Hey guys! I can't believe this is the 10th chapter! This is the longest fanfiction I've written, and I'm so happy with how it's turning out. But more than anything I'm so glad to see how many people actually like this story. You guys are the reason why I've continued to write this story- thanks for all of the support!

I apologize for any grammatical errors.

Enjoy!

Levi's POV

The whole way there, I was questioning why the hell I even bothered. Why I decided to give a damn about the brat. Why I decided to get mixed up in this whole mess. And the only answer I could ever come up with was that I just felt like I should.

It wasn't because I was nosy and decided to get into other people's business, because if I wanted to do that all I had to do was listen in on all of the gossiping teenagers at the goddamn high school. It wasn't because I was bored, which is the God's honest truth. Life is boring as hell.

It was because I like the brat. For some reason, he had to be the one I developed feelings for. He was the one that I couldn't keep my eyes off of, he was the one that was in my thoughts at night, adding to the list of things that keep me an insomniac.

Don't ask me why I fell in love with Jaeger. I ask myself the question, "Why the hell did I fall in love with Eren fucking Jaeger?", but it remains unanswered every time. I'm just drawn to him, almost naturally it seems. He's the one person that I actually want to see. Everyone else is either dull or just too fucking annoying to tolerate.

And because of my inevitable feelings for him, I'm running towards his house as fast as I can, hoping that Ackerman was just jumping to conclusions and that nothing happened to him. I know that it's probably wishful thinking, but I hope nonetheless.

I'll admit that the reason why I know where he lives is borderline creepy and that if anyone found out they would probably think I'm some kind of pervert, which would actually make Ackerman's claims at lunch true.

The day that he left my house in such a hurry, I decided to follow him. I didn't do it to stalk him, I did it because I was worried that he was expecting someone else to attack him, due to the number of people at school who bully him everyday. I guess you could say I was trying to protect him, but I don't know that anyone would actually believe me. Hell, I probably wouldn't believe me, either.

Regardless, nothing happened on the way to his house. Jaeger did get suspicious a couple of times and would stop and look around to see if he was being followed, but he never found me. When he got home, everything was quiet and still, and I assumed that everything was fine, so I went back home.

I suppose that proves the saying, 'you never know what happens behind closed doors'. I never once suspected that anything was going on at home, but now that I think about it it makes a lot of other things that I always just dismissed as strange fall into place.

His skittish behavior, the fact that he wears long sleeved shirts and hoodies everyday of the year, even in summer, the fact that he always keeps to himself. It's all because of his dad. Because he's afraid he'll get hurt, because he has scars lingering all over his body, because he's afraid to trust people and to let anyone into his life.

It makes my blood boil to think that someone has been causing him to live life like this, especially his own dad. To make him suffer daily, as if what he went through at school wasn't bad enough. That's why I decided to get involved with the fight the other day. I didn't want to admit that much to Ackerman, but watching him get beat up pissed me off to the point where I couldn't handle it anymore and had to do something. After all, why watch instead of taking action?

I had become so engrossed in my own thoughts that I didn't even realize how close I actually was to his house. I was only a few feet away. I jogged over to the driveway and tried to approach the house as quietly as I could. Just like last time, there were no cars around, but that didn't mean anything. His dad was crazy, which meant that he could still be inside the house somewhere, doing God knows what to him. If he's still alive, a tiny voice said in my head.

I mentally slapped myself and tried to think somewhat optimistic. I couldn't just assume the worst. There was hope. There had to be hope. Because if all hope was lost, then what was left?

I tiptoed up the driveway and paused in front of the door. I put my ear against the door and strained to hear what was going on inside. I was greeted with nothing but utter silence. That was a good sign, right? It had to be. I took a chance and decided to turn the doorknob. I knew it was probably locked, I mean even though his dad was crazy, he couldn't be a complete idiot. But surprisingly enough, it was unlocked to anyone who wanted to enter, and I slowly crept inside, being sure to shut the door behind me.

My eyes had to adjust to the dark lighting; what little lighting the house had came from the windows. I looked around cautiously. Beer bottles and pizza boxes were strewn carelessly across the floor, and the air smelled of alcohol and cigarettes. It was disgusting. I didn't want to waste time in the filthiness of the house, but I knew I had no other choice if I wanted to find him.

I continued to slowly walk through the house, listening to every sound I heard. I peered around the corner to the kitchen, and saw something in the middle of the floor. I could only distinguish the silhouette of a chair in the dark lighting, so I inched closer, curious as to what I would find. Upon closer inspection, I nearly gasped in shock. It was Jaeger!

I fell to my knees beside him and started to shake him. He was tied to a chair and was lying down on his side. The chair must have toppled over at some point when he tried to escape. "Jaeger, Jaeger you have to wake up! Come on, look at me!" I shook him again, but he didn't respond. I pressed two fingers under his chin to check for a pulse. It was light, but it was still there nonetheless.

I knew that I needed to untie him so I could get him the hell out. I frantically opened and closed drawers, searching for a knife. When I finally found one, I used it to cut the ropes. It took longer than expected, but eventually his hands were free. Even in the lowlight of the kitchen I could see bruises from where he had struggled against the ropes. I swallowed hard and tried to ignore it. I couldn't let emotions get in the way- not here, not now. I had to get him out of here. If he wasn't dead yet, he very well could be if Grisha found us now.

I picked him up bridal style and made a run for the door. I hadn't expected him to be heavy, but he was too light. Who knew how long it had been since he last had something to eat.

Just as I was about to open the door, it was opened for me. I suspected the worst, but it was only Ackerman. Her face was pale as sheet and her eyes were rimmed with red, as if she had been crying for quite some time. She looked just as surprised as I felt.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She whispered loudly, suspiciously eyeing the inside of the house as if Grisha might jump out at any minute.

"I told you I would find him, didn't I?" I said, briefly looking down at him. When she finally took notice of him, her eyes lit up and her whole demeanor changed.

"Eren! Oh my god, I was so worried-"

"Quiet down, will you?" I said, cutting her off. "We need to get away from here. Now."

She nodded and stepped aside, making room for me to step out on the front lawn. "The question is, what do we do with him now?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

She pursed her lips. I knew she probably hadn't thought it over much. "Well, we could always keep him at my place. He should be safe there."

I shook my head. "Think about it. Once Grisha learns that the brat's missing, what do you think he's going to do?" When she just stared at me in silence, completely baffled, I sighed and continued with my theory. "He's going to look for him, that's what. And where do you think he'll most likely look first?"

Realization bloomed across her features. "He'll come to my place…"

"That's right. He'll know that you won't lie to him about Jaeger's whereabouts, and just imagine what would happen if he found him. You both would be in serious danger."

"You do have a point," she said thoughtfully, absentmindedly wringing her scarf as she poured over the theory. "Where do you suppose we hide him, then?" She asked, eyeing me anxiously.

I knew she wasn't going to be highly supportive of my alternative plan, but at this point it was one of the best options we had at the moment. "He can stay with me. I don't know how long he'll need to stay there, but as of right now that seems like the best decision we can make."

She furiously shook her head. "No! That can't be a good idea! I mean, why should we-"

"Because he doesn't know me," I said, once again interrupting her. I knew she wouldn't be all ears for it, but she had to hear me out. I was going to have to reason with her. "Think about it. He doesn't know me at all, so why would he suspect him of hiding out at my house?" Her brows were knitted together and she was chewing on her bottom lip. I could tell that she was beginning to cave in to the idea. "It's one of the safest places for him to stay."

She grumbled slightly before mumbling, "Okay," under her breath. "We'll keep him at your place for a few days until we can think of something else. Got it?"

"Okay, okay, Ms. Protective. We've got a deal."

She looked sternly at me once more before looking over Jaeger with a concerned expression. I could see tears brimming in her eyes and her lip began to tremble. I cleared my throat to grab her attention before she could burst into tears. She picked up on my intentions and nodded once before ruffling up his hair with her hand. "Just keep him safe," she said softly, tearing her eyes away from him to look up at me.

"I will," I reassured her. I'll try to, at least. I turned then and starting running towards my house, silently praying that I could keep my word.

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