Crack of Sunlight (Ereri/Riren)

*~Chapter Four~*

Eren was on time for school for the first time in over a week, surprising everyone. He even managed to snag something to eat from the breakfast bar before heading to class.

Every class felt like it was dragging on, though when anticipating something, such was always the case. Eren found he anticipated work nearly every day then, though of course it had nothing to do with organizing tattoo supplies or even the money he made. Believe him, he had too many cardboard cuts on his hands to even remotely enjoy packaging any more of those things.

No, it was evidently Levi. The longer time went on, the more he learned to accept that fact and the feeling that came along with it, though he was still far from figuring out what it meant.

It was during lunch Thursday afternoon when he decided to tell his friends about his semi-mysterious raven-haired coworker. It was involuntary; they'd asked, but he didn't stop himself from giving out information.

It started with Christa piping up, "So, Eren, how's your new job coming along?"

"It's coming...except I think I'm gonna need to buy gloves or something so I stop slicing my hands up so much."

"Man, that's gotta be seriously boring spending so much time putting things into boxes," Connie said, and then bit noisily into his bright red apple.

"It's not so bad," replied Eren with a nonchalant shrug even he thought was a little too forced.

"You've been doing it for like two weeks...don't you get any help at all?"

"Actually, I do...from one of the artists who works there. He helps when he's not busy with other things."

"Eren, is that a blush I see?" teased Marco.

"What? No," Eren shot back too quickly. Freckles' face spread into a wide, almost knowing smile.

"Suuure it's not," Jean muttered, leaning back with his fingers laced together casually behind his head.

"So you have a thing for this coworker of yours, huh?" Ymir interjected. "Well come on, spill. We want details."

Eren held up his hands in protest. "Whoa, okay, it's not like that. Stop jumping to conclusions."
Even Armin cocked a brow in suspicion, something of a smirk playing on his lips as he chewed his salad.

"Seriously though, Eren. What's this guy like?" Marco asked, seemingly genuinely curious at that point.

"He's...just...a really good artist," Eren stammered, mentally smacking himself over and over while internally denying the heat in his ears.

"As good as Reiner?"

Eren couldn't help but smile a bit proudly. "Better. He let me watch him give somebody a tattoo the other day. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen before."

"Listen to lover boy brag about his crush," Ymir teased with a waggle of her eyebrows, earning her an elbow in the ribs from Christa.

"I'm serious. He's amazing. A-an amazing artist, that is." Kill me now, he muttered to himself.

"Seriously Eren, nobody's buying your denial," Connie piped up again. "Just admit you've got a thing for this co-worker guy. What's his name, anyway?"

Eren sent his box of raisins Connie's way; it pelted him right in the chest, earning a giggle from Sasha. Connie sent it back just as fast, but Eren's reflexes served to be quicker and he dodged just before it could smack him in the side of the head.

"What is his name, Eren?" asked Armin, ignoring the mini raisin war.

"It's Levi," grumbled Eren.