Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/1168145.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M, F/F
  Fandom:
      Shingeki_no_Kyojin_|_Attack_on_Titan, snk_-_Fandom
  Relationship:
      Marco_Bott/Jean_Kirstein, Ymir/Christa_-_Relationship, Levi/Eren_Yeager,
      Annie_Leonhart_&_Mikasa_Ackerman, Reiner_Braun/Bertholt_Hoover, Connie
      Springer_&_Sasha_Blouse, Probably_some_more_out_there_somewhere
  Character:
      Marco_Bott, Jean_Kirstein, Ymir, Christa, Levi, Eren_Yeager, Annie
      Leonhart, Mikasa_Ackerman, Reiner_Braun, Bertholt_Hoover, Erwin_Smith,
      Hange_Zoë, Armin_Arlert, Connie_Springer, Sasha_Blouse
  Additional Tags:
      1970s_AU, Everyone_actually_lives_for_once, Especially_Marco, Sexually
      frustrated_teenagers, Drugs_because_it's_the_70s, Alcohol_because_they're
      teenagers, Sex_with_consent, Everyone's_going_to_be_drunk_off_their_asses
      a_lot, Frustrated_teenagers_in_general, A_lot_of_them_are_gay_as_hell,
      There's_not_way_I'll_be_able_to_do_this_without_multiple_POV's_so_I_mean
  Stats:
      Published: 2014-02-06 Updated: 2014-02-07 Chapters: 2/? Words: 5974
****** This Will Be Our Year ******
by orphan_account
Summary
     It's the summer of 1977 in New York. 1977 is a year for trying new
     things, getting together with friends, and totally fucking everything
     up at least twice a month. (at least it is Jean Kirstein along with
     the majority of his idiotic friends)
Notes
     Okay so I've been wanting to write another 70s AU and I figured It's
     about damn time I wrote an SNK fic so this is the result. (my
     apologies to basically anyone who reads this)
     I also have a habit of naming 70s AU's after song titles from The
     Zombies so I'm just kinda¯\_( ° ʖ °)_/¯
See the end of the work for more notes
***** Introducing the Dweebs *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Jean's POV
     Jean was awoken by the excruciatingly loud ring of the telephone sounding
off down stairs. It probably wasn't that loud, but being woken abruptly on the
verge of a hangover made everything that much more unbearable. He groaned,
rolling on his side and folding his pillow over his ears as some form of a
shield against the shrilling ring. Unfortunately, it didn't do much to block
out the sound and no one else was around to answer it. Who the hell would be
calling this early in the morning, anyway? Except it wasn't early; it wasn't
even morning, actually. "Fucking christ," he muttered, fusing all the will he
had in his body together in order to actually sit up from the pool of blankets
surrounding his middle. He mumbled a filament of curses, ignoring the bulge in
his pants he was oh so blessed with every morning. "Who the fuck-" he groaned,
cutting his words off once his toe came in contact with his night stand.
"Fuck!" 
     The phone was still ringing when Jean managed to get to it. If you
squinted hard enough, you could probably see the grey thundering cloud hung
above his head. "What do you want?" he growled into the receiver, rubbing at
his eyes before attempting to untangle the phone cord. "Good afternoon to you
too, grouch ass." Eren. Jean sighed, finally giving up with trying to untangle
the monstrosity of cord before turning his full attention to the little shit on
the other end of the line, "What the hell do you want from me now, shithead?"
Eren only laughed, "You don't have much bark to your bite, horse-face. Did I
wake up sleeping beauty?" This is the last thing I need in the morning, Jean
thought. "Damn right I'm a beauty. What did you wake me up for? It better be
fucking good." his voice evened out a bit more, sounding less like a croaking
frog and more like its usual 'I'm pissed off all the time.' tone. "Me and the
gang are thinking about meeting up at Marco's at around 9 since his older bro
is leaving to visit one of his friends at a college or some shit like that. I
think he's supposed to be gone for a few days." Jean nodded, "Yeah, Marco told
me something like that the other night. He sounded pretty nervous about being
home on his own," he breathed out a laugh, smiling at the memory of the
concerned look etched on Marco's features. Eren sighed, "He's such a dweeb.
Well, anyway, be there at 9, dick face." 
*
     Of course, since Jean was Jean, he'd probably show up at Marco's 2 hours
early. Out of their little group, Marco was the one that somehow managed his
way to Jean's heart. Much to Jean's denial, he doesn't 'love' Marco, they're
just best friends. Honestly though, he's not fooling anyone, (except Marco). 
     Jean took a quick shower, ruffling his hair with a towel he picked off
from his bedroom floor. Marco always pestered him about the 'unhealthy' filth
that littered his bedroom, but he argued that Marco's wasn't much
better. Honestly, the kid has a cup of pudding that's been there for god knows
how long. Next came the tattered Pink Floyd shirt that he stole from Reiner
last year. It was baggy on Jean's figure, and only made him look even thinner
once he cut the loose sleeves off to reveal the majority of his sides. It was
hot as all hell outside, so he decided a pair year of old swim trunks wouldn't
hurt. He looked like a total bum, especially with the messy mop of damp hair
that spilled over the top of his head, pouring a few fine strands just past his
brows. He checked the time, 7:53, "Ehhh, close enough." he said aloud, throwing
his rucksack over his shoulder and grabbing a pair of worn sneakers that
probably weren't even his before heading out. 
*
     "Honey, I'm home!" Jean shouted as he barged into Marco's house. Jean was
the king of unwelcome surprises, but Marco seemed to be the only one that
welcomed them with an open smile. Jean allowed his rucksack to slink down his
shoulder, eventually trailing behind him onto the floor once he began searching
for Marco. "Marco?" Jean called, glancing into the kitchen. "Polo!" he heard
Marco call from somewhere past the living room. Jean breathed a light chuckle,
walking towards the living room. He felt the warm honey suckle air flood into
the living room as it streamed from the open back door. "What are you doing out
here? It's hot as hell," Jean muttered the last part, stepping out from the
living room into the backyard. He found Marco perched on the old wooden swing
they built together back when they were younger. Jean smiled, "I'm surprised
your big ass hasn't broken that yet." Marco pulled his lips into an exaggerated
frown, crossing his arms over his chest and raising his head high. "My ass is
proportionally sized, thank you very much." Jean rolled his eyes, "You're so
bogue." 
     Marco ignored the empty insult, picking a piece of bark from the tree and
placing it on Jean's head as he sat down on the grass. "Hey! Come on now, I
just took a shower," Marco grinned, "Oh, I thought you were just sweaty." Jean
glared at him, eyes widening in recognition before narrowing again, "Are those
my shorts?" he prodded at the fabric with his finger, they were indeed his
shorts. "You left them at my house last week." Marco shrugged, a faint blush
creeping under his freckles. "How in the hell did I manage to do that?" Jean
asked, feeling his own face get hot. It's just the summer heat, idiot, he
reminded himself. "I have no idea," he paused for a moment, "Maybe Mikasa
knows, she was the only one that wasn't completely drunk, if I remember right."
Jean allowed the image of poor Mikasa having to deal with a drunk Jean in his
underwear, shuddering at the thought. 
     "Speaking of getting drunk," Jean started with a sly grin, "You got the
beer from Reiner, right?" Marco nodded with a smile, "Yep! He dropped it off
right after Mason left for his trip," Jean nodded in return, "How long is he
supposed to be there, anyway? Eren told me it would be a few days or some
shit." "Probably 3 days unless there's problems with traffic," Marco replied,
pinching a leaf stem between his fingers before tossing it at Jean. "Hey," he
muttered, grabbing a twig and throwing it into the other's hair. "Oh, I see how
it is." Marco grinned, stretching across the ropes of the swing to grab some
more bark from the tree. "Oh, not this time, speed racer." he smirked, shoving
the swing as hard as he could with the heal of his shoe. "Shit-" Marco
stuttered, flopping over the wooden platform of the swing and falling head-
first into Jean's gut. "OOF-" Marco let out a giggle that was muffled by Jean's
shirt, Jean in return letting out a sore grunt. "You just head-butted me in
the-" 
     "Woah, woah, woah, am I interrupting something here?" Connie grinned,
leaning against the back door frame. Jean shoved Marco back in an instant,
scrambling to his feet. Marco fell back, hitting his head on the tree with a
loud thump. "Ow!" he whined, the blush splaying across his cheeks being bright
enough to light an entire village. "Can it, bone-head." Jean muttered, dusting
off his swim trunks before turning to see Marco cradling his head. "Oh-" Jean
sighed, holding his hand out for Marco to take. Once he was on his feet, Marco
shoved Jean in the ribs, "Jerk." Jean only smiled, "Yeah, okay Buddy Holly
wannabe," Marco frowned, "Am not-" "Alright, are you two love-birds finished?
We have some beer that needs cooling down before the others get here," Connie
smirked at the two of them over his shoulder before going back into the house. 
*
     Within a little less than an hour, the house is flooded with sounds of
laughter and death threats, (most of the death threats were from Eren). Reiner
and Bertholdt are already having a drinking contest in-spite of the beers still
being lukewarm. Annie and Mikasa are splayed across one of the couches and
sharing a bag of chips. Christa is sitting in Ymir's lap while Armin pouts as
Connie tries to braid his hair, and Eren is attempting to drop ice cubes down
Jean's shorts while he's distracted with Marco. "Hey, has anyone heard anything
from Sasha?" asked Connie as he added the finishing touches to Armin's hair.
"She said she'd be late." Annie confirmed through the crisp bite of a potato
chip. 
     Jean prodded at the freckles on Marco's face, Marco replying with careless
swats to ward him off, "It's not like they're gonna rub off!" he complained,
stifling a laugh as Jean attempted to poke at another that was on just above
his jawline. "Hmmm, really? Let's make sure just in case-" he licked the tip of
his thumb, tumbling through Marco's attempted shield which happened to be one
of the throw-pillows that now littered the living room floor. "Gross!" he
shouted as Jean's spit-coated thumb swiped across the bridge of his nose. Jean
laughed as Marco scrunched up his nose, rubbing furiously at the spit with the
back of his hand.
     "That's probably the closest thing you've gotten to a kiss, Marco. I'm
proud of you." Eren snorted, dodging Marco's foot that nearly came in contact
with his crotch. "Looks like ya missed-FUCK!" he slurred his words together,
falling back into the dividing wall of the kitchen and living room. "Shit,
Jean!" Eren cursed, holding his hands between his legs as he slumped closer and
closer to the floor. Marco was attempting to cover his laugh with the pillow,
but it didn't do much to stifle the gasps of laughter that seeped into the air.
"I'm going to fucking get you good, you horse-fucker." Eren managed to say
through clenched teeth. "Yeah, okay pretty boy." Jean mused, stepping around
Eren's body to grab a couple of beers from the make-shift ice box. "Catch it,
Freckles!" Jean called, tossing the beer over to Marco. He caught it with ease,
"I've taught you well," Jean teased, snapping the cap off with the tip of a
butter knife before leaning over to do the same to Marco's.
REINER'S POV
     Reiner and Bertholdt eventually took a break from their drinking contest
once Reiner already downed 3 beers. Now they lay on one of the love seats,
Bertholdt's body splayed across Reiner's lap to where his feet were dangling
off the edge. "Is it just me or are those two starting to get more..."
Bertholdt trailed off, gesturing to Jean and Marco on the other end of the
living room. "Gay." Reiner deadpanned, chuckling at the small shove Bertholdt
sent into his stomach with one of his bony elbows. "I think we're contagious,"
Bertholdt replied in a low tone, smiling at the sputtered laugh that left
Reiner's lips. 
      Reiner nodded after a moment, observing as Marco blushed at something
Jean said. "Yeah, I'm starting to see it a lot more than usual, too." "See
what?" Mikasa asked as she grabbed a beer from the cooler. Bertholdt shook his
head in the direction of the two, raising his brows with a sly grin. Mikasa
caught on instantly, giving a faint nod once she took a sip from her beverage.
"The only one's they're fooling are each other." she mused, "Honestly, I'm
surprised they haven't caught on yet." Reiner and Bertholdt both nodded their
heads in agreement, "Yeah, I mean, Jean's always been that one guy that's kinda
flirty in general in that weird way but when he's with Marco he's more-" "Gay."
Reiner stated again, this time getting a light chuckle from Mikasa. "How much
you guys wanna bet they won't even realize  they like each other until one of
them does something so incredibly gay  that it won't be able to go unnoticed?"
asked Bertholdt. "That is how you two finally got together," Mikasa pointed out
over the rim of her bottle. 
      Everyone's attention turned to Sasha, "Look who finally decided to show
up!" Connie grinned, grabbing a beer and handing it to her as she entered the
room. "Oh can it, hunk." she grinned, elbowing him playfully.
     "You know, I think Connie's the only person in our group that I'm sure is
at least 80% straight." Reiner noted aloud, Mikasa and Bertholdt both nodding
in agreement. "Except that one time he was so high, he tried to make out with
Armin," Mikasa paused, "I don't even think he was that high, actually." "That's
why I said at least 80%." 
***
     By 2 AM, Mikasa had driven Armin and Annie to their homes before
practically carrying a passed out Eren into their own house. Ymir carried
Christa home since she didn't live far from Marco. Marco and Jean passed out in
the backyard, (much to Reiner's amusement). Sasha had practically passed out in
the hallway before Connie guided her to Reiner's car so he could drop the two
of them off at Connie's place. Bertholdt fell asleep on the car ride back to
Reiner's which resulted in Reiner giving up and allowing himself to fall asleep
in the driver's seat of his 1969 Dodge with Bertholdt's head slumped against
his chest. 
 
     
 
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     The first chapter is pretty lame but I just wanted to make some form
     of an introduction to all these lame jerks. xx
***** Chapter 2 *****
Chapter Summary
     Eren's gonna get some.
Chapter Notes
     I apologize for all the 50s references even though this is supposed
     to be a damn 70s fic. Enjoy the intense gay love, my friends.
MARCO'S POV
     The incandescent summer sun was smothered by wispy grey clouds; indicating
that rain was on its way. Marco was the first to wake up, a soft groan hissing
through his teeth as he attempted to turn on his side. His chest came in
contact with something-someone. He let out another groan, opening his eyes only
to be blinded by the bright grey sky and close them again. His head pounded at
every wisp of wind or distant sound. He opened his eyes in small slits,
glancing beside him to see Jean splayed out on the dew-covered grass; soft
snores sounding from the back of his throat. "Jean," Marco murmured, nudging at
him but getting no response. "Jean, get up. We fell asleep in my backyard," he
tried again, receiving a faint grumble in reply. Once Marco tried to wake him
up the third time, Jean let out a louder grumble, flopping over on his side
with half his body tumbling over Marco's. 
     Jean woke with a sudden cacophony, rolling entirely over Marco's body
before landing on the other side of him with a loud groan. "Fuck-What-" he
opened his eyes and soon regretted it as light flooded into his vision,
strengthening the pain between his eyes. "Dammit," he muttered, throwing an arm
dramatically over his eyes. "Morning to you too, cool cat." Marco lilted,
slowly sitting up from his previous position and instantly groaning at the pain
that pounded through his skull. "Shit- This feels like shit," he groaned,
covering his eyes with the palms of his hands. Jean smirked at Marco's habit of
cursing during a hangover, folding his hands behind his head instead of sitting
up. Marco rubbed at his eyes some more before peering at Jean, "Where is your
shirt?" he asked through a light laugh. Jean looked down at his bare chest
before looking to Marco's clothed one. "The better question is why are you
wearing two shirts," Jean mused, laughing as Marco pulled at the fabrics
wrapped around his torso. 
*
     "I'd ask if you want eggs or something, but the fridge is practically
empty," Marco said, grabbing 2 bottles of water and handing one to Jean. "Did
Mason leave you any money?" he asked through a gulp from his bottle. Marco
watched a bead of water trickle down Jean's lip, his eyes following it as it
trailed down to his jawline before dripping onto his bare chest. "What? Oh,
yeah-" Marco turned abruptly to gather the money his brother left him and also
to hide the obvious blush creeping into his features. "He left 20 bucks," Marco
said, enraptured. "That should be enough for food and some extra coins for the
arcade," Jean added, getting up from one of the kitchen chairs. "Lemme' grab a
shirt or something and we can head out!" he called over his shoulders as he
navigated himself to Marco's room. 
*
     The walk to the grocery store didn't take long. Marco fretted over Jean's
hair, pulling blades of grass out of it from the previous night. Jean picked a
few out of Marco's as well, the two of them laughing as they tried to remember
how the hell they ended up in the backyard. After coming to no specific
conclusion, they shrugged it off and eventually entered the store. 
     Jean automatically headed for the snack isle, dragging Marco with him.
"Ohhh, we should get these," he said with an ebullient tone. Marco narrowed his
eyes at the box, "Cookies...For breakfast?" Jean stuck his tongue out, folding
the box under his arm, "It's almost 1 in the afternoon," Marco nodded in
agreement, "True. Hey, let's get some lemonade." 
*
     ARMIN'S POV
     Armin woke up at nearly 4 in the afternoon with, luckily, no hangover. He
didn't drink that much last night, and he also remembered to drink loads of
water before going to sleep because he wasn't an irresponsible drinker like
Eren. (at least he was responsible most of the time.) The radio on his
nightstand spewed vintage crackles of The Skyliners,
     I don't have anything since I don't have you.
          Armin groaned, leaving the radio on as he stared up at his bedroom
ceiling. The only thing that old 50s music did to him was make him feel like
some lonely teen heart-throb. "I'm not lonely, I have plenty of friends," he
argued aloud, letting out a frustrated huff of breath. He turned on his side,
facing the radio and giving it a cold glare. It only continued to sing, the
vintage crackle coalescing into the stale air of his bedroom. Armin sighed,
sitting up from his bed and shoving the blankets aside. The sudden realization
of how hot it actually was in his room hit him in strong waves of instant heat.
He sighed again, pushing his hair into some form of a pony tail before grabbing
an elastic band to keep it in place. Having a bedroom in the attic had its
pros, but having all the hot air crammed into your room during the summer was
definitely a con.  
     He approached the circular window, pushing it open as the old wood frame
creaked in protest. More hot air flooded his room, hardly cooling it off at
all. After the 7th love song played, Armin decided to switch through the radio
to another channel. He settled for a station that was currently playing a song
by The Zombies before pulling off his night shirt. Eventually, Armin gave up on
trying to find a shirt to wear that wouldn't suffocate him in the heat and
decided to go without one since he was bound to just hang around his place all
day. He decided to go downstairs and hault the grumbles that his stomach was
producing loud and clear. "Are ya' just now waking up?" asked Armin's sister,
Charlotte. "Shut up, Char, you're not much better than I am." Armin replied.
Charlotte stuck her tongue out at the older of the two before turning her
attention back to whatever was on the television. 
     The phone practically rattled from its perch on the wall as it rang, "I'll
get it!" Char called, running to answer it. "Hello? Oh, it's you-Shut up,
pansey!" she growled into the receiver before turning to Armin, "It's one of
your dumb friends." she groaned, waiting for Armin to get up and take the phone
before stomping away. "Eren?" Armin asked into the receiver, figuring Eren was
the only one out of his friends to argue with a 12 year old girl. "Ew, don't
ever mistake me for that gross piece of shit," Jean muttered. Make that one of
the two friends that would argue with a 12 year old girl. Armin sighed,
stiffling his laugh, "What's going down, Jean?" Armin asked, leaning against
the wall. "Marco and I-" there was a faint giggle, followed by Jean's laughter.
"Marco, quit-Oh my god-" Armin cleared his throat dramatically, "Oh, yeah well
anyway, Sasha wants us all to go down to the movies-No, Marco, I'm not going to
call it a passion pit-" his voice got distant, faint crackles from the shit
reception covering up his voice. "-to see that one movie with that freaky
chick-The Excorsist! Yeah, that one, there's a second one that just came out,"
Armin heard Marco's voice faintly, "Okay, yeah, it's going to play around 9 or
some shit tomorrow. We'll all meet up at Sasha's-Oh, and call Mr.Shithead to
fill him in on the deeds." Armin barely got another word in before Jean
promptly ended the call.  
*
     The rest of Armin's night consisted of eating, avoiding his grandfather as
much as possible once he got home from work, and walking aimlessly around the
block until the balmy night air soaked his hair with sweat.
*
EREN'S POV
     Although every last vestige of his hangover had dwindled away over the
day, Eren didn't have the will to sleep. He attempted sleeping on his side
opposed to his stomach, then his back, then on the floor, but his mind still
buzzed with nothing in particular to think about and it was agonizing. With a
final growl of frustration, he slung his legs over the side of his bed and
checked the time. 1:27 AM. He briefly thought about calling Armin or Connie,
hell, he was desperate enough to call Jean. He shook the idea off, figuring if
anyone was awake they'd either be in a pissy mood or high off their ass. He
finally decided that taking a walk down to the arcade was better than sweating
his ass off in his room, pulling on a loose shirt and a pair of pants that were
torn and frayed an inch from its life. He made sure to pocket some quarters in
his jacket before shrugging it on in low hopes that whoever took care of the
arcade may have forgotten to lock up as they have done a few times in the
past. 
     The semi-cool night air was refreshing compared to the suffocating heat in
Eren's home. It wasn't much cooler than it was earlier in the day, but it still
felt good. Eren shifted his eyes about, the only light that lead him to the
arcade being the few street lamps and glowing neon signs of the two bars he
passed by. The arcade was a place that everyone pretended to be too old for,
seeking refuge in its confines every once and a while when no one else was
around to judge them for it. As Eren approached the arcade, he admired the way
it looked in the early morning atmosphere. Its deep purple outside was scraped
and chipped of paint in some places, and the letters 'R' and 'E' were out so it
looked as though it was spelled 'ACAD' in its inky surroundings. Eren placed
his hand on the entrance door handle, holding in his breath as he tried to pull
it open. It obliged, opening with a faint squeak. He sighed in relief, tip-
toeing into the arcade and quietly closing the door as if someone else was
around to hear him. 
     "I thought I locked that." the voice startled Eren, it just so happens
someone else is around. Eren stood stock-still, not daring to peer around the
corner to see who the voice belonged to. He heard a mellow-dramatic sigh, "I
know you're there, brat, I'm not going to call the damn cops." Eren slowly
leaned off from the wall, cautiously approaching the corner until he was far
enough to see a man sitting on the arcade floor. He looked rather small for
someone with a deep, metallic voice-"What is a brat like you doing here at 2 in
the fucking morning?" he grumbled, his eyebrows drawn deep over the dark lids
of his eyes. Eren stood, stunned as he observed the other- He had a tool box
perched between his legs, a wrench in one hand and some kind of wire in the
other. He was leaning against a Galaga game, a small door on the side hanging
open with jumbles of wires and metal pieces hidden inside. "I-I couldn't
sleep." he stated dumbly, digging his hands deeper into his pockets. 
     The man sighed, "I'd ask you if you'd want to help me empty out the rest
of these damn things-" he said, gesturing to the arcade, "but I don't want your
filthy hands stealing any quarters," Eren didn't know what to say that would
convince the man that he wasn't a thief, so he said nothing. It was silent
between them for a while, allowing Eren to observe him some more. His hair was
black, or at least it looked black in the dim arcade light, and his eyebrows
were strangely thin- "Here's a screwdriver, if you fuck up any of these
machines or steal anything I'll kick your ass," he gave in, rummaging through
the tool box before fishing out a screw driver and reaching it out to Eren.
Eren approached slowly, taking the screwdriver from the man's hands and
allowing their fingers to brush together. "I-" Eren started, reaching into his
jacket pocket and pulling out a handful of coins. He produced them to the
other, placing them on the floor in front of him. The man looked at him with
confusion, waiting for him to clarify. "Those are my quarters I brought. If you
want to check me to make sure I didn't steal any after I'm done, you can. I put
them there so you'll know they're mine and I didn't steal them," he then
reached into his pants pockets and pulled them inside-out to show that they
were void of coins. 
     Levi nodded in approval, a faint smirk forming on his lips, "Smart brat,
then," he said under his breath, not giving Eren a second glance as he turned
back to his work. "The opening coin-slot is on the right side for most of em'."
he called over his shoulder, "Except for the PAC-MAN on the far right end, it's
opening is up front. Oh, and grab a bucket from over there," he finished,
shaking his head to the right as a gesture to the stack of plastic buckets
resting on the floor. Eren nodded, "I-thanks," he breathed, grabbing a bucket
before awkwardly clambering off to the farthest corner. It took a few minutes
to get the first slot open, but after his third machine, he began getting the
hang of it. Eren got up from his spot, wondering how much time has gone by but
not really caring. He stepped over the bucket of coins, walking towards Levi to
retrieve another one. He was still working on Galaga, mumbling a filament of
curses as a wire snapped. "Hey, brat, could you get me that coil of wires over
there?" he asked, nudging his shoulder in the direction of the other supplies
he had next to the buckets. "Um-Yea," he replied quietly, grabbing the small
coil and handing it to the man. "Thanks br-what's your name?" he asked
suddenly, glancing at Eren for a moment before turning back to the mess of
wires before him. "Eren." he replied. 
     The man nodded, "Thanks, Eren." he said finally, casting a faint smile at
the boy. Eren nodded slowly, smiling in return. He wanted to ask the man what
his name was, but thought against it before returning to the machines. 
*
     Once Eren was finished, he sat against one of the games in silence. He was
nervous to tell the man that he was finished, not wanting to really leave him,
but not wanting to upset him either. He felt weird; acting like some sort of
quiet, obedient child wasn't something he really did. Eventually, he got up
from his not-so-comfortable spot on the cement floor. "Um-What do you want me
to do with these buckets?" he asked, glancing at Levi who had just finished
polishing the last pinball machine. He threw the dirtied rag into a bin,
picking it up and turning to face Eren. "If you have some muscles in those
limbs of yours, you can help me carry them out-Follow me." Eren obliged,
lifting one of the buckets with a faint grunt. The man had gotten a key from
one of his pockets, unlocking a door that blended in with the black colour of
the walls. He propped the door open with his foot, wedging it open with a door
stopper before disappearing down the dark hall. Eren followed after him, making
his way down the short hall before entering a badly lit room that looked like a
janitor's closet. The other dropped the bin he was carrying down onto the tile
floor, waiting for Eren to do the same. 
*
     The man waited for Eren to exit the arcade before locking the door and
shaking it to make sure it stayed locked. Eren dwindled to the side, watching
him as he tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. "Do you want to search me?"
Eren asked finally, feeling his face heat up. What the hell? Stop acting like
such a wuss, Eren scolded himself. The man gave him a weary glance over before
reaching for the coins in his pocket and pulling them out. "Pull out your
pockets," he instructed. Eren did so, pulling out his pants pockets and sliding
out of his jacket to hand it to him for further inspection. The other did it a
look over, nodding, "Turn around," Eren did that, too, hearing as the man
approached closer. He felt fingertips carefully pull back at his back pockets
before the man stepped back. "You're good unless you have some hiding in your
underwear or some shit, but I rather not inspect those, too." he handed Eren
his jacket, hopefully unable to notice the cherry blush that graced Eren's
cheeks.. He took a step closer, presenting Eren with his coins from before. He
took them, "Thanks-" he stopped, remembering that he didn't know this guy's
name or anything. 
     Levi noticed the abrupt pause, "Levi." he offered with a faint grin.
"Thanks, Levi." Eren tried the name on his tongue, deciding that he liked the
name. "No problem, brat. Thanks for helping. If it weren't for your restless
ass coming down here, I'd be here until 6." Eren nodded, "No problem, it
was...Cool, I guess." Levi sighed at his lack of words, but his expression held
adoration. After a few more beats of silence, he walked to the drivers-side of
his run-down truck and opened the door. He glanced at Eren, "You need a ride or
something?" Eren shook his head, "I-No, that's fine." Levi gave him a look
over, narrowing his eyes, "Don't be a dumb ass, come on, brat. This is around
the time those assholes from the bars start tumbling onto the curb on their
drunk asses and you'd be stupid to get yourself into a brawl with one of em'
shitheads." Levi climbed into the truck with no further explanation, slamming
his door shut and peering at Eren through the side-mirror. Eren decided there
was no use in arguing, going on the other side of the truck and jiggling the
door open. 
     The inside was surprisingly clean given the rusted, worn-down outside
appearance. Levi waited for Eren to buckle his seat belt before turning the
ignition. Static filled the air between them as the radio fought to find a
proper setting before a velvety voice oozed through the speakers. 
 I'll be seeing you,in all the old familiar places,
That this heart of mine embraces,all day through.
In that small cafe, the park across the way,
The children's carousel, the chestnut trees,
the wishing,wishing well.
     Eren thought he heard the song before, sitting back and listening to the
chorus as it whaled faintly. "Where am I taking you?" Levi asked, allowing the
car to start at a sluggish pace. "Oh-keep going straight until you pass by the
second bar, then make a left and then turn right at the first stop sign. My
place'll be right there," Levi nodded, picking up the pace just barely. After a
few more moments of silence, Eren decided to speak up, "The Skyliners, right?"
he asked, gesturing to the radio. Levi turned his head to look at Eren, a small
smile forming slowly on his lips. "Didn't expect a brat like you to know em'."
Eren laughed gingerly, "I've got a friend that's obsessed with the whole 50s
thing." Levi smiled at that, "They've got good taste, then." 
     Eren admired the way the light hit Levi's features while stripes of light
disappeared and reappeared as they sped past street lamps. Levi took another
glance, catching Eren's stare, "You've got big wondering eyes, brat." he
commented, causing Eren to rip his gaze away instantly. Levi chuckled, turning
just as they passed the second bar. Once they rounded the stop sign, Eren sat
up more straight and unfastened his seat belt. "The white house right there,"
Levi nodded, slowing the car to a shaking hault at the tip of Eren's driveway.
Eren placed his hand on the car handle, shifting to face Levi, "Thanks Le-" he
waited a moment, a smirk growing on his features, "Brat." he attempted to open
the door and make a clean getaway, holding onto his clever remark with dignity.
Unfortunately, the door wouldn't budge. Levi gave him a pointed glare before
breathing out a chuckle, "Nice try, dumb ass." he leaned across Eren, swatting
his hand away gingerly before giving the handle a good jerk. The door broke
free, swinging open at an alarmingly fast rate. Eren could feel his face heat
up again, sliding out of the car and placing his hands on the door. He looked
up at Levi, who was watching him with an arched brow, "Thanks for the
help, brat." he smiled. Eren laughed before closing the door, neither of the
two making an attempt to leave just yet. Eren stared at Levi as the next song
droned on, Are you lonesome tonight?  Eren pondered on the lyrics, thinking
that he was glad he wans't lonesome that night before Levi interrupted his
thoughts. 
     Levi had unfastened his seat belt, leaning over the open truck window
lazily. He held out a small piece of paper with numbers scrawled on it between
his fingers. Eren was sure his blush was obvious now, taking the small scrap of
paper and pocketing it. "Hand me your pen." Eren finally managed to speak,
trying to ignore the heat in his face and ears as Levi handed it to him. He
reached out his wrist before Eren could tell him to, allowing him to take the
small limb into his warm grasp and scrawl his number onto the thin, fair skin.
Levi took the pen back once Eren finished, inspecting the number on his wrist
with a sly grin. "I'll call you, Eren." he said with a cool undertone and a
wink. Eren had no time to reply other than to blush like an idiot as Levi sped
away. 
     Eren stood at the end of his driveway at 4:03 in the morning for a good 5
minutes before quietly entering his house, running into his room, and smashing
his face into his pillow like a love-struck teen in a cheesy movie. 
End Notes
     I have no idea how many chapters this is going to have, but I do know
     a lot of my other readers are going to kick my ass for starting
     another story. /runs away in terror/
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