Our Family {EreMika}

Chapter 1: Accepted

Eren's POV

Walking towards school, Iris was next to me... after all, I have to drop her off at her elementary school. She gripped tightly on my hand, and smiles the whole way there.

"Eren... big bro..." Every time she called me her big brother, my heart grew heavy with lies. Mom... told me to not tell her, Zander, or Zella that I'm not really their siblings. But I hated lying to them. "I... I don't want to go to school..." She pleaded me as she tugged on my shirt as we were a block away.

Sighing, I looked down to her with a smile. "Why not? Come on, you don't want to see Amanda and-"

Iris stared at me with those eyes that reminded me of Dad's. "Amanda isn't my friend anymore! She's bullying me!" She cries out to me, crying into my shirt. "Please don't take me to school... please big bro!"

Wrapping my arms around her, I held her tightly. "I-I promised Mom and Dad that I'll take you to school..." Kneeling in front of her, I hugged her tightly to me. "You have to go to school..."

Soon, she was bursting in tears. "I-I don't want to get bullied again."

"Do they... hit you?" I asked worryingly. She nods to me, and I remembered when she had a strange cut on her cheek. Dad was kinda worried, asking her what's wrong, but Iris never told... and Mom was really worried, but Dad calmed her down.

"T-They would punch and pull my hair..." As she was saying that, she started to readjust her ponytail, pulling it tightly. "A-And I don't want to go... please!"

Leaning close, I whispered into her ear. "If they lay a hand on you, you tell me. You call me and I will be there for you. If I can't... punch them. Dad taught you to punch, right?" She nods to acknowledge me. "Punch them. Just once and run to your next class. Don't hit them again, you hear? You're my sister, and I want to make sure you're okay."

Iris wipes her tears and smiles. "Okay..." Then she jumps onto me, her arms around my neck, "I love you, big brother!"

Hearing and seeing her so happy lifted my heart. "I love you too..." I kissed her forehead, accepting her as my own sister, as I did when she was born. "Now come on, let's get you to school."

*   *   *

Dropping her off at school, I rushed over to my school. And one step into the building, I saw Mikasa and Armin. They were standing near the doors, just talking to each other.

Once Mikasa turned to the doors, her eyes sparkled, "Eren!"

Armin turned around and smiled. "You got here on time! For once..." He mutters under his breath as he hugged me first.

"Mom... wanted me to drop Iris at school, since she was busy with the twins..." I muttered, sighing as I remembered what Iris was going through. I knew how it felt to be bullied... but it didn't make sense why she was being bullied.

"How are the twins?" Armin asks as we started to make our way to English. "Being trouble-making as usual?"

Chuckling softly, I replied to him. "Yep. They were trouble-making. One time, they got into bathroom and they immediately started dumping all the soap on the floor in the kitchen. At that time, Iris was watching them when I was at your house, Armin. Boy... Dad was pissed."

Mikasa smiled and laughs a bit. "It's funny to know that your dad can get so angry over something small like that. But, they're children, he shouldn't be strict on them..."

"Dad kept saying how he didn't like them all dirty or messy... like Mom. Remember that time when we were kids... um, we were playing in the mud."

"Oh dear... I remember your dad came over and started to have a panic-attack." Armin says as he laughs. "I got so worried that you were in trouble! But you said you were perfectly fine after a shower."

"I remember that time..." Mikasa smiles with her eyes sparkling. "Too bad we can't go back to those days... but of course... we're all growing up."

Looking down, I kept remembering all those moments... from the time Armin and I met in the adoption center, meeting Mikasa in elementary school, adopted by Mom and getting a whole new family. It felt... fast. But it felt nice having a baby sister, living in a big house, and more siblings. But of course, I had to keep the secret from them all... that I was their older brother. Some times... it felt that I wasn't accepted. I wasn't their flesh and blood, so I couldn't have a deeper connection to Mom and Dad... no... Hanji and Levi. Do I really deserve to call them 'Mom' and 'Dad' when they're really not?

*   *   *

Iris' POV

"You rotten Ackerman!" A striking pain struck my stomach as I laid on the ground, panting and grasping for air. Amanda had her fists clenched and an angry look on her eyes. "No one likes you! After all... you dad is a bad man!" She then started to punch me in the face, and I kept curling up, protecting myself.

"Punch them. Just once and run to your next class. Don't hit them again, you hear? You're my sister, and I want to make sure you're okay."  I hear Eren's voice in my head... but I was so afraid of getting in trouble...

But Eren was my older brother... and he always knows what to do. So, glaring into Amanda's eyes, I stared down at her. "My dad isn't a bad man!" I shouted at her as I punched her in the face.

She flies back on her butt, her hand over her nose. That's when I saw the blood dripping down. I... I hurt her... "You are a bad person! Your daddy's a bad man! I... I hate you!"

Behind her, the teachers saw the commotion and they started to run outside. Scared, I know Daddy was working... Mom was too busy with Zander and Zella... and she wouldn't be too happy if she had to leave them to pick me up. So, I got up from the ground and started to run towards Eren's school.

"Please... Eren... I'm so scared..." I cried to myself as I ran.