I hope this wasn't rushed, because I really wanted it to end well so that we can all have a smooth transition into chapter five. I'll start working on that ASAP, because I have a few ideas in my head for how I want all of it to go down. I hope it won't be too long of a wait, but I honestly don't what's going to be happening at home with certain things during this next week. I have a meeting with my counselor on Monday, and my older brother is going to be there because he's trying to get me help through all this. I'll let you know on tumblr what's happening once I know. Again, my tumblr is .com

-Levi-

I couldn't get last night out of my head. The look on Eren's face, the taste of his lips, and the fucking sounds he made. It was enough to have me tugging at my hair out of complete frustration, and knocking at the door of Hanji's apartment. She knew something was up, the moment she opened the door and looked at my face.

"Come on in, sit down, and I'll grab the wine. You can explain everything then." She scurried off to her small kitchenette and grabbed a few glasses as I sat down on her couch, sighing heavily.

"Here." Hanji spoke, handing me a full wine glass before perching beside me. "Tell me what happened to make you look like utter shit this morning. It might also explain why you're actually awake before six-thirty."

"I fucked up and confused the hell out of myself last night."

"Who did you fuck?"

Her blunt words had me chuckling slightly. She had been my best friend for years, so she could read me better than almost anyone.

"No one. Not quite anyway." My thoughts flashed back to Eren's completely blissed out expression in the last moments before he ended up asleep on my couch. "And to answer your question about who, it was Eren."

"And that qualifies as fucking up how? Even I would want to jump him, Levi. He's hot as hell. Even if he does look young."

"He doesn't just look young, Hanji. He is young. He's sixteen." The whole situation was making my head spin, and I didn't really want to think about it. "I committed a goddamn crime."

She snorted at that, and I had to refrain from chucking my empty glass at her face.

"Since when were you worried about breaking the law? That didn't stop you when we were in college. I mean, what you did with Petra was-"

The glare I shot her effectively shut her up. My past wasn't something I was proud of, and I really hated being reminded of what I had done.

"I'd rather not wind up in prison for statutory rape. Even if it was only a blowjob."

"Oh damn. He is one lucky kid, Levi. I've heard stories, and if there's any truth to them, you have one talented tongue. Makes me jealous." Her pout was only slightly joking, but even so, I had to chuckle at that. Hanji always had a flair for the dramatic. Always.

"You don't want my tongue all over you anyway, and you know it. Do you honestly think I don't see the way you look at your roommate? You've got it so bad for Rico, that it isn't even funny." Checking my phone, I cursed at the time. I had gotten up early, yes, but I had things to do before heading off to Maria's. "Thanks for talking with me Hanji. Even though it was me telling you about my problems and you not giving me any advice whatsoever."

"Hey, you didn't say you wanted advice. But now that you mention it, I guess I probably should give you a few words of wisdom." Looking up at me through her glasses, she gave a small smile, "Don't think about it, and don't worry. Whatever happens, happens. Don't do what you always do and try to control something that's already out of your hands. And if you don't trust my advice, call Erwin."

"Erwin, huh. He'll probably yell at me for doing what I did. Though, to be quite honest, I probably deserve to be yelled at. I lost all sense of rational thought last night." It was weird for me, to suddenly lose the ability to think clearly, when I was always in control over my reactions. I had mastered perfect control over many years of practice, and I had never slipped up. Until now. "I'll shoot him a text here in a minute. But, I really do have to get going, because the apartment is a mess and I was supposed to clean it yesterday with Eren's help, but, you know how well that turned out. Plus I have an earlier shift at Maria's tonight, and if I don't go shopping for food supplies, I may just find myself locked out of my own apartment."

That brought a laugh from her lips as she all but shoved me off of the couch and onto the floor. I glared at her, putting as much annoyance as I could into that one simple gesture, but it didn't faze her at all. Then again, when has it ever bothered her?

"You work tonight?" I didn't think she was, but you never knew with her. She was one of those people that loved her job no matter how rough the place was. Don't get me wrong, I loved Maria's. The owner, Mike, had helped me out through so much in the past, so I tried to be there as much as possible to make his job easier. I was the best he had in the security field.

"Nope, not tonight. I work tomorrow though."

With a nod in her direction, I gave a short wave before seeing myself out, sending Erwin a text as I did so.

'We need to talk. It's important.'

-Eren-

Thanksgiving Break. A great time for a lot of students to spend time with their family. But for me? It was just another week off school. Thanksgiving had only been a good thing when mom was still alive, because every year, she'd spend hour upon hour in our kitchen, making enough food to feed a small third world country. It didn't matter to her that it was usually just the three of us; she still cooked enough to feed our family for almost two weeks. But now all of that was gone. Mikasa was forcing me to stay with her and dad, despite my outright refusal. She was manipulative like that. So, here I was, packing what little belongings I had into my backpack, writing a note to let Levi know I wouldn't be here.

"Well, off to hell." I muttered, placing the note on the table and heading for the door. Luckily I made it out without any run- ins with the man I was currently trying to avoid, and made it safely to the taxi waiting for me.

The trip to the house where I'd be spending probably the worst week of my life was too quick for my taste, and I found myself standing on the sidewalk as the cab drove off. I had been tempted to just tell the driver that I'd pay him extra if he took me back to Levi's, but the thought of Mikasa's face upon finding out I wasn't there, kept my feet firmly rooted to the ground. It was odd, being back here again so soon after I told myself I wouldn't come back, ever. The very thought of facing my father again sent my stomach twisting, tightening into thick, uneasy knots as I tried to calm myself down enough to make it to the front door. I forced a smile on my face as Mikasa opened the door, pulling me inside far quicker than I would have liked. It's not that I didn't want to spend the week with her, so don't get me wrong. It was just the thought of being back in this house. My nose still hadn't healed from my last encounter with dad, and I wasn't exactly eager to have another one. I just wish that Mikasa and I could go somewhere else, spend Thanksgiving Day with Armin and his grandfather, like we had a few years ago. But Mikasa hadn't wanted to intrude, and she said that dad at least deserved a chance to try again with us. Honestly, I thought she was a little too forgiving, but then again, I was just stubborn. You fuck up with me once like dad did, and you can sure as hell bet that I won't be around to give you another chance.

"I'm glad you came, Eren. Dad's in the kitchen, making something for us to eat. I told him to go ahead and include you, because I'm pretty sure you haven't eaten breakfast yet, right?"

"Yeah, I haven't. I've been figuring out what to bring all morning, and food hadn't exactly been the first thing on my mind." That was true enough, and hopefully she'd let it slide. I wasn't ready to tell my sister about the sexual encounter I'd had with Levi. I mean, she didn't even know I was interested in men, because as far as she was concerned, I still had my middle school crush on Annie.

"Okay, good. Do you know where your room is?" I could tell she was slightly concerned, which meant she probably knew about my rooming situation here.

"Yeah, basement, right? I can manage to find it on my own, okay? Don't worry about me Mikasa; I'm not a kid anymore."

She gave a slow nod, still biting her lip as she watched me walk down the hall, backpack over my shoulder.

It was going to be a long week. One I'm not sure I was actually looking forward to.

-Levi-

The apartment was eerily silent when I got home. Too silent. I had learned over the last few weeks that Eren was not quiet. He was loud, hot headed, and beyond stubborn. The only time my apartment was ever actually silent, was when He was at school and I had a day off. It was a little disconcerting to be met with utter silence as I made my way through the living room to the kitchen so that I could drop off the bags of supplies. A piece of paper caught my eye, and I picked it up to see Eren's messy scrawl written all over it.

'Levi,

My dad is back in town. Has been for a few days now, and Mikasa is forcing me to spend all of Thanksgiving break over there, so I won't be back until about noon on Sunday. But if you need me back for anything, cleaning, cooking, etc., don't hesitate to call me. I'll call a cab and be there as soon as possible. You still have my cell number, right? Anyway, if I don't see you before, I'll see you on Sunday.

Eren'

There was a hint of desperation in that note. Especially where he said to call him if I needed anything. Was there a particular reason he didn't want to be with his dad and his sister? From what he'd told me, he and Mikasa were really close. They spent all of their free time together when they could, so what was the problem? Unless… unless it was his dad that he didn't want to be around. As far as I could recall, the only parent that Eren ever spoke of was his mother, so I knew nothing about his dad.

"Not your problem Levi. If the kid's dad is back, let him deal with it. He is his parent after all. You were only looking after Eren because he had nowhere to go. That and you were forced by Hanji. The kid has a place to stay now, that isn't here, so that should be a good thing. Right?"

I tried to convince myself that it was good. Eren would be gone, and I'd have everything to myself again. But somehow, I didn't really believe any of that. I realized pretty quickly how much I was going to miss his cooking every night. I was going to miss the way he'd sleep through his alarm in the morning, forcing me to wake his ass up. I was going to miss the…

No. Get a grip. You are not going to miss him. He's been nothing but a pain in your ass from the moment he first came stumbling into Maria's. He was a brat, plain and simple. There was nothing endearing about a kid that got under my skin more often than even Hanji could. I wasn't going to miss him. Not at all.

"Now that I'm clean
You know what I mean
I've broken my fall
Put an end to it all
I've changed my routine
Now I'm clean."

Cursing silently at the sound of my phone, I picked it up, having no intention of answering it until I saw the name on the screen. It was Erwin. So I sighed and hit accept, putting the stupid thing to my ear.

"It's about time you actually acknowledge the text message I sent you. When was that, two hours ago? Three?"

Erwin chuckled through the speaker of my phone and I could just hear the grin as he replied to me in that smug voice of his.

"I'm a busy man Levi; you should know that by now. And even though my students are on break, and I don't have any actual classes to teach, I have lessons to plan."

"Oh shit. Yeah, I forgot you were a high school teacher. Is it fun, dealing with brats all day long, Monday through Friday?"

"Oh, it's quite entertaining at times. Though, there is a student in my first period Chemistry class who is rather troublesome. He never does his homework, and all of his test notes are copied from someone else."

I snorted, rolling my eyes. That was me when I was in high school. And Erwin knew that very well.

"Sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it? Anyway, I did not text you so that you could tell me about your troublesome students, idiot. I texted you, because Hanji suggested it, and because I may have done something stupid. No, scratch that. I did do something stupid."

There was a pause on the other end, and the shuffling of what I assumed were the dozens of papers he had to grade before his break was over.

"Falling back into old habits, Levi?"

I hated how his voice sounded so patronizing. As if he had never done anything stupid before in life. I mean, not stupid like all the shit I had done, but he has done stupid shit. I mean, he hung out with me when we were teenagers, and that alone was dangerous.

"Not what you're thinking, no. And it's not an old habit, so don't even go there. You know I stopped all that right before I started at Maria's."

"Of course, I was just clarifying. What exactly did you do?" His voice was concerned, with just enough boredom coloring the words in order to throw off anyone that may be nearby. That's how Erwin was, caring, but only in hiding. Any other time, he was a cold bastard.

"I gave a sixteen year old kid a blowjob on my couch last night. And before you say anything, it wasn't entirely my fault. He was sobbing in my arms for a good twenty-five minutes, and then I looked at his face. There was just so much pain in his eyes that I couldn't help but kiss him. One thing led to another and the next thing I knew, he was shooting down my throat and falling asleep. I think part of the reason I kissed him, is because he's usually so fiery and hot-headed, glaring at me defiantly with those freaky turquoise eyes of his, and the sight of him being completely vulnerable caught me off guard. I felt this intense need to make him feel better, and so I did. In the only way I know how to."

I had no idea that Eren was Erwin's student, and that I'd just given the man on the phone to make the boy's school life a living hell for the rest of the year. I could get that Erwin was jealous; I'd known he would be regardless. After all, Erwin was the one constantly trying to get me to feel more than friendship with him for years until I told him straight up that I wasn't interested. That I'd never be interested. That didn't mean he had ever stopped being in love with me. I usually tried to avoid the subject of guys that I was interested in when I was talking to Erwin. Especially if there was a chance that he knew them, because he was a very jealous man. He'd once beat the living hell out of an old friend of mine, Gunther, because he seriously thought I was into him. The guy never spoke to me again after that.

"I see. What has he said about all of this?"

"I haven't spoken to him since before it happened. I left while he was still sleeping, so that I could speak with Hanji about it, and when I got home, he was gone. Apparently his dad has finally back in the picture and he's spending his Thanksgiving break with him and his older sister. Which is good, because now he can get the fuck out of my apartment. Teenagers are messy little shits."

"Wait, he's staying with you?" There was obvious surprise in his voice, but it was overpowered by extreme jealousy. Typical.

"Yeah, and before you get all pissy about it, it was Hanji's doing. Kid showed up at Maria's when we were both working, started crying because I made a shitty joke about mother's, and he had just come from the funeral of his own mother's. I sat him at the bar, got him a small drink to calm him down, and he told us that he'd come there to look for a job. Nothing too major, just to get him on his feet again. And Hanji, being Hanji, and started going on and on about how he could stay with me until he found a permanent place to stay. I didn't have much of a choice, because she wouldn't let up until I agreed."

"That sounds a lot like her. Tell her I said hello, will you? I missed her movie night last week because of a faculty meeting."

"Yeah, I'll tell her. But to be honest, I stopped going to her movie nights a while ago. Her roommate always jumps all over any guy that shows up, and I'd rather not be next. I don't mind Rico, but I'm not into women, as you know.'

"Yes, I've been aware of that for years." He paused for a long moment, probably thinking about what he needed to say next, "Back to the situation at hand, here's my advice. Forget about him. It was heat of the moment, correct? He's a teenager, and his hormones are probably always extreme. Talk to him when he comes back, and explain what you expect from now on. Anyway, I have to go. Papers to grade and lessons to plan."

"Alright, see you around old man." And without another word, I hung up. I felt even more confused than I did before the phone call. This wasn't good.

-Eren-

To say that so far the week had been hell for me would be a great understatement. Mikasa had been gone, out doing who knows what with Annie, leaving me to stay with dad. It was uncomfortable enough already, so I just stayed in my room the whole time. It was terrifying at first, being underground with little to no heat, but eventually my overwhelming need to avoid my dad made the room tolerable. Until the sound of my door flying open startled me.

"So this is where your lazy ass has been all day." Dad's eyes glared at me from the doorway, that all too familiar hatred making me flinch involuntarily.

I didn't say anything, too focused on the fact that my somewhat safe haven had now been breached. He'd left me alone for the most part, but that was probably because Mikasa was here. Now that she was gone, he had no reason to not say anything to me.

"Don't ignore me, you piece of shit. Look at me." He'd gotten closer now, one or two steps away from my bed. Out of complete instinct, I swung my leg out, hoping to knock him down, or at least slow him enough to be able to get out of there. But it didn't work, and suddenly his fingers were pulling the collar of my shirt, forcing my face to become level with his. The alcohol on his breath was suffocating, and I couldn't breathe for a few minutes.

"That was such a dick move, Eren. Did you honestly think that you could get away with that? That's pretty stupid, even for you."

He dropped me for a moment, giving me only a minute to try and back away before his fist connected with my jaw, a cry of pain leaving my lips. It stung like a bitch, but I could handle it for a bit longer, try and find a way to escape.

His fist hit my nose this time, effectively breaking the bone once again. But he didn't stop there. He continued hitting me. Until finally, my fingers curled around something heavy, a book of Armin's that I had yet to read. Lifting it, I swung, managing to knock the man off of me. It gave me enough time to run, to get out of that house. I didn't really know where I was going, but at the time I didn't care. I didn't stop until I was enough distance away that I knew dad wouldn't be following me. It was cold, I hadn't been wearing anything other than a pair of jeans and a thin t-shirt, and the wall of the alley I was leaning against didn't make me feel any warmer.

"Hey kid, you doing alright over there?"

I whirled, startled at the sound of another voice. Who would even be in an alley at this time of night?

"Did you hear me? I asked if you were okay. You look like shit right now." The guy walked towards me, cigarette between his fingers, and bag over his shoulder.

"I-I'm fine. Fight with my dad is all."

When he stepped into the light, I could see he was only a few years older than me. Maybe a senior in high school or a freshman in college. Either way, he was young. His blonde hair was short, cut close to his skull; and he was bigger than me, by quite a lot.

"Ah. Parental issues. Yeah, I know the feeling. My parents kicked me out when I was fifteen. Didn't bother me really, I hated it there. House hopped for a while until I got an apartment of my own last year."

I was rather confused. I was a stranger, and here he was, telling me half of his life story. It took me forever to even tell Mikasa how I'm feeling and yet, this guy just sits here and practically spills his entire past to me. It must have showed on my face, because I kept talking.

"You remind me of myself, that's why I'm talking to you. It's also why I'll let you in on a bit of a secret. I learned it myself shortly after I hit the streets when I was fifteen." He grinned a bit, reaching into his bag to pull out a syringe, some sort of liquid in it, "This my friend, is an escape. One shot of this into your bloodstream, and it's all uphill from there. This little thing has gotten me through hell. It's helped quite a lot."

I was skeptic, I mean, why wouldn't I be? I didn't know who the hell this guy even was. And my experience with drugs had been nonexistent until my accidental overdose on the pills in Levi's cabinet. To be quite honest, I wasn't exactly ready to go down that road again, and for many reasons. One, it was completely terrifying. Two, I could have died because of the strength of the drug, and the amount I took. Three, Levi would kick my ass if he found out. Though, if the guy was right, this drug could very well get me through what was going on. And maybe, just maybe, I could find a way to escape the world for a while. My mouth worked faster than my brain, and suddenly I was reaching my hand out for the syringe without a second thought.

"I'll take it. But if it doesn't do shit, you're a dead man, got it?"

"I got it. But it'll work, trust me on that one." With another grin, he grabbed my arm and pressed the needle against it, "This might sting a little, but it's no worse than getting a shot at a doctor's office. Just relax, and don't tense up. It's hurts like a bitch when you do that."

Closing my eyes to avoid looking at him, I took a few deep breaths before I felt the sting of the needle as it pierced through my skin, going deeper until it hit the vein. It stung, a bit more than he said it would, but I was hoping this would be worth it so I didn't move. The feeling of the drug entering my body was strange, awkward. But it passed quickly and the needle was pulled away.

"How do you feel?"

"Dizzy, but not horrible. How long does it take to kick in?"

"Since I shot it directly into your vein, it shouldn't take more than a few minutes. And trust me; you'll know when it hits you. Anyway, I have to get back home, Bertl is probably worried sick about me like the emotional child he tends to be. I'll see you around." Before he left though, he scribbled something down on the back of a receipt and handed it to me, "I'm Reiner Braun. Call me if you need more, and don't worry about costs. Consider a friend deal."

With those words spoken, he walked off, leaving me alone in the alley to handle whatever shit he'd pumped into my system. Not that I was complaining, because a few minutes later, I was on cloud nine, sitting in the back of a cab heading to Levi's apartment. Everything that had happened only twenty minutes before was pushed to a back burner in my mind. Looking down at the paper in my hand, I found myself grinning.

'I expect a call tomorrow to know how it all went down. And don't be afraid to ask for more, because there's plenty of it where that came from. On another note, there's a party happening tomorrow night at around eleven, and I plan on seeing you there. Don't be late.'

The words were followed by a cell phone number, and an address. I knew where I was going to be tomorrow night, and it wasn't going to be at home.