Chapter 8: Give and Take

'Eren...'

A pair of black grimy hands suddenly appeared from the shadows, reaching out for him. And Eren reacted like any other sane person would do – he ran and ran as fast as his skinny legs could carry him.

'Come here...' The black shadow tailed behind him closely, not giving him even a moment to catch his breaths, short and ragged as they were already. The horrifying sense of impending doom seeped throughout his body like poison.

He was robbed of his voice, and so his heart furiously screamed instead.

No! Get away from me!

'Come to me, Eren...' Long, curled fingernails snaked closer and closer to him and Eren was screaming hysterically by now.

Stop it – I don't want to!

Without a single warning, the hands crept right behind and coiled around him, like venomous snake they were. All hope seemingly crumbled right before him there and then.

'Why are you saying no now? Isn't this what you originally wanted?' It mockingly said and Eren could hear a sneer from just the voice since whatever it was that grabbed him was faceless.

'Didn't you wish to be freed of that man's clutches? So, isn't it fine like this?'

NO! I SAID I DON'T WANT THIS!

Yet, still his voice wouldn't come out. Almost as if his voice box had been punctured by an invisible needle. He was screaming at the top of his lungs yet not a sound projected.

The dark shadow trembled, shook in amusement as it drawled, 'Come on, open up...' The same creepy pair of hands circled around his ankles and pulled his legs apart.

Eren howled but still, not a decibel of sound could be heard. None at all.

"...haa!" A loud gasp escaped from a terrified white-as-sheet brunette, drenched in sweat from head to toe. It took the poor boy quite a while to realise he was back at Levi-san's house, in the comfort of a warm bed. Though it wasn't his, but Levi's when he noticed the unfamiliar surroundings.

Eren vaguely recalled the bits and pieces of yesterday's memories. He could only remember up until the point where the ravenette scooped him up into a bridal hold before he blacked out completely. And what came after that almost didn't exist in his recollections.

You reap what you sow.

That very saying mercilessly hit him like a punch to the gut.

"..." Jade green eyes blankly stared at the white ceiling above, which oddly looked way higher than it was before and Eren felt so small all of a sudden. The thought of his faraway parents soon made him feel like crying but he quickly covered his eyes with the back of his hand, blinking back tears that threatened to fall.

"Cry all you want." Came a cool voice from the bedroom door, causing the poor brunette to flinch so bad, he almost sprung out of the bed at that instant.

"...Levi-san." He felt a sharp headache just then, wobbly hand tried but failed to grab at the bedpost and in resignation, he let himself slipped.

"Don't just suddenly sit upright, idiot." Levi swiftly caught the boy by the arm and lightly settled him back on bed. "Rest. You looked as pale as a ghost still. Do you think you can stomach anything right now?" The ravenette gently asked afterwards, which was so unlike of him and Eren had a hard time believing it was the same person who tricked him into getting his tooth pulled out in the past.

"...why..." His voice cracked and he couldn't even bring himself to finish the sentence as tears threatened to fall.

"Hm." The older man properly retucked the blanket around the shivering brunette who looked as if he was ready to burst into tears at any moment.

"...why are you so kind to me." Eren tried again in a flat tone at first but as a couple droplets of tear fell from his eyes, he began to shake before breaking down completely, all sobs and sniffles.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Levi rhetorically asked back, bringing a hand to pat Eren's trembling head, he quite liked the feeling of those soft brown tresses slipping through his fingers. Just like back in the old days. "Our promi... you just mean a lot to me, Eren. And I'll protect you with my life. Come hell or high water."

"What's with that, sort of sounded like a proposal..." Eren snorted, his face now a mess of snot and tears altogether but he no longer gave a damn about it. Although his hand gladly reached for the handkerchief that Levi offered just then.

"I didn't say it wasn't." Levi nonchalantly replied.

"–?!" Eren, in the midst of blowing up his nose, abruptly stopped and whipped his head towards the man so fast he almost ended up spraining his neck. "Why do you always have to make fun of me like that..."

"And let me ask you this; why do you stubbornly insist that I'm making fun of you?" Levi countered, settling his back against the wall by the bedside, throwing a mean side-glance to the speculative boy.

"Because..! That's exactly what this is all about, isn't it!" The brunette quickly curled into a foetal position, his face buried in in his knees. No way would there be another explanation behind his risqué actions otherwise?

"When did I ever joke around when it comes to you? Tell me, Eren." Levi climbed the bed with one knee unannounced and deliberately placed his hand above Eren's head against the bedpost. The brunette flinched a little but kept his face hidden.

The mattress creaked slightly when Levi moved closer and Eren could feel something bumping against his knees. Levi's chest presumably.

He could feel the heat rising up to his face as they stayed in that position for quite a while.

"Don't run away from me." Levi egged on, a tint of desperation layering his voice yet again. He slowly rested his head against the bony shoulder, heaving a small sigh. They were so close yet the distance between their hearts was so far. What must he do for Eren to accept him again? Why did they had to start off on the wrong foot?

He faintly whispered so that the brunette almost missed it, "...Not this time too..."

Too..? What does that mean...

Eren suddenly cringed in pain, his head throbbed painfully as a surge of memories ran through his mind at the speed of lightning.

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"Yes, sir!"

A stern-looking Levi with a bone-chilling glare was staring back at him.

"Captain, I made you a cup of tea!"

The cold eyes were softer, with a hint of gentleness glowing through.

"Levi, sir..."

This time, gone was any trace of gentleness. Instead, those dark eyes now filled with nothing but a burning passion, almost swallowing him whole.

'Whose voice...? Who was saying all that? Was it...me?'

"...I– to you..."

No.

"...I always-!"

Stop.

"-you!"

Don't say anymore!

"...c'p..tain..." He unconsciously called out, shaky hand reaching out to that familiar stranger who kept appearing in his delusions.

"I'm right here." Said Levi, gently lacing their fingers together, reminiscing how they remained a perfect fit, even after a thousand years had passed. If this was not love, what else would it be?

Eren shakily exhaled, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off his chest. Levi had this mysterious power to him where he could make him all flustered and agitated in just a second but then put him to ease the very next second.

And right now was no exception.

"You should rest some more." Levi said right after he popped a sleeping pill into Eren's mouth in hopes of nightmare-less for the exhausted-looking boy.

"Can you...not go yet?" the brunette murmured, drowsily. He was starting to feel sleepy both from fatigue and the medicine's effect. He fluttered his heavy eyelids a few times more before shutting them completely, lulled into a peaceful slumber in the comforting presence of the raven-haired man.

Levi reached for the messy brown tuffs but stopped midway when he was reminded to keep his hands off the young brunette as much as possible. Eren needed his protection right now, not his borderline-obsessive of an affection.

The ravenette slowly reached for a pair of round thin-framed glasses and a moss-coloured book, settling his back against the bedrest just beside Eren before flipping the pages to where he had last read. Here they were, sleeping side by side and it wasn't all that different from the past but for once, they were at peace. For once, they didn't have to sleep in fear that tomorrow would never come, in fear of losing their loved ones the very next day.

Although the physical distance between them remained, Levi had an inkling that the distance between their hearts had shrunk. And it was fine even if it was just a little.

His mind wandered back to the events that took place last night as soon as they got back home. Eren was in a really terrible shape. He was delirious and high from the drug which eventually led Levi into doing what he shouldn't be doing to the underage brunette.

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Last night...

A raven-haired man could be seen carelessly slamming the front door open with one hand whilst carrying the brunette with only an arm. "We're home, Eren."

"...it's hot...my insides are burning..!" Eren whimpered, clutching onto his black suit until it crinkled badly. Though the only thing running on Levi's mind at the moment was to clear the stimulant out of his system and while he was at it, get him cleaned from that filthy man's touch as well.

Settling the boy on the counter of his kitchen, Levi pulled a huge bottle of water from the fridge. "Drink. Every last drop of it." He urged, situating the opening towards Eren's slightly parted lips and tilting it soon after.

"Ughg!" Eren yelped when the cold water washed down his throat but didn't resist any further. He had been feeling parched for a while now and the coolness of the water helped sobering him up a bit. He halted after a few large swigs, when his stomach deemed there wasn't any space for a droplet of water no more.

"You're slowing down." Commented Levi as he pressed the uncapped bottle onto Eren's now moistened mouth.

"...e-enough."

"Drink some more." Levi shoved the water bottle back to Eren's parted lips.

"...uhn!" the cold fluid flowed down his throat almost too unmercifully.

"...fwah-!" Eren pulled away once more after three enormous gulps, vigorously shaking his head. A trickle of water trailed from the corners of his trembling mouth. "...no more... p-please..."

Levi cluck his tongue out of irritation before glugging the remaining content left in the bottle himself but didn't swallow. Instead, he pulled Eren closer, tipping his chin up before connecting their lips together.

Eren loudly protested but was far too weak to push the man away or do anything when he felt the water from inside Levi's mouth flowing down his own throat. "Mmph-!?"

"See, you can drink all of it just fine." Levi licked his upper lip when he pulled back, leaving a heavily panting Eren in a daze on the marbled counter. That was when he caught notice of something.

"...don't look..." Blushing a deep shade of crimson red, the boy shakily covered his groin with his hands but Levi roughly peeled them away to reveal a hard-on underneath.

The ravenette contemplated for a few seconds in silence before murmuring, "I'll take care of this." Slender fingers slipped into his pants but Eren clumsily grabbed at his hand before he could dig deeper.

"N-no.. you don't h-have to–"

"Then, what do you propose we do in your current condition?" Levi cut in between, sharp cat-like eyes piercing straight into trembling green ones. "–go to the hospital?"

"...NO!" Eren retorted almost immediately after.

That was the last thing he wanted – letting other people seeing him in this pitiful state? Did he not expose almost every part of his humiliating sides to the man in front of him already? Was it still not enough?

"Trust me, Eren. I will not hurt you." Levi spoke again, his tone milder than before and at that instant, the brunette felt like weeping. Because he could somehow tell he wasn't lying.

"But I won't touch you if you're that against it." Levi dryly said, but the brunette could detect a tinge of loneliness in his voice for a split second. Why was that? Why did Levi-san looked so hurt just then?

"I-I..." the brunette hesitated for a second before resting his shaky hand onto Levi's. It was faint at first but the feeling building up inside him grew stronger and stronger. It beckoned him again and again. That it was all right if it was Levi.

"He..help me, please... Levi-san..." Eren bit back a sob but clear drops of tear easily rolled down his cheeks once more. It was excruciating. And unbearably painful. He needed the release but was too ashamed to admit. He needed that helping hand but was too proud to ask.

And adding the strange dreams he had where Levi-san was passionately making love to him every night. He still couldn't clearly identify the meaning of those erotic dreams but he could vividly recall how gentle yet ardent were the ravenette's touches that set fire across his bare skin, to each fibre of his hair and straight to the core of his heart.

Could it be that... perhaps he too, had already..?

"...?!" Eren jolted when something cool and wet prodded in between his legs to realise Levi was busy wiping him down with antibacterial wet wipes.

"Not without disinfecting you from that asshole's germ first." Levi crudely said, as opposed to the way he was tending to Eren's private part, effortlessly swift yet tender at the same time that the brunette became flustered for a whole different reason.

'Thud-thud-thud-thud' went his heart, like it was having a mini session of palpitations or some sort.

"What, you can act like a proper doctor at times– hnn!" The boy threw a hot reply but shuddered inevitably when Levi's fingers slightly grazed his hardened dick, which seemed to be impatiently pulsating in want. "..h-hurry, just do it already." He whispered pathetically, steamy breaths began to escape as he covered his mouth with moist fingers.

Levi could hardly breathe when he saw such an expression. His lovely Eren, panting sensually before him. He secretly pinched his hand to confirm he wasn't dreaming or anything, and if nothing else, to subdue this hideous carnal desire of his that raged within.

"All right." The ravenette tersely nodded but Eren could detect a slight tremor running from Levi's icy fingertips to the foreskin of his member. Was he that nervous? Even after all the harassments Eren had to go through for the last few days because of the very same man?

He then noticed how a beautiful shade of red dusted Levi's cheeks – he was legit blushing.

Oh, shit.

Why did the older man seemed so cute all of a sudden?

"..hnn-!" Eren yelped as soon as Levi's hand wrapped around his dripping penis, which throbbed intensely as a response and he shamelessly wanted the man to touch him some more. "..Le..vi...san. A-ahh! N-not t-there..."

"...here?" murmured Levi, low and cool as he began massaging the base of Eren's erection, the tip now oozing with precum. The brunette didn't say anything nor did he nod but the way he shivered from head to toe was proof enough for Levi – that he was feeling it.

'G-god, why does it feels so good...' Eren grimaced internally. For allowing himself to be touched by the man he was supposed to despise the most. And for actually getting turned on from a handjob by said person.

The mind could lie but the body could not.

"Haa! You're going- t..too fast..!" Eren groaned, unconsciously rocking his hips back and forth when Levi began picking up pace, pumping his dick at full throttle. He didn't get to react in time when the man suddenly dove towards him, so deliberately close until those perfectly-shaped lips almost touched his ear, whispering almost too seductively;

"Cumming? Let it all out then."

"...!"

Eren shuddered terribly, his back arched, and he could barely hold back what sounded like a mixture of a moan and scream. Few seconds later, he tiredly collapsed back onto the counter, panting harshly.

He had directly come into Levi's hand.

A rush of familiar milieu momentarily enshrouded him and the brunette shivered pleasantly.

"...captain..."

Levi froze as soon as that very word rolled off Eren's tongue. He slowly cocked his head towards the brunette who had already fainted from exhaustion. "...I'm right here, Eren." He brought his lips together and gently kissed the brunette's sweaty palm.

'So, hurry up and come back to me already.'

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"He'd definitely kill me once he recalls last night." Levi smirked to himself, side glancing to the boy who was peacefully sleeping, a loose fist beneath his mouth. He looked adorable. Defenceless, and ever so precious.

Levi gently tapped at the smooth cheek with his curled finger, feeling his overflowing love for Eren may have increased yet again if it wasn't impossible already.

"Well, if he ever recalls it..."

Soft, quiet chuckles resounded in the dark bedroom illuminated by only the moonlight from the slight crack between the curtains.

To be continued...

Finally an update after 1000000 years, yeah? When the promised fluffs are replaced by cringe-worthy scenes ughhughhh. Will include proper fluffs in the next chapter maybe..? Thanks for picking up this fic! -crawls back into a cave-