Degenerate | Riren

IX

Low Down And Gritty

⊱ | ✾ | ⊰

Eren's bedroom was made up of calico and lace, his chaste white bed of linen and silk. The room had been littered with ribbons, comic books, vinyls, and trinkets一what his mother called clutter, Eren called collections一a jambalaya of magazines, school books, make-up, bobby pins, nail polish, and unopened heart-shaped lollipops that he received from seniors at school. On his desk were old bubblegum wrappers that still smelled of sweetness, crumpled up notes accumulated throughout the schoolyear, and a mishmash of notebooks (most of which were bought and never used).

He paced back and forth, kicking a stack of Vogue magazines in his way. It was already past five o'clock but he hadn't even picked an outfit to wear for the evening. Like a toddler, he was agitated. Levi was coming in an hour, and time was of the essence.

In the end, he picked one of his vintage playsuits. How he loved all things vintage! Eren smiled when he found what he felt was the one: a sexy burgundy playsuit with a Queen Anne neckline and shorts. He did his makeup as less as possible to look cleaner and feel lighter, though he couldn't resist sticking shiny rhinestones to the corners of his eyes and slapping on bright red lipstick.

When he was finished, he popped a piece of gum into his mouth and grabbed one of his Mary Janes that was lying on the floor and clipping it on. He panicked whirling around the rooms to look for the other pair. "Mom! Have you seen my shoe?"

"You have so many, which one?" Out came his mother's response from below the floor. He let out a huff when he realized the shoe vanished off the face of the Earth. He hurried down the stairs in search of the missing item. "Mom, where's dessert?" he called out to her as he desperately dug through a shoe box.

"Not telling you," Carla responded, "You'll eat those brownies when I'm not looking!"

The heavenly aroma of meat wafted in the air, Eren's stomach grumbled in hunger. He hadn't eaten much since yesterday, too distressed with thoughts of Levi. He peered through the window with breaths fogging the glass, awaiting in both anxiety and anticipation for his Adonis.

"My, how fine you look." Carla said, placing a vase of tulips on the center table. She wiped her hands in her apron before nearing her son.

"I got my looks from you, I'm just a copy." he told her sweetly. Carla tucked some of his chocolate hair behind his ear. "And my shoe's still missing!"

"Seriously, you always lose things where I find them." she trailed back into the kitchen, "I'll go cut the rib, let Levi in when he arrives." Carla busied herself with carving up the meat, placing two pieces on each plate and then adding potatoes and green beans as side dishes.

To Eren's horror, a knocking was heard from the door. He twitched in alarm and dreaded confronting Levi, nonetheless he had to go answer. He preened his hair before twisting the doorknob.

He felt butterflies in his stomach when he glued his eyeballs on him.

The scheme of formal black and white was becoming to any man but on someone like Levi Ackerman, it was literally breathtaking. He wore his waistcoat with natural ease, his posture relaxed but straight, his shoulders broad. The crisp white of his cravat provided a striking contrast to his complexion, while the light of the front porch glittered over his shiny, raven hair.

Eren's shoulders shrank when he felt Levi's eyes lock into his, abstained from motion. "You're beautiful," Levi looked at his feet. "Even with one shoe on."

The brunet accidentally swallowed his gum when Carla's voice startled him from behind, urging the shoe to his grasp. "I found it on the couch."