Overprotective: AOT/KNB Crossover [Reader x Eren]

Chapter 44: Tug of War

~from Levi's POV~
Wait a second. I'm just like our dad, right? I hit (y/n)...maybe I should keep away from her for her own good...
(Y/n) was watching me, and she seemed to understand what I was thinking. She grabbed one of my hands and clutched it in two of hers. "Levi, you can't leave me," she said softly, her eyes glistening. "It doesn't matter if you're doing it for my sake or if it's because you hate me. You're part of the only family I have left, you and Himuro. So you can't leave me," she said, desperation shining behind withheld tears. "I know that's selfish, but...please, please don't leave me alone."
I thought of (y/n) when she was younger and all the weekends she faced alone, all the meals she ate by herself, an empty house with no warmth. "Tch. Fine, brat. I guess I'll just have to put up with you for a while longer." (Y/n) smiled at me, and I looked away. "Don't get carried away or anything, brat. I'm just saying that I want you to come back home."
When I looked over at her, her eyes were wide. "R-really?" she asked. Then her gaze shifted to above my head. "Himuro! Levi said I can go back to staying in his apartment!"
"Not staying," I corrected, annoyed, "living. Permanently."
I looked over at Himuro, who had come to stand on the opposite side of the bed. "Is it safe for (y/n) to stay with you?" Himuro asked, glaring at me, and although I should have glared back, part of me was grateful that he looked out for (y/n) more than anyone else. I had no doubt that if his best friend were to endanger (y/n), he would immediately question his relationship.
"I was wrong," I immediately confessed, surprising him in the slightest. "I reacted poorly, and I'll take responsibility for that. Even though I may not be the best person in the world, I'm still one of the people who cares about (y/n) more than anybody else."
Himuro crossed his arms. "It's not like you have much of a choice. She's your only blood."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "I could say the same for you."
A ring of shock flashed through his eyes, as though he hadn't expected anyone else to understand. If anyone else had heard (y/n)'s story, they would have clearly depicted her as the victim and Himuro as some sort of savior, but if I knew anything about human behavior, every savior is just a victim in disguise. I don't know why he showed up at (y/n)'s door or why he picked her to save or why he was a victim in the first place, but every act of kindness has a motive, and that's the hard truth I've discovered.
The room was silent until (y/n) put a hand on Himuro's arm. "It's okay, Himuro," she said, her voice soft, like she was sleepy. "Levi would never hurt me."
"Again," Himuro corrected, flicking his eyes towards me angrily. "There's a first time for everything. The second may not be far behind."
"But I trust Levi," she said, blinking wearily.
Himuro looked back to her. "Yeah? If you trusted him, then why did you call me, (y/n)?"
Her once-fatigued eyes blinked wide open. "Huh?"
Himuro's jaw clenched. "I didn't tell you everything, (y/n). Right before you passed out, you called my cell phone - only I didn't pick up right away, and when I did, you never answered. All this time, I've felt guilty, like I failed you somehow, because you called me, because you trusted me, and I wasn't there when you needed me. So don't pretend that he deserves your trust, (y/n). Who hit you? Who was mean to you? Who-"
By this point, (y/n) was crying softly, and Himuro stopped, his face pale, as he realized that he'd just yelled at (y/n) for the first time since they'd met. "(Y/n)...I didn't...I didn't mean..." he began, trying to apologize, but he looked absolutely distraught over his mistake, and without saying anything, he turned and left the room.
"I trust...both of you," she whispered through her tears. "You're...both...my precious brothers." I sat by her side until she felt asleep, and once she was, I wiped her tears away and tucked her in.

~from Himuro's POV~
How could I do that? How could I be so hypocritical as to despise Levi for what he'd done, only to turn around and do the same? No, I didn't hit (y/n), but I made her cry.
In my book, anyone who makes (y/n) cry deserves a painful death.
So why am I still alive?
I hate myself so much right now, I thought, wincing in pain before stopping, realizing that I wasn't quite sure where I was walking to. The last place I wanted to go back to was my mother's house; those walls offered no solace. However, I couldn't go back to the hospital now; I needed time alone to decide what to do.
There was only one place - one person - who could help me right now, or at least, who would let me think for a bit.
I started walking.