100 Prompts: Rivalry

A/N: My inspiration? "Anything you can do I can do better"! I just thought it'd be funny if Eren found out Armin was her first kiss and even funnier if he was allegedly a better kisser than him too haha.

At first, Eren didn't know what to do with this piece of information. It lingered in the air for a bit before he tried his best to swallow it.

Much to the young man's dismay, it turns out Armin is a better kisser than himself.

The silence in the air was biting, and awkwardness followed. Then came his response:

"Wait, how the fuck do you know this?!"

Mikasa looked at him, flushed red. "It happened when we were younger." Really, that was all she wanted to say on the topic, but he just stared at her, expecting her to elaborate. She shrank back, flustered. "Eren, I don't want to talk about this."

"Why not!" he demanded, and she had half the mind to just drop it and stop entertaining him altogether. After all, if you ignore the problem, it might go away. He had no right to get this aggressive on the issue when she wasn't even sure where they stood in terms of their relationship.

His character did not change drastically since the smiling Titan incident a few months back: he was still the one-track minded Eren that everybody knew and loved- for the most part. He was still just as obsessed with his goals to annihilate every titan and threat to humanity. And he was still just as determined to gain respect and friendship from all his peers, so she didn't expect much.

But then he would surprise her by stealing kisses when nobody was looking, and stealing a little extra food for her. The young man had grown rather possessive of his new object of affection, and would often be the one rushing to her side when she needed him.

Nevertheless, even if Mikasa was quite charmed by Eren's newfound protective ways, sometimes it was a hassle to put up with, especially when he was acting quite like a small child who got his candy taken away.

"Because," she took a step toward him and he didn't back up, "then you get all worked up and it stops being a civil conversation."

Eren didn't argue, for she wasn't wrong. He took a deep breath and she watched him exhale slowly. It was cute.

"Please tell me," he says, his initial rage toned down several notches for her sake.

Mikasa sighed. "Fine. It was when we were kids. We were...mmm, I think ten years old, and I had always wondered what it would have felt like to kiss you. But like hell I was going to tell you that."

Eren's face scrunched up. He did have quite a fascination with Mikasa at a young age. He was just far too focused on other things to really give it much attention, and he'd be damned if she ever found out. She was very pretty, there was no denying that. He was ten, it was a very ripe age to start looking at the opposite gender with butterflies in the stomach. Especially if she was beautiful and quite attached to him at the hip. And he especially couldn't deny the fact that he had also considered a few times what it would have felt like to kiss her.

And now she was telling him he could have, and probably should have.

"So you asked Armin?"

"Yes."

"Why?" he watched her roll her eyes. "You wanted to kiss me, how is that the same thing?"

"Eren-"

"And he just agreed?" Eren scowled at the utter betrayal by his best friend, despite it being so trivial and innocent and a long time ago.

"I don't know, maybe he assumed that I just wanted to know what it felt like to kiss anyone, in general." Mikasa raised her eyebrows at him, signaling that she was done with answering his questions for today. This was ridiculous.

"You're turning red again," she warned, doing her best to keep from looking amused. The young soldier turned around to walk away, since she had assumed that was the end of it.

Nevertheless, he continued, trailing behind her a few steps, "So what made him better?"

Mikasa paused in her steps. That was quite a loaded question, and she had to actually think back and tap into an old, almost forgotten memory to answer it. "I don't know, I guess he was just so much more gentle. Like he was actually trying to show affection, instead of trying to win a fight against me with his mouth," She knew she had him right where she wanted him though, so she added, "Girls like that, Eren."

"Yeah, but for some reason you like me," he dismissed her, half jokingly, though still quite offended that his best friend had not only kissed his girl first, but apparently also made him look like a huge dope. Although that might have been an exaggeration due to his tainted feelings, Eren was nevertheless upset.

Eren couldn't believe what he was hearing! Did she not enjoy the passion that fueled his affection for her? Did she not experience the same arousal as he did from the fervor in his kisses? In his actions? Of course she did! At least that's what he assumed from the way she would respond with just as much ardor. He didn't seem to recall her complaining about his aggressive ways last night.

This was Eren Jeager for fuck's sake. Passionate, intense, zealous Eren who always gave things that he was invested in a hundred percent effort. There was no way she was in love with him but didn't like the way he was.

He watched her tough expression falter and he smirked. He had her right where he wanted her when she ducked her head ever so slightly to hide the cute blush forming on her cheeks. He took it as an opening to possibly redeem himself and change her mind. So he leaned in to try to kiss her again (to prove her wrong, god damn it- to show her that he was better and that it was no competition at all), but she stopped him just in time, suppressing a laugh at his frustration.

Instead of feeling her soft lips on his, he was stopped short by her hand in front of his face and a cute laugh.

"Eren." She reprimanded and he obeyed. She chuckled at his antics; this side of him was quite pleasant. "Not all your problems can be solved with more aggression."

She watched as all he could do was raise an eyebrow, confused, kissed him on the cheek, and left without another word.

After a whole day of internal conflict and contemplation on top of the work he was expected to do (since this honestly was the last thing he was going to ask Armin for help on), Eren found her on her way to her room after an evening of cleaning chores.

"Hey," he stops her, so gently and so soothingly that she had to check that this was indeed Eren and not someone who sounded just like him. Mikasa looked exhausted, but her eyes brightened at the sight of him.

"Hi," she smiled, inviting him into her bubble. He took one of her hands in his to pull her closer and placed the other free hand on her cheek, brushing some hair out of her face.

Mikasa felt her heart stutter at his actions. Even this simple act sent her up to cloud nine with how soft his hold on her was. He looked into her eyes and understood how she was feeling, and suddenly Mikasa knew everything she needed to know about him in one look.

There was no need for any other words. He was determined to show her that he was serious about earlier. So when he was absolutely certain that she had completely succumbed to his charm, Eren tilted his head and leaned in just enough to catch her lips.

Just like that, everything else around them had disappeared to Mikasa. In her head, it was only her and Eren, the young man she had loved practically all her life. Their lips felt like puzzle pieces, like there was nobody else that could possible substitute or compare. His gentleness was so mesmerizing, Mikasa almost forgot who she was.

She eagerly tried to lean into him, but he pulled back just enough to keep her from deepening their kiss. In response, she made a small sound of displeasure, earning a cheeky smile against her mouth. She could feel every little movement of his, as his calloused hand slowly traced down from her cheek, to her exposed neck, to her shoulder, and down her arm. It sent shivers up her whole body, despite being dressed so modestly to protect from the cold.

Mikasa inched closer to him and internally rejoiced when he reciprocated the gesture. Feeling particularly daring, she tried to push her luck once more, this time using her legs and hips to try to get a rouse out of him. Instead of getting her way, his hand shifted to the sides of her hips to control the distance, causing her lips to part ever so slightly to allow a small gasp to escape.

Eren tilted his head, smirking at how he knew he had full control over this whole situation. He couldn't help but feel so smug that the mighty Mikasa was practically wrapped around his finger, since she wasn't always this submissive with him. He was even closer to proving his point now.

Deciding it was quite enough teasing for now (oh, because he would get it later, he knew) the titan shifter pulled away and leaned his forehead against hers, smiling that goofy grin that always made her go weak at the knees. As if she already didn't have jelly legs from that whole scene.

"Better?" he asks. All she can do is nod as her eyes were still focused on his mouth. "Mmm, not good enough Mikasa."

"What do want me to say?" her voice was quiet and breathy, clearly hungry for more. It sent a heat through his stomach and down to his legs. He had to keep his cool though, this was his turf.

"Tell me I'm better than Armin."

Oh, there was no denying it. But there was no way she would let him have the satisfaction he so much needed. "Eren, don't be ridiculous."

The boy grinned, almost wickedly, and kissed her again, this time a little less innocently. His hands slid down lower before they found their way into her shirt. He tilted his head even more to get a good enough angle to graze his tongue against her closed (though not for long) mouth. And just as Mikasa thought she had won this trivial dispute, Eren pulled away again. She frowned.

"Say it," he prompted, and it almost sounded like he was begging. Eren's voice was low and husky, and he moved forward just enough to drive her crazy.

She looked up at his eyes, clouded with lust, and felt his hands go up higher into her shirt. His hips were pressed against her now and she realized she had been backed up against the door to her room. Mikasa wondered how the hell he was still able to prioritize this whole petty ordeal. And it didn't seem like he was going to let up until he got what he wanted.

"Fine," she growled, and the stubborn boy responded positively, leaning in to give her what she wanted. "You're better than Armin."

"Thank you," he breathed, finally at peace, and moved in to finish what he started.

But then they heard a third voice and nearly jumped in surprise, wondering how they had missed the sound of footsteps coming their way. There stood Armin, of course, an eyebrow raised in sheer curiosity and amusement at how they looked like a pair of deer caught in headlights.

"Better than me at what?"