Violent sobs wracked his body as he wailed loudly into his pillow. The sound came out muffled and he prayed that no one upstairs could hear it. He would probably die from embarasment if anyone came to check on him. At the same time, he hoped someone would.
He buried his face deeper into the pillow. Pain shot through his chest as he released several hacking sobs. Every breath, sob, and wail was like acid down his burning throat. His heart beat in time with the intense pounding in his skull. Salty tears stung his raw face. And he knew that it was nothing compared to the pain of the soldiers who'd had to save him just two days proir.
The matress sunk under the weight of someone sitting beside him. He tensed and held his breath. A quiet sigh reached his ears and cool fingers threaded through his hair. He leaned into the touch and turned to face the man next to him. Tired steel grey eyes locked with his own.
"How many times are we going to do this?" Levi asked, his voice matching his tired appearence.
Eren shrugged weakly, letting his blurry gaze drift to the wall. His shoulders trembled as several quiet sobs escaped him. Another sigh reached his ears, this one heavier. The cool fingers massaging his scalp drifted down to his neck. A shiver ran up his spine and he coughed weakly into his damp pillow.
"Torturing yourself isn't going to solve anything." Levi continued. "All it does is keep you up at night. That makes you tired, which makes it harder to fight. You don't want to collapse in the middle of a battle. You'll die, which will lead to more deaths. Then someone else will torture themselves. And the cycle begins again."
Eren looked up at his superior. The man's gaze was distant, as though he'd forgetten where he was. The years showed on his face and his eyes darkened. For a moment Levi looked like he might cry, but the moment passed and he looked back at Eren with tired eyes.
"Go to sleep." Levi ordered.
He wanted to respond, even if it was a simple "yes sir," but he didn't trust his voice not to crack. So he simply nodded and gave a weak smile. Slowly, he flipped the pillow. His face buried into the cool clothe and he closed his eyes. He didn't fail to notice the slight trembling of the cool hands on his neck.
AN: Not as depressing as the last. Not as long either. Or as challenging. And it had a kind of happy ending. If you can call any of this happy.
Now, I like to reply to reviews but since "Cyborg" is either a guest or is like me most of the time and didn't sign in I'm just going to do it here. Thanks for the review. Um, how is it nice to see him like this?
