On the Run Again

Levi wasn't sure what it was that woke him up. He awoke with a start and jumped out of bed with a dagger in his hand and senses on high alert. He couldn't hear anything out of the ordinary, but his mind was screaming of danger. He'd not had any nightmares, so he knew it wasn't because of a dream. Residual night terrors felt different from this. He reached out telepathically and immediately found the source of his alarm. He moved in an instant.

"Eren. Get up!" He called as he threw on the nearest pair of jeans, a t-shirt, his combat boots and a denim jacket.

"Wha?" Eren asked sleepily but was wide awake a second later when he saw Levi hurriedly dressing and grabbing a couple of back packs. Eren was already out of bed and dressing by the time Levi replied.

Levi tossed the two packs to Eren. "Get dressed quickly and grab your computer and notes. Titan's found headquarters."

Eren felt his heart skip a beat and then start racing. "But how?"

"Don't know. Stay hear and pack up as much as you can. I've got to go down and grab what I can before I destroy everything."

While Eren stuffed the back packs with an extra set of clothes and toiletries, Levi rushed about the common room grabbing everyone's laptops, the stuff they'd gotten from the Jaeger's basement as well as several guns and knives. He then went to the server behind Hange's work station and pressed the kill switch that Hange had installed. Though he knew that this would set the building ablaze after killing all the computers, he put on his flint & steel rings and lit the common room ablaze. He returned to the elevator, and just as it was going up the last thing Levi saw was the door to the common room blowing in and a half dozen Titans cursing as they entered the burning room.

Levi locked the elevator up at the apartment. "Eren, follow me, quickly." He grabbed one of the two back packs Eren had packed and led him to the corner of the room opposite the bathroom. Eren's mouth fell open as a door opened into a small, dark hallway. The door was so well hidden, that unless someone already knew it existed, they would never be able to find it. Levi pushed Eren in and then lit the apartment ablaze. Eren watched in confusion as the Super, now wearing his mask, muttered something under his breath, kissed the tips of his right index and middle fingers then placed them against the wall beside the door. A soft green light pulsed where he touched the wall and then rapidly spread outward. Eren saw nothing more as Levi closed the door, plunging them into blackness.

Levi moved through the dark on memory alone, pulling stumbling Eren along behind him. He'd made practice runs through these passages literally thousands of times before. His body had literally memorized every step, every turn, every stair. Not being able to see was not a problem. Through three more doors, and after descending what felt like hundreds of stairs, Levi opened a door that let light flood the passageway. Eren blinked in pain at the sudden intrusion of light. He was amused a few moments later when he realized that the light was actually the dim light coming from a service tunnel deep below headquarters.

Levi closed the door behind them, the door blending seamlessly with the rough walls of the tunnel. He placed his hand against a spot next to the now hidden door and a small cubby hole was revealed. He pulled out the phone that was in there, along with the $1,500.00 in cash. He immediately dialed a number he'd hoped he'd never have to use. It rang only once before there was a soft beep, followed closely by four more.

"This is a burn notice. I'll see you at the office," Levi said before immediately hanging up. He smashed the phone against the wall, then set it ablaze. The flames burned so hot that the entire phone melted into a plastic and metal puddle.

"That is so cool!" Eren whisper shouted. "How do you do that?"

"I'll explain later when we're safe. Follow me." Levi turned and began to jog down the tunnel, Eren following close behind. They hadn't gone more than fifty feet when the ceiling above them cracked and caved it. They were barely able to get out of the way in time to avoid being crushed. Levi's reaction was instantaneous. He had seen the body that came down through the ceiling with the debris. He was on the person in an instant, a dagger at their throat. Barely a second later, he sheathed the dagger, whipped out his Remington and fired four shots, killing four Titans that were shooting at them from seventy feet over head where the road ran by the now burning Scout headquarters.

Everything was happening at a dizzying speed and Eren could barely keep up with what was going on. Levi grabbed up the body that had fallen through the now gaping hole and ran. Eren had enough of his wits left about him to turn and run. Levi led them through and endless maze of turns, ups, downs. Eren thought, How in the hell can he know where he's taking us? I'd be lost forever down here. I don't think I'd . . . wait . . . I KNOW we've passed that graffiti before! Are we running in circles?!

The body Levi was carrying, along with two loaded backpacks, picked that moment to begin kicking and protesting. "Hey! What the fuck?! Put me down! What's Eren doing here?"

In a blinding fast move, Levi stopped, dropped both packs, yanked the body from over his shoulder and slammed it against the wall, pinning the person there with a firm, though not choking hold on their throat. "Northwind, you goddamned useless pain in the ass!" Levi snarled at him, keeping his voice low. "Shut your goddamned mouth! We're trying NOT to get found here. If not for your idiotic blundering, Titan would have never figured out how we got out of that building. Now, thanks to you, they know we're underground. If they get their hands on Eren, whom you seem to know and presumably care about, we can all kiss our asses goodbye. So thanks a lot, Asshole."

Eren stood behind Levi, mouth agape since he recognized the masked individual in Levi's grip. Northwind, for his part was sputtering uselessly, trying to come up with a reply. "Are you always this articulate?" Levi asked dryly.

"I was just trying to help!" the young Super finally got out. "I saw a building in flames and wanted to make sure everyone got out and maybe help to put it out."

"By doing what, dipshit? Blowing on it? Spreading it even further? I'll let you in on a little secret. Those flames were infused with magic. You can't put them out. By the time they're done, there will be nothing but ash and glob of metal left. All you've done is paint a huge target on your back for Titan. By showing up there you put yourself on their shit-list. Those of us who've been fighting them for years can barely stay ahead of them. So, a wet behind the ears, untrained whelp like you will be dead by the end of tonight."

"Raven, you're not gonna just leave him here, are you?" Eren asked in horror. "I know who this is, and though he's a bit of a prick, he's still a good friend and he means well."

"Means well?" Levi repeated. "You and I both know what the road to hell is paved with. This bozo damn near got himself killed and nearly you and me in the process."

Northwind sagged in Levi's grip. "You're right. I do seem to only screw things up. Honestly, I had no idea that this was an attack. I just saw a building on fire and rushed in to help. I don't wanna waste these powers of mine. I just want to protect people."

Levi sighed an exaggerated sigh of exasperation and let the Super go. "As pissed as I am at you right now, I can't fault you for having your heart in the right place. But, goddammit you piss me off."

"Alright. So, I need training," Northwind retorted. "but it's not like there's a Super hero school or anything out there. How is one supposed to get training except by experience?"

"The same way I did. You find someone who has the skills you need to do your job and have them teach you," Levi replied.

"You have the skills I need," Northwind pointed out. "You should train me."

Levi groaned. "Right, so you can be an asshole just like me. No thank you. I'm too busy trying to keep this one alive," he said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder at Eren.

"Aw, c'mon. You're already training me and my friends. What's one more?" Eren pressed.

"A bigger headache is what," Levi growled. "Come on. We need to keep moving. Let's get one thing straight, windbag. You do only what I tell you to do, exactly what I tell you to do, when I tell you to do it. Absolute silence until I say otherwise. All our lives are at stake here. Fuck up just once and I'll kill you myself."

Northwind swallowed visibly but nodded his head in compliance.

They continued running through the maze of underground tunnels and sewers and Eren swore he heard Levi grumble, "This is the last thing I need right now. That horse-faced windbag has the worst goddamned timing."

Eren's legs and lungs were burning by the time Levi finally stopped at a random spot in rough, catacomb-like tunnel. He placed his palm against the wall, but this time Eren wasn't surprised when a door appeared. Inside was a small room with a table and chairs, a couple of cots folded against one wall along with some blankets and pillows, a sink and counter-top in one corner, metal shelving unit with weapons and first aid supplies and an open door opposite the entrance that led to a bathroom.

Levi closed and sealed the door once they were all in. "We can talk now. This is a safe spot that only the Commander, Codex and myself know of."

"What about the others?" Eren asked.

"That call I made earlier was to them. It's a special line that Codex set up in case headquarters was ever compromised so we could notify all Scouts. We each carry a device that responds to the signal. I had hoped never to have to use it. But Titan is nothing if not resourceful. It stands to reason that they would eventually find headquarters just by watching our comings and goings. They have people everywhere after all." Levi was now more speaking his thoughts out loud to himself rather than to Eren and Northwind.

"Good thing Codex created a 'self destruct' mechanism for the computer server and the building itself. Titan will get nothing from it," Levi continued. "We'll stay here for at least 24 hours before going to join the others. Needless to say, in our line of work it pays to have several backup bases and multiple escape plans."

"So, we're stuck here. You know, a few months ago I was an ordinary college student well on his way to a master's degree," Eren lamented. "Now I'm an experimental freak on the run from the largest and scariest crime organization on the planet that wants to use me to create a race of immortal monsters! This is like some fucked-up sci-fi horror flick!"

"Not gonna argue with you there, kid," Levi agreed.

Northwind raised his hand like a kid in school. "Um, can I ask a question?"

"Shoot," Levi replied.

"What's all this about Titans and magic and monsters and experiments and shit?"

Levi snorted. "Long-ass story. Titan is a global organization of religious fanatics trying to 'restore' humanity to its 'original' glory. Eren here is one of the keys to that agenda. And shit is exactly what all this is."

"And the magic? You said those flames back there were magic."

"Yeah. And you said you'd explain once we were safe," Eren reminded.

"You're right. I did. According to the Prophet, I have the ability to use magic; or rather, my soul has the ability. I've been using it most of my life without really realizing it. In times of desperation I will use it without knowing why or how I know to," Levi explained.

"So, what you did back at headquarters, to the wall and to the phone; that was magic?" Eren asked.

"Yes," Levi confirmed. "I used an incantation to make the flames at headquarters burn hot enough to incinerate everything, including the brick. Those flames were hot enough to melt tungsten to a molten puddle. As for igniting the fires, I use these rings. One is steel, the other flint. I snap my fingers . . ." He demonstrated by snapping his fingers and sparks flew. "I can take those sparks and ignite the air itself, creating a plasma fire." He demonstrated again and this time the sparks became a small ball of flame. "This fire burns at approximately 3100° Fahrenheit. A little telekinetic push and it easily ignites anything around it."

"That is so cool!" Eren exclaimed.

Northwind, however, sat down at the table and buried his face in his fists. "This too much. One minute I'm going to help put out a fire and rescue people, and the next I'm on a global mafia hit list in the wizarding world of Harry Potter." He then looked up quick, his eyes wide in horror of a sudden realization. "What about my family? They have no idea what's happened to me! They don't even know I do this! Mom's gonna freak when she can't find me in the morning! I've got a test tomorrow in my psychology class!"

Levi was surprised that he felt sorry for the poor guy. "Sorry, kid. But you can't contact them. In all honesty they'll be safer this way. Yeah, they'll freak out and feel sad and scared, but they'll be alive and safe."

"Raven's right," Eren agreed. "it's safer for everyone if you drop off the face of the Earth. I've had to do the same thing. I know it's harder for you cuz you've got family, but at least you'll know they're safe."

"I'm so sorry for messing everything up. I just wish I could tell Mom how sorry I am," Northwind moaned.

"Then don't die. You can tell her after this shitstorm is over," Levi told him.

Northwind took in a deep breath through his nose and let it slowly out his mouth. "Right. If I'm gonna survive this, then I need to know what's going on and I need training to hone my skills." He gave Levi a shit-eating grin as he said the last part.

Levi pinched the bridge of his nose. Dammit. I walked myself into that one. "Fine. We'll start with what you need to know about Titan." The next few hours were spent telling Northwind everything they knew about Titan, and some of what Eren's involvement was. By the time they finished, Northwind looked very pale and scared, but also very determined.

"Man. That's even more messed up than I was imagining. When I started this whole Super Hero gig, I just wanted to help people, you know? I never wanted to get involved in something like this. But I guess taking down Titan will be helping a lot of people at once, So I'm in. Just tell me what to do," Northwind proclaimed.

"Get some sleep," Levi instructed. "We'll figure out what to do tomorrow."


Eren woke up hours later with a crick in his back from sleeping on the floor. He found Levi asleep sitting at the table with his head resting on his arms. The Super was seated so that he was facing the only exit from the room, his gun resting in the table in front of him where he could grab it in a split second if needed. I've never seen him this nervous before, Eren thought. I mean, he's always cautious, but now he seems flat out scared. After what happened in Shiganshina and now headquarters, I can't say as I blame him. I'm absolutely terrified. I don't know who I can trust anymore! The only people I can really trust are Levi, Mikasa and Armin. I guess I trust the Commander and Codex and the other Scouts too, since Levi trusts them.

Levi stirred and opened his eyes. Deep shadows surrounded his silver eyes, making them seem even lighter and more ghostly than they already were. It was then that Eren realized that Levi wasn't wearing his mask. "Um, Raven?" whispered. "You took off your mask?"

"If Windbag over there is going to be joining us, he's going to know who we are anyway," Levi whispered back. "Go back to sleep. There's nothing for us to do in the meantime."

Eren tried but failed to fall asleep. He ended up pacing the room agitatedly. If he'd felt restless at headquarters, he felt positively claustrophobic in this small room with no windows. Levi didn't feel the need to chastise the younger, seeing as he was doing the same thing. Northwind woke up to the two men pacing the room. He watched them both in silence for several minutes before he finally cleared his throat, causing poor, strung-out Eren to jump out of his skin with a very unmanly shriek.

"You sound like a Chihuahua got stepped on," Levi commented dryly.

"You scream like a little girl, Eren," Northwind chuckled.

"Shut up, horse face!" Eren retorted.

Northwind cocked his head to the side. "So, you really do know who I am."

"Um, yeah. But I haven't told anyone!"

"He hasn't exactly done very well keeping it a secret," Levi added.

"Wait. You know who I am too?" Northwind gasped. "But . . . I'm so careful!"

"Not as careful as you think," Levi retorted. "Jean Kirstein, aka Horse Face; friend of Armin Arlert and Eren Jaeger. Close friends with Marco Bodt, the son of Daniel Bodt. Student at Trost University majoring in structural engineering. Grades slipping from straight A's to lower B's and C's since taking up being a Super Hero." Levi continued when Jean just stood there with his face red and his mouth hanging open. "You blew it the day Armin Arlert was kidnapped. You told me he was your friend and was taken from your home. We already knew where he'd been taken from, so it was a dead giveaway. Not that I hadn't already fully researched you the first time you screwed up out in the field and Huntress had to bail you out."

Jean stood there opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water until Eren couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Really! It's just that . . . oh my god, your face right now!" Eren exclaimed between guffaws.

"Keep impersonating a fish like that and someone'll think you're Aquaman," Levi teased.

"What is this? Pick on Jean day?" the flummoxed Super finally spit out.

"Hey, usually it's pick on Eren day . . . like, every day," Eren replied. "so, this is a nice change of pace. Only fair to spread the love."

Jean snorted. "Says the Suicidal Bastard. With friends like you, who needs enemies?" He then remembered what he'd learned about Eren's immortality when the young man's face fell. "Sorry, man. I wasn't thinking."

"Hey, no problem," Eren replied with a lopsided grin. "I still kinda like the nickname."

"Listen, Jean," Levi started. "As much as I hate to do this, I need to be 100% certain that you're not associated with Titan in any way."

"Should I be worried?" Jean asked nervously.

"Not unless you're working with Titan," Levi replied. "I need your permission to read your mind. Not just surface emotions, but actual thoughts and memories. Whatever I find will be strictly confidential unless it pertains to Titan. I have to warn you, however, if I find you are working with Titan, you'll wake up in sleezy motel room with no memory of anything that happened after headquarters caught fire."

Jean's expression remained stoic. "Okay. Do what you have to."

Levi closed his eyes and concentrated. "I'm sorry," he said softly as he made the connection to Jean's mind. What he found was a stereotypical college kid that had lived a normal childhood in spite of his powers. His family had no clue that the young man was a Super. The only dark spot in the young man's life was a messy divorce of his parents when he was eight. He had a genuine desire to protect people and to help, but no real idea how to effectively do so. Levi almost snorted a laugh when he discovered that Jean had a huge crush on Mikasa. At least Jean had spoken true when he'd said he'd never heard of Titan before literally dropping in on them less than 24 hours ago.

Levi severed the connection. "Good. I don't have to go through the trouble of finding a motel for you. Those places are always filthy. I'm sorry this was the only way I could trust you."

Jean shrugged. "I get it. From what you've told me about Titan, I don't think I'm too eager to just trust anyone. So, does this mean I'm in?"

"You're in," Levi confirmed. "I trust you. Again, I'm sorry."

"Why? I didn't feel a thing."

"Because it's the worst kind of invasion of a person's privacy. Reading surface emotions and detecting deception is one thing, but delving in to a person's most intimate thoughts and memories, bringing to light that which a person never wants to reveal is something tantamount to rape. Unless it's a matter of life and death, I won't do it without permission."

Jean and Eren both thought about that for a moment. "I guess you're right. Honestly, I'm glad I don't have that ability," Jean admitted.

"Telepathy is one of my trump cards, so neither one of you can tell anyone that I have that ability. Same goes for the magic shit," Levi told them.

Both young men nodded. "Right."

"Now. I'm gonna go bat-shit crazy if I stay cooped up in here with you two for much longer. We need to regroup with the others. I need both of you to stay with me and be silent. Titan found our headquarters; we can't have them find any of our backup locations."

Again, both nodded and gathered up their things. With Jean with them, Levi only had to carry one backpack now instead of two. He telepathically scanned the corridor outside their hidden room before killing the lights and leading them out. It was solid four hours of walking down endless subways, service tunnels, drainage tunnels and sewers to reach the 'office' where they would meet the rest of the Scouting Regiment. There were a few places where it was necessary to fly in order to cross open spillways and tunnel intersections. Eren needed to hitch a ride on Levi, but luckily, Jean could use his air powers to fly himself across such chasms.

Finally, Levi stopped before a blank space on a subway tunnel wall, placed his hand on a seemingly random spot and a door appeared and opened for him just like the one he and Eren had exited headquarters from. He took a hold of Eren's hand and instructed Jean to take the young man's other hand. He led them through the dark, speaking only once to warn them they were going down a long set of stairs. Eren and Jean had both lost all sense of time when they finally stopped. There was a faint glow on the wall from a scanner that scanned Levi's hand and another that scanned his retina. A keypad appeared that he rapid punched an insanely long code into and at long last, the dark was banished by blinding light as a door opened into a large room that was reminiscent of the common room back at the former headquarters.

This room had none of the old industrial charm of the former headquarters. This was all sleek and modern with no windows at all. Everything was white, grey, black or stainless steel. A quick look to his right told Levi that Hange, at least, was here. Their work area was already a federal disaster area of equipment and papers.

None of them got a chance to observe the room further as a blur slammed into them and wrapped all three in a crushing embrace. "I'm so glad you're okay! I was sooooo worried about you! Don't ever scare me like that again! You okay, Er-bear? Those Titans didn't hurt you, did they? Oh! I see we have somebody new! Hi! I'm – HMPH!"

"A colossal pain in the ass, Four Eyes," Levi finished after managing to free one hand to cover their mouth. "Nobody's hurt yet, but if you don't let go soon, we'll all pass out from asphyxiation."

They squeezed just a bit tighter. "But I like hugging you all! Especially since I missed you so much!"

Levi let out an exasperated sigh. "Yeah, yeah. I love you too, Hange, but I'd rather not have to put up with any broken ribs, so if you could just let go."

"Let them go, Codex," Erwin intervened. "Raven, you know we don't use our real names in front of strangers."

"Northwind isn't a stranger," Levi countered as the other Scouts gathered around. "Everyone, this is Jean Kirstein. I trust him."

Everyone except Eren and Jean looked at Levi with mouths agape in shock. Then they all looked at Jean. "Wow! What did you do to earn Raven Knight's trust so fast?" Ymir asked. "Seriously. It takes forever to earn his trust."

Levi snorted. "Don't give him too much credit. With way everything has been going to shit, and with how desperately we need allies, I didn't have time to get to know him. He let me scan his mind. That's how I know he's not associated with Titan in any way."

Erwin & Hange, who'd known Levi the longest, now looked absolutely flabbergasted. Eventually Erwin frowned. "Now I know things are worse than we'd first thought," he commented. "I know that mindreading is only something you do as a last resort, Levi." He moved to sit on one of the sofas. "Tell us what happened."

Everyone sat as Levi, Eren and Jean explained everything that had happened at the old headquarters. "What I'd really like to know is how the fuck those assholes found headquarters and how the fuck they were able to get in," Levi finished.

"Levi," Erwin began. "I truly hate to ask you this, but . . . damn it . . . I need you to read each and every one or our minds."

"No."

"Levi . . ."

"No."

"But . . . "

"No. I trust all of you."

"What if one of us was brainwashed and doesn't realize we're helping Titan?" Erwin reasoned. "What if they have mind readers of their own that don't have your moral standing?"

Levi scowled and looked away.

"You've already done it to Jean. Why not the rest of us?"

"That was different. I didn't know him, and I needed to be sure."

"It's no different. We don't know what Titan is fully capable of. We need to be sure that none of us has been compromised."

Levi still refused to look anyone in the eye.

"What if I'm the one that's compromised? I mean, I have been in their possession a couple of times. I'd kinda like to be sure myself," Eren stated.

"Me too," Armin agreed. "Mikasa and I were both held in Titan captivity. Mikasa's been physically compromised more that once. I'd like to have my mind scanned to be sure."

"I don't like it," Mikasa added. "but I'd like to be sure too. I'd feel better knowing."

"Me too," Sasha chimed in. "I don't recall dealing with Titan before joining the Scouts, but what if I was compromised and don't consciously remember?"

"Count me in. If you think you can sort through the mess in there that is," Hange dared.

"I don't wanna be left out!" Ymir said.

"I'm in!" Krista added.

"That makes all of us, Levi. You have permission from everyone here. You have no excuse not to," Erwin concluded.

Levi's scowl deepened. "I don't think any of you understand what a mind scan is. I will be able to see all of your thoughts and memories; good, bad and shameful; every joy, every sorrow, all grief, anger and fears; all of your desires; every mean thought; every regret; everything. Any and all secrets will be open to me. Grant you, I'd never tell anyone about what I found beyond whether or not you've been compromised, but still. It's a huge invasion of privacy. I will know literally everything. That's not only an invasion of your privacy, but also a large burden on me. It's a lot to know about someone and can be a burden on any friendship we may have."

"I wouldn't worry about our friendship, Levi," Ymir drawled. "I trust you."

"I trust you too, Levi," Erwin confirmed. "You can start with me."

Levi sighed in defeat. "Fine. But it doesn't mean I have to like it."

It was a very long 4 hours while he probed everyone's mind, resting between each one. He nearly laughed at a three-year-old Erwin running down the street buck naked with his horrified mother chasing him with a towel. He shed a couple of tears as a thirteen-year-old Hange was scolded by their father for not being "lady-like" and being too much of a nerd. By the time he'd scanned everyone except Mikasa and Eren, he was emotionally and mentally exhausted.

"I need both of you to be absolutely sure about this," Levi told them. "Because of Grisha Jaeger, you are both directly involved in this. Anything I find that may be relevant to this shit show, I'll have to reveal to the others."

Mikasa nodded. "Of course. If it will protect Eren, then I don't mind."

Levi reached into the stoic girl's mind. She had watched her parents both murdered before her eyes. She had seen them cut off Eren's head and then watched Eren stab them to death as his head grew back. Levi almost dropped the connection at that point. No wonder Mikasa suppressed the memory. He let out a choked sob and started trembling. When he finished, he collapsed to his knees. "She's clean," he croaked out, hurriedly rubbing tears from his eyes.

He became aware of someone rubbing his back comfortingly . . . make that two someones; Hange on his right and Eren to his left. "Are you going to be okay?" Erwin asked, concern written on his face.

"Yeah," Levi replied. "I just need a few minutes."

Krista handed him a glass of water, which he accepted gratefully. "Carla Jaeger knew she was going to die," he said at length. "She had Mikasa promise her to always have Eren's back. She took off the key and left it behind on purpose before she left the house."

"So why didn't Titan go after Eren back then?" Armin wondered.

"I don't know," Levi replied.

After another fifteen minutes, Levi heaved a weary sigh. "Well, everyone is clean. That leaves just you, Eren. You ready?"

"I'm ready," Eren answered. "But are you ready? You still seem pretty wiped out."

"I am, but the sooner we get this done and over with, the better."


Eren found himself in darkness. Oddly, he could see his hand when he held it up, as if he were standing in the sun. There was a soft grey mist drifting around his ankles. This is like some weird scene out of a movie. "Eren."

The young man practically jumped out of his skin and spun around to see Levi standing behind him. "Holy shit, Levi! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Levi smirked at him. "Do you know where we are?"

"Hm. Let me see," Eren replied dryly. "Last thing I remember is sitting beside you waiting for you to read my mind. It's dark. I can still see you just fine in spite of no obvious source of light, and there's mist floating around our feet. This is so completely cliché that it can only be my unimaginative mind."

"Huh. Not bad. Not as clueless as I thought you were."

"Hey!" Eren scowled and folded his arms like a petulant child. "Did this happen with the others? I don't remember any of them passing out."

"No. It didn't. I need to be able to talk to you where no one else can hear. Mikasa's memories confirmed what your father wrote in his letter about the night you found her."

"Oh. No wonder you cried out when you read her. One thing I don't understand. If I lost my head, and by default my brain, how can I remember my life before that moment?"

"From what I can tell from what I've read in your mind so far, you transferred your consciousness out to the rest of your nervous system before . . . I don't know how you knew to do that, never mind knew that you even could, but that's what happened. May have something to do with your father's experiments, but I can't really tell for sure."

"Oh. So, you're reading my mind even while we're talking?"

"Yeah. Kinda weird, actually."

All of a sudden, Levi stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Eren. "Uh, Levi?"

"I'm sorry, Eren. You never deserved any of this shit," Levi told him. "You have to believe that."

Eren sniffled slightly, then broke down crying as he returned the embrace. When he finally pulled back from the embrace, tears still running silently down his face, he was back sitting on one of the sofas beside Levi. He noticed that Levi had been crying too. He cried for me, Eren thought. No one's ever cried for me before. He smiled wanly. "Thank you for that, Levi. I think I needed to hear that."

Levi just nodded in response as he dried his eyes. "He's clear," he finally announced. I don't know how Titan is tracking us, but it's not through one of us. Even if they were using a telepath to do so, it leaves a mark on the mind that I would have been able to detect."

Sasha raised her hand. "I mean no disrespect, but I'm just curious. If you never use this power, how do you know what it can do?"

Levi huffed out a faint laugh. "I didn't say I never used it. I just don't like using it. Once Kenny found out I had telepathic powers, he made sure I tested what I could do and practice so I could control it. Several of his people helped out with my training." There was another huffed laugh. His emotional and mental exhaustion had eliminated his ability to control his own emotions. "I learned a damn sight more about those bozos than any ten-year-old should ever know. Kenny, that asshole, thought it was funny. Looking back, I guess it was. But seriously, no ten-year-old should know what a blow job or double penetration is. And I will never eat a cucumber!"

Eren couldn't contain himself and broke up laughing, followed very closely by Ymir and Hange. Erwin just pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "Levi, I know you're exhausted. There are six bedrooms here. I suggest you choose one and get some sleep."

Levi was definitely tired, since he offered no argument. "Right. I'll see you all if I ever wake up." He dragged himself to the bedroom furthest down the hall beyond the kitchen. He almost fell asleep in the shower but managed to dry off and crawl into bed before falling sound asleep.