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Eren
Eren quickly rushed down his stairs to answer his front door that someone was eagerly knocking on. He knew Armin was stopping by but he had no idea that Zeke, his brother, would be coming on barely any notice.
He took a moment to catch his breath before opening the door. The two blondes stood alongside each other, laughing at jokes or conversation that they held. They turned and looked at Eren as he hurriedly tied his hair up since it was messy from the sex you had with him.
He swallowed before sighing.
"Can't you guys just wait in your cars or something if I wasn't answering right away? Jesus..." Eren said as he left the door open for their entrance, heading to the kitchen for some much needed water.'
"Working out?" The taller, older blonde teased his little brother. Armin chuckled as he sat on a bar stool near the kitchen island. Eren grabbed a cold water bottle before drinking from it and turning around, facing the two.
"Yeah." Eren plainly replies. Zeke chuckles.
"I figured. The scratches on your back show the effort you put into it," Zeke makes fun of him. Eren sighs as he stood shirtless in the kitchen. It was too hot to put one on and his shirt was already used and dirty from the sex.
"Why are you here?" He asks Zeke casually. Zeke shrugged his shoulders.
"I had some news that I wanted to share with you. Get me a beer," He orders Eren. Eren goes into the fridge and slides a beer across the island countertop. Zeke grabs it and with the edge of the countertop, he opens it with no struggle. He takes a couple of sips before speaking.
"I stopped by the hospital to visit your mom. But the doctors said that only family is allowed to see her now. I don't know what it's about but I suggest you go and see what's happening since you know Dad isn't going to say shit," Zeke tells him.
Eren sighed. This could mean good or bad news. And the uncertainty of it made him stress out. He takes another gulp of water as he glances at Armin.
"I'll visit after I go do something with Armin then. I'll let you know what's up," Eren replied calmly. Zeke nodded before taking another sip of beer.
"So, is she here right now? Who is it? Hitch again?" Zeke asks aloud. Armin and Eren shush him in unison.
"You're gonna get me killed. Shut up," Eren almost whispers to his big brother. Zeke chuckles.
"So it's not her? Who is it then?" He asks.
"A friend of ours," Armin answers. Zeke looks over at Armin.
"Really? In the friend group then? Is it Mikasa? Because I saw that coming," Zeke guesses. Armin and Eren shush him in unison again.
"No, dumbass. A new friend in the group. She got here last summer. Shut up," Eren quickly ends his brother's curiosity. Zeke chuckles again before taking another sip from his drink.
"I want to meet her then. I know all of your friends. I even know Hitch. You can't keep this one a secret from me all the sudden," Zeke lightheartedly tells them.
"She's in the shower and you have to go because Armin and I got shit to do. She said she wasn't sleeping over so I'll shower and drop her off," Eren switched his direction of statement from Zeke to Armin. Armin nods and Zeke finishes his beer before sliding it back at Eren.
"Alright, alright. I'll go. Remember to call me and see what's up with your mom. Bye Armin," Zeke tells him before approaching the door, leaving the house. Eren sighed before throwing the glass bottle away.
Armin chuckles before watching Eren.
"I can do it tonight alone if you want. You can see your mom," Armin tells him. Eren shook his head.
"It's fine. I just wanna get it out of the way. Let me shower," He tells Armin before going back upstairs.
Eren goes into the occupied bathroom and interrupts your shower with surprise. You chuckled at the sight of him as he started to strip. He hopped into the shower with you, plaguing your face with kisses as he hugged your naked body, covered in suds.
You laughed aloud as he traced his ticklish kisses on your neck.
"Stop! We're gonna slip and fall," You say in between laughs. He lets you go and lets his body get wet along with his hair before letting you wash off your suds.
He watched as the water ran down your body, leaving your skin shining from the soap. He couldn't help but admire you immensely. He was paused, still in time, watching you. So utterly obsessed with you. In whatever state you were in.
Angry, sad, happy, satisfied, frustrated, annoyed, high or drunk; He couldn't help but always look at you with a cloaked smile.
He blinked as you gave him space to wash his hair.
"So who was at the door?" You asked him. Eren put shampoo in his hair and lathered it before answering.
"Armin and my brother. But my brother left. I have shit to do with Armin so I'll do it after I drop you off," He explains to you. You nodded.
"What are you guys gonna do?" You ask curiously. He cleared his throat. Lying to you felt wrong. Well, lying is bad, obviously. But he had no issue lying to anyone else but you. He had no choice though.
"Something for Armin's job. He works with cars and he asked for some help with some shit. Y'know, since I'm the car expert," He cockily boasts. You snickered.
"Right. I forget how much of a car genius you are," You sarcastically reply before hopping out of the shower and wrapping yourself in a towel. You walk out of the bathroom, leaving Eren alone in the shower. He sighed.
After getting out of the shower, Eren went into his room to find clothes. He saw you on your phone, laying down on the bed, waiting for him. He smiled to himself at the sight of you. It felt domestic to him. Something as small as that.
You turned and looked past your shoulder, smiling at him as he put his boxers on. He decided on sweats and a sweatshirt since he wasn't going to do anything worth dressing up for.
"You ready?" He asks you. You yawned before nodding and standing up.
Eren quickly puts on some moisturizer and deodorant before giving you a quick kiss and heading downstairs to Armin, where he waited patiently on his phone.
The two of you looked at Armin as he stood up.
"We're going in your car, right?" Armin asks Eren. Eren nods.
"Yeah. Let me drop Y/n off," Eren replies. Armin looks up from his phone and sees you. He smiles at you as you all head out.
"Hey again," Armin tells you. You chuckled.
"Hey Armin," You replied lightheartedly. Eren got in the car and you got in the passenger's seat before Armin sat in the back.
✩✩✩✩✩
Eren pulls into your apartment complex and puts the car in park before looking at you. The two of you look back at Armin, who chuckles before covering his ears and closing his eyes.
Eren leaned over the middle console and kissed you tenderly. You held onto his face as you kissed him multiple times. You huffed with a smile.
"I'll see you tomorrow in school. But I'll text you when I'm home," He tells you. You chuckled before nodding.
"Already feeling domestic?" You tease him. He scoffs.
"Shut up. See you," He replies lightheartedly. You laughed before hopping out of the car and going into your building. Eren waits until you were out of sight before driving. Armin hops in the front.
"Alright, what's the deal now?" Eren asks Armin, a complete shift in their voices. Armin looks on his phone.
"Banquet happening in downtown Paradis. The cheaper parking area scam worked so Brandon's on lookout. Says there's cars from this year in the lot," Armin explains. Eren nods before looking left and right and going down the road to park his car in a secluded spot near the bus stop.
They hop out of his car and wait at the bus stop, looking at the time.
"Already eight so everyone should be inside," Armin relays from Brandon to Eren. Eren nods as the bus pulls up. They pay their fares before sitting down.
Eren calls Brandon.
"What's the ETA?" Brandon asks.
"Just got on the bus. Give us like fifteen minutes. Shut it down when we're five minutes away," Eren orders.
"Got it. Armin told you the details, right?" He asks.
"Yeah. We'll see you," Eren replies before hanging up. They watched as the bus drove down the road. Armin passed Eren leather gloves and he put them on before putting his hood on.
✩✩✩✩✩
The bus drops them off on a corner of downtown Paradis and they look around before crossing the street, walking down the sidewalk and towards Brandon, who stood there with a false parking company jacket for the effect.
Armin and Brandon dap each other up before Eren and Brandon dapped up too. They sighed in the cold air. Brandon points behind him.
"What do we got?" Armin asks. Brandon leads them to the back of the banquet hall where the cars were parked. Armin and Eren scoffed at the choices. Eren nudges Armin.
"Call him and ask him which ones he wants," Eren tells Armin. Armin pulls out his phone and dials the number before bringing it to his ear.
"Hey. We're here with a good lot of cars. Which ones are you looking for?" Armin asks.
"What's there?" Eren can hear him ask. Armin sighed before looking.
"Uh...We got a 22 Escalade. Black...A 22 Benz, oh. A 21 Rolls-Royce...Looks like a Cullinan." Armin lists the name of multiple cars. Eren looks around the lot and squints at the sight of one. He nudges Armin and he turns around.
"Holy shit...In tact? Boss, we just found a Lambo...Is that a Murciélago?" Armin asks Eren for confirmation. Eren looks at the car further.
"From the width and height, plus the tires...It looks similar. I think it is. Looks like a 2010," Eren replies, not taking his eyes off of the car. Brandon chuckles at the sight of a diamond.
"Eren takes the Lambo. You take the Rolls Royce. Tell Brandon to just grab the Benz," Eren hears the phone. Eren chuckles at the answer before Brandon tosses the keys to the car. He smiled at how easy it was to steal a car when wealthy people want to save their pocket change.
Brandon tossed Armin the keys to his respective car as well before Eren grabbed a flashlight and looked inside and around the car for a tracker. Armin looked at Eren.
"You want us to follow your lead?" Armin jokes around. Eren chuckles before opening the car door.
"I hope that Royce can keep up," Eren jokes in return. Armin chuckles before opening his car door.
"Don't get too trigger happy," Armin replies with a chuckle. Eren huffed before getting inside the car. He looks around the car and turns it on before chuckling. He's never been in a car this classically aged. It's practically spotless. This was a win for him.
It sounded beautiful and he was just as excited to drive it. Eren looks both ways before pulling out of the dim and janky parking lot and driving happily away to the drop off location of where he leaves these cars.
Eren liked to drive in silence whenever he stole a car. It can be possible guilt for driving someone else's hard work. But on the same coin, don't make it so easy to be taken away.
This was his secret. His "hidden life". Perhaps not even a hidden life. No one asks about this specifically so he doesn't tell. It's not like he keeps it from his friends but also, what he does isn't exactly something to boast about.
This was it. Eren is a part of an organized crime. Racketeering. And he wasn't proud enough to do this job outrightly. But he was proud enough to spend the money he gets from it. He started doing these things after high school with Armin. It's surprising to think that someone as smart and applied as Armin and Eren would do something like this. Stealing cars.
What was the reason for it? What did they gain out of it? Well, despite Eren's family coming from reasonable wealth, he doesn't feel like the money is his. It's never been viewed as such. His father always told him that his money was the money he worked for. Whatever money was worked for is yours.
Eren held that belief and applied it to something he was always proficient in; Being quiet and not being seen when you're doing something wrong.
He could get away with a lot because of his looks but to do a crime? It's a bit tougher. And it requires skill. Which he certainly has. Why not use it in this manner? What can't he afford if his father decided tomorrow that he couldn't have any access to money?
That was another thing; He didn't want to feel as if there was something being held over his head. Money. He never wanted to be threatened or blackmailed with anything that he actually cared about. Why would he be worried about money if he already had it?
Although, Armin's reasoning is a bit more complex and perhaps darker.
He just does it because he can.
Eren didn't initially feel any guilt with keeping his source of income from any of his friends, excluding Armin. But meeting you and seeing how much you work hard with genuine hope for a better outcome, it makes him feel like he's cheated in life. Maybe there were some second thoughts too.
He's seen what true hard work looks like and decided that maybe he wasn't working as hard as he thought he was. He's a slacker, a thief, a criminal. Greedy. And despite the heinous descriptions, it's easy to be all of those things. This is what he is.
After about twenty minutes, Eren slows down and pulls into a loading dock. He turns the car off and gets out before meeting someone inside of the warehouse on the dock. Eren knocks three times with a light kick before being given access.
The large dock door opens and a garage of stolen cars was being scratched of their tracking numbers and any other identification it may have. Eren smiles at his boss, Samuel. But Sammy as a nickname.
Eren tosses the keys to him and he hands it to a worker in the garage before approaching the car. Eren sits down across from him at his desk and puts his feet up in a cocky manner.
"Checked for trackers. Dumbasses didn't put one on. How much am I getting in profit though?" Eren asks his boss, a smirk on his face with a nonchalant attitude. Sammy scoffs before hitting Eren's feet off of the desk.
"Why aren't you as professional as Armin? He never gives me a headache," Sammy comments, disregarding Eren. Eren chuckles.
"That's because I'm the best. The best kind of employees give you a little bit of a hard time. Also I just got you a 2010 Lambo. So..." Eren trails off. Sammy observes the car for a couple of minutes before looking past Eren and going back to his desk.
Eren follows him back to the desk and he does the numbers before looking at Eren and sighing.
"150 is all I can give you," He states. Eren's eyebrows creased before scoffing, not believing him.
"That car is almost half a million dollars. Why can't I get half?" He asks. Sammy sighs as Armin and Brandon pull up with their cars.
"How am I gonna get any profit? I'm selling it for its face value. Why are we splitting it in half? Do you scrape off the serial numbers? Do you do the work on the cars? No. You fucking steal them and give them to me. 150 is the best I can do. Take it or leave it, Jaeger," He scolds Eren. Eren sighs before looking back at him.
"160."
"Jesus..."
"160 and I'll get out of your hair. I promise," Eren replies. Sammy groans before sighing.
"Fucking–Fine. You irritate me," Sammy agrees as he pulls money out by stacks. He puts the amount in a plastic bag before handing it to him. Armin and Brandon approach Sammy and Eren with smiles.
"Hey Sammy. How are you?" Armin asks him. Sammy sighs.
"This one is driving me crazy. Cullinan, right?" Sammy asks, replying. Armin nods.
"I'm giving you 85 then. Brandon, I'm gonna be nice and give you 15 since you were out there," Sammy decides. Brandon rolls his eyes. Armin agrees because he doesn't really do it for the money.
"We still need these certain cars so look on the board and see what you can find. I'll give you more money the faster you can find them. Now get out of my face, thank you," Sammy dismisses the three. Eren and Armin grab their bags and walk out of the dock, to the nearest bus stop.
Armin pulls out an unlit joint before lighting it up and taking a hit, handing it to Eren. Eren takes it and takes a hit as well before the bus pulls up. Armin takes another hit before getting on the bus, holding the joint in his mouth. They pay their fees and make their ways back home. Or moreso to Eren's car at the other bus stop.
There seemed to be an elephant in the room that needed to be addressed. Perhaps there were people theorizing. Like Colt. But Eren hated to admit that he was right. Colt's car was stolen.
And it was Armin and Eren who did it.
Eren felt like shit for not telling you the truth when you obliviously asked him about Colt's theories. And unfortunately enough, what worried Eren was how Colt even had the idea of either him or Armin being the culprits.
They thought they were pretty low with it. Well, except when Eren had to keep the car for a day or so because the dock was packed to the brim with cars. It was a bold move, even for someone like himself. Cocky even. Going right under everyone's noses with a stolen car. Colt's car.
But a sadistic part of it was that Eren felt a rush of adrenaline driving your then situationship's car. It was like a slap to the face to Colt. A big 'Fuck you'. And it didn't take Eren punching him in the face either. Armin handled it.
There was a more complex side to Eren and Armin's relationship. They've been best friends since they could remember. It was natural that they stuck together. It never felt odd despite how different they are as people. Or at least that's what Eren thought.
When Eren first noticed some odd things about Armin, they were still young. He couldn't pinpoint a time. His memory wouldn't give him that grace. But he would like to think they were about fourteen or fifteen.
After school, Eren and Armin would always hang out in whoever's house. At the time, Armin had a girlfriend who Eren couldn't remember either. They played video games in Eren's room as Armin's phone was spammed with messages and calls from this girlfriend.
Eren would never forget when he finally answered his phone and slyly and swiftly lied to his girlfriend about his whereabouts. This was not a white lie either. Or a lie that was well thought out.
But it almost sounded like the truth. And that's what caught Eren off guard. It was almost as if Eren believed him for a minute.
Armin's capability to lie to others and make it sound like law was riveting. It was a shift that Eren noticed. And perhaps he was the only one that noticed it. He still can't tell the differences between Armin's lies and truths. And that leaves Eren with an eerie thought.
This was his best friend. He could trust him. But the natural talent to be able to lie so easily felt manipulative nonetheless. Not that he was suspicious of Armin. They're in it together. But moreso, an afterthought about what has Armin lied to Eren about?
It doesn't help that Armin has this charm about him that paints him as relaxed or calm. He was definitely less short tempered in comparison to Eren but the role he plays between the two is also a little scary. He was the good cop to Eren's bad cop. Someone you would never expect.
Eren has seen other situations where Armin blatantly manipulates the situation. Armin has this tactic of making someone feel like they're in charge but just as they were secure with themselves, he pulls the rug from right under their feet. Armin gets what he wants. And that thought also calms Eren.
Because they're both greedy. They share a hidden skeleton in the closet.
The bus drops the boys off at their original stop. Eren sighs before quickly getting in his car. He unlocks the door for Armin and turns the car on, driving on the road now, heading to his house. Armin sighed as the heater blasted throughout the car. Eren sniffles from the cold air.
"I'm gonna go jack after classes tomorrow if you wanna come. Or are you too busy kissing Y/n?" Armin teases Eren. Eren scoffs.
"Very funny...I probably will be busy kissing her though so I'm out for tomorrow. Plus, I gotta visit mom. It's too late now but I'll go after school before I hang out with Y/n," Eren explains. Armin sniffles before nodding, taking his hoodie and gloves off.
"Sounds good," Armin replies calmly.
✩✩✩✩✩
Eren got up a little earlier than usual to get to school in time since he doesn't live on or near campus. His routine is simple for a school day.
He gets up at six AM and gets in the shower. Sometimes he washes his hair when it's time to but since he washed his hair yesterday, he put his hair up in a bun as he showered, washing his body calmly. Showering in the morning was therapeutic for Eren.
After the shower, he dries his hair from whatever the water touched. He doesn't wear shower caps. They're uncomfortable and annoying in his opinion.
He washes his face and brushes his teeth before going into his bedroom and picks a casual outfit. It was still cold so he liked wearing sweatpants since the material was usually thick and soft on the inside. A sweatshirt to match.
You could say Eren is an outfit repeater when it comes to casual attire. Sweatpants and sweatshirts are his go to for the colder seasons. He has hundreds of sets as well. Different colors. They're too comfortable for him not to wear. Especially to school. Who actually dresses up for school anymore?
He does his hair. Which isn't much of a chore since all he does is put it in his signature low bun, wet strands of hair falling onto the frame of his face.
He moisturized his face and put deodorant on before putting on a scent and going into his kitchen and finding himself a quick breakfast. He doesn't have time to cook himself breakfast. Well, he could wake up earlier but he'd rather die than voluntarily wake up any earlier than he has to.
Classes start at seven thirty. Possibly eight, depending on the day or how the professor is feeling. But nonetheless, Eren grabs water and some snacks from his pantry before grabbing his book bag that resided on the corner of his kitchen floor, slinging it over his shoulder, grabbing his keys, and heading out.
The black Camaro that Eren drove was actually his. He bought it with dirty money, sure. But this was his primary car. He was never one to buy multiple. He was actually rather frugal. He knew that his dirty money wasn't guaranteed. So he keeps most of it in a private space no one knows about. Not even Armin.
He usually listens to music on his way to school as he ate on some of the snacks he grabbed beforehand. But the music he listens to isn't loud or overwhelming. It was already seven fifteen. He didn't want to hear intense music in the morning.
He has a specific playlist for his calmer music. He just shuffles it and it plays. He doesn't sing along either. Just the presence of some noise was enough to subside any wandering thoughts Eren might have when he sat alone.
But as he neared the school, he found himself smiling a little boyishly to himself. He was excited that he had classes with you. He wondered what you were wearing today or how your hair was going to look. His curiosity seems endless when it comes to you.
He parked his car on a student parking spot before taking a moment to drink some water. He grabs his book bag from the passenger's side and turns off the car, stepping out with it slung over his shoulder again. He locks his doors before walking on campus, in the direction to his morning class with you.
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Once he entered the building, he headed towards the familiar lecture room, to you. He cleared his throat before looking to his left, seeing his spot unoccupied. You weren't here. You got there about five minutes before class started and Eren knew that. He just enjoyed waiting for you.
Eren got comfortable in his seat, taking out some materials nonchalantly before going on his phone and scrolling mindlessly on his social media. He yawned before taking a deep breath. The door opened and slammed and his attentive senses looked to see who entered.
Of course, you did.
He momentarily looked down before looking back at you as you shuffled your way past the other students, to your seat. He smiled at you and your outfit. You also didn't really see the point in actually dressing up for school. You wore loose jeans and a baby tee with an oversized jacket. Although it looks like effort was made, you really did just throw it together.
Nonetheless, Eren thought you looked beautiful.
You sighed as you placed your bookbag down and sat down in your seat, next to Eren. You made eye contact with him and gave him a casual smile.
"You sleep good?" Eren asks you just for the sake of sparking a conversation. You chuckled lightheartedly.
"Yeah. Did you? You never texted me about being home," You reply.
"Shit. Yeah, I forgot. I slept fine though. You doing anything after school?" Eren asks you, hoping you would say no.
You shook your head and Eren smirked at your nonverbal response.
"Nah. Maybe just chill with Mikasa at home. You wanna come? Armin can come too," You suggest. Eren watched you as you mindlessly put your materials for class on the table in front of you. You glanced at him, waiting for an answer. Eren nods.
"I gotta visit my mom but I can come over after. We can watch a scary movie and you can hug me for comfort," Eren jokes. You snicker.
"Yeah right." You brush him off before class starts.
✩✩✩✩✩
Eren would much rather be with you, watching a scary movie, than pulling into the hospital to hear good or bad news about his mother. Of course, he loves his mother. More than anything or anyone in the world. But he can't lie and say he doesn't wish that sometimes it would all go away and he could have a stress free day.
But that wasn't the reality of it.
He checked in with the familiar nurses before heading to the sixth floor to see his mother. Or her doctors, depending on what the conclusion was to Zeke's curiosity. Eren sighed at the circling thoughts that concluded to his mother. He was scared. He always was when it came to news about his mother.
He stepped off of the elevator and looked to his right before greeting the nurses who recognized him instantly.
"Eren! How are you doing today? Here to see Mom?" The front desk woman asks him with sweetness in her voice. He chuckles as he signs in.
"Yeah. Where's the doctor? I heard Zeke couldn't visit because it was family only. You know anything about that?" He asks the woman. She smiled smally before responding.
"You'll just have to talk to the doctor," She replies elusively. He huffs before putting on a mask and sanitizing his hands, approaching his mom's room.
He knocks lightly before opening the door slowly, seeing his mother tucked in bed, perfectly content. Surprisingly, she had a little more color to her today. Perhaps Eren was seeing things but she looked different. Better. Not entirely better, of course. But Eren could tell any small differences with his mother since he sees her so often.
She smiled at him tenderly with her arms out, wanting a hug from Eren. Eren approaches the side of her bed before leaning down and hugging her as tightly as he could without hurting her weak body.
He sat down beside her, holding her hand as she lovingly moved some hair out of his face, admiring his eyes that matched his fathers. She slid her hand under his chin in a maternal manner before chuckling, putting her hand back down.
"Have you been feeling alright? You look better today," Eren asks his mother. She nods with a smile.
"Yeah. More energy these days. Have you talked to Dr. Johnson?" She asks him. Eren's eyebrows creased with skepticism at her inquiry. He chuckled.
"Nah I haven't seen him. I just got here. Why? Does he have something to do with Zeke not being able to see you yesterday?" Eren asks. She nods.
"Partially. I'll call him to the r–" A knock sounded, interrupting Eren's mother's statement. Eren's eyes dart to the opening door and Dr. Johnson was standing there with a neutral smile, looking at Eren. He directs his gaze to Eren's mother.
"Carla, are you feeling better today?" He asks her. She nods with a smile.
"Better than ever. Thank you, Doctor," She replies. Eren keeps his eyes on the doctor as he turns back to Eren. The doctor jerks his head outside of the room to which Eren stood up and exited the room with the doctor.
The doctor held onto a clipboard as Eren watched him attentively.
"Nice to see you, Eren," The familiar doctor started. Eren nodded.
"It's never nice to see you but likewise," Eren jokes. He chuckles.
"I know you had some questions as to why your brother couldn't visit like he usually does. I expected you yesterday but nonetheless, I'm glad you're here," The doctor tells him. Eren nodded, urging him to continue. The doctor sighs.
"So I have some good news and possibly bad news, depending on how you take it," He started. Eren sighed before nodding.
"Okay."
The doctor looked into the room and glanced at Carla before looking back at Eren.
"The good news is that after several scans, the cancer seems to be undetectable. It's possible that with a few more tests, she'll be in remission," The doctor tells him. Eren immediately sighs with relief, looking at the ground, letting his adrenaline and anxiety pass with the news. He sighs once more before nodding with a breathy chuckle.
"Right. Okay. And the bad news?" He asks. The doctor nods.
"While she is on a steady path to remission, her immune system is severely compromised. She'll recover in due time, give or take about six months. But she would require some attentive care," He tells Eren.
"Okay. What's bad about that?"
"Well, we enjoy your mother being here and taking care of her but this is a hospital at the end of the day. Her immune system could easily be compromised here. I suggest an alternative home. That way, she's ensured the utmost attention and care while she recovers," The doctor suggests. Eren's eyebrows creased at the suggestion. He didn't really know what to think of it.
"So...Is her being here an option still?" He asks. The doctor nods.
"Of course but I don't suggest it. There are plenty of recovery homes for cancer patients around Shiganshina or if you want her to be closer, then Forks or Paradis. Her doctor appointments will still be located here though," The doctor replies. Eren sighs.
He wishes he could take care of his mother with utmost gentleness and ease. But he's just shy of twenty-one. He's in school. He works. He has friends. A life. He can't be a caretaker. And immediate guilt raged into his body at the selfish thoughts he was having.
His mother would have no issue doing it for him if he was the one sick in bed instead of her. He was crushed. This was a hard decision to make. He didn't want his mother to feel as if he took the easy way out and left her to someone else to be taken care of.
He swallowed, lost in thought and completely overwhelmed with the thought of weighing those options. He looks at the doctor, who keeps a steady eye on him.
"...Does my dad know about this?" He musters up the courage to speak again. The doctor's eyebrows creased empathetically before speaking.
"I'm afraid not. I've tried to talk to Dr. Jaeger but you know...He never tends to listen. Or at least, want to engage in that conversation. I feel as if you're the only one who could tell him."
"I can't even make a decision like this. Legally, he's the one who can. Where the fuck is he?"
"In surgery. I reckon that he'll be available after about an hour. Give or take," The doctor relays.
Eren sighs again, finding a bench to sit on. He stares at nothing, deep in thought. He was angry at his father. He has been for years. A marriage with a chasm of cancer in between his father and his mother. Carla is gentle and kind. But who knows if she'd be able to forgive Eren's father? His absence possibly spoke to her amidst her lonely nights under the stale hospital lights.
Eren's jaw clenched at the thought of his mother yearning for his father when he was just within arms reach. Who knows how many times his father has walked past the familiar room and not entered? It made Eren so angry that if he thought about it more, he would rip his father out of surgery and beat him until he was tired.
Carla's cancer has been a reoccurring thing that Eren has grown used to. It was similar to a tumor that grew its way into the relationship he had with his mother. Cancer. That was at the center of everyone's attention. Cancer takes much more than life in a literal sense.
It takes relationships from those involved. And it strains them so severely and quickly that time passes in an incongruous manner to which no one notices when years go by and things aren't the same.
Eren had a rather healthy relationship with his parents. The family dynamic was fine. That was until Carla's diagnosis. Eren was still rather young when he was made aware of the news. But even then, he felt the shift of atmosphere in that very moment.
His father became more disconnected throughout the years. The couple who Eren once looked up to, who danced in the middle of the living room mindlessly, laughing for hours as their mouths rummaged through memories of them together, weren't the same anymore.
Without Carla, Eren's father doesn't know quite how to live. It's been those two together for so long, before either of them were themselves.
Eren acknowledges that this was hard for his father to fathom; the love of his life being stripped of her life and fruitfulness because of something malignant and catastrophic. It was sudden and a hard hit for everyone, including his father.
But Eren can't seem to wrap his head around the fact that his father keeps his distance. Why pretend like she isn't there? It's as if he was rehearsing life without her. And it angered Eren entirely. It was like he gave up on his love for her. Or gave up all hope for her to recover. In his eyes, she was practically already dead.
Eren holds deep resentment towards his father for this reason. And even now, things are going to complicate further.
After an hour and a half, Eren was met with Dr. Grisha Jaeger. His father. Head of the neurology department of the hospital.
Eren licked his lips as he stood up, approaching his father halfway since he knew that Grisha wouldn't be able to speak to him properly if it was in front of Carla's room.
Eren sniffled mindlessly, putting his hands in his pockets as he watched Grisha, who's hair was tied back as he had on a nurse's cap from the surgery he had finished doing. He heard the news of his son being here and approached him as quickly as he could.
"Eren. Sorry to keep you waiting. I was in surgery. Dr. Johnson said you wanted to have a word with me. What's going on?" Grisha obliviously asks him. Eren held some eye contact before looking away and scoffing in anger. He was trying really hard to contain himself for the conversation he was about to have with his father.
"I talked with Dr. Johnson when I got here because Zeke said that no one was allowed to see Mom but family. So I was curious as to why that was," Eren starts. Grisha nods, watching Eren with a neutral expression, listening attentively. Eren sighed before speaking again.
"He said that she's on track to going into remission again but her immune system is fucked up and being here isn't safe for her recovery. He said that cancer recovery homes are a thing and suggested it. But the funny thing is, when I asked him if you knew about it, he said that he couldn't talk to you about it because you wouldn't give him the time of day," Eren says passive aggressively.
Grisha clears his throat calmly before licking his lips and swallowing. He nodded, indicating that he was listening. Eren watched his father for a moment, anger instilled in his body. He looked away to take a moment to calm down before looking back at his clueless, useless father.
"Let me ask you something. Do you think this is fucking funny? Do you think it's a joke? Let me know," Eren begins. Grisha shakes his head gently before sighing.
"No, Eren–"
"Then why the fuck are you doing this? Why are you fucking with Mom like this? Why are you fucking with me? What the fuck does it do for you to fucking do this?" Eren increasingly grows angrier, almost desperate. Grisha takes a step back before taking a deep breath, giving himself time to respond to Eren.
"Nothing. It does nothing for me. I simpl–"
"You wanna know what's simple? Being there for her because she fucking loves you. I don't even know if you love her anymore with the way you've been acting all these years but I don't really fucking care about how you feel. I care about her and her feelings. A big difference between the two of us..." Eren pauses before taking a deep breath.
"...But if you even have some love for her. Anything at all? You would go in there and fucking act like you love her as much as she loves you. And you would make a sound fucking decision about her wellbeing. If you can do that much, it would be very fucking appreciated," Eren tells his father off. Grisha takes a prolonged blink before responding.
"Eren. I understand that this is hard for you. Of course, I've been dealing with it too. In my own way, I've been grieving just as much as you have–"
"Dealing with it? What exactly have you been dealing with? Being at her appointments? Staying with her while she finishes a round of chemo? Giving her some flowers to cheer her up? Do you even fucking know what flowers she likes anymore?
You step foot in this hospital, day in and day out, and everyday you walk by this room and walk down this hall and your mind doesn't even fucking wander enough to give a fuck or have some incentive to go the fuck in there. Why should I believe that you've been grieving?"
Beat.
Grisha had nothing to say. He had no excuses or things to say that might keep Eren at bay. He was grieving, yes, but Eren didn't quite understand how differently he grieves. And the possible most frustrating thing is that despite grief being in different shapes and forms, this form of grief was not reasonable. But the word 'grief' was Grisha's net to fall back on. Something Eren cannot fight off.
Eren takes a step back, trying not to lay his hands on his annoyingly silent father. His quietness was a sign that Eren was looking for; Lack of reason. Lack of accountability. And he knew this, of course. But to have it displayed in his face made Eren want to knock the lights out of his incompetent father. He sighs.
"I'm gonna say bye to her. You better make a good fucking decision. If I come back next time and see that you haven't even paid mind to it, I'm dragging your ass out of here and beating you until my fucking hands bleed," Eren calmly threatens his father.
This was the tone that was set before going to your apartment to hang out with you and Mikasa. Great.
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A/N: major news just dropped. did you see it coming? if you did then how smart are you??!?!?! LOL! I'll see you next saturday! chapter 21 is also a favorite chapter LOL- ian :3