Just a quick shout out to everyone reading this story. Thanks for all the support, especially the reviewers (you know who you are, you sexy beasts). Your follows, favorites and mostly the reviews are the lifeblood of the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Snk, its characters or any other brands mentioned in this story.

That Sunday night, Levi's dreams turned to nightmares. Pleasant memories and optimistic desires darkened as feelings of neglect, loneliness and sorrow swarmed his subconscious mind. Levi tossed and turned about most of the night, not quite asleep but not awake either; he was conscious of every sound and movement around him yet he had no control over his perceptions. The more he tried to sleep, the more awake he seemed. Yet when he tried to wake, fatigue all but drowned him.

Levi woke the following morning feeling like he had stayed up all night. In fact, he felt like he had a hangover; his body ached, his head was pounding and his eyes refused to stay open no matter how vehemently he willed his lids to stay peeled back. It was a ghastly feeling. He felt ill, and what made it worse was that despite how fatigued his mind was, it continued to entertain the incessant thoughts of abandonment.

Petra would be leaving him soon. So what? She was never really his to begin with; she was his submissive, someone who used him to entertain her darker desires. She was his to use as well, his to use to indulge in the sadism that the men he slept with would never allow. For all intents and purposes, their relationship was a professional one – there were no sexual elements to it (he was gay, after all), and they rarely ever saw each other more than twice a month. They were nothing more than each other's toys…toys that cared for each other, nurtured one another, respected and strengthened each other, laughed together and had years of friendship and good memories together.

Sighing, Levi finally sat upright. Who was he trying to fool? What he and Petra had was special. He had dedicated years of his life to her as she had to him, and try as he may, he could not deny the fact that he was hurt by the fact that she wanted to leave him. Of course he was elated that she had found someone who could give her what he had given her and more, but that didn't make the pill any easier to swallow. He cared deeply about Petra, and the bond they had developed through the years of their tango of sadism and masochism was etched in his heart.

Even though it was not even a remotely conventional relationship, she was his, and her saying she no longer wanted to be his hurt him.

Monday crawled by at a glacial pace. The exhaustion Levi suffered thanks to his inability to sleep soundly the previous night had him in a state of near catatonia. Even menial tasks became difficult as Levi trudged through the day; getting out of bed, drinking coffee, and even showering seemed like gargantuan tasks. Yet despite his body's inability to function, his mind fired at twice its usual speed, entertaining damning thoughts of loss and loneliness.

At first, his thoughts were about Petra – the memories he shared with her, the good times they'd had as friends, the wonderful plays they'd had in the years she had been his submissive, and ultimately all he would lose when she walked away. The void she would leave would be abyssal. It had Levi wishing, for the first time in years, that he had someone he could truly call his own.

If only he could have what Petra had found.

That was where his thoughts turned horribly sour. When he found himself wishing he could find what she had found, he faced a grim reminder: what he wanted did not exist. Men who were willing to fully submit to him and truly enjoy the expansive sadism he had to offer were not only few and far between, but seemed to be extinct. It was hard enough finding straight men with those sorts of desires, but to find a gay man with a genuine appreciation for BDSM and submitting…that seemed impossible.

By the end of the day, Levi felt somewhat depressed. His incessant negativity had brought him to a point of self-loathing, and for the first time in years he wondered if he wouldn't be better off if he omitted BDSM from his lifestyle entirely.

That thought was toxic. BDSM was as much a part of he who was as the very skin on his body. Not because he had a need to dominate, not because he thrived on releasing his sadistic tendencies, but because of the deep psychology behind it all. Because the relationship between a Dominant and a submissive was so deeply psychological that it could be had without bodies if that were physically possible. And that was what Levi wanted. What he needed. He was a psychological person, and while physical intimacy was and always would be wonderful, it was psychological intimacy that ultimately satisfied him.

Levi eventually re-centered himself after a particularly brutal cardiovascular fitness training session. Pushing his body to the limits it could handle given his injury, Levi was finally able to purge his mind of the negativity that had consumed him all day. He focused on his physicality; his mind was locked on his breathing, his balance, his technique, and as the minutes ticked on, so the emptiness consumed his mind.

It was heavenly.

By the time he was walking to his car, Levi felt revitalized. Exhausted, but pure of mind. All he wanted to do now was get home, shower and grant his body the sleep it so desperately craved.

As Levi walked, pleased with his new peace of mind, he heard some shuffling about echoing off the walls of the desolate underground parking lot. It was not unexpected since the dojo's training session had just adjourned, but the safety-conscious man kept his ears to the ground and eyes peeled as he made his way to his vehicle.

"…so fucking much…"

The voice that broke the silence shattered it. It was nothing but a pained, desperate whisper, but it seemed to be a hundred decibels in that moment. It caught Levi's attention, but the man did not stop; he walked on, only five cars away from his own now. He had no interest in involving himself in another person's business.

"I know, Eren. I miss you too."

Eren?

The utterance of that name brought Levi to a halt. He whipped his head in the direction of the voice, his brows furrowing as he was met with darkness. It seemed unlikely that a person would skulk about in such deep darkness in such a desolate location at night – he glanced at his wristwatch and his frown deepened as he noted it read 21:37 – but he was quite certain he'd heard the voice come from that direction. He peered into the unlit area of the parking lot, pondering the pros and cons of making a move.

Of course going there was dangerous. Anyone wandering about such dark parts at night was either asking for trouble or causing it. But on the other hand, he'd heard that name – what were the odds that there was another Eren in this area?

But he wasn't even at training, Levi reminded himself. It was more than likely a completely different person and nothing more than a coincidence. With this in mind, he shook his head and continued on towards his car.

"Do you really?"

That voice had Levi halting once again. There was no mistaking it; that was Eren's voice. After hearing that sweet voice utter the word 'sir' a dozen times in one night, Levi swore he would never forget that unique tone of Eren Yeager's voice.

But…Levi stared into the darkness, perplexed; why would Eren Yeager be there? It was unsafe by all accounts. What could possibly lure that brunette into such a dangerous situation?

"Yes." The second voice was that of a man. Levi did not recognize it. "Every part of me misses you."

What?

Try as he may, the phrase could be ignored. It was ambiguous at best and Levi would be damned but it piqued his interest. He sneaked towards the darkness, fists at the ready, in search of Eren and the other man. And once he was in the darkness and his eyes had adjusted, he was met with a sight that had him questioning his perception.

Leaning against the hood of an electric blue sedan was a man that Levi, despite the poor light, instantly recognized as Jean Kirstein. Kirstein was one of the dojo's up and coming young fighters, a talented athlete with one hell of an attitude. From what he had seen in the last few months, Eren and Kirstein did not get along. Yet there Eren was, standing but a breath away from Kirstein with a hand on the arrogant fighter's hip. And if that was not shocking enough, Kirstein had Eren's other wrist in his hand and was guiding it along his torso towards his…

"What the fuck?" Levi mouthed as Eren's hand found its target.

Levi's eyes widened and his mouth fell agape as he watched Eren firmly grab onto what was, until now, a very well-concealed erection in Jean's trousers. At first, he thought he was mistaken in what he was seeing but there was no mistaking it; Eren's appreciative hum and firm groping of the hardened length made the truth that much more obvious.

Is Eren…

"You really do miss me," Eren said teasingly.

"You have no idea," Jean replied.

At this point, Levi was not sure if he was frozen in place due to fascination or awe. Either way, whatever he was feeling quickly turned to absolute mortification as he watched Eren drop to his knees in front of Kirstein. Levi watched, rooted in pace as Eren slowly, almost playfully, pulled at the waistband of Kirstein's neon yellow gym shorts, lowering them just enough to free Kirtein's erect cock.

"This is not happening…" Levi said to himself.

Eren roughly grabbed at the rigid flesh pointing right at him and said, "I've missed this." There was a raw, lustful edge to his voice. "I've missed your cock."

Eren is gay, Levi thought. Gay.

"My cock misses your mouth," Jean said. He then threaded his fingers through Eren's tousled locks and unceremoniously brought Eren's mouth to his cock.

"This is not happening," Levi said again.

Only, it was. Right there in front of him, only a few meters away, Jean Kirstein had his head back and eyes shut in unconcealed pleasure. Eren Yeager, the object of Levi's lusting – a man Levi had not even imagined could have any interest in other men – was on his knees and taking in every inch of the well-endowed junior fighter as if a gag reflex was a forgotten nineties fad.

It was repulsive. It was erotic. It was exciting and arousing and disgusting and shocking. Levi did not know how to feel about what he was witnessing, he did not know what to think Yet despite his confusion and his feelings of revulsion, he could not bring himself to look away. His eyes were locked on the crude sight of Eren's lips around Jean's circumcised cock. His ears were keen on the soft slurping sounds echoing in the parking lot. His body was rooted in place and his own member had begun to harden in his trousers as he watched from the shadows, reduced to nothing more than a perverted voyeur.

Within minutes Kirstein's moaning grew louder and lewder. His deep breaths became ever shallower until they were nothing more than desperate pants. His hands were white-knuckled as they gripped at Eren's messy locks, guiding Eren along his length at a brutal pace until his body began to shudder and jerk. A cussing chant to the heavens shattered the calm of the night as Kirstein reached completion, his essence eagerly taken in by Eren.

As vile as it was, it was absolutely glorious to watch. Levi bit his lip as he imagined himself in Kirstein's position, being pleased so eagerly by the gorgeous brunette. He imagined how soft Eren's lips would feel on his cock, how warm and soft that tongue would be as it traced along the veins of his length.

"Fuck, Levi," he said to himself, palming at his cock as it strained against the confines of his underwear and trousers. A part of him was disgusted by his juvenile reaction to what he'd seen and completely mortified by the fact that he had actually stayed to watch, but the larger part of him – the part controlled by the all-powerful, governing testosterone – could not care any less.

"…go home and so do you."

That was Kirstein's voice. The tone was abrasive, so much so that it tore Levi from his thoughts. He turned his attention to the duo once more and was somewhat surprised to find Jean rushing towards the driver's side of the vehicle, completely oblivious to Eren toddling along behind him.

"But it's Valentine's Day," Eren said. He sounded confused and dare Levi say, desperate. "I thought we could…you know…"

"I don't give a shit about Valentine's Day and you know it," Jean snapped. He turned to Eren then, running his condescending eyes along Eren's form. "Besides, you're drunk. I don't wanna go anywhere with you."

"Asshole," Levi hissed under his breath.

"Oh?" Eren growled. "You won't go anywhere with me because I'm 'drunk' but you're perfectly okay with letting me suck your dick?"

Jean opened the car's door and glanced at Eren with a smirk. "What guy would say no to a blowjob?"

Levi's jaw fell slack for the second time that night. He could not believe the audacity of Jean Kirstein. He was speechless to the magnitude of disrespect Kirstein was showing Eren, awed by the inhumanity of the way he was treating the brunette.

"So that was your plan all along, huh?" Eren said. "To use me to get off and be on your merry way?"

The humorless laugh that burst from Jean's mouth was jagged. "Oh please. You were the little slut who cornered me and happily dropped to your knees to suck my dick."

If Levi's jaw could have fallen even further, it would have. He shook his head, the very breath knocked from his lungs. "Wow…"

"What the fuck is your problem?" Eren yelled.

"Keep your voice down, Eren," Jean cautioned.

"Don't you dare fucking tell me what to do!" Eren snapped with an angry finger pointing at Kirstein. "Why the fuck would you call me that? Do you get off on calling me a slut? Do you get off on the idea of getting blown by a slut in a parking lot?"

Jean sighed. "Eren. Go home. I don't have time for this shit."

All Eren's anger dissipated in the single long breath that left his lungs. He folded his arms across his chest and shook his head, stepping away from the vehicle as if its very proximity was offensive. Levi wouldn't be surprised if that was exactly what Eren was feeling.

"I can't believe I fell for your shit again," Eren whispered.

"Whose fault is that?" Jean asked before slipping into the car.

The engine started, the headlights turned on, and within seconds, all that remained of the sedan was the memory of the hum of its engine. A pregnant silence remained in its wake, and Levi watched with bated breath as Eren's arms slowly unfolded. Eren stood as still as a statue for a few seconds, his eyes unseeing as they stared dead ahead.

And then he snapped.

Anger erupted from within Eren. Absolute white-hot rage tore from the brunette's very core, vocalized by an animalistic roar and personified by the raging swinging of his fists as the pillar beside Eren became a punching bag. Levi watched in horror as Eren's fists connected with the concrete, blow by blow echoing through the parking lot as bone-crunching cracks harmonized with the profanities cried out by the brunette.

It looked like Eren was not going to stop. The pillar had blood dripping down its length and still the brunette relented. If Eren were to keep this up, he would undoubtedly break every bone in both his hands; Levi had to intervene.

Just as the man sprung up from the shadows, Eren stopped. Levi stopped too; he thought Eren had spotted him. He stayed still, holding his breath and racking his mind for excuses as to why he was here and what he would possibly say to Eren. Walking in on someone beating a concrete pillar was hardly grounds for a casual conversation. Yet the longer Levi waited, the more obvious it became that Eren had not suddenly stopped because of spotting him; Eren had stopped because his rage had run dry.

Eren closed his eyes and leaned against the pillar, resting his forehead just above the bloody spot he'd created. He released a long breath. At first, it seemed like a sigh of relief. But as the seconds ticked on, Eren's breaths became shallower and shakier, and his eyelids drew closed until they were pinched tightly shut. It wasn't until a choking gasp echoed off the parking lot walls that Levi realized what was happening – Eren was crying.

It broke Levi's heart. Many called Levi cold and ruthless but the truth was that he was just a man who had been disappointed one too many times. His experiences had left him with a hard shell and high walls, but even those walls had peepholes in them. And right now, Eren was aligned with one of these peepholes. Right now, Levi wanted nothing more than to console the brunette; no one deserved to be treated as harshly as Eren had.

"Eren?" Levi called.

Eren did not react.

"Are you okay, brat?" Levi asked.

The brunette stopped crying so suddenly it was as if a switch had been flipped. He was quick to wipe the tears from his face, and when he turned his attention to Levi, it was as if he had not shed a single tear. The only thing that gave him away was the slight redness in his eyes.

"L-Levi?" Eren asked as his eyes met with Levi's. He blinked as if he were seeing an aberration.

Levi shrugged. "That is my name." Oh and he liked how Eren said it. Fuck the inappropriate timing of that inappropriate thought. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Eren asked, smiling. It seemed genuine, but the sadness behind that smile was painfully obvious to Levi. "What are you doing here?"

Levi did not want to beat around the bush. While he did not expect Eren to open up to him on a whim, he found himself somewhat irked by Eren's poor attempt at concealing the truth. He wanted Eren to be honest, and to force the brunette's hand, Levi laid bare his own truth.

"I saw what happened with Kirstein," Levi said.

The brunette tensed and eyed Levi carefully, searching for signs of a bluff. "What did you see?"

For a moment, Levi considered lying. He considered saying that he'd only seen what looked like an argument, even if only to spare Eren's dignity. But before he could even utter a single word, he remembered that what he had seen brought to light a very important fact about Eren Yeager, the man he desired – Eren was sexually attracted to men. That alone changed everything; Eren was now no longer completely unattainable.

Levi drew a deep breath. Something inside was telling him that his next words would determine the course of his relationship with Eren Yeager.

"I saw everything."

You all know what to do ^^,

OS