Eremika Week Day 4: NSFW/Confession

Rating: T

Both Mikasa and Eren have trouble determining who to take to the dance as Homecoming approaches (High School AU)

A fluffy, cliche high school AU for you since the current canon-verse is too depressing to write in for seven short stories. Because I still have a younger sibling in high school, I am reminded that it is once again Homecoming season. I don't miss high school dances at all, but it was fun returning to this era for a bit. Also, this piece is SUPER long, like double my other pieces, which is ironic because I initially had major writing block for this prompt. Enjoy :)

The high school cafeteria buzzes with the chatter of hungry students and the clanking of metal utensils. Eren lifts his head upward to gaze at the dark blue Homecoming banner that's being hung into place. He grumbles and takes a bite of food, having forgotten that the onset of autumn also means that an annual school dance is right around the corner.

"A beach theme, really?" Eren mumbles, staring at the illustrated waves on the banner.

"Have you thought about who you're going to ask?" Armin asks besides Eren.

"No. I might just not go. Last year was underwhelming," Eren mutters as he takes another bite of food.

"I forget. Who did you take last year?"

"Mina Carolina. She just dragged me around the whole dance to show me off to her friends."

Armin tilts his head. "Why did you even take her, then?"

"We were in the same geometry class. I don't know. I heard her complaining that no one had asked her yet, and I hadn't found a date, so I thought, why not?"

"Pst," Connie interrupts, sliding next to Eren. "I heard a rumor that Mikasa Ackerman is going to ask you this year."

"Huh?!" Eren questions.

This is the first time Eren's been made aware of this rumor. Come to think of it, he hasn't talked to Mikasa in a while, not since over summer. In their elementary school days they were inseparable, but later on into middle school and eventually high school, their childhood friendship began to weaken. Just for a second, Eren feels a glimmer of disappointment and perhaps guilt for not maintaining a strong relationship with her.

"Who did she go with last year?" Armin wonders.

Connie shrugs. "I don't think she went with anyone. Sasha told me that she was too heartbroken over some guy to go."

"Well, she never told me anything," Eren argues.

"Don't you have Algebra 2 together? Maybe she'll ask you this afternoon," Connie jokes.

"It's not like we sit next to each other and hold hands!" Eren shouts, his anger rising from Connie's incessant teasing.

"Eren, are you blushing?" Armin asks, turning his head to stare at his face.

Eren turns his face to hide the reddening of his cheeks. "It's because you two are messing with me!"

"Talking about Mikasa Ackerman, are we?" comes the sly, cocky voice that drives Eren mad every time he hears it. He looks upward to see Jean Kirstein has approached the table with a smug look on his face.

"Mikasa's going to ask Eren to the Homecoming dance," Connie states.

"Hey, we still don't know if that's—" Eren's attempt to hush the rumor is broken off by Jean speaking again.

"She's asking you? Shouldn't it be reversed?" Jean wonders. His eyes then narrow as he stares at Eren. "Has she spoken to you about it?"

"No! That's why I think this rumor is bullshit."

"Good. Because I was planning to ask her later this afternoon myself," Jean announces, pressing a triumphant hand against his chest.

Eren doesn't know why, but something about Jean taking Mikasa to Homecoming rubs him the wrong way. Why would she want to go to the dance with the boy whose personality is the equivalent of a rotting dumpster?

"You got quiet all of the sudden, Jaeger," Jean realizes, raising an eyebrow.

Eren looks away and grumbles. "Do what you want."

"Were you planning to ask her?"

"No! Have a blast at the dance. In fact, send my congratulations on your future marriage."

"Stop being sassy with me, Jaeger," Jean growls.

Eren grins. There is nothing so pleasing these days as getting on Jean's nerves. Rivals since middle school, Eren has always felt a particular disdain toward the boy, and nowadays, he's willing to do anything to see Jean become unglued. He slowly rises to stand near his rival.

"Eren," Armin warns. These pattern of events always turn out the same way, but Eren is willing to deal with the consequences.

"How are you so sure Mikasa Ackerman would go with you? In fact, I'd be surprised if any girl was your date due to that horse-face of yours."

The tension snaps. Jean lunges forward, gripping his hands around Eren's collar.

"Get your hands off of me," Eren growls, grasping onto Jean's clenched fist.

"Make me!" he challenges.

Eren reaches his hand upward to swing a punch when someone lifts him up from his feet before he has the chance to. He gasps in surprise and cries out as he's slowly pulled away from Jean. Jean seems more shocked than anything else as Eren is slowly carried farther from him, toward the exit of the school cafeteria.

He glances down and growls at who he sees.

"Mikasa! Let me go!" he shouts, squirming in her grip. It doesn't help that nearly every spectator is watching and laughing at him being carried away by the young woman.

Once they leave the chaos of the cafeteria behind and enter into the empty hallway, she drops him, not very gently, onto the tile floor. Eren curses quietly and stares up at her. She looks back with narrowed eyes, as if she's upset with him.

"What was that for?" he asks, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You were going to get a detention if I didn't step in," she says. "What's wrong with you? Fifteen and still picking fights with anyone who crosses you."

He is forced to remember how often she's broken off his fights before anything got too serious. Eren glances down, almost embarrassed that she's looking out for him even when he should know better. Still though, his fingers clench as he thinks of Jean smirking at him. If Mikasa had just known what they were talking about…

"I didn't tell you to get involved!" Eren argues. He realizes this is the first conversation they've had since the school year started, though he didn't expect it to be filled with such annoyance.

"Then stay away from Jean."

"He came up to me!"

"Then ignore him."

"What? Do you believe all the bullshit he spews?" Eren asks.

Mikasa sighs and reaches her hand forward to help him up. For a second, his heart seizes as he wonders if the rumors are true. Is this her clever scheme to ask him to the dance?

As Eren slowly stands though, she removes her hand and glances away.

"Just relax, for once," she says, swinging her scarf over her neck. He pauses, realizing that's the same scarf he bought her for her tenth birthday. It was a particularly cold winter, and he noticed that she'd been sneezing and coughing more than normal. She'd worn that scarf for the rest of season, but he hadn't realized she'd still kept it after all these years.

Eren opens his mouth to say something, but she interrupts him.

"See you in Algebra. Stay out of trouble," she murmurs, the bottoms of her shoes clacking against the hallway as she walks away.

Eren rubs his neck again and stares at her curiously as she walks away. He feels like there was something else he should've said, but he doesn't know what. Thank you?. Probably. But there's some other thought buried deep within that struggles to translate into words on his tongue.

By the time her figure disappears from his sight, the bell rings for classes to resume. He spends the rest of the afternoon thinking of Mikasa, for some reason, and the scarf around her neck. He supposes he's seen her wear it once or twice on occasion, but he suddenly wonders if she wears it more often than he thought.

He thinks of this past summer, when they went to the beach a few times and gazed at the stars and made smores over the bonfire. Those had just been friendly get-togethers, hadn't it? She'd seemed more cold during that summer, and even more so in this new school year. When had she stopped staring at him with such admiration?

He blinks, wondering if he still craves attention from her, wondering if maybe he liked her nagging him because it meant she cared about him, deep down.

Eren shakes his head and does his best to sit as far away as possible from her in Algebra 2. His eyes dart to her every once in a while, but her eyes are either glued to the teacher lecturing or on her own notes. It doesn't surprise him. She's one of the smartest in their class.

Something hopes that when they pack up for the day, she'll come ask him to Homecoming. A part of him wants her to so that he can watch Jean crumble in defeat. But Mikasa simply packs her things and doesn't utter a word to him as she leaves.

...

Mikasa grips the straps of her backpack as she walks with Sasha down the street during the chilly autumn afternoon. October leaves bursting with red and orange give the surrounding neighborhood more color than ever before. The raven-haired girl steps on a fallen leaf just for fun, grinning in satisfaction as it crunches beneath her foot.

"Can we stop for food before going to Historia's?" Sasha begs.

"No. That test is Monday, and you barely understand any of the concepts.We need to study for it."

Sasha frowns. "I don't care about tests. High school is gross. The cafeteria food in middle school was so much better. But I guess the dances are more fun. Who are you going with?"

Mikasa shrugs. "I don't know."

"Don't tell me you're not going to go a second year in a row? It was so boring last year without you! Ymir and Historia left to make-out in a corner halfway through, so I had to deal with Connie being annoying the rest of the dance. Please come!"

"If I recall, you agreed to go with Connie. And…I don't know. We have midterm exams the next week after the dance."

Sasha groans. "Ugh…all you think about is school! Loosen up a little. Have some fun!" she states, shoving Mikasa a little.

"I am having fun!" Mikasa argues.

"We should be doing something fun on a Friday night, but we're studying instead."

"It's a study party," Mikasa corrects her. "Besides, this was the only day that worked for our schedules."

Sasha opens her mouth to speak but is cut off by a voice behind both of them.

"Wait, Mikasa!"

She spins around, hoping for a moment that it's who she thinks it is, but she only sees a tall, obnoxious boy pursuing her.

"What is it, Jean?" Mikasa asks. "We have a lot of studying to do."

"Can I talk to you?" he asks. He gazes at Sasha briefly before adding, "In private?"

Sasha giggles until Mikasa elbows her to shut her up.

"Go on ahead, Sasha. I'll meet you there," Mikasa instructs her friend.

"Okay," Sasha says, her giggles still echoing down the street as she leaves them behind.

Mikasa glances downward at the leaves tumbling in the wind, feeling Jean's stare burning into her. Annoyed, she looks back up at him.

"Well, what is it?" she asks.

Jean stiffens for a second. She watches his cheeks slowly becoming blushed, though maybe it's just the cold blowing against his cheeks. "Oh, uh, that's right. Well, today's your lucky day. I'm asking you to the Homecoming dance. I already have a nice restaurant in mind we can go to, Reiner's probably going to rent a limo, that after-party is going to be—"

"No," Mikasa says simply.

Jean pauses. "What?"

"No. I won't go with you to the dance," she answers.

"Why not? Did Jaeger already ask?"

Mikasa pauses for a second. Since when was it likely that Eren was going to ask her? Perhaps she's daydreamed about it once or twice during classes when she should've been paying attention but…

"No one's asked me."

"So you…just don't want to go with me?" he asks, hurt in his voice.

"That's correct."

She watches Jean's expression change from boldness to one of shock and betrayal.

"B-But why? Any girl would kill to go with me. I've already had three ask me themselves."

"You're an obnoxious douche who gets on the nerves of me and countless others. You're rude and don't care for the feelings of anyone. You didn't even 'ask' me just now. You just declared we were going together. Why don't you re-evaluate your personality first before asking a girl to the dance?" Mikasa states. She's noticed his lingering gaze on her often this school year, and she's making sure that she puts it an end to it before he gets his hopes continue to grow.

Jean clenches his fist, then unclenches it. "Fine. But don't think you're going to get another chance. Don't expect Jaeger to come to your door, begging you to come—"

A harsh slap echoes. Mikasa's hand moves away from Jean's cheek. He reaches upward to press his hand to the reddened skin. She spins around and marches away without looking back, quietly fuming over his comment. She presses a hand gently to her chest, feeling her heart beat rapidly. Mikasa is tempted to turn back, just to see if Jean's still standing in place, shocked, or if he's run off, but she decides she doesn't want to know.

Maybe I should've just taken him. He's right. I don't know who else would ask me, she thinks hopelessly.

When she shows up to Historia's house, Sasha, Historia, and Ymir are all snickering as she sets her things down to join them in the living room.

"What?" Mikasa asks.

Sasha finally lets out a squeal of glee. "I'm just excited I won't have to go to the dance without my best friend this year! We'll have to go shopping for dresses ASAP, and then—"

"I didn't say I was going."

"But didn't Jean ask you?" Historia wonders. "Sasha said he—"

"He asked me. I said no," Mikasa explains.

Sasha's mouth drops open. She reaches forward and grasps her hands on Mikasa's shoulders, beginning to shake her back and forth. "What's wrong with you?! A boy asked you to the dance and you said no?!"

"I didn't want to go with him."

"Leave her alone. That boy's a pain in the ass anyway," Ymir mutters, scrolling through her phone.

Historia clutches the electronic device from her girlfriend. "Stop! We're supposed to be studying!"

"I'm only here for moral support. I'm not going to ace the test on Monday."

"Are we all ignoring the fact that Mikasa turned down a date for Homecoming?!" Sasha practically shrieks.

"You can always go stag," Historia offers. "It's still fun either way."

Sasha narrows her eyes. "You just want Eren to ask."

Mikasa's eyes widen. "I-I didn't say that! He probably doesn't want to talk to me anyway after I broke up his fight with Jean earlier today."

"You're better off just asking him yourself. That boy is dense," Ymir mutters, reaching behind Historia to sneakily retrieve her phone.

Mikasa blushes. "Let's just get studying," she decides, beginning to open her textbook.

...

Eren awkwardly knocks his fist against the dark brown door of the Ackerman home Saturday afternoon. He realizes he hasn't visited in a while as he glances around. Have the windows been replaced lately? It looks like a new layer of paint coats the old as well.

He shifts his feet. After Mikasa's stern comments toward him, he realizes he owes her an apology for acting out on Friday.

The door swings open, and he glances up at Mikasa's mother.

"Eren! I haven't seen you in ages," she states, her eyes widening at the sight of him.

"Hi, Mrs. Ackerman. Sorry I haven't visited in a while. School and all that. Is Mikasa there?"

"Yes. Just a second…Mikasa!"

"If it's Jean, tell him to fuck off," Eren hears Mikasa call as her footsteps near the door. Normally, this comment would make him laugh, but instead, he pauses. Did Jean ask Mikasa to Homecoming, then? And was her response what he thinks it was?

"Mikasa," her mother hisses. "Watch your language."

Mikasa freezes when she sees Eren at her doorstep instead. He waves his hand slightly.

"Hey," he says.

"Hi," she replies quietly. "Why are you here?"

"I just wanted to hang out," he says innocently.

"Oh…okay."

The next thing he knows, Mikasa is swinging back and forth on the tire swing hanging from the large tree in her front yard. Eren leans against the trunk, watching autumn leaves slowly swirl down, cascading around her figure.

They don't speak, but he realizes he can't take his eyes off of her. When did she become so alluring? The leaves look beautiful around her. He chuckles slightly as one lands in her hair. Eren reaches forward, pulling it off before she has the chance to.

"Oh. Thanks," she says.

"No problem."

"So why did you come here?" she asks.

"To apologize and to say thank you. I was being a brat yesterday, and you probably got me out of a lot of trouble. My mom would've been angry if I'd gotten in another fistfight."

"Oh. Whatever. It's what I've always done, right?"

"I'll try not to beat up that bastard again," Eren promises.

"You have my permission. I won't stop you next time," she alternatively says.

"Did he…"

"Ask me to Homecoming? Was that what you were going to ask?"

Eren quietly nods.

"Yeah. He got all butthurt when I told him no. Sasha's pissed with me. She thinks that was my only chance to get a date. I don't even know if I'll go though."

"You should. I don't think Armin's gotten a date yet. Maybe you two can go as friends," Eren offers.

He hears Mikasa quietly snort.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing," she says, swinging her legs back and forth. "I guess it's nice to talk after a while."

"Oh. Yeah."

"Are you going to the dance?" she wonders.

"I don't know. Probably not."

"Hm, well if you're not going either, maybe we can just do something fun together that night. Go see a movie or have a sleepover like we used to when we were kids," she thinks.

Eren blinks in surprise. "Oh, yeah."

"Do you not want to do that?" she asks. "I guess we might be a little old for that kind of stuff now."

"No, no, it's fine. We haven't hung out in a while, after all," he says, trying to hide the realization that right now he wants nothing more to see Mikasa in a dress, to dance stupidly with her all night, look into her eyes during the slow dance, and share a huge icecream sundae with her after. Of course, he'd done all the normal Homecoming activities the year prior, but they'd just felt like a chore.

"Eren?"

"Huh?" he asks, realizing she's just spoken to him.

"I asked if you wanted to go inside. It's getting kind of cold out here. My mom can probably make us some hot chocolate."

"Oh, sure," Eren agrees. Sipping hot chocolate and chatting with Mikasa sounds like a nice way to kill the afternoon.

...

Mikasa arrives back to school on Monday, still flustered from the weekend's events. Why now, at a time like this, did Eren Jaeger show up at her doorstep for some casual conversation? She still dreamily thinks of Saturday afternoon. He ended up staying for dinner, just like old times, and she even walked him home under the moonlight.

"What are you thinking about? Your face is all red," Sasha mutters beside her.

Mikasa practically shrieks, not realizing Sasha has joined her by her locker.

"N-Nothing. Did you study some more like we told you to on Friday?"

"Er…"

"Sasha!"

"I got distracted. This new seafood restaurant opened down the street, and I needed to try it out to get a general consensus. I'll be fine," her red-headed friend assures her, waving her hand.

Mikasa sighs and shuts her locker.

"Something else is bothering you," Sasha realizes.

"Nothing is!"

Mikasa suddenly is grateful for the bell as it disrupts their conversation. She finishes placing her things in her backpack and swings it around her shoulder. "I'll see you later."

Mikasa is more distracted than normal during her morning classes. Even when she finally sits down to take the test she's spent all weekend studying for, her mind goes blank. She furiously thinks to herself, trying to recall material, but nothing's helping.

She quietly asks the teacher to get a drink of water and leaves her test behind, hoping to clear her head with a quick drink. After a sip of water from the drinking fountain, she presses her back against one of the lockers, furious with herself for letting personal issues get in the way of her grades. Mikasa takes a deep breath, about ready to return to her grueling exam, when she hears a quiet voice beside her.

"Hey."

Mikasa's eyes widen.

"Eren, hi," she says.

"Er, everything okay? You look a bit stressed."

"I'm in the middle of an exam right now. Things…aren't going as well as I thought," she admits.

Eren frowns. "That sucks, sorry. I think you're selling yourself short though. You could still manage to ace it."

Mikasa weakly smiles. "Thanks. I should probably…"

"Wait," Eren says before she can move a muscle.

"I can't linger. The teacher is going to be suspicious. Aren't you in class?" Mikasa asks.

"Free period. I just wanted to apologize for showing up unannounced. I realize you could've been studying or doing something with your family—"

"It's fine," Mikasa says, glancing down at her shoes as warmth rises in her cheeks. "It was nice hanging out after a while, like I said before."

"We should hang out some more," Eren suggests. She glances up slightly, just to get a quick view of his blushed state.

"Well, are we still on for Homecoming night? We could watch a bunch of horror movies at my place," she suggests.

"Er, well…"

Mikasa feels her heart sink.

Stupid. I should've known…

"Oh. Sorry. Did you end up getting a date after all? It's okay, then," Mikasa says, about ready to turn and head back to her exam when Eren speaks up.

"I didn't get a date."

"Oh…" It hurts more knowing that he doesn't want to be with her that night regardless.

"Jean hasn't asked you again?" Eren quietly asks.

Mikasa impatiently stomps her foot. What is the point of prolonging this useless conversation? She glances down at her feet as she tells him again that she'd rather take five exams in a week before going to the dance with Jean.

"Then…" Eren glances away from her again, staring at the ticking clock in the hallway. Slowly, he turns his head. She glances into his green eyes, feeling her breath catch in her throat. Mikasa's rarely seen his eyes glow with such light.

"Would you like to go to Homecoming with me?"

Mikasa's eyes widen. "What?"

She watches curiously as Eren tangles his fingers together and shuffles one of his feet against the ground. She can still make out the faintest blush on his cheeks. Is this…

"Do you think it's possible to fall in love with someone in three days?"

Mikasa realizes her fingers are beginning to tremble against the metal lockers behind her.

"N-No, but maybe…maybe you can realize suddenly that you've grown to love someone," she quietly answers.

"You're right," Eren says. Her heart races with anticipation as he approaches her. She feels his warm hand grasp onto hers and squeeze it.

"I like you—no, I love you—and I want you to come to Homecoming with me. Will you?" he asks.

Mikasa, too shocked to speak, quietly nods before wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his shoulder. She hears him gasp in surprise before slowly reaching up to engulf her in his arms. She missed his warmth, missed his smell, and most importantly, missed his presence these past few years.

Last year, she cried herself to sleep after learning Eren had taken a random girl in one of his classes. But now, as she holds him close, she realizes none of that mattered. Because this was meant to happen all along.

"Is that a yes?" Eren wonders.

Mikasa laughs against the fabric of his shirt before slowly drawing her arms away to look up at him.

"Yes," she says happily. She traces her fingertips against his cheek. At first, she is afraid he'll pull away, but he leans into her touch. "I love you, too, Eren."

When his lips press against hers, she feels like her body is on fire. For years she's dreamed of this moment. It's hard to imagine one week ago Eren was only a passerby, someone she'd always pined over but was too timid to share her true feelings. Now, she weaves her fingers through his hair and smiles against his lips.

"Can we do that a lot during the dance? I want to see the look on Jean's face," Eren teases, still breathy from their kiss.

Mikasa giggles. "Yes." She leans up to kiss him again, but he presses a finger against her lips.

"Hey," she complains.

"Don't you still have an exam to finish?"

Mikasa's eyes widen. "Shit, you're right!" She pulls away from him suddenly, beginning to head down the hallway. She spins around quickly, her eyes falling on his gentle gaze.

"Let's hang out after school at my place," Eren suggests.

Mikasa nods and turns the corner, thinking that she just might have the motivation to finish that exam after all.

I may consider a continuation of this if people are interested. I feel I may have disappointed some by not including the dance itself, but I thought this was a good place to end.