Redemption Song | Levi & Eren

Chapter 2: Early Morning Strangers

      Waking up, an immediate pain pulsated in the back of his skull. His mouth opened but no sound was released. His shaky arm reached backwards in an attempt to touch the source of the pain foreign to him. His effort was obstructed by an object, a soft fabric-like obstruction.

His neck cracked in discomfort as he raised his aching head. His boney pastel fingers rubbed the back of his head, his stiff shaggy brown hair hidden behind a patch tightly fastened over the pain.

His top yellow teeth, suffering from a build-up of plaque, bit down on his chapped bottom lip. His scrunched up eyes allowed little light to pass through, leaving his vision in a state of perpetual darkness. His face scrunched up as he swung his legs over the sofa he laid upon and grew confused when his worn shoes scraped against debris on the floor.

Squinting through the sunlight peeking through the windows, he found the remnants of a wooden table dead on the ground. Wooden limbs, the damaged tabletop and splinters embedded themselves into the floor.

"I'd ask you to pay for it, but I know you can't." a foreign voice made its presence known.

The intruder spun, facing the back of the sofa. Instinctively, his bruised arms protected his face and he grit his crooked teeth in preparation. Levi stifled a yawn, leaning against the kitchen counter. A steaming cup of tea was held in his free hand. The homeowner was clad in a grey hoodie and equally as bland black jeans. A symbol on the hoodie was obstructed from the newcomer's view. He'd made an effort to clean up, involving a quick shave as well as adding gel to his hair.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he spoke up. "This your place?"

"Well, it's certainly not yours," He received a sarcastic reply. He'd yet to look in his direction, choosing to be distracted by something in his other hand.

The young man's attention drew back to the tables corpse below. "Did I break your table?"

"Technically, your face did," Levi left out some crucial details. "You tripped."

"Then why's the back of my head bandaged?" He questioned, oblivious to Levi's sarcasm.

Levi paused, taking a sip from his tea before speaking. "It was a bad fall."

The sound of shuffling caught Levi's eye. He spied the unknown man clambering to his feet, using the sofa's arm to stabilise himself. He scratched at his arm, his nails digging through his thin stained shirt.

"Is that my wallet!?" he raised his voice but it strained and cracked instantly.

Levi glanced from him to the confiscated brown discoloured wallet on the verge of falling apart in his hand. "That depends. Is your name 'Eren Jaeger'?"

Eren snatched the wallet from his hand and held it close to his chest. He continued to act cautious whilst on guard, even though Levi didn't make an attempt to take back Eren's property.

"You stole my shit!" Eren exclaimed.

Levi observed him. His teal-green eyes held a burning rage inside of them but it wasn't enough to make the shakiness in legs leave. Levi figured it was due to a lack of energy and food other than fear.

"You broke into my house. I wanted to know who you are. There wasn't anything to take anyway," Levi's comment about Eren being unable to afford him a new table grew from Eren having no money or cards in his wallet or on his person.

Eren rapidly shook his head, his whole person shaking. He choked on his words. "N-no. You touched me when I was out. I'll call the fuckin' police, sick bastard."

Eren expected a punch at the very least, followed by him being beating him half to death and nearly lifeless body being dumped in a skip. In response, Levi merely raised a single brow.