Standing idle in the queue of Yogurtland, Mikasa sifted through her purse in search of her phone as her bubbly friend beside her drooled up at the menu, shivering her shoulders lustfully as she murmured the number of sugary flavors like a seductive chant beneath her breath.
Mikasa never believed in the ridiculous term 'foodgasm' until the day she met Sasha back in high school. Food to her is what flamboyant boy band members are to preteen girls.
Every time she went out for a bite with her, Mikasa would cross her fingers and hope they didn't get thrown out (because on more than one occasions, they actually have been asked to leave restaurants for her behavior). Luckily, they were familiar with one of the tolerant employees here, but for their sake Mikasa hoped Sasha would contain her beastly cravings so they wouldn't have mop up her drool off the freshly gleaming tile. Most of the cleaning duties were already completed judging by the wet floor signs and lemony scent blocking the smells of dry fruit and sugar—it's that late hour of the night where most tasks are already complete, but Mikasa feared the yogurt shop would look like it fell victim to an elementary food fight by the time they took their leave. She'd hate if her busy friend had to stay late to clean up for a second time.
"S...So many combinations..."
"Sasha. Remember that time we discussed self control?"
"Of course I do. I was eating a sack of seasoned potato wedgies and they tasted amazing."
Mikasa's going out on a whim here, but she assumed Sasha didn't hear a single word she said over all her chewing, slurping and moaning that day: the effects of the foodgasm were much more severe then, now that she recalled. Tonight isn't so bad in comparison.
By the time they were next to be served, Mikasa finally fished out the phone out from her cluttered bag and checked if she had a new notification from Levi (she didn't, sadly). While returning her phone and swinging the strap back over her shoulder, she noticed that a swarm of customers were starting to expose fretful stares at her friend, who looked about to jump over the counter and devour all the tubs of yogurt like a wild bear—and that was far from a stretch; she really would do exactly that. Mikasa has witnessed these feeding frenzies for herself many times over the years and it was more nerve-wreaking than watching a cheetah take down an antelope on an Animal Planet documentary. The aftermath was always just as devastating and messy.
"Can you not." Mikasa whispered in warning.
Sasha, seemingly in a hunting mode fiercely hissed when Mikasa startled her with a bump in the arm in hopes of knocking her back to reality, but that just triggered her animalistic side more.
Honestly, she's a normal girl, really, but put her around food and she'll turn into a hungry beast that hasn't eaten in days. When she's in starvation mode (it roughly comes around every hour) her bite becomes as fierce as a python during its weekly feeding session.
"I can't help it! There's so many choices, I want them all!" And Mikasa is pretty sure she could actually sit here all night and guttle the shops entire supplies if given the funds and time to do so.
After they decided on what to order, the two girls waved down the employee, who seemed to be working the shift solo and trying her best to multitask between making orders and taking them. Seemingly out of breath, the girl sporting pigtails approached the counter, readying her hands of the register and forced out the last remaining drops of enthusiasm she could spare.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, guys. It's a busy night. All the kids always rush in here an hour before we close."
"No problem. How've you been, Mina?" Mikasa asked, returning the girls contagious smile.
"Long time no see!" Sasha lit up with a peppy wave. "Everything good?"
"Pretty swell, but this job is taking its toll on me. We really need to find more people for this shift. We're so short handed." Mina closed her eyes to reward herself with momentously rest and caught her breath. She looks as if she hasn't caught a break since her shift began.
Looks like Mikasa isn't the only one who landed a cruddy job. The only difference is her job at Starbucks isn't understaffed; the employees are there and accounted for—but they're about as helpful as Eren contributing to the house chores. Her coworkers are just impressively lazy—well, one of them are, the other is just easily manipulated by her laid back girlfriend.
"You two wouldn't happen to know anyone that needs a job, right?" Mina passed off the hint lightly with a giggle, but the question sounded more like a desperate plea than a casual question.
"Oh, oh!" Sasha rose her hand and Mikasa had the urge to remind her she wasn't in class. "Connie's looking for a job! Say, if he gets a job here, could his bestfriend get discounts?" Stealthy, she hunched over and blocked her cunning pitch with the side of her hand. "We can totally keep it on the DL, just saying."
"Um..." A sweat drop slid down Mina's cheek at the pressuring question. The girl chuckled uncertainly and put her down easy. "I don't think so... but please let him know there's a position available, we could really use his help."
"Will do! I'll text him now," she whipped out her cell from her jacket pocket and nudged Mikasa with an elbow. "You can go ahead and order before me so we don't keep up the line."
Mikasa was surprised by Sasha's observation because she just now noticed for herself the string of people that had lined up behind them. She turned back to face her very nervous friend gazing over her shoulder at all the people she had to tend to before the shop closed.
Holding her weight on the counter, Mikasa double checked the menu to be sure she ordered the right one. "I'll have the Dragon Passion Tart. ...Does that come in fat-free?"
"Psh!" Sasha spat as her thumbs typed on her phone. "You're already in amazing shape, you can afford to eat some fat."
"I won't be for long if I keep eating junk. We can't all have a great metabolism like you."
"Hehe."
"Most of the fruit yogurt here is fat-free, so no worries." Mina assured.
Sasha exchanged her phone for her wallet from her purse, "Connie's at the library studying with Armin at the moment, but his head is about to explode so he's heading over here before the shop closes. Is that cool?"
"That's great!" The girl cheered. At least she got a little mood boost before taking on the hungry hoard behind them. "I'm glad to hear he's interested. I'll give him my bosses number when he gets here. So what could I get you, Sasha?"
What couldn't you get her was a more effective question to ask. Sasha started voicing her order, that became longer than a speech in lecture hall as she adding a string of toppings to her plain yogurt likes M&Ms, cookie dough, and brownie bites, completely neglecting the fact that yogurt is suppose to be somewhat healthy. The customers started to grumble impatiently and Mina had that panicked look in her eyes again as her memory was being tested while she desperately tried to retain the entirely of the order. Now that Sasha is becoming a regular here, they really should enforce a topping-limit for everyone's sake.
Knowing her order would take a while, Mikasa left with intentions of saving a free seat before the crowd of students piling in gobbled them all up. All the good seats by the window were taken by rowdy students unwinding after a long day of studying, but thankfully she secured a four-seated table in the middle on the shop. It was better than resorting to the icy seats outside; frozen yogurt could only be enjoyed inside here with the heat roaring though vents, not outside in the peek of December with light flurries dusting in your face.
Just as Mikasa looked back to see how much longer she'd take, Sasha was headed for the table, carefully nursing Mikasa's Dragon Passion and her own towering mountain of sweets topping her unseen yogurts in the cup. She staggered awkwardly to keep the heap balanced enough not to lose a single M&M on the way and Mikasa couldn't help but wonder how much all those extra added toppings cost.
It's a good thing Sasha has a job now so she could afford her outstanding food bill. Mikasa could still hear her desperate cries when she had to eat microwaved Top Ramen for breakfast, lunch and dinner during her first few weeks of college. Mikasa felt pity for her and would drop her off some fast food and bags of potato chips when she could just so the girl would quit questioning the meaning of life without tasty food anymore.
Sasha couldn't even wait until she sat down to start digging in sloppily, licking the yogurt that melted down on her fingers from the plastic spoon. Her shoulders shivered from a zestful chill as her eyes rolled heavenward with satisfaction. In the blink of an eye, she already dug out and consumed half of the cups portion.
The shop blared with energetic chatter and the speakers set on the walls played the local college radio station. The duo DJ's often played the Top 40 with no commercial breaks; only goofing around and taking calls ensued between songs. After a few weeks of hearing the broadcasts nearly everywhere, Mikasa soon became fond of the station and found herself actually using her car radio for the first time since she got it.
Currently, they were giving a run down of current events going on around campus; nothing of importance but they were charismatically gifted enough to make even boring topics sound interesting— they mainly referring to Armored-Bro—the talkative DJ with a friendly vibe in his tone that does most of the talking on the show.
The other host, who goes by the name Colossal-D (one could only wonder where that name came from), shies away from the mic often times, but Mikasa enjoyed a few of the interviews he did with local bands and he seems to be a perfect target for his co-host that loves to ruffle his feathers with double entendres and teasing, which always gives the listeners a laugh. They're total opposites, but they seem to have a close bond and when they're live on the air they almost feed off each others energy.
She heard their nicknames were created among each other for fun and the audience stuck to the alias's after a while, but they had yet to reveal their true identities. She figured they don't want to reveal their real names and become local celebrities on campus, which is understandable because from bookworms to stoners and even dropout that pollute the outskirts of Trost University, everyone tunes in for their show and the DJ's are immensely loved.
The late night shows on the weekends are, plainly put, hilarious. At this point it's practically school tradition for the students to drop everything and emerge themselves in the show. Nearly everyone on campus tunes in and calls for requests or to answer pop culture trivia. But as the hours pass, the rating of the show boosts up quite a bit as the callers get drunker and more daring.
Mikasa never summoned enough courage to call up the show herself, but a few weekends ago, her and Sasha, along with the rest of their flock were hanging together back at her and Eren's place and Sasha had the brilliant idea of ordering pizza. Fun fact: The radio station and Domino's is only a number apart and she ended up making an ass out of herself live on the air. Now the DJ's have her voice recognize and refer to her as Pizza Girl every time she calls in for a song request. Needlessness to say, Sasha makes sure to double check the numbers she inputs from now on.
"It's good that Connie might get a job here." Sasha said as she marveled her sight around the shop like a first-time tourist at an exotic location. She really loves this place—let's leave it at that.
"Well if he does get hired here, try not to goof off too much when you come in."
"Hey, I'm a responsible adult now, you know!" She confidently declared with spots of chocolate on her cheeks and a layer of yogurt skirting her mouth.
Mikasa nodded incredulously. "Speaking of which, how's your new job?"
After licking the remaining bits of creme from her lips, she threw her head back with a gravely sigh. "Ugh, waiting tables is hard." She punched the kink in her shoulder, appearing completely exhausted all of a sudden. "I make great tips though and my bosses are friendly. The cook there is the sweetest. Her and I pig out at the end of the night on all the leftovers for free. My other owner is more of a strict smart-ass, but overall he's been such a understanding sweetheart with most of my amateur mistakes. So far I love it."
"That's good to hear."
"What about you? Getting the hang of making coffee at the Hipster Hangout?"
"Please don't call it that." Just the mention of coffee triggered a war-like flashbacks to surface. "I was never much of a coffee drinker to begin with so all these combinations are a headache to remember, but when it's not rush hour it's not too bad. The people I work with aren't too terrible either, but I wish they helped out a bit more."
"You'll get used to it. Just you wait, you'll be making Frappé-Mocha-Latte's like a pro in no time!"
Mikasa had literally no desire to become a professional at such a thing. This job is only temporary to aid in some expenses her allowance from her parents and Eren's don't cover. Her parents had put down the down payment of their apartment and paid the utility bills and Carla and Grisha were to kind enough to pay their monthly rent. The rest of the money they lent them went to books and food, but of course no amount of money is enough for a struggling college student.
As much as she hates her job, Mikasa is just grateful to have one at all and is hoping she'll get more hours eventually. At the very least, she'd like to take over some of the bills and remove a little weight from their parents since they've already done plenty. They wouldn't need their help at all if Eren just got off his lazy ass and got a job, but that's unlikely so they'll probably end up mooching off them for the entirety of their college lives.
"So what else is new?" Sasha wondered. "Besides the job, I mean."
Absentmindedly, Mikasa kept her eyes on the plastic spoon stirring around her barely-touched cup. "Same old."
"Hm?" Sasha tilted her head with beady eyes that blinked curiously. "Didn't your text say you needed to talk to me about something? It sounded important."
The rotating motion came to a sudden stop. That's right—when she knew she was meeting up with Sasha, the first thought that popped in her mind was to tell her all about Levi and how utterly perfect he is: only a natural reaction to have with a bestfriend—but now that she's seated in front of her she felt a little daunted about just saying that outright it in person.
"Right... I want to tell you, but..." she dragged on suspense unintentionally, not wanting to go and blur out something so embarrassing.
"C'mon! Tell me tell me tell me!" Sasha bounced in her seat impatiently, cheering to motivate her.
The way Sasha begged took her back to her high school days, back in the cafeteria when she first told her that she was dating Jean. Mikasa only hoped that whatever is starting between Levi and her wouldn't end the same way it did with him.
"...I met a guy."
Of course, right on cue with Mikasa's confession, Sasha piled in a mouthful—and she nearly spit it out from shouting, "What?!"
Mikasa sank low in her chair, for Sasha had drew all attention in the room to them; the eyes on her made her flush. She kept her voice low, hoping Sasha would follow with the same tone. "Well, I haven't really met him yet, we met online."
"Whoa, wait. Back up." Sasha placed down her spoon and that on its own made Mikasa more shocked than her friend. "We didn't talk in a week and you suddenly meet a guy?"
This reaction of hers wasn't anticipated—but in all fairness, Mikasa ought to learn how to add a prelude before bluntly spoiling the conclusion. She'd never been much of a story teller, though.
When Mikasa didn't give in for a confirmation, Sasha pleaded, "Don't go all quiet now! Tell me about him!"
Without realizing, her finger had started to loop around a loose string of hair as she thought of the faceless man. "His name is Levi—I'm not sure what I could say..." she had plenty to say, but if she started she might not stop and the last thing she wants is to come off as a snobby girl bragging about a guy—a guy she barely knew. That would just be downright pathetic, but she's starting to realize it's a little too late to dodge feeling that way since she had already accidentally become attached to the stranger in a short amount of time.
Sasha groaned with a neck roll. "Just tell me what he likes—anything!"
"Fine." She revealed a tiny smile and the following came out with little effort. "He's a writer, a veteran and likes fitness, sports, fighting and health, just like me."
"...Whoa. Okay," Sasha's mouth had unhinged and she pressed her palms against the table in shock, sucking in breath. "Was not expecting that introduction. He seems...Wow. But please, go on!" She urged, both hands now holding up her blushing cheeks. "What's he like?"
She looked around the shop for inspiration as she searched for the perfect word to describe Levi. "He's...unique." Mikasa couldn't hold back the smile begging to be released any longer. "Quaint is also a perfect word to describe him. Very intelligent. Funny, but not in an over-the-top kind of way. You can tell he's not trying to make a joke; snarkiness is just apart of his natural personality. I really like that about him."
"Hm, I see." Sasha leaned in, humming a cheery tune. "By the way, you're blushing, Mika~"
Not-so-discreetly, she lifted her scarf up to conceal the heat and pout displaying boldly on her face. "Am not. It's just hot in here."
"Sure." Sasha played along, fanning herself off from heat exhaustion, but the action suddenly stopped when she snapped a finger at her like a judge giving a verdict. "Or maybe Levi is just too hot for you." She winked and her shoulders rattled with a giggle at the face Mikasa made. "Is he cute?"
"I don't know what he looks like yet, " she mumbled disappointingly, her eyes straying. "But now that I got to know him, I don't really care what he looks like as long as his online personality shifts over well in the real world. I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm really curious about his appearance though."
"You guys should meet up!"
That's an obvious solution to Mikasa's dilemma, but it's not that simple. "We've only been talking a week. Isn't that too soon? He hasn't gave any hints saying he wanted to meet and I don't want to insist and make him uncomfortable."
"Does he live around here? Maybe you can subtly bump into him, you know, 'by chance'." She air quoted and squinted side-to-side like a villain conducting a mastermind plot.
"How could I do that without asking him out directly? I'd have no idea where to find him." Then it hit her. Sasha's wording inspired an idea, not that she's sure she'd go through with it yet. "Well... he does go to a gym near my job. I wonder if I could fish him out of the crowd somehow." It would be less pressuring on both of them if they just-so-happened to run into each other in public instead of asking, because at this point neither of them probably want to be too direct, it's just not their personalities.
"You should totally try that! It can't hurt—besides, you said he's unique, so if you idle around long enough he's bound to stand out to you. Do you know the rough timeslot he goes?"
"Usually the mornings." She lowered her voice some, naïve concern on her face. "Isn't that kind of...stalking, though? I don't want him to think I went there just to find him. That's kind of creepy." But then she remembered that she's been dying to check out Stohess Fitness. Based on Levi's description, it seems like a great place to work-out with plenty of activities and equipment to make exercising fresh and exciting. Not to mention it's supposedly packed with a friendly community of helpful and energetic people. "But honestly I want to check out the gym for myself, not just to find him."
"Yeah yeah, whatever helps you reach your goal, creeper." Sasha bit her spoon to contain her excitement. "If I were you, I'd go for it. The worse that could happen is you don't find him or miss him by a few minutes. It's worth a shot. Even if you figure out who he is and don't approach him, at least you can put a face to the messages while you continue getting to know him online. Then you can officially meet when you both feel you're ready."
Her convincing was about as tempting as the Birthday Batter yogurt she's been eyeing up since she walked in. When Sasha is freshly fed with brain food, she becomes rather smart—but little did Mikasa know, this idea would later backfire and be marked as a horrible mistake.
The bell on the shops door chimed when it swished open, letting in a frozen chill that blew the back of Mikasa's hair. She barely noticed but Sasha hopped in her seat, waving for the attention of the new walk-in. "Connie~! Over here!"
Mikasa twisted around in her seat and gave the lost looking a boy a wave as well to help guide him further through the crowded shop. The girls took the role of air traffic control while they tried to direct the dimwitted pilot who just obtained their flying license. Finally spotting them, he flicked his chin in acknowledgment and plodded over.
"So. Armin's a manipulative little shit," he greeted them with that great conversation opener as he helped himself to a seat at their table, pulling the chair and falling into the seat with an agitated attitude.
"We kind of agreed on this years ago, but what has he done this time?" Mikasa wondered.
Connie squinted with a cringe and allowed his eyes to close. He was either beyond tired or adjusting to the brightness of the shop was too much strain. "He's a great tutor, don't get me wrong, but he's practically a slave driver. He guilt-tripped me into staying an extra five hours at the library today. Five. Five!" He groaned disgustedly. "I understand studying overtime but that's a little extreme. My head is killing me from reading so much."
With concern on her face, Sasha pat his buzzed head like a Pomeranian after its been neutered. "Poor thing. You just need some froyo—freezing that head of yours oughta cut off all activity and make you feel like yourself again."
Connie curled his lip at her. "Is there any left, you cow?"
"Plenty." Sasha scooped from her cup of yogurt and lunged the spoon forward, slicing through his lips before he could protest.
Now that Connie is busy choking, this might be Mikasa's time to get a word in between these two. "I assumed Armin was coming with you, is he still at the library?"
Connie beat in his chest to settle the remaining coughs, then draped an arm over the backrest. "I tried to steal him away from that depressing place, but he said he needs to cram for another hour or two. He's off his game from being over-worked, which is probably why I managed to escape. I don't know where that kid holds all that information."
"Well most functioning humans have brains to store knowledge, I wouldn't expect you to understand, Connie." Sasha teased.
"Do you want another spanking?!"
Mikasa isn't even going to question that threat. In fact, she choose not to question their relationship at all a long time and decided to look the other way all these years while passing off their friendship as normal, despite the fact that it isn't. At all. But one thing she's sure of is what they have together is special.
These two must have been best friends in many past lives to have developed the close bond they have now. They have their moments, like now where they tease and bicker, but she never saw two people so in sync with each other before.
Connie and Sasha met back in high school and Mikasa still remembers the screeching of sneakers and echoing shouts in the school gymnasium. That day had been the kickoff cause to the effect. Sasha had been caught eating during class (typical) and the coach gave her a rough licking before sending her off to run laps for the rest of the period. Exhausted, she had collapsed and Mikasa was the one to pick her up and transported her to the nurse station.
A rebellious boy with a buzz cut and an over-size leather jacket had been sitting in a chair with folded arms when they arrived, with a mug on his face that suggested he had a million other better places to be. He was in there getting his cuts bandaged up after getting in a brawl in the parking lot with a couple of other hoodlums.
Connie was such a wanna-be delinquent back then; tough guy with a face of a sweetheart and too caring for his own good. That reputation of a bully he tried building up for himself was completely abandoned when he met Sasha, though. It was like he found the calling in life when he met her.
They hit it off immediately while the nurses took care of them and by the time the last bell of the day rang out, they were bestfriends and practically skipped side by side off to the arcade down the street.
They started off as high school buddies skipping class to attend unassigned lunch periods and now they're college pals that haven't changes a bit—except they exchanged some of their old hobbies for bongs and an obsession with comic books now. Mikasa had a feeling that the two of them will be old and gray one day and will still be goofing off, playing pranks on each other and pulling each others fingers for the giggles.
"By the way," Connie leaned back with his eyes on Mikasa. "I tried calling Eren on the way here to check in—is that kid alright? I couldn't help but to get the impression that he's...like...on crack."
"Oh, Christ. He's not on crack, Connie. Really, he's been like this for a few years, it's nothing new—it's just he could be more open now that he's out of his parents house."
Connie scratched at his buzzed head, confused by her phrasing. "Yeah I guess... but I can't get him out of the house. I thought he was just ditching me but I think it's more than that."
"It's not just you, trust me. He never goes anywhere with me either. I don't know why he's become such a hermit. He barely even makes it to class." And when he does he doesn't even bother dressing properly or taking a shower. Professor Pixis is getting tired of him coming in late with just his stained PJ's and Mikasa is sure the students who sit behind him don't appreciate him browsing porn on his laptop during class—especially when his headphone jack occasionally rips out and the classroom ambiance resembles a cheap whore house.
This happened three times already and Eren hasn't ever shown a morsel of shame about it. Usually he continues to boredly watch the smut that Mikasa's debit card paid for until either she or the Professor snaps him out of the trance. Only then would he give any reaction. Then he actually has the gall to act surprised when one of them confiscates his computer.
Connie, now recovered from his fatigue from studying, powered up with a sudden burst of energy. "This is college; the time for going out, meeting people and having fun! What's his deal? That kid needs to get laid, that oughta snap him into maturity."
"I highly doubt that will solve his problems." In fact, it would probably make things worse because Eren will likely confuse reality as usual and think it's perfectly natural to perform taboo sex acts on a partner like in one of those sick hentai shows he's always watching. Either that or he'd irresponsibly get a girl pregnant—but let's face facts, that isn't likely: Eren is so bicurious that he's practically gay enough to steal the spotlight from Kurt Hummel and force him into a dull corner of the stage.
However obvious Eren's sexual interest in the same sex may be, he's the only one who doesn't quite grasp the concept of openly admitting he's gay, or even bisexual for that matter. Eren says some crazy things sometimes, but him playing the role as a heterosexual (or a "ladies man", as he likes to dub himself as) is by far the most extreme case of delusion she has ever witnessed.
"But dating someone smart and responsible might straighten him out. They always say that love can change a person for the better!" Sasha optimistically added and Mikasa admittedly liked the idea of Eren going steady with someone, but the guy barely knows how to take care of himself, never mind feeding another person emotional support. Any partner he would land would either need to be extremely tolerant (or desperate) or someone who isn't afraid to call him out on his shit and whip him into shape. Mikasa hoped for the latter.
"Hm. That ideal person Sasha described sounds awfully familiar." Connie folded his arms and narrowly eyed Mikasa. "I'll never understand why the two of you never hit it off."
Mikasa couldn't even pretend to be surprised. "Really. You don't understand why I don't want to date some perverted, immature guy with anger management issues that rarely showers or leaves the house and screams at ten year olds while playing video games? Yeah, real shocker, Connie."
He swat the air in dismissal. "You know what I mean. You've been with him since the dawn of time and you're the only one that can put up with his shit longer than a few hours."
"That's because I love the kid, flaws and all. But that doesn't mean I have the patience to date him." Besides, he's like a little brother to her, despite them being the same age and not blood related at all.
"Yeah Connie, they'd never work out. Besides, I'm sure Mikasa's boyfriend wouldn't appreciate that, heh~" Propping her chin on her knuckles, Sasha shot her a flirtatious glare across the table, wiggling her brows with a dreamy look in her eyes.
Mikasa crossed her legs beneath the table with a redundant sigh. "He's not my boyfriend, big mouth."
She couldn't summon the energy to get riled up at the accusation. Nearly everyone of importance knew about Levi by now—including Jean and she never planed on Jean knowing a damn thing about her love life, or lack for of. Even Armin knew, courtesy of Eren's blabber mouth. Connie knowing too was just a little added dent in her personal wall she formed.
"So you're interested in someone, huh? Please tell me it's not another horse this time, do yourself a favor an upgrade to a majestic unicorn."
A thunderous crack of vocals bolted from Sasha, slapping a knee and encouraging Connie, who turned smug from the well-received feedback on his hilarious joke—but he didn't get a peep of amusement from Mikasa. She simply scowled.
She's guilty of using a horse joke every once in a while, but herself and Jean are literally the only ones in their group that are sick to death of the overused, childish insults. The jokes need to die and go back to the pit of hell in which they came already.
Wiping a tear, Sasha recovered from the burst of amusement. "Actually, in all seriousness I think Mikasa landed a good catch. He seems perfect for her. By the way, does Eren know about him yet?"
"Yeah. He's the one who found him for me—he made me a profile on a dating website." It made her cringe to admit. "I was skeptical at first but Levi and I really hit it off. I'm glad I went through with it."
Connie heaved his head back, dazed like he doubted the reality around him. "Whoa, trippy—I feel like I just stepped into TV land and got trapped in some eHarmony commerical. Next you'll be slow dancing with this Levi guy as an old guy monologues over you, saying to sign up for free today."
Sasha cracked the air with another laugh and Mikasa bit the inside of her cheek, irritated by the pair of idiots. "If only there where websites for finding better friends."
"Oh, burn!" Sasha smacked the table, but her snickering expression popped off suddenly. "...Wait, you're not referring to me too, right Mika?" When she didn't answer, Sasha gripped the table and thrusted herself forward desperately with tears building up. "Right?! Righ—hmp!?"
"Oh quiet you." In a flash Mikasa inserted her spoonful of Dragon Passion into the girls mouth, the flavor soothing her faster than a baby sucking on a bottle of warm milk.
The three of them continued talking among each other about school and assignments. Connie had a talk with Mina and snagged the bosses number to schedule an interview, and he was thrilled to know he was practically guaranteed for the job.
When they left the warmness of shop and entered the shower of light flurries, Sasha and Connie invited Mikasa to grab a bite to eat at the diner with them, but she didn't have the stomach (nor metabolism) to go restaurant-hoping with them tonight. She secretly bet to herself that they would be having at least their third dinner of the evening and the portions could probably feed a small country. Having said that, she had no desire to tag along and watch that display. She declined with promises of texting them later and they branched off in different directions.
Mikasa headed in the direction of home, walking along the narrow pavement. The town became quite desolate suddenly in spite of this being a wild college area and it's still technically early in student standards. Everyone must be inside where it's warm, sheltered from this cold—she wish she had done the same and brought her car, but since she figured she could use the extra cardio.
Light flickered in from the streetlamps peeking through the bare dead branches caving over the trail, which created interesting shadow patterns around her shoes. During the time in the shop it had started to lightly snow and now the concrete dusted with a light layer of icy fuzz. Hot breath turned to seeping fog, but with a quick adjustment of her scarf, her face felt significantly warmer. She passed the campus shops closing down for the night, only a few window washers and employees counting their draws remained inside. The lights of the stores practically shut off in sync with her steps.
She passed by the clothing boutique downstairs of her apartment and looked at the mannequins dressed in fashionable winter attire; the type of clothes that were appropriate for the season and for the rich kids on campus that had a need to make a statement.
She broke her wistful stare from the display, but came to the conclusion that she really should buy some new clothes—she hasn't been shopping in a while and she should start fresh with a new wardrobe, but she always considered her sense of fashion to be lacking, making clothes shopping a miserable experience.
Everything buys either doesn't suit her or looks too over-the-top and ends up collecting dust in her closet. Often enough, she'll get the desire like any normal girl to shop for new clothes, but ends up sticking to her old, comfortable wardrobe for as long as she possibly could. If they never got worn from the wash or shrunk, she'd never buy new clothes; that's just the kind of girl she is, that and she gets too attached to certain outfits and accessories; like the scarf Eren gave her on her first trip to America. Being the carefree child she was back then, she forgot to pack anything warm to wear. A sudden gust of icy breath animated her hair as she recalled—it was around this time that she met Eren all those years ago.
Deciding that clothes shopping should be the last thing on her mind, she made a sharp left into the narrow ally and climbed up the stairs with a dim smile. Eren was more or less the same back then as he is now, (as in, he's still the same loud, obnoxious brat) but he was much more daring and adventurous as a child. Him and Armin would go on and on about their plans to travel the world someday—but along the way, he misplaced that impetus light of his somewhere during his teen years. The go-getter she once admired suddenly lost all his drive and even though she tries to pretend the sudden switch in his persona doesn't bother her, she can't help but to miss the old Eren sometimes, the Eren that used to dream and never gave up and motivated her through the hardest days. She suspects it has something to do with him dealing with more and more pressure with each passing year. Entering the real world and becoming an adult is a scary, inescapable fate and he might be trying to stretch out his glory years a little longer.
Maybe Sasha was right—if Eren can find himself a good partner, maybe he'll change for the better or find himself again. She'll never abandon hope for him—she knows he'll come around someday.
The moment she reached her floor, a blaring noise assaulted her ears and the sound wave was almost strong enough to send her flying in reverse off the top step of the stairs. The ringing roared through the hall, so loud in fact that her upstairs neighbor who absolutely loathes her and Eren with a passion has come down for a visit, arriving to the floor almost in sync with her from the opposite stair well.
The man stretched out his arm, thrusting a scolding finger at her the moment his threatening gaze found her. She slouched in preparation of the impending lecture heading her way, because if Mr. Woerman heard the sound all the way up in his apartment, then that can only mean that the obnoxious alarm was coming from her place. Lucky for her, she lives under this miserable man that can hear a sneeze from her place, but not a piano crashing in any of the other occupants apartments.
The force driving toward her with lumbering heels, lowering brows and a fixed gaze made her feel even more guilty and due for a lecture—despite not doing anything wrong herself.
"Ackerman! How many times have I warned you?! You make too much noise!"
Her hand nearly covered her ears in reflex from the mans obnoxiously broken pitch. Even if you combined all the noise Eren, his friends and herself accumulated since moving here, it still wouldn't equal up to how loud her cranky neighbor is being right now.
"Mr. Woerman, sir, I just got home, I have no idea what's going on." She turned down the polite route, even though she wanted to punch the man in the face for always complaining every time a thimble dropped passed nine o'clock—actually, he complains about noise during the daytime too. Instead of whining to a bunch of college kids, the man ought to consider moving out. Someone of his age can't honestly expect to get peace and quiet while sharing a complex with a ton of students.
"Hmph." He scoffed, letting out a huff that rumpled his auburn mustache. "Out partying, I presume. Typical for a college student."
Mikasa tried to gain control over the wrinkling sneer begging for release. This asshole likes to make assumptions and assume they're the truth. In other words, he's the worst kind of person to know and even worst to have as a neighbor.
"Maybe if you were home a little more that Yeager boy wouldn't make such a ruckus!"
"I'm not his mother, I can't control everything he does. I'll see to it that's he keeps it down," she recited the same line she always has since moving here.
When she moved in closer to her door with her keys ready in hand, her eyes flicked wider. She had just realized that the sound blasting from the other side of the door was the fire alarm. "Now, if you'd excuse me, sir, I think my apartment is on fire."
"Huh?!"
She'd rather risk being a victim of a backdraft than listen to that man another second, so she took her chances and escaped inside, slamming the door in his faced and pulled the chain over. Reflectively her hands reached for her ears now that the sound grew louder.
Her eyes watered immediately and the air of the entrance hall felt thick and heavy on her lungs—she coughed out, "What the— Eren? What's going on?"
With no answer, she followed the burning scent and stomped into the smoky kitchen, cutting through the fog like a knife, her blinking lashes swatting the smoke from clogging her vision. The whiff of a crispy burnt scent grew more intense. Upon closer inspection, she found the cause of the "fire" was coming from the toaster that was coughing up black smoke. She waved a cloud away, eyes watering as she swiftly unplugged it from the wall and pulled up a chair to stand on to reset the fire alarm. She hopped back down, calling for Eren again but getting no reply. Needing to clear the smoke, she cranked open the kitchen window for fresh air, letting in a chill into the heated apartment.
"EREN?" Her voice sounded louder than the alarm that was previously roaring. This was definitely his doing—it's like leaving a fucking five year old home alone. "Where the hell are you?" She searched for him with fury powering her heel, looking beyond the barricading counter into the living room where she found the guilty guy in question laying on the couch with his headphones blasting loud in his ears, the sound of electric guitars and screaming vocals could be heard from where she stood. She growled while she loped around.
His air drum solo was interrupted when she hostility yanked the jack from his phone.
"Eren!"
Startled and dazed, he rose his hands in defense, but upon seeing it was Mikasa he relaxed and moved his finger to his lips. "Shhh, don't be so loud. Mr. Woerman will give us shit again."
Really. Fucking really? She nearly snapped and saw the premonition of a violent rampage flash in her mind at that.
"You nearly set the kitchen on fire."
He cocked his head up obliviously. "I did?"
"Yes. And the fire alarm was sounding off though the halls for who knows how long and Mr. Woerman wasn't very happy about it."
"Hm. That explains what that burny smell was." He sniffed, the tickle of the floating soot made him wiggle his nose like a certain witch on TV Land.
"...If you smelt something burning, why wouldn't you check what it was? Would you just lay here and burn?"
He squinted up at her like she just hit him with a pop quiz. "Is this a trick question?"
It was during times like this that Mikasa wanted to shake Eren in hopes of awakening that unused brain of his. Instead of resorting to violence, she let out a huff and sat next to him. "I'm pretty sure you broke the toaster. What where you making anyway?"
He thought about it for a second, then popped his eyes wide with a dry gasp. "Oh shit!" He heaved forward and stumbled to his feet, tossing his headphones into Mikasa's lap and dashed to the kitchen.
Mikasa perked up, trying to see for herself what caused Eren to rush off to so urgently.
"My poptarts!" He cried out dramatically enough to nominate him for an Emmy.
Running to the poptarts rescue was useless after they had already burnt to a crisp, but she wouldn't dare say that because she hasn't saw Eren move that fast since high school.
"Ew...it tastes like cigarette ashes." Mikasa heard the dry heave in his voice, like it took all his willpower to keep the mouthful from dispensing.
"Wha—don't eat that, moron." But based on the crunchy chewing, he didn't listen to her advice. Honestly, he acts like she starves him.
Her phone buzzed against her lap and she sighed at the horrible timing. Leisurely, she made herself comfortable on the couch before she dug through her purse. She was in no hurry to answer since she assumed it was Sasha or Connie just making sure she got home alright.
Navigating her thumb over to the notifications, she was pleasantly surprised when she saw the name 'Levi' reveal itself.
She multitasked by kicking off her shoes belatedly (since she was a little more concerned about the apartment being on fire than to remove her shoes at the entrance like she normally does) and wiggled out of her jacket to get comfortable, all while reading Levi's message.
Levi: Hey, I just got back. Sorry for leaving before. What have you been up to?
10:41 PM
Mikasa: Well, I went out with friends for frozen yogurt and my roommate nearly burned the apartment complex down. Typical Monday night.
10:43 PM
Levi: And here I was thinking you'd be bored out of your mind in my absence. Your life sure sounds much more eventful than mine. Care to trade?
10:44 PM
Mikasa: Wouldn't be a fair trade, because you'd be responsible for my friends. You should know by now how dangerous that is.
10:45 PM
Levi: I bet they're less crazy than mine.
10:45 PM
Mikasa: I'd literally bet you anything against that.
10:45 PM
Levi: Don't make bets you're sure to lose. You're smarter than that.
10:46 PM
Mikasa: No. I know my friends are worse. If you don't believe me, let's compare. Give me your worse.
10:47 PM
Levi: Deal. One of my closest friends is creepy and manipulative (not to mention an annoying know-it-all) but has the looks of an innocent supermodel so no one suspects him nor calls him out on his shit.
10:49 PM
Mikasa: Sounds a lot like my friend Armin. This friend of yours wouldn't happen to be a short blond guy with blue eyes, right?
10:50 PM
Levi: No, but he's a tall blond guy with blue eyes. I think I need to ask him if he has any sons he doesn't know about.
10:51 PM
Mikasa paused her typing to let out a repressed giggle and tried to shake off her smile. They'd probably be good friends or mortal enemies. Either or. It's not really surprising that they both attracted friends with similar personalities when you consider how alike her and Levi are.
Mikasa: My best friends is obsessed with eating and makes a scene every time she goes anywhere where there's even a morsel of food.
10:53 PM
Levi: That doesn't sound too bad. My so-called "best friend" is way worse than that.
10:54 PM
Mikasa: Levi, a few weeks ago she nearly bit my finger off because I tried to snag a fry from her. She then proceeded to hiss at me.
10:56 PM
Levi: Okay. I stand corrected. My friend is obsessive too, but let's just say I lose my appetite when they go into detail about the dissections they perform.
10:59 PM
Mikasa: Dissections? Are they a pathologist or something?
10:59 PM
Levi: No, worse. They're somehow legally allowed to work with students like yourself. I'm not sure if you ever heard of Dr. Zoë, but they're a biology teacher at your university.
11:01 PM
Mikasa: I know exactly who that is. That's one of Armin's Professors.
11:02 PM
Armin had told that Dr. Zoë was quite eccentric and took their teaching a little too seriously in the most zany ways, but Mikasa had no idea it was that eccentric friend Levi had vaguely mentioned a few times before. What a small world.
Mikasa: Still, they don't seem too bad.
11:02 PM
Levi: Go ahead and think that, but don't say I didn't warn you about them. I'm pretty sure I win this round.
11:03 PM
Mikasa: No way, my friends definitely take the title of weird.
11:03 PM
Levi: Mikasa, one of my friends smells people when he meets them, like literally smells them like a damn dog. And it's not just a weird habit, he somehow determines if a person is good or bad this way.
11:05 PM
That, admittedly, is kind of hard to top.
Mikasa: Well, my friend looks like a horse.
11:06 PM
Levi: Wait. How can someone look like a horse?
11:06 PM
Mikasa: If you saw Jean, you'd know how. He looks exactly like a horse. He's also the one who is constantly fighting with my roommate; don't even get me started on him. He's the weirdest of them all.
11:07 PM
Levi: Alright, let's just call it a draw and agree we both have weird friends and were cursed with the company of social rejects.
11:08 PM
"Mikasa... the microwave is flipping out on me."
The peaceful world she created with Levi in the short amount of time was torn away from her by Eren's panicked tone. Perfect timing, she was just thinking about how annoying Eren could be. Her head flopped back weakly with a sigh. She spoke dryly to the ceiling, "What are you trying to make? Did you read the directions?"
"I'm just trying to make popcorn, then there was some lightening and I think the microwave got possessed by Zeus and he's pissed at me."
Mikasa blinked up at the ceiling, trying to filter his blabbing into a language she could understand, but by the time she figured out his analogy, it was too late.
"Now it's—!"
Followed by what sounded like a crackling lightening storm came a loud pop that blared, and it certainly wasn't the popcorn. The microwave hissed a dying breath and the electricity short-circuited, leaving only the glow from her phone the lone light source in the apartment.
"What the hell did you do now?" She pushed herself off the couch and used her phone light as guidance through the darkness. She won't argue with him, but Levi's friends can't top hers, no way in hell—the things these idiots make her deal with on a daily bases is enough to give someone a nervous break down.
After much feeling around blindly, she found the fuse-box and after some trial and error, she got the power back on with a flip of a switch and went to the kitchen to tally the damage Eren had caused.
Eren stood there with innocent, yet guilty eyes like a little puppy that had an accident on the floor. When he made faces like that, it was a challenge to be angry at him, but even innocent idiots needed to be given some tough-love now and again.
"...That kind of popcorn is for the stove top, Eren. You can't put foil in a microwave. This is common logic."
Eren stomped his heel and threw himself into the dining chair like a baby throwing a hissy fit, giving up with roaring wail. "God damnit. I'm so fucking hungry. Why is nothing working?"
"Because you're a moron. Go eat some cereal or something, you can manage that without screwing up, can't you?"
"But the Lucky Charms are all gone. And we only have Cheerios. I fucking hate Cheerios. With a burning passion."
She mumbled a few pleading curses under her breath as she held her head. "You broke the toaster and probably the microwave too all because you're apparently starving, so if you don't eat something after all this damage I'll force feed you myself."
"Ugh...Can't you run to the store real quick and get me—"
"Goodnight, Eren." Mikasa walked off and escaped to her room, not wanting to hear another word from him. She only hoped he wouldn't break something else in her absence. After she fluffed up her pillows, she flopped down on her back and tried to reemerge herself in the conversation with Levi.
Mikasa: Indeed, we are definitely cursed. Now that we've settled that, how was the rest of your night? Did the meeting go well?
11:17 PM
Levi complained briefly, but the final verdict of the meeting was that it went well and managed to satisfy his editor. Mikasa, feeling motivated to complain a bit herself brought up a pesky assignment that's been on her mind, and Levi gave her some helpful insight on the topic, which she hadn't expected but appreciated. It's nice to have someone to complain to that doesn't get so easily turned-off by some pessimism like many people; in fact negativity seems to be a highlighted trait for Levi, but much like herself he had a knack for vaguely turning around a situation by trying to find a solution. She liked that about him; just another key element she found herself relating to.
Now that they've ran out of topics at-hand, Mikasa brought up the first closely accessible thought that would prolong the conversation.
Mikasa: So what are you doing tomorrow?
11:44 PM
Levi: Why do you ask?
11:47 PM
Mikasa: Just making conversation.
11:47 PM
That wasn't the best way to go about asking this and she certainly didn't like the long pause before his reply. She hoped he didn't get the wrong idea and think she was being nosy. Well, considering her intentions were actually flat-out meddlesome, he wouldn't necessarily be wrong. He'd be the smart one, actually, since she's nothing more than a stalker collecting info at this point. Truly disgraceful, but still not enough to convince her she was going the wrong way about this.
It's not so much that she wants to spy on a potential love interest...she just wants to settle some personal curiosity, that's all—she could have swore she heard some stalker use that same exact line on one of those television crime dramas. Maybe she really is a creeper. But in her defense, she never had much experience with guys and her only serious boyfriend up until now was Jean of all people, which proves she doesn't make the best choices when it comes to men.
Levi: I have a lot of writing to do for the most part. Tomorrow I'll be held up in my dark room whilst injecting lethal amounts of coffee, cursing my editor to hell and resisting the urges to throw my computer off my balcony. You know, just the glamorous life of a freelance writer.
11:50 PM
Mikasa: I guess that means you won't be hitting the gym. Sucks for you.
11:50 PM
And her, since she was depending on that so the plot she established with Sasha would follow into effect.
Levi: No, I'm still going. That's a given; I never miss a day. I'll just head over earlier than usual to make up time.
11:52 PM
Earlier than usually, she noted—so he'll likely be at the gym before eight. Mikasa shook her head in a disappointed motion on the fluff of her pillow, a sudden feeling of guilt surging through her. She couldn't believe she was actually considering the idea of spying on some guy from the internet she's been talking to for a week. But—at the rate they're going, neither of them will ask the other out to meet in person any time soon. She knows how unlikely it is that she'll scope him out somehow at the gym, but the hope is worth the effort. She just wants to put a face to the messages already.
One might think asking straight out might be easier, but in this short amount of time she had constructed Levi to be a intimidating man. It's hard to tell through text alone, but she doesn't believe she's wrong to assume this; which is why she's definitely not brave enough to ask for a picture either, because for starters, there must be a valid reason why he didn't put one in the first place, just like herself, and she doesn't want to put them both in an uncomfortable situation by demanding a picture from him—and just the thought of her returning a photo made her cringe. If she had a little more patience, she'd wait it out as long as needed, but over this past week she had shamefully became quite attached to Levi and when she becomes fond of someone or something, it's hard for her to let it go. With that in mind, she naturally became curious about his appearance—she just wants to be able to imagine the man behind the screen.
Simply put, Mikasa thinks she likes him judging by where their development is heading, but she doesn't want to screw anything up by rushing and making him uncomfortable over her own childish impatience. Levi's a decade older than her, he probably has a load of patience and it will take her many years to catch up to the same level as him. Until then, she'll play it safe and settle her curiosity with alternative methods.
That settles it. Before she goes to work tomorrow, she's stopping by Stohess Fitness to apply for a membership and-of-course-hunt-down-Levi. If all else fails and she doesn't find him, oh well, she'll carry out her normal routine and head to work after. But it's worth a shot—that little hope itself should make her excited, but for some reason a sudden foreboding feeling overran her. She could only hope that the bad feeling settling in her stomach was just her fluttering nerves.
So, yeah. Mikasa's friends are just a mess. Especially Eren. Sorry Mikasa, he's kind of your responsibility for now. And it won't get any easier for her because a little cranky man at the gym will give her a hard time. No—it totally isn't Levi, guys. I swear... Okay it is. But she doesn't know that. But she's going to wish she had. Heh. The next chapter is going to be fun.