Messy

mirime-kisarrastine:

@edelweissred prompted: Falling leaves

Rating: K+

Word count: 500

Setting: Future canonverse

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There had been a week long spot of bad weather and near constant rain and the house had started to feel like a cage. Mikasa had disliked rain ever since that day and she couldn’t wait to be able to go out again, even if it was to rake the wet leaves.

The rain and wind had stripped the trees around their house bare, leaving the ground covered with mostly red and brown leaves. They were wet and sticky and Mikasa had to stop every few minutes to shake them off her rake but she was outside and there was no rain. She had also managed to win the rock-paper-scissors with Levi so she wasn’t the one stuck up a ladder, cleaning the gutters.

She glanced over at him, caught a glimpse of his disgusted face as he scooped up the mess inside the gutters and quickly looked away to smother her smile. It was amazing how much dirt could accumulate in a year. The bad weather hadn’t helped, either. Still, she would have thought Levi would be happy to be able to clean things to his exacting standards.

A clump of leaves got stuck at one of the tines and she flipped the tool over to pry it off with her fingers, carelessly tossing it over her shoulder. Instead of a soft plunk as it hit the growing pile of leaves back there, there was a louder smack.

Mikasa whirled around and was greeted by the sight of Levi stoically wiping the mess of wet leaves off his shoulder. He had apparently just upended the bucket of the gutter mess and she had the worst possible timing in the world.

“Sorry,” she said. He shrugged.

“At least you didn’t hit my face.”

Mikasa cracked a smile at that, ready to go back to work but Levi stepped closer to her, picking up leaves that got somehow stuck in her hair.

“You are a mess,” he said with a sigh. She pointedly brushed off the remains of the leaves from his shoulder.

“So are you.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“Yours, for not paying attention,” Mikasa said loftily. Levi shook his head but she saw the crinkling of skin at the corners of his eyes. He was just as happy to be arguing over such a stupid thing with her as was she.

They had had to learn to find happiness in the smallest things and even now, years after their darkest days had been over, any reason to smile was a good one.

It was, in its own way, a perfect moment in time, when they stood in front of their house, surrounded by the results of their cleaning efforts.

“We’re both a mess,” Mikasa repeated and she was no longer talking about the leaves in their hair and clothes. “But you’re my mess.”

He answered by pulling her into a kiss which she gladly returned. They were each other’s mess and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

December 1   37♥
#rmj3


©