Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/1134158. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Choose_Not_To_Use_Archive_Warnings, Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Rape/ Non-Con, Underage Category: F/M, F/F Fandom: Shingeki_no_Kyojin_|_Attack_on_Titan Relationship: Krista_Lenz_|_Historia_Reiss/Ymir, Hange_Zoë/Mike_Zacharias, Mikasa Ackerman/Jean_Kirstein, Oluo_Bozado/Petra_Ral, Sasha_Blouse/Connie Springer Character: Levi_(Shingeki_no_Kyojin), Bertolt_Hoover, Reiner_Braun, Ymir_(Shingeki no_Kyojin), Hange_Zoë, Mike_Zacharias, Erwin_Smith, Krista_Lenz_| Historia_Reiss, Connie_Springer, Sasha_Blouse, Oluo_Bozado, Petra_Ral, Mikasa_Ackerman, Jean_Kirstein, Eren_Yeager, Annie_Leonhart Additional Tags: Physical_Abuse, Sexual_Abuse, Alcohol_Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe_-_Modern_Setting, Self-Harm, Abusive_Parents, Alternate_Universe -_Law_Enforcement, Love_Triangles Stats: Published: 2014-01-13 Words: 629 ****** In The Shadows ****** by attackonsanity Summary Alcohol, physical, and sexual abuse leaves Eren Jaeger untrusting of men. Or just untrusting in general. He hates the world around him and lives in a constant cloud of darkness. That is, until he meets Levi. Levi Is a cop who deals with kids in abusive homes, and he has never once seen a case as difficult as Eren's. And he almost gives up on him, but a talk with an old friend changes his mind. Notes I have writers block with Fast Forward, so I'm working on this until I get my inspiration back. ;Many people think that because I'm a sixteen year old kid, still in high school, I have no problems. They automatically assume that all the things that I deem problematic, are simply the usual teenage drama of "he said-she said". But it runs so much deeper than that. You can't just assume you have someone completely figured out simply by the fact that there's a smile on their face. Because in reality, the smile you see on my face isn't real. None of my enthusiasm or happiness is real. I'm not saying that I'm just a depressed kid. Because I'm not sure if that's a strong enough diagnosis. What I am saying is that my life is pretty shitty right now. And it has been for two years now. Of course, you don't think I have any reason to hate my life. After all, I have a father, a protective older sister, a roof over my head and enough money to live comfortably. Perfect situation, right? Wrong. On the surface it seems pretty damn ideal. But you can't see beneath the daily facades and the lies of being perfectly fine. You don't see what happens when the doors close for the night. But I'm getting a bit confusing, aren't I? Let me Introduce myself first. My name is Eren Jaeger, sophomore at Trost Academy. Yeah, it's kind of a rich school, but when you have a father who's a doctor, you can afford more expensive things. When I was in eighth grade, my mom died of lymphoma. Though the cancer itself wasn't the main cause of death. She and I weren't always on the same page, and we argued quite a bit. But she was still my mom, and she meant a lot to me. Anyway, my foster sister Mikasa was my best friend growing up. She came to live with us when she was ten and I was nine, after her parents were killed due to a drunk driver. She tends to be overprotective of me, seeing as how I'm kind of the only family she has left right now. (Neither of us consider my dad family, but that's because he's never at home anymore). Some days are okay. At least they were for the first several months after mom died. After that, dad was home less and less. Always working. Until about a year ago when we found out he'd lost his job at Rosewell, which was the big name local hospital. After that, he spent most of his time in various bars around town, wasting what little money we did have, on alcohol. I won't go into too much detail, but I will say that my dad's alcoholism was one of the big factors in causing my only support system to leave. Do I have any idea where she went? No I don't. Mikasa never told me. Hell, I didn't even know she was leaving until I woke up to the sounds of empty house. (Dad always left before I woke up to make it to the bars as soon as they opened). Mikasa always made noise in the morning, and she was always awake before I was. There are no words to describe the utter abandonment I felt at seeing that she was gone, and knowing she wasn't ever coming back. To be completely honest, I was terrified. My biggest supporter wasn't here anymore. I had no one to turn to and it was hell. But I think I'm saying too much. I do f want to tell you everything just yet, because that would ruin the whole point of this. I'm not here to tell you everything myself, because not all of this is my story to tell. But you'll find that out later. Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!