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Armin gasped as soon as he turned the TV on. It was obvious Grisha had left it on the news, and the blonde heard Eren’s bowl of popcorn clatter to the floor as he saw the flashing screen. “Dude, are those cars on fire?!” Eren cried, still frozen in the doorway. “It looks like a fuckin’ warzone! Is that downtown Iraq?”
Armin tried not to grimace at Eren’s painful lack of knowledge on geography. “Iraq is a country, not a city, Eren…and…no, it’s not. This is actually Ferguson, Missouri. It’s in the United States.”
“Bullshit,” Eren snapped instantly, flopping down on the couch beside him. “Crap like that doesn’t happen. Not here,” he scoffed. Armin simply motioned at the enraged protesters on the screen. Eren bit his lower lip. “So…what happened?”
“The results of the Brown vs Wilson case were just released.”
Eren nodded sagely. “Right, right. Black dude shot a white guy, yeah?”
“Other way around, Eren.”
“Oh.” They sat in silence for a moment, simply watching the chaos unfold. CRASH! The sound of shattered glass blared from the speakers, and a store slowly began being consumed by flames. “WHAT THE HELL?!” Eren snarled, leaping to his feet. “Armin, did you see that?!”
“I’m sitting right-”
“They just set that store on fire!”
“Yeah Eren, that happens in rio-”
“That ain’t doin’ shit but hurtin’ the owners!” Eren’s face was quickly contorting with fury. “They didn’t do a damn thing about this case, why hurt them?!”
Armin sighed. “Eren, those people are angry and confused. I’m sure you know the feeling.”
The brunette fell silent. Shoulders heaving, he restarted, “How is that any better?! That doesn’t make it okay! It’s not an excuse for them!”
“It never was for you, either,” Armin retorted with a sly grin. But Eren was in no mood for sarcasm.
“Don’t you fuckin’ get it, Armin?! Those people out there? They-they’re hurtin’ innocent people over an innocent person!”
“I prefer this riot to the ones started after every Superbowl,” Armin murmured under his breath. "Insurance can bring those stores back; a person is gone forever."
“What is SO important, that they have to tear the whole damn city to the ground?! I-”
“Eren.” Eren fell silent at the soft call of his name and the gentle hand that took his own. “Someone was murdered. The killer was caught and yet wasn’t convicted. What do you expect of an entire community overcome by grief and rage?”
“That doesn’t-”
“Eren, imagine if that was me.”
Both boys were again wrapped in that silence that only seemed to want to smother the brunette. “No…I…that’s different, Armin!”
“How?” Armin countered easily. “Because I’m younger? Because I’m smaller? Because I’m white?” Eren’s chest continued heaving, but no words could escape his lips. “We’re both lives, Eren. Imagine if that officer had put six bullets in me for jaywalking.”
“I never would have let him-”
“I know Eren, I know. But I need you to just think about it. Imagine if they had left my body in the sun for four hours so our neighbors could see?” Armin’s voice never rose above a gentle murmur; a continuous, soft explanation. “Imagine coming home after school, and now Mikasa has to nag you to set one less plate on the table. Imagine my scholarship letter arriving in the mail, but I don’t get to see it.”
“That’s not-”
“That’s exactly what’s happening in Ferguson, can’t you see that? This is bigger than race. This is someone’s entire life being ripped away, and their murderer not being punished. Think of Mikasa. What would have happened without you there?”
“They…those men…” Eren was staring through Armin’s chest, obviously absorbed into his own clashing thoughts and memories. “They never would have been punished.”
“That’s my point. I don’t want you to go out there and bring me back Wilson’s head, but there was more than enough evidence to prove he was guilty. People are being overtaken by senseless violence, because of senseless violence. Hate begets hate. Fear breeds fear.” He squeezed Eren’s hand. “Understand?”
“I…I gu…yeah…” Eren mumbled, finally able to look his friend in the eye again.
“This is just like history class-if we want the truth, we have to look past what the mainstream media is giving us. The news can twist stories however they want. Officer Wilson hadn’t even mentioned an injury until tonight.” Armin pulled out his phone. “We need to go right to the source. Eyewitness accounts, Ferguson livestreams, it’s all here. And we can look at it for ourselves, and see what the press isn’t willing to allow onscreen.”
Eren stared at the little blonde, who was smiling and pointing at the smartphone casually. “Damn, Armin. Become a spy or somethin’. Next race case, they should hire you.”