Disclaimer: I own none of the characters!
Eren was not allowed to touch the bodies. He was only instructed on how to clean up the blood. How to get the sticky liquid off the wood floors so that it left no residue. Levi was the one to tend to the bodies, putting towels under what was left of their heads. The blood was caught, preventing more from spilling on to the floors.
Eren followed Levi's orders carefully. He cleaned the floors in the bedroom and in the living room, careful not to let the blood splash onto the carpet. Even when there was a knock at the door, Eren did not stop. He was told not to answer the door, under any circumstance, and to stay quiet.
The knocking stopped and Levi's phone soon went off. Eren watched him leave a body, pick up his phone and then walk over to the door. Eren sat up as he heard Irwin's voice and the door close.
"What exactly happened—oh."
Irwin's question was answered as he walked into the living room. Eren waved as Irwin dropped his heavy coat in Levi's arms. Levi went to put it away and Irwin walked over to where Eren sat to examine the bodies.
Eren wrinkled his nose. He didn't like the casual way Irwin had thrown his coat on Levi, like he was a coat rack. He didn't like that Irwin just assumed Levi would put the coat away. It was a small, meaningless gesture and Eren knew he shouldn't dwell on something so stupid.
Especially at a time like this.
"So you were ambushed," Irwin said, picking through the pockets on one of the bodies. Levi sauntered over and tapped the coffee table.
"Yes," Levi said. "And here's all the things they were carrying on them."
Irwin looked up and to the table. He sank into the armchair and started to rummage through the articles on the table, turning the cards over in his hands. Eren leaned against the bucket, watching the two of them.
"What will happen now?" Eren asked. "Where will the bodies go? Are you two going to get a hacksaw and acid?"
"What the fuck, Eren?" Levi hissed. "Do you know how completely unsanitary that is? And the stench is awful."
"Oh…"
"We'll get the bodies to Hanji," Irwin informed. "They'll be her responsibility from there. Levi, do you have any coffee made?"
Levi sighed. "Is that your way of asking for coffee now?"
"If it's not too much trouble."
Levi tapped his fingers on the arm of the sofa before pushing himself to his feet. Another small burst of anger hit Eren. Now Irwin was asking for coffee? Eren hated that even more.
"Eren," Levi said softly, "would you like something to drink while I'm up? I can make you hot chocolate. It is Christmas after all."
"Oh yeah…," Eren mumbled. "No thank you, Levi…"
"It is Christmas," Irwin added. "Hanji and I will have to take you out for drinks later, Levi."
"Maybe tomorrow," Levi said. "Look over that pile of shit there, Irwin. See what you can find."
Eren kept cleaning until he was satisfied with his work. He took the bucket and cleaning supplies into the hall bathroom and left it by the shower, to be properly disposed of. He didn't get that far in his cleaning lesson and didn't want to upset Levi by incorrectly disposing of it. He walked back into the living room and saw Levi sitting back on the sofa, a cup of coffee in his hand. But Irwin sat next to him, slowly drinking from his own mug, as they went over everything that had been in the attackers' pockets.
On the table, next to the cards and guns, was a canister of sugar and a used spoon. But next to that was a third mug, this one filled with whipped cream and crumbled candy canes.
Eren swallowed as Levi looked up. He patted the sofa next to him.
"Come sit down, Eren," Levi said. "I made you your hot chocolate because I know you'd eventually want it."
Eren couldn't help but smile. He walked around the coffee table and sat down by Levi, picking up his own drink. Levi dropped a hand behind him, resting it on the small of Eren's back. It a gentle, light gesture. It wasn't conspicuous. It wasn't loud. It was just there. A comforting contact that quickly eased Eren's nerves.
Nothing had stopped since the first gunshot. It was one thing after another. And everything was now slowing down and that small touch made the awful feeling in Eren's stomach dissipate.
He held in a smile, raising his mug to his lips and taking a little slip of his hot chocolate. He listened to Irwin and Levi talk, watched them look at the bloodied badges and read the names of the killers. Every one of them, judging from their identifications, was a worker of Hotel Titan. Each one had a gun on them, as well as a set of knives. Each one was equipped to kill.
"But I wonder who they were trying to kill," Levi said. "And perhaps…"
"What?" Irwin asked.
"They were all armed," Levi said, "and the one who attacked Eren could have killed him, isn't that right, Eren?"
Levi and Irwin were both looking at him. Eren nodded.
"I guess so…He did try though."
"After he dragged you off the bed," Levi said. "An attempt at possibly kidnapping you."
Eren's eyes widened a little. "B-But the knife—"
"You can stab someone without killing them. He could have been trying to get you injured enough to not fight," Levi continued. "The same with him choking you. It wouldn't have killed you, but it certainly would have made you faint."
"That's ridiculous," Eren said. "Why would they want me?"
"I'm curious about that myself," Irwin added. "I think their goal is you, Levi. You're the threat. And what better way to get to you than to snatch up your lover."
Levi winced at the comment. His fingers curled against Eren's back, as if the idea repulsed him. Eren slid closer, knocking his head against Levi's with an affectionate smile.
"It could be anything," Eren lightly said, despite the thought terrifying him.
"You shouldn't try to sugar coat this, Eren," Irwin sharply said, sipping his coffee. "We have to find logic in these attacks. Even if the logic isn't what we want to hear, it needs to be truthful. Yes, you being a possible target to get to Levi is an awful thought, but it could very well be the reason why you were almost kidnapped. You're a distraction and a soft spot for Levi. And they know it."
Eren swallowed, tightening his grip around his mug. Levi grabbed his shaking hand, rubbing it with the pad of his thumb.
"Eren's not a distraction," Levi snapped. "And it's not fair for you to put that sort of pressure on him. He's capable of taking care of himself."
"I am," Eren agreed, taking his hand back. He turned so he could better face Irwin. "I can take care of myself. I know how to fight and I can fire a gun if I need to. I don't need to be protected or babied. Levi doesn't need to watch me all the time. No one needs to watch me all the time. I may be new to all this…gun fighting and people trying to kill me thing, but I learn very fast."
Every word was punctuated. Every word was laced with a little too much force. But Eren was furious. He didn't want Levi taking up for him. He could easily defend himself. And he certainly didn't want Irwin looking at him like he was a distraction or a princess in need of being saved. He was neither.
"Eren, calm down," Levi sighed, patting him on the knee. Eren huffed and sat back against the sofa, snuggling behind Levi. "And Irwin, I know it's early but stop agitating. Call Hanji, and tell her about this mess. And then Auruo. I want him here with his truck to get these bodies to her as soon as possible. I don't want these fucking things decomposing on my living room floor."
Irwin reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone. Levi stood and pulled Eren to his feet.
"Where are you going?" Irwin asked.
"To have a quick word with Eren," Levi said, taking Eren to the kitchen. "Just make the fucking call already."
Eren was a little stunned by the awful tension between the two of them. He looked over at Irwin as Levi pushed him gently against the kitchen counter. He rubbed his temples and Eren tugged on the ends of his shirt.
"It'll be alright," Eren said.
"I know, I know. Eren, I don't want you to get upset, but I think you should go home."
"What? After all that you just said?!"
"Listen," Levi firmly said, holding his hands up. "Our Christmas morning was ruined. I'm sure you had some shit planned for today, but it just got ruined. I have to take care of this. I want you to go home, not worry about any of this, and spend Christmas with your family. We'll get back together tonight and go out to eat somewhere. You can even leave your stuff here, it doesn't matter, you're staying over again. Just…go home and let us get this shit cleaned up."
Eren huffed, folding his arms. He rolled his eyes as Levi rubbed gentle circles into his sides. The touch was relaxing but he was still upset.
"Can I at least wait until Auruo gets here?" Eren sighed. "I don't…I don't—"
"You don't want Irwin to be stuck with me. Alone."
Eren shuddered, biting his lip. He looked away, almost ashamed by his own silly jealousy. He shrugged and Levi pulled him close, stroking his messy hair.
"You have absolutely nothing to be afraid of. But if it makes you feel at ease, you can stay."
"Thanks…"
Levi smiled and patted Eren on the hip affectionately. Eren took it as a silent sign to "go put on some clothes" and he hurried off into their bedroom to change. He grimaced at the body still on the floor and reopened the door.
"Leviiiiiiiiii?"
"You're going to have to step over the body, Eren, I'm not moving it!"
Levi decided to drive Eren home as an apology. Irwin was left in the house to greet Auruo whenever he got there to clean up. Eren knew Levi trusted him to stay there alone. It made sense, they were sort of business partners. He still wanted to stay with Levi, until Auruo got there, but Eren settled for Levi driving him home.
"Are you alright?" Levi asked, starting the car. Eren nodded as he adjusted his seatbelt.
"I'm fine."
"Good. Here." Levi tossed two boxes into Eren's lap; both of which had been under the tree. "I want you to open these now."
"In the car?"
"Yes. I need to make sure you like it. I want you to wear it tonight."
Eren smiled and started to peel away wrapping paper and tape. He laughed. "So I'm wearing this later?"
"Yes," Levi said, "since our plans have changed and I'm taking you out tonight. I know this takes some of the surprise from the gifts but…whatever, just open the fucking thing already."
Eren grinned as he pulled out a silky blue tie from the first box. He handed the paper and box to Levi, running the tie between his fingers. It had a nice sheen to it as the light hit the blue and grey print. Eren set it aside to tackle the larger box in his lap, his grin fading and a look of awe replacing it.
"Is weird that I got you a tie too?" Eren asked, slipping off the paper.
"You shouldn't spend your money on me," Levi replied with a slight smile. "But that's sweet of you."
"You're hard to shop for, you know that? I had to ask Armin for—you bought me a full suit?!" Eren cried, pulling the coat from the box. He then grabbed the vest and the pants and brought it all to his chest, not caring that he was getting the suit wrinkled. "Levi, I know these things are expensive!"
"It's my money," Levi replied with a shrug. He raised his hand to Eren's head, ruffling his hair. "And I can spend it how I want. And I want to spend it on you."
"You're going to turn me into a spoiled brat."
"Good," Levi said with a smirk, pulling Eren close for a light kiss.
Explaining his reason for being home early was only difficult for Mikasa to grasp. Eren went with a very basic "Levi was called in to work" excuse (which wasn't completely untrue) which he thought was understandable. Armin didn't question it; he saw no fault and didn't try to find one with Levi going to work.
Mikasa, however, wanted to know exactly why.
"Who works on Christmas?"
"How could he suddenly have to come in when he already took off?"
"What does he do again?"
"Why does that require him to work on Christmas?"
"Why did you have a garter, Eren?" ("That's personal, Mikasa, but I'm sure you could guess…")
"Did Levi break up with you again?" ("Um…I think, Eren broke up with him," Armin whispered, though it fell on deaf ears.)
"Mikasa, it's really not that awful," Eren said. "He's taking me out later to make it up to me."
"That's nice of him," Armin happily said. "Where is he taking you?"
"Some place at the…Bellagio, I think," Eren replied. "That way we can watch the water show, too."
Armin sighed happily, his eyes big and dreamy. "That's an actual fairytale, Eren. It's so perfect."
"I'm sure something is going to go wrong," Eren said. "Something always does. But we manage to get it fixed."
"You'll probably end up spilling something on yourself," Mikasa said. "Or him. Probably him."
"Fuck, yeah…"
Eren dressed in the suit and even made sure his hair was decently combed through. He polished his dress shoes and Mikasa ironed his shirt for him, even helping him with his tie. Eren was all excitement and smiles on his way to the hotel.
He leaned against the edge of the walkway looking over the Bellagio water fountains. He felt the cool mist on his face as the water show ended. He looked down at his watch, which read eight-thirty, so he figured Levi had to be parking.
"Eren?"
The voice wasn't Levi's, but it was definitely familiar. Eren turned to see Reiner walking over, a smile on his face.
"What are you doing out so late? And on Christmas," Reiner teased, nudging Eren's shoulder. Eren nudged him back and the broad blond barely moved.
"Meeting my hot date out," Eren replied with a smug grin. "And you? Shouldn't you be home with Bert and Annie?"
Reiner held up a bag of food. "My turn for takeout duty. I was going to the bus stop and I saw you. I couldn't just walk by without saying hello."
"You're not going to get in trouble for being late with the food?" Eren asked, glancing down at his watch at the mention of "being late". Reiner chuckled and shrugged.
"A few minutes won't kill them. Is everything okay?" Reiner said, nodding his head at the watch on Eren's wrist. "Your date isn't standing you up, right?"
"No!" Eren cried. "He'll show up. He's probably parking. He always takes his car everywhere."
"He's one of those, huh?" Reiner said. "He better show. If not, I'll have to kick his ass."
The image actually made Eren wonder. Levi was small and trained to fight but Reiner was absolutely massive.
"I like his ass the way it is," Eren replied, sticking his tongue out. "So please, refrain from kicking it too hard."
The two of them laughed and Eren pulled out his phone. No missed calls or texts. He felt uneasy. He shouldn't feel uneasy, it was Christmas. It was Levi's birthday.
A firm hand on his shoulder made him look up.
"Hey, are you sure everything is okay?" Reiner asked again. "You're looking pale."
"N-No, I'm fine," Eren quickly said. He shook Reiner off. "He's just never this late. It's weird."
"Call him?"
Eren nodded and opened his phone. He started to go through his contacts, looking for Levi's name. There were suddenly lights. Red and blue and the awful, gut-wrenching sound of sirens. Eren stopped, gripping his phone, and watched the ambulance drive by on the street.
He swallowed and looked up to Reiner, his eyes glassy.
"No," Reiner said, "no, Eren, don't think like that."
Cop cars followed, flying down the street. Eren put his phone away. He had no words. His stomach was dropping and he had to know. Something wasn't right and he prayed and begged to every deity that he was wrong.
He ran down the street and disregarded the green light. Cars slid to a stop, honking at him as he darted over concrete, Reiner close behind him. He found the flashing lights and the crowd of people. The police were putting out yellow tape, pushing people back and out of the way. Eren shoved his way through the living wall of onlookers.
"Hey, kid, get back!" cried an officer, grabbing Eren by the arm.
"I'm with the S.I.D!" Eren shouted, pulling back. "Let me go!"
Reiner grabbed the officer, shaking him off Eren. The moment he was free, Eren ran over to the medics. Blood was spilled on the concrete. Lots of blood. The man on the stretcher was unconscious, bloody and pale, his lips—those perfect lips—were turning blue.
And Eren screamed as if he had been the one to bleed.
"Sir, please step back—"
"I know him, no, please, please God please let me see him!" Eren shouted, tears rolling down his face as he reached out. "Please God fucking dammit, let me see him he's my fucking boyfriend!"
Panic swept over him as his stomach tightened and curled. He clung weakly to the medic trying to keep him back because he was losing all feeling in his body. He screamed and screamed and called out to Levi and pushed his way into the ambulance.
He stared down at Levi's comatose face as more tears streamed down his cheeks.
It was a nightmare and he could only hope he would wake up from it as soon as possible.
