Back To You

Chapter 2: Send your Complaints to Someone Who Cares

Levi was carefully watching Mikasa helping her parents prepare a meal. Good thing the Ackermans -excluding him- were kind enough to accept his half-baked reason that his parents abandoned him, here in the woods.

He could still not believe that he was suddenly transported back in time. And to be transported to in front of Mikasa Ackerman, his subordinate that hates him with every fiber of her being. This was worse than the time he was cornered on Titan territory.

The cruelest thing out of all of this? He needed to wait for another growth spurt to at least have a little change in his pathetic height, oh, and he also has to experience puberty. Again.

Maybe he was dead already and this was his own personal time loop hell.

"You're not from here," While trying to not roll his eyes, he nodded his head at Mikasa's obvious conclusion. Mikasa, no one would really abandon their kids near their home, would they?

"Where are you from?" 

"...Mitras." Under Mitras, he wanted to say. "You're far from home then, um, name?"

"Levi."

"Levi?"

"Just Levi."

"What a weird name, Just Levi." He did not know if Mikasa was actually serious or this was her bad attempt at pulling a joke. Either way, it irritated him.

Apparently, dying in the most humiliating way was not enough punishment, they also had to make him endure Mikasa's childish humor.

This whole concept of divine punishment was not sitting well with him, but it did make sense. After all, he did not lead a life full of kindness.

In the first place, who even in their right mind would pay attention to his tiny soul? He was not remotely interesting. There are far more intriguing characters out there to play with. I don't know, Hange? Or Mike? Maybe Erwin, if they wanted to play with a personified megaphone...

What Levi was trying to say was, this was so unfair, even by his standards. This returning-back-on-time-thing was at another level of mindfuckery. Also, why did he have to be a snotty ten-year-old? This was beyond what he imagined his afterlife would be.

His situation was shitty, basically.

If there is someone who is really punishing him, they should just get over with it and zap him with lightning. To some degree, being zapped with lightning was better than his own demise.

When he realized that Mikasa was still pondering about his name, he said;

"You can just call me Levi, nosy brat."

"Alright." After losing interest in him (which was too short, by the way) she returned to whatever she was doing. While he was back on observing her.

The 844-Mikasa looked and felt so different from the Mikasa he knew. For starters, the Mikasa he knew would never, not the slightest chance, initiate a conversation with him unless she wanted to shove to him how short he was or how cruel he was for making Eren clean the mess hall. She also, certainly, did not have that cheerful of an aura.

This version of Mikasa was, in some ways, more...toleranle? If he looked past her tasteless comical aspect.

"Let's eat!" Her mother called a minute later.

The idea of sharing a meal with a mother and father was making him uncomfortable for some reason. Observing Mikasa's family, Levi couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy. He didn't exactly grow into a loving household like what Mikasa had.

"Do you not like the food, Levi?" He was pulled from his envious thoughts by her father's question. "A-ah no, I like it, it's delicious."

While chewing his "delicious" dinner, something snapped inside him, he literally choked on his food.

Shit. How could he forget very, very crucial information?

Mikasa's parents were going to be killed.

Here's where his panic sets in.

Suddenly he regretted not paying attention when Eren told his squad about how he met Mikasa (Eren was not the best storyteller out there). A really shitty timing. Well, in his defense, he never really knew that he would experience it first hand.

If his memory served him right, Mikasa was saved by Jaeger and that's the only thing his brain processed. When and how her parents would be murdered was a blur to him.

Cursing silently for his own stupidity, he drew the attention of everyone at the table to him. "If there's anything that bothers you Levi, feel free to tell us."

"I was just sore from...something." Concerned for him, Mikasa's mother caressed his face. He groaned inwardly for the crack in his voice. Sucks to be a prepubescent boy.

"We'll contact Dr. Jaeger to check you up."

Oh-

Wait.

"Dr. Jaeger?"

"Yes. He's a doctor in Shiganshina. He will visit next week but we can reschedule it the day after tomorrow so he could check whats wrong with you, if you want."

The memory returned to him, "When my father and I visited them, her parents were already dead..."

"No!" He cleared his throat. "No. I mean I'm fine. No need to call a doctor."

"Are you sure, dear?"

"Yes. Thank you."

After that ordeal and eating, Mikasa led him inside her room. "You'll sleep on the floor."

He sighed and started fo fix his futon. "I never have someone to play with..." What she just said made Levi pause.

Right, the kid didn't have any friends. "Can you play with me tomorrow?"

Play? Ah, how could he rephrase this in a way that would not sound freaky? A thirty-year-old man who died and went back on time while being trapped inside the body of his ten-year-old self, playing with a younger version of his subordinate?

Wow, that sounded far worse than he imagined. It's definitely a no.

"N-" He was cut midway with her smile. Her beautiful smile. What the hell, Levi? You're being persuaded by a ten-year-old girl's smile? That's so low. Even the understanding Erwin would flip his wig. Too bad, he couldn't see Erwin's reaction now that he's dead. Not dead dead. Just dead. Okay, that did not make any sense.

Well, he's also ten now so maybe, just hypothetically speaking, he could-

"Why did you punch...yourself?"

"Just to wake me up."

"Sooo...is it a yes or a no?"

He signed. He's already being punished, what more could they bestow upon him? Make him a titan? He shivered on that thought.

Plus, it's just playing with her. There's no harm in having a good time.

"...Okay." Hearing this, Mikasa couldn't hide her excitement. She literally jumped on her bed.

This new (old?) Mikasa was maybe a little cute with that smile.

"Hey, Mikasa?"

"Yes?"

"That smile. It suits you."

He may never have the chance to tell her that.