Chapter 1: Dinner at Balducci's
Chapter Text
It’s a bright and sunny day; the sun shining and blessedly warm as clouds dot the sky and a white bird cries out as it flies high over a busy city. Even here, thousands of feet above the tallest set of rectangle skyscrapers, the sounds of the city can be audibly heard. They’re the steady sounds of a city of millions; loud talking, shouting, and the constant harmonizing and oftentimes deafening noise of yellow taxis honking as they sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
New York City brims with signs of life in every direction, in every corner. Apartment buildings rise everywhere; people hanging over their railings as they smoke, cab drivers shouting and cursing as they aggressively honk their horns, and people walk everywhere in heavy pedestrian traffic. The city is vibrant but carries a certain grime and seediness to it; the crime rates high and heavy, especially come nightfall, all while the red-light districts are out in the open, day and night. The sides of buildings are covered with graffiti, the ground shakes with the rumblings of passing subways underneath, and the Twin Towers stand taller than any skyscraper around them.
As New Yorkers quickly walk past the rolling LED sign located in Times Square; the time reads out as 9 am, May 22nd, 1991. Yuppies talk on brick phones as they walk as fast as possible to get to Wall Street on time; the stock exchange opening at any minute. Guys stroll past in loose and baggy pants as they carry heavy boomboxes blasting the latest hip-hop from Biggie Smalls to NWA. And everywhere, confused tourists from all around the world look at their maps in distress as they bump into locals who grumble at the disruption in foot traffic.
As the white bird cries out and swoops low enough to fly just above the hoods of yellow taxis, it keeps its black, beady eyes open; turning its head this way and that as it goes. Its wings stretch out wide as it keeps on the lookout; drawing nearer and nearer to the Chelsea Market neighbourhood. Here lie old brick industrial warehouses and factories; many littered with graffiti and repurposed into newly built apartments. It’s a grittier area, though it’s becoming a cultural hub to New York’s underground art scene; thriving with small artists’ studios, dimly lit coffeehouses, and warehouse nightclubs.
But during the day, it’s a regular neighbourhood; the grittier detailing subdued in the light of morning as the white bird flies on. Soon enough it slows and swoops to perch itself in the tree branches overlooking a red brick building; on the narrower side and sandwiched between others in a long row of apartment blocks. The bird quietly stares into the open window of one such apartment; seeing the sight of a couple inside as they quietly sleep on a pulled-out futon bed.
The man sleeps deeply; his tatted and tanned bare chest expanding with every snore that runs through him. His long brown hair falls freely around his pillow; his toned arms wrapped securely around the body of his companion. She sleeps just as deeply; unencumbered by the snores humming into her ear as she yawns and nuzzles into her pillow. Her pale body lies on its side; showcasing the perfect blend of curvaceousness with toned muscularity. Her arms show off this musculature as do her defined abdomen; showing herself to be the perfect specimen of androgynous femininity. All while a tattoo sits just above her wrist; one of three swords crossed in a triangle and signifying a woman of great importance.
She yawns now; her short black hair sticking to her pillow as she tries to stretch out before the man’s arms tighten around her slightly. He lets out a low groan of protest; not ready to be awoken by her stirrings. And yet she stirs nonetheless; yawning and stretching as her eyelids flutter open to reveal the softest, greyest eyes under dark, long, beautiful lashes.
Chuckling softly, she feels his arms hold her tight; pulling her flush against his naked body as he breathes in her black hair. “Mmm… morning…” she moans softly as she rolls over; turning to gaze up at his beautiful face as she presses a kiss to his lips.
He smiles at the feel of her lips on his before kissing her deeply; his eyelids fluttering open to reveal bright and expressive green eyes that seem to gleam blue in the light. He beams wide as he looks over the face of his lover, his hand reaching up to caress her short, thick, black hair. “Good morning, Mikasa,” he murmurs softly.
“How was your sleep, Eren?” she asks as she wraps her arms around his neck to play with his hair.
“Mmm, perfect as always,” he chuckles deeply; his chest humming against hers from the motions. “Any time you spend the night, I always get the best kind of sleep.” She sighs and cuddles into his warm chest as he breathes her in deep and kisses her neck; his hand gripping her a little tighter. “Mmm… fuck, I wish you could sleep here every night,” Eren murmurs with a slight whine of longing. “I hate waking up alone…”
Mikasa smiles and sighs desirably at that; her eyes fluttering as she holds him and kisses his neck as well. “Mmm—” Suddenly she gasps as she pulls back to stare at Eren; her eyes wide as ever as he looks her over.
“Babe, what is it?”
“Oh god,” she murmurs as she looks him over. “I forgot to let my parents know I was spending the night…”
“Oh…” Eren yawns casually as he stretches his limbs and flexes his biceps. “Is that it?”
“Is that—Eren, you know how my mom gets,” Mikasa says as she quickly rolls to the edge of the futon; grabbing her underwear to slide on as she stands up. “Oh my god, she’s gonna kill me…”
“Come on, I don’t think she’ll get that bad,” he chuckles as he watches Mikasa frantically look around for her clothes. “Just tell her you were crashing at Sasha’s for the night.”
“Like she’d believe me now,” Mikasa murmurs in worry as she grabs her black jeans to slide them on. “You know she doesn’t like me spending the night elsewhere, Eren. She hates me being out in the city on my own at night.”
“Well, what does she expect?” Eren sighs in low frustration as he begrudgingly pulls his boxers up to roll off the futon and pad over to her. “You’re a grown woman, Mikasa. You’ve lived in this city all your life. You can navigate it just fine at night.”
“You know that’s not the point,” Mikasa eyes him as she pulls her black lace bra over her chest before he nonchalantly clasps it for her. “It’s not exactly safe outside after nightfall.”
“No, but you know to keep to the brightest streets at night; no going down side alleys or stepping into dimly lit subway stations. And I’m always with you anyways…”
“Still, my mom would rather I not do any of that. I don’t think she has once in her life.”
“Yeah, I seriously doubt your mom goes anywhere at night unless it’s by car,” Eren chuckles softly as he watches Mikasa pull on her black sweater to turn and face him.
“She means well.”
“I know she does. I just wish we didn’t have to do this every time we wanna spend the night together,” Eren groans to Mikasa’s soft laughter as he leans in for a kiss.
She hums dreamily into the kiss and sighs beautifully before pulling away. “I know you don’t like it, but this is how it has to be for now…”
“Fine, I guess I know better than to complain about this,” he says with a small, cheeky smirk. “I mean, I get to have you all to myself all night regardless…”
Mikasa lets out a soft, little laugh at that; blushing furiously as Eren leans in for another teasing kiss that sets her heart aflame. She breathes him in as he does her; her fingers reaching up to card through his long hair intimately. “Mmm…” she moans softly into his mouth as their lips move together.
“Do you have to go?” he whispers against them; his tone dripping in suggestion.
“I have to,” she sighs; drawing from all her willpower to pull away from him and grab her red scarf. “My mom’s gonna call the cops if I don’t get going now.”
“Okay, okay, go. Say hi to her for me.”
Mikasa grins mischievously as she grabs the doorknob and throws it open. “You know I can’t—”
“Wait, hold on,” Eren protests quickly as he treks up to her.
“Eren, I have to go—” Mikasa’s quickly cut off as he swoops in to quickly kiss her; her cheeks blushing as her heart flutters. Their kiss lingers; Eren no doubt stalling her for another stolen moment.
“Mmm, what are you doing tonight?” he asks dreamily.
“I have to go to Balducci’s with my parents…”
“Oh? What’s the occasion?”
“I don’t know,” she sighs and shrugs. “They haven’t told me yet.”
“What are you doing after?”
Mikasa’s eyes twinkle as she looks him over; mirth shimmering in her pools of grey. “I have to go, Eren…”
“Okay… I’ll see you later,” he murmurs as she pecks him again.
“Promise me you’ll look for work today.”
Eren chuckles as he playfully rolls his eyes; his hand slowly closing the door. “I will, I will. Bye.”
Mikasa grins as she watches the door click shut before turning to head for the stairs that lead down to the ground level. They’re hard and iron-set; rusty at the corners of this apartment building that’s seen better days in its 70 years. As Mikasa descends, she hears the old elevator whirring as it rises; it’s a miracle if you’re around when its working because it breaks down so much. She steps out onto the apartment lobby with its water-damaged roofing and missing tiles; shaking her head that Eren would live somewhere so dilapidated.
But that’s Eren Jaeger; her love, her life, her everything. He would never overlook a place like this just because it’s slowly falling apart from neglect. No, he’s always been drawn to the rejects, the outcasts, in every way imaginable.
And it’s not like this place is unique by any stretch in its deterioration. Fact is, if you’re not living in the area around Park Avenue or anywhere in Lower Manhattan where all the stock brokers and lawyers live, you’re bound to step in a building that’s worse for wear. That’s New York for you.
Stepping outside and into the bright, sunny day, Mikasa checks her watch and tsks at the time. God, her mother’s going to be absolutely incensed when she gets home. Bounding down the apartment’s stone steps, she keeps her purse close to her side as she tugs on her red scarf; pulling it up to her nose a little as she passes a manhole cover. She walks as fast as she can to head south to the vibrant neighbourhood of Soho, just near the borders of the Financial District.
After walking as fast as she could for 20 minutes, she finally comes up to her neighbourhood; practically puffing as she jogs a little to her building where a doorman stands by. It’s the rare condo building in a sea of repurposed warehouses being gentrified and turned into expensive apartments and art studios; a glimpse of what very well could be New York’s future.
“Good morning, Miss Ackerman,” the doorman grins as he opens the door for her.
“Thanks, Frank,” she breathes breathlessly as she briskly steps into the lobby; this one far more modern and sleek with its late 80s elegance. Walking up to the golden elevators, Mikasa hits the button and breathes out as the doors chime and open for her to step inside and hit the button for the 11th floor. She rides up in silence, a little apprehensive, before the doors open on the 3rd floor and an old lady steps inside to hit 15.
“Good morning, Mikasa,” she says softly; her old, wrinkled eyes taking in the young, pretty woman.
“Mmm, good morning, Mrs. Fieldman. How are you this morning?” she asks politely; nervously tugging on her scarf.
“Ahh, I’m alright. My bunions are killing me but you live,” she shrugs. “Was just visiting Mrs. Adamson…”
“Ahh…” Mikasa says; eyeing the numbers slowly lighting up as they rise higher. “Oh god… please don’t…”
“She’s doin’ alright ever since her husband, Gregory, died a year ago. She’s a little lonely but aren’t we all? Her grandson, Keith’s visiting her this afternoon. He’s goin’ to law school at Yale in the fall. Did you know that?”
“Ahh, yes, she’s mentioned it before.”
“Ahh, well, you should meet him. He’s your age, you know. Very handsome. I’m sure you two have met…”
“Once or twice, when we were in grade school…” Mikasa offers; trying to suppress her heavy sigh.
“Ahh, all the more reason to meet again,” her elderly neighbour grins wide. “He’s got good prospects you know. Your mother would love him, I’m sure—”
Just then, the doors open on the 11th floor and Mikasa laughs softly as she steps out. “I’m sure she would but I’m spoken for. Thanks anyway.”
“Ahh, you’re still with that Eren boy?”
“Yes, have a good day, Mrs. Fieldman.” Mikasa turns away from the elevator and rolls her eyes; tucking her black hair behind her ear as she steps up to her door and slips the key in.
Just as she does, she almost falls as the door swings open to reveal the anxious face of her mother, Kimiko Ackerman, as she stands in a modern condo with elegant Japanese fixtures. She has a face as lovely as her daughter’s; her grey eyes showing slight signs of aging, and a white strand being found amongst her black hair here and there. Yet, she conveys a classic and ageless beauty that Mikasa hopes to carry on one day.
Right now, though, she looks at her daughter in sheer annoyance as Mikasa almost trips before coming in. “Mikasa, where on earth have you been?”
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” she gasps softly before regaining herself and quickly bowing in respect. “I’m sorry, Mother, I forgot to call you. Annie asked me to spend the night in her apartment last night.”
“Is that so?” her mother’s eyes narrow slightly as Mikasa tugs on her scarf.
“Yeah… we got distracted checking out art galleries last night. I’m sorry, I know I should’ve called but I was just so tired, I crashed the minute I got back to Annie’s.”
Kimiko eyes her as she nervously tugs on her scarf and purse; her cheeks blushing slightly. “You know how I feel about you staying out late and not coming home. Those streets are dangerous out there. You could be mugged. Or worse!” she exclaims; using the same lines she’s used year after year.
“Please, Mom… I said I’m sorry…”
Her mother looks at her with a scrutinizing gaze before sighing and reaching out to caress her only daughter’s cheek. “My sweet girl. You’re so headstrong and independent; what ever will I do with you?”
Mikasa gives her a small smile; her eyes twinkling with genuine love for her mother. “Eren wanted to see me tonight… can I go?”
Sighing, Kimiko drops her hand. “I was hoping we’d go to the cultural centre tonight. They’re putting on a show; Fuyuki Emi-san will be playing. She’s flying from Kyoto to play for us…”
Sighing, Mikasa nods in resignation; offering her mom a bigger, understanding smile. “Okay, Mom… I’ll join. Eren will understand.”
Kimiko grins wide; nodding her head in delight. “Good, good, we’ll head there right after dinner at Balducci’s.
“That reminds me; why are we going to Balducci’s, Ma?”
“No reason,” Kimiko shrugs before she touches a finger to her lip, as if in deep thought. “Say, I heard through the co-op grapevine that Keith Adamson will be around this afternoon…”
“Mom.” Mikasa gives her a look; her eyes narrowing as she pulls off her purse and shoes to head for her room.
“I know, I know; I just thought I’d mention it,” Kimiko smiles a little too pleasantly. “Do you have work today?”
“Yeah, just some freelance work.”
“Would you like me to make you some breakfast?”
“Yes, please,” she smiles as she slips inside. “Thanks, Mom!”
“Don’t forget to put an outfit together for Balducci’s! Wear the pink cardigan; no black!”
“I know, I know!” Keeping her door ajar, Mikasa sighs and pads across her girlhood room and plops down at her work desk; her eyes on her work orders for freelance illustrations. She works on them while maintaining her job as a magazine illustrator for The Village Voice; the city’s first alternative culture magazine that’s run out of an office in Greenwich.
Even though she’s been working there for months; newly hired after her internship with them during senior year at NYU, Mikasa still can’t believe her luck to work for such a magazine. One more open-minded than the sea of Reagan-style conservative papers and magazines that take over the vast majority of newsstands in New York.
Sighing, Mikasa looks over her latest copy of the newsweekly paper; browsing articles of student protests and local artists holding shows. There’s talk of local alternative band concerts and pop culture news and the inevitable columns of local obituaries tucked in the back; mostly filled with pictures of men, young and old, who fill up the vibrant gay scene of New York. Her eyes slowly browse the pictures; she never wants to but she usually comes across a picture or two of someone she knows on a varying degree. Just like today, she recognizes the face of Daz Spritz; a jittery classmate of hers from NYU who died a few days ago. She didn’t even know he was gay…
Closing her newspaper quietly, she drops it back on her desk before squaring her shoulders and sorting through her freelance work before choosing her easiest one for the day. She grabs her sketching pencil and begins sketching out a general design for cat food ad. It’s not the most thrilling work but in the world where her job is slowly being eaten away by photography and the flourishing artistry of graphic design; Mikasa’s desperate to get any work in that she can. Every now and then as she sketches, she wonders how much longer she can put off taking a graphic design course. How long can she stay with a style she sees on her own before she’s forced to get with the times? She closes her eyes as she keeps working; it seems sometimes like the world is all too willing to keep advancing faster and faster than she can keep up with. It’s something she can’t quite get her head around; even in her brief 23 years.
Several hours, Mikasa finds herself in a cab with her mother; dressed in a long skirt and pin cardigan with her red scarf still fixed snugly around her neck. The cab steadily makes its way through Lower Manhattan; stopping momentarily in places of heavy traffic and honking. Turning her gaze outward, Mikasa eyes the Twin Towers; it’s hard to ignore them sometimes even if they’ve been here all of her life. It’s just the way the low hanging clouds pass by those iconic structures; passing the windows of offices thousands of feet in the air during this late evening.
Watching the clouds pass by, Mikasa’s jolted forward as the car comes to a stop right outside Balducci’s, an upscale Italian restaurant, where her father’s waiting. Kimiko dutifully pays with a respectful head nod before the two slide out and adjust their skirts before walking inside. The two step in to be met with gaudy black velvet and gold décor; the gaudiness of 80s Trumpian extravagance slathered into every inch of this place. As the pretty hostess leads the way, Mikasa tugs at her red scarf as she follows in her mother’s footsteps till they reach a booth where a blonde-haired Thomas Ackerman waits for them.
“Ahh, darling, there you are,” he grins as he slides out to give his wife a quick peck before turning to Mikasa with a raised eyebrow. “You gave us a good scare last night, young lady.”
“She was with Annie last night, dear; I already reprimanded her.”
Thomas breathes out in relief as his smile quickly spreads. “Good, you know I’m not much good at this stuff. Good evening, honey,” he says as he pecks Mikasa’s cheek before all three slide in. “What did you two get up to today?”
“Oh, Mum just cleaned the house and went to the Levi’s tea house while I was working,” Mikasa murmurs as she pulls her purse off. “It’s chilly out there.”
“Yeah, winter’s holding on pretty stubbornly, I’d say,” Thomas sighs.
“How was Wall Street?”
“Ahh, the stocks went down on Boeing and Goldman Sachs,” Thomas waves with a dismissive yet mischievous hand. “You know; the boring stuff that I gotta explain to the class.”
Mikasa and her father share a small giggle; the two as close as they were when Mikasa was a girl. Her mother’s always been a bit on the cooler, stricter side and that’s certainly put the two at odds from time to time. But her father? They have never faltered; his sweet and easy-going nature often his saving grace from the corporate and capitalistic drudgery of teaching economics at NYU.
As the dinner goes on, wine is brought to the table; Mikasa noticing it’s a more expensive bottle. “What’s with the expensive stuff?”
“Hmm?” her mother hums with a slight eyebrow lift and side-eye that doesn’t go unnoticed.
“I was wondering as we were coming over… why are we having dinner here? We never come to Balducci’s unless it’s a special occasion. Why are we ordering the most expensive wine?”
“Do we need a special occasion to order the best for our little girl?” Kimiko asks with a light laugh; her answer not entirely soothing Mikasa’s suspicions.
Crossing her arms, she eyes both parents. “Okay, seriously, what’s going on? Wh—”
“Ahh! Keith! What a surprise!” Kimiko suddenly exclaims as her eyebrows raise happily; watching as Keith Adamson himself comes up to the table. He grins wide as he proudly struts in a tailored and smart three-piece suit; his grandmother and mother eyeing him on from their table nearby.
“Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman, it’s a pleasure to see you again,” he says as he bows respectfully.
“Ah, no, the pleasure’s all ours,” Kimiko grins wide; mirth in her grey eyes as she smiles over at her stunned child. “Surely, you remember our daughter Mikasa. Mikasa, say hello.”
“Ohh… yes, hello,” she flushes and flusters; offering him a small, weak smile.
“Ahh, it’s good to see you, Mikasa,” he nods with a dazzling beam; his eyes twinkling as well. “I used to come by my grandmother’s apartment quite a lot if you remember.”
“Of course, I remember…”
“Do you mind if I join for a moment?”
“No, tha—”
“Yes, of course!” Kimiko interjects; beaming overeagerly at Mikasa who hesitates before scooting over for him to sit down. “We’re about to have some wine so it’s a wonderful time for you to join!”
“Well, I’ll never say no to wine,” Keith charmingly quips to Kimiko’s breathy laugh and Thomas cordial smile.
“So, Keith, your grandmother says you’re at NYU for law?”
“I am,” he offers with a nod, “but I intend to transfer to Yale come September. I just received my offer of acceptance a few weeks ago.”
“Ohh, congratulations,” Kimiko sighs happily.
“That’s quite a difficult Ivy League to get into; congratulations, son,” Thomas adds.
“Well, it was hard; I won’t deny it wasn’t. But my father attended as did his father before him,” Keith grins. “It’s a family tradition for Adamsons to attend Yale.”
“Well, congratulations again… Mikasa, don’t you want to offer congratulations?”
“Yes, congratulations,” her daughter says; her tone lacking her mother’s cheeriness.
“You know, Mikasa works at the newspaper. The uhh… oh what is it called, dear?”
“The Village Voice,” she answers coolly as she eyes Keith.
“Right,” Kimiko nods as she sips her water. “Do you read The Village Voice, Keith?”
“Oh umm… isn’t that kind of a hippie press?” he says; blinking and markedly uncomfortable. “Or at least it’s a queer one?”
“What, no—”
“It is,” Mikasa says matter-of-factly. “And I’ll take that as a no.”
“Uhh, they don’t really have anything I’d be much interested in reading,” Keith chuckles, slightly uneasy at her chill. “So my grandmother said you’re an illustrator?”
“I am. Mom? Can you show me where the bathroom is?”
“Oh? Mikasa, you know where it is. Keith? We were going to all go to the Japanese Cultural Centre on Church Street; we were wondering if you’d like to come?”
“Oh?” he blinks in surprise. “Umm… yeah, I guess so. What are you gonna do there?”
“There’s a wonderful musician; she’s flying in from Kyoto—”
“Mom.”
“Not now, Mikasa. She’s wonderful, she’s flying in from Japan to play—”
“MOM.”
Kimiko scoffs and flushes as she eyes Mikasa. “What is it?”
“I need your assistance in the bathroom,” she presses stubbornly. “For female troubles…”
Kimiko blinks before blushing profusely. “Oh, yes, of course,” she says quickly as her and Mikasa slide out of the booth together; Keith getting up to let them pass through as Mikasa grabs Kimiko’s hand to take her to the washroom. The two woman walk briskly; Mikasa’s cheeks flaring hot before stepping inside where she quickly turns to her mother as she rifles in her purse.
“Do you need a pad? I think I have—"
“Is this a set-up?”
“Wha—what?” Kimiko blinks in confusion.
“Keith, Mom. You mentioned him, Mrs. Fieldman mentioned him, and now he just so happens to be at Balducci’s while we are?” Mikasa balks in disbelief. “Oh my god, you set us up!”
“I did no such—”
“And you know I’m with Eren!” she exclaims. “Mom, how could you?”
Kimiko eyes her daughter; her eyes hard in denial before faltering and giving in. “I’m sorry… I just… I want you to know you have other options out there…”
“‘Other options?!’”
“Y—yes!” Kimiko exclaims; her mouth contorting uncomfortably as she holds her hands out for calm. “I know you love Eren dearly, and this is not a show of disrespect to him… it’s just…” she trails off and rubs her arms as her daughter looks on coolly.
“It’s just… what?!”
“He has no prospects!” Kimiko blurts out desperately. “He’s a nice boy, a respectful boy! Your father and I like Eren, we really do, but he has no prospects in life; no ambition. Keith is about to be ivy-league educated! He’s going to be a lawyer—”
“Oh my god…” Mikasa groans as she covers her hands in her face.
“It’s a good match! I know you stand there and roll your eyes at me, but you know it is—”
“We have nothing in common!” Mikasa practically shouts.
“You will! You think Grandma and Grandpa had anything in common when they married?! No, not a thing, and they still did! They’ve been married 51 years! And you know why? Because Grandpa had prospects and that’s important in a man…”
Closing her eyes and breathing out heavily, Mikasa wordlessly gestures to the door; barely able to suppress her frustrations. “Please. I need a minute. Alone.”
Kimiko gives her a sad look but nods as she walks past to open the door and step out. “You’ll thank me for caring this much about your future when you’re older. I know you don’t now, but you will.”
With a click of the door, Mikasa’s left alone to her thoughts. She sighs heavily and holds onto her red scarf for patience; tapping her red-painted fingernail on the marble countertop as she tries to settle her emotions. Opening her eyes once more to look in the mirror, she sighs; knowing what she has to do now. Gazing at her reflection, she comes to a decision.
“God. I have got to move out.”
Chapter Text
An hour or so later, Mikasa finds herself sitting in the Japanese Cultural Centre on Church Street and watching a solemn and soulful koto performance put on by Kyoto’s very own Ami Kimori. Uncomfortably and restless, Mikasa shifts and crosses her legs under her stiff denim skirt as she fidgets with the cuffs of her soft pink cardigan before touching a gentle hand to her red scarf. The music playing through the ballroom for her and the rest of the audience is moving, soulful and causing the slightest sting to pierce her eyes. She would shed a tear and place a hand to her heart in reverential respect to this artist, if there wasn’t a snooty yuppie sitting right next to her; trying to mask his sheer boredom as he crosses his arms over his chest.
Keith shifts in his seat, as he has done countless times, before offering Mikasa a small little smile; as if there’s some inner joke between the two of them. But Mikasa only narrows her eyes and shifts to look away from him; not willing to give her forced date for the night an inch of solidarity.
Her mother, sitting on her other side, offers Mikasa a smile as well but she simply shifts and looks forward; not terribly thrilled with the people on either side of her. But she sits and endures, not wishing to disrespect the artistry of Ms. Kimori; even if on the inside, she’s fuming.
How could her mother try and set her up with a man she obviously has nothing in common with? How could she do it knowing how much Mikasa cares for her boyfriend, Eren? How could she possibly do this knowing it would upset Mikasa to even think about leaving Eren. For whom? Keith? Mikasa can’t stifle the snort that comes out of her; the thought’s too absurd to soften. But it draws the attention of Kimiko, who side-eyes her with a raised brow, and Mikasa quickly flushes and looks away; her eyes falling on the windowpane facing a soggy Church Street after a fresh spring rain.
It's dark outside now as the streetlights of Lower Manhattan shine bright against the wet pavement. Even now after working hours, idle office buildings keep their lights on throughout the night. Mikasa stares out at these lights, and the towering World Trade Centre from a few blocks south; her mind wandering to Eren and wondering how he’s doing right now. How she wishes she could get in touch with him; she desperately wants to talk to him and vent to him. But it’s next to impossible to reach out to him right now.
Sighing heavily, Mikasa lets her mind wander as she stares out at the cloudy night sky when a flash of red suddenly catches her eye. She turns her gaze downward just in time to see a woman walk past; her hands stuffed inside her black leather jacket and her styled beach waves of fiery red hair bouncing against her shoulders. Her side profile shows a soft, feminine face with bright blue eyes and soft, red lips; red heart sunglasses sitting affixed to the top of her head. Mikasa’s eyes freeze on her; the young woman holding her gaze as she crosses the window from one side to the other. There’s something about her; something that makes her feel surreal and strange as her chest tightens and flusters.
Mikasa visibly shifts and twists her body to turn around and watch her cross a window further back in the ballroom; not caring when the attendees sitting behind her raise their eyebrows in disapproval. Kimiko catches her and quickly bows her head in apology to their disturbed neighbours. “Mikasa, what is it?” she whispers sharply as she leans in.
“Oh, it’s nothing…”
“Then eyes forward.”
Mikasa quickly whips around to face forward; her hands moving to obediently rest in her lap as she keeps her knees together as she’s been taught to do. Sitting rigidly with her parents on one side and Keith bouncing his leg in boredom on the other, Mikasa tries to keep her attention on Ami’s koto for the rest of the performance. She listens to the music and lets it be a momentary distraction from her predicament; closing her eyes to let the delicate string melody take her away. But with her eyes closed, all she can see is that flash of red walk past the window along with the visage of a woman with hearts in her hair…
Sometime later, Mikasa, her parents, and Keith arrive back at their condo building by taxi; Mr. Ackerman profusely thanking the driver as he slips him $5 as everyone slides out. He and his wife happily chat with Keith as everyone walks through the lobby and steps into a waiting elevator; Keith and Mikasa both hitting the buttons for their respective floors as she avoids his gaze.
“Ahh, really, Keith. It was wonderful to have you join us,” Kimiko sighs and happily smiles at the young man. “Did you like the performance?”
“Ahh, well it was certainly different than what I’m used to, Mrs. Ackerman,” he chuckles as the doors ding closed and the elevator slowly begins to ascend. “But it was an interesting show to take in regardless.”
Mikasa rolls her eyes at that as her mother smiles even brighter. “Well, we would love to see you again. You know we’re on Floor 18 if you ever need anything; isn’t that right, Mikasa?”
Her daughter doesn’t say anything, only crossing her arms as she looks away to Keith’s slightly uneasy chuckle. “Ahh, I hope you had a good time, Mikasa; even with me there.”
“Oh, don’t say such nonsense, of course she had a good time; didn’t you, dear?”
The elevator fills with silence that toes the line of rebuke just as the doors ding open to Keith’s grandmother’s floor. He offers looks to Thomas, Kimiko, and Mikasa one last time. “Well, have a good night. Thanks again for tonight. I’ll see you around, Mikasa?”
“Maybe.”
“Can I ask you out to coffee sometime?”
“No,” she offers uncharitably and nothing more.
Keith gives Mikasa’s mom a small, embarrassed, smile before he steps out into the hall and quickly strides away as the doors close and Kimiko scoffs in disbelief.
“That was very unkind, young lady.”
“I don’t care,” she scoffs back as Thomas pulls off his glasses to inspect them for dirt. “How can he ask me such a stupid question after seeing how disinterested I’ve been this whole night? Is he that full of himself?”
“He’s just trying to get to know you,” Kimiko says. “God forbid, you meet new men, Mikasa.”
“I already have a man, Mom. I don’t need to meet any other.”
“You are so unbelievably stubborn—”
“Ok, please, enough,” Thomas implores firmly as he rubs his temple. “I think you two have argued enough for one night. Let’s just leave it, Kimiko; Mikasa says she’s not interested, please let it be for the night.”
The elevator keeps rising; the air thick with tension as Kimiko and Mikasa eye each other guardedly in an impasse. Finally, a ding breaks the silence as the doors open to Floor 18 and the Ackermans step out together to make their way back to their condo door.
Stepping inside, Mikasa pulls off her shoes in angered silence and quickly bows to her parents without a word before setting off for her room; a decisive door shut ending all communications for the night. Inside her room, Mikasa sighs shakily; her chest heaving slightly from the confrontation.
Looking over her girlhood room, her soft grey eyes take in the frilly, childish accents of pink, the small Sanrio plushies brought home from Japan every single visit, and the pictures of her as a dutiful Japanese daughter hanging from her wall. The pictures of her in high school from only 5 years ago show her when she was going through her rebellious goth phase; back when bands like Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Cure ruled Mikasa’s world. Picking up one such picture now, she smiles as she takes in the sight of herself dressed in black and adorned with silver sterling rings as she posed alongside Eren and their best friend, Armin.
How she loved those days; being with her best friend and boyfriend from morning till her 5pm curfew. Back then when they were on the verge of adulthood and the world seemed limitless beyond the four walls of high school. All they needed to do was graduate, and life would be theirs for the taking. But now, 5 years into adulthood, and Mikasa feels stagnated; held back by the limitations of a career on its way out of the cultural zeitgeist and held back by the expectations of an overbearing mother. Her mother who begrudgingly accepted Mikasa’s choice of career in illustration with the expectation she’d do it for a few years before gracefully retiring to take on the responsibilities of marrying and raising a family.
To an extent, Kimiko’s expectations weren’t entirely unreasonable. There had been a time where Mikasa and Eren had dreamt of the same thing; Mikasa working as Eren sought a career in the medical field just as his father and grandfather had done before him. He’d go to school, take the MCAT, and secure a position in NYU’s highly competitive med school. Then he and Mikasa would marry, and she’d continue on working until gracefully bowing out to focus on their family.
That had been the idea, at least until Eren realized he wasn’t cut out for medical school. The hours were grueling, the homework intensive, and his internship at St. Michael’s ER in Brooklyn sent him over the edge. He lost any and all desire to be a doctor and he hasn’t found any sense of direction since. Now any and all plans Mikasa had to work before putting her career aside for marriage and children have also lost direction. And she’s left to pick up the pieces, continue on with her work; knowing it can only go so far while her mother eyes her and her aimless boyfriend apprehensively. She must have been feeling the sting of desperation tonight, what with going so far as to try and set Mikasa up with another man to disastrous results.
But Mikasa feels all the worse for herself and for Eren now that her mother’s laid her cards on the table. All this time she knew Kimiko worried; what mother wouldn’t? But going so far as to set her up with another man? How can she even look her mother in the eye again knowing she’s breached Mikasa’s trust in such an offhanded way?
Plopping down on her bed, she feels a heaviness come over as her thoughts drift off to what she blurted out to herself earlier in the night; that she desperately needed to move out. Now that she thinks it over, it seems too out of the question. Kids in her culture don’t just leave home to live on their own, especially not unwed girls. The notion of even floating the idea to her mother seems totally absurd. Moving out? Moving out to live on her own in the same New York that Kimiko calls godless on a regular basis? Living on her own when murderers and rapists and drug gangs are around every corner, even in the more upscale district of Soho in Lower Manhattan? Kimiko would never agree to such a thing; not in a million years.
And yet, there’s something taboo and freeing in the idea of being out from under Kimiko’s often overbearing eye. The thought of being able to go out whenever she wants, being able to stay out late without finding a payphone somewhere to phone home and explain herself; it’s incredibly enticing. And then there’s the thought of her being able to see Eren whenever she wants. Mikasa’s imagination races through scenarios of sleepless nights spent in each other’s arms and endless mornings spent in limitless pleasure. The freedom of being able to wake up with Eren wrapped around here is reason enough to move out… it’s enough for Mikasa and her fluttering heart at least.
With that, her apprehensions about moving out disappear; a light flaring up within her chest as she excitedly throws off her clothes and changes into a t-shirt and shorts before climbing into bed to snuggle with her teddy bear. The thought of moving out and being her own women is too enticing to pass up. If it means she could experience endless nights and the lights of the city in the darks of Eren’s eyes, she’d move out tomorrow. With a resolve stirring inside her to tell her mother her plans as soon as possible, Mikasa excitedly cuddles into her pillow and drifts off to sleep.
“Tomorrow morning… tomorrow morning, my life will change absolutely…”
“Absolutely not.”
“What?”
“I said absolutely not, Mikasa,” Kimiko fervently shakes her head the next morning over the breakfast table; Thomas frozen with a spoonful of egg halfway in his mouth as he and Kimiko eye Mikasa in shock. “There is no way, absolutely no way you are moving out of this house, young lady.”
Mikasa balks and flusters as her cheeks burn hot at the virulent rejection. “Bu—but why not?”
“Why not? she asks,” Kimiko comments in disbelief as she looks at her husband. “Why do you think? This is New York City; no girl here moves out of her parents’ house to be on her own unless she’s… unless she’s easy!”
“That’s not true!” Mikasa exclaims. “Annie lives on her own!”
“Annie’s not like most girls!” Kimiko says as she anxiously snatches the jug of orange juice on the dining table to pour herself another glass. “Most girls cannot say the same thing! No, under no circumstances are you moving out of this apartment to be on your own! How could you even imagine such a thing?”
“A lot of girls do it, Mom!” she presses. “It’s not the 1950s anymore! It’s less than 9 years till the new millennium! A lot of girls live on their own—”
“And if they did so in cities that aren’t constantly considered the crime capital of the world, then maybe I’d hear them out. But this city is! Do you want to be robbed? Do you want to be attacked, or, God forbid, worse?!” her mother exclaims. “Because that happens all the time in this city! Thomas, tell her the story that was just in the paper wha—two weeks ago!”
“A girl got attacked in her very own apartment just three weeks ago,” Thomas says calmly as he places his fork down. “It happened just five blocks east from here, Mikasa. This city is dangerous for young women.”
“Exactly.”
Mikasa looks at her father, almost in hurt shock; she’d expected him to be on her side from the word go. “Dad, Mom, I know this city can be dangerous but I’m a careful person. I don’t go out by myself; I’m always in groups. I stick to the main streets; I don’t go in back alleys. I’m as safe as I can be!”
“I know you are, Mikasa, but you keeping men out won’t stop men from getting in!”
“I think your mother’s right,” Thomas sighs heavily. “I know you want to live on your own and I understand that you’d like to experience some independence—”
“Some independence! Any independence!” Mikasa exclaims desperately. “I’m 23 years old and I feel like I’m still 16! I have to call you if I’m out late, I can’t date Eren without you constantly stressing me about it! I can’t even dress how I want to dress without Mom having an issue with it! It’s 1991 for everyone else but I feel like it’s 1960 for me!” She sniffles and blinks back the sting of frustrated tears. “Whatever, forget it! I don’t know why I bother.”
Pushing her chair back loudly, Mikasa quickly gets up and moves to leave and rush back to her room before her father reaches out to stop her. “Hold on, Mikasa. Don’t go. Let’s discuss this,” he broaches calmly.
Mikasa falters and pauses; her father’s calming voice momentarily stopping her in her tracks. Without a word, she moves to slide back in her chair and nod that she’s listening. Thomas sighs and eyes both his wife and his daughter as he takes on the role of mediator; a role he’s not unfamiliar with.
“Okay, Mikasa, I know you want to live on your own and of course, we understand that this is something completely understandable for someone your age. But this city is very unsafe for young women such as yourself and your mother and I are just not comfortable with the idea.”
Mikasa scowls at him before he holds out his hand for reprieve. “However, we know you’re a very strong-willed young woman and that you’re entitled to make your own decisions. It’s difficult for us but we need to understand times are different now than they were when we were your age. Young people live by themselves all the time…”
“But I don’t want her living by herself…” Kimiko presses as she looks her only child over with worry. “I’m not comfortable with this at all.”
Thomas sighs and sips his coffee in deep contemplation; no doubt trying to think of some compromise. After a minute, he clears his throat as if to signal that he’s come to a pragmatic decision. “What if we were to agree to Mikasa moving in with someone? Like a girlfriend?”
Mikasa blinks as she looks her father over. “Eh?”
“If you lived with another girl, a roommate, perhaps it would give you a sense of independence without us having to worry about you being all by yourself,” Thomas posits as he eyes Kimiko. “And having another girl around would ensure Mikasa has someone watching her without being overbearing; it might let Mikasa experience a little more independence in a safe way. She is an adult, after all.”
Kimiko eyes her husband a little cautiously as she shifts; her stiffened shoulders loosening somewhat. “I… I suppose that condition wouldn’t be completely out of the question.”
Thomas nods and turns to face his daughter. “What do you think, Mikasa? Would that be a compromise you’d be willing to agree to? It might be a good stepping stone for you to get used to living away from us without being completely alone.”
Mikasa eyes both her parents as she too shifts; her heart rate still beating like a drum from her earlier argument. True, being with a roommate wouldn’t be as drastic of a change as living on her own might be. And a roommate would provide her with some sense of companionship if Eren wasn’t around; not that she’d dare bring up living with Eren as an alternative. Not with her mother already on edge.
“I… I guess I’d be okay with that.”
“I want to go with you to see apartments,” Kimiko says quickly as if putting in her own conditions. “And I want final approval of your roommate, Mikasa.”
Mikasa falters and flusters, looking at her father as if to implore him to step in. Thomas sighs heavily and shifts in his seat. “I think it’s a good idea for your mother to go with you, Mikasa. I won’t be able to with work. But Mikasa’s a very good judge of character; I think she’s more than capable of deciding on a roommate herself.” Kimiko gives her a husband a look and he shrugs empathetically. “We can’t stop her, honey. So, let’s work with her.”
Shifting once more in her seat, Kimiko looks her daughter over warily for a long-drawn-out minute before she sighs and gives in. “Very well. Your father’s right; I’d rather we sort this out together rather than apart.”
Mikasa eyes both parents and a small smile grows across her face. “Okay. I’m happy with that. Thanks, you two.” She gets up and quickly hugs her father in gratitude for his cooperation and understanding. Pulling away, she approaches her mother to give her a slightly less affectionate hug and a peck on the cheek before standing up fully. “I gotta go to work but I’ll see if I can find some ads while I’m out and about.”
“Mmm, that’s for the best. I’m sure your father can see if there’s any ads at NYU as well; won’t you, dear?”
“Mmm, yes, I’ll see if I can run past the student lounge and bar sometime today. They usually have some posted there.”
“Okay,” Mikasa says with a growing smile as she grabs her purse and her work bag. “I’ll see what I can find and give some places a ring if I get a chance.”
“What time will you be here for dinner?”
Mikasa hums and shifts. “Umm, maybe 5?”
“Good,” Kimiko nods as she sips her tea primly. “We’ll go over what ever ads you’ve found when you get home.”
“Okay, I’ll see you two tonight,” she hums as she grabs the knob to the front door to step out. “Bye! Love you both!”
With that, Mikasa quickly shuts the door behind her and strides down the hallway in bouncing steps; barely processing her trip down the elevator with her mind racing in excitable thoughts of a home away from home. Living on her own, well, mostly on her own, is just something that seems far too good to be a real possibility. She’d be able to sleep in, stay up late, pig out on junk food, and have Eren over. Oh god, she could see Eren whenever she wanted! That fact alone is worth any sort of condition Kimiko could put her through; frankly she’s surprised her mother didn’t put her through more. But if a roommate who’s at least nice enough for her mother to give in is all it takes, Mikasa would move in with Mr. Rogers in a heartbeat to move out.
Stepping out of her condo building and onto the streets of Soho, she quickly walks as fast as she can on her way to the dingy subway station that will take her to her work at The Village Voice up in Greenwich Village; determined to start looking for roommate ads and tell Eren the good news whenever they see each other again.
Notes:
Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed this short chapter! Don't worry, if you're new to my writing, the chapters get longer as time goes on. I'm hoping to have one chapter uploaded per week for you but I do have another chapter I'll be uploading either tonight or tomorrow as well. If you like what you're seeing so far, please don't forget to subscribe, comment, and leave a kudos if you can! I'm gonna start being very vocal about kudos lol. If you wanna follow me in the meantime, I'm at @prairie_waifu on Twitter! Feel free to reach out! Cheers!
Chapter Text
A little while later, Mikasa strides up to her work at a newspaper agency located on the first two floors of a brick 7-story apartment block on Cooper Square. The front facing façade has large letters across reading out ‘VILLAGE VOICE’ and horizontal strips of red and white brick line the two floors it occupies. Running a few minutes late, Mikasa walks briskly and pushes the door open to the loud noises of colleagues talking and phones ringing and the whirring of printers being used excessively. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee mixes with the smell of tobacco as several people smoke like chimneys as they hunch over their work.
“Morning, Mikasa,” a colleague, Samuel, grins cheekily as he looks up from his Apple Macintosh computer. “You’re running late…”
“I know, I know,” Mikasa breathlessly sighs as she drops her work bag on her cluttered desk next to his.
“Spend the night at Eren’s again?”
“I wish,” she laughs and blushes as she sorts through her workload of illustrations to do for the press. “No, I was having a long talk with my parents this morning.”
“Aww, are you in trouble?”
“No,” Mikasa beams in excitement as she glances wistfully at a framed picture of her and Eren on her desk. “No, quite the opposite. I might be free…” No longer able to contain her excitement about the news, Mikasa grabs the phone on her desk; ready to spill the beans to Eren when a colleague walks by.
“Hey, who’s covering the Metallica release day story? There’s a line stretching five fuckin’ blocks down Times Square for their new album!”
Mikasa freezes and puts the receiver down; giving her head a good shake as she does. How could she forget that Metallica was releasing their newest album today? Eren had been talking nonstop about it for weeks; Metallica was one of his all-time favourite bands. Right now, he’s no doubt standing in line to be one of the first to grab a signed copy of the album when HMV opens in the next hour. She chuckles and shakes her head as she returns to sorting out her work; Eren won’t be home so there’s no point trying to call him. She’ll deliver the wonderful news about moving out to him later when he’s riding his Metallica high.
An hour later and several blocks north, in the loud and iconic intersection of Times Square, a long line of young people, dressed in flannel and Metallica t-shirts, anxiously smoke and chat as they wait for HMV to open. The Times Square LED sign just under a Coca-Cola sign reads out 9:59; just one minute until the stores open for the day. At the head of the line and anxiously waiting to get, young men stand and shuffle their feet; they’ve been standing here practically since daybreak for a chance to get their own signed copies of Metallica.
Eren Jaeger is, unfortunately, not among them.
Instead, in the heart of Chelsea Market, he’s waking up to a less productive morning; the young man snoring loudly into his pillow as his long brown hair lays splayed out across his pillow. Just as a slow drip of drool begins to slide down his gaping open mouth, the alarm clock changes over to 10 o’clock and the radio blasts on.
“Gooood morning, New York City! You are listening to KPPL 102.3 THE ROCK: home of New York’s loudest, proudest rock! We are here live at HMV on Time’s Square celebrating launch day of Metallica’s highly anticipated self-titled album also known as ‘The Black Album’! As you may know, these doors are set to open at any minute and we will be giving away signed copies of The Black Album to the first 500 people to come by so if you haven’t gotten here yet, you better hurry cause uhh, that line outside is looking prettyyy long—”
“WHAT?!” Eren shouts as he startles himself awake; his green eyes widening as he quickly smacks his alarm clock to see his alarm for 6:30am was accidentally set to 6:30pm. “ARE YOU FUCKING—SON OF A BI—” Quickly wiping the drool off his face, Eren rolls out of bed and practically falls to the floor in his hurry. “FUCK! STUPID FUCKING IDIOT!”
Eren rushes to his tiny closet as Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’ begins playing from his radio; cursing under his breath for sleeping in on such an important day as he struggles to pull his jeans on without tripping over. Grabbing his toothbrush to vigorously brush his teeth as he pulls a band shirt over his head, Eren can’t even enjoy ‘Sandman’; he’s swearing so much. Running a quick brush through his hair, Eren groans in full frustration at his predicament; he’ll be lucky if he grabs a CD at this point.
Debating whether he’d be better off taking a subway or running as fast as he can to Times Square, Eren’s momentarily interrupted by his phone ringing under his futon to his groan of sheer annoyance. “Ugh! Come on!” he shouts in full frustration as he quickly goes over to answer it; grabbing the receiver and bringing it up to his face violently. “Yeah??”
“Oh? Wow, that’s quite a way to say good morning,” a familiar female voice says on the other end. “What if I’d been an employer calling you?”
Eren groans as he shuts his eyes and runs a frustrated hand through his hair. “Crap. I’m sorry, Mom. I slept in and now I’m running late to HMV; they’ve got those signed CDs they’re handing out. You know how much I wanted to get my hands on one.”
“I know you did, honey,” Carla Jaeger says empathetically. “But shouldn’t you be spending your morning looking for a job? I’d say that’s far more important to you than some signed copy on a black album…”
“I know, I know,” Eren rolls his eyes as he glances at the stacks of printed resumes lying idle and useless on his kitchenette counter. “I was planning to hand some out…”
“Uhh huh, I know you were. Just promise me you’ll spend the rest of the day applying after you finish up at HMV, okay? Your father and I are worried, honey.”
Eren flushes and tucks some hair behind his ear nervously. “Okay, I promise I will.”
“Okay, dear, I won’t keep you. Good luck with your Black Hip-hop thing.”
“No, Mom, it’s not black as in hi—ugh, nevermind. I’ll talk to you later,” Eren groans. “Bye.”
Hanging up, he sighs and looks down at what he’s wearing; it’s not particularly professional but Eren’s not really in the mood to wear a suit and tie to stand in line for Metallica. No fucking way. “Fuck it,” he mutters as he quickly grabs a few copies of his CV to stuff inside a manila envelope before grabbing his keys and heading out; locking the door to his crappy studio apartment behind him.
Quickly rushing down the stairs and out onto the busy streets of Chelsea, Eren jogs as fast as he can to the nearest subway station; praying hard that he’ll make it in time to grab a copy. He comes up to the stairs leading down to a subway station and quickly pounds down the steps as fast as he can; passing tiled walls lined end-to-end with graffiti tags as he does. Striding as fast as he can, Eren shoves a few coins in the turnstiles just as the graffiti-riddled subway rushes into the station before abruptly stopping. Moving fast, he runs up to the doors of a packed car just as the sound chimes for final boarding. Shoving himself inside, Eren gets in just in time as the doors close behind him; trapping and packing him and the countless others in like sardines as the subway pulls away from the station to keep travelling north.
Eren tries to keep his slender, yet muscular, frame shrunken enough not to bang into anyone but it’s easier said than done as the underground train rattles and rocks as it loudly speeds into a blackout tunnel. The people in the train are mostly silent this morning hour, save for tourists loudly talking about their plans for the day and someone’s loud boombox playing in the corner. Eren pays them no attention, his mind’s too anxiously hung up on getting to HMV in time; every minute easily being the difference between him getting his hands on a signed CD and going away empty-handed.
Finally, after only 5 minutes of travelling, Eren gets off at the nearest stop to Times Square; grateful to be so close to the door that he can rush out and up the stairs as fast as he can with his envelope tucked into his arm. Stepping out into even busier streets of Manhattan, Eren runs as fast as his feet can carry him to HMV; weaving his way around pedestrians and almost banging into people in his hurry. As he runs, he passes a woman walking in the direction of HMV; her red hair bouncing against her shoulders as he almost bangs into her while passing.
Booking the final row of stores, Eren comes to a screeching halt right at the tail end of a line that snakes down the block and moves steadily. Panting heavily as he bends over to catch his breath, Eren wipes his sweaty brow before standing up straight to take in the crowd around him. They’re all mostly young people his age; the girls dressed in denim and the guys with hair as long as his as they anxiously wait for the line to keep moving forward.
The queue keeps moving as Eren anxiously shifts from side to side; checking his wristwatch again and again to see 5, 10, 15, 20 minutes have passed. Finally, after the half-an-hour mark, Eren steps up to the front as he quickly fishes out his wallet; breaking out into a nervous sweat that he’s indeed too late. But as he steps up and sees the table set up for Metallica’s ‘Black Album’, the DJ of KPPL 102.3 beams up at him along with a store employee manning the small cash box.
“Why, hello, what can we get you today?”
“Hey, I’ll take one of the Black Albums if you got ‘em left.”
“You have very good timing, dude, this is thee last signed copy we got in stock,” DJ Tony grins and grabs a CD from under the table as the employee next to him quickly pulls a pre-made receipt out of the receipt book. “These sold like hotcakes so consider this your lucky day. That’ll be $20.”
“Ahh, no way! Thanks a lot!” Eren grins wide as he quickly fishes some bills out of his wallet to hand over; the crowd behind him audibly groaning in disappointment as some move to leave. Taking his new prized possession into his hand, he beams as he takes in the names of each member of Metallica etched across the jewel case in white permanent market. His chest swells with happiness at the thought he's holding the very last copy; somehow the feeling of jubilation at getting the last copy is stronger than it would be if he had gotten the first. Maybe this really is his lucky day. And with that and a renewed sense of purpose to his day, Eren kisses his new CD happily before slipping it into his bag as he strides away from HMV to head back to his neighbourhood.
As Eren walks, he feels the weight of the manila envelope tucked inside his arm; the weight of his mother’s wishes weighing heavier on him as he walks south through the streets of Manhattan to get back to Chelsea.
He knows he’s been feeling pretty shitty for the last few months; dropping out of medical school was probably the most humbling experience he could ever go through. It disappointed his mom, his dad, his older half-brother, Zeke. He knows it disappointed Mikasa immensely and dashed her hopes of settling into the secure life of a doctor’s wife. But most of all, it disappointed Eren; knowing he wasn’t as capable of anything as he once thought he was. But what’s worse, what’s so much worse is the feeling of total stagnation Eren feels; like he’s lost complete direction and purpose now that he’s dropped out. It would’ve been different if he dropped out with some idea of what he’d rather do in life but dropping out just to mope around his shitty little apartment and screen his parents’ phone calls; Eren couldn’t feel like more of a loser.
Groaning under his breath at the thought of what an abject failure he’s turned to, Eren keeps walking; lost in thought and direction literally and figuratively. He keeps his head down as he walks; shoving his hands in his pockets as his mood sours immensely. Before he knows it, he’s overshot his street by blocks and stopped dead in Greenwich Village; a neighbourhood known to be a hub for artists, writers, creatives and bohemians with an openly gay population not seen in most parts of the diverse city.
Standing at a corner and trying to get his bearings, Eren feels a wave of depression overcomes him; like all he wants to do right now is crawl under his covers and stay there till he feels like being seen in public again. Sighing heavily, Eren walks up to the nearest trashcan, ready to toss his envelope in defeat, when a helmetless kid on bike swerves unsteadily and bangs into him.
"Ah crap! Sorry!" he winces; his big brown eyes wide with anxiety.
"It's okay kid, chill," Eren chuckles as he flushes and steadies the bike. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just don’t ride as good when it gets hot out.”
"Yeah, well, go home and put on a helmet. I've gotten into a motorcycle accident without a helmet and trust me, it fucking hurts."
"Shit, really?" the kid says as his eyes grow even wider.
"Yeah, life's too short to risk it,” Eren grins and shoves his hands in his pockets. “Now go home quick before your mom calls your ass out for not wearing one."
"Bet," the kid says and calls out a thanks as he rides back the way he came. Eren chuckles as he watches him go before his eyes trail around the street in curiosity. He looks around aimlessly before his gaze falls on a small independent record store, Vinyl Underground, with a ‘help wanted’ sign hanging in the window. Eren blinks as he looks at the place; wondering if he would’ve even noticed this place if that kid hadn’t broken him out of his funk. Looking down at his envelope then back across the street, he takes a steady breath.
Well… he’s taken a chance once today; he might as well take another.
Quickly walking across the street, a dazed Eren almost gets run over by a yellow cabbie that aggressively honks at him as he slams on his brakes. "WATCH WHERE YA FUCKIN’WALKIN’, YOU FUCKIN’ POTHEAD!!!"
Eren barely hears him, his gaze fixed on the door of Vinyl Underground and his manila envelope now being pulled forth. Swallowing a nervous lump in his throat, Eren takes in the scribbled sign tapped to the door, ‘We are sold out of Metallica!’, and can’t help but chuckle as he fixes his hair into a semi-professional manbun before opening the door. The bell above the door rings as he steps inside to take in the humble record shop as Led Zepplin plays over the speakers; the place decorated with the kind of plants and wood panelling that reminds him of his parents’ 70s style rec room back home in Woodstock. The place is lined end to end with shelves of vinyl records and a few CD racks and the air holds the faint smell of a strong weed strain that immediately perks Eren up.
At the very end of the shop and near the only customers in store sits a lethargic headbanger around Eren’s age; visibly bored as he reads a magazine behind the counter. He’s so bored, he doesn’t even raise his head as Eren approaches. Instead, he plays around with a strand of his long blonde hair; his good looks caught between California surfer and Seattle grunger as he idly gnaws on a toothpick between his teeth.
Eren stops in front of the counter and waits for him to look up; shifting from foot to foot till he finally clears his throat. “Ahem.”
“Sorry, we’re sold out of Metallica. Check Sam’s Records down the block,” the guy asks in a clearly unenthused voice as he flips through the pages.
“Uhh, no, I’m not here for Metallica. I saw that help wanted sign in the window; thought I’d apply.”
The guy blinks, as if waking from his stupor to stare up at Eren. Seeing he carries a very similar look and vibe to himself, the blond surfer quickly flusters and stands up semi-straight. “Oh. You wanna work here?”
“Yeah,” Eren smirks as he fishes in his envelope to pull out a resume; handing it over with an air of confidence he’s not sure where he suddenly picked. “You’re still hiring, right?”
“Yep, we're looking for someone able to come in to work on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. About 25 hours a week for $4.50 an hour. We’ve gotten some applications, but I haven’t really had a chance to look through the resumes we’ve got…” the blond mutters as he takes Eren’s and curiously flips through.
“Ohh,” Eren says as his shoulders sag a little in disappointment. “Well, thanks anyway; I’m sure someone’s beat me to it—”
“Ahh, well, hold on a sec,” the blond says with his own smirk. “You’re here now, lemme check out what you got…” He looks it over and his eyes widen. “Jaeger? That German?”
“Yeah,” Eren grins and flushes sheepishly. “My dad’s German-Eldian…”
“Oh? Eldian, huh?” the blond’s eyebrows raise in curiosity. “That’s cool, man, I heard your people can get pretty crazy. Oh! I actually know the craziest Irish-Eldian, now that I think about it. You know her?”
Eren chuckles deeply and shakes his head. “Nah, sorry. We Eldians don’t all know each other. That’s just a misconception.”
“Ahh too bad. You’d like her. Name’s Wes by the way,” the blond sticks out his hand.
“Oh, Eren,” Eren says before flushing as he shakes his hand. “But you knew that already.”
“Yeah, I dunno, man, this looks pretty impressive,” Wes says as he flips through the two-page resume playfully. “You went to NYU?”
“Yeah, I got a degree in Biomedicine there.”
“Nice. My younger sister’s going there in September.
“Nice,” Eren chuckles as he tugs at his collar. “I was actually gonna hit up medical school, but I wasn’t really into it.”
“Meh, that sorta thing aint for everyone,” Wes shrugs. “Still though, pretty impressive resume especially for a record shop application… so uhh… when can you start?”
Eren blinks in surprise; that really couldn’t be all it took to get a job offer. “Oh… umm, anytime. But don’t you wanna do a full interview?”
Wes hums indifferently and shrugs as he chews on his toothpick. “Can you stock shelves?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you count out change? Write up receipts?”
Eren hums and nods. “Yeah.”
“That’s really all you gotta do here, to be honest,” Wes shrugs. “My parents run this place but they’re back home in California right now; they hate New York in the summer. So, I get to call the shots.” He grins mischievously at that. “So, what the hell, why not? Could use another guy around here; Stacey and Lisa are drags.”
“Stacey and Lisa?”
“My sisters,” Wes smirks as he leans against the back wall. “Not much to this place except stocking and ringing up orders and sweeping at night. You smoke pot?”
Eren shifts at that and rubs the back of his neck. “Uhh…”
“Ahh come on, don’t be shy,” Wes chuckles. “My folks were honest to god Woodstock hippies; they’re probably in San Francisco getting high right now. Not a big deal is what I’m sayin’.”
“Oh well… I mean, I’ll partake in joints and bongs every now and then,” Eren shrugs and chuckles. “Why?”
“Cause when there’s no one around…” Wes trails off as he pulls a joint out of his pocket to twirl around his fingers. “Go ahead and go in the back to smoke. Sometimes I just sneak a smoke out here so I can keep an eye on the place.”
“Are you serious?”
“Dead serious,” he shrugs as he tucks the joint into the corner of his ear. “Just make sure the beat cops don’t catch you smoking this, and you’ll be good.”
Eren blinks in total disbelief and laughs. “Uhh, yeah, that works for me. Why the fuck not, right?”
“Right.”
With that, Eren looks around the shop in appreciation; this place seems cool, chill, and laid back. It could be just the kind of thing he needs right now to get him out of the apartment and give him at least some direction in a directionless life. “Yeah, I gotta say, I think I’d like it here.”
“Good to know,” Wes grins and sticks out his hand. “Wanna start Thursday?”
Eren beams and nods as he shakes his hand in agreement. “Sure, I’d love to.” With that he pulls his hand away as Wes beams and sighs.
“It’ll be really great having another guy around. My sisters work with me, and it gets to be a pain in the ass. They talk my fuckin ear off about New Kids on the Block and MJ and fuckin’ Madonna. I can’t stand Madonna,” Wes sighs as he leans his elbows on the counter. “So it’ll be nice having another guy around. And there’s a ton of perks for working here; you get all the good music first and you get a decent employee discount.”
“Ahh, that’s good to know,” Eren grins wide as he fishes in his small HMV bag and pulls his copy of Metallica out to wave as proudly as some yuppies wave business card. “As you can see, I’m all about good music.”
“Get out!” Wes’ clear blue eyes widen as he snatches the CD to eye it in surprise. “You just got this today at that giveaway, right?”
“You know it,” he smirks as he takes it back to stuff back in his bag. “I guess first thing I’m gonna do when I get home is play it in celebration.”
“You better,” Wes grins as he glances around the store to make sure the few customers aren’t in earshot. “So, do you like chicks? Cause if you do, you’ll love working here; we get hotties coming in here all the time for Madonna and shit like that.”
Eren blinks in total stunned surprise and quickly flusters. “Oh, I…”
“Hey, no judgement here if you’re not,” Wes quickly puts up his hands in faux surrender. “I was raised by free-loving hippies, so I’m used to free love and gay guys; no big deal.”
“No, I mean, I uhh, yeah I like girls,” Eren blushes madly. “I’ve got a girlfriend actually.”
“A girlfriend?” Wes’ eyes widen in amused surprise. “That’s awesome, man. What’s her name?”
“Oh, her name’s Mikasa,” Eren says as he blushes somewhat harder.
“Mikasa? That’s a cute name; I bet she’s a real cutie.”
“Yeah, well, she’s my cutie.”
Wes grins and yawns as he stretches. “Ahh, that’s nice. You’re in love and all that stuff.”
“You know it,” Eren smirks as he crosses his arms.
“Well for the record, I—AHHHHH!” he yawns loudly and scratches his neck. “Ahh, sorry, late night for me. I was gonna say, for the record, I’ve got a girlfriend too.”
Chuckling throatily, Eren shakes his head. “Now, that’s surprising.”
“Well… I admit she’s not ‘technically’ my girlfriend. We’re not ‘technically’ official,” Wes smirks as he finger-quotes. “Regardless, she’s out running errands for me at this very minute cause she’s got it bad for me.”
“I’m sure she does,” Eren smirks sarcastically as he looks around the store. “Mind if I look around? I think I’m gonna grab a few CDs while I’m here. I’m makin’ the switch from cassettes to CDs this year.”
“Oh yeah sure, go ahead, Eren man,” Wes yawns as he strolls behind the counter once more. “I’ll give you the employee discount today if you wanna grab somethin’.”
“Really? You don’t mind doin’ that?”
“Nah, just don’t be a dick and not show up on Thursday.”
“Will do,” Eren chuckles as he strides into the aisle and starts flipping through the rock section; his eyes reading every CD carefully as he looks for what he’s after. He flips through to see Disintegration by The Cure and eyes it; knowing it’s one of Mikasa’s favourite albums from her goth days. It would be nice if he just had it lying around for her to play on the rare occasions she spends the night with him. He keeps flipping before finding Guns ‘n’ Roses and grinning as he grabs it as well; all while Wes switches out the CD in his stereo connected to the loudspeakers and throws on Kick by INXS to keep the high energy rock music playing through the quiet shop before the lunch crowd quickly flocks in.
As Eren keeps his eyes down, flipping through the CD cases with nimble fingers, the bell rings above the door as it’s thrown open and a person walks in quickly; or rather storms in. Eren catches a glimpse of red passing over the top of the shelves; that same red he could’ve sworn he saw somewhere in Times Square earlier this morning. Now it sits attached to the head of a woman; long and bouncy waves of fire with a single streak of blonde for dramatic effect.
Eren sees her in the corner of his eye as she storms into the store in an irate huff; her expressive blue eyes stormy as she strides past him in a black skin-tight lace jumpsuit, thigh high black boots, and a black leather jacket; a gold crucifix swinging from her neck and cherry red lipstick swiped across her lips.
“Ahh, there she is!” Wes exclaims proudly as the woman approaches the counter with a pile of papers in her arm and an HMV bag swinging at her side. “Speaking of my love; my great fiery beauty has come bearing gifts!”
“Don’t piss me off, Wes,” the woman mutters as she slaps her pile of flyers on the counter with a resounding thud.
“Ahh, don’t be like that,” Wes coos as she fishes inside her bag to pull out a CD. “Not when you’re about to make me the happiest man ali…” his voice trails off as she pulls out a non-signed copy of Metallica’s Black Album; Wes’ grin visibly falling.
“What, Wes?”
“Ahh, man, really?” he whines in full disappointment as he takes it. “They didn’t have it signed?”
“No, they didn’t have any signed left when I got in.”
“But I really wanted it signed,” Wes whines even more as he looks it over; as if seeing if it’s signed in some hidden corner. “What time did you even get there?”
“Don’t whine to me, Wes,” the redhead balks in anger. “I slept in! I only got off my shift at 6am and still got up to go stand in line at 10 for you! How about a fucking thank you?!”
Eren watches from the sidelines; intrigued despite himself at the heated exchange between the cool, if not doozy, headed Wes and his fiery, headstrong companion. Something about her, the way she snaps and narrows her eyes in anger; it reminds him of Mikasa when she gets angry. It’s the way she looks so cute when she’s angry but there’s a real fire and fury there under the exterior that makes her dangerous to piss off; just like Mikasa.
Wes flushes at being so sharply reprimanded by her now and groans in defeat. “Okay. You’re right. Thank you for doing that for me.” Suddenly his eyes widen as he remembers something. “Heyyy, I just remembered, babe, you know how you’re Eldian, right? Well, Eren here’s Eld—”
“Ahh!” the woman exclaims as she holds up her hands to stop him in his tracks. “I don’t have time right now for all that. I did you a major favour, Wes. Now hold up your end of the bargain; you promised me you’d hang these up around Greenwich.”
“Okay, I will,” he mutters as he looks over the flyers miserably. “Even though you didn’t technically get me a signed copy.”
“You’re such a fucking prick,” the woman says as she moves to leave before stopping in her tracks. “Oh! By the way, you left your underwear at my apartment again, asshole,” she says as she pulls them out of her jacket pocket to throw them at Wes’ face.
“Oh!” he exclaims with a smirk as he catches them. “Did I now?”
“You jerkoff,” the woman hisses seethingly as she glares at her surfer ‘boyfriend’. “I warned you not to pull that shit with me again, Wes! Hitch saw your fucking underwear when she was in bed with me last night and now she won’t go with me to see Madonna!”
“There’s no way I’m seeing Madonna with you,” Wes smirks with a smug, shit-eating grin. “No way, not in a million years, Yurie.”
The redhead, Yurie, scoffs as she puts her hands on her hips. “Funny, I don’t remember asking you to go with me, Wes. I don’t want you to see Madonna with me, I already asked Carly.”
“Oh, man! Carly? Like I need another fucking girl to compete with? Why couldn’t you ask Eld? He’s a fucking idiot!”
Yurie scoffs in disgust and turns to go. “You’re disgusting. Go hang those ads up or I’m screening your calls.”
Wes groans as he watches her go before thinking twice; Eren watching on from his onlooker’s view as he quickly rushes up to Yurie. “Yurie! Wait!”
“What?” she balks as he stops and blocks her from leaving. “Wes, I have work.”
“Actually, lemme come with you to Madonna.”
“WHAT?!”
“I’m sure I’d have fun. Fuck it, I love ‘Material Girl’ and ‘Vogueing’—”
“It’s just ‘Vogue’, Wes. You know it’s just ‘Vogue’.”
“Whatever, who cares,” Wes says with a hint of desperation. “Let me take you.”
“No,” Yurie says as she tries to move past him before he grabs her arm.
“Wait, wait, wait.”
“God, Wes, CROWDING ME! You know I don’t like to be crowded, what?!”
“What are you doing Thursday night?”
“You’re insane,” Yurie scoffs as she shakes her head and walks around him. “Consider yourself on my shit list, Wes.”
“Oh, what, again?!” Wes calls out as he watches her storm off; swinging the door open to leave in a huff. “At least think about it, Yurie! Call me! Marry me…” he trails off quietly once she’s out of ear shot before sighing heavily as he turns to drag himself back to the counter with his tail between his legs.
Eren stifles his laughter; his shoulders shaking as he muffles himself to go up to the counter with a big grin on his face. “Wow, that one’s a firecracker.”
"God, you have no idea," Wes mutters miserably as he switches INXS out for his new Metallica CD.
“Sooo… was that your girlfriend who has it bad for you, so to speak?”
“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” Wes sighs as he glumly sets aside a small stack of Yurie’s ads beside the cash register.
“Except for the fact she’s dating others?”
“Mmm, Yurie’s never dated just one person,” Wes sighs heavily. “Believe me, she’s known around these parts for being too wild to break in.”
Eren snorts at that as he leans his elbows into the counter; his smile fixed in amusement at this whole situation. “C’mon, man, I think you’re exaggerating a tad.”
“You don’t believe me? Ask any guy, or hell, any girl, about Yurie and you’ll get the same damn response; she’s a fucking heartbreaker. She’ll light up your world then light on outta town the minute shit gets too real for her. Then when she comes back, she’s already moved on.”
Eren shakes his head in disbelief as he eyes his new friend. “Why do you even do it, man? This city’s crawling with eligible girls? Why go for the one who’d play mind games with you?”
Wes’ eyes grow misty-eyed and wistful as if his mind’s wandered off in memories. “Cause you haven’t lived until you’ve spent the night and stayed up till sunrise with Yurie Wieder.”
Eren snorts at that as he pulls away to hand over the CDs he wants to buy. “Thanks, but I’ll pass. I’ve already got an amazing girl at home who doesn’t play mind games; I feel sorry for you guys putting yourself in such a bullshit head trip.” Looking over Yurie’s stack of dropped off flyers, he nods in their direction. “So, what are the ads for?”
Wes sighs heavily as he looks them over. “Roommate ads. Yurie’s wanting a roommate.”
“Why?”
He shrugs indifferently as he rings up Eren’s purchases. “She won’t say. Just said she needed a roommate and didn’t want it to be me. And now I gotta put up these stupid ads around Greenwich and Chelsea for a non-signed Metallica CD. Just my luck, huh?”
Chuckling throatily, Eren looks them over and sighs. “Fuck it, I’ll take a stack off your plate if you want.”
“Aww, seriously? You’d do that?”
“Why not?” Eren grins wide as he looks them over and flips through a few. “You did me a big favour giving me a job today, so I’d be happy to do this. I got a buddy who works at an internet café; I’m sure he’d be fine taking some of these.”
“Aww, Jesus, thanks so much, man,” Wes chuckles in relief as he prints off a receipt and hands the CDs back to Eren. “Seriously, I appreciate it after that shiv to my ego.”
“No problem,” he chuckles and stuffs the flyers into his manila envelope. “Consider it done. I’ll see you on Thursday.”
“Yeah, thanks, Eren. See you then.”
Eren shuffles and heads out; a big grin on his face as he steps out into the bright sunny afternoon weather. Breathing in deep, despite the smells of New York, Eren’s happier than ever; he’s got a signed album, he’s got a job, and he’s got an amazing girlfriend who he never has to question or doubt. If anything, today’s taught him to be grateful for what he has; God knows, he could be in too deep with a mind-fucker like Wes is.
“God, that sounds like hell,” Eren chuckles and shakes his head as he begins to make his way to the neighbourhood of East Village; his strides wide and purposeful as he walks among other fast-moving New Yorkers. He’s got phone calls to make, flyers to drop off, and maybe time for a coke and a hot pocket while he’s at it; his stomach growling audibly to remind him to eat.
A while later, he steps inside The Wire Room, a dimly lit internet café situated in East Village. Lofi music beats play over the speakers as a few neon lights hang off the walls. People sit hunched over computers as the audible sounds of keyboards clacking flows through the cafe in a constant rhythm. At the bar stands a young man with short blonde hair covered under a beanie, black, thick-rimmed glasses, and a bored expression on his face as he hunches over his small, handheld The Simpsons space mutant game. His brows furrowed, he presses the small game pads rapidly as he tries to make a tiny graphic of Bart Simpson jump and dodge alien ray gun blasts over and over again.
Eren can’t help but smirk as he strides up to the counter and slaps his manila envelope down. “Yo, Armin, you realize you’re supposed to be working, right?”
“Fuck,” Armin startles at his friends voice and practically fumbles the game system out of his hands before quickly pausing it. “I’m on a roll, Eren. I can’t stop now.”
“Uhh huh, sure you can’t,” he laughs as he slides onto a bar stool.
“Meh, it’s not like I’ve got my hands full,” Armin smirks mischievously as he looks around the café. “Once these guys get the password to the internet, they pretty keep to themselves.”
“God, they look like zombies,” Eren says as he looks around at all the hunched over customers, mostly men, scrolling through crude and bright black and white screens. “What’s so great about the world wide web anyways?”
“I dunno, they say it’s gonna be everywhere in ten years. Might even have your own internet at home, Eren. I know I will.”
Eren scrunches his face. “Mmm, no, I think I’ll pass. I’m not really into that geeky stuff.”
“Suit yourself,” Armin shrugs and smirks. “So, you want anything?”
“Yeah, can I get a coke and a hot pocket?” he asks as he rubs his stomach. “I’m starving.”
“Sure, man, no problem.” Armin quickly grabs one out of the freezer to toss in the microwave before grabbing a can of Coke as well.
“So, I got a job today; over at that record shop near 4th and Perry.”
“Oh? Uhh, Vinyl something, right?”
“Vinyl Underground,” he grins proudly. “I start Thursday. Pay’s shit and but it’s 25 hours a week and it’ll get my folks off my back for a while at least.”
“Ahh, that’s great, Eren,” Armin grins. “Well, I’m glad for you. It’s good to have something to do during the day. Are you gonna tell Mikasa?”
“Yep, I was planning to. Oh, before I forget…” Eren quickly pulls a stack of Yurie’s rental ads out of his envelope. “I offered to do a favour for the guy who gave me a job. Do you mind putting these in the flyer rack?”
“Nah, man, go ahead and put them over there. What’re they? For a roommate?”
“Yeah, apparently the guy’s on-again off-again’s lookin’ for a roommate,” he sighs as he hops off the stool to go stack the flyers among others from the community in a small wooden book rack. “Figured maybe this might be a good place for them.”
“Wha—for a female roommate?”
“Yeah.”
“Eren, girls don’t come in here,” Armin flushes as he looks around. “This place is for nerds and old guys scouring the web.”
“For what?” Eren raises his eyebrow.
“Trust me, you don’t wanna know.”
“You’re right, I don’t,” he sniffs in slight disgust as the microwave dings and Armin pulls out his hot pocket before dropping it quickly on the counter.
“Fuck. Careful, man, this is hot.”
“Ahh, let it cool down. Can I borrow your phone to call up Mikasa with the good news?”
“Sure, no problem,” Armin sighs as he pulls out a rotary phone to slide over to his best friend. “You wanna play a round of cards afterwards?”
“Sure, I’m game.” Grinning excitedly, Eren quickly dials up the number for The Village Voice; naturally knowing it off the top of his head. It rings once, twice, before its picked up and he quickly clears his throat. “Uhh, hey, is Mikasa in right now?.... Great, can you pass her the phone? It’s Eren….” The two guys shift and grin at each other as Eren checks the time on his watch. “Mikasa? Hey, babe, how’s work going? Terrific, listen, I wanna take you out for dinner tonight. I got some great news and I wanna celebrate…. Yeah, I’m gonna go home and grab my bike and pick you up at your place, say around 7; I’m just at Armin’s café right now. That sound good?..... Great, wear something nice, I wanna keep you for a while…. Love you too, babe…. Bye.”
With that, he grins wide and hangs up; his smile boyish with excitement and a thrill of the night that lays ahead of him. “Fuck, life doesn’t get much better than this, does it?”
“That it does not,” Armin smirks as he passes Eren his hot pocket and coke. “This one’s on the house, so enjoy it.”
“Ahh, thanks, man,” Eren sighs as opens his can of coke; Armin joining him as he opens his own. “Care if I make a toast?”
“Sure, be my guest.”
“Ahh, let’s say here’s to us,” Eren says proudly as he holds his can up in the air and clinks it with Armin's. “Let life only go up from here, huh?”
Notes:
Hey everyone! Hope you enjoyed this chapter; now we're starting to get going! If you liked this, please feel free to subscribe, leave a comment, and/or kudos! Everything is very much appreciated! I'll be posting again on Friday so stay tuned! Cheers!
Chapter 4: Lovers Scheme
Chapter Text
Later that evening, just as the sun’s beginning to set, a low rumbling sound rolls through the streets of Soho as Eren rides his motorcycle up to the entrance of Mikasa’s apartment. Braking right at the doors, Eren quickly pulls off his helmet and checks his reflection in his side mirrors; licking his fingers to slick back the loose strands of his manbun and readjusting his red tie against his black suit. Shifting in his seat as his bike rumbles beneath him, Eren’s chest swells with excitable pride at the idea of celebrating his new job with the woman he loves and spending tonight in her arms if he gets a chance. Trying not to overstep the excitement at what lies ahead of him tonight, Eren doesn’t even notice Mikasa stepping outside and stopping in her tracks to take him in.
Mikasa, dressed in a black sweater and red tartan skirt with her black sheer tights and boots, looks absolutely divine in the waning light of sunset; the glowing hues of orange hitting her thick black hair to give off a pleasant aura. Eren, sensing her presence, quickly turns to see her and a big smile grows across his face as he takes her in.
“Wow, look at you,” he murmurs; his voice thick feelings of awe and adoration as she walks up to him and leans in for a kiss on the lips. He obliges, quickly reaching out for her hand as he sweetly presses his lips to hers for a moment of quiet intimacy; breathing in the faint scent of cherry blossoms from Mikasa’s favourite shampoo as he does. All too soon, Mikasa pulls away as Eren irresistibly licks his lips and hands her his spare helmet for the road. “Hey, babe.”
“Hey,” she laughs gently as she pulls the helmet on and clips it securely. “Where are you taking me tonight?”
“I thought we’d go somewhere romantic. Nice dinner on the Hudson sound good?”
“It sounds perfect,” Mikasa giggles as she slides into the seat behind him and wraps her arms around his slender waist; her head gently resting on Eren’s broad back. His cheeks flush softly at the sensation of her touch as his hand slips down to hold hers for a moment; Eren’s chest swelling with love for the women resting flush against him.
“You ready to go, Mikasa?”
“Yeah…”
“Okay,” he murmurs softly; revving up his throttles and kicking up his bike’s kick stand to pull away from Mikasa’s building and speed off down the street. Eren speeds past cars and yellow cabs; weaving in and out of traffic and driving between lanes as they head out of Soho and drive west to make their way to the shops, restaurants, and harbours lining the Hudson River. Finally, they pull into the parking lot of a riverside restaurant, The Pierside, and Eren quickly hops off his bike and pulls off his helmet as Mikasa watches on with a smile. Eren grins at her as he smooths down his suit jacket; swiping off the dust before he clears his throat and offers her his arm.
“Shall we?”
Mikasa laughs softly and slides off her seat to take his arm as well; Eren being the perfect, if somewhat cheeky, gentleman as he leads her up to the riverside restaurant. As they step inside and wait for their turn to be seated, Eren looks his girlfriend over; always so blown away at how breathtaking she looks with her soft grey eyes and her pretty black hair. Mikasa keeps her eyes lowered as she often does when they’re together in a romantic place like this, as if she’s too overcome with demureness and shyness to gaze up.
When the hostess comes for them, Eren grins as he steps up to her booth. “Hey, we have a reservation for two under Jaeger.”
The hostess quickly looks over her book before grinning cordially. “Of course, welcome Mr. Jaeger and Ms. Ackerman; follow me this way.”
Eren and Mikasa exchange smiles as they step through to follow the hostess into a beautiful glass eating room, white with tablecloths and pristine damask wallpaper. The floor to ceiling windows overlook the sunset on the river and the distant Statue of Liberty overlooking New York Harbour. Mikasa’s eyes widen with delight as she takes in the classy interiors complete with a chandelier the couple pass under as they’re escorted right up to a windowside table.
“Oh my god, Eren, this place is beautiful,” she exclaims softly as they both slide into their seats. “I can’t remember the last time we went somewhere so nice.”
“Mmm, definitely haven’t been to a place like this since I dropped outta med school,” Eren smirks before turning to the hostess. “Can we get a bottle of white wine?”
“White wine?” Mikasa blinks as she places her napkin on her lap and tucks some hair behind her ear.
“Yeah, absolutely, it’s a special occasion,” Eren beams as the hostess quickly writes down his order.
“We have Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio that pairs well with chicken…”
“You decide, babe.”
Mikasa laughs softly and smiles brightly; contently staring up at the hostess. “We’ll get the Pinot Grigio.”
“Sounds perfect, your waitress will be by with that shortly,” the hostess nods before turning to walk off.
Mikasa watches her go before turning her gaze to Eren; the two smiling cheekily as she searches his eyes curiously. “Okay, Eren, it’s been long enough. Are you gonna tell me the good news or not?”
Eren grins mischievously; humming and acting coy as he leans his arms on the table. “Ahh, let’s wait till the wine gets here. No rush, right?”
Sighing in good humour and rolling her eyes playfully, Mikasa nods. “Right.”
“Why don’t you tell me some news about you in the meantime?” Eren grins as he reaches across the table to lightly graze his fingers over her hand. “How was work at The Voice today?”
“Oh, most of the same,” Mikasa chuckles gently. “They want me to do some political comic about Rush Limbaugh being an jerk. He’s been saying things about gay people again.”
“Of course he has,” Eren sighs and rolls his eyes. “I’m amazed you can even sit in that room dealing with all the political shit that’s going on right now.”
Mikasa sighs and shrugs. “Yeah, it’s a bummer; I won’t lie. It can get depressing at times, Eren. I’m not… I’m not a political person and I wanna be but I feel kinda like the odd one out when I go into the office to work.”
“Why the odd one out?” Eren raises his eyebrow.
“Just cause I’m not gay,” Mikasa shrugs. “I don’t… I don’t know, I don’t really get Greenwich Village culture. All this gay liberation and AIDS activism; I’m trying to wrap my head around it so I can be more present but it’s overwhelming.”
“I get it,” Eren nods in understanding as he crosses his arms over the table. “It’s not something you fall into easily if you aren’t gay or raised in, you know, a super progressive place…” He trails off as their waitress comes by with their bottle of white wine; uncorking it and pouring out two glasses.
“Have you two decided what you’d like to order?”
“Yeah, I’ll get the steak, medium rare, and steamed vegetables,” Eren offers with a smile.
“I’ll get the crab salad…” Mikasa adds as she hands over their menus.
“Perfect,” the waitress grins and nods as she scribbles down their orders before taking the menus. “I’ll take that to the kitchen right away. Enjoy the wine.”
Eren nods as she leaves before turning to stare back at Mikasa with a small smile; his green eyes soul-searching hers. “You know, if you’re too uncomfortable with The Village Voice, maybe it’s time to find work somewhere else.”
“No, it’s not that,” Mikasa says assuringly as she reaches to squeeze his hand. “I… I wanna be more involved, I think I do. It’s just something I have to find my own way into on my own time.”
Eren nods as he looks her over; offering her a small smile. “I’m proud of you, Mikasa. I really am. I never thought you’d work at a place like that but you’re sticking it out.”
“Thanks,” she chuckles softly before tilting her head playfully. “Now, are you gonna tell me this big news, orrr—”
“Okay, okay,” Eren laughs as he retracts his hand to adjust his jacket. “I get it, I’ve held you in suspense long enough.” He clears his throat and straightens his suit and red tie. “I got a job today.”
Mikasa’s eyes widen in surprise, and she breaks out into a gleeful smile. “What? Are you serious, Eren?”
“I am absolutely serious,” he beams proudly. “I mean, don’t get too excited; it’s only a part-time job at a record store. But it’s still a job, right?”
“Right!” Humming and nodding, Mikasa leans across the table to kiss his cheek and lips in happiness. “It’s still a paycheque; it’s still a way for you to get out of the apartment and work till you figure out what you’re doing.”
“Exactly,” Eren chuckles happily as she sits back down; raising his glass and Mikasa quickly raising hers in toast. “May this be the first of many steps ahead of us, eh?”
“Yes,” she beams and tings her glass against his. “I hope this is just the beginning for us, Eren.”
“Of course it is,” he says before taking a long sip of his wine and sighing as his smile remains etched in his face. “Truth be told, I was thinking about the possibility of us maybe… looking into our plans one day…”
Mikasa blinks, somewhat taken aback by his proposition. “Our plans?”
“Yeah, you know,” Eren beams as blushes slightly across his cheeks. “I was thinking maybe in a year’s time, once I’ve been working long enough, maybe you and I could look into moving in together.”
Mikasa’s breath hitches as a small smile grows across her face; the thought of moving in with Eren and the two of them waking up in each other’s arms day in and day out too tempting to pass on. “I’d love that, Eren. Really, I really would.”
Eren grins as his green eyes twinkle with the last of the day’s sunlight shining on them. “I would love that too. So, let’s make it a reality, ok?”
Nodding in happy agreement, the couple unlink their hands as their food arrives and fall into a comfortable silence as they begin to eat; no doubtm their minds collectively imagining a time in the not-to-distant future when they can well and truly be together forever.
After dinner, as the waning hour of dusk turns to night, Eren and Mikasa slide back on his bike; both full and satisfied as Eren looks over his shoulder. “Do you have to go home right away?”
“No,” Mikasa laughs and shakes her head. “I have a few hours before my parents will worry.”
“Great. My place then?”
“Mmm, I’d love that,” she sighs happily and leans into him to press a kiss to his blushing face; only making Eren blush all the more at the sensation.
“Okay, let’s head there then.”
Eren kicks up the stand and quickly veers out into the traffic; heading north for a few minutes on their way to Chelsea Market where Eren’s dingy little apartment sits. The nightlife begins to awaken as they drive past underground nightclubs, bars, and adult shops opening up to let the people in. All of this side of New York turns into one giant rowdy red-light district once the sun goes down but it hardly phases Eren and Mikasa. It’s all a part of the city’s façade after all; as much a part of New York as The Empire State Building.
Soon the couple pull up to Eren’s apartment building and Eren steers the motorcycle into the side alley where a fenced-in bike locker sits. Killing his engine and helping Mikasa down, he quickly unlocks the fence and steers his bike inside; locking it securely and throwing a tarp over it before he steps back out and locks the fence once more.
With that, he takes the small of Mikasa’s back and walks her through the side alley up to the entrance to his apartment; his fingers splaying over her skin in a suggestive gesture of what’s to come. Mikasa’s cheeks heat up as the anticipation of what lies ahead builds; she and Eren quickly heading inside the apartment lobby and rushing up the stairs with their hands laced together. Squeezing and laughing as the couple climbs floor after floor, the two can practically feel the tension hovering over their heads as they ascend floor after floor before they finally reach the 9th and pant as they trek down the hallway to reach Eren’s tagged door. He swallows a breath of air to catch his breath as he quickly pulls his keys out of his pocket and unlocks the door before turning to roguishly grab Mikasa and pull her inside to her giggles of delight.
The door barely has time to close behind them before Mikasa jumps up into Eren’s arms as he pushes her against the door frame; their lips crashing together desperately as they breathe in deep. Eren’s lips overtake hers as he lets out a full moan into her and Mikasa responds in a moan just as needy. Their tongues slide together, fighting for dominance, as he hoists her higher against the door to her excitement.
“I want you,” he pants huskily into her lips; his voice gruff and husky as his green eyes darken with desire.
Mikasa pants too as she kisses him lightly before pulling back to stare into his eyes. “I want you more than anything…” she whispers as her grey eyes turn stormy with lust.
Eren offers her a full smirk as he leans in to kiss her once more; his tongue overtaking her own as it slides fully inside her mouth to Mikasa’s short breaths of anticipation. Pulling back from the door frame, Eren carries her through his small bachelor pad and towards his pull-out futon; dropping them both on the thinner cushion to their gasps.
Mikasa pants and smiles happily up at her man as his hands make quick work of pulling her black sweater up and over her head; revealing her large breasts inside her black lace bra within. Eren lets out a full groan as he sets his eyes on them and quickly plunges his lips into the material to kiss her flesh needily as Mikasa lets out a soft cry of pleasure. She bites her soft pink lips and cards her fingers through his thick dark manbun as his groans vibrate through her skin and send shivers through her spine.
“Oh, Eren…” she whines softly and bites her lip again as she feels his fingers move behind her back to unclasp her bra; freeing her breasts as he tosses it aside.
“Oh, Mikasa,” he murmurs huskily before plunging his face into her once more to clamp his mouth around her pink nipple; sucking softly as she lets out a full moan of pleasure.
Mikasa cradles his head to her and pants as she rolls her head back; the sounds of sirens, honking cars, and dog barks doing little to dull the intensifying lust filling this small space. Breathing heavily as she feels Eren suckle and kiss her hardening nipple with growing pleasure, Mikasa’s hands reach to pull his suit jacket off before he pulls away with a hard pant to help her. Eren quickly has time to pull off his jacket, unbutton and pull off his shirt and unbuckles his belt before Mikasa grabs his red tie to pull him back down on top of her to his breathless laugh.
Throwing her arms around him, she kisses him fully as his hands continue to unbuckle and unzip. Eren pulls away to pant against her lips as he hikes her tartan skirt up roughly and pulls his hard, thick, veiny cock roughly out of his pants. Sliding his fingers beneath Mikasa’s underwear, Eren pants and smirks against her lips as he feels a slick heat coat his fingertips.
“You’re ready for me,” he murmurs and kisses her softly. “You’re so ready for me….”
“Ohh, god, Eren…” Mikasa pants and arches in anticipation. “Please…”
“Tell me you want me,” Eren says with a tinge of a whine as he moves his body to lay between her legs; aligning himself as he pulls her panties aside.
“I want you. Oh god, I want you so badly…”
Eren lets out a small growl of need and bears his forehead into Mikasa’s as she cups his face lovingly. The two brace themselves and let their lips crash into a passionate kiss as Eren pushes fully inside Mikasa; causing her to gasp loudly and grip his back desperately as he lets out a low moan. He pauses for a moment, letting her adjust to him as they both pant out short and breathless gasps.
“Ar—are you okay?”
“Yea—yeah, Eren, please keep going,” she whimpers as she wraps his red tie around her hand to pull him down into her; Eren quickly bearing his weight into Mikasa as he kisses her desperately and begins rolling his hips into hers with each needy thrust.
The couple pant and moan into each other’s lips as they rock together as one. Mikasa raises her hips to meet Eren’s; arching her back under him exquisitely to push her curvy and soft breasts against his hardened chest as he groans gutturally. Eren’s arms wrap completely around Mikasa; boxing her in and carding his fingers through her thick black hair as they keep moving. This causes Mikasa to sigh beautifully; her eyes fluttering in pleasure as she feels Eren stretch and fill her again and again.
Eren’s chest heaves as he leans on his elbows and kisses her again and again; his grunts coming with every thrust inside her as she keeps moaning fully and rolling her head back against his squeaking futon.
“Ohh, Eren…” she whimpers and gasps fully; arching and crying out when a wave of full pleasure hits her as Eren’s cock begins sliding against a bundle of nerve endings inside her.
He lets out a full groan and deep chuckle to see her gasp and wince and whimper in pleasure beneath him as he begins to quicken his pace. His small apartment, decked with band posters and crappy second-hand furniture, fills with the sounds of their cries and the lewd noise of Eren moving inside Mikasa’s snug and slick pussy as they keep moving faster and faster together.
Eren moans fully as he begins to grip his bedsheets; white knuckling them in an effort to maintain his slipping control. “Oh god,” he hisses and groans through gritted teeth. “Oh fuck, I’m losing it…”
“Oh god, Eren,” Mikasa whimpers in full pleasure. “Oh, give it to me…”
His lips crash roughly into hers and his pace quickens right then and there; Eren’s hips snapping into Mikasa’s again and again as the two draw closer and closer to their climax. Mikasa’s cheeks redden and burn as she writhes under Eren and quickly wraps her legs around his waist; feeling her lower belly heat and tighten as he grunts and groans and thrusts as fast as he can. The room fills with their growing cries of pleasure and the slapping of skin against skin as they build to their crescendo.
Mikasa throws her head back and arches against her lover fully as her toes curl and her body is pushed over by waves of overpowering pleasure flowing through her. As she climaxes, Eren cries out and grabs Mikasa’s hand to pin it into the futon. “I’m cumming, oh, fuck, I’m cu—” he quickly stops as he lets out a full guttural groan and shudder; spilling himself deep inside her.
In a full groan of release, Eren leans into Mikasa and kisses her passionately; his love for her written on his lips as he holds her to him before collapsing into her. He groans again in exhaustion as his chest heaves against hers; his sweaty skin flush against hers. The two pant together and let their heaving breaths slow and steady as they lay in a heavy lover’s bliss together.
Finally, Eren sighs as he reluctantly pulls away to roll off Mikasa and stare at the ceiling as she wearily moves to cuddle against him. “That was fucking incredible,” he sighs happily and plants a kiss into her black hair. “Fuck, Mikasa, every single time with you is incredible…”
“And it is with you,” Mikasa beams as she gazes up at him lovingly and lets her hand rub his bare tattooed chest. “I love it when you make love to me.”
Eren’s chest visibly swells hearing those words come from her lips and a small smile grows across his face. He takes her chin between his fingers and raises it gently to get a better look at her. “We can be together all the time, Mikasa. That’s what I want more than anything.”
“I agree…”
“Yeah, I really love the idea of us moving in together,” he sighs and kisses her hair tenderly as he pulls her closer to his chest. “To think, we could wake up every morning doing this. I just need some time to get my life sorted and figure out what I wanna do.”
“Mmm, well, the record store sounds promising,” she sighs as she wraps her arm around him. “I know it’s not much right now but it’s a start.”
“Mhmm, it’s something,” he nods in agreement. “Maybe it’ll lead me to figuring out what I wanna do. I know I’ve been kinda… aimless these days.”
“I don’t mind that you are,” she sighs contently as she cuddles into his sweaty chest. “You’ll find it one day, Eren. I know you will.”
“Yeah…” Eren nods as he gives it a long think over. “I just need to find my path… so I can be the kinda man you deserve, Mikasa…”
Mikasa moves to roll onto Eren’s chest and gaze down at him gently; her soft grey eyes taking him in. “You already are that man, Eren…”
The two share a soft and loving smile between them; leaning in to press a soft lingering kiss to each other’s lips. It’s the type of airy kiss that demands nothing and yet says everything that needs to be said between them. It’s the type of kiss between two lovers who know they were meant for one another.
Mikasa pulls away after a minute and cuddles into Eren’s arms; hearing his strong and steady heartbeat against her ear as she feels his hand move up to tenderly caress her hair. She breathes him in, and sighs in complete contentment as a small, knowing smile grows across her face.
“You know… I have some good news too…”
“Oh? What is it?”
Mikasa nuzzles into Eren more as he rubs her back supportively. “I spoke to my parents this morning… I’m gonna move out…”
Eren blinks in surprise and can’t stop the laugh that bursts from him as he holds her. “Are you serious? Your mom agreed to something like that?”
“She did,” Mikasa beams as she looks up at him. “I told her and Dad that I need some space; that I need to be able to start making my own decisions and building my independence…”
“And they said yes to that?” he asks; unable to contain his skepticism.
“Well… they did in their own way,” Mikasa admits with a blush. “They want me to move in with a roommate; some other girl somewhere.”
“Ohh…” Eren nods slowly. “Well… I guess that’s not such a bad idea… I mean, I didn’t expect them to ever agree to us living together.”
“No, my mom wouldn’t ever agree to that,” Mikasa shakes her head adamantly. “You know she’d think it improper. But if I could find a roommate who doesn’t mind me having you over… it would kinda be like we were living together…”
The wheels turning in his head, Eren slowly nods as his smile grows. “Yeah… I guess it would. And I mean… if you have a room there and I came over to spend a night or two… or you just kept your stuff over there and came here for some long stretches… it might not be a bad idea.”
“Yeah, I was thinking it’s the perfect cover story for me to sneak off and be with you,” Mikasa grins almost conspiratorially. “I just need to find a girl who would… maybe be up for playing ball with us…”
“You mean someone who wouldn’t be prudish about us? Maybe even cover for us if your mom shows up unannounced.”
“Yeah…something like that…”
Eren’s eyes wander over to a small envelope sitting on his counter and he looks at Mikasa; his smile turning devilishly rogue. “I think I’ve got the perfect girl for us…”
“Huh? Who?” Mikasa blinks in confusion as he slides out from under her and saunters over to his counter; fishing inside his envelope to quickly flip through his printed resumes.
“I don’t know her; haven’t even been introduced to her. But she was in the record shop today handing out ads for looking for roommate. She’s uhh, I guess on-again, off-again with Wes, my manager; she’s one of these ‘I don’t believe in monogamy’ types from the sound of it.”
“A non-monogamy type?” Mikasa sits up in shock as Eren pulls out an extra ad to walk back to bed; flopping down on his thin futon mattress before passing her a flyer.
“Yep. Apparently, she’s dating around; girls and guys from the sounds of it.”
“Like a… an easy girl,” Mikasa says slowly; as if she can’t picture it in her head. “You mean? A…” she trails off and flushes; unable to say the exact word.
“Yeah,” Eren grins and nods as he leans back on his elbow to stare up at his girlfriend. “One of those girls your mom worries you’ll turn into if you move out on your own.”
“No, I can’t live with her,” she says adamantly as she shakes her head. “Mom would never allow it.”
“Well, it’s not like it’s any of our business, right?” Eren says as he looks over the ad. “I mean, to each their own; I’m not judging. At least we know she wouldn’t have a problem with us. Besides, I think you’d like her.”
“I would?” Mikasa scoffs in disbelief.
“Yeah, I think you would. She’s feisty, catty, she seems to hold her own against Wes at least. If nothing else, I bet she’d be good material for story time with the gang.”
“Oh you think so?”
“What, a sex-crazed bisexual with commitment issues and a love for Madonna—fuck, she practically is Madonna,” Eren rolls his eyes and shrugs. “I don’t think there’d be a dull moment if you were around her.”
Mikasa hums at that and passively looks over the girl’s flyer before reading it out loud. “Wanted: Seeking Female Roommate for Two Bedroom on Jane and West overlooking the Hudson. Tenant is 23, Single…” Mikasa rolls her eyes at that, “And a dance grad with a cat and two jobs. Rent is $420/month with shared utilities, phone, and cable an extra $25. Please call to book a viewing… oh I don’t know…”
“I dunno, doesn’t sound half bad to me. At least she seems responsible.”
“That’s true…” Mikasa concedes as she looks over the ad. “I just don’t know…”
“Why don’t you go in and look? Take your mom with you and see how the place is, how she is, and if you don’t get a good vibe, on to the next place…”
Mikasa’s eyes narrow as she looks Eren over. “Why are you so interested in me moving in with her?”
Eren shrugs and grins. “Cause I think it’d be fun. I think she’d be fun to have in our corner. C’mon, would you rather have her or some prudish, WASPy roommate who’s gonna look at me funny?”
“Mmm, true…” Mikasa says as she looks over the ad again. “At least she knows your manager so she’s not… a complete stranger…” Slowly moving to stretch out on the bed, she feels the floor for Eren’s telephone; grabbing the bulky device to pick it up and plop it on his bed as he grins in amusement. Sighing heavily, she looks him over. “I can’t believe I’m gonna do this. My mom will hate her.”
“Mmm, guess you won’t know till you find out,” Eren smirks as he leans more on his elbow to watch on as Mikasa eyes the number and slowly dials it on his keypad; lifting the receiver reluctantly to her ear as it rings a few times.
Finally, a gruff man picks up and gruffly clears his throat. “Uhh, hello?”
“Hi… uhh, umm, I was wondering if I could speak to Yurie? This is her number, right?”
“Uhh, yeah, just a sec,” the guy says before audibly pulling away. “Yurie! Someone’s calling you…” The muffled sound of a feminine voice can be heard in the background as the guy comes back on the receiver. “Uhh, yeah, give her a minute.”
Mikasa eyes Eren who grins at her; shaking her head and eyeing the ad as if to reassure her doubts as she waits for the other woman to pick up.
Soon enough, the phone’s raised to a mouth once again. “Hello?” a breathy, slightly sultry, feminine voice comes on the phone.
“Hi, this is Yurie?”
“Yeah, that’s me… who’s this?”
“Uhh, hi, I was calling because my boyfriend ran across your ad at uhh… some vinyl record shop—Velvet Underground—”
“You mean Vinyl Underground?”
“Right, Vinyl Underground. He works there now, and he got a flyer for a roommate ad; I’ve been looking to move in with someone so he thought I should call you up.”
There’s a pause on the other end before the woman hums. “Ohhh, the new guy. I think Wes mentioned him to me. It’s um, Eren, right?”
“Yeah, that’s my boyfriend. Was that Wes just now?”
“Oh, no,” Yurie chuckles. “We’re taking a break right now, for the better. So, what’s your name, then?”
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t give it. My name’s Mikasa… I live in Soho with my parents, and I’m really interested in moving out; my mom’s kind of the overbearing, traditional type.”
“Oh,” Yurie hums. “I know those types well; trust me.”
“Yeah, she means well but it gets to be too much. I’m 23 and she treats me like I’m still a teen,” Mikasa let out before wincing; why is she oversharing?
Yurie just laughs and sighs. “Oh, wow, I can see why you wanna move out then. Do you have a job?”
“Yeah, I work down at The Village Voice,” Mikasa blushes as Eren looks on with a grin. “I’m an illustrator there.”
“Oh, get out! One of my friends, Kyle, works down there as a journalist!”
“Kyle? Oh, I know him! He’s a wonderful guy! He and I share tea packets all the time!”
“Ohh, Kyle’s a sweetheart,” Yurie hums happily. “A city of millions and it’s still a small world, huh?”
“Yeah, it is,” Mikasa can’t help but smile; suddenly overtaken by how easily she’s managed to fall into conversation with Yurie. She clears her throat as she eyes her keen boyfriend who raises his eyebrows at her. “Umm, so one of the reasons I want to move out is I have Eren, and my mom doesn’t… my mom doesn’t really approve of us spending the night together… if you know what I mean…”
There’s another pause before Yurie bursts out laughing. “Ahh, I see. So there’s the rub…”
“Yeah… oh god, it sounds kinda pathetic now that I say it out loud.”
“No, I totally understand. You’re an adult, you want an adult relationship without being coddled. There’s nothing wrong with that, Mikasa…”
“No? You don’t think it’s corny?”
“Of course not. I don’t have any problems with that; it would be pretty hypocritical of me to. So… do you wanna come see the place, then?”
Mikasa nods before realizing Yurie can’t see her. “Yeah, I’d really like that if that’s alright with you. I… I’d have to bring my mother along with me. She wants to come with me everywhere.”
“No, that’s totally fine. It’s better if you do, it’ll make her feel better too, I’m sure. Don’t worry, my place can be turned boomer-friendly very quickly.”
“Oh, that’s a relief,” Mikasa chuckles in relief. “Can we come by tomorrow evening?”
“Uhh… evening’s aren’t great for me. I work during the evening most nights. Can you come by in the morning or afternoon?”
“Yeah, I can come by before work,” Mikasa hums. “My mom’s a housewife so she’s available to come with me whenever.”
“Okay, perfect. I’ll see you tomorrow at 8:30?”
“Yeah, 8:30’s perfect. Thanks so much, Yurie…”
“No problem. See you soon, Mikasa.”
There’s a click and the call drops as Mikasa beams and looks over at Eren who raises his eyebrows in expectation. “Well?”
“She pretty much said she’d be happy to play ball,” Mikasa sighs happily as she crawls back to slide onto Eren’s chest and wrap her arms around him.
“Oh? Really now?” he smirks under her.
“Yeah, I think we’ve got a whole new place we can have sleepovers in,” she coos gently before pressing a kiss into Eren’s lips as he wraps his arms around her. The two kiss fully and in sheer happiness at their streak of good luck; Eren quickly moving to roll on top of Mikasa once more as she lets out a sigh of anticipation.
The next morning, Mikasa and her mother, Kimiko, take a cab through Manhattan; driving the short distance from Soho up to Jane and West. Driving down West Street, the two gaze out at the decaying piers and small parks overlooking the Hudson River and New Jersey in the distance; now and then passing by people sleeping rough on park benches and in small tents.
“I don’t know about this, Mikasa…” Kimiko murmurs as she reaches up to finger her gold pendant necklace.
“Mom, I’m sure the apartment’s fine.”
“But you’d see this if you looked out your window every morning.”
Mikasa shrugs helplessly. “It can’t be helped Mom.”
“And can you not consider moving somewhe—”
“Mom, it’s New York. No where’s gonna be safe unless I move to the Upper East Side.”
“I’d be fine with that; quite frankly, I’d prefer it.”
“I don’t want to move to the Upper East Side. This place isn’t far from my work; I can walk home in no time at all.”
Kimiko hums and nods; not entirely satisfied with that answer but falling silent nonetheless as they pull up to Yurie’s building. It’s a tall brick apartment block with an iron grate fire-escape staircase leading to the top floor; not the classiest apartment but certainly not a dump either. The two Ackerman women slide out, Kimiko asking the cab driver to wait before she turns to look up at the building.
“I suppose it could be worse,” she sighs heavily.
Mikasa hums and nods before walking up to the door and scanning the call box directory with her finger. “Umm…. I don’t remember her last name.”
“How could you not get that? Didn’t you speak to her?”
“I did but—oh, wait, Wieder, Y. I think that might be her…” Mikasa quickly punches in the four-digit code and the call box rings several times.
“Hello?” a staticky female voice calls out.
“Hello, Yurie? It’s Mikasa! I’m here to see the place!”
“Oh, hi! Come right up! I’m in 601!” her voice exclaims excitedly before the door buzzes open.
The two women step inside and take in the old-fashioned lobby complete with a traction elevator; Mikasa apprehensively opening the gate for them to step inside before closing it behind them as her mother hits the button for the 6th floor. The elevator whirrs and slowly begins to lift off the ground, whirring loudly as it smoothly slides past floors.
“I haven’t been in one of these in ages,” Kimiko murmurs. “Why haven’t they updated this elevator?”
Mikasa quickly shrugs; as if she’d know anything about that. The elevator abruptly stops on the sixth floor and Mikasa slides the two gates open to step out; her mother quickly following her in apprehension of being trapped in an old-time mechanism. The duo walk down the hallway, brightly lit by an open window facing the Hudson, before they come up to the door for 601.
“Looks like I’d have a view of the river,” Mikasa offers as she knocks politely.
“Mmm.”
There’s the muffled sound of scurrying and scratches across the floor and a loud meow as feet pad to the door. “Kuromi, hush.” The door’s quickly unlocked and opened up by a beautiful, slender young woman with bright blue eyes and long red hair; a streak of bleach blonde hair trailing down the side of her face.
Mikasa’s breath hitches as she catches sight of her; a flashback of that flash of red from the other night and a strange redhead catching her eye as she walked outside the Japanese Cultural Centre. Now she’s standing here in a waitress uniform with a small black cat tucked into her arm as to not run away; a big, beautiful smile etched on her face as she gazes at the two women.
“Hi, Mikasa?”
“Yes, that’s me,” Mikasa quickly flusters and blushes; completely caught off guard by Yurie’s face. “This is my mother, Kimiko… she’s going to be looking at the place too.”
“Hello, I hope you don’t mind my presence,” Kimiko smiles and bows at Yurie; no doubt taken aback by the young redhead herself.
“No, of course not; come right in!” Yurie exclaims as she quickly steps back to allow the others passage. “Please don’t mind Kuromi, she likes to try and escape every time the door opens.”
“Aww, she’s so cute,” Mikasa coos as she steps in and pets the black cat. “She’s a baby, how old is she?”
“Just a few months old,” Yurie laughs softly as she pets her tenderly. “My friend’s cat had a litter, and I figured it would be nice to have a pet of my own for once.”
Mikasa hums and turns to look around the apartment; beaming wide as she sees a somewhat spacious and eclectically decorated living room with the far wall made of brick from an adjoining apartment building and containing an out-of-use fireplace. The windows indeed overlook the Hudson River and there’s even a bay window next to the iron staircase affixed to the brick outside. As for the living room, the plants are lush and green, and the furniture is second-hand quality but nice enough. The couch is situated next to the front door and overlooks a small tv sitting on top of a tv bench.
Kimiko hums as she walks through; taking in the bookshelves full of books and CDs before strolling into the small galley kitchen with room only for a small table at the end. Strolling up to it as it sits against a window, she looks out and down; humming in surprise. “You have a courtyard?”
“Yes, we do. It’s nice cause we have windows on both sides of this suite, and we don’t just face brick walls here. The courtyard’s open to tenants but you need a key to get out to it. People like to smoke out there…”
“Interesting.”
Mikasa and Yurie eye each other and beam before Yurie ushers her to follow along. She opens the door to a bathroom likewise overlooking the enclosed courtyard; white tiled with a foot claw bathtub and another door on the side. “I have access to this through my room so just knock in case I’m in here.”
“Okay…”
“And this is the second room,” Yurie says as she comes back out to take Mikasa to the door on the far end of the living room. Opening it, Mikasa walks into a small and empty room with the same brick wall and window overlooking the courtyard. The closet’s tiny and it’s on the small side but Mikasa can just as easily picture her bed in here with room for a dresser and maybe even her work desk if she moves things around.
“Sorry, it’s a little on the small side…” Yurie says as she idly pets Kuromi.
“No, it’s quite alright,” Mikasa grins as she takes it in. “Honestly, it’s not all that much smaller than my room back home. Right, Mom?”
Kimiko passes Yurie to step inside and look over it as well; her scrutinizing gaze taking it all in. Though there’s an air of apprehension to her, Mikasa notices she hasn’t outright scrunched her nose or scoffed or made any sort of disapproving gestures. All in all, Kimiko’s been a lot quieter than Mikasa expected her to be.
“How much is rent for this place?”
“$445 a month…” Yurie says as she clears her throat. “That includes cable, heat, water, and the telephone.”
Kimiko hums as she turns to her daughter who just smiles and nods. “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions, Ms. Wieder?”
Mikasa sighs in exasperation, “Mom—"
“It’s okay,” Yurie says with a casual shrug, “I don’t mind answering a few, Mrs. Ackerman. Would you like some tea in the meantime?”
Kimiko blinks in surprise; taken aback by Yurie’s hospitable gesture before she nods and smiles a little. “Ye—yes, tea sounds wonderful.”
The three turn and head for the kitchen where Mikasa and Kimiko sit down at the small table and watch as Yurie quickly pulls three small china cups out of her cupboard before throwing on her electric kettle.
“I have green tea, chai, and earl grey…”
“Green tea’s perfect, thank you.”
Yurie nods and pulls out three tea bags for the three women before leaning against her counter. “Alright, you had some questions?”
“Yes, I just want to make sure this place is suitable for Mikasa before I sign off on this…” Kimiko says as she flushes and nervously eyes her daughter. “I hope you don’t mind that; I’m not trying to be rude.”
“No, of course not,” Yurie nods her head in understanding. “I don’t mind at all if it puts your mind at ease.”
“Very well… I see you’re wearing a waitress outfit. Do you work at a place nearby?”
“Yes, I work at the diner just over by Washington Square Park; not that far from where Mikasa works. It’s called Sal’s Diner; it’s 24 hours so I work there nights and some mornings…”
“Oh, that’s wonderful; you two will be close by then. And do you have a boyfriend?”
Yurie flushes as the kettle comes to a full boil; turning her back as she pours out hot water into each teacup. “No, I don’t. I’m on my own right now.”
“Ahh, that’s not so bad,” Kimiko smiles empathetically. “You went to school for dance?”
“Yeah, I went to Leo Black’s Dance Studio for classes and got into NYU on a dance scholarship, so I got a BA in Dance from there a few months ago,” she says as she brings over a tray with their tea.
“Wow, you must be quite the exceptional dancer to get a scholarship. I bet your parents are very proud of you…”
Yurie’s smile falters a little at that before she sighs. “Truth be told, they weren’t terribly pleased. They aren’t happy I moved to New York to dance.”
“Oh? Where are they now?”
“They’re raising horses up north near Rochester. I try to see them every now and then but mostly we keep our distance from each other…”
“Oh, I’m very sorry to hear that,” Kimiko says as she eyes Mikasa; perhaps with a newfound gratitude for her relationship with her own daughter.
“Well, that’s why I wanted to find a roommate,” Yurie says quickly; eager to change the dampening mood in her kitchen. “I have friends here in New York, but I don’t really see any of them as people I’d want to live with. I was thinking… maybe it would be nice to have some new friends…” she says as her eyes fall on Mikasa; the two women gazing at each other as a small smile grows on their collective faces. “You seem like a lovely woman I’d like to know better, Mikasa.”
Mikasa hums and nods as she sips her tea thoughtfully. “I… I think I’d like that too, Yurie. If you’d like to have me as a roommate, I think I’d like to have you as one too…”
Kimiko eyes them both as a small smile grows on her face as well and the older woman nods her assent. “Very well, Mikasa. I think you living here would be most agreeable. Perhaps you two can become friends at the end of this…”
The two young woman beam and nod at that. “I’d like that,” Mikasa hums.
“So would I,” Yurie hums along and blows on her tea gently before taking a sip; a comfortable silence falling over the Greenwich apartment as the three women sit and drink their tea in peace.
A little while later and a few blocks north, Mikasa visits Eren’s apartment; letting herself in with the spare key he gave her. She tiptoes in and catches him lazily laying out on his pull-out futon as he watches MTV music videos on his crappy little TV. He smiles as he gazes up at her, his hands behind his head as his long hair lays splayed out and free.
“Hey, babe, how did everything go?”
Mikasa beams as she pulls off her prim cardigan and shirt and pulls down her skirt to kick off before crawling across the bed to lie on top of him. Smiling down at him, she kisses him teasingly. “I got in. I’m moving in on Sunday.”
Eren lets out a breath of laughter. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah, come Sunday…” Mikasa murmurs as she kisses him again. “You and I… will be free…”
Eren chuckles throatily as he wraps his arms around her and lets his hands splay across her supple backside. “Then that’s good enough for me, Mikasa.”
Chapter 5: Big Ed's Bed Emporium
Chapter Text
On Sunday morning, the air in the Ackerman condo fills with a sense of adventure and jubilation for Mikasa as she sighs softly into her pink pillow and cuddles into her girlhood bed. Even in sleep, she can sense the excitement in the air and when her alarm wakes her to the sounds of ‘Blue Monday’ on the radio, Mikasa wakes with a bright smile in sheer happiness over what lies ahead.
Today’s the day. Today’s the day she gains her independence and moves out of her parents’, and she couldn’t be more eager to get going. Quickly sitting up, Mikasa looks over her childhood bedroom; now full of a few boxes containing her clothes and things and a few stuffed animals for good measure. She’s packing the minimum, wanting to cultivate an entirely new bedroom for her new place without bringing over too many remnants of her old life. This is her first adult apartment; she’ll be leaving her childhood things to her childhood room.
As Mikasa eagerly begins dressing, stepping into some jeans, there’s a faint knock on the door. “Come in,” she calls out before she pulls down a white, tight top over her black bra.
“Good morning,” Kimiko hums as she steps into the bedroom and gives her daughter a small smile.
“Morning, Mom,” she says as she comes over and gives her a peck on the cheek.
“Your father’s going to take you over to Yurie’s after lunchtime. Is that agreeable?”
“Oh, Mom, I was really wanting to go for breakfast,” Mikasa gives her a small apologetic smile as she returns to packing up her work desk. “I wanted to hang out with Yurie, I’m so excited to get to know her better.”
“I’m glad you are but go after breakfast at least. Allow her some time to prepare for you before you rush over.”
Mikasa blushes slightly and nods. “Okay, I will…”
“Good. I thought you’d enjoy a hearty meal of pancakes?”
Mikasa’s eyes light up at that as she looks over at her mother. “Pancakes? Really, Mom?”
“I thought you’d want something a little more special today,” Kimiko smiles as she steps up to Mikasa and caresses her cheek lovingly; leaning in to press a kiss to her forehead. “My little girl is moving away from me, after all.”
“Mom, I’m only moving up the street. Grab a cab and you’ll see me in fifteen minutes…”
“If I’m lucky,” Kimiko chuckles with a tinge of sadness before dropping her arms as she turns to go. “I’ll start breakfast right away. Let me know when you’re finished packing.”
Mikasa watches her leave, hesitating for only a moment, before she rushes over to embrace her mother from behind. Kimiko stops in her tracks, stunned by her daughter’s spontaneous show of affection, before she turns within her arms to hug her back.
“I won’t be far,” Mikasa sniffles with a slightly cracking voice as she holds back tears. “Call me for anything and I’ll come; I won’t be long.”
“I know… thank you, Mikasa,” her mother says gently; a single tear trailing down her cheek. “I know I don’t say it as often as I should but I’m proud of you. I’m really proud of you…”
Mikasa’s chest swells with those words and for the first time in a very long time, she feels as though she’s struck common ground with her mother. “Thank you… and I’m proud of you too…”
“Proud of me? For what?”
“For letting me go,” Mikasa chuckles gently and kisses Kimiko’s temple. “It shows me you trust me enough to let me make my own choices… thanks, Mom.”
“Well… you’re welcome. Just remember, any sign of trouble—”
“And I’ll call you. I promise I will, Mom.”
Sometime later, Mikasa and her father, Thomas, roll up to the apartment on the corner of Jane and West; the Hudson River lapping on the pier just yards away. The two slide out of their waiting cab and begin unloading boxes from the trunk when there’s a loud whistle overhead. Mikasa and her father look up to see Yurie smiling and leaning on the iron railing of her fire exit staircase; the redhead looking chic in a black long-sleeved top, denim short shorts, and a single blonde streak.
“Hey!” she calls down with a wave. “Need some help?”
Mikasa and her father look at each other before gazing back up. “Yeah! We could actually!”
Yurie doesn’t say another word; disappearing inside her open window for a moment. Soon she ducks back out and onto the stairwell, now wearing tennis shoes as she bounds down the steps. She beams wider and wider the closer she gets to the ground before jumping down the last two steps to stride over with a slight skip to her step as Mikasa smiles on.
“Hey…”
“Hey. Yurie, this is my father…”
“Ahh, hi, Mr. Ackerman,” Yurie says with a bright and infectious smile as she reaches out for his hand.
Thomas smiles back and quickly shakes it. “Ahh, please, Thomas is fine…”
“Okay, Thomas it is,” she sighs happily before gazing at Mikasa with an obvious glint of mirth in her eyes. “Point me where you need me.”
“Ahh, there’s just two more boxes in the trunk, you think you can grab them?”
“Definitely,” her new roommate says as she pulls her hair into a high ponytail before heaving a little as she lifts the two boxes and heads for her fire escape stairwell. “Come, it’ll be easier using these stairs.”
Thomas and Mikasa share a look before they both lift their three boxes with ease and follow along behind Yurie; walking up the loud, iron staircase till they’ve reached the open window on the 6th floor. Yurie gently crouches and sits on the ledge to swing her legs inside, dropping the boxes on the couch before coming back.
“Okay, gimme yours.”
Mikasa passes her boxes through one at a time as Yurie groans slightly. “Jeez, either these are heavy, or I have crappy upper body strength.”
“Maybe a bit of both,” Mikasa smirks.
“Heyyy,” Yurie remarks with narrowing eyes and a smile. “Be nice.”
“Easy, girls,” Thomas chuckles at their easy banter before passing his boxes through to Yurie as well. “Alright, I’ll leave you to get settled, Mikasa.”
“Ahh, you’re not gonna stay, Dad?”
“Mmm, no, you don’t need my old rear crowding you, sweetheart,” he chuckles and gives his daughter a tight hug. “I need to go make sure your mother isn’t standing on a ledge somewhere.”
“Aww, poor Mrs. Ackerman,” Yurie pouts playfully.
“She’s fine. I’ll take her somewhere nice for lunch and I’m sure she’ll be alright.”
“Well, give Mom my best,” Mikasa says before Thomas nods to them both.
“I will. Take care, we’ll be checking in. It was nice meeting you, Yurie…”
“Same to you, Mr. Ack—Thomas,” Yurie says as she watches him head down the fire escape staircase before turning to Mikasa. “Aww, I thought he’d stay for tea.”
“Ahh, it’s alright,” Mikasa chuckles as she slides inside the window and sighs happily as she takes in Yurie’s eclectic living room of plants, records, and second-hand furniture. “He doesn’t like stepping in on girl time.”
“Ahh, is that what this is?” Yurie giggles and tucks her single lock of blonde hair behind her ear as she eyes the boxes. “So, uhh… where’s the rest of the stuff?”
“Huh?” Mikasa blinks as she looks it over. “What stuff?”
“Your stuff…”
“Like…”
“Like your bed? Hello?”
“Oh!” Mikasa winces and smacks her head. “Duh! I don’t have a bed. I was gonna head out later today and see if I could find one at that mattress place up at 17th and 9th; Honest Ed’s, I think . I’m gonna flea market the rest of what I need…”
“Ohh,” Yurie exclaims and grins. “Do you have someone who can bring it back? Cause there’s no way they’ll do same day delivery on a Sunday.”
“Oh, I asked Jean to do it.”
“Jean?”
“Yeah, he’s a friend of ours, Eren and me,” Mikasa says as she lifts her boxes to carry to her room. “He’s got a pick-up truck.”
“A pickup truck? In New York?” Yurie asks as she lifts hers as well to follow on her roommate’s heels.
“No, he lives in Jersey; Hoboken to be exact. It’s only a 20-minute drive across the river,” Mikasa sighs as she sets the boxes down in her vacant room. “I called and asked earlier, and he pretty much dropped everything he had on for the day to help me and Eren with the bed.”
“Wow, good for you,” Yurie smirks sarcastically as she puts her hands on her hips. “Having two guys on your beck and call.”
“Please, it’s not like that,” Mikasa rolls her eyes as her roommate eyes her closely. “Jean’s just a friend.”
“Mmm… so what about the other stuff?”
“Well… maybe we can get Jean to chauffeur us around, grab some other stuff. He’s really the only one of us with an actual car. Eren’s just got his bike.”
“Bicycle?”
“No, his motorcycle,” Mikasa boasts proudly. “He got it for his high school graduation; it’s practically his baby.”
“Aww, a guy with a bike,” Yurie sighs wistfully as she stares off in the distance. “God, I wish any of the guys I date had a motorcycle. I’d love to go for a ride.”
“Well, why don’t they?”
She shrugs as she turns to walk out; the two heading over to the kitchen. “I don’t know. Laziness, probably.”
“Wes doesn’t have a bike?”
“Ha!” Yurie laughs sarcastically as she pulls a bowl out of her cupboard and passes it to Mikasa. “Wes couldn’t be bothered to stay sober long enough to take lessons; only reason he learned to drive was to borrow his dad’s station wagon to smoke weed in. He doesn’t have enough fully functional braincells to operate heavier machinery than that.”
“Gee, wonder why you’d date a guy like that,” Mikasa smirks just as sarcastically as Yurie grabs some Special K cereal and drops it in her bowl before passing it on. “You seem so enamored with him.”
“Please, there’s no dating to be had,” Yurie mutters as she splashes milk in her bowl and sits up on the counter to eat. “We have fun together. That’s it.”
“That’s it?”
“Mmm, it’s a very…” Yurie pauses as she chomps her cereal, chews, and swallows. “It’s very ‘wham, bam, thank you, ma’am.’”
“Oh, is it?” Mikasa raises an eyebrow.
“Yeah, Wes comes here, we fool around, Wes goes home when I’m finished before he has any time to get on my nerves,” Yurie beams devilishly. “It’s a very good set-up… I mean, it was until Wes pissed me off for the last time.”
“He did?”
“Ugh,” Yurie rolls her eyes in disgust. “He left his boxers in my bedroom; he’s done it before. It’s his way of ‘marking his territory’ like some gross alpha male. He only used to do it when he knew I was seeing other guys but now he’s doing it for girls too. And my girlfriend saw it and she got pissed off; she doesn’t exactly like me being bisexual. She thinks it’s gross and the boxers were her last straw.”
“Oh… you’re bisexual?” Mikasa asks with a raised eyebrow as she moves to sit up on the opposite counter and dig into her own cereal.
“Mhmm, I guess I’d call myself that; I gotta call myself something, right?”
“What, you don’t think you’re bisexual?”
Yurie hums and shrugs. “I don’t know. I never really thought of it when I was growing up in Greenwich, Connecticut with my folks—”
“Wow, I heard that place is pretty wealthy!”
“Mmm… upper middle class, I guess,” Yurie says with a small, sheepish smile. “I mean, everyone there is as American as apple pie. White picket fences, green, cut lawns, American flags hanging over porches and all that. Growing up there, the thought of being anything other than straight as an arrow never even crossed my mind…”
“Until…”
Yurie’s quiet for a moment as she keeps eating before shrugging. “Until one day when I realized I wasn’t.”
“What? That’s it?”
“That’s what?”
“That’s it for finding out? You just…” Mikasa trails off, waiting for more.
“I just realized I liked girls too,” Yurie grins and shrugs as she sips up the remaining milk and drops her bowl in the sink. “That’s it, end of. What about you?”
Mikasa blinks in bewilderment. “What about me?”
Her roommate giggles as she runs her fingers through her long hair. “Are you straight?”
“Oh! Totally,” Mikasa says as she shovels a big mouthful of cereal into her mouth. “I have a boyfriend.”
“So?”
Mikasa swallows with a big gulp. “So? I have a boyfriend…”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t like girls too,” Yurie grins in mischievous mirth.
“Well, I don’t,” Mikasa shakes her head firmly. “Girls don’t do anything for me.”
“They don’t?”
“No. Only one who does anything for me is Eren.”
“Aww, that’s sweet. I bet if I asked him, he’d have the exact same answer,” Yurie says teasingly.
“He would. He better.”
“Attagirl,” she grins proudly as she takes Mikasa’s bowl and puts it in the sink. “Show him who calls the shots. So, you’re gonna call him about the bed?”
“Yeah, I might as well now. He might still be asleep. Where’s the phone?”
“On the coffee table.”
“Great,” Mikasa hops down and wipes off her jeans before heading over to the coffee table; grinning as she takes in Kuromi, the black cat, sleeping on the couch. She plops down next to her and the cat awakens to sniff over her hand.
“I love your cat so much! She’s so cute!”
“Isn’t she?” Yurie smiles as she comes over with a glass of orange juice to sit on the floor next to Mikasa. “I always wanted a cat, but my parents were staunch dogs and horses people.”
“Aww, they own horses?”
“Two,” Yurie raises two corresponding fingers. “They have a little ranch on their property.”
“Wow, how big is their property?”
“Couple of acres,” Yurie shrugs indifferently as she grabs the remote for the tv.
“So do you know how to ride?”
“Mhmm.”
“That’s so crazy,” Mikasa giggles as she grabs the phone receiver and begins dialing Eren’s number. “Maybe you’ll take me up there some time to check the place out. I always wanted to learn horseback riding.”
“Yeah…” Yurie smiles a little before turning her attention to the TV as Mikasa waits for Eren to pick up.
“Mmm… he—hello?” he murmurs, tired and confused, into the phone; clearly, he doesn’t recognize the number.
“Hey, baby, it’s me,” Mikasa smiles happily as she absently twirls the phone cord around her finger. “Did I wake you?”
“Mmm… yeah… I was in Jersey late last night…”
“Oh? For the band?”
“Yeah. Didn’t get back home till like 4am...”
“Aww, well I’m sorry I woke you up—”
“It’s fi—AHHH—it’s fine,” Eren yawns loudly before he attempts to strength his voice. “I’m up. So how did the move go, babe?”
“Oh, it went great,” Mikasa beams wide. “I’m here now at Yurie’s if you wanna say hi.”
“Mmm, nah. Don’t really have anything to say; I still haven’t met her, Mikasa.”
“Oh, well, that will change soon enough.”
“I’m sure it will,” he chuckles before sighing. “So? How was your mom this morning when you left?”
“She was trying to remain stoic as ever, but I know she was falling apart inside,” Mikasa sighs as she leans back on the couch to eye the TV as MTV News with Kurt Loder comes on.
“Aww, poor girl,” Yurie pouts up over her shoulder at her before turning back to the news about Michael Jackson.
“What did she say?”
“Nevermind,” Mikasa giggles as she taps Yurie’s shoulder with her toe. “I’m learning my roommate’s quite the teasing minx.”
Eren chuckles at that. “Yeaaah, I got that impression from her. When can I meet her?”
“Umm… well I need you and Jean to help me out with the bed pick-up today,” Mikasa says before tapping Yurie’s shoulder. “Hey, you wanna come with me to pick out a bed this aft?”
“I can but I have to be at work for 4.”
“Aww, you’ll probably miss out on Eren,” Mikasa pouts. “What time do you get home from work?”
“Umm… 2:30…”
“AM? You’re working almost 12 hours?” Mikasa asks in astonishment before Eren clears his throat.
“I told you I have 2 jobs…”
“I was gonna ask to spend the night if that helps. Thought you and I could break in that bed…” he chuckles suggestively.
Mikasa blinks before a coy smile creeps across her face; the young woman leaning back against the couch. “Oh? Really?”
“Yeah… I mean, that’s if you’re up to it… unless you wanna spend tonight with just your roommate…”
“No…I think I’d prefer the first option…”
“Okay, well then, I’ll spend the night and I’ll meet Yurie tomorrow… maybe…”
“Maybe?” Mikasa giggles.
“I gotta be up early to open the store for delivery, babe.”
“Isn’t it a little early for you to be doing that, Eren? You’re still training.”
“I am but I get the feeling Wes wants me to replace his sister. I think she’s going to college in September.”
“Ohh… more work equals more pay, right?”
“Mmm, I dunno. Probably just more hours. Anyway, I’ll come by the store once Jeanbo picks me up. We’ll help you out then.”
“Okay, baby, we’ll go flea market shopping after and grab some groceries,” Mikasa sighs happily. “I’ll see you then… bye…” With that, she hangs up and sighs in contentment. “Eren’s spending the night, I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not,” Yurie says as she eyes her chipped nails in disproval before getting up to grab some nail polish from her bathroom. “This is your place too, he’s welcome anytime.”
“Aww, well thank you,” Mikasa calls out as she beams and crosses her arms with a big sigh. “It feels weird having this as my place; I feel like I’m just stopping by here.”
“Well, you get yourself some stuff to leave around the apartment. It’ll start feeling like your place in no time.”
“You think I can hang up some pictures and posters?”
“Sure, why not,” Yurie beams as she comes back with a bottle of bright cherry red nail polish and sits down on the couch to shake it and begin meticulously sliding it over her chipped polish. “You got any records?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Just leave ‘em out here. Don’t think you have to leave everything in your room.”
“Awesome,” Mikasa smiles and sighs before remembering something. “Hey, so you said you’ve got 2 jobs. What’s your other?”
“Hmm?”
“Well, I remember you were in your waitress uniform for that dinner near Washington Park. What’s the other job?”
Yurie pauses for a moment and looks over her shoulder at Mikasa with a small smile. “Ohh… that job.”
“What job?” Mikasa says with a rising eyebrow.
“The job I… chose not to tell your mom about…”
“What job is it?”
“Not one I think she’d approve of…”
“Ohh god, Yurie, don’t tell me you strip…”
Yurie blushes and doesn’t say anything; instead, silently blowing on her fresh nail polish. Mikasa’s mouth drops as her eyes widen in disbelief.
“Ohh, you’ve got to be kidding me?!”
“Hmm?”
“Yurie! You didn’t tell me you strip!” Mikasa exclaims as her heart stops.
“I don’t!” Yurie quickly says. “I mean… I wouldn’t call what I do stripping, I don’t strip… but I do dance…”
“What do you mean you don’t strip but you do dance???”
“I’m…” Yurie raises her arms and flusters in bashfulness. “I go-go dance! I’m a club dancer!”
“A club dancer?? How’s that not stripping??”
“I. Don’t. Strip. I get on a platform and dance but it’s not an erotic dance kinda thing. I’m dancing to like house music, pop music, that sorta thing.”
“Ohh…” Mikasa says and sighs in relief as she holds onto her chest. “God, you scared me. Well, that’s not so bad.”
“It’s not…” Yurie says with a slight look. “But…”
“But…”
“But… I do wear pretty skimpy outfits,” Yurie says as she offers her new friend a small, sheepish smile. “Bras, sequined panties, fishnets, high heels…”
“Ahh… stripper wear…”
“Mmm, I guess…”
“Ahh, yeah I’m glad you didn’t tell my mom,” Mikasa sighs heavily. “She’d grab my arm and leave before you could say goodbye.”
“Ahh, yeah, I got that impression,” Yurie sighs dejectedly.
“Well… what’s all this about wanting to be a dancer? Did you even go to school?”
“Of course I did,” Yurie scoffs with a slight stiffening in offence. “I’m a liar about many things but not that. How do you think I paid for dance school in the first place?”
“Ahh… I guess that makes sense,” Mikasa hums and nods. “You said your parents weren’t supportive after all.”
“Nooo. No, they were not.”
“So… what do you even wanna do? You can’t possibly have done all that dance training just to be a go-go dancer?”
Yurie shrugs and sighs as she leans back on the couch next to her new friend. “I dunno… I dunno what I wanna do.”
“Well, you must have some idea…”
Yurie thinks it over for a moment before a small smile comes on her face. “I dunno… I always wanted to do choreography like for music videos. Maybe become a back-up dancer for someone like Madonna or Janet Jackson…”
Mikasa raises an eyebrow. “Wow, those are big gets. How good are you?”
“Oh, I’m a very good dancer,” Yurie proclaims boastfully. “Trust me, I know my one strength in this world and it’s dancing.”
“Dancing?”
“Yes, dancing,” Yurie says with a big smile. “I could dance morning, noon, and night and well.”
“Really?”
“What? You don’t believe me?”
Mikasa blushes and shrugs. “No, I do. I just… I dunno, I’m not much into dancing. I’m two left feet, to be honest.”
“What? Don’t you and Eren slow dance?”
“Sometimes… but that’s nothing compared to what Michael Jackson or Madonna do…” Mikasa murmurs before blinking. “Wait, so can you vogue?”
Yurie beams before sticking out her arms to expertly bend her arms several different ways in a fashion that’s both fluid and controlled while Mikasa watches on in astonishment.
“Oh my god!”
“Told you.”
“So do you vogue at the club?”
“When the song comes on. The regulars love dancing to Vogue; makes them feel like they’re incredibly chic but really, they’re just ripping off ballroom.”
“What’s ballroom?”
Yurie balks and playfully smacks her on the arm. “Mikasa!”
“Oww! What?”
“How can you work at The Village Voice and not know what ballroom is?”
“I’m an illustrator for one and I’m straight for another. Why would I know about that stuff?”
Yurie eyes her narrowly and hums. “I guess you’ve got a point…”
“Oh, you think??”
“How did you even get a job there? You’re not ‘with the culture’,” Yurie says with quoting fingers. “You don’t seem to want to be either. Why did you have to get a job at like the ONE gay newspaper in the whole city?”
Mikasa shrugs and sighs. “I don’t know. They were looking for a student for a summer internship and I hopped on, thinking I’d do it for a cool little quirky job before looking elsewhere. But then they hired me on, and I just stayed on.”
“You haven’t thought of looking elsewhere?”
“I have,” Mikasa nods. “Maybe somewhere a little less…”
“Gay?”
“I was gonna say anti-establishment, but I guess you could say gay,” Mikasa shrugs and sighs heavily. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not some kinda homophobe. I love gay people. I just… I dunno, I just don’t think I fit into that scene. I’m a straight girl who wants kids and to get married one day. I don’t get clubbing, or protesting, or pride parades, or doing gay porn as some kinda anti-Reagan art statement. I just don’t get any of that. And yeah, you’re right, I don’t think I want to either. I don’t need to. It's not my life.” Mikasa trails off and gazes over at Yurie; smiling apologetically as her chest shifts painfully. “I’m sorry. I must sound like an asshole saying all that.”
Yurie shrugs and gives her a small smile. “I’ve heard worse.”
“I hope you don’t think I’m judging you. I’m not. I wish the world was more accepting. If being bisexual is what makes you happy—”
Yurie sighs heavily and waves her off with a hand. “Please, don’t start with that. I get it. Not everyone’s like me. Not everyone’s going to approve of what I do. I already know that. Please let’s not turn this into an after-school special.”
“Right, sorry…”
“It’s fine,” Yurie smiles and pats her leg before getting up. “We don’t have to be alike on everything. Maybe one day I’ll see into your world, and you’ll see into mine and if not, no biggie.”
“Well… I don’t know if I’ll ever see that happening, but you never know.”
“Who knows, you might just surprise yourself,” Yurie grins as she heads to her room to gather her towel. “I’m gonna shower for tonight then we can head out.”
“You still wanna come to get the bed?”
“Hell yes, I think I should,” Yurie smirks as she pulls her ponytail out and yanks her towel down from the door. “I need to see how the high and mighty Mikasa Ackerman’s gonna sleep, going forward.”
A little while later, the girls are heading down the street as they chat together; laughing as they share a joke. Yurie’s still in her top and shorts but carrying a heavy backpack with her work clothes inside. The two stop near the corner of 17th and 9th; looking up at a sign reading ‘BIG ED’S BED EMPORIUM’ in gaudy flashing lights before Yurie sighs.
“Well, I guess here’s as good of a place as any to get one.”
“Come on,” Mikasa hums as she opens the door to let her friend step in. The two head inside to a large liquidation store, lined with display beds and stored bed boxes in the back. The girls eye a large and middle-aged portly man, with suspenders and a cigar comically stuck in his mouth; loudly and obnoxiously laughing with a customer. “I’m guessing that’s Ed.”
“Oh my god, it’s Boss Hogg…” Yurie murmurs uneasily and looks over at Mikasa. “Please tell me we don’t have to talk to him…”
“Fine, I won’t,” she responds and takes Yurie’s arm to lead her away. “Come, help me pick something out. You’ve only got half an hour.”
“Fine,” Yurie sighs. “Whaddya want? A double? A queen?”
“Mmm, yeah, I think a queen’ll be good. Something for me and Eren to spread out on.”
“Mmm, oh, I bet…”
“Shut up. Not like that,” she quickly flushes.
“Uhh huh… what about this one?” Yurie asks as she presses down on a mattress before wrinkling her nose. “Oh eww, no. This one’s hard as a rock. You don’t want hard, do you?”
“I’m afraid to answer that…”
Yurie smirks and giggles before shaking her head. “I’ll take that as a no.”
“Mhmm.”
“I assume we’re going by Goldilocks rules then,” she sighs. “Something that’s just right and all?”
“Yeah. I can’t stand soft mattresses.”
“Okay…” Yurie walks through the aisles of them; eyeing several and testing the ones that catch her eye before she exclaims and waves Mikasa over to one. “What about this one??” She quickly drops her backpack and flops on the bed with a satisfied groan. “Ohh… this one’s nice,” she murmurs as she slowly closes her eyes.
Mikasa quickly walks over and lays down on it too with a soft moan. “Oh… oh wow… this is perfect…”
“Mhmm,” Yurie hums in satisfaction before bucking her hips a little, making the bed creak. Mikasa watches her roommate in bewilderment as she bucks; her pace quickening as she keeps her eyes closed. After a long moment, she really starts bouncing her hips up and down; the mattress creaking low but rhythmically under her and Mikasa.
“Yurie, what the fuck are you doing?”
“Shh, I wanna make sure this bed’s not too loud and creaky,” Yurie murmurs in concentration. “I don’t wanna have to blast music in my room, so I don’t hear you two going at it.”
“Oh my god, are you serious??” Mikasa blushes in embarrassment; seeing other customers turn to watch as Yurie keeps going; keeping her eyes closed in focus.
“Dead serious. That kinda thing can get awkward. I bet you wouldn’t have even thought to double check if I hadn’t have come along…”
“Oh… I guess that’s true… are you gonna stop?”
“Oh, right. Sorry.” Yurie hums and smiles apologetically as she slows her pace before stopping with a satisfied sigh. “This one’s fine. You and Eren will have fun breaking this fella in, I can tell.”
“Oh my god, I can’t believe you.”
“What?”
“How can you just talk about… sex so openly?” Mikasa blushes red as she notices Ed coming for them.
“I dunno. It’s not—”
“Goood afternoon, ladies,” Ed pronounces with a low, southern Alabama drawl that seems incredibly rehearsed. “Welcome to Big Ed’s, that’s my name; I’d thank you kindly not to wear it out. How may I help you two lovely southern belles today?”
“Mmm, we’ll take this mattress,” Mikasa says a little uneasily; realizing Yurie was dead-on with her Boss Hogg comparison.
“Ahh, you two girls uhh… need a new mattress, hmm?”
“NO. No. Just me.”
“Well, alright, I can get this delivered to you tomorrow. Unfortunately, my sons already went off with today’s deliveries. But you two ladies seem so lovely, I’m sure I can get them to come back and deliver it right to your bedroom tonight.”
The girls stare at each other before shaking their heads. “No, that’s okay,” Mikasa says slowly. “My boyfriend’s coming here to pick it up himself…”
“Oh, well, how lovely of him,” Ed chuckles before turning to Yurie. “How about you, honey? You need a new bed?”
“No…”
“Well, if you ever need anything, I’m happy to help. You know, I’ve got a son about your age; perhaps I could get him to help your friend’s boyfriend carry her bed up the stairs. He’s single, you know, and he’s a very promising, handsome, young man.”
Yurie’s eyes bulge at that. “Wow. Okay. Mikasa, can we pay for this bed and go? I’m late for work.”
“Yes,” Mikasa says quickly as she clears her throat and stands up. “Do you take Visa?”
“Yes, we do. Come with me and I’ll get you set up…”
The girls quickly head over to the cash register where Mikasa reluctantly hands over her card, thankful it still has her parents’ address embossed on it. The two watch as Ed places it in his manual imprinter; swiping it quickly to print the card numbers onto a receipt before he hands her back her visa and copy.
“Alright, we’ll be back with my boyfriend…” Mikasa says uneasily before Yurie wraps her arm around Mikasa’s and leads her out the door.
“Lookin’ forward to it. See you soon, dixie belles.”
Yurie leads Mikasa outside; keeping her face frozen till they step outside and into the busy street before shuddering in disgust. “Oh my god, I hated that.”
“Was that guy for real??”
“Of course he was! That man didn’t have an ounce of self-awareness. How could he not see how corny he was??” Mikasa can’t help but laugh in disbelief as Yurie rolls her eyes. “God, I hate men sometimes. Just the worst.”
“Oh, he wasn’t that bad.”
“You say that cause he wasn’t pimping his son out to you… or more like pimping you out to his son. If he’s creepy, his son’s probably worse,” Yurie scoffs as they walk. “You can walk with me to my diner. I don’t think you wanna be hanging out at Ed’s waiting for Eren and Jean, right?”
“No, I’m good to wait at your work.”
The two girls walk several blocks south and head for Washington Square Park; tourists taking up more and more of the sidewalk space as they walk closer to the landmark. Soon they come up to the Washington Square Arch and Yurie quickly looks both ways before she and Mikasa step out and jaywalk across to the road; heading to the doors of a 24/7 diner called ‘Sal’s Diner’. Stepping inside, Yurie sighs and turns to her friend.
“You want some coffee? On the house.”
“Yes, that would be great. Thanks.”
“Kay, lemme go change. There’s a payphone outside if you wanna call Eren.”
“Oh! Yeah, lemme go do that.”
Mikasa heads back out to call him up and let him know where she is before coming back inside and sitting at the booth to stare out at the park’s iconic arch while she waits. After a few minutes, Yurie comes up, wearing her tennis shoes and waitress uniform, as she brings a fresh cup of coffee and a small dish of cream and milk pods.
“There you go,” Yurie smiles at her. “You okay?”
“Yeah, thanks,” her friend smiles brightly. “You know, despite how creepy that guy was, that was kinda fun to do with you.”
“Really?” Yurie smiles cheekily as she slides into the booth across from her.
“Yeah,” Mikasa beams wide; her heart still beating from the excitement. “I gotta say, I never would’ve thought bed shopping could be a thrilling thing.”
“Meh, I just happen to attract strange people,” Yurie smiles and shrugs.
“Mmm, I don’t know if that’s it exactly.”
“So how long till Eren and Jean show up?”
“Mmm, they were just leaving when I called so maybe 15 minutes?”
“Okay,” Yurie grins as she notices some new customers come in and gets back up. “Well, you have a good evening. I probably won’t be home till late, so I imagine you’ll be passed out by then.”
“Aww, really?”
“2:30’s late.”
“Well, maybe we’ll stay up,” Mikasa smiles up at her. “You need us to come pick you up?”
“Nah, I usually grab a cab,” Yurie smiles. “I guess I’ll see you maybe then.”
“Yeah…”
Yurie gives her a small wave before turning to go serve the locals and tourists. A wave of them come in and keep her busy; the waitress going in and out of the backroom with trays of coffees, soups, and sandwiches before she goes behind the counter to chat with her regulars. Mikasa smiles over at her before sipping her coffee thoughtfully; her chest swelling at how this day’s turned out. And it’ll only get better when Eren and Jean show up and Mikasa tells them what happened. Maybe Eren was right all along; having Yurie as a roommate’s already proving to be the furthest thing from dull.
As if summoned by her thoughts, Jean’s red truck shows up with the two inside. Mikasa quickly sips down the last of her coffee and quickly catches Yurie’s gaze; her grey eyes falling on Yurie’s blue eyes as the two women smile and wave at each other before she heads out and quickly rushes up to plant a kiss on Eren’s lips through the truck window.
For the rest of the day, Mikasa, Eren, and Jean drive around Manhattan; hitting up different flea markets to buy fixtures and furniture for Mikasa’s new dwelling. They hit Big Ed’s again and this time, he’s far more subdued when Eren walks in with a firm hand on his girlfriend’s back. After that, the three grab groceries to help fill up the noticeably empty cupboards before grabbing a few six packs of beer for home.
They travel back to the apartment on Jane and West, parking on the street before Jean and Eren make do with lifting the mattress to carry it slowly up the stairs. Groaning between them, they struggle and curse and shout at each other, but they manage to get both it and the box spring up the six flights before lugging up the bed frame pieces, dresser, and work desk as well. Then, it’s quick but arduous work of putting the bed frame together; all three working together to screw pieces and set up the frame as they all huff and sweat and groan. Finally, Mikasa lays down the planks and Eren and Jean lay the box spring and mattress down before collapsing in a heap of exhaustion.
“Oh my god,” Jean pants and groans. “Fuck, next time get movers.”
“Yeah, I’m not doing all that again,” Eren groans and grumbles; holding his stomach. “Fuck, I need a nap and a shower.”
“Same, I’m so sweaty.”
“You guys can shower here if you want,” Mikasa sighs tiredly. “I can order a pizza for us if you’re up for it.”
“Absolutely, I’m wiped.”
“Okay,” she murmurs as she gets up to sluggishly walk over to the couch and grab the phone book from under the coffee table; flipping through till she finds a pizzeria not too far away. After placing an order, Mikasa flips on the TV to watch MTV’s hours-long music video stretch as Jean drags himself to the bathroom to shower briskly. Once he’s finished, Eren steps in and showers just as quickly; eager to grab a slice once the grub arrives.
As he showers, it does, and Mikasa proudly pays before stepping into the kitchen to sort out the plates and pull open the box. Her and Jean exclaim happily; taking in the greasy pepperoni pizza with melting cheese hot enough to burn their tongues. Mikasa sets aside a plate for Eren; popping a beer open for him before setting him up at the coffee table while Jean sorts out his own plate.
“What time does Yurie get back?”
“Umm… in about 3 hours…” Mikasa sighs as she checks her watch.
“Ahh, nice. She’s really working this late?”
“Yeah, she works as a go-go dancer apparently.”
Jean exclaims excitedly at that. “Oh, no shit?? Where?”
“Neon Orchard, I think.”
“Ahh, the Neon Orchid,” he chuckles as he comes in the living room with his pizza and beer. “I think I’ve heard of it from one of the guys at work…”
“Heard of what?” Eren asks as he opens the door; steam pouring out of the bathroom as he steps out in his boxers with his hair long and soaked.
“Oh, the Neon Orchid, it’s the club Yurie works at.”
“Yurie works at a club?” he asks with a scrunched-up nose as he towels off his hair and steps over to plop down next to Mikasa.
“Yeah, she dances there. That’s where she is right now.”
“Huh…” Eren hums thoughtfully as he reaches for his beer before eyeing his girlfriend. “Do your parents know?”
“No, thankfully not.”
“Good. Hopefully your mom never does,” Eren sighs as he takes a sip. “She’ll shit a brick if she ever finds out.”
“She’s not going to find out. I’m keeping that info to myself.”
“Sooo… she’s a go-go dancer, huh?” Jean perks up suggestively. “She single?”
“Oh, Jean, no,” Mikasa says as she shakes her head profusely. “Don’t try it with her.”
“Try what?”
“Your act,” Mikasa eyes him narrowly. “I know what you’re thinking and just don’t.”
“What? Is she single or not?”
“She is and she’s uhh… she might be a little out of your league, buddy,” Eren smirks as he eyes his friend.
“Why?”
Eren hums as he rubs his chin thoughtfully. “Well, she’s uhh… how do I say this… Mikasa, you know her better than me. What is she?”
Mikasa sighs as she looks over the two men. “I don’t know. She’s just a bisexual woman who doesn’t like to commit… she just wants to have fun right now…”
“Oh, well if she’s looking for fun, I’m her guy,” Jean grins smugly. “I happen to be quite the ladies’ man; I bet I could have her eating out of my hand in a week, no problem.”
“Oh, Jean, don’t,” Mikasa groans and flushes slightly. “I don’t—”
“Now, hold on, honey,” Eren says; his smile turning into a devilish grin. “I wanna see how this plays out.”
“Eren, she’s not—”
“No, I think Jean has a chance with her,” he says; a glint of mischief in his eyes as he looks over his smug friend. “She might not be the dating type but that’s just because she hasn’t met Jean yet.”
“Ahh, see, I know you’re bullshitting me, Jaeger, but you’re right; she hasn’t,” Jean grins even wider. “I happen to be very persuasive.”
“Oh yeah?” Eren raising an eyebrow. “Care to make a wager?”
“Guys, don’t—”
“Sure! You’re on! What’re the terms?”
Eren hums for a moment as he thinks. “How about this… $20 says you don’t get a date with this girl by this time next week.”
Jean narrows his eyes, “I want more than $20 if I win. $20 and you have to wear a dress to the Metallica show in a couple weeks.”
Eren smirks at that; his eyes wide and roguish with mischievous delight. “You’re on. If I win, you gotta wear a dress to our next band gig. Mikasa, you’re the witness by the way, in case Jean tries to weasel his way outta this.”
Mikasa rolls her eyes but otherwise gives in; the idea of seeing Jean try and seduce Yurie too good to pass up. “Sure, I’ll be your witness. What say you, Jean?”
“Mmm, you’re on, pretty boy. I’d like to add the dress idea to you though,” Jean grins. “You gotta wear the dress to Metallica and our gig if I win.”
“Fine by me,” Eren grins as he holds out his hand; Jean clapping it particularly loud as they shake on their bet. “This is gonna be good.”
A few hours pass with Mikasa and the guys chilling and laughing as they sip on their beers; Eren smoking over his pizza before Jean grabs a smoke off him. At one point, Kuromi comes by and Mikasa quickly scoops her up and cuddles her, happy to note the cat’s trust in her growing. The three keep MTV on for The Headbanger’s Ball; a big smile coming on Eren’s face when a promo commercial for Guns ‘n’ Roses’ airs, promoting their tour coming to Madison Square Garden later in the year.
“Oh, we gotta go to that! Please tell me we’re gonna go to that, babe,” he grins wide with boyish excitement at Mikasa.
“We’ll see, I’d really like to,” she grins as he pouts and leans in to graze his lips against hers.
“Promise me you’ll come with me…”
She giggles before the two kiss longingly; Mikasa dropping Kuromi on the ground to slowly wrap her arms around Eren as she feels her body thrum for him.
Eren pulls away slightly to tease her lips to her excitement. “Please?”
“Yes. I promise…”
Eren’s eyes darken with desire at that, and he leans in for an even deeper kiss; one that practically takes Mikasa’s breath away. The room melts away for the two of them as their arms wrap around each other, their lips melting together as their hearts collectively beat harder and harder.
“Ahem…” Jean clears his throat after a moment with a shift. “Do you two mind?”
Mikasa sighs as Eren pulls away with a small groan of frustration as he checks his watch. “When’s she supposed to be home again?”
“Any minute now.”
“I’m giving her 20 minutes then I’m crashing,” Eren sighs as he reluctantly pulls away and stands up. “I’ll go put the bed sheets together now.”
“Okay, they’re in my black trash bag.”
“Kay,” he grunts as he strides across the living room and disappears into the bedroom.
Mikasa sighs in an effort to dowse her growing desire as she eyes Jean. “Maybe don’t try this tonight. I don’t think Yurie will be up for flirting.”
“Why not?”
“Cause she’s getting off back-to-back shifts…”
“Mmm, well I can say hi if nothing else,” he smirks and takes a swig of his beer. “If nothing else, I can see what I’m dealing with; get a feel for the girl.”
Mikasa sighs and rolls her eyes just as the door next to the couch unlocks; Kuromi quickly rushing over and slipping out into the hallway the minute Yurie opens it before Mikasa can even stop her. “Oh shit! I’m sorry!”
“It’s okay,” Yurie sighs as she quickly strides and scoops up her kitten before Kuromi can run for the stairs. “You are so naughty,” she murmurs into the kitten’s fur as she steps back into the apartment and drops her backpack wearily.
“I’m sorry, I forgot she’d do that,” Mikasa quickly apologizes before coming over to gather Kuromi into her arms as Yurie kicks off her tennis shoes.
“It’s okay. You’ll get used to her doing that real quick,” she sighs tiredly.
“Oh, umm, Yurie, this is Jean Kirstein,” Mikasa quickly looks over her shoulder as Jean just as quickly gets up and wipes his hands on his jeans. “He’s that friend I was telling you about with the truck.”
“Ahh, nice to meet you, Jean,” Yurie smiles up at him as she reaches out for his hand.
Jean pauses for a moment, clearly taken aback by Yurie’s overt beauty, before he quickly comes to and grins overly wide. “Wow, Mikasa, you didn’t tell me you had a goddess for a roommate.”
“Huh?”
“Well, she’s just so gorgeous, obviously,” Jean smirks as he takes Yurie’s hand and kisses it to her bafflement. “My god, those clubgoers must find you a treat; getting to see you dance every weekend.”
“I guess so,” Yurie mutters before pulling her hand away.
“Are you hungry, Yurie?” Mikasa asks her gently as she rubs her arm; offsetting Jean’s corny forwardness. “I ordered pizza, saved you some slices.”
“Mmm, no, that’s okay. I don’t like eating this late. I’m just gonna crash.”
“I bet you haven’t eaten at all,” Mikasa says with a small smile. “It can’t be good going from job to job without eating dinner in between. Come on, please eat with us. Eren’s here too, by the way.”
“Ahh, cool,” she smiles a little before sighing as she slinks down on the couch and eyes the pizza box. “Ahh, Luigi’s. Maybe I will grab a slice.”
Mikasa slides a clean plate closer to her as Jean plops down on the floor next to her. The two watch her as she hungrily scarfs down on her two slices and Jean grins as he slides her a beer. “You want a Corona?”
“Mmm, yes, please,” she sighs and quickly takes a swig to wash down her meal; her pale pallor and weariness giving way a little from filling her empty stomach. Soon enough, she’s alert enough to hold one last conversation before everyone turns in.
“So, Yurie, how’re you finding Mikasa as a roommate?”
“She’s been great,” Yurie smiles over at her genuinely. “I mean… I know she will be; even if this is her first night here.”
“Yeah, can’t believe it’s my first night on my own… speaking of, where’s Eren?” Mikasa murmurs as she gets up from the couch to go over to her room. “He said he wanted to meet you, Yurie.”
“He’s probably crashed, the grandma,” Jean smirks before turning to Yurie. “I bet it’ll feel weird for you having a roommate from now on. Mikasa’s your first, right?”
“She is, and it’ll definitely be an adjustment, but I think we’ll be good together,” Yurie smiles as she swigs her beer again. “Mikasa’s so cute, it’s nice to have her around.”
“I’m cute??” Mikasa blinks as she stops at the door.
Yurie beams as she looks at her. “You’re adorable.”
Mikasa blushes sheepishly, her cheeks growing rosy as she disappears into her room to find Eren sleeping on the bed. She can’t stop herself from stopping in her tracks to watch him for a moment; taking in how peacefully he sleeps with his feet hanging off the side of the newly made bed. She considers joining him and calling it a night, putting off their lovemaking for the time being before realizing she probably shouldn’t leave Jean alone with Yurie on her first night here. Sighing, instead she gets changed; changing out of her jeans and t-shirt and into shorts and a tank top as Eren opens an eye to watch her.
“Hey…”
“Hi…” Mikasa says softly as she takes him in. “You can go back to sleep. Yurie just got home.”
“Mmm… you mean she’s out there with Jean?” Eren yawns as he slowly sits up.
“Yeah, he’s trying to charm her right now I imagine.”
“Oh, this I gotta see,” he smirks as he quickly comes to. “Sleep can wait.”
The couple steps out to the living room and indeed Jean’s openly flirting with Yurie; a swarmy grin on his face as he does.
“You work at the Neon Orchid, huh? My buddy says that place is really fancy, you like it?”
“Mmm, it’s alright,” Yurie shrugs as she leans back on the couch. “It’s a local yuppie spot, but they tip really well.”
“Ohh, I bet you’re the top earner there, aren’t you? Someone as beautiful as you, I bet you do pretty well for yourself…”
Yurie flushes at that. “I do alright…”
“Well, are you? The top earner.”
Flushing even more as she warily side-eyes him, Yurie shifts. “Yeah… but it’s only because I’m a good dancer.”
“Ahh, you’re humble. I like that in a girl,” Jean continues with a condescending smile. “You don’t have to be though, sweetheart. You’re hot, you know it or else you wouldn’t be dancing to begin with.”
“I never said I wasn’t hot. I’m sorry, who are you? Are you always this presumptuous with girls you’ve just met?”” Yurie scoffs and narrows her eyes in irritation as Eren grins and stands back to watch; leaning on the door frame as Mikasa pops her head out to watch as well.
“Ahh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean any offense,” Jean smiles with his hands up. “I get it. You don’t like to toot your own horn, that’s admirable. But I can already tell you’re the ruthlessly flirtatious type; I heard you juggle a lot of partners…”
“So?”
“So? So, how can you do that without getting cocky about it? How do you do it?”
Narrowing her eyes even more, Yurie huffs slightly. “Excuse me, are you calling me a dog?”
“Ahh, no. No, I’m not.”
“You must be if you’re implying I treat my partners no better than conquests.”
“I mean, don’t you? Why else would you feel the need to juggle so many?”
“Oh, so you are calling me a dog,” she furrows her brows in anger as she crosses her arms; her blue eyes turning steely.
“Okay, that’s enough, Jean. Don’t insult her in her own home,” Eren chuckles as he steps into the living room to quickly deescalate the impending disaster. “Please excuse him. Jean’s strength doesn’t really lie in speaking to women.”
“I can see that,” Yurie eyes Jean reproachfully before standing up; her rebuke effective as Eren approaches her.
“Yeah, sorry,” Eren says as he eyes his friend over. “He’s a little more used to women being a lot more… open to his advances. But hey, doesn’t excuse his rudeness.” Eren turns from Jean’s narrowing eyes to gaze at Yurie with an easy smile and an extending hand. “Hi, sorry I didn’t introduce myself earlier. Eren Jaeger.”
Yurie eyes him a little cautiously before a small smile grows on her face; her hand reaching out to shake his as the two share a genuine smile. “Yurie, Yurie Wieder.”
“So, you’re Wes’ off-again, right?” Eren grins as he stuffs his hands in his pockets; Mikasa stepping up to wrap her arm around his bicep.
“Mmm, I think we’re just off-off now,” Yurie sighs with a cheeky smile. “Wes has kinda overstepped his bounds with me.”
“Ahh, you mean leaving his boxers around for others to see?”
“Yeah…” Yurie blinks in confusion as she looks Eren over. “How did you know he did that?”
Eren shares a grin with Mikasa and chuckles as he rubs the back of his neck. “I, uhh, I was the guy in the record shop who witnessed your little spat last week when you dropped off those roommate ads.”
Yurie’s quiet a minute before she gasps and holds her mouth. “Oh god, that was your first impression of me. Ohh you saw me really have a go at him, didn’t you?”
“I did but it was very entertaining,” Eren and Mikasa grin. “I mean, seeing that personality of yours, I figured you’d be a good match for my girl; seems my instincts were right.”
Yurie beams wide at that and shares a bright smile with Mikasa; her blue eyes twinkling in mirth for her companion. “I’d like to think that…”
Mikasa grins even wider; her chest fluttering a little from Yurie’s gaze before Eren eyes Jean again and clears his throat. “Umm, as for Jean; I know he’s a dumbass, but do you think you could overlook his idiocy and let him spend the night? We had quite a lot to drink—”
“I can talk for myself, Jaeger,” Jean interjects as he stands up to join the trio; eyeing Yurie with a sheepish look. “Sorry, what I think he meant to say is would you mind if I spent the night? I don’t really think I’m in the best shape to drive home.”
Yurie eyes him a little cautiously before she turns on her heels to go into her room; coming back a minute later with a spare pillow and a blanket. “You can sleep on the couch.”
Eren grins as he wraps his arm around Mikasa’s shoulder; watching as Yurie hands a slightly deflated Jean his linens for the night. “Thanks for this, Yurie.”
“Yeah, seriously, thank you,” Mikasa smiles as well before eyeing Eren suggestively. “We really appreciate it.”
“Well, I wouldn’t want Jean to hurt himself,” Yurie says diplomatically. “He can’t talk to women to save his life but that doesn’t mean I’d turn him out.”
“Well said, couldn’t agree more,” Eren smirks at Jean before nodding his head at her. “We’ll, uhh, take our leave for the night then. Yurie, it was nice to meet you.”
“Oh, yeah, it was nice to meet you too.”
“Have a good night,” Mikasa beams wide and giggles mischievously; reaching out for Yurie’s hand to squeeze quickly before Eren eagerly leads her away. “We’ll try not to be too loud. See you in the morning.”
“Right, see you in the morning. Have a good night,” Yurie breathes as she watches them disappear into Mikasa’s room with an excited laugh before the door shuts with a decisive thud. Yurie quickly sighs and leans over to gather up the beer bottles on the coffee table before Jean shifts and awkwardly clears his throat.
“Uhh, let me clean that up; it’s our mess after all.”
Too tired to argue, Yurie smiles at him feebly and hands him the bottles silently. Jean gives her an awkward smile; both trying to ignore the soft giggles and sounds already coming from Mikasa’s room. Jean quickly walks over and tosses the bottles in the garbage and wipes his hands as he comes back.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take the bag down when I leave in the morning.”
“Oh, well, thank you for that.”
“You’re welcome.”
Yurie shifts and gives him a small smile. “Well… good night.” Turning around, she strides to her bedroom door before Jean thinks twice and quickly walks over.
“Yurie, wait.”
“What?” she asks as she stops to look up Jean; eyeing him as he clears his throat and pushes his ash-brown hair back from his face.
“Listen, we, uhh… kinda got off on the wrong foot. I could really use some company; it’s kinda lonely being here… all alone… listening to those two idiots going at it…” Jean gives her a bigger, slightly hopeful smile; nodding his head inside her bedroom. “Would you like some company? I bet your walls are thin in there…”
Yurie looks him over thoughtfully; her blue eyes assessing him for a moment before she nods cooly over at the TV. “I’d put on MTV or CNN if the noise bothers you. I have my cat to keep me company.” With that, she crouches down to gather Kuromi in her arms and smile up at Jean a little. “Have a good night, Jean. It was nice meeting you.”
She silently steps in her room, closing the door with a click behind her; leaving Jean to stand in the living room in the dark. The city sounds seem a lot more noticeable now; the car alarms going off and the police sirens blasting through the night. It’s all a constant noise to Jean as he sighs and plops down on the couch to stuff his pillow over his head; all to muffle out the sounds of Mikasa and Eren coming from her room and the burning of his own humiliation for striking out so spectacularly.
Chapter 6: The Neon Orchid
Chapter Text
Early the next morning, light shines in through the open windows of the apartment on Jane Street from the east, filling the rooms of both Yurie and Mikasa as they nuzzle into their respective pillows. Mikasa yawns and breathes in deep as she cuddles into Eren’s bare chest; her head hazy and her hair dishevelled after a night of uninterrupted fooling around. It was perfect, the most perfect way for her and Eren to break in her new bed and her first night of being a free women. Now the two cuddle together, their naked bodies pressed together under her covers as the sunlight fills her small bedroom and warms her bare brick wall.
Yurie’s room is far more lived in, decorated with pictures of Madonna and Janet Jackson as the woman cuddles alone in bed with her pillow. Sighing in satisfaction, she spreads out and snores softly as her cat, Kuromi, sleeps at her feet. Soon enough, her eyes open slowly and Yurie gazes around her room in quiet solemnity; sometimes she doesn’t remember where she is when she awakens.
Slowly rising from her pillow, she yawns and stretches before slipping out of bed to pad into bathroom; eyeing Jean still passed out on the couch as she does. Stepping into the tiled room, she drops her pajama shorts and unclips her bra before warily stepping into her hot shower; letting out a soft moan as the hot water droplets pelt against her tired and aching body. Working back-to-back shifts are never easy on her; in fact, most days she just wants to collapse in a heap on the street after them or maybe get hit by a cab. Going from a full shift of waitressing to a 4-shift of dancing and more waitressing; it’s never been easy on her body. Thank god she only has to do it Fridays and Saturdays. Sighing into her hands, she feels her soaked hair unspool from its soft waves to run straight down her back.
When she finishes, she steps out of the shower and quietly dries herself off; wrapping herself in towels as she tiredly trudges back out into the living room. As she does, Eren trudges out of the kitchen with a glass of water; the two almost banging into each other as they take sharp corners. Yurie blushes as the two stop in their tracks; she’s not used to unknown guys seeing her in such a state of undress.
“Uhh, sorry,” Eren quickly blushes and moves past her; clearly, he wasn’t expecting to see her either. “Thought I’d grab a glass of water.”
“Yeah, no worries,” she murmurs as she flattens against the wall to let him pass despite the open space of the living room. Slipping inside her room without another word, she groans softly as she takes in the unflattering towel wraps around her head and body before quickly pulling them off. Slipping into a black kimono she found while thrifting, Yurie sleepily yawns and combs out her hair a few times. Once fished, she yawns as she walks back out once more, only to catch Eren step out in his day clothes as well. The two step into the kitchen together with a shared smile and murmured ‘good morning’s.
“You’re up early,” he chuckles tiredly as she goes over to make a full pot of coffee. “I thought you’d be asleep till noon at least.”
“Mmm, no, I don’t really sleep in that late,” she mumbles as she fills the pot with water. “Besides, I don’t really like to when I have company over.”
“Ahh, don’t mind me and Jean,” Eren chuckles as he eyes his buddy snoring on the sofa. “I gotta head to work for 8 so we’ll be out of your hair soon.”
“It’s okay, I don’t mind it,” Yurie yawns and rubs her back as she flicks on the machine. “It’s kinda nice having a full house for once.” Smirking playfully, she looks over her shoulder at him. “So, did you two enjoy your first night here?”
Eren chuckles with a mischievous grin growing on his face. “Oh yeah. It was really nice actually; we didn’t have to worry about Mikasa getting home at a decent hour or making up some excuse for why she was out all night. We could just let loose.”
“Mmm, well, good for you. I could tell she needed that.”
“Oh yeah?” he smirks as he raises his eyebrow. “How so?”
Yurie hums and tightens her robe’s cord with a shrug as the coffee pot audibly boils. “You can kinda just tell with some girls that they need to be given space to do their thing. I think Mikasa needed that.”
“Well, thank you for providing her some of your space…” Eren says with a grateful head nod. “Seriously, Yurie, thank you. If you ever need anything or if you’re worried about her, feel free to call me up.”
Yurie eyes him and nods with a small smile before the coffee begins pouring into the pot with a loud whirring sound. Sniffing as the aroma of ground-up beans fill the room, Eren watches on as she pours out three cups for herself, for him, and for Jean. Yawning from the couch, Jean slides off and scratches himself as he slinks into the kitchen.
“Mmm, morning,” he rubs his eyes sleepily.
“Morning, Jeanbo. You good to drive me to work in 20?”
“Mmm, maybe after some coffee…” he mutters and yawns again.
Yurie comes up with a premade coffee and small smile on her face. “Here, Jean, I made some coffee for you… I assumed you liked it with half-and-half…”
Jean blinks in astonishment before he takes it with a flushed face. “Oh? Wow, you’re right. Uhh, thank you.”
“No hard feelings between us?” she says as she eyes him expectedly; her eyes twinkling a little.
Jean and Eren exchange look and Eren grins and shrugs. Jean blushes and rubs the back of his hair as he chuckles slightly. “Ahh, no, none at all. Sorry if I was too forward with you last night, Yurie.”
“It’s fine. I think I would’ve found it funny if I wasn’t so tired.”
The two guys eye each other knowingly before Jean clears his throat. “Oh, well in that case, I’d be happy to try again with you.”
“Yeah, maybe,” she hums with a small smile before going back to make her own coffee. “I’m not sure I’m really looking for anything—”
“No, no, I insist,” Jean says quickly as he gulps his coffee back with renewed vigour. “I’d love to do this right. What’re you doing this Friday, Yurie?”
“Umm… I have a shift at the Orchid from 10-2…” she sighs as Eren watches on; quietly observing as he sips his black coffee.
“Oh, well, I’d love to come by and check you out. I bet being a go-go dancer’s a type a high you can’t get anywhere else.”
“Either that or it’s just an ordinary job that tips really well,” Yurie bats her eyelids with the type of sarcastic sweetness that goes over Jean’s head in his daze but not over Eren’s. He can’t help the smirk that grows across his face before he sips once more; watching on like a zoologist observing the unsuccessful mating ritual of some exotic animal.
“Oh, you accept tips?”
“Mmm, that’s how I make my money,” Yurie sighs. “Tips and doing private dances.”
“Private dances?” Jean raises a suspicious eyebrow.
“No, not those kind of dances,” Yurie waves a dismissive hand. “I mean, I go dance with someone on the floor.”
“Ahh, so if I wanted you to do that with me, I’d…” he trails off suggestively.
Yurie eyes him cautiously, no doubt slightly annoyed that she gave him an inch and he’s taken a mile. “I charge $10 per song.”
“TEN DOLLARS?!”
She shrugs as she eyes him with a hand on her waist. “I have to make my money somehow—”
“Why don’t you go for it, Jean?” Eren interjects smugly as he looks over at his friend. “Rent Yurie out for a dance.”
Jean flushes a little at that as he eyes her. “Oh, I dunno…”
“I can spot you a tenner if you’re short—”
“I don’t need your charity, Jaeger,” Jean snaps as Yurie suppresses a giggle. “I can come up with that myself…” Turning back to her, he offers a grin that’s self-assured but with a small tinge of uncertainty. “Yeah, sure, we can do that. I’ll come by on Friday and ask you to dance. Sound good?”
“You know what?” Eren pipes in as he physically leans between the two to set his mug in the sink with a resounding clink. “I think Mikasa and I will tag along.”
“Huh?”
“Yeah, why not? You can’t go to the club by yourself; you’re gonna look like a creep.”
Jean eyes his friend suspiciously before he groans slightly and rubs his beard. “Damnit, you’re right. But what the fuck are you gonna do?”
“Whaddya mean what am I gonna do?”
“You’re not gonna dance, you don’t even like dance music.”
Eren shrugs as he shoves his hands in his denim pockets. “I dunno. I’m not there to dance, I’m there to observe. Maybe step in if it looks like you’re gonna trip and fall on your ass as you always do.”
“Fuck you, Jaeger.”
“You know what? Fine by me. As long as you and I get another shot. So, Neon Orchid on Friday down on Prince and Broadway?” Yurie beams as she eyes the two guys. “It’s the red and white brick building with a neon flower on the sign, you can’t miss it.”
“Great, now you just gotta convince Mikasa to come,” Eren smirks as he slaps his hand on Jean’s shoulder to lead him away. “I’ll leave that to you, Yurie. Let’s go, Jeanbo.”
Yurie walks the guys to the door as she shifts her kimono on her shoulders; eyeing them with good-humoured skepticism as they pull their boots on. “You guys really don’t have to come Friday if you don’t think it’ll work out. I’m more than happy to work without the distraction.”
“No, no, it’s cool,” Eren beams impishly as he shoves his foot in his boot. “Mikasa wants to see where you work and I’m curious too.”
“Okayyy but it’s full of yuppies, it’s not really your scene.”
“How do you know what my scene is?” Eren smirks as he stands up to eye her; tucking his long hair behind his ears as he does.
Yurie shrugs with a small blush as her eyes dance. “I don’t know, I can just tell it’s not somewhere any of you’d go if it weren’t for me.”
“Well, all the more reason to go and say we’ve been, right?”
“Right,” Yurie hums and nods. “Just watch out for Club Kids, they might come by Friday before they go to Limelight.”
“Club Kids?”
“Just these annoying gay kids who dress super flamboyantly and rile the place up before they leave and go over to Limelight,” Yurie shrugs and rolls her eyes. “Some of them are sweethearts. Most are obnoxiously annoying, but management likes them, says they’re good for business. Some of them may offer you ecstasy so… you know… don’t take it.”
“Ahh, gotcha,” the guys grin and exchange a look. “Just say no right?”
“Just like Nancy said,” Yurie sighs as she opens the door for them “See you guys then.”
“Yeah, see you around,” Eren smiles as he steps out. “Tell Mikasa I love her when she wakes up.”
Jean offers her a head nod. “Thanks for letting me crash.”
“It’s fine, really. I don’t mind. It’s better than the alternative,” she offers gently before giving them a small wave and shutting the door behind them.
Sighing as she turns to stare at her living room, Yurie rubs her arm and murmurs a little before padding back to her room. It’s a little cluttered, she’s not always quick to put her bras or clothes away when she undresses. Her walls have been wallpapered with some old material she found at some thrift shop out in Brooklyn to give her a little flair; the walls covered with posters of her favourite popstars and some pictures of her with friends. Flipping through her tapes and CDs, Yurie eyes one of her classic Madonna cassettes, True Blue, before instead pulling out this new CD she found from some singer named Mariah Carey and slips it into her boom box. Eyeing a picture of herself, she eyes it thoughtfully; it’s a picture of her posing suggestively in some photography studio in only her underwear. That was always a quick way to make some money when Yurie was down to her last $5. It was better than calling home.
Picking the picture up to study it for a moment, she quickly shoves it in her dresser and hides it under some panties before promptly shoving the drawer closed. Yawning as she drops her towel on the floor carelessly, she listens to the breathy intro for ‘Vision of Love’ play through the four corners her room. Slipping into a black bra and shorts before combing out her long hair again, she eyes herself in her mirror as it sits adorned with Mardi Gras beads, a rosary, and a red lipstick stain.
Grabbing a magazine, Yurie plops on her bed and cuddles into her pillow as she passively reads the gaudy celebrity gossip section. It’s amazing, she’s always wishing for days of freedom when she’s working back-to-back shifts but then when she has them, she never knows what to do with her time. The choices are endless, and she ends up not choosing at all.
As she rolls onto her stomach to boredly pour over her magazine, the next door over creaks open and Mikasa tiredly yawns as she pads out. Coming over to her roommate’s room, Yurie beams with amusement to see Mikasa’s hair completely dishevelled as she sports an oversized shirt for Pantera that no doubt belongs to Eren.
“Morning sleepyhead,” she coos with a smirk as she turns her eyes back down to her magazine. “Late night?”
“Mmm, very late night,” Mikasa murmurs sleepily as she pads into Yurie’s room and slides down on her bed; laying down to gaze over at her friend. “Me and Eren didn’t go to bed till the break of dawn. Did we wake you up?”
“Mmm…”
“What do you mean ‘mmm’?”
“Mmm…”
“Oh god, we were too loud, weren’t we?” Mikasa furiously blushes and holds her hands up to her mouth. “Oh god, Yurie, I’m sor—”
“It’s okay, Mikasa, I didn’t mind,” Yurie laughs softly and shrugs. “You two were loud but nothing I couldn’t drown out with my headset.”
“Oh god,” Mikasa groans and blushes even redder as her roommate giggles. “We were loud, I knew we were. I’m sorry, I just got carried away.”
“Honestly, it’s okay,” her friend nudges her playfully. “You were excited for your new room, and some alone time. I get it.”
“We’ll be quiet from now on, I promise—”
“I tell you what,” Yurie smiles as she side-eyes Mikasa. “You can be loud as you want, within reason of course, so long as I can be the same.”
Mikasa smiles and drops her hands, her cheeks still blushing. “Oh? Really?”
“Seems like a fair trade off, don’t you think? That way it’s less mortifying for both of us.”
Mikasa eyes Yurie with a growing smile and hums as she nods; offering her a hand that Yurie shakes with a giggle. “Fair deal, I’m glad we get each other.”
“I am too,” Yurie sighs as she flips her page to read more gossip. “Eren says he loves you by the way.”
“Aww, he does?”
“Yeah, he wanted me to tell you when he left.”
“Mmm, I love him too,” Mikasa sighs blissfully as she stretches out on Yurie’s bed. “Mmmm, I really loved bein’ with him last night.”
“Oh, I know, I could hear through the walls. ‘Oh, mmm…ohh, Eren, more… I want more’,” Yurie bites her lip teasingly before snorting a laugh as she looks back down on her magazine. “God lord, Mikasa.”
“Shut up,” Mikasa smirks as she runs her hands up and down her torso. “I’m sure you’re worse.”
“Mmm, I’m certainly not better…”
“Mmm,” Mikasa hums as she tunes out to the upbeat pop and r&b music. “Who’s this?”
“Ohh… just some chick named Mariah. I caught her on MTV and I went and grabbed a CD a few months back. I’ve been so obsessed since I did. You like it?”
Mikasa thinks it over as she listens. “Well, I don’t hate it… it’s certainly you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Yurie laughs with a raised eyebrow.
“Meh, just that you’re more into that upbeat hip hop and pop stuff than I’ll ever be…”
“Mariah Carey’s a lot of things but I dunno if I’d call her ‘hip hop,” Yurie giggles before humming thoughtfully. “Although she does rap on here… huh, maybe she is a rapper after all…”
The two girls giggle at that before Mikasa sighs blissfully. “Can we go back to talking about Eren?”
“Yes, if we must.”
“Oh, Yurie, he was wonderful last night… god, I love every moment with him.”
“Oh, you do, huh?” Yurie probes as she leans on her hand to watch her friend.
“Yes, his hands on my body, his tongue sliding inside my mouth,” Mikasa sighs as she closes her eyes to replay those images of Eren in her head. “God, he’s the best… do you have anything like that?”
“Like what?”
“A generous lover who’d love you in every way possible?”
“No,” Yurie smiles with an eye roll. “Obviously not or I’d probably be busy having the best sex of my life right now.”
“But you said you fool around with people,” Mikasa blinks.
“Doesn’t mean they’re generous,” Yurie laughs and shrugs. “I guess you need a real emotional connection to get that around here.”
“And you can’t have that with any of them?”
“Mmm, we’ve only ever really worked as friends,” she shrugs indifferently. “Sometimes you just know the chemistry’s not there for that kinda thing.”
Mikasa nods and goes quiet for a moment before her smile grows sly and scheming. “Hey… maybe that’s something you could build up with Jean…”
Yurie blinks in astonishment at that. “Jean? Your Jean?”
“Yeah,” Mikasa laughs and grins. “He likes you; I can tell…”
“Mmm, well that’s hardly saying much,” Yurie mutters as she goes back to passively browsing her magazine. “I imagine he likes every good-looking woman who’s passed him a second glance.”
Mikasa giggles at that, charmed by Yurie’s wit as her roommate reads on. “He’s not that bad, I swear. He’s just got this over-inflated ego when it comes to flirting with women.”
“That isn’t selling me on the idea, Mikasa.” Yurie blinks before she quickly smacks her head in remembrance. “Oh my god… I’m an idiot…”
“What?”
“I’m an idiot,” Yurie repeats with a frustrated groan. “I agreed to Jean coming by my work on Friday. He’s gonna get a dance from me on the dancefloor and I’ll never get rid of him.”
“I thought you liked him!”
“I dunno,” Yurie shrugs feebly. “I haven’t gotten around to figuring out if I really like him or not. He was sweet this morning, really sweet. But he’s also full of himself in a way I’m not sure I like.”
Mikasa snorts as she leans up on her elbows to gaze at her friend. “Well, whatever possessed you to agree to dancing with him?” she asks with humoured dryness.
Yurie thinks it over quietly before her eyebrows furrow in irritation. “Your boyfriend did.”
“Oh, he did, did he?”
“Yeah! Eren was egging Jean on about getting a dance out of me; what the fuck is up with that?”
Mikasa blushes in slight guilt as she eyes her perplexed friend. “Well… Eren and Jean might have had a little bet about Jean getting a date with you. There’s something like $10 on the line if he does.”
Yurie’s face shifts unreadably at that and she clears her throat as she goes back to reading. “Oh? Is that all?”
“Mmm, yeah…” Mikasa shifts and sighs as her cheeks blush. “I’m sorry, saying it here to you now makes me realize it’s kind of backhanded…”
“No, that’s okay,” Yurie says indifferently over her gossip mag. “Makes sense why he’s been so overly complimentary of me.”
“I’m sorry, Yurie…”
“Pfft, don’t be. You have to come too.”
Now it’s Mikasa’s turn to blink in confusion. “Eh?”
“Yeah, Eren said he wants to go to the club on Friday with you and Jean so he can watch Jean stumble and fail at flirting with me. He basically invited the two of you to tag along and laugh at us.”
Mikasa flushes and sighs as Yurie keeps passively reading; completely speechless at the thought of having to go to a dance club of all places. Looking over her friend and feeling a tinge of remorse at dragging Yurie into Eren and Jean’s constant rivalry, she flushes as she gets up. “I’m gonna go make breakfast. You want anything?”
“Mmm, maybe some eggs…” Yurie says coolly. “Thanks.”
“I’m sorry,” she says feebly as she looks her over. “I should’ve stopped them.”
Yurie shrugs as she offers Mikasa a weak smile. “It’s fine, I don’t care. I’m just not sure how much I’m looking forward to dancing with Jean while he tries to win a bet and you two snicker at us in the corner.”
Mikasa smiles a little at that. “Hey, we both suck at dancing so we won’t have any room to talk.”
“Good.”
“How can I make it up to you?”
Yurie looks her over and thinks. “Lemme decide on your outfit for the night?”
Mikasa blushes profusely, hesitating as her inner voice screams ‘NO’ before sighing and nodding. “Yeah, sure. It’s only right.”
“Good, then we’ll be even,” Yurie smiles with a slight look of mischief to her eyes.
The week passes quickly for Mikasa and Yurie as they get used to being roommates. It seems to go really well for them, the two falling into a routine of eating together in front of the tv or hanging out on their patio overlooking the apartment’s courtyard as they share a joint. It’s not long before they’re calling each other friend, it seems that the two share an unmistakable kinship that foregoes the usual nervousness and uncertainty that comes between two new roommates. Yurie shows Mikasa her music and Mikasa shares hers as well. They talk about their families to an extent; Mikasa vents about her overbearing mother and Yurie all too glad to just listen rather than add in anything about her own. Sometimes, the two wind up chatting till late into the night; unable to stop themselves from getting closer.
Eren comes by often too, he’s quickly turning into a third roommate but Yurie doesn’t seem to mind. He’ll come by in the evening and hang out with the three, the trio watching MTV over beers and pizza, before he and Mikasa slink off to their bedroom and Yurie promptly turns up the volume. Yurie’s beaus don’t come over much though; she tells her friend she’s on a break from everyone when Mikasa asks one morning after another late night with Eren.
Come 9 o’clock on Friday, Yurie’s boombox blasts pop music as the two girls sort through Mikasa’s clothing still stored in boxes and garbage bags. Yurie flips furiously through all her blouses and cardigans and sweaters with a furrowing brow. “Mikasa, what the hell? You told me you were a goth in high school!”
“I was,” Mikasa blushes as she sits lazily on her bed.
“So? Where’re your goth clothes?!”
Mikasa shrugs as she passively looks over a garbage bag full of clothes that still needs to be hung up. “I dunno, Yurie, you’re looking at it. I only wore black sweaters…”
Yurie sighs and groans as she runs a hand through her hair. “Of course you did—”
“Why? What were you expecting?”
“I don’t know,” Yurie feebly shrugs. “Lace? Latex? Maybe a black corset; something, anything, we could turn into an outfit for the club.”
“I’m sorry, Yurie,” Mikasa shrugs. “I don’t really club… I can wear one of my dresses from when Eren takes me out to somewhere fancy…”
“No, nothing too formal,” Yurie shakes her head profusely as she stands up and checks her watch. “Fuck, I’ve got work at 10…”
“Well, t-shirt it is,” Mikasa shrugs again as she moves to grab a shirt and jeans to her roommate’s bafflement.
“Nuh uhh, no way,” Yurie says as she snatches them out of Mikasa’s hand stubbornly. “You promised me I could pick out your outfit, Mikasa!”
Mikasa crosses her arms as she stares over her friend. “Well, then pick something. You’ve only got an hour.”
Yurie shifts as she looks over everything and studies her boobs than Mikasa’s; debating if maybe she should raid her own closet before she gets a better idea. “Okay, come with me,” Yurie says as she passes Mikasa to quickly stride out of the room and make her way to the door. “Get your shoes on, Mikasa.”
“Huh?”
“There’s a place that sells used clothes a few blocks from here. If we book it and look quick, we can find you something before we go up to Midtown.” Yurie slips her feet into tennis shoes and grabs the backpack full of her work clothes as she eyes her roommate. “Well, c’mon, don’t stand there looking like a guppy, Mikasa. Let’s go.”
Mikasa blinks and before she can object, she’s grabbing thigh high boots to pull on over her jeans to Yurie’s nod of approval. The two shut off the lights to the apartment and lock up before bounding down the six flights of stairs as fast as they can. Mikasa’s heart beats excitedly as they step out into the street; Yurie quickly grabbing her hand to rush through Greenwich Village and up into Chelsea as they pass locals and throngs of tourists on this early summer evening. The two girls grin at each other in building anticipation before they step into a clothing boutique full of frilly tops, second-hand jeans, and worn, slightly moth-eaten jackets.
Yurie sighs as they walk through before she stops at a rack full of corsets as black as her friend’s hair. Grinning from ear to ear, she swipes through as she eyes Mikasa’s chest. “What size are you, babe? B cup? C cup?”
“Umm, mostly C cup, sometimes D…”
“Mmm, I’m usually a B-C…” Yurie hums as she grabs a lacy bustier with black laces; frilled lace encircling the cups. “Try this one.”
Mikasa’s cheeks blossom a bright red as Yurie holds it against her chest with a scrutinizing eye. “Are you kidding me, Yurie?”
“What?”
“This is so revealing!” she flushes as she looks down at it. “My tits are gonna be hanging out!”
Yurie snorts and grins with a shrug. “No more than mine are.”
“Yeah, but you’re different. You have to dress like this, I don’t.”
Tilting her head, her roommate eyes her skeptically. “I have to dance with Jean Kirstein tonight thanks to you two. The least you could do is show some skin in solidarity.”
Mikasa eyes her and relents, sighing as she takes the bustier out of Yurie’s hand. “Fine, lemme go try it on.” Trudging over to a waiting change stall, she soundly slides the curtain closed as Yurie grins and keeps browsing a rack nearby. Inside, Mikasa pulls her blouse off to reveal her white bra which she unclips with a blushing face and uneasy look. Truth be told, she’s never worn something this skimpy, not out in public, and she doesn’t know if she’s up for it. The idea of other’s being able to see her cleavage out in the open? It makes her feel like one of those girls her mother always warned her about.
“Mikasa, what on earth are you wearing?! Only those street girls down at the pier wear such offensive nonsense!”
Pulling the bustier off its hanger, Mikasa unclips the small metal hooks with unsteady fingers and slides it up against her bare skin. The material is hard but padded and her breasts mold into place as she attempts to hook the back. She gets the first three done up but hums in annoyance as her fingers fumble to reach and clip the rest. She groans and shifts and struggles to get a firm hold behind her back before she gives up with a frustrated groan.
“Yurie?”
“Yeah?”
“I need your help…”
There’s a pause before Yurie hums as she slips inside the closet to see Mikasa looking miserable with the back of her top completely wide open.
“I can’t do this.”
“Sure you can, quit bein’ a sour pout,” Yurie says as she turns Mikasa face to the mirror before nimbly threading the hooks through one another. “Suck in a little, babe.”
“It’s a little tight…”
“It’s supposed to be, love. It’s a corset top. I’ll adjust the straps, hold on.” Yurie quickly adjusts and loosens them a little as she gazes over Mikasa’s shoulder to gaze in the mirror observantly. “Fix the girls, that’ll help.”
Mikasa sighs as she slips her hands inside the front to scoop her breasts up and adjust them inside the stiff, padded cups. Blushing furiously, Mikasa groans and looks at herself miserably. “I feel like an idiot.”
“Why?”
“Because my breasts look ridiculous,” she flushes and looks down at them in embarrassment. “This top makes them look so big, Yurie.”
“I know, I know, it’s hard sell,” Yurie laughs as she turns Mikasa to face her; her blue eyes taking in Mikasa’s figure with an appreciative smile. “But I happen to think you look gorgeous.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Yes, I do. Trust me, I wouldn’t cosign you walking in the club like this if you didn’t look like a million bucks.”
Mikasa blushes as she gazes at her new friend. “You wouldn’t?”
“Of course not,” Yurie says gently as she rubs her arms. “C’mon, I know you to be a lot more confident than this. What’s holding you back?”
“I guess I’m just worried about people thinking I look stupid.”
“Are you? Are you really?”
Mikasa hums and shrugs self-consciously. “I know I shouldn’t care and usually I don’t, but this is a club crowd. They think if you’re not stick figure thin, you’re disgusting.”
“But you are thin,” Yurie laughs in disbelief.
“Not stick figure thin.”
“Well, neither am I,” she shrugs with a smile. “It’s not about being thin; not really. It’s about going in with an air that you don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks about you.” She turns Mikasa back to the mirror to gaze at herself. “Just look at you. With your kick-ass boots and some black leather pants? You’d look like a shit-kicking goddess, Mikasa.”
“I would?”
“Yes! You’ve got the perfect look to pull it off,” Yurie smiles as she places a hand on her hip. “And you can come up and say hi to me while I’m dancing. Being friends with a go-go dancer is a huge ego boost, trust me.”
“Well… I still don’t know…”
“Just think about what Eren’s gonna think when he sees you,” Yurie smiles secretively. “I bet he never sees you in something like this at home, does he?”
“No… maybe my bras…”
“Well, today he’ll see it in the club and when you walk up to him and kiss him… he’ll lose his mind. He’ll think he’s the luckiest guy in the world cause he is and he’ll take you home and give you a one-for you won’t soon forget.”
Thinking that over and imagining the smile on Eren’s face, Mikasa blushes as she looks at herself again; this time with Yurie’s more imaginative perspective. She does look good; she can’t lie to herself about that. Her breasts sit perched and enticing in the black corset top that ends just above her jeans, offering a small peekaboo view of her toned abs. Her arms look great, and her pixie-cut hair offers a great alternatively modern feminine touch. She may not look like the rest of the crowd tonight, but maybe that’s a good thing. And just the thought of Eren’s eyes on her as they stand together, it’s enough to set Mikasa’s heart on fire.
“Okay… I’ll do it…” Mikasa beams wide and proud at that as Yurie quickly rips off the tag. “Yurie? What the hell?”
“You’re wearing this to the club,” she says. “Come on, let’s grab you some leather pants.”
“Mmm, no,” Mikasa smiles as she looks herself over; her eyes darkening a little to see just how ravenous she looks. “I think this works fine.”
Her friend gives her a small smile before nodding for her to come out; the two making their way to the till as Yurie stuffs Mikasa’s blouse and bra inside her backpack and zips it up firmly.
A little while later, the two girls briskly walk up to The Neon Orchid, a club bouncing and thudding inside a red and white brick building just a few blocks from Central Park. Yurie walks a little faster as she eyes her watch. “What time are Eren and Jean supposed to be here?”
“11, I’m supposed to meet them at The Coffee Bean and we’ll come back together…”
“Oh? That’s a whole hour after I start. What’re you going to do till then?”
“I don’t know. I’ll make myself busy. Maybe hang out at the bar…”
Yurie offers her a small smile. “You’ll see me dancing. That’ll be something.”
“Oh? Will it now?” Mikasa smirks as Yurie shifts her heavy backpack.
“Yeah, you get to see the master at work here. You might even dance yourself. I’m a very good motivator.”
“I’m sure you are,” she giggles as she looks down at her top. “You motivated me to wear this after all.”
“See? I’m a natural.”
The two laugh at that before Yurie takes Mikasa’s hand as they approach the long line just outside the club. She motions Mikasa to follow as she steps into the side alley, the two walking to the back of the building and up to a door. Yurie buzzes in and crosses her arms as she sighs. “I’m sorry in advance. You’re gonna have to see a side to me that’s more erotic tonight.”
“Mmm, don’t worry, I’ve made my peace with it,” Mikasa sighs and smiles.
Yurie pounds the door in impatience. “COME ON, LEO! I’M GONNA BE LATE!” Groaning, she steps back. “If you get too freaked out and need to leave, it’s okay. I get that this isn’t your scene.”
Mikasa thinks it over as they wait, thinking about what on earth her mother would say about all of this, before giving her friend a more assured smile. “No, I’m staying. I wanna see how you do out there. Plus, it might be nice to take you home once you’re done…”
Yurie blinks as she looks her over. “Really? You and Eren won’t wanna take off after a while?”
“Well, we might go grab something to eat but no, we’ll come back for you. Plus who knows? You and Jean might hit it off?”
Yurie mutters and grimaces at that before pounding the door with her fist again. “LEOOOO!”
Just then, the door’s locks are loudly unbolted, and it’s shoved open by a barrel-chested bouncer who looks her over with a stone face. “Yurie, get in here. You’re on stage in 10.”
“Oh shit,” Yurie hisses as she grabs Mikasa’s hand to pull her in.
“Uhh, uhh, uhh,” Leo says as he holds his hand out to stop them. “Who’s she?”
“She’s my girlfriend and if you want me on stage on time, I need her help.”
“Oh? Another girlfriend?” Leo smirks as the two pass to walk down the backstage. “No lesbo business when you’re on the clock.”
“Fuck you!” she snaps over her shoulder before turning to her friend. “Sorry about that…”
“It’s okay, I guess. I’ve never been accused of being a lesbian before.”
“Ignore him,” Yurie mutters apologetically as she pulls Mikasa close. “He’s an asshole but you get used to him.”
“I don’t think I want to.”
Yurie smirks at that as she shoves open another door watched by a bouncer to step inside a change room reeking of perfume and hairspray. There are a few girls quickly applying makeup or finishing the last of their hair curling as the clock strikes closer to 10. Yurie leads Mikasa quickly over to her designated station and dumps her makeup bag out.
“K, I need you to help me out,” Yurie says hurriedly as she quickly pulls her shirt off to reveal her bra. “You help me with wardrobe while I do my makeup and hair.”
“Oh! Yeah sure!” Mikasa blinks and before she knows it, she’s unhooking Yurie’s jeans from behind and pulling them down her legs as Yurie quickly powders her face. The two girls work together simultaneously to undress Yurie as she brushes a comb through her blown out hair. Mikasa tries to keep her eyes from staring too long or too intensely at Yurie’s body as she unclasps her bra and helps her out of her panties. Clearing her throat and blushing like mad, Mikasa reaches over her friend to hand her her sequined bra, helping adjust Yurie as she frantically lines her eyes with liner and glues thick lashes to the lines of her eyelids. Yurie pulls out fishnet stockings and leans on her roommate to step and hop into them awkwardly.
“Oh my god! You really got to do all of this?”
“Yes! I promise the tips are worth it!”
“Hey, is this one of your new girlfriends, Red?” a nearby dancer grins as she finishes her lip gloss.
“Nooo, this is my roommate, Mikasa. Mikasa, this is Sugar,” Yurie smiles smugly as Mikasa helps her into her panties before she turns to have her sequined bra clasped. “She’s not staying but isn’t she pretty?”
“Mmm, she’s a cutey… you dance, honey?”
Mikasa quickly blushes and shakes her head. “I have a boyfriend!”
The two dancers snicker at that and Yurie sighs as she begins adjusting her breasts to perch them in her bra. “She didn’t mean it like that, babe.”
“Ohh… sorry,” Mikasa blushes even further. “I’m kind of outta my comfort zone right now.”
“Ahh, it’s fine,” the dancer shrugs indifferently. “Yurie, we’re on in two.”
“I knooow, I’m almost done,” Yurie sighs and pouts as she quickly sits down and pulls her stiletto shoes on before standing up to look at herself in the mirror for last minute adjustments. She takes in her perky and round breasts and her slender waist; her coke-bottle figure and peachy ass perfectly stuffed into skimpy a sequined bra and bikini bottom. Sighing as she flicks her hair, she pouts a little. “Do I look okay?”
Mikasa blinks in surprise as she looks her over in the mirror as well. “Are you kidding, Yurie? You look gorgeous!”
“I do?”
“Pfft?! Are you fucking kidding me?!”
“No…”
“How can you think you don’t?”
“I dunno,” Yurie shrugs feebly before turning to smile at her friend; her stilettos suddenly making her as tall as Mikasa. “I just feel really self-conscious all the sudden.”
“You’re insane,” Mikasa shakes her head in disbelief. “You look absolutely stunning; now get going. You gotta be onstage.”
Yurie hums and smiles as she holds Mikasa’s arms to stretch them out with one last look at her outfit. “You look so hot in this. Eren’s gonna bust when he sees you.”
“God, I hope not. Off you go, we’ll see you at 2!”
Shaking her head as she adjusts her one blonde lock of hair, Yurie quickly rushes past her friend to head for the beaded doorway to the backstage. “You promise you’ll come say hi?!”
“I will,” Mikasa smiles brightly as she grabs her purse. “I’ll see if we can get a picture together.”
Beaming excitedly, her friend nods before disappearing through the doorway; leaving Mikasa alone in this gaudy and perfumed changeroom. Sighing, she shifts her purse strap on her shoulder to head back out and walk over to the nearby coffeehouse to wait for Eren and Jean. But before she can, she stops herself; pausing in place as she hears the music bouncing through the walls. Before she knows it, she turns on her heels to slink through the beads and head backstage too. She walks through the dimly lit area, hearing the loud music beating and thumping loudly as neon lights flash everywhere. Finding the wings that oversee the DJ booth, she gets a glimpse of Yurie as she climbs on a platform in heels to the loud and wild clapping and whistling of the audience on the dance floor. She juts out her hip with a big smile on her face, waving cheekily to the masses before getting into position.
Just then the opening vocals and beat for ‘What is Love?’ start up and Yurie begins jutting her hips to the music; her movements beginning to build and rise with the music itself. A fan blows down on her from above to enhance her performance and keep her cool and Mikasa watches on in awe as her hair blows around her as she dances. Her hair, red and vibrant, glows and shines under the spinning lights while she shakes and gyrates and occasionally sings along to the chorus for an added measure. As she dances, she’ll point to people in the audience to either commend them for their dancing or call them out if she thinks they’re not dancing enough. No one’s spared if they’re standing near her; if you’re in Yurie’s section, she expects you to dance. The audience seems to love her for that, Mikasa catches a lot of them dancing a lot more enthusiastically under her watchful eye as if she were a priest presiding over the crowd from a pulpit.
Mikasa’s eyes widen in shock to see just how much her roommate commands the stage with the conviction of a queen. The way her movements for one song so fluidly transition to another without her breaking so much as a sweat. ‘What is Love?’ continues over the loud and rumbling speakers, vibrating through the floors of the entire club as Yurie keeps dancing to 120 beats per minute with hip shakes and arms in the air. She grips and shakes her hair every now and then as it blows in the wind to show it off; she’s often one to call out her hair as her best feature and she shows it off like a badge of honor. At one point, she catches Mikasa standing in the wings, and she beams wide; her eyes shining in the light as she turns to her and gestures ‘come hither’ to come into the crowd as she sings along to the song.
Blushing furiously, Mikasa quickly scurries across the stage, passed the busy and bopping DJ, and sits down on the edge to jump down on the floor. As she does, people turn to look her over, their eyes full of astonishment but also curiosity and allure to see this pixie cut black-haired beauty with stunning tits in a tight top in their presence. Mikasa eyes them shyly as they shout at her with growing smiles on their faces.
“Hey, you wanna dance?!”
Quickly shaking her head, she passes them to weave through the crowd of hot and heavy dancers till she comes to the feet of Yurie’s platform. She tilts her head as she looks up, watching Yurie’s hips shake as she keeps going without fail. Not catching her attention, she waves her hands frantically enough for her roommate to look down and beam in delight as she crouches and gets on all fours to lean down.
“Hey! You liking the show?” she shouts to be heard.
Before she can stop herself, Mikasa beams wide and nods her head. “Yeah! I do! You look amazing!”
“Can you grab me a water bottle?! You can be my water spotter if you want!”
“Yeah, sure!” Mikasa looks all around before looking back up at Yurie. “Where do I go?!”
“The bar!” Yurie shouts loud as she points in a direction before pointedly adjusting her bra. “Show them the girls and tell ‘em you’re for Yurie and they’ll give you some for free!”
Mikasa beams and nods wide, pulling away to weave through the crowd once more. She’s bumped and danced into over and over again but somehow the music and the enthusiasm from everyone is too infectious to be bothered. It’s incredible, anywhere else and Mikasa would be shy and incredibly annoyed by this most obnoxious of a crowd but here she feels herself wanting to get into the same dancing they do. She doesn’t know what’s coming over her, she doesn’t even like dance music, let alone crowds, and bumping, and stares.
Finally, Mikasa makes it up to the packed bar full of people and she tries to squeeze in to get her own spot; her hand reaching out among others to get the bartenders’ attention. But they keep passing her, their eyes whipping around as they take shouted drink orders over loud music. After two minutes, Mikasa sighs in total frustration before she turns to look at Yurie; waving at her in desperation. Like a homing beacon, Yurie zones in on her as she dances with a raised eyebrow. Mikasa shrugs in full animation, not knowing what the fuck to do and without fail, Yurie grabs her boobs to shake them before turning back to dancing.
Mikasa flushes and turns back to the bar, looking down at her own boobs stuffed in her new corset. Suddenly feeling the spirit of Yurie overtake her, she quickly leans her corset into the water-soaked bar to let them spill a little out of her cups as she eyes the bartenders passing. One with blonde hair and a mustache passes, his eyes catching a side-glimpse of Mikasa’s milky white cleavage before he stops dead in his tracks; his eyes opening as he beams wide to step up to her.
"What can I get for you?!”
Blushing red, Mikasa shifts and wraps her arms around her chest, only making them look larger in the process. “Can I get some bottles of water? I’m a friend of Yurie!”
Nodding enthusiastically, he crouches under the bar and quickly comes up with two ice cold waters and a smile on his face. “Will that be all?!”
“No! I gotta come back into the club in a little while, do I have to stand in line again?!”
The bartender gestures for her hand and Mikasa sticks it out; a quick press of a stamp leaving a ‘Neon Orchid’ logo on her skin. “Just tell the bouncer you’re a friend of Miche! He’ll let you in!”
Mikasa nods and thanks him for the free water before turning to head back through the crowd and back up to her dancing friend. Letting her fingers sweep across Yurie’s feet to get her attention, her roommate quickly smiles from ear to ear as she gets down on her knees to take the water from her.
“Thanks, babe!” she shouts as she quickly unlids it to guzzle it back. Mikasa watches on as she gulps and gulps without taking a single breath, finishing it in one go before she lets out a gasp as she tries to catch her breath; handing it back to her friend with a grateful smile. “Tha—thanks! I needed that!”
“You’re welcome!” Mikasa shouts back as she takes it. “I’ll hold onto this other one for you! I gotta go meet Eren and Jean at the coffeehouse! We’ll be back!”
“Okay! We’ll get a picture when you come back!”
The two nod at each other before Yurie quickly stands up to keep dancing as Mikasa heads for the front door of the club; eyeing the people around her dancing happily as the music vibrates through their bodies. She shoves when she needs to but most people eye her with looks of astonishment and desire as they move aside for her. She keeps her head high, her roommate’s energy momentarily rubbing off on her enough that she doesn’t give a single fuck what any of them have to think of her. Pulling her coat back on and doing it up, she steps out into the warm air of the city as yellow cabs pass by; sticking her hands in her pockets as she turns to walk as fast as she can down the neon streets of New York City.
This city is an entirely different beast at night; dance clubs in warehouses and basements, S&M clubs, porno theatres flashing loud and tantalizing lights as people walk around and take in everything around them. It’s a hedonistic den come nightfall; most decent people have slipped into their homes and apartments. The bridge and tunnel crowd left the island entirely for New Jersey; running back to the comfortable stability of the suburbs before the sun sets. Now Manhattan is left for the night freaks; the clubgoers, the college kids looking to score some coke before running home to work on term papers after a full night of partying. The bohemians, the artists, the people who come in and out of porn shops with their heads held high. The dealers, the pimps, the thieves, the working girls who stroll the strip within yards of the dilapidated piers; strolling in high heels and miniskirts as cars roll up to a stop next to them. The occasional bible thumper carrying a placard with verses, shouting out scripture at the sinners as they walk on by. The night belongs to all of them. And now, as she walks the dirty, grimy streets of New York City, the night belongs to Mikasa too.
Stepping into an old coffee shop with low lights as The Cure is playing over the speakers; dark coated bohemians and goths leaning over their coffees as they talk amongst themselves. It’s an entirely different world that Neon Orchid but it’s so much more Mikasa’s scene. Coming up to counter, she orders a dark cup of coffee and leans into it; sniffing the intoxicating aroma of ground up beans before she dumps some sugar in. Slipping a spoon into the mixture as she pours a tiny pod of cream inside, she wearily stirs and eyes the clock as it to ticks closer to 11 before passing it entirely.
11:10, 11:20, 11:35 rolls by. Finally, come close to midnight, the door opens with a bell ring, as Eren and Jean step in; breathlessly panting as they stride up to Mikasa. They’re dressed in leather jackets, Eren’s hair’s combed and up in a bun as he slips up behind his girlfriend and kisses her sweetly on the cheek.
“Hey, baby, sorry we’re late. There was a hold-up on the subway.”
“Ohh, what happened?” Mikasa smiles as she pulls him in for another kiss.
“Ahh, an armed robbery,” Jean sighs as he flags down the barista for a coffee. “It was fucked up; the guy got away before the cops could come. We were stuck in the subway behind that one in the middle of a tunnel so we couldn’t even leave.”
“Ohh, that’s terrible. I hate you guys going on the subway at night.”
“Ahh, we’re big boys,” Eren chuckles as he wraps his arms around Mikasa and buries his face in her neck. “Sorry for making you worry so much, love…”
Mikasa feels a soft blush grow across her cheeks as Eren cuddles into her. It sets her heart alight and almost makes her suggest they go home and end their night early. But then she remembers Yurie and her dancing; the flash of her hair in the light was so enticing, it was too good to pass up seeing again.
“You guys ready to check the Orchid?”
“Yep, I’ve gotten excited,” Jean smirks smugly as he grabs a fine-toothed comb to run through his hair. “Is she working right now?”
“Yep, she’s dancing as we speak.”
“Well, it’s time for me to go and sweep this girl off her feet. Is she ready for me?”
“I don’t think you’re ready for her,” Mikasa murmurs and sighs. “Jean, I’ll be honest, I don’t know if Yurie’s all that into you…”
“Ahh, she doesn’t know if she is or isn’t.”
Mikasa and Eren eye each other knowingly before they all sip their coffees contemplatively as if they need to gear up for the night ahead.
“How is the club, Mikasa?” Eren asks with a sigh.
“It’s really loud and speedy and the dancing’s pretty fast. I’m not sure you’ll like it.”
“Well, I only gotta go once,” he chuckles as he scratches the back of his neck. “Can’t say I won’t like it if I don’t check it out, right?”
Mikasa hums and nods as they all tilt their cups back to guzzle up the last of their drinks before they get up and adjusts their coats before they step back out into the street. As protective as ever, Eren wraps his arm around Mikasa’s waist as they walk back to the Neon; his hand tightening every time they pass someone on the seedier side. They pass by people carrying placards for bible verses and porno films within feet of each other and offer each other laughs and grins.
“Whaddya say, Jeanbo? Should we hit up bible study once we’re done here?” Eren chuckles as they walk up to the club doors.
“Ahh, I think we’re gonna need to do something a little more raunchy tonight,” Jean laughs as Mikasa steps up to the bouncer to show off her stamp. “We’re friends of Miche… and Yurie…”
He eyes the guys and shifts as he looks them over. “10 bucks, both of you.”
“Ugh, are you serious?!”
“You want to go stand at the end of that line for $5?” the bouncer gestures at the line snaking down the street. “Be my guest.”
Eren and Jean eye each other before they groan and pull out their wallets to hand over some bills; sarcastically smiling as they pass the bouncer begrudgingly letting them in. The house music is so much louder and deafening now; thumping through the dance club as they look around. Mikasa’s smile grows as she feels the music take over again; watching on as her boyfriend and Jean take the club in as a whole. The crowd sways mostly towards yuppies and college kids but overall, it seems okay.
Eren nods in approval and gives a half shrug. “This is okay!”
“We only have to be here once,” Mikasa beams as Jean tries to look atop everyone’s head.
“Where’s Yurie?!”
Mikasa hums and looks over people before seeing a flash of red up near the front. “She’s up at the front, Jean!”
“Okay, off you go, Jeanbo!” Eren smirks over at his buddy and pushes him forward. “Go get a dance with her; we’ll be along shortly!”
Jean grins with the air of a man on the prowl as he slips into the crowd. Eren and Mikasa eye him as he disappears before Eren turns to eye and smile at her suggestively. “So, now what? Do we dance?”
“Mmm, I think I’d like to but I have something to show you!”
“Ohh? What would that be?” Eren says with a slight husk to his voice as he looks her up and down slowly.
“Yurie took me somewhere before we came here, you know?” Mikasa purrs gently as she leans into Eren; a smile curling from the corners of his mouth.
“Oh yeah? Where?”
Mikasa hums and kisses him softly with a slight blush before she pulls back a little to undo her coat, button by button. Pulling it off her shoulders, she smiles as the coat comes away to reveal her black, tight corset with her breasts practically spilling over the lace. Eren’s taken aback as he takes it in; his green eyes widening in stunned shock as he looks her up and down.
“Holy shit…”
“Is it too much?” she blushes shyly as she offers him her widest grey doe eyes; her smile dropping as she takes in his gaze of complete astonishment. “Oh god, it’s too much, isn’t it?”
“No, no, are you fucking kidding me?!” Eren’s smile widens with a look of completely unabashed excitement. “You look incredible!”
“I do?” Mikasa asks as she props up her breasts a little; watching as they seem to grow all the plumper.
Swallowing hard, Eren steps forward to wrap his arms around her and pull her in; his vibrant green eyes taking in her stormy greys. Unable to contain himself, he stares down at her spilling cleavage with the freedom of the man she calls the love of her life. His heart thumbs harder and harder in his chest and his eyes darken; his lust being driven by the sight of her and the infectious energy of the music all around them.
“Hey, what do you say we get out of here?”
“Huh?”
“You and me, Mika,” he smiles at her; his mischievous eyes dancing as he bites his lip suggestively. “We could grab a cab, go back to your place…”
Mikasa’s breath hitches in her throat as her body thrums with the idea of them going back to her very own place to have uninterrupted fun with nobody around to worry about. “Well, what about Yurie and Jean?”
“Yurie can get back on her own; maybe Jean can take her back himself.”
Mikasa hums and haws, looking over her shoulder and in the direction of Yurie. “Mmm, no, we shouldn’t bail. She was really miffed at us for setting her up with Jean for a bet.”
“Oh? Why? It’s just a little bit of fun.”
“Mmm, no, I promised we’d walk her home,” Mikasa looks over in the direction of Yurie before sighing as she laces her fingers with her boyfriends and gestures him to follow. “C’mon, I promised Yurie I’d get a picture with her when I came back.”
Hearing her boyfriend groan in disappointment, Mikasa choses to ignore him with a blushing smile as she leads him into the crowd as the house music revs and grinds through the walls and the floors. They weave and wind through the crowd as the entire club vibrates through them. They step closer and closer to where the stage and DJ preside; the music transitioning and echoing loudly through the premises as ‘Strike It Up’ begins. Stepping up, Mikasa almost bangs into Jean’s back as he stands absolutely gobsmacked staring up at a dancing Yurie.
“Eh, keep walking,” Eren scoffs as he pushes Jean forward until they have enough room between the three of them.
Jean keeps his eyes on the dancer above them as Mikasa and Eren watch him in humour. Eren smirks and shifts as he tries and whistles at his friend. “Jean… Jean… JEAN!”
Shaking his head, Jean snaps out of it and turns back to the couple. “Huh?”
“Pick your jaw off the floor!”
Jean scoffs as he turns back to stare. “I can’t help it! She looks good!”
“Go ask her to dance already!”
“Mmm…” Jean flushes as he looks around. “I dunno… I don’t really want to anymore!”
“WHAT?!” Eren balks in disbelief. “Why the fuck wouldn’t you want to?!”
Shrugging, his friend looks back up at Yurie. “I dunno… she’s really gorgeous but… I dunno, I kinda don’t wanna dance with her like that!”
“Like what?”
“Like that!”
Mikasa turns her eyes up at her friend as she keeps dancing to the fast-paced house music; lip syncing once more to the chorus as she does. Arms move and hips sway as she dances; her hair still blowing in the wind to create some sort of illusion that would draw anyone’s attention. She seems almost otherworldly doing what she’s doing. She’s like some sort of enchantress dancing and enticing the humans beneath her to worship at her feet and in this intoxicating place with the lights and the music and the rising heat of the audience, it’s not hard to see why they do.
Staring up at her, Mikasa feels her own jaw begin to slacken as she pulls her coat off her shoulders entirely. Turning to Eren, she catches his eyes passively wandering before she nudges him. “Hey! Who’re you looking at?”
“The breakdancers over there…” he points off to a few breaking into new and baffling moves every few seconds.
“Oh… you weren’t looking at Yurie?” Mikasa calls into his ear with a tease. “You weren’t enjoying the view?”
Eren shakes his head and shrugs nonchalantly. “Nah, why would I?” He offers Mikasa a knowing smirk as he pulls her into his arms once more. “I’ve got all the view I need right now.” With that, his lips crash into hers, taking their collective breath away as he kisses her passionately. Mikasa’s soft moan passes through them both and she wraps her arms around Eren’s strong shoulders; the implication of what’s to come within the night not lost on either of them. The heat of the crowd and the rhythmic thumping of the music intoxicates their kiss and causes their tongues to slide together as Eren pulls Mikasa closer as her arms tighten around him.
The couple continues their long and heavy make out session; Eren’s need for Mikasa driving her to the point of madness as his lips break from her to press his forehead forward. Mikasa feels her heart pound in her chest as his mouth trails down her neck and to the very top of her cleavage, pressing soft pecks into it as she cards her fingers through his hair for anchorage. Breathing out seductively, she loses herself in the crowd; letting the heat of the club and the softness of his lips whisk her away from where she stands and into absolute euphoria. Finally, after some extra kisses for effect, Eren comes back up to press another heated kiss into Mikasa’s lips as she moans in pleasure.
Opening her eyes, she shares a look with her boyfriend of smiling mischief. “Let’s see how Jean’s doing…”
The two turn to see Jean who not only isn’t talking to Yurie but chatting up another girl with long, brown hair instead; her brown eyes shining as he leans into her to say something. Eren and Mikasa blink in bewilderment before he reaches out to tap his friend who looks at him over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow. “What?”
“Hey, I thought you were gonna ask Yurie for a dance!”
Jean eyes the girl who he’s talking to then eyes the literally and figuratively unapproachable go-go dancer above him. “Uhh… actually I think I’m gonna dance with Juliette instead!” he calls over his shoulder. “That door charge took my last tenner!”
“I can spot you!”
“Nah, forget it! Let her work!” Jean raises a dismissive hand before turning back to what seems to be his date for the night.
Blinking in complete astonishment, Eren turns back to Mikasa with a big smirk. “Well, looks like the bet’s off then!”
“Yeah I guess so!”
“I guess Jean’s gonna be wearing a dress next—”
“Don’t do that to him,” Mikasa quickly shakes her head. “Just drop this stupid bet you two have. It was a nasty bet to make in the first place.”
“Why?” Eren laughs as he shoves his hands in his pocket.
“Because you silly boys made a bet at Yurie’s expense,” she sighs and rolls her eyes in feigned exasperation. “And now she’s the one with no date out of the four of us.”
“Ahh… yeah, probably better we just let it be then,” Eren smirks as he gestures to pull Mikasa into his arms. “Shall we head back then? Now that the bet’s off?”
“You wanna go back home, huh?” she grins as she tilts her head playfully.
“Mhmm, we can have a good few hours of privacy, easily.”
Mikasa mulls it over as her eyes shine before she stares up at her roommate. “I don’t know… I really did promise her we’d take her home.”
“Oh, we did, huh?”
“Yes, we did. And she’s expecting a dance with Jean because of this bet, and I don’t know how to tell her she’s been rejected for the night…”
“Oh, shit…” Wincing, he finally eyes Yurie, watching her carefully as she keeps dancing without missing a beat. “That’s gonna sting…”
“Oh god, it’s gonna make her feel like shit…”
“I thought you said she wasn’t that into him?”
“I don’t know, maybe she would’ve warmed up to him! Who knows now? Still, no one wants to see they got passed over, especially after that bet!”
“Good point… you want me to tell her?”
“No, I think you two’ve done enough to her. I’ll go.” Mikasa sighs as she adjusts her corset and grabs her water bottle out of her purse before passing Eren her coat. Stepping off, she approaches Yurie’s platform as she keeps dancing to the rhythm; unbothered by the high heels she wears, she keeps moving in full energy. She gyrates her hips and swings her body around to turn away from the audience while she dances; the fan aimed at her and blowing her hair away to offer the crowd an enticing view.
For the second time tonight, Mikasa feels her body begin to thrum not just from the kiss of Eren’s lips or the music running through her. It vibrates and thrives on the sight of this woman before her who keeps her backed turned as she dances; Mikasa eyeing her stealthily dabbing sweat from her brow and dabbing running makeup with a cotton pad as she does. Trying not to notice the curve to her backside and the peachy roundness to her ass, Mikasa steps up to the platform and grazes the back of Yurie’s calves.
Quickly stuffing the pad in her bra, the girl whips her head around with flashing eyes; half expecting some drunk clubgoer overstepping his bounds before she catches sight of Mikasa. Her icy blue eyes quickly melt and soften, and she turns around to crouch in front of her. “Heyyy! I’m so glad you’re back!”
“I am too!” Mikasa shouts up with her enticing cleavage and water bottle; shaking it a little. “You want some water, honey?”
Yurie nods with a coy smile that curls the corners of her mouth as she moves to get on all fours to lean forward. Leaning into her ear, Mikasa catches a glimpse of her roommate’s cleavage to her furious blushes; feeling the light touch of Yurie’s lips on her skin as she whispers.
“Thank you, babe…”
It feels so intimate, so set in slow motion; the lights flashing around, the music thumping through her whole body. It’s the way Yurie’s hair spills over her cleavage that causes her breath to halt in her throat. The apples of Mikasa’s cheeks feel hot to the touch, her heart beats louder than the house music thumping all around her. And to her own shock, there’s a sense of disappointment that runs through her when Yurie pulls back to take a big guzzle of the water bottle. Once again, she swallows it all in one go; Mikasa can see she’s sweatier now as it comes up to two hours into her shift with two more to go.
“Do you seriously have to dance for two more hours?!”
Yurie wearily nods her head. “Yeah, I get a break here and there but I’m on the clock for the whole 4 hours. Speaking off…” she quickly slides off the platform and down to Mikasa as she eyes her with awe. “I’m taking a break…”
“Oh good!”
“Where’s Jean then?!” Yurie looks around to see him. “I thought he wanted a dance with me!”
“Oh! He did! He really did!”
“Well, where is he then—” she cuts short as she catches sight of Jean and a stranger with long brown hair dancing; his hands on her hips as they dance far too close. “Oh…”
“I’m sorry, Yurie! It seems he bumped into a woman here and they hit it off! I think seeing you dance intimidated him!”
“Oh… I guess that makes sense…” she says as her shoulders slump.
“Sorry, hun, were you really looking forward to that dance?”
Shrugging, Yurie watches Jean with a look of slight regret. “I don’t know… maybe…”
“Oh, then I’m really sorry.”
“No, it’s fine,” Yurie says quickly as she hands Mikasa back her empty bottle. “I got to run to the bathroom for a minute.”
Mikasa watches her as she steps into a door leading backstage and sighs heavily as Eren comes up to her. “Hey, what’s going on?”
“I think she was looking forward to that dance with Jean!” Mikasa says with a look of remorse to her face. “She seemed disappointed!”
“Oh… oh, shit…” Eren groans as he rubs his hand on his face. “Great, now I feel like shit for initiating the whole thing.”
“You should!” she huffs as she looks on at the girl Jean’s dancing with miserably. “Should I bring him over for the dance anyway? It was promised, he should do it!”
“No, leave him! He shouldn’t dance with Yurie if he’s not up for it. Besides, I have a better idea.”
“What?”
Eren shrugs with a smile growing on her face. “We’ll dance with her.”
Mikasa’s taken aback by that suggestion; blinking in shock. “What? Really?!”
“Yeah, sure. Why not?” he laughs and shrugs nonchalantly. “I mean, we can’t completely kill her confidence; she’s got two more hours to work. Plus… I dunno, we kinda owe her…”
Mikasa eyes her boyfriend for a moment as the music swells around her before she lets her face break out in a smile and nods. “Yeah, lets do it. She’ll think it’s a riot.”
Soon enough, Yurie walks back out and Mikasa stops her from climbing up on the platform as Eren fishes for his wallet. “Hey, don’t go. I don’t suppose you’d like to dance with us…”
“Huh?”
“Jean’s dance, we’ll take it off his hands and have it with you instead…” Eren smiles as he hands her $10. “Just a way to apologize for our screwup, Red.”
“I don’t understand. Why are you guys doing this?” she looks at them in bewilderment. “You really don’t have to…”
“We know but we want to!” Mikasa gives her a cheeky smile. “C’mon, it’ll be fun!”
Blushing profusely, Yurie watches Mikasa’s fingers lace through hers to tug her along as they step into the dancefloor. The three scour the packed area until they find a little patch of space to infiltrate. The dancers take in Yurie as she approaches, and a few come up to compliment her on her dancing and looks. She beams gratefully at that before she turns to smile at Mikasa and Eren, leaning into Mikasa’s ear.
“I always feel weird being down here! I feel naked all the sudden!”
Mikasa smiles empathetically as she rubs her friend’s shoulder. “Do you wanna go back?”
“Yeah, if you wanna go back, that’s fine!”
“No, it’s okay!” Yurie smiles in relief; her eyes beginning to soften as she recognizes the opening riff to ‘Show Me Love’ grinding through her. She beams wide as her hip begins bumping to the music. “I love this one! This is one of my favourite songs!”
“Really?” Eren can’t help but smile as he takes in her infectious smile.
“Yeah! I live for this song!”
With that Yurie begins dancing as if she were back up on her platform, separated from the masses and in her own little bubble. But this time, she shares it with Mikasa and Eren, pulling her roommate into her dance as Mikasa blushes profusely. Eren isn’t much of a dancer, but even he finds himself bopping his head to the music and grinning at the sight of Mikasa being guided into a dance. Mikasa, shy and conscious that others are looking at the two girls dancing, blushes even redder. But when she takes in the eyes around her, she doesn’t see judgement, disgust, or even scrutiny. There’s a sense of acceptance here, as if two girls dancing together is the most natural thing in the universe. It’s all about moving with the energy, having a good time, and not giving a fuck about anything the world throws at you.
Turning back to Yurie, Mikasa finds herself mirroring her friend’s smile as they continue dancing together; their fingers lacing together as they sway to the grinding beat. Yurie begins singing along to the chorus as she always finds herself doing; her chest swelling as she lets the music move through her.
“Heartbreaks and promises, I’ve had more than my share! I’m tired of giving my love and getting nowhere! What I really need is somebody who really cares. A lover who wants to be there! So baby, if you want me,” Yurie sings as she cheekily dances close to Mikasa, “You’ve got to show me love. Words are so easy to say, oh aye. You’ve got to show me love!”
Mikasa laughs at that, and she quickly wraps her arms around Yurie for a tight embrace that Yurie freezes through, halting in her tracks, before she melts a little. They stand together there on the dance floor, sweaty and vibrating but hardly caring as they embrace. The two women feel like they’re floating through the club while staying planted firmly on the ground. Finally, Mikasa laughs and kisses her cheek before Yurie breaks apart and beams cheekily as she spins her friend around to face Eren, pushing her gently into his arms.
The couple can’t help the blushes they share as Eren pulls Mikasa into his arms a little more; their eyes dancing together as they begin swaying their hips together. Without fail, she wraps her arms around his neck as his hands snake around her waist as they dance. Tilting her head, she eyes her boyfriend with a small, knowing smile. “I thought you didn’t like to dance.”
“Who said I didn’t like to dance?”
“You.”
“Well… I’ll never say no to a slow dance with you…”
“Right,” Mikasa laughs lightly as they go on. Eren flashes a grateful smile at Yurie before turning to smile at his girlfriend once more as she smiles bright. “I’m having a great time; I didn’t think I would but I am.”
“You know what? I am too,” Eren grins as well. “I feel like tonight’s the start of something new with you.”
“What?”
“Honestly? I dunno…” he shrugs happily. “I just see this glint in your eye that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before… like you know something’s happening to you, but you don’t know what it is…”
“You’re right, I don’t,” Mikasa beams as her cheeks color. “I feel so free tonight, Eren. This whole week, I’ve felt like… like I’m finally tapping into a life of my own…”
“That’s great!” he exclaims as he leans in to press his forehead to hers. “I wanna share this new life with you…”
“And I with you…” Suddenly remembering there’s three people to their party, she turns to look for Yurie; the two noticing she’s up and vanished. “Huh…”
“Hey, where’d she go?”
Mikasa turns her head up to see Yurie’s back to work, dancing as enthusiastically as ever, and taps Eren’s shoulder. “I guess she didn’t want to ruin our moment together.”
Eren turns to look up at her, laughing softly as he does. “Yeah, I guess she didn’t…”
“Do you still want to go home early?”
Turning to look back at Mikasa, he smiles and shrugs. “Nah, I’m okay to stick around. We’re having fun after all…”
“We are…”
“Annnd, it would kind of be a dick move to leave her here on her own… we should make sure she gets home safe with us.”
Mikasa nods contently and breathes in deep as she cuddles into Eren’s warm chest. “I couldn’t agree more. Let’s just stay; we’ll go find Jean in a bit and see how he’s doing.”
“Yeah, let’s…”
“We’ll take Yurie home and spend the night together…”
“If that’s what you wanna do, I’m all yours…”
Chapter 7: Friday Nights & Saturday Twilights
Chapter Text
A few hours later, as the night sky deepens, the Neon Orchid begins to wind down; clubgoers filing out as they chat about finding another late-night club or bar or heading home as they hail taxis. Eren, Mikasa, Yurie, and Jean file out; Jean’s arm around his new date, Juliette, for the night as they do.
“Do you guys wanna come over for a night cap?” Mikasa asks with a smile on her face.
“Uhh, yeah, I’d be happy for one,” Jean beams and looks down at Juliette. “You wanna join?”
“Yeah, sure!”
“Ohh, I…” Mikasa trails off as she looks over at Yurie, “are you okay with all the company?”
“Yeah, sure, I don’t mind…”
“You mind if I call up Armin to join? I think he and Annie are at the Wireroom right now,” Eren asks as he shuffles his hands into his jacket pockets.
Yurie beams and shrugs. “Fuck it, sure. I’m up to partying for a few more hours.”
Eren grins and nods gratefully before excusing himself to trek off to the payphone nearby. Once he’s gone, Mikasa draws closer to her friend. “You sure you’re okay with this?”
“Yeah, why not?” she murmurs with a half shrug. “We can open up the balcony and put on some music. It’ll be a riot.”
“I know but you don’t have a date…”
Yurie shrugs as she turns to start flagging down a yellow taxi; one braking right in front of her. “Worst things in the world than not having a date to your own party.”
From the phone booth, Eren quickly hangs up and jogs back as the guys pile in; Jean slipping in and then Juliette. Eren gets in and Mikasa quickly shuffles to sit on his lap as Yurie slips into the front. The cab takes off to drive off through the East Village as it slowly transitions into Greenwich. Inside, everyone’s chatty and laughing, in a good mood as they take in the active hedonism happening outside their windows.
“I hope you don’t mind my music cause I’m putting it on when we get home,” Yurie beams from the front.
“Of course not,” Mikasa grins cheekily down at her boyfriend. “You like Janet Jackson and Madonna, right?”
“Pfft, love ‘em,” Eren smirks and rolls his eyes sarcastically.
“And Prince, I loooove Prince,” Yurie coos as she grins at the cab driver. “I’m putting Purple Rain on the instant we get back.”
And she does just that; the cab stopping abruptly right in front of her building overlooking the Hudson and some dilapidated piers as the five climb out with grateful ‘thank you’s to the driver. Armin’s already on the corner with a quiet blonde girl on his arm and a tall brunette guy with glasses standing next to him.
“Ahh, Armin!” Eren exclaims as he and Mikasa come over; Jean beaming as he comes up to give the tall guy a hug. “Yurie, this is our best friend from way back in the day, Armin. And this here is Annie; she’s a little icy but she’ll warm up sometime tonight.”
“Ha ha,” Annie retorts dryly before offering Yurie a small smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Yurie. Thanks for having us here.”
“No problem, I’m glad I have room for you…”
“Hey, I’m Marco,” the tall brunet-haired man smiles warmly as he offers his hand. “Thanks for letting me tag along.”
“It’s nothing, really,” Yurie says with a bright smile. “We’ve got a nicely spaced apartment upstairs, so just follow me.”
With that, the small gang laughs and talks loudly as they approach the apartment building while people stroll the street around them. The city never sleeps after all and even at this late hour, the seven embark up the fire exit; their shoes clanking up the iron stairwell as they pass window after window with all manner of partying and living occuring inside. When they reach Yurie and Mikasa’s window, Yurie crouches to slide her slim fingers through the narrow opening as her new friends watch on.
“I like to keep this mostly closed, you know, just so people don’t see from first glance that this is open…”
She quickly pulls it up as Kuromi meows from the couch; watching on with growing astonishment as Yurie climbs inside, before Mikasa, and then Annie, and then four more strangers step in before she quickly bolts for Yurie’s bedroom. The gang all laugh as Yurie shuts her door before grabbing her ‘Purple Rain’ CD to shove in her boombox. The small apartment, packed with friends, fills with the guitar, the treble, and the synth beats of ‘Let’s Go Crazy’ to everyone’s delight.
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life…
As Prince croons out his sermon, Mikasa and Yurie head into the kitchen and open the fridge before pouting when they realize there’s next to nothing, booze-wise. “WE’RE OUTTA DRINKS! UNLESS YOU GUYS WANT WINE!”
“I’M ON IT!” Armin calls out as he grabs the phone from the couch; quickly calling up the number of a mutual friend, Connie, who works at a beer vendor. “Connie! When’re you off?! Good! Grab Sasha from the bar and bring booze! We’ll pay you when you get here!”
It’s not long before there’s even more people showing up; Connie Springer with his shining hazel eyes and a few cases of beer between him and a giddy smiling brunette named Sasha Blaus. The party really starts as the small kitchen table is brought out to the living room; beers shoved in the fridge and bottles of liquor and wine put on the table. The music vibrates through the 2bedroom character apartment; Yurie opening her room and walking through to open the door that leads out to the balcony overlooking the building’s courtyard. Giddy with excitement, Mikasa comes out to get some air and the two girls laugh as they hear the music from different apartments filtering out into the shared space; Yurie quickly waving to a nearby neighbour smoking weed as Bobby Brown blasts from his own speakers.
The courtyard fills with the smells of weed, tobacco, and beer; all matter of parties being held on this Friday night. Before they know it, the two girls clink their cups together before downing them in one go; dancing in their shoes as they keep checking out neighbours that come in and out of their apartments.
“Are you having a good time?” Yurie laughs as she sips from her red cup.
“I’m having the best kind of time!” Mikasa exclaims before downing hers; her cheeks already hot to the touch from inebriation. “I’ve never hosted a party!”
“No, I didn’t think you had.”
“It’s fun, it’s a lot of fun when it’s all people you know!” she vibrates. “Oh, Yurie, we need to do this so much more often!”
Yurie chuckles and hums; nodding in enthusiasm as she gazes over at her. “I’d like that, if it makes you so happy, why not—”
“Eren!” Mikasa exclaims as she sees him crossing Yurie’s door; quickly excusing herself to join her boyfriend back inside. Yurie watches her go with some disappointment before turning to look down at the courtyard; letting herself get lost in the view of dozens of balconies below her.
Soon enough, she walks back inside where she brings a smile back on her face to join in the revelry. Catching sight of Eren and Mikasa chatting happily with Jean and Juliette, she grabs another cup; pouring wine in and downing it in one go. All while cigarettes are lit and nearby, Armin sits on the couch and shouts over the music to debate Marco on the ethics of the internet.
“In ten years, they’re gonna be everywhere! They’ll be in people’s homes by the time we’re 30! I’m getting internet on my computer the minute I can!”
“But won’t it lead to us giving too much power to technology?!” Marco posits before sipping his beer. “We could face a reality where we don’t know where technology starts and real-life ends!”
“Nah! It’s just the internet, Marco! You’re reading too much into it!” Armin says smugly as he pushes up his glasses.
Connie and Sasha, having just gotten off work themselves, grin and dance; jumping on the hardwood floor as Yurie sporadically switches the CD over to Janet Jackson’s ‘Rhythm Nation’. The apartment’s loud and vibrant at this late-night hour, most suites rowdy with the sounds of laughter and drinking and good times, but no one seems to care. It’s a Friday night, no one ever really expects to get sleep on Friday in New York of all places. It’s the city that never sleeps after all.
Eren finds himself leaning against the wall at one point, laughing happily as he drinks from a red cup and chats with Jean about work and their music band. They’ve got a gig coming up in a few weeks at an incredibly grungy looking bar in Hell’s Kitchen. It’s disgusting and the air always seems to smell vaguely of cigarettes and piss, but Eren doesn’t care. He’s just happy for a gig, any gig, with his band ‘Paradis Devils’; he’s not about to be picky about venues.
As his eyes trail idly through the packed apartment, he catches sight of Mikasa and Yurie chatting with Annie; their eyes alight as they speak. Staring at Mikasa, he can’t help but feel a swell of joy to see her in such a state of happiness. She’s so light and carefree at this moment; she doesn’t have to worry about going home or putting on an act for her parents for once. She can just be herself; happy and free in her own home as she chats and laughs with her friends.
Grinning even wider, he can tell she’s drunk; the way she seems more open to laughing and how light and airy she seems. She’s almost ditzy when she gets like this and it always makes him want to chuckle, share in her happiness while watching her back.
Staring on, his eyes catch sight of Mikasa’s fingers lacing into Yurie’s as the two laugh together in an act that seems almost intimate. Eren catches the soft blush growing on Yurie’s cheeks as she squeezes a little before her eyes catch his. The two stare at each other for a long, fixed moment; Yurie blushing a little more as he gives her a small smile. He doesn’t mind seeing Mikasa’s hand laced with hers, he really doesn’t. It’s just hand holding between roommates; even if Eren’s seeing all too well that the two have become fast friends. They’ve taken to each other the way ducks take to water, to the point handholding seems all too natural between them. Yet, it’s the way Yurie blushes when she’s around Mikasa, the way she even blushes around him, it gives him pause.
As if she’s been scalded by a hot burner, Yurie turns her gaze back to Annie as her hand quickly slips out of Mikasa to shove inside her jean pocket. Eren watches it happen before he turns to smile at Jean and chat to his date, Juliette; asking her what she does for work while his eyes trail over to Mikasa and Yurie every now and then.
“Excuse me,” he laughs after a few minutes, “I’m just gonna check on the wife.”
Stepping up to the girls as Sasha joins in with chatting, Eren pulls Mikasa into his arms to her giddy enthusiasm. “Sorry, girls, I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
“Oh, no, we’re just talking to Yurie here, did you know she knows Ymir?!”
Blinking in surprise, he eyes her with a raised brow. “You know Ymir?”
Shrugging a little as she once again blushes, she smiles. “I do. She volunteers at Act Up every now and then and I volunteer at Greenwich Community Outreach, so our paths cross a lot.”
“Act Up? That’s that gay and lesbian organization, right?” Sasha asks as she sips her beer.
“Yeah, the one down on Christopher Street,” Yurie nods enthusiastically.
“I’ve heard of it,” Mikasa smiles as she reaches up to caress Eren’s arm slung across her chest. “They do AIDS activism, right? A few friends from work go there, I think Samuel does.”
“Yeah, they do AIDS activism and outreach,” her roommate hums. “Ymir does a LOT of canvassing, and we bump into each other when I’m doing mine.”
“Yeah, I heard she got arrested at an AIDs protest not too long ago; her and a bunch of them did,” Eren adds. “Reiner had to go bail her out; he wasn’t too happy about that.”
“Yeah, Act Up’s working on a collective bail fund; I try to contribute whenever I can,” Yurie nods along.
“What do you do, Yurie?” Sasha asks curiously.
“Umm, well I work in outreach. I try to work ‘the stroll’ once a week, just so I’m doing something. I tried to go to AIDS protests but… I’m not much of a protester… I always get too freaked out about getting arrested.”
“What’s ‘the stroll’?”
“Ohh, well…” Yurie pauses as she sips as if trying to think of how to explain such a place. “It’s actually on that stretch of road just outside, the one up and down the Hudson…”
“Yeah?”
“Well, it’s not so much up here but if you go down south a few blocks closer to Christopher Street, there’s a lot of uhh… working girls ‘working the beat’ as they say.”
“Ohhh…” Sasha says uneasily as she eyes a quiet Annie.
“Yeah, Christopher Street Park is full of them,” Yurie goes on; the wine loosening her tongue a little too much. “There’s a lot of girls, boys, people in between working there. A lot of them come from broken homes or they’re runaways, most don’t have a home at all, so they sleep in the park or god knows where.” Eyeing her new friends’ faces down turning, she blushes furiously and waves a dismissive hand. “Fuck, I’m tipsy, I’m talking too much. This is such a downer topic; I gotta stop.”
“No, I wanna know what you do,” Mikasa asks curiously, and her friend offers her a small half-smile.
“Not much. I take them sandwiches we make at the centre. I write down information about johns that are considered dangerous. We have a blacklist we hand out to the girls whenever we go down to be aware of certain cars and vans to avoid. And you know, if someone dies, goes missing, I document that too. It’s a lot of administrative work and social work actually.”
“Wow, that’s absolutely crazy to do all that as a volunteer.”
“I really don’t mind,” she shrugs humbly. “I always feel like I gotta help in some way or another… I only do it once a week then I go back to dancing and partying. I can only handle one day a week, not gonna lie…” Yurie trails off with that.
Eren clears his throat as he looks at the uneasy faces around him. “So, you know Ymir through doing that?”
Yurie offers him a small and grateful smile for veering the subject back on course. “Yeah, she works late nights, same as me. She lives with Historia Reiss, right? That WASP-y Park Avenue princess? ”
“Yep, that’s her roommate,” Sasha grins and nods.
Yurie snorts at that and hides a giggle behind her hand. “Sasha, no, those two are definitely not roommates.”
“Yeah they are…” Sasha says slowly; with a note of uneasy confusion to her voice. “That’s what they told us…”
Eyeing the group, Yurie’s giggles quickly subside; flushing in embarrassment as she sighs and shrugs. “Yeah, you’re probably right, they’re roommates. I don’t really know Ymir all that well to say anything more.” Clearing her throat, she blushes a little as Sasha looks away.
“So, you guys got any shows you’re checking out lately?”
“Mmm, I’ve been getting into The Simpsons,” Eren shrugs as he eyes a flushed and withdrawing Yurie; watching her slowly slink away from the group as the talk veers way off from her. “It’s actually pretty funny, that Homer guy’s a riot.”
“Oh? That’s the one with the cartoon people in yellow skin, right?”
“Yeah, that one. Mikasa and I watched it the other day and we thought it was hilarious.”
“Oh, when was it on? I should check it out…”
Holding onto Mikasa, Eren catches sight of Yurie slipping into her room to seemingly hide out from everyone. His chest shifting, he turns back to chat some more with the girls; trying hard to ignore her disappearance. The talk goes on, the girls talking about shows and movies they want to see; Sasha giddily chatting about her summer plans and Mikasa adding that she’s hoping to take Eren to visit some of her family in California if they can both get time off.
Soon, 10 whole minutes have passed without Yurie coming back into the party; everyone too occupied to notice. Growing a little concerned, Eren excuses himself from Mikasa and the others, turning to step into Yurie’s room only to see it’s empty. Now fully concerned, he quickly looks around till he sees the door to balcony’s been left slightly ajar and he slinks outside to see Yurie smoking quietly as she leans on the railing.
“Hey…” he says quietly enough not to startle her.
Turning to look over her shoulder, she smiles before turning her head again. “Hey.”
“Sorry, didn’t mean to disturb you,” he sighs as he steps up to stand next to her. “I was getting concerned when you didn’t come back in.”
“Sorry, I just needed some air.”
“Mmm, yeah, it’s pretty stuffy in there… can I bum a smoke?” Yurie eyes him as he offers her a good-humoured grin before she sighs as slips her hand in her pocket and pulls out her carton to offer him one. “Does Mikasa know you smoke?”
“Yes and it’s not like I smoke that often, just when I’m stressed…”
“Ahh, stressful night, huh?”
Yurie shrugs as she leans her chin on her hand to stare down at the courtyard. “Mmm, it’s just I don’t do so well in big crowds.”
Eren can’t help but scoff and smirk at that. “You? You don’t do so well in crowds, Little Miss Red? You were just working an entire fucking crowd for 4 hours.”
“That’s different,” Yurie rolls her eyes as she inhales. “It’s one thing in a club with strangers, it’s another thing entirely in a house party where you’re only really friends with one person.”
“That’s not true,” Eren says as he turns to lean his back against the railing and inhale slowly. “You and I are friends.”
Yurie looks up at him with a deeply skeptical gaze. “No, we’re not.”
“Yeah, we are.”
“No, we’re really not,” she laughs softly. “We’re one step up from being acquaintances.”
“Well we gotta start somewhere. You really don’t think we’re friends?”
Yurie’s eyes narrow at that. “Why would I? You’re kinda just Mikasa’s boyfriend to me when I’m not seeing you as the random asshole who made a bet over me.”
Eren groans and sighs, running a hand through his long hair. “Fuck…”
“How are Jean and Juliette doing in there by the way?”
“They’re… surprisingly hitting it off. I think he’s gonna ask for her number.”
“Cool. Good for him, I guess.” That’s all Yurie can say before staring back out at the courtyard.
“Still, I kinda wish he would’ve danced with you…”
“I don’t,” she shrugs nonchalantly. “If he didn’t want to, I’d rather he didn’t.”
“Still though… I wish he’d given you a chance; he seemed so up for it till he reached the club.”
“Let me guess,” Yurie sighs heavily. “He saw me dancing up on stage and suddenly, he lost all interest in me.”
“Yeah, that was about the size of it… how did you know? Has that happened before?”
Shrugging again, she hums as she inhales another whiff. “A few times… I don’t know, it’s like guys see me being that kinda dancer and all interest in dating me or taking me home to meet their mother goes out the window.”
“To be fair, I don’t know if Jean was ever gonna go that far with you,” Eren says before Yurie flashes him a look. “On the other hand… yeah, that seems kinda harsh.” Turning around, he leans his arms on the railing as well. “I’m sorry, I’m sure that doesn’t feel good for someone to reduce you to that kinda thing.”
“Yeah, I was kinda hoping Jean was different.”
“Maybe he’ll come around,” Eren offers with a small smile. “I know it’s none of my business but Jean’s not like that with girls. Yeah, he got cold feet when push came to shove but I could see him trying again with you…”
“You mean when this whole thing with Juliette blows over? Then he’ll come to me to lick his wounds? Thanks, but no thanks,” Yurie chuckles with a hint of bitterness. “I’ll have to pass. I live on the basis of fool me once, fool me twice…”
“So, you don’t believe in third chances?”
“No, not really. I don’t really like being anyone’s second choice…”
“Well, I don’t think Jean would see you like that—”
“Eren, it’s fine. I know you’re trying to stick up for your friend, but I think this whole Jean thing’s dead in the water.”
“Fuck…” Eren groans in shame and rubs the back of his neck in resignation. “I’m sorry…”
“It’s fine. I really don’t care that much; I hardly know the guy. He’d like me if I wasn’t a dancer, enough said.”
“Well… I know this doesn’t really matter but if Mikasa went into dancing, I’d still be madly in love with her.”
“That’s different. You’re already dating Mikasa, of course you’d still be in love with her.”
“Well, even if I didn’t…” he shrugs, “You know, if I saw her dancing on the stage, not knowing who she was, I’d fall for her all the same.”
“Well, bully for her I guess,” Yurie sighs as she stares miserably down at the courtyard. “That doesn’t really help me though…”
Chuckling at that, Eren sighs and rubs his face. “True, sorry, I didn’t really think about that.”
“It’s okay, it’s sweet. It’s nice to know that there’s still decent guys out there.”
“Well, for what it’s worth,” he sighs again as he eyes her. “We both really liked your performance…”
“Shut up, you didn’t and you know it.”
“We did, actually,” he laughs at her bite. “We were talking about it, we were really impressed. The way you commanded that place like you owned it; the way you had that crowd eating out of the palm of your hand.”
“You don’t have to say all this.”
“I do,” Eren presses gently. “I get the sense that you don’t realize just how good you are at that stuff.”
“I know I’m good at it…”
“Well, I know you know but I don’t think you really… know… you know?”
“No…” she shakes her head slowly as she stares at him. “I really don’t know…”
The two gaze at each other with amused grins before they both chuckle and shake their heads. “Fuck, I think I’m starting to feel a little drunk. I’m not making any sense.”
“Mmm, no, I get it. You feel bad over Jean so you think you have to say something to make me feel better…”
“Why do I feel bad?”
“Because you tried to set me up as a joke and it backfired at my expense,” she pouts a little as she butts her cigarette on the railing. “You’re lucky I’m talking to you at all after that.”
“Well, I’m sorry about that. I really did mean it as a joke at Jean’s expense but… I don’t know, maybe it came across as one at yours too.”
“Mmm… why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“What?”
“That you kinda… I don’t know… did that at my expense and don’t really seem to care?”
Baffled, Eren blinks as he looks over at her. “I do care… I’m not a complete asshole.”
“I know you’re not,” Yurie sighs as she pulls away from the railing to toss her butt into her ashtray. “But, I mean, if I’m being honest, I can’t get a good read from you.”
Now Eren’s completely baffled; raising an eyebrow. “You can’t?”
“No,” she shrugs as she looks up at him; crossing her arms defensively as she does. “I think you’re a nice guy to me but every now and then I wonder if it’s just an act with you. It’s the way you say these dismissive things about me. Like ‘oh, of course you like Madonna’ or ‘oh of course you can’t commit to a guy’. And you’re rude to me.”
“Uhh… when have I ever been rude to you?”
“I can’t explain it,” Yurie murmurs. “You just… are, especially in front of Mikasa or Jean. And the business with setting me up to win a bet, I don’t know. It was a dirty hand, Eren.”
“I think you’re reading a little too much into me, Yurie,” Eren says as his eyes narrow.
“Really? Would you have done that to any other girl?” she tilts her head as she gazes up at him “Try and set her up with a friend, acting like you were being sincere when you were just trying to stir the pot to win $10? Or is there something about me that made you think it was okay to do that?”
Eren looks her over, shrugging completely as he flicks his cigarette over the balcony. “What? It was just a harmless bet. What the hell do you want me to say?”
Yurie’s blue eyes grow steely at that as her cheeks flare in hurt. “A harmless bet to sell me off and why? Because I dance for a living? Because I’m just a slut who sleeps around?—”
“No one here called you a slut, Yurie.”
“I don’t have to hear people say it to read between the lines. I’m not a complete idiot, Eren. You’ve stopped yourself short of calling me one and don’t deny it.”
Eren eyes her and can’t help but shrug, “You wanna think that, fine. I’m not gonna stop you.”
“You’re not?”
“No. You wanna think I’ve got a grudge against you then fine. It’s not my job to change your mind,” he says indifferently. “And for the record, I’d never call you a slut, but I mean, come on, Yurie. You see where you work, how you dress, how you sleep around… people are gonna say stuff about you. It’s just the way it is.”
Yurie stares at him silently as her eyes blink furiously. As she does, a trembling pout comes over her and her eyes begin glistening. Without fail, her hurt gives way to indignant anger at his callousness. “You asshole.”
With that, she pushes past him to walk back inside and join the party, leaving Eren to stand speechless on the balcony; turning to look down at the ashtray on the table as her smoke sizzles quietly in the burnt embers.
The party winds down not too long after, the hour already pretty late when they started. People quickly climb out the window or head out the door and soon enough it’s down to the remaining five people. “Well, Juliette, where can I take you tonight?” Jean grins as he looks over his new girl.
“Well, I was hoping I could stay with you…” she suggests with a soft lilt as her brown eyes gaze up at him hopefully.
Jean chuckles and scratches his beard in thought. “Mmm, that might be tricky; I live out past the turnpike so I’m gonna cab back to Jersey.”
“Oh? How long will that take…”
“Uhh… probably 25 minutes.”
“I was hoping to crash—”
“Just sleep on the couch,” Yurie sighs as she rolls her eyes and turns to head in her room; bringing back out the blanket and pillows she gave Jean before. “I can already hear it in your voice that you don’t want to commute so just crash here.”
“Oh? You really don’t mind, Yurie?” Jean asks hopefully as he wraps an arm around Juliette’s shoulder.
“No,” she responds curtly as she drops everything on the couch. “Just try not to make too much noise out here. Some of us use the nighttime to sleep. I’m going to bed.”
Eren and Mikasa exchange troubled looks before they watch her trudge to her room. “Okay… good night, Yurie,” Mikasa calls out reluctantly.
“Good night, Mikasa…”
“Yeah, good nigh—” Eren adds but Yurie promptly shuts the door at that; cutting him off deliberately or unintentionally, he’s not too sure. He looks down at his girlfriend and offers her a feeble shrug before she turns to Jean and Juliette speaking quietly as they set up the couch.
“Good night, you two,” she sighs heavily as she holds Eren’s hand to lead him to her room. “Try not to be too loud; Yurie worked back-to-back shifts.”
“Can do, goodnight, Mikasa, Eren…”
The couple turns and steps into Mikasa’s room, the door clicking behind them as the two gaze at each other with a sigh. “Wow… what happened to her in the last hour?”
“Whaddya mean?” Eren asks shiftily as Mikasa walks past to begin unclipping the back of her corset.
“She was fine, having a great time even. Then her mood just dropped…”
Humming as he throws off his shirt and begins unbuckling his belt, Eren can feel the apples of his cheeks flare. “I dunno… maybe she’s just someone who’s mood drops after a while.”
“Maybe…” Mikasa eyes him closely before turning her back to him; her pretty features looking over her shoulder. “Can you unhook the rest?”
“Yeah…”
Eren goes over to start nimbly unhooking clip after clip before Mikasa sighs in relief to pull the top off. “Mmmm, that feels much better…” she murmurs softly as she turns to smile up at him. “Thank you…”
“Anytime,” he smiles as she sighs beautifully and begins running her fingers up and down his chest. Eren watches her fingers play against his tattoos and offers her a small, half smile. “What are you doing, Mika?”
“Mmm, I thought maybe we could… extend this night a little longer,” she laughs gently as she leans up to kiss him. “That top got me in the mood, I must say…”
“Oh, it did, huh?” he chuckles before producing a low, soft sigh as Mikasa’s sensual lips trail to his ear. “Mmm…” he moans quietly as his arms come up to wrap around his girlfriend; pulling her in closer as his body relaxes.
“Does this feel good?”
“Yeah…”
“Do you want me to stop?”
“No…” Eren murmurs softly and sighs again. “Although… I was kinda hoping you’d keep the top on for the night…”
Mikasa pulls back, her smile seductively alluring. “Oh? You want me to throw it back on…”
Chuckling throatily, he leans in for a long and lingering kiss.; his lips glazing hers as his breath grows husky. “If you don’t mind…”
Smiling coyly with darkening grey yes, Mikasa leans over to retrieve it from the floor and slip her arms through the straps once more. Eren gestures her to turn around and he carefully rethreads every hook; breathing out a little excitedly as he does. Once her corset’s fully fastened, Mikasa turns around with mischief in her eyes as she takes in Eren’s face. Reaching up, she caresses his cheek as he watches on in growing anticipation; his green eyes darkening in desire for her.
Breathing out a heavy laboured breath against her lips, Eren groans in building need. “Fuck, your tits look so good in that…”
Mikasa laughs softly with a seductive smile as she readjusts her breasts to perch them properly in the bustier’s cups. “You think so?”
“I know so…” he murmurs throatily as he guides Mikasa to her bed; his movements a little hesitant as he smiles at her. “Why don’t you take the reins tonight?”
Mikasa blushes a little as he stands with her, his body thrumming in excitement for what she’ll do. “You want me to ride?”
“Fuck, more than anything,” he breathes with a soft laugh.
Feeling her chest swell within the confines of her corset, Mikasa smiles at that and turns both her and Eren around; shoving him down on the bed to his excited breath. Mikasa quickly unbuttons and unzips her jeans while Eren fumbles with his belt before she stops him. “Allow me,” she offers a little assertively. With delicate fingers, she begins tugging his jeans down, watching him lift his ass to help her out. As he does, he beams up at his girlfriend.
“Do we gotta be quiet?”
“No,” Mikasa coos gently as she leans in for a soft kiss. “We can make noise, let’s just try not to be loud, okay?”
“Gotcha,” Eren grins as he flexes a little, propping his arms behind his head as he watches her pull back to pull her jeans down, revealing a lacy thong. Moaning at the look of her, he can feel his groin stirring within his boxers as Mikasa climbs on; straddling him as her breasts constantly threaten to break containment. Leaning in as he stares up her with unabashed lust, she crashes her lips into his as the two let out a muffled moan as her weight presses into his crotch.
“Ohhh fuck,” he pulls away with a gasp; gritting his teeth as he groans. “Mmm. Right there…”
Mikasa breathes out seductively as she begins grinding a little into him; a achingly thin veil of fabric separating her from his boxers. Feeling her weight on him, Eren can feel his mind fraying a little before he lets a hand slip down to rub up and down her hip and sinks into the supple flesh of her inner thigh. “Go on baby, ride me…”
“Y—you wanna be owned, don’t you?” Mikasa begins panting as she bouncing on him; their heat and need for each other builds alike.
“More than anything, heh…”
Without another word, Eren’s boxers are pulled down and tossed aside as he maintains heavy eye contact with the woman above him. Mikasa quickly sheds her thong and climbs back on top of Eren; showering him with kisses as she settles on him. The two grow quiet as her adjusts under her, planting his feet on the bed before Mikasa reaches behind to guide his dick inside her warm and wet entrance.
The couple gasp and sigh at the sensations of their bodies sliding together as one. They hold still for a moment as their lips tremble and graze one another. But Eren won’t allow them to linger; he’s far too excited and overcome with lust to stay still in this moment. He’s all too quick to start bucking up into Mikasa’s warm depths with needy grunts passing through his lips. She moans and bounces on him in return; her tits rolling inside the confines of her corset. The small bedroom with one wall made of red brick quickly fills with the overlapping sounds of the bed squeaking and the couple’s combined moans of pleasure.
Mikasa pants and whimpers as she presses her hands into Eren’s strong, bare chest; lifting off him as she does. With a full moan of euphoria, she begins riding him harder as his chest swells and expands with every buck up. Their breaths come out sharp and quick as their hips roll and grind together in full synchronicity. Mikasa moans loudly as she keeps bouncing, running her hands up and down Eren’s chest as her eyelids flutter in full pleasure. All while Eren watches her with full lust in his eyes and a constant need for more of her.
Moaning and gasping, the couple keep moving together as their pace begins to quicken when suddenly The Police’s ‘Roxanne’ blares out from Yurie’s room. They freeze for a moment as they hear Sting croon out over drums and electric guitars before Mikasa lets out a little laugh to Eren’s raised eyebrow. Leaning down, she kisses him teasingly to lighten the mood.
“It’s okay. Just means she can’t fall asleep…”
“I kinda feel like a dick for being so loud.”
“It’s okay,” Mikasa laughs softly. “We have a good arrangement…” With that she sits back up and bites her lip playfully before sighing softly as her hips begin moving again. The couple keeps going, Eren closing his eyes to try and concentrate and not ignore the music next door.
“Out of all the fucking songs she had to choose,” he grunts in frustration; feeling like he can feel the passive aggressiveness oozing through the walls.
“Just ignore it, Eren…”
“It’s such a fucked-up song; sh—she did that on purpose, Mika—ohhh!” Eren’s back arches as Mikasa slides in deeper. He lets out a deep guttural groan as he begins thrusting up faster to her full-blown wails of euphoria; the bed creaking loudly despite being drowned out by the music. Eren opens his eyes and grabs Mikasa’s hips to slam down in full lust and frustration; growling and groaning and trying not to think about those harsh words thrown at him earlier in the evening. Without another word, he grabs Mikasa and rolls her over, getting on top of her to snap his hips into her as she grabs onto his hair to hold on as he fucks her roughly.
The couple grow feverish and cry out in pleasure as Eren’s cock drives deeper and deeper into Mikasa; sending her into full ecstasy as she rolls her head back. His lips find her swanlike neck and pepper them in hot and panting kisses as he rolls in harder and harder; his hand finding hers to pin into the mattress as he does.
“Oh fuck,” he whines lustfully in her ear as Mikasa sighs beautifully and wraps her legs around him. “Ohh, fuck, I’m gonna cum…”
“Yes, yes, do it…” she moans and bites her lip as she arches her back into his hardened chest.
“Where do you want it?” he pants and kisses her as his hips snap into her again and again.
“On—on my tits…”
Eren groans in full lust as he kisses Mikasa possessively; gripping her with all his might before quickly pulling out to sit up. The two pant harshly as Eren straddles his lover and pumps himself vigorously with her help. Mikasa pants hotly as her dark grey eyes settle on him and his throbbing cock; watching Eren as he groans in release and presses his tip into the curvature between her breasts. With a low and drawn-out moan, strings of white fluid spurt out to coat her heaving cleavage as Mikasa watches on. Eren moans again and again as he cums, moving his cock up a little for Mikasa to lick and lap at lustfully as the two gaze into each other’s eyes. Eren’s body heaves and trembles with lingering energy as he caresses her cheek and her soft, black hair with all the love he can muster. Pulling back a little, he leans in to press a kiss to her lips; his arms wrapping around her body as he tastes little drips of his seed on her lips. It turns him on all the more, knowing she feels him, holds him, tastes him on the tip of her tongue.
Pulling back with a softening pant, he moves his hair out of his face to gaze down at her with a smile. “I love you…”
“I love you too, Eren…”
“Thank you for being you… thank you for never needing anything more from me than being me…”
The two share a soft and loving gaze before he leans in again to kiss her once more with even more conviction. With that, Eren rolls off to pad across the bedroom and grab a towel from Mikasa’s dresser to bring back and wipe off her chest and face. She lets him with a soft giggle before sitting up so he can dutifully unhook her corset for good.
“So, was this a hit then?” she asks.
“What, the corset?” Eren chuckles as he unthreads the last bindings. “I’d say it’s been a big hit.”
“Oh good. I guess I’ll have to thank Yurie tomorrow then and tell her she was right,” Mikasa laughs as she pulls it off to toss it in her laundry hamper.
Eren slides back in bed with a pant and a raised eyebrow; resting his arms behind his head as he does. “Come again?”
“Oh, it’s nothing, babe. Yurie suggested I buy that corset,” Mikasa sighs as she crawls back into bed to lay next to him. “She said I needed a confidence boost and she knew you’d really like seeing it on me.”
Eren shifts next to her, his cheeks reddening as he does. “She said that?”
“Yeah, she wanted us to both have a good time at the club, I guess,” she yawns tiredly as she cuddles into her pillow. “It was really sweet of her; I should thank her… tonight was perfect,” Mikasa murmurs as she dozes off into sleep.
Eren feels a shift in his chest as he hears the soft breathing coming out of Mikasa. He can hear The Police still playing next door but the volume gradually turns down before stopping altogether; as if Yurie can finally sleep now that they’re done for the night. Turning his gaze out the window, he can see the breaking of the blue hour; the waning light of night give way into Saturday morning. Suddenly feeling a surge of guilt come over him, Eren closes his eyes with a small groan. All she’s done and been through tonight and he had to imply she’s a slut. Maybe he really is an asshole.
Chapter 8: Manhattan Madonna
Chapter Text
The next morning, Eren wakes up totally reinvigorated from a night of passion spent with Mikasa. He feels like nothing could get him down after the kind of night he’s had. Stretching his aching muscles and leaning in to kiss her sleeping face, he rolls out of bed to grab a fresh pair of boxers he’s brought for mornings like this; eyeing the summer morning outside her window as he does.
Stepping out into the living room, he scratches himself with a loud yawn as he eyes Jean asleep on the couch with a naked Julie in his arms. Ahh, so they definitely did that on Yurie’s couch; she won’t be thrilled.
As if her ears are burning, Yurie steps out of her bedroom fully dressed despite it being only kind of early for her on a Saturday. She’s sporting a slightly androgynous look with her tight top, denim shorts, and suspenders; a black panama hat fixed to her head. Eren stops in his tracks as he sees her turning on her heel to quickly step in the kitchen. Fuck, this is gonna be awkward. Straightening up, he strolls in the kitchen after her as she sets to work with making a small pot of coffee.
“Good morning.”
Yurie’s body visibly stiffens at his voice before the woman looks over her shoulder and nods indifferently. “Morning…”
“I see you’ve got your backpack all packed for the day,” he says nonchalantly as he slides down on the table. “Where you off to, Red?”
“Is that any of your business?”
“No,” he winces a little, “but I figured I’d ask if anyone did.”
Yurie turns the heater off and pours some coffee into her travel mug. “Just need some air. I wanna go out before work starts.”
“Oh yeah, you’re on back-to-back again tonight, aren’t you?”
“Mmm…”
Eren shifts as he stares at her back; clearly, she’s still really pissed off about that confrontation last night. Clearing his throat, he eyes her carefully. “Hey, I get the sense you’re still angry with me, did you wanna talk about it? Clear the air?”
Yurie finally looks back at Eren with utter indifference in her eyes. “What’s there to talk about? I know how I measure up in your eyes.”
“Come on, Yurie, it’s not like that.”
“Who cares? I don’t have the energy to care about what anyone in this city thinks of me, least of all you. I gotta go. Tell Mikasa not to wait up for me tonight.”
With that, she promptly turns and leaves, grabbing her jacket, bag, and sunglasses before she shuts the door behind her with a decisive thud. Eren sighs heavily as she does. He really is gonna pay for that bet for the rest of his life, isn’t he?
Out in the hall and bouncing down the stairs, Yurie walks down to the lobby; adjusting her big dark glasses as she steps out into the loud city streets of Greenwich. There are cars honking, cabs whizzing by, boomboxes and portable TVs playing loudly from the balconies of her apartment block. Taking a deep breath, she begins to make her way up West Street, heading out of Greenwich Village and into the neighbouring Chelsea. Arriving at the cracked-up steps of Chelsea’s subway station, she bounds down the steps excitedly and makes her way through the turnstile just a train whizzes loudly into the dingy terminal.
Stepping in and sitting down, rattled along the tracks, she takes in the grunginess of her subway car; the discarded garbage, the goddawful stench, the graffiti that lines one end of the subway to the other. The lights in here flicker from time to time and most days, especially if she’s by herself, Yurie would rather walk than use the subway. But she needed to get out of her place this morning, she didn’t want to be anywhere near Eren or Jean. Not after that prank. And it certainly didn’t help hearing Eren and Mikasa going at it last night. Not that they were loud and obnoxious, but it still pissed her off. It annoyed her greatly. She’s really starting to regret being so open to the idea of seeing Eren at her apartment more times than not; hell, he practically lived there it felt like.
Sighing at the predicament of her situation, Yurie shakes her head a little as the conductor calls out the stops with his thick Brooklyn accent over the scratchy intercom. Once he calls out Alphabet City, Yurie quickly stands up and waits at the door along with others, trying not to notice a man fully staring at her. Stepping off, she briskly walks through the turnstiles; acutely aware the guy’s still staring at her as he follows a ways back. She quickly jogs up the stairs and disappears into foot traffic, hoping that even this much would have evaded him before she lets out a small sigh. Clutching the straps of her backpack, she makes her way down the noisy street, passing a small city park where people sleep on benches and others wash out laundry in the fountain.
Finally, she comes up to a narrow side alley where the doors to an apartment building sit across from those to a pizza parlor. Yurie heads into the grimy corner and gingerly opens the door; always noting how its shoddy lock broke off months ago and the landlord can’t be bothered to fix it. Walking up a few flights, she strides down a hallway smelling of various cooking dishes before stepping in front of one door and knocking on it casually.
“Who’s there?”
“Hitch?” Yurie says in a sweet-as-honey voice as she draws close. “It’s me, baby, open up.”
“Fuck off, Yurie!”
Yurie sighs at that; her blue eyes growing into saucers as she pouts and leans into the door. “Hitchie?” she whines a little. “Please open the door. I wanna see you.”
“I told you I never wanna see you again. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“I get it, I know, you saw Wes’ boxers on the floor and that was gross. I told him off for it; he did it on purpose cause he knew someone would see it.”
“They should have never been on your floor in the first fucking place, Yurie. Wes is gross!”
Yurie sighs and pouts all the more as her shoulders slump. “I know he is… I’m sorry, Hitch. But I have needs… It’s not like there’s a ton of decent bachelors lining up outside my door…”
There’s a moment of silence before the door is open and her on-again-off-again girlfriend, Hitch Drefyse, glares at her with irritated green eyes. “How the fuck is it my problem that you don’t have guys crawling all over you?”
“I know it’s not your problem,” Yurie pouts all the more as she leans into Hitch. “I’m really sorry, Hitchie… but you know how I get if I go too long without it…”
“Don’t you ‘Hitchie’ me, Yurie. You could just stop fucking people, have you ever considered that?”
Yurie scoffs a little, “Of course I have. You make me sound like some kind of sex freak when you say shit like that.”
“You are a sex freak.”
Yurie shifts as she passes her girlfriend a small, mischievous smile. “First time I’ve heard you complain…”
Hitch’s eyes narrow at that comment, the two staring each other down, before she snorts and lets out a chuckle. “Oh my god. You’re lucky you’re pretty, Yurie. I’d never let a guy get away with what I let you do.”
“I know, I know, save yourself, I’m a lost cause,” Yurie laughs and throws her hands up in prayer. “If Mother Mary could see me now. So what’re you doing right now?”
Hitch smirks and crosses her arms. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
“I would.”
“I was just gonna hang out,” she shrugs indifferently.
“Mind if I join?”
“Yes, I do. I’m not fucking you, Yurie.”
Yurie groans in frustration as she leans in closer to Hitch, her eyes pathetically pleading for mercy. “Please, Hitchie baby, it’s been so long… We could have some fun.”
“Ahh, you mean you could have some fun.”
“Nooo, we could,” she offers with a deep, sultry roll to her voice. “I could… settle between your legs while you sit on the couch and kiss you right where you wanna be kissed… Open your thighs and moan into you… I could have your head rolling back with pleasure in no time at all, Hitchie…”
“Mmm, it’s a tempting offer,” Hitch smirks.
“I’m sooo hungry for you, baby,” Yurie pouts as her hands reach up to intimately rub Hitch’s chest. “It’s been so long… I need the taste of you on my lips, darling… I wanna have some fun with you and forget everything…”
“Aww, you mean you’re sad and you need to fuck me to feel better…”
“Well, you make it sound so awful when you say it like that.”
“Mmm,” Hitch’s eyes narrow. “I’m flattered but I’ll have to pass.”
“Why?”
“Because… I have a boyfriend now,” she raises a cool eyebrow.
“What?! Since when?!” Yurie balks as she drops her hands off Hitch’s tits.
“Since two weeks ago after I saw those fucking pair of boxers under your bed.”
“Ugh, who is it?!”
“Marlow,” Hitch smiles smugly as she crosses her arms.
Yurie balks as she pulls away to stare at her friend in disbelief. “Freudenberg? You’re shagging Marlow Freudenberg?!”
“Yeah, I am, actually.”
“Let me get this straight,” she stammers in complete bafflement. “You’re saying no to sex with me so you can go fuck Poindexter dick?? You’re breaking up with me for a guy with a $2 bowl cut??”
Hitch smirks and shrugs. “Gee, you seem miffed.”
“I am miffed! What the fuck is going on with this week? Why am I constantly getting shafted on like I’m the punching bag of Manhattan?!” Yurie sniffles and pouts indignantly as she turns to walk away. “Jesus Christ, what did I do to deserve this shit?!”
“Yurie, come on, come back,” Hitch sighs and rolls her eyes as she steps out to pull her friend back to the door. “You’re such a fucking drama queen.”
“Can you blame me?! I keep getting kicked when I’m down and I’m tired of it.”
“Well, what the hell happened to you?”
“I don’t wanna talk about it,” Yurie sulks as she looks away.
Hitch eyes her closely as she crosses her arms before sighing. “What time do you have to be at work?”
“Two.”
“Okay, fuck it. Let’s go grab something to eat.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, we’ll go grab some pizza in Brooklyn, check out the arcade, and watch the skyline while you tell me what’s going on. You up for it?”
Yurie’s eyes brighten at that, and she quickly smiles with a hums and a nod. “Yeah! I could use some pizza!”
A little while later, and across the East River, the two girls are walking out of a subway station and onto the streets of Brooklyn where brownstone houses sit next to rundown apartment blocks. There’s ethnic restaurants and shops, brightly painted murals of civil rights leaders, and alleys lined end to end with graffiti; the girls walk past them all with linked arms and giggles.
They come up to a brick building pulsating with loud hip hop music and eagerly step in to a loud and busy arcade with a pizza shop built right in. The place is blasting Cameo’s ‘Word Up’ so loud, people can barely hear themselves talk. Young adults and teens play pool with turned back ballcaps and smokes hanging out of their mouths. Guys hang over the latest Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter arcade systems as the screens flash overstimulating graphics before their eyes. There’s a floor dedicated to dancing, and it’s mostly taken up by b-boys breakdancing and battling against each other as people watch eagerly. There’s an air of degeneracy here as if you can sense the majority of teens here are playing hokey from school but it’s wild and fun and unapologetically it’s Yurie’s scene.
Hitch shouts over the noise to get a few pizzas and cokes as Yurie eagerly takes the place in; her eyes already on the dance floor that she desperately wants to join. Hitch brings over two paper plates with long, greasy slices of pepperoni pizza; cheese hanging off the edge as the girls walk through the arcade to grab a table close to the dance floor. Sitting down, Yurie opens her coke before gingerly peeling a greasy pepperoni off her slice to hungrily toss in her mouth.
“Mmm… oh god that’s so gross but it’s so good,” she laughs and licks her fingers.
“I know, right? God, I’ve been craving this kinda pizza for ages,” Hitch joins in with a smirk as she eyes Yurie. “Sooo… what happened this week? Why’re you so down on yourself?”
Yurie’s mood visibly sours as she pouts a little and sips her coke. “Nothing. It’s stupid.”
“It can’t be that stupid if you’re pouting this much,” Hitch laughs. “Go on, spill.”
Sighing heavily, Yurie moves her one lock of blonde hair out of her face before wiping her nose on her arm. “I dunno, you know that girl Mikasa who moved in with me?”
“Yeah. I think I know her…”
“You do?”
“Yeah, I used to hang out with Annie Leonhart at NYU before I dropped,” Hitch shrugs. “Annie and Mikasa are friends, I’m pretty sure.”
“Ohh, you didn’t tell me you knew Annie.”
“I have a life outside of you, you know. Anyway…”
“Anyway,” Yurie continues with a sigh. “She’s got this boyfriend who comes over like… every other day and he’s nice; he’s really nice actually.”
“Oh, yeah, I heard Eren’s a good guy. And I mean, that’s good,” Hitch offers pragmatically as she sips her coke and grabs a smoke out of her purse. “So, what’s the matter?”
“Well… her boyfriend, Eren, brought over their friend Jean last week and Jean was super nice to me and a little corny and obnoxious, but I thought he just didn’t know how to flirt with girls. I thought he liked me…”
Hitch inhales slowly before blowing out a puff above their heads. “Why am I sensing a ‘but’?”
“But… I found out Eren and Jean had a bet going that he couldn’t get me to go on a date with him,” Yurie blushes a little. “He was just being overly flirtatious to get me into a date so he could win $10.”
“Ouch,” Hitch winces and pouts. “What a pig.”
“Right?”
“Well… maybe he still likes you,” she offers charitably. “I mean, the bet wouldn’t be a thing if he didn’t wanna ask you out on a date in the first place, right?”
“True and I tried to see it that way, especially after Eren and Jean decided to come to the Neon to see me dance along with Mikasa. I put the bet behind me cause Jean said he wanted to dance with me but then he… he changed his mind about me.”
“Whaddya mean he changed his mind?”
“He… he was into me one minute than he saw me dance and he wasn’t.” Yurie sighs in frustration. “I knew he shouldn’t have seen me work, it’s such a major turn-off for guys.”
“Maybe he’ll come around…”
“Doubt it, he found another girl and brought her back to my place for the night…”
“Oh, that’s fucking tacky,” Hitch’s nose scrunches at that as Yurie gestures for a smoke. “Doesn’t he have his own fucking place he can take his hookup to?”
Yurie shrugs as she lights up and inhales slowly. “Doesn’t matter. I guess he really wanted to show he wasn’t interested in someone like me…”
“Aww, I’m sorry, Tweety,” Hitch pouts as she rubs her girlfriend’s arm. “Men can be such jerks.”
“Eren’s no better, you know. That bet was his idea, and he didn’t seem all that guilty when it blew up in my face.”
“Well, why would he? It blew up in your face, not his.”
“And when I said I was upset about the bet, he just… kinda implied that I’m such a slut that I shouldn’t care.”
“He didn’t…”
“He did,” Yurie presses as she bitterly inhales a puff. “He said with the way I dress and where I work, people are gonna see me as a slut and I just have to accept it… he pretty much said that’s how he sees me.”
Hitch sighs and shakes her head. “Moron. What a hurtful thing to say.”
“I know. I thought better of him. And worse, he didn’t seem to get why saying that would hurt—”
“Ahh, you know what? Lemme stop you right there,” Hitch sighs as she sips her coke and butts her smoke on her plate. “Men are fucking clueless, babe, the only time they’re ever gonna use their brain or be even remotely careful with what they say is when it comes to their girlfriends.”
“Huh?”
“You’re not his girlfriend, Yurie,” she clarifies. “He’s gonna be sorry but you know, only ‘sorry’. Guys take their girlfriends into consideration and the most the rest of us can hope for is a half-assed apology and a shrug. Did he say sorry?”
“Yeah…”
“That’s all you’re getting then,” she shrugs. “If you don’t like it, tell Mikasa not to bring him around or, you know, move on. Fuck him.”
Yurie sighs and rubs her head. “I hate men.”
“I do too. You never should’ve agreed to let her bring him around whenever she wants.”
“Why not?”
“Cause they’re gonna turn your fucking place into a love den,” Hitch shrugs. “That’s what happened to a friend of my friend, Marina’s. She let her roommate bring her boyfriend over whenever she wanted. And it was cool at first cause he was cool but then they wanted the living room to themselves, or it would be awkward for her to hang out with them cause they’d be cuddling all the time. They’d be fucking constantly and Marina’s walls are paper thin cause it’s fucking New York. The girls didn’t even hang out cause it was all about the couple and next thing Marina knows, she’s a third wheel in her own damn apartment.”
“Well—wait, you don’t think that could happen to me, could it?” Yurie flusters in panic.
“Well, yeah, no fucking shit it’s gonna happen, Tweety. You’re not supposed to let your roommate have her boyfriend over all the damn time. That’s a rookie mistake.”
Yurie groans in frustration as Hitch passively sips her coke. “Oh my god, I’m so fucking stupid.”
“Yeah, you are.”
“Why the hell did I say she could have Eren over whenever she wanted?”
“Cause you were trying to be nice and it’s blown the fuck up in your face,” Hitch shrugs.
“Maybe it won’t be so bad…”
“Pffft, right. Have fun listening to them fuck every single night for the rest of your life. And good luck with even getting him to pay rent since he’s still not “officially” living with you.”
“Oh my god. Hitch, what the hell am I gonna do?”
She shrugs again as she chews her crust. “I dunno. It’s not like you can take Mikasa aside and ask her to cut back on bringing him over. That’ll go over well, you’ll look like you’re bitter and hate fun. God help you if she thinks you’re jealous of her, Tweety. Face it, you’re fucked.”
“Ugggh… maybe I’ll move out.”
Hitch cackles at that as Yurie drops her head on the table. “C’mon, I’m sure he’s not so bad. I’m just playing.”
“You’re so not playing. You’re too fucking perceptive for your own good, you know that?”
“Well… maybe get Wes to be your boytoy… if they’re gonna fuck every night, why shouldn't you?”
“I don’t want Wes as my boytoy,” Yurie groans in full annoyance. “I told you; I’m done with that pothead.”
“Then find someone else! Jesus, Yurie, you’re a dancer in Manhattan! You seriously think you can’t do any better than Wes?”
Yurie flushes and looks down at her pizza before she miserably picks it up to eat the last of it. As she does, the speakers begin blasting out ‘New Sensation’ by INXS; her face breaking into a smile the minute she recognizes the music. “God, I love INXS,” she breathes wistfully.
“I know, I remember you blasting it at your place.”
“I met Michael Hutchence at the club once,” she grins proudly.
“Fibber, no you didn’t!”
“I did!” Yurie laughs as her eyes sparkle at the memory. “I guess it was when Radio City Music Awards were on back in ’87. So, a bunch of celebrities were at the club after, and Michael was there. So was Billy Idol, Andy Warhol, Tina Turner, Mick Jagger… I danced with Billy Idol to 'Blue Highway', and I then saw Michael. He said I was pretty, and he asked me to dance with him…”
“No shit…” Hitch smirks as she pulls out another smoke as the two jump off their chairs to head outside. They stroll out to the piers across the street where more kids play hokey and attempt breakdancing moves on a flattened piece of cardboard. The girls pass a boombox blasting LL Cool J to come up to the railing and Yurie breathes deeply as she leans into it; taking in the sight of the Twin Towers amongst the skyscrapers across the river as she blushes.
“So, you wanna explain to me why you aren’t Mrs. Hutcherson then?”
Yurie laughs at that and blushes like mad. “I mean, I did dance with him. He’s a great dancer, Hitch…” her voice lowers to an almost sultry tone. “I fell for him that night. We danced and we talked, and I would’ve run away with him if he asked me nicely… I liked him a lot.”
“So? Why didn’t you run off with him?”
“Mmm… celebrities meet people like me every day,” she shrugs in resignation as she turns to gaze out at the harbour. “I’m sure I was just a good distraction for the evening… I don’t think he’d remember me if he saw me now.”
“Aww, that’s depressing.”
“No, it’s lovely!” Yurie breathes as her eyes light up again. “Michael Hutchence talked to me! Billy Idol squeezed my ass and called me a bird! I saw Andy Warhol talking to Debby Harry a month before he died! I never felt so alive as I did that night!”
Hitch can’t help but laugh at her friend’s excitement. “So, what the hell does that mean?”
“It means I was 18 in New York, and I saw into this world I wanna see again!” she exclaims with a twinkle of delight in her eye. “I wanna have that excitement to my life at all times! I wanna feel like my world that’s so black and white is suddenly breaking out into colour!”
“So? How do you plan to get there then?”
Yurie sighs as her smile grows small and coy. “That I don’t know… all I know is that Madonna came to New York at my age with $30 in her pocket. And look at her now! Maybe there’s something for me here too!”
“Yeah but you’re not a singer, Yurie.”
“I know that. I’m just saying… maybe there’s a way I could find my way in the world like she did…” Yurie murmurs wistfully as she stares at Manhattan again. “There’s gotta be more to life than dancing in clubs and hoping to get noticed, right?”
“Who knows?” Hitch smiles with a shrug. “Maybe you’ll be dancing, and some rich playboy will sweep you off your feet and take you to LA.”
“God, I’d love to go to LA,” she hums dreamily. “Beaches, mansions, fresh ocean air… Bel Air and Hollywood right there. No tenement buildings, no disgusting garbage in the river, or $2 porn theatres…”
“Mmm, I’m pretty sure they have porn theatres in Hollywood, Yurie…” Hitch laughs. “They’ve got casting couches and everything…”
Yurie giggles at that and sighs. “God help me, may I never find myself on one of those.”
“Well… you may have to if you wanna be famous.”
“Please, I’ve posed for pictures, that was as far as I ever wanna get, Hitch.”
“Ohh… you know what… that reminds me…” Hitch bears her teeth awkwardly as she eyes her friend. “God, I shouldn’t tell you…”
“Tell me what?”
Hitch hums nervously and bites her lip before sighing. “Okay, I heard from Marina that there’s an open call for models happening in a week.”
“What kind of models?”
“Mmm… it’s some series called ‘College Girls of New York’… it’s by Bud Light and some NYU fraternity apparently.”
“NYU?? They’re signing off on something like that?”
“I dunno. The frat is at least,” Hitch shrugs at that. “College guys like beer and girls, Tweety. How are you even shocked?”
Sighing as she pulls some of her red hair into her hand to eye it tentatively, Yurie thinks it over. “Does it pay?”
“$50.”
Humming softly, she nods to herself. “That’s… that’s not bad actually.”
“$50 for one day’s work… could lead to more work, real magazine ads, you never know…” Hitch says slowly.
“Mmm, I’ll think about it,” Yurie sighs as she checks her watch before grimacing. “Oh, shit, I’m late for work at Sal’s. Are you gonna come back to Manhattan with me?”
“Nah, I’m gonna go visit my buddy. He works in the Heights. Are you free to hangout on Wednesday?”
“No, I’ve got volunteer work that day. But thanks for seeing me, babe,” Yurie smiles as she leans in to kiss Hitch’s cheek before heading off in the direction of the subway. “I’ll call you later.”
“Okay! Remember, don’t take too long to think the gig over!”
“I won’t!”
Later that night, Yurie’s back under the flashing lights of the Neon Orchid as they trail at a fast-pace across the dance floor. She’s dancing in her skimpiest green bra and panties with small little crystals she hot glued to the material herself. The music around her pounds out at a debilitating 100 bpm but she’s keeping her head up as she dances on beat and letting the industrial fan above her head blow her hair around her. The crowd is super receptive to her tonight as she beams and swivels her hips so fluidly, it’s as if she’s made of liquid. Her feet are aching painfully, she’s trying not to sweat, and she’s exhausted, but Yurie keeps that all to herself. She’s a professional after all; she prides herself for never letting the mask slip.
As she dances, guys come up waving bills at her to tip her or ask her to dance. Yurie graciously accepts everything; she’s not in any position to say no to anything. So, she dances with guys and laughs at their lame, overhyped jokes. She poses with them for the club photographer before going back up to her platform to dance on her own once more.
At some point in the night, a bouncer grazes Yurie’s foot to get her attention and she quickly crouches down to hear him. “Hugo wants to see you upstairs when the song ends!”
Yurie blushes furiously, it’s not often that the club owner speaks to her, let alone interrupts her set to have her come upstairs. She nervously nods and stands back up to keep dancing; her moves more tentative as her mind flashes with what could possibly be the matter.
Oh god, please don’t tell me I’m getting fired… or that he wants something…
Once the song finishes, she crouches down once more to jump down from her platform where the bouncer stands by. He nods at her before walking with her through the crowd, ensuring no one grabs at Yurie as she makes her way to the front of the club. Here, iron stairs lead up to the club’s offices and he lets her pass so she can carefully walk up; mindful that her heels don’t catch in the iron grating as she does. The hallway’s narrow and dimly lit with another bouncer hanging outside Hugo’s office and he eyes Yurie stoically before knocking on the door and opening it for her to step inside.
Fidgeting as she does, Yurie looks around the dimly lit office with its file cabinets and scattered bookkeeping before she eyes the club owner, Hugo, conspicuously leaning into his desk. He snorts something up loudly before he looks up to speak to a man in a black turtleneck top and jacket. The two men talk quietly amongst themselves as Yurie approaches before clearing her throat.
“You wanted to see me, Hugo?”
“Ahh, I did, Yurie,” he grins as he looks past the man to see her. “God, you look breathtaking…”
“Oh, heh, thank you…” she murmurs with a blush.
“Yurie, have you met my associate, Theo Magath?”
Magath, an older man, turns his face to her; the creases in his face pronounced under the single hanging light. His eyes are sharp and hawklike but not unkind as Yurie smiles a little. “No, I haven’t had the pleasure.”
“Theo Magath, pleasure’s all mine,” he says with a gruff voice as he shakes her hand.
“Theo’s one of the managers of The Limelight, Yurie.”
“The Limelight?” she breathes as she gazes between both men. “The church that was turned into a nightclub?”
“That would be the one,” Theo smirks as he pulls out a cigarette. “I know you’re on the clock, so I won’t keep you long. I liked the way you dance out there; you’re a great performer.”
“Oh, thank you…”
“I would like you to come and dance at the Limelight, if you’re up for it,” Theo says as he lights up and puffs out a cloud of smoke. “I think you’ve got the kind of look I love to see in my dancers. You’re intoxicating, and you hold your crowd with an iron grip; you’d do well at the Limelight.”
“Oh? I… I…” Yurie stammers in total surprise. “I… I don’t know…”
“It could be a trial run if you’d like,” Theo offers. “I’d like to see you work the pole, and the cage. I think you’d be an excellent cage dancer and the good thing is you’d only have to dance in it; you wouldn’t have to keep getting up and down to hang out with clients.”
“But… I make my tips doing that…”
“Ahh, well, we have a tip pool for our dancers,” he explains. “A flat pay that’s equal across the board.”
“Oh… I don’t know.”
“Well, hear me out. You might be alright with it. Truth be told, not to bust your balls here, Hugo, but the Limelight makes a lot more money every night than this place ever will. We make close to six figures every night so our tips are much higher. And there’s private rooms that often hire girls to entertain and you’d keep all the money you’d earn in those rooms.”
Yurie blushes and hums in uncertainty. “I… I don’t know…”
“Well, our club’s open till 6 in the morning. You work two shifts a week with us and you’d make quite a lot more than you do here. It’s not a bad offer…”
“Well… what does Hugo get in return for you poaching me?”
“Don’t worry,” Hugo chuckles as he sniffs and rubs his nose. “We’ve got a good deal already, Yurie.”
“Don’t worry about Hugo, worry about yourself, honey.”
Flushing slightly, she smiles weakly. “Can I think about it?”
Magath chuckles and nods as he reaches inside his pocket for something. “Of course. I’ll tell you what, come by the club this week to get a feel for the place. Call me by Thursday afternoon with your answer.” Flicking out a business card, he hands it to Yurie. “Either call or come by the club; we’re not open to the public during the day but if you say you’re seeing me, someone will let you in.”
Yurie nods as she looks down at the gold embossed gothic logo for the Limelight printed out on the card in her hand. “Thank you so much, Mr. Magath. I’ll give it my utmost consideration…”
Come 2 o’clock, Yurie slides her jacket over her shirt and shorts as she packs up her backpack; wishing others a good night before she pulls her heels off to stuff inside. Slipping on her tennis shoes but keeping her full face of make-up on, Yurie walks out of the change room and heads down the door to where the bouncer eyes her.
“Goodnight, doll,” he smirks as he opens the door to let her out; watching Yurie as she steps through the side alley to turn onto the street before he shuts the door again.
Shuffling her bag strap on her shoulder, Yurie walks down the grimy streets of Hell’s Kitchen as she checks her watch; if she walks faster, she won’t have to miss the subway. Honestly, she’d rather not wait down in the subway station so late at night if she can help it. And she’s not up for a forty-minute walk home either. With that, she quickly jogs as fast as she can to the subway stairs just a block away; rushing down them and running up to the turnstile just as a subway whooshes into the station. Quickly stepping into it, Yurie breathes out in relief; happy that she’s just shaved 30 minutes off her commute. In 15 minutes, she’ll be home making herself a cup of tea and cuddling into bed with her Kuromi.
Sitting down on a long bench, she breathes out as she catches her breath before scavenging in her bag for a compact mirror. Pulling it out, she eyes her elaborate eye makeup and dazzling lip-gloss; her blue eyes reflecting off her purple eyeshadow and her faux lashes with small crystals glued into them for extra flare. Inspecting herself, she offers herself a small smile before flipping out her hair a little to admire it.
Just as she is, she hears a groaning from a man across the aisle from her, but she pays him no mind; she’s learned to try and ignore every single person around her as a subway commuter. Clearing her throat, Yurie keeps her eyes down as she tucks her mirror back in her bag. There’s an audible shuffling from the man as Yurie clears her throat again and crosses her legs; her eyes downturned to watch her hands in her lap. Suddenly, it’s the inevitable and sickening sound of skin being tugged with a quick fap, fap, fap fap, fap, fap.
Sighing in irritation as her shoulders slump, Yurie stares up to see the man across from her staring right at her as he openly plays with himself. His eyes are fixed on her and he has a big grin on his face, as if he’s proudly showing off what he’s doing. Yurie doesn’t even flinch, her face is icy and unreadable. She refuses to let him get what he wants the most out of her; a scream, a look of disgust, a hope that someone will intervene. But she does no such thing; she refuses to cry and fall apart over such a disgusting act against her. All she does is glare at him before passively looking away to stare down the train at the other commuters too distracted to notice; not that they’d do anything even if they did. It’s New York after all. If you don’t develop a thick skin to these kinds of things, you’ll burn out before you even start.
Yurie shifts as he continues, crossing her arms defensively over herself as she prays for her stop to come up. It’s not for another 10 minutes, she has to sit through 10 more fucking minutes of this guy. He keeps going, his pants coming in short and ragged as he stares at her; not even bothering to pause as the subway rolls into the next station. He just keeps going as if this whole subway car is his bathroom with Yurie as his personal copy of Hustler Magazine. Her cheeks flush as the doors open for a moment; her heart rate racing as she keeps hearing the sickening sound of fap, fap, fap, fap, fap, fap in her ear. She can’t take it anymore. At the last minute, she quickly bolts up and slips through the doors just as they’re closing; escaping that man’s incessant stares and tugs for good. She stands frozen on the platform while the doors close and the subway pulls past to keep travelling south.
Her chest flares, her nostrils flare; her hands ball into fist as she stares off with an indignant, simmering blue fire in her eyes. Shoving her hands inside her jacket, Yurie resigns herself to walking home after all; maybe she should’ve done that all along. Ascending up to the street, she takes in the grimy and dimly lit surroundings before finding the towers looming off in the distance, high above everything around them. As a New Yorker, she knows by heart that they’re situated in Lower Manhattan and so she naturally walks in their direction, knowing she’ll come across Jane Street eventually. As she walks, her chest throbs in lingering ache from that bum; she hates how he leered at her, made her feel humiliated and weak. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone? Why couldn’t he just wait till she was gone to start that shit?
Stopping in her tracks as her breathing comes out ragged, Yurie feels her eyes begin to sting and quickly covers her face; giving herself a minute to gather her shaken nerves. She wishes there was a cab right now that she could throw herself in front of. Trembling and whimpering quietly, she shakes her head to dissuade any tears that dare fall before she sniffles and straightens herself up to keep walking. What good will crying do at a time like this? The last thing she should be doing is crying. She chose this life; she chose this fucking city. It’s seedy, immoral, and disgusting, and it drains her when it can but it’s still her city. It’s still her home. It’s still her life.
Finally, after 20 minutes of walking, Yurie finally comes up to her apartment at the corner of Jane and West as it overlooks the shoddy and rotting piers of the Hudson River. Slipping inside the building, she drags herself up 6 flights of stairs as her aching feet scream for reprieve. Coming up to her floor, she trudges down the hallway to the door and quietly unlocks it with the weariness of someone who’s had enough of everything.
As she opens the door, Mikasa and Eren quickly pull apart from their compromising position on the couch. Noticing with a flash of irritation, Yurie steps in without a word and drops her bag on the floor with a thud. “Hey, you,” Mikasa says softly with a smile; a comical look to her with her freshly dishevelled hair. “How was work?”
“It was fine.”
“We ordered some Chinese earlier. We saved some for you…”
“That’s okay,” Yurie murmurs as she pulls her jacket off to hang up on the coat stand. “I’m not hungry.”
“Uhh, can I get you a beer? You need a drink?” Eren asks feebly as he quickly tries and smooths down his shirt.
“No, it’s fine, guys. Carry on, pretend I’m not here. I’m going to bed anyway,” she offers with a weak smile before stepping up to her door. “Have a good night.”
Quickly closing it behind her, Yurie sighs in frustration before peeling her shirt and shorts off. Kuromi watches her from the bed as she plops down at her vanity dresser and stares at herself in her mirror. Solemnly pulling out her makeup wipes, she tugs and peels her fake eyelashes off her skin before placing them in their container.
Taking her wipes, Yurie begins vigorously rubbing the makeup off her face; roughly scouring her delicate skin in a silent fury. She grabs wipe after wipe, furiously rubbing her skin till it turns raw with irritation than she rubs it some more. Throwing the last wipe down, she crosses her arms angrily, breathing heavy and shallow breaths as furious tears pour down her face. Before she can stop herself, her fingernails dig into her arms; bearing in as deep as they can as she tries to break through the skin and feel something. Whimpering, she shuts her eyes tight, digging in deeper and deeper as her ears ring quietly. But then she remembers her job, her work, the fact she has to constantly be sleeveless and Yurie’s fingers give way as she dejectedly slumps in her seat. Staring miserably at her face as it now looks raw and red, she sighs before pushing her chair back. Padding over to the bed, she slips under her sheets and drops her face into her pillow, hoping against hope that maybe she’ll suffocate in her sleep.
The next morning fills Yurie’s room with bright and sunny light as May rolls into the first day of June. The sun floods her eyes, and she softly moans as she quickly rolls over and pulls her pillow over her head to block out the light. Just another few hours; can she not have a few hours before she’s pulled from the gift of deep slumber? Dozing back into sleep, Yurie doesn’t notice the shuffling of feet that exit her roommate’s room and pad over to the front door. There’s a jiggling of keys and the door’s lock is unbolted before these feet step outside and quietly click the door shut.
Silence falls across the apartment again as Mikasa sleeps soundly in her own room next door. She’s wearing one of Eren’s shirts and curled into her pillow; humming softly in her sleep as she moves to cuddle into him only to find he’s not there. Her hand reaches out through her sleep to feel for him but finds only space where he’s supposed to be. Startling from his absence, Mikasa quickly wakes up and sits up in bewilderment.
“Eren?”
Eyeing his pillow again, she catches sight of a small little note and pulls it out to read it through the fuzziness in her vision.
‘Off to grab coffee, be back in an hour…’
Sighing in relief, she slides back down on her pillow again, staring at the empty space next to her for several minutes as she waits for Eren’s return. After a solid 20 minutes though, Mikasa sighs as she sits up once more, realizing she can’t relax until he’s back home. Why’d he have to get coffee anyway? There’s plenty of coffee here…
Slipping out of bed, Mikasa steps out into the living room; catching sight of Kuromi sleeping on the couch as a small wind chime can be heard coming from Yurie’s room. Mikasa steps up to the door of her roommate and hesitates momentarily before knocking softly as she enters. Stepping
inside, she gazes down to see Yurie sleeping with her pillow haphazardly thrown over her head. Smiling a little, Mikasa pads up to her bed and moves her pillow off her head before sliding down to lay next to her.
Watching her friend sleep peacefully, Mikasa’s eyes take in the slight roughness to her face; reaching out to gently caress it before she can stop herself. Yurie shifts a little at her touch; her brows furrowing in her sleep but otherwise undisturbed. Her breath catching, Mikasa keeps surveying her face, unable to look away for some inexplicable reason when Yurie suddenly yawns and scoots in closer; her arm wrapping around Mikasa’s waist as she cuddles into her.
Mikasa lets out a soft gasps to feel Yurie pressed against her, not sure if she should wake her up or let her sleep. All she knows is that she can feel a fluttering take over her chest, so light and airy that she almost doesn’t catch it. But it’s there all the same, fluttering as she feels Yurie cuddle into her chest as she sleeps soundly. Her body feels frozen, unable to comprehend why she’s so moved by this intimate touch by her roommate.
Suddenly, the phone rings in the living room and Mikasa gently lifts Yurie’s arm off of her to slink off the bed; clicking the door closed behind her before moving to the couch. Letting out a breath as she fans herself, she picks up the receiver to hold to her ear. “Hello?”
“Hey, babe, it’s me…”
“Oh, Eren,” Mikasa lets out a sigh of relief. “It’s so good to hear from you. Why did you leave this morning?”
“Ahh, I just had to go out for a walk and get some air. Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon. Listen, is Yurie up?”
Mikasa blinks before eyeing the door to her room. “No, she’s still asleep. I think she’s still burnt out from last night…”
“Well, do you think you can wake her up? I want you two to get dressed, think you could do that?"
Mikasa’s eyes narrow at that. “Uhh, why?”
“You’ll see. Go on, go wake her and get dressed. I’ll see you in a bit…” Eren chuckles over the phone before the line goes dead.
Raising her eyebrow, Mikasa stares at the phone for a moment before she gently hangs up and rises from the couch with a sigh. Padding back into Yurie’s room, Mikasa takes her in with a renewed smile before she gets back on the bed and gently straddles Yurie’s hip. Feeling coy and free, she leans down to press her body into Yurie’s side as she sleeps soundly.
“Yurie,” she coaxes softly as she caresses the girl’s red hair. “Yurie, baby, wake up…”
Yurie moans as she slowly rolls over to gaze up at Mikasa in drowsy bewilderment. “Mi—Mikasa?”
“Hey, I came to wake you,” Mikasa smiles softly down at her. “Eren asked that we both get dressed for the day.”
Yurie groans as she rubs her eyes sleepily. “Why?”
“He didn’t say but I’m sure he has a good reason.”
“No, I’m not doing that,” Yurie murmurs as she rolls onto her stomach to return to sleep. “I’m not up for doing anything but sleeping today.”
Mikasa grins all the more at that, she knows a stubborn person when she sees them. Laying down on Yurie, she teasingly wraps her arms around Yurie’s body and blows a soft breath in her ear. “Please? For me?”
“Mmm…”
“I know you and Eren are a little strange together but he’s trying… he wants to be your friend too…”
Yurie humphs at that and moves her face away but Mikasa only move hers to press her lips into Yurie’s exposed ear. “Please? I’ll make it worth your while if you get up and get dressed.”
Yurie raises her eyebrow at that as she keeps her eyes closed. “How so?”
“I don’t know,” Mikasa laughs softly. “I’ll think of something though…”
Yurie’s quiet for a moment as she feels Mikasa’s arms tighten around her body; just letting herself be held without word or thought. Finally, she relents with a sigh. “Okay…”
With that, Mikasa gets off of her, offering her a knowing smile before she leaves to get ready herself. Yurie drags herself over to her closet and rifles with a few items before electing to put on a lace black top and black shorts. She combs out her tangled hair with some reluctance before slipping a rosary onto her shoulders as a necklace. Combing mascara into her lashes and dragging some red lipstick around her mouth, she eyes herself in the mirror with a deep-set numbness she can’t even begin to shake.
There’s a click in the lock outside her room and she can hear the front door open once more as a cheery whistling breaks out. “Girls, I’m back!”
Suddenly, Yurie feels a flare of irritation at the very sound of Eren’s voice. Sighing to herself and crossing her arms as her cheeks flare in lingering annoyance, she stands frozen to her floor as she hears shuffling outside.
“Yurie!” Mikasa calls out, “Eren’s here… can you come out?”
Yurie huffs at that and stubbornly stands in place, suddenly unwilling to move an inch. There’s a soft knock on the door and Mikasa pokes her head in with a small smile. “Hey, you’re ready. Come out…”
“I changed my mind,” Yurie responds as she turns to go sit on the bed. “I want to go back to sleep.”
Mikasa sighs and stops her by the hand, pulling her closer with a raised eyebrow. “Oh my god, you’re as stubborn as Eren. Would you please come out into the living room?”
“Mmm…” Yurie moans in protest before Mikasa eyes her in a mixture of amusement and exasperation. Feeling her cheeks flare from her gaze, she groans and sighs. “Fine.”
The two girls step out into the living room as Eren slides his leather jacket off with a smile. “Good morning, Yurie…” he offers with a cheerful disposition.
“Morning,” she mutters under her breath, unable to meet his gaze with her icy cool demeanour.
Eren clears his throat as he exchanges a look with Mikasa but his smile remains all the same. “I, umm, I went out earlier and I crossed this florist,” he chuckles as he leans into the couch to scope up a bouquet of flowers into his arms. “It’s a pretty nice June day, I thought I’d grab these flowers for you.”
“Wow, these are beautiful,” Mikasa breathes as he grins at her and hands her the bouquet with a kiss. “Oh, thank you for these, Eren.”
“Of course, babe,” he grins as he caresses her cheek and kisses her forehead. He stands up at that with an extra bouquet in his arms and clears his throat again. “And, uhh, I thought I’d get you some too…”
Still looking away, Yurie blinks in bewilderment; her eyes turning to see Eren grinning from ear to ear as he holds out the bouquet for her. “Wha—me?”
“Yeah, you,” Eren chuckles softly as he nudges them a little closer. “You deserve flowers too…”
Yurie feels her cheeks blush at that and exchanges a look with Mikasa who smiles as she watches on. She hesitates, waiting for the other shoe to drop but Eren only tilts his head with a smaller smile.
“Go on, Red. You can take ‘em, they won’t bite.”
Yurie tentatively reaches out to take the bouquet into her hands as she stares at Eren in bewilderment. "Thank you…” she says cautiously.
“It’s nothing,” he shrugs with a small, half smile. “I just… I owe you a big apology for my attitude the other night. I’ve been an asshole to you, and you didn’t deserve it.”
Yurie eyes Mikasa who clears her throat before turning to look back at Eren. “Well, you have been… Bu thank you, I appreciate the gesture…”
“Yeah, I just… I thought you deserved your flowers after this last week. You’ve kinda been through the ringer,” Eren sighs as his shoulders sag a little. “You think you and I could get a do-over? Start over?”
“Start over?”
“Yeah, I wanna make a go at being your friend,” he says earnestly. “This time without the judgement and the bets and jokes at your expense.”
Yurie feels her cheeks flare as she looks down at her flowers carefully, feeling the weight of Eren and Mikasa’s gaze on her. Shifting on her feet, she absently brings the bouquet up to her face to breathe in the fresh scent of her flowers; letting them fill her chest and stir her heart awake. It is a nice gesture, even she has to admit that. Maybe he’s being sincere…
Nodding a little, Yurie takes a moment before gazing up at Eren with a small smile. “Okay… let’s start over.”
Eren lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding in and he and Mikasa exchange a smile before he shifts his hands into his jean pockets. “Well, great. That’s a huge relief to me.” Looking at the two girls before him, he can’t stop himself from grinning wider. “Why don’t I take you two out for breakfast before I go to work? There’s that waffle house not far from here, we could go there and have a nice meal together; my treat.”
“I’d love that,” Mikasa breathes with an excited smile before turning to her friend. “Say you’ll come? I’ll take you out after we’re done…”
Yurie feels her chest tighten and her heart beat a little more rapidly as she looks between the two. “I…I… I don’t know how talkative I am today… I’m not feeling like talking much…”
“That’s alright, I can chat for the both of us if you want,” Eren grins mischievously. “C’mon, Red, come out with me and Mikasa…”
Letting out a breath, Yurie looks down at her flowers again before gently placing them down on the coffee table. “Okay, I’ll come.”
Eren grins in triumph at that and gestures for both girls to grab their shoes. They both slip into sandals and tennis shoes before grabbing their purses. He opens the door for them, offering them both a smile as they walk through before he slowly clicks the door shut behind him; his face fixed in a smile at the idea of spending his breakfast with both Mikasa and Yurie.
Chapter 9: Breakfast for Three
Summary:
Eren, Mikasa, and Yurie go out for a conciliatory friendship breakfast where their bond grows all the more cemented over strawberry pancakes and coffee. Then they ready themselves for a homey but slightly tense dinner with Mikasa's overbearing mother.
Chapter Text
The Sunday morning light is warm and hazy this early June day as Mikasa, Yurie, and Eren stroll down the busy block of Jane Street; taking in the sights and sounds of Greenwich Village around them as they do. They all keep quiet, their collective stomachs growling in hunger as they draw closer and closer to the waffle house down the street. As they draw nearer, Yurie sniffs the air elatedly, catching the scent of freshly baked pastries as she hums in delight.
“Mmm… that smells so good…” she murmurs with a beam of joy.
“Doesn’t it?” Mikasa adds as she wraps her arms eagerly around Yurie’s. “I’m so hungry and all I want right now is some strawberry waffles with custard…”
“Mmm… I want that too.”
“Well, you two get what you want; on me,” Eren chuckles in amusement as he steps forward to open and hold the door for the girls; his eyes on both of them as they pass through.
“Thank you for this, Eren,” Yurie murmurs as she turns to him with a small smile. “I do appreciate it…”
“Ahh, it’s nothing. It’s just my way of making up for myself,” he grins with a shrug as he steps in and looks around the busy waffle house before quickly striding up to a table; gesturing the girls to slide into the booth across from him. Settling in, he sighs as he grabs his menu. “You ever been here before, Yurie?”
“Ahh, a few times,” she hums as she grabs her own to look over. “I’m not much of a breakfast person.”
“Oh? How come?”
“Trust me, I wish I could be,” she laughs softly as she looks over her own menu. “God knows how many times I was catching trains at 6am when I was at the dance academy—”
“You were at a dance academy?” Eren blinks with a growing smile.
“Mhmm…”
“Yurie was at Leo Black’s.” Mikasa grins proudly as she looks over her own menu; sharing an amused gaze with Eren. “It’s actually quite a good school for contemporary dance, I looked into it.”
“Ahh, so you did contemporary, huh?” Eren smirks although he doesn’t know what the hell that even means.
“Mmm, I did,” Yurie hums as a tray of coffee cups are brought over and filled up. “Contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, and some ballet to cover the basics.”
“Oh? So, you’re like a full-fledged dancer then?”
“I guess so,” she shrugs as she eyes the waitress with a smile before she walks away. “I mean, it’s what I do, right?”
“I think you should look for something more… up to your standards,” Mikasa chimes in gently as she adds a bit of cream to her coffee. “You spent all that time in school, don’t you wanna do anything more than dance in some smoke-filled club?”
“Mikasa…” Eren murmurs.
“What?” Mikasa throws up a hand. “I just think she has so much more potential—”
“Ahh,” Eren holds a hand up before grinning at Yurie. “You gotta excuse my girlfriend; she takes after her mother than she realizes.”
“Hey, I resent that comment,” Mikasa flushes as Yurie snorts behind her mug. “I’m nothing like my mother.”
“Oh, really?” her boyfriend tilts his head with a smirk. “And I suppose when we got to your mom and dad’s for dinner tonight, Kimiko’s not gonna give me the same rundown. “Oh, you’re working at a…record shop now? It’s fine, there’s nothing to be ashamed of if it’s employment, but don’t you think you ought to go back to school to be a doctor? You have so much… wasted potential.” Sound familiar?”
Yurie giggles at that as Mikasa shifts and crosses her arms coolly. “Okay… maybe I take after her a little. I just want what’s best for my friend.”
“Well, thank you for your concern,” Yurie sighs and shakes her head as she drops sugar freely into her coffee. “But I’m making good money at the Neon…”
“Well, if you’re having a good time and making good money, that’s all that matters,” Eren nods and sips his black brew. “At least you don’t have a mom breathing down your neck.”
Yurie nods and offers a small pressed smile. “Yeah, that is true…” Eren and Mikasa eye each other at that before Yurie quickly clears her throat. “So, you guys have dinner plans tonight?”
“Yeah, we go to my mom’s and dad’s every first Sunday of the month,” Mikasa smiles over at her. “Eren’s always tense cause he has to be on his very best behaviour.”
“Yeah, I gotta put my hair up and scrape it back just for Mikasa’s mom to subtly drop a hint that it needs to be cut,” Eren smirks at the girls. “It’ll be a good time.”
“I’m sure she means well,” Yurie sighs at that.
“Yeah, for her daughter, not for me,” he rolls his eyes before Mikasa swats at his arm.
“Please, enough of that,” she shakes her head before turning to Yurie to nudge her. “Hey, that reminds me; you should come.”
“Me?” Yurie blinks in surprise.
“Yeah, you,” Mikasa grins in amusement. “You’ve never been to my parents and its already been three weeks. You should come with us.”
“But… it’s your family dinner,” Yurie waves a hand. “I don’t want to impose on that.”
“Who says you’re imposing?” her friend smiles all the more as she tucks some black hair behind her ears. “I’m asking you to come and join us.”
“Yeah, consider yourself an honorary member of our family,” Eren grins cheekily as he looks her over. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll take you to my neck of the woods sometime.”
“Yeah, you can meet the great and illustrious Grisha Jaeger who’s trying his hardest to be happy for his NYU drop out delinquent of a son,” Mikasa smirks as she leans into her friend.
“God, you guys spend waaay too much time focusing on your parents worrying about you,” Yurie rolls her eyes playfully before sipping her coffee. “You two know they just want what’s best for you."
"Yeah, we know that but come on, it’s a drag,” Eren laughs. “I can’t stand sitting down with my old man to hear about ‘all the latest breakthroughs in the field of medicine and how I’m missing out’. Kimiko’s bad enough.”
“Trust me, if you listened to my mother going on about how much she wants Eren to find a good job so we can settle down, get married, and have a family, you’d understand.”
“Right? It’s not like we’re kids anymore.”
“Well, you’ll always be kids to your parents… it’s just the way parents are,” Yurie sighs all the more and shrugs, “I guess I gotta come tonight if I wanna see this so-called dumpster fire of overparenting.”
“Great,” Mikasa grins wide. “We gotta be there for six so I guess we’ll go home in the afternoon to get you ready.”
“Shouldn’t you call your mom to ask her if it’s okay for me to join?”
Mikasa and Eren share a smirk. “No, trust me. My mother’s already expecting you tonight. She’s been very vocal about you joining tonight.”
“Oh, was me coming entirely her idea?”
“Naaah, it was a collective agreement, let’s just say,” Eren chuckles as he eyes her. “So, you two will go home, get ready to look your best, and we’ll go together…”
“Oh, god, why do I suddenly feel like I’m gonna be put on the spot?” Yurie blushes furiously.
“Cause knowing my mom, you will be,” Mikasa smiles as the waitress comes by to take their order. The three order a round of strawberry waffles and custard and chat all the more as they wait; bursting out into laughter every now and then when someone passes a witty joke or sarcastic quip. Soon enough their food comes by and the gang can’t help the collective grin on their faces as they dig in hungrily.
“Sooo, how was work for you last night, Yurie?” Eren asks as he shovels some of his side order of eggs into his mouth.
“Oh. Let’s just say it was… interesting,” she sighs before sipping her coffee coolly.
He eyes her curiously, “Oh yeah? What happened?”
“Yeah, you seemed pretty… upset when you came home last night,” Mikasa offers gently.
“Yeah, I thought maybe we pissed you off by making out on the couch,” he says with a quick, sheepish smile. “Sorry if we did…”
“No, it wasn’t that—well… I guess it was kinda that,” Yurie offers with a sigh. “I was still pissed off at you, Eren…”
“Oh, well, I don’t blame you,” he chuckles a little and gazes at Mikasa. “We should probably save it for her room going forw—”
“No, it’s okay, I only really minded when you were being a jerk,” Yurie says quickly before giving them both a small smile. “And besides, it wasn’t really you. I…” she sighs even harder as she looks away. “I had a run-in on the subway last night. That’s all.”
Mikasa gazes curiously at her boyfriend then at her friend. “What do you mean you had a run-in?”
“This… fucking gross pervert,” Yurie scoffs in disgust and shakes her head over her coffee. “He was… you know…”
“No…” Eren says slowly as he eyes her carefully. “He was what?”
“Ugh, forget it,” the girl groans and runs a hand through her red hair. “It’s stupid, it wasn’t anything I’m not used to—”
“Just tell us.”
Yurie sighs again as Eren raises an eyebrow; suddenly feeling put on the spot indeed. “He… he was… jerking off across from me. And he was staring at me, it’s nothing.”
Eren and Mikasa’s faces curdle in disgust at that; the man scoffing as he looks over at her. “Can you believe this shit? What do you mean it’s nothing? It’s fucked up is what it is.”
“I know it’s fucked up,” Yurie offers sheepishly. “But it’s New York, it happens.”
“What, has it happened to you before?”
Yurie shrugs feebly, “I don’t know… I get a lot of weird guys looking at me, following me. I’ve been propositioned cause I walk home late at night; by johns, by pimps, it just happens. This fucking car pulled right up next to me as I was walking last night before it sped off…” she trails off as she sees the looks of astonishment on Eren and Mikasa’s collective faces and stammers. “It—It’s fine! I get it, I wear make-up at night and my hair’s styled up when I’m coming home from work. I get why guys think I’m… one of those girls. I get the thought process, it happens—”
“Just cause it happens doesn’t mean it’s right, Yurie,” Eren presses before eyeing Mikasa. “This is why I don’t like Mikasa going on the subway by herself. Or being outside by herself either. There’s a lot of creeps and weirdos on there.”
“I can handle myself, Eren.”
“I know you can but I still don’t like it,” he says in irritation before he eyes Yurie and takes in her deflated expression. Realizing he’s coming on too strong, he sighs as his features soften and offers her a small smile. “Fuck it, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry all the same. I’m sure it must really suck to be subjected to that.”
“Yeah, I can’t tell you how sorry I am that that happened to you…” Mikasa adds gently. “No wonder you were off last night.”
“Thanks,” she sighs as she stabs at her food a little. “It sucks, I’d take cars slowing down, and porno theatres stopping me to get my picture, I’d even take pimps over that guy.”
“Why?” Mikasa blinks in astonishment.
“I don’t know,” Yurie shrugs miserably. “I guess… the cars are harmless, they just keep going. And the porno guys, they can be flattering, and funny, and you know… And the pimps? I’ve managed to be witty enough and charming enough to talk my way out from them to the point we’re sharing a laugh. But… a guy just staring at me… I can’t do anything about it.”
Mikasa gives her a sad and empathetic look before hugging her quietly to Yurie’s visible discomfort. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry that happened to you.”
“Would you stop? I’m okay, Mikasa. I’m not about to fall apart,” she groans.
“I know you aren’t and that’s what worries me.”
“Oh my god, please don’t be a mom about this…”
“Ha ha,” Mikasa laughs dryly as she pulls away to grin at Eren. “I’ve heard that before. I think you could use a mom fretting over you now and then.”
“You know… if you’d be up for it, maybe I can pick you up from work sometime…” he offers with a small smile to Yurie. “Just to make sure you get home safe.”
“Oh no, you don’t have to do all that,” Yurie shakes her head quickly. “I’m okay now, Eren.”
“I know you are but that doesn’t mean everyone else is. Come on, I can pick you up and we can take my bike back home or the subway, whatever you’re more comfortable with.”
“Eren’s great to take on the subway, babe,” Mikasa offers with a proud smile. “Guys never hassle me when he’s with me. He scares those kind of weirdos off.”
“Yes, I do,” he grins just as proudly before eyeing his friend. “So whaddya say? Let me take you home? We can hang with Mikasa when we get back or you can go to bed; whatever you want.”
“Mmm… can I think about it?” she murmurs.
“Course you can.”
“Oh! You know what does suck though? I totally forgot all about this,” Yurie adds quickly as she stares at the two with wide blue saucers. “I was having a really good night before that. I got scouted and everything.”
“Scouted?”
“Yeah, this manager from the Limelight came by and recruited me to dance for the club.”
“The Limelight…” Mikasa says slowly as the wheels turn in her head. “Isn’t that that big goth church they turned into a dance club?”
“Yeah, Jean went there for a date last month,” Eren chuckles at that; relief across his face to change the subject. “He said it was spooky but cool.”
“Yeah,” Yurie beams and nods. “The manager wants me to come over and… I don’t know, I think it could be fun. It certainly would bring home more tips…”
“It would?” her roommate blinks.
“Totally! That place is huge and it’s always packed. It’s got like 10 different dance rooms playing all types of music from 9 till 6 in the morning every day. That place must bring in over 100k every night, easily.”
Eren nods slowly as he eyes Mikasa knowingly; a cheshire grin growing across his face. “I dunno… sounds kinda fun to me. Maybe we should check it out… I’m sure they play goth music in the chapel…”
“Yeah… you remember how much I was into my goth phase,” Mikasa grins as well.
“I remember… maybe it’s time to explore it again.”
“Well, you two have fun,” Yurie smirks as she sips her coffee. “I’m sure it’ll be a good time.”
“Uhh, you’re coming too, Tweety.”
“Huh?”
“Huh?” Eren taunts teasingly. “You heard me, Tweety Bird, you’re coming too.”
“Ohh… why?”
Eren scoffs in disbelief as he stares between the two women. “Mikasa, can you belie—what do you mean ‘why’? Cause we want you to come.”
“Really?” Yurie blushes fully with a bashful smile. “Isn’t three kind of a crowd?”
“Well, I mean… we’re going to a dance club, not a romantic dinner at Balducci’s…” he posits as he eyes his girlfriend for backup.
“Oh, yeah! Eren’s right, Yurie. You’re not gonna be a third wheel,” Mikasa smiles quickly as her friend eyes her with an amused gaze. “If anything, Eren and I kind of… need you…”
“Need me?”
“Yeah…” she says slowly as Eren nods her on. “Eren and I are kind of like… tourists trying to navigate New York when it comes to going to clubs. And this one sounds overwhelming; we could use a local like you to help us.”
Yurie eyes them both before humming a little with a nod. “Yeah, maybe that would be a good idea… plus then I don’t have to check out the club alone either.”
“Well, then it’s a date,” Eren grins as he finishes his plate and wipes his mouth on his napkin. “What day should we go?”
“Friday work for you?” Mikasa asks.
“Nooo, let’s go during the week,” Yurie smiles. “Like maybe we can go Tuesday…”
“Tuesday?”
“Yeah, Tuesday,” she hums and nods. “Mondays, they’re closed. I volunteer Wednesday nights, and I work Thursday and Friday. Tuesday’s good because it’ll be packed but we won’t get the really crazy Friday crowd that could be very overwhelming for tourists…”
“Ha ha, I think I can handle a Friday crowd…” Eren retorts dryly.
“Well, good for you, all the more reason to go Tuesday,” she smirks at her friends knowingly. “You go Tuesday, see how you do and if you do good, you’ll be solid to go Friday.”
“God, can you imagine us going out dancing regularly?” Mikasa sighs at that.
“I dunno… I think it would be nice if we go out more than we do,” Eren smirks at her. “You and me gotta stop staying home all weekend like two old farts, Mikasa. We’re young, we live in New York, we gotta start feeling this city more.”
“Feeling it more than we already do?”
“Fuck yeah,” he smirks all the more as he leans back in his booth and spreads out his arms. “It’s summer of 1991, and we’re 23 years old for fuck’s sake. We need to take advantage of the here and now, right, Yurie?”
“Mmm, I’d say so,” she hums and blushes. “I was talking to my girlfriend Hitch yesterday when we were hanging out. I told her I was hanging with a bunch of celebrities at a party back in ’87. I ended up dancing with Billy Idol and the guy from INXS. I so wish I could do stuff like that more often while I’m still young in this city.”
“That’s fucking awesome, you’re gonna have to tell us more about it sometime,” Eren nods and beams at Mikasa. “See? Yurie’s living up to the potential of this city. We should do the same."
“Oh? Really now?”
“Hell, yeah, Mika-chan. Think about it, in less than 9 years, it’s gonna be 2000; can you imagine that? The new fuckin millennium right at our fingertips.”
“Lord, here he goes with pep talk,” Mikasa rolls her eyes.
“Stop, I know you love it,” he nods to his girlfriend. “Just imagine us 10 years from now with the world more different than what it is today.”
“I’m curious. Tell me, where do you two see yourselves in 10 years?” Yurie posits playfully as she bites her last strawberry. “Mikasa?”
“Mmm… that’s a tough one,” she smiles wide and dreamy. “I think… me and Eren will be married—”
“Obviously.”
“And we’ll probably have a few kids too—”
“Two or three,” Eren grins at her.
“Right, two or three…” Mikasa hums as she eyes him playfully. “And Eren… is going to be… doing something.”
“Mmm… and Mikasa will be doing… something else…”
“Are you two serious?” Yurie laughs in disbelief. “Your 10-year plan is to get married, have kids and that’s it?”
Mikasa laughs and blushes at that, “Well, sometimes those details take time to figure out… I mean, I don’t know what’s going to happen with this illustration career—”
“And I’m still figuring out what the fuck I wanna do with my life,” Eren adds quickly.
“Oh! I do know we think we wanna move!” Mikasa pipes up with a helpful smile.
“Yeah, or I mean, we kinda hope we can move rather,” Eren nods to Yurie’s surprise.
“You two want to move out of New York?”
“Yeah, I think come 10 years from now, we’ll have our fill.”
“Where do you think you’ll go?” Yurie asks curiously. “Surely you’re not thinking about going to California?”
“What makes you think it’s California?” Mikasa laughs softly.
“Just that everyone who says they wanna leave New York goes to California,” she shrugs playfully. “It’s not like anyone wants to move to Chicago or Detroit, or god forbid, the mid-west.”
“Fuck no,” Eren shudders at that and shakes his head, “There’s no fuckin way I’m going to the mid-west. I don’t like the mid-west.”
“Easy cowboy. I’m sure they don’t like you either.”
“Eren and I were thinking the coastline,” Mikasa offers with a twinkle to her eyes. “We could do California, obviously, but I don’t know, I was thinking Oregon myself.”
“Or Washington,” Eren pipes up with an enthusiastic grin. “All the best grunge comes from Washington.”
“That’s his vote,” Mikasa chuckles as she eyes her friend. “So, us on the west coast in 10 years with ambiguous career paths and a couple of kids. What about you, Tweety?”
Yurie eyes the two and shrugs. “I don’t know… I’ll probably still be here.”
“Doing what?”
The girl shrugs again. “Dancing… maybe…”
Eren scoffs at that as he checks his watch. “You just clowned us for not having enough ambitions and you have even less?”
“I don’t know,” Yurie giggles at his jest as he flags down the server. “I’m a dancer, it doesn’t make great material for long-term career goals. I’ll be lucky if I’m not bogged down by knee problems and back aches by the time I’m 30.”
“Ohh, that’s true, especially with the shoes you wear,” Mikasa hums with a cheeky smile. “Dancing’s kind of a toil, huh?”
“Same way all strenuous jobs are like being an athlete or a wrestler. There’s a reason professional dancers usually retire by their mid 30s. Backup dancers do it even quicker.”
“Do you wanna be a backup dancer?” Mikasa asks as the waitress passes by with the bill.
“Mmm, that’s the dream,” Yurie beams enthusiastically. “I’d love to be a backup dancer, go on tour with maybe Madonna or Janet or OH MY GOD, Micheal! I’d lose it if I could go on tour with Michael Jackson, I’d think I was dreaming the whole time!”
“Well, that’s a pretty good dream, I gotta say. What happens after the tour, Red?”
“Ohh, that’s something I’m still figuring out,” she blushes a little dreamily. “I’m thinking I’d really love to become one of those choreography teachers for music videos or tours even. I’d love to have my own studio where I teach dancing… like maybe even my own academy when I’m a lot older.”
“That’s quite the plan,” Mikasa smiles as she takes in the twinkle in Yurie’s eyes. “What about family though?”
“Family?” she blinks.
“Yeah, family,” Eren laughs as he checks his watch again. “Don’t you want somebody around to share your dream with?”
Yurie offers a small shrug at that. “Maybe. I’m okay with being alone though.”
“Oh, why do I doubt that.”
“I don’t care if you doubt it, Eren Jaeger,” Yurie retorts coolly. “It’s the truth. I’m more than prepared to be alone forever.”
“Mmm… I don’t know about that, Tweety Bird,” Eren sighs as he pulls out his wallet to throw some money on the table. “That should cover us. I gotta go to work. I’ll see you two tonight at Kimiko and Tom’s.”
“I wish you wouldn’t call them that,” Mikasa sighs as he scoots out of the booth to lean in and press a kiss to her lips.
“Mmm… sorry, babe. I’ll keep it to myself,” he chuckles as he pulls away before pecking her again. “You two have a good time, okay? Take Yurie somewhere nice…”
“I will,” she giggles between another kiss before Eren pulls back to smirk at her roommate.
“You take care, I’ll see you two tonight, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Make sure Yurie has a nice dress… see ya at 6.”
Mikasa and Yurie watch his backside as he walks down the aisle and throws the door open to step outside. Turning back to each other, they share a big grin before Mikasa digs her fork into Yurie’s very last strawberry. “Feel better now?”
“Yeah, now that I’ve had a good breakfast and cleared the air with your boyfriend, I’d say so.”
“Well, I’m glad you two cleared the air. It saves me a lifetime of grief and awkwardness so thank you,” Mikasa grins as she nibbles on the fruit.
“Yeah except now Eren treats me like we’re super close,” Yurie sighs. “Like we’ve been friends for years.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“I don’t know,” she shrugs; genuinely mystified by her own prickliness. “I guess I’m just always cautious with guys who have girlfriends.”
“Why?”
“Cause… I dunno, couples can get weird about single women in their midst. I don’t wanna wake up one day to you treating me weird cause you think I’m comin’ onto your boyfriend.”
“Are you planning to come onto my boyfriend?” Mikasa smiles cheekily.
Yurie offers her a shared cheeky grin. “I wasn’t planning on it, no.”
“Then I think we’ll be okay,” she giggles gently before sighing as her face falls more serious. “Well, now that that’s out of the way and Eren’s gone, I was gonna say, do you really wanna talk about that guy?” Mikasa offers gently as she eyes her friend.
“What guy?”
“The guy on the subway.”
Yurie sighs through her nose as she eyes Mikasa back and hums a little. “I don’t know what to say, Mikasa… it really fucked me up and I hate that it did.”
“Why wouldn’t it fuck you up though? That guy was a pig to you and no one even bothered to tell him to stop.”
“I know, it sucks so much,” she sighs in heavy resignation. “Why do men have to be the worst?”
“I’m sorry,” Mikasa answers gently. “And… for what it’s worth, I’m sorry if Eren’s been kind of a jerk to you too.”
Yurie blushes a littles as she feels Mikasa tuck some of her loose strands behind her ear. “It’s okay… I think he just… got a little carried away as treating me like I’m one of the guys or something.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s just this thing I’ve noticed guys do, especially ones in heavily committed relationships. They’re so… concerned with showing their girlfriends they’re faithful that every other girl around gets treated like a guy—i.e. with too much teasing and thoughtlessness and not enough sensitivity…”
“Oh god, I’m sorry,” Mikasa sighs and hums uneasily. “I can see what you mean, what with Eren and Jean and that stupid bet.”
“It’s fine, Mikasa,” she laughs gently and shrugs. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think they’re aware half the time when they’re doing it. Eren certainly isn’t.”
Chuckling softly, Mikasa pushes out of the booth with that. “Yeah, he’s not the most self-aware guy around. But I love him all the same. C’mon, let’s go grab the train.”
“Oh yeah? Where to?” Yurie sighs as she comes out too to eye her roommate with a smile.
“Well... we could head to the Met. I wanna check out this job board in the back office.”
“Oh, you have access to their job board?” she asks as they begin to stroll up to the door.
“I interned there last year when I was finishing up my degree,” Mikasa smiles as she opens it for them to step out into the street. “I’ve been thinking about applying to their artist residency program.”
“Oh?” Yurie hums as they begin to make their way to the nearest subway station. “What’s that about?”
“Well, the Met has this program in along with the World Trade Centre where artists can use their open studios to work on projects and instillations to be featured and even bought if they’re lucky. I’ve been eyeing it ever since I was at NYU, but I don’t know…”
“What do you mean you don’t know?” she scoffs.
“I don’t know,” Mikasa shrugs sheepishly. “It’s a really competitive program, Yurie; everyone wants a spot.”
“So? You want one too, you should go for it,” Yurie presses. “I’ve seen your illustrations, Mikasa, you’re really good! You should totally apply.”
“I don’t know, what if they say no?”
“So, they say no,” she shrugs freely as they approach the steps to the subway. “The only way they’ll absolutely say no is if you don’t apply at all. Come on, why do you wanna apply in the first place?”
“Because… I know The Village Voice is eyeing dropping me to part-time. They haven’t said it but I know it,” Mikasa sighs heavily as she tucks her short black hair behind her ear. “They’re eyeing graphic designs for their editions and I just… can’t wrap my mind around computers right now. And I thought maybe if I could get into this program, I’d have a space to breathe, to work, to make art in this pristine place and maybe figure out where I want to go from here.”
“I know where you wanna go; you wanna go to Oregon.”
Mikasa laughs at that as the two set off down the steps and into the underground station. “Okay, well, let’s come up with a way to get me a more stable career first, Yurie. You need the career to get to the Pacific.”
“Or you and Eren can just pack up and go,” she smiles as the two step through the turnstile. “You can find some place in the woods and near the sea and live out there and away from this stifling concrete jungle.”
“Mmm, that would be nice,” her friend smiles with twinkling grey eyes. “But then I’d have to leave you behind; leave everyone behind.”
“Please, you’d do it in a heartbeat if Eren said ‘Let’s go, Mikasa’,” Yurie laughs as the subway whips passed them and comes to a stop. The two girls step onboard and sit down together as Yurie wraps her arms around Mikasa’s; visibly apprehensive as she quickly looks around their subway car.
“Hey, he’s not here, Yurie, it’s okay.”
“I know he’s not here,” she responds in a hushed voice. “I just want to make sure.”
Mikasa gazes at her anxious friend who sighs before relaxing a little more. “I think you should consider what Eren said earlier about him bringing you home. I’m worried about you taking the subway so late.”
“Ugggh, maybe I should just cab from now on.”
“So, you can spend $20 you don’t have on a cab every week? C’mon, let Eren bring you home, at least till we find another guy for you.”
Yurie chuckles at that and shakes her head. “It’s soooo humiliating getting someone else’s boyfriend to bring me home; I’d rather walk.”
“Oh, that’s ridiculous,” Mikasa rolls her eyes. “Eren’s your friend now, he’s allowed to be more than one thing.”
“Mmm, still, I dunno…”
Mikasa sighs in growing exasperation before holding out her hand. “Fine. I’ll tell you what. If I apply for the artist program, will you say yes to Eren escorting you home? We seem to dread doing both pretty equally.”
Visibly mulling it over, Yurie eyes her friend with a growing smile of good humor as she shakes Mikasa’s hand. “Mmm… okay, deal. You do the residency application first.”
“Fine, if you wanna make it difficult for me,” her friend shakes her head. “You and Eren always gotta make things so difficult.”
“Uhhh, I resent that,” Yurie scoffs with a laugh. “I’m nowhere near as difficult as that boy can be.”
“Mmm. If you say so…” Mikasa mutters before she shares a grin with her friend and feels Yurie rest her head on her shoulder. The girls fall quiet as the subway speeds along, heading further and further north to Central Park and The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue. The ride’s long and contemplative but the two fall into a quiet and comfortable silence with each other all the same.
When they hit their stop, they quickly step out into a subway station in a state of disrepair with crumbling tiles, crews setting up construction equipment, and a large city placard that reads ‘NEW SUBWAY STATION EXPANSION COMING 1994.’
“Three years for a new subway station and this one’s gonna be closed in the meantime,” Yurie grumbles as they step up the stairs. “Something to think about if you end up working here.”
“So I gotta walk a bit, I think I’ll manage,” Mikasa laughs as they step out into the streets of the affluent and noticeably clean Fifth Avenue and immediately sigh in delight. “God, imagine having the money to live here…”
“I feel like we’d be miserable if we did…”
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” she sighs all the same as the girls set off for the nearby museum. “But imagine what we could do with all that money at our fingertips, huh? We could leave for the coast tomorrow.” They giggle at that as they step into line to be admitted into the world-famous museum; cooling their heels as they stand amongst tourists and locals.
When they finally step through, they both gasp as they take in the massive and grand structure and its countless exhibits from around the world and across time. They wander through idly, taking in marble statues dating back thousands of years and paintings and manuscripts protected behind glass and as old as Christianity itself. Mikasa takes Yurie around and explains some of the paintings to her; her inner passion for art coming through her words to her friend’s knowing smile.
“You’re good at this, you know…”
“Huh?” Mikasa blinks.
“You’re really good at talking about art; explaining it and saying what makes it so special,” Yurie grins as she eyes a neo-classical painting of Greek goddesses before them. “You should do this more often; become a tour guide for this place.”
“You think so?”
“Totally! Oh my god, Mikasa, you’d be amazing as a tour guide.”
“Well… artists here do some tour guide work as part as their residency,” she blushes with a cute little smile and twinkling grey eyes. “I kind of like the idea of talking about art to people, to kids. Maybe I could inspire the schoolkids like I was inspired when I was little.”
“Oh, you’d be terrific at teaching kids art,” Yurie beams wide in excitement. “Now you have to apply for that program, Mika-chan. I won’t let you leave without an application.”
Mikasa sighs at that with a playful eye roll as she grabs Yurie’s hand and drags her across the museum and to the back where a woman sits at a booth for employees. “Hi, I was an intern here last year and I wanted to apply for the artists’ residency program…”
“Oh, sure, you’re aware applications are June 15th, right?”
“Yeah, I remember,” Mikasa smiles nervously. “With a portfolio and references, right?”
“And a $150 application fee along with a 1,000-word essay as well,” the woman smiles cheerfully as she hands over the small booklet package. “The instructions are all written out for you.”
“Thanks so much,” Mikasa nods before turning to grab Yurie’s hand once again and head out the side. Turning and grinning at her, she sighs and shrugs. “Well, here goes nothing.”
“Jesus, $150 just to apply?”
“I know, I’m not happy about that…” Mikasa blushes and hums. “I might have to ask my parents for some money to take the edge off.”
“You think they’d be up for it?”
“I think they never would’ve agreed to pay for my fine arts degree in the first place if I didn’t apply to something exactly like this…”
“I don’t know, it’s a pretty serious application,” Yurie mulls it over playfully. “You sure you’re up for applying, Mikasa?”
“If it means you’ll let my boyfriend escort you home after work, it’s worth it.”
A few hours later, the girls are back home and getting ready for dinner at Mikasa’s parents. They dress nicely at her advice,; Mikasa dressing in a slightly tighter white summer dress with red cherries under a red cardigan while Yurie dresses in a yellow sundress complete with a yellow ribbon tied neatly into her hair.
“I feel like I’m about to go to Sunday school,” she sighs as she slips on her glasses to Mikasa’s amused smirk.
“Mmm, luckily my parents aren’t that pious.”
“Mmm, why am I so nervous?” her friend murmurs anxiously as she gazes in her mirror and fidgets. “I’ve met your parents before.”
Mikasa giggles softly as she leans in to press her chin into Yurie’s shoulder to meet her reflective gaze. “Maybe cause we’re so much closer now… we’re friends now…”
“Really? We’re really friends?”
“Of course we’re friends,” Mikasa chuckles softly as she gently loops her arms around Yurie’s waist; the two girls gazing and smiling at each other softly. “The three of us are all one happy family here, right?”
Yurie chuckles throatily and sighs. “After only three weeks of friendship?”
“Who cares if it’s only been three weeks? I feel like I’ve known you my whole life. I’d love for us to be a nice little family unit here. And then when you find your man… or woman… we’ll be complete.”
Yurie hums at that as Mikasa rubs her arms a little. “Well… I quite like the three of us right now. I’m in no rush to find my better half.”
“Good, means that Eren and I get you all to ourselves,” Mikasa coos teasingly before stepping back as the buzzer rings. “Oh, good, that’ll be him now with the cab. Grab your purse.”
Yurie watches her step out of her room and feels her cheeks blush at the rush of her; feeling a quiver at the lingering sensation of Mikasa’s touch on her skin before turning to the mirror once more with a shaky breath. Why does her heart quicken with Mikasa’s touch? Why does her smile grow at the thought of the three of them as a family; just an unconventional family that feels like it cemented itself the minute it formed. Surely, it’s just nerves. Surely it’s just the anticipatory excitement that comes with new experiences. That had to be it, right?’
Shaking her head as if to shake the foolish thoughts from her mind, Yurie sighs heavily before grabbing her purse to head for the door too. There Mikasa stands and waits for her, pulling her in for a smile and a good luck hug before the two leave.
Coming out the door downstairs, the girls step outside to where Eren’s waiting inside a cab with an excited grin on his face and his body stuffed into a pristine grey suit and red tie for the evening. Quickly hoping out, he keeps the door open for Yurie to slip in before he presses a kiss to Mikasa’s lips and watches her slip in too. Feeling a great swelling in his chest, he slides in himself to squeeze next to Mikasa and shut the door; sighing as he does.
“Well, off we go. For once, I’m really excited to do this, I gotta say.”
“Oh? And why is that?” Mikasa grins as the cab pulls away.
“Maybe because Yurie’s about the be the centre of attention, not me.”
“Oh, goody,” Yurie blushes furiously before gazing at her friends. “Please make sure your mom doesn’t totally freak me out. I can’t do a round of 20 questions with her…”
“Don’t worry,” Mikasa soothes with a calming hand pat. “I’ll keep Mom’s prying to a minimum.”
The three travel by cab several blocks south till they reach the edges of Lower Manhattan; stopping before the Soho condo building where they’re promptly greeted by a waiting doorman. Stepping into the elevator together, Eren, Mikasa, and Yurie sigh heavily and offer each other apprehensive looks as the car begins lifting and gliding up smoothly before the doors ding and open to the eighteenth floor.
Walking down the hallway, Yurie clears her throat. “Do your parents serve wine?”
“Yes.”
“Thank god…”
Mikasa giggles at that as the three step up to the door and quickly check each other for lingering imperfections; Mikasa smoothing Eren’s hair back as he redoes his man-bun and Yurie quickly restuffing her breasts inside her cups before Mikasa rings the doorbell.
“Ohh, just a minute!” Mrs. Ackerman calls out in a sing-song voice.
“Good, she’s in a good mood,” Mikasa smiles at the two. “This might not be so bad.”
The door opens to an intoxicating aroma of cooking and an all too cheerful Kimoko dressed primly with an apron tied to her waist. “Ahh, darling! Hello!” she smiles brightly and bows politely. “Oh, my darling Mikasa, and Eren, and Yurie. Please, come in, come in.”
The three step inside and Yurie breathes out in delight at the pristine living room of Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman with its pristine furniture and Japanese accents and décor. She takes in the expensive chaise couch set and the simple TV and impressive sound system playing classical music at this very moment. All while a bonsai tree sits right on the coffee table with finely woven silk fans hanging from the wall.
“Oh this place is lovely,” she breathes out impressively with a smile and a head bow to Kimiko. “You have a lovely home, Mrs. Ackerman.”
“Oh, aren’t you sweet?” Kimiko beams as she takes her in. “And dressed so sweetly too; Mikasa, doesn’t she look pretty?”
“Very pretty, Mother,” Mikasa smiles as she comes up to plant a kiss on her cheek. “Eren’s here too…”
“Oh, yes, yes,” Kimiko waves a hand at him as she closes the door behind him. “You look nice today, Eren. Thank you for covering those tattoos of yours before you came this time.”
Eren eyes his girlfriend with a soft muttered groan of exasperation before smiling as he runs a hand through his hair. “Uhh, totally. It was nothing, Mrs. Ackerman.”
“Mmm, dinner smells wonderful, Mom,” Mikasa quickly says as she sniffs the air. “Where’s Daddy?”
“Oh, he’s just in the bathroom,” Kimiko says before gesturing the kids to go sit on the couch. “And you’ll be so happy, Mikasa. We’re having your favourite; chicken curry with rice. Do you like Japanese curry, Yurie?”
“Oh? I’ve never really tried it,” Yurie blushes fully.
“Have you tried any Japanese food before?”
“I’ve… had sushi rolls here and there,” she says slowly as she eyes Mikasa. “But I kind of try and keep a bit of a restricted diet.”
“Restricted diet?” Kimiko blinks.
“Yurie’s a professional dancer, Mom. She’s not really able to eat a ton of food. Trust me, we took her out for breakfast this morning; I think the strawberry waffles she had was the most I’ve seen her eat.”
“Pfft, nonsense,” Kimiko waves a dismissive hand as she eyes her daughter’s roommate. “All the more reason to eat if you’re a dancer. You need all that food for the energy. I didn’t know you were a dancer too, Yurie. You do that along with waitressing?”
“Uhh, yes,” she smiles with a nod. “The two jobs keep my head above water.”
“There’s no shame in that, of course. Do you work at the Joffrey Ballet School?”
“Oh… I…” Yurie blushes as she and Mikasa suddenly exchange quick side-eyes. “I work at—”
“She works at Madame… Chevalier’s, Mom,” Mikasa says slowly. “She teaches ballet there…”
“Ohh… I don’t think I’ve heard of that place… Oh, Thomas, there you are,” Kimiko says slowly before quickly smiling as Thomas steps into the living room to walk up to Mikasa for a hug and kiss.
“Ahh, how are you, sweetheart?”
“I’m doing so well,” Mikasa smiles as she embraces her father warmly before he turns to shake Eren’s hand and eye Yurie.
“Ahh, I recognize you.”
“Good evening, Mr. Ackerman,” Yurie says as she stands up and bows her head respectfully. “I was telling your wife you have a very lovely home.”
“Oh, how nice of you to notice,” he chuckles and blushes as he goes and sits down next to his wife. “My, I must say, it feels good to feed three kids instead of two tonight.”
“We’ll have to make sure Yurie has her fill,” Kimiko adds before eyeing her husband. “Mikasa told me Yurie doesn’t eat.”
“I didn’t say tha—”
“Oh, well, not to fear,” Thomas smiles even wider at their new guest. “My wife happens to be an excellent cook.”
Dinner is served at the Ackerman table with Yurie and Mikasa sitting together and Eren across from them as Mikasa’s parents sit at either end. The classical music adds a delicate touch to the family dinner as the sweet and spiced curry is passed around the table before Yurie spoons out a small portion along with rice. The others eye her carefully as she delicately presses her spoon to her lips and hums in happiness as she chews slowly and swallows.
“Oh my goodness, that’s so creamy,” she smiles brightly with a nod of approval. “I quite liked that!”
“Oh, good! I’m so relieved to hear that,” Kimiko sighs in relief before beaming at the others. “You’re more than welcome to have seconds, Yurie. I always fret about how skinny Mikasa is at times, but I think I’m going to have to worry about you all the more.”
“Oh, no, you really don’t have to,” Yurie says quickly. “I’ve always been like this. It’s all the dancing, it keeps a ton of the weight off.”
“And the not eating,” Kimiko presses as Eren and Mikasa share a look. “I imagine your mother must fret immensely over you when you go up north to visit.”
Mikasa sighs softly as Yurie offers a smaller smile and turns back to her plate. “She does… but she’s gotten used to it.”
“Remind me, where is your family by the way?” Thomas asks. “We never hear Mikasa talk about them.”
“Oh, Daddy, Yurie doesn’t really discuss her family—”
“It’s alright, Mikasa,” her roommate smiles a little at the family around her. “My mom and dad are upstate in Rochester; they raise horses on a ranch.”
“Oh, how lovely,” Kimiko says with a wider smile. “Do they come to visit you? Or do you go up to visit them?”
“Umm… I visit them…”
“Oh, what made you come to New York in the first place?”
“Yes, how long have you been here?” Thomas adds.
“Guys, you’re prying,” Mikasa blushes with a gentle stare. “Maybe not so many questions.”
“I’ve been here since… umm, 1984, 1985, I think?” Yurie hums in thought.
Thomas and Kimiko eye each other as Eren quietly sips his wine. “1985?” Kimiko breathes out. “You’ve been here all alone since you were a teenager?”
“16 to be exact,” Yurie smiles sheepishly. “I came in on a greyhound bus and slept on a friend’s couch till I could get my own place.”
“Well, why on earth would you need to do that?”
“Okaaay, I think maybe it’s time to ask me some questions,” Eren sighs heavily as he forks his rice. “I feel like the fifth wheel here…”
Kimiko flushes and smiles; somewhat relieved for Eren’s intrusion. “Oh, of course, Eren. I’m sorry, we ought to remember to include you too. So, you’re at the… record store? Is that paying well?”
“Mmm, I mean… it’s kinda peanuts, not gonna lie,” Eren shrugs with a head tilt.
“Well, it’s certainly better than being unemployed like you were for quite some time…”
“Mmm, yeah. I mean, it’s good hours, responsibility, and it gets me out of the apartment. Plus they’re already thinking of promoting me to assistant manager.”
“Really? So soon?” Kimiko exclaims in surprise. “You only just started…”
While the parents turn their attention to Eren and off Yurie, Mikasa offers her a gentle smile; reaching under the table to squeeze Yurie’s hand firm enough for the girl to know she’s here for her. The two share a look and a secretive smile and Yurie offers a grateful nod to her friend before the two turn to watch Mikasa’s mother make a comment about Eren going back to school.
“Well, the record shop’s great for now but I know NYU’s still accepting late enrolment applications for September; maybe that’ll give you enough time to think about cutting off some of that ‘excess’ hair for med school…”
Later on in the evening, the three all step out onto the streets with full bellies and full groans of exhaustion. Eren rubs his face tiredly and shakes his head in lingering irritation. “Christ almighty, I thought that meal would never end.”
“I was so close to asking my mother if she wanted us to stay the night,” Mikasa yawns. “She talked our ear off for hours.”
“At least she wasn’t asking you probing questions,” Yurie pouts with an infected yawn. “God, I hated lying to her, but your mom is so nosy.”
“Hey, I tried my best to get her off your back,” Eren throws up his hands. “But she really did wanna know everything about you…”
“Well, thanks for covering my back, you two,” she sighs and turns to gaze at Mikasa. “Did I do okay? Or does she hate me?”
Mikasa smiles and pulls Yurie in for an embrace. “You did very okay; she adores you.”
“She does?” her friend breathes in relief.
“Yeah, she thinks you’re cute as a button and very polite.”
“She certainly likes you more than me,” Eren pouts playfully.
“That’s not true, my mother loves you, Eren.”
“Oh, does she? She’s got a funny way of showing it.”
“Yeah, because it’s different with you,” Mikasa grins wide as she gazes up at him and keeps hugging Yurie. “You’re the future husband and provider. You’re always gonna be on her red radar.”
“Oh, goody,” he scoffs sarcastically and sighs. “Fuck, I need a drink after that; a real drink.”
“Mmm, we could go home, raid the liqueur cabinet,” Mikasa offers. “Drink the night away.”
“Or we could go out dancing,” Yurie pouts a little. “I could blow off some steam, your mom’s questions were pretty rough back there.”
“Oh? Were they really that bad?”
“I just hate being asked about my home life,” she sighs and muzzles her face into Mikasa’s chest. “I don’t like talking about home, it really… I just don’t like it.”
Eren eyes her carefully and lets out a sigh as he shares a long, careful gaze with his girlfriend; the two sharing a knowing smile before he shrugs fully. “Okay, fuck it. Let’s go out.”
Yurie’s eyes brighten at that as she pulls back, “Really?”
“Yeah, why don’t we just go to the Limelight? I mean it’s only 9:30, the night’s still young.”
“Ohh… I don’t know,” Mikasa sighs heavily as she rubs the back of her neck. “I’ve got work tomorrow morning, Eren.”
“So? We go for 10, we’ll be out by 12,” he smirks and shrugs. “We’ll go in, party for 90 minutes. In and out. No big deal.”
“Ohh… I think Moby’s DJ’ing tonight,” Yurie adds with a hopeful smile and checks her watch. “I heard he’s good but oh my god, it’ll be packed tonight.”
“Who cares? We’ll figure it out.”
The girls sigh and gaze at each other before Yurie shrugs. “Whatever. I wouldn’t mind going out for the night; as long as we go home and change first.”
“Uhh, we’re definitely changing,” Eren scoffs as he looks down at his suit and flags for a cab. “There’s no fucking way I’m going anywhere dressed like Leave It To Fucking Beaver. Fuck no.”
With that, a yellow cab brakes abruptly right in front of them and the three slide inside; excitedly telling the driver to step on it and drive them back to the apartment on Jane and West. Only 10 minutes later, they hop out once again and hurriedly rush up the iron fire escape to the sixth floor where Mikasa quickly shoves open the window before she slips inside and helps Yurie in; Eren coming in last as he struggles to undo his tie. Mikasa comes up to help him as he swiftly throws off his suit jacket.
“Fuck, what should we even wear to this thing?”
“I think just things we can move in,” Yurie sighs as she picks up Kuromi to press a kiss into her black fur. “Things we don’t mind potentially getting ruined—”
“Ruined?”
“Yeah, the usually. Beer and drink spills. Sweat stains. Possibly getting ripped by people tripping out, the usual. Wear something you wont miss if it gets destroyed,” she says before she walks through to her bedroom to quickly shut the door and change.
Mikasa and Eren share a grin of excitement as they undress out in the living room and head through to her room to change. Mikasa pulls her cardigan and dress off and changes into off-shoulder black sleeved top and denim shorts while Eren gets down to his boxers and opens the dresser she has aside for him. Pulling shirt after shirt apart, he pulls out a Slayer tank top and black jeans. Sighing happily, he pulls his hair tie out and quickly brushes his hair before passing a look to his girlfriend; catching a glance of her peachy ass as she pulls her shorts up. Feeling excitably cheeky, he goes over to spank her from behind to Mikasa’s squeaking yelp.
"Aww! Eren!"
“Hey… what’re you doin after this?”
“Mmmm, I don’t know,” she giggles as she quickly turns to wrap her arms around his neck. “I thought maybe we’d come back here… have some more fun on our own…”
“Mmm, I’m listening,” Eren chuckles throatily as he leans in to press a kiss to her soft pink lips. “Maybe Yurie’ll let us be a little loud.”
“Mmm… maybe we can find someone for Yurie too,” Mikasa sighs before biting her lip suggestively. “You know she hasn’t brought a single person home since I moved in…”
“Really?” he blinks in surprise. “That’s concerning…”
“Poor girl, I don’t wanna have fun tonight if she doesn’t. I think we should make a pact that if Yurie comes back alone, we don’t have loud sex and rub it in…”
Eren smirks and snorts. “Ahh, fuck, I guess I gotta find someone for her then.”
“No! Absolutely not,” Mikasa laughs as she pulls away to go over to her door. “I think you’ve been officially banned from ever trying to set her up with anyone ever again, Eren.”
“Mmm, fair enough,” Eren smirks as she opens her door. “I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Babe? Are you wearing makeup tonight?”
“Yes!”
“Okay, then I’m wearing some too,” Mikasa says as she quickly comes back in and grabs her makeup pouf to pat against her face. Eren goes over to watch her in amusement as she slowly lines her eyes with black kohl pencil then fans her lashes with thick black mascara.
Nudging her, he smirks and gestures for her pencil. “Do you mind?”
“Of course not,” she giggles and passes it to him before Eren turns to eye himself in the mirror as he too lines his eyes; sharpening his keen green gaze to her smile. “You wanna make a statement tonight?”
“Mmm, yep, I wanna look like I don’t look outta place.”
Mikasa smiles brightly and kisses him happily on the cheek before gazing at them both in the mirror. “We sure do make a hot couple, huh? Who would’ve known we’d be going out to a nightclub on a Sunday.”
“I know, I can’t believe it…” Eren chuckles and shakes his head. “And right after dinner with your parents; what would your mother say?”
“Oh god, I don’t wanna know,” she rolls her eyes cheekily before they both grab their wallets to head out into the living room. They come out just as music plays from Yurie’s room and Mikasa clears her throat as she taps on her door. “Babe? You ready to go?”
“Noooo, I’m trying to pick out something…” she whines behind the door.
Mikasa and Eren share a gaze before she sighs and steps inside to see Yurie pouting in front of her closet, topless with only her panties covering her. “What’s going on? You always know what to wear…”
“I know, but… I don’t know, I wanna look good.”
“I thought we were just wearing stuff we didn’t care about getting dirty?”
“Mmm, I was gonna do that but…” Yurie trails off as she gazes at her friend with an even bigger pout. “I don’t know, Mikasa, I kind of want to wear something hot tonight.”
“Hot?”
“Yeah…” she says slowly as she bats her blue eyes. “I was thinking maybe I’d… meet someone?”
“Aww you wanna meet someone tonight, Yurie?”
“Yeah… I wanna have fun too…”
Mikasa laughs softly and comes up to her friend to eye her cheekily. “So this time, you need me to dress you…”
“Yeah… I guess so…” Yurie blushes and sighs in exasperation. “I don’t know why I suddenly have no idea how to dress. I’m usually so good at this but tonight, I feel like I’m gonna look totally inadequate.”
“Please, no you won’t,” Mikasa rolls her eyes as she steps in her roommate’s closet and pulls tops from one side of the railing to the other. Looking through top after top, she stops dead on a black lace crop top and pulls it out with a smile. “Well, maybe it’s your turn to wear the sexy top… maybe grab one of your crucifixes and go the Madonna route.”
“Madonna, huh?”
“Yeah, Manhattan Madonna; that’s what your friends call you, right?” Mikasa beams as she hands over the top to her friend. “Go on, this is your night to feel good about yourself.”
“Really?” Yurie breathes hopefully.
“Of course,” her friend laughs softly as she pulls her in for a long kiss to her forehead. “Forget wearing whatever, I want you to look like the Manhattan Madonna I know you are.”
Chapter 10: Truth or Dare
Summary:
Eren, Mikasa, and Yurie head to the infamous Limelight nightclub to indulge in a night of drinking and dancing. But once inside, they're overtaken by the lights, the music, and the heat to the point that they fall into each other. Ahead lies a night of overindulgence in every way possible as the three grow even closer and cross a line that can't be uncrossed.
Chapter Text
A while later, as nighttime sets over the island of Manhattan, Eren, Yurie, and Mikasa hurry down the dark sidewalks of Sixth Street as they hear the music blasting out through the night from the stained-glassed windows of Limelight while cars drive by and constantly honk. The club itself lives up to its gothic potential; it’s a thumping and vibrating nightclub inside a centuries old catholic church attached to a built-in extension for further clubbing. Neon lights shine between the arch windows as bright search lights shine up into the sky outside.
Eren, Mikasa, and Yurie all eye the line already trailing down the block as rock music plays through the street. The friends all step up to the back and eye the diverse crowd before them of goths, punks, yuppies, and even bohemians and drag queens. Hell, even the bridge-and-tunnel crowd’s here. As they step into line, Yurie grins in excitement, practically bouncing as she stands with Mikasa and Eren.
“Oh god, I’m so damn excited, I can hardly breathe.”
“Okay, okay, relax,” Mikasa giggles as she pulls her friend into her arms and kisses her cheek. “Don’t worry, we’ll get in.”
“Mmm, do I look okay?” Yurie sighs as she turns to show off her outfit; nervously shaking her hair as Mikasa and Eren take in her black lace crop top, her black jeans and jacket, and the large crucifix necklace hovering just over her stomach.
“You look great, Red,” Eren nods in approval. “Don’t worry, you’ll do great tonight.”
“You think we can be good wingmen tonight, Eren? Yurie needs a new date, desperately.”
“Oh, yeah, totally,” he smirks as he shoves his hands inside his pockets and perks his ears up as the line draws closer to the door; the music inside suddenly playing Poison. “What the hell? They’re playing rock music in there?”
“Yeah, didn’t you know?” a punk turns to eye them. “It’s rock night in the chapel tonight. Aerosmith’s here.”
“Holy shit, Aerosmith?!” Eren’s eyes open wide in astonishment. “Oh, I gotta go to that, nobody said anything about rock mu—”
“Ahh, we’re here for Yurie, Eren,” Mikasa presses as she presses her friend into her side. “We’re supposed to be going to dance, not listen to rock music.”
“It’s okay, Mikasa,” Yurie grins in gratitude, “we can do both. This place is open really late; I’m sure we can make our way around…”
“Oh, but we really gotta aim to leave by 12,” Mikasa interjects. “I do have work—”
“Are we even gonna get in by 12?” Eren groans and checks his watch. “It’s already 11…”
“Oh…” his girlfriend blushes a little. “Well… maybe we can stay here till 1 AT THE LATEST.”
“Yeah, 1 it is,” Eren smiles and winks at Yurie. “Totally doable.”
Finally, after another 40 minutes of just waiting in line, the three step through the entrance and into the loud and bumping gothic cathedral drenched in darkness save for the club lights with stairs and corridors leading to the adjoined nightclub rooms off the main chapel. The place is absolutely packed with clubgoers; steam rising from the crowd from the cigarette smoke, weed smoke, and body heat. The place is already hot and the three fan themselves; hardly believing the heat they’ve stepped into.
But then Guns ‘n’ Roses starts playing and Eren’s eyes light up in excitement as the opening rifts to ‘Paradise City’ rings out. “Heyyy would you look at that!” he calls out to be heard. “Not too shabby!”
“Yeah! Who even knew they’d play rock music in a dance club!” Mikasa beams; clearly relieved to see her boyfriend take to the place before she takes his hand and gestures Yurie to follow as they begin to move through the crowd. “Should we get some drinks?!”
“Yeah, but only as a group! No wandering off!”
The three weave their way through the crowd of hundreds dancing to the whinging guitar riffs of Slash and Axl Rose’s raspy vibrato as they make their way to the nearest bar. Stopping within feet of it, Eren elects to grab the drinks while the girls stay back. Grinning as she looks around at the smoky rafters and hundreds of people jam packed in and dancing together, Yurie hums in excitement.
“This place isn’t so bad by first glance!”
“Tell me about it!” Mikasa calls out into her ear. “I’m just glad my boyfriend’s into it!”
“So am I!”
The two girls grin at each other as the music plays on; Mikasa’s head bopping to it as she waits on her drink. “Mmm, I love this song!”
“Really?”
“Yeah! Eren and I love listening to rock music,” Mikasa sighs dreamily; already feeling her lungs expand to take in the permeating weed smoke to the air. “We love blasting it whenever we’re making out!”
“Oh? Do you, now?” Yurie grins teasingly. “I thought you guys liked absolute silence when you went at it!”
“No, just when you’re around!”
Yurie scowls in feigned irritation at that. “That’s not funny, Mikasa!”
“Sorry!” she giggles as she pulls her perturbed roommate closer. “I’m just teasing you!”
“I gotta pay you back for that!” Yurie pouts before readjusting her cups to prop up her breasts. “I wanna be the one being loud when we get home!”
“Ohh, you’re so right,” Mikasa smirks at her display before gazing around. “See anybody that you like?”
Yurie narrows her eyes as she searches around slowly; taking in the diverse crowd of clubbers around her before shaking her head slowly. “No! No one!”
“Maybe it would be good if we narrowed down the search—”
“Narrow down what search?” Eren asks as he steps into their line of vision with three beers.
“Aww, Heinekens?” Mikasa grins as she takes hers and pecks him on the lips. “Thank you, baby.”
“No problem, I got served quick,” he grins proudly as he passes one to Yurie. “I think the bartender thought I was cute.”
“Good, we’ll send you back for the next round,” Mikasa teases.
“Ha ha. Go on, what search?”
“We’re trying to figure out what it is Yurie’s even looking for tonight,” his girlfriend clarifies before turning to her. “So, what’re you in the mood for? Guy or girl?”
Yurie blushes completely at Mikasa’s forward question before humming absently as she looks around and shrugs. “Ugh, I dunno. Maybe guy…”
“Maybe guy?” Eren raised an amused eyebrow.
“Maybe?” she shrugs in embarrassment. “Frankly I didn’t even think this far ahead!”
“Well… maybe we’d be better looking for like… a ‘type’, you know?” Mikasa offers. “Like are you thinking goth? Rocker? Stoner? Yuppie? I’ve seen every kind here so far. Or we can look for a cool model girl, cute girl, goth girl. Take your pick.”
“Oh god I dunno,” Yurie groans in discomfort before Eren pulls her closer.
“Okay, lay off the questions, Kimiko,” he smirks. “Don’t make her head explode.”
“I’m just trying to help!”
“I dunno, why don’t we just go dance?” he shrugs as he steers his friend onto the dance floor. “I’m sure someone will catch Yurie’s eye sooner or later.”
Mikasa rolls her eyes before following on his heels as he playfully steers Yurie right then left; Eren’s keen eyes scoping out the place till he catches a glimpse of the VIP seating area where members of Aerosmith are chatting with people while drinking and smoking.
“Annnnd let’s stop right here!” he stops Yurie abruptly as Mikasa bangs into his back. “Perfect!”
“Why are we so close to Aerosmith?” Yurie asks suspiciously as she gazes over her shoulder.
“Huh? We’re not that close,” he shrugs as he noticeably eyes them.
“We’re pretty close,” Mikasa crosses her arms as she gazes up at him knowingly. “Are you trying to get their attention, Eren?”
“Hmm?” Eren hums in seeming indifference. “Me? Nahhh…”
“I don’t think Steven Tyler likes guys,” Yurie turns around to eye him warily. “Why are we so close?”
“I dunno, I just wanna be close to them… if we get their attention, all the better,” he grins cheekily.
“You mean if Yurie grabs their attention,” Mikasa sighs as she pulls her friend closer. “I know that’s what you’re thinking…”
“Maybe a little,” Eren smiles all the more as he scratches his cheek and grins at his friend. “Sorry, hun, I thought it wouldn't hurt.”
“I don’t even like Aerosmith.”
“You don’t??” he balks.
“Mmm-mmm…”
“What? Are you serious, Yurie? ‘Walk This Way’? ‘Rag Doll’? ‘Love in an Elevator’?”
Yurie shrugs and shakes her head as she wrinkles her nose. “Nope.”
“’Angel’?? You gotta like ‘Angel’! I play that song when me and Mikasa are goi…” Eren stops himself as he eyes his exasperated girlfriend. “C’mon, Yurie, it’s a great song!”
“I’m sure it is but I don’t like Aerosmith!”
“Oh my god! Are you serious?”
“You don’t like my music! Do I try and shove it on you?” Yurie crosses her arms in challenge as Mikasa sighs next to her and eyes Eren.
Eren eyes them both and scoffs with an exasperated huff. “Okay, fuck it! Do you like any rock music?”
Yurie gazes at them both and shrugs nonchalantly, “I dunno… I like Roxette—”
“Oh my god.”
“And Def Leppard and U2! I love U2! Oh! I like INXS, Bryan Adams, Genesis, and Heart!” she lists off on her fingers before holding them up. “See? That’s seven bands off the top of my head!”
“Eren hates Bryan Adams!” Mikasa smiles and rolls her eyes. “He’s not crazy about most of what you listed, Yurie!”
“I don’t care! Good thing I don’t have to be the one who impresses him!” Yurie shrugs in indignation as Eren eyes her. “Now can we please dance? I’m worried about those security guards eyeing us cause we’re just standing here like idiots!”
Mikasa and Eren follow her eyes before catching the band’s security detail side-eyeing them suspiciously from a few yards away. Eren quickly turns his back to them with a sheepish grin. “Fuck, guess we better dance.”
The three listen to the music overhead as it begins playing ‘New Sensation’ by INXS starts playing; a big and proud grin stirring on Yurie’s face as it does. “Ahh! INXS! It’s a sign!”
“What kinda sign?!” Mikasa asks with a grin as Yurie starts bopping her head to the music with a secretive and knowing smile.
“A good sign! A very good sign!”
With that, the three begin bopping their heads in time to the bass and moving their feet to the vibrations of the loud and rambunctious treble coming up from the floor beneath them. Yurie moves her body fluidly as she moves her legs fully; completely uninhibited and as fluid as she is when she’s dancing up on her platform back at The Neon Orchid. Her hips sway so easily with the music as she moves her arms; raising them and rolling them and it’s not long for Mikasa to realize she really is made to dance. She dances up to her friend and the two grin as they dance right up to each other before Yurie begins singing for Mikasa; grabbing her arms to pull her closer as Eren dances near them.
Dream, baby, dream
Of all that’s come and goin’
And you will find out in the end
There really is,
There really is no difference
Both girls quickly pant out “Ahh!” before laughing as they keep going.
Cry, baby, cry,
When you got to get it out
I’ll be your shoulder,
You can tell me all
Don’t keep it in ya
Yurie and Mikasa busts out laughing at that before Mikasa turns to pull Eren closer to her; his arms quickly wrapping around her as she lets her body mimic her friend’s. The three keep dancing as the music goes on and on ceaselessly through the hours and the strobe lights wind through the hot and sweaty chapel while smoke machines keep blowing into the air.
Soon enough Faith No More blasts loudly over the speakers; the perfect mix of metal and rock and much more up to Eren’s tastes. He grins as he begins banging his head to the loud and thrashing guitars; his hair letting loose as the girls take a few steps back to not get hit. They grin and watch as him and others mosh in good fun a little and quickly elect to go get more drinks while they wait for the music to calm down. By the time they come back, the music’s already transitioned to a new and interesting groove of alternative rock that makes them pause as they try and place the music.
“What is that?!” Yurie asks as she turns to Mikasa balancing her and Eren’s beer.
“I dunno? Kinda sounds like one of Eren’s indie bands!” The two come up to Eren who’s visibly sweating from the brief mosh session as he talks to a fellow blonde metalhead; the two laughing as if they’ve known each other for longer than 5 minutes. “Eren! Who is this on the speakers?!”
“Oh? Umm… I know these guys…” his eyes narrow as he tries to place the band. “Smashing… Cantelopes? Melons? Yeah, Smashing Melons!”
“Pumpkins, dude! Smashing Pumpkins!” the guy next to him shouts in his ear. “You should come! They’re doing a show here in a few weeks!”
“Holy shit! Are you for real?!”
“Yeah! Check it out!”
“Eren, who’s your friend?” Yurie asks curiously as she eyes the blonde.
Eren blinks and shrugs, “I dunno… we just got to chatting.”
“Colt!” the guy grins as he pulls out a toothpick to chew on and and reaches out to shake Eren’s hand then Yurie’s and Mikasa’s. “Name’s Colt!”
“Ahh, nice, man. Eren! This is my girlfriend, Mikasa! And our friend, Yurie!”
“Ahh, just a friend, huh?” Colt grins at her.
“Yep, just a friend,” she smiles back with an eyebrow raise. “You here with anybody, Colt?”
“Ahh, yeah, I got some buddies over against the wall!” Colt smiles at them before sniffing and rubbing his nose. “You guys come here a lot?”
“Nope, this is our first night here!” Eren grins wide as he eyes the two. “Yurie might be getting a job here, so we wanted to check it out!”
“Oh, no shit! What job?”
“Dancer!” she smiles proudly as she sips her beer. “Cage dancer to be exact!”
“Ahh, you guys should totally check out the room to your left! They’ve got Moby DJ’ing over there right now! That’s where all the cage dancers are!” Colt grins wide as he shoves hands in his pockets.
“Ahh, how much time we got left Mikasa?” Eren turns to grin at her.
Mikasa sighs as she sips her beer and looks at her watch before blushing fully. “Well… it’s 20 minutes after 1am…”
“Oh, shit, don’t tell me we have to go home!” Yurie pouts at that with widening blue saucers and Eren grins mischievously.
“We can’t go home now; we were supposed to come here for Yurie in the first place!” he shrugs. “It would be a dick move to leave now!”
“Mmm… what about work?” Mikasa eyes the three.
“Call in late! Or take the morning off,” Eren shrugs again with a growing smile. “You’ve got time off for a reason. What about you, Yurie? You got a shift tomorrow?”
“Mmm, I’m working the diner tomorrow but not till the afternoon…”
“Great! I guess we can stay a bit longer!” Eren smiles before chugging the rest of his beer; clearly ready to party all the harder. Yurie can’t help but smirk as she shakes her head and sips her beer and side-eyes her girlfriend.
“Something tells me we’re gonna be here for a while!”
“Fuck it! Why not?!” he smiles as he tosses his beer bottle in a trash bag being walked past by a busboy. “We’re young! We’re allowed to go nuts every once in a while!”
“Oh? Is that right?” Mikasa crosses her arms as she eyes her boyfriend before he quickly pulls her into his arms.
“Ahh stoppp. Stop bein’ a stick in the mud,” he groans as he presses a kiss into her thick black hair. “Have a good time and fuck the hour! We’re having fun, right?”
Trying to keep her stoicism but failing miserably, Mikasa quickly giggles as she gazes up at him; her grey eyes dancing in mirth in the dim nightclub lights. “Fuck it, we’re gonna have even more fun!”
“That’s my girl!” Eren’s smile breaks into a beam. “You, me, and Red here!” He looks up to find Yurie gazing ahead and past him a little apprehensively. “What’s wrong, Red?”
“That guy from Aerosmith!” she calls out as she points. “I think he wants me to come over!”
“Oh no fuckin way!” An amused Eren looks over his shoulder and catches a glimpse of Steven Tyler indeed waving at Yurie and gesturing for her to join him, his bandmates, and some guys and girls lounging on the couches with them. Smirking, Eren turns to look back at her before noticing she doesn’t look all too happy and maybe even a little bothered. Without even thinking about it, Eren sighs as he reaches out and pulls Yurie closer with his one free hand; wrapping his arm around her as he keeps his other around Mikasa. “Hey, let’s get outta here! We can go hang out in that other room!”
“Are you serious?” Yurie blinks as he begins to steer the two into the crowd and away from the band. “I thought you wanted to meet them!”
“Meh! I’ve had my fill of them tonight!” Eren shrugs indifferently. “What’s so great about Aerosmith?”
The three share a chuckle as they walk off before they eye Colt walking past and Eren lets go of Yurie to tap his shoulder. “Hey! It was nice to meet you, man!”
Colt grins as he turns to eye Eren’s arm wrapped around Yurie again. “Ahh, are you guys taking off?”
“Nah, we’re just going over to one of the other rooms to dance more! Maybe I’ll see you at that Pumpkins show in a few weeks!”
“No, that would be totally cool if you came!” Colt grins as he eyes the three with a growing smirk. “So, uhh… are you guys like… a three-way?”
The three blink at that before Eren raises an eyebrow. “Uhh, a what?”
Colt busts out laugh as he shakes his head and opens the inside of his jacket. “Nevermind, man! You guys really wanna party?!”
“Yeah…”
“Cool! Cause I’ve got somethin’ if you really wanna have a good time tonight!” Colt shouts as he quickly looks around and pulls out a baggie as he steps closer to the three. “You guys ever take X?”
“X?” Mikasa blinks as Colt pulls out tiny little pills that look like Flintstone Vitamins.
“Ecstasy! MDMA!” Colt grins at them. “They give you this hit of euphoria and make the colours just seem a little brighter! They’re totally good!”
“Oh! No way!” Mikasa scoffs as she shakes her head. “We don’t take drugs!” She eyes Eren and Yurie who look at the pills in Colt’s hand curiously and balks in absolute disbelief. “Are you guys serious?!”
“I dunno!” Eren shrugs as he eyes it. “I wouldn’t mind taking the edge off tonight!”
“I agree!” Yurie smiles sheepishly as she eyes them and Colt. “I mean! Just to see how it is!”
“I can’t believe you two!”
“I wanna take it!” Yurie presses as she takes it in her hand to eye it curiously. “How much?!”
“Ten bucks! Each! But I like you three, I want you to have fun! So, I’ll make it $15 even.”
“What’s the catch?” Eren raises an eyebrow.
“None!” Colt grins and jiggles his hand enticingly. “You guys just seem like you need to let loose for once!”
Eren turns his eyes to Mikasa who gazes at him with cool eyes before he sighs and pulls his wallet out. “Fine. $15. But I’m doing one and that’s it!”
“Aww thank you!” Yurie chirps giddily before popping hers in her mouth without another thought.
“Yurie!”
Yurie hums and gulps and shrugs. “What? When in Rome, right?!”
Passing over his cash, Eren sighs and grabs his, eyeing it a little more closely before shaking his head; cursing under his breath before swallowing it too. Taking some of Mikasa’s beer, he takes a swig before passing it to Yurie as well. The two sigh and Eren and Colt eye each other with a grin.
“Thanks, man,” he nods in gratitude. “Especially for the discount!”
“No problem, man! Can I give you my number? Maybe we can meet up for the Pumpkins!”
“Fuck it, sure!”
“I don’t have any cards on me,” Colt pats his jacket before he pulls out a pen. Eren only grins as he pushes his hand forward and without fail, Colt quickly writes his number on it before pocketing his pen and handing Mikasa the last tablet. “Thanks again! Have fun tonight!”
With that, he walks off and Yurie and Eren eye Mikasa who stares at her tablet apprehensively. Eren leans in to move some hair out of her ear before he speaks. “Hey! No big deal if you don’t want it! I can flush it!”
“No! I want it!” Mikasa shouts back with a nervous smile. “Just trying to gain up my courage!”
“Hey, I mean it!” Eren leans in again. “I don’t want you taking it if you don’t want to!”
Mikasa eyes the ecstasy tablet for a prolonged moment before eyeing Yurie who gives her a grin and shrug; as if telling her she’s good either way. With a sigh, she pops it in her mouth and downs the rest of her beer as her two companions look on in astonishment.
“I can’t believe you did that!”
“I can’t either!” she laughs in disbelief. “I feel like an idiot!”
“Hey! At least you hesitated!” Yurie offers with a smile. “I just popped mine without even thinking about it!”
“Well, I guess we’re all idiots tonight!” Eren grins and pulls the two back and close into his arms. “Let’s just say ‘fuck it’ and have a good time, huh? Who gives a fuck.”
“You mean we let go and go wild?” Mikasa blinks.
“Sure, why the fuck not?” he grins wider as he steers the girls into the corridor that’s packed with people chatting, smoking, and passing drugs as they make their way to the techno dance floor. “We’re here, let’s cut loose.”
With that, the three turn the corner and step into an equally loud club room, this one much brighter with neon lights and blaring techno music as a balding man DJ’s, spinning records up on a high stage, and dancers vigourously dance and grind while suspended up in cages hanging from the ceiling. They turn their heads up as they stare at them in astonishment.
“Holy fuck, Yurie, is that what you gotta do?!”
“Looks like it!” she shouts as she watches them apprehensively.
“You think you can?” Mikasa calls out to her; the loud and rapid bpm even harder to shout over.
“I don’t really know but I’d love to try it!”
“Well let’s see if you’re up for doing that till 6am every weekend!”
Eren pushes the girls to step into the even more packed dance floor, this one filled with regular people mixed with ravers and people dressed in outlandish costumes of odd patterns and bright colours. The floor here vibrates with the rapid and erratic fast-paced beats and the three squeeze in a little tighter to dance; passing blushes and feeling their body heat rise rapidly as they begin dancing once more.
Mikasa and Eren dance against each other, their chests pressed flush together as they’re occasionally bumped into by other people while Yurie dances close. She sways and gyrates her hips and pulls her jacket down her arms as she keeps her eyes out for anyone she’d like before she’s tapped on the shoulder to dance with someone. Grinning as she turns around, she and a sweaty and shirtless guy share a grin together before they close in together to dance. Their hips grind and roll as Yurie wraps an arm around him; passing an intense gaze his way as she feels his arms wrap around her. She wraps her arms around his neck as she dances against him before she turns to gaze at her two friends. She catches the two grinning at her but there’s something to their eyes; some silent wish for her to come back over.
Turning back to her guys, she keeps dancing against him; trying to ignore those looks she just got as he presses right up against her. Her heart races from the music and from the way they’re grinding their hips, but this doesn’t feel right. She doesn’t wanna just dance with anyone.
Suddenly feeling a weird shifting in her heart, Yurie pulls back from her dance partner; offering him a silent thanks for his dance before she feels a hand pull hers away. Turning, she catches Eren pulling her back to him and Mikasa without passing a word to her; as if this is where she really belongs at the end of the night.
Grinning as she’s brought into their tight night circle, Yurie grins back at the shirtless guy. “I thought I was supposed to look for a date tonight!”
“Do you really still want to?” Mikasa laughs as she gazes at her friend in mirth.
Yurie thinks it over as her cheeks blush before she shakes her head; her smile growing sheepish and bashful as she gazes at the two. “No… I kinda just wanna dance with you guys tonight…” Hearing herself, the girl groans and blushes all the more. “Damnit! No! I hate being a third wheel! I really should go find my own!”
Feeling a swell in his chest at her bashfulness, Eren eyes Mikasa and shrugs, “I wouldn’t mind dancing with both of you! What about you, Mikasa?”
Mikasa thinks it over as the music races through her and she begins to feel her body swell and her head lighten. The raven-haired girl can feel her entire body lift as if she were weightless and she lets out a soft giggle as she shakes her head a little. “Oh my god! I can feel it!”
“Feel what? The x?” Yurie asks as she gazes at her friend with widening eyes.
“Yesss! I can feel it!” Mikasa giggles all the more as Eren leans closer to examine her softening grey eyes.
“Shit! Your pupils are totally dilated, babe!” he laughs softly.
“Oh fuck!” she gasps. “I’m totally high, aren’t I?”
“Yeah, ‘fraid so!” he chuckles as he stands up fully again before eyeing Yurie who gazes around curiously. “How about you, Red?”
“Hmm?”
“How’re you feeling?”
“Oh, I’m completely high! I have been since we came in here!” she exclaims with a full smile. “I’ve been feeling great! How ‘bout you, Eren?”
Eren grins and shrugs, “I mean I feel good, but I dunno if I really feel high!”
“Fuck, maybe you got a dud!”
“Nah, I just have a high metabolism. I never really get drunk or high. It’s fine!” he sighs as he pulls Yurie closer to him and turns her to face Mikasa. “Now are you two gonna dance or not?”
Yurie and Mikasa blink as they gaze at each other; both suddenly looking frozen in place at the idea of dancing together. “Oh god! I forgot how to dance!” Yurie laughs as she reaches to pull Mikasa closer to bury her head in her shoulder. Eren sighs as he moves to pull Yurie back against him.
“Since when are you so bashful?” he teases into her ear. “I saw you and Mikasa holding hands the other night! You two weren’t bashful then!”
“Holding hands is different!” Yurie blushes all the more as Mikasa moves closer to wrap her arms around her neck and press her face into her temple.
“Yeah! I’m sure!” Eren laughs as the music begins bumping even faster as the music transitions into full EDM techno dance. He can feel his heart begin to beat in time with the music and a feeling of utter euphoria falls over him; making him suddenly aware that he’s having a great time tonight. He’s high, he’s with two gorgeous women, he couldn’t be any luckier. Feeling that feeling of utter joy wash his inhibitions from him, Eren begins dancing once more, letting his hips sway against Yurie’s as Mikasa’s body moves too. Yurie feels her cheeks burn all the more but the music’s overwhelming and the feeling of their body heat pressed against hers drives her through a wave of true elation.
Suddenly feeling her breaths shorten as Eren’s hips move against her backside and Mikasa quickly sways with her, Yurie feels her own body begin to move against theirs. She lets out a breath as she feels her body thrumming with energy and ecstasy, the music clearer, the colours brighter, as she pulls her face from Mikasa’s to face her fully. She begins swaying her hips with Eren’s as she feels his arm snake around her waist to hold her back flush against his chest while his free hand runs through Mikasa’s hair. Yurie too wraps her arms around Mikasa’s waist and guides her hips to move in time with her and Eren’s.
The three can feel their collective body temperature rise even here on this hot and muggy and packed dance floor. There are hundreds of people around them and yet everything melts for them except the music and their own movements. Soon enough their hips all sync together to move with the music and with each other; the feeling overwhelming all three of them.
Eren feels his breaths grow more labored from the way they’re dancing so rapidly and fluidly and yet there’s an intimacy to their shared movement that’s beyond words. Before he can stop himself, he presses his face into the back of Yurie’s hair, as they all dance and grind, as if to anchor himself. All while his hand reaches up from her waist to wrap around her throat and cause Yurie to gasp softly as she and Mikasa share a gaze. The music goes on and the lights flash neon while Mikasa feels the heat in her body rise to see Eren’s hand on Yurie’s flesh. It makes her heart inexplicably race and her heat rise and all she can do is press herself all the more to her friend’s chest as their hips grind in time. The two girls gaze at each other in rising heat as their eyes grow hazy and without a second thought, Mikasa leans closer to graze her lips against Yurie’s, causing a collective breath to hitch in their throats.
Without thinking, Yurie lets one hand reach back to card through Eren’s long hair, gripping it tight as he groans softly. Her other hand reaches up to card through Mikasa’s; the two keeping their faces close before Yurie leans forward to press her lips into Mikasa’s. Mikasa’s heart suddenly jolts and soars as a wave of euphoria rushes through her completely at the sensation of Yurie’s soft lips moving slowly with hers. It’s the first time a girl’s ever really kissed her; at least the first time she’s shared a real kiss with a girl beyond high school spin-the-bottle sessions.
And it feels good. Mikasa can’t believe how good it feels to feel her soft lips be embraced by Yurie’s. A moan rolls through her and into Yurie as she presses herself into her friend; all while Eren’s hand holds Yurie’s throat before she rolls her head back to let out a soft moan herself. She’s officially overcome as Eren and Mikasa share a long and heavy kiss while he holds Yurie to him. Mikasa moans all the more as his tongue slides in her mouth and wraps his free arm around his girlfriend to press her in completely against Yurie to sandwich her between them both.
“Ohh, fuck,” he groans with a hard pant as he pulls from Mikasa’s lips to hold Yurie a little tighter as she tries to catch her breath. He quickly tilts Yurie’s face up to his as she opens her eyes dreamily; his face tilting into hers as she arches against his chest and feels Mikasa press her face into her temple. With that, Eren plunges his lips into Yurie’s to her moan of overwhelming pleasure; his lips eagerly opening hers as his chest swells to kiss her too. Pressing his hips into Yurie’s backside as his hand reaches down to grip Mikasa’s ass possessively, he can feel his mind fraying and his kiss growing all the hungrier as his tongue plunges into her mouth to explore her well.
As the three keep grinding and swaying, Yurie feels completely overwhelmed in pure joy and ecstasy as she’s pressed into by both of them; her body gripped and her mouth claimed as she keeps gripping both their hair hard as if trying to keep herself from being swept completely off her feet by the pleasure she feels in this very moment.
Finally pulling away with a hot gasp to catch his breath, Eren pants heavily as he stops in his tracks to take in the girls’ dreamy and foggy faces. They’re all now covered in a layer of sweat from the heat of the dance floor and he lets out a sharp breathy laughy and sheepish smile as he pulls off her jacket to wrap and tie around his waist as he lets go and steps back a half step to regain himself.
“Fuck…” he breathes out with a bashful hand through his sweaty hair. “Can we get out of here?”
Mikasa and Yurie, panting themselves, gaze at each other with a growing sheepish smiles and nod. “Yeah, let’s go! I think I need another beer.”
A few blocks south, in Chelsea, the three elect to cab to Eren’s building; a place far closer to them then their place on Jane and West. Their ride stops in front of Eren’s crummy red-brick apartment but the three giggle and laugh as they step out all the same with a six-pack of beers they acquired on their way over. Eren, Mikasa, and Yurie all bound up the flights of stairs before they come down the slightly crumbling hallway and step into Eren’s bachelor apartment.
Yurie can’t help the laugh that escapes her as she looks around at how small it is with its pull-out bed, loveseat, and small dresser, TV, and kitchenette. There’s barely extra room for the bathroom with its standing shower only. But the best part is the plastered rock posters to the wall to liven it up and Eren’s guitar standing against the futon.
“Whaddya think?” he grins proudly as he drops the six-pack on the counter. “Not too bad for my humble abode, huh?”
“Mmm, it’s perfect,” Yurie laughs as she moves to plop down on the bed and pulls Mikasa to sit on her lap.
“Sooo, what do we wanna do now?” Mikasa asks as she grins at Eren fully. “I still feel so high…”
“I’m still high too,” Yurie sighs as she leans into her roommate. “I feel like I’m floating.”
“Well, we got beers for a reason, we’re gonna keep this night going,” Eren smirks as he comes over with two for them and one for him. “Why don’t we talk?”
“Talk about what?” Yurie laughs as she watches him slide down on the bed and sip his beer.
“I dunno, maybe talk about what the fuck we just did,” Eren snorts with a chuckle.
“We… just got caught up in the heat of the dance,” Yurie giggles as Mikasa rolls off to slide down next to her. “Total heat of the moment, I get it, I felt it too.”
“Yeah, I think it was all that dancing we did; the heat got to us,” Mikasa concurs with her own pragmatic sip.
“Uhh huh… I didn’t feel that way, but I guess I’m on my own,” Eren sighs with an eyebrow raise before sipping his beer.
“Can we please move on from it?” Yurie groans, “I feel so stupid for doing that. A full makeout-session of the dance floor? People were staring at us.”
“Oh god, we probably looked like idiots,” Mikasa sips again.
“Who cares if we looked like idiots?” Eren scoffs in disbelief. “We were having a good time! There was a drugged-out guy walking around in a fucking chicken suit and we were the idiots??”
The girls eye each other with a blush before Yurie waves a dismissive hand. “Point taken. I guess we’re not the first or last people to be making out at a nightclub.”
“Exactly.”
“Now can we please move on? What’re we gonna do about the rest of the night?” she sighs as she eyes Mikasa. “I can’t go to bed when I’m still this high.”
“Mmm, god what time is it?” Mikasa blinks as she eyes her watch before her eyes widen. “Holy… fuck, it’s almost 3.”
“So much for us coming back at midnight,” Eren smirks widely. “We kinda overshot that plane.”
“Well since we’re all too high to crash, why don’t we play something?” his girlfriend posits. “I could go for game or something.”
“Fuck it, truth or dare works,” Eren shrugs.
“Ohh, no way!” Yurie laughs in disbelief. “Truth or dare, guys? Really?”
“It’s the perfect game for us to keep drinking. At least till we’re out of our two-beer allotment.”
“Fine. Alright,” she sighs and moves her hair out her face. “I’m in but NO kissing dares, I think we’ve done enough tonight.”
Mikasa hums as she sips her beer. “And I should be allowed to sip my beer if I wanna pass on a dare.”
“You can’t pass on a dare,” Eren furrows his brows with a grin. “That’s the point of the dare, Mikasa.”
“Fine, just keep it non-controversial.”
“Fine, whatever,” he sighs. “I’ll go first. Yurie, truth or dare.”
Yurie snorts as she sips her beer. “God. Here we go. Truth.”
“Have you ever been with someone famous?”
“Been with?” she raises a brow. “Whaddya mean ‘been with’?”
“Kissed, dated, fucked, take your pick.”
Yurie hums and shrugs, “I made out with the guitarist from Def Leppard once… I got a backstage VIP pass with a girlfriend to go to an afterparty.”
“Wow… Def Leppard, huh?” Eren grins and eyes Mikasa before getting up off the bed. “That’s a pretty big get.”
“It as just a makeout, nothing happened,” Yurie laughs as she and her friend watch him saunter over to his cd player and sort through his collection before pulling out his copy of ‘Hysteria’ to slip into the disk reader. The sound of rock music fills the small apartment as the girls bust out laughing and Yurie blushes like mad. “Oh my god, please don’t make me regret telling you that.”
“Hey, I think it’s cool. Def Leppard’s one of my rotation bands so I’m impressed,” he sighs as he sits back down and taps her foot. “Your turn.”
“Okay… Mikasa, truth or dare.”
Mikasa eyes her friend cheekily and hums. “Umm… truth.”
Yurie hums as she thinks it over. “If you could fuck one guy who wasn’t Eren, who would it be?”
“Uhh, what the hell, Yurie?” Eren balks.
“Hey! You just asked if I slept with a rockstar; it’s only fair,” she laughs before eyeing Mikasa as she sits deep in thought.
“Mmm… I’d say… George Michael…”
“Oh… wow…” Yurie blinks in astonishment before busting into giggles.
“What?! He’s cute!”
“No, I totally get it, Mikasa,” she laughs and blushes. “I love George Michael; I’d absolutely jump him if I could!”
“Really??”
“Yeah! We should listen to him when we go ho—"
“Really? I’m right fucking here. Are you two serious?” Eren scoffs at them.
“What? He’s got his one earring and his leather jacket and beard—I…” Mikasa protests with a blush before eyeing Eren with a bashful smile. “I’m sorry, babe. I had to pick someone.”
“Do you think about him a lot, Mikasa?” he raises an eyebrow.
“No.”
“You’re lying.”
“Am not! I hardly ever,” she laughs with a an even bigger blush. “But I had to pick someone… Truth or dare, babe…”
Eren groans and sighs, “Fuck, I’ll take truth.”
“Who would you sleep with if you got one get-out-of-jail free card?”
“Umm, I’d never accept a get-out-of-jail-free card,” Eren scoffs as he pulls at Mikasa’s leg to her giggle. “I only wanna sleep with you, babe.”
“I promise I won’t be mad,” Mikasa coaxes teasingly as she moves to pull Eren’s head into her lap. “I asked after all.”
“You promise?”
“Yes, now tell the truth.”
Eren shrugs and points at Yurie, “I dunno, I’d pick Yurie.”
“Me?” she balks.
“Yeah you! We just made out,” he exclaims in disbelief as Mikasa giggles. “Obviously, why wouldn’t it be you?”
“No, not obviously,” Yurie scoffs at that. “You didn’t like me up till a day ago, Eren.”
“Uhh yeah, I did,” he protests. “I always liked you.”
“No you didn’t.”
“Yeah I did. We had a falling out but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like you… and yeah, my pick is you.”
“Why??” Yurie blinks in complete confusion.
“I dunno,” he shrugs as he turns to play with Mikasa’s fingers. “Cause you’re a cool chick and Mikasa would be cool with it if you were my one no-jail card… I think…”
“How long have you thought this way?” Mikasa probes with a smirk. “I seriously doubt this came just from tonight.”
Eren profusely shakes his head at that. “No way, I’m not saying. I don’t wanna get my ass handed to me.”
“Try me…” Mikasa eyes him.
“Nooo, Mikasa. I feel weird talking about this…”
“Why?” Yurie raises an inquisitive eyebrow.
“Because…” he grumbles as he eyes Mikasa shiftily. “I don’t want my girlfriend to be mad at me.”
Yurie shrugs at that as she gazes at Mikasa. “I think after that prank, you owe me the truth. I’m sorry but you do... Mikasa?”
“Well… I’d have to agree with her. I want the truth too.”
“Fuck” he mutters under his breath and shakes his head. “You guys are gonna think I’m an asshole for this.”
“Try us.”
Gazing up at Mikasa, Eren groans and blushes a little. “Fuck, I dunno… I think I’ve probably always liked Yurie… ever since I first met her at the record shop, and she seemed really cool and feisty... she reminded me of you a little bit, babe.”
“So… why did you try and hook me up with Jean?” Yurie blinks.
“Cause I wasn’t gonna act on those feelings,” Eren shrugs as he presses Mikasa’s fingers to his lips to brush. “And… because I guess I kinda knew deep down that Jean was gonna screw up with you.”
“Huh?” both girls say in unison as they gaze at each other; their expressions completely bewildered.
“What do you mean you knew he’d screw up? Why would you try and hook me up with a guy if you knew he’d fuck up?”
Eren flushes and shrugs and offers her an apologetic smile. “I dunno, it’s kinda stupid but I thought… maybe I’d show Jean upfront that you were out of his league.”
“I was out of his league??” Yurie balks.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Eren smiles mischievously. “You’re miles out of his league, Yurie. He couldn’t handle a girl like you.”
“A girl like me?” she says coolly as she crosses her arms. “Pray tell, what kinda girl am I?”
“Feisty,” he smirks as he smiles up at Mikasa. “Headstrong, willful, fierce. Wayyy too much for a guy like Jean who’s one foot out the door to moving to the mid-west anyway.”
“But not too much for a guy like you?” Yurie posits with a raised eyebrow before eyeing her friend. “Why on earth is your boyfriend like this?”
“Oh, he kinda did the same thing with me,” Mikasa smiles sheepishly. “It’s kind of his thing. Eren took Jean down a peg when Jean was harbouring a crush on me. The minute he found that out in high school, he asked me out before Jean could; broke his confidence right then and there.”
“I did,” Eren grins proudly as if he were cock-of-the-walk. “You shoulda seen him, Yurie. Jean was pouting about it for months.”
“Oh, I see. So, this is a years-long pissing contest I got in the middle of,” Yurie rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “And yet I’m the one who landed in the bottom; did you forget Jean dumped me that night for another girl?”
Eren shrugs at that. “His loss. Too be honest, I actually had no idea that was gonna happen. I didn’t expect him to be that stupid and insult you like that.”
“Mmm, oh you didn’t, huh?”
“My plan backfired,” Eren throws up his hands with a small and apologetic smile. “I’m really sorry it did, you were the last girl I wanted to see hurt over Jean of all people.”
“I was more hurt by you then by Jean, to be honest,” Yurie shrugs as Mikasa rubs her arm. “I thought you didn’t like me enough to care about my feelings getting hurt.”
“Shit… fuck, I’m sorry, Red,” he grimaces as his girlfriend plays with his hair. “I genuinely fucked up and then I tried to cover my tracks when you called me out.”
“Oh, I remember.”
“For what it’s worth, you really showed out for yourself when you called me out—”
“Yurie called you out?” Mikasa blinks. “Where was I for that?”
“Oh, it was out on the balcony during the party,” Eren chuckles as he gazes up at her with mirth. “She called me an asshole, it was fun.”
“Oh god… I really should’ve reined you in that night,” she sighs and shakes her head before eyeing her friend. “I’m sorry on his behalf, Eren doesn’t always think before he does impulsive things like try and set you up with a guy to get him out of the way.”
“Yeaaah, kind of weird for him to do that,” Yurie sighs before offering her friend a knowing smile. “It’s fine, I actually feel better about it knowing that wasn’t intentional… Can we please move on now?”
“Yes! Let’s move on!” Mikasa laughs as she pulls Yurie closer and sighs. “It’s your turn anyway, love…”
“I just had mine,” Eren mutters as he grabs his beer to sip again.
“I was talking to Yurie.”
“Huh???” she exclaims in good-humoured disbelief as she blinks at her friend. “Since when am I love?”
“Since I realized it fit you,” Mikasa smiles with euphoric delight. “You don’t think it fits you?”
“I wish it did,” she sighs in feigned resignation before playfully tugging at Eren’s hair to his swatting hand. “But you’ve already got your love.”
Mikasa pouts down at her man and sighs as well. “Yeah, I guess I do… I just wish I could call you it too.”
“Well, we’re good platonic loves,” Yurie smiles at her. “I can be that for you…”
“Yeah… I guess that’ll do… even if right now I kinda want more.”
“More?” she balks in shock and disbelief. “Mikasa, what’s gotten into you?? Eren, are you hearing this?”
“Mhmm.”
“Well?? You wanna rein in your girlfriend anytime soon??”
“Why does he need to rein me in?” Mikasa protests as he presses an absent kiss to her fingers. “He’s not the boss of me; he knows he’s not. We’re not like that with each other.”
Yurie can barely believe her ears and laughs in disbelief. “Of course he needs to rein you in!”
“Why?”
“Because?? I don’t know?? One, you’re straight! Two, you guys are in a committed relationship!”
“I don’t know if I’m straight,” Mikasa shrugs freely as she passes out a loopy giggle. “I don’t think so.”
“Oh my god, you are so high,” Yurie scoffs as she pulls away from both of them to sit by herself. “One hit of ecstasy and you’re suddenly a lesbian.”
“I’m not a lesbian!” Mikasa exclaims as she giggles and presses a kiss into Eren’s lips. “I love my boyfriend, and I love being fucked by him.”
“Oh my god, Mikasa,” Eren blushes fully. “Jesus, you are high.”
“You’re not?”
“I am. I’m cool and chill and happy as a clam. I’m just not ‘la la la let’s talk about sex’ as you are right now,” he teases with a smirk. “You never talk about sex like this.”
“I wish I did!” she exclaims happily. “Sometimes I wish I could just talk for hours about how much I love when we fuck.”
“You don’t talk to your girlfriends about it?” Yurie smirks as she sips her beer.
“No! I can’t! It’s too embarrassing,” she blushes fully and cups her cheeks with a small smile. “Who’d I even talk to? Annie wouldn’t hear it; Sasha would bust out laughing. Ymir and Historia would be so grossed out… I guess I gotta talk to you about it, Yurie…”
“No! Not me!” she quickly protests with a blushing face. “Mikasa, you can’t talk to me about you and Eren going at it—”
“Uhh, excuse me, Miss Promiscuous. Since when are you so bashful about sex?” Eren raises an eyebrow.
“I don’t know! I’m usually not…” Yurie hides her face with her long red hair to her friends’ amusement. “Besides, it’s cruel of you to do that. You already have sex in my place; LOUDLY, might I add. I’m not having sex right now so the least you could do is not brag about it. It’s like eating food in front of a homeless guy.”
“Yeah, why is it you’re not having sex by the way?” Eren probes with a smirk. “Wes told me you’re, uhh, quite a little minx about it—”
“Wes?? Fucking Wes told you about my sex life??”
“Ahh, he just said you were a handful who couldn’t be satisfied. That’s why you were dating around,” he snorts as he sits back up again. “Go on, why aren’t you having sex?”
“Umm, are you asking me as a truth and dare?”
“Yep.”
“You know what, I’m choosing dare then,” she sniffs. “I want a dare, Jaeger.”
“Too late,” Eren grins. “Spill, Red. Why aren’t you seeing anyone?”
“You are so fucking nosey,” she balks in disbelief as she eyes Mikasa. “I said I want a dare, gimme a dare.”
“Okay, you heard her, Eren,” Mikasa sighs and shakes her head. “Change it to a dare, please.”
“Okay, fine, a dare,” he shrugs. “I dare you to tell me why you aren’t seeing anyone, Yurie.”
“Why are you so bloody interested in my business in the first place, Eren?”
“Cause I am. Mikasa, don’t you wanna know too?”
“Mmm, I have been curious—”
“Oh my god, you two are ganging up on me,” Yurie exclaims in offense as she gets off the futon and pads over to the fridge for another beer. “See this is why Truth or Dare’s a stupid fucking game. I’m a grown woman, if I don’t wanna talk or do a dare, you can’t make me.”
“Yeah, what is the rule if you don’t do a truth or dare?” Mikasa tilts her head with a knowing smile.
“I get to come up with a punishment,” Eren smirks; all too delighted at the prospect.
“You two are insane,” Yurie sighs as she comes and sits back down. “You took one damn hit of ecstasy, and you’ve turned into sex-crazed perverts.”
“Ha! Takes one to know one!”
“Sex-crazed perverts with me! Not with each other!” she laughs as she points to herself. “I think I should call a cab so you two can bang it out and get some sleep.”
“I am soooo not tired right now,” Mikasa giggles as she eyes the window and the darkness. “I feel like I could stay up till the sunrise and watch it!”
“So much for you going to work,” Yurie smiles at her.
“Oh! I can go in in the afternoon—”
“Ohh, no, I don’t think you’re going in at all, babe. You’re gonna crash so hard.”
“We all are,” Eren sighs as he stretches out. “Fuck I wanna do something, I can’t keep sitting like this!”
“We could go for a walk,” Yurie grins and shrugs. “Go out, get some air. There’s a playground nearby that’s usually a good time if people aren’t being shady in it.”
“Mmm… do we wanna go out into the streets again? The streets get pretty hairy by 3…” Eren murmurs.
“Well… we could always go see a porno for $2 a pop down at the theatre,” Yurie shrugs as she gets up again. “Since you two wanna be such sex pests all the sudden.”
“You’re such a bitch, Yurie,” Mikasa snorts and shakes her head before finishing her beer as she stands up too. “Screw it, let’s go for a walk.”
“Ahh, yeah, I’ve been feeling the need to climb somethin’,” Eren sighs as he gets up too and stretches once more; his abs showing under his shirt as he pulls Mikasa in. “Maybe I just need to climb you…”
“Ohhh… tell me more…”
Yurie sighs as she rolls her eyes and grabs her shoes. “Okay, I see what’s happening.”
“What’s happening?” Eren smirks.
“Things that happen when couples get horny with someone around. I’m calling a cab. I’m not staying so you two can have an audience.”
“But I’d love an audience.”
“Nooo, don’t goooo,” Mikasa pouts as she quickly goes over to slip on her shoes too. “Ignore Eren, he’s just teasing you. We’ll go for a walk, it’ll cool us down.”
“It better cool you way down,” Yurie hums before downing her beer as Eren downs his; feeling her head slowly fog over from it before she pants out. “Ohh… wow, my head. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“You should’ve, maybe it’ll loosen you up,” he smirks as he pulls on a jacket and grabs a pack of smokes.
“It’s loosened you two up more than enough…” Yurie smirks herself as she pulls on her small jacket and flings open the door for them to step out into hallway and head back downstairs. They bound down the steps and cross the aged lobby with its open clerical booth from a time long gone before stepping outside to sigh in relief at the cool summer air from off the river.
“Ohh… that’s so much better,” Eren groans happily as he and the girls set off to stroll up the street. The three walk and laugh and chat loudly as they make their way to a nearby playground all while Eren picks up Mikasa to carry her in his arms to her sweet and giddy laughter.
Stepping up to the playground within a small urban park, Yurie sniffs the air. “Ohh, I smell weed…”
“Maybe some guys are dealin’ here,” Eren shrugs as Mikasa jumps down so he can pull out a five-dollar bill. “I wouldn’t mind pickin up something if you girls want a hit.”
“Fuck it, sure,” Yurie sighs with a grin as she twirls around and around. “I think my second wave’s coming back so let’s go with it.”
“Okay, Miss Let’s-Go-With-It,” Mikasa quips as she takes Yurie’s arm to lead her to the jungle gym as she giggles giddily. The two come up to the iron structure that looks like it’s seen better days and Yurie winces as she struggles to climb up the metal slide.
“God, these things burned like a bitch,” she groans. “I used to scald my legs and my ass in the summertime going down these things.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” Mikasa smirks as she gives Yurie’s ass a good hard shove to get her up the rest of the way. Stepping aside, she climbs up one step before jumping onto the top with barely a breath. Eyeing her friend as she crosses a suspension bridge to climb up to the jungle gym’s tower, she can’t help but smirk all the more before coming up herself; moving to sit down next to Yurie as they’re enshrouded in darkness. “Hey, are you okay?”
“Hmm?”
“I mean, are you fine with me and Eren? I hope we’re not freaking you out; we’re just playing with you.”
Yurie lets out a laugh at that and sighs as she pulls Mikasa’s hand into hers to lace their fingers together. “Don’t worry, if I was actually bothered, you’d know it.”
“You’re not really bothered?”
She hums and shakes her head as her bright blue eyes twinkle in the dark. “No, I know you guys are just… really really high right now.”
Mikasa offers her a smaller and slightly apprehensive smile; her own grey eyes storming with conflicting emotion. “I’m… not that high, Yurie… neither is Eren, actually.”
Her friend gazes at her in growing astonishment; the two sharing a look that’s too much to speak. “Ho—How can you guys say all that stuff back there?” she asks in disbelief and growing hurt in her voice. “Are you making fun of me?”
“No—”
“Is this just another prank to hurt me?”
“No!” Mikasa exclaims before stopping herself and blushing fully. “Yurie, it’s nothing like that… we just like… being with you… We wanna be real with you…”
Yurie breathes out slowly as her cheeks blush all the more in the dim light of the nearby park lamppost. “Oh… but—”
“Okaaaay,” Eren sighs as he climbs up the big metal slide to where the two sit; a satisfied grin on his face as he does. “I managed to get a pretty fat joint for us; no stems or anything, ladies.”
“Oh, good,” Mikasa breathes out; relieved for the needed levity of Eren as he quickly squeezes down in their tiny hiding spot. “I could use this.”
“Yeah, me too,” Yurie quickly nods as Eren lights up and eyes them both.
“What did you guys talk about when I was gone?” he asks as he inhales slowly before passing it off.
“Mmm, nothing,” Mikasa laughs a little; feeling her heart pound a little heavier as she takes the joint and inhales as deep as she can to forget these last five minutes. “Just dumb girl stuff.”
“Yeah, just dumb girl stuff,” Yurie nods quickly as she takes the joint and inhales just as deeply; holding the smoke inside her lungs for a prolonged moment before breathing out slowly. “Ohhh, that feels nice…”
Eren eyes them both closely before taking it back to inhale again. “Any of you guys still high on x?”
“Mmm… a little,” Yurie hums as her body grows looser before her. “But this weed… it’s the perfect way to bring it down… I feel really… light right now.”
“Mmmm… yeah, me too…” Mikasa smiles and nods as Eren’s eyes shift between them.
“Well… I gotta say, other than a blip of euphoria at the club… I’ve been just chasing a buzz to be honest.”
“Really?”
“Yep, I don’t really get wasted. Like I said, I’ve got great metabolism,” he shrugs with a smirk as he eyes the girls closely. “You two okay?”
“Mmm, we are.”
“Well… good…” Eren’s grin grows as he eyes Mikasa. “Cause you know… being up here in the dark… it’s kinda hot.”
Mikasa lets out a soft giggle at that; feeling her tension fall away from her as Eren leans in to press his forehead to hers before two share a longing and deep kiss. Their lips melt slowly together as she reaches up to caress his face and open her mouth a little to tease her entrance to his deep and needy groan. The two make out all the more with Eren’s tongue sliding inside Mikasa’s mouth to her moan of delight. He pulls her a little closer and feels himself ignite to feel the all-too-consuming lips of Mikasa press into him for more.
“Okaaay, I can see Mikasa here needs your love and care,” Yurie sighs in exasperation as she stands up a little loosely to climb down to the suspension bridge. “I’ll leave you two to have a moment…”
Pulling their lips away, Eren and Mikasa share a look of bafflement before he climbs down too. “Yurie, wait up!”
“Hmm?” Yurie hums as she turns around to hop a seat on the railing as Eren and Mikasa come up to her. “What?”
“Why’d you leave like that?” Eren asks as he inhales slowly.
“Cause you two have a nice dark space for nice dark secrets…” Yurie rolls her eyes as she swings her legs a little. “And I already said I’m not interested in being your audience tonight.”
“Oh, you’re not, huh?” he eyes her.
“Nooo, I’ve listened to enough and seen enough,” she retorts coolly as she looks away. “I’m not a prude, hell maybe I’ll watch you sometime when I’m up for it but I’m not tonight.”
“Well… if Mikasa says it’s okay, you can join in,” Eren grins as he gazes at his girlfriend. “I don’t mind.”
“Ohh my god, I’m never drinking with you guys again,” Yurie rolls her eyes in annoyance. “It just seems to completely divorce you from yourselves.”
“You think so, huh?” Eren challenges as Mikasa eyes her.
Yurie’s head turns to reflect his stare. “Shouldn’t I? You guys have never made any sort of move towards me before tonight?”
“Well, we want to now; is it really that unbelievable?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, it is,” Yurie balks in disbelief.
“You know what? I call bullshit.”
Yurie blinks as she stares at Eren. “Bullshit??”
“Yeah, I think you like this,” he says coolly.
Yurie scoffs at that as she moves to cross her legs and shove her hands in her jacket. “I think you’ve lost your mind.”
“Yeah, well, you know, if you really didn’t like this,” Eren sighs as he steps forward to stand right in front of her, “you would’ve left by now.”
“Oh, is that so?” Yurie’s eyebrow raises in challenge as he moves to lean his hands into the railing on either side of her.
“Yeah, in fact, I think you’ve been into us this whole time.”
Yurie scoffs and turns to Mikasa who sighs and shakes her head. “It’s not like that. She thinks we’re lying to her, Eren.”
“Mmm… no I think you know damn well we’re telling the truth,” Eren speaks bluntly as he keeps his eyes fixed on Yurie. “I think you’re just holding up a wall cause that’s what you do.”
Blinking in full astonishment at his forwardness, she stares at him fully. “Excuse me?”
Eren stares at her for another long and intense moment; his eyes and Yurie’s boring into each other in full challenge before he breaks out into a cackle and pushes off her. The girls stare at each other in confusion as he keeps laughing and whooping into the air before he sighs and leans closer to Yurie.
“Ignore me, Red. I’m being an asshole—”
“Uhh, clearly, what else is new, Eren?” she scoffs as she looks away coolly before he chuckles and leans his forehead into her temple as Mikasa steps closer and hops up beside her to wrap her arm around her friend. Yurie blinks in bewilderment at their touch before Eren pulls away to sing softly as the three move closer in.
All veils are misty
Streets of blue
Almond looks
That chill divine…
Some silken moment
Goes on forever
And we’re leavin’ broken hearts
Behind
Yurie blinks in slow-building recognition as she turns to him. “Is that INXS?”
“Yep, it’s ‘Mystify’,” he chuckles and blushes a little. “I just realized that’s the song of I think of when I think of you.”
“Really?” Yurie’s face breaks into a slow, careful smile. “I get a song?”
“Course you do. Mikasa’s got ‘Angel’ cause she saves me, loves me, but you, Yurie, you mystify the fuck outta me.”
“I do?” she can’t help but laugh in soft disbelief as her own cheeks flush.
“Mhmm… I’m still tryin’ to figure you out.”
With that, Mikasa and Eren watch Yurie try and keep herself cool and aloof before she blushes fully and hides her grin behind her hands. Mikasa laughs at that as she wraps her arms around her friend and presses a kiss to her cheek and a slower kiss to her ear; causing Yurie to breathe out sharply as Eren presses his forehead into her temple and starts singing more teasingly to her giggles as he cheekily snaps his fingers in time.
I need perfection
Some twisted selection
That tangles me
To keep me alive
In all that exists
But none has your beauty
I see your face
And I will survive
Mystify
Mystify me
Mystify
Mystify me…
“Okaaay!” Yurie busts out laughing as she gazes up at Eren with mirth-filled ocean eyes. “Please stop, I get it.”
“What? You don’t like my singing?” he smirks.
Mikasa laughs as she pulls away to smile up at him. “Eren’s a wonderful singer. You should hear the stuff he sings me…”
“Mmm… I’m sure I will,” Yurie laughs softly as she smiles fully at him before turning to gaze at Mikasa; the two falling a little quieter as they share a look together. Their eyes search each other as the soft summer breeze blows through their hair and the play structure around them. Yurie gazes in Mikasa’s wide and stormy eyes and feels her hand reach up and caress her soft cheek; a touch so light and unassuming and yet it feels so intimate as well.
Mikasa hums softly as she closes her eyes, all while Yurie gazes into her face and takes it in with soft consideration before leaning in to press her forehead against her friend’s.
“Oh my god… what’re we gonna do?” she murmurs softly.
Mikasa lets out a feathered sigh as she tilts her face to graze Yurie’s lips and press a soft kiss into them as she watches on with heavy eyelids. Without a word, she kisses Mikasa’s lips as well, with a softness that screams of deep longing and yearning that she’s never wanted to express before tonight.
“What the fuck are we gonna do?” Yurie sighs as she brushes her lips against her friend’s. “I… I really like you, Mikasa…”
“Really?” Mikasa blinks a little as she turns her gaze to her friend.
“Yeah…” Yurie hums as she presses a soft and aching kiss to her lips. “And I don’t know what to do with that…”
“I don’t know either…” Mikasa sighs as she opens her eyes to look at Eren, her eyes pleading his. “What do you think?”
Eren sighs as he steps closer to wrap his arms around both girls as they try to cool their rapid heartbeats and flushed cheeks. He presses a kiss to Mikasa’s lips and then a kiss to Yurie’s forehead to take a moment to cool his thoughts.
“Can we just live for the moment?” he murmurs against her flesh. “Can we just… be together… no strings attached, no expectations...”
“What about you two?”
“Let me and Mikasa worry about that…” he chuckles softly as he tilts Yurie’s gaze up to meet his. “Let’s just… feel the night together…”
Yurie swallows a breath as her heart races all the more; feeling Eren’s face graze hers just as Mikasa’s did and she bites her lip to suppress a sound before she can stop herself. Smiling to himself as he pulls away to grin at Mikasa, Eren pulls back from her to clear his throat as he steps off the suspension bridge and hops down to the pebbled ground below them. Mikasa and Yurie share a gaze and Mikasa quickly presses a kiss to her lips and her forehead before she hops down too. Yurie breathes out to watch her walk across the suspension bridge and step down from the playground to join Eren. The couple gaze up at her as Yurie sits on the bridge herself; her hair glowing from the lamppost shining against her back as she watches them for a long moment. She takes in their shared gaze and hopeful eyes and Eren’s added and knowing smile before he steps forward to hold a hand out for her.
Swallowing her apprehension and feeling a sudden breath of life run through her, Yurie sighs and hops down to make her way over to the steps where Eren pulls her into his arms as she jumps into them. Fluidly moving her down to the ground, he passes her a cheeky grin as he moves to get on his knee and offer his back. Yurie and Mikasa share a look and a smile before she moves to climb on his back as he hoists her up and rises back to his feet. Smiling fully at Mikasa as Yurie rests her head on his shoulder and moves his hair aside, Eren feels like here and now is exactly where he wants to be; with nothing holding him back and everything possible before him.
“I just wanna live with you tonight,” he sighs as he grazes his head against Yurie’s while he steps up to Mikasa; their eyes sharing a longing smile. “Both of you… just for tonight.”
“Yeah… just for tonight,” Mikasa smiles up at him as he leans in for a kiss she’s all too willing to embrace.
With that, the three set off, striding as briskly as they can out of the small city park and back to Eren’s place a few blocks down as the darkness of night begins to roll into the blue hour of twilight.
The minute they’re back home, the three kick off their shoes as swiftly as they can before Yurie quickly pulls Mikasa in for a heated kiss; their lips crashing together as their fingers card through each other’s hair. Yurie moans softly into her lips, a sound so enticingly seductive and needy that it sets Mikasa alight. Eren pulls her back into his arms as Mikasa kisses her all the more; the girls’ first full kiss too lustful and needy to forgo any initial timidness. Eren makes quick do with unhooking the back of Yurie’s top with nimble fingers before pulling it away from her to reveal her perky breasts with soft pink nipples that harden red with every heartbeat. Groaning softly as she pulls from Mikasa’s lips to lift her shirt, he moves to yank Yurie’s black jeans down for her to step out of to leave her only in a crucifix necklace.
Without a word as he stands back up, Eren spins Yurie around as Mikasa moves to hold her in place; his throat releasing a growl as he plunges his lips into hers. His kiss is deeper and heavier as he presses into her as if to help mark her himself. They moan all the more as his lips take Yurie’s and his tongue moves without fail to slide inside her mouth and find out hers. Their tongues slide together before hers pushes up on his as if in a show of dominance of her own. It only causes him to moan even louder as his aggression takes over. Feeling all the more emboldened, Eren runs his calloused hands up and down the smoothness of her naked and quivering skin before promptly lifting her into his arms. Carrying her through the small bachelor pad to his futon, Eren tosses her on it before pulling back as Yurie leans up on her elbows to pant as she watches the couple before her with a growing fire of lust in her eyes.
Mikasa and Eren stare in astonishment at Yurie’s slender body and the hint of visible ribs peeking out under her heaving breasts as her cheeks flush rosy. Her nipples, so pert and red, rise and fall with each breath as she moves her long red and blonde hair out of her face. Turning her gaze up at the two, she holds her arms out, a seductively curvy smile curling her lips like.
“Mikasa, come to me…” she purrs out softly as she stretches out like a cat across Eren’s bed; too enticing to ignore. Eren watches on before circling the bed to put on more rock music to play in the background as he turns to watch his girlfriend going fully in.
Mikasa breathes out, the wafting highness of the beers and weed and ecstasy freeing her as she pulls her bra off and quickly gets down to her underwear. Sliding down on the bed, she crawls up to Yurie and kisses her fully; a soft breath passing out of Yurie as she arches and wraps her arms around Mikasa. The two women moan into each other as their lips explore each other and their heaving chests press together fully. Yurie moans as she opens her eyes through Mikasa’s open kisses before she breathes out hard and rolls the two over quickly. Now on top of her friend, her eyes take in Mikasa’s large heaving breasts and hard pink nipples and the toned shape to her abdomen. She’s overwhelmed by her feelings of lust and desire for the woman under her and she reaches down with care to caress Mikasa’s soft face and take in the dreamy haze to her eyes.
Gazing up at Eren as she does, Yurie catches his cheeky grin as he cools his heels at the edge of the bed. Biting her lip a little, she gestures for him to join, and he grins all the more as he sighs and moves to crawl across the bed and closer to her. Yurie’s eyes remain dark and dreamy as Eren leans into her to graze his face against her; his hot breath fanning out her skin as if in some primal courting ritual. Swallowing a breath, she leans in to kiss him hungrily as Mikasa watches on under her; mesmerized by the sight of her boyfriend and best friend making out before her. For there’s a difference to their kisses. Where Mikasa’s kisses have been soft, tender, and played to her pace, Eren’s kisses are so much more bruising and feral as if the two fight for dominance on this very futon. And Yurie can hold her own with him as he presses into her face to claim her mouth to her needy moans for more.
Eren offers all the more as he reaches up to cup her face and press his tongue deeper into her lips; probing her lips to widen as his arms move to tighten around her and keep her in place as he kisses her possessively. After a minute, the two pull back for Yurie to dive down and wrap her arms around Mikasa as they kiss once again; Mikasa’s breath cutting short in her mouth as she’s overtaken completely. She can taste Eren on Yurie’s breath as her long red hair curtains the two from his view.
“Hey, lemme see what’s going on,” he pants out before Yurie sighs as she pushes her hair to the side to show Mikasa’s face again. With a cheeky smile, Yurie languidly licks the length of Mikasa’s neck as she eyes Eren; her eyes fierce and challenging as his own as he chuckles. “Ha ha… is that supposed to intimidate me?”
“No,” Yurie sighs huskily as she gazes down at Mikasa and kisses her ear softly to her trembling moan. “I wanna show you what you’ve been missing, okay?”
Mikasa lets out a sharp breath of excitement. “Okay…”
With that, Yurie sits up again as Eren moves to unbuckle and unzip his pants; pulling them down his ass and thighs to reveal the bulge tucked within his boxers. Turning his eyes, he watches Yurie adjust her hips while she straddles Mikasa and gently caresses her top-heavy breasts to her sighs of pleasure. Taking in the red, rosy blush to Mikasa’s cheeks, Yurie quickly pulls her own hair out of her face with a pleasurable sigh.
Planting her hands on her spread out thighs, Yurie clamps her legs closer to Mikasa’s and begins to slowly grind her hips against her lap to the girl’s soft breath. A sudden cotton friction and pressure begins to bear down on Mikasa’s mound and the sensitive bud peeking out from beneath her tuft of black hair, causing a jolt of electricity to run through her as she gasps out loud. Eren watches on and leans in to press a kiss to Mikasa’s lips as Yurie begins to rock her hips against Mikasa to their shared breaths of pleasure.
Mikasa closes her eyes with another gasp as black strands of hair fall in her hair and obstruct her vision of Yurie as the redhead keeps rocking against her. Leaning forward, she takes Mikasa’s hands in hers and guides them to her hips to plant into her skin. “Ju—just move your hips with mine, Mikasa,” she gasps out breathlessly as she begins to swivel her hips to hit every angle of her clit.
The two girls moans and gasps as they keep grinding and Mikasa whimpers out at the waves of newfound sensations rushing through her; her fingernails beginning to dig into Yurie’s supple skin and the lacy waistband of her panties.
Eren watches on intensely, hardly able to comprehend the sight in front of him of Yurie riding Mikasa as their breaths rise and their bodies move together. Groaning in discomfort at the tight strain happening inside his boxers, Eren shifts to his side to caress Mikasa’s face as she licks her soft pink lips and shuts her eyes tight.
“Oh—oh my god…” she pants out raspily and gasping for breath as Yurie bucks her hips to grind hard against her sensitive bud. “Ohh—ohhh, ohhh fuck…”
Yurie pants heavily as she beams at Eren through the long hair in her face and tries to pull it all back again before giving up. “H—how are you doing, Er—Eren?”
“I’m having a pretty hard time here, pun intended,” he groans in discomfort as he grips and squeezes his hardened bulge restrained within the fabric.
“Well… if you want your girlfriend, come and take her,” Yurie smirks as she pointedly bucks again against Mikasa to her breathless gasp.
Seeing the playful tease in her gaze as she leans back on his girlfriend’s knees to keep griding mercilessly, Eren accepts the challenge with a deep smirk. “Too fuckin right,” he growls huskily before sitting up to pull a dazed Mikasa up and away as Yurie climbs off.
Mikasa’s all too happy and pleasured as Eren presses her right against his chest as his lips dive into his girlfriend’s; making her moan needily as he does. Now thrumming with intense sexual energy and a deep need for more, she arches fully into him; pressing her ass firmly into Eren’s hardening cock as he groans right into their kiss. Yurie closes in to lick Mikasa’s tilted-back neck languidly which just causes her to moan all the more as she arches painfully against Eren.
“Ohh my god,” Mikasa gasps out as Eren’s arms wrap tight around her body to hold her to him as Yurie keeps licking her softly and kisses her ear gently. The two girls share a gaze as Eren reaches down to pulls her pink panties down with one hand.
“Whaddya want, love?” he murmurs huskily in her ear as Mikasa’s eyes flutter dreamily; the sexual tension in the air climbing up higher and higher as Yurie eagerly pulls her pink panties down to her knees. “You wanna be fucked tonight, Mikasa?”
“Ye—yeah… so badly…” she breathes out breathlessly through pants to his kisses up and down her neck.
“Good. Cause I’ve been wanting to fuck you all night…” he whispers with a hoarse growl as he grips Mikasa’s hip for leverage and wraps his arm around to grope her breast greedily. “I wanna fuck you so bad, baby, have you trembling under me…”
“Mmm, no, I want something different…” Mikasa pants out as she presses herself against him all the more, causing Eren to groan out from the tightness to his boxers.
“What—” he grits his teeth and winces through another growl.
Mikasa’s eyes dance with pleasurable mirth as she turns her gaze to Yurie and eyes her tentative stare. “What about you?”
“I don’t know,” she hums and shrugs gently. “I assumed I was gonna sit back and watch for the rest of the night…”
“Is that really what you wanna do?” Eren chuckles as he eyes her and tightly squeezes Mikasa’s tit to her whimper. “You satisfied with just watching, Yurie?”
Laughing a little more, she shakes her head slowly. “Nooo… I guess I wouldn’t be.”
“Remember, no third wheels tonight…” Eren smirks as he leans in to kiss Mikasa’s neck gently “What do you want, baby?”
“I wanna ride you...” she sighs with a raspy lilt as she gazes at Yurie with a smile. “And… I want you to fuck Yurie…”
Eren blinks as he pulls from her neck to gaze at an equally surprised Yurie in astonishment before gazing at his girlfriend. “Are you serious, Mikasa?”
“Of course I am, I thought that’s what we were building to tonight,” she giggles breathlessly as she reaches up to cup Yurie’s stunned face. “No holding back, right?”
Eren sighs as Yurie balks in disbelief before letting out a soft laugh. “I don’t even think that can happen for Eren.”
“Oh, don’t worry about me,” he chuckles tentatively. “I’ve got killer stamina; I go for a long fuckin time…” Swallowing a sudden nervous breath, he eyes Yurie a little more with a small smile. “What about you, Tweety? It’s totally up to you…”
Yurie giggles and lets out a soft purr as she moves to lie on a pillow and get comfortable. “Why don’t we see how we do for now…” With that, she arches a little in presentation and Mikasa quickly moves to lie down on top of her to kiss her passionately to their shared moans as their breasts press hard against each other. Sighing out as she pulls back, Yurie’s gaze rises to Eren as she bites her lip a little.
“So? What’re you waiting for?”
“Huh?”
“I said, what’re you waiting for, big boy? Let’s see it…” she pants out a little huskily; unable to contain her curiosity.
Eren chuckles at that as Yurie lets out a little teasing purr. “Really? You wanna see it, Red?”
Yurie gazes up at him with her coquettish smile that sends a thrill through him. “Well… I wouldn't ask if I didn’t wanna see all of you…”
Eren can’t help but smirk as he teasingly hooks his fingers on his boxers to pull them down just a little to show off the thick and dark happy trail leading down from his belly button. “I feel kinda like I’m putting on a show,” he laughs a little to offset his nervousness for both girls before Yurie moves to sit up. The two eye at each other and as his hands card through her hair, she moves to pull his boxers down all the way.
His cock’s pulled down as well before it springs up again to stand at full attention and causes her to gasp softly at the considerable length and girth and the bead of precum dripping from his reddened tip.
“Oh my god…” she breathes out with a hand to her heart before she giggles and excitably pulls his boxers down for Eren to kick off. “Wow, Mikasa, you’re a lucky girl…”
“Aren’t I?” she sighs happily as she moves to sit up too and join her two lovers. “He’s got such a big cock, and I love looking at it… don’t I, love?”
Eren chuckles throatily at that, not saying another word before he leans in for a passionate kiss to Mikasa’s lips; the two moaning in hunger as they do. His hand moves up the back of Yurie’s backside as she watches on to card through his fingers through her thick head of hair and shove her in. Gasping softly, Yurie’s lips are brought right into Eren’s and Mikasa’s faces for them to fuse together in a three-way kiss that’s passionate and sloppy and completely consuming.
The three moan into their shared kiss that’s made for them and only them as their lips move as one and tongues slowly slide out to overtake mouths. Moaning all the more, Yurie pulls away to catch her breath and lie down again in overwhelming lust as Eren moves to lie down beside her. He presses a kiss to her head at that before Mikasa climbs on top of him; the two grinning excitably as she straddles him, and he quickly reaches up to grip her large, milky white breasts. Mikasa sighs pleasurably as she reaches between her legs to rub her clit within her soft bush of hair to Eren’s deep lustful groan. He and Yurie watch on as Mikasa moans and pleasures herself as she runs a hand through her short black hair as if overcome by pleasure at this very moment.
Feeling a surge of fraying control run through him, Eren grabs himself as Mikasa quickly moves to open her entrance for him as she slides down to his chest and kisses him slowly. Panting out a breath as his head slowly slides inside her, the two moan gently against each other’s lips. Mikasa trembles as she lowers herself down Eren’s shaft with a whimpered moan and her pussy already so incredibly wet and juicy. Swallowing a breath of air as he bites his lip to keep himself under control, he watches on as she moves off his chest and begins to bounce on him in excitement. Eren lets out a whimpered breath as he bucks up again and again; moving his hips along with Mikasa’s as the futon loudly creaks with their movement.
“Ohh, fuck… ohhh, Mikasa…”
“Mmm… ohhh, Eren…” she sighs pleasurably as the two rock their hips together.
Letting out a low guttural groan, Eren breathes out in pleasure as his toned and inked chest swells for her and his back arches as the two move as one. Planting her hands on his pecs to go even faster, Mikasa lets out a loud and heavy whimper as she quickens their pace; closing her eyes as she feels the length of his cock moving and rubbing up and down her insides.
“Ohh… ohhh—heh—ohhh yeah, that’s good…” he moans and bites his lip to suppress a deep growl before turning to watch Yurie as she watches on as a passive voyeur. “You go—gonna come over here?”
“I don’t know what to do…” Yurie laughs as she sits up to meet Mikasa eyes as she keeps bouncing vigorously.
“C—Come over here,” she whimpers as she arches and squeezes her inner walls to Eren’s thrill. As he bucks up even harder and grips her hips tight, Mikasa pulls Yurie to her for a hungry kiss that sets both girls on fire. Their lips dance together as Mikasa keeps moaning and sighing into her girl’s mouth and Yurie returns the pleasure by sliding her hand down Mikasa’s breast to tweak her hardened nipple between her finger and thumb.
Feeling the sensitive rush of shudders from that, Mikasa bites her lip hard as Eren reaches out to desperately rub and squeeze Yurie’s skin. Pulling her girl’s nipple a little to her whimpers, Yurie moves to lean her face down to where Mikasa and Eren’s skin meet. She watches on as Mikasa’s wet and pink pussy with its soft bush of black hair bounces down on his as their skin glistens in coated juices from their quickening coupling. Letting out a moan as she watches on, Yurie leans in to softly run her tongue up and down Eren’s cock and graze Mikasa’s rubbing clit to their gasps at the added sensation.
“Ohh—ohh, fuck, ohhh fuck you’re both so sexy…” Eren groans as he bucks up harder and eyes Yurie’s laid out backside. “Ohh fuck, you two are so fucking sexy… my beautiful girls… ohhh… fuck…”
“Am I your sexy girl?” Mikasa pouts as her hand reaches down to press Yurie’s face in deep to them. “I wanna be your sexy girl so bad.”
“Mmmm you’re my sexiest girl,” Eren hums as he rolls his hips faster to meet Mikasa’s bounces. His eyes quickly trail down to Yurie’s ass inside her panties as she keeps licking and kissing their coupling parts; a growl rumbling through him as he does. “Mmmm…” he moans as he lets one hand travel down Yurie’s backside and grip her buttocks hungrily. “Mmm… my sexy fucking girl… my new fuckin’ toy.” With that, he soundly spanks Yurie’s ass to her gasp as she pulls away from their bodies to pant at that.
“What was that for?” she gasps as she turns over to gaze at Eren in full tease.
“Mmm, I wanted to give you a spank,” Eren laughs huskily and passes her a hot and smug smirk. “I wanted to see your ass shake.”
Yurie laughs as she gazes up at Mikasa who pants higher and higher as she begins quickening her pace to a dizzying degree. Eren groans out with a deep growl as his head rolls back fully in an edging that stirs a deep and quivering fire inside his belly. “Ohhh fuuuck, Mikasa… oh get ready, baby…”
“Mmm… you gonna cum, baby?” she teases as she begins to furiously swivel her hips as she leans back on his knees bending.
“Yeah…” he whimpers.
“You’re gonna fill me up?” Mikasa teases with an enticing bite to her lip. “You wanna fill up this wet, tight, pussy?”
“Yeah, baby…” he whimpers as he bucks up his hips forcibly; planting his feet on the mattress as he does. “I wanna fill you up so bad…”
Yurie moves to sit up and move behind Mikasa as she pants out breathy and high moans and leans in to kiss her completely. Her arms wrap around her friend and without hesitation, Yurie’s hand reaches down to begin rubbing her clit vigorously. Mikasa gasps loudly and begins tensing up at the sensation of Yurie’s playful hand motions as she works her; Eren’s cock thrusting up into her so deep, he hits her bundle of nerves with a full growl. The girls keep kissing feverishly as their tongues wrestle and their lips dance and open wide.
“Ohhh fuck…”Eren grunts as he shoves up into her and pants out completely. “Mmmm… ohhh fuck I wanna own the fuck outta you…”
“Yeah, own me…” Mikasa whines against Yurie’s lips. “Mmm… I’m your—ohhh my god!” Feeling the string her belly grow tighter and hotter, Mikasa’s grey eyes flutter as she lets out a loud and raspy gasp. Suddenly a heated dam breaks inside her and her pussy squirts down on Eren’s lap and soaks him completely. The small apartment fills with the sound of wet and fast squelching as Eren grabs Mikasa’s hips in a death grip while he pumps up inside her several more times.
“Ohhh fuck, he—here it comes… ohh fuck, Mikasa, I’m gonna own you—OHHH FUCK!”
“Ohh, Eren! Yes! Yes! Ohhhh!”
Letting out a loud and deep guttural cry, Eren’s back arches as his cock shoves way up and spills completely inside Mikasa as she gasps beautifully. Yurie holds her as she arches and lets out a lingering cry of release as the girl keeps rolling up and down Eren’s coated dick. Moaning as her lover keeps rubbing her clit in slower and slower motions, Mikasa lets out a full sigh of bliss and arches as she rolls her head back against Yurie’s shoulder.
“Mmm… thank you…” she whispers softly.
“For what?” Yurie asks softly with a laugh.
“Mmm… hehhhh, for being here for this,” Mikasa sighs and bites her lip as she and Yurie gaze at each other. “I loved that, Yurie…”
“Ohh? Di—did you now?” Eren pants out breathlessly with a smirk as his hips sink into the saggy and soiled sheets of his mattress.
“It wa—it was amazing,” Mikasa sighs as she moves to roll off and land on the pillow next to Eren; the couple leaning in for a sweet kiss. “I love you, Eren…”
“Mmm… I love you baby,” he murmurs as he leans in to kiss her softly; his hand trailing up and down Mikasa’s quivering and sweaty body.
Yurie sighs as she gets up to strut to the kitchenette and grab a beer from the fridge. “You guys need drinks?”
“Mmm, I’ll take a beer,” Eren sighs out in exhaustion.
“I’m okay,” Mikasa murmurs as she moves to cuddle into her pillow as her body thrums with lingering electricity.
“Fuck. That was absolutely crazy,” he pants as he stretches next to her and eyes his softening cock. “God, that was so fuckin hot; seeing you two kiss while I fucked you… that was just fuckin crazy.”
“Mmm, I’m sure it was an enticing sight…” Yurie chuckles as she comes back to pass Eren a beer as he wearily sits up before she wanders over to the window to sip her own beer. She gazes out the window at the blue twilight hanging over the apartment building across from Eren’s. “I’m glad you two had fun.”
“Yeah, I had a fuckin blast…” he smiles blissfully.
“Did you, Yurie?” Mikasa sighs dreamily.
“Of course I did,” Yurie smiles back at her from over her shoulder; her panties still reaching up her hips as her hair runs freely down her bare back. “It was really fun. I needed that so thank you.”
Eren exchanges looks with Mikasa before sitting up fully. “Hold on, we’re not done yet, Yurie.”
“We’re not?”
“No, I’m still ready to play with you…” Eren smirks as he eyes the redhead as she gazes out the window.
“Ohh, I dunno, Eren, it’s getting to be dawn…” Yurie sighs as she gazes at the brightening blue hour. “It’s almost 5; the sun will be up in an hour… fun’s over and you’re wiped.”
“So? For you, I’ve got the energy,” he chuckles deeply as he stretches out his toned and broad-shouldered chest.
“Mmm, still… I don’t think we’d have as much fun with me,” Yurie sighs regretfully as Eren gets off the bed to saunter over to her with a smirk. “We really don’t have to—”
“Hey… what’re you doing?”
“Hmm?” she blinks as she gazes up at him approaching her.
“I know what you’re doing, Red.”
“What?” Yurie asks in seeming bewilderment.
Without a word, Eren scoops the gasping girl into his arms to bring her back to the bed as Mikasa looks on in astonishment. Tossing her down, he smirks as she bounces on the springy futon next to his girlfriend as she blinks in confusion.
“Eren, what the hell?”
“You’re playin hard to get again,” Eren sighs heavily as he gets on the bed to eye Yurie. “You like doing that, huh?”
“Mmm… I was being honest. I figured the moment’s heat was kind of lost now,” Yurie murmurs with a resigned pout before Eren moves to crawl closer to gaze at her intently. His stare is so intense and boring, it catches Yurie with a soft gasp as he crawls right up to her. She swallows with a hitched breath as she eyes Mikasa watching on as a willing observer.
“Do you want to go home, Yurie?” Eren asks her with a husky and taunting murmur. “Or do you wanna stay and get fucked so hard, you’re screaming my name.”
At his words, Yurie gasps out sharply as she gazes up at him in astonishment before letting out a breath. “You… still wanna fuck me?”
Eren and Mikasa grin wide at each other before he turns to her and leans in to graze his lips against hers. “You’ve got no idea…”
“I don’t…”
“No… I’ve been wanting to fuck you since I first saw you, Red,” he murmurs huskily against her. “Since I saw you giving hell to Wes in that record store… I knew that was the kind of fire I want in my girl… like I’ve got it in my Mikasa… Right, baby?”
“Right…” Mikasa sighs softly as she moves to lean her face into Eren’s for a soft kiss and moan before he pulls away to gaze at the woman before them.
Yurie feels her cheeks blush all the more as he moves to lean her down on the pillow and take in her quickly rising heartrate as he moves to lay his weight on top of hers. Her breath hitches as he wraps his arms around her while Mikasa moves to lean in and press a kiss to Yurie’s ear. The girl sighs softly at that as she gazes up at Eren and watches him lean in to press his forehead down into hers to hold her in place. Gasping softly at the pressure, Yurie’s breath hitches as the two share a gaze that walks the line of intimacy and possession.
“Heh, th—this is crazy…” she whispers softly as she feels her body tremble uncharacteristically. She’s always been the one to call the shots in bed, to take the reins, and hold her all partners captive, but with Eren, she feels overwhelmed and almost submissive. Breathing out shakily, she can’t help the soft chuckle that bubbles from her throat as she gazes up into Eren’s green eyes. “Thi—heh—this feels so crazy to me…”
“Why?”
“I ju—I never could see you two wanting this… with me…”
Eren chuckles throatily at that; his chest vibrating as he presses into hers. Breathing out with throaty deep breaths, he presses a soft kiss to her lips as his vibrantly green eyes grow all the more intensely dark. “I want you…” he breathes out huskily as his roughened hands begin to trail down the side of Yurie’s soft and slender body. “I want you for me and for Mikasa…”
“We—well you have me for tonight…” Yurie lets out a breathless pant as his hands squeeze her.
Eren can’t stop the smirk that grows across his face as he presses down all the more on Yurie’s head while Mikasa moves in to kiss them both. The three moan out fully as their lips fuse together once more, causing Yurie’s body to tremble painfully with rising anticipation. Not able to contain herself, she wraps her arms around Eren to anchor herself and sighs as she arches her body to press into him with a whining whimper.
“Please…” she pleads as she turns to kiss Mikasa lustfully and feels him lean in to grab her face and pull it in for a long and pressing kiss. He takes her breath as he leans in; his tongue wrestling with hers as she arches all the more. “Ohhh… oh my god…” she whimpers as she pulls her lips back.
Groaning in restraint, Eren’s barely able to contain himself as he turns his eyes down to where his cock sits on her belly, still coated with Mikasa. Before his gaze, he begins to harden all over again. Feeling his feral desires begin to eat at him again, he turns his eyes to Yurie’s heaving breasts under him; watching them rise with each and every pant as she whimpers and trembles in need.
“Fuck…” he pants as he gazes at the two girls; watching as Mikasa leans up to kiss him teasingly. “Oh, fuck, Mikasa…”
“I know…” she whispers against his lips.
“Are you okay?” Yurie pants under them as he holds himself up above her.
“Ye—yeah I’m fine…” he whispers as Mikasa kisses his face again before laying back down to Yurie to hold her hand.
Eren eyes the both of them as a surge of overwhelming fire ignites from within his chest for the two gorgeous women before him and with a huff, he quickly peels off Yurie to grab her panties and yank them down. Yurie gasps as he does and lifts herself to help before Eren pulls them off one ankle to dangle on the other. Groaning in need, his hands go right for her thighs to push them apart and reveal her pussy; plump and pink and glistening with wetness while covered in trimmed and short dark red hair.
Breathing out hard breaths as he takes it in, Eren’s face leans in as Mikasa and Yurie watch on; their eyes widening as he presses a kiss to Yurie’s pussy.
“Mmmm…” she moans gently as he does and feels Mikasa’s arms wrap around her from behind as Eren’s tongue slips inside her quivering slit. Gasping at the feeling, she arches sharply and Mikasa holds her tighter, maneuvering her arms to wrap around and grope Yurie’s breasts. Eren just groans through her flesh and kisses it hungrily, letting his tongue slide in again as his finger slides inside her entrance.
“Ohh… wow…” he breathes out huskily as he moves back up to Yurie’s face and slips in deeper to feel her walls squeeze. “Jesus, Yurie, you’re tight…”
“Mmm…” she hums with a needy breath as he kisses her again before Mikasa kisses her too and reaches down to touch her pussy curiously.
“You’re so warm,” she muses softly to Yurie’s sigh. Without fail, Yurie guides Mikasa’s hand to slide down a little more to press her fingers into Yurie’s throbbing clit. As she guides fingers and motions to cause her to moan, Eren slips another finger deep inside her as they move and tease and explore her. Whimpering from his motions, Yurie arches and presses into Mikasa as her arms wrap around him.
“Ohh… mmm…”
“You like this, Yurie?” Eren asks with a gravelly husk.
“Yesss…”
Eren pants and smirks at that as if in challenge; his fingers jutting quicker in and out. “Yeah… you love my fingers?” he teases against her lips with a growl.
“Ohh my god yesss…” she sighs out as her hands reach up to cup his face.
“Or…” Eren pants and kisses her, “are you needing my big fat cock inside your tight little pussy?”
“Oh my god,” Yurie whines fully at his gravelly words and throws her head back against Mikasa as Eren retrieves his coated fingers.
Showing them to Mikasa as Yurie quivers and shakes from their absence, Eren smirks roguishly. “You wanna taste, babe?”
Mikasa moans and opens her mouth slightly for Eren to slide his fingers through with a groan. Humming, she begins to lick and suck them; tasting the sweet tangy scent of Yurie’s juices inside her lips. Moaning out, her fingers press down all the more on Yurie’s bud before coming up to hold Eren’s fingers before he slips them back out and turns his attention down to Yurie. Pressing a kiss to her lips, he moves to grab her and move on top of her while Mikasa scoots back a bit to watch on. Taking full control while he does, Eren quickly hikes up Yurie legs to her gasps to wrap around him. She does with a hitched breath and an arch as he feels his cock’s head search out her entrance before finding it to her moans.
Growling, unable to control himself a moment longer, Eren’s head plunges in and completely sheathes itself inside Yurie to her hot gasps. Moaning out as he does, Eren rolls his head back; his bare and tattooed chest heaving as he does.
“Ohh, yeah…” he groans and bites his lip. “Oh, fuck yes…”
“Oh my god…” Yurie whines out in trembles as her pussy clenches tight around Eren and adjusts to all of him.
“Ohh fuck…” he moans as he slowly pulls out before thrusting back in at full force. She gasps under him as he does, moaning and arching at his primal excitement. The futon begins to loudly squeak from the springs under them as Eren eagerly fucks Yurie with a quickened pace that makes her pant out in shock.
“Ohh my god…” she pants and whimpers. “Ohh, Eren…”
“Yeah, baby, right there…” he whimpers and groans as he watches her bounce under him and quickly grabs her hair to grip with white knuckles. “Ohhh fuck, yes…”
She pants out breathlessly as she feels his hard and eager pumps inside her; his cock driving into her again and again to feel every inch of her. “Ohh my god…” she whimpers with another arch to her back as he grabs both her legs and throw them over his shoulders for an even deeper reach. The two let out a full-blown moan as their backs arch together and their heads roll back. Yurie lets out a high-pitched gasp to feel Eren plunge so deeply inside her and she bites into her lip to suppress herself while her toes flay and curl in. Eren leans in for a deep and lustful kiss to her lips while Mikasa leans in to kiss her ear and press her face into her hair. Hands begin to travel up and down her body, gripping skin, groping breasts, and Yurie lets out an even deeper moan as Eren presses his weight down on her; his cock plunging down deep into her warm, moist depths.
“Oh fuck, you’re so deep,” he groans against her skin as Mikasa pulls her face for as deep and plunging of a kiss. Eren pulls back a little to gaze down at the two girls; his eyes darkening into a deep green of lust for them. Grabbing Yurie’s face, he quickly turns it up to him once more to kiss even more lustfully; groaning into it as he rolls his hips against her raised ass; trying to keep himself under control. “Ohh fuck…” he pulls away to pant huskily as he turns to plant a hard kiss on Mikasa’s lips. “Ohh god, I want you both.”
With that, Eren moves Yurie’s legs back down to his hips and lifts her in his arms as he moves onto his knees. The two bounce together through loud and panting moans as Yurie rolls her head back to let her hair cascade down against the bedding.
“Ohh, god…” she whimpers as Eren slows his pace to pump deeper into her; the two’s hips swiveling against each other as they try and hit all of Yurie’s pleasure points.
“Ohh, fuck, you’re so good…” he pants out with a moan. “You’re made for us, baby…”
Yurie moans fully at that as Eren grips her possessively; his hips beginning to snap as he drives harder into his new lover. Turning her eyes to Mikasa, she pulls her in for a deep and lustful kiss as she feels fingers reach up to tweak and yank at her hard red nipples. “Oh my god!” she outs with a loud and lusty moan.
“You like my boyfriend fucking you?” Mikasa whispers into her ear. “You’ve been wanting this with us, haven’t you…”
“Ye—yeah…” Yurie moans as she reaches up to grip his hair and bring him down for her own kiss. “Ohh fuck me… both of you…”
“Tell me you’re on the pill…” Eren moans into her lips to her soft and breathy laughter.
“Yes… I—I am…”
“Good… cause I wanna cum inside you so bad…” he groans before kissing and plunging his tongue inside her. “I wanna cum in you both…”
“Ye—yeah… do it…” she breathes out as she pulls his head back to arch her body against his. “Do it to both of us…”
Eren grins at them both before pulling out of Yurie. As if their minds work together, she quickly moves to turn herself around as Mikasa moves under her and pulls her in for a kiss. Yurie moves to straddle her and raise her ass as if presenting herself as Eren quickly moves to align himself behind her. Pumping his soaking and throbbing cock, Eren slides himself back into Yurie’s glisteningly moist pussy to their deep moans. Gasping out as he grips her hips, he watches the two women kissing and moaning under him before he begins snapping his hips against Yurie’s as she squeezes his dick with every pump. The room fills with the moans of all three and the hard smack of Eren’s skin hitting Yurie’s from behind to their delight.
"Ohhh god, that’s good...” he growls deeply as his hand reaches out to grab and wrap her long red hair around his hand. “Mmm, take this cock… take us both, baby…”
“Ohh, fuck me…” she pulls away from Mikasa to whine. “Ohh fuck, yes, fuck me hard…”
“Yeah, you want it hard, baby?”
“Yeah…”
Eren’s pace quickens as Yurie cries out and wraps her arms around Mikasa, bearing her weight down for their bodies to rub together as Mikasa whimpers out lustfully.
“Ohh, fuck, Eren…” she cries out as she feels their clits rub together in friction. “Ohh fuck, ohhh fuck her so hard…”
“Yeah—yeah… ohh fuck yeah…” he grunts out primally as he feels his heat rise again; his primal and dominant lust running rampant as he yanks at Yurie’s hair to drive her back into his chest. “Yeah… yeahhh…” he groans in her ear as his hand reaches up to grip her throat to keep her flush against him. Gazing down at Mikasa as she writhes and rolls her hips under Yurie’s, the fire in his chest burns even hotter. “Are you satisfied, baby?” he whispers huskily in her ear.
“Wha—yes… so satisfied…” she pouts and whimpers hard and bites her lip as his cock pounds her and Mikasa’s engorged clit rubs against hers. “Ohh fuck, I’m so wet…”
“Heh… I fucking knew you needed this…” he pants with a hardened laugh. “I knew you—ughhhhh—needed a cock and pussy to drive you crazy…”
“Mmm… oh is that so?” Yurie quivers out with a chuckle as her hand reaches back for Eren’s long hair as her other reaches down to grope Mikasa’s breast.
“Yeah… isn’t that right, Mikasa?”
Mikasa hums beautifully and lets out a full whimpered gasp as her clit’s pressed into while her nipple’s tweaked by Yurie’s probing fingers. “Ohh my god, yes!”
“Mmm… you wanna know something else?” Eren whispers in Yurie’s ear as she rolls her hips in time with them both.
“Wha—heh…”
Eren chuckles throatily as he presses his hand in; feeling the beat of her heart through her flesh. “I knew Jean would fuck up with you cause I wanted him out of the way…”
Yurie lets out a burst of laughter before he hits her g-spot and sends her into a thrilled cry of pleasure. “What?”
“Yeah… I knew you, Red… I knew it all along,” he chuckles and kisses her ear. “I knew no one could handle you—no one could have you but us…”
Moaning at the heat of his whisper on her ear, Yurie begins to roll her head back and swivel her hips lustfully; making both Eren and Mikasa pant and moan out at the motions against their parts. The three fall silent as Eren groans and picks up his pace and Mikasa writhes to keep up with them both. Heavy pants and hitching moans break from all of them as they all move as one before Eren lets out a guttural growl as he pushes Yurie down on Mikasa and shoves his hand down on her head.
“Kiss…” he growls in a command that both girls quickly obey; their moans of submission like music to his ears as he grows louder and more primal.
His hips snapping and his balls clapping, Eren lets out a full cry and shuts his eyes as he feels his climax fast approaching once more. “Ohh fuck… ohh you’re so tight… I wanna fuck you both so hard…”
The girls don’t answer as they keep kissing and grinding and pulling away to whimper. Yurie shuts her eyes tight as Eren cards his fingers through her hair once more; his thrusts snapping harder and harder into her wet depths as she gasps and tremors. Gasping higher and higher, she quickly grabs Mikasa’s hair to grip as she feels the string inside her belly grow tighter and tighter with each of his thrusts.
“OHHH… righ—right there… OHHH FUCK!”
Suddenly arching her back fully, Yurie cries out fully as her dam cracks and breaks free; a torrent of fluid seeping from her pussy to drench his cock as Eren pounds harder. This only thrills him more; his breaths coming in shorter as the wet squelching sounds grow wetter and wetter. His cock slides in and out fluidly like a slip in slide as he grips Yurie’s hair and grabs Mikasa’s hand to pin it down. Doubling over, he presses himself into Yurie and sandwiches her between them both as he fucks her faster and faster. The three gasp out in growing highness as Mikasa arches violently under the weight of the two’s pressure on her pussy. The trio move frantically as one, the control completely fractured between them as they sweat and cry out and arch before being pinned as Eren’s cock takes complete control over them both.
With a sudden roar of release as his belly heats and breaks, Eren quickly pulls out of Yurie to pump himself frantically and shoot his load up against her glistening pussy to her and Mikasa’s gasps. Watching on, Eren lets a full guttural groan to see his cum dripping down her pussy and onto Mikasa’s squished underneath her. He quickly slips his cock inside Yurie to squirt a rope inside her before squishing into Mikasa to do the same; all while his chest heaves out in pleasure and exhaustion. The girls both moan as he rotates between them both, determined to cum inside before he drops down on Yurie’s back in total exhaustion.
The three pant out heavy and breathless together, their bodies aching and thrumming and trembling as waves of post-climatic pleasure roll through them. Yurie pants into Mikasa’s lips as she pants under her; lips caressing and kissing slowly before Yurie slides her face down on the pillow to nuzzle into her lover’s neck. All while Eren buries his face in her hair and tightens his arms around her before turning his lips onto Mikasa’s for a lingering kiss of love. Moving her face back up, Yurie joins the kiss and the three all lets their lips meld and graze and press together gently in a show of love for one another and what they’ve just done.
Finally, Eren moves off of the girls and exhaustively rolls over to sigh out in pleasured fatigue. Yurie, still shaking from their coitus, moves to lay on top of him while she pulls Mikasa to roll over and cuddle into his hot and sweaty body. Feeling his chest swell for them both, Eren’s arms wrap around both of them as not a word is passed between them. He sighs out in lingering pleasure and satisfaction before pressing a kiss to Mikasa’s hair and then Yurie’s.
“Do you feel satisfied now?” he whispers into the crown of her red hair.
Yurie chuckles softly as she nuzzles into his tattooed skin and reaches out to lace her fingers through Mikasa’s to squeeze her hand. Turning, she lays a kiss on Eren’s chest and brings Mikasa’s fingers up for kiss after kiss before sighing as she lays her head down on him once more. “I’m beyond satisfied…” she whispers back. “I feel more than I’ve ever felt before in my life…”
Eren nods and smiles at that as he and Mikasa pass a look onto each other before they sigh and close their eyes. The two girls drift into quick sleep; completely exhausted from the long night of dancing, drugs, drinking, and partying they’ve gone through. Eren can barely keep his eyes open himself as his head spins from the beer and the sex, but he does to gaze down at the two women in his arms as they sleep soundly; his thumbs slowly caressing against both their skin. Sighing blissfully, he turns his eyes to the window to watch the early dawn roll across the sky; the hints of sunshine illuminating the brick building across from his. Finally, with a heavy sigh as he tightens his arms around Mikasa and Yurie, he nuzzles his face into his pillow and falls asleep too.
Hours pass in that small apartment pad as the three sleep together soundly. The morning passes and at one point, Mikasa peels herself from Eren to groggily call her work and mumble that she can’t come in. They barely hear her before she sleepily hangs up and cuddles back into Eren to drop off once again. Time ticks by as he sleeps, down and out and deep in slumber when he feels weight peel off him once again.
Slowly rolling into consciousness, his throat cracks painfully and his body feels stiff and sore; his head pounding hard as Eren groans and wakes up. His mind is foggy with clearing memories of what transpired last night through his hangover, but he knows full well as he lays naked in bed next to Mikasa that the three of them passed a point of no return.
Opening his eyes slowly, he notices it’s only Mikasa beside him now; Yurie’s rolled off the bed entirely. Staring up and squinting through the sunlight, he catches her leaning over to pull her panties and jeans up as she retrieves her clothes. “H—Hey…” he croaks out through his dry throat. “Where’re you going?”
Yurie quickly gazes up and passes him a small smile. “Hey… I umm… I thought I should get going.”
“Get going?”
“Yeah… I gotta go home and feed my cat,” she says as she grabs her crop top and slips it back over her breasts. “It’s getting late, I need to run around, do errands, go to work.”
“But… you don’t have work till way later, right?”
Yurie feebly shrugs at that. “Well… I still need to do stuff.”
Eren eyes her as she seems to quicken her steps as she looks around before finding her jacket and purse. “Hey. Are you okay?”
Grabbing her high heels to slip into, Yurie quickly smiles. “I’m fine.”
“Don’t you wanna stay? So we can hang out? Maybe talk?”
Sighing heavily, Yurie’s shoulders slump as she offers Eren a small and weak smile. “I… I don’t think we need to. I get it, it’s like you guys said last night. No strings attached. We had a good time, that’s all.”
Eren nods his head slowly as she adjusts her top. “Yeah, we did…”
“So, now we move on with this out of our system,” she sighs and smiles a little more though her smile’s as weak as ever. “I’ll see you around, Eren… tell Mikasa I’ll see her at home, kay?”
Unable to say another word, Eren watches her as she adjusts her hair and strides to the door; opening it and closing it shut with a click. His heart racing in his chest, he debates whether to go after her and talk to her. He really wanted to talk today; to discuss what the fuck happened last night and where they go from here. But it seems the decision’s already been made for him to sweep this all under the rug. Sighing heavily, he gazes down at Mikasa as she sleeps soundly in his arms and presses a kiss into her dark black hair. Trying to silence the unease in his chest, he rolls over to her and cuddles into her; holding his girl tight as he sighs heavily and drifts back to sleep.