Horrifically Wounded, Strikingly Gorgeous & Deadly [ErenXMikasa] [Eremika]

XXII: A Second Wall Fallen

[Mikasa] 

I'm here. 

The text is accompanied by a little waving hand emoji. A small smile graces my lips, before I mentally chastise myself and unplug my phone from it's charger. Pocketing it, I head toward my door - it creaks open, the screech resonating throughout the empty hallway. I press one foot lightly to the floorboards. Treading carefully, I make it to the bottom of the staircase. I place my fingers softly against the brass handle of the front door, about to turn it when I hear the creaking of a door hinge sound throughout the house. No. I stand with bated breath, my eyes locked on the mahogany door in front of me. Soft footsteps. The sound of another door hinge. A 'click' of the lock. 

All tension in my posture releases as I breathe a heavy sigh of relief. It was just Levi - probably having woken up to go to the bathroom. Pursing my lips, I pull the handle down and open the door. The cold night air prickles my exposed skin, and I rub my hands together to keep warm. A small puff of vapor escapes my lips in a bid to meet the night air, and I clock the door shut hurriedly. The grass in the front yard has completely succumbed to feet-high levels of snow, the now bare trees creaking in the billowing breeze. Falling snow makes contact with my fingertips. I spot the headlights of a car in the driveway. Wandering through the darkness, I walk over to the passenger-side of the car, opening the door hastily as I endeavor to escape the chill of the outside. 

I land in the passenger seat with a soft thud, the door clicking shut behind me. I turn to see Eren, one hand resting on the steering wheel while the other palms his pocket. He looks at me wit ha half-melancholy, half-mischievous look on his face, his hair tied back to reveal his translucent amber iris. A red scarf rests securely around his neck. For a moment, I'm captured - mesmerized. I feel something brew in the pit of my stomach, breath hitching in my throat. Since when did he look so - 

The color purple catches my attention; it's only then that I realize his eye - it's bruised. Not greatly, but just enough to notice if one stared long enough. A hint of yellow resides in the corner of his eye, and my gaze travels down to his mouth. A small, half-healed scar disrupts the soft pink hue of his lips. What happened? 

Eren must realize that his eye has caught my attention, because it's not much longer before he speaks.
"It's nothing," he says nonchalantly, lacing his free hand with mine. I find myself speechless - and also curious. Despite this, however, Eren's suddenly stoic approach to the topic warns me I shouldn't push. My words take a moment to come back to me, and I nod my head.
"Let's go." A swift nod of his head confirms our next course of action, and Eren releases his grip on my fingers as he takes the vehicle out of park and into drive. The gears generate a whirring sound as the car begins to move, and we turn around, exiting the driveway. The atmosphere becomes quiet as we both simply stare out into the vast sea of black in front of us, details illuminated only by the headlights of Eren's car. 

"...Where've you been?" I ask timidly, my gaze unwavering. I feel Eren's fingers once again softly interlace themselves with mine, yet I don't react; I don't know how to. His touch sends an electric jolt throughout my body, and I suddenly think back to that weekend we kissed in his bedroom. It seems so long ago now, and yet I can still recall every detail as if it were yesterday. I feel a heat rise to my cheeks, letting my hair fall in front of my face to hide the red hue I just know has dusted itself across my cheekbones. There's so much tension in the air, and yet the tension isn't uncomfortable. I hear Eren let out a blow of air. "I just...had to take care of somethings," he responds cryptically, and I find myself only becoming more confused by his reply. What on earth does that mean? Does it have to do with what happened to his face? The reason why he is - or was - so beaten up? I sneak a glance at him. His eyes continue to stare dead ahead, his facial expression relaxed - and yet I can tell that something isn't right in that mind of his. I turn my attention back to the road. I feel Eren's thumb stroke the back of my hand.