ʜɪᴍ. - Ereri/Riren

pαrt: 7

Five years ago

It was a gloomy day, the clouds were grey and covered the sky. Small spits of water dripped on the car windows, and Eren secretly betted on the left raindrop beating the right one on the race towards the bottom of the car window – it helped distracting him from reality. Eren's heart paced when the right raindrop took a step down, overtaking the left raindrop. Ok, ok, he's changing his bet now.
  "It'll be okay, sweetie."
  Eren jumped at the sudden voice, drawing his gaze away from to window and to Carla. "I know," he replied with a nervous and fake smile. "I'm just anxious, what if they don't like me?"
  Carla rolled her eyes, sighing, though smiling at the same time. "Typical," she chuckled, her eyes still focused on the road. "You've begged me to go, now you've changed your mind last minute because of your nervousness."
  Eren pouted, his stare now down and in his lap where he was playing with his thumbs. He wasn't used to seeing anyone, yet alone meet people he doesn't know, other then his two best friends Mikasa and Armin. He could be himself around them, he had no issues or drama so he kept it like that. He never was one to be in a massive friend group, especially when he can barely make friends by himself. His mother called him short-tempered and that he reacted too quickly, meaning he didn't think things through, and that he was easily offended; obviously Eren disagreed due to his stubbornness. Eren only wanted to go to this party because he wanted to fit in, maybe make new friends in case anything did happen to Armin and Mikasa, he wasn't doubting them... he was doubting himself even if he'd go through hell for them. He remembered how he would always go and see Armin, a pain to get Mikasa away since she acted too boring and grown-up for him. He remembered those times Mikasa would break her façade around him and Armin, though it was nothing special. If he was upset, it'd be the only time it'd be meaningful to have Mikasa there to show emotion, though why would she want to hide it in the first place? Eren remembered how he was the only one, since Armin didn't take part, would make Mikasa have a mixture of feelings because he'd anger her through making period jokes when he was around twelve, she'd get angry though didn't want to be. Eren was stupid back then, though, it was only when he met Connie that he did stupid things like that. Connie moved away after a week since he was only here to visit his grandparents, so when that week passed so was Eren's playfulness.
  Eren felt the car stop, his mother placing her warm hand on his – her hand leaving the car gears.
  "It's okay," his mother reassured him. "I'm sure everybody will like you."
  Eren looked at his lap again, his hand hesitating on the car door handle. He cursed in his head, feeling himself get anxious again when remembering what the current situation is.
  "Wait," Carla said, making Eren grow stiff when he was just about to open the car door, "don't forget her present!"
  As soon as Carla was finished rummaging through her handbag, she brought out a cuboid-shaped object that was engulfed in stripy wrapping paper. He shot his mum a curious glance, wondering what it was that she had gotten.
  "It's a book of poems by Edger Allen Poe," she told him, gesturing at the present in her hands. "It's very old and very rare, I'm sure she'll love it!"
  Eren mentally face palmed, making a mental note to never get his mum to buy a gift for a teenaged girl.
  "Go on! Take it! Don't want to keep them waiting, and defiantly don't embarrass me in front of Anka!"
  Eren nodded slightly, taking a breath and taking the gift in his hands and stepping out the car, waving before his mum drove off. Eren turned around and eyed the big house.
  It was boring. Everything was of whites and creams, the differences was the golden doorbell, door knocker and the red and purple flowers by the door. Everything else hadn't stood out at all.
  Eren shook his head, he hadn't even made his way to the door yet, and so he made his way up to the door and decided on ringing the doorbell since it wasn't as blunt and loud as the door knocker – though it'd be awkward if the doorbell didn't work and he was there waiting for a while and he hated knocking/ringing twice.
  "Eren!" Anka greeted and stepped aside for Eren to come in, opening the door widely as her brunette hair waved out of her face from the wind that came as soon as she opened the door. "Come on, don't be shy," she smiled encouragingly with a wave of her hand; on queue Anka's daughter stepped out from the double doors and closing them behind her.
  Eren almost choked at the sight when she turned around. Anka's daughter – Hitch – had obvious false eyelashes with mascara on that covered her hazel eyes, pink glossy lipstick, a slight skin tone difference between her head and neck, her eyebrows painted on with a darker colour then she's supposed to have – an almost-black brown when her hair was a very light brunette, maybe blonde – and she was wearing a yellow shirt with a band name in pink, thankfully having normal jeans on.
  "Hitch, this is Eren; Eren, this is Hitch, my daughter," Anka introduced, smiling and moving behind Eren with a leather brown handbag placed over her shoulder. "Hitch, don't do anything stupid when I'm gone."
  "Wait you're leaving?" Eren squeaked inaudibly, going unnoticed by the two, looking back and forth between them.
  "Sure mum, whatever you say," Hitch replied and shut the door after her impatiently when her mum had just stepped out and then turned to Eren. "So... Eren?" Hitch continued when Eren nodded. "There's just some of my mates and the least dorkiest guys we could find-" Hitch paused, a creepy smile reaching her lips as her finger pointed to Eren's hand. "Is that a present for me?"
  Eren nodded and Hitch snatched the present out from his hands without hesitation.
  "Cool," she giggled, turning away and opening the double doors that Eren assumed was to the lounge. "Hey guys!" she called out, catching the attention of around four people on the sofa and three chairs around a single coffee table when she approached them. "This is Eren, he's my mums friend son, if that makes sense."
  Eren panicked as Hitch took the last remaining place, so Eren had to remain standing.
  "I'll go get some beer, my mum doesn't go into my room anymore, she's completely oblivious." Hitch smiled, sitting up when she had just sat down, spinning around straight away.
  "Hitch, you're a genius!" one of the guys sitting on the sofa called after her just before she left to go upstairs.
  Eren didn't have the courage to steal Hitch's place, it was her birthday after all.
  "Eren, is it? Why don't you sit here?" A guy smirked, budging up on the green sofa and patting the seat next to him, unknowingly making the girl next to him squished. "I won't bite."
  Obeying, he sat down uncomfortably whilst the guy placed his arm around Eren's shoulder boldly.
  Eren was not okay with this. The guy looked like a horse. The sofa seemed to smell of alcohol and nothing has even happened yet. A girl, that was on a chair that was next to where Hitch was sitting, was smoking. The other person at the other end of the green sofa was too focused on the rugby happening on the television to give attention to anything happening around her or maybe it was an excuse to not socialise. The last person, a blonde guy, was also sitting on a single chair but was laughing at something on his phone.
  "So, Eren," the guy beside him started. "I'm Jean, next to me is Annie, the guy on his phone is Reiner, next to Reiner is Rico, welcome to the gang."
  Rico scoffed. "You were never in the 'gang'. You were just a replacement of Bertolt so don't get too cocky," she rolled her eyes and took another puff of the cigarette, blowing it out and into the air when tilting her head slightly upwards.
  "Shut up, Rico," Jean snapped back, glaring at her. "No one was talking to you."
  Eren shrank back, not liking the atmosphere and thanking the heavens when Hitch arrived with a box of beers. "Found them," Hitch laughed, "they were under my bed, didn't know if they'd still be there in case my mum did go in my room, so drink up!"
  Everyone snatched a beer can from the box of six, one remaining since Eren didn't move from his spot.
  "Eren, you want one?" Hitch asked, a beer in her hands and Eren shook his head frantically which went ignored. "We got plenty, there's more in my room actually if this isn't enough."
  "N-no thanks, I don't drink... so..."
  "Man, look what you're missing on, after two or three beers and you'll see the world in a whole new light." Hitch encouraged, though quickly changing the subject by clapping her hands. "Now, who wants to dance?"

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

  This was not ok, not at all. This was torture.
  The last hour was of the three girls dancing, trying to be seductive, with music blasting through the whole room, Reiner escaping to the kitchen to get an unlimited supply of beer as he texted whoever, and lastly Eren getting harassed by the horse boy. As soon as Hitch said the words 'who wants to dance', everyone moved apart from Eren and Jean. Jean constantly flirting with him without a single break. What made it worse was when the music turned to a slow dance, and Jean keeping on at insisting Eren to dance with him.
  So here he was, Jeans hands around his waist and Eren's arms around Jeans neck. He was not enjoying this.
  "You know," Jean spoke quietly near Eren's ear, "there's something special about you. I don't know what, there just is."
  Eren rolled his eyes discreetly and scoffed, turning his head away from Jean. "Do you say that to everyone you meet?"
  "I feel like this was... fate," Jean continued, ignoring Eren's comment.
  Eren gulped and cringed, almost stepping on Jeans feet when he felt Jean's hand move lower down. He tugged them back up quickly, not wanting to give the bastard anything.
  It was going too far.
  Too far when Jean leaned in, too far when his grip tightened. Eren pushed him away, scrambling out of his grasp desperately. "Thanks for the dance," Eren choked out, backing away from Jean some more, Jean most likely wanted to get in his pants probably. "But... I'll pass-"
  "Okay, guys!" Hitch spoke up, lowering the music volume by turning her hand round the dial and cutting Eren off, though thankfully making the awkward scene vanish. "Time to for cake and to open my birthday gifts!"
  ... Shit...
  Seconds passed when Hitch sat on the green sofa and everyone crowded around her, Hitch opening Rico's present of a thong, Hitch opening Annie's present of knee-high socks, Hitch now reaching for Eren's...
  His face flushed in embarrassment as soon as the works were spat out of Rico's mouth. "What is that?"
  "An old book," Hitch said in a monotonous tone, obvious irritation laced in her voice as she stared blankly at it in a glare.
  "I-It's a book by Edger Allen Poe, it's really rare-"
  "Edger Allen who?" Hitch interrupted, throwing the book on the coffee table and glowering at Eren. "Is this a fucking joke? Because if it is, it's really not funny," she yelled, her fists clenched. "I can't believe you came all the way down here for my birthday party to give me this crap!"
  It was so sudden, everyone had turned on him crowding around him in a circle.
  "Yeah, and he's a slut, been following me around like a puppy all evening," Jean taunted. "Begging for it."
  "A slut and a pussy, can't stutter longer then a minute," Hitch mocked, joining in and turning her head to Rico. "What do you do to sluts, Rico?"
  "You burn them," Rico smirked, setting the end of her cigarette on Eren's arm.
  It was all a blur as soon as a scream came from Eren's throat, Reiner and Annie grabbing Eren back while Hitch watched Jean try to get Eren to down the beer forcefully. It was a messy, unwanted blur until the double doors were smashed open and everything came clear in a pause. Whoever it was, Anka, Carla or Mikasa from sensing his danger, whoever that someone was, they were his hero, he had no idea what was happening but it was bad.
  "Oi!" A sharp tone pierced through the air, cutting through everyone's ears like a bullet, making everyone's blood turn cold on the spot as they froze. "What do you think you're doing?"
  Even if Eren shuddered at the cold voice, he loved it. Even if it scared him and everyone else, it made everyone stop. Even if he didn't recognise it, he knew it was from someone dominant and fearful by the way Annie and Reiner backed away almost instantly and how everyone's faces grew wide whilst their bodies shook. When the hands unleashed him, he was pulled into the stranger's hold.
  "Whoever this guy is," the voice boomed, "if you ever touch him again, I'll kill you."

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

  Eren would never forget the look of their faces. Never forget the menacing tone from the stranger that could make anyone bow down to his feet. He'd never forget it... never forget him.
  It happened so fast. One minute in the hands of Reiner and Annie, Jean laughing and trying to get him drunk. The second minute, a stranger rescues him. The third, the stranger leaves with him after kicking in Reiner's shin. The fourth, they exited the house and Eren repeated his thanks, though he didn't reply other then a 'forget about it'.
  "Did you have fun, sweetheart?" His mum had asked him on the dinner table later that day.
  Eren remembered how he hesitantly nodded his head and said he met someone, though he forgot their name.
  The thought of knowing their name was enough to make his heart beat fast.
  Eren chuckled, how would the Eren back then react if he told him that he had a baby with that 'stranger'?

  Though that wasn't the important question. Where did his anger go?