The Passion of Lovers//Eremika

16. Lust

It was Saturday night.

Reiner picked Eren up from his apartment at exactly 9:00 pm in his Lexus convertible. He was wearing a black long sleeve System of a Down shirt with a black bikers jacket and baggy blue jeans. "You ready bro?" Reiner asked the moment Eren got in the car. "Hell yeah! So where's this new place you were talking about?"

Reiner only smiled and said, "You'll see."

The two drove downtown, far from the campus. Downtown Paradis was very similar to Los Angeles, with tall palm trees and busy streets. Prostitutes in fitted crop-tops and skimpy skirts were hanging out on street corners, high school students who snuck out of their parents' house going to the beach, and workers with bags under their eyes going home finally.

When they got to the club, Eren and Reiner showed their IDs and made their way in.

The strobe lights lit up the entire place. Stray drugs were laying on the floor along with some cash. Some people were dancing and some others were heading to the bathroom together, strippers were dancing on the large platforms that had money in piles.

Eren rolled up a blunt and put it in his mouth. "Shit," he said as searched his pockets for a lighter. "Reiner, do you have a lighter I can borrow real quick?"

Reiner was dancing with some girl whose hair was in a long braid and her eyes were hauntingly yellow. He heard Eren's request and in response dug around in his pockets and threw him a lighter. He tried lighting the blunt, but everytime he flicked it, only sparks came out. "Come on, damnnit," he said, trying over and over again to get the lighter to work.

Just as he was about to try lighting it again, a flame appeared next to him. The person holding the lit lighter was a girl with curly hair in a short golden slip dress. "You looked pathetic," the gold dress girl said. Eren looked back at the woman and then to her bedazzled lighter for a while before reaching over to the flame and lighting the blunt in his mouth. "Thanks," he mumbled. "You look lonely," the girl said. "Do you have a girl?" she said as she advanced towards him. Eren thought about this question for a while. Mikasa and him aren't exactly in a relationship, but more than anything he would love for them to be something. So, in response to the woman's question, "Nah, not yet. There's this girl I would love to get with though."

The woman smirked and told him, "You think she would like to see you getting high at some club?". And with that, the woman got up and left.

Eren thought about that question for a while. Would she? How would Mikasa feel if she saw him here? Eren looked over at Reiner. His sleeve was rolled up and he was injecting something with a needle. He smiled and let his head fall back and his eyes roll back. He seemed to be in heaven by the looks of it. Eren rolled his eyes and went over to the bar. As he made his way, he noticed all the different people dancing. Different cultures, backgrounds, and people in general in peace and harmony with each other. Not a care in the world,

Just dancing.

When he arrived at the bar, Eren ordered two drinks; a Bourbon and a water. He paid, made his way back to their table, and caught Reiner making out with some girl and taking the pills that were left on the table. "Hey bro!" Reiner shouted over the music. "Aw sweet, is this for me?" He took the glass of bourbon. Eren took it back automatically and gave him the water, "Don't try to fucking kill yourself, dude."

"Come on, man. I'll be fine! You worry too much, you know that?"

"Whatever man, I just don't you want hurting yourself."

Reiner scoffed, "Dude, you sound pretty gay right now."

Eren just glared at him.

"You know I'm joking, man!" He wrapped his arm around Eren. "I appreciate you looking out for me. But I'll be fine! I promise!"

Eren second-guessed that; last time Reiner said "I promise", he put a huge dent in Eren's car. But nonetheless, he trusted his friend. He grabbed the Bourbon glass and poured only a little into Reiner's water. And with that, they both chugged down their drinks.

~*~ ☠︎︎~*~

Slowly, but surely, Eren regained consciousness. He tried to get up, but he stopped when he noticed the girl lying on his lap. He lifted her head, got up from his seat, and placed her head back down. The place was somehow more crowded than before. Some people were leaving with their friend's arms over their shoulders, however. The last thing he remembered was dancing with some girl on the floor and her trying to make a move, only for Eren to push her off saying, "I already got a bitch, bitch." He groaned in embarrassment remembering that moment. He looked around and noticed Reiner wasn't at their table. He walked across the floor, or rather stumbled, pushing past the people that were still here.

As he made it to the other side of the room, he saw Reiner. He had his arm wrapped around a girl, who looked just as asleep as he did. "Reiner," Eren said, shaking him. He was cold, too cold. Eren kept shaking and shaking him, harder within each shake. "Reiner, wake the fuck up!" Eren shouted as he slapped Reiner. He pulled his friend's eyelid up, revealing a milky white eye. All the lively, stupid color from his eyes drained. Eren quickly checked his neck for a pulse, to no avail. "No," he said, pulling back. This couldn't be happening. Reiner isn't dead. He's fine. That's what he said. He'll be fine. "Dude," Eren said, still trying to shake him up. Like that will work. He turned to the girl, wondering if she's dead too. He tapped her shoulder, and her eyes fluttered open.

"Wha-" she began to say.

"Can you call an ambulance?" Eren said.

The girl looked at him confused. "Why?"

"I-i think he's dead" Eren responded.

The girl looked over at Reiner and noticed the blank, lifeless expression on his face. She gasped and searched her purse urgently for her phone. Eren just stared at Reiner. This couldn't be happening. No, no.

Eren started hyperventilating, and his eyes started to water. He put his hand to his mouth. "Are you okay?" the girl said as her phone rang. Eren didn't answer, he only looked at her and then ran over to the bathroom.

He vomited, the details conserved. He cried and gagged and sniffled as well. "Fuck!" he screamed into the toilet. "Fuuck!"

The other guy, who was unfornate enough to be in the bathroom, at the sink quickly washed his hands and got out as fast as he could.

Eren collapsed in the corner of the stall and cradled himself, rocking back and forth. He felt stupid. There was snot coming out of his nose and tears flooding out of his eyes. He looked like a mess. But in reality, he was. He was a mess, a mess who got himself in this situation. He should've stopped Reiner. He should've pulled that needle out of his vein and got them out of there.

But he stayed, and let Reiner do what he did. Not only that, but he poured fucking alcohol in his drink knowing that he was coked up. He caused this. This was his fault.

"It's my fault," he sniffled. "It, it was always my fault." He put his head in his arms and continued rocking back and forth. His mom's death, Reiner, why Zeke won't talk to him, it was all him.

He needed to leave. He needed to get out. He fumbled for his phone in jacket pocket.

The time was 1:05 A.M.

He scrolled through the list of contacts before landing on one.

The phone started to ring. It ringed and ringed before...

"Hello?"

"Mikasa..."