Creating Me - Eremin

Chapter 5

a/n: this chapter's not going to be as long as the last one, but I hope it works for you all. Also sorry if it sucks, I was kind of tired when I wrote it. Love you guys!

Trigger warnings: transphobic language, bullying, self harm and suicide mentions

I'm not going to go into great detail of what happened that night, but I'll tell you that it left me with a black eye, a split lip, and some more bruises to add to my catalog of injuries. When I walked to school that morning, I saw Eren on the way. I smiled at him, but he looked at me with worried eyes.

"Armin, how did you get a black eye? And a split lip!" Eren asked, clearly alarmed. I gingerly touched my lip.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it." I said with a fake smile.

"Armin... does this have anything to do with why you had to leave yesterday?" The smile melted off of my face, and I stared at my shoes, not wanting to answer. "Armin." Eren said, more forcefully this time."Tell me what happened." I looked up at him guiltily.

"I'm sorry. I can't." My gaze shifted downwards again, my eyes brimming with tears. I didn't want to remember, and I didn't want Eren to worry. I bit my bottom lip and waited for his response.

After a moment of us walking in silence, he said quietly, "I just want you to be safe." I looked up at him when he said that.

"Eren..." He caught my gaze, "That... that means a lot to me..." I trailed off. "I just want you to understand that the environment I'm in, safe isn't an option. But to be honest, you're the first person in a long time to actually care." My gaze flicked back down. Suddenly, I felt a pair of arms wrap around me, somewhat awkwardly. I looked over at Eren, who was leaning down in order to hug me.

"Listen," he said, "I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. You got that?" I nodded, tears threatening to spill onto my cheeks. It was in moments like this that I prayed to a god I didn't believe in for Eren not to be able to feel my binder. As much as his words meant to me, I didn't want to risk him finding out my secret. He'd hate me, I'm sure of it. He'd call me a freak, a tranny, just like everyone else...

I pulled away from the hug, a few tears having escaped my eyes. He smiled at me and wiped them from my cheeks. "W-we should probably get going, or else we'll be late to class." I sniffed. Eren smiled and nodded in response.

{time skip to lunch}

The day had gone pretty well so far. After Eren and I got to class (just barely made it), Levi and his gang left me alone, save for a few evil eyes sent my way, but that didn't really bother me. Lunch, however, was when things changed. I had lunch in 4th period, and Eren wasn't in my class in 3rd, which meant that I had to walk to the cafeteria alone.

As I was walking in a horde of students towards the cafeteria, an arm grabbed me and pulled me out of the throng and into a broom closet, one of the ones I'd found the day before. My breathing accelerated when I saw who had brought me in here, as he shut the door.

Levi.

"Well lookey here, my favorite tranny." He snarled. My heart was racing.

"L-look, Levi, I dont want any trouble-"

"Of course you don't." He cut me off, fake sympathy in his eyes. "But I do." I began to hyperventilate. My body was broken enough as is, I'm not sure how much more it could take. I needed to get out of this situation, but I didn't want to call for Eren. I didn't want to seem needy, and I didn't want him to get hurt on my account.

"W-what are you g-going to do to me?" I asked Levi shakily. He chuckled.

"I'm going to make you feel the worst pain you could imagine." He hissed, stepping towards me. I swallowed my fear and kept my stance. I wasn't going to show my fear.