Heichou And Titan (Ereri)

Nine

Eren

I woke up to soft whispers coming from the other side of the room. Opening my eyes I look over my shoulder to Levi speaking with someone on the other side of the door. I can't make out what thet were saying nor do I care. I respect Levi's privacy plus he saved me from...from being raped. If it hadn't been for him I would've been waking up in an alley drenched to the bone from both the rain and unpleasant substances.

"Yeah I'll let you know,thanks Furlan."Levi says gently shutting the door behind him.

Balanced in his hands is a tray of food. Its aroma fills the room causing my stomach to growl.Levi chuckles at the sound. Sitting up I scoot over so Levi could sit next to me. He places the tray on my lap that has bacon,scrambled eggs,toast,juice and jam. My mouth waters at the sight. I hardly ever eat breakfast such as this because I hardly have to time to make it.

Levi grabs a piece of toast and spreads the jam on it. "Eat up."
I do as told taking a bite out the eggs. The food is delicious! I want to go find the cook and kiss them!

Once finished Levi takes the tray and sets it out side of his door.
"How are you feeling?"He asks with a hint of worry in his grey orbs.

"I'm feeling fine."I say honestly."Thank you for saving me."

Levi sits by my side again taking my hand into his. "I just wish I could've done more."

I shook my head."No what you've done is more than enough,really, thank you Levi."

Our time together had to be cut short for a few reasons. One;Levi's uncle will kill us if he fond out I was in his house. Two;I needed to get home and change to go to the Rose Cafè and practice.Lastly; if I'm not there on time I fear what Annie will do to me.

Levi leads me through the hidden passage way that lead us out into a hallway. He looks out for his uncle before giving me a signal to follow him out the door.

"I'll see you soon."Levi says.

I nod with a smile before taking off down the road that leads to my house. I change into new clothes once in the house and hurried back out the door and to the Cafè. I had only ten minutes left before Annie could have us continue on with our routine.

"Slept in?"Reiner asks with a playful grin.

"You could say that."I let a breath leaning against the wall to rest.

"Yeah well you best get enough rest because Annie isn't gonna give us a break for a while."Berthadt says with a smile.

I groan as the two laugh. The laughter ceases when Annie enters the room. She gives us a look that'll make a military man proud yet scared.

"Four more days. Remember that. We have four more days until the battle and that means no slacking off."Why does she always look at me when she says things like that? The small blond has us stand in certain positions as a group. Bert and Reiner across from each other while I was near Annie.

She starts the music and we were off. Fast slow fast slow,twist and turn,kick punch. We follow her lead which was like following counting a humming birds flaps of it's wings. And to think were doing this until the dance battle. I know one thing for sure once all this is over I'm going straight home and sleeping in like a bear during the winter season.

"Eren stop slacking!"Annie snaps.

My heart jumps at her tone. I feel sorry for her future husband and kids. She's like a prison warden.

Five hours.Five freaking hours of nothing but dancing. Five minutes of rest then another hour of complaints about our faults. So a total of six hours of hell and five minutes of bliss. Kill me now! I beg to the heavens.

"That's all for today."I drop to the floor not wanting to ever get uo again."Same time tomorrow."

I thought dancing was supposed to a fun sport not the Olympics! It's suppose to express ones soul not something without even a heart. I've noticed that Annie's techniques have no life in their movements. It's like she's a puppet master that's also a puppet herself.

Then I replay the story Berthadt told me yesterday. Annie is trying to resume where her father left off. Could this mean she's having us rehearse the same moves her father did in his last dance battle? Is this why she's acting this way? Does she want to be just like her father? She must've been really close with her father,unlike me and my dad.

I lay there for what felt like an internity before getting up. I let my feet guide my being from street ti street until I came into a familiar neighbourhood. It was quiet but was filled with life at different corners of the the homes. Kids playing in the yard or a family having a cook out nothing but life.

Only one house had none.

The yard hasn't been cut for weeks. The car on the driveway was lost in the sea of green and news papers filled the doorway on the porch. I pull out the house key that feels foreign in my hand as I unlock the door. I cough at the smell of dust and beer that fills the air. The house was dark with only little hints of light leaking through the curtains.

My eyes scan each room searching for the one person I came here for. At first I thought I wouldn't find him thinking he was at work or at a pub. That is until I step into his room. The place looks as if it hasn't been touched since...since mom's passing.

Dad was more like dad when mom was alive. Our family was a family when she would greet us when we returned home,give us a kiss at random times of the day or night. She would play classical music and dance while cleaning. She always had something to smile about and when she wasn't she would be scolding me for my stupidity.

Then she died. It was so sudden that no one even noticed because she never said anything. Dad blamed himself for not noticing her systems. We were all blinded by her cheerful smile and energy that we thought she would never leave us. Life just doesn't work that way.

Dad mourns by working over time. Mikasa and I find our own ways of dealing with the pain that'll still linger in our heart but as a good pain. A memory that'll live on. For Dad he didn't want to remember,that even looking atva picture if her will set off a ticking time bomb.

I continue my search until I found him in the attic with a beer bottle clutch lazily in his hand. His gaze is locked on the small window of the house that gave you the view of a old cherry tree on a hill. I remember we all would sit under that tree for picnics every Sunday. If it rained we'd play in it before dad would have us go back to the house before getting sick.

"Dad."I spoke up. He stays silent but his head turns a little letting me know he's listening. Taking a breath I tell him what needs to be said."I-I know it's hard for you to accept your son being homosexual and not wanting to carry on the family name. I know you want what's best for me and Mika but dad,I can't live a life I'm not happy with."

"Mom showed us how and what it means to live your life to thr fullest. To be able remember the good and even the bad in the past. The past make a person but it also can break them. That's why I choice this life because I can make a life for myself the way I want it." Tears fall from my eyes remembering the times dad and I would spend together. There was hardly any conflict between us and I don't want it to continue. This is my last chance to get my dad back and maybe the last I'll ever have one. "Yes I'm gay. Yes I choose choreography over a of a company. But I'm also your son as you are my dad. I want- I want to be able to come home and at least have a normal conversation with my dad that doesn't involve business or starting arguments about how to live my life.All I want is a father,my father."

Dad stays in his seat still looking out the small window. My heart slowly breaks at the silence he gives me but I hope he's at least taking in what I've said."There's going to be a dance competition in four days. I hope you'll make it."

With that being said I leave the attic and my father to himself. At the bottom is my sister who has tears in her eyes. I pull her into an embrace. All we want is our family back that is all we're asking for. A family.