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Eren and Mikasa had never gotten along—at least, that’s what they both told themselves. It was easy for Mikasa to stay irritated with Eren; his smirks, his cocky attitude, his constant teasing. He always knew exactly what to say to get under her skin. And for Eren, Mikasa’s sharp tongue and the way she kept him at arm’s length made it all the more tempting to push her buttons.
Today, though, it was different.
They had just finished their chemistry assignment in class, and like clockwork, the banter began. Mikasa shot him a glare when Eren made a sarcastic remark about her answers. She had the sudden urge to slap him, but instead, she just rolled her eyes.
“You’re seriously so annoying,” she muttered, trying to ignore him.
Eren leaned back in his chair, looking entirely too pleased with himself. “I’m just trying to help you get those grades up, Mikasa. You know, being a good guy and all that.”
“Please,” she snapped. “You’re the last person I need help from.”
He shrugged, grinning like a cat who’d just eaten the canary. “You say that, but you secretly enjoy the attention. Don’t lie.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I do not.”
With a smug smirk, Eren pulled out his phone, unlocking it with a flick of his thumb. He glanced at Mikasa, his grin widening. “I wonder how long it’ll take for you to see this.”
Before she could ask, he posted something on Instagram—a picture of himself, just the right angle, flexing slightly in front of a mirror, his shirt lifted just enough to catch a glimpse of his abs. The caption was just as smug: “When you’re too hot to care.”
Mikasa froze, her eyes instantly snapping to his phone screen. Her heart skipped a beat, but she quickly masked it with a scoff.
“You’re ridiculous,” she said, though her voice faltered ever so slightly.
Eren had gotten the reaction he wanted—he could tell by the way her cheeks flushed a subtle shade of pink. She was trying not to look, but she couldn’t help it.
She rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her work, trying to ignore the feeling of heat rising in her face. She hated the way he could do this to her, the way his teasing always left her flustered and irritated.
Later that evening, Mikasa found herself in her room, the weight of the day’s stress still hanging over her. She’d been working nonstop—school, assignments, extracurriculars—and it felt like everything was closing in on her. She just needed a moment to herself.
Slipping into comfortable clothes, Mikasa threw herself on the bed, her thoughts swirling. Her mind kept drifting back to that picture Eren posted—his smug expression, his confidence, the way he knew it would get under her skin. And it worked. She couldn’t deny the way it affected her.
The truth was, part of her hated how much she was drawn to him, even though she’d never admit it. She had her own way of handling the mounting tension inside her—by distracting herself, by focusing on her tasks, by shutting him out. But today, it was different. She couldn’t seem to shake the image of Eren, so close, so confident.
And so, for once, Mikasa allowed herself to indulge in her own thoughts, just for a few minutes. She reached for her phone, her thumb swiping across the screen to open his post again. It was just a picture, but she couldn’t help but study it, feeling a strange mix of admiration and frustration.
Mikasa turned over onto her side, sinking into the warmth of her blankets. Her mind wandered for a moment longer before she shook her head, trying to push away the thoughts of Eren and how he could make her feel—how he made her want to fight him one minute and kiss him the next.
The sound of her phone buzzing on the nightstand interrupted her thoughts, and Mikasa groaned, not wanting to deal with whatever it was. She reached over lazily, unlocking it to find a message from Sasha, teasing her about Eren’s latest post.
“You’ve got it bad, Mikasa,” the text read, with a wink emoji attached.
Mikasa bit her lip, staring at the screen, trying to suppress the warmth creeping up her neck. She couldn’t believe she was letting him get to her like this.
The next few days were a blur for Mikasa, each moment spent trying to avoid Eren while still feeling his presence everywhere. It wasn’t that she wanted to ignore him—no, that would be too easy—but the growing tension between them was undeniable. Eren was everywhere she turned: in the hallways, in class, and especially on her phone. Every time she checked, his last message loomed in her mind.
She couldn’t believe she had finally admitted it to him—maybe she was interested. The words had slipped out in the heat of the moment, but the gravity of it settled in as she replayed the conversation over and over.
It was a Friday afternoon when things finally came to a head. Mikasa was sitting alone in the school courtyard, trying to get some homework done while keeping her thoughts occupied. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she nearly ignored it, knowing it was probably just a random text or something from Sasha. But when she saw the name on the screen—Eren—her pulse quickened against her will.
She opened it without hesitation.
“So… you admit it now, huh?”
Mikasa’s heart skipped a beat. She hated how easily he could get under her skin.
She typed back quickly, trying to play it cool. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“You’re telling me that last message didn’t mean anything?” he responded immediately, his usual playful arrogance creeping into his words. “I’m starting to think you’re just as bad as me, Mikasa.”
The corner of Mikasa’s mouth twitched, her fingers hovering over the screen as she tried to compose herself. “Stop playing around, Eren.” But the truth was, she didn’t want him to stop.
Before she could think too hard about it, another message pinged on her phone.
“What if I’m not playing around? What if I’m serious?”
The sudden seriousness of his tone made Mikasa pause. Her mind was racing, and her breath caught in her throat. The familiar tug in her chest—the same feeling she had every time she argued with him or shared one of their heated moments—was stronger than ever. This wasn’t just about some trivial high school rivalry anymore. This was… something else.
She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, trying to push the thoughts away. “You’re impossible.”
“But you love it,” Eren replied, his confidence radiating from the screen.
Mikasa didn’t respond immediately. Her heart was pounding in her ears. The fight, the tension, the chemistry—it was all too much to ignore now. She didn’t know why she kept fighting it. Maybe it was because everything between them had always been so volatile. Maybe it was because they had spent years refusing to admit what was really there.
But Eren’s words, the way he knew exactly what buttons to push, was getting to her. And she hated it.
She turned her phone off, tossing it into her bag as if it were the simplest thing in the world to ignore him. But the moment her eyes met his across the courtyard, that all-too-familiar smirk spreading across his face, she couldn’t help the surge of heat that rushed to her cheeks.
“You’re really something else,” Mikasa muttered under her breath, trying to hide her discomfort, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away. There was something magnetic about him, something she hated but was undeniably drawn to.
Eren leaned against the stone wall, arms crossed, his eyes never leaving hers. “Am I, Mikasa?” His voice was low, playful, but there was something else there now—something she couldn’t quite name. The usual teasing tone was gone, replaced by something more intense.
For a moment, neither of them said anything. The space between them felt charged, like a storm about to break. Mikasa’s chest tightened as her breath grew shallow. She wanted to look away, but she couldn’t.
“You know,” Eren finally broke the silence, pushing off the wall and stepping closer, “I never really thought you’d be into me. But now? Now I’m not so sure.”
Mikasa stood frozen for a moment, the words sinking in. The realization that maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t entirely wrong, sent a shiver down her spine. But before she could respond, Eren was right there, standing too close for comfort.
“You’re not fooling anyone, Mikasa,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. “You feel it too, don’t you?”
The air around them seemed to pulse, thick with unsaid words, the years of built-up tension finally coming to a boiling point. Mikasa’s heart raced, her body caught between instinct and reason. She wanted to push him away, tell him to get lost, but the way he looked at her, the intensity of his gaze, made her feel like she was standing on the edge of something she wasn’t sure she could pull back from.
Instead, she did the only thing she could think to do—she pushed him away, hard, stumbling back a step.
“Don’t act like you know everything about me, Eren,” she snapped, though it came out quieter than she meant.
His grin never faltered. “I think I know exactly what you need, Mikasa.”
She turned on her heel, walking away before she could lose her nerve, but Eren’s voice followed her.
“Same time tomorrow, Mikasa?”
And though she didn’t turn back, she couldn’t help the small, knowing smile that tugged at her lips.
The simmering tension between them was only growing stronger, but Mikasa wasn’t sure if she was ready to deal with it. The heat in her chest, the way her body reacted to his proximity—it was all too much. But with each passing day, it became harder to ignore.
The next day felt like a slow-motion replay of everything that had happened between them. Mikasa couldn’t shake the feeling that something was different now. Maybe it was the way Eren’s words lingered in her mind. Maybe it was the heat in her chest that wouldn’t subside. Whatever it was, Mikasa knew she couldn’t ignore it anymore.
She was sitting in her usual spot in the library, trying to focus on her notes, but the words on the pages were just background noise to the thoughts swirling in her head. Eren had gotten under her skin in ways she couldn’t explain, and the more she tried to push it away, the more it pulled her back in.
Her phone buzzed, pulling her from her thoughts. She glanced at the screen.
“What’s up, Mikasa?”
The message was from Eren. She couldn’t help the sigh that escaped her lips, a mix of frustration and… something else. She didn’t want to reply. She really didn’t. But the more she stared at the words, the more she felt her resolve slipping.
“What do you want, Eren?” she typed back quickly, trying to sound indifferent.
“Just checking in to see how you’re doing. Also, I was thinking about what you said yesterday…”
Her heart skipped a beat at the mention of their last conversation. She remembered his teasing tone, the way his eyes locked onto hers with that dangerous intensity. She could still feel the heat radiating from him, even from a distance.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
The phone buzzed again, this time with an image attached. Mikasa hesitated for a moment before tapping the screen to reveal the photo. It was a selfie of Eren, grinning confidently, his shirt slightly askew, hair tousled just enough to make his look effortlessly attractive. The message that followed made her stomach flip.
“I mean that I’ve been thinking about you, Mikasa.”
Mikasa’s breath caught in her throat. Her fingers hovered over her phone as she stared at the screen, heart pounding in her chest. She wanted to be angry, to call him out for being so forward, but the truth was, she was completely caught off guard.
“You’re unbelievable.”
“But you like it,” came his immediate reply.
She almost laughed at how confident he sounded. But there was something more in his words this time—something deeper than the usual teasing. Something… genuine.
Before she could respond, another message came in, this one shorter. “Meet me after school. We need to talk.”
Mikasa didn’t even think about it. Her heart beat faster, and a strange feeling of anticipation filled her.
“Fine.” She hit send, already regretting it as she saw the three dots appear, signaling he was typing again.
“See you, Mikasa.”
The moment the bell rang, signaling the end of the day, Mikasa packed her things quickly, her mind already racing. She had no idea what to expect. The tension between her and Eren had reached a breaking point, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready for whatever would come next.
When she arrived at the spot where they’d agreed to meet, she saw him standing against the wall, looking casual but intense. The moment their eyes met, Mikasa felt the air between them crackle with something unfamiliar, something that made her pulse race.
“Hey,” she said, her voice steady even though her heart was anything but.
Eren pushed off the wall and took a step closer. “Hey yourself.”
For a moment, they just stood there, locked in a stare. Neither of them said anything, but the silence between them was louder than any words.
“You know,” Eren finally spoke, his voice lower than usual, “I’ve been thinking a lot about what happened yesterday.”
Mikasa swallowed, trying to control the nervous energy in her body. “I told you I don’t—”
“I’m not talking about the fight,” he interrupted, taking another step closer. “I’m talking about us. I don’t think we’ve ever really talked about it, have we?”
Her breath caught in her throat. She knew what he was getting at, and part of her wanted to run. But another part—the part she had tried to ignore for so long—was urging her to stay.
“You’re right,” Mikasa said, her voice barely above a whisper. “We haven’t.”
Eren took one more step, closing the distance between them. “You know, Mikasa, I’ve always hated how you get under my skin. But now?” He paused, looking at her with an intensity that made her heart race. “Now I think I might like it.”
Mikasa’s breath hitched, her pulse racing. She should have said something, anything, but all she could do was stand there, frozen in place, as Eren’s eyes darkened with desire.
“I think I’ve been waiting for this moment,” he said softly, reaching out to gently cup her face, his thumb brushing over her cheek. “And I don’t want to wait anymore.”
Before Mikasa could react, his lips were on hers. It was soft at first, a tentative kiss that sent a shiver down her spine. But then, as if some invisible barrier had broken between them, the kiss deepened, and all the unspoken tension between them surged to the surface. Eren’s hand slid to the back of her neck, pulling her closer, and Mikasa’s hands instinctively moved to his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart.
Everything was heightened in that moment—the taste of his lips, the warmth of his body pressed against hers, the way his breath mixed with hers. It was messy and passionate, a culmination of everything they had both been holding back.
When they finally pulled apart, they were both breathing heavily, their faces flushed. Mikasa couldn’t believe what had just happened. For so long, she had kept this distance between them, but now it was like everything had been stripped away, leaving only the raw truth between them.
Eren leaned his forehead against hers, his eyes still closed, a soft smile tugging at his lips. “That’s what I’ve been trying to say.”
Mikasa let out a shaky breath, her heart still racing. “Yeah,” she whispered, “I get it now.”
And for the first time in a long time, the space between them felt just right. No more games, no more tension—just the two of them, standing on the edge of something real.