Overprotective: AOT/KNB Crossover [Reader x Eren]

Chapter 45: Anywhere But By Her Side

~from Himuro's POV~
I knocked on the door, and it opened a few long seconds later.
"Yeaaaaaaaaah?" someone from inside drawled out, and I blinked wearily.
"Hey, it's me, Himuro," I said, and after a moment, the door opened a bit wider.
"Why're you here?" he asked, looking down (way down) at me.
I sighed. "Something happened, and...I need a place to lie low and think for a bit."
Wordlessly, he opened the door wider and gestured for me to come in.
"But...don't take my food without asking," he added.
I laughed, but the sound lacked its normal expected mirth. "I promise not to, Atsushi."
He nodded seriously and closed the door. "Well? Not like I care, but what's wrong?"
I sighed heavily and sat down in a chair surrounding his kitchen table. "I've told you about (y/n), right?"
He nodded and shrugged at the same time. "I think so. She's your step-sister who's dying or something, right?"
My jaw clenched. "Please don't describe her like that," I said softly, but there was anger running under my tone.
Atsushi just shrugged. "Well? It's true, right? That's why you've started spending less time with me, because you're always running to her side, right?" He frowned at me. "So why are you here now? She's still alive, isn't she?"
I scowled first at him and then at the wall. "Yes (y/n) is alive. If she weren't..." I swallowed, unable to tear my eyes away from the faded wallpaper as I imagined how I'd react to (y/n)'s death. I shuddered. "She's alive," I insisted, feeling every shred of self-control in my being weakening with each additional second. "She's alive," I whispered, staring at nothing.
"Well?" he asked, staring at me without sympathy. "Why're you here?" he asked again, and I blinked, making eye contact with him.
"I...she said something, and all of a sudden, I just...snapped," I replied quietly. "It wasn't her fault," I hurried to clarify. "It was mine. But...What she said...My reaction was poor, but the words still hurt. I can't...I can't see her right now, not after I freaked out on her."
He stared at me. "I don't think I like this sister of yours. She's dying, so she thinks that she can say whatever she wants?"
I frowned. "Atsushi, that's not what-"
He glared at me. "You're better off without her, Himuro," he said in a low voice, and I hesitated, flinching.
"No..." I shook my head. "You don't understand. You don't know (y/n)."
"Yeah? Well, I don't want to. I hate her," he insisted, and I paled instantly.
"Please...Atsushi, believe me, she's a good person...She's my sister," I said, trying to convince him, but he stared at me with intensity.
"What kind of 'sister' would make her brother turn into a weak-willed person like you? I don't care how 'good' she is. I don't like her, and you can't change that."
I sighed, defeated. "Fine," I said softly. "You don't have to like her. I don't know why it's important to me that you do, but...she's important to me, and I like her."
"Are you sure about that?"
I nodded, confident. "I am."
"Yeah? Then why are you avoiding her?" he asked, his eyes blinking lazily.
"Because I-" I exhaled slowly. "I said some things that I'm not proud of, and I acted hypocritically."
Atsushi just shrugged, standing up and gesturing at me over his shoulder. "Whatever. You can stay here as long as you like, just don't-"
"Eat your food without permission," I finished with a weary half-smile, and he just stared at me.
"No, I was going to say...don't look so sad, idiot," he finished succinctly before heading to his bedroom and shutting the door.
I sighed. Atsushi was a...strange...friend, but he was the only one I'd made any effort at all to keep up with ever since (y/n) had been diagnosed. Ever since then, I'd devoted nearly all of my time to her, and when I wasn't with her, I was busy enough with work, school, and basketball, whenever I could join in with the team. The coach knew my circumstances, so she let me off a bit easy, but I hated missing practices that everyone else had to go to. It felt like I was cheating.
But maybe taking care of a dying sister entitled me to that.
I stared at my phone, which rested on the table. I should call (y/n), let her know I'm all right. I usually saw (y/n) every day, or if I didn't see her, I tried to call or leave a message. We'd never gone long without contacting each other.
I wondered how long I could hide from her.
I wondered why I was hiding in the first place.


~from (y/n)'s POV~
You tried to tell Levi that you wanted to wait in the hospital so in case Himuro came back, he'd know where to find you, but Levi insisted that you were just being stupid.
"Didn't you already say that you can't miss much more school?"
"Yes, but..." Himuro's face filled your mind, followed by Eren, Hanji, and Sasha (the girls of whom you hadn't seen for a while). "Himuro is more important to me than school."
Levi just scowled and dragged off a nurse to talk about getting you released. Then he came back with a change of clothes, since you were only wearing a thin hospital gown right now, and he gave you a piggy back ride back to his apartment.
Under entering, he said, "Your room is just as you left it."
"Thanks, Levi," you said quietly as he set you down on your bed. Your rubbed your eyes wearily. "Goodnight," you whispered through a yawn, your eyes already closing.

~from Levi's POV~
I watched her fall asleep from the doorway before I quietly closed the door to her room and went down the hallway to the living room, where I'd been sleeping on the couch lately.
(Y/n) seems to be weighing less and less, I noted uneasily.
I couldn't sleep much that night.