II

Where... am I?

He felt like floating. He knew better than that; even with his kagune, he couldn't really float. His kagune. He cringed in revolt, the word leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

Right. So it hadn't been a dream after all.

He should've known after all this time spent at that stupid coffee shop. They all were like him – no, they weren't. They were ghouls. He was... different. Half-ghoul, half-human. They had accepted him like their own for the sole reason that he needed flesh to survive. Without human flesh, he would've been a starving mess. Just like he had been back then.

What really happened?

He remembered mismatched pieces and blurry memories. Practising to make some decent coffee with Pixis. Finishing his shift alongside Connie and Sasha who had thrown food at each other's head. Leaving the 104th Squad after he'd almost wrung out Jean's neck. Walking to go home where Armin and Mikasa waited for him.

Oh shit. They must be so worried...

Yet he never made it back home, did he? The proof he needed would be in front of him if he opened his eyes. So he opened his eyes. On darkness. He raised an arm, fingers curling and groping ahead of him. They met nothing but air. He considered the odds and propped himself up, still waving his hand. He didn't seem to be in a cage, which was quite a good thing. He pushed himself to sit up but a pang paralysed him. He groaned as it seemed like his skin was being slashed and then pressed against a hot poker. He fell back on what he assumed was a bed, resigning himself to wait for, at least until his vision was accustomed at the darkness. Assessing his situation, he found it quite grim.

So I'm stuck somewhere unknown, alone and wounded...

What had happened afterward? He remembered being hungry. So hungry it seemed like his insides were coiling on themselves. So hungry it seemed like his throat was as hot as coal. So hungry it seemed like his head was going to explode. He connected the dots; he must've turned away from home to make sure he wouldn't turn on his friends and only family. Why hadn't he gone to the 104th Squad? That was much obvious because the other ghouls would've never locked him in some kind of jail. So he had been caught by Doves in the middle of a rampage.

Did I eat someone? No, I would never– But I was so hungry...

Then again he wasn't so sure. As human with a conscience, it was definite he would never prey on innocents. However, there was no knowing what he would do as a starving ghoul. What had he done? Had he attacked a bunch of civilians? Had he killed investigators without knowing it? This ignorance drove him crazy. What if he had... killed Armin and Mikasa? He covered his hand with his mouth, fighting against the urge to retch.

Then lights flickered, illuminating the entire room. He shut his eyes, harassed by the harsh luminosity. He squinted, his hand trying to shield him from the brightness. He could make out three silhouettes looking at him. One was sitting, his hands in his lap, his cold cobalt eyes riveted on his figure. Another was leaning nonchalantly against the wall, arms folded over his chest. The third one wore a manic grin, her eyes bulging behind rectangle glasses, and her hands were flat against the glass separating them.

Wait... glass?

He realised he was standing on the other side. It reassured him a little. That meant the crazy woman wouldn't be able to grab him and bring him in a creepy lab to dissect him. The mere thought made him shudder.

"Oh, Levi, he's magnificent! I could kiss you right now!"

The man against the wall was deadpan. "If you ever try, I swear I will kill you."

The sitting man ignored the two and offered him a cold smile. "You are a one-eyed ghoul."

It wasn't even a question; it was a statement. Still, he confirmed it, "Yes."

"Show us!" The woman squealed as she clapped her hands. "Show us your kakugan!"

He squirmed under her stare. "I... I can't really control it."

"Oh?" She shouted, not in the least unfazed. She pulled out a notebook and a pencil from her lab coat and excitedly scribbled down the information. "How's your kagune then?"

"It's a rinkaku-type," the man against the wall replied, pinning him down with a glare. "I don't think we've been properly introduced. Special Class Investigator Levi."

"I'm Hange Zoë," the woman cried out as she waved her hand. "Your new best friend!"

"And I," the blond man's voice finished, "am Erwin Smith, Head of CCG."

He gulped and wiped his clammy hands on his pants. A ghoul being introduced to the Head of CCG, in the heart of the lion's den, only meant bad news. He scrutinised the man, taking in the pristine suit and polished shoes that were almost shining with cleanliness. His hair was smooth and neatly combed. He was standing with his shoulders squared but his back wasn't rigid. His eyes held some curiosity behind the layer of coldness, but instead of displaying it like Hange his demeanour was similar to Levi's.

"Do you know why you're here?"

"No. I don't even remember how I ended up here."

Levi snorted but Erwin answered with poise, "You were found in the 11th Ward, mad with hunger. Investigator Levi and his partner neutralised you before bringing you here."

As he stared at Levi's scowl, he wondered why his life had been spared. Investigators normally killed ghouls without any hesitation, and only the S-Rated and above were brought to Cochlea, where CCG interned ghouls. As far as he was concerned, he was far from being one and Levi, with a storm brewing in his orbs, was far from being merciful. Erwin probably perceived the confusion on his face because his next sentence answered his interrogation.

"One-eye ghouls are extremely rare; you're a one-of-a-kind specimen."

Specimen. Is that what I am to you?

He ground his teeth, fighting against the irritation spreading within him. Hange's grin broadened. "I'm going to have so much fun with you! How should I call you?"

"I have a name, you know," he answered back, crossed.

"Every ghoul says it has one," Levi retorted, his voice withdrawn but full of poison, "but that's a fucking lie. You name yourself to blend through, to create a facade of humanity so you can fool innocents before you eat them. But in the end you don't have a name. Ghouls are ghouls, and that's all you are. Bloodthirsty monsters."

You little shit, I'm gonna rip you apart, you'll see! I'm gonna–

"Levi," Erwin warned.

He was fuming. He wasn't a monster. He hadn't chosen this. Did they all think he liked it? Did they all think every ghoul enjoyed eating humans to survive? He hated it. He was disgusted with himself, with his red eye, with his kagune, with his regeneration abilities, with his hunger. And now that he was angry, now that he thought about it, he realised that his hunger hadn't been quenched but merely forgotten. A pang tore through him and he bent forward, hands clutching at his stomach. It was growling, and he realised it wasn't the only one. He, too, had started growling. Through his falling bangs, he noticed that Erwin was standing up.

"Hange, get him something to eat." The scientist shot him one last concerned – what? – look before darting out of the room. Erwin edged closer to the glass, brows furrowed. "If you starve, it would only make you more violent, thus harder to control."

Levi opened his coat and drew out a sword almost lazily, but his eyes were animated with fire. "If it tries something, it'll be my pleasure to kill it."

"You bastard," he snarled as he toppled on the floor. You're first. I'll kill you first.

He gritted his teeth together, forcing himself not to growl like some wild animal. Not to prove them right when they were so wrong. Pixis had been nothing but understanding and patient, albeit a little quirky, as he had showed him how to adapt to being a ghoul. Connie was a funny and loyal partner who had no problem to relax. Sasha was just like the latter, and she always ate when Pixis wasn't looking; it never failed to make him laugh. Jean, even if he looked like a horse and acted worse than one, still proved himself to be relatively challenging and interesting to verbally spar with. Marco was kindness incarnate, his eyes always twinkling and his heart always caring. They were all ghouls, with their kakugan, their kagune and a terrible hunger that needed to be satisfied, but they also all displayed human qualities, human beliefs and human minds. They weren't the monsters the CCG accused them to be; they were just people trying to fit in a society, conscience cursed with guilt and shame.

He looked up, determination burning in his eyes. He was going to show them who the human was in this room. Levi had approached so close he now stood at Hange's previous place, his eyes also smouldering. Facing them, he recognised the flame of hatred some investigators had deep within themselves, gnawing at their soul like a rodent on rotten cheese. Pixis, despite his eccentricity, had been serious only once. That had been when talking about them, the Doves, the investigators, who had eyes as blistering as a bursting sun yet a soul as glacial as a freezing land. He had warned them between two sips of coffee that this special 'breed' of investigators were those he had to shy away from, no matter what. They were the ones spreading rumours, entertaining the idea of monsters and most of the time, delivering the coup de grace. They were the most dangerous, the swiftest, the stealthiest, the strongest – the deadliest.

Levi leaned towards him, his face contorted in a condescending sneer. "I should kill you right now, ghoul. Be thankful you are still alive."

He mustered all his willpower not to snarl back. Hopefully, the door slammed as Hange dashed inside, a brown package in one of her hands. Immediately, a sweet aroma filled the room, emptying his head of any threat. He perked up, sniffing the intoxicating smell, and cringed back, disgusted with himself. It was blood and flesh, for God's sake, human flesh. How could he–?

"There you go," Hange chirped as she slid the package in a slot on the wall.

The brown package stood idly on the ground. There was nothing indicating what it contained, not even a red stain on the corner or a suspicious form. Yet the smell was making him lightheaded and he could feel his mouth water against his will. He stared at it as if staring at Death itself. It was death; the death of a man and the death of his own soul. He looked back at Hange who seemed to be barely controlling herself in excitement. She was gripping her pencil so hard he feared it might snap in two. Then he crossed Erwin's piercing eyes.

"If it can ease your mind, this man killed himself."

His eyebrows shot a little. He remembered going out with Shadis, an intimidating, tanned man who barely talked, to retrieve dead bodies down the cliff near a highway. When he had been paralysed, too horrified to move, the ghoul had told him emotionlessly that they were what the 104th Squad ate. It made him feel slightly better, for if this man had killed himself, then he wouldn't mind serving a purpose post-mortem... right? So he had grudgingly helped Shadis. It was the exact same thing, so he rushed to the package, tore it open and didn't even think twice. He couldn't identify what piece he was eating, yet it felt so good he almost moaned. He was aware he was being watched, but he couldn't care less. He had to eat, and the meat was just so tender, so juicy, so delectable. He devoured what he had been offered, feeling like a wolf feasting on rabbits.

When he was done, he realised he was breathing heavily. Had he really forgotten to breathe while eating? Was a starving ghoul desperate to this point? He felt blood dribbling down his chin and he wiped it quickly, his cheeks burning. He didn't dare turn around, for he knew the three humans were examining him. To them, he was nothing but a beast in an exhibit.

"I know what I'm going to call you!" Hange's voice shattered the silence. "I'll call you Titan."

"Titan?" He repeated, blinking. He honestly didn't know what to say about this name that felt too much like a brand put on a caged animal.

Levi snorted, "How fitting, Hange. Titans in mythology are known for eating people too."

"Now that you've eaten," Erwin's cool voice intervened before he could answer back, "I think we can discuss what we're going to do with you."

With you. With you. As if you're going to do something with me and not to me.

"I'm listening," he nonetheless replied, on edge.

"We don't plan on keeping you here forever. In fact, we're going to release you today."

He choked, incredulous of what he was hearing. "What?"

"You heard me well. The CCG is examining the possibility of an alliance between ghouls and humans. The fact that you are one a eyed-ghoul establishes a direct link with the species we're trying to understand better, so we'll leave you be. However, you will have to report to Hange every weekend and pass whatever test she will conduct. Outside, we'll examine your interactions, your daily life and your diet. Your supervisor will be Levi."

You got to be fucking kidding me!

"Sir," he whispered, choosing his words carefully, "I don't think... Levi is the best choice."

"He is," Erwin restated with the same calmness. "Levi is the best investigator we have and he has dealt with much more ghouls than anyone in the CCG. He's more than capable."

"I mean... He's not... a ghoul. Won't it be suspicious if I hang around a Do– an investigator?"

"That's why you won't be 'hanging around' me, moron," the concerned one snapped.

"Levi will be observing you from afar. In fact, if you forget he's here it'd be better."

Like I can forget a fucking idiot is watching me all the time.

"If you want to contact us, you'll go through First Class Investigator Petra Ral," Erwin continued. "If it's an emergency, you may contact Levi himself. Also, we will insert a microchip on the nape of your neck to track you."

The threat was well hidden, yet he heard it in all its glory: if you try to run away, we will hunt you down and kill you. Judging from Levi's glance, the investigator almost looked like he was wishing it would happen and that he would be the one dispatch to finish him off.

Looks like he's not going to go easy. Well, I won't be going easy on him either.

The two men glared at each other silently. It wasn't going to be a walk in the park, it seemed. Then Levi stormed off, his boots thumping on the ground like a hammer knocking on his head. Hange then trotted up to him, her two palms flat against the glass.

"Tell me, Titan, you said you had a name? What is it?"

"Jaeger. Eren Jaeger."

"Oh, I love it," she shouted in delight, throwing her head back. "The hunter, hunted and muzzled. Has quite a nice catch to it."

She exited the room humming to herself and twirling around. Erwin, on the other hand, was much more serious as he nodded to him.

"We'll see each other again, Eren."

The Head of CCG dimmed the lighting before leaving as well, plunging Eren in the penumbra alone with his sins.