"As you wish," Levi said quietly.

He walked closer to Eren and gestured for him to get up, which he did. With hesitation and a look of worry on his face, he softly pressed on the nape of Eren's neck, and every colour and shape disappeared from Eren's vision. He stumbled blindly and finally caught his balance when the dark room around him morphed into a new scene, which was probably the view from the door. He recovered from this moment of confusion when he looked around.

---

He was no longer in the cabin.

He was home, before his parents died.

He knew it was before his parents died because everything was so neat and tidy, and he knew for a fact that his mother would never let anyone see the place as a mess. The wooden walls didn't look like it was brittle and weak, and the cupboards and shelves and other furniture looked freshly made. There was no dust or cobwebs, and there was plenty of food on the table. The sun was shining brightly outside and seeped through the large and wide windows, and he could even smell the scent of raisin and cinnamon bread baking somewhere. The view looked peaceful, happy even, but there was something very wrong.

On the swept wooden floors, there laid two bodies. One of a woman, and one of a man. Eren immediately know who they were, and a lump begin to form in his throat. His parents were thrown onto the floor like a pair of rag dolls, with their limbs in awkward and uncomfortable positions. Blood leaked from their abdomens and their eyes were blank as they stared at the floor. Streams of crimson dripped through their gaping mouths and caked their clothing. Above them stood a slender and short woman with blonde-red hair and amber eyes.

Eren gasped.

"Petra, what are you doing here?" a familiar voice demanded.

Eren turned around to see a more dead looking Levi enter the house. He looked skinnier, as if he were only a sack of skin and bones. His cheeks appeared hallow and his eyes were vibrant red, the kind that seemed to glow in the dark. He wasn't staring at the dead bodies, but at the woman in front of him. She casually wiped the blood off her hands on her dress and smirked coldly.

"You came here faster than I thought, but then again, of course you would. You come running at the scent of blood, don't you? Always thirsty even after destroying a few towns. You're despicable," she told him and inhaled, letting the sweet and salty smell of blood intoxicate her.

"Petra... what happened to you?" Levi demanded with wide eyes. He looked betrayed. "I haven't seen you in so long and now you're murdering people."

"Like you're one to talk," she snapped.

He flinched. "Why did you do this?" he questioned.

"To attract you, but it seems like I killed the wrong people," she said.

"The wrong people?"

"They have a boy who is R class, but I couldn't find him. I had no choice. They wouldn't tell me where he was, and I had no choice but to punish them," she answered softly.

Levi swallowed nervously. He knew who the boy was, and did everything he could to protect him. The reason why she couldn't find him was because Levi was always near him, hiding his scent with his own. He also knew that the boy would be terribly heartbroken once he found his dead parents.

"This isn't something you would do," he said.

"But it sure is something, you would do," she replied, and soon laughed as she gracefully flitted to the open window and made a run for it. He didn't try to go after her. Levi stood there, dazed and confused for a few moments before looking down at the dead bodies. He crouched down and eyed them. He noticed how Eren got most of his looks from his mother. He couldn't tell where his bright eyes came from, they were something of their own, special and unique and fascinating. The blood didn't bother him much, mainly because he had just finished feeding, and because it wasn't to his liking.

Distracted by the waste of a meal in front of him, he didn't notice the small boy with the blond bob standing behind him from the door.

"Mr. and Mrs Jae-"

The boy stopped mid-sentence and looked at the horror presented in front of him, and immediately burst into tears. He turned and ran as away soon after. Levi cursed under his breath and got up.

This was going to be difficult for him to explain.

---

Eren shouted in terror and jolted. He squirmed in discomfort and fell dramatically to the floor on his knees with sweat drenching his hair and mouth wide, trying to catch his breath. Small pinpricks covered his entire body and sent a tingle down his spine. It was as if he were actually there, and he could still smell his own parents' blood. He shouted again and hugged his arms to his chest.

"Hey," Levi said and knelt to the floor. "It's okay, Eren, you're okay."

"She killed them because she couldn't find me? That's just... That's just ridiculous and unnecessary. She didn't have to do that, but it's all my fault. If I were there and just gave her what she wanted, perhaps they wouldn't have died. It's my fault. God. It's all my fault that they died. It's because of me. They died because of me-"

"Hey," he repeated. "It's not your fault, Eren."

"It's my fault it's my fault it's my fault it's my fault it's my fault," he blubbered.

"Listen to me," Levi told him. "You didn't do anything wrong. It's Petra's fault for being so violent, not yours. Don't blame yourself. You can't do anything about it now, so don't beat yourself up about it."

"I got them killed. I got them killed, Levi, how are you being so calm about this? If she got me, things wouldn't end up that way."

"Look at me," Levi commanded loudly. He cupped Eren's face in his hands gently and looked into his eyes. "Stop it. Stop saying that. They just wanted to protect you, and it wasn't like you could do anything about it. I'm sorry this happened, but you didn't do anything wrong."

Eren stared back helplessly and sighed heavily. "So what happened after that? If you remember, that is."

"The Survey Corps thought their plan had worked, and they tried to track me down."

"It was all a plan?" Eren asked, bewildered.

"Before that accident, they always tried to lure me in somehow, but it never worked. Word got around us vampires that there was a boy in particular that had some sweet smelling blood, and so they thought it would be a great idea to somehow make him bleed so that I would appear. I guess she killed your parents out of frustration when she couldn't track you down. In our world, I'm very dangerous. Even the strongest fear me, and I can't blame them. I guess the army thinks I'll destroy this town too as I did to the others, and kill everyone in it. They went through great lengths to hunt me down, but of course, it never works."

Eren looked down. "They were going to use me?"

"Yes. That's why Erwin was always so nosy. He knew you had some business with vampires, and thought he could use you again to find me."

"But... how are you capable of such power? I thought rogues were the strongest, but you seem to be stronger. Don't tell me..." It finally clicked inside his head, and his mouth was left agape in wonder and surprise.

"You're..."

"Yes," Levi answered. He didn't need Eren to finish his statement. "Are you scared? I tend to get more thirsty, and I'm very aggressive."

"But you don't look like them at all. They look.. ugly and bigger. And I can never be afraid if it's you."

"They only look like that because they slowly go crazy and start to hurt themselves. A lot of them will scratch at their faces or try to gouge their own eyes out. Imagine drinking hefty amounts and never being able to satisfy yourself," he explained as he brushed through his hair with his fingers. "You're a brave boy."

"So you're thirsty right now?"

"I'm always thirsty, but I've experienced worse. I'm used to it, so I learned self control."

"You don't need to hold yourself back," Eren told him.

Levi softly thumped his head with his hand and let out an exasperated sigh. "Stop saying that. You're asking for a death wish."

Eren frowned. "I'm being serious here, Levi. You helped me, and I want to help you. I'm weak and I can't do much, so it's the least I can do."

Levi didn't speak for a moment. "I'll end up doing more than just biting you, and I know you wouldn't like that."

"When did I say I wouldn't like it?" Eren blurted out, letting his mouth run.

Levi opened his mouth, but quickly closed it as he let out a shaky exhale, which Eren found bizarre since he couldn't breathe, technically.

"I won't do anything to you. You need rest."

"Like you're one to talk," Eren said, slightly upset by the response.

"Seriously, look at yourself. You look exhausted, and you look skinnier than before. You're worrying me, Eren," Levi told him with shook his head, absent minded.

"Yeah well, I can't sleep knowing they're still out there. I'm not too far from town, they can still get me," Eren said and pursed his lips.

"I'll watch out for them. Just... Get some rest, okay?"

"But-"

"Look, you're not weak. I don't want to hear any of the 'I need to do something because I'm weak' bullshit, because you're not. You've been through a lot lately."

Eren tried to hold back a yawn, but failed terribly.

"You won't run off, will you? You won't leave me? I'll wake up later, and you'll still be here?" Eren asked quickly with his pupils moving rapidly.

"I won't run off again. Even if you tell me to, I won't do it again," Levi assured him.

"Promise me?"

"What are you, a child?" Levi said.

Eren punched his arm lightly but with irritation.

"Fine. I promise," he said as he scooped Eren into his arms and brought him to bed. He was fast, and he was tucked securely under the blankets and quilts before he could protest. Levi looked down at him lovingly as he sat by his side and took Eren's hand in his. He softly kissed his palm and placed it against his cheek.

"I love you," he said helplessly. "And I'm sorry. I don't think I can ever forgive myself for abandoning you like that."

"It was my fault once more. I just..." Eren trailed off, deep in thought before he spoke up again. "I shouldn't have pushed you away. I'm sorry."

"You don't need to worry about that anymore. Just worry about your own head right now. I'm fine now that I'm with you again," he murmured and kissed his forehead gingerly. "Everything will be okay."

As the sentence left his lips, Levi began to doubt his own words.

---

AN:

i am low key out of ideas for this fic atm, but i'm sure i'll figure something out soon.

thank you so much for taking the time to read this!

~your best friend takeshi