A/N: This story is AU/OOC (hopefully not too OOC), and the beginning is a bit dark and violent. I sincerely apologize if that's not your thing, but hey, the story's gotta start somehow, right? O.o Also, the pairing right now is Riren but it may change later to Riren and Ereri as well depending on wether or not I actually end up writing a lemon/s (never done it before so I'll let my dear readers decide if I should ^-^') That's pretty much it, enjoy my first ever fan fiction and sweet little Riren whom we all love and adore!
WARNINGS: rated M for violence, foul language, and implied boyxboy
Disclaimer: I do not in any way or form own Shingeki no Kyojin or its characters*hides in the corner and cries*
Title: All's Well That Ends Well
Chapter 1. Stranger Danger
"Get the hell out, you fucking murderer."
He curled his tiny body as much as he could, positioning his legs between his chest and covering his head with his arms so that his father's kicks would land on his shins instead of his ribs, and on his forearms to spare his face- if his face wasn't bruised then maybe he could find someway to hide the rest of his visible injuries by wearing long sleeves and jeans. No sounds escaped him except for a small grunt when the older man placed his foot on his cheek and pressed down, smashing his face against the cold kitchen tiles.
His father's mantra escaped his scowling lips and he pulled his son's head back before he began kicking at the small boy again to the rhythm of his words. "Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you."
'I guess no amount of concealer will help me now', the teenager thought, lips turning up into a feral smirk when he felt his father slap his face and then punch his nose.
"What? You like that you little faggot? You little cum dumpster?"
Another swift slap was delivered to his face, the blow so hard that his head whipped to the other side. Blood trickled thickly down his shirt turning the fabric a deep burgundy, the stain entrancing the boy's dazed mind until violently snarled words froze his blood; making his body grow numb in fear-
"You killed your mother with your selfishness, you little bitch. You killed her, and now, I'm going to kill you."
XxXxXxX
"Er...n...Ren."
Somebody shook his shoulder and poked his back, clearing the echoes of a nightmare and ridding him of old memories.
"Eren...Eren." A frustrated breath puffed out next to his face before he could bury it under the covers. He heard a murmur that suspiciously sounded like 'fucking douche' before a sharp yell next to his uncovered ear made him flinch and hiss out an annoyed breath.
"Eren!"
This time the poke turned into an insistent jab to his side and Eren groaned as he finally opened his eyes wide enough so he could glare at the person next to him, but came face to face with the alarm clock instead. You've got to be kidding me. Who tries to wake someone up at five in the frickin morning? He thought, as he watched the glaring red numbers change from 5:00 to 5:01. This should be a crime punishable by death. An extremely painful death. He thought and smiled grimly. Something along the lines of decapitation or, better yet, castration. Oh yes, something nice and gory. Definitely something that would get rid of the finger that was painfully digging itself between his ribs.
...speaking of which, what sad son of a bitch kept trying to wake him up at this ungodly hour of the morning?
Eren turned his head to the side with a menacing growl and locked eyes with cold blue ones framed by an otherwise angelical face, the skin a beautiful alabaster white that was as smooth as satin. "Eren, I thought we had agreed that you weren't going to spend the night, you little fuck. My girlfriend's gonna come back home any minute from her early flight and she's going to be pissed at me unless you get the hell out of my apartment."
The words resonated in Eren, calling up the nightmare about his father.
Get the hell out, you fucking murderer.
One of the things that he remembered most vividly about that night were those words and the numb realization that his father's eyes were hidden because of the glare of the lights above hitting his glasses and causing them to act as a one way glass between them. That had proved to be a blessing and a nice little reprieve actually. Not having to see the burning hate and disgust that was always apparent in that man's gaze whenever he was forced to look at his son had been a pleasant change.
It had been a while since he'd had that dream and Eren hoped it would be longer still before he had it again.
A rude voice interrupted his musings. "Hey, you little shit. Are you listening to me?"
Eren sighed before he closed his eyes and rubbed his face against the pillow, "Yeah, yeah. I got it- girlfriend, plane, get out before she finds out that her boyfriend is a cheating bastard." He sat up."Honestly, if you were so set against me staying the night then you should have kicked me out as soon as we were done. Or, better yet, don't have sex on the night that your girlfriend's coming back to town- come on man, that's like, Relationship101 right there."
Mr. Blue Eyes snorted in derision and flicked his blonde hair away from his face, "Hah. You say that now but you were the one who was begging for a it, and I was so drunk that you managed to convince me that after a quickie you'd be on your way."
"Should've known better than to trust the word of the neighborhood slut." The blonde continued under his breath.
Eren frowned. He really didn't like that nickname. I mean, he HAD done a lot of people, and a lot of people had done him but he thought 'neighborhood slut' was taking things a bit too far. Or, maybe not. If he was honest with himself, he couldn't remember every single person who he'd had sex with. A lot of them had just been distractions or one time flings just for the fun of it, and a lot of the times (more times than he cared to admit), Eren didn't remember their names after they were done.
Which reminds me, Eren thought to himself as he got out of the unfamiliar bed and began picking up the clothes that were strewn about the room. "By the way, who the hell are you?"
Those baby blue's that had begun glaring at him angrily at the "cheating bastard" comment, practically narrowed into slits at this.
"God, you're such a whore. You don't even remember who you get in bed with." He said, disgust written all over his face.
Eren chuckled,"Me being a whore didn't seem to have bothered you yesterday." He said, reaching down to grab his shirt but stopping halfway when he felt his arms and abs protest. "God,I'm sore. Those positions we tried out really did a number on my muscles, blue eyes."
The other male averted his gaze but not before Eren saw a hint of... was that guilt in those blue depths? Maybe even some self-loathing?...Huh.. It doesn't seem like he feels sorry- he doesn't care enough about me for that... But what else could- oh. Ohhhh. The girlfriend. Duh.
Eren watched him curiously as the blonde took a steadying breath before finally saying-
"Will."
Eren blinked up at him, still crouched on the hardwood floor with one hand gripping his T-shirt. "Huh? Sorry, what was that?"
"My name. It's Will"
"Oh." Eren was quiet for a few seconds before he gave him a cheeky grin, "Nice to finally put a name to those pretty eyes and face of yours, William."
He sent him a wink, finished dressing, and was already stepping out of the room when he stopped, hesitating, and looked back at Will.
"You should stop sleeping around."
Will looked at him, stupefied.
Eren laughed at his expression before giving him a wry smile. "Yeah, I know. Pretty ironic coming from me given my reputation, but here's the deal. Apart from all the insults and names you called me, you seem like a semidecent person, and I can tell that you feel pretty guilty about cheating on your girl- don't give me that look, your face is practically a book, it's so open- so let's just call last night a drunken momentary lapse of judgement on both sides and forget that this night ever happened."
Eren turned and began heading out again, Will had let down his guard and his grateful and shamefaced expression were almost painful to look at. "I'll let myself out." He called back, almost, but not quite, missing the quiet "Thanks."
Eren sighed and shut the door. The morning was cold and refreshing, washing away any lingering feelings of pity mixed with resentment over the beautiful boy with the pretty blue eyes. He puffed out a breath and watched it disperse into the frigid air. Perhaps it was time to take a break from the easy lays and try to find someone he could actually have a decent relationship with. Well, at least Mikasa will be happy if I stop sleeping around. Eren passed a streetlight, turned a corner and was assaulted with the familiar smell of chocolate and baked goodies. He smiled to himself as he opened the bakery doors. Arlert's Bakery and Cafè, the one sure place where you could buy some bad ass croissants at five in the morning.
"Mornin', Armin. You helping out your gramps again?"
His best friend's blond head popped up from where he was cleaning the display case.
"Eren! How come you're up so- Ow!"
Armin hissed in pain and gingerly opened the lid of the display he had slammed shut. He removed his finger and blew on it. "Ugh ow, that hurt!"
Eren laughed. "Geez Armin, how clumsy can you get?"
"I'm not clumsy!"
He smirked at the blonde. "Oh really?"
Armin tried to glare at him, his lips twitching. "Really. It's like, God knows how early, and you expect me to be completely awake?!" He huffed in indignation, "I'm bound to make a few mistakes."
"Only a few?" Eren watched, amusement dancing in his eyes the shorter boy got all riled up, it was almost too easy.
Armin gave him an annoyed look before giving up. He didn't have it in him to pretend to be angry at his friend. "Shut up." He said and laughed before grabbing a tray of pastries. "I was gonna go and drop this off at your apartment later for breakfast, but since you're already here you might as well take them now while they're hot."
"Thanks Armin, Mikasa and I really appreciate it." He looked at Armin slyly. "Mikasa especially appreciates all you do for us."
The blonde was immediately distracted from his task, giving Eren his full attention.
"What did she say about you the other day? Oh, yeah. She said something like, 'sweets from the sweetest guy in town, aren't we lucky?'" He said in a falsetto tone and fluttered his lashes at his friend.
Eren watched in amusement and snickered when Armin's face flushed to an almost impossible red. "Aww! Isn't that nice, Armin? My sister thinks you're sweet."
Armin flipped him off, making the brunette clutch his stomach as he laughed harder. "Yeah, yeah. Shut up. My crush on your sister amuses you no end, I get it. Just wait a moment before you start the teasing while I put these in a bag, yeah? Do you want some croissants too?"
"Yes please! Chocolate ones- with as much fudgy goodness as they can possibly have!"
They shared a companionable silence as Armin picked out the best croissants, both perfectly comfortable in the other's company, until it was broken by Armin's questioning glance and hesitant words.
"Umm, Eren?"
Eren hummed noncommittally in response, his gaze traveling across the shop and skimming over the various items.
"Where were you... Did you go out again? Last night, I mean." The blonde's eyes flickered nervously to the side.
Eren stiffened and tensed for a few seconds before sighing. If it wasn't Mikasa, then it was Armin. They were always worried about him, one way or another.
This time, the worrisome subject at hand seemed to be about his sleeping habits.
"Yeah Armin, I did 'go out' last night, and yeah I stayed over at some guy's house. Relax, okay?"
His friend reddened a bit. "Well- I mean, I understand why you're doing... what you're doing, and I'm not judging you, or anything, but-"
"I'm fine, okay Armin? I'm perfect- just peachy. Used protection and everything." He rolled his eyes when Armin gasped and stuttered again. "Jeez, you and my sister drive me up the wall sometimes." Eren looked away from his friend and stared at linoleum floor, his slight annoyance fading before he said, "I'm... I'm going to take a break, you know. From having sex with strangers that I meet at a bar- 'stranger danger' and all that." He let out an uncertain smile and felt himself getting tongue tied, his face flushing a little and darkening his cheeks. "I'm gonna try to have an actual relationship this time."
"Eren, that's great!" Armin said in surprise. Eren probably hadn't had a steady relationship with another person since Thomas had dumped him. It had been such a mess and had left the brunette a complete wreck. After that disaster of a relationship, Eren had avoided them like the plague, choosing one-night stands over dates and feelings. Armin didn't think that he and Mikasa could be blamed for worrying so much about him- Eren didn't often go off the deep end, but when he did it wasn't pretty. There was an awkward pause before Eren cleared his throat and fished out his wallet. "How much do I owe you?"
"Eren! You don't have to pay here! You know that. It's my treat."
Eren looked at the determined expression on the shorter boy's face and simply sighed. Paying for some sweets wasn't worth getting into an arguement. "Yeah, ok." His blonde friend looked satisfied and grabbed the bag.
"Here you go. I'll drop by later when I'm done with the morning shift."
"Sounds good." Eren replied, reaching over the counter for his bag of goodies and simultaneously dropping about fifteen bucks into the tip jar with his other hand, Armin none the wiser. "I'll see you then." He walked to the door and pulled.
"Oh, and tell your gramps "hello" for me, will ya?"
"Will do. And, Eren?"
He turned back, "Yeah?"
Armin grinned at him. "Don't forget, 'stranger danger'."
Eren stuck his tongue out at him, and walked out the store heading home and munching on a chocolate croissant as he went.
A/N: ha! Did you think that Levi would appear in the first chappie? So did I when I began writing it, but it seems that we were both mistaken! *cackles madly* This story has a mind of its own, it just drags me along as I write (plus I wanted to keep the first chp short and sweet and introducing Levi would have just made it too long). Adorbs Levi and a certain redheaded fiend will come next chapter, I promise! Scouts honor. REVIEW review REVIEW!