Love Me Not - {riren au}

Love Me Not ~ 16

Eren had slept through the night with ease due to the overwhelming exhaustion he had felt from the day before. He expected that he'd be able to sleep in on his day off, but was very wrong.

At eight in the morning, he felt movement on his bed. He didn't have a pet, and his dad definitely wasn't on his bed. Who was it then? Just as he shifted and went to roll over, he felt jumping.

His eyes shot open instantly and he was met with Armin jumping on his bed.

Eren rolled over and hugged his pillow, glaring up at his friend. "What are you doing?"

"It sucks, right? Ah, payback is great." Armin teased, stepping off of the bed. "If we don't head out earlier than usual we won't get a good spot at the beach."

"Do we need that big of a spot?" Eren asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "Did my dad or Mikasa let you in?"

"Mikasa is getting ready. Your dad let me in." Armin shrugged. "And yes, apparently a lot of people are going."

"Great." Eren said sarcastically. "At least it's just people we went to high school with."

"No Levi scares today." Armin teased. "I don't know..I think you would want to go to the beach with him. You'd pretend you can't swim and cling to him." He laughed. "We all know you'd be the one going wild over a sunset walk on the beach with your lover."

"No! Definitely not! No way!" Eren yelled, causing Grisha to come and stand in the doorway.

"I know I'm old and am already up, but why are you yelling so early?" Grisha crossed his arms. "Better get up and get ready. You're already loud and you haven't even left your bed." He teased his son and walked away.

Mikasa walked into the room in shorts and a t-shirt. She raised an eyebrow. "You're not up yet?"

"Where's your bathing suit?" Eren asked. "Didn't you just buy one?"

"I'm not going to travel to the beach in just a bathing suit." Mikasa rolled her eyes. "It's underneath."

Armin started going through Eren's drawers to pick out swimming trunks for him. They were very close, so Eren didn't think it was odd.

"You're really digging there." Mikasa said, watching with her hands on her hips. "Looking for some weird pornos?"

Armin laughed. "Nobody needs magazine pornos when you have a phone. Better check his search history." He joked. "But no, since our friend Eren here is being lazy and won't get up, I was going to find him trunks. I'm scared I'll find something weird though."

"I figured." Mikasa walked over and began pulling at Eren's arm. "Get up. We have places to be."

"Fine." Eren climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom. He closed the door behind himself.

"Don't get too dolled up handsome." Armin knocked one the door. "I have trunks for you. Need some help getting dressed?" He asked, messing with his best friend.

Eren opened the door and took the trunks. "I would love your help, but Mikasa is here."

The two then started laughing, watching Mikasa as she sighed and sat in Eren's bed. "I would believe you two were a thing it wasn't for Eren being in love with my cousin." She said back.

When Eren first came out to Armin and Mikasa when they were around fourteen, he worried that Armin would see him differently.

Armin was a nice guy, but fourteen year old Eren was under the impression that practically everyone was against being gay.

His best friends didn't care and it made him so happy.

Eren thought that every straight guy he came out to would think he was hitting on them all of the time. He also thought that guys wouldn't want to be around him in places like the locker room in high school.

He did what he thought he had to do, keep quiet. It made him fear coming out.

Eren thought only Mikasa and Armin knew, but then realized that Levi knew. He confessed to him after all.

Levi wouldn't tell anyone though. He was annoying and rude, but definitely wouldn't do that.

Why was he thinking about Levi again? It was his day free of that man.

The teen brushed his teeth and slipped on his trunks as well as a white t-shirt. He opened the bathroom door and stared at his two friends. "I'm good to go."

"You could've brushed your hair at least, bum." Mikasa said, a slight smile on her face.

"Guys!" Grisha called out. "I made breakfast!"

Eren grabbed his back and stuffed a towel and change of clothes into it. He left his room with Mikasa and Armin following.

The three sat at the kitchen table and watched as Grisha served them.

"I figured you guys would need a good meal before going. I'm sure you have a big day ahead of you." Grisha set a plate full of food down in front of each of them.

"Thank you." Armin said.

Armin was at their house so often he was practically Grisha's third child. He didn't mind though. Armin was a good kid.

"Thanks." Eren and Mikasa both said.

In a matter of seconds the three were quickly eating.

"Were you guys hungry? Or are in a rush?" Grisha asked, watching them eat.

"Little of both." Eren said, shoving more food into his mouth.

"Make sure you guys wear sunscreen and drink lots of water. It's going to be brutal today." Grisha set bottle waters on the counter. "Take some of these. Do you need money?" He asked.

Eren laughed. "Dad, I'm not thirteen and going to the carnival with some friends. I also have a job now. I got it."

Grisha sighed. "Sometimes I forget you're old. I look at you and see that twelve year old." He ruffled his son's hair. "I'm going to head upstairs, have fun you guys." He took his cup of coffee and left to go up to his office.

Mikasa kicked Eren's shin under the table.

"What the hell, Mikasa?!" Eren frowned.

"You didn't have to be so cold. He's your dad." Mikasa sighed. "He's just trying to be a good parent."

"I guess I was a little annoying. I just don't want to be looked at as a kid." Eren took a bite of toast.

"I'm okay with being a kid for a little longer." Armin admitted. "Once we start school and work we're all going to get busy. We won't be able to see each other as much. There's things like taxes and phone bills we have to pay. If being a kid means I can hang with my friends and not worry, I'll take it."

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