*******Discontinued********

Chapter 4: Unpleasant Reunions

Eren's head snapped from the door to Armin

"You did what?" Eren asked, unable to contain his anger. "You know damn well that I don't want to see her"

"And you know damn well that's a lie, Eren. Don't bullshit yourself." Armin shot back, "It's been almost a year since you two talked. You've avoided it for far too long."

"It was my idea, Eren." Historia placed her phone on the counter. "We were talking last night after Armin picked you up, and decided it was best for you"

"What would you know what's best for me?" Eren snapped back, "You don't know-"

"And you do?" Armin said, placing his hands over the counter, leaning to meet Eren's face. "Look at yourself, you're disgusting. You've reduced yourself to a drunken maniac that's been too stupid to admit he's wrong, and too prideful to see it. You have nothing left to be proud of anymore. You do nothing, live off an estate left to you that'll only last you so much longer."

Eren backed up, another round of tears welling up in his widened eyes. A tense moment of silence filled the room, broken by another doorbell, shortly followed by Armin sighing heavily.

"Go sit down, Eren" Historia softly, "I know you resent us for this right now, but just, try to understand where we're coming from. Despite what you think, we only want what's best for you."

Eren wiped his eyes and reluctantly sat down on one of the stools at their kitchen table before Armin walked by him and down the stairs leading to the front door.

He heard the door open

"Good afternoon, Mikasa. Sorry for the wait, we-"

"I heard, Armin. It's fine. May I come in?"

Eren's heart began racing at the sound of her voice.

"Of course, Eren is just upstairs"

Two sets of footsteps made their way up the entryway stairs, and Eren looked down at his feet, unwilling to look at his old friend.

Armin walked back around, standing beside Eren, and Mikasa stood at the top of the steps, leaning against the wall.

"Good afternoon, Historia" She paused, then spoke again, "Eren."

"Hey Mikasa, glad you could make it" Historia said, a small smile spreading across her lips.

Eren didn't say anything, which left the room in an awkward silence, to which Armin groaned and kicked Eren's stool, causing him to raise his head, and meet eyes with Mikasa.

Her hair was longer than the last time they saw each other, now grown down to her shoulders, and pulled back into a loose ponytail, with strands of hair falling in front of her face in her signature style. His eyes fell to her neck, taking notice of the lack of the red scarf she had adorned the last time they saw each other.

"Hey Mikasa," He said quietly, "It's been a while"

"Yeah, it has" She blankly, "You look like shit."

Eren opened his mouth, but couldn't form a response, and dropped his gaze again, leaving the room in silence once again.

"Historia and I are going for a walk to give you two some time alone." Armin said, "We'll be back in about half an hour. do try not to mess up the place while we're gone."

"Alright" Mikasa responded, "See you in a bit"

Eren watched as Armin and Historia walked past them and out the door of their house. Again, silence filled the room

"Armin told me everything, about Annie, the drinking, the fight.. I warned you this would happen" Mikasa said, breaking the silence

Eren's eyes shot back up, "Is this all you came here to do?" He said through a clenched jaw, "To gloat, to tell me that you were right? I don't know if you've noticed, but I've already figured that out, not that you were there to help."

Mikasa scoffed, "I tried to help, Eren, but you didn't listen."

"You didn't "try" anything!" He yelled, "You walked out, away, you left. You didn't even try-"

"You gave me no choice, Eren!" She cut him off, standing up straight, "I told you I couldn't be a part of this, I had hoped that you would've stopped being such an arrogant prick and realized that." She paused. "I waited for weeks for you to message me, call me, anything. I wanted nothing more than to talk to you, but I resigned myself to the fact that you were too blinded by your own hubris to do so."

"So why didn't you reach out to me?" Eren said, bitterly

"Why would I? You didn't want to see me, let alone talk. What good would it have done?"

"You left!"

Mikasa, inhaled sharply, tears stinging her eyes. "You left us, Eren! You dropped out of training under my cousin, and instead began training under his old rival"

"Levi didn't teach me shit!" He yelled, "It was the same drills, over, and over, for weeks, we never even talked about a match. At least with Leonhardt, I was able to get something going"

"Pull your head out of your ass, Eren, and look around. Where did that "something" get you? What do you have now? What haven't you lost?"

Eren gritted his teeth, then opened his mouth to shout back, but he didn't. His mouth closed, and he looked back down at his feet. Eren's face grew warm, and his vision blurry.

She was right, and he knew it. He gambled with everything he had and lost all of it.

"Nothing." He said, through a shaking whisper, "I have nothing"

A moment of silence filled the room, nothing but the sound of Eren's shaking breath being audible.

Mikasa sighed, blinking away the tears from her own eyes, and walked over, kneeling down in front of him. "That isn't true, Eren. You still have us, Eren. You still have me. You always have. I just couldn't watch you tear your life apart."

Almost all of it...

Eren couldn't hold it in anymore, and the tears fell, tracing his cheeks, and falling into his lap.

Mikasa sighed, and stood up, pulling him into her.

"I'm sorry" He whimpered, "I'm sorry for everything"

"I know" She whispered, "And I forgive you."

They shared a moment of silence before Mikasa spoke up again

"I'll talk to Levi. He's harsh, but he always said you were a good kid. Maybe I can convince him to take you back" She said softly

"Why would he?" Eren asked, pulling away from her. "I've done nothing to deserve a second chance"

"I never said he would, just that I'd talk to him."

Eren nodded slowly, sniffing.

"Eren, just promise me one thing"

"What?"

"That you'll stop drinking."

"I will if you promise me one thing," He said, standing up.

"What is it?" She asked

"No matter what, please don't leave again."

Mikasa smiled slightly, before nodding. "Okay"

This time, Eren pulled her in, wrapping his arms around her.

"I missed you.."