11:56 PM

"Damnit, let me out of these handcuffs!" Levi all but screams, fighting Erwin as the taller man drags him out of the car.

"We can't be for certain that Eren is actually-"

"Erwin, shut the hell up!" Levi roars, snapping the chains in half, freeing his hands. Before any of them have time to react, Levi had stolen Erwin's gun and broken Hanji's handcuffs as well.

Gunshots rang out and Levi rolled across the hood of the car, Hanji right behind him. Erwin shouts something but all Levi hears is the shattering of glass above him as he flicks off the safety of the gun.

Cursing under his breath, he ducks as Hanji shoots at the two men that shoot at them, hitting them both in the kneecaps. One man, a blond, burly hunk of a guy, swears loudly as he falls down. The other, a tall lanky man, falls without a noise of protest, crying out in something that could be label as relief. The police swarm in and cuff the two men, calling for an ambulance.

Reiner and Bertholdt…those bastards were in on it too.

"Hanji. Meet Isabel around the back. Farlan and I will storm the front." He snaps to his right hand man and Hanji nods grimly, running low by the bushes as she bolts to the back.

Levi grits his teeth and crawls to the front steps, Farlan already on the porch and watching him with a sharp eye.

"Are you ready to see this Rivaille?" Farlan asks him quietly amidst the chaos around them.

"No." Levi answers him honestly, and he ignores the shock on Farlan's face. "No I am not ready to see my husband, the man I love and cherish so fucking much, be completely destroyed when I find him."

Levi breaks off with a shaky breath. "B-but…"

They lay on the wooden planks of the porch and Levi is brought back to a memory of months ago when he made sweet love to Eren on these same planks, breaking in their dream house.

Or rather, Eren's dream house. But every dream of Eren's was a dream of Levi's and the only thing Levi wanted more in life than Eren himself was seeing every wish of Eren's made.

Rivaille swallows hard and when he meets Farlan's eye again, his own are cold and merciless. "But Eren needs my help and I made a promise two years ago that I would be with him, in sickness and in health."

….

"Do you hear them Eren?" Annie asks him sweetly, stroking his tear stained, and quite bloodied, cheek. "They're all here, for you. You've been such a good boy that I'd hate to kill you, but I have to keep my promise."

Her azure gaze locks onto the bedside clock and she smirks, flicking off the safety of her gun.

"Just a minute left. One minute Eren. Tell me, if you could have anything in the world beside you as you die what would you want?"

Eren's head limply falls to the side, and his dulled, once beautiful, gaze lands somewhere past her shoulder. His chapped and bloodied lips form a weak word and he repeats it over and over again.

"L…Le…Levi…"

And before she can respond, a low voice growls past the closed door.

"Oh I believe I can make that wish come true."

….

He and Farlan quickly make their way through the house, guided by a trail of blood red rose petals and candle light from the top of the second level.

They quietly work up the stairs and he repeatedly checks his watch.

2 minutes left.

1 minute left.

1 fucking minute.

He hears a soft, lilting voice, immediately recognizing it to be Ani's and his heart shatters when he hears Eren's broken voice respond to her question.

L…Le…Levi

He's calling for me.

He growls a quick response and kicks down the door, falling to the ground as Ani shoots at him. Farlan returns fire, ducking back into the hallway but they all freeze when Ani speaks.

"Time's up. I'll shoot him."

"Bullshit!" He shouts, rising to his feet. "We're here. I am literally two feet away from him! I met your fucking deadline."

Ani stares coolly at him, never one to shy away from death, and she ignores the two guns aimed right at her, in the same spot.

Right between those fucking eyebrows.

"You haven't looked at him once since you came here. I worked so hard to make him pretty for you and you never even glanced his way."

Levi grits his teeth and swallows hard, forcing himself to look at the thing he created.

Eren lies slouched on their bed. Levi forces himself to start at the doctor's feet and move up, trying to keep his exterior cold and uncaring as he inspects his young husband.

He's wearing his wedding suit…

Levi notices Eren's pants are stained red and his brow furrows, a sick feeling churning in his stomach as he looks at the damaged hands that rest on the pants. Fingerless…bleeding…Swallowing hard, he looks up farther, noticing the discoloring on his husband's wrists and fingers. A blood red rose rests in his lapel, trails of blood dripping down Eren's tie. Levi closes his eyes and breathes out to steel himself before looking at Eren's face.

And he wishes he didn't.

Eren's beautiful eyes stare at him, dulled and bloodied. Tears of blood trail from his bruised eyelids to drip down his swollen chin. His dried lips part slowly, and Levi strains to hear him.

"…L…Le…Levi…"

"Eren…" He breathes, falling to his knees as tears run down his face. "Oh Eren…I've finally found you…"

Eren's gaze lands on the wall behind him and his trembling lips curl into a faint smile. "You've…c-c…come for…me…"

"Idiot. Of course I did." Levi chokes out, trying to catch Eren's gaze but Eren never directly looks at him. Levi's heart sinks as the reality slowly sinks in.

Eren is blind…

"Wow. This has been touching, but I'm afraid we're done here." Levi looks up just as Ani pulls the trigger…

And falls to her death, the bullet she commanded hitting the ceiling. Ani's body falls to the ground and Eren slouches over on the bed, coughing up bloody foam, body convulsing as his eyes roll back in his head. Farlan watches from the door, eyes cold as they stare down the barrel of the gun, which was still aimed where Ani had last sat.

Levi lies on the ground, disbelieving for a few moments before Eren's strangled voice breaks him out of his reverie. Without a second thought, he jumps to his feet and rushes to his dying husband's side, stroking his bloodied hair.

"Eren…don't worry love, help is on the way." Levi whispers, kissing his temple lightly. Eren convulses under his touch and Levi looks to Farlan who smiles sadly as he is handcuffed.

"We've found him, Rivaille. But at what cost?"

Levi looks back down at his husband, eyes trained on the man as he is pulled onto a stretcher and stabilized. Rivaille blinks slowly when the familiar chill of the handcuffs cuts through his wrists, and he smiles sharply, looking back up at his comrade.

"The cost? My freedom and his life. My choices have fucked his life so badly; I wouldn't be surprised if he leaves me if he ever gets better."

"If, Rivaille?"

"Yes Church. If, because I'm done lying to myself anymore."

12:05 AM

FIN

A/N: I am so frustrated. I'm so sorry if this chapter absolutely sucked or isn't what you envisioned, but I have rewritten this chapter more than five times before finally being kinda happy about it.

I apologize for this utter crap and I hope you stick with me during these final hours.