#EVE’s scream for Wall-E whenever they get hurt gives me life

[purritobastard]

I am completely Normal about Wall-E and EVE, what are you talking about???

[yodawgiherd]

Overcoming Obstacles pt.2

Rating: T

>>>Read on AO3<<<

The second part (and ending) of that old WIP, hope you guys will like it x) More importantly, Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

Enjoy & Till next time!

“E-Eren..”, she took an involuntarily step back upon noticing him, hugging the books she was holding closer to her chest. Mikasa wasn’t ready for this, not now, not ever.

“What are you doing here?”

“You’ve been avoiding me.”, he stated, matter-of-factly, pushing himself away from the wall he leaned at while waiting for her class to end, “For days by now. May I know why?”

The walls were closing in from all sides, and Mikasa could feel her heartbeat quickening. Out of all things, being confronted about her behavior was one she didn’t enjoy. Especially when she couldn’t really respond to any questions Eren might have, for the sole reason that she didn’t know the right answer either.

“I just needed spa-space, I think…”

“I can respect that,” Eren agreed, “but I feel like an honest conversation would do us both better than pretending that I ceased to exist.”

“I…Uhm..”

Seeing that she didn’t know what to say, he took the lead.

“First of all, I want to apologize for overstepping, it shouldn’t have happened.”

“You don’t have to,” Mikasa was shaking her head, “It was nothing.”

“Then why? Why did you start ignoring me?”, Eren took a step towards her, green eyes intense, “Mikasa, please, I want to understand you…”

“Because…Because…”

He was too close. This was happening too fast. Mikasa almost felt like fainting as she took an instinctive step backward, away from Eren and his burning desire for her to open up to him. Seeing her retreat, he stopped, giving her the space she craved. Yet everything still felt awkward, from the way Eren looked at her to the sound her rings made when they clicked against the metal circles piercing the upper part of her ear, the two types of jewelry brought together as Mikasa nervously smoothed a strand of her hair behind the ear.

“Because this was never going to work.”, she finally squeezed out, saying it more to the ground then to Eren, unable to meet his eyes.

“Why?”

“Just look at you!”, Mikasa finally snapped, gaze shooting up to his, “You can have any girl you want, looking the way you do, why would you ever waste your time on someone like me?”

The sudden intensity in her words has taken Eren by surprise, making him blink a few times.

“Someone like you? What do you mean by that?”

With a groan, Mikasa gestured up and down herself, hoping that he’ll understand her point.

“I’m weird, Eren, and not in a good way. I dress weird, I listen to weird music, I spend way too much of my time at the gym, I’m not good at socializing and terrible at talking to anyone. I have one hundred and one problems which I never share, and whenever anything comes up that I don’t know how to deal with I close it up inside myself.”, she shook her head, “And that’s just the opening part of the whole list of problems in me.”

Yet her rant didn’t move Eren, who kept looking at her with the same tender expression.

“So?”

“I just listed you a number of things why you should stop wasting your time on me and that’s the best you can come up with? So?”

He shrugged.

“That list? It’s nothing we can’t work through.”

Damn, he still didn’t understand.

“Eren, I..”

“Back when we were dating, I thought that it was obvious that you are more to me than some kind of one-night stand or a short fling. But if you didn’t catch it, then let me say it out loud: I want to get to know you, Mikasa Ackerman, I want to earn your trust and respect, and I want you to want me as a partner. With you, it was never about anything less than that.”

Eren tried taking another step towards her, but Mikasa backed off again, desperate.

“No! you just… You just can’t!”

“I can’t what?”

“You can’t like me!”

While Mikasa was on the edge of screaming,  frustrated by his boneheadedness, Eren seemed completely composed for once.

“Why is that?”

“Because… Because I said so.”

“So I can’t like you for who you are because you said so. Huh..”

He was giving her a fucking headache with this. Dull pain behind her eyes, Mikasa pressed a hand against her forehead, still retreating, away from Eren and his determination to want her, away from his reasons and willingness to be there for her.

“It’s better this way.”, she said, convincing herself as much as him, “Leave me alone, just… just forget that anything happened between us, okay?”

When he did reply, it was hardly more than a whisper.

“I can’t do that.”

It didn’t matter. Eren would thank her one day, that she ended this failure of a relationship now before it had the chance to truly plant roots. Turning away, feeling the headache building, Mikasa walked away at a brisk pace, determined to reach her dorm room before the dams that held her tears back give way and she will break down crying. No-one had to see that, she was already the weird goth girl, she didn’t want to be known as the crying emo. It was the right thing to do, even if it hurt, and Mikasa was sure that she will get over it. One day.

“I just don’t understand it Armin, I thought everything was going great.”

The blond nodded knowingly at his friend, offering the brooding Eren a supportive shoulder squeeze.

“I felt like I was doing my best too, and now…”, Eren sighed, head dropping, “Now I’m not sure what to do.”

“Hm..”

“And I like her man, I don’t care what she says. I like her.”

“Hmm..”

“I didn’t mind that she was different, alt or something, I liked the things she wore too, the piercings, rings, the choker, everything. I think it looks cute.”

“Hmm”

“And…”

The list went on, with Eren listing all the stuff he liked on Mikasa while Armin just sat there with a hand on his shoulder, doing those neutral humming sounds to show that he’s listening to his friend’s ranting. In conclusion, Eren still had it bad for the girl who so unceremoniously dumped his ass, clearly unconvinced that Mikasa was as unlikeable as she apparently thought she was.

“I wish she would listen to me for a sec, but she just keeps talking about how wrong I am and how terrible she is.”, Eren sighed, finally finishing his speech, “It sucks man, it just sucks.”

Sensing a chance to say something apart from humming, Arming cleared his throat.

“Have you perhaps considered that while you like Mikasa, she is doing this for the simple reason of her not liking you back with this being her way of letting you know?”

That made Eren look up.

“You think?”

“Well, if I look at you two, there are certain… differences, that she might find too big to bear. You might find her style cute and all, but maybe she doesn’t find yours… compatible.”

“You’re saying I’m not goth enough for her?”

“Not the word I would pick but yes, basically. You have to admit that you two are not exactly similar in your way of life.”

Liking someone was great and all, but not even Eren was stupid enough to think that relationship was a one-way street. And if it was like this, it made sense that she was so eager to get rid of him. If Eren’s feelings for Mikasa weren’t reciprocated then… Then what the fuck was he supposed to do?

“Perhaps… Perhaps you’re right. I, uh, haven’t thought about that.”

Eren fell silent, staring into the distance before speaking again.

“Armin, how should I deal with finding out that the girl I really wanted doesn’t want me back.”

“I’m not sure I know the answer to that. What I do know, however, is that there is a party tonight, one that you should certainly attend to take your mind off Mikasa.”, he squeezed Eren’s shoulder again, “What do you say, wanna go there with me, clear your head?”

Sometimes, Eren felt like he didn’t even deserve having such a supportive friend that Armin was. Forcing a smile upon his face, one that was quite hard to conjure considering his currently heartbroken state, he nodded.

“Fine, let’s do that.”

Look, Mikasa didn’t want much from life right now. Just some quality time spent on her own, crying into the pillow while her music blasted from the speakers at too high of a volume. Yet the universe wasn’t prone to granting her even this simple of a wish, as her self-pity period was interrupted by her roommate knocking at the door.

“I know you’re in there Miks.”, Sasha did sound muffled from behind the wood, “Let me in.”

“Go away.”, the girl tried to drive her friend away, but knowing Sasha, it was a wasted effort.

“C’mon.”, the knock came again, more insistent, “Let’s talk.”

She wouldn’t give up, that was for sure. So giving in to the inevitable, Mikasa stood up from the bed, shuffling towards the door and turning the lock open. Sasha squeezed in almost immediately, eyes darting all over her friend’s visage and taking it all in. Full-on in passive mode, Mikasa just went to sit down on the bed, watching as Sasha lowered the music to a more acceptable volume before coming to sit next to her.

“Okay so…”, she leaned in, “What happened?”

“I don’t really want to talk about it…”, Mikasa replied dismissively , the memory still hurting.

Sasha clicked her tongue, unsure for a second before a new idea lit up in her mind. Leaving Mikasa to sit there on her own for a sec, she walked over to the table and retrieved something before coming back.

“Here, let’s make a deal.”, she suggested, “I’m going to clean the makeup from your face, because your eyeliner is totally ruined by the tears, and in turn, you’ll tell me what happened.”

She held up a wipe, eyeing the mess Mikasa had on her face, tear-streaked face with traces of eyeliner kinda everywhere.

“No rush.”, she cooed, gently tapping the soft material against her friend’s cheek, “Take your time.”¨

Sitting silently, Mikasa was organizing her thoughts while her face was getting cleaned, but before she could start speaking Sasha gasped, eyes widening.

“Jesus, what’s wrong with your eyes? I thought it’s just makeup but…”, she rubbed the skin more insistently with the wipe, but the shadow still wouldn’t come off, “are those….”

“Dark circles.”, Mikasa finished for her.

“Do you even sleep at all? Damn.”

“I’ve had trouble sleeping lately.. “, Mikasa sighed, ”the nightmares…”

“I thought it was getting better?”, Sasha queried, “Wasn’t it?”

“It was but then it got worse when… you know…”

“You two broke up?”

“Yes.”

It was rather selfish to think about him that way, but Mikasa couldn’t deny that she missed Eren’s dream-catching abilities, among other things. Rare enough to find a guy who was willing to share the bed with her without expecting anything of a more intimate nature to happen. His presence at her side allowed her to sleep better than usual, the nightmares somehow warded off by that arm around her waist. Sure, they still happened sometimes, but nowhere near as intense or often than they used to. Now, however, with her mind in a poor state caused by all this break-up mess, they were back in full force.

“Why did that happen again?”

“Huh?”

“The breakup.”, Sasha was delicately wiping off Mikasa’s lipstick now, “Why did you leave him?”

“I didn’t want to hold him back.”

Sasha paused in her cleaning duty, looking up with an arched eyebrow.

“Hold him back? From what?”

“Someone better than me. Look, we just aren’t compatible, that’s it.”

“Really? That’s what you think about yourself? That you’re some kind of baggage to weigh people down?”

“Am I wrong?”

“Yes! Hundred times yes!”, Sasha exclaimed, bewildered, “Mikasa, I’m not saying that you’re perfect, but damn it girl, you keep overplaying that worthless card.”

The goth was already shaking her head.

“He didn’t know me…”

“Because you didn’t let him! I’m pretty sure that not even your brother knows what’s going inside that head of yours. If you won’t let anyone in, how are they supposed to get to know you?”

“Uh..”

“You keep making it harder for both yourself and anyone who tries to like you, while in fact, you should be trying to make it easier.”, Sasha sighed, a bit fed up by her friend's unwillingness to see the worth of herself, “It comes down to two things. Did you feel good with him?”

“Err... Kinda?”

“I’ll take that as yes. Now, did he feel good with you?”

“I think so..”

“See? So, what is the damn issue?”

“You don’t understand.”

“Because there is nothing to understand, apart from you being so dismissive of yourself.”, Sasha took a deep breath, calming herself after the outrage and focused once more on making Mikasa’s pale skin appear from underneath the runny makeup.

“Listen, let’s make a deal.”, Sasha offered, “I’ll stop pestering you for now if you agree to come with me to a party tonight. If you are really determined to go through with the breakup, maybe you’ll meet someone new. If not, it’s still a good opportunity to make new friends and forget about all this for a time. We have a deal?”

Sasha never took no for an answer. And her presence alone seemed to make the headache that bothered Mikasa ever since she ran away from the conversation with Eren lessen. Mikasa might not have preferred to attend events like these herself but going with Sasha usually meant a somewhat good time, as she really was the life of any party.

“Okay,”, she smiled at her friend, “Deal.”

Now that Mikasa agreed to this, she watched with a sinking feeling in her stomach as Sasha’s grin widened, a new reality sinking in. Going with her meant that she was now going to suffer a beauty treatment from the hands of her best friend because going to party with Sasha meant that you went all out. No holds barred. Mikasa’s ruined makeup finally removed, it was time to do it again, this time Sasha’s way, which meant substantially less black color that Mikasa would like. Giving in to her fate, the goth sat there silently, playing the role of a dress-up doll for her friend.

Lips lightened by a bright red, hair let down from their usual braids to hang freely around her face, a touch of makeup on the cheeks and forehead. Sasha was truly in her element now and had no intention of letting Mikasa out of her clutches until her appearance reflected what Sasha thought was best for her. The bright red dress was also one of hers, and while Mikasa did fit in, it was a bit loose around the chest. Nothing too bad, Sasha decided, stealing away the choker and necklaces from the goth after. Seriously, who would wear more than one at the same time? Mikasa really had no fashion sense.  

“I’m going to die in those.”, Mikasa said, wide eyes watching the heels that Sasha intended for her friend to wear, “I won’t be able to make a single step without tipping over.”

She never wore heels. Ever.

“Oh please, you’ll be fine!”, gently but insistently, Sasha pushed her down on the bed again, helping her fasten the shoes on her feet. “I saw the way you move at the gym, this is not that different.”

“Wearing heels isn’t different from fighting, huh?”

“Basically.”

You know what? Sasha did a damn good job. Watching her friend waddle around with a horrified expression, she had to congratulate herself on bringing out all of Mikasa’s good looking features. There, she did what she could. Looking like this, Sasha was sure that Mikasa could have any guy at the party if she wanted to. Now the wanting part was something that she had to do herself, so her job done, Sasha checked the clock and began to work on herself too.

The party was loud, obnoxiously so, and Eren had trouble keeping his thoughts straight with the music pounding into his eardrums. Others didn’t seem to mind, doing the usual activities one does at a party, ranging from drinking and dancing to making out in dark corners. He could be one of those guys, his mouth working its way down some girl’s neck, making her moan into his ear. If only he wasn’t so fucking stupid. Armin did a bang-up job, being a wingman, practically delivered several very good-looking women to him, but all he did was fuck it up, over and over again.

Anyone he met just annoyed him, for some reason, something the girl said, or the way she acted made him bail out. Hell, he even danced with the last one, but whatever you’re supposed to feel when being grinded on by a very pretty girl just didn’t happen, and Eren found himself at his wit’s end, mindlessly wandering the party, unsure what to do anymore. Relaxing and just forgetting about Mikasa didn’t seem to be possible especially when that girl leaning at the wall was so similar to her, down to the shade of her hair, but Mikasa would never wear such a revealing dress and high heels, would she? There was no way…

It was her. Whatever dark magic had to be invoked to make her dress this much out of her comfort zone was a mystery to Eren, but the second he was sure of the girl’s identity he found himself walking towards her, unable to stop his legs from moving. So much for moving on. Not sure what to say, not sure what to do, he reached out, gently tapping her on the exposed shoulder. She turned, her eyes glaring daggers into whoever touched her, a preemptive defensive system against creeps she developed over her life. One that was very effective too, as Mikasa could be damn scary when she wanted to, able to make anyone’s knees buckle with a single look. The murderous gaze softened only when she realized who it was.

“Eren…”

“Mikasa…”

Smooth. He was silent, she was silent, as they just looked at each other in the muted light, neither of them having any idea how to proceed. That was when Eren finally decided to man up, and he held a hand towards her with a crooked smile.

“Wanna dance?”

Her lips, which as he now realized were painted in a bright red color instead of the usual black one, curved up, and she accepted his hand, intertwining their fingers. At least her nails were still black, Eren noted with a smile of his own.

“Let’s go.”

Sasha might have been wrong about a lot of things, but her assumptions that Mikasa will get used to moving in high heels proved to be a correct one. With her natural agility and grace she managed to not only walk without making a fool out of herself but also dance, to a degree, her movements making Eren understand what the phrase “hot and bothered” means. The party was more or less forgotten for them, receding into the background as all he could see was the girl in front of him, the smile on her face and the twinkle in her eyes, and in a moment of a terrible clarity he realized that forgetting her and moving on was no longer an option. Maybe Mikasa really was a witch, as Eren felt completely and totally under her spell, enchanted by whatever magic she cast upon him. And fighting that power was a lost cause.

“Can I take this as you giving me another chance?”, he spoke, loud enough for her to hear it over the music when she was close again, her back to his front.

Eren couldn’t see her face, but from the way Mikasa’s body stiffened, he guessed that she still didn’t know what to do herself. Turning in his arms, she faced him, the heels giving her height enough of a boost that they were looking eye-to-eye. The thing was, Mikasa could hardly remember a time she ever felt happy in her life. It was a drag, more or less, to exist, grey days blending together. But with Eren, it was just so colorful, his hand in hers bringing her more joy than anything she could remember. In short, Mikasa had never felt more alive than when she was with him, but she had to make sure he understood what kind of trouble he was signing up for.

“Are you completely and totally sure that you want to put up with my mess?”, she asked, serious, “I know that it’s a bit of a joke at this point, but I really am not like the other girls. I’m a half Japanese half Russian mess that is so hard to understand that I’m not that I fully understand myself. Knowing this, do you still want to date me?”

They had a lot to work through, it wouldn’t be all fun and games, but still. Eren was never more certain about giving the correct answer to any question in his life.

“Without a doubt.”