted across the path.“Stop running!” A voice called after him, not far in the distance.Mikasa’s eyes widened. This man was being chased.She must have gone mad, had that cigar been stronger than she had thought? Because instead of ducking for cover and praying that he ran right past her, Mikasa found herself waving over at him as he got closer.“In here!” She shouted, and the man- not exactly spoilt for options- listened, slipping through the door she held open for him. She instructed him to keep quiet and hide as she allowed the door to click shut, patting perfume into her clothes as hastily as she could to mask the scent of smoke on her person.“Come out with your hands up, thief!” Yelled the guard, finally zeroing in on the outhouse, and Mikasa shuffled forward confidently once she recognised his voice and spotted the shock of red hair.“Oh, it’s just you, Mikasa.” Floch sighed, gasping between his words to catch his breath.“Hello, Floch.”“Yes, um, hi.” He replied impatiently. “Did you happen to see where he went?”Mikasa’s brows slowly knitted together, as though considering his question with all her conviction. “Who?”The young guard let out an exasperated noise, “A young man,” He answered between his ragged gasps for breath, “He must have ran past here a few moments ago.”“Hmm.” Mikasa mused, “I haven’t seen anyone run past here, and I’ve been sat here for hours.”“Oh.” Floch blanched. “My apologies, I just thought-““No worries, Floch.” Mikasa glanced out of the window, a floaty lilt to her voice, “It’s a wonderful evening, don’t you think?”“Yes— well— I suppose it is.”“Go enjoy the fresh air.” She said airily. She liked to play up the scatterbrained ditz act when it came to Floch. Being a newer addition to her security detail, he was by far the easiest to manipulate. He probably thought her incredibly dull, but it worked wonders when it came to her getting her way.“Your father would have my head if I skipped guard duty.”“Well then, it’s a good thing you answer to me, not my father.” She replied simply, “Go, I’m sure I can survive one night without getting captured or something.”He flushed. “That— that isn’t something to joke about!”She waved her hand, “It’s just a bit of fun.” She leaned in, sweetening her voice, “I’ll tell you what. I won’t tell my father about your night off if you don’t tell him you saw me here. It’ll be our little secret.”Floch gulped, and Mikasa knew he was considering it. “Oh, alright then. Just this once. But make sure you get back before dawn.”Child’s play. She beamed at him. “You’re the best.”“It’s nothing,” Floch replied, suddenly sniffing around, “Do you smell smoke?”Panic widened her eyes, “No?” She pretended to search the air for smoke alongside him, putting as much space between them as possible.“I don’t smell it anymore.” Floch eventually said after a moment, “Must be a passing campfire.”“Must be.” She said sweetly, wishing he would leave a little faster.“Anyways, you take care now, Miss.”“You too, have a good night.”She allowed herself to slump back against the doorframe, watching Floch’s figure retreat back into the shadows towards the house.“He’s gone.” Mikasa whispered into the empty space. Following a lapse of silence, a shuffle of movement sounded from a corner of the bookshelf. The thief stumbled out of his hiding spot, the ruby pin still clutched tightly in his fist.The first thing she noticed about him were his eyes. He looked young: her age— possibly a little older, and his eyes were striking: a deep shade of green, she had never seen anyone with eyes that colour, it reminded her of holly leaves. No- not holly, perhaps ivy. No, that wasn’t right either… and now she was staring.Cold reality grounded her. Gods, what had she just done? She’d just let a thief get away! And instead of reprimanding him for it, she was rambling about eye colour. She may as well have been an accomplice to the crime, except wait— she recognised that brooch.“Um,” He cleared his throat, his eyes flicking from the open window to Mikasa, “Thank you.”She nodded, easing back into her seat beside the piano. “You can thank me by explaining why you’re trying to make off with my grandmother’s hairpin.” She finally realised why it had looked familiar. It belonged to her.All the colour seemed to drain from his face at her words. “This—“ His eyes darted back and forth between her and the pin, “This is yours?”“Well,” Mikasa popped a shoulder, sparing a glance over her shoulder at the house. “This is my house.”—Sh@t. Eren thought. This was leagues more than he had bargained for. But his surprise didn’t linger for long before it was promptly replaced by a wave of confusion. If this girl, Mikasa, knew he’d been stealing from her, why on earth would she lie on his behalf to stop him from getting caught?“If you knew what I was doing, why didn’t you tell the guard?” He asked, fiddling with the brooch to find something to do with his hands.She shrugged, grey eyes twinkling with dry amusement. “You’re the most interesting thing that’s happened here in a while.”Eren couldn’t help snorting, “I’m guessing you don’t get out too often.”Her smile turned shy, “No, I really don’t.”—This was crazy, she was crazy. This boy had tried to steal from her, yet here she was, trading witty remarks back and forth with him.“I’m guessing you want this back.” He started, a note of discomfort in his voice as he held up the brooch.“That would be nice.” Mikasa deadpanned, watching him place the pin on a ledge on the bookshelf. “What’s your name?”He looked up at her. “Huh?”“Would you rather I address you as ‘thief’ during our discussion?”“Ah, um, no.” He cleared his throat again. He seemed to do that a lot, and Mikasa wondered if he was sick, and took a careful step backwards after some further pondering. Just to be safe.“My name is Eren.”“Mikasa.”“So Mikasa…” Eren started, wringing his fingers together now that he no longer had the pin to keep him busy. “I’m guessing it wasn’t a campfire that left the smoky smell.”She couldn’t reel in her shock quickly enough. How on earth did he know? Unable to help herself, Mikasa’s eyes darted to the lid of the piano, where she had hastily shoved her stash of cigars.“They’re in the piano, aren’t they? The cigarettes.”“How did you—““You didn’t exactly make it difficult, your eyes went straight there when I mentioned it.” Eren’s eyes roved downwards appreciatively, taking in the soft fabric of her nightgown, the expanse of bare leg just past it. A full body blush rushed through her, the realisation hitting her with a resounding thud: she was only wearing her nightgown! “Plus, you have a cigar burn on your dress.” He finished, nodding at the hem of her dress.She quickly schooled the embarrassment on her face, “Oh…” She sighed, looking sadly at the crisped fabric and speaking more to herself than to him, “I really liked this dress.” There’d be no salvaging it, she rubbed her thumb along the burnt area, feeling the silk fall apart underneath her finger. A tear welled in her eye and threatened to escape, but she held it back: surely it would have been vain of her to cry over something like a ruined dress? “I’m never smoking again.”“Not a fan?” Eren asked.She gave a halfhearted shrug, letting go of her dress and trying not to look at the burn too much. “Not really. I guess I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about.”“I take it it’s not living up to your expectations?”The touch of humour in his query made her huff out a sad laugh. “Let’s just say I don’t think it’s for me.”“Hmm.” He mused, staring out at the hedged greenery. In the darkness, the twists and curls of the branches gave the usually beautiful decor a sinister edge, and Mikasa wondered what he saw when he looked at them. “I think I like them.” Eren eventually said.“Really?”He nodded. “It kept my stomach quiet when I got hungry, so I guess I can’t really complain."D@mn. She really was vain. His reasoning made hers feel childish and petulant. “And are you?” She asked tentatively,  “Hungry?”Something heated and unreadable flared in his eyes at the question, and Mikasa opened her mouth to splutter out a hasty apology, thinking she had offended him, but instead, he shrugged at her.“Not anymore, but I used to be.”“You used to be?”“Yes, that wild bear was rather appetising.”Mikasa gaped at him, horrified. Was he some sort of caveman?“I was joking.” Eren laughed, “I’ve never even seen a bear in real life.”“Oh.” She said, feeling a little daft. “I’m not very good with those.”“Everybody’s good at jokes.” He said, and Mikasa secretly disagreed. She didn’t think of herself as a particularly funny person.“But to answer your question, I sort of found my own ways to put food on the table.”“Are you from around here?”He arched a brow at her question, a teasing smile dimpling his cheek. “Why do you ask? Are you going to sic your guards on me?”“Of course not!” Mikasa spluttered, a little cut that he thought her to be that backhanded. “You didn’t even take anything.”“But I would have.” Eren insisted, stepping closer towards her, “Had I not been caught, I would have ran off with it. Does that change your opinion of me?”Her breath hitched, he had raised a decent question. Looking at him now, he didn’t seem scary. To the unassuming eye, he could be regarded as somewhat charming, but he was a thief, and by all rational logic, she had every reason to judge him negatively. It seemed like a one and done deal, but the conclusion didn’t sit right with her. Mikasa felt it went deeper than that. Her parents had always told her never to pry, but her parents weren’t here right now, and she was speaking to a criminal, so sticking to her usual demeanour seemed ill-fitting for the occasion.“It would if I knew why.”He took a moment to think before answering, staring up at the rows of books lining the shelves as he spoke. “I took it because I felt I had to. When I saw it, I thought about how long the money from it would last, how many people it would feed. Something so small being able to help so many, and you likely wouldn’t have noticed it had even been taken.”His words weighed heavily on Mikasa’s chest. She had plenty of brooches, lost some on occasion. It had never been more than a convenient item to stick to her clothes for events, or pin up her hair when the long strands falling in her face got too irritating. When she thought about her grandmother’s brooch, she realised that she didn’t feel any particular way about it. She thought it was pretty, yes, but the loss of it wouldn’t weigh on her too much. She was sure her grandmother would have much preferred her belongings being used to help others than gather dust in the hands of a granddaughter who wouldn’t have cherished it the way an heirloom should have been.“Was that why you took it? To p@wn it off to the highest bidder?” She hadn’t meant it to sound accusing, but Eren’s face reddened slightly with embarrassment.He shook his head as though clearing a thought. “You wouldn’t understand. But for what it’s worth, I really am sorry for trying to steal it.”“What do you mean I wouldn’t understand?” Mikasa asked, affronted.Eren waved his hand, encompassing the sprawling garden and the main pathway leading to the manor. “It’s not your fault, I mean, how could you understand, with all this?”She didn’t like how out of touch his words made her feel. She was certain he had just called her a spoiled little rich girl, but in more decorative words. “So help me to.”“What?”“Help me understand.” She insisted.He regarded her with an expression of utter bewilderment. “How am I supposed to do that?”“I-“ Mikasa blanked, she hadn’t actually thought that far ahead. “I’m not sure, but I want to know what it’s like to see the world from eyes that aren’t my own for once.”That seemed to resonate with him to some extent, and he leaned back against the bookshelf, thinking quietly. “How about through my eyes?”Instinct had her staring into his eyes, at the curious pools of green that she couldn’t quite place her finger on the shade. “Your eyes…” She started, but abruptly caught herself before the worst of it came out. Eren, none the wiser, carried on.“Yeah, you said you wanted perspective, so I’ll take you out and show you how I spend my evening.”“Evening?” She croaked. She had never snuck out in her life, even being here in the outhouse was risky enough, and she was still on the estate.Eren nodded, completely oblivious to her inner turmoil. “Yes, I’ll come get you tomorrow evening.” He pointed back at the house, “Which window is yours?”Was this really happening? He was asking her to sneak out, alone, with a stranger! Mikasa concluded that she simply had to be crazy, because she had never wanted to say yes to something so badly.“The balcony on the first floor, there’s only one on that floor, and it’s mine.” She replied, before she could change her mind.“Right.” He repeated her directions back to her to show he’d understood, “Oh, and, try to dress a little discreetly,” His eyes snagged on her legs again, and when he spoke again, his voice had turned the tiniest bit huskier. “Wouldn’t want to draw too much attention to the fact you’ve snuck out.”His reasoning checked out. “Noted.”“Okay,” Eren smiled, and noticing the apprehension in her eyes, he stepped forward and took her hand in his own, running his thumb over her knuckles in a way that sent a nervous shiver tumbling down her spine. “I won’t let anything happen to you, don’t worry. You’ll be back here in one piece, I promise. It’s just for a night.”Mikasa pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, and even though she had absolutely no business trusting this boy who was practically a stranger to her, she nodded, “Okay.”—“Miss Ackerman, where are we this morning?”Mikasa’s eyes snapped open, coming to with a jolt, despite the fact she hadn’t really been sleeping. She looked up at her aunt, who tilted her head impatiently, clearly waiting for an answer.
What could she really say? That she’d had a long night because she’d snuck over to the outhouse to smoke cigarettes and concoct illicit plans with a cute stranger to sneak out of the house? “Sorry, Aunt Kiyomi.”Her aunt gave her an indignant tut, continuing her rounds of pacing up and down the study.Mikasa, rubbing her eyes to clear her grogginess, refocused her attention on the script before her. Whoever this E. R. Smith fellow was had so obviously had far more explicit interactions with men than the analysts of his poetry felt comfortable admitting. The lilts in his rhymes, the gentleness of the usually harsh undertones of sibilance could only be a result of his own personal reverence. It was clear in the level of detail Smith had used to describe each ridge and curve of the male form; to understand the anatomy this intimately signalled to her a knowledge that only a lover could know. A muse, rather than a case study.To see this as anything other than a love poem was absurd, yet here she was, in the process of structuring the essay she’d reluctantly titled ‘The Intrinsic Nature of Male Camaraderie’. She scowled at her paper. Camaraderie, more like blatant desire.And speaking of desire, Mikasa allowed her mind to abandon the present once more, allowed herself to get lost in the memory of warm green eyes and chestnut hair, and that little crinkly thing his nose did whenever he smiled at her.
She had never met anybody so fascinating in her life. She knew it was no use daydreaming about this boy she knew she could never have, knew she couldn’t be around without the entire town raising eyebrows. But she couldn’t help the buzz of thrill that shot through her whenever she remembered his parting words to her, of their plan to sneak away, for him to show her what the real world was like. What his world was like.She would have to pen a letter to Sasha about this as soon as possible. She had asked for frequent updates from her while she was away with her parents. Despite the fact it would be near impossible to get a letter over to her while she was in the middle of the Pacific, Mikasa kept her promise and wrote to her on an almost daily basis: Sasha would have plenty of gossip to keep her busy when they finally docked in Marley.The thought of Sasha managed to curb some of her budding excitement at the prospect of her meeting with Eren later that evening. What would Sasha say if she told her? She no doubt would have called her crazy for even considering it, but Mikasa had been calling herself crazy for the last twelve hours, so did she really need the extra scrutiny from an outside source? She was already self-aware, after all.It had gotten to a quarter past seven that evening when Mikasa finally began to have doubts. Her maid had helped unpin her hair, so it tumbled loosely down her back and shoulders as she ran her hairbrush through the dark strands. Since Eren had emphasised the point of discretion, she’d selected one of her more toned down dresses for the occasion: a simple black dress with a modest neckline and a skirt that barely grazed her ankles, slightly cinched at the waist. Pairing it with the shortest heels she owned, she scrutinised her reflection in the mirror, debating on how to style her hair. Now that she knew she was crazy, she allowed herself to admit that a part of her wanted to impress him. She had done a decent job of hiding her mortification at the fact that he had seen her in her nightdress, but her body burned with every glance he took at her. She wouldn’t make the same silly mistake again.She paced around her bedroom, guessing and second guessing her decision. He hadn’t meant it, right? Not really? After all, he was a thief, he would have done just about anything to get away unscathed, right? Come to think of it, he never actually told her when he’d be coming, for all she knew she could end up waiting there the whole night like a fool. Why didn’t she want to believe the worst of him? She wished she had it in her to be more cynical, but there had been such a level of sincerity to him, one that heavily resonated with her, and it was that sincerity that kept Mikasa waiting. One hour passed, then another, and after the third she felt the disappointment become more potent. She was a fool: he really wasn’t coming.Until the faintest ‘tp’ sound drew her attention to her balcony door. And again she heard it, a muted but discernible tapping against the glass that drove Mikasa towards it, her heart clanging against her ribcage as she drew her curtains open and slid the balcony door open, narrowly avoiding what seemed to be a tiny marble sized pebble that flew past her head.Mikasa looked down, and saw Eren, crouched low to the ground, evidently searching for another suitably sized stone to toss at her door.“Hi.” She said, just loudly enough for him to shoot upright, hurriedly dusting his palms against the backs of his pants to clean them. She had clearly flustered him.“Hi.”“You came.” She breathed, trying not to let the relief currently lightening her chest reflect too much in her cadence.“Of course I came.” Eren smiled up at her, and he beckoned her down. “Come on.”She blinked at him, her relief souring into fear. “Surely you don’t expect me to climb down?”Eren looked from her to the floor, appearing to assess the distance. “It’s not that far.”Mikasa gaped at him. Her bedroom was on the first floor. “You’ve lost your mind.” She said, clutching the railings on her balcony with renewed intensity.He simply chuckled, “Look,” He pointed at a protrusion in the brick beside the railing, “If you climb down from there and into the tree, you’ll be fine.”“Fine?” Mikasa rasped, her tone close to hysterical, “I’ll crack my head open on the concrete!”“No you won’t,” Eren reassured her, “I’ll catch you before that happens.”“I don’t believe you!” She called back. Surely there was a less life threatening way to sneak out?“Come on, don’t you trust me?”His question seemed to sober her. She did, gods she did, and it terrified her.“Sort of.”He braced his legs into the ground, holding his arms out. “Come on, I’ll catch you.”Cursing herself and her idiocy, Mikasa shuffled over to the edge of the balcony, swinging one foot, then the other over the railings.“Don’t look down!” Eren said unhelpfully, because his words did nothing but spur Mikasa to look down. A fresh wave of panic overcame her, her hands suddenly clammy.Inhaling a shaky breath to steady herself, she lowered one foot onto the protrusion in the brick, and stepped over into the tree. So far so good.“Okay, you can either climb down, or jump.”There was no feasible way for her to make that climb. In a dress and heels? No way in hell.She bit her lip, her voice nothing more than a squeak. “You’ll really catch me?”“I promise.”Squeezing her eyes shut, Mikasa let herself fall forward, bracing for the impact of hard concrete but instead feeling strong arms holding her tightly around the waist. He really did catch her.
She cracked an eyelid open, met with those dubiously green eyes, eyes that couldn’t seem to decide on a hue. Her breathing shallowed, her heart fluttering at her sudden awareness of his closeness to her. She had never even gotten this close to a boy, let alone been held like this by one.A steadying breath brought her back to the present, and she gave him a smile that felt more like a grimace. “I could have died.”He smirked at her, “Calm down, princess, the worst you could have gotten was broken a heel.”“Well, excuse me if I’m a little inexperienced at jumping out of windows,” She countered, with a touch of defensiveness. “I’m a big fan of these really nifty things called stairs. I think you’d like them.”Eren barked out at laugh, setting her gently on the ground. “You’re funnier than you give yourself credit for.”Mikasa glowed at the compliment.—“I said dress discreetly.” Eren chastised after they had set off, taking in the expensive fabric of her gown. It was undeniable that she looked beautiful, but it wouldn’t be easy to hide her wealth in a dress so pricey looking.“This was the most discreet thing I own.” Mikasa huffed, increasing the pacing of her steps to keep up with Eren’s long strides. The boy walked like he was being chased, and Mikasa smiled to herself at the thought, she supposed she couldn’t blame him.
“You’re lucky I didn’t bring my hat.”Eren stopped in his tracks, a look of incredulity on his face, “That was another joke!”“Sorry?”“You said you were terrible at them, and now you’ve made two within minutes of each other.” He laughed, and it prompted Mikasa to let out a laugh of her own. Gods, she liked his laugh, it was vibrant and full of life, and it rung in her ears like tinkling bells.“I guess I’m a fast learner.” She said, returning his smile.“Or perhaps I’m rubbing off on you.”“Slim chance.”He chuckled in response, and they walked the next ten minutes or so in a comfortable silence. Mikasa used their lapse in conversation as an opportunity to just… look at him. He was well built: muscly, but not bulky. Tall, but not gangly. His hair looked effortlessly windswept, tousled in a way that suggested he’d raked his fingers through the dark strands countless times before he set off. She decided that she liked the style on him very much. Eren dressed very well, all things considered, although she couldn’t help noting— well— staring at the way his chest strained against the fabric of his button up. She would have to see if she could nab one of her father’s older, less worn shirts for him. It would be better than what he had on right now, even though, she admitted to herself, the view wasn’t bad at all.“Why didn’t you wear something like what you wore last night?” Eren asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.Mikasa flushed crimson, eyes widening in shock once she repeated his question in her head. “You mean… my nightgown?”This time it was Eren’s turn to blush, “That was a nightgown?”“Yes! I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing sleepwear out in public,” She shuddered at the thought of it. “I’d be a laughing stock.”Noticing her shiver, Eren’s eyes flared with panic, “Are you cold?” He asked her, the regret instantly eating him alive when he realised she had likely been shivering the whole walk.“A little.” She answered, slightly bemused by the abrupt topic change, running her hands along her arms to create some heat.“F@ck,” Eren shrugged off his overcoat and draped it over her shoulders. “I’m sorry, I should have noticed sooner.”“Must you use such vulgar language?” She complained, scrunching her nose at him, but huddling into his coat regardless. It smelled like him, a faint woodsy scent, with a hint of what she deduced to be wild lavender. It was wonderful.“Seriously? You never feel even the slightest inclination to swear? Not even when you stub your toe, or burn your tongue on hot food?”“Stub my toe? Why would I—““Humour me a minute, princess.”Okay, he really needed to quit with that name. She had noticed him use it the first time, but was already too nervous being so close to him that she had simply forgotten to react.“I don’t know how many times I need to repeat it, but I’m not exactly from a household where that kind of thing is common.”He gave her an understanding look. “Then I guess we can just pretend for a night.”Yes, a night. His words brought Mikasa right back to earth again. This was only for a night, and she would do well to remember that.“Are you going to tell me where you’re taking me?” She complained, dragging her feet as they trudged through a field of overgrown grass, her heels squelching uncomfortably in the damp earth. “You’re not actually kidnapping me, are you?”Eren’s voice dripped with humour, “Trust me, princess, if I was going to kidnap you, I’d be a little more careful about it.”Mikasa didn’t know whether to find that comforting or not. She was far too busy flushing pink at the nickname.“I’m not a princess.” She mumbled, beyond grateful for the darkness masking her blush.“Besides, we’re almost there, look…” He led her closer, and Mikasa couldn’t help the way her pulse jumped at his proximity, the way her heart raced and her brain fogged. She shook her head furiously to try and clear it, and it helped, a little bit.“Over there, just past the brow.” Eren pointed out, and Mikasa, craning her neck, followed his finger, noticing the warm lighting of what seemed to be a small matchbox-sized building, barely the size of the smaller hall at the Ackerman estate.“What is it?”“Only the finest dancing establishment in the city.” He said proudly, and Mikasa’s brows furrowed with doubt. Sensing this, Eren laughed softly. “You trust me, right?”She did. She did trust him, this boy, who was nothing more than a stranger to her.She nodded, and he led her the rest of the way. They were in the heart of the city now, the streets bright and vibrant despite the lateness of the hour. Mikasa took it all in, open-mouthed in awe. There was a rawness to the city, so far removed from the pomp and circumstance of the events she usually attended. It possessed an intimacy that she couldn't begin to explain. The crowd moved in every possible direction, and as they weaved through the bustle of well-suited gentlemen and ladies in dresses far less modest than her own and heels far higher than her own, Eren's fingers found hers, linking them together as he led her through the crowd. It didn't take long for her to realise she had been worried for nothing: in the city, life moved at twice the speed, and nobody spared her a second glance as they hurriedly bumped shoulders with passer-by's to avoid cars and hopped over potholes in the cobbled road, too busy with their own plans for the evening to care who she was, or who she was with. Here, she wasn't Mikasa Ackerman: esteemed socialite and walking, talking bargaining chip, she was just Mikasa. Perhaps this is what Eren intended to show her when he'd brought her here: the freedom the city folk had. It was rubbing off on her, over here, Mikasa felt like she could do anything.The sound of clinking glasses and chatter grew louder, more raucous as they approached the building. It was larger than Mikasa had initially estimated it to be, still smaller than the great hall, but large enough to fit an applaudable amount of tables and chairs, a stage in the centre, as well as a small bar in the far corner.Eren stepped behind her, intending to help her out of his coat, and even though it was sweltering inside the hall, she still felt a touch of disappointment at the thought of taking it off.“You’ll be meeting a few of my friends.” He explained to her, “They’re good people, I swear.” He reassured her, noticing her turn a little pale.Had she known she’d be meeting an ensemble, she would have mentally prepped herself a little more. With a nod that didn’t match how she felt inwardly, she allowed Eren to place his hand gingerly on the small of her back and lead her towards a rickety table, where two young men around their age were already seated, huddled close so they could trade whispers over the noise.One of them turned, hazel eyes lighting up at the sight of Eren. “Jaeger! You’re late!”“Apologies gentlemen, I brought company.” Eren responded, pulling a chair out for Mikasa and helping her into it, before settling into the one beside her.“Who— wow.” The taller friend regarded Mikasa with a look that made her feel a touch of self-consciousness: did she have something on her face? She ran a discreet hand through her hair, then swiped quickly at her face in the same move.“Hello.”“Oh sit down, Jean.” The shorter friend ridiculed, tugging on the boy— Jean’s— shirt to sit him back in his seat. He gave Mikasa an apologetic smile. “Sorry, he doesn’t see beautiful women very often.”“Untrue.” Jean protested, his face very red, “I see plenty.”His friend ignored him. “I’m Connie, by the way.”“Mikasa.”“You’re the one who lives in the big house out in the sticks, right?” Connie looked her up and down, quirking an eyebrow, “How’d you get here? Is he holding you hostage?”Eren gave him a shove, “Oh shut it, Springer.”Mikasa laughed, “I sort of escaped. I wanted to see something different for once.”“Well, we’re plenty different from your lot,” Connie said with a snort, “You’ll have a ton of reference material by the end of the night.”She hoped so.Connie withdrew a case from his front pocket, balancing one of the cigarettes between his teeth before holding the case inquiringly at Mikasa, "Want one?"Eren grinned at her, and a tiny smile played at the corners of her lips as she also remembered their conversation the previous night. "I'll pass, but thank you for offering." She did appreciate it, women had every right to smoke.Connie offered the cigarette she had turned down to Eren, who accepted it, and leaned forward to allow him to light it. Seeing Eren smoke made her finally understand why people did it. If they looked even half as good as Eren did when they smoked, she could completely get behind someone wanting to get through twenty a day.“You all owe me for those drinks,” Said a blond boy, coming to sit down in the final empty seat, “These prices are getting out of hand— oh, hello.” He stopped short in his rant at the sight of Mikasa, and her mouth opened in surprise.“I know you,” She burst out before she could stop herself, “You’re the boy who delivers the paper to my house in the morning.”She’d seen him several times in the mornings from the window in the library, often watching as he’d ride through on his bike and fling a rolled up newspaper at the gate. She’d always thought the job seemed rather fun, even though she hadn’t the slightest clue how to ride a bike.The blond gave her a friendly smile, holding his hand out. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Armin.”She shook it. “Mikasa.”“Alright, boys,” A woman’s voice sounded, setting down three tankards full of amber liquid on the table, “This is the last of the freebies from me. We actually run a business here.”Connie picked up his glass, taking a long sip and emptying almost half of it. He set the significantly emptier glass down on the table, smacking his lips emphatically. “You’re a dear, Annie.”The woman, a pretty blonde who— on a second, closer glance— seemed to be no older than them, clicked her tongue at him in disapproval and bustled away from the table.Connie, grinning at her retreating figure, leaned in conspiratorially to whisper in Mikasa’s ear. “She only gives us freebies because she’s got the hots for our Armin over here.”Mikasa giggled, sliding her eyes over to where Armin was also staring at Annie, watching the swish of her hips as she swerved through the crowd. She secretly suspected Armin ‘had the hots’ for her too.“Jean, where are your cards?” Eren asked.Armin snorted. “The clever guy traded them for an extra pastry at the Dreyse’s bakery.”Eren chortled, “When are you gonna give it up? Hitch isn’t interested.”Mikasa knew of Hitch, she’d met her a couple times during her rare trips into town. She was a firecracker of a young woman, who didn’t seem to have inherited her family’s penchant for baking. The first time she had met her, she had burnt the cakes she’d been looking after so badly that the whole bakery very nearly went up in flames.“She’s playing hard to get,” Jean insisted, “She’ll come around.”Connie, not wanting to leave Mikasa out of the conversation, tapped her arm and mouthed ‘he’s insane’ at her. Mikasa huffed. She liked Connie a lot, and in a way, he reminded her of her Sasha. She would definitely be bringing Sasha with her next time. She relished in the thought for about three seconds before a tiny voice in her head reminded her of the notion that had consistently been slipping her mind since she’d gotten here: this is only for tonight. There would be no opportunity to bring Sasha with her, because this wouldn’t be happening again.“I have my cards,” Armin said, pulling a set of playing cards from his waistcoat pocket. “Eren, you’re game, right?”“If it means I win back the money I lost to Jean then sure.”“Oh don’t be a sore loser.” Jean mocked.“Four players then,” Connie said, balancing his cigarette between his teeth before taking the cards from Armin and beginning to dole them out.“Five.”The four boys turned in unison towards Mikasa, staring at her like she had sprouted another head.“You play poker?” Connie pressed, and Mikasa didn’t think she was a fan of the incredulity in his tone.“I play poker better than most, I’ll have you know.” It was the truth, she had run somewhat of a backdoor poker ring back in her days at the academy, and in her slightly biased opinion, she thought herself to be rather good at it.Impressed, Connie gestured for her to help herself to a handful of playing chips. She readjusted her position in her seat, settling down primly: back straight to theirs slouched, shoulders squared to theirs hunched, and after grabbing an even set of chips, Connie started the game.—“Jean?”“Check.”“Eren?”“Fold.”“Armin?”“Check.”“Mikasa?”“Check.”Connie nodded at the group. “I’m going to check also.”Eren slunk backwards into his chair, a gloomy expression darkening his handsome face as he tossed his cards onto the table. Mikasa couldn’t exactly blame him for being grumpy: this had been the third consecutive first round he’d had to fold. Mikasa took him for the type who only checked when he had a good starting hand, which, while not the best strategy, minimised the extent of the loss.Connie, who’d been playing dealer for the last few rounds, sat up, reaching for the stack of cards and taking three from the pile. He spread them out in the centre of the table, and with a melodramatic wave of his hand, revealed the first card. Ace of hearts.Mikasa’s jaw clenched, near-scowling at her cards. Not off to a great start. It had been risky of her to check, her starting hand could have been a lot better, but she’d been hopeful that she could work with what she had.Connie revealed the next card: ten of hearts. Better, but judging from the smile that Armin had just concealed on her left side, his hand was going extremely well. Jean, on the other hand, was glaring at his cards as though they would change into different ones if he intimidated them enough. Connie’s expression was unreadable. The worst type of poker player was always the one you could never get a read on.He turned the final card. Another ace, this time clubs. She tried not to let her relief show too much in her expression. This was good, she thought. She could work with this.“Second bets?” Connie asked. “Jean?”Jean, with a pout just as large as Eren’s, threw his cards down on the table. “Fold.”“Armin?”“Raise.”“Mikasa?”She took a moment to consider her options. Her best bet was to check, and play it safe. Armin seemed to have appropriately schooled his expression after his slip up earlier, and his face was now telling her nothing. She looked down at her cards again, and made her decision quickly, “Check.”“I’m also going to check.” Connie said, collecting another card from the pile and flipping it over. Queen of hearts.God dammit.Connie looked around, “Nobody folding? I’m not.”Armin shook his head, as did Mikasa. She had already gotten this far.Connie lifted the final card, turning it over at a snail’s pace.Mikasa breathed a relieved sigh. Not bad, not bad at all.“Okay,” Connie said, his face still expressionless, “Could everyone please reveal their hand?”They turned their cards in unison, Mikasa revealing the full house she had only just managed to make, thanks to the ten of spades as the final card. Connie had gotten a four of a kind thanks to having the last two aces, but Armin, as Mikasa had already deduced, was the clear winner, finishing the round with a royal flush. No wonder his face had lit up with glee after the ten was called. She didn’t think she’d done too badly, all things considered, she had won the first game, tied with Armin, then Connie in the second and third game, and come third in the round they’d just played.“Anybody up for round five?” Armin asked happily, sweeping the chips towards himself.The entire table scowled at him.“I think I need another drink.” Jean said, sidling away from the table. Connie followed suit, and Armin, clearly feeling lucky, decided to try his chances with Annie, which left Eren and Mikasa alone at the table for the first time since they’d arrived.“Who taught you how to play?” Eren asked interestedly, watching as she gathered up the cards and shoved them back into the pack.She smiled up at him, a little shyly. “Myself. I used to get a door shut in my face if I ever tried to peek in when my father and his friends played. My brother was always a little more understanding, but you know… they say poker is a ‘man’s game’. I didn’t think I was any less skilled than they were because I was a woman, so I taught myself how to play. I’ve beaten my brother several times, though I suppose that doesn’t really count for much, since he’s only sixteen…” She was rambling now, and she needed to stop.Eren’s ears perked, “You have a brother?”It was the first time she’d mentioned her brother. August was away at the academy, learning about politics and science and all the more interesting things that society didn’t believe women had enough brains to do. She’d always felt bad whenever she felt that intrusive twinge of resentment towards him for it, but she knew it wasn’t his fault things were this way. He even agreed with her on most of her more ‘progressive’ beliefs, and he’d always made an effort to teach her some of the things he’d learned in his classes, even though it meant the letters he would send home were bulky and slightly rambly at times. It seemed to be a trait that the Ackerman siblings shared.“I do, my younger brother is away for school at the moment.” She said. “We’re quite close, he sends letters back as often as he can but—““You miss him.” Eren finished for her, his eyes soft with compassion.“Yes, I miss him.”“Only an idiot would tell you that poker is a man’s game, by the way.” He said, trying to cheer her up. He leaned forward in his chair. “You play better than most, princess.”“Would you quit calling me that? I’m far from a princess.” She muttered, unable to take it anymore.“Really?” He directed an amused smirk at her, “Let’s see…” He emphasised each point with a tick of his fingers. “You live in an enormous manor, attend galas and polo games on the weekends, wear dresses that cost an arm and a leg, and you’re probably engaged to some hoity toity politician—““Oil.”“What?”“I’m engaged to an oil tycoon,” Mikasa corrected, “Technically, betrothed to one but I suppose that term is outdated these days…” Her voice trailed off into an incoherent mumble.She shouldn’t have said that. She had made things awkward.
This was why she had been told never to speak out of turn during her etiquette lessons, to prevent situations like this. Perhaps she should have stayed awake during those classes more often.—Eren released a low whistle, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. “You just proved my point, princess.” He said lightly, despite the disappointment rapidly digging a pit in his stomach. She was betrothed to a f@ck@ng oil tycoon. How could he ever compete with that?Mikasa cleared her throat, suddenly restless as she wrung her fingers around the rim of her glass. “It’s not a love match,” She said, near tripping over her words in her haste to clarify, “I’ve never even met him.”“Does it really matter?” Eren asked, hating how bitter he sounded. “He’s practically royalty, no?”—Mikasa gaped at him, affronted. Did he really think her that shallow? “Of course it matters!” She said, dropping her voice an octave after noticing Eren startle. “I want somebody who’s kind, and sweet and unafraid of risks. Someone I’m comfortable around, that I don’t feel the need to put on a performance for.”Someone like her roguishly handsome companion, though she omitted that part from her spiel.Eren was staring at her with an intensity that seared a blush across her cheeks, and flustered, she focused on her drink once more. “Anyways, the point is I have a little more in my brain than fluff and sparkly dresses.”Eren’s eyebrows flew upwards at the accusation in her tone. “I said nothing of the sort!”“You implied it.” She spat, and Eren flushed with shame. He’d been bitter, and he’d taken it out on her, and for that, he was sorry.“I apologise.”Stalling, Mikasa turned her head, trying to spot the rest of their friends in the crowd. Connie, ever the social butterfly, had plopped himself right in the middle of another group of young men, and was now laughing haughtily alongside them. Jean was chatting up a girl beside the bar. Armin was nowhere to be found, nor was Annie.“It’s okay.” She eventually said, turning back to Eren. “You can get me another drink to make up for it.”Another band had taken over the previous one, and as they set up their instruments, Eren stood, a wickedly handsome and slightly crooked grin on his face as he held his hand out, “We’ll get to the drinks later. I’m sure you dance?”Fighting against her smile, she accepted his outstretched hand, allowing him to lead her onto the floor. “Of course I dance.”He grinned at her. “I’m afraid to tell you, this probably isn’t your usual type of dance.”“What do you—“The deafening clang of a cymbal behind her cut her question short, and before she could clear the ringing in her ears, the band began to play.Eren was right, this couldn’t be further from her usual style. The music was bouncy, upbeat, accompanied by the steady but powerful metronome of a drum. Letting go of her hand, Eren rolled the sleeves of his button up to his forearms, performing a near flawless tap routine in time to the music.Mikasa gawked at him, dumbfounded. “You know tap?”He shrugged, and the smile curling his full lips was borderline devastating. “I dabble.” He said, “But I suppose the question is do you know tap?”“Sort of.” She knew ballet, her waltz was decent, and she knew some jazz, but the events she attended with her parents so rarely had occasions where she could bust out a jazz routine, so her skill was capped at the most basic of steps.“But first,” He left for about a minute, returning with two tiny glasses filled with a clear bubbly liquid. He lifted one of them and handed it to her, “Liquid courage.” He said, tossing back his own shot in one go and barely grimacing at what Mikasa was sure was a rather strong drink. “You ever taken a gin shot, princess?”“Never.”Eren’s smirk grew wider at the apprehension in her expression as she stared at the shot. She was far from a novice at drinking, but she had never tried anything quite this strong. Sasha would surely scold her for her recklessness, but knowing her friend, she would ask for all the juicy details right after her lecture. She looked once more at the glass, watching the liquid pop and bubble invitingly at her, and with a sharp inhale, she tipped her head back and downed the drink, immediately regretting it and wincing at the bitterness.“Heavens, that tasted awful.” She coughed into her elbow, cringing at the slightly sour taste that lingered after the shot.“Nobody drinks straight gin for the taste.” Eren laughed, and he took her hand once more, “Now, shall we?”—Mikasa’s heels were in tatters by the end of the night.After a few minutes of dancing, she figured that first drink didn’t actually taste as terrible as she thought, and begged Eren for another. They both tossed back seconds, then thirds, and Eren, though tipsy himself, recognised that three shots had a far more potent effect on Mikasa than on him, and barred her from drinking for the remainder of their night. They’d danced and danced and danced until their breaths were heavy and their feet were sore. It had taken a moment of sobering up for Eren to finally come to his senses enough to call it a night, and after exchanging drunken goodbyes with their friends, they walked out of the hall and out into the fresh air together, Mikasa stumbling and tripping as she walked, thanks to her broken heel.Feeling bright and giggly from the alcohol and the heady atmosphere of the dance hall, she kicked off her uncomfortable shoes and marched out into the night, Eren following closely behind her.“So,” He started, her heels swinging in his hands, “Have you enjoyed living my life for the night?”“Tonight has been wonderful.” She said breezily. “I never imagined a violin could make music like that.”“I believe they call it a fiddle.” Eren corrected.Mikasa waved him off, “It’s the same thing. Technically, the only real difference is the style it’s played in, some of the sheet music I have at home have alternative scripts for the different variants of— ouch!” She stumbled over a bump in the cobblestone, and very nearly fell forwards before Eren steadied her.“Are you okay?” He crouched down at the same time she did, watching her roll down her stocking and turning his head to stop himself from staring at her legs as she did.“Sh@t.” She cursed, inspecting the tiny cut on the underside of her foot. Eren reared back, stunned. It was the first he’d heard her swear.“What?” She challenged, “Just because I choose not to curse like a sailor doesn’t mean I don’t know how.”Eren had no choice but to laugh, his girl had a sharp tongue when drunk. He hadn’t realised when he’d started thinking of her as ‘his girl’, but he discovered that he liked the ring of it very much. He lowered himself onto the ground, patting his back. “Hop on.”“Oh,” Mikasa squeaked, “I couldn’t I—““I’m not letting you walk back barefoot.” He said matter-of-factly, “I promised I’d return you in one piece.”After another moment’s hesitation, she stumbled forward, and tugging her dress upwards, wrapped her arms around his neck, and jumped on his back.Eren lifted her with unimaginable ease, and they started back to the manor at a steady pace, Mikasa with her legs curled around his midriff, her head resting comfortably against his shoulder.“I wish we could do this every night.” She murmured into his neck, her words thick with sleep. “It’s such a shame.”Eren understood exactly what she meant. After tonight, she would go back to her life and he would return to his. It really was a shame. He hadn’t realised how much he had grown to like her over the course of the night. He liked the way she rambled when she got to topics that excited her, the way she didn’t hesitate to put him in his place. He loved that she liked his friends, and judging from the way they laughed and joked with her during their poker games, he was certain they liked her too. She had this quiet confidence about her, she fit in his life like she had always been there, like his entire existence had been leading to him meeting her. And now that he had met her, he felt as though he could summarise his life in two parts: Before her, and After her. How on earth was he supposed to go back to Before, now that he had known what After had been like?—Mikasa had sobered enough on the walk to realise what the arrival back at her home signalled for them.“We’re here.” Eren whispered to her, and bent slightly to let her down.The second Mikasa’s feet touched the smooth patio just outside her bedroom window, her stomach squirmed with discomfort at the thought of never seeing him again. She knew the experience didn’t exactly get to the root of her original aim of understanding what his life was like, because in all of this, she realised that despite spending hours with him and his circle of friends, she still didn’t know all that much about him, not even how old he was. It all felt so unfinished. There was still so much to discover about him. Besides, she still couldn’t put her finger on what shade of green his eyes were!She stepped towards him, pulling off his jacket and holding it out to him. “Thank you for tonight, I really had a—“Eren would never know what she’d intended to say to him, because her words faded into an indiscernible mumble when he lowered his head and brought his lips to hers.And in that moment, it felt as though the world had stilled just for them.
Her arms wound themselves around his neck, pulling him into her as his fingers skittered over the length of her dress. She had never been kissed before, and she revelled in that fact, took pleasure in the knowledge that no matter what came of them after tonight, he would forever have this first. He reached a hand to her face, his thumb against her chin almost inquisitive as he angled her mouth open. Mikasa, understanding instantly, opened for him, allowing his tongue to roam free, tasting the lingering tang of the gin they shared hours prior.  It was then that Mikasa knew that she would never kiss anybody else again. That, she was sure of. It would never measure up to this. She had never wanted anybody the way she wanted him, and there was no way she could ever let him go. This was far from finished.The clang of the clock tower bell forced the pair to reluctantly pull away, breathing heavily and glancing up at each other with sheepish smiles.She linked her fingers with his, “Goodnight, Eren.”He leaned down once more, lifting their joined hands and leaving one last lingering kiss on the tops of her knuckles. “Sweet dreams, Mikasa.”—Neither of them had chosen to say goodbye, because both of them knew that it wasn’t goodbye. Not really.'
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