Disclaimer: This was longer than what I had hoped for, but still enjoyable for me to write. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this for what it's worth and I would love some possible feedback. Negative or positive, your choice.
Without further ado.
It's the break of dawn before Mikasa stirs in the comfort of her blankets, eyes fixed tight and lips chapped from the evening before. The regions of her body ached and the knuckles of her fists throbbed from the exhausting results of the previous workout she had with the Corporal. Or rather, the intolerable shorty who knew no limit to his name. He was beyond her reach when it came to strength and agility. She knew this all too well. The cuts and bruises layering over her skin proved the fact that he was always just a step ahead of her. As if he were mocking her, reminding her that her strength alone was not enough to protect Eren. And quite honestly, that really pissed her off.
He really pissed her off.
And she made it pretty damn obvious that she wanted nothing more than to sheathe every inch of her sharp blades into the crook of his neck.
Stupid shor—
Interrupting her reverie, a slight creaking from the door alerted her mind awake, causing her body to incline over the sheets and half-opened, sluggish eyes to reach for the door.
Glancing back and forth, she found but nothing— or no one in her sight. Not even a breath of life in the barracks.
Well, that is, except for the neatly wrapped box decorated in red and white ribbons at the threshold of her door.
Only one thing came to her mind.
And she was almost certain that it involved that special person.
"Eren." She spoke softly, grasping the soft fabric around her neck.
[Culprit 1: Eren Jaeger]
"Like I said Mikasa, I wasn't the one who left that there." Eren repeated, clearly agitated and bothered by her constant questioning. "If I remember clearly, I was assigned to be Jean's Secret Santa." He spoke between gritted teeth.
"Secret Santa?" She asked.
He nodded. "Remember? Hanji forced all of us to participate in this Secret Santa game and we were all assigned to a person in our squad."
She just stared at him blankly.
"You weren't paying attention huh?"
She bit her bottom lip and tugged lightly onto her scarf. "No."
He glanced down at the ring in her palm and sighed. "Whoever the person was, they spent a great deal on your present Mika."
She brooded for a moment in thought, not letting her disappointment show on the surface of her face. "Seems so." She replied flatly.
Mikasa held up the sparkling material between her thumb and forefinger. Curious eyes wandering over the little details that caught her attention while she speculated in her mind over who the culprit was behind this present of hers. If it wasn't Eren, then it had to be at least Armin. It would make sense if it was him.
That's it. It was Armin.
And with the sudden decision made, she bid her farewell to Eren and retreated from the mess hall in hurried steps.
She was definitely determined to figure out who her Secret Santa was and she was surely bound to pay them back. One way or another, she decided.
[Culprit 2: Armin Arlet]
Approaching her friend in slow measured steps, she noticed the blonde hair boy leaning against the bark of the tree, his ocean blue eyes deeply engrossed with the pile of books spread out along the short cut grass.
It was just like him to be reading outside on Christmas.
And somehow, it seemed very nostalgic for her to be seeing him in such a state. That in a way, she felt bad for wanting to intrude on him while he was busy enjoying his escape within his books.
But it was now or never and she was more than intent on figuring out who the culprit was behind the present.
Steeling in her steps, she glanced down at him. "Armin."
He suddenly jerked his head up in surprise, body flinching in turn with his fluttering eyelashes. "You scared me Mikasa." He closed his books and stared up at her with a soft smile. "Did you need something?"
She nodded and extended her hand out in response.
Armin glanced down and tilted his head. "Gardenia?"
She stared at him blankly.
"Oh sorry," Armin replied, "I just noticed the diamond flower on your ring and I'm almost certain that it symbolizes the flower, Gardenia." He nodded, observing the ring once more. "It's has a very deep meaning to it. I can't seem to remember it though." He mused in thought.
"You're not my Secret Santa?"
Armin frowned. "Not quite. Sorry Mikasa."
She sighed heavily, tugging gently at her scarf again.
"Try asking Jean instead. I'm sure I saw him walking around the girls barracks earlier this morning."
She crinkled her nose and nodded. "I'll be on my way then. Make sure to come back inside when you're done reading." She eyed him gently. "It's cold outside."
Armin glanced around at his settings and smiled. "Ah, you're right. I'll be sure to. Thanks Mikasa." He waved his hand in the air and reopened his books again in delight.
Taking one last look, she pivoted her heels and walked off towards the main building . Her mind jumbled up with different thoughts and theories in the process of targeting the next victim in her little game of interrogation.
Jean Kirschtein.
Or rather, the only boy who was deeply infatuated with her to no ends.
[Culprit 3: Jean Kirschtein]
"Jesus Sasha, when are you going to quit that little game of yours?"
"What are you even talking about?"
"You're messing with Connie's head! A man's pride can only go so far and he's already at his limit. "
"Oh, shut it horse face. Our business together doesn't concern you."
"Say that again, I dare you," Jean flared, "I know it was you who was in the food storage last weekend. I don't mind going to the Captain and telling him who the real culprit is."
"You wouldn't." Sasha replied, eyes widening in shock.
He smirked. "Who knows. Maybe I will, maybe I won't. My choice reflects on how you treat Connie from now on. "
"I swear to God Jean—"
"Um."
They both turned their heads immediately at the unexpected visitor.
"M-Mikasa!" Jean sputtered in surprise. "What is it?" He asked, scratching the back of his head nervously.
She had secretly hoped in the back of her mind that he wasn't actually the man behind the present. If so, it just complicated the whole, 'being only comrades and not wanting to be in a relationship' type of thing.
Especially since she was already set on not wanting to be with someone. Well, other than, of course, Eren himself.
Glancing up at Jean, she held up the ring. "Are you my Secret Santa?"
As if turning on a switch, he immediately turned bright red, face flushed and surprised at her sudden inquiry.
"U-Uh no, I wish I was—I mean, it wasn't me but I was hoping that I would have been your Secret Santa." He frowned in disappointment—or in his case—more of jealousy and envy than anything else.
"It looks really pretty." Sasha commented, mouth stuffed with small pieces of bread and potato that she stole from God knows where and how. "Try asking Hanji." She suggested, nodding her head towards the corridors.
Mikasa sighed in return. "I suppose I should."
"Good luck." Jean replied, lowering his eyes down to the ground in dejection.
"Thanks."
And with that, she fluidly slipped her way through the main corridors. Strained legs leading towards the eccentric squad leader, in hopes that the answer to her questions would be awaiting there in her office. She was becoming desperate and bothered and surprisingly impatient by the fact that no one in the squad was her Secret Santa.
Just who was behind this?
A question that was idly waiting to be answered.
[Culprit 4: Hanji Zoe]
"… Christmas…enjoy…birthday."
Halting in her stead, Mikasa jerked her head to the side, curious and questioning eyes reaching for the door. The office was sealed closed and all she could hear was bits of words escaping from the cracks underneath. Without a second thought, she quietly and almost secretly placed her ear against the door, taking in the voices that hid from the other side.
If she wasn't mistaken —and she was absolutely certain that she wasn't—then it was definitely, without a doubt, Hanji and the Corporal discreetly talking among themselves inside the room.
"… Just tell them."
"Not a fucking chance."
"Come on. Why are you such a grouch all the time? Lighten up, will ya?"
"If you're suggesting that my mood will just, 'lighten up', after telling the brats that it's my birthday, then you obviously have more loose screws in your head than I thought. Answer is no Hanji."
"But Levi—" Hanji pleaded.
"Not up for discussion. Out. Now."
"… Then perhaps you would like to talk about the present you left for Mikasa?"
Eyes widening in shock, Mikasa stepped back in confusion, flushed lips pressing into a somber line.
Wait. So the Corporal was the one? The intolerable, pain in the ass, always-getting-on-her-nerves shorty?No. No. No. No. This is just— why? Why him?
"And how did you possibly gather information on my whereabouts this morning?"
"Please. There's only one short man around here and you're easy to spot, believe it or not." She chuckled.
"Oh, fuck off four-eyes."
"With pleasure. But let me ask since I'm a curious woman, why an expensive ring?"
There was a slight pause.
"Is that any of your concern?"
"No. But that won't stop me from bugging you about it, so fess it up already."
There was a long sigh. "Gardenia."
Mikasa blinked once, then twice, and then a few more times before recalling what Armin had said to her when she had approached him.
"The flower?" She asked.
"Yes, the goddamn flower. I came across it last night and it reminded me of her."
"Does she know?"
"No. And I'm keeping it that way. The last thing I need is another headache from Ackerman and a flying fist towards my face."
Hanji snorted. "You're still no good in the love department, I see. By chance, you do understand what the Gardenia flower represents right?"
Mikasa came closer to the door, slightly interested by the unknown meaning behind the flower and the reasoning as to why he bought the expensive ring in the first place.
"If you want to get technical with the meaning, then I suppose you could say that it expresses, 'You are lovely to me', and the white petals represent purity, innocence, and sincerity. Or some shit like that."
"So what are you conveying to her exactly?" Hanji asked.
Another slight pause. "The Gardenia flower is said to be difficult. Meaning, it takes a lot of work and time for it to grow and mature. But with a little effort and patience, it will blossom and become more beautiful within time. So you do the math four-eyes."
"Oh dear. You sure are no poet, but this is slightly close to being a romantic." She stifled a laugh. "You believe in that girl, don't you?"
Levi rolled his eyes. "As a captain, no. But as a person who understands her, yes."
"I bet she's going out of her mind right now."
Levi smirked, eyes gleaming with amusement. "This is just my way of putting a reservation on her."
Mikasa leaned against the door slowly, heat surfacing from her cheeks and her heart beating rapidly against her chest. "W-What?" She murmured in a hushed tone.
Everything was blurry to her now. Her mind. Her thoughts. And surely, her feelings. Nothing made sense and all she could do was just stare down at the ring in a mixture of happiness and disgust and perhaps, a little bit of admiration.
Whatever the feeling was, she was now indebted towards him and somehow, in the innermost core of her chest, she really didn't mind paying him back.
"Ackerman?"
Oh no.
Whipping her head around, she flickered her eyes at the now angry and surprised Corporal.
"Don't tell me you…"
She nodded her head slowly, "… I heard everything."
[To be continued?…]
Side Note: Thinking on continuing it when I have time in my schedule. I really hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I did. Gotta love the sensitive side of Levi. Anyways, tell me what you guys thought and if you really want me to go further on with this story. As always, thank you for reading and have a beautiful day.