Help you smile [Attack on Titan-Ereri/Riren]

Chapter XX: Stupid Rules

Previously: Everyone is with who they want be with as the year comes to a close but it is not quite over.

•••

The year has gone by so fast and now school is almost over. I haven't had time to think of anything other than tests and other annoying school things. Prom is coming up though and I haven't exactly asked Levi, I just assume we are going together. I'm in History right now and the teacher is about to make an announcement.

"We teachers have been asked to reassert the rules regarding Prom. Due to a long standing school rule that stated the participants must be one male and one female." People in the class start talking, is he seriously saying what I think he's saying?

"So I think you all understand what that means, if you wish to take someone who is the same gender as you, you will not be allowed to participate in the activities," he finishes.

That led to an uproar in the class, naturally I join in. Even straight people join in the protest.

"Look if you don't like it take it up with the principal or even the district superintendent but we are wasting class time."

The rest of the class I am angry and on edge. I can't wait until class is over so I can go to the office. I look over at Connie and he is equally antsy, not that he doesn't normally have trouble focusing in the first place but like me, he seems angry. When class ends I get up to run out of the room but Connie stops me.

"Wait until lunch and we'll figure out an attack strategy," he says, this the first time I've seen Connie so serious.

I make a angry grunt in frustration but I listen to him. I get to my next class and I see Armin. He is angry, too. Geez, angry Armin is scary, I look over at Levi and he has the same stoic face he always has. Once I go sit down I can tell he is also angry I can see it in his eyes. I take his hand and squeeze it in reassurance, more for myself to be perfectly honest.

•••

At lunch every one of our friends are sitting together in a strange silence. I sit down by Levi and lace my fingers in his. I look around, Ymir and Jean look ready to commit murder and Krista looks like she's on the verge of tears. Everyone is just awkwardly sitting in a circle not sure what to say until Erwin speaks up.

"I already talked to the principal, the rule has been mostly ignored and forgotten up to this point but a parent of one of the students here brought it up and it demanded it be reinforced."

He looks at us all solemnly. No one says anything for a minute.

"I don't understand, it's 2015 and there are plenty of gays in this school and we've never done anything wrong," Marco says as Jean hugs him.

"If anything we're the ones who have been bullied against," Jean says venomously.

Silence falls on the group again.

"Oh c'mon stop this idiotic pity party, this isn't going to get anything done. There are plenty of us we can stop this. We have Armin and Erwin who might we'll be geniuses, Connie and Sasha could can get us anything we need and we have a horse, an angry German boy, a freckled Jesus, Levi and the most beautiful girlfriend in the world. If all else fails I'll just kill someone. So if you all are done moping, let's get a plan together." Ymir says assertively.

Everyone smiles at this and Krista who is sitting on her lap smiles up at her. Then Armin decides to speak up.

"The most obvious first step would be to to start some sort of a petition, we could put posters up around the school. I could start researching how one generally goes about changing a school rule."

He has his thinking face on, the one where it looked like if he concentrated any more he might burst. Erwin smiles at him, puts his hand on Armin's shoulder and stands up.

"Okay, Connie, Marco and Annie your team one. Reiner, Bertolt and Sasha your team two. Both teams can take separate ends of the school and start getting signatures. Eren and Krista you guys start working on poster designs, Levi help them with supplies. Ymir and Mikasa find a scanner we can use to print the posters, please don't threaten or hurt anyone while doing so. Hanji talk to some of the teachers about maybe getting their support. Armin and I will work on more ideas and figure how to win this, move out!"

He says the last bit like a military commander. We all cheer in response and some of us do a goofy salute. Everyone starts chatting like normal again with a newfound energy. I look at Levi with a big smile plastered on my face, he of course hasn't changed his facial expression but his eyes had softened significantly. I hug him and give him a small kiss.

"We have amazing friends," I say snuggling my face into his neck.

"I suppose," he says.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know, I'm having trouble understanding why everyone is so worked up or why I'm so worked up about this."

"Because it's not fair and it doesn't have that way. This stands for something we need to show that we exist, that we are human and that we deserve the same rights as everyone else," I say looking him in the eyes.

He looks at me for a few seconds and then gives me a small but nice smile. He kisses me and I deepen the kiss until Armin taps me on the shoulder. Luckily no one else was looking. Levi adjusts himself so that he is leaning into me.

After a few minutes he says. "You know I was referring to Prom itself being a big deal, right?"

Really? I said that whole speech. "Oh."

"Brat," he says affectionately.

"I'm not a brat!"

"Do you have evidence to justify your claim?"

I make a grumbling noise in fake annoyance.

"So are you excited for Prom?" I ask him.

"I suppose, it doesn't seem like something I'd like to do but whatever. Although no one has asked me yet."

"That sounds fair... wait, what!?"