Bite Me.

24.

Eren walked into the room he had heard shouting coming from to hear Levi utter the words 'I deserve to die'. He felt his heart leap into his throat. Archer saw him before Levi did, and his eyes echoed the same horror that Eren was feeling.
'Je pars maintenant,' Archer whispered, white as a sheet, and hurried from the room. He had done all he had meant to.
Eren took a moment to steady his breathing, using this moment to try and come to terms with the fact that Levi was curled up in a ball and rocking back and forth, clutching the sides of his head as if he was in pain. He was whimpering softly, and Eren wanted to run a thousand miles from this scene.
'Levi?' He called to him softly, not wanting to startle him.
'Go away,' came the reply. The words should have sounded angry coming from him, but instead he just sounded defeated and lost.
'It's okay,' Eren soothed, climbing onto the stage and crouching next to him.
'No, it's not!'
'Just tell me what happened,'
'Archer...'
'What did that cunt do, hmm?'
'He wants me dead.'
'Did he say that?'
Levi nodded, still hiding his face in between his knees.
'Well then he told you he wants you dead. It's not the same as actually wanting you dead.'
'He does, though. I deserve to die, don't I? No, I don't even deserve that. It's not a harsh enough punishment.' He spat this out bitterly.
Eren placed a reassuring hand on his back, not used to comforting people in situations like this.
'You don't deserve to die,' he said kindly.
'You don't fucking understand, do you?' Levi sat up and flinched away from his outstretched hand. 'I do! I've killed people and yet you still forgive me and are kind to me! You're just stupid! I could have killed you, and still you choose to stay. Why? Why do you do that? Can't you comprehend that even seeing your face reminds me of what I've done?' He stood up, pulling Eren with him by his collar and then shoving him away roughly.
'Levi, stop,' Eren held his hands in front of him, trying desperately to placate him. 'What do you want from me? Because I can't tell. Apparently I can't do anything right. Your brother doesn't forgive you, and you're angry at him. I forgive you, and you hate me. What am I missing here?'
'Why did you stay? Just tell me!'
'I stayed for exactly the reason you thought I'd leave. Because nobody ever hangs around long enough to see past the façade and now that I have, I want to help you. I don't want you to be in pain anymore.'
'What makes you think you could help me? This is 220 years of pain. You can't handle me or- or my stupid personality.'
'I just can't win with you, can I?'
'That's the thing, for some reason you think you mean more to me than anybody. That you know me better than my own brother. He's only been able to keep me from going completely insane, never help me process all this hatred. So why are you any different to him?' Levi's voice went suddenly quiet, a chilling razor sharp edge to it. 'You're not special, Eren. You don't meant anything to me. I only keep you around because you're fun to scare.'
'Right. Because I'm just a toy to you. I guess I was stupid to think I could have any effect on somebody like you. It's just like you said, I'm not special.' He didn't even bother to look back as he walked away.
Levi was shaking with anger. Violent tremors racked his body and he clenched his fists at his side, willing himself not to lash out and destroy his instruments. He picked the violin up from the windowsill, turning it over in his hands. He hadn't played it since... Well, since he'd left Paris. It was part of a life he'd left behind. He debated whether or not he ought to smash it against a wall in an attempt to alleviate some of this rage. It wasn't as if it was put to any use. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to place it back down, straightening himself up and pinching the bridge of his nose. He had to regain his composure. He had to. Before anybody could get to him like Eren just had again. He prowled the suddenly eerily silent house until he found his phone and called Karim, demanding that she bring him something to feed on. She arrived to his chambers within half an hour, ushering in a tall brunette girl. He recognised her vaguely- had he used her services before? It was of little consequence to him. He ordered her to sit on the bed and she did so obediently. Her eyes slid down his torso appreciatively, and he grinned. Yes, he knew one way to infuriate Eren. The boy had clearly developed some sort of crush on him. This was sure to break his heart. He took her hand and asked her to call a few friends over, which she did eagerly.
'What's your name?' His voice had recovered its usual gravelly timbre.
'Elspeth,' she smiled, flicking her long hair back.
'Well, Elspeth. What say you we have a little party?'