entrancelogs | [Open] Here's a story, about a man named--

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[Open] Here's a story, about a man named--

Who: Levi, his odd little family, Eren's friends, and you
Where: Storybrooke
When: Throughout the event
Rating: PG-13 will update
Summary: Levi is married, Eren is his son, what can go wrong?
The Story:

Open: Being one of the local firemen Levi was use to being around town on call, waiting for something to happen. There was a lot of that in Storybrooke. Nothing too bad seem to ever happen here-- well not as bad as the cities at least. Sure they had their strange things happen once and awhile, but the police dealt with that. It wasn't his job to solve the mysterious, just to save as many people as he could.

This had been a rather boring week for him, at least when it came to his job. Personally though he had been dealing with lack of sleep, strange dreams about giant naked people, and thoughts that lingers on his dead ex wife. He hadn't thought of Petra in ages, why was he thinking about her now? And why did these thoughts of guilt come with them?

The strange thoughts and feels were taking his attention off of what he should be doing-- walking. The hot cup of tazo tea he had in his hand spills to the ground as he bumps into someone. Maybe he shouldn't hold it by the lid, but hey old habits.

"Fuck." He sighed. "I didn't get you, did I?"

Closed to house: Levi leaned in the kitchen doorway of his home. He stared at the stove and the blonde that stood hovering over a pot of boiling water as she was cooking. From the smell in the air he knew it was pasta, most likely for the kids. Yes, kids. Now, don't get him wrong. He loved Eren. Even if he was a little shit, that was his son and his friends weren't all that bad (except for that Melissa girl, she was kind of weird). But to have them over on what was suppose to be his and Integra's date night-- their only date night, was a bit of a downer.

Being a firemen he didn't have a whole lot of down time, even now he was technically on call in case something happened. Which it would be his luck for some strange disaster to start up tonight. "Why are you cooking? Let's just give them some money so they can go out." Where they would go in this one horse kinda town...well they were smart (at least Arthur was) they can figure something out.

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"Ah, um..."

Arthur shifts from foot to foot awkwardly, looking between Eren and Melissa. She's very... protective, for someone he's only just met, and even had a reputation for being a loner. And he's he's a little overzealous about this whole justice thing. Arthur doesn't want them to have a disagreement so soon, so he tries to defuse the situation.

"I won't tell anyone," he first assures Eren, "and I really-- it's okay. I'll just try not to get cornered like that again, so you won't have to do anything."

Comfort, guilt and, strangely enough, annoyance. Eren can't imagine why Melissa's kind words would have that sort of effect on him. She's obviously saying these things out of concern for his and Arthur's safety. With a little effort, he manages a reluctant nod of agreement. "I can handle it fine. ...But if you want to help, I won't stop you."

"And that's not the point, Armi--" God. Maybe he's more nervous than he thought. He's starting to mispronounce their names. How embarrassing. Hopefully, no one noticed.

"Arthur." he corrects himself, leading the way further into the house. They have enough time before dinner to drop off Arthur and Melissa's things and show them around a bit. "You shouldn't have to tip-toe around school, just because of some bullies. This is your town, too."

But that's the biggest problem with all this. Melissa has no reason to feel like this, and no reason to suddenly be so worried about the wellfare of the two boys in front of her, and yet what settles in her chest is a simple understanding that whatever happens, she will be there to help.

She doesn't feel the need to comment on not telling anyone. It's not like she has anyone to tell, Eren's mother included. But when Eren nearly calls Arthur by a different name, she finds herself a little taken back by the fact he stopped. What...what? She shakes her head, trying to shake the near-headache that is starting there.

"They shouldn't think you're an easy target." She follows Eren easily, almost too easily, feeling like that spot to his side and a step behind is where she's always supposed to be.

Armin, he finishes in his mind as Eren stops himself from doing so. It's an odd name, one that he's never heard before, and yet... he knew. Why? Knowledge doesn't simply appear in the brain; memories don't come from nowhere. But as he follows Eren, looking at his back, he feels something like the pain of an old wound.

"I... It's just always been that way. I am an easy target," which isn't easy to admit, his face twists a little in chagrin, "I can't fight back. I'm too weak. And that's exactly what they want."

"It's got nothing to do with being weak." As Eren replies to Arthur, he halts his steps long enough to direct a questioning look over Melissa's way. Was she feeling okay? Normally, he wouldn't see such a subtle shake of the head as a cause for concern, but with her, he takes notice. Perhaps it has something to do with how strong Melissa's presence beside him feels.

After a moment though, he continues on with what he was saying, "It's because you're different."

...Which is not exactly the most comforting thing to say, but Eren believes it to be true. As an afterthought, he quickly adds on: "You're smart and stuff. They probably feel threatened by you, so that's the only way they can think of to make themselves feel better about it. They're the weak ones. They're rotten."

"You don't have to be." Her eyes go from Arthur back to Eren, seeing the look he shoots her and feeling a bit guilty for it, averting her eyes off to the side. Which is strange enough in itself, that she could possibly feel bad for making Eren worry about her. Was she feeling okay? Besides how her brain had wanted to call Arthur Armin and kept telling her that Melissa was wrong...

Instead of worrying about it, though, she just keeps her spot beside Eren, next to Arthur.

"But you won't be alone any more. You won't have to worry about it." Alone. It had been something that she had been so used to for so long, had taken comfort in because at least that way she didn't have to worry about letting anyone else down. Getting hurt again. Now it feels wrong, like being alone was the worst possible thing she could ever be.

It's because you're different, not weak. You don't have to be strong. You don't have to be alone. Deep down, he knows these things are true, but he hadn't allowed himself to think of them in a long, long time. Like he felt the world was too cruel to him, and it didn't matter what was fair. Like he didn't deserve the comfort.

He wants to refute them, he even takes the breath in preparation to say so, but the words get all caught in his chest and his throat, and it withers away. He can't. To any other person, he could, but to these people he can't. Arthur bows his head to try and hide that he wants to cry.

"Thank you. I don't think anyone's ever said something like that to me before. If you'd stay by my side... I'd like that a lot."

"That settles it then. That's what we'll do." They've already reached Eren's bedroom door, but he can't be bothered to worry about giving the grand tour, or the usual pleasantries about how the two of them should make themselves at home, as he had originally planned. Not with such a heart wrenching atmosphere surrounding them. Eren can tell how much hearing those words had meant to Arthur, and what saying them had meant to Melissa. It seems that these two had lived a much lonelier life than his own, up until this point.

"It's funny, but I feel like I already know you two. Now that you're here, it's like we've been together forever."

She doesn't know if lonely is the right word for it. Could it still be called that when she'd actively sought out the loneliness? Actively avoided contacts with others? This is one of the longest conversations she's had with someone outside of school in she can't remember how long, and yet it felt fairly normal.

They make it to Eren's door and then pause, and Melissa looks up when Eren says that. Like we've been together forever. Something in her chest both constricts and relaxes at that, as her eyes go from Eren to Arthur then back, before dropping down to the ground.

"I feel it to but-" she purses her lips. "But how is that possible?"

"...You do too?"

This strange familiarity, he wasn't just imagining it? It isn't just some side-effect of having no-one to call friend for so long? When he thinks about it, normally he would be frightened by people with personalities like Eren and Melissa's, yet he knows that they would never, ever hurt him. Why is that?

It's too bizarre. It's unreal, supernatural-- and that name...

"You were going to call me Armin, weren't you?"

"Ah, so you noticed that slip up, after all..."

It takes Eren a moment longer than it probably should to realize that the unusual name bears some significance to the current issue. Caught off guard by this - by everything, really - his voice comes out a little louder than he'd intended. "...Wait. Why? Does it mean something to you?"

So it isn't just him. He isn't going crazy! Eren quickly opens the bedroom door to let the three of them in, a sudden desire for a more private atmosphere rushing over him. Clearly, there are things that they need to discuss.

Armin. Melissa blinks a little at hearing the sound of that name out loud, her eyes widening a little when she realizes that's what she'd been expecting Eren to say. Even now, when she thinks Arthur it feels wrong.

Which doesn't make sense. What kind of name is Armin anyway?

"I've heard that name before." She doesn't know where, or how, or from who, but she has. The name is familiar. That's when Eren opens the door, and she turns back to Arthur- Armin? - to let him in first and follow closely behind.

"That's the thing-- I know I've never heard it before," he starts, and wanders into the room as he feels the natural flow of their conversation, "no-one's ever said it to me, and I've never read it either. But when you started to say it, I finished the name in my head. I knew when there's no way I possibly could."

This strange, exciting feeling of deducting something puzzling-- that feel very familiar too.

"It wasn't just a random slip-up, right? You think... the both of you think, or thought, it's my name, didn't you?"

"It just seemed natural to say it like that." Last one in, Eren shuts the door behind him, slumping back against it.

"Something about 'Arthur' doesn't feel right. 'Melissa' either," he admits. Frowning, he looks around his room - the superhero comics sprawled across the desk, the revenge flick posters taped up on the walls that were only now starting to show their age, just the corner of one of the Go Army pamphlets that he'd been keeping a secret from his parents peeking out from under his mattress...

Now that his perspective has been flipped, he can't even say for certain that his own room feels 'right' any longer.

She nods to Arthur's question rather than responding out-right, closing the door behind her when they step in. She doesn't know why, it's not even her house, but she's somehow comfortable enough with it. Just as she is when she falls into that open space between Arthur and Eren.

When Eren mentions Melissa not sounding right, she frowns, because honestly...he's right. It doesn't. "What do you want to call me instead?" Because now that he's mentioned it, it's starting to feel more and more wrong. All of this.

When she follows Eren's eyes around his room, non of it looks familiar. None of it feels familiar. But then when she turns her eyes back to the other two, the way they're all standing near each other like this, it does.

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[Open] Here's a story, about a man named--

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