Chapter 4: The Angel
Eren looks out of the window of his room in the back of the art room. He has a good view on the basketball field and watches the new trainer and some of the younger children practice. He had met him once, his name is Levi, he is 25, a fire fighter and very good looking. Eren scrolls at his own thoughts. His mind is working against him again. He doesn't want to get thrown out of this place even when Hanji told him that she doesn't mind him being gay. But saying something like that to a teenager, nearly frozen to death and seeing him flirting with another male are two different things. He doesn't want to lose another home. He likes it here. He even loves it.
Eren can paint as much as he wants. Hanji promised him an endless supply of paint, she said that some of his paintings he let her give to the gallery will be sold so he is working for it anyway. There are dozens of paintings in his room. Most of them are with his two-coloured-winged angel. He will never sell them but the ones with the titans can go out in the world.
Right now, he is working on another picture of a giant titan standing in the middle of a city, walls surrounding him, steaming hot air covering his body and flames licking on the buildings around him. This titan is one he had painted often. This one appears more often than other titans, he even looks different. Without skin and bigger.
His mind wanders again as he hears clapping form outside, the air got warmer for the end of March and Eren is painting with his window open. One of the children made same points and Levi and the rest clapped their hands. Since the man is here, Eren tried to keep his distance to high the risk of getting himself in trouble. He doesn't even know much about the new volunteer but Eren likes his eyes and every time he watches him from behind and looks at the man´s back it makes his mind pull and push at a long-lost memory.
A man wearing a uniform, green cloak and wings. A dark blue wing and a white wing on his back.
Eren always turns away from the man and finds himself in his sea of picture. Everywhere are the wings, his angel but even more often he sees the titans. These ugly monsters that haunt his every waking minute and won´t let him sleep. He thought letting some of his paintings go would help. Nothing else had ever helped. Not the ignoring, the talking, the dairy and he hadn't much success with painting his dreams. The only thing that this exercise had told him is that he is talented, and he likes it. He puts the finishing touch on this painting and let it dry. His stomach makes itself known and Eren remembers that he didn't have breakfast, or lunch or dinner the evening before. When he is painting he is forgetting everything else, sleeping, eating … Hanji had already found him twice too dizzy to find his way down the dining hall.
His sights and goes to the sink that is installed into the art room to wash his hands. He would go downstairs and search for something to eat in the kitchen. There is always food and Hanji told him to take what he needs. He lives here and he doesn't have to worry about anything. Satisfied with his cleaning job Eren walks downstairs to make himself a sandwich after inspecting the fridge.
"Hey. Eren, right?" Eren turns around and finds himself in the company of Levi. Sweaty and with a water bottle in his hand. It takes him a few seconds until he remembers that he had been asked a question and nods to answer it. "One of the children told me you life here, is that true?"
Eren freezes. Levi is not a cop, remember, not a cop. "Yes. Hanji let me rent a room behind the art room." Keep it simple.
"How old are you?" Levi asks and fills his water bottle on the tap.
"17, but I will turn 18 in a few days." Shocked Eren notice that it is the truth. He will be a legal adult in only a few days. He will be free of everything his father might do to get him.
"You always watch our training. You could join if you want or assist me." Levi suddenly offers. How did he notice him watching? Blood shot into his head and Eren feels his cheeks getting red.
"Maybe I will come down sometime." Before he can embarrass himself more, Eren takes his sandwich and flees the room. He nearly crashes into Hanji but avoids the collision by stepping to the side. Before he practically run to his room. He can hear Levi´s question to Hanji, if he did say something wrong. Her answer never reaches him.
Hanji enters the kitchen after Eren left in a hurry. She looked as confused at him like he feels. "Did I say something?" Levi looks at the door.
"Probably not. Eren is … he is sometimes a bit jumpy. And shy. Very shy. So don't take it personally." Hanji offers. The answer doesn't satisfy Levi but he decides not to dig into it. He has enough mysteries in his life, he doesn't need to figure out this kid.
Levi would call it mightily curious. His interest in Eren. He had asked one of the kids in training what room that is. The kid told him that the art teacher lives there. The young man that helped out everywhere and does everything is just known as the art teacher. A very young teacher. Levi really want´s to know more about him, he is attractive, with his brilliant green eyes that watch him all the time. The wild mop of brown hair and those lips that get bitten in a nervous habit. Maybe he can get Eren out of his shell. The boy really seems to be a bit jumpy around him and adults in general. He has no problem with the kids. Levi had watched him interact with them. There will be a next time.
The next time Levi has time and offers to train the youngest of the children, they play different games, from hide and seek to catch and everything Levi can think of. He didn't notice at first but they hat an audience. At the side of the playground, on the grass is Eren sitting and drawing on a sketch book. Levi doesn't make it known to the kids and tries to ignore Eren at his best to avoid making him uncomfortable and it works. Eren sits for the rest of the afternoon in the grass, drawing and watching their games.
Levi smiles a bit as he finished the training for the day and offers Eren his hand. The sun had started to disappear behind the buildings, and it would get cold quickly. Eren completely in his own world blinked at him a few times before he takes the offered hand and follows him inside. The sketch book with all his drawings are hidden safely against his body.