Mikasa's introduction was short and blunt with Bertholdt; if he was going to give her this attitude then she'd give it right back. She didn't care if Bert was twice her size. It did nothing to change the fact that he was still a measly Beta. Although Mikasa was surprised to encounter such a forward Beta since it was quite an uncommon occurrence. It did, however, make some sense for Bertholdt to be a little more direct than most others. His friend group mostly consisted of Alphas. He most likely grew some tough skin so that he could survive in his group. Even after knowing all that though, Mikasa still wasn't afraid of him. She'd gladly put Bertholdt back in his place if he tried to test her in any way.
After her interaction with Bertholdt, Mikasa decided it was best to stay quiet for the remainder of their break. She stayed close to Annie while firmly holding her hand. Mikasa was glad that Annie didn't complain about or question the consistent hand-holding and made a note to herself that handholding was okay to do in public. This was great for Mikasa because she wanted to show everyone that Annie was interested in her and no one else. She wanted Bertholdt to see it especially. Was it a little petty? Maybe, but Mikasa couldn't find it in herself to care. As long as Annie was carrying her child and dating her, Mikasa would eagerly yet subtly rub it in his face.
The bell rang, signaling that their break was over. Annie was going to tell Mikasa that they would see each other at lunch before walking to class, but the Alpha insisted on walking with her instead. Annie wasn't against it at all; she was just a little surprised. It actually made her heart flutter a little knowing that Mikasa wouldn't mind being seen with her. Because of this, she didn't argue with Mikasa. The two walked together in comfortable silence to Annie's next class, earning a few stares from certain onlookers, which was to be expected since Mikasa wasn't exactly a stranger at school. With her title as the football team's captain and being quite literally one of the strongest female Alphas at school, everyone practically knew her.
As if she wasn't popular enough, Mikasa was also extremely intelligent. Annie was sure that if she didn't get a sports scholarship then Mikasa would definitely get one because of her grades. There were countless different things the Alpha had done, such as winning the title of Homecoming Queen along with being involved in other school activities. It honestly made Annie a bit anxious thinking about how people would view Mikasa after they were seen together. She didn't know how others would react to Mikasa being somewhat romantically involved with her...
Annie already knew that she was going to receive some stares. She could already feel their questioning looks that silently yelled the question "Why would Mikasa go for someone like her?" The thought of it made Annie feel unworthy of being anywhere near Mikasa. The Omega knew that she wasn't anything special or well known. Except for her feats in soccer and other sports, she didn't have anything else. Her grades weren't all that great either, just the usual B's and C's and maybe an occasional A. They weren't bad, but they were definitely not academic scholarship material. Because of this, Annie absolutely needed to keep the soccer scholarships that were offered to her.
"Looks like this is where we depart," Mikasa said in a soft gentle voice as they got to Annie's classroom.
Annie yanked herself out of her insecure thoughts and nodded softly in Mikasa's direction. She parted her lips to mutter out a basic goodbye while Mikasa leaned down, expecting something else from her. Annie noticed right away and audibly gulped, wondering if she should kiss her or not. Everyone would surely see them, especially with how Mikasa was inching closer with each passing second. Once she was barely an inch away from Annie's lips, the Alpha didn't get any closer. Instead, she made eye contact with Annie and quietly asked for a kiss.
The Omega felt her stomach twist into knots as she gulped and looked down at her feet, her cheeks glowing bright red. She needed a moment to process all the emotions running through her body before finally raising her head. Annie looked straight into Mikasa's eyes then leaned in to close the space between them. A quick kiss was pressed to Mikasa's lips, which the Alpha eagerly pressed back into before parting from Annie's lips.
"I'll see you during lunch, Annie."
Mikasa poured a good amount of her pheromones all over Annie before leaving. Annie waved goodbye and dropped her head back down, not wanting to see those that may have witnessed their kiss.
Mikasa knew that some people had most likely seen them kiss, yet she couldn't find it in herself to care. She was dating Annie… well, she was kinda dating her. All that mattered was that they were… something. Since they were at least that, Mikasa wanted everyone to know, mostly because she didn't want any other Alphas or a certain Beta trying to get at Annie anymore. However, if Annie asked for her to ease back on her actions then she would do so. Mikasa wouldn't want to push their relationship past the limit again. She felt herself internally cringe at the possibility of her going too far, actually. She and her friends would never let her live it down.
She remembered getting into the car after that incident and left completely distraught thinking that Annie didn't want to be with her anymore. She was mere seconds from spiraling into a mental breakdown when Eren decided that it was the perfect time to call her out on her crap. Mikasa groaned to herself and closed her eyes as she remembered his loud words.
"Mikasa! What the hell was that?! I wasn't all that confused about you kissing Annie. I kinda suspected that something was already going on between you two… Just because of… things… But you were seriously asking her to marry you?! What the hell was that?! Did you lose like every working nerve in that brain of yours?! To top it all off, you fucking knocked her up?! What else have you been hiding from us?!"
In any other circumstance, Mikasa would've replied with a growl and physically put Eren in his place. However, she just cowered her head like a child getting scolded by their parents. She didn't have enough emotion to put towards being angry with Eren's yelling at her. All she was worried about was Annie and the baby. Mikasa felt tears build up in the corner of her eyes while her bottom lip quivered. She couldn't stand the possibility of not being able to be with Annie through her pregnancy. The usually calm and neutral-faced Alpha broke down with tears running down her face at a fast pace. She couldn't keep them back any longer and Eren's angry pheromones radiating off of him only allowed them to fall more freely.
Her breakdown would've continued if Armin hadn't stepped in and made Eren back off. He set a hand on Mikasa's shoulder then immediately pumped out his calming Omega pheromones, a bright smile onto his face as he felt his friend relax. Armin continued to comfort his Alpha friend with calming pheromones before speaking up.
"It's okay, Mikasa. Calm down. Everything is going to be fine, okay? Everything will work out. Just breathe. All of this will blow over."
He leaned over from the back seat and pushed his head into Mikasa's neck, focusing hard as he trapped her in his pheromones to make sure that Mikasa stayed relaxed and focused.
"Now, Mikasa, don't pay attention to Eren. You know how he is. He's just going to yell because he doesn't understand it. You can talk to me though, okay? So, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Mikasa sniffled once more before starting to talk, her voice extremely shaky as words left her mouth.
"I'm... I'm just scared because Annie said she didn't want to be around me anymore. I'm afraid she's not going to let me be around during the pregnancy and that's scaring me! I need to be able to see her or else…Or else… I don't know! I'm just apprehensive and I thought asking her to marry me was a good idea at the moment, especially since it would guarantee that I would be able to be around Annie twenty-four-seven and see my baby. But now she doesn't want anything to do with me!"
Armin stared at his friend, his heart aching as she heard the pure fear in Mikasa's voice. He sighed and grabbed Mikasa's head, turning her attention towards him. The Omega boy locked eyes with his Alpha friend and chose his next words carefully, making sure none of them set Mikasa off.
"Listen to me, Mikasa. You're going to apologize to Annie about doing this in public and talk it out with her. As long as you talk it out with her and try to see eye-to-eye, then you two will be on good terms again. Maybe just talk about the whole marriage thing with her in private? She's pregnant and probably just got overwhelmed."
There was so much more Armin wanted to tell his friend. He heard the things that Annie yelled and knew it was more than just getting overwhelmed. He honestly thought the same things as Annie; Mikasa didn't have any right to marry her, even if they had a child on the way. But there was more going on that Armin was aware of and he didn't want to speak on it out of respect for Annie. For now, though, he would just offer some options as to why Annie freaked out and hoped for the best.
Mikasa listened to Armin's words and became noticeably more stable. She gave a gentle nod to Armin and wiped off her remaining tears, only giving a soft sniffle to signal the end of her breakdown. Mikasa was still cringing, not believing that she acted in such an emotional way. It was so unlike her, but thankfully that little conversation helped clear the hazy Alpha brain she possessed. She knew Armin only said those things because he didn't want Mikasa to just calm down. Mikasa knew he didn't know the whole story, but she still appreciated his help. She took in a deep breath and shook her head. This whole situation was an entire roller coaster. At least she worked it out though and now they were in calm waters.
Her mind couldn't help but stay occupied with Annie. Mikasa remembered feeling like she did nothing wrong after calming down. She even got angry about needing to apologize to Annie. However, Mikasa caught herself and realized why Annie was mad at her. And Annie was right; they didn't have any previous relationships and it would make no sense for them to marry. However, it wasn't like she didn't have feelings for Annie already. The blonde just made it sound like Mikasa wanted to marry her because of the baby, which wasn't the case at all… Well, not fully… Her feelings were there, just really deep down. The pregnancy may have been a helper tool to bring her feelings back out.
Mikasa cringed at the way that sounded. She knew it wasn't only because Annie was pregnant that she wanted to constantly be around her. There was something more there. She knew there was. The Alpha felt it countless times when she was with Annie during the summer. It was just a little overwhelming for Mikasa. She even tried to shake that overwhelming feeling away. The Alpha knew what she felt for Annie was true and not entirely caused by her pregnancy. Mikasa would stand by these feelings and ignore anyone that tried to tell her otherwise.
Annie sat quietly on the bleachers as Mikasa participated in her football practice. She watched closely as Mikasa dodged incoming tackles and successfully ran touchdowns. It surprised Annie seeing Mikasa get back onto her feet so quickly, especially after getting tackled full-force from Reiner earlier. Annie couldn't imagine feeling okay right away. She was still aching from the soccer ball incident from the other day, which in all actuality began to worry her. She knew it was nothing, yet her mind was running rapidly with terrifying thoughts.
"I have to stop worrying so much. I'm only going to end up hurting the baby with my stress."
Annie mumbled while she reached up to rub her temples. There was so much that Annie needed to cut back on for the baby, but she just didn't know where to start. She didn't think soccer was much of an issue, but now with each moment that passed by, it proved to be the main one. She wasn't sure why her Omega brain thought that finishing off her season was going to be easy. Annie knew she shouldn't be playing anymore. Her aching body from a simple ball to her back just further proved she didn't have the strength to continue, yet the stubborn part of Annie's brain was adamant about finishing up her season.
She let out a huff of desperation and returned her attention to the football field in front of her, letting her attention latch onto Mikasa once more as Annie tried to come up with a conclusion to her thoughts. Maybe this whole incident with Hitch was for the best. Maybe it was a sign that she shouldn't be playing anymore. Annie sighed and put the thought away for later. She would speak about it with Mikasa later, pushing her usual "I do what I want" attitude about her pregnancy away so that they could secure the safety of their child.
Annie continued to watch Mikasa's practice until it came to an end. She started walking down the bleachers and Mikasa decided to meet her halfway, her arms open wide until she wrapped them around Annie. The Omega hesitantly returned the hug, still a little afraid to show affection in public with Mikasa. However, when Mikasa's tired yet calm pheromones caught onto Annie's inner Omega, she completely melted and returned the hug, laying her head lovingly against Mikasa's chest as they stood in an embrace. The other football players cleared out quickly and soon enough it was just the two of them. Once everyone was out, Mikasa leaned down and kissed Annie, not asking for permission this time. Annie didn't mind, since part of her took it as Mikasa learning when it was and wasn't appropriate to show affection.
Her small hands slowly reached upward and grabbed Mikasa's face as they kissed. Once she felt that she gave Mikasa enough affection, she pulled away and stared up into her grey eyes. She watched those usually boring eyes light up after making contact with them. It made Annie's heart flutter and her stomach filled with butterflies. Mikasa was making it hard for Annie to ignore the feelings she had.
'Remember, don't put too much stress on your feelings for Mikasa. You're taking it slow, and you two are perfectly fine right now. The main things you need to figure out are for your baby.'
"You should go clean up. I don't think your friends are going to enjoy your sweaty smell." Annie walked past Mikasa and made the rest of her way down.
"Well, you seemed to enjoy it," Mikasa stated as she followed suit, stopping by to grab her things before catching up to Annie.
"Oh, please. I'll have you know that it was because of your pheromones, Mikasa, not your musky-ass scent."
"Mmmhmm. Whatever you say, Annie. You were cuddled up against my chest just a minute ago and you weren't complaining then."
Annie rolled her eyes but still inched closer to Mikasa as they walked, allowing the Alpha to grab her hand and intertwine their fingers. The Omega made sure to show no reaction to Mikasa's action, yet she couldn't help feeling giddy about it. Maybe she did have a thing for Mikasa's musk after a good workout. Annie recalled the few times she buried her nose in Mikasa's neck and inhale her scent during sex. Of course, she would never tell Mikasa this sensitive information. Annie could only imagine all the teasing she'd get from her.
"Keep telling yourself that, Ackerman. Now go wash quickly. I'm sure Armin and Eren are waiting for us to show up."
"You're right, I'll be quick."
Before Mikasa went running off to the Alpha locker rooms, she planted one last kiss on Annie's lips. Maybe she was getting a little too comfortable with the affection, but she knew that if Annie didn't like it, then she'd say something. After the kiss, Annie made sure to shoo her away, even throwing insults about her scent so that Mikasa would hurry and clean up. Mikasa finally left, leaving Annie to lean against the wall and wait patiently.
Annie didn't know what she was expecting when she agreed to hang out with Mikasa and her friends. It might have been because she was so used to watching Ymir and Reiner fuck around while she rolled her eyes at their stupidity. But seeing Armin, Eren, and Mikasa interact in such a calm environment confused her. It felt almost alien to witness all three of them play video games in Eren's living room so calmly. Aside from the occasional yell of aggression from Eren, there wasn't anything crazy.
Annie was a little bored, but she didn't mind if Mikasa was enjoying herself with the boys. Annie made herself comfortable on the couch laying on her side, watching the three play Super Smash Bros. Her small frame took up half of the couch, leaving the rest of the space for the others to sit. She was genuinely surprised that Mikasa didn't sit down. Instead, Mikasa sat on the floor right near where Annie was. That way, she could lean against the couch and turn her head for easy conversation with Annie. Annie couldn't help but find it a little cute that the Alpha wanted to be as close to her as possible.
The blonde would occasionally reach out from her laying position and play with Mikasa's hair, usually more so when she noticed Mikasa was getting overly frustrated whenever Eren or Armin killed her. It calmed her down quickly and Annie bit her lip to avoid smiling when she felt Mikasa push happy pheromones onto her. Annie couldn't lie; she loved the attention from Mikasa and she enjoyed reciprocating it. Quite often than not though, Annie would stop the small acts of affection and curl back into herself, reminding herself that they weren't a couple and were supposed to be dating and taking things slow to boot. It was just hard to do while she was carrying the Alpha's child. Her entire being yearned for Mikasa to dote on her practically every moment.
"So Annie!"
Armin set his controller down, sitting this next round out so that Mikasa and Eren could have a 1v1. He moved over to the open spot near Annie and Mikasa immediately kept an eye on him as he sat down. Once she saw that he wasn't a threat in any way even though she already knew Armin was the least of her worries, Mikasa returned her attention forward, trying to hop back into game mode to kick Eren's ass. Annie noticed the small action and placed her hand on top of Mikasa's head to comfort her. She played with the raven hairs on Mikasa's head then moved her attention to Armin, a fellow Omega like herself.
"Yeah? What's up?"
"Mikasa said you were about three months in? I was just wondering if you were ending your soccer season soon since it's kinda dangerous to continue. The baby is gonna have all its limbs formed! It's in a very vulnerable state right now, so you have to make sure they're taken care of! Not to mention your body is going to get weaker, so a sports-related injury would destroy your bones!"
Annie gulped as Armin schooled her on pregnancy. She knew that it was getting to be dangerous for her to be playing soccer, but she didn't know how at risk her baby was from playing. To be honest, Annie didn't know anything about pregnancy to begin with. She may have... skimmed over that section during biology class. The Omega honestly felt embarrassed. Here she was, pregnant without knowing ANYTHING about pregnancy.
"Well, um... don't worry about me, Armin. I'm being extra careful during these last few games. The baby will be fine and I'll be fine too... After I'm done with them, I'll be stagnant. You won't catch me doing any more sports this year."
She offered a smile with her reply, but she felt her confidence simmer away. Annie knew she had to pick up a pregnancy book soon... she'd have to attend an appointment regarding the pregnancy in general, which meant telling her father or else he'd be suspicious about why his daughter was going to Prenatal Care appointments. Annie broke her attention to glance at Mikasa and noticed she was listening in on their conversation. She knew the Alpha would probably say something later about not wanting Annie to finish her games. The Omega felt her stomach tense up with worry about the whole situation.
'Jesus, Armin, I know you meant well, but you should've just kept that information to yourself.'
Despite being partially annoyed that Armin put more worries into both her and Mikasa's head, she left the conversation where it was, not speaking to the child anymore. She closed herself off and stared blankly at the TV in front of her. Mikasa sensed a subtle change in Annie's pheromones and looked back to examine her, noticing the slight discomfort within Annie's body language. She immediately set her controller down and got up to join Annie on the couch. No words were exchanged, but Annie knew Mikasa's intentions and moved into a sitting position, leaving an extra spot open for the woman right next to her.
Within seconds, Mikasa had her arm wrapped around Annie and was pressed close against her side. Annie opened her mouth to argue that Mikasa was doing too much, but the Alpha's pheromones put her entire being at ease and made everything a bit better. She let it slide and leaned into Mikasa's side, placing her head softly onto Mikasa's shoulder as she took in all her calming pheromones. She let out a relaxed sigh and refocused her attention toward the TV screen, where Eren was left by himself on the game. The boy didn't look all too thrilled about playing by himself so he opted out and turned off his Switch.
"Since you guys want to go sit around the pregnant woman, I'll just watch TV," he grumbled to himself as he put a random show on.
Annie didn't take any offense to his comment; she knew full well that Eren could go from being a sweet boy to a brooding teen at a moment's notice. He probably didn't even mean half the stuff he said, yet Mikasa wasn't happy with the statement. She threw the controller she set down at Eren's head, making him groan in pain and reach up to grab the spot Mikasa had assaulted.
"Watch your mouth, Eren. You're talking about the mother of my child, so of course I'm going to stop playing a video game to come to sit with her."
Annie heard the anger in Mikasa's voice and she tried to calm her down right away, pumping calm pheromones onto the Alpha before pressing a soft kiss to her cheek.
"Calm down. I didn't even take any offense to what he said. Don't get mad."
Luckily, Mikasa found her anger simmering away, no longer irritated about what Eren had said. She relaxed into Annie's pheromones and basked in her lover's presence. Amid the chaos, none of them heard Eren's front door open. So when a man's voice randomly spoke behind them, everyone jumped at it.
"Looks like you weren't expecting me." A soft chuckle escaped from Zeke as he walked around the couch to make himself known.
Annie was confused yet surprised to see the man there. She raised an eyebrow upon seeing him, causing him to do the same.
"Annie Leonhardt? It's nice to see you again. I was just at your team's soccer game. I was a little surprised to see that you weren't there. A few other recruiters were there to see you play too. Was it just an off day for you? Or you didn't have the grades for it? Either way, I'm sure you have a good reason for missing today's game."
She got rather anxious when Zeke questioned her about not being at the game and felt as if her secret was slowly coming to light. Annie didn't let her anxiety show physically, instead just wiping his questions away and replying. On the inside, however, Annie was carefully choosing her words as she replied to make sure he wouldn't get suspicious.
"One of my teammates kicked a soccer ball at my back. It usually wouldn't be much of an issue, but she decided to kick at full power, and I have to say my body is sort of… vulnerable right now with the constant training and a recent illness I just got over. I felt like it was the appropriate time to take a break since we're only on game one of the four and I'm sure my team can handle at least one game without me."
Zeke glanced over the girl, studying her closely before pushing up his glasses and nodding in agreement.
"I'd have to agree. Your team did fine today. They just didn't have their usual ginormous lead in points like that usually do when you're playing. It's good that you took this time to recuperate. I'd rather see you in the final games. I'm still interested in you coming to Eldia University, Annie. I already told the soccer coach about you and we hope you choose our school. I'd also love to see you play again. Hopefully, you'll be at your next game."
Annie's stomach dropped at the idea of playing in yet another game, especially since Armin had already scared her about the dangers. She sucked it back at that moment as she gave a nod to Zeke, nearly getting onto Mikasa's lap from how close she was. The Omega wasn't even aware of herself doing it either until Mikasa ended up just pulling her completely onto her lap.
"Oh, I completely forgot. You probably aren't aware that I'm Eren's older half brother." Zeke chuckled and went over to lay a hand on Eren's shoulder. "He doesn't like to speak about me much, but I'm sure you already know why. Eren isn't in the best of moods these days. Anyway, I'll come by later since all you guys are here! Continue having fun! And Annie! I better see you at your next game!"
With that, Zeke left, and an uncomfortable silence was cast upon them. Annie wasn't expecting it and her anxiety only grew with each passing moment of silence until, of course, Armin was the one to break it.
"Annie! You got hit by a soccer ball?! You didn't mention that! You can't play in the next game! You're already at too much risk!"
"Goddammit, Armin! I fucking know! I know! I know! I know! You try being pregnant while trying to keep your life on track! Do you think I want to keep playing soccer like this? I don't! But I also don't want to lose my future and just end up being another loser teen mom! I don't show it, but I've been fucking stressing this entire time and I'm fucking trying, okay? I don't need YOU to stress me out more! I already have somebody fucking ready to blackmail me and I just want to fucking end myself!"
Annie wasn't expecting to lash out at Armin and by everyone's surprised looks, they weren't either. She couldn't find it in herself to care as she screamed those words while heavy streams of tears rolled down her cheeks. Mikasa tried to wrap her arms around Annie's waist to comfort her. However, Annie yanked Mikasa's arms off and stood up from her spot on the Alpha's lap. She glanced at everyone as she stood, taking in the sight of them before making her exit. Annie slammed the door as she left and made her way home, not caring at all if she left everything in Mikasa's car.
Mikasa immediately stood up as fear grew in her gut at the mention of Annie wanting to end herself. She practically sprinted out and down the street, praying that Annie didn't get far. Thankfully, she didn't, and she quite easily got in front of Annie, stopping the blonde in her tracks. Her hands came up and gently held Annie's face, having the girl tilt her head up to look into Mikasa's eyes. She saw the pain in her eyes and hated that she couldn't take some of it away. Mikasa sighed and leaned down, pressing their foreheads together as she pumped out calming pheromones over Annie. At first, Annie tried to pull away from Mikasa, not wanting to feel better, but she eventually caved in. She let Mikasa's pheromones completely incase her, and within no time, Annie was completely calm for the moment. Her tears subsided and Mikasa moved her head to plant a soft kiss on Annie's forehead.
"Everything… I don't know how but I'm promising you, Annie. Everything will work out. I'm here for you every step of the way and I'm not going to leave. We can get through this and I'm going to make sure you will. Armin was just worried. He always does that, so just take what he says with a grain of salt. I think I've hung out with them enough for today, so let's go back and you can wait in the car while I get my stuff from inside. Okay?"
Although she didn't vocally respond, Annie did nod to Mikasa's words and followed her back. She went straight to Mikasa's car as she unlocked it and patiently waited. Mikasa left her behind and tried her best to make everything quick. Eren decided that she couldn't leave so quickly, so he got up in her personal space and blocked off any exit routes.
"Guys, I'm not going to play around with you two. I have to get Annie to calm down and I don't need you causing her any more trouble-"
"Calm down, Mikasa. I'm not going to keep you long… I just want you to tell Annie that she doesn't have to worry about anything, okay? Tell her to take it easy and not worry about these upcoming soccer games. You're one of my closest friends, basically my sister. I will make sure everything will turn outright. Just trust me." He stepped aside and allowed Mikasa to leave.
Mikasa looked at Eren, studying his expressions intensely before giving a nod. She muttered a quick "okay" before leaving and rejoining Annie in her car.