Levi watched as the corpse before him stopped twitching. The person's eyes had glazed over as their life was finally halted. Their chest no longer moved, the skin was a pale blue from the chill in the air and the lack of blood, and their clothes had been tattered, a boot missing. The large wound on the human's chest continued to bleed out and Levi let out a noise of annoyance. He had only been gone for the weekend and this was what happened? Hadn't he been clear when he told Erwin to make sure nothing happened? Hadn't Mike made sure that no Outsiders would come into his territory? Hadn't Auruo been patrolling like he had ordered? A slight whimper came from behind him and he sighed, turning away from the now dead middle aged man. There wasn't anything he could do for the man now and the perpetrator's scent had all but vanished. He would need to speak with Erwin about this.

"Clean this up," his voice commanded and in less than a second a dark black wolf appeared, chewing at the corpse. The sound of flesh being torn apart echoed in the dark alley and he sneered at the mess of blood. It had been bad enough that the substance had flowed freely before. Now it covered the wolf's snout and part of the brick walls.

"You better cleanup as well," his voice echoed, "I don't want that shit near me."

Eren knew there was something weird going on in the city. It wasn't hard to tell, especially when night fell. The crime rate had been rising since about a month ago but this weekend had to be the worst. On his way home from work he had stumbled upon some drunkards littering the sidewalks, prostitutes had approached him, the police was out in groups, some lined up on the street and park. Mikasa had been worried about him, insisted that he stay home tonight but he had refused. Two of his other coworkers had already ditched and his boss had offered him a bonus pay if he worked this weekend and who was he – a poor college student living with his sister and best friend – to deny the extra cash? The rent was coming up and so was their tuition bill.

It felt like an eternity before the neighborhood began to change. The amount of people littering the streets began to lessen. The stores changed from bars and clubs into food marts and barber shops, fast food restaurants, and open woods.

His job was about half an hour away if he used public transportation but he'd run out of cash and had to walk it today.

His neighborhood could be considered decent compared to where his job was located. There were still many homeless people that stumbled through alleys and he was sure some even slept in those abandoned buildings a block away from his home.

In record time he arrived at his street. The streetlights flickered slightly and he buried his nose into his jacket, his book bag starting to take a toll on his back. Mikasa, Armin, and he lived on the third floor of an apartment that looked about ready to fall apart. The bricks were dirty (and probably needed some sandblasting done just so they looked presentable once more), the windows hardly opened (Armin had found that the only window in their apartment that opened faced the alley), the doors squeaked (he was sure his neighbors knew he was home now), and it was hard to miss what happened around and below them (those shuffling feet were probably Mikasa and he really didn't want to imagine what those groans meant as he passed by the second floor).

"Eren!" Mikasa exclaimed, opening the door to their apartment before he could even lift his hand. He smiled at her as she led him inside. She was the youngest out of the three, only fifteen years old. Armin was a year younger than him, twenty two.

He walked inside and quickly discarded his jacket, book bag, and shoes. One other thing that was bad about the apartment was the fluctuation between hot and cold. On one day the heater could be practically dead and they'd have to all huddle in the living room for warmth and on other days it would be steaming. Today was one of those days. Mikasa dragged him to the kitchen, a small smile on her face as she showed him to the table.

"Hey Eren, how'd it go?" Armin was already seated, a book in his hand. The only thing that alleviated the price of tuition was that Armin had received some scholarship money.

"The usual," he shrugged as he sat at the table, his stomach growling as his senses finally registered the food before him, "Hannes was drinking with the girls and both Annie and Reiner bailed again. There was a bit of a scuffle but we managed, you?"

"Nothing too exciting, considering I work at a library," Armin chuckled, "Although Jean did get attacked by some dust…He was crying out, saying something was grabbing his shoulder. It turned out to be just a dirty rag someone had left on the shelves."

Eren couldn't help but laugh, "That Horseface!"

"You know, you haven't seen him in a while…"

Eren shook his head, "You know how it is, I'm busy with work, besides, it's all his fault things turned out the way they did."

Armin shook his head, a sad smile on his face as he changed the subject, "Speaking of work. Mikasa had something to ask you…"

Mikasa nodded and pulled the red scarf she always wore over her mouth as she dropped her hand to her lap. The scarf had been a present from Eren, a sort of welcome home when she was first taken in by the Jaegers. That had been almost nine years ago, "Well…"

Eren swallowed the last of his spaghetti and nodded at the raven, urging her to speak up, "We're having a celebration at school Friday night for the freshman and I was wondering if…"'

"If…?" Eren questioned, already having an idea of what the younger girl wanted to ask.

"Clothes," she whispered and Eren smiled.

He grabbed the hand that rested on her lap and smiled, "Sure thing, how about we go Wednesday?"

Eren couldn't help the grin that spread on his face as Mikasa nodded, her eyes brighter and confident. He was sure she was smiling under the scarf and he got his answer as she pulled it down to finish eating. Mikasa hardly ever asked for anything, which was a relief, considering their financial situation. If she had been like other girls (the ones he saw with make-up, pretty dresses, and cute book bags), he was sure they would be in debt. Besides, he had just gotten paid a bonus and Mikasa's birthday was coming up.

They cleared the table and Eren felt his fingers prune almost instantly.

Levi could feel his irritation levels increase as he slammed the door to the enormous manor he lived in. He stepped outside and wandered into the night.

"The person who killed that man wasn't an Outsider."

Did Erwin really expect him to believe that? There was no way that someone from within the city, within his city would do something like that. And for what purpose? He would find the person responsible for this mess soon and would have them pay. Was a late night snack really worth their lives? No. It had to be something else.

"Those were fucking claw marks on the man, of course it had to be an Outsider!"

The shadows followed him and he heard a whimper in the distance. He ignored it and continued walking with no destination in mind.

"Hey there handsome," he turned towards the sultry voice and found a woman waving at him. Seeing that she had caught his attention, she walked over, her hips moving from left to right invitingly. A small coat covered her arms but the top she wore allowed for a large amount of cleavage to show. A dark denim skirt adorned her waist as a tattoo swirled around her exposed belly button. A pair of brown boots protected her feet.

Auburn hair fell in rivulets along her shoulders as curious eyes watched him.

"What is it?" he really wasn't in the mood for this now.

"Ouch, can't even play along?" the sweetness in her voice disappeared and her voice dropped a few octaves.

He glared at the woman.

"Fine, fine," she walked closer to him and threw her arms around his shoulders, pressing her body as close as she could without being murdered. Being taller, she whispered down at the shorter man, her breath ghosting along his neck, "I heard there was some trouble in the neighborhood."

That perked his interest. He urged her to speak, "Hn."

She laughed and that made him scowl, "They're looking for someone."

"Who?"

She nuzzled him, "Not sure who it is or who they want. What I do know is why."

She paused and Levi was about ready to just leave but she spoke up once more, "It's a sweet scent that's changing people, mostly the sick or elderly, but not all of them. It's making them want to hunt because it has the ability to heal. I'm sure you know what that means…"

A kiss was placed on his neck and before the woman could do anything else, Levi had disentangled himself from her grasp, "Someone will stop by later."

She nodded, a large smile on her face as she waved him off. He could hear her already looking for her next prey.

The ability to heal anything? It sounded preposterous but he knew Hanji wouldn't lie to him. The problem was finding this source of power. Did that mean the man had been killed by one of those so called hunters? Or was it also a suspect?

A howl ripped through his thoughts.

Eren had known that something was going on, something ominous, but nothing had prepared him for this. He ran in the opposite direction of his apartment, thinking of Mikasa's sleeping face when he had left the house to get some food. He hadn't been able to sleep and figured he'd go pick up some food for tomorrow. He really hadn't been expecting to get attacked on the way back.

The bag with cereal and bread was still in his grasp and he wondered if the bag would hold.

Assault was a common crime, which is why he thought things would be fine. He knew how to defend himself, having had to learn how to fight early on. He was by no means an expert but he knew how to break a few bones.

Except of course, that he learned how to fight humans, and those things following him weren't exactly human.

He quickly took a right turn, venturing into the park and jumping over the fence to get to the other side of the street. The sound of his breathing was loud in his head but the sound of his pursuers was louder – growls and groans filled the night air.

Once Eren was in a residential area again, he turned into the nearest alley, tossing trash cans onto their sides in order to delay his impending doom. It seemed to work as he heard howls and the sound of footsteps fade. Even then he didn't stop running.

Not until he bumped into someone and fell backwards, the bag of snacks fell to the floor, its contents spilling as Eren muttered profanities. He looked, "S-Sorry!"

The person hadn't even turned to look at him. In fact, it looked like they hadn't even noticed him until he spoke. Eren got up slowly, his hand groping the ground as he tried to locate the fallen bag without looking away from the stranger. There was something about him that seemed more dangerous than those monsters that had been chasing him and that said something, considering those guys had actually looked like monsters; claws, sharp teeth, hairy bodies that towered over him, and some drool (or was it foaming) that escaped their mouths. That had been his clue to get the hell out of there and away from Mikasa and Armin.

This man, however, was a complete opposite. He wore shiny black shoes, plain black trousers, a white dress shirt with the first two buttons undone, and he was groomed in a way that spoke money. His hair looked clean and was parted unevenly, leaving more hair hanging on the left side of his face, the back an undercut. Two dark eyes looked at him as a single thin eyebrow was arched upwards. It was the only clue that let Eren know the man was curious since his face showed nothing but apathy.

His fingers finally grasped the bag that had fallen and he stood. He easily towered over the raven but he took a step back, "Uh, I should get g-going."

Dammit, his voice cracked!

He turned around, ready to sprint away but he found his path was obstructed by the same thugs that had attacked him, "Fuck!"

There wasn't a place to run to anymore. The beasts inched closer and Eren knew he'd have to fight. He turned behind him and found that he was alone. How had the stranger left without making a sound? He turned back around in time to defend. One came at him, both claws eager to dig themselves into Eren's arms but he moved out of the way and used his leg to swipe at the beast's feet. It fell to the floor, a groan coming from its mouth. Just as quickly, another was already moving and Eren failed to dodge properly. The sound of cloth ripping echoed in the empty street as Eren moved, his fist was already flying to connect with a drool covered jaw.

He was sure he heard something crack and that gave him some confidence. His third pursuer seemed to hesitate but shook its head and attacked.

Unlike the other two, however, this one came at him on all four and it left Eren hesitating. How would he attack? He dodged the beast but wasn't able to move as it pounced on him. They both fell to the floor, Eren under the weight of his attacker. He had used his arm to shield his face and now the beast was gnawing at it, pushing forward, trying to overpower him. Drool continued to escape the monster and it fell onto Eren's jacket.

"Dammit, what the fuck are you?!" he pushed and tried to move his legs to kick his assailant off but it was futile, "Get off you mangy mutt! Arrrrgh!"

He cried out in pain as the teeth dug deeper into his arm. Suddenly, the weight was removed from his body and all he heard were whines. He shuffled back, still on the floor, not trusting his body to stand correctly. Blood flowed from his arm but before he could properly look at the scene before him fingers snatched his uninjured hand and pulled him up.

Charcoal eyes watched him before the person turned around and they both ran. Eren wasn't sure where he was being dragged but he didn't care at this point as long as he was moving away from those things. His sight became slightly blurry and he felt his legs burn. He knew he was stumbling when that same hand used more force to keep him upright. It felt like forever before they stopped.

Eren fell to the floor gasping. His arm was throbbing and blood was falling to the floor and staining his already torn coat.

It took a while to identify where they had stopped and Eren couldn't believe he had veered so far from his apartment. All the buildings that littered the street were new and could house about ten people (of course, they probably only housed two or three people). The streets were illuminated by the lights on peoples' houses and by the street lamps (which didn't flicker like the ones near his house). He was sitting against a large building while the stranger who saved him was standing before him, watching.

He clenched his teeth and placed more pressure on his arm, trying to control the throbbing.

"Th-Thanks but," Eren gulped as he looked up at the stranger. He hadn't moved, "who are you?"

The man didn't answer him. Instead, he moved closer and Eren could now feel their feet connect.

"Uh, look, I should probably go. My sister is probably worried and –"

"Levi."

"Huh?"

"My name."

"Oh," he paused, "I'm Eren. Eren Jaeger."

The man seemed to nod and Eren stood. He had stopped panting harshly and he felt some strength come back to his legs. Even his arm wasn't hurting as bad. The man seemed to notice as his eyes settled on his left arm.

Before he could move though, he was pinned, two arms on either side of his head as curious eyes gazed up at him, "Look, I really need to go so if you could just let…me…go…"

His voice disappeared and he gulped as right in front of him (and behind the stranger) stood a large wolf with a black coat. Its fur stood on end and the light illuminated its face. Blood covered its snout.

Levi was intrigued. This boy, Eren Jaeger, was an interesting human. Not only had he been able to fend for himself against three wolves, but the kid wasn't cowering in fear. He had felt the kid feel hesitant towards him but there hadn't been fear. A quiet whimper told him that they weren't alone. He smirked. Eren's facial expression had told him as such just second before. The brunette tried to escape but Levi wasn't going to allow that. He quickly maneuvered Eren so that his injured hand was curled back as he slammed the teen's face against the alley wall.

A groan filled the air.

"It won't hurt you."

"The hell it won't! Let me go!" Levi easily pinned him with his arm. Using his free hand he pulled the torn sleeve away from the brunette's injured arm and found it completely healed. The blood had already started drying on the boy's arm.

"So it's you they're looking for," he mumbled.

"What are you talking about?! Ugh, let go!" Levi couldn't let this treasure go. If Hanji was right (and she usually was), this Eren boy's blood had the ability to heal anything. He had just witnessed accelerated healing on the vessel. How would it work on someone who took his blood?

"Stay still," he muttered as he moved closer, his nose buried into the taller teen's neck. Hanji hadn't been wrong. This boy let off a sweet scent. It was something he had yet to stumble upon and it aroused him. A shiver told him he wasn't the only one feeling.

"Just hold still, it'll be quick," Levi whispered as he opened his mouth against the tanned skin before him.

Eren couldn't help the shiver that ran down his body. He knew it wasn't the adrenaline anymore. He was already calmed down and there didn't seem to be any immediate danger close by (the wolf was still there but it hadn't moved closer). He had stopped struggling against the older man. Every time he tried to move away, his arm would be bent back just a tad more.

Coming home with a broken arm wasn't really something he wanted to do.

He tried to look back, to see what was going on. The black wolf was still there but it had sat down. Its silver eyes watched him and he thought back to the words that Levi, this stranger, had uttered. How did he know that beast wouldn't hurt them? Those things back there had looked rabid and this one looked like a proper wolf. Why?

"What are you?" he was almost afraid to find out.

A chuckle filled the air and he felt something sharp graze the right side of his neck, a breath ghosting along his skin.

That was all he felt before two teeth punctured his skin. The initial shock left him gasping and both his hands moved to hold onto the wall (when had he been released?). Sucking echoed in his ears and he couldn't help but groan. Hands moved to grasp his chest and the edge of his pants. He was no longer flush against the wall; instead, he was pulled back against Levi.

"Ah," he gasped out, the feeling of being pulled was intense. His body felt like it was burning and it all centered on his neck.

He couldn't help the moan that left his lips as Levi dislodged his mouth from his neck. Those teeth (he was sure they were teeth, a vampire?) grazed his neck before lips descended upon his wound. The teeth were gone and he felt lightheaded as a tongue darted out and licked up what he assumed to be blood.

Eren's vision blurred and his knees became weak. He had to get home but fatigue was pulling him, lulling him to sleep. The last thing he saw before succumbing to the darkness were two bright red eyes and a large wolf towering over its master.

Notes: I'm tempted to continue this one day. Sorry for any mistakes, will come back and edit soon.

Series this work belongs to:

« Part 3 of the First Meetings series