─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
chapter 4: invasion
"night, eren!" sasha mocked me as soon as i walked into the dorm. she followed it up with kissing noises. "would you shut up!" i groaned in embarrassment; shaking my head to get rid of the remaining sleep.
she giggled, continuing the torment, "so.. were you making out with eren all that time," she wiggled her eyebrows. "i heard he's good." the smile on her face turned into a wide smirk.
"who knows," i shrugged, heading to my room. i knew my lack of response would make her go crazy. "y/n!? are you really not gonna tell me," she followed right at my footsteps. entering my room, i put the bear down on my bed, "come on you have to tell me," she continued with an iron hard resolve. she spun me around with my arms, gripping each of them tightly, "pleasee!" she dragged out the 'e' at an obnoxious volume.
i clasped my hand around her mouth "shh! stop it!" i laughed at her. "i'm just fucking with you. all we did was go on the ferris wheel." she stood straight on her feet again; disappointment covered her features. "that's really it?" she pried one last time. "hate to break it to you."
"so boring." she rolled her eyes with force. sasha picked up the bear, laying down on the bed with it. she did a double take, examining the bear. "wait, did he give this to you?" she squealed.
"no, he stole it," a smile broke through at the memory, "plus it's an apology bear. why are you so certain something's going on anyway?" i teased, but i was genuinely curious. maybe her answer would give me more background on him?
"it's hope, more than anything. you saw how he was today- he was never like that before. maybe if he was into you it would bring him back? i don't know it's wishful thinking." her face was gloomy; like she might start crying if she thought about it anymore.
"sleepover in my room?" i ask the question like we aren't separated with just a wall. "duh!" her mood instantly lightens; shooting an exiting the room. in the quiet, my mind runs over the day. i realize that i'm still weaning eren's jacket. i pull the soft leather closer around me, tucking my face into the neckline. it doesn't smell like anything. that's weird, i saw him wearing it all day, but the only scent is faded detergent.
my mind doesn't fully process it before sasha runs back in. three pillows and all the blankets she can hold in tow. she runs over to the bed, throwing them on before getting underneath my sheets. "come on, i'm tired!" she whines, opening her arms to invite me in. her body heat keeps me warm and comfortable, allowing me to doze off. in the distance, i hear a jangling but my mind is too far gone to investigate.
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jean walked close by my side on our way to get coffee, coming back from philosophy. "y/n," he started, "i really don't understand anything in chem," his voice dragged, waiting for me to extend an offer. "oh no that's awful," i feigned compassion, "what will horseface do?" he was constantly nagging me about doing this and that assignment or asking for a tutor. i enabled him by giving in, so i didn't have room to complain.
"tch," he pushed my body further from his, "you could help ya'know," still pleading.
"yeah i know.. but i wrote that behemoth essay for you literally last week. i'm all burnt out." he shot me a dirty look; knowing he shouldn't be asking for anything right now. "whatever i'll just ask sasha," his face lit up like he just had the best idea.
i laughed at his ignorance, "dude, sasha is doing worse in chem than me." looking over at his face, he looked crushed. "we don't even have the same professors, can't you just ask someone in your class," i probed.
he gave a hefty sigh, "they're all sick of me asking."
"huh, who would've thought!" it was my turn to push him, sticking my hand out in an attempt which failed. "i hate general requirements," he groaned, throwing his head back.
we walked into the coffee shop on campus. the air was weighed down by the thick scent of coffee beans but it was familiar. but today, the atmosphere felt different. my heart rate picked up; hairs sticking up on my neck like eyes were on my again. i looked around, but no one was looking at me. not even jean. shaking it off, i checked my phone as we stood in the pickup line.
eren >:(
are you free for the project today?
you:
lol i forgot
but yeah i'm free rn. meet me at the roast?
eren >:( liked a message
"no-go on those plans tonight, jean. sorry." i said, shoving my phone back in my pocket. "no it's cool. you found someone with a bigger dick, finally?" he shot me a nasty smirk. i rose to my tiptoes to whisper in his ear, "just eren." he rolled his eyes as a response. he reached out for yet another shove, but i raised my hands in surrender, "hey don't shoot the messanger! we have a project due."
"yeah whatever," focusing his attention on the baristas in from of us. "jealous jean-boy? i knew you were in love with me," i laughed a little too loudly, gaining the attention of a few around us. i shot my head down as a response to the attention.
"so in love," he smirked in my face but turned at his name being called. his coffee sat on the pick-up counter. grabbing it, he bid me goodbye. i went back to the cashier to place an order for eren. vanilla latte, i think?
i didn't wait long before he walked in. he must've been close by already. i almost choked on the sip i took; his hair was down again. his face was the fullest i had seen it; his eye bags a light pink, almost gone entirely. he didn't look as harsh as usual. he looked.. good.
eren noticed me immediately, eyes flickering up and down. "nice jacket," he laughed through his nose. my brows furrowed as i looked down. shit. it was his jacket. if i remembered i was wearing it today, i would've shoved it in my bag. i played nonchalant, "yeah, just found it laying around," i returned his smirk. his name was called and he looked at me with confusion. i smiled and turned on my heel, walking to the open table in the corner.
as i sat down, i saw him walking over, coffee in hand. "i hope you brought the book, because i didn't" he admitted, "just got out of a different class." yikes, i gave a nervous laugh, "so did i..i was hoping you had it." just to be sure i trifled through my bag, but no sign of the textbook.
"fuck.." i met his eyes. there wasn't a sparkle yet, but they looked less cold. maybe it was the absence of the deep bags? just an illusion? i couldn't be sure. "we can just go back to my dorm," i trailed, "i actually have furniture this time, promise," i chucked at myself; happy to no longer have a study-beer table. "yeah, whatever works," as if it really didn't matter to him.
leaving the roast, we changed directions to the dorms. the air was still cold, but the clouds from yesterday were mostly gone, sunlight peeking through the clouds. eren walked to my right, but a pace behind so he stood closer to my back. "what's your major anyway?" he probed me for a change. "mm journalism."
he gave a badgering laugh, but didn't say anything. i whipped around, fully face him, "what's so funny?" he met my gaze, but shook his head in disregard. "what's you major then?"
"literature," he started ahead at the path in front of us. "huh, well isn't that pointless," i poked the bear, turning back to continue the walk. we were pretty close to the dorms now. i was lucky to live so close to a coffee shop.
"no it's not i'm goi-" he cut himself off. he looked in the distance, eyes going cold like they usually did. "what?" i look to him.
"nothing." i look in his eyeline's direction but nothing peculiar was there. as if he could sense he was freaking me out, "i just got a weird feeling." his eyes bore into mine, oncing me over before walking again. he was deliberate in walking in front of me, but i kept pace close behind him. his face was serious, and within an instant it seemed to become sharp and hollow again.
as we approached the hallway to my dorm entrance, my door was swung wide open. the fuck? sasha must've just forgotten to close it. maybe even hitch. eren continued walking towards the door. the overhead lights were off, and the room was dim and hard to make out despite it being daylight still.
eren forced his hand in front of my torso, stopping me from walking. both of us had remained dead silent, gears turning in different ways. i moved his hand, attempting to walk into my dorm with him. "i'm sure it's fine, i have two roomates you know," i attempted to persuade him, and myself.
"stay out here," he barely spared me a glance. i rolled my eyes at his vigilant nature, but my gut told me to listen to him. something felt wrong. i could feel it in my bones. eren walked further in, not bothering to turn on any lights. from my view, i could see my room door was open. the window barely lit it up, but i could tell it was trashed. clothes strewn about, my mattress ripped off of the frame.
i instinctively took half a step closer; trying to get a better look. it looked like someone must've broken in. eren noticed my movement, "i told you not to move!" he raised his voice before storming back out of the dorm, grabbing my hand before dragging me back down the hallway. "eren! sasha might be in there! hitch too," my mind became frantic at his reaction. his own state made me anxious; i began sucking in quick and shallow breaths.
i stomped my feet into the ground, trying to get him to stop his pace. "sasha and hitch!" i repeated, my voice high out of fear. it was taxing pushing out words with my distressed breathing. "they're not in there. no one is," eren's voice was even again and he gave my hand another yank. "how can you be sure?"
"because i am, move," he demanded harshly. i glanced back at the dorm, what if something happens to th-, "y/n!" eren pulled me out of my thoughts. "will you fucking trust me? NO ONE is in there," with another pull, i let my body move again. i couldn't be sure, but if sasha was in there, eren wouldn't just leave her. his pace picked up, and my feet moved on their own. as he led me to the parking lot closer to classrooms, he never let go of my hand. not until he opened his car door, motioning for me to get in. i sat in his car, shocked. someone really broke in?
"text your roomates. see that they're fine for yourself," he snapped me back to reality once again. my hands shook as i pulled out my phone, immediately calling sasha.
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clouds were quick to cover the sky. rain pittered on eren's windows. his apartment was in inner sina, a part of town i haven't really explored. it was hard to makeout the view with the water; but the buildings were tall and lit up with the beginnings of moonlight. on a clear day, i wouldn't doubt that he has the best view in the entire city.
my nerves were settled now. or, at least, a lot more than they were getting in eren's car. knowing my roommates were safe put my mind at ease. sasha was with connie; positive she locked the door on her way out this morning. she let me know she'd be safe with him for the night. a text from hitch told me that she hadn't even been in the dorm for three days, but i doubt she'd be coming back after this fiasco.
staring at the blurry view before me, i thought about what could've really happened. the dorms were safe; you needed a keycard to get in pretty much everywhere, and they were only given out to students living on-campus. so it had to be another student, right? but break-ins were rare; students don't steal from other students like that. every bit of logic spun my head further around. if there was no rational reason for someone to break in, then why did they?
movement in my peripheral forces me to turn my head. eren laid another blanket next to me. he sat in the alcove next to me, body facing opposite the windows. "thanks. are you sure you don't want it?" i tipped my head to his body. he was wearing a long sleeve shirt, but it didn't look warm.
"no i don't really get cold."
"must be nice," i laughed, taking the blanket and adding another layer around my body. my nerves must've made me extra cold. my phone pings, i turn my attention to it and grab it.
horseface:
y/n
holy shit
are you okay?
sorry i didn't even see your messages
i was in the art studio
you:
it's ok haha don't worry i'm fine.
horseface:
where are you? are you safe?
you:
yeah i'm just at eren's apartment.
he didn't want me staying on campus
horseface:
okay.
let me know if you need me to pick you up.
don't hesitate.
you:
okay i won't. love you jean-boy
horseface disliked a message
i laughed at jean's reaction. my stomach unknotted, and i felt lighter knowing that everyone i was worried about had been contacted. i couldn't do much about the situation, but i'd at least accomplished what i could. "was that sasha?" eren drew my attention to him. he sat further on the alcove now, his legs half on, facing toward me.
"no it was jean," a smile still on my face, remembering his initial spam of concerned messages. so tough, huh? eren's face stayed still, like he didn't register the name. "are you dating?" he asked. my face must have shown confusion; eren mimicked it. we started at each other for a few moments, "i thought you weren't going to dig in my past. i'm holding up my end," i said it with cocky confidence, knowing it would bother him.
he frowned, shooting me a death glare, "it's not the past, it's a present question." i laughed at him, "no." it was a definite answer, "why, do you wanna date him?" i teased, leaning in to keep eye contact with him. eren rolled his eyes with his neck, getting up from his spot next to me.
he didn't walk far before turning around, "come on, i'll put on a movie. anything you want." his hands were in his pockets, but i could see his fingers twitching. "anything?" i asked with a growing smirk; already having my pick ready.
he looked confused at my happiness, "yeah, anything i don't care."
"okay, perfect! twilight," i smiled ear to ear before getting up myself, walking over to the couch carrying all of my blankets and plopping myself down. "no, not twilight." he was definitive; there probably wasn't anything that would make him put it on. probably.
"you have something against edward cullen? you said anything, that is anything," he stood his ground; not budging an inch. "eren," my tone was flat, "my dorm just got broken into." bringing the blanket up to my face, i hid the smile that wouldn't go away, already knowing i won.
he turned his head up to the ceiling; groaning. "fine," he spat at me; seeming genuinely unnerved in my choice. he grabbed the remote on the counter before stomping over the couch, and dramatically sitting down with a huff. he sat on the other arm of the couch, the distance of a few cushions between us; i frowned. despite his hissy fit, he began playing twilight.
'i'd never given much thought to how i would die,' came through the speakers as i brought the blankets even closer to my body. the outside atmosphere set the perfect mood to watch twilight in, and just a few minutes in, i had forgotten why i was at eren's apartment to begin with.
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my consciousness smelled maple bacon before i opened my eyes. as they fluttered open, i immediately felt the twinge in my neck. "ah-" i closed my eyes with force, moving my head in circles while trying to massage out the ache. it didn't fix it, but it wasn't throbbing with pain anymore.
"finally," came from an already annoyed eren. guess his good mood from yesterday has worn off. he lifted my phone, holding it in the air to show me, "sasha's been blowing up your damn phone." immediately i got up from the warm blankets on the couch, running to grab my phone. was she okay?!
eren was right, there was a long slur of messages, but the first one i saw said 'call me,' so i did. after two rings she picked up, "finally. i was beginning to think eren ate you for breakfast," laughing, i looked up at eren to see a scowl on his face. "i'm sorry, i just woke up! what was so important you sent me fifty thousand messages?" i poked fun at her desperation.
"you know, nothing crazy," she giggled through the speaker, "just jean's lakehouse for the week," she squealed. "really!?" at the mention of the house, i was ecstatic. we had only ever gone as a group once; his parents were adamant about keeping it pristine. "hell yeah!" i moved the phone away from my ear with her loud yells.
she started murmuring again, "we're gonna leave tonight probably. we'll just stay there until they fix our dorm. or give us a new one, i really don't know what the fuck," she sighed. i had almost forgotten. mentally, i slapped myself. how could i forget that? "but i'll keep you updated, love you byee!" she ended the call abruptly for how desperately she was trying to reach me this morning. i chuckled at the blank screen.
"you know about the lakehouse?" i ask eren who's building me a large plate of bacon and scrambled eggs. "yeah, sasha wanted to tell you herself though. seemed very siked," he deadpanned the last part. he pushed me the plate, and i immediately took a slice of bacon. i looked toward the empty spot on the couch. eren must've known what i was thinking, "you fell asleep thirty minutes in. i planned on offering you a bed, but i didn't want to wake the beast."
"oh, how sweet of you," i faked a smile. "so you watched the movie without me?" the thought of eren intently watching twilight made me giggle. "no, i turned it off as soon as your eyes closed," he said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "chick flicks," he muttered.
he leaned against the marble counter as i ate; looking through the windows. "you're not gonna eat?" i felt like a pig scarfing down food when he had nothing in front of him. "i'm vegan," he pointed to my plate, "and i already ate pancakes hours ago. you sleep in, apparently."
i opened my mouth to chide him, but he interrupted me, "shh, hurry up and eat, we should be leaving soon. the drive to marley's longer from this part of town."
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a/n: probably the last chapter for a few days. school or whateva