Levi knew immediately that Eren was suspicious that something was going on with him. And the instant he became aware of this, a fear as potent as the one he had felt on the streets, when he had been a small boy at the mercy of those big heavy men, gripped him and refused to let go. He had always been afraid that Eren might leave him out of disgust; disgust that he was dating someone with such a severe mental illness, disgust that he didn't just tell him up front, disgust that he had been touched by so many other people. Though he had proved he didn't mind touching him even though he was damaged goods, there was still a small, vulnerable part of him that believed one day he would wake up and see just what kind of disgusting creature he had decided to attach to himself.

Levi couldn't let that happen.

He knew he was being selfish. He knew he was being ridiculous, and that in the end, it was all hopeless. But when he thought about losing Eren, it stole his breath and left him paralyzed with terror. He knew above all else he couldn't show any further signs that he was slipping, even if it killed him.

In the days that followed his visit with Eren's parents, Levi worked as hard as he possibly could to distract his boyfriend. Every moment they had together, the dancer be asking to go out and to have some fun. He and Eren would even get a little tipsy, drinking at home before falling into bed together. And more than anything, Levi would lay on the charm and expose his body as much as possible for Eren's pleasure. Every moment that seemed appropriate, he was seducing his boy in ways he knew he wouldn't be able to resist. He would be waiting for Eren in his apartment for when he came home, sometimes completely naked, sometimes wearing the thigh highs and garters he knew he loved so much, expression vulnerable and begging Eren in a soft voice to make a mess out of him. Thankfully for him, Eren's libido always seemed to be running and running hot, his baby weak for Levi's soft, pretty begging. At least when Eren was buried deep in his body and letting the dancer ride him so desperately, or had those thigh high clad legs wrapped around his waist, Levi knew he wasn't thinking about whether or not his boyfriend was sick in the head or not.

He didn't have many options, he didn't think. Levi had so little that would make someone want to stay with him, so he would use the most potent weapons he had at his disposal: his body, and his charm.

It was after one of these couplings when the two of them collapsed into Levi's bedsheets that the dancer began working his charm again. They had barely caught their breath, Levi lying his entire length on top of Eren and sweating as they were, before Levi was nibbling at Eren's neck again rubbing his body subtly against the length of his. Eren rolled his eyes teasingly.

"Levi, really?" he said with a smile, rubbing his hand up and down the dancer's silky back. "Did someone slip something in your tea recently? Not that I mind, but you've been really horny lately."

Levi's heart pounded with a rush of anxiety, but he didn't dare to let anything show. He just replied smoothly, "Mmm, that must be it. My beautiful baby is very good at getting me hot and bothered."

Eren opened his mouth to question him further, but it was turned into a soft sigh when the dancer found a place on his neck that he knew he particularly liked, and sucked on it. And once more, the boy was putty in his hands, still completely blown away that Levi was interested in him at all and wasn't going to protest if he wanted to get amorous. Even if it was for the third time that night.

But still…

"You sure you're okay?" he asked. "Because"-

Before he could say anything else that might scare Levi into a stupor, he slotted his lips over the other man's, working his jaw and kissing him deeply. The words on the tip of Eren's tongue dissolved into a pleased hum, and his eyes slipped shut, wrapping his arms around his neck to hold him close.

When Levi did finally pull away, he reassured him with a bright smile, "More than okay. Just very happy that I have you in my life and I want to appreciate you. You've been working very hard on school, and you're just about to start your next semester. Thought we'd get all of our sex in while we had the chance, yeah?"

Eren snorted. "You're so smart." He leaned up and started kissing down Levi's neck, leaving lots of pretty red marks so that everyone knew he was taken. The dancer leaned into it, heat pooling in his lower belly once more, and he practically purred when Eren gently ran his nails down his warm, silky back, still unable to believe how smooth and soft his skin was. When the boy's hands reached his plush behind, he cupped and groped the smooth globes, before he gave one cheek a light spank, enough to sting deliciously. Levi gasped and arched his back, lips parting into a pretty "o" shape.

"Pretty kitten," Eren murmured huskily, "My perfect kitten. You smell so sweet and sound so amazing when you're getting fucked. So kind to me and helpful and considerate in everything. Like you were made for me. I care about you so much it scares me sometimes."

Oh, it was hard for his face not to betray him, as all Levi wanted to do when he heard those gorgeous words was curl up in a ball and cry. He did however let a whimper escape him, and ignoring the fact that his throat was beginning to ache from emotion, he ground his pelvis against Eren's, making the boy hiss and dig his nails into his back.

"I might have time to come to one of your shows before school starts again," the boy pointed out, still massaging the other man's behind. "Would you like that?"

He whined, "I do love it when you watch me. I- fuck that's good- I want to look at you the whole time I dance so that everyone knows who I'm really performing for. Yes, now please, fuck me again?"

The boy grinned and flipped them so that he was laying on top of him, growling teasingly, "Naughty, insatiable kitten. Yes, I can fuck you, if you'd like that. Just relax, baby. I'll take care of you."

Levi let those wonderful words wash over him, trying to let them drown out the voices growling in his head. However, they didn't quite succeed, and even though Eren was busy passionately making a wreck of Levi's vulnerable body and the older man was more than open to him doing so, he couldn't drown them out no matter how loudly he moaned or how intense the pleasure was.

You're a liar, a dirty demon.

Manipulator, abuser, going to hell, tainting that poor angel.

Killing him, killing him…

Just die. Kill yourself, end it. For once in your life, do something kind for that boy and kill yourself.

000

The instant Levi woke up the morning of his show, he knew something was very, very wrong.

His head was quiet for all of three seconds after he woke up, and then several different sounds and smells assaulted him at once. He swore he smelled feces all throughout his apartment, though he could find none. Even a search of his hallway revealed nothing. He also swore he heard a phone ringing over and over again, for hours during the day. And when that stopped, the demonic, growling whispers started, thoroughly frightening him and making him panic so badly that he didn't want an inch of his apartment being dark for even second. He turned on all of his lights even in the middle of the day, as well as placed flashlights in every dark corner, knowing the demons lived in the shadows and could manifest from the dark spots. He spent almost the entire day sitting at his kitchen table with his hands folded on top of it, keeping an extra flashlight near him, preparing to shine it on anything that looked demonic in shape. His phone was also sitting near his hands, and he had to resist calling Eren all day; he knew if he talked to him at all, the boy would be able to hear the insanity in his voice.

When dusk approached, things became even worse as the visual hallucinations began to take hold. He swore he saw bugs crawling out of cracks in the plaster of his walls, cockroaches that hissed at him and began making their way towards him. Soon after, hands began reaching through the walls and a quiet roaring began to fill his ears, and he curled in on himself in the chair, whimpering, partially hoping they'd kill him quickly, and partially terrified of dying at all. He couldn't help it, though he desired it; it was just instinct, he supposed, to want to live. He shook in the chair, praying it would all stop.

Luckily, around that time, his door rang. He jumped, a voice deep in his mind telling him it was the devil coming for him at last. Part of him was scared, but part of him was also rejoicing that his suffering was over. Figuring that sitting there at the table would only put off the inevitable, he eventually got out of the chair and nearly collapsed, weak with hunger, aching with the need to use the bathroom, and stiff from not moving all day. Still, if he was going to Hell, those things were of little consequence, so he steeled himself and made his way to the door, not even hesitating to open it.

However, far better than the sweet release of death was his boy, standing there in his tux and smiling brightly at him. But that smile faded the instant he took in Levi's appearance.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" he exclaimed, immediately concerned.

Levi ducked his head when Eren tried to study his face, but froze in place otherwise. The younger man observed, "You look pale, and really tired. And…have you showered today? Or eaten something? Your legs are shaking."

The dancer didn't even bother to look down at himself; he knew what he was saying was true. He just shrugged, unable to offer up an explanation and just said in a rough voice, "Had a bad day. I um, I'll get changed and eat on the way over. I can shower when I get there. Just give me five minutes."

He walked back into his apartment, and Eren followed him in, suggesting, "Maybe you should stay home today? If you don't feel well?"

Levi laughed humorlessly and replied on his way to his room. "Can't. I'll be fired, remember? I've missed too many days already. If I miss one more I'll be kicked out with Damien's boot print on my ass."

Eren wanted to say something else, but refrained, seeing the utterly empty look in his eyes before he shut the door to his room. That was definitely new, as Levi was usually so expressive with him, but to see no emotion at all frightened the boy deeply. Something was definitely not right, something beyond simple lethargy, but all Eren could think was that Levi had been sick all day and simply hadn't called him to let him know, choosing instead to suffer alone. It was certainly stupid and worried him a great deal, but wasn't necessarily a cause for great alarm. Eren was hurt that he didn't call him, but it was in his boyfriend's nature, and he'd get over it. He figured he would help Levi in subtle ways throughout the evening then, letting him know in his own way that he could ask for help whenever he needed it. He wasn't that poor lost little boy on the street anymore that had to fend for himself.

Eren waited patiently for Levi to finish dressing, and when he emerged, he supposed he looked a bit better. More alert perhaps. And when he grabbed something to eat and nibbled on it on their way out of the apartment and even when they got into the car, he perked up even further, sitting up straighter and engaging Eren in more conversation. He had looked rigid and frightened when Eren had first appeared, but he seemed to grow more at ease and even relieved the longer he spent in his presence, as if his voice was a balm that was slowly washing over him and curing whatever had been ailing him all day.

When they finally pulled into the parking lot and the car was stopped, Eren barely opened his mouth to wish him luck for the evening before Levi was leaning over the console, pulling his face toward his and kissing him briefly but meaningfully. When he pulled back, the boy was smiling gently at him, and he said, "You're going to do amazing. I'll be right there in front if you need me, okay? And after you're done we'll go home, change into some pajamas and crash into bed, okay?"

The offer sounded amazing and Levi already couldn't wait. He couldn't help but add, "Can I wear one of your shirts to bed?"

Eren leaned forward and rubbed his nose against the other man's in an Eskimo kiss before saying sweetly, "Yes you can baby. Whatever you'd like."

Before the boy could pull his face away, Levi couldn't help but ask, "Will I always be your little kitten Eren? Always be your baby? I'd really like that."

Eren tilted his head, slightly confused by where these questions were coming from. Caught off guard, he answered, "Y…Yes? Of course. I told you, Levi, I care about you more than I ever thought I could care about someone. No matter what that won't change." He paused, a lingering thought niggling in the back of his mind, and then asked hesitantly, "Why? Is there something wrong?"

Levi bit his lip. The admission was on the tip of his tongue, desperately trying to escape. He wanted so badly to just let it out in the open, and his expression looked pained to Eren. The boy began to reach up to stroke his cheek, but before he could touch him Levi shook his head, murmured something unintelligible, and then exited the car, slamming the door behind him. He waved at Eren with a gentle smile, and was happy to see that while he still looked a bit worried, he waved as well and attempted to smile back.

The minute he turned around began to head into the building, he squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, the voices rushing into his ears again once his boyfriend was gone, all of them calling him a liar, a horrible person, hissing at him with all the venom they could muster, growling and snarling. He froze in place with a gasp when he saw several snakes crawl out of the sidewalk and slither across his feet, but the minute he felt their cold scales on his toes, he shook them off with a panicked cry and raced through the door, catching his breath when he was on the other side.

Thankfully, no one seemed to see him once he finally checked, opening his eyes and scanning his surroundings. He took a couple of minutes to catch his breath, the dark doorway frightening but the distant sound of the pounding music slightly comforting. It was normal, almost more home than his own home was.

No. That was no longer the case. Eren's apartment felt more like home now. Or rather, Eren himself was Levi's home. And nothing had ever felt so right and comfortable to him before.

Yet, part of him wished his boy had indeed heard what he had muttered in his car before he left it. Then perhaps things might be easier for both of them.

000

Eren shifted uncomfortably in his seat. True to his word he sat right next to the stage, and he felt more than ever that tonight Levi needed him, though he couldn't be exactly sure why. Without him even registering it, his leg began jiggling as he grew more anxious, mulling Levi's odd behavior over and over in his head, from when he picked him up to when he had walked out of his car. It was obvious to Eren that something was going on, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out what. There was a missing puzzle piece and his head was practically hurting trying to insert that last piece into place. And then there was how he had acted at his parent's house, all twitchy and wanting to be left alone. But he had just been sick that evening. Was it possible that that illness was still lingering?

He sighed heavily. It was clear Levi was sick, but it seemed different than a normal sickness. After all, he had told him about how his mother had a mental illness. Was it something like that? Was something finally manifesting in his mind that was causing him to act strange? If that was the case, it might explain his behavior, but not why he was acting so jumpy. He wondered if maybe if he was embarrassed about telling Eren about it. That could be the case, since mental illnesses were often a source of shame for many people and they hated admitting them. He supposed he could understand that, but he also wondered if that was the case, then why didn't Levi trust him enough to tell him? What had he done to make him not trust him?

Eren let out a groan of frustration, feeling pathetic. Why couldn't he be what Levi clearly needed him to be? Why wasn't he good enough? He had been trying, really. And it only made him feel worse when he thought back on all of their interactions that he could remember and thought of a million little ways he could have improved his behavior so that he could have been more appealing to Levi. No wonder the dancer didn't trust him.

The boy gripped at his hair with one hand, pulling it, terribly angry with himself. He began turning what Levi had said to him before he left the car over and over in his mind again, wondering if there was some kind of clue hidden there as to whether he was on the verge of breaking up with him or not. The very thought devastated Eren terribly, but if that's what Levi wanted, he would respect his wishes. And the very moment the voice backstage spoke into the microphone announced the next dancer, Eren's eyes widened and he sucked in a breath of air when he finally realized what it was. He saw the velvet red curtains part to reveal Levi, the devastatingly beautiful pearl of The Dollhouse, as pristine as he had been when the boy had first laid eyes on him, save for one factor, and that was the fact that the seductive, charming expression on his face was gone, replaced by one of fright he was obviously trying to conceal. Those eyes met Eren's the moment he found him in the crowd, and silently begged him with everything they had the same sentiment Levi had in the car.

Save yourself.

Reeling, Eren barely had time to collect his thoughts before the music started pounding through his body. He sat on the edge of his seat, wracked with tension, knowing immediately that this performance was not going to end well. He had to physically stop himself from leaping up and pulling Levi off the stage to prevent what he was sure was going to happen, but of course he couldn't do so without causing a scene. And besides, he could be wrong. He prayed fervently that he was wrong.

Sadly, he wasn't, and he could only watch as his beautiful Levi fell apart in front of him.

The dancer made his way out onto a stage he had hundreds of times before, a place that was so familiar to his feet that he could do these routines blind folded, complete with all the splits and twirls and spins, even his flips off the stage, and he'd always know where he was in time and space. It was the only thing Levi had confidence in besides his ability to give a man the best night of his life. But tonight, it was completely foreign to him, growing and darkening, coming to life in all the wrong ways, a wild, evil thing rising up. A pit was opening up in the middle of the stage, smoldering and burning from below. Sulphur was being belched into the air, filling his nose, making him nauseous and pounding a migraine into his head instantly. The audience and their leering faces were instantly replaced with goat-headed demons, each of them sporting wicked teeth and curled, black horns. Others had hollow pits for eyes, all of them snarling and spitting, dark blood leaking from their mouths like clotted molasses, baying for him. For his blood, his body, his soul. They had come for him at last.

And yet, though he knew he deserved it, he didn't want to go.

His illness had really started to take hold of him around the time when he was first hired by The Dollhouse. And when he began working there, he found that in a strange way that only made sense to him that working at this awful place actually helped his sickness. As soon as the music started up for his performances, it was often so loud that it made him unable to hear anything else; not his own thoughts and not the voices. It was all blessedly quiet, and that was the main reason he had stayed here, because he lived for those moments of sweet relief. It was the only amount of time he could be himself and forget what was wrong with him. However, even in those moments, sometimes, only once in a great while, some of his illness would leak through and produce images for him. However, these images weren't scary, though they were still unsettling. They were almost beautiful, in a way. It was as if his voices would extend past him into wavelengths that were colored by the neon lights that would flash in time to the music. They would twist into little shapes that resembled sprites, white figures with arms and legs and floated and danced around him, his only companions on the stage.

Before Eren and Petra fell into his life, it was always just him, the music, the little white dancers, and his voices colored by neon lights. Piloting him. Fueling his fears, pushing him onto the precipice of death with nothing to pull him back. Him, the voices, and his fear against a world that had written him off the moment his mother died. And an illness that was determined to kill him as surely and utterly as any terminal disease. And every night, everything would fade until all that was left were the neon lights and the voices.

But tonight, those neon voices had decided they were sick of seeing him bathing in the light, and that it was time for him to be taken over by the darkness of his fears for good.

The boy that had bathing him in his light for so long watched as Levi faltered, a little bit at first, and the more noticeably as he kept trying to dance. He could see that he was trying pretend nothing was wrong, and the more he tried to pretend, the more obvious it was that something was wrong, until Levi had given up all pretenses of acting like he was okay. He was staring at the audience with a look of absolute horror on his face, and one of his hands slowly drifted up to his face until it was covering his nose and mouth. His face pinched as well, and Eren couldn't tell if he was smelling something bad, or if he was about to be sick. He suddenly froze in place, as if he was afraid of the floor under his feet, and Eren had no doubt that he was. Under the flashing of the lights, he looked sickly, sweat shining on his forehead, hand trembling over his mouth. He took a few hesitant step backwards, before he fell to his knees.

Eren gasped, shooting to his feet, a cold rush of fear washing over him when he saw tears begin to glisten in Levi's eyes. But before he could do anything, he saw a couple of men in another table near the stage where Levi had collapsed get to their feet, jeering and scoffing, complaining about how this wasn't what they paid for. As if to force him into doing what they wanted, they reached up onto the stage and pulled him off, dragging him down and onto the tables, forcing him onto his back. Eren began racing over, his body moving before he was consciously aware of it, just as he saw Levi's legs flailing as his fragile little dancer began to fight back. By now the music had been shut off so all of the little sounds of the scuffle became more pronounced. He didn't see it, but he heard the sound of something cracking and saw the man that was looming over Levi's head snap to the side. Levi had punched him, and then kicked him the rest of the way off. Other men moved in to take his place, which caused Levi to not only fight back harder, but to start screaming, and screaming absolute bloody murder. The hair on the back of Eren's neck stood up; that scream was so full of terror that it made him nauseous, and he knew it would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Another sound Eren knew would haunt him was the shattering of one of the champagne glasses on the table, followed by more of Levi's wretched cries as he grabbed a shard and began to slash at anyone that was too close. Some blood spattered outwards and one man clutched at his hand, groaned. Another fell to his knees, holding his cheek while blood seeped through his fingers. The rest backed away from the raging little beast, and to Eren's horror he saw that the hand holding the glass shard was bleeding, though he didn't seem to notice. His teeth were bared, and he was making awful, guttural sounds that Eren didn't even know a person was capable of making; they were animalistic verging on demonic, his eyes little black pits of fury as he crouched on the table, holding up his weapon at anyone that came close. However, upon looking closer, Eren could see the overwhelming fear that the anger was barely masking.

"You're not taking me!" he screeched, his whole frame trembling. "I'm not- you're…you're not God! I am! The fire- the static is full of, no, I have nothing. Stay away, demons. Demons, all of you! I'm nothing, nothing…"

Levi slowly stepped off the table to gently fall to his knees again to the floor, still clutching the glass. The wild look was still in his eyes, though his eyes were now glazing over with tears, and his shivering had picked up. He looked like he was about to vomit, his back heaving, and for a moment, all Eren could do was stare in shock, frozen in place. He was like a bird caught in the gaze of a snake, all of his training on how to handle people in this situation flying out of his mind in lieu of seeing his beloved Levi bleeding, crying, and spewing nonsense that made his blood run cold. He had barely begun to suspect, to even figure out that something might be wrong, and then this was thrown in front of him. He simply couldn't process it, that things were this wrong with Levi. How in the world could he have been so blind?

At the moment, it didn't matter. He could regret all he wanted later. Nothing else mattered other than calming Levi down and getting him out of here.

Eren was pulled violently out of his stupor when Levi placed the glass against the underside of his wrist, whimpering something about how tired he was, that the shapeshifters were on the horizon, and then more nonsense that made him feel sick. Acting on instinct honed by hours of training for this exact situation, the words he needed to say entered his head again. He got on his knees and shuffled closer to Levi, trying to put himself in his line of sight, and speaking hastily, but quickly, knowing that one poorly timed word or breath could mean disaster.

"Levi, hey wait a minute," he said, trying not to sound as panicked as he felt, "Levi, baby, look at me. I'm over here, just look at me, just for a second, okay?"

The older man tensed up when he heard Eren speak, much to the worry of the crowd that had gathered around him. All eyes were on the two of them, waiting to see what both of them would do. At that moment, some of the dancers from the back had learned of the commotion that was going on around the stage and they came out to watch. Petra shoved her way to the front of the crowd, and when she took in the sight of her friend crumpled on the floor with a piece of glass against his wrist and the man she assumed was his boyfriend reaching beseechingly for him, she felt tears spring to her eyes. She dearly wanted to call out to Levi, but knew how unpredictable he could be when he got like this. So she watched with bated breath, terrified to move, to speak, to do anything but take it all in.

Eventually however, Levi did roll his eyes over into Eren's direction, and the strange lighting gave them the "whale eye" effect that dogs and horses' eyes had when they were frightened, completely rimmed in white, far too much white. He was so scared he could barely stand it, and probably thought the only way out was to end his own life. He had given up hope of getting away from it, and Eren figured he had to restore his hope. He had no idea what Levi was seeing, or what he looked like to the other right now, but he just had to hope he didn't come across as threatening. So, he spoke again.

"That's good, that's so good, Levi," he praised. "I'm proud of you, always proud of you. Thank you for looking at me when I asked. Now I understand you're probably really scared right now, right? You're scared and think you're trapped here. But you're not trapped, okay? We can work through this together, you and me."

Just talk about neutral topics, Eren told himself. Talk about neutral topics, like how he understood his feelings and wanted to help. The object first and foremost was to get Levi to drop his weapon, and perhaps if he got him feeling safe enough, he could encourage him to drop it. Or, if he could get close enough, he could take it from him.

He chanced a couple steps closer, and luckily Levi didn't spook; he just kept watching him warily. Eren hyper-focused on every nuance of his body language, waiting for a sign that he should get back, and eventually it came when Levi pressed the glass a little harder against his wrist. Eren backed up and held his hands up in a gesture of surrender.

"Okay, okay, shhh, Levi," he tried again, "I know, I know it's scary. I know everything is freaking you out. But it's me, yeah? It's your Eren. You know your Eren, don't you?"

"My"- Levi began in a shredded voice, raw from his screaming, "no, I- I don't deserve…I'm trapped, the trees are gone, there's blood, and you…light, no light, neon light. Shapeshifters and demons, moths on rocks, ashes on babies- stop it, I want to go home!"

Eren suppressed a shiver, but just barely. As tempting as it was to play into his hallucination and tell him that his visions weren't real, he knew that was the worst thing he could do. Levi absolutely believe that whatever he was seeing, it was really there, and nothing Eren could say would convince him otherwise. Still, he had to try something.

"Then let me take you home," Eren tried. "Come on baby, I won't let anything hurt you. You've always been safe with me, and you always will be. I'll make everything safe again. I'll make the fear go away. You have to let me though, okay? Can you let me do that?"

Levi was seeing a bright ball of light amidst the darkness. For some reason, the demons parted from it; perhaps it was an angel, and they were scared from it. They would touch it, didn't dare to, and the light was coming towards him, speaking in a voice he knew very well and saying words that made him feel warm and at home. But what if it was a trick? What if it was just another demon trying to deceive him? But no, then the other demons wouldn't look as frightened as they did. But he didn't deserve saving, did he? He deserved to die. He deserved to plunge that glass into his wrist and just be done with his suffering. He couldn't though; that voice was compelling him not too. It was so warm, so sweet, the light so familiar he wanted to cry. It was home, a sweet embrace in the crushing blackness, and he wanted to run towards it. He knew what he should do, but his instinct to live and his desire for comfort was too strong. He relaxed, keeping his eyes fixed on the ball of light, and once he relaxed, he could hear the voice a little more and instantly knew who it belonged to. The humid veil of fear began to give way, and he knew indeed that he was safe.

"Light…" he whispered, "Angels and…help me. Help me, please."

"I'll help you," Eren promised, heart twisting over how desperate his "please" had sounded. He moved a little closer, barely a breath away now from him. "I'm going to help you, Levi. Your Eren is going to help you. Shh, it's okay."

He very, very carefully brushed his fingers against his shoulder, everyone holding their breath. When the dancer didn't react, he chanced wrapping his hand loosely around his bicep, and then touching the hand holding the glass with the other. Levi didn't resist, barely even looking at him, staring blankly at the ground in front of him instead. His fingers loosened around the glass shard, and his hand lowered just slightly. The moment Eren saw that, he didn't hesitate to gently pry his fingers apart even more, and then take the glass as carefully as he possibly could. He set it as far away as he could, before taking his tie off and wrapping it gently around Levi's bleeding palm as a makeshift bandage. When that was finished, he wrapped his arms around the small, fragile dancer, who, the minute he felt Eren's arms tighten around him, began to shake as if he had been thrown outside soaking wet in the middle of a freezing winter. He was whimpering more nonsense that Eren paid no attention to. What did get his attention were the tears that were slipping down his boyfriend's face, gleaming in the mellow light of the club. The boy held him tight, pulling his face down against his chest, and Levi didn't hesitate to turn himself further into the embrace, hiding his face against his chest and squeezing him as hard as he possibly could, smearing his tux with his blood. He pushed as much of himself into Eren's lap as he could, making his body as small as possible, trying to hide himself in the ball of light so that the demons couldn't see him.

"Okay, okay," Eren soothed, nodding, "alright sweetheart. I know. Come on, we're going to go home and take care of you. It's all going to be okay. You're safe. Let's get up, okay? Slowly, come on baby."

As gently as he could manage, as if handling a newborn lamb, he helped Levi to his feet, looping an arm around his shoulders. They made their way across the floor slowly, the normally graceful dancer that inspired lust in so many men with his sinuous movements now tottering along like a foal, legs shaking, adrenaline having left his body and leaving him weak. He leaned heavily against Eren, now silent, keeping himself pressed tightly against the boy's larger, warmer body. He groped for Eren's free hand, and the boy took it, squeezing his smaller hand gently. The crowd of onlookers parted for them, allowing them through.

However, it seemed like the excitement for the night was over yet, because suddenly Levi's manager pushed his way to the front of the crowd, having seen the whole thing and about to call security until Eren had intervened. He called out behind them, "That fucking does it, Jouet! I'm through giving you chances, you hear me? Don't bother showing up tomorrow night. If I see you anywhere near this club again, I'm calling the cops."

The two of them paused only long enough to finish hearing his statement, before they kept going without a word. Eren had figured that would be the case, and even if Damien hadn't said anything, he was going to suggest to Levi that he not come back. After the manager stormed off into the crowd, Petra finally figured it was safe to approach them, and as others began to leave, guessing the show was over. She trotted out of the crowd until she was standing beside Eren and regarded him sternly.

"Hold on," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Eren, right? You're the boyfriend?"

"That would be me," the boy replied easily, smiling politely, "And you're Petra?"

"Indeed. Look, Eren, I'm coming with you. No offense but I'm not leaving Levi alone with someone I don't know very well."

He nodded and said sincerely, "Yes of course. I'd actually really like your help with him, if you can. But first, finish your shift, okay? Then come over?" She looked like she wanted to argue, but before she could, he insisted, "It won't do you any good to get fired too because you walked out before your shift was finished. You know Levi wouldn't want that."

Petra hesitated a moment more, before sighing and relenting, knowing he was right. Eren then said, "Put my number in your phone, and I'll text you my address, and any other info you want. I promise, everything is going to be okay with our boy. I'll make it okay."

Though she had never met him before, looking into his eyes and seeing the sincerity there, seeing the tender way he was holding him, she believed him, and she couldn't believe that she did so soon after meeting him. She wished it had been under better circumstances.

She nodded, and promised him she'd follow him soon. Eren then told her his number, and thanked her. Petra then hung back, stopping a few feet before the door, watching as Eren led Levi out, the two of them disappearing out through the lavish doors. No one stopped to help them, and soon, there was no sign they had been there at all save the blood drops on the polished, shining floor and the judgmental whispers being passed through the crowd.

A/N: Prince-rivailles introduced me to Save Yourself by My Darkest Days and it fits this fic way too well, go check it out!