Splitting up with Petra was better than Levi had expected. He wasn't planning on breaking up with her on the spot, and he thought he would be more emotionally attached to her. Truth was, he didn't feel a single drop of remorse

"I can't believe you said that to her," Hanji said with a crazy laugh. "But then again, you do have a point. I think she was only after the gifts you brought her."

"I'm pretty sure she was cheating too. I went to her house once and spotted another pair of men's shoes. She lives by herself, and her father couldn't possibly be visiting, because he's dead."

"Hmmm. Why didn't you break up with her sooner, Levi?" Hanji questioned.

"I guess I never really found the time to do it. Anyways, I'm glad she's out of my life now."

"She didn't take it well, didn't she?" Reiner asked as he casually strolled into the office with a sweat-drenched Bertoldt.

Levi looked at him, unsurprised that he had popped into his office out of the blue and joined the conversation.

"Not at all. I think she was crying," Levi answered as he shook his head. "Not that I cared, they were probably fake tears. She always seemed pretty superficial a few months after we started going out. I'm kind of disappointed, actually. Now I'm that I'm single again, I think I'm going to stay away from relationships for a while.

"So what a-are you going to do in the meantime?" 

"Work. Eat. Sleep. Do everything I do in my everyday life as usual. There's nothing I want to do, really. She wasn't a distraction but just negative energy."

"We should go out for drinking. It's been too long, and she was always in the way; insisting you spend time with her instead of your loyal," Hanji said with a big and obvious eye roll towards Levi, "and kind friends."

"Tempting, but I'm not interested. I'm a busy man with duties to fulfill," Levi retorted. 

"You're no fun," Reiner mumbled.

"Agreed," Hanji stated.

"Say all you like, but now that I'm single I want to take the time to relax. After all, I don't think love is my thing."

The sensation he was feeling reminded him of all those times in the past when he would wake up in a sweat, pants slightly moist and forehead with beads of sweat rolling down like a never-ending cycle. It was almost exactly the same feeling, except it was hurting him. Although the room was uncomfortably torrid, Eren himself felt like he was being dunked in boiling water. He sat up immediately, alarmed and a little scared at what he was about to discover. 

The smell of smoke was already beginning to choke him. It was incredibly dry and bitter, but he wasn't going to give up so easily. He was certain that it wasn't from the influence of his father's injection drugs. He would be seeing colours and weird shapes by now if that happened, but all he could see was grey and white.

He wasn't sure whether his eyesight was horrible, or that the room was already completely filled with smoke. Either way, he knew he had to get out; he already knew what was happening before he could even think about it. Being tired, it made his movements more sluggish and slow than expected. When he sensed danger he knew he had to exit as quickly as possible, but he predicted it was not going to be easy. He stumbled out of bed, his side hitting the warm wooden floorboards as his hands tried to soften the light fall. The feeling of panic was gradually setting in. It made the already bad situation a whole lot worse when he attempted to push himself up. Being clumsy and not careful enough, he had somehow sprained his ankle from the small fall from the bed. He cursed himself under his breath as he began to drag himself to the foggy window.

Pounding and slamming was useless as it wouldn't budge. Giving up on the window, he crawled towards the only door in the room and fished for a spare key that he had managed to keep secret from his father this whole time. If he had taken it away before, Eren was sure he would end up being dead. With the small amount of strength he had left in his arms, he grabbed the knob and inserted the key. It was attached unskillfully to a piece of cheap twine from the local dollar store. After twisting and shoving it multiple times, he heard the little click. With a burst of hope rising deep within his chest, he tumbled through the door. When he entered the living room, he did not notice how brightly coloured the flames were. All he could think was that he needed to get out of there as fast as he could before he potentially suffocated.

He sighed with relief when he spotted a clear opening to the window when the door was thwarted by a wall of blazing heat. He coughed, his lungs being filled with the moody, grey smoke, as he continued to crawl on his hands and knees towards the window. A few stray sparks skipped around him, sizzling onto the carpet floor and some of them even stinging into his skin. He hissed at the hot pain. It was oddly surprising calm he was about all of this, but perhaps it was because he had experienced much worse. When he was being beaten up by his father he used to always think that any situation would be better than being hit like a sandbag, and he still thought so to this day. For a moment he thought that maybe being in a house engulfed in flames was much better than even being in the same room as that horrible excuse for a father. He felt glad because if he ended up dying somehow, he wouldn't have to see him again.

He soon reached the window and easily slid it open with a few strength filled shoves. Fresh air blasted into his face, the cool wind wrapping around the upper part of his body like an ice pack. He exhaled then inhaled and repeated. It had been long since the last time he left the house without his father's permission and he did not feel bad or guilty about it at all. His placed the palm of his hands on the windowsill and pushed himself up until his torso was resting on it. He propelled himself forward, seeing the deep indigo sky as he was falling, and flopped right onto a bed of rosebushes. His mouth opened, letting out a sound between a groan and cough an proceeded to drag himself onto the lawn. The grass was damp and cool against his bare legs and arms. collapsed onto his back. If his house wasn't on fire and of the air didn't smell so terribly of smoke and burning dirt, it would have been a peaceful moment. The sky was beautiful in this time of day, and it almost saddened him when he realized his eyes wouldn't stay open for too long. Even when he could feel blood running down his legs and arms, he felt at peace.

Eventually, he gave up and surrendered and let the darkness take him.

"What the hell," he mumbled to himself as his eyelids fluttered open. They felt like they had lead pulling them down. As he tried to sit up, a firm hand pressed against his chest.

"Whoa, whoa. Easy there. Don't get up," a stern but slightly shaking voice warned. 

Eren looked up only to see a red and blotchy faced Mikasa. Small streams of tears ran down her voice like tiny rivers. 

"Mikasa? God. Where am I?" Eren questioned as he rubbed at his temples in a circular motion.

She sniffled angrily. "You were found dying on the ground outside your house, which was set on fire! You're in the hospital right now and you have no idea how worried I was about you. Armin was going to come over to your house to ask you something because you wouldn't answer your phone and he found you passed out on your lawn. We thought you were dead," she shrieked.

"Well take a good look at me. I'm fine, aren't I? Limbs are still attached and all that jazz," he said as he gestured to himself with a shaking finger. "There's no need to make a big deal out of this when I'm okay."

"Of course I'd make a big deal, Eren, you're my boyfriend! Any girl would be worried sick if their boyfriend had a brush against death when their house is set on fire!" she almost shouted as tears streamed down her face.

Armin burst into the room as Eren tried to calm Mikasa down. He was breathing hard and leaned against the door before looking up at Eren with relief in his eyes. "Oh, thank goodness you're still alive." 

"Is he really?" another voice squeaked and a tiny blond head popped up from behind the door. The only other blond friend he could think of was Krista and Annie, but he knew that Annie wouldn't give a rat's ass if he was injured.

More bodies piled up inside the room and Eren could see that they were all his friends, genuinely happy that he was still alive and moving. He could spot Sasha, Connie, Marco, Jean (who probably only tagged along because Marco was there), Ymir and Hanji.

"I don't think all of us should be here visiting him all at once. Shouldn't we let him rest first?" Marco asked with panic. 

"Chill. We only get in trouble if we're caught," Jean said and casually slid his arm around Marco.

"Jean getting touchy with Marco in public? It's more likely than you think," Ymir mumbled and stifled a chuckle.

"Ymir, that wasn't very polite," Krista warned as she lightly punched Ymir in the stomach. 

"God," Sasha started with the most straight face she could muster. "You look horrible, Eren."She then proceeded to burst into a boisterous fit of giggles. 

"You look like a crack addict. Would have never guessed you just escaped a fire," Connie said as if he did not just insult Eren. He said it in a thoughtful matter. 

"Can you guys please shut up? He's obviously so tired and you guys aren't even saying anything supportive or encouraging," Mikasa scolded angrily as she wiped aggressively at her face with the sleeve of her sweater. "We've been here for less than two minutes and you guys are already giving him hell." 

"It's fine, really," I reassure them as their faces start to fill with guilt and pity. "I'm actually very glad that all of you are here. It means a lot to me." 

Hanji clasped both her hands and placed it under her chin as she rocked back and forth on her heels. "Aw. You have such nice friends, Eren." 

"Yeah, nice, but I don't think anyone had any space in their house for me to crash, right?" I say, looking at all of them. I wanted out. I could not stand it if I had to return back home to a fuming Grisha wondering how the house was set on fire in the first place. Everyone shook their heads sadly. They all had lives going on and things to do, and he was sure Mikasa would have allowed him to come into her home if it weren't for her strict and suspicious parents. 

"I do. Erwin will be gone for quite some time, so his room is free right now if you'd like," Hanji squeaked as she pointed a finger in the air in suggestion. 

"Oh, is that so? Do you mind?"

"Of course I don't. You have no home after all. Real question is, will your father mind it?" 

Eren smiled dryly to himself. "Oh no. He wouldn't mind one bit."
   

Eren miraculously did not obtain any serious injuries besides a few minor scratches, so the hospital released him earlier than he thought. After a few brief checkups, he was out on his way to Hanji's place, and he was overjoyed. To be away from his father was a luxury, even a few seconds was something to be happy about. But a few weeks or so? Even better. 

Eren did not know how long he was going to stay for, because he lost his cellphone and so his father had no means of contacting him at all, and he lost most of his possessions which consist of clothing and his beloved books that he thrifted a few years back. He did mind too much because he had left his backpack and supplies at school, so he wouldn't have to own the school any fees for damaged or missing textbooks. He was already having some trouble, and he did not want to welcome any more of it. 

Hanji lived in a modest apartment flat with a view of the busy streets and hops below. It was a basic two-roomed, one bathroom space with a cozy but cramped living area and kitchen. It looked so clean and bright compared to Eren's previous home. He was almost glad he didn't have any belongings, he could start fresh. He did not wish to have anything that had bad memories attached to it. 

"You're lucky I like to keep things fully stocked because I have extra toothbrushes and towels. I'll try to purchase you some clothing when I can-" 

"No," Eren cut him off and held his hands in front of him. "I'll find a job and work for it. You're already letting me stay here for no cost. You're being too generous and it's making me feel bad." 

"Don't be ridiculous," she persisted. "That's going to take a while. What will you wear to a job interview? And you can't wear the same outfit to school every day. You look like you're homeless." 

It was true. He was given a deep olive coloured corduroy jacket and black plaid pants that gathered heavily at the ankles from Armin, and a basic black tee and worn out boots from Jean. They didn't fit so well, but he was comfortable. 

Just when Eren was about to argue further, a short but built looking man entered the room with a mug of tea in his hands. He was wearing sweatpants and was wearing no shirt. He stopped when he looked at me, and I did the same. It was the same man who gave him a ride the other day. Eren's mouth opened but he spoke faster than I could. He wasn't shocked that he was the same man, but mostly at how built he was for someone with his height. He didn't appear to be the gym rat kind of guy, but he still looked as if one punch from him could knock anyone out.

"Why is he here?" he demanded. 

"Didn't I text you about this? His house just burnt down to the ground and he can't get ahold of his father. There's nowhere for him to go except here until he can find somewhere new, and Eren mentioned that the majority of his relatives are in Europe. This is the only solution for now."

"But aren't you busy all the time? How are you going to watch over him? Levi asked as if Eren was not present in the room. 

"Hey! I'm not a kid, you know." 

"That's why I called you over. You have more free time than I do, don't you? That's why I'm leaving partially in your care." 

"What?" Levi and Eren asked in unison. 

"Why am I being dragged into this? I didn't ask for this! You can't just bring some kid in and expect me to take care of him without bothering to tell me beforehand."

"He's a good kid, Levi. Surely you shouldn't mind because of his circumstances. He has nowhere to go, and I can't be with him constantly. I know he's mature, but he's still a minor," Hanji said as gently as she could.

"Look, I have something," Levi instructed them as he extended his fist and then proceeded to open it.

"There's nothing," Eren mumbled.

"Exactly, because that's the number of fucks I give," Levi snapped and pivoted to leave.

Eren felt offended and insulted, but he could understand where Levi was coming from. Levi was an adult, and adult leads busy, hectic lives. The last thing a busy adult would want as to have the responsibility of watching over a teenager.

"Don't be rude," Hanji shot back. "Listen, how would you feel if your house was set on fire and can't find your parents?"

"I hated my parents-"

"That's not the point," Hanji sighed, exasperated. "Levi, please. This won't be a forever type of thing. Please."

Levi stared at her with a fiery glare, his eyes darting between her and Eren as his eyes seemed to burn right through two of them. His foot tapped impatiently against the newly polished wooden floor. He crossed his arms before letting out a sound of frustration and defeat.

"I expect to be paid," Levi finally said.

"Consider it done."

Eren wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea. He needed a roof to stay under, not a babysitter. The idea of having some kind of guardian or parent- like figure bothered him to a high point, after all he had been through and all. He couldn't trust people. Grisha was supposed to be his father, an individual whose responsibility was to take care of him, but he did everything a parent wasn't supposed to do. He did not wish for history to repeat itself. To him, Levi looked immensely threatening, like he was angry at the world and everything and everyone that was in it. He had that kind of expression that made him appear as if he had the ability to easily kill a man.

Great, Eren thought to himself.