A/N: And here it is... The final chapter.. I'm going to cry. T^T

-Misty

Vamp. Modern AU:
Here he was, Eren Jaeger, a nineteen year old college student who worked at a store selling everyday things, had just found a boy who couldn't be any less than fifteen and was a vampire, and by the looks of it, he didn't seem all too happy to be one.

Rated M for sexual content, adult language, violence and gore, mentions of rape
Couple: Eremin (Eren and Armin)
Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin (Attack on Titan)

Dead of Night

Chapter 17: Curtain Call

Out of breath and disoriented from the cold, the New Blood dove into the nearest alleyway to hide. She fell against the wall at the far end, trapped between the thick brick wall she wished she could faze through, and with the Scouting Legion only meters away from her at the entrance.

This was it. She was going to die. It didn't matter if she was already dead. She was up and walking now like some sort of zombie, some sick cosmic joke played against her and everything she believed in.

Being this was against the law. This life she was forced in to was going to be the final death of her. They were going to kill her, even though she had done nothing wrong, and there was nothing she could do about it.

As two of the members of the Scouting Legion got closer, she saw any and all hope fading away.

She dropped her face behind her knees, her arms covering whatever was showing of her head to hide. This wasn't much, but it was something that made her feel like she was trying. She could hear their footsteps approaching rapidly, sounds that made her stomach turn.

This was it.

"Hey, are you okay?"

That wasn't what she was expecting.

Despite everything telling her not to do it, the girl lifted her head some, just to peek out behind her red bangs. There were still only two members standing in front of her, or rather, one was standing while the other was kneeling in front of her.

The one kneeling smiled softly, a smile that seemed to calm her nerves some. He had very charming features, like big, green eyes that matched hers, soft, tan skin that contrasted greatly with the color, but only made his eyes shine brighter. In an odd sort of way, he resembled her a lot, even to a creepy extent.

The boy standing next to him looked nothing like her, which she was somehow grateful for. He had blond hair down to his shoulders, matching the pale skin he had. The only thing that wasn't pale was the color of his eyes, a soft, ocean color that seemed very trustworthy in a way, though she didn't know how that was possible.

The boy kneeling in front of her moved some, and it was enough to startle her back into hiding.

"Eren, you scared her." The blond said and placed his hands on his hips.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it." The brunette that had been addressed as Eren said. The New Blood looked back up, still on the fence about trusting them. "I'm sorry," He apologized again when he managed to catch her eyes.

"Would you tell us your name?" The blond asked as he lowered himself to kneel beside Eren. In retaliation, the girl dropped her head and hid.

"Way to go, Armin." Eren scoffed, and the little girl heard something akin to a slap against his arm. "Ouch!"

"Stop whining. It's not a good first impression." Armin spoke. The girl felt a tap against her hand; nothing threatening and it didn't hurt her any, but it was enough to make her jump. Still, for reasons she didn't know, she looked up, her head lifting up further this time.

"Good first impressions my ass." Eren said with a glance to the side at the blond before focusing on the girl. "My name is Eren, Eren Jaeger. This is Armin Arlert, my uh... My friend." Eren looked away and rubbed at the back of his neck.

"Smooth, Eren. Really smooth." Armin said with a slight bob of his head.

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, do you want to tell us your name?" Eren asked and tilted his head. The girl looked away for a moment, her eyes falling to the ground and a stray wrapper sitting outside of the garbage can before looking back to the two of them.

"... Isabel..." She answered quietly.

"Oh see, Eren? She learned how to breathe long before you did." Armin said.

"Shut up, Armin." Eren grumbled lowly, but Armin didn't seem at all threatened by him.

"Y-You're a New Blood too?" Isabel asked as the words sunk in. Eren nodded his head to her, a triumphant smirk on his thin lips.

"Yep, and so is this guy here." Eren said and shoved at Armin's shoulder. "Technically he's older than me by two months, but I've been a New Blood for five months now. There's one more back there with our friends, but he doesn't want to leave his mate."

"They aren't mates, Eren." Armin reminded.

"They sure as hell act like it." Eren said.

"There are... New Bloods in the Scouting Legion?" Isabel asked quietly, slowly unwinding from her ball.

"Of course. The Scouting Legion has changed its ways since we came around." Eren said proudly.

"Mainly because they didn't want two crazy New Bloods on their hands." Armin explained and playfully hit Eren's side. Eren simply rolled his eyes.

"Regardless, things aren't the same anymore."

"You... Won't hurt me...?" The New Blood asked.

"No, of course not." Armin said and gently touched her hand, and he was happy to see that she didn't jump at the action. "We're here to help. We know what you've been through, especially me, and we aren't going to let anything more happen to you."

"We know that you were attacked, and we want to help so that the vampire doesn't go after anyone else." Eren said.

"... I'm safe now?" She asked.

"You're safe." Armin assured and patted her shoulder.

"Do you remember who attacked you? Do you remember anything about him or her, any distinctive features or markings about them?" Eren asked.

"It was a guy," Isabel jumped out and said. "He had a deep voice... That's all I remember though." She said regretfully.

"Don't be upset, Isabel. That's more than most people can give us." Armin assured. Eren spared a glance to Armin before looking back at Isabel.

"Are you hungry, Isabel?" He asked softly. Isabel lowered her head before nodding, hating the painful truth. "Hey, it's okay. We're going to get you something for that soon."

"I-I don't want to hurt anyone." Isabel whimpered, nearing tears.

"And you won't. We've got a supply that's been donated to us from the hospital... Not with their appreciation, but it's there all the same. We can feed you without anyone getting hurt." Eren explained. Isabel looked up at him with hopeful eyes, a stray tear falling down her cheek.

"... Really?" She asked.

"Really," Eren assured.

"Hey Farlan! Come here for a moment!" Armin called out to the group behind them. A blond teen (though his hair was a little darker than Armin's) who had been standing next to a smaller man looked up, as if their conversation had been interrupted. He glanced at the shorter man once before running over to them, a little hesitant around the New Blood sitting beside Eren and Armin.

"What's up...?" He asked, his eyes cautious of Isabel.

"This is Isabel. She's worried about what's going to happen, so why don't you tell her yourself." Armin said and motioned for Isabel to stand.

"Ah, well... You're going to be taken care of, for one thing. Don't think bad things are about to happen, because they aren't. Since these two rescued me, things have been pretty good. I haven't hurt anyone either." Farlan explained while rubbing at the back of his neck, as if the conversation was embarrassing.

"Really...?" Isabel asked as Armin helped her stand onto shaking legs.

"Yeah. Levi watches out for me. He takes good care of me, and so does everyone else. It gets easier the farther along you go, so you'll be fine." In an awkward display of affection, Farlan reached over and patted her shoulder.

"Thanks Farlan," Armin said with a smile.

"Uh, yeah, no problem." Farlan cleared his throat before awkwardly pointing back to the group behind them. "I'm just uh... Going back over there... Yeah..." And with that, Farlan went right back to them, standing beside the man he called Levi.

"Is he upset with me...?" Isabel asked.

"No, just nervous. You still have blood in your body, and I'm sure that's what's worrying him. Don't take it into concern." Eren assured.

"I think it doesn't help that you're young either." Armin mumbled to himself.

"I-I just turned fifteen." Isabel argued, as if fifteen wasn't an old enough age for them.

"Oh, my apologies." Armin said. Eren laughed quietly before picking up Isabel's hand in his own and tugging so her attention was on him.

"Okay, now this is important, Isabel." Eren said. Isabel nodded her head, her full attention on him. "I know Farlan is like you and I, but not everyone is. Levi, Mikasa and Erwin are humans, and that's going to set you off."

"I don't want to hurt anyone!" Isabel cried.

"And you won't. I won't let you." Eren said calmly and placed a hand on her shoulder. It was frightening to feel how thin she really was, and this wasn't just from a lack of blood. "Isabel, you have more control over this than you think. Trust me. You have to keep in mind that if you make it through this, you'll be able to eat with everyone safe and sound."

Isabel nodded her head wordlessly.

"You also need to remember that if you attack them, we can't help you. If you go after them, we have no choice but to deem you unstable, and we can't save you after that. You have to keep yourself together, or there's nothing Armin or I can do." Eren had no choice but to be gravely serious about this. A girl at the age of fifteen didn't need to die, especially after suffering the same fate Armin had. Thinking that made Eren's blood boil, and he wanted to help her, but if she went after any of them, they had no choice but to kill her.

He didn't mean to scare her in any way, but it was a serious situation.

"Do you understand, Isabel?" Armin asked in a softer tone, trying to defuse the tension. It seemed to work to some degree, and the girl nodded her head, again as quiet as a mouse.

"Okay. Do you want to hold my hand still?" Eren asked and motioned to his hand that Isabel still held on to tightly.

"Yes," Isabel said, but quickly grabbed onto Armin's hand as well. Armin shared a look with the brunette as he laughed, but he didn't let go. He figured that this way was a good way to keep ahold of her.

"Alright, let's go then." Eren said and began walking forward. It wasn't by any means a long walk. They were with the group of Scouting Legions members in seconds, but it felt like hours.

She had to keep calm. She had to restrain herself, just for a little while. If she did that, she would be allowed to live. That was all it took. She just had to behave.

Eren was partially regretting that he forgot to mention not to breathe. She needed to breathe if she wanted to talk, but that was only if she was spoken to. If no one talked to her, then she didn't need to breathe, therefore effectively eliminating the scent of humans. It was never a full proof plan, but it was better than nothing.

"How is she?" The tall, blond man asked.

"She's fine. She's a little shaken up, but she'll live." Armin said and nudged at her side, trying to help her relax. The girl was practically squeezing off his hand, and he knew that she needed to loosen up some. Hesitation should only go so far.

"Isabel, this is Erwin Smith, commander of the Scouting Legion." Eren introduced.

"It's lovely to meet you, Isabel, was it?" Erwin asked and held out a hand. Isabel nodded her head, hesitating greatly on shaking his hand. "Well don't be shy." Erwin said and chuckled.

Eren and Armin knew what this was. What seemed like a simple handshake to others wasn't the case. This was just the first of many tests for the girl. They just wanted to see if physical contact would set her off or not. If it didn't, she was already winning most of the battle. Part of it had already been won. She was standing there next to them, breathing the same air as them and seeming relatively calm. This was going better than most situations did.

"It's okay," Armin whispered to her. Isabel looked up at him with worried, red eyes before back to Erwin. She held out her hand attentively, letting Erwin take it up for her and shake it with a firm grip.

The next test was passed with flying colors.

Erwin let go of her hand, which flopped back to the girl's side uselessly. Isabel looked away from the taller man, somewhat afraid to look him in the eyes. He may have been kind now, but what was to happen if she lost control of herself? Isabel couldn't help but think that he wouldn't be so nice then.

"Isabel, this is my sister, Mikasa Ackerman." Eren said, pointing towards Mikasa. The black haired girl nodded her head while adjusting the scarf around her neck as Isabel looked up at her with curious eyes.

"It's nice to meet you, Isabel." Mikasa said softly.

"Nice to meet you." Isabel mumbled.

"You've already met Farlan." Armin said. Isabel nodded her head with a look to the taller teen before her eyes fell to the man standing beside him, or rather, a little more behind him. It looked as if Farlan was standing in front of the short man for protection, worried for his sake, but Isabel was fine, wasn't she?

"And Isabel, this is Levi, second in comm-" Eren didn't have time to finish his introduction. Isabel suddenly lashed out, trying to reach Levi, but Armin and Eren still had their grips on her. They pulled her back before she could get to him, and Eren yanked her against his chest while Farlan wrapped his arms around a startled Levi and pulled him back.

"Stay back!" Farlan practically growled in dominance.

"Isabel, stop!" Armin cried and helped Eren pull her to the ground. The New Blood fought within their grasp, even when Eren had her against to the ground, her hands pinned beside her head while Armin held her legs down to keep her from kicking around.

"We can't save you if you do this! You have to control yourself!" Eren warned, but the girl was far too lost in desires to hold onto reality. She screeched behind closed lips, her body arching under Eren's in an attempt to get free, but Eren knew better. He saw the way her eyes were closed, the way she bit at her own lips to make blood seep between fissures. He saw her own nails dig into the palms of her hands, far enough to break the skin.

She was still fighting.

"S-Sorry!" She cried, and tears began slipping down her cheeks, leaking past tightly closed eyes.

"It's okay. You didn't hurt him, so it's okay." Armin said soothingly, running his hands through the fringe of her hair in hopes that it could help her relax. Isabel practically screeched past her lips, now bitten so badly that blood was running down her cheeks. Armin reached down, trying to wedge his fingers between her teeth, at least to keep her from harming herself, but he only managed to free her lips from her fangs.

"Isabel, it's okay." Eren said with a small shake to her shoulders. The small girl shook her head, her eyes opening to blink away the tears. Her red, glassy eyes found Levi quickly, the older man still tucked away in Farlan's arms, barely able to see her with his arms wrapped around him.

"I-I'm sorry. S-Sorry, I'm sorry…" She apologized profusely.

The ride to the headquarters, for the most part, was quiet. There were the sounds around them from outside, of people rushing by, of the tires scrapping against the ground as it drove, or of the thunder starting up above their heads. Inside of the van, Farlan and Levi were talking quietly to each other, both of them close, as if they were sharing secrets. Isabel was sitting across from them, Erwin right next to her and watching her like a hawk. He was sure she wasn't going to do anything after earlier, but one could never be too sure.

A little further down, Mikasa was sitting across from Eren and Armin, practically gagging as the two of them cuddled, or rather, Eren had forced Armin into his lap, keeping his arms wrapped around the small blonde's waist to keep him from going anywhere, and then kissing him into a fit of giggles. That was probably most of the noise that could be heard; Armin's protests for Eren to stop, even if they were half-hearted. Even Levi would agree with anyone that the sight was rather nauseating, which was probably why he had turned his attention to Farlan instead.

"Eren, I mean it. Stop," Armin squeaked as Eren placed a final kiss just below his ear before resting his head down on Armin's shoulder, breathing in the New Blood's scent.

"I'm sorry. You just smell so good." Eren murmured contently, eyes closed to take in the soft sensation of Armin's hair against his skin.

"You two might as well get married. You act like a married couple." Mikasa uttered, the smallest of expressions on her face showing the nausea she felt. In retaliation, Eren stuck out his tongue to her, completely ignoring the way she did the same. Instead, he looked over to Levi and Farlan quietly talking amongst themselves, a small smirk spreading his lips.

He squeezed at Armin's sides, getting the teen's attention before Armin looked back at him, silently questioning him. Eren motioned over to the two of them with his head, and Armin's eyes followed his until they looked to them. He looked at them just in time to see Farlan's hands slowly touching Levi's, his fingers hesitantly lacing with the older man's. Eren snickered behind Armin's ear, and the blond couldn't help but roll his eyes at the action.

"Told you so," Eren whispered by his ear. Armin scoffed, his attention falling to Isabel as she watched them. He watched as she leaned forward, and for a moment, they wondered what the little girl had in mind. Was she going to lose control over herself, or was she just trying to get his attention?

The latter option seemed to be the reason. Isabel leaned forward just enough to tap at Levi's hand against his own knee, catching his attention. Farlan didn't appreciate the idea at all, pulling Levi's hand away from her proximity to keep him safe.

"Farlan…" Levi reprimanded the teen. Farlan seemed hurt by it, but Levi only clicked his tongue, ignoring the New Blood to look at the little red head.

"I… I'm sorry for going after you…" Isabel apologized in a small voice. Levi stared for a moment, almost taken aback by the girl sitting in front of him. He really hadn't expected that.

"… No harm done." Levi replied, his attention slowly turning back to Farlan.

"What's your name?" Isabel asked, stopping Levi from going back to his previous task.

"… Didn't Eren tell you?" He asked.

"I wasn't listening." Isabel admitted. Levi couldn't help but find that somewhat funny, if not for the morbid reason to it. She wasn't listening, because she was too busy thinking about sucking him dry.

"It's Levi," He finally answered stiffly. Isabel nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "What was yours again?"

"I'm Isabel... Isabel Magnolia!" She replied, her smile widening. Levi couldn't understand why.

"It's good to officially meet you then, Isabel." Levi said, and there was just the slightest of bounces from the girl, though he wasn't sure if it was her doing or just the van running over a bump in the road. "How old are you, Isabel?

"I turned fifteen two months ago." She beamed at him.

"Fifteen huh…? You're pretty young then." At that, Isabel flushed, her cheeks puffing out in either a pout or annoyance.

"I'm a teenager!" She whined, making Levi scoff and cross his arms over his chest.

"You sure don't act like one." The older man said.

"What's… Going on here, Eren?" Armin asked quietly, leaning back some so he could hide his lips behind Eren's brown hair.

"Mh… I think it's something kind of like what Annie and I have…" Eren assumed, tilting his head some as the two of them exchanged a rather odd conversation that went from one thing to the next.

"Like you and Annie…?" Armin asked.

"Yeah, it's not a mate thing, but that connection is still there. If I didn't dislike Annie so much, I'd say it's almost a brother and sister-like relationship… But maybe that's what we're looking at." Eren observed closely as the two continued, and something Isabel said, something along the lines of it raining dogs outside because the rain was so loud against the roof of the van, brought a smile to Levi's face.

"Do you think it's the same for Farlan and Levi?" Armin questioned. To that, Eren snickered.

"Oh hell no. They're perfect mate material." He concluded.

"Are you sure…? I mean, they're so… Shy." Armin mumbled.

"Yeah, not everyone is so fast paced like we were." Eren said with a laugh and rubbed his head against Armin's cheek.

"I thought everyone involved with a vampire was like that…"

"Nah, just us. I think we had our reasons though. Watch; Levi and Farlan are going to take months, and it's only because both of them won't admit it." Eren openly joked. Armin hid his laughter, fearing the consequences for what would happen if Levi caught him laughing. He only stopped when Erwin spoke up in that strong, deep voice of his that could make a crowd of protesters keep quiet.

"You seem to have taken a liking to Levi, haven't you, Isabel?" Erwin asked, looking down at the girl who looked like a baby compared to him with his body and height.

"Uhm…" She uttered.

"What kind of question is that, Erwin?" Levi practically growled.

"Oh nothing really. I just thought that, if Isabel really does like you, you could look after her for a while." Erwin offered. Isabel seemed delighted by the news, even though she tried to hide it.

"Wait, what?" Levi gaped. "Erwin, I don't want another one on my hands!"

"Hey…" Farlan whined. Levi sighed, his head dropping some and his hands hanging from his knees. He just couldn't win with this man.

"Could I do that?" Isabel asked, looking up at Erwin with the biggest of eyes any of them had ever seen, and were those tears at the corners of her red eyes?

"Wow…" Farlan mumbled, just as surprised. "Good one…"

"Of course you can. We want you to be comfortable with wherever you stay."

"I'm going to go ahead and assume I have no say in this." Levi sighed, barely lifting his head to look at them. There was no response to him, which only meant one thing.

He had absolutely no say.

"Mikasa, do we need milk too?" Eren asked while tearing a piece of paper off of the notepad under his hands. "Last time I looked, I couldn't find any."

"We ran out yesterday…" Mikasa mumbled, lifting her head from the fridge to look back at Eren. Eren sighed, setting the paper back down against the notepad and the pen right beside it so he wouldn't lose it. He set his elbows down against the counter, watching as Mikasa closed the refrigerator door, his eyes silently questioning. "What…?"

"You've been really quiet lately." Eren noted. "And I don't mean your usual quiet. I mean you've been extra quiet for the past couple of weeks. What's been on your mind?"

"Nothing has," Mikasa said and looked back to the door, though she didn't open it.

"Mikasa," Eren said in a negative tone, almost as if he were berating a child. "Come on, you can tell me if something is wrong. You know that, right?" He asked.

Mikasa bobbed her head, but not as a response. It was almost as if she were going over the words in her head and simply moving with them, which wasn't something she did often. Mikasa wasn't one to really show what she was thinking or feeling, which must have meant she was thinking too hard about something. It wasn't often when she did that either.

"Eren… What would you think if I said I wanted to turn?" His sister asked hesitantly, her body turning towards him, but her head still low and facing the door.

"Turn…? You mean as in turning into a vampire?" He asked just to be sure. All Mikasa could answer with was a nod of the head. "Well that's dumb. Why bother thinking about something like that?" He laughed a little, leaning against the counter with his back to it, elbows pressed into the granite to hold himself up.

He waited for that answer he wanted to hear, but it never came.

His smile died down, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her and her unmoving body. His posture, once relaxed, stiffened, his eyebrows furrowing as he continued to stare at her with a hard gaze.

"Wait, are you serious?" He asked. Again, the only answer he got was a nod from the teen's head. "Mikasa-!"

"Hey, Eren, do you have the-?"

"Are you out of your mind?" Eren's abrupt yell stopped Armin in his tracks by the archway, mouth open and words dying in his throat. He wasn't missed though, and Eren turned to see the boy in the doorway, an empty birthday bag in his hands while he stood by awkwardly.

"Uhm… I was looking for Farlan's birthday present…" Armin murmured before setting the bag down on the kitchen counter. "What's going on?"

"Armin, Mikasa wants to turn." Eren gaped in exasperation and turned away. Mikasa looked over her shoulder just in time to see Armin's eyes widen in surprise.

"What…?" He gasped. "Mikasa, is that true?"

"… Yes." She finally verbally answered.

"Mikasa, what are you thinking?" Armin asked just before a bell sounded through the apartment. The tension was broken in an instant, Mikasa slightly jumping in place before leaving the kitchen to answer the door. Eren's eyes followed her deftly as Armin walked up to him, grabbing his arm to shake it.

"Fuck, what is she thinking? She's trying to kill herself." Eren grumbled. Armin shrugged his shoulders, his head shaking slightly.

"She's seeing things we aren't seeing. We need to let her explain." Armin reasoned. Eren sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. "Maybe Levi could talk some sense into her?" The blond suggested.

"Maybe…" Eren whispered while rubbing the bridge of his nose. Armin smiled weakly, empathetically, while tugging on Eren's arm.

"Come on. Let's go greet the birthday boy." Armin said, pulling Eren back into the living room.

"Hey, you took the Christmas tree down!" Isabel's voice, per the usual, was loud and boisterous. She was already making herself at home, roaming all over the place with her soaked boots and raincoat.

"Isabel, you're dragging mud on their floors." Levi reprimanded while taking off his jacket. Isabel froze in place, her eyes falling to the floor he spoke of that had foot shaped mud tracks all over it.

"Ahm… I'm sorry…" She whimpered, as if ready to cry. Levi clicked his tongue before trekking into the room to where Isabel stood, which was halfway across the room. How she got there so fast was beyond Levi's imagination, but Levi managed to pick her up and pull her back to the door without getting anything else dirty.

"We're here for me today, little brat, not you. So stop pulling the attention to yourself." Farlan all but growled.

"I'm not trying to get attention, you old miser!" Isabel hissed and stuck her tongue out at him.

"I told you not to call-"

"Hey…!" Levi yelled over their bickering. "If I hear any more of that from either of you, we're going straight home, no cake and no presents, understand?" He threatened while tugging Isabel's jacket off. Isabel and Farlan fell silent, because they knew he meant it. Farlan wasn't one to act like a child, but he really did want that cake that he could smell in the air. "Fucking finally…"

"Levi," Eren spoke up. Levi only managed to get one foot free from Isabel's boot before Eren hauled the older man up by the arm, totally disregarding any personal space between the two. He then reached for Mikasa, who had been standing silently by the three, and grabbed at her wrist. Like that, he pulled the two of them into the kitchen, leaving Isabel and Farlan alone while Armin followed.

"Eren, calm down." Armin said when Eren finally let them go, when he knew they were in a somewhat peaceful area, but he knew that the two New Blood's in the living room would hear them regardless.

"Hey brat, what's going on here?" Levi asked while rolling his shoulder. Eren's grip had been none too gentle, and he could tell just by the ache and by the pained expression on Mikasa's face as she rolled her wrist around.

"Levi, talk some sense into her." Eren demanded as he began pacing. It was Armin's turn now to grab at Eren's arm and hold him still, at least to try and calm him down. When Eren got fired up, however, it wasn't easy to calm him down.

"For what…?" Levi asked.

"She wants to be a vampire!" He accused and tossed a careless arm as a gesture towards Mikasa. The girl looked to the ground, her eyes staying there when Levi looked up at her with mild surprise.

They weren't sure what they expected from someone like Levi. They weren't sure if he'd yell, if he'd bark at her or reprimand her. They weren't sure if he'd try to go about it quietly and try to talk with her. With someone like Levi, it was hard to predict what he would do.

They weren't expecting what he did.

"You too, huh…?" He asked.

Mikasa's black eyes darted up to meet his, utterly surprised by his words. All eyes in the room fell to him, and for a moment, Eren's mouth even dropped somewhat.

"Wait…" Armin mumbled.

"You were thinking about it too?" Mikasa asked, utterly shocked into a tiny and timid voice. Levi looked down at his feet, taking in a deep breath as he tried to get the words right.

"… I can't leave those two alone. They'll kill each other if I did." Levi shrugged his shoulders as he looked over to the two New Blood's hiding behind the doorway. "They aren't as subtle as they think either." He added.

Farlan knew he was caught without a doubt. He only stopped when Isabel slipped from behind him, falling out into the open and onto the floor for everyone else to see.

"Good one," He grumbled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"You moved!" Isabel accused.

"Why were you leaning on me in the first place?"

"Hey…!" Levi yelled over them, and it ended their bickering quickly. For a moment it was quiet, only for a moment though. They knew the peace wouldn't last long.

"What are you guys thinking?" Eren spoke up and asked them. "You… You guys don't know that pain. You have no idea how painful that can be." He said.

"Technically you don't either, Eren." Armin mused.

"What…?"

"You were out cold for half of it." Armin explained. "I wasn't. I was awake through the whole thing… And so were Farlan and Isabel." He motioned to the two others who had recently joined them, and it was only then that he noticed the subtle shake of his hands.

"Okay, but still, that pain… I mean, I've never had a kid before, but I think it's for sure that it hurts a lot worse than childbirth." Eren assured. Mikasa rolled her eyes, though they weren't sure if it was from annoyance or from the idiotism that he used.

"He's right though. It's never ending. By the end of it, all you're hoping for is death, a-and even if you went through it, there's no saying you'd actually turn. You might just die." Armin said, but it wasn't needed. They already knew those facts, and much more from what Armin understood.

"Kid, you don't have to tell us." Levi spoke up. "We know already."

"So then why…?" Eren asked. "Why kill yourselves?"

Isabel whined lowly in her throat, obviously not appreciating the conversation that was being discussed. She ran further into the room with them and wrapped her arms around Levi in a tight embrace, making sure there was no way the man could break free. The older man grunted at the sudden force, but nonetheless wrapped his arms around the smaller girl. She hid her face away in his neck, Levi looking down at her with a rather content expression before sighing.

"… Like I already said, I can't leave these two idiots behind. They'll kill each other without me." Levi said, fingers threading through one of Isabel's pigtails. Isabel barely flinched at the insult, only enjoying the sensations of Levi holding her and petting her head.

"When did you start thinking that way?" Eren asked.

"When I started looking after Farlan." Levi answered. "At least it was only a thought at the time. When I started looking after Isabel a few weeks ago… Well, the idea just made sense to me."

"I didn't know you thought that way…" Farlan muttered and rubbed at the back of his neck, an obvious form of a nervous habit.

"What about you, Mikasa?" Her brother asked. "What's your reason?"

Again, silence fell over them. Mikasa seemed to be the median of it, that quiet tension she had been harboring for the past few weeks coming back again. This was the topic she hadn't wanted to talk about, and now they knew for sure. She seemed so uncomfortable about it too, the way she shifted her weight on her feet or the way she continued to look at the floor dead giveaways.

It wasn't like her to be like this.

"… You guys have stopped aging, and… You won't continue to." Mikasa mumbled.

"So…?" Eren asked.

"So… I'll be left behind…" She concluded somberly. A quiet moment passed as the realization of her words sank in gravely.

"Wait, we'd never leave you behind, Mikasa." Armin said.

"You'd have to eventually. I'll get old one day, and then I won't be able to work with you. You'll be out there with other New Blood's while I'm at home rotting away in a rocking chair. I'll be all alone, and I… Don't want that…" Was that her voice cracking? She wasn't beginning to cry, was she?

"Oh Mikasa…" Armin murmured.

"Her excuse is more morbid than mine is." Levi uttered. Isabel laughed quietly into his sweater before lifting her head up, looking at Levi with those big, green eyes of hers. Levi managed a small smile, patting her head one more time before finally letting her go. However, Isabel had other plans, her arms still wrapped tightly around Levi's waist and not letting him go.

"Mikasa…" Eren said and reached for his sister's arm. He opened his mouth, ready to try and convince her otherwise, but Armin touched his shoulder, momentarily keeping him quiet. He looked back, green eyes questioning his mate before Armin shook his head, silently telling him not to continue with the subject.

This was their decision after all. No one would know more about New Blood's than them, and they knew everything there was to their upcoming. They knew the pain, knew the consequences, and they knew what they were getting themselves into just by mentioning it.

In all honestly, from Armin's perspective, he saw no one else more fit to join their world than them. Both of them were strong, able to control themselves and their emotions, though God help the person who ever messed with Eren while Mikasa was craving blood. Besides that, it wouldn't be that terrible of an idea. However…

"But no one knows how this could turn out. I-I mean, you may not survive." Eren said, a last ditch effort at saving his family.

"You were only seconds away from death, Eren, and you survived." Levi said. "If we're very willing to choose this path, and if we're in perfect health, it should raise our chances."

"But…"

"Eren," Mikasa sighed and reached for his hand. Now it was her turn for the big eyes, and oh, how it worked.

"M-Mikasa, that's not fair!" Eren cried in exasperation. Armin covered his mouth and turned away, hiding the laughter that was beginning to shake his shoulders. Unfortunately for him, Eren had already caught on him. "Armin, cut that out!"

"I-I'm sorry, Eren." Armin all but giggled, trying so hard to keep himself together, but it wasn't as easy as he thought it was.

"Armin!"

"I can't help it!" Armin barely missed as Eren swatted at him.

"Good to see the tension is gone." Levi mused.

"Can we get back to the party now?" Isabel asked while staring up at Levi.

"Oh right! We totally forgot about you, Farlan." Eren said.

"Thanks…" Farlan said while grinning weakly.

"Sorry, Farlan. Go ahead and wait in the living room." Armin said empathetically while wrapping his arms around Eren's waist.

"Is it present time?" Isabel asked and jumped up, only to whack her forehead against Levi's chin. The older man simply grunted, acting as if the hit hadn't affected him as much as it did. "Sorry…"

"It's fine…" Levi grumbled while rubbing his jaw.

"Out, everyone!" Mikasa ordered, pushing at Levi and Isabel to leave, and distinctly, Farlan followed right at Levi's heels.

"Hey, Levi," Eren said, a smirk forming on his lips. Levi looked back for only a moment, letting the other two leave him for the time being.

"What…?"

"You aren't as subtle as you think either." Eren grinned.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Levi asked with a frown.

"You've been favoring your left arm." Eren said. It took Levi a moment to understand what he meant, but when he did, the shocked expression on his face was almost laughable.

"Eren-!" He barked.

"I've seen you limping since you walked through the door too. Don't think I didn't notice that!" Eren added. For once, maybe for the first time ever, Levi had the lightest of blushes dust his cheeks.

"Shut the fuck up…" The man growled before leaving the room, limp and all. Armin rolled his eyes and dropped his head to Eren's shoulder, allowing himself to get out any laughter over the situation in peace, and hidden away in case Levi decided to walk into the room and kill them both. Eren sighed, his head dropping against Armin's while his arms encased the teen.

"Armin…" He barely whined.

"Leave it be, Eren." Armin mumbled.

"I can't," Eren sighed again and lifted his head, looking down into blue eyes that were just begging him to get off of the topic. "They want to die, Armin."

"For us, yes." Armin said.

"Why…? I just don't get it."

"Well Levi says it's for Isabel and Farlan, but I know he doesn't want to lose us too. We're dead already; they aren't. They're on a countdown clock that won't end until times up for them, and by then, they'll be too old to be with us." Armin closed his eyes as he spoke, noticing how the room started to rock and forth, but only to find that it was Eren's doing. "We'll be alive… Alive for a long time, and they won't."

"But they'll be dead." Eren argued.

"And so are we. Besides a few things, how different are we? We're just living along the rest of the world, living like other people are. That's what they want too." Armin tried to explain.

"And if it doesn't work?" Eren asked, the rocking motion stopping for a moment.

"Then that's it. It's been said before to me. One way or another, at the end of it all, they're dead. There's only one instance where they'll come back alive. If it doesn't happen now, it'll happen later, and Levi's right. They're healthier than you were, and you still survived." Eren looked away, his expression morphing into one akin to a pout.

Once again, Armin always had the best arguments.

"Besides, I know you don't want to lose your sister." Armin teased, reaching up to poke at Eren's reddening cheeks.

"She's okay…"

"Uh huh." Armin hummed.

"It's just… So soon… Can't they wait a few more years?"

"I don't know about Mikasa, but I know Levi doesn't really have that much time left. He's got fifteen or sixteen years on all of us. I bet that's just making his skin crawl." Armin mused, messing with Eren's soft hair. "The longer they wait, the less their bodies can do."

"Okay Armin, you win." Eren regrettably decided. Armin smiled before standing on the tips of his toes to kiss Eren's nose, only to have his hair pulled on afterwards. He knew it wasn't punishment, but just a simple gesture to show that Eren was annoyed with him, and that was fine. Armin knew he won anyway.

"Come on. Let's go give Farlan his birthday present." Armin said and tugged on Eren's hand. "Where did you put it anyway?"

"It's hiding in my closet." Eren said. Armin nodded his head wordlessly before walking down the hall to Eren's room, going to get the present they had gotten for the teen currently sitting on the living room chair.

Eren leaned against the wooden frame, his arms crossing over his chest as he sighed. He looked about his family, to Mikasa and Levi, and to Isabel and Farlan, who he wouldn't consider anything less than a family. Even Isabel, who had only been around for four or so weeks, was as close to them as Mikasa was to Eren. She was lively, energetic, and though she caused trouble at times, she was fun to have around. Levi had taken to her easily, even when having to be forced to watch over her. She adopted him as a brother-like figure, calling him "big bro" on multiple occasions. Levi didn't return the pet names, except for "brat" and "little shit," but that was Levi's way of showing he cared, and Isabel couldn't care less.

Farlan and Levi were another story entirely. Eren was just waiting for one of the two to slip up and admit that they had mated already, but it was difficult. Everyone, from Armin to Mikasa, even to Erwin and Hanji, knew that there was far more going on between them than what they would allow to be seen. Levi must not have noticed his own limp, and, if he had, he thought he was doing a good job of covering it up. It sucked to be him at that point, but Eren found it utterly hysterical, if not a little bit adorable.

He would never say that out loud of course. He would be murdered, and this time he wouldn't be coming back.

"Is it chocolate cake?" Isabel perked up and asked, watching as Mikasa pulled out a round cake from a box that had been sitting on the dining room table.

"It's marble," Mikasa answered as she set it in front of Farlan on the coffee table.

"What's marble?" The little red head asked.

"It's chocolate and vanilla mixed together." Levi answered before shifting his legs, trying to get more comfortable, but there was only so much comfort one could get when there was a fifteen year old sitting in ones lap.

"Is it good?" Isabel asked.

"I sure hope so. If not, I'm taking the cake back." Mikasa threatened, but not without a small smile to show her humor.

"I didn't know Eren had already wrapped your present." Armin spoke up, announcing his presence in the room. Eren watched as Armin walked over to Farlan and handed him the nicely wrapped gift box with his present inside, to which Farlan jumped in his chair like a child at Christmas excited for their gifts from Santa.

"Cake or presents first?" Levi asked.

"Cake," Isabel answered.

"It's not your decision." Farlan objected.

"Meanwhile you get presents and cake. I just want cake." Isabel said while motioning between the two of them, the presents, and the cake.

"You should make a wish first." Armin said. Farlan sighed heavily before setting the present beside himself.

"Alright, cake and wish first." He agreed, to which Isabel cheered in elation.

"Eren, come over here." Mikasa said and waved at him.

"Hurry up, or you won't get any cake!" Isabel taunted.

"Behave, Isabel." Levi warned. The girl whined and leaned back, forcing all of her weight on Levi just to mess with him. Eren laughed at their actions before going over to where they stood, more specifically, standing beside Armin and wrapping his arms around the smaller New Blood's waist. Isabel made a sound of disgust at the sight, but once again, her brotherly figure pinched at her sides and made her squeal, which also helped in removing her so Levi could move his legs again.

"You are too much, you know that?" Farlan asked the girl who had somehow melted to the ground. Eren watched Isabel continue to argue with the New Blood, but her voice seemed to trail off into a distant fade. In fact, everything seemed to be that way.

He simply watched in content as his family around him smiled and laughed, this including Levi, though his was a pathetic attempt. They were going to have to work on that, but another time. Right now wasn't the time for that. Right now was the time for cake, gifts, and enjoying time with friends and family.

Yeah, this was his family. It was a very nice family too. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad having Levi and Mikasa stick around longer with them.

"Eren, are you okay?" Armin asked over his shoulder, his blue eyes showing his concern for how quiet his mate had become. Eren simply just smiled at him, nodding his head before nuzzling it against blond hair that was soft against his tan skin.

"Yeah, I'm great actually."

Yeah, he wouldn't mind keeping this around for a while.

A/N: Okay, so before we go, I would just like to thank Navi Chan and ZeldaMaster for being the two people who have commented on every single chapter, as well as being the firs to ever comment on my story. ^^ You guys have been supporting me from the very beginning, and I appreciate it so much. ^^ As to everyone else, thank you so much for following me and this story for so long! It means so much, and I am truly grateful.

Thank you for following my story until the end! I hope you all enjoyed it to the fullest, and I hope you all have an awesome day!

-Misty