A/N: what have we got here? a long chapter! (well, longER, anyways! xD) I considered breaking it into two but... no, I decided it needed to happen like this! Things happen! Be excited! :D

Btw, I recently started up on tumblr: 'hamface101' for snk videos/reblogs, and 'hamwriting' for... well, writing 8D Links are in my profile, please check them out if you're interested!

VI

"Good morning, sir!" Eren chirped as he sprung into the dining room, draping an arm around the sitting duke and leaning his face on the black locks of hair.

"Yes, good morning," Levi replied. He inhaled deeply as the brunette released the half embrace and sat himself down in the seat across. "...You are in a good mood today, Yager," He said, almost teasingly.

Eren said nothing, and only smiled at the other man as his breakfast was brought to him. Poached eggs and hashbrowns, apple slices, and a glass of milk. The boy thanked the servant before taking up his fork and digging in.

It had been a month since his short - though nonetheless heated - confrontation with Levi concerning the Princess Mikasa. The words that the duke uttered back then had certainly caught Eren off guard (and clouded his mind for a good day or two afterwards,) but once he overcame the initial shock, the boy realized that, seeing as the other man was so insistent on keeping secrets from him, he could use those very words that Levi said in hopes of quelling Eren's curiosity against him.

And thus it began.

At first, he started small: Eren would keep a glowing smile on his face whenever he was around the duke, making sure that all of his words and actions were warm and friendly, simply to see what type of reaction it would draw out of the other. Levi stayed cold, but at the same time, he did nothing to repel the younger man's advances. Eren took this as a win on his part and took another step over the boundary line. He started dropping in the duke's study at unwelcome times, just to say good morning or good evening, or ask questions that certainly could have waited until a later time. Some days he would follow Levi on his daily walks in the courtyard, or insist to accompany him as he read in the library. The duke, at this point, began to question the boy on his behavior, and would tell him to get out of the way. Eren, however, always had the same comeback: "You said you liked having me around, sir."

Eren knew it was a weak response. He was sure that Levi knew it too. But every time he used it - though the duke would first glare at him darkly - Levi would let him get away with whatever it was that he was doing. Before long, Eren got his way with nearly everything.

When breakfast was done, Levi announced, "I will go for a ride around the gardens."

Eren perked up. "I'm coming along, Sir!"

A smile. "As you wish."

It was a success on his part, in some ways. It was unofficial, but Eren had power around the estate now. He had Levi, more or less, wrapped in his influence, though he could not fathom with all of his brainpower just how his shallow plans had ever worked out. This hadn't even been part of the original plan, to tell the truth. All Eren had wanted was to use Levi's careless words to take advantage of the situation, to push Levi to a limit and for him to finally admit that, no, "I like having you around" was not the reason why Eren was here, that it really was just a last minute cover up, and ok, if the damned brat would please stop getting on his nerves, he'll tell Eren the real reasoning behind this elaborate plot.

However, Levi never reached this limit. He never snapped. Instead, he retaliated in a way in a way Eren never thought was possible.

"Yager, would you like to ride on my horse with me today?"

He played Eren's game right back at him.

"S-sure! Sir," the brunette stuttered. Though this 'game' of theirs had been going on for weeks, every time the duke made a move Eren still found himself caught off guard. He couldn't help it though - it just seemed so unlike Levi - but he wouldn't be the first one to cave, either. "I'd love to."

"Of course you would." The older man turned away with a smirk.

They reached the stables now. Levi's black mare whinnied at the sight of her master, reaching out her nose to nuzzle his hand when he offered it to her. Eren briefly stopped by his horse too, a chestnut stallion Levi had entrusted to his care, petting his mane and mumbling something along the lines of, "Sorry, I won't be taking you out today."

"Get on, Eren," Levi instructed after he had saddled and lifted himself atop his horse. He offered a hand to the younger boy, which Eren took with a slight blush, and pulled him over.

Eren stared at the duke's back self-consciously as they rode out to the gardens at a slow trot. This was not the first time they rode together - maybe it was the third, or fourth - but he still could not bring himself to position his hands without first hearing the words from Levi's mouth.

"Put your arms around me, brat." - There it was.

Nervously, Eren lifted his arms up from where they lay on his legs wrapped them around the duke's torso. Levi was very lean under his clothing - almost surprisingly so - and Eren's hands could almost reach his elbow when he clasped them together.

"Hmmph."

The teenager didn't know why it was so hard for him to do this. He had no trouble breaking the boundaries in the weeks past, whether it be intruding during off-times or making comments that just bordered on inappropriate. He even had no problem this morning, bringing the other into a friendly embrace (even though socially, that was wrong on so many levels.) But why was it so different now? Was it because the duke had ordered him to do as such? Was it because they were alone?

Was it because it no longer felt like a game?

Eren shuddered at the last thought, subconsciously pulling himself closer to Levi and then flushing when he realized what he just did. With his nose buried in the other's neck, he could smell the fresh scent of shampoo from the morning bath that he would always take. His clothes smelled like royalty, like high-end wool, like riches and wealth - but they also smelled like him. Clean, fresh, whatever it was - and the heat rose straight to Eren's face.

They had since rode out of the gardens and into the vast, open field that bordered the estate to the north. The atmosphere was decidedly spring now, with the soft green grass that leaned ever so slightly in the occasional warm breeze. Levi broke his horse into a gallop across the terrain, smiling ever so slightly as the air rushed by his face and the two arms around his stomach tightened. He soon slowed back down to a trot once they were in the middle of the vast clearing, and then stopped completely.

Eren, eager to escaped his confused thoughts and questionable position, took this as a cue to release his grasp and and slide off the horse's back. He took a deep breath, sucking way down to the bottom of his lungs. Get a hold of yourself!, he scolded. He wasn't going to lose to Levi.

With a laugh, the teenager launched himself into a soft blanket of grass, still wet from the morning dew, spreading his arms and grinning up at the clear sky. He did not fail to notice the twitch in Levi's eyes as he presumably contracted an unnamed amount of dirt, grass stains, and germs onto his shirts. But he didn't care. Breathing in the relaxing scent of grass and feeling the earth beneath his fingers was wonderfully reminiscent of his previous life, one that was only a few months removed but seemed like a universe away. He didn't give a damn what Levi thought, not at a time like this - and that was the point, anyways. Piss of the duke. Get him to spill secrets. Learn the truth. Eren finally felt in control again.

The smile never left his face as he proceeded to roll and kick around, plucking stray flowers as he saw fit and tossing them into the air. "You should come and play with me, sir!" He laughed again as he said it.

Levi chuckled softly from where he sat. To Eren's surprise, the man let go of the reins and dismounted.

Just as quickly as Eren had regained his footing in his mind, he stumbled again. "Sir?" Eren started, sitting up slightly. He hadn't expected that Levi would actually listen to him. Sure, he was very lenient to the boy's demands now, but never for something like this.

"What?" Levi returned playfully, as he sat down on the grass next to the other. Eren's eyes almost shot out as he saw Levi's white pants seated against the wet grass. The duke, noticing Eren's reaction, leaned in, whispering with a smirk, "You asked me to play with you, didn't you?"

Eren bit down on his lip. Oh no, oh no... he was being outdone and he knew it. He had no comeback though, not with the other's face so close to his own blushing one anyways - "Y-yes... Yes, sir."

Levi gave a satisfied grin and tackled the other, resulting in them tumbling once or twice before stopping, the dark-haired man on top. "Is this what you meant?"

The brunette, head still spinning (whether from rolling in the grass, or the close proximity of the person he had just rolled with) did not reply, but just stared at the other. "I..."

The older man frowned, though he did not move from his position. His elbows were propped up on either side of Eren's face, legs stretched out and alternating with the other's. Half of his body weight was resting on the one below him but it was probably okay - Eren wasn't complaining.

...Eren wasn't complaining?

This could be considered harassment, without a doubt. Unwanted physical contact. For a boy who had argued so passionately for his right to know surely felt the same, or stronger, about the right to not be touched without consent, right? Levi continued to stare at the wide green eyes beneath him.

He was blushing...

Levi didn't mean to lean lower. It just happened because there was gravity and he couldn't stay propped up on his elbows forever. He didn't even realize how close he had gotten until he felt the boy's breath on his face - on his lips - and his nose came into contact with soft skin.

… No.

No!

The duke quickly snapped back, pushing himself into a sitting position, off of Eren and onto the side. He breathe heavily for a second, but then regained control of himself - thank the gods for his strong sense of composure. The younger boy sat up as well, though slower, and still looking dazed.

"Surprised you didn't flinch, Yager," Levi said, turned away. He stood up before Eren could reply and whistled for his horse, who had wandered just a bit of a ways off to graze the field. She returned in a moment, and Levi mounted.

"Get on, brat. We're going back."

Not another word was spoken on the way back. He didn't even bother to tell Eren to grab on. The brunette's arms hung at his sides the whole time.

"I will go take a bath," Levi announced, after arriving back at the manor. No words, no response - no cheeky comment of "Can I come with you?" - just a silent nod of the head as acknowledgment. He was still affected by what had just happened. The duke figured as much.

Levi left the other boy as he marched to the his bedchambers, then to the adjoining bathroom. He ordered for his tub to be filled, and once the servants brought in the hot water, he tossed his dirtied clothes into the hamper and slipped in.

What did I just do... the man thought, sitting lower into the tub. I almost lost control... or something. Harshly - almost angrily - Levi splashed the water on his face, rubbing thoroughly with his hands, as if trying to erase, to wash away, the incident that just took place. "Aauhg!"

He reached for the bar of soap that sat nearby. He washed himself three times (as opposed to the usual two, which he had done earlier that morning) before getting out.

After drying himself and slipping into a clean set of clothes, he went to his study only to find a messenger waiting for him.

"Master - a letter for you."

Silently, Levi took the letter. The royal insignia was stamped on the wax seal.

"Come to the castle today. -M."

Perfect timing. He really needed to get away from his estate.

~ o ~

Levi arrived in the early afternoon. He came on his horse with just two of his guards, Erd and Gunter, instead of the whole horse-and-carriage system. He was too restless for such a slow ride.

As it turned out, the princess had not expected their arrival so soon and already had the afternoon booked. Levi frowned at this information but it was just as well; he wasn't sure how much of a mood he was in to speak with the girl, knowing that she most likely wished to discuss a topic that Levi would much rather avoid at the moment.

Without any business to attend to, Levi wandered to the castle library to find that the room was empty save for a scrawny-looking blonde who sat in the corner and looked vaguely familiar. Hearing the sound of footsteps, the boy looked to Levi with sky-blue eyes and immediately stood to bow down - "Good day, my lord!"

Levi nodded in acknowledgement. "Good day to you too."

The boy sat back down. Normally, Levi would have left it at that and went off to find a book to read, but he wanted some conversation to distract his mind. Besides, the boy had some awfully large scrolls of paper laying on the table in front of him, inciting the duke's curiosity.

"What's your name, boy?" Levi took a seat at the table, across from the other.

The blond, who had already gone back to reading, looked up again, surprised that the conversation was continued. "Armin Arlert, sir! 17 years old, cartographer."

A cartographer. Levi nodded his head. That would explain the scrolls - they were maps. And yes, now that he thought of it, he had heard the name before; he'd seen the boy once or twice when he was younger and spent most of his time at the castle, but Armin was too shy and untalkative for Levi to want to approach him. Mikasa fared better, and the two got along pretty well, if he wasn't mistaken.

The older man reached over and opened one of the scrolls. "Shiganshina District," it was titled, and below it, an unfinished map.

"Oi, hasn't this area already been mapped? It's only a few hours south of here."

"Ah, yes, you're right! It has, although..."

"Although?"

"I presume that you remember the raid that happened, seven years ago? During that time, the invaders burned of our treasured manuscripts, and our most accurate maps were gone with them. We still have maps, for sure, but no one has bothered to recreate those detailed maps. That's what I'm doing now."

Levi raised an eyebrow. The raid? Ah... that's right. He had heard about it from his mother, when she was still around (he had never known his father, who was killed in a skirmish before his birth). Levi was 15 at the time, and was away on a 6-month tour around Sina to see the world with his own eyes - and to possibly meet eligible noblemen's daughters, though that part had obviously failed.

The raid happened during the night, he heard. The intruders were after the castle's store of information, and they targeted and lit the library on fire. The only casualties were those awakened by the noise and who tried to interfere - a couple of guards, and most notably, the princess's new maid who had only been acquired some two months prior. By the time Levi returned three months later, the damage had already been repaired - that is, except for the damage it had done to Mikasa. She refused to talk to him about it, but it was obvious that she suffered from the loss of a maid who, despite the short time period, she had grown very close to.

That was also the time, Levi recalled, that Mikasa began talking about this mysterious boy with brown hair and green eyes.

"I'll be going on a trip to Shiganshima soon so that I can better investigate the terrain and record them," Armin continued. "It seems that the princess wants to come too. Say, isn't-" The blond suddenly cut himself off, as if he had second thoughts about continuing his sentence.

"Isn't what?" Levi demanded. He never liked indecisiveness.

Armin looked down before slowly finishing the thought. "Isn't... isn't Shiganshima the hometown of the boy that Princess Mikasa had been searching for? ...Eren?"

Levi had been fine - uncomfortable, but fine - during the entirety of the sentence, up until the name was uttered at the end. Suddenly, all the memories of that morning flew back at him, filling up his brain and chest so much that for a second, he thought he would suffocate.

"Yes... that's right," he managed to reply. He looked away and stood up, effectively ending the talk. So much for a relaxing conversation, he thought bitterly, as he walked out of the library and down the hallway.

After a good amount of wandering the castle, dinner time finally came around, and Levi was at last able to see the one he meant to visit.

"It's nice of you to come over," Mikasa said rather coldly, eyes gazing at the one across from her, as the appetizers were served on silver platters. "Especially after ignoring a month's worth of correspondence."

Levi grunted in response. It was true: he had refused to answer any and all of Mikasa's letters inquiring about the guest at his estate. He felt almost ashamed to break the trend by coming today, but he needed it. He needed the time away. "It's good to see you too, Mikasa."

"I apologize for being unable to attend to you this afternoon." She cut at the vegetables on her plate, bringing up a small piece of her lips, as a princess should. "What did you do to entertain yourself?"

Levi scoffed, lightening the mood. "What are we, still kids? I've been around enough that you don't need to be with me every moment I'm here." He paused to eat before answering. "I went to the library and saw Armin there. He said he is going to Shiganshima, and that you plan to go with him."

"Yes," the princess replied, wiping the corner of her lips with her napkin. "I do plan to go. I also plan to take Eren with me."

Levi exhaled sharply at the last comment. No, he said to himself, forget this morning. He set down his fork. "And what makes you so sure that you will be able to accomplish that?"

"I don't know," she said, almost nonchalantly. "But it's been nearly three months, Levi. Don't you think I have been patient enough?"

"Patient, my ass," the duke grumbled, thinking back to her persistent visits and inquiries. But he did have to admit, he was surprised that things had lasted for as long as they did without Mikasa taking some extreme measure.

"Unless..." Mikasa looked down at her food and moved it a bit with her fork, "is there some other reason you are keeping him from me, Levi?"

Levi's eyes narrowed. "And just what do you mean by that?"

"Oh, I don't know, but you seem awfully adamant about keeping Eren to yourself."

The man winced upon hearing the name again. He realized his heartbeat had quickened, despite his efforts to keep calm. "I have no idea what you are insinuating, princess."

"But I think you do." The black-haired girl had set down her utensils as well at this point. "Tell me, sir, why you have kept Eren for as long as you have, and more importantly, what you have been doing with him."

Levi almost sneered at the comment. "The way you say that, it almost seems like you are suggesting a relationship between the two of us."

"I am!" Mikasa did not yell the words, but her voice suddenly rose to a level above her normal subdued tone. "Do you like Eren? Is that it?!"

"Mikasa..." Levi growled, darkening at her accusations. He had not expected this type of response, and he realized that he had taken a misstep with his previous words.

"Deny it, if you can!"

That's right... all he had to do was deny it. A simple word. One syllable. And yet all Levi could manage to say was, "Mikasa, I don't see why-"

"Forget it," the princess cut in, palm hitting the table as she grabbed her fork again and resumed eating, slipping back into her princessly composure that came about with years of practice. But not without mumbling some last words:

"...I always knew you were-"

Levi slammed his fists on the tablet as he rose to his feet. "That's enough, Princess." Without so much as another word, the duke turned around and stormed out of the room.

"Erd, Gunter - We're leaving." The two guards, eating in the mess hall, looked at their master with puzzled expressions - are we really leaving even though the sun has already gone down? - but did not question him as they retrieved their horses and set out from the castle.

~ o ~

Back at the estate, Eren, who had been dazed and cloudy minded all day, sat alone in the salon, gazing into the softly burning fireplace. After the incident this morning, Levi suddenly decided to leave for the castle. Eren didn't know when the duke was coming back. Hell, he didn't even know the duke was going until he had already left.

And maybe that shouldn't be upsetting - the man was in no way obligated to let Eren know every one of his plans - but it was. It made Eren feel neglected, overlooked. Especially after what happened that morning... whatever that was, anyways.

Petra caught him earlier, during lunch. Levi wasn't around, so the brunette decided to dine in the mess hall with the rest of the estate's residents. The golden haired lady saw him looking out of it and asked if anything was the matter.

"I don't know," Eren had replied. It was the worst answer and the perfect answer at the same time, because truly, he didn't know.

Thankfully, Petra, the kind soul she was, did not ask further. "If you're wondering about the master, I heard he got summoned by the princess. That's why he left so suddenly."

Hearing that made Eren feel slightly better, as did Petra's caring way of telling him. He smiled and thanked the other lady.

He then bumped into Hanji who, despite her questionable interest in the situation and Eren's mood at the time, managed to get the teenager to spill all the details of what caused him so much trouble. Her face tightened into a contemplative look at the end of it all, and for a second, Eren thought that she would have some profound conclusion to share with him - that is, until she broke into a wide grin and smacked him on the back.

"It'll be okay soon! Just you see!"

Nevertheless, Eren thanked Hanji for listening and retreated quietly to somewhere he could sit and think alone.

That place ended up being the salon which (ironically) was meant to be a social room, but was quiet and isolated when Levi wasn't around. He sat there for the rest of the afternoon, missing dinner, and now, late into the night. Eren found himself almost nodding off when suddenly...

Slam!

The sound from the front door alerted the teenager and his green eyes snapped open. Footsteps increased in volume until they entered the room, and Eren whipped his head around to greet the person who had entered - "Sir!"

Indeed, it was Levi, with his two guards standing at his tail. He looked in Eren's direction, though he did not look at his eyes. His face had an inscrutable look of irritation and anger as if he could hit the boy right then and there. Eren cringed at the thought, even going as far as to bring an elbow in front of himself defensively.

But of course, the duke did not hit him. He spoke:

"Get your shit packed up tonight, Yager. You're going to the castle tomorrow."

~ o ~

A/N: whew! things are happening, finally! :D

Recently I've been doing a lot of, well, studying other people's writing, trying to get a hang of what works and what doesn't. So far, I'm much happier with how this chapter turned out than the others. Let me know what you thought! (: xoxo