Yo, yo, yo! This fic has been a long-time coming. In the beginning, I had no idea where I wanted my first Eremika fic to go. Did I want to stick to something canon or go with modern? As you can tell, I went for the latter. Modern AUs are always a joy to write, and given the universe these characters live in, I honestly think they all deserve a break. I gotta admit, with this being my first Eremika multichapter fic, I'm really nervous but I'm also excited! I got great feedback on Tumblr when I asked how many would read an Eremika fic of mine if I posted one, and that's been my drive to get this fic finally up. There are multiple pairings in this fic, but, of course, the primary focus will be on Eren and Mikasa.

Feedback is greatly appreciated.

"Don't be stubborn. Try it!"

Mikasa presses her lips together, shaking her head in defiance and leaning away from the spoon.

Eren gives her a look, stepping closer. "C'mon, Mika. My baking isn't that bad."

"Eren." The raven mildly gestures to her apron. "I'm covered in flour."

A heartfelt snicker. "Sorry. But hey, you agreed to help. Now, c'mon!" And he lifts the wooden spoon again. "It's good, I promise."

She stares at him for a long beat of silence before she finally gives in and sighs, leaning forward to close her pink lips around the spoon. Eren grins, although it's clear he's trying not to do too much or look too smug about it. He's watching her face, searching her stormy hues with his teal ones, and the longer he stares and studies her the warmer Mikasa's cheeks become. She takes her mouth off of the spoon, darting her tongue out to run it across her bottom lip, and folds her arms across her chest.

Eren waits.

"...It's good," she says finally.

He does a mini fist pump and whispers, "Yes!" to himself; she smiles and rolls her eyes, grabbing a towel to wipe the counter off.

"Only because I helped you."

"Yeah, right."

"Eren Jaeger!"

Both teenagers freeze in place as the mother of the household enters the kitchen, her chocolate hues widening as she takes in the messy surroundings. She just cleaned this kitchen! She carries bags of groceries in her hands, possibly more than she should really carry. "What is going on here?"

"Hi, Carla." Mikasa waves feebly. Eren winces beside her.

"Hey, sweetheart," Carla addresses her before returning her gaze of disapproval to her son.

"Mama...it's not what it looks like…" Eren holds up his hands in an innocent manner.

"Then why does my kitchen look like a winter wonderland?"

"Because I was - um - we were -"

"Baking cupcakes from scratch," Mikasa interjects before Eren can embarrass himself further. The former shoots her an appreciative look, and she adds, "It was my idea."

"Mikasa!" Eren protests.

"Was it?" Carla queries, raising an eyebrow with a knowing smile.

"Yes. I'm really sorry for the mess. I'll clean it up."

"No…" Carla shakes her head. "You can help me put the groceries up. Eren, you too."

"Yes, ma'am," the two recite in unison, Eren letting Mikasa go in front of him and following her to the garage.

"Eren, after the groceries are put up, I want you to clean up this kitchen!"

The young man groans. "Yes, ma'am…" As soon as he stepped down into the garage, he lowered his voice. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" Mikasa feigns innocence, lifting a pack of orange flavored soda.

"Taking the blame." Eren doesn't understand why she does this. Why can't she let him own up to his mistakes? He hates it when she gets in trouble for his sake. It makes him feel terrible. And then when he asks her why she'd do it, she'd give him some aimless answer that gets them nowhere. Ugh. Girls.

"I don't mind," she says, walking back into the house.

He follows her with three bags hanging off each arm, his muscles pulsing around the weight. Geez, how much did Mama buy anyway? She might as well have bought the whole store! "O-kay. Am I allowed to take the blame for you?"

"No."

"What? That's not fair!"

"Why would you take the blame for me?"

"Same reason why you take 'em for me."

"And what reason is that?"

"...I don't know. That's why I keep asking you."

"Then you don't know what you're talking about."

"Wh-?!"

"I've been keeping you out of trouble since we were nine. I'd like it to keep it that way."

"The hell's that supposed to mean? I'm not your little brother, and I'm not some snot-nosed toddler!"

"Eren…"

"You're so damn protective."

"I know."

"It's infuriating."

"I know."

"Why can't you let me protect you for once? 'Cause you don't think I can?"

"No, it's not that at all."

"Then what is it? 'S not a one-way street, Mika. We protect each other. That's how we work, remember?"

By then the table was full of groceries that now need to be unbagged, but Eren and Mikasa stare each other down; Eren with the back of his hands pressed together over his chest to emphasize his point, Mikasa with hers poised on top of the milk that still stands in the bag. She's at a loss for words now, afraid that what she might say might set him off into a rant. He's right, they both know he is right, but she doesn't wanna admit that.

"My goodness," Carla breaks the spell, and the two tear their gazes from each other to take the groceries out of the bags around them. "You sound like you're married."

"Ma," Eren groans in protest, unaware that his cheeks weren't the only ones reddening.

Carla laughs quietly. "Your father should be getting off work later on tonight. You have plenty of time to get this cleaned up before he comes home."

"'Kay," the brunet mumbles.

"If it's okay with you…" the raven says quietly to him, "can I stay and help?"

Uuugh, she's using her soft voice again. The one she's been using since they were kids whenever he was mad at her. The one she uses because she knows he cannot muster the strength to say no to her. Shitshitshit.

Eren sighs in defeat.

"Sure, sure," he mutters.

Mikasa trails behind Eren quietly as they walk through the high school doors, pulling her scarf down from over her mouth. For once, it's warm in the hallway, but then again the sea of bodies that flood it are radiating body heat. As much as he claims that he's not, Eren seems...upset still. With her. Maybe she's overthinking things but when it comes to Eren, her thoughts automatically go into overdrive. The last thing she wants is for him to resent her in any way, especially over the things she's done. Does she really bother him that much? Should she just...ease up a little?

She chews on her bottom lip and stares at the back of his head as she walks. She supposes she could talk to him about it instead of being quiet. Not talking solves nothing and she misses the sound of his voice. The brunet takes a while to really wake up though, especially on Mondays, so she's not as panicked as she would be on any other day. He has a habit of running his fingers through his hair to somehow tame his bedhead but he only makes it worse, no matter how much he brushed it before he left the house. (Well, not necessarily worse since she actually likes his messy hair and the way his tresses are effortlessly thrown about, but...she will never tell him that either.)

Okay, Mikasa. You can do this. He's right there.

"Eren?"

He grunts in reply.

Mikasa inhales, albeit shakily. "Are you mad at me?"

And he stops walking. She almost bumps into him, stopping on the toe of her boot, her eyes widening in surprise. Eren turns around to face her, gaze narrowed in confusion. Not anger, much to her relief.

"Mikasa, listen." His hand curves around her shoulder, and no, it's not the edge or middle like a normal person would aim for. It's exactly the point where her neck and shoulder meet, and it sends shivers down her spine; makes her heart flutter. "I'm not mad at you, okay? I'm just tired. You're thinking too much into it."

"Sorry. It's a habit, I guess." But she smiles a little.

He smiles back. "You need to break some of these habits of yours."

Their lockers are, coincidentally, in close proximity, so they don't part for long. After getting her supplies out for her first two classes, she closes her locker shut and leans against it; hugging her binder and textbook to her chest.

"Why are you so tired?" she queries, watching his head loll against the cold surface of his locker in a lazy manner.

"It's Monday, that's why," he mumbles.

"Did you pull an all nighter again?"

"...No."

She doesn't believe that one bit. "Liar."

And she gets a zombie reply in return.

"I hope you're awake by the time gym class rolls around," she says.

Eren lifts his head off his locker. "Why?"

The first bell rings and she begins to walk backwards, the smallest of smiles curving her lips upward. "Dodgeball."