Disclaimer: I own none of the characters!

Notes: First: **TRIGGER WARNINGS** There's some physical abuse in here (slapping and punching), verbal and an attempted molestation (along with some creeper pets). I wanted to bring this to everyone's attention because I don't want anyone to be troubled by this. Second: next chapter is the end of Bluebeard. And will include a special appearance by a semi-new character (remember that green-hooded thief?) In other words, I'm glad to be done with this chapter because writing it was fucking HARD and I'm just really excited for the next piece. Third: for anyone following Danger Line, the doujin will be posted as a free webcomic. The doujin book will be to buy eventually. Linky link to the webcomic, just take out the () between the letters (first page goes up Friday!):

ht()tp:()/()dangerline().smackjeeves()

Eren sat up straight when he heard the door click open. He grew rigid, watching Kitts walk into the room, a tray in his hands. The man smiled, locking the door behind him. Eren eyed him as he walked to the bed, setting the tray on the nightstand. A nightstand that wasn't even a real nightstand; the drawers were sealed shut and the table itself was heavily bolted to the floor. It was a useless piece of shit.

Eren looked away, turning his nose up at the food despite the empty, tight feeling in his stomach.

"You should eat. It's been a while."

Eren remained quiet, his shoulders shaking. He didn't know what was in the bowl, but it smelled heavenly. Hell, at this point anything would smell good. He was hungry, and Kitts knew it. The old bastard had planned it.

"Eat."

"I'm not hungry."

It was such a blatant, obvious lie. It didn't help that as Eren spoke, his stomach rumbled at the same time.

"I don't want you to get sick," Kitts replied firmly, reaching out and grabbing Eren by the arm.

Eren swung his hand and slapped Kitts across the face. However, his hit was weak and it took too much of his energy. Eren ended up falling over after he struck Kitts across the face, lying on the bed with a dizzy head. Everything was suddenly spinning and his body felt heavy.

The scent of the soup was even stronger…

"If you were so worried about me getting sick, you should have given me food sooner!" Eren spat as hard as he could. "Instead of starving—"

Kitts wrapped his hand around Eren's jaw, forcing him to be quiet. Eren gasped as he was pushed back and he swung his hand again, slapping Kitts on the face with an even weaker hit. He grabbed the man's shirt with shaking fingers and tried to pull himself free but he was too out of energy to do anything.

Kitts waited patiently before backhanding Eren across the face.

The slap echoed throughout the room and Eren could taste copper in his mouth. He let his head fall to the side, his chest rising and falling as he tried to regain some focus.

"I bring you food and this is how you treat me?" Kitts screamed. Eren felt spittle fly onto his face and he closed his eyes, his fingers still clinging to the man's shirt. "You ungrateful little bastard, how dare you?"

"Get off me!"

Eren was slapped again, this time even harder. He reached out and tried to grab the tray from the nightstand, but Kitts knocked his hand away. The tray, and the soup, ended up falling onto the floor with a loud clatter and splash.

Kitts' hand came down on Eren's face again, though in the form of a punch now. Eren saw blood splat onto the floor and he coughed as the man rose from the bed. Kitts started to pace, stepping over the bowl and tray. Eren pushed himself up, shaking and bloody. He glared at the man who had hit him through heavy eyes.

"Now look at yourself, Eren," the man hissed. "I came in here with food, because I know you haven't eaten anything—"

"You don't bring me any fucking food for two days and blame me for not eating!?"

Kitts advanced, raising his hand and Eren instinctively held up his own hands to block the blow. It never came, but the sudden rush left him feeling weak again.

"Because I knew how upset you would be. I needed to let you cool down before trying to talk to you. But maybe that was a mistake. Maybe I should have waited another day."

"Fuck you."

"You're being unreasonable. I'm trying to be good to you but you won't let me, will you?"

Eren inhaled deep, shaking his head. Again, he muttered a soft "fuck you" before looking away.

Everything was hurting. His face, his hands, his stomach. He needed food, but the old man hadn't given him anything to eat. And Eren was terrified to trust anything the man brought to him. Eren was weak, and Kitts knew it. He could barely keep himself sitting up without feeling lightheaded. And now the man was suddenly offering him food—food that Eren didn't trust.

Kitts backed against the door, slipping the keys out of his pocket. He opened the heavy door.

"I'll leave you here to think about what you've done."

Eren flinched as the door was slammed shut.

A day later, Kitts returned. Eren gladly would have attacked him but his stomach was in too much pain to do anything. He curled into a ball and watched the man sit the tray on the table and then turn to face him. Eren closed his eyes tight, shaking his head.

"Go away…"

Hands fell to his hair and started to stroke. Eren hated it; he absolutely hated the feeling. He pulled his head away, but Kitts jerked him by the jaw to hold still. He continued petting Eren's hair with the same, soft motions.

Eren shuddered.

"Why don't you try to eat something?" Kitts asked softly. "You're hungry and I made beef stew just for you. Eat something, won't you? You're going to lose a lot of weight."

Eren felt sick. The food smelled good. And there was a cup of something he could drink. He didn't want to give in. He really didn't. He wanted to hold out and wait for Levi—his Levi—to save him.

"I don't…"

Kitts picked up the bowl and scooped a hearty spoonful of stew. Eren could smell the broth more as it was stirred around and the scent was tempting. He closed his eyes, hiding his face against the bed. He shook his head.

"Eren, my dear, why would I poison you? I wouldn't go through all this trouble of giving you a room and a bed to kill you. I want you alive. Let me take care of you."

Eren kept shaking his head, over and over. Kitts suddenly tangled his hand in Eren's hair, gripping it tight and jerking his head back. Eren gasped and the spoon was shoved into his mouth. He tried to spit out the stew but Kitts slapped his hand over Eren's mouth.

The broth slipped down Eren's throat, as much as he tried to keep it in his mouth. Kitts' grip on his hair kept Eren from shaking his head; the hand around his mouth kept him from spitting out the food. Eren threw punches and flailed and even scratched at Kitts' face but no matter what he did, nothing freed him.

He eventually swallowed, choking on the beef as it went down his throat in a whole piece. He coughed and pulled at Kitts' hand, tears swelling in his eyes from his need to clear his throat.

Kitts let him go and Eren jerked forward, coughing until the piece of meat fell from his burning mouth. He grabbed his sore throat and curled away from Kitts, his body trembling. The broth was still strong in his mouth and he could still faintly taste the beef.

"Look at the mess you made," Kitts sighed, reaching over Eren to pick up a napkin from the nightstand. He grabbed Eren by the jaw with firm fingers and gently dabbed at his mouth, cleaning up the saliva and stew broth. "If only you just ate like you were supposed to you wouldn't be all messy."

Eren let him. He didn't struggle or try to pull away. He let the man clean his face because it was the least harmful thing the man could do at the moment. He had almost choked; he didn't have the energy to fight against getting his face cleaned.

"You know, you have such lovely eyes," Kitts continued, picking up the bowl and spoon again. "Much prettier than any woman's I've ever seen. That's what caught my attention when I first saw you. You're so delicate…"

Eren's stomach tied into knots. He hated the compliments because they weren't compliments. They were empty words with no meaning; fake flattery that made his skin crawl. Eren turned his head as Kitts held the spoon to his mouth.

"Come on, eat up," Kitts said. "You saw what happens you're hateful and don't listen. Just eat."

"Can…Can I feed myself at least?"

"No."

"Why the fuck—"

Kitts popped his hand against Eren's mouth and Eren instantly felt blood on his lips. He ran his tongue over his teeth and swallowed the bitter blood. He slowly opened his mouth.

He closed his eyes as Kitts fed him. His own pride disappeared in favor of the taste of warm stew. It went down with ease, every bite smooth and flavorful. However, all he could think about was escaping and being outside and being free. He wanted to see Petra and Hanji and Irwin and Mike.

He wanted to see Levi and to hold him. To tell him he loved him. To let Levi know he was safe.

He wanted his sister and Armin. He wanted his mother.

And there he was, being fed by the man who was keeping him hostage like some animal.

"I can't eat anymore," Eren said, pulling back. "I feel sick."

"You don't have to eat anymore then," Kitts said, petting Eren's hair. "You did so well."

"Stop…"

Kitts' hand dropped from Eren's hair and to his jaw again. He forced Eren to hold still and he leaned in, claiming Eren's lips with his own.

Eren was in too much shock and pain to stop him. He stared, horrified, and gripped the bed. His stomach dropped and his heart stopped in a way that made him wonder if he was dying. He wanted to peel off his skin to get rid of the sickening feeling overtaking him.

Kitts pulled away and stood up, cleaning up the bowl and the food. Eren was speechless. He stared ahead, too repulsed to move. He didn't want to think about it.

"You're such a good boy," Kitts said, petting Eren on the head again. He walked to the door, unlocking it and leaving.

Eren heard the door lock again. He slipped off the bed and tiptoed to the bathroom. He fell to his knees in front of the latrine and leaned forward, vomiting up everything he ate. Desperately trying to get rid of the feeling of the man's lips on his own.

Eren was sad. But it wasn't a type of sadness that would make him cry and he would be over it a few minutes later. He was physically sad. He felt sick and weak and he didn't care about trying to escape. He knew there was no way to escape. He was too weak to fight back. Levi still hadn't come for him and Eren knew that even if Levi searched for him, the likelihood of the prince finding him was low. Eren was hidden in a room with bricked up windows. For all he knew he was underground.

He knew he wouldn't be found. He couldn't escape. He didn't see a point in giving life a try. Everything felt pointless.

"I brought you tea today."

Eren didn't care. He shrugged and hugged the pillow closer to his chest. Kitts stroked his hair and even kissed his shoulder.

"Did you hear me?"

"I don't want it."

Kitts moved and Eren heard him set the cup of tea on the nightstand. Eren clenched his fists as tight as he could. He closed his eyes and bit his lip in anticipation of the blow he knew was coming.

He was jerked up by the hair, just to be thrown against the wood headboard. His head throbbed and he wrapped his arms around himself. The pain danced down his body.

"You're so fucking ungrateful! I do all of this for you and you still just brush it all aside like a stupid bitch. You're fucking terrible. No wonder your so-called prince hasn't come from you."

Eren's eyes widened. He tried to sit up, but was thrown back against the headboard.

"Don't talk about him!" Eren shouted. "You don't deserve to talk about—"

Kitts punched Eren to shut him up. He punched Eren a second time because he could. He looked away and sighed, picking up the tea as Eren wiped blood away.

"Look at yourself," Kitts said. "It's ridiculous. I brought you tea and you just can't accept it, can you? Something is always wrong. Nothing is ever good enough for you, is it?"

Eren snatched the tea from him and took a sip, just to shut the man up and to avoid getting hit again. It was a good, dark tea and it went down easy. It cleansed his mouth of the awful taste of blood. Eren clung to the cup, feeling its warmth against his chest.

Kitts patted him on the head. "There, you see? You're alright."

Eren felt dizzy. He took another drink out of spite and then threw the rest of the tea in Kitts' face.

"Rot in hell," Eren slurred, as everything became blurry. His eyes became heavy and he tried to sit up straight. But even his body started to feel numb too. "No…"

Eren turned, pulling at the bed as he tried to crawl away. He didn't know where he could crawl to; he was in a square room. Kitts was sitting there with him and could see his every move. Eren couldn't escape. Something was wrong and he couldn't escape. He felt dizzy and drowsy and he couldn't escape.

He crawled to the edge of the bed and collapsed.

Eren woke up, sprawled out on the bed. He was propped against the pillow, his head pounding. His body was numb but he was regaining the feeling in his limbs. He looked around—it hurt to move any part of his body—and he saw Kitts sitting calmly at the edge of the bed.

He quickly brought his hands to his chest and legs, feeling for his clothes. He couldn't stop the tears that overflowed from his eyes as he ran his fingers over his clothes. Everything was intact. He didn't feel sore or bruised; just woozy.

"You're awake."

"What did you do…?"

"I didn't do any—"

"DON'T LIE!" Eren shouted, fear sinking in. "What…what did you do? Why…?"

"All I did was give you some tea. There's a plant that grows not too far from here and it can aid with sleeping—"

"You drugged me," Eren whispered. "You really drugged me…Why would you…Why…Did you do…anything?"

"Eren…," Kitts mockingly sighed, "why would I do anything to you while you were asleep? Do you really think I would? Yes, I had the chance to, but I didn't. Instead I put you on your pillow and watched over you while you slept."

Eren lost his voice, sinking against the pillows. He pulled one to his chest, keeping it between him and the old man watching him hungrily. Eren curled his toes and closed his eyes, letting tears streak his cheeks.

He was stupid for giving up. But he was stupid for trying. He was stupid for trusting the man to begin with.

The bed felt lighter as Kitts rose to his feet. He walked to the door, and turned briefly.

"Sleep well, my Eren."

The lock was turned and Eren was left alone once again.

Eren stripped and ran his hands over his body, checking for unfamiliar bruises. Aggressively checking for any marks. Making sure he wasn't sore. He pulled on his clothes and sat on the edge of the bed, nervously tugging at his hands.

The old man hadn't laid a finger on him. Eren was untouched, even if he had been unconscious. The old man told the truth.

And it made Eren sick.

Kitts was trying to get in his head. He was trying to make Eren feel guilty and force him to trust him. But Eren knew he couldn't do that.

He flopped onto the bed and curled under the blanket, closing his eyes. He wanted to sleep forever. He wanted to sleep and dream about Levi and about being home.

There was a click and Eren furrowed his brows, looking over his shoulder. Cold hands caught his wrists and Kitts' lanky body was on top of him.

"W-What are you doing?"

"I've been good to you, Eren. It's time you return the favor."

"What?"

Harsh lips found his, and Eren pulled away, hating the way Kitts' rough beard felt against his skin. It was sickening how the old man kept him pinned to the bed, aggressively kissing him. Aggressively touching him…

"You've been nothing but ungrateful and I've been good to you! Stop resisting."

Eren turned his head as Kitts tried to kiss him again. He felt hard lips against his neck instead, biting and suckling his skin. His wrists were still pinned against the bed and he struggled. He struggled and pulled at Kitts' hands, trying to shake the man off.

"You can't—No get off me!"

"I want you and I'll have you."

Eren started to panic. He used the rest of his energy to push Kitts away, ignoring how much his body hurt. Ignoring the pain that shot through his body. Ignoring the now severe migraine he had from the rush of adrenaline, the lack of food and proper sleep and the sudden panic. He wanted to scream from the pain reaching every inch of his body.

He grabbed the blanket and pulled it around his chin.

"No!" Eren cried. "I…I'm sick…and you…don't you want to enjoy yourself?"

Kitts stopped and stared at Eren, apparently considering the proposition. Eren swallowed and forced a smile onto his face, despite the gross feeling rising in his stomach in place of his hunger.

"I mean…just…wait a little?"

Eren's heart was racing. A lot was riding on his ability to keep smiling and hold back his tears. To keep up the sugary sweetness in his voice and hold back the sickening shakiness.

"I don't like waiting."

"I know, I know and I know it's not fair to you since you…you have been…kind to me," Eren said, "but just…a few more days? Until I start to feel better? Please?"

"If you had listened to me like you were supposed to, we wouldn't have this problem," Kitts snapped, standing up. "You had better eat tomorrow or I'll do as I please regardless of how you feel."

Eren nodded. "Y-Yes…sir…"

He watched Kitts turn and leave the room, slamming the door behind him. Eren fell back against the bed, staring blankly ahead of him. Why couldn't he escape? Why was there no way out? Why was he too weak to fight back?

Why hadn't Levi found him…?

Eren shook his head. He wasn't going to depend on being saved. He had to try a new approach to getting free. The man wouldn't poison him but he had no problem using drugs. He would have to be cautious of what he ate, but he would have to eat to get his strength back. He would get friendly with the old bastard if he had to. He needed to gain that man's trust because the moment he did, Eren had every intention of killing him.

In the meantime, however, Eren would just have to cry in private.