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He wasn't extraordinary in anything that he did. He was average. He didn't excel beyond expected limits, or breach boundaries that once appeared so distant. He was consistent, like a trail of water flowing in a stream bed. He had his own set pace. His only characteristic that was a diamond in a pile of stones, was his sheer determination. When he was given a task, he executed it to the best of his ability, pride in mind. His determination was a fire lit inside him, fueling him to complete this single, grueling task. School.
Eren sat there at his desk, mindlessly twirling his pen with his fingers as he glanced out the large window adjacent to him. It was the physical boundary that separated him from the outside world and its wonders. He felt akin to livestock within these brick walls. Trapped inside a false paradise and isolated from freedom. He wished the walls that bordered him would just collapse, and the chains that bound him here would snap.
"-And that is another contribution to the economy's downfall." His teacher spoke inquisitively, expecting the students to mirror her interest. Her small hand wrote fluidly with the electronic pen, adding to the facts that had been previously written. The sound of lead against paper and the bitter scent of ink filled the room until the final bell rang, signaling the school day was over. Papers rustled as they were shoved into folders, and chairs screeched eagerly against the smooth tile. Bodies rushed towards the door, leaving the classroom nearly vacant in a matter of seconds.
Eren finally stood from his chair, packing away his belongings in his black messenger bag in an organized fashion. He wouldn't classify himself as a 'neat freak' and neither would anyone else if they stepped foot inside his bedroom. He preferred to organize his notebooks and folders, since it payed off when he was studying for a test prior to the beginning of that specific class. He sighed to himself and slung the ten pound bag over his shoulder, ready to head home to where a delicious lunch awaited him. Mikasa left school forty-five minutes earlier than he did due to her scheduale not having a ninth period. She took advantage of that by doing whatever she deemed worthy of her time, and that included making lunch for him.
He made his way to the door, when a call of his name from his teacher caught his attention.
"Yes, Ms. Ral?" Eren inquired, turning his head around to observe her frantically stuffing papers into a green folder. They appeared to be mostly economic notes and various other subjects like trigonometry and chemistry.
"Do-" He was about to ask if she wanted assistance; he wouldn't mind organizing the papers. He knew teachers had difficulties of their own, and he wouldn't shame them if they needed help every now and then. But his question was cut off by her rushing toward him and shoving the folder at his chest, making him scramble to grasp it.
"This, this is for Levi. Give it to the main office. I have to run, thank you!" She rushed out the words in a messy sentence and walked around Eren, disappearing around the doorway. Eren was left standing there, question still on his tongue but it was now registered as useless. With a questioning glance in the direction of where she fled, he walked out and the opposite way towards the main office.
"Hi, this is from Ms. Ral. It's for Levi..." His sentence trailed off, his mind catching up to his words. He didn't receive a last name. His school had a little over 2,000 students. With just a first name to go by, they'd never find the correct individual.
"Ah, Levi. I know exactly who you're talking about. He has... Quite the reputation around here." The woman laughed nervously as she gestured around the office, two other women overhearing the conversation and giving weary expressions before immediately resuming back to their work. Eren felt a brief chill run up his spine, his entire body shuddering. Just who was this guy and what did he have a reputation for? What exactly did he do that made adults uncomfortable just by the sound of his name?
The woman at the front desk gave him a signal that she would return in just a few minutes. Eren nodded and smiled politely as she disappeared into one of the various doors. Once she was out of sight, he dropped his head and sighed. He was hungry, and his lunch was most likely cold by now. He could always heat it up in the microwave, but it just didn't taste the same. It was better than nothing, but he always looked forward to fresh homemade food by Mikasa. Her culinary skills were extraordinary, unlike himself.
Eren decided the most efficient way to pass time was to play around on his phone. He once managed to spend five consecutive hours on a single app, not realizing this until Mikasa threw a pillow at his head and demanded he get some sleep. He scrolled through pictures on one of his social media websites, fingers pausing on the screen temporarily to read a caption or acknowledge a picture for more than ten seconds. He always found it fascinating that he could be miles apart from someone, yet feel so connected just through pictures and words. He didn't need to be present to know Annie completed her first back tattoo, or that Sasha got accepted to become a waitress at one of the most high-class restaurants in Trost. Despite not being there physically, they were all interconnected spiritually.
"He's house 109 on Karanese Street." Pulling him out of his thoughts and back to reality, Eren gave the woman a perplexed expression.
"Pardon?" He asked, feeling his cheeks burn crimson with sheer embarrassment to his obliviousness.
"You kids and your technology these days." She chuckled, her face appearing years younger with such a youthful expression.
"That's Levi's address. If it's not too much, I'd like you to deliver those to him." The woman explained, placing a frail hand overtop his own and giving it a gentle squeeze. He met her sage eyes, slowly nodding his head as acceptance to her request.
"Yeah.. Yeah, sure. I-I'll do it." Voice unsure just like he himself was. But he accepted a task, albeit unintentionally pressured, so now it was his responsibilty to complete it. His pride wouldn't allow him to do otherwise.
"Thank you, sweetheart." With a final squeeze of his hand, she turned around and went back to her desk. Eren bowed his head out of both respect to his elders and habit, and turned on the heels of his Vans to head out the door. He pushed against the stainless steel handle of the broad glass door and exited the building, welcomed by a breeze of cool air combing his hair. He adjusted his beanie to fit his head more snug, and began to walk in the direction of Karanese Street. Much to his pleasure, it wasn't an unreasonable distance from his own house.
The autumn air continued to embrace him in a cool grip, managing to seep into the fibers of his jacket and carress his tanned skin. His entire being shivered at the unwelcomed cold contact, causing him to zipper his jacket up to his neck. If he had prior knowledge of the weather forecast before setting foot outside, he would've stolen Mikasa's scarf when she wasn't paying attention. Techinally, it was once his possesion until he bestowed it to her. Or more, attempted to wrap it around her neck and winded up tossing the excess crimson fabric over her young face. He couldn't help the giggle that escaped past his lips at the precious memory.
He analyzed the nearly identical houses as he passed them, until his eyes landed on a white mailbox with the number '109' printed in black letters. The house itself was painted white, decorated with black shutters that appeared almost vibrant in contrast to its background. A cobblestone path of smooth charcols and sables lead to the front door, where a stray cat sat eyeing him idly. Overall, the house emitted a calm, clean aurora. The thought that the house might be new crossed his mind as he walked up the wooden stairs. He adjusted the folder flooding with papers in his right, and knocked rather gingerly with his left. He honestly didn't know what to expect.
After a minute or so passed, the door opened in such a rapid movement Eren stepped back in absolute dismay. Nearly stumbling over his feet, he gripped the wooden railing connected to the stairs as support. He gasped for air, taking short quick breaths to supply his lungs with oxygen once again. He released his grip on the railing and used his hand to brush aside the bangs that curtained his face. His gaze fell upon a rather short individual, who emitted a murderus arora with just his gaze.
"Who in the hell are you?" His tone was clipped, giving the indication he didn't desire to be bothered. He leaned against the doorframe, shifting his weight to one side as he folded his arms across his chest. If looks could kill, he could have been swiftly executed within seconds.
He didn't expect this, at all.
"Uhm, hi. I'm Eren. This is uh, for you? They're notes, for you." Eren stuttered out the words unsurely, extending him arm that held the folder slowly towards the shorter male. His eyes narrowed at the green folder as he snatched it from Eren's loose grip, turning on his heel to go inside his house and disappear behind a wall. Curiousity bubbled inside him like a chemical reaction, causing him to scan what the open door allowed him to see. The interior appeared to be extremly clean. Both wooden and steel surfaces glistened when a ray of sun snuck its way inside. It was rather impressive.
"I'm back." Spoke the same low, admittingly smooth voice from earlier.
"So I see. What'd you uh, do with the notes? Are those the correct ones?"
"I threw them out."
"P-pardon?"
"I. Threw. Them. Out."
Eren stood there, in somewhat of a perplexed daze. He blinked slowly, the more conscious part of his mind wondering if this was reality. Or if this guy was serious. Seconds passed by on his mental clock, but no 'just kidding' left his soft looking lips.
"But... Why?"
"They were wrinkled and folded and I can't tolerate that."
Again, Eren felt himself be washed over in a tidal wave of confusion as to why he did what he did. The shorter male just tilted his head to the side, as if analyzing the male that stood before him. As a silence passed between them, Eren could study his appealing features.
His hair was styled in a mohawk, combed forward and off to the side. Raven bangs curtained the left side of his angular face, the sides of his head cleanly shaved. Dark thin eyebrows were scrunched together in thought, cloudy blue eyes scrutinizing the male opposite of him. His pale lips were tugged downward into a frown, giving the image of a little boy not acquiring what he desired. His porcelain skin was adorned in piercings of all varieties; a curved barbell etched in his right eyebrow, two cartilages on his right ear as well as a 1/2 plug (Eren could only assume his left ear mirrored this), and a monroe on the left side of his upper lip. Overall, he was very aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
Levi tilted his head upward, meeting the gaze of the male that claimed his name to be Eren. He wore a black beanie overtop his long, shaggy brunette hair. His bangs were outgrown, falling over his forehead and framing the sides of his face. Tan skin contrasted his eyes, giving them the ability to appear more vibrant. His left was sapphire, azure like the ocean; his right was topaz, golden like the sand. He adorned a nose ring, as well as two silver studs on each earlobe. Overall, he was extremely attractive and Levi couldn't bring himself to break their gazes apart.
"Well, I'll be going now. Uh, I guess study those-" Eren cut himself off, realizing that the notes along with the folder were sitting in Levi's trash can. He bit his lip, at loss for words to speak. He dug into the depths of his mind and without a second thought blurted out the first sentence that registered.
"I hope to see you around soon." Were the chosen words out of all the sentence possibilities.
Levi stood there motionless, clueless on how to respond. Did he want to him again? Did he desire another encounter? As these thoughts passed through his mind, his cheeks heated up and dusted themselves in a faint rose blush. His knees curved inward, sinking an inch lower to the wooden patio. His face felt hot. His hands felt clammy. His heart was beating faster than what seemed healthy.
"Y-yeah, sure. Whatever. It's not like I care." Levi stumbled out the words, quickly turning on his heel and facing away from Eren. He didn't want to be seen in such a vulnerable state. He raised his arm and signaled a quick goodbye, closing the door behind him the second his feet touched the mahogany wood.
Eren was left standing alone in absolute confusion for the second time that day, and took it as a sign that he needed to go home and take a break. He turned around and headed down the stairs, walking around the stray cat that had abandoned the patio earlier due to his presence. All yours again, little guy.
He crossed the asphalt driveway, kicking aside a lonely pebble as his feet shifted one in front of the other. He reached the end of the short driveway, turning his head to look back at his previous destination. The wind blew from his left, blowing his hair and filling his vision with brunette strands. Inbetween the strands, he could see the house staring back at him. In the back of his mind, he couldn't shake the thought that his words would be proven true.