Thanks for the comments! Sorry, "Guest," but I'm not planning an epic make-out scene... I'm not against them (as my other stories make clear lol) but that's not what I envisioned for this particular story.

That evening, Levi gave Eren the bad news:

"They're staying until tomorrow. They're still hoping to see you transform."

Eren twisted the hem of his shirt nervously. "What if I can't?"

"Frankly, I'm just as concerned about what they'll think if you can. The worst part is, you have to pretend you don't know they're still here."

"Yeah... that won't be easy."

"It's that or acting like you 'accidentally' figured it out somehow."

Eren grimaced. "Yeah, that would be harder. I'm a bad liar. Mikasa always said so... so did my mom."

"We'll take you out away from HQ tomorrow morning. Hanji will be there, and one or two others. Erwin will see about getting the inspectors where they can see without being seen. We just have to pretend we're not being watched."

"Okay."

Levi put his hands on Eren's shoulders. "If we do this well, they'll leave tomorrow. Then things can go back to normal." Not back to how they were... Levi knew that wasn't quite possible. But the status quo would be restored.

For some reason, Eren felt the need to hug him. Levi didn't think he had said anything in particular that should have upset him, but he didn't question it. He rubbed Eren's back slowly as Erwin had once done for him. He wasn't tall enough to rest his chin on Eren's head, so he nestled against his neck.

"When this is over," Eren said slowly, "then... we can't talk like this anymore, can we? I can't..." He took a few quick little breaths through his mouth.

"This kind of intimacy between an officer and his subordinate has always been inappropriate, Eren." The cadet was starting to feel uncomfortably warm in his embrace, but Levi didn't let go. "What the hell makes you think it would stop for any particular reason when it never should have started to begin with?"

An uncomfortable silence followed, stretching perhaps half a minute.

"A-are you saying..." Eren stammered.

Eren was slow on the uptake. It seemed that Levi's ability to communicate with Erwin without words was not universal. Or maybe that had been Erwin's talent and not his. He sighed. "I'm not known for conforming to rules. If this is what you need to get through a day, then so be it."

Eren seemed to relax instantly. "Thank you, sir," he whispered.

"Jean? Really?" Eren asked Levi in a whisper.

Levi was taking him back to the lockup, Kirstein leading the way.

"I asked for volunteers," Levi explained. "Bott volunteered first..."

Eren rolled his eyes. "So of course Jean wouldn't be able to sit by and not find out what was going on..."

"I know the two of you aren't good friends, but he is your fellow soldier. I hope you don't let petty differences screw up your ability to work together in the field."

"We don't. I don't hate the guy... he just rubs me the wrong way, I guess."

"I'm sure the sentiments are mutual."

Levi knew he couldn't be as intimate with Eren since Kirstein was present, but he took his time putting Eren's manacles in place, careful not to cause him any discomfort. He gripped his shoulder briefly before leaving the cell. "Good night, Eren."

"Good night, sir."

He had brought the chessboard, and there was a pack of cards on the shelf, well-worn from many nights of past guard duty. Levi set up the chessmen and Kirstein sat across from him.

"So, why all the precautions, sir?" Kirstein asked quietly, so Eren wouldn't overhear. "Has he... gotten more dangerous, or...?"

"No," Levi said, not looking up. "He's only as dangerous as he ever was." He finished aligning the game pieces, white on Kirstein's side. "The precautions are to please the inspectors, who believe Eren to be more dangerous than he is. You get the opening move."

"Y-yeah... I've played before." Kirstein looked at the board only a few seconds before moving one of his knights. "So, once they're gone, things will be back to normal?"

"As normal as they usually are around here." Levi moved a pawn forward two spaces.

"What else are we keeping from the inspectors?"

Levi met his eyes for a moment with a cold stare. "There's nothing wrong with being inquisitive, Kirstein. But your implications are a bit on the insubordinate side."

"Sorry, sir." Kirstein turned his attention back to the game and made a hasty move.

"To answer your question though... a hell of a lot."

The cadet looked up in surprise.

"In general, we're left to govern ourselves, and that's how we like it. But every now and then, they like to come around and breathe down our necks. So, rather than take the chance that they'll tell us we can't do something, we just hide the fact that we're doing it until they leave us alone again. Comprendez?"

Kirstein nodded.

"Good. So keep your head down and your mouth shut, and everything will be fine." Levi moved another pawn up one square behind the first.

"Yes, sir."

Kirstein was no chess expert, but at least Levi didn't have to keep explaining the rules as they went along. He beat his subordinate soundly, having half his men left when the other was down to his king, a bishop and a blocked pawn.

"Looks like I need more practice," Kirstein said.

"We have plenty of time. Play again?"

"All right."

A couple of games later, Kirstein was clearly tired of playing, but he didn't concede the game. Levi was glad - it wasn't any fun winning if your opponent gave up before you finished. His knight was wandering around the board like a hit man, taking out Kirstein's pieces with no resistance, when Eren began to groan quietly in his sleep. His chains rattled as he turned over.

Kirstein looked over at Eren's bed, looking a little confused and wary.

"He's dreaming," Levi said simply, knocking over a hapless pawn with his knight.

"Mm." Kirstein distractedly moved his rook. It was actually a decent move, though Levi doubted it was down to more than luck.

Eren's sounds of discomfort grew into unmistakable fear, and then intelligible words. "No... No, please..."

Levi pushed his chair back and went to unlock the cell door. He was aware of Kirstein standing behind him, but the cadet didn't follow him into the cell. He efficiently covered the distance to Eren's bed and took his subordinate by the arm.

"Eren," he called firmly. At first, Eren seemed not to hear him. He was panting hard, sweat causing his hair to cling to his face. Levi brushed his hair back and called him again.

This time, Eren's eyes opened and locked on his face. "Captain?"

"I'm here," Levi confirmed, releasing Eren's arm to rub his chest lightly.

"Mm..." Eren reached up to grip Levi's forearm, the cold manacle brushing against it.

"You're safe. No one's going to hurt you. Go back to sleep, all right?"

"O-okay." Eren curled up as much as his chains would allow.

Levi pulled the blankets up To Eren's chin and smoothed back his hair one more time before leaving his side. He closed and re-locked the door.

"What was that about?" Kirstein asked, looking very baffled and perhaps a little embarrassed. "He's so damn tough all the time..."

"Eren's been through hell," Levi answered simply. "He's faced things you don't even want to know about."

They went back to the table and sat down.

As he studied the remaining pieces, Levi said, "This is one of those things you shouldn't talk about to anyone... least of all him. Understand?"

"Yes, captain."

"Good man." Levi made his move. "Check."

Around three in the morning, Petra and Bott came to relieve them.

"He's asleep," Levi told Petra quietly. "So try not to disturb him."

"All right," she answered. "Good night, captain."

The soldiers saluted each other, and Levi led Kirstein back toward the barracks. "Thank you for your time, Kirstein," he said, when they were ready to part ways.

"Not at all, sir," Kirstein answered. "Good luck with the inspectors."

Levi nodded and walked on to the officers' quarters.

His room seemed particularly empty now. The bed was still unmade; Eren had been napping in it off and on all day. He quickly tucked the edges of the covers in again. Moving around to the far side of the bed, he pulled the covers up to reveal the book still sitting where Eren had left it. Which one did he end up reading? Levi wondered. You could tell a lot about someone by their taste in books, assuming they had any to choose from.

Of course. It was The Honor of a Soldier. Levi wasn't sure what it was about this book that had drawn both his and Eren's interest in their darkest moments... perhaps the idealism that had been shattered for them. He opened the back cover and turned over the last page.

"Years have passed, and fewer know the spot now. But Clancy's sons will always know it, returning generation after generation, paying homage to the reason for their survival while others have long forgotten. He would not have had it any other way. Such was the honor of a soldier."

He set the book aside, thinking of Eren and himself, and how he doubted anyone would remember them long after the war. That was probably good. If they survived, he would want to disappear quietly, and he was sure that if Eren didn't feel the same, he would before his time as a soldier was over. Sometimes it was best to be forgotten.

I know, I got kinda bittersweet there. Sorry. It's not over yet. ^^ Thanks again for all the comments; please continue.