I'm alive! No, college hasn't killed me yet! Although, it is trying very hard. But luckily I've had time to pound out this new creation. Introducing my newest obsession: Shingeki no Kyojin! More specifically... LEVI! *drool* I apologize to all of you that follow me for my GW fiction and were expecting more 1X2 from me, but hopefully you all like SnK and LevixEren (Riren, Ereri, whichever you call it XD).

Oh, and I'll add a warning for smut here *yes, I finally wrote smut ._. and let's just say I am very nervous about posting it. Hopefully it's not too horrible* It's really brief and not too detailed in this chapter, but later chapters will be much more in depth.

ALSO I'll warn about triggers for this fic, including rape/non-con, domestic violence, physical/emotional/verbal abuse, self harm, etc. So please read with caution.

Anyways I'll stop rambling now and just let you read for yourself. Hopefully you all enjoy my SnK as much as you liked my GW fiction.

PS: I looked over some of my old stuff and I have to say that I'm a little embarrassed at how poorly written it was. I'd like to think my writing has improved tenfold compared to even my most recent fics. Let me know your feedback as well. Thanks :)

Chapter 1: A Chance Encounter

The hard bound college textbook sits heavy in my lap as I lay across our bed. Reiner is still at work. It's the only time I'm allowed to read these books. Reiner convinced me during high school that I didn't need to go to college. He said he would take care of me. He went to college, he got his criminology degree, and now he's starting his career as a federal law enforcement officer. If he ever caught me with Armin's old textbooks, he's be very mad. I don't want to make him mad, I just want to learn, to be as smart as him.

I look up at the clock to see that it's almost six. Reiner has the day shift today, so he'll be home soon, and he'll expect dinner to be ready for him when he gets here. Climbing off the bed, I hide the textbook under a loose floorboard with the others and head into the kitchen to start cooking. My stomach still aches a little from when he hit me last night. The bruise is a deep purple today, the size of a grapefruit just under my ribs, to the left of my navel. I deserved it though. I said 'no'. I'm not allowed to say that about anything, especially sex. I should know that by now, so I deserved to be hit. I mean, I owe him, right? He took me in when my father threw me out. He's taking care of me now, since I can't survive on my own. I owe him.

Fifteen minutes later, I'm almost finished heating up leftovers from dinner last night. Titan, our German Shepherd, lays by my feet on the floor as I stand over the stovetop. He's really Reiner's dog, and the house is in his name, the furniture is all his, everything is his, which he constantly likes to remind me of, but the dog seems to prefer my company over his whenever we're both in the house. I like to talk to Titan because I can say whatever I want to him and he won't hurt me, and he won't tell Reiner.

The sound of car tires by the side of the house lets me know that Reiner is home. I look out the kitchen window and watch him pull the car around into the garage behind the house. Titan lifts his head, then stands and trots over to the sliding glass doors to watch for Reiner. My stomach tightens and I quickly look down at the pot on the stove when I see Reiner step out of the garage. Being near him always makes me tense. I never know when I'm going to mess something up, or say the wrong thing, and get hit. He doesn't deserve to have such a fearful partner, but I can't help it.

The door slides open and Titan sniffs around his leg for a second before sauntering back over to me to lay against the back of my legs.

"Dinner is just about ready," I tell him, trying to keep my voice from sounding timid. It's a daily struggle, one that I've perfected over the years.

His lips turn down in a frown and he strides up to me, and his open hand connects with my left cheek with a resounding slap. I didn't even have time to raise a hand to protect myself, or even flinch away from his offending hand. And just as quickly as he reached me, he's striding away, leaving me to rub at my stinging cheek.

"I told you to have dinner ready before I got home," he snaps as he leaves the kitchen.

"Sorry," I murmur, still holding a hand to my face. Don't cry, I murmur to myself. Crying will just make it worse.

Dinner is a tense affair, just as it always is. Reiner isn't much of a talker, unless he's either telling me that I did something wrong or reminding me how much I owe him. I don't like silence. When people are silent, they can focus more on your body language instead of your words, and body language is hard to fake, hard to alter. It's the one truth about a person when their words are lies. I've become very good at reading body language. Sometimes it's the only warning I have before the pain comes, before Reiner lashes out at me. Silence is dangerous. I can't hide behind silence. But words, I can hide behind. So when the silence at the dinner table gets to be too much, I decide to speak up.

"How was work?" I ask him, but don't look up from my plate.

"It was fine," he replies. He never says much about work. It's a whole different world for him. At work he's a powerful federal agent who totes a gun and a shiny badge and can change people's lives forever. After work, he has to come home to me. I'm the only person here that he can control. I'm just the domestic partner he keeps locked away in his house to beat on whenever he needs to relieve stress. "Was your day productive?"

It's never 'how was your day?'. It's always 'were you productive?', 'did you finish your chores?', 'what did you fuck up today?' or 'I hope you didn't sit on your ass all day'. I'm used to it. It is my responsibility after all, to make sure everything is always perfect for him.

"It was," I respond. "I finished the laundry, weeded the backyard, and vacuumed all the carpets. We're running low on groceries though."

"Good. I'll take you to the grocery store and the dry cleaners the day after tomorrow after my shift," he says.

I nod. When he finishes eating, I clear the dishes and immediately set to washing them. He doesn't like when dirty dishes stay in the sink for any length of time. I'm about halfway through when I hear him step out the front door, most likely to go get the mail. He doesn't like me getting it for him. He says that I don't need to know who's sending him things. The door closes behind him, and only a second later it flies back open. I hear it slam against the wall. I flinch, nearly dropping the soapy plate in my hands.

"Eren!" he yells from the entryway, and his harsh voice makes me flinch again. It's never anything good that comes from that tone. It's usually pain. "Get your ass out here!"

I swallow hard, slowly lowering my sponge into the soapy water before drying my hands and leaving the kitchen. My heart is a jack hammer in my chest, trying to punch through my rib cage. It's usually like this around Reiner though. I'm surprised I haven't had a heart attack, even at my young age of twenty- three.

Reiner is standing on the front steps of the house, under the small overhang. His fists are clenched at his sides and his face is getting red, like it does when he's angry. I hesitantly step outside to see what I did wrong this time. He grabs the back of my neck and drags me down the two steps, throwing me onto the stone walkway that bisects our front lawn. I feel my elbow and the palm of my hand scrape against the stepping stones. Looking up from the ground, my eyes immediately find the reason why Reiner is mad. The small tree that sits in the middle of the lawn has a branch laying at its base, the end cracked and splintered. It must've fallen.

"Why didn't you pick that up?!" he demands of me, his tone seething, making a shiver roll down my spine.

I start to get up, but his foot slamming into my side keeps me on the ground. He kicks me again and I start to cover my head with my arms, but a movement across the street catches both of our eyes. It's a man, one I've never seen in this neighborhood before. He's wearing black basketball shorts and a white T-shirt. His pitch black hair is cut in a military style undercut, except that the longer hair is actually quite long, nearly covering the undercut and hanging in his eyes. His face is set in an uninterested expression, his eyes bored and his lips turned down ever so slightly. He looks short, but he carries himself as with a silent confidence. A pair of earphones snakes up out of the collar of his shirt to sit in each ear and I can see a chain hanging around his neck and tucked down his shirt. He looks completely lost to the world around him, enjoying his run and his music. And as I lay here on the ground under Reiner's boot, I admire how very good looking the man is.

He suddenly looks over at us and does a quick double take, ripping his earphones out of his ears. He changes direction, crossing the street and heading straight towards us. Dammit, he shouldn't get involved. He'll just get himself hurt. And Reiner is a federal agent. The people that aren't intimidated by his size are always intimidated by that. I'm just glad that he doesn't keep his gun at home, that he leaves it at the office. Reiner sees him running towards us and doesn't kick me again, but he doesn't back away from me. I keep my eyes on the man, and his intense grey eyes flash down to me before looking up at Reiner as he approaches. He reaches into his shirt, grabbing the chain, and my eyes widen when he pulls it out from underneath his shirt to reveal a badge hanging on the end. He's a cop.

I quickly get to my feet. This can't be happening. Did he see? Is he going to arrest Reiner? He can't arrest Reiner. It was my fault that he's upset, I deserved to be kicked. And I can't survive on my own. I depend on Reiner for everything.

"Police," the man declares. His voice is deeper than I expected for a man of his short stature, but it's a soothing voice, and I find that I really like it. Despite the situation we're in at the moment, it calms me. "What is going on here?"

Reiner snorts, looking down on the much shorter officer. He reaches into the back pocket of his jeans to pull out his own badge. I look between the two, holding my aching arm to my chest as he flashes it at the officer. I silently beg for the officer to turn around and leave us alone. I don't want him to get hurt. There is no way he can best Reiner if it became physical. Reiner is so much bigger than he is.

"I have one of those too, Shorty," Reiner snaps at him. "Now mind your own fucking business and get out of here."

The officer ignores Reiner and looks at me. His eyes lock with mine for a very brief moment before they look me over. "Are you alright?"

"He's fine," Reiner answers for me, moving to step between the officer and I.

"Did he hurt you?" the officer persists, peering around Reiner's large frame. "He can't hide behind that badge if he did."

Reiner exhales in frustration, taking a step back so that I have a clear view of the officer and the officer has a clear view of me. "Tell him you're fine, Eren," he demands. "Tell him I didn't hurt you."

I stutter, not used to be suddenly put on the spot like that. Whenever I'm with Reiner around other people, he tells me to be silent. I'm just a pretty face, after all. No one wants to hear me talk. But now he's demanding that I say something. After a long moment and a snort of derision from Reiner at my weakness, I finally manage to find my voice. "He didn't hurt me." The lie comes out of my mouth so easily. I'm used to lying to people. I lie to Armin, to Mikasa, to Reiner's friends Annie and Bertolt. I lie to everyone. So why does lying to this officer make me feel so... guilty?

The officer frowns at me, then turns the darkest glare I've ever seen in my life to Reiner. If looks could kill... Why is this officer so upset about this? Does he not like that Reiner is hiding behind a badge? It can't be because he cares about me. Nobody cares about me. Why would they? I'm just a worthless piece of property. Nobody cares if you kick a piece of furniture, so why care if Reiner kicks me?

"Unfortunately I didn't see anything, and since the boy won't make a complaint, I can't arrest you. But consider this a warning. Your shiny federal badge doesn't scare me, and if ever I get enough evidence to prove you've been using it to cover up a crime, I will personally see that you lose that shitty shield of yours and that your pompous ass gets thrown in prison," the officer threatens Reiner, and I genuinely begin to fear for his life.

Reiner snorts and grabs my arm. "Get inside," he demands of me.

Before he can pull me away though, the officer reaches into the pocket of his shorts and pulls out a business card. So he carries his badge and business cards when he goes on a run? The little detail catches my attention as he also pulls a pen out of his pocket and scribbles something onto the back of the card.

"On the front is the department number and my personal department line. My private cell and home numbers are on the back. Call me if you need anything, no matter what it is, night or day," he says, and his dark tone is suddenly softer. He holds out the card to me but I don't immediately reach for it, and am glad I don't when Reiner snatches it away from the cop.

"He won't be needing your assistance, Officer," he sneers, tearing the card in half and turning on his heels. He drags me with him, back into the house. I look back over my shoulder before the door closes though to see that the officer is still standing there in the middle of our walkway, staring after me.

When the door is slammed shut, Reiner drags me into the kitchen. "Finish cleaning those dishes. You can leave the yard for tomorrow, but it better be done before I get home from work."

I nod, and Reiner tosses the two halves of the officer's business card into the trash before leaving the kitchen, grumbling something about nosy cops. I stand there for a long moment, listening to his heavy footsteps fade away in the direction of the living room. I had genuinely been expecting him to hit me. Maybe the officer got under his skin a little. Silently, I sneak over to the trash and pull out the two pieces of thick paper. Holding them together, I read the name printed in tiny letters across the front.

Detective Levi Ackerman
Trost Police Department, 3rd Precinct

So he's a detective? Those have higher ranks than standard police officers, don't they? I flip the pieces over and read, in a very clear and elegant script, the two telephone numbers he wrote there. Police officers don't give out their private numbers very often, do they? So why did this detective? Why does he care about me so much? I don't deserve it. I'm trash, garbage. That's why Reiner has to beat me all the time. I'm worthless and pathetic, so why did that detective try so hard to help me?

I shove the two halves of the business card into my pocket, then head back to the sink to finish cleaning the dishes. Whatever the reason may be, that detective, Levi, cared about me enough to give me his private phone number. Both of them. And that thought alone is enough to make me smile.

...

The next morning, I get up when Reiner gets up at six in the morning, as usual. Even on the days he doesn't work or has a night shift either the night before or after and he sleeps in, I don't. I can't. There is too much to do. And I prefer to run in the mornings, bright and early before it gets too hot. Reiner makes me run every day, as well as complete some other basic, muscles building exercises. He's demanded that I stay fit and attractive for him, both to make the energy he puts into me worth it and so he can show me off to his friends and in public as his cute arm candy.

I leave the house late this morning, however. Reiner accidentally dropped the coffee pot and it shattered on the floor of the kitchen, and I needed to clean it up while fending off Titan, who insisted on investigating. Usually I leave for my run right after I get up, but this morning I'm stepping out of the front door with Titan in tow as Reiner pulls out of the driveway and races down the road at six thirty. I'm standing on the sidewalk in front of my house, stretching one arm while trying to find a good playlist on my iPod when the sound of running feet makes me look up.

It's Levi. He's running down the sidewalk on the other side of the small residential street from me, wearing a black tank top and dark grey basketball shorts. The chain carrying his badge is still around his neck and earphones sit snug in his ears. He's running from the opposite direction he was running last night. This morning, he seems more tired and more sweaty than he had last night. He must be reaching the end of his run.

Levi notices me and I quickly look down at my iPod. I can feel color burn on my cheeks at being caught staring. The footsteps grow closer and I look up out of curiosity to see the detective running towards me. Titan barks once at the detective's approach, but my hand on his head quiets him. Levi slows to a walk when he reaches the sidewalk, and pulls his earphones out of his ears.

"Good morning, Detective," I greet, offering him a kind smile, one that hides the pain and hurt and turmoil, one that I've perfected over the years.

"Just call me Levi," he insists.

He's breathing hard, and his bangs cling to his forehead. His cheeks are flushed from the workout. As I stare at the man in front of me, I can't help but think about how very handsome he is, even sweaty from his morning run. Now that Reiner isn't standing beside me, and I'm not worried that he'll hurt the much smaller man, I can actually look at him up close and in person. His tank top shows off well toned arms, although not so defined like Reiner's, but Reiner's arms are too much. My eyes trace up his arms to his prominent collar bones and up the lines of his neck to the strong, yet soft features of his face. He looks older than I am, but not considerably older. I'd guess him to be in his mid to late twenties. His grey eyes are very intense, and they show all the passion and emotion that is lost in his calculated, bored expression.

"How are you... Eren, is it?" he asks, kneeling down so that he can pet Titan and play with his ears. His eyes stay on me, though.

"Yes, Eren, and I am well," I say. For once that's not too much of a lie. I was quick to pick up the mess Reiner made this morning, so he was pleased and didn't hit me. My arm and stomach and side are still sore from yesterday and the night before, but the pain is minimal. I'm used to living with pain, so after it gets down to a certain level, I barely even notice it anymore.

"Are you sure about that?" he asks. "I'm a detective, Eren. I can read people very well."

W-What? Has my mask slipped? Nobody has ever seen through it before. If Levi keeps pushing, keeps prodding, and he sees any more behind my slipping mask, Reiner will kill me. He'll think that I'm telling the detective on purpose. Levi is dangerous for me. But for some reason, I don't want to push him away. I don't want to shut him out. I want to let him in. I want to tell him everything. Maybe he can take me away from Reiner. Maybe he can-

No. Reiner deserves so much better than someone like me, who entertains the thought of betraying him. I owe him everything. I can't betray him like this. I need to put this detective behind me.

"I really should be going," I tell the detective, moving around him. "Come, Titan."

"Wait," Levi says, standing and grabbing my wrist. My involuntary flinch embarrasses me. Levi sees it and quickly releases my wrist. "Please, Eren, promise you'll call me if you need anything from me. You don't need to live like this."

He's reaching into his pocket, most likely to get another business card. I stop him though with a dismissive wave of my hand as I start to back down the sidewalk. "Live like what? I'm happy." I plaster on my much practiced smile. "My partner treats me well. I won't betray him."

He doesn't say anything, and I turn my back to him, but I hesitate and look back over my shoulder at the shorter man. "And I already have your business card. I fished it out of the trash."

I don't wait for a reply, or any form of acknowledgement. I turn my music on and start to run, Titan following on my heels, leaving Levi behind.

This detective obviously is wanting to help me, without even knowing the extent of the situation I'm in, and it makes a warm feeling spread through my body that has me feeling good all day. I go through the rest of my exercises and chores, humming and smiling. It's been a long time since someone has cared about me. Well, I know Reiner cares about me. That's why I'm still here, living with him, in his house. That's why he's still taking care of me. But this feels different, and I like it.

I think about what Levi said to me, that I should call him if I need anything. But how could I do that? It'd have to be when Reiner wasn't home, and it'd have to be on the house phone. Reiner checks my cell phone almost every night to monitor who I talk to. He only tolerates calls and texts to and from Mikasa and Armin. Jean tried to call me once a year or so back to ask if he could borrow some tools because he was renovating his kitchen, and Reiner had gotten so mad, accusing me of cheating on him. He called Jean right up to tell him never to call me again, and then he taught me my lesson with his fists.

I shake away the disturbing thoughts as I continue with my chores. Around six o'clock, about the time Reiner is supposed to get off work, I feel my phone vibrate in my back pocket. I pull it out to see a text from Reiner.

From: Reiner Braun
We're going out tonight. Make yourself look presentable and I'll pick you up in an hour. Don't keep me waiting.
6:03PM

I type out a quick reply, then head upstairs to the bedroom to shower and find something to wear. When he tells me to look presentable, it's usually because we're going out to a nice restaurant or to a party, which means I need to find something nice. Looking though the closet, I pull out a light blue, tight fitting satin shirt with a light green pattern down the left side that swirls across the stomach. It's a long sleeved shirt, so it'll hide the bruises on my arms. And it's Reiner's favorite, as it brings out my eyes and hugs my body nicely. I match it with black, skin tight pants that show off my long, and not too muscled legs. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, I make sure I have no marks on my face or neck, then try to get my hair into some sort of order. Reiner usually likes it a little messy though. He says it makes me look sexual and appealing.

Grabbing my dress shoes by the heels, I take them downstairs to place them by the front door. I feed Titan, then usher him into the backyard before pulling on my shoes and walking out to the curb. Brushing the dirt from the edge of the sidewalk, I sit down to wait for Reiner. I don't mind going out with him, I actually rather enjoy it, only because he doesn't hit me in public. He's fifteen minutes late when I finally see his car appear down the road. I stand, and that's when I also see a familiar detective running down the sidewalk from the same direction. I duck my head and try to ignore him as Reiner makes a u-turn to bring the car to a stop in front of me. As I open the door to climb into the car, I glance up to see Levi watching me, his expression seemingly disinterested, but his eyes intense. I can tell even from across the street.

"Get in, damn it, you're making us late," Reiner snarls at me.

I startle and quickly slide into the car. Reiner peels away from the curb before the door is entirely closed. His meaty hand grabs a fistful of hair on the back of my head, making me wince.

"We're already late and you waste more time staring off into space," he growls at me. "This is all your fault. If you weren't so nice to look at, I wouldn't take you anywhere."

So he didn't see Levi. Good. My punishment would be worse if he thought I had been staring at the detective. When he releases my hair and puts his hand back on the steering wheel, I breathe a sigh of relief and rub at the back of my head.

The rest of the night drags on. We ate dinner at one of the more upscale restaurants in Trost with a couple of Reiner's coworkers. Annie has always intimidated me. She's so quiet and she always looks so bothered with everything. Bertolt is nice though. He always treats me like a human being, unlike the rest of Reiner's friends and coworkers who treat me like Reiner's arm whore, like an object. He always makes these dinners more bearable.

When we finish dinner and get back home, Reiner throws me onto the bed, flips me onto my stomach, and has his way with me. I bury my face in the pillows to hide the pain and I wish, as always, that I was anywhere else but here. It didn't used to be like this. There used to be a time when I enjoyed being with Reiner, but that time is getting harder and harder to remember. He used to kiss me, and his hands would gently caress me, and he'd whisper sweet nothings into my ear. But that was a long time ago. That was before my father disowned me. That was before I became his pet. Now, I can't even remember the last time he kissed me, his hands are rough and possessive as they grope and pull on me, and his dick is unrelenting as he fucks me into the mattress. He takes what he wants, when he wants, because after all, I am just an object to him.

With an animalistic groan, he pulls out of me and releases across my back. I keep my face hidden in the pillows as he slaps my ass and stands.

"Clean yourself up and go to bed. I'm tired," he tells me before heading into the bathroom.

I lift my face from the pillows and see two wet spots on the pillow case. I hastily wipe my eyes and reach for a tissue on the nightstand to clean off my back. When Reiner leaves the bathroom, I hurry in and close the door. I clean my back more thoroughly, then splash some water on my face and rub at my eyes. I really don't want to go back out there with him, and decide to take a shower. No matter how much a scrub and how hot the water is and how much soap I use, I never feel clean. Reiner always makes me feel so dirty now, and I hate it. Eventually, I have to leave the bathroom though and climb into Reiner's bed. Turning my back on him, I close my eyes and try not to think about anything. Not Reiner, not my pain, and especially not the small business card tucked into one of Armin's textbooks under the floorboards.

So I already have this fic completely finished. It's pretty short, only 7 chapters, and I'll post regularly(ish) every Friday or Saturday night. I'm also in the middle of another, much longer SNK fic that I hope to start posting soon.

ALSO! I am now on AO3 under the same pen name. I will slowly be transitioning from here to there most likely, so if you like my stuff you can follow me there. You can also follow me on Tumblr zoey04ereri. tumblr. com