T: W- E.D,Abuse.

Totally irrevelant, but today a girl made a rape joke. Absolutely apalled at the ignorance our generation has. Almost punched the insensitive twat.

Almost.

Hours

Turned into days

Then weeks.

Weeks of not having to fear pain. Of not having to fear the hot sting against his skin. Of not having to worry about saying the wrong thing, doing the wrong thing. But with that relief, came guilt. Why should he feel glad that his only blood relative should be dead? What kind of a monster did that make him? He should've been the one to die, not his father. Nobody wanted a bitching kid who couldn't save his own skin.

This reasoning, that it was all his fault and he was no less than scum of the earth, prompted Eren's fasting. At first it was gradual. He would stay up late, thereby forcing him to wake up later. In order to get to school on time [the teen still refused to tell anyone about his 'predicament'], he would have to make a mad dash for the door,economically cutting off breakfast time. This would go on, until he only had one meal each day, lunch at school. The boy was smart,knew if he didn't eat anything he would die. Still, he kept nourishment at bare minimum, only enough to keep him going through each day, but just.

It wasn't like he was concerned with his image. No, nothing as trivial as that. It was the thought of food. Sustenance. Energy. He didn't deserve that, not him. Not when he killed both his parents. Not when he pushed everyone away,including himself. Not when he had so many opportunities to tell, but didn't. He was a coward. Terrible as things were, he didn't want change. He didn't want to be separated from Levi, the one good thing in his life. He didn't want to be moved away, to some unknown location. Who knows what change could bring. He had enough of change.

So, he never talked.

Food just became one more obstacle for him. He hated the taste of it,sliding down his throat. He hated the feeling he got whenever his stomach was satisfied. He felt gross,disgusting. He preferred the empty feeling, arising from his stomach and lower back. That was painful,yes, but didn't he deserve it? After all, that's why his father was so keen on inflicting damage upon his son. He had to deserve it. That was the only explanation. This pain that he received from withholding, was nothing. He had to man up. Nobody liked a weakling. Besides,there were so many other people in worse situations than he. Who was he to call attention to himself? That would just be selfish.

Eren sipped his coffee, enjoying the acrid taste as it hit his lips. He subconsciously put a hand to his stomach,wincing as it growled mercissley. God, it hurt. Not to mention that his scar still wasn't healing, even after all this time. Just another reason of how he was weak. He turned,shifting around in his chair. Damn. He wanted a burrito sooo bad.

He was just about to go for a walk when

He collapsed.

No thought crossed his mind.

Except

'Him.'

Levi never thought he'd love. No, that wasn't really his thing. Not his style. So when he first found out that he'd be having a neighbor, a grim father with his slightly rebellious teenager, the male gave no second thought to it. But then he saw him. Eren. The boy with the brilliant green eyes. They were so big,so expressive. He couldn't help being captivated by him.

The boy sure did have a mouth on him, though. Many nights yelling could be heard through the thin walls of the apartment complex. Levi tried his best to ignore it, preferring not to dwell in private matters. But it was almost impossible. The teenager really did have a set of lungs on him. The two argued about things, school, Eren's grades, money. Levi knew how difficult teenagers could be. Of course, it was never really anything bad. Eren was a very passionate young boy, and often he would go on rants, his voice inadvertently getting louder. Until one day, the topic took a surprisingly dark turn. It was about his mother.

"She died because of you. You killed her."

Levi knew even that was too far. He was munching on a slice of pizza, tuning into the antics of the neighbors. Even when he was shouting, Eren had a beautiful voice.

He became increasingly worried as he was met with silence. Eren usually had something to say, whether it was a heated comeback or a reluctant apology.

Slam.

Moving to the window, Levi could see Eren hurriedly walking outside, mouth set in a scowl. He had the strange urge to comfort the brunet,let him know everything was alright. But he was just a neighbor. They hardly talked, only for that brief time when Grisha had introduced him.

Anyways, it would never work. Levi knew from experience that if he ever came over, that would be dangerously crossing the line. He couldn't develop a friendship with the younger, not when all he wanted to do was feel the taste of his lips. No. That was inappropriate.

He was underage, for God's sake!

Things got increasingly harder when Eren would show up at his doorstep. Levi never questioned it, just provided a shoulder to cry on, rubbing the boy's back in tender circles while he steadily poured out his frustration with things. Only when he saw the tight finger marks on his wrists did he understand.

But by then, it was already too late.

Grisha found out, and placed a restraining order on the male. How dare he? He should've been the one restrained, harming his son like that!

Levi had sighed, berating himself for not noticing. The way Eren would shift uncomfortably in Levi's lap. The way his eyes flitted to the floor whenever he was with Grisha. He mentally made a promise to himself, to take Eren in, as soon as he could get out of this mess.

Weeks passed, and Levi was sent on an impromptu business trip,scowling at the timing of things. In just two days, his restraining order was going to be lifted. He hated, hated, waiting, but if he was going to do things right, it'd be legally. Even though it made his heart clench every time he saw the young boy, now so distant, afraid.

When Levi arrived home, he raced upstairs, grabbing the spare key to Eren's house he took some time ago. He bolted in, kicking the door open.

Eyes widened when he saw the figure, unmoving against the tile floor.

Shit. What did he do to him this time? Fuck. I'm so stupid, I never should've of listened. Fuck the legal system. I'm gonna kill him.

In one swift move, Levi called 911, calmly stating the emergency despite the panicky feeling in his gut. He scooped the motionless teen up, moving to bring him outside. Handed him over to the paramedics,who barraged him with question after question. He answered them with a clipped voice, bravado shaken by his slight tremors. Oh god, it was all his fault. All his fault. If only he had said something sooner.

Levi watched as Eren was wheeled into the ambulance, slowly disappearing from sight. He half listened to the address the young lady was giving him.

Only when the wailing noise stopped did he realize how light the boy felt in his arms.

Hello again. God, sorry if this chapter was awful, I have no idea if it's good. Sorry that nothing really happened here. It's a slow build, obviously. I love fluff as much as the next person, but we cant have them making out, not yet.