The Promise [Eren Yeager x Fem! Reader]

chapter five

God, this lecture is a test of my patience. You wrote on a piece of notebook paper you shared between Ymir and yourself.

It's because you want to talk to pretty boy, huh? Ymir wrote back, a smirk spreading across her face as she observed your reaction from her periphery. She hit the nail on the head--you wanted to talk to Eren as soon as possible. A whole weekend without any contact after what happened at the party was too much for your heart to bear.

Is this what it felt like to be boy-crazy? You weren't usually like this, yet the thought of him made your heart flutter uncontrollably. You couldn't focus on the lecture, and completely abandoned the idea of taking notes about 15 minutes into class. It was almost as if you had to script your conversation with him in your head to prepare for anything. It made you nervous to interact completely sober for the first time, since you were separated for four years. He clearly became such a different person in that time, and it was intimidating.

Weirdly enough, he was keeping up the bad boy persona in class. He looked up at the professor from time to time, but he spent most of the class looking at his phone from under the desk. The professor tried to stop him a couple times, but he gave up easily in favor of finishing his lecture. You tried to see what he was looking at on his phone (what, were you worried he was talking to other girls?) but you didn't have a good vantage point.

When Ymir spotted you doing this, she elbowed you sharply in your ribcage, making you curse under your breath. She pointed down to the notebook paper fiercely, where she had written "STOP BEING CREEPY" in big, bold letters. It was weird that she was the one saying it since she helped you cyber-stalk him over the weekend. Rolling your eyes, you turned to the professor as he finished up his lecture. You nearly fell asleep, but somehow you made it through the remaining 10 minutes.

With haste, you stood up and swung your backpack over your shoulder, making sure you ended up next to Eren as you walked out. You left Ymir behind, but she knew that would happen. He smiled down at you gently, his eyes squinting as the corners of his mouth upturned. You could've sworn your heart stopped--wait, what was happening right now?

As you were admiring his smile, you tripped up a stair, your arms shooting out in front of you, attempting to catch yourself. However, before you could hit the floor, two steady arms wrapped around your waist. From behind you, Eren pulled you up, and you realized you hadn't fallen far. A couple classmates awkwardly beelined around the two of you as you stood in his arms, frozen from the embarrassment of what just happened.

"Y-You can let me go..." You muttered, avoiding his gaze. He hadn't realized it yet, but he was holding you for far too long.

"Oh! Right!" Eren's eyes opened wide as he slowly let go of you, his hands grazing your hips in a way that seemed intentional. The feeling sent shivers through your body, making you think back to that night at the party. You shamelessly hoped that he would touch you like that again.

You and Eren exited the lecture hall, out into the breezeway of the large building that the classroom was in. Students darted in all sorts of different directions, and you both struggled to find a spot where you could catch a moment to talk.

Both of you shuffled in your awkwardness, not sure who would be the first to break the ice. "So...hey." You mumbled, watching your thumbs twiddle uncontrollably in front of your stomach.

"Hey." Eren said back, clearly feeling the awkward tension in the air. "I guess we should talk about what happened, huh?"

When he spoke those words, your embarrassment sent a shock to your body as you crouched down to the floor, leaning forward as you facepalmed.

"W-woah! You okay?!" He asked, half-crouched and prepared to help you if you needed it.

You reached a hand up and shook it frantically, prompting him to stand up fully once more. "I'm good, I'm just so embarrassed. I'm so sorry." You muttered endless apologies, recalling spilling your drink on him, dragging him to the bathroom, and being overall belligerent.