Author's note: I am so so so so so so sorry. Words can't even begin to express how sorry I am for having disappeared like that for so long and for not having updated this sooner. I had a lot to deal with and this semester was one of the most stressful in my entire life. But I just really want to thank each and everyone of you who have supported this story and have read it. I also want to thank all the people who reviewed it because your reviews just made me very happy and excited about writing. I'm not sure how frequently I'll be able to update but here is the next chapter. Thank you so much for continuing to read this and I hope you enjoy it and that you won't be disappointed.


Sequel: Part 2

Departure.


It was an unpleasant morning, to say the least. Irvin Smith sat behind a brown desk in the old office he was allowed to use while staying at the garrison dormitory. The wooden surface held three different stacks of paper, the majority of which were reports that needed to be filed.

The commander understood the necessity of filing a report that included the details of their encounters whenever they were outside the wall, even if only at the HQ. He didn't, however, see why it was his job to address concerns from the military police or the garrison officers, or answer to whatever complaints they had.

He was a soldier, not a political speaker. He sighed, reaching out for one of the papers. The first one on the stack was written in complaint form; a note scribbled in the back of it caught his attention.

His expression darkened as his eyes scanned over the note, it was from the mother of one of the soldiers in the patrol which Eren had handed Levi to around three weeks ago. They hadn't been able to retrieve his body-

A knock distracted Irvin away from the note, and he lifted his head up to look at the door. "Come in," he said, already knowing who was behind that door.

Surely enough, the door swung open with a tad too much roughness, and the Recon Corps corporal stepped inside.

"What the

hell was that?" Levi asked, half-hissing as he approached Irvin's desk. He had remained collected back at the dinner table, only nodding when Irvin had addressed him. The Corporal also managed to remain calm after Irvin left and he saw the look in Eren's eyes.

And even when Eren grabbed his hand from under the table, gripping it as tight as he possibly could.

But now, every ounce of self-control he had evaporated into thin air as he met Irvin's gaze.

"Was there something unclear in my words, Levi?" The commander asked, his tone lowered like it always was when he spoke to Levi, a little less formal than usual.

"I think you should be asking if there

was something clear," Levi spat then, still standing by the door, "What occurrence?"

Irvin rearranged the stack of papers on his desk, looking away from Levi. "Half a dozen titans were sighted within close distance of Wall Rose; the area needs to be inspected."

Levi narrowed his eyes, "Garrison patrols are the ones who usually inspect these kinds of things."

Irvin shook his head, "An inspection from on the wall itself isn't enough, the titans are within the 100 meter range of it. They don't seem to be advancing towards it, but that is still considered dangerously close."

"This is a suicide mission that seems to have no benefit whatsoever," Levi said, sitting down on the edge of a wooden chair across from Irvin.

"You've never refused a mission before, Levi," Irvin said, meeting the Corporal's glare with a neutral look, "What has gotten into you?"

"You are asking me to risk the lives of my men for a mere precaution that seems to be unnecessary. The walls aren't in danger of being breached."

"The last time a similar number of titans gathered that close to our territories was when Trost was invaded; this is just us learning from our history."

Levi raised an eyebrow, crossing one leg over the other. His right hand was clenched into a fist by the chair's side, "Irvin, it's me you're talking to, cut the bullshit," he said, "This strategically useless mission is a tad too suspicious, not to mention the fact that Eren wouldn't be allowed to join us on it."

"Ah," Irvin leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands together over the surface of the desk, "And finally you mention the real reason behind this conversation."

The Corporal furrowed his eyebrows together for a moment, "What do you mean?" Although his expression was one of slight confusion, his tone held an undercurrent to it.

"My words are clear," Irvin said, "The reason why you are, for the first time, questioning why a mission has presented itself."

Levi started to feel uneasy at the way the commander addressed him. He knew that they wouldn't keep the lid on their relationship for long, but he didn't imagine Irvin would find out that quickly.

He also didn't imagine that this would have been the Irvin's reaction.

"I'm just trying to make sense of this mission before I accept it."

"You of all people would never normally say something like that," The commander said, his tone becoming a little colder, "You have allowed yourself to change, Levi, and I thought you would know better."

Levi's nails dug into the skin of his palm as he clenched his hand into a fist again, "You're being ridiculous."

"Me? I'm the one being ridiculous?" Irvin said, a sharper edge to his tone this time, "You know the dangers of being alive at a time like this, Levi, you know that emotions can be fatal. You've seen it firsthand many times. Yet here you are."

Levi scowled but didn't reply, he looked away from Irvin.

"You're not even trying to deny it," The commander said, "Thus leaving me with no choice. Eren Jaeger is an important tool for humanity, his fate doesn't rest in your hands."

"He's part of humanity, his fate is in his own hands just like the rest of us," Levi was struggling to keep his tone leveled.

"He is different from all of us, which deprives him of control over his own fate," Irvin said, "We can't give control of such an overwhelming power to a teenager."

"It is his power," Levi spat again, the anger that rose within his veins at the way Irvin was addressing him was increasing by the second, "Just because he's young, it doesn't give you the right to own him."

"Just because you're attracted to him doesn't mean you own him either."

Levi turned his gaze to Irvin then, his steel grey eyes glaring into Irvin's brown ones. "He is not an object to be owned by anyone."

"Both the mission and the decision for Eren to remain here are orders issued from above," Irvin said, his tone no longer soft, completely devoid of any emotion, "You aren't entitled to refuse them."

"You could have negotiated your way out of them," Levi retorted, his glare burning through the layer of air between them.

Irvin held Levi's gaze momentarily before his brown eyes trailed back to the task at hand. He flipped the form that was on his desk on its side, holding it up and showing the note on the back to Levi. "This was the result of you letting yourself get swept away by emotions."

The Commander gave Levi a chance to read over the angry scribbles before placing the form back on the desk, stacking it with the others.

"Be prepared to leave by dawn," he said after the momentary silence, his voice was monotonous and his words held an air of finality to them.

The Corporal's mind had gone blank then. Even though he was far from calm, he had dealt with Irvin a good number of times to know when the conversation was done. Any argument that he could possibly come up with at this point would be for naught. And so, without adding any more words, he got out of the chair and turned to leave, letting the door slam shut behind him in one last gesture of protest.


"I don't get it, it doesn't make any sense."

Eren Jaeger was sitting on the edge of Levi's bed, his green eyes wider than they usually were as he looked at the Corporal. He had been waiting for him there, and ever since he saw the look on Levi's face when he arrived, he had found it difficult to move.

He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there, staring ahead in disbelief. It wasn't like Eren didn't think they would ever have to go outside the walls again, that was an inevitable part of their life and he accepted it. The thought of Levi going outside the walls without him, however, was a brand new slap in the face.

Or kick in the crotch. Stab in the heart. Boxcutter blade to the guts-

"Repeating that sentence for another hour isn't going to make this anymore sensible either," Levi said, cutting off Eren's line of graphic thoughts. He was sitting by his own desk across the room, his unfastened gear neatly set on the polished wooden surface before him.

"It's not logical," Eren continued on, his hand clenching and unclenching around the corner of the bed's footboard, "It's simply not adding up."

"Repeating variations of the sentence isn't going to make much of a difference either," The Corporal held onto the hilt of the blade, using a white piece of cloth to thoroughly wipe the metallic part. Despite the fact that he was carrying out what was an everyday process for him, Levi was tense. His shoulder set was flexed and his grip over the hilt was a little tighter than necessary.

Still, he remained composed. He remained composed because Eren was freaking out enough for the both of them. He remained composed because the outcome of him having any sort of outburst at that moment wouldn't be a pretty sight.

The note Irvin had shown him continued to re-appear within his mind, causing him to subconsciously bite at the inside of his cheeks. It was just the nature of the world they lived in. People died everyday. It had nothing to do with the fact that he and Eren were involved with eachother.

But Levi wasn't a child. He understood the threats of being involved with someone.

He understood that the way he feels about Eren doesn't change any of the facts. The fighting won't stop, the titans won't stop, and the world won't stop.

He was aware of all of that. Then why did it feel the way it felt now? Why were his thoughts all over the place? Why did his throat feel as if there was a lump disgustingly lodged in it? Why did his chest feel heavier than usual?

Because knowing something in the back of your head and facing it right infront of your eyes were very different sides of the unfair coin that is their life.

"So you're just going to go?" Eren asked, this time he was the one to bring Levi out of the confines of his mind, "You're just going to go off on that patrol?"

Levi set the blade down on the bed then, having lost count of how many times he had wiped it spotless ever since he came back from Irvin's office.

"I'll go," he said, turning in his chair to look at Eren across the space between them. It wasn't the smartest choice to make, and he realized that when it was too late to look away again.

Eren's entire form was visibly tense; the boy was gritting his teeth, his eyebrows were furrowed together and his knuckles were whitened from the tight grip he had over Levi's bed.

"Can't you talk your way out of it? You're humanity's strongest, they can't just send you off like that, they can't put your life in danger like that!" The boy's tone rose higher towards the end of his sentence, despite himself, and he took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down.

"Humanity's strongest soldier," Levi said, his arm resting over the back of the chair, "Soldier being the key word here. Even though the mission is illogical, it's still a difficult one. Which is exactly why they want me to go."

"But what about me? Why can't I go? I can help, as a soldier and as a titan if the situation calls for it," Eren argued for what wasn't the first time that night.

"Because you still need to gain more control over your shifting power," Levi retorted, also not for the first time that night. It wasn't a convincing retort on his part, because there was nothing convincing about this entire situation.

"It's-No, I mean-no, that's not-" Eren shook his head, burying his face in his hands and taking labored deep breaths. His head spun as his mind struggled to grasp what was happening and attempt to comprehend it. He then ran both his hands through his hair in frustration, mussing it and causing it to fall back over his eyes haphazardly when he set his hands back down against the bed.

Levi stayed quiet as Eren attempted to calm himself down, observing the other's movements. With a deep sigh, he got up out of the chair and walked over to the bed, sitting down next to Eren.

"It's only for a couple of days," he said, the edges of his tone softened as he lowered his voice, "It's an idiotic but routine patrol, we'll be close to the walls and so quick retreat is easy if anything goes wrong."

"You know that I know it's not that simple," Eren said, shifting over the mattress to face Levi, "You know that those expeditions are highly unpredictable."

"You know that I'm humanity's strongest, I can deal with any of the bullshit those giant fucktards might cause."

Eren shook his head again, looking away from Levi this time, "It shouldn't be like that, it just shouldn't."

Just then, a loud knock had interrupted both of them, causing Eren to jump a little as he had been consumed by the situation and completely off guard.

"Corporal? They're readying the horses and everyone is awake and preparing," A voice said from behind the door, recognizable by Levi as Erd's voice.

"I'll be at the stables in five minutes," The Corporal replied, sighing inwardly. He glanced outside, noting that the sky was already starting to brighten. Fuck, how did he manage to lose track of time like that?

Levi waited a few minutes after hearing the 'yes sir' and footsteps that indicated Erd was gone before getting up and moving back across the room towards the desk.

Eren stared at him with his lips parted, his expression betraying a sense of shock. "Five minutes? You're really doing this? You're leaving?"

The Corporal began re-assembling his gear, trying to focus every ounce of his concentration on the task at hand. He then began to put on the gear, strapping it firmly into place around his waist and thighs.

"I have no other choice, Eren," he couldn't look at the other boy, not now. Not now that he could hear the unevenness of Eren's tone. Not now that he knew if he turned around and saw the look in Eren's bright green eyes, he might probably do something that could jeopardize both their military statuses and possibly their overall lives.

Because at that point, he wanted nothing more than to tell everything else to fuck off and kiss Eren. At that point, he would very much rather be holding Eren and pressing his lips against Eren's surprisingly soft lips. At that point, he could have his arms wrapped around Eren's waist and he could hear that low sound that always escapes Eren's throat whenever his hand brushed over Eren's bare skin below the uniform.

But at that point, he was fastening the clips of his green Recon Corps below the collar of his brown jacket. At that point, he was moving towards the door. At that point, he had his hand wrapped around the door knob and all he could feel was the coldness of the light metal against his skin and that suffocating tightness surrounding his own lungs.

Then he felt it. He felt a sense of sudden warmth as Eren's arms ended up wrapping around his waist. The other boy pressed his forehead between Levi's shoulder blades, his back hunched over a little as he gripped onto the Corporal. He didn't say anything then, just closed his eyes as his face was buried in Levi's cape.

Levi took a deep breath, letting it out with slight shakiness. He placed his hand over Eren's, interlocking their fingers and squeezing the other's hand tightly.

"I'll see you in a couple of days, Eren."

With that, he managed by some force he couldn't understand but was thankful for to let go of Eren's hand and step out of his hold, unlocking the door and stepping outside.


"Eren, breakfast is almost ready, let's go," Armin stood at Eren's door, his arms crossed over eachother. He frowned as he looked at his friend who was sprawled over the bed with arms folded under his head.

Which was the exact same position he was in when Armin came to check on him half an hour ago. The Lance Corporal had been gone for almost two hours now, and Eren had spent both these hours motionless on his own bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"I'll be there," he replied, not taking his eyes off a patch of cracks that seemed to be the most interesting thing in the world to him now.

"It's not like you're doing anything, just come-"

"I said, I will be there, Armin," his tone was flat due to the fact that speaking was too much of a strain for him at that moment. His mind spiraled with thoughts that he didn't need, and he turned to bury his head in the pillows, not paying any more attention to his friend.

Sighing, Armin turned around and headed towards the stairs to walk towards the dining area.

Time had been a tricky concept for him ever since he found out that Levi had to leave, and so Eren again had no idea how long he had spent lying on his stomach over the bed sheets that Levi had told him to change two days ago.

Two days. That wasn't that long. He bet that it was possible for him to stay in this exact spot for two days until Levi could come back.

But he knew at the same time that he can't do that, and that even Levi wouldn't approve of that. So he sat up, stretching his arms behind his back and then standing up.

Everything else that followed happened in a flash. He felt a sudden pressure over his mouth and nose, along with a fierce grip on his shoulders. He was being pushed down against the bed, and something was pressing tightly around the upper part of his face, tangling along with his hair as it was tied into an achingly firm knot around his head.

He didn't get a chance to think before a blinding pain suddenly sparked in his right temple, and then his thoughts were wiped out as his mind went blank.