When Flowers Bloom-EreHisu fanfic

7: Brothers

Eren sat deflated as his mom gave him an earful for not being home sooner. He fidgeted in his seat and tried not to look her in the eye. She was a force to be reckoned with when she was upset. "Your father would have liked to say good bye before he left. Why weren't you here earlier?" Her arms were crossed over her chest and she tapped her finger against her forearm, visibly impatient. "Well? I'm waiting."
"I'm sorry.. I just slept in late." In actuality that was somewhat true. He omitted the part where he'd woken up with a terrible hangover. So bad Reiner had to force him to get up and go home. He was a bad influence but a good friend, he wanted to get Eren home so his parents wouldn't worry too much.
Carla rolled her eyes. "You are not going to make a habit of this, do you understand me?" He nodded still avoiding eye contact. "No disappearing over the weekend." She bent down and pinched his cheek.
He flinched and nodded again. "Yes ma'am."
Letting out a sigh she sat beside him holding his hand in hers. "I don't know what to do with you sometimes." she muttered to herself. There was a moment of silence between them before she spoke again. "There's something else your father would have liked to talk to you about."
Guilt filled up his body. "What? Are you okay? Is something wrong?" His mind went to worse case scenario.
Laughing she pat his hand. "No nothing like that. You can be so dramatic." she teased. "No it's, well. This will take some explaining." He squeezed her hand waiting for her to continue. "Well, you have a brother."
"You're pregnant?" he blurted out. This caused her to laugh loudly.
"Oh Eren, good heavens no. I can barely handle you and your sister." She pushed her hair out of her face before continuing. "You have an older brother. From your father's previous marriage."
Dumbfounded, Eren's eyes widened. "Dad used to be married to someone else??" He'd never heard about this before. His mind buzzed with a million questions.
His mother nodded. "It was a long time ago, when he was much younger. Your brother, Zeke, has been in contact with us for many years. He's always wanted to get to know you."
Eren pulled his hand from his mother's, eyebrows furrowed together as his mind swirled. "Why didn't you tell me before?" he asked feeling slightly hurt that his parents had kept this big of a secret from him.
Carla wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "Honey, we just wanted to wait til you were a little older to understand. And after I got sick things became so complicated." she sighed softly. "Zeke is a very sweet man, he's been so patient all these years."
Eren sat silent. He had a brother. Someone he'd never met let alone even heard of. Unsure of how to react he kept his emotions inward. "When does he wanna meet?"
"If you're ready, he wanted to come by today. He's visiting for a few days here for work."
Eren nodded. "I wanna meet him." He had too many questions that he was sure his parents wouldn't answer truthfully. The most important one was what happened to his previous family. What caused him to leave?
His mother kissed his forehead before standing back up. "I'll let him know. This will be good for you."
He wasn't sure what she meant by that. After she left he hurried upstairs to Mikasa's room. He could hear the soft thump of music from behind her door. Knocking a little too loud to get her attention she called out. "Come in." He burst in and quickly slammed the door behind him. She was on her bed reading when he entered.
"Mikasa. I have to tell you something." he had a slight tremor in his voice. He was a flurry of emotions. Confused, excited, anxious.
She cocked her head to the side. "Are you okay?"
Ignoring her question he jumped on the bed beside her. No theatrics he simple blurted out. "Dad used to be married before he met mom. I have an older brother."
He expected shock to cover Mikasa's face but instead there wasn't a hint of emotion from her. "Oh, that. I already know."
More confusion filled his head. "What do you mean? Mom and dad already told you?" Maybe they'd told her earlier today when he was still passed out at Reiner's house.
She nodded, closing the book she'd been reading and set it on her pillow. "I've known for years. I accidentally saw dad and him talking once and they told me not to tell you. It was when we were like, maybe 8?"
Eren chewed at his lip. "Why wouldn't they tell me. Why wouldn't you tell me?" He felt hurt. "We tell each other everything.."
She suddenly pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry, I really wanted to tell you but," she released him pushing her long hair behind her ear, "Well mom and dad were really worried about you knowing. I didn't wanna upset them." He didn't feel too surprised by that. Mikasa especially sought after their parent's approval. She wasn't rebellious or petty like he was.
He sighed. "It's okay, I get it." He busied his hands by pulling at a lose string sticking out from the seam of his pants. "How'd they think I'd react? They make it seem like I would've burned the house down or something." he scoffed.
Mikasa shrugged. "I'm not sure, it's big news yeah but, I think we both should've known sooner." She pulled her red scarf up over her mouth. "Dad I think might've been ashamed." her response was slightly muffled behind her scarf.
Eren ran a hand through his hair. His dad had always been secretive. He had never been one to talk about his past when they were curious little kids. Even with seemingly harmless questions like where had he grown up, did he have any siblings. Things of that nature. The two of them didn't understand why and even now they still didn't understand. "What's he hiding?" he muttered to himself.
Mikasa grabbed her phone to turn her music off. "I don't know." Although it wasn't for her she answered his question.
He chewed at his lip still. It was a nervous tick of his that he barely even noticed he was doing. "What do you remember about Zeke?"
Thinking for a moment it took her a minute to answer. "He looks a lot like dad, but he's got blonde hair. I don't know how old he is but he's a lot older than us. Other than that, that's all i remember. Sorry."
"No it's fine." he said shaking his head. "I wonder what he's like. Do you think he and dad get along?" Mikasa just shrugged. He didn't know either. He wanted answers but he was also nervous to meet him. What would they even talk about? Would they like each other at all? He groaned suddenly overcome with his anxiety. "I'm supposed to meet him today but.. I'm scared."
Mikasa pulled him into another hug. She wasn't the most verbal person but he knew she was doing her best to put his mind at ease. He appreciated it. They spent the rest of their time talking about off hand subjects, mostly to keep Eren's mind distracted. It had been awhile since just he and Mikasa hung out. Usually they were accompanied by Armin but this felt nice too. It was much needed alone time. It seemed like no time had passed when they heard a knock and their mother's voice.
"Eren, Zeke is here."
He cast a worried glance at Mikasa who ruffled his hair and gave him a reassuring smile. Shaking his head to fix his hair he called out to his mom. "I'm coming."
Stepping out of Mikasa's room his mom started straightened out his shirt, smoothing away any wrinkles. "Mom.." he protested.
"I'm just helping." she hummed back. She cupped his face in her soft hands. "Are you ready?" He hesitantly nodded and she pushed him along downstairs.
With each step he could feel his heart thumping louder and louder in his chest. He tried his best to reassure himself that everything would be fine. What even could go wrong? There was nothing to worry about. Still, he was nervous. Reaching the last step he saw the stranger in their house. No, not a stranger, he corrected himself. His brother.
Mikasa was right, he did look like their dad. Just as tall as him and with the same glasses framing his face. Other than being incredibly blonde and with a beard, they looked the same. He was dressed so professionally, wearing a black button up shirt and a form fitted trench coat. His straight legged pants only added to the illusion of his height making him seem like a giant. Eren was slightly intimidated. Zeke's face lit up with a smile as he saw Eren.
"I-I'm Eren-" he stammered out. He held out his hand to shake his brother's but was surprised when Zeke grabbed him into a hug. All worry he felt about Zeke not liking him melted away as he held him tightly.
"It's so good to finally meet you." He pulled away, holding Eren by his shoulders and gazing at him. His eyes were filled with nothing but admiration. "I hope you don't mind hugs. I should've asked first." he added sheepishly.
Eren shook his head trying his best to smile. "No that's okay."
Zeke turned his attention to Carla. "He looks so much like you."
She smiled. "That's not the first time I've heard that."
"We have a lot of catching up to do." Eren looked up as he spoke. Zeke flicked his wrist pushing his sleeve back to check his watch. "How does lunch sound?" Eren nodded and Zeke addressed Carla once more. "I'll have him back in time for supper. Promise I'll take care of him."
"Have fun sweetheart." she kissed his cheek before he left. He wasn't fast enough to avoid it and his cheeks flared up as he heard Zeke chuckle. The front door closed behind them and Eren grew anxious again. It was just the two of them now. No parents, no one to keep the peace. Just them.
Eren's attention was drawn to Zeke as he jingled his car keys. "Let's go for a ride. There's this great diner on the outskirts of town." Eren had somehow missed the bright red Lamborghini parked along the sidewalk in front of his house. His eyes widened and Zeke, noticing, smiled. "I know, I know. I get a lot of stares." He bashfully scratched his cheek.
Eren was almost too afraid to touch the door handle to get in. He'd never seen a car this nice before. They hopped in and went on their way.
Zeke drove in silence until Eren blurted out, "Are you like rich or something?"
Zeke laughed loudly. "Or something. I saved up awhile for this beauty." He pat the dashboard. "Worth every penny."
Eren was filled to the brim with questions. Where to start? Maybe he should start small and work his way up. Before he could ask anything Zeke spoke up. "How old are you Eren?"
"I'm 16."
Zeke nodded. "So we're ten years apart. I'm 26." Eren wouldn't have guessed that. He looked much older than 26. He kept that thought to himself though, he didn't wanna seem rude.
"Um," he picked lint off his shirt. "So what do you do for work? My mom said you were in town for something work related."
Zeke perked up. "I'm a baseball player. Minor league. Haven't quite made it to the majors yet. But I'm actually here for recruitment reasons."
Eren nodded. That sounded cool, so they both liked sports. The rest of the car ride was filled with small talk here and there. How Eren was doing in school. Where Zeke lived. Just filler. Eren saved his more important questions for after they'd warmed up to each other. They made it to the diner and settled into a booth a ways from the other patrons.
Eren was halfway through with his burger when Zeke pointed at him. "So you've been getting into fights lately?"
Caught off guard Eren coughed almost choking as he inhaled his mouthful of food. "W-What?"
Zeke motioned to his own lip, mirroring where Eren had split his. "It's still bruised. Noticed it when I first saw you." He sipped at his tea nonchalantly.
Reaching a hand up Eren covered his mouth. Zeke was exceptionally observant. His own mom hadn't even noticed it. He thought he was in the clear. "Well.. yeah." he half muttered.
Zeke shrugged. "Don't worry, I won't tell your mom." He wiped his mouth before continuing. "I used to get into fights at your age too. You wanna talk about it?" Eren remained silent. He had too much to unpack at this little diner. They'd be here all night if he went off.
Zeke, too knowledgeable, spoke up. "Got anything to do with dad? How is he by the way." Eren must have visibly shown some small hint of anger that Zeke was able to pick up on. "So he's still the same."
That caught Eren's attention. "Still the same?"
Zeke nodded. "Absent. He was like that when I was growing up too. I know it's hard to deal with." Eren just listened quietly. "That's why I got into fights."
Eren nodded slowly. "Yeah, I just.." he started chewing at his lip. "It just makes me angry." Zeke sat silent waiting for Eren to continue. "Did dad ever..focus more on his job than on you?"
Adjusting his glasses Zeke nodded and sighed. "That was at the start of his career when he was working and trying to finish medical school. Now there's nothing inherently wrong with having a lot on your plate but the times he was home. He really wasn't."
Eren huffed. "He's never home. He puts his stupid job above taking care of us."
Zeke's tone grew softer. "I know that your mother has recently been in remission from cancer. I was glad to hear she was recovering okay."
"He was barely there for that too." Eren felt past hurt and anger wash over him. "Me and my sister had to take care of her. He wasn't there."
Zeke empathized with him. "That's what drove a thorn into his marriage with my mother. She basically raised me herself. Dad, well." he sighed. "I don't think he was ready for a family. Not with us at least."
Eren felt a pang of sadness for his brother. He could hear the years of heartache in his voice. How hard would it be to have to see his parents split up? He couldn't imagine that. "I'm sorry.."
Zeke perked back up. "It has nothing to do with you. Don't be sorry." He tapped his thumb against the table. "I don't want you to worry about your parent's marriage. They're doing well."
Eren sank down a little in his seat. "I'm not worried about that." He lied, hoping Zeke wouldn't sniff it out.
To his relief Zeke didn't press at him. He leaned back and stretched his arms over his head. "Now about you fighting." Eren grew embarrassed ready for a lecture. "Just don't get hit in the face. You can hide cuts and bruises everywhere but there, unless you wanna start learning how to use concealer."
He blinked in confusion. He didn't expect to hear advice on how to hide the fact he'd been in a fight. "Huh?"
Zeke straightened up. "If someone swings at your face your best bet is to block it. Use your forearms as a shield. It works better than dodging." Eren still stared at him blankly. "I don't want you getting in trouble for fighting. Dad was furious when I came home with a black eye." He chuckled to himself.
Eren nodded. "Right.." He crossed his arms. "I don't plan on fighting anymore."
Zeke scoffed at him. "No one plans on it, it just happens. Don't get hit in the face." he reiterated.
Eren just grunted. He was starting to like Zeke. It seemed like they shared some hardships and he truly understood what Eren was going through. It felt nice to have someone on his side. His mom and Mikasa always made excuses for his dad. They were too forgiving. He didn't have anyone like Zeke.
Zeke continued talking wanting to know more about Eren. They spoke about school, his friends, anything that came to mind. Eventually Zeke's questions trailed to his more serious relationships. Eren gave vague and short answers but his brother continued prodding at him. He grew more and more embarrassed despite his best efforts to seem unbothered. Unbeknownst to him Zeke was already piecing things together.
"So," his older brother started, "You like Christa?"
Eren was annoyed that Zeke was so perceptive. He had named Annie and Sasha as his friends too along with Christa but he hadn't put any emphasis on just one of them. How'd he figure it out? "No." he attempted to lie but he could feel himself blushing giving him away instantly.
Zeke grinned and laughed. "Eren you're not a very good liar." Eren turned his gaze away. "So what's she like?"
Eren swirled his drink around with his straw watching the ice cubes clink together. "She's..sweet. And friendly, too friendly, she didn't know anyone in the school and she just picked me to be her friend." He hadn't talked to anyone about this, not even with Armin. But it felt nice to finally come to terms with his feelings for Christa. Memories of her holding onto him with her delicate hands filled his head. Her big blue eyes that held him in place. Her long golden hair. The way her laugh rang like church bells in his ear. "She's just so sweet." He felt acutely aware of his brother's gaze and buried his face in his hands. "I haven't told anyone this." he said muffled behind his hands.
"Well I'm honored to be the first to hear it." Zeke reached forward to pat Eren's shoulder. "C'mon stop hiding your face."
Eren reluctantly pulled his hands down. "I'm worried I might have ruined things between us."
Zeke urged him on. "Why do you say that?"
"She saw me after I'd gotten into that fight. And..well, I might've been drunk." he sighed quietly. "I'm just worried she won't want to be friends with me anymore."
Zeke tried to reassure him. "Well how did she react?"
Eren shook his head. "Honestly I don't remember. Last night was a blur."
Zeke hummed. "If she's as friendly as you say she is, it doesn't sound like she'd just drop you. Don't let it eat you up, things will work out." He took a glance at his watch. "Ah it's almost 7, we should get you back home."
Eren slumped in his seat. Had time really gone that fast? He didn't wanna leave yet. He enjoyed having someone to talk with. Without any judgment. Reluctantly he followed his brother back to his car. The ride back was nice and he wondered why he'd been nervous in the first place. They got along great. Parked outside of his house Eren sighed.
Zeke noticed and squeezed his shoulder. "Don't look so glum. This isn't the last time we're gonna see each other." He fished a scrap of paper out of his back pocket and handed it to Eren. "Here, you have my number. If you need anything you can always call me."
That made Eren feel a little better. He clutched it close to his chest as Zeke pulled him into one last hug. "Take care little brother."
Eren held onto him tighter not wanting to let go. Zeke broke the hug first and dug into his pocket again. "Almost forgot to give you this." He held out his hand and dropped a little baseball keychain into Eren's open palm. It was made of the same type of material as a normal sized baseball. Eren rolled it under his thumb.
"It's not much but," he scratched at the back of his head. "Just something to remember me by."
Eren liked it. He smiled at his brother before stepping out of the car and Zeke waved one last time before driving away. He hooked the little keychain onto his house key, on something he'd always have close by. He stood in his driveway for a few minutes. The sky was starting to darken and a cool breeze tousled his hair. His time with his brother was well spent and he felt content. His inner turmoils quelled for the moment. He pushed forward returning to his normal life.

End of Chapter 7

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Author's Notes:
this was kinda a filler chapter, i needed to introduce Zeke for future chapters but i hope u all enjoy this one!