PART TWO

One and One Half Months Before

He was starting to rethink it. Eren had no idea where this was coming from. Sasha was a nice girl. She was cute and she made him laugh. What was he going to do? Levi wouldn't stand for it. He never let Eren bitch out of anything. Not for getting a tattoo, not when he sucked Levi's dick for the first time, not when they tried bondage—He was getting off track here. To put it simply, Levi never let Eren not do something. Levi had shown him everything. How could he refuse him?

But this was so new to him. He hunted so many people. It was a game. A game between the two of them that the two of them immensely enjoyed. Levi always liked planning it out and leading them on, only to surprise them in the end and end their life. And Eren went along with it. So what the hell? What was different about Sasha? Was it because he enjoyed being around her? Because he considered her a good friend? Or, he dreaded to think, was it because he felt a spark between them when he kissed her? Was he attracted to someone besides Levi? Again? Was that even fucking possible? He thought it at least be another decade.

He couldn't fuck this up now. He was supposed to be learning patience! He was supposed to be earning his trust back! But Sasha was a nice girl. A friend. She didn't deserve what was in store for her.

Fuck you, Jean. He thought. This is all your fault. Even in death, you haunt me. Corny bastard.

He tried to avoid her at school, but not on the phone. He pretended like he was sick a few days so he wouldn't feel crushing guilt when he looked into her eyes. For god sakes, he had already removed Connie so he wouldn't get in the way, so he couldn't back out. It wasn't like Levi would let Connie go if Eren tried to plead with him to get another trust exercise. Or let Sasha live. Or Eren, for that matter. He was sure there would be no superhero Erwin this time if Levi got pissed at him again.

What's with all the unease, Jaeger? You killed a woman at twelve. You planned it when you were eight. You fantasied about death and blood even younger. They would bring back the chair if they found out what you did, how many you killed in the six years you've lived in the shadows. You think saving one girl will make up for it? What about the victims with children, with lovers, with friends? Where was the mercy then?

But they weren't your friends, Eren. You had no personal connection to them. You didn't share notes or watch movies with them. They didn't come to you with problems. And you didn't listen to them. This is different. She's different.

Is it?

Yes.

No.

Yes/No.

I don't know.

"Levi…" He whispered into the darkness of his bedroom. "Hurry up and come back."

One Month Before

"What's that face for?" Eren asked quietly over lunch. Mikasa had an odd look on her face.

They were sitting in the house with the heat cranked high. December's tended to be the coldest month around here, which was unfortunately when all the school-aged kids were on break.

Their dad was out, as usual, fighting crime and whatnot. It was a shame that they didn't get to spend much time with him at all anymore. It was the two of them more often than not.

Eren was worried by not seeing his father. Crime had jumped exponentially in the last few months. No doubt his and Levi's influence. With the dismembered bodies they placed around town popping up more frequently, other criminals had gotten bolder. Bodies left in the middle of the street, or on top of cars. Robberies in broad daylight. A store owner, just the other day, was gutted in front of his wife while she was punched and kicked repeatedly. They left her alive to tell the story. They were the Blue Dragons or some shit like that. And they were "taking over."

They would be caught before the year's end.

Announcing yourself was downright stupid. The police would catch on and they would go down, end of story. His father was very efficient on the things he chose to pay attention to. Did he just say that? Disregard it.

"Levi's back. He called while you were out yesterday. You left your phone." She said, collecting the dishes.

He was aware that Mikasa didn't really like Levi, and the feeling was mutual on his side. He kind of understood it; they were in competition for his time and attention, and neither were the type to share. But his sister, if anything, was understanding. She got that Levi held his heart and she at least tried to be civil with him whenever he was in town. Levi hadn't tried at first, all but ignoring her and silently wishing she would go away. (Eren was an expert on reading his face by now.) Eren subtly hinted that he would like it if they got along—for all of their sakes—and naturally, Rivaille acted like an ass and put on a grand show about not doing such, but in the end they a could be in the same place for more than ten minutes without some indirect jabs at each other. He had to live with it, because he doubted that it would improve more than that.

He smiled. "Good."

Mikasa frowned. "Will he be coming over?" She asked.

"Nah. We're going out."

She stared at him quietly for a few minutes. He held her gaze. "Be careful." Was all she said.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know."

He downed the rest of his drink and squeezed her shoulder. Her hand came up to cover it. After a while, he pulled away, making his way down the hall.

He was almost to his room before he heard her call to him. "Make him use protection!" She said.

He snorted.

ǂǁǂ

Eren smiled as he adjusted his seatbelt. He didn't want to outright say that he missed Levi, but he had. Levi on the other hand, was leaning out the driver's side window with a cigarette, his face blank. When Eren let do out the belt, Levi swooped in and kissed him. He tasted of smoke. Eren didn't mind much, he just hated when the car smelled of it. It was a completely different story when it was on Levi's lips.

"Hey." Levi said after he pulled away.

Eren already mourned the loss of the sensation. "Hey."

"You missed me?" He asked with a sly smirk.

Eren rolled his eyes. "Maybe."

Levi chuckled and pulled out of the driveway.

Eren was glad his father had been very tired when he came home and nearly passed out on the couch. He didn't want to explain where he was going. Mikasa knew not to ask too many questions.

Levi, after Eren's little incident, had made a conscious effort to take him out on little dates more often when he wasn't working. Eren enjoyed them immensely. He didn't do stupid things like circle the date on the calendar or count down the days in his head, but he did look forward to them. Not to mention that if whatever Levi had planned for the evening ended quickly enough, Eren would get the ride of his life and maybe a little hunting thrown in.

He hadn't been as excited when it first started. Levi still was a little mad at the time, so when Eren found him waiting outside of his house the first night with a scowl on his face, Eren had naturally been a little wary. But he was told to shut up and grab a jacket—

(Levi was always worried about him getting a chill for some reason, how considerate.)

—It didn't take long for him to figure out that Levi had come up with some sort of plan to spend so much time with him that he wouldn't have time to think of anyone else. Eren couldn't decide if that was good or bad.

(Good.)

The movie that time had been a two-bit action flick that was worth less than the twenty dollars they spent on it, but Levi discreetly took his hand on the way out while Eren went on about how bad it was. It took him a second to realize, but he didn't say anything about it. God forbid he start swinging their interlocked hands. Levi would have jerked his hand away, smack him upside his head, and never do such a thing again. While Eren, even if it turned out to be the only time they ever held hands, was surprised he hadn't sprouted wings the second he felt the heat of Levi's hand and flew away to Mars.

Ahem.

Then their nights were filled with dinner, and crafts, and they even took a cooking class together. They ended up covered in flour and sugar and other things once they got back to Levi's house. Who knew that cooking would excite them so much? Those days were great. Eren got to spend normal time with Levi each week that was separate from their other, shared pastime. That's not to say the two didn't meld into one long activity sometimes.

(Often)

Currently, Eren was putting up quite the fight not to let Levi pay for his dinner. They had this argument many times before, many of which Eren lost terribly. He tried to argue that he was old enough to pick up his own tab and Levi rolled his eyes and insinuated that since Eren didn't have a job, he should hold onto whatever money he had in case something more important came up. He, in his fancy wording, called Eren broke. He kind of was. But that was beside the point.

"I'm eighteen for fuck's sake! I think I can at least pay for my own chicken nuggets!" He whisper-yelled, trying not to disturb the people around them.

"I know how old you are, damn brat. If you want to act so mature and independent all of a sudden, why are you still ordering chicken nuggets off the goddamn kids menu in the first place?"

Eren gasped in horror. "Because they're delicious!"

"So is the rest of the chicken!"

Ahem.

Dinner was always interesting when the two of them were involved. It wasn't like Eren hated when Levi wanted to pay for him, he just didn't want him to do it every time. He liked to feel like he contributed something. He brought it up on the way out of the restaurant—after Levi paid—but he was met with a scoff and an eye-roll.

(He had this weird way of taking care of him that Eren couldn't quite figure out. Sometimes he was met with cold detachment—as was the rest of the world—and other times he would be carried inside his house when he fell asleep or hand-fed pieces of cake that Levi was secretly proud of. Or, now, when a strong arm would slyly snake it's a way around his neck and he would be pulled into a warm side. It caught him off guard for a few seconds, but then he fit in the crook of his shoulder like a puzzle piece. Maybe he didn't mind being taken care off as much as he made it seem, because whenever Levi was mostly in charge, Eren would be treated to the sweetest sides of him. There was probably a reason for that, but Eren chose not to dwell on it.)

(When Levi noticed Eren ease into him, he gave his shoulder a little squeeze and pulled him a little closer.)

Eren smiled to himself. Levi watched him from the corner of his eyes, trying to make sure he was comfortable. It was so adorable. Who would have thought that the mean and sometimes violent Levi liked to coddle?

Eren sent him a devious look. "You're just full of sugar, aren't you?"

Levi stopped walking and gazed at him, deadpanned. "You ruined it. See? We were having a moment, and you fucking ruined it. This is why we can't have nice things."

He began to walk quickly and Eren had to jog to catch up. It was hard with how hard he was laughing. He tugged on Levi's arm to get him to slow down. Eren leaned on his shoulder and batted his lashes prettily. It was ruined by the air still escaping from his lips. "No, wait Levi! I'm sorry! I appreciate it! I won't say anything about it anymore! I promise!" He said between laughs.

"Shut up." Levi pushed the side of his head, lips tipping upward despite how he was obviously trying to fight it. "Stop laughing, brat."

"Leevviii!" He whined.

Levi stiffened slightly, staring in front of him. Eren looked over, noticing a few shady characters leaning Levi's car, talking lowly amongst themselves. They looked up when the two of them got close enough. Eren narrowed his eyes. He recognized most of them. A band of roving assassins. Eren thought the name was quite crafty. They were called the "Crows" or something. And there was a group of them. A group of crows was called a murder. Get it? A murder of crows, because they committed murder— anyway, that didn't mean they could just lounge as they pleased.

"Hey." The leader said. His name was Doug. Or Daniel. Eren didn't give a fuck, really. He knew it started with a D.

(Doug-Daniel was a stout man, with far too many tattoos and bad teeth. He looked like the kind of guy to be wrapped up in bad shit. He also looked like he didn't take too many baths. Dirty people pissed Levi—and himself—off. That's probably why Eren never made much of an effort to remember his name.)

Eren knew this was not good. Usually, if someone was to come to Levi by their own free will, some sort of deal or business had went south. Eren wasn't in the mood for that. That's what cellphones are for. Or mornings. Or, not right now. They could easy just push the interfering bastards off the car and drive away—

"Shut up." Levi muttered in his ear.

"I didn't say anything!" Eren protested in an equally-low voice.

"You were about to."

Doug-Daniel cleared his throat.

"What?" Levi said sharply, eyes scanning the group. "I'm busy."

Doug's eyes fluttered over to Levi's arm, which was still linked with Eren's. He looked up at Eren swiftly and then looked away. "I know. Wednesdays and Thursdays are off limits. Sorry." He said. "You guys active tonight?"

Levi and Eren shared a quick look. Eren shrugged. "Maybe. Why?"

This time, a fellow veteran of the crowd named Waylon (or something) spoke up. "Police presence been amped up. They caught a few of our boys on the east end. Just thought you'd like to know."

Eren hummed and nodded to him. Levi, on the other hand, sneered. "Is there some reason you thought I wouldn't know that?"

Waylon and Doug's eyes filled with mute panic. "We—"

"We nothing. You did your jobs. I'm so proud. Now go away. I don't—"

"Naturally, the King of Shadows knows everything that goes on in his city. I told you coming here would be a waste of time." Some random fuck towards the back muttered. Eren didn't know this guy. He was tall, dark-haired, and formally irrelevant. He wasn't now. Eren could smell the newbie on him. Only a newbie—or one bold son-of-a-bitch—would cut Levi off in mid-sentence.

Everyone froze.

Doug whipped around, punching new-guy dead in his nose.

"Shut up!" Someone else in the group shouted at the same time. "Have some respect!"

Eren heard what the words really meant. Are you trying to get us all killed? The crows were mentally screaming at him. He smirked.

He looked over to Levi who had a blank, calculating look in his eyes. "Who the fuck are you?" he asked, jutting his chin out at him.

"Terry." He muttered, cupping his face. Blood spilled through the seams of his fingers. Eren shifted at the sight of it. Levi nodded at Waylon.

"He's new." Not a question.

Waylon jerked his head rapidly. "Yeah."

"Teach him better." Levi said simply, eyes cutting over to Doug.

The crows stood to attention, not sure how things would go from here on. Levi had a notoriously bad temper, and he hated to be interrupted. It seemed like a trivial thing to be potentially maimed over. Though Eren knew that Levi had a reputation to uphold. If he eased his iron grip on the miscreants of this city, someone would try to swoop in and take his place. Was he proud that his man could make the poor fools wet themselves and run screaming with only a slow blink and an ugly sneer? Very. This, however, was not one of those times. He didn't care about these stupid fucks and their stupid disrespect. He cared about ending his night on a high note. As a matter of fact, he changed his mind. He might just end them himself. Nobody interrupts his date nights. This is the exact reason why Wednesdays and Thursdays were off limits.

He could feel Levi getting irritated. Without looking at him, he tightened his grip on his arm, hoping he got the message that Eren was ready for this little exchange to end without someone losing a head.

"Yes, of course, I'll-" Doug started.

Levi narrowed his eyes at the men dangerously. "Leave, I'm bored of all of you."

They were gone within moments, scattered back into the dark.

Levi waited a few moments, eyes scanning their surroundings silently. Then he opened the car doors. They slipped inside.

While adjusting his seatbelt, Eren kept sending sly looks over to Levi in the driver's seat. Levi started the car, pulling out of the slight parking space with ease.

"What?" Levi asked without taking his eyes off the road. Eren looked out the window at the passing scenery.

"They're more trouble than they're worth." He muttered. Eren felt his eyes drooping slowly while he was getting lured to sleep by the gentle rock of the car. He fought to stay awake. Eren always felt like a little kid when this happened, which was quite often. He would complain about wanting to go somewhere else after they finished their activity for the night, only to be fast asleep when Levi drove them there.

Levi made a clicking sound in the back of his throat. "You think so?"

Eren nodded. "Yeah."

"Who would you suggest to replace them?" Levi asked. Eren thought for a moment.

"The Wolves."

Levi scoffed. "The Wolves? In the East End?" He shot Eren a look as they reached a red light. "Explain the logic behind that."

Eren knew this was coming. In fact, he planned a whole speech weeks ago. The Crows were too messy and unorganized. They would only serve to drag Levi down. They were too deep in some of the other sides of Levi's business—like human trafficking and synthetic drugs. They made great money for Levi—

(And Levi made lots of it. Having a hand in everything did that. They didn't call him the King for nothing. He may not have gotten paid for murder—not anymore, anyway—but he was a genius that could produce coin out of anything. )

—but they were useless to him if they were too tweaked out to keep their heads on straight. Eren would be damned if Levi got caught up because of the senseless little shits.

"The leader—" He began.

"—Mike." Levi supplied for him.

"Yes, Mike is completely devoted to you. He doesn't do any of the hard stuff, he got intuition and reflexes like a fucking animal, he got connections everywhere, and did I mention that he's damn near obsessive about you and will hang onto your every word?"

Levi shrugged. "Daniel's reliable enough. His team's just shitty."

Ah. So his name was Daniel. "What good is the boss if he can't control his underlings?"

"Hmm." Green light. "You make a good point. How would you suggest I deal with the Crows, then?"

Eren blinked at the side of his face. "Murder?" he said innocently.

"You're not funny. You've been waiting to make that joke since you saw them, haven't you?"

"Maybe." Eren said with a laugh.

Levi chuckled with him. "So you think Mike would take well to a hostile takeover?"

"He's in love with you, I doubt he'll mind much as long as he gets to be around you."

"So being in love makes you subservient? I don't think so."

Eren looked out of the window again. "Sometimes it does." He muttered.

He could feel Levi eyes on him and he tried to fight down a blush. He knew the smug bastard had a smirk on his face right now, and he didn't want to see it.

Eren punched him in the side. "Shut up." Levi made a little 'oof' noise.

"I didn't say anything."

"You were about to." Eren said snidely, throwing his earlier words back at him.

"Touché." Levi said, smiling and ruffling Eren's hair with his hand.

ǂǁǂ

Levi once told him that, "The people with the brightest lives live the most in the shadows."

Everywhere, they lurked. In plain sight.

It made sense with everything Eren knew. At first, he thought it a simple opinion, but now he realized it was fact.

They were sitting outside of a well-known gay strip club, waiting on the last few "early-birds" to file out so they could choose a target. Early birds meaning those that would leave before the am's to get home to their wives and children. Levi had a problem with those types. Those were the ones he wanted. Like now, when a tall, light-haired forty something eased out of the front—lighting a cigarette and blowing into his hands for warmth—Levi's eyes narrowed slightly, a funny look crossing his face. His eyes were far away; He was now in a different place in a different time. Eren knew who he saw in that man (who he saw in every man that looked the part) and he smirked. Him. He would do.

"How do you want to do this?" He said gently, tearing Levi from his thoughts. His words were met with a blink. Then another.

"Distract him." He mumbled.

Eren nodded. He was about to get out of the car, so they could begin, but decided to lean over and give Levi a small peck on the lips. He didn't expect for it to be returned. It wasn't.

"Hey," He said, searching Levi's eyes. "Stay with me."

Levi pinned him with a level stare. "I'm here."

Eren smiled weakly. "Good."

He stepped out.

Any sane person, any person with the least bit of common sense would know not to walk around by themselves late at night. Not here. Not after recent years. He was older, and must have remembered what this city was like before it became a waking nightmare. Or, he didn't care. He was already living on the edge. His wedding ring still firmly on his finger, but he must have felt he had nothing to lose. He took the backstreets to Uptown. Ah. Eren knew where he was going. To the nice, little brownstones that were squashed together with barely any room between them. (His mind began to wander in a haze of memories, they flew behind his eyes in a flurry of motion. He could almost trace his steps. Another block, then a left, then another and he would be standing in front of—)

He didn't have time for this. If he let the man get home, he wouldn't have the chance to get his attention. And, Eren had a problem with hurting people too close to home. It was strange; He knew that many of the people he had killed had others to go home to. Maybe a wife, a husband, or a dog, even a goldfish that would miss them. But that meant nothing to him if he didn't see them. If he got too close—too close to seeing what their life was like and how much they enjoyed it—he would hesitate or back out entirely. Better to grab someone randomly off the street and tear out their heart in a dirty warehouse than do it where that person made memories.

"Hey." It was time. The street was clear. It was late enough that those with smarts were snug in their beds with the windows and doors locked tight. He hadn't meant to, but he was standing underneath a slightly flickering street light. He nearly smiled. He leaned against it. What character should he play? The hungry urchin? It was one of his favorites. They random guy that wants to bum a cigarette? Too weird this late at night.

The man turned around swiftly, sucking in a breath in fear. "Shit! You scared the fuck out of me!"

He was given the up and down from dull, brown eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to."

The man snorted. "The fuck do you want?"

What should he say? To kill you? That wouldn't go over well. Oh! He knew who he should play! Ah yes, time to put all those drama classes to use.

"You," He said softly. He bit his lip and lowered his eyes sultry. He poked the man in the chest gently, curving his finger around a button on his shirt. "Look like the type of guy that knows how to have fun." He was met with wide eyes and a dropped jaw.

(Eren had practiced being sexy and lowering his voice in the mirror a million times. It was awkward at first, and he extremely embarrassed of himself, but it was worth it when he could make Levi go crazy from want. He figured it wouldn't hurt to use it on this guy for forty five seconds.)

"What's your name?" He asked.

"You can call me Fred." Fred said. He gave Eren a little lazy, lopsided grin. It probably was his signature one. He probably thought it was cute or sensual. It was not. Eren found it a little creepy. He fought off a shiver.

Did this Fred not think this was strange, a random kid coming up to you on a deserted street in the middle of the night talking about fun? Apparently, he hadn't got his money's worth back in the club. Or, he was an idiot with no sense of survival. Eren grit his teeth, fighting off a wave a disgust that washed over him like a wave. He hated those types. He hated him already.

(Time to die.)

"So, Fred," He said, dragging his name out for effect. "Do you want to have fun with me?"

It worked, if the way Fred's smirk deepened and he took a step closer. "Maybe."

"Don't be coy." Eren said, fighting down an eye-roll. Seriously, one day his eyes would roll right out of their sockets. "I'm worth it, trust me." He bat his eyelashes.

"You some kind of whore or something?" Fred asked. Eren internally shrugged. He guessed that was the role for the night. He would have to use this one again sometimes; it was kind of fun.

Eren smirked and clicked his tongue. "Maybe."

Fred chuckled throatily. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

"Hmm. You look younger."

Like he hadn't heard that before. "Is that a good or a bad thing?"

"Good." Fred said with a nasty leer.

Great, he was a pervert. The world wouldn't miss him.

They began walking together, Eren keeping to the side away from the street. He pretended to be engaged in what Fred was talking about, but he couldn't care less. What type of man had small talk with a prostitute? A fake prostitute, but whatever. He told him about his twins who were staying over at a friend's, his job at his law firm that he was tired of, and his wife that never had time for him anymore after her business took off. He always thought he was gay, blah, blah, blah. He was a lonely soul. And his loneliness turned into bad behavior. That bad behavior became late-night visits to gay clubs and self-discovery and walking down an empty street, bearing your soul to a fake prostitute slash killer as you walked the barely-legal boy back to your empty house. Pathetic. He would make great art, Eren thought. He would have to get Levi to incorporate Fred's confusion into his sculpture.

His life, otherwise, was fine. He didn't live the night-life. That's probably why he wasn't warier of what lurked under the moonlight. Everywhere, darkness lurked. Too bad he wouldn't have time to learn not to trust bright-eyed boys that stood under flickering streetlights. Shame.

"This is taking too long." Eren said. It was taking too long. Fred was telling him that they only two blocks to go, but Eren didn't want to get out of the business district. Like he said, taking someone out inside of their house was a bit too much for him.

"But, it's just—"

Eren dragged Fred against him, hiding a wince when the brick wall behind dung into his back. "I don't care. Do it, right here, against this wall." He whispered.

Fred's eyes went wide and his breath caught. "Right here?" He said, a bit alarmed.

"No one's here. I want it. Come on." He fumbled with Fred's belt. He hoped that Fred would protest a little more, because he wasn't trying to actually get his pants off. Fred was already a little excited, his slight bulge growing bigger as Eren ran his hand across it. His hand was grabbed and pinned back of the wall.

"You sure?" Fred murmured in his ear.

Eren smirked. Not at Fred, but at the small movement he noticed behind him. "Yeah. I'm sure."

He leaned his head to the right.

He didn't flinch when Fred's head smashed forward into the wall from the force of Levi's blow. Fred's teeth would certainly be embedded in the bricks. He pushed his hands forward, trying to get the now-slumped, heavy body off of him. He looked to Levi, who flipped the metal bar once in his hand and rested it on his shoulder.

"You didn't have to hit him that hard." Eren said, trying to hold back a laugh. Levi narrowed his eyes.

"Stop being soft. " He snapped. "Who were you supposed to be?"

Jealous. "A whore."

Levi snorted, lifting Fred and slinging him over his shoulder. "You'll have to remember that one for later."

Eren smirked. "Of course."

ǂǁǂ

Fred was wrapped in a large tarp in the backseat, facedown. Blood stained where the fabric met the back of his head, thick and blossoming. He wanted to touch it, but he was a little busy at the moment.

The garage was dark, save for one small light that at least let him see his hand in front of him. His right leg was cramped near his chest, while his left hanging over the middle compartment. He spread his legs more to get conformable.

He couldn't keep his mouth closed—his salvia wetting the heated skin it rested against. His warm breath contrasting the outside air, causing the windows to fog. He panted into Levi's shoulder, each thrust causing him to jerk and lose his breath. Eren ground down on the spearing heat inside of him, biting hard when Levi rolled his hips.

"S-shit." he stammered.

Levi's hand snaked into his hair, tugging it back as he sucked on his neck slowly. Eren's eyes fluttered shut. He let himself be carried away by Levi's gentle rocking. "Harder."

He whined at Levi's firm and sultry. "No."

"Please." He hated to beg, but he needed it. It had been too long.

He gasped loudly when Levi sped up, hips lurching upward like he wanted to break him. He moaned, trying to keep up.

"I thought you wanted it harder." Levi gritted out, hands sliding down to grip Eren's hips.

"I do." He said, biting his lip.

His down-thrusts faltered. Eren didn't want it to be over yet. He tried to distract himself. No dice.

His eyes traveled over the seat. He grabbed Levi's shoulders, lifting himself high, and dropped back down. White exploded behind his eyes. "Ah!" He moaned.

He could still the dark stains that peppered Fred's hair. He wished he could reach it from here, run his fingers through it. Eren went to reach his arm out, only to have it caught quickly. Warm fingers enveloped his tightly.

"If you do that, I'll be jealous." Levi whispered in his ear. Eren's breath caught.

"What?" He puffed. "Why?"

Levi didn't answer. His arm flew to Eren's middle and tightened mutely around it.

"No reason." He said after a minute.

Eren's next words were cut off by a particularly forceful thrust. He nearly cried out, feeling his completion near. Levi knew him too well, and gripped the base of his cock. He whined pathetically.

"Nooo." He managed, causing Levi to chuckle darkly at him.

They fell into silence, the only noise being Eren's soft cries and Levi deep groaning. So good, he thought. So good. Break me.

He wrapped his arms around Levi's head and driving himself down forcefully. He squeezed around the heat inside of him, smiling gently at Levi's almost pained groan. Levi's hand slipped upward while still holding onto him, jerking out of time with his thrusts. Eren couldn't take it anymore. He exploded, throwing his head back and whimpered loudly.

He sagged, but managed to still move in earnest to help Levi reach his peak. In a matter of moments, strong hands gripped his hips until they creaked and he felt warmth surge inside of him.

He sighed resting against Levi's chest as they both caught their breaths.

They said nothing.

It bothered him.

"What did you mean by that?" He asked, sliding his eyes up to Levi's carefully blank face. "Is it even possible to be jealous of a dead man?"

Levi pinned him with a hard stare. "You'd be surprised."

Huh?

What was he talking abo—?

Oh.

Oh.

Eren blinked once, twice, three times. "There's no reason to be." He didn't let him say anything else. He kissed him, hard and punishing. Levi's arm curled around his neck as Eren licked the roof of his mouth. He smiled into the kiss as Levi released a soft groan.

"Don't be stupid." He said as he pulled away. "I just wanted to touch the blood. I wasn't thinking about anyone else."

Levi looked as if he didn't believe him. "You want to play with some? Fine." Eren's eyes widened as Levi bit his own tongue hard enough to draw blood. Eren swallowed thickly, leaning in and lapping up the little trickle that escaped. He sighed. Levi's blood always tasted the best.

He was being watched with smoldering eyes. He felt himself becoming aroused again.

"Doesn't it hurt?" he asked, wanted to stick his tongue in Levi's mouth. The bastard was keeping it closed on purpose.

He got a raised eyebrow, as to say: "And?"

Levi slowly rolled his tongue outward; He kept his eyes on Eren, waiting. Eren nearly attacked him—sucking, biting—so good. He thought. Levi didn't seem to notice the sting; he kept jabbing his tongue inside Eren's mouth and relishing in his moans. They nipped at each other, and soon Eren's blood was mixed in to their sloppy kisses. His lips felt swollen and they ached, but he didn't stop. Levi was fully hard again, and he began making slow, torturing movements.

Eren pulled away, pushing on Levi's chest as he tried to follow him. "We should stop." He said between pants. "I have school tomorrow and," He made a lazy gesture to the backseat. "We still haven't finished with him."

Levi looked as if he fought himself, but eventually dragged Eren off of him and placed him in the passenger's seat. Eren leaned back into the chair and tried to collect himself.

.

..

...

...

...

"You're still hard." Eren said.

"So are you."

Quiet.

"Fifteen minutes." Levi said, not in the form of a question.

"Okay." Eren said a little too quickly.

Levi laughed, dragging him back onto his lap as they descended into chaos.

ǂǁǂ

"He should be upside down!" Eren huffed, jamming the last hook into Fred's bloody shoulder. Levi rolled his eyes and batted his hand away.

From the position they were in, on top of an abandoned warehouse, poor, little Fred would be visible from the street come daylight. After they threw him over the side, of course. Now, if only they could manage to agree on whether what position he should be in.

"No." Levi said. "You already put his hands where he feet should be, we don't need to do any more than that."

"I wanted to convey his confusion! It's poetic!"

"Convey? Since when do you say convey? And that's stupid, by the way."

"You're stupid."

Levi glared. "Don't start."

"You suck. I hate you."

"Shut up."

"You shut up."

"Eren—"

"I know you are but what am I?"

"That doesn't even make sense, you shitty brat!"

Thirteen Years Ago

(Rivaille)

Funerals were boring.

All the sobbing, sad people around him. He hated it. What real reason did they have to cry? He should be the one crying. It was his mother that was dead, killed by his own father. But he wasn't sad. Not much, anyway. His mother was always suffering at the hands of his father. With his drinking, and his lying and cheating. She was a nice, wholesome woman. She didn't deserve what he did to her. She deserved to be an angel. So, he wouldn't cry. This world wasn't good enough for her so he was glad she wasn't in it anymore.

"Poor thing, he's just sitting there…"

"…I wonder who will take him…"

"Didn't she have a younger sister?"

"…inconsolable. Her husband took her back to their car. Could she handle a child?"

"…might have been a bastard, but he was mighty rich. Those kids won't have to worry about a thing…"

Shut up.

They all talked too much. They didn't care, not really. They were only here because his father was an important man and these people liked to gossip. They wanted to know who would get his inheritance. Would it go to his two children, or his many mistresses? Life's great mysteries.

He felt a presence beside him.

"Shouldn't you still be in college?" He asked.

Erwin leaned into him and discreetly took his hand. "Come on, Levi, you thought I wouldn't come?"

"You're late."

"I know."

"Father didn't kill himself." Levi whispered fiercely. He could feel Erwin's eyes on the top of his head. His brother looked around to see if anyone heard. They were too busy with their own conversations to actually worry about sad, little orphans. Well, Levi was an orphan, Erwin's mother was still alive.

"I know."

Levi looked up at him, eyes misty. "I had to." He whispered, this time, softer.

Erwin's eyes were so very, very sad. "I know."

Levi closed his eyes. He said he wouldn't cry, but—

Erwin lifted him up and sat him in his lap. He rested his blonde head on top on Levi's hanging one. Levi was glad he wasn't looking at him at the moment—he and that man looked too much alike. He got none of those features, only his mother's slightly softer ones. He used to be jealous of it, but now—

"How long are you going to be here?" He asked softly.

Erwin sighed, tightening his arms around Levi's middle. "As long as you need me."

Someone rose, walking up to the podium with a crumpled, faintly wet paper. He watched as they sniffled, and began to speak.

"Then you won't ever leave." Levi said after a few moments. He felt Erwin nuzzle his hair.

"I know."

And in the dark, I can hear your heart beat. I tried to find the sound. But then, it stopped, and I was in the darkness, so the darkness I became.

…

I took the stars from my eyes, and then I made I map. And knew that somehow I could kind my way back. Then I heard your heart beating—you were in the darkness too— so I stayed in the darkness with you.

Two Years Before

Mikasa had been acting strangely recently. Her appetite changed; she rarely ate. Eren tried not to be overly worried for her—she never had trouble handling herself— but it was eating at him. She was his sister, and he wanted to know what was happening with her. So he could wait until she came to him with her problems.

He waited for a while.

And he waited and waited and waited until; finally one day, she cracked. Not in the way normal people do. No, she did it in her quiet, Mikasa way. She cornered him in the hall, while their father was sleeping and the night was still young. She grasped his arm and pinned him with a burning gaze. They stared at each other for a long time. Eren could feel his patience running thin; he hated waiting for anything. But he learned from the best how to manage. But Mikasa didn't function like him (thank fuck) and she went about things in slow, but sure way. So he said nothing. He anticipated her sigh, and the tightening of her hand on his forearm. He expected her head on his shoulder, and the long, drawn breath on his neck. Her next words, however, threw him.

"I like the taste of human flesh." She muttered against his skin.

He blinked once. He blinked twice. Three times.

He should have anticipated something like this. She, from the moment he met her, was different. Even when she mourned her parents' loss, there was a strong and strange way about her that he always picked up on. But, Cannibalism? Mikasa? His Mikasa?'

(She was overly picky with food. She never had many friends. She observed people like no tomorrow, knew things she wouldn't know from just regular conversation —that had nothing to do with this, Eren!— She liked her steak rare, always. She shared his fascination with blood and guts. Horror movie with flesh-eating demons always made her eyes wide and her breath shallow. How in the fuck had he forgotten that? He thought it was odd, but never commented. For god sakes, she knew he was a murderer and she was okay with it. Normal people didn't do that. Normal people didn't do that.)

All the little things he thought nothing of before came flooding in at once. He should have fucking anticipated something like this.

She rested on his shoulder. He knew that, even though her voice did not change and her body remained lax, that she was tense and mindful of his reaction. What did she think he would say, that something like this was too much, even for him? No, this was Mikasa: quiet, loving, strong Mikasa. And this Mikasa just told him something he was sure no one else knew, something that others would judge her harshly for. And Eren loved her, dearly. This wouldn't change his opinion of her. Better yet, part of him was ecstatic that she shared a strange passion like he did.

She had known about what he did since the beginning. He could keep nothing from her. Not for lack of trying. She was a master at reading his face and interpreting his emotions, while he was useless at reading hers. Now he felt like he could share with her even the darkest and sickest shit he did, without feeling as though he would make her uncomfortable. He could barely contain his delight. But Eren played it cool. He simply raised his arms and embraced her, feeling her melt into him. He thought of the coolest line he could think of to reassure her. What would Levi say, in this situation? He had no idea. Fuck.

"So?" He said. That worked, he guessed.

Mikasa's head jerked up. It had been a long time since he saw that look on her face, so vulnerable and unsure. How was it he always saw her make such a face? How long had it been since the last time?

"So?" She asked, incredulous." Eren, did you hear me? I said—"

Eren took a step back, cutting her off by grasping her face firmly and head-butting her. She closed her mouth, biting her lips nervously. A cute little confused expression was on her face. He thought to smile sweetly at her, but it would certainly ended up as a grimace. He was never good at smiling, unless it was maniacal or twisted. He didn't want to scare her off. Not now. This was hard for her, and he wanted her to feel okay about this. Show her that there was nothing to be ashamed of. That he wasn't ashamed of her.

"I heard you. I hear you. I always hear you, Mikasa. And I say, so what?" He thought that was awful mature of him, those words. And when her face crumbled and she sobbed silently into his chest, he felt even more grown up when he whispered sweet-soothing words in her ear and patted her head. Now he knew how it felt to be like the older sibling. To comfort someone. It felt…good.

They sank down against the wall in the same position. Her hands fisted his night-shirt, and she let out all her pain and anxieties and grim acceptance as to what she was onto his shoulder. They sat in silence for a long while, his hand stroking her silky hair as he stared into the darkness of the hall. Something was bothering him though. He had to ask.

"So, Mikasa…" He brought up conversationally, easing into it. "Who did you eat, to uh, find out that you…like how people taste?" He swallowed, looking down at the top of her head. Maybe he should have waited until morning to broach the subject, but the curiosity was eating him alive. No pun intended.

"Our Physical Education teacher." She said.

Eren's eyes widened in surprise. Mr. Harmon? Why?

"Why?"

She took her time answering. "Do you remember when you hurt your leg last semester, and he wanted to fail you for not running the mile?"

He had a feeling he knew where this was going. "Yeah."

"That made me angry." Eren chuckled.

"You always get angry when people screw with me." He said.

"Yes."

"So what was different about him?"

"He wouldn't stop bothering you. He gave you detention, tried to humiliate you. I didn't like that, so I killed him." She breathed in deeply. "And then I decided I wanted to eat him." She looked down sharply, as if her own admittance surprised her. He could see her slowly shutting down. That was enough soul-bearing tonight. Besides, it was late.

Eren nodded. "Okay. We don't have to talk anymore tonight if you don't want to."

As if on cue, Mikasa yawned. "I want to talk more to you." She whispered. Moments like this, he realized that she was only a year older than him. She looked even younger than him now, like a cute little kid. Eren ruffled her hair.

"But, you're tired." Mikasa squeezed his shoulders.

"I am."

"Then we'll talk more in the morning. Come on." He stood, holding his hand out to help her to her feet. She grasped it. Eren pretended not to see the mist shining in her eyes. It was never right to point out things to a lady that she hadn't noticed herself.

He turned to go to his bedroom, but she caught his sleeve. He didn't look at her as she gently pulled him to her own room.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" She asked at the threshold. He was used to this. Tough, loving, quiet Mikasa drew strength from him. They would hold each other in their sleep, willing the demons away for another night. Once again, he was taken back to the scene years ago, and then the hours that followed, when his little arms could barely encase her and her tears fell like waterfalls. He smiled, leaning his forehead against hers, ignoring how his own green eyes shimmered in the moonlight.

"I will."

She smiled.

"Thank you."

He didn't have to ask what for.

"I love you, sister." He said.

"And I you, brother." She echoed.

She tugged at his arm and pulled him to the bed. They laid face to face, fingers intertwined as they fell into dreams. Neither ever noticed that the door to the left was slightly open.

But before he was dragged to dreamland, his eyes were drawn to Mikasa's dresser. Where a little old, well-loved elephant sat with an over-large scarf that smelled of memories looped tightly around it.

Eren smiled and felt content.

I want to know what it'd be like—to find perfection in my pride, to see nothing in the light. But turn it off, in all my spite. In all my spite, I'll turn it off.

…

(Again.)

(His father found the Ackerman's killers. Eren didn't know how. Nor did he ask. They died. He saw it in the paper. But first, when his father had stumbled in—eyes wide and chest heaving— with blood on his clothes, Eren said nothing. He had waited for him all night, sitting up in the living room with a book in his hand to pass the time. He had been nodding off when his father entered, and they caught each other's eyes immediately. His father said nothing. Not that Eren expected him to. He stood and made his way down the hall.)

"Watch yourself, both of you." Their father said on a Wednesday morning over breakfast. They would all be leaving for work and school respectively. Mikasa stopped buttering her toast and Eren paused from shoveling frosted flakes into his mouth. They shared a confused look, glancing at the back of the newspaper that he held up to his face.

"What?" Eren asked.

A flip of the page.

How cliché.

"I said, watch yourselves." He pinned them with a heavy look—eyes swiveling back and forth, back and forth— and stood. He reached for his jacket and his cellphone, dropping cash on the table. It would be their allowance for the week. Eren went to grab for it when his father's warm and enveloped his. He looked up to find his other cupping the side of Mikasa's face.

Eren was about to speak, but then whatever was happening was over.

His father made his way to the door and paused.

"Don't be sloppy." He said gravely. "I won't lose either of you, so just don't be sloppy."

Eren didn't remove his eyes from that broad back, but he knew Mikasa's eyes were as wide as his.

One minute of silence passed. Two minutes passed. Three.

"Understood." They said in harmony.

The door echoed behind him.

Two Years Before

"Levi?" Eren asked in bed one night.

"Yeah?" Levi ran his fingers though Eren's mussed hair, silently enjoying its smoothness. Eren nuzzled his hand, jokingly purring like a cat, much to Levi's delight.

"What does Erwin do?" He asked. "I mean, when we leave him with the bodies? Does he just get rid of it for us?"

Levi gave a short chuckle. "No, he fucks them first." Eren felt himself choke on air. Levi laughed outright at him.

"What?"

"He fucks them. He gets off on it. It's called necrophilia. You should look up words you don't know, Eren, it will give you a better understanding of them." Levi chided. Eren knew he was kidding by the shit smirk on his face.

"Shut up, you ass, I know what it means! I just—Erwin doesn't seem like the, I don't know, type to do…that."

Levi bit his cheek. "Neither do you. Neither does Mikasa. Neither do—"

"If you're going to mention yourself, then that's a damn lie."

Levi laughed again. "You make a good point."

Silence.

"Does it bother you?" Levi asked in all seriousness, smirk gone. Eren could have laughed. He always had the same firm face whenever someone had something unsavory to say about Mikasa. They were the same in that aspect, always defensive of their loved ones. That was one thing Eren always admired and feared about Levi; he never gave his affection easily, but when he did, it was whole and true.

"Certainly not." He said. "Me and Erwin both like to be inside dead people, just in different ways, after all."

Levi threw his head back and laughed.

"Well said."

At Some Point…

"Where am I dropping you tonight?" His father asked as they got in the car. It was one of his rare nights off, and Eren would have loved to spend it with him, but his father wasn't up for late night talk sessions or movie-watching. He was bone-tired, like always, but he said he would at least drop him off at a friend's tonight. Mikasa was already gone. Eren thought it might be good to leave the house so his dad could get some well-deserved sleep.

"Levi's." He said before thinking. Shit. He should have eased into it.

He saw his father's hand tighten on his seat-belt mutely. Eren frowned at it, and looked up to his father's face. His eyes were suddenly alert and calculating. Double shit.

He started the car and they began the drive in silence.

It was unspoken knowledge between the three of them—himself, his father, and Mikasa— that their father wasn't fond of Levi. They had never met, but they both had set opinions of each other. His father was a detective, after all, but it wasn't rocket science to figure out that the longer Eren and Levi were together, the more people got murdered and put on display. He was sure that his father blamed Levi for Eren's…mindset, but he never commented. Not once. Eren was never sure how he felt about that.

"Is he treating you right?" He asked when they were a block away. Eren winced. His father had figured that out—without Eren saying a word—a long time ago, too.

It was Eren's turn to grip his seatbelt. "Yeah."

They pulled up to the front for the house Erwin and Levi shared. Only a single light was on in the living room, because he was expected.

"You'll tell me if he's not, right?"

Eren laughed weakly. "Yeah, dad." His father nodded.

"Good." Eren went to get out of the car, paused, thought, and then turned and hugged his father tightly.

He felt him freeze. Then relax. Then raise his arms and nearly crush him.

"I love you. Dad." He whispered into his shoulder.

His father was quiet for one second. Two seconds. Three. "I love you too, Eren. Be safe."

Here or Out There?

He'll never know, because his mouth wouldn't work to ask.

He hopped out without a backward glance. Rubbing his sweaty hands on his hands. He felt oddly close to tears for some reason.

When he rang the doorbell, Levi appeared in seconds to answer the door. He probably witnessed their little exchange. He never missed a thing. He was dressed only in pajama pants, his already low eyes even lower while fighting off sleep. Eren felt close to tears for an entirely different reason when he travelled the expanse of his chest with his eyes. Levi wasn't looking at him; his eyes were firmly over his shoulder and locked on target.

Eren turned around, seeing that his father and Levi were having some sort of staring contest—eyes narrowed so far they were almost closed and they both gave new meaning to still—which they held for a long time with Eren looking between them. Then it was over, and his father was looking at him and Levi was drilling holes in the back of his head. Then, in a move that two out of three did not expect, Levi spun him a kissed him square on the lips.

Kissed? More like tried to suck his soul out of his mouth. It was the most passionate kiss they shared in a while and Eren felt a little weak at the knees. Then he came back to earth as Levi kept right on kissing him. He was doing this on Levi's doorstep. In front of his father. After his father just dropped him off. After they just had a staring contest for his honor. In front of his motherfucking father. (No pun intended.)

He might've actually died of embarrassment.

That is, until his father let out the longest car-horn beep known to man, then a little series of beeps following it. Levi jumped terribly at the first one, as did Eren. And he couldn't help it; he laughed heartily against his mouth as his father drove away.

...

In this little number we're graced by two displays of character.

...

Who ruined who, exactly?

A Few Hours Before.

Everything was ready.

He slipped himself into some sturdy boots. He would need them. He bundled himself up against the chilly January air. He sighed.

He could to do this. This was going to happen. He was going do this. He was going to make this happen.

He clutched as his chest, ignoring the sharp pain there.

Everything was ready.

ǂǁǂ

"I can't do this. You need to run, Sasha!" he screamed in her face.

She was very excited today. Nervous and blushing. He wasn't so much of an idiot to not know what she wanted. He'd been aware that she was a little touchier every time they kissed. Despite her enthusiasm, he was sure she was a virgin. Would he take her virginity when he was supposed to be killing her? He wasn't that cruel. He wouldn't let her think they would get farther than this. She would just have to be disappointed.

They had been sitting in the woods in Levi's borrowed car. He had kissed her, softly, and felt her delicate body beneath his hands. It was a bad idea. The normalcy, the calm way they touched each other and the small, contented breaths that passed between them. They got him thinking. Thinking about things he never should. What if he gave it up, all this death and destruction? Would it work? He would still be going to the darkest depths of hell for everything he had done, but saving her would count for something, right?

She could make him happy. Hell, she already did. If he walked away with her, he could change. He would go to therapy, try to fix himself. If he trained himself, he could stop himself from thinking about gore and guts and Levi, right?

He looked down at his hand which encased one of her breasts.

No.

Because he would always crave to see the blood that lived in colonies under her skin.

He sighed into her lips.

And then he snapped.

"Eren?" She asked, alarmed. "What are you talking about?"

He didn't have time for her confusion. Levi would be expecting him soon. He would have to explain this quickly.

"Look, Sasha," He started, panicked." I need you to listen, okay?" She nodded weakly.

"I'm not who you think I am." He said, earning a disbelieving snort from her. He nearly rolled his eyes. "I'm serious. Deeper in the woods here, my boyfriend—"

She believed that. "BOYFIREND? What the fuck, Eren?" He didn't let his surprise throw him. Even though he was caught a little off guard by her swearing.

"Yeah." He said, glossing over it. "He's going to kill you. He's kind of…a serial killer." He said. No, I was supposed to kill you, I'm kind of a serial killer, but you don't need to know that.

That's right, Eren, save yourself. That's what you're best at.

Silence.

"What?" She said after a few tense moments. "WHAT?"

He sighed. "I know this sounds crazy—"

"Crazy isn't a strong enough word!" She screeched. "So what? You lure stupid, unsuspecting girls into his lair for him?" Lie, dammit.

"Y-yeah."

"So you think I'm stupid?" she shrieked.

"What? No!"

"You played me!" You never liked me!" She looked like she was about to cry.

"I did! I do! If I didn't, I wouldn't be risking my neck to save you!" He yelled.

She froze.

"How many others have you saved like your trying to save me?" She asked.

Bad, bad question. Think of your answer wisely, Jaeger.

Eren looked away.

"None." Nailed it.

She bit her lip then, and put her arms around herself. He wasn't sure what to do with his hands. She would surely react badly if he tried to hug her, and he felt like nothing he could say would keep her from—

She opened the passenger's side door and quickly hopped out. "Wait, where are you going?" He called.

"Far away from you! You're sick!" She shot back.

He climbed out and began to chase her.

"No, Sasha, don't go that way! You need to listen to me—!"

"Shut up! Stay away from me!" She cried.

Sasha ran as fast as she could. Her heart was broken, and somehow it gave strength to her legs. Eren had a boyfriend? A boyfriend that was a serial killer? He was gay? He never liked her? Well, he said he did, but could she really listen to anything he had to say anymore? It wouldn't be the best idea, she thought. She was beyond reason now, and more than a little upset. Her feet led her deep into the woods. Sasha was so cold. She coat was working overtime to keep out the sudden burst of frost that settled over the area.

She looked around wildly, trying to find somewhere to hide. Eren's voice seemed to be farther and farther away. She couldn't tell which direction his voice was coming from. In her panic, she became disoriented. But she wouldn't be caught, she wouldn't. She didn't want to die.

"—asha! Sasha, please!" She heard in the distance. She pinched herself to keep from calling back. It would be foolish, but she was so angry. Even though it hurt that he didn't like her the way she liked him, it hurt even more because underneath all that, he was supposed to be her friend. They survived high school together. They laughed, and joked, and even cried together! How could he? It was so wrong.

She slowed, nearly coughing at the air's briskness hitting the back of her throat. She couldn't keep it up. He could find her soon if she didn't get out of the open. The woods were dark and frightening. Ever sound had her twisting and turning, hoping it wouldn't be the crunch of feet the dead ground. Sasha whimpered. God, she didn't think she'd been so scared in her life.

Light.

She saw light.

It was small, through a few more thick trees. A single porch light hung in front of a heavy, wooden door. It was some sort of shack. Sasha didn't want to go in, but was freezing. Normally, she would find it certainly strange that a tiny, lit shack would sit here by itself in the middle of the woods, but she wasn't thinking straight.

She grabbed the knob, jiggling it and nearly crying when it wouldn't open. She jumped around, panicky. No good. She would have to move on.

She screamed when hands reached out and grabbed her.

"Sasha!" Eren said, relief coloring his face.

"Let go!" She yelled. "Let go, let go, LET GO!"

She kicked and punched at him but he only held tighter. Since when had he been so strong?

"Please listen to me! We have to get away from here!" He pleaded.

"We don't have to do anything!"

"Sasha!" He semi-yelled. She could tell he was getting frustrated. She couldn't care less. "Dammit, you ran right to him!"

She paused from her flailing. "What?"

Eren looked around, as if he expected someone to jump out of the trees brandishing an axe. She swallowed thickly. Maybe they would. She took him in for a moment. His eyes were wide and shifty. He was breathing as hard as she was. Eren was…scared? Was he actually telling the truth? What had he said earlier?

"If I didn't, I wouldn't be risking my neck to save you!"

Oh god. She thought. If they got caught, he would be killed, too.

She had no idea what kind of guy this supposed "boyfriend" was, but from the look Eren's face, he must have put the fear of God into people. Suddenly, she felt terrible. She never gave Eren time to explain. This guy could be forcing him to do this! Eren probably didn't even like him! That made sense to her. Eren wasn't really gay, he just got caught up with the wrong crowd and may be being used and abused by some insane guy! The poor thing!

"What are we going to do?" She whispered. He looked surprised at the moment, probably at her sudden change of heart. He gave her a weak smile.

"Don't worry. I know the fastest way back to the car. I have the keys. We'll go to the police. I'll tell them everything."

"B-but what about you? They'll wonder how you know—"

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." A lie, but she didn't comment.

"Eren—"He gripped her shoulders, squeezing tightly and giving her a half-smile, half-grimace.

"It will be okay. We have to move."

"Are you sure?"

Suddenly, Eren's gaze turned sinister. He looked over his shoulder and smirked triumphantly.

"Yeah. I'm sure." He said, and then everything went black.

ǂǁǂ

The room was heavy with smoke.

Sasha nearly choked on it as she woke in degrees. She could barely see what was in front of her past the pain in her head. Her head hurt and her eyes swam. For a moment, she didn't remember where she was. Then, like the force of a ton of bricks, her memory punched into her chest and nearly left her gasping for air.

She had been fooled.

Or, been a fool. To run right to their little murder shack. Of course it was. There was nothing else in the woods. No houses, no nothing. She had been stupid to think she could find a shelter. Sasha watched enough horror movies to know that it was a bad idea to hide anywhere in a dark forest, but she had been so scared and hurt, she hadn't thought it through.

(If she, by some miracle, got another chance, she would never be so stupid again.)

She closed her eyes tightly against the pain in her head. More specifically, the back of it. Whoever snuck up behind her had one hell of a swing. They probably used a bat—she could feel the roundness of the object for a split second before white-hot pain exploded inside her head and she went down—and they hit her with everything they had. She wondered if they wished to kill her right then and there. She wondered if they just should have. Sasha didn't want to find out what would happen now that she woke up. Now, her eyes were sealed for a different reason. She had to face facts: Eren was no good.

She wondered where he went wrong. Was he always like this, since they met? Or had this happened sometime during the time she knew him and he was an expert at hiding it? Either way, fuck him. Was he just feigning friendship, waiting for her to slip up? Did Mikasa know what he did? She seemed like the type to know things like that about her own brother. If she did, then fuck her too. It was messed up. She didn't deserve to be treated like this. Of course she managed to befriend—and fall for—a murderer. It wasn't fair. Sasha felt herself fighting off tears. She had to except something else about this situation.

She was going to die.

Eren already had the chance to let her go, and he didn't. He warned her, yes, but it was probably just part of some sick game that he and his boyfriend were playing at her expense. Even if she didn't die, she would be tortured or worse, and held captive for a long time until they decided to kill her. Did she want to wait to be killed, or would it be better to just get it over with? She couldn't decide.

"Don't think like that." A voice said in front of her. She had been so busy in her own thoughts, she hadn't noticed the figure in front of her. He was sitting in a chair that was bolted to the ground—just as she was—and his bald head gleamed under the overhead light from a light sheen of sweat. His eyes were closed and his head leaned back, but that didn't matter. She would recognize that voice anywhere.

"Connie." Sasha breathed in relief and despair. She could barely fathom how happy she was to see him alive, but her heart nearly fled her chest and tears rushed to her eyes as she realized what this meant.

Sasha and Connie were going to die.

"I'm so happy to see you!" she cried.

He smiled at her painfully. "I think you understand why I can't say the same thing."

Sasha began to shake.

"Don't cry." He whispered as she began to. She saw him struggle slightly in his binds, obviously wanting to reach for him. She nearly smiled at that—but it quickly slipped into a deep frown—at his want to comfort her no matter what. He had always been a sucker for her tears.

"Sasha…" He said, which only caused her to cry louder. Her name on his lips was one of the best sounds she ever heard. Something she never appreciated until she hadn't heard it in a while.

(Until it was the last time it would ever be spoken by him.)

"What are we going to do?" she whined, wishing she could wipe her stained face. Connie just shook his head and gave her a half shrug.

"Nothing."

Sasha sniffled. "We can't just do nothing, Connie, we have to—"

He glared at her to silence her. "Have to do what? You think he left? We're in the middle of the woods, Sasha! We can we go?" He looked away sharply. "It's not like I can run anyway."

"What?" She asked. "Why can't you—?"

She looked down, immediately wishing she hadn't. She gagged, feeling close to being sick to her stomach. She swallowed down the putrid bile that rose in her throat and tried to organize her words into a coherent sentence.

"Oh my god." She said in abject horror.

He still wouldn't look at her. "I tried to run, okay? When I realized they were bringing you in, and they weren't paying attention to me, I managed to get out of my cage. It was stupid, I didn't even know where to go—"

"Connie—" Sasha felt like screaming.

"—I barely got anywhere before I realized I couldn't leave you, but then he caught up to me and—"

"Connie—!"

"—I had no idea what he was going to do. He hadn't hurt me before, so I at least thought that—"

"Connie, where are your feet!" She cried, cutting him off. He scrunched his face up in obvious pain and swallowed thickly.

"He cut them off." Connie whispered lowly, hanging his head.

Blood was splattered on the large, formally white tarp underneath them. There was no dripping from his wounds, only blood stained, tightly wrapped bandages that rose all the way up to Connie's knees. They looked professionally done, surgeon-like in its neatness. Sasha pondered how good these two were, to be able to remove someone's feet from their body and not have it bleed uncontrollably. Something told her that the wounds must have been closed somehow, otherwise she doubted she would even be talking to him at the moment. Still, he must have lost a lot of blood from the way his cheeks looked hollowed and worn. His face was a terrible, ash color that made him look as if he was a few more moments from death's door. Sasha also didn't like how he seemed to be fighting for his consciousness every few minutes—his eyes would become hazy and unfocused, and he would go limp and his head would roll downward sharply. She shuddered.

"How are you talking right now?" She asked after she collected herself.

"He gave me something." Connie gritted out as if the thought pained him. "Maybe about thirty minutes ago to erase the pain. The insane part about it is that I don't even feel it. My feet are gone, and I can't feel it. Isn't that insane, Sasha? I don't even feel it." He let out a bitter laugh that made Sasha want to cry again. Connie looked so, so tired. Like he'd already resigned himself to giving up. She hoped not, even though her own hope was next to nothing." He had maybe hundreds of jars of weird stuff. I have no idea what any of it does, but it looks medical." He took a deep breath.

"I-I think he's a demon, Sasha. I can't say for sure, but that man—that man's not normal. I can see it his eyes. He's like evil personified."

Sasha nodded, even though she had no idea what he meant. She still hadn't seen this famous boyfriend. Maybe she didn't want to by the way Connie's eyes were wide and distant, or how his breath sped up and his began to sweat again.

Sasha looked down at her lap. "And Eren's not much better."

Connie looked at her sternly. "What? No! There's no way—"

"No way what?" She asked bitterly, scoffing at him. It was like looking at herself an hour ago, trying to reason that Eren hadn't betrayed them—that he was their innocent friend that got wrapped up with the wrong people and this was a huge misunderstanding. She could practically see the denial standing behind him, covering his eyes and ears since his own arms couldn't. Misunderstanding her ass. Connie's missing feet spoke enough to her that she had been wrong. "No way he would be part of this? Wake up, Connie! He led me here, he tricked me! He knew I would run and he knew just where I would go! He's a crazy murderer!"

Connie sniffled, his eyes wet and low. His whole face looked like it was ready to crumble. "No." he whispered sadly. "He's one of my best friends. He wouldn't, he couldn't—"

Sasha shut her eyes tight. "Stop it, Connie. Trust me, I know exactly how you feel, but you have to stop. He's not—or maybe he never was—the Eren we knew."

They fell into silence.

Tears ran, unabashed, down Connie's face, and Sasha shut her eyes not to look at them. It had been a very long time since she saw him cry over anything. It hurt far more than the lump on the back of her head ever could.

Suddenly, Connie threw his head back and bit his lip to keep from screaming. Sasha jolted, eyes snapping open and a panicked look crossing her face. She tugged her tied arms upward, trying in vain to reach for him.

"Connie?! What's wrong!?" she screamed.

He couldn't answer her. His eyes were so wide and pain-filled that she could barely look at him. He kept screaming though gritted teeth, making her want to cover her ears to keep out the high-pitch screech.

"Pain medications worn off." Levi said from the door, waltzing in and standing in between them, looking at Connie with a thinly veiled look of disgust. Sasha stared at him, mouth agape, for what felt like forever. This must be him, the man Connie was talking about. She shivered. She could understand what he was saying earlier, about the man being a demon. His eyes were so cold and uncaring. She shivered at the raw killing intent that rolled off him in thick, dense waves. The butcher's apron he wore was covered in blood—no doubt from the adjustment he gave Connie earlier—and his head and hands were covered in a net and latex gloves. Sasha swallowed thickly, but she couldn't look away. How had she never noticed a man like this around before? It seemed impossible for someone like this to live in this town and no one had ever heard of him. That itself was more frightening to her than his appearance.

Sasha heard a slight noise from the door, and she stiffened when she turned and saw Eren enter through it. They caught each other's eyes as he closed it, and he gave her a slow, satisfied smile and a mocking wave. She couldn't even glare as she began to shake uncontrollably. Game over. Rang inside her head. Eren, if you ever cared about me at all, please make it as painless as possible. Sasha hoped he would get the mental message. And if he did, she hoped he could care.

"It's experimental." Levi explained casually, leaning over Connie and stroking his face. "It's not on the market, yet. Still in the development stages. Apparently, it only lasts a half an hour." Eren chuckled from behind her, walking over and taking his place at Levi's side.

"Why are you doing this to us?!" Sasha nearly screamed. Two pairs of disinterested eyes slid over to her before sharing a quick look. She didn't like that look. Eren shrugged while Levi raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" Levi asked slowly. "Don't take it too personally, this really wasn't about you."

Connie made a small, choking sound. "Then who was it about?" he asked through gritted teeth.

Levi tapped his nose teasingly. "I wanted to see if Eren could do it, if he was really ready, and I was right. That's all."

"That doesn't explain anything!" Sasha cried. "Do what? Hurt us? Well, yeah, you were fucking right!" She huffed. "But I don't understand why it had to be us!"

Levi gave her the coldest look she'd ever seen and sneered at her. "Because Armin was too precious to him, Mikasa's is his sister—and one of us— and Annie too smart to fall for any of these cheap tricks."

Sasha tried to pretend that his words didn't pain her and Connie said nothing, his shallow breaths becoming even shallower. So what was he saying, that they were the least liked by Eren or the most disposable? What the fuck?

Eren sucked in his breath sharply and pushed at Levi's shoulder. "You're saying too much."

Levi pushed him back. "They won't remember soon anyway, so why does it matter?"

"Still—"

Levi rolled his eyes. "Like I said, don't take it too personally. If it wasn't for the little fuck Jean, you wouldn't be in this mess. That poor, dead fuck." He was unfazed by their shocked looks. "What? You didn't think he was still alive, did you? It's been a year, you had to know he wouldn't just show up on graduation day and you all you do one of those slow motion jump pictures together. He's dead. Buried right under your feet, as a matter of fact." Levi laughed mercilessly at their hurt expressions, laughing even harder when he noticed that they were both trying desperately not to look down at the floor beneath them.

When Eren punched him in the arm, he sobered enough to speak. "Thank him, in the afterlife, for touching what wasn't his—" He sent a meaningful look in Eren's direction. "And causing Eren to have to resort to…interesting means to gain back my trust."

"Levi—" Eren huffed.

Levi waved him off. "Fine, fine. Connie—that's your name right?—you were in the way of Eren's little plan to seduce Sasha so I kept you here to keep you from interfering. You weren't apart of the original plan, but I'll never turn down a two for one." He then patted Sasha head like she was a child, running his long fingers through her hair. "And I figured you would be easy enough to fool and lure you here so we could have fun with you."

"So, you—Eren—" Connie began.

"Don't blame him." Levi said, firm eyes shifting to Connie. "This was my test for him. To see if he could sacrifice her to appease me." He sent an appreciative smirk to Eren which was quickly returned. "And he could. I'm so proud." He shrugged. "Or, you can blame him, curse him to the ninth circle of hell for all I care. As I said, it won't matter soon."

"Wait, wait—!" Sasha began.

Levi produced a knife, spun around, and ran it down the side of Connie's face. He smirked maliciously. "Seniority. You've been here the longest, you can go first."

He nudged the knife under Connie's middle finger, biting down a laugh as Connie began to struggle and whine. Levi paused, for dramatic effect, and then pushed upward—exposing the raw skin underneath the thick layer of keratin. Connie screamed outright, jerking his hand around as if moving it would help him escape the pain. Levi pulled the nail away from the cuticle with his thumb and index finger, giving an extra little effort when there was resistance, and flicked it over his shoulder. He started on the next one.

Sasha knew her mouth was open, and that she was screaming, but she had no idea what kind of sound was coming out. She couldn't hear anything. Connie looked like he was in so much pain that she could barely take it. He was trashing and crying hysterically, begging and pleading for him to stop. Levi only chuckled at his cries and began to work faster.

Sasha felt warm breath near her ear and a heavy hand land on her shoulder. When had Eren gotten behind her? She looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. He was smiling, without taking his eyes off the back of the man in front of them.

"Isn't it great?" he said, sneaking her a happy look. "He looks so handsome like that, when he's working. I can't lie, it's arousing too." Eren licked his lips, his eyes darkening in lust.

Sasha let out a whimper. "Eren, please—"

He looked at her distractedly. "Don't beg, Sasha. It won't help you any. It's too late." He watched Levi in silence for a few seconds, closing his eyes and seemingly enjoying the sound of Connie's cries, before leaning in close to her ear. "Do you want to know something? I was going to let you go. " He said.

"What—?"

"Shh." He placed a finger over her lips. "Back in the car, I wasn't kidding. I was going to let you go. Say you got away or something and just let him kill Connie. He would have still been happy with that, and still fully forgiven me. But then you ran from me." He glowered at her heatedly, making her flinch. He stroked the side of her face, most likely to comfort her but only serving to frighten her more. "I really felt something for you, all those times we went out and when we kissed. But when you denied me after I put myself on the line for you, I thought about it, and thanks to you, I made the right choice." He gave her a brilliant smile.

"Thank you Sasha, I can finally think clearly, because of you. Levi's the only one for me." Sasha felt her lips part, but no sound escaped.

Levi paused, if on cue, and looked back at them. His smirk was slow, and diabolical, then he stepped back and handed Eren the knife. Connie was gasping for breath and weeping horrible when Eren spoke next.

"You've always loved Sasha, haven't you, Connie?" He asked as he went to stand in front of him. His head was lowered as he couldn't keep it up.

Connie was trying to catch his breath, but it wasn't working. Eren gripped his hair and tipped it back. "Answer me!" He ground out.

"Yes." Connie said weakly, looking to Sasha. She began to cry again. "Yes, I've always loved her."

Eren hummed. "She's always held your heart in her hands without even knowing it, hasn't she?"

"Yes."

"I love you too, Connie. I really do." Sasha said suddenly between sobs.

"Sasha…" He whispered, smiling weakly.

Eren looked between them with a raised eyebrow while Levi rolled his eyes and muttered: "How heartwarming."

"Well you know what?" Eren said abruptly. "I think she should hold it for real." With that, he plunged the knife into Connie's chest, craving a whole onto the cavity and reaching inside. Sasha leaned over the chair and vomited, coughing and shrieking at the same time. She gagged at the sick squelch of Eren's hand inside of his body, at the blood that flowed dark and freely down his middle, at the heart that was clutched in the hand that she held an hour ago. She screamed as loud as she could, closing her eyes so she wouldn't see Connie's wide, unseeing eyes and his ashen face.

"No!" She yelled over and over. "No, no, no!"

Eren patted Connie's head with his free hand, leaning over and kissing his forehead gently.

"Here." He said after turning to her. "Take it."

She couldn't even make another sound as the heart landed in her lap.

Levi sighed and crossed his arms. "That's one. Now finish it. My ears are bleeding from all her noise."

Sasha sniffled and panicked as Eren nodded. "Wait, Eren, don't—"

"Too late." He said. "But, before you go, I'll tell you this."

He leaned in, kissing her once on the cheek. "I felt butterflies when we kissed." He said as he sliced her mouth from ear to ear. He lapped up the blood like a cat as her eyes rolled back into her head. "And your hands were so soft when I held them." He cut cleanly over her wrists and placed easy kisses over top of them. "But my favorite thing had to be your sweet voice." Eren dragged the knife over her creamy throat, watching emotionlessly as she gurgled on her own blood and the light faded from her eyes. He smiled as she quickly left the world. He reached into her exposed throat, grasping her vocal cords and tugged them out.

"I think I'll keep these to remember you by." He said.

Eren dropped the knife.

.

..

…

….

…..

Levi watched him silently. Eren had yet to take his eyes off of her body even after thirty minutes passed. Levi slipped behind him and wrapped his arms around Eren's middle, leaning his head on his shoulder. "Stay with me." He muttered.

Eren let out a startled laugh, his voice catching slightly. Levi chose not to comment. "I'm here."

"Good."

Eren leaned back into his chest and closed his eyes. "What are we going to do with them?" He asked.

Levi let out a deep breath. "I'm promised them to Erwin and Mikasa."

"…" He had expected as much. It was better this way. He didn't feel like making art out of these two. Not them. Even so, they weren't getting much better than being displayed in the city. But at least this way he wouldn't have to see their bodies again.

"Let's go. They're outside waiting."

Eren nodded slowly. "Hey, Levi?"

"Yes?"

"When we get back to the car, you're going to fuck me, alright?"

Levi looked surprised for a second, before smirking darkly and taking his hand. "Alright."

Eren smirked back weakly and felt…content.

Yes, he felt content.

This is gospel…for the fallen ones—locked away in permanent slumber. Assembling their philosophies (From pieces of broken memories.)

…

"It's a hell of a time—when monsters roam free and demons hide in plain sight." —Unknown

"What's the rush?" Erwin asked as Levi and Eren nearly ran past them. Mikasa gave him a dry look and rolled her eyes.

"As if you don't know." She said flippantly.

Erwin looked confused for a minute, blowing on his fingers against the cold, before smiling and chuckling.

"We need to make this quick, don't we? You have to work tomorrow, right?" Mikasa asked.

Erwin shrugged and went inside. "I'm a doctor, I'm used to running on little sleep. And Levi...he'll be fine, don't worry about it. It's not like he had set work hours, if you know what I mean." Mikasa nodded in understanding. "Besides, let them have all the time they need. Levi will finally let it go now that this is over and done with."

"He really knows how to hold a grudge." Mikasa muttered.

"Tell me about it." Erwin responded.

They took in the scene in front of them—one a little sadly and the other excitedly. Mikasa went to Sasha first, smoothing back her hair and leaning her forehead against her still-warm one. She took less time with Connie, not to get caught up in her emotions, only leaning in and giving him a small peck on the cheek.

Erwin watched in silence.

He had no attachment to these kids whatsoever, but he would let her have her moment. Speaking of which, he had no idea what Mikasa was doing here. He knew that she knew about them, and that she did some things herself, but he had no idea what it was. She'd never come with them before. Maybe it was because she knew the victims that she came? He couldn't be sure. The only way to know would be to ask. But while she was paying her respects he would wait.

Anyway, he had no interest in the boy, but the girl was pretty enough. He guessed he would let Mikasa do what she would with his body.

"I take it you want Sasha?" She said as if reading his thoughts.

"If Sasha is the girl, then yes."

"Yeah. Eren told me you were only into girls."

"Dead ones, you mean."

Mikasa shrugged. "I figured it was implied."

Erwin laughed.

"What kind of things are you planning for him?" He questioning, gesturing to Connie's slumped form.

Mikasa's face twisted suddenly into something dark and distorted. She licked her lips and Erwin smirked at the look. Such intensity. Mikasa smiled sinisterly.

For siblings that aren't blood related, they sure make the same faces. Erwin thought.

"Delicious things." She replied.

(So I stayed in the darkness with you….)

I don't know what you've done to me, but before this night is thorough, I want to do bad things with you. I want to do real bad things with you.

END.

Goodbye Forever. If you want an explanation for that, get in line because I want one too.

—TheWonderYears