RivaMika Week prompt: Floral

Things were supposed to go back to normal but it was easier said than done. Coming to a verbal agreement that nothing important had happened didn't make it so. Things were supposed to go back to normal, or rather what passed for normal, but they didn't.

A formality had never been the issue for Mikasa. She had been respectful enough to her superiors, although she had also had far more leeway than an ordinary soldier would have, all due to her skills. Captain Levi had been the only one to really set her off and even after coming to trust his leadership, her behaviour around him was considerably informal.

Not anymore. It was all good and fine to agree that nothing out of ordinary had happened, that her lapse in judgment had been nothing but a display of her nurturing side. Mikasa knew that hadn't been the case at all and it made dealing with the Captain difficult for her. His presence with the squad was still sporadic at best so it wasn't an issue yet. In a few weeks time, though, the operation to reclaim Wall Maria and reach the Yeager's basement in Shiganshina would start and she needed to sort herself out by then. Not only for the peace of her mind but for the sake of the others as well.

She and Captain worked well together, that was a proven fact. While she wasn't arrogant enough to think the success of the mission hinged on the two of them, she knew they would still have a large influence on how it turned out. She simply couldn't afford to be emotionally compromised.

It was really simple. Dealing with it on her own hadn't worked. She needed another point of view and there was really only one person who knew her well enough and whom she trusted enough to share her troubles.

"What was it you wanted to talk about?" Armin had learned a long time ago to never assume things when it came to Mikasa. She had been withdrawn lately, something obviously bothering her. Sasha had mentioned Mikasa's sleeping problems, too. It would be easy to jump to the same conclusion as the others had, to chalk up her behaviour to her worry about Eren but Armin knew better.

Mikasa worried about Eren, true. She had been worrying about him for years now. And she channeled that worry into taking care of him, as usual. No, whatever or whoever was on Mikasa's mind, it wasn't Eren.

"I..." she started to say but then paused, her fingers twirling nervously around one end of her scarf. "It's a personal problem."

Armin nodded and waited for her to explain. It was better to let people speak. Sometimes, just the act of putting their thoughts into words helped them understand things better.

"It's about Captain Levi," she spoke slowly. Armin frowned a bit. Captain and Mikasa had no longer had the strained relationship of those first few weeks, at least that was what he had thought. Although, now that he thought back to the recent week or so, Mikasa seemed to be avoiding the man for some reason.

"Did you two have an argument?"

"No," she said, almost hesitantly adding. "He brought me a tea once."

That was not what Armin had expected to hear.

"And that is not good?"

"No, he did it because I did something stupid."

Armin tried to remember the last time Mikasa did something that could be classified as stupid. She made mistakes like everyone, but she learned from them, too.

"What was it?"

"I retied his cravat because it was wrinkled."

Armin blinked and then again. He had known Mikasa for years. She was one of his best friends. She was also so good at everything that sometimes it was easy to forget she was a human being with faults of her own. Still, blowing a simple thing like that out of proportion, well, that was unlike her.

"That's not that awful. Maybe a bit too personal but-" Armin stopped himself. Mikasa was looking everywhere but at him. "What did the Captain say? He wasn't angry with you, was he?"

"No," she admitted. "He said it was just me taking care of people like usual."

"But it wasn't," Armin stated with certainty. "It was different because it was him."

"I told him it was inappropriate because he was my superior officer but I lied."

"Mikasa," Armin started slowly, unsure if he should bring up his conclusion but Mikasa had asked for his advice so advise he would. "Do you like him? In a more than a friend or a colleague way?"

The play of emotions on Mikasa's face was an answer enough.

"Yes, I think so."

And with that admission, something in Mikasa seemed to change.

"I like him. I didn't want to, I have no idea how it happened, but I do."

"It's certainly unexpected," Armin agreed. "Not entirely surprising, though," he added thoughfully. "You had that tension between the two of you almost from the beginning. You are similar enough that you irritate each other with your worst shared traits but then you are also well matched in other areas. Huh. Who would have thought, though, that it could become like this."

A stony silence greeted his conclusion and Armin chuckled sheepishly.

"Sorry, Mikasa."

"What do I do?" she asked. "I can't avoid him forever but I still feel awkward around him."

"Maybe you felt awkward because you were lying to yourself about your feelings," he suggested. "Now that you admitted them, you can deal with them."

"Maybe," she agreed. "It's just... letting it go is for the best, I know that. It's not like the feelings are mutual. And this is no time for anything like that, either," she said determinedly. "You're right, Armin. I can push my feelings back, now that I recognize them."

You shouldn't, he almost said. But Mikasa was right in a way. This was not the right time or place for romance, for any of them. If or when they survived, maybe then. And it could be interesting to watch it happen. Armin was observant and he wasn't convinced that Mikasa's feelings were as one-sided as she thought. The Captain's treatment of Mikasa had always differed from his treatment of others. But it was not Armin's place to say anything. Not here and now when Mikasa was getting back her equilibrium.

One day, maybe he would say something. If those feelings lasted - as repressed feelings often did - then he could suggest that Mikasa got it out of her system. Or he would hint to the Captain that Mikasa's favourite flowers were violets.

But those possibilities were for the future. The present called for him to be a friend, not a matchmaker.

"The Captain and Eren are supposed to be back tonight," he told her. "You can consider the dinner a trial run at acting normal around him again."

"Thank you, Armin. For everything."

"Anytime, Mikasa."

When Eren and Captain Levi walked into the mess hall later that night, Mikasa forced herself to look at him and she even nodded a greeting to him when they sat down. It was still difficult, a part of her wanted to look away but she reined that part in.

She liked him. It was something that had happened without her say-so and it had caught her off-guard. And maybe she had reacted more poorly to it than was necessary. No matter. She acknowledged it to herself and now she could move past that to focus on the more immediate problems. And if one day things changed, well, tomorrow could take care of itself. She had today to worry about.