CHAPTER 4

Author's Note

Soooo, the first episode of the last part of AoT came out. I already knew what was going to happen because of the manga but without giving out all the spoilers all I will say is:

Pain. :(

~Gum

"No me toques, no me toques!"

"Querida... Pero yo te amo!"

"Pues yo no... porque te vi besando con Ana Gabriel Torres de la Rosa!"

Dramatic music played as the camera zoomed into the girl's poorly produced angry expression. He never understood why soap operas were so popular. But then again, Eren wasn't watching because the show was particularly enticing, hell, he didn't even know what the hell they were saying. He was just too lazy to get up and change the channel.

After Levi Ackerman had officially begun his work as Eren's bodyguard, the brunet had felt brave enough to find the nearest electronics store and buy the cheapest TV he could find. Much to his displeasure, cheap also meant old as fuck. The device was awfully similar to those TV's teachers would use in school to put on Bill Nye when they were feeling lazy meaning it was small, had poor quality and no remote. As if that hadn't been enough, the moment he walked into the apartment heaving from walking up two flights of stairs with that thing in between his arms, the teen realized he didn't have the slightest clue of how to connect it to the cable or if there even was any in the first place.

As a result, Eren had to drag his body back to the store and ask for help from the smelly and blatantly uninterested worker. After a very frustrating back and forth, the worker shoved a bunch of strange contraptions into the teen's arms while he yapped on about "analog" and "digital" and "coaxial cables". When the teen got back to his new home, he fiddled with the things he had been given trying to get the damn TV to work. After an hour or so, a fuzzy image of two people kissing each other passionately began to take form and Eren sighed in relief, realizing how much he had taken for granted the good old days when all the teen had to do to watch a good show was a single push of a button.

4 days passed.

Ever since, that TV had become his best friend and frankly, even Eren had to admit it was pathetic. For 4 days and 4 nights the teen had been glued onto his bed with nothing more than a blanket he had stolen from home and the increasing pile of Chinese takeout containers and empty cheeto bags.

When he wasn't plastered onto the mattress, he was in the bathroom either crying or masturbating... Or both. Either way the bathroom floor would be riddled with his bodily fluids. It was gross but it was the only coping mechanism he could work with in that moment. However, Eren knew he couldn't keep watching Mexican telenovelas forever.

He needed to find a way to make cash.

Sure, the brunet had taken a big stash of money before leaving home but with all the expenses of the Survey Corps he wouldn't last forever.

The green-eyed teen flipped onto his back. He began rubbing his eyes while sighing heavily. The boy had taken note of a diner with a HELP WANTED sign on his way to buy food a couple of days ago. While the pay would be trash, it would be a start. Not to mention, it was only a few blocks away. Eren let his hands plop back onto the mattress and stared up at the roof, trying to muster up the courage to get up. After a couple of minutes he finally threw himself forward, grabbing the jacket carelessly lying on the floor and got up. He turned off the crappy TV and headed for the door. Only when he was a couple inches away from it did he stop. Eren stared at the doorknob, his heart racing with fear. He shook his head in an attempt to make the feelings go away.

Eren retrieved his phone from his pocket and dialed 'Jonathan'.

"Hey... you're there... right?"

"...yes."

"Ok."

"Are you really gonna call me every time you go outside?" The voice on the other side seemed bothered.

Eren cringed on the inside. He didn't mean to be so pathetic but he couldn't help it, "...I ...don't really know. Probably not... right?"

"Right."

And the call ended.

Once again, the green-eyed boy sighed deeply. Maybe one day he could feel at peace with his heart and mind. Still, he pushed his internal turmoil aside, concentrating at the task at hand. Staring at the doorknob with replenished courage, he quickly turned it and opened the door.

Once he was at the entrance of the diner, he looked through the big windows to see what was inside. Maybe once it had been a nice little place to hang out with your friends; ten, maybe twenty years that is. It had a bit of a retro theme going on with the blue walls and the diner booths and the used jukebox tucked away in the far right. It even had the classic black and white tiles to go with the rest. However, it was missing that neon affect when one thought of retro. All the colors, even the once electric blue, seemed dulled down and lifeless, leaving behind only a memory of a once bright place.

Eren could make out a cute blonde at the reception. Even though she had her back turned to him, he could tell she was the petite type. She had short hair ending a few inched above her shoulders.

Sure, he was currently being followed by crazy criminals and had just hired an assassin bodyguard to keep him safe but a few make out sessions with your new cute coworker couldn't hurt, right?

Eren pushed the glass doors open, a little bell announcing his presence. The girl turned around just as Eren arrived at the bar. The teen looked at the blonde with curiosity, she looked nothing at all like what he imagined. That is, she wasn't ugly or anything rather he had envisioned a girly face with the plump pink lips and mascara. In reality, the girl had much more androgynous features than he had anticipated. She had the big blue eyes and pointy chin but there was something about it that didn't make much sense to Eren.

"Uh... hey." He began.

"Welcome to the Silver Spoon Diner, what can I getcha?"

The voice was also deeper than he had imagined... Eren squinted his eyes and slowly leaned closer and closer to get a clearer view of her face.

"Yeah... about that... I saw the HELP WANTED sign and..."

It suddenly clicked in Eren's head.

"ARE YOU A GUY?!" He blurted out.

The girl-no, the boy's big blue eyes widened in surprise. Eren stared back horrified both at the fact that he had been attracted to this person initially and that he had no filter. A maniacal laugh distracted them both.

Eren turned to his right to see a brown-haired girl sitting at the bar with a plate full of bacon. Did this place sell dishes of ONLY bacon?

He then looked back at the blond... boy that was now blushing even harder than Eren, "Yes! I am a boy!" His voice trembled with insecurity.

"Don't get mad Armin, even I wasn't sure when I first met you." The girl said with a mouth full of meat.

"C-Can I help you with something else sir? Or are you just here to question me about my gender?"

The brunet wished the world would just swallow him then and there, "Sorry, I didn't mean to- I just- It's not like... MY POINT IS! I saw the HELP WANTED sign outside and I was just wondering if the job was up for grabs." He sheepishly stuffed his hands in his pocket and swayed back and forth. Eren wasn't even sure if he still wanted the job at that point.

The other boy -whose name was Armin apparently- instantly lit up, "Oh! Yes, yes, of course!"

Armin scrambled around for a bit, sounds of tinkering and papers being shoved aside echoing throughout the diner. He took out what seemed to be a form. It had multiple pages and it was filled to the brim with questions.

"Here, if you just fill out this form giving us your information, you know, the basics, name, age, experience, health, allergies, personality test, math level and such we can talk about setting up an interview. Don't worry too much about the interview, it will only be twenty questions that will help me evaluate your personality and go-getting attitude. Afterwards, I will disclose the information I've recollected to the boss and if all goes well we'll give you a call back so you can start the training program and-!"

"Armin, Armin, CALM DOWN. Do you really think all of that is necessary?" The words came out muffled through the bits of bacon.

"Huh?" The blond looked bewildered by the simple question.

The girl snorted, "Just give the guy the job."

"But the boss is counting on me to pick the perfect person to replace Thomas!"

"Dude, the boss just wants to collect his money so he can go home and get wasted. Trust me, he doesn't care who you pick. You know I always trust what you have to say Armin but I feel like this is one of those times where you go a liiiittle overboard." Astonishingly, the girl had already devoured the entire plate and was now petting her stomach, "Now, Imma make some more bacon. Want any?" She playfully stuck her tongue at the boy.

Eren simply kept quiet during this whole exchange. He was considering telling Armin that everything was okay and that he didn't really want the job anyway. However, the blond looked down pensively, his equally blond eyebrows squeezing together in concentration. After a while, he sighed and shook his head, looking up at the girl with a small smile, "You know what? You're right. I have bigger things to worry about." He turned back to Eren, "You're hired!"

The girl gave Armin a big smile and two thumbs up. Eren on the other hand just looked back at the boy in confusion, "Wh- Just like that? O-Oh, okay. So... when do I begin?"

Armin brought his slender finger to his lips, looking up at the ceiling as he began to think. It was kind of adorable, Eren thought to himself though he quickly shoved that weird idea aside.

"Think you can be here tomorrow at 10 AM?"

Eren sighed, "Sure."

Kind of a meh chapter I know but longer chapters to come!

~Gum