Chapter Text
Waking up had never felt so peaceful before as it did in his grandfather’s house. His eyelids opened, daring a peek at the streaks of sunlight dashing through the window curtains, before burrowing down in the pillows and comforters again. Contentment was an understatement, but it sufficed for an easy summary of what Armin was feeling as he laid down in bed.
The city was his real home, sure , but Marienheim felt more like it.
His normal routine in his normal house would be to have the entire day planned out as early as before breakfast. Armin has never been one to want to waste his time, and therefore often sought out things to do so it could be spent wisely. Mostly, though, his need for keeping himself busy would erupt from the occasional feeling of loneliness creeping up on him... It was an uncomfortable matter, one not that easy to deal with as a mere twelve years old. He found that distracting himself from it was much easier. Creativity and preparing became the recipe for a successful day. If he did not stick to these rules, his day could instead be in risk of getting ruined by storming clouds of anxiousness, and Armin was never one to play hooky!
However, the new routine that he followed in Marienheim had an entirely different layout, one that he himself would never believe to be able to follow if he had still remained in his parents’ house. Spontaneity was a new concept for Armin, something that he rarely wanted to deal with before. Now, though, it was forcibly handed to him daily on a silver platter, which he could do nothing but accept with a smile.
And while it could feel scary at times, being thrown into situations that he never would be able to prepare for, it also helped him immensely when it came to actually having to figure out the day’s events. He could rest more easily now, happily knowing that the job would be done for him. The helping hand, that came in the shape of another, slightly taller and louder, twelve year old boy, was always ready at any time of the day to give him his company.
Bang, bang, bang!
… And apparently that included before 09:00 in the morning.
A yawn escaped him as he tried to rub the sleep from his eyes.
Casting a glance towards his alarm clock, he realizes in horror that it was only five minutes past eight in the morning.
Bang, bang!
”Oh my god, yes, I’m coming!” He half-muttered to himself. Sweeping the covers off his body, he jumped out of his bed and onto the floor. It was always freezing in the morning without his socks on, despite it still being summer.
Armin wandered off to his window, went to pluck the clasp that held the glass pane shut, and swung it open. Peeking over the ledge, he found none other than his newly made friend in the midst of his grandfather’s bushes.
”Eren… It’s eight in the morning…” Armin groaned out and sighed, not even surprised to see the other boy already on his way in through the window.
”You’re right,” He replied as he fell over the window pane and onto the floor, making Armin wince at the loud thud. ”It’s time to wake up now, ’Min!”
”Could you be a little quieter? Grandpa’s still sleeping- and so was I!” He pointed an accusatory finger towards Eren. ”Why are you even here? You never wake up before, like, ten.”
”Becaaause,” Eren began, prancing around the room and nitpicking on all of Armin’s belongings, as if the rows of books, papers and pencils were antiques. ”Mom woke me up. She told me I had to go with her to the dentist- Except!” He abruptly stopped walking and turned to the other boy. ” She wasn’t the one to get her teeth checked out, I was! ”
Agony was a far too small term to accurately describe what Eren’s expression looked like, but if Armin were to guess what the other actually felt inside, it was probably nothing more than mild inconvenience.
”And because of that you decide to torment me as well?” Armin replied and went back to his bed, intent on staying burrowed under his bed covers for just a little longer.
”You don’t understand, Armin, it was awful! Horrifying!” His dramatic theatrics concluded with throwing himself onto the bed, as if he’d been impaled. His body went limp as it laid over his friend’s legs, and Armin, not even bothered by Eren’s antics anymore, continued to lay still, resuming his attempt to fall back asleep.
Realizing he hadn't yet gotten a reaction from his friend, Eren decided to crawl up to where the other’s face lay and insistently began to poke and prod. At first, Armin tried to ignore it for as long as he could, but it became increasingly difficult as Eren’s jabs turned rougher.
”Stoooop,” Armin begged. ”Leave me alooone!” He tried to catch the other’s hands, but Eren was faster, and managed to easily slip out of any grip Armin got on him.
”C’mon, ’Min!” Eren laughed loudly and went in with his hand to tickle the other.
”Noo!”
Armin, desperate to not get tickled, threw himself into the other and managed to knock Eren over. Eren landed with his front down, and Armin didn’t hesitate a second before he sat himself on the other’s back, pinning his arms and legs to the bed.
”Yield!” Armin commanded, though while the word sounded serious, the hint of a smile could be heard through the way it was said.
”Fine, I yield…” Eren muffled out to the covers, and only after letting out a triumphant huff did Armin clear himself away from the other, resuming his previous spot on the bed, though now sitting up.
Eren pulled himself up from the bed too, gasping for breath in a very exaggerated manner and letting out a snicker afterwards. If his silly antics were supposed to tell anything, it would be at least the huge amount of energy the little boy’s body could store.
”I won anyway,” he said while taking off his cap to throw it up and down in the air. ”You’re awake now, so you might as well get up and hang out with me.” A grin spread over his face as Armin sighed reluctantly, but still climbed out of his bed.
”Whatever you say…” Armin muttered under his breath with a smile. Reaching for a pair of jeans and a T-shirt that lay tossed on the floor, he quickly changed out of his pajamas and into the (not so) fresh clothes. Just as he had pulled his head through the neck’s opening, his bedroom door creaked open suddenly. The two boys' eyes went instantly to the door opening, where Armin’s grandfather, Alfred, stood.
”Morning Armin,” He greeted while letting his eyes sweep over the room. ”… and Eren. Hmph, I thought I heard some ruckus going on.”
”I’m sorry, grandpa! We didn’t mean to wake you up,” Armin’s eyes shifted over to Eren as he spoke. ”Or, at least, I didn’t.”
Eren seemed unphased by the silent jab from his friend, and only remained standing there beside him, silent. Only after a more-than-obvious shove in his shoulder from his friend did he come to the conclusion that he should say something as well.
”Uh, sorry, Mr. Arlert.”
Alfred looked at the two of them strangely, before briefly closing his eyes and sighing. ”It’s alright, son. You are always welcome here at any time. Through the entrance door, preferably.” His expression then changed to one of pondering.
”Well, since we all are already up, we might as well grab some breakfast, hm?” He smiled at the boys, who in return widened their eyes in excitement at the suggestion. ”How about we visit the diner?”
”Yes please!” They both cried happily.
The walk to Le Bistro went by quickly with Eren in tow, skipping his steps over the rough pavement while the other two trailed after. Armin had to remind him that they couldn’t go too fast or his grandpa would fall behind, but Alfred didn’t seem to mind, telling his grandson to go on ahead with the other.
The familiar jingle from the door sounded as they walked inside. There weren’t any other customers in the little diner yet, and it felt somewhat eerie for them to see the usual crowded space so empty.
Sounds of a pan sizzling could be heard from the back of the diner where the kitchen lay. A stereo sat on the counter by the register, playing soft jazz music from a radio channel. Eren looked towards it and scrunched his nose as if he was disgusted.
”Even his taste in music is bad. Who in the world under sixty years old listens to this?” He complained aloud.
”I don’t really mind it,” Armin said in reply while taking a seat at their usual table, the same one he and his grandfather had sat at the time he first met Eren.
”It’s just because you’re used to it. You live with your grandpa- he’s like, super old.”
Armin’s brows furrowed at the statement from his friend.
”Stop it, he’s not that old.” He commented and went to pick up a small packet of sugar that laid on the table. He threw it and hit Eren in the chest, who made an offended sound in return.
”That’s what you get for running your mouth.” Armin said and threw another one, this time hitting his friend square in the face.
”Ow- That was foul,” Eren remarked in a very serious tone, which made a smile appear on Armin’s lips. ”I am hurt, ’Min. Not cool.”
”Oh, zip it. You’re just jealous ’cause you never manage to hit me when you throw.” He teased.
”Woah, okay. You wanna test that theory?” Eren went to another nearby table and grabbed a bunch of sugar packets. While he wasn’t always as accurate in his throws, he definitely had more force in them, and with the amount of packets he held, he was sure to get at least a few hits in. When he came closer towards where Armin sat, the other boy dashed out of his seat, desperately trying to avoid the incoming fire. He shrieked as Eren began to chase him and accidentally knocked over a chair during his escape.
In the span of seconds another figure emerged into the room. An apron was tied lazily around his middle and a spatula was held in his right hand. The moment he saw the two children wreaking havoc in his diner, he dropped it and paced over to the two, catching each of them by the collar of their shirts.
”Oi, oi! Knock it out!” Levi, the owner of the diner, scolded. ”Little brats, the two of you…”
He made sure to see that the children weren’t going to start running again before he let them go, roughly removing his hands and making them wobble slightly in place. The young man crossed his arms intimidatingly while staring down at the two. He could clearly see that his stance made Armin nervous, meanwhile Eren just stared boringly back.
”What do you want?” Levi asked, or demanded to be more accurate. He was right in the middle of preparing food for the lunch rush later, and had no time to get disturbed by annoying children.
”Uh, eat? Duh,” Eren deadpanned, which earned him a glare from the older one.
”You’re a kid. You don’t have any money.” Levi stated. ”No money, no food.” He turned around to go and grab the kitchen utensil he had dropped before.
”Well Armin’s grandpa is on his way too!” Eren yelled out before the older one could leave. As Levi turned around at the words, he sent a look towards Armin, who nodded eagerly in confirmation at the words.
”Well, that’s great and all,” Levi began, turning around once again to walk back to the kitchen. ”But you still need to pay to get your food. No grandpa here, no food for you.”
Both boys gave displeased looks at each other, clearly not satisfied with the answer. While Armin had always been more tolerant to actually listen to what grown-ups said, Eren was definitely not. He could not just sit and complain while listening to what he was told, no, he had to spring into action.
”Okay, Mr. Diner Guy, that’s fair and all,” Eren sprung forward and around the older man so he was blocking the way to the kitchen. ”But you know that Armin’s grandpa is coming soon. Can’t you just, y’know, make it now and he’ll pay for us later?”
Levi did not even try to hide the offense he took to the new nickname he had been dubbed.
”First off, you know what my name is, kid. You’ve had to say it enough times when your mother makes you come over here and apologize for the chaos you cause.” Eren's ears turned bright red at the remark, obviously not ready for the man to fire the same amount of sass back at him. ”Second off, you really think I’m gonna take your word for that? I thought you were smarter than that, Jaeger.” With a simple push, not too rough but enough to get the point across, he cleared Eren from the way and walked through the doorway leading to the kitchen.
”Well- Well what about Armin!” Eren exclaimed with a point towards his friend. ”You trust Armin, he never does anything bad!” Armin, not expecting the spotlight to be thrown at him, began to rub his hands together with uncertainty. Sure, he too felt that Levi was being a bit crude, but he didn’t want to cause any trouble for him.
A short silence was shared between the three, before Levi’s head suddenly peeked out from behind the doorway. With the same disinterested expression he always wore, he began to speak.
”That may have been true once. But ever since you two became friends, there’s no point in trusting any of you. You are both troublemakers, even if Armin is better at getting away with it.” His face then disappeared again, but his voice continued to holler at them. ”I should have thought twice before I let you in here to make up! Now I have two menaces to deal with.”
Eren looked on in disappointment as he realized he wasn’t getting his way, meanwhile Armin was trying not to laugh too loud, hiding his giggles behind a hand. While he never wanted people to have a reason to call him a troublemaker, he knew that what Levi was talking about had some ounce of truth in it. He had become more and more involved in Eren’s silly antics, and while they usually became more tame and less dangerous when he joined in, it was still enough to sometimes get a small scolding from some grown-ups here and there. The harmless pranks rarely made any of the adults angry though, so Armin could easily deal with their reprimanding while he stood beside Eren, giggling together at their doings.
Secretly, he knew that Levi was finding it amusing as well, especially whenever they accidentally pranked some customer of his that he was annoyed with. The small snickers and smiles he let show when only Armin looked his way felt oddly rewarding, as if the young adult was cheering him on.
So perhaps, Levi was right that Armin had changed since he and Eren had become friends. But change didn’t always have to imply bad things. If he himself were to decide, he’d say that these changes had made him more outgoing and confident, some things that he’d very much lacked before.
And what was the problem in that, really?
”Come on Eren, let’s just wait until Grandpa comes.” Armin went to pull his friend towards their table, and this time, Eren joined him to sit down without complaint.
The boys chatted for a few minutes, going over what they would be doing for the rest of the day after they had eaten. Armin sneakily suggested that they should prank call the diner later and request for a dozen of pretzels, which he knew Levi didn’t sell, and Eren tried his best to hide his laughter as they discussed the idea.
The doorbell’s jingle broke them out of their scheming. Armin’s eyes lit up as he saw his grandfather walk in, finally having reached them.
”Grandpa!” He exclaimed in a cheer, and was about to run towards his relative, but found himself falling back into his seat as he saw another figure walk in behind the old man.
”…I definitely agree about the suggested scheduling for the events. Moving the dates forward will probably incline more people to come before the vacation season is over.”
It was his grandfather who had spoken. He seemed to be talking to the other person, whom Armin had no single clue of who it could be. The man towered over his grandfather in great height, and his build was definitely stronger and larger than any other average man he’d seen. In contrast to his big figure, his face and expression was one of extreme calm, and a friendly smile rested on his lips as he listened and nodded.
”I’m glad you seem to agree, Alfred. It’s good to have an opinion from one of the residents who was there when the tradition started. I wouldn’t want to impose and make things too different, after all.” The man replied.
”Oh, don’t you worry about that. You’ve done a wonderful job so far, your father would be very proud.”
Armin looked towards Eren, who didn’t seem to be as confused by the appearance of the strange man as he was. He briefly wondered how he’d never managed to meet him before in the weeks he’d been here.
”…Who is that?” He whispered. Just as his friend began to mumble out a reply, the man turned towards the two and began to walk their way.
”Hello there, Eren. It’s been awhile. How’s your family doing?” He asked.
Eren stared up at him with large eyes.
”Uhh, They’re fine. Mikasa’s at some boring girl’s camp. Dad is working, and mom is having time off.” Eren replied timidly. It was almost as if he was a little careful when he spoke, like he didn’t want to accidentally say something wrong. Armin wondered if this man was one of the few adults that Eren actually held some respect for.
”That’s great. You’ll have to tell them I said hi.” The man then turned to look at only Armin. He held up his hand to shake with a polite smile. ”You must be Mr. Arlert’s grandson, right? My name is Erwin Smith. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Armin cautiously took hold of the other man’s hand, and shook it slowly. ”Nice to meet you too… I’m Armin.” He then uttered out shyly.
Sensing his slight discouragement, Armin’s grandfather walked over to the rest of them and placed a comforting hand on his grandson’s shoulder.
”Erwin here is the town’s selectman! He takes care of many important matters of the town and makes sure that we all have it good out here.” The boy's eyes lit up in fascination at the words. Alfred explained to Armin what the role meant, meanwhile Erwin stood beside and added an affirmative nod here and there.
”You made the map my grandpa gave me, right?” Armin then asked, vaguely remembering the town’s map he had been gifted on his first day in Marienheim.
”That’s right. I hope it was useful for you to get to know the town better.” Erwin replied, to which Armin smiled shyly back. He had been impressed by the little miniature painting of the town when he’d first seen it. To also be able to meet the man who made it, and apparently is in charge of so many other things…
So cool, he thought to himself.
”Right now you’re in the midst of planning out something big, right?” Alfred held a mischievous smirk as he revealed the information, knowing that the boys would perk up in interest at the words.
Erwin chuckled at the wide eyes he got. ”Ah, yes. The town’s festival.”
The boys’ jaws dropped.
”A festival?” Eren gasped, starstruck at thought. ”We haven’t had one in so long! ” His body vibrated with excitement.
He began to explain to Armin how Marienheim used to hold several different festivals and events over the seasons of the year, but that roughly a year ago, it had been put on hold for an indefinite time forward.
”It has been so boring without them.” Eren dragged out the words dramatically as he trailed on. ”The festivals are like Christmas for Marienheim- Imagine if you just removed Christmas! That’d be awful! ”
”The world would go under.” Another voice laced with sarcasm emerged into the group. Levi, with three, steaming hot plates in his hands and arm, walked forward to their table. With a grunt and a quiet ”Bon appetit” , he placed down the three dishes.
”Oh, what fine service! I didn’t even have to order!”
”Don’t flatter yourself, Alfred, it was your little runts that kept tormenting me until I had to give in.”
The old man seemed satisfied with his usual order of hashbrowns and sausage, and wasted no time in digging into his food. Armin and Eren had both received a serving of crêpes, and while the former seemed happy at the sight, the latter did not.
”…Is this supposed to be a pancake?” He wondered and poked at the food. ”When my mom makes them they are big and fluffy…”
”It’s a crêpe. It’s supposed to be flat.” Levi replied.
”Try it, Eren, they’re really good!” Armin encouraged.
”Yes, perhaps this could be a learning experience for you.” Levi snickered as he watched the child in front of him struggle with his food. Eren, not being one to back down when baited, quickly talked back to the adult.
”Why don’t you serve these at the festival, Mr. Ackermann? That way, everyone could taste them.” Armin watched as the smirk the older man had worn quickly faded, being replaced with a more commonly seen frown. His reaction seemed strange to the boy.
”Now that’s a wonderful idea, Eren.” Erwin Smith chimed in all of a sudden. He seemed elated at the idea of having Levi participate… But why did it look as if Levi wanted anything but that?
”No thank you.” Levi promptly refused without hesitation. His arms were crossed defiantely, as if his whole self was opposed to the idea.
Before the owner of the diner could turn back, Armin quickly grabbed hold of the man’s sleeve, and with a gentle tug, asked for his attention.
”Mr. Ackermann, don’t you like the festivals?” Armin asked him. It was an innocent question, but somehow, the few and small words seemed to have caused a shift in the room’s energy. The small boy noticed how Erwin was now watching Levi too, as if he was wondering the same as well.
Levi looked down upon Armin with a frown, before sighing rather noticeably.
”They’re loud. And annoying.” Was his only answer.
”Well, you only think that because you never participate!” Eren added in between bites of his food.
”I’m too busy to be running around in large masses of people who never learned how to sneeze into their elbows. It’s like asking for a cold to catch you.” Levi grumbled back at the child.
”Nah, I think you’re just allergic to fun.”
”What I am allergic to is brats who talk with their mouth full.”
”Actually,” Erwin intervened to stop the on-going spat between the adult and child. ”I was meaning to talk to you about that, Levi.” He began, and suddenly, Armin’s grandfather seemed to take a great interest in watching their exchange of the topic.
”Whatever you’re gonna say, it’s a no.”
”If you’d just hear me out. I have a really great idea for how your diner could participate in this festival without much effort from your side.” Erwin spoke fast, as if he knew that the other man would soon stop listening. ”It would be a bit similar to Eren’s idea, and it would be great for your business too-”
”Oh, well that’s great and all,” Levi noted with fake enthusiasm and an equally fake smile. ”But I’m gonna have to decline. Pardon. ” He retreated back to his spot behind the front counter and busied himself with preparing a fresh pot of coffee for the customers that would roll in soon.
Erwin let go of a troublesome sigh, but proceeded to press on as he followed Levi to continue to discuss the matter.
Armin’s eyes fleeted between the two men. His lip worried slightly at their exchange. Had he accidentally brought up a touchy subject?
”Levi, if you could just listen-” Erwin began again, but was quickly interrupted by the loud noise of a coffee mug getting forcefully put down on the counter.
”I’m sorry, Mr. Smith, but I’m trying to work here.” The man spat out as if the words were pure venom. ”Maybe another time, hm?” His head then turned to look towards the table where the remainder of the group sat.
”Alfred, coffee?” Levi asked while pouring a cup, making a point to ignore the man in front of him as he did his work chores.
”Oh yes, please.” The elder piped up with an easy smile. He seemed either unknowing of the tense energy in the room or simply did not care for it.
”And cream with that?” Levi’s eyes fleeted up briefly and locked with Erwin’s.
”Naturally.”
Later that afternoon, when the two boys had to split up for dinner at each of their own houses, Armin found himself reminded of the events that had occured that day.
Primarily of what had happened at Le Bistro.
”Grandpa?” Armin said while his grandfather gave the boy his serving of potatoes and meatloaf. The man responded with an attentive hum and a smile as he sat himself down in front of the other.
”Did Mr. Ackermann get… angry before? When I mentioned the festival?” He asked in a cautious tone while picking at his food. The old man was visibly taken aback by the question, seemingly not having expected his grandson to be dwelling on a small thing like that.
”You mean angry at you?” His grandfather asked and reached out to cup his large hands around his smaller ones. ”Armin, it wasn’t your fault. That young man has always had a… bit of a temper. You did nothing wrong.”
”Yeah… But, he seemed so upset, and then he and Mr. Smith began to argue with each other, too.”
”Oh, it’s nothing new, son. You didn’t cause it. Levi always avoids attending our town festivities, it’s just how he is.”
”But why?” Armin asked, curious eyes looking up at his grandfather in front of him.
”Hm, I don’t know,” His grandfather said between bites of food. ”I guess those sorts of things aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. Levi isn’t from Marienheim, so he’s probably not so used to it all, either.”
”Erwin, for example,” He continued. ”He grew up here, with his own father being the previous town selectman, so he’s already got a knack for all these things. It might come off as a bit eccentric for others that we’re engaging in several large activities throughout the year, but that’s just Marienheim for you.” He finishes it off with a fond look in his eyes, thinking back on his own upbringing when the traditions had started off.
”Well, that’s not what I think. To me it sounds like a lot of fun.” Armin states in response, gaining him a warm smile from his grandfather.
”I’m glad you think so, son.”
When the two had finished eating their supper, the older man picked up their plates to take them to the dishwasher. Armin trailed after, helping with carrying their glasses and cutlery. The boy stood beside the elder, reaching out to hand him the utensils, receiving a ”thank you” in return.
”Grandpa, don’t you think it gets lonely for Levi to be all by himself every time the town is out celebrating?” Armin asked then, clearly not having gotten over the conundrum of the man.
”Perhaps…” The elder replied. ”But he knows he’s always welcome to come and join us. I’m sure that if he’d ever feel like it, he would.”
Sleep came quickly to the boy that night, as it often happened to do now in Marienheim. Usually a mix of exhaustion from the day’s events plus an excitement for the upcoming one led to the easy slumber, and Armin did not complain about it in the slightest.
As usual, he woke up from the sun staring at him through the window blinds into his room. He dragged himself out of bed, the remaining sleep in his eyes having him stumble slightly on the floorboards beneath him. One of his toes caught on to the hem of his nightshirt that he had thrown away in the middle of the night, having gotten way too warm under the bed’s thick duvets. His feet carried him towards the small dresser on the other side of the room, and after half-caringly picking out a new outfit for the day, he dressed himself in the fresh blue striped T-shirt along with a pair of shorts, before opening up his bedroom door. The boy took a turn in the narrow hallway to walk in the direction of the kitchen.
When he arrived, he could see the elder standing in front of the stove, stirring something in a large frying pan that just kept on sizzling and sparking.
”Oh, Armin, you’re up!” His grandfather noted after the boy had gone up to greet him. ”Did you sleep well, my boy?”
”Like a log.” Armin smiled back cheekily, earning a hand that went to ruffle up his already messy bed-hair.
”Any plans for today?” The old man then asked as he continued to work at the stove. Armin leaned his body to look past the other’s shape out the window, watching the sun crawl up the green grass in their front garden as he pondered the question.
”Hm, I don’t know yet. We’ll see,” He said with a thoughtful hum.
His grandfather turned his head slightly to smile at him. ”Well, the day is still young.”
Armin smiled back at him.
”I’m making some breakfast for us. Would you mind going out to fetch the paper for me?” His grandfather then asked him. With a dutiful nod, the boy made his way to the front door and hastily slipped on a pair of blue crocks (ones that belonged to his Grandpa and were way too big for him), before running out to the mailbox at the end of the driveway.
Small drops of dew stuck to the edge of the metal compartment, slowly drying off as the sun climbed up higher and higher in the sky. He flicked open the latch, and saw, as expected, the morning paper lay inside it, harshly crumpled down despite the large space that the box could hold. As Armin picked it up, he noticed something laying underneath the lump of paper, something bright and colorful. He grabbed onto the other item as well, and noticed that it was a flier. He turned it around so he could read what it said.
All are welcome to the Summer Market and Fun Fair hosted on the 16th of July in Marienheim’s town square! The streets around the area will be blocked off to allow personal selling booths to be set up, along with food trucks, game stands and more for the whole family to enjoy. Indulge with us this one evening as we celebrate the height of the summer’s warmth and joy together!
For more information about the event and its official program, please contact Head of Town Council, Erwin Smith, at the following addresses…
Armin's eyes widened as he skimmed through the smooth paper’s content.
No way! A fun fair? He thought incredulously. He had never gone to one before!
The boy quickly ran inside again, kicking the crocks off his feet the moment he stepped through the front door, and continued his sprinting all the way to the phone that hung in the kitchen.
He fumbled with the handset momentarily, having reached for it in such a quick haste that his grip around it faltered. After quickly punching in the correct number on the device with his free hand, he changed his grip on the telephone so that it was closer to his ear. He eagerly awaited as it rang, ready to burst in excitement the moment his friend would pick up.
There was a quiet beep, and a beep, and another beep…
And then a static sound suddenly interrupted the rhythmic sounds from the phone.
”This is Carla Jaeger speaking,” A voice said through the speaker.
”Hello Mrs Jaeger, it’s Armin! Is Eren there to talk?” He said, trying his best to contain his excitement, though the wide smile he had on his face could be noticed in his voice.
”Oh, hi Armin! Hm, well actually, he just ran out of the door a few minutes ago.” Carla responded with a chuckle.
”Ah, okay.” His voice could be heard deflating in tone, not as excited anymore now that his friend wouldn’t be able to chat with him over the telephone.
”Uh, well, do you know when he will come back home?” He asked.
”Oh, he didn’t say, honey.”
Shucks, he thought. What was he going to do now? Alas, they could still talk later during the day, he supposed… There was no rush at all.
Not at all, he thought, knees knocking together and toes fiddling on the wooden floor.
He was just about to reply back to the woman on the other end of the line, but at the same moment he opened his mouth to speak, a rapid knock at the Arlert household’s front door interrupted him.
”If my guess is correct you’ll be seeing him pretty soon, though. Would you tell him that he still has to empty the dishwasher when he gets home for me?”
Armin tried to focus on her words as the knocking grew more and more urgent. He did his best to cover the laugh that escaped his mouth with his hand.
”Of course. Have a good day, Mrs Jaeger!” He replied, and after having heard her voice bid him goodbye as well, the handset was put back on its holder on the wall before his feet carried him away yet again.
Armin opened the door, already knowing who would be standing on the other side.
”A fun fair!!”
It was the only thing Eren said before launching himself at the other, engulfing the blond boy in a celebratory hug. Armin repeated the words as they both began to jump up and down while in their embrace, laughter rolling off them all the while.
They both stumbled when they eventually retreated from each other.
”What do you think it’ll have?” Armin asked. He didn’t quite know what to expect from the festival, aside from the few mentioned things on the flier.
”Well, I hope there’ll be some rides! One time, they had like these spinning teacups you could sit in, and they would go so fast that you’d almost fall out!” Eren noted with excitement.
”Teacups? No way!”
”Yes way.”
”I hope they’ll have cotton candy…” Armin said with a smug smile, ever the sweet tooth to yearn for some sugary goodness.
”Well, of course they will, it’s a Fun fair! Duh!” Eren remarked as if the knowledge was nothing but obvious, and Armin could feel himself draw back slightly at the tone. In the same moment, he realized that Eren didn’t yet know that he had never gone to a festival before. Oh, how embarrassing! The list of his lack of experiences grew only longer and longer, meanwhile it seemed that Eren had already gotten used to everything that the world had to offer! Armin was determined though to not let his inexperience show.
”Yeah, right. Duh.” He repeated with a laugh to cover up his nervousness. Eren didn’t seem to notice it anyways.
”Armin! Breakfast is done!” His grandfather called from around the corner.
”Come on,” Armin said and grabbed hold of Eren’s hand to lead him to the kitchen.
”Hello Eren, good to see you.” Alfred greeted the two boys who sat themselves down at the table.
”Hi Mr Arlert. I came through the door this time, instead of the window.” Eren greeted back.
”That’s very good, son.”
“Look what came in the mail, Grandpa!” Armin chimed in excitedly, handing the piece of paper off to the old man.
“Hm, so that’s what you were so loud about just now…” He teased, though with no real ill intention in his voice. “Well now everything is seeming to be back in order, at least. Glad to see Marienheim back on track.”
“It’s been way too long since the last festival!” Eren added, gaining an affirmative nod from Alfred.
“But the festival is an entire week from now, it’s gonna feel like forever until then.” Armin complained, and his friend slumped along with him at the bitter thought.
Armin ate his scrambled eggs slowly, a thoughtful expression on his face that indicated that his mind was off somewhere else at the moment. Eren sat beside him and fiddled with the hem of the table cloth, bored and eager to be doing something else. He had already eaten at his own home before coming over.
The grandfather kept a close eye on the two as they sat down together.
“You know, boys…” The old man suddenly said, and the sly tone in his voice gained curious glances from the other two at the table.
“Erwin told me it was a secret, but I thought you should know,” He began, speaking the words slowly for a sense of dramatic effect. The old man swore he could see the children’s eyes twitching in suspense. “I overheard that he would be getting a large delivery from out of town today. Lots of supplies for something... Could be for what’s happening next week, if you catch my drift.” He finished with an innocent shrug.
Both of the boys’ eyes slid to the side to examine the other. It was as if they were communicating through only stares, and those stares did nothing but scream pure eagerness. The pieces of scrambled eggs that Armin scooped onto his spoon became larger and larger by every bite. Eren was now fidgeting even more than usual. It seemed like they were fighting with all their might to not be rude and run off.
After watching their inner turmoil for a while in pure amusement, Alfred chuckled lightly and patted his hands on the table to gather their attention. Armin’s eyes met his grandfather’s in a split second, pleading for permission to leave the breakfast table.
The old man sighed before he finally spoke. ”It’s okay. You can go.”
Before he had even managed to finish his sentence, the kids had already bolted out of their seats. The moment their feet stepped on the wooden floor, Eren slung out to grab Armin’s hand in his own, and dragged them off to where their shoes stood by the door.
”See you later, Grandpa!” Was the only thing the blond boy managed to say before he was yet again dragged away with force, out of the door and over the gravel driveway to the paved streets.
”Isn’t this so cool?!” Eren almost squealed in excitement, making Armin giggle.
”We don’t even know if it’s there yet or not.” he said, trying his best to calm the other down, but failing quite badly since he too was eager to see what things Erwin had gotten delivered to the town.
”Only the thought is mind-blowing enough for me. There is barely anything that ever goes on here, it’s so boring!”
”That’s not true. There are Bingo Nights hosted in the library every wednesday!” Armin interjected.
”Yeah, that only you and the other pensioners attend.”
”Hey- I didn’t say I’m a bingo fan, I just know of it!” Armin quickly defended, already embarrassed enough from how teased he’d usually get by Eren for actively socializing with the elderly in the town. It wasn’t even like he hung out with them, but it definitely didn’t hurt one to be nice and chat when he passed them by! He had manners, after all! ”There’s probably lots of other things going on too besides Bingo Night. You’d hear about it if you didn’t just hang out with me all the time.”
Eren turned to look at the other, genuine confusion painted over his features. ”But why would I do anything else than that? That’s stupid.”
Armin stuttered on his reply, not knowing exactly how or what he should respond with to the statement.
Eren’s way of speaking with the most brutal honesty was something that Armin still tried getting used to. He had never before been that familiar with the concept of having any given friends, pals that you could always give a call and ones you’d know would always check up on you too. Hearing the friend he had now willingly say that he’d rather spend time with Armin than with anyone felt nice. It spread a warm feeling throughout his chest to know that he could be someone else’s first choice.
Armin could only manage a quiet hum to come out in reply. His cheeks flushed a little, but Eren didn’t seem to notice at all. He was already back with his full focus singled out on one thing:
To find out what Mr. Erwin Smith had gotten delivered to town.
”There he is, I see him!” Eren said and pointed his finger wildly. They had just reached the town’s square, and on the other side of the green area that sat in the middle, just outside Le Bistro, stood the tall and broad-shouldered man, conversing with another dressed in outdoor work attire.
The boys approached slowly, dashing between bushes and trees in an attempt to avoid being seen. They of course couldn’t risk getting caught. Since the events of the festival were supposed to be a surprise, surely Erwin would move his conversation elsewhere if he found them out! Perhaps they should’ve brought a tape recorder, so they could catch the confidential information on audio film; Would it work as blackmail on the town’s selectman to get free cotton candy, Armin wondered? And how far would that be in terms of ”crossing a line”?
The questions were tough to figure out, so they were tucked away into a tiny crook of his mental library for later. Right now, he was shifting his attention to the conversation in front of them.
”Alright, that seems to be about everything… I just need a few signatures from you and then we’re all done!” The stranger in work attire said, handing over a clipboard and pen to Erwin.
There were large wooden boxes surrounding the two men, having seemingly been lifted out of the large truck that stood parked beside them. Some of them had stamps on them, marked with writings in different colors.
”Look what that one says!” Eren whispered loudly, pointing at one box that stood closer towards them. On the stamp stood the word ”PYROTECHNICS” spelled out in large, capital letters. ”What is it supposed to mean?”
Armin hummed in thought. And leaned closer to his friend to whisper back. ”I think I’ve heard somewhere that ”pyro” can be another word for fire. I’m not too sure though.”
”Fire… Like fireworks?!” Eren bristled out, stars gleaming in his eyes at the thought of getting to watch the colorful explosions fly in the sky.
”Maybe,” Armin replied with a giggle. They both continued to sneak glances from behind the greenery in the square, thinking their hiding spots were the peak of all stealthiness.
Though, as good as it seemed (seeing as Erwin and the stranger hadn’t managed to notice them yet), there was still one man wandering the earth who, no matter what, always managed to spot the tiniest things out of place wherever he found himself.
Levi Ackermann had just been over at the grocery store that was located on another corner of the square, stocking up on some coffee grounds for Le Bistro that he had run out of unexpectedly, and on his way back to his oh-so beloved diner, he was faced with the sight of the two boys huddling over the bushes.
The two children were leaning forward, hands on their knees as they stood, watching and whispering to each other. Levi’s gaze tracked to where the children’s looked, and found himself to not even be surprised at the sight when he saw Erwin Smith, a clipboard and a bunch of loaded boxes.
There was no reason for him to cross the square, seeing as Le Bistro laid on the same street as the grocery store, but he couldn’t deny that this little strange occurrence made him curious. He slowed in his steps as he came closer, eventually stopping behind their caved forward bodies, examining them strangely. They did not make note of his presence, too occupied in their investigation to notice anything else.
Eventually, he decided that the sight was no more interesting than watching a cat puke up a ball of hair, and broke the silence by announcing his presence.
”Do I need to contact the authorities about your behavior, or can I trust you to hand yourself in to the police on your own?” He asked after another silent minute. Both boys jumped in their stances at the unexpected voice behind them.
”Shit!” Eren cursed, clutching at his chest to calm his alarming heart, and Levi rolled his eyes when he saw that the boy had placed his hand on the right side of his chest instead of the left.
Armin was also surprised, but managed to keep himself calm despite the unexpected introduction.
”Mr. Ackermann, look! It’s the supplies for the festival that’s happening next week!” Armin said and pointed once he’d gotten over the tiny shock of the surprise attack.
”Hm, you say that as if I am supposed to be happy about it.” The man said disinterestedly, but decided to indulge the children a little bit and look over where they pointed.
”Why wouldn’t you be? It’s going to be a great evening. Even if you don’t do anything with your business, you’ll still be there, right?” Armin looked over at the man, hopeful as ever, though Levi only kept his eyes forward and remained silent.
”There’s so many boxes! I wonder what’s in all of them.” Eren butted in for the silence, not as aware of the sudden shift in the older man’s demeanor as his friend was. Armin kept on shooting glances at Levi, worrying over what was supposedly troubling him.
”Maybe he ordered a new hobby for you, that doesn’t include shooting hoops over my diner.” Levi snarkily commented, to which Eren stuck out his tongue.
”See, Armin? I told you: allergic to fun. ” Eren said, to which Levi responded with smacking the boy lightly over the head.
The blond boy interrupted the two in the middle of their spat by swinging his arms out between them. His eyes were locked on another box close to them.
”Hey, that box is labeled with the library’s name! I didn’t know they would be involved, too!” The blond boy noted. Eren wrinkled his nose at the words, not excited to hear what the ”early retirement home” as he dubbed it was planning to do for the festival. He arched forward as well, entirely forgetting the fight between him and the older man that occured just a few seconds before.
”Yeah yeah, I bet they’ve only ordered more of those dry biscuits they gave out once. What does the other one beside it say? I can’t see,” Eren craned his neck to get a better look at the label plastered on the side.
”I think… I think it says Le Bistro ?” Armin said with a gasp of surprise. ”So you are going to join in after all, Mr. Ackermann?”
The blond boy beamed up at the man standing behind them, happy at the thought of the man joining in on the festivities, but his glowing smile quickly died down the moment he saw the other’s expression.
What he was met with was a Levi Ackermann who did not look happy at all. At first the man’s eyes had narrowed, as if he was confused by the prospect of having his diner’s name added to the bunch of deliveries from outside of town. Then his nose wrinkled, and his mouth opened in an ugly snarl. He looked downright furious to Armin. The blond boy wondered what could have elicited that kind of reaction from him. It was almost as if Levi had no idea that Erwin had gotten Le Bistro involved for the festival…
Oh, Armin thought silently in his head.
”That son of a bitch…” The man muttered under his breath, voice low and gravely but still loud enough for the kids to hear, and Armin covered his mouth in shock at the sudden use of the curse word.
Before neither Armin nor Eren could say anything else, Levi was stamping past them, easily maneuvering over the twiggy bushes to march right over to Erwin Smith, who was still so blissfully unaware of their presence.
”Oi, Erwin!” Levi yelled out, not caring that the small distance between them didn’t require a loud volume.
The taller man turned swiftly where he stood, immediately facing the new voice calling his name. The moment his eyes landed on the dark haired man and his angered features, his own eyebrows rose high on his forehead, confused and baffled by the sudden approach.
”You lying shit! Thought you could do it all behind my back?” Levi said, gesturing to the box that had his diner’s name stamped on it.
”Levi…” Erwin managed to say, stunned by the sudden approach. ”I, well… It was just, I never got a clear answer from you. I figured that I’d put in the order, just in case.”
”Oh, really?” The shorter man scoffed while his eyes narrowed dangerously. ”Me telling you to shove that idea up your ass was not forward enough, you say?”
The anger behind his words were clear as glass. Armin could not believe the language that came out of his mouth. He knew that Mr Ackermann didn’t have the finest vocabulary of them all, but to curse in front of this other, unknown man? And Loudly too? It felt scandalous.
Erwin looked behind himself at the other man with the clipboard, who was watching their spat with an uncomfortable expression. He then turned back with a sigh, confliction written all over his face. ”Please, can we finish this conversation later?”
”Oh no, I’m sorry, was I interrupting something important?” Levi spat out in loud sarcasm, before stalking past Erwin and up to the stranger behind him. ”Give me that, you buffoon.” He snarled and swiped the clipboard out of the other’s hands. Erwin tried to stop him on the way from harassing the other man, but was ultimately too slow. Levi proceeded to flip over several of the papers on it until he landed on a specific one, and after having briefly skimmed through its content, he grabbed it with his free hand and tore the document out of the stack.
Everyone around him gasped as he crumpled up the torn paper, threw it on the ground and then trampled on it, making sure to rub the heel of his shoe on it for extra show. He then, without even a glance, harshly handed the clipboard back to the stranger.
”If I ever see you ordering wares for my business again without my knowledge, I’ll be contacting the authorities. It doesn’t matter if it’s being paid for by the Town Council or not, leave me out of it. ” Levi pointed accusingly at Erwin, who at this point had turned from looking less concerned to more annoyed.
”Levi, wait-” He began to say and reached out his hand to the other, but he didn’t get to finish the sentence when his hand was suddenly smacked away harshly.
”Non! You think you can do whatever you want now just because you have some important chief role- Well I don’t care!”
As the fight grew more and more loud, the two children that had been previously standing watch behind the greenery, cheerfully smiling and discussing the exciting events for next week, were now wide eyed in shock. Eren glanced at Armin, expression blending between a mix of mild fear and grave confusion. Armin didn’t know how to react back.
Back to where the adults stood, things had not calmed down between them in the slightest. Erwin took a deep sigh, doing his best to keep his composure from failing him. He looked like he was trying to hide what he was feeling beneath the calm facade he carried.
”Well, now that I’m in charge, I can make sure you won’t have to deal with all the things that troubled you from before. Wouldn’t it be a fair compromise; You participate and I’ll handle the work?”
”This isn’t a goddamn negotiation,” Levi spat.
”Then perhaps it’s an ultimatum?”
The air went deathly silent after Erwin had uttered out the few words. Levi’s eyes went even wider than before, disbelief and shock painted over his face. Eren and Armin didn’t dare to say a thing, and neither did the unknown man in work attire, who looked like he wished to be anywhere but there. After a few more seconds of silence passed as they glared at each other, Levi suddenly stepped back, before flicking his head down harshly.
He spit down on the ground in front of the other.
I didn’t care for this town before you got promoted, I still don’t care about it, and I never will.” He then snarled before stalking off past the man, disappearing past the door of his own establishment on the corner of the square. The door’s soft jingle was the only sound that broke the deafening silence that was left off in the streets.
”… I think Levi doesn’t want to, y’know, attend the festival.” Eren eventually whispered to Armin. The blond boy could do nothing but nod back at his friend for stating the obvious.
Without realizing, both of the men had drawn quite the attention to themselves. Not only had the kids been witnesses to the whole ordeal, but also each and every passerby that had wandered about on the square. Armin could see how the townsfolk huddled close to each other, whispering and gossiping about the fight. He looked over to Erwin, who remained standing in place, expression blank and unreadable.
The man then finally turned to the worker, and gave his best smile to ease the tension that was looming over them all. Erwin apologized for the interruption, and kindly asked for the clipboard back to sign the remaining documents so he could finally send the poor man away.
When the surrounding people acting as audience began to clear off one after one, Armin remained standing, almost shell-shocked.
Had he caused this fight? He wondered.
When they were all sitting at the diner, and he had brought up the subject, the two men had begun to fight. Now, he had pointed out the box, reminding Mr Ackermann of the topic again, and just as the last time, they fought over the matter.
Beside him, Eren took notice of the anxiousness radiating off of him. He slung his own arm over the blond boy’s shoulders to lead him away from the scene.
”C’mon, let’s eat ice cream at my place.” He said, and Armin only hummed back.
What was going on between Levi Ackermann and Erwin Smith? And why was Levi so against attending the festival?