After the fight between Levi and Mia the week prior, Mia could've sworn rain clouds surrounded her head. She had neither the energy nor will to look up and see Eren approaching her cell.
"You've looked be-" Eren said, But was cut off by a long, and loud sigh from the sunken girl on the floor.
"-felt better too, it seems." He finished. His eyes wandered over her figure - she seemed smaller. As if her usual volume and tone amounted in her person.
"I brought you your food. Again."
But as he went to place it down, he found the same tray from yesterday still full. Eren sighed, opening up her cell and walked towards her.
"Cabin fever, is it?" And no response from Mia followed. Another sharp groan left Erens lips. He hated how much her silence ached him. It wasn't supposed to- not anymore.
And yet, every time his gaze fell to hers, his mind fell silent. Even if only for a mere second, Eren savored every moment of it.
He shook his head, ignoring his sunken heart , and nudged her food tray towards her with the tip of his foot.
"You need to eat." Eren muttered.
Mia begrudgingly raised her head. She peeled open her eyes, and stared right back at Eren. Though her face was filled with anything but kindness. It was blank.
He looked down on her, and felt his mind swirl with a thousand memories of the past. That look. How he'd seen it countless times before. The old him had wished to have never seen it again.
But here they were; different, and yet entirely the same.
"Why?"
Eren furrowed his brows, scoffing, "You're no use if you're dead."
And as her expression sank, Eren remained firm. No matter how much his heart wilted for the girl sitting below.
He ran his fingers through his hair as he turned around, heading to the door. But he stopped at the soft, pained sound of Mia's voice.
"Eren..." She began, "Do you hate me?"
He froze, stuttering too much to even say a single word. Eren hadn't expected it. Even if he knew it was to come. He looked back at her, a frown plastered over his lips.
Mia didn't need an answer though, his silence was more than enough. Her head fell, as she released a sharp breath. Her lip quivering with each attempt she made to not cry.
"...Eri...why? Why did you have to do this?" She muttered, her voice cracking with each word.
He wished to walk towards her, and hug her till all the broken pieces fit again, but Eren didn't move. He merely watched as the tears streamed past her cheeks.
"We were so happy at one point, you know?" She raised her head, but her vision stayed stuck ahead, "Dont you remember?"
And when he stayed silent, Mia continued, "I do. I remember all of it. Like when we were kids, and you'd always get yourself into fights with those guys who'd bully armin-" Mia laughed through her lips, "-Mikasa and I always had to come in and save your ass."
She waited for his reaction, but his face remained blank. Mia sighed, "But you know my favorite one?"
"I think we were around eight but I was drawing at home, and, of course, your hyperactive ass found your way to me." Mia smiled, her eyes closing briefly.
"You wanted to draw just like I was drawing."
And as Eren, so painfully, heard her recall that day, his mind, too, visited it. As he watched her lips move and remind him of that day he ran to her house, Eren's heart beat could be felt in his ears.
"And then you just grabbed some of my paper and limited pencils - mind you - and started drawing...you were so into it too. It had been only days after my parents had died, but man did I struggle to keep back my smile then."
Mia's voice was grim as she tried to sound happy recalling the memory, but it ached her only more. Her limbs ached as her vision stayed put on the wall. She could no longer tell if it was the pain in her chest that caused her weak limbs or from the tightness of the shackles that bound her.
"Then you got so excited when you were done, you shook my arm so much that I ended up ruining my own drawing." A soft smile drew upon her lips, and deepened into a frown.
"You lifted your drawing up and I just laughed. You have many talents Jaeger but drawing...was never quite one of them. You got so mad at me for laughing, I swear your cheeks had never been more red. Then, of course, you had to go and crumple it up and throw it on the floor.
Mia looked to Eren, begging for a reaction but his face was as empty as hers had been years ago. She looked back to that same spot on the wall, her expression growing hollow.
"I still have that drawing, Eri."
A soft sigh came from Eren, as he watched Mia's eyes well with tears. Though, no sobs escaped her. She had no energy to release all that built up inside her.
Mia turned to Eren, her chains rustling as she did so. Her lip pouted, as she awaited a response. She wished so greatly for him to say something- anything.
"There's no point in making up dumb lies like that."
But how she never expected that to befall her.
Though, Mia did not cry. She looked to him, eyes wide but this time, sorrow was left behind. A growl coursed through her throat, and left a burning sensation in her chest.
"You're the one telling dumb lies, Eren. Like how you hate Mikasa and I. It's bullshit. All of this you're doing is bullshit." Her jaw clenched, as she kept back her quivering lip.
Eren rolled his eyes, crossing his arms against his chest. He scoffed at her, it seemed only she could manage to make him genuinely annoyed by the blatant truth.
"What? You wanna try further prove your lie? Maybe get a couple other of your friends thrown into a cell so, you can keep up this shit show?"
She couldn't hear herself as the words so easily fell past her lips. Not even the ache of her shackles could distract her now, but one thing did. As Eren so desperately tried to keep himself composed and ignore her scrutiny, his face sunk.
His eyes softened into the innocence of his young self, as his strained lined mouth curved into a wallowing frown. Eren noticed how suddenly Mia had halted her sentence, as her gaze stayed fixated on him.
Eren groaned and tilted his head back, and as he settled back down, the anguish on his features ceased. And he was blank all over again.
"See? I'm right. You don't hate anyone, and Eren, I know you don't want to hurt anyone either. That's why you haven't done anything yet. It's why you won't too." A smile laced her lips, "The others don't believe that, but I do."
Eren kept his hand on the cells door, "Why?
"When I was as numb as you are, you didn't believe what the others thought either and you never gave up on trying to make me smile. So, neither shall I."
He huffed out, and pulled open the door. Eren clenched his fists together, "You should, because you're wrong. I will do whatever it takes to free Paradis from the outside world. Even if that takes your demise."
And the frown that fell over her smile, was one that would be engraved in Eren's memory forever. Mia went to speak again but only a sharp breath could be heard.
Eren turned away from her, his heart sinking farther down with each step. Their senses seemed to distort as Mia watched him leave her cell. Neither could hear anything, nor feel the desolation bestowed on them.
They couldn't even pick up on the hurrying footsteps nearing them.
"Mia...I had to come quick and tell you-" Hange paused, taking a heavy breath as she caught notice of the tension between Mia and Eren.
"Why are you here?" Eren asked, glaring at Hange.
She stammered in place, looking over to the crestfallen girl. "Floch has ordered me to take him to find Levi and Zeke..."
Levi's name was enough to raise Mia's attention as she looked up. Worry pitted in her stomach as to why they'd need to go look for them, and more so why Floch was able to give Hange orders.
"And he wants to bring Mia too. In case we come around, uh, titans."
Eren felt a wave of relief, and, still, dread wash over him. At least if Mia was gone he could go on with his mission, but fear settled in with what would happen to her if she were to be gone.
He shook his head, and walked back into her cell, unlocking Mia's shackles. A heavy breath left her as she felt the cool air cross over her bruised skin from where the cuffs had been.
Mia warily stood up, her knees weak and pained from sitting for so long. She stumbled as she took her first step forward, grabbing onto the cell bars.
"You ready?" Hange asked.
Mia looked up to Eren, and prayed he wouldn't let her go; That what he told her wasn't true. Even if she wished to see Levi and relieve the worry and guilt she had towards him from their fight, she still silently pleaded Eren would say no.
But he never met her eye. He took a step back and watched her as she walked out the cell.
She grabbed onto Hange's arm for support, and took one final look at Eren.
"I meant what I said, so stop with your threats. Your words mean nothing when your lie is so obvious." She whispered, looking back toward the exit of the hall.
Eren released his fists, letting out a deep breath. His frown deepened into his cheeks as the room seemed to grow darker beneath him.
"My words may not but my actions will."