A/N: WARNING (vague mention/insinuation of rape and /or abuse)

Chapter Song- Counting Stars by One Republic

Armin was shuffling his feet uncomfortably when Eren found him. He was holding a small package in his hands, clutching it tightly to his chest. Its paper was bright blue with variations of 'Happy Birthday' written all over, and numerous bows and ribbons were placed on one side.

The incubus almost laughed; no matter how many times he visited, his friend never got used to the Catacombs. When the blond noticed his friend walking towards him, he smiled, his blue eyes sparkling in the dim light. He sighed after looking at Eren for a moment, relieved that he wasn't dressed too extravagantly. It would be a hassle to try and explain his attire where they were going if it had been anything more revealing. The brunet wore a dark gray sweater and black shorts, the only sign of his profession being how low the denim rode on his hips and the fishnet stockings on his legs. Eren had his hair down, the brown locks curling slightly at the nape of his neck, covering the small tattoo on his neck. The brand that kept him Underground.

That was good. No one would notice unless they were looking for the mark specifically.

"Armin! How've you been? It's been so long." Eren hugged Armin closely.

"It has," the boy chuckled, "Let's talk over dinner. I wanted to give you your present! And we only have a few hours…" They both grew quiet for a moment until the brunet started to drag his friend towards the doors. The guard on duty gave him a small wink, mouthing 'have fun' as the incubus dragged the other through. Eren laughed and nodded, making a mental note to thank Reiner later for not wasting their time with formalities. They had so little time as it was; it made him a bit sad.

When they were out of earshot of the building, Eren's grip on Armin's wrist loosened, his eyes knitting together. He bit down on his lip and turned to face his friend. "A few hours? I thought I told you one was enough. More than enough even. Armin, that's a lot of money. You can't- I can't let you spend that on me."

The blonde's voice was steady, almost like explaining something simple to a small child, as he spoke. "Eren. Are you not happy to get out?"

"No, no. It's perfect…But-."

"I'm happy to do this. It's my money; let me treat you." Armin's eyes darkened, "I know how much you hate that place. At least let me help when I can."

Eren breathed in deep, then let out a shaky breath and squeezed his friend's hand, "Thanks, Armin. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"Don't mention it."

They started walking again, and Eren opened his mouth to ask why, when they walked past their normal hang out spot. Armin, already anticipating his questions just shook his head and pulled the other farther away from his prison.

They ended up in a small clearing, and Eren couldn't help that his thoughts flashed back to Levi. It wasn't nearly on the scale of the human's memory, but it still made him grin. Armin noticed almost immediately; his friend rarely smiled, and his heart clenched at the sight. He was glad he could do this for Eren, even though it wasn't nearly enough. Still, he said nothing.

The warlock had set up a small picnic in the park, and the sound of shattering glass rang in Eren's ears as the two walked through his barrier. A blanket was set up with pillows and plates and bowls of food; food Eren had only seen in books. His mouth watered; sandwiches of all kinds, too many fruits to count, everything he could imagine was laid out before him. Eren held back the tears when he picked up something called Mt. Dew and looked at his friend.

"Eat up. This is a special occasion after all." Armin chuckled at the shock on Eren's face. When the other boy took a sip of the soda, he shook his head and sat down. The bubbly drink burned Eren's throat as he drank, but he decided he liked its sweetness anyways and kept drinking.

Armin pushed a small bundle towards the incubus, "This is from Mikasa. She's sorry she couldn't make it. Happy Late Birthday, Eren."

The brunet choked and coughed as he accepted the gift-the green liquid had been too much for him. "I'll have to send her a thank note. Where is she, anyways?" Eren dug into the package, ripping at the paper. He looked at his friend, confused, at what was inside.

"Clothes?" The green hoodie was soft in his hands, and a pair of dark washed jeans rested on his lap. He picked up the card that was with the gifts and set down his new hoodie. Smiling, he read. The writing was a little less neat than his adoptive sister's, but undoubtedly hers. She must've been in a hurry.

Dear Eren,

I'm really sorry that I couldn't make it this year. I hope my gift makes up for it. Before you get that dumb look on your face, the clothes go with Armin's gift. And you can never have too many clothes down there. It's always so cold- you'll get sick if you don't watch it. They don't let you cover up enough. I swear I'll come and kick your ass if you get a cold.

Twenty years old. Armin tells me you've been having trouble with finding your first familiar. You must be really tired, huh? Make sure you aren't overdoing it, okay? Gotta promise me. Oh, and we'll see each other sooner than you think. I got permission to take a little break. They're making me work extra hard before then, but it's definitely worth it. And I have something else I want to give you. Until then, I guess…

Love ya and see you soon,

Mikasa

Eren couldn't stop the grin that had plastered itself on his face. Mikasa was going to be visiting! It was strange that the troupe was letting her off but he couldn't have cared less at that moment. And the clothes. It was so like her to be worrying over his health. His interest was piqued though. She said it went with Armin's gift. It wasn't unlike them to do compatible things, but seriously? What went with a hoodie and some jeans?

He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it when he felt Armin push the other gift at him. He unwrapped it quite a bit slower than the first; the excitement of receiving gifts wavering after looking at the seriousness on his friend's face. The blue eyed boy had been acting strangely, now that he thought back. He'd been a lot less open than usual, and it had dread knotting in the brunet's stomach. Something was up.

Armin looked at Eren with a sense of emergency, knowing full well he made the other boy anxious. He wasn't trying to seem off; in fact, he was trying extremely hard to keep his usual calm. Mikasa and he had been planning this for a while now, after all. He'd thought through all of their obstacles: every possible outcome had been walked through in his head and had plans in case something went wrong.

Still, he couldn't stop himself for worrying. If they were caught before they finished- he didn't even want to think about the consequences. He'd probably be stripped of his magic, and while he knew how painful that would be, it didn't even compare to Eren's punishment. They'd kill him, Armin was certain; it was what they did before that that left him in the dark, though he had an idea. Incubi were like cattle to other demons- they were used, without any rights of their own, until they outlived their usefulness. They would use him before killing him. The thought made Armin sick.

His eyes snapped back to Eren as he opened the small box. The boy's eyes were wide, almost comically so, and his breath had hitched. He stared down at the various documents. Armin could almost see his friend's mind wrapping around the different possibilities. He looked at the blond, his voice cracking and low.

"Armin- what's this?"

A/N: Here's an early chapter for you lovely readers yay! How many of you figured out where I'm going with this? XD-at least where next chapter is going? Anywho, I'm posting chapter five tomorrow night (on schedule), as well as a chapter of Infected and/or Unexpected Meeting(I hope) I might also be posting a new fic entirely, but that depends on some other things….Chapters six and seven are also coming along really quickly so those might be up early too c: This fic just seems to be taking up all of my time OTL I swear the readers of my main fics were probably ready to kill me a while ago, but I can't help it. I'm not actually sure if people are actively reading this one, but I have a need that has to be filled ^^; God I hope I'm not just making this for my own amusement hahaha

*A little hint for chapter 5- the Chapter Song is Ghost River by Nightwish. If you look at the lyrics it might clue you in? Maybe. Idk…

Anyways, please comment/review! I really wanna know how I'm doing and how I can get better : If you want to talk about the fic or anything else, you can PM me here or on tumblr. I'm Mastia. I'm also tracking the tags mastia and fic: you were the cause if you want me to see anything ^^ Tomorrow I'll be hosting a chat after posting the fics, and I'd love to talk to you all if you can make it! It'll include all of my fics, so if you're reading those you can ask about them too…I might also have a few sneak peeks and extras for the different fics for those who show up :