It was well known among Eren's inner circle of friends that he would sleep walk. By inner circle, that meant Mikasa and Armin. But he wouldn't have it any other way. His friends did not think him weird for his sleepwalking habits, which involved him sleeping in the wrong bed and cuddling when he did. His night time journeys more than often led him to the beds of his comrades.
One such incident was one that he could clearly remember from his childhood. He was seeking comfort, that was all he could think about when he went to bed. He remembered feeling alone, and wanting companionship as he slept. He did not remember much else, aside from the memory of waking up in his mother's arms with no knowledge of how he had gotten there, but it did not bother him. His mother had only laughed and explained to him that he was sleepwalking. At first, his childish mind had been confused, but he accepted it as all children do when their parents explain to them weird things.
However, the night when he woke up in Mikasa's bed had been alarming for him. What was made worse was that he had no knowledge or memory of leaving his room for hers. While he did not remember how he had gotten there, Mikasa did, and it was all too clear to her.
She remembered waking up to see a dark figure hovering over her bed. She had jolted awake, fear piercing through her heart until she realized that it was only Eren. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "Eren," she whispered, not wanting to wake up Carla or Grisha for being too loud. "What is it?"
But the boy did not answer her. He just continued to observe her, his head tilted. He then reached out and pulled the blanket aside before sliding in right next to her. Mikasa stiffened up, not knowing what was going on.
"Eren?" she whispered, only to realize that he was asleep.
It then occurred to her that Eren had been sleepwalking. She was well aware of Eren's habits of sleepwalking into his mother's room, but this was the first time he had come into hers. The very thought was unsettling, as she had never once before witnessed someone sleepwalking. The very thought was disturbing, as Erin had not seem to be aware of his actions. To her, it had seemed as if Erin was unaware of his surroundings and what he was doing. Such a loss of control and awareness was unnatural to her.
Not knowing what else to do, she hesitantly settled down, resting her head on the pillow right next to Erin. She closed her eyes, letting out a breath as she tried to fall asleep.
Her eyes flashed open once more when she felt Eren wrap his arms around her, pulling her close, as if seeking warmth. She let out a startled gasp, not knowing what to do. She observed his peaceful face as he slept, noting how at ease he seemed when he was asleep. She blinked frantically before resting her head right next to Eren's, closing her eyes as she joined him in dream-land.
She soon grew used to Eren's sleepwalking, though it would be years before she spoke to him about it. It was their first week as cadets, and she had offhandedly commented on how she hoped he wouldn't sleep walk as much now that they were in separate lodgings. When she had mentioned it, Eren had choked on his drink, water spurting everywhere as his eyes widened at the subject of sleepwalking.
"Oh no, really?" he demanded, looking at her aghast. He turned bright red, looking down at the table they sat at. "I am so sorry Mikasa. I thought I had stopped all that awhile ago."
Mikasa just blinked before smiling at his embarrassment. "It is alright," she said. She refrained from telling him how much he liked to cuddle though, he already looked uncomfortable enough as it was.
Armin had been the next person to find out about Eren's sleep walking habits during their cadet training. But nothing seemed to catch Armin by surprise when it came to Eren.
Armin groaned as his sore muscles protested against the intense training he had been put through. A bed along with a good night's rest seemed so alluring. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow, and he was certain that nothing could wake him up.
But, he had been wrong, yet his sleep fogged mind did not realize that particular bit of detail in the moment of confusion. What his fuzzy brain did pick up was the figure that was sliding into bed with him. He let out a squeak when he realized who it was.
"Um, Eren?" he asked hesitantly. "Uh, I think your bed is over there," he said, pointing to the opposite side of the room. But the dark haired boy said nothing, and Armin had to assume that his friend had fallen asleep. He frowned. Eren had fallen asleep that quickly? He must have been more tired than Armin had thought.
"Eren," he whispered, trying not to wake the other boys in the room. "Hey, Eren." He tried poking his friend's back, but Eren did not even stir. Armin huffed, pushing his blond bangs back as he pursed his lips in concentration. Well, Eren could sleep here if he wanted to. Armin figured he would just sleep in Eren's bed for the night then.
With that thought in mind, Armin was prepared to inch over his friend, only for Eren to roll over and latch onto Armin's waist. Armin let out another squeak that sounded strangely like Krista's as he found himself trapped in Erin's arms.
Eren was still breathing deeply, indicating that he was still asleep. Armin thought about shaking him awake, but he noted the peaceful look on Eren's face, and how tightly he was holding onto Armin.
Armin frowned, torn and wondering what to do. He inwardly shrugged, figuring that one night wouldn't hurt. Wiggling a bit to get comfortable, he settled down as best as he could and prepared himself for an interesting night.
The morning proved to be even more interesting. Armin was rudely jolted awake by a loud noise, followed by a muffled curse. He then felt the sudden warmth at his side leave him, along with the blanket. He blinked when he heard a pained yelp coming from the bottom of his bed. Rolling over, he peered over to see a red faced Eren sprawled on the floor, rubbing his head as if in pain.
"You okay?" Armin asked with concern, causing Eren to look up with wide eyes.
It was then that Armin found out about Eren's sleepwalking. He had shrugged it off with a smile. "Next time," he had said to Eren once the sheepish explanation was done with. "Don't scare me next time, and try not to hog all the blankets."
Not everyone was as gracious towards Eren's sleepwalking as Armin and Mikasa. To one in particular, the figure hovering over her sleeping bag looked like an intimidating figure that was ready to drab her off into the unforgiving night.
Sasha's startled, shrill screams had awoken everyone around the campfire. An embarrassed Eren sporting a bruised cheek quickly and frantically apologized as Sasha stood over him with her frying pan that she was strangely wielding.
Mikasa and Armin learned to keep an eye on Eren during scout patrols since then. One such incident involved Eren wandering around the camp in a daze. Mikesa had been the first one up, noticing his movements. With a tired sigh, she went after him.
"Eren," she said, reaching out and gently grabbing his arm. "What are you doing?"
"Walking," came the simple, dazed reply.
Mikasa gently tugged at his arm. "Let's walk back to camp, okay?" She was accustomed to dealing with this, and she already knew that carrying Erin back would not be an issue.
"Okay," came the simple response.
It didn't end there, as Eren followed her to her sleeping bag and settled down right next to her. Such an event was now normal to Mikasa, and she found that she enjoyed it. The close contact meant that Eren was easier to protect in her opinion. It was that thought that made her sleep easier.
But not all were pleased with finding Eren snuggled up next to Mikasa. Jean was mainly the only one who was aghast, while a select few thought it was cute. Ymir had a few choice words to say about the situation. Jean could only glare daggers at Eren the entire day, as if wanting to burn a hole into Erin's skull with his intense glare
"Okay," Eren drawled out as he watched Jean stomp away. "Normally, I have a vague idea of what I did to tick Jean off, but I'm clueless right now." He looked at Armin and Mikasa with a frown. "Was it something I said? Unintentional insults perhaps?" His only response was a shrug from Armin and Mikasa, while Sasha and Connie rolled their eyes at the obliviousness of the three comrades.
It had never fully occurred to Eren, Mikasa and Armin that sleepwalking would be a problem. But since the past months had gone by without Eren waking up in a different bed, he had assumed he had finally grown out of the bothersome habit. It was a great relief, as he did not want to go through anymore embarrassing encounters and incidents during the scouting expedition that he was partaking in. This time, he might just get a blade in the gut for his sleepy actions, as the people he was traveling with were trained soldiers who were ready to fight at any perceived threat. And a shadowy figure hovering over your bed or sleeping roll may just as well be perceived as a threat.
By the time Captian Levi had suggested they break for camp, Eren was all too ready to follow those orders. He was sore from the hard riding, as he was sure everyone else was. The only one who did not seem fazed was Levi himself, but then again, Eren had noted before that nothing seemed to faze him.
The cave they all took shelter in was hidden away from Titan view, and it was conveniently large enough for all of them. Bed rolls were set down and night watches were assigned to everyone. A fire was lit and rations were passed out to everyone. Content and ready to sleep, Eren's simple bed roll had never looked more cozier to him than ever. Captian Levi had suggested keeping the fire going, as it was a very cold night, and Erin was all too happy with the possibility of staying warm.
Settling down in his bed roll, Eren did not think for a moment that anything amiss could happen. The constant threat of a Titan showing up was always at large, but that did not stop him from closing his eyes and falling asleep as soon as his head hit the ground.
Levi Ackerman was a light sleeper. He had to be. He could not remember the time when he had once had a deep and well rested slumber, but he did not dwell on the thought that often, or at all for that matter.
He had watched as the embers of the fire slowly faded away, casting warm shadows on the cave wall. He closed his eyes, the night sound noises surrounding him.
The faint rustling of someone kicking their bedroll blankets off reached his ears, but he paid it no mind. Most likely someone was leaving to relieve themselves, or take the night shift. Still, he opened his eyes at the sound, blinking when he noticed the Yeager boy hovering over him.
He narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "What?" he grumbled.
Yeager continued to look at him. Because of the growing darkness in the cave, Levi could not get a good look at his face to read his expression.
"Oi, brat," he snapped as Eren suddenly pulled Levi's blanket back. "What do you think you're doing?"
Eren said nothing as he soundlessly slid in right next to Levi, leaving the captain to blink in shock.
"Hey, Yeager," he said roughly, shoving the kid. "Wrong sleeping bag. Get up." But Eren did no such thing, and Levi realized to his complete indignation that Eren had fallen asleep.
Or, the kid had never been awake in the first place.
Levi frowned as he stared at the slumbering boy who was now taking up most of the blanket. He had half a mind to wake him up, but he hesitated for a brief moment. Finally making up his mind and deciding that the boy wouldn't be much of a nuisance, he let it go.
"Just don't get too comfortable," he muttered to the scout, settling down and rolling over with his back to Eren. He stiffened up when, not moments later, he felt Eren move to wrap an arm around him. "And no cuddling either," he snapped. Though, he had to admit, the warmth Eren was sharing was nice against the bitter chill of the cold weather.
"That is so cute," a voice whispered in pure delight. "Look at them!"
"They could honestly be brothers from the way they are holding each other," another feminine voice commented.
"Levi looks so vulnerable," the first voice noted. "Oh, I am never going to let him live this down!"
"Speak of this again, and you will come to regret it, Four-Eyes," a different voice growled, this one right in Erin's ear, the warm breath tickling him.
Eren's eyes snapped open as he blinked the sleepiness from his gaze. He glanced up to see Petra Ral's and Hanji's smiling faces. "Good morning!" Hanji chirped happily. The mishevuous glint in her eyes shone behind her glasses as her grin grew. "Levi darling, you didn't show up for your shift last night."
"I was a bit preoccupied at the moment," the voice in Eren's ear said, and it caused Eren to freeze in horror. It was then he realized that he was no longer in his own bedroll, but in someone else's. He squeezed his eyes shut, praying that the person he had unintentionally bunked with was not who he thought it was.
He slowly turned his head, despite every instinct inside his body warning him not to do so. He was met with the tired stare of Captain Levi Ackerman, who did not seem the least bit perturbed by this.
It was the lack of emotion that really scared Eren.
He let out a yelp, pulling back in horror, his legs tangled up in the blanket and trapping him as he tried to scramble away. His horror only increased as he realized he was possibly looking at his immediate funeral. Not even his Titan form could protect him from the wrath of Captain Ackerman.
"Sir!" he exclaimed in a rush in an attempt to explain himself. It bothered him that his possible last words would be that of a plea, but his fight or flight instincts were kicking in at the moment. "I didn't mean to-!"
"Don't make such a fuss," Levi said as he got up calmly, his face indifferent. "So you sleep walk? Big deal." He rose up to his full height, which was not much considering how tall he actually was. But the lack of height did not do anything to lessen the superiority emanating from him. "Next time, don't cuddle as much," he said, walking away.
Eren blinked, mouth open as he watched the captain leave. He quickly checked for a pulse, surprised that he was still alive. Had he really escaped the captain's wrath after all?
"So," Hanji exclaimed, suddenly coming into his field of vision and causing him to recoil back, startled. "You sleepwalk?" she demanded. "Is that some sort of a Titan thing? I have to know!"