Originally this story was supposed to be ten chapters. Short and sweet. To the point. YES. I KNOW. I'm those people that DO NOT PLAN and then suddenly find themselves stuck in that scenario of- "Wait. I have to write fifty thousand words in order for this specific scene to make sense in my brain." Yeah. You know what I'm saying?

So that's what happened. *single tear runs down cheek dramatically*

But I SERIOUSLY hope that my one hundred thousand words of content did not deter you too much to get to where we are right now.

Now... From here on out, I promise to love Levi and spoil him dearly.

*SMILES*

Trust me.

~Sum-Won~

CHAPTER 26: TOO DIFFERENT

The clock is ticking.

Ticking.

Ticking...

Ticking off the Captain with every single movement it makes to the next second. Levi flipped through the thick stack of papers in his hand, a document inquiring on the oiling of their past gears. Levi wondered if perhaps the Court was out to merely make him suffer even more now that there were no titans possibly feasting in their backyards. The elusive grammar and teeth-grinding vocabulary of the paper made Levi mentally groan as he placed the pile down onto his desk with a loud smack. Leaning over onto an arm, Humanity's Strongest glanced to the side in order to see three more stacks of unread reports and requests from the Capital. Levi knew that he had finished every little scrap of paper before the group had left for the expedition. However, during the week that they had been gone, the Capital had felt no remorse or urge to sprinkle at least a little bit of mercy on the French man.

What a pain...

But of course, it was Levi's duty after all... As Hange had stated when she had grind down on him in learning how to read (upon Levi entering the scouts long ago...)

Every letter is a possible opportunity to bring even more funding to the Legion Scouts.

Of course in the Captain's head, all he could think about was grinding that stupid eccentric into a pile of dry sand. The amount of effort put into the paperwork in order to merely communicate gave rise to maybe only five to ten percent responses of interest.

A light knock came from his door suddenly.

"What do you want?" gritted out Levi as he rolled up one of his finished reports in his hand.

A questioning voice echoed from the other side, "Should I come another time?"

Levi froze in his desk.

It's Eren...

Contemplating over everything that had happened between them, Levi wasn't sure if he wanted to see Eren so soon... The Captain was still attempting to mentally recover from all that he had experienced the day before. However, Levi also felt that if he postponed their meeting by dismissing the younger man, Eren might deem that as a rejection to opening the topic of whatever it was they had between them up again...

"No. Hold on," commanded the Captain as he left his desk and approached the door to his office.

Unlocking the latch, Levi did not look at his subordinate and instead turned away. Merely gesturing with a wave over the shoulder to come in, Levi approached his desk again. But instead of settling back into his paperwork, the older man paused at the side of the wooden furniture. The sound of the entrance to his room being closed and lock re latched again made Levi turn around to face his subordinate. The brunet's eyes did not meet the Captain's own as he slowly walked over to the older man's desk.

"You need help?" Eren asked offhandedly.

Levi tilted his head to the side, assessing the physical profile of the brunet.

After a drawn out pause, Levi simply answered, "Why not?"

The two eventually moved the pile of papers towards the center of the room where a small coffee table stood surrounded by four stubby wooden stools. Working through each packet with disinterest, Levi glimpsed up from the papers in his hands from time to time. The brunet seemed calm, intent on reading the reports in his hands and writing out the answer necessary to complete them. Even as the hours flew by though, only a good quarter of the reports were even qualified to being stamped and sealed as finished. Levi got up from where they were seated and began making some tea to sooth their throbbing brains and aching wrist. Taking a break, Levi leaned back and sipped on his drink with ease as Eren continued to work on the paper in his hand.

"This...," Humanity's Strongest suddenly began, breaking the calm silence.

Eren did not stop scribbling on his piece of parchment though.

Levi's eyes settled on Eren as he continued, "This isn't what you came to meet me for, is it?"

The brunet paused abruptly, but did not look up.

"Will you..." began the brunet softly.

Eren's green orbs continued to linger on the papers on the table as he eased his hand away from his pen. The brunet exhaled softly as he sat up, fixing his posture slowly. After a few minutes of contemplating, Eren finally looked up to meet the Captain's gaze.

"Will you forgive me?" asked Eren, almost in a feeble whisper.

Levi brought up a hand to pinch at the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes in irritation.

"Eren," addressed the French man sternly as he set down the drink in his other hand.

The subordinate jumped slightly.

"Why did you do it?"

The German male took in a breath and responded, "B-because... Because there was no other way."

"No other way...?" Levi pushed on calmly.

Eren scowled at the ground as a pout began to form on his face.

"There was no other way to save you! There was the blizzard and we were stuck- and then you wouldn't wake up. And- shit. Your clothes were frozen, then bleeding. Yeah. Bleeding. You bled cause your skin, and then-"

A hand came to firmly cover Eren's sputtering lips suddenly. The brunet blinked in surprise as he saw his Captain lean from across the table with an expressionless face. The German male could feel the curve of each of Levi's fingers, the concavity of his palms against his face. The tough and scorched skin that had time after time held onto silver blades of survival and glory. Strangely, Eren couldn't remember ever realizing how worn out the French man's hands were- even when they had been attempting to survive that cold blizzarding night. Perhaps, Eren had been too flustered at the possibility of the Captain dying to pay attention.

"Then why is there a need to forgive, hm?" asked Humanity's Strongest with soft eyes as his hand slipped away from the younger man.

But sadly, no relief came from the older man's answer.

"But I...," stammered Eren in disbelief at how easily the older man had dismissed his punishment, "But what I did..."

"What you did was save me. Should I forgive you for saving me then?" huffed the older man with a scrunch of brows, "Or do you feel guilty because you had intended to save me- but you took advantage of me while doing so?"

Eren stood up, knocking over the stool beneath him in utter shock and disgust, "No! I would never, sir!"

"There's your answer then," finished the older man simply as he gathered the papers on his side of the table into a neat pile.

The Captain stood up in order to put the papers away. The brunet sat there silently, not making a move to get up nor to progress on Levi's paperwork. With a tired expressioni, the German slumped in his seat.

"I'm sorry," murmured Eren under his breath.

Levi turned around with an arching brow as he placed the papers in his hands down onto his desk.

"What for?" questioned the French soldier.

Eren responded sluggishly as if not registering what he had just said, "Well..."

"Well?" pushed Levi impatiently.

"I...," the German male chewed on his upper lip nervously, "I suddenly thought... I wish you'd forgive them just as easily."

Levi's profile stiffened immediately upon hearing Eren's words.

"You...," whispered Levi in horror as his eyes settled back on the younger man.

Eren felt the hair on his back suddenly stand.

The older man approached the standing soldier with a swiftly darkening gaze, "You- What have you done?"

The brunet took a cautious step back.

"I...," began the ex-shifter hesitantly.

"You forgave them?" murmured the Captain in utter shock, "You..."

The raven head paused as a scoffing chuckle escaped his lips.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" spat the Captain as he waved a firm hand gesturing towards Eren's body, "Are you fucking kidding me? Is this a joke to you? Is it?!"

Eren stood took a step forward, "Of course not sir! But... But this was a decision that I made on my own. And... And I have my reasons, sir."

"No," retorted the Captain with a disgusted expression, "You don't understand a flying fuck about this if it was as simple as tha-"

"It wasn't!" yelled out the brunet as his green eyes narrowed on Levi's face, "I thought about it... FOR A LONG TIME, sir. Even before it happened."

"What?" scowled Humanity's Strongest as he gritted his teeth, "What the fuck do you mean you thought about it, even before it happened? How does that even making any damn sense?"

Eren took in a trembling breath as he turned away and answered, "I already made the decision to forgive and support this person even before any of this happened. I don't hate them because of what they did-"

"Because they're someone you know, aren't they?" gritted out Levi as he paced forward to take hold of Eren and spin the ex-shifter around to face him, "It's because it's someone in OUR squad, isn't it?"

Eren could only continue to stare on at the older man's face, morphed into the very emotions that seemed to suddenly be so foreign.

"It's because it's someone who's RIGHT HERE in this building, isn't it?!" shouted the Captain as his voice echoed in the room.

Eren swallowed with a sorrow stricken face, his profile shaken by the intensity of Levi's accusations. A pause seemed to cut into the two's straining bodies as the words that the Captain just said began to sink in.

"You know?" gasped Eren, unsure.

Levi huffed angrily but surprisingly muttered out a growling, "No."

The brunet looked down at his feet.

"They'll tell you when they're ready," said the ex-shifter with a sad smile.

Levi slowly distanced himself from Eren with a hiss, "When they're ready? I don't FUCKING care if they're READY. Were you fucking ready when they-"

Humanity's Strongest bit his tongue before anymore words could escape.

He knew that his words would only hurt Eren even more...

"I can't believe this...," hissed the older man as his eyes settled on Eren's profile, "I can't believe this shit..."

The brunet swallowed fearfully.

"I can't believe you," snapped the older man as he approached his desk and sat down.

"Sir," began the brunet again, "It's as you said, we're different. But..."

Eren took a shaking inhale as he continued, "But I just-"

"I. WILL. NOT," snarled Levi, punctuating each word with bone grinding intensity, "FORGIVE!"

Eren could only look on at Humanity's Strongest with a broken smile.

The brunet felt his heart shaking...

His breathing coming out uneven.

A resolve in the German male unknown to Humanity's Strongest shattered...

"Right...," murmured the brunet weakly as he looked away as if in defeat.

"Right," repeated Eren again as his form began to shrink away, "I'm sorry..."

The brunet inhaled, "I'm sorry, sir."

Levi did not look up at the brunet as Eren began to dismiss himself from the room by walking towards the door reluctantly. Levi buried his face into the palm of his hands as Eren reached for the door handle.

How could this happen?

Levi felt his whole entire body shake in utter distraught.

How could this be?

Why was Eren always distancing himself, choosing a path diverging from Levi's own?

Why couldn't they ever agree on anything anymore?

The fifteen year old Eren that used to always follow his back like a damn dog...

It was true that Levi loved the quality of the brunet that made him so very independent, but it felt as if the brunet was disappearing from his side faster than he had ever realized.

If Eren had already forgiven the person that hurt him, where in the world where Levi thrust his feelings of hate and despair?

There was no place to satisfyingly release the bitter and swelling emotions of utter loathing in Levi anymore... Not with the brunet letting all of this go.

"Why...," began Humanity's Strongest with a deep shaking voice making the brunet pause.

"How can you do that so easily...?" muttered the older man bitterly, "How can you let this go... So. Damn. Easily?"

A quiet calmness filled the room as Humanity's Strongest waited for an answer.

"If I did that to you. If I didn't mean to heal you at all... If I had taken advantage of you," responded Eren brokenly, "Would you..."

Eren turned only his head to gesture at the anger emanating from the older man.

"Would you have felt this way towards me as well?"

Levi could not answer.

Not because he didn't have an answer.

No.

But because the sound of the door opening dismissed their conversation. The French soldier forced himself to look up and caught sight of Armin standing outside the door expectantly as Eren stepped into the hallway.

"Is everything alright?" inquired Armin hesitantly as he quickly glanced between the two.

Levi could only see the ex-shifter's drooping shoulders now.

"Yeah."

But the older man was sure that Eren was giving the blond a reassuring smile. A smile that Levi could barely remember anymore... It felt like everything between Levi and Eren was crumbling. The conclusion to their conversation felt like something was crushing the Captain's chest, making his lungs seem as if they would collapse at any second.

He had to say something.

Levi had to do something.

Surely, their talk couldn't end so abruptly like this, could it?

"It's cold, isn't it?"

Armin glanced at the Captain nervously with a questioning brow, "Ah, what was that sir?"

"It's cold down there in the dungeon, isn't it Eren?"

Sadly, the brunet did not turn around to acknowledge the older man.

Levi's eyes bore into the younger man's back intently, "Blankets."

Armin glanced at his friend, unsure of what to do.

"I'll bring them tonight before you go to bed," finished Levi reluctantly.

"Yes, sir," Eren responded reluctantly in a tone much too quite.

And then the two were gone, leaving the bitter man to muse over his misgivings...

"Le...vi...l...evi...Lev...i..."

The Captain groaned as he felt something poke at his cheek.

Another poke.

Another.

And another...

"LEVI!"

The raven head flung a hand out striking spontaneously as he opened his heavy lids reluctantly.

Hange cried out dramatically as she raised a hand to her rub at the spot that Levi had hit.

"Dear Maria! When were you going to wake up, clean freak!" whined the eccentric.

"Feel like shit..." groaned the older man as he rubbed at his head feeling a swelling headache begin to bloom at his temple.

"I was going to go check on Erwin, but then I saw that your light was still on," explained the eccentric with a sigh as she leaned back with arms crossed, "Did you get everything done?"

Levi hissed as he pulled his hand away from his face and the light met his dull and tired eyes, "As much as I could, four eyes. There's still so much to do though... Shit."

Hange laughed, "It's alright. Thing always get worser before they get better, right?"

The Captain cursed as he realized that he had fallen asleep on an unfinished report and smeared the undry ink while asleep.

"So...," drawled Hange as she glanced at the tired raven head, "I saw Eren before he went to his dungeon... He seemed... Off."

Levi stiffened at the mention of Eren.

"Ah, fuck...," murmured Levi as he got up from his desk and began to approach a small closet at the corner of the room, "What time is it?"

Hange's eyes widened curiously, "Three in the morning, why?"

"And you're here? Fuck... You're the worst..." mumbled Levi drowsily.

The Captain clicked his tongue as he opened the the doors and pulled out a heavy cotton blanket, "Instead of lecturing me about taking care of my men, here you go."

Before the female scientist could protest, the puffy blanket was thrown into her arms.

"H-hey! Hold up, Levi!" cried out the eccentric.

But Levi only ushered her towards the exit of his room hurriedly. Strangely enough, Hange had left the door open upon entering it seemed.

The Captain grunted, "Don't think I didn't know what you were up to, four eyes. Make yourself useful and bring these down to Eren."

"Come on, Levi!" yelped Hange as she was shoved out of the French soldier's room and into the hallway reluctantly, "I've only just gotten here and you're already kicking me out?!"

"Ugh, shut it," hissed the raven head as he began to close the door.

With only a head sticking out he spat, "Why are you so annoying?"

"I'm not annoying!" argued the eccentric as she rolled her eyes melodramatically.

Spinning around with a unnecessarily hurt huff, Hange declared out loudly, "Fine! See if I care to check up on you again!"

"Do whatever," muttered Levi as he was just about to close the door.

However, the sharp and far off sound of metal scraping stone suddenly began to echo from down the hall, catching the French man's attention. Though turned away, Hange seemed to have froze where she was standing.

"Four eyes?" questioned Levi quietly.

However, Hange did not look at him and instead kept her eyes focused at the end of the hall.

"Mi...," began the eccentric seemingly aghast, "...kasa?"

That's when Levi noticed the silhouette of the female soldier in the far off distance.

Hange suddenly stepped back with face becoming very stern.

Mikasa stood at the end of the hall with her head hanging low, allowing the silky strands that littered her brow to silhouette her hollow eyes. With the faint glow of the candles that occupied the turning corners of the pathway outlining her figure from afar, the Captain and eccentric froze.

Her steps were deliberately paced—sluggish so that each and every click of her heel echoed throughout the hall way. There wasn't a single word uttered from her lips, as the raven head's pale complexion contrasted with the red stains seeping down her sleeves complimenting her scarf.

"Captain Levi…"

Her voice was airy, almost like a whisper in the wind as she continued to close the distance that stretched between them.

"Finally, mine," she stated.

The Captain's ears perked at the statement. However, his gaze remained un-phased— expressionless.

At first it was a soft whistle transforming slowly with each shake of her shoulder into a cackle—no.

Perhaps it was better suited to say it was a half attempt at a giggle that had been drawn out too long.

Mikasa's laugh stretched as she tilted her head to the side pulling the blade occupying her hand up to the level of her jaw.

"Eren… Is… All mine now," Mikasa breathed, a ghostly smirk gliding under her cheekbone.

The Captain's hand instinctively flew to his side—his personal dagger at hand. Mikasa was close now, a mere two or three yards away from where the French soldier and female scientist stood.

Something...

Something wasn't right.

"Mikasa Ackerman, step down," stated the Captain sternly, his chest leaning forward and prepared to react at any moment.

The female warrior came to an abrupt stop. Her smile fell but her blade stayed positioned near her head as she seemed to playfully survey the dark red crusting its edges. As she turned the long sheet of metal in order to see how well the blood had dried, she let her gaze drift away from the shorter man in front of her.

"Captain…. You know I love Eren… right?" whispered Mikasa affectionately.

The head soldier did not answer but continued to glare at the first class soldier in front of him, his body stiff and ready to mobilize.

"But it's too bad. His heart was elsewhere… As it always had been," sighed the female soldier longingly as she looked passed the Captain into the dark hallways dimly lit by waxed candles.

Levi listened intently catching onto the way she used the pass tense to refer to her savior Eren that had brought her into his family.

"I'm sure he's happier now," spoke Mikasa as her gaze shifted back to the French soldier.

The female warrior's eyes hardened as she gave out a soft giggle waving her blade around like a toy. The way the raven head said that last sentence snapped at a nerve in the French soldier. The Captain waited no more as he lunged forward swift and low, attempting to strike Mikasa with the edge of his blade. However, he missed as Mikasa swung away from him to the side, stepping back with ease.

"What's wrong, Captain?" laughed the girl as she steadied herself with the back of her heels, "Cat got your tongue?"

Levi gave a soft huff in frustration, "What's happened to the brat?"

The raven head's face suddenly became stale, her eyes glazed for a second as she shuffled to the side. The green cape that fell over her shoulders was cast to the ground with quick precision. As the tapestry fell to the floor, pooling at her feet, Mikasa dragged something out from behind her waist. From the faint glow of the candles, the girl unraveled a long object that had been wrapped in thick layers of dirty linen.

"What are you—," but the French soldier's words were lost as his eyes came to realize what it was that laid limp, positioned horizontally in Mikasa's palms.

It was pale and loose as the dirt stained cloth fell off and flew to the stone ground. The surface of the object was bruised and battered with scabs forming where cuts had been made. With the flesh having turned pale, a tint of purple followed the veins that blood once ran through as Mikasa pulled the end of the mutilated arm up to her face. She kissed each bloody fingertip softly as if the person was still alive and would at any moment reject her unyielding affection.

The Captain's brows twitched slightly—disgust at the fact that the girl had the audacity to treat such a thing so lovingly. And yet part of the man's heart throbbed slightly at the possible indication Mikasa was making.

"Where is the brat?" the Captain's voice raised with impatience.

Mikasa slowly looked up from the limb she was holding staring straight into the chips of ice of the Captain's. Delicately, the girl pushed each of the cold stiff fingers of the limb down as if counting like a child until just the index finger and thumb stood up. Turning the severed arm slowly in her grasp, the raven head opened her mouth as she positioned the cut off arm just blow her chin.

With the crimson stained fingers of the limb pointing straight at her lips, the girl opened her mouth wide so that the Captain could see every single one of her damn straight teeth glistening with saliva in the dim light.

"Right here."

CHAPTER 27 PREVIEW:

"We're going to see the ocean," whispered Eren.

"Of course," responded Levi as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.