MorningWood

Chapter 5

Preface: Modern AU. Song #1 is Imagine Dragon's "NATURAL." Song #2 is The Cab's "Angel With a Shotgun." Naturally, I strongly advise listening to them if you have not already; they should both be available via YouTube/YouTube Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Soundcloud, and other music streaming services.

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Eren wakes with a fresh breath of air. He blinks a few times, adjusting his eyes to the morning sunlight filtered through the fabric blinds.

He glances around the room, noticing Mikasa's absence before recognizing the gentle hush of running water through the pipes in the bathroom. The consistent hum of the end of a song's crescendo beginning to taper off through the partially closed door.

Eren groans over the dull throb of a morning erection. At first unhappy he'll have to get up to encourage his business, he quickly warms to the idea of intruding on Mikasa's shower with a pointed goal. He whisks away the covers and throws his legs over the edge of the bed, standing quickly and pacing over to the door without delay.

Finding the crack in the door without a line of sight to the shower, he gingerly pushes the door a little farther in until he sees the familiar skin-colored blob of Mikasa's figure through the partially frosted shower glass – he can just make out the crest of her head over the frosting, her black hair wet and matted to her scalp. Eren pauses and continues watching her silently, enjoying the momentary voyeurist stalking. He sees her hands slick through her hair, then the clear dark blob of her head disappears from the steamy, unfrosted window. Her figure tips away from him, an arm skimming over her leg in a long, slow stroke.

The Bluetooth speaker fades to silence as the song ends.

Eren pushes the door open, silently stepping inside and whisking the door back to its original position. He looks at the shower, checking she is unaware of his presence as he finishes the door carefully.

Her figure is still stooped over.

He quietly tiptoes over to the sink, stripping the only clothing from himself and tossing it against the wood below the sink. Throwing an extra towel into the corner of the countertop adjacent to the shower stall, he keeps an eye on her figure through the frosted glass.

The silence of the speaker breaks, the familiar "Mmmm... MMmmmMMmm..." of Imagine Dragon's "NATURAL" beginning to hum through the bathroom.

"Will you hold the line..."

Eren steps closer to the shower glass.

"Will the stars align?"

Eren grabs the speaker and shifts it over the counter, staggering the movement between lines as he tries to get it closer to the stall so he can reach both the speaker and the door handle without moving. He hopes the boxy room refracts the sound well enough that she can't hear him moving the speaker. He stands beside the shower stall's junction, pressed up against the wall to better hide his outline from the lighting of the room.

"Rather be the hunter than the prey..."

The chorus begins. He can see her jaw mouthing along with the song through the blurry outline.