Eren's favorite season used to be summer, and he supposed it still was. He loved running around barefoot, not having to worry about putting on a coat before he went outside, and all the beautiful greenery that surrounded him. However, he was beginning to like winter a lot more than he did before for a very simple reason. As summer melted into fall and fall began to shift into the beginning of winter, the cold began to kick in. And when the cold began to kick in, Eren realized that Levi, while he loved the winter, became cold very easily. Which meant lots and lots of cuddling, or at the very least Levi constantly asking if Eren could sit on his feet to keep them warm, or hold his hands for the same reason. He also asked the boy to share his bed for more nights now, saying that his room was far too cold at night anymore, and who was Eren to deny him that?

So that was how Eren found himself waking up in Levi's bed one morning late in November. He felt so groggy and heavy, his limbs still mostly stiff and carrying that lingering feeling of paralyses that afflicts the body during the deepest part of sleep. At first, he had no idea why he was even awake. The sun wasn't even up, and lifting his heavy eyelids he glanced up at the digital clock by the bed to see that it was barely six in the morning. He blinked a few times, yawning hugely and feeling tears spring up in his eyes. He then stretched slightly, trying to rid his arms and legs of the stiff feeling, and as he did he discovered why his body had woken him up at this ungodly hour. His swollen bladder protested at the movement, threatening to empty its contents if he moved too much again. Eren groaned in discomfort, both at his painfully full bladder and the thought that he was going to have to get out of bed to relieve it, especially when he could feel how cold the air in the room was against his face.

Resigning himself to his fate, the boy began to shift around again, trying to slip out of bed without moving the blankets too much, before he felt something tighten around his waist, and realized a moment later that it was Levi's arm. So sleepy had he been that he hadn't even noticed that his arm was there at all. And it was preventing him from leaving.

"Levi?" Eren asked tentatively, "Hey, you're going to have to let me get up. I have to pee."

It was quiet for a moment as Levi's mostly asleep brain processed what he said, before he groaned petulantly and hugged Eren a little tighter to him. "Mmm, stay," he mumbled, his voice rough with exhaustion.

Eren sighed, shaking his head fondly. "Levi, come on."

"Noooo," he whined, burying his nose firmly in between Eren's shoulder blades. His hands snaked up around his chest as well. "You're warm and you smell good. Stay."

"I will literally be right back. But unless you want me to piss on everything you love, you're going to have to let me get up."

Sighing in defeat, Levi drew his arms back towards himself, releasing the boy and finally allowing him to crawl out of bed and stumble sleepily towards the bathroom. When he returned, he slipped back under the blankets, facing Levi this time, and was immediately pulled into an embrace by the older man. He smiled softly as Levi wrapped his arms back around his waist and tangled their legs together. He felt Levi shift around for a bit, his movements slow and groggy, and his smile only grew wider when he heard the older man make a few snuffling and whining sounds, which were very much reminiscent of a sleepy puppy. He felt Levi nuzzle his nose firmly into his chest, before he sighed heavily, contentedly, and settled down again. Eren felt warmth blossoming in his breast, and a sense of affection so deep and profound that he felt his heart spilling over with it. He curled around Levi a little more tightly, wrapping his arms around him, and closed his eyes again.

The two of them managed to drop off again for a few hours after that, Eren dozing more lightly while Levi became dead to the world in a matter of minutes if his snores were anything to go by. Far from annoying him though, the man's soft snores comforted Eren, because it meant that Levi was calm and comfortable enough to sleep, instead of being kept awake by nightmares. The boy also felt he'd never get over how much trust Levi placed in him. People were at their most vulnerable when they slept, and the fact that the older man not only felt comfortable enough to fall asleep around Eren, but was comforted by his presence enough so that he could fall asleep at all, meant more to him than he'd ever be able to put into words.

The boy eventually opened his eyes again a few hours later, and this time there was light streaming in through the windows. He knew he should probably get up, but the warm body snuggled so tightly against his own, combined with the fact that even while he had slept, Levi hadn't moved an inch, and that meant his arms were still around Eren, made a compelling argument for him to stay right where he was. The boy curled further around the smaller man in his arms, managing to nuzzle his nose into his hair, before he reached up and began to stroke the skin at the nape of his neck. Levi moaned sleepily, appreciative of the attention, but not awake enough to articulate that fact. Eren shifted his head so that it was lying lightly on top of Levi's, the other man suddenly feeling so small and vulnerable in his arms. But Eren would protect him, protect him from anything, and he hoped Levi knew that.

Levi let out another sighing moan when Eren sat up slightly and began to pepper slow, sleepy kisses over his face and in his hair, the boy not even bothering to open his eyes as he did so. He simply let the peace, warmth and comfort of the moment settle over them and absorbing the cozy and intimate feelings into his being. He kept stroking the nape of Levi's neck, and smiled as the other man shivered from the action, knowing how sensitive he was there.

"You awake?" Eren eventually asked.

"Mmph," Levi grunted in response, and buried his face more firmly against him, trying to hide himself from the boy's view.

However, Eren wasn't fooled, and he leaned down to kiss his neck before trying again.

"Leviiii," he said in a sing-song voice, "Come on, I know you're awake. Levi. Leeeeviiii. Lee"-

"You're gigantic pain in my ass," came the annoyed grumble at last.

His voice was extremely rough and thick, a perfect morning voice that had butterflies flitting around in Eren's stomach. Eren then snorted and said, "And I'm all yours."

Before Levi could reply, the boy leaned away from him, exposing his face, and scooted down so that he could place a soft kiss, chaste kiss against his lips. Levi's nose twitched like a rabbit's in response, and his eyes opened into slits, fixing Eren with a bleary stare. The boy couldn't resist booping his nose in response, before kissing his lips again.

"You're lucky you're cute," Levi mumbled.

"I am pretty damn cute aren't I?" Eren agreed, "Just don't' forget it. Now are you going to feed me or am I going to have to start eating the sheets?"

Levi sniffed in annoyance and closed his eyes again, curling up more firmly against the boy's warm body before he said, "You're eighteen years old, Eren, and you have two working thumbs. You can haul that cute ass of yours into the kitchen and get it yourself."

Eren placed a couple more kisses in his hair. "Grumpy this morning aren't we?" He nudged Levi with his thigh slightly, the thigh the other man had draped his own thigh over, and observed, "Jesus, you have got some serious morning wood. Is that why you're so grouchy?"

"Eren, take the long road to Hell on a horse with a barbed saddle."

"Oh that's a yes." He kissed the tip of Levi's nose, and then nibbled on his earlobe, before whispering into his ear, "Want me to take care of it for you?"

Eren saw a shiver run all the down Levi's spine at his suggestion, but the older man said, "Isn't it a bit early for this? And aren't you hungry?"

The boy shrugged. "You're going to shower anyway, aren't you? And at the moment I'm hungrier for you than anything in that kitchen."

Levi snorted. "That was so stupid."

"I know. Did it work though?"

The older man just shook his head fondly and yawned, rolling over onto his back as he said, "Do whatever you want, kid."

That was what he said, and yet Levi not so subtly spread his legs, an invitation that Eren's teenage libido was helpless to turn down. Levi observed as the boy's pupils almost instantly blew wide, and Eren licked his lips in anticipation. He made himself more comfortable, lying alongside the length of Levi's body, his head by the older man's, before he reached down, massaging Levi's pubic bone teasingly. Levi sucked in a breath, keeping his eyes closed, and lightly pressed his himself further into Eren's hand. Permission given to keep going, Eren smirked, and worked his hand down further until he was gripping Levi through his boxers.

Eren didn't look at his hand for almost the entire time he worked Levi, partially because it was obscured by the blanket anyway, but mostly because the view above the blankets was far more engaging. Eren watched as Levi tried to maintain a neutral expression, but the more enthusiastic and confident the boy became, the harder this was to do. He gently massaged him, slowly, hand bobbing and working in a steady rhythm like that of a wave, feeling Levi shift so that he could spread his legs further and give Eren better access. His brows began to draw together and his breathing became shallower, and the boy felt his face heating up at the erotic expression he was making.

"Good?" Eren felt the need to ask, and Levi didn't hesitate to nod.

"S'good. Real, real good," he answered, "Jesus Eren, you're a fucking gift sent to me from the heavens."

The boy laughed, feeling his face heating up further at his words. He kept watching as Levi squirmed, unable to keep still as the pleasure grew more intense. His hips undulated softly, and he arched his neck so that his throat was bared, his lips still parted as he hummed in appreciation. These, and the fact that he was still on his back, were all signs of submission and trust, and Eren felt his heart flutter at these physical signs of just how much Levi trusted him to not hurt him, to take care of him. The fact that he could trust at all, despite all that had been done to him, blew Eren's mind.

Unable to resist those parted lips any longer, Eren placed a brief kiss on them, but Levi couldn't hold it for long as his panting grew heavier. Instead, Eren snuggled closer to him, and placed a series of kisses on his forehead, eyelids and cheeks, nuzzling him intermittently.

He praised, "You're doing so well right now. I know I keep telling you you're beautiful, but holy shit, Levi…"

"You make me feel beautiful," Levi admitted, "That's a debt I'll never be able- mmm –be able to repay. E-Eren…Eren…"

Eren carefully removed Levi's length from inside of his underwear, stroking it more quickly and marveling at how hot and heavy it was in his palm. He then leaned down and sucked lightly on the skin of that creamy, vulnerable throat, feeling Levi's vocal chords vibrate beneath his lips as he moaned lightly and his Adam's apple bob under his tongue as he swallowed.

"Eren," he whispered helplessly, "I-I'm, I"-

"It's okay," the boy said with a kiss to his cheek, "I'm right here. I've got you."

Eren sped up his hand, and that was all it took for Levi's spine to bow and a series of sharp, short moans to escape him, before the boy felt a warm wetness dribble down his hand and wrist. Levi immediately buried his face in Eren's neck, whimpering quietly and shaking gently, and Eren set to pressing several kisses in his hair to comfort him. He whispered to him what a great job he did, how pretty he was, and how Eren would always be there to take care of him no matter what.

"I'll always be here," Eren assured him, "You'll never be alone again. I promise."

"Thank you," Levi mumbled against his neck, and he cuddled as close as he possibly could, drinking in the boy and his comfort and wondering how he had survived so long without it. He had grown so dependent on Eren for so many things, which he knew was dangerous, but it was too late. Eren was here, in his veins, mingled in with his bones and blood and curled up in his heart, and he wasn't going anywhere any time soon. And he knew the boy didn't have a problem with that.

After a few minutes where they lay there and allowed Levi's heart to slow down, Eren finally asked, "You alright now?"

Levi nodded, still not taking his face out of his neck, and said, "Mmm, fine."

"Okay. I'm going to get up and eat then"-

"Oh no you don't."

Levi sat up and pulled Eren closer to him, before flipping them over so that Eren was underneath him, Levi's hands on either side of his head. The boy blinked in surprise at the sudden change in their positions, before he raised an eyebrow and smirked suggestively.

"Oh yeah?" he asked, "Is this how it's going to be?"

"You bet it is," Levi answered with confidence, reaching down to pat the side of Eren's behind, and then reached forward to carefully grab him by the groin, "You think I didn't feel how hard you were from getting me off? You're not leaving this bed until this is taken care of."

"I'm not, am I?"

"Nope. You've, like you said, made me hungry for you now."

Eren's snort of amusement quickly turned into a gasp of pleasure as Levi set to repay him in full.

000

Later that afternoon, they made the quick trek over to Petra's for Eren's appointment, both of them mourning the fact that it was now too cold to walk over. However, Levi told him it was just something to look forward to next year, and Eren agreed with him.

"Oh!" Eren exclaimed suddenly right before they pulled into Petra's driveway, "I almost forgot, I already went out and got your Christmas present. And your birthday one."

Levi rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. "Eren, it's not even December yet, you didn't have to"-

"Too late, I already did," he said with a definitive nod, "I was too excited. Ugh, you're going to love your presents, I can't wait to see how you react when you open them."

Levi shook his head, and said, "I'm sure I'll love them. If it makes you feel any better, I also already have your Christmas presents for you, and I'm sure you'll love them too."

"Great, now you have me all excited," Eren pouted, "Can't you give me a hint?"

"Nope. No hints."

"Leviiii…"

"No, you'll survive until December, you whiny baby. I'm not ruining the surprise."

"I wasn't the whiny baby this morning. That was most definitely you, sir."

Levi scoffed and pulled into Petra's driveway, pulling Eren's hood over his eyes playfully once he put the car in park. Eren quickly pulled the hood off, snickering to himself, and the two of them put quickly put on the facades that they always did when they went over to Petra's, or to the doctor's to see Hanji. Neither of them liked pretending that they were nothing more than friends in front of the other members of the Wings of Freedom, but if that's what it took for them to stay together, than they figured they'd survive. So as much as Eren would like to take Levi by the hand as they walked up the driveway, he refrained, and acted as naturally as possible while they stood in front her door and waited for her to answer it once Levi rang the doorbell.

Not a moment later, Petra was there opening the door for them, however her usual smile was lacking replaced instead by a grimace of pain that both of the two men noticed. When she let them in, Levi immediately asked what was wrong as he removed his coat and took Eren's as well.

"Oh, nothing too serious," she said with a wave of her hand, "I just slipped at the end of the driveway while getting the mail from the mail box. Didn't see a patch of black ice. Went to see Hanji this morning, she said I just bruised my knee really good, nothing is broken though. I just need to keep ice on it which…oh, shoot."

"What's wrong?" Eren asked as he took off his shoes.

"My ice packs are all in my freezer," Petra explained, "And that's in the basement. I don't dare try to handle stairs at the moment either."

"I can get them," the boy offered.

"Oh honey, you don't have to, I know basements make you nervous."

Eren shrugged. "Not too much anymore. Levi's doesn't. I think I can handle it, and if I can't, I'll call Levi down to take care of it."

"Well, alright," Petra said, "If you're sure. Basement is in through the garage. There's a light switch off to your left as soon as you open the door, and the freezer is at the bottom of the stairs."

"Big white container, easily big enough to hold a body if Petra ever decided she wanted to switch careers," Levi added.

She rolled her eyes at him as Eren nodded and headed off, going through the kitchen which he knew led to the garage, and then the basement beyond. He held himself, rubbing his hands against his upper arms as the cold settled in briefly, and he hurried to yank the old basement door open, greeted by the sound of water rushing through the pipes and the sound of the running furnace. Eren then felt around for the light switch before flicking it on. Just as Petra said, the freezer lay just beyond the bottom of the stairs, right out of the range of the light. Still, the old, stone basement had a creepy aura about it that seemed to send a shiver down Eren's spine, and he decided he didn't want to linger any longer than he had to.

Carefully, Eren picked his way down the stairs and stopped in front of the freezer, where he then set to struggle with a heavy lid for a moment. Once he lifted it, he gave himself a mental pat on the back, before he bent over the freezer and began pushing aside Petra's frozen meats to look for a couple of usable ice packs.

However, the longer he took, the more inexplicably nervous he became, the hair standing up on the back of his neck, and he shook himself, telling himself he was being ridiculous. There was no danger here. Levi and Petra were literally only a couple of doors away.

Suddenly the sound of the water rushing through the pipes grew louder, and the furnace gave a stuttering bang, making Eren jolt where he stood and his breath quicken in his chest. His mind began to race, too fast for the boy to keep up, and soon he began to lose control of his thoughts.

"You fucking whore," Nile growled from behind him, yanking Eren's head back by the roots of his hair as he pounded into him, "Stop crying. I don't care if it hurts. You fucking deserve it. You don't deserve the food I shove down your miserable throat, or the roof I put over your head. You don't deserve a damn decent thing except pain, you hear me? I don't want to hear you say you deserve anything ever again."

Eren's tears continued to run down his face, even when Nile let go, and he buried his face against the concrete wall, helpless to fight back. The water from the pipes rushing overhead as the laundry was run through was his only companion, and it ignored his plight.

Eren pressed the heel of his hand over one eye, groaning in sudden terror. He could feel himself backing away from the freezer as adrenaline rapidly began to flood his system, his body urging him to run away from the danger.

The furnace banged, indicating that it was running at full speed. And course it was, it was the middle of January. Eren had bitten Nile's dick hard enough to draw blood, weak in body but furious in spirit. It was a moment of defiance he'd soon regret.

"You think that's funny, do you?" Nile had taunted as he pushed Eren towards the furnace, now just a few feet away, and even from that distance Eren could feel its searing heat. "You won't be laughing in a minute."

Eren struggled as valiantly as he could, but he was so malnourished that it had little effect, and he was soon forced against the furnace, Nile pulling him forward by the penis and pressing the tip of it against the burning hot furnace.

Eren's screams of agony rang out in the basement, followed up by Nile's rough demands of, "Cry, you bitch! Tell me it hurts! Beg for me to stop. Beg me, damn you!"

And the boy had had no choice but to comply.

Eren jumped as the furnace banged again, and he gripped both sides of his head, feeling every one of his limbs shaking and his breast panging painfully with the adrenaline rushing through him. He felt weak and dizzy, terrified and overwhelmed, deciding he needed to get upstairs as quickly as possible. Levi and Petra were there, they would protect him. They'd soothe him and make the flashbacks stop. Levi would hold him close, hold him so tightly he wouldn't be able to breathe, and his smooth, deep voice would chase them away. His scent would fill his head and push out his demons until Levi filled his head once more. Levi would keep him safe. Levi would…Levi…

"Look at that, I trained the pig well, didn't I?" Nile said to his friends. They were in the living room now, and there were three other men, all casually lounging on couches while they waited for the spectacle to begin.

Eren trembled as Nile's dog circled around him, sniffing him, pressing his nose into the area where Nile had rubbed the hormones onto him a few moments earlier. Eren couldn't smell them at all, but according to Nile they were meant to mimic the smell of a dog in heat, and the boy was currently locked into a mating brace that was apparently used to force two dogs to mate. His wrists and ankles were chained, and he didn't have a chance of escaping. Every single one of the men was in a position so that they were clearly face to face with his bared rear, which was hoisted into the air by the brace, and despite himself, Eren felt his cheeks flooding with heat while his eyes filled with tears.

However, the tears only increased when he felt the dog mount him from behind, and Eren yipped from the discomfort that followed, openly sobbing with revulsion and humiliation. It just kept going and going, the men behind him groaning at the sight, Nile even readjusting his dog back into position when he slipped out of Eren.

"That's right, sit there and take it," Nile growled at him, "Take everything that dog gives you. You're beneath him. You're nothing but a toy, you know that? A filthy fucking toy. You're just a good hole to fuck and that's all you'll ever be."

Eren felt himself collapse to the floor, his legs giving out from underneath him. He still wanted to escape, needed to, but the panic had forced him to freeze up. How was he supposed to escape his mind anyway? It was painful, so painful, and he tried calling for help, but his voice was so weak and scared, the volume swept away into the undertow of his terror.

"Petra," he rasped, "L-Levi. Levi, help. Help me, I can't..."

He was slipping. He could feel himself slipping further and further away from the world he loved and being plunged back into the world he despised, the world he had been trying to so hard to eradicate from his mind. He kept trying to make his voice louder, but it wouldn't rise past a pathetic squeak. His visions were dragging him down, further and further, Nile's voice, the pain, the blood, the humiliation, all seeking to pull him away from the people he loved. Eren tried to fight, tried to keep Levi's face in his mind, but it was swept away out of his reach, and he was alone. Always alone.

Eren was wrong. His love for Levi wasn't stronger than his fear of Nile.

Back in the house, after almost fifteen minutes had passed, Levi and Petra had begun to grow worried, and Levi made the decision to go after him while Petra followed him to the kitchen and waited by the doorway, unwilling to go down the steps that led into the garage. The light was still on, so Eren was still down here, but Levi didn't hear anything, and didn't see the boy at first.

"Eren?" he called as he began to descend the stairs, "Hey kid, you alright?"

There was no answering call, and that was when Levi began to grow nervous. He raced down the stairs, calling the boy's name again, trying to keep calm. He couldn't afford to assume the worst, couldn't afford to panic. Eren had been doing find for so long, he was fine. Maybe he had just stupidly gotten lost, or distracted. He was okay, Levi would find him and he'd be okay, abashed and apologetic for making him worry, but okay. He was okay.

As soon as Levi heard the gut wrenching, pained sob, followed by the sickening squelch of blood against bone, he knew he wasn't okay. And then he caught sight of him in the mellow light cast by the old lightbulb imbedded in the fixture above their heads, saw his wide, terrified, unseeing eyes, saw that he had sunk his teeth into his hand and that blood was running down his wrist, and it was confirmed.

"Eren!" he shouted, and raced for him. He didn't give himself time to think, he just acted. "Eren no, let go! Don't do this!"

He knelt beside the boy, quickly tried to evaluate the best course of action. Last time this had happened, Eren had slowly responded to Levi's voice and come out of whatever dark world he was trapped in, letting go of his hand on his own. So, for a while, he tried that, patting the side of Eren's face and trying to bring him back.

"Eren come on, it's me," Levi said, trying to keep the panic out of his voice and attempting to keep his tone as gentle as possible, "I'm right here. I found you. You're not there anymore, you're here with me. I won't let anything happen to you. Please let go, Eren. It'll be okay. I'll make it okay, I always do, don't I?"

However, to Levi's horror, he wasn't responding. From the distant, glassy look in his eyes, he definitely wasn't in their world anymore, and was instead lost in the world of his own mind, more so than last time. This wasn't going to work. But he couldn't simply yank his hand from his mouth, or he might do more harm than good, might cause further tearing to that delicate flesh. So Levi did the next best thing he could think of: he reached up and tried to slip his fingers inside of Eren's mouth, to get them in between his teeth and hopefully open up his mouth enough to dislodge his hand. But the boy's body was being powered by adrenaline, making him extremely strong and therefore making his task more difficult. Levi wasn't going to give up though.

"Come on, kid," he grunted, his hands beginning to shake and his arms doing the same, though he didn't know if that was from his own exertions or panic, "Let go. Please don't do this to yourself. Believe me when I say I'm trying to help, and that you need to let go."

For a few moments, Eren did nothing, and suddenly his jaw opened the tiniest amount, and his grip on his hand with his teeth loosened fractionally. Perhaps he was listening to Levi, or perhaps he felt Levi's fingers in his mouth and was actively trying not to hurt him, either way proving that he wasn't all the way gone. Encouraged, Levi slid his fingers in a little further.

"That's it," he said encouragingly, "You can do it. Just a little more. Come on, Eren. I know you can do it. You're stronger than this, I know you know that. Please, kid. Let go."

Finally, after several, drawn out, agonizing moments, Eren at last loosened his grip all the way, and Levi wasted no time in pulling his hand out of his mouth and trying to staunch the sluggish blood flow with his own shirt, wrapping up his hand up by bunching it around the bottom. He saw Eren sway slightly, but otherwise the boy's eyes remained unseeing, though dull now instead of overly shiny. Levi wasn't even sure if he was fully conscious anymore.

"Petra!" he called up the stairs, "Get your car running! Eren hurt himself, we need to get him to the hospital!"

The returning "Okay!" from the kitchen, followed by the retreat of footsteps, and a few moments later the sound of a car being started, calmed Levi just slightly. He was happy Petra hadn't wasted asking time what was wrong, as it was more important that they get going as soon as possible and get Eren help.

In fact, so concerned was he with getting help, he completely forgot about the true significance of the action Eren preformed and consequences it might inspire. Instead, he held the boy tightly against him as he carried him up the stairs, his hand still bunched in Levi's shirt the older man holding him in the back seat for the entire drive. For now, he was far too concerned about Eren's safety to remember the promise Petra had made to Erwin, or think about the possibility that his world might crash around him.

And indeed, it appeared that their castle was soon to come crashing down around them, though only time would tell, and for now, Levi would keep holding Eren just like always and do the only thing he could: hope.

A/N: Chapter title means "the fall."