Midsommar (aot)

One.

TW: graphic description of suicide/death, Panic attacks.

"I don't know, she just usually answers pretty quickly." Armin mumbled, holding his phone to his cheek with his shoulder. He moved to the bathroom, pulling open the medicine cabinet and grabbing his anxiety pills off the shelf. He popped one in his mouth, gulping it down with some water from the sink. "I'm sure it's alright, Min. I'm telling you it's just one of her episodes." Eren's voice on the other end was less than compassionate. He didn't seem even the slightest bit concerned about the happenings of Armin's mother and her neglect to reply to his messages. "She does this to you all the time. Quit worrying so much."

Arming sighed, leaning against the wall for a moment. He stared at himself in the mirror, carefully observing his stress worn features. He looked exhausted. The bags under his eyes had gotten much worse. A deep purple that looked more like smudged eyeshadow. He was shaking a little, though he was sure that'd stop as his medicine kicked in. "You're probably right." He softly said, chewing nervously on his lip. "Babe, I've gotta go. We're talking about our papers and grabbing some books. It's really important okay?" Eren mumbled, causing Armin's stomach to flip. He wasn't an idiot. He could hear music in the background. He was certain he knew exactly where his boyfriend was, but he didn't want to bother with it. He was already having a bad night. He didn't want to listen to Eren yelling as well. "Okay. I love you." He softly said, forcing a smile to his face despite not needing to. "Bye, Min." And the call was abruptly ended.

Armin stood for a moment, running his hand through his hair. He didn't have time to worry about Eren. It wasn't the first time he'd lied through his teeth to him. And every time, it made the blonde feel nauseous. Why did he feel the need to lie? He could've just said 'I'm at the bar with Jean and Connie.' It wouldn't have been a big deal.  Armin wouldn't have been upset. Not ever. But Eren must've been convinced he would. It didn't matter though, he didn't have time to worry about that now. He had to think about his mother.

Promptly, he moved back out into the area near the living room, taking a seat at their little desk. His laptop sat open in his messages with her. She still hadn't replied to him. And hour and a half ago, he'd received a message from her. It had read, 'It's so dark, Amrin. I'm leaving. Your dad and grandpa are going with me.' She had episodes like this sometimes. She'd get off of her medicine and message him in a downward spiral and he'd help her dig her way out. But it was never this long before a reply would come through. It never took hours. 'Mama, I'm really starting to worry. Please answer me.' He messaged again, bouncing his knee nervously as he waited.  It was only about twenty minutes before his phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hello, this is the Shinganshina county sherif's office, may I speak to a mister Armin Arlert, please?"
-
On the opposite side of campus, Eren tossed his phone haphazardly onto the table he sat at, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned back a bit in his chair. "Eren, why'd you lie to him?" Connie asked, watching the taller boy with an inquisitive stare. Eren just shrugged. "I don't want him to tell him the truth. What if he comes here lookin for us?" The brunette asked, leaning back in his seat. Connie looked to Jean, who was staring at eren with this disgusted expression on his face. "Why would he do that, Jaeger?" He asked, clearly not a fan of what their friend was saying. "Has he ever done it before?"

Before Eren could even reply, Zeke had joined them again, handing each of them a drink with a gentle smile on his face. "I'm really excited to help you guys with your papers." He said, reaching and patting Eren's shoulder. It had only been about two months since Eren had learned of Zeke's existence. But he'd quickly got close to the blonde man, easily bonding with him over their shared disdain for their father and the tragic loss of their mothers. When Zeke had offered to take them back to his home so they could explore a new, interesting commune like culture, it was something Jean had immediately been interested in. Going with Jaeger didn't seem like the most exciting thing. But at least he'd get cool stuff for his anthro paper. And he'd be away from college for a while.