Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/1339618. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Underage, Major_Character_Death Category: M/M Fandom: Shingeki_no_Kyojin_|_Attack_on_Titan Relationship: Levi/Eren_Yeager, Marco_Bott/Jean_Kirstein Character: Eren_Yeager, Levi_(Shingeki_no_Kyojin), Mikasa_Ackerman, Armin_Arlert, Sasha_Blouse, Marco_Bott, Jean_Kirstein, Petra_Ral, Oluo_Bozado, Hange Zoë, Erwin_Smith, Moblit_Berner, Isabel_Magnolia, Farlan_Church Additional Tags: Alternate_Universe_-_Zombie_Apocalypse, Alternate_Universe_-_Modern Setting, Zombie!eren, all_of_104th_squad_are_zombies, This_is_funny_if_u have_the_same_sense_of_humor_i_have, Eren_POV, levi_pov, Canonical Character_Death, Non-Binary_Hange_Zoë, Fluff_and_Angst, Major_Character Injury, Semi-graphic_violence, Crude_Humor, Eskimo_Kisses, Past_Character Death, zombie!Eren_counts_as_major_chara_death_right?, Temporary Character_Death, Sexual_Tension, no_i_have_not_watched_WARM_BODIES_and_i will_not_do_so_until_i_finish_this_fic Series: Part 1 of Undead_Lover Stats: Published: 2014-03-22 Updated: 2015-10-09 Chapters: 11/? Words: 18631 ****** "Dead Hearts Beat Steadily" ****** by YASSDENSWH Summary - I am dead, or undead, I should say. I have been a zombie for a while now. For how long I don't know and I don't really care. Nothing important or interesting happens in what I call my new "Life". That is, until I met HIM. The human that changed me forever. Freaks to our own worlds, we collide and meet in the strangest of circumstances. I am dead, or undead, rather. Though my heart has ceased beating and I can no longer draw breath, this human makes me feel as if I had never died at all. -   {HIATUS_...uncertain??} Notes I made another work! Welcome to my version of a Zombie AU! This work is inspired by another author's work that i think was called "Stand By Me" or something. It had this same/ similar concept. There is an option to include the link to any work that inspires u but i didnt do that for one reason; It no longer exists here. neither does the author! i dont know what happened and was very disappointed to see such an interesting concept disappear like that. (i tried to find it, i did) so after a few months i decided "wow i miss that Zombie AU. Too bad it's gone. Hell, why don't i make one myself!?" and so this happened. They only made one chapter that was pretty short, so anything that comes after chapter 2 is mine. I don't remember much from that fic, but if you've read it before then ull notice some similarities, but nothing more. this may or may not contain errors! In tribute to/ honor/ memory of that original fic, i present this! I hope u guys like it! See the end of the work for more notes ***** I'm different ***** Eren:                   Walk; dragged feet. Speak; a collage of groans and incoherent noises. Stand; this is pretty self explanatory. Eat; We hunt and kill the living beings that are unfortunate enough to roam into our territory. That's the average "life" of a zombie, such as myself.                 It's really boring actually. Occasionally, something interesting happens, but those are over just as soon as they come. It doesn't really matter much though. So long as I stay with my pack, we increase the possibility of our "Survival", if you will. It's not like we need much anyway.                 However, there is something that bothers me. I'm not certain what it is exactly, but something is there.                 Nothing should bother me though, that's the strange part. Or rather it's one of them. I have nothing i should be worrying about, not including the armed humans that hunt us down.                 I'm fucking dead for Christ’s sake and have been for quite a while. I don't know how long that's been and i don't really care.                 There are no bills to pay, no laundry to do, no standards to uphold, no society to blend into. We just act on our instinct and Survive.We fight to live a life we no longer have. But i'm all about the fight, so it's fine by me.                 Pretty much worry free. There's nothing we need to do outside of our daily routine. I don't remember much from when i was alive, but i knew all those useless things were a pain in the ass, so i'm not complaining.                 If none of these things bother me, what does? Maybe it's the fact that i'm actually taking the time to think about this. I'm actually mulling this over and self reflecting. The way I am now, I shouldn't have anything else on my mind other than my pack, brains, and overall cravings for human flesh. I actually have rational thought. Who would've guessed?                 I wonder if anyone else feels the same way i do. Do they self reflect on themselves and the way we live too? Are they bored of this way of life? Can they remember fragments of their past humanity like i can? Do they recall their human names? Can they feel anything at all?                 I guess that gets to the heart of things. What seems to be bothering me is the possibility that i'm actually different. That i may be the only one that still has the ability to summon such human-like traits despite being undead. I don't know if that's a curse or a blessing. I'm still fucking dead.                 Surely im not the only one, right? Maybe one of the others is experiencing this? I don't really have any way of knowing.                 We communicate with each other, but its not the way we used to do it. It's just a bunch of grunts and sways with the occasional gesture. I've never tried to see if they could actually talk. Heck, I don't know if even i can still do that. But i guess it wouldn't hurt to try.                 A zombie with matted, short blonde hair drags his feet beside me. His name used to be Armin and he was what we would call my best friend before we died. I decided to check if he ever had thoughts like mine. He was quite intelligent from what i remember, so maybe he can. I think back to the way I used to speak when we were alive and try to start a conversation. "Hey." That was really short, but a pretty good effort on my part, I believe. My voice sounds much more rough and groggy than i remember, but that's to be expected. Armin didn't reply. Maybe he didn't catch that. I try rephrasing it into something more specific. "What's up?" It took me a few tries to say it without sounding like i was puking, but i got it. He still didn't answer me. All i got was a throaty groan in return. I don't even know if he understood. I guess not.                 I could always try with someone else, but if Armin couldn't do it, no one could. Except possibly Mikasa. I wasn't going to attempt it however, for fear of being met with more disappointment.                 Fear? Disappointment? I'm dead or undead rather. How am i feeling such things? It was certainly bizarre.                 That settles it then. I'm a freak. I'm undead, so i don't belong to humans of the living world. But i can still think for myself and somewhat speak, so i can't really be a zombie. What am i then?                 Okay, this calls for some self assessment. I am a zombie. I don't recall how i died, but i can recall a few fragments from my life as a mortal. Yeah, this is a pretty good start.                 I vaguely remember having someone call me out by a name. Eren, was it? I think so. As for my last name, eh, not so much.                 Everyone currently in my pack are people i used to be friends with when we were human. I remember their names, but i'm uncertain whether they know their own or not.                 Every now and then, I experience strange things happening with myself that doesn't seem to be taking place inside of anyone else. I can feel. I can think. I can speak. No one else is showing signs of being able to do this. Why only me?                 My reverie is abruptly cut off when an itching sensation begins to course throughout my entire body. A heavy, gassy bubbling simmers deep within. The cravings are back. "Hungry." I groan, as i recall the word used to describe this feeling. My pack seemed to be registering the same thing. They begin to shift towards one direction in unison, an orchestra of groans and moans drifting into the breeze that drew across them. I stalked after them. - - -                 It didn't take long to find food.                 Sasha of course, was the first to discover the group of humans. She was also the first to throw herself at their necks. We followed soon after.                 As it turns out, there were more humans than we had expected, but that didn't matter. On our own, we are slow. But when the cravings kick in, we can become extremely aggressive. They were no match for us. We effortlessly attack them and ripped at their vulnerable flesh.                 Anyone that tried to put up more of a fight was immediately taken down by Mikasa and roughly tackled to the ground. She buried her teeth into the victim and tore into the softness of their stomach, scooping out their intestines and chewed at them sloppily. Man, did it get messy. No need to be civilized anymore now that we're dead.                 I managed to get my hands on two of them and dug into them greedily. I was more of a head zombie. They had the best stuff there. Plus, there was something oddly soothing about bashing their heads against jagged rocks and watching their brains drip out. Thank God i'm a zombie, other wise i'd be one creepy ass human being.                 I plucked out their eyes and popped them into my mouth as if it were free candy. It was the equivalent of that to me.                 I was just finishing up slurping out the last of their brains when it happened. A shot rang out and echoed in the mildly chilled air. We all knew what that meant. They were armed.                 We all scrambled to our feet, some towards the direction from which the sound originated and others away from it. I went towards it of course because they disrupted my meal. Needless to say, I wasn't very pleased. Loud noises bothered us.                 There were two people. One was a man with a shotgun and the other was a lady that double wielded pistols. That was kinda badass if you ask me. I would have just stood there, awed at their technique if the bitch hadn't shot me in the chest. Now that triggered something. I was only trying to admire you, asshole.                 I was livid, channeling my newly summoned rage into energy for raw power. I charged at her, ignoring the other bullet that grazed my shoulder and lunged myself at the curve of her neck, giving it a big chomp. She cried out as she lost her balance and collapsed onto the ground. The others behind me ganged up on the other man and that was the end of it.                 I lifted myself off the dirt covered ground, having already consumed my more favored parts and followed along the other half of my pack until i came to a sudden halt. A mildly sweet scented smell tickled my nose and i could instantly tell what it was. A human. I briefly scanned the area when my eyes came across it.                 It appeared to be what seemed like a male huddled up in the shadows underneath abandoned rubble. He had a silky smooth, pale complexion with jet black hair that stood out in heavy contrast against his light skin.                 He was quite petite from what i could tell and was hugging his legs to himself tightly while slightly trembling. His shaking only increased when he looked my way and made eye contact with me.                 His eyes relayed signs of fear, anxiousness, and anger, though his expression implied that he normally seemed irritated. His steely, icy eyes stared into mine for what felt like countless minutes.                 They reminded me of the tall, gray buildings frozen over with a thin sheet of ice when the sunlight shimmered onto the glistening frost just right. I would get to enjoy the beautifully sparkling sight every time winter hit. And now, it was here in front of me. Only this time, it was in the embodiment of a young male.                 As his fear grew, the sweet smell got a little stronger. Saliva poured out from my mouth involuntarily and dribbled down my chin. The delicious scent i was picking up from him was soon becoming too much to bear as my cravings began to spring to life once again. There was only one thing that was repeating itself like a mantra in my mind this time; protect him.     ***** Introductions ***** Chapter Summary Eren protects the mysterious man. Introductions and discoveries are made for both parties. Chapter Notes i had to restrain myself from updating this i couldn't wait any longer! the reason for waiting (though this chap. is VERY short) is because im writing other fics like ive said before (I think i should stop for a bit, im writing ANOTHER story and a one- shot{?}) you all most likely knew who the character was before, but here's their intros updates may or may not stay consistent- may or may not contain errors! i hope you guys like it! (Wait what i have planned ahahahahMUHUHAHAA) See the end of the chapter for more notes Eren:                   There was only one thing that was repeating itself like a mantra in my mind this time. Protect him.                 Wait, what? Protect him? No no no, that wasn't right. It couldn't be. It meant to say "Eat him", right?                 I searched for the voice in the depths of my mind to be sure if i had thought wrong. Nope, still there. The constant "Protect him" was ringing in my head. Okay, fine. I won't eat him, geez.                 I don't know what has come over me and the internal struggle i'm having right now, but i'll listen to my voice of reason. I've never really ignored it before. Then again, it always said trivial things like "Eat", "walk", "attack" and so on. Nothing like this.                 Perhaps it's what ever may be left of my old human self that's telling me to do so. This isn't all that strange compared to the fact that i'm not the mindless zombie i'm supposed to be. This is something interesting indeed.                 I could hear the other half of the pack approaching. They were finally done with the other two, i suppose. As i turn around, i notice Sasha trudging along in the front. She's chomping away at a limb in her grip, though there isn't much meat left clinging to the bone.                 That one never seems to ever get her fill. It's like she can eat forever. That's when it clicked.                 The man! If she finds him, she'll tear him apart for sure! I can't let that happen.                 I turn my attention back to the raven. He's noted my pack and is trying his best to disappear under the rubble. That won't be enough unless i do something. I feel a new wave of emotion overcome me that humans would call determination and make my way over to him.                 As i go over, i hear him take a sharp intake of breath. Eventually, i come to loom over his spot and he stares at me in horror. I take a glance back at the zombies behind me. They're getting closer!                 Sasha's dropped the flesh-less limb and is scoping around the area in search of more food. Damn it, i need to act fast. Only one thing came up and i'm sure this guy isn't gonna like what i have planned.                 I take one of my hands and dip my fingers into my bullet wounds, extracting some of the rotten flesh. I crouch down to his level, and he jolts slightly at my proximity.                 Without a second to spare, i smear my fetid secretions over his body and repeat the process. I'm going to assume that he's holding his breath right now, since i can't hear him.                 I slather on the last of my putrid essence on the sides of his face and he stiffens. He casts me a look of pure terror mixed with perplexed confusion and a hint of disgustedness. You're welcome, jerk.                 I make sure to lean over him slightly to ensure that he gains the highest possibility of going undetected. When my pack starts to walk by, i feel him tense up underneath me. If i could still cast breath, I'd be holding it in right now.                 It's like watching them move past us in slow motion. Soon enough, they end up a good distance away from us. I assume they're going back to our regular spot, since we've already eaten.                 I look around once, twice, three times for maximum security before i begin to lift myself off of him. A few moments pass until he slowly commences to sit up. I offer up a hand to him, but he only stares back at it and gazes back up to me tentatively. Yeah, I didn't think he'd be willing to take it.                 I pulled my hand back and shuffle away to give him some space to get up, all the while on high alert for any other zombies or humans that may wander by.                 He pushes himself off the ground and out from underneath the mound of rubble. Hesitantly, he makes eye contact with me. We stand there gazing at each other, the look in his eyes still relaying his confusion. I decide that i should probably say something to break the silence. "Safe." I gurgle.                 At least i hope that's what it sounded like i said. I'm at least hoping it sounded like an actual word, not me regurgitating. I pointed at him so that he could tell that i was referring to him. His confusion only seemed to increase at my action. He blinked. "...wha?"                 Okay. Not sure if he understood me or not. Maybe i should try something else. I pondered it for a moment and chose to introduce myself. That should be simple enough. I pointed a finger at myself this time and struggled to form my next words until i felt i could get them right. "Me. Eren." I started, trying not to croak too much so that my speech would come out clearer. I proceeded to gesture back to him. "You?"                 His expression transitioned from perplexion to one of absolute shock as his jaw dropped. He stared at me like that for a few moments before closing his mouth and blinking slowly. "Uh... Levi." he said, dumbfounded. "My name's Levi."         Chapter End Notes ohhhhhhh LEEEEVIIIIII im going to include some Levi POV bcuz yes but that's later on okay guys jeanmarco feels as a reminder/fair warning and no, i have not watched "Warm bodies" yet. I will if i remember! This fic makes me feel powerful, wow next chap. will be longer btw! you'll also find out later on why Eren doesn't eat Levi blah, blah, blah Disgustedness is actually a word WOW what a world (it's probably informal tho) ***** Special =0.2 ***** Chapter Summary Chapter 3(-0.8 = 0.2 Levi and Eren communicate. They both learn something new about each other. Quite an exciting day for the duo. Chapter Notes chap 3(-0.8 = 0.2 ^^^ that is code chapter update! woohoo! writing this fic is so much fun! This chapter gets very interesting! i hope it makes up for the last one which was very short! hope u guys enjoy! See the end of the chapter for more notes EREN:   "My name is Levi." He said, Still unsure if this was really happening or not.                 Levi, huh? I don't know why, but I feel like that name really suits him. I like it. "Hi, Levi." I try.                 Now that im starting to use my voice more, it feels like im getting the hang of it. "...Hi..." He replies slowly, lifting a brow at my attempt of striking friendly conversation.                 He was still flabbergasted. He cleared his throat. "So... you can talk? You can.. Understand me?" He asked curiously.                 I don't blame him for being so awestruck. If i were him, i'd be doing the same. Ive just come to terms with being able to do so myself not very long ago. I do give him credit though,  he's taking this surprisingly well. "Yes." I said, adding in a small nod in case it sounded like i just puked in my mouth. "...I see... "                 We stayed silent for a while. {After a few moments, he spoke again. "so, Eren." he started. "Can you... sing?"                 I blinked at him. Sing? Can i sing? Where did that come from? Either way, i don't know if i could sing, i barely talk. For now, i merely shake my head. "Really? well, im just curious but." He paused and whispered. "Do you know the song, "thriller"?" I blinked again. Thriller? Doesn't ring a bell. But what do i care about music? I'm fucking dead. 'Undead' my mind whispers softly. SHut up, brain. Dont fucking correct me. I shake my head again. "You don't? well, as a refresher, it goes like this:   It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark Under the moonlight you see a sight that almost stops your heart You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes, You're paralyzed   'Cause this is thriller, thriller night And no one's gonna save you from the beast about to strike You know it's thriller, thriller night You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight   You hear the door slam and realize there's nowhere left to run You feel the cold hand and wonder if you'll ever see the sun You close your eyes and hope that this is just imagination, girl But all the while you hear the creature creepin' up behind You're out of time"  He sung.                   Wait that sound familiar. HUh? Michael Jackson!? Is he making fun of me?! I think this is racist!?? "...Wha?" I groan. "No good, huh? Time to crank it up." "No, Levi. I-"                 He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out an old radio and starts throwin these fresh beats at me. His singing intensified.   "'Cause this is thriller, thriller night There ain't no second chance against the thing with forty eyes, girl Thriller, thriller night You're fighting for your life inside of killer, thriller tonight   Night creatures call and the dead start to walk in their masquerade There's no escapin' the jaws of the alien this time (they're open wide) This is the end of your life   They're out to get you, there's demons closing in on every side They will possess you unless you change the number on your dial Now is the time for you and I to cuddle close together, yeah. All through the night I'll save you from the terror on the screen, I'll make you see"                   By now he was singing as loud as he could, doing the dance from the video. My body itched. No. No don't do it. Don't dance with him.   "That this is thriller, thriller night 'Cause I can thrill you more than any ghoul would ever dare try Thriller, thriller night So let me hold you tight and share a killer, diller, chiller, thriller here tonight"                                 Well, fuck it all. I'd say YOLO, but im not alive anymore. Kinda?                 I don't bother singing along cuz my voice is shit but i do the dance by Levi's side. It feels right.   "'Cause this is thriller, thriller night Girl I can thrill you more than any ghoul would ever dare try Thriller, thriller night So let me hold you tight and share a killer, thriller   I'm gonna thrill you tonight   Darkness falls across the land The midnight hour is close at hand Creatures crawl in search of blood To terrorize your neighbourhood And whosoever shall be found Without the soul for getting down Must stand and face the hounds of hell And rot inside a corpse's shell The foulest stench is in the air The funk of forty thousand years And grisly ghouls from every tomb Are closing in to seal your doom And though you fight to stay alive Your body starts to shiver For no mere mortal can resist The evil of the thriller"                 We dance for a few hours until he gets tired and his radio fully breaks. "You remember now, Brat?" He asks, panting.                 I only nod in return. "And do you know my favorite part of all this, Eren?"                 I offer a shrug. "My favorite part is when i sing APRIL FOOLS, YOU LITTLE SHITS!" He shouted up to the sky in a sing-song voice. "WoooHOOOO!" i scream, just because yes.                 Levi grins and wipes the sweat from his brow. "SEE YOU FOR REAL IN THE NEXT UPDATE, FUCKERS!"                 i slow clap out the outro. Teh nEd.}       Chapter End Notes *Laughs really hard* happy april fools! holy shit, thanks for scrolling down and reading this far guys, u r all a great sport! I LEGIT SPENT OVER AN HOUR MAKING FAKE CHAPTERS FOR MOST OF MY FICS!! The next update will be for REAL! also the code meant that is was actually only an approximate of 20% of the actual chapter. instead of rick roll, it was thriller hope u guys liked it! dont be too upset! btw i copy pasted lyrics off a website (SOmething A-Z) ***** Special ***** Chapter Summary Levi and Eren communicate. They get along surprisingly well for a human and a zombie. Things become even stranger. Chapter Notes I love this fic soooooooooooooo mucccchh! I can tell you guys do too! wow! i didn't think this would be so popular! The one that's the most fun to write is my best one, figures. This is the real deal! no prank! Let it be known that this fic will be strangely fluffy for a zombie fic, but it's gonna go to shit. (I tried not to, but come on. its a zombie AU!) hope you guys like it! See the end of the chapter for more notes   EREN:   "My name is Levi." He said, Still unsure if this was really happening or not.                 Levi, huh? I don't know why ,but I feel like that name really suits him. I like it. "Hi, Levi." I try.                 Now that im starting to use my voice more, it feels like im getting the hang of it. "...Hi..." He replies slowly, lifting a brow at my attempt of striking friendly conversation.                 He was still flabbergasted. He cleared his throat. "So... you can talk? You can.. Understand me?" He asked curiously.                 I don't blame him for being so awestruck. If i were him, i'd be doing the same. Ive just come to terms with being able to do so myself not very long ago. I do give him credit though,  he's taking this surprisingly well. "Yes." I said, adding in a small nod in case it sounded like I just puked in my mouth. "...I see... "                 We stayed silent for a while. It was a comfortable silence though, as surprising as it sounds. It did to me at least.                 I scanned over the space around us. That's when i saw the other corpses lying uselessly on the ground; bite marks and acid vomit splatters smattered their bodies. Then it hit me. A bubble of what I recognized as fear and terror started to rise from deep inside my body.                 My pack had completely torn these guys to shreds. We destroyed another group. A group that was just trying to survive like us. A group that had Levi hiding nearby. Does that mean... no. Not that. Please don't be that.                 I turned to him just as he looked back to me. I don't know if my face happened to look a specific way or something because his expression changed almost instantly. "Eh? Oi, why are you making that face?" He paused. "How are you making that face?"                 Oh right. He knows that i can talk, but he doesn't know I can feel. Well now i know my facial expressions work just fine. "Group." I croak, my throat feeling deathly dry. "Huh?" "Group." I repeated, pointing at the heaps of decaying bodies. "Yours?"                 Levi blinked at me, registering what i had just asked him. "Mine? Oh, no. That's not my group. Don't worry about it." "Oh."                 If i could still breathe, I would've let out a sigh of relief. It would've been really awkward if it had been his. Hey, just 'cuz I killed two people and ate their brains doesn't mean i don't care. I have feelings now, fucker. "My group is else where. I just came here 'cuz i heard these guys had tons of food and were hogging it all, those bastards. So despite being scared shitless, your zombie friends actually did some good, in a sense." "Good?"                 We did some good? Good wasn't a word used to describe zombies. It was always the complete opposite. We were always referred to negatively; the walking, undead plagues of the Earth.                 This was certainly a first. Today was a first for many things in fact. Still, i felt a light, airy sensation taking place within my chest. I would refer to this emotion as happiness. "Yes. It does sound weird, doesn't it? You sure did a number on those guys, i admit. Definitely glad that you were the one that found me and not them."                 Levi walked over to the corpses and pat them down, looting the bodies for any valuables he might find. "Good," I said again. "Good."                 He stood up from his spot, now sporting backpacks filled with the items he had gathered. "Uh... yeah."                 I savored the way the compliment rolled around on my tongue and out of my mouth. "Good!" I stated once again with pride, this time like it was a fact.                 He turned to face me and was about to say something, when he stopped himself. Now he stood there, flinging me a surprised expression with some hint of incredulousness. "You.. did... did you just- ...how.."                 He couldn't seem to form a proper sentence and was stumbling over his own words. "I ...you.. you're something else, you know that?" He chuckled softly to himself, shaking his head. "You're not like the other ones. You're different."                 The airy sensation I had started to give off what i assumed were soft glows of warmth at his words. This is strange because i don’t recall the last time I was warm. My senses aren't as sharp as they used to be, physically. I'm surprised I can even process what "Warm" feels like. Either way, I was delighted at the compliment all the same. He hoisted the bags onto his shoulders, adjusting them so they wouldn't slip off on his journey back to his own group. "I think it's about time I got going. I already have everything i need, so there's no point in sticking around anymore."                 He looked me directly in the eyes. "Thanks for the save back there. I don't know why you did it, but I appreciate it none the less."                 He took a moment to ponder his next words. "This is something I didn't think I'd ever say, but... I hope you stay safe. You're not mindless like those other ones. So I guess in my book, you count as a life with value."                 The glowing in my chest is getting a little stronger, making me feel warmer. I have no idea how i'm feeling this at all, but it's a nice sensation, so I don't really mind. Is this what it felt like to be alive? "You too."                 I was mildly surprised at how these words sounded a bit clearer than my other ones had. Perhaps i'm starting to get my old voice back. The edges of his lips curved up slightly and I assumed that was his way of smiling. Yep, saving this guy was totally worth the effort, no doubt. Hell fucking yeah, that smile. "I don't know if i'll be seeing you again, but it was... interesting to meet you. If Hanji were here, they'd be flipping their shit. It's probably for the best they aren't here right now though, for you I mean."                 He turned to a trail that leads off of the road and into the neighborhood brush. "Well i'm off. So long, weirdo." "Bye."                 I gave a wave of my hand and he offered a small nod in return before walking off into that direction. This was probably the most exciting thing that's happened to me in forever. I'm not certain as to whether he's thinking the same thing, but... I want to see him again.                 This may be presumptuous of me and all, but i want to continue to hear that accent when i'm talking to him and see him smile. But who knows if we ever will in a world like this. Normal circumstances would pray that we never would.                 However, the possibility will always be there, considering we move around quite a bit. If anything, seeing him again will prove one thing; we survived for another time. Just another day to fight for.                 With newly found and gained happiness, along with a bundle of other mixed emotions churning inside of me, I sway and shift back towards the direction my pack went. I didn't get very far when I stepped in a puddle and wet my feet. I wouldn't have cared much before, but now that i'm getting more in touch with my emotions, I would register this as "Gross."                 I looked down at the ripples i created in the small pool of water. It was only when the ripples calmed that I saw what Levi must have been talking about. My cheeks were slightly swelled, lips spread apart as my set of teeth peeked through the gap. It was something I hadn't seen anyone do in a while and my brain noted the action as one thing; I was smiling. -     Chapter End Notes ashdhgdgfhh!! hshgyud??!?! A SMILE. SMILE. LEVI POV next chapter! (Next 3 chapters actually.) the LEVI POV chapter is long, so i chopped it up to update sooner. You're welcome! i just love typing this fic! Jean/Marco feels approaching as a reminder! it'll hurt, trust me. i'll have fun typing this until i get stuck with writers block. ***** Freak meets freaky ***** Chapter Summary Levis POV on how he meets Eren. Chapter Notes yeaaaah! LEVI POV! some info on Levi and the apocalypse. It will be more in depth as the story moves along. I tried to hold back on updating buuuuuut i couldnt! Already have everything typed up in advance. Currently Working on Eren's chapter. That will have jean/marco feels. You'll notice this is similar to the 1st chapter with Eren. That was done on purpose. may or may not contain errors! Anyway, hope you guys like it! See the end of the chapter for more notes     LEVI:                   My name is Levi. I'm one of the few survivors that managed to get by in this fucked up world we call Earth. The apocalypse has been going on for a few years now. But I don't bother to count that shit and no one bothers to carry around a calendar. Who would honestly?                 I'm the best of the best, as far as I’m concerned. Even up to the point that I went by the title "Humanity's Strongest" for a while, but that's a story for another time.                 I don't need to be equipped with a gun to do damage. Just give me some good knives, and you're playing a dangerous game with the devil himself. I'm a one man army, as others have said. I've taken down entire groups, armed or not, in a matter of minutes, seconds even.                 Now, I am one of the "Good guys" and I do value worthy human life, but I’m quick to kill anything I don't trust. Pretty ironic, huh? Considering I don't trust easily, that's a whole lot of people. I'm still "Good" I swear. I wouldn't' be with my current group right now if I had any other intentions.                 I'm not completely heartless though. It may seem as if i'm just as dead inside as a zombie, but I'm not made of stone, I assure you. I still have my faults, emotions, regrets. I'm not perfect and invincible like everyone thinks I am. I'm still human. Or at least, that's what I’m classified as.                 There are times when I don't feel that way. When I feel i'm some unknown creature entirely. That bothers me. This isn't normal.                 In other words, I'm a freak. There is no definite place where I can belong to. I'm still alive, so i don't belong to the packs of undead zombies. But I have a bizarre ability that no other person seems to have, so I can't really be human. What am I then?                 I can't formulate an answer to that. Maybe i never will. But who cares. In the world we live in now, there’s no time to brood on such petty things. These abilities help us get by much more easily than anyone else can manage, so it's not all bad. In fact, that was the exact reason why I’m with my group now.                 I won't admit it, but I'm grateful for their acceptance. They gave me a reason to live, a purpose for my existence. I'm no longer a mere killing machine, feared by anyone that was unfortunate enough to wander within my proximity. No, I'm part of a group that strives to free us all for the greater good. I'm one of them. They've changed me for the better and it feels like I'll never be able to repay them.                 One thing that unfortunately still stays true to my old days is the fact that I always land myself in some deep shit. It's as if trouble and negative things are just attracted to me, because as much as I try to avoid them, they find a way back.                 Here I was, trying to snag some food supplies from this greedy group of assholes that terrorize the neighboring survivors when a large pack of zombies swoop in and start killing them off in a frenzy. Fucking perfect.                 It was a complete blood bath and there were so many zombies, I couldn't even count them. No matter though, this was just a minor set back. I was armed before i came here of course and was ready to use them if i had to. Only one problem.                 There were so many undead beings swarming around me, I had to quickly move out of that area, leaving behind my bag that contained most of my weapons and gear when I was gathering items. Of course. Thanks a lot, life. Couldn't you find someone else to fuck, horny shitbag.                 I needed to find some place to take refuge and fast. Quickly scanning the area, I spotted an island of rubble that appeared to have a gap big enough for me to squeeze into. Activating my stealth mode, I slowly yet hastily made my way to the large pile. Maybe I had been too hasty because I could hear a zombie trailing right behind me.                 Without thinking, I yanked out the blade I always carried with me from its secured pouch and flung it at the creature. It wasn't enough to kill it or anything since that would be too easy, but the distraction gave me enough time to crawl under the large mound of junk. That had been my only blade and now I was unarmed. Fucking incredible.                 I huddled myself up in the small cave and pulled my legs in close, hoping with all my being I would go unspotted. Try as i might, i still ended up being found out by a zombie that started to approach me after a few tense moments of eye contact.                 Damn it! I hated not having a weapon on me. It made me feel weak and vulnerable to the elements. Those were two things you couldn't afford to be unless you wanted to end up dead, or worse, an undead corpse.                 This was my entire fault. I was the one that was stubborn and managed to convince my squad i'd be fine coming here on my own. Then again, it was probably for the best. If I had gotten caught with one of them around, it would've just been another loss of a valuable life to add to my conscience.                 The zombie was approaching closer and I couldn't help but suck in my breath sharply. It lowered itself to my level and i couldn't find myself able to breathe. I expected the worst. Instead, it smeared it's disgusting essence on me. What the fuck?                 I was heavily confused by what it was doing until it's hand rubbed my cheeks and slathered on more of it's rotted tissue. That is so fucking gross. I legit could have cried. Sooo many germs were covering my body right now. That terrified me more than the actual being of death crouched before me.                 Then, it started to lean in. I thought it was going to chew my face off, but instead, it just stayed there. It didn't get off of me until the rest of the packs of zombies were out of my line of sight. Thank God. I probably smell like Satan’s shit-stained asshole, or worse.                 Slowly, I pushed myself out of the crevice and stood up. I dared to make eye contact with the creature. Now that I was closer, I could tell that this zombie was male and taller than me by a few inches. Silence loomed over us until he pointed at me and made a sound that imitated that of someone gargling. "Safe."                 I blinked at him. Did he just speak? Or was I imagining things? "...Wha?"                 He pointed his finger at himself and spoke again. "Me. Eren." He croaked. "You?" He gestured back to me.                 If this were a cartoon, my jaw would have dropped to the ground. But it wasn't, so I just settled for staring at him in absolute shock. A few moments passed before I closed my mouth and blinked at him slowly. "Levi." I managed to say. "My name is Levi."                 Was this really happening? "Hi, Levi."                 Apparently it was. - - -       Chapter End Notes Its waaaaaaaaaaay too much fun to write this. WAY too much! I'm going to be really upset when I hit a writers block. (I already did with the other ones) Levi POV for the next 2 chapters. Its really all just one chapter though, just chopped up. This chapter title makes me laugh so much, but i couldn't think of anything else. (It sounds fucking kinky or some shit.) Gomen. ***** The weird and the weirdos ***** Chapter Summary Levi parts ways with Eren and reflects. Chapter Notes I can't do titles anymore wow if i can think of better ones, ill change em gimme some ideas for them if you want? one more fragment chapter for LEVI POV after this! hope you guys like this one! See the end of the chapter for more notes     LEVI:     "Hi , Levi."                 I raised a brow. He was... trying to be friendly? Was that even possible? "Hi." I reply back, just to humor him.                 This was absolute madness. I'm making small talk with a god damn zombie. As if I wasn't freakish enough. Clearing my throat, I decided to test him out to verify if I’m dreaming or not. "So.. you can speak?" I start out. "You can understand me?"                 Honestly, I was very intrigued by this one. Never would i have ever imagined I'd be finding myself conversating with the undead. "Yes." He responds back in a raspy yet boyish voice.                 It's a shame. He must have been quite young when he died. "...I see." Is all I can say.                 Now that I know this guy isn't a mindless rotting meat bag like the others, I actually feel pity for him. What must it be like for him to have died at such an early age and trade his humanity for a life like this? Were there others that could present forms of intelligence like him? Or was he one in a billion? How is he able to make such a thing possible?                 In the midst of my musings, I turn to him, only to be met with something that mimics deep anxiousness and concern. What the-...? He can make facial expressions too? Just how much is he capable of? "Eh? Oi, why are you making that face? How are you making that face?"                 He was silent before he croaked something out. "Group."                 What? Group? "Huh?" "Group." He repeated. "Yours?" He gestured back to the piles of shredded bodies.                 It took me a moment to realize what he was asking me. Was... was he actually concerned if the pack of zombies had completely decimated my group? Could he actually muster feelings of sympathy like that? The fact that he cared, I could only imagine what type of person he was before he died. "Mine? Oh, no. That's not my group. Don't worry about it." "Oh."                 He seemed to visually calm and had a look of relief. This guy. "My group is elsewhere. I just came here 'cuz I heard these guys had tons of food and were hogging it all, those bastards. So despite being scared shitless, your zombie friends actually did some good, in a sense."                 Great, now I'm praising them. "Good?" he asked.                 Yeah, that's what I said, brat. Still can't believe I did. "Yes, it does sound weird, doesn't it? You sure did a number on those guys, I admit. Definitely glad you were the one that found me and not them."                 At least, I think I should be glad. Unless he, you know, decides to change his mind and tries to devour me the way his nature says he should've done in the first place.                 I walked over to the masses of scattered corpses and proceeded to loot them for goods and what not. Now that they're all wiped out, I'll be able to take back more valuables with me than I had originally planned. If we have time, I should see if I can get another squad member or so to help me acquire the rest of the items before anyone manages to get their grimy hands on them. I found some empty bags and was loading them up with as many things I could jam in before Eren spoke again. "Good." He said again. "Good."                 I stood up straight from my spot. Why is he repeating my words like a fucking parrot? Maybe I had over estimated his intelligence capacity because he doesn't seem capable of processing this simple word. "Uh.. Yeah." I said albeit reluctantly, not knowing what else to say to him. There was a pause, like he was contemplating something. "Good!" He repeated once again, only this time it was more firmly stated.                  It was confident and prideful. What? I turned to face him and ask him what his deal was, but the words got caught in my throat. Of all things he could have done. This kid was just full of never ending surprises.                 His eyes were wide; a shade of green that should have been dulled by death were practically glimmering with something that imitated signs of life for a brief moment, though it most probably was a perfect reflection of sunlight. His cheeks were slightly swelled and a few teeth from the top row were peaking out of the small opening made by the gentle curve of his lips. They were in surprisingly decent condition for being undead and all. "You.. did... did you just-.. how."                 This fucking zombie, no, this boy was.. Smiling. It made him look stupider- if that was even possible- but it was so genuine, that it left me stunned. I hadn't seen someone make such a face in a long time. In a world where the undead roam and terrorize the living, I didn't think I'd ever see it again. Apparently I was wrong. Today was just full of interesting things, wasn't it? "I.. you... you're something else, you know that?" I finally managed to say, shaking my head as I chuckled softly. "You're not like the other ones. You're different."                 And unique he was. Of all the beings that I had ever encountered, the one that captured my interest the most was one lone zombie. I hoisted the bags in my grip over my shoulder, adjusting them so they wouldn't fall off during my travel. "I think it's about time I got going. I already have everything I need, so there's no point in sticking around anymore."                 I look him directly in the eyes. Look at me, staring death in the face like that. I'm one hell of a freak. "Thanks for the save back there. I'm not sure why you did it, but I appreciate it none the less."                 I can't believe I'm saying all of this, honestly. My next words simply proved that I've completely lost it. "This is something I didn't think I'd ever say, but.. I hope you stay safe. You're not mindless like those other ones. So I guess in my book, you count as a life with value."                 Or whatever is left of him that can be called "Life", since he's, you know, undead. What he replies to me causes the briefest of stirrings. "You too."                 His idiotic grin seemed to widen and his eyes only continued to twinkle mildly. What the hell? This guy is so fucking smooth, what is he, Erwin? But his features were nothing other than genuine, so that just made my insides bubble more.                 I think I know this feeling. Sickness. He's making me feel sick. Yeah, that sounds right. He's rotting the teeth out of my own head with his mushy words. I need to haul my ass out of here as soon as possible. "I don't know if I'll be seeing you again, but it was.. interesting to meet you. If Hanji were here, they'd be flipping their shit. It's probably for the best they aren't here though, for you I mean."                 Hanji would want nothing more than to dissect and experiment on him, so it's a good thing they didn't come with me. I turned to a trail that lead off into the next neighborhood and decided it was time to part ways. "Well I'm off. So long, weirdo."                 Did i just give him a nick name? "Bye." He waved at me.                 Great, this means i'm friends with a zombie. I've reached a new height in "Freak". I  offer him a small nod in return and set a good pace on the trail. After a few minutes of travel, I turn around to check if he was following me. Seeing that he wasn't, I quickened my pace.                 A decent amount of meters in, my thoughts started to wander back to the undead kid. I'm honestly wondering if I did the right thing. Intelligent or not, he was still a flesh craving zombie. Not killing him when I had the chance meant he was free to roam around. There was no telling what else he was capable of.                 For all I know, he and others alike could become more self aware and do something to cause us living more trouble. Though I had my doubts, from what I've seen of him so far shows he's more considerate than that, so I probably shouldn't worry. And part of me- though I'm not happy to admit it- actually wants to see him again. Wow, I don't know who's more of a "Weirdo" at this point.                 He definitely was something else that much was certain. But there was also something strangely comforting about him. Maybe that's the type of human he once was, but interacting with him was somewhat relaxing, as crazy as that sounds. The new experience was at least refreshing, if I should say. It could also be that, whether I liked the idea or not, we were actually very similar.                 He doesn't really fit in with his species and I apply like- wise. We're both freaks to our own worlds, subconsciously seeking solace within each other throughout our interactions. However, with the way life is now, I may not have that chance. I may not see him and his stupid grin ever again. - - -       Chapter End Notes oh but Levi, if only you knew! Shit is about to hit the fan once Eren's POV kicks back in. I couldn't help it. Maybe fluff isn't my thing (Long term) because there's always trouble. Jean/marco feels coming. My lil sis was mad at me for it. Yeah its pretty bad. Ive been thinking about the ending for this fic and i think you guys will hate me. ill be willing to read suggestions/ideas for the ending, details, or events that you'd think would be interesting to take place btw. (before i get a writers block) just sayin. - holy shit im listening to goddamn Ken Ashcorp- crazy chicks with this chapter and jfc, dont do it. ***** A ridiculous day ***** Chapter Summary Levi gets back to his hideout and discovers something interesting and bizarre. Chapter Notes guys i'm in trouble (Mum saw mah grades) i shouldn't be updating this but i am (Rebel?) well here is the end of LEVI POV! next is back to EREN POV! jeanmarco feels next chapter! hope you guys like this one, it's short. See the end of the chapter for more notes     LEVI:     After an hour or so of trekking back to our hideout, I scanned the radius of the building to be sure I wasn't going to be spotted and snuck inside. Everyone had their own way of entering the building. No one bothered to use the front door for obvious reasons, unless it was completely necessary.                 I hauled myself up the vine-covered ladder and moved a board, crawling through the small opening. Since it was a shadowed area, it was the most ideal way to get inside undetected. It was disgusting though, having to get on all fours and dirty myself, but it worked. This was no longer a world of luxury.                 Unfortunately, no one else was able to enter this way, because they were simply too large to fit. With the exception of Petra, I was the only one petite enough to squeeze through. That being said, I got inside and blocked the gap once again.. Tah-dah! No one knows I was even there.                 I stood up, patted away as much dust as I could from my hands and knees, then proceeded to move out of the abandoned room to head into one of the more livable parts. Once at the doorway, I plopped the dirty bags on the floor- feeling too exhausted from the day's events to bother actually cleaning it up first- and took off my shoes, placing them neatly together near the door.                 I walked through and made a bee line for the kitchen, planning on getting a glass of water. The moment I showed up, I was instantly greeted by group members Petra, Auruo and Hanji. Petra was preparing a meal with the assistance of Auruo while Hanji was rummaging through cabinets, attempting to snag a snack before most likely heading back to their research. "Hello, Levi. Welcome back!" Petra chirped sweetly. "I'm glad you made it here again safely." "Well of course. I did tell you I'd be fine, didn't I?"                 I walked over to a cabinet and picked out a cup, pouring in some fresh water. Petra nodded at me in contentment and was about to turn back to her cooking before doing a double take at me. She dropped her ladle and placed a hand over her heart, looking as if she had just seen a zombie. The loud clang of metal against the wooden floor boards caused everyone to look her way. They all ended up with a similar expression. I flung them a strange look. "What?"                 My group members exchanged glances with each other before gazing back at me. "Uh, is everything alright?" Auruo spoke up. "Are you feeling okay?" Petra asked, her face full of concern, shock and confusion. "Did something happen?" Hanji questioned, curious yet serious.                 I put my hands up to them. "Stop already! What is this, twenty questions? I have no idea what you guys are talking about." "Well..." Petra started. "You're.. Absolutely filthy."                 I blinked at her. "Huh?" "Yes. We don't mean to be rude, but you're covered in- gthh!" Auruo accidentally bit his tongue and covered his mouth, reaching for a napkin to wipe away the blood. "Gunk." Hanji finished for him. "Your face and clothes are completely soiled. You smell really bad too. Kinda like something crawled into your extra small pants and died." Hanji attempted to stifle their laughter, but it still leaked through in small squeaks.                 Filthy? Me? I looked down at myself and noticed various stains made by the rotted matter that was smeared on me. That little shit. "Oh." Was all I managed to say.                 To think the kid had managed to lower my guard enough to make me forget I was dirty. I didn't even feel the itching need to go ballistic at it. His abilities were just absolutely frightening. "Don't worry about this. I'll just get cleaned up. Everything's fine."                 They all turned to me and peered at my face as if they were searching for something. "Yeah, I'll bet." Hanji said somewhat teasingly.                 I took a few sips of water before Petra spoke. "So uh, I'm assuming it went well?" she asked tentatively.                 What is with everyone? They all look like they need to blow a huge one, but don't want to force it out for fear of pushing out too much. "Yes I did actually. Amazingly so. You have no idea." I chuckled and shook my head at the memory. 'Better than you'll ever know, but maybe you will someday.'                 They stayed silent for a few moments. It was starting to get awkward. "I think you should really go wash up. You got a little something else on your face."                 Something else? Oh, gross no. "Yeah, yeah. I'm on it, shit glasses."                 I set the empty glass down and headed to the bathroom. Grabbing the soap, I scrubbed furiously at my face- ignoring the minor sting- and examined my features in the mirror when I assumed I had done a sufficient job. All traces of filth were now non-existent. That's much better. But something else caught my eye.                 I leaned in closer and touched my face. I think I found the "Something else" Hanjis was talking about. It was something going on with my mouth. I would have probably forgotten what it was if it wasn't for a certain zombie brat. I had a small fucking smile on my face. When did that even happen? I shook my head at how ridiculous this day was. "God damn it, Eren."  -     Chapter End Notes yeah! back to Eren now! btw i found a song for this fic that is perfect called "Fix Me" by Icon For Hire! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmjBrpq5yNU you can listen to it, but it may provide spoilers? depends on what you think of it. Itll fit perfectly later on, its so damn sad. You guys WILL hate me for the ending of this fic. MUAHAHA next chapter is longer btw i'm pretty sure i'ma hit writers block soon. And guess what, I'm writing EVEN MORE fics! Wow. I should stop soon. (A lil break) ***** Cravings and Discoveries ***** Chapter Summary Time has passed since Levi and Eren's meeting. Eren has yet to forget Levi and is becoming more resourceful by the day, but that does not always ensue in positive things. In fact, it may just get him killed. Chapter Notes LOOk! the chapter! Yeah! shit is hitting the fan! I need to update the tags. Jean/Marco feels. I tried not to make it too upsetting or anything. This answers some questions you guys asked me, but may leave you with more?? But i hope you guys like it anyway! May contain errors!? See the end of the chapter for more notes     EREN:                   Days have passed since I first met Levi. Probably a week or two, I don’t' really know. I'm dead, errr, undead. You get the point by now I'm sure. I don't need to count the days or follow hours. We just feel it out and act on instinct.                 Though our schedule continues as if nothing ever happened, things have never been the same for me. I mean, it's great I've come to terms with myself and all, but it also sucks. Big time. I'm super bored, left with only my gradually expanding thoughts as a form of solace. I'm craving something other than flesh. I'm craving interaction. As in 'Intelligent' forms of communication. Namely Levi.                 This is mainly because if I tried to communicate with any other humans, one of two things would happen: they would either try to shoot me dead permanently, or I would end up eating them. Their scent was nothing compared to Levi’s, but it was still enough to trigger me.                 Not only that, but I'm starting to feel guilty about eating them. It's not like they chose to be delicious and attack us. I'm quite positive that we could live in harmony if only there were more self control, like me. Zombies don't really need to eat. We just get the urge to. A lot of us don't even have proper stomachs, but we can't digest food anyway 'cuz we're fucking undead. So we just hurl it back up at some point.                 Every time I try to take down humans, I reconsider it when I see the horror on their face. It reminds me too much of Levi and I would never eat him. At least, that's what part of me tells myself. Not sure why because he smells so damn intoxicating and I bet he would taste even better, but I wouldn't do it. I suppose now that I have rational thought, it's telling me I have a stronger urge to communicate to seem human again rather than consume flesh. Weird, huh?                 When the cravings do win, I'd only eat those that were already killed by my pack and feed off of what was left over. Which was okay and half the time, the head would still be intact. Lucky me! Sometimes, Mikasa would even kill one and bring it to me. Even dead, she still bears sibling and motherly instincts towards me. I really wonder...                 I was interrupted of my musings when something whacked me upside the head. Good thing my senses are all fucked up, other wise that probably would have hurt a lot. I turned around and saw a freckled, brunette zombie shifting along. He used to be called Marco and at times "Freckled Jesus" when we were human. He was a nice guy and always had this irritating horse- faced male follow him around called Jean. Seeing said zombie nearby, it's safe to assume nothing much has really changed. We're slaves to our habits, I suppose.                 However, when Marco turned around, I noticed an elongated object impaled within his right eye. That thing has been there for a while, I believe. It was probably from the same day I met Levi.                 Filled with brewing curiosity, I made my way over to him and inspected the object. It appeared to be a large blade, well kept, and it had the faintest of scribbling inscribed on the wooden handle. I couldn't see it very well since Marco was a good height taller than me. So I only did what was natural. "Sorry, Marco."                 I reached up and yanked it out, small chunks of rotted flesh, moldy gel-like substance and putrid secretions spurt out of his now empty socket. I knew it wouldn't hurt him though and he only offered a small grunt in retaliation to the motion.                 I took the small blade in my hands and turned it, assessing its features from different angles. It was incredibly sharp and had the slightest remainder of what I assume is the previous owner's scent. It seemed familiar. Bringing the handle closer, I peered at the small carvings made. I pursed my lips as I attempted to recall the letters. L... E...V...I. "L...e.. vi... Le...vi ..Lev.. i... Levi? ...LEVI!!"                 The realization hit me like a freight train, if those still worked. That explains the smell, it belonged to Levi! I clutched the blade tightly and held it closer to myself. I have something that belongs to Levi! Maybe i'll be able to return it to him if we ever meet again.                 I inhaled the faint smell deeply and relished the memory. Smelling stuff is kind of weird since it's like breathing, but I'm a zombie so I don't breathe. Doesn't make any sense at all, but whatever. And Holy shit! I can read!! At least this will finally give me something to do instead of being bored all the time.                 For the next few hours, I roamed around, exercising my ability to read anything that was on buildings or posters. I even found some old comics and magazines, along with a makeshift pouch to carry Levi's blade. It was pretty fun. Way better than sitting around bored all day.                 I would have gone at it for who knows how much longer, but my pack was moving. It seems feeding time has come once again. I wanted to stay behind and wander about the area more, but to break apart from the pack means to become alone and vulnerable. Not wishing to experience death twice - which would be permanent this time, mind you- I followed them where our next meal awaited. - - -                 Besides being able to quickly find humans to snack on, Sasha was also capable of alerting our pack of any humanoid threats. With her incredible sense for the living, we've avoided danger on more than one occasion. Her only defect was that she often became too enraptured with the thought of food and would leave us to seek danger out for ourselves. It just wasn't as effective. Which is probably why we didn't notice anyone was armed until a few of our kind collapsed to the ground.                 I was poking out the eyes from a corpse Mikasa had captured for me- yes, I gave into the cravings. Deal with it.- when a zombie I recognized as Mina suddenly dropped to the ground, her rotted brain matter splattered beneath her head. Her fall was followed by another chain of heavy thuds as a few others were taken down. They all bore a bullet hole right in the head. Whoever it was that shot them definitely was no amateur. We are in serious trouble.                 Quickly, I rose to my feet, feeling edgy from the sudden threat. Mikasa was clearly displeased with the disruption and growled, baring her sharp and misshapen teeth viciously. Saliva started to dribble down her chin the way it does when we become especially agitated and is quick to seek out the surrounding enemies. It is evident that she most certainly continues to bear sibling affection for me, since even in the midst of her attacks, she looks out for me.                 After immobilizing a handful of armed humans, it becomes clear that we are outmatched by their skill. Even with strength and technique like Mikasa's, she can only handle so many as much as we barely stand our own. She backs off and moves to a safer area, making sure I tag along in her own way. I know it's messed up, but if one good thing can come from these situations; it's that whether it is simply instinct or not, someone other than me does something. Mikasa actually appears as if she is alive at times, as if she can care and feel. The way she protects me, it makes me feel that maybe, just maybe, she may still have the tiniest bit of rational thought. At least, it looks that way.                 We take cover behind some piles of junk for a while before moving into an abandoned building. It's not much better, since the structure is poor and it's missing a few walls, but it'll do. I notice after a few minutes that we aren't the only ones here. Some of our kind has either taken refuge inside, or simply wandered in. They must have realized that these guys are tougher than the other humans we've encountered.                 Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Jean and Marco limping along, hunters hot on their trail. They manage to not get shot by the attackers, until one of them cocks their gun and shoots upwards, causing the faulty structure and debris to fall. Everything seems to slow down around me, almost as if it were about to stop, but it doesn't. My eyes widen in what resembles horror as I helplessly watch Marco become crushed by the large mound of concrete.                 The sheer heaviness of the impact was enough to destroy nearly half of his body. Had it only been a limb, perhaps he could have gotten away. But the debris had completely marred half of his head. There was no helping him now. He was gone. For good. Marco's body slumped; chunky, fetid fluid and organs created a splatter within a small radius of his being. He was merely a few feet from our position and much too close for comfort.                 Unlike Marco, Jean had managed to get away and was quickly scurrying off elsewhere. Mikasa must have noticed too because she swiftly followed suit, along with what appears to be the rest of them. They were moving away. The fight was finally fading out. I motioned to follow after them, but suddenly froze in place. I turned back to look at Marco.                 His body, now completely motionless, simply laid there as murky, bubbly secretions dripped out of his wounds. I couldn't believe it. So many people I once used to call friends were dead, more so than they had been before. I couldn't process the lifeless form in front of me. All I could remember was a blurry image of Marco's gentle smile. And then there was Jean.                 He made it out, but he can no longer feel. He probably doesn't understand the severity of what has transpired today and never will. He won't remember today. He won't remember the death of what he used to refer to as his dear and loving boyfriend. Tiny snippets of memories flash in my mind; hazy scenes of Jean and Marco smiling, of holding hands, the day they confessed to each other and how I teased them about it.                 Before I know it, I'm kneeling before Marco's body, holding whatever was left of him in my arms. They're gone. They're all gone and they won't get back up again. Not this time and not anymore.EVER.                 It was then I decided to do what no one else could. I would mourn. I would mourn for everyone, for myself and for Jean, the way he no longer could. I can at least do them that much because I'm the only one. The only one that'll remember they're gone.                 A small noise fills out the silence in the area. The sound gradually gets louder and soon it echoes throughout the building, leaking through the cracks and is pouring out the gaps in the walls. I had yet to realize the noise was me. It sounded of gushing wind and jars; a nearly ghost- like groan mixed with the hollow yet narrow whistling one would get from blowing into glass jars.                 I howled like the miserable freak I was, because what else would I sound like? I was certainly a freak and this heavy feeling was deeper than any sadness, so it must be misery. But whatever it was, I couldn't control it. Though it was awful, it felt somewhat good in a way to feel something. Even an emotion as terrible as this was better than being numb.                 I only continued to mourn and hold Marco until I heard the scrapings of shoes on muddy pebbles. I perked up, my groans gradually subsiding as I saw a few figures come into view. A cautious, female voice echoed vaguely. "I think it's coming from here."                 The figures halted abruptly as a gasp escaped the young female. They all spotted me and reflexively pointed their guns at me. "It's a zombie! ...By itself?"                 They threw brief glances across the area, most likely searching for the signs of other zombies they won't find. It makes sense that they'd be skeptical. Zombies would usually avoid going solo if it can be helped. They slowly approach me, ready to shoot at anything that could spring up and sudden movements of any kind. "No one else seems to be in here. Let's just get this one." A male voice said.                 The notification of a reload clicked in the silent austerity. So this is how it ends, huh? I guess it doesn't matter what I do now. I moaned lowly and gripped Marco's body tightly. My only regret was that i couldn't see Levi again. It's a shame. But I suppose I was setting my expectations rather high for the world we live in now. I should have known better. The armed female paused. "Wait, is that zombie... crying? They can do that?"                 I am? I touched beneath my eyes lightly. Sure enough, it was slightly moist. I shift my gaze up to the group. The woman's face was one contorted into confusion and the others bore a similar expression, but remained cautious. My eyes scanned them over, but I nearly had to double take when a flicker of color caught my attention.                 A chilly cobalt skyline held soft clouds rolling over a swirling sea of shinning liquid silver. A smooth ivory framed the otherworldly beauty perfectly all around. The gentle shadow lying beneath the framed scenery only emphasized the bright contrast.                 Oh, and thesmell. A smell of gentle sweetness, so perfect and intoxicating. A scent so absolutely fitting to match the visual allure. A delightful harmony I had come to miss, to crave, to long for. I couldn't cease the trail of saliva that dibbled down my chin. The grogginess of my voice slipped out before I could even process it. "....Levi?"   -       Chapter End Notes Eren you gon' die. btw if you hadn't noticed, Eren is talking about Levi and his features. I just like to describe them that way. In a fucked up way, all my fan-fics connect one way or another. They will do so for a brief moment at a time. And wow! guess who got slapped with a writers block!! MEEEEEE!! okay not really, but im having trouble writing next chapter. The transitioning gets me, but ill get it. Next chap. is back to LEVI POV for a bit. After that, i have little to NO idea what i'm doing. I have other events planned ahead of course, but it's the little details in between i need to work on. But i'll be delighted to read your predictions/ ideas/ suggestions on what you think may happen because this was supposed to be A FUCKING SIDE FIC. also, i will link those Zombie!Eren sketches/doodles eventually. Shit starts to pick up for sure after the next chapter! - I'm also writing 2 more fics while working on next chap. and I'll have em up soon hopefully if you wanna check em out. ***** Restricted and Off Limits ***** Chapter Summary How Levi ends up in deep shit again. It's in destiny's hands now. Chapter Notes Nope i did not abandon this. It's still in progress. I'm just runnin' outta material is all. Also guess who finally made art for this fic? ME! Gonna link this at the bottom. (some are more serious pieces than others. I just ended up doodling about this fic alot) {Look at the art at your own expense! They may offer spoilers!! Some more than others} See the end of the chapter for more notes     -   LEVI:                   Many days have passed since my first encounter with Eren. I'd say it's safe to assume about over a week or so. No matter the length in time, I have yet to forget a being like him. He's the only one that has ever genuinely interested me. I'd be lying if I said my mind didn't wander back to the memory of him often.                 I'd usually catch myself wondering about his life, how he's doing, and if the guy was still lively and kicking. Honestly, it happens much more than i feel comfortable mentioning. It's not necessarily because feeling is shameful or anything- though you'd think i'd be crazy for worrying about a zombie- but rather admitting it would mean recognizing attachment.                 I can't afford to to make a bond or connection of any sort to that degree. I'm no longer in a position where it is okay for me to display fondness, especially towards the enemy. I'm barely able to let myself get away with the teamwork of my squad members. I tell myself their connection is essential for being part of the group and that I shouldn't bother establishing anything beyond that. But then, why is it I've found myself considering such a thing for the undead kid? It's probably for the best that i haven't run into him yet. Maybe it'd be better if I don't see him again at all.                 After settling back in with my group the day I met him, I told them of the goods the zombie attack had left there. Within a day, we were able to retrieve most of the other valuables and add them to our inventory. We were quite pleased with the impressive quantity we had managed to bring in and relished how it would be a much simpler task to keep our supplies going without too much fret. It was a bit of an easy going week after that and stress seemed to lift of of everyone's shoulders for a while. But I knew it wouldn't last long because thinking it would was a fool's wish. There was no need to jinx anything; trouble was bound to come back.                 I was proved right when a bunch of scumbags managed to actually break into our hideout and steal our supplies. The only strange thing was that they didn't try to take our weapons or provisions. But I soon discovered what they were really after.                 My squad came in and pounced them, tackling them down to immobilize the thieves. I swiftly produced a blade from my pouch and placed it to what I assumed was their leader's neck. "You have ten seconds to state your business here before I slaughter you pigs."                 I pressed the tip of the blade to ghost over his skin, earning a fine trickle of blood to drip down in small droplets. "10..9.. 8..7..6.. 5-" "Wait! Wait, don't kill us!" The leader blurted out. "I'll tell you."                 I withdrew the blade and slipped it back into it's original spot. "Well alright then, let's hear it."                  I placed my heavy boot onto his back and grinded the heel into his flesh to urge him on. “grah! Ugh.. We.. We only came because we heard wind there were supplies here.”                They heard? Does that mean people know we're in here? “..But we didn't know there were people in this place.”               Ah, so they didn’t know. Well now they do. Whoopsie. “Sir, they didn't take any weapons or food.” Petra voiced behind me. “What? So what did they come for?”             Petra held up a few gallons and containers. “our gasoline and medicine, sir.”              Our what!?             I gave the man beneath me a harsh kick to the side and he curled up on impact with a pained grunt. “You've got some nerve. Trying to take those from us. Medicine I understand, but for what purpose do you need the gas for?”             Medicine and gas were some of the essential that were hard to come by. You could call them rarities or treasures if you'd like. But everyone knew that the use of gasoline in a world of everything destroyed, abandoned and broken , served a very specific purpose. Essentially, it meant these guys had machines. A working machine is as good as any treasure can get.            They were reluctant to speak, which is usually a sign of knowing where the ‘Good stuff’ is. “We don't have all day.” i growled lowly.              Crouching down, I grabbed a fistful of the man’s hair and yanked him up. “Speak. Now.”              The man groaned at the action before attempting  to offer any sort of answer. He still had some defiance left in him. Still wanna be a tough guy, eh? Well I can change that, no sweat.               At a leisurely pace, I casually took out small dagger and twirled it between my fingers. I could tell he noticed it and perked up slightly, watching me. “you know...‘ I started. “My comrade Hanji here..” I gestured to Hanji, who was preoccupied doing something else a few feet away. “They really like to experiment.”               The man’s eyes widened, his rising fear becoming prominent. Seeing as I was starting to receive more favorable results, I decided to elaborate a bit. “yeah, and they like to collect various things to test on. they are especially interested in anything that has to do with zombies and humans.”               i paused and stopped fiddling with the tiny blade in my hand. i slowly brought the dagger’s sharp point to his face and ghosted over his features. “Experimenting on corpses and harvesting their organs for further research is their favorite. i wonder how happy they would be if i handed you over.”               The man under me shiver at the implications of my words as the rest of his shitty group watched completely stricken with horror and fear. I rested the tip of the blade lightly on his skin a little below his eye. “How good is your eyesight? Must be pretty decent right?”                I made a circular motion around his eye with the dagger, his eye following wherever I went. “I’m sure Hanji would become ecstatic to have more to add to their collection. This looks like a good place to start, don’t you think?”               I was about to place the blade just below his lower eyelid before he interrupted me. “In the warehouse!!” He blurted out impulsively.              I stopped and tilted my head towards him to urge him to continue. “In the abandoned warehouse...” He began to clarify, albeit reluctantly. “there are supposed to be functioning generators and other metallic goods up for grabs. that is, if you can get there and back in one piece.”              All my other group members perked up and turned to face him. I raised a brow at this new piece of information and nudged his bruising side with my foot for him to elaborate. “oh yeah? And where would one find such a place, hm?”               He winced at my actions, but knew it was better to get out with it than bother being defiant. “In the next town over.. it’s a huge warehouse, probably the biggest in the area. Easy to spot, not so easy to get inside. There are zombies in all kinds of phases roamin’ around.” He paused for a moment before adding one last bit of information. “..this is all riding on a rumor though, so it isn't certain.”               I hummed thoughtfully at the new intel, mulling it over. “So it’s a gamble.” I stated, tapping a finger on my chin. “But for a rumor, this must be quite a reliable source for you to do something so risky based on something so sketchy.”                I turned to fix them with a piercing gaze as they averted their eyes, knowing I hit the nail right on the head. “Well then, levi?” A deep voice asked from behind me. “what will you do?”                I let go of the thieves’ filthy leader and faced the tall blonde addressing me. With a smirk, I huffed in amusement before offering a reply. “So.” I began, shifting my  attention to my squad members. “Which of you guys are up for a challenge?”   - -                  Two hours or so later, I'm crouching and hidden in a nearby area of the warehouse. As expected, my entire squad had agreed to come with me, though not so much out of enthusiasm and excitement, but rather loyalty and my power as captain. I’d even managed to get a couple others outside my squad to join in somehow.                As soon as we arrived near our designated location, we became much more cautious and carefully stealthed our way closer to the building. We took refuge behind abandoned piles of scrap the moment we heard the groans of multiple zombies. I decided to take a peek around our coverage to see what we were dealing with. I slowly shift to the edge and take a quick glance.                 Apparently, the source of the rumor was reliable indeed. Just as the thief had said, there were dozens and dozens of zombies scattered around the premises and in various stages of their infection. I hadn't even known that some of these forms existed, but I’ll have to make a mental note for them some other time. This useful information could be relayed to Hanji and used for later reference and research.                 I cautiously moved back to my original spot and made signals to my comrades, telling them we would be splitting up into two separate groups in order to cover more ground. It may seem like a foolish move to some people, what with such few in numbers, but no matter our formation, we came here prepared to accept the possible fate of no return. This could easily be called a suicide mission by others, but the individuals with me are elites.                  Even with this skill range however, there is no denying the high probability of danger and harm. Though with this being a zombie apocalypse, if one were injured rather than killed, they would probably still die afterwards if infected.                   As we part ways, I can’t shake the feeling that this place seems familiar somehow. Reaching for my gun, I ignore it and lead my squad through the field of zombies. - -                     I had anticipated a challenge when coming here, but i wasn't exactly sure what I was expecting. So seeing the sheer quantity of undead roaming around both surprises me, but also doesn’t. Why so many were compacted unto this particular area was beyond me. Whether something lured them here is a topic i’d have to think about later, when I’m not occupied with slashing zombies’ heads off.                  A muddled collage of groans fill my ears as I take a glance to my right behind me and see zombies cornering Petra and Oulo. My instincts starting to shift into overdrive, I impulsively step in between my comrades and the zombies and firmly plant one on my feet on the ground. I flip the two blades in my hands into a different grip instantly before barking the order “Duck!” They lower themselves as soon as the words leave my mouth, allowing myself to attack the undead enemies without having to worry about injuring them.                   I swing my other leg around with enough force to give myself momentum to achieve a complete 360 degrees spin, using the foot planted on the dirt floor as an axis. my razor sharp blades perfectly slice right through their surrounding formation and I’m able to take down a handful at once.Their thick, clotted blood splatters everywhere, leaving dirty, rotten patterns on the surface of anything they landed on. One look at my hands and blades had me mildly grimacing, irritation and disgust most likely evident on my face. “Tch. Nasty ass scum got their filth all over me, fucking gross.” I murmured in distaste, swiftly producing a clean cloth from my pocket and furiously wiping my hands and blades clean.                  This process however, was interrupted midway as more zombies showed up to fill the place of those diced up. Telling myself that I’d have to clean up later, I lead my squad into a different area that is a bit less infested with undead zombies. Taking advantage of only having to deal with smaller packs, I ready a handful of small knives and fling them at their heads, getting them right between the eyes with perfect precision.                  The force of impact is enough to cause them to falter and even make a few of the weaker ones fall. I take that as my cue to sweep in and slash their craniums right in half. Deteriorating skulls lie like skillfully cracked coconuts, revealing it’s innards almost tastefully, if the insides were some gourmet prepared cuisine rather than rotting brain matter.                 A dull glint catches my attention from the corner of my eye, allowing me to spot a dented, rusty metal door not far from me. I quickly gather up my comrades and order them to carefully make our to the door. They reply with a short “Yes, sir!” and move themselves to the warehouse’s entrance.                 After only a few pauses to take out lingering zombies, we manage to get inside. Oulo secures the door and my squad seems to telepathically agree that it’s the time to let out a string of sighs. With that brief break to catch our breath, our guard is put back up and we scrutinize our surrounding area. There don’t seem to be any zombies roaming around this part, but we don’t let up for a second.                 This room is silent, quite unnaturally so, only succeeding to further put us on edge. It’s only when the booming echo of a shotgun firing rings through our ears that some of my squad jolts in surprise. Not only was it badly timed, but also a bit unexpected.                   The only reason for that is because I know for a fact no one brought a shotgun. They just weren't very convenient in situations like this. Not only are they heavy but, the distance they covered was too short and they were too loud, especially for a mission like this. Some of our guns even had silencers on them as a precaution. So this could only mean one thing; it wasn't ours. Other people must be near the vicinity of the warehouse, just close enough for us to catch the fading shot lingering in the air. Could they have been part of the cause for all these zombies being so compact into one place? Whatever the reason, they probably won’t survive, not with this many zombies around.                   As we continue exploring, i realize that this building is much bigger than I had originally anticipated and we could actually get lost, even.At the same time, I note that there aren’t as many zombies in here as I thought there would be. Still a fair amount remained huddled together inside, but it was much more manageable than dealing with the ones outside. there was also less variation and most of the zombies in here were more common types, so it made things much simpler.                  Several more minutes pass that seem to drag on forever and other than the occasional swipe, there isn't really anything to salvage so far. just as i start to put together the layout of this warehouse, an extravagant crash of what sounds like concrete and walls breaking down drastically clashes with the overwhelming silence and snaps me out of my thoughts. We all stop and tense up, trying to figure out where the ridiculously loud disruption came from. “This way.” I say simply, sharply turning a corner as the others follow along.                  The boom had attracted the attention of many zombies nearby and we are forced to fight them off, effectively taking them down, one by one. Before I know it, we’re in a completely different part of the warehouse, the swishing sounds of wind whipping across crumbling walls and through a multitude of differently shaped and sized gaps. 'And I thought this place already looked like shit.' I thought to myself.          whatever. It fits this whole ‘Zombie apocalypse’ bullshit anyway.                I continue leading toward the origin of the sounds until a low, airy moans wisps past my ears, managing to cause a brief, icy chill to go up my spine. The others were affected too, mildly shivering and hair standing on end at the eerie noise. It was unnatural and inhuman, unlike anything I had ever heard before. Even the best of horror movies couldn't have properly recreated something so creepy.                 Swallowing a small lump that suddenly formed down my throat, it hits the bottom of my stomach like a ball of lead. not a good sign. But we've come too far to back out now and I’m determined to make this all worth the risk. i’m positive some of my men have died here today and I will not let their efforts be in vain. Ignoring the sinking feeling pestering me, I manage to push down these unwanted emotions and continue on our original path. As we move along, the sound only gets louder, further adding to the ambiance around us. My squad is beginning to appear more reluctant and nervous, but they know we must carry on and make our best attempts to prepare ourselves for whats to come.              There aren't even any zombies hanging around anymore and that only serves to fuel my apprehension and uncertainty. All there is to distract us from the haunting, ghostly howl is the mildly echoing sound of dirty pebbles scraping against our footwear. strangely enough, the groans seemed to subside gradually as I was sure we were even closer to it’s source.                Cautiously, Petra was the first one to speak up first. “I think it’s coming from here.”                 She carefully walks down a corridor, leading into a more open area before she gasps, causing us to stop abruptly. In the blink of an eye, my squad instinctively aim their weapons. “It’s  a zombie!” She exclaims. “...by itself?”                 Just as her sentence finishes off, we all throw quick glances around us in order to verify if there is in fact only one zombie, which as it turns out, it is. As we slowly approach the target, I can’t help but notice that the heavy feeling in my stomach sinks even further, starting to make me nauseous. I attempt to shake away the discomfort, but it refuses to go away. “No other ones seem to be here. let’s just get this one.” Oulo suggests.                  He reloads his gun, the click momentarily filling the silence. It’s soon followed by a low groan, one that churns up what little I have in my stomach and causes my heart to pound a little harder. I can’t fathom what's happening to me before Petra speaks. “Wait, is that zombie… crying? they can do that?”                   A crying zombie? I've never heard of such a thing and haven’t known of any zombie doing anything so human-like since...no. A spark if mildly twinkling green orbs flashing in my mind and i shake my head, biting my bottom lip. Feeling my eyes squeeze shut, an image of messy hazelnut locks, large eyes and a stupid,toothy grin form beneath my lids. No, stop! Damn it brain, don’t you dare fucking think about him, especially now. I don’t want to think  of him anymore. he’s a god damn zombie, not  ghost, so why won’t he stop haunting me?                     I opened my eyes in hopes of halting the barrage of images from assaulting my mind and clenched my fists, dull nails digging into the soft flesh of my semi-bloody palms. This is ridiculous. Why am I suddenly getting so worked up? I only met him once weeks ago, yet the memories feel so fresh; I can’t seem to get him out of my head no matter how hard I try. Even now, I can still clearly remember the way he said my name. ‘Levi.’ This isn’t right. i shouldn't be remembering such trivial things. if I don’t quit now while I’m ahead, I might even start hallucinating. ‘Levi.’ No, go away. ‘LEVI.’ Shut up! Leave me alone! ‘LEVI.’ Fuck off!! Get out of my head!! “...Levi?”                 I freeze up, completely still. With my eyes wide and breathing halted, i don't move a single muscle. What was that? it sounded just like… it can’t be. My mind is still playing tricks, right? but it sounded so… real. I must have gone completely insane now for my mind to his voice so well, so… perfectly. Fuck, it can’t really be him, can it? But then, why do i feel like this? i guess there’s only one way to find out.                     My heart is pounding so wildly within my chest, it’s about to burst. the feeling clogs up my throat and rings sharply in my ears. My body suddenly shifts into auto pilot and i slowly turn my head to face the zombie. As soon as our eyes lock, I’m done for.                    My throat becomes deathly dry like a dessert as I gaze into mildly shimmering green. they’re a little irritated from crying and have tear streaks running down dirty cheeks. A thin stream of saliva dribbles out softly trembling lips and down a boyish jawline. The hair, the face, the voice. Everything I tried to forget is suddenly thrown back at me and the pounding in my chest starts to constrict and throb.                 It’s really him. But why? Why is he here? Why now? Why won’t he just leave me alone? Why does he plague my mind with his memory whenever I don’t want it to? Maybe he’s infected me with something after all. But not with a bite, no ; something even deeper, stronger, and I’m actually afraid to find out what.                 Everything and anything I’ve desperately denied involving him has been done in vain, now void. i don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to think. But my body continues to move on it’s own, not breaking eye contact.                 As I push past my squad, I swallow hard and my tongue pokes out to lick over dried, chapped lips. ‘It’s really you.’ I take a step. ‘You’re really here.’ Another one. ‘You’ve come back.’ Three steps. ‘I’ve found you.’ One more. ‘You’re safe.’ I stop. ‘It’s my turn now.’ After a moment, I speak. “Eren?”     - - -     -    Art Links down here, man: *Be wary of spoilers below! More art to be added later!*   (So_this_one_is_a_lil'_Eren_doodle) {Colors/design not final, nor accurate}  Eren_doodle_forms {Before and After- look from right to left}    Chapter End Notes finally finished it after a billion years! maybe next chapter won't take so long? look at al this drama god damn. Okay, next chapter ACTUALLY picks up into the meat of this fic. (ik ive said that before but i mean it this time!) The actual adventure starts!! sorry for makin' you guys wait so long! - If you have any suggestions/ideas for this fic, or maybe something you think would be funny/ interesting to see in this fic, feel free to share! (THis means if u got something to say, SHARE! i'm runnin' low and i need some ideas/insp.) - Depending on what you guys say and the feedback, this may have a separate part goin' on. I've been thinkin' about makin a chapter for this fic that doesn't really go with the story's flow. - Also, what do you guys think about FEM! ERERI? Do you guys like it? Plz share your thoughts on it, i'm thinking about starting one. (There isn't enough, there's hardly any here. And i mean ERERI, not just one of them gender bent to make a straight couple. Naw, im talkin' cute girlfriends here. FUCK!) [If not, i still have art done, if you wanta see it?] ***** Take Hold and Shape it ***** Chapter Summary Eren and Levi meet again! It seems a little more than mere coincidence at this point. In fact, It feels like destiny. At least, Eren thinks so and he's ready to bring some excitement to his dull "life". Chapter Notes this isn't dead! i've just been working on some ASIDES for this fic under teh series "Undead Lover" so plz check it out when i post em, if you're interested! I'll also link some more art for this fic down below. Maybe ill get around to scanning in my sketches, but for now it'll be digital stuff. - *Tips: " - " = Flashback/ end of a flashback (unless at the very beginning of a fic, or told otherwise) " - - " = break for change of time or place " - - - " = end of a chapter " [...] " = lack of text/ text to be added \ See the end of the chapter for more notes     -   EREN:             "...Levi?" My voice croaks.            He pauses and turns to look at me, eyes widening. Slowly, he pushes past the group of humans and walks towards me, stopping a few feet away. We stare at each other for a few moments, his lips parted in surprise as he speaks. "Eren!?"            My eyes widen as he says my name. He... he remembers me. Something strange bubbles up in my stomach, like it's doing back flips. It almost tingles and i start to get the feeling I had the first time i met him; excitement. "..L-Levi!" I repeat, only with more enthusiasm.           My hands firmly grip Marco's body tightly as my own body begins to jitter. "What the!? Did it just talk!?" A male nearly shouts. "Levi!? It.. you.. d-do you know this thing!? Why does it know your name!?" The female sputters, her face overwhelmed with shock and confusion.            Levi remains silent, simply staring at me. When he speaks, it's very quiet, nearly a whisper and can be easily missed. "Yeah." He says softly. "I do."            He takes another step towards me. My head is spinning, not only from having to process everything that’s happened today so far- which in my...current state is proving to be difficult- but his scent is driving me crazy. And besides that.. he’s so close. So close, I could reach out and touch him. I could breathe in only him. I could- “Captain! Watch out!” The lady shouts.           Before I know it, she and the other male get up close between us, pointing their guns at my head.   “Petra! Oulo! What do you think you’re doing!?” “It was going to attack you, sir.” The woman quickly responded. “Yeah! I could see the bastard slowly leaning in for a bite!” Chimed the man. “It was starin’ and droolin’ at ya like a hunk of juicy meat! It’s slobberin’ it’s filth all over the place!”                What, really? I lightly touch my chin and find I am in fact drooling like a fucking dog. Well shit. It must have been because of his scent. It’s not my fault he smells so nice. And he probably tastes really good too… I involuntarily let out a throaty groan at the thought of savoring his perfect flesh.God damn, I shouldn't be thinking about that! I promised myself I wouldn't eat him. Add in the fact that this really isn't the right time or place for this.           Both humans in front of me react instantly to my slip up and i can see them about to pull the trigger. Well, my wish of seeing Levi before I go has been granted, but I didn’t exactly want my face to get blown up in front of him. I let my eyes flutter shut as I wait for the boom that was sure to come, judging by the fury on their faces. When it came, I expected there to be a bullet going right through my head. I hadn't expected it to be Levi's voice instead. “Petra! Oulo! That’s enough!” He bellowed.            It was so loud and sudden that it sounded like an angry beast had been awoken.  It practically caused my eyes to pop open and his two subordinates to gasp and jump, including me. “S-sir!?” The woman stuttered, both shocked and utterly confused. “I won’t allow you to hurt him. Put your guns down. I forbid you from killing him. Are we clear?” He said, taking more steps to my position until he was right in front of me.          His demanding tone left no room to argue. Yet somehow, they still barely managed to defy him. “B-b-but!”          He swiveled around to look them both dead in the eye. His calm, blue- gray eyes were now flickering like burning coals.   “That is an order and it isfinal.” He spat out with a venomous bite.             They both flinched and reluctantly put down their guns. The ginger- haired woman shook her head as she muttered quietly.   “...why?”             Levi silently bent down on one knee to my level, meeting my eyes.   “Because.” He started, his tone now softening. “He saved my life.”           His squad looked at him in disbelief, their mouths gaping like fish.   “....he… what?”           Levi kept silent for a moment before speaking.   “He saved me, on that day. I wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for him. I owe him my life.”             My insides seemed to warm and flutter at his words. He’s really doing this to protect me. This must mean… I’m important to him? The mere thought of this is making my system excited and jumpy. This rings even more true when I notice the warmth in his eyes.         But it’s not entirely friendly and innocent. He seems concerned and a bit confused, along with something else i’m not all that familiar with. I don’t know what it is. But he tilts his head slightly and leans in, speaking quietly in what’s almost a whisper, like he’s sharing a secret or something very private.   “Eren.” He addresses me. “What are you doing here? Why are you alone? You’ve come a long way from where I last saw you.” He said, saying that last part as if recalling the memory. “All the others left this place already. You don’t appear to have lost any limbs. Why have you stayed behind?”           I’m happy that I get to speak with Levi again, but as slowly and softly as he speaks, i still need twice the effort to process it all. It feels like i’m playing 20 questions. Wow, I can’t believe i remember that game. But there was one question he asked that lingers in my mind.   “Why have you stayed behind?’”           Why? The reason comes back to me again, replaying memories that I wish could have been forgotten, just like everything else. All the sensations return at once and i find myself overwhelmed. I dont know how to answer him.   “Eren, please. I need an answer. You almost got yourself killed for good. I at least need to know why you stayed.”             I gaze down at the dirt floor, looking everywhere else but at him. The feeling from before is too much and I feel that same misery slowly wash over me again. I make a small sounds, like a low hum, but the sorrow in it is prominent. I hang my head and give it the slightest of shakes as I hold up Marco’s body a little, hoping he’d understand the gesture.          This catches his attention and he takes a long look at Marco’s marred body before looking back at me. There was a strange spark in his eyes when he looked at Marco, as if something had come to him, but it vanished as soon as it came. I chose to dismiss it.   “This...was he.. a friend of yours? He got crushed. Was it my group that did this?” He asked before adding on. “...Did you stay for him?”             I simply nod in response. Levi looked away, a tiny twinge of guilt showed on teh otherwise thoughtful look on his face.   “Oh.” Was all he said.           A moment passed before his gaze returned to me again.   “Eren… I’m sorry to hear that. We didn’t mean to kill your friends in order to upset you. It’s just… kinda the wait it i now.”              He seemed a bit lost for words, as if he were trying to comfort me. As if he was trying to make me understand. But i understood perfectly, this i knew. The apocalypse did not have to be explained. I already knew of it. I’m aware of it. I don't’ remember much, but i know its obviously the reason i turned in the first place. And he is right after all.          This is what has become of us. We are considered human no longer. We aren’t on of them anymore, no matter how pure our history was. Once you were infected and turned, you became the scum of the Earth. Your previous self they came o know meant nothing to them anymore, Even if they had become fond of you. You were just another target to either shoot or avoid. That’s all there was to it now.          So i can understand; they saw him as they enemy and they did what was logical to them, eradicate it. But ever since I met Levi, fine fine yet seemingly clear line between friend and foe has become blurred and complicated. We are disrupting the cycle this tragedy has thrust upon us. His group must hate it. I cleared my throat and tried to form words as best as I could.   “...I know...”           This seemed to catch him off guard and he stared at me, completely surprised. It then shifted into one of skepticism.   “...Really? You do? Hmmm.”          We stayed silent for a while, no one making a sound until Levi finally stood up.   “Alright then. If you say so.” He glanced over at his group before addressing me again. “It seems we reunited after all, huh? Funny how things work out sometimes.             Eren, we’ll have to be on our way now We've probably stayed here for too long and i need to know how many of my men are left , if any.” He sighed. “We haven’t found much either. Although meeting you was an unexpected surprise, we still haven't come across anything of significant value. This is some real shit.” He grumbled. “So much work for practically nothing. I’d hate to have lost men in vain...” He tsked, clearly irritated at his current situation.          I blinked at him. Was he leaving again already? We were going to be separated again after just finding each other? After so long, we realized that we indeed had managed to survive this long enough to find each other once more. This was my wish, but it suddenly wasn’t enough. I didn’t want him to leave. Who knows if we would ever meet again. And if we did, how long would I wait?         It seemed as if the world had managed to do me this hugest of favors just by bringing him back to me, though i would have preferred it to be under… better circumstances. I didn't’ really want it all to end so soon. Something akin to a whimper escaped my lips at the knowledge of him leaving. Levi perked up at the sound and looked at me, looking sympathetic and just a hint regretful.   “Don’t be like that, Eren. If you truly understand, then you should know how this works.”             I did know and I just didn't want it. I didn’t want him to leave me. No, not alone. My whimper came out just a little sharper this time, more sorrowful, and Levi watched with slightly sad eyes.   “Eren, please. Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”             He leaned down just enough to reach me, his hand extending out to me and ever so lightly ghosting over my tear streaked cheeks. His long, thin fingers hovered just above my skin, gently nudging messy, dirty locks away from my face. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he wanted to stay. he was just as curious about me as I was about him and I had so many things i wanted to know about him. But my abilities were limited and out nature was against one another's. He couldn’t stay.          He didn’t  belong here, in a place infested with zombies unlike me, and perhaps we just didn’t belong with each other. But I wanted to know of him. I wanted to know everything. He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh before pulling away from me and turning around, facing his back to me.   “Come on. Let’s get out of here and round up the others.” He said, in a tone that was commanding and sharper than the one he used with me.            I watched helplessly as they began to walk away, widening the gap between us with each step.  As the distance increased, so did the feeling of loneliness and anguish. But before I could process what came over me, words stumbled out of my mouth.   “W-wait!” I blurted out. “...Levi.”              The group stopped abruptly mid step, surprised at my sudden outburst. Levi turned to face me, heeding me with a perplexed stare. I fidgeted slightly, feeling strange with all the attention directed at me before remembering with a jolt why I called out to him.   “Uhh… H-here.”          I untied the makeshift pouch and held up the object for Levi. He blinked, clearly confused but intrigued as well. Hesitant at first, he walked the few steps back and came over to me, taking it from my hands. He slowly unwrapped the item from it’s clothed confinement before revealing the large blade I had come across earlier. He stared at it, turning it over and assessing it’s features.   “This is… mine.” He said aloud, absentmindedly. “.. You found it? Did you keep this for me?”           I nodded and he looked at me with a mixture of shock and disbelief.   “..wait. Eren, can you read?”            If the blood in my body still circulated normally, my cheeks would have been flushed with a bright, rosy tint. But since it didn’t, I settled for a sheepish nod.   “What? Since when?”   “...Today...”             His mouth hung open slightly, those blue-grey eyes never breaking away from mine.   “... ‘My god, Eren. You are too much.”             I might have giggled at this, but my vocal cords were in no condition to bother trying. My limited speech alone is already raspy and disturbing, imagine a giggle. It’d probably just come out as gurgling anyway. But who knows, maybe he dug that shit. Though I was feeling too self conscious to find out for myself. Must be an unwanted perk from me ‘trying to act human again’. I looked away from him shyly, letting my gaze wander away from him. He seemed to notice this and his face warmed some again. The edge of his lips turned up ever so slightly, showing me that familiar smile of his. It was much more pleasant than I had remembered.   “...Thank you, Eren.”           I jumped slightly at the praise. For the first time, I had become aware of the feeling  of things moving inside of me. I hadn’t really paid attention to it before, but i was certain I felt something squeeze and flutter. Maybe it was just whatever was left of my stomach making futile attempts to digest the amounts of human meat I had inside of me. I’m not sure.        Leave it to Levi to do and say things that no one would ever think to do to me now. He made me feel things I didn’t think i could feel again, along with others I don’t believe I had experienced before. Levi made me feel different. he made me feel special.   “Y-you're welcome.” I mumbled.          I realized at that moment, Levi was able to make me feel the way I had yearned to feel, human. Something Strange happened then, something I couldn’t put my finger on. It snapped inside of me, bursting brightly and letting out a spark. It surged through my whole body, in my decaying flesh, all the way down to the deteriorating calcium frame it hung on. It felt.. Empowering. It was exhilarating, and not long afterwards did i find myself caught up in it.         But it soon came to me what that feeling was, something I had experienced not too long ago. Determination. And it was just as strong as it was then, maybe even stronger. Back when i had make the choice to save Levi. But today I was left with a new decision. At this moment, I could do something that, based on the outcome, would change my ‘life’. My fate. I had come to the conclusion that right now, I held the power to take hold and shape my destiny. After this I won’t look back anymore. I’ll never look back.           I released Marco’s corpse and placed him on the ground, slowly rising up to my feet. Standing firm, I fixed my eyes on Levi’s icy-steely ones. He appeared startled by my sudden change in demeanor, but I knew what I wanted to do.   “Levi, I’ll go too.”   - - - More art down here! (remember that some may or may not provide spoilers for this fic. Click at your own risk!)   Colorful_Eren_doodle 1 (No patch) Colorful_Eren_doodle 2 (Patch)       Chapter End Notes Levi, you gay as fuck. No lie. The plot finally moves along, holy shit! THIS PIECE OF SHIT FIC WILL SOON COMPLETE ONE YEAR OF EXISTING SINCE I FIRST BEGAN WRITING IT AND ONLY NOW DOES IT ACTUALLY GET DOWN TO THE FUCKING MEAT OF THIS. just barely! We passed teh bread and the sauce. We're just finishing the greens and moving down to teh meat!!! one day i hope to finish this sandwich :' )) ! - sorry i haven't been updating this much, but i've been paying attention to some of my other series i've started ^^*! Including one for this DHBS fic called : "Synchronizing Heartbeats: DHBS ASIDES" so check it! - Never got grounded? well w.e, better for you guys! anyway, finally finished this chapter. Forced myself to push through with typing this and im very satisfied that i finished!! i feel accomplished on not giving up! Sometimes i get stuck and dont write anything for this fic for weeks even, but when i do write, it fuckin flys! It's the transferring from my phone to the computer that's a pain. it just doubles the work process. Sometimes it's good though bcuz it forces me to re-read my written work and make changes that i hadn't realized needed fixing at teh moment, so there's that. dont know when the next chapter is coming though, probably not anytime soon. Writing these and updating it takes about 1-3 months now that the chapters are slowly getting longer. And college time is quickly approaching! I'll be back to writing more come Feb break, but i may be busy again soon. Fuck. Plz check out my other work in the mean time! ***** Shut up and Run! ***** Chapter Summary Eren has declared he will follow along with Levi and his squad. Levi is thrown and not knowing what to make of the sudden shift in the zombie boy's demeanor, accepts it. The squad is doubtful and disapproving, but Eren's determination never falters. What could he possibly offer them? - Chapter Notes Levi POV here! Deciding i will probably no longer go back and ping- pong between Eren and Levi for their POVs. It takes too long, slowing down this fic's progress and is just repetitive. I'm going to switch POVs whenever i feel i can and see if it's appropriate. From now, the plot will finally move along rather than retelling the whole thing from a different POV. the action starts to build more from here and let me tell you, Levi's sappiness towards Eren is toning down too. I know i said this was going to be a fluffy zombie Apocalypse, but i feel like i'm losing LEVI here. He's too soft now. It had been much worse when i had typed him out these past few chapters than in my head. He was fine when he first showed up. He's supposed to be snappier now anyway, so you may notice a shift in demeanor. Levi's getting feelings and he hates every bit of it. I can't wait to get to Hanji!!! ohhh an Levi's back story!!! so excited! Thanx for stickin' around! - *Tips: " - " = Flashback/ end of a flashback (unless at the very beginning of a fic, or told otherwise) " - - " = break for change of time or place " - - - " = end of a chapter " [...] " = lack of text/ text to be added \ See the end of the chapter for more notes   -   LEVI:           "Levi, I'll go too."           I blinked, his surprisingly clear words not quite clicking in my brain. Shock was the word I was looking for. But once that washed over me, I stared at him, curious.   “You… want to come with us?”        I watched as he clenched his fists and nodded, seeming confident. He also looked very stubborn about it. I had the feeling that even if i told him no and to go back with his own kind, he just might follow us anyway. I sighed. I didn’t want him to come with us. Not because I don’t like his presence or anything, as strange as that is for me to admit, but because my squad would not approve. Even as their captain, I can only keep them away from him so much. They've been giving him death glares since the moment they had laid eyes on him. And they just might even kill him too. The mere thought of us being together was dangerous.        He was here. He was safe, i suppose, or unhurt at least. You know, besides already being dead. But the fact of the matter was that his ‘well being’ could all go to shit within a matter of seconds, because of a simple mistake, and I certainly didn't want that to happen when it could easily be avoided. Yet, as I stare at him, I’ve never quite seen a zombie look as alive as he does. At least somewhere behind the eyes, I see it. I see a will, one that can not be broken easily. Whether it was the will to ‘Live’ or something else, I’ve never been one that could resist an attitude like that. He was a very interesting creature indeed. “Do you think you can be useful? What is it that you can offer us?” I asked.         It was essential at this moment to find out if Eren had any valuable skills if he was so willing to tag along. This way, he would have a reason to appeal more to my squad and possibly keep him in the clear of their wrath. They wouldn't dare hurt him if they thought he could help us in some way. At least for a while.         He stood there, looking as if he were deep in thought. How much depth can this particular zombie’s thoughts hold? He finally looked as if he had decided on something, placing both of his hand on his chest, making a gesture to himself.   “Me.”          I looked at him, confused. “You? As in yourself?”        He gave a nod. Himself? What does that mean? It’s so vague, there are many possibilities as to what he meant. I doubt he would elaborate on what he meant since he didn’t really seem capable of talking very well, though his speech has improved since our first encounter. That would only mean i’d have to come to a conclusion myself.         I racked my brain, trying to think up of anything he could have meant by that. I thought back to when he saved me from the zombies. He had smeared his flesh on me so my scent would mix with his. As disgusting as it was, it served to be effective. Was he offering to help us escape? This place was heavily deteriorated, but still massive. Did he know the way out of here? Oh! Or perhaps that was it? Maybe it was BECAUSE he knew his way around this place. He was wandering this place before we even got here. Maybe he knows where to find what we’re looking for. I might be overestimating his abilities, but it was worth a shot. “Hey, Eren. Do you think you know if this place still holds anything valuable? Maybe any shops that still have items inside or machines?”          I could feel my squad’s eyes watching me. This would probably influence what they thought of Eren, depending on how he responded. But they seemed uncertain. The kid, however, seemed to brighten up at my question, like a little kid that was told they could help with baking a big cake. He seemed excited and I took that as a good sign. “Yes!” He squeaked, sounding rather eager.         I bit back a smile, watching as he looked over into a completely different direction, lifting a finger to point.   “Do you know the way from here?”          He gave another nod and gestured for us to follow him. I turned to look at my squad. They seemed much more interested now, but they still looked distrustful. I admit, trusting him was a gamble, but we didn’t have much else to go on. I was willing to believe that Eren did actually know what he was doing. I gave them a look, narrowing my eyes and giving a firm nod as a sign that I trusted him. They shot each other strange glances and sighed, reluctantly nodding back at me to show they understood.        Just as Eren took a few steps, he suddenly stopped and looked over at us. He tilted his head and walked back to that other zombie’s body. At first, we were all confused as to why he went back over to it, until he bent over and yanked up a sloppy handful of intestine mush. Petra slapped a hand across her mouth, letting out a noise as the others looked equally as disgusted. The rotting organs dripped a fetid fluid in his hands as he turned to face us, as if offering them up to us.   “First.” He stated shortly, holding them up at us.         He didn’t need to say anything else for me to understand. I groaned, startling my teammates. They didn’t know what he meant, but I did. They would know soon. Sighing, I put my hands up as if surrendering, deciding to get it over with. Everyone shot me weird looks.   “Alright, fine. Make it quick.” “Eh? Captain, what’s he do-”          Eren walked over to me and immediately began slathering my clothes with zombie guts. Now that I wasn’t overwhelmed with shock like last time, I had to suppress the strong urge to gag and shove him away. All the others were staring at me in terror, not sure on how to react.   “It’s camouflage.” I explained.           Once Eren finally finished layering that gunk on me, he turned to others. They took a step back from him, letting various degrees of disgust show on their faces. “Go on.” I said, giving him the go.          My squad scrunched up their faces even more before slumping in defeat. As Eren finished covering everyone in the zombie’s scent, he lead the way once again. Feeling thoroughly disgusted, i sighed inwardly and followed him with a weapon at the ready, just in case. Here we go again.   - -   (Halloween deadline will be missed_ sorry for the inconvenience and inevitable disappointment on ur part : T. BUT IM making more Art for the fic! next update should be the rest of the chapter! stay tuned!)   {NEXT POSSIBLE UPDATE: ...... December?? probably}   (!!PREVIEW!! )   [...]  - - -   Chapter End Notes (Preview!!) HEYYYYY guys! Been a while huh? i can't keep these updates as consistent as i want them to be Thanks for staying interested! - (FIC WILL NOT MAKE HALLOWEEN DEADLINE, SORRY! IM MOVING TO A NEW PLACE AND WONT HAVE WI-FI FOR A BIT) - (SOrry this isnt a REAL update, but theres no other way to notify you guys??? Also i doodled you a thing!! ) End Notes look at that ending. Have i captured your attention yet? Yes, i know i have other fics to work on. yes, i know i should be trying to finish them. but u know what? i decided that when the need strikes me, i'll type up any idea i want and post it. These new ideas may be happening more often, so i wont be able to update my other fics as much, but ive already typed up like 5 chapters for this story in one day like a maniac. yeah, this is hella fun! watch me abuse the word, "Yeah", "Seems" and "dead/ undead" in this story! plus much more! (I always have that one word i try not to use alot,but i do.) this is a really casual take on death btw, i'll try not to make this too sad or anything. ahaha this is typed so casually look at that simple writing,wow. Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!