to love a liar

mind games

🧪 nsfw warning! Chapter contains mixed pov's of the main five (y/n, eren, armin, sasha, connie)

"You hardly come to see me anymore."

Eren stared at the smiling woman. Her eyes as bright as ever and half her deep brown hair was clipped back. Eren walked further into the room, seeing her expectantly waiting for him to speak from the table she sat at.

"Been busy," he responded blandly, shoving his hands in his pockets. The rain outside was picking up, tapping against the windows as thunder softly rumbled.

"I can imagine," she sighed airily. "Friends, parties . . . girls."

Eren rolled his eyes, and she laughed. "Oh come on. I know you've broken hearts here and there. Just don't break mine, Eren," she playfully wagged her finger.

"How would I break your heart exactly?" Eren cocked a brow.

"By not seeing me more," she cracked a grin, sweet and lively. "Who's to say you would always be able to see me? You'll be busy at college, and I could be all the way across the world or something."

"What are you even saying?" he sifted through the cabinets in the kitchen for snacks.

"I'm saying it won't always be a guarantee to see the people you love," she pointed. "You of all people should know that, Eren."

Eren turned around, seeing her face in the dim light of the kitchen. A vein of lightning streaked outside. In that flash of light, the woman's face switched from her smiling to her eyes apathetic and her skin covered in dirt and blood. Eren's own eyes widened at her when her face returned to look normal once more.

When he blinked, the woman chuckled, "What's up? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Um, nothing," he shook his head.

"You sure?" she cocked a brow. "You don't feel . . . guilty, do you?"

"Guilty? Why would I feel guilty?" he quizzed.

"Oh, don't act dumb," she stood up. She squinted at him, a heavy dose of vitriol in her voice, "Poor little Eren, sick of not being taken serious by the people around him so he fights to prove he's good enough. Fighting and fighting to save his ego but couldn't save mom."

Eren stared as she looked down at her hands. She turned her palms over and he was met by the sight of blood. He looked up at her face, red gushing from her nose, mouth, and wide eyes.

"Couldn't save ME!" she glared, white consuming the entirety of her eyes.

"No!" he tried backing away but she had wrapped her hands around his throat, squeezing till his pulse was dropping.

Her touch was like a burning rod, iron searing into his skin as steam perspired from his flesh.

"Faye, I didn't know!" he begged.

He could hear screams—her screams. Screams he wasn't there to witness. Screams he could've prevented. Screams that he always made the mistake of missing.

As she tightened her grip, his vision was becoming blurry. He blinked, seeing his mother in front of him. Then he blinked again, seeing you, hearing your screams play in the back of his head because he left you alone that night.

He opened his eyes one last time, seeing his beloved aunt again, "I'm s—sorry. . . Aunt Faye."

The screams weren't stopping. He heard them all—Faye's, his mother's—yours.

As the screams became unbearable, he clamped his left hand down on what he was holding. Something in him told him to focus on that feeling in his left hand.