Laundry Day
Disclaimer: Isayama owns Attack on Titan, I am but a lowly writer.
Warning: FLUFF! Plus Overly Attached Girlfriend Mikasa.
Based on a prompt I received from my wifey PetraJade and for my wifey Brookiekins on her birthday~ Loooooove youuuuuuuuuuuu!
Mikasa was close to tears. She couldn't find her scarf, the one she always wore around her neck because it felt like Eren's arms wrapped around her. It smelled like him too, which was always a comfort when they were apart. It kept her warm and safe on cold nights when he couldn't be there, and even when he was she still felt at home with it around her.
Now it was gone.
"Eren!" she cried, voice cracking. She searched everywhere. Both her red scarf and brother were missing. This couldn't be happening. She felt the world crashing around her.
"Mikasa? I'm in here!" she heard him call. She ran to his voice, crashing into him and hugging him close. "Mikasa? What's wrong?"
"You were gone." She cried into his shoulder. "And I can't find my scarf. Where is it? I need it!"
"Calm down, I was just washing it." Eren said, gesturing to the laundry in his lap.
"Washing it? But why?" she asked, chin resting on his shoulder.
"Well it was kinda dirty, and the Captain told me if I didn't wash it he would take it from you and do it himself."
Mikasa's eyes narrowed, her lips set in a grim line. "I wouldn't let him."
"I know, which is why I took it while you were sleeping. I wanted it to be fresh and clean for you when you woke up." Eren told her, stroking her hair.
"But I don't want it to be clean." She mumbled.
"Huh?"
"It smells like you. It's warm like you. I like it that way." She murmured.
"Well…we'll just have to make it smell like me again, okay?" he smiled at her and she smiled back, nuzzling his neck.
"Hey Eren…"
"Hm?"
"You didn't put the scarf in with our uniforms, did you?"
"Um, yeah….why?"
"Eren! Was the Captain's in there too?"
"Yeah, all of ours were…"
Mikasa looked at him in horror for a moment until bursting into laughter. She fell into his lap, eyes squeezed shut and a hand over her face.
"What?" Eren asked, confused. He looked down at her and she pointed to the batch of clothes he was pulling out of the washbasin. He looked at the fabric in his fingers and stopped breathing. The white pants and shirts of the Scouting Legion uniforms were no longer white, but instead had a pink hue, due to Mikasa's scarf. "Shit. He's gonna kill me."
Mikasa couldn't be mad at him, not when he was making that face: eyes wide, lips trembling, cheeks puffed out, ears turning red. She pinched a cheek and sat up, helping him sort through the clothing.
"Don't worry, we can fix it. The Captain has all kinds of cleaning supplies, so we can wash the whites again." she told him softly, brushing back his bangs.
"But he's going to find out and kick my ass." He mumbled, staring at her with large green eyes.
She put a hand on his shoulder, looking him in the eyes. "I won't let him touch you." She growled.
He was soothed by her dark look and let a chuckle fall past his lips. They both started laughing again, rolling on the floor, limbs tangling together.
"You're so silly, Eren." She laughed, hugging his chest. He hugged her back, chin resting on her head. "Come on, let's hang the colors up to let them dry in the sun."
They got up, grabbing the salvageable clothing to hang up on the line outside. Her scarf was there, flapping in the wind, but it would be a while before it was dry to wear. Once they were done, Mikasa went into the supply closet and rummaged through all the cleaning items Levi kept, looking for something to remove the pink stains.
"Here's something…" she muttered, taking out a large white jug.
"Shouldn't we ask him first?" Eren asked, looking at the bottle closely. They stared at the liquid inside for a moment. "Ugh, it stinks." He scrunched up his nose.
"But then he'll get mad at you." Mikasa told him.
"But if we ruin the clothes even more, he'll be super mad." Eren countered.
"Fine, I'll tell him." Mikasa nodded and headed out of the room.
"No, we can do it together." Eren grabbed her hand. She looked at their entwined fingers and grinned at him, before dragging him down the hall.
"Captain, we have a question." Mikasa called when they saw Levi cleaning one of the supply rooms.
He pulled down his face mask and turned to them. "What is it? Why do you have that stuff?" he asked grumpily, eyeing the jug in her hands.
"If our uniforms were turned pink in the wash, can we use this to fix it?" she asked bluntly, holding out the jug.
He stared at them for a moment, at Eren's ashamed face hiding behind her shoulder, her determined expression, their hands clasped together. Blinking, he sighed.
"What happened?" he asked calmly.
"We were doing laundry, and put my red scarf in with the uniforms to clean. When we took the clothes out, the whites were pink. We hung the rest to dry." Mikasa informed him.
"And by 'we' you mean Jaeger. Of course." Levi pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ugh, shitty brats…" he grumbled.
"Can we use this or not…sir." Mikasa demanded.
He narrowed his eyes but let the assertive behavior go. "Sure, just don't use too much, and be sure to wear gloves. If it gets on your skin, make sure to wash it off thoroughly or it may start burning. Wear a mask too, and try not to inhale the smell."
"Yes sir, thank you." Mikasa turned, leaving with Eren in tow.
Levi watched them go, his eyes softening.
Mikasa adjusted Eren's mask as he tugged on his gloves. They were wearing aprons too, just to make sure none of the substance got on them.
"He said just a little bit." Eren said, words muffled behind the cloth covering his mouth and nose. He watched as Mikasa tilted the jug, letting the liquid slip out and into the water with the pink uniforms.
Together they scrubbed the clothes, watching as the pink faded and the uniforms returned to a bright white color.
"These look better than before!" Eren exclaimed.
"Maybe the Captain will reward you for doing such a good job." Mikasa said, holding up a shirt and examining it.
"Thank you for defending me." he murmured.
She glanced at him. "I told you, I won't let anyone hurt you. From now on, we stick together in everything. Right?"
"I'll never leave you again, Mikasa, I promise." He whispered, their foreheads touching. She smiled beneath the mask, even though Eren couldn't see. He was smiling too, grinning from ear to ear.
They were together, here and now, and would stay that way.
Bonus:
Later, once the clothes were all dry and warm, Mikasa and Eren took them down and began folding them. Mikasa held her scarf up to her face, feeling its warmth and smelling the fabric. She frowned, then wrapped it around Eren's neck and shimmied it down around his arms, tying him up.
"H-Hey! What are you doing?" he exclaimed, trying to tug his arms free.
She smiled. "I told you I like it when it smells like you."
"Oh, right…but did you have to tie my arms up?" he asked. She kissed him on the forehead and folded the rest of the clothing, placing them in the proper bunks for each soldier.
"I'll give the Captain his uniform. You stay here and be cute." Mikasa murmured, leaving before he could say anything.
He sat on the floor next to the empty laundry basket, staring down at the scarf and remembering the day he gave it to her.
"Oh, there you are. Finally done?" Levi asked as he approached. He eyed the scarf wrapped around Eren and lifted a brow, but said nothing.
"Uh…yeah…and it's not what you think." Eren replied sheepishly.
Levi held up his hands. "I don't want to know, Jaeger." He replied and turned. Before he left the room he glanced back. "You know…"
Eren looked up at him, curious.
"You two are good together. Keep each other safe out there, okay?" Levi told him. Eren's eyes widened and he could only nod in response. Levi gave a small smile at the confused expression he was receiving and left.
"Oh, Captain, there you are. Here's your uniform. Is it white enough?" he heard Mikasa say in the hall.
"It's perfect, thank you." Levi replied, examining the fabric. "You didn't use too much, good job."
"You're welcome, sir. You gave us good advice." Mikasa murmured and entered the room. She went over to Eren and pulled him up, untying the scarf. He wrapped it around them both and hugged her.
"Now it will smell like both of us."
Author's Note: So what if bleach probably doesn't exist in canon? Knowing Levi, he'll find a way to make it. And guess what? Happy ending! See, I can do fluff and happy endings!