In Another Life (EreJean)

thirteen

Chapter summary: Jean and Eren have a "date" at the arcade.

The colors are louder than the music. Blue, green, and purple lights dominate the scene, their collaboration creating a hypnotic element.

Jean falls victim to it instantly.

He can't decide where to look. There's a lot going on, but unlike the intimidating city streets, it seems deliberate. From kids to adults, everyone is hyped up. They're dispersed around the interior, taking turns at the various contraptions that occupy the mall's arcade. Even with the vast crowd, there's still enough open stations anywhere Jean turns his head.

Jean allows himself to relax. Today may be a disaster (which is likely, considering he's spending it with Eren), but at least the environment is aesthetically pleasing.

Eren, arm still linked with Jean's, gets in the line by the main desk. There's a receptionist at each end passing out cards to paying customers. When it's their turn, Jean and Eren are called forward by the one on the left.

Eren lets go of Jean and fetches his wallet. He purchases two game cards and offers one to Jean. Jean observes the shiny plastic from both sides, cold between his fingertips.

"Let's go," Eren says.

The deeper they sink into the pits of the arcade, the more comfortable Jean feels. Most of these contraptions have little televisions like the one he watched cartoons on with Vera the other day. Except this time, it appears the actions of the people operating them dictate what happens on the screen. There are kids driving pretend cars and shooting fake guns. Jean doesn't understand the enjoyment in that, but the arcade seems like it's designed for having fun. Eren already looks like he's having a blast and they haven't even done anything yet.

Eren points ahead. "Wanna start with some Skee-Ball?"

Jean's gaze lands on a row of five separate lanes, all on an incline. Each lane has a set of seven rings marked with different numbers. Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, and fifty take up the center area, ten having the largest ring. Additionally, there are two small 100 pockets toward the back on each side. As Jean approaches, he notices the stack of wooden balls available on the right side of each lane.

Intriguing, he thinks to himself.

Eren steps up to the lane next to Jean's and inserts his game card in the appropriate slot. Jean follows suit, jumping a little once the machine thanks him with a chipper noise and the screen above the set of rings lights up.

Eren grabs a ball, then flashes a competitive smirk at Jean.

"Winner keeps the other's tickets," he says.

Jean turns to him. "Tickets?"

Another sound erupts from the machine. Eren rolls his ball up the ramp, not missing a beat. As it sinks into one of the holes, he sends up another one. The tip of his tongue pokes out as he concentrates.

Jean doesn't have a full grasp on what's going on, but he must be losing since he hasn't done anything yet. Eren looks too happy with himself, the scoreboard above his lane increasing its points with each roll.

Jean has to think fast. He can't lose to Eren. His ego can't handle such a blow.

He tries to one up Eren by throwing his ball toward the set of rings instead of rolling it up the ramp. It doesn't work because Jean is too frazzled to notice the giant net that prevents people from doing that very thing. The ball collapses against the ramp with a hard thud and rolls back toward him.