Overprotective: AOT/KNB Crossover [Reader x Eren]

Chapter 33: Rejected and Rejected

~from Himuro's POV~
(H/s/n) was pulling ahead just slightly in the end of the second quarter, and when they called half time, I jogged over to the bench, already a bit worn out but kind of weirdly excited from playing. It was our first practice match this season as well, and although I'd never heard of (h/s/n) having a good basketball team the year before, they were fairly amazing this year.
Of course, Coach pulled out Atsushi part of the way through as punishment for messing up the jump ball - again - but still, (h/s/n) was hanging on. I was pretty impressed.
Of course, anyone could tell that without those two on their team, they would only fare so well.
Sure, Koganei and Furihata (the latter of which who had not yet been put in) had made it to Inter High and had won the Winter Cup with the infamous Seiren team last year, but their skills were primarily team-based.
Eren and Levi, however, were solo feats. I found myself a bit amazed at how Levi, easily the shortest player on the court, was managing to consistently score points, and how even though Eren wasn't the taller nor thicker of the two centers, he managed to get more rebounds.
I was just glancing over at Levi and the other bench when I saw it.
A container fell from her small hands, hitting the ground, and I saw a lemon fall out.
By the time the lemon stopped rolling, I was already there, grabbing Levi by his shirt and yanking him up.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I shouted angrily. Usually, it takes a lot to piss me off, but... "You raised a hand to (y/n)," I said quietly, almost in disbelief.
He just hung limply in my arms, not defending himself.
"Sure, I'd pegged you for an asshole, but I thought you'd understood..." I said, staring at him with horrified eyes. "That you understood that as (y/n)'s brothers, it's up to us to protect her from the world. She shouldn't- she shouldn't ever have to protect herself, especially not from one of us. That's why we're here. That's why-"
I hadn't realized that I was shaking until (y/n) tugged at my jersey. Her face was red from where he'd slapped her, but she wasn't crying. Thank goodness for that.
"Himuro," she said simply, not able to offer a smile, and my heart broke a bit.
I let go of Levi, and he fell back onto the bench, staring at his hands as though questioning why they even existed. "I'm so sorry, (y/n)," I immediately apologized, holding her hand tightly and bending down so our eyes were even. "I lost myself there for a second. Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"
She shook her head, but her eyes were still pained.
Damn it, Levi! Why did you have to go and ruin everything? I trusted you - the only person I've ever trusted - to watch my sister, to protect her. You've betrayed us both.
I scooped (y/n) into my arms, and because she was so small, she was able to wrap her legs around my waist and twine her hands behind her neck as she laid her head against my chest and closed her eyes. Without looking back at either of the teams, I walked out of the gym, leaving the game behind.
Winning cannot compare in the slightest to my sister's safety and happiness.
***
I carried (y/n) to her favorite ice cream shop which happened to be nearby, but by the time we got there, she was already asleep in my arms, so I bought a pint of chocolate to go and took her to the last place I'd ever wanted her to be.
I entered my mother's house, trying to be as quiet as possible as I made my way towards my room.
"What do you think you're doing?" a voice asked from behind me just as I was laying (y/n) down on my bed.
Exhaling deeply, I composed myself before turning around. "Mother."
"What's she doing here?" she asked without preamble, nodding towards the unconscious figure on my bed.
"She just needs somewhere to stay for-" I began in the calmest voice I could manage, but I was interrupted.
"I don't care. She's not my problem. Get her out of my house this minute," she said coldly.
"But (y/n) doesn't have-"
"Don't say that name," she hissed, and I flinched. "I don't care whose kid she is. She's not mine, and he doesn't care about her either." The he she was referring to was (y/n)'s father, my mother's lover. "I couldn't care less if you left her out on the street to die. Just get her out of here."
I held my ground, not moving, acting as a shield between my mom and my sister, one of whom shared less blood with me but was more my family than anyone in the world. "What can I do?" I asked softly, my desperation evident in my voice. "How can I make you let her stay?"
My mother was quiet for a minute, her calculating eyes narrowed in on mine. Finally, "I'll let her stay here until you graduate high school."
I knew that it was too soon to celebrate. "What's the catch?"
She smiled, but it was a twist of her lips. "My, my. What a son I've raised."
It's not like you want me, either.
"After you graduate, I don't want to see her ever again...and I don't want you to see her ever again, either."
My breath caught in my throat. Never see (y/n) again? There's no way I'll ever go along with that. But...
...where else can (y/n) go? I can't leave her with Levi, not with what he's done, and she'll die before she does back to her dad's house. I might never see her again then, either.
Is this the only way? To sacrifice our future together for the present?
With a start, I realized that (y/n) may not have that long of a future ahead of her anyway.
What's the best for (y/n)? I wondered futilely, struggling to come to an answer, but I just couldn't think of another way.
"You have until tonight to decide," my mother stated blankly. "Dinner. 6:30. Don't be late." Then she left me alone with (y/n), and I stared at her sleeping face.
What would (y/n) want me to do?