Awake My Soul - Ereri

Chapter 29 - Who Said Funerals Weren't Any Fun?

"Eren?" Eren's head snapped around to meet Mikasa, who was driving.

"Yeah?" He asked, rubbing his tired eyes, he must have dazed off.

"You didn't have to come today you know?" Her voice was quiet. She stared at the road with a fierce intensity, like if she didn't concentrate on the white dotted lines, it would be the end of the entire world. It was warm in the car, the air conditioning, although on full blast, wasn't quite cool enough to prevent the two teens from feeling the first genuinely warm day of spring. But neither of them quite felt like rolling the windows down. The brisk air that would flood through the car seemed like too much of a privilege to be enjoyed by either of them. Eren looked to Mikasa a frown on his face.

"I wanted to." He told her.

"You're not supposed to want to go to funerals Eren." She sighed.

"That's not what I meant, there was no way I was going to let you go alone today."

"I would have been fine, I'm a big girl." She muttered.

"I know, but Mikasa I want to be there for you okay? If it was the other way around you'd be there in a heart beat right? You're allowed to let people do stuff for you, you know? Besides you wouldn't have known anyone."

"I know, I know. But no offence you look like death."

"Ironic." Eren laughed bitterly. He looked away from Mikasa though, trying not to think about things that were not supposed to be thought about.

"I'm serious though Eren, you look like a mess, I don't know what's going on?"

"I just haven't been sleeping well, that all." He muttered, the drowsy weight resting on him from his lack of sleep the past week. He wanted to close his eyes, to drift off, but his body refused him the pleasure of doing anything more than dozing for 20 minutes. He stifled a yawn and rubbed at his eyes again.

"Just how much have you slept the past week?" She looked at him concerned.

"Ah ha" He laughed monotony, "Three maybe four hours if I'm lucky." His eyes felt heavy, but not enough for sleep to overcome him.

"Eren..." Mikasa sighed, "Oh god, I shouldn't have brought you today."

"Stop that, I'm fine!" Eren told her.

"You don't look fine to me." She muttered.

"I'm perfectly okay, just let me help you."

"You won't help me Eren, I'm trying to make a good impression on these people-"

"And what? I'm an embarrassment?" Eren cut her off.

"Eren no, that's not-"

"If I look like that much of a mess I'll wait in the car so you can impress your Dad's other perfect little family. Because evidently yours isn't good enough." He breathed deeply, looking out the window again at the trees and the buildings that they passed in a blur. Eren's whole life felt like this, like everything that happened was blurry, a fuzz as he passed it by. It was like being in this car at 100km per hour, yet stuck in a traffic jam. He wasn't moving anywhere but none of the landscape was in focus, as if it was moving without him.

"Eren!" Mikasa slowed down the car and pulled onto the side of the road before she started to cry. Eren felt bad. He'd had a shit week and the last thing he wanted to do was take it out on Mikasa, who he was desperately trying to protect. He leant over to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry, I'm taking everything out on you." He muttered sadly into her hair. She turned around and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.