July prompt: 23 + Jeankasa
July Prompts. 23. Underwater. 1613 words. (ao3.)
The meeting of the Island’s potential allies had gone differently than she expected.
Suddenly she’s thinking of her mother, who all those years ago praised her for being able to receive the mark of their clan on her wrist. She thinks of the symbol appearing on a piece of clothing that the Hizuruans brought over, a sight that had agitated the sense of unease that had permeated her throughout the entire meeting. And she thinks of the shock she felt when she laid eyes on Kiyomi for the first time.
Suffice to say, there were not many highlights of the meeting — except for perhaps for the playful way Historia teased her about showing the mark to Eren and no one else.
When it all becomes too heavy to bear, Mikasa tries to occupy her mind with anything else.
She leans on her soldier duties as a distraction. For once, she wishes that things today were not so lax.
She exits the building that her squad is stationed in — a once-abandoned structure that had been repurposed for the military upon once the land was reclaimed, nestled exactly between Wall Maria and the ocean. The place is situated near a forest and a river, the latter pushing the ever-rotating waterwheel attached to the building. Despite all the repairs made to it in the last few months, it's still a bit dusty and gets uncomfortably drafty at night. However, it’s sturdy enough for the Scout’s purposes — that is, housing several dozen officers while the higher-ups continue to negotiate a deal with the Island’s allies.
Mikasa traverses the outside of the building, having shed her formal uniform for something a little more casual. Her collared shirt and trousers feel a lot more comfortable and far less constricting than what she wore in the meeting. But even now, the weight of everything still lingers on her.
Kiyomi’s words echo in her mind —
“You are Hizuru’s last hope.”
She tries not to think about it too hard as she walks.
At least the task she had been assigned is simple — an easy distraction, but a distraction nonetheless.
First she finds Connie at the stables and tells him to head inside in twenty minutes. She spots Sasha dipping her bare feet in the river and says the same. She then finds Armin sitting in the shade of a tree with a good book and says it yet again.
The final member of her squad, however, proves to be a little more difficult to track down, as Jean appears to have left the vicinity. Neither Connie or Sasha seem to know where he is, though he couldn’t have gone far on foot.
It’s only when Armin says something about Jean taking a walk downstream that Mikasa gets a clue and begins on her way.
She moves between the forest and river in the direction that it flows. As she walks her eyes drawn to things like how the greens of the trees contrast the blues of the sky or how the sound of rushing water permeates the atmosphere, which she can't deny is calming. It almost makes her forget how warm it is, though the beads of sweat on her forehead tell her otherwise.
The trek is mercifully brisk. Mikasa isn’t too far downstream when she finds him.
She spots him at a curve in the river where the water slows on its journey to the sea. Nearby is a tree providing a hefty amount of shade over the bank — sitting by the trunk of said tree is a pile of discarded clothes and a vacant pair of leather shoes.
Mikasa looks at the water and sees Jean below the shimmering surface. For a moment she watches him move, easily navigating between both sides of the river like it's what he was born to do. It's not the first time she had seen Jean swim, as he had been known to ward off the heat of summer by finding the nearest body of water. It's also not the first time she had admired his skill in the craft.
He makes everything look effortless, his longer limbs easily helping him through the water with powerful pulls and kicks. Despite their duty as soldiers never requiring them to swim, she's inclined to believe that Jean's the best at it amongst their squad.
And for a few seconds, Mikasa briefly forgets why she’s here in the first place as she continues to stare at Jean beneath the water. Perhaps in a past life he had been a fish, a river otter, or perhaps even a seal.
Eventually Jean breaks the surface, shaking the droplets out of his hair as he positions himself vertically in the river. He begins treading water as he spots her on the bank. Their gazes meet and the once placid look on his face shifts into that of surprise.
“I was looking for you,” Mikasa greets, her voice stoic, professional.
“Were you now?” Jean retorts, speaking with the kind of playfulness that contrasts her formality. “That’s nice.” He swims to the edge of the bank, reaching towards the land to pull himself up.
Without a second thought, Mikasa steps to the water and extends her hand towards him, which he takes. He’s wet and cold against her touch, but she doesn’t mind.
“Hanji needs all of us back on base,” Mikasa says as she helps him onto dry land.
Jean doesn’t reply right away. Instead he catches his breath after his little mid-afternoon swim and goes to the pile of clothes under the tree.
It’s only now when Mikasa notices his state of undress. He had shed his clothing and opted to swim in his underwear, off-white garments that cover him from his waist to his ankles. Unable to stop herself from looking him up and down, she very briefly notices things like the water droplets sliding down his skin or how he’s beginning to look taller nowadays. A lot taller — not enough to completely tower over her, but enough for her to constantly notice. His once-lanky frame has been filled out through both time and training. She can’t help but find it both admirable and infuriating.
“When?” Jean asks, keeping the conversation going.
"Now—" she answers, then suddenly stops once she catches herself staring at Jean for a little too long. She clenches her fist and faces away from him, forcing her eyes shut as her fingernails dig into her palm. "Now," she answers properly, her eyes fully averted from him.
The lull of silence that follows is longer than she expects, but soon she hears the sound of Jean moving amongst the noise of the river.
“Great,” he says.
Mikasa doesn't know how much time passes before she opens her eyes, momentarily taking in the sight of the water before glancing his way. He's a little more dressed now, having pulled on his trousers and draped his shirt over his shoulders. The latter garment hangs unbuttoned and exposes his chest as he runs a towel through his damp hair.
“How’d that meeting go?” Jean asks.
For the first time today Mikasa is relieved to talk about such matters again.
“It was… fine.”
Jean pauses his motions and eyes her in mild disbelief. “Well, it certainly doesn’t sound fine.”
Unsure what else to say, Mikasa sighs and internally bemoans Jean’s habit of reading her like a book. As he begins to button his shirt, she takes a breath and wills herself to speak.
“Apparently… I’m Hizuru’s last hope.”
His confusion persists. “And Hizuru is…?”
“It’s where my mother—” she starts, then catches herself. “My mother’s family came from. I’m Hizuru’s… heir, I think?”
Jean rolls up his sleeves as his once-befuddled expression slowly morphs into one of concern. “Heir to what now, exactly?"
“I don’t know, it’s…” Mikasa begins, then for a very brief moment lets her eyes wander across the sight of Jean’s exposed torso, noting everything from the slightest hint of chest hair to the lingering dampness from his afternoon dip. Suddenly something inside her tenses — something that feels a lot like the stress she had been holding onto all day, but not quite.
“...it’s a lot to take in,” she finally finishes, her fist clenching just a little bit more.
“I bet,” Jean replies, the heaviness of their reality finally settling into him. His hazel eyes are now wrought with worry. “Shit, do I gotta start calling you ‘My Lady’ or something?”
His words hit her differently, almost like an attack. Parts of her begin to tense even more.
“Jean, don’t,” she warns, her voice low as she stares him down.
His expression softens, but only slightly. He holds his hand up in defeat, his voice becoming playful again.
“My dearest apologies, my Lady.”
Anger flares within her and Mikasa doesn’t hesitate. She finally unclenches her hand abruptly pushes his chest, a motion so succinct yet strong enough that it easily knocks him off his feet, pushing him backwards towards the river.
“Whoa!”
He falls for half a second before hitting the water, clothes and all, and is immediately submerged.
With a huff Mikasa steps away, her frustration continuing to bubble inside of her.
"The audacity…" she thinks as she begins her journey back to base, feeling not a single regret as she walks.
The sound of the river fills her senses again, something that still manages to calm her despite the stress of the day. In the midst of it all she hears what seems to be Jean resurfacing, soon followed by what is surely his laughter.
She sighs, but realizes that despite all odds, at least someone's getting something positive out of her predicament.