Night settles over the barracks, the troops exhausted after a long day of drills. Lamps burn low along the wooden tables in the dining room, the din of dinner now reduced to murmurs amongst those who haven't trailed to bed yet.

Mikasa sits opposite you, picking at her dinner with her fork. She rarely seeks out conversation like this, usually she lingers at the edge of rooms, silent and watchful. But tonight, she needs to confide in someone, and that someone is you.

“I think,” Mikasa begins slowly, voice quieter, “I misunderstood my own heart.” Her eyes lift, steady but searching. “For years I believed I loved Eren. I think in a complicated way, I did love him.” The words carry no bitterness, only resignation of someone who's made up their mind. “The way my chest got tight whenever he needed something, and I had this crippling need to do whatever was necessary so he was happy, comfortable. Protecting him felt like breathing. If he was angry with me, it felt like I had failed.”

She exhales softly, gaze dropping back to the candle on the table. “But, Armin encouraged me to look at it more carefully... It made me realise a lot of things. Wrong things. Love isn't approval, or earned through perfect performance, or protection like a guard dog. My worth depended on hearing him say I had done well. When he rejected that, I thought it meant I was not enough.”

The admission sits between you, quiet but heavy. Her nail traces the groove of the wooden tabletop, her shoulders tightening at the admission. She's never said it aloud before.

“I started noticing it because of small things.” Mikasa’s expression softens faintly, the severity in her features easing. “Moments that did not involve him at all. Moments that involved you. Like the day you helped me repair my scarf after it tore during manoeuvre training. And when we returned from the expedition last week, you stayed with me to make sure I wasn't injured.” Her lips twitch faintly, remembering moments with you. “You make my heart beat very fast, and... I like that feeling. I don't have to worry about being the best to make you smile.”