Title: Cold

Words: 816 (original) | 3,223 (edited)

100 Prompts: Cold

A/N: Y'all I'm having a field day with chapter 50 haha. I'm also having way too much fun revisiting these old drabbles and making them full oneshots.

So this one is set when they're hiding out in that cabin after the Wall Rose invasion and the smiling titan incident. I'm so soft for Levi and Mikasa's relationship, I wish they were closerrrrrr. I wanted to play with the idea of hot/cold since last time she was cold, Eren was there to help her out. Now she has two boys that (should lol) love her and it warms my heart haha.

12:03 AM

Mikasa sighed in exasperation.

She tossed and turned in bed for another twenty minutes before realizing that just laying around wasn't going to help her fall asleep anytime soon. Her thin sheets slipped off of her feet when she attempted to pull them up to her nose. And when she tried to trap the blanket beneath her feet and stretch the top to her face, her hand slipped. She whimpered from the pain of punching herself in the forehead.

A gust of wind blew one of the windows open and she was the only one in the room that sat up, alarmed. The two girls she shared a room with were way too deep asleep to notice and she envied them for it. They resided on opposite corners of the room, whereas Mikasa's bed was towards the center, directly in mother nature's line of fire.

With a groan, she slid off of her bed and went to close it, cursing the winds as they slapped her in the face. It wasn't even close to winter; the gods just wanted to smite her tonight.

Maybe this is what she gets for calling Levi a chibi this morning.

She closed the window successfully, surprised that the loud slam had not woken up her roommates. She leaned against the wall, exhaling deeply, her hands hugging herself as the jolting pain reminded her that her ribs were still healing from the incident.

Mikasa muttered a string of profanities under her breath from frustration at the situation; she couldn't even close a damn window without getting the wind knocked out of her (no pun intended). She tried to take a deep breath, but her breathing staggered from the pain. She sauntered back to her bed, carefully sliding in.

12:20 AM

It had been a few days since the Wall Rose invasion, and things were kept on the downlow. She was glad she still had a handful of her friends at this point, and thankful that they were blessed with some time to recuperate from their losses.

Still, the image of the smiling titan reaching down at her and Eren burned in her mind, the memory still fresh as ever. It had brought up rather unpleasant memories for her, as she was forced to face a traumatizing moment from her childhood.

Suddenly, she felt even colder.

Mikasa opened her eyes again, hoping it would wash away the flashbacks she saw in the dark behind closed eyes. She turned to her side and curled up into herself, the thin blanket (if it could even be considered a blanket, this damn sheet) bundled up where her hands supported her face. Her back was now open to the chill in the room.

Her mind flickered to Eren, as she considered how much more traumatizing that might have been for him. She wondered if he was sound asleep right now.

As thoughts of him slowly took over her mind, she felt her eyes close slowly. A slight warmth made its way through her body, starting from her stomach, spreading in both directions, until she felt it in her ears.

She remembered that stupid, adorable look on his face when she put- no, slammed- all the cards on the table and told him everything she had felt for him. She thanked him, told him how important exactly he was to her, and hoped to whatever higher being there was that Eren read between the lines.

He must have, she concluded, because with the way that he looked at her, there was no way he didn't get it.

And, oh, the way that he was leaning towards her when she thanked him for wrapping the scarf around her brought on a tingling feeling that accompanied the warmth she felt in her lower half.

She might have felt a little embarrassed at first, considering the way that moment was ruined. She was oh so close, and her intentions were clear in what her next move was going to be – and yet, he pulled back.

Granted, he had pulled back to save her. His stubbornness refused to let that be it for them, and his gesture was accompanied by a promise. If they both hadn't almost died that day and they weren't totally hiding out to save their lives in a shitty, freezing cabin tonight, she would almost say she was living like a fairytale with her dreamy knight in shining armor.

Or maybe she was just romanticizing the whole situation again, but damn it, it sure was helping her fall asleep.

12:34 AM

Just as Mikasa felt the sweet release of sleep take her into its arms, she heard the door creak behind her. Though she tried to ignore it at first, she then felt a steady gust of wind coming from the window in the hallway that was now making its way through her door. It blew gently against her exposed back.

Irritated at the size of the damn sheet she was given, she turned around to face the door.

It was fine, for a minute or so, until the opening of the door just got bigger as more air pushed through. Her ears and nose felt the nasty chill, and she took a deep breath to try to relax and warm herself up.

For fuck's sake, she just wanted to sleep.

When ignoring it just wasn't enough and she felt her teeth colliding from the cold, and the goosebumps through her long-sleeved dress-shirt, she sighed. She could see her breath in the air when she exhaled. The way her lean frame shivered made the sharp pains in her ribcage difficult to ignore.

This was ridiculous. It wasn't even this cold last night or this morning. A cold front must have decided that it was the perfect time to torment her, when she knew they had training and cleaning to do as soon as the sun came up.

She wondered how the other girls fell asleep so easily.

Mikasa glanced as Sasha, a loaf of bread in her hand as she decorated the quiet air with her soft snores. She must have passed out easily after eating more than she should have. Being well fed definitely meant more warmth. She immediately regretted giving her second portion to Sasha at supper.

She looked over to Historia, who was graced with the only extra blanket. They said something about treating the future queen right and her small frame being even more susceptible to the cold. Mikasa's face fell; she couldn't even be mad about that.

She remembered her other roommates back in their training days, when the military barracks had better air conditioning. Even in the harsh winters they managed to get some sleep in the cold. Annie always managed to steal extra blankets, and she remembered how Mina always slept in the corner bed, away from all the doors and windows and vents.

How did she get so unlucky this time?

Then she remembered how Ymir managed. She was never in her own damn bed; always welcomed in by Historia as they cuddled up together most nights.

That's it!

How had she not thought of this before?

"Of course," she sat up, rubbing her arms for warmth, "body heat."

12:54 AM

Mikasa hesitated for a moment, grimacing once again as her attempts to stand up reminded her of her damned injury. She weighed her options for a minute, wondering if he was even awake right now. And if he wasn't, she would have to wake up him.

Eren was weird about being woken up. He could stay up like the night owl he is, but interrupt his sleep and he'd start whining and that temper of his would show itself. When another strong gust of wind slapped her in the face and caused her to shudder painfully, she decided she'd deal with the complaining. She grabbed the thin sheets discarded behind her and wrapped it around her shoulders.

The cold floor numbed her bare feet with each step as the wind taunted her on the way to the boys' room. The cool air that she inhaled made it much more difficult to breathe, as painful as it already was.

A moment of hesitation caught her as she eyed the stupid window at the end of the hallway, considering just closing the damn thing and crawling back into her own bed.

Then a figure came up behind her, and Mikasa let out what sounded like a cross between a gasp and a curse.

"The hell are you doing up?" the voice drawled.

"Levi," she exhaled, rubbing at her chest that now ached from being startled.

"-Heichou," he corrected, bringing the cup of tea up to his mouth. He observed her intently as she regained composure, but she still looked so fragile. Her fingers gripped tightly at the sheet-cape that decorated her thin shoulders. He scowled, it was very unlike her.

"I was…cold." The young soldier explained, quite abashedly. She hated admitting this kind of weakness, especially to her captain who thought so highly of her. Levi's gaze shifted to the window across the hall and he sighed when he noticed her arms supporting her torso. She was still in pain, and the breeze was coming at her full force. Suddenly, his strongest soldier, his star apprentice, his protégé, looked so frail. He hated it.

Handing her the half-full warm cup in his hands, he trudged over to lock the large window once and for all.

"Thank you," she smiled, full of relief and reached out to hand him his cup once again.

He didn't take it. "Take a sip. It'll warm you up."

Her eyebrows shot up at his generosity; it was quite out of character, this whole interaction. "Are you sure?" she hesitated.

"Before I change my mind." He watched her bring the cup up to her mouth, an eyebrow raised as she used two hands. She looked like a child.

Mikasa felt the perfect warmth of the liquid glide smoothly down her throat and into her stomach, the warming effects spreading through her entire body. She felt the sleep-inducing herbs in the tea cradle her gently, and suddenly she forgot what time it was.

"Thank you," she says again softly, and Levi grunts gently in response.

He observes her for a moment. He notices how even this late at night, she's holding herself like she has a point to make and people to impress. Regardless, Mikasa's troubled eyes reveal to him more than she'd like to let on.

"You okay?" he asks, and it wasn't out of obligation. She's wearing a look on her face that he's seen way too many times in the mirror.

The question takes her a bit by surprise. First the tea, and now he's asking her about her wellbeing?

She liked soft Levi; he was acting like a big brother. Maybe he just was a lot nicer this late at night. She could get used to this.

"I think so," Mikasa contemplates, taking another sip. "It just hurts."

"Your injury, or…?"

"Both," she admits, understanding his question before he hesitates to ask it in full. "It's hard to sleep sometimes."

He seems to comprehend without further explanation. "It's not an easy job, kid. You're doing just fine," he crosses his arms and watches as a smile tugs at her lips. "As for your boyfriend-"

"Oh," she interrupts him, embarrassed, "he's not…" she feels her cheeks and ears become filled with warmth, and it's definitely not from the tea. She stares at her reflection in the liquid, flustered. When she looks up, Levi is just staring back, eyebrow raised.

"But, um," is all she can say next. And then, "thank you, heichou."

Levi's face falls. "You say that too much."

Mikasa chuckles softly, the warmth of his kindness surging through her. She curls the tips of her fingers around the circumference of the cup once more. "I guess I do."

"Listen Eren, thank you-"

"Go to sleep, Ackerman. You have to be up early tomorrow."

"Ah, yessir," she answers affectionately, causing him to roll his eyes. She hands the cup back to him and watches as his (smaller) hand grabs it from the top in a crane-like motion. Mikasa realizes a second too late that there's no way he'd drink from that again.

Except he does. Granted, it was one small sip, before he walks it over to the sink. She wants to smile so bad, her anxieties from being up so late suddenly eased. She's ready to retire to bed once more.

Realizing that she's just standing there awkwardly, Mikasa forces herself to move. They walk past each other and Levi watches her walk in the opposite direction of the girls' room.

"Wait, isn't your room…" his eyebrows came together in confusion. But then he realizes she probably is aware of where she's going, "nevermind." He shakes his head, disappearing into his own quarters.

Mikasa felt her cheeks warm up as she pushed the door open to the room.

1:26 AM

Careful not to wake any of the other boys, Mikasa easily spots Eren's bed. She steps towards him and onto a creaky floorboard.

"Damn," she curses as a head pops up from one of the beds in the farthest corner. It's just Armin. The blond rubbed at his eyes to get a clearer vision of the intruder.

"Sorry," she whispered, gesturing for him to go back to sleep. When he saw it was just Mikasa, he flopped back down on his pillow.

She gently nudged at Eren's shoulder. At first, he just shifts his entire body, his shirt riding up. Mikasa looks away for a second to regain composure, her ears warming up against the cold air.

"Eren," she tries again, shaking him a little harder.

His eyes shoot open and he looks up at her. For a moment she finds it a little creepy that he is just laying there, looking at her with eyes wide open, but when his mind finally processes it's one of his best friends, he sighs. He ran a hand through his hair and pushed his palms against his eyes to wake up.

"Hi."

"Mikasa," he calls out to her, his voice deep and husky from just waking up. She shudders, but it might not have been from the cold. "What is it?"

She sat at the edge of his bed with her blanket still wrapped around her. "I couldn't sleep." She realizes how pathetic it sounds as soon as it leaves her mouth.

"Are you serious?" He tries to sound angry, but he's just so damn tired.

"Yeah, I…I'm sorry," she panics, and gets up to leave, but he catches her arm. Her hands are cold.

"What's wrong?" he looks up at her, now fully awake. He notices the way she's holding herself, assuming it was her injury that was bothering her again. "I told you not to do sit ups this morning."

She pouts, and he yawns. "It's not that."

"Then what is it?"

"It's cold..." she says quietly, unaware that she had just tugged at his heartstrings.

He blinks, and in a moment he sees nine year old Mikasa, tied up and bruised, repeating the same exact words. He scoots over on the small twin-sized bed and expects her to take the invitation and curl up to him like old times, but she doesn't.

Slightly annoyed (because if she's going to wake her up to sleep with him she might as well make it worth his time), he pulls her down to him gently, and drapes both blankets over their figures.

Under the sheets, he pulls her closer until her back is against his chest, careful not to irritate her injury. She's so close he can smell her hair. It smelled faintly of something floral, something like home. He suddenly never wants to let go.

She's shell-shocked considering they haven't been this close in a long time. This may have been a regular thing in their childhood, but there was a point where it wasn't exactly socially acceptable without any further implications.

"What are you-"

"It's cold, don't be stupid." he says, ignoring how warm his own ears were feeling. He felt her relax under his hold.

She hummed in response and set her arm atop his, tracing the top of his hand gently as he held her close. Although her hands and feet were indeed freezing, and she was shivering slightly at first, heat radiated through both of them.

It felt right, like a puzzle piece that he had been missing all along.

"G'night," he mutters, muffled by her hair.

"Good night."

6:30 AM

His eyes remained closed, but he knew it was time to get up.

He would never admit it to anyone, but that was probably the best sleep he has had in years. He could tell by the way his mind and body felt well rested enough to get up, while the comfort of the bed was just way too enticing.

The sun was shining through the window, threatening to open his eyes, and if he didn't get up soon, Levi would be in here any moment to drag him out of bed for training himself. He felt a weight shift beside him.

"Eren," Mikasa mumbles, stirring him awake.

His eyes flutter open to see her disheveled hair and flushed cheeks, eyes squinting as she, too, was working on waking up. He notices that his own clothes were feeling a little uncomfortable. She had kicked off both blankets in her sleep, exposing herself. Her sleeves had been rolled up and her dress was pulled up to her upper thighs, looking as if she had worn a large shirt to bed instead of her long, conservative nightgown.

His arm was still around her midsection, his leg carelessly rested between both of hers. She had turned around to face him at some point in the night, her hand on his chest the only thing between them. Their limbs were a tangled mess.

She was so close to him, it was mesmerizing. Plus, he just woke up; he felt his mind going in circles.

"Good morning," a third voice spoke up, sounding way too cheeky this early in the morning.

Eren panics a little, frowning at how exposed she looked, and in the boys' room no less.

He was quite thankful, however, that the blankets still covered his lower half, and that it looks like Connie and Jean had already gotten up and left the room for the morning (though, no doubt, he'd get so much shit for this at breakfast).

She looked so flustered in his bed, it was quite a sight to wake up to. He racks his brain to remember what exactly happened last night. It was a hazy memory, so he looked to Armin instead, who just stood there looking all smug as he made his bed.

"Sleep well?" The third musketeer asks, tongue in cheek.

Eren throws a pillow at him.

Beside him, Mikasa tries untangling herself from him, and he missed the warmth of her proximity, even though it felt like 90 degrees in his own bed. He looked at her questioningly. She pushed the hair that was sticking to her face.

"It's hot."