ONE ʙʏ ONE 𝟸 : ᗩᗷᑌᔕᗴ ᗩᔕƳᒪᑌᗰ

ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ-ɴɪɴᴇ

About midday, Everyone was up in the common deck. Nobody could stand the sight or smell of Christa's rotting corpse. Armin was first to complain, considering he was the only one brave enough to speak with Levi.

"Levi, I can't sleep down there another night."

The raven looked up from his book. "Why not?"

Armin crossed his arms and huffed, "Christa smells. Let's throw her overboard or something."

Jean scowled at the blonde kid, "She deserves a proper burial."

"The ocean is a wonderful place!" Armin exasperated. "Either the ocean or she's getting stuffed in storage."

Sonny and Bean walked up to Eren whining. He patted their heads gently, understanding what they wanted. Hange lolled her head back.

"I know!" Hange exasperated. "Just a couple more hours, then I'll give you a large meal."

Levi raised a brow, "They're hungry?"

Eren leaned over and whispered something that cause Levi to snicker. Levi whispered something back. Eren nodded, stood, and left downstairs. Everyone felt uneasy. A horrid smell fermented the air.

Eren returned carrying Christa's corpse. Everyone's eyes grew with horror and gagged at the sight. Levi was unaffected.

"There you go, mutts." Levi chortled. "Eat up."

"Levi!" Hange gasped.

"What? You're acting like she's still alive!"

Eren pitched in, "They're hungry, and we have supplies. Can't let them starve."

Hange was irked and whistled for Sonny and Bean to retreat to her side. The hounds ignored her and stared to Eren, slobber dripping from their jaws. Hange called to them again, only to get the same response.

"Looks like they know who's in charge." Levi grinned. "Alright, Eren, let them eat."

Eren stepped to the side and pointed at Christa's body. They wasted no time sprinting to her body and tearing it apart. Their canines dug into her flesh and ripped it into chucks.

Armin and Erwin were honestly relieved that Christa was no longer rotting in the same area where they slept. Everyone else was the opposite. Connie was so disgusted, he threw up overboard. Berthold and Reiner had half a mind to join him.

Hange was furious. Eren stole the respect of her hounds, Armin stole her reputation, and Levi was stole the last bit of patience she had. Holly was just as fed up as she was.

Hange's group retreated to the lower deck kitchen. Levi returned to his book as if nothing happened. Armin and Erwin ignored the sounds of ripping tendons and squelching flesh as Sonny and Bean devoured Christa's remains.

When they were done, Levi called them over. The raven pulled a cloth from his pocket and began to clean the blood off their snouts.

"Hey, I just might be a dog person." Levi remarked.

Eren scratched their backs and praised them, earning playful yips and tail wags. After Levi deemed them clean enough, he waved them away. They each dragged a bone from the mess and began to gnaw on it for dessert.

Eren leaned back in his chair and laid an arm across Levi's shoulders. The raven snuggled close and admired his new pets. It made him long for something else — a child. Something he could take care of and teach. He had his love, now he wanted his family.

"Levi..." Eren mumbled. "It's happening again."

Eren felt himself falling into a slip of aggression. Levi nodded and called over Armin and Erwin. He gave them a command and they followed it quickly and quietly, even though they knew it would lead to trouble.

As they disappeared, Levi handed Eren a knife. "You need to release, and that sub-par hacker has no value."

Eren looked to Levi. Everytime he killed or caused harm, he was coming back. Levi was the one who really knew Eren's progress. The boy laid a hand on the raven's face.

Levi felt a blush heat up his cheeks. "Yes, Mon Amour?"

"He's still there." Eren's face was blank.

"Who is, Mon Amour?"

"You are." Eren replied, holding the knife up to the sunlight. "He's just been quiet, but he's still watching and protecting you. He still talks to me sometimes too."

Levi swallowed nervously, realizing he was talking about Levi's personality. When Eren was in that personality, he become more aggressive than Levi was able to handle.

Levi stuttered, "A-And what does he say?"

"We have this compromise," Eren revealed. "I don't want to kill people, but he does. So, we torture instead. It's like we've combined." Eren looked Levi directly in the eye. "He wants to torture you — just because."

'Just because' — That was the reason Levi fell in love with Eren. The connection of 'Just because' means that it's nature for it to happen, and if it was to ever be torn apart, it would come back sooner or later.

Levi felt his face become heated as he shook his head, "Ignore him. I'm the real Levi — the only one you need."

Levi pulled Eren down by his chin and kissed him. Eren's Levi side was riling up, wanting to choke the raven, but he held it back. When they parted, Armin and Ewrin returned with Holly.

"You just need to blow off steam." Levi advised, gesturing for Erwin and Armin to barricade the lower deck door.

Holly realized what was happened and began to panic, but Levi was quick to quiet her. Sonny and Bean stood as Eren approached her.

"Sonny, Bean," Eren called. "Still hungry?"

A small group of people, on a barely big enough boat — shoulder to shoulder with a psycho and his lover, two psychiatric patients, two rabid dogs, and the spirits of two dead girls. It can't get much worse.

╰ ─┉─¡! • !¡─┉─ ╯

Damn, they can not get a break, huh?

Toodles~