Hello everyone! Sorry this chapter is a bit short. I wanted to update before leaving again this weekend. I'll be updating again hopefully Monday or Tuesday. Thanks for all your kind words and reviews! I never expected this fic to get so much attention. It makes my day to see so many favorites/followers enjoying my writing. Without you guys I wouldn't have the motivation to continue. Thanks so much!
Please ready and enjoy.
"Armin, have you been drinking?"
The question was an unnecessary one. Just looking at the blonde's flushed pink cheeks and staggering walk was enough of an answer for Eren. When Armin finally steadied himself enough to sit down into the chair without falling he turned to face his childhood friend, a stupid grin plastered across his face.
"Of course not! What gave you that idea?" He wobbled a bit in his chair, trying to keep his balance as if he were on a ship that was sailing through stormy seas.
Eren raised one thick eyebrow, giving his friend a knowing look before answering, "Because, the bottle is almost empty and it doesn't look broken." Eren sloshed around the last little bit of the scarlet liquid to emphasize his point.
Armin looked at the wine bottle in Eren's hands before gasping and pointing, "ohmygosh Eren! How'd you drink all that so fast without me even noticing?! Are you a wizard?!"
Oh boy, he's even worse than I thought. He's completely smashed.
Eren was not amused and scowled at the blonde before chiding him like one would a child that had drawn on the walls. "No, Armin. I didn't drink this, you did. I can tell you're drunk because your face is red, you reek of booze, and you can barely walk. Why did you do this? You're too smart to resort to this kind of thing." His face was etched with concern as he looked expectantly at his friend, awaiting an explanation.
Armin's brows furrowed in consternation. "Because it was there," he said, a resentful tone in his voice, trying to look serious and failing when he nearly tumbled out of his seat. Eren caught his arm and sat him upright again.
Eren sighed in frustration. Could this day get any worse?
"Look, Armin. I know why you drank it. You were upset because of what happened earlier and you were looking for a way to deal with your problems. Listen, you don't have to do stuff like this. I'm here for you anytime, you can tell me anything. I know you think you're a bother to me or something, but it isn't true. You're my friend, and what happened isn't your fault at all, so please stop blaming yourself."
Armin's face twisted into a variety of expressions; confusion, anger, then finally, sadness. Eren was hopeful that he'd finally gotten through to his friend.
"I'm sorry Eren…are you mad cause I drank all your wine?"
Well, so much for that.
Eren smacked his forehead and let out a frustrated groan. "No! Damn it Armin, didn't you hear a word I just said?"
Armin looked thoughtful, grasping his chin between his thumb and index finger as if he was contemplating something deep and meaningful. He stayed like that for a few seconds before answering, "Yes! You said that…that…um…don't bother telling a dealer about your drinking problems!"
Eren pinched the bridge of his nose in aggravation. "Okay, it's obvious that I'm going to have to wait to talk to you until you're sober." As he rose to leave, Armin grabbed his shirt sleeve, tugging on it like a child would to get someone's attention. Eren looked down to see his friend giving him a pleading look, eyes looking like a puppy's.
"Eren, please don't go. I don't wanna be all alone again." He choked back a sob, tears beginning to well at the corner of his eyes.
Eren's previously irritated expression softened into one of pity as he sighed, sitting back down. There was no way he could leave Armin like this. He was completely inebriated and totally helpless. The blonde seemed to cheer up a bit when he realized that Eren was staying. He wiped the tears from his eyes before they could stain his cheeks and broke out into another wide grin.
"Yay! Thanks so much, Eren! You're a true, true friend!"
Eren just gave him a small smile and leaned back in his chair, the stress of the day finally catching up and taking its toll. He felt exhausted mentally and physically. He ran his fingers through his messy brown hair and sighed.
"Well, I'm tired. Do you want me to sleep here so that you won't be alone?"
Armin shook his head. "No! Don't sleep yet! You have to tell me how things went with Captain Riva….Rover….Ravioli..." He trailed off, obviously struggling to find the right words.
Eren corrected him,choking back a laugh at Ravioli, "Corporal Levi," his face colored a bit as he remembered what had transpired not even an hour ago, and his expression darkened.
"I don't really feel like talking about it right now."
Armin shifted in his seat, crossing his legs like a teenage girl would when gossiping about cute boys. "Oh, come on Eren, you can tell me anything!"
It was astounding just how much alcohol could affect a person's judgment. Armin would normally have respected his friend's privacy and dropped the subject, but drunk Armin was trying to pry into his affairs like a nosy schoolgirl. Eren wondered why, of all the things that had happened that day, Armin had latched onto his little visit to Levi as the one thing he seemed to be coherent enough to remember.
Since Eren felt partially responsible for Armin's condition, having not checked on him sooner, he relented and decided to tell him an…edited version of the night's events.
"Well…he wasn't happy. He got onto me for not following orders of course. Luckily he wasn't in a particularly violent mood."
Armin swayed a little, trying to figure out why there were two Erens all of a sudden. He decided to ignore it and replied, "That's good. I was scared that he might beat you up again like he did in the courtroom…man you really got your ass kicked back then, hahahaha!"
Eren rolled his eyes and overlooked the insult. It wasn't like it was a total lie, he really had gotten his ass kicked. "Yeah yeah, very funny. Look, it's late, let's go to bed, okay? I think you need to sleep this off." He rose up from his spot on the chair and gently grabbed the blonde's arm, steadying him enough so that he could stand. He tried not to grasp the delicate limb too firmly. Armin always seemed so fragile, and although he wasn't made of glass, Eren certainly didn't want to leave any bruises to have to explain in the morning.
Armin yawned and replied, "Okayyyy."
Eren slowly, carefully led Armin over to the full size bed, letting the blonde lean on his shoulder a bit to balance his unsteady steps. When he reached the bed Armin slipped from his grasp and face-planted into the soft mattress. It didn't take long for him to drift off into a deep, alcohol induced sleep, drooling a bit and soaking the down comforter under his chin. Eren just sighed, pulling Armin's boots off so that at least his feet could breathe a little. He stood up and removed his jacket, hanging it on the edge of the chair before taking off his boots and 3D gear. When he was left only in his shirt and pants he collapsed on the bed next to Armin, curling up in the blankets like a cocoon.
His mind was plagued with flashbacks of everything that had occurred that day, and how he could have done things differently. His focus was mainly on how much of an idiot he'd been in Levi's office. He'd cursed at the man, nearly changed into a titan, and dry humped him all in the span of an hour. He was almost certain that Levi now thought even less of him than he previously had, and his heart sunk. He had acted like a bratty kid mixed with a hormonally challenged teenager. It was embarrassing to think about how shameless he had been without regard to how it made him look to his superior officer. He was probably disgusted with him now.
Things are just going to be strange around him now. Why did I have to be such an idiot and throw myself at him?
But, if Levi really had really been that opposed to his advances surely he would have done something to let him know, right? Like kick him in the groin, or punch him in the face, or even just yelled at him for being a horny brat. Levi was anything but shy about letting people know what he really thought of them. If he'd found Eren's touch disgusting, surely he would have broken his fingers for daring to lay a hand on him.
Not to mention the fact that he'd relentlessly teased him, breathing in his ear and touching...places.
Of course, the Corporal could have just been playing with him. He did say he was just humoring "whatever game" Eren was playing. The brunette was completely baffled. Would the man really go so far just to fuck with him? Surely not. Eren curled tighter into his cocoon, wishing that he could just shut the world out for a while. His mind didn't seem to get the hint, though, and he continued to ponder Levi's true intentions.
The stoic man's true thoughts and emotions would probably forever remain a mystery to everyone but himself, however.
Armin's snoring was becoming louder and louder, interrupting Eren's train of thought with their almost buzz-saw like intensity. Someone so small should not have been able to make such an ungodly sound. He rolled over and covered his head with a pillow, doing his best to block the offending sound. When the noise managed to pierce even the pillow's thickness, Eren sighed for what seemed like the thousandth time that evening.
It's going to be a long night.
"I'll ask you again, who are you and who are you working for?"
Levi narrowed his eyes at the psychopath, disdain etched on every square inch of his face. It disgusted him to even be in the same room as the man. He certainly hadn't proven himself to be good company at all.
The previously unconscious attacker was now fully awake and alert, sitting up on his small cot in an isolated corner of the infirmary, the one typically reserved for troublesome patients, or those that were delirious and lashed out in pain. Both of his wrists had been handcuffed behind his back and chained to the wall, severely restricting his movements. His wound had been cleaned and bandaged and he remained shirtless so that the medical staff could change the wrappings without having to remove the handcuffs. His chest was almost ghostly pale and covered in scars, some fresh, others faded.
Too many scars for someone so young. It's clear that he's seen some combat.
The youth couldn't have been more than twenty-five. He was rather thin, but not scrawny. His body was lithe and lean, which was necessary for an assassin, Levi supposed. Once you kill someone in cold blood you need to be able to escape quickly and without a sound.
His shoulder length red hair was matted from laying in a puddle of his own blood and dirt in the forest, and Levi cringed. Just when he thought he couldn't like the man any less.
Not only is he bat shit insane, he's filthy to boot. Just great.
His golden eyes were wide and full of curiosity where fear and panic should have been. Any other sane person would have been quite concerned about being chained to a cot in a strange place, surrounded by strangers who would just assume slit your throat than look at you. However, he was clearly far from sane as he took in his surroundings like a child would, paying more attention to the color of the drapes than the clearly pissed off man interrogating him.
Levi was not known for being a patient person, and the little bit of patience he did have was quickly wearing thin. He'd berated Hanji for her interruption, claiming that he'd been in the middle of disciplining Eren, and he was none too pleased to find out that violence was prohibited against the prisoner until his wounds were fully healed, lest he die of physical trauma. The information he held could prove far too valuable to warrant his death. Without being able to rely on violence, Levi's attempts at getting answers were proving to be a waste of time and energy. Not to mention the way that the idiot kept referring to himself as "this one" like he was some kind of mindless drone, which got really old really fast.
The man's initial reaction to the Corporal's presence had been one of trepidation, anticipating a second life threatening wound to add to his previous one. Once he'd realized that Levi was forbidden from harming him, however, his demeanor changed from fearful to almost playful in his attempts to press all of Levi's buttons as quickly as he could.
"My Little Corporal, why so serious? Relax a bit! You keep asking about this one, but what about you? Just who is the man behind the scowling visage? Hehehehe!" The man's face broke out into his token Cheshire grin, his psychotic laughter ringing out in the normally quiet atmosphere of the infirmary.
Levi's eye twitched in anger at the thinly veiled insult to his height. He really, really hated this asshole. He had to try and retain his composure, however. He couldn't let the weirdo get the best of him.
"Look, you brainless piece of trash, either you start answering my questions or I'll make sure you don't get fed for a week, understand? Now, who are you and who hired you to come after Eren Jaeger?"
The younger man seemed to perk up at the mention of Eren's name, his golden eyes filling with curiosity. "Ooh, you mean Monster Boy? Is he here? This one rather liked chatting with the lively fellow."
Levi raised a thin eyebrow at the statement.
He clearly knows about Eren's powers, which leads me to believe he must be working for someone in military police, but I can't be sure just yet.
"I demand that you tell me all you know about Jaeger." He asked, making sure to talk slowly so that the idiot could comprehend the question.
The younger male was far from a dimwit, however. In fact, he was a proving to be rather coy.
"Yay-grr? That's not his name, silly. His name is Monster Boy, and he's no fun, no fun at all. Much too serious, just like you! No one ever wants to play with this one these days," he said, pouting like someone had told him that they wouldn't come to his birthday party. After a few seconds he continued, "It's a shame really, that his pretty little face was wearing that ugly scowl the entire time. He must have the most delicious expressions. This one would love to see that lovely face contorted in pain...or pleasure." He gave Levi a sadistic smile, having the audacity to go so far as to wink at him suggestively.
Levi glared daggers at him. This maniac was really starting to rub him the wrong way, and he'd only been interrogating him for about half an hour. It was as if the younger male knew just what to say to piss him off without fail. On the inside he was absolutely livid, but he took a deep breath and did his best not to let his irritation show. Levi losing his temper was probably just what the psychopath wanted, taunting him until he broke the rules and raised his hand against the prisoner, effectively ending the interrogation. But Levi was no one's fool, and he refused to lose this battle of wits. He crossed his arms and leaned on the door frame.
"Well then, since you refuse to cooperate I'm going to tell the cooks to refuse to feed you until you feel like talking."
Much to Levi's chagrin, the man didn't seem at all perturbed. Instead, his large golden eyes regarded Levi with a look of curiosity.
"The Corporal seems to dislike it when this one speaks of Monster Boy. How curious, how curious indeed," he mused, a knowing smirk crossing his lips. Levi didn't like that look one bit. He tensed, once again giving the youth a glare that would have sent any mentally sound person running with their tail between their legs.
"His name is Eren, not Monster Boy. You will address him properly or you will regret it."
The man didn't seem phased by the threat.
"Oh? But this one heard the Corporal address him as "brat" before."
"What I decide to call him is none of your concern, you are less than dog shit and you don't deserve the right to call him whatever you want," Levi snapped, one hand gripping the handle of his blade. He might not be able to use it, but just the feeling of the cold steel under his palm was reassuring nonetheless. He was poised to strike if the man so much as showed an inkling of trying to escape his confines, or if he continued to insult Eren.
Hanji had been silently watching from the shadows, ready to intervene and protect Levi should the need arise. It was highly unlikely with the prisoner restrained in such a manner, but one could never be too careful in these trying times. She moved over to rest a reassuring hand on Levi's shoulder, prompting him to remove his hand from his blade and stand down.
"Come on, Corporal, let's take a break. We can try him again in the morning. It's late, why don't you go back and get some rest? I'll keep an eye on this guy," Hanji spoke in a low, soft tone to avoid the prisoner overhearing. Levi reluctantly nodded, shooting the redheaded man one last searing glare before turning to exit the infirmary.
Hanji remained behind as she said she would. She turned her attention to the prisoner, walking over and pulling up a chair a safe distance away from the man. Not that she was really afraid, having been face to face with titans and nearly eaten, but she had to follow protocol. He studied her for a moment before a look of realization crossed his features.
"This one remembers you. You are the one who tended to this one's wounds. This one is extremely grateful, Miss Smart Glasses," he said, tilting his head down as if he meant to bow.
Hanji giggled despite herself. She knew she wasn't supposed to be casually chatting with a potential murderer, but he was just so…fascinating. Her scientific side always got the best of her.
"You're quite welcome, uhm…what should I call you?"
Golden eyes regarded her with a curious look. "This one is not sure what you mean."
Hanji was a bit taken aback. "You know, your name, what do people call you?"
The redhead looked thoughtful for a moment. It was as if he was digging in the deepest recesses of his mind to answer the simplest of questions.
"This one has known many names. Yes, yes, this one remembers now. This one was once known as boy, but that was many, many years ago. Then there was the loud, old man who called this one worthless. But this one's favorite name has to be AHHHHHH!"
Hanji gave him a highly amused, yet befuddled look. "Pardon?"
The youth laughed as he recalled something that was apparently rather humorous. When he noticed Hanji's quizzical look, he explained.
"Well, when this one is about to kill the prey, sometimes they spot him, despite this one's best efforts to remain unseen. Nearly all of the prey who have seen this one coming have screamed AHHHH!"
Oh. That must be their screams of pure terror right before he snuffs them out like a candle. How charming!
The redhead seemed to find recalling the cries of his victims in the throes of death far too humorous judging by the way he was laughing, hardly able to catch his breath. He ceased laughing, however, when his mirth earned him a wave of intense pain from his shoulder.
Hanji was more than a little puzzled. How could someone not know their birth name, or did he really not have one? And why was he claiming to have multiple names?
Aliases, perhaps? That would make sense considering his line of work.
"Well, what did your previous employers call you? The ones who sent you after Eren? Don't worry, I won't drill you about who they were, that's Corporal Levi's job. I just want to know more about you."
The man regarded her with suspicion, but after a moment of silence, his expression softened .
"Those men…they called this one the assassin. There has only been one true name that this one has ever known, and it has only been spoken by the few whom this one has come to call "family." Would Miss Smart Glasses like to know this one's name in exchange for saving his life?"
Hanji smiled, nodding. "Yes, that could be how you repay me. Now let's hear it."
The redheaded youth nodded at her, smiling a genuine, warm smile, one that no one had previously thought him capable of.
"This one's name is…Rook."
The next morning was a rather gloomy one, dark grey clouds blocking out any hint of sunlight and threatening to unleash a torrent of rain at any given moment. There was a slight breeze that seemed to cut through the nearly unbearable humidity of the summer if only for a little while. It was one of those days that nature seemed unable to decide whether it wanted to be overcast or rain.
It was certainly miserable outside, and it wasn't much better inside the castle.
Eren awoke to Armin dry heaving over the side of the bed and groaning, looking much like death warmed over. He felt sympathy for the blonde, but he supposed it would teach him a lesson about not relying on alcohol to solve his problems. Armin's fingers were threaded through his bedraggled blonde hair, his hands resting against the sides of his head in an effort to get the room to stop spinning. He didn't know what was worse, the nausea or the throbbing headache he felt coming on.
I'm never touching another drop of alcohol, ugh.
Eren patted Armin's back in an attempt to soothe the boy's discomfort. "Do you want a glass of water, Armin? I'll go downstairs and get you one if you want."
Armin could only nod in response. Speaking just seemed to take way too much energy at the moment. Eren pulled the covers back and planted his feet on the cool stone floor. Since the weather had taken a turn for the worst, and most of the higher ups were busy with preparing for new recruits, training for the day had been cancelled. It was extremely rare to get a day of leisure, and Eren was relieved that he and Armin would have a chance to recover from the stress of the previous day's events.
He suddenly recalled the ultimatum that Levi had given him the night before, about having to report to him every hour. He panicked a little, realizing that he'd overslept past the usual time that he was expected to rise, which was six o'clock. It was now eight. He was still a little peeved at the older male, but he was, in the end, Eren's superior, and humanity's strongest soldier. He deserved more than a little respect, especially after he'd saved Eren from certain doom no less than three times now.
It wasn't as if Eren didn't respect Levi, far from it. He'd idolized the man almost his entire life, and that fact hadn't changed. His stomach was in knots as he remembered the way he'd spoken to his supposed hero the night before. Even if he'd had it coming.
Shit. Maybe he's downstairs. I'll bring Armin some water and then I'll go look for him.
He slipped on his boots, careful to not make too much noise and disturb Armin, who was curled into a fetal position at the foot of the bed. He slipped his jacket back on, ran his comb through his messy brown hair a couple of times, carefully closed the door so that it didn't slam, and set off on his way to the dining hall.
Almost immediately upon exiting the door he ran smack into Petra, knocking her on her rear. He looked down at her, confused at first, before realizing what had happened. He quickly moved to help her.
"Petra! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you. Here, let me help you up," he said apologetically, extending his hand down to the disoriented girl, which she took with a smile.
"It's okay Eren, I should have paid more attention to where I was going. I was just in the process of sweeping the halls. Not much to do on a dreary day like today besides clean. I'm sure the Corporal doesn't mind though," she said, stifling a giggle as she was hoisted back up on her feet with Eren's help. She dusted off her pants before turning to face him.
"So, where are you off to? Got any plans for today?"
Eren shook his head. "Not really, I'm just going to pour Armin a glass of water. He's…sick," he lied, not wanting to make Armin sound like a lush. It wasn't anyone's business really, and he preferred to keep it that way, even if Petra was a genuinely trustworthy person. His best friend's reputation came first.
Petra's eyes softened with concern. "Oh, the poor dear. I heard about what happened yesterday. I hope he gets better soon."
Eren rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Uh…yeah, me too. Oh! That reminds me, have you seen Corporal Levi anywhere?"
Petra put her finger to her lips, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Hmm, not today. He might be sleeping in. I heard he was up most of the night interrogating that awful man that attacked poor Armin. Would you like me to check and see if he's in his room while you get Armin some water?"
That's all I need. A sleep deprived Levi is not something I want to see.
"No!" he blurted out, causing Petra to jump a little, and he lowered his voice before continuing on, "Um…I mean no, that's okay. Thanks anyway, Petra. I gotta go, see ya!"
With that Eren was dashing down the stairs, leaving a very confused Petra in his wake.
"Oh...okay, Eren. Take care!" She shouted after him.
I wonder what's gotten into everyone around here.
Shrugging, she picked up the broom and continued the task of sweeping the castle floors, humming a tune to herself. She could hear a faint retching sound coming from Armin's room, but she decided not to question it. Everyone deserved their privacy, after all.
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