Chasing Stars {Ereri/Riren}

27. Howl

video: Don't Let Me Go by JessD AMVs

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"Oh! That makes sense," Petra chirped. "I understand IPS now. I've been wondering all week.

Hanji snorted, sitting beside me. "What a lame club."

Petra's eyebrows furrowed. "Don't you say that!" she scolded, crossing her arms.

My eyes focused on a single drop of condensation on my glass, which was currently trembling. Pixis had taken over just now, and he'd refilled my cup. Hanji lay a hand on my arms, crossed over the bar. The water droplet fell. "Eren?"

"Right," I mumbled quietly. I felt the key around my neck.

~~~

Levi pulled into the lot, empty except for one other car. "I swear, if this one isn't..." he grumbled. I flipped the magazine, Shiga's Hottest, shut, and clicked off the seat belt. Our car doors' slamming echoed across the trees, massively blocking our view. Our realtor exited his vehicle, grinning. "Oh, I know you folks'll love this one!"

"Look at all these big ass trees," Levi breathed. I slapped a hand over my own mouth.

The house was average, to say the least. A one-story, surrounded by trees. And for some reason... "I like it," we murmured in harmony. The building itself was almost in harsh condition. Weeds crawled around the base and crept up the cracked stone path. Grime transformed the windows into black squares of filth. My eyebrows creased, head whipping to Levi. Filth?

He nodded at the realtor, talking numbers. My eyes darted back to the house. Levi liked it. "Eren?" Both were staring at me. "We can afford it," Levi said.

What exactly allured me to the house? We had been driving all day. Levi had, to be exact. Our feet were in Missouri soil. "I used to live in this state as a child," he'd explained earlier. "Can we at least look at housing there? If you still say no to all of them after that, I'll be perfectly content to live in Indiana with you." I glanced at the sky.

The atmosphere was different here. Perhaps it was the scent and cool breeze of the river nearby. Or maybe the songs that whistled through the treetops. Even the clouds looked foreign. It was a complete change from my apartment complex. From car accidents, and lavender, and stacks of denominations on a refrigerator. "We'll take it," my voice called before I could decide against it.

"Wonderful!" the realtor cried. He handed a pen and pad to Levi. "I'll just need your contact information. We can set up an appointment later." Levi sent me a long look before turning to the paper.

I wondered how my friends would react about our move. I thought about IPS, and all that had happened in the past year. Then Levi and I were in the car again. About to drive back to Indiana. It was four o'clock. I drove this time.

It was silent for a while. Neither of us spoke, nor turned on the radio. "Aren't you excited?" I asked Levi an hour in. I strained to sound excited. When had the glee of today evaporated?

He hummed. "I can't-" The raven broke off as his phone chimed, "Boss Ass Bitch". "Hold that thought," he said, tapping his phone.

A low murmur was all I could make out from the caller. "Yes, I am him." A pause. "Yes. I know him. We're related. Yeah." Another. The pause turned into silence. The caller waited. "Levi?" I made out after a few minutes.

I glanced to the side. He looked pale. "...Yes," he whispered. "Thank you."

Levi hung up. He looked up at me. "My uncle died."

~~~

Petra wouldn't meet my eyes.