the (he)art of a titan || Eremika || ✔️

Part I

Titan Eren roared loudly, swiping haphazardly at the nearby trees causing giant branches to fall and the nearby scouts to sprint in every which way to avoid the flying debris. The newer members of the Survey Corps looked nervously at each other and backed away, turning and running back to their station as fast as their legs could carry them.

One of the (slightly) older Survey Corp members stood his ground, and scowled. "Oi! Quit being a giant baby and try it again, idiot!"

The cognizant Titan fell to his knees, leaning forward to get right into the human's face and roared again.

The young man wiped his face to get the Titan spit out and roared right back at him without any fear.

Sighing, another member joined the conversation and interrupted gently, "Jean, maybe we should be more patient with him. It's not that easy for him to do, you know."

Turning his head, Titan Eren made the same growling noises at the girl, baring his sharp teeth in an attempt to scare her off.

"Are you really gonna talk to Mikasa like that? Huh, you ugly oaf?!" Jean yelled, ignoring Mikasa's admonishing look.

At the reminder of who the girl was, Eren fell back so the back of his thighs rested on the heel of his feet and grunted, sounding strangely like a classic human Eren apology.

"Woo!" Hange jumped into the conversation, running from a ways back. "How did you get him to calm down?" she asked excitedly.

Mikasa frowned and turned to look at the scientist. "He was only acting out because he's tired and you're wearing him down. He's had enough training for the day." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Let him eat dinner and rest, and then he can try this again tomorrow."

Hange snorted. "You think we've been keeping him like this all day? We told him to take a break hours ago, but he's been determined to figure it out. He won't leave his Titan form. Maybe it's because he doesn't want to or maybe it's because he physically can't until he finishes his task. Hmm, or maybe it's because..." Hange continued to ramble on and on much to Mikasa's chagrin.

Bored of the conversation, Titan Eren turned back to his work and using one of the fallen branches from his temper tantrum, he began to trace one line in the soft dirt of the forest and then moved his hand again in the next direction.

The human Survey Corps members stopped in their discussion of Eren's schedule and health to watch the Titan squint at the ground and move his makeshift pen in the dirt. He seemed very determined, his large Titan eyes scrunched together as much as they could and his long pointy tongue stuck out to the side in deep concentration.

Mikasa brushed aside the wandering thought of how cute it was. He's in his Titan form, Mikasa reminded herself. He could be dangerous and even kill you if he wanted to.

He had tried to kill her once and the memory made Mikasa run a finger across the scar that marred her cheek. Despite that flashback, she could not find herself fearing the Titan as she should. When Titan Eren attacked her, it wasn't fear that gripped her, but worry. Titan Eren was still Eren and if there was one truth in the world, it was that she cared for Eren—no matter his form.

Just then, Eren threw the thick branch down on the ground again and hollered at the darkening sky, his persistent practice proving fruitless once again. Using his fortified fist, Eren punched a hole into the ground where he was working on his skill and destroyed any evidence of his improvement, or lack of.

"Bah." Jean rolled his eyes. "I'm tired of this." He made his way back to the cabin for dinner and rest, wishing the remaining two Survey Corps members a goodnight and tossing an off-hand insult to Eren to which Eren returned a good-natured (but not really) rumble.

She tried to hide a smile, but it made her happy to see Jean treat Eren the same way, whether he be a Titan or human, especially when so many feared Eren, even though he had proved countless times that he was on their side—the side for good.

Once Jean left, Hange yawned, stretching her arms above her head and muttering about the new experiments she was going to conduct in the morning. Eren gave her a weary look and Mikasa shook her head fondly at the overeager scientist. Noticing his childhood friend's reaction, Titan Eren gave a loud snort, sending a couple of birds in the trees flying out of their nests; Mikasa smiled at his action.

Looking between the two of them, Hange wished them both a goodnight and headed off to bed as well, following far behind Jean.

"Eren," Mikasa turned back to the Titan, "you really should be getting rest too. Please, let's walk back together."

She waited patiently for Eren to return back to his human form, but Eren made no indication of stopping. He turned his giant body away from her, sitting with his legs crossed under him, and grabbed another tree branch to pick up right where he left off.

A sigh of exasperation unwillingly left her body as she noted that Eren's stubborn tendencies preceded just his human form. But, she had no doubt as to why Eren pushed himself this hard. He always strove to prove himself to others and be the best he could, especially when people doubted him.

***

Author's Note: Prepare yourselves for some fluff! It's about to get sickeningly sweet :)

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