A/N: It was nearly unanimous, but since it wasn't completely unanimous, I'm going to compromise. Also, I'm going to answer reviews. I can't be sure you'll see it if I just PM you, so... Also, I do read all reviews, and I just pick out a few to answer. That doesn't mean I didn't appreciate your review, OK? Love
calleyrose - I agree 2000%, totally.
Pucaroo - It was almost unanimous the other way, but I've come up with something.
The titan's giant hand came down. Levi braced himself. The hand swooped over him and grabbed... someone behind him? He heard a yelp as Eren was lifted into the sky. His heart dropped to his stomach. Why did the brat follow him?
"Eren!" he shouted. He didn't know why. He barely knew him. Eren was insane. But this monster was impossible. It was there,lifting Eren into the sky. Levi wondered if he was dreaming, or perhaps hallucinating, If this was a dream, he had nothing to lose, right? He was also feeling indebted to the attractive brat.
He ran forward, unsure of why he was doing so, and reached the titan's foot. He was making too much noise; the titan looked down, that creepy smile was still plastered on it's face. He heard Eren shout something, and felt a steaming hot hand close around him. Immediately, he felt like he was being crushed.
"What the hell?" yelled Eren from the titan's other fist once Levi was within hearing distance. Talking was clearly difficult.
"This is a dream." Levi said shakily. "I'll wake up in the airport after this. What have I got to lose?" Levi looked like he was still trying to convince himself.
Eren started at him for a moment, dumbfounded. He quickly snapped out of it. "Think of it as a dream if you want." he said finally, prompted by the looming titan that was about to make them it's afternoon snack.
Levi heard growling. He also smelled bad breath coming from the titan. It smelled like rotting human corpses. All of a sudden, a pack of wolves jumped through the trees below them and snarled. The titan wasn't affected by them, instead it was trying to decide whether it should eat Eren or Levi first. The wolves barked, and suddenly they were clawing their way up the titan's leg. Levi heard the girl, Mikasa, yelling Eren's name.
The wolves reached the titan's neck just as it brought Eren to it's lips. Levi let out a strangled cry. A huge yellowish wolf ripped into the back of the titan's neck, tearing it to shreds and digging deeper with it's paws. The titan fell with the same expression it had always been wearing, with Levi and Eren still in it's grasp.
"Brace yourself!" called Eren. Levi wondered how he was supposed to brace himself inside a titan's fist, but soon he was on the ground, inside a hand that was quickly burning up. He felt the heat scorch him and struggled against it's grasp. Thankfully, it had gone limp, and Levi was able to escape without very many burns. He looked over to where Eren was standing, covered with burns and bruises but otherwise OK, and felt a strange rush of relief. Eren pointed to the bushes.
I might as well, since this is a dream, thought Levi, ducking into a bush just as a golden blonde with a bowl cut and a dirty blonde with a perma-scowl approached Eren. Mikasa followed behind.
"Eren-" she breathed, checking him all over for injuries. Eren laughed, looking genuinely happy.
"I could have fought him, Eren, but you know, since Dad left, my magic hasn't been the same." she said, the words rushing out of her mouth. So they're siblings, thought Levi.
"Yeah." was all Eren said.
"Eren, how stupid are you?" asked the bowl cut, hands on his hips.
"Sorry, Armin." said Eren apologetically. "I thought it had grabbed someone and I went to go help, but I guess I was wrong."
"I smell it again." said the dirty blonde, putting a hand on Armin's shoulder. "Is it the human everyone's talking about?"
"Not again, Jean." said Armin, rolling his eyes. "You think you smell humans all the time."
"No, but-" protested Jean, but Armin cut him off with a hand over his mouth.
"Shh." said Armin. Jean's face turned red and he nodded. From where Levi was in the bushes, he could only see their outlines and colors, no real details. He could barely tell Jean from Eren except for the fact that Eren was green. Levi wondered what kind of a dream this was, exactly.
For a few more minutes, the four of them spoke. After Jean and Armin left, Eren motioned for Levi to come out of the bushes.
"Are you okay?" asked Eren when he got there. Mikasa glared at Levi and moved a step closer to Eren, who didn't notice.
"Peachy." Levi replied. Eren smiled in relief. He really doesn't know what sarcasm is, huh? thought Levi as they made their way back to the tree.
Levi saw Eren whispering something to Mikasa. "Oi, what are you whispering about?" Levi asked.
"Nothing." said Eren. Levi frowned. When they got to the tree, Mikasa whispered something to Eren before going inside.
Inside, it was toasty. Mikasa threw a bucket of water on the fire and sat down at the table. Eren sat down as well, so Levi sat down at the remaining chair.
"What's your name?" asked Eren.
"It's Levi." Levi said.
"Welcome to our home, Itslevi. Weird name." said Eren, leaning back in his chair.
"No, Eren, I think his name is Levi." said Mikasa, holding back a giggle.
"Oh. Welcome to our home, Levi." Eren smiled, then leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Now, we need to talk."
"About?" asked Levi.
"About you." said Eren. "Where are you from?"
"America." said Levi. "In (name of city) City."
Eren nodded. "I have to go somewhere." he said. "Once I get there, I can tell them where you're from and ask when the forest will be there next."
"Eren, I don't want to be left alone with him." said Mikasa. "I'll go. Don't do anything to Eren or I'll shove a knife up your ass." she said to Levi, glaring. Levi's eyes widened but he managed to keep his poker-face.
"Mikasa." said Eren, but he was smiling. "Don't take too long. If he asks why you're there, tell him you just really like America or something."
Mikasa nodded and left, her scarf trailing behind her. Now it was just Eren and Levi, alone. This was going to be awkward.
Eren had told Mikasa about Levi thinking that the forest was a dream. She said to just play along; that way, Levi wouldn't try to run again. If they went to old man Pixis, he would tell them when the forest would reappear in America. Hopefully, not more than a few days. The forest was inconstant, sometimes going from Germany to Ireland and back to Germany the next day, and sometimes not going to Germany for years.
"Levi, what do you like to do?" asked Eren conversationally, wanting to break the weird silence.
Levi laughed. "After all that, you want to ask me my hobbies? I like to teach."
"Teach what?" asked Eren.
"French." said Levi, visibly relaxing.
"I've been there before. France, I mean." said Eren. In truth, he had been there countless times. They might have been in France right then, for all he knew. "How old are you?"
"Thirty-four." said Levi. "An old coot."
"I'm two hundred and fifty." said Eren. Levi looked taken aback for a second.
"I guess I should have expected that." said Levi, cocking his head to the side.
Eren was silent for a moment, wondering if he had said too much. He wondered how far he could push Levi before he freaked out again.
"Tell me something you've never told anyone else." said Eren. After seeing Levi's expression, he quickly added, "And I'll tell you something in return. A get-to-know-you sort of thing."
Levi was quiet, and Eren could feel worry build up inside him. Had he asked too much? Levi thought this was a dream, so he wouldn't worry about it too much, right?
"Since it's a dream." Levi muttered. Eren's heart soared. "I used to be in a gang. A really bad gang. I refused to kill people, but there are worse things than death." Levi grimaced. "I would shoot their toes off, their ears, whatever. Anyway, when I tried to leave, they threatened to kill me. So I shot them, just blindly lashing out. One died. Several were severely injured and were in the hospital for weeks."
Levi stopped there, but Eren could tell there was more. "Now you go."
"When I was nine, my sister was kidnapped." Eren began, already getting lost in the memory, "I tried to tell our dad, but he was busy, and Mom was out. So I went out and searched for her, leaving behind a note for my dad. When I found her, the kidnappers were talking about putting her on display. They were human. I had a knife hidden in my back pocket and I grabbed it, ran out, and killed them."
Both of them were silent for a while, two murderers sitting together in one room, lost in their thoughts. It was Levi who spoke up.
"You did what you had to do." he said simply.
"And you were scared." said Eren. "You did what anybody would have done."
Silently, they disagreed with each other.