A/N: I know some people are miffed at me for taking so long. I promise the next chapter won't be so long. Finished up moving and what not. ^^' Anyway, I hadn't said anything before, because I didn't want to jinx myself, but it's all set in stone now. I'll be flying out to Japan next month. ^^ That's why I've been working my butt off. There was a post of this on tumblr, but I know some people don't follow me on tumblr, so I'll say it here. ^^ It's just a heads up, and I'll be working hard to get as much as I can out before then. I'm super excited~

-Misty

Ehhh... Trigger warnings for mentions of character death. (The precious babies *sniffles*)

The Change You Wish to See

(Original summary, but screw the stupid character limits) Levi's never put much care into things. He doesn't put much care into things at all. Nothing ever peaks his interest. Well, that's until he meets Eren Jaeger. Levi isn't sure what it is that's so interesting about him, and it irritates him to feel these feelings he's never felt before. Regardless, he goes to talk to the boy. When he doesn't receive an answer, he just thinks that the boy is rude; however, he understands why when Eren doesn't answer him. Eren is deaf.

Rated M for sexual content, adult language, some violence, mild character death
Main pairing: Riren with some side pairs
Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin (Attack on Titan)

Chapter Twenty Three: Truth be Told

Levi convinced Armin and Mikasa to have lunch down in the cafeteria while they waited for Eren's testing to finish. It only took half an hour for one of them, but the other needed to be scheduled for another day. So they decided (Levi more so than them) That it would be helpful and beneficial if they came to eat. Levi never did get the chance to give them the food they wanted; he couldn't even remember what he did with it, so this was better than nothing.

Armin could see the way they were acting around each other. He wasn't blind to the situation, but he was a little confused. The older man and his sibling seemed to be walking on water around each other. He knew the ice had always been thin, but they never bothered to tread lightly. This was the first time they were careful as to what they said to each other, what they did around one another.

It was strange. It really was, but if they were willing to work with each other, then he didn't have much of an argument. He only hoped that it would stay this way.

They'd finished relatively fast. None of them had a big appetite at the moment, and knowing Eren was in the middle of a test didn't help either. They got back in time, however, to see him arriving back into his room.

Eren was annoyed, more or less, about the test. He'd been through it once already, but that was when he was younger. He thought it was all over, but this time, they really hoped for it.

"They gave me that shit that made me feel like I peed myself again."

"You'd think with advances in technology, they'd have a medicine that wouldn't do that." Mikasa uttered and patted her brother's head. It was a very family like, big sister annoying her little brother type of pat, one that had him pushing her hands away despite the needle in the back of his hand.

Armin was sitting in the chair beside his bed, snickering at their behavior, but also for a bit of Eren's suffering. It wasn't right to laugh at, but the idea that the medication they'd put in him had him sulking like a child was too much of an offer to pass up.

"It isn't funny, Armin." Eren whined. Yeah, he may have been a little disoriented, but he didn't miss the way Armin kept tilting his head to the side to hide his crooked smile. "I had to keep checking down there to make sure I really hadn't done it!"

"I'm not laughing at you, Eren…" Armin said, but paused. "… I'm laughing with you."

"I'm not laughing." Eren scoffed and crossed an arm over his chest, because his other was currently occupied with an IV.

"How long did the doctor say before we get any results?" Levi spoke up and asked.

"He said it'd be a while. I don't know how long that is though." Eren answered him and leaned back in his bed.

"The last time this happened, I remember it taking a few hours. Maybe four?" Mikasa looked over her shoulder and told him.

"How could it possibly take that long?" Levi questioned with an annoyed tone. "Shouldn't it be obvious if there's something out of place in his head?"

To that, Mikasa shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know the answer to that either. She wished they'd hurry up and give them their answers, because that was all they needed. They just wanted to know what was wrong with him, if anything. If this turned out to be stressed induced like the first one, they'd still have to pay for all of this. There was no going back.

It was a little sad to think that was, wasn't it?

"We just have to wait and find out… I guess…" Mikasa sighed, her shoulders dropping sluggishly. Levi clicked his tongue in annoyance. Not at her or her answers, but the situation. He hated waiting for these answers.

Eren saw his expression and looked over to Armin. He hadn't been able to read their lips, so he was left in the dark as to what they were saying. He knew something was up; it wasn't like the two of them to be so quiet around one another.

"Armin…" Eren mumbled. Armin looked at him, but with a quick wave of Eren's hand, he leaned forward at the motion.

Eren couldn't whisper; that much was a given. He wouldn't hear how loud he was, and he wouldn't know if he was saying anything right. So he needed Armin close, close enough to cover his hands as he signed a few simple words to his blonde friend.

He understood enough. Armin knew that Eren questioned their intentions, and sooner or later he'd want answers. He also knew that Mikasa or Levi wouldn't blatantly explain why they were acting like this, at least not in the same room together and not while they were being watched. Armin knew what was coming.

"Mikasa, do you have money with you?" Armin suddenly asked as Eren leaned back into his bed.

"Just a few dollars. Why?"

"I'm really thirsty. There was a soda machine down the hall, right? Come get something with me."

"… Sure?" Mikasa already didn't seem keen on the idea of leaving Eren behind, but from what she knew, it was only for a few minutes, and only to grab a soda. She didn't know that Armin had other intentions.

"We'll be right back then." Armin said with a smile, something fake to ward off suspicions. He was better at acting like nothing was wrong than his siblings were, at least when he wanted to be.

Levi didn't suspect a thing.

"Could you get me something too?" Levi asked with a passing glance to them. "I'll give you the money back when we're home."

"Don't worry about it," Armin assured, noticing the way Mikasa tried to speak up, but he wouldn't allow it. He was quick to pull her out of the room, making sure they had their privacy without the possibilities of interruptions, because Mikasa was the type of person to do that.

What would happen out there, Eren wasn't sure. He knew Armin would come up with something to keep her at bay, just until they had the chance to talk to one another. He wasn't sure what he'd say, but he was smart. He'd think up of something.

"So what's going on with you two all of a sudden?" Eren asked, his lips forming a pout.

"We're just trying to behave ourselves. We know it upsets you when we argue." Levi signed as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Somehow I can't believe that."

"That hurts, Eren." Levi sighed as he leaned back into the bedding, his head resting beside Eren's shoulder and their arms touching. He closed his eyes, as if sleep was ready to take over his senses, but he wasn't going to sleep. Sure, he was tired, but there was a side of him that was still wide awake from all that had transpired through the day.

There was no way he'd be able to sleep until he knew that Eren was home safe in his bed.

"Levy..." Eren said quietly. Levi looked up into bright, golden eyes staring down at him. He looked worried in a way, but sad at the same time. It was a very strange expression on his face, one that he had a hard time reading, but he'd be damned if that pout wasn't cute on him.

"Hm...?" He hummed in response. Eren wouldn't have heard it, but it was clear to him regardless.

"What's really going on?"

"I already told you it's nothing. We're just trying to play nice."

"Mikasa doesn't 'play nice' when it comes to me." Eren remarked, his frown deepening. "So what did you say?"

"Not much. She was just making sure I didn't break your heart again." Levi told him, noticing the corrugations between Eren's eyebrows deepening.

"When did you ever break my heart?" He asked.

"When I first broke up with you." The older man mentioned.

"That was her fault!" Eren seemed insulted even by the idea of her assumption. "Had she not butted in like that, that never would have happened!"

"Eren, she's your sister. She's just protecting you." Levi spoke sternly, an annoyed expression covering up the calm one.

"Why are you standing up for her? She's always butting in and-!"

"Eren, she's family. She's the only family you have too, next to Armin. It's important to love each other and be there for one another."

"What the hell, Levi? Why are you suddenly taking up the blame for what she did wrong?"

"Because I've been in her position before, Eren. I've played the annoying big brother a few times, so I know where she comes from and why she does it."

"... I didn't know you have siblings..."

Eren seemed taken aback by the admission from the older man. Maybe it was settling in for him that they didn't know everything about each other too. Maybe he understood, and maybe his curiosity was peeked like Levi's had been.

"I only had a little sister. She was..." His fingers paused, his mind reeling through the signs he had learned, but not once had he learned how to say adopted. Technically that wasn't even it, but it was the only way he could think to explain their relationship. "Taken in..."

"Levy..." Eren spoke softly. He knew there was something else, something more he was holding back. He'd been iffy about his past before, but that was months ago. Would he be willing to open up now? "What do you mean 'was' taken in?"

"I mean we brought her into our home and took ca-"

"No, Levy..." The brunette interrupted him. "You said was... Did something happen to her?"

He figured as much. Eren was a naturally curious person, so eventually this would come up. After the first time Eren had asked about something from his past, Levi had snapped at him. He'd been quiet ever since, but he had a right to know. He deserved a proper answer compared to this silence.

"Tell you what," Levi began and shifted to make himself comfortable. If everything worked out the way he wanted it to, they'd be here a while. "I'll tell you about her..."

"Really...?" Eren seemed too happy to hear about that answer.

"If you tell me about your accident." The older man then added in.

Eren's expression quickly melted from one of genuine curiosity to something more of a pale color. He looked mortified within seconds, like he was about to vomit even. Had he pushed too hard already?

"N-No... No Levy..."

"You don't have to, Eren, but you and I both know we have some dark pasts. We've been together long enough for me to feel like you deserve the truth, but I figured you'd want to get some things off your chest as well." Levi explained, eyes never wavering from the teens.

"Oh..." Eren probably wasn't even aware that he made a sound, and if he was, he didn't let on to it. He sat back in his bed, golden eyes looking down at his hands clasped together in his lap. He was squeezing them so tightly that Levi could hear the physical rub of his hands, and for a moment, he feared he was actually going to hurt himself while the needle still sat under his skin.

"Hey..." Levi said softly and touched the back of his hands. The brunette's head darted quickly, as if he hadn't been expecting the action and was truly surprised by it. His expression looked like it was flooded with emotions, feelings he had been trying to hide. Or more so, feelings he had been covering up for years. He was still battling it out to keep them at bay; he didn't want to cry in front of his boyfriend again, but it seemed like the weight on his shoulders was becoming too much pressure to handle. He wasn't going to withstand anything else being added on.

"You don't need to feel pressured into doing this. I'll still tell you what happened to me, and if and whenever you're ready, you can tell me. It doesn't have to be-"

"No, you're right." Eren interrupted him. The older man saw the bob of his Adam's apple as he swallowed hard, trying to keep himself collected for as long as possible.

"If you don't want to talk about it, we don't have to."

"N-No," Eren shook his head quickly. "I want to. You're right. You deserve to know. After all you've done for me... You deserve to know."

"Eren-"

"I want to say it. It's driving me insane keeping all of his bottled up." Eren's fingers began shaking harder the more he signed, his breathing becoming uneven. He was losing his battle. "And I don't want to keep secrets from you. I love you and I don't want to hide anything from you."

"But if it's too much-" Levi tried once more, but Eren stopped him before he could.

"It's not." Eren assured him. Levi sat back, feeling less than proud of himself. He felt like he had pressured him into doing this, and now seeing how hard Eren was fighting made him feel guilty.

He didn't want him looking like this or being this upset. He wanted him happy, but if what Eren said was true, then maybe this would bring him some relief. This could bring him closure, and, like he said, their relationship would be more open and honest.

Levi didn't know when he started caring for those things. Hiding his past was a daily battle that he won many times before, but now he wanted it out and in the open. He wanted to be honest with Eren, and since when had that happened? He really didn't know.

"Could you... Get Armin's laptop for me?" Eren asked carefully. "It's in his bag by the chair."

"Sure," Levi agreed and sat up from bed to retrieve said object.

He had a feeling he knew what this was. Eren was hoping to type instead of sign. Sure, Eren had stopped using his notebook for some time now, but that didn't mean he was comfortable with everything. If this made it easier to talk about, then so be it.

Besides, Levi's sign language wasn't good enough to keep up with him. He'd gotten much better within the few months he'd been with him, but there were still a lot of things he needed to work on. While he could sign what he needed to say, most of the time his fingers couldn't produce the correct motions. He'd often compensate for something else, but Eren was smart and fast enough to look at his lips as he talked. He knew what he was saying, even when his hands couldn't tell him. This would be far easier to communicate.

Levi pulled Armin's bag up into the chair and looked inside. The blonde had gone home a few hours prior to bring his laptop and some movies as a form of entertainment for them, so it still sat within the bag. Cords bundled up neatly, mouse sitting beside it and turned off, movies packed away in their cases; Armin left nothing out of place.

The older man set up the laptop on his lap after sitting back down beside Eren. He handed it to Eren when it asked for a password, and it was no surprise that the teen knew it. A movie had been left on pause, but Eren ignored it in favor of opening up a notepad to type in.

Yeah, just like he figured.

"So uhm..." Eren sighed as he ran his fingers through his fringe, eyes staring at the screen in discomfort. "Where do I start?"

"How about I start?" Levi asked him and began pulling the laptop back into his lap.

"Ah, b-but I was gonna-"

"It's alright, Eren." Levi typed out, seeing the way those gold eyes quickly followed the indicator on the screen. "I can see how hard this is for you. I can handle it for a few minutes if it helps."

"But what about you? Obviously this upsets you too, right?"

Typical Eren. Always worrying for others instead of himself.

"I'm older. I've had time to cope." It was a piss poor excuse at best, and they both knew it. Regardless, it was true. He had plenty of time to cope with it. It happened a long time ago, and while it still hurt him, he knew how to handle himself and these upsetting memories from the past.

"Are you sure? Levi, I don't want you doing anything, because you feel like you have to."

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing for you." Levi said and huffed with amusement. "I'll be okay. If I survive your sister nearly breaking my nose and a car hitting me, I don't think much can hurt me anymore."

"Yeah, but still..." Eren was still extremely reluctant on the idea of it.

"It'll be alright. Now... Where should I begin?"

Truthfully he didn't know where. This was a long ass story with a not so clear beginning and no ending in sight.

"You said you had a sister that was taken in..." Eren improvised.

Yeah, there sounded like a good idea.

"Right... So when I was a freshman in college, we had picked up this girl we'd found. She was an abandoned street rat, kind of like us."

"Who's us...?" Eren leaned his head against the older man's shoulder to put himself into a more comfortable position.

"At the time, it was just me and my friend, Farlan. He was an engineer major at school, another kid who had been throw away by the world and scrapping to get by."

"Where were your parents?" The brunette looked up at him and asked.

"When I was a child and still living in France, my mother passed away from… A sickness." The way Levi wrote that didn't sound right. "And I never knew my father. I stayed with an uncle of mine until I managed on my own, and by then I had scrapped up enough to get to America... Anyway, Farlan's situation wasn't too close to mine, but enough so that we had something in common."

Levi's fingers were already aching with the memories. Eren was a natural talker despite his situation, a person who liked detail. He wanted a clear picture in his mind, and he'd ask hundreds of questions to get it.

He would have to type it all out then?

"And your sister?"

"She never said what happened to her. She only said that she was a bum looking for food. Who am I to turn away a little girl? I gave her some food, but she just ended up stuck to me. In a way, she was my little sister, you know?"

"Yeah. She's like how Armin is to me, right?"

"Exactly. So Isabel stayed with Farlan and I in our dorm for the first few years, without anyone knowing of course, and then we got an apartment later on. That's actually where I met Erwin. Armin's soon-to-be boss."

"He was with you in college?"

"Yep, studying accounting too. How he ended up where he is now I don't know anymore. Hanji was a childhood friend of his who took to me like Isabel did, but with less of the big bro persona. The two of them were hell bent on us joining some academic club they started up, but to hell with that. I was dealing with other shit at the time, so what was the point?"

"What shit?"

Damn his curiosity.

"In my senior year... Isabel had been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer."

"C-Cancer...?" Eren asked out loud, not intending to stutter.

"We hadn't seen any signs of it either. It had been quiet until we got blood work done for her and they found something. By then though it had progressed to other parts of her body."

"Oh no..."

"So if you ever wonder why I hated hospitals, well... That's my main reason. Isabel had been in and out of them so frequently that I had grown to hate the sight of them. I hate the smells, I hate how white it is. I hate seeing people hooked up to machines..."

After typing that out he paused. Levi looked over his shoulder just in time to see the drop in Eren's expression. He knew that Levi had made that connection quickly when he'd seen how bad he looked, and now guilt was building up so fast that it had his breathing strained.

"Hey, it's okay."

"I'm sorry..." The brunette instantly apologized.

"Eren, there's no way you could have known you would have a seizure. Hell, had you not bitten your tongue, I probably wouldn't have noticed it myself. I probably would have thought you're one hell of a deep sleeper. So don't get upset over that."

"Yeah, but I-" Levi cut him off quickly with a kiss to his cheek.

"No buts. Now let me finish my story." The older man reprimanded him, trying not to take pride in the dark flush on Eren's cheeks. "By this point, despite what they were doing for her, with all of this chemotherapy and shit, I overheard the doctors saying she wasn't going to make it. They'd given up on her."

"Why...? There's always a chance! Had they tried harder, she could have lived!"

"Eren, her respiratory system was failing. She couldn't even walk a few steps without getting breathless. Once something is broken, there's no real way to fix it. Had she survived, there would have been no way to help her heal. Even with therapy, she would always be weaker than the rest, and that... I hated thinking that she'd be left behind by the rest of the world."

"So that's it?"

"You think I didn't try? I tried, Eren. I gave up my savings, I said I'd sell my car if it meant getting her the help she needed. I just wasn't fast enough, and the problem is, is that I made her suffering even worse."

"What do you mean?"

Eren saw the look in Levi's eyes. He looked choked up, as much as a man like him could look like. This was about as much of his pain as he would allow to show, even when he didn't want to. Eyes always spoke the truth though, and maybe he didn't realize it.

"I wouldn't let her out of the apartment, I wouldn't let her go anywhere. It got to times that I wouldn't let her cook or do laundry. She had no life and I was the reason why."

"But you couldn't have known that she wa-"

"Why do you think I'm always harping on you to keep your relationship with Mikasa stable?" Levi asked him.

The words suddenly clicked in Eren's head. It was like a bucket of ice cold water had been splashed in his face.

This was what Levi had meant before. This is what he was always talking about.

It was because he had lived that mistake.

"I take it by the expression on your face that you understand then, yeah?" Levi asked without looking at his typing. It was only for a moment before he looked back. "The day she died, we were back for another therapy session at the hospital. We'd had... A particularly nasty argument that day about how she didn't have any freedom, and how I explained to her that I was only doing it to protect her... I had only left to let her cool down..."

"I'd gone down to the cafeteria, because I thought a half an hour or so would let her calm down, but she... When I got back the doctors were already waiting for me... The cancer had spread to her heart... They said she didn't even last a few minutes after I left..."

Levi's hands left the keyboard, as if saying he was done explaining the painful experiences he had endured. Eren's eyes were on him now, wide and pleading for something from him. Even if he couldn't hear it, he wanted Levi to say something. Anything, so long as he could say that he was alright.

"Levy..." He spoke softly and touched the man's hand. His fingers were slightly chilled after having been typing for so long.

"The trauma I put her through only made her weaker..." Levi's fingers began typing again despite Eren holding his hand. "Instead of helping her live her last days in happiness, I only made her suffer. I reminded her that she was dying and that there was no way to stop it. I could have made her happy and I made her miserable... The last thing she had ever said to me was that she hated me and that she never wanted to talk to me again... And I never got the chance to apologize..."

Eren felt his throat clenching.

"Oh, Levy..." He closed his eyes and buried his face into the older man's neck.

Eren's words to his sister came rushing back to him.

'I hate you!'

How many times had he hurt Levi? He'd been so busy being angry at Mikasa that he never bothered to stop and think that he was upsetting Levi with the way he talked.

"I can never take that back, Eren. I can never rewind time and apologize to her. I can never give her the childhood she deserved. That's why family is so important, Eren. That's why I want you to be happy with Armin and Mikasa, especially her. She's all you've got left, and God forbid something happened to her. You have to live with the choices you'll regret the least, because the sad fact is that we are mortal..."

Levi looked at his boyfriend for a moment, but a moment was long enough to see the tears blurring Eren's vision and dampening his skin.

"We could die at any time..."

"I get it..." Eren nodded his head and sniffled, his hands quickly darting up to wipe at his tears.

Levi sighed to himself before setting the laptop aside in favor of pulling the brunette close. The teen fell into his arms and sobbed, his hands holding onto him like a lifeline and nails digging into his back through his sweater.

"I didn't mean to make you cry." Levi said, momentarily forgetting that Eren wouldn't hear him.

"I-I love you, Levy..." Eren rasped, his head digging into his shoulder. All Levi could do for a response was a nod of his head. At least this way Eren would know he heard him.

"I love you too..."

Even if he didn't hear it, it made Levi feel better by saying it. It made him feel more connected, more self-conscious about himself and his boyfriend. It was an odd thing, but it helped to reduce the burn in his eyes.

"W-What about your friend?" Eren asked and sat back. "F-Far..."

He didn't know how to pronounce his name.

"A few weeks after that, the store he worked at was robbed. He was shot point blank just for a few pieces of paper..."

"What the hell...?" Eren uttered weakly and dropped his head. For whatever reason, he seemed more talkative than usual today.

"His was a quicker death at least. He didn't suffer."

"That doesn't matter! How can you just carry this around with you? How can you walk around and pretend that everything is okay?"

"I do it the same way you do it." Levi stated bluntly, his fingers signing and no longer typing. Eren seemed put off by this statement, as if surprised and insulted all at once. "You've walked around just the same as I have with a secret you've kept hidden from everyone but a select few. You hide your pain like the rest of the world does."

Somehow, the words seemed to spark a fire within him. It was like he was being challenged into something, and like the typical person Eren was, he didn't turn away a challenge.

With tears burning his eyes and a huff of irritation, the brunette pulled the laptop from the older man's lap and into his own. He opened up a new page, to give himself space to work with, but just before his fingers began typing, he hesitated.

He'd been so insistent on trying to prove his point to Levi (He couldn't really figure out what it was) that he'd forgotten momentarily that he was about to admit to something he'd kept secret from everyone but the people who were there. The people he considered friends, people outside of Armin and Mikasa, didn't even know of it. They hadn't been around by the time it happened, so they only knew what Levi had known.

He had been in an accident.

"I lied to you before." He typed out, eyes burning, but focused on the screen. He couldn't bear to look into the older man's eyes, not when he'd made such a terrible mistake and lied to his face. He had to make this right. "A long time ago, when I told you about us, and Armin… I lied."

"What exactly did you lie about?" Levi asked with his hands.

"After my mom passed away, and after my dad left… Armin's parents died in another country, so it was just him and his grandpa, but he took us in any way to keep us out of the foster system. Armin's grandfather fought tooth and nail to get us, but damn it… He passed away two years ago. Mikasa had just turned eighteen, so she was able to keep us." Eren's fingers burned with the intentions of keeping this up. He hadn't admitted this to anyone in years. In fact, he hadn't told anyone about this. The only ones who knew of it were Mikasa and Armin themselves. Their close friends knew nothing of it.

Which left them no room to help.

"I lied about us taking him in. It was him and his grandfather who took us in. I don't know why I said it, I just… I couldn't admit to what happened back then."

"And what happened back then, Eren?"

"… When I was nine, we were in a car accident. My mom and I… Mikasa was with us, and our uncle was driving behind us with our new Christmas tree…"

Levi leaned over and placed his hand on Eren's, just above where the IV went into his skin. He didn't want to hurt him, but he didn't want him upset.

"Don't push yourself." Levi reminded him.

"I'm fine." The brunette spat, but not out of anger. Out of annoyance, yes, but not towards him. It was aimed more for himself.

This shouldn't have been that hard to do, right? If Levi could admit it so easily, then he should have been able to do the same. Yes, Levi had, had longer to process and accept what had happened, but that shouldn't have stopped him from admitting his own tragedies.

"A deer ran out in front of our car, and my mom swerved out of the way to avoid hitting it. We went into a ditch… I think… And then…"

And then what…? What had happened next? Now that he realized it, it had been a long time since he bothered remembering any of this, let alone wanting to admit it. The memories had been foggy to begin with, because he remembered seeing the deer. At nine years old, he thought nothing of it besides thinking it was cool. He remembered seeing Carla's hands tighten around the steering wheel, and then everything spun out of control, but then what?

"I know I hit my head. I had a really nasty concussion, and so did Mikasa, but I… I don't remember what happened after that really. I woke up in the hospital and my hearing was gone."

"How did you lose it?"

"The doctors said it was from when I hit my head. They said it was temporary and the chances of getting it back were high, but… I was on that very slim chance that it'd never come back. I've waited ten years and it still hasn't come back."

Eren groaned and covered his head, trying to remember what had happened. Everything was so blurry, leaving questions unanswered. He had remembered at some point, didn't he? He was there. He saw it all happen, and he remembered a few minor things.

"I remember… Hearing crying. Mikasa was hurt. My mom… She was stuck."

This was hurting him, and Levi could see it. The way his eyes kept closing, the way his face scrunched up. The memories he had hidden away in the depths of his mind were resurfacing, and it was hurting him both physically and mentally.

"Yeah, we had gone in the ditch, but we ran into a mountain side. The front of the car was smashed, and my mom's legs were stuck. Mikasa's face had hit the window, so she was bleeding really badly. Hannes… Hannes had come to get us out. He tried getting my mom out, but she said get us out first. So he did, and then…"

After that…? That was what he didn't want to remember.

"Slow down, Eren…" Levi spoke softly, his fingers barely taking the time to sign for him. Eren shook his head stubbornly.

This wasn't about telling Levi anymore. This was about figuring out for himself.

What had happened that day? He needed to remember.

"I was still so out of it, so Hannes carried me out while he helped Mikasa walk. I called for my mom, but…"

"Eren, stop." Levi grabbed at the teen's hands to stop him from going any further, but all he got in response was a slap.

"No! I-I can't remember…" He whined as he held his head.

"Then take a break. Don't push yourself, or you're going to make yourself sick." Levi said and signed, but only moments later did he realize that Eren's eyes were closed.

He was blocking him out.

"Shit… I-I think something fell on the car and crushed her, t-then I was in the hospital. D-Dad was there and then he wasn't." Eren's vocal cords struggled with the excessive use. This was another one of those instances where Levi was surprised to hear him talk so much, and didn't it hurt with his injuries?. "A-And then he abandoned us! Just left us alone!"

His voice broke before he felt the gentle touch of the older man's hand on his cheek. His golden eyes opened up to look at him, to see the gentle but worried expression on his face. Worried for him.

"At least you got to see him."

At the sound of another voice in the room, Levi looked over to the doorway. The sudden motion had Eren following his eyes, finding a very sullen Mikasa and Armin standing by with drinks in their hands. Eren let out a pained sound, as if he hadn't been expecting them there and knew they had heard what he was talking about. How much of it they had heard the two weren't sure, but judging from what Mikasa had said, it was enough to understand the situation at hand.

It was situations like this that Levi felt the most uncomfortable. He hadn't expected them to walk back into the room. He thought Armin would buy them a little more time, but knowing Mikasa, she'd been too impatient to wait any longer.

"Is everything okay…?" Armin asked and signed, already knowing the answer, but he felt the need to question them regardless.

"Yeah," Levi answered without giving it a second thought. He wasn't sure if Eren was willing to admit to his pain around them, and judging by the sound he made, he was right.

"I-I'm okay…" Eren muttered, too startled in his own reactions and the present situation to form a proper response or explanation.

Mikasa and Armin were smart, and they weren't blind. It wasn't hard to see what had happened, and knowing that Eren was struggling again only upset them further.

Mikasa sighed to herself before moving to his side of the bed cautiously, as if she were creeping up on a startled animal. Despite his small protest, she sat beside him and held up her can of soda. An offering for her brother probably; that was all Levi could picture that as.

The two of them shared a look, a look he couldn't quite understand, but it seemed to make sense to them. There was an undeniable trust between the two of them that allowed them to speak without any words. It was a bond between two siblings, one he knew all too well. Even when Mikasa was adopted, the two of them had grown up together and undoubtedly developed something Levi couldn't and wouldn't be able to comprehend. He only knew it was something similar to his and Isabel's relationship, and that was all there was to it.

Eren took the soda from her quietly and nodded his head. What it meant he wasn't sure, but Mikasa wrapped her arms around her brother's shoulders and hid her face away in his neck. She didn't say anything, didn't do anything; she just sat there and kept quiet. All the brunette could do was lean his head against hers and sigh. He looked up to Armin, but the blonde had already made his way over to them and kept quiet.

Levi didn't know what the other two had been through between the time of the accident and now. Armin didn't seem to feel out of place with them, meaning he'd either seen this plenty of times before, or he'd been there.

It would make sense if Eren had bent the truth or lied to him. He'd done it once already, but that was because he couldn't handle talking about it. Would he be more open about everything now that he'd come out with his past?

Truth be told, he didn't think he'd ever know the whole story.

A/N: NoIdidn'tjustthrowsomecannonshitinthereyouhavenoproof.