The Time You Were Gone | Eremin Story

An angel got back home

~Chapter 24 of part 2~

Maybe everything was going to be alright, and everything was getting better. He knew it was. He had a great life. All he needed was to let go of some things he should have long time ago. And for Mikasa, well, he had something in mind.

His phone rang. It was Armin, his little angel. He smiled and hurried to pick up the phone.

"Armin! It's so nice to hear you!" Eren couldn't wait to tell him about how he had finally proceeded like an adult in this situation. He could already see his boyfriend's excited smile.

The other line was a little late to answer. "Hey." At last the voice sounded, but nothing like Eren had imagined. He was tired, was that it? Of course, they were all tired.

Still, to make sure, he asked carefully, still with a hint of a playful smile. "How's my angel doing?"

On the other line he could hear movement. Without realizing, he himself had approached the entrance of his room. Before repeating his question, just in case that maybe he hadn't heard, the angel spoke.

"Angel?" The despodent voice asked. "it's an interesting comparison, really." A quiet chuckle. Eren was about to reply, but was cut off yet again.  "What is the meaning behind it?"

The brunette didn't sit on the bed nor the chair, he instead made small steps around his room, looking at the floor while the phone was on his ear. "Well, I," the question had left him unprepared. "I suppose it's somebody who does good things, somebody nice and beautiful. Somebody who makes other people's lives better."

Impatiently he waited for his reply. Finally the other line sounded again. "Yeah.. That sounds right."

Now Eren had stopped moving around, instead he brought all his attention into the conversation. After realizing that's all he could get, he repeated the thoughts in his head with a quiet tone. "Some people are like angels."

"I saw one before." This time his boyfriend's voice sounded more tense.

"Really?" Eren slowly asked, carefully closing the door of his room behind him.

On the other line the blonde boy had nodded, even though nobody was there to see. "Yes. The angel lived with us. And it was as you described it, she brought people happiness. She was the definition of happiness herself."

Not completely sure where this was going, the boy finally sat on his bed, carefully listening. "It sounds beautiful, Armin. Did you read this in your books or something?.."

More movement, like a cloth brushing on a flat surface, but Eren had no way to see what was happening there. "No.." The short answer was. "I.."

It suddenly hit him. The noise, the way his voice was while he spoke. With a concerned heart, he played with the edge of his T-shirt. "Armin, is everything.. Okay? Are you.., crying? What happened?" No answer. With a rougher tone, he asked again. "Did someone do something?'

The first sob broke his heart. He could hear him crying on the other side, but he felt as helpless as he could be. What was happening? He was getting seriously concerned at this point. Armin was never expressing his sadness like this. He was always hiding it, which was no better, but the thought made him even more sure something very bad had happened.

"She went back there." Armin cried out as his voice broke.

The tension was building up. Eren gripped the edge of the mattress on his bed and his heart continued to pound fast. "Who? Where? Are you okay, Armin? Please, I'm concerned."

Slowly, as if the other boy was trying to calm back down, the sobs quieted down, although the agony of his voice never left. "Mom is dead. She is dead. She left us."