A/N: Here's the next chapter! Hope you like! Btw Dr. Archangel is my coauthor, he comes up with some awesome stuff. He's the reason that Eren knows Krav Maga in here. You'll have to find out what that is in the chapter. ;)
Anyway, enjoy! I hope you all like it.
The short man just stood there, taking the scene of the two young adults in front of him, waiting for a reaction.
Eren didn't know what was going on. Was this some guy some kind of creep? Was he stalking Mikasa? Eren was a little freaked out that this guy knew that Mikasa was living here; after all, she'd just moved in yesterday.
He turned his head toward Mikasa, to gauge her reaction to this visitor than knew her name. Her face was temporarily hidden by her dark locks of hair, but that changed when she spoke.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she almost hissed.
Eren looked at her wide-eyed from the corner of his eye, surprised at her tone. She sounded...annoyed. But the expression on her face would make anyone back down. Well, anyone except this guy.
"I came to check in on you." Levi replied without any interest. His narrow eyes reluctantly left her to glare at Eren. Just seeing these two glare at each other was terrifying. Suddenly the phrase 'if looks could kill' ran through his mind. He heard what sounded like a growl from Mikasa.
"Levi, why don't you get a life?"
"I have one. But I have to make sure you're not doing stupid shit behind my back. Now who's this guy?"
Eren felt his steely grey eyes shift to glare at him.
"None of your damn business."
"You're my little sister." Levi replied. "I have to keep tabs on you. Make sure you're doing your shit."
"HOLY SHIT, THAT'S YOUR BROTHER?!" Eren exclaimed as his gaze kept swapping from Levi to Mikasa in shock.
"Well." The short black haired man replied after a few moments. "We're technically cousins."
"Adoptive cousins." Mikasa corrected with venom in her voice, emphasis on the word adoptive. "How did you find me anyway?"
Levi held up his phone. "GPS."
"You put a fucking tracking device on my phone?! When?!"
"When I got you that new one after you dropped your last one in that boiling water while making ramen."
Levi gave a smug grin while Mikasa's face turned extraordinarily bright red from anger and humiliation. Eren had originally wanted to laugh, picturing that scenario. But he decided not to for his roommate's sake. Well, more because he didn't want her pissed off at him.
"What made you decide to visit anyway?" Mikasa asks, desperate to change the subject.
"I called to speak to you. But some strange guy answered. Said you were moving in with some guy." Levi shifted his eyes back to Eren. "As your guardian, I have to look out for your chastity."
"OH MY GOD." Mikasa squeaked, face beginning to turn red again. Eren was somewhat amused to see all these emotions. It was a change from her normally calm personality.
"What?" Levi asked innocently. "You two are young and hormonal-"
"SHUT YOUR MIDGET ASS MOUTH!" Mikasa growled, a bright red face
"Anyway, how's school going, Mikasa? Still getting straight A's?"
Eren snuck a glance at her . She must be incredibly smart if she's getting A's.
"I guess." She mumbled, still irritated at the topic before. "I just do my work and study."
"Are you still planning on joining track and basketball?"
"Maybe. Depends on my job. When I finally get another one..." she sighed.
'She's into sports, too?' The brown haired boy thought in intial surprise before thinking about it. 'Well...I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. She's got an athletic body...'
Mikasa and Levi talked for a long time, mainly about how her school was going and what she was going to do regarding a job. Eren just sat silently as the two chatted, internally laughing when one said something to deliberately piss the other one off. It was when Mikasa had left momentarily that Levi finally spoke to him.
"You seem like a nice kid."
"Th-thank you, sir." The brown haired boy was extremely intimidated by the narrow grey eyes of the man.
"As much as I dislike the situation, I know I can't just drag her with me. Her pride would be hurt. If you're fine with her being here..."
"It's no...problem at all, sir!" Eren immediately stammered out, sweat beads coming from his forehead.
"Let me make myself clear though." Levi said in a low, menacing voice. "If you do anything to hurt Mikasa, whether physically or emotionally, any way at all, I can personally guarantee that I'll beat you so hard, your teeth will fall out when I kick you."
"Y-yes, sir." Eren answered, visibly shaking. "B-but...even without your threat...I would never have even thought about hurting her."
Levi raised an eyebrow at the boy's tone. "Oh? Someone has a crush on her then?"
Eren dodged the question with a red face. "I swear I won't hurt her. From what I've picked up on her through certain things she says...she's been hurt enough."
The intimidating man sat back, relaxing his glare into a blank, emotionless mask. "...You're very observant. You'd be correct in your assumption."
"What...happened to-?" Eren started to ask before Levi cut him off.
"It's her story to tell, not mine. Just remember what I said."
After Levi talked to Mikasa again and observed the two interacting for a while, he decided that it was about time he left. He gave Eren his number so that way if something were to happen he'd have it on hand. After a few words to Mikasa about keeping her grades up (not that she'd had that problem), Levi left the apartment. He had to admit that he was a little impressed with Eren, but there was no way in hell he was going to let either of them know that.
Meanwhile, Mikasa and Eren were left alone in the apartment. Both of them were sitting on the couch in front of the TV.
"I apologize for him." Mikasa sighed.
"For who? Levi?" Eren asked, confused. What was she apologizing for him for?
"Yes. He's so freaking overprotective. All the time."
"I can respect that." Eren replied. "If I had a family member in your shoes, I'd want to keep up with them, too. Make sure they were okay."
A sudden knock on the door alerted the two that someone was there.
"That's gotta be Armin." Eren thought out loud, making his way to the door. When he opened it, sure enough, there stood his best friend.
"Hey, Eren." Armin greeted. Eren gestured for him to come in, shutting the door behind him as Armin entered. The blonde looked around his friend's apartment as he walked, quite surprised to see the oriental girl sitting on the couch.
"Oh. Armin, this is Mikasa." Eren intoduced her to the blonde haired boy standing in the doorway. "Mikasa, Armin."
"Hi, Armin." Mikasa said with a shy smile.
"Hello, Mikasa." Armin answered politely, trying not to stare as he tried to remember where he'd seen her before. "I remember you from the coffee shop. You stayed there and studied for a long time."
"Yes. That's me."
"How've you been?"
"Better than I was last time that I saw you." She answered.
"Well, that's good." Armin replied, seeming to fidget. The blonde couldn't help, but wonder why she was here with his best friend. He looked between Eren and Mikasa for a few moments before finally asking his major question.
"Am...am I interrupting something here?"
The two looked at him with confusion, neither understanding what he meant.
"I don't follow, Armin." Eren vocalized finally. "What the fuck do you mean?"
"Aren't...you two...on a date or something?"
Eren's eyes nearly popped out of his head, and his cheeks turned blood red. Mikasa, who had been taking a sip of water, was coughing on the water that she had accidentally breathed in. Her face was also bright red, and after she finally cleared her lungs out, she had the same expression as Eren.
"What?!" They both seemed to cry in unison.
"W-w-where did you get that idea?!" Eren added.
"Well..." Armin stammered nervously. "I...just...I just assumed since...you two were here alone..."
"Mikasa lives here now, Armin." Eren replied. "We're roommates."
"Oh..." Armin commented. "Why...why is that?"
"I lost my job at the Titans' restaurant." Mikasa explained. "Ms. Hanji said that she had to let a few of us go. I wasn't able to pay my rent but fortunately Eren helped me out."
"Oh, I'm sorry about your job. That's an interesting restaurant name, though."
"Yeah." Mikasa agreed, giving a shrug. "Ms. Hanji is really big on Greek mythology. She told me she wants to name her son 'Zeus'."
"That's...odd."
"Yes, it is." The black haired girl sighed. "I know she'll hire me back as soon as possible...but who knows how long that will take..."
"Hey, Mikasa. I have an idea." Armin said, sounding suddenly enthusiastic. "How about you work at the café with us?"
Mikasa's face lit up instantly. "Really?"
"Yeah. We...don't really have anything other than cashier...coffee maker...stuff like that. But..."
"Do you need a baker?" She asked. "I've been baking since I was a kid. I could make all minds of stuff."
Armin smiled at her enthusiasm. "I can ask Erwin, though I'm already sure he'll think that it's a great idea."
"I know!" Mikasa said. "While you're gone, I'll whip something up so you can decide for yourselves!"
"Good idea!"
Eren smiled at his roommate's excited expression. He was glad that she seemed elated at this job opportunity, and thankful to Armin for proposing the idea. He wondered why he hadn't thought of it himself.
"I'll go home and tell him now then. We'll give you a couple of hours before coming back. Is that okay?"
"That's great!" It was actually more than enough time, but she would take it. Anything for this opportunity. Armin left their residence, keys in hand, to go tell his dad about Mikasa.
"I'll get started right now." Mikasa said to herself after Armin had left. She began to look and see what ingredients she had at her disposal. She decided to make cupcakes, probably because she was extremely familiar with the recipe. They were the first thing that she'd ever learned to make.
"Want me to help?" Eren offered as he watched her quickly preparing her ingredients.
"No thanks." She smiled. "I can handle this myself."
Eren continued to observe her as she combined the ingredients in a bowl. She took a spoon and began to mix them together. He couldn't help but smile as he watched her. She turned around, holding the bowl in her arms as she walked over to the recipe book. Not that she needed it; she just wanted to make sure regarding the temperature. Her head slowly looked up to find Eren's eyes on her.
"What is it?" She asked. Self-consciousness flooded to the surface.
"Nothing." He answered calmly, not averting his eyes like he normally did. "I was just...watching you reminds me of my mom."
Mikasa heard the sadness in his voice immediately. She slowed her stirring as she became lost in thought. Now that she thought about it, she really didn't know much about him. At all. Yet here they were, living together.
She turned away from him, emotions coming to the surface. She thought of her own parents, her heart throbbing with pain. What she wouldn't give to see them now.
Eren didn't have to see her face to know that she was remembering something sad. Her shoulders were somewhat slumped, her head was hung a little lower than before...he was good at reading people.
"Sorry." He murmured. "I didn't mean to remind you of something unpleasant."
"It's fine." She replied, forcing the sadness off her face. "Everything happens for a reason...and I guess if it hadn't happened, you and I would never have met."
Eren gave her a warm, tender smile at the thoughts. "What're you saying? That this was destiny?"
"Who knows? I'm not really the type that believes in destiny, but...everything that happens creates a new path. And sometimes, as much as we hate it, we can't control it."
She set the bowl down and walked away from him to grab a small little muffin pan from the cabinet. Slowly, she poured the batter into it.
"What are you making anyway?"
"I figured I'd make cupcakes. Maybe I'm just eager to flaunt my abilities." She gave a small, half-hearted laugh as the last of the batter was emptied into the pan. After sliding the pan into the oven, she got out another bowl and prepared to make the icing. "What happened to your mom, Eren?"
"Huh?" Eren asked, caught off guard.
"Sorry. I don't mean to snoop.."
"No...no...It's fine." Eren replied. "It just...surprised me...that you seemed to know...something happened."
Mikasa could see the emotions building up inside of him just by watching his eyes. He seemed so...vulnerable. She shouldn't have asked. Clearly, it was a sensitive topic for him.
"My mom got very sick and died in the hospital when I was ten. I think it's cruel irony that my dad was a doctor yet he was unable to save her."
"Oh." Mikasa replied, feeling sad at hearing this. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay. Just like you said, there are just some things out of our control." He let out a deep sigh before continuing. "My dad does blame himself. That's probably why he's become so absorbed in his work. I haven't seen him about six months. But I can't complain too much. He got me this place and told me to use the card he gave me on whatever I need something. He didn't totally ditch me."
Mikasa could tell though, that he wished his dad was around more. Yeah, the father supported his son financially, but what really mattered was the moral support.
"Who raised you then?" She continued to ask. "After...you know..."
"I was old enough to where I was left to live in the house, but my dad had our neighbor Mr. Hannes look after me. He's an okay guy for an ex-Marine drunkard." Eren cracked a smile. Hannes was apparently an important person to him. "Well, do you mind if I ask about you now?"
"What do...you want to know...?" Mikasa asked hesitant.
"Where are your parents?"
"My parents...are...are dead..."
"I'm sorry." Eren said with true sorrow. "Was it some sort of accident?"
"I wouldn't...label it as that."
He watched her fidget for a few minutes, clearing out of her comfort zone. Something terrible must have happened. Eren started to regret asking.
"If it's too hard for you to-"
"No...I want to tell you." Mikasa insisted. "I think it'd be good, not just for you...but for me." Eren watched closely as Mikasa inhaled deeply in order to prepare herself to tell him. It was only fair; he'd told her his story, now it was her turn.
"My family and I were at home when human traffickers invaded, killing my dad. When my mom put up a fight, they ended up killing her, too. I was nine."
Eren was completely speechless at her story. What a violent past. She witnessed all of this when she was just nine years old. He wanted to ask more questions, especially regarding how she escaped. However, he wasn't going to upset her any more on the topic. It was more than likely, the darkest chapter of her life.
She took a deep breath as she tried to suppress the mental images of that day. She had to stop mixing for a moment as she tried not to cry. Her heart felt as thought someone had stabbed her.
"Mikasa, wait here." Eren said gently. She was a little bit surprised at his sudden request, but she obeyed. A few moments later, he returned with red fabric in his arms. He slowly began to wrap it around her, finally revealing that it was a scarf.
His beautiful green eyes gazed into hers tenderly as he adjusted the red fabric around her neck. "This scarf was given to me by my mother. Before she died, she told me, that as long as you keep this scarf, then I'll never leave your side." He paused for a moment, hesitant to continue, but he did. "If you keep this scarf for me, then I'll never leave you either."
Pink tinted her pale cheeks. Eren thought she looked so cute. He gave her a warm smile. A couple of tears started to pour from her eyes, scaring Eren.
"Mikasa?! What's wrong?! Did I do something?!"
She didn't answer with words. Instead her arms coiled around him in a tight embrace. Eren was stunned, but wrapped her arms around her.
"Th-thank you, Eren..." she sobbed. "For...everything you've done..."
"No problem, Mikasa." Eren calmly said, stroking her black locks as he held her. After a few moments, she quieted down, wiping the wetness off her cheeks.
"I...I guess..." she sniffed. "I'd better get...back to work..."
Eren reluctantly let go of the shaking girl, watching her with concern as she continued to finish her work.
A couple hours later, a knock on the door informed Mikasa and Eren that their guests had arrived. Eren got up from his seat and opened the door, revealing Armin and the man that Mikasa recognized as Erwin Smith.
"Hello, sir."
"Hello, Eren." The blonde haired man with icy blue eyes greeted back. "How have you been?"
"Oh, fine. Same sh-stuff, sir."
"That's good to hear." The icy blue eyes turned to Mikasa. "So you're the girl Armin told me about?"
"Yes, sir." The black haired girl answered.
"My name is Erwin Smith." The tall blonde man introduced himself. "I own the café where these two young men work."
"My name is Mikasa Ackerman, sir." The oriental girl introduced herself.
"Armin told me that you're interested in working at the café as a baker."
"Yes sir, I am. I made something for you to taste. So that you can judge my worth for yourself."
"You are apparently a hard worker, Ms. Ackerman."
"Thank you, sir."
Mikasa walked into the kitchen to retrieve the cupcakes that she'd spent the afternoon making. Silently, she was internally praying that they would land her the job.
Everyone seemed on edge except Erwin as he took one of the small cakes from the plate. He took a bite, and remained silent as he tested it. After a few moments of suspense, he finally gave his answer.
"These are very delicious." Erwin praised as he finished his cupcake. He turned his attention to the young oriental girl. "Nice to have you as an employee, Ms. Ackerman."
"Are you sure this is how you want to celebrate?" Eren asked as they walked down the streets toward Mike's Garage. After becoming an official employee and saying goodbye to Armin and Erwin, Mikasa suggested that they celebrate by going to see Eren's 'baby'. Though she'll never understand that ridiculous term he used to describe it.
"Of course." Mikasa replied, seemingly cheerful. Still, he was hoping that she wasn't forcing herself to do this.
"Are you sure? I mean, we could do something else if you want."
"Nope!"
Eren smiled as he watched her walk a little ahead of him.
"Hey, punk!"
That voice. He'd heard that voice before. He groaned as he finally recognized the owner.
Reggie came into view, a baseball bat in hand. He still smelled terrible, worse from last time. And that same creepy grin...
"You're going to pay for yesterday, you punk."
Eren looked at him with an uninterested expression before turning around and walking away. "I've got better things to do than waste my time on you."
Reggie suddenly grabbed Eren's shoulder and whirled him around, immediately throwing a punch to his face. Eren staggered under the force, but didn't fall down. Mikasa immediately went to jump into action and beat the shit out of Reggie, but Eren grabbed her arm and held her back.
"I told you...this isn't your job, Mikasa."
Eren gently pushed her behind him as Reggie approached him with the bat, holding it as if to strike. The brown haired boy gave a taunting smile at the male in front of him.
"What's the matter, Reggie?" He antagonized. "I know you can do better than that."
Having his pride hurt, Reggie closed the distance, swinging the bat toward quickly to his taunter. Eren was quicker though. His Krav maga training kicked in. He wrapped an arm around his attacker's wrist as he began to swing the metal bat. Having trapped his arms, Eren used his other hand to hit Reggie with his palm. After hitting the creep again with his elbow, he took the bat from Reggie's grasp, throwing it into a nearby dumpster.
Reggie turned to glare at Eren, a pissed look on his face until he saw Eren's expression. Even Mikasa seemed to shudder at the murderous glare on the boy who always seemed to be so sweet.
Reggie rose to his feet, slowly backing away from the intimidating green eyed boy. It was long before he had tucked tale and left.
"Eren..." Mikasa called, seeing Eren trembling in what she thought was fear, but soon realized that it was raw anger.
"Eren?" Mikasa asked, sounding a little worried. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
She gave a small breath of relief. He was okay, except..."You have a bruise on your cheek."
"Huh? Oh..." Eren realized, looking into the glass window to see a dark bruise had already formed.
"Come on. Let's get some ice on that."
"Mikasa, I'm okay, really."
"Just come on."
He followed her as she dragged him with her to a convenience store just across the street from where they were at. After buying a cup of ice, she poured the ice into a bag and walked to Eren. He flinched when the frigid bag met his hot cheek. But he noticed that she was shaking, very little but still.
"Are you okay, Mikasa?" Eren asked, taking her wrist in his grasp as she was holding the ice to his cheek. He took the ice with his other hand so that she didn't have to hold it.
"Yes. I'm fine." Mikasa answered, wondering why he'd be concerned for her. She wasn't the one who got punched in the face.
He had an idea of what was bothering her. "Hey."
Reluctantly, she looked up into his intense gaze.
"I'm not going anywhere. I promise. Understand?"
Her eyes widened, his words hitting home. In truth, this was what she was afraid of. She hated forming attachments. Relationships were made to break her when something went wrong. But with Eren...it was different. He made her feel secure, like he was her rock. It seemed so silly since they hardly knew each other. But that's how it felt.
She gave him a small smile, accompanied by a nod.
"Good. Well, come on, lets get going before it gets too dark." Eren quietly suggested, standing up and taking her hand in his. Without another word, he quietly led her to their destination.
A/N: Did you enjoy it? I hope so. It does kind of jump around I suppose. But I still hope that it was okay.
Eren kicked ass with his Krav Maga, right?
Sorry I haven't been able to update as much. My school work is very time consuming and I usually end up falling asleep while working on my fanfics!
Anyway, I hope it was worth the wait. Until next time!
