That was the moment when the real fight started when they both finally got serious. When both of them rushed towards each other with overwhelming power, all the pent-up anger, all the emotions that had been boiling in their bodies for so long, everything unloaded into their muscles, their nerves, pushed them, drove them on like a terrible drug, took control over their actions and thinking - and both men let it happen.

Fists flew through the air like bullets, delivering blows and blocking them, legs as strong as thick branches tried to step away from each other, kicking against hips, kicking into their upper body. Loud growls, groans, roars.

Both men gave absolutely everything. Erwin's fist hit Levi in the face and the first drops of blood hit the floor, staining it. In return, Levi kicked Erwin's legs, lost his balance and crashed into the dining table, which finally collapsed under the weight of the tall, muscular man when he landed on his back with full force.

The vase that previously stood on top shattered, small fragments bored into Erwin's hands and forearms as he supported himself to get up again, but he hardly noticed the pain, did not notice how the deep red liquid flowed from his veins and mingled with Levi's on the floor.

Soon the whole floor was covered with blood, smeared, white walls stained with stripes of red ... It was a massacre without murder and perpetrators, but they continued to fight undeterred until one would give up or was finally laying defeated in the dirt.

A shelf fell over when Erwin pushed Levi against it, books fell out and scattered across the floor. The stool next to the couch, on which Nina sometimes likes to sit when she looks out of the window, was knocked over when Levi rammed his elbow into Erwin's ribs and he tumbled to the side.

They insult themselves, they scream, yell, they offend and mock themselves, they hit, kick, scratch, push. They hurt each other, physically and mentally. In this horrible moment, there was nothing left of the intimate friendship and years of camaraderie they once shared, both degenerated into lower animals that fought for a female during the mating season.

Levi's shirt tears open as Erwin grabs him by the collar with both hands, throws him around and lifts the smaller man up to press him against the wall, only to make Levi head-butt him, splitting Erwin's right eyebrow open, whereupon Erwin growled in pain and anger, tumbling back before he sank to the floor, his vision blurred and distorted by the red of his own blood.

Levi takes advantage of this moment and charges with all his strength, with his entire body towards Erwin, throws him to the ground as two hands tightly wrapped around Erwin's throat, squeezing his windpipe, choking his former comrade as he pushed him to the ground.

Panicking, desperately gasping for air, Erwin frantically groped for something to free himself from his situation and he picked up a book that had fallen off the shelf in the course of the wild brawling and hit it violently against Levi's temple, which ultimately forced him to let go of Erwin, his world turning black for a moment.

Erwin took advantage of this moment and crawled away from the black-haired man, panting heavily, coughing, gasping for breath as he struggled to stand up. Leaning against the kitchen island with his back, he finally had a moment to breathe and to calm down and perhaps defuse the situation. Both were injured, bleeding, the apartment was like a battlefield and Erwin slowly felt the pain of his injuries, the cuts, kicks, and punches, just like Levi, who could now see clearly again and immediately looked for the man who, in his opinion, was responsible for all that'd happened. His anger had subsided somewhat, the excess energy had faded and evaporated, but the reason why he felt such fury was still there, reminded Levi why he was here and why he treated his former friend and roommate like a lower being.

Levi was also grateful for the break, leaned against the wall, which was stained with blood, gasping for breath, but he did not take his eyes off Erwin.

"You know ... we don't have to do that. We are ... both grown people and can solve our dispute differently. I'm sure the police is already on their way, because of all the noise we've made. Levi ... let's talk, please. We're friends."

Erwin tried to speak to his comrade with an angels tongue, tried to bring calm into this chaos again, and to prevent worse things before either of them get seriously injured, but Levi remained stubborn.

"Friends? Don't call me friend, you jackass. Friends don't kiss the other's girlfriend when he's not in the country. Friends don't lie to you for weeks or even months. Friends .... friends just don't do that. No, Erwin. You are not a friend. "

"Don't say that without being sure you won't regret it later, Levi. But you're right: I shouldn't have kissed Nina behind your back. I should have told you from the start how serious I was about her. I just couldn't hold back any longer, I just thought with my dick. You're absolutely right about this: I was a shitty friend. "

Erwin hoped that an open confession would make Levi mild and help calm the situation. Enough blood has been spilled. Even one drop was too much in Erwins opinion.

"Tch. Late insight is better than none at all. "

"Right. But what about Nina? "

"What about her? Don't come back to me with the same shit as before. I won't take this shit from you. " There it was again. Levi's voice took a deep, threatening tone so incredibly fast that even Erwin shivered.

"Levi ... you complained that I didn't tell you the truth. That's exactly what I'm trying to do. Don't you want to hear the truth or don't you want to hear it from ME? "

Levi gritted his teeth, his eyes darkened. He had a premonition of what Erwin was trying to tell him but avoided asking. He was out of patience for his mind games. He wanted facts! Without beating around the bush, without back doors and without talking nicely.

"Tch. Then speak, and be quick. I still feel sick when I just look at you or hear you talk. "

Levi's fingers itched to beat Erwin's stupid grin from his face once and for all and some intellect into it so that he finally learns to keep his dirty fingers from women who do not belong to him.

"Again: I or Nina never intended to hurt you, never. You knew for a long time that I have feelings for her but never did anything to stop me. How do you think I should have behaved? "

"Tch! Don't come to me like that! You shouldn't have behaved like an absolute ass and made out with Nina behind my back! How am I supposed to trust you ever again ?! Don't expect me to lock you up in your room IF Nina should ever come back here. You're a grown man, dammit! You're meant to fucking control your cock! " Yelled Levi, who had talked himself into rage mode again. The thought that Erwin's lips had touched the ones of Nina caused him a headache.

"I know Levi. And under normal circumstances I wouldn't disagree with you, but ... it's far more complicated than you think. "

"What the hell do you mean? Talk properly to me!"

Erwin sighed heavily, the pain from his wounds slowly beginning to settle into his system to torment him. Levi's last blow certainly broke some of his ribs. Not to mention the sliced eyebrow. Erwin was only relieved that the bleeding had stopped.

Levi, on the other hand, showed no signs of pain or suffering, at least not from the fight. Erwin was sure that Levi's pain was of a purely psychological nature, but like all the years before, he didn't let anyone see it, only let others feel it. And this time, Erwin was the one who felt Levi's irrepressible anger and endless torment.

"Me and Nina .... we love each other."

"I said STOP THIS SHIT!"

With only three long steps, Levi suddenly stood in front of Erwin, pushing him so that he staggered and almost fell to the ground. At the last moment Erwin grabbed Levi's collar, hurled him around and pinned him to the ground again, grabbing him by his wrists and pressing them down to the side of his body, but this time Erwin also put his legs above Levi' s to make it impossible to free himself again.

"Let go of me, motherfucker! You asshole! Traitor! Liar!"

"Now listen, damn it!"

"NO! I'm not listening to a liar! "

"I love Nina! And she loves me! We kissed, MULTIPLE TIMES! She wanted it as much as I did! Her desire for me burns as hot as the sun! But do you know what ?! "

"I don't want to hear anything! You fucking traitor! " Levi struggled, wriggling to escape Erwin's iron grip. His words burned in his ears and heart like hot, molten iron. Levi didn't want to hear it, didn't want to admit it. He's lying! It couldn't be otherwise!

"No matter how much she wants me, no matter how much her body craves for my touch, and no matter how strong the attraction between us is, she had always stopped me. Whenever it threatened to lose my mind around her, when I went too far or when it got so beautiful and intense between us that we wanted to lose ourselves in it, she always stopped first, held me back. And why?! Because this wonderful woman loves you so much, you asshole! You could live a thousand years and you wouldn't even deserve this woman in your dreams! If it weren't for her almost unshakable loyalty and unconditional love that she has towards you, she would be in my bed already, but she isn't! Because she loves you so much and her feelings of guilt eat her up inside! "

"ENOUGH!"

Levi couldn't and didn't want to hear it anymore. That his beloved Nina and Erwin love each other when she actually loved Levi and ONLY Levi! He didn't want to hear it.

He exploded, his whole body burned with rage, his stomach cramped because of the overwhelming anger that had accumulated again and threatened to devour him.

Fueled with all this anger, hatred, and despair, Levi exerted tremendous strength, tore his hands out of Erwin's tight grasp, and before Erwin could even react, Levi hit his throat so hard that Erwin couldn't do otherwise but let go of him.

Panting, coughing, whimpering, gasping for air, Erwin writhed on the floor, overwhelmed from the pain that burned in his throat like hot tar. Erwin's world went black for a moment before his vision was clouded by white, dancing stars. He clasped his aching throat with both hands, gasped for air, almost hyperventilated, his eyes blown wide, but Levi didn't care about his friend's suffering, all that interested him at that moment was the boiling anger that burned in his guts.

With dark and narrowed eyes Levi watched the miserable sight Erwin offered, felt almost pity that he had exploited a man's second vulnerability so cruelly. Almost ... because Levi's wrath burned on the inside, suffocating every little, good emotion under his ashes.

But even for Levi, this was no reason to fight with dirty and unfair tricks. After all, he still had a code of honor, no matter how angry, no matter how much he wished to knock the shit out of this blond prick.

Erwin struggled slowly back to his feet, wiped the spit from his chin which ran out of his mouth in his hard fight for breathing.

Erwin finally had enough!

All attempts to bring Levi to his senses, to teach him the truth as gently or as hard as possible, everything had failed. If all common ways were in vain, then Erwin has to punch them into his skull.

"Okay... you want it that way." Erwin threatened in a deep, dark voice.

"Fuck you!" Levi spat back.

And then it starts again.

A new round of two, newly infuriated ex-soldiers, whose skin was partially smeared with blood mixed with their sweat, storming at each other, fists raised, yelling battle cries until the first blows came down.

Their bodies burned, their muscles stretched and bent under the tremendous, constant strain of alternating beatings, but they felt no pain anymore.

Bodies as hard as steel collided, their eyes wide open, their blood saturated with adrenaline, which kept pushing them forward until blood stained the floor and walls again.

Here and there the fight was interrupted for a short moment to breathe, to rest their aching lungs, relax their hoarse voices, inspect the bleeding wounds before one of the two opponents continued the fight again, another hard blow delivered to the other's body.

Neither knew or bothered to pay attention to the time, how long, how hard and bitter they were fighting. How should they?

Concentrated, pent-up emotions met like storm fronts, discharged with such devastating destructive power that there was no room for anything else except anger and violence.

In the end, however, it was a single blow that sealed this desperate war, and Erwin's injuries, which Levi inflicted on him due to his small size, put him into disadvantage.

Because of the broken ribs that he had taken from the kick, the split eyebrow, and the blood flowing out again, which obstructed his view and the unfair blow to his larynx that kept making him gasp for breath finally took their toll.

Erwin became tired, unconcentrated, almost deprived of all his remaining powers, and that was exactly the moment Levi shamelessly exploited and kicked him in the chest with such brutal force that he knocked out all the remaining air from Erwins lungs and his body and head against the red-stained wall.

Erwin's world instantly went black. He didn't even notice how his own body fell to the ground, heavy and lifeless like a rock.

Erwin was defeated.