Unintentional (eremika)

Chapter Four: Accepting

7 Years Earlier
Eren & Mikasa are both 15

As they got older, Eren had to watch Mikasa change.

Her change was relatively different from his own and even different from Armin's. Growing up was realizing that boys and girls were very diverse from each other. Mikasa's legal guardian was Levi but often was she at the Yeager household. Except, as of lately, he didn't fully see much of Mikasa. She used to come over almost daily, but that had stopped once high school had started.

He didn't know why. He had been there for all of it, even her first period. There was nothing to be afraid of with him. He didn't understand, not until he saw the new group who she was hanging out with.

High school was hard, especially socially. Eren had no problems, but that didn't mean Mikasa did. For the longest, Eren had been her only friend. Soon enough Armin came along, and then it was the three of them. Once they entered high school Eren had become particularly popular. He gained a lot more friends and while Armin didn't mind it, it evoked certain feelings inside of Mikasa. Jealousy was one, because why couldn't she fit in as much as he did.

She came across as a quiet girl, but only Eren and Armin knew that wasn't her entire personality.

Fitting in meant getting in where you fit, and deep down she knew that and couldn't stay tied to Eren and Armin forever, especially Eren.

Once she had decided to branch away from those two, she had meant a few new people. She wouldn't exactly call them friends, but she spent most of her time with them. They influenced her, and she didn't know if it was a good or bad way.

First, it was the clothes. She and some of her new 'friends'  had decided that all the bright clothes she used to wear had to go and prompted her to wear darker and edgier things. Her old wardrobe which consisted of skirts and bright T-shirts now consisted of chains, leather jackets and skirts, and platforms. When she had first tried them on, she wasn't entirely used to them. She could remember getting laughed at she almost tripped in her first pair of dark platforms. She got used to walking in them, and mainly dealt with it. If this is what she had to do to become just a bit more popular, she didn't mind it all that much.

"Mikasa," one of the girls, her name was Ash she thinks, said, pulling out her makeup. "I think a smoky eye would suit you a whole lot more," she says, already busy with creating the look on the girl. Mikasa sat there, letting it happen. "I think a dark lip color would suit her too." another girl, named Rose, says.

When she looks into the mirror, hardly could she recognize herself. But all that didn't truly matter, did it? What mattered was how much she was starting to fit in.

It was only Eren who didn't like the change.

"What the hell are you wearing?" he asks her as he sees her in the hallway. "Clothes," she states simply. He scoffs. "Clothes Mikasa? Really? You look like those goth girls you've been starting to hang with. Did they make you wear this? Cos if they did I swear to God I'm going to-"

"Eren, chill. I chose to wear it myself. Worry about yourself," Mikasa says, swiftly walking off to class.

Ereb stares agape as she walks away. "Mikasa doesn't act like that," he says to Armin who shrugs. "Sure you've known Mikasa your whole life, but people change, especially in high school," he tells him.