Key to a Caged Heart

Glassy Sky

A/N: Hiya peeps! For some reason I was able to write and edit this chapter really quick, which is surprising since it's one of the longer chapters. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!

Song: I had the toughest time finding a song for this chapter. I took two extra hours to update because I was going through my entire iTunes library to find a song for this chapter and I'm still not completely happy. The song doesn't appear in this chapter so I just chose a song I like that can be stretched to fit Eren's relationship with Grisha if you use your imagination. I first heard this song in Tokyo Ghoul which is AMAZING. If you haven't watched it yet, hop to it. Also, if you guys have any anime suggestions for me, I'd love to hear them. I only started watching anime in January so I have a lot to catch up on. Okay, now read!

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After waking up in Levi's bed, in Levi's arms no less, there was a subtle shift in their relationship. A comfortable calm wrapped around them as if they had known each other all their lives.

Eren no longer hid his thoughts or emotions out of fear of upsetting Levi and Levi was more than grateful for Eren's honest expressions. Easy banter ensued, evenings found them cooking dinner together, and most nights found Eren in Levi's room. In a completely platonic way.

When he awoke from his nightmare he went straight to Levi, who was always awake and scooted wordlessly to one side of the bed, making room for Eren. Eren climbed into bed and they fell asleep. If it was a more vivid nightmare and Eren ended up crying, Levi would wrap him against his chest until Eren's crying exhausted him and they fell asleep like that.

Neither of them mentioned the night when morning came. It was an unspoken rule. During the hours of sunlight, Eren masqueraded arrogance and imitated happy smiles. Occasionally, Levi pulled a genuine smile from those soft pink lips. He was getting better and better at doing that. Yet when the night descended and the crisp October air sneaked in through the slits of the window sill, Eren caved inward, forming a tight ball of guilt, self-loathing, and misery.

Levi was two sides to a coin as well. In the daytime, he scolded Eren for making a mess and baited Eren into defensiveness when he casually mentioned that Eren could have his boyfriend over the apartment instead of always going to Armin's house after school. Eren resolutely denied that anything romantic existed between him and his best friend, which Levi had realized was true, at least on Eren's side, but it never ceased being amusing to watch Eren explode over the implications. At nighttime, Levi lay awake wondering if Eren would have a nightmare and come to him. After that night when Eren opened up about his past, the boy disregarded any lingering self-consciousness about appearing weak and immediately sought Levi out like a nightlight to combat the darkness in his heart and mind.

Levi was not a soft person. Ask Hanji or Erwin or even his bandmates. His language was often coarse and he wasn't above using the threat of force to get his way, although it usually took a single glare from stormy grey eyes to get what he wanted.

This was not the case with Eren, at least not at night. An internal switch is flipped and he is gentle, warm, open with his words and actions. Levi has never been those things for another person, but he is for Eren. He can't refuse Eren anything.

As they wait for their food in their booth at Maria's Diner, Levi is struck by the changes he has seen take place in the young man sitting across from him. He must have had an odd expression on his face because Eren looked at him quizzically, asking, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Levi evaded the question with one of his own. "Have you thought anymore about what we talked about?"

The evening after Eren opened up to Levi about his guilt, Levi had a long talk with the boy on how he couldn't sabotage his life anymore because it wasn't what his mother would want. Eren teared up again. Honestly, he was more of a crybaby than Rin Matsuoka. In the end he agreed to consider applying to colleges and Levi began leaving pamphlets about the application process and different schools around the apartment. Eren would open the refrigerator door to get a glass of milk and a pamphlet on acing the SAT's would fall out. If he chose to apply, at least he needn't worry about taking the SAT's since Annie had dragged him to the test center last spring.