Chapter Text
“Everybody down on the ground!” a deep voice called. Eren heard a gun’s safety click off. He gulped. He hesitantly did as he was told, feeling his way down to the cold tile floor of the bank. Mikasa and Armin were beside him, their warmth pressed against his sides.
“Hands where we can see ‘em kiddies!” another voice, less masculine, shouted. “Don’t wanna give us a reason to shoot ‘em off!” He felt Armin squirm beside him.
“You!” a third voice, firm, yet mellow, demanded, “Yes you, you dipshit. Grab the money from the vault and bring it here.”
More guns made ominous clicking noises. Feet stumbled, people murmured, but Eren didn’t feel threatened at all. The constant presence of his sister and best friend was reassuring in a way he could only explain with the statement that they had been around forever. Yet he didn’t feel as though the robbers would shoot him.
After all, who would shoot the kid with the red and white cane?
The robbers got away, much to the disappointment of the local police. It was the third time that October that the TITANS had struck. Every time their crimes were seamless. Every time they got away.
Armed police officers ran into the building first. Eren knew that the TITANS were gone before officers entered, but he figured it would be best to not rub salt in their wounds. Medics rushed in second. As per the usual for a TITAN attack, no one was injured. Traumatized, irritated, or shocked? Certainly. But no physical injuries had ever been distributed.
The medics had a field day with him. Eren sat through the questioning, the medical forms he had to listen to Mikasa read to him, and the false verbal reassurance from people who passed by him. He was blind, not a weak little child.
All he wanted to worry about was how the trio was going to pay rent. The rates had gone up again, and the fresh-outta-high-school group was struggling to make end’s meet. Eren angrily wondered what better use the robbers had for his money than paying his rent. His quack doctor father was certainly going to be no help at all.
When the car ride home finally came, Eren let out a sigh of relief. It was a normal feeling for him, riding in the car or on a bus. The rhythmic vehicle movement and noises could lull him to sleep, but usually Armin’s babbling was more effective. Of course, a combination of the two made for a quick time falling asleep, and he drifted off in the car listening to Armin spout everything he knew about the TITANS.
Armin knew a lot about the TITANS. Well, he read the paper more often than the other two. Eren appreciated that, always saying that his best friend had to read enough for the two of them. It was a nice sentiment that Armin had genuinely taken on the challenge.
“The TITANS are a group of several people, the exact number is unknown, who all want to make the world a safe place to live in,” Armin explained, “and who all seem to have very professional skills.” He paused, most likely thinking. Eren visualized a blurry childhood memory of his best friend’s thinking face. “But no one knows their identities for sure.”
It was a sufficient explanation. However, it didn’t pay the rent. And it most certainly didn’t put food on the table. And it didn’t make money. So Mikasa seemed less than interested. She mashed buttons on a calculator, determining their revised budget for the month.
“But, um,” Armin interjected, “Jean is hosting a party tonight, Halloween I guess, and there’s free food. Takes care of at least on meal.”
Mikasa made a small noise of agreement at the suggestion. Eren knew that his sister probably really wanted the food, but the idea of Jean was somewhat repulsive. He’d tried to hit on her several times the last time they went to one of his infamous parties.
Somehow Armin had talked Mikasa into going. He also talked her into driving to the party. They wore their Halloween costumes from the year before, Mikasa as Black Widow, Armin as a scuba diver, and Eren. Eren had difficulty with costumes. The usually awkward fabrics and other protruding parts made them challenging to wear, so he simply didn’t wear them. It made it easier for him to get around and actually function in public. Also he didn’t look stupid.
As per his usual at parties, he sat in a corner by the food, munching on whatever Mikasa or Armin had loaded onto his plate. He just about spit out said food when he heard a familiar voice.
“This shit is so terrible for you.” Robber voice number three said.
“Aw, come on Levi, it’s not like you eat it all the time. Think of it as a treat.” Robber voice number two said.
“There’s so much saturated fat in this I could die from a heart attack by touching it.” Levi retorted. “Hanji you know as well as I do that I’m only here for Erwin’s sake. He wanted to come and visit with the adults - whatever that means - so I’ll let him do it.”
The people had made their way down the table of food to where Eren was sitting. “Um, excuse me,” he asked, “do you mind grabbing one more of those sandwiches for me? I can’t tell which ones are raspberry cream cheese and turkey and which ones are PB&J.”
He heard Levi suck in his breath at the sight of him. He could almost feel a piercing gaze on him, but perhaps it was his imagination. Eren figured he recognized him. No, Eren knew Levi recognized him.
“Sure kiddo.” Hanji cheerfully replied. “Which one do you want?”
“Hanji what’re you –“ Levi got cut off by Eren’s order.
“Actually I wanted one of each, I just couldn’t be sure that I was grabbing two different ones since they feel the same.” He replied with a laugh. In a few moments he felt two objects drop onto his paper plate. He thanked the person and started to take a bite. As he heard the two start to turn to walk away he asked, “But what I’d really like is my rent money.”