Safe Haven

One

"Eren Yeager! Get your ass down here right now young man!" Eren flinched at the voice, eyes widening in fear. He was laying in his room, staring at the wall in a hazed state of thinking, before his father had yelled.

Blinking and shaking his head, Eren dragged himself to his feet, wincing slightly as his knee protested in pain. "Yes, sir," Eren called back, leaving the safety of his room.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs and walked into the living room, he found his father and mother sitting on the couch. Grisha Yeager was a sturdy man, with glasses and long, brown hair that had been braided with obvious rush. Carla, Eren's mother, sat next to him. She had ebony hair that flowed elegantly down her back, and green eyes that couldn't begin to match the shade of Eren's.

Grisha motioned for his son to sit across from them on the armchair, the only thing between them a dark wood, glass top table, littered with empty bottles and trash. Eren took a deep breath and sat down, noting automatically the shine in his fathers eyes. He was still drunk, just not as much as usual.

"Eren," his mother started in a gentle voice. "Yes?" Eren replies warily, his mind producing the idea that something bad was about to happen. "Me and your father have decided that... that we are kicking you out of the house, so that you can learn to live on your own, and so that me and Grisha can get get back on our feet."

Eren's eyes widened at that statement. What...? What was happening? She couldn't be serious. "Mom, you... you can't be serious."

At his mother's nod, his anxiety kicked in. His breathing sped up and the world began to spin around him, and he caught the smirk on his fathers face. Numbly, Eren stood and walked painfully up the stairs, his twisted knee that his father had given him the night before aching and throbbing with each step.

Eren quickly packed his belongings, which was some clothes, a phone charger, and two pairs of shoes, and, instead of using the door, Eren opened his window and, with well practiced ease, hopped onto the tree branch not to far away from the white window sill.

Once he climbed down the big oak tree one last time, he began an unsteady walk down the side walk of his rundown neighborhood. Most of the houses were falling apart, save for a few exceptions of the houses where successful people lived.

After what seemed like a long walk, Eren sat heavily on the side walk, pulling out his mobile phone and checking the time, he sighed as he found it was 2:30 in the morning. Curling his knees to his chest and laying his cheek upon them, he finally let the tears flow from his teal eyes. He fell asleep like that, his thoughts drifting like the heavy gray clouds in the sky.

The 16 year old woke to fat raindrops soaking him to the bone in less than a minute. He stood quickly and checked his phone, finding that it was barely six o'clock. Before he could walk more than a block, however, a sleek black car stopped beside him, and the passenger window rolled down, revealing a young man, not much older than Eren himself, with black hair and eyes gray as the clouds above him.

"Oi, kid, what you doing out here?" The driver called over the pounding of the storm. Eren mustered a week smiling, coughing slightly. "I-I'm taking a-a walk," Eren stuttered slightly, cursing in his mind. The stranger stared at him for a minute, before unlocking the door to his car. "In. Now."

Eren, seeing no better alternative, nodded and opened the door, stumbling tiredly into the car, almost falling over in the process. A hand steadied him, however, and he successfully climbed in.

"Name's Levi. How about you?" Levi asked. "My name is Eren, sir," Eren mumbled, ducking his head. Levi seemed to ponder this for a moment, before saying, "Alright, Eren. What were you really doing out there?"

Eren bit his lip uncertainly. Even if he were to tell Levi, what good would that do? No one's gonna take in a 16 year old boy, especially not Eren. Levi clearing his throat expectantly broke his thoughts, and Eren took a deep, shaky breath before beginning to speak.

"My parents kicked me out of the house, sir." At this, Levi took a sharp breath in, eyebrows shooting upward. "They... they wanted to get back on their feet, and my father kept hitting me-" Eren cut off, covering his mouth. Levi wasn't supposed to know that. No one was. Eren's breathing sped up as he remembered what his father said. "If anyone finds out, you will not get out of this house alive, you hear me?"

Once again, Eren's anxiety kicked up as he went into a full blown panic attack. God no he was gonna die his father was gonna find him gotta hide gotta run he's coming for me nonononononono hide run help someone-

He became faintly aware of someone shaking his shoulders, calling out his name. "L-Levi-" Eren choked out, sobbing. He felt himself being hoisted into the air, then the wind rushing pat as Levi ran. Ran? Where? What was happening? Nonononono what if Levi was taking him to his father? Eren struggled, pleading Levi in broken sentences to save him.

"Eren! Eren, you'll be okay! Come on, brat, calm down!" Levi's voice sounded panicked. Eren felt for a hand, realizing he was on a couch, and Levi ran a hand through his hair. How long...? This was the longest attack Eren had ever had, and he'd had this all his life. What the hell?

Eren opened his eyes, briefly wondering when they had closed, and looked around. He was in a living room of sorts. A fireplace sat against the wall, and the couch he was currently on, plus an armchair, were placed around it. Between them was a light table with drawers.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he calmed down, until he was almost sleeping, sighing in content as Levi continued to run his nimble fingers through Eren's hair. He noticed he had dry clothes that were slightly a little small, and swelled on that fact for a short time before he let the darkness completely consume him.