CHAPTER 13
I can't sleep.
I can't sleep.
I can't sleep.
Eren stared at the ceiling. In the dark it was a grey mess. As soon as he had arrived to his apartment he had tried to go to sleep but alas, there he was. His eyes felt heavy but every time the brunet would try to close them images would spark in his mind. Images of Annie, of a crystal shard, of a bloody Levi, of a worried Petra.
Eren twisted and turned, hoping to shake all those thoughts away. The more he tried to erase away the colors, the more they would burn into his mind. He kicked and he groaned until every last drop of energy the brunet had dissipated. And so, it wasn't until the clock marked 4:39 AM that Eren Jaegar could be found deeply sleeping in his bed. That was until...
RRRRRINNGG! RRRRRIIINNNGGG
Eren's eyes shot open, "Levi!"
He lunged for the cellphone, "Levi! I have something I want to tell you!"
"Ummm... it's Armin."
The boy's adrenaline rush dropped, "Oh...·
"Are you okay Eren? I was calling you all day yesterday and you didn't answer. I was starting to think something happened to you the night you took off."
Eren rubbed his face with his free hand, "Yeah, yeah, I'm good. I was just really busy yesterday..."
"Thank the Gods." Armin paused, "But does that mean you're coming to work today? It's already 10:20am."
"What?!" Eren jumped from his bed, "I'll be right there!"
"Wait! I-"
But it was too late. The green-eyed boy had already hung up. He was halfway through putting the jeans from yesterday on when he was interrupted by a voice.
"Ugh, don't be disgusting. Change your clothes properly."
"AAH!" Eren tripped on his own feet and fell to the ground. When he rose his head to see who it was he found Levi Ackerman resting against the window sill.
"What the hell are you doing here?! How did you even get in?!"
The brunet looked at his bodyguard like he was a maniac but said man didn't appear to see any issue.
"Wh- Okay never mind that. Why are you here?" He slowly stood up, still putting on the same pair of pants despite Levi's reprimand.
"Come here and I'll tell you." He made a 'come hither' motion with his finger.
Confused, the green-eyed boy did as he was told and approached the raven. The shorter man analyzed the brunets face. Before he could ask what Levi was doing, one of his bodyguard's fists swung to Eren's left cheek, sending him to the floor once again.
"What the fuck?!" Eren yelled, holding his tender cheek.
Levi slapped a bag of ice he had been keeping who knows where and then crouched down to the boy's level, "It seemed to slip from Petra that it was you who told her I was in a pinch which is strange. Really strange in fact because I specifically recall telling you to never go to her house ever again."
Eren gulped.
"That begs the question, how did you even find out in the first place? Hmmm?"
The brunets mind started going a million miles per hour. He was confused about a lot of things but one thing he knew for sure was that he didn't want Levi to know about Annie. The bodyguard wouldn't understand their complicated relationship and he would only see her as a threat. Sure, Eren and Annie had had their rough patches, but didn't everybody? She would never seriously try to hurt him… right?
"I- uh- It was because- because I called you! And you didn't answer!" Eren died a little on the inside. There was no chance in hell the raven would believe such a stupid lie.
The shorter man stared at the brunet blankly. He rose without saying a word and continued to just look at the boy. Then, not much later he exploded.
"What are you, an idiot?! I didn't know you were that stupid. I wouldn't have answered you anyway dumbass! I was in the middle of illegally breaking into a place!" Levi pinched his nose, clearly annoyed, "You're gonna be the death of me."
Eren stared up at the man with a gaping mouth. It had worked. It had only worked because Levi thought the teen had one single functional brain cell- but it worked!
"O-Oh... yeah, guess I didn't think about that." Eren chuckled nervously.
Levi stared daggers at him which sent shivers don't Eren's spine, "I give you simple instructions. Stay in your apartment. And you can't even do that."
The green-eyed boy huffed, "You know, keep insulting me all you want but I don't regret a thing! Sure, I was... kind of a dumbass but you were in trouble and yeah, you got backup or whatever but what if you didn't! I didn't know that! For all I knew, you were already dead as dirt somewhere!"
And it was true, Eren was speaking from the heart. When Annie had told him that Levi was probably dead, he had felt his heart drop into an icy abyss. Even though the bodyguard wasn't exactly a warm ball of sunshine, Eren wouldn't have been able to live with himself if something had happened to him. The boy literally owed Levi his life.
Said man rubbed his temples. Eren was afraid the older man's head would explode from the tension.
"You're just as stubborn as she is..." He muttered to himself, "Whatever. Don't make a habit out of it. I'm the one taking care of you, remember? I wouldn't be a bodyguard if I couldn't protect myself."
Eren slowly nodded. There was a moment of silence where both males just looked at each other. It wasn't until Levi slowly nodded back that the air around them felt light again.
"Good, good. Now, what did you want to tell me?"
Eren switched the hand that was holding the bag of ice against his face, "Huh?"
"You said you wanted to tell me something when you were on the phone."
The teen blushed. He had forgotten that Levi had heard that. However, he put aside his embarrassment. What he wanted to say was important. The boy looked up at his bodyguard with a spark of passion in his eyes.
"I want you to teach me how to fight."
The raven stared back unimpressed, "You want me to teach you how to fight."
Eren nodded.
The shorter male crossed his arms, "That's not really in the job description you know. I'm not a kindergarten teacher."
The green-eyed boy quickly got up, "No, no, but think about it! If you teach me I'll be able to take care of myself better! I- I won't be as 'clingy' or whatever."
Levi thought for a second, "That does sound tempting. You are really clingy."
"I want to be like you and Petra. Yesterday, you two kicked ass! And I was useless... well I don't wanna be useless anymore."
Eren looked at the bodyguard, determined to get a yes from him.
Levi sighed, "You don't want to be like us, trust me kid."
"But I do!"
The raven tsked. Eren could tell he was having an internal debate.
"You wouldn't last a day with my training. I don't go easy."
Eren furrowed his eyebrows together, "Try me."
The bodyguard rolled his eyes and chuckled. The younger male held his breath.
"We'll see about that."
"So is that a yes?" Eren perked up.
The bodyguard began walking away, "I'll pick you up tomorrow at 6 am. Not a minute before, not a minute after. We'll see what you're made of."
The boy was about to complain about the early hour but decided to keep his mouth shut. He would show him. Eren was going to work his butt off. So instead of daring to say anything, he simply gripped the bag of ice with determination. It had become slippery from condensation.
Just as the bodyguard reached the door he said, "And you better hurry for work or you'll be late."
With his free hand, Eren scratched the back of his neck, "A-Ah, about that. I don't know if I should go... I mean I dunno what if I need to move places or something? After all that happened yesterday maybe I should switch apartments."
"What? Are you scared of facing blondie after having kissed him?"
Eren nearly fell back onto the floor. It hadn't really crossed his mind that Levi had obviously seen such an encounter.
"Wh-What?!" He stammered.
Even though the teen was unable to look his bodyguard in the eye, he knew Levi was staring straight at him, probably with mocking eyes.
"Stop being a wimp and go to work brat. We aren't moving anytime soon."
Eren glanced at Levi and muttered, "Fine."
"Remember. 6 am sharp."
The door slammed shut.
Eren facepalmed. He felt so embarrassed. So much so that he could hardly concentrate on anything else for the rest of the morning. He broodingly changed his clothes like Levi had said, brushed his teeth, hell, he even brushed his hair. What did it matter? He was already going to arrive late whether he took his time or rushed through the process. The teen all but strolled down the street, dreading every step that took him closer to the restaurant.
He thought about his childhood friend, Mikasa. He thought about how much he missed her. Then Eren thought about Annie and wondered what she was doing in that very moment. Finally, the green-eyed boy thought about his father. He remembered a time years ago when Grisha had told Eren he loved him because that's what fathers were supposed to do. They were supposed to love their sons. They were supposed to protect them.
A jumbled-up pile of thoughts crossed through his mind. Memories from long ago and memories from yesterday clashed together, playing through his head without any prominent rhyme or reason. When he was a few feet away from the restaurant, he raised a hand to his lips, stroking them slowly. Eren didn't remember much from the party but he vividly remembered the kiss. There was another moment from the party that he remembered well. One that haunted him even more than the kiss itself but Eren was having trouble understanding why.
He silently entered the diner with his head swarming in memories. Like a mouse, he reached the lockers where he changed into baby blue dress shirt he had been given as a uniform.
The brunet was finishing doing all the buttons when suddenly, "Hi there."
For the second time that day, Eren almost had a heart attack. He swiveled on his heels to find a familiar blond staring back at him.
"Armin."
"I'm relieved to see you. I was starting to think you wouldn't be coming back."
Eren scratched the back of his neck, "Well, I'm here."
There was that stare again. Armin was staring at him like he was a helpless puppy.
"Eren, I wanted to talk to you for a sec."
Seeing as he couldn't come up with an excuse, he simply shrugged, "Sure."
"I wanted to apologize for my behaviour on Saturday."
The brunet's eyes widened. Out of all the things he had expected Armin to say, an apology on the blond boy's behalf was not one of them.
Armin facepalmed, "Ugh Eren I'm such an idiot! When you... you know kissed me I was all freaked out! And I have to admit I was a little drunk... see, this is why I don't like drinking!
"After you left, everything happened just like you had said! Jean and I talked for sooo long and he admitted that he was trying to play it cool but that when he saw you kiss me he got jealous and couldn't take it anymore!"
The blond boy's cheeks turned rosy as he looked down at his feet and began fidgeting, "Actually... he even asked if we wanted to be, like, a thing. You know? And, if I had gone alone I know for a fact that I would've left early without talking to Jean and I dunno, I just feel so guilty that you almost got into a fight with Jean just because you were trying to help me!"
Eren stood there shell-shocked. He was being painted... like a hero in this situation?
Armin sighed heavily, "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry! I really owe you one and that I hope you're not mad at me for being such an idiot! I should've defended you when Jean started insulting you. My brain just failed to make the connection that you had kissed me to trick Jean..."
Armin looked up at the taller boy expecting some kind of answer to which Eren responded by stammering, "Ah- uh- yeah, totally. Um, it's all good. Whatever."
"Really?!"
Eren pressed his lips together. What else could he say? That in the very moment before they kissed Jean was the last thing on his mind?
"Totally."
His coworker took a small hop of excitement, "Oh thank the Gods! I'm so relieved. I felt so crappy about the whole thing, I mean I was so taken by surprise. If I'm being honest with you Eren I kinda thought you were homophobic at first so to say the kiss was unexpected would be selling it short!"
Armin laughed all the while Eren stood there awkwardly. The blond boy hadn't the slightest clue that Eren was dying a little more with every word.
After his laughter died down, he cocked his head to the side, "Well, I feel a lot better now. Shall we get to work? I could use a hand with some heavy boxes we gotta move."
The green-eyed boy chewed on his lips. There was something he wanted to say but his mouth felt as if it were shut with glue. So instead, he nodded.
The coworker explained that the owner of the diner was throwing a party later that day so it was up to him, Eren and Sasha to close up at 4 pm and clean the place up. And so, the three of them did just that. The hours melted away quickly as they worked non-stop to get every nook and cranny clean as per Armin's insistence. It wasn't until the place was eating-off-the-floor clean that the blond boy let the other two rest.
Eren and Sasha threw themselves into a booth. He was spread across one side while Sasha was across from him with her head on the table.
"Gods Armin, you work us to the bone harder that the boss does." Sasha muttered against the cool metallic table.
Said boy came waltzing towards them, daring to giggle at the comment, "Sorry guys. I just wanted everything to look nice! The boss told me he was celebrating his daughter's pregnancy."
Sasha and Armin shared a look, "Ohhh really? That's surprising. Good for him, good for him."
Eren pouted, "I don't get it. What's surprising about it?"
The girl raised her head to look at the brunet, "The boss had a sour relationship with his daughter. One time they got in a fight in front of us, remember Armin? Called her an accident, that he never wanted kids. Suuuper awkward." Sasha shrugged, "Something must've happened to the guy though. He's really been trying to reconnect with his daughter for a while now.
"Armin and I might get a liiiittle nosy when the daughter swings by but, overall, things seem to be going good. Right, Armin?" She looked up at the boy standing in front of the booth.
"Mhm! I mean not great. He still hasn't gotten a grasp on not being a total jerk but he's certainly gotten better over time."
Sasha pursed her lips to the side, "I can't help but wonder what made him change. Maybe a mid-life crisis?"
"Well she's his daughter after all. Mr. Stannard might be a lousy guy but he isn't downright evil. I think seeing her pregnant has made him realize a thing or two about life. Still, I don't think he was meant to be a father. A lot of people that have kids shouldn't be parents."
Eren gulped.
The girl sighed, "Well, whatever. I'm happy for him. Imma grab a beer from the fridge-" Armin gave her a stern look, "Don't worry, I'm paying for it. You want one Eren?"
He shrugged, "Sure. Might as well make the most out of the fact that I am now drinking age."
Sasha was getting out from the booth when she asked, "Oh yeah, when was your birthday?"
"Last week." He said casually.
"Last week?!" The pair said in unison.
"Um... yes?"
Sasha slapped Eren's arm in a playful manner, "You should've told us!"
"Yeah, totally!" Armin agreed fervently.
"I dunno I mean we had barely met, it's kinda weird to just be like 'hey what's up, my name is Eren Jaegar, my birthday is in a couple of days so buy me a present, thanks and bye'," he reached out for his wallet, "anyway, how much do I owe you for that beer?"
The girl shook her head, "No, no. It's on me. I got a shiny penny worth two beers. Happy late birthday." She stuck her tongue out in a playful manner.
He stuck his bottom lip out and raised his eyebrows, impressed by the gesture, "Thanks."
As the girl walked away, Armin took the place she had been previously sitting in. He put an elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand all the while turning to look through the window. It was drizzling outside. The pitter patter of the water droplets was relaxing.
The soft light traveled through the grey clouds, the sky and the window illuminating Armin's face. His eyes sparkled in its cool radiance, intensifying the color. They really were the same shade as Annie's. Every time Eren would look at them for too long he would think of her but Annie and Armin were vastly different people. Annie would have never apologized to Eren for something she had done. Annie was perfect. It was always Eren's fault so he should be the one to apologize.
Armin noticed the brunets intense gaze and faced him, "Is everything okay?"
No. Nothing was okay.
"How much do you remember? About the party I mean." Eren questioned.
The blond raised his eyebrows, "A couple of moments are a bit blurry but I remember everything. I didn't drink nearly as much as you."
The taller boy leaned in slightly, "There was a moment. A moment where it was just the two of us. We were lying down on the grass and you told me you thought we could be really good friends."
Armin's eyes were wide, "Um, yeah. I remember."
"You... did you mean it? Do you think we could be friends?"
Armin was stunned. He took a moment to analyze Eren's face. Finally, he leaned in as well, "I would be glad to be your friend Eren. The only question you have to answer is if you want to be mine."
Upon hearing those words, the teen felt a strange ache in his heart. A million voices in his head told him to say no, that it was wrong. Just yesterday he never wanted to see Armin ever again but having him there, not looking at Eren with annoyance or disgust especially after what had happened at the party, made him feel at peace. He should've kept his distance from the blond boy, yet his body had plans of its own. He nodded.
"Things have been fucking crazy lately. I could use a friend."
Armin reached out and grabbed Eren's hand that had been resting on the metallic table, "Then we're friends."
The blue-eyed boy offered Eren a warm smile. The brunet couldn't help but give him a small smile back. Sasha came back with two beers and a soda can causing the two boys to lean back into their seats.
"Scooch!" Sasha said to Armin.
He did as was told and made way for Sasha to sit in the booth as well.
"Two beers for the adults and a soda can for little Armin!"
"Ha. Ha. But also, thanks!" Armin took the soda can gleefully and opened it up.
Sasha handed Eren his beer and grinned, "A toast! To Eren!"
The brunet chuckled but still, he raised his drink in the air and clinked it against Sasha's and Armin's.
"Here, here!" Armin exclaimed.
The three coworkers stayed another while at the diner talking, joking, laughing. Anyone that would have passed by that window on that rainy day would've seen three friends having a good time.