Authors' Note: Hey fellow smexys! Long time no story update! Well I guess the story's back, just in time for Marching Band Practice season to start! Hopefully it doesn't get in the way of anymore updates (; -_-)

ANYWAYS, in this parallel universe/story/world some characters that may have died are still alive; so don't make a big deal out of it, you should be happy they're still here, alive, and well. Okay? Okay. Thank you to anyone that understands this, and to anyone who will message me and/or send hate, this is for you; t(0^0t ). -A.E.L

I nervously stare Marco down as he listens to my story. Jean sits in the next chair from him directly across from Armin, while I try to get every detail I can actually share into this whole thing. The words echo through the makeshift office that the higher ranks use in the base's dungeon. When the story is finally finished, Horse Face is shaking is head.

"Well, Jaeger," Jean reaches across the table and slaps his hand on my shoulder, "the evidence seemed clear enough to me that you and the corporal fucked, but I guess I was mistaken."

Marco's mouth drops to the floor, "Jean Krischtein, why are you acting like such a big shot about this?! Eren deserves an apology!" He crosses his arms and looks back at me, "Just ignore him Eren. Don't worry, Jean and I will clear this up as much as we can... isn't that right, mister?"

Marco's hot headed pony of a best friend just stares at the rest of the group sitting at the table, shakes his head again, and starts laughing. "Yeah, yeah, sure why not? But I just wanna know something; let's say the corporal hears about this little rumor, and automatically thinks you're the one that made it up, what are you gonna do then?"

Before I can lunge over the table and kill that jackass, Armin steps in and stops me. "Jean, who said Levi's going to think that? If he does though, I think it's pretty clear from all the information you've gathered from Eren, Levi is nothing more to him than a friend and drinking buddy. So shut up you... butt!"

I start to shift in my seat, crossing my arms, and stare at the ground while the two continue to bicker at each other like an old married couple. Like I said before, I tried to get as much information as I could into my explanation, but that doesn't mean I told them everything that happened like... you know... the stuff and thangs.

"Enough!" Marco slams his hand on the table and almost sounds like he's trying not to growl at them, "Jean, you go back to our room and shut your mouth for a while until you calm down and I get back. And you, Ar-"

Jean starts to turn as red as I am when he begins to protest, "What the hell! You're not my mom, you can't tell me to 'go to my room' and shit."

Marco scoffs, "that's what you think. As long as I'm here with you, while your mom isn't , I'm taking responsibility of you and that big mouth of yours; so go and think about what you said!" The freckled tyrant smiles innocently and folds his hands together, "Please?"

No one says anything, but it's obvious that Jean's lips were quivering.

"wh-whatever Marco. Maybe you should take your own words and shove them up your ass." And with that pathetically good comeback, Horse Face stands up and practically drags his 'hooves' out of the room.

Marco pushes in his chair and moves the empty seat next to mine, "sorry you had to see that Eren."

Armin and I shift in our seats at the same time, and he begins to blush as I talk.

"It's fine Marco. Not everyday you get to see Armin and Jean fight like that, huh?"

"W-Well I was just sticking up for you!" Armin starts to return to his natural skin tone, "but we still need a plan if that jerk is right; what if Levi really does think you started the rumor?"

"Yeah," Marco asks, "what are you going to do?"

That's when it finally hits me:

' What am I going to do, really? Levi could hate me forver, and we were getting so close to being together! Wait... did I just say that? NO. I DON'T LIKE HIM LIKE THAT. I RESPECT HIM AS A LEADER. I ALWAYS HAVE, EVEN BEFORE THE WALL FELL. I JUST WANT TO BE FRIENDS. CHUMS. BUDDIES. PALS. LOVERS. ...WAIT, WHAT!? '

"Uh... Eren?" Armin shakes me, "are you ok?"

' . . . HE'LL HATE ME FOREVER! . . . I BET HE THINKS I STARTED IT! . . . MAYBE I CAN JUST GO ALL TITAN MODE AND FREAK OUT... CAUSE A DIVERSION? '

Marco starts to yell at me, "Base to Eren! Base to Eren! Are you there?"

' WAIT... I KNOW WHAT I'LL DO! '

They speak in unison, "Eren, please, you're scaring us-"

"I'LL FACE HIM HEAD ON AND ASK HIM IF HE FEELS THE SAME WAY!"

After I practically yell from the top of my lungs, I realize what I just said. I think that two people now know that I actually do like Corporal more than a 'friend'.

My blond friend scratches his head, "feels the same way about what? The rumor?"

' They don't know after all ' I say to myself.

I look back and forth from Marco to Armin making sure my thoughts are correct. When I'm sure they are I talk; "Yeah... How we both feel about the rumor..."

' Where could he be? I can't find that little shit anywhere. '

I'd been searching the halls for about an hour now looking for Eren, I needed to ask him about that stupid 'ruining relationships' thing Petra was rambling about earlier. I still can't believe out of all the times I would actually want to blow off all my meetings and have a chance to just binge drink in my quarters, I was looking for a brat.

"Corporal why are you running?" The little voice came from a new recruit, Springer, I think is his name.

I stop running look at the cleanly shaved boy, trying to control my temper, "I'm looking for another soldier."

He looks at me wide eyed, "that soldier... would it happen to be Eren Jaeger, sir?"

My gaze turns into a glare, "tch, so you've heard the rumors too?"

"Uh, yes. But-"

"But nothing. Yes, I am looking for Eren Jaeger. Though it is to ask him a serious, professional, question."

The newbie crosses his arms, mimicking my voice and stance, "I wasn't assuming anything Corporal grumpy pants. I just thought you should know that I saw Eren and a few others go down to his cage... room thingy."

"Oh..." I am left in absolute shock as he walks away.

I start my way in the opposite direction towards the dungeon, contimplating what just happened in that conversation.

' Was that maybe one of Eren's friends? Maybe he doesn't care about gossip... or did he start it? No, that can't be it. What if he saw Eren in my room that night and he thinks... oh shit. '

Eventually I make it to the stairs, starting my long decline down under the ground to Eren's abode.

"Wow,"I mumble, "The last time I was down here was when the brat first showed up here."

The torches along the wall flicker as I walk past, making me think of an old quote I heard of a while back; ' "Love, as well as life, can be represented as a flame. You can make it large and exciting, or calm quite small; but you can never control when the fire will light or the embers start to glow dimmer." Huh... I guess it's like Jaeger and I. '

All of the sudden, it's as if the whole world gives me a slap to the face as it begins to grow warmer. I clutch my stomach, it almost feels like I'm sick, but at the same time it feels nice. Then I think back to the night when Jaeger saved me.

' It felt like this a little bit when he picked me up and rushed to my quarters, a-and it felt exactly like this when I fell asleep, too. '

My clutched hand moves up to my face, to my lips. Then I ask myself, shaking; "did he actually... Did he really... Kiss me?"

Air is now rushing all around me while my legs carry me down the stairs in a dead sprint. I don't know why, but for some reason I feel like I'll be sorry if I don't get to him soon.

When I finally make it to the landing, I hear voices coming from the left of the corridor and head in that direction. Soon, I make it to the makeshift meeting room the guards use and see him sitting and listening to a few friends talk.

"I finally found you, brat." I say almost out of breath.

The group goes quiet and stares in my direction, Eren stands up. "Levi-... I-I mean Corporal; I was just about to come looking for you."

' Looking for me? ' I think to myself as I stride towards him.

Once I'm near he lowers his voice, "Listen we need to talk-"

"Yes I know," I start, "about the rumor-"

"Y-Yeah, but also... other stuff."

I can see that brat's face change to a shade of red even in the dim light, "yes. I suppose we do need to talk about... other stuff."

We both look at the two other brats in the room staring at us, both trying to suppress what seems to be laughter.

Almost in a growl Eren speaks, "what the hell are you two snickering at?"

"Nothing, nothing at all," the blond one giggles like a drunk school girl.

"Armin I told you. We're just friends and comrades. FRIENDS. AND COMRADES."

I reach up and put my hand on his shoulder, "Eren, calm down. You're all fifteen, they're just joking around."

All of the sudden we end up looking into each others eyes, and the quote I thought of earlier keeps repeating in my head. That weird feeling in the pit of my stomach comes back, and I think Jaeger could feel it too.

"Tch," I break the silence, "enough with the staring soldier. We need to go and discuss this rumor situation and figure this all out."

Next thing I know we're both running back down the corridor, up the stairs, and back up into the main base.

We don't stop running when we reach my room, not even at my office do we stop, we just keep running until we go up another flight of stairs and somehow find ourselves at the top of a watch tower.

I can't figure out how time went by so fast to make the sun lay on the horizon, I don't remember what made me want to do this.

All I know is that I grabbed his hand and started running:

Seeing the torches glow brighter as we passed.