Unity

Chapter Five

"Fine." Eren and I went back down to the creep plainly to kill time. Mikasa climbed up a nearby tree and sat at the top peacefully. Her strength actually really impressed me. She was probably twice as strong as I was, maybe more. Probably more...

Eren fell down into the water, causing my laughter. Events led after another, and soon we were both soaked and laughing hysterically. I fell and got my foot stuck in the mud, and when I looked up, Eren's hand was outstretched for my reach.

"Grab my hand, I'll pull you up." Eren's smile welcomed me to take a grasp on his hand. He easily pulled me up out of the mud and back onto the floor of the woods. I felt my face heat up almost instantaneously. Damnit, Armin! I turned away in attempt to him not to see me so flustered like I was right now.

"In maybe an hour it will be dark enough to start the fire," Eren turned towards me to look me in the eyes.

"Yeah- hey, are you blushing?"

"Uh-" I bit my lip and tried turning away again. "I-"

"It looks cute," I almost jumped at this. My face felt boiling and even the skin on my arms were turning a pale pink. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to say that, it just came out-"

"It's fine," Mikasa jumped down from her perch and landed more softly than I thought she would.

"I think it's a good time to get the fire starting. The sun is already setting." Eren and I nodded simultaneously. "You two look flushed-"

"Shut up, Mikasa! It's none of your business!" She shrugged. "I'll light it now." Eren pulled out his lighter and stuck his hand in the middle.

"Don't be an idiot, Eren. You'll burn yourself. Light the bottom, not the middle. It will spread and get bigger and reach the middle." Eren made a 'Tch' sound, but took her advice. In almost no time, the fire spread and the bonfire was fantastic. The fire's color mixed with the wood looked god-like, almost like Eren's right eye...

"Let's roast some leaves!" Eren picked up a pile of leaves and a stick. He placed a single leave on the end of the stick and stuck it into the fire. Mikasa laughed quietly and softly at Eren's enthusiasm.

"You're an idiot," she said between small giggles.

"A proud idiot."

"Big difference, idiot." After Eren roasted a couple of leaves, he handed me the stick he had just used.

"Try roasting some leaves! When they're done they look like chipped kale," I smiled and speared a leaf through the top of the stick. I placed it on top of the fire pit, and as Eren said, it immediately changed it's form to look identical to chipped kale. We all roasted leaves until the pile Eren made was completely gone.

"That was possibly the funnest, but stupidest thing I've ever done," I stated. Eren chuckled.

"If you think that was stupid, then you're up for a treat. That was probably one of my less stupid ideas." Mikasa face-palmed and lied onto her stomach.

"You know that we don't have school tomorrow, right?" Mikasa questioned Eren.

"No, but good. I don't want to see that horse-faced idiot again." I tried hard to keep my laughter inside.

"You mean Jean?" Eren smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. Horse-face." Even Mikasa laughed at what Eren had to say about Jean's appearance.

"What time do you think it is?" Because of my soft volume, Eren scooted closer to me and cupped his hand around his ear, as to signal to speak up. "What time do you think it is?" I repeated a bit louder.

"I don't know. Probably around 8:30 or 9:00." Mikasa's head bobbed up and down.

"That sounds about right. I'm pretty tired." My eyelids closed a bit, but opened when I heard Eren's voice again.

"Me too. I'm gonna try and get some sleep soon." I lied down, and I meant to rest my head on the ground, but I hadn't realized that Eren was right behind me, and my head landed on his chest. "I-I'm sorry!" My face's color was drained and replaced by red, yet again, but Eren put one of his hands on my shoulder.

"You can stay here," Eren wrapped his arms tightly around me and held me closer to him. I was extremely alarmed by this, but I was definitely not going to make any struggle to get out. I was enjoying it... "Plus, you'll be warmer this way."

"Thanks..." I curled my knees up and gave into the feeling. My head was pressed up against him. His back was up against a tree, so he did not fall back. Being wrapped up in his arms made me feel something I've never felt before... and that's protected. For some reason, my mind gave me the impression that Eren was my safety zone. I usually had a hard time trying to fall asleep, but tonight, even though I was not comforted by a blanket, I fell asleep as soon as my eyelids closed. I can't ever sleep without music, either, but since my head was pressed close to his chest, I could hear and even feel his heartbeat all night. I don't know what it was that made me think this, but some things so simple, such as Eren's heartbeat, gave me all the comfort I needed, and I was more than satisfied with that as the music I listen to for tonight.