Swing Life Away [Ereri/Riren]

Unsteady - Part 3

Bring on the feels! >:3

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The next several months fell into a pattern of sorts, and things never truly got better for Eren. He faked a smile that Levi saw right through nearly every time. He kept to himself more than normal and rarely offered up any information when Levi sat him down to ask him about his day. He said nothing more than a quiet "fine" or "okay" before falling silent or changing the subject, which was rare.

And yet, in spite of himself, he always asked Levi how he was doing the way he had every day, practically since the first time he got out of rehab. Levi did his best to keep his answers honest - he was okay, he had a pretty good day, he'd had better days, or that he was having a shitty day himself - but what he wouldn't tell Eren was that he, too, was suffering day by day as he watched Eren's depression consume him more and more.

And he knew it was only getting worse when, on the days that were worse for Levi, his reactions went from talking to him about it and doing what he could to help him feel better, to less talking and attempting comfort in a more physical way, and then to saying nothing more than, "I'm here if you want to talk."

It was gradual - a painfully slow process - but Levi could feel his Eren slipping away from him. He continued to go through the motions - get up, go to work, come home, eat dinner (on occasion; it endlessly worried Levi how little he was eating), stare blankly at the television for a few hours before dragging himself up the stairs to curl up in bed and stare blankly at the wall for a few more, getting maybe three or four hours of sleep.

It would've been a lie to say Charlotte was immune to it, oblivious to what was unfolding in her family. She couldn't pretend not to notice - not when her Daddy was in so much pain and when it was affecting her Papa so greatly. It hurt to see them both so miserable, to see the change in their behavior, both in general and especially toward each other. Where they used to cuddle up on the couch with a movie after dinner while she sat at the other end of the couch with her homework or for the movie, too, they both now sat stiffly, not touching, neither of them truly paying attention to the show. Where they'd always greet each other with loving looks and kisses after one walked in the door, there were now quipped 'hey's. There wasn't any anger, but it almost felt like there was no longer any love, either. And because of it, she felt lost. Any effort to talk to either of them - especially Eren - felt fruitless, like throwing pebbles at a brick wall and expecting it to crumble to pieces.

It wasn't until one night after school during a long session of studying for her final exams that she realized how bad things truly were - when the fight happened.

It was only once, but it was so sudden and intense that it scared her half to death. She'd been sitting calmly in the dining room with a couple of books and her notebook spread out in front of her when the muffled sound of Levi's voice elevated into a harsher, louder tone. She'd stopped what she was doing short, right in the middle of writing the letter 'k' and stiffened, afraid of what she thought she was hearing.

Not long after, Eren's voice joined as well, until they were cutting each other off and trying to make a point, angry.

In the end, she didn't even truly know what the argument was about. She'd spared herself just enough time to shut her books, stack them, gather them into her arms and slip upstairs, blocking out the sound of their voices especially as she passed the scene of the fight. All she gathered in the split second of being in the same room was that Eren was seated on one end of the couch while Levi stood at the other facing him, and he'd been pissed.

Charlotte had shut the door to her room and twisted the lock, tossing her books on her bed and sitting in the corner, hugging her knees. They weren't yelling, but they were loud enough for her to hear muffled words that she both strained to make out but didn't want to hear at the same time.