The Prices I Pay ((MIKE ZACHARIAS X ERWIN SMITH X OC))

Chapter 14

A week had passed since Silica found out about Mike's disloyalty, and her visits to base became fewer and fewer as the days went on.

She would complete her work within the comfort of her own home, and was able to spend more time with Amelia, of which seemed to distract her enough to get substantial work done for Erwin while she was away.

During that week, Silica had sat down with Ama to inform her of the situation with Mike, and was surprised at her daughter's relatively indifferent response to it, given how much time she had come to spend with him during her time on the surface. Her behavior even seemed normal despite it, and Silica was almost glad that she didn't have to worry about Ama mourning his loss as she did.

It was a Saturday afternoon when Amelia decided to take Duke for a walk through the woods while Silica busied herself with reports. There was a hot breeze in the air as Amelia trekked across the dirt path, and her dog stuck close to her side with his ears perked for any noise within the tree line. It was a relatively quiet stroll, and only when Amelia neared the entry way of the Survey Corps base did she fasten a leash to Duke's collar.

She had made a promise to herself since the moment her mother told her of his affair that she would find a way to confront him herself. There was an unmistakable weight of anger in her stomach that only seemed to grow heavier the closer she got to base, and she continuously found herself asking why Mike would do such a thing to her mother; someone who was so kind and understanding. She wondered what possibly could have been wrong that he couldn't simply communicate to Silica, and was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"Duke," Amelia tugged her Doberman to a stop as she pulled one of Mike's hanker chiefs out of her pocket, and held it out to the dog. "Seek."

At her command, Duke took a good sniff of the white fabric, and turned with his nose to the ground as he proceeded to hunt down Mike's scent. She allowed Duke to take control of the leash to guide her, and after crossing the courtyard, Duke had led Amelia passed the mess hall toward the weight room, where he stopped with his nose pointing toward the open doorway.

He let out a soft yip to indicate that Mike was inside, and Amelia offered him a treat from the pocket of her skirt. She inhaled an unsteady breath as she eyed the building, and pushed her uncertainty down as she stepped forward.

From the doorway, Amelia peeked her head in to see that Mike was busy beating aggressively on one of the three punching bags hanging from the ceiling. His knuckles were red and split due to the lack of protective bandaging, and a look of what Amelia could only describe as putrid infuriation rested unmoving on his face. She was almost afraid to stop him, but knew well that she wouldn't be getting the answers she needed from her mother.

She took another step into the weight room with Duke sitting protectively at her side, and rose her first to knock on the doorframe.

Mike halted in his punching at the sound, and looked surprised to see Amelia standing there staring at him. His fists hovered unsurely in front of him as he looked at the unreadable expression on her face, and clenched his jaw shut as he forced himself to lower his arms.

"Ama..." the sound of her name made her brow narrow. "What are you doing here? Where's Mom?"

"She doesn't know I'm here," Amelia replied densely. Her gaze flashed to his swollen knuckles. "I wanted to talk to you."

"U-uh," Mike awkwardly brushed his sandy hair out of his eyes. "Sure, kiddo. What about?"

"I think you know the answer to that," Amelia frowned disappointedly at him and took two steps further into the room. "You know, she doesn't sleep in the bed anymore."