Learning To Love
CHAPTER 2
Summary: Eren stays at Armin's house for the night and the next day at school, Mikasa and Armin manage to convince Eren to do what is right.
Chapter 2: Learning To Hate
I hear screaming. A woman's screams. Sitting up in bed, I rub the sleepiness from my eyes at the abrupt awakening. I hear the screams yet again and this time, I hear a man's yelling as well. It's nearby; I think they're in my house. In the groggy haze of my mind I don't think anything of it, until I hear a slap of skin against skin, then a thud; supposedly a person being knocked to the ground.
Now I'm more awake, and the screams and yells continue. Focusing my still sleep hued mind, I listen to the voices. They sound familiar, but I can't decipher what they're saying. The woman yells again, this time clearer, "Get off me!" Mum? Why is she telling someone to get off her? What does that even mean?
"Don't tell me what to do bitch! Turn the fuck around and spread that tight pussy for me!" That man, he sounds like my dad. But why would he say something like that?
Swinging my legs to the side of the bed, I put my feet in my slippers as the floors are still a bit cold, and proceed to stand up. I groggily stand up, walk to my door and open it. Poking my head around the slightly ajar door, I notice the kitchen light on and head towards it.
"Don't fucking defy me whore!" 'Slap'. I hear another thud and see my mother's hand supporting her from where she fell. Why is mother falling?
"Mama?" I notice her freeze and then my father walks around the corner and looks at me. He has a bit of a sway to his movements and has to lean against the wall for support.
"Go back to bed you little shit, you're mother and I are talking." He snarls at me with a slur. He reeks of a strange, strong smell.
"But why did Mama fall?" I take a few steps closer to see my mother and he puts a hand against my chest to stop me, but I can see her clearly now. She has bruises forming along her arms and face. That's when I realise what's going on. Papa is hurting Mama. I can't let him do this! I shove past him easily since he wasn't expecting it and proceed to my mother. "Mama! Are you ok? What did he do to you?"
I'm suddenly yanked by the back of my collar and lifted off the ground and turned to my father's face. "I thought I told you to go back to your fucking room!" He bellows in my face. I cower, still in his hold, suspended in the air. I can't let him do this to Mama anymore! I summon up the courage and straighten myself in his hold. I begin to kick and hit at him, yelling for him to leave mother alone, to put me down.
"Kid." I spit at his face.
"Oi, brat." He starts to fade away; voices are taunting me, saying that I still couldn't save her.
"Oi! You shitty brat, wake up! What the fuck is wrong?"
"NO!" I jolt up straight and in my sleepy haze, I strike out at whoever is in front of me, thinking it's my father.
"Ow! What the fuck you fucking brat!" Whoever this person is that's in front of me, it's not my father. I focus on the person in my immediate view, whom is kneeling and clutching at their face; more specifically: their nose. "Aaah, you fucking asshole, what the fuck! You broke my mother fucking nose!" I notice that the man in front of me has now straightened up, more or less, still holding his nose.
"Uhh… s-sorry about that. I, uh, kinda thought, you were, uh, someone… else…" I trail off and rub the back of my neck in a nervous gesture. I'm still leaning against the wall and so decide to stand so I can regard him properly. "M-my name is Eren by the way."
As I stand to my full height of 5'7" (170cm), I notice that he's fairly short, and really attractive, even if he has blood dripping from his hand out of his nose and is glaring at me. He has short, black hair styled in an undercut with the strands hanging over his face, parted in the middle. His dark hair clashes with his fair, white skin that looks smooth to the touch. I wonder if he'd let me test that theory? He's wearing a dark coat that looked like it was made of a soft material and dark jeans that looked too tight to be comfortable, but they framed everything that counts.
"Did I ask for your fucking name, retard? No. Who the fuck would you need to hit at first glance anyway?" I opened my mouth, breathed in some air, about to reply that he didn't need to know, but he cut me off. "No, nope, I don't care. I don't need to know about some shitty brat's problems." I was starting to hate this guy more and more by the second and I had just met him. I'm feeling less and less sorry for hitting him as well, asshole deserves it, even if it was uncalled for and is probably why he's in such a horrid mood. I opened my mouth, ready to retaliate, when I was yet again cut off.
"Eren! Thank god!" Armin, he's finally here.
"I guess that's my cue, I hope to never see you again brat." He walks off, still holding his nose, and I'm just left there with Armin running up to get me.
"Eren, are you ok? Who was that?" He panted, slightly bent over with his hands resting on his knees.
"I don't know, but I kinda punched him in the face when I work up, thinking it was dad. He's an ass anyway, deserved it. I'm fine, can we just go to your place, I don't really feel like talking right now."
He stared at my face for a bit before nodding and walking to where he must have parked his car. He's such a goody-two-shoes, won't even park on the side of the road to pick up his desperately in need friend. We turn a corner and he leads me into a small car park behind one of the clubs and to his car. He unlocks it and we both shuffle in.
"You can sleep in my bed if you want, I can take the floor or the couch", I nod to show that I heard him and he continues, "Eren… you need to do something about your dad." I open my mouth to object but he rushes to stop me. "I know you don't want to 'cuz he said he'd kill you and he's still your father and all, but this can't go on. You fear him Eren, your own father, to the point where you'd punch a random stranger that you thought was him."
He ends his explanation and focuses nervously on the road, anxiously waiting for my reply. "Armin, I know you're just trying to help, and I love you for it, but I can't. He's still my father and I just can't do that to him. He has his own problems to deal with, and yeah, he killed Ma and a-abuses me, but he's my only family I have left." I fidget in my seat and Armin goes to respond but I don't let him. "Look, can, can we just leave this alone. I'm tired and really don't feel like having this conversation right now."
"Ok, fine. But we will talk about it eventually ok." We spend the rest of the 30minute drive back to his place in silence. When we arrive, we both get out of the car and head inside and up to his room. I've been here enough to know my way to his room without help.
"You can take the bed; I'll just go get a blanket and a pillow so I can sleep on the floor. Be right back." I stop him before he leaves, seeing no reason for him to sleep on the floor.
"It's fine. We can share the bed if you don't mind. I, uh, kinda don't want to be alone right now anyway." Armin and I aren't the type of guys to go 'No homo!' at every touch we make and have slept in the same bed before. We both regard each other like brothers and don't think anything of it.
"You sure you don't mind?" I nod my head in affirmation and he replies with an 'ok'. We both settle down onto his bed underneath the covers and simply lay next to each other on the bed.
"Thank you Armin. For picking me up. And caring about me. And just everything." I turn to him to give him a hug then say goodnight then turn back over so my back is facing him.
"It's ok Eren. Anything for my best friend. Night." He turns over so now we're back to back and we both fall asleep.
I wake up with a feeling of disorientation. I suddenly remember what happened last night and whose house I'm in. I look around and realise Armin's not in the bed anymore. Feeling a random sense of loneliness, I get up from the bed and make my way out of his room. Heading down the hallway, I smell a delicious aroma coming from the kitchen.
"Ah, morning Eren, did you sleep well? Armin told me that something happened last night and you stayed over. I hope you're ok now. Don't worry, I won't ask what happened, I'm sure it's personal." Armin's grandad, the amazingly thoughtful person, was cooking what looked to be eggs and bacon, supposedly for breakfast.
"Uh, yeah, I slept well, thanks. Um thanks for understanding and for letting me stay over all of a sudden." I sit down on the other side of the kitchen bench so I can still see and talk to him without awkwardly hovering.
"Oh no it's fine! You're practically like my nephew or something with the amount of time you're here. I hope you like eggs and bacon. Here you go." He places down a plate with eggs and bacon and sets out some cutlery for me to use. "Do you want some orange juice? Or apple juice? Perhaps just water?"
"Apple juice is fine thank you." He goes about getting a cup and pouring some apple juice for me, talking as he did.
"Armin's just in the shower, he shouldn't be too long." He gives, me my drink and serves up two more plates before sitting down next to me with his own meal and eating. About 2 minutes later, Armin walks in, fresh out of the shower and in clean clothes, and gets his own plate, sitting at the empty seat beside me.
"I see you're awake now Eren. Will you be going to school today? I can find some clothes that'll probably fit you if you want."
"Ah, I probably should eh? Yeah, I'll borrow some clothes if that's alright with you."
"Yep, sure!" We finish eating and clean our plates. We head back to Armin's room and he searches his wardrobe for something that might fit me since he's quite smaller than me. Come to think of it, that guy from last night is the same height as Armin. Wait, why am I thinking of that asshole at this moment?! "Eren? You alright? I found an old shirt and baggy jeans that should fit you." Snapped out of my thoughts, I look at Armin who is holding out clothes to me.
"Uh, yeah, thanks. Um, sorry, I was kinda spacing out." I take the clothes from his hands and quickly change. I don't really get self-conscious, especially in front of my best friends. It's not like it's anything Armin hasn't seen before. I notice that he's given me an old ACDC shirt and snug fitting grey-wash jeans. They must be baggy on him. Well they're comfortable so it's fine,
He nods at my clothes then he hands me a spare bag and a notebook in case I actually take notes for once, then packs his own bag and we set out, saying goodbye to his grandad as we leave. We ride in Armin's car in a comfortable silence on the way to school and as Armin parks in the school's parking lot, I see a figure standing not too far away and notice it's Mikasa. When she sees us, she starts walking over with a slight urgency.
"I, uh, told her what happened last night. She's going to want to know what happened and you won't be able to get out of this one." Armin says as we get out of the car. As soon as I close the door, I'm tackled in a suffocating hug and bombarded with millions of questions that I don't even try to answer.
"Eren! Are you ok!? Did he hurt you? Did he touch you? Did you get away in time? You didn't get drunk at that club last night did you? Did you sleep well? Are those Armin's clothes? Did you eat? Do you want me to buy you some food?"
"Mikasa, I'm fine, I got out before he touched me, it's ok." I grab her forearms to control her and hold her at a close distance but still with space between us.
"I'm going to kill that bastard," her face changed from worry to fury in a matter of seconds, I was even scared for a second. "Eren, we're calling the cops, I don't care what you say. Yes, he's your father, but he's only your father because you are his sperm that fertilised your mother's egg," I cringe at the lack of etiquette and straight forwardness Mikasa had, "Above all this he obviously doesn't act like a father and resemble a fatherly figure. If you need, you can live with my family, or possibly Armin's, but please Eren, stop doing this to yourself."
I let what Mikasa said sink in. Yeah, he's not really my father apart from being the one that made me and houses me. I guess I could live with either of them if I need to. I sigh and give up. This has been going on for 7 years. It's time to put a stop to it. "Fine, we'll call the cops, but later, after school." Armin and Mikasa's faces lit up like they were told everything will be free from now on and they both tackled me in a hug.
"This is great Eren! You're finally going to be free from that douchebag!" Armin exclaims. They both let go of me and, with massive grins on all our faces, we each separately head for our first class of the day.
This could be good. Like a new beginning.
A/N Hey guys! Thanks for reading, leave a like and subscribe and let me know what you think!
