Hey doods! New fic on the works~~
This one was long hibernating in my brain. It took me a few will power to finally transfer it on my laptop and post it here ahahaha. So basically, this is an AU fanfic where our gang conducts one, final road trip in their senior year.
Hope you enjoy~
"I can't believe your parents finally allowed you to join this one, last trip we have, Armin." Eren Jaeger said as he grabbed random shirts from his drawer before placing it in a large, green duffel bag. Armin Arlert, Eren's oldest childhood friend who was sitting on a beanbag chair, shuffled through the brunet's collection of comics.
"I know. They're so strict. Thank God you and Mikasa were there to back me up." he replied, browsing through an Avengers comic.
Eren grinned to himself. This trip that they were about to go to was the last indeed. The last road trip as high school students, at least. He wanted everyone to be there. Who knows what roads will each of them take after high school right? Might as well create one, long-lasting memory that they won't ever forget.
"Hurry up, Eren. We still have to pick Mikasa up at her house. You know how strict his big brother can be." Armin reminded the still-packing Eren. Just by hearing about Mikasa's big brother sent shivers down his spine.
"Right. I remembered when I was a minute late to pick Mikasa up for prom. Damn, he made me clean their garage. And you know how he gets worked up about cleanliness." the brunet said, the fright obvious in his voice.
"Exactly. You still have… at least 25 minutes."
"Great. I'm almost done."
After 20 minutes of debating on what shoes to bring for the trip, the two childhood friends finally went down the stairs and prepared the van that they were going to use for the trip. As Eren was almost done in placing all of his and Armin's baggage in the van, Carla and Grisha Jaeger walked towards their son to bid their good-byes.
"Have a safe trip, Eren. Don't miss us too much." Carla teasingly said to her son. Eren, on the other hand, rolled his eyes shyly.
"I won't miss you too much. Seriously." he muttered, his ears glowing red. His parents chuckled at the sight of their son.
"Tell Mikasa and Levi we said hi, okay?" Grisha said before handing Eren a stub of cash. This made Eren's eyes glint with light.
"Holy— thanks dad!"
"Hold your horses, kiddo. That's for gas, alright? Make sure you have enough to last you the week."
"More than enough for a week." Eren mumbled only for Armin to hear. His blond friend could only smile in agreement.
"Thanks, Mr. Jaeger. And to you too aunt Carla."
After bidding their farewells, Eren entered the driver's seat and revved the engine while Armin rode on behind. Eren was about to ask on why he sat behind, but he beat him to it.
"What? Mikasa called shotgun during our group chat. And you really wouldn't want me third-wheeling, right?" Armin jokingly said.
"Shut up, Armin." Eren spat at his friend, though his lips curled into a small smile.
After a short, 10-minute drive, Eren parked in front of Mikasa's house. The two got out of the van and went for the front door. It was Armin who rang the doorbell, since Eren was too anxious to do so. After a few seconds of waiting, the door finally opened. And much to Eren's relief, it was Mikasa.
"Wassup, Mikasa. You ready to go?" Eren asked the raven-haired girl.
"Sure. Just let me get my bag and jacket first." Mikasa Ackerman replied, inviting the two to her house. Eren and Armin entered with caution and proceeded to remove their shoes as they stepped inside the Ackerman household.
"Hey, they're here to pick me up. I'll be seeing you guys in a week." they heard Mikasa said from the kitchen.
The two guys didn't bother sitting down the couch as they waited for Mikasa to grab her things. Plus, they didn't really want to get anything dirty.
"So you brats are here to pick Mikasa up." a deep, intimidating voice came from behind them.
"G-good afternoon sir!" Eren said sharply, turning around to face Levi Ackerman, Mikasa's older brother.
"Nice to see you again, sir." Armin said with a small smile. Levi, with his arms crossed, was leaning on the doorway.
"Levi, stop scaring Eren." Mikasa said with a backpack on and a red, medium-sized duffel on her hand. Eren scratched his head in embarrassment. He wanted to say that he wasn't scared, but it was a bit risky since Levi was just in front of him.
"Did you bid farewell to mom and dad?" Levi asked his sister as she walked towards the door with Eren and Armin. Mikasa nodded in reply. Eren grabbed her duffel and went towards the van while Armin boarded the said vehicle. Mikasa followed from behind.
"Have a safe trip, brats." Levi said as he leaned on the doorway, his arms still crossed. Mikasa waved good-bye before riding on the passenger seat.
"You guys all set?" Eren asked as he turned the vehicle's engine on. Both Mikasa and Armin nodded as Eren drove towards their next stop.
"Hey Mik, why does Levi hate me so much?" Eren said, driving his way towards another friend's house. They were still blocks away from their classmate's house so Eren decided to ask Mikasa what he had always wanted to ask. Mikasa placed her gaze on the brunet before answering.
"He doesn't hate you. He's just really strict." Mikasa said.
"Uh… it's because you're dating his little sister?" Armin butted in.
"Isn't that the father's job to hate his daughter's boyfriend? I mean, Mr. Ackerman practically treats me like his own son!" Eren rebutted. "He's not even your big brother, amirite, Mikasa?"
"He's my cousin. Levi's mother died when he was just a kid. My parents decided to adopt him. That was years before I was born. We're practically siblings." she answered, no more no less.
"And hey, he's an agent in the SPD right? Plus, he's part of the elite squad of the Survey Corps. You can't really blame him for being overly protective." Armin added, making Eren give up.
"Fine, fine. Still, when he got all pissed off at me for missing that one, teeny tiny spot in the window was really freaky." Eren muttered in defeat.
"He's a clean freak." Mikasa simply said. The trio went on with their conversation all throughout the drive. After a few more minutes of topic after topic, most of them about their years in high school, they finally reached their next destination. It was Sasha Blaus's house. Sasha, with a camping backpack on and a cooler beside her, was sitting on her home's porch. Beside her was Connie Springer, who brought a backpack and a duffel bag.
"What took you guys so long?" Connie asked as he picked up his duffel and the cooler. Sasha, on the other hand, excitedly jogged towards the van and placed her stuff behind the van.
"Hurry up Connie! Place the cooler here!" She called out, making a space for her stash. Connie placed the blue cooler to where Sasha pointed at. After packing their things in, they boarded the van. The two sat on the last row. Sasha always wanted to sit on the last row because it was near her cooler.
"Whatcha have in there, Sasha?" Eren asked as he left the Blaus's and went on with the drive for the next house.
"Soda, beer… oh! And meat!" The brunette happily said.
"Meat? You said those were just drinks!" Connie said in disbelief.
"Yeah. But don't worry! I packed a portable griller. I like meat best when I cook it!" she replied. Connie could only stare at her, unable to say anything. "Man, you really love meat." he muttered.
"As long as you're responsible for it." Eren added, his mind focused on the wheel. Just a few blocks away was another stop. Upon nearing the next house, he slowed the van down and called their next passenger in.
"Hey Jean-boy! Your ride's here!" Eren called out from the driver's seat. Within a few seconds, Jean Kierschtein walked out of his home's door with a large backpack on, with his mother kissing him good-bye on the cheek. He rashly wiped away his cheek where his mother kissed him with the back of his hand, his cheeks red.
"Have a safe trip, Jean-boy! Be a good boy, alright?" she called out to him, making him blush even more.
"Whatever, mom." he muttered sheepishly as he opened the back of the van to place his bag in. After a few more farewells from his mother, he boarded the van and sat beside Armin but leaving a space that was enough for a person to sit into. Eren pressed the pedal and they were again on their way as Connie questioned Jean's huge distance from Armin.
"What's with the distance, Jean?" he asked.
"Isn't it obvious? That spot's reserved for Annie." Eren answered with a wide grin plastered on his face.
"H-hey! You guys planned this?" Armin asked, slightly embarrassed.
"Hell yeah. When you thought we were all offline last night, we decided to give you two 'space'. Get it?" Jean said, teasing the blond.
"Cool." Armin said flatly, sounding nervous and flustered at the same time.
"We still have to pick up the colossal twins, Annie, Krista and Ymir. It's just a few more blocks away, and we're hitting the freeway." Eren said as he turned on the car's stereo, playing hardcore rock music. Instantly, a lot of the passengers reacted to his dictatorial move.
"Hey! Not everyone in the van appreciates hard rock!" Sasha said, her voice almost a scream, with her hands covering her ears.
"I second that." Connie and Armin both muttered spontaneously.
"Hey, hey. Who's seating on the driver's seat? Eren Jaeger. What kind of music does Eren like? Hard rock. Whoever's in the driver's seat has a say with the stereo. Eren gets to choose what he wants." Eren said, not minding the complaints.
"Eren, it's too loud." Mikasa muttered quietly.
"Sorry, Mik." Eren replied, as he lowered the volume a bit. "That better?"
As Mikasa nodded, the gang stared at Eren like he just betrayed them all. "What?" the brunet asked innocently.
As Eren parked in front of a huge house, he honked, as if signaling someone to go out the house. After a few seconds of waiting, Reiner Braun, Berthold Hoover and Annie Leonhart got out. All three of them had duffel bags with different sizes. Only Annie brought a backpack on. Reiner was first to go behind the van and opened the backdoor of the van. Armin and Jean got out of the vehicle, primarily because Armin intended to help Annie with her bag. As he jogged towards Annie, he gave her a small smile.
"Looking forward to this trip, Annie?" he asked awkwardly as he held her duffel.
"Yeah." Annie muttered as a reply.
"Me too. Since you're here, this trip is going to be great— I mean everyone! Yeah, everyone's here. That is why this trip is going to be great. Which I'm looking forward to. Yeah." The blond genius stuttered, smoothly saving himself from an accidental confession. At least that's what Armin thought.
"Uh… yeah. I'm glad everyone's here too. You, most especially. You're usually not with us on trips like this. It's refreshing." Annie said.
"C-c-cool." Armin replied sheepishly, like a thirteen year-old boy who first encountered a girl who is twice his age. The mere thought that Annie was glad that he was on the trip was enough to make him flustered. Annie got on the van first and sat where Armin was sitting. Jean nudged Armin to sit next to her, in which he reluctantly obliged to. Berthold, who was hoping to sit next to Annie, sat in the last row where Sasha and Connie sat with a deep, frustrated sigh. Sasha instinctively patted his back in sympathy.
"Stop it Sasha." Berthold muttered.
"I just feel for ya, brotha."
Reiner sat in the middle, in between Sasha's row and Armin's row. The seat beside him was vacant, obviously where their last two classmates were about to sit. Jean entered the van last.
"How you guys hangin'? Everything okay back there?" Eren asked, ready drive towards their last stop.
"Yep!" Sasha said with a thumbs up. Connie only nodded in agreement.
"Just peachy." Berthold mumbled.
"Let's get a move on, Jaeger." Jean said, the irritation obvious in his voice.
"Shut up horse-face. I'm the one with the wheel." Eren rebutted as he drove away.
Finally, the gang arrived at their last batch of passengers. Eren slowed the van down as he reached a certain house. After honking twice, two of their classmates, Krista Lenz, the house's owner and Ymir got out. Krista happily waved at her classmates while Ymir had their bags loaded on the van. After their short loading, the two got in. Krista entered first and sat beside Reiner, much to Ymir's disappointment. Ymir followed and sat beside Krista.
"All right guys. The squad's complete. And we are on our way to best road trip ever." Eren said as he drove away from the Lenz residence.
"Hell yeah we are." Reiner said as he tried to put an arm around Krista. Unfortunately for him, Ymir beat him to it as she pulled the petite blonde closer to her. "Hands off, muscles."
"Road trip! Road trip! Road trip!" Sasha chanted happily, with a bag of potato chips in hand.
"Vroom vroom, madafakas." Eren muttered like a gangster, only to receive judging stares from his friends. Except Mikasa.
"Whaaaaaaat? It had timing." the green-eyed brunet defended himself shamelessly.
"Just freaking drive, Eren." Jean said.
And so the road trip starts.
Awwwww yisssssssss the road trip shall commence! I have a LOT of ideas for this fic, but I can't organize them yet. So updates may come in a bit late. Sorry for that.
Peace out.