Author's Note: Hello readers! This was originally only going to be a oneshot, but I ended up falling in love with the relationship between Eren and Juline so I decided to turn it into a full-out fanfic. If you are reading my other SNK fanfic, Sea of Flames, you'll notice that the two stories are drastically different, maybe even polar opposites. Be prepared for fluffiness. c: Also, the other SNK characters will appear in later chapters! Just a heads-up! Enjoy~

The rainfall seemed endless. Sitting by the window in the cafe I frequented, I gazed out at the never-ending downpour of rain outside, the black storm clouds unrelenting as it unleashed its harsh wrath on the world beneath it. It had not rained this hard in years and it had come so quickly, so unexpectedly. I had been coming out of the modeling agency I worked at, still in my dress and make-up when a large shadow cast itself over the city, shrouding us in complete darkness.

The rain came moments later, powerful winds only fueling the merciless pounding of the rain upon us. I had scurried to the side, taking shelter in the nearest destination, which happened to be my favorite cafe. Thankfully, I was for the most part, dry, managing to narrowly escape the punishing storm outside. It seemed a majority of the people in here were not as lucky as I was.

Now, dozens of people crowded the cafe, seeking warmth and a bite to eat as nature had its way outside. With a warm cup of steaming hot cocoa in my hands and the comforting fragrance of coffee and pastries, I was able to soothe myself and sat alone at the back of the cafe, watching as people ran to and fro on the sidewalks, all trying to avoid getting completely soaked. The faint buzzing of the television close by forecasted a weekend's worth of rain, plus the possibility of thunderstorms and strong winds as well. I let out a sigh just as I was approached from the front by a stranger.

"Looks pretty bad outside, doesn't it?" an unfamiliar voice asked me.

I glanced at the owner of the voice, a boy of around my age, with shimmering, pristine blue eyes that seemed to suck you in as soon as you looked at them, along with a full head of chocolate brown hair that split in the middle and fell just above his large, enticing eyes. I smiled at the handsome stranger, watching quietly as he took the seat across from me and placed his coffee on the table. For a moment, we just stared at one other, attempting to familiarize each other's features, before I held out my hand, introducing myself.

"I'm Juline Schön," I greeted.

He firmly shook my hand. "Eren Jaeger."

"Ah, German, I see," I mused thoughtfully.

"I can say the same about you," he replied with a sweet-tempered smile. "Beautiful."

I raised a brow. "What?"

"Schön, your last name. It means 'beautiful' in German," he explained. Then, tilting his head to the side, a playful grin danced across his sumptuous lips. "Although, the name is quite fitting for someone like you."

I rushed to mask the gasp threatening to escape my throat, taking a drink from my hot cocoa and smiling politely at him. "You're funny, Jaeger."

"Am I? Do you like funny guys?" he spoke.

"I think every girl does. Why don't you ask that girl behind you? I'm sure she'll say the same thing," I suggested. Eren, narrowing his eyes at me in interest, declined my request and took a sip of his coffee. Once he put it down, I realized how dark his coffee was - it was a deep, almost blackish-brown, much darker than his hair was and probably a dozen times stronger than the coffee I usually drank.

"Don't you put any sugar or cream into it?" I questioned.

He briskly shook his head. "No. Well, I used to; until I had to stay up late studying for school and whatnot."

"You must be a good student," I said. "Where do you go?"

"The university down the street."

"Same here. What major?"

"Art. You?"

"Me too."

Eren smiled kindly at me then, excitement springing into his eyes. "Do you sketch? Or paint?"

"Both. I like sketching more, though, I'm not super great with brushes or anything, honestly," I admit, although I was a bit embarrassed.

He chuckled. "It's fine. As for me, I paint. And I sculpt once in a while, if anything sparks my interest..." He trailed off, gazing at me intently for a moment before looking out the window. "Oh. It stopped raining."

I followed his line of sight and saw that indeed, the heavy downpour had suddenly ceased and people could now calmly commute, hoods over their heads as they were at last allowed to slow down their frantic pace. For an instant, the sun peeked through the clouds, the thin beams of warm, yellow light illuminating Eren's features before being imprisoned behind the clouds yet again.

"Well, if you want to beat the rain, now's the time," he advised. "It looks like it'll start up again soon."

"Yeah. I guess," I said, slightly disappointed.

"You could always stay," he piped up. "Or I could come with you."

We locked eyes for a moment, my heart skipping a beat as his breathtaking eyes pleaded me not to abandon him. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nodded at the handsome stranger, allowing him to follow me out of the cafe. Once outside, I was welcome by a rush of chilled air, involuntarily shivering as invisible cubes of ice were pressed against my bare skin.

All the warmth I had previously had from the hot cocoa was completely gone and I found myself yearning for the dull roar of the heater back in the cafe. Eren seemed to notice my discomfort and unwound his scarf from his neck, gently looping it around me and shaking off his jacket, which he then rested atop my shuddering shoulders.

"Why today of all days to wear a dress?" he laughed.

"It was for work," I called over the rush of traffic. "Thank you, Eren."

The boy, left in a long-sleeved, white, buttoned-up shirt and black slacks that fit his form well, seemed unaffected by the cold as we stopped by the crosswalk.

"So? Where are we headed to, Schön?" he inquired curiously.

"Well, I was heading home, since my apartment is only a block away from here," I answered.

"Inviting a man to your apartment?" Eren teased. "Aren't you worried?"

I laughed. "Should I be?"

"If you mind men with large stomachs, then maybe," he replied as the light signaled us to cross. "You have a boyfriend I should be concerned about? I don't want to get beat down if I decide I like you."

I giggled light-heartedly and shook my head. "No. But I have a dog who doesn't like boys around, even if it's my brother or my dad. His name's Bean. Just a warning, Jaeger."

"He's protective, I see. I like dogs. I have one too. A golden retriever named Sawney. I've had him for three years now," he told as we made our way towards my apartment. "What breed is yours?"

"He's small, but don't be fooled. He bites hard. He's a West Highland Terrier."

"Cute. My mom used to have one a long time ago."

We made casual conversation before reaching my apartment building. It was a new, high-tech building only a few years old and full of university students and young entrepreneurs. My manager at the agency had picked this place out for me, so I practically lived here for free because he had insisted on paying my rent for me. It was walking distance from both school and work, in a convenient location that was relatively quiet in spite of the traffic just a block away.

Unlocking the door to my residence, I motioned for Eren to wait and went in first. Bean was already there, waiting for me, sitting on the wooden floor and wagging his tail happily as I came in. The white ball of fluff bounded over to my squatting form, showering me with affectionate licks and excited little barks. He was always waiting for me in the afternoon, knowing what time I would come back from class, never failing to welcome me home at the exact same time every single day. He was a punctual one.

"Bean, Mommy's home," I sang, petting him and chortling in amusement as he pranced around, jumping onto me and running in joyful circles. "You're awfully chipper for a rainy day. Why are you so happy today, huh?"

There was a knock on the door and I was suddenly reminded of Eren's presence, almost having forgotten him while playing with Bean. Bean's ears pricked up and he ceased to move staring at the door in alert, as he did when he sensed testosterone standing at the threshold of my home.

"Come in, Eren. Slowly, though. He knows you're there," I hollered.

The doorknob turned slowly as Eren lightly pushed the door open and slipped inside. Almost immediately, Bean started to growl in a threatening manner, glaring at the boy who set his coffee onto the counter and gradually lowered himself onto his knees. I watched as Bean's barking and growling faded away as Eren sat down in the corner, surrendering to the man of the house. Bean stalked over and sniffed him a bit before accepting him and sauntering away, just like that. I was rendered speechless, staring at Eren in absolute wonder.

"I'm amazed. He's never done that before," I spoke, seeing the dog walk off and lie down by the sofa. "How did you do that? Even though he's seen my brother and dad dozens of times before, he always barks at them and bites their feet and shoes. I don't know why he left you off so easily, but... wow."

Eren, slowly picking himself back onto his feet, shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? I love dogs, so they love me."

"Put your stuff down in the living room. He won't touch it," I said and beckoned him further inside. Taking off his shoes like I had, he followed me into the living room, where two black sofas surrounded a glass coffee table, facing a flat-screen television which hung securely on the wall. Eren looked around, admiring my neat, modern residence before plopping down on the sofa. He spotted a stack of photographs on the table and began to leaf through them.

"You're a model?" he asked as I went to switch on the heater.

"Yeah, part-time. It's easy money, though it's more stressful than it looks. The agency is a few buildings down from that cafe. I'm sure you've seen girls and guys coming out of there," I said.

"I have." He stopped looking at my pictures and set them back onto the table. "You know what I think?"

"What?"

"You're a hundred times prettier in real life than in these photos."

I smiled at him. "You're funny."

"So I've been told."

I took the scarf off and handed it over to him, along with the jacket. "Thank you for helping me out back there. I just came out from a photo shoot and I didn't expect there would be rain."

He chuckled. "No need to thank me. But my hands are occupied with holding this cup; may I burden you with helping me put the scarf back on? You can leave the jacket here."

I raised a brow at his request, but inclined my head. Leaning towards him, I draped the scarf around the back of his neck, carefully winding it lightly around him until it looked the way it had earlier. Just when I was going to pull away, I felt Eren's arms wrap around my waist as he gazed into my eyes with his mysterious yet beautiful blue ones. I made no move to push the handsome stranger away as he placed me gently down onto the sofa, hovering over me with an irresistible sexiness clouding his features.

"You're so beautiful. I hardly know you, yet, you're making me crazy," he whispered in fluent German, causing heat to rise into my cheeks as I clutched tightly onto him.

"E-Eren," I stammered, my heart racing wildly in my chest.

"Juline?"

I hesitated.

"You should be more careful, Bean really doesn't like it when–"

Bean flew at him like a bullet, completely dropping his reticent, accepting behavior from earlier and launching himself right at an unsuspecting Eren. I slowly sat up, watching as Eren shielded himself with his arms, wailing as Bean assaulted him with teeth gnarled and claws swiping angrily. I winced, peeling my dog off of a terrified Eren and pet him in an effort to calm him down. My efforts to appease him worked, Bean trotting off happily within a couple of minutes of tender loving care. Meanwhile, Eren let down his guard, laughing and rubbing the back of his head sheepishly as he watched Bean moving about by the kitchen.

"He's a tough one."

"Sorry about that." I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly.

"It's okay. He's really protective of you, isn't he?"

"Sure is."

After being left in such an awkward situation, I moved to the kitchen and returned with a bowl of chips. I sat beside Eren, putting the bowl between us as I turned on the television.

"You watch television?" I asked.

"Kind of. I like cooking shows."

"Cooking shows? Me too. Here, have some chips. There's more food in the kitchen if you want. You said you had a large stomach, didn't you?" I asked.

He beamed at me. "Thanks, don't mind if I do take a look later on."

We ended up watching cooking shows for an hour or two before he said he had a class to attend to. I walked him to the door, trying to hide how dejected I was that he was leaving. With his bookbag around his shoulder and his jacket and scarf both on, Eren put on his shoes; I watched him quietly, holding the door open for him as he prepared to depart.

"Nice meeting you," I commented, unsure of what else I could really say. I had just met him a few hours ago, yet here we were at my apartment, sitting together on my couch and watching tv together like we had known one another for years! It was a strange occurrence, really, now that I reflected on what had just taken place here. The charming, humorous stranger smiled down at me upon hearing my voice and nodded his head.

"I wish I could stay longer, but I have a sculpting class in twenty minutes," he said. "I meant what I said earlier. Y'know, before Bean attacked me. Can we meet again?"

"I'd like that a lot," I confessed shyly.

"How about tomorrow? Or is that too soon?" he asked with uncertainty.

"I'm busy tomorrow, but not Sunday."

"Sunday, then! Okay," he confirmed. "Where to and what time?"

I thought for a moment before responding. "Here, sometime around noon. Don't eat anything before. And bring your art supplies."

"Sounds good. See you then… Schon."