Hey everyone, so we're getting to the end of this story now (just a few chapters left D':) hope you enjoy the fall out from the last chapter
It's not an interrogation, Armin has to keep telling himself. It's just questioning about what happened with Reiner. It's not an interrogation, you've done nothing wrong.
"You okay Honey?" Hange asks, breaking him out of his thoughts as she sets up a recording device on her side of the table.
"Y... yeah," he stammers. He's not okay. He is so beyond okay it's not even funny. He wishes Jean were here with him. I don't think I'd feel as nervous plus it would be fairer... less two against one. Hange has another policeman with her – a man with flaxen blond hair, roughly the same height as her – and it feels a little bit as if they're ganging up on him. It's not an interrogation...
"This is Sargent Mobit Berner," Hange introduces the other man, as if reading Armin's mind. "We just have a few questions to ask you and we have to have two of us present for this kind of thing."
"Sure." Armin nods, his nerves catching his voice in his throat.
"It shouldn't take us long and then you'll be free to go," Moblit says. Armin is grateful but he isn't sure how much he believes him.
Hange presses a button on the recording device. "Constable Hange Zoe and Sargent Moblit Berner: interview number 191411, can you state your name for the tape please?"
"Armin Arlert," he says in a surprisingly steady voice.
"Okay," Hange says brightly. "So Armin in your own words can you tell us what happened?"
"Um okay," Armin takes a deep breath. "I came home this afternoon, I'd been away for a few days, Reiner saw a friend he doesn't know drop me off and accused me of cheating on him. I said I hadn't been but he didn't believe me, we got into a fight and he hit me."
"And has he ever hit you before?" Hange asks.
"No," Armin shakes his head, "never. I mean sometimes he's a little rougher than I'd like but he's never hit me before."
"So where had you been?" Moblit asks.
Armin falters. You can't lie to the police about this, just tell them! "I was in hospital for a few days," he says.
"Did Reiner put you in hospital?" Hange asks.
"No!" Armin says, vehemently shaking his head. "God no! He's never done anything like that before. I just had a bit of a bad night and landed myself in hospital for a few days."
"It's okay, we just have to ask," Hange says holding up her hand. "We don't get a lot of domestic abuse calls so we make sure that we take each of them seriously."
"Okay."
"So you were in hospital," Moblit says reading from a small notebook, "you're driven home by a friend your partner doesn't know and, in the resulting argument, he hits you."
"Yeah that pretty much sums it up," Armin says. He wants to ask if he can go now. There's no reason for them to keep him because that is all he needs to say.
"Anything else you need to tell us?" Moblit asks.
That sounds like a leading question. "No."
"Armin does Reiner have a temper?" Hange asks.
"Um... sometimes," Armin says. This really feels like a leading question. "Like I said this was the first time he's gotten angry enough to hit me."
"And he wouldn't accuse someone of something false because he was angry?" Hange asks.
"No..." Where are they going with this? "Why?"
There is a pause and Armin knows that something terrible is about to happen. He looks between Hange and Moblit, who exchange a look before turning back to him.
"Armin, Reiner has accused you of prostitution," Hange says.
It takes a moment for this to sink in and all Armin can do is stare at Hange as he processes what she's just said.
"What?" his voice is barely above a whisper as he stares at both of them.
"Reiner has accused you of prostitution," Hange says again. "This may just be out of anger but it's a serious allegation and we need to treat it as such."
Armin's eyes begin to fill with tears. I can't lie about this...
"If it's not true then we'll say no more about it but–" Moblit begins but Armin cuts him off with a choked sob. Both Hange and Moblit look up to see tears streaming down his cheeks, his hand covering his mouth as he tries to hold the sobs in.
"I'm sorry," he whispers. "I'm so sorry."
"What for Honey?" Hange asks.
Armin takes a deep breath to try and steady himself but it doesn't work as the tears begin to fall harder. "I didn't want to do it," he sobs. "I didn't want to but my boss kept pushing me and Reiner kept saying that we needed the money and I didn't feel like I could say no."
"Are you telling us that Reiner's allegation is true?" Moblit asks.
Armin nods, unable to make his voice work, as more tears begin to fall. "Yes," he says in a tiny voice for the benefit of the recorder. He presses his hands to his eyes, desperate to stop himself from crying but to no avail. It doesn't come as a surprise that after all this time Reiner would sell him out to try and save his own neck. He just about hears Hange cough softly, expectantly. He opens his eyes and sees her holding a tissue out to him.
"Tell us what happened," she says as he takes it.
Armin wipes his tears away with the tissue and the back of his hand before he feels composed enough to talk. He exhales shakily, might as well tell them everything...
"So I used to work at Club Rose," Armin says, "as a stripper mostly."
"What do you mean mostly?" Moblit asks.
"Occasionally there was the odd private dance but never anything more sexual than that," Armin replies. "I mean I doubt I still have a job there, I haven't been in in nearly a week."
"So how did you move from stripping to prostitution?" Moblit asks.
"The owner of the club, my boss, calls me to his office and says that I need to start having sex with customers for money," Armin says. "Basically said that he would fire me if I didn't."
"What's your boss's name?" Hange asks.
Armin opens his mouth but he can't bring himself to say anything. He shouldn't feel any loyalty towards Erwin but he can't seem to force his name out.
"Armin, if you tell us his name we can do something about him before he forces anyone else into something like this," Hange presses.
"His name is Erwin Smith," Armin says finally.
"Did Reiner know you were having sex with people for money?" Moblit asks.
"Yeah," Armin admits. "I spoke to him about it and he told me that I should because we needed the money."
"So you had both of them pressuring you to do it," Hange says. "That can't have been easy for you."
"Neither of them really give me the option to say no. I really didn't want to do it and I hated every second," Armin says, tears pricking his eyes again.
"So how did you end up in hospital?" Moblit asks.
Might as well continue with the truth... "There was one client who pinned me down even when I asked him not to, saying that he'd get me fired, and he was really forceful. I felt sick and awful afterwards so I..." He takes a deep breath. "I took five lines of cocaine and wound up in hospital."
"Where did you get the cocaine from?" Moblit asks.
"I stole it from someone."
"Then you returned home after you were released from hospital and the fight broke out," Moblit summarises.
Armin nods and he starts to cry again. "I'm sorry."
"Armin, sweetie, no one is blaming you for this," Hange says kindly.
"Am I..." Armin starts but the words choke him. He feels like he's drowning and can't come up for air. "Am I going to prison for this?"
"Not for something you were forced into," Hange replies.
"And from everything you've said this is something you were forced into," Moblit says.
"I'm sorry," Armin sniffles.
"You have nothing to apologies for," Hange says. "I know it's hard but if you could tell us everything then we can sort this mess out."
Dragging everything out with Hange and Moblit is awful but Armin just about manages to get through it with minimal crying. He's with them for way longer than necessary but finally, after what feels like hours, Hange turns off the recorder and leads Armin out of the room.
"Thanks for everything Armin," she says brightly. "I understand that was hard for you but we now have enough on Erwin to arrest him, shut Club Rose down and, with the testimony of your old co-workers, put him away for a very long time.
"And Reiner?" Armin asks. He doesn't know what outcome he wants from this. Do I want Reiner to be let out or do I want them to keep him here?
"Well that depends on if you want to press charges or not," Hange says. "We'll keep him in over night but after that it's in your corner."
"I don't think I want any more trouble," Armin says.
"That's understandable," Hange says placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Is there anyone we can call for you?"
"No it's fine," Armin smiles. I don't want to cause Eren and Levi or anyone else anymore trouble either...
"Well you have my number so just call me if you need anything," Hange says. She gives his shoulder a squeeze before returning to the interrogation room.
Armin sighs to himself. He really doesn't fancy the idea of going back to his house, on his own, and spending the night alone so he is pleasantly surprised when he rounds the corner and sees Jean nursing a coffee. When he looks up, sees Armin and smiles, Armin realises that 'pleasantly surprised' is an understatement.
"Hey you," Jean says when Armin reaches him.
"Hey," Armin says, smiling shyly. "You stayed."
"I said I would, didn't I?"
Armin's cheeks heat up as he brushes his hair behind his ear. Jean's smile is so comforting and beautiful Armin feels his heart beginning to pound.
"So are you all done with the questioning?" Jean asks.
"Yeah," Armin replies. "They don't need me for anything else."
"Do you have any plans."
"Not really," Armin admits. "Guess I'm just going back home."
"On your own?"
"Yeah," Armin shrugs. "I mean I don't have to worry about Reiner now and I suppose I should start looking for a new job 'cause if I haven't already been fired for not showing up my boss is about to be arrested."
Jean shakes his head. "I just don't like the idea of you being on your own after everything that's happened."
"I'll be fine," Armin says.
"Come to my place," Jean say suddenly.
"What?"
"Just until you get settled," Jean says. "We can even go back to yours and get some of your things so you don't have to go back if you don't want to."
"O... okay," he says finally. "Let's do that."
It might be a bad decision but he's gone past the point of caring and Jean's smile is just so beautiful he can't and doesn't want to say no. Instead he takes Jean's proffered hand, relishing the warmth of his finger, and allows himself to be lead out to Jean's car.