July- First Friday 7:00 pm
"I know it's rather cliche, but how about we begin by going in a circle and giving our names and why we're here. I'll start." The chocolate haired boy gave his patients a lopsided grin and flicked stray strands of hair away from his glowing teal eyes. "My name is Eren Jaeger. I'm here today as your group therapist and my goal is to do my best to help each and every one of you cope with whatever bad situation you're in. I won't pretend to personally understand every single thing you may be going through, but I promise that I will listen to every word you say in hopes that I can at least try." The boy nodded his head to signal his finish.
A group of five (including Eren) sat in a circle of chairs in the middle of the building that Eren has so cleverly (not) named Therenpy. Get it? It's like therapy, but with Eren in it. Hence, Th(eren)py. Yeah, it was cheesy, but he had just opened up his own business and had plenty of time to change the name once he got a steady stream of patients. The room they sat in was cozy. Walking in, you could see a library style wall on the right that was filled to the brim with all kinds of works. Comics, manga, novels, short stories, collections of poems, vinyls, DVD's, and even some VHS tapes were organized neatly into the shelves.
On the back wall there was a table with a record player directly underneath a curtained window. On the left wall there was a coffee bar. Eren wanted the place to look normal. He wanted his patients to feel comfortable. Admittedly, Eren was surprised he had even gotten approved to open his business. The way he handled patients was sometimes deemed unprofessional by others but the truth was that Eren had been in the top of his class. Despite his unusual techniques he had also had the least amount of patients who relapsed at his previous job.
Eren turned to his right to see a blonde male with some stubble on his upper lip that was forming a mustache. The brown eyed blonde let out a huff before speaking. "My name is Hannes, and I'm here because I have an alcohol problem, or so I've been told." The man stared at the ground as he spoke and lifted his head slightly to make eye contact with Eren before letting his gaze fall once more.
"Good, that was great! And how about you miss?" Eren signaled to the brunette woman sitting next to Hannes.
She was shoveling chips from her jacket pocket into her mouth, crumbs spilling onto her chin and she rushed to chew. She looked at Eren with ravenous eyes. "Mhf- My names Sasha, and I'm here because my friend Connie says I eat too much. I don't get what's wrong with loving food though!" the woman exclaimed earnestly.
"You love food, huh? How much do you eat each day Sasha?" Eren shot the woman a curious smile, attempting to coax her into explaining the situation further.
"Mhh! Well for breakfast I usually have a stack of pancakes with bacon and eggs and toast and a bowl of cereal with fruit and then I go to this place down in Trost where they serve jumbo breakfast burritos and-"
"Wow! That's a lot Sasha! You must have an iron stomach!" Eren cut her off. She shook her head enthusiastically and Eren nodded his head to the next person in the circle. It was a tall muscular brunette, probably early twenties. He shuffled nervously in his seat, picking at dead skin around his fingers. His voice was barely audible and never once did he look up to face the small group.
"Uhm, you can call me Bertl… I'm here.. 'cause.. uh. I uhm- I have social anxiety so…." His voice faltered at the end and he hung his head so his hair covered his eyes.
"It's great to meet you Bertl!" Eren exclaimed. It was best to give reassurance that the boy did well, with this particular case. "I'll let you in on a secret!" Eren leaned forward in his seat and noticed the boy peeking through his bangs, glancing at him. "I really, really hate speaking in front of crowds. I always get a stomach ache right before hand, but it gets easier." Eren winked at the boy after he saw a faint smile plague the brunette's lips. "Alright, and last but not least! How about you sir?"
Eren glanced to his left to see a short raven haired man who hadn't moved since he first stormed in and slammed down in his seat. He had an undercut and Eren found his teal eyes locked with empty silvers. The raven held a blank expression the whole time he spoke. His arms were crossed, and his feet dangled from the chair, only the tips of his toes able to reach the ground. Eren could see he was tense. His words dripped in annoyance. "I'm here because Erwin fucking Smith kidnapped me from my house and left me here, saying he'd be back in two hours. A name is pointless since I don't plan on returning."
The man held Eren's gaze with steel daggers, but Eren wasn't affected in the slightest. He'd had patients come after him with kitchen knives, a grumpy little oompa loompa wasn't going to faze him. Besides, Erwin was not only his previous boss, but a good friend, and had warned him about a new and rather difficult patient he was sending in. "I don't suppose I can convince you to humor me and give me your name, regardless of if you return or not?" Eren let out a hopeful plea.
"Tch." The man clicked his teeth together and spat his words. "Why the hell would I give a brat like you my name? I don't need a fucking kid trying to babysit me, alright?" Eren shrugged his shoulders in defeat. He had other patients to attend to, and no matter how much he wanted to sit and try to break the man open, he had to remember that he wasn't doing one on one's anymore.
"Okay, well, maybe by the end of the session you'll change your mind." Eren turned to address the group as a whole. "Alright, now I'm gonna be upfront with you guys, this is my first time doing group. I've had experience doing group as a partner with my previous boss, but I've never worked one by myself. I'm gonna ask you guys to give me a chance, but if after a few sessions you feel as though it's not working out, I will totally understand. Just come talk to me and I can give you a list of personally recommended groups to go to. My methods are… well, they're not textbook. So it's not gonna work for everyone. But I believe in my ability to help each and every one of you!"
Eren leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his knees. "So, let's get this thing going! Today's just a getting to know each other day, so feel free to talk about anything at all." Bertl, Hannes, and Sasha all nodded but no one took the bait. Eren let out a chuckle. "Alright, I'll start again. This past weekend my sister Mika visited. Now, I love Mikasa to death, but my god, she's like an overprotective mother. She barged into my house, made a beeline for the kitchen, opened my fridge and scolded me for not filling it to the brim." Eren shivered at the memory.
Sasha glanced up in interest and Eren smiled as he saw her speak up. "I always have food in my fridge! I love food!"
Eren smiled and let his Caribbean eyes soften. "I can tell you do, Sasha! Do you cook often?"
The girl nodded enthusiastically. "I do! Every night! I always bring extra food when I hang out with my friends in case they get hungry!"
"Really? Hey, maybe you could make something for group sometime?" Eren asked. She let out a quick squeal in approval and Eren noticed Bertl had lifted his gaze up to watch the brunette as he spoke. By the end of the session Eren wanted his group to feel comfortable enough to not only come back, but maybe start opening up about daily struggles. This is where Eren's methods started to differ from others. It was Eren's belief that in order for his patients to trust him, they had to know him. He didn't want to be a cold, closed off therapist going through the motions, not caring about his patients. He wanted to be their friend. No, he was determined to be their friend.
Eren took a deep breath before continuing. "Like I mentioned before, my methods are a bit… well, they're not standard. It's my belief that it's unfair to ask you to trust me if you know nothing about me. It may seem unprofessional, but honestly I couldn't care less. I'm asking you to place your trust in me, and I wouldn't feel right doing it if I were some impassive carbon copy therapist. So ask me anything you want, okay?" He let out a shy smile hoping that everyone would approve. Luckily, Hannes took the bait.
"What made you want to be a therapist? Why do you care about if some stranger like me drinks himself to a coma every night?" Hannes' words were filled with pure curiosity.
"Well," Eren answered honestly, "I know what's it's like to go through hell. I've been there more times than I'd like to count, and I've watched my friends go through it too. I know what it's like to want to drive yourself off a cliff or drown in a bottle of whiskey and wish to never wake up. But I picked myself up for everyone around me and learned that it gets better. There will always be shit to go through. Nothing stays great forever, but just the same, nothing stays bad forever either." Upon realizing he'd gone off into a rant he quickly concluded, "Anyways, to answer your question, everything I just said.. That's why I care. Because I get it. That's also why I wanted to be a therapist. I can't just sit back and watch as innocent people suffer. I'm determined to help!"
Satisfied with his answer, Eren stood up. "Anyone want coffee? I have a whole get up over there." He pointed to the coffee bar.
"Oooo! Me! Me! I do!" Sasha was the first to answer, pleading and waving a hand up in the air.
"Sure, thanks." Was Hannes reply.
Eren eyed Bertl who gave a timid nod of his head. The last person left was the mystery raven. Upon turning around to face him, Eren found the man glaring at him intensely. Gray eyes bore into his soul, and Eren felt as though the man were dissecting him with his eyes. He seemed to take in every part of Eren, as if trying to figure him out. "Coffee?" Eren broke the silence.
The man clicked his tongue against his teeth. "You wouldn't make it right." The man uncrossed his arms for the first time to pick at some dirt underneath his fingernails.
"That's fine, you can make your own. Follow me." Eren shrugged his shoulders before leaving the circle to make his way to the bar. After pouring each cup he asked how everyone took their drinks. Hannes took his black, Sasha took hers with cream and about a pound of sugar, while Bertl took his with just a tablespoon of sugar. Eren carried each cup over one at a time, and had to hold back an excited squeal when Bertl said a quiet thank you. As he brought the last cup to Sasha, he noticed that the mystery man was leaning over the counter of the bar, staring at everyone while sipping at his cup. He held it by the rim, a technique that Eren thought must be uncomfortable, but the man never spilled a drop.
Eren decided to leave him there because forcing him to sit and participate would only drive him away more. The man would have to decide to join on his own. Eren took a sip of his caramel laced coffee before speaking up again. "Does anyone else have anything they'd like to know about me? I know it may seem awkward… but the more questions you ask, the easier it'll be as you get to know me."
"What's your favorite food?" Sasha sputtered out while leaning forward, coffee sloshing out of her cup.
"Hmmmm. Oh! I know! Alright, so get this. Every year my friends and I get together to catch up and whatnot. We rotate who's house we go to, but everyone brings their own signature dish and we have a huge feast before going out for the night. Now, everything there is amazing, but my best friend Armin makes this crème brûlée cheesecake with a strawberry sauce, and jesus tits it's like heaven on earth." Eren was too busy drooling over memories of Armin's dessert to notice that the three people in the circle had stopped sipping their coffee to stare at him incredulously. A snort from the back of the room brought him back to the present.
"What?" Eren asked, brow furrowed in confusion. Why was everyone staring at him like he was an alien?
No one spoke at first, but Eren almost fell out of his chair when the mystery man spoke up. "Kid, I don't think jesus tits is a proper medical term. You sure you're actually a therapist?" The man quipped.
Eren's head shot backwards and he let out a roaring laugh. "Shit! It's not? You guys better go home now then, cause apparently I've been doing this all wrong!" The boy was glad he played along because the reactions he got were precious. Sasha half spit, half choked on her coffee from laughing. Hannes gave Eren's arm a gentle bump with his fist and flashed him a smile. Bertl let out a little huff of laughter, and gave him a slight grin. Eren even noticed that the raven haired man had a smirk painted on his face.
The rest of the session Eren continued to talk about himself and answered questions the group had along the way. His favorite color was green, he was twenty five years old, he loved cats but was a dog person, he graduated from Trost Academy, he had a doctoral degree in psychology. Everyone asked relatively normal questions and Eren was thankful that no one asked too much about his past or parents. That is until Eren said group was dismissed after one more question and a certain raven haired man spoke up.
"Who did you get your eye color from? I can't tell if they're blue or green, brat." The man narrowed his eyes at Eren.
Eren had to bite his tongue to keep calm before answering. "My father." The words hung in the air for a moment and Eren felt a dark cloud hanging above him but the boy quickly slapped a smile back on his face. "Alright guys! Honestly today was great. I know it may not seem like much but it's the first day and I really just wanted you to get to know me so next week you could all come back and we can start focusing on any struggles you may be encountering. I hope to see you all next week! Have a wonderful rest of the day!" Eren smiled and shook hands with Hannes, Sasha, and Bertl before the three took their leave.
The mystery man stared Eren down the whole time and when it became apparent he
wasn't moving from the coffee bar, Eren decided to go ahead and start cleaning up. He gathered everyone's cups and made his way to the counter, next to the nameless shortie. He washed each cup in the sink thoroughly before drying them with a towel and placing them back into the cabinet below. When he finished he stacked all the chairs on top of each other. Just as he pushed them against the wall, Erwin Smith walked through the door, a brilliant smile planted on his sculpted face.
"Eren!" The blonde boomed. "It's so good to see you" Erwin stepped towards Eren and pulled him into a tight embrace.
"Erwin! Yeah, it's been a while!" Eren mumbled into his chest.
Erwin pulled back from the hug, moving his hands to Eren's shoulders to get a good look at the boy. "How was your first day?"
"Ah, it was nerve wrecking and exciting and overall I think it went really well! Everyone seemed to be open to giving me a shot and honestly I'm just so happy." The brunette sighed in content until he noticed steel eyes glaring at him. "Oh. Well, everyone except Mr. Grumpy over there. He wouldn't even tell me his name Erwin!" Eren shamelessly pouted. It was after group so any professionalism he held while in session was immediately stripped away. Now he was just plain old Eren.
Erwin looked over Eren's shoulder to eye the man, and let out a laugh upon sighting him. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off when the black haired man strode over and spat out venomous words. "First off, fuck you Erwin. Fuck you. I can't believe you fucking left me here after I specifically told you I didn't want to do this shit. Second, I can't believe that of all the people on this shitty planet, you picked this idiot kid as my therapist." Then the man turned to Eren. "And third, I'm pretty sure calling a patient 'Mr. Grumpy' is frowned upon. Also, if you ever, and I mean ever call me that again, I will skin you alive, chop you into tiny pieces, and make you into a stew." If eyes could shoot lasers, that's exactly what the raven's eyes would be doing as they shifted between glaring at Erwin and Eren.
Erwin let out a husky laugh and let go of Eren in favor of placing a hand on the other man's shoulder. "Alright alright! I admit I may have gone a bit far when I left you here, but we both know it was the only way to get you here and make sure you stayed." Erwin smiled knowingly at the shorter man.
"Whatever eyebrows." The man quipped, jerking his shoulder to get Erwin's hand off him. "Can we go now? I have shit to do." The raven crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently.
"I guess that's fair. I'll go start the car. It was nice seeing you again, Eren." Erwin ruffled the boys hair. "Give me a call and we'll catch up over dinner sometime. I'm eager to hear about how you've been and how your business goes." With that the blonde turned around and left, holding his hand up in a wave before walking out of sight. Eren was left standing with a man who's name he didn't even know.
The man took a step to leave and Eren sighed in defeat. Great, my first day and I already lost a patient. It really irked Eren that the man was giving up before even trying, and even more so that there was nothing he could do about it. Just as the raven reached the doorway he stopped abruptly before looking over his shoulder.
"Levi." He said, before leaving with a curt nod. Eren felt his jaw drop, and stared at the empty doorway with wide eyes till he realized exactly what just happened. He ran out the door into the hallway to see the raven about to pull open the front door and exit the building.
"Wait!" Eren yelped, running over to the man who eyed him with a bored expression on his face. "It's nice to meet you Levi, I hope you'll give me another chance next week. You don't even have to talk. Hell, you can just come back for the coffee!" His teal eyes were gleaming in excitement.
Levi rolled his eyes at the boy before exiting the building. Eren would have lost all hope if it hadn't been for a whisper that escaped the mans mouth as he left. Now Eren wasn't sure, but he could have sworn he heard Levi mutter one simple word that made him break out in a hopeful smile.
"Maybe."
—
Levi hopped into the passenger seat of Erwin's car and slammed the door shut. "I hate you." He spat. Erwin chuckled next to him and pulled our of the parking lot.
"Good to know. Now, are you going to tell me how it went? And please, Levi. Be honest." Erwin shot him a pleading glance before returning his full attention to the road.
Levi rested his head against the window before answering. He knew he could spout bullshit to Erwin, but he also knew that the man would see through him in an instant, so there was really no point. Plus if Levi had to call someone a friend, it would be Erwin. Well, Erwin or Hanji. But that was beside the point.
"It was.. unexpected." Levi honestly replied. "The brat was so fucking eager and sincere. Are you sure he's cut out for this shit Erwin?"
"When I first met Eren I had the exact same thought. He seemed so innocent. I can't tell you much, but I can tell you this. Eren Jaeger is the strongest, most determined human being I have ever met. He's been through a lot and even so, he is still willing to put himself through hell over and over again if it means doing his job and helping someone else." Erwin reminisced.
Levi let out a snort at Erwin's last sentence. "Tch. The brat said almost the exact same thing." The car fell silent as Erwin drove and Levi felt the need to address something that had been plaguing his mind ever since he asked Eren about his eyes. "Hey eyebrows, I got a question for you."
"Yes, Levi?" Erwin snuck a curious glance at the man.
"What's up with the kid and his dad? I asked about his eyes and I swear the room dropped twenty degrees when he said he got them from his father."
Erwin pulled in front of Levi's apartment and switched the car into park. Levi watched as the mans eyes flickered with a darkness of their own. "I'm sorry Levi. I can't answer that. The best I can do is tell you to get to know Eren and then ask him about it. But I'll warn you in advance, it's not an easy story. Even a heartless midget like you might find the situation unsettling." Erwin added in a joke to ease out of the subject.
Levi simply shrugged his shoulders. "Nice try eyebrows, but it's not happening." He hopped out of the car and flipped Erwin off before slamming the door and climbing the steps up to his apartment. Like hell I'll be going back to ask the kid about shit. Erwin think's he's so fucking clever. Why would I want to go back? Sure the stupid emerald green eyed brat caught his attention, but he wasn't that desperate. Or were his eyes turquoise? There was definitely both. Maybe just one more time… yeah. Just to make sure. Just to see what color they really were.
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