Armin leaned against Eren's closed bedroom door, listening to the choked sobs of his friend. He wanted so desperately to go in there and comfort him, but he knew that sometimes you just had to cry. It's not good to hold it in until it's too late like he did. Of course, Armin was also a benefactor of this. Tearful himself, the boy eventually left and when he past Hanji's door, he heard something metal clatter to the floor. Then a loud thud. He pushed the door open in haste, only to see the researcher's wrist's sliced beyond belief, leaking out the red substance a fifteen-year-old from an outer district shouldn't know as well as he did. She was on the floor, smiling maniacally at what she'd done. She noticed Armin, and looked up at his horrified face, smiling even wider, until her lips cracked, producing more blood.

"Now...he...won't have...to be...alone." She giggled, before falling into the eternal sleep known as death.

(***)

Eren heard Armin scream but didn't even flinch. He was too overcome with grief. The voices echoed in his head, It wasn't your fault, Eren; It couldn't be helped, Eren; Don't blame yourself, Eren; He wouldn't have liked to see you like this, Eren…

"All of you just shut up!" He yelled, squeezing his head and curling himself tighter. "You don't know anything!"

"They do, and you know it, brat."

Eren gasped, and he tentatively raised his head. Levi was sitting on the bed in front of him, picking a piece of lint off the never-been-washed sheets. "Disgusting." He murmured, frowning even more.

"C-Corporal..?" He breathed. But that was impossible. The memories came flooding back, and he yelled into his thighs again.

(***)

"Captain, three Titans approached on the right!" Hanji said. She'd been moved to Squad Levi after the incident during the 57th Recon Mission, and this was her first time scouting with them. The only others were Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and Jean. They'd been chosen via hat.

The corporal looked in that direction, seeing the fumbled bodies moving at a breakneck pace.

"Those asses are fast aren't they?" He said, glaring.

"Yes, Captain. Precisely why we should take care of them now." Armin said, sweat beading on his cheek, both from exhaustion and fear.

"Hey, brat!" Levi yelled, focusing on Eren.

"Sir?" He responded.

"Take them out. It's been awhile since you've done that if memory permits."

"Oh, yes, sir."

Eren activated his ODM gear, flipping towards the Titans, terminating the first two, but missing the third, but he didn't notice.

"I thought Hanji said there were three…" His face paled.

"CAPTAIN!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. "I missed one!"

But it was too late. The Titan had already ambushed. Armin, Mikasa, and Hanji had escaped its grasp when Levi pushed them back, but he was caught himself. The Titan pushed the struggling Captain's legs in his mouth and crunched down. The howl of pain was sickening. Hanji screamed. The Titan did get any farther, as Eren sliced its nape cleanly off.

Eren ran up to the Captain, seeing the blood everywhere made him sick, but he still dragged the Captain out of the Titan's mouth and knelt down beside him, pulling him onto his thighs. He took off his own cloak and used it to apply pressure to the heavily bleeding wounds. His legs had been severed clean off, and even if he were to survive he would never be able to fight again. Soon, the bleeding stopped, but Eren's cloak was thoroughly soaked, too much blood.

Eren heard a sound come from the Captain. He turned his head and saw tears running down Levi's face, mixing with the blood. His face was that of pure anguish.

"N-No, Captain. You aren't going to-" He was cut off by Levi grasping his shoulders and pulling him forward onto his tear soaked lips. Eren gasped, along with his other teammates. Levi broke off after a long second, falling into Eren's embrace and gasping the last sentence.

"I love you, Eren. I love you so goddamn much." And he was gone.

There was silence for the next second until Mikasa ran up and fell in front of the two. Hanji was next. But Armin and Jean stayed back, still taking in what they had just seen.

"Eren, are you okay?" Mikasa asked. She tried peeling Levi off him, but she was met with a ferocious punch to the nose. More blood pooled.

"He's gone. How can he be gone?" Hanji gasped.

She cried out once again into the night, just as the ceremonial rain was starting to fall.

(***)

"You're not real." Eren groaned. "I'm going insane. Leave me alone, whoever you are."

"You really are insane, not washing these things. I am revolted." 'Levi' responded, picking off loose threads.

"I told you to go away." Eren droned.

"You really want me to leave? You'll never get a chance like this again, idiot." He said, boring holes into Eren's greasy hair.

"Prove to me that you're Levi."

"Look up."

Eren hesitantly did so. He saw Levi's face. It was genuine all right. He unraveled himself and crawled towards the Captain. Levi's legs were translucent, though the rest of him was opaque. On his back, there were two slits above his shoulder blades.

"What are these for?" Eren asked.

"Stand back. Levi said. Eren obeyed, just in time for two meter long wings to spread. One was a dark blue, the other a pasty white.

"The Wings of Freedom." He gasped, stroking the feathers.

"Everyone's doing fine, by the way," Levi stated casually, though it caused Eren to fall into a sobbing heap on his back. Levi turned around and held Eren with both his limbs and wings, oblivious to his deceased friends and family surrounding him.

Armin walked into Eren's room after seeing Hanji, only to see him jump out his window. The crunch was sickening. Armin collapsed on the floor and screamed out for Mikasa.