Hi there~

I'm finally back with a new fanfic! It's pretty short though, I hope you don't mind. There's not much romance in it, I hope you don't mind that either. This one was inspired by the lovely TheNobodyofaSOLDIER (on DeviantART) and I dedicate it to her. You should check her own fanfic, "Strangers", which gave me the idea for mine. It's very well written and I was totally melting when I read it. :3

Big thanks to AroojBasit (on DA too) for proofreading this so quickly. You're awesome, dearie. :3

I listened to a rain video on Youtube while writing this last night. I originally planned on writing it during the week but I ended up doing it yesterday before sleeping. I hope you like it! *hides away* I'm still nervous when I upload something here.

If you have any suggestion for another fanfic, tell me~ If the ideas inspire me, I'll write ^^


Eren didn't even know why he stepped outside, let alone why he went to the park. When it stayedrted to rain, he only knew he shouldn't have. It took him about ten minutes to get to the nearest bus stop and by then, droplets were dripping from his hair and onto his eyelids. The brown locks were stuck to his temples, he brushed them off his forehead to read the timetable as he finally got under the empty bus shelter. He only looked at the afternoon column.

"1:05, 1:46, 2:25, 2:50, 3:20, 3:57," he read softly, for himself.

Eren checked the time on his mobile, 3:23pm. He momentarily hated himself for not walking faster and missing a bus, but ended up sighing and decided to bear with it since he couldn't do better than waiting. He sat down on the uncomfortable bench and took out his earphones. He only put one in, since the sound of the rain wasn't really unpleasant to listen to. His music blended in well with it and he absentmindedly looked around.

An unexpected and unusual sight broke his reverie. Eren frowned lightly. Why was there a girl sitting on a bench without an umbrella, on the other side of the road, when the rain had just gotten heavier? He watched her and mused over it for a while. There was something that prevented him from looking away, even though he was staring weirdly at her. She looked strangely forlorn as she stared blankly to her right. Her mouth was only a thin line and she seemed to be biting roughly her lower lip. Her hair was flatly sticking to her skull and her blue coat was darkened by the amount of water it already absorbed.

Eren couldn't shake the strange feeling he had as he watched her. She looked so lonely that he wanted to get up, cross the road and talk to her. He wasn't sure how he knew it, but he was almost certain she was crying, even though he really couldn't see any tears as rain ran down her face in rivulets, sometimes making her blink to chase them. Or was it only because she was crying? Eren didn't know. He shouldn't want to know. She was a stranger and he should mind his own business. But he just couldn't. He couldn't help but stare at her, not looking away even once as if she could disappear if he did so.

There was an uncomfortable weight on his chest and it only seemed to be growing. Especially when the girl hugged herself tightly, her fingers digging in her arms. Did she just shiver? Were her shoulders still shaking or was he seeing things? Eren wanted to slap himself for being so creepy, but he really couldn't stand seeing this girl so miserable. He wanted to go hug her, tell her everything was going to be alright, say all these sweet things people say when someone is too sad to explain what's wrong. He wanted her to smile, to go back to the warmth of her house, to wipe her tears.

But he didn't know her. He didn't know what was wrong in her life and made her sit in the rain. He had no right to ask. He shouldn't even consider it.

Why did he even care?

Because he was an idiot who couldn't stand seeing someone so sad.

He tried to stay put, even though he had almost forgotten that he had to take the bus.

When the girl checked her watch and her shoulders sagged down even more, and she just simply hid her face in her hands, Eren couldn't stand it anymore. He didn't care if she rejected him. His mom taught him to be nice. She always had a kind word or a sweet smile to make everything better and brighter. He wouldn't walk away from this girl, even if she was a stranger and he should really mind his own business, and she had every right to tell him to fuck off. He wouldn't let her stay in the rain and get sick. If he couldn't at least convince her to go somewhere else, to a warmer place, he would stop bothering her.

That's what Eren tried to tell himself as he got up and crossed the road.

The feeling of a hand on your shoulder made you look up. You wiped your eyes a bit to see better. Who was this guy?

"Hi there," he said, smiling awkwardly. "Can I, um, can I sit here?"

You simply shrugged. You didn't care. This bench wasn't yours. He sat here, facing towards you, but you didn't bother asking why. He looked friendly and didn't try to invade your personal space. You didn't even have time to ask anything, anyway, because he was talking to you again.

"My name's Eren."

You didn't understand why he told you his name, but his smile was strangely warm and his eyes were gentle. You didn't feel threatened, so you simply blinked at him, waiting for him to speak again. You were sure he was going to. And that's what he did.

"I'm sorry, I probably look like a creeper but I saw you here sitting in the rain alone, and- wait no, that sounded even worse. I mean, you looked lonely, and- well, shit. Forget that. You looked sad and I couldn't stand it, so I thought I could come and... Um, yeah, nothing. That's not my business, I know. But, just... I don't know if I can help you or anything, but since you haven't told me to fuck off yet I assume you're not too freaked out, so... Can I get you anything warm to drink? Don't stay out there, you're going to get sick. Please."

For a moment, you didn't even know how to react. A stranger just came, sat here and started rambling awkwardly, more or less trying to show you that he cares for your well-being and your health. How were you supposed to react to that? You were still trying to figure that out while staring weirdly at the guy when he added something. He looked embarrassed and way less confident than before. His face was so expressive it gave away his thoughts, which was almost endearing to see.

"I swear I'll leave you alone if you at least go somewhere else where it's warm and dry. ...Or you can still slap me and tell me to fuck off, I guess."

The situation slowly sank in and you realized a few things. This stranger looked sincere, he didn't even ask for your name or anything personal, didn't try to make you tell him what was wrong, offered to buy a warm drink for you and stayed even though you could very well slap him and kick him away, indeed. But still he was here, waiting for you to reply, fidgeting on the bench like a child about to be scolded by his mother, while all you had done was staring at him like he was going to grow another head. It all felt so ridiculous that you ended up chuckling and finally answered.

"I would love a hot cocoa. Please..."

Your voice was hoarse after crying so much, but he didn't seem to mind. The grin that lit up his whole face, despite how soaked he was by then, was enough to make the corner of your own lips twitch up.

"Let's go, then."

He promptly got up and surprised you again. He took off his jacket, held it up over his head and gestured for you to get under it too.

"Come here," he said, still smiling. "You don't have an umbrella."

You noticed a bus coming down the road and you raised an eyebrow.

"Weren't you waiting for this bus? You're going to miss it."

He chuckled and shrugged.

"There are others later, don't worry."

The bus didn't stop and drove away, but this Eren guy was still here, waiting for you. You rubbed your eyes, willing your tears away, and got under the jacket with him. His eyes were so warm and his smile was so bright that it felt like he had his own inner sun.

As you walked to the nearest coffee shop, your sides pressed together to fit under the jacket, your heart felt a little less constricted and you breathed a bit more easily than before. Even though nothing had really gotten better yet, a little warmth was enough to give you some hope back.

And the slight smile that ghosted over your lips was enough to make Eren want to dance right there if he wasn't trying to protect you from the rain.