to love a liar

a quiet life

🧪 theres a significant amount of storytelling, information dump, and time skipping in this chapter, so pls try your best to follow along.
🧪 TW: Domestic violence, child abuse, violence. These are very sensitive topics and i advise you proceed with caution. Writing this chapter got fucked me up, I better not see anti-y/n comments especially in this chapter because she is BASED OFF A REAL PERSON AND HER TRAUMA/BACKSTORY IS ALMOST ENTIRELY BASED OFF TRUE EVENTS. I see anyone invalidating her at any point, expect to be blocked.

While sliding on his blazer, Eren spared one final look at your back to him, your frame shivering from the cold before he was out the door.

He was making his way back down to the event hall, checking his phone to see he had spent so much time up in the room. His head was spinning, spinning with the feeling of you, the scent of you, just the thought of you. But he couldn't bring himself to look you in the eyes just yet.

Once he reached the floor, he headed toward the hall, thoughts ringing like alarms. He then heard someone call his name just as he entered. His eyes shot toward Louise standing not too far off.

"What's up," he did a quick nod, hoping that would be the end of it.

"Where've you been?" she asked, a feigned look of innocence on her face.

"Huh? Oh, just left something in my room and had to go find it," he lied. "Where are the others?"

"Well, some are at the table and I think Armin went up to look for you," Louise explained. Her eye fell on his disheveled state. "Is everything okay? You look tired."

"Yeah, I'm okay." He tried taking a step away.

"You've got a little . . ." she pointed at the corner of his mouth.

Eren swiped his lip with his thumb, looking at his hand to see the reddened shade of your lipstick. Shit.

"Wait, your tie's all messed up," she started fixing it for him. "There! Your shirt's all wrinkled too."

She started touching his chest, pretending to flatten out creases before he furrowed his brows, taking a step back, "That's fine, thanks. Where'd you say Armin was again?"

"Left a little while ago," she pointed at the entrance that Eren had just come from.

He offered her a quick nod, turning around and heading out again. He let out a groan when he looked around, not seeing his best friend. Then his eyes settled on a bar in the common area.

Stepping over, he took a seat behind the counter, ordering himself a much-needed scotch. It had always been his father's go-to. Zeke's was bourbon and Eren almost cursed himself for acting like those two at all.

Eren wasn't a heavy drinker, he hardly drank on special occasions either. He was okay with beer from time to time, he hated to admit it, but he was a lightweight. He was kind of shocked that you weren't. That you were downing shot after shot and stealing drinks out of your friends' hands and not even falling apart until hours later.

He figured it was because he preferred a smoke over a drink. He felt like drinks were for old guys who had been sent off to war, drinks becoming their companions after they'd lost too many.

Eren sat there, staring down at the amber liquid. And since he truly had no one to confide in at the moment, he figured he'd drown his sorrows like most men would. He took a sip, inhaling a deep breath after he'd winced down that gulp. Men are strange, he thought. Just pop a melatonin and go to bed or something.

"Where the hell have you been?" Armin quizzed from his side.

Eren set the glass down, looking over at Armin whose presence he'd not sensed until he spoke, "Having a weird night."