Chapter 1
A New Start- Introductions
The winter was when I met him. It wasn't wonderful and magical. It was crazy and outrageous and sort of like wildfire. I didn't fall in love with a prince, and it wasn't a fairy tail. I fell in love with a crude, emotionless man, who cared more than he let on. He isn't one of the most expressive of people but he certainly is one of the most caring. He's brave, crazy, has a horrible sense of humor, and he's irreplaceable.
"Eren, where do you want these?" Armin asked hidden behind packing boxes he currently had stacked in his arms, walking into the room.
I looked behind me to see the spectacle of my blonde haired friend trying to balance the boxes as he stumbled around my new apartment with his usual clumsiness. A small asian woman with strikingly black hair came up from behind the boy, startling him.
"Mikasa, take those from the idiot before he breaks it." I said turning to the girl as she nodded in silent understanding.
"Hey! I'm not that clumsy-" He said almost dropping the mountain of packages in an attempt to hand them to Mikasa, my adopted sister, as the girl was extremely agile, she more than easily caught all of the boxes.
"Sure you're not." I felt a small smile tug at my lips.
Armin, Mikasa and I have been friends ever since we were kids in elementary school. We've never separated since. Armin is more like family than a friend though. I can always rely on both of them, even if they are kind of crazy. Especially Mikasa. She's...protective.
"At least I'm not stubborn, a bull is less likely to get in a fight than you!" The little blonde pointed at me accusingly.
I spun around at the insult. "That's unfair, Armin! I don't get in fights that often!"
He gave me a look that said 'Don't even try.'
"Really? First grade. Remember Trey Hanson?"
I turned around. "I-I don't know what you're talking about." I stuttered.
"Oh really, so you don't remember getting suspended for putting a snake in his cubby? Or how angry your mother was? I can still remember the look on your mother face when the principal told her about it. She got all red in the face and gave the scariest glare I've ever seen come from someone." He said chuckling
I shivered at the thought of my demon mom. She cared a lot, maybe too much.
"That doesn't count, I was protecting you from the asshole!" I pointed out.
Armin isn't exactly the most intimidating of people, so me and Mikasa often took up the job of protecting him when we were younger. Armin is the definition of a bookworm, so he'd often get picked on for reading during lunch and free time. However that made sense to the bullies. Watch out, he's literate. He might out spell you! Jokes aside Armin is actually a fucking genius. He's tested out of required classes in high school, and he's in all advanced placement classes now that we're in college. Boy could rule the world with his pinkie finger.
Which is definitely more than I could say for myself. As I have a B-C Average. Maybe lower in Maths. Slightly. Like a letter grade. Maths is really hard, okay!
Armin smirked evilly "What about, Jean?"
I groaned at the mention of the bastards name. "Horseface doesn't count. You can't argue with animals."
"What do you even have against him, he's not that bad of a guy." Armin asked, sitting on the dark mahogany wood floors, as we hadn't moved the furniture in yet so there wasn't an available seat. Not that he minded to much.
"Ya, take Elmer's side." I scoffed
"Was that a horse glue joke?" Armin grinned
"...Maybe."
Jean is probably the closest thing to an arch nemesis as you can get. There isn't really a whole lot of a reason as to why I don't like him, there's just something about him that makes me angry. Could be his horse face. Could be his hoof sized brain, I don't know. Could be because He's me Ex, we have a history. Blah blah blah. He's also not the brightest of individuals though so...
The kid will pick a fight on a whim, over something stupid and meaningless. Which makes that a perfect scenario for me. As I am the most hot-headed person ever.
"Eren." I turned around to see Mikasa standing right next to me.
"We need to hurry up if we're gonna make those dinner reservations."
That's Mikasa for you, always punctual and precise.
"They can wait, they've been waiting two years for me to get here anyway, they can wait a few more hours." I dismissed her as I started taking the last of the blankets out of the box that was sat on the floor next to my feet.
My friends have all lived here in Los Angeles for two years, they all decided to move out here together, seeing as most of them are couples. I was the only one who couldn't make it out. The ticket to fly out from Florida and pay for college with room and board was too much for my parents and I to pay. Because I couldn't make it out to L.A. Mikasa and Armin didn't go, as we are inseparable.
My mood visibly darkened with the thought of life back in Florida.
Ugh, I didn't come here to think about him. I came here to follow my passions and to forget my past. I just wish mom could have come with us.
Mikasa shooved past us both to grab more packages from the hall.
Mikasa is a very quiet person, she very rarely talks, so people think she's an emotionless and shy person, when in reality it's the opposite. She remains stoic in order to make sure people don't worry about her. She's actually quite kind and rather blunt at times.
I left my thoughts of my as I heard Armin call out to me.
"Eren!" I jolted forward in surprise as I whipped my head up towards the brainiac who had a look of complete concern on his face.
I hate that look. That's the look everyone gave me in high school. That look. That's the look my teachers and my peers gave me. A look that could be translated with one word: Pity.
I don't anyone's fucking pity.
"What?" I snapped responding rather loudly, startling the boy.
"Sorry..." I mumbled an apology halfheartedly
Armin shook his head dismissing the earlier outburst.
"Anyway, I was asking if you saw the latest episode."
I sighed quietly. There is a T.V. show called 'Wings of Freedom' that Armin is obsessed with. (Creative yes I know)
"Nope."He never fails to explain every episode in great detail to me. The show's had, what, nine season's, and Armin's watched. every. episode. Armin is like a child on Christmas when watching the show, kid loves the show. That's probably only because of Erwin, one of the actors in the series. Armin may or may not have a secret-pft crush on the guy.
The show is about cities that live within enormous walls, to protect themselves from giants who eat humans. At least that's what I remember from what Armin's told me. I tend to block him out, cause he goes on for hours about the show, and it's tiring to even look at him when he explains it. The blonde haired boy will visibly vibrate in his seat from excitement when explaining the series to him.
I mean at least he has something other than studying that he enjoys I mean get laid or something, anything really. . Go outside. Go to the beach. Just something. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. I'm no different than Armin in that department, though not for the same reason.
I haven't been in a relationship since Jean so, things haven't really developed in that department in a while. Although my mother 100% supports my love life. I can almost hear her now. "I'm fine with anyone really,as long as you're happy."
Carla really is a sweet mother, kind and caring and a bit over protective.
"Oh my God, Eren! The story is so amazing! You need to watch it! Not only that but the actors are really hot!"
I rolled my eyes at Armin's change of character. The kid is so innocent although sometimes it doesn't show, but most often than not you can make the guy turn redder than a tomato at a simple comment.
"You only watch the show so you can stare at the eye candy for forty five minutes. What's his face? Ermin?" I teased
On cue the boy lit up like a firecracker and squeaked out a response.
"Erwin." He corrected me.
"I do not! Besides, Erwin has a boyfriend in real life so..." He trailed off
I rolled my eyes again at him. Like he would ever meet Erwin in real life, even if he didn't have a boyfriend, celebrities don't give ordinary people the time of day. Not that I would ever shoot Armin down by saying that anyway.
"You never know, the tabloids are always stretching the truth. In fact it's rarer to find them telling the truth than making up a scandal. Who's the guy, Erwin's supposedly dating anyway?" I asked not very interested. Armin was the one who was obsessed not me.
"A guy named Levi Ackerman. They date on the show, so the rumors could be true. I heard he's taking some college courses in acting." Armin explained
I huffed in amusement. The guy had the same last name as Mikasa, that's a strange coincidence. Ackerman seems like it could be a popular name though.
"Levi huh?" The name seemed to roll of my tongue smoothly.
"Come on, let's finish up. I don't want Connie and Reiner bursting into here, raising hell." Armin said walking back to the hall.
I smiled to myself I decided that I liked the name Levi and walked after Armin to finish unpacking.
Later that evening we arrived at a restaurant called Sonny&Bean to meet all of out friends at. By the way a little side note, what a weird ass name for a restaurant.
When we got to the restaurant, I could already see Sasha and Connie at the front doors of the restaurant, they seemed to be arguing over something, but I couldn't really tell from here.
When I hopped out of the car, courtesy of Armin, I could hear them arguing from the parking lot.
"They're not here yet, and our table isn't ready either!" Connie yelled exasperated
If I know anything about Sasha, then they were arguing over food.
"I know, but can't you do something? I mean I'm starving over here." The brown haired girl complained
"Oh god they're arguing about food again?" Armin looked as exhausted as Connie did at the moment.
"Well you can't exactly satisfy an endless pit."
Armin giggled as we approached the still arguing couple.
"Hey, guys!" I smiled widely as they turned around and grinned.
"Eren! Armin, Mikasa!" Connie threw his arms around me and Armin and was about to hug Mikasa when she gave him a dark glare.
"Still as scary as ever." He mumbled
Suddenly there was a shriek and then I felt someone tackle me from the side, causing me to stumble slightly.
"THANK GOD YOU'RE HERE! NOW WE CAN EAT!" Sasha exclaimed excitedly wrapping her arms around my neck.
That's Sasha for you. Only cares about food.
Connie and Sasha have been a couple ever since we were in high school, so we rarely ever see them apart. I don't know how they put up with each other. They're both a handful. Connie is a prankster and Sasha is, if you couldn't tell, a food...enthusiast.
"You sure take your time don't you?" Ymir said coming out from the red rustic restaurant doors along with her girlfriend, Christa.
"Hi Guys, Long time no see." Christa greeted with a small cheerful smile. She really is a God sent. Which makes no sense because Ymir is kind of crazy. I'm surprised Christa hasn't been tainted by Ymir yet.
Ymir, is kind of like a female version of Connie. They're both jokers and kind of evil. And they LOVE teasing as well. You can never miss a snarky comment coming from those two. I shuddered at the thought of the last time they went on a rampage of pranks, last April fools was a nightmare. That's literally their favorite holiday.
"Just because they're here, doesn't mean we can eat yet, Sasha." Connie explained to the wiltering girl.
"If I wait any longer I might die." She whined as she clung to Connie like a monkey.
I smirked at the girl before pulling an object out of my pocket and placed it in her hand.
"A reunion gift." I said smirking
Suddenly Connie and Ymir burst out laughing.
"You gave her a potato?" Ymir exclaimed with laughter
"From tenth grade...when...she-" Connie got out between fits of laughter.
Way back in high school, much like now, Sasha was a food hog. The girl would often bring food into class to eat between lunch and one day she didn't have time to make snacks so she grabbed the first thing she could find. A potato. And the overly excited girl proudly ate that potato, but our teacher didn't find it as amusing as we did when she whipped out the vegetable during a lesson in Shakespeare. So he promptly asked her what she was doing and in response she said "Eating a potato." The teacher wasn't too impressed with her answer and gave her a hard glare as she continued to much on the raw vegetable. Let's just say that just because you offer your food to your teacher, doesn't mean you'll get out of trouble. Sasha was very surprised to learn this. So this kind of became a inside joke. Whenever Sasha was hungry we'd give her a potato. Yes, we stocked our cars with potatoes. Sasha didn't seem to care, free food is free food.
Suddenly there was a very loud buzzing sound.
"Our table's ready." Connie spoke simply as he held up the vibrating device.
Sasha howled in excitement, shaking Connie by the shoulders as we entered the restaurant with Ymir and Christa leading the way. Christa slide her arm through Ymir's and smiled up at her. Ymir smiled back lovingly at the sweet girl and it made my heart flutter at the sight. I wish I could find a love like that. So loving, and trusting. I wonder if I'll ever find someone that amazing.
I was interrupted from my thoughts as we arrived at our large booth that currently had Reiner and Bertholdt sat at the far end as Marco sat in the middle.
"Hey, guys!" Reiner excitedly
"Hey Reiner-" Armin was interrupted as Reiner promptly pick Armin off the ground in a bone crushing bear hug.
"...Help...Me" Armin wheezed out under Reiner's iron grip.
I gave him a sympathetic look and took my chance to sit down before I was squeezed to death by the large teddy bear that is Reiner.
Mikasa said her quiet hello's as she sat down next to me.
"Hey, Eren!" Marco smiled brightly causing me in turn to give him a small smile.
This overly joyful person is Marco, he's not half bad.
He's kind of like a freckled Jesus, he's the holy saint of the group. He tends to keep us out of trouble...Well...legal trouble. Well, tries.
This saint is dating none other than-
"Hey, Jean! Eren's back!" Marco smiled brightly at the two toned haired horse.
"Huh, I would say nice to see you again, but I promised myself I wouldn't lie." Jean smirked
"Oh, I'm sorry, could you repeat that cause all I could hear was 'Neigh, Neigh, Neigh'"
Jean's face quickly turned into one of anger. He kind of looked like a constipated turnip when he made that face.
"Take it back Jeager!" Jean growled
Jean looked as if he was ready to reach over the table right now and punch my lights out.
"Nah, I'm good." I said looking at my nails like they were the most interesting thing in the world.
"Why don't you come over here and say it to my face!"
I rolled my eyes. This kid is ridiculous.
Marco was trying to calm Jean down as I sat in my booth, not particularly interested in our conversation. It was almost too easy to push his buttons. I need a challenge.
"I would fight you, but if I hit you that'd be considered animal abuse."
"You little shit-" Jean was interrupted by Reiner's fist coming down lightly on his head. Even if it was light I'm sure it hurt. Reiner is a big guy, so his light playful punches really fucking hurt.
"Shut up you two, I'm hungry." Ymir exclaimed sitting down next to Armin and Mikasa who was accompanied by Christa.
Jean just huffed angrily under his breath and sat to the other side of Marco and Connie and Sasha sat next to Christa.
We quietly chatted among ourselves as we studied the menu over.
"So then, I had to walk home in my underwear down the street for ten blocks!" Connie finished as everyone laughed along at Connie's drunk adventure's.
I missed this dearly. I missed sitting down around a dinner table and laughing with my friends. It warmed my heart to see everyone happy and well. I really wish it could stay like this forever. All of us happy and smiling.
"Hello, my name is Petra, I'll be your waitress tonight! May I take your order?" A small girl with soft orange hair and kind honey eyes skipped over to our table.
Everyone told her their order and as soon as she left the conversation picked up again, quickly getting louder.
Suddenly we heard a screech come from the kitchen along with the sound of dishes breaking something along the lines of "OH MY GOD YOU CAME TO VISIT ME! OH MY GOD TAKE A PHOTO GOD HIMSELF HAS GRACED ME WITH HIS PRESENCE!" was yelled
I winced. God this restaurant is weird.
A/N: Next Chapter is Eren's first day of college in L.A. He may or may not meet some more people.
Yes, I know I'm an uncreative little shit so fucking deal with it. Anyways Love you all, until next time.