Levi hadn't thought he would ever fall in love.

No, he thought to himself, as he walked the hallway to the dungeon stairs- that made it sound cheesy. He'd just never thought he was the type. Not to mention the situation- there's no place for emotions during a war.

The stairway's cool air swirled through Levi's hair as he descended. The candle in his hand flickered, throwing a warm glow over the contours of his face.

The minute he set eyes on Eren, there'd been something- different.

It wasn't 'love at first sight'. That would've been ridiculous. Granted, even without the cliche, Levi felt pretty ridiculous already. But after years of seeing only grim faces, run-down buildings, carnage- the enthusiasm in Eren's face caught him by surprise.

Levi himself wasn't in great condition when Eren showed up. There is only so much war one can see before they become part of it. Levi was strong, stronger than a whole group of soldiers- yet he couldn't make a dent in the problem. But Eren still thought he could change things... that was strange.

Or maybe it wasn't that abnormal. Maybe Levi had become a stranger to it. To hope.

Eren's hope was rock-solid, no matter how unreasonable. Eren would never submit. He would never give up.

Levi wished he could be so sure of himself. How did Eren do it?

Somehow, in a blur, that curiosity turned into love. He wanted to get to know the person behind the face. Eren's fears. Eren's doubts. They had to be there. He wanted to fix them, to protect Eren somehow, to- to hold-

Stop that, he scolded himself. You're being ridiculous.

It made him feel guilty. There was no place for feelings in a war. It wasn't like him to indulge.

What had changed?

I am a soldier. A corporal. He descended the steep dungeon stairs, holding his candle steadily in front. I don't let feelings interfere with my work. I won't get carried away. I won't let-

Suddenly, his foot hit the dungeon floor. He looked to the side- Eren laid in a cot in his cell, asleep. His mouth hung open just a little, eyes closed peacefully. His lashes were dark and long against his soft cheeks.

Oh...

No. Levi tried to clear his head. Stop. You've got to stop this.

Levi took the key from his pocket and unlocked the door, stepping in. The door creaked shut behind him. Eren remained asleep.

Why hasn't he woken up? Levi frowned. He might still have a fever.

Levi edged closer to the cot, noticed Eren's wounds had healed. Hm. Slowly lifted his hand, laid it on Eren's forehead- was it a little warmer than usual? How could he tell?

Well, there was one sure way.

"Eren." He said. "Wake up."

Eren didn't move.

A little louder- "Eren."

Nothing.

Levi frowned. What about a pulse? He remembered that having a pulse was important.

He leaned in close, listening, and his head brushed against Eren's chest-

Eren shifted suddenly, letting out a soft noise. And then- he raised his strong arms and locked them around Levi.

Eren turned to the side, and Levi's eyes widened as his feet lifted clean off the ground-

"Hey!" He said sharply. Eren was fast asleep. "Eren. "Wake-"

No! If he woke him up now... oh no, he didn't even want to think about it.

Levi swallowed.. Okay. He had to get out of the embrace. He pushed firmly- no. He would wake up. He just had to squeeze out.

"Gggh-" He shifted, strained, reached for the floor with his foot. His legs dangled far above the ground, and he cursed his stature.

He's not even awake and you're already making a fool of yourself.

Levi looked back to Eren. Still asleep. Alright. This can be very simple. I've just got to slip out...

He grabbed the side of the cot and crawled down, slowly, carefully- but he stopped. His head was against Eren's chest.

Oh, there it was. The heartbeat.

Levi stayed.

You shouldn't be doing this.

He looked to Eren's closed eyes.

What are you doing? What if the others found out? What if he wakes up?

Levi's heart quickened. His mouth was dry.

Stop stop stop-

Closed his eyes for just a second, just to imagine how it would feel-

It's warm-

To be loved by someone-

That was when Levi opened his eyes a crack and realized, to his horror, that Eren's lashes were fluttering.

In a panic, Levi pulled away, fell to the floor.- and Eren fell with him-

CRASH

Eren was suddenly very awake- he disentangled himself, looked down-

Levi saw the surprise fly across Eren's face, followed by embarrassment. Eren let out a shout, scrambling back along the stone floor.

"Sir!" He looked around, distressed. "What-"

Levi picked himself off the ground, dusting his clothes off. He forced his face into neutrality. "You fell. I tried to catch you."

Eren looked around, brow furrowing. "I... fell?"

"You rolled off." Levi said. "I was trying to wake you up."

Eren stood up, swaying a little. Levi prayed he wouldn't notice he-

"Why's your face red?"

Godammit

"I was in a hurry."

"Where were you going?"

Levi's eyes narrowed. "I think I'll be the one asking questions here. I stopped by because of the experiment."

"Oh!" Eren said. His face turned serious. "Right. Well-"

"It was a failure."

Eren nodded.

Brief silence.

"Why?"

"Well-" Eren said, looking down. "I was trying to not be a be a titan. But then, I was just thinking- that I wanted to kill all the titans! And that made me- sort of-"

"Lose control." Levi finished.

Eren nodded.

Levi tilted his head to the side- "But you always want to kill titans."

"Yes."

"You always have that objective in mind."

Eren's eyes glinted- "Always!"

"Then what's stopping you from turning right now?"

Eren blinked. "Uh..."

Levi stepped closer to him, roughly grabbing his collar and pulling him down. He stared him straight in the eyes, voice dangerously low- "I said, what's stopping you from turning right now, Eren?"

Eren sucked in a breath. "I- I don't want to turn right now!"

"You didn't want to turn then, either." Levi reminded him. "Now, let me ask you one more time-"

"Because- I don't want to hurt my friends!" Eren said suddenly. His tone was strong. "I want to protect my friends."

Levi let go of him, and Eren straightened up.

"But you're slipping, Eren."

Eren stared at him, something like desperation in his eyes. He looked away. "I'm... I'm sorry."

Look, I made him sad now.

It's not my job to make him happy.

Though... I might want to.

STOP-

"What's wrong?" Eren said suddenly, reaching forward. His brow furrowed with worry- "Are you alright?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Your face, it- you-" He sighed. "Never mind."

Levi nodded, turning towards the cell door. "Be careful, Eren. There's more to this war than just the titans."

xxxxxxxxx

As soon as Levi was gone, Eren sagged. He dragged himself over to his cot, and sat down, face in his hands.

"I'm such an idiot." He muttered to himself.

Too confused to think further, he laid down- and felt very comfortable, suddenly. The sheets had a very clean smell. Like soap.
A familiar smell, actually...

Levi?

No, that's crazy! They probably just use the same soap to clean these.

But wait... I've been asleep for a while. That doesn't make sense.

Eren sat up. He gathered the sheets in his arms, holding them up to his face, and breathed in deep.

Corporal Levi... did he...?

Eren looked to the door, where Levi had left.

And what was that look he'd given him? That strange look...

Whats going on?