Chapter 13
Notes: Heyy another early update, yeah I moving back into the dorms as of this weekend and might not be able to get on internet on Saturday. Also I would like to say the next chapter is the last of the prewritten chapters as of now, so after next chapter weekly updates might be a little hard to do since I have to balance that and 18 hours worth of college. I do hope that I can get at least a couple written in the next couple of weeks, but like I said I have a full plate at college. With all that being said I do hope you stick with me until the end and see how it ends with me; and that you will enjoy the trip it will take us on ^^ ~enough of me lets get to the chapter enjoy~~
Eren's POV
I smiled for the hundredth time today, tonight was the beginning of Christmas for us, we would celebrate Christmas Eve tonight just us kids telling stories, drinking Hot cocoa or apple cider, watching a few Christmas tells, and listening to a few Christmas songs of course. Then tomorrow I knew Erwin had a surprise for us, and I knew that Petra would stop by later that day like every year to hang out with me for a while and see how everything is.
Everyone was putting out some more decorations, making plenty of Christmas snacks (because we knew we had to make plenty for us and then enough for Sasha alone), and seeing what movies we had that we could watch. I was helping Armin, Sasha, and Connie (since he follows Sasha everywhere) make the Christmas snacks, which includes; cookies, caramel popcorn, and a Christmas trail mix sort of thing; we giggled over a few kitchen mishaps that happened along the way which includes the mixer spitting flour all over us and the floor, and with a quick lecture from Levi about the mess we had everything about done. Just in time for everyone to gather in the game room area to enjoy the night.
We sat the food in the middle of the table in which anyone can get anything they wanted, with Sasha taking her own big bowl of snacks with her to her seat. I sat once again with Levi on the love seat with a steaming cup of hot cocoa. Everyone gathered around with their own drink laughing at us since we still had a faint dust of flour on us, once everyone had the snacks they want we started our tells.
"Who do you think should start?" Armin asked looking around at everyone seeing who was willing to share on of their own happy memories. Everyone shifted around a little bit not making eye contact, before Marco (that freckle Jesus he is) volunteered to go first.
Marco thought over a story for a moment before he started his tell, "I don't have many memories of my parents and if I do they are fuzzy at best, so I am going to have to go with one from the system. This was one of my first homes, which is the same home I met Eren a few months later in, they were a very sweet couple and in their late 40's." I flinched remembering those nice people who tried so hard to keep us safe, but where did that get them? I shook off those dark thoughts for now, today was about happy thoughts. "Anyways I had been there longer than a year, so they thought they would treat me to an extra special Christmas that year, so they went out and bought me the first real toys, I remember a few such as a Gameboy and few games, puzzles, as well as a few stuffed animals." He smiled at us, or was it the memories before everything that happened that might have taken his chance away from ever getting adopted?
"That was a nice story Marco," Armin said with a smile on his own face, "I guess I'll take my turn." He said thinking over something he could share with us, "okay so before I was up into the system I lived with my grandfather, he was a sweet old man and every Christmas we had a sort of tradition, the first gift we gave was something we had made with our hands, while the second one was something that we bought from the store for each other. One year he made this awesome wooden book holder and carved into it was different aquatic animals, as well as an old book over the ocean, since it was always my dream to work near it." He finished his story a few tears in his eyes but he was happy none the less.
~TIME SKIP, Still Eren's POV~
Almost everyone had told their stories, which left me and Levi, every memory was different, putting the person somewhere with their families, others were with fosters, and others in places like St. Rose. I took a deep breath to ready myself for my last, but best Christmas with my mom and my father before everything was ripped apart, before the lies where pulled into the light.
"Okay so my turn," I said looking up from the floor with a sad smile on my face, "this was when I was still with my family, my mother was a sweet woman, we made fresh cookies to set them out for Santa on this night; my dad then filled the glass of milk setting them next to the cookies, and then I went off to bed with them since I was a stubborn ass then." I paused at these sweet memories that were always in the back on my mind, too painful to remember that once we were a happy family, that if it hadn't been for him, I would still at least have my mom. "Then that Christmas morning I would wake my parents up early in the morning, we then had breakfast before we opened presents, my mother and father teasing me on how fast I would eat breakfast, just so I could go see what I had gotten. Then we would wonder over to the tree, at last sitting down, my parents smiling at me as I dug into the gifts squealing at each and every one I got. After that we would have a huge lunch, my mom making authentic German foods. We would just spend the rest of the time playing around laughing and having hot cocoa." I finished and felt tears stinging in my eyes, but of happiness that I once had with these memories, one I hope to have again soon.
Levi's POV
I sat and listened to everyone's story each and every person had a different tradition it seemed, or had a favorite toy they had received. Also it showed how everyone's past was different from one another, but here we are stuck at St. Roses for one reason or another. I was the last one to go, and I was dreading every second, I hardly heard anyone's story thinking of my own, I never really had Christmas, I mean I knew what it was; of course it was also my birthday, making it even more of a day I hated. Of course Farlan and Isabel, love to try to surprise me every year with what little money we could get with a small gift.
I felt a grip on my hand tighten and I looked up and saw Eren's gold and green eye looking at me with a hint of concern, I cleared my throat and looked around. I saw everyone looking at me; waiting for me to speak.
"Well, I guess it is my turn," I sighed, not really thinking on what I was going to say, "I never really celebrated Christmas, me and the other two kids I was with before I was brought into the system, never had any money to spoil ourselves with gifts. Of course those two never let that stop them, they would go out and buy me a gift, but not because it was Christmas, it was for my birthday." I saw Eren start pouting, probably upset that I haven't told him that tomorrow was my birthday, "Anyway they always went through the trouble to get the gift even though I would lecture them not to the day after. If I had to pick the best one they ever got me, it would been when they had found a tea set for me, and spent more money than they should have, but that was the gift I was most grateful for." I finished my story, feeling Eren's grip tighten again. The night continued on with movies, songs and snacks well until midnight before we went off to our rooms for Christmas day tomorrow.