The Music Room - Ereri/Riren (SNK)

-Day 5-

Eren is like the sun; he possesses a strong gravitational pull I'm hopelessly drawn to. Maybe it's just me, or maybe it's this way for everyone. Either way, I show up to his room the next morning as asked. The door, marked with golden numbers 104, is open. I ghost in the doorway, peering in. I can see his room is the same as mine, but flipped, and he hasn't had the television replaced with a bookshelf. It's on and tuned to Spongebob. I roll my eyes.

Eren, of course, resides inside. He's lying on his back on the bed with two people hovering over him - one is the blonde nurse and the other is an unfamiliar male. He lacks a shirt and the male, who I can only assume is a doctor, is using a stethoscope. Eren's eyes are closed; he takes long, deep, visible breaths as the man murmurs things to him. Eventually, the stethoscope is put down and the man probes around his stomach, his ribs, et cetera. Eren lies impeccably still for this.

I remain in the doorway watching in spite of my mind telling me to turn and wait somewhere in the hallway. Something's caught in my throat at the sight of the half-naked, hairless, pale, skinny boy being checked up on. He's bad. It takes but one look to see this. He's been hiding so much from me behind his bright eyes and wide smile. I despise how much I've let it fool me and feel stupid for just that.

Of course he's bad, you idiot, I scold myself, He has terminal cancer.

I hear Eren whimper a bit past the thermometer beneath his tongue as the man's fingers make contact with a sensitive area in his side. The man makes a comment about a tender spot and moves on. Eventually the thermometer is removed from his mouth, the nurse records the numbers on a clipboard, and they leave him with his own kind of handful of pills and a bottle of water before they pack up. As he downs the medication, he doesn't see me, but when he's pulling a shirt over his head and the others turn to leave is when he spots me. Immediately, he brightens up.

"Levi!" he says in a voice scratchier than usual.

I open my mouth to apologize, but the man sends me a friendly smile and does so himself. They don't seem to mind that I've been standing there and brush past me, the nurse smiling and nodding in confirmation as she goes.

"Come in," Eren says all too happily, waving me in his direction. My hands are fists at my sides as I allow myself a few steps into the room.

"What...was...that...?" The words are uttered choppier than I intended; I immediately slap myself internally for it.

"Check up," he answers casually. "They were done a little later than expected."

"Are you okay?" I mumble. For some reason, I can't meet his eyes as I know it's a ridiculous question.

"As okay as one with terminal cancer can get, I suppose." Much like in the music room, he pats the vacant space on the bed next to him. "Take a seat." I do, although gingerly. He bumps me playfully with his shoulder. "Stop looking so freaked out." He grins.

I shake myself. "So what were they looking for?"

"Eh, usual stuff. Changes or whatever. Asked me if I'm in any kind of different pain or if anything else has changed. Stuff like that, so they can 'make me as comfortable as possible'." He air-quotes the words with a roll of his eyes. "Don't you ever get checked up on?"

"Yes. Just...never so...intimately."

The kid chuckles and the strangest kind of warmth radiates from the sound. Seems everything this kid does is melodious in some way.

Looking for a subject change, I direct my attention to the television that's still playing an episode of Spongebob, though not being familiar with it, I have no idea what's going on. Whatever it is, it looks ridiculous and childish.