Amaranth

Chapter 39: Red Salvia

I didn't just do that, did I? Mikasa thought to herself as she and Carla stared at each other with wide eyes. After living with the Jaegers for almost 7 years, she had never called Carla "mom", and she'd never called Grisha "dad".

She'd never called them mom or dad because she felt like it would be betraying her biological parents who did so much to raise her and keep her safe. They deserved the title of "mom" and "dad". She never planned to call Carla mom, but....

It felt right.

"Did you.... Just?" Carla asked with glassy eyes. Her lips were quivering with the urge to cry while Mikasa continued to stare in thought.

"We're gonna... go...." Ymir spoke for her and SAsha while pulling the other brunette back to the bus.

"I called you mom," Mikasa admitted in a mumble.

Before she could say anything else, Carla pulled her into a big hug. Mikasa froze while Carla hugged her tightly.

It hadn't felt wrong to call Carla 'mom'. Carla had taken care of her all this time like a mom, she fed her, protected her, kept a roof over her head. She even put up with Mikasa's breakdowns and rebellious phases.

However, she still couldn't shake the feeling that her biological mother would be hurt by this. She birthed Mikasa, raised her, gave her all her love, even died for her, and Mikasa repaid her by moving on? It felt... unfair.

"Hey, no pressure, Kiddo," Carla told her while ruffling her hair. She realized that Mikasa was still frozen, so she guessed that Mikasa hadn't meant to do it so impulsively. For Carla, it was enough that on a whim, Mikasa had called her "mom". It almost meant more to her since it wasn't something planned.

"Thanks," Mikasa spoke finally, giving Carla a soft smile.

"I'll see you at home, okay?" Carla offered with a smile and wave.

"Yeah, see you there," Mikasa agreed while waving back. She walked to the bus, and the doors closed behind her as she was the last one to get one.

"Dude, you reek," Ymmir jabbed fun at her when she finally sat down.

"You didn't even change," Sasha laughed lightly.

"Fuck off," Mikasa grumbled, "I was a little busy."

A few of her other teammates poked fun at her, but they stopped quickly when Mikasa gave them a blank, empty look. You'd think it wouldn't be all that scary, but when Mikasa gave you a blank look, it felt like she could see into your soul.

The bus ride passed quickly, and soon enough, Mikasa was stepping off the bus. She grabbed the few things she had with her and walked back to her house.

When she got home, she waved to Carla before walking up the stairs to shower and change. She had work today pretty soon, so she had to change into something nice and clean all the sweat off of her.

After showering and changing, Mikasa grabbed the keys to Carla's van and waved goodbye to Carla who was watching TV on the couch. "Have a good day at work!" Carla said to her as she left.

The ride was short, so she ended up getting to work a few minutes early. Oh well, Mikasa thought, I suppose I do kind of owe her for skipping and being late in the past.

She entered the building and immediately walked to the front counter. She waved at Hange who smiled kindly at her. "Nice to see you back!" they greeted.

"Nice to be back," Mikasa said as she slid a backpack off her back. The backpack was filled with stuff she usually brought to work, especially when she had hours on the weekends since she'd miss lunch and sometimes dinner.