A/N: Okay, so the next chapter may be a while. It's practicals month, and I am also busy with Otakon planning this week. I know that doesn't sound like much, but I've got 9 practicals in one day and about four tests this month, including junior finals. ^^' I'm a busy girl. Hopefully you like this chapter though!
-Misty
Vamp. Modern AU:
Here he was, Eren Jaeger, a nineteen year old college student who worked at a store selling everyday things, had just found a boy who couldn't be any less than fifteen and was a vampire, and by the looks of it, he didn't seem all too happy to be one.
Rated M for sexual content, adult language, violence and gore, mentions of rape
Couple: Eremin (Eren and Armin)
Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin (Attack On Titan)
Dead of Night
Chapter 9:
Levi
Armin watched with curious eyes as the two siblings ushered about their home, frantic and panicked. He wished there was something he could do, anything really, but he knew that it wasn't his place to do much but live right now. Well, live to some extent. When the two began bickering, he wished there was something he could do, but there wasn't. This wasn't the time.
He wasn't sure if it was his luck or his unfortunate luck when he heard the doorbell ring. It was luck, because it got Mikasa and Eren to stop bickering for five minutes. However, it was unlucky for him, because that meant that death was so much closer. What was this feeling in his chest? Surely it wasn't his heart pounding out of fear, but it was definitely something causing tightness in his chest.
"Armin, come here." Eren commanded with authority. Armin wasn't about to go against him, not now at least. He stood by Eren's side, his hand finding Eren's and lacing his fingers together. He was glad that Eren's tightened his grip around his, and with the grip, he could feel Eren's pulse racing.
He was scared too.
"Ready...?" Mikasa asked as she stepped up to the door. Eren looked down at Armin and gave him a reassuring smile and squeeze of the hand. Armin tried smiling, but it was bitter and weak. He wasn't able to look or act as strong as Eren. Still, if it meant it was for Eren, he would try.
"Ready as we'll ever be." Eren assured. Mikasa took a deep breath in and held it before opening the door. Armin quickly ducked behind Eren, afraid of what he'd find. He had heard of Levi before on television, in newspapers, and once in a recent history book, but he never got the chance to see what he looked like, not even once.
"Hi, Levi," Mikasa said, an attempted smile on her face. Armin peeked behind Eren's shoulder to see this man. If he was being honest, Armin hadn't expected someone so... Short. He didn't mean it as an insult, but hell, he was taller than Levi, if not by an inch. It wasn't that he was expecting a monster of a man, but he was expecting something near the national average of height.
"Hey, Mikasa, how are you?"
However, Levi's style and looks made up for his height deficiency. He had such sharp features, like a sharp chin and jawline. His hair was as black as Mikasa's, but shaved at the nape of his occipital of his neck and then down to the nape. The rest of his hair fell above his ears and eyes, his bangs parted just so, so they wouldn't get in his line of vision. His gray eyes were narrowed, like he was angry, but what could he possibly be angry about in a time like this? Well, in a couple of seconds he would be angry, but for now he shouldn't be.
"I-I'm okay." Mikasa replied, shutting the door behind him.
"You sounded upset on the phone." Levi stated flatly as he removed his jacket.
"No, no, just tired."
"Hey, Levi," Eren suddenly spoke up. Armin had never felt the urge to punch someone so badly in his life until Eren spoke up. Why would he intentionally draw attention to himself? Was he trying to get everything over with?
Armin surely wasn't ready for that.
"Hey Er-..." Levi began, but he stopped when he looked over to him. His narrow eyes were instantly drawn to Armin, who had hidden more and more behind Eren. All that was visible to him was the top of Armin's head and his eyes, his hands clinging to Eren's arm and back, but it was enough.
"Levi..." Eren warned carefully.
"... You've got to be fucking kidding me." Levi growled.
"Please just listen to me. I-It's not what it looks like." Eren said, his arms slowly lifting to block Levi's view of Armin.
"What it looks like is you standing in front of a new blood." Levi dropped the jacket he had been holding, which instantly revealed the multiple sets of belts fastened all around his body. He went for the holster against his hip, his hand just barely hovering over the gun safely situated inside of it. "Now get out of the way, Eren." He said, voice low and threatening.
"I'm not moving." Eren asserted and pushed Armin back. Levi audibly clicked at his tongue before reaching into his holster and yanking out the gun. "Levi!"
"Move, Eren." Levi commanded.
"Levi don't," Mikasa begged and pulled on Levi's arm. "Please just listen!"
"If you don't move, Eren, I'll shoot you too." He wasn't listening, and he wasn't going to listen.
Was this all for nothing?
"You and I both know you wouldn't do that." Eren said.
"What are you doing?" Armin frantically asked.
"Eren," Levi hissed.
"I'm not moving. If you want to get to him, you have to shoot me, and I know you won't."
"God damn it, Eren," Levi moved closer, prompting the teen to push Armin back. Armin was completely unaware of his actions though, considering he had his head ducked behind Eren's shoulder most of the time. Without a proper warning, Armin tripped backwards clumsily over his own two feet, his butt making contact with the floor and knocking the wind out of him. It wasn't like he needed it, but that didn't make the feeling any less uncomfortable.
"Armin!" Eren dropped down to Armin fast, making sure he didn't leave an opening for Levi to shoot. Obviously that had been what Levi was planning. Just as Eren dropped in front of Armin, Levi's finger nearly pulled on the trigger.
"Fuck, Eren, I almost shot you!" He yelled. Mikasa stood between the three, blocking Levi's view from the teen and new blood before he could try aiming again.
"Please, Levi, just listen to us! We need your help, but we need you to listen!" Mikasa cried in exasperation. She thought she had caught his attention, but a quick examination proved that his attention was still on Eren and Armin. His expression had changed though; no longer angry and ready to kill, but apathetic.
Mikasa never knew what was going through his mind when he had an expression like. Then again, no one knew what was going through his mind when he looked like that.
Instead, she looked over her shoulder at the two. Eren had pulled Armin up to his chest, arms wrapped tightly around him for security. However Armin was protesting against the action, saying that he was alright. He accused himself of being clumsy on his own, which none of them wouldn't disagree with, and said that Eren was too worried for him. Falling on ones butt was the least of their problems when someone had a gun pointed at you.
"Armin-" Eren began, but the vampire wouldn't let him continue.
"I said I'm fine." Armin assured with a strict tone. Eren didn't seem to believe him, but he wasn't given time.
"Oh fuck..." Levi suddenly mumbled. The three of them turned their attention back to him, who suddenly looked angry, but confused and sad all at the same time. What was this for?
"Levi...?" Mikasa mumbled.
"You mated with him, didn't you?" Levi questioned. Mikasa's attention turned back to her sibling and the young vampire. Armin didn't seem to understand what Levi was implying, but Eren and his sister did, and both looked horrified to say the least. "You did..." Levi practically whispered.
"Eren, is that true?" Mikasa asked and grabbed at the collar of her brothers shirt. Armin looked from Mikasa to Eren, and then over to Levi, who had lowered his gun for the time being. "Eren...!"
"I..." Eren looked away, his face a deep shade of red. "I-It was just one time. I didn't think it meant anything."
"Oh my God," Mikasa released Eren and stepped back, her hands finding solace in her hair. Levi had audibly groaned at the news, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest, but one hand lifted to rub at the bridge of his nose. Poor Armin was left in the dark, completely confused as to what it was they were even talking about.
"I-I don't understand..." Armin mumbled. "W-What's mating?"
"When did you do it?" Mikasa questioned over him.
"... B-Before you even got home." Eren responded, tilting his head down to hide his burning cheeks.
"Oh my God!" Mikasa cried and stepped back again. "You mean you did it when you found him!" She accused.
"Weren't you thinking about anything?" Levi asked.
"I just thought it was just some heat of the moment thing you hear about on TV! I didn't think that we mated!" The brunette explained.
"You don't think at all, Eren. Don't you get what you've done?" Levi asked.
"I know what I've done!"
"Eren, did you even think at all between when you did it to now? Didn't you think about it, even just once?" Mikasa questioned.
"... I might have, but I-"
"So you knew?" Levi growled. "And you did it anyway..."
"I didn't... I mean..." Armin had never seen Eren's face so red and pale at the same time. He looked sick, like he was about ready to vomit, and he looked so close to fainting.
"Eren, I don't get it." Armin said, grabbing his arm. "What's mating?"
"Um..." Eren rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous laugh leaving him. His eyes adverted to the floor, ignoring the stares of both Levi and Mikasa, as well as Armin. "R-Remember what we did a few days ago?" He asked.
"Yeah..." Armin mused hesitantly.
"Well um... For humans, it doesn't mean much, o-or it doesn't sometimes, but for vampires, it's different." He started. "For a human and a vampire, it's not so good either."
"I still don't get it." Armin shook his head and said.
"Ah, w-well..."
"Get on with it, Eren. Stop giving him excuses." Levi groaned out.
"I'm not trying to give excuses. It's not as easy to explain though." The brunette explained with his head low.
"Want me to do it?" Levi asked. Eren's head jolted up at the fear of Levi's words.
"No! No, I'll do it!"
"The get it over with!" The shorter man demanded.
"Alright..." Eren muttered and looked back to Armin. "So... For us, what we did wasn't just sex." The word made his cheeks flush more, and Armin wasn't sure if his friend could take anymore. "Mating for vampires is the same thing as sex, but it's like a tie for them. Once it's done, it's done, and they don't leave each other's side for as long as they're on this Earth."
Armin felt a little bad that at this moment, the sight of Eren's flushed face was making him a little hungry. He wouldn't say it out loud of course. Doing that would just ask for a bullet to the head.
"So, for you and me, it's kind of the same. We've mated so... We're kind of stuck together. It's a thing for vampires really. It keeps bloodlines pure and insures that any and all children born from them will be a vampire as well. In the end, it's a really emotional tie, and it doesn't matter who or what the two are." Eren let out a shaky breath.
"If they're vampires, or at least one of them is, the bond is formed."
"Oh... So that's a bad thing for us?" The new blood asked.
"It can be..." Mikasa interjected.
"How...?"
"You can't see it, can you?" Levi asked. "The way Eren clings to you, and how you do the same thing to him. He's already overprotective of you." Levi explained.
"I don't do that." Eren griped.
"You don't? Two minutes ago the kid fell flat on his ass, and you made it seem like I really shot him." Levi hissed.
"So he's overprotective. Is that a bad thing?" Armin asked.
"You aren't getting." Levi snarled. "Humans are not immortal. We can't take a punch and not feel a thing. We can't get shot by a bullet and heal the wound instantly. We're fragile, and we can die. We're weak-minded, simple creatures, and we'll go insane."
"Levi..." Eren warned.
"No, he's needs to hear this." Levi insisted, momentarily looking at Eren. His gaze went back to Armin, and he was surprised that the boy had enough audacity to look him in the eyes. The new blood was either stupidly courageous or just plain stupid. "Vampires get the bonds from instincts made millions of years ago. Humans eventually grow those instincts though, as if they're a vampire themselves, and they'll take on any challenge a vampire would without hesitation."
"So...?" Armin pursued.
"So, had I really tried to shoot, Eren would have gladly taken the bullet for you. These bullets are designed for one hit kills for vampires. If they can kill vampires, how do you think it would fair against a measly human?" Levi asked. Everything seemed to click, into place then, Armin's eyes slowly looking over to Eren.
Eren's eyes were glued to the floor. He couldn't look anywhere but down, and when Armin touched his arm, Eren didn't move.
"Vampires will do the same. It's a give and take, but it's the same. When one of the mates dies, the other can't live without them; it's a natural instinct to keep bloodlines pure, and the other eventually kills themselves regardless to deaden the mental pain. People have lost their minds after losing their mates, and by that point, there's no way to save them either. That pain for them never goes away, and they're never the same. Like I said it before; we're weak-minded, simple creatures."
Levi's explanation began to burn Armin's ears. He looked to Mikasa, hoping she would say different, hoping that she would say he was lying, but she looked just as lost as him and Eren.
All of it was true.
"... I see..." Armin mumbled, blue eyes falling to the wooden floors beneath them.
"So what's it gonna be kid?" Levi asked, arms still crossed over his chest. "Are you going to give yourself up willingly, or am I going to have to pry the two of you apart?" The shorter man asked.
Eren's hand grabbed at Armin's shirt sleeve, shaking in place. Armin looked at him, seeing the defeated look in those golden eyes of his.
He knew. Eren knew that Levi was right, and clinging to Armin only proved his point, but what could he do now?
"Well...?" Levi quipped.
"... But... If you were to kill me, wouldn't you be killing Eren too?" Armin retorted, looking into Levi's gray eyes.
"Excuse me?"
"You just said that people go insane from this, right? You'd really kill me and put Eren through that kind of pain?"
"Watch it, you little shit." Levi growled.
"Please, Levi..." Eren begged quietly. "I asked you here, because I knew you'd hear us out. I knew you'd at least give Armin a chance... So please..."
"Levi, listen to him." Mikasa spoke up. "Listen to us. We need your help."
"Levi sir..." Armin said, grabbing his attention. "Don't do it for me. Do it for them. They're in trouble because of me, and I don't want Eren or Mikasa getting hurt. Help them, not me." Silence followed for a few moments before Levi audibly groaned.
"... You've got five fucking minutes. You two," Levi motioned to Mikasa and Eren. "Sit your asses down on the couch. You keep still." Levi instructed to Armin.
Armin wasn't about to waste this chance, not when they'd finally gotten through to their guardian. He stayed still while the two siblings sat on the couch, and Levi stayed put where he was in front of Armin. He wasn't about to give the new blood any openings.
"Alright," He began. "Now, out of all the shit that's been going down for these past two days, I'm going to go ahead and guess that you are the vampire who bit Eren. Am I right?" Levi asked irritably.
"Yes sir. My name is Armin Arlert." Armin responded.
"How old are you?" Levi asked.
"I was nineteen, but that ended a few weeks ago." The vampire admitted. He was too afraid to try and stand, let alone shift in place to find a better and more comfortable position to sit in.
"Eren was the first person you fed from?" Levi questioned.
"Yes sir," Armin responded.
"Levi, Armin hadn't fed for two weeks. He hadn't had any blood since he turned, and that was from the person who turned him." Eren interjected. "I was the first person he fed from."
"And the infection?"
"It was just an infection I got, because I didn't clean the wound. I've already been over this with Mikasa." Eren grumbled. Levi's eyes drifted over to Mikasa, but she couldn't seem to look him in the eyes.
"And you...?" Levi asked.
"Me what?" Mikasa asked quietly.
"When did he feed off of you?" The man questioned.
"He never fed from me." Mikasa hissed, but her eyes didn't shift from the floor. Obviously Levi didn't believe her, and in seconds, he grabbed her arm and pulled her up. One could say that the throaty scream that she kept down was honestly surprising, because Eren was sure he had never heard Mikasa make a sound any louder than a laugh before.
"What are you doing?" Eren asked and stood up. He grabbed Levi's arm and pulled it away, defensively protecting his sister, but his heart pounded painfully in his chest when he saw the blood staining Levi's hand.
"You're right handed," Levi stated flatly. "But you've been favoring it since you opened the fucking door. He fed off of you too."
"Armin...?" Eren looked back at the new blood with confusion written all over his face. Armin looked away shamefully. "Is that true?"
"She didn't give me a choice." He mumbled.
"Armin!" Eren yelled.
"Don't be mad at him, Eren. I told him to do it." Mikasa interjected while cradling her arm.
"What, but why?"
"I didn't want him feeding off of you again, and the paparazzi set him off yesterday. He needed to feed, and I wasn't going to let him get out of control."
"I told you I was fine!" Armin said, his voice rising and accidentally squeaking.
"Enough!" Whenever Levi raised his voice that way, he could make a whole room of birds keep quiet. Mikasa and Eren ducked their heads, and Armin even scooted back a few feet. Eren mumbled an apology, his head still hanging low, but it seemed like Levi wasn't in the mood for that. "Sorry? You're sorry?" He questioned.
"Eren, do you have any idea what you've done? Do you know how much trouble you and Mikasa could be in for this? Don't you get it? The Military Police could kill you for this!"
"No!" Armin cried before he realized it. When Levi looked back at him, Armin covered his mouth and dropped his head. He had never felt so weak before, whether it was under Levi's gaze or not, and now, he didn't think he could feel any guiltier. His new found friends were in danger. Their lives were being threatened this very second, and there was nothing he could do.
This was his entire fault.
"No... Don't let that happen..." Armin mumbled, keeping his head down. "If you... If you have to keep them safe, then kill me."
"Armin-" Eren began, but Armin wouldn't hear it.
"Just... Don't let them get hurt... Please Levi sir..." Armin was begging. He understood now how far deep they were in. If it was for Eren, Mikasa, and their protection, he would gladly give his life. If it meant pulling Eren and his sister out of the dark waters by drowning himself, he'd let himself sink.
Levi was right. He'd become protective of Eren, more than he had ever felt before for anyone or anything. Hell, he didn't even protect his old books this much, and he loved those things to his death (literally).
"Please keep them safe..." He pleaded with Levi. The man's eyebrow arched up, but Armin wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. For a split second, when Levi's hand coiled into his borrowed shirt and yanked him to his feet, he considered it a very bad thing indeed.
"No don't!" Eren cried and stood to help the new blood. Mikasa wrapped her arms around Eren's, holding him back from stopping Levi. "No, Levi! Please don't hurt him! I-I can't lose him!"
"You aren't giving me much of a choice here, are you?" Levi asked, but it was directed at Armin and not the others. Armin opened his eyes, clueless as to when he shut them so tight, and looked at Levi. While Levi still had a murderous glare about him, he somehow looked less likely to kill him. Armin considered this the best news of the day.
When he didn't respond to him, Levi shoved him back, pushing him into Eren's grasp. Eren caught him instinctively, his arm wrapping around him protectively when Mikasa let him go.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you." Levi commanded. "Right now. If not, I don't care if Eren is standing here. You'll be dead in seconds."
"... I can't." Armin answered while looking at the floor. "I... I should be dead... I can't say I deserve to live, because I probably don't... My only excuse for staying alive is Eren..." He looked over his shoulder to the brunette behind him, who returned the look with a bitter stare.
"... Eren is my only reason, good or bad... That's all I have." Armin looked back at Levi, or more so, his feet. His still couldn't look him in the eyes. "I don't like having to use him as my excuse either." He added.
"And that's it?"
"That's it." Armin shrugged his shoulders.
This was it. He was going to die, and for real this time. He just hoped that, this time, he wouldn't wake up with a craving for blood again.
"Levi...?" Mikasa quietly asked. Levi sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose in annoyance.
"Fucking hell..." Levi grumbled under his breath. "… I guess I can't kill you then, not with Eren as your mate at least."
"Really, Levi?" Eren asked, his eyes sparkling with a hope.
"Don't be so fucking happy, Eren! We still have a serious problem!" Levi angrily remarked. "The Military Police will find out, and they're your biggest threat right now, not me or your boyfriend there." He said while motioning to Armin.
"B-Boyfriend...?" Armin stuttered with a blush.
"What do you plan to do about this?" Levi asked. "How do you hope to get out of this?"
"That's why we asked you here!" Eren explained. "We were hoping you or Erwin could figure this out!"
"Erwin? Fuck no! You're still drunk off hospital antiseptics, aren't you?"
"Stop it," Mikasa said and stood between her two bickering relatives. "This is not going to help us."
"Uhm..." Armin mumbled to himself.
"What...?" Levi hadn't intended to sound more annoyed than what just came out.
"W-Well... The Military Police are supposed to dispose of dead bodies, right?" Armin asked.
"What's your fucking point?" Levi growled.
"I'm still here." The vampire said. "I'm still here, and the first thing I remember is waking up in my bed where I was attacked."
"... Hoh, not bad." Levi mused, his whole expression showing realization. One would probably think that Levi was impressed with the new bloods words, but that's if he showed it. The blond thought he could see the faintest of smirks on his lips as well.
"I don't get it." Eren said.
"What your boyfriend here is saying is that the Military Police didn't clean up their shit. If they had done their jobs right, there was the small possibility of saving him and keeping him human." Levi explained.
"Wait, I could have lived?" Armin gaped with surprise.
"There's a time period between turning into a vampire. Your body is in a state of paralysis, almost like death, but you're still alive. Until your heart stops beating, you're alive, and you have a chance of getting the poison out and living." Mikasa explained softy.
"Which means that they didn't do their jobs." Levi sighed. "Fuck, we may be able to pull this off."
"We can do this!" Eren cheered with sudden effervescence and picked up the new blood. He tossed him around with excitement, and Armin couldn't hide his laughter, even with the threat of Levi and Mikasa right by them. "See Mikasa, I told you this was a good idea!"
"You're going to make Armin sick if you keep doing that." Mikasa said over their laughing.
"Put me down already!" Armin said through his giggles. Eren did as told, and he barely kept himself from peppering kisses all over Armin's face.
"Listen, this is heartwarming and all, but I'm going to vomit if you keep it up." Levi grumbled and then sighed. "Let's go already."
"We're leaving now?" Eren questioned.
"You want to wait any longer?" Levi asked. There was a quick pause from Eren.
"... Not really, no."
"Good, then let's go."
