" COME ON! WE GOTTA GET THIS PLACE CLEAN! " Eren yells, I walk out of my room still somewhat dazed from being woken up from his voice. I lean up against the doorframe, my leg still throbbing from the injury I received from being thrown.
" NO! Not like that you horse! " Eren mocks Jean, which actually reminds me ; I still gotta talk to him for what he did.
But I shrug the thought off, as my irritation begins to peak from Eren's obnoxious yelling. My blood starts to boil as Eren not only continues to yell, but everyone fails to notice me.
" Eren. " i say, my voice laced with venom. He whips backwards, his eyes widening in horror when he notices me.
" MIA! What are you doing?! You need to rest!" He's obviously referring to my leg, but as heart warmed as I'm supposed to feel, I feel everything but especially when Eren drops the broom making a loud crashing sound - grabbing everyone's attention.
" Y-you need to rest! I mean, your leg! It could get worse ! "
He begins to ramble on, and I groan as everyone watching us begins to giggle at him. I put my finger on his lips, shushing him. His face flushed a deep crimson shade as his eyes flicker down to mine.
" Ooh, Erens gotta crush on Mia~ " Jean gushes, I roll my eyes and quickly remove my hand from Erens lips. Erens face grows into a nasty scowl as he twists around but before he can react, Mikasa throws a cup at Jean.
" Ahh! " Jean screams, his voice coming out a high shrill.
And I completely lose it. Unable to contain myself, I begin laughing - loudly. I haven't laughed in what feels like years and honestly it feels good. I clutch my stomach, going into hysterics.
Everyone grows silent, watching me in awe.
" SHUT UP HORSE FACE, OR I'LL PUT YOU BACK IN THE STABLES! "
And it only makes me laugh more, I lean on the door almost unable to stand.
It's not even that funny, I'm either just tired or losing my mind but either way I feel happy. It's different and I like it.
Eren suddenly turns around, his face falling as his eyes grow soft as he stares at me, joining in with his own light laugh.
— Erens POV —
And that's what I mean. When she smiles or laughs - how everything, no matter how bad just feels okay. I can't help but laugh with her, the same way I can't help but smile when she does too.
There's just something so intoxicating about her when she's happy, and god am I addicted.
After a while her laughs die down and I already begin to miss it but thankfully while her laughter disappears, a smile remains as she stares at everyone warmly.
I've never seen her so happy, heck - I don't even think I'm seen her smile this much since.. well, before the incident.
Mia places a hand on my shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze - and I feel myself falling for her even more.
" Eren. If you scream one more time, " she leans in " it'll be the last thing you do. " my eyes widen but she shrugs it off, baring a smile as she limps back to her room.
" Night guys. " she smiles.
Damn do I love the feeling of seeing her smile, if only I could see it more.
" I don't think I've ever seen her smile that much before, it's hot. " Jean grins, leaning against a wall like some idiot.
" Now that you mention it, nor have I. " Sasha says, her mouth full of bread. I even see Mikasa and Armin nod I'm agreement.
Sometimes I forget I'm the only one who knows..
" Yeah, but I guess that's her thing though -Not caring and all, but it is kinda cool to see her show some emotion rather than annoyance." Connie says, a smile baring through his teeth.
" She wasn't always like this, you know. " i quickly clasp my hands over my mouth, regretting what i just said.
Mia's gonna kill me, if I tell them.
But then again, they deserve to know. These guys are our friends, especially Armin and Mikasa.
" What do you mean? I've known her since she was 9 - she's always been like this. " Armin adds.
" Yeah, well it's the truth. You see, Mia - " I sigh, I begin to reminisce about how she used to be and just how joyous she once was.
" What happened to her ? " Jean asks, settling down on a chair - joining everyone else, whose as well now seated, listening intently.
" When Mia was little all she would do was smile. I'm serious, there wasn't a time that girl wasn't. It was contagious, there wasn't one person who Mia couldn't get to smile. " I sigh once more, remembering the blissful days as if they were yesterday.
" Heck, she went as far to love Titans! " everyone's mouth gapes open, light laughs running through their lips " I wanted to join the scouts to kill the things, she wanted to join so she could hug them. "
" She loved everyone, especially her parents." My voice begins to grow darker, as I grip the empty chair in front of me.
" But her parents, they couldn't care less about her." My eyes grew dim " On her 7th birthday, she had told me how her parents said they would look at some of her drawings. Now it may not seem like much but to Mia - anyone wanting to see her drawings is a dream come true. " I say, remembering all the times I said no to seeing them.
" When Mia got home that night , her parents had forgot it was her birthday and got drunk off their asses instead. " Some people gasp as I continue. "They didn't care about her, they were never ever there for her. There were nights when Mia would come crying to my mom because hers told her how she never wanted her. " I scoff.
" But Mia loved those assholes unconditionally. She never gave up on believing that maybe they'd actually keep one of their promises. She'd always tell me how her parents were gonna take her to the wall to see if they could spot some ' cute ' Titans, or how they were gonna cook her favorite dinner - they never did. "
" They left her alone. Every single night. " my voice begins to crack. It hurt knowing the first eight years of Mia's life was nothing but misery for her and I never even knew.
It hurts to know that her shitty excuse for parents is the reason she is why she is today and I couldn't do anything to stop it.
" And then one day things changed, " I shut my eyes, remembering the faint memory. " Mia and I were playing at my house and she was leaving to go back. She waved at me, with one of the biggest smiles I've seen ever. If I knew that would be the last time I'd see her smile for the next 7 years, I would of done anything to make sure it lasted longer. "
" if only I made her stay.. " I whisper, my knuckles turning white from squeezing the chair so hard.
" When Mia got home, she opened the door and - " I begin, taking a deep breath " she found her parents bodies. They had drunk so much that they fucking died. "
Everyone's faces widen in shock, while mine only sinks.
" After that Mia promised herself that she would never care about anything or anyone again. If her parents - the people that were supposed to love her unconditionally - care so little about her to the point where they'd let their addiction kill them. Then why should she care? Especially if there's a chance someone would just leave her too. " I sigh, my voice beginning to crack.
" She never told me.. " Mikasa mutters.
" She never told anyone. She spent every year until the wall fell, making people believe her parents were still alive. She suffered alone because she doesn't want anyone to see her pain. " I answer.
" The only thing that changed was that after, she never smiled again. Never laughed, never cried, nothing. "
" Then how did you find out ? " Jean asks, his voice sounding soft and innocent.
"I- i walked in on her crying. She was hunched over on the floor, balling her eyes out. " I shudder at the memory " it was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen. "
" There's something so scary about her crying, I can't - can't even explain it but I know when she does cry... it feels like the world is ending for a second. There's just something so dark about it. " i try to explain it but it's hard when not even I know.
" it was like this perfectly calm and stable girl,someone who always knew what to do or what to say, was now lost. Lost in a sea of their own despair. And what the hell do you do when even the strong are breaking? "
Soft whimpers begin to fill the air of the glassy eyed Krista and Sasha. The rooms air is filled with a tension, a feeling of mourning overtaking the air.
" When i found her, she practically flew into my arms. She told me everything. How everything hurt and how she couldn't breathe.. " I sigh, as I begin to trace back " how she felt like it was her fault.. "
As tears streamed down the faces of Krista, Armin and Sasha, even Jean and Connie seemed to be holding back their own tears.
I never realized how many people cared for Mia, i wonder if they would of liked her better before what happened.
" Story times over, get back to cleaning brats." A familiar voice flows out, the door slamming open.
I turn my head to the noise, and my eyes widen when I see just who stands there.
It's Levi, and he had heard everything.