Year Unknown
There he is... Eren Jaeger...
Eren's wearing a nice shirt today. It makes him look so good. Eren is walking over to me. Eren says hello, Mikasa.
Ackerman.
I come closer to Eren. We are now in a field of flowers. We are outside our old hometown, Shiganshina. Eren picks up a flower and hands it to me. I smell it, it smells so good, just like Eren.
Ackerman!
We hold hands. We run through the flowers. We laugh and play. We are happy. Eren says come. I face him. His stunning hair is blowing in the wind. Eren and I stare into each other. Eren's eyes are beautiful. We lean in closer. We close our eyes. Our lips are-
ACKERMAN!
Mikasa jolted back into reality, nearly slamming her hand on the underside of the desk. She gasped in slight pain, and shook her head. When she came to, she looked around, and saw that she was in a classroom of some sorts.
Year 848
"Mikasa Ackerman. I called on you at least three times for an answer, and I see that you're not even paying attention! Wake up, you taciturn muppet!"
"I apologize, Sarge. It won't happen again."
"Hmph. All right, I'm calling on you now, Eren Jaeger!"
"Um... the answer is Titans!"
"...that is correct. Good job for standing up for your lazy bum of a sister."
Sarge turned around back to the chalkboard, drawing on it once more some diagrams of the current lesson. Mikasa sighed, disappointed for letting her daydreams take control of her thoughts. But on the inside, Mikasa secretly longed for something. That something is Eren, her adoptive brother.
Eren sat next to Mikasa in the classroom. The long tables allow for up to three students to sit at a single table. Eren shot a glance at Mikasa, and he seemed quite annoyed.
"Wow, Mikasa. Staring off into space again? I thought you were the star pupil," whispered Eren.
"Eren. I was only daydreaming."
"Daydreaming? About what?!"
Ahem! Suddenly, Sarge interrupted them.
"Eren Jaeger, I did not give you permission to speak! Lucky for you, this story has a T rating, otherwise, I'd chew you out like a Titan. Do I make myself clear?"
"Right! Sorry, Sarge!"
Eren looked back at Mikasa, even more annoyed, but stayed silent.
Eren barely talks to me. And every time he does, he keeps getting in trouble. There has to be some way for us to spend time together, free to speak as we please. Right now, we are caged like cattle, faced by the humiliation knowing that we ruled by him. This is how it feels like to-
Clank! Sarge smacked his ruler on the surface of Mikasa's. His dark eyes looked darker than normal. He's definitely mad.
"Ackerman! I am through with your lack of attention! Congratulations, you dense sloth. You get to stay here in the evening and clean up all of the classrooms! I'll see you at 6:30 PM, cadet!"
Mikasa was shocked. She had never been in trouble with Sarge, or any of the instructors for that matter. And now she had to pay the price for allowing her emotions to overcome her responsibility. Ashamed, Mikasa only mumbled a slight, "Yes, sir."
As Sarge turned back around, a sudden voice rang out in the air.
"Wait!" exclaimed Eren, leaning over the desk. Everyone turned their heads towards his abrupt interjection, even Mikasa.
"It wasn't Mikasa's fault that she was getting distracted," Eren went on, "It was my fault! I was the one distracting her and causing her to lose attention! Don't make her clean the classrooms! Make me do it instead!"
Many of the classmates laughed and giggled, amused at Eren's implications with Mikasa. Sarge stared at the boy, astonished and surprised. But Sarge was satisfied, for as long as he gets to punish some lousy kid, he is happy. "Very well."
Mikasa's mouth was wide open the entire time.
After class, Eren was the first to leave, grumbling and dejected. As the classmates poured out one-by-one, Mikasa found herself to be the only one left in the classroom, except for Sarge, who collected his paperwork and supplies. However, she did not want anyone to overhear what she was about to say next.
"Mister Sarge," said Mikasa, approaching the bald tyrant's desk, "I wish to be put to cleaning duty along with Eren."
"Oh? I thought your... mm, guy, already told me that it's his fault and that it's his job."
"Both of us were responsible for our actions. Please, Sarge, I want to assist in cleaning up the instruction halls. I hope to repay you for the anger I caused. Please."
"Heh. Fine. That'll get the job done quicker. Now get out of here."
"Thank you."
As Mikasa exited the classroom, Sarge smiled to himself.
Ah, youth. These kiddos may be trash, but they're adorable trash. Sarge thought.
Eren sighed.
"All right, maggot. Here's your mop and bucket. There's more supplies in the closet, but make sure you save some. There's another one of you dirtbags coming in with you."
"Eh? Someone's helping me?"
"Don't talk back to me, fairytinkle. And remember. Handle things gently."
Sarge walked off, leaving Eren alone in the hallway next to the open storage closet.
What the heck is Sarge saying, anyway? Handle things gently? Can't believe it. Stuck in here, doing all this work, with some other guy. I hope I don't get assigned to any clean freaks when I graduate. But at least I saved Mikasa from trouble, and that's all that matters.
Eren whistled and leaned on the wall, waiting for the other person to arrive. He then heard footsteps and turned towards his new assistant.
"Mikasa? Ha, ha, I was just thinking about you."
"Oh, Eren, thank you," replied Mikasa, cheeks flushed and eyes downward in shyness. It was then that Eren realized the meaning behind this.
"Wait... Mikasa, why did you come back? I thought you knew I was trying to save your hide back there. You're the star pupil, and I'm not letting you get into any trouble to tarnish that reputation."
"Thank you, Eren, again. I came back here so I could help you."
"Come on, Mikasa. You know you don't have to help me. The blame is on me, anyways. I can do this by myself."
"No, Eren. I don't want to leave you alone. I want to be by your side, through thick and thin. If you ever need help, I will assist."
"But..."
Mikasa placed her hand on Eren's shoulder.
"I want to be with you, Eren."
The two paused in silence for several seconds, taking in the moment. Eren started to grin.
"All righty then, Mikasa. You know, we aren't going to get much done if we're just standing around. Tell you what, you can get the broom and tray."
Eren shoved a broom into Mikasa's hand, and for a moment, time seemed to pause, with Eren looking confidently into Mikasa's eyes and Mikasa smiling back.
"What are you waiting for, then, Eren? Let's go. But I will clean more than you."
"Oh, yeah? Is that a competition, Mikasa? We'll see about that!"
The two teased each other, smiled, and ran off, sweeping room by room. They laughed. They enjoyed themselves. The boy and the girl had fun. But in the end, it was the girl who ended up winning.
