Attack on Prime The Future Anthology: Valentine's day
Main Story
Music IV
Therapy
World War 2
Today was slower compared to others. At least in Falco's opinion.
He would have done more today, but the Autobots and the U.S. Military were doing more of the heavy lifting. Even the Survey Corps weren't asked to help out much today. Jack explained that they were ahead of schedule on what they wanted to do, and they all thought that they deserved to relax for a little bit while they took care of the work.
The Survey Corps accepted it, deciding to go back to the island and check on their government. However, Falco, Gabi, Colt, and Pieck...really didn't have anywhere to go.
Liberio was destroyed, and Pieck was still concerned about the actual safety of the outside world. Just because of Optimus fought for them during the peace treaty, didn't mean people were going to treat Eldians better on a dime. Luckily, Earth was kind enough to provide the four of them a home. Annie was also offered a place to stay, but she found herself keeping company with a few other members of the Survey Corps. Falco felt like her relationship was strained between the four of them, probably because Annie was able to get her father out of Liberio and away from the Rumbling. It didn't seem like Pieck and Annie were on the best of speaking terms.
But for the rest of them, they had been remaining on Earth in Unit E. Colt and Falco were sharing a room while Gabi and Pieck were sharing a room of their own. Jack had explained that this was where they had stayed when they themselves were on the run and their home was destroyed by Megatron.
Falco couldn't help but sigh in contempt at that conversation as he flipped through the channels on the T.V. in the recreational area of Unit E. He was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed, while Colt was taking a nap on the couch with a blanket over his body. He was so baffled that Matthew, or Megatron, truly was the bad guy. Just as much as he resented Eren, nearly every single human on Earth recoiled in disgust at the sound of his name. He hated how things...were so complicated.
As Falco continued mindlessly flipping through channels, he paused when he noticed a strange commercial, at least that's what Jack, Miko, and Rafael called it. He was bombarded with a symphony of red heart, displaying candy and and messages about 'Valentine's'.
"Find anything good on?" Rafael asked as he walked up the stairs to the common area.
"Not really," Falco admitted, "Although this commercial hurts my eyes."
Rafael hummed at the sight of the commercial. "Valentine's Day."
"What's that?" Falco asked, "Is that another human holiday?"
"Yeah, it's for couples, or crushes," Rafael sighed as he moved Colt's legs so he could sit on the couch, "You send them roses, candy, chocolates, do something nice, or just be a secret admirer or whatever."
"You don't seem to like it," Falco remarked.
"Too mushy for my tastes," Rafael admitted, "Not to mention, the corporate greed that comes with it or any other holiday. Only benefit is the candy that gets put on clearance the day after Valentine's Day."
"You're...quite cynical about love," Falco commented.
"College makes you cynical." Rafael leaned his head back against the couch, "Now I'm gonna sleep. Don't bother me."
Falco watched as Rafael removed his glasses before shutting his eyes. Falco turned his attention back to the T.V. as the commercial continued to play. It was for couples, but...crushes too. Falco blushed a little when he thought of Gabi. He had a crush on her for a long time, but he never really got the chance to tell her. He never found the right time. After Udo's death, she became more hostile to everyone, then the attack on Liberio happened, he got knocked into a coma, and he woke up in a world without titans...and without his parents.
He still had Colt, Gabi, and Pieck, which he was still grateful for, but they were all orphans. They had no one. It sucked. Even so, it was a time of peace. Maybe...Falco saw the Valentine messages on the screen. Maybe he could finally tell Gabi how he felt.
Hopefully she would take a hint.
========
AOT World
"Valentine's day?! Are you kidding me?!" Miko exclaimed as she wiped her face with a towel.
"Well...I saw the commercial yesterday," Falco sheepishly explained, "And I thought I could ask you guys for help? Rafael didn't seem to care about it."
"Yeah, cause Raf is drowning himself with work," Jack commented.
"Do you guys have any tips on how to be someone's valentine?" Falco asked.
"Maybe. Who's it for?" Jack asked, earning a snort from Miko.
Falco rubbed the back of his neck. "...Gabi."
"Oh boy," Miko grunted as she slapped the towel atop of her shoulder, "Isn't she like, super stubborn?"
"I thought you liked her," Jack recalled.
"Sure, but I know stubborn," Miko retorted.
"So, what should I do?" Falco asked.
"Well there's a variety of things specifically for Valentine's," Jack stated, "You could get her candy, write her a card or a telegram, take her out to eat."
"By the way, we're not helping you out with any of that!" Miko declared, "We're not buying anything lavish!"
"Maybe a rose," Jack offered.
"Jack, no, we've been breaking our bank!" Miko retorted as Megatron walked by in holoform, "And I've been wanting to get discounted Valentine's day candy after with Raf!"
"Well, Gabi does like sweets and I'm certain that stuff from Earth would entice her," Falco began as Megatron paused in his step to eavesdrop on the conversation, "But I'm still not sure if she would accept it as a romantic gesture? Maybe a card? But if I'm too vague, then she might not get it. And I feel like I'll mess up my writing. And Gabi can be...dense when it comes to something she doesn't care about."
"Oof," Miko said.
"Um...I don't know any good places to take her out to eat. We've been stuck in Liberio for most of our lives, and a good portion of the places here have been destroyed anyway," Falco continued.
"Well we can't really take you guys anywhere on Earth without supervision," Jack said, "I mean you can write drafts and we can look it over."
"No puns! Puns are weak," Miko added.
"But what should I say?" Falco asked, "How do I even begin?! What-?!"
"By the Allspark, just tell her the fragging truth!" Megatron shouted dropping the box of supplies in his possession.
"Megatron?!" Jack gawked, "What are you doing here?!"
"Cringing over this abysmal advice you're giving him!" Megatron shouted.
"And what makes you an expert on love, you genocidal freak?!" Miko demanded.
"Nothing!" Megatron answered, "But I've known them for four years!"
Megatron kneeled down to face Falco. "Listen, Falco. You need to be blunt with her and tell her the truth. Directly to her! Not in written form or anything like that! She's not going to get it any other way!"
"But that seems-!"
"Zofia didn't care about anything! She was rather apathetic, which was why I liked her the most!" Megatron began counting with his hand, "Udo was riddled with anxiety! You are too empathetic!"
"Why is that a bad thing?!" Miko demanded.
"And Gabi is too full of pride and too dense to get anything else unless it's told to her!" Megatron finished, "She'll be so focused on one thing that she doesn't understand any other social cues! You need to tell her the truth to her face! None of this pathetic nonsense that they've been spouting!"
"Okay?!" Jack emoted in frustration.
"But what if I can't?! What if she says no?!" Falco asked.
"Then she fragging says no! By the Allspark, take the risk! You were willing to die for this girl! Just tell her the truth and stop being a coward!" Megatron grabbed him by his shirt.
"Is supposed to be backhanded or good advice?!" Miko demanded.
"YES!" Megatron snapped at Miko, "I'm sick of dealing with Falco's feelings for Gabi! It's been over two years since I noticed it!"
Miko looked at Falco, who was blushing. "Seriously?"
"Shut up!" Falco yelled.
"You are in a new world, with an unknown future ahead of you. Not dictated by Marley," Megatron reminded, "Take the chance and tell her the truth."
Falco could only stare in surprise before nodding his head. "I will...Thank you."
Megatron sighed as he stood up, grabbing the box that he had left alone. "Don't be stupid."
Jack and Miko stared in disbelief as Megatron walked away. "What the hell was that?!"
====
Later on Earth
"Gabi, how has therapy been going for you?" Pieck asked her as Gabi folded her clothes on the bed.
"Fine," Gabi mumbled, "I don't want to talk about it."
"Are you sure?" Pieck asked her, "I did talk to the therapist-!"
"She doesn't disclose anything about what we talk about!" Gabi yelled at her.
"She doesn't, but she was giving me some tips on how to better manage a few things," Pieck explained, "You were brought up a few times, and for now, I guess I am your legal guardian."
Gabi huffed in response.
"Gabi, I'm not much of a fan of it either, but someone has to watch out for you, and I can't burden Colt with more responsibility. He has his own brother to watch after," She reminded.
"...Well what about the agents in Unit E?" Gabi suggested, "Or Annie?"
"Jack and Miko have their own lives to lead that are very different from ours, and Annie has her own father to worry about," Pieck reminded, "We need to work together, okay?"
Gabi reluctantly hummed in response. Both paused when they heard a knock on the door. Pieck stood up from the bed and walked over to the door to open it, seeing Falco standing there and out of breath.
"Falco-!"
"Can I talk to Gabi?" Falco asked, "It's urgent."
"Um...okay?" Pieck elected to step out of the room to give Falco and Gabi some privacy, but was stunned when Jack and Miko grabbed her and pulled her aside. She was also stunned to see Rafael, the 104th, and Colt and Annie waiting behind the door too?!
"What are you doing?!" Pieck hissed.
"Megatron gave Falco advice and now he's gonna act on it," Colt informed.
"Megatron and advice in the same sentence should be a curse," Rafael groaned.
"Falco, I'm a little bit tired. I had a long day, and I want to take a nap," Gabi explained as she finished folding her clothes.
"It'll be quick! I promise!" Falco insisted.
"Falco, it can wait until tomorrow-!"
"Gabi, I like you!" Falco blurted out before covering his mouth.
Gabi snapped her head to him in confusion as a blush crept onto her face. "Huh?!"
Falco groaned in frustration as his ears and cheeks turned red. "Gabi, I like you! And I saw something about Valentine's Day and they said it was for couples and crushes and secret admirers and....well I've always admired you and I've always liked you and I've always wanted to marry you!"
Miko pulled out a bag of popcorn and started snacking on it. "Want some?"
"Gimme." Sasha pinched her hands together, indicating she wanted some popcorn.
"W-why?" Gabi stuttered, "Why are you telling me this now?"
"Well..." Falco trailed off, "Because...I get the chance to. We don't have to become Warriors. Our futures aren't decided for us anymore. We get to make that choice. So...I'm choosing to tell you...and...yeah...."
Falco found himself sitting in silence, noticing that Gabi wasn't saying anything. "Um...Gabi?....Please say something. I don't like this waiting-!"
"You're lying," Gabi mumbled.
"What?!" Falco exclaimed.
Miko gasped. "A twist!"
"Damn it, Gabi," Annie groaned in annoyance.
"Why would you say that?!" Falco yelled at her, "Why would you think I'm lying?!"
"Because I've been a terrible friend to you!" Gabi shouted, "To you! To Udo! To Zofia! I treated you all as competition to become a Warrior!"
"Well, you can blame Marley for that-!"
"I took my anger out on you and Zofia after Udo died!" Gabi reminded.
"Yeah, because Udo died in front of us!" Falco retorted.
"I called you a bad friend and got you shot!" Gabi shouted, "You would've fallen to your death if Sasha hadn't saved you, and...you were in a coma because of me! I made your life hell! Why would you even say that you like me?!"
"....Dios mΓo. Esto es una telenovela," Rafael muttered in Spanish, causing Armin to dart his eyes to him.
Falco clenched his fists and took a deep breath. "Yeah, you're right. You called me a bad friend and you nearly got me killed."
Gabi flinched at that.
"You're stubborn. You're prideful. You can be annoying when you don't listen!" Falco raised his voice.
"Falco, what are you doing?!" Colt hissed.
"Not to mention, you've been so annoying when it came to training! Always bragging about being the best and 'Oh, my cousin is the Armored Titan!'" Falco listed off in anger, "Yeah, I got real mad about all those things!"
"I'm sorry," Gabi mumbled.
"But you're also really pretty!" Falco continued, "And you're really brave! And your laugh is infectious! And you care about us by trying to be strong just so that you can protect the people you love! And damn it, I just need you to take the hint!"
Falco grabbed Gabi by her shoulders. "Gabi, I like you! I want to go out with you! I want you to be my Valentine! Do you want to be mine?!"
Gabi's whole face was red, speechless at Falco's declaration of love. "Uh...are you sur-!"
"Damn it, yes!" Falco yelled in her face.
"Okay!" Gabi screamed back, allowing Falco to let go of her, "...Now what do we do?"
"YOU TWO SHOULD KISS!" Miko hollered.
"Shut up!" Gabi yelled.
"We're not there yet!" Falco declared.
Pieck hummed at that. "Valentine's day...anyone could be a Valentine?"
"Yeah, pretty much," Rafael answered.
Pieck turned to Jack. "Jack, would you like to be my Valentine?"
"What the hell?!" Jack yelled with a blush on his face while Miko cackled.
"What? I think you look cute, and you've been accommodating for all of us," Pieck explained, "It's only for the day too, right?"
"Screw Valentine's day. Who wants the discounted chocolate?" Rafael asked.
"I DO!" Sasha raised her hand.
Mikasa glanced back at Falco and Gabi's flustered faces before walking down the halls of Unit E. Valentine's Day. To do something for someone you love. It sounded nice. She wondered...if Eren were still alive...would he had ever been interested in that.
Mikasa sighed to herself at that. Primus did tell her that Eren did love her, but he chose his freedom over his love. She wasn't certain if Eren telling her his feelings was a last ditch attempt at trying to stay alive. The fact that she was doubting his intentions made her feel even more conflicted.
Mikasa reached for her neck on reflex, but paused when she realized that the scarf was no longer there. She kept forgetting. It's been part of her for so long. It represented her love, tainted by her pain now. Her devotion, and yet, her prison. Her compassion for someone who kept on running, but refused to look back for any of them.
Mikasa clenched her fists. She was done with that. If she was going to move on, and be free from this poisonous love, then she would choose to pursue someone. One day, she would find someone that would have the bravery to continue running, but would have the compassion to look back.
(Wasn't expecting to do this, but I need to do some set up for more parts in the Anthology.)
