Eren woke feeling Mikasa slip away from him—his fingers gripping her wrist reflexively, keeping her arm slung over his chest.
"Eren—"
He cracked an eye open, yawning as he looked over his shoulder. "Where are you going?"
She smiled at him—and it was warm, happy, an expression she rarely ever gave and he tried to memorize it as best he could. Why didn't they sleep together more often?
"I need to go to work."
"Oh…yeah." He yawned again, releasing her wrist reluctantly.
She sat up, arching her back as she stretched, drawing his eyes to her body, making him feel unpleasantly warm. Her shirt slid up, the band of her jeans slipping lower, exposing her soft skin. It would be easy to reach out and touch her, he thought suddenly, to tug her back towards him and get her under him. He'd often found himself wondering what it would be like, to taste her mouth and find out what it felt like to be inside of her, to hear her moan, to have her splayed and open beneath his palms.
To have her look at him the way he'd always wanted her to.
He rolled over onto his stomach and cursed himself.
She glanced at him from over her shoulder as she stood. "Do you mind if I use your shower? I'm running a little late."
"No," He cleared his throat. "Go ahead. I'll make us some breakfast."
She left her sweater and scarf on her side of the bed and as soon as he heard the water turn on he pulled himself up, raking his fingers through his hair, trying to calm his raging hormones.
This is so stupid. Eren grabbed her scarf, balling it between his hands, scowling at the worn fabric. What would she have done if I had reached out and touched her? Would she have let me? Would she have pushed me away?
He stood, grabbing her scarf and sweater and tossing them into the small, banged up dryer in the hallway. He set it for fifteen minutes and then walked over to the small cramped bathroom down the hall, wishing she'd let him use his bathroom before she'd gotten into the shower.
It was the only apartment with two bathrooms—or well, one and a half, and this one was more hers than his. This bathroom didn't have a shower, the sink small and cracked and chipped, the mirror small and stained, burned at the bottom right edge.
As he washed his hands he noted the sparseness of her sink counter, a small tube of cinnamon toothpaste and probably the tiniest bottle of purple perfume he'd ever fucking seen. He dried his hands, lifting the tiny violet glass bottle, saw the small sticker on the bottom that showed the price—ninety nine cents.
He also saw that it was empty.
He gripped it tightly, his chest burning as thoughts assaulted him. What if Mikasa liked stupid girly things like these? What if she saw little baubles and perfumes and lotions and those glittery things girls their age always wore and wanted them for herself, but couldn't because she had to support them both?
He'd seen her admire a pretty dress once or twice, seen her pause mid step, her fingertips twitching as if she yearned to reach out and touch it.
But she never once complained. She never once told him anything. She never did. And she'd been ready to give up prom for him.
And she would have never said a damn word.
He didn't really know how long he stayed there, glaring down at the stupid perfume bottle, but he only came to when he heard Mikasa exit his bedroom. She spotted him in her bathroom, the door swung wide open—and they both froze.
Her hair was still dripping wet, slung over her chest, a dark purple towel wrapped about her damp, bare body, her legs and shoulders exposed to his gaze. She usually showered every morning before he ever woke, dressed in the bathroom—but she'd woken up late, had been in a rush, and he hadn't ever quite seen her so bare.
Hadn't just been in bed with her, too.
"Eren, I…" She blushed furiously, tightening her grip on the towel self-consciously. "I thought you would be in the kitchen."
It took several moments for him to speak. "I needed…to go to the bathroom."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
He swallowed thickly, putting the bottle down. He walked towards his bedroom, towards her— much closer to her, could smell the scent of his soap and shampoo clinging to her.
"You smell like me." His words were a rasp.
She looked away. "I…ran out of shampoo."
"It's fine." It did funny things to his insides, and a part of him admitted that he enjoyed that she smelled like him.
"Hey, Mikasa…?" He gripped the doorknob, tried not to think of how she was within arm's reach, of how easy it would be to tug the towel away and bare her to his gaze, to pull her into his bed. He really, really didn't need to think of Mikasa naked because he really, really wanted to. "I, ah, have something for you."
She sounded surprised. "Something for me?"
He nodded. "Yeah." He opened the door. "I'll show it to you before you leave. You just…get dressed."
She blushed fiercely. "Okay."
He shut the door behind him, leaning against it weakly.
By the time Mikasa finished getting ready she could smell the food Eren was cooking. She rather enjoyed that Eren went out of his way to make her food—that he made sure she didn't skip a meal, following her with a bowl of food if he had to.
It reminded her of when they were children, of how he'd forced her to drink out of his tiny juice box, of how he'd wrapped her with his scarf.
That he cared.
She smiled a little to herself, tucking her hair behind her ear as she slipped out of her bedroom. She'd just made it into the kitchen when she saw the apartment door open, Eren entering with a large garment bag and a shoe box.
She frowned. Why had he gone outside? "Eren…?"
"The food is on the table." He put them on the couch, rubbed his hands together for warmth. "It's cold as fucking Alaska out there."
Mikasa ignored him. "Eren, what is tha—?"
"Let's eat, yeah?" He ushered her into the kitchen, swiftly sitting her down in a chair. He sat next to her, sliding their bowls over. She kept giving him little frowns but he dubiously ignored them. "So," He spoke mid chew. "I have some bad news."
She put her fork down. "Eren—"
"Keep eating or I won't tell you." He bit into his toast, and she watched his sharp white teeth cut off a piece neatly, his jaw working as he chewed.
She forced herself to keep eating, a knot of apprehension in her stomach.
"I sold my cell phone."
She dropped her fork again, disappointment burning her tongue. "Eren, I—" She shut her eyes, tried to think logically. I worked so hard to get us both phones. "Why did you sell your cell phone?"
Eren swallowed. "I wanted to buy you something." He eyed her fork pointedly. "Eat."
"I'm not hungry—"
"Eat."
She flushed, lifting her fork to her lips robotically.
"You have no right to be mad at me." His green eyes were hard, glinting in the morning light. "You didn't tell me you weren't going to prom."
Her eyes skirted away from his. "I don't want to go—"
"Bullshit." Eren bit out. "That's fucking bullshit and you know it, Mikasa. I hate it when you pull this shit." His anger—mostly self-loathing—bubbled up in full force. "You act like you're a single mom and I'm your damn kid and you sacrifice yourself for me—without even telling me what you sacrifice." He exhaled sharply, Jean's words ricocheting within his skull.
"You never fucking notice all she does for you. You just take it like the spoiled little fucking brat you are."
"You shouldn't have sold your cell phone—"
"How does it feel?" Eren pushed his plate away from him, eyes fixed on her. "When someone you love sacrifices something of theirs for you? It feels like shit, doesn't it?" He swallowed hard. "You're going to prom."
"I can't."
"I already bought you a dress and shoes—and I have the tickets."
"I can't go."
"You can and you are."
Mikasa looked away stiffly. "I'm working that weekend."
"Switch with someone else."
"Eren, I can't."
Eren exploded. "Why the fuck—?"
"I need the money to make rent." She admitted quietly. "I'm behind two months. If I'm behind another month they'll kick us out. I can't switch a weekend because if I do I won't make it."
Eren went very still. "Why didn't you tell me?"
She shut her eyes, knowing what was coming. "Because I can handle it. You don't need to worry about it."
"Of course you can." Eren stood, tried to stop his shaking. "I'm just a fucking kid, right? I can't handle that kind of stress." He shook his head, fists clenched. "I'm going to take a shower."
"Eren…"
He walked away, slamming his bedroom door shut behind him.
Levi was just slipping down the hall when he passed by Annie's bedroom, hearing her father croon to her sickeningly.
"You know your daddy's little girl, right Annie?"
Silence. Levi leaned forward, peering through the crack of the slightly open door, seeing Claude sitting on the edge of her bed, Annie standing before him silently.
"You know that you can't trust anyone but me, right? You know that. What have I always told you?"
Annie took very long to answer, long enough that Levi had almost thought she wouldn't. "Treat the world like it's my enemy."
Claude nodded, grinning, the scar on his face twisting grotesquely. "You'll do this for daddy, won't you? I can't depend on anyone else but you."
Annie hesitated—but nodded stiffly. "I will."
And Levi didn't know what Claude wanted her to do, but from the grim look on her face he knew it was very, very bad.
Eren jumped out of the shower quickly, wrapping a towel about his hips, his wet feet nearly slipping over the linoleum. He grabbed the ringing phone and pressed it to his ear, his hair making the plastic slippery.
"Yeah?" Why the hell hadn't Mikasa answered the phone?
"Morning, Eren."
"Hey, Armin." Eren looked about the apartment, searching for Mikasa. "We still doing that thing?"
"Yes." Armin sounded terribly excited. "I just finished talking to her. I just wanted to make sure you'd remember. Also…" Armin cleared his throat. "Do you think you can pick me up? I thought it would be nice to pick her up from her place instead of making her walk. Especially in our neighborhood."
"I'm taking Mikasa to work right now but I'll pick you up right after." He kept searching for her, seeing no sign.
"Alright!" Armin chirped. "See you in a few."
"Bye." Eren hung up the phone, slipping towards the living room. He saw the garment bag and shoe box untouched—her apartment keys missing from the hook beside the door. Her cell phone was on the kitchen table with a small note beside it.
Keep my phone until I can afford another one.
She'd left. Walking. Of course she had.
He grabbed her phone, squeezing it in a small fit of rage—when suddenly the screen lit up, a notification of four missed calls and two voicemails. He frowned, punching in her password and pressing her small phone to his ear.
"It's Levi—you need to answer your damn phone, Mikasa. We need to talk. You can't deal with this shit on your own. I'm offering you my fucking help you ungrateful brat."
It beeped, switching to the next message, the curt voice somewhat familiar, his stomach knotting. Levi?
"If you won't answer your phone I'll go talk to you personally—even if I have to fucking wait in the alleyway again."
Eren blinked as the phone beeped again, the robotic voice informing him that was the end of her new messages.
The alleyway.
The thug she'd been rolling around with.
Levi. That was his name.
You can't deal with this shit on your own.
Was he helping her? Was she letting him? What were they to each other? And when the hell had he gotten her number?
"Fuck." Eren felt close to snapping. "Fuck."
"Most godchildren are happy to see their godfathers." Levi mused, hands shoved in his pockets.
Mikasa didn't have the patience to deal with him today. She kept walking, scarf bundled about her mouth as she quickly made her way down the sidewalk. Her workplace was just a block down—if she could hold onto the unraveled shreds of her patience until then she'd be fine.
"You didn't answer your phone." Levi followed behind her, his features twisted into a scowl. "Why do you fucking kids have damn phones if you aren't going to answer them?"
Mikasa's steps faltered. "How did you get my number?" And when?
Levi gave a small huff of dark amusement. "I know where you live, where you work, your school. Getting your number was child's play—"
She whirled on him, grabbing his collar and slamming him against the wall. "Don't." She growled quietly. "Don't you come near our home."
Levi arched a brow. "Still protecting that brat, I see."
Her grip on his jacket collar tightened, the scent of smoke and mint clinging to him. "Don't come near him."
Levi watched her carefully, dark blue eyes scanning her features curiously. "If you want to keep him safe…then leave with me."
She dropped him, continuing her brisk pace away.
"You're going to fucking regret it." He called after her. "You won't get it until you have him dead on the fucking ground. You won't have anyone else to blame but yourself."
She kept walking, shutting her eyes as the sound of her thrashing heart drowned out his ruthless words.
Eren and Armin eyed the two very, very large men standing before them with slight trepidation.
"I'm Reiner." The shorter, bulkier of the two grinned, holding out his large hand to Eren.
Eren grasped his hand, grateful when he didn't crush it into mush. He was built like a bull, his shirt much too small for his thick frame, his biceps probably bigger than his head. But his smile was easy, his hand shake loose, friendliness radiating off of him in waves. He shook Armin's hand next then gestured to his tall friend.
"This is Bertolt."
Bertolt was very tall, a bit lanky though he couldn't really tell from the looseness of his clothing, his skin darker, his hair black.
"Ah," He held out his hand, wide palms and long fingers. "Hello." He seemed a little nervous.
"Hey." Eren shook his hand.
Armin smiled up at him kindly. "You two are Annie's friends?"
They nodded. "Yep." Reiner looked over to Annie, who was eyeing the restaurant in dismay as she slid into the booth beside Bertolt. Eren had dragged them to this restaurant, both because it was cheaper and because he'd be damned if he let Mikasa think leaving the way she had was okay.
And he wanted to see if he'd find her with Levi.
"We go way back, don't we Annie?" Reiner smiled at the slight blonde girl.
She looked at him a little apathetically as he slid in beside her, her small frame dwarfed completely between the two large boys. "Don't remember."
Reiner's smile faltered a little. "So," He cleared his throat, watching as Eren and Armin slid into the seat opposite them. "Never been here before."
Armin smiled again. "Most of our friends work here."
"Do they?" Reiner perked up at that.
They began small talk, Reiner, Armin and Eren doing most of the talking. Sasha came over and served them their food within a few minutes, plucking a few fries off of Eren's plate and joining their chat for a minute before her manager glowered at her and she scampered away.
Eren was a bit distracted throughout the conversation, his eyes continuing to search for any sign of Mikasa. He knew she usually stayed in the kitchen though, washing dishes and taking out the trash and doing the heavy lifting.
By the end, Eren found he wasn't much hungry at all.
"So," Reiner suddenly began. "Eren, you into any sports?"
Eren bit into his burger, his stomach turning unpleasantly. "No. Well, I tried for the football team."
Reiner frowned. "Didn't make it?"
Eren swallowed. "Not exactly, I just…" He sighed. "I got into too many fights." Fucken Jean.
Reiner laughed. "You're a fighter, eh? I'm pretty good myself. Was in a few wrestling teams since eighth grade."
Eren observed him silently, wondering who'd be stupid enough to want to wrestle with such a beast of a boy. In spandex. "I bet you won most of them."
Reiner grinned. "I did. Bertolt was pretty damn good at it, too."
Bertolt smiled a little sheepishly. "Not as good as Reiner."
Eren took another bite, wiping his mouth with his napkin and eyeing Annie. "What about you?" He put his napkin down. "Any sports?"
She looked up at him, blue eyes blank, the silence stretching uncomfortably until Armin intruded quietly.
"Annie is a very good fighter." Eren looked to Armin—they all did—and the look on his face made Eren give pause, but Armin only had eyes for Annie. "Aren't you, Annie?"
She looked surprised for the briefest of moments—and then she looked away, all stone. "Move." Annie suddenly commanded Reiner.
"Wha—?"
"I need to go to the restroom." She informed them, not a hint of softness in her voice, looking ready to throw him out of the booth.
"Ah, yeah, sure." Reiner got up quickly and Eren marveled at how such a small thing could command two large men so effortlessly.
Eren leaned towards Armin, whispering quietly. "What the hell was that about, Armin?"
Armin flushed a little. "I just said something I shouldn't have, that's all."
Annie slid into the bathroom stall and slunk down to the floor gratefully, tossing the now empty, coin sized plastic bag into the toilet and flushing it, the rush of it hitting her swiftly.
She hated this. She didn't want to talk to them, didn't want to get to know them, or become their friend.
Armin was as gentle as they came, kind and intelligent and observant. Eren was energetic, spoke too loudly sometimes, expressive and full of life and—
There was a good chance she'd have to kill them both.
They all slid off their seats and were about to pay, arguing over how they'd split the bill, when Sasha popped back out again.
She smiled at them. "You guys done?"
"Yeah." Eren stepped a little closer to her, jumping at the chance, lowering his voice. "How's Mikasa?"
Why hasn't she come out to say hi?
Sasha blinked at him, putting her plastic bin on their table, deftly placing their dishes within it. "She's a little quieter than usual." She plucked at the leftover food on their plates and Eren glared at anyone who gave her disgusted looks.
She'd done it since she was a child.
"Did you two get in a fight?" She spoke as she chewed.
Eren shoved his hands in his pockets. "Sort of." He ran his thumb over her cell. "Hey, Sasha has she been…hanging out with anyone else?" He swallowed. "Anyone weird?"
Sasha shook her head, shiny brown pony tail bobbing. "Only weirdo's she's been hanging out with are me and Connie."
"I'm weird?" Connie called, somehow hearing her from across the restaurant.
Her grin brightened. "Get back to work, Springer."
He smiled at her "We aren't even married yet and you're already bossing me around."
She giggled, shaking her head as she stacked the plates, her cheeks flushing prettily as he left back into the kitchen. She looked at Eren mischievously. "He asked me to prom."
Eren smiled, a little envious. "About time."
She stuck her tongue out, popping another French fry in her mouth. "When are you going to ask—?"
"Are you eating my food?"
They both turned at the sound of the quiet, hard voice.
Annie stood behind them, blue eyes locked onto Sasha's ketchup stained fingers.
"Ah," Sasha dropped the fry, laughing a little nervously. "I thought you guys were done, so I—"
"You stole my food." She murmured, deadly soft.
"I'm…sorry."
Annie grabbed Sasha's wrist, twisting her arm behind her back, Sasha giving a small shriek.
"Hey, Annie, stop! She thought we were done." Eren lunged forward—she shifted, lightning quick, dropping him onto his back, Sasha managing to slip out of her grip.
"I paid for my food." Annie followed after Sasha predatorily. "And you're eating it?"
Sasha gave a little whimper. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
Annie swung her fist—Sasha grabbed a dinner plate, using it as a shield, Annie's fist cracking it neatly in half.
"Ah, Miss, please." Sasha squeaked.
She swung again, and Sasha barely managed to grab another plate in time, twisting away.
"Annie!" Armin moved towards her—but Reiner grabbed him.
"When she's in a fury nothing can stop her." Reiner shook his head, looking grim. "You'll just get hurt."
Eren sat up, struggling to stop the dizzy swaying of his head. "Annie!" Eren shouted, rising to his feet, seeing the people in the diner beginning to scurry away as they crashed into tables and chairs. "Annie, stop!"
Sasha barely dodged another punch, her back striking the wall as she bumped into the jukebox. "Miss, please—!" Sasha raised her hands as Annie moved to strike again.
Annie swung, Sasha trapped against the wall and the jukebox—and suddenly Mikasa was there, catching her fist, the heel of her hand slamming into the bridge of Annie's nose viciously.
Annie stumbled back, Mikasa's sudden strike leaving her reeling.
Mikasa stepped between them protectively, her dark eyes curiously dead as she watched Annie. "Get out."
Annie locked gazes with Mikasa. "She ate my food."
Mikasa didn't look away. "Get. Out."
Annie stepped towards her, her nose a little bloodied. "Move out of my way."
Mikasa widened her stance.
Annie took it as a welcome challenge, raising her fists.
Eren skidded between them. "Hey, stop." He looked to Annie. "Annie these are our friends."
"I don't care."
"Move, Eren." Mikasa murmured.
Eren gritted his teeth. "You guys need to fucking stop."
Annie shot forward, her fist connecting with Eren's abdomen, causing him to double forward, breath pushing out of him.
"Eren!" Mikasa caught him before he could hit the ground. Armin ran forward, helping her hold him.
"Annie!" Armin glared at her now. "Annie how could you—?"
Before Armin could finish Mikasa was on her, swinging viciously, making Annie stumble backwards as she dodged her strikes.
"Hey, now." Reiner stepped forward, blocking Eren's view. Eren panted, trying to regain his breath, ribs stinging. "You guys shouldn't do this in here."
Annie swiftly dodged a punch—but Mikasa slid her foot behind Annie's ankle, shoving her backwards. Annie stumbled, back striking the table, dishes crashing everywhere and Mikasa raised her fist.
"Hey!" Reiner lifted Mikasa bodily, ripping her away before she could punch Annie. She kicked the table, forcing him to stumble back, accidentally slamming her against the wall as he tried to regain his balance. "That's enough!" Reiner shouted at her, still holding her against the wall.
And the sight of Reiner grabbing Mikasa and pinning her made Eren's blood boil.
"Hey, don't fucking touch her!" Eren stood, wobbling a little, fists clenched. "Reiner, let go of her."
Mikasa hissed when he pressed her against the wall, bucking against it in a fury.
"If I do she's just going to hit Annie."
Bertolt helped Annie up, and Eren stumbled towards Reiner. "Reiner, either you let her go or—"
Sasha gave a muffled choke as she cracked a glass over Reiner's head, stunning him enough to loosen his grip. Mikasa broke free, her elbow snapping across his jaw, throwing him back violently.
He was out like a light.
"I'm calling the cops!" The manager stood in the entryway of the kitchen, baseball bat in hand, looking frightened and furious. "They're on their way!"
Annie took advantage of Mikasa's distraction to lunge towards her—but Armin stepped between them, blue eyes hard as he glared at Annie.
And to Eren's amazement, Annie paused, fist in mid swing.
"Annie," Armin spoke softly. "Don't."
The sound of police sirens began to whirr faintly.
Annie stepped back, walking towards the exit without a backwards glance, leaving them all with pounding hearts and shaky hands.
"What the fuck was that, Mikasa?"
Mikasa held the Ziploc bag of ice against her jaw. "I was defending Sasha, sir."
Her manager flew into a flurry of curses, gesturing to the destroyed restaurant, the broken dishes, the cracked window, the jukebox that wouldn't turn back on. "You did this. You're paying for it. It's coming out of your paycheck. Your last paycheck."
Mikasa's stomach twisted, eyeing Eren and Armin standing outside, being interrogated by the cops. They'd just finished with her and her manager had dragged her back into the kitchen and she knew what had been coming but—she couldn't lose this job, she couldn't. "Sir, I didn't—"
"Leave. You're fired."
"Sir—"
"Leave."
She dropped the ice pack, slamming out the back door and into the alleyway, needing to breathe—and instead finding him.
"Go away." She bit out, clenching her cut fists.
Levi shrugged, hands in his pockets. "Your brother could be in danger...but if you want me to leave, then I will." He turned, walking away and pulling his hood on.
"Wait." Mikasa clutched the back of his jacket. She prided herself on always knowing what to do, on being able to protect Eren and Armin but she was struggling, the stress of work and school, of paying the rent, of knowing Claude was out there, knowing Eren was within his reach came crashing down on her, and she gave in bitterly. "Please…help me."
Levi watched her, assessing her almost critically. "Alright. My bike's over here. I need to show you something."
The cop finished scribbling something down. "Hannes will be here in a minute. He just got out of the meeting—he wants us to keep you all here until he arrives."
Eren grimaced, knowing Hannes was going to give him an earful. "I need to go to the bathroom."
The cop looked at him a little skeptically but nodded nonetheless. Eren entered the restaurant a little tentatively, seeing the manager angrily broom up the broken glass and dishes.
"Do you know where Mikasa is?"
The manager sneered. "I don't know and I don't care. She's fired."
Eren's gut twisted. "It wasn't her fault. She was only trying to protect Sasha—"
"She's fired, too."
Eren barely managed to restrain himself from lunging at the asshole. He needed to be calm. Maybe he could get her her job back. "Look, I just need to talk to her. Maybe you'll rethink this when you calm down—"
"I'm calm." The strokes of the broom quickened, belying his words. "You brought in those kids. You caused this—and you caused it because she works here." His thick brows furrowed. "I've seen her. She's been losing weight, looks pasty. I've seen her hanging out with that thug. I don't want any druggies in my restaurant."
Eren went cold. "Don't talk about her like that."
The man snorted. "Don't get all high and mighty. I don't want any of that crap in here. She's fired and that's final. Now get out."
Eren breathed through his nose. "Where is she?"
The man dropped the broom. "She fucking left with that other druggie—on the back of his fucking motorcycle. Good fucking match, those two."
Eren faltered. "Who?"
"That fucking crack head that's always lingering in the alleyway, waiting for her—god knows what the fuck they do in there. Or what they don't."
And for once in Eren's life he was left silent.
Armin wandered around the corner, searching for any sign of Annie—when he heard muffled voices hissing at one another. He recognized Mikasa's voice, pressing himself against the wall behind the dumpster, hearing her argue with a man he did not recognize.
"…if you want me to leave, then I will."
"Wait." Mikasa choked out the word, sounding so very strained and frail. It was a rare thing when Mikasa was panicked, when she was reduced to such open vulnerability—the only one usually capable of triggering it being Eren. At least, he had thought that until now.
Armin took in a breath—and leaned against the wall, peering through the crack between the metal bin and the brick wall, seeing Mikasa with her head bowed, her hand fisted on the back of the man's jacket tightly, almost in supplication. He wasn't very tall, his hair black, skin pale and sickly, almost sallow. He would almost guess him to be in his late thirties—but he turned to face Mikasa, the childish curve of his face betraying his age. Late twenties, early thirties, Armin amended, couldn't quite see what the color of his eyes were—his examination cut short with Mikasa's next words.
"Please…" She inhaled shakily. "Help me."
Help me?
The man's narrow eyes scanned her features, his reserved expression faltering suddenly, softening—and Armin knew the man felt something for her, something that was perhaps felt reluctantly.
"Alright. My bike's over here. I need to show you something."
They made their way down the alley quickly, leaping over a fence, their agility and grace almost perfectly matched. He watched as they mounted his motorcycle, and as they rode away Armin straightened, stepping deeper into the alleyway—found himself surrounded by the peculiar scent of smoke and mint.
"What the hell happened, Eren?" Hannes questioned roughly, thumbs hooked in his belt. "You had to get in trouble when I was in a meeting—I know you like getting into fights but at Mikasa's job? Really, Eren?"
Eren glared at the concrete mulishly. "I didn't get into a fight." He breathed unsteadily. "Mikasa did."
"Let me hazard a guess," Hannes bit out sharply. "It was to protect you."
Eren's jaw clenched hard enough to snap. "She was protecting Sasha…and then she protected me."
Hannes eyed him grimly. "You don't know where she went?"
Eren shut his eyes, the ache in his chest sharpening. "She took off with some shady fucker, I don't know."
"Watch your mouth."
Eren exploded to his feet. "You're not my fucking dad, Hannes."
Hannes gaze hardened. "No, but you two obviously need one." He sat Eren back down into the backseat of his cop car roughly. "Who is this guy? Did you get a name?" Hannes lowered his voice. "Is she in trouble?"
Eren's voice was thick. "I don't know—Levi, I think. Stupid fucking name." He breathed in shakily. "She told me he was no one but…I find her rolling around with him in an alley. I found voice messages from him saying that he could 'help her' and that she 'couldn't handle it on her own' and now she takes off with him without a word and…"
And I'm going to fucking puke.
Hannes sighed, nodding. "I'll find her. You just get Armin home. Go home and don't do a damn thing."
"Yeah." Eren eyed his fists. "That's all I can ever do."
"This…is what you wanted to show me?"
Levi glared at her. "I've had a bad fucking morning Mikasa, you don't want to fucking push me."
It was a small apartment on the bad—really bad—end of town, bare of furniture except for two chairs and a small table, a mattress in the corner. Levi eyed the street below the small window, pushing at the cheap crooked blinds to get a better view.
"I told you, didn't I?" Levi muttered. "The longer you stay here the more danger Eren is put in."
Mikasa eyed the doorway.
"For fuck's sake." Levi muttered. "This is my hideout. I'm taking a big fucking risk showing you this place." He gestured to the bare room. "Do you remember how to get here?"
She hesitated—but nodded. "Yes."
"Good." He sat in a chair. "If you're ever in trouble and I'm not around you run here, alright?"
He pointed to the bare kitchen. "Plenty of knives and shit in there. There's always a gun strapped under the table and it's always loaded. Do you know how to handle a gun?"
She nodded grimly. Hannes had taken her to the shooting range quite a few times, both to show her how to shoot and to show her off to his friends, the men marveling at her accuracy even as a child.
"Just make sure they don't follow you here. Lose them first. You know how to shake people off?"
Mikasa nodded, shutting her eyes. "Are they really coming after me again? What happened at the restaurant…?"
Levi paused—but nodded. "Yes."
Mikasa breathed slowly, unsteadily. "I have…I have to leave them behind?"
Levi nodded grimly. "If you leave they won't bother with them. They'll go after you. They'll be forgotten—safe."
Mikasa held her head in her hands, tried to clear her blurred vision. "I'm going to lose my family again."
Levi was silent for a very long time. "Better to be apart and know they're alive, that there's a chance you'll see them again…" His voice shook only a little. "Then to know they're dead, and their blood is on your hands." His tone was flat now, lifeless. "To know that you won't ever get them back."
"We can't…take them with us?"
Levi snorted. "Fucking right. You want to drag them down with us to the fucking gutter?" He hunched forward in his chair, hands clasped as his black hair fell over his dark blue eyes. "I'm not a fucking baby sitter. I never promised to protect them—I could fucking care less about what happens to them."
Mikasa regained control of herself with a slow exhale. "I don't have a choice, then."
Levi sighed. "Oh, you do. You always have a fucking choice." He shrugged, grabbing a cup off the table, awkwardly tilting it into his mouth and putting it back down. "You just have to go through with it—" His blue eyes hardened as they met hers. "—and make sure you don't fucking regret it."
By the time Mikasa returned home it was close to one in the morning.
She paused at the front door, unable to unlock it and step in, hand clenched around the wad of cash Levi had given her for the rent.
You don't want to know where I got it, just fucking take it and put it to good use.
The door suddenly flew open—and Eren stood there, his hair disheveled, green eyes as hard as steel. "Where were you?"
Mikasa shoved the money into her pocket as discreetly as she could—but his eyes followed the movement.
"I just…needed to breathe."
She'd always been a horrible liar.
"You're lying." Eren's voice cracked a little. "You said he was no one. But he just swoops in and takes you away and you just went with him without a fucking word to me."
"Eren," She stepped towards him but he shook his head, stepping back, and the movement wounded her deeply. "He's just…my friend."
Eren laughed bitterly, walking into the apartment. She followed, tentatively shutting the door behind her.
"I don't fucking believe you." There was a duffel bag on the couch and he grabbed it, pulling the strap over his head. "You treat me like a fucking kid, Mikasa. Like I'm weak."
"Eren, I don't…You're my family."
He pulled on his sweater. "Except we're not." Eren gritted out, pulling the hood on over his head, his words like a knife in her gut. "We're not related by blood. My parents adopted you but they're fucking gone and we have no reason to stick together, but we do anyway."
He moved towards the door.
Panic struck her, and she snatched his wrist, holding him in place. "You saved my life." The words tumbled from her lips, falling between them, too much and not enough. "You saved me. I owe you my entire life."
Eren's entire body tightened. "When are you going to stop thinking like that, Mikasa?" He shook his head. "Sometimes I think…I think that's the only reason you stick around. Because you think you owe me. Like you're trying to pay off a debt."
"I'm not…" Her breath rattled. "It's not something…" She didn't know how to tell him that she'd never leave him, that she wanted to be by him until she couldn't anymore, that he was more precious to her than her own life. "I won't ever finish paying it off."
Eren ripped his wrist out of her grip. "Stop saying shit like that, Mikasa."
"I owe you—" She stopped, hearing him curse, frustrated with her inability to communicate. Everything she said seemed to upset him and she just didn't know how to soothe him. "Just tell me what you want me to—"
He whirled on her, grasping the sides of her head in his large hands, pinning her back against the wall. His mouth crashed over hers, kissing her fiercely, bruising her lips, the kiss more anger than desire.
She froze in surprise, her hands limp at her sides as his mouth kept moving over hers persistently, his tongue nudging at her clenched teeth. She inhaled shakily through her mouth—and his tongue surged in, making her stomach curl, her breath catching in her throat.
He swept his tongue over hers, tentatively touching the roof of her mouth, making her jolt and arch against him. He pressed his body to hers—and to her embarrassment she felt the hardness of his arousal pressing against her intimately, her hands grasping his hard waist tightly, too dumbfounded to kiss him back.
He broke the kiss, green gaze heavy lidded as he watched her. "That's what I want, Mikasa." He pressed his forehead to hers.
Mikasa faltered. Eren had kissed her. "I—"
Her cell phone rang suddenly and Eren pulled away, tugging it out of his pocket. He scowled at the screen. "It's your friend." Eren muttered, handing her the phone.
She shook her head, hands gripping the front of his shirt in a haze. "Eren—"
It rang a fourth time, and within a few seconds it signaled a voicemail. Eren glared down at it viciously. "Check your voicemail, Mikasa."
He'd just kissed her, held her, finally told her—showed her—what he felt for her and now it was all going down the drain, and she could only grip his shirt tighter.
"If you aren't hiding anything, Mikasa…" He held out the phone. "Check your voicemail."
And she knew, knew it would only end badly but she couldn't deny him regardless. She grabbed the phone with shaky hands, reluctantly pressing the speaker button.
"You never answer your fucking phone. I'm going to make you swallow the fucking thing the next time I see you. Call me back. Let me know you got home fine. Giving you that much fucking cash and letting you walk home probably wasn't a good idea but—ah, fuck it, you can take care of yourself."
It beeped and Mikasa gripped the small phone in her hands tightly, her head bowed.
"He gives you money, Mikasa?"
What could she say? How could she explain?
The less he knows the better. You don't want to get him involved in this.
"Never mind." He turned, walking to the front door woodenly. "I'm spending a few days over with Hannes."
"Eren—"
"Later, Mikasa."
He shut the door and she was alone.
Annie flinched when Armin pressed the ice pack against her swollen nose. He smiled at her sympathetically.
"Sorry." He brushed her bangs away from her face, examining her features. "But if you're hurt you deserve it."
Annie looked away. "Why did you bring me here?" She examined the small apartment with mild interest.
Armin shrugged. "I'm alone most of the time and you were hurt. I didn't think you'd clean yourself up properly and my grandfather was a nurse." He handed her two pills. "I also wanted to ask about why you reacted so violently."
She swallowed the pills, accepting the cup of water Armin handed her. She'd been so out of it she'd been taken by surprise, the hit nasty and painful.
She hadn't had someone who could make her stumble in a long, long time.
"I just did."
Armin frowned. "You didn't look okay, Annie." He continued to scan her features. "Your pupils—"
She pushed his hand away. "It's none of your business."
"You helped me from those muggers." Armin blurted, putting the ice on the small coffee table as he sat on it, seated before her. "No one was around and there were three of them and you could have walked away, pretended you didn't see a thing and instead you came over and saved me." His wide blue eyes held her gaze sternly. "You didn't have to do that but you did." He grasped her hands. "I know you're not a bad person Annie, and I want to know what set you off back at the diner."
"It wasn't—"
"Sasha was eating your food." Armin's gaze was suddenly introverted. "You looked calm enough when you got out of the bathroom but as soon as you saw Sasha picking off your plate your entire body got really taut."
She watched as he prattled, more to himself. "It almost looked as if—it triggered something. A past memory? A bad experience? Do you have PTSD?"
Annie looked away, all of it and nothing at all. "She laughed at me."
Armin frowned, recalling the way Sasha had giggled in nervousness. "She wasn't laughing at you, Annie. She was nervous—"
"No one laughs at me." Annie sounded very, very bitter. "No one takes anything from me. I won't let them. I don't care about any of you—I don't need any of you." Her breaths grew jagged. "I only need…"
She paused.
Armin watched her carefully. "You only need who, Annie?"
"My father." She confessed quietly. "He's the only one I need."
Armin touched her hands tentatively. "Is that what he tells you?"
She shook him off. "I need to go."
"Annie." Armin called, their blue eyes touching. "Can I ask you something?"
"No."
"Will you go to prom with me?"
She froze. He watched her quietly, no hint of shyness in his astute gaze, assessing her perceptively. Perceptive, Annie thought suddenly. She'd put words like bookish and gentle and weak but they hadn't quite fit—but perceptive suited him, the way he watched her—understanding, knowing, almost frighteningly so. "That's a stupid question."
Armin flushed a little, finally a little flustered. "That's not an answer."
She looked away. "I hurt two of your friends."
"Three." He corrected.
"Why would you want to ask me to prom after that?"
"Because, Annie..." Armin repeated softly, pressing the ice pack back to her nose. "I know you aren't a bad person."
A/N-Sorry for taking so long. I hope the length of the chapter makes up for any mistakes you find-I'll correct them in the morning, I promise. I should also update the next chapter in a few hours or tomorrow afternoon.
(should being the key word)
Thank you for being patient. I hope the update didn't disappoint anyone too badly.
(I also may or may not be working on a new eremika fic...I'm pretty hopeless)
