Woooo, I finished a chapter. It's a bit shorter than planned but oh well, I guess my writing will get longer as I get more into it again. I hope you guys like it, the POV jumps a bit in this one because I didn't have the focus on Eren yet. I usually do a lot of POV jumping while a story is happy but since it turns darker now I will start delving deeper into Eren's mind so it should stop with the POV changing from now on.

I hope you like cliffhangers because I'm going to try to use a bunch in this story!

Please review and tell me what you think! I'd love to hear your opinions or have any mistakes pointed out. After all I want to improve and if you type quickly, mistakes easily happen. And once again, remember, my mother tongue is German so my English won't be perfect (but I don't think it's all that bad XD).

Eren smiled slightly, looking around the room one more time. Why did it have to be today? As if he weren't nervous enough without this adding to it. How should he survive this day if this fucking tension never died off? He stopped, his gaze on Armin who was focused only on the test in front of him, a smirk plastered on his face. If his best friend could write a test before their job interview, he could do it too.

Although not being anything unusual, Eren always felt weird and scared during tests. He knew it had been worse when he first entered school. Back then Armin had to hold his hand during the whole test time to keep him from freaking out, something the teachers slowly came to accept after seeing how there was no possibility the blond helped his friend. After all he wrote straight A's while Eren barely managed to pass most subjects. The only one where it was the complete opposite where those classes where creativity and not the knowledge from books was needed, there the grades of the two were flipped, making most wonder how such a thing was even possible as most could not imagine Eren being better than Armin at anything.

But as time passed Eren became more relaxed during tests and once they entered High school he was able to do them on his own, although he preferred if Armin still was in the same room for it had a calming effect on him. Just like it was now. One glance to the other and he could focus perfectly, writing down everything he had memorized. It was only about half the things needed, maybe just a bit more but it had to be enough for him to pass. He didn't want to fail. If he did he would no longer be in the same classes as Armin and losing his best friend was something that always scared him.

After a felt eternity the brunet felt his sheet being pulled away, the smiling face of his adoptive brother telling him the time was up as he handed both their works in. The brunet smiled slightly, feeling the nausea grow less as the tension was disappearing. He must have passed; he had to pass. He did pass. "Alright. Let's go or we won't get any pizza anymore," he half-joked, getting out of his seat and walking over to where his friend stood, grabbing his arm before dragging him out of the room, ignoring the slight protests the blond managed to get out between laughter.

"Went well I guess? Sure you passed?" Eren smiled at the sound of the voice beside him as Armin caught up, freeing his arm and simply walking beside him. A short nod from the other made him smile gratefully, knowing how much it meant to Eren that they were always in the same classes.
"I could fill out the biggest part so I guess I should have passed. Not with the best grade like you surely did but I should be able to pass every class now."
"I'm glad," was the gently reply coming from the blond.

It had been ten years since his grandfather had found the five year old child on their doorstep, taking Eren in immediately and becoming as much of a father to him as he was to Armin. For some to the blond unknown reason he had let Eren tell him the whole story of what happened, wrote it down and locked it away. The only time he had taken it out again had been on Armin's fourteenth birthday when he decided he should know everything. Eren though had no idea what truly happened to his parents. He only knew the lies of them dying in a car crash when he was five and he believed it. And it was better this way as the brunet already was damaged enough from the memories he had pushed away.

As they were still walking, Armin took out his wallet. He usually paid for both of them as Eren was someone who easily wasted money and they could not afford to waste money. For ten years they had lived only with the money his grandfather got every month. Not much for two quickly growing children and an elderly man but they had no other choice but to live with the bit of money they had. That's why Armin had decided they both needed to start working to support their small family as the state was not willing to pay much support for them, meaning it was finally time they helped the old man relax a bit on his late days. He had always been like a father to them; he deserved some rest now that they were old enough to do most things alone.

Eren smiled, scratching the back of his head. "Well, what would I do without you?" he asked as he watched Armin take out the money, hugging him from the side for a moment. "Best brother one could wish for," he whispered in his ear before letting go, making the other blush and smile happily. He knew he was a bad person for thinking this, but he somehow was glad Eren's parents had died, leaving him with Armin and his grandfather.

"Armin?" The sound of his name being called made the blond come back into reality, smiling at the other.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"We have to get those jobs today. I feel like I'm becoming a burden. You took care of me for all these years and there hasn't been any way to repay you for your kindness. Now I finally can help so I will not fail!" To his surprise, Eren's words made Armin laugh, causing the other's cheeks to turn pink. "H-Hey, it's true isn't it?"
"Don't worry. We gladly took you in. After all our parents used to be very close when they were still alive."

Eren smiled slightly and nodded. He had absolutely no memory of his life before he moved in with Armin and the man who had been like a father to him from the very moment he had joined their little family. He could not help being proud for having such an amazing family even after losing his real one. It was better to have someone you loved and cared about than having a family without love.

Eren was about to enter the cafeteria with Armin by his side when he heard a screech behind him and a girl dashed past them, not even looking back as she quickly got her food, sitting beside a young boy. "Sasha truly amazes me sometimes… I heard she's actually a slow runner during sports class but as soon as pizza is involved she gets incredibly fast," Eren chuckled, putting Armin who nearly fell over back on his feet. "And she keeps running past us, making you fall over. You should work on your balance." The blond just looked down, blushing slightly at falling once again because someone pushed him slightly. Eren was not only better at creative tasks; he also was far more sportive. But Eren simply ignored how uncomfortable he felt for a moment, most likely realizing how he had made him feel but deciding to cheer him up in his own way.

Eren ordered for both of them, making sure to also get Armin's favorite sweets, knowing it would cheer him up to see once again how much Eren knew about him. It had always been like this. When one had hurt the other, he would comfort him by showing he understood him. Since they always were together at first because of Eren's anxiety attacks that had grown less and nearly disappeared over the last years, they knew everything about the other, something they actually were proud of. No one would ever try saying anything stupid about the other to either of them, simply because it would end with Eren beating the crap out of them, no matter if it as about himself or about Armin. Although he was going much less easy on them when they insulted Armin.

Once he had everything and Armin paid for it they sat at their usual table where Sasha was already nearly finished with her food. "Slow down before you choke," a laughing boy beside her said, nodding at Eren and Armin as they joined them.

"Hey Connie, is she devouring her pizza like a starving animal again?" Eren asked as he placed Armin's food in front of the blonde, watching as he silently started eating, not being one to talk a lot to anyone but Eren.
"Yeah, only that at least this time she managed to keep everything inside her mouth and not drop half her meal again," was the hard to understand reply coming between laughter. Eren smiled softly, looking at his own food. He once again was thinking of what his parents must have been like when they were alive.

Armin who noticed the sudden change of mood from the other, grabbed the sweets and threw a couple of them at Eren, making him look up and smile genuinely again. "They actually hurt you know!" he complained as he opened his mouth, catching the last one being thrown this way. "And are great."

Both of them started eating in silence now, knowing their most dreaded class was nearing. Maths. The teacher was what could only be called a total bitch, always shouting at innocent people. One of her favorite games was 'embarrass the students' and thanks to her horrible teaching, even Armin who studied for her classes like crazy, spending whole evenings figuring out what she could ask, could often not answer her. No one liked this woman for her behavior simply showed that she did not care about the students but only about collecting her paycheck at the end of the month and seeing a nice, high number on it.

"What do you think she'll ask today? And who at that?" Connie asked, everyone suddenly looking grim and serious.
"I'm guessing me or Eren. She loves picking on me because I'm the only one to still try… And Eren, well she knows that if she fails him often enough he'll fail this year, meaning he'll have to do it again. I really hope it's me today. At least I won't fail if she decides to pick me."

Everyone went quiet at that, knowing what it would mean if Eren failed. The four of them had known each other for a long time and both Connie and Sasha still remembered how Eren used to cling to the blond as if to dear life. He would never have managed to even reach the age to enter high school without his best friend that much was clear to all of them. They always used to be together and still always were simply because Eren still was scared of anxiety attacks and Armin simply cared too much to leave him alone and risk it. The longest they ever were in different rooms were a few minutes when one of them had to use the toilet for example.

It was still some time until then though and so Eren decided to loosen the tension a bit. "Hey, how about we go outside a bit? We still have half an hour and it's no use thinking too much about the next lesson just yet. We should just go outside and enjoy the sunshine. This winter has been way too long anyways." Every nodded, smiling once again, deciding it was better to be happy now than to be sad and depressed when no one knew what really was going to happen. And also Eren could be sure the headmaster would support him so he still passed maths since he knew him for quite some time already and knew what would happen should he be separated from Armin. It was best to not worry yet but just go out, have fun and enjoy the sunshine after months of darkness and grey skies.

Armin was the first to get outside, grabbing Eren's hand and dragging him towards a flower field near their school building. "Sit down, I'm going to make you a flower crown like we always used to when we were younger!" A happy smile was on his face as he started plucking flowers for said crown, making Eren smile as well. This was a lot better than the sad Armin from before. The one who remembered the games they used to play.

Sasha sat beside Eren, starting to rip out some leaves, eating them slowly, chewing carefully.
"S-Sasha! We don't know if they are edible!"
"They are, I know them. Used to eat them a lot some time ago," she replied calmly, throwing some at Connie who eyed them suspiciously. "They aren't poisonous so eat them. But make sure there are no bugs on them. Bugs are 'ew' to eat."
"You truly are the strangest girl I know…" He sighed, sitting down as well, watching Armin work on Eren's flower crown, Eren sit relaxed in the sun and Sasha eat her leaves. After what seemed like forever he finally started eating one as well, amazed that he didn't drop dead right away. They even tasted somewhat good so he threw them at Eren who just groaned, not caring about much right then.

"Say, Armin, shall we go out after the job interview? Maybe we could take care of the garden for once." He turned to face Armin, smiling broadly at him, the sun blinding him enough so he couldn't see the sad look on his face.
"Of course we could do that. Sounds fun actually." It were mere seconds before the smile was back again, replacing the sadness visible on his face just a moment ago with happiness. No one noticed as it seemed.
"Yeah, let's give your grandfather a nice, relaxing afternoon and do his work for him. He deserves a break every now and then."
"He really does. He works so hard for us all the time. I'm really grateful to have him."
"As am I. Who knows where I would have grown up if he had not fought for me."
"Yeah…" Armin leant closer, placing the finished crown on the other's head with a smile. "Looks beautiful!" He exclaimed before he was tackled to the ground in a hug that soon turned into a tickle attack.

"You two should already go out. You act like a couple already so why hide your feelings any longer?" Eren looked up, grabbing some flowers and threw them at Connie.
"We aren't going to date because neither of us is gay! Goddammit shut up and ask Sasha out already!" Armin took his chance for revenge and started tickling Eren as he was speaking, forgetting about the smaller male beneath him. Eren fell on top of him, laughing loudly as he tried to roll off only to end up with Armin sitting on top of him. He was smiling down at the other, as the wind picked up his hair, making him go blind as another attack was started on him, this time from Connie.
"Stop!" Eren now joined, having taken a few moments to catch his breath. Together with Connie and Sasha he now was tickling the smaller male until he was completely out of breath, just laid on his back in defeat.
"I hate you!" he shouted, laughing as he threw grass at the others, struggling to breathe again.

"Oh, and Eren? Connie asked me out last Saturday. We already went out. It was pretty fun actually."
"Tell us everything!" Eren demanded, pulling Armin into a sitting position as the others started to tell the story, switching in the middle of their sentences sometimes, being just in sync as Armin and Eren.

They had watched a very serious and supposedly dramatic movie though they laughed every few seconds. Their favorite joke was 'How the hell do you even run in heels that high?' and they pretty much disturbed everyone else. Later they still had dinner before Connie brought her home.

"And then, on my doorstep I started fidgeting with my keys, trying to give him the sign that it was alright to kiss me and he just stood there, awkwardly shifting as I kept playing around, not opening the door for nearly five minutes. Hell, I even dropped my key ten times or something! He just smiled at me and blushed! Can you believe it? He didn't get it after five minutes!" Sasha laughed, hugging Connie from the side. "Anyways, I knew my dad would come out any moment now so I decided to kiss him. And I swear, it was magical. I could feel sparks fly, my whole body was as if electricity was running through it. It was amazing. He tasted like fries from our dinner…" Connie slapped her back, blushing at the last part.
"That's enough. They know about your love for food."

Armin couldn't help laughing, Eren breaking out in laughter beside him. "Well, as long as you had a nice evening. It's wonderful to hear you are happy together." Eren smiled at them, actually genuinely happy for his friends.
"I asked Sasha out, now it's your turn to admit it Eren."

The brunet sighed, picking up a few flowers, turning them into a ring. "Armin Arlert, will you do me the favor of going out with me although we have no romantical feelings for the other whatsoever?" Armin fell over laughing loudly as Eren climbed on top of him, putting the ring on his finger before kissing his cheek. "There, asked him out and even proposed I think. Happy now?" He tried to look serious but couldn't help laughing as well when he saw everyone rolling around, laughter spilling from their lips, making him feel as if there never happened anything bad in his life. As if he never lost his parents and never suffered from anxiety attacks.

"What time is it?" Armin asked suddenly, sitting up, looking shocked. Immediately no one was laughing any longer. They had to make sure they wouldn't be late. Being late for this class was the worst they could do.
"Armin, calm down. You're going to get an A even if you are late once," Eren tried to calm him down while Connie checked his phone.
"We have five minutes. Let's get going I'd say. We still have to get flowers out of our hair and off our clothes."

Armin was the first to be up, looking at the ring on his finger as if thinking about something. Eren didn't notice though and just went and hugged him once again, smiling slightly as he whispered in his ear. "You're gonna be my waifu!"

Armin felt his cheeks turn a bright red as he turned around, nearly slapping the other. "Stop with the stupid jokes already! I'm not into Eren, he's not into me. We're brothers and friends, end of story!" He pushed Eren back, nearly storming off before he stopped, smiling gently. "Now come on already, it's nearly time for class to start."

Everyone was in shock for a few seconds, actually wondering what had come over Armin to act like this. Maybe he was scared the girl he was crushing on might see them? It was only for a moment that people wondered if Armin not might be crushing on Eren and it hit him to know that the ring was just a joke. But the idea was so absurd that Eren quickly pushed it away, focusing on the goal ahead. Passing this class, that was his goal right now and he wouldn't fail achieving it. He would pass and stay in the same class as Armin.

Once they reached the building, the bell could already be heard outside, making Armin curse as he grabbed Eren's hand, starting to run. He couldn't be late and risk his status of a well-liked student by the supposedly meanest teacher they had at this school.

And thanks to Armin making them run, they arrived just in time. The blond sat down, being completely out of breath while Eren looked calm and composed, going over as much as possible before the cruel woman calling herself a teacher would enter. Sasha and Connie sat in their usual seat as class started, smiling reassuringly at Eren when he looked around once. He could do this.

The lesson started as always, questions no one could answer, not even Armin. But then, for a change, she started to explain something. Everyone was frantically making notes, Eren as well as everyone else. Explanations meant it would be in the test. After about half the lesson, Armin raised his hand, looking somewhat nervous as he asked if he could use the restroom. It seemed strange but he was allowed to leave, the fidgeting most likely making clear how much he needed it.

As soon as the door closed behind him, the lesson continued, more and more explanations that made no sense to most of them thrown at the students. Everyone was just focused on writing so it was nearly the end of the lesson when Eren's shifting was starting to catch attention.

"Eren please focus!" The boy looked at his paper, his hands shaking slightly as they gripped the pen tightly, his whole body looking as if it were under enormous tension.
"Armin isn't back yet. He left twenty-five minutes ago," he forced out, slowly looking up. He could feel the classroom go silent, suddenly realizing he was right and that their stupid comments about him were actually really stupid.
"Go look for him then, but take your stuff with you."

It didn't take Eren thirty seconds to pack his stuff and jump up before storming out of the room to the closest restroom. Nothing. Every stall was empty and there was not a single trace anyone had been there within the last hour. Maybe Armin had gone somewhere else he thought as he started running, panic rising in his chest as fear took over his mind. Where was he?

Once he finished every restroom, even looking at the girl's rooms he stood in the hallway, panting heavily as he spun around. Where was he? Eren could feel his mind go blank as his feet started moving on their own, carrying him to Armin's locker. He opened it, finding everything inside like it should be; nothing was out of place so the other could not have left school. He never would without telling Eren actually.

One more thought slipped to his mind as he started moving again, heading for the nurse's office. Maybe he had felt sick and had come here? It had to be! He surely must have felt sick.

But when he asked, the nurse could not tell him anything at all. Armin had not been there either. She didn't even know who he was talking about since Armin nearly never fell ill. Unlike Eren who was often seen in her office when he felt ill again. The nurse pressed a small bottle in his hand, smiling slightly at him. She could clearly see his distress and wanted to make sure he had the medication to calm down once the attack would strike.

Without realizing what was going on Eren was running outside to where they had spent their break. Maybe Armin was making another flower crown. He had to be. If he wasn't…

Upon arriving at the space his heart stopped for a moment. No. Eren felt his hand reach out, tears in his eyes as he looked around, trying to make out anything unusual but he couldn't spot anything. He was slowly reaching down, feeling his sight blur all of a sudden as tears started running down his cheeks. Where was he?

He picked up the bag, noticing it was way lighter than in the morning. He gulped, nearly expecting to see blood on the other side. But there was none. All that was left was a bag. A bag and a jacket. And they clearly belonged to Armin. He just knew it were his like he knew his hand belonged to him.

"A-Armin?" He called out, his voice nearly silent. "Armin?!" He started running again, no goal in mind this time. "Armin!" was all he managed to get out over and over again before he felt his legs give out, finding himself next to the bag again. "Armin…" He whispered as his breathing became faster with every second, fear now all he could feel. His best friend; His brother was gone!

His soft smile. His loving gaze. His gentle way of talking. Would he ever see it again? Would he ever see Armin again? Eren was now curled up on the ground, crying heavily, sobs making him rock back and forth as he forced the pills down his throat.

Armin was gone. And he had no idea where he was.