Nightmares, nightmares, nightmares! That's all I can say friends. Also, sorry about the mishap last week, I am in school still and Ghosties works a lot so between the two of us...we busy. Our cue has slowed down a bit but hopefully we should still be able to get up a chapter every week. Just keep in mind our full schedules if we miss a week. Thanks!

Disclaimer: We do not own Attack on Titan or any of the characters belonging thusly.

Enjoy!

~Aria

-Ghosties

The events from the night before had already blurred themselves in his mind. Eren didn't remember going to Hanji's room last night, but it was obvious that he and Levi had migrated there after the incident, seeing as though he had woken up in a strange space. He stretched warily, his hand sparking in pain as he popped his fingers.

It all came back very quickly. The attacker, the gouge in his hand, the cuts and bruises, the blood on Levi's uniform, his baby in danger; why couldn't it all have just disappeared in his sleep? The thought brought tears to his eyes. He let out a little choked sob, curling into himself.

There was a hum from behind him, making Eren jump in fear as a pair of hands wrapped around his waist. Levi pulled him closer, tucking close to his husband's warmth in the bed. The pregnant teen seemed tense, his shoulders rigid and shaking slightly. The older wondered if he was having a nightmare.

"Eren…?" he called quietly.

The boy tensed again in his arms before slumping against him and burrowing into his hold. Levi's hands found his stomach and rubbed gentle circles into the fabric covering the bump there. There was a warm breath ghosting past Eren's ear as Levi leaned in to kiss his neck lovingly. The sweet attention made his heart giddy, but the light ache from the bruises on his face tainted the feeling. He whimpered a bit as his lover's lips trailed to his cheek.

"S-stop," Eren choked out, his body trembling again at the thought of that man trying to kill his baby.

Levi grunted with a bit of surprise, lips drawing away from him, "Eren what's wrong?"

He turned his husband to face him, a bit shocked to see tears in his bright eyes. Eren immediately turned his head down into Levi's chest.

"Eren, did I hurt you? I'll stop touching you if it-"

"N-no!" he grabbed Levi's nightshirt in his hands, balling it in his fists. "I-I don't know why...I just can't get that man out of my head. I don't want our baby to g-get hurt," he sniffled.

Levi placed his hand in Eren's hair, bringing his lover's head closer to his chest and placing a kiss on the crown of his chocolatey locks.

"I'll kill anyone that dares to touch you," he murmured into his hair.

Eren sniffled a bit and nodded. Levi was strong, but even he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't be attacked again. Vengeance was all he could really promise him.

"I know you will, Levi."

Eren lay against the bed, fighting sleep. He was trying to wait for Levi to return but it was proving difficult. He had something or other to attend to under Erwin's orders. Eren hadn't really been paying attention.

And so he lay there as his eyelids kept sliding closed - it was becoming harder and harder to reopen them. Eventually he lost the fight and fell asleep.

...

The air was hot and heavy around him, threatening to swallow him. He gasped and panted fiercely in the heat. Why was it so hot?

He cracked his eyes open to find himself in a rather plain room. A ripple of intense pain coursed through him, making him moan loudly at the sheer agony of it. He looked around deliriously, desperately trying to find his raven haired lover.

"L-Le-Levi - AUGH!" He writhed on the bed, the pain continuously going through him. His eyes closed for only a moment and when he reopened them, Hanji and Levi were hovering over him with concern written on their faces.

Sweat was pouring from his forehead as he screeched from the pain. "What's happening!?"

"He's losing the baby," Hanji cried, "I'm so sorry Eren… We'll have to extract it. I need a doctor to help me."

Tears flooded his eyes, "N-No please! We ca- AUGH!" He fell back against the bed sobbing.

Levi's hand found his, squeezing tightly. "Eren we have to get it out, it'll kill you if we don't. You did your best, but it didn't work."

He cried and cried, the waves of pain still rippling through him. He had failed his baby.. He had failed Levi.

He could feel the incisions being made and he screamed at the agony of it on top of the other pain he felt. He kicked and writhed desperately. "NOOO-"

...

"-OOOO!" He shot up in bed and looked around frantically, hands immediately going to his stomach. He was gasping, face covered with sweat and tears - he was a mess. Eren shook with fear, semi consciously awaiting the next ripple of pain he had felt in the dream.

"EREN!?"

The brunette leaped in surprise, instinctively backing away slightly.

Levi stood in the doorway, looking as though he had kicked the door open. His eyes were sharp as he surveyed the room, trying to find any signs of an intruder. His cool gaze then went to his lover and softened as they took in his disheveled state. "Eren…"

He broke into heart wrenching sobs at that. The emotions he had felt in his dream had been very real and they had exhausted him. The feeling of a warm body enveloping him settled his near-frantic breathing a bit. He turned and huddled his face in the other's shirt, latching onto him tightly.

"Nightmare?" the older male asked in a soft tone of voice, knowing how delicate the other was after one. He only received a shaky nod in response.

Eren stayed relatively silent safe for his quiet sobs. His body still shook with fear and the rush of emotion that had hit him. One of his hands was constantly on his belly, a reminder that it all was a dream.

"Would talking about it help?" Levi asked eventually, feeling as though his lover had calmed somewhat. Despite the numerous times his spouse had nightmares, he still wasn't sure what the best way to approach them was.

"N-No… I just want to forget…" he whimpered in response. Eren seemed to be considering something. "I… I don't want to lose the baby, Levi."

"And you're not going to," came the gentle reply, "Hanji may be a shithead but she's a smart one. She'll help us through this." The older male knew he needed to take the situation delicately given the frayed emotions his lover was exhibiting. He definitely didn't need the boy to become any more distressed.

"B-But what if someone else comes after us?" he questioned, voice thick with tears. "One failed a-attempt isn't going to stop them…"

"No," Levi reluctantly conceded, "but having the entirety of the Survey Corps on high alert, ready to strike down suspicious intruders might."

"EVEN THEN," Eren despaired, shaking his head. "Even then they'd come… after the baby is born… they'll never stop. T-They will only be satisfied with our deaths.." He shuddered and hid his face in his hands, shoulders shaking.

It occurred to the senior officer then how deeply his spouse had been affected by everything. He frowned, trying to think of how to combat the feelings that were tearing the other apart at the seams. Every step had to be lightly taken, he knew that if he said the wrong thing, Eren might very well suffer a breakdown.

Hanji's warning of his lover suffering too much stress echoed dully in his mind. It wouldn't only affect Eren but the baby as well. But what could he say?

"Maybe I shouldn't even have this baby…."

The subtle whisper was probably not meant be heard by him, but it was. Levi had not seen the boy ever reach such a point where he was questioning himself in such a way.

He made himself respond, "Why?"

Eren sent him a look full of turmoil, "What do you mean why?! You were right! This baby will be made to suffer and be subject to ridicule and torment because of what it may be and who I am! They'll always be hunting our baby down because of that.. And if that's the life it would be born into, I don't want to have it!"

The raven was quiet a moment before taking Eren's uninjured hand. "You have defended your ideals about this child since the beginning and now you would bow your head and say I'm right?" He shook his head, "I won't let you, brat. Not when we've come so far."

His shoulders slumped, "T-Then what is the right choice..? I don't know anymore."

Again, the younger's words gave him pause. They certainly had a unique and odd scenario on their hands. There were many arguments that could be made either way as to what the "right" choice was concerning the matter.

One might argue that with their world as it was, with the people constantly after Eren for being a shifter, that they should spare the child from having to deal with such a thing. It was a harsh life they lived, it certainly wasn't the ideal life for such an innocent being. Especially when it wouldn't know what it had done wrong to deserve such treatment.

And yet, was it not considered fair that some happiness be brought into their lives? Eren and Levi were always losing people, so why not allow them to gain something for once? Why not allow them the happiness that came with a new life? Eren could not control who or what he was, the choice had been made for him. So why should he have to continuously deal with the consequences? Why couldn't they be happy?

It was then that Levi found his answer: "People be damned, our world be damned; if I have the chance to have a little family of my own I'm not going to let it get by me." He met those brilliant eyes with newfound confidence, "I had never imagined myself becoming a father, let alone a husband. If the right choice is to abandon this… happiness that I've found, then I will gladly forsake this world."

Eren blinked back tears, "L-Levi…"

"Fuck everything else, Eren. What do you feel is right?"

He was caught by surprise by the question. The whole time he had practically preached the fact that this child deserved its own chance at life. Was he so easily going to give up on that? He knew he wasn't.

A weak smile appeared, "Thanks...babe."

Levi's nose wrinkled at the nickname, "Godammit Eren, you're not going to let that nickname go, are you?" He couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction that emerged when that small smile turned into a playful smirk.

The few injuries Eren had gotten from his attacker continued to heal at a snail's pace, proving Hanji's theory that his healing abilities had either been halted or were taken up by his growing baby. And though Eren tried to hide it, Levi saw how he flinched every time he looked at his reflection and saw the bruises. The older male hated that he couldn't protect his lover from the battle his mind was waging.

Each night was filled with nightmares, sometimes one and sometimes several. The titan shifter just couldn't sleep with his recurring dreams that haunted him. Deep bags had taken up residence under his eyes.

Luckily where Eren lacked in sleep, he made up for in appetite. His jaw would hurt him every once in awhile but otherwise he was eating normally - well normal for his increased appetite.

Security was increased throughout the entire base and Erwin had set about a new policy which made it much more difficult for unfamiliar persons to get on base. Hanji had done a few trial runs and helped fix the policy specifics to make the whole ordeal more sound.

Eren had seemingly fallen into a schedule of sorts, but barely left the room anymore. Levi wasn't entirely sure if it was because he was so exhausted mentally and physically, if he was afraid to, or if he simply had no wish to leave their quarters. Mikasa and Armin had tried a few times to sit and speak with him but usually were asked politely to go after just a bit.

After one such visit from his adopted sister, the brunette decided to try and rest himself. The nights without any kind of healthy sleep was really draining him. Before he settled down on the bed, he got up and locked the door to the bedroom, knowing that Levi had his own key to the door and would unlock it when he came to check on him.

Eren rolled back and forth for a solid half hour before finally his exhausted mind calmed enough for him to relax fully on the bed and thus into the clutches of sleep.

Eren woke from his slumber suddenly, though took a moment for his sleep riddled mind to figure out why.

It wasn't a noise that woke him but the severe lack thereof. No sounds came creeping in from the outdoors, no soft breathing from his lover, no footsteps from the hall. Nothing.

He peered to the empty bedside warily. Levi wasn't even there yet. The absence of any noise was unsettling. "Levi…?"

The expanse of silence seemed to mock him as his call echoed just so.

The brunette stood and quickly looked in the bathroom for any signs of his spouse, only to find nothing - not even their towels. The room was devoid of any indication that anyone had been using it.

A roll of anxiety hit his gut as he decided to further his search. The silence was beginning to eat at him; it was unnaturally quiet.

"Levi?" He called again, looking down the hall nervously.

Nothing.

Eren took a shuddery breath and decided to go to Hanji's room, surely she would be in. He knocked on her door, "Hanji? Can I come in?"

His only response was the same eerie quiet that had enveloped the whole area. Fear was beginning to churn his gut. He opened the door and let out an audible gasp.

Normally her room was a disaster zone with documents and other odds and ends flung haphazardly over her desk and chair… But now there was just a frightening emptiness to the room.

"H-Hanji?" Eren crept further into the room, finding things in a similar state as the Corporal's room.

He frowned, "I'm sure she's in her lab… Or the mess hall. Yeah I'll check there. Maybe Levi is with her."

His journey continued down the large expanse of halls that was the Survey Corps headquarters. Every so often he would peek in a room and find it devoid of any signs of life. The only sound was that of his faintly thudding heartbeat in his ears.

The mess hall was empty.

Eren's breathing began to pick up as he searched the whole room - even the kitchen. There was nothing. No plates or utensils, no fresh vegetables or fruit, no pots or pans; it was all gone. Even the walls were barren of any murals or hangings.

"LEVI!? HANJI!"

The absence of sound left him shaking. No one was there, not even so much as a whisper heard.

He fell to his knees in mild shock. They had to be somewhere - not everyone was gone. It wasn't possible.

But what if they weren't? What if everyone was gone and had left him? What if he was truly alone?

"No…" He murmured, getting back up and quickly going to Hanji's lab. They had to be there! Eren hastened himself to the point of running, fear urging him onward. He didn't bother knocking as he reached the door

The stagnant air within the room forced a cough from him. He peered around desperately in the darkness, muttering for his eyes to adjust.

"Hanji? Levi?"

His voice reverberated through the room, sending a chill down his spine. No response came. And when his eyes finally adjusted, he was shocked to find the room empty.

Eren collapsed to his hands and knees, breathing picking up. Tears began stinging at the corner of his eyes.

They were gone… Everyone was gone. And they had left him behind.

I don't want to be alone.

It was perhaps one of his deepest rooted fears - to be left alone and forgotten. He had always had someone; his mother, Mikasa, Armin, Levi… He had never truly been alone.

Until now.

"I don't want to be alone," he whispered with rising anxiety.

The walls were silent, the birds had gone, his comrades had abandoned him.

He pushed himself back to his feet, refusing to believe the situation that was being presented to him. It was impossible that all could have vanished within a night without him hearing anything. Eren wiped the tears from his eyes, "Armin! Mikasa!"

Just as before, his cries went unanswered. He began going into every room, desperation crawling up from his stomach. His tears continued to fall as every door that opened revealed nothing but more emptiness.

"P-Please no…"

The entire base seemed to echo his plea.

He was wheezing by then, heart and lungs aching painfully in his chest. The brunette continued to stumble along - even as the base fell dark with the waning sunlight. His shaking legs could support him no more.

Eren slid down the wall, the despair he felt seemed to surround him. The air was still deathly quiet, one would be able to hear a pin drop.

"I don't want to be alone," he sobbed into his hands, never minding the ache in his hand where it had been stabbed. One of his palms went to his stomach, waiting for a kick from the baby within.

Several minutes went by with no movement, not even a flutter. Dread coiled in his gut at the lack of motion. Surely the baby would've kicked at least once by then!

The terrible thoughts of why his baby wasn't kicking invaded his mind and tore him apart. He waited for what felt like an eternity as sorrow twisted his heartstrings in a vice-like grip. He had failed his baby. No signs of life, no movement whatsoever.

Eren had never felt so alone. He huddled into himself, desperation taking hold of him fully. "N-No..! Please…. I don't want to be alone," he sobbed into his hands.

A pressure on his shoulders made him look up, right into the eyes of his beloved. He audibly gasped at the sight.

Levi's brow was furrowed as he spoke, "Are you back with me, brat?"

He couldn't find words as he realized he was sitting up in bed, back in their bedroom. Had it been a dream, then? One of his hands trailed to his enlarged stomach, trembling slightly as he waited silently.

There, a short but firm kick against his hand.

Eren melted into relieved crying, surging forward into his husband's waiting grasp. "I-It was a dream," he blubbered, "it wasn't real."

Levi frowned at his response, "Another nightmare?"

A nod was all the brunette could manage amidst his fit. He grasped tightly at one of the other's hands, a reassurance that everything had merely been a dream.

"I need to talk about something," Eren pleaded, "I-I… I don't want silence.. just talk about something…"

He quickly tried to think of something, noting the desperate undertone his lover's voice carried.

"What names have you thought about for our baby?" his lover asked suddenly.

"I.. haven't really," Levi admitted.

"I like Hadley for a girl," he rambled, "maybe… Farlan or something for a boy."

The thought was unexpected, he really hadn't even thought of the possibility to name his child after his fallen family. "..Hadley Isabel doesn't sound so bad," he mumbled.

An uncertain smile came to his face, "Hadley Isabel for a girl? I like it... What about a boy's name?"

He was clearly stalling, "Don't you think it's too early to be deciding such things?"

"Never," he declared. "Now, come on. I don't think the name Farlan is bad.. or Roy."

Levi glanced over at the other in mild exasperation, "As much as I liked the bastard, I'm not naming our kid Farlan."

Eren looked back at him, "Why not?"

"Because it suited him, but otherwise it's a weird name," he retorted.

"That's not a reason."

"The hell it isn't, we're not naming our kid Farlan," Levi said decisively.

"Okay okay," Eren conceded. He made sure to fill the silence that would have been with a hum of thought.

This didn't go unnoticed by his senior. But, knowing his lover as he did, he knew he wouldn't get a direct answer unless he asked. "What's wrong?" Levi finally questioned him outright.

The fake happy demeanor Eren had put on immediately fell. He slumped and avoided eye contact, "...It's dumb."

He scoffed at that, "Obviously not if it's bothering you."

The room fell quiet as Eren searched for words.

"Eren-"

"I'm afraid of the silence."

Of all things he had anticipated, that hadn't been one. Levi made to reply when he noticed the brunette still looked as though he wanted to say something.

"..Silence for me means that no one is there…" he heaved a long sigh, "and I.. I don't want to be alone." Those vibrant eyes flitted to him momentarily as the teen went back to hiding his face in his arms, "...I told you it was dumb."

The Corporal sent him a disapproving look, though he didn't see it. "I have already said I'm possessive as fuck," he pointed out, "so you're not getting rid of me." A thought crossed his mind and he scowled, "Plus that sister of yours practically stalks you, so she's not going anywhere unfortunately."

Eren gave him a light and slightly playful shove, a tiny smile finally coming to his face.

"Hanji is too damn stubborn to leave you be, ever. That coconut haired kid seems like he'll be around awhile too," he continued. His sharp eyes immediately picked up on the tension leaving his spouse's shoulders, seems his words had done the trick.

With another, more relieved, sigh, the younger leaned into the shorter man's side. "Thanks, Levi," he murmured.

This time, he decided to allow his actions to speak for him as he wrapped an around the other's shoulders and planted a kiss on his brow.

Author's note:

Hope that was enough fluff after the crap we gave you two weeks ago. But if not just stay tuned, because Eren's birthday IS coming up after all...and we have speical things planned :)

Read and review, we love to hear what you think, no matter who you are! Even a simple 'awww' or 'stop beating my heart up' makes us smile and write on with vigor.

See ya!