Press Play - Ereri

Chapter 2

"Oi, Eren?" The man with exceptional racing skills that I knew of as Levi spoke in his soft voice that made me shiver when I heard it say my name. The 'r' rolled off his tongue in a beautiful way, and he didn't properly pronounce the 'n' on the end, but it was there, and he made it sound amazing.

"Mm?" I mumbled in reply, concentrating on what was going on on my screen.

"Pause your game a second." I felt my eyebrow raise of its own accord, but I did what he asked.

"For god's sake, Levi, spit it out, you're scaring me." Grumbling, I waited impatiently for what he had to say.

"I sound like a creep, but I want to know more about you." He said, expressing little to no emotion. That was the thing about him. He'd say something that would sound different in a regular voice, but he sounded bored as he spoke, like he was faking what he was saying.

"Uh, I guess, but can I play my game while I do it?"

"No. Skype me, my username is the same." He spoke in a flat monotone, but it sounded like there was emotion that could emerge, like a butterfly from a cocoon, it just needed time.

"Fine, but can I just voice call you? I don't feel comfortable with you, if you know what I-" I tried to explain, but he cut me off.

"Yeah, it's fine. I get you. Just do it. Please." As soon as he finished what he was saying, he left the xBox party. He was weird, that's for sure. Honestly, he creeped me out. Majorly. But also, he intrigued me. The way his voice sounded extremely arrogant, but also like he was purposely trying to sound unemotional and unapproachable was strange, and I wanted to find out why.

I was about to play my game again, when I remembered that I was meant to be calling him. Shit, I thought as I searched for him, added him, and finally, called him on a large, bulky gaming computer in the corner of my room or the basement, whatever you feel like calling it.

"Took you long enough, didn't it, brat?" He said in a mocking tone.

"Sorry, I got distracted.." I mumbled, just loudly enough for him to hear.

"Tch. Anyway, come on, tell me about you." He spat, almost, and I was taken aback.

"Well. My name is Eren Jaeger, and I live in San Francisco in California, America. Oh man, I'm an idiot, of course you know that's in America, why do I always fucking embarrass myself? Okay. I'm eighteen, I practically live in my dad's basement and according to him I'm addicted to my video games. That enough?" I sighed at the end. I was so nervous about talking to him that I messed up completely. Great. How do I have friends, exactly?

"Your dad? What about your mother?" He asked.

At this, I froze. My mother... I hated talking about her. She died eight years ago. At remembering her, I began to have a flashback...

"Mom? Mom, where are you?" I called out. She was usually waiting for me when I got back from school, but she was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she went to bed early? I thought. Empty. All of the rooms in the house were empty, well the entire lower floor was, at least. I walked upstairs to check in her room, but she wasn't there either. Mine - no. The only other option was the bathroom. Pushing the door open, I stepped inside, and I gasped at the sight that I saw.

There were pills scattered across the floor, and the door to the medicine cupboard (which was always kept under lock and key) was hanging wide open. My mother lay on the floor, her body limp and cold to the touch. Despite my young age, I knew what had happened. She'd committed suicide. With pills. I shook her and screamed her name, but no matter how hard I tried, she wouldn't wake up. Why am I even trying? I thought, she's dead, she's not coming back. Ever.

A man from next-door was standing behind me, and he yanked me off the floor. He must have heard me yelling. I kicked, and I punched, and I screamed, but he wouldn't put me down no matter what. And my dad was outside, back from work, staring at me with a disgusted look on his face, like it was all my fault...

"Earth to Eren?" Levi asked, and he sounded slightly concerned; shocking, I know.

"M-my mother?" I muttered, putting a hand on my face. As I pulled it away, it was slightly wet on certain places. Tears?Had I been crying?

"Listen, kid, I'm sorry. It's none of my business, this was a bad idea. I didn't want this to happen." Levi sounded sad, almost.

"No, no. It's fine. She's just, a bit dead at the minute, nothing much. Anyway, should I carry on?" I asked, desperately trying to clear the air of what had just happened.

"Fine, but I don't want the story of your family or friends or teachers, I want the story of you. What you like, don't like. You hear? If not, I will kick your ass when I get the chance."

I laughed at him, but not necessarily at him, more with him.

"Okay, fine. My favourite colour is black. But before you call me a goth or emo, just hear me out. Not that plain depressing black, the colour that it is in the night, where there's the grey of the clouds and the slight bits of blue and all the whites of the stars and the brightness from the moon. I don't like plain colours. I like the scenes. Where there's all of the different colours that make a colour that isn't a colour. Like when you're looking out at a field of grass and there's all of the yellows and limes and darker greens, or when you're looking at the sea or the sand. There's so many different examples. Sorry, I'm babbling and it makes near to no sense, I'm probably boring you to death."

"No, brat. I loved it. It was amazing. It explained what a lot of people have been trying to say for a long time now but couldn't. Thank you, Eren."