Author's Note: I know this seems like a random oneshot, but damn it I can't get enough of fluff with Mikasa and her parents! I'm also excited for Lost Girls, so here's my alternate version of it, that focuses a great deal more on fluff. I wanted this to be specifically from Mikasa's POV to help capture her innocence as a child. I'll be continuing Broken Soul soon!
My name is Mikasa Ackerman. I'm nine years old, and live on a small, quiet farm with my parents. We spent our morning tending to the few animals we had, and while Daddy went hunting for food in the afternoon, Mommy and I tended to the garden.
We just had some chickens, a goat, and a hunting dog. Our dog helped Daddy catch wild game for food, like birds, deer and even fish.
Our life had been the same for as long as I could remember, but that's the way I enjoyed it. But things were starting to change...but they were good changes.
For nine years it had just been the three of us, but Mommy was about to have a baby. I was about to become a big sister.
According to Dr. Jaeger, it could be any day now. Due to this, he visited our farm weekly, and he often brought his son, Eren with him.
Eren was the other good change...we enjoyed playing together every time they came to visit. I felt a deep attachment to Eren, and always got excited when I knew he was coming to play.
I even found myself growing sad when he had to leave, and wishing I could see him more often. That wish was about to be granted.
When I woke up that warm summer morning, I whined a bit from the blinding sunlight through my window. I turned over onto my side, curled up in a fetal position, my long jet black hair sprawled out over the pillow.
I forced my heavy eyelids open sleepily, and then blinked. Sunlight? It was that late in the morning already? Living on a farm, even a small one, meant we always got up fairly early.
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, and stretched. Why hadn't Daddy or Mommy woken me up yet? Confused, and a bit concerned, I got out of bed, and exited my room.
Breakfast hadn't even been prepared yet, and I could hear the chickens outside causing a bit of a fuss for food, even the goat was carrying on a bit.
Daddy's Redbone Coonhound was pawing at the front door desperately to relieve himself, whimpering and whining loudly.
"Oh, hold on Sammy!", I hurried over, and quickly opened the door for the poor dog. The hound bolted outside, hurrying to a nearby tree, lifting his leg.
I felt myself grow more worried...Daddy had never forgotten to let Sam out before. "Daddy? Mommy?", I hurried back inside, closing the door, and went down the hall.
I normally never opened my parents' bedroom door without permission, but I had a gut feeling something was wrong today. Everything felt strange and out of place, and I actually felt myself start to panic.
My heart began to race, as I inhaled a deep breath, turning the knob and opening the door. I peered inside, and I suddenly felt my panic rising.
Mommy was still in bed...but she didn't look well. She looked really sick...she was laying on her back, propped my pillows, and she was soaked in sweat.
She was also panting for air, like she was struggling to breathe, her large swollen tummy raising up and down from her heavy breathing, as I saw Daddy taking her temperature.
"Mommy..!", I cried worriedly, opening the door wider. "M-Mikasa..oh sweetheart", Mommy sat up, worried as she opened her arms, gesturing for me to come over.
I obliged, hurrying over and hugging my mother gently. Her arms felt warm..but not the usual warmth I felt...she felt hot..boiling.
"What's wrong, Mommy? Are you okay?", I asked worriedly. "Mommy's not feeling too good, princess...I'm gonna have to get Dr. Jaeger to come out today", Daddy answered me, as Mommy continued to cuddle me.
"Not feeling good..?", I gently rested my small hand on her big tummy, as she stroked my hair in an assuring manner.
"Just a small fever, angel. You don't have to worry...but hey, this means you can see Eren early this week", she smiled weakly at me.
But despite her warm smile, I could see she wasn't feeling well. I knew she was hiding a lot of her pain so I didn't worry.
"Yeah..", I trailed off..feeling a mix of excitement..but also regret. The only way for me to see Eren sooner..was for Mommy to fall ill.
"You two can feed the animals when they arrive, I'll need to stay with your mother sweetie", Daddy told me next, looking worried.
I nodded, feeling extremely determined to help in any way I could.
Eventually, Dr. Jaeger and Eren arrived. We had been told to go outside and play, and feed the animals, the doctor looked really concerned for Mommy, but he didn't say much.
"So...which animal do we feed first?", asked Eren, but I didn't answer. I glanced back at the house, a worried look in my eyes.
The only reason Eren was here now, was because Mommy was sick. Was the baby sick too? What was going to happen to them both?
Eren frowned, seeing the obvious troubled look on my face. "Hey, it's okay...", he gently took my hand, and I looked at him.
"Your mom will be okay, my dad's a great doctor. Grown ups are always over dramatic about things", Eren assured me.
I looked down, and bit my lip. Eren didn't let go of my hand. "Your mom's due any day now, right?", he asked softly.
I gave a small nod. "She must be feeling tired...I bet if we tried to do some really big grown up chore around here, it would help them out alot", Eren suggested then.
I looked at him, my eyes widened a bit. That..sounded like a great idea. There were quite a few things on the farm that needed fixing, but Daddy hadn't had the time to fix them, with Mommy expecting a baby.
"The well!", I blurted out then, suddenly remembering. Eren jumped back, a bit startled, since I was normally very quiet.
"Daddy's been wanting to fix the well for some time, he's been having to travel pretty far to the river for water", I explained.
"Okay, what's wrong with the well?", asked Eren. "It's jammed, well the contraption to lower the bucket down won't budge, its stuck", I replied.
"Yeah, that does sound like a big job! Okay, let's fix that well!", Eren grinned. I felt myself smile...yes..this would be perfect.
I couldn't fix it alone, but with Eren here...it would be one less worry on Daddy's mind, plus he wouldn't have to travel so far every day for water. He could focus more on Mommy and the baby then.
First we had to feed the animals. Sammy was especially hungry, I got him his usual out of our game shed, which was rabbit.
Next we fed the chickens, and then the goat. Now that the animals were tended to, we hurried over to the well, which was only a few feet from the house.
Eren tugged at the rope to lower the bucket, and sure enough it was still jammed. "That's really stuck..!", he strained, pulling as hard as he could to no avail.
"Yeah, I think pulling won't do much good", I admitted worriedly. "We'd have to reach up and take apart the contraption", Eren concluded.
"It's too high...", I said, attempting to reach but my short arms wouldn't even reach halfway up to it. "I'll give you a boost! You're lighter than me", Eren offered then.
I nodded, as Eren managed to lift me up on his shoulders. He struggled a bit, being only 9 himself, and I grasped onto the wooden handle to keep myself balanced.
I was pretty oblivious to the deep, dark well right below me...and how easily I could fall down it. It was a far drop too, so anyone who fell down it would get seriously injured...if not be killed.
My eyes and mind were focused on fixing it, and I may be relying a bit too much on Eren. "Mikasa...! H-Hurry up..!", Eren grunted then, struggling to keep hold of me.
"I'm trying..!", I hissed, struggling to get the rope off of the contraption, but for some reason it wouldn't come off. I pulled, attempting to untie it in some way, and looked for some sort of button to release it...but no matter what, it remained securely locked.
"Mikasa!", Eren staggered then, losing his balance. I lost my grip, and suddenly felt my body jerk downward.
I cried out, frightened, and also from the pain of my belly hitting the edge of the stone well. I was now dangling over the edge of it, with my head and arms inside it. I froze up, turning pale, and suddenly felt terrified, seeing how deep and dark it was.
Before I could panic, I felt Eren pulling my legs. "Hold on Mikasa...! I got you!", he gritted his teeth, but managed to pull me back, and we suddenly were both collapsed on the ground outside the well, panting.
"MIKASA!", I heard Daddy's urgent voice then. "EREN!", Dr. Jaeger was right behind them, as they rushed over.
"Uh oh...", I whispered, as Eren sweat dropped. "Mikasa! Sweetie, are you all right? Are you hurt?", Daddy scooped me up in his arms, and held me close, checking for any bruises or cuts.
"I..I'm fine daddy, Eren saved me..", I replied, my voice came out a bit shaky still.
"Eren! What were you thinking?! What if she had fallen in?!", Dr. Jaeger angrily scolded his son, and I actually felt myself tense up from his tone, even though he wasn't looking at me.
I wrapped my arms tighter around Daddy's neck, as he stroked my hair gently.
"I wouldn't have let that happen, dad! I pulled her out!", Eren talked back, having an equal amount of stubbornness.
Dr. Jaeger glared, not impressed with his son's recklessness. "Dr. Jaeger...your son still did save my daughter. I'd say he's made up for it", Daddy said gently.
Dr. Jaeger sighed, calming down a bit. I wasn't positive...but I got the impressive Eren was reckless often. Why else would Dr. Jaeger get this angry? He's always seemed calm and gentle when he visited.
"Mikasa...sweetie, you wanna explain why you and Eren were messing with the well?", Daddy asked me then. I hesitated, biting my lip.
"We...we were just...trying to help...I know Mommy's sick...and she's about to have a baby...I wanted...to be responsible and help out more, so you could take more care of her", I explained, my voice small, and my lip trembled.
"Oh princess...", Daddy sighed, as he stroked my hair. "Listen, that's too big a job for you kids. It's dangerous too...that requires special tools. How about this...", he gently set me down.
"Dr. Jaeger and Eren will be visiting every day from now on, until Mommy has the baby. They feel its in the best interest for her health...so every morning, I'll give you some safe chores you can handle, and after you and Eren can play", Daddy offered then.
I felt my eyes light up, and I beamed. "Yes! I'd love that!", I exclaimed. Not only could I play with Eren every day...but I could help Mommy in a big way.
But I then felt myself grow worried again. "Dr Jaeger? Is mommy and my baby brother going to be okay?", I asked then.
Dr. Jaeger gave me an assuring smile. "Yes sweetheart, her fever's gone down, but she should stay on bed rest for a few days, just until she feels better. Your baby brother is just fine", he answered gently.
I sighed in relief, placing my small hand over my heart.
Over the next few days, I worked as hard as I could. Every morning I helped Daddy feed the animals, and even handed him the tools he needed to fix the well.
I went on to clean the dishes every day, that included the buckets for the animals, and I even did the laundry.
I also dusted, and collected the eggs as well. Sometimes Dr. Jaeger and Eren would arrive early, and Eren would help me with the chores, but for the most part, I was doing them myself.
This went on for about five days, by the end of the week I was exhausted. I couldn't remember the last time I had been so tired.
Mommy was finally starting to feel better, so after dinner, we shared cuddles in her bed. I was barely awake, as I gently rested my head over her belly, as Mommy stroked my hair gently.
I looked up at her. "Mommy..are you sure you're feeling better?", I asked, worriedly. She smiled, as she then cupped my cheek. I nuzzled into her palm, relaxing.
"Oh Mikasa...you've been such a good girl. Such a big help for mommy and daddy, and its because of that, I've been able to rest...so yes angel, I'm feeling much better", she assured me gently.
I gave an exhale of relief, as I gently rubbed her belly. "When will my baby brother come?", I asked, excitedly. Mommy laughed softly.
"Any day now, sweetheart. It could be tonight, or it could be tomorrow...maybe not for a few more days yet...but it will be very soon", she replied, caressing her belly.
I cuddled into her gently, giving a small nod. After a while, I drifted to sleep.
When I woke the next morning, it was fairly early. I whimpered a bit, opening my eyes at the bright sunlight. It was sunrise, and when my vision adjusted...I was surprised to see Eren sitting at my bedside.
"Eren..?", I sat up, my black hair a bit messy, wearing my nightgown. "Oh, hey you're awake", Eren stated softly.
"You're here early...where's Mommy?", I looked around the room...why was Mommy out of bed? She was still supposed to be on bed rest.
"Your dad called us over early...I really don't know what's going on, they just insisted I stay in here with you until you woke up", Eren replied, shrugging.
I felt myself grow worried, even some panic. I quickly got out of bed, and hurried towards the door. "Mikasa, wait!", Eren followed me, as I exited the bedroom, and hurried out to the kitchen area.
I saw Mommy was actually on her feet, she was leaning over our table, and Daddy was rubbing her back, looking worried. Dr. Jaeger was also close by, he seemed to be speaking quietly to Mommy.
Though he was saying a lot of words I didn't understand.
"This contraction was about 8 minutes apart, she's still got a while to go...", Dr. Jaeger said softly, while Daddy continued to look worried.
"Has your water broke yet?", Dr. Jaeger asked, as Mommy shook her head, she exhaled, appearing out of breath.
"Not yet, but..I started feeling very restless around three this morning...like I had been with Mikasa..", Mommy answered him.
"Her contractions started about an hour ago", added Daddy. Worried, and frustrated I couldn't understand what they were talking about, I ran over.
"Mommy! What's wrong? Are you okay?", I asked anxiously. "Oh, Mikasa...good morning sweetheart", Mommy was doing it again...hiding her pain from me. She gave me a warm smile, as Daddy helped her sit down.
I hurried over, and gently took her hand. She cupped my cheek softly, as I nuzzled into her hand. "Mommy's fine sweetie, but guess what? The baby's coming today", she answered me.
"Today?! Really..?", I exclaimed, my tone a mix of excitement and panic. "Yes..well, maybe not until tonight or tomorrow, but your baby brother is finally on his way and ready to arrive...", Mommy paused then, as she winced.
"Mommy..! Are you in pain?", I asked worriedly...I didn't fully understand why she was in pain, but I figured it had something to do with the baby.
"Just my back is hurting...why don't you go play with Eren, angel?", Mommy suggested, she clearly didn't want me to be frightened. I shook my head then, stubbornly. "No...I..please, mommy, let me help you! I know I'm..still little..but there must be something I can do", I insisted eagerly.
Eren looked surprised at how mature I was acting. Mommy also appeared surprised, but she smiled. "Okay sweetheart...then maybe you can rub my back?", she suggested.
"Of course!", I nodded eagerly. "Here sweetie, like this...", Dr. Jaeger showed me how to properly rub Mommy's lower back.
"That's it, good job princess", Daddy praised, as Mommy exhaled in relief. "Mommy..is that helping?", I asked worriedly.
"Yes sweetie, its helping a lot..thank you. You're being such a big girl", Mommy assured me, although I could see she was still in some pain.
By early afternoon, Mommy had moved back into her and Daddy's bedroom...she had went from breathing deeply, to whimpering and groaning in pain.
I could also tell Daddy was getting anxious. As Dr. Jaeger gently wiped Mommy's forehead with a cloth, Daddy approached Eren and I.
"Mikasa, I need you and Eren to go play in your room for a while, okay?", he knelt down at our eye level as he said this.
"Yes Mr. Ackerman..", Eren went to grab my sleeve gently, but I refused to follow. I was absolutely horrified by Daddy's request.
"Go play..?! How could I possibly play when Mommy needs me? How is that helping?", I asked, confused..I wanted to stay with Mommy. She needed me.
She was in a lot of pain...I could see that. Besides, I was about to become a big sister! I needed to be here.
Daddy looked defeated, but then Mommy looked over at me from the bed. "Mikasa...sweetie come here", she said weakly, breathing heavily.
I hurried over, and took her hand with both of mine. She gave a weak smile, and cupped my cheek again, as I leaned closer, our foreheads touching.
Eren saw how close we were, and he looked surprised...like he struggled to relate on such closeness. "My darling baby girl...I need you to do as Daddy says, okay? I know..I know it doesn't seem like it..but you going to play with Eren is the best thing you can do to help me...", Mommy told me gently.
I hesitated..I didn't want to leave her...but...both she and Daddy seemed like they really wanted me to go to my room. I didn't understand why...but I could see Mommy was in too much pain to keep insisting.
I didn't want to give her a hard time, so I nodded. "Okay mommy..", I kissed her forehead, and Mommy exhaled in relief.
"That's a good girl...Daddy will come get you both when your baby brother is here", she assured me. Dr. Jaeger approached his son then.
"Eren listen...I need you to do your best to keep Mikasa distracted until the baby arrives. The Ackermans don't want her frightened after all", he told his son. Eren nodded. "Right, got it", he promised.
Eren led me back into my room. Once we entered, and closed the door behind us, we heard Mommy groaning a bit more loudly in pain.
My heart sunk, as I tensed. "You and your mom are really close..", Eren commented. I looked at him, and tilted my head slightly.
"Of course we are, she's my mom", I pointed out. "Yeah...my mom and I fight a lot so..", Eren shrugged. I looked down, my eyes still worried.
"Hey, she'll be okay Mikasa...my dad's the best doctor around, plus she has your dad...how about we play something?", Eren asked.
He could tell I was worried, and trying to cheer me up and take my mind off of it. "We could play dolls", I said, as I reached over for my little Eren doll. Eren grinned, nodding, as he got his doll of me.
We started off playing like we usually did, pretending our doll versions of ourselves were drinking tea and just having small talk.
About an hour into this roleplay, we heard Mommy cry out loudly in pain. I jumped, and even stood up, my eyes wide in worry.
"It's okay Mikasa, that's normal...its part of the process", Eren tried to assure me. I blinked softly then...now that I thought about it...what exactly was this process?
"Hey Eren...", I asked then, sitting back down. "Yeah?", asked Eren. "How...does this work? I mean...how is the baby supposed to come?", I asked curiously and innocently.
Eren paled, and even tensed, his eyes showing panic.
"Oh..OH! You mean your parents never...uh..explained it?", he asked nervously, starting to sweat. "No..Daddy said I have to be a little older...I think you know though, since your dad's a doctor", I replied, scooting closer to him.
"Ohhh boy okay...um..well..how do I start this...", Eren struggled and stuttered as he looked around my room anxiously, as if looking for some kind of escape from the question.
"Well..I know the baby is in mommy's tummy...but..that's about all I know", I added, looking very curious about it all.
"Okay...um...all right...well...", once again, Eren struggled. I decided to help him out by asking some questions.
"Is it like a stomachache? Is that why Mommy's hurting?", I pressed. Eren turned whiter. "U-Um...yes! That's it! It's kind of like a stomachache..but its supposed to be loads more painful...", he began, nervously.
"According to my dad anyway...um..it takes hours usually...sometimes days...basically the body is getting ready to deliver the baby...its...a painful, long process...you see, the mother is in a lot of pain because they are having contractions...", Eren explained.
"Contractions?", I asked, blinking. "I think they're just like..stomach pains but really bad...", Eren replied. I thought for a few seconds.
"Why does Mommy have to be in pain for the baby to arrive though?", I asked. "Well...I mean...I don't know...oh, I know! It is called labor...the process of having a baby..its called labor, right? Labor means hard work...", he replied.
"Like how Daddy works hard on the farm? Or how I've been working hard since Mommy's been on bed rest?", I asked.
"Yes, exactly! After all those chores you did, you felt really tired and sore, right?", Eren asked me. I nodded. "But in the end, the reward was all the chores were done, and your mom was able to rest...so...even though your mom will be in a lot of pain, it'll be worth it since she'll have a new baby", Eren explained.
"I think I understand...but...Eren, I have another question", I admitted. Eren turned white again. "Um...well...where does the baby come out?", I asked.
"Uhhhhh...well...um...Jesus why hasn't your parents explained this to you...I didn't sign up for this!", he mumbled, ranting to himself, as I waited.
"Um well...you know where you...pee from?", he finally asked, turning pink. I felt myself turn pink as well, and gave a silent nod.
"From there...", Eren answered. I gawked at him. "What?! But...a baby is...well a baby is small but for...for that...how is that possible?", I asked.
"Well it uh...the opening becomes wider from the contractions so the baby can fit through...", Eren explained, he was extremely red and so was I.
"I see...wait...", I blinked then, realizing something else I didn't understand. Eren tensed, and flinched back, terrified at what I was going to ask next.
"Eren, where do babies come from anyway? I mean..how did a baby end up in Mommy's tummy? I know Daddy had something to do wit-", I started, but Eren cut me off.
"NOPE! Nope, I am not...getting into that!", he stood up, shaking his head quickly.
"Mikasa, please, I'll play ANYTHING you want...anything, just please can we stop talking about this?!", Eren pleaded desperately. I blinked, not fully understanding his embarrassment, but could tell he would rather die than explain anymore, so I simply nodded.
We continued to play for several hours, by close to dinner time, we both jumped from hearing Mommy scream.
I felt my heart sink, as I paled. "Eren...is it normal for it to take this long?", I asked fearfully. "Afraid so..but I think she's getting close...", Eren replied, also looking worried.
She screamed again, it sounded more like a screech. I found myself covering my ears, starting to tremble hard.
"Mikasa...", Eren's expression softened. He came over to me, and gently wrapped his arms around me in a gentle hug. I buried my face into his shoulder...I felt so worried...Mommy was suffering and I couldn't do anything to help.
What if..something was wrong? What if...Mommy didn't...survive? Or the baby? I remembered back when we had rabbits on the farm...and one of the females had babies, but she didn't survive...
After another scream of agony, I flinched, unable to take this anymore...when suddenly the sound of a baby crying was heard, and Mommy's screams stopped.
My eyes widened, as Eren exhaled in relief. "Is...is that...", I started to ask, when my bedroom door opened.
"Hey princess", Daddy was standing there, he looked exhusated himself, as I ran over and he hugged me. "Ready to meet your baby brother, princess?", he asked me gently.
"Yes...daddy, what happened to your hand?", I blinked, noticing his hand was bruised. "Ah...Mommy needed to hold it...she's still got quite the grip...c'mon", Daddy led me and Eren into the bedroom.
I peered in...the room was quiet and peaceful. Mommy was resting in bed, sitting up, her back propped against pillows.
She looked exhausted, her face was soaked in sweat, and her hair stuck to parts of the side of her face, she also appeared out of breath..but she looked so happy and relieved it was over.
She was holding a small bundle in her arms, and most of her big belly was back to normal. Mommy saw me, and she smiled.
"Look, your big sister's here...", she cooed gently to the bundle. I heard the sound of a baby cooing from it, and came over gently.
I gently climbed into the bed, and gazed at my baby brother. He looked more like Daddy, even having Daddy's color hair.
"He's so tiny...", I whispered. "He's smaller than you were sweetie..", Mommy said softly. "Mommy..you're okay, right? You and my little brother?", I asked worriedly.
"Yes sweetheart, you don't have to worry...you were such a big girl through this, you're already a great big sister", Mommy assured me. "Eren..thank you", Daddy said softly to him. "It was no problem sir", Eren smiled.
"What will you name him?", asked Dr. Jaeger softly. "Well...we named Mikasa after my wife's heritage..so this time we picked a name from mine", Daddy replied. "We decided to call him Sebastian", Mommy added, as she cradled the baby close, as well as cuddled me.
"That's a wonderful name", Dr. Jaeger said kindly. I looked over at Eren, as I remained at Mommy's side. "Thank you Eren", I smiled, grateful.
Eren smiled back. We spent the rest of the evening peacefully, hovering over the new member of our family.