The Black Cat [Ereri/Riren]

Chapter 2

-:-:- Eren's PoV -:-:-

After P.E. I still had to endure one of the most boring math lesson ever and one period of biology and then I could finally leave.

As soon as the bell for my last period rang I shouldered my insanely heavy bag and followed the other students outside. When I came through the main entrance and felt the warm sun on my face I smiled a bit and stretched my arms up to relieve a bit of the tension in my neck and shoulders. Just as I lowered my arms again, someone bumped into me softly and I looked over to the couple.

"Hey Marco." I grinned and put my hands into the pockets of my hoodie.

The freckled boy smiled back and another head popped out from his other side. "Why don't I get a greeting as well, Jaeger?" Jean asked cockily and put his arm around Marco's shoulders.

I rolled my eyes. "Hello horseface." I answered teasingly.

We bickered for a bit, making Marco laugh multiple times at our comebacks. Jean and I had hated each other some years ago and we used to constantly get into fights. One day we even got expelled from school. But when I had been sick for two weeks and had to take a history exam to make up for a bad grade I got earlier that year, Armin, my best friend, had convinced him to dress up as me and take the exam because he is a genius when it comes to history. And after that incident I found out that Marco, his childhood crush, liked him back so I set them up. You could say our daily fights just ended there and we are only talking a bit harshly to each other every now and then, and if Jean gets too annoying, Marco holds him back. That freckled boy is an angel, I swear.

"By the way, Eren. Did you draw something again?" Marco asked and looked at me hopefully. We were in the same art class, that's how we got to know each other.

I nodded and pulled out my sketchbook. "Yeah, but I haven't coloured all of them yet. I plan to make that in a crimson shade with a tint of orange and a peachy colour." I explained and pointed to a giant hibiscus bloom on one page.

Marco and I went on discussing different techniques depending on what look to achieve while Jean followed us silently holding his boyfriend's hand. Since we all had a similar way home we would walk together until we reached one of their houses and I continued my way alone.

In front of Jean's house we stopped and I waved goodbye as they entered it. I knew pretty well thar his mother wasn't home for the next few hours so I hurried away, grinning and shaking my head. I didn't need to think about their possible activities right now.

The sketchbook still in my hands I looked over my newest additions until I reached the page with Levi's eyes. I should've asked Marco how he would suggest achieving that silver touch.

I frowned and stared at the eyes. Somehow I messed up one of his brows, I thought while crossing the road to my apartment building. I had a cheap apartment that I shared with my adoptive sister Mikasa.

The reason why we didn't live with our parents was the fact that our mum died when we were 8 years old and our dad was a homophobic bastard. We had lived in a nice big house in a lively area with a garden with lots of flowers and some trees because dad was a well-known doctor and earned a lot of money.

I never intended to tell my dad that I was bisexual but he found out when I had kissed Armin once and he ran in on us when we sat on the sofa. It wasn't like Armin and I were a thing, we simply wanted to test if Armin was interested in men as well or if it just was me. Since we had always been best friends, it only seemed logical to try it with each other instead of looking for a stranger. It would be an understatement to say he freaked out. How could his only son be a fag. And my outburst yelling I wasn't gay but bisexual didn't help either since he forbid me to date a man. 16-year-old me did not like that act of stupid authority so I told him he should fuck off and if I wanted to date a man I would. He threw me out of the house soon after. Mikasa followed me three months later because she loved me more than our dad so she moved into that shitty apartment I owned back then. Together we were able to afford a better one and now here we were.

I unlocked the door and threw my backpack into the nearest corner. As Mikasa wasn't home I had to cook for myself today. She had a lesson of some martial arts every Thursday. I took out vegetables and noodles and made Auflauf which Mikasa could warm up later. [I couldn't find an English expression but here is the definition: savoury or sweet dish baked in the oven]

After taking my portion with me to my atelier I sat down in front of a big canvas I had been working on and stared at the colours while eating. I thought about what colours to add next and what I should put in the middle of the clearing in the woods I had drawn until now.

When I was done with lunch I took out my sketchbook and tried different silhouettes that I could put in the centre of my painting. Finally I decided to pick the shadow of a figure that stared up into the little bit of sky that was shown on the top between some light green leafs. I started and put in my headphones with Starset blaring into my ears.

The afternoon went by quickly and I only had to add some shadows with a dark teal colour. The only problem was that I lacked the green colour I used before for the painting because it was empty by now. I sighed and put down my stuff, taking my keys, wallet and phone and leaving the apartment in a rush.

I still listened to my music while I walked the ten minute distance to my favourite art shop. The familiar smell of half dried paint and cookies that were baked by the shopkeeper's wife in the kitchen above the shop hit my nose and I smiled lightly. The mixture sounds weird, but if you enter the shop more often you get attached to it.

"Ah Eren!" Hannes came around the corner from the storage and leaned on the counter. "What do you need at this hour? It is five minutes before closing time." He grinned and scratched some blue paint off the counter.

"I need a new bottle of the dark green I bought last week. You know, from the new brand you introduced to me last month, number 166." I said and pulled out my wallet.

"Okay sure, let me get it for you." He answered and ran around the counter to go and get it for me. As I waited I looked to the so-called news wall to my right side. Sometimes Hannes would get new stuff and show it off before placing it somewhere else in his shop.

I let my gaze wander over the new brands and some brushes with funny shapes until I stopped at a golden bottle. It shimmered nicely and I thought about buying it as well. Then I looked a bit more to the side and saw a sparkling silver colour. My hand shot forward immediately and snatched the paint. This was nearly the same colour of Levi's eyes that I wanted to draw today so badly.

Meanwhile Hannes came back and placed the bottle of green in front of me. "You also buying that silver?" He asked and tapped the name of the colour into the computer.

"Uhm, yes." I answered hesitantly and put it down on the counter.

He told me the final amount and I paid and left. I held the silver in my hand, turning it and staring at it. With a bit of black to darken it, it might actually be the same colour as his eyes, I thought. Why am I even thinking about those eyes again? Grumbling I put the bottle back in the plastic bag and made my way home.

As soon as I entered the apartment, Mikasa jumped me and nearly hugged me to death. I stumbled back and landed on my butt with a grunt. "Mikasa, dammit. Don't jump me when I don't expect it!" I mumbled angrily.

"Eren, you were gone!" She yelled, still not letting go of me. "I was worried!"

I sighed dramatically and pushed myself up, placing her down next to me. "I am fine. I went to buy paint. Everything's okay." I said soothingly to calm her down. Yes, she was rather protective of me, but she lost her real family by a murderer that broke into their house when she was four and soon after she was with us, our mum died. Now even dad was more or less gone, even though she left on her own. I guess it was normal that she was clinging to her only family member left.

"Do you want to see what I am working on at the moment?" I asked smiling and guided her to the atelier.

She nodded and pulled the scarf she got from me some years ago tighter around her neck. "Of course."