Chapter Two – By Simple Coincidence? – Part 1
~~~~~~~~~~~~ Four Years Later ~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Eren, wake up you're going to be late to class." Carla Yeager yelled through her teenager's locked bedroom door. She glanced down at the time on her cell phone and she cursed to herself, 'I'm going to be late if I don't leave soon, I'll call Eren to make sure she's up when I get to the parking lot.'
She decided to knock lightly a few more times, hoping to rouse her seventeen year old daughter from her slumber. Carla never like it when Eren locked her door, it annoyed her to no end, but she still tried to keep her temper under control. Eren was almost an adult, and soon she'd be off to college, meet someone nice, and start a life with a family of her own. Carla sighed as she knocked on the door one more time, "EREN! GET UP!" she screamed through the door, trying to keep her voice as soft, yet stern as possible.
She wasn't angry with her daughter, but when she raised her voice, she couldn't help but notice how irritated it sounded. She decided to send her comatose daughter a text, hoping that she fell asleep with her cell phone ringer on while it charged over night.
Carla pulled on a light jacket and walked out of the door towards the elevator, on a straight path to her van. When she was finally in her vehicle, buckled up, and on the road, she started to think back to Eren, hoping that she at least woke up and made it to the last week of classes before she had her fall exams. Winter break was soon, she knew Eren, as well as every other student in the country around the same time, was exhausted.
She thought back to Eren's childhood, remembering her sweet and rounded young face, so childish and innocent. 'They grow up so fast. It seems like it was only yesterday that I was changing her diapers, and then I blinked, and she was already a young woman.' She let thoughts such as this consume her mind as she neared her work place, and finally pulled into the parking garage. She parked and sent Eren another text, hoping that she would wake up in time to at least catch the bus.
When Carla got out of the elevator and made it to her desk, she felt her phone vibrate.
[Received 7:59 AM] Eren: Thanks for the text mom.. I slept through my alarm. and I'm gonna be late to my first class, because I have to walk, so don't be surprised if you get a letter about my attendance. I'm going over to Mikasa's later, so I won't be there when you get home. Love you.
She smiled as she read through the message. "Oh Eren, what would you do without me, you silly girl."
She typed back,
[Sent 8:02 AM] I love you too Eren. Be careful on your way, don't talk to strangers and don't make eye contact with anyone. Also, take a few extra bottles of water with you just in case you notice someone who needs one.
About twenty minutes passed before Carla felt her phone buzzing again.
[Received 8:27 AM] Eren: How the heck can I notice if anyone needs anything if I'm not supposed to look at people? I'm on my way now, text you when I get there, unless I forget. I have an extra bottle and snacks.
Carla laughed at the message, set her phone down, and went back to writing the email she'd been working on to the president of the pharmaceutical branch, at the request of her boss, the CEO of the branch. 'I hope Eren makes it alright.' She gave her personal thoughts one last moment before she returned to the task at hand, planning the business trip for spring of the coming year.
Eren jumped out of bed when she saw the time on her phone. "Oh shit I'm going to be late again." She rushed to her bathroom and splashed cold water on her face to help wake herself up.
She brushed her teeth, put on a thin line of eyeliner and a quick coat of mascara, then threw her clothes off and rushed back to her bedroom to find clean underwear. After several more minutes of her running back and forth between her bathroom, bedroom, and closet, she was finally dressed, groomed, and ready to go.
She paused to grab her wallet and place it, and her cell phone, into her gray canvas cross body bag, along with an extra water bottle and a few snack bars just in case she ran into any homeless people on the way to school. Her mother always taught her to help those less fortunate including the injured, poor, and the homeless. Eren made her way out and started towards the elevator.
While riding down, she checked her messages and smiled when she saw her mom's reply. She quickly typed back that she already had extra snacks and water, and remembered to mention that she was going over to Mikasa's later. They planned on having a movie and junk food night to celebrate the 'almost end' of their last fall semester in high school.
She cringed when she saw the time on her phone after sending the message. 'I've already missed the first half of class… might as well skip the whole thing,' she thought as she walked out of her complex then crossed the street, she continued down the sidewalk to one of her most frequently visited stops.
'I'm hungry anyway,' she mused as she neared the little convenience store. She walked through the automatic sliding doors and made a beeline straight towards the coffee. She poured herself a small cup, added four sugars, and an indecent amount of creamer. She then turned and wandered towards the snack aisle, idly perusing while she sipped at her sweetened tar juice. Finding nothing appealing in the prepackaged snack food aisle, she walked over to the 'made fresh daily' display where she picked up a few fresh doughnuts, getting a chocolate glazed one for herself, glazed for Armin, and a few doughnut holes for Mikasa, who wasn't fond of too many sweets.
She finally made her way towards the counter to pay and set her selection down on the counter space then began digging through her bag to find her wallet. The new clerk was a younger man who looked to be in his early twenties or late teens, close to Eren's age.
A low whistle sounded, making Eren look up from her task of locating her wallet. Her brows scrunched in confusion when she saw the clerk lick his lips and whistle again. She turned around and looked behind her, trying to see if there was anything worth whistling at in the store. 'Hmm, there's just those two officers in here…what the heck is he whistling at?' she thought, turning back to meet the clerks amused face with a confused expression on her own.
"You're cute, come here often?" the clerk asked, resting an elbow on the counter as he leaned forward, getting closer and into Eren's personal space. He still hadn't touched her items.
"A-ah… yeah, I live down the street so I stop by a lot…I guess..." Eren answered nervously.
"So you're close by huh?" He said, pushing her items to the side as if they weren't what he was paid to ring up.
'Shit, Eren, you idiot why didn't you lie.' She cursed to herself, stepping back a bit from the counter. He just leaned forward a bit more, a wide grin plastered on his face.
"How old are you cutie?"
"S-seventeen." Eren stated, distancing herself further back from the counter. She wasn't even thinking about the other two occupants of the store, let alone considering the possibility that they might be standing behind her in line.
But one of them was. A short, black haired man with a decorated uniform and a police cap to complete the look. He had a gun holstered to his right hip and a baton to his left. He stood, a short distance from Eren, watching the display unfold before him, his unoccupied hand was clenched into a tight, shaking fist, while his other held a steaming cup of black coffee.
Eren backed up far enough to bump into this man, accidentally of course, causing him to drop his steaming cup; it splashed on his pant leg and Eren's burgundy tight covered calves.
"Shit!"
"Ahh!"
The two shouted simultaneously. The officer jumped back and Eren jumped forward and back towards the creepy clerk at the counter.
She turned around and saw that she caused the officer to spill his coffee. Eren blanched, mouth opening in silent terror as she tried to remember how to speak so she could apologize to him.
"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-" he cut her off with his hand directly in her face.
"Calm down, it's just coffee. It's not your fault anyway kid." He said, directing his malicious stare to the man behind the counter, who acted as if nothing had even happened while he started to ring Eren up.
"That will be $5.86 babe." The clerk stated, completely ignoring the situation that he caused.
Eren turned and glared at the man, "Can I have some napkins please?" The clerk rolled his eyes and threw a small towel into Eren's outreached hand. She didn't even bother thanking him.
She turned around and bent down, trying her best to dry off the officer, who stood there, watching her pat his leg dry. "You shouldn't be the one doing this," he said, staring down at her crouched form, "that asshole should be over here cleaning up this mess," He stated, looking up only for a moment to send an icy glance at the man, making him shudder, before looking back down at the girl. He bent down and stilled her hands. "It's alright," he said as he met her wide and nervous eyes, grabbing the towel from her hand and throwing it on the coffee soiled floor. He rose, holding onto her arm to lift her with him.
Among many of the things Eren's mother instilled in her from a young age, including bringing extra items such as water bottles or granola bars to offer to someone who looked hungry or parched, she was taught to never, ever, cross a police officer. They were to be respected and treated with kindness, but most importantly, she was taught never to argue with one, because that could only go wrong.
Eren stood, locking her eyes with her shoes while the shorter officer continued to hold her forearm with a firm grip. "Grab your things and get going," he said as he released her arm.
She looked up from her shoes with a questioning expression, searching for an explanation. She found none.
The officer walked over to the counter and grabbed the bagged doughnuts and the cooling coffee and put them into Eren's hands. "I said to go." He stated more firmly, pushing Eren towards the door with a flick of his hand between her shoulder blades.
"But I haven't paid for these yet?" she said, turning around. She stopped when she saw the angry look on the officer's face.
"Go." He said more firmly. He then directed his attention to the punk behind the counter who was still watching Eren, he winked at her, and pursed his lips into a mocking kiss, completely ignoring the short officer and the tall blonde that had approached the scene.
Eren nodded and darted out of the store, she gasped when she got outside, feeling the wintry air make the wet stain on her tights cold. "Shoot," she said, turning back towards her apartment to go and change.
Levi turned and watched as Eren hurried towards her apartment, then he turned back to the counter and grabbed the collar of the punk clerk. "Look here you little fuck, talk to that girl again and I swear I will find you and fuck you up," he hissed into the man's ear.
The clerk froze for a moment, but then smirked, "I wouldn't do that if I were you bub," he said smugly, "that is if you know what's good for you." He grabbed Levi's wrist and tightened his hand around it, to try and loosen his grip. Levi just jerked the man forward more, knocking him against the counter before throwing him back and releasing him. He dug into his back pocket and pulled out a few bills to pay for a coffee, some doughnuts, and to cover the girl's expenses.
The clerk angrily accepted the bills, a grimace plastered on his face during the entire exchange. He handed the officer his change and leaned forward, turning his head to the side to reveal a tattoo of overlapping wings at the base of his neck, "You're going to regret this you son of bitch," he hissed back, his voice low and full of malice. He straightened his collar and walked into the back of the shop to get cleaning supplies to finally do his job, and deal with the mess he partially caused.
"Levi?" the blonde officer questioned.
Levi huffed, glaring at the old but familiar emblem and walked back towards the coffee station to pour himself another cup. He and Erwin, his patrol partner, exited the convenience and made their way back to the parked squad car.
"What was all that about?" Erwin questioned again.
"Nothing, I just don't like it when pigs think it's okay to approach angels."
Erwin raised a thick blonde brow at the mention of 'angels,' but said nothing more as he walked around to the driver's side and slid into the vehicle. He and Levi sat in the car without speaking, listening only to the sound of reports from the radio, and each other's breathing which was interrupted by the occasional sound of chewing or sipping of coffee.
Levi perked to attention when he saw the girl crossing in front of the alleyway that he and his partner were parked in. He set his drink down and jumped out the car, walking towards her.
"Hey, kid," he started; he looked down and noticed that she'd changed her soiled burgundy tights to forest green ones. "Why aren't you in school right now?"
Eren froze when she heard the stern voice behind her, she turned to see the officer she'd spilled coffee on earlier, and mentally cursed. 'It looks like I'm going to miss second period too...'
"U-um, I actually woke up late sir, my mom already left for work and I missed my bus so I have to walk..." she said tensely. She directed her gaze back down, trying to avoid looking directly at the intensely glaring officer.
"Do you need a ride?"
Eren looked up, a look of surprise adorning her features. She allowed the offer to process for a moment while she weighed her options, 'decline and continue walking in the cold for 30 minutes and miss half of second period or accept and spend 5 minutes in a warm car with a police escort?' she smiled a little and looked up at the officer, nodding and saying, "Wow, that would be great, thank you."
He nodded once and turned around, "Alright, follow me kid."
He opened the back door to the squad car and let her slide in. "The back seat is meant for criminals, so don't freak out when you can't open the door alright? I'll let you out when we get there." She nodded and he closed the door, and then sat into his own seat.
She watched him exchange a few whispered words to his partner and then turn to address her, "What high school are we taking you to?"
"Maria High," she said, sitting back and relaxing as best she could into the cool leather seating of the squad car.
The remainder of the ride was silent, save for a few alerts and messages being sent across the radio. When they arrived to the drop off zone, true to his word, Levi exited the car and opened the door for Eren to get out. "Be careful on your way home." He said before closing the door and returning to his own seat.
Eren nodded and hurried towards the entrance, hoping she would make it before second period started. Levi sat and watched her retreating form, until she was through the dark tinted glass doors, and no longer visible. He turned to Erwin and nodded, letting him know that he could drive away and return to their patrol.
Eren's day passed smoothly compared to her rough morning. She made it to second period before the late bell rang, and even remembered to text her mom and let her know she'd made it to class. She got through the rest of her morning classes, had a small lunch, and then powered through her afternoon classes, counting down the time until the last bell rang and she was on her way to Mikasa's for a pizza and party night.
The trio arrived at Mikasa's and ordered a couple of pizzas and different sodas to supply them for their evening. Eren offered her friends the doughnuts she'd gotten earlier in the day and they ate them with gratitude while she told them about the creepy clerk and scary, but kind officer who saved her. The night passed on until it began to get late and Eren knew she would have to head home soon.
The trio said their goodbyes, Mikasa returned to her house while Eren headed back towards her apartment in the opposite direction of Armin's grandpa's house. Halfway to her home, she heard her phone ding; indicating that she'd received a text.
[Received 8:34 PM] Mom: We're out of milk and eggs, do you mind stopping by the store on your way home? I'm in the middle of something and I don't want to ruin it.
Eren sighed and crossed the street, not even bothering to respond to her mom's text.
Soon after she crossed over, the neon glare of the convenience stores lights came into view. Eren quickened her pace and walked into the store, picking up a jug of milk and a carton of eggs. She hurried to counter and paid, thanking the clerk, who was older, and much more courteous than the man who had the earlier shift. She made her way of the store and back towards her complex, hurrying the whole way because something was bothering her. 'I feel like I'm being watched' she thought to herself, while frantically pressing the elevator button, vainly hoping that it would make the old contraption go faster. She didn't feel relief from the feeling of being watched until she made it to her floor and walked into her apartment, dead bolting the door and putting the items up before hurrying to her bedroom and locking the door.
The odd feeling she had of being watched was not an invention of her young imagination.
She was in fact, being watched.
Watched by a dark haired officer who was off duty. A dark haired man who'd just finished wiping the blood off his knuckles after he nearly beat a young member of his old syndicate to death in the alleyway across from Eren's apartment complex.
Levi kicked the limp, and bloodied form, further into the alleyway, preventing any passerby from seeing the mangled face of the punk convenience store clerk. He cracked his knuckles as he watched Eren enter her building and dash towards the elevator. He left the alleyway and walked towards the building himself, slipping in through the doors and glancing down the hall to watch Eren enter the elevator.
When she entered and the door closed, he walked over and stood in front of it, making sure that the number '4' lit up. When the circle of light stopped at floor four for a few moments, Levi turned and exited the building, satisfied that Eren had made it home unscathed for the night.
He was more than ready to bathe to get the smell of alley and trash off of him. Since his shift ended at work, he'd stationed himself outside Eren's complex and waited for her to return. He had grown concerned since it was already dark out and she'd hadn't come back, and that was when he noticed the familiar face of the asshole clerk, lurking across the street from Eren's place. He briefly thought to call his station and report the suspicious activity, but then he quickly disregarded the idea and decided to take matters into his own hands, it's not like the police would try and fuck with the legion anyway.
He beat the kid near to death and warned him if he ever caught him or any of the other members anywhere near Eren, he'd kill them on the spot.
Levi stalked towards his hidden car, parked behind one of the buildings abandoned by the legion, and drove home to shower and try to rid himself of the unpleasant, but growing urge to lock Eren away for her own safety.