Crack of Sunlight (Ereri/Riren)

•~Chapter Fourteen~•

Flashes of honey auburn hair and ice-like eyes, ivory skin and long, dexterous fingers flashed behind his lids, alongside the memory of that ridiculous, dopey laugh and high-pitched male voice. His mind conjured up the vivid images and feelings that he wanted nothing more to be buried forever from the deepest parts of his memory. Long fingers prepping the poison, dilated pupils surrounded by bloodshot whites, the irises nearly lost. Hard fists he'd come into contact with many times, the very ones that forced him to learn to fight for himself. Absolutely insane nights filled with dangerous substances and wild car rides in a convertible with the top down. Blasting music and cheering voices filling the night air; dirty looks from civilians. The buzzing of a tattoo machine as he dug the needles into someone else's skin for green or powder. Parties, fights, and sex. The scent of different kinds of smoke, of body odor and whiskey. The sound of breaking glass and a car accident. His own sweaty body pressed up against another sweaty body with unattractive groans filling the air while some other kind of venom surged through his bloodstream, not allowing him to feel or think about anything but what was right in front of him, on top of him, inside of him. The wailing of police sirens and the bright red and blue lights and the burning of his thighs as he forced himself to run, run faster until he collapsed somewhere behind an old building, unsure if anyone had followed him, if any of his 'friends' were safe, or if he was entirely alone. Pain and numbness...numbness and pain...

~

"Good morning," Eren greeted cheerfully from the kitchen where he stirred up a pan full of fluffy yellow eggs and flipped crisping strips of bacon in another when he saw Levi emerge from the hallway. The raven remained dressed in his pajamas, but had pulled Eren's hoodie on and had his arms encircled around a red ball of fluff that was clearly Akane. "Hungry?"

"No." His tone was monotonous.

Levi shuffled into the living room where he all but collapsed on the couch and flipped the TV on. Immediately, Eren knew something was off. Abandoning his in-progress breakfast (but making sure to turn the burners off first), he joined Levi in the living room. The artist didn't even have his eyes on the screen, but stared blankly down at the coffee table.

"What's wrong?" asked Eren, sinking down onto the cushion next to Levi.

His eyelids fluttered and he looked up at Eren's big green orbs, filled with concern for him.

"Nothing," he mumbled. "Go ahead and eat without me."

"No...something's bothering you. I wanna help."

"It's...it's nothing. Don't worry about it..." His sentence trailed off, reminding Eren of that time on the phone while he was in rehab when he sounded so defeated and ready to give up.

"Like hell I won't worry." Eren slid his hand over to Levi's and gently wrapped his fingers around it, taking care to rub the back of it with his thumb. Levi's fingers responded automatically, gripping Eren's a little tighter than normal. "What's going on?"

Levi gave a slight shake of his head. "It was the dream I woke up from..." He pulled in a shaky breath between mildly chapped lips.

"Wanna tell me about it?"

"No. That will only make it worse."

Eren nodded, feeling helpless. He had the feeling Levi's 'dream' was more than just that. He'd had flashbacks in his sleep before, and those had taken an enormous toll on his mind and emotions. The look in his usually stormy eyes showed the same signs Eren remembered from that. Still, he wouldn't force him to talk about it if he truly didn't want to.

"Go eat," Levi said again. "Don't let me stop you."

"Okay...but I really think you should eat, too."