Chapter Text
The ride back home was awkward, to say the least. There was the deafening silence, only the rumbles of the vehicle. The exhaust noises the truck made was soothing to her, it reminded her she was real.
This was real.
But...now what? What's going to happen?
She doesn't want Levi to take care of her, she would feel even more of a burden than already.
They had already stopped by her house to pack several things, Levi is forcing her to live with him for a while, at least until things clear up. But he knew one thing for sure,
She was not going back to Trent. Over his dead body.
Levi's hands gripped the steering wheel, his mind still foggy and clouded over. He was livid, for several reasons.
Trent had been abusing her for God knows how long, and he never noticed. He nitpicked a few moments but shrugged them off. "Just like a fucking dumbass..." He thought.
Why hadn't she told him this was going on? Why hadn't she at least mentioned it, once? "Why did she fucking lie? Why did she hide this shit and keep secrets from me?" He clenches his teeth, gripping the steering wheel until his bruised knuckles ached even more.
Lastly, why hadn't she left him? Why did she stay with him when he abused her? "What the fuck was she thinking? I knew she could be a dumbass at times, but this is just ridiculous as hell!" He jerks the steering wheel into his driveway.
He breathes a sigh of utter defeat as he turns the vehicle off and rips the key out. He scratches his scalp and pushes his bangs out of his face in an attempt to calm himself down.
He unbuckles himself, opens the door and steps out of the truck before slamming the door shut. He walks to the bed of the truck and grabs as many of her belongings as he could carry. They had not packed enough for her to completely move in, they could always make a little trip back to her house and retrieve more of her belongings.
He then follows the sidewalk up to the porch, shoving the key in the lock of his front door, jiggling it and finally opening it. He stands behind the door waiting for her to walk in, continuing to shut it behind her.
"The guest bedroom is all yours, we can go put your shit in there." He mumbles, walking past her and down the hall to the bedroom next to his. It was a little smaller but it comfortable. Once he sets the things on the maroon blankets that laid on the bed, she did the same.
"Follow me." He begins walking out of the room, to another door in the hallway. Once she steps in after him, she realizes they are in his bathroom. He shuts the door behind her and walks over to the cabinet under the sink.
"What are-"
"You have blood all over your damn face, you look like a clown." He spits, setting the first aid kit on the counter.
The bathroom was a pretty big size, it was bright but welcoming. Her footsteps echoed as she walks towards him. He turns to look at her, taking in her appearance.
Those sleeves and jeans. They were hiding something. She always covered all of her skin. All of it.
"Take off your clothes."
"W-WHAT?"
He sighs, taking a small step back. "I know he left other marks on you...Let me see them." He mumbles, sympathy laced in his tone.
"I- I don't"
"I won't watch, I'm gonna run you a bath okay?" He pets her head softly, ruffling her already messy hair.
She listens to the sounds of his footsteps echoing off the walls. She slowly, hesitantly begins discarding her clothes. Piece by piece she found more dread overwhelm her. Levi had seen her naked before, but only when they were kids. They jumped in the lake but removed their clothes to avoid the scolding from their guardians at the time if they had come home with wet clothes. They would stay in the lake for hours and hours until the sun dyed their skin to different shades. She softly smiled remembering their red cheeks and noses that the star had formed on their excited faces.
Who knew those face would soon be covered in blood.
She hears a soft gasp from behind her after hearing the water begin pouring into the garden tub. Her head jolts to the sound to see Levi with wide eyes. He hesitantly walks towards her, taking in her appearance.
His eyes skim through all of the black and blue bruises. The scratches that Trent had drawn on her skin, the bite marks on her chest. The hickeys on certain areas of her body. Her ribs had been bruised from something recent it seemed.
"Why didn't you tell me!?" He yells, slamming his fist on the counter, causing her to bite her tongue and flinch.
"I- I didn't want you invol-"
"You need to tell me these things! What the fuck is wrong with you!?"
"I'm sorry!" She raises her voice, tears creeping up into her eyes.
He sighs, before continuing. "It's my job to protect you-"
"He loved me, he just...didn't know how to show it. I kept messing things up for him...I wasted his time, I stressed him out. I made him so angry at me that he had to punish me for it. I'm sorry I-"
"Stop. Stop. Hold the fucking phone. He didn't love you. You didn't mess anything up. For the fucking record, HE wasted YOUR time." He corrects. "And mine, might I add." He mumbles to himself.
"But he said-"
"'Doesn't matter what the fuck he said. I can say I shit rainbows out of my ass every night before bed. Do I? Hell no." He begins wetting a rag in the sink. "People say things to manipulate you. People can reverse things and completely make it seem as if it was your fault. It wasn't" He walks towards her and lightly dabs the rag against her cheek to wipe any blood off.
"People's words only have as much power as you allow them to. You're stronger than that." He whispers, his fingers tracing her black eye.
She noticed he had zoned out. "Levi...Are you okay?"
Why does this hurt him so much? Why was it hurting him just looking at her? Why did he feel so angry?
"I think the tub is filled." He manages to mumble, letting go of her.
She looks up at him, delivering a soft smile in an attempt to comfort him.
But the busted lip of hers only made his heart crack.
He walks out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. She stood for a moment before walking to the garden tub. Steam rose out of it, bubbles coating the top. She sighs as she steps in, slowly submerging into the heat.
For some odd reason, she felt the need to just get away from Levi. Just pack up and leave. Everything felt as if it would all come crashing down on her. She was holding Levi back from doing everything. The fact that she was living with him now only added to her guilt. She had plenty of savings to help provide utilities and help pay rent. However, knowing Levi he probably wouldn't let her.
But still, separating from your best friend? Your other half? Practically your everything? She wasn't sure if she could possibly bring herself to do it. "Levi is all I know, really. All I've ever known." She thought to herself, picking up the foam.
How would Levi react?
Speak of the devil, he walks through the bathroom door once more with two cups in his hands.
"I made tea." He mumbles, closing the door with his foot. Setting hers on the side of the tub, he sits on the toilet next to it.
"Y-you don't have to be in here."
Levi lets out a sigh. "I don't trust you being alone for too long. People tend to do stupid shit when they're alone. I'm not taking any chances."
Looking down in defeat, she slides deeper into the tub, embracing the heat that washed away her sins. To be honest, she missed Trent already. "That sounds sick..." She thought. How can someone miss the person who ruined their life and hurt them? How can-
"What're you thinkin about?" He rests his elbows on his knees, holding the tea cup in his hand.
She glances over to him, asking herself if it was worth mentioning.
"Nothing." She whispers.
"Bullshit. I know you by n-" Levi bit back his words by biting on his lip, giving his tea cup a firm squeeze. "I don't think I know her as much as I think I do. I didn't even notice she was being mistreated every day..." He thought bitterly, clenching his jaw. He begins speaking again. He wants to say, "I can tell when there is something on your mind." But even then. "How many times had she been wanting to tell me these things, but couldn't get her stupid self to do it?" How many times had she swallowed the words "Help me!" and suffocated herself to keep the peace? To keep everyone happy?
To not be a burden?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he allowed himself to be. There were so many unanswered questions. So much he had held back.
He felt betrayed. It was like a swift slap in the face, the stinging still lingered. It would always linger.
He couldn't control himself, he realized he would begin having episodes where he would just want to scream at her until she told him why.
"I don't understand-" She began.
Why?
"Levi, what's wrong?"
Why?!
"Levi you're going to brea-"
And suddenly, the tea cup he held burst in his hands. The hot tea leaked through his fingers as the glass cut his hand. Levi ignores the pain that blistered his freshly opened wounds, embracing the internal heat that inflamed his entire being. Gritting his teeth as he clenched his palms around the coffee cup, the shards drove deeper into his hands.
Why was the pain so numb for him, so satisfying? A distraction?
He deserved to know everything, he deserved to know why she lied to him and betrayed his trust, for trust was a huge detail to him. He never welcomed people in, but those he did, he needed to have undying loyalty towards; and with loyalty comes trust.
His hands dropped the shards as his palms slammed on the side of the tub, glaring at her. The action caused her to flinch again, eyes shut tight as her body jolted away from the violence.
"I feel like I don't even know you anymore!" He hollers, venom dripping with every word he dared to spit.
"Where is all of this coming from? He was fine one minute and now he-"
"I still can't fucking comprehend how dumb you can be? After a whole fucking year, you would think something might have been mentioned?How many years have we known each other? You would think after all of those years you would have trusted me. You used to tell me everything, but ever since his stupid ass got in the picture, it's like you completely turned your back on me! Now all of a sudden you need me again?"