Bite Me.

25.

Armin's little scrapheap car was very out of place when he pulled into Levi's driveway, and he didn't look much better himself. Eren stood up and before he did anything else, he made sure May was safe and in the car. He could hear footsteps behind him and he didn't want a scene.
'Eren, what's happening?' Armin got out. Right, yep. There was going to be a scene. He turned around and before he even saw him, he knew Levi was there. Sure enough, he was walking slowly down the steps with a stormy look etched on his handsome features. Armin gave Eren a look and mouthed 'Levi?' at him, clearly very confused.
'Where do you think you're going?' Levi demanded, reaching out for Eren, but he was shoved away. He narrowed his eyes and a muscle in his jaw twitched.
'I'm leaving.' Eren motioned for Armin to get in the car, but he was ignored. Of course he was. His friend was far too curious for his own good.
'No you're not,' Levi laughed, but there was no mirth in this.
'Yes I am. Is that a problem?'
'It's just a little rude to reject my hospitality, don't you think?'
'Oh, what hospitality?'
'I've provided you with a place to stay where all your other friends failed you.'
Eren cast a look at his friend, who did indeed look a little sheepish.
'I'm not discussing this. Goodbye, Levi,' he kept his voice as flat as he could and climbed into the car, gesturing to Armin to do the same.
Levi wanted to scream at him, drag him back inside and apologise and swear that he was special and he made him feel special, too. But he couldn't. Perhaps it was the presence of Armin, or maybe he was just scared of rejection. Instead he just stood and watched as the one positive part of his life was taken away, the only person who was able to bring out the good in him. He hadn't even believed he had any good in him until Eren had shown him otherwise. He had at first seen him only as a plaything, but now he wanted more. He... He wanted friendship. He didn't just lust after his blood and the ease with which he could terrorise him, he also wanted to rely on him. Now that he'd lost his brother, he had not one person in the world. He was alone. However many people turned up to his parties and bowed down to him, he could no longer enjoy anybody's presence half as much as he did Eren's. It made him ache.

Eren broke down the second they were out the gates, his entire frame convulsing with each gasping sob.
'Oh, to hell with it,' Armin growled and pulled over. 'Eren. Talk to me, buddy. What's happened? If you're in trouble, I'll help you, okay? Whatever it is. I promise I won't tell anybody. I just want to help you.'
But Eren couldn't tell him. He couldn't put into words that he'd fallen for a murderer who refused to love anybody or have anybody love him. He couldn't describe his feelings of loss over being separated from the one person who hadn't wanted anything from him. He couldn't relate his self-hatred for allowing himself to get so drawn into it all. He didn't want to admit how weak he really was. He hadn't managed to save Karim or Marzia. He had become complacent under Levi's rule. It was just as he'd said- he was just like everybody else. He couldn't resist from being treated like he was maybe something special and maybe, just for a while, he'd allowed himself to believe that he was. For his whole life, he had been forgotten about. He was just a second thought to everybody, only second rate. Nobody had ever truly loved him other than his own mother, and even she had chosen her brother over him. He never came first. He never would to anybody. Because he was nobody. He was worthless. Just a drop in the ocean of blood Levi had procured in his life.
Most of all, none of it felt real. He had returned to reality, the gates of that house a portal to an entirely different universe. Armin would think him crazy if he even tried to explain it. But he had to- he was done with lying and hiding emotions from people. He'd seen enough of Levi to know that hiding never helped things.
'I guess I should start at the beginning, huh?' He took a deep breath. In and out. In and out. He couldn't tell his story if he could barely breathe. 'Do you promise to just hear me out and not think I'm insane?'
'Yes. As long as you're honest.'
'In return, you can't tell a single soul.'
'I swear it. Whatever you say, it won't change my opinion of you.'
'Don't say that until you've heard it all...' Eren half smiled. It took the better part of two hours, including the moments where he had to recompose himself, to tell his strange tale in full detail. When he finally finished, he hoped he might feel a great weight lifting off his shoulders but instead, all he felt was an aching loss.

Armin was silent for a very, very long time. A disturbingly long amount of time. The cogs were turning manically in his mind and he tried to formulate a logical reply to possibly the weirdest story he'd ever heard. Whether it was true or not, he was terrified for his friend. He was out of his depth here, but he had promised not to tell anybody. There was no telling what was going to happen after this. Whatever did follow, Levi was still very much part of it. He knew from both what he'd heard and seen he wasn't going to give up so easily. He was a possessive control freak who didn't understand emotion. Also, supposedly a killing machine. He couldn't be sure that the whole vampire thing wasn't a metaphor for drugs or something but he didn't doubt for a moment the other parts. This was all completely beyond him- he was always the one who had an answer to everything. But now? Hell, he had no clue what to do. Every part of him swayed towards telling the police, because his best friend was in danger and there had been a murder, but there was that one niggling reminder that he had been sworn to secrecy. Could he really betray his friend? And besides, who would ever believe him if he told them? Also, chances were Levi had one over the police because the things he had done could never be so easily covered up. What he really wanted to do was find out if what Eren had said of him was true. Could it really be possible that vampires existed? He didn't like to rule things out in general but this was just so far fetched compared to everything he usually deliberated over. Aside from Levi being exceedingly dangerous, it was a fascinating concept. But before he could think about any of this, his best friend was crying in his car and his sister was there, and school started in a few hours. Man, this was gonna be a hectic day. He had to get them to his home. They could crash on the sofa for a while, probably. He only lived with his grandfather, and he wouldn't dream of complaining. He wasn't overly capable of comforting people when it came down to it, but he'd do his best.
'Eren, you're safe now,' he reassured him, patting his shoulder.
'No I'm not,' Eren shook his head slowly. 'Because I know if he ever asks me to come back, I will in a heartbeat.'