This fanfic was written for the Ereri Mini Bang on Tumblr.
It's already complete with 10 chapters but I'll be posting 1 or 2 chapters per day until Sunday.

The cover picture you can see was made specifically for this story and it's gorgeous 3
You can see it better on tumblr: lampurpleart*tumblr*com/post/185984653347/yesterday-after-he-had-finished-calling-his
(Replace * by . )

For the people who read my other fanfic Sunshine and Pumpkin, I haven't uploaded in the recent months because I was writing this, but I'll get back to it now!

With heavy steps and long strides, the wind blowing his already messy chocolate hair, Eren put as much distance as possible between him and his house. Or more accurately, between him and his parents.

He couldn't understand why they didn't trust him or why they couldn't believe in his abilities. His mother used to encourage him along the path of his dream, showing interest in his hobby and praising him for his skills, but today, she had only looked at him apologetically as his father had crushed all his dreams with words harsher than the other. She had just stood beside him, completely mute, and hadn't even tried to defend him. For Eren, it had been the same as acknowledging his father's words.

It was the reason why he hadn't told them anything in the first place. When he had decided to participate in a drawing competition, he had feared his father wouldn't support him and convince him to quit before even trying. He had always wanted Eren to go to university and follow in his steps as a doctor, or at least wished for him to become a successful businessman, unlike his brother – like he would always say – but it was the further away from his dreams and wishes.

Ever since he was a child, he had always liked to draw everything he would see or hear from other people. Of course, at that time, it had only been messy and deformed doodles, but he never gave up and always tried to improve as much as he could, sometimes drawing for hours while watching tutorial videos or going through art books. Drawing was a way for him to express himself, give shapes and colors to feelings he didn't know how to describe otherwise, and as he grew up, it became evident that it was what he wanted to do in the future.

More specifically, he wanted to become an illustrator.

The competition he had entered was exactly aligned with his dream, because it wasn't just a normal drawing competition, but one which targeted precisely aspirant illustrators like him. Eren could have waited to be of age to enter it and he wouldn't have had any problems then, but this year's prize was different and the reason why he had still taken the risk. If he won, he would be able to obtain a scholarship for the art school of his dream and he would also have the privilege to work on an illustration book alongside professionals with the prospect of publishing it in the end. The latter was the first prize, but the scholarship was for all of the three finalists.

And he was one of them.

He had made it, had been chosen amongst hundreds of participants and had now a chance out of three to win the contest. And even if he didn't, he would still be able to enter into his first-choice school and would then be one step closer to his dream.

The problem was that the award ceremony would be held in Trost, the biggest city around which was three hours away from the small fishing town he currently lived in, Shiganshina, and he couldn't go there without his parents' approval because he was still seventeen. Technically speaking, he needed his parents' signature to participate in the contest too, but as an artist, faking a signature wasn't a big deal, and thus he had entered without speaking to his parents about it.

Which brought him back to what had happened a few minutes ago.

He had tried to explain the situation to his parents, that he needed to go to Trost for a few days to attend the award ceremony to know the final results, that he had been chosen, that he had a very good chance of winning, but his father hadn't let him. The moment Eren had told them about entering a drawing contest without consulting them, he had started to blow up and yell at him, asking him when he would let go of his childish dream and grow up. Needless to say, when he had finally gotten to the part when he told them he needed to leave Shiganshina for a few days, his father had further yelled at him.

Eren was too young, too immature, and the whole situation was ridiculous. That were some of the things he had told him, along the fact that it was unacceptable he wanted to miss days of school to attend such a 'laughable' ceremony. Also that it wasn't necessary, because Eren wouldn't win the first place anyway. And his mother had said nothing the whole time Eren had been yelled at and his pride torn to pieces.

The mere memory of it made Eren's blood boil in his veins and his jaw clench painfully because of anger, and also frustration. No one believed in his skills except for himself – and maybe his older brother. His mother had betrayed him, his father had belittled him, and now the only person he could count on was himself. Because there was no way he wouldn't participate in the ceremony. He would use his savings to buy a train ticket if he had to, but he would never give up. It wasn't something Eren knew how to do anyway. He always took every hit coming his way head on, and if he fell, he always recovered and got up once again. His stubbornness and persistence were both some of his best qualities and worst faults.

Drops of water falling on his cheeks brought him back to reality and made him look up at the dark and menacing sky. He hadn't paid attention to the weather when he had rushed out of his house, fueled by his temper. If he had, he could have foreseen the storm that was coming his way and find shelter before it broke. Instead, he found himself already drenched the moment he realized what was going on, which left him with little time to think.

He had to find somewhere to take shelter from the heavy rain but it was pouring so hard that he could hardly see a few meters in front of him. Luckily, he quickly recognized where he was – near the beach, when had he gotten this far? – and knew exactly where to go. It wasn't a very well-known place, even for people who had been living in the village for years, but Eren had always been curious and had wandered around a lot as a kid.

Without hesitation, he ran like hell towards his destination, vainly trying to shield his head from the downpour with his hands and arms. The moment he stopped feeling the pression of water on his body, making his clothes stick on every portion of his skin, he let out a long sigh and tried to even his breathing after his running. Once he recovered, he finally allowed himself to look around him and couldn't refrain the small wistful smile that appeared on his lips.

The rock faces composing the cave he was using as a shelter were glistening with droplets of water because of the humidity, which partake in the incessant sound of running water. Sand coming from the beach reached until at least a third of the cave until it left place to eroded rocks which also seemed damp.

Eren could remember the first time he had set foot inside the cave like it was yesterday, eyes open wide because of wonder and excitement. As a kid, this place had always seemed like another world entirely, a place where he could play and dream freely. It was where he had come up with a lot of ideas for his drawings, his imagination always running wild, and it was also where he would go to find peace and comfort. His dreams for the future were closely linked to this place.

There was another reason why this place was so special to him, why he had come as often as he had, and also why he hadn't come in a few years now. Everything, starting from how he had found the cave in the first place to why he had always felt safe in it, came down to one and only person: his best friend, Levi. Or maybe he should say ex-best friend.

As far as he could remember, him and Levi had always been together. Their mothers were both friends from university and had chosen the quiet town of Shiganshina to start a family and raise their children. Eren and Levi had grown up almost like brothers, so naturally they had spent most of their time together. Every time Eren had something he wanted to tell, he would go see Levi. Every time he had somewhere he wanted to go, Levi would go with him, and vice versa. They used to be so inseparable that their parents used to joke about them being twins, and truth be told, Eren wouldn't have minded it.

Eren had been very hyperactive as a child and would always run around the town, searching for new places to discover or new playgrounds. Levi would follow him with a bit less enthusiasm, but delight still evident in his dark blue eyes. He was only there to keep an eye on Eren so he wouldn't do anything stupid, he used to say to their mothers to reassure them. Levi had always been the most reliable of the two, but once they were out of sight, Levi would go along with Eren's antics and even suggest some of the pranks they would do.

Levi knew of his dream of becoming an illustrator, had been the one suggesting it to him as he had always loved watching Eren draw and had been his first supporter. Eren would always go to him first when he had finished a sketch or had had a new idea, and Levi would give him some advice or encouragement. The cave became their secret base and the guardian of their words.

But as they started to grow and turned into teenagers, they became fairly different in both their hobbies and needs. Levi became quieter, and started scolding Eren for being so noisy and immature. He stopped going to Eren's place as often as before, spent most of his time studying and turning down Eren's invitations to go out to play. The changes in their relationship appeared gradually, until they entered high school and everything completely went sideways. Levi started taking advanced classes and studying was really all he would do, which Eren only found boring. He had never liked studying, homework had always been a chore, but Levi seemed to enjoy it, and Eren couldn't understand it. Same as Levi seemed to not understand how he could be so careless and indifferent to his studies.

After a big fight, Levi explicitly told Eren to stop bothering him, that he didn't have time to 'play' with him anymore and that Eren should hurry and 'grow the hell up'. The raven sounded strangely like his father and that didn't sit well with him, pushing him into one of his anger fits. And with that, their friendship entirely collapsed and they stopped talking to each other. It had happened three years ago.

Now that Eren was in their old secret base, he couldn't refrain the flood of memories that assaulted him like a wave of salt water, leaving behind a sour taste in his mouth. He had always cared deeply for Levi, and still did, but it didn't seem to be the case for the raven. He had tried to talk about it with him, try to renew their relationship, but Levi had only looked at him with a cold and indifferent gaze, walking away the moment Eren had stopped talking without even looking back. Eren had no idea how to fix everything if the other wasn't willing to try too, hence why he had given up – but still hoped that one day they would be friends once again.

Thinking back to his best friend brought back more recent memories which made Eren's skin crawled, anger once again rising inside his chest. During their fight, his father had had the nerve to bring Levi up in the conversation and use him as a model. Why Eren couldn't take example on Levi and study more? Why Eren couldn't have a more realistic dream and wish to go to university like Levi? Why Eren couldn't be as mature and collected as Levi?

At that moment, Eren had wanted to yell at him that if he liked Levi so much and thought he was so perfect, why didn't he become his father instead. He had made it sound like Eren was a disappointment and wasn't the son he had hoped to have, and it both angered and saddened him. Nothing he did would ever be good enough for his father. What had happened between him and his older brother was a fine example: no matter how well-off he had become, their father was still dissatisfied with him and gave him nothing more than words of depreciation.

As Eren plopped down on the wet sand, his back against the smooth and damp rocks, he closed his eyes and let out a deep and long sigh. Now that his anger had faded, he only felt empty and lost. His body was shaking violently because of how cold he felt, his wet clothes not helping in the least, and thus he tried to hug himself to generate a bit of warmth and keep the very few he had to himself.

He wished he could go back to those times, when Levi and him were still talking and laughing together. He wished he could go back to being little again, back when everyone was praising his drawings and telling him his dreams would come true. Because that is what adults say to kids. They don't tell them they're going to fail or that their dreams are unachievable. They tell them to believe in themselves and that they can become anything they want in the future. But once children start to grow up, adults change their sentiments and ask them to be realistic, that there is no way it's going to happen, to stop being childish and face the truth. The truth that life is cruel and isn't always easy, that you don't always end up where you wanted to initially.

Eren wished he could just go back to being small, when everything was easy and simple. When it was just him, a piece of paper, a pencil and his imagination.

I wish…

XxxxXxxxX

Eren woke up with a jolt, a shiver going through his entire body and immediately bringing back memories of before he had dozed off. He had no idea when he had closed his eyes and how long he had actually been out. He wasn't sitting anymore, like he remembered, and was instead curled up into a ball and lying on the ground. He tried to feel around him with his hands, expecting to have sand stick to his skin, but he could only feel something soft. He could also feel it underneath him and on top of him, like he was wrapped inside a blanket.

Was he still in the cave or had he managed to get home at some point after the storm quieted down without remembering it? It was the only explanation he could come up with that would explain why he was surrounded by a blanket which, by the way, seemed way too big. He was completely under it, filtering the light and leaving him with few indications as to what time it was.

His first reaction was to try to get out of the blanket, to be able to look around him and assess the situation, but the blanket seemed to extend on meters instead of centimeters. Eventually, after crawling on his hands and knees, he found the extremity and was able to put his head out of it to look around him. His eyes immediately widened and his mouth fell open in surprise.

He was still in the cave – at least he thought he was – but the ceiling was way too high compared to the last time he had looked at it. He was also certain he hadn't gone too deep into it, but the exit seemed too far. He had trouble seeing the waves of the ocean when he should normally be able to see them easily from there, except in misty weather, which wasn't the case. The sky was a clear blue, the sun shining, making it seemed like the storm had only been a dream.

Maybe it was early morning and he had somehow slept through the entire night? His parents were going to be pissed at him for being out for so long, or at least his father. His mother, on the contrary, might just be freaking out and be worried as hell. He had to get back as soon as possible.

"Eren…?"

The brunet thought he had heard someone calling his name, but the sound had been so faint and distant that he might have imagined it. He rapidly dismissed the thought and went back to what he had been pondering about earlier. Going home.

Eren stood up from his position and put a leg forward and out of the 'blanket'– he had stopped thinking about where it had come from until he felt it falling from his shoulders – and immediately felt sand under the sole of his foot. Directly against the sole of his foot. Had he removed his shoes and socks during his sleep?

Then, for the first time since he woke up, he took a look at himself and instantly yelled from the surprise.

"What the hell!?"

He was completely and utterly naked. From head to toe. He didn't even have an underwear on. No wonder he was feeling so cold and was shaking so much. But how did that even happen? Eren didn't have the tendency to sleep naked or to remove his clothes in his sleep. At least not that he was aware of. So, what exactly had happened?

"Eren?"

This time there was no doubt someone was calling him. If he was right and had spent the night outside, maybe his parents were looking for him. This was bad. He had to find his clothes and put them on again before anybody found him or else it would be very embarrassing. The voice was still too distant so he hadn't recognized it, but no matter who it was, he sure had no desire to find himself naked in front of them. He had to move fast.

Once again, Eren looked around himself and tried to locate his clothes. They shouldn't be too far. His eyes were immediately drawn towards a pile of fabric that seemed as big as the blanket behind him, except this one seemed to be made of jean. He had never seen a blanket like this before. It was getting weirder by the minute. And where the hell were his clothes?

"Eren!"

The brunet suddenly recognized the voice calling his name and his body entirely froze. Levi. Levi was the one calling him. Why? Even if his parents had asked for help, why did Levi agreed to search for him? He had made it clear over and over again that him and Eren had nothing to do with each other anymore and to not speak to him unless he really had to. Levi hated Eren. So why?

"Eren!?"

The shock had postponed Eren's search for his clothes and now the voice seemed to become closer and closer. There was no doubt in his mind that the cave was where Levi was heading for right now. He was the only one who knew about the place. He had to move and fast, before Levi came and saw him in his birthday suit.

"What the…"

Too late, Eren thought. In a last and desperate attempt to hide his nakedness, Eren took the fabric the closest to him and hid behind it. Once he was sure Levi wouldn't be able to see anything, he turned in the direction of the newcomer, an embarrassed smile on his lips, ready to find a good excuse to his situation, and froze. This time for a really good reason.

Levi stood at the end of the cave, out of breath, but to actually look at his face, Eren had to crane his neck upwards, which in itself was weird enough since everyone knew Levi was shorter than Eren, but it didn't seem to be the case anymore. Because there Levi stood, in all his one meter and fifty-five glory, but to Eren it seemed like he was more around fifteen meters.

Levi looked like a giant. And Eren had turned small.

"What is happening to me?"