Rating: M

ErenxRivaille

/Edited Chapter/

Chapter 3:

Naked Thoughts

The door creaked as it slammed against the door frame. Eren winced at the sound, realizing he should probably fix the hinge. Maybe, he'll do it on his next day off, but he didn't know when that would be. The paint from the door was peeling off in noticeable places and the screen door was full of holes. When it got cold during the winter months, the door hardly kept the bitter from entering, but there was nothing he could do. A new door would cost much more than it was worth.

Entering this small house, Eren walked past the stair case, going towards a more open area. The staircase was a dark wood, but old and creaky. It led up to 2 rooms upstairs connected by a hallway. Making his way past, he made it by the living room that was only furnished enough to entertain a small group of friends or the landlord. The carpet was a murky color where it was in need of a good vacuuming and the walls were a boring grey. The rest of the house was like this, old, damaged, and a bit dangerous. It was bland and murky, hardly inviting. It was furnished just enough to live comfortably and it didn't have any extra commodities.

It wasn't anything special, but Eren loved it. Just about a year ago, his sister and he finally saved up enough money to move into this house, and he was going to appreciate it.

Eren came into the tight kitchen, which spanned out to hold a dining room table. It had little counter space, a half-working microwave, and a small fridge. Although, mostly untouched, the counters were made of a knock off wood, the corners peeling up. Eren left his heavy backpack on this counter, stretching his shoulders.

He could smell something on the stove. The smell wafting towards him, he crinkled his nose in disgust. Trying to find the source of this odd smell, he was drawn to the stove top. There was something burning in the skillet, sizzling almost like a soft hum. Coming closer to it he noticed a breast of chicken burning, with oil splaying out of the pan. The drop of oil spit, landing on the surrounding stove top and counters. Eren had to think fast.

Running forward, he grabbed at the pan. But, in his hurry, he forgot a hot pad, causing him to yelp in pain. Dropping the skillet due to reflex, it landed with a clatter. His hand stung like hell. He swore underneath his breath, leaving the chicken sizzling on the cool floor. Making his way to the sink, he turned on the cold water and put his burned fingers underneath the water. He hissed at the sting as he tried to flex his fingers. Shaking his head at his stupidity, he waited for the pain to wear.

"Eren?" A voice questioned from the doorway. He turned his head over his shoulder to see his sister in the doorway, standing there. Her tired eyes looked at him and then at the chicken on the ground, understanding registering quickly in her mind. She silently moved to his side where she grabbed at the handles. Switching the ice cold water to a cooler temperature, she then grabbed Eren's fingers. Holding his fingers under the water she looked at him.

"Are you alright, Eren?" The beauty of a young woman asked in a monotone voice, not a touch of a smile or a frown on her face.

"I'm fine, Mikasa." He reassured her. She didn't look anymore convinced, but she knew that the burn wasn't too severe. After holding his fingers underneath the water a bit longer in silence, she finally inspected them. They were only a bit red, no lasting scarring. It was then, that she dropped his fingers and turned off the water. Turning to the now dropped chicken and oil on the ground; she went to work cleaning it up. Eren bent down to help.

"You put burns under cool water, not cold." She scolded him. Eren rolled his eyes, playfully annoyed by the fact she still treated him as a child, even at the age of 19. He continued, standing up to grab a wet rag when he noticed something a bit off about her. The way she was hunched over told him more than words would. Something must have happened. He looked to his sister, a bit worried. She put a lock of black hair behind her ear. Eren couldn't believe that she'd allowed herself to grow her hair so long. It was way past her shoulders where she usually kept it just a little below.

"You don't usually burn food, are you OK?" Mikasa continued to clean up the oil on the kitchen floor, while Eren picked up the skillet and put in the sink. But, he watched the slight flick in her figure. Mikasa was usually quite in tuned so he couldn't believe her to ever burn something. She hesitated, thinking for a moment.

"I got fired." She whispered. Eren's eyebrows crinkled in confusion. He looked at her with big eyes, incredulous to the idea of her getting fired. She was a hardworking, serious person normally, and just the same when she worked. She didn't mess around and she did what she was supposed to without complaint. Honestly, she was the perfect employee, much better than Eren himself. He couldn't remember a time when she had gotten fired in her entire life, even when she worked at the age 14.

"How is that even possible?" Eren asked her, incredulous. He was slightly hoping she was joking, but he knew she wasn't. Mikasa wasn't one for jokes, if anything; she had a dry sense of humor.

She took a deep breath. "Some men walked in, and as I was serving them, one began to grope me. Usually, I ignore such antics, but as the harassment went on, they began talking about an idea. How, I should work at the club across from the old railroad." She showed a face of disgust, her eyes flashing dangerously. "They continued, telling each other all the things they wanted to do the dancer's and the employee's. Talking of rape and bondage, it was absolutely horrid to listen to, but I thought of you when they began to talk about taking an entertainer out back and showing him a good time. I may have started something." Mikasa put her head down in shame, knowing full well she took it too far.

Eren shook his head at her, hardly believing his ears. Mikasa got this sort of treatment often. She was young with striking black hair and Asian features. She dressed conservatively, but her job at this time, required her to wear a skirt. Her athletic, long legs allowed men to stare her down, taking in as much of her as they wanted. She ignored this attention, usually, but it was becoming harder and harder to pretend their stares weren't there. The fact she had protected him, was of no surprise to Eren. She usually looked out for him, and protected him no matter the cost. He didn't mind the attention. It was nice to see someone care for a change. However, it was too often that this attention got her in trouble as well.

Grabbing each of Mikasa's hands in his own, Eren looked her straight in the eye with a look of sincerity. "I appreciate it, but that was unnecessary. You should have just ignored them, they were trash anyways. Plus, you know, I would never leave the club with strange men." Well, the last part was a lie, but Mikasa didn't need to know that. She already constantly worried about him since he works at such a place. She thinks it's unfit for him, dangerous even. She has offered multiple times to get a job there, but Eren won't let her. It was hard enough doing the job he was doing; he couldn't stand it if Mikasa did it too.

"I know that." She responded, nodding, her confidence back. Coming back to her feet, she cleaned up the rest of the mess.

"I'm making soup for dinner, so you better stay around." She gave him a faint smile and Eren knew everything was alright again. She went to the fridge and pulled out something new. Placing a red onion on a set up cutting board, she began to chop at expert speed. Eren decided he'd help with dinner tonight, pulling out some potatoes from the cupboard, he began to peel them, thinking her idea of soup would be good. He rubbed his hands on his jeans, cleaning them quickly, before getting back to skinning. After a silence, Eren thought for a moment.

"You're going to need to get a job again." Mikasa nodded, knowing this already. She lost this job with means she gets no pension, and she loses the salary they needed for rent. She had another job as a painter, but it would hardly give her enough money for food, let alone college tuition. "I heard the diner across from Marie's place is hiring." Eren added notifying Mikasa that she should get a move on, before someone takes it. It was a good position, probably a decent salary, maybe even better and cleaner customers.

"I'll look into it, Eren." With a simple enough answer, Mikasa went back to preparing dinner.

Eren didn't doubt she wouldn't look for the job, he only hoped she had the motivation to move on. It's been hard on her lately, and he couldn't blame her if she wanted a break. The only things they had were each other, and sometimes, that was hardly enough. Even if Mikasa got the job, it would take time before she could start working. There was probably a penalty for punching a customer. She might not be giving Eren the full story but he understood she was hiding things from him, making sure not to worry him.

Taking this in thought, Eren knew he should look for another job. He could grab something between school and club hours. Probably part time, since his hours of availability were running thin. If need be, he'd drop a bit of school and take summer classes.

He wouldn't tell Mikasa for now, she would only be angry if she found out Eren put more work on his shoulders. Eren would tell her when he got the rent paid for a couple months.

[]

The bell rang and Eren left the classroom in a sea of people. They bumped into him, pushing him out the door. He just went with the flow. To be honest, he was just glad to be out of class. He didn't really care what anyone did to him at this point, as long as he was as far away from the classroom as possible. Lately, his classes were becoming more challenging in his second year of college and he couldn't help but feel exhausted by the end of each class. Every end of the period just reminded him of his endless list of things to do.

Making his way out of the college building, Eren walked a few feet when he heard someone call for him.

"Eren!" Eren looked behind him, noticing his best friend running along to catch up with him. He stopped, and his friend almost collapsed beside him.

"Armin, what's up?" Eren asked him. Armin's blonde hair was long and put back in a low ponytail, which hung between his shoulder blades. A sharp chin bone created a chiseled face. He was taller than Eren, but that wasn't always true. He used to be a small boy, with a child's face. But this last year has been good to him; he has finally grown into a man instead of a scrawny teenager with bad acne.

"You forgot to grab the packet from the front of class. You've been really out of it. You didn't even notice me waving you down." He told Eren awhile he held up a packet for him to see. Eren couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. His mind hasn't been straight for the last couple of days. He's been able to avoid Mikasa due to not seeing her most of the time, but Armin had too many classes with him to not notice. He knew he'd just have to come clean.

"You can't tell Mikasa." Eren gave Armin a hard glare. Armin has been he and Mikasa's friend since they were young. One of the only to stay with them to their adult years. They had so much history neither could imagine them apart. Armin suddenly hesitated, and Eren noticed that even though he grew in age, Armin still kept the same facial expressions.

"What is it?"

"Promise!" Eren responded, teasing his friend by flicking him lightly on his arm.

"Fine! I promise." Armin reassured him, taking his right fist to his heart. It was their way of proving a promise to one another.

"I'm getting another job. I have an interview tomorrow." Eren continued, taking Armin off gaurd right away. Armin already knew that Eren had enough trouble juggling his one job now and his school work. He didn't get much sleep each night, but even so, Eren worked hard and stayed healthy, taking his responsibilities like he needed to.

"At another club?" Armin had to ask. Eren shook his head in exasperation. He was in a bit of disbelief that his friend would think of him to work at another club. He should know how much hated it. "No! It's a good job this time, something you would do."

Armin was really smart; in fact, he had an internship at the main hospital, and was only a sophomore in college. The professors loved him, sending recommendations to every place they could. Eren didn't like to admit it, but Armin frequently tutored him when he had trouble in math.

"Really? Where is it?"

"It's at this corporation at the edge of town. Some guy needs a secretary."

"I hope you don't call your boss 'some guy'." Eren rolled his eyes at his friend. He wiped his hands on his pants and thought for a moment. He had a day to prepare but he wasn't sure if he had something to wear. His closet was full of t-shirts, khaki's, jeans, and a couple of select clothes he received from the club. He didn't have anything for an interview. "Do you have something I can borrow?" He questioned Armin.

He knew he could only ask Armin since the boy dressed so sensibly. He knew how to dress for occasion. At the moment, he was wearing light jeans, held up by a belt, with a white t-shirt tucked in. Somehow, even such simple outfits, made Armin look so professional. From the boy down the block who didn't even know how a tie worked, he grew well.

"Sure, just pop over to Grandpa's house. I'll be over there around 5. I promised him dinner." Eren nodded, taking note of Armin's words. He had work again tonight around 10pm. It wasn't a show night, but he still had to entertain guests, serving and showing them a good time. It would help if they remembered to tip, but in their drunken states, it was often they forgot.

"Alright, see you then, Armin. I have to go!" With a little wave, Eren started his way across the street of campus and away from Armin who stood there with a smile on his face, waving his own goodbye.

His trip back to his home was a long one. He could choose to take a bus, but it came at various times that Eren just didn't have the energy to keep up with, so he just decided to walk.

At age 19, Eren already felt like an old man. He didn't have the time to stay up and party like others his age liked to do. All he could think about half the time was if he had made enough money to make their rent till the end of the month and the other half of his time is thought about what they would be having for dinner the next night.

Eren wanted to blame it on someone, but he and Mikasa have been alone since they were 15. His mother, a caring woman with gentle eyes, took care of the two. In all honesty, Mikasa wasn't even his real sister; she was more of a foster sister. His family took her in when she was still small, giving her a home and dinner. She had been inseparable from Eren ever since. Eren's mother never treated her as just another kid; Mikasa was treated as if she were her own. He was glad his family could give that to Mikasa after such a hard childhood. He, also, didn't mind the extra sibling. She usually helped with house work.

But then, Eren's mother, fell ill with a terrible illness. The children had taken care of her, in between middle school and chores, but there was nothing to be done. Eren's father left to find a good medicine or a remedy, but he never returned. Eren and Mikasa waited for him for two years after his mother passed away.

They had run out of money to keep the house at that point, even having to bury her in a cemetery close by, having to pay the funeral expenses by themselves, the coroner wouldn't pay for it. It was a dirty job, one the kids had to take care of themselves.

Alone, hungry, they looked for shelter from Armin's family, which consists of Armin and his grandfather. They gladly gave them a home for a few months but Eren felt like he was only using the two and he hated not being able to take care of himself. Eren left a contact number with Armin, leaving them.

So, by the age of 16, Eren and Mikasa moved to a bigger city, with a bigger population and more opportunities. It took a couple weeks of living in a shack Mikasa had built from sticks she found laying off the ground. It was amazing how she could make a small building with a pile of rubbish.

Finding a job was the real challenge. No one wanted to hire a scrawny 16 year old like Eren, a teenage boy nether the less. His cool beauty of an adoptive sister on the other hand found work almost instantly at a train station grill. She kept insisting that Eren wasn't to work, that she'd provide for him, but Eren could provide for himself, so he kept on looking.

It was finally when he was walking by a homeless man's cardboard box when he saw an ad in a newspaper clipping about a big club hiring young kids. Of course, this meant 18-19, but Eren could care less, it was a job. How bad could it be? He only found out in the short future of his working there that he'd be harassed and cat called. He'd be on show in demeaning and shameful ways for the entertainment of paying customers. He hardly covered half of his body during a full show. As a young teenager, it was hard for him to see himself in that kind of position, surrounded by 40 year old men and woman alike.

He worked hard though, pretended to love it there, and toned his body in order to get to the top spot in the dancer list. He even went as far as taking makeup applying classes at the college. That was embarrassing by itself. But, the money was fine; it even helped him get to college even with missing those 3 years of his life. But now, he had a chance to get his life back on track, from starting from nothing to getting an interview at a large corporation. It was never where he had planned to place himself, but if it helped him get what he needed, he was willing to prove himself.

[]

The walk to the firm was a scary one. Eren was nervous out of his mind; he couldn't stop chewing on his fingernails. Mikasa had scolded him for it before, telling him it was a bad habit. But at this time, he really couldn't help but do anything to take his mind off things.

If Mikasa knew where he was at the moment, she'd ring his neck. He had told Mikasa he had to stop by the club for a quick meeting. She'd never find out the truth. But, he felt absolutely terrible for lying to his sister. For sure, he'd make up for it later. Because, he knew this was a great opportunity for him and her.

The place, known as 'Renaissance Corporation', was a major corporation. They were known worldwide for different clothing lines that sparked major buys. Eren couldn't believe he didn't recognize the name before. But, maybe, because the only time the Renaissance Corporation was mentioned to him, people would call it the Recon Corporation. It was a play on words. The reconnaissance is a military term for gathering information, or the shorter term is recon. In the later 1990's there was an investigation from various other fashion firms around the world, who found their information leaked so the Renaissance Corporation was always a step ahead of them. The investigation was ended, saying the claim of them stealing was just jealousy from other companies. However, the name stuck, since the two words were so close to one another, and the Corporation always stayed a step ahead in the fashion industry, becoming one of the largest. Before long, they were only known as the Recon Corporation, because it seemed to fit so well.

The sweet woman at the front desk was handing Eren a clipboard with informational paper clipped to the front. Handing Eren she quickly woman picked up the phone when it rang, nodding Eren off.

Sitting in one of the over sized comfort chairs, he started to fill out the form, marveling at everything around him. The building had giant in case windows, that allowed people to look outside, but the outside couldn't look inside. The building was several stories high reaching so far into the sky that when outside, Eren could hardly stare at the tip without being blinded by the sun. It's probably the biggest building Eren has ever been in his life.

Everything inside was so clean and expensive. Eren couldn't help buy want to suck in everything he was seeing. White walls with gold trim had endless designs across it like vines. The main entry was where the whole building connected. It connected to separate offices and to the elevators where Eren had yet to explore. Large swinging doors welcomed people from the street. Marble floors echoed the sounds of small kitten heels as women in this year's season clothing walked around with a notebook in hand. They looked something much more high classed than Eren was used to and he felt severally under dressed.

Finishing the papers, he handed them back to the woman at the front desk with the name 'Petra' on her name tag. The petite girl smiled at him, directing him where to move from here. Following her instructions, he followed a deep and wide staircase to the second floor, there, he took an elevator to the 8th, stopping a couple times to let and drop people off. For the building's size, it had an incredible clean factor. Everything seemed to be in top shape, not a piece of dust in sight.

By the time he had gotten the 8th floor all he'd done was marvel at the people below him on the sidewalk and the streets, unaware of the teenager's wide, amused eyes. He couldn't believe they looked like such ants! Sighing in contentment, he ignored the unamused looks from the people around him, walking onto his floor, and sitting where it said 'Please Sit and Wait'.

He flipped through a fashion magazine that disinterested him. These girls so fake he noted. The only thing that interested him were the shoes inside. He thought they were pretty cute if he could add a man's opinion. He'd have to talk to the boss about adding those large silver booties with the white strap to the fall collection. Flipping pages, he found pages of men's suits, and couldn't help but compare their professional clothing to his own. Armin's fit him well, although he was a bit bigger now that he had that growth spurt. Eren was in a grey vest suit, with black slacks. He traded his heels for a traditional men's shoe, as uncomfortable as they made him feel. Even though he was dressed much better than usual, he couldn't help but feel like he was almost naked in his outfit.

Mikasa had helped him tie his red tie, saying he needed to be ready for the meeting. Eren really should learn how to do it himself, especially if he were to work at a place like this one. His bangs were slicked back, showing off his older face and his childish hair was put away so it didn't make him look the like the child he really was. He was feeling pretty confident, but, maybe, that was because he had a pretty good resume. Although, he has only worked at the club and a couple of small restaurants, his job experience would have not prepared him for this. However, he may have snuck Mikasa's resume and switched it with his own. All the owners knew Eren, they'd probably cover for him if they needed, Mikasa was one of their best employee's.

"Eren Jaeger?" Eren looked toward the source of the one to call his name and got up from his seat. Pulling down his vest, he nodded, confirming it was he.

"Come with me." The man continued, leading Eren down a short hallway and took a sharp right. It looked pretty empty in this part of the building, but Eren thought nothing of it. Continuing, he was led to a room on the left side of another hallway. Putting on a genuine smile, Eren walked in, ready to face everyone in the room.

Or... he thought. He couldn't even hide the smile that slid down his face when he saw a small man reading an article from a newspaper and sipping some coffee, not paying much attention to the newest interviewee who had just walked through the door.

If only it hadn't been the man Eren had been with just a week before and, if only, he could stop his mind from wandering in memories of the same man on top of him, their bodies connected.

Okay, first off, yes, I did make Armin hot, but why not, the boy deserves total greatness.

I wish I could tell you guys where this story is going but even I don't know.

Please leave a review, because I recently ate a salad (so you guys should reward me for being healthy).