NOTES: I still don't know what this is.
TRIGGER WARNING: Mentioned sexual harassment and body shaming (not on the page)
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: Any recognizable elements belong to Attack on Titan
CHAPTER TWO: Fake it til you make it
There was something about being back on the ice that made Mikasa feel like she was home.
Sasha stumbled a few times but eventually remembered.
Therapy had been today and to get her mind off of it, Sasha and Mikasa had taken over the rink before practice.
Levi shook his head as he watched the two girls skate around.
“Are you wearing your hockey skates or your regular ones?” Sasha asked.
“Regular, why?” Mikasa asked as she turned back towards the other girl.
Sasha grabbed both her hands. “Spin!”
Mikasa began spinning them as they dissolved into laughter.
“WE’VE BEEN INVADED!” Connie yelled as he walked into the arena on his way to the locker room.
“Do we need to leave?” Mikasa asked Levi as her and Sasha stopped skating.
“Two hours until practice. Springer comes in early with a few of the others. They run drills early. Feel free to give them hell,” Levi said as he looked down at his clipboard.
“HOLD ON! Let me get suited up and I’ll come onto the ice with you two!” Connie called before he disappeared into the locker room.
“There’s your answer too,” Levi flipped another page.
Sasha grabbed Mikasa’s hand and pulled her around the rink.
It had been Sasha’s idea to actually go skating instead of their usual work out. Therapy was always a rough day for Mikasa. Today had been especially rough. They had talked about her mother and how Mikasa always felt like she was failing when she played hockey. They spoke of the sexual harassment and body shaming she’d face as a dancer. Then about what had finally pushed her to punch Gross.
As soon as she was done, Sasha had been waiting there.
It was nice that she didn’t have to talk to Sasha. They could be in silence.
“SASHA! MIKASA!” Jean called as he entered the arena, waving to them.
Mikasa and Sasha waved back as they continued to skate around.
“When was the last time you skated? And helping Levi doesn’t count,” Sasha asked Mikasa.
“Uhh….family skate,” Mikasa asked as they skated over to Levi.
“My last family skate?” Levi asked as he looked up from the clipboard.
“Yeah, besides your physical therapy, I haven’t skated. I haven’t really had time. My last few years have been dance rehearsals, your physical therapy, and my own therapy.”
“And that’s why I told you to take this time to figure out what you want to do. By the way, what’s your Decemember look like?” Levi asked her.
“Christmas with Kuchel, Kenny, and you. That’s all I have planned. Why?” Mikasa asked as she sat down on the home team’s bench.
“There’s a camp we’re running in connection with the Warriors. I’ve been trying to get a women’s team in here. Warriors are sending a player over here to help. You met her the other night, Gabi. She tried to beat your record from what Falco told me.”
“Is your record still the highest in the Midwest?” Sasha asked.
“It can’t be. It was only 227,” Mikasa shrugged.
“It is still the highest in the Midwest. Gabi graduated with 224. She was signed right out of high school.”
“Okay, so she’s good at scoring. I don’t see what this has to do with me.”
“Jaeger’s record for scoring is 224 also. Kirsten was 223 and Grice was at 220. You and Gabi could bring in more women to the sport. It’s needed.”
“So you’re going to steal her for your women’s team?” Mikasa asked as she raised an eyebrow.
“No. I want you to teach at the camp that’s running here in December. A lot of girls have signed up just from Gabi.”
“Why me though? I’m not known. Where I am known is in dance circles and I can guarantee none of them are saying anything nice about me right now,” Mikasa looked down.
“You are. You still hold that record. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. But I don’t think you should hide from this.”
“I’m not going to play hockey professionally,” Mikasa said as she stood and walked back over to the ice.
“Not asking you to. Just teach some kids for a week in December.”
“I’m not getting a choice, am I?” Mikasa muttered as she skated away.
“You always have a choice,” Levi called to her.
Mikasa rolled her eyes before doing a simple toe jump.
“I always forget she was also a figure skater,” Sasha remarked to Levi.
“It was brief. It was a way to try and get Mikasa away from hockey,” Levi looked back down at the clipboard in front of him. “Though when she’d play pick up games, she’d start doing jumps.”
“It was dangerous and stupid,” Mikasa said as she skated back over to Sasha.
“You want the visitor locker room key now or are you going home to shower?” Levi asked as he pulled his keys out.
“I was going to go run on the treadmill for a while. I’ve had enough of the ice for today. So yes.”
“I’m going home,” Sasha answered.
“Do you want to give me a ride home?” Mikasa asked Levi.
Levi took a key off, handing it to Mikasa. “Do you want to sort through the paperwork on my desk and group the kids by ages for the camp?”
“I'm surprised you haven’t done it,” Mikasa scoffed.
“I printed them out before I came down here. They’re sitting in a nice stack on my desk. Keep it neat.”
Mikasa rolled her eyes, “I will. I’m going to take my skates off and then go up to the weight room.”
“Don’t put your feet on my desk when you’re done,” Levi waved her off.
“I’m putting my feet on your desk when I’m done and messaging your “not in a relationship” partner.”
“Hange has a class tonight.”
“Funny, I didn’t mention a name,” Mikasa grinned.
“She has you there,” Sasha laughed.
“Fuck off. Both of you,” Levi waved them away.
Sasha and Mikasa both left the ice.
Ten minutes later, Connie would come out.
“Aw. I missed them,” Connie complained.
—--------------------
Normally, Eren was at practice two hours early.
Today, he was not.
After avoiding his dad’s phone calls for several days about the last game, he was forced to go out to lunch with the man.
Grisha Jaeger wasn’t a bad person.
He was just obsessed with his sons’ careers. Some days, it was overbearing.
Grisha wanted to know why those goals got in.
Eren didn’t know.
He wasn’t defense.
He was a center forward. He’d never played defense in his life. He’d been a right winger, a left winger, and finally, a center forward.
Grisha worried about Eren’s attention on the ice.
“You are aware I hear about your life outside of the ice, correct?” Grisha asked as he sipped his wine.
“So?” Eren asked as he put his water down.
“So..your focus should be on the ice. I know it’s not. I know Historia is bailing out your reputation. Eren, you’re getting towards the end of your career.”
“I’m twenty seven,” Eren remarked.
“And most retire between thirty and thirty three. Hell, your brother has spoken about retiring after his next season.”
“I’m not retiring until they make me or I get injured.”
“And they will make you when your behavior off the ice is so horrible.”
Eren shook his head, removing himself from the memory.
Keith Shadis had a soft spot for Eren so Shadis gave Eren a key to the visitors locker room for days like today. Days needed to get his head on straight away from his teammates.
His music blasting in his earbuds, Eren unlocked the door and closed it behind him. He was walking over to the lockers when he saw Mikasa.
In her bra and underwear.
He knew she was muscular under her clothes. She was a former dancer, her abs were fantastic and he wondered what it would be like to lick them. And her thighs? She could squish his head like a watermelon and Eren would thank her for it. Was she wearing a thong?
They stared at each other for a moment before Mikasa screamed and launched her bottle of body wash at him. Eren ducked at the last moment. Body wash bottle hit the floor and exploded.
“GET OUT!” Mikasa shrieked, Eren could hear her over his music.
Eren gulped before he turned and left the room.
The home locker room was full but no one questioned why Eren went directly into the showers, turning it to ice cold.
—------------------------------
It was the fourth game of the season.
2 weeks since Eren had stumbled in on her almost naked.
One month since the first game.
One month since Eren had been an ass to her as they exited the elevator.
It was the first time Mikasa hadn't attentended a game. It was in New York and Mikasa wasn't in the mood to go to New York.
It was where her parents met, where her mother gave up on her dream since she was pregnant with Mikasa, and where her mother decided Mikasa was to one day join the New York Ballet.
She hated New York.
So instead, Mikasa attended an influencer and critic event with Sasha. Sasha's food review blog and social media had grown so much that she had quit her job as a secretary to pursue it full time.
It was almost midnight when they piled into Sasha's car.
“That meat was so overcooked” Sasha complained
“It wasn't horrible but it wasn't good.’
“That should be their slogan.”
“TEXT IN GROUP CHAT: JEAN-BOY AND CON-CON: FROM CON-CON:
WE LOST BIG TIME. JEAN AND EREN FOUGHT TWO DUDES. WE LEFT AS SOON AS GAME ENDED. WILL BE HOME AT 3:00 AM.”
“That does not sound good,” Mikasa remarked.
“Historia is going to kill him. He's already a pr nightmare. Now he's going to be worse. I don't even know how that's possible,” Sasha sighed.
“Jean or Eren?” Mikasa asked.
“Eren. She told him to slow down on the partying and everything. He doesn’t listen. Now a fight on the ice? And it would have been bad if Connie is texting me about it.”
“You’re going to have your hands full tonight then.”
“If Jean comes home, yeah. He’s spending more and more time with Pieck but refuses to make it official. Then again, she’s not pressuring him to. She’s cool though. You should come out with us one night. Since you ditched Jean’s Halloween party and every other thing involving the team. Did something happen between you and Eren?”
Besides him finding her almost naked in the vistior’s locker room and she had been avoiding him ever since? She left quickly after games, meeting Levi in the car and having him drop her off at the apartment. She hid in her apartment any time she heard him left.
It was the look on his face that bothered her.
It had to have been disgusted, right?
She was all muscle and she worked hard at it. Mikasa always had.
“No, nothing happened,” Mikasa lied.
She hated lying to Sasha but Mikasa found herself doing it more and more. There was a part of her that felt guilty about it. She’d tell Sasha everything eventually, once Mikasa figured things out.
—-------------------
The bus ride home had been silent.
Levi had glared at Eren and Jean the whole ride home.
There was always trash talk on the ice but tonight, the defenseman from New York had pushed Eren to the edge.
Carla Jaeger was younger than Grisha Jaeger. It wasn’t a huge age gap, just a handful of years.
They had met after Grisha’s marriage to Dina had ended. Dina and Grisha had married right out of high school. Eventually, they had Zeke. Before Zeke had turned one, Dina and Grisha were on separate pages. They had grown apart, simply weren’t in love with one another anymore.
Then Grisha met Carla in her parent’s bar where she was working.. There was a connection there. Next thing everyone knew, Carla and Grisha married, with Dina’s blessing.
The rumors about Carla were cruel, calling her a golddigger, a whore, the reason Grisha and Dina’s marriage had failed.
And tonight, that defenseman from New York brought it.
“I’m surprised you’re on the ice, Jaeger. Thought you’d be like that gold-digging whore of a mother—-”
Eren launched himself at the defenseman.
Jean tried to pull Eren off.
“Come Kirstein. We know you can’t keep that model girlfriend of yours satisfied. How about you let me—”
Jean let go of Eren and went after the other defense.
It was moments later the refs broke up the fight and sent both Jean and Eren off the ice.
They lost the game that night.
All Levi said was “I’m disappointed in you.”
When they finally reached the arena, it was after three am. They all scrambled to their cars, none of them speaking. Eren barely remembered the drive home.
—--------------------
Why was Mikasa awake?
There was no reason for her to be.
Eren probably wouldn’t even come home.
Why did she care?
She didn’t.
They weren’t even friends.
The door across the hall slammed.
Eren was home.
THUD!
“FUCK!” Eren screamed in rage. It echoed into Mikasa’s apartment.
Mikasa had watched the fight once she had got home. It was clear whatever the defensemen had said to Eren and Jean had really got to them.
Something possessed Mikasa before she knew it, she was storming across the hall to Eren’s apartment. She hesitated for a moment, staring at the door. She raised her fist and then hesitated.
No.
He didn’t deserve her comfort.
Mikasa turned back to her room.
—---------------
“I have to say that the Scouts are disappointing me. Jaeger and Kirstein have been benched for the last three games after that fight. The Scouts have lost two out of three of those games. It’s not looking good for the Scouts to advance to the playoffs,” Shadis said.
“And can we talk about Jaeger’s behavior off the ice? He’s out partying, going home with different women every night. We’ve all seen the pictures,” Magath added. “If I were Coach Ackerman, I wouldn’t be putting him back on the ice again until he gets his shit together.”
Historia switched the podcast off.
Just as she thought.
Eren was bringing all sorts of bad PR.
It wasn’t long until she received a picture of him at a bar right now.
It was only three in the afternoon.
No.
He was not allowed to do this.
Pulling out her phone, she clicked on the only name she knew that could both mentally and physically put Eren Jaeger in his place. (Besides his mother. Calling Carla in would only lead to disaster.)
“Hey. Are you busy? I need a favor,” Historia said.
—------------------------
Life sucked.
His mom was on his case.
His dad was on his case.
This was a way for Eren Jaeger to deal with this. He had already disappointed Levi once, so why not let it continue?
That was all Eren was.
A disappointment.
And the disappointment got worse as Mikasa Ackerman walked into the bar as the blonde who sat in his lap kissed his neck.
Before Eren could figure out what was going on, the blonde was hauled off of him.
She yelped.
And Eren? Eren was slung over Mikasa’s shoulder.
How the fuck was that possible?
“Put me down,” he growled as he thrashed in her grip.
“No,” Mikasa said simply.
All the blood was rushing to his head.
Mikasa was strong.
Very strong.
It was a turn on.
“You can’t do this. This is kidnapping,” Eren argued.
“You’re twenty-seven,” Mikasa deadpanned.
He heard a car door open, then he was unceremoniously dumped into the backseat of his own car. A seatbelt clicked into place.
“How did you get my keys?” He asked as Mikasa slammed the door.
She didn’t answer him as she climbed into the driver’s seat, starting the car.
His spare keys were kept in the shitty bowl he had made in ceramics class in high school. How would she get those keys?
Unless….
Oh fuck.
“Historia?” he asked as Mikasa drove off in his car.
“Yep. And just so you know, I despise driving. But I owe Historia. She told me to come get you using whatever means possible. That’s exactly what I did. You are spiraling into destruction. Your friends aren’t going to let that happen.”
“We’re not friends,” Eren muttered.
“Don’t remind me,” Mikasa scoffed.
They remained silent for the short drive back to the parking garage. Mikasa parked in the assigned spot.
Eren got out of the car, storming off.
It was useless as they ended up in the same elevator, making their way back upstairs.
Eren ran to his apartment but couldn’t get in. Mikasa still had his keys.
The door swung open.
Historia Reiss stood there, anger painted on her face as she crossed her arms across her chest.
Once he walked inside, he saw Armin waiting for him.
“For fucks’ sake. Is this an intervention?” Eren moaned.
“If it was an intervention, I wouldn’t be here,” Mikasa said as she leaned up against the door Historia had just closed.
“No. But you can’t fuck or drink away your daddy issues,” Historia said as she strode towards him. “Do you have any idea how this looks?”
“The media has always hated me,” Eren scoffed as he sat down in his chair.
“I wonder why,” Mikasa muttered.
“Okay, fine. You don’t care about yourself. But you do care about Levi and the team,” Historia walked over to Eren’s coffee table and opened her briefcase.
She threw printed out news articles at him.
Eren thumbed through them, only reading the headlines.
CAN LEVI ACKERMAN HANDLE HIS OWN TEAM?
JAEGER GONE WILD
SCOUTS WITH LEVI ACKERMAN LEADING THEM IS A FAILURE
DOUBTFUL THE SCOUTS ARE GOING TO MAKE IT TO THE CUP
DOES THE JAEGER DYNASTY END WITH ZEKE? EREN JAEGER WIDELY CONSIDERED A FAILURE
FROM DYNASTY TO FLOP ERA: THE JAEGER FAMILY
LEVI ACKERMAN: RISE AND FALL OF HIS LEGACY
JEAN KIRSTEIN TAKING NOTES FROM EREN JAEGER? FAILURE FORWARDS
“The podcasts and social media aren’t any better,” Armin spoke up.
“Though…” Historia pulled her phone out of her pocket and held it up. It was a picture of Eren and Mikasa leaving the bar, Eren slung over her shoulder.
NEW COUPLE ALERT: EREN JAEGER + MIKASA ACKERMAN=JAEGER BACK ON TRACK.
“You did this?” Eren asked as he looked up at Historia.
“No, I actually didn't. I was informed the photos were going to be printed but I gave them no explanation.”
“You can’t seriously expect me to go along with this?”
“You’re trending right now. They’re debating if your couple name should be ackerjaeger, eremika, or jaegerman,” Armin informed Eren.
“And you’re okay with this?” Eren asked Mikasa.
“Not really but for Historia, I’ll do. Besides, someone needs to get your ass back in line,” Mikasa shrugged.
“So what? I’m just supposed to date Mikasa? That solves all of my problems?”
“No, you idiot,” Historia said as she collapsed on the couch next to Eren. “Mikasa is going to babysit you. She’ll attend all games and events with you as your girlfriend but you won’t actually be dating her. She’s made her disdain for you known.”
Ouch.
Well that hurt his ego a little bit.
“Won’t people say I’m getting treated special but Levi?” Eren asked.
“No, because you’re still benched. If anything, Levi will come down harder on you,” Mikasa pushed off the wall.
“And I just have to go along with this?”
“Unless you want to hire someone else to be your PR and find another team, then yes. Levi is done with your shit. I’m done with your shit,” Historia informed him.
“The team is done with your shit,” Armin spoke up.
“Really? One little fight?” Eren scoffed.
“Oh. This isn’t about the fight. This is about how you injured your hand, showed up hungover, and everything else. We’re all done,” Armin explained.
Eren groaned as he leaned back in his chair.
————————————
Being Eren Jaeger’s fake girlfriend was actually not that hard.
Mostly because he hadn’t gone anywhere but practice.
Mikasa avoided him more than normal.
He hadn’t shown up hungover.
Levi had hated the plan at first, then gave into it.
The original starting line up, Sasha, Historia, and Levi were only the ones who knew that they were not dating for real.
So Mikasa threw herself into trying to figure out what she was doing with her life. She had cooked new recipes but that didn’t feel right. She had tried painting and drawing. She wasn’t very good at it. She was okay at knitting but that didn’t seem like her calling either. She had taken the coaching job that Levi had offered her at the winter break hockey camp. She didn’t think she’d be any good at it but her therapist thought it was a good idea.
There was a knock on her door which meant it would be one of two people. Considering Historia called every time she came over, that left Eren Fucking Jaeger. She checked the clock.
Yep. It was the time he got home from practice.
She opened the door, a wet haired Eren Jaeger stood there.
“I don’t have your number,” he muttered as he looked down at his shoes.
Mikasa raised an eyebrow.
“Jean wants to go out to dinner after the next game. I was going to text you to ask you but I didn’t have your number. I couldn’t ask anyone because you’re supposed to be my girlfriend,” he looked up and handed her his phone.
“Is this normally how you pick up women?”
“No, normally I just tell them I’m Eren Jaeger and they’re ready to go home with me,” he grinned but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“And now you have been reduced to a mere mortal who has to actually try,” Mikasa scoffed as she entered her phone number into the phone. She handed it back to him before going to close the door.
Eren stuck his foot in the doorway, stopping her. “Wait.”
Mikasa just stared at him.
“I’m sorry. About the shit I said the other day.” He stepped back.
“No, you’re not,” Mikasa shut the door in his face.
———-
She shut the door in his face.
Mikasa had really just looked at him and shut the door in his face.
Historia had asked Mikasa to go get him because Historia knew that Mikasa could easily lift him.
How could Mikasa easily lift him? Eren wondered.
She was ridiculously strong.
Historia also knew that Mikasa wouldn’t deal with his bullshit.
Why had he ever thought she would?
—————
It was true that Eren was benched for the next game.
However, they ended up winning without him.
So dinner instead turned into the vip section at a club that Jean knew the owner of.
Mikasa was currently on the dance floor down below with Sasha and Pieck.
“She fucking hates me,” Eren told Armin as they leaned over the railing, looking down at Mikasa, Sasha, and Pieck.
“Do you blame her?” Armin asked as he grabbed the beer out of Eren’s hand and replaced it with water.
“Seriously? I haven’t even had a drink out of it.”
“Yes, you’re driving,” Armin answered before handing the beer over to Jean.
“Maybe if you weren’t such a dick to her, she wouldn’t hate you,” Annie replied as she looked up from her phone.
Eren groaned as he sat down on the couch. “You are supposed to be on my side, Annie.”
“Not when you’re an asshole, I’m not. Besides, are you still pretending not to know her? Like you didn’t fucking cry for a month when you first moved to Marley?” Annie blew her gum into a bubble before popping it.
“Shut up! What if she hears you?” Eren commanded.
“I’m not the one who has anything to hide. You are. Why is it such a big deal anyway?”
“Because he’s been in love with her for eighteen years,” Armin answered.
“I have not!”
“Me thinks the man doth protest too much,” Armin grinned.
“Great. Now you’re quoting Shakespeare to me. Really helpful, Armin. I don’t want her to know because then the conversation becomes why didn’t I tell her? Why do I treat her so badly? What did she ever do to me? And I just don’t want to deal with it.”
“Ah. Boo who. Poor Eren Jaeger has to deal with his real problems instead of fucking and drinking. I think we’d all like to know the answer to those questions,” Annie stated.
“I know the answer. He’s an asshole,” Jean grinned before taking a drink of Eren’s beer.
“I am not an asshole,” Eren muttered.
“You are. You treat her like shit and then wonder why she hates you. Face it, Jaeger. Mikasa isn’t one of your little fan girls. She couldn’t give a shit why you score on the ice. In fact, she holds the most scored goals of the girls hockey team in the country from when she was in high school. She hasn’t been on the ice for almost ten years!” Jean defended.
“Why do you know that?” Eren asked Jean as Eren raised an eyebrow.
“Because I went to high school with her. She’s just as gifted on the ice as Levi. She played harder than any of the guys. We were terrified of her. She was a legend. Several colleges were competing for her to be on their women’s team. She turned them all down and went to school for dance,” Jean explained as he lifted the bottle to his mouth again.
“Why’d she do that? If she’s as good as you say, why’d she quit?”
“I don’t know. You’d have to ask her about that.”
“Sorry I’m late,” Falco said as he came into the vip area with Gabi.
“How’d your game go, Braun?” Jean asked Gabi.
“We won, of course. Was there any doubt?” Gabi scoffed.
“You know the fact that I’m dancing with your girlfriend more than you are says a lot about you,” Pieck said as she came up the stairs.
“Wait, she’s here?” Gabi asked.
Pieck nodded.
“Oh, I’m not prepared to actually talk to her,” Gabi groaned. “I spent four years trying to beat her record.”
“Wait, you know Mikasa?” Eren asked as he raised an eyebrow.
“I met her briefly at Zeke’s but I know of her. She holds the record in the Midwest while I’m second.”
“Funny, we were just talking about that,” Jean smirked.
“No one asked me but I like her. She’s a great dancer. Better than you Jean-boy,” Pieck smirked.
“No doubt about that. She’s been doing it professionally for years.”
Connie walked upstairs and sat down on the couch.
“Where have you been?” Jean asked as he raised an eyebrow.
“Nowhere exciting. My mom called. Making sure I’m coming home for Thanksgiving.”
Eren leaned on the rail, looking down at Sasha and Mikasa still dancing. The others were still talking but became background noise to Eren.
A man was approaching them, causing Mikasa to freeze. She was clearly very uncomfortable.
Eren looked at his friends. Pieck had just been handed some sort of fancy drink.
“Give me that and buy another on me. Mikasa is uncomfortable,” Eren told Pieck.
Pieck nodded, handing Eren the drink.
Taking the steps two at a time, the crowd parted for him once he was on the dance floor. He made his way over to Mikasa, Sasha, and the man. Eren snaked an arm around Mikasa’s waist and pulled her body into his. For someone so muscular, Mikasa was still soft against him.
“Sorry, I took so long,” he pressed a kiss to her neck. Her height worked to his advantage since he didn’t have to lean down too far to do so.
Mikasa relaxed into his hold. “It’s okay.”
Eren held the drink out in front of her. “Got your drink,” he grinned, purposely ignoring the man who was staring at them.
“Thank you,” Mikasa said as she took the drink, drinking deeply from it.
“Is he why you left the company?” the man asked.
Eren finally looked at the man. “No, I’m not. Who’s your friend?” Eren looked back at Mikasa.
Her eyes seemed to scream, ‘help me.’
“He danced at my old company, his name is Karl.” Mikasa answered before taking another drink.
“I see. Well, Karl, as you can see my girlfriend and I are kind of busy. And seeing as she hasn’t even taken the time to mention you to me, you’re not important. So kindly fuck off. Come on, babe. Let’s go dance some more,” Eren pulled Mikasa with him by her waist.
“Thank you,” Mikasa muttered as she followed him.
“Don’t mention it. Now stay and dance with me until he gets the message to move on. Then we can leave if you want,” Eren offered.
“Are you sure?” Mikasa looked up at him as he found another empty spot.
“Yes,” Eren loosened his grip on her waist, moving with the beat. Mikasa began to dance along with him.
“I’m surprised,” Mikasa laughed.
“What? That I can dance or that I helped you?”
“Both,” Mikasa laughed again.
“How many drinks have you had?”
“Two. I’m not drunk. I’m trying not to cry, honestly. I wasn’t expecting to see anyone from the studio here especially since the studio is in Marley,” Mikasa rambled.
“Sorry for the kiss, by the way. I should have asked but I figured—”
“It’s fine,” Mikasa waved her hand. “I figured sooner or later that was going to happen. Can we just go?”
Eren nodded. “Come grab your coat with me and then we’ll leave.”
—------------------------------
It should have been a chill night.
Of course, her past continued to haunt her in the moments.
Eren’s kiss on her neck had grounded her.
Your cousin should have died in that car accident, Gross had said.
Mikasa had punched him.
Months of dealing with his constant abusive words but it was the comment about Levi that had caused her to snap. Her fist had flown, breaking Gross’s nose.
She’d do it again if given the choice.
But the other dancers there hadn’t exactly been nice.
You’re too heavy to lift, Karl had said.
She didn’t weigh that much. No one had had issues lifting her before.
“Hey,” Eren said as he pulled into the parking space at their apartment building.
“Sorry,” Mikasa said as she unbuckled her seat belt.
—-------------
The walk to the elevator was silent.
The ride in the elevator was silent.
Once they got to their floor, Eren had walked up to Mikasa’s door right after she opened it.
“Hey Mikasa, are you…?”
The door shut in his face.
Again.
—----------
“She shut the door in my face…again!” Eren explained.
It was the Scouts’ day off. Eren didn’t know what to do so he called Armin.
Annie was cackling in the background of his facetime call with Armin.
“Really, Annie?”
“I’m sorry. No, wait. I’m not. The great Eren Jaeger getting a door shut in his face is hilarious. Not once but twice. I think you’re out of your league here, Jaeger,” Annie said as she came into frame.
“And why would that be?”
“Because Mikasa is a ten. You? You’re a five on a good day.”
“EXCUSE ME? I’m at least an eight!”
“Eh,” Annie shrugged as she walked off.
Armin just grinned.
“So what do I do?” Eren asked Armin.
“What do you want to do? You haven’t exactly given Mikasa any reasons to like you.”
“I helped her with that guy at the club!”
“Do you want a gold star? You’re doing the bare minimum for your fake girlfriend! She has to watch you sit on a bench for how many hours?” Annie popped back up in frame, a bag of chips in her hand.
“She’s there for her cousin as well!” Eren defended.
“You’re an idiot if you think she doesn’t have to show up for you too now.”
“You don’t even know her.”
“I don’t have to. I looked into her and not just her hockey stats. Do you know she was said to be the next great dancer? That everyone was surprised that the New York Ballet didn’t snag her once she graduated from college?”
“Am I supposed to know what that means?”
“You’re hopeless. You know what? If you want Mikasa to let you in, maybe stop being a dick all the time. Maybe take an interest in her.”
“Why? She’s just my fake girlfriend?”
“You know what? You’re an ass. This is why no woman wants to be with you for more than a night,” Annie spat before storming off.
Eren flinched at the words.
“Sorry. She’s just….” Armin apologized.
“She’s not wrong,” Eren confessed. He knew he was hard to be around. He understood it. Leave before getting left. It was something ingrained in him, from where? He wasn’t really sure. The team therapist had asked him about it, they had worked on it. He was good at letting his friends in but a partner? An equal?
He had seen how sad his mom was when Grisha was busy all the time. Even after he retired, he still had press tours, charity events, and whatever else came with it. It was not something that Eren was interested in putting someone else through. Pieck and Jean worked because she was always jetting off to whatever photoshoot or fashion week she needed to do. Annie was a kickboxing coach so she had her own schedule to attend to. It also didn’t hurt that Annie and Armin had been dating since high school. Connie never dated anyone seriously like Eren. And Falco? Gabi was also a hockey player so of course she got it. Those two were practically married anyway.
There was a knock on the front door.
“Historia?” Armin asked, pulling Eren from his thoughts.
“Probably. I’ll text you,”Eren said before disconnecting the call. He walked to his front and swung it open.
Mikasa stood there, rubbing her arm. “Hey,” she gave a small wave.
Eren just stared at her.
“Sorry, am I bothering you? Are you busy?” Mikasa bit her lip.
Eren shook his head. “Just talking to Armin.”
“Oh. Sorry. I hope I didn’t interrupt.”
“Don’t worry about it. I was just debating things with him and Annie. Did you need something then?”
“Oh. Right. I just wanted to say thank you for getting me out of there last night and sorry for…”
Eren held up his hand, “don’t worry about it. Honestly, that guy seemed like an asshole.”
“You have no idea,” Mikasa huffed. “That whole company is just…sorry. You probably don’t care about the politics of the dance world. I should let you get back to Armin.” Mikasa made it half across the hall before Eren stopped her.
“You want to come in?” he asked. “I mean I should probably know more about you.”
Mikasa looked back at him. “Sure,” she smiled.
