A/N: And we are back with chapter 6! If you guys haven't noticed, we also started another fanfic called Verse Chorus Verse. It involves rock star Levi and college student/fanboy/bassist Eren, so if you like those two things, check it out! That's all of the shameless self promotion for now.
Disclaimer: SnK belongs to Hajime Isayama. This story belongs to us.
(Psst. Read the chapter title backwards ::33)
Chapter 6: Rats live on no evil star
Mikasa, Armin, Eren, and Levi were crammed together on the couch, watching a hologram of a movie from earth. It was an older horror movie, but Levi loved it and none of the three aliens had seen it before, so Levi decided that they needed to have a lesson in earth "culture." Mikasa was leaning against one edge of the couch, resting her head in her hand. She was completely absorbed in the movie and didn't make a single sound. Armin on the other hand was terrified. The movie wasn't even that scary, but it had the poor kid shaking and making squeaking noises whenever things got tense. Eren was on the other side of Armin, and he would not shut up with questions about the movie. They were questions like "why did he take the job in this hotel?" or "why was that lady in the tub?" or "why is there a party? I thought the hotel was closed." Levi, who was leaning against Eren with his legs draped over the other arm of the couch, was getting fed up with said interruptions. His eyebrow twitched as Eren began his next question.
"Why is there a hedge maze in the ho-"
"Eren, for the last time, shut the fuck up and just watch the damn movie," Levi snapped, and Eren immediately obeyed. The doorbell rang and Levi cursed at the new interruption.
"I'll get it," Armin said and hopped up, more than eager to get away from the movie. The small blond boy ran to the door, and opened it. He blushed furiously at the sight of the person in the doorway. Jean.
"Oh, uh, hey Armin. Are you the only one here?" He asked, craning his nexk to see into the house. Before Armin could formulate a sentance, Jean was through the door.
"Oh. It's Gayger and his fuck buddy. Mikasa too." He sneered. Levi, annoyed at all of the interruptions, snapped at Jean.
"Shut the fuck up, horse face. We're trying to enjoy a movie, fucktard." Jean clicked his tongue.
"Well, in a couple of days, there's gonna be a party over at my place. You shits are all invited. You'll get a message on your holo-pads when the party is about to start."
Eren sighed. "We'll be there. Don't worry your stupid horse-like face off."
Jean made a 'hmph' noise. "Okay. I'll be on my way then. Continue your stupid movie, weirdos." Jean made his way out of the door, rudley bumping into Armin's shoulder as he did so. Armin slowly made his way back to the couch, dreading the fact that he would need to continue viewing the film.
"Why are you going to that asshat's party?" Levi asked.
"What happened to no talking?" Eren retaliated.
Levi shot Eren a glare, but didn't feel like starting an argument. The movie was almost over anyway. Eren was visibly agitated by the intrusion of Jean and had a hard time focusing on the movie. The nerve of that guy, he thought and grimaced. The movie finished in no time, and Levi did not waste a second to ask Eren the question again.
"So why the hell did you accept that douche's invitation, exactly?"
Eren sighed and rubbed his temples. "Jean isn't actually that bad of a guy. He's been acting like an ass lately, but his parties are usually really fun. It'll also give you an opportunity to meet some of our friends."
"Joy. I can't wait," Levi replied sarcastically. Eren ruffled his hair, causing Levi to send him another glare, but he could tell that the shorter man actually enjoyed the affection.
The day of Jean's party arrived much too quickly for Levi's tastes. The three made their way to Jean's house, which was located in a more secluded area of the city. Mikasa's face remained vacant of emotion, Armin looked flustered and nervous, Eren looked excited, and Levi was visibly displeased with where he was about to go. Jean's house was large compared to most of the houses on Shiganshina. Lights floated around the house and illuminated a pathway to the door. Through the windows, Levi could make out crowds of people dancing and acting like idiots.
As the trio approached the door, they noticed a girl standing in the door way. She had blonde hair pulled back into a bun and cold, pale blue eyes. She looked annoyed as she sipped the drink in her hand. Eren smiled at the girl and called out to her in titan, leaving Levi clueless as to what he was saying.
Levi watched as Eren strolled away in the girl's direction. Did he now expect him to just go into the party? Or should he wait? Levi decided to just go right into the party. He opened the door, and was greeted with lights flashing and some sort of dubstep music playing. He hated dubstep. It was a sorry excuse for any type of music. He dismissed Mikasa and Armin, and headed straight for the snack bar. He grabbed a few crackers, and an issla, a very light in alcohol and tasty beer. He started sipping on it. Trying to block out his annoying surroundings.
He saw Eren enter the house with the blond girl in tow. He scanned around the room, and when he spotted Levi, an idiotic grin appeared on his face. He walked towards him.
"Levi, this is Annie. She was one of our best fighters in the military," he said, gesturing to the girl. She nodded a hello towards Levi and took another sip of her drink.
"Nice to meet you. What section of the military were you in?" Levi asked curtly.
"I'm a shifter along with Ere-"
"O-oh, Annie, Mikasa said she was looking for you. You should probably go see her now," Eren cut her off and nudged her in the direction of Mikasa. She sent him a confused glare, but walked away none the less. Eren gave a sigh of relief which did not go unnoticed by Levi.
"Eren, what the fuck was that about?"
Eren froze and gulped.
"Um... I-it's nothing, Levi. I'll tell you about it later..." Eren trailed off and Levi sighed. He wasn't going to bother trying to pry. Just then Jean walked over to them, obviously drunk and in a good mood.
"Yo, Eren, my man..." He laughed and draped an arm over Eren's shoulders.
"So how're ya, likin' the party so far, eh? Pretty great, am I right?" He didn't even give Eren a chance to respond before turning to Levi. "Dude, you're drinking issla? That shit's fucking weak. Have a real drink." He handed Levi a bottle with a label he could not read. "Well Eren, I'm off to try to find your adorable blond best friend. See ya around..." Jean said and walked off on a drunken search for Armin. Eren turned to Levi.
"Levi, don't drink that. That is extremely high in alcohol content, and humans might not be able to handle it-" Eren spoke too late. Levi was finishing up the drink Jean gave him. His cheeks were already flushed and his eyes were cloudy.
Levi looked at Eren, confused. "Whaddya say? No, its not alchohol. It's Jean's drink. Shitty brat." Eren stared at him, worried and confused. How the hell was he already drunk? That's not even possible... Levi gagged.
"Shit, Levi, you should get to the bathroom. You cant hold all of that down." Eren said, steadily growing more and more concerned. Levi wobbled around, and Eren took him by the shoulders, leading him to Jean's overly elegant bathroom. Levi's gagging had gotten worse, and Eren could tell he was close to hurling. "Here, Levi, in the toilet. Vomit there."
Levi leaned into the toilet and began to throw up, his body attempting to rid itself of the large quantity of alchohol. Levi moaned.
"The fucking shit was in that drink...? Stupid drink," Levi mumbled. Eren was sure Levi had stopped vomiting by now. Any more, and he would have thrown his guts up. He picked Levi up by his shoulders once more.
"I think we should get you home, buddy. You still don't look so good."
Levi's face was still flushed and his eyes were unfocused.
"Yeah... Yeah that... Sounds pretty good about now..."
The room was spinning and Levi was unable to focus on anything. He felt his legs weakening and give out from under him. He collapsed onto the cold tile floor, Eren calling out to him. He was hovering over him with a worried expression and calling his name, but his voice seemed far away to Levi's ears. His vision slowly faded into darkness, starting at the edges and working it's way towards the center of his sight. He could feel himself being hoisted onto Eren's back, and he could feel Eren running out of the house with him. He could almost feel the worry that radiated off of Eren, but his body wouldn't respond to any attempt to comfort the boy. He soon gave up, and with that, he couldn't feel anything at all.
Levi woke up in he and Eren's shared bed. It was still night, but it felt like it had been hours since they got back. His vision was hazy, but he could make out Eren kneeling at the side of the bed and gripping his hand. His fingers rubbed Levi's hands in gentle circles, trying to comfort Levi as well as himself. He was mumbling something, but Levi's senses were still too dulled to be able to comprehend it. Mikasa and Armin were nowhere to be seen, presumably still at the party.
Levi closed his eyes once more, trying to wake up. He just couldn't. He felt awful. But he loved the warmth of Eren's hands against his own. And thay feeling alone made him feel so much better. Sadly, this could not fully drown out the sharp pain in his head. He could not come over it.
"Eren," Levi said almost inaudibly. The alien looked up to him, and stopped his mumbling.
"You are awake! Thank the heavens. Do you need anything? Water? Another blanket? A-" Eren was cut off by Levi.
"Shhh. Calm down." He said quietly. "Water would be great. Thank you." Eren left the room to get Levi's glass. "Uuugh..." Levi moaned. He couldn't stand this headache. It was awful.
His hand was tingling from where Eren had been holding it. It was a warm feeling and it truly relaxed him. He didn't want Eren to let go, but he really did need some water. Eren returned quickly, a glass of water in hand. He supported Levi's head and raised the glass to his lips. Levi desperately drank the water, relishing the feeling of the cool liquid against his burning throat.
"Levi," Eren said gently. "Slow down. If you drink too fast, it'll only upset your stomach more."
"Mhmm." Levi responded, not wanting to use up energy on talking. He took slower sips of the beverage, allowing the water to quench his thirst. When he finished it, Eren placed the glass on the nightstand and brushed Levi's sweat-drenched bangs out of his face. He gave Levi a gentle smile as he continued to stroke his hair, the shorter male relaxing under his touch.
"Eren... Thank you," Levi said so quietly, Eren wasn't even sure he heard it the first time. Eren looked down, unbelieving of what the shorter man just said. Nonetheless, his ears never lie, and his heart was truly touched by Levi's kind, quiet words.
He smiled like an idiot, and climbed into the bed with Levi. He got under the blankets with him, and held Levi in a soft embrace from behind. His warmth was radiating off of himself and onto Levi, and they both savored the warmth. This gave Levi a wonderful sensation deep in the pit of his usually cold heart. He loved it. It made him feel godlike. And besides all of the pains he had in his head, he continued to fall asleep while enveloped in Eren's warm hug. Eren noticed Levi had drifted off, and he nuzzled himself closer into Levi, burying himself in his neck. Like this, they both slept for countless hours, held captive by each other's warmth.
Hanji loomed over her countless notebooks illuminated by a dim overhead light. She'd been working for almost half of a year on this portal. She had a pretty decent prototype at the moment, but there were still some serious flaws to work out. She adjusted her glasses and squinted, trying to make out any mistakes in her calculations. She knew there had to be some.
The prototype of the portal stood off to her right, a glowing, electrifying rip in the fabric of space and time. She could see glimpses of the world on the other side by imputing the coordinates ever-so-kindly given to her by Erwin. She found it exquisite.
The people were absolutely beautiful and the landscape was unlike anything she had ever seen before. There were entirely new species of vegetation and animals all over the planet, and she longed to experiment on them. But in order to do that, she'd have to make this portal so they wouldn't get fucking killed.
She'd tested it by putting small, inanimate objects into the portal; paper clips, twigs, vials, etc. She even attempted some larger objects such as her stapler, clip board, and even her personal test dummy. Each one burned to a crisp before even getting a chance to enter into the strange, new world. She dreaded what would happen to a living creature at this stage of the design, but there was no doubt that the idea was tempting.
Her eyes scanned her notes, searching for any type of miscalculation whatsoever. Then she saw it. A simple, stupid mistake of writing a "5" where there should have been a "6." She slapped herself mentally.
"It was all so simple!" She cried, both out of joy and dismay over her math skills. She waltzed over to her machine and adjusted the necessary elements, when none other than Erwin entered the room.
"Judging by the shrieks of joy I heard, I assume you fixed the problem?" He asked.
She grinned at him. "Yes, sir-ee! I'm just about to test it," she said, picking up a large branch. No one was in the area, as it looked like the middle of the wilderness. The counted down.
"Three... Two... One..." She threw the branch into the tear. It sailed through, creating a flash. Hanji saw the branch on the other side, and it landed perfectly on the forest floor. A maniacal smile crossed her face.
"I did it!" She cheered. "It works! I can't believe it works! Oh, I'm so exited-"
"Yes, but that was a branch. A dead one at that. How does it react with living creatures?" Erwin cutt he exited woman off. Hanji's eyes widened at the statement.
"Sir, if you're suggesting you test it out yourself, I will not allow it-"
Erwin burst out laughing. "Of course I'm not going to use myself... I was thinking something much... Smaller." A glint appeared in his eyes. Before Hanji could speak up, Erwin grabbed one of her rats; the one with dark brown fur. He through it at the opening into the other world.
"BEAN-" Hanji screamed and reached out, trying in vain to catch her beloved pet. It sailed past her fingers and into the portal disappearing with a flash. She stared, her eyes glazed with tears as she saw Bean's lifeless body sail through the air of the other world and hit the ground, sending up a cloud of leaves and pollen. Dead. Bean was dead. Tears ran down her cheeks. Erwin spoke up, his voice cruel and amused to the scientist's ears.
"There still appears to be some kinks to work out. Let me know when you've fixed those." He waved his hand and walked out of the room, the door shutting behind him with a soft click.
END CHAPTER 6
So that's all for now. We hope you've enjoyed this installment. As always, please leave us a review letting us know what you think so far ::33 until next time...
-Jek and Iz