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Eren lands unsteadily on his knees, throbbing badly from the impact on the dirty, dingy concrete floor, and he holds in an insufferable sigh of disgust. Trust Eren to travel elsewhere when Zeke touches him, only to land on the dirty floor with his palms and knees bruised and dirty. Something about this place, the very air surrounding him, makes his chest heave heavily with distress and displeasure. He sucks in an inundating annoyance. Dull green eyes flicker around to notice anyone passing by. The streets are eerily silent and empty.
The dark, narrow road is empty and gloomy. He removes his hands from the floor, dusting off the grime from his aching hands. His wrist has taken a blow as well. He watches his wounds heal and close the gashes, and the bleeding gashes that run along the skin of his palm connecting the wrist appear more supple, and the pain is barely noticeable a subtle tinge. Despite his quick healing, seeing the dried blood on his hands and the now-closed cuts on his kneecaps was not pleasing.
He plunges his hands under a barrel of water placed nearby, the water is clean despite the lack of men and women around.
He notices the lack of sunlight and fresh air. Breathing this air is harsher and more painful, he wonders if this place is located outside of the wall because it is even worse than them living within the walls and fretting over titan assholes. Nonetheless, it seems like inhabitants are either cowering and hiding, dead or more sensibly asleep. He isn’t sure what time or day it was he entered when he was almost getting himself killed.
Something tiny cuts him off from his trance. The child, implicitly akin to a broken, ragged doll the size of a large dog, fragile and dirty, sat by the corner of the lonely street, hunching their shoulders, their face hidden beneath their frail knees. Eren moves, his feet pulling him along like a magnet, unable to ignore the thorny tug inside his chest.
His mind races along with his heart; each step feels like he is drawing closer to something he will remember for a very long time. Will the memories be fond? He wasn’t sure. He stands still, keeping a comfortable distance between them.
Upon closer inspection, he realises it’s a kid; the little one appears to be small and malnourished, with a paler complexion, bruised lips, unruly matted dark hair, and clothes that have been unwashed for an infinite amount of time. It’s a boy with dark hair and hollow, haunted eyes. His raiment is a single piece of clothing that has been worn for an unforeseeable time. The lack of grooming and maternal affection is palpable in his visage. It affects Eren more than it should. more than he is allowing himself to. Something about the boy is familiar and bears a striking resemblance to a man he has known for years. Eren, on the other hand, is having difficulty determining who. He knows quite a lot of people with dark hair.
The boy in question fails to show any movement. Was he dead? Eren frets over this, heart-tugging more insistently and painfully. But then he notices a small, gentle blink of long, dark lashes sweeping across his ashen complexion, sunken bones concealing the barely visible flesh on his cheeks. Relief washes over him like a nomad taking a sip from the oasis in a dry, scathingly hot desert after days of wandering for water.
“Hey, little one.”
Eren moves closer; the boy is within his reach now. He doesn’t want to alarm the boy, so in lieu, he offers his hand for the boy to take as an introduction. The little boy doesn’t seem like a shifter. Eren was still wary of this new land. So, he waits patiently. The boy’s dull eyes flicker for a moment but otherwise remain on the floor. Eren wants to get a good look at the boy, and his mind tells him that he should encourage the boy to talk to him. Baby steps. Right. Mayhap the boy was weary of him as well. Eren lowers his hand, returns to his side, and looks around; no one or anything is visible.
Was this a part of a village outside the wall that was fully left to ruin after the people were killed? Eren wills himself not to shudder; he is used to losing people, and he has seen his fair share of deaths in life. If this village was abandoned because of an invasion, Eren feels like maybe he is here to protect the little boy.
Fate is suddenly being kind?
He has learned in the past to never put too much trust in destiny or fate. They never seem to stop disappointing him. Why should it be any different this time around?
Eren chuckles to himself mirthlessly. It’s about time he fucks back fate. He doesn't, and he's not going to bend forward for her any time soon. He lost everything and almost everyone; maybe this time he can change things. If this is in fact outside of the wall, then maybe he can find more clues about what lies ahead for their island.
But first, he needs to get this boy to safety. He takes a calculated risk by crouching down; his knee is fully healed, allowing him to place it on the filthy floor. Now that he is face to face with the boy, he notices the small flicker, and their gazes finally lock with each other. Eren. He stares, confounded. It’s not the boy, but the grey eyes with tiny specks of blue and gold titillating in their orbs that draw his attention.
Then he concentrates on his face and body—fragile and hungry. The dark hair now makes more sense to him. He wheezes this time out of agony, and the raven looks at him, cocking his head to one side like Eren is an enigmatic puzzle he needs to solve.
“Are you Levi?” he asks the boy quite breathlessly. The raven boy nods his head. It’s madness. The insanity of this situation throws him off his balance, and he almost lands on his butt, but he stays put and calms himself.
“Hello Levi, I’m Eren, Nice to meet you.” He offers his hand again and Levi peers at him from beneath his lashes gauging Eren’s countenance, he deems the brunet less suspicious and benign. He grabs the soft hands in his tiny ones and rests them there, clearly unaware of etiquettes, yet. Eren feels a familiar invisible palm grab his chest and squeeze his throbbing, bleeding heart. This Levi is yet to become the formidable, regal captain the brunet has come to appreciate and look up to with reverence. This Levi is just a broken boy, abandoned and in dire need of food and water. And who was going to be the clean freak Eren had ever known in a few years, he thinks, remembering how many times Levi forced him to clean this room and kitchen. Levi’s constant need to clean his blades and the way he holds himself make him handsome and valiant.
He squeezes the small hand resting in his with assurance, and says, “Shall we eat something? You must be hungry.”
Levi nods, his dull eyes now alight with newfound glee and admiration for the stranger. Eren’s heart swoons; he almost pinches the cheeks, which are now coated with traces of pinkness. He pulls the boy up safely; he stumbles on his feet, and Eren readily catches him, expecting it. He grabs his tiny hand in his and intertwines their fingers together, his mind now roaring loudly to protect little Levi. Who looks at him now with so much hope? Eren doesn’t deserve it after everything he has put him through in reality, in their timeline.
This also means Eren is in the past. In Levi’s past.
His grip on their entwined hands tightens firmly but tenderly. “Let’s search the village and find something edible.” Eren tugs him along; they walk for a long time before finally reaching another row of buildings, which looks more civilised and to his astonishment, he sees people moving around and inhabiting the buildings. Oh… the streets he had gone to seem to have been abandoned, and people have moved to a better place since then. Then Levi? He looks down at the boy, who is staring ahead in the same direction Eren was a few seconds ago, his eyes wide and astonished to see various rows of shops and people milling about by the busy wide roads.
They stop by a tea shop, and Eren orders them both a set of sandwiches and coffee. Levi accepts it graciously and eats like he's been famished for years. Eren frowns and swallows around the piece of bread in his throat, looking away from the heartbreaking scene. His fists clench painfully around the cup with his drink; Levi notices and scrunches his nose at him. How adorable. Eren wants to coo, but he is too upset to do so.
He looks at Eren with a look on his face that emphasises, “You’re going to break the cup if you hold it too tightly. What if you hurt your hands?”
When Levi tastes his coffee, the reaction melts the brunet’s heart; he gasps inaudibly and looks away, his eyes blinking back tears. Levi sighs, a feeling of elation overtaking his little form, and takes another gulp of caffeine, his lips twitching. Eren will wreck the world for him. He vows to
Levi gives him a small but bright smile that makes Eren feel like he has accomplished the most amazing feat ever. He swallows thickly, his eyes moving back to the dark, hot liquid.
They walk around the crowded place, Levi nudges closer to Eren, seeking his warmth and comfort when someone brushes past him. Eren offers to hold him in his arms, and Levi shyly turns him down. He gives Eren another look, “I’m a big boy. I can handle myself.”
The brunet pulls his hair harshly, his eyes burning with unshed tears. He knew Levi had been with him for a few minutes; he was looking through the clothes shop to get Levi a new pair of shirts and pants. When Eren turned around to check on him, the little boy was not where he was, standing behind Eren.
He finds it again, but something about the interaction between a tall man and Levi makes Eren freeze and stay back. That tall figure speaking to Levi was familiar; Eren had once faced him a year ago. He swallows the bitterness he tastes on his tongue. And when he sees Levi, he also goes with him. He clenches his hand, balling it into a fist. What the fuck? holding his hands and listening to the man. Levi walks ahead, unaware of Eren following close behind.
Kenny Ackerman looks back when Eren peeks out of the wall. Eren quickly braces himself and hides in the shadows. Eren then listens intently.
Eren hides behind the wall and sees the tall man with the familiar arrogant countenance talking to the raven and introducing himself as his guardian. He offers to take the boy in and help him. Levi’s family? Eren frowns. Levi deserves this. He needs a family. Despite the fact that Levi has never once told anyone in the squad about his family or past, Eren finds himself feeling happy instead of bitter. Levi must have had his reasons. And Eren will not indulge himself further in finding out more than Levi would want him to. He respects the man, and so he stays behind the wall and watches with contentment.
Eren knows he shouldn’t stay here anymore, but he wants to bid farewell to little Levi. When has fate been kind to him, for he is pulled back and forced to be thrown somewhere else, where he loses his footing and lands on his buttocks?
“Come on brat, let’s go,” Kenny says, taking the boy away. Levi, the small boy, turns around, searching for someone, who is currently far away and hidden behind his vision. The little boy frowns and nods, his face mixed with hurt and betrayal.
He informs his uncle he can walk on his own and goes back to the raiment shop. They promise to meet back at the entrance of the market again. Kenny waits for him by the gates frowning. The shopkeeper sees the little raven and places a new set of shirts and pants that Eren has paid for and begs him for safekeeping while he surprises Levi with it. Seeing as the little kid waits for him for a long time, taking pity on him, the bearded man offers him the items the stranger has been kind enough to gift Levi before parting.
Little Levi smiles softly, hands tracing the soft shirt in his hand.
If Kenny sees him with clothes, he does not question it, he assumes the kid has stolen them from somewhere and pulls him away from the location to avoid mishaps.
**
Eren looks up and finds himself face-to-face with a redhead who looks cocky and holds a knife in his hand. He sighs in relief. Not a shifter then.
“I don’t have any money or anything valuable to offer you.” Eren spits, turning out his jacket pockets. Frowning, the redhead shakes his head, like Eren has wasted his precious time, and turns around. He walks away from him, not bothering to help Eren. Dickhead.
Eren dusts his pants and stands up to look around. It feels all too familiar yet quite different. He takes a quick walk around the place and notices some familiar shops he has come across in his previous travel with young Levi. This must be the same location, but it has evolved over time.
Eren doesn’t have any money on him, and his stomach grumbles. He walks by a tea shop longingly, eyes fixed on an Earl Grey tin can, his chest constricting when he remembers a similar can on Levi’s table when he pays a visit to the raven during the night to eat with him. The captain was considerate enough to offer him some special food, which wasn’t available for normal cadets in the squad.
Now that he thinks about it, Levi has been considerate to him and treats him differently—a lot more than he cares to admit. Leftover meat—or so Levi says when he drops two pieces on Eren’s empty plate. And then there was this time when he gave him a cup of wine from his special collection when Eren was of age to officially drink and threatens Eren to never tell a soul about it when he fondly watches the blush coating Eren’s cheeks when he was drunk from just a single cup of old sweet wine.
“Oi!” Someone snaps at him from behind. Eren whirls around, and he stands, eyes wide as saucers when his eyes fall on a very young and handsome Levi. He must be around Eren’s age. FUCK. He was in contrast to the young boy Eren was with a few hours prior. Levi has grown into a handsome young man. His skin was no longer ashen, his cheeks were supple, hair was neatly combed and well-kept. That unmistakable sexy undercut drives Eren nuts. Silk white cravat on his neck. Red doublet covering his white shirt. He gives Eren an affrighting lour for blocking his path to the tea shop.
Eren smiles in lieu, enjoying the gentle rise of his neatly shaped brows. Levi was now glowering openly, tapping his boots on the cobblestone floor.
“Pick up your jaw from the floor and step aside, brat.” There was that familiar moniker Levi only used on Eren. His brat. “I know I’m good-looking, but I haven’t got all day, got some rich assholes to rob from.” Eren chokes on thin air when he listens to Levi’s words. STEAL?
Maybe he is Levi’s evil twin Eren reasons to himself. Levi yaps again, “If you don’t move now, I will kick you in that ample ass of yours and send you flying back to above.”
What above? Eren wants to ask, but he steps aside still gawking at the handsome young man. Eren waits outside, and Levi’s evil twin steps outside an hour later with a familiar can of tea in his hand. He leers at Eren and rolls his eyes, Eren’s stomach chooses that moment to grumble loudly, ‘wanker.’ Eren mutters under his breath. Levi ignores it, even if he hears it.
“Come along brat,” the young man says, flickering a finger and pointing at a tall building. Eren walks behind, training his eyes on the road, failing miserably he glances at the supple ass of his superior’s doppelganger. Eren refrains from informing Levi, Eren was older than him. He was not a brat. But the nickname is a constant reminder of who the young man was so Eren lets it slide.
“I’m Levi Ackerman and you can eat at my place if you can help with cleaning up my house.” Levi motions for him to enter the second floor and opens a large wooden door. Eren chokes again. Not an evil twin or doppelganger then.
“How did you know I haven’t got any money on me,” Eren asks, bewilderment clouds his judgement at the sudden offer and an odd suspiciousness creep inside him. This Levi wasn’t the noble one Eren has known in the past. Eren needs to tread carefully around the young lad.
“Your jacket is torn and you were practically drooling over the tea cans in the store,” Levi states the obvious and sits on a beige lounge, crossing his legs, raising a mocking brow at Eren to refute his observation of the brunet. Eren bites his tongue and shrugs, his cheeks going a brilliant shade of cherry.
“Sit down.” Levi points to a brown chair beside the table. Eren sits quite awkwardly, his eyes raking over the neatly kept room. Levi is Levi. Everything is in place. Not a book out of order on the large shelf of books. Not a speck of dust on the brown table beside him. He glares at the floor, hoping to see some paper thrown haphazardly, to his immense displeasure the floor is mopped clean. Even the windows were polished and sparkling. Germ-free freak. How was Eren supposed to be cleaning up when Levi does the job quite efficiently?
“Everything is Levi clean. What am I supposed to do on top of that?” Eren mocks the raven, cocking his head.
Levi smirks and shakes his head, not really expecting the brat to speak back or raise his tone, “I have some tedious jobs to handle in the next couple of weeks, I won’t be home much.”
He wants Eren to pretend to be a housewife. While he's out there saving the day? more like stealing away. Before he can start ranting to the raven about how he is above these petty tasks, his stomach starts to grumble loudly. He snaps his mouth shut and groans behind the palm of his hand, hiding behind it, wishing the ground would open wide and swallow him. Eren hears the noise of ceramics hitting each other, still hiding behind his hand and willing his blush to go away. He notices Levi standing up and walking close to him, huffing and chuckling.
Levi places a plate of bread loaves with cheese and meat for him. Unable to contain his smile, Eren looks up, dropping his hand to express his gratitude only to find Levi has already left the room. He is too famished to worry about the raven at the moment, he digs in stuffing his mouth full of cheese and bread. Tearing into the freshly grilled meat.
And of course, Eren chokes himself on the meat and starts to cough, wheezing loudly. making an utter fool of himself.
“Drink this, brat. And slow down on the food, We’ve got plenty.” Eren curls his lips and bits on them, accepting the glass of wine. The entire scenario that unfurls is oddly familiar. Young Eren sits with Captain Levi and drinks; the images flash through his eyes. He blinks and chases the thoughts away, his gaze now focusing on the young raven with the ravishing countenance.
“Thanks, Levi.” Eren chugs his drink down and proceeds to gobble down his food. Eren has been focusing on his food, his eyes fixating on the fresh meat, but he fails to see the tender smile on Levi’s visage.
“I’ll be back in a few hours. Don’t try to break anything. And for fuck sake change that jacket of yours and wear some nice clothes.” What an odd thing to say when Eren has been thinking along the line and purchasing clothes for the mini version of the raven.
He gets hit in the face with a plain black silk shirt and a loose pair of grey pants. Eren grumbles under his breath about his nose aching from the impact. Levi whistles and leaves the room for Eren to finish his food and change into the clothes he has left for him.
He chokes on his cheese this time, and a small dagger lands on the table beside his plate. “What the fuck?”
“Thieving is wrong,” says a girl’s voice, and a tiny menace with pigtails stands by the door, hands on his hips, a disapproving frown itching on her pretty face.
“Levi would know a thing or two about stealing, wouldn’t he?” He responds sarcastically, finishing his plate, pulling out the dagger, and tossing it back in the air. She catches it with precision and raises her brow, impressed by his choice of words.
“You know, brother Levi?”
Eren gulps down his wine and hides the frustration he feels when he realises how happy and relieved his body and chest feel when she refers to Levi as her brother. What was Eren hoping to hear? He tries not to think about it. Brother sounds good. Brother is perfect. Not as a boyfriend, please.
Wait what… where the fuck did that come from?
“I know Levi better than you can image,” he says, offering to do the dishes; she lets him into their kitchen; and he washes and dries the plates and cups. She follows him around like a small dog sniffing out a new human invading her house.
“Hey, is that an ODM gear?” Eren finally notices the familiar object in his hands. She seems surprised by this and nods, smiling widely.
“You know how to use it as well?”
Eren sighs and nods, flashing back to old barren memories of him learning how to use that thing and nearly breaking his head in the process, only to be assured that it was a faulty one he was given.
And that was how Levi finds them both when he returns with Furlan, who gasps loudly, pointing at the brunet sitting with Isabel, laughing about something. She is wheezing loudly and patting Eren on the back, offering consolation. Something about the intimate and familiar gesture makes the raven frown and clench his fist.
He clears his throat loudly to draw their attention to his presence. Eren was the first to look up; his smile widens, and Levi unclenches his fist, a feeling of gentle warmth tampering with his foul mood.
“You asshole!” Eren frowns when he notices Furlan behind Levi. Levi holds in a smirk and raises a steady brow at his best friend. Furlan shrugs. His ears burned red.
“He almost robbed me!” Eren accuses the man. Furlan has the audacity to look shy and say, “You were new here.”
“That doesn’t give you the right to rob people!”
“I can and I will.” Furlan notices his attire. “And why are you wearing my clothes.”
Eren looks disappointed and glares in Levi’s direction, who makes a motion of sweeping over his short form. (Levi was shorter than Eren.)
Eren was about to throw back an insult, and Levi swoops in between them with an amused tilt to his lips. Eren looks at Levi with a look of betrayal for taking Furlan’s side. Levi opens his mouth to defend himself.
“Eren knows how to use this thing,” and Isabel is the one who melts the tension building between the men. Levi and Furlan both give Eren an appraising glance, and Eren blushes under the fixating scrutiny.
The next couple of hours go into planning for their next loot, Eren learns that Levi has been helping people by looting from rich bastards, like Robin fucking Hood. Eren wants to laugh. But he controls his countenance and agrees to help them, he has nowhere else to be. And he wasn’t sure when he would be dragged back into his timeline. He might as well enjoy his time here with this version of Levi, who is free, handsome, young, and high-spirited.
As time flows by, Levi provides Eren with a new set of ODM gear and gas refills. Eren fastens the belts and sweeps his long hair into a messy bun.
“Let me,” Levi says from behind Eren, his voice close to the boy's ears; the brunet almost screams in shock. Levi chuckles, his breath tickling Eren’s burning ears as he fixes Eren’s hair, tying it properly so it will not be a hindrance for him while he is airborne.
“Thanks,” Eren susurrates, his voice sounding far too gentle and breathless before either of them could proceed further. Furlan comes marching inside the room, deviously smiling at them both, especially enjoying the murderous countenance of Levi for interrupting them.
“They’re in the building, we need to leave.” He raises his hand in mock surrender. Levi nods and steps away from Eren, Eren heaves a shuddering exhale, already missing the loss of the warm body that was pressed up against his.
It was an ambush; the sounds of guns firing sounded strangely familiar to Eren; this was the same nonsense that happened when Levi's guardian Kenny kidnapped him. Isabela and Furlan are moving swiftly ahead of them. Eren and Levi distract the bastards following them with large guns, scaring the people in their path as they keep firing without any regard for local civilians getting in harm’s way. Thrown by the lack of empathy from the assholes, Eren decides he wants to rip them good, but Levi, noticing Eren slowing down, shakes his head and warns him to move swiftly.
Eren, being Eren, ignores him and wavers behind, only to be almost graced with a bullet. Levi’s angry bellows filled the air, and then, cursing, Levi was pulling out his gun and firing back at the blond who had taken a shot at Eren, hitting him in the arm. Loud yelps and cries of pain could be heard, and Eren moves closer in Levi’s direction, laughing.
Time and people are a mere blur. Eren has no time to comprehend what is happening; one moment he was laughing, and the next he notices another of the hooligans approaching Levi and taking a clean shot at the raven. Eren's body moves on its own accord, and they both lose balance and fall. Eren can hear Isabel's screams of horror and Furlan's outrage as they both take charge and chase the hooligans. Eren slumps and slides down, Levi dropping right next to him, his eyes bleeding grey and scarlet, ready to murder anyone on sight.
Levi is breathing harshly, his shoulders are tense, and his chest is heaving heavily. Eren watches him pull his hair out in frustration and says softly “Hey’ it’s okay. I’m not hurt.”
Levi snaps out of his trance and glares at Eren, and his gaze softens; he crouches next to him, his eyes gentle, still bleeding with fury. “You shouldn’t have done that.” He chides him gently, hands itching to cup the brunet’s sweaty blushing cheeks.
“I will do it again if it happens,” and Eren means every word of it. Levi’s brow raises higher, almost touching his tousled fringes.
“You don’t even know me-” Levi looks awkward, they haven’t even introduced each other properly.
“It’s Eren,”
Levi tastes his name on his lips, “Eren, that was foolish and rash.”
Eren shudders at the sound of his name falling from Levi’s lips. “You will do the same for me,” he says as a fact. Levi shrugs and doesn’t deny it.
“Does it hurt?” Levi asks, moving closer now, the shadows of the buildings between them offer more privacy, and he cups Eren’s cheeks hesitantly, worrying if he was crossing the line, when Eren leans into the touch, Levi slides further, caressing the soft heated skin.
“I feel loads better now,” Eren jokes, enjoying the warmth radiating from Levi's calloused hands; Levi, however, won't let him breathe because his lips collide with Eren's. Eren gasps and parts his lips; Levi takes advantage of it, deepening the kiss. He nips the supple lower lip playfully and says, “Next time you pull this stunt, I will have to lock you up inside our house.”
Our house.
Eren doesn’t know how he should respond to that. This Levi was very different from the man he had known all his life. Now his mind fills with something that is not respect or anything close to reverence. Carnal needs are brimming behind his brightly glowing green eyes, reflecting the street lamp, glimmering, and gazing longingly at the raven.
He falls fast and recklessly, and Eren wants to cry and yell at fate when he is getting dragged back, and the look of pure horror on Levi’s face as he watches Eren fade will forever haunt the brunet to the end of his days.
**
When he's being forced back again, he's back in his timeline, and Eren is aware he is not in paths or his titan form. When he looks to his side, he sees a half-naked Zeke being knocked unconscious; his heart races as he wonders if he's dead; and he sighs in relief as he sees the rise and fall of this naked chest.
That was not all. His head remains intact on his body, and a huge hole is glaring back at him from the wall behind him. And before Eren kneels, Levi Ackerman, in all his glory, his face muddy and blood staining his shirt and dark hair. He holds a familiar smirk on his face, and Eren's heart swells with elation. He notices Levi acting as a shield between him and the little girl, protecting him from further harm. Gaby is still shaking from the aftermath of her actions.
“You’re not dead?” Eren pants, his chest aching from the loss of warmth on his cheeks from the younger Levi’s gentle touches. His skin was still tingling.
“I was waiting for you, brat.” Levi sighs and smiles at him, reminding him of the younger Levi he was with a few hours prior, kissing and hugging with tears leaking and staining his cheeks.
“You remember?” Eren whispers, to which Levi nods fondly. So it was not all in vain after all. Eren throws himself at the familiar form, inhaling the scent of smoke, sandalwood, and fresh rain. Levi agrees and wraps his arms around Eren's waist, drawing him closer, his warm breath tickling the brunet's ears.
Eren wants to wail, and so he does; he ruins and soils Levi’s raiment with tears and snot. Levi was able to remember it? He is fucking thankful for whatever the shit fate has done this time.
Seems like the battle has been won. He doesn't see any titan shifters around or titans for that matter of fact. Eren will wonder later why this has happened. He wouldn't be given an answer since none was aware of Ymir watching him change his fate and fall in love, being selfless and saving his lover at the cost of his life. She has once and for all lifted the curse upon the Eldians.