Stray {Ereri~Attack On Titan AU}

Chapter 2

I end up allowing Armin the luxury of my company for the night, feeling a bit disgusted and startled when I woke up in the middle of the night to find him curled up against me. I growl and push him off, wrapping my tail around my face to keep my nose warm. I growl louder when he tries to wiggle back against me to keep warm, batting at his head and jerking him awake.

Armin yawns, stretching out a bit before meeting my eyes. "Hmm? Oh yeah, Levi...sorry about that, I'm so used to Mikasa letting me sleep next to her every night."

"Well I'm not Mikasa, so stay in your own space. Stupid brat."

He mewls quietly and nods once, frowning slightly as he curls back up and wraps his tail around his face like I was doing. "Right, sorry..."

I huff quietly and return to my sleeping position, slowly being lulled back to sleep feeling thankful that Trost street wasn't very active during the night.

~~~

I hear chirping early in the morning, my ears swiveling in the direction of the sound. After a moment I open my eyes with a big yawn, stretching out as I see the first ray of sun bleed into the alley from Trost street. I hear silent purring behind me and turn to see Armin cuddling a cat. I roll my eyes and clear my throat, making Armin aware once again of my presence. He smiles and pets the cats head gently. "Good morning, Levi. How did you sleep?"

I sneer. "Don't talk to me as if we're an old married couple. It's dawn already, so feel free to leave whenever you want." He cocks his head to the side in confusion. "I'm not staying here all day. I have my own plans today, and I'd rather not drag a brat around while job hunting."

Armin kisses the cats head before letting it scamper off and brings himself to his feet. "You're job hunting?" I nod. "That sounds fun!" I groan and pinch the bridge of my nose as Armin jumps up and down. "Oh please Levi? Please let me go with you! I promise I'll go home afterwards!"

After glaring at Armin ineffectively I give in, cursing myself for letting myself get involved with a brat such as him. I start walking in the direction of Trost street, Armin hurrying to keep up with me. A few minutes later we're on Trost street, and I start wondering if the shop was even open this early in the morning. "Oi, brat, do you suppose that bakery is open yet?" Armin's ears perk when I mention the bakery.

"Oh, you mean Shinganshina? Eren works there, so it should be open by now." I freeze up at his name. "He always opens up shop early."

"You, uh...know Eren?"

Armin nods, smiling. "Eren is Mikasa's brother. He's the reason I have a home." Armin looks down at the ground dreamily and his cheeks flush a light pink. "Eren is my best friend. It's almost like we're all one big family," he says with a cheeky grin. "Wait, how do you know Eren?"

My tail sways nervously behind me. "Uh, his shop is actually one of the jobs I applied for," I mumble, holding my hood down as a strong breeze blows past us. "The only problem is that I'm a stray, which means no home or phone, so he has no way to contact me about the job."

Armin breaks into a grin, and I start to get a bad feeling. "Don't worry, Eren can hook you up."

"He already offered me not only the job but a place to stay in his home."

His eyes widen slightly. "Really? It's rare for Eren to be so giving to someone he barely knows. Did you take his offer?"

"No." I shake my head. "But honestly...at this point I kinda wish I had." We finally show up at the front of the shop, and Armin smiles, his tail curling happily behind him.

"Eren is the kindest person I know. He'll make things work."

"Armin? What're you doing here?" I flinch at the voice behind me and whip around, meeting Caribbean eyes and a messy mop of brown hair. He looks me up and down curiously, then smiles. "Levi! I see you came back!" I nod slowly, my eyes wide. He returns his gaze to Armin and runs over to him, tackling him in a bear hug.