Ereri Fanfic: Changes

Immediate Action

"They were taking bets on you? That bad?"

Eren stared at Armin from across the cheap food-court table, a mixture of awe and horror painted on his friend's face. Mikasa was sitting between the two, eyes blank but lips pulled downward in a frown. Eren nodded.

"When Rivaille found out, he made everyone involved write a 1000 word essay. I guess it's a common problem, but..."

"That still seems harsh." pity was reflected in the blond's eyes. Eren shrugged, picking up his Icee.

"I didn't get punished, so I guess it doesn't really matter to me."

Mikasa's eyes narrowed. "It's not too late for you to quit and come to college. I'm sure we could figure something out-"

"Thanks, but no." Eren cut her off, setting the cup back down on the table. She still looked defiant, so he continued, "You know I'm not cut out for college, Mikasa. We've been over this. Besides, it's not all that bad at the office."

She let out a defeated sigh, looking down at the table. ".. If you really think so."

"How long have you been there again?" Armin spoke up again, and Eren paused to think. A month? No, it had to be longer than a month...

"A month and a couple weeks, I think?" he scratched the back of his head. Armin's eyebrows bunched together in confusion.

"What's even keeping you there? I'm sure there are other jobs that don't run you ragged..."

"I always liked a challenge?" To be honest, Eren wasn't entirely sure how to answer that. Was it the other people that worked there? Was it Rivaille and how good he looked shirtless? Was it a mixture?

The confusion must have been apparent on Eren's face. Armin studied him for a moment, before shrugging.

"I guess you know what's best for you, Eren."

The brunette grinned in response. "You guys worry too much about me. Don't you have... College-people things to be concerned about? Homework?" he laughed. "Let's go to the arcade before we split up again. I don't get to see nearly enough of you guys anymore."

x

Eren never imagined that the reason he'd be on his hands and knees in Rivaille's office would be for cleaning-

That was a lewd thought and he really should stop.

"Eren. Are you almost done cleaning that corner?" he could hear Rivaille from his desk, feel the man's judging gaze on him. "You've been over there for 15 minutes, I've never seen someone take so long to clean up some crumbs. You're not getting off over there, are you, Jaeger?"

Eren sputtered, pausing in his movements. "What?"

"If you are, clean it up. I don't want to see that."

"Why would I-?" Eren jerked his head back, still on the ground. "No! It wouldn't be taking me this long if you'd just let me vacuum instead of pick it up crumb-by-crumb..." trailing off when he saw his boss's face, he turned back around.

"Getting awfully mouthy there, assistant. Vacuums break my concentration."

Grumbling something under his breath, he returned to picking up the little bits from the carpet piece-by-piece. He was going to be here all day at this rate. Sasha had only come in for a few minutes, how did she manage to spread crumbs across the entire office?

"Yo, Rivaille!" a familiar chipper voice called out from the front, and Eren didn't even bother to turn around and look. Hanji was such a common presence, always popping in and out that it barely phased him.