Levi smiled as I handed him a mug of hot chocolate, his wounds all expertly patched up by me.

"Thank you." he said softly, warming his hands on the mug, after a content hum he brought it to his lips and took a sip.

I sat down next to him on my bed, memories of the first time he was here flashing across my mind.

I had taped Levi's painting, the one of the emerald eye, to my wall, next to a Twenty One Pilot's poster. He smiled as he noticed it, putting his mug on the desk next to us.

"So..." he said.

"So..." I repeated awkwardly.

I knew what was coming. The whole way home I had been trying to come up with an explanation but I didn't even understand it myself.

"First things first... How did you find me?" he started, using a serious tone of voice now.

"I... I uh..."

There was a pause while I thought about what to say and Levi sighed.

"Just tell me the truth."

I glanced at him and after a second of deliberating whether I'd sound stupid (I would) I nodded.

"I was already worried when you wouldn't answer my texts or calls, and then when you didn't show up for school I just got a bad feeling... I know it's not uncommon for you to skip but this was different... Everything just felt off..." I said slowly, looking down and playing with my fingers.

Levi hummed for me to continue, taking my fidgeting fingers in his hand, making me look up.

"I talked to Hanji and he didn't know where you were... That's when I finally got the texts and a picture of you tied to the chair. I immediately left school, I guess I just had the feeling that I had to walk, I had to find you before you got hurt or well... More hurt." I said, eyeing the bandage on his head.

"Awh. My hero." he joked softly with a smile.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes at him before turning serious again.

"I was looking at the picture, trying to figure out where you were and I saw that symbol carved into the metal behind you. By that time I looked up I'd wondered to the middle of nowhere and that's when I found the crossroads. I got that feeling again... Except this time it was like a tug, like something was physically pulling me towards the forest. It was a weird sensation. After that I just kept walking and that's when I found the castle." I recounted, making sure to put emphasis on how weird that feeling was.

Levi chewed his lip, seemingly getting lost in his thoughts.

"Okay." I said, bringing him back to reality. "I answered one of your questions, now you answer one of mine."

Levi smiled.

"That seems fair."

"What were you talking about with that man? About 'coming back.' Who even is he?" I asked before watching Levi's expression morph into one of disappointment.

I think he wanted to avoid that question.

Oh well.

"He's an old business associate. He wanted me to come and work for him again." he said simply.

"Business associate? You're seventeen Levi."

Levi chuckled and shook his head.

"My turn."

I sighed but gestured for him to continue.

"Have you ever felt that 'tugging' feeling before and if so, when?"

"That's a weird question."

"But a question nonetheless."

I sighed and tried to think back to other times when I had, in fact, felt it.

"Yes." I started. "The time that I made my mom drive back to Mikasa's karate class only to find out that she had broken her leg, The time that I decided to take the long way home only to find out that a guy got stabbed around the way that I would normally go, the time that I drove to Jean's only to find him passed out on the floor after swallowing a bunch of tablets, the time where I kept crying in school because something just wasn't right but they wouldn't let me leave... Only to find out later that my mom had died..."

Levi frowned and brought his thumb up to wipe away the tear that I wasn't aware had fallen.

"Oh Eren..."

"My turn." I said quickly, eager to change the subject.

"What was the business you used to work for and why would your old associate have to kidnap you and hurt you to get you to come back? Surely that's not the right way to go about convincing someone."

Levi laid back, putting his hands behind his head with a sigh. He probably just realised that I wasn't going to let this go.

What rational person would?

"I can't answer that."

"Bullshit you can't!" I shouted, frustration practically leaking from eyes.

Levi jumped and then tutted at me before sitting up again.

"It's for your own safety."

"Says the guy who just got rescued by me."

"Exactly. Eren, it's dangerous and I don't want you getting in the way. End of."

"Oh, so I'm in the way Levi? Is that how it is?" I said, a tone of annoyance now very clearly in my voice.

"You know I didn't mean that."

"Do I?"

"Yes, you do. I don't want you to get hurt."

"You're hurting me now by not telling me!" I pressed.

Levi groaned loudly and made a gesture as though he were strangling thin air.

He was cracking.

"Eren, can you please just trust me?"

"How can I trust you when you won't tell me important things that could- no- have gotten you hurt?" I countered.

Levi stared at me for a long few moments and I stared right back. There were times like these where being stubborn comes in handy.

"Fine." he finally said.

I smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you, now tell me."

"Eren, if I tell you this... You've got to promise not to tell anyone. Swear on your mother's grave."

"I swear I won't tell anyone... on my mother's grave." I said after he gave me a look.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before turning to face me.

"I... I used to work as an assasin."

Silence followed that sentence as I replayed him saying it in my head to make sure that I'd heard him correctly.

I wanted to laugh and say 'haha, very funny. Now tell me.' but the more I thought about it, the more certain things started to make sense.

That man clearly kidnapped Levi with the intention to kill him if he failed to convince him.

I thought back to something I had heard when I was waiting to sneak in.

'You have plenty of fine men at your disposal.'

The symbol, a tree made up of human bones, a well known symbol in Germany for ill intent and violence.

The way Levi acts towards people, how he's so quick to evade without arousing suspicion unless you know him.

Holy shit my boyfriend used to be an assasin.

"Eren... Speak. Say something. Please." Levi said, waving a hand in front of my face. I could tell my eyes had gone wide as the dots connected in my head, my mouth hanging open in shock.

"Get away from me." I said suddenly. It didn't feel like my voice.

"Eren please let me just-"

"Let you just what? Explain? Explain how you killed people for money!? Explain how you've torn apart families!? Explain how you've been keeping this from me this entire time!?" I shouted loudly, standing up and moving away from him.

"Well shit I'm sorry Eren, it's not something I tend to bring up all that often, much less to someone that I love!" He shouted back just as loud.

"That's all the more reason to tell me!"

"What, just so you could react like this!? This is one of the exact reasons why I didn't want to tell you but no, you just had to make me, because you always have to get your way."

"Well I'm so sorry if I'm concerned for my boyfriend! Especially as I'd just witnessed him get kidnapped!"

Levi groweld and got up, walking over to me. I tried to move away but he grabbed my arms and brought me closer before kissing me roughly.

When he pulled away he looked like he was seething.

"I love you." he said quietly, his voice low.

"Yoh can't just kiss me and expect everything to be fin-"

He kissed me again.

"I love you." he said again when he pulled away.

"I love you too but that still doesn't mean that-"

"If you love me then you'll understand that I have a past that I'm not proud of. That's why it's in the past. If you love me then you'll understand I'm here with you right now because I want you to be my future. If you love me then you'll stop fighting me over something I can't take back even though I wish with everything I have that I could. If you love me then please just... Just stop."

Levi was breathing heavily after his little speech, his hands on my shoulders and his eyes never leaving mine.

I stood contemplating for a while. He never moved, he just stood there with me, patiently awaiting a response.

I sighed and looked away shaking my head. I glanced back at him, his eyes holding a glint of genuine sorrow, but even more than that; need.

I groaned and shoved his hands off of my shoulders so that I could walk forward and hug him.

He sighed, seemingly relieved as he hugged me back.

"You killed people Levi..." I said, barely above a whisper.

"I know... I'm sorry." he said back just as quietly.

Just then I heard the front door slam shut.

"Eren!? Are you home!?" Mikasa called out from downstairs. I could hear her taking her boots off.

"I'm upstairs with Levi!" I called back.

I leant down slightly and kissed Levi's lips before smiling slightly.

"Did we just have our first fight?" I asked, trying to figure out how things got so heated so quickly.

Oh, the assassin thing. That's right.

Levi smiled and chuckled.

"Second fight if you count the whole 'me kissing you behind the school because your ex boyfriend was an asshole and you're amazing' thing where you ignored me for a solid three days."

"Ahh of course. How could I forget." I said with a small laugh.

"Beats me. I could never forget kissing you for the first time... Or any time really."

I blushed and turned away from him, shaking my head at his kinda compliment.

Mikasa scoffed from the doorway making me jump.

"God you're like an old married couple already. It makes me sick." she said.

She cringed as I walked over to kiss Levi just because of her statement and walked away.

"Whatever dweebs. Dinner is in an hour, if Levi's staying you better to clean the kitchen downstairs or dad won't be happy."

"I cleaned it yesterday!" I reminded her but she slammed her door in answer.

I sighed and turned to Levi as I thought about all the dirty dishes downstairs.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"Sounds perfect."

"In that case you can help me with the washing up."

"Not the worst punishment I've been given."

I rolled my eyes and walked out of the room.

"It's ride to walk away from someone during a conversation." he called after me.

"You'll let it slide. You love me so you have to." I called back.

···

Holy shit this book is an actual shitshow. I literally have no idea what I'm doing 😂

Oh well, we'll see where it takes us.

I hope you enjoyeeed considering this is probably the only update you'll get for about thirty more years.

:DDD

Let me know what you thought of this chapter...

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Let me know what you think should happen next...

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Thank you for reading.

Constructive criticism is always welcome, as are you. :)

~Max
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