All the Broken Pieces

Chapter 7: What do you mean you love me too?

I was still moving towards Eren, asking everyone if they had seen him. Everyone told me he was probably heading to his room. I kept asking though. I approached the dorms and slowly walked inside, desperately catching my breath. I started up the stairs and listened in every room for Eren. Oh god I hope he's OK. I finally came to the room I was sure was his. The door was slightly cracked open and I could hear sniffles coming from the other side, I opened the door and, just as I thought, saw Eren slouched on the bed looking at the wall. He hadn't noticed my presence yet.

    "Damn it! I should have known she loved him! It was his name she screamed when we left the walls..." More sniffles were heard and I moved closer to him.

    "Eren? What's going on?" Eren jumped and looked at me. His eyes were puffy and red. He looked like he had been trying to hide his face, seeing the scratches on his cheeks. He was a mess. His hair was frizzy like he had been trying to pull it out and tears were staining his cheeks. "You wanna talk about it?"

    "No...i-it's nothing... just leave me alone..."

    "You know I can't do that." I sat on the bed next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're my closest friend..."

    "How? How could you love him?"

    "What?" I scooted back and Eren stood.

    "How could you love someone so blunt as Corporal Levi?" A spark of anger flickered inside me.

    "Eren! What the hell does it mean to you? It's not like we had anything like that!"

    "I did!"

    "Wh-What?" I placed my hand on my chest and tears welled up in my eyes.

    "Do you know the pain I'm feeling right now? I don't think so! (y/n), I love you! And now I don't even think you see me as a friend! Just as a lean on!"

    "Eren I-" I looked into my lap. "I'm sorry. I didn't know..." It felt that my heart dropped like a stone. "But, you are still the first person I ever trusted! Even if it was slight." I looked up at him and I say his eyes filled with anger. I started to stand and walk over to him. "Please, calm down-" I fell over and closed my eyes. I trembled as I looked up at Eren from the floor. "Y-you p-punched me..." I placed two fingers under my nose because I felt something running down my lip. Blood. I stood up and started to carefully back away from Eren. He looked just as stunned as I was, if not more.

    "(y/n), I- I'm sorry... It was-" I shook my head as started to run. I didn't care about the bones in my ankle, I just wanted to get away from there. "(y/n)! Wait!" I heard him yell as he stood in the doorway. I turned down a hallway that was being renovated and started to look for the other stairs that I knew were there. I had gone up and down the steps multiple times before. I looked to my left and saw them I started to run down them, but quickly found myself falling. I tumbled down the remaining stairs. I laid there and sobbed at the blood from my nose continued to drip. My closest, my first friend...why? Why would he do this? I closed my eyes and began to sob louder. I felt cold, lying on the floor of the dorms. I only have one family member, and...he doesn't even know we're related... I had just lost my closest friend, to mere jealousy. I sat up and lent against a wall. The blood from my nose had stained my shirt and pants. Thankfully it has mostly stopped. I closed my eyes and placed my head against the wall. Tears were pouring down my cheeks, and my ankle had been pushed out of place. I was in so much pain, not only physical either.

     I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked up to see an angry pair of silver eyes staring into my (e/c) ones.

    "What the hell happened to you?" Levi said as he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket. He started to wipe away the blood on my face and neck. Tears started to pour down faster and falling onto his hands. I bit my lip and looked down in my lap where my now folded hands were. "Tell me so I can talk to whoever hurt you."

    I shrugged and sniffled. Levi continued to wipe away the blood and tears on my face. "Please tell me... I want to protect you." I looked back up at Levi. His face remained emotionless, but his eyes were filled with sorrow and regret. I heard footsteps from the stairwell and looked up. There was Eren with a terrified expression on his face.

    "C-Corporal Levi?" escaped from the young man's lips. Levi's eyebrows furrowed and he stood.

    "Why are you here and not in training, Yeager?" Levi began walking up the stairs towards Eren. Eren took a step back up the stairs to the top. "You're the only one in the building besides from (Y/n). Did you leave her in that state?" I could hear the anger in Levi's voice as he reached the top of the stairs where Eren stood. Eren started to shake in fear.

    "I-it w-was out of m-my control sir... Anger t-took over..." Eren said. Oh shit. Levi's fists clenched and I started to stand. Levi brought his fist up and I started to move as fast as I could up the stairs.

    "Levi! No!" I screamed too late. Levi's fist was brought up to Eren's face and strait to his nose. Eren stepped back and ended up against a wall. Levi grabbed him by the hair, put a knee to his gut and let him fall. Eren rolled on his back and gasped for breath. Levi kicked him repeatedly in a different place every time. "Levi! Stop! Please!" I said as I continued to make my way up the stairs. Levi started stomping on Eren's stomach. Eren was clawing at the floor and at Levi's pant leg. I made it up to the top of the stairs as Levi was bringing his foot back to kick Eren in the face for the tenth time. I grabbed his arm and pulled Levi away. "Please... Stop..." I said as I saw the half dead Eren laying in the floor. Tears were once again spilling from my eyes as I watched my poor friend struggling to breathe. Levi's face was twisted in an angry fashion. It was terrifying. He pulled away from my grasp and marched away. I got down on my knees and started rubbing Eren's cheek with my thumb while he was struggling to stay conscious. "I'm sorry..." I bit my lip again and one of my ears fell on his cheek.

    "I-It's o-okay..." He gasped. He put his hand on my leg. "I shouldn't have h-hit you..." I bent down and put my head on his forehead and shed a few tears. It was my fault he was in this state. I felt like I had did it myself. I forgot all about my pain and let the pain of empathy fill me.

    "Please... forgive me, Eren..." I sobbed. "I never wanted you hurt..." I closed my eyes and let myself fall asleep.