Housekeeping

Disclaimer: SnK and its characters are not mine.

A/N: Whew, got this chapter done just in time for the first anniversary of this fic and my entry into the SnK fandom. (Twelve chapters in one year isn't bad, right?) Hope you enjoy, and apologies if it felt like a rush job. Big thanks to everyone who's supported me thus far!

Chapter 12

She was going to kill him. If she somehow made it out of this alive, that was going to be her new goal in life.

Shock couldn't even describe how she felt when he cut through her cables. But that's all Mikasa could call the sickening twist in her gut as she saw her literal life lines fall limply at her sides.

In one last desperate act of revenge, she launched both her blades at that scumbag's retreating backside. She had hoped to at least get one last satisfactory draw of his blood, but it was to no avail, as he easily dodged them without so much as looking in her direction.

All she could do was brace herself as she tumbled backward, cursing that son of a bitch for the sudden wave of trepidation that washed over her. Was she going to die here and now, over some stupid training exercise? What would happen to Eren if she didn't survive?

Considering the height she was plummeting from, and not a tree within reach for her to grasp onto, not even the woman worth a hundred soldiers could come out of this alive.

"Ackerman, your hand!" called the man she currently despised the most in the world.

Mikasa snapped out of her paralyzing thoughts and righted herself so that she could look upward. Diving down after her like a dark angel, Captain Levi stretched a single arm out to her.

Immediately realizing what he meant, she shot her hand up in time for his to firmly grip her forearm. The older man then set his lines to reel them in. Her feet couldn't have been more than two meters from the ground when she was jolted upward.

Mikasa surged with an unusual mixture of surprise, relief and burning hatred at what had just happened. In no time, the Captain had hauled her up to his level, shifting his other arm to securely wrap itself around her waist.

"You call that flyi—?" he started, but he didn't get to finish, for the teenage girl was already hurtling a fist toward his face.

"You bastard!"

Levi simply ducked his head to the side, but that didn't stop her from subsequently pounding on his chest.

"Bastard! Bastard! Bastard!" she screamed at him, each word accentuated with a blow. He didn't bother trying to stop her. Instead he turned his body slightly to search for a place to land. Meanwhile, Mikasa could feel tears stinging the edges of her eyes. How could this jackass be so calm after what he did to her? What kind of sadistic prick was he to enjoy tormenting her so much?

After awhile, she eased up on her fruitless assault and let her head fall onto his shoulder in exhaustion. Why exactly had she fallen for this sorry excuse for a man again?

Mikasa was so numb from her emotional overload that she barely felt their feet touch down on a tree branch. When she looked up, somehow she recognized it as the place they had started from. It was just then that she also noticed how tightly the Captain's grip held her up against him. She was pressed so close that she could feel his heart pounding in an identical rhythm to hers.

"Ackerman." His voice was so low, so…tender? No, she had to be imagining that. "Ackerman," he repeated presently, "are you all right?"

She couldn't help but notice he hadn't eased his grasp on her in the slightest, as if she were a bird that threatened to fly away. In fact, now his other arm was wrapped around her as well. "I… guess…" There was an unexpected waver to her own voice. She thought she could hide how rattled she was much better than that.

Mikasa tentatively shifted her weight away from him, attempting to stand up on her own. She breathed a sigh of relief that her legs could hold her without shaking. So, moving her hands down from his shoulders, she made to push him away to show she didn't need his support anymore.

However, to her surprise, he didn't budge. The raven-haired girl stared down at him in confusion. "Sir…?" She couldn't make out anything from his imperturbable face, so all she could do was awkwardly look away to his strong arms and then back to his unwavering gaze. There she found herself trapped by his steel orbs, which seemed to penetrate her own.

What was it about him that made her captivated by those eyes? Why was it that she honestly didn't mind being held like this by her Captain?

The snapping of a distant branch yanked her out of her reverie. She nearly knocked heads with the shorter man as her head whipped to the side toward the noise. Had she somehow gotten closer to him in the last few seconds…?

In an instant, his arms dropped to his side and he took a quick step back from her. The next thing she knew, he was flying via his 3DMG into a tree where a bunch of leaves were rustling in one particular area. Soon enough, he dragged a familiar blond boy into view by the back of his jacket.

"Armin!" she gasped, eyes going wide. How long had he been watching them?

"Arlert!" Mikasa could hear Levi barking from where she stood. "You'd better have a damn good reason for sneaking around like that."

It took the teenager a few seconds of stuttering to recover from his shock, but soon enough, he fixed his squad leader with a determined look. "Just watching out for my friend, Sir. I didn't want to risk her being in danger."

'In danger from Levi again,' Mikasa completed in her head. Her eyes narrowed. While she appreciated the concern, first Eren and now Armin spying on her? Mikasa wanted to roll her eyes. She was a big girl now; she could handle herself. But as she gazed at Levi's chiseled face and those arms that securely held onto her not too long ago, she began to have sudden doubts.

"I'd ask if you didn't trust me to keep her safe, but I think I already know the answer to that," Captain Levi spat. He looked from her best friend to herself before letting out a big sigh and shoving Armin aside. "Help Ackerman get back to base," he ordered. "I'll see you two later."

However, as he turned in the direction of HQ, his left foot slipped on the slick surface of the branch and gave a painful-looking twist. Levi hissed, visibly wincing, and fell down to one knee.

"Captain!" Mikasa and Armin yelled at the same time. The blond teenager stepped over to assist him, but the older man held up a hand.

"I don't need your help!" Levi instantly growled.

The half-Asian girl wanted to fly over to him, but she soon remembered she didn't have a functional 3DMG.

With a pained look on his face, he straightened himself up and made one last, long glance in her direction. "I don't need your help," he repeated in a low voice. A shot of twin lines and a moment later, he had disappeared from view.

What the hell was he thinking?! Goddammit! If Ackerman didn't already think he was a creepy old pervert then this certainly cinched the deal.

And it wasn't helping that his ankle hurt like a bitch. Getting to the infirmary would have to be Levi's first order of business. At least concentrating on that would get her off his mind—like how soothing her body had felt pressed up against his, how much he wanted to place his lips on her beautiful pink ones…

Levi had to slap himself. Literally, slap himself, to stop his mind from wandering into dangerous territory again. Arlert's sudden appearance was a blessing, no matter how much it felt like the opposite to him. He had been so close to losing all self-control with her. Who knows what he would have done to his underage subordinate had they not been interrupted?

Mikasa… The way she gracefully soared through the air and skillfully handled her blades was beauty in motion. And her eyes… the mere memory of the ferocity in those black orbs sent tingles up his spine. Everything about her was intoxicating.

Just like everything about her was toxic.

He was ready to slap himself again. There he went unintentionally thinking about her. Levi swore she was going to be the death of him one way or another. He was losing his damn head over her, and with their next expedition coming up so soon, he couldn't afford to be this distracted. Lives were counting on him.

Including hers.

Another surge of pain hit him as he landed on solid ground just outside the forest.

Focus. Focus. He needed to focus his thoughts on something else—anything else—to get her and the tempting prospect of cutting his leg off out of his head.

As he hobbled back to the castle as fast as he could, though, his mind drifted to how right it felt to have her in his arms. He'd give anything to be able to stare at her beautiful face forever.

And then it hit him like a pallet of bricks. He remembered how uncomfortable she looked being held by him, how badly he'd shaken her up at the end of their match.

He was her worst nightmare. Levi didn't have a snowball's chance in hell with her. He could yearn for her all he wanted, but the cold, hard reality was that she would never love him.

And again, it was all his damn fault.

When would he learn? He was supposed to be building trust with her, not hacking away at it. And judging by how she gave up hope as soon as she started plummeting to her death, she didn't have the slightest bit of faith in him to save her life.

Levi stormed into the infirmary and plopped himself down on the nearest empty cot. "I need a medic stat!" he barked. There was a sudden flurry of assistants scrambling over each other at his order. He took a quick look around the spacious, whitewashed room. There didn't seem to be anyone dying at least, so no need for him to feel guilty about demanding immediate attention.

He dragged his left leg up onto the rickety bed and was met with an instant wave of relief from his throbbing piece of agony.

It wasn't long before a trio of doctors buzzed around him, bombarding him with a million questions. He answered as curtly and as impatiently as possible in order to instill more urgency into the bumbling eggheads. Soon they finally examined his leg, poking and prodding and twisting it in every which excruciating way.

Levi gritted his teeth and bore the pain as best he could. It was nothing compared to the mental torture he would put himself through if he started thinking about her again.

Her and her damn beauty.

Her damn perfection.

Damn it all to hell!

Damn him to hell!

If that puny, bastard son of a bitch were here, she'd punch the daylights out of him for toying with her feelings.

"Mikasa, slow down!" Armin yelled over the rushing wind. They had agreed it was more practical for Mikasa to use his gear and carry him on her back in order to get them both to headquarters. At least, in theory it was a good idea. Neither of them had anticipated the raven-haired girl would be so consumed by her vindictive thoughts that she was involuntarily speeding through the forest as if it were on fire.

What was that sadistic asshole thinking? First he made her stare death in the eye, again, and then he rescued her? Talk about jerking her around.

She grazed another tree trunk, chunks of bark flying behind them in her wake.

"Mikasa, if you're going to get us killed, at least answer my question."

The half-Asian blinked, thinking back to what he'd asked in the first place. Oh right. "What the hell is going on between you and the Captain?!"

"I already told you, Armin, I almost died at that midget bastard's hands again."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

A flashback of how firmly the Captain held her flitted in her mind, the image of his piercing eyes mesmerizing her even now. She gave a slight shake of her head to dismiss it. Mikasa couldn't afford anymore distractions.

"I thought you loved Eren," Armin stated, a tinge of irritation in his strained voice, "so why were you trying to kiss the Captain?"

The last part cause Mikasa to misfire her line and for a single moment, both of them lurched downward until she was able to twist around and right them with another shot of the cable.

"I didn't…! We weren't…!" she sputtered in shock. She could feel her cheeks start to flush.

"Sure looked like it to me," Armin said plainly.

"It's not what you think!" There was a thin branch coming up that was already too close for Mikasa to avoid. So, she drew one of her blades and with an angry cry, sliced it out of her way.

She had hoped that would be the end of their conversation, but Armin wasn't going to be deterred. "Then what was it, Mikasa?"

What was it, indeed. "He was just, I mean…we…" Mikasa growled in frustration. "…I don't know, Armin." Tired of trying to come up with anymore excuses, she instead focused her attention on getting them safely through the forest.

A few more minutes of silence passed before Armin gravely asked, "Do you like Captain Levi?"

Mikasa didn't answer because she couldn't definitively answer that herself. She still hated the Captain for the countless things he'd done to her and Eren, yet at the same time, she couldn't get him out of her head.

Thankfully, they soon reached the end of the forest. The teenage girl mutely touched down and let Armin off. She then quickly removed his 3DMG to hand back to him.

As he grabbed the leather straps, he made one final, terse request. "Eren needs to know. I think it'd be better if he heard it from you and not me." With that, he slung the gear over his shoulder and made the trek back by himself.

Mikasa leaned against the nearest tree and soon found herself sliding down to a sitting position. The exhaustion from this morning was finally catching up to her. No matter how she tried to convince herself otherwise, Armin was right. She was going to have to tell Eren about her feelings for the Captain.

The woman worth a hundred soldiers turned her head up to the noon sky. Although the sun's rays beat steadily down on her, the chilly autumn breeze negated its warmth.

Could it be possible the Captain had feelings for her as well? She roughly rubbed her forehead to banish the thought. Impossible. Their moment earlier was in all likelihood more her than him. He was simply concerned about her and wanted to make sure she was okay. She had just interpreted it the wrong way and let her teenage urges take over, nothing more.

But still…even if there was one sliver of hope that he returned her affection…there was no way it would work out. He couldn't risk his position of leadership by getting involved with a lowly cadet like her, especially with sexual harassment charges looming over his head.

With a grunt, she slowly got up onto her sore two legs. If she didn't get back soon, Eren was going to wonder where she was, and she didn't need anyone else worrying about her.

Eren drummed his fingers on the mess hall table. Everyone else had long returned to training, and there was still no sign of Armin or Mikasa. It wasn't like either of them to be this late, so something serious must have happened. He'd just stood up from his seat to go out and look for them when he spied his best friend walking over with his lunch tray.

"Armin! There you are!" he greeted, relieved.

The blond teenager blinked for a moment before responding, "Oh, hey, Eren." He quickly took his place at his usual spot.

Now, the young titan-shifter had to admit he wasn't normally as perceptive as the boy sitting two seats away, but even he could gather Armin was rather distracted. "Where've you been? And where's Mikasa?"

The question startled the blond so much, he dropped his spoon back onto his tray. Without making eye contact, he promptly retrieved the utensil and used it to nervously stir his stew. "She's…coming," he answered lamely.

Eren knitted his eyebrows. Something fishy was going on here. "Armin, we've been over this before; you're a terrible liar. What's going on?"

A pair of blue eyes finally showed themselves to the dark-haired boy. "Sorry, I've just got my mind on…other things."

"Like what?" Eren demanded. "Does it have to do with why you and Mikasa are so late?"

Armin sighed, turning away and rubbing a hand over his brow. "It's complicated, Eren. You should just talk to Mikasa when she gets here."

"Talk to her? About what?" Seriously, what could have kept them so long? And why now all of a sudden does he need to talk to her? They talk to her all the time. If it was that important, she would have asked him flat out by now. Unless it was something she couldn't talk about in front of everyone else…

Eren's eyes went wide. He quickly grabbed Armin by the collar of his shirt with both hands and pulled him close to his face. "Is it about that…thing?"

Now it was Armin's turn to be confused. "What thing?"

The titan-shifter lowered his voice a pitch. "You know, that thing thing. The love thing."

"What?! No…well, maybe sorta…"

Oh God, it was. "Shit, shit, shit, Armin! I'm not ready to have that talk with her."

"Eren, calm down!" His friend squirmed out of his grasp and sat back. "That's not what you need to discuss with her…necessarily."

Dammit, Armin, stop being a bad liar. Eren had totally forgotten he needed to think about this. What would he say to her? Did he love her like just family or like that? Maybe he should just keep it vague until he could stall for more time. Like, how they'll always be really close, or that he can't stand seeing her hurt. Maybe even be like, 'Mikasa, I always want to be there to protect you…'

"Hey Eren," greeted Mikasa quietly, suddenly appearing out of nowhere beside him.

The now high-strung boy nearly jumped out of his skin. "Mikasa, I love you—"

His adoptive sister dropped her lunch tray to the floor with a clatter, her eyes bugging out wide. Her pink lips parted in utter shock.

"—you…r hair," Eren quickly tried to cover up. He could hear Armin audibly face-palming from behind the teenage girl. "Love your hair…with that nice…wind-blown look." This was quickly followed by a thud as his blond friend's head met the table.

Mikasa's cheeks reddened, and she swiftly ducked down to clean up her spilt food. "Oh… thanks…" she shyly replied. Eren likewise felt his face start to flush.

She had just stood up with her mess of a tray when a familiar voice echoed from the far side of the hall.

"Mikasaaaaaa~!" called Squad Leader Hanji as she raced down the center of the room toward them. "There you are! Come, come, I need your help!"

No sooner had the auburn-haired woman stopped beside the trio when she grabbed the half-Asian girl by the elbow, dragging her away from them. This caused Mikasa to drop her tray for the second time.

"Wait, hold on!" his adoptive sister stopped the both of them by planting her feet firmly before they'd reached the end of the dining table. "What exactly do you need help with?" She eyed the older woman suspiciously.

"Why, to bring Captain Shorty his lunch!" Hanji declared matter-of-factly.

"Hell no!"

"No way!" Mikasa and Armin, respectively, exclaimed at the same time.

The Squad Leader blinked blankly at the two of them. "Aw, come on. Levi can barely walk after all that practice you put him through." Hanji made an exaggerated wink in Mikasa's direction, but Eren didn't have the foggiest idea why. In fact, he was surprised to hear the Captain was that badly injured again, considering he seemed perfectly fine at the end of their training session earlier.

The raven-haired girl turned her head away and fixed her eyes on the floor. "I'm sorry, Hanji," she muttered. "I just can't."

"Maybe you can get Moblit to—" Armin offered, but he was abruptly cut off.

"Nope! He's busy!" the glasses-wearing woman chirped. "Besides, I'm sure he'd much rather see Mikasa's pretty face~!" She turned to snicker into her hand.

By now, the young soldier had buried her face into her scarf, the hue of which nearly matched its owner's cheeks. "Please don't ask me to do this…"

"Okay, fine, I won't ask." The eccentric woman promptly let go of Mikasa's arm. However, before the girl could breathe a sigh of relief, Hanji brightly added, "I order you to bring the Captain his lunch."

Eren's two friends turned as slack-jawed as he'd been throughout this. What the hell was going on?

"Squad Leader, please," Armin implored. "Mikasa isn't feeling well. I can go in her stead."

"Hush you!" Hanji wagged a finger at him. "Come along, Mikasa! Time's a wasting!" With that, she resumed dragging the sullen girl along with her. "You'd be amazed how heavy that shorty is when you have to help him walk up and down half a dozen flights of stairs. The doctors think he'll have to stay off his feet for at least a week…"

The scientist's peppy voice soon faded out of earshot. For a few minutes, all Eren could do was stare at his silent best friend.

"So, Armin…" The blond finally looked at him. Before the other teenager could say a word, Eren let his pent-up frustration burst to the surface. "What the hell was that about?!"

The blue-eyed cadet fell back into his seat and sighed, "I guess I should fill you in on a few things…"

The pile of crumpled-up papers spilling out from his wastebasket was the largest it had been all week. Levi supposed he should take out the garbage, but he hadn't had his usual motivation to clean these last two days—ever since he lost the assistance of a certain raven-haired girl…

After he pitched one more wad of parchment to join its discarded pals, he heaved a deep sigh and leaned back in his chair. At least the painkillers were doing the trick. He only wished they had some amnestic properties too.

There was a light rapping on his door, followed by some muffled words between what sounded like two people.

"Go away!" he shouted.

Instead, his door was flung open and in stumbled the subject of his haunting thoughts.

"Ackerman…?" he started in surprise.

Behind her, the large slab of wood quickly shut of its own volition, but Levi could have sworn he saw the glint of glasses before it closed.

Shitty Glasses.

"Ackerman, what are you doing here?" He tried to maintain as calm a composure as possible, but Levi presently noticed how the girl before him wasn't even trying to make eye contact. Rather, she took a sudden interest in the tray she was carrying.

"I was ordered to bring your lunch, Sir," she mumbled with a hint of irritation.

"Ordered?"

She merely nodded and moved rigidly to place the sparse tray on an empty spot on his desk. He made a mental note to kick the crap out of Shitty Glasses when he next saw her.

"Now if you'll excuse me…" She turned abruptly and hastily made for the exit.

"Ackerman, wait!" he involuntarily called after her. She stopped and stiffened immediately. What the hell had gotten into him now? "I…would like a word with you." The wheels in his head quickly turned, but they were no match for the speed his heart was racing at. When she gave him a sidelong glance, he motioned to the chairs across his desk.

Mikasa quietly took a seat but still kept her head down.

Just what did he think he was doing? He should have let her walk away. Levi, though, soon realized his heart had made up his mind for him. "I screwed up again."

Mikasa's head perked up slightly at the declaration. Damn, she looked beautiful.

Levi gave himself a quick mental punch. It was those kinds of thoughts that had led him to nearly kissing her in the forest. "I was too caught up in the heat of the moment, and… I got carried away." He rubbed the back of his neck. "That's no excuse for my behavior, but still, I'm sorry for my actions."

Silence, and not even a glance of acknowledgement. Levi guessed he should have seen that coming. Having a superior officer almost force himself on her for a second time would make any girl scared to talk to him.

"I hope you can forgive me yet again." He made one last attempt at a response.

"I don't believe I forgave you the first time around," she replied curtly. This made Levi straighten up. She finally lifted her gaze to meet his, and there was that familiar fire in them once more. "It was bad enough when you toyed with me simply to get a reaction out of Eren. Then you purposefully set me up for a near death experience? What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Wait a minute, she was upset with that part of the incident? Or maybe she didn't even want to touch on his rampant desires.

"You're the most sadistic asshole I've ever met!" she angrily continued. "I'm not some plaything you get to jerk around on a whim."

"That's enough, Ackerman." He did his best to keep his voice steady and not get equally upset with her.

"This is not even close to being enough, Sir," the girl spat. "I put my trust in you, and it's not just because you're the best shot I have at protecting Eren. And yet, you go and trample it like some kind of insect time and time again."

Levi knew he deserved every word of this, but as her Captain, he couldn't let her go too far. "I said, 'That's enough, Ackerman.' Give me a goddamn chance to explain myself or you'll be shoveling horse shit with a spoon for the next decade!"

His raven-haired subordinate flinched at his threat and reluctantly paused her tirade.

He gave a quick rub of his temple and expounded, "You're an extraordinary soldier, Ackerman, but I know you can do more. That is why I continually push your boundaries; I know you can handle it." Her porcelain face didn't budge in the slightest, but he wasn't expecting anything else really. "Sometimes, though, you also make me forget that you're still human—a person that feels, someone who cares about others…even if they don't deserve your help." Levi averted his gaze at the last part. "I can't promise that things will be any different from now on. That's why I offered you a way out. But maybe now you'll understand why I do the things I do."

Not a sound was heard as she mulled over his words. After what seemed like eons of silence, she mutely stood up and made her way for the exit. Levi let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding in and slowly closed his eyes.

She turned the door knob and was about to cross the threshold when she spoke up, "Oh and Captain." His slate orbs revealed themselves to her as she got her last word in before leaving. "Your window is filthy again."

The rest of Mikasa's day passed by in an uneventful blur that she couldn't care less about. To her relief, she wasn't ordered to bring him his supper as well. She honestly didn't think she could take seeing him one more time after their little talk.

That cold-hearted bastard had actually said something nice to her, and on purpose. Not to mention he'd sounded so apologetic and sincere, she couldn't believe he was the same tormenter that haunted her every waking thought. Sometimes it felt like she was dealing with two different men, which would explain the duality of her feelings for him.

As she fell back against her bed, the single candle on her night stand flickered. Mikasa rolled over onto her side and stared at it, for lack of anything better to do. For the past week, she'd gotten into the habit of getting ready to sleep by this time, but now that she didn't have the Captain's chores to wake up for, she found herself quite bored. What did she used to do at this hour? It felt like a lifetime ago, so she didn't have the faintest idea.

A light knock came from her door. The raven-haired girl sat up in surprise. It wasn't long, though, before she remembered the answer to her own question. 'Right, Eren or Armin would stop by to hang out,' she recalled.

She hopped to her feet and strode over to see who her guest was. As soon as she pulled back the wooden barrier, she was met with a pair of emerald eyes.

"Eren," she greeted with a gentle smile. "Come in."

"Hey, um, thanks," her adoptive brother nervously replied as he walked in. He made a beeline for his usual spot in her room, namely her chair, which he dragged over from the desk to her bed like old times. Judging by his jerky movements and lack of Eren cheerfulness, Mikasa had a feeling something was on his mind.

"So what's bothering you?" she calmly inquired. No point beating around the bush.

Eren gulped and scratched the back of his head. "Er, Mikasa…I need to talk to you about…something…" He made a few attempts to look her in the face, but for unknown reasons, his gaze always drifted to the same candle she'd previously been intent on studying.

"Sure, Eren, anything." More like anything to get her mind off a certain asshole.

His right hand went from scratching to fiddling with the other hand in his lap. "It's about the Captain…"

So much for that idea. Mikasa could feel her heart rate begin to pick up. "Oh?"

"Armin told me about what happened with you and him today."

Now her pulse was racing at lightning speeds. "I see…" The half-Asian girl tried to calm herself as much as possible. She hadn't been prepared to confess her feelings for the Captain to him tonight; she had hoped to talk to him tomorrow about this, after she had mentally recovered from today.

"Mikasa, I don't want to lose you." Eren's fingers clenched into fists.

Her hands were instantly on top of his. "I'll always be there for you, you know that, Eren. There's no way even he could take me away from you."

"He can if you're dead, Mikasa," the boy practically cried.

The teenage girl blinked. That wasn't exactly what she had been expecting.

With a tremor in his voice, Eren continued, "I should have never left you alone with him. Thank God Armin was at least there watching over you. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to save your life." Fighting back a sob, he hunched over and covered his face with his hands.

"…That's all you were upset about?" the words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

His head snapped up. "Was there more?"

Mikasa's jaw dropped open. Their friend must have left out the kiss part, she quickly realized. "Uh, well… I did have to borrow Armin's gear to get us both back."

"Oh yeah, he mentioned that too."

Mikasa took a deep breath. She had to stop stalling and just tell him. "There's…something I need to talk to you about as well."

Eren cocked his head to the side in a quizzical expression.

"It's also about me and the Captain."

"Oh?"

"You see... How should I explain this?" She guessed she should start at the beginning. "I hate his guts."

Eren snorted. "That's nothing new."

Mikasa set her lips in a grim line and continued, "I hate him so much I could strangle him. But..." She looked down at her hands guiltily. "I can't stop thinking about him."

"Yeah, I've noticed that."

"You have?" She asked incredulously.

Eren shrugged. "I mean, it's like what the Captain said that one night. It's only natural to care about others you work with. That just shows you have a good heart to be concerned about his well-being all the time, even after what he put us through."

For a moment, Mikasa just stared at him. 'Eren, you idiot.' She couldn't believe he'd completely misinterpreted what she'd said. Should she try to correct him?

Before she could debate it further, her adoptive brother interrupted her thoughts.

"And…there was one other thing I wanted to talk to you about..." As he rubbed the back of his neck, she noticed a trickle of sweat run down the side of his head. "It's about...us."

Mikasa gulped. She had forgotten about that kiss she'd almost given him...

After inhaling deeply, he blurted out, "Mikasa, I always want to be there for you. I don't know what I'd do if any harm came to you... That's why… I…" He spoke so hurriedly, it was as if he were trying to rattle off what was in his heart before he lost his nerve.

"Yes, Eren?"

"I...don't want to leave your side. From now on, I want to be your... "

Was this it? Was this the moment she used to dream of? She held her breath, a smile tugging at her lips as she gazed deep into his emerald eyes.

"…bodyguard."

Mikass nearly fell over onto the floor. "My…bodyguard?" She asked skeptically.

"Uh, yeah... That's right..." He vigorously nodded.

Mikasa would be lying if she said she wasn't overwhelmingly disappointed. She had practically thrown herself at him and this was what she got? "Sorry, Eren, I appreciate the offer, but I can take care of myself," she declared with a huff. She was so sick of being put on these emotional wild goose chases.

"No, no, let me explain. I know you're stronger than me, hell, a better fighter too. But maybe you could use some back-up…"

She didn't want to hear another word from him. The irate girl stormed away from the bed without so much as a glance in his direction. "Eren, I think it's time you left." Her blood boiling now, she yanked the door open and motioned for him to get out.

The dark-haired boy scrambled to his feet and held up both hands in front of him. "Mikasa, wait, hear me out…"

"I think you made yourself quite clear, Eren," she snapped.

"But I didn't mean it like that. I wasn't trying to say you needed to be protected, but you know, I still want to be there to help you…"

"Eren, I don't need your help!"

"I don't need your help!" growled a familiar voice inside her head. That moment in the forest after the Captain had twisted his ankle flashed before her. She took a step backward as more memories were suddenly triggered in her mind's eye.

"Sometimes, though, you also make me forget that you're still human…" his voice intoned in her head.

She saw scenes of when he apologized to his entire squad for his misconduct.

"…a person that feels…"

Of how his face had softened remorsefully upon seeing her walk into the rec room a few days ago.

"…someone who cares about others…even if they don't deserve your help."

Of how he tenderly made sure she was all right after their match in the forest, despite the beating she ungratefully gave his chest.

"But maybe now you'll understand why I do the things I do."

Like the sun breaking through storm clouds, it dawned on her how similar she and the Captain were after all—down to making the same misjudgments about each other. If that were the case, then maybe, just maybe, somewhere under that asshole exterior of his was a decent guy worth a second chance.

She then remembered the state of his un-Levi-like office, from his overflowing trash can to his grimy window. A pang of guilt hit her like a titan's fist. Even though she had a lot of personal issues to deal with, he was likely going through his own troubles as well. And just as it was foolish for him to push her away with his injury, it would be equally irrational for her to dismiss Eren's assistance when her sanity could use the support.

"Hey, Mikasa?" A tan hand waved in front of her face. "You okay?"

"Huh? Oh…" She blinked herself back to the present. "Yes, I am, and…Eren…I'm sorry," she apologized, "for losing my head there." She then took his hand in her two. "Actually, I just thought of something that you can help me with."

Her brother's eyes lit up. "Sure, anything!" He seemed more than eager to make up for unintentionally offending her earlier.

She gave him a small smile as she began to elucidate, "You'll need to get some rest first though…"

Levi groggily rolled over in his bed to look at his clock. Reading its face, he found he'd slept in five minutes past his usual waking time. 'Must be those painkillers,' he thought as he dragged himself out from under the covers. It was a chillier morning than yesterday, but Levi was too numb to care.

He placed his right foot on the icy floorboards and gingerly tested his weight on his left ankle. Even that, however, was enough to cause a sharp pain to lance up his leg. He sat back on the bed and reached over for the crutch Shitty Glasses had given him before he left his office the other night. Levi still wanted to kick her ass, but he'd have to do it when he was better or risk making his condition worse.

As he hobbled over to his bathroom in the pre-dawn darkness, he heard a gentle rapping on his door. His heart leapt up at the familiar sound, but no, it couldn't be… He quickly wrote it off as those drugs playing tricks on him. Levi made to continue on his way when he heard it again, this time more insistent.

"Who's there?" he called tentatively, as if expecting to see a ghost.

But it was soon clear that this was no apparition. He'd know the sound of her cheeky voice anywhere.

"Housekeeping."