A Man Behind the Mask Chapter 1, an attack on titan/進撃の巨人 fanfic

Title: A Man Behind the Mask
Author: imaginary_witness
Pairings: Ereni
Characters: Eren Jaeger, Levi Ackerman
Ratings: PG/T
Warnings: None.
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in this story, living (or passed) human beings or fictional characters. These events never happened, according to history or as the original author intended them. This is a work of fiction and is not intended to offend. For entertainment purposes only. Thanks.

Author's Notes: Requested. First SnK piece. I'm still new to the characters and the settings. I want to say that of course this is going to go sideways from the actual story, this is a piece of fanfiction. I hope you all enjoy.

Reviews always welcome.

Chapter 1:

There was a drip.

He turned his head, trying to keep his body relaxed.

Drip.

There is went again.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

There was definitely a drip.

The sound bothered him. It wasn't unsettling, just annoying. And the longer he counted it, the more awake he realized he had become.

"Not again." He moaned, sitting up to hold his head.

It was the third night in a row he had woken because of that damned drip. He had gazed around all day yesterday trying to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from, but to no avail.

Drip.

"Argh!"

"What are you shouting about?"

The voice was velvet soft. And closer than it usually was.

"Nothing." Eren hissed in a reply, his frustration causing him to misbehave.

"Then shut up."

The voice had drawn back. Eren squinted his eyes in the low firelight that was just beyond the cell entrance, but he could only make out a pair of crossed legs in white trousers. He could tell from the voice just who was seated there, but it bothered him that he would sit just so that he was in the shadows. Eren wasn't sure if he was doing it just to seem mysterious or if Corporal Levi wanted to make a physical statement about not wanting to talk to him.

"Go back to sleep."

Eren resisted rolling his eyes. He hadn't disobeyed anyone while in the cell, but he had already lost track of how many nights he had spent there.

Shifting so that he could nestle down into the bed, he attempted to try his luck for some more sleep. From the window he could tell that it was just before dawn. He pulled up the blanket, closed his eyes, and began to lull himself to sleep with his usual pre-dream setup: a battle field, wide as the eye could see, scattered with many smoking, headless, titan bodies. All of them, dead. All of them.

Drip.

Eren sat up and growled.

"What now?"

The voice was irritated.

Eren immediately felt embarrassed. He must look like a child in front of the Corporal, acting so rudely and behaving so irrationally.

"That drip," he began, in an attempt to gain back some of his dignity. "It's bothering me."

To his surprise, the Corporal chuckled.

"That drip has been here for years. No one has found it yet."

The way the man talked seemed to taunt Eren. It was as if he was challenging him, reminding him of being just another number.

"Doesn't it bother you?"

"Yes."

"I," Eren frowned and looked down, grabbing a fistful of the blanket in his hand. "I'm having trouble falling asleep because of it."

"I'm on orders to watch you and watch you I shall. I can't be disregarding my orders because you can't sleep because of a drip that has been around probably longer than you have been alive."

Eren felt his face flush.

"I didn't mean-"

"Shut up." Eren could see the Corporal's foot lightly tap the ground, an action of amusement. "Get some sleep." he stated in a softer tone.

Eren lay back down and pulled his pillow lower down. He rolled on his side and then to the other. The chains around his wrists rattled lightly, like soft wind chimes. He swear he could hear the sounds of rain outside. Corporal Levi sighed. Eren rolled on his back.

Drip.

"It's no use, Corporal. I can't sleep." Eren stated.

"Just close your eyes." Levi replied softly, a lull in his voice. Eren could tell from the change in his tone he had leaned his head back against the wall and was probably gazing down his nose at him in his cell.

"And relax."

Eren lay flat on his back, his hands down at his sides. He closed his eyes and felt a wave of exhaustion pass over him. He breathe evenly, deeply, feeling his lungs fill fully. Then exhaled.

A moment passed, but there was no way to tell how much time itself had gone by. A moment of being lost in the dark behind his eyes, Eren felt as if the walls of the cell were pressing in all around him. He sat up, sweating, shaking, convulsing with confusion.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

"For fuck's sake," Eren mumbled, rubbing his face. "I can't sleep." he gasped.

A noise caught his attention. Levi's small frame came into view; hair parted evenly down the middle, eyes glinting in the firelight. He wrapped his slender, calloused fingers around the bars of the cell and leaned his face as close to the bars as possible.

"Hey," he spoke. "do you need me to come in there and knock you out? I told you to get some sleep."

"I can't." Eren began. Levi began walking to the door of the cell. "I tried. I mean, I am trying."

Levi grabbed the bars of the cell door and smirk, watching Eren's eyes grow wide. He tugged the bars hard, pulling them outwards, but the bars only made a loud clang against the rest of the barrier. Corporal Levi only smirked.

He pointed up with a long finger, pointing to the way the door was hinged on.

"Don't worry." he flashed a crooked smile. "I can't get in. Just like you can't get out."

Levi turned and walked back to where he first held the bars, getting closer to Eren as he watched him settle down.

Eren's eyes filled with wonder. The man before him was intriguing, so masculine without the need for excessive muscles and yet so intellectual without the need for books and papers. He was in a class all on his own.

"K-keep talking!"

"Oh?" Levi raised an eyebrow. He leaned his head on his arm, grasping the bar and looking at Eren with that mischievous light in his eyes.

"Please, Captain."

To his surprise the Corporal began to chuckle. It started off as a small burst, but was followed by a louder laugh. Eren's eyes widen again, drinking in all the details he could from Levi's laugh. It was manly, with a dept to it, but a light, airy overtone.

Levi's hair hung in his face, his lips twisted up in the corners.

"Oh-ho-ho." he chuckled, an arm around his gut. "You want me to keep talking? Do I amuse you?"

Eren blushed again, hoping the light from the fires would hide his face.

"Not amuse, sir. Not exactly."

"But I entertain you," Levi paused, his eyes darkening. "Don't I?"

Eren nodded, his throat suddenly dry.

"How the fuck do I entertain you?" Levi hit the bars with his arm, then rested his head against it again. He stared at the ground and Eren suddenly felt like he said the wrong thing.

"N-no, sir! It's not like that!"

Levi chuckled again, leaving Eren to wonder if he was touched in the head.

"What do you want me to say, Eren?"

Eren felt his blood run cold. The way his name sounded coming off of Corporal Levi's lips. It surprised him to feel so thrilled.

"A-anything, Captain!"

"Do you know what time it is, Eren, hey?"

Eren shook his head. "No, sir!"

Levi walked into the shadow and dragged the bench over to the bars. He took a seat, stretching his legs out along the bench, and leaned his back against the wall.

"Well, I don't either." he mumbled, gazing out the window. "But I assume that it is sometime near early morning."

"Sir, will I get out anytime soon?"

"You mean, out of this cell? I can't say."

"What's going on outside?"

"With the titans? With the city? Or perhaps, with your friends?"

Levi twisted the word, biting his bottom lip before dragging out the word 'friends.'

Eren stared at him, trying to understand the snag on his words. He found himself swinging his legs over the right side of his bed and trying to take a step towards Levi. He had only gone two steps when the chain pulled his left arm back. He turned to stare at the brace around his wrist.

Levi looked at Eren.

"You should be sleeping."

"I-" Eren began.

"Try." Levi breathed.

Eren sat on his bed again, but kept his feet on the floor. He stared at his bound wrists and questioned his thoughtless actions. Why did he just try to reach Corporal Levi? Was he trying to touch him? Why? Was there some type of comfort he was offering him?

"Say Corporal," Eren began. He waited until Levi met his eyes to continue. "What do you do when you can't sleep?"

Levi's eyes narrowed, but not out of anger. The corner of his lip twisted upwards as he gazed at the boy with a curiosity in his eyes.

"Do you know how old I am, Eren?"

Eren felt his stomach drop. He wasn't sure where Levi was taking this conversation.

"Corporal?"

"Cuh." Levi rolled his eyes. "I can't tell if you don't know or if you are being respectful."

He leaned his head back and eyed Eren out of the corner of his eyes.

"Just in case you didn't know, shithead, I'm not as young as you think I am." He pause and sighed. "So, how many sleepless nights do you think I endured?"

Eren swallowed. "I- I used to watch the Survey Corps arriving back into my city."

Levi's eyes sparkled in the firelight, but Eren forced himself to look away, at anything that would keep his eyes away from the Corporal.

"I would hear the bells ringing and it would excite me. I'd always drag Mikasa with me, just to see them return."

Eren couldn't understand why he was saying all this. Why now? Why did it matter?

"Some days, I would be lucky enough to see them head off too. So, I guess you can say I have a guess as to how old you are."

Levi smirked again.

"Did you ever see me then?"

"Not really. I might have caught you, once or twice. But you're part of the elite squad so, I highly doubt I'd sight you."

"So you do respect me."

"Yes! Of course!"

"Then, tell me exactly what you think of me?"

Eren curled his hands into small fists. He felt winded, as if Levi had kicked him in the gut.

"I can't answer that."

"They always say that." Levi frowned.

"No! It's not like that!" Eren suddenly turned to face him. The chains pulled and a loud ca-chink was heard. "I'm not like them!"

Levi smirked, the noise not phasing him. "What then? What do you think of me?" Levi turned away from the window to meet his eyes. "Or at least tell me why?"

"Why?" Eren repeated. His eyebrows furrowed. "Why do I think of you what I do?"

"No. Why don't you tell me."

"Oh." Eren sat in silence, taking in the shape of Levi's jaw in the firelight. He had stopped to gaze at the way Levi tied his collar, when Levi spoke again.

"Eren?"

"I'm thinking."

"Alright."

The wind outside howled once, picking up. Eren could hear the rains some more. It was distracting. Rain, at this time of year? The skies were cleared for several days before.

"I'm not sure what to think of you, Corporal. That is why I couldn't answer you at this point in time."

"So you don't want to judge me before you get to know me, is that it?"

"Something like that."

"Do you think you will get to know me?"

"I would hope so, sir, since I am to work with you."

"What about personally?"

"Sir?"

"You heard me. Outside of business. What do you think of me?"

"I never figured you'd be a man that would regard anything anyone thinks of him."

"Smart boy." Levi smirked. "I don't give a rat's ass what you think of me. I simply want an insight in your mind."

Eren bit his lip. Levi was tricky indeed. He had a way with those around him.

"Corporal?"

"Mmh?"

"If it helps, I think you're a smart man; analytical, with a strong grasp of the world around him. Brave. Loyal. Strong. But, I think, that all of that is a mask."

Eren sighed heavily. He felt a weight off his shoulders. He contemplated shutting his mouth now, but he pressed onwards, as he always did.

"I think that you put on a strong front and you keep yourself – your real self – hidden away. You hide from your teammates, and Commander Erwin, and anyone that tries to get close to you. So that's why I can't understand it, as to why you would take charge of me, since that would mean I have to stay close to you. Do you even have a purpose to living, Corporal, or are you just taking things day by day and trying to find a purpose for yourself?"

Eren glanced up under his eyelashes to watch Corporal Levi's mouth press in a hard line. The man squeezed his hands into fists and he looked away from Eren.

"Do you think everyone thinks that, Eren?"

"I don't think anyone looks into you the way I do, Corporal."

"So you want to get to know me?"

Eren nodded, knowing Levi was aware of his actions.

"Well, that depends on if the Corps can keep you under my supervision, I suppose." Levi stood and walked to the window, high above his head. "It's raining outside. And you should be sleeping."

Eren stood and walked to the bars until the cuffs dug into his wrists.

"Please, just let me touch you."

The words fell from his lips before he could make sense of them. His head throbbed in confusion and his chest felt warm, too warm. He feared what everyone was saying about him, the word monster chasing around his mind. But just seeing Levi in front of him pushed that all away.

"Please." he begged, reaching a hand out to the cell gate. The chains held him back, keeping him from touching the bars.

Levi turned and held a bar in his hand, his fingers curling gently around it. He reached through the bars, a look Eren couldn't quite name on his face.

Levi's pale hand was mere inches from his fingertips when the man stopped and pulled away.

Eren swallowed, realizing he had been holding his breath. He blinked and Levi was gone. The sound of wind and a loud bang announcing the return of the bench to its place in the shadows, perhaps by a rough kick. Eren heard the wood creak as Levi sat back on it. His legs were illuminated by the pale light drifting in through the window, but his face was hidden in the shadows. It seemed the Corporal was done talking.

Eren breathed in and out deeply, and then sat down on the bed. He couldn't understand what emotions he was feeling now. Was that ache from disappointment? Was he sad he didn't touch Levi, or was he upset that he had begged him so openly.

"Sleep now, Eren."

Eren numbly lay down on his back, his knees bent and his feet flat on the mattress.

"Levi?"

"Sleep Eren."

"Am I a monster, Corporal?"

Levi was silent.

"Am I really a monster? I feel so...human."

"Sleep Eren. Don't exhaust yourself."

"One more thing."

"What is it?"

"What do you do when you can't sleep?"

A moment of silence passed and then a deep sigh of resignation from the Corporal.

"I sing."

"You sing?"

"You asked."

Eren lay back against the pillow. He recalled Levi's laugh, the low bass mingling with the high, childish air. He scrunched his eyebrows together as he tried to imagine how Levi's voice would sound in song. It was a peaceful sound, he imaged. Images of a battle field, littered with blood and bodies came to his mind. Burning bodies, titan smoke. Every last one of them dead. And now a new detail to his dream, a clear song on the winds. Levi singing, a lament for the dead.

Perhaps, Eren thought, he would ask Levi to sing a song to lull him to sleep, just so he could hear his voice. But his head felt heavy and his face was numb. He could feel himself slowly succumbing to sleep.

Drip.

Dri-

-ip.

The dripping faded. The battle field became surreal. The wind tugged at his hair and bit his aching fingertips. The titan smoke was thick in the air. He clutched at his chest, aching from an injury he had taken during the battle.

Eren had finally fallen asleep. But the ache in his chest was very real. A titan couldn't hurt him in the way this ache developed. In his dream Eren flipped through the air using the three dimensional gear. And as he tossed, a smile on his face in his dreams, somewhere in the back of his mind Corporal Levi remained a mystery to him. A mystery he was determined to solve.