Love That Burns (Eren x Fem! reader)

chapter 2

(spring before junior year)

That spring had been boring. Mostly it consisted of back and forth trips from your old house; the house with all your stuff exactly where you liked it and a smell you were familiar with, to the new house, with all its unfamiliar things and smells. Sometimes you would hang out with friends from school, but it seemed like the moment they got wind that you were leaving they were cutting their losses and phasing you out of the friend group. You noticed the amount of outings you were not invited to had increased more and more, until eventually you realized you were no longer welcome. It seemed like your sister and your online friends were your only space at this point, and even then Pieck was busy with her own things and a lot of your online friends had time differences to take into account.

"Hey, I'm going to a party at Zeke's tonight, did you want to come?" Pieck stuck her head into your room. She knew you had been feeling kind of depressed about your lack of social life, and figured you might like a chance to get out of the mostly empty house.

"I'm not going to know anyone there." you point out, setting down your book.

"Yeah, that's kind of the point, to meet new people. Zeke's younger brother is inviting people too, and he's around your age I think. And he goes to that school, Shiganshina. So, go be social, make friends and maybe you won't be a complete social outcast when school starts in three months." Pieck shrugs.

The Jaeger house was large, brown, and placed just outside of stereotypical white suburbia. The walkway was clean, uncracked, unstained concrete, with flowers planted next to it. Pieck was the one to walk up and ring the doorbell that sat next to the impressive double doors, while you stayed to admire the flowers.

When Zeke opened the door he beckoned for Pieck to come inside, and left you scurrying after her, despite the fact she instantly betrayed you by leaving you alone with Zeke to go and talk to Porco. "I think some of Eren's friends are upstairs." he told you, clearly not remembering your name but understanding that you were still Pieck's sister.

You reluctantly ventured up the stairs to enter another living room space, which seems to be converted mostly into a game room, with an air hockey table and a TV that a few people were playing video games on. As you look around, trying to find a corner to sit in and scroll your phone, you hear someone speak from behind you.

"You look lost." he voice belonged to a tall, lanky boy with an ashy blond undercut, and a long rectangular nose.

"Really?"

Instantly his face turned apologetic and he held up his hands. "No! No, I was just, uh, I was just joking around with you." he admits, trying to laugh it off and still look cool. "I just thought, maybe you'd like someone to... keep you company?" he offers, with a blush on his cheeks.

"How gentlemanly." you smile wryly.

"Here, if you follow me I can show you where the Jaegers keep all their good snacks." he offers, grabbing your wrist and taking you to the pantry downstairs, which is stocked full of chips, cookies, fruit snacks and all other kinds of snacks. Normally, if a man had grabbed you like that without permission you would have snatched your wrist back, but something about this boy makes you want to trust him. Maybe it was the earnestness in his brown eyes, or just the way he talked, like he was trying to be confident. Whatever it was, it was making you act out of character, that was for certain.

"Hey, I should probably know your name before we rifle through other people's food together."

"It's Jean. Jean Kirschtein." he told you, still buried in the pantry in a quest for snacks. "Yours?"

"Y/N Finger." you respond, as Jean comes up from the pantry with a bag of oreos and a can of pringles. "Are you sure we're allowed to eat those? Didn't they put it out... I dunno, party food?"