DOTR: Yaaaay, soooo, after months of conflicting whether I should or should not write/post this (because I've just got too many fandom's to work on) I decided, "Eh, screw it. Might as well." Sooo, this is canon but it's placed right after the Annie incident but right before Reiner and Bertolt go all villian and crap. Yep I was going to seperate this in parts but just decided to make it a Longshot so, meh. Hopes yous guys enjoy! Also, it's MPREG because it's my guilty pleasure and ya can't stop ma! :P

"LEVI! ! ! ! ! !"

All Eren could do what scream his Captain's name as he watched his entire being get crushed against the giant tree. Eren had expected to see blood, lots of blood, as accustomed to those whose bodies are broken, but there was nothing and that scared Eren even more.

Hanji had taken the opportunity to grab Eren in his frozen shock. She and Erwin wasted no time in securing their precious weapon from the enemy quickly surrounding, but Eren couldn't keep his eyes away from the direction his Captain had fallen.

Why weren't they going back for Levi?

Why weren't they making certain of his status?

Why weren't they slaughtering those damn Titans?

Every . . .

Single . . .

Fucking . . .

One . . .

Of . . .

Them.

Hanji had once said she believed Eren could turn into a Titan even without self-mutilation if only he had one solid strong reason.

And this seemed to be it.

"Eren, NO!" Erwin cried out, seeing the steam seeping out of every pore from the boy as Hanji clung tightly to him and made her best attempt to flee the scene as quickly as possible, but it was to no avail. Eren had flung the woman off of him and shifted. His rage had never been seen so full and the words of no one could stop him.

That day had been abnormal; there were well over 70 Titans that day and of the reason for the gathering, none knew. But it had caused many an unnecessary casualty, as put in the words of Levi. Now, humanity's greatest warrior was gone, just another number among that "unnecessary casualties." Now the boy savior, the Titan-shifter, the one Levi swore would never be on the list of said casualties, was throwing himself into the swarm and devouring.

Mikasa and Armin, two of Eren's closest friends, were screaming at him, begging for him to listen to their pleas and break free from his Titan form. He was in danger of being devoured himself and his friends were the only ones who saw it.

"Mikasa, Armin, stay yourselves!" Erwin commanded as he grabbed the two and saved them from entering the frenzy with their friend.

"Let me go!" Mikasa cried out, struggling to pull her arm from Erwin's grasp, but to no success. "Eren needs me! He'll be killed!"

"If a Titan-shifter can be overwhelmed and killed, then so can two measly humans!" Erwin reasoned. His words may have stayed the two teens but it did not cease their trembles. There they stood, Erwin, Mikasa, and Armin, all watching in horror and utter uselessness as Eren ripped apart the enemy surrounding him with fang and claw. It only worsened when about 10 Titans overwhelmed Eren's Titan and slammed him to the ground. Each taking pieces of the Rogue Titan in their mouth and ripping it off his form.

He cried out . . . Eren's Titan, or was it Eren himself? With that confusion Mikasa cried out herself and covered her ears; no longer wishing to stand the agony. Armin clung to her and wept as they helplessly watched Eren cry out.

"DO SOMETHING!" Mikasa cried out in desperation.

Just as her cry echoed throughout the forest a fire erupted deep within the pit of the Titans and soon they were all burning.

Now, another horror had awoken and this time it was in the form of the Rogue Titan's inferno. When it rose its head and cried out, the fires intensified. All the Titans surrounding were burning, their cries should have deafened that of Eren's own cries, but it was Eren who cried the loudest.

"Look!" Armin gasped as his shaking finger pointed toward Eren's fiery Titan and all beheld in amazing sorrow as the Rogue Titan wept as it cried out to the heavens.

Nothing but a fiery inferno surrounded it yet the wet, wet tears were falling from the Rogue Titan's glowing blue eyes.

Suddenly, the Rogue Titan leaned in on itself, its hands coming up to its face and covering it completely. The cries then intensified and a steam arose from underneath its palms.

"NO!" Armin cried. He caught what was happening. "Eren's burning himself! We have to stop him!"

Erwin's eyes widened the moment he watched the skin from the Rogue Titan's face slip off and fall to its feet. And it continued crying out as it burned itself. "Hanji!" Erwin called out and the moment he had the squad leader and her team were by their side. "Get Eren out of there now!"

There were no more words as Hanji and her men moved to extract Eren from the Titan. It was a failure though as no one could get close enough to the fiery beast long enough to cut Eren out.

"It's not use!" Hanji called out, her eyes wide with dread. "At this rate, Eren's going to burn up with the Titan!" As Hanji could do nothing but watch on as the Titan, their Titan, Eren's Titan, burned the very skin and muscles off its hones, she couldn't help but hear the agonistic cries. "Oh, Eren," she whispered to herself. "Those aren't cries of any physical pain, is it? I can hear you, Eren, I can hear the emotional trauma and it's killing you."

"I can do it," Mikasa said, shaking herself from her Commander. "Please, let me try."

"No," Erwin commanded. "If Hanji and her team couldn't get close enough then you won't be able to."

"Please!" Mikasa begged, the tell-tale signs of tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. "I can't lost him!"

Erwin knew they had to do something fast of they were going to lose another valuable soldier and they could not, under any circumstance, lose another.

"I'll go," Erwin informed as he straightened himself and took out his sword.

"But your injury—" Armin started.

"Will not get in my way," Erwin assured, but even as he reassured himself his uncertainty of the outcome of his attempt wasn't well hidden.

Before he even made the desperate move they so needed, something flew at the burning Rogue Titan. In an instant Eren had been cut loose.

"It can't be!" Erwin gasped as everyone beheld Lance Corporal Levi Rivaille. Everyone's faces went stark pale feeling as if they were seeing a ghost. But as he maneuvered his way around the flames their hope arose and they began cheering for their Captain once thought dead.

Erwin turned to see Hanji's reaction but her face filled him with dread. She was a few paces from him, on a higher branch, but he could still see every contour of her face and he knew how to read expressions very well. Something was dreadfully wrong. The tanned woman was shaking her head in disbelief but it wasn't from a rising hope.

When Erwin turned back to watch the oncoming Lance Corporal and Jaeger he realized they were getting closer and now he could see them much better. His eyes widened in disbelief and horror. He hadn't even realized himself that Eren had managed to wake, if only slightly from his unconsciousness and he was crying, endless flowing tears were running down his cheeks as he looked up at his superior who had him safely secured in his arms.

"Levi! LEVI!" The cries suddenly began as humanity's hero stopped in mid swing. Now he just dangled there with Eren still secured in his grasp. He wasn't close enough to reach him from a tree branch, but he was close enough to see that he was dead.

"LEVI!" Eren cried out, reaching up at the man whose joints locked to keep him secure while they hovered over the forest floor. Eren was shaking his head along with everyone else as the possibility of a hope reviving their once lost Captain faded. Eren watched as Levi's head fell back in a limp motion but oddly enough his form stayed balanced and his arms still locked around Eren's torso.

"Captain!" Eren cried out, rubbing his face into Levi's ascot and trembling with sorrow.

When Hanji leapt down from the high branch she was perched upon, she landed next to Erwin and the two looked on silently as Eren wept and clung to the body of his deceased Captain.

"What a fitting ending . . . isn't it, Hanji?" Erwin said in a monotonous voice. The female squad leader who usually always had a smile on her lips remained solemn. Erwin had thought he saw her nod her head in agreement but he figured he was mistaken seeing how silently still she remained.

The air around was solemnly quiet. In honor of Levi everyone remained still. There were a few who had let their tears fall, but they did so silently unless the tears became overwhelming and chocked them. Eren's cries came the loudest, himself not caring for the silence Levi would have wished for in his passing.

The return was even more quiet. Most issued orders via hand signals or eye movement. They had Levi's body in the drawn cart and he lay solo; that tour outside the walls had been overwhelmingly unexpected but even so the Survey Corps only lost one soldier . . . but it just so happened to be their strongest.

Eren had been placed upon a horse drawn by Erwin and the commander would often turn and glance at the boy. His hands were on the reins of the steed but he was in no condition to steer the mare. His eyes remained unfocused, dry of tears, but now windows to his inner turmoil. No doubt the boy blamed himself for the outcome of the mission like he tended to do; this was something Erwin, Hanji, and even Levi had tried to train out of him. Life and death was in no one's hands but fate. Eren was not fate, though could prove a great double, but even sometimes he was powerless to stop the sorrows destined to come.

Erwin believed Levi had been close to finally ushering this mindset out of Eren but now Levi was gone and no one could possibly hope to step in his place and finish Eren's teaching. So now, Erwin was concerned for the mental health of their Titan-shifter. He couldn't possibly hope for the boy to cease his grieving immediately. He, as well as the others, knew it would take, if not years, for the boy to ease his grieving but even so . . . Eren was different than most emotionally driven humans. He tended to keep and remember the tragedies of his life so it was a high probability that Eren's grief from losing his leader would never fade; that he'd take it to the grave and that was something humanity did not need.

The future of humankind needed their savior fit and healthy, mentally and physically as well as emotionally. That had been Levi's sworn duty to see to; the state and ability of Jaeger, but—there, the question arose once more: Who would take Levi's place?

"No one can," Hanji said with a sad shake of her head. There she stood, before her commander with her arms crossed loosely over her torso, her fingers subconsciously rubbing the sleeves of her uniform. "That's why I suggest a break for Eren Jaeger and those who emotionally took his death the hardest."

Erwin had heard and understood her proposal. After a short moment of letting his thoughts dwell on the boy, Erwin nodded his head and took out parchments from his desk drawer. "You are right; I agree. Please tell me the names of those traumatized the most . . . just in case the count in my head doesn't match up to your numbers."

So the letters were sent out and put those who needed time to heal from the ordeal on leave. Eren Jaeger being the first to receive the letter and the order it brought with it.

"Come back to me when you've recovered," Erwin ordered. "If I deem fit you are still not mentally prepared to journey outside the walls, I will prolong your leave. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes sir." It was the driest reply Erwin had heard thus far and it was cringe-worthy.

With a heavy sigh, Erwin caught Eren before he turned and left, saying, "His passing was hard on everyone, Eren. Not just for the Survey Corps but humanity. You know how important he was."

Eren had cast his eyes down when Erwin spoke. He hadn't met anyone in the eyes as of late, much less when the topic happens to be about a deceased hero. With him so downcast, the teen had missed Erwin's smile. His head only lifted when the commander spoke.

"I'm glad Levi had someone who could grieve so much over him. Years back, he once told me that he was sick of death and the annoying tears that went with it, so he had told me he preferred no crying at his funeral when it came time. You see . . . even Levi knew to dream about his own funeral. He knew it would come. It's those that survive that are caught by surprise at the timing of such events. I know he would deny it, but he's glad someone missed him as a person and not just an asset."

Erwin stopped abruptly when he noticed quiet tears begin to fall down Eren's cheeks. "Eren . . ." Erwin touched just underneath his eyes in motion for the boy to do the same. Eren did and when he pulled his fingers back he noticed the moisture. At first he looked confused but a weariness overtook him and Erwin watched as Eren's shoulders slumped before softly shaking.

"You see?" Eren began to speak, though low in tone from not having spoken properly in days. "I can't even abide by a dead man's simple wish? Why can't I follow any order he gives me? Why?"

Erwin froze and stared as Eren closed his eyes and let the tears come out hot and heavy. His face became red and soon sobs began escaping past his lips. "I'm sorry," he continually chanted like some sort of mantra. "I don't know why, but I can't make them stop. I don't want to cry but I just can't stop."

Erwin had jumped to his feet in an instant and pulled the boy to him. It had surprised Eren, but the action had surprised the commander himself. He had seen this case over and over before so why go so far as to hold and comfort a teenager who well knew the high mortality rate in the Survey Corps? He hadn't known but in that moment he felt he needed to comfort the boy like he had comforted Levi all those years ago when his two best friends had been killed and he seemed to just want to quit living himself.

"Stay strong, Eren," Erwin whispered as he patted the boy's back and stood there and let the teen wet the tunic of his uniform. "I know that's one order you can follow through wholeheartedly."

In the end Erwin had received reports of Eren's well-being as well as eye-witness accounts from his closer friends. As far as he could discern, the boy wasn't holding up well. When Erwin hoped a month would help settle the boy's stability that one month turned into three. When the fourth rolled around the file of Eren Jaeger was fattened with accounts of him turning his seemingly random visits to Levi's grave into routine.

Every day at 6pm Eren would leave his room, after finishing his dinner, and walk alone down toward the graveyard the city had granted for honored fallen Survey Corps soldiers. Levi Rivaille, though indeed succeeding to go down in history as humanity's strongest warrior, had been buried next to no one in particular. To the right and to the left were tombstones of fallen soldiers, their names and dates of death and birth carved into stone but they were not as related to Levi as he wasn't related to them.

Being buried amongst the common soldier is what Levi had wanted so his rank and status equaled the sacrifice those sleeping souls gave. Eren smiled at the down-to-earthiness of his leader and even though he would deny it if alive today (perhaps he wouldn't), Eren knew Levi quite enjoyed lying next to his comrades, no matter their feats. One thing they all had in common was they all gave their everything for the Survey Corps' dream and now Levi had joined them in unending slumber in that dream still yet to be made a reality.

Eren's hand placed atop the cold granite stone clenched into a fist and his eyes saw flame once more. Levi's dream, the Survey Corps' dream, his dream; when would it become a reality? When would he make it a reality like he so promised?

He was so weak in both strength and will it made him sick. Sick from the very thought that his Captain died in vain because his damn cadet, that he so graciously accepted into his team when the others were unnerved by his ability, couldn't accomplish a single fucking thing!

What difference had Eren made? What? Nothing but heartache came from his years following the death of his mother. Of course, what did he expect? Now here he was, crying like the baby he was, still sucking the milk from his dead mother's breast. Pathetic, he was a pathetic excuse for a human.

No, no he wasn't human. He wasn't even sure if he ever had been. He was lower than a human, so much lower. A Titan, he was a fucking Titan with no heart, no soul, and no mind. If he couldn't force his useless life to fight for one goal then what was he doing still breathing? Why did he deserve to share the ground, the air, the food, the water, the very time around the others when he was undoubtedly useless as a being?

Levi had once said, "You don't want pain, but at the cost of danger?" Who was Eren kidding himself? The pain would come it always would, it all depended on how he could cope with it and Levi was the best at coping with unnecessary pain. Eren wished he had asked him to teach him how he did it, but . . . it was a little too late for that now.

Eren loved all his friends and even when some of them died he managed to find the strength inside to move on and avenge them, but now that Levi was gone, Eren couldn't help but feel so weak and fragile as if he had been made of glass and suddenly broken. Had he really been that close to Levi?

Perhaps it was because Levi had accepted him without a moment's hesitation, or, perhaps it was Levi's willingness to shape Eren into the capable warrior he knew he could be and not just be used for his Titan shifting ability.

"I wish you were still here, Captain," Eren said with a soft sad smile. He willed himself to ease his fist so it could let his fingers roam the grooves and creases of the dates and letters carved on the Corporal's tombstone. "I still had so much to learn from you . . . but I suppose you're just relieved to get a brat off your hands, huh?" Eren felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes and instantly he began to rub them to stop their flow. "Damn it! I thought I got rid of these." Inhaling a shaky breath Eren once again looked at the tombstone now shrouded in the darkness of night. With red eyes Eren blinked and sat there until twilight, like he usually would. This time though, he had managed to fall himself to sleep.

"Sir, sir . . . are you alright, sir?"

Eren was only woken by the gentle nudging of a stationed patrol guard who had just came in for his morning patrol. He looked concerned and as Eren sat himself up for a moment he had forgotten where he was. He blinked when he remembered and a sudden embarrassment overcame him.

"Ah, so sorry. I guess I stayed a little past curfew," Eren said as he stood up on sore legs and offered an apologetic bow before turning and walking back to his room.

He didn't live too far from the cemetery but he walked slow and took his time getting home. These past four months had seemed so surreal as if it were a dream and every time Eren opened his eyes he wished that were the case but life was cruel. Always and forever.

He really did feel utterly useless. While his friends and comrades got to go outside the walls and face the dangers of walking next to death's front door, there Eren still was after months and months on leave. Why wasn't he healing? Why hasn't his state of mind changed? But more importantly . . . why did his heart feel so broken?

He felt like there was a missing piece of him and it frustrated the hell out of him. So often that he'd find himself punching walls, kicking dirt and cobble-stoned streets. He was used to lashing out at things and this was no exception.

He had figured it was the routinely visits to the cemetery—to his grave. So he cut the visits and stayed in his room. But if there was one thing Eren knew for sure, it was that he didn't have complete control over his body like a normal human being.

The very night he skipped his visit to the cemetery Eren woke in the morning from the patrol officer shaking him and asking if he were alright. That was right; he ended up in the cemetery sleeping against Levi's tombstone. His cheeks were wet with slumber-tears as he's come to dub them and his left hand was draped over his abdomen.

The moment he got up and apologized once again he felt that notorious grumbling in his stomach. He had skipped breakfast. So he dashed into town to find himself something to buy. Just when he spotted something delicious he realized most of his money had been left at home and so he had to settle for an average-sized apple.

As he bit into it he smiled and felt the hungry sensation slowly recede, but after three bites he had found himself turning from the table he was sitting on and wrenching all of it up. In frightened confusion Eren jumped to his feet, dropping the apple just as he leaned over and choked out more of his stomach's contents.

"Mister, are you okay?"

Eren turned himself to see the worried face of a little girl. She had been holding a basket full of lilies but she had taken in his appearance and honestly grew concerned. When she had jumped back her eyes shown that of fear and it was then Eren felt something come out of his mouth.

Leaning down he spit the substance into his hand and found himself looking at his own blood. It was just leisurely coming out of his lips and he couldn't stop it. So not to frighten the girl more, he brought his arm over his face and turned and ran back to his room. He knew he had to get himself to the doctors right away.

Just as he slid to a halt before the housing in which he stayed, to his surprise the touring soldiers of the Survey Corps had returned. Hanji the most notable so far as she made friendly conversation with the patrol guards around the estate. When she turned and smiled at him, her wave of greeting was short-lived the moment Eren collapsed.

"EREN!" she cried out.

The next thing Eren remembered was waking up in the medical wing with Hanji, Mikasa, and Armin looming over him, each baring their level of worry down on him.

"Eren!" Mikasa cried out as she took Eren's hands in hers. "Thank goodness you're awake. Are you in pain anywhere?"

Eren shook his head and went to say "no" but found something attack to his mouth. It was some sort of tube and when he looked up at Hanji the woman only shook her head and rolled her shoulders. "Sorry, Eren, it can't be helped. You won't stop bleeding and we're trying to figure out what's causing it."

"Did you do anything different today? What about food, did you eat something poisoned?" Mikasa asked, bombarding him with an onslaught of serious questions urging him to answer them.

Eren didn't want to tell them about the cemetery but when Mikasa asked about food he went back to the apple. Was it poisoned? He hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. When he thought back on it he remembered others eating from the same patch of apples on the stand he bought it from so it couldn't be that. Of course he couldn't speak thanks to the tube catching all his blood escaping him.

"Isn't this bad?" Armin asked, turning toward Hanji who was tapping the rickety monitor pumping to keep his blood together and off the sheets. "Losing that much blood can't be good."

"No, but Eren's an exception I suppose," Hanji said with a sigh before she came up to him and poked him on the chest. "Here's to hoping that little Titan heart of yours continues creating blood to keep you functioning."

"And if it doesn't?" Armin asked. "If his Titan abilities suddenly cease?"

"Then he'll die," Hanji said flatly but quite seriously. Her words did a wonderful job in keeping the two teens from worrying over their friend, but the thought of Eren dying was the least of their problems once Hanji joined the medics and found the cause of Eren's suddenly degrading state of health.

When Eren heard the news it was to himself. Hanji had kept his friends out of the room and sat down next to him. But of course she had to start up some random conversation to build the momentum and possibly the courage to tell him.

"It's a lovely day outside, Eren. You know, you're missing out," Hanji began with that smile on her tan lips.

Eren seemed confused at her lightheartedness before he watched her situate her glasses for a moment. Eren knew this gesture of hers, it was that of unease, but her smile and bright nature tended to hide that fact.

"Oh, by the way, it's good to see you not bleeding as much," she noted, pointing toward the tube in Eren's mouth, now much smaller, though Eren continually carried with him a cloth stained red just in case the tube didn't suck up the seeping liquid.

"Are you—" Eren cleared his throat and patted his lips clean of the blood missed by the tube before continuing. "Are you trying to delay, Hanji?"

"It really is good to see you're not dying. Lucky for you that ability of yours is reproducing blood at a faster rate to make of for the buckets you're losing, haha."

"Hanji!" Eren about shouted; cutting the woman from their small chitchat, "You came here to tell me what is wrong with me, right? What is wrong?"

Hanji became quiet and leaned closer to Eren. The dim light from the candle next to Eren's bed was barely enough to illuminate the room and now it shined an eerie shine on Hanji's lenses, but even so, Eren could see through them and see that Hanji was conflicted. She had her hands clasp together before her and her knuckles were rubbing her lips.

"I haven't told Commander Erwin yet . . . and I'm wondering if I ever will," she said.

"Wha—why?" Eren asked with a cock of his head.

"You can run away, Eren!" Hanji said, her hands suddenly slamming down onto his bedside and startling the poor teen. "Right now, this very night! I'll take out the orderlies while you make a run for it!"

"Why would I do that?" Eren asked, his anger getting the better of him in seeing how Hanji continually danced around the main matter. "Tell me what's wrong now!"

"Oh, I can't lose you, Eren. I refuse!" Hanji cried out when she suddenly flung herself at the teen and wrapped her arms around his torso rather restrictingly.

"Get off!" Eren demanded as he shook the woman off of him and scooted away from her cautiously. "If you're not going to tell me then what was the point of the visit?"

"Easy, easy, Eren," she said as she waved him to calm down, as if he were the crazy one. "The doctors think it's something else, but I think I know what it is."

"It?" All the confusion inside Eren was building up and it wasn't relenting and that caused frustration and from the frustration staying there so long came the inklings of anger.

Once again Hanji pressed herself closer to Eren but this time she placed her right hand solidly on his stomach, quite near his waist actually.

"What are you—?"

"Hush," Hanji silenced him with a raised finger, keeping her hand pressed to his belly only to press on it more, letting it sink in slightly. "Do you feel that?"

Eren froze his body and tried to feel what he was supposed to feel as per Hanji's word. The moment he did he coughed and out came the blood again. This time, it got all over those lovely white sheets. The moment it happened, Hanji moved herself and this time began patting his back to help him breathe.

"There, there," she said. "Life's cruel, I know, but even more so for a Titan-shifter."

"What . . . was that?" Eren asked, his eyes wide and pupils dilated as he placed his palms upon his stomach to feel it again and in less than a minute he could feel small fluttering movements just underneath his touch if he pressed down far enough and at a certain place.

"Tell me, Eren." There she went again, throwing her arm around his shoulder and pulling him close like this was some kind of laughing matter. "Are you still a virgin?"

Eren had wanted to shove her off of him and let his anger roll past his lips but instead his face became so red the heat traveled out toward his ears and then down his neck.

"W-W-What? ! What does that have to do with anything? !" Eren asked now wishing to shrink in on himself and disappear. No one's ever asked him before, well . . . possibly because he was ONLY 15.

"Have you slept with a woman? Or a man?"

"A m-man—WHAT? !" Eren slammed his fists down upon the sheets and ignored the spurt of blood dripping down past the tube and onto his chin. "No more, Hanji. No more of your games. Tell me, what is wrong?"

"Well . . . it's still too early to deem 'wrong' per say," Hanji muttered with a thoughtful nod as she drummed her chin.

"TELL ME!" Eren didn't care if the nurses heard outside. He was beyond aggravated and he knew that Hanji would not be the wise one in making him over emotional—especially with aggravation.

Hanji's face took a more serious disposition before she broke the news to him.

"You're going to have a little Titan."

. . .

. . .

. . .

Of course a boy of 15 wouldn't understand such use of words. Eren was drawing a blank even though he firmly believed he finally got the information he had been pushing for out of the scientist.

"What?" The question's hidden question really was, "Elaborate," and of course Hanji knew this.

"You," Hanji began and this time decided to add the most ridiculous of hand signals, "are going . . . to have . . . a baby." At the word "baby" Hanji folded her hands atop the other and made it as if she were rocking an invisible infant in her arms.

"I'm a boy," was the most solid defense Eren could shoot out even though he could feel that cold sweat dripping down his face after having actually felt something inside him.

"I know that," Hanji said with a nod. "But you're also a Titan-shifter so the laws of gender fly out with that as I see it." She became quiet in thought for a moment before she looked at him dead in the eyes and said, "the doctors believe it to be some sort of growth like a tumor, but after feeling it just now I know my assumptions were right. I don't know how it happened but I have many a hypothesis."

"W-W-What are you going to do about it?" Eren asked, swallowing hard and wincing at the rough raw rub of the tube still secured in his throat.

"I want to watch it grow," Hanji said. "But I really can't say how it got there . . . or how it will come into this world."

"What do you mean?" Eren asked, once again swallowing hard.

"Well, how's it going to come out?" Hanji asked before she raised her arm as if clawing for the ceiling. "Maybe like this? Right out of your stomach. You should be fine since you'll heal right back up. Doesn't seem to have affected any of your healing abilities."

"Stop, stop, STOP!" Eren cried and jumped out of his bed, pulling the tube from his throat and backing away.

"Oh, actually going to take my advice and run I see. Go ahead, I'll give a good reason to the boss," Hanji said with a salute.

"None of this makes any sense!" Eren shouted, placing his hands upon his abdomen again and just feeling so . . . alienated—first his body was taking midnight strolls without his knowing and now it's up and created a . . . a . . . Titan child? ! No, this could NOT be happening, not to him, not when he was so unstable as is.

"Of course it doesn't," Hanji said simply. "Yours is the first case—or first 'documented cast', it's hard to say."

"I see . . . I see what this is!" Eren said as he pointed toward Hanji with a forced smile. "You're-You're just playing around like usual. What's this really about, Hanji?"

"I'm afraid this is what it's really about," Hanji said with a sigh. "I'm sorry, but if you want more answers like I do you'd calm down and let me do my tests."

"Are you going to take it out?" Eren asked. "What if it's like the other Titans? What if it has no conscious?"

"We'll never know until it arrives I suppose," Hanji said. "That is . . . if it's full Titan."

"What do you mean?" Eren could feel the sweat dripping from his forehead and sliding down his cheek to drip off his chin. His entire being felt cold and suddenly he felt faint.

"Say Titans did reproduce asexually, which they might and that would actually explain why there're so many of them, well, if that were the case then the Titans born out of that would be nothing but human-eating machines, right? Or, possibly they don't reproduce asexually and there's just that many of them . . . but then we have you Titan-shifters to add into the equation, honestly I hadn't thought about the notion of 'Titan children' until the doctors discovered the 'growth' as they dubbed it while prodding around while you slept."

"While I slept? What have you being doing while I slept? !" Eren pressed, suddenly feeling violated.

"Other . . . things . . . but the anesthesia made sure you forgot all that," Hanji said with a chuckle and wave of her hand like it was just another sin to sweep under the rug and forget about.

"This isn't a laughing matter, Hanji!"

"I'm sorry, but this is honestly how I cope. Maybe you should give it a try," Hanji replied as she placed her hand upon her chest and settled herself.

"No . . . stop it . . . this isn't . . . this isn't funny at all," Eren said, feeling his legs slowly give out thus having his body slowly slide down and find itself seated upon the cold floor of his room. "No . . . this is a dream. I can't . . . I can't be . . . carrying . . . a . . ." Eren placed his hand upon his abdomen and felt it again, the fluttering in his belly and it was nothing caused by hunger or any of the sorts of bowl movements. The movement was more defined as if something not a part of him was moving inside him. It was hard to explain but it's what he felt.

But what was it? Was it a Titan child? Was it going to eat its way out of him? Or was it going to be like him, a Titan-shifter? How did it get there and why was it there? Eren wanted to know everything but in that he was afraid; afraid he wouldn't be able to cope with the answers in some strange way.

"Hanji . . ."

"Hm?" Hanji looked at Eren and noticed the distance in his green eyes; he was deep in thought.

"If I let you experiment on me then can you tell me where it came from?" Eren looked at Hanji, hoping for a definite answer, but the woman only sighed and rolled her shoulders.

"I can't say for sure, but if you let me perform my tests I can be sure to answer a majority of your questions. I may not find everything but I do come close," Hanji assured.

"Alright," Eren said with a nod. "When do you want to start?"

"As soon as possible," Hanji said with a smile. "But I must ask . . . when do you want me to inform the others? I can just inform Erwin if that is what you wish. He'll need to know for me to conduct these experiments, but I can understand if you don't want your friends to know."

"No, you can tell them. It's not like it's a shame to hide from them," Eren said. "That way, I won't be so alone in my confusion."

"Alright," Hanji said with a clap of her hands as she got up and moved over toward the door. "Well, you get some sleep right now and think about everything. I'm going to prepare what I believe will be needed."

"Will it hurt?" Eren asked.

"Hm?" Hanji turned to look back toward Eren and noticed the boy still rubbing his abdomen, feeling the movement underneath his palm. "You or the child?"

Eren looked at her with an opened mouth. What had he meant when he asked that question? Was he concerned for this "child's" well-being at all? He hadn't put much thought into it, but if it meant him harm in the end then . . .

"No, it shouldn't hurt, either one of you," Hanji said with a small smile before bidding him a final goodnight and leaving.

A baby . . . the thought of that still hadn't registered in Eren's mind as he sat there on the floor, leaning against the wall. Hanji had to have been mistaken. The doctors were right; it was nothing but a tumor; because there was no way in hell Titans reproduced, especially asexually!

But hopeful thinking never lasted, especially when he was laying down on a monitoring table with Hanji using strange devices she no doubt invented to figure out this anomaly.

"Four months," she said as she starred at a piece of paper she was connecting dots with.

"Four months?" Eren questioned, trying to see what the woman was doing.

"The Titan baby is four months," she said, glancing at him once before returning to her work.

That cold sweat was upon him again. He swallowed hard, minding the tube, but his uncertainty in the Titan-scientist's ability for testing properly arose.

"You're sure?" Eren asked. He then got a face full of a sloppily drawn . . . thing. "What is that?"

"That's your baby," Hanji said and Eren could practically hear those internal squeals from the Titan-lover. "You see this is a prototype machine but it's made progress so far in the scientific and medical areas and so I can proudly count it as reliable." With that she smacked the big hunk of machinery that looked as if it were pieced together by a two-year-old. "At first it was used for doctors to find tumors in patients and determine its size and position within the body but after a while of tremendous success, maternity doctors wanted to test it on expecting mothers. Once done they used the machine and began to successfully track a woman's pregnancy by using this to measure the child."

Looking at the piece of paper herself she turned it back toward Eren and pointed to the mechanically punched out holes littering the paper seemingly at random areas. "You see these? These dots are the perimeter of the formation and as you see . . ." Her finger then trailed down to the lines she drew. "Once you connect the dots you get a picture of it more clearly."

Eren took the picture from Hanji's hand and stared at is intensely. When his eyes turned back to Hanji questionably he asked, "You're sure it's not a tumor?"

"Of course not," Hanji assured with a chuckle before she once again showed him the lines on the paper. "See, that right there is the hand, and those right there are the legs and this . . ." She pointed toward what looked like the rounder section of the "tumor." "That's the head."

Eren eyed her credulously and Hanji frowned. Pressing her fists to her hips she said, "Well it's not a perfect machine, Eren. I can't tell the gender if that's what you're so angry about."

"No, you know that's not what's bothering me," Eren said, placing the paper down on his lap.

"Eren, did anything happen to you four months ago?" Hanji inquired, taking back the image and shoving it into a report file she was compiling to give to Commander Erwin.

"Yeah," Eren replied, leaning back into the pillows underneath him. "I lost my Captain . . . everything just turned to shit after that."

Hanji nodded before narrowing her eyes. "You're sure nothing out of the ordinary happened?"

"As pertaining to . . . this happening in my body? I'm sure I'd remember," Eren assured through his mutter, crossing his arms and glaring off into a distance.

"But you're prone to forgetting the most important things," Hanji muttered to herself.

"What'd you say?"

"Hm?" Hanji hadn't thought Eren would be listening to her rant so when her eyes turned upon him again she was taken aback by the sight of the sudden quick tears falling down his cheeks. "Eren . . ." Hanji reached out and touched Eren's wet cheek and was thoroughly amazed that Eren reacted in likeness to her.

"Wha—?" Eren pulled himself back and touched his cheeks. The moment he looked upon the wet substance smeared across the tips of his fingers he became angry. "Why?" He about shouted. "Why does this keep happening? !"

"Eren," Hanji hushed, placing her hand upon the boy's clenched fist. "Maybe it's the child that's causing your body to do these things."

Eren looked at her with frustrated anger before she patted his legs in a reassuring manner.

"Sometimes the human body can be a fickle thing," she said.

But her words seemed to strike a chord as Eren turned his head away from her, saying, "Apparently I don't have a human body. I can't if this shit keeps happening to me."

Hanji let out a sigh and leaned back in her chair, glancing up at the ceiling before returning to look at the boy.

"Levi had died upon impact with the Titan that crushed him, but his will had been so strongly instilled into his very being that his body moved on its own and saved your life . . . Levi was more human than anyone and yet even something so unheard of happened with his body. Heh, I blame it on overly spurred habit, but what I'm trying to say is a Titan-shifter's body isn't the only strange form still full of mysteries, Eren."

Eren's frustrated anger ceased at the mention of his late leader. Hanji was right; Levi's ongoing fight even into death was unheard of but it had happened. The entire Scouting Regiment had witnessed it, but here Eren was; complaining and saying a human body was simple and easy to handle.

"Is there anything else you wish to do now, Hanji?" Eren asked, feeling obligated to keep his word and let the woman continue her tests.

"No," she said as she packed up her reports. "But I think it's time you see your friends. I informed them so they're half-way-to-crazy concerned about you. Let them see you and touch you to know you're alright."

Eren slowly nodded and watched Ms. Zoe leave. He did as told and saw his friends, all of whom he shared the same regiment with. Mikasa held him close and Armin asked him more questions than he knew the answers to. Jean glanced away and condoned him for his short-comings while the others looked on worriedly.

"Are you in any pain?" Bertolt asked.

"No," Eren said, rubbing his stomach. "I heal so fast the pain's nonexistent."

"How'd it get there?" Springer asked. "Well, because it's not like you're a girl, right?"

"Hanji thinks this may prove one of her theories right; that theory being that she assumes the Titans reproduce asexually. She said they've been trying to explain their endless numbers so if that is indeed the case then we'll finally know."

"Well, that has to be the only explanation, right?" Christa asked, looking over her shoulder toward Ymir who only just shrugged her shoulders.

"Another theory is that someone planted it there," Mikasa spoke up, her eyes narrowing with a potential dangerous threat.

"What? How can someone do that?" Armin asked.

"Anything's possible these days," Mikasa mumbled into her scarf.

"There are downsides to these theories though," Eren began, looking down at his belly. "If this child came by way of Titans reproducing on their own then there's no doubt there will be no shred of humanity in it. If what Mikasa suggested is how it came to be then there's a chance it'll be another shifter, like me."

"But then that means the person who did that to you is still out there," Connie added. "Either way it's scary."

Of course it was scary, especially when you're the one it was happening to. The fear worsened when the sixth month rolled around and Eren began to swell. Commander Erwin had Eren moved to a secure facility where his personal doctors and guards would keep and watch over the boy. Because of him being closer, it wasn't uncommon for the Commander to visit at least once every day, though when he did Eren always became unnerved by the man constantly staring at his small swell.

"Have you informed the higher-ups about my . . . condition?" Eren finally asked after getting tired of the unease of Erwin's stare.

Erwin nodded and turned his eyes towards Eren's gaze.

"I have," he replied. "They want the child killed the moment it's born. They had wanted us to terminate it earlier but I convinced them that it was for the good of humanity that we continue the tests so to solve unanswered questions still posing a problem to us about the Titans."

Eren knew he should have felt some sympathy for the defenseless thing; its fate already decided before it was even born, but he couldn't feel a thing. He never wanted its existence and by it using his body as a means to come into this world was unforgivable. If Eren could, he'd reach into his own stomach and strangle the creature before it became a threat, but, for the sake of humanity and understanding the Titan race more, he let Hanji have at it and run her tests.

In the midst of his thoughts, Hanji entered the room with a case full of cylinders and beakers. She sat them down on Eren's bed, startling the boy at the notion of the weight.

"Another test, Hanji?" Erwin asked as he and Eren observed the scientist pick up a long beaker and mentally measure it through optical assumption.

"Yep," she said, that optimistic smile still on her face. "I have an idea in how to find out the little guy's identity."

"What do you mean?" Eren asked. No matter how many new tests the woman put him through it was still puzzling what ran through her head.

"It means I'm going to be looking at your genetic makeup and comparing it to the baby's," she said as she took out a syringe and tapped its needle against the beaker.

"That's a complex thing to do, Hanji. You sure you can figure this out?" Erwin asked, later watching in light amusement as Hanji scrunched her face and shook her head, waving her finger at him.

"We won't know unless I try," she said before taking Eren's arm and casually began rolling up the sleeve of his medical shirt. The boy had been so used to getting stuck by needles and prodded by tubes, rods, and all sorts of other things that he just mindlessly watched as the woman extracted a sample of his blood, but when Hanji spoke again, Eren's face turned grim.

"Though, if this test proves successful in finding and pinpointing your genetic makeup as well as the Titan-child's . . . we may know whether or not you were ever human."

So . . . the test was to determine if Eren was a monster. What would Eren do if such a revelation was informed? Would they tell him if he was some creature just wearing the skin of a human? He believed in Hanji and Erwin both. He knew that if it was something that important they wouldn't hesitate to let him know . . . right?

The wait now put a paranoia on him. Eren often found himself looking at his hands and skin, counting his toes and fingers, and touching his hair. Could he possibly not be a human? If so, where did he come from? How did he come to live in such a body? And why did his heart beat so strongly for a race that may very well not be his own? Because of these thoughts he had distanced himself from his friends and even found the hospital room too cramped and so he'd take a cloak and go for walks; sometimes short, but most of the time long.

Eren preferred the quieter roads so no one could distract his thoughts, but as he let his mind wander the moment he returned to the world around him he chuckled at the irony of how trained his body had been to routine.

There he stood, just a street away from the cemetery.

Eren had decided to turn around and walk back the way he came but something stopped him in his tracks. His eyes widened and his lips parted to form a silent gasp.

"What are you doing! ?" Eren cried out and immediately broke out into a run.

Why would Hanji of all people and her team just suddenly decide to unearth Levi's grave? !

"Stop!" Eren demanded as he pushed past the circle by knocking a few men to the ground.

Hanji heard the boy and so turned toward him, rising from her kneeling position. "Oh, Eren, I hadn't expected you to be out for a walk today . . . which is why I picked this date to do this." The last part she mumbled like some upset child who'd be tattled on.

"How can you be like this? !" Eren demanded to know but as he looked at the woman he noticed the dirt on her uniform, though her hands were clean, and in one of her hands she was holding something in a cloth. Beyond her lay the very casket of Lance Corporal Levi Rivaille and it just so happened to have been open.

Eren had halted his wandering green eyes the moment his sight caught view of a uniform . . . it was Levi's, Levi's body. Eren's mind then wondered what his former Captain looked like . . . he wondered what stage of decay he was currently in; was his skin falling off his bones or had that all withered away, Leaving nothing but a skeletal frame?

It was hard to imagine Levi in such a state and it all seemed so unreal, but it was no doubt happening.

"Please, just put him back," Eren said, cursing inwardly at the feeling of an all too familiar sting in his eyes.

"I will, Eren, once I'm done," Hanji informed with a light smile. She rose her hands and shook them. "Don't worry; I made sure my hands were cleaner than clean. I don't want to invoke the wrath of his ghost. God knows how scary that'd be."

Just as soon as she laughed, Eren's wrath she invoked.

"What does your damn tests have to do with the Corporal? !" His outburst didn't seem to surprise the woman but she quieted herself and listened nonetheless. "Can't you just let him rest in peace? How could you disrespect his grave like this? You were his comrade for so long and yet you give him no respect. I don't care that your hands are clean; I remember my Captain and I remember he also greatly cared about his privacy which you so ruined. So stop! Stop with your damn tests and stop fucking with Levi!"

Hanji remained in her silence at least until Eren's breathing eased. When the boy looked slightly calmer than when he was chewing her head off only a moment ago, Hanji said, "Eren . . . I'm doing this because I believe Levi may have survived."

That sentence struck Eren so hard in the gut he couldn't breathe. When he couldn't breathe, he couldn't speak and so he stood there motionless for a moment before managing to get a few words out.

"What . . . did you say?"

Hanji let out a sigh and suddenly her old self returned. "Haaah, I didn't want to tell you yet but I guess it can't be helped." She then turned toward her men and waved them off. "I guess I'm done here, put him back."

"Ms. Zoe, are you sure you have enough?" Her squad asked but she merely waved them off again.

"Yeah, yeah," she said while she turned and took Eren. "Make sure to be neat about it too."

Eren made no sound as Hanji took him aside and sat them down on a bench on the outskirts of the cemetery. Hanji was a patient woman and so waited a good half hour until Eren managed to speak again.

"Hanji . . . say it again, what you said earlier."

Hanji scratched her head and then sighed while she slapped her hands on her lap. "I didn't want to tell you yet because I didn't want to get your hopes up and then dash them because of a wrong assumption."

Eren's speech was still riddled with shock and so came out slowly. "What makes you think that? How can he have survived when . . ." There it was again, the tears that Hanji foresaw coming. "When he's laying there rotting in that fucking casket? !"

Eren closed his eyes and rubbed. "Dammit, why can't I hold my own whenever we talk about Levi? I made it through my mother's death but why can't I make it through his? It makes no sense at all!

"Eren, calm down; your stress isn't good for the baby," Hanji reminded as if she were a mother addressing her young expecting daughter.

"Shut the hell up with that bullshit!" Eren shouted, jumping to his feet and looking down at the woman. "Stop acting like you care about it! It's a monster, just like I am, right? You never told me the results of that test. What'd you find? Did you find out how inhuman I am? Did you? Did you? !"

"I'm not finished with it yet," Hanji explained in her calm physique.

"The hell you aren't!" I've had enough of your lies and disrespect toward me and especially toward Levi!"

"An inhuman monster calls for respect from a full-blooded human? What a joke that is," Hanji said, watching as the boy quieted. Once done, Hanji stood up and made to leave. Before passing the frozen scout completely she touched his shoulder and said, "Wait for me, Eren. I almost have all the answers. So, in the meantime, take care of yourself and especially the little one . . . for me, as promised."

The senior officer let her hand gently touch Eren's swell before leaving with a soft smile.

What did Eren expect? He, himself, had said it; he was nothing but a monster. And Hanji was right; who was he to call for respect from a human when he assumed himself inhuman? So he quieted himself and this behavior worried his friends the most.

"Eren, what did Hanji tell you?" Mikasa pressed but continued to get no response from the boy. Mikasa bit her lip and narrowed her eyes. She turned toward Armin and growled. "She'll pay for whatever she's done to him."

"Calm down, Mikasa," Armin bade. "We don't know the entire story."

"Doesn't matter," Mikasa swore. "Eren's already in a delicate state and for someone to damage him more is unforgivable."

"I heard about Hanji's test," Jean spoke up from where he stood, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "Heard it was to test whether Eren was human or something like that. Maybe they found out he was the monster everyone's always assumed he was."

"What'd you say? !" Mikasa barked, turning a heated glare on the suddenly unnerved boy.

"Well, Jean's got a point," Sasha spoke up. "Human males can't get pregnant so it's safe to assume Eren isn't human."

"Then why does he fight for us?" Mikasa asked, looking at her teammates. "If he has no ties to us then why give life and limb for us? He's more human than any of us."

"I agree," Armin said with a nod. "I may not fully understand what happened to Eren or how this 'Titan-child' came to be but I'm sure it'll be cleared up."

Eren had been afraid of that. He was afraid for Hanji's test to come to an official end. He was afraid of her calling him to her to inform him of his inhumanity. He was afraid of the confusion of his existence mentally damaging his already tormented mind. But the time came in a week. Eren had been called to Erwin's office where Hanji and the Commander awaited.

Eren had been a nervous wreck the entire time and wished to get it over with as quickly as possible. He was now regretting allowing Hanji full access to any bodily test she so desired. But it wasn't the fact that his genetic makeup revealed that of something akin to a human's genetic makeup but more along the lines of a Titan—so, still referred to a Titan-shifter—but it was what was revealed through testing and studying the genetic makeup of the Titan-child.

When Hanji informed the commander and Eren, Eren had become deathly still. Erwin on the other hand eyed Hanji quizzically before that curiosity intensified and his blue gaze turned upon Eren.

"That's . . . impossible!" Eren gasped quietly, that cold sweat back once more.

"The genetic makeup I extracted was extremely broken down but I managed to salvage what I could and they all matched to the markers recorded on the Titan-child's," Hanji said before looking at Eren with a sigh. "Eren, you have to remember six months ago. Something did happen and the result is inside you right now."

Eren numbly looked down at his belly that had begun to protrude some time ago. He slowly touched the round with the palm of his hand gently before he shot his hand away as if he'd been bitten by a snake.

"No!" He said, looking up at Hanji and then toward their commander. "You have to be mistaken. That is impossible!"

"Really?" Hanji asked. "From this research I had successfully tracked fathers of children and their markers ended up matching just like so. It's not like this is an assumption anymore. You wanted answers, I wanted answers, now the answers are right in front of us and you still don't believe me?"

"Is . . . is this what you meant when you said you thought he survived?" Eren asked, an anger bubbling up in him and the two adults could see. "What fucking idiot thinks that? !"

"A correct one, Eren," Erwin spoke up, seeing the boy was getting out of hand as is and decided to intervene for Hanji's head's sake. "Now we have another mystery on our hands; six months ago, what happened?"

"Nothing!" Eren swore. "I don't know what could for it to come to this!" Eren said, shaking his head, his frame still in disbelief. He looked down at his belly again but this time he felt the thing inside him move. The feeling wasn't uncommon to him anymore, but after the light of the situation, Eren just felt like jumping out of his skin.

Erwin narrowed his eyes in concentration and thought before looking toward Hanji. He nodded his head and then sighed out. "Hanji and I both know that you're susceptible to memory loss in moments of trauma or some other great emotion. Could this explain it?"

"Stop fucking saying that!" Eren shouted. His eyes were red with stress as he looked at the two. His teeth ground together so loudly you could practically hear the cracking of the crowns. "If something like that happened I know I'd remember!"

"Can you try, right now?" Hanji spoke up, narrowing her eyes at the boy. "Try and think back and explain in detail what transpired just before Levi was killed."

"What does it matter when you assume you already know?" Eren asked, shaking his head and crossing his arms defiantly still not believing a word those two were confirming.

"It'll help you accept the child," Erwin stated.

Eren looked at the blond, his stance still defiant but it was too late to stop himself, he was already going back six months. In his mind he saw it . . . he saw Levi getting crushed by that damn Titan he later devoured himself, but then it continued to rewind and then he saw Levi struggling to fix his malfunctioning 3D gear . . . back again and he was looking at his team that had finally found them after a chaotic couple of days from separation . . . back further and Eren remembered how they had gotten separated from the rest of the regiment . . .

"Eren, don't," Levi warned as he watched Eren about turn himself into a Titan over a simple band of Titans that hadn't even seen them yet. "We'll maneuver around them."

"Yes, Captain," Eren nodded as he followed the man while swinging through the trees in hopes to find where they had lost the rest of the Survey Corps. After a while of searching Eren had followed Levi and settled on a tree branch. His leader looked thoroughly pissed.

"Tch, that damn Hanji, she must have given me a faulty map. Figures," he muttered to himself as his eyes scanned the surrounding area.

Eren did as well, trying to spot something perhaps Levi missed. Nothing but green out there and as he glanced upward he noticed the light dimming, evening was nearing.

"Captain, we should rest for the night," Eren said once the night already encased the two.

"Are you the leader?" Levi asked, looking back at the boy who quickly sucked both lips back into his mouth, wishing he hadn't mentioned anything at all. "Then shut the hell up and continue searching!"

And they did continue, well into the night, and into the morning, and the afternoon and soon the night was falling on that day as well. They had been so lucky that Eren carried along spare tanks in a pack slung around his shoulders or else this search could take a lot longer. But still, the long searching hours wore on Eren, himself not being used to running for so long and so he collapsed upon a tree branch and just laid there, his eyes ready to close and never open.

Of course he would have been comfortable if he hadn't felt that sharp jab from Levi's boot. He flinched away knowing all too well how Levi could kick the shit out of him so he willed himself to open his eyes and look up at his captain.

"Who said you could rest?" Levi asked, his thin brow perfectly raised in a quizzically sophisticated manner.

"I can't go on," Eren explained. "I'm already losing balance from lack of sleep."

"Sometimes you have to stay awake for days in the Scouting Regiment," Levi said, leaning down toward the poor boy, but his eyes showed no sign of sympathy or comfort, nope—that was malice, Eren was sure of it. "So get the hell up and keep moving."

Tired or not, Eren shot up and gave a firm, "Yes sir!" and continued following his Captain. When the second day passed the rains began. The rains came all day and worsened into the night making it near impossible to see anything. Eren had about slipped and fell to his death once or twice and when he had missed a tree to hook onto and instead slid himself onto an outstretched branch he clung onto it for dear life and just stayed there. His breathing was heavy and his was freezing from the rain. He didn't know how Levi did it but all he knew is that he couldn't do it anymore.

He had wanted to cry out to Levi but he was too tired to do even that and so he stayed there, waiting for the moment for Levi to return and give him a good kick across the jaw for his insubordination. Eren was thoroughly surprise though with how long it had been since he had left Levi's presence, the man still hadn't come looking for him. And it made Eren wonder if he even knew he was gone . . . or if he even cared. Well, of course he had to care, after all Eren was Levi's responsibility, right? Right?

Scooting himself closer toward the trunk of the giant tree, Eren hugged it, trying to get some kind of warmth from the bark, but the wind had blown the rain in his direction and no matter how he tried to stay out of the storm, the ragging rain continued to wet him to the bones.

"Eren!"

Eren looked around; he had sworn he heard his name in the storm. He thought it might have been Levi but wondered if it were anyone at all.

"Eren!"

There it was again but still no one. Eren wrapped his wet cloak around him and tried to shield the rest of his skin from the rain but it just continued to soak into the fabric of his clothing and wet every inch of him.

Suddenly, Eren heard a "thunk!" as if someone had landed on the same branch he had. When he turned his eyes toward the visitor he already got a jaw full of fist. Eren was sure he would have fallen right off the branch hadn't Levi clutched the collar of his cloak and held him in his angry grasp.

"What the hell did I say, Eren? ! I told you to follow me! Where the fuck were you? !" Eren was amazed at his Captain's stamina but enough was enough. He just couldn't run on anything, not his anger, not his need to be reunited with his friends, nothing. Just as his eyes closed from exhaustion he got another sharp pain across his cheek, this time it was in the form of Levi's palm. "When did I give the order for you to sleep?"

"Enough!" Eren cried out, taking a hold of Levi's hands and pulling them off his cloak. "I am tired, I can't go on. I'm not as experienced as you, Captain. Forgive me but I can't . . . I can't follow you if I'm so tired."

"Then shake it off!" Levi ordered. For some off reason, Eren sensed some kind of fear in Levi's gaze and in the tone of his voice. It was unbefitting of the great warrior, and Eren didn't know the reason for it, but his lack of sleep threw out his reason of care as well.

"Why are you so intent to keep moving? !" Eren suddenly shouted. "Aren't you tired too? You're human, just like me! Rest for a little."

"No, Eren, you're not human—I'm not sure if you ever were, so throw off whatever humanity is dragging you down and keep searching," Levi demanded, standing straighter before the teen.

Tired or not Eren became angry and so stood up, deliberately towering over his commander in a show of defiance.

"I'm not a human?" Eren asked, barring his teeth against his leader who stood his ground no matter the height difference. "Then why does my heart beat? Why does my mind think? Why does my stomach churn? In times like these when I am so tired I can't stay awake I'm reminded I'm human the most. Say what you want but I CAN'T go on!"

"And I CAN'T protect you solo!" Levi shot back.

What was that? Did Eren just hear Levi confess a weakness? No, no, he must have heard something else, but as he stared into his commander's eyes, the smaller man shook his head in anger and turned from him, probably to hide his face.

"Fine! You want to wait here and be killed, I'll join you. We'll fucking wait for death together!" Levi spat as he crossed his arms and took a stance of stay.

"Death?" Eren questioned before he reached out as if to touch his Captain. "Captain, I just need a little rest, why are you so afraid—?"

Levi turned sharply toward him and slapped his hand away from him. Afterwards there were no more words spoken between the two. Eren had stood there for a confused minute or two before he cautiously sat himself down and leaned against the trunk again. He kept a wary eye on his Captain who seemed to set a patrol around him, pacing back and forth and looking out in every direction. He had watched him do this for a minute or two before he unexpectedly fell into a deep sleep.

He didn't know how he managed but he was sound asleep. He later woke up a couple of times but it was only for short moments. The first time he woke up slightly was when he heard a noise and opened his eyes slightly to see Levi cutting smaller branches off the ends of the trees and setting them up to keep the horrid rain out. The next time he awoke it was because Eren was feeling warmer and low and behold the rickety shelter was working so well Eren's clothes were drying. The next time he awoke it was to an uncomfortable feeling of being watched. When he opened his eyes he saw his captain staring at him and so Eren just closed his eyes and slept more.

When he finally awoke, Levi was standing, still keeping guard. "Captain?" Eren asked. "I'm rested . . . if you want . . . you can rest a little. You must be tired."

"We need to get moving," Levi said, turning around and looking at him with hard eyes. "Let's go."

Just like that Eren was back into the rain. It seemed to have worsened but that never deterred Levi from leading him into the heart of it. When the wind picked up it pushed Eren back but Levi was resilient and just kept moving no matter how slow the pace.

"Captain! I'm falling behind!" Eren called out. "Captain!"

When Levi turned around Eren watched lightning flash against the sky and it illuminated his leader's face. In that he could see every crease and dark circle. Levi was just as tired as anyone who kept going that long but even in his weariness he had been quick as he looked up and watched that lightning bolt strike a tree above Eren and send a fiery branch tumbling down upon the boy.

"Eren!" Levi gasped and in an instant he was ramming himself into him. They had barely escaped the fiery branch but at such a quick dodge and in such a dark low-visibility atmosphere they were bound to collide into something with the speed they were going.

They struck a tree and the impact knocked the breath out of Eren so much so that he was powerless to will his limps to cling onto something, anything, and so he fell, he had hit a branch but slipped off its slippery bark. His chest had collided with it and he felt a few ribs crack but on the second branch he fell upon it was his back that took the damage.

"Ah!" Eren gasped out and laid there still. For a while he just stared up into the night sky, watching the rain fall upon him and his face. Closing his eyes he washed the rain water out of his eyes but they only filled up again when he opened them.

"Eren!" The boy opened his eyes and found the rain to have ceased—well, at least over his face. Now he found himself staring into the worried face of his Captain. Wait, Levi, worried? He must be tired because the man usually keeps every tidbit of emotion in check.

Before Eren could speak he received a sharp smack to the side of his face. "Hey, why aren't you healing?" Levi asked, concern in his usually cold steel eyes. Eren wondered if he should speak but he found that he quite liked being dotted over by Levi no less. He didn't know why but it was comforting to know that Levi actually cared for his well-being besides just mindlessly protecting their "special weapon."

"I . . . I don't know," Eren said, but he couldn't move so Levi took him into his arms and drug him toward the trunk of the giant tree where he once again made a make-shift shelter to shield them from the storm.

Eren watched Levi in silence for a moment before the man turned and glared at him harshly. "You'd better fix yourself and quick."

Eren closed his eyes and wanted to chuckle and make some snide remark about how it's not as easy as it looks but before he knew it, he was sleeping once again and this time he hadn't woken up in between of his slumber. When he did manage to wake up he found that the storm outside had settled itself to an extent. He could hear the rain but it was lighter, the wind was gone.

Well, now was the best time for traveling if that's what Levi wanted, right?

"Captain," Eren spoke, managing to sit up and find his back and chest free of any pain—he must have healed in his sleep. He looked toward Levi who was sitting himself in front of him, his eyes on the outside, always watching out for something. "We can go now, if you want."

"You slept too much, brat," came the raven-haired man's reply, keeping his face from the boy.

"I . . . I'm sorry about that," Eren apologized. "But if you want to, we can get going right away. I won't slow you down this time, I promise."

"No . . . but I'm afraid I would," Levi said slowly.

"Captain?" Eren then cautiously reached out and touched his leader's shoulder. When Levi turned his head slightly Eren could see the horrid weariness in his eyes. He was ready to pass out. "C-Captain!" Eren gasped as he jumped up and then moved around the man to look at him better, but Levi seemed to continue to keep his eyes away from Eren no matter if he were kneeling in front of him. "Please, get some rest. We're both no good if you're exhausted."

"I told you, you slept too late," Levi muttered but refused to lay himself down.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" Eren asked.

"I'll just rest. I can go without sleep," Levi assured. He then closed his eyes and sat there, arms crossed his chest and head leveled. It was an odd sight to Eren but he didn't question him. Now it was Eren's turn to keep on the look-out and so he turned and looked out at the forest around them. Not even a single sight of a Titan—or their comrades for that matter.

Glancing back toward Levi, Eren noticed he still kept his poise and wondered how a man could do such a thing, especially when he was only human. Eren glanced down and looked at his hands, he remembered the remark Levi had made earlier, the one about him not being human. He knew Levi had thought such thoughts before but he'd just never out-rightly voiced them and for an odd reason Eren had been hurt by them.

"Hm, if I'm such a monster then why do I care so much about what's said against me," Eren muttered to himself, pulling his knees to his chest and setting his chin upon them.

"Don't take any of that to heart."

Eren jumped out of his skin and turned toward Levi but found him still "resting." With a confused blink Eren had turned himself back around. Curiosity got the better of him and he decided to see if it had been Levi who had spoken.

"What makes you think I was hurt by your words?"

"I can hear your sadness in your words."

Eren jumped around but this time he was looking directly into Levi's eyes. He could tell he was still tired from the dark circles under his eyes, but he looked slightly rested. But it wasn't the fact that Levi was awake while resting that confused Eren it was the fact that Levi said he could 'hear' his sadness that baffled him.

"You can hear . . . that?" Eren asked with a silent gasp.

"It's not hard, you're already emotional as is," Levi said as he inhaled a good breath before letting out a long sigh. "Tch, damn teenagers."

Eren bowed his head and glanced down. "Sorry I'm such a burden." Levi looked at him for a silent moment before rolling his eyes and saying, "Relax, you're not going to be causing my death any time soon. I just don't want anything happening like with that Leonhart girl again."

"Losing your 'weapon' would be that bad, huh?" Eren asked. It was meant to be a small joke for some laughs but even Eren found it not as funny as he intended, but Levi . . . he seemed more offended than anything else.

"Calling yourself what the higher-ups refer to you as now, eh? Fine, lower yourself to their likes," He muttered, disgust evident in his voice.

"Well . . . I just assumed that's what you thought as well," Eren muttered honestly but after receiving a pissed-off glare from Levi, Eren was quick to suck his lips back into his mouth. When he glanced back toward the man he saw the Lance Corporal had closed his eyes once again.

"What do you think of me, Captain?" Eren just had to ask, but there was no telling if Levi would answer. To Eren's complete surprise Levi opened his eyes and looked at him with a softer gaze.

"I don't believe you're human," Levi said, striking a hard blow inside Eren even though he wondered why he cared so much for the Corporal's opinion. "But I do believe you truly want to help us survive. It takes a lot to sacrifice so much for a people who hate you. If it were me I'd piss on them and tell them to fuck off."

Eren chuckled lightly before rubbing his eyes. "Maybe that's why the burden falls on me and not you."

At that comment he noticed the disappointed look in the Corporal's eyes. Levi closed his eyes once more and shook his head. "A child shouldn't have to go through this. Human or not, you're too young to know this side of life."

"It was bound to happen," Eren said with a shrug. "What age did you start in the Survey Corps?"

"That's none of your business," Levi said, giving him another hard glare.

"Sorry for asking," Eren said as he turned himself away again. After a few more moments, Eren felt that speaking with Levi had never been easier and wondered if he could get the man to talk about a few more subjects. "Captain?" A groan was heard but Eren continued, saying, "I've noticed you, Erwin, or even Hanji don't really have any significant others. Some in the Corps do, I'm just wondering what your opinion on it was."

"Those who have a loved one are fools, that's my opinion," Levi said. "You can never tell when you'll meet your end in this Regiment so it's safe just to stay alone, but if you're so craving the comfort of another just get it over with and then forget about it, no ties. What, you interested in a relationship with someone?" Levi opened one eye and eyed the boy curiously.

Eren had glanced back at him and noticed he was looking at him. The boy shook his head quickly and a small blush appeared on across his cheeks. "N-No, I just . . . well . . . it seemed you were relaxed and everything . . . and I just had some questions that I . . ."

"Quiet, you talk too much," Levi ordered as well as informed. Eren stilled himself but he had caught the aggravated look on his leader's face.

"Sorry," he apologized and silenced himself for a while. When he figured the Corporal was "resting" enough Eren let out a sigh and then glanced down at his folded hands. "I doubt the higher-ups would even let me have a normal relationship if given the chance . . ."

More silence passed before Eren laid his cheek upon his knees with a small sigh. "Who could possibly care for a monster anyways?"

Eren hadn't seen the look in Levi's eyes as he stared at him. Tired as Levi may be he was more than rested to tackle Eren's problems, he always had been since the day he swore to take him as his charge.

"You talk too much," Levi muttered again and watched as Eren looked back at him. The boy saw his eyes upon him and then watched in curiosity as Levi motioned him closer with his index finger. At first the boy was skeptical and he glanced around him before slowly approaching. "Must you focus on those things? They'll only cause you trouble."

"You sound like you know from experience, pardon me saying, sir," Eren said as he glanced away.

"I do and it's an awful thing to worry over so forget about it," Levi said. "But . . . since you're prone to forgetting either way . . ."

It was a small, very small feather-like kiss on the side of his mouth, half on his lips and half on his cheek and it almost was nonexistent so Eren had thought he imagined the whole thing when it happened. When Levi pulled away and looked at the boy he showed him a gentler side, especially when his hand went up into his brown locks and petted him.

"Forget about it, Eren," Levi said in a whisper, but the boy was frozen, his eyes fixed upon his Captain and leader. "But . . . how?" Eren asked as if in some kind of daze.

"You'll find a way," Levi said, pushing Eren back and then closing his eyes. "Go to sleep and say it was a dream and I'll do the same."

"I . . . I can't forget . . ." Eren began as he touched the place upon his mouth where he had met Levi's lips—they had been so soft, so unexpectedly warm that . . . "Not . . . if I'm not satisfied."

Levi opened his eyes and looked at the boy. Eren was staring at him, great want and longing in his eyes. It seems his spirit has suddenly become restless. Levi unfolded his arms and then leaned himself to the side a little. There was a small chuckle on his lips as he shook his head and said, "We're all not satisfied, Eren. Can't help life."

"How are you not satisfied?" Eren asked but caught that scan from Levi's eyes. The man had looked at him, at his body and Eren knew that he wanted him. "I hadn't known . . . Captain," Eren muttered, looking down at his own hands before one of his hands pressed against his chest and felt how fast his heart was beating. "Why wouldn't you say something?"

"Because I'm not selfish," Levi said, crossing his arms again and turning his eyes away from the boy. "I can't be the only one in the world who wants something they can't have. I've come to that realization long ago, now go to sleep and forget this."

When Eren moved closer, Levi stayed still. He kept his eyes on the boy curiously before Eren reached out to him. Levi caught his wrist before those tanned fingers could touch his face. "Eren," he said in a warning tone. "Go. Back. To. Sleep."

"No," Eren said defiantly before he scooted close enough to place his knees on either side of Levi's hips, if he sat down he'd be firmly planted in Levi's lap and he was honestly surprised the man let him get so close. Eren touched the older man's face and now that he was up close, he could see the age of his face—no doubt he was much older than him but the weariness made it show more.

"Stop this, Eren," Levi said but it wasn't enough to deter the teen.

"I'll satisfy you if you satisfy me," Eren said, his voice quiet wondering if this was what he really wanted, but as his heart beat fast and loud his body moved on its own and he leaned down to kiss his Captain. It was the only he'd given but Levi remained unresponsive. It didn't matter because Eren decided if Levi let him kiss him then he would kiss him as long as he wanted to.

Levi's lips were so very soft and the more Eren kissed them, the more he fell in love with the feel of them against his own. When he took one of the lips into his mouth and bit on it, Eren felt Levi's arms unfold and his hands come up to touch his back and chest.

He kissed him, Levi kissed Eren back and soon Eren was falling under some spell. He was too good at this and that made the boy wonder just how many the Corporal had bedded. The fingers in his hair pulled and yanked Eren's head back and it was there Levi attached his mouth to his neck.

"C-Captain," Eren gasped out at the feel of the older's tongue lapping at his skin.

There was a silence and stillness for a moment before Eren felt hands snake under his shirt and travel up his chest. "I'm sorry, Eren," Levi spoke, he made sure the boy was looking him in the eyes but those green orbs were so glazed over with need that Levi doubted any of his words would likely get through the boy. "But you need to forget. You're too young and you need to forget. So, I'm sorry but I have to exhaust for that."

It was too late to simply close your eyes and say it had been a dream. They had touched lips, their fingers were anywhere and everywhere over the other and now their body was familiar with the other and so Levi knew he'd have to exhaust the boy to fainting.

Levi had pressed Eren backwards and his bare back hit the tree branch underneath him but Eren didn't mind as his Captain climbed over him and kissed his pectorals eventually lapping up a nipple and sucking vigorously. A curious thing is that Eren hardly made a sound. His lips parted and his mouth opened but often times his cries of pleasure were silent.

There had been one time he made a sound and that had been when Levi hooked his fingers into his pants and pulled them down until his manhood was visible and grabbed. "Ah!" Eren cried out and opened his eyes to look at the way his cock was handled. To his surprise those rough calloused hands were gentle enough for its sensitivity but rough enough when he needed it. It had not been long before Eren came from this handling and in that he noticed all his cum had gotten over Levi's hand, sleeve, and part of his shirt. From remembering his Captain's fondness to keep clean, Eren's eyes widened and his hand went to his mouth.

"I'm so sorry," he mumbled through his hand but in silence he watched as his Captain merely closed his eyes in what looked like annoyance and began to undress himself.

"Doesn't matter," Levi mumbled in what seemed like assurance but the furrow of his thin brows still worried Eren to a degree.

When his eyes went to the hand still placed over Eren's lips, the man had reached out and taken said hand before bringing its knuckles to his lips and lightly kissed them. Eren's breath hitched and he felt that warmth spread from his cheeks toward his ears. He no doubt looked like a tomato but he hadn't cared, especially when that skilled tongue of Levi's was currently lapping at his fingers.

When Levi had seemingly finished with his fingers, Eren watched as Levi placed the hand in his grasp upon his chest, near the place where his heart was and in that contact Eren felt the steady drumming, but a slightly faster beat was felt and Eren looked at his Captain with amazement that even his own heart, a man always steady no matter the situation, beat just as fast as this young teen's.

Eren encouragingly greeted him as Levi leaned over him once again and kissed him. No matter the kiss, light or deep, Eren closed his eyes. He felt everything better that way. He didn't know when it began . . . these accepting feelings for his Captain, nor when Levi had begun feeling toward him, but in that moment the two only cared in satisfying the needs they had longed for, whether unbeknownst like Eren, or harbored long and precarious like Levi.

The hard and taut muscles of Levi's chest felt amazing over his adolescent body. Eren's hands could not stop from wandering up his spine and then down toward his ribs where long toned muscles rippled their way down to stern abs and pectorals. As Levi brought his mouth toward Eren's neck, Eren leant his head back and arched his torso and abdomen into Levi's body above him and reveled in the feel of those muscles pressing against his own. Eren had known Levi was littered with the rock-hard muscles, but he had never seen them until now and now all he wanted to do was hold onto Levi's biceps and let the man hold him forever in those stronger-than-life arms.

As the Corporal sucked on his jugular and leant down to bite his collarbone Eren had felt the last of his clothing come loose. He had wondered when his leader had even unfastened the belts and his gear; he had only remembered his shirt and now his pants leaving his body. Well, Levi was known to be fast with his body and it was no doubt his legendary quick hands that stripped him to nakedness.

Eren gasped into Levi's mouth when the man touched his arousal once more, pumping it to full height. After the sought after length was sustained, Eren had no more been touched by his Captain's hand. Instead the man moved both his arms and placed them near Eren's head. The boy's hands reached up and touched Levi's biceps and clung tightly especially when Levi began to grind into him.

Eren's eyes closed once again, his mouth open to let out all those silent moans. When he had spent himself once more the exhaustion was quicker to fade this time and Eren grew concerned. He knew males were adamantly spent after ejaculation but his heart only beat faster and his sensitivity peaked to make sure his arousal returned three times quicker the next time. It did and once again Levi ground into him, getting him to cum two more times before Eren was feeling heavy breaths leave his lips.

"Captain," Eren gasped out, weariness starting to show its ugly head. "Please."

Levi had not harkened to him and simply made him cum once more from grinding before he sat up and pulled the boy with him. Eren gasped and found himself straddling his Captain. Ever so easily, Levi lowered the boy's bottom to sit firmly upon his lap. Eren gasped from feeling Levi's arousal poking just under his scrotum. It was still confined and Eren made it his mission in that moment to free it.

Lowering his hands slowly, Eren watched Levi's face for any resistance but Levi remained still and let the boy do as he wished. When Eren had finally touched the phallus, Levi brought his hand to the back of his neck, fingering the light strands of brunette before pulling Eren closer and kissing the boy deep. In that kiss Eren had let go, his hands seeming to want to fall upon Levi's shoulders than to touch his member.

When Eren felt it, the release of Levi's member, he had been too caught up in the kiss until he felt it touch his own. Opening his eyes for a moment Eren looked at it and found a sturdy and decent-sized cock rubbing against his. It was larger than his but Eren didn't care, as long as it satisfied the needs he so showed.

As cold fingers touched his buttocks Eren felt them take a firm hold and pull at them so as to allow a finger to enter him. Eren froze and his arms were quick to wrap around Levi's neck to near restriction of breathing. It didn't seem to deter the Corporal as he pushed his finger deeper until the second knuckle reached inside.

Eren was used to all kinds of pain but he had never felt this before. No doubt he'd heal from this like he did everything else, but being stretched there was something else entirely. He squeezed tighter when Levi added a second finger and he was surprised that the Captain hadn't turned blue from how strongly Eren had choked him, but surprisingly Levi remained still and calm as if he were trying to motion for the boy to do the same.

When the third finger entered, Eren jumped, his hips colliding with Levi's in a pleasant friction that made the pain a little more bearable. So Eren decided to do just this when the fingers pressed deeper into him and when he turned his eyes toward Levi he found the Captain already staring intently at him. There was something in those grey eyes and it made Eren shiver and the brunette simply pressed his head against Levi's neck, enjoying the feel of Levi's rubbing his chin against his scalp in an almost affectionate manner even more.

When Eren began to shiver, he felt Levi place his hand upon his shoulders and softly rub to get him to cease his trembling. The comforting manner was a different side entirely to Levi but Eren appreciated it nonetheless and so moved his lips across Levi's neck in appreciation. When his tongue lapped just under the man's jaw Eren froze, feeling something enter him that was NOT fingers.

"Easy," came Levi's voice after minutes of preparing the boy. Eren looked at Levi and met his eyes. They held each other's gaze as Levi pressed himself inside and eased Eren's hips upon him. When Eren seemed to tense up and Levi could go no further unless he eased his internal muscles, Levi would gently stroke his strong thighs to coax him into his descent.

When Eren's hips met Levi's he clung tighter to his Captain and closed his eyes, tears already pricking at his eyes, some escaping him. But Levi had not moved; he had let Eren rest there, trembling and clinging. Eren could feel it inside him, it was thick and hot and pulsing. When he managed to look at his leader he had seen his eyes open when before they had been closed from the feel of entering him. Levi turned his eyes toward Eren and then the boy couldn't help himself, he leaned forward and kissed the man who was no doubt two times his own age, but neither cared for age differences in that moment.

The moment Eren pressed his lips against Levi, he had felt the cock inside him swell and it twitched. He had let out one moan at the feeling within Levi's mouth and before he knew it, Levi was lifting his hips by the hands he had placed on each of his hips and rising him before easing him back down upon him. Eren moaned again but silently of course. His voice just seemed too afraid to voice his opinion about the situation verbally.

It wasn't long before a rhythm was formed and Levi's hands were no longer guiding Eren to rise and sit. Instead those hands trailed up unbeknownst to the boy who was riding him on his own and each settled upon the sides of Eren's face and pulled him close to kiss and bite his lips. Eren then began to see just how rough his Captain could get. When his canines bit and punctured one of his lips, afterwards he had roughly pulled it into his own mouth. Eren gasped at the feel of Levi bucking his hips into his own when before he had made no movement and just sat there, still.

Before Eren knew it, Levi was bucking forcefully into him and it was enough to set his own rhythm off schedule. His lips opened in silent gasps but his eyes had not closed. They were wide, wide green eyes that stared at his leader ravish him.

When Eren lost his rhythm, he felt Levi place hard hands upon his sides, wrapping fingers into his young skin and forcing him to sit and rise in time with his quick and hard thrusts. Soon Eren felt his breath leave him and he did all he could just to breathe. When Eren closed his eyes he felt slightly better, being able to control his breath only a little but that all changed when something inside him was struck.

Throwing his head back, Eren verbally cried out. He gasped afterwards, surprised by his own voice. As if on purpose that place was struck inside him again and he cried out. After the fourth time of the same motion Eren looked down at his Captain who was . . . smirking . . . at him and once again hit that same spot inside him.

"C-Captain!" Eren gasped out but Levi's only response was another hard thrust and then one of his hands grabbed a hold of Eren's hair and pulled his head back where he bit into Eren's neck quite hard. Eren could feel the blood falling down his neck but he didn't care, and apparently Levi hadn't cared either as he moved to the other side of his neck and did the same. But from all of these ministrations Eren's arousal peaked and before Levi knew it himself, he was upon his back, his eyes wide and his lips parted in shock. Eren leaned over him, bracing himself and pressing down upon him.

It wasn't long before the shock wore off the Corporal and the raven-haired man brought his hands to Eren's hips and helped him along so he didn't lose the needed rhythm. Those parted lips were too irresistible and so Levi brought his right hand up and pulled the boy's chin down toward him and in that their tongues did battle.

When Eren sucked in a gasp Levi felt the boy finally cum. He had stilled himself but Levi would have none of that. He grabbed a tight hold of the boy's hips and continued their ride until he swelled. Eren felt the cock inside him swell and gasped. He looked down at his Captain and then grasp at his shoulders as if bracing himself. "C-Captain!" Eren cried out and in that cry the young teen felt Levi ejaculate inside him.

Levi rode out his orgasm and watched as Eren closed his eyes. The boy had never felt anything like it before and the feeling of being filled by Levi's cum was something else entirely but he couldn't deny liking the feeling to a great extent.

Opening his eyes slowly Eren smiled down at Levi and brought his hands toward his face, but just as the tips of his fingers touched the sides of Levi's face, Eren found himself staring up at Levi. Blinking in slow confusion, Eren watched as Levi leaned back, away from the reach of his hands and took a hold of his leg. The older man grasped Eren's thigh tightly and pressed it against his chest before pulling out and then pushing back in at a different angle. Eren gasped, his eyes widening at the sudden intrusion and continual of their love affair.

This was different than their first time. Levi being above Eren was able to go as fast and hard as possible and so Eren found him thrusting at a bruising speed. So much so that Eren was seeing stars. Eren's own erection was still half-mast; he had been exhausted from Levi's previous handling. Where had his Captain gotten so much libido?

When Levi once again began striking that bundle of nerves inside him that turned him into liquid, Eren reached down and touched himself, urging his cock to rise and drip once more. Eren could feel the suddenly heavy feel of exhaustion beginning to weigh on him, but his heart never slowed its pace. In fact he could feel himself sucking Levi in deeper and the feeling was just indescribable and he only wanted more.

Eren was near to tears as he ejaculated again. His entire body shivered but Levi hadn't been done. The man continued thrusting into him for a little while longer, but in that time span he had leaned down and kissed Eren's thighs and his hands ran up his stomach, falling down to circle around his deflated cock before one simple touch brought it to life again. Eren bit his lip at the feel of his arousal returning even though the pains with it were heightening.

When Levi came inside him again, Eren reveled in the feel of it, but not at the feel of his aching manhood standing tall and red and leaking. It was beginning to hurt him, even just touching it hurt so Eren tried with all his might to keep his hands away from it but when Levi pulled out Eren let out a sigh and hoped his arousal would fade and he could rest, but when his commander entered him again Eren about choked out a gasp.

With his face against the bark of the tree branch they were on, Eren found himself lying on his belly with his legs spread wide apart to accommodate his Captain. Eren felt Levi over him, his hands firmly grasping his hips, pulling him back onto him. Eren had thought his cock was in pain enough, but rubbing against the bark underneath him was torture and so Eren brought his knees downward and pushed his backside off of the branch underneath him, his torso though still planted on the bark with his chest attracting all the splinters in the world.

Eren could feel his cock bobbing as Levi thrust into him, it begging to be steadied by his hand, but it hurt and Eren was crying from the pain of needing to ejaculate but in the same time the sensitivity from too much pressure. That was all solved though as Levi had reached between his legs and grabbed his balls and yanked roughly. Eren yelped, his own hand reaching down and wrapping around Levi's hand to get him to stop, but Levi merely slapped him away and a particularly hard thrust got Eren a face full of bark and so he had no choice but to move his hand back to settle both his arms underneath his face to keep from rubbing the tree branch's bark.

Levi had not touched the shaft, only the scrotum, but his fingers did occasionally rub light circles at the base and these gestures made Eren want Levi to touch him despite the pain. When Levi's hand decided to trail up his shaft Eren felt his end coming, but in a quick motion Levi grabbed a hold of the shaft and held it, pressing his thumb upon the slit to keep it from spewing its sperm out into heavenly release.

"N-No!" Eren cried out, his hand once again reaching down to get his Captain to release him, but as he tried, Levi squeezed and about killed Eren so he retreated once more. All Eren could do was wait for Levi release him, in both ways.

Eren's breathing took up most of their sounds. He tried focusing on those sounds alone, but the loud sounds of skin against skin resounded when Levi smacked his hips against Eren's buttock about took over his senses and then he heard it . . . the sound of Levi's moan when Eren felt himself tighten around the member inside him. The sound itself was almost unheard, but when Eren heard it, he could not forget it.

Eren fell in love with the sound and so purposely squeezed Levi again, this time he felt Levi break rhythm, both of his hands shooting to his hips and squeezing tightly. At least Eren's manhood was released, but it didn't matter, he wanted to hear that delicious moan again and so squeezed once more.

"Stop it, damn brat!" Levi croaked out and Eren smiled to himself. The way he said it Eren could hear the weariness in his voice, no doubt he was close and so Eren wanted to be the one to bring him to this orgasm and so he squeezed the cock inside him every time it made to move out, this only brought it back in quicker and quicker until . . . "Guh!" Levi gasped out, leaning over Eren's backside, his chest rubbing against Eren's spine as he came inside prematurely.

Eren had never felt so proud of himself as to getting Levi Rivaille to cum himself. After that, the sheer feeling of Levi's hot substance inside him made Eren cum. And he came long and hot, his hips bucking in time with Levi's post-orgasmic thrusts.

After they had both halted, Eren felt the man above him, though still inside him, Eren felt Levi moving up and down in a motion of heavy breathing. So, Eren turned his head and saw Levi, he looked near exhausted but when his eyes met Eren's, the boy watched as a determination erupted within his Captain's gaze and soon Levi was reaching out, pulling at Eren's jaw.

Eren felt Levi exit but when his back hit the branch once more the Captain entered him. Eren gasped out and cried. He was exhausted and he knew he was already at his end. "Captain . . . please. I can't . . . I can't . . ." But Levi would not listen to him. His thrusts were deeper this time, but slower as well. The one thing Eren wanted was for his Captain to lean over him and cover him with the heat of his body, instead, Levi remained leant back, grasping his thighs and thrusting deeply into him.

Then, Levi reached up and took a small branch that had shielded them from the light rain outside and moved it, letting the water fall down upon Eren's torso and stomach. Eren gasped at the cold feeling but even more so when Levi leant down and began "cleaning" him of the mess he'd made on himself earlier. The hot tongue trailing the crevices of his stomach and ribs aroused Eren more so than the deep thrusts inside him. And now he was crying again because of the pain.

Even amongst the pain Eren looked up and cried out internally one single prayer, "Please God, don't let this end!" But it would and will.

When Levi picked up Eren's hips and pushed them up into the air so he could thrust down with the gravity, Eren cried out and reached up toward Levi's face to make sure his eyes looked at him when he came.

"Levi!" Eren cried out and watching in complete satisfaction as Levi's eyes widened at the sound of his name and in mid thrust Eren felt Levi cum. He smiled. He guessed that the sound of his name had the same effect on anyone who was mutually attracted to the other and so Eren's arms fell back to his sides and slowly, his sight began to dim

Eren knew his eyes were closed when the darkness around him engulfed him, but the sound of his name from the voice of his Captain captivated him and so his eyes opened slightly to see a sight of Levi leaning over him, his hand petting his hair and in his eyes . . . it was the strongest emotion Eren's ever seen Levi display outwardly.

And just like that, Eren faded into darkness again as Levi leaned down and kissed him a kiss of farewell.

The next time Eren awoke, the raining had ceased, the shelter was gone and their clothes dry. He hadn't felt any pain from a mating like that and his mind had been so clouded over with so many emotions in that moment that Eren had been overwhelmed and when his mind and body was overwhelmed he simply . . . forgot that even ever happened. So not even the notion of a dream existed within Eren's mind, no, as he checked his gear alongside Levi the two hardly spoke if not only words of a Captain to his cadet.

"We've wasted enough time, Eren," Levi had said to him as he stood up straight after checking his gear and filling his tank of gas. "Let's get going."

"Yes, sir!" Eren said with a salute before the two were off.

And then Eren remembered everything clearly. The very moment they had found the rest of their regiment the Titans came and cut their reunion abruptly. Eren remembered Levi grabbing the back of his cloak and pulling him back before he mindlessly ran right into the swarm.

Levi, in his skill, had lopped off four heads at once but was quick to pull back when more just rushed at him.

"Where'd they all come from? !" Eren asked, seeing them keep just coming at them, but paid no mind to their regiment behind who were fighting their way to get to them.

"Eren, stay back!" Levi commanded but a couple of Titans had passed him and made their way toward Eren. Eren had no choice but to fight and so, in concordance to Levi's wishes he refrained from shifting into a Titan and so used the skill he had learned from the training academy.

The sheer number of the Titans surprised everyone and when Eren was almost overwhelmed, Hanji had come to his rescue. "Don't forget to watch your back, Eren," she said with a smile.

"Hanji!" Eren smiled as the girl helped him out of the pit.

"What took you guys so long?" Hanji asked as she motioned over toward Levi who was still fighting the Titans though not on his own anymore, he had Commander Erwin to help him with the feat.

Eren just smiled that lopsided smile of his and shrugged his shoulders. "Got lost I guess."

"Ha, Levi just can't read maps," Hanji said with a chuckle while pointing back toward the Corporal but when Eren shared in her laughter and looked at Levi and Erwin he gasped when Erwin was suddenly struck by the Titans, his form hitting the trunk of a tree near them. "Commander!" Hanji cried as she went to make sure he was alright. Eren though had turned in time to see something horrible.

He watched Levi struggle with a sudden gear malfunction. Eren then remembered when Levi had pushed him out of the way of the falling fiery branch. They had both hit a tree relatively hard, but Eren hadn't damaged his gear so Levi . . . must have . . .

Then Eren watched as three Titan's came near, one faster than the other. Levi had turned and looked at them but Eren saw there was nothing he could do and no one was close enough to help him. The last time he saw Levi's face with so much life in it was as Levi looked at him, panic in his features but a warning in last to stay calm through this inevitable outcome.

Then the Titan crushed him and Levi was gone.

It had only taken a second for Eren's lungs to ring out one cry.

"LEVI! ! ! ! ! !"

Eren didn't even feel his tears fall down his face, but Erwin and Hanji saw and kept quiet.

"We . . . we . . . Levi, he . . ." Eren bore his teeth and the tears came out hotter and in greater volume. "He died . . . he died after . . ." Eren's eyes closed and began to shake. Hanji and Erwin glanced toward one another and nodded before Hanji moved toward Eren and sat next to him upon the couch he had been sitting on when he reminisced about six months ago. "I can't believe I forgot!" Eren cried out. "How could I forget something like that? !"

"It happens sometime," Hanji said, petting the boy's hair and trying to comfort him in any kind of way. "It just takes time to cope."

"But we . . ." Eren cried out, his voice shaking from his sobs. "We shared something so intimate and I fucking forgot! What the fuck is wrong with me? !"

Hanji could feel Eren's anger but instead of remaining silent she places her hand upon Eren's swelled stomach and pressed down so he could feel her hand there. "Get angry later," she said, narrowing her eyes and looking into the boy's tear-filled eyes. "Right now you have a job to do and that is to take care of your child . . . of Levi's child."

Eren quieted, though his tears still fell. "Levi's . . . child . . .?" The sudden realization struck him and his hand went down toward his stomach where the child had been moving only recently. So this child wasn't a monster born out of a possibility of Titan reproduction. The second theory had been right, but the one who implanted the child was no longer around, no . . . no, he was gone; dead.

"So, Hanji's assumption had been right," Erwin spoke up with a nod as he looked at the report Hanji had sent to him after her discover on the genetic makeup. "After Eren's remembrance and confession it'd been recorded as fact . . . well, then that leaves on thing to do." Eren and Hanji watched as the man stood up and gathered up the report before turning and heading to leave.

"Commander Erwin, where are you—?" Eren asked slowly, wondering what else could happen now.

"I'm going to inform the higher-ups so they can lift the order to terminate the child upon birth," Erwin said with a reassuring smile. "The child's human, Eren. Don't worry anymore. All we need for you to do now is to take care of it." With that, Erwin left.

Hanji had let go of Eren and given him space but her smile was soft though it hinted excitement. Even though Eren was getting through more tears, which now he knew where they had come from, he noticed Hanji's eyes upon his belly.

"Forgive me, Eren, for seeming so light-hearted about this ordeal but I didn't want to get your hopes up and I had to know you felt something for him," she said as she once again patted Eren's belly, almost giggling when she felt movement. "But I am glad, from the bottom of my heart, that something was left of Levi. His death wasn't just hard on humanity but on the ones who were closest to him; the ones he left behind. I saw myself as a close friend of his and I hoped he felt the same but you, Eren, you were something special."

Eren rubbed his red eyes and watched Hanji smile at him and continue.

"Levi was good at hiding his emotions, for good reasons of course—he'd lost more team members than me or Erwin any day—but I could tell there was a reason he picked you to be a part of his squad. Not just because he was the only one who could handle you, but because, dare I say it, he liked you. I think in a way he saw himself in you and I wondered when he would show those things toward you. I just hadn't known it would escalade like that. It was nice beyond anything that you loved him too."

Eren loved him. He loved Levi. From accounts Eren felt it were true. Now that Eren remembered he felt as if he'd lost Levi all over again. Now that his mind had caught up to his body he was realizing that all those unexplained tears and subconscious visits to Levi's grave from before was just his body remembering that familiarity from Levi and now his heart ached, it ached so bad that Eren wished he wouldn't have remembered.

But now he's found out the child is Levi's. The hate he held for it before created such a guilt in the pit of Eren's stomach that he altogether stopped working. He didn't sleep any longer nor did he eat or even leave his room and his friends were the first to notice.

"Eren!" Hanji complained, pointing down to all the untouched plates they had found in Eren's room upon visit. "What did I tell you? You need to eat or else you'll lose the baby!"

"Why did this happen to me?" Eren asked, his mind almost blank from the horrible heartache he felt. "Why me of all people? I don't . . . I don't deserve this."

"What is this?" Hanji asked. "Now's not the time for guilt. You need to take care of yourself, Eren, or else the both of you will die. Do you think Levi would have wanted that?"

"I had hated . . . hated this thing. I wrongly accused it of coming into my life and fucking up everything," Eren said, his hands clenching into fists to show the anger he felt toward himself. "Now how can I come to love and care for it when before I was so evil toward it? I don't . . . I don't deserve this! I don't deserve Levi's child!"

This time, instead of Hanji it was Mikasa who reacted. She reached for the loaf of bread upon the plate Hanji was holding and once again bread is forced inside Eren's mouth and then Mikasa says, "You need to take care of what's left. That is your most important mission right now, Eren."

Eren closes his eyes and cries, knowing she was right. And so, with his left hand placed over his belly, he eats the food given to him. He knows she was right and he was being ridiculous about this but he still felt so undeserving.

"Whether you truly loved him or not," Mikasa added, keeping her hand on the bread as she forced it inside Eren's mouth while he ate it slowly. "You should keep what's left of him alive. We're all waiting for that child, Eren. Don't worry, you won't be the only one burdened to protect it."

Pulling his mouth away from the bread, Eren looked up at his foster sister. "You would . . . protect it?"

"I would," Mikasa said before she shoved the bread into his mouth again. "Now eat and feed the child."

Looking at the others around he met Armin who nodded at him with a smile as he said, "I'll help too, Eren. You're not alone."

"Hhhah, damn it, I'll help protect the little brat too," Jean said, stepping forward.

"If you ever need babysitting, Eren, just call on me!" Sasha spoke up, an old plate of food half eaten in her head.

"No, no, she'll eat all the baby food knowing her, just call me," Connie said with a smile as he shoved his thumb toward his form.

"We all will," Ymir said as she and Christa and the others stepped forward. "Unless the brat's a Titan. I don't feel like havin' a kid eat my face."

Eren was surprised by all his friends willing to offer their help even though it was his responsibility alone to take and handle. He couldn't ask for a better team to surround himself with.

To show just how thankful he was he took the loaf of bread from Mikasa's hand and tore his teeth into it, tearing out a large chunk of it and swallowing it down completely before taking a glass of water and washing it down. After that he grabbed a hold of the meat presented and before anyone knew it, Eren had finished the plate. But after days of refusing to eat out of depression Eren was hungry and so everyone worked to feed him to fullness and soon his health had been at its peak.

After that Eren worked with Hanji and other maternity doctors to keep him in top shape to help the little one's arrival into the world smoother. The only tests put upon him now were the ones to watch his weight and health. After a while of getting Eren back on track to a better pregnancy Commander Erwin had told him the good news.

"They have lifted the order to terminate the child after explaining to them that the child is human, of course I had to file in an accounted and detailed report about the events leading up to the child's conception. Hanji's report on the genetic makeup won them over in convincing them it was human," Erwin informed with a relieved smile. When he looked toward Eren he watched the boy smile so brightly it warmed his heart. It was amazing how quickly the boy got his health on track, he was practically glowing in radiance.

"Are you serious?" Eren asked, his smile wide and over joyous. "Thank you all so much. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I'm just very happy that you've began taking better care of yourself," Erwin said and then looked toward Hanji. "Thank you, Hanji, for overseeing his care."

"It wasn't me," Hanji said, shaking her head. "You really out to thank the 104th trainee squad, they made sure to whip Eren into shape and keep his eating habits on track and exercise on a regular schedule."

"Well then, I shall," Erwin said with a smile before his eyes turned toward Eren who had then been caught affectionately rubbing his well-rounded belly. It was nice now that the boy cared for the child within him instead of hating it like an unwelcomed parasite. The hateful anger inside Eren that mostly pertained to his own self was now nonexistence in his caring for the child within him.

Now that the boy was responsible for a child of his own, his maturity had heightened and Erwin could tell he was ready . . . he was more than ready. In the last weeks expecting the little one's arrival the Scouting Regiment had moved Eren out of the hospital room and into a home all his own. It was a decent one, with a yard large enough for a little one to run their legs off and a two-story design with three rooms, the parent's room, the child's room, and a guest room should they ever have company—and they would.

When Eren had been moved into the house his friends had already moved the furniture and kitchenware in the home for him. It had been set up in the right places and Eren, as he stood in the nursery, smiled in gratitude but a sadness had overwhelmed him in the remaining weeks and it began showing.

"Eren?" Armin asked, seeing his friend look at the nursery with sadness instead of the happiness he shared with the others earlier. "Are you feeling well today?"

"I'm fine, Armin," Eren said as he looked at the blond boy. "But . . ." Eren glanced down, his hand seemingly ever present on his rounding belly, "I am very grateful for all you have done for me, but right now as of late I've been so very lonely."

Armin let out a sigh before he came closer to his friend and took his hands in his own. "I know it's hard, Eren, but if anyone could get through this struggle in their life, it's you."

"Sometimes I don't think I'm strong enough," Eren said with a light chuckle before shaking his head. "Levi was so much stronger than me, yet look . . . it's the weak that has survived and the strong that have died."

"But Levi picked you," Armin said, his eyes stern upon the brunette. "He picked you to love because you were strong enough to stand by his side. And you're strong enough to raise his child without him."

Well, Eren will certainly test that assumption out soon enough. He had never been so nervous when the day appointed for the birth of the child came. He had the doctors around him and everyone waited and became anxious for the little one. They had told Eren what to expect and what they were going to do in ushering the child into the world and even though he had been assured a hundred times, when the child pressed to come out of him Eren still had not been prepared.

"Hanji, I can't do this!" Eren cried out as he breathed in and out quickly, the fearful sweat falling down his brow.

"No, Eren, you have to do this," Hanji said back, pushing past the doctors and coming next to Eren's side as he lay upon a table in nothing but a birthing gown. The woman was dressed in a doctor's robe and a mask, but she pulled it down and took Eren's hand in hers. "We've been through this, you have to do this. Without your will of strength Levi will die. Only you can save that last part of him."

"Who can save me if I ruin this for myself and . . . and . . ." Eren closed his eyes and groaned out a cry before shaking his head. "Hanji, I don't know what's going to happen."

Hanji smiled before she pet Eren's hair and pulled his wet bangs out of his face and in a soft comforting voice so unbefitting of the Titan-lover, said, "I'll tell you what's going to happen . . . you're going to become your strongest and bring a child into this world and you're going to love him—or her, and then you're going to raise them and watch them grow and you're going to love them with everything you can and then more because you need to make up for the love they'll miss from their father."

Eren felt tears fall down his cheeks at her words but this time, when the pains came upon him again he grit his teeth and held onto Hanji's hand tighter before he struggled and strived to do just as she said. He would save what was left. He would!

Eren was said to have been prone to forgetting in moments of great emotional circumstances but he remembered every little detail to his child's birth. To the moment the doctors managed to take the baby in their arms back to when they cleansed the child of all the fluid and blood coating it.

Eren remembered very clearly when they declared, "It's a boy!" and the happiness that swelled in him in knowing that he had a son—that he had given Levi a son to carry on his name. He remembered Hanji being the first to hold the baby since she had pushed past the doctors and took him up into his arms. Eren had smiled when he watched the girl cry and hug the child close to her neck affectionately.

"Oh, Levi, I love him," Eren remembered her saying as the doctors patched him up and cleaned him. It had made him smile, hearing Hanji speak to Levi through the adoration of the child he had created with him. Eren even remembered the weariness that came over him but he had forced it away just to get the chance to hold the child.

Hanji looked at him and then after seeing he was able to hold the child properly she smiled and came toward him and handed him the child. "Look at him, Eren, he's so chubby."

Eren chuckled at her comment but agreed nonetheless as he held the incredibly alive baby. He looked up at him and Eren felt his heart stop. At the tender age of fifteen Eren had become a parent, a dad. He knew his tears were overrated but he didn't care. He cried, cried and held the child close.

How could he have had a child? How could he have done something so impossible when he was just a simple . . . human? All of those questions were suddenly put on the back burner and now all Eren cared about was the child in his arms, the one staring up at him with the same eyes Levi had had.

"Do you see him, Levi?" Eren asked, inhaling a shaky breath. "He's beautiful . . . he's alive."

When Eren had been pushed out in a wheelchair to meet the others in the waiting room Mikasa was the first to rush toward him and in seeing the child she kneeled and smiled. Petting the little one's perfectly round head she looked up at Eren and then put on a frown for a moment, saying, "I don't like him; looks too much like Levi."

Eren just smiled and Mikasa followed suite. Everyone got their turn to watch and hold the child and in the end they had held up their promise. Some not as much as promised, but most more so than they promised. Eren had never really been too alone; only him and his child inside his home. Always one or more of his friends were with him, when they weren't touring of course. When they were, when Eren was the only one there, he would sit and lay his son against him so that he may feel the beating of his heart parent's heart and that of the child's.

With a content smile Eren had been satisfied and rejoiced in the fact that his child was alive and how human he was. Hanji had ran some tests, though minor, and it determined the child was probably not a Titan-shifter and Eren was glad in knowing he wouldn't have to be forced out into the frontlines from sheer fear of the human populace. But then that made Eren wonder for the child's future—would the other human children his age accept him or would they learn of his parentage and shun him?

Those worries and woes were for another day and so Eren settled himself on the rocking chair comfortably and closed his eyes, falling into the same slumber his son had.

Eren had been give one year of leave to raise the little one before he was to return to his post and head back outside the wall and Eren made sure to get any chance he could to hold his child and teach him what he could in that first year of his life. After a little while he had grown accustomed to changing diapers, wiping running noses and preparing the food fit for a baby, whether it be mushed vegetables or milk created from a powder the maternity doctors invented for him. From his hard work everyone watched the child slowly grow and at the tender month of 11 the child had begun walking on his own.

"Woooow! He learns so fast!" Hanji gapped in awe as she watched the little one walk into her arms. She praised the little one and threw him into the air before catching him and putting him back on his feet. "He's his father's child—always so quick-witted. You'd better watch out, Eren. Before you know it he'll be joining the Survey Corps alongside you."

"No, that won't be happening," Eren swore, catching his friends' attention as they stood around watching the baby walk on his own. "I'm going to defeat the Titans before he comes of age. This I swear: he will not live his life in a world full of Titans . . . I'm going to get rid of every one of them."

"You're going to put us out of a job, Eren," Jean spoke up with a chuckle. "Not that I'm complaining or anything."

So from this determination Eren looked forward to rejoining the Corps. He let that emotion run freely through him to help him overcome the separation from his child that had been threatening to wound him.

So, on the day he returned, he took his son with a bouquet in his hands, and walked to the cemetery. In ready uniform and cloak, Eren held his son close to him, the little raven-haired boy now seemed intent to pull at the blossoms of the tulips of the bouquet, at one point Eren had to stop the little man from eating one of the buds.

"No, Liam, those aren't good for you," Eren bade, making his son spit up the pink petals. The boy simply groaned but turned himself around in his father's arms and nearly climbed atop his shoulders. When they reached their destination, little Liam turned in his father's grasp and looked at what he was looking at. It was a tombstone that he, at that moment, would have no connection to until later in his life. The inscription and legend of it would not matter to the little one until he was old enough to begin asking questions and Eren prayed he be there to answer them straightforwardly to the boy.

"This is Lance Corporal Levi Rivaille's tombstone, Liam," Eren said with a smile as he set the child on the evenly cut grass and held onto his hand. "Here, give him some flowers." He smiled gently as he watched the little boy take the bouquet and then—like the little creative monster he was—take the flowers out of the binding paper and put a few atop the tombstone and then a few on its left and then a few on its right and then a few behind it and then the rest in front of it. Eren chuckled but the chuckle soon turned into a full blown out laugh.

He hadn't laughed like that in a good two years—perhaps since before Levi had died. But he just couldn't help himself; it had been the first time he visited Levi's grave since the discovery of his pregnancy and now that Levi's own son had littered his gravesite with flowers in such disarray it just seemed so funny.

"I think he likes it, Liam," Eren chuckled as he picked up the boy and took the binding paper from him just as soon as it came to his mouth. "Can you say 'bye-bye' to humanity's hero?" Liam looked back toward the tombstone and waved his little hand at it saying, "Ba-ba." Eren muttered a, "Good boy," before leaving the cemetery and making his way toward the wall's gate where the selected touring regiment was waiting for him.

There he gave his son, Liam, to Mikasa who had volunteered to stay and watch the child while Eren was away. "Be safe and come back alive," Mikasa said. "I don't want to raise Levi's son." Eren smiled at her remark but hugged her close in thanks nonetheless. When he turned Armin had been there to offer him his stallion but as he mounted the steed his little one noticed his parent really was leaving him and so began to cry and reach out to him.

"Dada!" Liam cried out, tears beginning to fall down his cheeks despite Mikasa trying to coax him to stay strong. Eren simply road up beside Mikasa and reached down and touched Liam's clinging hand. He knew it was hard for the little one to finally separate from him after so long of lying by his side, but Eren forced himself to let go. "Stay strong, Liam. I will return and watch you grow."

"Dada!" the little one cried out again but Eren turned and rode his steed to the front where Erwin and Hanji were waiting for him.

"You're so cruel, Eren, leaving your child like that. How can you be so heartless to those cries?" Hanji asked, still hearing the little one's cries for his parent.

"It's not easy, Hanji," Eren assured and if we don't leave soon I won't be able to force myself from his side.

"You've become a good parent," Hanji smiled and smacked him on the back.

"Eren," Erwin called and Eren saluted him as his commander looked at him. "It's good to have you back," he said with a smile and nod.

"It's good to be back, sir," Eren said. "I promise you I won't let you down and that I will rid this world of Titans."

"For humanity or for your son?" Erwin asked.

"For both," Eren exclaimed and felt the proud smiles of his friends around him, but more importantly . . . the proud smile of Levi no doubt looking down from above. He would continue his work and make his dream a reality for their son . . . for Levi's living legacy.

"Then let's go meet them with steel and shifter," Erwin said as the gates opened.

"Let's!" Eren nodded and prodded his horse into a run as he and the rest of the regiment rode out to finish their main mission.