Defy Gravity | The Sequel | Eren x OC

Chapter 27: Dancing Barefoot

He walks out to a busy and noisy metropolis, people walking everywhere, yellow taxis everywhere and checks his pockets for his wallet, breathing a huge sigh of relief that he has it. He hails a cab and stuffs his guitar into it.

"Hey pretty boy, where to?"

"Uhhh... fuck if I know..." Eren says, hardly believing this is where you are now. "Ummm where's a place that's cheap but cool?"

The cabbie eyes Eren in his rearview mirror, "Uhhh you look like the Chelsea and Greenwich crowd..."

"Umm okay," Eren raises an eyebrow, not sure if that's a compliment or not.

"You'll be fine. Lots of artists, musicians, alternatives, and queers. You'll fit right in."

Eren's dropped off right at Chelsea market and wanders aimlessly, taking in the brownstone houses and tall apartment buildings before he heads for a coffee shop, hoping to get his bearings. Inside he finds a community board with a bunch of flyers for apartment rentals. He plucks a few numbers and goes to grab his phone out of his pocket before realizing his phone doesn't exist. Fuck... this may actually be a harder time period to adjust to then Eren realizes.

His eyes trail around the coffee shop, an artsy joint and his green pools widen when he sees a promotional poster for the album Nevermind by Nirvana, scheduled to be released in 4 days' time. On second thought, he could get used to a time like this...

In no time at all, he gets a one-bedroom apartment in Chelsea, only needing to pay $300 a month for it and Eren practically loses his shit at the price. Fuck, maybe he could stay here forever...

He starts shopping for flea market furniture and a CD player and gets to work setting up his new place. He smiles as he brings in a bed, a tv, and a couple armchairs and heads back out to walk through Chelsea and Greenwich Village, taking in the sights and sounds of early 1990s New York.

The area can get a little scary at night, hell New York is still pretty filthy and scary at this time. But Eren's not fazed, he's been through way worse, and his area is really artsy and alive, Gen Xers taking over the reins with a younger, fresher, more open-minded spirit. The more Eren takes in, the more he really likes being here, and he still has finding you to look forward too.

On his second night in New York, Eren sighs as he lays in his bed, staring at the ceiling, hears the sounds of a city that never sleeps outside his window. He feels at peace, he really does. He thinks back on the curse, thinks back on the prophecy, and of his inevitable fate to die at a young age.

He slowly closes his eyes and looks for a bird, any bird will do. He sees a bird that flies over that terrifying horde of Colossal Wall Titans, moving across the globe, trampling over the snowy mountains of Siberia and the grasslands of the Serengeti in Africa. His bird's eyes catch up to the Founding Titan slowly making its way towards the nearby Fort Salta. Eren sees his older brother's head go flying through the air to fall to the barren wasteland below the protruding ribs of his titan.

Eren feels his heart sink as he watches it go, knowing it's his fault, his fault for destroying his entire family. The Wall Titans all come to a stop with the death of Zeke as Jean uses his ODM gear to fly through Eren's long ribcage, making his way for Eren's large terrifying head.

Eren slowly opens his eyes again to his studio apartment. He knows in his home world, where he was truly born, he has less than an hour. Here in this world? Who's to say... but it can't be more than five more years... if that even...

Eren lays in bed, feeling his soul ache. The time is drawing near in his physical world. Eren only has maybe five years left... if that even. Five years: enough of a life to live on but not long enough to fully live. How can you fully live knowing you're still so young and bound for hell by 31?