Eren awoke to the faint aroma of mint and cigarette smoke, a much brighter environment, and what felt like an infinite amount of warmth before he even knew he'd fallen asleep. He felt completely comfortable and secure - almost as if he was at home in his own bed - and had next to no desire to sit up or even open his eyes. The foreign smell of a cigarette was what snapped his mind into perspective and had him sitting up and becoming aware of a blanket that had been placed over him.

Immediately he knew he'd gotten too much sleep, for his head felt heavy and pounded in time with the thumping of his heart. Though he knew where he was, he remained a bit disoriented and slightly irritable. His eyes were scratchy, as well, though he figured that just had to do with crying so soon before falling asleep.

"Morning, brat," came a scratchy voice from across the room.

In the midst of running a hand through his hair, the brunet gyrated to see Levi seated in his normal spot on the opposite couch. He was cocooned in a blanket with his sketchbook in his lap and a pencil poised between his shaky fingers. He appeared even worse than the previous night - eyes still bloodshot and the circles surrounding them seemingly darker, even after sleep.

"Hey," mumbled the teen, still trying to find his way back to full consciousness. "How you feelin'?"

"Like the epitome of hell," responded Levi casually. "You?"

"I'm okay. How did you sleep?"

Levi merely shook his head. Eren didn't need a verbal response; he looked more tired than he had before going to sleep last night. Harsh tremors rocketed down his already quivering body more frequently than usual, and despite being wrapped in a blanket, he still looked like he was freezing. His eyes were blank, as well...washed out and almost lifeless.

Carefully, Eren stood up and, taking the blanket with him, moved to Levi's side to wrap it around him as best he could without asking the man to move.

"Hungry?" he asked.

"Guess I should be after puking up that piece of toast, but no," he mumbled.

"Is...is there anything I can do, then?"

"No. Just take a few minutes for yourself, Eren. Shower. Find something to eat. I don't care. I told you I don't want you to end up unhealthy, too."

"Alright..." Eren figured he couldn't really argue with that. He was in pretty desperate need of a shower and his foggy headache could be due to lack of food as well as oversleeping. "But we still have go to grocery shopping."

Levi huffed as he doodled little circles on the side of the page in his sketchbook. Eren didn't wait for more of a response before he stood, grabbed his bag, and headed down the hall to shower.

Once showered, having changed clothes and brushed his teeth - hastily, due to being hyper aware of the contents below the sink - Eren rejoined Levi in the living room to see he'd curled up right where he sat, further concealing himself in the blanket. In fact, all that was visible was part of his arm wrapped around his knee and a clump of his unruly hair. Eren's heart squeezed painfully at the sight. He desperately wished he knew better how to help, what more to do to make this any less agonizing for him.

An involuntary frown plastered into his features, he silently padded into the kitchen and retrieved a glass of water.

"Here," he murmured, holding it out to the man.

Slowly Levi lifted his head. There was no mistaking the moisture on his cheeks. Mumbling a thanks, he reached out and took the glass with both hands and sipped at it, keeping his eyes away from the concerned teen. Frown deepening, Eren sunk to the floor.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Everything," answered the raven with a sigh.

"Pain?"

A nod.

"Maybe we should just stay here for another day..."

"No. You need to eat."

"But if you're not feeling well..."

"And who's to say I'll feel any better tomorrow? Let's just go."

Taking one more sip of the water, Levi untangled his limbs from the blanket and, with a harsh tremor, attempted to push himself to his feet. Immediately, Eren jumped up and offered a hand, which the artist reluctantly took and used to pull himself up. He staggered a bit, a small groan escaping his throat as he caught his balance.

"Stop looking at me like that, brat," he muttered.

"Like what?" asked the teen innocently.

"With so much pity. It's sickening."

With that, he released Eren's hand - admittedly with reluctance; it was warm and soft and seemed the only thing capable of maintaining his sanity - and disappeared down the hall.

Meanwhile, Eren shuffled in his bag for his wallet and better organized his things before pulling his shoes on. While he waited, he proceeded to call Armin. It took less than five minutes to make the plan to get Levi's car.

By the time he was finished, Levi had reappeared, hair combed and covered with a gray beanie. He'd changed clothes, as well, and even the black skinny jeans he wore seemed a little too baggy for him; the hoodie engulfed him.

Levi passed the observant teen and slipped his shoes on before grabbing his wallet and keys from the hook. He twisted the lock and pulled the door open, fighting a coughing fit, and turned with a cocked brow.

"You comin', brat?"

Eren merely nodded and followed him out. Fortunately, it had stopped snowing and the sun was even starting to peek out from behind the clouds. Of course, that only served to make the environment brighter as the extra light glinted off of the snow, something there was a ridiculous amount of in both of their opinions.

After starting and cleaning his car off, Eren slid into the driver's seat next to Levi and made the announcement that they were going to get his car as well. Levi had just opened his mouth to respond when he could no longer fight his coughing spell. He leaned forward so far he appeared crumpled in on himself with his face buried in his arms to muffle the sound. Eren had no idea what to do but wait until it was over. When it was, Levi's muscles seemed to spasm and tense throughout his entire body.

"Shit," he muttered, shaking himself and sitting back up.

"That sounds like it hurts a lot," Eren said quietly.

"You have no idea," rasped the raven. "So how do you plan to get my car?"

Eren explained the plan as he maneuvered his way out of the parking lot and toward the main roads. "Um, my friend Armin...we're gonna pick him up after shopping and he'll drive your car back here."

"So you just assumed I would let him? Tch."

"Well I promised I'd get your car, and I am. This is the only way to do it."

"Still."

"What? It's not like you can drive it."

"I know. I'm useless. You don't have to tell me," muttered Levi, turning his head to stare blankly out the window at the passing town.

Eren bit his tongue on that one. He hated to admit it, but in this situation at least, Levi was right. He could barely function on his own; there was no way Eren would even let him attempt to drive a car, let alone simply put him in the driver's seat of one. In fact with the condition he was in, the teen was surprised he'd made it to that café on his own in a car. Sure, he'd definitely been high that night, but in some ways that was even worse.

Eren selected the grocery store nearest Armin's house to make things easier. Levi was silent for the rest of the ride, and without music, Eren's ears were hyper aware of his raspy breathing the entire way. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the fidgety-ness of his hands and how he kept his gaze out the window the entire way.

"Would it be better if I let you stay here?" Eren asked as he pulled into a parking space.

"Unless you want people to stare..."

"I don't think people will stare," reasoned the brunet.

Levi turned and fixed his gaze directly on Eren's. "Please, Eren. Have you seen my face?"

Another remark Eren had no good response to. That was something Levi seemed to be good at.

"I'll just go, then..."

Eren left his keys twisted backwards in the ignition to keep the heat on and opened his door.

"Hold up," Levi said. Eren looked over to find him shuffling through his wallet. He pulled out several bills and held them out to the teen, saying, "Don't argue. It's my house, I should pay for the food. Just take it, as long as you get tea."

Humoring him, Eren took the bills - what seemed to be three or four twenties - and nodded. He figured he should probably use them; he didn't have all that much saved up yet, but still considered hiding them somewhere for Levi to find later, be it in his apartment or giving them to Armin to stash in his car somewhere.

"Thanks," he said. "I'll be right back."

Eren hurried in the grocery store, picking up the necessities - milk, bread, eggs, etc. - while tossing random things into the cart on the way between each, such as tea and chips. He grabbed a case of water bottles, as well, figuring they'd need it with how much Levi coughed. In the end he decided to use only one of the twenties Levi'd given him; there turned out to be four and no way was he letting Levi pay for everything if he'd be eating it, too. When he got back to the car, he tossed everything easily in the trunk before sliding back into the driver's seat. The raven remained the same, though he'd turned the radio up for background noise.

"Here," said Eren, holding out a water bottle he yanked from the case. "It's not cold or anything, but I figured..."

Before he finished, Levi took it and mumbled a thanks. Eren spared one more minute to let Armin know they'd be there soon.

"You just love triggering my anxiety, don't you?" muttered Levi after a swig of water.

"What do you mean?"

"Meeting your family. Asking to talk in a public place. And now meeting your friend..." He shook his head. "I'm not good with people, and because of my...appearance...it's even worse." Levi's voice was quiet as he stared out the windshield. His thin fingers fiddled with the cap of his water bottle.

"Armin's not scary, I promise," Eren said, attempting to hide his smirk but failing. "Well, his intelligence is scary, but his personality isn't."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Eren felt his smile fade. "Well, I mean, he's not gonna judge you..."

"That's not what I care about."

"Then what is it?"

Levi shifted in obvious discomfort. He took a second to answer. When he did, he seemed unsure, as if he wasn't certain the words he was using were the right ones.

"I've never been good at human interaction. Talking to people...making f-friends...none of that was ever my thing."

Eren's brows furrowed in mild confusion. "But you're able to talk to me. You were almost right off the bat."

Stalling, the raven took another swig of his water. He twisted the cap between his thumb and index finger, eyes now dropped to stare at his feet.

"That was one of the many things my monster helped me with," he murmured so quietly it was almost unintelligible. "Not just you, but everyone."

My monster. Eren could only assume what he was referring to when he said that, and it wasn't the first time he'd spoken of it that way. The teen resisted the urge to reach out and take the man's hand.

"I don't think you give yourself enough credit," he said.

"Please. You've barely seen me interact with anyone that isn't you while I'm...s-sober," he stammered. "You're just...easier, I guess."

"Easier? You mean like, different?" Eren's brows raised, again remembering the times Levi had told him that.

"Yes. You've always been different. I don't know why nor do I know how, but it terrifies me."

"I'm...not sure if I should take that as a compliment," said the teen as he restarted the car and proceeded to back out of the parking space.

"In a way it's a good thing, no? I mean, you're here...and I'm not dead."

Those words surprised Eren so much he stepped too quickly on the brakes in the middle of a row of cars to turn, startling Levi and causing him to jerk forward, caught by nothing but the seatbelt across his thin chest. The sudden pressure on his frail body made him wince.

"What was that for, Jaeger?" he muttered, rubbing his chest where the seatbelt had dug in.

"Sorry, I just didn't expect you to say that..."

Eren continued on en route to Armin's house which was just a few short blocks away.

"Neither did I," Levi was saying quietly. He then let out a sarcastic snort. "Though it reminds me of something."

"Of what?"

"A song. Particularly one you put on that CD. And a specific lyric that caught my attention."

"Oh?" Eren's heart picked up speed; he hadn't known Levi had listened to the CD. He must've been asleep when he had.

"It's been stuck in my head for hours." Just as he pulled the car in front of Armin's house, Levi finally placed his gaze on the teen. "'Right beyond the cigarette and the devilish smile, you're my crack of sunlight.'"

At that moment, Eren swore his heart stopped for at least five seconds. The artist watched as his bright, almost emerald-appearing eyes widened so much they probably would've popped right out of his head.

The teen didn't know how to react. Hearing Levi utter those words the way he had seemed to touch some part of him he hadn't even known existed until that moment. He didn't have the slightest clue how to respond, nor did he have the time to because he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He glanced over to see Armin bounding down the sidewalk from his front door. The blond gracefully pulled the door open, slid into the seat, and shut the door all in one easy movement.

Brain still reeling from Levi's words, Eren fumbled for words.

"H-hey, Armin," he stammered. "This is Levi. Levi...Armin."

Levi did nothing more but turn and nod once at the blue-eyed teenager in the backseat. Armin, on the other hand, cast him a friendly smile and uttered a soft hello.

Eren didn't miss the surprise on his face manifested from laying eyes on the raven, subtle and suppressed as it was. Having known Armin all his life, he was able to pick up little things like that. They both could. They knew each other almost as well as they knew themselves.

Without another word, Eren took off. The awkwardness hung heavy between the three of them, none knowing how to spark up a conversation or if he even should. Attempting to dissipate some of it, Eren turned up the radio.

Levi continued to fidget with the water bottle. He'd sunk down in the seat a little and kept his gaze fixed on the passing of the world outside. He couldn't help but feel he was the sole reason for the discomfort in the air. If he hadn't been there, he was sure the other two would be totally fine. They would be talking as they likely normally did, no worries. But he was there, so they weren't. He bit his tongue, trying to force away the guilt. The only alternative he had was to focus on the borderline agony throughout his entire body - aching bones and muscles, burning lungs, pounding head, uncontrollable shakiness. This had him biting his tongue harder and squeezing his eyes shut. He had to suppress it. He refused to let show how much pain he was really in.

"The weather finally seems to be warming up," Armin piped up from the back seat.

An amused snort escaping his nose, Eren glanced at the blond in the rearview mirror. "Really, Armin? You're gonna talk about the weather?"

Armin shrugged. "I know I'm not the only one feeling suffocatingly awkward, here," he responded with a half-smirk.

Eren had just opened his mouth to respond when a crackling noise met his ears and stopped him. He glanced over to see Levi's hands had all but crushed the water bottle. His fingers were tense around the frail plastic, trembling mercilessly. His features were twisted up into a full-on grimace.

"Levi? What's wrong?" asked the brunet.

The raven shook his head once, very slightly.

"Do you need me to pull over?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Eren glanced once more in the rearview mirror to meet Armin's eyes. The blond was frowning, more so in confusion than anything else.

The remainder of the ride back to the café next to the shop was silent aside from the radio, seemingly playing endless commercials. Levi had since relaxed, but that did nothing to ease the worry in Eren's chest. He even managed to turn and hand Armin his keys, careful not to make skin on skin contact.

"Um...thanks for doing this," he mumbled to the blond.

In natural Armin fashion, he cast another smile and said, "Sure thing." He pressed the unlock button on the remote and looked for flashing lights to find which car it was. With a, "see you in a few," he slinked back out of Eren's car. The two watched as he crossed the parking lot to the dark gray car in the corner, typically dusted with snow.

"Jesus Christ," muttered Levi running his hand through his hair and pulling his beanie off in the process. "I told you I'm terrible with people."

"Don't worry about it so much," Eren said softly. "Armin doesn't mind."

"How can I know that for sure?"

"You'll just have to take my word for it."

Levi sighed simultaneously with a shudder taking over his body. Immediately, he wrapped his arms around himself.

"Cold?"

"No," he lied.

"Looks like he's ready."

Eren shifted the vehicle back in motion and made his way out of the parking lot, glancing over at the tattoo shop on the way. Of course, it was locked up and no one was inside; it was closed on Sundays. It just added to his list of stressful things in life at the moment. He would have to talk to Reiner sooner than later about the situation. He was sure Alex had already told him about it, but that excused him from nothing. He was already having trouble deciding on what he wanted to do about school; work was just another thing to add to the pile.

Was he really ready to throw away everything to help Levi? It was a scary thought. He'd gotten his job to help his family, to help his mother. What were they supposed to do without that income? They'd managed alright before he got the job, but the money Carla inherited from Grisha's death wasn't going to last forever. And school...strange as it felt to him, he could more easily give that up than his job. He wasn't happy there, hardly had the motivation to study or attend even without his depression. Most of the time he'd only gone to see his friends; it was really the only way he kept in touch with any of them, with the exception of Armin.

But was he really throwing it away, or rather sacrificing it for a good cause? Something told him he was where he was supposed to be, doing what he was supposed to do. There was something about the addict that made him feel purposeful and almost at home...

He'd been so lost in his thoughts, when he zoned back in, they were already pulling into the parking lot of Levi's apartment complex. Armin had been right behind them the entire time and smoothly pulled into one of the two empty spaces beside them. As they waited, Levi spoke up.

"Your face is gonna get stuck like that, you know."

"What?" Eren blinked and it came to his attention that he'd been frowning deeply. He immediately relaxed.

"Tch."

At that moment, Armin slid back into the back seat and dangled Levi's keys over the seat. The raven wrapped a shaky hand around them and mumbled another thanks. As they took off once more, he fidgeted with them. Not halfway back to Armin's, however, his fidgeting slowed and his body began to relax. Eventually his head lolled to the side, held up by nothing more than the portion of the seatbelt across his lap.

"Is he asleep?" whispered Armin, peeking around the seat.

Eren glanced over, having stopped for a red light, and nodded, unaware of the involuntary smile playing on his lips.

"I see what you mean about it being really bad," said Armin, cautiously studying the raven. "I couldn't have imagined. I thought you were over exaggerating, but you really weren't."

Smile fading, Eren's foot found the accelerator again after the light switched to green. "No. Not at all. And this...this isn't near the worst of it."

"I'm sure. I know drugs are terrible, but I didn't think they could affect a person this much."

"It's not even the drug itself. It's the withdrawals. They're merciless. They're taking a toll on him that might be greater than he can handle." Eren detested the way his voice shook speaking about it, but he couldn't help it. "I thought he looked kind of off when I first met him. He was already pretty skinny and all that, but that was nothing compared to this. I was shocked when I saw him again after a month."

"So this has been going on all this time?"

"Yeah. He said after he...confessed to me what's up with him, he started trying to get better. I guess he fell into this pattern and that's how he ended up like this."

"What was his motivation, do you know?"

Simultaneously, Eren nodded and swallowed hard.

"What is it?"

"Me."

Armin didn't appear the least bit surprised, unsettling Eren a bit. The brunet had been dumbfounded in finding out he was Levi's reason for wanting to get clean, yet the smugness in Armin's eyes suggested he expected that very thing.

"Is that the only reason?"

"A-as far as I know..."

"Hmm, then this isn't just a coincidence."

Eren's eyes flickered to the rearview mirror for a split second. "What do you mean?"

"You two. You, being depressed after what happened Christmas, and then deciding to sacrifice what you have and what you will to help him. For being his sole reason to become sober. I don't think it's all just random events. I don't think something this big can be any coincidence, especially considering the way you feel about him, and the feelings he likely shares for you as well. There's a reason you walked into that shop that day, a reason you were hired on the spot, and I don't think it was only because you needed money to help your mom.

"I'm not saying I know any of this for sure, but just observing and taking into consideration what I do know, it feels like more to me than that. What it is, I couldn't tell you. You probably know that better than I do. I can't tell the future, either, but if I were to bet, I'd bet the odds in your favor. In the end, though, it's up to you how things turn out. And not just you, but him, too." Armin's eyes were once again on the sleeping man in the passenger seat, that familiar knowing, analyzing sparkle in his sky-blue orbs.

Eren chewed thoughtfully on his lip, attempting to comprehend Armin's words. Of course he'd been right about it all before any of this had happened over a month ago despite Eren's spending that time in denial of his and his mother's words. This time he was more open to the possibilities that the blond suggested. It both excited and terrified him.

As he pulled up in front of Armin's house once more, still not having replied, he put the car in park and cast his gaze over to Levi, who remained virtually still. His entire body seemed to be filled with butterflies, his heart thumping almost excitedly behind his ribs.

"You'll figure it out," Armin continued. "Thanks for the ride." With that, he opened the door and slid out.

Remembering something, Eren quickly followed. "Hold up, Armin," he said, walking around to the trunk. Armin joined him as he opened it and shuffled among the grocery bags for what he was looking for. When he found it, he held it out to the blond whose eyes widened in delight.

"Hugs?" he asked, voice an octave higher.

Eren half-shrugged. "It's the least I could do...I mean, for..."

Taking the bag of his favorite chocolate from Eren's hand, Armin's smile widened and he nodded in knowing. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"I take it I probably won't see you at school for a while," Armin said as he backed toward the sidewalk.

Smiling ruefully, Eren shook his head. "No. Like I said, I can't really leave him if I really want him to get better, and right now that's the most important thing to me."

"I understand. I'm sure I can think of something to tell everyone else."

"You're the best, Armin."

"I know." Armin winked and turned up the walk to his front door, waving his chocolate over his head. "Keep in touch."

"Later," Eren called back before sliding back into the driver's seat. When he shut the door, he felt eyes on him and turned to find Levi had woken up and was staring at him with bloodshot eyes.

"Welcome back," he greeted in a semi-cheerful tone.

"You're skipping school for me now, too?"

"Does that surprise you?" Eren asked as he put the car back in gear and took off.

"I suppose it shouldn't. But you can't just skip out on school."

Eren set his jaw in the way he'd always done when he was being stubborn, which was often. "I've already made my choice," he responded willfully.

"But you shouldn't let me stop you from living your life." Even as he drove, the raven kept his gaze fixed on the teen's face.

"I am living my life," countered the brunet.

"Don't make that mistake, Eren. Don't drop out. I did, and I regret it."

"You dropped out of high school," countered the brunet. "I'm in college. It's different."

"A-are you seriously thinking about it?"

From the corner of his eye, Eren caught the movement of the artist leaning toward him just slightly.

"I...I haven't decided yet," he said honestly. "But it's pretty likely."

"Goddammit, Eren," Levi muttered, throwing his hands up and then wincing as his aching muscles protested the movement.

"I'm serious."

"I know. I just don't understand how you can sacrifice so much for a lost cause."

Eren shook his head. "That's not how it is in my eyes. You're not a lost cause."

"Either way, you're making too great of a sacrifice."

"I don't think so. To me, it's a sacrifice worth making. As you grow up, they always tell you to strive for what you believe in, right? Well this is me following that advice...for once in my life."

Levi was quiet for a long minute, taking in the brunet's words as he maneuvered the car back into the parking lot.

"But you're...you'd be giving up all of your opportunities. You're jeopardizing everything you've probably worked hard for just for something you're more than likely to fail at, and it won't even be your fault. You're making an idiotic decision."

Eren cut the engine and finally met the raven's gaze after parking. "Maybe so, and I guess we'll find out. But I refuse to not try."

"Eren..."

"You've told me what you've been doing the past month, but you wanna know what I've been doing?" Levi said nothing, he merely blinked and sunk backwards a bit. "Nothing. I've been doing absolutely nothing worthwhile, except maybe making some money cleaning that back room for my mom to pay the bills with. My grades are already slipping. I stopped hanging out with my friends. I already told you my depression hit hard, and that was why. Despite already caring about you, once I found out the truth, I left you alone anyway." Eren could feel his emotions building up in his stomach, and though he didn't want them to show so much in front of an already broken Levi, he knew there was no going back at that point. "I was trying to protect myself, but in the end it only made things worse for both of us. That was the idiotic decision I made. Not this. Now I have a purpose because by some miracle you let me in. And I'm not going to give up, Levi." Tears were beginning to sting the corners of Eren's eyes, something he resented but couldn't help. "I'm not going to make the same mistakes my mom did when she didn't help my dad." And the tears spilled over. "I won't just sit around while you suffer...not while there's something I can do about it. I already watched it happen to both my parents, and my dad is dead because of it." He wiped his sleeve across his face, hands shaky because of emotions and lack of food, but he didn't let that or his tears stop him, though he kept his eyes covered as he uttered his next words. "Losing you would be so much worse, Levi. I know you think you're not worth it, but I do." He wanted to say more, but the tears took over and he was unable.

Levi sat in stunned silence, unblinking as he stared, dumbfounded, at the weeping person in front of him. Seeing Eren's tears for the first time was like a boa constrictor around his tattered, weak heart, squeezing tighter and tighter with each that escaped down his smooth cheeks. Again this brat was causing him to feel human emotions that had remained dormant inside of him for so long he wasn't even sure they existed anymore. He found he wanted to do something, say something to comfort Eren, to stop his tears and bring his smile back - the very one that was his reason for remaining alive for the past several weeks. Being the reason it was replaced by tears was an entirely new kind of torment to him; if he thought the depression of withdrawal was bad, he'd had another thing coming. He detested the fact he'd put Eren in more pain, and his immediate solution was to distance himself to spare him any more. But that was merely a knee-jerk reflex which was quickly being replaced as the teen's words sunk in.

"This hurts you less then, does it?" murmured the raven, demeanor much softer now.

Sleeves now damp, Eren revealed his shiny face once more. His eyes had become bloodshot and puffy, the pinkish an unfitting contrast to the turquoise of his irises. In answer, he nodded solemnly.

"I can't honestly say that makes sense to me," Levi continued. "Nor can I say I like the idea of possibly being your downfall." Despite the furrowing of Eren's brows at those words, the artist went on. "But I'll let you make your own decisions about it. I just hope you know what you're doing."

Through the wetness on his face, Eren managed to smile a bit. "Thank you," he murmured.

"Tch."

"And...sorry..." He hastily wiped his face again and tried to smooth the hair over his forehead back into place. "...for crying."

"Don't thank me, and don't apologize," muttered Levi. "I don't deserve them. Let's just go in."

With that, he pushed his door open. Taking a deep breath, Eren followed his lead. Levi, overestimating his strength, placed his feet on the snow-covered asphalt and pushed himself upright. Immediately, everything seemed to start spinning around and he felt his body begin to plummet toward the car in front of him that happened to be his own. Fortunately, Eren made it just in time to catch him by sliding his arms around his skeletal waist. Levi face planted his shoulder, a grunt escaping his throat as his nose picked up Eren's scent - musky and very guy-ish, but comforting and unique at the same time. He stiffened and pushed himself back up to support his own weight, though not without Eren's assistance.

"Can you make it up the stairs?" the teen asked with that familiar concerned look in his eyes.

"I'm fine," the raven insisted as he shut the car door. Even that simple task seemed too difficult for him in Eren's eyes, but he decided to take his word for it.

"Then you head up. I'm gonna get the groceries."

Levi said nothing as he headed for the stairs. As soon as he reached the curb, he tripped and went down, barely having the reflex to catch himself with his hands. Eren rushed to his side and immediately started to help him up. Just by his unfocused eyes, he could tell how nauseous the artist was.

"Shit," he mumbled, relying on Eren's arms alone to hold his weight.

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to try the stairs on your own," the brunet said.

"Hmpf..."

Carefully, he set the man back on his feet but kept a firm hold of his waist. He instructed him to hook an arm around his neck so he could walk up with support. Having no other option, Levi complied. He managed to make it halfway up the first flight of stairs before he stumbled again and nearly broke his nose on one of the steps.

"This isn't working," mumbled Eren mostly to himself. Going against his better judgment from the attitude he would surely get from Levi, he scooped the man up into his arms. Levi weighed, scarily, next to nothing yet fit comfortably in his arms.

Eren chuckled upon hearing a half-hearted "brat" come from the addict as he carried him up the remainder of the stairs.

The whole time, Levi's heart was pounding. He was absolutely sure Eren could feel it. His nerves seemed alive with electricity and his stomach flopped around in a strange new way, quite opposite of the way that suggested he was about to puke.

'More human feelings...' he thought to himself.

He thought these kinds of feelings had stopped being possible for him years ago. He knew drugs rewrote the chemistry of a person's brain, and for how long he'd been addicted, he shouldn't have been able to feel so alive away from the monster. But there he was, more physically comfortable than he'd been in a long time against Eren's chest, supported by his capable arms, his head resting against his strong shoulder...

An involuntary image of how Eren's muscles must've had to flex beneath his smooth, tan skin as he held onto the raven flashed through Levi's mind and a pleasant shiver snaked its way down his spine.

Feeling that, Eren murmured, "We're almost there. You'll be warm in a sec."

Levi said nothing. For once, he wasn't cold and the shiver had nothing to do with the chilly air surrounding them. He wouldn't let Eren know this, though.

Somehow, Eren managed to get the door unlocked and open, stepping into the warm apartment. Levi didn't protest as he was laid across the couch in his usual spot atop the blankets he'd been using that morning, though part of him wished Eren would take him to his room instead. It wasn't because his bed was any more comfortable than the couch, in fact he preferred couches and always had. He merely longed to be curled up in those arms for a longer amount of time – just those few extra seconds it would take to make it to the room. It was a feeling he quickly buried, however.

As soon as Eren ceased contact, the dizziness greeted him again, the room pitching and rolling around him in every direction. He lifted a shaky hand to his face to cover his eyes, already squeezed shut.

"You okay?" Eren murmured.

"Define 'okay'," grumbled the raven. "Just go get the groceries."

With slight reluctance, Eren headed for the door again, planning to be as quick as possible. The sound of his name had him stopping and turning.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry...for being such a burden to you," said Levi quietly as he slowly lowered his hand, lashes fluttering open despite the nausea that refused to subside.

The teen shook his head with a small grin on his face. Levi's stomach clenched in response to the fluttering he felt from seeing that smile, as small as it may have been, again.

"You're not," said Eren. He then disappeared out the door, leaving Levi floating in a strange new kind of high and feeling like he seriously needed a cigarette.

---

Other than revealing where I came up with the title of this fic, I don't really like this chapter. ._. It's weird, idk. But let me know what you think, anyway? haha