Posted here exactly as is on AO3 which sadly means no editing
Ah, what a cliché way to start a story!
Couldn't it start with blood and murder? Introducing our heroes in a hail of bullets or through the haze of an explosion?
Although considering who and what this story is about, that may not be quite so affective. Especially given that it would all be a lie.
So, 'once upon a time' will have to suffice.
Ah but now I've ruined it haven't I? Tainted the once pure pages of this story. We may as well jump right into it.
Our story starts at an orphanage with three teenagers.
Eren, Mikasa and Armin.
They've been orphans for as long as they all could remember and as far as any of them knew they'd spent the last fifteen years of their lives in the orphanage together.
Though Eren knew at one point he'd had a father; the key which hung around his neck stood as proof of that.
They would never complain.
Oh no, they weren't allowed to.
No, no, no, there would be consequences should any of them choose to speak up.
That never used to stop Eren but Mikasa had managed to stomp that rebellion out of him before the evil orphanage director could beat it out herself.
In the orphanage they had many brothers and many sisters, none of whom they got along with. Armin would forever insist it was due to Eren's temper and Mikasa's hostility – though they would both brush him off telling him they had no problems relating with other people, Armin must've been making things up! But in fact every other orphan in the kingdom was simply evil.
There was nothing else for it and no reason to explain it. It seemed at that point that the entire world was against them.
Because everybody around them was evil, the orphan trio often ended up doing all of the work for the orphanage. They were first to wake and last to bed every day and more often than not they ended up covered in dust and dirty. Even more often than that they wouldn't eat less they snuck food while cooking it – although sometimes Armin would manage to steal food from the kitchen which was more than just scraps.
But despite small luxuries like that, the entire orphanage treated them like slaves and Eren was sick of it.
"I'm sick of this!" Eren exclaimed, slumping down on his bd after a very long day. "These people treat us like slaves!"
"Go to sleep Eren," Mikasa said almost immediately, "you're overtired."
"I'm not!" Eren protested but a quick glare form her direction had him climbing into bed muttering, "I'm not tired."
He lay on his back and played with the old key that hung around his neck.
"He's right though," Armin said, "I don't know how much longer I can live like this."
Mikasa sighed, getting to work on cleaning the soot out of Armin's yellow hair – a mother's work was never done.
"Where will you go?" she asked sarcastically.
"Anywhere but here!" Eren yelled.
"Quiet Eren," Mikasa said dismissively.
"There must be somewhere we can go," Armin said.
"I wish there was, but this kingdom is very small and very far away from the rest of the world. There isn't a lot of work around for three fifteen year olds."
"We'll just stay here forever then, rot away and let the rest if the world walk all over us!"
"Eren!"
"Sorry,"
Mikasa turned back to Armin.
"We won't be here forever," she said gently, "I'll think of a way to get us out."
щ(ಠ益ಠщ)
Three days after that proclamation, Mikasa was at the door when the mail arrived and was there to greet the somewhat disappointed royal mailman Jean, who was obviously hoping to see someone else.
She took the mail and warned him to stay away from Armin – as she did every time she managed to beat the blonde to the door – before a certain letter caught her eyes.
In her hands was an envelope sealed with the royal insignia.
This could be their way out!
She had been about to open it when the envelope was snatched out of her hands by the orphanage director.
The envelope was torn open, the rubbish piled onto Mikasa's head, and eyes travelled the flyer at record speed.
Mikasa watched the director rush over to the stairs and call out.
"Kids gather round!"
Eren and Armin made their way out from the kitchen and stood by Mikasa as an announcement was made.
"The king is hosting a ball starting tonight and continuing for the next three days in order to find a suitor for the prince. Men and women of all ages are welcome, and I expect one of you to succeed in seducing the prince," the director said.
She went over the details loud and clear making sure every child in her immediate vicinity was prepared to take on the task, before turning to the orphan trio.
"You three will be in charge of getting everybody ready; get going."
So for the next five hours the orphan trio got to work sewing and hemming dresses, applying make-up, doing hair, polishing shoes and nails and pretty much anything else that needed to be done. Mikasa hadn't had any time to think about the possibilities, or about what this opportunity could mean for her little family. She hadn't stopped to think at all.
Finally the other orphans were crowded downstairs, the girls a flurry of pink, orange, green and blue while all of the boys were dressed plainly in black and white.
They all looked a lot different than you might expect from an orphanage though that was to be expected from the orphan trio; there was nothing they couldn't clean up and make brand new.
"Oh are the two of you not coming?" the director asked, looking Eren and Armin up and down, "why didn't you dress up and make an effort? This ball could've been your chance to get away!"
With those words she let out a cruel cackle.
"They didn't, but I did."
Suddenly Mikasa's voice came from the top of the stairs. Both boys turned to look (read: stare) at her and take in her dress. It was simple as dresses come; plain black material that was sewn to fit her body perfectly, it flowed down her legs and swept across the floor just the tiniest bit with red sewn across the bottom. A slit up the left side revealed bright red shoes and more skin than Eren felt comfortable with her showing. Her hair was in its usual style, nothing special, and yet she outshone everybody in the room.
The other girls could only gape in jealousy of her beauty.
"Mikasa what are you doing?" Eren hissed.
"I'm going to marry the prince," she told him.
"What do you mean?!"
"I'm sorry, was I not speaking clearly?"
"Mikasa –" Armin started.
"Don't worry about it; this is our chance to escape so let me do this for you both."
"Think about this carefully Mikasa!" Eren exclaimed, "What if the prince is some kind of wife-beating maniac? What if he hurts you or makes you do weird things?"
"Then so be it."
"You're both assuming that the prince will choose Mikasa," Armin pointed out.
"You doubt my abilities?" Mikasa asked, "you don't think I'll be able to seduce the prince?"
"What is it Armin, don't you think she's beautiful enough? Not smart enough? Strong enough?" Eren asked.
"No, that's not it!" Armin insisted, "Maybe that's what you think."
"Is it?" Mikasa pressed.
"No!"
"Oi, I don't have all day to stand here," The director pointed out. "Where'd you get that dress?"
"I made it myself," Mikasa said proudly. "Don't tell me that I can't go; I won't accept no for an answer."
"Very well, you may go," the Director said, "but you two must stay and finish your chores."
"But –" Armin began.
Mikasa cut him off.
"Do as you're told," she said.
With that she left and both Eren and Armin were left to wonder how they ended up scrubbing the kitchen floor.
"How does she always make us do these things?" Eren asked. "Once we get out of here I'm never taking orders from anyone again."
"She's only doing it because she cares about us," Armin said.
It wasn't often that he was forced into chores by Mikasa; usually he just did them without being told, yet here he was.
"Well we care about her too don't we?"
"Yeah but what are we supposed to do? We have no clothes and no way to get there! The fact that Mikasa convinced the director to take her was a miracle!"
So we just give up then, call it a day and let her give herself away to some monster?"
"You don't know; maybe the prince is a nice guy!"
"I doubt it; if she was a nice guy would we be stuck in this hell hole?"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Nothing, I'm just sick of living here!"
"My, my, such loud voices."
It seemed both boys had been arguing too loud to notice another person entering the room. They turned around to see a person sitting on the kitchen counter, looking as though they were surrounded by an ethereal light. They were dressed strangely; wearing a white shirt beneath a brown mid-drift jacket which had a pair of white and blue wings stitched onto it. They had on white jeans, brown boots and what seemed like a thousand straps connected to their clothing.
"Who are you?" both boys shouted at the person.
"I'm your fairy god-person!" they exclaimed, "I heard you kids have a party to go to!"
"Not a party," Armin amended.
"We're not going!" Eren yelled, "If Mikasa wanted to go and risk her life then so be it!"
"He's joking, we'd like to go please."
"Good! Otherwise I'd be here for nothing!"
"So uh – Fairy god-Person?"
"Call me Hanji!"
"Hanji, how are you planning to get us to the ball?" Armin asked.
"Magic!"
"There's no such thing!" Eren growled.
"Sh!" Armin hissed. He turned back to Hanji and said, "So what do you need for this magic?"
He'd read a lot of stories and fairytales containing fairy god-people, though usually they referred to themselves as fairy god-mothers, and he knew magic usually came at a price. But to his surprise, Hanji simply shook her head.
"Nothing! I already have everything you'll need right here;" They revealed a pair of metal contraptions with a slurry of straps and tied. Hanji planted them on the counter and said, "These should do for transportation; they're called three dimensional maneuver gear, or 3DMG for short. It's how fairy god-people get around."
Hanji surveyed the boys in front of them and frowned.
"As for attire, a couple of dresses should do, yes?"
"No!" Eren exclaimed.
"We're boys; we can't wear dresses," Armin explained calmly.
"Oh, my bad," Hanji said, putting the dresses back where they'd come from. "Ah I don't do a lot of work for boys; I don't have anything for you to wear oh but you can't go to the ball dressed like this! That settles it; you can't go. Unless –"
"Unless what?" Armin asked.
He was getting impatient.
"Unless the two of you would like to attend dressed as fairy god people."
The two boys scanned Hanji's uniform quickly before Eren spoke.
"Fine, we'll do it."
Hanji clicked their fingers and in a flash Eren and Armin were out of their clothes, dressed in ones matching what they were wearing. The 3DMG was attached as well as all of the ties and straps.
"Wonderful!" Hanji exclaimed, "Now follow me; I'll lead the way to the castle. You'll pick up how to use the gear along the way. Oh! You don't have a lot of time left if you want to speak to the prince; just remember that everything I've give you will disappear at midnight!"
"That's poor planning," Eren muttered.
"Well if I planned everything perfectly; there would be no story, now would there?" Hanji said, working along the lines to break the fourth wall.
They turned to look at the boys one last time before their eyes caught something.
"You can't wear that under your clothes; it's too bulky," they said. Hanji reached beneath Eren's shirt and removed his necklace, staring intently at the key for a few moments before placing it gently in his hand.
"If you must have it with you, keep it in your hand," They said, "Now let's go."
щ(ಠ益ಠщ)
Hanji led both boys through the kingdom without so much as a word of how to use their equipment, before taking off.
This was a completely new experience for both of them and they would both immediately describe the sensation as what it might feel like to fly.
There were a few moments where Eren found it hard to balance or Armin nearly tumbled to the ground after losing his grip or drifting off into the starry sky, but eventually they landed safely outside the castle.
"Oh wow we're really here!" Armin gushed.
Neither of them had left the orphanage walls in years, though Eren didn't find the experience as exciting.
"Let's just go inside, find Mikasa and get out of here," he said.
"Not so fast," Hanji reprimanded. "You can't walk in wearing the gear; leave it out here and if you come back before midnight, it will be waiting for you."
"What if somebody takes it?" Armin asked worriedly.
"Don't worry about that, now go!"
With a lot more force than they looked capable of, Hanji pushed the pair into the foyer. A large archway stood at the end of a long hall, opening onto a staircase which led down into the ball.
"Hey I just thought of something," Armin said, "we're pretty recognizable like this; what if somebody sees us?"
Hanji laughed, patting both boys on the head before shoving them through the archway.
"You'll just have to be careful!" they called.
Then they were gone.
Eren and Armin were left by themselves with merely an hour and a half left on the clock.
They lowered their heads and hurried off the stairs, rushing to the sides to form a plan. They had to find Mikasa and head back before it was too late, or at least protect her from herself until it was time to go back.
"Do you see her?" Eren asked.
Armin looked around quickly before his eyes caught something.
"Ah well maybe we should split up, to uh, cover more ground?" he suggested.
Eren looked suspicious for a moment.
"Alright," he said with narrowed eyes, "I'll come find you when I find her."
Eren stalked off in the other direction and Armin had the decency to feel the tiniest bit guilty as he ran off to the other side of the room where a certain royal-mail-man was leaning against a wall.
Eren saw him go and sighed, thinking maybe Mikasa would be attracted to the sound of Armin's innocence slowly slipping down the drain.
He wasn't too happy about it himself but he could only focus on one of them at a time and right now Mikasa was more pressing. He would certainly make Jean pay after this was dealt with, and with any luck the three of them would be kicked out.
Eren looked around, seeing a cluster of colorful flowing dresses, meshing together to form a blur of the color spectrum. A lot of the men there seemed disinterested and unable to garner the attention of any women, though some of them looked determined to catch attention of a different kind.
Eren took a moment to wonder just how productive this method was; anybody who was here to seduce the prince was simply in it for the money. Was that the kind of suitor the king wanted for his son?
For a moment Eren felt sorry for him, until his eyes caught sight of Mikasa on the far side of the room. She was being talked to by a slightly shorter blonde in a blue and white dress. Mikasa almost seemed flustered by the attention of the blonde, making it more urgent that he tear the two apart.
He began to make his way across the room, taking loud stomping footsteps and cutting between those rare pairs who were actually using the space to dance. He was just about to reach her when he was stopped.
"Oi, brat," a deep voice said.
If somebody hadn't gripped his shoulder at that moment he never would've known it was him being addressed.
Eren turned around to yell at whoever had interrupted his march of fury when he was stopped again this time by the sight of the man standing directly behind him.
This man was gorgeous; ebony hair, china skin, eyes the color of stormy skies set into a permanent glare while the rest of his expression was light and almost teasing.
Eren felt a shiver run through his body as those eyes looked him up and down, scrutinizing every aspect of him.
This man was perfect. That was, until he spoke again.
"You look like an idiot," he said, a smile hiding in his eyes. "What kind of moron wears that to an event like this?"
"It was short notice!" Eren exclaimed defensively. "What's it to you, anyway?!"
He shook the other man off and made to walk away when his hand was grabbed.
"Dance with me brat," the man said.
"What? No!"
"What's the matter, don't know how? You must be really stupid coming to a ball when you don't know how to dance."
"I can dance!" Eren exclaimed indignantly.
A smirk played at the edge of the other's mouth.
"Yeah? Prove it."
That was how Eren was baited onto the dance floor, with this impolite strangers arms tightly around him. Eren had assumed since this man was slightly shorter than he was, that he'd be taking the lead, but he'd assumed wrong and was taken by surprise as the other man took control almost immediately.
Eren had never been led before and found it hard to keep his balance, or to keep himself steady enough not to stand on the other's feet. Still, they didn't stop moving for even a moment, gliding around the room and spinning to the music being played. Eren noticed while they danced – if it could be called that – that he was receiving glares from many girls in the crowd.
Was it because of what he was wearing?
"You're a clumsy brat, aren't you?" The man asked as the music came to an end.
"I'm not clumsy!" Eren exclaimed, "You're a bad leader!"
"Oh you think so? Perhaps you're just bad at taking instruction."
"I've been taking instruction my entire life; you don't know what you're talking about!"
"Or who I'm talking to by the sounds of it. Did I accidently pick up a servant?"
"Hey, I'm not a servant!"
The man disregarded what Eren just said and continued on with his external monologue.
"Oh but nobody would be able to blame me; you're certainly the cutest servant here. For a brat, that is."
Eren's face heated up – this guy thought he was cute?
"That's a lousy way to compliment someone!"
"It's effective enough that you realize it's a compliment so quit complaining," he said. He held out his hand and said, "Dance with me again."
"No! Who do you think you are, anyway?"
The man grabbed Eren's hand, pulling him close forcefully. Another smirk was tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Nobody special," he said, "But for now you can call me Levi."
Eren fought for a moment to get free – despite how nice it felt to be pressed against Levi this way – before accepting his fate and beginning to move on his own.
Levi, haven't I heard that name somewhere before?
щ(ಠ益ಠщ)
Despite himself and the mean nature of his dance partner, Eren was actually starting to have fun.
After talking to Levi for a while he found out there was more substance lurking beneath his cold, insulting exterior and he was actually a nice guy with a strange humor.
He also had interesting opinions on the kingdoms issues. Eren wasn't sure how the topic came up – he suspected Levi had sneakily brought it up – but Levi seemed to have a huge interest in the well-being and happiness of the kingdoms people, all of the people. His interest in poor people and orphans came up once or twice, working to warm Eren up to him.
Eren kept his eye on the clock and assured himself he'd have enough time to grab Mikasa, but by ten minutes to midnight all he'd done was dance the night away with Levi.
"I need to go home," Eren said when the song ended. He pulled himself away from Levi and hoping for no follow up questions.
"Will I see you tomorrow?" Levi asked.
"I uh – maybe?"
Eren rushed off before he could be told that wasn't a good enough answer.
He snatched Armin away from Jean, making sure to give the other boy a stern glare before they rushed outside.
As Hanji promised, their 3DMG was waiting for them and it was a simple matter to get home – both boys having gotten the hang of it.
They arrived home just in time before their gear and clothes disappeared, returning them to their previous status as poor little orphans.
Miraculously all of their chores had been done and a note from Hanji sat on the counter explaining that they would be back the next night and the boys would have to decide whether or not to go back by then.
Neither of them had the energy to discuss it and they simply fell right into bed.
щ(ಠ益ಠщ)
Work was sparse the next day as they had been able to restore three outfits for every girl the day before. Mikasa required a small amount of help to alter her own dress but after that all they had to do was make the meals.
Armin and Eren stood in the kitchen preparing lunch while Mikasa waited by the door for the mail. Neither boy wanted to say anything but at the same time they each had so much to say.
"Are we going back tonight Eren?" Eventually Armin bit the bullet and asked.
"I want to say no," Eren said, "But it is nice to feel rich for a moment."
"Plus there's that cute guy you met yesterday," Armin said in a teasing voice.
He couldn't help but smile as a blush spread over Eren's face.
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
Armin hummed amusedly.
"So are we going to tell Mikasa?"
"No! Do you have any idea what she'll do to us if she finds out we're putting ourselves in danger like this?"
"Well the ball didn't seem that dangerous – plus I didn't see her trying all that hard to seduce the prince; she was caught up with that blonde girl all night!"
Eren frowned, "How did you have time to notice what we were doing when you were busy with that horse-face?"
"Don't call him that!" Armin said, "And please don't tell Mikasa."
"Like I have a choice."
щ(ಠ益ಠщ)
A few hours later the rest of the orphans – including Mikasa – were gone and once again Hanji appeared.
"Hello boys!" they exclaimed, "Have you made a decision?"
Armin and Eren had been busy scrubbing away at the stove and were shocked by the fairy god-person's sudden appearance. If the stove had been on they both would've suffered serious burns.
"Well, have you?"
"Yes!" Armin said, nodding animatedly, "We're going."
"But just for tonight," Eren amended.
"Oh, why only go two nights out of three?" Hanji asked, "Aren't you having fun?"
"I never said that," Eren muttered.
"Right! So I managed to wrangle some more appropriate clothes for the two of you but it wasn't easy! I'm sorry but I can't make the same guarantee for tomorrow!"
"Good, what have you got for us?" Eren asked.
In response Hanji clicked their fingers and both boys found themselves dressed in plain suits like the ones they'd seen the night before. The only standout features were the same stitched on pair of wings on Hanji's uniform.
"Good enough?" Hanji asked.
"Yeah, now let's go."
Again the boys were given sets of 3DMG and a curfew of midnight.
Again Hanji took them only as far as the large arch.
It didn't take them long enough to locate Mikasa who was talking with the same blonde girl – looking more comfortable this time around – and to pretend they were about to take action. In reality Armin ran off to find Jean and Eren wandered aimlessly around knowing somehow that it was pointless to try and find Levi.
It was easier to be found.
And sure enough;
"Hm, you actually decided to dress properly tonight."
That familiar voice filled Eren's ears and he had to compose himself to avoid showing the other man just how happy he was to be there.
"Yeah well, I had a bit more time to prepare tonight," Eren lied. "You don't look too bad yourself."
Levi scoffed.
The brat was getting ballsy, which meant he was finally getting comfortable. That might open the door for more information.
"So are you planning on telling me your name tonight?" Levi asked as casually as he could manage.
Eren shook his head.
"I'm happy for you to call me brat for the rest of the time we spend together, or any other name you want to throw at me," He said, "Besides it's not going to matter."
"Oh? And why's that?"
"This is all just a surreal dream; in two days it'll be time to wake up and live the life that's been set out for me."
"As a servant?"
"Not a servant," Eren muttered. "I'm not a servant; I'm an orphan. Somebody decided a long time ago that I would get the crappy end of the stick and I'm okay with that as long as I can have these moments."
A smirk tugged at the corners of Levi's mouth. He could use every bit of information he was just given.
"My, I hadn't realized I was falling for such a sentimental kid," he said.
Eren's eyes widened and a blush spread across his cheeks.
"F-falling? No way," Eren said quietly. "So are we – are we gonna dance or what?"
Levi held out his hand, giving a mock bow.
"As you wish."
Again they spent the majority of the night dancing and talking. Levi often noticed Eren's attention on the clock and actively tried to keep him away from it but to no avail.
He was unable to get any more information out of the brat and when it was nearing midnight he simply let him go with the same question;
"Will I see you again tomorrow?"
"Of course!" Eren replied before grabbing Armin and running off.
щ(ಠ益ಠщ)
The next day was filled with slight indecision on Eren's part.
He wanted to go to the ball that night – he'd promised that he would – but it would just make things so much harder. He didn't want to have to say goodbye at the end of the night; it was easier to just leave things as a loose end, wasn't it?
He tried asking Armin what he should do, but the other boy was preoccupied helping Mikasa alter her dress one last time.
He knew he couldn't ask any other orphan and he definitely couldn't ask Mikasa.
By the end of the day Eren was a wreck of nerves but he knew he had to go.
"I have a small issue," Hanji said as soon as they appeared.
"It doesn't matter," Eren answered, "Whatever it is we can work around it."
Hanji smiled in reply.
With a click of their fingers, Eren and Armin suddenly found themselves in dresses.
The colors were pure blue and pure white; the bodices of both dresses were the same winged pattern which had appeared on both previous garments.
"nope, I can't do this," Eren said, throwing his hands up, "Sorry, I'm not going."
Armin twirled around, watching the fabric dance around his legs.
"Screw it, I'm still going," he said. He spread his arms and said, "Hook me up please."
Hanji shook their head.
"No you'll need a different form of transportation," they said, "As for you Eren; you don't have to worry about being seen by anybody you know; for the past two nights I've made it so that nobody from this orphanage would recognize you."
"Ah see, that's not really what I'm worried about," Eren said, trailing off awkwardly.
"He met someone," Armin stage whispered.
"Oh, that's wonderful!" Hanji exclaimed, "Now you have to go! I would never want you to miss out on such an amazing opportunity!"
Eren looked at the enthusiasm on Hanji's face and simply couldn't say no.
Hanji arranged a carriage to take the boys to their ball as it wouldn't be proper to wear 3DMG while also wearing dresses. Of course they warned that at midnight everything would disappear for the final time and Eren was reminded to keep his key in his hand. He wore it wound tightly around his wrist so that it wouldn't fall.
Because of the different transport type, they were a lot later than the other days, but neither boy was the wiser to this face.
Hanji walked the pair inside and to the now very familiar arch.
"This has been fun boys," They said, their voice wavering, "Ah good luck then!" they wailed, hugging Armin and Eren tightly before they were gone in a puff of smoke.
"I'll really miss having a fairy god-person," Eren mused.
"Maybe they'll come back if we ever need it."
Eren nodded before dragging Armin into the room with him.
This was their final night but the butterflies in Eren's stomach wouldn't settle enough for him to do anything besides watch Armin.
He watched his friend approach that jerk on the other side of the room, there was a bit of blushing and lingering while Armin babbled out a half-baked explanation which was enough for the other boy who didn't seem to care at all.
Eren looked around a little more and noticed Mikasa not too far away from him – in fact, alarmingly close.
She was leaning against the same wall he was leaning against. This was the first time he'd seen her alone at a ball though it didn't last long.
"You're late," Mikasa said before Eren noticed anybody. For one startling moment he thought she was talking to him, until the last word left her mouth; "Annie."
Annie was a light blonde, blue eyed girl with an unexpressive face. She was a bit shorter and a lot better dressed than Mikasa, yet addressed her in such a casual way.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said.
"It's fine; you're only wasting your own time," Mikasa told her.
"Right, this is the last day isn't it? That's too bad; you were really starting to grow on me."
Eren looked over to see a small smile gracing Mikasa's face and her eyes filling with light he hadn't seen in a while.
She looked so happy, so did Armin. It was a shame they couldn't stay in this world for a while longer.
"Something you need to tell me brat?"
Eren felt like he would die having Levi see him in a dress, yet there was no disgust or disdain in his voice. Just teasing.
"This was all they had left," Eren muttered. "Don't get the wrong idea; I'm still a man no matter what I'm wearing!"
That was what Hanji suggested he say, on the way to the ball. Looking back, when had they ever given good advice?
"Hm, tell me your name and I might believe you," Levi said without missing a beat.
"Nice try. Believe what you want about me but after tonight that's it."
Levi sighed dramatically, deciding to try and guilt the boy into giving him more to work with.
"My parents will be disappointed," He said, "They were dead set on me finding my own suitor."
"Mm, too bad," Eren said absently.
"Wait, what are you talking about?"
Suddenly his eyes looked like they were about to fall out.
"Oh you didn't know?" Levi asked, "You really are stupid."
"Don't tell me you're the prince!" Eren exclaimed, "You can't tell me that now! Wow now we really can't see each other again! Goodby –"
Eren had been about to finish his sentence and run away – he could spend a few hours in the carriage if he had to – when Levi grabbed his hand and pulled him forward ever so slightly, into a kiss which shattered his perception of reality.
It was simple and sweet, not something he would expect from the man, but it still left him without a single thought in his mind.
"Don't be an idiot; stay here with me," Levi said, "Your life would be much better; don't you ever tire of being a servant?"
"Orphan," Eren bit out. "And you're only saying this because you don't know the real me! if you did, you wouldn't feel this way."
"I don't care about any of that, I –"
"Fine, since I know what a stubborn ass you are, I'll make a deal with you," Eren said, "If you find me again after tonight, and still want me, then I'll consider it."
"Consider it?" Levi scoffed, "You're assuming that I'm going to let you leave the castle."
"Well you're assuming you can stop me!" Eren exclaimed, "Which you can't, by the way!"
Levi nodded, deciding to humor the boy for now. Arguing wasn't going to help him at all, and they only had a short time left if he really was planning to run at the end of the night.
"I won't argue with you about this anymore; there isn't any time," Eren said, "So put on a smile and dance with me."
"Sure thing, M'lady."
Despite the remark Eren once again found himself having a good time.
In fact he was having so much fun twirling around the room, pretending to be a princess – another piece of Hanji's advice – that he forgot to keep track of it and it wasn't until the clock began to chime that he realized his mistake.
"Oh no," he whispered.
"Something wrong, brat?" Levi asked.
Eren shook his head and pushed Levi's arms off of him, wishing he could just stay there forever.
"I have to go," he said, "I'm sorry I have to go."
He began to hurry across the dance-floor. The clock was on it's fifth chime. He quickly spotted Armin who was frantically looking around as well.
Eren ran over to him and they began to leave, Levi following after them quickly.
"Oi wait!" he called, "At least tell me your name!"
But Eren didn't reply; he made as though he didn't hear and pretended he couldn't feel Levi following after them, even as they made it outside. Eren picked up his pace, knowing the carriage would be no use as it would disappear in a matter of seconds. He dragged Armin away and didn't notice a small thud as a key hit the stairs.
Levi made it outside in time to see Eren drop something. He ran over to it and picked up a small key hanging from a chain, just as a few guards caught up to him.
"Prince Levi, what's wrong?" one of them asked.
Levi looked up and sighed; the boys were gone.
"Nothing," he lied, stuffing the key into his pocket, "let's go back."
щ(ಠ益ಠщ)
Eren and Armin were late home that night, arriving well after everyone else.
Of course Eren was too furious over being distracted earlier, that he could barely focus on the lecture he received. So what; he left without permission, stayed out past kingdom curfew and worried Mikasa – who oddly didn't raise her voice at all.
She seemed rather happy and Eren could only think it had something to do with Annie.
The next day Eren and Armin were made to work ten times as hard as usual to make up for their indiscretions, yet the director had no idea they'd actually gone to the ball – no their punishment would've been much worse had she known – and nobody knew Eren had met the prince.
However it would soon become common knowledge that the prince was searching for somebody; word spread throughout the kingdom overnight and families everywhere set out to prepare their cutest sons for the arrival of the prince.
Armin was waiting by the door at midday, feeling quite surprised that he'd managed to beat Mikasa out there. It was the first time all month!
After a while Jean showed up, looking rather surprised himself.
"Hey, where's your crazy sister?" he asked, giving a playful smile to mask the fact that Mikasa truly terrified him.
"Inside somewhere?" Armin phrased it like a question, "at least I hope."
Jean nodded sagely for a moment.
"I was actually hoping it would be you out here; I don't have any mail for this place today."
"Then why'd you come? Mikasa might be too preoccupied to kill you but Eren still might!"
"I don't know what their problem with me is!" Jean exclaimed. He was quick to calm and said, "Well aside from wanting to see you again, I thought I should warn you that the prince is running around looking for some guy he met last night."
"Why warn me? I'm definitely not the guy; the only person I spoke with was you!"
Jean shrugged, "Eh, just a heads up. You never know; it could be one of them."
He gestured towards the building.
Armin rolled his eyes.
"I hope so," he said, "one less person I have to deal with."
Just inside the door Eren stood listening to their conversation, contemplating a good time to jump in and scare Jean off, but their conversation was beginning to get interesting.
What if the Levi actually found him? Eren didn't think he could deal with rejection right now – or ever.
In that stupid span of three stupid nights he'd grown attached to Levi. It would be so much easier just to never see him again.
Eren reached into his shirt to grasp his key for support as he often did when frustrated with his life, only to find that it was gone.
Had he lost it at the ball? If so then he'd never be able to reclaim it!
Eren stood sullenly by the door and watched the director stick her head out of it.
"Oi Armin get inside, you've got work to do!" she said.
Armin and Jean both sighed.
"So I'll uh – I'll see you next time," Jean said awkwardly.
Armin looked up at the building looming behind him.
"That might not be for a while," he said. He stepped forward to place a chaste kiss on Jean's cheek. "Take care of yourself until then."
As Armin rushed inside Jean stuttered out, "Y-yeah, you too!"
щ(ಠ益ಠщ)
Eren and Armin worked the rest of the day with help from Mikasa.
The desire to escape was now a thousand times stronger for each of them, and for Eren the feeling was enough to make him sick.
As the sun was beginning to set, casting an orange glow over the grounds, Eren found himself in the kitchen preparing dinner.
He was by himself – as the other two had their own chores – and dressed in the dirty old clothes which he usually wore.
By now the memories of the previous nights were beginning to seem like some kind of far off dream.
This was his life; he would be a servant forever.
Not an orphan, a servant.
In the main entrance Mikasa was cleaning the stairs when a knock at the door called for her attention. She swore if it was that sleazy mailman she was going to kill him!
But it wasn't.
"May I help you?" Mikasa asked in a faux polite tone to the short man standing in front of her.
Two taller men stood on either side of him, one blonde and buff, the other with black hair and an awkwardly tall frame.
"Um – is your mother home?" the taller man asked.
"Bert this is an orphanage," the blonde pointed out. He cleared his throat and said, "Prince Levi requests an immediate audience with the director of this establishment."
Mikasa's eyes widened.
Prince?
"Right away," she said with a small amount of composure having returned. "Please, come inside."
As she shut the door Mikasa heard the director call out, "who was at the door?"
"The Prince," Mikasa called back.
She withheld a smile when she heard a crash from upstairs. Suddenly the director was in front of them, smiling politely and spouting words of welcome.
"Can it," Levi said. "I'll get to the point as quickly as possible because a whole day of this has left me tired as shit. I met a boy three nights ago, around the age of fifteen and that idiot owes me an apology among other things. I request you present me with every brat fitting that description so I can get on with my day."
The director looked in shock for a moment before nodding vigorously.
Mikasa hung back under the pretense of cleaning. She held back a smirk watching her guardian become flustered and confused at the princes nature.
The director stood at the stairs and called up for all of the boys to come down. There were only ten of them, excluding Eren and Armin, though the girls flocked down as well, eager to see what was going on.
Levi took his time to take in the appearance of each boy, his eyes lingering just long enough to make most of them uncomfortable. After a while the director started trying to push the boys on Levi as though she were advertising them or preparing to sell them for the best price she could get.
Levi frowned and stood up after overlooking the last boy.
"So, what'd you think?" The director asked eagerly.
"None of these are him," Levi said, "I'm sorry you've wasted my time."
Then his eyes caught Mikasa who had gotten bored and gone back to cleaning. He remembered something; a tiny aspect about the boy.
"Are there any other boys in this house?" he asked the director who immediately shook her head.
"No sir," she lied.
"Not even a servant?"
The directors eyes widened a fraction before she shook her head.
"No, this is it."
Levi nodded acceptingly, as though having known the answer before asking.
He gestured for his men to leave when a rattling sound caught Mikasa's attention.
She turned to look carefully at the prince and saw a necklace wrapped around his wrist, poking out of his sleeve. A key hung from the chain secured there and crashed against the rest of the metal creating a very recognizable rattle.
"Where did you get that necklace?" Mikasa asked before she could stop herself.
"Mikasa, don't speak out of turn!" the director hissed, recognizing the necklace as well.
Almost everybody in there turned to stare between Mikasa and the prince but she couldn't care less.
"The brat dropped it last night when he ran away. Do you know who this belongs to?"
"Maybe, though I wasn't aware he'd lost it."
"Take me to him," Levi demanded.
The director stood in shock and watched them leave the room.
Mikasa nodded and pushed past the crowd of fawning girls and disturbed boys. Levi followed her along with his guards.
Levi ordered his guards to wait outside the kitchen door and Mikasa waited too, trusting Eren to be fine on his own – though her maternal instincts would prevent her from being taken by surprise.
Levi entered the room by himself and was confronted by a completely different sight than what he was expecting. The boy he had danced with was clearly cleaned up and obviously didn't look that neat in real life, though Levi hadn't been expecting the whole torn dirty clothes, flour in his hair, soot on his skin deal from his anonymous party fling.
But he looked cute like this, in Levi's opinion.
"Oi brat," he called out. He watched the boy jump in shock.
"How did you find me?" Eren asked.
"Wasn't easy. You left something behind, idiot," Levi shook his wrist to create that blessed rattling noise which had led him to this moment. "Tell me your name and maybe I'll give it back."
"My name isn't important. If you're going to be stubborn then just keep the key; I don't need it here," Eren said.
"You're different now; what gives brat?" Levi asked, "Last night you were all confidence and yelling. What happened?"
"What, now that I'm a little different, think you might wanna change your mind?" Eren asked.
"There it is," Levi muttered.
"Just go back and live your stupid perfect life."
"So you can go back to your pathetic one?"
"Bite me," Eren growled.
"Tell me your name and I might."
Eren turned his head in embarrassment. He'd walked right into that one.
"This is supposed to be easy," he said to himself – thought loud enough that the other could hear – "it's supposed to be easy to say no."
"Not when no is the wrong answer," Levi pointed out.
"Just get lost!"
"Oh what's the matter, you scared?" Levi teased, "You've probably never left this place for more than a few hours, right brat? You'd probably piss your pants if you were out in the real world for more than a few seconds, right?"
"Shut up! That's not it at all!"
"Then come with me!"
Eren shook his head.
No. he couldn't.
This place, these people, this way of being treated, it was all he knew.
"What are you afraid of?"
Eren's eyes darted towards the door where no doubt his pseudo siblings and everyone else was out there listening intently.
He wondered briefly if Mikasa was mad or what Armin thought of him now.
Then there was the rest of the kingdom. What would they think of him if he married the prince? Some nobody orphan who'd been a servant most of his life. He wouldn't blame them for rejecting him.
"You don't have to worry about any of that…" Levi said. He trailed off waiting for –
"Eren. Okay? My name is Eren."
Levi's lips quirked up ever so slightly in an almost smile, though his eyes held all the emotion in the world.
He held out the key expectantly and when Eren tried to take it he closed his hand and pulled the boy close, just like he had that first night.
"You found me," Eren muttered, knowing that he now had no choice but to give in to that oddly warm embrace.
Their fingers were still entwined, tangled around the necklace chain.
"Mhm, and this time I won't be letting go."