Variations on a Kiss

I.

A kiss on the cheek can be used to flirt, to pass a friendly greeting, or to say goodbye to someone you love.

"Eren, wait!" Her voice called out to him from behind.

He spun around and their eyes locked. Her dirt filled black hair stuck out in all directions. He winced when he noticed the thick red droplets of blood trickling down from her forehead and the tear tracks that stained her porcelain skin.

He watched as she took a couple of hesitant steps toward him, and then, she was running.

He closed his arms around her securely when he felt her body collide with his. He buried his face into her neck as he felt her own arms lock around his neck. In that moment, everything around him became irrelevant. The splitting screams and mangled cries of the battlefield faded to a dull buzz, and the stench of blood and death disappeared with his nose pressed firmly against her scarf. His scarf. Even so, it smelled like her. He closed his eyes, and for a second he tried to forget the human limbs and pools of blood that littered the ground around them. With his eyes scrunched shut, he couldn't see the darkened sky or gigantic monsters or the tears spilling from her beautiful charcoal eyes.

"Mikasa," he whispered. He could feel her shaking in his arms. "Hey," He pulled his head back. "Shhh. It's gonna be alright. We're gonna be alright," he promised soothingly. His voice sounded foreign and out of place with his own feelings. Truthfully, he was terrified, but he couldn't let her know that.

He retracted his arms from around her back and reached up to tuck a loose strange of hair behind her ear. "I promise."

"Please, Eren," her voice shook. "Be careful."

He nodded, leaning his forehead against hers and closing his eyes once more. "You too."

"Jaeger!" Levi's voice screamed from the distance. "Get your ass back over here! We need to move!"

The whimper that escaped her lips nearly broke his heart. It was so hard watching Mikasa, who had always been so stoic and strong, become so fragile. For the first time in years, he looked down at her face, twisted with fear and sadness, and saw that broken little girl he had saved all those years ago.

"I have to go," he spoke calmly. He cringed when he felt her soft hand close around his own.

Before he even realized what he was doing, he leaned over and pressed his lips against her cheek. He felt her tense against him at first before relaxing.

He pulled back slightly, his lips ghosting over the soft skin of her cheek.

"I'll be back, Mikasa," he whispered softly.

"Okay," she nodded. Behind those sad, broken eyes, he could see a glint of something else. Hope? Love?

He pulled away, instantly missing her warmth. With one last look, he turned away from her and finally let her hand slip out of his.

He ran, forcing himself not to look back.

He could still feel her gentle touch lingering against his skin.

II.

A kiss on the forehead is a sign of friendship and deep affection. It's often used as a starter kiss, and it may eventually develop into a deeper relationship.

His eyes remained fixed on the young girl lying unconscious before him.

She was lying on her back on top of the stiff, uncomfortable mattress. Her raven colored hair was splayed across the off-white pillow, and even though her eyes were closed, he could tell she was in so much pain. He cringed at the way her face twisted with agony. Beads of sweat slid down from her forehead. As he reached down to squeeze her cold, clammy hand, his eyes fell to the blood soaked bandages that covered her arms and waist.

He was sitting in an old wooden chair by the bed next to her. The dim candlelight illuminated her face, and strands of her beautiful black hair blew in the breeze from the open window.

It was late. Everyone else in the cabin had already gone to bed hours ago, but he just couldn't bring himself to leave her all alone.

When she let out a quiet, agonizing whimper, Eren felt something inside him break. The tears that had been pooling in his eyes spilled as he doubled over from a different kind of pain.

"Shhhh," he whispered. He squeezed her hand tighter, stroking his thumb across the soft skin. "You're okay," he felt his voice breaking. "You're gonna be okay, Mikasa."

It was almost as if he was trying to convince himself. Letting out a sigh of exhaustion, he reached up to wipe the tears off his chin.

Mikasa was strong. He knew that she was going to be alright, but it killed him to see her in such a frail, weakened state. She had always been so strong, which had honestly annoyed the hell out of him, but only because he should have been the one protecting her. He had made a promise to his mom after all. Yet, somewhere along the way, he had forgotten that even though she was skilled, stubborn, and strong, she too was not invincible, and he was ashamed that it took almost losing her like this for him to realize that.

He reached up and pressed his hand firmly against her damp forehead. His own hands were warm, preventing him from telling if she still had a fever or not. Gently, he brushed her hair back out of her face and reached for the cloth in the bucket of water next to her bed.

But then, she began to whimper again. Looking down at the broken girl beside him, he let out a choked sob. He felt so helpless. He would do anything to make those noises stop. He wanted to make the hurt fade away. He wanted those beautiful gray eyes to open, and he didn't want to see a trace of pain left in them.

Quietly, he pushed back the hair from her forehead and bent down close to her. He hovered above her for a moment before slowly pressing his lips against her hot, damp forehead, praying that it would help her.

He closed his eyes, keeping his lips pressed firmly against her wet skin. He pulled back slowly, lingering over her for a moment before opening his eyes.

And then, he watched in utter amazement as the muscles in her face relaxed and her soft cries faded to silence.

He let out a sigh of relief, feeling his own face soften into a smile at the sight.

And for a brief second, he could have sworn he felt her hand squeeze back.

III.

A kiss on the lips serves as an indication of deep love. It is used to show passion, romance, and deep affection between romantic partners.

It was midnight, and Eren was sitting alone outside of the wooden cabin Squad Levi had been occupying. After a mission, he always liked to come outside to think and clear his head. The peaceful stillness of night helped him forget the roar of the battlefield and the images of mangled body parts scattered across the bloodstained earth.

He sighed, leaning back to get a better look at the sky. It was clear tonight, allowing him to see thousands of stars twinkling like glitter against the dark canvas of night. He closed his eyes and appreciated the feeling of the breeze gently blowing through his hair and the way the grass tickled his skin. After a day filled with death, he reminded himself that this was what it felt like to be alive.

"Mind if I join you, Eren?" He jumped a little at the sudden disturbance but relaxed when he realized whom the voice belonged to.

"Mikasa," his face melted into a soft smile, "I thought you'd be asleep."

The pale white moonlight illuminated her beautiful facial features. Her full pink lips arched slightly upward into a gentle smile. Her charcoal gray eyes shone with amusement, most likely as a result of him being startled, and her shoulder-length strands of ebony hair danced softly in the breeze.

"Nope," she smiled. She plopped down on the ground next to him, pulling the brown jacket she was wearing tighter around her torso. He immediately recognized it as his own, which he had given to her a few weeks prior when the two of them had gone searching for wood together.

"It's a bit chilly out here," she noted.

He nodded in reply, welcoming a comforting silence between the two of them. He studied the way her eyes opened and closed and the way she bit down on her lower lip as if in deep concentration. He memorized the sound of her breathing and the way she gently tucked the strands of lose hair behind her ear. He wondered if she too was realizing that this was what it felt like to be alive.

They weren't kids anymore. The two of them were seventeen years old now. Old enough for him to understand how he felt about her.

He watched as she tilted her head up toward the sky. "Why are you out here anyway?" She asked.

He shrugged. "It's quiet. I just needed to think, I guess."

"About?" She prompted. He could feel her concerned eyes studying his face intently.

"Stuff," he answered vaguely. "You…me…stars," his eyes fell downward. He plucked a single blade of grass from the ground and pinched it securely between his fingers, "death."

"Oh," she nodded knowingly, "I understand."

Silence settled between the two of them for a minute or two before she spun herself around to face him directly.

Then, she whispered something so quietly that it had almost been lost in the breeze. "I'm sick of watching people die, Eren."

Her words were like being pierced by a dagger. He could feel it stinging uncomfortably from the inside, but he had to look down before he even realized that he had been bleeding all along. Coming outside at night like this was just his way of ignoring how much he was really hurting.

"Are you scared?" He whispered. He swallowed back the sob that threatened to escape his throat. Tears prickled at the corners of his eyes, but he refused to let them fall.

"Yes," she murmured softly. The tears rolling down her cheeks glistened in the moonlight.

"Yeah," he nodded solemnly, "me too."

He wiped her tears away with his hand, caressing her cheek before his hand settled beneath her chin. Gently, he tilted her head upward. Then, his lips were moving against hers. He watched her teary eyelashes flutter as her eyes shut.. It was needy and desperate, yet still filled with passion and love.

His arms snaked around her waist, pulling her tight up against his chest. Her own arms found their way around his neck as they kissed over and over again for the first time.

"This," he thought to himself, "is what it means to be alive."

IV.

A kiss on the hand is given by gently grasping someone's hand by the fingers and kissing the backside. This demonstrates respect, adoration, and kindness.

"Daddy!" He felt a small hand tugging at the bottom of his shirt. "Daddy come play princess with me!"

Eren looked down fondly at the four-year-old girl in front of him. She looked so much like her mother. Her short black hair stuck out in two messy, uneven pigtails. He smiled at the way her lips pouted out and her gray eyes twinkled with life and innocence. How could he say no to her?

Slowly, he crouched down to her eye level and reached for one of her little chubby hands. It felt so soft and small in his own worn, calloused ones. He took a moment to be grateful her hands would never have to do the things his had.

Slowly, he brought it up to his lips and kissed it.

"Well then," he smiled with adoration, "it's an honor, Princess Carla."

She giggled playfully. Her pigtails bounced as she skipped over to the makeshift table she had prepared. He noticed that the little yellow ribbon on her baby blue dress was coming undone and made a mental note to fix it for her later. The summer sun shone brightly though the open window of their little cabin out in the woods. A gentle summer breeze blew in, and he sighed with contentment.

It had been five years since the fall of the titans, and so much had happened. The remaining members of the Survey Corps had gone on one last expedition outside the walls, exploring the outside world freely for the first time. Eren married Mikasa as soon as they returned from the journey, and the two had built a cabin out in the woods just outside of Wall Maria. Carla was born almost a year later, and the three had lived peacefully together as a family ever since. Between his adventures, "Uncle" Armin visited them from time to time, which was something Carla always looked forward to.

"Come on, Daddy!" Carla motioned for him to come sit on the floor next to her.

He chuckled a little before plopping down next to his daughter. He smiled at the way she pretended to pour tea for the two of them while she hummed quietly to herself.

"Here Daddy," she reached behind her and held up a beaded necklace, "wear this."

He took the string of beads from her and placed it around his neck. He knew better than to question her by now. Carla was headstrong and stubborn just like her mother.

"Now it's time to fix your hair!" She stood up, clapping her hands together.

"Carla, sweetheart," he grabbed her hand, "is that really necessary?"

"Of course!" She raked the brush through his tangled hair. He cringed as it pulled at his scalp. "You want to look pretty, don't you?"

"I suppose," he laughed. He didn't even want to know how silly he looked.

"Eren! Carla!" Mikasa's voice rang from the kitchen. "It's time for dinner!"

Eren could hear floorboards creaking and his wife's footsteps getting closer and closer. Then, she was standing in the doorway, looking down on them with surprise.

"Hi Mommy!" Carla greeted her happily. "Want to play with us?"

Eren could see the smile tugging at the corner of his wife's lips. "Not now, sweetie," she answered gently. "Go to the kitchen and wash up, okay?"

The young girl nodded and pushed her way passed her mom to the kitchen.

"Don't say anything," Eren eyed his wife once the four-year-old was out of sight.

"Eren," she held a hand up to her mouth to stifle the laughs. "You look ridiculous! What are you two doing, anyways?"

"We were playing princess," he smiled, "and you missed out on all the fun."

"Well," she rolled her eyes, "maybe after dinner, I want to play princess too."

"That," he smiled charmingly, reaching out for her hand, "would be lovely," He brought it up to his lips and kissed it just as he had done with Carla, "Queen Mikasa."

Through her teasing, he could see a genuine smile slowly spread across her face.

"You," she tugged at his hand, turning toward the door, "are a dork."

And silently, he let her lead him into the warm light of the kitchen.

XX

Information on types of kisses taken from typesofkisses dot net.

Hi guys! This was written for Eremika Fluff Week, meaning I will be posting a series of oneshots here all week. I may or may not continue to update after Eremika Fluff Week is over. Thank you for reading! Reviews are welcome and appreciated but don't feel obligated.

-Eremika