Is that alarming brief moment of chaotic shaking movements of the vehicle, Eren really thought he was going to die.

Oddly enough, he wasn't afraid of dying in that moment. More like, he was too busy being scared of the vigorous turning and spinning that he couldn't be bothered to fear death. Everything around him was nothing but a jumble of hazey colours and bright lights, like spinning in a rotating office seat for too long without the feeling-too-dizzy-I-can-just-barf feeling. Dread sat in the pit of stomach and the miniscule hair on his neck stood on end. He could hear Levi yelling at the woman was he constantly tried to take control over the steering wheel, but she was a lot stronger than the both of them had thought. She tried to harshly shove his arms off, but Levi was strong as well.

The sounds of screeching tires and moaning car horns hurt his ears until he could hear a small buzz. He clutched the seat in front of him until his knuckles went white with effort. His eyes couldn't focus on the view outside, for they were going too fast.

"Let go! You're only going to do him harm!" she shouted angrily.

"I'm trying to save him from the likes of you," he growled in return.

"Please stop fighting or else we're all going to die!" Eren yelled.

The tires screamed as more and more sudden swerves and twists were created from their brawl in the front and they even bumped a few other cars as they drove into nowhere in particular. Levi finally decided that fighting for the wheel was useless and grabbed at her snowy hair instead, only to be surprised when he couldn't get a good grip on it. A few seconds later, he tugged at it and gasped in surprise when he finally realized it was only a wig. It slipped off her head, revealing the fountain of mousey brown hair and a strap holding her goggle-like glasses in place.

"I should have known better to trust little old women," Levi mumbled under his breath.

"Of course I fooled you. Conniving men like you would take advantage of anyone, like that boy you kidnapped," she said trough gritted teeth.

Levi didn't answer her because he knew that she was right. He, in fact, did take Eren way so that he would be taken advantage of, but now his intentions were much more different than they were at the beginning. If he could go back in time, he would have never agreed with Kenny if he knew the house they were going to break in belonged to the Jaeger family.

Shaken and startled, Eren didn't have the power to do anything. His head was going numb and his sight was going disoriented from all the spinning. His ears were ringing from all the screaming and he just wanted to sleep right then and there, to get away from the world even if it was only a second.

"I'm not letting you take him away. He appeared in my life before and I'm not allowing him to get away from my sight ever again."

The words of Levi were bold and vibrant with feeling. Eren flinched as if surprised and tried to meet Levi's gaze but was not able to. He didn't understand what he had just said, but he felt like he should. His words were like an old photograph, forgotten but should be remembered. He was scared, afraid of what he should recall. He thought perhaps he had met Levi in the past, but waved the thought away when he figured people like Levi was a bad influence, and he didn't hang out with those sort of people. Levi was something like a good boy gone bad or some brooding main lead in an action movie. It was almost as if Levi was just a good looking alien from another planet.

"Excuse me?" Eren said. He didn't mean for the small sentence to escape his lips, but nothing stopped them from spilling out into a surprised string of words.

Levi glanced behind at Eren with a sad face expression, something he had not seen before until that moment.

"Sir, I need you to release your grip on the wheel," the lady snapped. "I'm trying to take him away from what you might do to him."

Levi was well aware that trying to take control over the wheel would be useless. He had to think quickly. He had to think of a strategy that would get both Eren and himself out of the car safely. The key near him; if he could distract her for even a second, he would be able to unlock the car doors and jump out. If they were lucky, they could escape without being harmed, but Levi didn't have his hopes high. He guessed that she had a weapon hidden somewhere in the car, ready to be used for hurting him if it came down to that.

Eren was staring at Levi as if looking for any kind of signal, but only got a stern and reluctant look back.

If Levi didn't exit the car soon, it was inevitable that they would eventually crash. Many cars were starting to show up on the roads, and Levi wasn't so sure if they would all make it if they were to skid into a collision.

"You're right. He is a horrible man," Eren said quietly, but clear and old enough for the lady and Levi to hear.

Levi looked back at him and didn't need to speak to show him what he wanted to say. Despite the fact that he did take part in kidnapping Eren, he felt betrayed.

"I... I miss my family. I want to go home." He averted his gaze, but Levi could see his eyes dart up to meet his or the keys.

"I knew it. I knew this boy needed serious help the moment I heard his appearance description of the radio and plastered all over the headlines of newspapers."

"I wanted to escape, but the only key," Eren paused as he eyed the keys near the driver once more, "to get away was to get the help of authorities, but it was impossible." He faked a small sob and met the lady's eyes through the rear mirror, his eyes glassy with tears.

That was the only hint Levi needed.

It was difficult for him to hide his smirk as he leaned forward and carefully pressed the unlock button. A small thud could be heard as the small locks bursted upward. Eren didn't need Levi to tell him to get out, because his hand was on the door handle as soon as it was able to open. The both of them dashed out swiftly and onto the road.

Tires screeched and horns blasted and honked as they ran along side one another. Eren could feel the adrenaline rushing through his veins. Strangely, he felt giddy. He wanted to scream, but he was wise enough not to do that. He could hear the odd woman yelling from behind them as she tried to park somewhere that wouldn't land her a ticket. They would outrun her. He was sure of it.

It was only a few seconds after that Eren had finally taken notice how behind Levi was. He was limping and his face was strained. He was trying to hide some unknown pain. Eren paused.

"I twisted my ankle on the way out," Levi said in a breathy voice. "I think I'm finally going to be caught." He chuckled painfully.

"No. You won't. Don't give me that bullshit after how far and long we traveled." Eren furrowed his brows. He was almost angry. Giving up so quickly was so unlike Levi from what he's seen of him so far.

"I can't run. It hurts too much."

"I'll carry you then. Again, just like last time," Eren insisted eagerly.

"I won't let you. You can't."

"That's not up to you to decide, Levi," Eren yelled as he stomped towards the man. "You dragged me in this, and I'm dragging you out. When we do, you have a lot of talking to do, sir."

Levi didn't respond. From stalking Eren a while back, he learned that he was a stubborn boy who never gave up on goals he set his heart to. Levi was tired and he was in no mood to argue when there a crazy woman with a tacky disguise screaming at them. He let him lift him off the ground and into his arms; they were warm to the touch and felt much more like an embrace. He wanted to sink into it and melt all the little worries and stress away, but he knew it was weird. It was weird to have odd feelings about the boy whom you've hurt and taken away. He carried him like a child. Their chests pressed together and his legs wrapped tightly around his waist. For their age, it was bit intimate.

Levi subconsciously rested his chin on Eren's shoulder, causing him to jolt. Despite all the sweating from the moving around and the lack of showers, his scent wasn't awful. It was comforting. If scenery could describe a smell, Eren would smell like sunsets and beaches; humid and colourful and bright. He was soft, too. He was everything Levi wasn't. Levi was cold and dark and rigid.

Much to Levi's surprise, Eren was strong. He was running with a grown man in his arms without breaking a sweat or faltering. He ran far enough until Levi could no longer hear the shrieks and threats of their assaulter, or maybe it was because he was tired. His senses grew fuzzy as seconds passed. His eyes drooped from exhaustion and the pain in his ankle throbbed even more than it did before.

The last sight his eyes saw before he blacked was Eren's cracked lips mouthing his name.

---

It was no longer cold.

Levi commanded his eyelids to lift open, but they wouldn't listen. His finger tips twitched and hot air grazed his unmoving lips. He wondered if he was dead, but denied it when the loud beating of his heart told him otherwise. There was a thin blanket draped over his body and he could see light from behind his closed eyes. Slowly but surely, they fluttered open.

His eyes immediately found a door, and soon darted everywhere else. The walls, the windows and the wooden floorboards were something he had not seen before. He was in a house, a home, a place that didn't quite exist in his mind. A small slit of light escaped from underneath the door. Shadows were moving across it like a blinking lantern.

"Eren, you're my best friend. You know that, right?" a voice demanded from the other side.

"Of course I am."

"Yeah, well, times like this is when I wish I could punch you. You're really being an idiot right now, but since I'm a good friend I'll let this slip once. If you ever bring any more criminals in here, I'm slamming the door in your face."

"I know, I know."

"Don't you 'I know, I know' me so casually!" the first voice said shrilly. "Eren! He's the man who caused your family all this worry and despair. How are you taking this so lightly?"

"He knows something, Armin. I think I might know him."

"Oh, and you're just going to assume that your assumption is correct? He could be a murderer you know. He's the nephew of Kenny Ackerman for heaven's sake. And if you do get answers in the end, how else would this benefit you?"

"I'll write a book. It would be interesting."

"Eren, you're not even an author yet. And who would go this far to write some book?"

A long pause passed between the two of them.

"Look, are you sure you don't want me to contact your family and tell them you're okay?"

"Armin, you know then. They're going to go wild and find me. That's how they are, and I can't... I can't go home yet. I really appreciate what you're doing for me, but please don't say anything. I know his doesn't make much sense, but it will one day."

"Alright. If the police come over, I'll do my best to cover you but I can't guarantee that they will go away. You should go check on him now. He was barely breathing when I arrived."

Levi tucked his head under the covers as the door creaked open. Eren stepped in with cautious eyes. Levi spoke from under his small cocoon of sheets.

"Your friend is right. You're a fucking idiot."

"I see you're doing well," Eren replied sarcastically.

"Where are we?" Levi questioned as he effortlessly threw the blanket off.

"My friend's other house. He doesn't like the idea of you here, but he's loyal. I managed to find a payphone, and so I basically begged for his help."

"Other?" Levi raised his eyebrows.

"His parents are divorced."

"Ah, I see," Levi mumbled and frowned. Whenever anyone mentioned anything relevant to parents, it reminded him of Eren's parents. The guilt was building up. He was being filled.

---
AN:

this fanfic isn't going in the direction i originally wanted it to, but it isn't bad.

thank you for being so patient and for reading!

much love, takeshi