Gangsta's Paradise | EreMika AU

Chapter 21: Ballad of Eren and Mikasa

      Eren made it his mission in life to be unpredictable. Although he spent a lot of his time making sure he ran his club professionally, looking out for his workers included, one of his top priorities was to be anything but predictable. The more unpredictable he was, the higher chance he had of surviving.

Once someone truly got to know Eren, it became more than obvious just what type of man he was. His eccentric exterior was a near-impenetrable fortress only a select few were allowed to enter. On the inside, Eren was a dark man. He found himself to be fueled by negative thoughts and feeling. His determination was unrivalled with. He never explained his reasoning for the choices he made as most times he didn't have a reason. Eren made his decisions in the moment, adding to his unpredictable nature.

But despite being a serious man with more dead bodies in his trunk than spare tires, Eren cared more than most people in the world. He'd taken control of the criminal underworld to not only further his life, but the lives of those around him. By doing what he'd done, he'd saved more people than he'd ever know. In his mind, that made all the crimes and kills he'd committed justifiable. There weren't many lines Eren isn't afraid to cross.

His ability to see the good in people and decide then and there which path in life they were destined to take was an overlooked one. Eren knew people like Mikasa and Armin weren't destined for the lifestyle he'd chosen to walk. Neither was Marco or even Sasha or Jean. He knew they all had the ability to be whatever they wanted and there were some days when he believed he was better than the life he lived too.

As he stood in the hospital with a desolate and empty look on his features, all he could think about was how much of a disappointment he was. The thoughts were consumed with how he shouldn't be here, how now of them should.

Eren stared inside through the small rectangular shaped glass built into the door. The slightly murky glass displayed the interior to a standard hospital room. Armin lay still in the bed, asleep under the covers. His arms lay on top of the duvet with his bandaged up wrists visible to the world. The calm look on his face hid his distress.

The ambulance Mikasa had radioed for arrived quickly. She directed their attention to Armin who, despite being comforted in Mikasa's arms, with still a shaking mess. The body sprawled out on the floor was long dead. The blood pool below him was evidence of that.

Once Armin had been loaded into the back of the ambulance, one of the two paramedics had gestured towards Eren, asking if he needed medical attention too. Mikasa turned on the spot, finding Eren instantly.

He stood as still as a statue beneath the spotlight. His eyesight stayed locked on the floor, staring down at the body of Marcel. From her distance, Mikasa couldn't tell if Eren was breathing as his breaths were too shallow to see.

Mikasa shook her head to the paramedic who entered the ambulance, driving Armin to the nearest hospital. The blue and red siren flashed rapidly in the dark until fading away into the noisy city.

Eren's body could remember the touch of her hand on his shoulder, but his mind refused to register it. Not just his gaze, but his soul was locked onto the body below him. His head faced the dirt, but Eren could still see the expression on his face. The fearful look in his eyes, the gaped mouth, the raised eyebrows. He'd seen it all before, even in the mirror.

It had taken all of his effort to walk away from the sight as Mikasa called it in. He may have gotten in his car first, but he still waited for her to drive away before he did. The entire drive was silent but he refused to look away from the back of her car as he drove. His eyes marked out every move she made from the darting of her head to the swaying of her hair.

Arriving in the hospital was a feeling Eren had grown used too. He'd spent most of his life avoiding the building, but his recent arrival as a patient and as a visitor to see his mother had changed things for him. His first time in the hospital in years had been because of his injuries, second his mothers, and third Armin's. He averted and pushed away from the thoughts of who would be next.