Crack of Sunlight (Ereri/Riren)

*~Chapter Twenty Five~*

Eren hung his head and let his hair conceal his eyes. "He's fighting," he murmured.

"But..." she prompted.

"But..." He gulped. "...he's losing."

Nodding slightly, Alex slid her hands between her thighs, eyes dropped to the floor. She had nothing to say, which was unusual for her, but she felt she had no right to speak.

"I'm trying, Alex," Eren continued. "I've been watching him deteriorate right before my eyes and I'm trying so hard to do whatever I can. But he's stubborn even though he's got to be in an impossible amount of pain. I feel like I'm failing, and I feel like my time is running out...his time..."

A dry, sarcastic laugh escaped Alex's throat. "He's such a dumbass," she whispered. "He always sugarcoats it. He says he can handle it when he knows he can't, but he's scared."

"How do you know that?"

Her lashes flickered. "Past experiences," she put simply. It made sense that she wouldn't say anything specifically; she didn't know what Eren knew, and for some reason he felt compelled to keep it that way.

"You have to talk him into rehabilitation," she continued. "It's the only way. We both know he can't do this on his own."

Eren nodded slightly. "I know. But you know...he doesn't listen to reason."

"If he did, he wouldn't be in this situation," she muttered. "I bet he thinks I don't care or even that I detest him...but in reality I've never been so scared." Alex's eyes became shinier under the light of the glowing television, but she shed no tears. "He's my only family, too. I know I've got Reiner and his family has accepted me with open arms, but as for blood...Levi is all I have left. I don't know what I'd do if I'd lost him and I can't help but feel immensely guilty for being absent when he needed someone. I've...I've failed him as a sister."

"I think it would mean a lot to him to know you care," Eren replied, "even though there's no way he'd show you any kind of gratitude."

"Believe me, I know. Just...try to get him there as quickly as you can, okay? Before it's too late for him. Please."

"I intend to."

Beneath Eren's, Levi's fingers twitched and his breathing hitched lightly, eyebrows pulling together a bit in his sleep. He was clearly dreaming, though whether it was good or bad was impossible to tell.

"He must really trust you to fall asleep on you like that," Alex said a while later, a small smile forming on her dark lips.

"Well, I dunno...I mean he was cold...so I shared my body heat...that's really it..."

Alex shook her head, smile full on now. "One thing you should know about my brother is that he doesn't trust easily at all, and he almost never likes to accept help from anyone. He's not affectionate, either. You're an exception in a lot of ways that I don't think I'll be able to fathom...having grown up with him and all."

Eren felt the blood rise to his face, surely turning it into that vibrant rosy color he hated, as it gave away his embarrassment and made it next to impossible to lie. Flattery wasn't something he experienced much and this feeling was more humbling than anything. Alex was surely the person who knew the man he loved best and he sensed that she wasn't just saying these things for shits and giggles. She was a very genuine person. Having something like that come from her was almost like it was coming from the tattoo artist himself. It caused his stomach to flutter pleasantly.

"You love him, too," she said smoothly. It wasn't a question; it was apparent she somehow just knew.

"Well, I mean..."