Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Transferring to a new school and switching majors, you expected to learn new things about yourself.

You never expected learning that you enjoyed metal music.

On the first day of your second year of school, you entered the unfamiliar, yet small territory of Paradis College after transferring over from the titan school that was Marley University. Experiencing just one year of uptight assholes, giant lecture halls with hundred person classes, and professors with sticks so far up their ass it pokes out their eyes taught you very well that the city life was not for you.

Paradis College, outside of the big city, was a much smaller school located on the coast. What drew you to the school was its horrible reputation. The school wasn’t known for having bad courses or an ugly campus. Instead, it was rumored that the students there were too unruly, wild and frankly: devils.

To you, this sounded like they at least had personalities.

You had initially been nervous to find out if there was more substance to these rumors as you met your randomized roommate. And when you met her, she really did scare the shit out of you.

The girl was gorgeous, but her style was dark. She wore only black clothes, dark makeup, and all of her decorations and bedding were completely black. The only other color she seemed to indulge in was red, as it seemed to be the only pop of color in her wardrobe and style. The only thing not intimidating about her side of the room was a framed photo on her desk of three children.

Her initial greeting was a bit blunt and awkward. You were terrified she’d hate your style and you wouldn’t get along. However, the longer you lived with Mikasa, the more you realized she was just a bit shy, and was actually a really nice girl.

You weren’t exactly friends yet, but after two weeks of living together and being in classes, you were beginning to become comfortable with each other.

“Hey,” Mikasa said softly, turning her head to you, trying to get your attention. She sat at her desk, her makeup spread messily in front of her. She pushed her large headphones off her ears, then took them off her neck.

You were laying on your bed, on your stomach, reading one of your books for class. Needing a distraction from reading the heavy literature, you instantly perked up. “What’s up?” you hummed, showing her your full attention. You were still trying to make a good impression on her, and hoped showing that you were a good listener would persuade her to like you more.

“Is it alright if I play my music out loud for a bit?” she said a bit sheepishly. “My headphones just died.”

Not entirely phased, you shrugged. “That’s fine by me.” She would be leaving for class soon anyway.

“Thanks,” she lifted her phone, her black manicured nails tapping at her screen while her metal bracelets jangled together. “Just… let me know if this isn’t your thing. I’ll turn it off.”

Unsure of what she meant, you lowered your head back to your book and stared at the words in front of you. You had been reading for so long and this class’s textbook was filled with so much jargon it was hard to digest it anymore.

Mikasa’s music began to play out loud and it startled you slightly. It wasn’t loud, per say, but the sound was not what you expected to hear. Instantly, the room is filled with the sounds of heavy drums and guitar, and the singing- more like growling- was definitely metal.

Not wanting to appear uncool to Mikasa, you pretended to be unaffected. Metal was never really your thing. At least, you never really gave it a chance in your music rotation. You liked rock here and there, from stuff your parents listened to, and you listened to some emo bands in your preteens, but metal was a bit untouched by you.

You looked down at your book, really pretending to read the words now, but you were only listening to the music. The singing was heavier than what you usually listened to, but you admired the intense art of the guitars and drums.

Peering up, you looked back at Mikasa, who was applying her eyeliner with beautiful precision. You could hear her humming along slightly to the song, like it was a pop tune on the radio.

The more you listened to the song, the more you realized you liked it.

“What’s the name of this song?” you asked Mikasa, your face turning a bit red. You didn’t know why this felt like such an embarrassing thing to ask.

Mikasa turned to you, eyes a bit widened with surprise, but a small smile played on her lips. “Fight ‘Em Till You Can’t,” she said. She played with the makeup brush in her hand slightly, doting at her face, before speaking again. “Do you like metal?”

You shrugged, remaining nonchalant. “Sometimes,” you blurted out. Sometimes being… right now.

Mikasa’s smile grew slightly. “I see,” she nodded. “Well, I’m happy you don’t hate it at least.”

You laughed lightly. Allowing her to continue to do her makeup in peace, you opened your phone’s music app and typed in the song. You added the song to your liked music, before creating a new playlist called “M”.

This became somewhat of a routine. Mikasa would play her music out loud while doing her makeup, making an excuse each time as to why wasn’t using her headphones. You didn’t mind, and found yourself asking for song titles more comfortably, and even asking her to replay some of the songs you liked in particular. Your playlist grew, and you would even listen to it on your own sometimes. You felt like you weren’t trying to impress Mikasa anymore, but you actually really liked it.

A week later, on your way to your Consumer Psychology class, you were listening to a song, “One”, that Mikasa had showed you the other day. Out of all the classes you’d been attending this was your least favorite. Being a transfer student on top of having a heavy lack of credits from Marley, you had a horrible class selection time slot. So when it came to picking your psychology electives this was the only one available.

Most classrooms at Paradis College rarely fit more than thirty people, and they usually had classroom like settings where everyone had their own moveable desk and chair. It was much more personable and heavily discussion based, so professors really prompted questions and talks between students when appropriate.

Consumer Psychology was taught by Keith Shadis, a professor with the Business school of Paradis College. The content of the class did not greatly interest you, and what really irked you was the boy who was insistent on sitting behind you every class. And you had moved your seat. Multiple times. Yet somehow he ended up right behind you always.

Over these three weeks, you unwillingly learned a few things about this boy:

One, his name was Eren.

Two, he was in a fraternity, as he mentioned every class trying to relate it to business and consumer tactics.

Three, his legs were annoyingly long and he never sat up in his chair, so they always were under your chair. And everytime either of you moved, it resulted in him kicking your chair or your ankle. This has become a new pet peeve of yours. You hoped the sharp glances you’d give him were enough to make him move his legs, but he never returned your gaze.

Four, Eren Jaeger was an arrogant dick. And you had yet to speak once.

Entering the old building, Shiganshina hall, the musty smell of paper and classrooms filled your senses. You climbed the stairs to your classroom, and turned a couple crowded corners before entering the room.

You were a timely person, and arrived after the professor but before most of the class. You chose a new seat today, sitting closer to the lecturer’s desk. You gave your professor a quiet greeting and a nod, before pulling out your laptop.

You idled on your laptop, checking your upcoming assignments in your other classes. A couple students entered over the next few minutes, and you tried to keep your eyes in front of you. You already felt irate just anticipating Eren’s arrival.

It felt ridiculous having a silent rivalry with some frat guy in your class. One that had never even bothered to look at your face either. You really shouldn’t have been giving it this much attention to someone who didn’t care, and you really did not want to.

The door opened again, one minute before the start of class, and in walked your mortal enemy.

Casting your eyes sideways, for just a second, you took in his appearance. He wore a dark green hoodie, the hood hanging on his head, and black jeans. With your quick glance, you also noticed the lollipop hanging from his mouth as well.

Silently, your leg started bouncing as you watched him find his seat through your peripheral.You let out a silent huff as he, expectedly, sat behind you.

“Hey, Shadis,” he outwardly greeted the teacher, as he did each class, while taking his seat. He complimented his casual greeting with a nod of his head, like the professor was a friend of his.

“Jaeger,” the professor responded.

Class began. Continuing your unit on cognitive biases, you really tried to focus on the professor and his lecture. He spoke in a firm, unwavering tone, like he was teaching a class of military cadets. You typed quietly on your laptop, taking notes in the document you started for this class.
Hearing shifting behind you, you knew Eren was slumping down in his chair. This was then followed by a gentle thump against your chair. The light bump caused you to flinch with annoyance.

You wished you weren’t so easily distractible. Just the knowledge that his feet were in your way was hurting your focus and your note taking slowed in result.

Class progressed slowly as Shadis continued on about the ethics of pricing and the influence of pricing items with “.99” on the consumer psyche. Thankfully, you had read the textbook, so you could afford to space out a little.

After an hour of writing sporadic notes, the occasional tap against your chair, and your leg tapping anxiously on the floor, the clock turned to the minute class ended. Shadis was never going to finish talking so students began to pack up while he lectured until his voice was drowned out by the sounds of zipping bags and moving chairs.

Overpowered by the students’ will, he sighed and crossed his arms. “Do the reading before next class, we’re moving onto chapter three,” he stated, waving off students. “I’ll be seeing you all Friday.”

You pushed your chair back fast, desperately wanting to go lay in bed and unwind from this class. Your chair, however, bumped in Jaeger’s leg.

Your instinct was first to turn around and apologize. When you whipped around, and opened your mouth to communicate with him, you saw just how in your space he was. You could have sworn his knee was almost crossing the threshold of your chair.

He totally deserved that.

His face was twisted with a cringe. “Shit,” he uttered, tucking his leg under him to rub his shin. Realizing you were just standing and staring at him, he looked up to you, brow quirked. “What?”

This was your first time actually interacting with him. Not entirely in the mood to apologize, or even speak, you shrug. “My bad,” you plainly stated. There was no remorse in your tone. Avoiding any more interaction, you turned around and strode out of the room, putting your headphones on in the process.

You went back to listening to “M”, and played a song called Fuel loudly into your eardrums.

Metal music was becoming a calming technique for you. Something about angry people yelling in your ear soothed your irritation.

Leaving Shiganshina Hall, you trudged through the crowded stone paths of students leaving their classes as well. You maneuvered your way back to resident campus, walking for about ten minutes.

Having been at this school for three weeks, you already felt more comfortable here than you did at Marley. The campus was more green and you enjoyed the natural aesthetic of tall trees and old brick architecture.

You’ve accumulated a total of One friend so far, if you could count your roommate as your friend, which was a major improvement to your previous situation. Your old roommate was just another reason you were thankful to leave that school.

You walked into the gated area where dorming students resided. Here, there were three resident halls and a single dining hall that surrounded a large green area scattered with lawn chairs and picnic tables. You and Mikasa lived in the biggest, and cheapest, of the dorm halls, Maria.

Finally reaching your dorm, you entered the cozy room and sighed as you threw your bag on the floor. Mikasa was there, sitting on her bed and reading a book. She was dressed cutely, wearing a red pleated skirt and off the shoulder, fitted top. You had begun to notice she wore the same red scarf with every outfit as well. She lowered her book as she saw you enter with your exaggerated exhaustion.

“Tough class?” she asked you.

“Yeah.” You plopped your torso onto your bed, sighing into the bedding. “I do not like consumer psych.”

“Consumer psych?” She questioned.

You nodded, not lifting your head from the burrow you created for it. “It’s my stupid elective,” you explain. “And there's an asshole frat guy who’s always kicking my chair.”

Mikasa scoffed on your behalf. “Have you tried moving seats?”

You raised your head. “Yes! So many times but he always sits behind me like a dog.” Hopping onto your bed, you face Mikasa and frown. “He seems like such a dick too. Today, I accidentally hit his shin with a chair, because his legs were literally under it, and he had the audacity to act like I’m the problem.”

Mikasa offered you a reassuring smile. “He sounds like a dick.”

You laughed lightly, happy to feel comfortable enough to share your day with Mikasa. Wanting to keep the conversation flowing, and forget about that class, you changed the topic. “How was your day? Anything fun?”

Mikasa shrugged. “Not really, I just studied for a quiz I have next week after classes.” She curled one of her short hairs in her finger.

“Damn, quiz already?”

“Yeah, I’m not happy about it,” she sighed. Mikasa checked her phone, looking at the time. She looked back at you. “Are you hungry at all? I’m thinking about going to the dining hall soon.”

You were hungry, you noted, and it was a chance to hang out with Mikasa outside of your room. “Yeah, I’d be down.”

Mikasa slid off the bed. “Cool, Let me put my shoes on and then we can go.”

You followed her lead, sliding off your bed. You stuck your phone in the back pocket of your jeans along with your wallet with your student ID inside. You hadn’t bothered to take your shoes off entering the dorm either.

Mikasa took a pair of tall boots from her closet, and zipped them up after fitting into them. The shoes were decorated in buckles and silver spikes, and added at least three inches of height to her. She looked so cool, and you felt a little underdressed.

Your outfit was pretty simple, but you chose comfortable fashion more often than wearing any of the cool pieces in your closet. Today, you wore baggy jeans that hung around your mid waist, and a deep red sweater that reached your hips.

Together, you walked out of the dorm, picking up idle chatter about courses on your way to the dining hall. The walk was short, and you both checked into the dining hall before going separate ways to find your meals after placing some items down on a table to reserve it.

Satisfied with your plate of stir fry, you made your way back to your table, where Mikasa stood already, plate in hand and talking to someone else.

You hadn’t actually met or heard about any of her friend’s before, since you hadn’t asked. The girl Mikasa was talking to was wearing a dark, tight, long-sleeve top and low rise black jeans with chains attached to her hip. Her naturally blond hair was tied back into a low bun.

Fuck. Mikasa has cool friends too. You thought.

You walked up to the two, mentally preparing yourself to meet this other girl. Mikasa intimidated you at first, but proved to have a nice personality. This girl’s style and demeanor just looked cold. They didn’t seem too enthused to be talking to the other either.

“Hey,” you said, looking at Mikasa and then the other girl.

Mikasa’s attention turned to you. “Hey.”

The other girl didn’t say anything, just looked at you with bored eyes. Noted. Seeing her more closely, you noted that she was wearing makeup. Unlike Mikasa’s which was precise with sharp eyeliner, red lipstick, and full-faced, this girl’s style was more edgy and messy. She wore dark eyeshadow that almost looks smudged, a dark gloss, and nothing besides that.

Mikasa, thank god, gestured to you with a nod to the girl. “This is my new roommate,” Mikasa stated.

“Ah,” the girl actually acknowledged you. “I’m Annie.”

You stated your name to Annie. “It’s nice to meet you,” you said, a bit lighter toned than she.

“Likewise,” she responded, yet sounded anything but happy to meet you. Turning her head, she looked back to Mikasa, ignoring you. “You going to the show on friday?”

Mikasa nodded. “Yeah, we’ll be there.”

You wonder who ‘we’ was

“Cool.” It seemed Annie was aware of we. “I heard Midnight Sun was playing.”

“Yeah, me too, I like them,” Mikasa responded. Both of them were going back and forth with such a dry tone you kind of wanted to do another lap around the dining hall and wait for them to be done talking. “Are you going with anyone?”

“No.”

Damn, Annie was a blunt person.

“Anyway, I’m going back to my dorm,” Annie didn’t give Mikasa a chance to make anymore conversation. “I’ll see you.”

“Bye.” Mikasa turned away from Annie as she left with a brisk pace. You let go of a breath you didn’t know you were holding.

“Is she always that tense?” you asked, pushing out an airy laugh.

“Annie? Always,” Mikasa rolled her eyes. “She’s alright, though.”

“I just met her, and I think she already hates me.” The two of you sat down with your food, facing each other as you began to eat. “What’s the concert on Friday?”

“There’s this spot in town that holds concerts of local bands every week,” she told you, forking through her fettuccine alfredo. “We like the same music… so we always bump into each other there.”

You tapped your finger on the table. From your music sessions and their similar sense of style, you could only assume the common genre. “Metal?”

She hummed her confirmation. “There’s actually a pretty good scene around here.”

“That’s cool,” you ate more rice. “Can I come?”

Your own words surprised you. You’re not sure if it was your desire to get closer to Mikasa or your new liking for the genre that pushed you to invite yourself.

Looking at her, even she looked a little aback by that request. Yet, in just a mere moment, a familiar small smile settled onto her face. “For sure.” Mikasa assured you.

You smiled. “Great,” Your chest felt a little lighter.

“I like that you like metal,” she added.

“Yeah, it’s pretty good. I hadn’t really listened to it before you showed me.”

Mikasa’s face softened, and her eyes glinted with a little excitement. “Ah, a baby metal fan,” she hummed. “I guess I’ll have to show you the ropes.”

You blushed at the label.

You both continued to eat, and you really had no idea what these “ropes entailed. You switched conversation topics from the concert and Mikasa asked about what bands you liked so far. You had a few days before the concert, and it seemed like Mikasa wanted to quiz you on various metal topics thus far.

Unlike most genres of music, you learned that you can’t just say metal either, when referring to the music, and there's other genres that you need to be familiar with if you want to talk to some seasoned fans at the concerts. When steam started coming out of your ears after she listed at least ten different “basic” metal genres off the top of her head, she assured you to just stick with her for now.

The week of classes continued with a slight buzz of excitement from you. Even Consumer Psych and Eren couldn’t ruin your good mood from Tuesday to Friday.

Friday crept slowly onto you, and once you got back from your only class, the dreaded one, you busted back into your dorm with vigor.

You could barely focus in class. All you could think about was what you were going to wear and what you were going to do for makeup. Feeling like you needed to lay an outfit down now, you beelined up for your closet. These were one of those moments that we were glad you had a bit of a generous closet, and had a variety of choices. You pulled out various black pieces from your hangers and drawers, throwing them haphazardly onto your bed to sort through.

Once you got to finding the right combination of clothes, you realized you were royally fucked. You were in no way used to going to underground shows, hanging out with people who like edgy music, and what any of that even entailed. You couldn’t stop thinking about what Mikasa’s other friends might be wearing either, and if they were anything like how judgmental Annie felt. Everything you picked out felt either too much, too little, or just ridiculously not you.

Eventually, you just layed down on the mass of black clothes and groaned until Mikasa showed up.

“Oh, honey,” she cooed, walking to your bed. You moved your head to look at her, and of course, her outfit was just perfect again. She wore a fitting dress that flared out at the skirt and sleeves, paired with ripped fishnets, long black socks, and the same large boots she wore to dinner a few nights ago. And of course, her scarf.

“Mikasaaaaa,” you whined. “How the hell does anyone dress for a metal show?”

She eyed you with sympathy. “However you want,” she patted your back soothingly.

You thought for a second, unsure of how to proceed. You wanted to dress up for this. It seemed like such a fun idea, and you couldn’t remember the last time you got to dress up to go out.

Sitting up, you gave the girl puppy dog eyes. “Could you help me pick something out?”

Another small beam of excitement went through the quiet girl’s eyes. It seemed she had fun introducing you to the world of metal. “Let me see what you have.”

You jumped up off the bed and gestured to your mass of clothes all blending into one void. She picked her way through, eyeing each piece with careful attention. She placed pieces into different piles, working at your clothes like a modern Michaelangelo. You watched anxiously, biting at the skin of your thumb as you deciphered Mikasa’s brilliant mind.

After a couple minutes of silence, Mikasa turned to you and helped up a few items. “Try these,” she said, pushing them towards you.

You took the article of clothes from her hand and stared at it. She turned from you, to let you change, and went to her desk. You watched her open her makeup case, despite already wearing makeup. She put on music and played a song called “Change” that you liked.

The items she picked out were nice. They were your clothes, but you hadn’t tried this combination of top and skirt yet. The skirt was a black mini jean skirt, and the top was a black tight, long sleeve, square necked shirt blouse. Assuring Mikasa was focused elsewhere, you began to strip from your class clothes and adorn the new outfit.

You admired the pieces together in the full length mirror the two of you shared. They were flattering on you and you felt good. However, you knew it most certainly needed accessories. Seeing a vision, you looked to your belts, pulling out one with a nicely designed buckle, you adorn that through your skirt’s belt hoops.

On your desk, you kept your jewelry, which you moved to next. You had a couple silver pieces, and put two simple necklaces on, overlapping them for a nice look. Moving back to the mirror, you twist and turn to admire your outfit.

Mikasa’s picks were good. You still felt like yourself, with an extra touch of help.

Looking at the time on your phone, it was only about 3:00 pm. Mikasa was adding more makeup on top of her own, but you knew it didn’t take you that long to apply your own, so you went to your bed, to relax for a while. The best part about Friday’s was that you weren't going to do anything about homework. That was a Sunday problem.

You scrolled on your phone a bit before getting sick of mindless one minute videos, and then picked up your manga you had been reading, slowly reading the pages as you willed the time to go by.

Around 5:00 pm, you and Mikasa ordered food to the dorms, and you started on your makeup. When you were studying at Marley, you hardly afforded the time nor will to do your makeup. You hoped your former skills from highschool where you used to spend hours playing with makeup in front of your mirror would suffice in creating an alright look.

Not brave enough to attempt a dark smokey eye, you stuck with a red eye shadow, black underline, and heavy mascasa. After today, you made it a resolution to start practicing winged eyeliner, so you can do that the next time. Looking in the mirror, you were satisfied with your look. It was nice and simple, yet still popped a bit.

You looked around to Mikasa, who had never looked better. You thanked the heavens for giving you a hot roommate.

“How do I look?” You asked timidly.

She turned to you. She examined you with a neutral face before smiling. “Great,” she noted. “I’m excited you’re coming with. This should be a lot of fun tonight.”

You felt a warmth in your chest. “I’m excited too,” you noted. “I’m a little nervous though…”

“Don’t be. I’ll be with you all night. I can’t let you be alone at your first metal concert,” she assured with a wink.

“You make it sound so scary.”

Mikasa laughed a little. “It can be, but it’s really fun.”

“What makes this so different from other concerts? Aren’t we just going to stand and listen to them play?”

Mikasa’s lip quivered as she held back a giggle. “Yeah… not exactly. These concerts are a lot more physical.”

“So dancing?”

“Something like that.”

“Mikasa.”

Mikasa laughed outright. It was one of the first times you heard her do so. “Sorry, sorry.” she grinned. “People can just get aggressive in the pit. Like really aggressive. So just stay out of the center and you’ll be fine.”

The vague wording did not help. Mikasa had been giving you facts about metal for the most part of the week, but now you had a visual of a giant brawl happening right in front of the band. That sounded horrifying. You shivered.

“Yeah, I’ll do that.” You checked the time and it’s almost six now. You and Mikasa were planning to leave around 8, after you ate food and ‘pre-game’. Mikasa somehow acquired a twelve pack of beer, sneaking it into your dorm the other day. You didn’t peg her for the drinking type, but she seemed pretty excited about her prize.

Mikasa went to grab your food, and you waited for her, listening to the music in the room while you did. Freak On a Leash was the current song playing. You closed your eyes and nodded your head to the music, trying to imagine what entailed in the next couple hours.

Mikasa came back with fresh bags of fast food, and you both excitedly dug in. You cracked open a beer each, cheering each other as you sat facing each other on your floor.

“Is anyone else coming with us tonight?” you ask. You had been meaning to ask since Mikasa mentioned a ‘we’ to Annie.

Mikasa nodded while she chewed on her food. “Yeah. Two of my friends are coming. Annie’s not one of them, if you were wondering. But she’ll be there.”

You felt anxious over that. “Okay, cool,” you smiled. “I’m excited to meet them.”

You might shit yourself.

You don’t know if you can handle meeting anyone as intimidating as both Mikasa and Annie were when you met them for the first time.

“Yeah, they’re great,” Mikasa says. She doesn’t elaborate further, not one for long winded details. “We’ll be meeting them there.”

Her nice words about her friends reassured you, considering she was blunt enough about Annie’s aloofness. Still, the closer it got to leaving, your excited energy was shifting into anxiety.

Seeing how relaxed and eager for the concert Mikasa was helped. It was nice to find something you two can bond over.

“Oh!” Mikasa perked up. “One thing!”

She gets up abruptly and rummages around in her school bag for something. You wait for a moment, not saying anything, until she pulls out what appears to be a small oval case. Sitting back down in front of you, she handed it to you.

“I got you ear plugs for tonight,” Mikasa told you as you opened the case and confirmed that they were earplugs. “Trust me, you’re going to want them.”

You were endeared by the gesture. You shoved the small case into your pocket and smiled. “Thanks, I appreciate that.”

You guys finished your food, and drank at least three beers each before packing more into a plastic bag for the concert. The place apparently didn’t care about alcohol but just didn’t sell it themselves. Both of you reapplied lipstick and then, finally, you left.

Mikasa knew where you were going. She came here a lot last year, and this was the opening week after summer break. Thankfully, it was a twenty minute walk away. A plus of living outside of the city and in a small town was that you didn’t have to taxi or take a bus if you wanted to get away from campus.

You could tell you were approaching when you started seeing people dressed more alternatively. You saw someone with their hair spiked intensely, many leather jackets, and so much more. Feeling a little bold, and nervous, you hooked your arm through Mikasa’s, staying close to her.

She gave you a smile in return and squeezed your arm with hers. You smiled brightly at her, and you both giggled. You continued to walk together like that, and you raved to Mikasa over various looks people wore. She listened intently to your rambling.

You approached a much more crowded area, surrounding what looked like an old church. It was a small church, but you knew it was older from the stone architecture. It absolutely couldn’t be in service anymore, since a metal concert was happening. Coming from inside the church you could hear loud music practically vibrating the ground yet it was muffled by the walls.

Mikasa pulled you through the crowds. You definitely felt tipsy, at the least, from the wobble you experienced maneuvering through imposing figures.

She dragged you towards the side of the church, and began walking towards two men who were engaged in conversation. They must be her friends.

One of them wasn’t facing you. From what you could see, he had pin-straight, brown hair that hung just below his shoulders and adorned a leather jacket and tight black jeans. The other person was dressed completely normally. By normal, you meant a blue sweater vest over a white t-shirt, and blue jeans. He was smiling at the man more fittingly dressed for the evening.

“Armin,” Mikasa called, waving her free arm. “Eren!”

What.

Please, please, be a different Eren. Maybe an Erin or an Aaron. You hoped you heard her wrong, and that your suddenly dropped stomach was just you mishearing her.

The blond shifted his attention to you both, waving and smiling. The long haired man seemed to slowly turn around to look at you.

There was no mistaking it.

You allowed Mikasa to tug you forward, and your eyes were stuck on the tall man. He looked completely different from the basic frat asshole you thought he was. Unmistakably Eren, yet he was a grunge version of himself.

Chapter Text

While you certainly recognized him, you couldn’t tell if he could either. Your only indication was his eyes locked onto you.

“This is my roommate,” Mikasa introduced you. “I told you she was coming.”

Up close to Eren now, you noticed an even more interesting detail about him. Facial piercings. He had snake bites and an eyebrow piercing. You swore he didn’t have those before. Right?

“Hi!” the blond, definitely Armin, greeted you cheerfully. “I’m Armin. It’s nice to meet you. It’s super cool Mikasa got a roommate who likes metal too!”

You blinked your eyes and moved your focus to Armin. You were a bit taken aback by his brightly colored self, but it was refreshing to speak with someone willing to talk to you. “Yeah, it’s nice to meet you too.” You stuck to Mikasa’s side, holding onto her arm.

Mikasa said your name and gestured to your enemy. “This is Eren.”

You unwillingly looked at Eren again, who’s piercing blue eyes are staring at you. Have they always been blue? Doesn’t matter. You open your mouth to respond, yet Eren beats you to it.

“Consumer psychology,” is all he said.

So he did know you.

“Yeah,” your voice was drier than you intended.

Mikasa and Armin gave you both a quizzical look.

“We have that class together. I sit behind her,” he told his friends. Mikasa’s lips pursed, and you knew she put the dots together.

“Yeah,” you snapped, “every class. I move my seat, and you still sit behind me.”

Eren frowned like he didn’t understand the issue.

“You moved your seat?” Eren scratched the back of his neck. “Man, I just know I'm sitting behind you.”

You gawked. What an idiot.

“Seriously, you never noticed I kept moving around the classroom?”

“Does it matter?”

You might explode. “Yeah! You kick my chair the entire class!” You removed your arm from Mikasa’s elbow and placed your hands on your hips.

Eren laughed. “Oh, shit. That’s my bad,” He gave you a half assed apology.

Unable to help it, you rolled your eyes. Despite trying to show your annoyance, something tugged at the corner of your lips.

“Well… at least you two knew each other already,” Armin added, attempting to quell the rising tensions between you and Eren. Or at least, you, as the latter seemed unphased.

“Guess so,” Eren shrugged, turning back to the blond.

Mikasa and Armin started talking about which bands are playing. You remember Midnight Sun from earlier in the week, but there’s a handful of other groups too such as Declaration of War, Small Blade, and The Defeated. Eren chimed in sometimes, reminding the group of an incident that happened last time Small Blade played. No one elaborated for you, only grimacing as you asked.

Staring at the three of them while they spoke, it began to click for you that these three are the three children in Mikasa’s photo. It hit you suddenly that they have known each other for longer than you could have imagined.

“What are you looking forward to?” Armin called your name, and you snapped back to reality.

“Oh–Uh,” you swallowed, your voice quiet as you spoke. “I don’t really know. It’s my first metal concert.”

Armin lit up. “Really!? That’s so exciting! Do you have any favorite bands then?”

You think that this is what Mikasa warned you about. People asking you too many questions about your taste in metal. Oh no.

“I don’t have one,” you answered truthfully. No point in fibbing to Mikasa’s friends at least.

“So, you’re a poser.”

You whipped your head to Eren, who is on your right smirking at you and looking down at you with narrowed eyes. You hated his eyebrow piercing and wanted to rip it out of his bushy brow.

“Excuse me?”

Mikasa chimed in. “I just introduced her to metal, Eren.” She was snappy with her friend. “Don’t call her a poser.”

“Poser,” he repeated, just looking at you. He was riling you up on purpose.

“Shut up,” you scoffed. “Can’t I just come and have fun like everyone else?”

Eren’s eyes rolled. “Sure, you can. But if you get scared, don’t go running, okay?”

“She’ll be fine,” Mikasa looped an arm through yours again. “She’ll be with me tonight.”

“Whatever,” Eren rolled his eyes, a smirk still plastered on him. “We should go in soon.”

Mikasa agreed. Armin too, but he scurried off to see if Annie was here yet. You avoid speaking with Eren any longer than necessary after his crappy apology for class and his blatant insults toward you. Mikasa warned that you didn’t want to be labelled a poser here, and it took one conversation between friends to be called one.

Mikasa and Eren led the way into the church. The music volume spiked significantly as you entered. Upon entry, you were met with a table where two darkly dressed men were working. They looked bored, and didn’t pay much attention to the three of you walking in until you stood right in front of the desk.

“Welcome back to The Regiment,” one said in a robotic voice. He must have said that a million times by now. “How many?”

“Three,” Eren told the man as he pulled out his wallet. He hands the man thirty dollars, who counted it and then beckons for the three of you to hold out your hands to be stamped by his partner.

“I’ll pay you back,” you said to Eren, remaining at least courteous to him.

“Don’t worry about it.” Eren responded, “it’s nothing.”

You frowned but felt a little eased at the sentiment.

All three of you are stamped and you head towards the cleared-out hall of the church. There were no pews, just a clear floor and stage. The only internal indication that this palace used to be a church was the colorful large stained glass of an angel behind the band. And by God, it was loud.

** For maximum effect: play Spit It Out - Slipknot **

Mikasa turned to you and gestured to her own ears, mouthing something. You caught on that she’s trying to tell you to put your ear plugs in, and you obliged, fishing them out of your pocket. When you put them in, the sounds of the band muted slightly, yet you could still hear them. The beat of drums thudded in your chest at a comforting rhythm.

She put her own pair in, as you do, and you noted that Eren does nothing of the sort. Instead, his head starts to nod with the music, his long hair swishing back and forth.

“Which band is this?” You shouted to them both, barely able to hear yourself.

Eren said something, and you absolutely could not hear him.

“WHAT?”

He shook his head and leaned down to your ear, plucking the ear plug out himself. It’s an unsettling feeling, and it’s even worse when he shouted in your ear, “DECLARATION OF WAR.”

You flinched back at the loud yelling in your ear, giving him a thumbs up and an awkward smile. He handed the earplug back to you and walked in towards the gathering crowd, laughing at your despair.

You turned back towards Mikasa, and she waited for you, giggling at the interaction. You caught up to her and took your position back at her side, arms hooked. She walked you towards the crowd, standing on the edge.

As you stood on the tail end of the crowd, Mikasa’s body swayed to the music gently. Most others around you were jumping up and down or head banging to the band who was screaming into the microphone. This music was heavy. Much heavier than the bands Mikasa had shown you thus far.

You bounced your head up and down, feeling like that was the right move to pull. The plugs Mikasa gave you were working wonders for your eardrums.

Mikasa poked your shoulder, and you turned your attention towards her. She was holding out one of the beers you had packed, handing it to you. Gratefully, you took it. The flashing lights, large crowd, and music were making you feel too sober.

She took her own, and you felt grateful to have the vice in your hand.

You looked at the crowd the closest to the stage and finally understood why Mikasa had described them as aggressive. You might have been convinced there was a twenty-person fist fight occurring in the center, if they didn’t look like they were enjoying themselves. They were shoving each other, jumping on one another, and running back and forth. It was chaos.

‘WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?” You all but shouted to Mikasa, pointing your finger at the crowd. The sound was still muffled over the loud music and your earplugs.

She followed your finger and then looked back at you. “MOSHING!” She shouted back with a grin.

“SCARY.” You don’t think conversation in here was a great idea, so you kept it simple. Mikasa laughed, moving her body a little more.

You looked to your other side, expecting to see Eren, but he appeared to have gone off elsewhere. You were unbothered, of course, glad to be rid of his presence for now. You did see Armin on the other side of the venue, talking to a blond woman, who you soon recognized as Annie. He appeared to be talking avidly to her, and she stared at him with the same bored eyes you knew but was certainly listening intently to him. You had just met Armin, and briefly knew Annie, but couldn’t possibly see how they had chemistry. However, that wasn’t really your business, you decided.

You sipped on your beer, listening to the band play with passion as you watched the crowd jump around. The music quieted as the song ended, and you turned your attention to the band as cheers from the crowd erupted. Hands shot into the air, many putting their fists into devil horns for their beloved band.

“WE HOPE YOU’RE ALL HAVING A CRAZY FUCKING NIGHT!” The lead singer shouted into the microphone and was answered with more screaming from the crowd. “HELL YEAH. WELCOME BACK TO REGIMENT, PSYCHOS. IT’S GONNA BE A WILD FUCKING SEASON!”

The crowd screamed even louder, shouting unintelligible things to the band. The volume spiked so much you felt it buzz in your chest. What a cool scene it was. You could only focus on the movements of the band, the crowd, and the way the lights from the stained glass reflected the flashing lights inside the church, painting the crowd in shining colors and darkness.

** play Psychosocial - Slipknot **

The band started up with a new song, immediately falling right back into heavy drums, bass and guitar. The singer jumped across the stage, bouncing along with the beat. The crowd seemed to know and love this song as they followed along with him, jumping up and down in the same rhythm. He stood at the edge of the stage and rocked his head up and down hard, holding the mic above his head. The crowd erupted and the energy of the whole church intensified.

You suddenly felt pushing at your back as people moved closer into the stage. You held onto Mikasa as best as you could as you were inched closer and closer to the front by heavy, pressing figures. There was a true lack of respect for personal space at this concert as you were shoved left and right.

You lifted your arm that held your drink to shield yourself from that side. Looking at your roommate, you saw she was grinning. Mikasa clearly enjoyed the chaos, and you were just along for the ride.

As the crowd pressed further to the center, you bounced back and forth between people. You raised your arms as a defense to the larger bodies around you. You felt the music’s fierce rhythm and matched it, your feet bouncing with every step. You were starting to get the hang of it and looked towards Mikasa with your own smile.

But Mikasa was nowhere to be seen.

You didn’t know when you became unhooked from her, but you couldn’t spot her anywhere in the crowd as you whipped your head side to side. Your heart skipped a beat as you now swam in uncharted waters alone. Breathing in, you held your ground, and trusted that she would find you if you stayed put–

The band slammed in the chorus of their song, the artists locked onto the rhythm with blazing power, and the crowd turned into a roaring void dragging you in.

A body roughly shoved you from behind and you stumbled forward. You tripped into a somewhat more open territory and breathed for a second, catching yourself before you face planted.

And then you were harshly slammed into again.

You rocked to the side and stumbled. Your head whipped around, taking in your position before being abruptly manhandled in another direction. Your proximity to the stage, the intense volume of the music, and the rushing, violent, bodies around meant one thing.

You were inside the mosh pit.

You were square in the middle of the pit with no way out in sight. You flew from one side to the other and had no choice but to brace yourself for impact. Invading hands were unsympathetically shoving you while sharp shoulders dug into you.

You needed to get out. You needed to find Mikasa.

You yelped as a particularly large man pummeled you and you lost your footing, falling backwards, the moment stretching into slow motion.

You landed hard on your ass and instinctively curled in a protective ball as people continued to stomp all around you. Panic was setting in and your body was locking into place, guarding your head with your hands. You wanted to get up, but the moshers were surrounding you from all around, seemingly unaware of your presence on the ground.

You were going to die here. And it was going to be so embarrassing.

Suddenly, hands wrapped around your wrists, their grip tight and strong. Your savior lifted you up, springing your body into the air fast. Your head remained tucked between your shoulders and the person guiding you pulled you swiftly out of the pit and through the crowds at a speed you didn’t think possible with how dense the crowd was. You didn’t stop moving until you and the person were on the outskirts of the crowd, standing near the corner of the hall.

“Hey, HEY,” a commanding voice shouted in your face. You lifted your head and came face to face with Eren, who was looking at you with furrowed brows, wide eyes, and curled lips. He was drenched in sweat and his long hair stuck to face and neck. He must have forsaken his jacket at some point in the night and remained in a cut sleeve top, revealing his toned, tattooed, arms. Seeing him this close up, staring directly into you, he was completely captivating—his green eyes framed by smudged, dark makeup, facial piercings catching the vibrant lights. With his dark hair damp against his head, you could even see he had a multitude of silver piercings lining the shell of his ear.

Has he always had those, or did you never notice before? Oh god, did you hit your head? What was wrong with you?

You clearly weren’t responding fast enough, so his hold on your wrists shifted to your shoulders, squeezing tightly. “Poser, you good!?”

You nodded, finally taking in a deep breath after the intensity that was the last maybe two minutes. “I fell,” is all you uttered out.

Eren’s frown curled further, and he observed the way you were shaking under his grip. He shook his head, sighing, and let go of you before he placed a hand between your shoulder blades then pushed you to the doors of the church. You allowed him to briskly shove you out; his hand splayed on your back. You blamed your faltering vision on all the beer you had and tried to shake out the jitters you were feeling as you counted each step to the exit.

He walked you out the church and back around to the corner you had all initially met at. The music was dampened, and you ripped out your ear plugs with a shaky sigh, enjoying hearing normally again. You leaned against the wall and slumped. Eren pulled out his phone and something else from his back pocket. He typed something out on his device before shoving the phone into his pocket.

“Thanks,” you hung your head and ran your fingers through your hair, shaking out sweat.

“No problem,” he murmured. You lifted your head to see him placing a cigarette in his lips and lighting it. You watched him do so, and damn, you could really go for one too. “‘Wanted to come outside anyway.”

You breathed in and out, catching your breath. Dancing and fighting for your life really were an exercise. “It’s crazy in there.” you stated, making light conversation to avoid an awkward stand still.

“No shit,” he tilted his head back and puffed smoke out into the air. There was a hint of a teasing smirk pulling at his lips. “It’s fucking metal.”

You rolled your eyes. “Got that.” You knew you probably shouldn’t smoke, especially not with him, but the drinks chipped at your inhibition, and you lifted your hand. “Give me a hit.”

His brow quirked up as he took the cigarette out of his lips. “You smoke?”

“Only while drunk. And I’ve had four beers,” You closed and opened your hand. “Please?” you pleaded with a hint of teasing.

He blinked at you for a second before he smirked and handed you the butt with two fingers. You carefully took the cigarette in your fingers, your fingers lightly brushing against his, and breathed in the harsh smoke, held it for a second, before pushing it out. Eren watched you the whole time with the same damn smirk painted on his pierced lips, his tongue fiddling with one of the snake bites. You took another inhale of the cigarette before carefully handing it back to him.

He took it back and puffed it in, letting it hang on his lips. You felt the heat of his stare on you still and you returned his gaze. His face and hair was still slick with sweat, much more than you were. “So how’d you find me?” you inquired.

He shrugged. “I was moshing.”

“The whole time?” You gawked. You barely survived the seconds you were in there.

“Yeah,” he grinned at you. “Helps release all my anger. Can’t handle the pit, rookie?”

You shook your head, laughing lightly. “Definitely not. not after that.”

He inhaled more smoke, taking a second to respond to you. After a beat, he pushed out the smoke. “Mikasa and Armin don’t like to mosh either. You’re fine.”

His choice of affirming words over mocking you was unpredicted. You had expected more teasing from his cocky mouth. Neither of you spoke again for a beat, and transitioned into a more comfortable silence, just breathing. Through the old church you could still hear the thrum of music, and it was vibrating the wall behind you. Outside, people stood scattered around the church lawn—talking, drinking and smoking.

You had been to concerts before, but this small but lively gathering was completely unique to anything you’d experienced before. It was interesting to see how people were gathered both in and out of the venue and could still enjoy the music and overall atmosphere. In fact, being outside had its own benefits, as you felt like you could breathe in this moment.

Your eyes drifted over Eren, and you took note of the tattoos on his arms you hadn’t seen before as he was always wearing a hoodie or leather jacket in your presence. A black inked centipede-like tattoo twisted around his biceps, coiled down his forearms and ended at his hands. The lines were fresh and dark, not faded, meaning these tattoos must have been recent.

Eren saw your gaze on his hand, and then offered you another puff of the cigarette, which you took. You were grateful he mistook your attention on his hands for a desire to smoke. You only had one inhale before handing it back to him, done with it for a while.

Despite that horrifying, near-death experience, you couldn’t deny this concert was fun.

Someone exclaimed your name, and your head whipped around to see Mikasa rushing towards you. She wrapped her arms around your neck, hugging you. “I'm so, so sorry,” she murmured into your shoulder. “Eren texted me he found you. I can’t believe we got separated!”

You smiled and patted her back, “It’s okay, don’t worry,” you reassured her. “We were just taking a breather.”

She sighed in relief. “Good, I’m glad.” Mikasa settled onto the wall beside you, tucking her hands behind her back. She let out a big breath, smiling at you. “Are you having fun?”

You nodded. “Yeah, it’s cool.”

“She totally fell in the mosh pit.”

“Hey!” You exclaimed, glaring up at Eren who laughed at your expense. Your face flushed from embarrassment. “I was pushed down!”

Mikasa covered her mouth with her, she looked a little shocked, but amusement was hinted in her eyes.

“Yeah, and I had to rescue her.” He clearly enjoyed your suffering.

“That’s why I don't go in the pit,” Mikasa chimed in. “But if you want to keep moshing, I’ll go with you.”

You shook your head. You appreciated the sentiment but weren’t ready to do that again. Yet. “I’m all good, we can find our own dance spot.”

Eren flicked out his cigarette, stomping on the butt. He shoved his hands in his pocket as he looked at you, his eyes raking over you. “That’s too bad. Mikasa won’t go in because she’s a beast. She’s half the size of most of ‘em in there, yet I’ve seen her shove five men so hard they flew.”

Your eyes widened as you shot a look at Mikasa. She looked away shyly. “I get too in the moment.”

“Maybe it’s better for everyone’s safety that we hang back.”

The three of you laughed at the thought of Mikasa bodying grown men left and right. It was nice, honestly, to be outside with them and enjoy the moment. While Eren had been a prick in your class together, he seemed alright right now. Perhaps, you could even be friends. You two certainly seemed to butt heads, but it was somewhat refreshing to go back and forth with someone like that. Though you’d never admit that he’d begun to grow on you over the course of the night. Mikasa, too, was completely relaxed in your company now, and you felt at ease being by her side.

“We should go back in,” Eren suggested. You and Mikasa agreed and followed behind him as he led the three of you through crowds. His imposing figure easily paved a way for you and Mikasa to follow behind, and it was impressive the way he could weave through such large and daunting figures.

** play Animal I Have Become - Three Days Grace **

He led you back into The Regiment where you moved past security and back into the nave where a different band had taken over the stage. As you and Mikasa reinserted your ear plugs, Eren waved off to you both before digging his way into the crowd. You now knew where he was going to be.

For the remainder of the night, you and Mikasa stayed together, ensuring you never got close enough to where the crowd became a void as you enjoyed the music. She kept her eyes in front of her, but every now and then looked back at you. You were sure she was checking to see if you were enjoying yourself. Truth be told, you were.

Despite the heaviness in the music, you had never felt lighter. Maybe it was presumptuous, but you were finding somewhere you belong in The Regiment. As the night went on, you loosened, openly danced more, head banged and jumped up and down with Mikasa.

While you tried to keep your eyes on the band, you found yourself always looking at the pit, trying to spot Eren, while telling yourself you were just scanning for any familiar face. Every now and then you caught a glimpse of him.

When you saw his face, you noticed how his eyes were gleaming with a dangerous thrill. He shoved forcefully and swiftly between the crowd, and you began to realize that Eren Jaeger might possess a more violent nature than you anticipated.

Chapter Text

You felt heavy the next morning as you woke up in your rickety twin bed. Your legs were stiff, feet throbbed in pain, throat scratchy, and head pounded. You felt as if a semi-truck had run you over.

You understood why your legs and feet were aching so much, since you had likely walked at least twenty thousand steps yesterday and spent half the night jumping. Yet, it was your headache that was troubling you.

You only had four beers? Right? Thinking back, you realized maybe that was a lot. Oh… and you also shotgunned two High Noons with Eren much later into the night after he challenged you. That was his fault, not yours.

He kept calling you poser, which was aggravating you to no end. So naturally, you had to try to best him in one thing.

When he cut the bottom of the can with a pocket knife during a smoke break, and chugged it in front of you–the liquid pouring down his chin as he chugged the drink, his adam’s apple bobbing viciously with each gulp–you only had one choice but to outdo him.

Yet, you lost. You didn’t last much longer in the night after those drinks. Meanwhile, Eren ran straight into the mosh pit when you went back into the church and saw they were forming a “wall of death”.

So the pounding headache made sense then.

The light in the room was too powerful for you to go back to sleep, so you reached for your phone. Your phone was usually pretty dry, as you didn’t have many people you considered a friend from home or from Marley. Usually, it was just your mom messaging you good morning or your dad texting you his wordle guesses for the day.

You opened your phone, blinking as the bright light contaminated your hungover vision. You groaned and rubbed your eyes trying to adjust to the light.

You first noted it was 9:01 am. Not bad.

Second, your typical messages were quadrupled in size, as you have been added to a group chat.

You quickly unlocked your phone and opened your messages to see who was texting you. The group chat was called “The Rumbling” – what? – and the only contact you had saved was Mikasa’s. The conversation wasn’t long, so you read it.

12:01 a.m.

Mikasa A. - We’re back home. Great night!

555-4613 - So are we! What a great show!

(555-7597) named the conversation “The Rumbling”

Mikasa A. - What does that mean?

555-4613 - He’s not going to explain.

Mikasa A. - Of course.

Weird, you thought. You guessed the other numbers must have been Armin and Eren. You swiped out of the group chat and saw you had a couple additional messages as well, both from the numbers you had yet to add.

12:05 a.m.

555-4613 - Hey, it’s Armin! So good meeting you last night!

You smiled at the phone. He seemed nice from the couple times you chatted with him. He would go back and forth between Annie and then you and Mikasa throughout the night. His brightly dressed self made him very easy to pick out, which you appreciated, but it was almost humorous.

You look and see the other number, assumedly Eren, who also messaged you, albeit much later.

1:02 a.m.

555-7597 - sup poser

God, he was really good at getting under your skin. You rubbed your free hand over your face as you shut your eyes, letting the pounding in your head simmer for a moment.

Eren was the damn reason for your headache and the heat that was crawling beneath your skin.

You took a moment to save both Armin and Eren’s names in your phone, just so you wouldn’t forget later on. As you did, Mikasa stirred in her bed as well, small noises coming from her side of the room. She turned over and reached for her own phone, glaring at it with smudged makeup and hair that flew in every direction.

She looked up from her phone and at you, and you both made eye contact while laying in the same horizontal position. You must have looked just as messed up, as she giggled at you. You joined her, her laughter infecting you.

“Good morning, metalhead,” she chimed, lips curling humorously.

“Hi there,” you replied, your voice gravelly from overuse in the night. You stretched your arm up over your head, blinking to life at your roommate.

“Last night was a blast,” she said to you. Her eyes shut again as she nuzzled back into her pillow.

You nodded your response, humming. Your eyes began to shutter closed as well until you felt your phone buzz. Mikasa must have as well, as she also slowly lifted her phone.

The Rumbling
9:10 a.m.

Armin A.: bfast?

Mikasa sighed. You looked at her before you could respond to the text.

“I forgot to tell you,” she said, her voice groggy from her hangover. “We always get breakfast together after Regiment.”

“I see,” you nodded, looking at the text from Armin.

Mikasa A.: fs

“If you’re feeling alright, you should definitely come,” Mikasa continued. “You did have a bit to drink yesterday.”

You shook your head. You refused to admit just how much this damn hangover hurt your head. “I’d love to come.”

Eren J.: *thumbs up emoji* *bird emoji*

A man of few words over text, Eren was, you realized with a deep eye roll. You responded as well, stating you’ll be there.

Armin A.: Okay! Let’s do Nanaba’s at 10

Mikasa was the first to roll out of bed. She was clad in a black tank top and red, plaid pajama pants, and her bed head was adorable. She walked to her desk and started to remove her crusted makeup from last night. You took one last look at your messages, choosing to respond to Eren later, if even, and turned your phone off, flipping the sheets off your bed and removing your makeup as well. You used a makeup wipe to remove as much mascara as you could before grabbing your shower supplies and going to the communal bathroom.

After a brisk shower, just washing your body and getting your hair just wet enough to brush through it, you returned and looked into your closet. After last night, and your lingering hangover, you chose a comfy outfit, consisting of leggings and an oversized black sweater you thrifted years back.

For ease, you tied your hair back into a low ponytail and let a couple pieces hang over your face. Satisfied with the simple look, you turned to Mikasa, who had also showered and dressed.

She was wearing a large black sweater dress, tights with a floral design on them, and light makeup. For a Mikasa outfit, it was quite simple, yet effortlessly cute.

“Ready?” you asked, grabbing a tote bag to hold your necessary items. She nodded and grabbed her purse.

You hadn’t been to Nanaba’s but Mikasa ensured you it was not far and led the way for you two. The bright outdoor light was harsh and your hearing was semi-muted from the night before. You ignored the way your thighs ached with each step and how desperately you wanted to crawl back into bed.

After a quick, ten minute walk off campus, you approached a small breakfast diner. It was a bit rustic but felt homey as you walked through the door and took in your environment. You looked around and couldn’t see Eren or Armin just yet, so the two of you found a spot at a booth, sitting on opposite ends.

You only sat for a couple of minutes before two familiar men entered the diner. Armin walked in first and looked identical to last night. He wore thick frames and a green t-shirt over a white long sleeve, paired with gray sweatpants.

Next in walked Eren. You had expected to see the metalhead Eren from last night but instead the basic Eren you were formally used to walked in. His hair was tied up and he sported a black crew neck sweater and gray jeans.

Spotting you fast, Armin and Eren walk to your booth. Armin moved to sit next to Mikasa, which meant Eren sat next to you.

“Good morning,” Armin said with a yawn.

You shifted your eyes and looked at Eren, who was already looking at the menu. The piercings he had donned yesterday were removed, but you now could spot the small holes that were left behind, confirming that you didn’t hallucinate the edgy Eren you met. The only indication of last night's endeavour was the slight smudge of makeup under his green eyes, not properly rubbed off.

Then, his eyes met you, and he raised an eyebrow at your scrutiny.

“Got something on my face?” He asked, but his tone was teasing. He caught you.

You averted your eyes, looking out the window located on the wall away from Eren on your side of the booth. “Yeah, you didn’t take your emo all the way off,” you replied, swiping a finger under your eye to show him where.

He clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. “Whatever, poser.”

The nickname lit a fire under your skin, and you picked up a menu to avoid further bickering with him. He annoyed you to no end and now you had to hang out with him, instead of just suffering through class with him. The heat on your cheeks and the pounding in your chest were also, most definitely, the result of your irritation for Eren Jaeger.

Armin and Mikasa picked up a steady conversation after your spat and you chimed in. At some point between chatting, you all ordered breakfast and a round of coffee for the table as well. Eren sat mostly quiet, observing the conservation and offering nods with topics he agreed with.

“So where were you before Paradis?” Armin asked you.

“I was at Marley University for a year,” you told him. “I transferred pretty much at the end of spring.”

Eren scoffed. You turned your head to him to shut his rude mouth but he continued to speak. “Marley is the worst.”

Pleasantly, there was something you could agree on.

“God, I know,” you sighed. “Everyone there sucked and I pretty much failed all of my classes.”

“Yeah, my brother went there,” he stated. “Pretty much sums it up.”

“You have a brother?”

“Half brother,” Eren corrected. “He’s in his late twenties and an absolute monkey-for-brains dick.”

Interesting way of describing him, but you got the picture. “Seems like you guys get along,” you noted sarcastically.

“Definitely not,” Eren shakes his head. He appeared to contemplate something for a second before continuing, “well sometimes. See, the awkward thing is, my dad basically left his mom for mine but never told us he had another kid until she came knocking on our door when I was ten.”

Mikasa shuddered. “Yeah, it was rough. Carla was pissed.”

Armin nodded in agreement and his near horrified expression reflected the memories of Carla’s wrath.

“That's… really awful,” you sympathized, looking at Eren. He looked more angry rather than saddened, his brows furrowed as he stared down at the table with folded arms.

“It’s whatever now,” Eren shrugged. “Parents got divorced. Haven’t talked to my dad in …nine years? … but our mom’s pretty much became best friends and we were forced to hang out with each other a bunch. He’s just a fucking weirdo.”

“He has interesting hobbies,” Miksa added.

You decided you didn’t want to know more about the mysterious brother, for your own sanity, so you didn’t press. You could see the way Eren’s chest rose and sank more deeply, indicating he was riled up.

“My roommate back at Marley was actually a Satan spawn,” you changed topics. Remembering metalheads were probably more likely to find Satan cooler than God, you corrected yourself: “The bad kind.”

“A shitty roommate is the worst,” Armin groaned.

“Yeah, she was freaky and hated me,” you elaborated. “And she had this older boyfriend who used to come over all the time and would always kick me out without giving me notice. He probably was a whole ass home owner yet was sleeping with some 19 year old college girl.”

“Nasty,” Mikasa grimaced. “I won’t do that to you, I promise.” She said with a wink.

You smiled at her. “Thanks. You’ve been an infinitely better roommate already, Mikasa.”

“Paradis University is a much better school either way,” Armin added. “Statistically, we actually do better on testing than Marley and they’re so obsessed with their looks that they forget about their students' well-being. But it doesn’t help that the school hates us.”

“Yeah, everyone would say students here are devils,” you laughed. Considering your behavior last night, they might be right. But you had never had more fun in your life.

“Not far off,” Eren said with a smirk. “But we’re still better than their lame asses.”

“Agreed.”

Your food arrived at the table and everyone began to dive in, your hungover bellies rumbling with the desire for greasy meats and sweet carbs. You had to refrain from moaning as you ate your pancake smothered in rich butter. Truly nothing could have satisfied you more. Everyone eagerly enjoyed their food and the level of your chatter significantly decreased until all of your plates were cleared.

You took the final bite of your pancake before sitting back and sighing. “That was orgasmic,” you groaned.

“This place has the best breakfast in Paradis,” Armin stated enthusiastically.

“Remember that time Sasha smashed like ten waffles in twenty minutes here?” Eren chuckled. “That was awesome.”

“I’ve never seen someone eat so much food in my life,” Mikasa commented. “I watched her go to the dining hall right after too.”

“That woman is a beast,” Armin shuddered.

You listened intently to them, laughing along. “I could honestly go for at least two more pancakes, I don’t blame her for having that many,” you joked.

You continued to joke around with the group, the energy more lively now that you had all been properly caffeinated and fed. You each placed cash onto the table before leaving.

Armin and Eren left and went their separate ways, returning to their house. It dawned on you with a chill that Armin was likely in the same fraternity as Eren. You didn’t mean to stereotype him, but he did not seem like a frat guy to you in any sense.

Everyone at this school truly were interesting specimens.

You and Mikasa made your way back to the dorms. You decided you’d allow yourself to enjoy the rest of the day with some online shopping to find more cool clothes and finally catch up on a manga you forgot about. Homework was a Sunday matter and you seriously needed to unwind before then.

You weren’t ready to see Eren in classes again, now that you were becoming semi friends. Maybe he wouldn’t kick your chair so much or you could tell him off if he did.

You and Mikasa watched a movie that night on her laptop. You both were on the floor eating popcorn, wrapped in your blankets and each having a beer during the movie, despite your evil hangover from the morning. Besides, it was Saturday night and you were in your prime, you reasoned with yourself.

The next day, you were dedicated to spending the day reading textbooks and working on assignments. Mikasa had the same idea, and you went to the school’s library on the academic campus to have a change of scenery.

As you sat together at a table and studied, you occasionally took peeks at what she was doing, trying to get a feel for what her homework was like. You realized you actually had no idea what her major was, as you only recently became actual friends.

“What’s your major?” you asked, “I’m realizing I’ve never asked before.”

“Anthropology,” she replied, “and a minor in kinesiology.”

“Kinesiology, really?” You asked curiously, wondering how those two went together. “How come?”

“I like fitness,” she shrugged. Actually, that made sense for her, considering how in shape she was and how frequently she went to the gym. “What about you?”

“I’m psychology,” you told her. “I switched from neurology when I transferred.”

“Cool. Eren’s a psychology major too,” she told you.

Of course. He was twisting himself into your life in a million different small ways. He was supposed to be your opposite but you were finding out that the two of you shared more in common than you thought.

“That’s funny,” you swallowed. “I guess that makes sense… we are in the same psych class after all.”

Mikasa’s eyes lit up. “Oh yeah. I can’t believe Eren is the ‘asshole frat guy’ in your class.”

You rolled your eyes. “Yeah, right. Sorry, I didn’t mean to smack talk your friend but he was a total asshole.”

She smiled. “Yeah, he can be like that sometimes. But he grows on you.”

“Like a wart,” you jested. “Armin and Eren are those little kids in your photo, right? How long have you guys known each other?” You were truly curious. They were childhood friends all attending the same college, after all.

She nodded. “Since I was ten. Eren’s family actually adopted me when I was nine, and he and Armin were friends before that. They’re like my family.”

This information shocked you to your core and you were speechless. Eren must have been extremely special and important to her. There was a sweetness to it that tickled at your chest, but uneasiness too, as you thought about the divorce Eren described to you earlier. He was ten when it happened, which means Mikasa had to have been there too.

“I’m happy you have them,” you were able to say, avoiding any sad conversation. “You guys seem like such good friends.”

Mikasa’s smile continued to warm her face. “Yeah, they’re great.”

You hummed in agreement. Letting it go, you pretended to look back to your homework. You were slightly jealous of the dynamic, truth be told, but mirth nudged at you at the idea of being let into their small circle. You wanted to get to know them more; Mikasa, Armin, and even Eren despite your mixed feelings towards him. But Mikasa was right. Eren, in a short period of time, was beginning to grow on you, in spite of your reluctance. You hated to admit it, but you were interested to see the dynamic that would form in your class together.

The day continued on as you and Mikasa worked to get ahead of the week. You did a fair amount of work and by the time you left the library, it was dark. Treating yourselves, you went to the dining hall back on the residential campus, ate dinner, and left with root beer floats in take-away coffee cups you made while the dining hall staff wasn’t watching.

Your week wasn’t supposed to be daunting. You had no tests, a single quiz, and no major assignments just yet. However, come Tuesday, you felt a mixture of dread and anticipation for your Consumer Psychology class.

You and Eren hadn’t spoken since Saturday and you were wondering if he was only going to speak to you if you were around Mikasa. You felt foolish running circles around your head about how you’d say hi to Eren and even more ridiculous over the fact that you were overthinking a simple hello.

You listened to Going Under on the way to class, starting to have taken a liking to Evanescence’s music. You played the music at full volume in your headphones, hoping the sound of the music would outcompete your thoughts.

You were totally chill. The Chillest. The Chiller.

God, you were so fucking cringe.

Annoying yourself, you shook the thoughts out of your mind as you walked into the old classroom. As expected, you were with the professor and a couple of the other early arrivals. You knew he wouldn’t be here yet, but you were curious if that would change.

You sat in the same seat from last week, removed your headphones, and pulled out your laptop. You checked over the syllabus, to remind yourself of the day's class topic and nearly groaned at how boring it sounded.

The clock neared the start of class and you had successfully distracted yourself until finally the door opened and Eren walked into the classroom. He exuded nonchalance. He looked the same as always, dark comfortable clothes and the man-bun he seemed determined to rock. No piercings, which wasn’t shocking but you still found it a little disappointing.

You must have been obviously staring at him, because he nodded to you. You wondered if you were supposed to nod back as you were not fluent in fraternity communication techniques. Staying in your comfort zone, you gave him a tight lipped smile, and faced your laptop. Class was going to start momentarily, and there wasn’t any point in conversation.

“Shadis,” Eren greeted the teacher, taking his place at the desk behind you.

“Jaeger,” the disgruntled professor responded. He cleared his throat and began lecturing as Eren settled in. You listened to him rustle around his bag for his laptop and then with the slight thud against your chair, you knew he was in his relaxed position.

You followed along with the lecture, albeit bored. Today just did not interest you. You typed short notes onto your laptop, and as you did, a notification popped up.

Eren J. - This lecture is a snooze

Your laptop was connected to your phone, so you could see any messages that popped up and could respond to them there.

You’d humor him, you figured.

You - Agreed.

Eren J. - We should cut

Was Eren offering to skip class with you? He had to be joking. You thought about how to respond to him, and you felt tapping against your chair from Eren’s foot moving side to side absentmindedly.

You - I don’t think so

You - ur kicking my chair again. Stop it.

Eren J. - lol

Seriously? “lol”? You stared at the dumb message for a moment but sure enough, Eren’s foot stopped tapping your chair. Guess he knew how to listen a little bit.

Unable to actually pay attention to the class, you tried to think of something else to say to Eren, finding this to be a welcome distraction. You decided to ask him about his metal facade.

you - what happened to ur piercings?

Eren J. - wdym

You rolled your eyes. Either he was messing with you again or he was plain stupid.

You - stupid. Why do u take them out?

Eren J. - keeps up the mystique.
My secret identity…

You - So you’re actually a poser? The metal you is fake?

Eren J. - Nah. That's the real me. This school doesn’t deserve my effort

You bit your lip slightly. It was an interesting notion. You didn’t know if he was joking so you let it linger.

You - thanks for letting me see the real u then

Eren J. - np. Now you know how cool I really am

You - I wouldn’t say that…

Eren kicked your chair, hard, intentionally. You actually had to fight back a laugh but a small snort escaped you before you cleared your throat.

The professor’s head whipped to you, eyeing you carefully, and you sat up straight, hiding your distracted expression behind your laptop. He looked only for a second before going back to his lesson. It was a good thing you usually paid attention. He didn’t suspect you… yet.

The class continued and you stopped texting Eren back as much. You both started paying attention, because Eren would occasionally make fun of whatever Shadis said in your messages and you trembled as you really tried to ignore it.

After an agonizing hour, the class ended. He gave the usual spiel about reading for the next class and to make sure none of our assignments were late. He was not a man to give extensions, he said repeatedly.

You got up from your desk, stretching your stiff legs, with a sigh. You packed your bag before turning to look at Eren behind you, who appeared to be waiting for you.

“Hey,” you said. You had been talking most of class, but actually vocalizing words to him was almost foreboding.

He looked down at you with a neutral expression, his bag slung over just one shoulder. A very toned, defined shoulder, you recall, from his muscle tee he wore on Friday.

“Hey,” he replied. His eyes looked to the door and then back to you. He held your gaze intensely, which made you feel like pins and needles. “You doing anything?”

You think for a second, trying to remember your schedule, but you were quite free at the moment. “Uh… no, why?”

“Wanna get food? I’m starving.”

You swallowed. This would be an official first hangout alone. In your past, you usually hated these. You did better in group settings, allowing others to hold the conversations that you could occasionally hop into. You were used to Mikasa’s company by now, both of you enjoying silence and each other’s presence, but hanging out with Eren alone was completely different.

It would have to include conversation, and actually admitting you enjoyed Eren Jaeger.

As a friend, of course.

“Sure,” you agreed with a casual shrug. “Any cravings?”

“Have you gone to the sub shop on campus? That place is fantastic.”

You shook your head. “Never been. I could eat a sandwich, though.”

“Sick,” Eren grinned.

He started walking to the door with you, and you made your way out of the classroom. Eren guided you out of the building and to the shop, mostly walking in front of you. He once again used his magic talent of parting the seas to walk through the student infested paths at unbelievably fast pace. You barely spoke, as you spent your time keeping up with him rather than conversing.

You arrived at a smaller campus building. Inside, there was a spiral staircase in the middle of the first floor, and table seating and lounges were spread across the first floor entrance before leading into hallways of classes. Feeding the students on the first floor was the sub shop which Eren led you to, that was counter-service style.

“This is the music building,” Eren told you. “They’re hogging the good food in here.”

“I see,” you said slowly.

You both ordered and received your sandwiches before Eren found a booth for you two. He dug in immediately to his meaty meal, and you slowly unwrapped yours as you couldn’t help but to watch him house his sandwich.

“Go easy on that thing,” you teased, taking your first bite. “What’d the sandwich do to you?”

Eren swallowed and pulled the sandwich away from him, chuckled. “I was hungry, lay off.”

“I can see that,” you goaded. You tried to think of conversation rather than subject yourself to watching Eren destroy the sandwich again. “So… what made you interested in psychology?”

Eren thought for a second. He frowned, deep into thought. “I don’t really like people,” he told you after a beat passed. “But I like picking them apart. Why they do what they do, you know? That’s the interesting part.”

He wiped his mouth with the back of his wrist, and spoke again. “The answers are usually disappointing and most people suck. That’s my philosophy.”

You tensed briefly. His answer was odd, but not unexpected, as you anticipated such from him. You had never met a psychology major who did it because of their hate for people rather than their fascination for the human mind. “You should write your thesis on that,” you stated, joking.

“I just might.”

“So when you meet someone, is it your default to hate them, rather than be neutral?”

A cold look flickered in his eyes as he looked directly at you that you couldn’t quite place. “Pretty much.”

“Pretty much?”

“Sometimes it’s different,” he shrugged. The icy glaze that was in his eyes disappeared as he looked away and took a bite of his sandwich. You knew he was just distracting himself from what was really on his mind.

Eren thought he had the upper hand on you, but you were both psychology majors. This was a battle of similarly composed minds and you were determined to reveal his truths sooner or later.

You leaned forward. “So when you first met me…” you spoke slowly. “Did you hate me?”

You hated him at first. Well, at least started neutral, as you did with all people, then started to hate him, and had since been forgetting your distaste for the boy. You’d been leaning more amicably since you’d started to actually talk to him.

Eren paused. You could see your question had thrown him off, testing his resolve. The icy look in his eyes returned to yours, but you weren’t sure they were as cold as you thought they were. They certainly weren’t warm, but instead felt as if a fall breeze was gently tickling your skin, leaving goose bumps on your arms, but wasn’t quite enough to chill you.

“No.”

Chapter Text

“Are you positive you’re not feeling well?”

You stood by the edge of Mikasa’s bed, looking at her with large puppy dog eyes. She stared back at you, her face flushed yet pale at the same time. She coughed, a gross sound emitting from her throat, and offered you a sympathetic smile.

“I’m pretty sure,” she groaned.

It had been two weeks since you went to the Regiment for the first time. Last week you had all gone again, and you were much more comfortable there having experienced it once before. You continued with the normal routine of you and Mikasa hanging out in the back while watching Eren fight for his life in the mosh pit. Additionally, you and Eren had started a habit of going for lunch together after Consumer Psychology. He would bring you to various food joints on campus you had no idea existed and you’d sit there and chat idly, or mess with each other back and forth.

This week, however, Miksaa had fallen deathly ill, and would be leaving you all alone at Regiment, which she insisted you’d go to. She wasn’t actually going to die, you were just dramatic and did not want to go without your support system. You would have been fine to hang out with Armin, who you’d gotten more comfortable around, but he was away this weekend visiting his grandfather.

So it would just be you and Eren.

You initially planned to skip once Mikasa fell ill, but during Consumer Psych, Eren wouldn’t stop messaging you insisting you still go.

“Please, Mikasa,” you dropped your forehead on the bed. “What am I going to do without youuuu,” you moaned, fake crying.

“You’ll have fun,” Mikasa soothed, turning her body towards you. “You and Eren are friends now, right?”

“He’s gonna mosh all night!”

Mikasa laughed at your expense.

“Just stand off at the side, you don’t have to mosh.”

You knew she was right. You could just stand aside as the band cheered, smoke with Eren every now and then, and have a chill night. Except you’d begun to understand Eren more. He had a habit of asking you to do things with him, and you had developed the habit of saying yes. If you said no, he’d tease you a bit, and maybe leave you alone, but you’d eventually crumble and follow him anyway.

So if Eren asked you to mosh tonight, you were probably going to say yes.

You groaned, laying your chin on your palms. “I don’t know…” you sighed. “What if I just don’t go? Tell Eren you got me sick too?”

Mikasa gave you a half smile, amused at your whining. She said your name firmly. “Go.”

You frowned. You hated backing out on plans. Besides, backing out on Eren meant a week of torment from him in class.

“At least help me pick out an outfit?”

Mikasa agreed to help you. You held items up in front of her and let her nod or shake her head to various pieces. The weather was a bit chilly tonight, so you opted for a pair of oversized black jeans that fit around your mid waist fashioned with a belt and a black mesh top that cropped above your belly button. Under the mesh top, you wore a simple black tank top and a black bra to blend in with the rest of the outfit.

After getting dressed, you checked your phone while you started your makeup. You turned on the device and saw a message from Eren.

Eren J. - I’ll meet u outside ur dorm?

You hadn’t discussed a ‘meet up’ location with Eren. You had assumed you’d meet there, as you had been doing. However, since it was just you two this week, it made sense to walk together. You didn’t object, since walking alone at night as a feminine person was not a bright idea.

you - sure

You put your phone on the desk and worked on applying a light layer of foundation. As you rubbed in the cream, Eren messaged you again.

Eren J. - cool. Be there at 8.

With a shaky inhale, you focused back on your makeup. Your heart pounded more prominently in your chest and you felt nervous. You didn’t know why. This would be your third time at Regiment and you had hung out with Eren a couple times now, just the two of you. So what about tonight made your pulse race?

You didn’t want to think hard about it. Instead, you opted to listen to music to avoid drowning in rumination. After putting your headphones on, you opened your playlist, M, and shuffled the songs. Alkaline by Sleep Token played and you returned to applying your makeup. You had an hour before Eren came, which was plenty of time to finish getting ready.

The next hour went by slowly yet seemingly fast. Once you finished your makeup, you chugged down two high noons leftover from last week, trying to calm your nerves and give yourself a buzz. Your intention to calm your anxiety seemed to backfire, because you were then just fretful and tipsy.

8 o’clock arrived and you sat at your desk, staring at your phone screen with your leg bouncing rapidly. Your shoes were on and your handbag was slung over your shoulder. The moment you got his text, you were ready to spring into action.

After perhaps another minute of waiting, you got the text.

Eren J. - outside.

You abruptly stood up. Your body was acting differently than the will of your mind. You looked at the text for a couple of moments before turning to your roommate, who was comfortably curled into her bed.

“I’m heading out,” you choked out. “See you later.”

She curled closer into her blankets, “bye. See you later.”

You nodded and left the dorm, carefully shutting and locking the door behind you. You walked down the halls and stairs, your thoughts racing yet you couldn’t decipher a single one of them.

As you walked outside, you entered the dark night. Your mesh top did you no favors as you shivered under the chilly fall weather. The academic campus was highlighted by the few lamps that were scattered across it, but you found him instantly. Under the closest lamp light was Eren.

You never knew what to expect from him anymore. Yet the way he looked was a breath of fresh air. He wore his leather jacket he sported each Friday and his hair down. He was faced away from you, so you couldn’t quite see if he had donned his piercings, but it was expected.

You walked quietly to him, pulling down your top to adjust to the right position.

“Hey,” you called out, grabbing his attention.

He turned to you, his gaze giving a facade of leisure; yet his stare once he locked onto your eyes was intense. His shoulders squared as you approached and he shoved his phone into his pocket.

“Hey,” he responded casually. His hands were shoved into his pockets, coolly, and you smiled.

“Ready to go?” You ask, walking up close to him.

“Yeah,” he nodded. He turned his body and started walking, and you followed behind, keeping in stride with his fast pace that had become accustomed to.

You walked in silence while leaving campus. You felt awkward, wanting to speak to him.

“Do you know who’s playing tonight?”

Eren shrugged. “Only one I care about is Primal Desire,” he looked back at you. “They play everything in german, it’s fucking metal.”

“Sounds cool,” you replied.

“Hell yeah,” he smirked.

You reached the gates of the academic campus, entering the streets of Shiganshina. At that moment, Eren reached into his pocket and pulled out his pack of cigarettes and lighter and lit himself one.

After having two drinks, you could excuse yourself one.

“Pass me one,” you said.

Eren took a drag from his, and then handed you the one he smoked from, offering to share.

You had shared it before, but this time, you slowly took it. You reached for it, your hands brushing against his as you did so. You took a burning drag from the cigarette, the feeling calming you for a moment, before handing it back to him. He took it back skillfully, reattaching the butt to his lips.

You watched him suck the stick into his mouth before letting it go, tilting his chin to let the smoke release into the air.

Shit, it was kind of hot.

You shook your head, trying to dispel the thoughts. Yes, Eren was attractive, and yes, he was somewhat fun to talk to but you couldn’t allow yourself to be so distracted by him. He was basically Mikasa’s brother. You couldn’t.

The walk was not bad. You and Eren made idle chatter as you began to approach the abandoned church. As expected, you saw people wearing alternative outfits walking in the same direction as you, heading towards the venue.

Excitement ran in your nerves, the thrill of the night’s energy coursing through your veins. You enjoyed walking with Mikasa, but walking to the venue with Eren afforded you a kind of swagger you hadn't experienced before. He held himself in confidence, imposing his figure for you and him both.

He walked right up to the doors of Regiment, wading through the crowds with you in tow. He rarely looked back to ensure you were following him, trusting you could keep up with him. As you had done many times in the halls of Paradis College.

You decided to preemptively put your ear plugs in to prepare for the volume of the music. You reached in your bag, digging around. However, you couldn’t find the small case anywhere as you shuffled through your few items.

You didn’t have them.

“Shit, my plugs,” you uttered.

Eren heard you and turned to you. He noted you searching your bag and placed a hand on your shoulder, leaning into you.

“You’ll be fine,” he assured, giving your shoulder a squeeze. “It’s more fun this way.”

Shaking off jitters, you nodded, walking forward with Eren. His hand fell as you entered the doors to Regiment, and underwent the routine of paying the cover fee.

“Twenty dollars,” the bouncer stated, looking between the two of you.

Eren fished out a bill from his back pockets and handed it to the man. Your hands were stamped and you strode up to him. “I can pay you back.”

Eren gave you a sharp look. “How many times do I have to cover you before you get the hint?”

You swallowed your reply. This was the third time Eren paid your entry free, and you felt like you owed him, this continuous exchange unfair. Yet each time you requested to pay for a meal during your lunches together, he refused. You could never beat him to anything, always one step ahead of you.

** play Rein Raus - Rammstein**

The music was significantly louder, the heavy instruments going straight to your core, with no safety barrier to protect your ear drums. Noting the crowd, it seemed significantly larger than previous weeks.

Eren was grinning, his teeth bared as he took in the music. “Fuck yeah, Primal’s playing.”

He started to make his way into the crowd. You faltered behind him, unsure if you should continue following him or hang back. There were people everywhere, and the corners you usually stood back in even appeared more densely packed than usual.

After moving ahead of you a bit, he turned back and faced you, brows furrowed. “You coming with me?”

You had two choices here. Follow Eren in the depths of mania or stay back safely. You doubted Eren would let anything bad happen to you, considering how he saved you two weeks ago. Additionally, if you stayed behind, you would be alone. It was a written rule that someone like you should seldom be by yourself in such a lively night scene.

You made your decision, nodding firmly and tightening your grip on your bag. “Yeah, I’m with you.”

He smirked at you and gestured for you to join him, turning back towards the stage, where the band hammered away at their machines.

You hurried to follow him, being sure to stick close to avoid losing him. The band was playing their music in German, as Eren had told you, and it provided a different aura to the environment. The singer’s voice was gravelly and deep, paired with heavy guitar riffs, electronic sound, and great drumming.

Eren pushed forward to where people’s movements began to intensify, bouncing off each other and jumping into others. You watched his shoulders square as he was able to shove off some stray flyers. He began to join the fray, moving side to side with force, arms out to shove away the erratic fans of the band.

The deeper you moved into the crowd, the more you felt the force of people bouncing off each other and you. You tensed up as someone pushed into you particularly hard, and you raised a forearm to defend yourself. Your movements were stiff as you attempted to keep a hold on your footing.

You remained in place. You had no desire to be at the front of the crowd, but you were close enough to Eren to keep an eye on him. You knew he would keep an eye on you, and if you disappeared, he’d find you. So you just needed to concentrate on living and enjoying the music as the sound pounded at you.

You held firm ground, but it was hard to enjoy yourself as people jumped around you, dangerously close to landing on you. You needed to defend yourself and you took a stance with your arms covering your face instinctively.

Eren was bounding around, loose and wild. He was in the fray, and almost appeared to command the crowd as they shoved around. He wasn’t the biggest person by far, yet to you, he was the most prominent. It felt like he was the center of them all, the spinning crowds circulating around him.

He spun around and caught wind of you. He swayed back and forth and shoved a man to the right as he took steps closer to you. You remained guarded as he approached, unsure of how else to be in the crowd.

Eren grabbed your raised arms, and held them to your side, leaning in close to you. “Relax.” He told you. “It’s fun if you try it.”

You breathed in and out, not realizing you were holding your breath. You nodded, loosening your shoulders and letting your feet move from their spot nailed to the ground.

He looked down at your moving feet as you began to feel the motion of the crowd, and grinned. “That’s my girl.”

Rolling your eyes, you shoved him back lightly. “Shut up,” you laughed. Your body was heating up, and you were sure it was just how hot the venue was.

He took a step back and laughed. He jumped back into the pit, and danced more intensely, his arms raised into the air.

** play Sonne - Rammstein **

As the song changed to the next one on the set list, you followed behind, entering the threshold you had feared before. You started light, jumping to the left and right, avoiding people who appeared more violent and erratic. Soon enough, you felt more eased, and felt the way the music combined with moshing created a whole new level of experience for the concert.

You blended into the crowd, moving with the rhythm and found you were actually enjoying it the more confident you grew.

At one moment, Eren was next to you, he playfully nudged you in the shoulder and you returned the gesture, a little harder.

“This is fun,” You shout to him, trying to get your voice across over the loud music.

He gave you a light slap on the back, sharing his pride in you. He appeared to look around the crowd, and something then caught his eye.

“Wanna do something even more fun?” He asked, his lips twisted in a wicked, plotting, smile.

You raised your brows at him in confusion. “Like what?”

He grabbed your wrist and nodded his head to the right. “Come here.” He began to walk out of the pit and dragged you in tow. You weren’t opposed to his secret plot, so you willingly followed.

Approaching a group of men who appeared strong and danced with each other, slightly towards the back of the crowd, he pulled you in front of him and forced you to face them, his hands planted on your shoulders.

Were you supposed to talk to them? What the hell was Eren doing? You turned your head to look back at Eren, who was still deviously smiling. He lifted his hands from your shoulder before pointing his forefingers into the air, gesturing up.

What?

You looked back at the guys, who shrugged, and then suddenly, you were being pulled into the air.

Holy shit.

Eren’s hands planted on your waist as he lifted you up and handed you to the men, who brought you into the air. You yelped at the sudden loss of contact with the ground, and twisted to look back at Eren, yelling curses at him as he laughed at your expense.

You were being laid horizontally in the air and being pulled towards the stage. A million different hands worked as a conveyor belt to somehow move you with ease. You shrieked at each scary dip you took, yet the crowd worked in tandem to keep you airborne. It felt like some kind of twisted roller coaster, and you found yourself laughing at the feeling of being so light in the air. You glided over the crowds approaching the stage.

The stage grew closer and closer, until you were convinced you were going to be thrown onto the stage with the band playing. How were you supposed to get down? There was no way this was going to end with you not falling.

You got closer to the stage than you ever had before, and the number of hands to catch you were dwindling. Your heart pounded as you reached the gap between the crowd and the stage where barracks were set up to avoid people rushing the stage.

Dreadfully, you reached the edge, and you fell. “Shit!” You exclaimed, your body working to brace itself for the impact of cold ground from at least six feet in the air.

Two strong arms grabbed you before you could begin a fast descent, and you gasped, your fears being choked as a mysterious savior held you above the ground, an arm hooked around your back and under your thighs. You hooked your arms around the neck of the person holding you, anchoring yourself to them

Looking up at the face of the person who held you, you connected gazes with Eren. He looked at you with wild wide eyes and his lips pulled back proudly. Your breath was stolen from your lungs, all sounds refusing to escape your squeezing throat. You looked back at him with a frenzied look, chest beating with your thundering heartbeat that outdid the band’s drummer.

Eren walked with you in tow, continuing to hold you as he took you out from inside the barricade. You couldn’t question how he got in, and you let him hold you as you shook off the daze of crowd surfing. He carried you to the doors of the venue, leaving the large crowds behind and entering the chilly atmosphere before, finally, releasing you.

Once your feet refound ground, you felt yourself escape the daze and turned back to him, slapping him in the arm. “Asshole! That was crazy!”

Laughtered bellowed out of him, hunching him over in the middle. “You should have seen your face! Oh, that was awesome.”

You were beet red, your entire face flushed. “Do not throw me in the air like that again! Jesus, Eren!”

He wiped tears from his eyes, straightening up to look at you. “That was fun though, right?”

You scoffed. Hard to admit it, but yes, that was extremely fun, and you would definitely do it again, but on your own free will. “Yeah, whatever, that was kind of fun.”

“Would I ever disappoint you?”

“All the time,” you teased. Eren began walking to the usual spot outside of the church where you’d stand for smoking. As expected, he began to pull out his pack of cigarettes.

He quirked a brow at you, his piercing glinting in the light. “Yeah? Like how?”

You leaned against the wall and thought, crossing your arms. He was a frustrating, annoying person, but he was full of surprises, many of which weren’t disappointing. You needed to think fast to not lose this battle of wits.

“When you take all your piercings out,” you poked. “Super disappointing.”

Eren smirked, “so you like the piercings?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“I think you did.” He leaned in closer to you, taking a drag out of his cigarette.

“Shut up, poser.” You tilted your head back. The smoke from his mouth brushed across your cheeks, and you breathed it in.

“You’re stealing my nickname.” Eren turned the cig to you, offering you the butt. You were meant to take it from his hands, but in a moment of boldness, you attached your lips to the end of it as he held it, taking in a drag.

Your lips brushed against his fingers, and you held your composure as you did so, forcing yourself to remain relaxed as you looked at him.

Eren went rigid, and his eyes brushed over your lips as you pulled smoke from the cigarette. You leaned back, removing your lips, and blew the smoke into the air, clouding his face in the ashy smell.

He turned his hand and put the cigarette in his lips, looking to the side as he coughed slightly. You noted the way he pressed his fingers firmly to his own lips, the same ones your lips had just brushed, before averting your gaze and forcing yourself to look elsewhere.

You wanted to pretend to be relaxed, but you knew you were red in the face and sweat dripped from your back as you body overheated. Because, holy shit, you were so attracted to him it was sinful.

Your eyes returned to him, and you thought you might have seen a brush of red across his cheeks.

Eren finished his cigarette, stomping the butt on the ground with his boot. He checked his phone, looking at the time while he mindlessly played with the piercings on his lips with his tongue and teeth.

“Couple more songs, then wanna get food somewhere?” He asked, dropping the last conversation for both of your sakes.

“Sounds good,” you nodded.

The two of you headed back into the venue, and enjoyed a couple more songs by Primal Desire. You joined Eren in the mosh pit again, and stood at the end of itby the time Primal Desire was finished, as you felt covered in sweat and thoroughly beat up. You were exhausted, yet so alive in those moments.

You left the venue as the next band set up for the stage, as Eren described the next band as ‘not worth it’.

It was around 11:30 as you began walking the streets. You and Eren walked side by side, your pace idle and unrushed.

Eren looked up various food places that would be open at this time, before settling on Smiling Titan Burgers, a quick bite spot open till two am.

“This place’s right by my house,” Eren noted, looking at the map on his phone. “Wanna take it to go and chill there?”

“The frat house?” You questioned, nudging him. “Sure it’s safe in there and not hazardous?”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” he pushed back lightly. “Surprisingly, the guys are wild but they can clean up.”

You returned to his question about going back to his house. You were curious to see if his living situation reflected his metal lifestyle or basic frat style, anyway. “Yeah, we can do that.”

“Cool,” Eren nodded, placing his phone back in his pocket.

You continued to walk next to him, the streets much quieter compared to the blaring music in Regiment. Your ears felt slightly muted now, since you had forgotten the ear plugs this time. You mostly walked in silence together, but it was peaceful. It provided you time to unwind from your night and just feel the environment around you.

It wasn’t long until you reached the food joint. You both ordered food, Eren twice as much as you, and you got items quite fast before leaving the joint and entering the night again. Eren pointed the way to his house, which was a couple blocks down and just over ten minutes to get there.

“Are there a bunch of people in this frat? How big is this house?” You asked.

“It’s not huge,” he elaborated. “It’s me, Armin, and five other guys who live in the house. Others in the frat just come over to hang or party pretty much.”

“Please don’t tell me we’re walking into a party.”

Eren shook his head, chuckling. “No party tonight. Bunch of the guys just go out on fridays. We’ll sneak in the window though.”

“You sneak into the window of your own house?” you asked, appalled. “Why?”

Eren shrugged. “Avoids people.”

You laughed, shaking your head. “You are so weird,” you teased. “Do you do anything normally?”

Eren looked like he was thinking for a second, but he was playing along with the joke. “No. No fun in being normal, right?”

You smiled. “Right.”

You turned onto a street with all residential houses, and walked slightly uphill. You passed by houses of all similar shapes, some with music playing inside of them, lights on, and others quiet. You continued up the hill until Eren turned into the driveway of one in particular.

You looked at the house. It wasn’t impressive in size, but had to be at least two floors and an attic and basement if it housed seven people. The walls were green and it looked aged. But you had no real complaints, and were grateful to just have somewhere to sit.

Eren did not go to the front door, as expected, and began to round the corner of the house. You entered the backyard after passing through an iron fence; Eren jumped it and you walked in through the gate. He stopped in his tracks and turned to you. “Can you climb?”

Your face deadpanned. “Please, don’t make me do this.”

The corners of his lips tilted up playfully. “You can do this.”

He approached a part of the house that jutted out from the first floor and had a grill pressed against the wall. “I’ll spot you, c’mon.”

You shook your head, sighing with exasperation. “I really hate you.” You approached the grill, shuddering. He took your food bag from you and gestured to the grill.

Understanding what you had to do, you carefully allowed Eren to help guide you on top of the grill, his hands on your waist for the second time that night to lift you in the air. Standing on the grill, you kept your balance as you were chest level with the house’s bump out, which was long enough to likely lay a person down on. You used your strength to pull yourself up onto the slanted roof, careful of the shingles. You did so not elegantly, but you made it up. You rolled to your back as you waited for Eren, breathing out your air.

He made his way onto the bump out with you with a practiced ease, and then reached for the window that was just behind you, opening it. “Get in,’ he directed you.

You scrambled to your hands and knees, being careful to not slide and die off the (seven-foot) drop off the roof. You grasped onto the window ledge and hoisted yourself in, allowing yourself to fall to the ground, laying on your back as you sigh with a forced dramaticness.

Eren followed in suit, closing the window behind you and sitting on the floor next to you, staring at you and laughing.

“I think you’re going to be the death of me one day,” you groaned. You couldn’t help but laugh with him, though.

“Shut up and eat your chicken nuggets,” he placed your take out bag on your stomach, and opened his own, taking out his burger, nuggets, and fries.

You sat up and opened your own bag, taking out the nuggets and fries you ordered.

You looked around Eren’s room, finally taking in your surroundings. His walls were covered in posters and random memorabilia. His posters were all bands you knew from Mikasa or groups you didn’t recognize. His style reminded you a lot like Mikasa’s where everything was dark, yet a much more masculine version. He had a bureau, a desk, and a large bed pushed into the corner. It was simple, yet a good reflection of Eren.

“I like your room,” you tell him.

Eren leans back, laying his back against his bed. “Thanks, it’s fine.”

He unwrapped his burger and took a bite before literally moaning. “This shit is so good.” He threw his back as he chewed.

You shook your head in amusement, biting into your own food. “Chill out with the moaning,” you teased.

He swallowed and laughed. “A burger after a night out is better than sex.”

“It does hit the spot,” you said as you ate another nugget. “But I doubt that.”

Eren lifted himself back up, hunching slightly so he was more in your space. He was awfully close to you, your knees tapping ever so slightly as he adjusted.

“Yeah, maybe,” he held his food down in front of him, looking down at it. You were watching his motions, unable to take your eyes off of him.

Being in his room, alone, at midnight, felt more intimate than you’d like to admit. Eren struck you as the type to guard his space and rarely let anyone in. He was blunt with most people, snappy to strangers, yet around you he seemed to relax.

“Remember when you said you didn’t hate me?” you asked, the words coming out before you could think to stop yourself.

Eren's eyes looked up at you. His gaze relaxed, yet his eyes pierced yours. “Hm?”

“Why not?”

That day, he never explained it. He switched conversation to something to do with your class, and you couldn’t get yourself to ask about it. It was hard to catch him so at ease, in a place where he couldn’t escape your confrontation. In the space of his own room, you could corner him into revealing the bits of himself he hid behind his dark curtains.

He didn’t say anything for a couple moments, just staring at you.

“I just didn’t,” he said finally.

“But you hate everyone you first meet.”

“I usually do,” he shrugged. He acted calm, but you could feel a fire somewhere within him, warming you. “But you just felt different to me.”

“You’re a weird one, Eren,” you smiled. You wanted to pry, but you feared it would push him away from you.

You both looked at each other for that moment. He was leaning forward, almost invading your space. If you leaned forward just a little more, you would be crossing an invisible boundary you had built up between the two of you since he first started annoying you in class. Yet, the walls you placed were beginning to fade, and as you got to Eren each day you felt a pull towards him.

The same pull tugging at your chest, causing your heart to beat erratically, made you lean forward just a small bit.

“So are you, poser,” he lightly teased. “For hanging out with me so much.”

“I like hanging out with you.” Your words were true. You enjoyed being around him, and it made your stomach churn in a way that screwed with your nerves.

This night with Eren was so fun. It was the most fun you’d had on these Fridays, yet you wouldn’t admit to him yet that his crazy antics excited you and pushed you to try new things you wouldn’t have dared to do without him. Just like the dancing crowd at the concert, his energy pushed and pulled you around, orbiting around his very being.

“I’m flattered,” he said with a lazy smirk. “You’re pretty cool too, I guess.”

Just then, you tilted your body in his direction, following the string connecting you. It was unintentional yet his actions reflected yours.

Eren’s arm lifted from his side and hand was on your neck, pulling you in. You followed, allowing yourself to be pulled in, as Eren’s lips found yours.

Your heart nearly bursted out of you. Your eyes went wide with shock as you realized what was happening. Eren was kissing you, his lips pressed against yours and grip on your neck loose but firm. You couldn’t fight it, because you wanted it just the same. The building attraction you felt for him as leading you to this moment, where you could give in and let yourself have just one more moment of thrill in the night.

You kissed him back, your shaking body leaning more towards him, and the kiss deepened, Eren guiding you into the abyss.

Chapter Text

You kissed him back, your shaking body leaning more towards him, and the kiss deepened, Eren guiding you into the abyss.

His lips moved confidently against yours, slowly and not pushing you. It was tame, yet you couldn’t help the way your heart pounded fast in your chest.

Feeling like you might pass out, you pulled back, pushing on his shoulder. “Shit, Eren,” you uttered, breathing in.

His eyes opened to look at you, concerned etched into his brown. “Shit, did I fuck up?–I’m sorry that was–” His hand flew from your neck, retreating to his side.

“No! No, it’s fine,” you blurted out and shook your head. “I’m okay with it, more than okay with it.”

“So… what?” He blinked at you, confused.

“You’re like… my roommate’s brother.” You said slowly, unsure of how to phrase your conflict.

Eren frowned. He leaned back, and you missed the presence of him in your space. “We can stop.”

You paused, feeling clash in your thoughts. You wanted to keep kissing him so badly. Would it make you feel like a bad person? Likely.

You hung your head and your hands covered your face. “Fuck,” you groaned. “I really want to kiss you again.”

“Then fucking kiss me,” Eren pushed forward, moving towards you and grabbing your wrists so your hands were off your face. You were forced to lean back if you wanted to preserve your sanity over this man. “Who cares about anyone else?”

You bit your lip, nibbling at the skin as his gaze bored into you intensely. You tried to mull it over in your mind in the little time you had, but all your thoughts returned to how amazing it’d feel to kiss again and feel his skin under yours.

Just kissing wouldn’t hurt… right?

Pushing up, you reconnected your lips to his, abandoning all second guessing and acting on pure instinct. Eren, just as eager to feel you, pulled you into him, wrapping your arms around his neck and grabbing you by the waist. He practically lifted you up so that he could place you on his lap, angling his head to fit his lips perfectly against yours.

The kiss was more intense, and Eren held back little as he pulled you into him, his hands resting on your hips. With a swipe of his tongue against your bottom lip, you opened your mouth for him, taking the kiss to another level of insanity.

Unable to help yourself, you took his bottom lip into your mouth, sucking on the skin to feel his snake bites against your lips. It was a different sensation than anyone you had kissed in the past, and it sent a shudder through you.

Eren pulled back, a smirk on his lips as he stared up at you.

“So you do like the piercings?” he teased, his voice cocky.

You gripped the sides of his face and squeezed. “Shut up, asshole.”

You kissed him again, taking the lead as you used your leverage on his face to guide him to you. He fell right back into beat with you, his mouth working wonders against your own. He squeezed your hips tightly before his hands drifted behind you, pulling your body tightly against his. You could feel how muscular he was from the way you connected, the hard planes of his chest rubbing against you.

It took everything in you to not grind your hips against his, as it would take this from just kissing to too far. But you couldn’t deny that you wanted Eren to push; to take the next step.

Eren’s hands on your back traced against the skin that was exposed between your jeans and your cropped shirt. His fingers were cold and it gave you delicious, cold goosebumps to counter that heat that was being produced between your shared contact.

Eren grabbed the hem of your top and tugged. “Take this off,” he said against your lips in a breathy tone.

You obeyed, lifting the mesh top from over your shoulders, prying yourself off Eren for that moment. You still had a tank top underneath the shirt, so it was fine, you justified, not second base yet.

Eren pulled you back to him the moment you were free of the top, his lips finding their home on yours. You hummed into the kiss, the sensations overwhelming you and, in your plotting, to see how Eren would react to your sounds.

Eren’s lips separated from yours only to travel to your jaw and down the column of your neck. He placed hot, open mouth kisses all over your neck, never quite sucking the flesh so as to avoid marking you for now.

You brushed a hand through his locks of hair, dragging your fingers through the long length of it. God, it was such a satisfying feeling to do so.

His lips trailed up back to yours and you reconnected, this time much more languid and the fire started to turn into a dull, comfortable simmer.

You kissed him a couple more times before pulling back. His hands rested on your hips as he stared at you, his eyes hooded and fixated on you.

“Good?” You asked, wanting to make sure he didn’t regret kissing you.

He smirked at you. “Good.”

“You don’t hate me finally?” You teased, your fingers playing with the ends of his hair.

“Definitely not.”

“Good.” You sat back. You needed a moment to process that intense makeout session and try to rationalize in your mind what you were going to tell Mikasa.

You came to the conclusion that that would be a much later issue, and you needed to focus on what to do with the man in front of you, eyeing you like candy dangling in front of him.

“You should stay here tonight,” Eren prompted.

Your eyes widened a bit at the suggestion. He caught wind of your look and shook his head. “We don’t have to do anything. Just… stay tonight.”

It was late. Likely one a.m. by now and you did not have any desire to continue walking today.

“Yeah, I’ll stay,” you nodded. You adjusted yourself on Eren’s lap, trying to find a way to sit comfortably without either of you pouncing the other again. “Is there somewhere I can sleep?”

Eren gave you an incredulous look. “My bed?”

You frowned, tugging on his hair. “Is that okay? I don’t want to kick you out of your bed.”

“What? Don’t want to share with me? I promise I won’t bite you unless you ask,” he grinned lazily at you, hands squeezing your hips again tightly.

You blushed lightly, not ready to tread those waters yet. “We can share…” you shrugged. “Just wanted to make sure you’re fine with me starfishing the whole night.”

“Yeah, good luck beating my starfish,” he sneered playfully.

“Is that a challenge?”

“Only one way to see.”

Eren pushed your hips back, hinting at you to get off his lap. You did so, reluctantly peeling yourself off his strong thighs.

You looked down at the food you both neglected, and no longer felt hungry for it anymore. Eren caught your gaze and seemed to have a mutual understanding. “I’ll go put this in the fridge for tomorrow,” he said, grabbing all of the food on the ground and standing. He looked down to you from your position on the floor. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

“Bye,” you waved him off and stood as well as he left. You took your shoes off and made your way to the bed, sitting on the edge. You didn’t feel comfortable enough to lay down yet, so you pulled out your phone to shoot Mikasa a quick message.

you - hey it’s late so I’m staying at Eren’s tn since I’m already here. See u in the morning!

You didn’t want to drop it on her that you kissed Eren over text, so you stuck to that for now. You felt nervous, thinking about the future conversation, so you put your phone back down to avoid thinking too deeply.

Eren walked back in a moment later. He started to take off various layers and accessories to get ready for bed. You watched him as he haphazardly placed them on his messy desk before making his way to the bureau to pull out sweat pants.

“Need a pair of pants?” He asked, looking back at you.

Not wanting to sleep in jeans, you nodded. “Yes, please.”

He pulled out a pair of gray, plaid pajama pants and tossed them back to you. Casually, he started taking off his own pants, revealing simple black boxers.

You had just laid on his lap a couple minutes ago, but you averted your gaze, not wanting to look like a drooling puppy. While his back was turned to you, you did the same, removing your jeans and putting on his pants. Your tank top would be fine to sleep in, and you’d suffer through the bra tonight.

Eren finished getting ready for bed, turned the lights off in the room and then stalked over to you, eagerly flopping on the bed. He rested on his back, hands behind his head as he lazily closed his eyes, but you could tell he wasn’t going to sleep yet.

You laid in the bed as well, facing him while remaining on your side. “You tired?” You asked, tone slightly hopeful.

He opened his eyes idly and peered at you. “Not really.” He shrugged. “You?”

“I’m fine,” you responded casually.

Eren turned onto his side to face you, your faces close together again. You couldn’t help but smile as you looked at him, amused at the situation.

Three weeks ago, if someone told you that frat boy in Consumer Psychology was actually a masochistic metalhead you’d share a bed with, you might have shot them with a gun.

Yet here you were, desperate to touch him again without knowing how to ask for it.

“Say something,” Eren blurted out, eyes narrowing at you.

“Huh?”

“You’re thinking about something. Say it,” he urged.

Deciding to come clean, you said, “I want you to kiss me again.”

Eren’s lips tugged into a smirk as he leaned to you, hovering slightly over your form. “How can I say no to that?”

**optional: play Be Quiet and Drive (far away) - Deftones**

He pressed his lips back down to yours, and your hand found its place in his hair again, twisting at the locks. Eren leaned more over you, shifting closer so your sides were pressed together. His hand helped balance him as he placed it on your neck, thumb brushing over your pulse.

The kiss started out slow but once you squeezed Eren’s hair in your first, the energy shifted. Eren shifted his weight to hover over you, not quite placing his weight all the way down. He braced himself on his elbows as he sucked at your bottom lip.

Eren being on top of you did evil things to your mind and made you want to cross some boundaries you knew you’d really regret in the morning. Your hands drifted from his hair to his chest, then to his shoulders where you squeezed the hard muscle.

Eren’s hips rolled slightly, and you were done for. Your grip tightened and you let out a small moan, the friction a wonderful, dangerous feeling. He took your moan as a sign to continue, and rolled his hips again. The thin fabric pants you both wore were no aide to your situation, and you could practically feel him through them.

“Pants stay on,” you said firmly, pulling back for a second.

“Whatever you want, angel,” Eren grinned and then nipped at your chin. You trembled under his touch. With each movement, you could feel how possessive he was, and knew you were slipping into the depths of darkness with him. You wanted to believe he was the one dragging you under, drowning you, but truly he was the lone source of oxygen to fill your flooded lungs, and you were chasing after him.

He kissed his way back to your mouth, and breathed against your lips as his hips rolled onto yours again. You met his movement, pushing yours up against his at the same time.

Would it be embarrassing to come just from this? Maybe, you thought.

You continued to kiss, but it was more like an occasional brush of lips and tongues as you focused on the way your body’s tangled together. It was primal and you couldn’t stop yourself from matching his movements.

Eren was far from heaven, but this unholy experience might be as close to God you’ve ever felt.

Eren’s hand shifted from your side to brush over your stomach, and slowly drifted up to the underside of your breast, testing you. You moved your hand over his, and guided him to palm your breast over your tank top. He squeezed roughly, pressing down on your body as he did so.

“Eren, fuck,” you groaned.

He continued to hold onto your breast while balancing himself on his other arm, the muscle firmly flexed to hold him up. You wanted to bite into his strong bicep, yet resisted.

“Talk to me,” he whispered into your ear, kissing the skin below your earlobe.

“I think…” you breathed out, body tensing as his lips found your neck again, peppering the skin with his hot mouth. “I think we need to stop.”

Eren immediately pulled back, putting space between the two of you. His hand left your breast and rested against the bed, propping himself up. “Did I push too far? Damnit…” He scolded himself, his face cringing.

Unable to help but soothe him, you brushed his hair back. “No, no, that was… that was really good. I just don’t want to go any further tonight.”

It was the best idea for now. You could handle kissing him and you already risked second base before it could go further. You needed to talk to Mikasa lest anything more occured since kissing was a lot more forgivable than fucking her brother.

He hung his head slightly but nodded. He hovered above you still, reluctant to move. You wanted to pull him right back in, and maybe he wanted it just as much as you did.

“Yeah, you’re right,” he rolled off of you, landing on his back next to you, his shoulder lightly touching yours.

“Yeah,” you swallowed thickly. Somehow, the energy in the air felt awkward. Perhaps it was because your friendship would forever be changed now. Maybe to him, you were just another girl, and this wouldn’t matter. Was he that type of guy? You didn’t know him well enough to know if this was a regular occurrence for him.

“Hey, Eren…” you said quietly, staring up at his dark room, “tonight was really fun, so thanks.”

Eren nudged his shoulder to yours, something you and him were beginning to pick up. “Hey, anytime, poser. You’re cool.”

“Such a flatterer,” you teased, curling onto your side and sleepily closing your eyes. The late night was taking over you, and your anxiety warped in comfort as you sunk into the comfortable sheets of Eren’s bed.

“Night, poser,” he said with a yawn, nestling more comfortably into his sheets.

“Night, loser,” you snipped back, pinching his shoulder with your fingers.

Eren chuckled, but said no more. You were fine with that, and let your exhaustion overtake your senses and lull you to sleep.

***

You woke up that morning with the sun glaring into your eyes and sounds of raucous shouting from inside the house. You groaned, unable to escape both the rays of light and the obnoxious yells too early in the morning.

Spotting your phone on Eren’s bed stand, you grabbed it and checked the contents of the device.

10:47 a.m.

Alright, so it looked like you slept in a bit. Not a problem, but a quick glance over the bed showed you that Eren had already left, and didn’t bother to wake up. You looked at your phone again and saw Mikasa had texted you back.

9:21 a.m.

Mikasa A. - no problem! ty for letting me know

You breathed out a relieved sigh. You were partly worried she’d be mad that you even stayed at Eren’s in the first place. You knew it was a bit outlandish, but you couldn’t stop yourself from worrying.

Not wanting to get up and explore the house in search of Eren, you chose to send him a message.

You - im awake. Where r u

It didn’t take long for him to respond.

Eren J. - living room. Come out

Groaning, you push yourself out of the bed. Your body ached from last night's adventures, but thankfully you weren’t hungover since you hadn’t drank anything during the show.

You were very comfortable in Eren’s pajama pants, so you opted to keep those on. Considering the voices you heard in the house, the other men were up and about, and you didn’t want to encounter them in just your tank top, so you found your mesh top and put it back on. It was better than nothing.

Next, you needed to find the bathroom before you revealed yourself.

You walked to Eren’s door and slowly peered your head out, looking around to ensure you had a safe path to a bathroom. You observed a hallway with multiple doors and on your left, thank god, a door was open leading to an empty bathroom. You quietly dashed out of the room and sped to the room, shutting the door behind you.

You entered the bathroom and tried to not think about how this was shared by seven men. It wasn’t the worst bathroom you’d ever seen, but it was certainly lived in. Various items were tossed onto the bathroom counter, such as toothbrushes, combs, and razors, and there were towels folded in varying degrees of neat and messy on the shelf by the shower.

You looked into the mirror and instantly knew you needed to wash the makeup off from last night. Praying one of the men had a girlfriend here, you went through the drawers looking for makeup wipes. Thankfully, your prayers were answered and you found a half used container of them, and began wiping your face clean.

You neatened your hair as best you could before actually using the bathroom for its intended purpose and then leaving. You followed the sound of voices, hoping it’d guide you to Eren.

You rounded the corner of the hallway, went down a set of stairs and ended up in a connected living room and kitchen which was quite a large space.

Your eyes instantly landed on Eren, whose back was turned to you as he sat on a couch facing the TV. You didn’t know if he heard you come down because he was currently locked into an intense game of Super Smash Bros.

“FUCK YOU, JAEGER, THAT’S A DIRTY MOVE!” The light-brown haired boy next to him jeered, shoving Eren hard.

“Get better at the game then, Jean-boy,” Eren mocked, egging on the other man, who cursed him again.

Another man laughed, his face more clear to you as he sat on the part of the L-shaped couch that faced the wall next to the TV, but his attention was on the game. He had a buzzcut that appeared nearly blue in this lighting, and he pointed viciously at the brown haired boy, Jean-boy, while he cackled at him.

While the people were distracted, you were able to get a good look at who was in the room.

Obviously, you spotted Eren in the middle of the leather couch, next to him was the brown haired Jean, then next to him was the man with shaved hair. Looking on, a girl sat next to the last man, her auburn brown hair tied back. She cheered on Jean, while shouting commands at him. On Eren’s other side, a boy with dark hair sat quietly, content to watch the game.

Standing to the side of the couch, watching the TV was a muscular blond man, and a taller dark haired man standing to his right. They made little commentary except calling out good moves or making sounds of cringe as either Eren or Jean landed a good hit.

Finally, after much back and forth and a cheer from the crowd the TV exclaimed, “META KNIGHT WINS!”

“God damnit,” Jean groaned, shaking his head.

“GET FUCKED!” The blue haired boy laughed.

“Shut up, Connie, you’re so fucking loud,” Jean sneered, turning pointedly at him. Connie stuck his tongue out, facing Jean instead of the TV, and blew a raspberry out. At his new angle, he spotted you standing awkwardly behind the couch and his eyes widened as he gasped. “HOLY GIRL IN THE HOUSE!”

Heads whipped around to look at you. The only one who didn’t turn around at neck-breaking speed was Eren, who looked back calmly like he expected to see you. Which, likely, he did, as he texted you to come down.

“Who are you?” The muscular blond man said, looking up and down.

“Alright, who got lucky?” The girl jested, pointing at the men accusingly. You wondered if she was someone’s girlfriend here.

“She’s with me,” Eren spoke up, jumping off the back of the couch and walking up to you. You observed him as he made his way over. He still wore his cut-sleeve band tee from last night and the sweats he changed into for bed. Most notably, he still had his piercings in and this was the first time you had ever seen them in broad light. You wondered if he kept them in for you.

“WOAHHHH,” Connie exclaimed, his face lit up with cheer. “Way to go, Jaeger-bomb!”

“Can it, Connie,” Eren snapped back at him. “We’re just friends.”

Ouch. It was true, but hurt to hear. Last night was a whim of the moment that you should probably discuss with Eren before deciding if you were just friends or more.

Avoiding showing your falter, you nodded. “Yeah, I just crashed here.”

Jean looked you up and down, his eyes curious. “I didn’t know Eren could make friends without Mikasa and Armin. Way to go, Eren.”

Eren’s face was red with rage. It was clear these two riled each other up. “Shut up.”

However, despite Jean just messing with Eren, it was ironically true that it was Mikasa who really introduced you two. “I’m her roommate,” you stated. Eren’s eyes bore daggers at you, a warning look that you frankly weren’t afraid of.

Jean laughed, throwing his head back. “That’s gold,” he said through his laughter.

“What’s your name?” the girl asked, switching the conversation to a nicer one over a mocking, poking-the-Eren one, “I’m Sasha. I don’t think we’ve met.”

You remembered her name. She was the legendary deca-waffle eater. You introduce yourself to them all, waving nicely.

“Welcome to Alpha Omega Tao,” the muscular blond man greeted.

“Best frat at Paradis, baby,” Connie added.

Eren pointed down the line, introducing you to each person by simply stating their name. You wanted to remember them, so you paired each with a feature about them that stood out to you. There was Bertholdt the tall, Reiner the blond, Marco the freckled, Jean the mullet, Connie the bald, Sasha the waffler. Besides Armin, these were the men of the house, and Sasha was just Connie’s best friend who never left.

After the brief introduction, Eren turned to you, ignoring the group. “Wanna get breakfast?”

You blinked at him. Of course, the tradition was breakfast after Regiment, but everything about the past twelve hours was so unconventional to the normal routine, it was weird to return to normalcy.

“Sure,” you nodded.

“Where are you going? Can I come?” Sasha waved to you guys, her voice whiny in desperation.

“No,” Eren shot back, he put a hand on your shoulder and guided you back to the stairs, walking with you.

You waved bye to the crowd and went up the stairs, fine to be out of the spotlight. Once you were up to the second floor, he dropped his hand from your shoulder and walked behind you, heading to his room. You understood you were getting dressed before heading out.

“Are we going to Nanaba’s?” you asked.

“Yeah, that good?”

You nodded. The two of you entered his room and gathered clothing. Eren afforded the luxury of putting on a new, comfy outfit and you slipped on the baggy jeans you wore last night. You desperately craved a shower, feeling caked in something unpleasant.

Once the two of you were dressed, he brought you back down to the stairs–thank god not the window–and ignored his friends as you left the house. The sun glared down on you both and you squinted to adjust to it.

“Wanna drive?” he asked, pulling out a mysterious pair of keys out of his sweatpants pockets.

“Holy shit, you have a car?” you asked, shocked.

He smirked and nodded. He pressed the start button on the keys and you followed the sound of a car coming to life. Your eyes landed on a red Ford Fusion. It looked a little worn but that was just from age. The car also looked cared for and you could tell Eren tended to it well.

“Nice wheels,” you complimented, heading towards the car.

He thanked you and walked with you. Surprising you, he opened the passenger door for you.

“What a gentleman,” you joked, smiling at him with a wink.

“Just doing my part,” he replied, a hint of humor in his tone.

Eren closed the door for you before heading to the driver’s side and getting into the front seat. He immediately started driving, backing out of the driveway and heading down the street. The drive was decently quiet, the both of you just relaxed in the car. You wished to speak but had no idea what to talk about. Should you talk about the kiss last night, ask how he met the fraternity brothers, if he would kiss you again or if you were just a one off?

No, you most certainly weren’t going to bring it up. Besides if he wanted to talk about it he could bring it up all the same. Eren also already stated to the house that you were just friends; those ultimate words that squashed all romantic sparks in every situation.

If that’s what he wanted right now, then so be it.

“Any other plans this weekend?” You asked, breaking the silence.

“No,” Eren shook his head. “I’m probably gonna play video games tonight.” He paused for a second, before glancing at you briefly. “Any plans for you?”

“Nothing really. Maybe just taking care of Mikasa,” you answered.

“She still sick?”

“I think so, she was pretty under the weather last night. Maybe I’ll get her some stuff before heading home,” you said.

Eren hummed in agreement with your statement, continuing to drive. The total trip was only a couple minutes, so he pulled into the parking lot of Nanaba’s quite quickly.

“We’re having a party next saturday, though,” Eren noted, looking at you once he parked the car. “You should come.”

You had not been to a frat party before. Greek life at Marley was lackluster and partying was considered lazy and for the thick minded. So naturally, you wanted to go.

“Yeah, that sounds cool,” you smiled at him. “The guys at the house seem fun too.”

“Yeah, our parties are crazy,” he grinned, like he was reminiscing. “You need to be there. Tell Mikasa to come too.”

“Gotcha,” you said with a firm nod. Taking initiative, you got out of the car, and headed in for Nanaba’s, Eren following in tow.

You didn’t spend long there. You both destroyed your plates of food before Eren paid the bill, somehow sneaking your money back into your bag, before he offered to drive you to the nearest convenience store to pick up stuff for Mikasa. He waited outside in his car as you bought her a gatorade, some crackers, and instant ramen. After you paid and left, he drove you to the dorms, where he parked outside the gates closest to Maria Hall.

Before leaving, you couldn’t help but turn to him, and offered him a soft smile. “Thanks for the ride,” and for last night. But the lump in your throat forbidded your words from fully expressing your real feelings. “I’ll see you Tuesday?”

Eren’s smirk was soft, a contrast to the typical hard lines that defined his face. “See you Tuesday?”

You waved goodbye to him before walking to the gates. His car didn’t leave until you passed through them, and you made your way back to your dorm, desperate to get inside and talk to Mikasa. You had no idea how you’d bring up the kiss, but you knew you had to be calm and accommodating to her feelings. You refused to ever act on it again if Mikasa didn’t want you to, out of respect for your friendship.

Time was a blur as you soon found yourself outside of your door, unlocking the room with trembling hands.

You opened, and instantly saw Mikasa, who was sitting in bed reading a book. Based on the way she was still in pajamas, curled into her blankets past noon, she was most certainly still sick.

“Hey,” she smiled at you, putting her book down. “How was last night?”

Your head was vibrating. “Good,” you squeaked out. You placed down the bag on her desk, taking out the items. “I got you some things from the store.”

“Thanks,” she looked over the items you left for her before she continued, “who was playing last night?”

“MIKASA, EREN AND I KISSED.”

You blurted it out. Very not calmly and very uncool. You didn’t mean to do it but the words were like a ticking time bomb, sitting within you, screaming in your mind repeatedly until they were set free with an explosion.

The room was quiet. Mikasa’s eyes were wide and her expression unreadable. You cringed, hard, waiting for an onslaught of feelings of betrayal and hurt.

Yet, she didn’t say anything. She remained unmoving until she pulled out her phone and started typing rapidly.

“Mikasa?” you whimpered quietly, desperate to hear her say something.

“One second,” she held a finger up to you. “I’m telling Armin he owes me ten dollars.”

…

“What?”

“Wait, what?” You repeated yourself. You took a step forward, confusion overtaking your mind.

Mikasa put her phone down on her lap and stared at you, her expression still not giving anything away.

“Mikasa, I understand if you’re upset with me. It was just a spur of the moment and it was late and–”

“I’m not mad at you.”

You stumble over your word vomit. “You’re not?”

Mikasa cracked. She laughed openly, her expression easing into one that soothed much of the anxiety that was pounding at your chest. “No. God, no,” Mikasa comforted. “Armin and I literally bet Eren would make a move on you. I won.”

You faltered, your mind racing in circles. Finally, you crumbled. “Oh, thank god, Mikasa I was so scared I crossed a line and you’d hate me.”

“You’re fine,” she shook her head. “Don’t worry.”

It was a relief to hear Mikasa wasn’t mad at you. You could tell she was being genuine by her body language and the earnest tone of her voice. You didn’t miss, however, that Mikasa said she betted that Eren would make a move on you and not the other way around.

“We’re still just friends,” you stated, thoroughly believing it true after you mulled it over in your mind. You and Eren were just getting to know each other, despite developing a closer relationship, and you were simply just attracted to him. He was still so far from you, and you knew that there was so much more to him that you’d need to understand to consider Eren anything as more than your friend. You could be fine with that.

“Gotcha,” Mikasa nodded, pulling up her book, turning her attention back to that.

You returned back to normalcy in your room. You tried not to ponder over last night, and distracted yourself with your own activities. Yet, once in a while, your mind wandered back to Eren, the feeling of him against you, and questioning if it would ever happen again. For now, you had to believe it wouldn’t because it might drive you mad if it did.

Chapter Text

** play Under and Over It - Five Finger Death Punch**

Sole Salvation was the main band of the night at Regiment the very next week. You started the night with Mikasa, whose health had made an astounding recovery, before Eren dragged you into the pit via crowd surfing. You had no real complaints, finding yourself enjoying the wild, feral side of Eren that was brought out by these concerts. He wasn’t going to hurt you, so why not join in?

Armin had made a return as well, coming back from his grandfather’s last Sunday. You hadn’t seen him in two weeks, but he still lingered around Annie and Mikasa in the back while you and Eren moshed. Everytime you caught a glance at them, it looked like Armin was standing in the middle of the two of them, trying to hold a conversation with both while the girls didn’t talk to each other.

Thank god Mikasa liked you, because if you had to face her cold, indifferent side, you might sob. The two of them had mirroring boredom, and perhaps they were too similar to get along properly. Annie, however, didn’t seem to have any kind of sweet side like Mikasa. You once again wondered why Armin was so attached to her.

But again, not your business.

Besides, you couldn’t really blame him when the object of your fascination was Eren Jaeger.

He was masochistic, constantly switching between violence and nonchalance, secretive, and confusing. He wore his red flags loud and proud but it was a known fact that red caught the eye.

You swirled around in the mosh pit, following behind him, knowing that wherever he went he’d keep you safe from the fire swarming around you.

Maybe it was because Eren was fun that you willingly followed him, or that you felt free when he encouraged you to try the more dangerous things in life.

You openly shoved around the pit, feeling more comfortable than you had last week, but stumbled forward after catching a stray foot on the ground. You fell forward, hands out to brace your fall, before you collided with someone’s chest.

Looking up, you knew it would be Eren. He grinned down at you, and you smiled back up at him, laughing. He grabbed ahold of your wrists and then shoved you back into a crowd of people. You laughed as you flew backwards, before being bounced back. He mirrored the actions, throwing himself back to only be thrown back at you, grabbing your wrists and spinning you before doing it again.

You trusted that he wouldn’t let you fall.

After a while of actively running around with Eren, you were thoroughly exhausted. It was late in the night and reaching the point where you’d typically begin leaving. You slipped out of the pit, pushing out the crowd and approached your roommate, who stood with Armin and Annie still.

Mikasa’s attention turned to you. “Who would’ve thought you liked to mosh?” she noted, shouting to you over the music and the earplugs, looking over your disheveled, sweaty state.

You shrugged, smiling. “Good stress relief,” you leaned in to make sure she heard you.

You wiped your brow, taking off the hot sweat dripping down your face.

You stood with them, enjoying the last couple songs of the night until Eren finally left the crowd and joined you all.

“Let’s head out,” he stated, his voice nowhere near a shout yet clear in your ears. You all agreed, and left the venue together.

The five of you walked together in the dark night. Leaving the Regiment always brought you a feeling of contentment, and you could finally take your earplugs out and save your spinning head from an endless sea of bodies. You walked side by side with Eren a ways in front of the group. Mikasa continued to talk to Armin, and they walked in line with Annie who appeared disinterested.

“What kind of vibe is the party tomorrow?” you asked him, regarding the party his fraternity was having.

“Black out theme,” he grinned at you, clearly excited.

“What’s that?” You could only picture the entire party being pitch black.

“Everyone dresses in black, simple as that,” Eren simply stated.

“What? So our usual Fridays but we do it on Saturday too?”

Eren laughed, shaking his head. “Yeah, but we’ll be the best dressed.”

You laughed. “Sure, sure. You don’t think the guys can get as emo as you?”

“Hell no,” he nudged you in the shoulder. “ And quit calling my look emo, that’s offensive.”

“Then what is your look?” You quirked your brows at him, eyeing him up and down. His outfit was similar to the ones he had been wearing each week. A cut tee, always a different band, black jeans, and the leather jacket. Sometimes his accessories were different, such as an addition of different chains, cuffs, or necklaces.

“It’s metal.”

“Okay, buddy.”

Eren pinched you on your back and you yelped, jumping up as a laugh escaped you. “Hey!”

“Don’t buddy me,” he growled, the look in his eyes cutting daggers, but his grin gave away his amusement.

“Sorry, pal.” You shoved your shoulder against his.

“You are so annoying,” Eren grabbed your hair gently and shook your head, making you laugh.

You continued to stride next to him, having to take longer steps to keep up with him. You were a bit ahead of the rest of the group, who walked at a steady pace further behind you.

As you walked, your feet ached. You had worn new shoes tonight, a pair that you had bought online two weeks ago. They were black, faux leather, with buckles and three inches of heel. While you felt amazing wearing them, you were paying the price of jumping in them for hours on end.

You kept pace with Eren but at the cost of your feet. You worked to maintain a face of composure. Yet, a slight grimace gave you away, and Eren’s gaze swept down to your boots, brows furrowed as he observed you walking.

“What’s wrong with you?” He asked, his voice pointed.

“I’m just–” you took a particularly painful step, “breaking in these new shoes.”

“Is that why you’re walking so weird?”

“Uh, yeah.”

He looked down for a couple moments longer before humming lowly in his throat.

Then he stopped.

You did too, eyeing him curiously. In that next moment, he turned his back to you and then bent his knees.

“What are you doing?” you questioned him.

“Get on,” he instructed.

Was he seriously offering to carry you? Mikasa, Armin, and Annie were still a good pace behind you but they’d clearly see him giving you a piggyback ride.

“Hell no,” you laughed. “I can walk fine, Jaeger.”

Eren turned his head and glared at you. “Don’t be stubborn, just get on. Your pace is dragging me.”

“I was keeping up with you!” You argued, your voice raising.

“Barely. I was slowing down for you,” he scoffed. “Now hurry up and get on.”

You rolled your eyes and finally complied. You slowly walked to him and then, with him urging you more, you jumped on his back. His arms hooked onto the back of your thighs as they squeezed against his waist.

You couldn’t help the blush that crept onto your face and you were thankful he couldn't see your face. Eren stood up taller and adjusted you on his back, bouncing you, before setting back into his pace. You wrapped your arms around his neck, keeping yourself stable. He walked like you weren’t even on his back, and went back to a fast pace, perhaps faster than you were walking before.

Behind you, you could have sworn you heard laughter coming from Mikasa and Armin.

You groaned, dropping your head onto his shoulder. “This is so embarrassing,” you muffled into his shirt.

Eren chuckled, his hands squeezing your thighs. “At least your feet don’t hurt anymore, right?” he teased.

“They don’t hurt,” you lied, “I’m just not used to the shoes yet.”

“Sure,” he mocked, drawing out the word.

“Quit it before I start yanking out your piercings.”

“And who said I wouldn’t like that?”

In retaliation, you tugged on his ear, avoiding actually grabbing his piercings lest it hurt him to which he laughed.

“You are a freak.” You told him.

Eren turned his neck, looking back at you. His smirk was plastered on his lips, and his green eyes narrowed at you. “You like it.”

Taking his chin in your hand, you pushed it forward, forcing him to look away from you. “Eyes ahead, Jaeger.” You said, your hand lingering on his jaw. You couldn’t handle him looking at you like that at this moment. The position was already intimate enough, you couldn’t stand to make eye contact with him right now.

Not when he could possibly see the red that had taken over your entire face.

The rest of the walk was physically painless, but you suffered emotional pain the whole way, telling yourself you didn’t enjoy being carried by Eren. You told yourself that you didn’t enjoy walking with him ahead of your friends, and that you didn’t appreciate the way he controlled his pace so he could walk beside you. You convinced yourself you weren’t content at that moment, and weren’t sad when he finally put you down when they reached the dorm buildings.

And you weren’t secretly relieved when Mikasa didn’t mention anything about Eren carrying you nearly all the way home.

You barely slept that night, tossing and turning as you stressed about the party tomorrow. You had been fine going to concerts with your new friends, but now you’d have to face all your new friends’ other friends. One embarrassing moment and everything could be over.

The next day might have been the longest of your life.

You went to breakfast as typical, then split ways before going back to your dorm with Mikasa to spend the day doing work. Classes were growing more intense and you could no longer afford to keep your Saturdays homework free.

After what felt like days within the hours, it finally reached the time to get ready for the party. You and Mikasa had a pizza on the way to the dorms and you both sat at your opposing desks to do makeup. Your roommate turned on music for you to get ready to, which was a bonus.

** play Circle With Me - Spiritbox **

“I love this song,” you said excitedly, turning to her. Mikasa smiled at you as she finished drawing a perfect stroke over her eyelid in black eyeliner.

“What are you doing tonight for makeup?” you asked curiously, holding a variety of brushes in your fists.

Mikasa turned and shrugged. “My normal look.”

You frowned. “I see,” you nodded. After a moment, you spoke again, “What do you think I should do?”

Mikasa looked at you for a second, cocking her head as she thought. She pursed her lips as she examined you. “Just be yourself,” she said finally.

You turned back to your space and looked at your tools. You guessed she was right. To make the best impression of yourself, the number one thing you had to do was be yourself.

You had certainly begun to adopt the darker look into your everyday style, finding yourself feeling more comfortable in your skin every time you dressed up. It was fun and felt freeing. It truly was a good thing that tonight's theme was black so you could fit right in with your normal closet attire.

You took Mikasa’s advice and did your makeup to what made you feel best. It wasn’t too much, but you felt really good about how it turned out. It was you through and through.

After your pizza arrived, you sat down together to eat a couple slices each. You carefully ate the pizza to not ruin your makeup and listened intently to Mikasa as she recalled previous Alpha Omega Tao party stories. She told you about the time Connie had dared and convinced half of the frat to play Edward Forty Hands which ended with him winning yet throwing up all over the kitchen sink the same night. Another time, they played seven minutes in heaven and Eren and Jean were forced into the closet together.

The stories made you both excited and nervous. Mikasa assured you emergencies rarely happened and the night was sure to be a blast. You were mostly just antsy to arrive and to finally experience it for yourself.

After finishing eating, you both curated your outfits. Mikasa wore a version of an outfit she’d wear on any given day except with a lot more skin showing. Her black dress was tight and tiny and she wore thigh high lace tights to go pair with it. She added many bracelets and cuffs to her arm and a black choker to finish the look.

Understanding the idea, you got to work. You selected a tight black jean skirt that hung at your mid waist and stopped just shy under your butt, a belt, and a lacey black top that could double as a bra. The top did wonders to your breasts, pushing at your cleavage in just the right way. A glance in your mirror told you one thing. You looked damn good.

Looking at Mikasa, you smiled. She took in your outfit and returned your smile.

“Hot,” is all she said. Your smile turned into a giggle as you took yourself in the mirror once more.

“We’re gonna kill it tonight,” you replied, stepping towards your closet and grabbing a pair of black sneakers. Mikasa took out a pair of older boots. Another piece of advice Mikasa offered you was to not wear any valuable shoes to a frat party, lest you wish for them to carry an odor for the rest of your days.

Gathering the rest of your belongings, including bags and phones, the two of you left. Once again, you took to the streets and walked, arms linked together for safety and comfort.

The walk didn’t feel too long, the air crisp but not too cold and you finally began to approach Eren’s familiar house. You had been here just last week, at night as well, but the energy was completely different. You could hear the music from outside, and so many people lingered outside on their porch, drinking alcohol out of red cups and smoking both weed and cigarettes. The perimeter reeked in the best way possible.

Mikasa tugged you along and brought you to the front door, pulling you up the old stairs. Just like Regiment, someone sat by the door at a table with a list in front of him. He was dressed in all black, yet he looked simple, compared to the extreme, alternative styles you saw each week. In fact, he wore black sweats, a black t-shirt, and a black fedora. It was sleepwear and nightmare fashion compared to even your laziest fit.

He looked up at you and Mikasa and narrowed his eyes. “Names?”

Mikasa’s eyes slotted into a glare. “Seriously, Floch?”

His brows raised, in a I’m-not-asking-again look.

“Mikasa,” she said in a flat tone. She then stated yours for you.

Floch looked through his list like it was the most important paper in the world, before crossing off both of your names with his pen. “You’re good to go. Enjoy.”

Mikasa scoffed and grabbed your wrist, pulling you through the front door. Immediately, you were hit with hot air, loud party music, and flashing lights.

** play Von dutch - Charli XCX **

Once you were just steps away from the front door, you turned to Mikasa, raising your voice so she could hear you. “Who was that at the door?” He had a serious attitude you didn’t like.

“That’s Floch, one of the guys who doesn’t live in the house,” Mikasa told you, rolling her eyes. “He’s obsessed with Eren and pretends like he doesn’t know me.”

Your brows raised in amused bewilderment, “Why?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “Jealousy?”

You laughed, squeezing her arm. You looked around the party, trying to see if you’d recognize anyone yet. There were so many people crammed together in their living room, dancing and chatting, it was hard to make out any faces especially with all the lights off and the flashing LEDs. You couldn’t tell if you didn’t recognize anyone or if the dark lights made it too difficult to make out faces.

“C’mon,” Mikasa said into your ear, breaking your thoughts. “Let’s get drinks.”

She began to walk towards the kitchen, pulling you along. You jammed through the crowd, finding yourself having a difficult time pushing through the oppressing figures. Thankfully, though their space was generous, it was not a long distance to the kitchen, which was less densely crowded and was taken over by a group of girls hanging around the island.

As you approached, one of the girls turned her head, and you recognized her as Sasha, who held a family sized bag of blue doritos in her hand. Her eyes widened with surprise as the sight of you both and giddily shrieked.

“Mikasa, it’s been so long!” she jumped to the girl and wrapped her arms around your roommate, squeezing her tightly. After letting her go, she looked at you and grinned. “And hey! Good to see you again!”

You weren’t quite at the hugging stage with Sasha so you gave her a simple wave and smile. “Yeah, nice to see you too!”

Sasha turned back to the other girls in her small circle, who were chatting with each other with drinks in hand. By the looks of it, Mikasa was familiar with them, her body language indicating she was settling into the circle.

There were three other girls with Sasha. One was a taller girl with short brown hair and her arm was slung over a shorter blonde girl’s shoulder, The other was a girl with an ashy blonde cut, who stood by herself but chatted more so with the blonde.

Sasha directed her attention at you, pulling you into her gaze. Her expression was the epitome of excitement and joy as she reached for you with her free hand. “Have you met everyone?” You shook your head. “Guys!” She exclaimed to the circle, interrupting the conversation. It became clear to you through her brazen actions she was drunk and you cringed as they stopped talking to turn to you. The brunette looked bored the moment her eyes turned to you, the ash blonde was neutral, and the blonde’s eyes were attentive on you.

“This is Mikasa’s roommate!” She said before you stated your name to them.

“Oh! Nice to meet you, I’m Historia,” the short blonde greeted, her smile wide. The brunette attached to her introduced herself as Ymir, and the other’s name was Hitch.

“Need a drink?” Ymir asked with a smirk.

You and Mikasa eagerly accepted.

“Can we do a shot?” Hitch asked, her voice laced with mischief and excitement.

You shuddered, but when everyone decided to do one, so did you. Hitch took a large bottle of vodka off the cluttered kitchen counter and poured a small amount of it into six cups, handing one to each of you. After a countdown, you threw the contents down your throat, choking on the harsh alcohol.

“Fuck,” you winced, your face locked in a grimace.

Ymir laughed at her girlfriend’s harsh reaction, who was violently shaking her head, and you watched as Hitch and Sasha cheered from that shot. Mikasa giggled as well, but her face was soured as she recovered from the shot.

“Are there any normal drinks?” you asked the circle, hoping anyone would know.

“Beers and stuff are in the fridge,” Ymir nodded her head behind you towards the large refrigerator. “Mixers and hard stuff is on the counter.”

“Great,” you smiled and turned back to the fridge, sneaking past a couple people. You opened it and found a fridge void of food and rather full of beer and alcoholic seltzers–some sodas as well for mixers. You took out two beers, one for you and one for Mikasa, and walked back to the circle.

The girls were chatting about Paradis’ women's basketball team, which apparently Ymir was on, and a recent win they had. You settled comfortably against the counter as you listened to them talk a bit, but your eyes scanned the room, looking for anyone else you might recognize. Truthfully, you knew you were just looking for Eren despite how much you denied the amount of space he occupied in your mind. Unfortunately, he was nowhere to be found.

Unable to resist your curiosity, you leaned into Mikasa. “Where are the guys?” you asked.

“Probably in the basement,” she shrugged. “Wanna go?”

You looked at the girls, who were enamored in their sports talk, and then nodded to your roommate. She nodded back, a sign of understanding, before turning to the circle.

“We’re going downstairs,” Mikasa stated plainly. “See you.”

“Bye!” Sasha waved, her face full of doritos. She then held out the bag to you both. “Chip for the road?”

You laughed and took a chip from her bag. Mikasa and you left the kitchen area and headed towards the basement stairwell, pushing through crowds. You walked onto the rickety stairs, the house transitioning into an unfinished basement as you made your way down each step.

** play Come As You Are - Nirvana **

While walking down the wooden stairs, you could already see a whole different vibe in the basement. Instead of party music, it sounded like someone else had taken a hold of a completely different speaker, playing familiar tunes yet a different vibe. People were hanging out on couches and the floor, a circle of people standing in a circle very clearly passing a joint around and another group gathered around a table making commentary on a game that was happening.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, your eyes finally landed on Eren, who was standing at the table with a ping pong ball in hand, smirking.

When you looked at him, his eyes snapped over to you. it. His cool composure faltered and his whole body stopped moving for just a split second, except for his eyes which glazed over you. Eren’s outfit made your breath hitch slightly. He wore a tight black t-shirt and baggy black jeans that hung low on his waist, showing off a bit of his midriff and black Calvin Klein boxers. His black jeans were paired with a metal studded belt, and silver chains hanging from the belt loops. Notably, he had all of his piercings in and his hair was styled in his signature half-up.

Neither of you moved the moment you looked at each other. You couldn’t read his mind, but you knew yours was spewing mental curses at yourself.

Your moment was interrupted when the figure next to him, who you registered as Jean, elbowed Eren to pay attention to the game. Eren’s eyes flicked away from you as he spat something to his fraternity brother and then finally threw the ping pong ball he held frozen in air.

You and Mikasa walked up to the table. You found yourself walking up next to Eren instinctively, who was now focused on the game. It appeared his toss made it into the cup, as the counterpart on the other side of the table was chugging down a cup of beer.

“Nice shot,” You commented, sliding up next to him.

Eren’s eyes turned back down to you. His hard expression morphed into one where he adorned his smirk he so often shared with you.

“Yeah, no big deal,” Eren joked. “Beer pong skills are a frat requirement.”

“Oh, for sure,” you laughed. The two men across the table threw their balls consecutively and only one made it in.

“Your turn to drink, Jaeger,” Jean stated. He then looked at you and nodded in acknowledgement. You returned with a tight lipped smile and nodded back, hoping that was the right greeting.

Eren took the cup the ball landed in, took the ball out, and then gulped it down. He released a hearty sigh and placed it down in a pile of other cups before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Looking at the cups on the table, Eren and Jean were in the lead with two remaining cups on the opposing side, while they had four on theirs. You remained silent as Eren and Jean threw, Eren making it in and Jean not.

“Jean doesn’t have the skill,” Eren fake whispered to you, smiling cockily as he worked to piss off Jean. You laughed while Jean retaliated, giving Eren a firm shove which pushed him into you. Eren kept himself stable, but brushed against your arm, the bare skin on your arm meeting his. You put your hand on his arm as he stood straight again, your fingers just lightly skimming his bicep.

The other side went again, making one cup, which Jean drank, and then the turn was your friend’s again. The two tall men steadied themselves, the air around the table thickening for the final shot. Jean went first, and his ball hit the rim of the cup before bouncing off, falling off the table. Those rooting for him groaned, and Jean brushed a hand through his mullet in frustration, cursing.

You watched as Eren lined up his shot, his eyes narrowing on the red cup across the table as he measured out the perfect angle he needed in order to make this shot. The complete focus and calculation in his eyes would almost be humorous since it was just a simple game of beer pong if you weren’t so undeniably attracted to him. Instead, you found this piercing look in his eyes ridiculously hot.

Eren flicked his wrist and threw the ball. With a beautiful slope, the ball landed into the red solo cup, and cheers erupted. Eren’s fists shot into the air and Jean patted him on the back. You cheered with everyone, unable to escape the mirth, and turned to Eren as he celebrated his victory. Him and Jean took the last two cups on the table and drank them anyway, before Eren dropped it and loosely placed his arm around you, his fingers squeezing your shoulder.

You flushed slightly, leaning into Eren from the quick side embrace he gave you. His arm fell as fast as it came, but his fingers dragged ever so lightly across your back as his arm returned to his side.

“Great game,” he said to the guys across the table, who returned the nicety.

You stayed next to Eren, who backed away from the table for the next players. Your attention turned from him when Hitch, the girl from upstairs, approached you two.

“Nicely done, Eren,” she said with a teasing smile.

For some reason, your heart sank as she spoke to him. You had watched him talk to Mikasa or Annie plenty of times and it never invoked a reaction from you. Besides those two, you actually had rarely watched any other girls speak with Eren.. Yet, the way Hitch walked up close to Eren, her gaze never meeting yours, and smiled at him set your skin on fire.

He looked down at her, his expression neutral. “Yeah,” he nodded. “Thanks.”

“I always like watching you guys play,” Hitch continues. “You’re totally undefeatable.”

Eren shrugged. “We practice sometimes.”

You stood in your spot next to Eren, your eyes hooked onto Hitch. She said something else to Eren, but you thought it was too loud down here to hear what she said. You nibbled on your bottom lip as she talked to Eren and ruminated on how her wily expression captured his attention. He responded to her, albeit a bit short and blunt, but was talking to her.

You caught yourself as you were zoning out, thinking too hard about her intentions, and you zoned back in, trying to listen again to what they were talking about.

“I heard you play guitar,” she said to him. “I’ve been meaning to pick it up. Would you help me practice some time?”

Nope. Not doing this.

You forced yourself to walk away, unable to handle Hitch blatantly flirting with him. While you and Eren were not a couple, or even anything close to a pair at all, you didn’t want to watch some girl flirt with him in front of your face. It was making your heart race in the worst ways, your quick pulse feeling like a throbbing headache rather than an affectionate murmur.

Finding Mikasa, who was standing next to Armin, you joined them instead.

“Hey,” is all you could muster from your stomach as you approached them. Hearing your tone clip out of your mouth, you knew you weren’t doing a good job of controlling your peeved composure.

“Hey,” Armin responded with a smile, but he was surely unsteady as your nerve was quickly detected by him.

Mikasa looked behind your shoulder, catching on immediately. “Eren get taken over by Hitch?” she asked.

You nodded, no words finding their way out. If you spoke, you might have said the wrong thing.

Mikasa continued. “Yeah, she’s always had a thing for him,” she told you.

You looked back and saw her laughing, smiling up at him and gently touching his arm. He looked down at her, not chatting, but not pushing her away either. You couldn’t read him at all.

You thought you were staring for a while, because when you heard Mikasa say your name loudly, you realized she had repeated it a couple times.

“Sorry, I spaced out,” you bluffed to her, your voice a bit weak. “What was that?”

“You like Eren, don’t you?”

Your heart pounded in your chest and your tongue tasted metallic in your mouth when you heard those words. Your own mouth opened once, and then closed again after you could barely muster any sound. You tried again, finding your voice.

“What? Oh–uh–” you stammered, unable to determine the answer yourself. “No, I don’t—“

Your tongue thickened in your mouth, halting you from finishing your own sentence and forcing you to really think about the truth of the answer.

The truth was you did like Eren.

You kept denying it until now as you still tried to keep up the facade that Eren was just some annoying guy from your class. Though it had been a mere month of getting to know him, he pulled you in unlike anyone you’ve ever met. You found yourself chasing after the mystery of him, drawn to his mystique. Yet, while so much of him remained hidden, you felt as though you were finally starting to see him at his core. If Eren was a stage, you weren’t afraid to push yourself to his center anymore and ride the thrills he brought you.

“Yeah,” you interrupted yourself. “I like Eren.”

You couldn’t help but fear Mikasa’s disapproval once again, reminding yourself of what it was like to confess your kiss to her last week.

Mikasa could see your conflicted expression and her features softened. “It’s okay if you like Eren,” Mikasa sympathized.

“You guys have a connection,” Armin chimed in.

You looked between your two friends. “You really think so?”

You wanted to believe it, but what if you were reading it wrong? Did Eren just lavish your attention or was there truly something between you?

Mikasa nodded in agreement. “Eren’s not an affectionate person, he doesn’t touch anyone ever,” she continued. “Yet he carried you home last night. That means something.”

Eren’s always been a bit touchy with you, you realized. You thought back to when he’d kick your chair in class and how he said he never hated you, that you were different. Even on your first night at Regiment, he grabbed your wrists after you fell and pulled you out. A hopeful part of you wondered if he’d really had his eyes on you for that long.

You paused, unsure of what to do now with this information. “What do I do?”

“Go get him,” Mikasa urges you, her tone rising as she gestured behind you.

Sucking in a breath, you turned your head and saw him, still being talked to by Hitch. “Okay,” you give your friends one last look. “I’m going in.”

You heard a quick encouraging statement from Armin and Mikasa as you turned on your heel and returned to Eren. As you did, his eyes instantly found you again, a near look of relief flooding into his blue eyes.

“Eren,” you interrupted Hitch, mustering up whatever you could think of to have him for yourself again. “Wanna go for a smoke?”

His bored expression turned into a grin from your offer. “Hell yeah.”

Eren gave a nod to Hitch, ending their conversion. “See ya,” is all he said to her, before urging you forward.

A glance back at Hitch, you could see the way her jaw was agape, almost as if she wanted to follow you but was so struck in place she couldn’t move. Putting her behind you, you moved forward, walking to the stairs of the basement and heading up to the main floor.

Eren caught up to you and grabbed your hand, dragging you up the next flight of stairs away from the main party. A couple people lingered on the second floor stairs and hallway, but Eren dragged you to the end of the hall where his room was.

Your heart skipped a beat, your excitement flowing through you when Eren shut the door behind the two of you. “Never thought she’d stop talking,” Eren stated. “Can’t believe you walked away from me and left me hanging.”

You turned to look at him and teased, “Aw, did you want me to save you?”

“She interrupted us,” he shrugged, “then you walked away. Figured you’d come back eventually.” He finished his sentence with a smirk, walking past you closely, hand brushing your side, as he approached his window. Eren opened it smoothly, and nodded at it for you to climb out.

“Oh, god, not again.”

Eren chuckled. “We’re just gonna sit. It’s nice out here.”

You walked to the window, staring at him. “Okay, but if I start to slide and fall off the roof I’m suing your ass.”

“You won’t fall,” he replied with a laugh. “I’ve got you.”

You grumbled before sticking a leg out the ledge and moving your body through the square space, reentering the chilly, cold air. Your unfortunately tiny outfit didn’t do much to help you. Eren was swift behind you as he squatted on the small section of roof, then he sat down next to you closely.

With just a glance over, Eren could see your tense state. “Are you cold?”

“Yeah, a little.”

Eren held his box of cigarettes and lighter in front of himself, opening it and taking two out. He handed you one and lit his own cigarette. Expecting him to light yours for you, you held it in your mouth and waited.

Eren took the lit cigarette in his mouth and placed the end against yours, pushing them together until yours lit. You sucked in the air to help the fire start, and stared at Eren’s face as he looked between you and at your lips where you held onto the stick.

Then, Eren wrapped an arm around your middle, his hand settling at your waist, and pulled you against his warmth.

“Sorry, I don’t have a jacket with me,” he said with a sly smirk. “Hope this is fine.”

Swallowing thickly, you nodded. “Yeah, this is fine.”

You took a long drag of your cigarette, hoping for it to help with your racing heartbeat. After finally admitting you liked him to your friends and yourself, you were having a difficult time processing his affections.

“So… I heard Hitch has a thing for you,” you stated, unable to help yourself but bring her up again.

“Yeah, I know,” Eren punctuated himself with a roll of his eyes.

“And?”

“Don’t care.”

It was a bit of a relief to hear. He was blunt and unashamed of his answer, so much you nearly felt bad for the girl, except the guilty pleasure you took knowing he was there with you instead outweighed that.

“Why?… are you jealous?” Eren asked, leaning dangerously close to you.

“Why should I be?” You kept composure, trying to raise something out of him instead.

This is why you worked so well. Eren was a master at mind games and instead of being one of his pawns, you were his opponent, fighting for checkmate.

“I saw the way you looked at her,” Eren continued, his voice low. “I’ve never seen you look like that before. Usually I stop talking to her after a bit but, damn, your face was just priceless.”

You blushed slightly, frustration bubbling out of your chest. “So you were testing me?”

He took a drag out of his cigarette. “I guess.” He looked a bit regretful. “I wanted to see what you’d do. If you would let it be or fight it.”

“Did I pass?”

Eren shook his head. “Considering I’m out here with you, I think I won our little game.”

“You mean your little game. I was an unwilling player,” you reminded him, nudging his shoulder.

“I still won,” Eren’s smirk was soft as he continued to smoke, pulling tighter on your waist. “This beats the alternative.”

“Sitting here smoking?”

“No,” he shook his head. “Being with you.”

Your heart landed in your throat and thumped loudly.

You two were alone again, while dozens of people were in his house, and he practically admitted to you that this was his ideal place for the night.

“You know…” you started slowly. “I talked to Mikasa about us and what happened last week.”

Eren’s brow quirked, eyes boring into you. “Yeah?” You could feel his fingers tense against your side.

You nodded, biting your lip. “Yeah. She’s— uh— she’s cool with it. With us. If you’re cool with—“

You couldn’t finish your statement before Eren slotted his lips against yours firmly. You were shocked for just a moment before your body reacted to his touch, melting into the kiss. Eren burned out his cigarette on the roof and flicked the butt into his abyss of a yard. His now free hand moved to cup your jaw, angling your face more towards him.

Deciding that this was much better than ash coating your longues, you squashed out the rest of yours before angling your body towards him, your arm wrapping around his shoulder to pull yourself into him.

Eren pulled away just a hair away from you. “This fucking outfit,” he breathed against your lips with a growl, a finger plucking the small strap on your shoulder. “Do you know how hot you look in this?”

You smiled, happy to know your outfit choice had affected him. “Enlighten me.”

Eren’s hand swept up your collarbone and then gripped at the base of your neck. “So hot I thought I was going to lose it down there in that basement. And the fact that anyone could see you in this top… god.”

You slid closer to him, the information he was sharing with you boosting your confidence in seduction. “I didn’t know I had that effect on you.”

“Are you kidding me?” Eren’s brows furrowed. “You make me fucking insane.”

You smiled, looking into his eyes. You pushed forward again, reconnecting your lips. The kiss you gave him was soft, but when Eren returned it there was a fire behind it. His hand on your waist gripped possessively, at the bare flesh between your skirt and top. His hand continued to caress the skin he could find, leaving a burning trail on your skin that slightly combatted the cold weather.

When you shivered from the cold, Eren pulled back again. He looked you up and down and noted the way you trembled lightly.

“Let’s go inside,” he said, beginning to stand and grabbing your hands to help you up. You rose to your feet, tugging yourself up to stand.

Eren placed a guiding hand on your back to guide you back to his window, his hand never really leaving you as you climbed through. He followed behind closely with a practiced ease.

You turned to look at him as you stood straight and in the moment you did, Eren pushed himself up against you, the force of him making you take a couple steps back. His lips crashed down on yours once more, overpowering you with his scent of ash and wood, and he used the momentum of your backward steps to push you against his closet doors, making them rattle behind you.

Your hands flew to the sides of his neck like an anchor, pulling him down to you. His lips moved aggressively over yours and it was hard to keep up with his desperate movements. He sucked your lip into his teeth, nibbling on the skin while his tongue glided over your lip. With his body, he pressed you tightly against the door, his hips pressing hard onto you. You were unable to suppress a moan while your hands grasped his shirt to keep you stable. Despite how weak your knees were, you doubted you could fall with how hard he was pressing you against the doors.

Eren’s lips detached from you, the skin around his lips moist and red from the assault. He looked down at you hungrily as his hands tightly palmed against your waist. Leaning into your ear, he spoke in a low tone, “are you gonna let me touch you like I want now?”

You shuddered. Eren’s rumbling in your ear felt like honey as it travelled through you and down to the heat between your legs. You were so unbelievably horny at this moment. Your throat was too tight to release words successfully, so with a whimper and nod, you gave your consent to him.

Eren grinned and with his hands, twisted you off the wall and pushed you onto his bed. You fell back as your knees buckled on the edge, looking up at him as he stalked over you.

Still standing, Eren pushed between your legs, looking down at you from above. More gently than he had been, he lifted a hand and brushed his thumb over your lip, pulling it down and holding it for a moment.

“So pretty,” Eren said to you in a hushed, hungry voice. “So fucking pretty.”

His hand drifted to your jaw, tucking your hair behind your ear before cupping the tender flesh.

“I’m gonna ruin this pretty face of yours,” he spoke in a growl, leaning down. “Do you want that?”

You nodded.

Eren placed a kiss against your cheek, the gentleness a warm contrast to his harsh words. “If it’s too much, tell me to stop, okay?” He whispered into your ear, his hot breath tickling your skin. The warm air rushed to your head, and you felt light as the rough pads of his fingers scratched your neck.

“I’ll be okay,” you whispered back. “I want you too, Eren.”

Eren took you in and then smiled. Really smiled. It was new to you, seeing such fondness in his expression and it made your breath hitch. He gave you a kiss on the lips, soft and meaningful, before pulling back with the smug look you were more familiar with, easing the way your heart began to race.

“Good,” he stated. His hand tightened in your hair and he dove down to you, using a hand to push you down onto the bed while he climbed over you. His hands hooked onto your skirt belt loops and hoisted you further up the bed.

You clung to him, pulling at his shirt while he guided you to a comfortable place on the bed, your head on his black pillows. Pushing your thighs apart, he settled himself between them, rolling his body down to taste your lips once more.

You moaned when his tongue found yours, painting your mouth with his cigarette flavor, and felt the little nubs of his piercings rubbing against your skin. Reaching up, you tugged at his tied hair, which was loose enough that you could painlessly take out his hair tie and run your fingers fully through it. His long hair fell forward, tickling at your cheeks.

Eren’s lips disconnected from yours to then kiss at the corner of your mouth, your cheek, then jaw. He nipped at your ear lobe, sucking on the soft skin before travelling down your neck, dragging his tongue down to your collarbone. He knew exactly what he was doing and you wouldn’t dare ask how he knew how to light all of your nerves on fire.

You wrapped a leg around his waist and grinded up, forcing friction between you two. Your skirt was so short that you were practically feeling his denim-covered erection through your underwear, and couldn’t resist rolling your hips again, and again.

Eren sucked on your neck with a groan as you led the motion of your hips, his teeth grazing at the sensitive skin. He retaliated against your administrations with a hard roll of his own hips, pinning you down hard, restricting your movements.

Desperate to feel him, you pushed at his shoulders, an attempt to roll him over and have your way with him instead. Eren caught your wrists in his hands and laced his fingers through them, pushing them down next to your head.

“Let me have you,” Eren nipped at your jaw, then soothed it with his tongue.

You groaned, frustration building in your arousal. “Eren,” you breathed, brows furrowed.

He chuckled at your expression. He leaned down and kissed your cheek, then your lips. His fingers tightened in yours, soothingly yet commanding. Before you could speak again, he filled the space of your mouth with his, his tongue caressing yours, and you moaned into his kiss.

Retracting from your mouth once more, he began to kiss a trail down your neck, stopping to suckle on your skin and then tracing his top lip over your chest, down to where your top held your breasts together. With his hands still clasped in yours, Eren bit the edge of the lace top you wore and dragged one side down and exposed one of your breasts. His throat made a guttural sound as he began to mouth the skin around your nipple. His teeth were a harsh contrast to the softness of his lips as he pinched as the sensitive skin before taking your bud into his mouth, rubbing his tongue slowly and agonizing over your teased nipple.

A whimper escaped you, and you moved your hips against his again, desperate to feel some kind of friction in your most desperate area. You had never felt so aroused in your life, and Eren’s rough yet gentle nature pushed and pulled you in so many directions.

Eren shifted his attention to your other breast, going slow despite his harsh, biting teeth. You knew he was doing this on purpose. You couldn’t afford slowness right now. Not when the entire house was packed so fully the floors might just collapse. Every now and then, you could hear a voice close to the door that would send a jolt of fear down your spine.

“Eren,” You moaned in both frustration and pleasure. You tugged a hand out of his hand and ran your fingers through his hair, gathering his attention.

Seeming to understand what you wanted, Eren grinned. Wordlessly, he slowly moved his hands down you, making sure to trail his fingers over your exposed stomach before latching his fingers on the edge of your skirt. He looked up at you, his eyes asking a question.

You nodded and then he was pushing up your skirt over your hips and sliding his hand under your black, small panties.

“Oh, god,” you groaned, body lurching forward as his fingers began running through your folds.

Eren kissed the side of your neck as he languidly yet firmly stroked you. You sat up on your elbows, working on breathing as you seemed to have forgotten how to.

“Is this what you need?” He whispered in your ear. Eren’s free hand worked to prop himself up so he could however over you.

You breathed out shakily, trembling under his touch. “Fuck, Eren,” you moaned as he circled his fingers agonizingly. You felt him chuckle against your ear, his hot breath teasing the skin of your neck.

Eren’s fingers slid up and down your slit, spreading your juices over your sensitive folds. You knew you were soaking wet and he was relishing in every part of it. After teasing you for a while, Eren’s finger swirled around your clit, exerting just the right amount of pressure you needed.

You moaned, unable to control yourself fully and to encourage him to touch you just right there. Eren responded by moving his fingers more confidently and shifting his body so he could get a better view of his fingers tucked into your black panties.

He leaned back on his knees, a cocky grin painted on his face as he watched your body move as he coaxed out various reactions from you. He continued to play with your clit for some time, rubbing tight circles and dipping his fingers in deep before dragging them back up, before he began to shift back further, placing himself in between your knees.

“Eren… what are you doing?” you questioned warily. You were in no means trying to stop him, but you feared you couldn’t handle anything more without melting into his sheets.

“I’m gonna taste you,” he responded matter of factly. He then, with no more warning, placed his mouth over your thin panties, tasting you over them. You could feel the heat of his mouth over your skin, your thin panties unable to cover you up fully, and the contrasting feeling of pressure and wet heat had you throwing your head back and moaning uncontrollably.

He adjusted his hand so it wrapped around your thigh and continued to play with your clit as he licked and sucked at you over your underwear. His eyes remained shut, savoring your flavor, as he continued to torture you. His free hand squeezed the flesh of your thigh, kneading the skin repeatedly.

You weren’t going to last much longer, and you tugged at him, desperate to feel him over you so you could cum just like that. “Eren, please,” you whimpered, taking his hand on your thigh into yours.

He reluctantly pulled away from your pussy and crawled up your body, giving you an inquisitive look. “What do you need?”

Without using your words, you wrapped a leg around his waist and bucked your hips up, grinding your aroused clit against the impossibly tight mound of his jeans. Eren’s face crumpled as you did so, a groan escaping him, but he understood. He ground down against you, hard, chasing the feeling of your contact through the barriers that separated you.

You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him down to kiss you, your mouth meshing messily as you and Eren’s hips pushed against each other, desperate for a release.

As you continued to rub yourself against him unashamed, you felt that tight tension beginning to form in your abdomen. You pushed up harder, moaning into his mouth, running after your release. Eren ground harder against you, his roaming hands squeezing you roughly wherever he touched.

And then, you came undone. You let out a loud moan as you disconnected from his lips, throwing your head back onto his pillow. Eren spat out a line of curses under his breath as his hips faltered in their own movement. Once you caught your breath, and were able to look between your bodies, you noticed the dark spot that had formed where Eren’s groin was.

You laughed, tugging your arms around him loosely. “We need to change.”

He groaned, dropping his head onto your shoulder as he slumped over you, his weight pressing down on you comfortably. “Fuck my life,” he said muffled into your shoulder. He lifted his head slightly, turning his neck to look at you. “But worth it,” he said with a cheeky grin.

You tilted your head to look at him, smiling. “I don’t suppose you have underwear that will fit me?”