Bite Me.

7.

Eren remained in his room until it was dark, Marzia still watching over him. She hadn't said a word since their conversation in which she had admitted she would rather he died than she did. Was there not a single person in this house who didn't value their life above everybody else's? He had put his life down on the line to save that girl, and this was how the universe was repaying him? Maybe it was because he had retreated back here, not pursuing the matter any further. He flinched when he heard the door handle turn, feeling sick at the prospective of seeing Levi. He couldn't look at him ever again. But it wasn't Levi- it was a short girl with tanned skin covered in purple/black bruises and a bloodstained maid outfit. It was the girl he had attempted in vain to save the life of.
'Karim!' Marzia leapt up, smiling. 'How are you still alive?'
'I... Don't know,' she looked very confused. 'I thought he was about to kill me, but then I looked up and he was gone. I guess he must've not been going for the kill. Anyway, I dropped round to talk to the boy.' She pointed at Eren. He beamed, hoping that she was about to thank him and tell him she owed her life to him.
'You fucking moron!' She stalked over and slapped him in the face. He recoiled in surprise, feeling the sting ricochet across his cheek. 'You never get in Levi's way. Do you even know how lucky you are to be alive right now? Regardless of how long you're staying here, you need to know how things work here. He controls everything and you do as he says or pay with your life. When he's cordial, be especially careful. The slightest thing can ruin his good moods, and then he'll be all the worse for it. If he's in a bad mood, stay silent and just let him do what he wants. However much it hurts.'
Eren's eyebrows furrowed as he struggled to wrap his mind round the idea. He'd never had his life endangered like this before. And it wasn't a pleasant experience in the slightest.
'I want to go home,' he sighed, wrapping his hands round himself and bringing his knees to his chest.
'I know, sweetheart,' Karim ruffled his hair in a maternal fashion. 'I do too, right now.'
'So why do you stay?' He stared up at her, wide-eyed.
'Because despite him being a psychopath, working here is really fun. We get a salary that looks like a phone number, and we barely have to do anything. There's parties all the time and we get free food, plus when he's on a good mood he can actually be a really cool guy.' Marzia explained.
'Speak for yourself,' Karim laughed. 'I work here because I have nowhere else to go. Besides, have you seen the grounds? I'm even learning to ride. When I was first turned, he took me in and helped me out. That's what the head of a precinct does- they look after everybody in it. He gets a little confused between taking care of people and controlling them sometimes, but he does wonders with the fledglings. He teaches them what to do and how to behave, and some of them he gives a job.'
'Is that what happened to you?'
'Yeah, and I will always be grateful. Without him teaching me that, I would've had to be killed as part of pest control if I went on a killing spree or something. So I actually owe him my life, and technically he's not wrong to try and take it,' Karim frowned.
Eren was disturbed by these words; who on earth said that somebody who saved their life had the right to then end it? There was something so off about the mentality of all his servants, and the master himself.
'Why was he so angry in the first place?' He still didn't know this crucial detail. Perhaps he was trying to enact whatever 'pest control' she'd spoken about earlier.
'I scratched his car,' she said this like she had tried to strangle his cat or something.
'That's all?' His jaw dropped, completely dumbfounded. He couldn't believe this. Who would try to kill somebody for scratching their car? Didn't he have a ridiculous amount of money, anyway? Surely it couldn't cost that much to repair...
'He loves that car,' Marzia rolled her eyes. 'Like, really loves it. The only thing scarier than him is his driving.'
'Traffic laws are for humans,' a gravelly voice interjected. They all turned to see Levi leant against the doorframe. He didn't look the slightest bit guilty or upset when he saw that Karim was still in a terrible state. He folded his arms across his chest, clearly waiting for somebody to say something. After a few moments, he cleared his throat and stated matter-of-factedly,
'If you couldn't work it out, I'm waiting for a thank you,' he looked at Karim.
'Oh, right!' She jumped up and dropped a curtsey. 'Thank you so, so much for letting me off the hook. I'm even more indebted to you. Please deduct a month's salary.'
He looked satisfied with this, but just as he turned to leave, he beckoned to Eren. Having learnt his lesson from the maids, he forced himself to walk over to him.
'I'm hungry,' Levi mentioned nochalantly, walking down the corridor and stuffing his hands in his pockets. He turned into his room, not even looking back at his subject. Eren followed him in, feeling apprehensive. He didn't even want to enjoy this, but he knew he would. What do you do when you have to do something you really don't want to, but you are forced to enjoy it? It felt traitorous to even think about pleasure deriving from this evil boy. How could he be allowed that sensation when Karim had only received a beating?
'I think I'm ill,' he muttered, putting his hand against his head for added emphasis and hoping this might get him out of it. Levi looked at him for an uncomfortably long time, his eyes narrowing in deep thought.
'You need some food,' he eventually decided. 'After all, you're weak from blood loss. I'll have Karim bring you something afterwards. Just endure it a little longer.'
'I think I'm going to faint,' Eren started swaying a little, and actually he did begin to feel really lightheaded. True, he was definitely suffering from blood loss. He hadn't eaten a thing in almost 24 hours and he'd been fed from three times. That had to be having some sort of effect on him. Just as his knees began to buckle, he felt strong arms lifting him up and carrying him like a child- with the ease of carrying one, too. He looked up at Levi, who was just as intimidatingly good-looking from this angle. He was beautiful in a rugged kind of way, with his callous glare and uncombed hair. Even now his expression was mildly villainous despite his surprisingly kind actions. He laid Eren down on his bed, pulling the covers over him and telling him to rest while he got some food.
Eren lay there in shock, unable to rest from uneasiness. He didn't feel comfortable at all knowing he was in Levi's bed, although it was the most luxurious bed he'd ever had the good fortune to be in. Fortune? No, that was the wrong word. Misfortune. Good misfortune.
He couldn't explain his emotions at that moment. Just a few hours ago, he had watched Levi possibly try to kill someone, and a few hours before that he had possibly tried to kill him, and now he was tucking him into his own bed and getting food for him rather than satisfying his own needs. He knew he should hate him; he knew he should despise this sadist vampire with every essence of his being. It would probably be a lot easier to hate him if he didn't then go and do things like this.

Levi returned not even a whole minute later holding a plateful of sandwiches. He passed it to Eren, watching him devour them all hungrily.
'Tell me, Eren,' he said conversationally. 'Do you hate me?'
Eren stopped eating, looking up at him in surprise. He couldn't formulate a reply, which was answer enough. Of course he did- Levi was a pretty awful person. He knew that, so he couldn't blame him if he did. Which he completely did.
'No,' Eren shook his head slowly. 'I don't.'
'You don't have to lie to me. I'm not going to hurt you.'
He looked amusingly disbelieving.
'Mm, point taken. Are you feeling better?'
Eren really didn't want to be fed from, but he felt a sense of debt now that he had been given this food. He nodded, giving in. Levi took the plate from his hands and placed it on the table before pulling him out of the bed and gently pushing him against the wall. He took Eren's hand in his, and for a second Eren thought he was being adorable. But no, he just brought the wrist to his teeth and bit into it as if it was the most casual thing in the world. He yelped in pain, then felt the glorious warmth. He felt weaker than ever and would have slid down the wall into a jelly on the floor if it weren't for the hand that wasn't clamped on his wrist pushed firmly against his chest, the fingers curled into his shirt. Levi lapped up the oozing blood, wishing he had probed for a vein rather than just go straight for it. Well, he was famished after the stress of such a long day. He still had yet to figure out why he had let Karim go. He had never done such a thing. He hoped he wasn't turning soft or anything... No, not possible. He finished quickly, only drinking for nutrition this time rather than satisfaction.
'You can leave now,' he dropped Eren's arm. Eren stared at him in disbelief.
'R-really?' He stammered.
'I meant back to your room, moron. Not home. Not just yet.'