Here we are lovelies! The next traumatic installation! Sorry for the wait, but Ghosties and I have had a lot of trouble writing recently so hopefully we'll get our flow back soon...
And remember! We do not own Attack on Titan or any of the characters belonging thusly. Except for the babies. We own those.
Enjoy~
~Aria and the Ghosts
It was the thick, permeating smell of smoke that awoke him. He coughed slightly as he breathed some in, immediately sitting up. "What the hell..?" Eren rose from the welcoming bed covers to investigate, coughing again as he inhaled more smoke. The entire hallway was hazy with the irritable fumes.
He blinked rapidly against the sting of the air. Why was it so hot? His sleep riddled mind struggled to find an answer. Eren cautiously crept down the hall, stopping near to the twins' bedroom.
It was then he saw the vibrant glow of dangerous flames dancing their way up the stairs. The house was on fire.
Panic flooded him and his protective instincts kicked in. He burst into the bedroom and scooped up his crying children, holding them tightly to his chest as he went back to his and Levi's room. "Shit shit shit." He lay his children down on the bed and haphazardly scooped up some of the prized personal effects from the bedside table, stuffing them into his pockets.
Knowing he had little time to waste, he hastily tied a bedsheet around himself and stuck one of the twins in the makeshift sling. Then he grabbed up the other, not really paying attention to which was which. So long as he had them both.
The fire had spread to the hallway by the time he emerged again. He was being backed into a corner. His breaths came in panicked gasps, more and more of the toxic air entering his lungs.
Fear laced with his blood, pumping loudly in his eardrums. What could he do!? The stairs were not an option, and there was only one way down.
Then he laid eyes on the window. In seconds his choice was made. Eren could feel the deadly heat approaching from the left as he bashed out the glass panes. He looked down below, where he would be landing, and was grateful to see two hedges. Not ideal, but better than straight ground, especially from the second floor.
The smoke was thick and deadly around them, he hoped the babies hadn't inhaled as much as he had. Eren prepared himself to shield his children from the fall, knowing very well that if he did this wrong, he could kill them.
With the heat becoming unbearable, he leapt out the window and free fell down into the bushes below. He only faintly processed the stabbing pain that erupted in his ankle when he landed, more focused on the well being of his children. His skin burned with cuts from the glass, ragged points having caught him on the way out.
Eren shot to a stand and limped away from the burning house. Ragged coughs broke free from his lungs, leaving him breathless after each hack. In his arms, the twins cried with fear. He held them close, double checking the sling quickly.
Tears tumbled down his face as he beheld the giant bonfire that had been his and Levi's home. They hadn't even been moved in fully, much of their belongings still at the Survey Corps headquarters. But it was gone.
Eren shook himself from more thought and headed as fast as he could to the small stable that had been made for Ginger and Magnolia. His elegant mare whinnied with distress as he approached.
"E-Easy Ginger," he rasped, patting her snout. Once more he found himself turning to the nightmare before him. He needed to get to Levi. He had to go to headquarters, where he was safer.
A sudden bout of movement caught his eye, five horses with riders were disappearing into the night. He knew they were the ones responsible; the ones who had just destroyed their home.
Eren swung himself up into Ginger's saddle carefully and spurred her on with a nudge, trying desperately to keep the two kids in his hold from being jostled too much. A sense of hopelessness fell over him as he rode away. Behind him, the sky was lit orange and red as the house continued to burn.
Eren slowed Ginger to a halt when they reached the main entryway to Headquarters. He heaved ragged breaths as he dismounted with his twins in tow, deep coughs nearly bringing him to his knees.
"Lieutenant Jaeger!?"
He backed away from the sudden outcry, shielding his sobbing babies with his body. That was until he recognized the voice. He blinked wearily at his comrade, his tensed shoulders relaxing only minimally. "Rachel," he wheezed.
"Oh gods," she cried, coming closer, "what happened? Let me help you inside!"
The shifter was reluctant but followed her inside when she held open the door. He tried to shush his frightened children, but found he was unable to calm even himself. He shied away from the few soldiers that were milling about and fell to the ground, attempting to make himself smaller.
"Someone get Captain Levi!"
Eren struggled with his breath, the toxic air having inflamed his lungs. Tears continued flowing, the terrible devastation he had left behind haunting his mind.
From the growing crowd, Levi strode forward with purpose, concern openly visible on his face, "Eren."
He looked up and let out a weak sob. Coughs wracked his form when he tried to respond.
"Shit.. what the hell happened?" The older male wordlessly took their children from those trembling hands, rubbing their small backs. His gaze was searching him for answers, reflecting confusion and worry back as they did.
Twin tear tracks were clearly visible from the soot covering his face. He shook his head in defeat, bowing forward and crying through his terrible hacking.
"Someone get him some damn water," Levi ordered, "and get Hanji out here!"
A couple of nearby cadets scurried off instantly.
"Breathe, shitface," he chided softly, "get your lungs to work. What happened?"
"H-House…" He managed to say, "house is-" More coughs interrupted him.
Levi's brows furrowed, "The house is..?"
Eren let out a cracked sob, "It's g-gone.. They b-burned-" He trailed off, unable to continue.
Silence hung heavy in the air. The worry in those silver pools shifting to disbelief and fury. "Someone burned our house down?"
He couldn't manage any words, so settled for nodding. His heart ached at the devastating loss.
It had been the perfect place for them, their own little safe haven. It had taken three months to build and furnish and it had been simply perfect when they had first entered. It had only been a few weeks since their dream house had been finished, and already it was gone.
Someone offered him a glass of water which he took in shaky hands. His nerves were positively frayed.
Levi had gone arrantly silent with the news, a dangerous fire was flickering in his gaze. "..You need to be looked over," he said in a surprisingly soft tone of voice, "it's obvious you've got bad smoke inhalation."
"Them first," Eren wheezed in response, "I w-went through a window.. p-plus smoke.."
"Fine, now calm down. I need to make sure you're okay too." Even as he said it, concern passed over his face.
He sat gasping for a bit, and blinked at him in a slight daze. "I-Infimary?"
"Yes," he said firmly, "let's go." Levi stood swiftly, resituating their children in his arms. He felt a pang of concern for them, knowing how delicate young children could be. He could only hope that between the three of them, they would be alright from the ordeal they had just gone through.
Eren shakily got to his feet, but almost immediately fell back down with a loud cry.
Levi whipped back around, "Eren!?" He shot forward and knelt near his spouse, eyes frantically searching his form. Eventually he saw his lover's ruined ankle and scowled. "Shit.. your ankle.."
A cadet stepped forward and helped Eren to his feet gently, offering soft pats to his back when he coughed. "I've got Lieutenant Jaeger, Captain," she said surely.
He didn't have time to scrutinize her, but rather nodded and stood, heading off towards the infirmary. Everything in him screamed to be hasty, but they couldn't push Eren, especially not with his ankle so bad.
They all began making suddenly lengthy trip to the infirmary, Levi half turning often to check on his spouse. His brow remained deeply furrowed the entire way. Eren was a mess physically and emotionally, and it showed on his dirtied face.
"Almost there, sir," Rachel whispered to him comfortingly.
Eren gave no response but some of the tension left his shoulders.
As soon as they entered, Levi strode in and laid the twins on a cot and allowed the on staff doctors to begin looking them over. Then he helped Eren to another bed, Rachel helping him carefully maneuver him with his busted ankle. When he was settled, Levi grabbed up one of his hands and kissed the scratched knuckles.
The younger lay gasping, breath still ragged due to smoke inhalation.
"This never should've happened," the raven growled under his breath, "I'm going to kill the bastard responsible."
"B-Bastards," Eren corrected weakly.
His gaze narrowed with the new information, "How many?"
"What the hell is going on in here?"
Levi glanced towards the doorway to find Hanji shooting over to the twins with a furrowed brow. "Later. Check them over," he bit out. His attention returned to his spouse. "Eren, how many did you see?" Came his calm but firm question.
"F-Five."
Seeing the genuine fear flicker in those brilliant orbs made him feel the need to kill something. He had promised to protect his brunette lover when they had married, but he had already failed to do so several times and he hated himself for it.
"Bandage that wound on the girl's leg, we'll need to clean it everyday until it's healed," Hanji spoke to one of the other medical hands. "We also need to monitor their breathing just in case."
Eren shot up on his cot with a panicked expression, "I hurt Hazel!?"
The researcher was quick to his side, "Looks like she got cut pretty good on something, but it'll heal fine Eren. Let me get a look at you."
He visibly deflated, "I-I thought I had protected them better.."
"Eren, there's nothing you could've done to prevent it given the circumstances," Levi said, breaking his silence. "It's a goddamn miracle it wasn't worse."
Hanji eyed them with a scrutinizing eye, obviously trying to deduce what misfortune had taken place. The twins were suffering from mild smoke inhalation and had some soot covering their cheeks. Eren was covered with soot and traces of ash, his haggard breathing suggested smoke inhalation as well. It was obvious to her then what must've happened.
Her gaze moved to Levi who looked to be just concealing the anger that wished to spill forth. He would no doubt be ready to leap into an investigation and manhunt as soon as Eren and their children were settled. Not that she could ever blame him.
"Alright," she said, "in order to fully assess the damage you've taken, I need to have the soot off of you." Hanji grabbed up some thin bandages and a splint. "I'll set your ankle real quick and give you a mild painkiller which will hopefully help with cleaning you up."
"I can shower him," Levi as he stood and made his way to the infirmary bathrooms.
"You sure you can support him and bathe him at the same time?"
He scoffed, "Nothing I haven't done before, Hanji."
She nodded and set about carefully setting Eren's ankle. It all went well, his titan healing would kick in and heal the bones by the end of the day. Though even then she knew he would have to be careful on it for at least a week.
Eren inhaled sharply when she repositioned his ankle, which was immediately followed by some harsh coughs.
"Easy," she soothed, "try to keep your breathing even. I think I've already got it set so I can do the temporary wrap. You ready?"
He didn't reply but tossed an arm over his eyes and nodded.
Levi reemerged from the bathroom and grabbed Eren's hand as Hanji maneuvered the splint into place and began wrapping it. "Will you be able to stand on your other leg long enough for me to help you get clean?" he asked softly.
"Yeah.." was the muffled reply.
With his ankle set and blood laced with a light painkiller, Eren allowed himself to be led to the bathroom by his husband. Levi was careful with him the entire way, obviously not wishing to cause him undue pain.
The raven locked the door, stripped the younger down naked and helped him into the shower where he already had the water running. Before following him in, Levi stripped off his jacket and cravat, then entered the shower still clothed. He held Eren in his arms as he allowed the warm stream of water to rinse away the black soot.
Eren was practically limp in his grasp, eyes having fluttered shut in what appeared to be contentedness.
"Where does it hurt so I know not to touch there?" He asked lowly. He absently noted that it seemed the warm and humid air in the shower stall was helping his lover's breathing.
"Besides mm'ankle? ..Head, shoulders and arms," was the murmured reply.
Looking closer, Levi was beginning to make out some angry looking cuts that were weeping blood. He scowled and gently ran his hand over the skin there to fully rid of any remaining soot.
At one point, Levi realized Eren was trembling slightly in his hold. He furrowed his brow and peered up to the brunette's face. The torment that was Eren's expression, tore at him. Tears mixed with shower water and vanished all too easily.
He's afraid, he quickly pieced together. He's afraid because you failed him. You didn't protect him.
Shame swept through him as he finished rinsing the suds from those unruly locks.
I'm sorry, Eren.
As soon as Eren had been settled in their room, bandaged and medicated, Levi had assembled a small team to help investigate the matter. He was intent and harsh with them, obviously willing to do anything and everything to catch their five culprits. Though his mind became clouded with the task at hand, and he overlooked checking in on his spouse.
Upon seeing the trend, Hanji immediately stepped in and saw to the beloved titan shifter. Between herself, Armin, Mikasa and even Jean, they looked after the kids and made sure Eren was comfortable and fed.
The one thing they couldn't seem to do was get him to sleep. He would lay back on the bed as though to rest but wouldn't let his eyes shut. Instead he stayed awake and constantly watched over his children; even when they reassured him that they wouldn't leave and wouldn't let anyone else come in.
Hanji knew what would need to happen but she was unsure how to draw Levi away from his obsessive attention to the manhunt at hand.
By the second day, she knew something had to be done.
Her round to Eren's room that morning had revealed that his titan healing had slowed due to utter exhaustion. He was in pain but refused medicine, she knew out of fear of succumbing to sleep. He was tired to the point of being mildly paranoid about everything. It was too much.
And so she found herself hastily making for her short companion with intent. If Levi would not break from things, she would make him.
Hanji stormed into the investigation room with a determined glint to her eyes. She immediately came up beside her shorter comrade, "Levi, you need to go to Eren."
He moved away from the table but didn't make any move to leave the room, "He will be okay for right now. I need to get these bastards."
"And your poor spouse needs to sleep!"
Levi turned to her in surprise, question in his gaze. "What are you talking about?"
She glared at him, "It has been two days since the incident and Eren has refused to sleep since it happened. He needs you more than this damn investigation right now. I will take your place here, but you need to go to him. Now."
He still made no move to leave.
"Levi," Hanji said, grabbing his shoulders, "you need to be the first thing he sees once he wakes up. You need to be there to ground him when he has nightmares. He won't trust anyone else right now. So you need to be there for him, for his sake.."
He hesitated for only a moment more, "Fine. Tell me of any updates."
"You know I will, Levi. Go to him now."
Levi didn't even think of the route to his and Eren's quarters, the way to his destination was already laid out in his mind. He entered the darkened room quietly, so as not to disturb his lover.
"Who's there?" Eren's voice was deadly and sharp, evidently prepared for the worst case scenario.
"It's just me, brat," he called in what he hoped to be a placating manner. His eyes adjusted to the low lighting and immediately homed in on the rigid form sitting in the bed.
Eren heaved a long breath, "Levi.."
The raspy quality of the other's voice was concerning, the exhaustion that laid just beneath the surface easy to identify. "I've been told you have refused to sleep," he stated levelly as he placed himself beside the younger male. "You've got to be tired Eren, you need to sleep."
He looked away in something akin to shame, "..I can't. Every time I try, I freak out and worry about it happening again. What if I can't get out next time?"
Levi felt bloodlust rise up within him once more but he quelled it, instead focusing on Eren. "There won't be a next time," he growled, "and you're safe here, you know that."
"I thought I was safe there," came the weak retort, "but they went after us there too."
He found himself momentarily silenced, beginning to understand Eren's train of thought. He hated the fact that he couldn't guarantee the safety of his most prized person. He couldn't ensure that nothing bad would ever come upon him and the mere fact taunted him like no other.
"I wasn't there last time," the mere admission stung more than he would ever say, "but I am now. Nobody will get past me. They won't come after you here, not while I'm around."
Eren sagged against him unexpectedly, "Gods…. Levi, I'm so tired.."
He gathered his lover in his arms, "Then sleep. I won't leave until you've rested." That was one of Eren's bad habits, he would run himself ragged while looking after everyone around him, which usually lead to him crashing and burning in the aftermath.
There was quiet for a time, Levi began to believe that Eren had finally succumbed to his exhaustion, until he spoke again.
"..It was so scary. By the time I started trying to get out the fire was roaring around us. Everything was hot and burning.. It almost was like being in my titan." Eren trembled slightly, "I didn't think I would be able to get out.. Or that I would be able to protect the babies.. I was s-so scared Levi."
He held Eren closer, almost as though he was attempting to hold the shifter's broken spirit together. "I'm sorry you had suffer alone, Eren," he murmured, "I'm sorry it happened at all."
Eren huddled impossibly closer, small sobs escaping him.
The sound tore him apart. It was always terrible to hear his spouse cry, but these feeble and broken cries were somehow worse than anything else. Levi soothed him as best he could, until the brunette finally fell into an uneasy slumber.
His bloodlust bubbled just beneath the surface, the culprits would surely suffer by his hand.
Eren slept fitfully for only a couple of hours when it was interrupted by soft cries from one of the twins.
Levi had just begun to hear the noise when Eren shot from the bed and to the crib nearby. He blinked with mild bewilderment. His hovered nearby anxiously, as though he was going to scoop them into his arms at a moment's notice.
He visibly made himself relax and gently grabbed up Cayden, shushing him ever so softly. It didn't take long for his cries to quiet as he fell back asleep. Eren lowered his small form back into the crib and let his shoulders drop in exhaustion.
"I could've gotten him.." the older male commented finally.
Eren yelped and whipped around with wide eyes, breath having picked up a bit.
Levi rose from the bed swiftly and went to him, "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."
He shook his head and huddled into his lover's strong frame. "Don't worry about it.. For a moment I was back in our house."
He hummed in response, and tugged him back towards the bed. "Come on shithead, your ankle is still healing."
Eren wearily followed, all but collapsing into the bed. He crawled into a more comfortable position, all adrenaline leaving him quickly.
Levi settled on the other side, sitting against the headboard and picking up his book to read by the candle he had on the bedside table. When he felt the soft thump of his lover's head settling on his lap, he merely began threading his hand through those luscious locks; it was a well practiced habit of his and one that Eren adored.
"Sleep, love," he murmured softly when he noticed the younger fighting to keep his eyes open. "I'm not going anywhere."
It seemed to do the trick as Eren reluctantly allowed his eyes to shut. In minutes, his body relaxed too as he fell deep into sleep.
Levi huffed with mild amusement and kissed the brunette's brow.
If Eren needed him to be a source of comfort, then he would not hesitate to be there. Especially not after such a close call. It made his skin crawl merely thinking about how close it had been. Had his spouse been any other person, he might not have made it out of the house. The thought was equal parts comforting as discomforting.
It never should've even happened. The idea was a recurring one. Questions of what-if, ran rampant through his mind. Yet the logical part of him knew that sometimes there was just no preventing an event from occurring. It was utter torment, yet an inescapable truth.
Again Eren slept for a few hours, this time evidently more restful than the previous. That was, until he began having a nightmare.
Levi immediately became aware when Eren withdrew into himself, curling up with hitched breathing. He tossed his book to the side table and brought the younger male to his chest, stroking his hair in a comforting manner. "Come on Eren," he called, "wake up."
He thrashed a bit before snapping awake, heaving in breaths and looking nothing short of bewildered. His brilliant eyes flashed up to Levi's face and then fell shut as a sigh of relief escaped him. "A dream.."
"Yes," Levi assured him, "nothing more."
Eren regained his bearings and lay contentedly in his husband's strong arms. He allowed the feeling to ground him again.
"Mmmbabba maa," came a distinct babble.
The older male blinked in mild surprise and looked over to the crib where Hazel was staring at them with a small grin. He smirked and rose from the bed, lifting her easily into his arms. Once near the bed, he offered her out to the other.
Eren took her without hesitation. He cradled her small form to him carefully, trying desperately to avoid hurting her gauze covered leg. "I'm sorry you got hurt, baby," he told her remorsefully.
"Eren-"
"Mmmbaba baa mmg," Hazel replied with a large grin.
The sight warmed his heart. At least she still had her bright attitude about her, even with an injury. "Yeah, but I still feel bad," he said, playing along with her.
The bright eyed child shifted and then planted a huge kiss on his cheek, slobber and all. She giggled at his expression.
Eren couldn't stop a chuckle from escaping him. "You think that's funny, missy?" He smirked in a way that was harrowingly similar to Levi and began planting kisses all over her face.
Hazel shrieked but it soon gave way to excited laughter. She put her little hands out and pushed at her Daddy's face but he kissed those too.
Levi, who had gotten Cayden out as well, stood with a small smile on his face. He was glad to see some of the light return to Eren's eyes, even if it was temporary while he played with their child.
The situation had him feeling incredibly grateful that his spouse was resilient and adept at escaping certain danger. Maybe not unscathed, but he somehow always made it out. And to top it off, he always managed to find his will to keep going. It was a skill that few had, especially when faced with as much danger as Eren seemed to be.
Levi knew they still had a lot to do, a lot to face; but at least they had each other. Eren and Hazel would heal from their injuries, their home could be rebuilt, and the bastards responsible would be dealt with. With time, everything would work out.
Hope you all enjoyed! See you guys during next installation! It'll be a continuation of this so be prepared. Wiedersehen!
