Crack of Sunlight (Ereri/Riren)

Prologue

My name is Eren Jaeger and I'm in love with a heroin junkie.

Sounds stupid, right? Who would, or could love a drug addict? They're liars, thieves, criminals. Drugs are the opposite of attractive. Withdrawal symptoms are even less attractive - and believe me, I've seen plenty of those to know.

Love is peculiar. Someone wise once told me, "Love knows no bounds." Now I understand what she meant.

Somewhere among the long nights spent in the bathroom, the cold sweats and several relapses, I found myself unable to walk away from the raven-haired fool.

Maybe it was his determination. Maybe it was the way he tucked his head securely under my chin as we fell asleep late at night, on the rare occasion we were able to sleep in the bed rather than on the bathroom floor. Maybe it was his strength or that adorable, constant wrinkle between his eyebrows...maybe it was all of the above. Maybe it was just him - his soul, his mind, his personality...I'm really unsure of what caused it, but I am sure that I love him unconditionally and eternally.

*~Levi~*

I won't forget the first time I saw him. No amount of anything could erase that memory from my brain, except maybe death. Maybe.

He had sauntered into the shop looking for a job. He claimed he was no artist, but had good management skills. The owner and my boss, Reiner Braun, interviewed him and hired him on the spot. Yes, it was that easy for him. Everything seemed to be that easy for him all the time. I hated him for it.

I remember what he wore, too. A black hoodie sporting two tall guys standing on the word "Supernatural", sinfully tight black skinny jeans, and black slip on Vans. His chocolate brown hair was tousled in a way I couldn't help but find adorable.

His eyes, though - they caught my attention first. They were bright and lively, a beautiful shade of turquoise that made me think of the ocean.

I was in the middle of tattooing a snake on some girl's leg when he walked in. Before he could catch me staring, however, my monster kicked me internally and told me to get back to work, though not without teasing the abnormal thoughts first.

As I finished up the outline, my monster whispered, "He's unfairly attractive." And he was. Like I said, everything was easy for him.

I was almost never sober anymore. I couldn't go longer than maybe half an hour with my monster before the symptoms started. Cold sweat and itching, mostly, but the longer I waited, the more my body protested and eventually, I'd throw up, even if there wasn't much in my stomach.

I couldn't neglect my monster. It was part of me, bound to me by body and mind. The syringe, I found, was my only friend anymore. Even my sister had gotten tired of me. We were supposed to be roommates, but she only ever stopped in to "make sure I was still alive" or pick something up. I lost count of how many times she told me to get my shit together and I'd neglected to do so. She didn't know the extent of my damnation, though...no one did.

Whatever. Alex could fuck off. I didn't give a shit.

...

Not even my monster was capable of erasing that memory of him from my brain. I admit, the kid fascinated me, but there was no use trying to talk to him. He was a naïve little shit, that much was easy to tell by just laying eyes on him.

I learned his name quickly. It was Eren. Little did I know at the time, that name would be the key to my salvation.

__________

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