A/N: I promise that the next chapter is better... I think. XD
Vamp. Modern AU:
Here he was, Eren Jaeger, a nineteen year old college student who worked at a store selling everyday things, had just found a boy who couldn't be any less than fifteen and was a vampire, and by the looks of it, he didn't seem all too happy to be one.
Rated M for sexual content, adult language, violence and gore, mentions of rape
Couple: Eremin (Eren and Armin)
Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin (Attack On Titan)
Dead of Night
Chapter 7: Paparazzi
The machine beeps were enough to wake him from his heavy sleep. Armin opened his heavy eyes and stared blankly at the white fuzz in front of him, an odd shape and form that he couldn't make out. He shifted slightly, feeling the unmistakable form of an arm under his head and cushioning it like a pillow. He knew this sensation and this touch, it was what prompted him to rub his eyes and clear them of the fog of sleep; however, the white fuzz was still there. He slowly looked up, his eyes following the contours of the fuzz until he was met with the tan color of skin. He knew that skin well.
"Armin...?" The young vampire looked up more to see Eren's face a mere inch or two from his, a smile donning his perfect lips and his green eyes bright and shining with kindness. To wake up to such a thing would have his heart beating in a frenzy within his chest if it could. "Finally awake...?" Eren asked.
"Mhm..." Armin acknowledged and hid his face back into Eren's chest. The breathy chuckle that escaped him made Armin's cheeks flush dimly in the brightly lit room. The sound was like heaven, something he should have been in right now instead of alive and living out his eternity as a vampire.
"I'm glad. I was starting to get bored with the quiet." Eren said quietly. Armin shifted in his arms once more before sitting up slightly and looking at Eren.
"How long was I asleep?" He asked and rubbed his blue eyes with the palms of his hands.
"You and Mikasa have been asleep for hours now. It's pretty late." Eren explained and chuckled again when Armin's eyes widened at the explanation. He turned his head to look over his shoulder and see that Eren's sister was still asleep in her chair. Her legs were now pulled up to her chest and her whole body was resting against the back of the chair for as much comfort as she could get on such a small makeshift bed. "Don't worry, she's still asleep." Eren said and pushed himself up into a sitting position, and Armin soon joined him.
"Eren..." He whispered so he didn't wake up Mikasa.
"Hm...?" Eren replied.
"I really am sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen." Armin apologized. Eren rolled his eyes with a smirk and pulled on Armin's shoulder, having his fall against his chest again.
"Armin, I thought I told you already that this isn't your fault." Eren said.
"But I bit you..." Armin came back with.
"And I was the idiot who let it get dirty. Had I cleaned it like I should have then I wouldn't be here. It's as simple as that." Eren rubbed his fingers against Armin's heated cheek while brushing his blond hair from his face. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll accept your apology even though it means nothing, because you didn't do anything wrong." Eren spat out the final words rather quickly, but Armin still caught everything. He sighed at him, knowing that he wasn't going to win this war, and why bother trying?
Armin went back to resting against Eren's chest, his face on his shoulder and his nose just barely brushing the scar on Eren's shoulder. He scrunched up his nose again, that scent of clean blood mixed with his (not to mention someone else's) blood burning his nose. He didn't think he could hate the smell of blood so much since he turned, but he wasn't too particular to this scent at all.
"What's wrong?" Eren asked.
"You blood smells funny." Armin stated flatly and earned a laugh from Eren.
"So you weren't just saying that for Mikasa then?" Eren stifled another laugh when Armin lifted his head, his nose doing that cute scrunching thing.
"No, I meant it. It really does smell funny." Armin said. Eren pouted slightly, but knew it hadn't been Armin's intention to insult him. He didn't take too much offense to the comment. "Sorry," Armin mumbled.
"It's okay, I know what you mean." Eren said while ruffling his hair, eliciting a giggle from Armin. After that, Eren's hand fell to Armin's neck, only to notice something he hadn't notice before. How he hadn't, he wasn't sure, but there was a bandage around his neck, just barely above his collar bone and under his hairline. Eren pulled a little at the offending bandage, yanking it down to reveal the scarring of Armin's pale skin. The sight of it made him shiver and cringe.
He knew exactly where this came from.
"Just because I'm alive now doesn't mean she didn't try to kill me." Armin said with a small smile. Eren traced the red scar with his fingertips, the touch making his hand shake. He had a feeling that something like this could have happened, but seeing it was a lot different than imagining the situation.
"Is this the only one?" Eren asked hesitantly. Armin responded by shaking his head.
"She got my arm too, but it's not that bad." Armin said while lifting his arm up slightly. Eren's green eyes didn't waver from the damage that was exposed to him. The skin had been healing well, and since vampires healed faster than humans did, a scar wasn't even going to be there within a few days, a simple figment of their imagination, but for now, it was a long, red wound that had only been covered with simple bandages. It looked like it had been cleaned and Eren could scarcely make out the residue of antibiotic cream, but that didn't take back what happened.
"... Are you okay?" The brunette boy asked.
"Of course," Armin answered with another smile that was bigger than the first. Eren sighed before pushing Armin's head back onto his shoulder and pressing his lips to the skin on his forehead. He cradled his head while keeping his eyes closed, simply taking the moment to inhale the boy's natural scent before Armin started to shift in his arms. "Eren...?" He mumbled. He pulled back slightly to look up into Eren's eyes. He was slightly surprised to see that Eren had tears pooling together at the corners of his eyes and were barely staying off of his cheeks.
"Eren, what's wrong?" Armin asked, sitting up a little more. Eren lifted a hand to his face and rubbed at his eyes, trying to stop the offending tears, but it was to no prevail.
"I thought she was going to kill you. I-I was so scared and I couldn't do anything to help." Armin frowned to Eren's words. He sounded so hurt and broken and Armin felt so guilty about it. He had no idea what had befallen his friend, and he didn't know that Eren was going through as much inner turmoil as he had been.
"Eren..." Armin wrapped his arms around Eren's broad shoulders and held him close, soothing him to the best of his abilities while Eren wrapped his arms around the young vampire's waist.
"I didn't mean for this to happen..." Eren murmured into his chest. Armin could feel his muscles shaking under his fingers and he couldn't help but tighten his grip around Eren. There wasn't anything he could say or do, because in hindsight, it was both their fault in their own ways. They could both take the blame if they wanted to, but the deed had been done.
"Eren..." What could he say? What could he do? There was nothing to do except sit in his friends embrace and hope that it was enough.
With all of this being said and all of this being done, Armin had a distant thought. He wondered to himself if this had anything to do with Eren's past. His mother was dead; Armin knew that, and as far as he knew, there was no father. The two had been on their own; they still were on their own, and Mikasa had been saved by Eren from three pure bloods. All of it was adding up, but he still didn't have all of the answers, and, at this moment, he wouldn't ask for them.
Eren was calming down, his shivering subsiding and his heartbeat returning to a normal and steady pace; this much he could tell from the machines running beside them. Armin lifted his head once more and cupped Eren's cheeks into his hands. His thumbs brushed just below Eren's bottom lashes, wiping off the liquid that offended his beautiful face and made his green eyes glassy. While looking into his eyes, Eren smiled up at him, his body and lips moving forward. Armin was glad to comply, his own face moving to meet those perfect lips.
He needed another touch, just one more. It didn't matter how chaste it was, because it'd be enough, but just as their lips barely brushed together, a knock was sounded at Eren's hospital room door.
"Mr. Jaeger, are you awake? It's time for your medicine." A female voice sounded on the other side of the door. Eren's blood ran cold and the machines beeped faster as his pulse sped up. Mikasa may have locked the door, but that didn't keep them safe. If he didn't answer they'd come in anyway. What could they possibly do?
"Shit," Eren cursed. Armin bent over the side of the bed and pressed his hand into Mikasa's shoulder to shake it.
"Mikasa," He whispered. The older teen groaned in her sleep and tried to adjust herself in the plush chair, but Armin wouldn't let her sleep a minute longer. "Wake up!" He whispered with panic. Eren's eyes scanned the two as Mikasa opened her black eyes and looked at Armin, and she did not look happy.
"What...?" She growled.
"Someone is at the door." Armin warned. Mikasa's eyes widened slightly as he lifted her head, and as if she were proving her existence, the women knocked on the door again.
"Mr. Jaeger...?" She called out again. Mikasa stood from her chair quickly and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
"Put the hood over your head and hide your face in Eren's lap." Mikasa instructed the young vampire. Eren watched as Armin did as told, pulling the hood over his face and dropping down to hide his face in Eren's lap. Mikasa watched, and when she deemed it safe, she unlocked the door and opened it, revealing a small nurse with a tray in her hands. "Sorry about that. We all fell asleep." Mikasa said with a small, tired smile and a shrug of her shoulders.
"That's completely understandable," The women said with a bright smile and wave of the hand. "I'm glad to hear that Eren slept at all. Last night we had to drug him to put him to sleep." The nurse joked as she entered the room. Eren couldn't take the joke seriously, however.
His eyes followed her deftly. He watched with apprehension as the women brought the tray to the nearby table and set it down. On it was his dose of medicine for the day, but he couldn't care less.
"Neither could we. We were really worried about him." Mikasa said and took her seat back in the chair. The women came over with the medicine in hand and a cup of water and offered it to Eren. He took it hesitantly, his hand shaking with fear when he saw her eyes fall to Armin. He took the medicine quickly and handed the cup back to her, hoping to stall her attention, but it didn't work.
"Is she still asleep?" The women asked and pointed down to Armin.
"Yeah, Christa was crying half of the night, because she was so worried." Mikasa explained. Eren's eyes widened when he heard what Mikasa had said. He wasn't sure if he had heard her right or not. Could he possibly be high off of the medicine he had just taken? He hoped that was the case, because all of this was too nerve wrecking.
"The poor thing," The women cooed. "She shouldn't worry anymore though. Eren is doing just fine." The women assured.
"Does that mean he can come home tomorrow?" Mikasa asked with hope lacing her every being.
"So long as things stay normal, then yes." The women said and smiled when Mikasa did so. Eren could feel Armin's hand clutch tighter around his own, and just barely he could feel Armin's lips form a smile against his leg. "He can leave as early as tomorrow morning."
"That's great to hear." Eren sighed with relief. "I'm so bored here."
"I'm sorry, honey, and it's probably not going to help any by saying this, but visiting hours end in twenty minutes." The nurse's expression fell short when saying this, but that was mainly because she hated being the bearer of bad news.
"Alright then. Thank you for all of your help." Mikasa said and offered a weak smile. She hated the news more than anything, but she knew that it was late. The two of them had to leave at some point, and if they left, it'd be safer for Armin. He wouldn't be at such a risk of being decapitated in a hospital, which was all the three needed.
"It's not a problem." The nurse waved her hand to the two and walked to the door. "If you need anything, Mr. Jaeger, just give us a buzz." The petite women said and lingered for a moment to watch and make sure the supposed "girl" woke up. Mikasa stood up from we chair and placed her hands on Armin's small shoulders.
"Christa, wake up. It's time to go." Mikasa mused quietly. The woman smiled and left, assured that Mikasa and Eren's girlfriend would be awake and leave soon. Mikasa looked over her shoulder as the door clicked shut, as once it was clear and they were alone in the room, she let out a sigh of relief. "We're safe..." She mumbled and fell back into her chair.
Armin lifted his head up to look around the room and verify that it was clear, which it was. He let out his own sigh of relief and sat up, only to put his head back on Eren's shoulder and groan quietly.
"I'm not ready to leave," He mumbled against Eren's skin.
"Neither am I, but we have to." Mikasa replied to his quiet rebuttal. Armin nodded his head, his eyes downcast in depression. As they talked, it finally occurred to Eren what had happened. The two of them had lied to that nurse and gotten away with something criminal, but how? How had they done it, and so flawlessly at that? Mikasa had literally been at Armin's throat, so what changed?
"W-What just happened here?" Eren finally regained enough brain function to realize that talking (and breathing) was a necessary thing at the moment. Even so, his words were slow and he couldn't stop the small stutter that forced its way through.
"I used his looks to our advantage." Mikasa said and pointed to Armin. "He looks a lot like Christa, doesn't he?" She asked. Armin rolled his eyes and groaned, feigning disinterest on the subject. Eren, however, was more than intrigued with the new found information.
He placed the knuckles of his fingers under Armin's chin and pushed up, getting the boy to lift his head for him. Armin's eyes lifted with his head and met Eren's vehement gaze, eyes wide with slight surprise and embarrassment. He feared what the outcome would be for having his face so close to Eren's while Eren stared with such intensity back into his own. Mikasa would surely throttle him, even if it wasn't his fault, and looking over to her, he could see the berating look in her own expression. She looked like she was about ready to kill him, but Eren spoke and broke her concentration.
"Wow," He cooed. "That's kind of creepy." He mused with a half-cocked smirk. Armin whined and dropped his head down onto Eren's uninjured shoulder, hating that even Eren agreed that he looked like this Christa person. He was quite curious as to what Christa looked like, besides looking like him. If they looked as much like twins as the siblings said they looked like, Armin would definitely like to meet this girl.
"Come on, Eren..." Armin whined. Eren released a breathy chuckle and patted the back of his head.
"We have to go," Mikasa reminded bitterly. It wasn't like she wanted to go; oh no, she wanted to stay. She wanted to stay longer and talk with Eren, to take care of him and make sure he'd sleep through the night in peace and quiet, but reality was a cruel thing. They had to go, despite the absolute despising of the idea. "We'll see you tomorrow."
"What time will you pick me up?" Eren asked with Armin still tucked away in his arms.
"I'll pick you up a little after nine I guess." Mikasa said.
"I can't come?" Armin lifted his head and asked.
"The amount of risk we've already gone through for you to see him today is enough. You can see him tomorrow, and that's if I don't kill you in your sleep." Mikasa practically growled out the last part. Armin dropped his head in fear, but Eren wasn't far behind with a rebuttal of his own.
"Mikasa, knock it off." He hissed. His sister responded by rolling her eyes and grabbing at Armin's shoulder to pull him out of the bed. Armin came tumbling out, barely staggering to his feet as she started pulling him away. "W-Wait, hold on." Eren called out to then.
The two turned in place by the door, Armin already pulling his hood back on before Eren motioned for the boy to step closer. He did as told, coming over to the bed and standing by the side to be near Eren. When getting the opportunity to be close, Eren quickly draped a hand onto the back of his neck and yanked him down. Armin gasped, but it was quickly muffled by Eren's lips as they pressed against his own in a chaste kiss. It wasn't meant to be passionate or lustful, but it was tender and sweet, a small gesture to show that Eren truly was fine and that he'd be home in no time. He pulled away within seconds, offering Armin a gentle smile, but the boy couldn't have looked more mortified at that moment.
"Oh thanks, Eren, now she's really going to kill me." Armin said in fright just before Mikasa grabbed at his wrist and yanked him away. Mikasa hardly cared if anyone saw him, because she was fuming with anger by the time they were in the elevators. Armin nearly didn't go in, but Mikasa dragged him in there against his will.
"You better sleep with your eyes open." Mikasa warned disparagingly.
"Yes ma'am." Armin shivered with the death glare he was receiving from her. Once the elevator was on the first floor, Mikasa took to yanking him out of it and then out of the hospital. "M-Mikasa, you're hurting me." Armin whimpered while trying to break free. Mikasa released him, but not all too kindly. She tossed his hand to the side, sending him a terrible glare while doing so.
"I-I'm sorry," He apologized weakly. Mikasa rolled her eyes before sighing. She did hate the boy at the moment, but she wasn't sure for what. It wasn't him who had kissed her brother, but Eren himself who initiated the kiss. The two were close, closer than what she originally predicted. She thought that she could destroy the vampire before anything sexual could arise (which tended to happen in most cases), but it seemed like she was already too late.
Had she known what had taken place a couple of days ago, she probably would have keened in horror.
"Just... Stay quiet so I can think..." Mikasa grumbled to herself while rubbing the bridge of her nose. Armin did, dropping his head so the hood of his cape could fully hide his face from the outside world. He kept peeking up past the rim of the hood to look at her, but she had just a deterred look on her face. It hadn't changed since they left, and he had a feeling that it wouldn't for a while. Would he even be alive to see her make an actual emotion with her face?
Armin wondered that for a moment, but that thought was fleeting. He heard rapid footsteps, sooner than Mikasa, but by the time he realized that the footsteps were getting closer to them and he looked up to her, Mikasa was already painfully aware.
"Miss Ackerman," A voice called out, and Armin didn't dare lift his head to find out who it was talking to her. Mikasa cursed under her breath and grabbed at Armin, pulling him away as the person advanced. Armin then heard the sound of more footsteps, and he was vaguely aware of the sounds of a camera and the bright flash of light that went off before it.
Armin knew what this was. He wasn't blind to the idea of it and when he had been alive he had seen the events all the time on the news. Anyone who fought vampires, whether it was the Garrison to the Military Police to the Scouting Legion, were constantly followed by paparazzi. What they did was dangerous, just like firefighters and cops, so when something big happens within the fractions, the paparazzi were all over them in minutes, but why? What had Mikasa done to gain attention from these people? Had she done something before then? It took a minute for Armin to realize what it was, and he felt stupid for having not realizing it sooner.
It was him. He had bitten Eren, Mikasa Ackerman's brothers, the best vampire hunter's brother at that. News like that was probably the biggest hit of the century, and he had caused it. What were they thinking of Eren and Mikasa right now? That humanities best trainee couldn't keep her brother safe? That Eren was just weak? That neither had been trained properly and that the Scouting Legion was inadequate to handle this kind of situation?
None of it was true, none of it at all. If they knew the truth, would they leave them alone then? Probably not.
"Is it true that your brother was attacked by a pure blood?"
"Did he turn? Is he a new blood?"
"Will he be executed?"
"What will you do if that happens?"
"Shut up…" It was an inaudible whisper, barely louder than a pencil dropping on the ground, and no one would hear it with the cacophony of people and noise around them. He tightened his grip around Mikasa's hand, feeling the anxiety of the commotion crushing him in an unbelievable weight. He couldn't handle it, he just couldn't. "It's not true… It's not…"
"Who is this person?"
"What's your name?"
"Do you know what happened to Eren Jaeger?"
"Could you tell us what happened?"
It was like being forced into a box when you were suffering from claustrophobia. He couldn't breathe, and it didn't help when there were so many people around him. The amounts of smells were noxious and abrasive, and there were so many of them. One person smelled like cigarettes, another smelled like alcohol, wine more preferably, and someone else smelled of a terrible perfume or cologne. All of the scents and smells were driving him mad, making him dizzy and nauseous. He couldn't breathe. Everything, even the light, was sensitive, and the sun was barely in the sky.
He clutched at his chest where his heart no longer beat and pulled at the shirt that felt like it was tightening around him. Mikasa noticed his impending suffering and stuffed him into the backseat of her car, not even caring at this point. She went right back to the driver's seat and tried to reverse out of there, but the large group of people, just originally one person, were surrounding her car and keeping her in place. She cursed and slammed her fist into the steering wheel before turning back to Armin and looking him over. He was still in bad condition.
"Stay here, keep your head down, and don't lift it." She commanded. He didn't need to be told twice, she was aware of that, but he seemed like he was going through a panic attack, and she knew just how bad those could get. Mikasa reached into her glove box and pulled out a small hand gun before stepping out of the car. People began questioning her, but the talking and the snapping photos stopped when Mikasa shot the gun above her head.
Mouths dropped, and so did a few cameras. Mikasa lowered the gun back down to her side, facing the crowd with a look of resentment before looking up at the ceiling. The bullet didn't even go an inch into the cement of the parking garage, but she considered the bullet a loss.
"Bullets cost money, so I expect someone to pay me for that." She hissed and jumped back into her car. When she put her car into reverse, people moved out of the way. It had worked like she had planned, but she was aware that this was going to come back in her face. No doubt that would be in the paper by tomorrow, and no doubt it'd be blown out of proportion and make her sound bad.
There was only one thing going on through her mind however, and it wasn't about the bullet she wasted or how she made herself look bad for the Scouting Legion, it was that she acted just like Eren's boss would have. A wave of self-pity washed over her.
"Well that went well…" She grumbled. Remembering Armin's near panic attack, at a red light she turned around in her seat to look at him. His face was buried into the seat, his arms over his head. His whole body was shivering with fear at the situation, but surely he knew that it was over, right? "Hey, you can relax now. It's over."
Armin shifted in place, but his shivering didn't subside and he didn't lift his head. All he did was curl up more, almost into a ball of sorts. Mikasa sighed to herself before turning back in her seat and waiting for the light to go green. When Armin was sure that she had looked away from him, when he was sure that she couldn't possibly see him, Armin lifted his head slightly to get fresh air. It wasn't like he needed it, but it helped calm his nerves, and he was going to need it.
His red eyes only proved that.
