#jeankasa prompts

[solciego]

Maybe write about a situation where Jeans jealous and a second where Mikasa is jealous ?

This thought is enough Words: 1302 Fake dating au

The situation is slipping out of his hands, and that feeling of loss of control torments him as he watches her sway to the gentle music alongside Eren. Although it's supposed to be part of an agreement, a pact based on their own selfish rights, he can't help but feel a deep pain in his heart. Every time he sees her smile or laugh with Eren, he feels a knot in his stomach that tightens with force.

He discreetly bites his lips, trying to conceal the unease he feels seeing them so close. Why does he feel this way? Why does it have to be Eren who makes her smile like that? Why can't it be him who shares those special moments with her?

It's ironic to think that it was Jean who imposed the rule of not getting emotionally involved, especially after realizing what being close to her meant for him. Now, he's the one suffering the consequences of his own decisions.

Unable to bear the sight of the scene in front of him, Jean withdraws under the curious gazes of his friends. Even though it's the night of the graduation dance, he doesn't care at that moment. He lets himself wander through the empty school halls, walking aimlessly until his feet lead him to the art room. A wave of regret floods him as he realizes that it was precisely there where it all began. In that place, he witnessed her pain over Eren's constant rejection, and together they devised the idea of pretending to be in a relationship to elicit some reaction from him.

Now, that foolishness has come at a high price. He feels lost, trapped in a web of confusing emotions. The memories of every moment shared with her blend in his mind, and he realizes that he can no longer deny the truth: he has fallen deeply in love with Mikasa, despite having told himself otherwise.

Jean sinks into a chair, feeling the weight of the situation on his shoulders. He wonders if it's too late to change things, if he'll ever be able to express what he truly feels without fearing to lose her. Although reason tells him he should stay firm in his decisions, especially after witnessing the scene he just did, his heart yearns for an opportunity to show her his true feelings.

From the moment he laid his eyes on her, Jean was captivated. Her short black hair framed her delicate and angular face, highlighting her soft features. Her way of dressing with dark outfits, lace tunics, and fitted corsets that accentuated her slender figure. Her metallic accessories in the form of crosses, sharp-edged bracelets, and ornate rings.

Mikasa certainly exuded an intriguing and magnetic presence that attracted curious looks from those around her. And Jean was no exception. From the moment their eyes met, something changed inside him. A spark ignited in his heart, a spark that grew and transformed into an intense fire that consumed him every time he saw her.

At first, they didn't exchange many words, as they belonged to completely different social circles. Jean is the charismatic captain of the football team, always surrounded by friends, enjoying being the center of attention. In contrast, Mikasa preferred to stay in the background, observing the bustle from the tranquility of her own inner world. Although her beauty and presence didn't go unnoticed, she didn't seek to be the center of attention or stand out in the crowd.

However, everything changed when they were assigned as partners in an art class project. And although they were initially a bit hesitant, and the tension between them was palpable, they soon found themselves immersed in the creative task. Mikasa was pleasantly surprised to discover Jean's talent in art, showing surprising skill with his strokes. As they collaborated on the project, they gradually broke down the barrier that separated them. Art discussions evolved into more personal conversations, revealing that they had more in common than they had ever imagined. Jean realized how deep and thoughtful Mikasa was, while she found in him an unexpected warmth and understanding behind his charismatic image.

That's how it all began. But this time, the situation is different, and Jean internally regrets messing things up, letting his feelings cloud his judgment. From the moment they embarked on this fake relationship, Jean knew he was playing with fire. They had agreed to keep things strictly superficial, without involving emotions, but his heart had other plans.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" a voice interrupts his thoughts, and Jean inwardly curses as he sees Mikasa standing in front of him. His heart skips a beat, and for a moment, he feels like the world stops in her presence.

She looks stunning.

Jean can barely find words to describe how dazzling Mikasa looks at that moment. She's wearing a long black dress with slits on the sides, with dark eyeshadow and elaborate red eyeliner that compliments her lips.

"I was surprised to see you running off," she explains. "So I wanted to make sure everything was okay." Mikasa steps closer to his side.

"I'm fine. You should go back," he stammers, averting his gaze. Jean can barely contain the whirlwind of emotions she provokes in him. He can't stand having her so close and, at the same time, feeling his heart beating wildly.

Mikasa makes him feel in a way he never thought possible. Every encounter with her is like plunging into an abyss of unfamiliar sensations, an emotional vertigo that fills him with anxiety and excitement in equal measure.

"I can stay if you want," she responds with a sweet smile, noticing the tension in his voice. Her genuine concern shines in her dark eyes, making Jean feel even more vulnerable in front of her. He hates that she knows him well enough to realize that something isn't right.

"No, really, I'll be fine. I just need some fresh air."

Mikasa looks at him with a hint of concern. "Are you sure?" she insists, not wanting to leave him alone.

Jean nods again, needing to process the conflicting emotions.

"You should go back to dance with Eren," he suggests, and those words twist his stomach.

She furrows her brow, clearly surprised by the suggestion. "Why would you say that?" she asks.

Jean bites his lower lip, feeling uncomfortable about explaining his confusing feelings. "I don't want to come between you and your feelings for him, Mikasa," he admits honestly.

She looks at him attentively, as if trying to read into his soul, and takes his hand in hers. "Jean, I... I enjoy being with you more."

Though he tries to maintain his composure, he gets lost in the movement of her lips and her words. Her touch, even in small measures, has an overwhelming effect on him, sending shivers down his spine. And her scent... the sweet fragrance that covers her is like a drug that intoxicates him, leaving him yearning for more of that essence that drives him crazy.

In that moment, while Mikasa continues to hold his hand, he makes a decision. He doesn't want to fight against his feelings anymore, nor does he want to run away from what his heart dictates. Though the future is uncertain and the fear of losing her looms over him, he can't deny himself the chance to find out if what he feels for her can be reciprocated.

His thoughts and emotions are in turmoil, and for the first time in a long time, he allows himself to be vulnerable to the idea that perhaps, just perhaps, this charade can turn into something real. With a determination that surprises even himself, Jean places his hand on Mikasa's cheek and looks directly into her eyes, showing everything his heart wants to express.

[corner-stories]

23 with jk please 💕

Twenty Four Touches

23. Cold feet warming each other up under the blanket got some kinda vague cottagecore AU goin' on here idk

Art is only a hobby of his, but sometimes he spends so much time on a piece that Mikasa wonders if he should make it into something more.

Nonetheless, the cottage at the edge of the woods — their little corner of the world — is decorated by Jean's drawings. Some he made in a rush, during a moment where the motivation to create was surging through his veins, and others he put more work into, occasionally spending an entire night fussing over his sketchbook.

Tonight, when Mikasa enters their shared quarters, he's sitting on the bed with a familiar leather-bound book on his lap. He's scribbling furiously on the paper with a piece of charcoal, occasionally stopping to rub the medium with his finger. It's messy work that leaves covers his thumb with black residue.

Mikasa doesn't bother him as she changes into her night gown. At this time of year, it's too cold to focus on anything else but getting their children to sleep and heading straight to bed. Their home is well-built and rugged, but bits of frigid air still manage to seep into every corner.

When Mikasa slips into bed, she's quick to snuggle against him. She leans her head against his arm, the one that isn't drawing, and suddenly Jean seems content to not use his left hand for the rest of the night.

Underneath the blankets, one of her legs hooks around his. She does this often, yet she still expects him to make at least one comment about her chronically cold feet.

"Gettin' chilly there?" he asks, taking his eyes away from his drawing for a second.

Mikasa shakes her head despite knowing the truth. "No."

She only gets a brief glimpse of what he's drawing — it looks to be a bird with short wings, perhaps one they've seen near their home or in the surrounding forest.

"Alright then," Jean says, chuckling.

As he continues to draw, Mikasa closes her eyes and basks in his heat. The last thought on her mind before she goes to sleep is just how long she'll have to keep dealing with the chill of winter.

[heavenzscent]

Jeankasa Ask Prompts

Rules: pick one emoji for setting and up to three for themes

Ex: 💌+ 🦢🌈🌾

Settings

Canon verse

🥔 Cadet Corps 12-15 years old

🔑 Survey Corps 15-19 years old

💌 Post Canon 19 +

Alternate Universe

🧺 1800’s

🐦‍⬛ WWI

🍾1920s

☕️WWII

🛋️1950’s

📓1960’s

🪩1970’s

🩵1980’s

🧢1990’s

🦝Modern day

🌌 Sci-fi

🪺Fantasy

🗺️Marley /Warrior

🦋 Writers choice

Themes

🩹Forgiveness

🫐Moving on

🪽Love at first sight

🫧Surprise

🌾Family

🍓Coming-of -age

🪨Perseverance

🧳Journey

❤️‍🔥Courage

🪶Redemption

🪹Loneliness

🦢Beauty

🌈Change

🐍Jealousy

🌷Love

🕊️War and Peace

🎲Faith

✨Hope

[floh0e]

haven't shared this on tumblr yet but I FINALLY uploaded my very, VERY belated entry for the Jeankasa Week 2023 "Morning Kisses" prompt (better late than never I guess 😭). I nearly doubled the 4k words that were originally planned so here's 7,6k words of fluffy post-canon Jeankasa 💕💕

Hope you enjoy! And HUGE thanks again to everyone who commented and left kudos!!!

[this-is-krikkit]

Krikkit Sunshine of my life 🌞❤️

How are you today ?

You know how much I love the way you write kisses, so my prompt is "Interrupted" !!😘

Kith ❤️❤️

thank you for the prompt babe, as always i'm very sorry it took me days (weeks? i think probably weeks....) to fill it 🫣🫣

i hope you'll enjoy this anyway!! 😘♥️

Almost kissing meme: Interrupted

Tags: cabin in the woods, post canon, levihan, jeankasa, jeankasa's kid, squad denial

edited version now on ao3

"There you go, sweetie! All ready," Mikasa declares as she closes the last button on her daughter's coat.

"Mama, why are we going to Uncle Levi's again?"

Jean frowns and sends a puzzled look her way, but Mikasa's just as confused.

"You don't want to go?" he asks.

"I do! I want to hear the rest of that story he started. But I thought I had to wait for special Sundays to see him, and today is..."

"Wednesday, right. Well, today is a special day, and we want to be there for him," Mikasa explains.

And how special today is indeed.

It's been exactly six months since Levi left his former living arrangements with Onyankopon and the Marley kids to move back to Paradis, with no explanation given to anyone about it. Half a year since he's been living as a recluse in the woods, half a year since he's been assuring everyone that he just needs some distance and everyone decided to go along with it because it was apparently such a Levi thing to do. Everyone except Mikasa who, with Jean's help, has made him agree to monthly visits so far.

But today marks the anniversary of the battle of Shiganshina, and she's decided to make Levi attend- well no, that's not how Jean ha dphrased it. To invite Levi over to the yearly reunion the surviving Scouts of that event have held since the war ended. He's never agreed to come the preivous years, but she suspects Onyankopon didn't insist much on it and she's never had the chance to invite him directly.

Armin suggested leaving him alone like he requested when she mentioned it, but Mikasa's chosen to ignore his point of view -she's tired of people enabling Levi's unhealthy whims when they're not permanently around to see him closing in on himself and getting worse. Jean pretended he was only on board because he has to as her husband, but Mikasa knows he's concerned as well. She's seen him frown over the cheery -in a Levi fashion, but still- front he's putting on that's gotten creepily convincing lately, and they've discussed the odd fact that he always seems reluctant to stay indoor and insists they go out to enjoy the weather instead -even that day it rained so much the porch got soaked and they had to practically beg him to get back inside. There's also that moment he grew even paler than his natural complexion the last time they came over, when Jean spotted a black jacket thrown over his couch and made a joke about Levi finally letting loose and allowing himself to be a little messy, and the former Captain had looked freaked out for a while after that.

She only gets a contemplative hum from hee daughter in reply, and the journey to Levi's hermit hut is oddly silent. Until the yellow front door appears between thick tree trunks, and Mikasa's hand suddenly feels empty as little legs rush their way into Levi's home without awaiting her parents' arrival.

"Do you think she'll ever manage to learn when to knock?" Jean asks around a smile as they reach the steps.

Before Mikasa replies, a familiar head pops back out of the house.

"Mama, who's that kissing Uncle Levi?"

Mikasa shares a half surpeised, half saddened look with Jean, knowing they're both thinking of the one and only name they could have ever imagined saying in response to that question, and she readies herself to scold the little one and dissipate the misunderstanding.

But just as she passes the threshold, she comes face to face with the familiar sight of Levi's living room, and the very unfamiliar sight of two blushing people including her cousin and former Captain.

It takes her a while to recognize the other person, but after the initial shock, there's no denying it. The tall and lanky figure that abruptly stands up from the couch -and Levi's lap, evidently- the brown messy hair, the milky white iris of a blind left eye behind askew glasses. The seemingly thousand of burn scars all over their face and exposed body make up as much of a challenge as they are a clue to identify them, and the comforting affection in that one caramel-colored eye as it lands on Mikasa's family is unmistakably theirs.

"Hange-san?" Jean whispers.

He sounds uncertain and scared and small, so unlike himself Mikasa wonders if he's really the one who just spoke. She remembers their mixed screams and tears as they'd seen Hange leap to their death that fateful day, remembers falling to her knees with sobs wracking her body while she mourned her Commander for the brief moments she was allowed to, and she admires her husband for being able to speak because she can't find her own voice right now.

Hange, because that's them even if her brain's having trouble reconciling that reality with those memories, that is them standing in the middle of this messy and oddly decorated room in that tiny cabin lost in the largest forest of all that damned island, Hange smiles a warm and bright smile their way, nodding shortly before they drop to their knees and turn their attention fully to the youngest person in the room.

"By the Walls," they squeal, their own voice rougher and more cracked than Mikasa remembers, "you must be Jean and Mikasa's baby, right?"

Her child frowns as she takes Hange in, turning to her parents for guidance, and somehow Mikasa manages to allow a soft smile to show on her features.

"It's alright, Zoë, you can go ahead and answer," she says with an encouraging nod.

Hange doesn't appear surprised at the name, but their fidgetting hands and the way their eye suddenly explores every direction but the one of Levi's unexpected guests betrays just how awkward it is for them to hear it.

"You're wrong. I'm not a baby anymore," Zoë declares proudly as she takes one brave step towards this stranger, arms crossed over her chest.

Hange lets out a chuckle at that announcement and the confidence in it, before their smile starts looking a little stilted.

"No, you aren't, my bad. You're all grown up now," they note, a distinct regretful edge to their tone.

But Zoë doesn't pick up on it, and she speaks again before Mikasa can prevent it.

"Who are you, and what's wrong with your face?"

Mikasa's heart stops and she curses inwardly as she remembers the precaution they'd taken about explaining her and Jean's scars, as well as Levi's specific ones to Zoë early on. Like many children born after the war, she's familiar with the sight of healed penetrative wounds or missing limbs, and she's used to the way Levi limps after too many hours standing up, but she's never encountered someone with burns scars as extensive as Hange's.

Jean cringes as well, his feet carrying him closer to them just as Levi stands up from the couch and clears his throat.

"Zoë, you can't just-

"It's fine, guys, she's allowed to ask questions! Curiosity should always be encouraged," the former Commander says, not quite meeting Jean's eyes even as they reassure him. "My name is Hange, and my... my face looks like this because I got badly burnt during a battle."

Mikasa doesn't need to see her face to know Zoë's eyes lit up at that last word.

"Ohhh you were a soldier too?" she asks excitedly, eagerly walking closer and inspecting their exposed skin even more openly now.

Hange nods with a soft smile, leaning forward to allow Zoë to touch their face.

"Gentle, Zo," Mikasa reminds her.

Hange looks up, opening their mouth as if to thank her for the warning, but averts their eye almost immediately. It breaks something new in Mikasa's heart, the shame and discomfort Hange seems to feel towards her and Jean, and the only reason she doesn't have to stop herself from demanding an explanation is that she's still questioning her own brain too much right now to do so.

Zoë's taking up all of Hange's focus anyway, carefully touching their skin, their curious hands softly tracing the scars on their face and neck, and Mikasa feels... envious. This already fucked up day is turning into the weirdest dream she's had in a while, and she wouldn't mind getting to touch Hange too and make sure she's not a fucking ghost or hallucination.

Levi gestures over to her like he's read her thoughts, annoyingly pointing towards the kitchen like he wants to give the two newly acquainted pair some space.

"It's softer than it looks," Zoë observes, her tiny voice barely above a whisper, freezing Levi to his spot as he was starting to head to the other room. "Will it stay like that?"

"Well, it's still healing," Hange explains, "but I'll always look.. it's not going to get much prettier, no."

"Hmm. Hange, can I ask something else?"

"Sure, Z-Zoë," they try, their tongue stumbling over the name.

"Can I ask why you were kissing Uncle Levi?"

Hange's face turns beet red once more, and Levi coughs as he chokes on his own saliva.

"I wasn't kissing him, actually," they start in their best, almost familiar diplomatic tone, "because you came running into the room when it was about to happen."

"Oh. I forgot to knock," Zoë realizes, shooting a sheepish glance her parents' way.

"It's alright, I was never great at it either. Do you want some tea?" Hange asks, opening their arms.

"Sure!" Zoë replies, throwing herself in their embrace and letting them carry her up. "Uncle Levi always has new flavours!"

"I know! Come on, let's find one you haven't tried before."

They walk off chattering, and there's an akmost awkward silence in the room suddenly.

"I know what you're here to ask, but you could have called before barging in, you know," Levi reproaches as soon as Hange's out of earshot, although it sounds almost playful. "I have a landline in here."

"And you could have called when Hange came back from the fucking dead. How long have you known?" Mikasa spits out, unable to restrain herself any longer.

She can't find it in her to be mad at Hange, can't sort through everything seeing them makes her feel and pick something as petty as anger to focus on here and now.

Anger at Levi, though, that's something she can handle. Something she's comfortable with, even, and if the bored, nonplussed glance he shoots her way is any indication, he is as well. It doesn't stop Jean from reaching out and holding her hand, grounding her efficiently as always.

"Six months and one week," Levi simply replies, his eye wandering around the house he -they, Mikasa mentally corrects- moved into then, before settling on Hange. "I couldn't... They said they weren't ready to see you guys yet."

The three former Scouts look on at the surreal spectacle that is Hange perching Zoë on their shoulders as they help her pick a beverage, the two of them giggling like they've known each other for months.

"So that's what you were up to this whole time hiding out here, huh? Having secret make out sessions with the Scouts 14th Commander?" Jean asks playfully, his voice mostly back to its usual self now.

Levi raises an eyebrow at him, before his lips curve up the way Mikasa hasn't witnessed in a long, long while.

"That would have been the first time, actually," he mumbles, heat sprinkling color over his cheeks again. "Hey, four-eyes, no, that's the coffee stash. You can't give coffee to a child!"

Hange and Zoë both argue with him as he walks over to join them, and laugh at his expense when their combined height keep the forbidden item away from his reach.

"What do you think Armin and Conny are going to find harder to believe; Hange being alive, or the fact that Levi and them have never even smooched before?"

Mikasa shakes her head and chuckles.

"I guess we'll find out tonight," she replies with a wink.

.

totally stole the first name idea from this adorable fanart

[jeankasachallenge]

Jeankasa Holidays Special Coming Soon!

This year's Jeankasa Holidays Special is here ❄️🎄 We encourage artists, writers and all content creators to join us from 24 to 29 December.

Our amazing promo pic was created by lorfa_lorfa on Instagram. Click here to go to her profile and give her works some love ♥

Prompts

You can choose between our normal and smut prompts, combine them or create separate works for each one. Use them as you prefer!

Normal

Smut

Please tag your works with the hashtag #JKHolidaysSpecial so we can find them!

[mikatsuobushi]

Heads up, Jeankasa Tumblr Community!

Just a reminder that there will be a JEANKASA WEEK 2023 on June 5-11.

Here are the prompts for the event (which were voted last month on Twitter):

Can't wait to see and read your beautiful entries for our beloved ship! See you!!

Check out the event more on Twitter: @JeankasaWeeks

[cream-no-sugar]

about

☕️ me: nina + (she/her) + 30s | queer | filipina-american | filthy multishipper | doesn't shy away from dead dove

***

✍🏼 while I'm very much obsessed with aot/snk and jjk at the moment, I like to hop from fandom to fandom. and I'm truly a multishipper. rather than being faithful to one particular pairing at a time (although, admittedly, eremika has had me in a chokehold for some time), I'm honestly more drawn to characters, interesting situations, and intriguing relationship dynamics (particularly if toxic codependency and power imbalances are involved).

as a starting point, here are some ships and characters that I enjoy writing about (those italicized in green are my *chef's kiss* absolute faves). but, truly, I could be persuaded to write about anyone if the prompt/request is intriguing enough...

(this will also be updated as we go along — and as I start to discover new interests and new aversions lol.)

***

❤️‍🔥 ships:

aot/snk: eremika, ereminkasa, arumika, jeankasa, erejeankasa, rivamika, aruannie, mikannie, yumihisu

jjk: megumiki, fushikugi, itafushikugi, tojimiki, sashisu, nobamaki, yutamaki

spy x family: twiyor, aged-up damianya

❤️‍🔥 y/n inserts:

aot/snk: eren jaeger, mikasa ackerman, levi ackerman, jean kirstein, erwin smith, armin arlert,

jjk: megumi fushiguro, satoru gojo, toji fushiguro, geto suguru, nanami kento, yuji itadori, yuta okkotsu, maki zenin

***

while I don't have many squicks and can actually be persuaded to try my hand at writing various kinks, I absolutely will not write explicit/violent noncon or anything to do with scat, piss, or vomit.

***

[SIDE NOTE: if you're interested in some more "traditional" writing, learning about my writing approach and thoughts on fandom, or even reading any of my longer fics, you can check out my main account (@nina-bean) or my ao3.]

[solciego]

If you could write an historical AU (any era ) where they go on some sort of trip or travel that would be fun to read ! :)

The tenderness with which I hold you Words: 1217 Regency au (highly based on Bridgerton xd)

Mikasa definitely needs some time alone.

She wasn't a big fan of balls, and being surrounded by men seeking her attention this season was torture enough. Moreover, considering her aunt was persistently pushing her to marry Viscount Zeke Jaeger, a man much older whom she despised for the disgusting way he looked at her, the situation became even more unbearable.

Ever since reaching the age to marry, her aunt, Kiyomi, had become her shadow, and every social event was an opportunity for her to push her towards an unpleasant marriage and secure an advantageous union. Following the path society expected of her each day was becoming increasingly suffocating. Each time the idea of a convenient marriage with a wealthy man was mentioned, Mikasa felt her freedom and authenticity slowly fading away.

She was ready to give up and remain single for the rest of her life.

Tired of the leering gazes and suggestive comments she had faced at the reception, Mikasa finally decides to find a place to escape from that social charade. She carefully opens the door to the first empty room she finds and unexpectedly encounters Jean on the balcony, finishing smoking a cigarette. Their gazes meet, and Mikasa can notice a hint of surprise in Jean's eyes as he extinguishes the cigarette under his foot.

"I see I'm not the only one seeking some peace," he says with a smile as he approaches her. A faint smile also forms on Mikasa's lips.

"My dance card is filled with dates that will hardly materialize," she replies with a sigh, reflecting her disinterest in social activities.

"It's been a busy season, hasn't it?" Jean asks, trying to keep the conversation light.

She shrugs. "With Historia Reiss as the diamond of the season, my aunt has been more insistent than ever on finding me a husband."

Jean can't help but chuckle; he knew her aunt well and knew how persistent she could be when she had something in mind. "And what's been stopping you so far?" he asks curiously.

"It's just that... All those men are so shallow. The only one who's even remotely interesting is Armin, but I see him more like a brother," Mikasa confesses, revealing her most sincere thoughts. At each ball, she was pushed towards high-status suitors, but none of them sparked even the slightest interest in her. They all seemed to be interested solely in her foreign beauty, and none took the time to get to know her as a person.

Jean ponders for a moment before responding. "You certainly deserve better than that."

Mikasa smiles gratefully at him. "And you?" she asks, recalling that Jean had not found a wife and didn't seem interested in the matter.

"I suppose it's the same for me. They're only interested in my dowry."

As Duke of Trost, Jean held a position and fortune that irresistibly attracted many women interested in securing their future, especially ambitious mothers who saw him as the perfect match for their daughters.

Both fell silent for a moment, sharing a complicity in their struggles against societal expectations.

"Mika... Come with me," Jean suddenly proposes, extending his hand to her. Mikasa looks at him curiously, intrigued by the proposition. "Let's get out of here."

She hesitates for a moment, aware of the social implications of retiring alone with a gentleman. "Jean..."

"Come on, it's not like you have anything better to do."

She shakes her head, concerned about her reputation and what high society would say if they saw her alone with him. "It's improper. If we're discovered, my reputation will be completely ruined."

"If that happens, I won't let it affect your reputation. Trust me," Jean says with a passionate glint in his eyes.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Mikasa finally nods, letting herself be guided by her deep trust in him. She allows Jean to take her hand, feeling the comforting warmth of his touch. He leads her carefully and decisively, ensuring they are not seen as they slip away from the bustling ballroom.

The carriage glides smoothly through the paved streets, choosing less-traveled routes and shaded alleys, creating an intimate atmosphere between the two of them. Mikasa observes Jean, whose eyes shine with an enigmatic glimmer under the soft light inside the carriage. He smiles occasionally, trying to dispel any tension she might be feeling.

Jean keeps his promise to take her to a special place, and when they arrive, the scenery is enchanting. It's a serene stream, surrounded by trees and lush vegetation. The moon shines over the tranquil waters, creating silver glimmers that unfold across the surface. Both sit by the shore, Mikasa hugging her legs, and Jean remaining silently by her side as the night breeze envelops them both.

"I just don't want to marry a stranger," she whispers sincerely.

"What?" The uncertainty in his voice is palpable as he watches her attentively.

Mikasa sighs and searches for the right words to express what she feels. "I think that's why I've taken so long to consider marriage. I don't want to settle for a forced or meaningless union. I want something authentic. I am more than just a mere title or someone to be joined with for convenience. I want someone to see me for who I am, not just as a wife or a decorative figure in their life."

Mikasa's confession flows with sincerity and passion, like a confident whisper that rises in the nocturnal air. She glances briefly at Jean from the corner of her eye, and under the silvery light of the moon, she can appreciate his face framed by his incipient beard.

However, he doesn't return her gaze, and in a desperate impulse, Jean rushes to her side and takes her hand firmly in his. The warmth of their skin blends together. "Marry me," he blurts out, his words echoing his own desires and dreams.

Mikasa opens her eyes, surprised by his unexpected declaration. "What?" she responds, trying to process what she has just heard.

Jean searches for the right words to explain what he feels deep within his being. "We've known each other since we were little. We've been there for each other in the toughest moments. I've seen every part of you, Mika, your strengths, and your insecurities. And you've seen mine too. We know the best and worst of each other, and yet, we're still here. Together."

Jean continues to gaze at her with his deep hazel eyes, a look full of hope and longing. For some reason, his expression is desperate, as if he were struggling to convey a million things at once.

Mikasa's heart quickens. He is right; she knows him better than anyone else, and he knows her in a way no one else does. They have shared laughter, tears, and secrets. There is a connection between them. Moreover, Jean holds a position of great influence and responsibility in high society. She knows her aunt would be thrilled with this union, making it convenient in more than one sense.

"Jean, I..." she stammers, her thoughts in conflict. But before she can finish her sentence, he looks at her with such intensity that her words fade into the air.

"Marry me, Mikasa," he insists. "Let me be the person who sees you for who you are."

[corner-stories]

jeankasa 2

Types of Kisses Prompts

2. Early Morning Kiss - A kiss that’s a wake up call, its barely even lips touching, more like they're kissing your chin because they’re so tired in the early morning haze.  post-canon cottagecore AU

In the morning he lies on the mattress, quite scantily dressed as a blanket is draped over his form. His breathing is gentle, almost quiet. Morning light streams from the window and strikes his bare skin as he sleeps.

Mikasa has seen him like this before, and she would be lying if she said she never admired the broadness of his shoulders.

She's been awake for a few minutes as she rests next to him. She knows she'll definitely fall back asleep, a treat she gives herself on lazy Sundays, but for now she'll keep her eyes open and affixed to Jean's back muscles. Respectfully, of course.

He's on his stomach and faced away from her, so as she's lying and covered by the same blanket she reaches out. The air around them is cold yet she lets her fingers graze against his skin, carefully caressing the grooves and musculature of his lats. He's warm, much more than she is, and even after all these years she still wonders how he does it.

Feeling brave, Mikasa leans forwards. Her lips touch his flesh, right at the spot between his shoulder blades. She's done the gesture before, something only reserved for when they're alone, whether he's doing housework around the cottage or they're lying post-coital in the morning light.

And just like clockwork, Mikasa hears Jean stir. He lets out a low, throaty hum as he shifts slightly.

"Having fun back there?" he asks.

Mikasa smiles and presses her forehead against his shoulder blades. It's moments like this where she doesn't feel the need to say anything, she doesn't have to.

After resting for a few moments she continues her gesture, peppering kisses over Jean's bare back and shoulders. A part of her is very glad that he's not facing her, as every instance of her grazing the scratch marks she had left on his skin makes her blush.

She moves so more of her weight rests on him and he doesn't protest, though it's only when her lips trail up to his neck and kisses a spot just under his ear that he squirms, even if it's slight.

Only Mikasa knows of his little weak spot, and on most other mornings she's keen on exploiting it, childishly tickling him again and again before he begins to protest. But today she decides not to, enjoying the peace that their day has given them.

So she kisses his cheek instead, as well as his jawline, then lets herself rest in the crook of his neck for the rest of the morning.

[heavenzscent]

For Jeankasa ask prompts (if I'm doing this right). You asked me earlier but I didn't really figure out what it meant 'till I saw someone explain it.

💌+🐍🦢🪹

Setting: Post Canon  Themes: Jealousy , beauty , loneliness  Word Count 2,968

I really tried to focus on the beauty of nature and just being around others in this to contrast the first scene where Mikasa is lonely but content. Also your definitely doing it right 🩵

2 Years Post Rumbling 

Mikasa hadn't seen a soul for too long but the more time passed the easier it felt to stay as she was. She wasn’t completely alone; she had the chickens and goats to tend to and amuse her. The barn cats and the wandering dog as well kept her company. 

There was her desk as well. Every night she had words from and to her friends across the sea to envelope her before she lay her head down. 

Maybe it wasn’t normal to hold words more than one did people. 

______________________________________________________________

3 Years Post Rumbling 

A Sunday in Spring 

After 3 years of wastelands Mikasa’s home had taken Jean's breath away and when she stepped out the cottage doors he was left thoroughly devoid of air. He had seen her a few days prior at Erens  grave but this was different. Today he was invited for tea with just he and her. Well that would be an exaggeration. It had been for himself and Connie but Connie was hungover . 

He took note to show her his manners and immediately took off his hat and gave a little bow before walking through the threshold of her door. She made a face as if he had stuck his tongue out at her, as though he was the silliest man in the world. 

They exchanged greetings and she led him to a small dining area. He was glad to see that her home was clean and well lived in. 

Her dining table was small but judging from the chairs the set was sturdy and the flowers contained within the glass vase looked pretty but halfways towards wilting or drying out. That was good it didn’t look that she had tidied upon his account. She was taking care of herself well it seemed. 

When he had seen her upon the hill he had been so shy and self conscious that he hadn’t gotten a good look at her but now as she bustled through cabinets he could see that she wasn’t as muscular as she had been but still much more toned than the average civilian woman. 

Once he felt all was well he was truly able to relax for the first time since returning home. His mother was well, as well as Mikasa and the Jaegerists should be contained soon enough. All was well enough for now. 

“Jean, are you well? Where is Connie?” She asked, placing some mint tea and a jar of honey in front of where he sat. 

“A little tired from last night's festivities but not as much as Constantine.” 

Mikasa tilted her head in confusion. 

“Oh, it’s a joke started up by Pieck.” He smiled thinking of how now-a-days Connie would respond to Constance. 

“You didn’t mention that in the letters.” 

“It’s just silliness.” In reality Jean didn’t write too much about the fun stuff because  it made him feel too guilty to be making more memories with their friends while she was alone on the outskirts of the island. It also made him feel lonely although he loved his friends he often found himself wishing Mikasa was also present or wondering how she would react. 

She nodded her head and took the seat across from him.

Outside the great window he could see the goats she had mentioned so much in her letters. They were jumping off of barrels and stumps underneath a great oak tree. He usually only ever saw the creatures in small pens or in large herds that smelled horrible but from her window he could now understand the charm that they held for her. 

“Sorry, I had invited Connie so that this wouldn’t happen.” Mikasa sighed stirring her tea uneasily. 

“What do you mean?” He must have bothered her but he couldn’t think how.

“You're bored. I’m afraid that I have become even less talkative over the years. It wasn’t so bad with everyone else though.”

Jean nodded. “I understand how you feel.But don’t worry I like this.” 

They continued to quietly watch the goats. It was the sort of silence a man could live in for years and never complain. 

Mikasa to his surprise interrupted the comfortable silence. “You’ve changed.” 

“How so?” 

“You're a man of fewer words.” 

“That’s good I could be a loud mouth back then, that boy I was.” He chuckled. 

“Don’t be so harsh. I liked him.” She playfully swatted his arm. 

He blushed. “You did now?” He lifted an eyebrow playfully. “Since when?” 

“Well he was quite silly. He could make me crack a smile from time to time even when I wasn’t in the mood to.” She recounted. 

“That's good to know since he misses those smiles.” Jean said, smiling gently at his old friend, his first crush. 

“They’re coming back.” She said, “Should I expect to be smiling at your wedding soon?” her smile was no longer soft but it had the edge that he remembered from the past. It had only been three years. Who they were could never be completely buried. 

“Huh?” He began. 

“You seem awfully chummy with Pieck.” 

“How so?” Jean chuckled, making her blush. 

“Your words came out easier around her. I noticed- but you know me I’m not so good at those sorts of things.” 

“That’s because she won't shut up.”  He answered dryly. 

She gave him a tight lipped smile which made him wonder if he was overstaying his welcome.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3 months later

Summer 

The last time Mikasa  had gone on a vacation had been when she was 18. All her friends from the 104th had gone to the beach far away from the port to spend the day in the sun, play in water and do all the fun activities shown in the books that Kiyomi had shown them. 

Now at 22 she was finally taking another. Connie had insisted that they all go to the Giant Tree Forest to get away from all the “Hubbub” which was a word he seemed to have taken a liking to since he used it every time he complained about work or just the state of the world which bled into work for all her friends.

As usual Armin was too busy or simply found reasons to over work himself and predictably Annie followed. Reiner kept to himself and Pieck was supposed to come along but at the last minute she canceled . 

That left Connie, Jean and Herself. 

She didn’t mind, actually she was relieved Pieck was nice enough but she couldn’t feel completely comfortable around the former warrior, both men were fun although quieter than they had once been. Maybe it was due to unseen wounds or age. Despite both hurt and time taking their toll on Jean and Connie they still brought the spirit out of the other and in turn she had fun as well. 

Out from the droning of birds and insects there was a distinctive crack that rang through the forest. 

She looked around in a haze looking for where the lightning may be but nothing. She sighed with relief. She heard her companions do so as well. 

A small pathetic part of her felt an ounce better that she wasn’t the only who had been left bruised from their years in the military. That her misery had company but on some days when her friends looked so tired from the sleepless nights from either nightmares or work she wished she could take it from them. She was strong after all. She could do it if only it were possible. 

“I haven’t come back here since I never had to. “ She confessed. “Do you feel as if maybe this place could be haunted now?” 

“I feel like the whole world is haunted sometimes.” Jean muttered looking up at the trees with concern. 

“Guys, it’s just a dry branch falling.” Connie rolled his eyes and spurred them on.“Mikasa I understand but don’t go getting all moody on me Jean.”

“We’re not being moody just ummm.” Jean struggled for the word, snapping his fingers. “Introspective.” 

“If Pieck didn’t cancel on us so RUDLY,” Connie announced as if she were behind a log and would pop out any moment. “You wouldn’t be like this.” 

“You're right I would be annoyed.” 

“I think she just has a little crush on you. You probably do too.” Connie smirked. 

“Where's' this coming from, Huh?” Jean scolded. 

“It’s just you're always arguing with her and she you. You guys can't stay away from each other.” Connie turned to Mikasa. “What do you think Mikasa?” 

“Huh?! About?” She felt flustered by the whole thing; she was never one for gossip. 

“Pieck and Jean.” 

“I think we should respect our friends' privacy and drop the whole matter … Consworth.” 

Jean in the middle of drinking from his canteen spit out his drink chuckling at the silly name. 

“How's that funny it’s not even a name.” 

“How would you know Conward?” She asked with a raised brow, keeping her face deadpan. “Do you know all the names?” 

OoO 

They set up their camp on top the upper ground with a babbling brook just 10 yards away. After setting up the three laid in the shallow end of the water letting the snow melt cool them down . After almost an hour of lazing around Jean began the fire and forced Connie out to assist and scolded Mikasa into relaxing as she had been. 

“I think she’s jealous.” Connie whispered to him. 

“What are you talking about? Did you hit your head again last night?” 

“Mikasa of course.” 

“Yeah you hit your head.” Jean nodded and continued feeding the campfire. 

“No really. Notice if Pieck and you get mentioned she gets all.. She changes the subject or just leaves.” Connie insisted. 

Jean waved his hand in dismissal deciding there was no award for arguing with Connies foolishness. “Go to that bag and grab the sausages.” He commanded. 

--------------------------------------------------------------

1 Month Later

Late Summer 

“Truth or Dare?” Pieck asked from across the table. 

This was silly but that was exactly why they were playing the little game. Growing up they had barely had time for silly although still they, well her friends, were very important people they seemed to find time for silliness now. Armin had dubbed it necessary for those who faced as much scrutiny as they. 

“Dare.” Mikasa answered. She hoped it was nothing embarrassing. 

“I dare you tell us who the most attractive person in the room is.” 

“That’s a truth.” Jean snapped in front of Piecks face. 

About 2 times a month they all met up to drink and play games from the island or the continent. This week was the turn of their friends from Marley. Mikasa noticed to her surprise that it was Jean who almost always ended up the babysitter. Making sure no one drank too much and if they did he was the one escorting them to the restroom. He really was kinder then he gave himself credit for which was probably why he hadn’t noticed Piecks shameless habits. 

“Oh, you're right. I wouldn’t know where I would be without you. I’m hopeless. ” She smiled broadly up at Jean who simply rolled his eyes but smirked to himself when he knew Pieck to no longer looking. 

She really isn’t. Mikasa thought. 

About a month ago she had noticed a distinct pattern within Piecks actions. When Jean was at game nights she suddenly could never hold her liquor or frequently lost track of how much she had to drink. Needing no one other than Jeans assistance. No one else seemed to have the magic touch. But if he was absent for any reason she usually just became moderately buzzed or took care of herself. 

It was shameless, Mikasa felt. 

Throughout the night she had served Pieck drinks. At first they were alcoholic and as time went on they were nothing more than juice yet still she became more and more inebriated. 

Pieck slammed her cranberry drink on the table sloppily and announced her dare. Which ever so creatively was to kiss the handsomest person in the room. 

Mikasa simply moved over and gave Armin a fat kiss on the forehead making them both giggle like small children. She had raised a handsome man after all. 

The night passed and nothing happened besides Miaksa’s suspicions being proven correct. She couldn’t find it in her to embarrass Pieck and Mikasa herself felt shameless because who she really wanted to kiss was Jean. Suddenly her concern wasn’t that of a well intentioned friend but her feelings morphed as they took a name and they  felt ugly and frightful within her. 

Pieck had done nothing wrong after all except try to get Jean's attention. There was nothing wrong with that, nothing insidious, all the wickedness lied in Mikasa’s ignored feelings and childish reactions to them. 

--------------------------------------------------------------

1 Month Later ,

Early Autumn on a Sunday Morning 

Tea at Mikasa’s house had become a tradition in the months since Jean returned to Paradise. Twice a week but always just the two of them on Sunday mornings usually from 10 -11 AM he arrived always a little tired but never hung over. 

Summer was shifting into fall and he felt a chill in the air he wasn’t as accustomed to now since living on the continent for three years that had both been long, grueling yet fleeting now that he was back home. Although even on the island so lush and green It wasn’t nearly as cool as it had been in his youth. He wondered if the seasons would ever return as they should in his lifetime as he watched the warm painted leaves of Mikasa's oak tree  rustle in the wind. 

“Jean, are you okay there?” Miksa called from her porch. 

“Oh, Yes! Very Okay, Just admiring your oak is all.” He pointed up at her tree dumbly. 

She nodded, “Yes, I could see that.” She looked amused and it delighted him whenever he put a smile upon her face. 

“I had no clue you were such a botanist.” Mikasa commented as he took his seat at the table and she poured and prepared his tea in the way that he liked. That also delighted him that they were close enough and spent enough time to know just how to make the others tea. 

“I’m not but it’s a nice tree. It made me think of this story that Pieck had told me-” He lied. He didn’t want to bring up the ramifications of the rumbling. It would bring up other subjects and it was just too early to think of Eren. It wasn’t a completely lie she had told him a story about about a tree the other day. 

“Are you and Pieck… uhh..close?” She asked, unable to look him in the eye. 

“I s’pose.”  Jean shrugged although feeling a sense of deja vu. 

“When do you think you will finally become an item?” She asked. 

“Huh?!” Some of his tea dripped down his lip and clung to his beard.He reached for a napkin but she was faster, grabbing a handkerchief from her pocket and to his shock she leaned forward and wiped his chin tenderly. If he had more tea in his mouth he would have choked up again but all he could do was try and keep his face passive and ignore his heart beating in his ears. 

“You just seem to really enjoy her company.” Mikasa went on, the usual serine smile on her face was troubled. It had something to do with the tightness of her face and the downcast look in her eyes. 

“I do but it’s the same for Connie, Armin and y-you.” That was also a lie. She was not the same as anyone. There was no one like Mikasa Ackerman. 

“I just thought since she answered your phone. She must be over often.” Again she gave him a strained smile. 

“Jealous?” he teased. He didn’t know why he said something so stupid because of course she wasn’t. 

Mikasa’s face dropped any pretense of serenity in that moment. “Stop, I’m mortified enough.”  

“Wait?! What?  I was joking.” Jean answered, not really sure what was happening. 

“So this is all a joke to you? Huh?”  She got up from the table and looked out the window with her arms crossed. 

“No I just never thought you could be- I meant couldn’t possibly be-” 

“Because I’m so broken up?” She whispered towards the window. He wondered if he was even supposed to hear her. 

“No I mean - of me or because of me. Of all people.” He finished. He felt lightheaded; he must be dreaming or misunderstanding. 

Mikasa let out a deep sigh. “Give yourself some credit, I only know about 5 men.” 

He breathed from his nose at her small joke. “And none of them are worthy of you.” He meant it. 

“Same could be said about you. You're a hero.” She turned around now. He didn’t need to see her face to know she meant her honeyed words but the earnest look upon her face took his breath away. For a moment he almost believed them; That he was a hero. 

He got up from his chair to join her at the window to watch the oak tree let its leaves go to dance within the wind. A beautiful flurry of wines, coppers, golds, sienna and umbers and the amusing sight of the goats catching some leaves in the air and munching on them. 

He could only tell her the truth, that was all he was ever good at really. “I’m just a man.” 

She looked up at him. “I’m just a woman.” She smiled that small smile of hers that he had always found charming. “I think that’s enough.” 

[ravenhealer5]

In my opinion you should participate in jk week because you always go for a fanart and rarely post a fic plus there isn't many great jk fics and yours are PERFECT so I would like to read your writing 😁

Awww, thank you for reading my fics.

I do agree there aren't enough fics for JeanKasa, on ao3, most fics you find in the tag are not really JeanKasa fics. It does make me sad at times.

I'm trying to come up with some fic ideas I generally am terrible at following prompts. I saw there's two sets of prompts so I'm trying to choose a few that I think will work for me.

[liquorisce]

ooo while I wouldn’t say she bases her personally off eren she very much revolves her actions around him! I get what u mean though! a lot the choices and decisions she’s made for herself still center him (and armin at times).

ur so right though! I’d love to have seen eren grow up some come to understand how she thinks/functions and we did in a way but sadly he has departed lmao! shit started to go down when he had his realizations ab her and who she was to him.

that being said I think jeankasa is really sweet and jean would kinda send her into a spiral 😭 he’s someone who would be very accommodating to her and in some way I think she might even take it as a insult 💀 she just has issues to work out. she needs to have a good cry and to be taken care of for once in all truthfulness.

BUT BACK THE THE ORIGINAL PROMPT LMAFO

mika is so interesting bc she’s so strong willed and righteous in a sense but not for herself. like I said she’s very strong willed and assured in her choices but those choices revolve around those she cares for most. in the end they’re still her choices she made for herself but only for those who are not herself. she is selfless and sacrificial which isn’t the best mix lmao! her designs could be detrimental to herself if it means safety and peace for the ones she loves

she is a sweetie, keeping things close to the chest, and acting on self imposed punishment. she adored her parents so much 🥺 such a mamas girl and obviously she had so much love for them both, it’s not easy to just move on. I think she spent alot of her life distancing herself from her grief and not allowing herself to mourn fully but she is still a child who misses her parents :,) carla being kind as she is probably spurred multiple breakdowns that mikasa was capable of hiding until bathtime where she could be alone and stew in her grief without burdening others. USHAKLS :,,,)

i absolutely adore your analysis of her

thats exactly what i meant - she put him first (her loved ones came first for her always). imagine what it would be like for her to actually have someone put her first? to take her of her and love her like she is the only thing that matters? god it makes my heart hurt just thinking about it

its so interesting what you say about jk. jean could defs be that person for sure. but it would not be easy for her to accept. i think there would be so much unravelling she would have to do to simply accept that she deserves to be loved and treated like she is the most important thing. imagine jean teaching her how to put herself first omg i am so emotional why do u do this to me

she needs to learn that selflessness is not always the healthiest way to love somebody >.<

I think she spent alot of her life distancing herself from her grief and not allowing herself to mourn fully but she is still a child who misses her parents :,) carla being kind as she is probably spurred multiple breakdowns that mikasa was capable of hiding until bathtime where she could be alone and stew in her grief without burdening others. -- all of this is just so so true, I can see this completely UGH MIKASA WRU I JUST WANNA SQUEEZE U AND GIVE U A HUG

[this-is-krikkit]

thank you for sending this in about 84 years ago, Vabe!! 🥹🤦🏼

this was such a fun challenge, and i ended up liking writing it so much once i got the idea for it!! it’s light on the erumike side, as discussed, but i tried my best hehe 😉

side note, a thousand thanks for helping me recover it when i accidentally deleted this entire thing this morning 😭♥️ i really do not learn from past mistakes, do i?

anyway, thank you, i love you, i hope you enjoy this ♥️♥️♥️

58. “you smell like a wet dog”

send me a prompt and a character/ship, and i'll write you a drabble!

Gossip Girl(s and Boys)

Relationships: yumihisu, erumike, eremika (implied, one-sided), jeankasa (implied, one-sided), levihan (implied, one-sided),

Tags: feat that s1 castle temporary HQ, eren pov, fluff, snk veterans, the 104th kids, everyone has a crush okay?? you figure it out, basically the scouts regiment is a big high school drama!, they/them pronouns for Hange Zoë, headcanon backstory for Hange Zoë, this is very very silly and fluffy really

Eren grunts as he sits down next to his friends, letting his head fall on the old wooden table in front of him and barely missing his plate thanks to Mikasa’s reflex of pushing it away. He hadn’t expected his life would get easier once he’d joined the Scouts, and although he is thankful deep down for all the work –he knows it’s only turning him into a better soldier to eradicate Titans and he’s glad he’s not being dissected to death by the MP like he almost did– he’s fighting even harder than usual to not skip dinner altogether tonight. To be fair, he’s had to handle both a particularly rough bit of Hange experiments this morning, and regular training with everyone else in the afternoon without having had a chance to rest in between, and without any of the warm up his comrades got before noon.

“You look completely worn out,” Armin says softly, worriedly, jolting him awake from the slumber he was falling into.

Eren sits up and puts one hand over his own face, sighing. Even Jean is looking at him with something that looks like concern in his eyes, and Eren doesn’t know how he should feel about that.

“I am. You know, at first I was thankful when Mike showed up and distracted Hange away from me. But I didn’t think I’d have to catch up with you all after that. They didn’t even tell me themself, just sent their assistant to let me know there wouldn’t be any more proding today,” he recalls, picking up his spoon and tasting the broth. “It was weird, even for them.”

“That does sound odd. And you know, I think it’s only the second of third time I see Squad Leader Zacharias showing up out here,” Sasha points out, already done with her share of dinner.

“He must have had something important to say to Hange-san,” Armin muses out loud, and Eren recognizes the usual faraway look he gets whenever he thinks something over on his face.

“Yeah, I bet he said a lot of things to them. All afternoon. In a closed room with no one else around to overhear,” Connie points out unexpectedly, smirking at his friends.

Sasha and Jean both roll their eyes at him and Eren frowns, shooting a curious glance Mikasa’s way. She shrugs, obviously not in on it.

“From what I understand, he spends most of his time with Major Erwin in HQ,” Armin replies, looking even more serious and deeper in thoughts than before, “so he may indeed have had sensible military intel to share with them regarding the next expedition.”

“I’m sure he shared a whole lot more with them than military intel, if you know what I–

"We get it, Connie, you think they’re boning,” Jean interrupts, flicking the back of his head.

Eren’s thankful he swallowed his mouthful before he heard that, because he’s pretty sure it would have sent his food down the wrong way. Mikasa arches an eyebrow in surprise, and Armin handles this brutal crash back to reality by blushing more furiously than even Eren’s ever seen him.

“That’s right, I do! And I still don’t understand why you guys disagree,” Connie retorts.

“I’ll admit they seem close, but Squad Leader Hange is always sweating and covered in various dirt,” Jean says, sounding weary and bored and like it’s far from the first time he’s having this argument. “Zacharias and his freaky nose would bail at the first attempted kiss.”

“I hate to agree with Horse-face over there, but I think I do,” Ymir admits out loud.

She winks at Eren who’s sitting directly to her right –as she always does when borrowing his favorite insult for their comrade– and draws her chair closer to Krista’s on her left. She ignores Jean’s raised middle finger and his answering jab about her freckles being a poor make up effect to hide acne spots, and throws her arm over the short blonde’s shoulders nonchalantly.

“He’d probably sniff loudly like he always does,” she picks up, doing exactly that above Krista’s hair, “and tell them something like, ‘sorry Zoë baby, but you smell like a wet dog’,” she says in a deep, unnatural voice, wiggling her eyebrows at Krista.

Eren joins his friends and laughs at her poor attempt at imitation.

Unlike them though, he doesn’t miss the creaking sound of the heavy door opening and revealing two silhouettes behind it.

“What’s all this noise, aren’t you brats supposed to be sleeping by now? Maybe we’re not working you hard enough.”

Captain Levi’s voice chills the atmosphere as he walks fully into the room, and even Eren can feel the hair at the back of his neck standing up although he knows they've done nothing wrong. Mikasa is the only one who doesn’t shy away from his stare, but she still doesn’t verbally react to his words.

The tense silence thankfully breaks when the other figure walks in and Nanaba chuckles, ruffling Levi’s hair like it’s not an offense punishable by death.

“Forgive him, gang,” she says, withdrawing her hand before Levi slaps it away like she’s had years of practice doing exactly that. “Heichou here gets restless when it’s been too long since he’s sliced up a Titan.”

Levi glares back at her, and everyone else shares a relieved sigh and an amused glance behind his back.

Ymir uses the distraction to bring her face even closer to Krista’s than it already was, and Eren preemptively cringes at whatever line he's going to overhear, sitting right next to them.

“You, for the record, do not smell like a wet dog at all,” Ymir whispers with her most flirty smile.

Krista sucks in a deep breath and immediately fails to contain a coughing fit, attracting everyone’s attention to them.

“Walls, take this to the dorm room, ladies!” Nanaba jokes when she notices how close they are.

“I’d rather they don’t,” Levi groans, uncrossing his arms and revealing a cup of tea he’d been holding in his peculiar way, hidden in the crook of his elbow. “And before you start, I know it’s not technically illegal to date another soldier, but do they have to be horny teenagers on your explicit orders?”

“It’s not against the rules? Fraternization amongst Scouts?” Mikasa asks hurriedly, her eyes widening at her own question.

Jean barely suppresses a groans and Eren pointedly ignores the glare he sends his way, just like he ignores the pitiful look Armin shoots between his two childhood friends.

“Why do you care, Ackerman?” Levi scoffs.

She bares her teeth at his mocking tone, and Eren almost feels scared for his Captain for a moment.

“We were just trying to settle a bet here,” Jean intervenes before she does or says anything she'd regret.

“We were!” Sasha confirms, giggling nervously to defuse the renewed tension. “Connie here thinks Squad Leaders Zacharias and Zoë may be an item.”

Nanaba blinks twice as she processes that information, before she explodes in laughter, holding her sides. Even Levi visibly pinches his lips together and quickly hides his mouth behind his cup.

“What the hell is wrong with you? They’re siblings!” the veteran Scout manages to say when the worst of her hilarity has subsided.

“But… they don’t have the same name, and they don’t look like each other at all,” Reiner points out while everyone else exchanges shocked looks.

“Well, they grew up together. They were both found as infants, and as you may know, it is common for orphanages under His Majesty’s authority to assign last names that start with the same letter to kids they take in during the same year!”

“That's enough details,” Levi chimes in.

But Nanaba casts him an unimpressed side glance, and he sighs in defeat.

“These guys are Scouts now, Levi. They're family,” Nanaba says with a warm smile directed at everyone of them, including Eren. “And Hans loves telling that story so much, I’m surprised they didn’t know it already. Or,” she adds, her voice switching to a much more mischievous tone suddenly, “are you just getting defensive because they thought your crush was dating mine?”

“You have a crush on Mike?” Sasha squeals out, her hand slapping the table so hard she makes her own empty plate jump up and spin on itself for a few minutes.

Eren wants to point out that if Nanaba does, it probably doesn’t have much to do with just how much food Mike can inhale in one sitting, unlike Sasha’s own… admiration for the veteran Scout. But he bites his own tongue and decides to only listen for a little longer.

“I don't,” Nanaba replies, grinning again. “It’s an old inside joke that started when we were recruits, back when Levi here wasn’t even in the picture; I spotted Mike from across the room on our first day of training and pointed him out to Erwin. And well, let’s just say, it’s never been relevant who has a crush on either of those two since then.”

A few shocked gasps echo in the room, and one of them might even have escaped Eren himself.

“Wait, why not?” Connie asks, frowning.

Jean, the first one to recover from those news, rolls his eyes again and bends to say something in his ear.

“No way! You’re kidding, right?” Connie asks, eyes even bigger and rounder than usual.

“Okay, that’s enough gossiping,” Levi calls out. “Brats, get to bed already. You’re starting especially early and with a special round of exercises tomorrow morning.”

They all leave the room one by one, Jean grumbling about the alluded promised suffering of the next day. Eren trails behind everyone else, his legs having trouble carrying him up and along the corridor that leads away from the dinner room.

“Oi, Levi,” he hears Nanaba call over the noise of plates getting stacked together.

“What now?”

“Notice how they were surprised about a lot of what I said, but no one batted an eye when I mentioned your crush on Hange?”

There’s a short a silence then, disrupted only by the sound of dishes clanking against each other again, followed by a surprised huff from Nanaba.

“Careful, don’t drop them. They’ll be harder to clean if they’re in pieces, and you know I’ll be checking that you did it right.”

“Wow, you're really making me wash the dishes in your place? Man, you must be really pissed to give up your favorite hobby like that.”

Eren walks away faster after he hears Levi swear, and Nanaba’s answering laughter follows him up into the stairs to the dorm rooms.

[cidsideral]

Jeankasa week 2021 ♡ Day 1:

Reunion/After three years.

[itslieutenanthawkeye]

Jeankasa Week 2022. Day 4: Changes

Starry night

AO3

The incident and aftermath of the time Mikasa was forced to cut her hair really short.

She had never enjoyed training in the winter, but she preferred it rather than working in the heat. Summer heat was a different sort of animal altogether, and she guessed her team -particularly Connie and Jean- hated it too.They had all complained relentlessly about Eren’s suggestion to build the train line, and part of her agreed with them to a degree.

She liked spending time with her squad; she didn’t speak as much as the rest, but she enjoyed Connie and Sasha’s bickering, Jean teasing Eren, and Eren and Armin’s endless talks about their future travels after the war…Mikasa just wished they could spend time under different circumstances.

“I’ll need a shower after this,” she heard Jean say to Connie. “A long one.”

“You need it, man,” Connie replied. “You fucking stink.”

“Fuck off, Connie.”

Mikasa smiled to herself, careful to not turn to look at them. She didn’t want Jean nor Connie to think she was making fun of them. She often thought of herself as Jean, Sasha and Connie’s most attentive audience. She liked listening to their banter, so equally distributed that it made her jealous sometimes.

“Oi, Mikasa!” Connie called. Mikasa turned around, a questioning expression on her face. Connie grabbed Jean by the arm and pushed him forward, as if to send him in her direction. “Come here. Jean smells, doesn’t he?”

“Leave her out of it, idiot,” Jean shoved Connie aside, face red, then he gestured in her direction. “Can’t you see she’s the only one doing a good job here? All you and Sasha do is fight about who gets to drink more water.”

Connie grinned, his eyes on Mikasa. “Come on, you need to smell him. It’s disgusting.”

“Leave it, coconut head,” Sasha ventured, leaving her hammer aside to join Connie. “I think I smell worse…Mikasa, come on, tell us who smells the worst here.”

“I’m not gonna play stupid little games, you two!” Jean snapped.

Mikasa put the steel beans she had on her shoulder on the ground and walked up to her three friends…although she was not sure she could call them that. Sasha was her very best female friend, perhaps closer to a sister than anyone else, but all Connie did was joke around, and Jean…Jean did not talk to her for long whenever they were alone.

“Here, here,” Sasha took her arm and dragged her closer to Jean, who stood awkwardly by Connie’s side, his face red from the sun. “Sniff him first, then do me.”

“Nobody should be sniffing anyone,” Jean said, stepping away.

“I think we must all smell,” Mikasa said. Her voice drew Connie and Sasha’s attention, as well as Jean’s, who gave her a questioning look. Mikasa cleared her throat, realizing she’d barely spoken a handful of phrases throughout the afternoon. “We’ve worked in the sun for an hour now, have we not? We must all smell pretty bad.”

Silence followed, for a full minute. Then, Connie and Sasha exchanged a look. A second later, their chests erupted in laughter, although MIkasa was not sure if they were mocking her or not. Her companions laughed freely, eyes closed and cheeks red, as if a war did not loom over their heads.

“Did you hear that, Jeanbo?” Sasha laughed, shaking him by the arm. “Mikasa thinks you stink like ass!”

“I didn’t say that!” Mikasa hurried to say, unsure if it was the heat or Sasha’s teasing what was causing her own cheeks to turn red. “We are all sweaty.”

“Jean here said you smell like strawberries,” Connie said, wiping the corner of his eye as he avoided Jean’s slap. Mikasa turned to look at the tall boy, who had begun to rub his forehead with both hands, clearly tired of trying to keep his friends in check.

“Did you?” Mikasa asked.

Jean looked away, folding his arms over his chest. “You don’t smell, you don’t smell bad at all. Not like Connie here, in any case.”

Mikasa took her ponytail without thinking, staring at it for a second before speaking again. “This is getting longer again. It gets sweatier than before.”

“Still, you don’t smell bad,” Jean said, now burying both hands in his pockets. He spoke awkwardly and his head was lowered, but Mikasa heard every word. It was then that she noticed Connie and Sasha had stepped away; they’d resumed laying out the railings, sparing a couple of glances their way every few seconds.

“I think it’s lovely, by the way, if you don’t mind me saying it,” Jean cleared his throat, drawing her attention. She widened her eyes, confused. “Your hair. It’s longer. I-I think that it looks lovely.”

“Oh,” Mikasa stroked the ponytail quicker, unsure what to do with her hands. She didn’t think anyone beside Sasha and Historia had complimented this new, longer hair. “It’s growing quick, too.”

“It is.”

“It makes me warm,” Mikasa looked sideways, noticing Sasha was smiling in their direction. Her friend looked away the instant her gaze caught Mikasa’s. “I didn’t think I could do the maneuver gear properly with long hair, but it seems I can…I also think it’s soft.”

“It looks soft,” Jean agreed with a smile.

“You can feel it…” Mikasa looked at the ground, dropping her ponytail. Maybe she was being too friendly. “If you want, I meant…it’s just very soft.”

She feared Jean would call her weird, or perhaps he would look at her funny, use her words to make fun of her alongside Connie. Instead, Jean smiled and raised his hand, reaching out to hold her ponytail in his palm.

“It is very soft, perhaps more than mine,” he said thoughtfully. Mikasa nodded in agreement, glad that someone else other than Sasha recognized how petty her hair had become. “It’s softer than I thought it would be.”

His thumb stroked her hair, slowly, as if he were touching a flower petal. Jean’s eyes switched from her hair, to her eyes, his golden color almost shimmering when he focused on her face. “I think it feels nice,” Mikasa said, the memory of Jean’s compliment about her long hair taking over her mind. “Better than short hair.”

“Oi!” Captain Levi called from his horse. He was there to escort them back to the home they all shared. “Gather your things, brats, we’ve got dinner waiting!”

“I think it’s pretty either way. I bet you’d look good bald, too,” Jean let go of her hair and put his hands back in his pockets, as if he’d just felt the heat of a stone. Mikasa nodded and took her ponytail again, unsure why her hands felt so clumsy. A strange, unnatural sound left her mouth. A chuckle, dry laughter.

She could not remember the last time she’d laughed in front of someone that was not Sasha; she looked around, just to confirm Sasha nor Connie were still making fun of her. However, Captain Levi’s voice call had forced everyone back to their work, and both Sasha and Connie were focused on tidying everything for tomorrow. Not even Eren was looking at her; he seemed too focused on his discussion with Levi to notice she was getting along with Jean.

Eren was the one who always pushed her to talk more to the hazel-eyed boy; so, she would make sure to inform him they’d had a full, five minute conversation without her scaring him away. Eren often said her behavior scared Kirstein away, alongside every other member of the survey corps.

“I don’t plan on cutting it again,” she said, crouching to help Jean gather his things and put them in his bag. He crouched a second later, following her lead.

“You don’t?”

“Not anytime soon,” Mikasa replied. She liked how her black hair framed her face; it was one of the few things that made her feel like a normal girl, albeit she was everything but a normal girl. “It might look silly, though.”

Jean shook his head. “Not at all. Not at all. It’ll be lovely.”

Mikasa stood, throwing Jean’s bag over her shoulder. “You really think so?”

“I'm sure of it,” Jean tugged one of the straps of his bag. “I can carry this.”

“This isn’t heavy,” Mikasa said nonchalantly, then realized what she’d just said. “I’m sorry.”

“Why?” Jean asked, bewildered. “Why apologize because you’re stronger?”

Mikasa’s cheeks burned again, but she did not want to recall the thousand little times in which her physical progress had been the source of anger from the people she cared about —for one of the people she cared about.

“I-I don’t know?” She said sincerely.

“You shouldn’t apologize for being better than everyone,” Jean said as they walked to the cart that would take them back to Shingashina. The routine had become familiar; wake, work on building the train line until sunset, war councils, dinner, sleep. They rotated place with other units, and Connie often complained they were treated as slaves all because of Eren.

And despite that she hated the heat, Mikasa had grown to enjoy the long hours of work alongside her friends. They gave her an inkling of normality, of a routine alongside her most beloved people.

“This is the longest we’ve talked in a while, Jean,” she pointed out suddenly. “And all you have done is compliment me.”

Jean smiled, as if he knew he had no other choice but to admit she was right. “I’m sorry…maybe that idiot’s speech from last night got in my head.”

He was talking about Eren’s words, last night on the road home, when he had told them they were all special to him. “What do you mean?”

Jean shrugged. “We’re all special to each other. I don’t like seeing anyone doubt themselves, especially you.”

“Why?”

They were approaching the cart, and both Eren and Armin were looking at the two now, their conversation with Levi and Hange seemingly finished. They would be proud of her, Mikasa thought, they would perhaps congratulate her for having a full conversation, a long interaction with Jean by herself.

“Because you are the best of us all,” Jean answered, as if it were the most natural statement in the world. “You are single handedly carrying that tool bag and you’re not even breaking a sweat! You’re fantastic, Mikasa, and that’s just the least of all you can do.”

Mikasa looked away. “You’re being too kind.”

“I’m being too honest.”

“Are you two turtles, or something?” Levi grunted. “Or maybe sloths?”

“Sloths?” Mikasa asked.

“Ignore him,” Hange said from their horse. “He’s been cramming those zoology books the Azumabito brought over. Hop on! Dinner’s waiting.”

Mikasa went to queue by Eren’s side, who greeted her with a tight-lipped smile. He’d become more pensive the past years, more introspective, as if the weight of his responsibility had locked the old him inside his own mind. “Tired?”

Mikasa shook her head. “You?”

“A little,” he admitted.

“You must be mindful of your health, Eren. Don’t overwork yourself,” she said. Eren hummed in agreement, looking at Jean over his shoulder. Mikasa imitated him and noticed Sasha was tugging his shirt and wiggling her eyebrows at the tall boy; just mindless teasing, but it made him frown nonetheless.

“What did you two talk about?”

Mikasa shrugged. “He said he likes my long hair.”

“Oh,”

“And that I’m strong,” Mikasa added, a little more shyly this time. Eren hummed, and she guessed that was the most she would get out of him. He spared Jean yet another glance.

“Too soon,”

“What do you mean?” Mikasa asked, although the tools that fell out of Jean’s bag caught her attention before he could answer. Mikasa turned to look at Jean, who was looking in her direction. “I’m sorry. I should’ve given it to you.”

Jean muttered something about helping her, but Mikasa was quicker, and she crouched next to the cart to grab his things. A screwdriver had rolled under a rail, and she had to press her face against the dirt to reach it.

“I’ll do it, Mikasa,” Jean said hurriedly.

“Are you not getting on?” Armin asked.

“Mika dropped something,” Sasha said. Mikasa stretched her arm further, thinking she perhaps looked ridiculous on all fours. The screwdriver was stuck under the rail, and no matter how hard she tugged, it would not come loose. So much for the strongest of them all, she thought as she struggled.

“Is everyone on?” Levi asked.

“No, wait,” Jean said.

“We need to go, kids,” Hange exclaimed happily.

“Wait!” Jean insisted. “Mikasa is on the ground.”

“Armin, get the lever.”

“I said wait,” Jean crouched at her side, close enough for her to smell him. Mikasa arched her eyebrows, unsure why Connie had said Jean stank. There was nothing foul smelling about him.

“The lever, Arlert!” Levi shouted. “Watch the lever!”

“It’s loose!”

“She’s still here!” Jean reached out for the screwdriver, his long limbs better for the task. But Mikasa heard the clicking of metal, and Jean cursed a second later. “Her hair is stuck! Stop! PULL THAT LEVER BACK!”

“Stop what?!” Eren asked, panicked.

“Her hair is stuck!” Jean shouted. Another lever clicked, and the searing pain in her scalp made her cry out loud.

____________________________

“Ouch,” Mikasa said. She held a cold piece of meat against her forehead, which remained red and slightly swollen, while she thanked Hizuru silently for the cooling machines they had sent from across the sea.

“I’m sorry,” Sasha said, rubbing the part of the scalp she’d pulled. “I’m not as good as you when it comes to cutting hair.”

“You’re doing well,” Mikasa assured her.

“It’s already at your chin,” Sasha pointed out. The lights were low in the immense room they both shared. Once, the space had been built to house four more girls, but now it was a half-empty nest, her and Sasha were the room’s last inhabitants. “You sure you want it shorter? You were telling me you liked it long.”

“Hange said the preparations for our journey are almost finished,” Mikasa said after a moment. “Short hair will help me go unnoticed. If they want me to pose as a boy, short hair will help me too.”

“I doubt it,” Sasha muttered. Mikasa frowned, and her friend shrugged. “You got a pair of attributes that won’t be easy to pass off as a boy’s.”

“I want it short, in any case.” Mikasa said, blushing at the insinuation of her big breasts. They’d grown the past years, and she often caught boys and higher officials looking in her direction when her shirts were too tight.

From Sasha’s expression, Mikasa knew that her lie would not convince her. But Sasha was too sweet to not call her out, to convince her to not cut her hair, too kind to tell her what they all knew. Mikasa was all muscles, her body a machine more powerful than most men around her, with abs marked to perfection and veins that stuck out every time she strained her arms.

A pixie cut would make her look more like a boy.

That did not matter though. Today’s incident had convinced her that long hair was useless in battle. She was not fashionable like Sasha, or elegant like Historia; if her hair became tangled in such a simple context like this afternoon, she did not want to think of all the things that could go wrong with her maneuver gear.

Still, it was hard to say goodbye to one of the few things that made her feel feminine.

“We could try and braid it,” Sasha suggested, reading her thoughts like only a close female friend could. “If we tie it really tight, it won’t get tangled. It’s what I do with my hair.”

Mikasa shut her eyes and wrung her hands. “Cut it all off. Just do it.”

“Mikasa, you clearly don’t want to.”

“It will be fine,” Mikasa sighed, although she was not sure who she was talking to, Sasha or herself. “I’ll let it grow out when the war is finished.”

When would that be? Maybe a few months, or years, depending what they found on Marley, what the international commissions said about the eldians of Paradise island. Mikasa sighed; a pixie cut would do no harm to her. Nobody would be shocked to see her, no one would question her reasons. Besides, the welts on the back of her neck and on her forehead were enough reminders that she would be better off without it.

_______________

The dining hall was far too crowded for Jean’s liking. It wasn’t that he did not like crowds. He was simply too tired to put up with all the questions from the new recruits, and all the flirting. The flirting became more of a constant as the years passed. It was a consequence of being one of the heroes of Shingashina, Floch often said, although Jean did not consider himself a hero, he was a mere survivor of the massacre.

But most people did not understand that, and many comrades in the army didn’t understand either. Any other eighteen year old would have been flattered from all the attention, or perhaps reciprocated some of it. But Jean didn’t care for it. He had no interest in what bodily pleasures had to offer, at least not with people he didn’t know nor cared about.

And who was he kidding? There was one person and one person only whose attention he desire.

“…like a fucking man, I swear,” a boy said said as he stepped out of the dining hall with his friend. “Who told her she looked good?”

“Probably that stupid friend of hers,” the other boy chimed in. “You know these females clap like seals whenever another does something.”

They’d stopped to smoke outside the hall, meters away from the patch of grass he’d decided to sit on. They were kids, barely sixteen, but they already spoke like bitter old men, angry at women for no reason. It made Jean want to punch them in their mouths. But it would be best to stay away from trouble; he didn’t want to traumatize new recruits, and he was sure Levi would do all the work for him eventually.

“Someone should’ve told her it was a mistake,” the first one went on. “She loos like a fucking guy, I swear. What kind of girl wears her hair like that?”

“Jaegar should’ve said something,” the other said. “She’s his little lapdog, is she not? He should’ve told her she looks like a man.”

Jean stood from his patch of grass,still warm from the midday sun, and walked in their direction, blood rushing angrily across his arteries, ears ringing loudly. He shouldn’t involve himself in the ridiculous ramblings of teenagers, yes, but when the ramblings involved her, things changed.

“A great figure, though,” the first idiot said. “Big tits…too bad he’s gonna have to call her Mankasa from now on.”

Jean grabbed the idiot by the neck of his shirt and pulled back without him noticing he was behind him in the first place. The idiot squealed like a child as he stumbled down the steps and onto the ground. He landed on his back, ready to start a fight until he recognized Jean.

“Captain Kirstein,” he stammered, and his words made Jean roll his eyes. He was a veteran, yes, but a captain just in name. He had led no battle missions with that title, although he was certain he would have the chance soon, with the war looming overhead.

“Who the fuck were you two babies talking about?” He demanded to know. The two idiots exchanged a look, and Jean kicked the boy in the abdomen. “Fucking answer me! Who the fuck were you talking about?”

“Sir—“

“Shut the fuck up!” Jean hissed. The boy atop the steps dared not to move; Jean was their superior officer, and the military was far too lenient to its superior officers. He abhorred how often superiors abused their power, but he guessed this was one of the limited privileges that came with the title. “I’m your captain, idiot, and if you were talking about who I think you were talking about, you’re going to have a very unpleasant evening, I swear to Ymir—“

“Jean,” a serious, lovely voice said from the door. “Leave them. It’s okay.”

Jean looked up and encountered Mikasa’s lovely outline bathed in the yellow light from the dining hall. Her hair had been cut short, in a pixie cut like the ones his younger cousins had gotten whenever there was a lice infestation at school. It framed her face differently; it made her cheekbones stand out, it made her mouth rounder, her eyes kinder, her neck slightly longer. It was a huge change, even in comparison to the short style she’d had for years.

She looked undeniably, totally gorgeous.

“I-you….you heard them, didn’t you?” Jean said, his jaw clenched involuntarily. “I’m beating them up for being assholes. You should help me out.”

The two idiots squealed, but both remained frozen in their places, despite that only one was being restrained. The threat of being beaten by him was one thing, and being beaten up by Mikasa Ackerman –that was a different kind of fear altogether.

“They’re kids.”

“They’re disrespectful idiots.”

“Kids can be idiots,” Mikasa pointed out calmly, her significant gaze forcing a smile out of him. Remember yourself? Remember Eren? Her gray eyes said.

“What do you want me to do with them?” He asked, certain he would fulfill her every wish, even if they were violent, selfish…but that had never been Mikasa. For someone as strong as she was, she’d never been overly selfish, even if she tried to deny it.

“Let them go,” Mikasa said. “Don’t beat them up.”

“Beating them up was the least I was going to do,” Jean replied angrily. Mikasa waited a moment in silence, her gaze enough to undo all the rage, all his plans of violence. Jean stood reluctantly, and forced the young idiot soldier on his feet. Before he moved away, however, Jean grabbed him by the neck of his shirt. Mikasa did not make any movements to stop him when he forced the kid back up the steps to the dining hall; she’d made a request, yes, but that didn’t mean she would force him to abide by it.

“You two,” Jean grabbed the other, then he forced both to look at her. “You will apologize to Captain Ackerman.”

Mikasa’s eyes widened. “Jean, they don’t have to.”

“They were being disrespectful to you, their superior,” Jean said, wondering briefly why someone so strong could be so patient, so kind, so willing to allow people to disrespect her so. Maybe it was a learned behavior from having withstood Eren for such a long time.

That made Jean angrier than before.

“Apologize!” He said, shaking both recruits.

“We’re sorry, Miss Ackerman!” Both idiots shouted at the same time.

“That’s not her whole name!” Jean shook them again. “Respect your superior officer! Title, idiots, the title!”

“We’re sorry, captain Ackerman!” Both said in unison. Mikasa blinked, apparently at a loss for things to say for a whole minute.

“I forgive you,” she stammered in the end. “Ah, dismissed.”

Jean loosened his grip on them and the two recruits scurried away, their expressions showing just enough constriction for him to not grab them again. They hurried towards their barracks, leaving them alone, their figures lit only by the light that spilled from the dining hall.

“You scared them,” Mikasa said, but there was no accusation in her voice. “Thank you.”

“Anytime, captain,” Jean said, making her roll her eyes. She hated the higher rank; she did not like the attention that came with it. It was a silly apprehension, given she was the Mikasa Ackerman. Attention was hers all the time, and she deserved it without question.

“Hey, Mikasa.”

“Yes?”

“You should’ve let me beat them up a little,” he sighed, leaning against the wooden handrail. “They were jerks. You can’t possibly tell me they were not.”

“They were.”

“They’re not Eren,” Jean ventured, hoping his words did not sound harsh. He’d stopped talking harshly about her relationship with Eren years ago. “I don’t mean you should take their crap, but they aren’t your family. You absolutely shouldn’t take crap from them.”

Mikasa leaned against the handrail, next to him, barely one step above Jean. He thought she would remain quiet, or perhaps that she would tell him to not get himself involved in her business. “They were right.”

“What?”

“They were right,��� she repeated. “Kind of. I do look like a man.”

“What?!”

“With my hair,” Mikasa ran a hand across her head in an odd moment of vulnerability. “It’s way shorter than before.”

“Why would that makes you look like a man?” Jean asked. Mikasa looked at him, and the confused expression on her face made him chuckle. “Mikasa, there is nothing about you that says ‘man’. Nothing, I swear that.”

“They thought differently.”

“They’re idiots, virgin assholes. Their thoughts don’t matter,” Jean laughed. He’d always seen her as such a strong, unbreakable force, that it had never crossed his mind she could also experience doubts about her appearance. “Mikasa, you do not look like a man, at all. You look…lovely.”

Mikasa frowned and looked at him. “Really?”

“Beautiful, actually,” Jean corrected himself. Mikasa widened her eyes, and he regretted his words right away. They were comrades, friends, but Mikasa had never heard so many compliments from him before. Heavens, he didn’t even compliment Sasha as often, and surely Mikasa had noticed.

Jean did not say it out loud, but he always made sure to keep a healthy distance from her whenever they were alone. He feared she would find out about his love for her, and then she would never speak nor look his way again. He was certain that if she were to find out about his feelings, she would never be comfortable around him. And Jean didn’t want to lose her. He already did not have her as a lover, he would not lose her as a friend.

“And you are sweet,” Mikasa said with a tiny, soft smile on her lips that took him aback. This vulnerability of hers, he had never seen, not until today. He liked it when he learned new things about her, when their interactions gave him a larger insight into what went on inside her mind.

“I’m only saying the truth.” Jean shrugged, trying to remain as composed as he could when, in truth, that tiny smile had melted his heart into a puddle.

“What were you doing outside?” She asked, and he barely held back the need to squeal like a schoolgirl. She was making conversation, asking him questions. That was enough to get him to ascend heavens with elation.

You’re so pathetic, his mind noted.

And so what if he was?

“I was just stargazing. Most lights are off at this time, and summer skies are best for that.”

“Stargazing?” Mikasa tilted her head back to look at the sky for a moment, then looked back at him. “Do you know constellations?”

“Sort of,” Jean admitted. “I’m not the best, but I know some because I read those books the Azumabito brought over.”

“From where were you stargazing?” She asked. Jean gestured at the empty stretch of grass to their right, hidden from the pools of light that spilled out of the dining hall’s windows. Mikasa nodded, then lifted her hands as if she were going to hold her ponytail, forgetting her hair was now short. She blushed and looked up at the sky in silent anticipation. And even an idiot like Jean knew she was curious about his stupid hobby.

“Do you wanna come along?” Jean asked.

“To stargaze?”

“We can lay six feet apart, if it’ll make you comfortable,” Jean blurted out. Mikasa raised both eyebrows and looked at the sky again. Ah, she was going to say no, and he could not blame her. They were comrades, but he’d made sure that neither had private moments throughout all this time of peace, out of fear she would hate him for loving her.

“Let’s go,” Mikasa said. “Show me.”

____________________

“If you squint, you can see the dragon’s tail.” Jean was saying. “They call it Arashi’s tail.”

She liked it when Jean explained things to her. Because everyone in the military knew she was stronger, whenever a man tried to explain anything to her, they liked to reaffirm that they were smarter than her, at least…which they weren’t.

Jean was different. He explained things with passion, without getting exasperated when she could not see a star or when she couldn’t recognize the shapes he was talking about. He didn’t talk down at her, he never bragged, he never laughed at her.

It could be simply because Jean was passionate about stargazing, or maybe he was just good when it came to treating women as equals. More people in the military should take their lessons from him, she realized.

“Wait, I thought the warrior was a male?” Mikasa asked. She squinted and indeed, she made out the blurry shape of the tail Jean had spoken about for the last fifteen minutes.

Jean rested his head on his hand, looking at the sky. “Yeah, but the guy died for her, so in the end she owns the constellation.”

Mikasa hesitated and turned to look at him, but Jean was focused on the stars.

They’d been lying like this for the past hour, a whole fix feet away from each other, like he’d suggested. Not that Mikasa would have hated lying closer. He was respectful, their Jean, and he was the one man she trusted fully, perhaps sometimes he trusted his moral compass more than she did Eren or Armin’s.

“Do you think it’s a good love story?” Mikasa asked, looking at Jean. “That he died for her.”

“Well, it was a prophecy that he’d die for the girl he loved,” Jean said thoughtfully. “To be honest it’s a hizuran legend, so it’s not like my opinion matters…but I hate it when someone dies and everyone takes that as an expression of endless love.”

“You do?” Mikasa asked. She had never stopped to think about love stories. Her mind had no time for them, in truth. There were too many responsibilities for someone like her to pay mind to the workings of a love story.

“I don’t think choosing to die for someone is romantic. It’s depressing,” Jean put both hands behind his head and rested on the grass, this time his eyes were on her. “The idea of living, or choosing to live for someone…now, that’s romance.”

“How come?” Mikasa asked.

“Because the world is cruel, and depressing and sad and unfair,” Jean said, not drawing his eyes away from her. Mikasa nodded as he spoke, that truth about the world had been clear to her since her childhood. “But deciding to stay and live to be with someone, despite how shitty the world gets? That’s admirable.”

“Having someone as a reason to live?”

“Not necessarily. It’s not like you should kill yourself if you’re not with them,” Jean shrugged, unable to find the right words. Somehow, that seemed correct. Love seemed like too much of a deep subject for teenagers that had never experienced it. “Just to decide to power through all the shit alongside a special person…it seems more poetic.”

Mikasa nodded. “I don’t understand poetic love.”

“Me neither.” Jean chuckled.

It seemed he understood it a lot better than she did, at least. “Do you have someone like that, Jean? Someone you want to power through with.”

Jean turned to look at the sky, his eyes distant. And just when Mikasa was about to apologize for being so intrusive, Jean turned to look at her with a smile. “I think so.”

“Oh.”

“But it has to be a mutual decision, powering through all the crap from the world together. In my case, I’m all alone on my side.” He said with a sad expression that moved her heart. She’d once told Historia that there were limited people in this world she truly cared about, and as the years passed, the more she came to realize that Jean, Sasha and Connie were included in that category.

And hearing that Jean was suffering because some woman was not reciprocating his feelings made her irrationally angry. Jean was a fantastic man, matured and mellowed after so many years in combat. Apart from that, he was easy on the eyes, way too easy, if she considered all those looks he got from the women in the military and from civilians.

She’s insane, she wanted to tell him. Find another, find someone better.

“Now, but it’s not her fault,” Jean continued, now resting his head on the soft grass, his cheeks pink in the moonlight. “I know what you’re probably thinking. And no, there’s no one better. I know it very well.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“I haven’t said anything to that person, to be fair. And I doubt I ever will.” Jean sighed. She could tell how much it pained him, to have that affection so deeply burrowed and not saying anything. It irritated her, to see him so sad about a girl she didn’t know. She didn’t like the girl, she didn’t like seeing a comrade in love.

“That is stupid.” Mikasa said.

“Not saying anything?” Jean laughed.

“Maybe,” Mikasa laid on her side to look at him, and Jean did the same. They were six feet apart from each other, but she could still make out the color of his eyes from where she laid. Pools of molten gold, even in the moonlight. “But you’ve changed quite a bit. I’m sure you can continue changing.”

“Changed?” Jean asked. “What do you mean?”

“You used to be loud,” Mikasa said sincerely. “And annoying.”

Jean snorted when she spoke, his face relaxing for the first time ever since the subject of love had been brought up. “You can say it. I used to be a little shit.”

Mikasa shook her head. “I used to be obsessed about protecting Eren. I used to be quieter. I used to not have any friends besides Eren and Armin.”

“You’ve changed too,” Jean pointed out calmly.

“My changes aren’t as obvious as yours,” Mikasa admitted. In truth, it felt as if something broke away from her soul every time she tried to change, and she hid from it. She didn’t want to see the Mikasa that would be left after her outer layers peeled. She wasn’t ready. “I’ve changed my hair more than my personality.”

“That’s not true,” Jean chuckled. “You’ve grown, too. We’re all more mature.”

“You’re more mature than all of us.” Mikasa said thoughtfully. He wasn’t afraid of change. He embraced it, he grew with it. Perhaps it was one of those things that made him such a great leader. “I’m sure you’ll keep changing until you can say something.”

“You think so?” Jean asked.

“I know so.” Mikasa gave him a sideways glance and looked at the sky, feeling blood travel to her cheeks. “I’m rooting for you.”

“Thank you, Ackerman.”

Mikasa smiled to herself. But, deep down, she knew she had lied. Part of her didn’t want him to tell this girl about his feelings. He didn’t want Jean pried away from their team by some woman she didn’t know. And she hoped she turned him down, she hoped she turned him down so Jean could stay with them all, working to become Levi or Hange’s successor.

“What about that one that looks like a spoon? Is that a real constellation?” She asked, preferring to focus on his passion for the sky than on a future in which Jean gathered enough courage to marry and leave the military.

“Ah, that one is interesting.” Jean began talking and Mikasa focused on him.

She didn’t want things to change. She wanted all of them to stay as they were; she wanted them all sharing the same dorms until they became too old to use the maneuver gear, she wanted her tight-knitted group the same, forever. It was wishful thinking, she knew, especially with the titan curse. And while change could bring equally beautiful and awful things, at least for a moment, Mikasa allowed herself to picture that they would all stay the same, like the stars in the heavens, forever.