Eren Yeager had many, many opinions.
He thought mayonnaise was disgusting.
He thought that plaid-on-plaid was never a good idea.
He thought that he had the worst job of all time.
He thought that his mother was crazy for running the place that she did.
Carla Yeager ran a help center for LGBT and mentally ill youth, called the Titanium Rainbow. She said it was symbolic or something.
Eren was a receptionist at said help center.
Sure, most of the time his job was fine, great even! He's talked to parents about coping and even talked some kids out of suicide.
However, in a predominantly conservative and christian town bordering on being in "The South" in the U.S., things weren't always that way. He got at least 5 hate calls a day, and protesters were practically stationed outside of their doors, harassing anyone who left or entered, including two of Eren's best friends, Armin and Mikasa.
Armin was a trans guy, and Mikasa was a lesbian. They had both made calls in the past, but after a while of talking, realized that they and Eren were in the same classes at the same school. They've been inseparable ever since.
Speak of the devil, the two walked in while Eren was in the middle of a call.
"No, I don't know how you can persuade him to come in."
He waved to his friends.
"Well, I would just say you're going out for ice cream or something."
They looked at him in confusion.
"What? Who doesn't like ice cream?"
They decided that they didn't want to know.
"Listen, just leave ads for it all over the place. Pester him. If you think he needs to come here, and you know him as well as you think you do, then he will."
Eren hung up.
"Some girl is trying to get her friend to come to our Growth Group."
They nodded in understanding.
Mikasa turned and removed a paper that was taped to Armin's back. It read "God hate geys."
She rolled her eyes. "Now they're not even trying."
Eren sighed. "Actually they are. They've got people out there 16 hours a day. Kids, too. They pounced Marco the other day. Nearly scared his freckles off."
Speak of the devil, Marco, a worker in charge of advertising along with his partner Jean, peeked out from a corner.
"Eren, Jean messed up on the flyers again. He spelled your name wrong."
"TAKE THAT, YEAGERBOMB!" a voice yelled from the back room.
Eren frowned. "Y'know... I don't even care anymore."
Marco smiled. "Armin get taped?"
"Yep."
"I did too, but I think they got ours mixed up. Mine said the T slur!'"
They all laughed. Unlike other people, they weren't super sensitive or anything. They joked about their situation all the time, and spend about 28% of the free time calling the Westboro Baptist Church and pretending to be Satan. They referred to their support groups as "Growth Groups," and had rainbows and other pride flag colors on basically everything in the building, including snack trays, cups, and the envelopes for their paychecks. If someone didn't work there, they were there frequently in the "Chill" room, that had couches and tv with Netflix and a Wii. There was a coffee bar and books.
Basically it was the cool place for all the LGBT and mentally ill kids to hang out, and where you could find them if you happened to be looking.
Eren typed on his keyboard, managing their website's suggestion box. Some of them were just complaints about the protesters, some were legitimate ideas, and the rest were dick jokes made by douchebags from their high school. Mikasa leaned over his shoulder.
"I find the job position requests very interesting. Maybe we should get a barista for the coffee bar. It would make the process go a lot faster."
She smiled at Eren, who reluctantly sent a short email to his mother concerning the idea. Armin was busy fixing some decorations and mustering under his breath about "stupid conservatives" who can't "leave the innocent alone." Marco had found his way back to the small office he shared with Jean.
Eren looked up at his friends.
"You guys better go change into your uniforms and get to work, before my mom gets back from shopping."
They nodded, giving a salute, and ran off to change. Their uniform wasn't as much of a uniform as it was a t-shirt with the company logo on it. They even came in multiple colors. Eren's was green, Mikasa's was red, and Armin had chosen a light blue. Marco had insisted that he and Jean's matched, so they both wore yellow-green.
Mikasa paired her shirt with khaki shorts and her scarf, which was too hot to wear properly in the early fall, was strung through her belt loops. She wore her red running shoes. Armin wore plain blue jeans, as he wasn't one for showy clothes. His shirt fit very loosely, and he had a brown messenger bag packed with books. Eren wore jeans as well, but his were baggy and torn, not on purpose but by fault of his clumsy nature.
Suddenly his mother entered, the door giving a jingle as she stomped up to the front desk, raw egg sliding down her hair. She looked Eren in the eyes and sighed.
"Stupid people egged me. I'm going upstairs to take a shower."
Eren nodded, as his mother trudged up the stairs to they second floor, which the Yeager family lived on. Two more egged employees ran through the door, one of them, a short, bald kid, yelling various profanities over his shoulder. The other, a brunette with a ponytail, was ranting about wasting food.
At the same time, Mikasa and Armin had rounded the corner. Armin yelped in suprise.
"Connie! Sasha! What happened to you?"
Connie huffed. "Stupid bigots egged us! They got Mom Yeager, too."
Mikasa sighed. "Come on to the washroom. Let's get you cleaned up."
They allowed Mikasa to parade them to one of the many unisex bathrooms in the building. Armin took a seat in one of the many beanbag chairs scattered around the center. He had tried to count them all once, to no avail. The center was suffering. This was war. They needed soldiers. He decided to dial up his cousin.
"Hello?"
"Erwin, we need your help."
"Trouble in rainbow town?"
"Very funny. The protesters are getting bolder. They egged three people, Ms. Yeager being one of them."
"Woah."
"Yeah. I was wondering if you had any advice?"
"Mmm... sorry, I've got nothing. Your angry friend punch them in the face yet?"
"No."
"Actually, my friends and I were just talking about TR. Crazy Lady over here wants Napoleon to go to your group. He, of course, refused."
Armin and Erwin never referred to their friends by their real names. Eren was the Angry One, Mikasa was Scarf Girl. There was also "Potato," "Horse Face," "Freckles," and "Aang." Erwin had two friends that he called "Crazy Lady" and "Napoleon Complex," or just "Crazy" and "Napoleon". Sometimes a "Nose" would show up, as well as people he called "Agent Red," "Agent Tongue," "Agent Scruff," and "Agent Spike." The "agents" were collectively referred to as "Napoleon's Army."
They continued their coded conversation.
"So, who got egged?"
"Angry's mom, Potato, and Aang."
"Rough. How are they doing?"
"Angry's mom is showering. Scarf is taking care of Potato and Aang."
"So she's the 'mom friend?'"
"Well, I guess Angry's mom and Scarf are the 'mom squad.'"
"How does Angry feel about that?"
"Terrified."
"Hey, Napoleon is calling me. Mind if we catch up later?"
"Sure!"
"Commander, OUT!"
The call ended. Armin looked up and saw Eren looking at him with the most confused expression ever.
"What?" Armin innocently asked.
Eren got up and walked towards the back. "I honestly don't even wanna know. Mario Kart till Growth Group starts?"
"Of course!"
Eren slammed Bowser into Armin's Toad, securing his victory. Armin gave him a sad look.
"Ereeeeen, you always win against me!"
Eren tossed what little hair he could and raised an eyebrow. "Its not my fault that I'm a Kart Master."
"Mika usually beats you."
"Oh, please, I let her win."
Armin rolled his eyes. "Suuure."
Connie and Sasha had gotten cleaned up and arranged around 20 chairs in a circle for Growth Group, while Ms. Yeager set up a snack table. Mikasa, Jean, and Marco were guarding the door, and making sure that the guests got into the building safely, even if it meant guarding them with platters.
People slowly trickled in, Annie, with rainbow stripes in her blonde hair, Reiner and Berholt, Franz and Hannah, Ymir and Krista and other usuals. Then Eren heard loud voices from the hallway.
"You. Are. Going."
"No. I'm. Not."
"Goooo."
"Noooo."
"Listen, this is what's best for you. These people know what you're going through."
"Shut up."
"Maybe there's someone there like you."
"Um, no."
A tall brunette, hair in a messy ponytail, was literally dragging a short person through the doorway.
The short person looked biologically female, wearing the uniform for St. Genevieve's, a nearby, all-girls, private high school. Their hair was long and raven black, and they were desperately hanging on to a black messenger bag. The brunette literally threw them into the room.
They stood up and dusted themselves off, glaring harshly at the group. The brunette quickly dashed away before her victim could get a word in.
Eren smiled at them, trying to do the usual routine. "Hi! I'm Eren, and welcome to our Growth Group! What's your name, orientation, and pronouns?"
"Levi. Pan. He."
Eren was struggling to keep up his smile.
"So... I'm guessing that your parents aren't very supportive?"
"My parents are dead. I live with my jackass uncle."
Armin piped up from the back. "Um, Levi, I don't mean to interrupt, but...
We don't curse here."
Levi took a seat. "Well, get used to it, fuckers."
Armin walked up to him and smiled. "Hi! I'm Armin! I'm FTM, too!"
Levi scowled. "Well, be fucking glad you pass."
The blond sulked. "I was just gonna offer you an old binder of mine."
Levi brushed his hair out of his eyes and looked up at him. "Really?"
"Yeah!"
"Oh... thanks..."
Armin beamed. "I'll bring it in next time you plan on coming here."
"Ah... okay."
Levi had gone from upfront and mouthy to shy and timid in less than a second. He was quiet for the whole meeting.
The group didn't have any important events coming up, so they just talked about their "problems."
Annie talked about how she was living with Reiner, who was her cousin, after getting kicked out of her house. Eren talked about the protesters, and his mother getting egged. Armin talked about his grandfather using the right pronouns, and him accepting LGBT people as a whole.
Eren looked at their newest member.
"What about you, Levi? What's been going on with you?"
Levi looked at his feet.
"I asked my uncle for a haircut yesterday. He said no."
"Man," Connie sighed. "That stinks."
Eren glanced at his watch. "Oh, thank god that the actual support group is over. We can hang out and eat now!"
The teenagers rushed for the snack table, except for Levi. He stayed in his seat, fiddling with a ring on his left middle finger. Eren halted in his tracks and glanced at the small boy.
'Poor kid,' he thought. 'At least he's got good friends looking out for him.'
He smiled and got his own food.
Everyone sat and ate, talking happily and just generally hanging out. Levi, however, found a comfortable place in the left corner and pulled a Stephen King novel out of his bag.
Eren couldn't help but glance at him every few seconds and feel horribly privileged. He was accepted for his bisexuality, Armin was transitioning comfortably, and Mikasa was happy. Their entire group was pretty well off. Protesters lobbing a few eggs was nothing compared to what Levi probably faced every day.
Armin waved a hand in front of his face.
"...to Eren? Earth to Eren?"
He snapped his head up, green eyes darting from Mikasa's face to Armin's.
"Wha...?"
Mikasa rolled her eyes.
"It's your turn, Eren."
"Oh."
He moved his checker piece, only to have it stolen by Armin.
"It's not my fault! Armin is smart! You can't go against him at checkers!"
The blonde looked at him, concerned. "Eren? You've been thinking again, haven't you? What is it?"
Eren shook his head. "Nothing."
"Oi."
He turned around to see Levi looking back at him.
"Why do we stay so late?"
Eren grinned at him. "We wait for the protesters to leave, so we don't get harassed more than we have to."
He jabbed a thumb to his right.
"Connie is our lookout."
Right on cue, Connie turned around and yelled to the group.
"THEY'RE GONE!"
Everyone stood up.
"NO WAIT THERE'S ONE!"
Everyone sat down.
"NEVERMIND. ITS JUST LEVI'S WEIRD FRIEND."
Everyone stood up again.
"Levi's weird friend" busted through the door and grabbed Levi by the arm.
Then she turned to Eren, panting.
"ALMOST LATE FOR HIS CURFEW GOTTA GO BYYYYYE!"
She dragged him out the door.
Armin raised an eyebrow. "Well, she's... interesting."
The patrons trickled out the door, and the employees cleaned up paper plates and ceramic mugs.
Then, they said their goodbyes and left, Eren trudging up the stairs to his room in the attic. He practically jumped out of his clothes into his pajamas. Opening his sketchbook, he began drawing. What he planed on being a sad figure, an unknown person, slowly grew into a female shape, short, with long black hair. A frown graced the figure's face, eyes obscured by hair. Eren sighed, brushing brown strands out of his eyes. He placed his sketchbook on his bedside table and shut out the light. The stars painted on his ceiling glowed in the blackness as he tried to imagine what it would look like if Levi smiled.
Eren rubbed his eyes as he made his journey down a ladder to their kitchen. His mother was happily talking on the phone and flipping pancakes. She turned around and waved to the tired boy who had flopped into his chair. Eren sniffed the breakfast that was set in front of him and smiled. Carla rolled her eyes.
Eren gobbled down the food and grabbed his school bag, brushing crumbs off of his green plaid shirt.
Before he walked on the door, however, his mother stopped him, waving her spatula in disapproval.
"Young man, if you think that I will let you leave the house dressed like that, then you are dead wrong."
He winced. "What is it, mom?"
She grabbed a brown leather jacket and shoved it in his face.
"It's freezing out! I don't want to have to take care of your lazy butt if you get sick."
He reluctantly tugged the leather over his shirt and huffed out a "fine."
His tan hands pushed the back door open as he twirled a mechanical pencil in his left hand.
Sneakers squeaked as he walked to the bus stop that was a block away.
There he met Sasha, who lived down the street. Sasha held out a french fry, which he politely declined.
"Just try it!" she insisted.
He reluctantly ate the fry, then looked at Sasha in shock.
"That's really good! What did you put on it?"
She winked at him. "That's my secret."
Sasha had been anorexic until around a year ago, when she had discovered her passion for cooking through her therapist, who just so happened to be Eren's mom. She came over to help Carla cook dinner almost constantly.
She smiled at him, a silent "thank you" for the compliment.
A yellow school bus pulled up to the curb, Mikasa and Marco waving at them from the windows. They hopped onto the bus, Eren speeding down the aisle to grab a seat next to Mikasa. Sasha took an empty bus seat, her usual spot where she waited for Connie, who was two stops past hers along with Jean and Armin. They all boarded the bus a few minutes later, Jean sitting next to Marco, Connie with Sasha, and Armin with Mikasa and Eren, who always deliberately sat in the last row so that they could fit three people in their seat.
After annoying their bus driver with a very loud rendition of "99 bottles of an age-appropriate non-alchoholic beverage on the wall", the teenagers hopped off the bus and onto the sidewalk. Armin caught sight of someone from across the blacktop. Someone who wasn't supposed to be there, as far as he knew.
"ERWIN!" he shouted, running up to meet his cousin, his friends desperately running to keep up with him.
Erwin smiled upon seeing his cousin. "Armin! I didn't know that this was your school!"
"Yep," he replied. "Oh! Erwin, I want you to meet my friends. They-" he gestured to Mikasa and Eren- "are Scarf and Angry."
The taller blond outstretched his hand to give them a handshake.
"Hello, I'm Erwin! I'm Armin's cousin! I'm here because I'm competing for my school's academic team!"
Armin nodded. "And the St. Genevieve girls will be here, too, right?"
"Yep! We are sister schools, after all! We have one team for both schools."
Eren's head snapped up. "St. Genevieve's?"
Erwin smiled. "That reminds me! My friends are here, too!"
Two people emerged from what was presumably Erwin's car.
"Armin, this is Crazy Lady and Na-"
"LEVI?!" Armin shouted.
The poor guy yelped as Armin ran up to hug him, nearly smothering him in sweater fabric.
"I can't believe you're here! Eren's been-"
"SHUT UP!" Eren yelled. Then he took a few deep breaths, giving him time to recuperate before Levi's crazy friend tackled him.
"Hanji, down," Erwin commanded.
The brunette did as she was told, but not before going on a tangent about Levi and someone named Kenny and how they were both nearly killed or whatever.
"Hanji, nobody wants to hear it," Levi mumbled. "We know how my uncle is."
Eren looked at Levi, wondering how he would look with short hair.
Erwin gave a nervous laugh. "Heh...I didn't know that you guys knew each other."
The short blond looked up at him. "Yeah! I wish I had known that these were your friends! I feel like I already know them!"
Levi rolled his eyes, tossing his hair. "Great. Because that's what I need. More people 'knowing' me."
Erwin winced. "Just ignore him. He's so negative."
He rolled his eyes. "I'm not negative. I'm a realist."
"More like a doofus," Hanji muttered, laughing at her own joke as Levi thwacked her shoulder.
Mikasa glanced at Eren, who's face was as red as a strawberry.
Thoughts ran through his head faster than lightning.
'Oh god he's here. He is so tiny! It's kinda cute... No Eren, shut up. Focus. Just... act normal. Act. Normal.'
The black-haired girl hit Eren with her red scarf. The brunet glared at her.
"Miiiikasaaaa!" he whined, rubbing his arm. Armin clutches his sides and laughed, as did Erwin and Hanji. Levi huffed, one side of his mouth lifting slightly.
A man waved at the three private school students from across the parking lot.
"Mr. Smith! Ms. Zoe! Ms. Ackerman! Team meeting!"
Levi winced. "Well, time to go hang out with the bigots. See you later and ... uh... ask your comatose friend if he's okay."
He had been referring to Eren, who had taken to staring into the distance at who-knows-what. The brunet shook his head, snapping himself out of his temporary lapse.
"BYE, GUYS!" he yelled at the leaving private school students.
Armin looked at him, raising an eyebrow.
"Smitten, are we?"
Eren gasped. "Wha? No... how could you ever!"
"School's starting, lover boy."
"Fuck you, Armin."
Connie squirmed on the bleachers, restless as always.
"Why are they holding an academic team match during school?" he whined.
Marco, ever the optimist, smiled at him. "Well, its probably because nobody was going to any of the after-school matches."
"Gee, I wonder why," Jean huffed, earning his a thwack on the shoulder from his freckled boyfriend.
"Shhhh! Look! Its starting!"
The St. Genevieve and St. Thomas students, five in all, stood in perfect formation, their uniforms pressed to a point where they looked more like statues than humans.
The Maria Public School kids, however, were very different. Sasha was rocking from one foot to another. Armin was chewing on a strand of his hair, a nervous habit. Krista was looking down at her hands and squeezing a stress ball. Annie was twirling a Rubix Cube at light speed, and Franz was biting his thumbnail.
"They're a mess," Mikasa sighed, not wanting to look.
The match began.
A tall man in the middle, whom Eren recognized as the person who called Erwin, Hanji, and Levi over from them earlier, yelled out the questions.
"What is the capitol of Lithuania?"
Erwin buzzed in.
"Erwin Smith!" the announcer yelled.
"Vilnius."
"Correct!"
That was how nearly the whole match went.
"The Road Less Traveled what written by whom?"
Buzz.
"Layla Ackerman!"
Eren saw Levi cringe as he answered.
"Robert Frost."
"Correct!"
"Istanbul."
"Correct!"
"Ahiho Higashima."
"Correct!"
"42."
"Correct!"
So on and so forth.
The Maria team couldn't get a word in, except for Armin, who answered one literary question.
The team sulked in defeat, and it didn't help that one of the girl from St. Genevieve's, Hitch, had stopped by their class to "congratulate" them for their effort.
Sasha spent all of lunch passing out (and eating) cookies that she had made with frowned faces on them.
Eren glanced over at Armin.
"Hey, Einstein. You doin' okay?"
The blond sighed.
"They're just... They're just so smart, and perfect looking, and... way too good."
Mikasa frowned.
"They're jerks. Except Erwin. And Hanji. And maybe Levi. They just think that they're better because they go to a private school."
Eren nodded in agreement.
Krista wiped away an invisible tear as Ymir patted her back. Annie kept twisting her Rubix cube and Franz cried into Hannah's arms.
The rest of the day was spent in mourning for the sacrifice made by the poor academic team. They sulked from class to class, and into the familiar walls of the Titanium Rainbow.
Suddenly Armin's phone buzzed he answered with a timid "Hello?"
A few second of silence.
Then his phone hit the floor.
He shook, looking up to face his friends.
"Levi... is in the hospital."