Chapter Text
Living alone is one of the best things that Sasha has ever done, in her opinion. It grants her the independence that she craves. She plays by her own rules and nobody tells her what to do. It really suits her.
Just her and her two cats: A calico named Lila, she's rather calm and affectionate, everything that Sasha would ever need when she's having a bad day. Lila's brother— a black and white shorthair named Loki, behaves more like a gremlin than a cat. The difference between them is like comparing day and night. Yet, she cannot imagine her life without the two vastly different pets wandering around throughout her day.
Despite enjoying her adulthood and the responsibilities that come with it, there is one current issue that Sasha wishes somebody would've warned her of before she acted on her own: how little leeway there is involving landlords and their pet policies.
She doesn't know which one of her neighbors had the gall to report her on the suspicions of pets but when she does find out, it's over for them. Who is she kidding, the most she'll possibly do is glare at them for a while from afar.
Even so, glaring at them is not going to save her from eviction. To make matters worse, it's the day of her inspection and for some reason, it didn't dawn on her to start making adjustments prior to today. Now she has limited time to scramble around her apartment and conjure up a solution.
Her face lights up as an idea springs into her head. The answer is so simple! She'll just have one of her friends watch her cats until her inspection is over with. Easy.
She pulls out her phone, scrolling through her contacts. She considers who most likely has the highest chance of availability and clicks on their name. When the phone goes to voicemail, she dials the number again and again. It takes four more tries for her best friend's face to pop up on her phone screen.
“Ymir! Finally!”
“Well, you did call me about six times,” Ymir answers, a hint of worry laced in her words along with her tense brow. “What's up? Did something happen?”
“Aw, you seem so concerned. You really do love me.”
“My mistake. What the hell do you want?”
“There's the Ymir that I know,” Both of them chuckle. “And I was calling to ask if you could watch Lila and Loki for me? Pretty please, just until after the landlord leaves?”
“Is that today?”
“Yeah.”
“Why would you wait 'til now to tell me?”
“All I know how to do is procrastinate, you know this!”
“I'd love to help you out, but I got called in to work today and you're taking up my break.”
“You think I'm timeless so it's fine,” Sasha sticks her tongue out, earning a playful eye roll that might have come off as menacing if she didn't know the girl so well.
“Anyways, I'll see if Connie can watch them.”
“Good luck with that. Talk later.”
“Yeah, see ya.”
When her phone screen dims, she leans onto the couch with a whine. This certainly isn’t going as planned. Connie is next on her list to ask and inconveniently, he’s in an entirely different city. Seriously, the one time she needs him here with a purpose, he decides not to loiter around her home. After calling Jean and Marco and ultimately finding out that they’re both busy as well, she realizes that she's doing nothing but wasting precious time.
She can always ask her undeniably stunning neighbor who moved in next door about three weeks ago. Although that’s a plausible option, what if she thinks that's weird? Sure, they've had a handful of conversations and they’re friendly whenever they see each other but that's really all there is to it. It surely isn't enough to have the two of them on a 'can you save my ass from eviction and the wrath of the landlord,' basis.
Damn it, she finds the courage to get up and walk into the hallway. She stares at the door in front of her, finding it somewhat unnerving all of a sudden. Apart from the intimidation factor, she doesn't even know how to properly word this request. Or deal with rejection if said, undeniably stunning neighbor decides to slam the door in her face.
She swallows her fear and knocks on the door, hoping for an answer.
A few moments later, the door opens and Sasha does her best not to gawk at her. Her eyes subconsciously fall to the light material of her shirt which does nothing to hide the outline of her strong abdomen. If anything, it highlights the muscles, leaving Sasha awestruck.
Don't get her started on those toned biceps…
She suppresses those thoughts in a haste before looking up at Mikasa's face this time, which she notes is immeasurably more distracting and captivating, “Hi.”
“Hey,” the corners of Mikasa's mouth twitch upwards and it's always the closest thing to a smile that she'll get during their small talk. “Can I help you with something?”
Sasha is quiet for a second, gathering her thoughts and pondering how to get through this without making too much of a fool out of herself. The brunette's intention of staying rational melts away as she drops to her knees and clasps Mikasa's hands in her own before rambling, “I know we barely know each other and you just moved in but I really, really, reaaaally need a favor.”
Taken aback, Mikasa stares at her, “Uh, okay? What is it?”
“The landlord is on his way soon and I need you to watch my cats until he leaves.” Sasha closes her eyes, anticipating her fated rejection. She expects Mikasa to tug her hands away and slam the door in her face, leaving her in a pool of shame right in the middle of the hallway. However, nothing of the sort happens. Mikasa's hands are still enveloped by her own and she only stares back at her with a calm expression.
“Sure.”
Sasha's eyes widen, “Seriously? No questions asked?”
“Nope. It seems pretty straightforward and your cats are cute, I don't mind.”
“You omnipotent goddess! I really owe you one! Give me a few minutes.”
Mikasa helps her off the floor— Sasha can't ignore the tingling sensation that remains on her hand even after she lets go. Sasha rushes back to her apartment, looking for Lila and Loki. Lila being the angel that she is, approaches her with a small meow and a nudge of her head against her leg. Sasha rubs the top of her head before looking for her brother. When she locks eyes with Loki, he launches in the other direction.
Begrudgingly, she's forced to chase after him. A few minutes of Loki toying with her pass and he allows himself to be captured and she can finally take him over to Mikasa's apartment. She places them in the middle of the floor and they circle around her feet before venturing further into the home. During the process of helping Mikasa with something the first few days she moved in, Lila and Loki ran in so they're already somewhat familiar with the living room.
“Here are some treats to keep them occupied. They shouldn't be too annoying.”
“And the bathroom situation?”
“They're all good.”
“Alright," Mikasa sets the container of treats on the coffee table beside her. "They're in good hands then.”
“Ugh, you're such a lifesaver. I could kiss you right now,” Sasha lets slip out. Her hands immediately fly to her mouth as subtle amusement settles on Mikasa's face.
“Wait! I'm totally joking!”
“Right.”
Suddenly feeling overwhelmed, Sasha shuffles away until her back bumps into the door. “I better get to cleaning the rest before he shows up.” Sasha excuses herself and exits the apartment at the speed of light.
Sasha steps into her own apartment, a dense cloud of embarrassment lingering over her as she begins to clean.
---
Throughout the entirety of her inspection, Sasha feels like she's walking on eggshells. She’s suspicious of every glance he takes around the apartment. A marginal mishap could ruin everything in a split second and that’s enough to let paranoia set in. As he's scrutinizing every crevice of her home, her cautiousness heightens, and she starts to question if a hidden bag of cat food might mysteriously show itself. When he faces her again, she stiffens, thinking of the worst possible outcome.
“Everything looks fine,” Sasha has never been more relieved. “And I'll call maintenance to fix the minor stuff.”
“Alright, that's great!”
“And Ms. Braus,” her breath comes to a standstill when he addresses her again. Just when she thought she would escape these circumstances unscathed. “Try not to raise any more alarms.”
“Yes sir.” She nods as he turns on his way.
Once she shuts the door, she sighs heavily and leans against it. Her anxiety seeps away and relief spreads throughout her being. Sasha lost track of time while trying to seem as unassuming as possible so she's not sure how long it actually took him to inspect everything. All she knows is that it was every bit of nerve-wracking as she presumed and she's glad it's over.
She allows a bit more time to pass before heading over to Mikasa's place just in case her landlord happens to wander back to her floor.
She deems it safe and decides to step out of her apartment, glancing around the hallway. When she spots nothing suspicious, she heads towards Mikasa's door. She knocks and it's immediately welcomed by a light, ‘it's open.’
Dangerous much?
Sasha twists the handle and pushes the door open, “you always leave your door unlocked for strangers to come in?”
“Just the ones I'm saving from eviction.”
“Touché,” Sasha appreciates the remark but any other words she planned on saying disappear before they can roll off her tongue. Mikasa sits on the couch, Lila resting with her head nuzzled against Mikasa's neck while Loki is curled up in her lap. The sight is sweet enough to nearly make her swoon. “That's so… adorable.”
“They're sweethearts. Please take them though, I've been in this position for so long.”
Sasha hurries over to her, grabbing Lila first. Just as Mikasa stretches her arms, Lila wakes up and does the same.
Sasha turns away in order to hide the fact that she's just about ready to combust. This has to be some form of a deity compensating for her misfortune with such adorable scenes simultaneously in return. When she turns back around, Mikasa is standing up while holding Loki.
“I'll carry him.”
After walking through her door, Sasha sets Lila down and she immediately heads towards the spot that their scratching post usually is. Following her, Mikasa sets Loki on the floor, in which he jets down the hallway.
“He's so strange,” Sasha comments, though it’s more so her thinking aloud. “I'm surprised you were able to get him to go to sleep.”
“He was a little bit of a hassle, but I guess jumping from counter to couches will tire out any cat.”
Sasha looks horrified at the information. “Did he really? I'm so sorry!”
“It's fine. It's not like he broke anything.”
“That's a relief,” Sasha's shoulders relax. “And thanks again.”
“No problem. I'm here if you need me.”
“Yeah. See you around?”
“Definitely.”
Mikasa offers her an actual smile this time, not just a half smile or the miniscule twitch of the corners of her lips. She assumed that the first smile that she received from Mikasa would be a rather fraudulent one, possibly after pretending to get along with her for weeks. But this . This smile is entirely genuine and dazzling, almost blinding. Heat rushes to her cheeks at the sight alone.
The door shuts behind Mikasa, prompting Sasha to fall back onto the couch. She stares blankly at the ceiling, her right hand laying idly over her heart. The erratic thumping in her chest is impossible to overlook. She lays there silently to clear her mind but in some twisted way, the lack of distractions around her encourages brimful thoughts of something— of someone.
No matter how much she tries, she can't get Mikasa out of her head now, nor the jittery feeling in her chest that accompanies those thoughts.
Acknowledging the feeling, Sasha groans, “I'm so screwed.”