"You're grounded."
It was Eren who had always been the troublemaker, the one picking fights, skipping chores, sneaking over to Armin's house at night, not her. Being confined to the house may have been the usual for her brother, but not for Mikasa. Maybe that's why the news comes as such a shock to her.
Dropping her string bag on the couch, the dark hair girl spins around to gawk at her brother.
"What?" She forces out, staring at Eren incredulously. The boy crosses his arms, tilting his chin up before repeating his statement.
"You're grounded." He narrows turquoise eyes at her when she opens her mouth to object, fixing her with the same withering look he'd no doubt received from their mother as a child. "No leaving the house, no climbing trees, nothing."
In the back of her mind, Mikasa suspects she looked like an idiot, jaw hanging open, eyes wide and affronted as she recoils from his words as if he'd spat venom.
"You can't ground me, Mom never put you in charge!" She finally snaps, hands flying to her hips, and for a moment, they're ten years old again, stubborn and frustrated.
"I'm the oldest, when Mom's away I'm automatically in charge." The boy insists, brows furrowing when Mikasa snorts.
"Mom doesn't trust you to water her plants, I doubt she'd leave you in charge." She shot back, enjoying the angry flush rising in his face. Although the brunette boy holds a special place in her heart, he isn't exempt from Mikasa's infamous taunts.
Eren holds her glare with equal intensity, setting his jaw as he shifts his weight to the side. The stare down lasts a few seconds before he lunges, tackling her around the waist and driving her into the cream-colored carpet below. Fighting has always been a common method of settling arguments between the siblings ever since they were young, and this time is no different. Mikasa is prepared for the attack, though, quickly tucking her knee up to dig into her brother's chest as she wrestles his hands away, shouting at him all the while.
"You're such a douchebag sometimes, you know that?" She grit her teeth, managing to wriggle loose and stumble to her feet, only to have her legs swept out from underneath her. Eren grunts in pain when his sister's elbow catches him in the stomach before he topples over with the raven-haired teen, all the while swatting at her attempts to overpower him. They land back on the carpet with a soft "oof," her clawing at his shoulders and him scrabbling to pin her wrists down. The boy restrains his thrashing sister for a quick second, leaning over her to yell.
"I'm a douche? At least I don't go around climbing trees and pissing off the town. What even is the point? Is it because of that scrawny cop? You got a crush on him or something- Augh, damn it!" He's barely finished the sentence when Mikasa abruptly headbutts him, taking advantage of his slackened grip to flip him over. Eren spits out a few curses when she plants herself on his calves, hooking her arm in a firm chokehold around his neck.
"Shut up! Just shut up! I don't have a damn crush on him, and even if I did I wouldn't tell you! So just shut up and stop being an asshole!" She's practically shouting now, hiding her face against Eren's shoulder. "It's important to me!"
The elder boy gradually stops fighting back, and Mikasa loosens her tight hold as the two teens ease out of the rage that had possessed them. After a bit, he gingerly pulls the young woman's hands away from his throat, and she hesitantly scoots off his legs, staring at her lap while the Eren groans and turns around, rubbing his neck.
"Jesus, Mika, you're like a freakin amazon." He finally mutters, and she can't help but smile a little.
"No, you're just a wimp." She teases, and the rueful grin tugging at his lips makes her heart skip a beat.
"Aw be quiet." The green-eyed boy laughs, playfully pushing her over. "At least I don't drool in my sleep."
"Well at least I didn't cry when I watched Jumanji." Mikasa fires back immediately, laughing when Eren fakes a pout.
"Are you ever going to let that go?" He sighs, looping an arm around the dark-haired girl's shoulders and pulling her close to hug. The sable-haired girl hides her smile by burying her face in the crook of his neck, feeling lazy and sated after the brief scuffle. They share a comfortable silence for a few minutes, appraising the damage inflicted on the living room with regret. The coffee table is crooked, the couch cushions are in disarray, not to mention the scuffed portion of the carpet.
Eren finally speaks after what seems like an eternity to his sister.
"If you say this whole tree thing is important to you, then I guess I can't stop you." He frowns slightly, tapping his fingers restlessly on his knees. "But you're still grounded for two weeks."
Mikasa leaves soon after, but not before sending her fist flying at Eren once more.
In Levi's five years in the police force, he's experienced countless tortures. There's been the time Auruo tazed him in trainee camp, or when some stupid brat attempting to rob the local 7-11 shot him twice with a paintball gun (Honestly, what kind of moron storms a place with a goddamn paintball gun?). He's suffered through Erd's painfully dull barbeques and Hanji's endless rants about execution methods. But never, ever has he faced something as cruel as this.
Boredom.
Deep down, Levi marvels that an emotion so incredibly tortuous exists. Slumped over his pristine desk, he ponders what mankind could have done to deserve such punishment.
His thoughts are interrupted when a tentative knock sounds from outside his door.
Erwin always knocks exactly three times, Auruo bangs on the door like a goddamn drum, Gunther knocks twice before announcing himself, Erd rattles the doorknob and Hanji just bursts in whenever they see fit. That left only one other.
"Come in, Petra." Levi drawls, reluctantly sitting up. The red-head quickly steps inside, face flushed as she smiles nervously.
"I have some reports from Auruo, sir. Are you busy?"
Levi shrugs a shoulder, holding out his hand expectantly. Petra hands him the papers, the majority of which are wrinkled or stained with coffee.
Goddamn it Auruo.
Edging towards the door once more, Petra rocks on her heels reluctantly, amber eyes flitting around the room. She's always been like this around him, flighty and downright clumsy at times. The man usually finds her behavior entertaining, but today he's not in the mood.
"Is there anything else?" Levi asks sourly. The petite officer jumps at his voice, scurrying backwards and shaking her head.
"No no, sir, nothing. I was just, er, nevermind, I'll just take my leave now."
Levi watches her rush out, tripping on her boots and leaving behind the faint scent of her apple-flavored perfume. Wrinkling his nose, he turns his attention to the first paper, attempting to decipher Auruo's lazy scrawl. It's no use, and within minutes he finds himself staring at the wall, all work abandoned. His job has never seemed particularly boring to the raven-haired man, irritating yes, but never boring. So why can't he focus now?
He scoffs, rapping the desk with his pen idly. Stupid, he knows why. It's all that damn girl's fault. She's somehow wormed her way into Levi's daily routine: dragging her ass back to the station seemed like an everyday occurrence, as usual as eating breakfast or checking the mail.
Unfortunately, Mikasa Ackerman has been strangely absent from prison. Levi suspects this is due to Eren, that bright-eyed, smart-mouthed brother of hers. The elder man find himself loathing the boy. How dare he make a mess of his delicate routine?
The image of Mikasa at the brink of tears flashes in his head, and Levi scowls, banging his pen more insistently. Stupid kid, making the bratty girl cry. He should have kicked Eren's ass when he had the chance.
"Levi!" A voice shatters his thinking, and the door flies open, crashing into the wall and sending a flurry of books and papers tumbling down from the shelves.
"Hanji," Levi seethes, pressing his knuckles to his temples. "What in the ever loving fuck are you doing in my office?"
The brunette chortles, stepping over the mess and sweeping up to his desk to thrust a plastic bottle into the slate-eyed man's face.
"The vending machine in the break room has this new stuff!" They gush, shaking the bottle eagerly. "Look look, herbal tea!"
Levi exhales tiredly as Hanji launches into a rant about antioxidants and natural vitamins. He only wishes some other aspects of his day were different.