Hello beautiful Lily! Ever since you asked me what my fave Shoujos are, I’ve been wondering whIch ones you like. If you have time, would you mind sharing some “Pickalilywrites Shoujo recommendations” with us?
ofc!!! lol it’s been a while since i sat down and read a shoujo (and i’m interested in a lot but some aren’t complete >///<) but i used to read soooo much in hs + undergrad:
* = ongoing
Faves
Cardcaptor Sakura ♡ Banana Fish ♡ Beauty Pop ♡ Donten ni Warau ♡ Fruits Basket ♡ Hiyokoi ♡ Last Game ♡ Special A ♡ Machida-kun no Sekai ♡ Magic Knight Rayearth ♡ Mashikaku Rock ♡ Hana to Rakurai ♡ Makakushi no Kuni ♡ Meteor Methuselah ♡ Miriam ♡ Ojousama no Utenshu ♡ Oresama Sensei* ♡ Palace Meidi ♡ Penguin Revolution ♡ Sugar Apple Fairy Tale ♡ Sugar Sugar Rune ♡ Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai ♡ Versailles no Bara ♡ Taiyou no Ie ♡ I’m in Love and It’s the End of the World ♡ Kigurumi Guardians* ♡ Happy Cafe ♡ Ilgenes ♡ Eensy Weensy Monster ♡ Usotoki Rhetoric* ♡ Natsume’s Book of Friends* ♡ Love so Life
Other Good Ones I Really Enjoyed:
Arisa ♡ ReRe Hello ♡ Coelacanth ♡ Kagen no Tsuki ♡ Haruyuki Bus ♡ Kieli ♡ Meteor Prince* ♡ Tig-Hug Planet ♡ Reimei no Arcana ♡ Junjou Drop ♡ Pika Ichi
Super Short Shoujos
Shorty And Chubby Are In Love, So What? ♡ Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star ♡ Clear Color ♡ Lien no Tou Yori
And If You Don’t Mind Watching It Instead!
Revolutionary Girl Utena ♡ Sailor Moon ♡ Cardcaptor Sakura ♡ Hotarubi no Mori e ♡ Akagami no Shirayuki-hime
i def have to read some of your recs and get back to you tho lol (didn’t add tonari no kaibutsu kun and hirunaka no ryuusei cuz you already added those to your list >///<)
I absolutely adore you and your art! Your Jeankasa’s (my forever OTP) in particular bring me overwhelming amounts of joy. Thank you so much for for blessing us with them!
I guess it's the characters themselves. I both love them a lot ! They're really good, and I think that they just become better together. Mikasa is the hot-headed one, let's be real lol, and Jean is always here to calm her down (ex : she's ready to dive into a clique of titans and he just tells her "yo no u dumbass"). He's a rational thinker and he's not afraid to speak his mind to her (except to confess his love to her rip) ! Although, she cares a lot about Eren, she does acknowledge the other, and Jean too. Unlike some anon once told me, she cares about Jean. Maybe not as much as he does for her, but still. (I remember this very cute panel of Mikasa putting bandages on a hurted Jean)
I think they complete each other and brings out the best of each other :D
I’ve always loved your Tokyo Ghoul, TG: re, & AoT metas — however, I’m wondering how on earth I missed your BSD posts!! Your header is what caught my eye - and I’ve just spent the last 45 mins binging some of your incredible metas & theories. I love both the show and manga so much, so seeing this has absolutely made my day!! Thanks for all you do! P.S. I’m also a huge Akutagawa fan! I just want him to find a little happiness!
AHHHHH thank you so much!!! I’m a relatively new fan--only in the past month! And now I’m obsessed, lol, it’s definitely my favorite ongoing manga (*missing TG feels rn*). If you ever have any questions and/or want to talk about Akutagawa or anyone else feel free to message me or send me an ask!
(I do believe he will get happiness in the end *wipes tears*)
for my jeankasa wife @thecashmerefox xoxo b/c you always make the jeankasa fandom a great place to be and ily
I Find out My Crush Is a Mob Boss’ Daughter
Jeankasa. Shoujo Manga AU.
I Fell in Love with a Mob Boss’ Daughter series.
4587 words.
Buy me a ko-fi!
Mikasa Ackerman is eating alone again. It’s been this way since the beginning of the school year. When Jean had first enrolled in Rose Academy, a private high school known for its rigorous education system, Mikasa was the first person he had noticed. It was not the shiny, black limousine nor the suited bodyguards that accompanied the first-year girl to the gate that caught Jean’s attention, although those things certainly did help. Rather, it was the way Mikasa carried herself, her head held high with a mature expression of someone well beyond her years, that intrigued Jean. Though she wore the same standard uniform that every other girl in the school wore - a crisp white collared shirt tucked into a dark blue pleated skirt and a gray cardigan thrown over it - she looked like a model. It must have been the way she walked, elegantly stepping forward with a grace that belonged to someone of nobility. Jean had never seen anyone like her before, and it was clear that nobody else at the school had either from the way they were staring. It wasn’t long before her name began to circulate among the students - the first year princess Mikasa Ackerman. With that sort of popularity, Jean was certain that Mikasa would quickly make friends, so he’s surprised to see that she’s still alone one month into the school year.
“I just don’t understand it,” Jean murmurs, munching on his sandwich. His eyes, as usual, are fixated on Mikasa who sits in front of him, obliviously eating her own lunch. Like him, Mikasa always brings lunch from home although she usually brings intricately made bentos while Jean’s mother always packs him a sandwich and some homemade soup. That’s another thing that should make Mikasa popular, Jean thinks, her homemade bentos. Girls are crazy over that stuff, and yet not a single person ever joins Mikasa for lunch. “Why doesn’t anyone ever talk to her?”
“If you’re talking about who I think you’re talking about,” Sasha says without even turning her head, “there’s definitely a reason. If you haven’t figured it out by now, just forget about it. It’s better if you just mind your own business.” These words are rather uncharacteristic of Sasha Braus, a girl known for her friendliness and chattiness. However, Jean’s heard these words from her regarding Mikasa more than once before, so he’s hardly surprised.
“Yeah,” Connie agrees. He glances up to look at Mikasa just for a moment before looking back down at his lunch - a loaf of melon bread he had bought at the lunch line with Sasha earlier - and mumbles, “Mind your own business, Jean.”
Jean has noticed others looking at Mikasa the same way Connie just did - a quick glance before looking away as if they hadn’t seen anything. At first, he thought it was because they hadn’t wanted to be caught staring or be seen as rude, but it seems as if there’s something else to it as well. Something like … fear. He can’t really imagine why though. Is it that she’s so beautiful that she strikes fear in the hearts of others because they feel they cannot rightfully stand beside her? If so, Jean kind of understands that feeling … although he thinks it’s odd that everyone in the school would feel the same way. Mikasa is admittedly intimidating - in addition to her beautiful looks and the graceful air about her, she’s shown herself to be an academic genius and a force to be reckoned with athletically - but that doesn’t mean she should spend her entire high school life alone. Even if Mikasa seems fine with not having friends … Jean thinks that’s rather lonely.
“I’m going to talk to her,” Jean says suddenly. He gets up, the sound of his chair scraping against the tiled floor startling his friends.
“Jean! Are you insane?” Sasha hisses, grabbing onto his arm. She looks back at Mikasa and looks relieved that the other girl hasn’t turned around yet. She accidentally yanks Jean back with far too much strength and he nearly falls over. “Don’t talk to her just because you think she’s pretty!”
Immediately, Jean’s face flushes. “That’s not it!” he stammers before freeing his arm of Sasha’s grip. He stumbles back, rubbing the place where she had held on so tightly. When he pulls up his sleeve, he sees that there are red marks on his arms where Sasha’s fingers had been. “I don’t know why you’re so against this anyway. It’s not as if she’s done anything to you,” Jean says angrily, pulling his sleeve down.
Sasha opens her mouth to respond but closes it. After thinking for a moment, she says, “It’s not that I don’t like her. I’m just … looking out for you. It’s best if you don’t get involved.” She’s calmer now, but Jean is unwilling to listen to her any longer.
“I’m sure you mean well, Sasha, but about your advice?” Jean says, walking backwards with his arms spread wide to show that he no longer cares what she says. “Thanks, but no thanks.”
“Ugh, that stubborn bastard,” Sasha mutters.
“It’s fine,” Connie says, nibbling on his bread. “He’ll regret it later.”
Most people turn their heads when a person stops by their desk, but Mikasa continues to eat even when Jean stands right next to her. It’s as if she doesn’t see him … or is it that she’s purposely ignoring him? For a moment, Jean’s afraid that Sasha was right. He should have kept to himself and left Mikasa alone. Maybe there’s a reason why she doesn’t have any friends. Maybe she likes it that way. Maybe this is all a mistake.
He stands there for a moment, deciding whether to turn back or to walk straight past Mikasa, but someone calls his name instead.
“Jean.”
He turns, surprised, and for a moment he thinks it’s Sasha calling him, but he realizes it’s not her. It’s Mikasa. Her voice is so soft that he almost didn’t hear her. He’s only heard her speak when she was called in class, but he had thought he had imagined the gentle, melodic tone in her voice. Somehow this makes her even more intimidating than before, and Jean wishes he hadn’t approached her at all. It’s far too late to pretend he hadn’t walked up to her though and all he can do is stand in front of her desk, twiddling his fingers and stammering.
“Mikasa! Hey!” he says. Awkwardly, he reaches up to rub the back of his neck. He swallows nervously and glances back at her before looking up at the ceiling. It’s strange that he had thought badly of Connie and others for doing the same thing - looking at Mikasa and then looking quickly away as if he’s afraid of her - and yet he can’t help but do it too. Ashamed, he forces himself to look Mikasa in the face, but she doesn’t seem surprised at his reaction. Instead, she looks disappointed. It makes him even more determined to become her friend. “Do you want to study together after school?”
“Study?” she repeats, blinking at him.
“Yeah,” Jean says. He shoves both of his hands in his pockets and rocks back and forth on the heels of his feet. He wants more than anything to stare at the floor, but he forces to keep his focus on Mikasa’s face so that he can’t avoid her gaze. “I’m not that great with literature and thought you could help me since you always get good grades. And, you know, it could be fun to study together…”
“Fun,” Mikasa murmurs, looking down at her lunch. She thinks it over for a moment before looking back at Jean and telling him, “My parents always want me straight home after school.”
“Ah, I see,” Jean says, not knowing how to feel about this answer. Is this an indirect rejection? He supposes he should be grateful that she had been kind enough to find an excuse to reject him, although he thinks he might have preferred she had been upfront and honest if she didn’t want to study with him in the first place. He’s about to excuse himself and return to his lunch with Connie and Sasha before Mikasa speaks again.
“If you’re okay with it … would you like to study at my house after school?” Mikasa asks. She looks at him shyly, and Jean thinks that everyone has misunderstood her completely.
It is not that Mikasa wants to be alone, Jean realizes, but that her circumstances prevent others from interacting with her. In this case, it’s her overprotective parents. Rather than allow their daughter to have a social life with others after school, they require her to go straight home. He doesn’t know the exact details as to why this is so - perhaps they are afraid of bad influences or maybe they want her at home so that they can ensure that she’s studying properly - but Mikasa isn’t as cold and unapproachable as others say she is. By extending his hand first, Jean can be her first high school friend and even open the door for others to befriend the beautiful genius in the first-year class.
“Absolutely!” Jean says. He wonders if he appears too enthusiastic, but Mikasa doesn’t seem to mind. There’s something like a smile on her face, and he thinks it’s the first time he’s ever seen her happy in school.
They agree to meet at the gate after school - her house is a bit far, so she’ll arrange for them to be driven there - before Jean heads back to Connie and Sasha. It’s hard not to disguise his pleasure with how the conversation turned out. He’s practically skipping as he strides over to his desk, humming an old nursery song as he does so. Jean expects to see Sasha and Connie to congratulate him when they see him in high spirits or at the very least be impressed, but they only look sorry for him.
“I hope you know what you’ve gotten yourself into,” Sasha says with a sigh.
Connie only nods beside her as he nibbles on the last of his bread.
“I’m going to be fine,” Jean says with a grin, but his friends only shake their heads at him.
For the rest of the day, Jean can’t concentrate on his schoolwork. It’s difficult when he knows that he’ll be able to go to Mikasa Ackerman’s house and study with her. He’s sure that others would be secretly envious of him if they knew. It’s just that they’re too cowardly to approach her. If they had, they would have found out that Mikasa is not only friendly but also a little shy. It’s a bit cute, he thinks.
As soon as the final bell rings, Jean jumps out of his seat and heads towards the school entrance. He doesn’t even bother to bid Sasha and Connie goodbye - although he does hear them say something about him running straight towards his funeral, but he’s sure they’re just jealous. When he comes back tomorrow, they’ll come to their senses and beg him to tell them everything about Mikasa. Who knows? Maybe they’ll even get over their fear of Mikasa and ask Jean to introduce them to her so that they can all become friends. This after school study session might be the start of an after school study group that might make Mikasa more approachable to everyone. Ah, he really is a good guy for being the only one with enough courage to speak to Mikasa.
By the time he gets to the front entrance, Mikasa is already waiting for him. He really shouldn’t be that surprised when he sees her - after all, they did arrange to meet there - but it’s still somewhat of a shock to see Mikasa standing there in front of the shiny, black limousine that drops her off every morning. He had planned to stride over cooly as if he’s accustomed to things like limousines and suited bodyguards, but he loses his confidence midway. Even with Mikasa watching him with an expectant smile on her face, Jean finds his footsteps faltering as he gets closer to the limousine. He’s well aware of all the people staring at him as he walks towards the car, but that’s not what makes him nervous. The bodyguards - with their fitted suits, their unreadable expressions, and their eyes hidden behind ominous-looking sunglasses - are what bothers him the most. The fact that he can’t see their expressions is what frightens him the most, and he struggles to walk over there with a smile. When he finally reaches Mikasa, he can hardly keep from shaking as he stands beside her, and he knows that his smile looks horribly forced. Still, Mikasa smiles back at him as if she doesn’t notice.
“Hey, Jean,” Mikasa says with a smile that’s even more dazzling up close. She turns towards the limousine, its door held open by one of her bodyguards. “Want to get going?”
“Y-yeah!” he stammers. “Absolutely.” He tries to remain calm and he slides into the car behind her. It’s partly because he wants to appear cool, as if he rides things like limousines and yachts in his spare time, but it’s also because he doesn’t want Mikasa to feel awkward. People gawk at her all the time, and it’s probably awkward for her. If he wants to help her make friends, he should at least act normal around her even if her lifestyle is very different from that of a normal high school student.
He never thought he would step foot in a limousine in his life. Such things seemed reserved for celebrities or politicians, not a normal student, and yet here he is. He figures that Mikasa’s family must be incredibly well off to afford such extravagances. It makes him wonder what they do - Are they actors? Congressmen? Businessmen? - but he knows it would be rude to ask. Instead, he sits beside Mikasa - a good distance away because it’s awkward with the two bodyguards sitting across from them - and tries hard not to marvel at the leather seating, the cooler for beverages, or the television screen between the two guards. He can feel his attempts at keeping his facial expressions neutral while these luxuries are in sight, so he keeps his gaze fixed straight ahead at the window and watches the trees pass by. He’s trying so hard not to make things awkward that he doesn’t even notice Mikasa calling his name.
“Jean.” When he turns to her, he sees that she’s holding out a bottle of water towards him. It’s in a glass bottle with an odd shape with the brand stamped on it with a minimalist font along with an inscription that reads “natural artesian water.” He’s not even sure what “artesian” means, but it sounds expensive. Just being in the same room as that bottle makes him feel shabby. It must be worth more than anything he could find in the convenience store. Mikasa, however, doesn’t seem to give a thought to how expensive the water is and continues to hold it out to him. “Do you want something to drink? We have things other than water.”
He’s about to refuse. It feels a bit wasteful to drink something when he could purchase a bottle of water at a nearby store for much less, but he doesn’t want to be rude either. Maybe he can ask for something else to drink, but he has a feeling that the bottle of water might be one of the least expensive drinks in the cooler. In the end, he accepts the bottle from her with a weak, “Thank you.”
Mikasa takes a bottle of water for herself as well, twisting open the cap as if it’s not a big deal, and takes a sip without any hesitation.
Not wanting to seem strange, Jean does the same but he only takes a tiny sip. He wonders if his mom would lecture him for drinking something so expensive. Still, he kind of wants her to try it when he gets home.
Jean wonders if he’s supposed to talk with the bodyguards that are in the limousine with them. He wants to be polite, but maybe he’s supposed to keep interaction with them to a minimum. After all, Mikasa didn’t seem to speak with them other than the occasional “thank you” and other small courtesies. If he recalls correctly, they haven’t really interacted with him either aside from a nod of acknowledgment when he entered the limousine behind Mikasa. Maybe he should just act as if they aren’t there.
“Did you have a chance to read the Osamu story for literature yet?” Jean says to Mikasa as he fiddles with the cap of his water bottle. This seems like a normal enough topic of conversation - schoolwork is always safe, he thinks - and hopefully, he’ll be able to keep this up until they reach Mikasa’s house.
“No Longer Human?” Mikasa asks. She nods politely, and Jean is again reminded of the air of nobility that Mikasa always seems to have. Maybe it’s not that she’s a celebrity, but that she’s actually royalty. Jean wouldn’t be surprised if he found out she was a princess. “I did. I actually read it a while ago. My friend from junior high is a fan of Osamu.”
“Really?” Jean raises his eyebrows. He knows that Dazai Osamu is one considered one of the best Japanese literature authors, but he didn’t think students his age would be interested in the author’s works. “Are you a fan too?”
She smiles again, but it’s different this time. While her smiles before had always been tight-lipped and polite, this one seems more genuine and Jean can see the sweetest dimple in her right cheek. He didn’t think it was possible, but she’s even cuter now. “Yes,” she replies, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “I like the themes in his works.”
“Really? Me too!” It’s only half a lie. He hasn’t picked up No Longer Human yet, but he’s read the summary online and has a vague idea of what it’s about as well as its underlying themes. The only other work of Osamu’s that he’s read is Run, Melos! but that was almost a year ago and the only thing he remembers about it is that he liked it at the time. Hopefully, it’s enough for him to carry on a conversation for another ten or fifteen minutes.
Mikasa doesn’t seem to notice that Jean doesn’t possess in-depth knowledge about Osamu or his stories, or maybe it’s just that she’s too polite to call him out. Even when Jean stumbles around details, she’s kind enough to offer up the missing information and expanding on them so it’s not awkward. During the conversation, Jean observes that Mikasa really is a fan of Osamu. He had thought that she had said that to uphold her image of being a refined schoolgirl, but it turns out she really is this kind of person. He makes a mental note to read up more on Osamu this weekend, thinking that she’ll feel more welcome at this school if at least one person shares her interests.
They finally pull up to the Ackerman house, but Jean soon realizes that “house” isn’t the correct word for it. It’s a large estate, one that Jean only sees in movies or luxury magazines. He hadn’t thought that people actually lived in places like this or that houses like these still existed. Stepping onto the Ackerman estate makes him feel as if he’s stepped into an entirely different world. The mansion, built in the traditional shinden-zukuri style, looks so delicate and refined from the outside, with large sloping rooftops and grandiose scarlet pillars that makes the building look even more spacious. A luxurious garden filled with vibrant greenery makes the estate look even more beautiful. It must take a fortune to take care of such an estate - people to clean the pond out front and care for the koi fish, gardeners to prune the trees and water the flowers, and servants to take care of the house. He’s becoming more and more convinced that Mikasa is royalty of some sort.
Jean follows Mikasa through a series of rooms. They’re minimalist in design with little furniture and only a few decorations here and there - wall scrolls with artful calligraphy, paintings of scenes from classical literature, and small wooden statues that were painted carefully by hand - but it’s far less extravagant than Jean had expected. Rather than be disappointed, Jean’s even more impressed. To flaunt one’s wealth is one level of the upper class, but to be so reserved about one’s wealth is to be on an entirely different level. If this is what her house is like, it makes sense that Mikasa is so reserved at school too.
“Is here okay?” Mikasa asks when they finally reach a room with a large screen door that has been opened to let in the light and fresh air. She gestures towards a small wooden table in the middle of the room. There are no chairs, but there are cushions laid out around the table for guests to be seated.
“Here would be great,” Jean says. He only sits down after Mikasa takes a seat first. He decides on the seat aside from her, sitting cross-legged on his cushion just like her. He’s never been so excited to start a study session before. Jean is about to open his mouth and ask her what she wants to start with, but he clamps his mouth shut when he sees that the bodyguards are also taking a seat at the table, one beside Jean and another beside Mikasa. Mikasa, however, does not seem bothered by this. In fact, she seems used to it. Jean was about to say something, suggest that maybe it would be better for them to study without the guards, but if Mikasa is comfortable with it, he should pretend that he’s fine with it too. Besides, there’s probably a reason why her parents require her to constantly be guarded outside of school. He forces a smile on his face and says, “So, I was wondering if you could help me with this one passage for the Osamu. I have trouble understanding it.”
“Oh, of course!” Mikasa says. She reaches over to get her bag, but the sleeve of her cardigan gets caught in one of the decorative chains hanging on the zipper. Mikasa frowns as she untangles herself, holding up her sleeve to inspect the spot where she had got caught. Although there doesn’t seem to be any tear in her cardigan, she still shrugs it off, hanging it on the back of her chair. To make sure none of her other clothes snag onto her bag, Mikasa rolls up the sleeves of her white collared-shirt to her elbows before she searches for her book again. As she does, something on her wrist catches Jean’s eye.
Jean thinks he’s just seeing things, so he doesn’t say anything at first. It’s only when Mikasa finally pulls out her copy of No Longer Human and he gets another glimpse that Jean is sure of what he sees - the letter “A” made of swords and enclosed in a circle inked onto the back of Mikasa’s wrist. “Oi,” he says, alarmed. He must say it louder than he had meant to because the two guards turn to him, their bodies tense, and he quickly ducks his head. Making sure to speak in a calmer tone, he asks, “That thing on your wrist … is it real?”
Mikasa blinks at him for a moment, confused. “My wrist?” she repeats, holding up her wrist and inspecting it. He can see it clearly now and he hadn’t imagined it at all. The tattoo is there, clear as day, but Mikasa doesn’t seem to think it’s abnormal for a high school girl like her to have one. She absentmindedly traces her finger over the design. “You mean my tattoo?”
“Yeah…”
His classmate rubs the back of her wrist gently, subconscious now. “Most members of the Azumabito clan to have this mark tattooed on them when they turn fifteen,” she says with a frown. “However, I’ve had this mark ever since I was ten as is the custom of any child whose parent is the head of the Azumabito clan.”
“Azumabito clan,” Jean murmurs. The name sounds vaguely familiar to him, but he can’t remember exactly why that is. It’s a name that’s said in whispers and when people speak of them, they keep their voices low and their heads down … for a good reason. As Jean recalls all of today’s events - Connie and Sasha’s warnings that he not get involved with Mikasa, the way Mikasa is always heavily guarded, the extravagant estate - and everything begins to fall into place. “You mean … like the yakuza?”
“Yes,” Mikasa nods. She studies his expression for a moment before asking, “Did you … not know?”
Of course not. Had Jean known, he would have avoided Mikasa just like the rest of his peers. He never would have asked her for a study date. He wouldn’t even have chanced a quick glance at her had he known. He’s about to open his mouth and tell her so, but he stops before he can say anything. Any reasonable person would have stopped after seeing the two guards, who are now standing and looking at Jean threateningly, possibly ready to snap his neck if he says anything to upset Mikasa. Jean, however, doesn’t notice them at all. Rather, it’s the expression on Mikasa’s face that catches his attention. It’s not angry like he had thought it would be. She looks as if she’s on the verge of tears. Her eyes don’t meet his but look down at her lap, and her bottom lip trembles ever so slightly. She’s scared, he realizes. Scared that he’ll reject her and she’ll be alone like she was before.
“Of course, I knew!” Jean says, slapping his hand on the table. He gives her a huge grin as if this fact doesn’t bother him at all, that she’s the daughter of a yakuza, and he opens up his own copy of No Longer Human. “I was just surprised that you would have to get a tattoo too. Now that you’ve talked about it, though, it all makes sense.”
“I see,” she laughs. Mikasa has a smile of relief on her face and the two guards settle back down in their seats after seeing that their mistress is not upset. She beams as she sits across from him, holding open her Dazai Osamu book. “What was that passage you were having trouble with again?”
“Ah, this one,” Jean says, flipping over to a random page that he holds open to Mikasa.
It’s strange, Jean thinks as he watches Mikasa find the page in her own book. He had been frightened when he had first learned about Mikasa’s background, but she’s far less scary now that he thinks about it. She’s actually a normal high school girl, Jean realizes. A normal high school girl that wants to have friends as much as anyone else does. It makes him even more determined to become her friend than he was this morning.
This is how Jean found out his crush was a mob boss’ daughter.
For the top 5’s - either 10, 16, or 17 (or all three!)
thank you!!!
10. things i couldn’t live without
my family, my pets, books, my laptop, and you xoxo
16. things i’d like to be
a writer (either technical or creative), a materials engineer, quality assurance engineer, forensics scientist, but above all i would like to be happy!!!
For @thecashmerefox who wanted springlestein + momkasa ♡
Take Care of You
Springlesteinkasa. Canonverse.
2101 words.
Buy me a ko-fi!
Somehow, she always finds herself collecting her three drunken friends from the bar. Some poor waiter knocks at her nervously to tell her that, once again, Jean, Sasha, and Connie have drunk far more than they could handle and that she needs to return them to their quarters because they certainly couldn’t stay overnight at the bar. Mikasa has seriously considered just leaving them to rot out on the street, but she decided that it was too cruel even for her and makes her way over to the bar even though she would rather just stay in bed and sleep in the comfort of her sheets. She’s far softer than she’d ever like to admit.
“Ah, Mikasa,” says the bartender. Although he knows her name (like most bartenders do at this point), she’s never bothered to remember his. He looks relieved to see her, but he doesn’t point her out to her friends right away. Instead, he gestures her over to the bar and she grimaces because she knows there’s only one other thing he would want to talk to her about – money. He licks his lips as she comes by as if eager for the gold coins that she’ll surely drop into his hand after he tells her about the bill. “Your friends drank a little more than they could pay for tonight.”
“Put it on the captain’s tab,” she replies. She has no intention of shelling out any more money for these three idiots despite them being her friends. She already coddles them too much without paying for their drinks.
“Captain Ackerman got very upset with me the last time I suggested he pay for them,” the bar owner says, frowning as he recalls the encounter. He looks at Mikasa with pleading eyes. “I’ll go out of business if I keep on like this. I only allow them drinks because of the service they’ve done for Paradis and don’t have the heart to turn them down.”
Closing her eyes, Mikasa takes a deep breath and leans against the counter. She looks at the bartender with a steely gaze that says she’s still not budging, but she eventually tells him, “Put it on Commander Pixis’ tab then. He probably won’t notice once he’s drunk enough. Just try to collect it from him when Anka isn’t around.”
“Are you sure that will work?” the bartender asks doubtfully.
Mikasa shrugs because she doesn’t quite care at this point. She still has to return her friends to their rooms, and she doesn’t have the patience to deal with their debts as well.
“Your friends are in the corner,” the bartender finally tells her, sullen because he’s still short of the money he’s owed, but at least he’s smart enough to know that he’s more likely to get it out of Pixis than her.
“Thanks,” Mikasa says before heading off in the direction that he’s pointed her to.
Sure enough, all three of her friends are there in the back corner. Sasha and Connie are still singing songs that the Marleyan sailors had taught them – Sasha singing pretty well but Connie terribly out of tune – but Jean is face down on the table. She’d be worried if this scene weren’t so familiar to her already.
“Mikasha!” Connie cheers, not noticing that he’s mispronounced her name. He lifts his empty glass towards her in a toast and Sasha does the same. When Mikasa finally sits down across from them, taking the empty seat next to the unconscious Jean, Connie takes a big swig of nothing and frowns when he realizes that his glass is empty. He attempts to wave over a waiter to call over more drinks, but Mikasa slams his hand down.
“You don’t have enough money and you’re already drunk enough,” she tells him with a frown, but he only laughs at her.
“Only Jean’s drunk,” Sasha hiccups. She slumps over the table and reaches out a sluggish hand to pinch Jean on the nose, but Mikasa smacks her hand away. It’s easier to deal with them when they’re unconscious, so she’d rather that they not wake Jean.
“All of you are drunk. Again. And you haven’t paid your tab. Again. How are you not banned from this pub yet?” Mikasa asks.
“Oh, we’re banned from some of them,” Connie says cheerfully. He doesn’t seem at all bothered in admitting it.
Sasha tugs on Mikasa’s sleeve like a child and sticks out her tongue. “Miksa,” she says, but she looks confused when she can’t say her friend’s name properly. “Miska. Misaka. Mitksa!” She giggles harder with every new variation she comes up with. Eventually she gives up on ever getting Mikasa’s name right and refers to her as “Mika” for the rest of the night. “Mika, we were talking abouttt what we’d do in Marley once we got there, you know? Like a vacation!”
“A vacation?” Mikasa says warily. While it’s nice to see that they’re not scared about entering enemy territory, she never thought they’d regard this next mission so flippantly. “Why would you want to go on a vacation there?”
“Because Nikolo says it’s real pretty,” Connie says, speaking about the chef affectionately like he and Sasha always tend to do. He grins at Mikasa and reaches over to tap her arm. “What’d you do over there?”
“I’d eat,” Sasha says suddenly even though Connie hadn’t asked her. She sits up and looks at him, concentrating on a small spot on his forehead. “I’d eat soooo many of their things. Everything. I’d go over there and eat everything. Marleyan food is just sooooo good.” Sasha stretches her arms out as if to show them all exactly how much she plans on eating but ends up toppling over when she loses her balance. She bursts into another fit of giggles when she falls into Connie’s lap and Connie laughs with her too.
“It’s not something I’ve really thought about,” Mikasa replies flatly.
“Ohh, come on! Tell us, tell us!” Sasha begs, raising her voice so much that it attracts the attention of a few bar patrons. Thankfully, Jean doesn’t even stir.
“Don’t you ever get tired of worrying about things, Mikasa?” Connie says lazily, tracing his finger on the rim of his empty beer glass. “Just pretend it’s a vacation. A pretend vacation! Doesn’t that sound nice?”
It does sound nice. She doesn’t remember the last time she had a vacation. Was it all those years ago when they reached the beach for the first time? But even then, it was just the beginning of other troubles to come.
“I can’t afford to not worry,” Mikasa says.
It must be something in her tone because both Sasha and Connie sober up (or at least as much as they can after all they’ve drunk) and reach out to pat her awkwardly. Sasha messes up Mikasa’s hair terribly and Connie missing Mikasa entirely and petting the table instead.
“There, there, Mika,” Sasha says sympathetically. “We’ve made you worry a lot too, haven’t we? We’ll be good now. We’ll be so good. We’ll be the best.” She’s so earnest in her words that Mikasa almost smiles.
“Yeah, we’ll be good,” Connie agrees. “You want to take us home now? You want us to hold your hands? Then we won’t wander off.”
Mikasa sighs, but this time it isn’t as heavy. She gives a small smile to her friends and says, “That would be great. I need to carry Jean though since it looks like he’s out of commission.”
“Oh, just drag him along,” Sasha says with a wave of her hand and Connie laughs.
She doesn’t drag him behind her though. She ends up carrying him on her back (“Mikasa?” Jean mumbles into her hair. “You smell so good.” She’d be flattered if he weren’t so deliriously drunk.) and leading Sasha by the hand while Connie grabs Sasha’s other hand.
“It’s like a family!” Sasha giggles. She almost drifts away from Mikasa many times, but Mikasa keeps a tight grip on her so that she and Connie don’t get lost. There wasn’t anything worse than a lost Connie and Sasha wandering around intoxicated in the city. After their drunk shenanigans, even Commander Zoe had come out to reprimand them (although even they were laughing at all the ridiculous messes they had managed to get into in a single night).
This comment manages to make Mikasa crack a smile and she thinks that even though it’s a hassle to take care of them, she wouldn’t trade this job to anyone else in the world.
She gets them into their beds (or Sasha’s bed, really) a little later than she’d like. She’d take Connie to his own room, but he collapsed onto Sasha’s bed and she figured it would be too difficult to carry both him and Jean at the same time. She could go back for him and return him to his own room, but he looked pretty comfortable cozied up next to Sasha, and she figured it wouldn’t hurt to just leave him there.
“Mika,” Sasha calls drowsily from her bed as Mikasa is about to leave the room.
“Your water is on your nightstand,” Mikasa reminds her.
“No, not that,” Sasha says, sitting up temporarily to shake her head only to fall onto her mattress once more. She holds up a hand and points at the ceiling, perhaps thinking that’s where Mikasa is. “We love you. I forgot to say it earlier, but we loveee you.”
“Love you,” Connie mumbles into the pillow.
Mikasa can’t help but laugh softly, not wanting to wake Jean who’s still sleeping on her back. “Love you guys too. Go to sleep, alright?”
She shuts the door to a chorus of “good night” and heads off to Jean’s room. She’s always surprised by how much more spacious his room is compared to hers, but it’s to be expected of a squad leader’s room. He’s come quite far from his trainee days, she thinks, but they all have.
Gently, she lets Jean off her back and rolls him into his bed. She decides it’s fine if she leaves him in his civilian clothes and only pulls off his boots so that he doesn’t dirty his sheets too much. He only stirs a little as she pulls the blankets over him and tucks him in. Of the three of her friends, she prefers sending Jean off to sleep because he’s the least likely to punch her in the face when she tucks the sheets around him. Connie, on the other hand, has hit her in the head several times.
“Mikasa?” Jean mumbles just when she gets up from his bed. He tries to sit up, but she only shushes him and pushes him back down. “How drunk am I?”
“Very,” she tells him. She pats his head, thinking that his hair has grown out quite a bit. “Just go to sleep.”
He settles back against his pillows and asks, “Did you get Sasha and Connie too.” He cracks open an eye to see her nod. “That’s good. You’re always taking care of us, Mikasa. It’s nice.”
She shrugs. Now that she thinks of it, she’s been taking care of people her entire life. It’s just become a part of her now. “It’s nothing.”
“You should let us take care of you,” Jean says.
She can’t help but scoff at this. The idea of having them taking care of them when they had just been stumbling around the bar only an hour ago seems ridiculous to her.
“I’m serious, you know,” Jean says, although he doesn’t seem offended that she’s laughed at him. Maybe he’s still too drunk and sleepy to care. “You carry on too many things by yourself. If you never need us, you should rely on us. We’ll take care of you too. It’s only fair, isn’t it?”
She wonders if it’s the alcohol that is making them say such sweet, sappy things to her tonight or if they’re always like that and she’s never noticed. She’d dismiss Jean’s words as just a drunkard’s nonsense, but she sees that he says them earnestly and she finds herself smiling again. Leaning over, she brushes his hair away from his forehead before pressing a soft kiss against it.
“Don’t worry, I will,” she tells him.
It seems he can only focus on the kiss now because he looks at her as if in a daze and wonders aloud, “Am I dreaming?”
Ah, he’s cute, Mikasa thinks with a smile. She’ll have to tell him that sometime when he’s not so drunk.
