Shingeki no Kyojin. Alone.

Monster kid

As I laid in bed, thinking over the day, my mind wandered to Eren. In reality, he isn't what he's made out to be. He isn't a monster, a creature or a Titan. He's a kid. A naive, hormonal teen that lost his mother to something he doesn't understand. A kid chained to an old rickety bed in a dark, damp and cold basement by himself, labelled a devil.

Poor brat. Yes he's clumsy, angry and screws up a lot, but that's hardly abnormal for any human being, why should he be called a monster for it.

Groaning in annoyance with myself I got up out of bed, swinging my legs over the side onto the cold wooden floor. Slinging on a shirt, I grabbed a dim candle and stealthily left my room. Slowly, I made my way down to the basement, creeping past the other dorms so not to wake Erwin or Hanji. The candle flickered against the dark abyss encasing the corridor and the floorboards creaked as I slunk down the stairs, shivering at the cool night air before composing myself.

I walked up to the rusty metal bars and carefully took the keys off the nearby wall. Peering into the darkness, I was able to make out Eren's figure; illuminated in the moonlight, his dark locks swept across his face and his body twisted in almost a mangled position.

"Eren." I called, keeping my tone soft whist opening the cell.

"Mm-eh?" He rolled slightly and squinted against the light before slowly opened his eyes, "R-Rivalle?"

I freed him from the chains without a word and he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Eren. Sleep in my room tonight." I held in a chuckle at his childlike action, cautiously turning my face to hide any emotion.

"Eh? Really?" A predictable look of surprise swept across his face.

I gave a single nod and he stared for a moment before trying to get up. In his sleepy daze he lost his balance, falling back as I registered his clumsy movement and swiftly caught him. He clung to my shoulders in surprise.

"S-Sorry! T-that was really stupid of me!" He looked away, clearly flustered and stifled an obvious yawn.

I let out a subtle relieved grunt and watched him begin to doze off again in my arms. Rolling my eyes I slid my arm under his legs and secured his lower back with the other before lifting him off the ground. His eyes widened in shock and he wrapped his arms around my neck in fear of falling. He shot me a quizzical look which I decided was less hassle to just ignore and began to make my way back to my room.

He began to relax and very cautiously rested his head on my shoulder as I softly snook back, before long his breathing grew steady and slow, indicating he'd fallen into slumber.

I became alerted to a sudden presence and I whipped my head round. Erwin was stood, leaning against the door frame, confusion clear in his eyes.

"Levi? What's going on?" He kept his voice low, eyeing up Eren fast asleep in my neck crook.

I stayed silent for a moment, looking down at the boy in my arms, "He's...not that different from me. A monster and an underground thug appear to be more similar than I thought." I turned my gaze to him.

He seemed to understand and nodded his approval, smiling before returning to the darkness behind him and quietly clicking the door shut. I continued down the hall until I reached my dormitory and gently pushed the door open with my elbow, swinging my body round the frame and clicking it shut with my foot. Finally, I let out a shaky sigh of relief, leaning against the wood. Erwin didn't seem to mind, no Hanji and no late night wanderers, it would appear I got away with it.

I gazed down at the peaceful face in my arms and an aura of the same peace swept across my body. Carefully I laid Eren down on the bed then climbed in beside him, feeling the soft mattress fold around my form. I reached down and pulled the the warm blankets over both of us, protecting us from the biting cold of the night, then settled myself down into the warmth. Sleep began to creep up on me and my eyelids began to droop.

Just as I was drifting off I jumped as I felt strong arms wrap around my waist.

"E-Eren?" I whispered, slightly turning my head towards him. No response, his warm breath tickled my neck and his whole body pressed against my back. Clearly fast asleep.

I sighed and just let it go. It wasn't uncomfortable so I just let him sleep. It was almost amusing to see the boy who spends daylight hours so fragile and afraid of what he does and says around me now acting like this subconsciously. I allowed myself a small smile. Stupid brat.