The sound of a creaking bed came from the sudden weight shift. Courtesy of the sudden visiting guest, the spreading raw fingers on Erenâs exposed chest were retracted in haste. It was as if those hands were forced to pull away by something unseen. Not quite impossible, even when said guest physically stood metres away from the bed.
âIâd like to have my turn as well with him, if you please,â the stranger continued.
To Erenâs confusion, the person on top of him offered no hostility towards the intruder and instead quickly subjected himself to retreat, looking frightened enough as he quickly step away from the rented bedroom in shame. Not a spec of disappointment forming across Erenâs face from being left shirtless and dissatisfied as he was more annoyed for the loss of income.
The situation then led him to the one who was no longer standing by the door, but instead had made himself comfortably seated by the window.
Oddly styled flaming hair, colourful painted tattoos on both cheeks, extremely pale white skin, a set of outfit worthy of public controversy; qualities that made it extremely hard for the teenager to shift any of his remaining attention away.
âExpecting something from looking?â Eren came off flat.
âPity, but my interest lies elsewhere,â the man spoke off his unexpected sultry voice.
With a barrel filled with mixed emotions, Eren decided to button up his shirt with a vague sigh. âWhat do you want, then?â
âSince itâs all youâre going to have before they break through that door.â
Back and forth, the boy was staring between the door and the man. Many scenarios came up in his mind, one of which would pit him against the only group of people he had been running away from for years. The thought had put him on edge. âI donât know what youâre on about.â
The knowingly smirk were that manâs immediate response. âOh, I think you do.â
The weak strain in Erenâs voice gave the stranger a chance to openly enjoy the situation they were in.
âThat depends. But to you, Iâm someone who had just spared his precious evening to nicely inform you that they will be arriving here soon.â
âYour name,â Eren pushed.
It was nothing more than a simple demand, but the sinister chalk-skinned figure somehow managed to close the wide space separating them just to drop off a gentle threat right at Erenâs face. âI donât think youâre in any position to demand anything of anyone right now. Do you?â
A string of sweat on the side of the boyâs tense feature at first, then his breath rapidly got heavier by the second.
It was as if Eren was being choked with only that piercing stare of those frightening cat-like eyes. They were yellowish bright andalmost golden, similarly close with the stain of molten gold Eren had on his right eye. He couldnât decide if fear had taken his mind over or if something he couldnât explain was being done on him. Either way, he couldnât tear away the gaze despite the silent screaming of the mind urging him to get away.
âThere, there.â He suddenly parted their eye contact, stopping the impending doom. âI havenât the heart to see innocent children being made to suffer, see.â
Heaving breaths, Eren cursed. âYouâre expecting me to believe that?â
âFortunately for me, it isnât within my interest to indulge any of your various opinions. Iâm here to tell you that it is within your best interest that you come to Paris. There you will find interesting people who might help you.â
The flow of conversation had gone somewhere the now-helpless teenage boy couldnât follow. Furrowing, he did his best not to snap. âAnd who are these people?â
And as if he hadnât heard a word of any defiance, the eerie man continued, âAnd with that information, here comes my proposition; Reside in Paris, make fake friends with necessary people, have yourself in their favour, and youâll likely will find leads on what youâre looking for.â
Groaning was the only best rebuttal Eren could muster. âEven if I wanted to, you just told off this monthâs earnings out that door not a while ago.â
âTrivial thing,â he mocked. âThis is a one time offer. When I step out of this room it immediately expires and you will never see me again.â
âThat isnât an offer. Youâre practically cornering me.â
Again, feigning ignorance to any given protest had seemed to be one of the clownâs controversial perks. âLetâs say one day I woke up and decided to extend my hand for those in need. Charity seems to be my calling.â
Transparent lies. Too easily saw through that walking away from this would have made Eren standing the fool and possibly captured. The boy was left no other choice, a hardened jaw, and a sick feeling of a bottled up vexation he couldnât channel through any means in his current situation. Worse, those flashy-shaped clothes combined with those heels even managed to somehow push Eren more over the edge for no fundamental reason.
This was a newly-found and unspoken detestation for a man he only knew for nine minutes.
âYou have ten seconds to decide, Eren Jaeger.â