Dreamland (Ereri/Riren)

Chapter 5

Eren sat on the couch in fetal position. He couldn't understand any of the emotions he was feeling. Almost in tears, he rolled over so his face was stuffed into the cushions and he could barely breathe.

"WHAT THE HELL!!" The boy yelled, the sound muffled by the sofa cushions. Nobody was there to hear him yelling, and so he took advantage of that. Eren wouldn't normally cry, especially in public. Now was the time to. He screamed and shouted. He threw pillows across the room and clawed at the couch with his fingernails, like a cat. Eren was out of control.

A knock on the door snapped Eren back into the real world.

"Who's there?!" He said loudly.

"Its Annie. Open the damn door, Eren."

"NO!! I DON'T WANNA TALK TO YOU. I DON'T WANNA TALK TO ANYONE!! GET AWAY!!" Eren dried his tears and threw his phone at the door.

"I'm gonna kick down the door if you don't let me in." Annie said softly, yet aggressively.

"I DON'T FUCKING CARE! GET AWAY FROM ME AND MY HOUSE!!" To be honest, he wanted Annie to come in and stay with him, but he didn't want her to laugh at him. Eren didn't want her laughing at what happened today, or even make fun of him for 'lying'. He didn't want her to be mad or jealous. He didn't want her to feel like she has to take action. Eren didn't want a lot of things.

"Alright fine. Bye Eren." Annie strolled away.

"WAIT! Annie." The brunet yelped desperately.

Annie stopped and turned back. "Yes, Eren?" She smirked a little at the fact the he hadn't wanted her to leave, which she knew all along.

Eren got up off of the couch and opened the door quickly. "A-Annie... You can stay."

She strolled back up to the porch, into the house, and closed the door behind her. "Eren. What has gotten into you?" She picked up his phone and placed it in his hand.

He sat there, motionless, and stared down at the carpeted floor. Annie sat down next to him and leaned against him. She rested her head on his shoulder and took his hand. Eren jumped back and scooted to the other end of the couch, causing Annie's head to fall down onto the couch.

"Don't t-touch me." He stuttered.

Annie sighed and moved towards him again. Eren started to get up, but Annie pulled him back down.

"What's bothering you?" She stared at him, a hint of concern in her usually cold, unloving eyes.

The look on Annie's face made his hard shell melt, and Eren opened up immediately.

"Well.. this may seem like a lot, and it may seem odd.." Eren explained the whole thing to Annie, from his first dream all the way up to his detention earlier that day. Annie listened contently, taking in everything he had said. She sighed and took his hand again. Eren didn't mind anymore, and in fact, squeezed her hand tightly and wrapped his other arm around her. Annie's eyes widened and her cheeks instantly became pale pink. He pulled away from her and smiled.

Annie's jaw dropped slightly. "I-I... uhm.." She stammered, unable to speak. Annie had a little bit of a huge crush on Eren, and though not to Eren, it was obvious to everyone else.

"Thank you, Annie. I haven't told anyone about this." He told a tiny lie to her, and didn't think that it would matter.

She nodded and stood up. "Well.. I'd better get going." She began walking, but Eren grabbed her hand. He pulled her back onto the couch, causing her to fall down. Her head landed on his leg and she sat up quickly. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her so she was leaning against him. Annie's light pink blush darkened to a rosy red and she felt her face begin to heat up.

"Why don't you stay a while?"

"Alright fine. But only an hour!" Annie said sternly.

"Fine." Eren said in the same tone of voice, to mimic it.

Annie rolled her eyes and giggled. "Fine then."

"FINE ANNIE!!"

"FINE. GOD DAMMIT EREN!!"

The two yelled back and forth for a couple minutes, only playfully, then stopped suddenly. Eren jumped up and grabbed two remote controls.

"If you can beat me, I'll let you go. If not, you're not going anywhere until you do." He smirked confidently.

"You're on!" The blonde took the other controller and pressed the connect second controller button.

They played one round of War of the Monsters, and Annie had already beaten Eren. He ground his teeth together, slightly annoyed.

"Another round." He said through his clenched teeth.

They continued for about two hours; Eren had not beaten Annie once. She happened to notice the time. It was 7:23pm.

"Oh my god I have to get going!" She dropped the controller and ran out the door. "Bye Eren! I'll text you later!" She slammed the door shut and started running. She got to her house after about 10 minutes of nonstop running.

Eren sighed and continued playing single player until 10pm that night. The brunet fell asleep on the couch, and didn't wake up until It was over.
⠀⠀⠀
~

Eren woke up in a vast green pasture, but this one was different. In a way, it reminded him of a maze. A tall green maze. The grass began growing at an alarming pace, considering it was grass, until he could not see that same baby blue sky. It was dark and cold. Eren couldn't see a thing. That is, until a small beam of light passed through the grass, now more like tall weeds, from the west. His attention turned to that direction as the light grew. It became blinding, until all he could see was white light. It faded, and the raven haired man stood there in front of him.

Hanji had worked her magic, and made the light seem like a work of Eren's imagination. Wrong. It was her connecting Levi's consciousness to Eren's in a stealthy way.

"I've been waiting for you." Levi spoke softly and approached Eren.

Eren couldn't help but walk towards him. The light was hypnotizing, forming a dream within a dream.

"Eren. Listen to me closely; to every word I say." He continued.

Eren nodded slowly, dazed within his mind.

"Do not attend school tomorrow." Levi had a cautious look on his face. "Don't go anywhere near your school. Do not drive or walk by."

Eren nodded again, then passed out.

~

He woke up on the couch where he originally was at 6am. He yawned and stretched himself out.

"Might as well stay awake. I'd just have to get back up in fifteen minutes anyway." He groaned and went to the fridge. Eren drank all of the milk from the carton and tossed it into the overflowing trash can.

"Actually," He spoke to himself, then continued on thinking.

I shouldn't go to school today. Something is telling me not to, and I can't quite place what it is. I guess something doesn't feel right...

"Oh well." Eren went back to his room. He crawled into his bed, shivered a little from the cold mattress, and fell back asleep.