Eruri | Let's Try This Again | Reincarnation AU

Interlude

(A/N) - So this chapter is pretty different. These one-shots are chronological and I hope they give you some closure. They bring us right back up to our current time, so enjoy ;)

-I Know Who You Pretend I Am-

"She's beautiful!" Jean exclaimed, holding up Armin and Annie's two-week-old baby. He could feel Mikasa's eyes burning holes into his shoulder, so he chuckled softly and handed the baby to her.

"Hey," she cooed, "I'm going to be your Auntie Mikasa." The baby giggled slightly and pulled at her hair which now fell slightly past her shoulders. It had been a few years since the final battle, and she couldn't be happier for Armin and Annie.

Armin smiled. "She likes you. And Auntie Mikasa just sounds right. Also... Annie and I were talking and uh..." he blushed slightly, scratching his head nervously, "are you guys interested in being her godparents?"

"Yes, of course! Right Mikasa?" Jean asked, beaming, and Mikasa smiled slightly. "We'd love to, Armin."

"Thank god," Annie laughed, "Who else would we trust her to? Connie?" The others broke into laughter and Mikasa rolled her eyes.

"He's an idiot but I think he'd be good, too. But it doesn't matter, really, since you guys shouldn't be worried about dying any time soon, right?"

"Right," Annie said happily, and Armin nodded in agreement. "I might be the Commander of the Survey Corps, but we're not at war with Titans or people, so there's no reason for me to risk my life anymore," he paused. "It's nice. Thank you, guys, so much for this. You'll make great godparents and a great aunt and uncle."

With that they said their goodbyes and left, walking home in silence. When they arrived, Jean plopped down on the couch and closed his eyes, smiling blissfully. "We're godparents," he breathed.

"You're really happy for them," Mikasa said, and Jean couldn't tell if it was a question or a statement.

"Of course I am," he responded. "They deserve to be happy."

"I might want kids at some point in the future too."
"Wait, really?" Jean asked, sitting up in surprise. "I didn't think you..."

"What, do you not want kids?" Mikasa asked, slightly irritated.

"Kids are great! I'm just surprised- you've never talked about that before. Adopt or...?"

She stared at him, arms crossed. "Biological. I want them to be mine."

Jean nodded, standing up and walking over to her. "Alright, that sounds good to me." He bent down slightly and kissed her. As his hand tangled with her hair, she felt him stiffen. "Mikasa..." She nodded, understanding what he wanted without him having to ask. It was a strange request, and he didn't want to voice it as much as she didn't want to hear it.

Mikasa pulled herself off of Jean and walked down the hall, finally finding what she was looking for: a hair tie. She quickly put her hair up in a high ponytail and returned. "Thanks," he breathed, flashing an easy smile, and kissed her again. After a minute they pulled apart.

"I know who you pretend I am," Mikasa said softly, and Jean's eyes widened. After seeing his expression, Mikasa suddenly realized she had said that out loud, and soon her expression matched Jean's. "Ah, Jean, I'm sorry-"

"It's okay," Jean said, quickly shushing her, his brief moment of surprise over. "Besides," he said, "I know who you pretend I am, too."

Mikasa looked away although she kept her arms around Jean. "But Mikasa," he said, when she didn't reply, "it's okay. I know you miss Eren just as much as I miss Marco. But they're gone so... let's just hold each other, for now. Maybe in another life, we can... Mikasa, I love you. You know that, right?"