The Toxic Wasters

8. L-O-V-E

Umm.... really intense chapter warning

It was another late night, shuffling through papers that gave Erwin a migraine. The evidence was confusing and the witness' testimonies even more so. He wanted to burn the papers, watch them turn to ash and soot. It would ease his mind. But he worked late into the night, almost every night. His wife didn't like it very much either.

Hanji came into his office with a blanket around her shoulders. She sighed. She had hoped to find him asleep on the couch, but she knew he always sat at his desk, working until he passed out. Hanji walked up to her husband, bringing her arms around his shoulders. "Why don't you come to bed, try this again some other day," she suggested.

Erwin leaned back into his wife's embrace. The distraction was nice, but his work still taunted him. "If I keep doing that then nothing will get done," he explained. His wife tugged at his cheek, as if she were attempting to pull him to bed, but was too drowsy. "Yes, but you'll wear yourself out."

He knew Hanji was right. She always was. But the couple's hearing was less than two months away. And Erwin felt less confident in the case than before he had met with the two.

"I'll just be a few more minutes," Erwin promised. But Hanji knew if she let it continue, her husband wouldn't be getting any sleep. She pulled around the extra seat by his desk and sat down in the leather cushion. She glanced at his paperwork.

"You're overworking yourself," Hanji stated. She shuffled the papers together and looked to her husband. He furrowed his brows. "I'm glad we've both come to the same conclusion?"

"You're also overthinking, Erwin."

Before Erwin could ask his wife what she meant, Hanji began shoving his papers into the closest drawer. "I wanted to finish-"

"Erwin, give yourself a break. There is plenty of evidence proving mental illness clouding their judgement. There's no reason to continue chasing after witnesses that have already testified and evidence that's already there," she said with an exasperated sigh. "Please, give yourself a break."

Erwin brought his wife into a hug before nodding. She was right. Levi and Eren are psychopaths. With enough evidence to make anyone's head spin. And yet, he felt there were pieces missing. Whether it be a witness, a victim, or another participant. He couldn't put his finger on it.

For his wife's sake, he brought her to their room. They laid on the comfortable mattress together in each other's arms. He pressed a kiss to her temple. "I'm sorry if I made you worry," he whispered against her skin. A deep breath escaped through her nose. "I can't say it's relaxing to watch you overwork yourself," she commented as she tightened her grip on her husband's arm.

"I can always take your mind off my awful habits," he suggested. She looked up to her husband over her spectacles. "If you're insinuating sex, I one hundred percent agree."

She was already removing her glasses and setting it on the nightstand. And for once, Erwin had a night without thinking about the case.

- 5 years ago -

Eren had started a movie, which he had called the best movie of all time, but Levi didn't catch the name or pay attention to the plot. Eren made a bowl of popcorn that remained untouched by Levi, but Eren occasionally dipped his hands in. All Levi could focus on was Eren. The room was dark, the only light filtering through the screen. But Eren's features were too enticing when the flashing lights flickered across his face.

When Eren caught the raven staring, the movie no longer mattered. Eren initiated the kiss, beginning slowly. He slid his arms around Levi's waist, bringing the raven closer as Levi tugged at his chocolate locks. It felt like an eternity to Levi before Eren's tongue slipped past his lips, something he approved of with a hum. The brunet picked up Levi just enough to bring him in his lap. That's when things picked up.