Mikasa sat on the floor of Eren's bedroom, as the two children played a board game to kill time. Mikasa had been at the Jaegers for about four hours, and they haven't heard anything yet from her parents.
They had watched a movie and played a video game earlier, so now they were playing Clue.
"Mikasa, I was curious...you said Gabi and those other girls made fun of a birth mark you have...", Eren started then.
Mikasa bit her lip, looking at him. "What's so awful about it? I mean...most people have birth marks", Eren asked.
"Mommy says its beautiful...she says the other girls are jealous because I have a special one and they don't", she explained.
"Can I see it?", asked Eren. Mikasa hesitated, but she gave a soft smile nodding. After all, Eren's the one who defended her against the bullies.
She lifted her shirt up a bit, exposing her tummy. Eren blinked, seeing the birth mark. "Is it a butterfly?", he asked, tilting his head slightly at it.
"Yeah, its always resembled a butterfly shape...", Mikasa replied as she pulled her shirt back down. Eren thought for a moment, this would explain why she has butterflies on her bookbag.
"Do you like butterflies?", he asked her. Mikasa nodded softly. "You're lucky, I wish I had a birth mark in the shape of a dragon", Eren admitted.
Mikasa blinked. "You mean..you don't think its weird?", she asked, looking and feeling relieved. "I think its awesome...I'm jealous", admitted Eren, giving a smile.
Mikasa exhaled, as she smiled back. "Maybe you can get a tattoo of a dragon when we're adults", she suggested.
"That's forever from now", Eren groaned.
He rolled the dice next, and as he did Mikasa once more noticed his bruises under his sleeve.
She bit her lip, her curiosity getting the best of her. "Eren, why do you keep getting bruises?", she asked, fairly upfront.
Eren hesitated, he averted his eyes moving his figure. "I got into a fight at school", he answered. Mikasa frowned, not convinced.
"But...we see each other every day at school, you've never gone to detention since the incident with Gabi", she pointed out.
Eren again remained aloof, as he finished moving his figure. "Your turn", he said, holding out the dice to her.
Mikasa didn't take them, as she looked at him. "Your mother...she has bruises too...", she started.
"Mikasa, drop it!", Eren hissed, glaring then. Mikasa flinched slightly, she wasn't used to him snapping at her. He was shaking furiously, not looking at her.
"But...why would both you and your mother have bruises? If it was an illness, your dad's a doctor...wouldn't he-"
"I SAID DROP IT!", Eren suddenly threw the dice at Mikasa. Mikasa flinched back, looking startled. She felt herself trembling, unable to really say anything.
After all, she wasn't used to interacting with other children, having been with her parents mostly all her life.
She felt her anxiety start flaring up as her heart began beating fast and her breathing grew labored. She wanted to just go run to her parents, but she couldn't.
Eren bit his lip, as his tense body slightly relaxed. "Sorry I...I didn't mean it...we just have chronic iron deficiency...my dad's treating it...don't worry its not contagious or anything...", he assured.
Though as he said this, he didn't look at her. Mikasa simply nodded, remaining still. If it was something as simple as that...then why did he get so angry? She didn't understand.
Mikasa was trembling, and fighting back crying with all her might.
Eren swallowed hard, realizing he may have really upset her. "Mikasa, I..", he reached out to her.
"Mikasa! Eren! Come downstairs!", Carla's voice came then. Mikasa got up, hurrying out before Eren, anxious to know if her parents called from the hospital, and just overall wanting to escape what just happened.
Eren went quiet, but he followed. The two kids hurried downstairs, seeing Carla hang up the phone.
"What's going on, mom?", asked Eren. "That was your dad, Mikasa", Carla smiled softly. "Is Mommy okay?", Mikasa asked worriedly, her voice shaky.
"She's just fine sweetie, you have a healthy baby brother", Carla announced. Mikasa's eyes lit up. "A little brother? Mommy was right...! Is Dad coming to get me?", she asked.
"He said he'll be here to pick you up in 15 minutes", Carla answered, as Mikasa looked relieved. She glanced at Eren, who avoided eye contact with her after what happened.
Carla frowned, picking up on the sudden tension between the two, looking worried.
Shortly after, Herrick picked his daughter up and they went to the hospital.
When they arrived, Mikasa hurried ahead inside the ER. "Mikasa! Princess wait for me!", Herrick quickly followed her.
"Where's Mommy?", Mikasa asked, slowing down for her father. "This way honey", Herrick led his daughter into one of the recovery rooms.
Mikasa peered in, and her face lit up. Akane was resting in the hospital bed, she was wearing a hospital gown and holding a small bundle in her arms.
She looked very tired, as she gently rocked her baby boy. She glanced up. "Mikasa, come meet your baby brother, angel", she smiled softly.
Mikasa hurried over, she bit her lip wanting to be gentle and quiet, as she gazed down at her little brother. The baby resembled her father more, with lighter hair.
He was also fast asleep, nuzzled close against his mother's chest. "He's so little...", Mikasa said softly, amazed, sitting at her mother's bedside.
"His name is Sebastian, and don't worry sweetie, he'll grow to be big and strong", Akane assured her daughter. Mikasa's eyes softened, as she gently leaned in closer.
The baby opened his blue eyes, yawning and then looking back at Mikasa curiously. He read his tiny hand, and Mikasa gently offered her finger for him to hold.
Sebastian grasped it firmly, cooing softly. Mikasa smiled softly. "Hey Sebastian, I'm your big sister", she whispered softly, as Sebastian continued cooing.
Akane smiled warmly at her children, as Herrick wrapped an arm around her shoulders, kissing her forehead.
"When can Mommy and Sebastian come home?", asked Mikasa curiously. "Dr. Jaeger said she can come home tomorrow", Herrick replied.
Akane's labor had sped up rapidly once they arrived at the hospital, and she dilated only three hours after.
Akane cuddled her children close, she was pale and her hair was damp from the strain of the delivery, but otherwise she was okay. Herrick stroked her hair, gazing down at his son.
Mikasa kept gazing at her baby brother, she couldn't believe it. She was a big sister...she felt such a heavy weight of responsibility on her shoulders, but at the same time she felt so excited.
She knew things would change a lot in her home, but it was a wonderful change so she didn't feel scared about it.
And even though she was still hurt at Eren getting angry at her, she couldn't wait to tell him at school.
When Monday arrived, Mikasa was beyond ecstatic to tell Eren, she had hurried to the bus and when she climbed on, she peered around for him. "Eren!", she said, but didn't seem him anywhere. Annie, Gabi and Ymir were in their usual spot in the middle.
As Mikasa looked at every seat, she couldn't find him. She frowned worried, realizing he wasn't here.
She quietly sat in the back, wondering why he was absent. She also couldn't stop thinking about his bruises.
When she arrived at school, and sat in the classroom the day felt slower without Eren. She did her work quietly at her desk, and by around 10 AM, the classroom door opened.
Mikasa glanced up, and then she looked up fully. At first, her face lit up seeing Eren and Carla enter. "I'm so sorry, we had a rough start this morning", Carla was apologizing to the teacher, while Eren was quiet, looking down.
He walked up to his desk and sat down, not saying anything or even looking at Mikasa. "Eren?", asked Mikasa softly, as Carla left and the class continued.
Eren didn't say anything, not even glancing at her. Mikasa frowned. "Eren..!", she pressed. "Ackerman!", the teacher scolded, since class was in session. Mikasa fell quiet, looking down.
"Sorry ma'am", she glanced back at Eren worriedly, as he continued to look away from her. Mikasa bit her lip, and then her eyes widened.
She saw a black bruise on the back of Eren's neck, just under where his hair ended.
During recess, Mikasa found Eren by himself, he was kicking a soccer ball repeatedly against the building's wall, seeming lost in thought.
Mikasa swallowed hard, but then hurried over. "Eren!" she said, walking up to him. "Hey", Eren answered, still not looking at her.
Mikasa hesitated..she wasn't sure what to say next...so she tried to be positive. "My mom had the baby..I have a little brother...", she began.
"That's cool", Eren replied simply. Mikasa frowned, worriedly. He didn't even seem to care.
"Um..his name is Sebastian...", she tried again. Eren kicked the ball again, silent.
"He um...well, he's been keeping mom and dad awake at night, but he's really cute, Mommy taught me how to hold him...", she tried once more.
"Cool", Eren answered, again with an uninterested tone. Mikasa starred at him, she then grew impatient. "Eren, what happened? Why were you absent?", she asked.
"Slept in, that's all", Eren replied. "Then why is your neck all bruised up?", Mikasa demanded, she had turned 10 years old recently, and she had grown out of her shell in the recent months, though it didn't mean she was tough. She was still a little girl.
"I already told you why", Eren insisted firmly. The tension was growing higher and higher. Mikasa approached closer.
"Eren, talk to me! Did someone hurt you? Why won't you...", she went to reach to touch the back of his neck, worried. Eren flinched, and he suddenly glared shaking badly.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!", he suddenly pushed her off, knocking her to the ground. Mikasa cried out, but it was more in fear than pain since she wasn't injured.
She looked up at him, horrified. "Eren...", she whimpered.
Eren clenched his fists, shaking furiously as he stopped kicking the ball. He had tears in his eyes, unable to stop shaking.
"You wouldn't understand..you're the perfect princess with a perfect life and perfect parents...kids like you don't know crap about real problems...I'm clearly just weighing you down, so do yourself a favor and stop following me around", he growled shakily.
Mikasa starred at him in shock, as she felt her eyelids grow heavy from tears. She stood up weakly, placing a hand over her heart.
"Eren, I don't understand...I'm worried about you...you're not..weighing me down...please, what happened?", she insisted, trembling.
"I said leave me alone", Eren growled, turning his back to her. Mikasa bit her lip. "Eren...", she went to reach her hand out.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!", Eren snapped, causing her to flinch back. She took several steps back, unable to fight back her tears. Without a word, she ran off, crying.
She hid behind the other side of the building by the vending machines, as she slid down into a sitting position, hugging her knees to her chest, sobbing softly.
Eren stood on the other side, he breathed heavily and suddenly felt tears stream down his face. He fell to his knees, sobbing heavily.
When Mikasa returned home, she didn't say anything to her parents. She was too upset to talk about it, and she didn't want to bother them.
She knew her parents had their hands full with a newborn baby, and they hadn't slept much since returning from the hospital.
So she did her best to hide it from them. When night came, Herrick and Akane slept like rocks in bed, both of them exhausted.
It was 2 AM and they had finally gotten to sleep, Sebastian asleep in his bassinet in the nursery. Mikasa was in her own room, curled up in bed.
Just when she had finally started drifting to sleep, she winced, clutching her belly. Her small hiss of pain turned into a whine, as she curled up tighter, feeling a sharp cramp in her abdomen that wouldn't ease up.
It gripped her so badly she almost screamed, as she whimpered and groaned painfully. "W-What's happening...?", she asked weakly, as she sat up.
The pain was so bad it was causing her to sweat, as she threw her covers off. As she did, she froze up...seeing a red stain on her sheets under her.
Frightened, she got out of her bed, looking at the blood stain. She felt herself begin to tremble, not understanding what was happening.
She didn't want to wake her tired parents, but she was terrified. Hadn't what happened today with Eren been enough?
She felt her anxiety flaring up, she just wanted to sleep. She bit her lip, as she exited her bedroom and approached her parents' room.
As she reached the doorway, she groaned painfully, clutching her belly again as another cramp seized her.
She grimaced, trying to muffle her groans so she didn't wake Sebastian. As the pain somewhat eased, she entered the bedroom and hurried to her mom's side of the bed.
"Mommy...", she began softly shaking her mother awake, the pain not completely leaving.
"Mommy, please..!", Mikasa shook harder when Akane didn't wake at first try.
Akane stirred, she opened her eyes weakly. "Mikasa? Baby, what is it?", she asked half asleep still, barely able to hold her eyes open.
"My tummy really hurts...", Mikasa replied shakily, her voice cracked. Akane opened her eyes, waking a bit more.
"Your tummy, sweetie?", she asked, rubbing her eyes. Mikasa nodded, biting her lip. "And...there was blood on my bed", she added, shakily.
Akane starred for a moment, and then she looked surprised. "Oh! Okay angel, okay, hold on...", Akane sat up, turning her nightstand's lamp on as Herrick remained sound asleep.
"Alright baby, its okay, mommy's here", Akane led Mikasa into the bathroom. She helped her daughter remove the bloody underwear first. "Mommy, what's wrong with me?", asked Mikasa.
"Nothing's wrong sweetheart, you're just having your first period", Akane started to explain, as she prepared a shower for her daughter.
"My period?", Mikasa tilted her head softly.
"All girls get it around your age, and you continue to get it every month sweetie...its nothing to be afraid of. All it means is your body is maturing and you'll be able to have children one day", Akane explained.
Mikasa blinked softly, as she began to relax at her mother's presence.
Akane helped her get a nice cool shower, and into clean clothes. After that, she helped Mikasa put her pad on, and changed her bedsheets.
"How long does it last, mommy?", asked Mikasa tiredly as Akane helped her daughter back into bed. "Only about 5 days is all honey...here, these will help with the pain" Akane helped her take some pain medicine.
Mikasa took the two pills with cold water, as she snuggled down into bed. Akane tucked her in, and turned on the fan, knowing her daughter may become overheated from her period.
"There we go, feel better baby?", asked Akane gently, as she sat on the edge of the bed, stroking Mikasa's hair.
"Mmhmm", Mikasa gave a small nod. Akane smiled, she leaned down to kiss her daughter's forehead. "Goodnight, my butterfly", she went to get up, but Mikasa gripped her mom's sleeve.
Akane blinked softly, and her eyes softened. "Mommy...stay with me...please", Mikasa pleaded, sounding on the verge of tears all of a sudden.
Akane gently got into the bed with her daughter, cuddling her close in her arms. Mikasa nuzzled into her mother, whimpering.
"Shhhhh, it's alright baby girl, mommy's here...angel, did anything bad happen at school?", Akane asked her daughter softly, stroking her hair.
"No...", Mikasa replied, she didn't..want to talk about it. "...Alright angel...Mommy will stay right here with you", Akane continued stroking her daughter's hair, she decided not to press it for now but she knew something must have happened.
No matter how hard Mikasa tried to hide it, her parents knew her well, and noticed she was acting off ever since she returned home from school that afternoon.
Mikasa ended up having to take a sick day from school due to her period. Even though the medicine took care of her cramps, she was so tired she couldn't even lift her eyelids that morning.
Between caring for Sebastian, Akane checked on her daughter every hour, worried about her. Mikasa remained asleep most of the day. She even slept through Sebastian's crying.
When she finally did wake up, it was 4 PM. She opened her eyes weakly, and sat up with a small groan. She yawned, stretching as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.
As she looked around her room, still out of it, she heard footsteps and then saw a teddy bear peer into her room from behind the wall, obviously being held by her dad.
"Oh hello! I was told a beautiful princess didn't feel so good today, so I came to cheer her up!", Herrick made the teddy bear say in a silly voice.
Mikasa had to smile, she even giggled a bit. "Daddy, I know that's you", she said. Herrick smiled, as he appeared from behind the wall, gently handing her the soft teddy bear.
Mikasa cuddled it close. "Thank you", she said, hugging the new toy close to her heart.
"How about we spoil your dinner today, princess?", Herrick asked as he stroked her hair. Mikasa blinked, and she nodded softly.
After enjoying an ice cream sundae, and after dinner Mikasa soon drifted back to sleep.
By the following day, she felt well enough to return to school. She was anxious about seeing Eren again..and at this point she wondered if they could ever play again.
She felt so confused and hurt...what had she done to make him so angry at her? Why did he get so defensive about the bruises?
Even though Mikasa had spent so long being just fine without friends, just being happy with her parents...now she wanted nothing more but to play with Eren again.
She grew so attached to him so easily, and now..it felt like there was a void in her heart. As she climbed into the bus, she looked around for Eren...but he wasn't there.
Her heart dropped, and her face fell in disappointment and worry. Maybe Carla would bring him in to class later? Like last time.
But as class went on for Mikasa, soon it was lunch time...Eren still didn't come to school. Recess was lonely for Mikasa, she sat by herself, avoiding he playground as she hoped Eren would just show up.
She kept glanced towards the doors, hoping he's suddenly walk out and approach her, and they'd make up and he'd explain everything.
But soon the bell ran and recess ended. Mikasa spent the majority of her last class starring at the clock, and soon it was time to go home.
Eren didn't come to school at all today. The day felt hollow and lonely without him, even if they were fighting, Mikasa still missed him.
In fact, it was because they were fighting she wanted to see him so badly. She didn't want things to be left like this.
On the bus ride home, Mikasa leaned against the window sadly as she wondered if she'd ever see Eren again.