Breathless •Eremika (Love. Me. Now. Or. Never.)

I: Blush

"I hate sex ed," Mikasa Ackerman muttered under her breath, plonking her hefty school bag down onto the ground beside her desk. She shifted uncomfortably in the seat for a while before fishing her onyx pencil case and notebooks out. After nearly all the students had filed in, there were only two remaining spots next to her but everyone in the class had mentally taken note not to sit there as they were strictly reserved for her two best friends.

"Can I please sit here?" Sasha Blouse approached Mikasa warily, indicating to one of the two vacant seats, "I don't want to have to drag a spare desk and chair from another classroom to here. Pretty pretty please with a potato on top?" They were not exactly playground-friends, but neither did they hold a grudge against each other.

"Suit yourself," Mikasa replied, giving the other girl a wave of dismissal. Sasha beamed radiantly and began unpacking her belongings from her bag, arranging them neatly on the table.

"Wait!" a boy with chocolate brown hair and teal-green eyes half-pounced towards the seat she was about to settle into, "It's taken, sorry." He sunk into the chair to the left of Mikasa shamelessly, pouring the contents out from his bag, claiming his territory.

"Eren!" Sasha gave an exasperated sigh, shaking her head, and moved her things to the adjacent table.

"I'm sitting here," a blonde-haired boy interjected sheepishly at the last moment, spreading his books across the table, nearly pushing her lunchbox off.

"Armin! That's it, I've had enough of you three," Sasha swooped her lunchbox and pencil case into her arms, "I'll sit somewhere else then." She sashayed off, after sticking her tongue out at both Eren and Armin.

"Phew, that was close," Eren gave Mikasa a subtle nudge, "don't you reckon? Sasha almost took my usual spot, how could she?"

"Eren, Armin, you know I'd rather have girls sitting next to me during these classes," Mikasa murmured, hoping that she wouldn't offend either of her friends.

Eren snapped his chin up, "What class is this?" The girl refused to answer, convinced that he would soon be able to figure it out himself if he simply paid a little more attention.

The teacher at the front of the room cleared his throat. He had a gruff demeanor and a stubby chin, with spectacles poised on the tips of his nose. In order to make his presence known, he slammed his books against the wooden table and bellowed, "Alrighty."

The ubiquitous chitter-chatter soon melted away into silence. "We're touching on a bit of a sticky topic today. It's about attractions. But first, I would like you all to go into groups of two to discuss this question. What kind of qualities do you want your partner to have?" Murmurs arose amongst the fellow students as friends shot each other furtive glances, already assigning partners stealthily.

"Oi, Mikasa, I see why you wanted to sit with girls instead," Armin laughed sweetly, "I'll go with Jean to make things less awkward." He scooted over, joining Jean Kirstein at his table, leaving her alone to group with Eren.

Eren had an oafish and uneasy grin plastered on his face as he turned to face his partner, "Um, I don't know what I want in a girl actually."

Mikasa tipped her head back in sheer exhaustion, "Fine then, I'll start. I want my guy to be determined about his goals and to strive for the best at all times. That's pretty much it."

"That's a lot to ask for from us," Eren stammered, glancing away to avoid her gaze. He had never talked to her in such a manner before.

"Honestly, we've been friends for many, many years," Mikasa stated, raising her hand habitually to play with the fringes of her scarf. She had had that piece of garment for years now, and it was sentimental as Eren had given it to her the first day they met, "you don't have to be that shy."

Eren felt a foreign type of warmth rise in his cheeks, "Yeah, maybe. Well, I guess I like girls who are audacious and don't cower from difficulties." Without properly going through the normal thought process, the words tumbled out of his mouth.

"Hey guys," the teacher interrupted, wedging himself between the two. He had saved Eren from any further embarrassment. "I know I told you all to go into groups of two but this student over here isn't grouped with anyone, mind having him join your group?"

Behind him was Levi Ackerman with his thumbs hooked casually in the loops of his jeans, a flippant look on his face. He was amongst one of the most notorious in the school, well-noted for his scandalous behavior.

"Sure," Mikasa shrugged before Eren could make a word of protest. He didn't want Levi to join their rather intimate conversation. Levi was the one all the girls on their grade, along with some juniors, swooned for.

"Mikasa," Levi slipped into Armin's old chair next to Mikasa, neglecting Eren's presence, and draped an arm over her shoulders seductively. He mumbled into her ear, "What's this lesson about, again? Tell me."

Eren swore that a vein inside his head burst from all the pressure. His fists were clenched by his sides, his knuckles whitening. He loathed the fact that Levi was within ten-inch-radius of Mikasa and was trying to prey on her with his charms.

"Stuff. We're talking about stuff," Mikasa lowered her head, attempting to turn a blind eye to the other boy's flirtatious acts. She was acutely aware that Eren was fuming, his stance stiff, and his lips pursed.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought that today's topic revolved around attractions?" Levi slurred, catching a lock of her hair in his hands and twirling it around his fingers. She flinched, a flush rising to her face.

It took every ounce of Eren's willpower to stop himself from hurling a punch straight at Levi. He bore his steely gaze into his rival, hoping that it would somehow intimidate him. It did no use.

"Mikasa, Mika, Mikasa," the newcomer repeated, "Which one do you like better? Mika or Mikasa? Mika just sounds so sweet and adorable, like you." He shuffled closer to her, mentally clawing at her for her attention in every possible way.

This had breached every line of tolerance for Eren. He bounded to his feet, the chair scraping noisily behind him. Everyone in the class whipped their heads around to look his direction. He could feel the surge of adrenaline cruise through his veins as he relished the shock on Levi's face when he erupted.

"Levi-" he started, lifting his arms to lunge for the other boy. That was when his head throbbed, pulsing against his temples, and he felt absolutely disorientated.

A wave of nausea deluged him from head to toe. His knees began to buckle and his adrenaline rush dispersed. His arms no longer felt rigid, and were instead flaccid, falling. He casted Levi a death-stare one last time before his consciousness and vision ebbed away and darkness engulfed him, consuming him whole.

~~~

Mikasa never would've guessed that Eren would become aggressive towards Levi. Her jaw dropped when he got to his feet, challenging his classmate to a dual. Levi would most-certainly triumph over Eren if they were to get into a fight.

That was when he collapsed, deflating. It had happened so abruptly that Mikasa could not even register what exactly was occurring. One moment he was charged with energy, his hard gaze relentless and his muscles tensed. Then the next he was crumpling feebly, folding up upon himself.

Mikasa's hand shot out to stable him, but got pulled down along with him instead. Then they were on the ground, with Eren atop her, his hips digging into her thighs. Ow. His body was limp, motionless.

She tried to shove his weight off her as he restricted her breathing, "Eren, ow!"

He didn't respond. His eyes were closed and his face was placid, the colors drained.

"We're talking about it, but you two really don't have to enact it on the spot," came a back-of-the-room comment.

"Eren, what are you doing? Eren!" Mikasa attempted a second time to lift his torso off her, mortified, desperation acute in her tone of voice. She stopped. "Eren?"

He was unresponsive.