More Than a Coincidence (An Ereri/Riren fanfiction)

Chp 6

Trigger warning- - - - - - -

Alone in the darkness, I stand on the front lawn. I lift my head to the galaxy above as emotions soon overwhelm me. I hear a faint sound behind me, "Eren! What the hell happened?!" Armin ran up to me and put a hand on my shoulder. As I turned and saw his face, I couldn't hold it in anymore and broke down. I collapsed to my knees and wailed. "Eren! Are you ok?!" He dropped to his knees as well and firmly held my shoulders. When I couldn't answer due to my hysterical sobbing, he pulled me into a hug.

Between sobs I spit out slurred words, "h-he said I w-was a dis-grace!" Armin's arms tightened around my shoulders I felt his anger rise, but soon after his tenseness subsided.

Armin sighed and spoke quietly, "come on let's get you inside, it's getting cold." He lifted me to my feet and helped me inside. By now it was almost midnight and I tried to muffle my cries with my shaking hand, trying not to wake Armin's grandpa.

Armin brings me to his room and I sit on the bed as he leaves. As I sit there I grab a pillow and hold it tightly to my chest. Slowly I sink off the bed and onto the floor. I cry quietly into the soft pillow, Armin returns a few minutes later with two mugs and plops down next to me. "Here, drink" Armin hands me a blue mug full of steaming hot cocoa, but I set it down next to me for I didn't trust my shaking self not to spill it. A short silence fell over us.

"Eren, talk to me, what happened?" Armin consoled.

I calm my hyperventilating and wipe my salty tears. "He... was so mad...he hates me-"

"Oh he doesn't hate you"

"YES HE DOES!" I interrupt his interruption, "you didn't hear what he said Armin, he told me God doesn't allow this, that I can't go down this road of sinning. He said I was a disgrace to him, the family....even mom....he told me I wasn't his son anymore!" Armin listens carefully. "And then, he started dragging me to the car and I tried to get away, but he held my wrist so hard and wouldn't let go so....I-I...punched him..."

Armin's eyes go wide. "You hit him? What did he do after!?"

I sighed and continued, "I just ran....then...I saw this guy, he was on a motorcycle, long story short I ended up jumping on the back and told him to drive...." Armin's mouth was hanging open now. "...he helped me and brought me to a payphone, that's where I called you."

Armin jumped when he noticed me looking at him and spoke, "U-umm well...what was his name?"

I answer softly, "..Levi"

I continue, "He was super nice, he drove me all the way here from the city."

Armin nodded, "so that was the guy who was-......." Armin stopped mid-word when his eyes moved down. "....um Eren? What the hell is on your hand?" He points and I follow his finger to the back of my hand... Oh, that.

I stare at the numbers, "Oh, that's uhh Levi's number...he told me if I ever needed anything to call..." That reminds me, I ask Armin if I could use his charger and he plugs my phone in on the desk. He sits back down next to me and I start to sip the warm drink I almost forgot about.

Now that I've calmed down I thank Armin for everything. We talk for a while longer about what I should do, what happened, even a little about the joy ride I went on with Levi. "...Yeah, we passed the church and...umm I forgot one....minor...detail. Levi, he's uhh, he told me he was gay too..."

Armin gasped "Wait...what!? Really!? Oh my gosh!!" I jumped at Armin's sudden outburst. He then sprang to his knees and grabbed my shoulders.

"Ah! W-what?"