Chapter Three

                                    

                                          
It had been hours and Eren was certain everyone had went to sleep. After dinner Jean showed him to his bed, which was a mattress on the floor, then went to his own bed. Eren could hear some of the others asleep in the same room as him. It was Jean and Erwin who slept on other mattresses. But Eren couldn't sleep, the only thing that was on his mind were the friends he had lost that day. After an other few minutes of staring at the ceiling, Eren decided to go outside to get some air before he broke down over the loss of his friends. He didn't want to interrupt anyone else's sleep anyway. As silent as possible, Eren crept out of the room then out of the house. He stood on the white porch, feeling the wind blow on his face. Tears stung his eyes as he thought about them, about Armin and Mikasa. This was his first night without them, his first night without the hour long conversations they usually had before they eventually dozed off to bed. His hands gripped the side of the railing tightly, closing his eyes as he choked on sobs. He missed them, a lot. He felt guilty for not being able to protect them. He had tried to keep them alive for so long, he tried to keep them from the horrors of the world. But it didn't work.
                          
Suddenly Eren heard footsteps behind him and frantically rubbed at his eyes, trying to not make it look like he was crying. He bit his lip to stifle a cry and glanced to the side, seeing the leader stand beside him. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as to why Levi was still up at this time.
                          
Levi leaned against the porch railing, staring up at the sky. "It's a nice view, huh?" He asked, not taking his eyes off of the stars above him. He wasn't smiling exactly, but he didn't look as angry and blunt like usual. He just looked relaxed, as if nothing was bothering him at the moment. 
                          
The young teen looked even more confused but laughed slightly, nodding his head. Now that he looked properly at the sky, he realised how pretty it looked. The stars scattered across the sky and the sky itself looked almost dark blue with shades of purple in it. "Yeah, it's beautiful." Eren replied, continuing to wipe his eyes with the pyjama top he was given by Jean.
                          
The raven sighed deeply, finally looking beside him at Eren. "So were those your friends? The ones Jean pointed out?" He asked expressionless, one of his eyebrows raised just very slightly. He remembered back at the shop how there were two bodies in the corner, a girl with black hair and a boy with blond hair.
                          
"Y-Yeah." Eren responded quietly, staring down at the floor. "I didn't mean to let them die. I was trying to fight off the monsters and they... I thought they had it under control." His lip quivered but he took a deep breath, trying not to break down again. 
                          
Levi just nodded and stared back at the sky. "Don't blame yourself, alright?" He spoke quietly, crossing his arms and resting them on the porch fence. "You call them monsters?" He asked, changing the subject. "Here we call them biters. Sounds stupid but it works." Levi explained, shrugging his shoulders. 
                          
Eren laughed again and wiped his face. "Biters... make sense." He tried to joke, taking deep breaths. He turned around so he was facing the house and smiled. "Well I'll probably go back inside and try get some sleep, sorry if I bothered you." Eren spoke before walking back inside, not giving Levi a chance to reply. He walked up the stairs slowly so it wouldn't make much noise and slipped back into the bedroom. He noticed that Jean and Erwin were still asleep so he was glad. He climbed back onto his own mattress and wrapped himself in covers. He tried not to think too hard and just relax. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander, sleep eventually taking over.
                          
Back outside Levi continued to stare off at the sky for a while. He chewed on his lip, feeling very peaceful. That's when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. He flinched but relaxed when he heard the voice.
                          
"Stupid insomnia." Hanji muttered from behind him, nuzzling her face into the back of his neck. She knew Levi's condition well since they had been friends for a good while before the apocalypse. It was around a couple weeks into the break out that they finally discovered their true feelings for each other.
                          
Levi let out a small laugh and turned his head, seeing Hanji now resting her chin on his shoulder. He smiled slightly and kissed her cheek. "Yeah, you know it." He whispered back, watching Hanji's facial expression turn into a sad smile. He sighed and turned to face the brunette. "Hanji, you make this shit hole a lot more bearable." 
                          
Hanji grinned and hugged Levi tightly, a little too tight for Levi's liking. "You're such a sweetheart." She smiled happily. Levi groaned and gently patted her back in return.
                          
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Eren could feel beams of light hit his face as he slumbered. He blinked a couple times before sitting up. He glanced around, taking in his surroundings. The sunlight was shining through the window, lighting up the whole room. He looked at the two empty mattresses and raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure what to do or where he should go. He'd rather not walk around in the greenish top and plaid trousers he was given to wear. He sighed, wrapping himself up in the blanket he was given. He contemplated on what to do for a while until there was a knock at the door.
                          
"Uh, come in." Eren called, staring down at his pillow. He wondered who it was for a couple seconds, but a few moments later it was revealed to be Jean. 
                          
Jean walked in, holding a plate in one hand. "Hey Eren." Is all he said at first. He made his way over to Eren's mattress which was near the window and sat down. "Sorry you missed breakfast. I said to everyone not to wake you, you looked peaceful." Jean explained, staring at the plate that was now balanced on his lap. "I brought you food, I took it from the table." He handed the plate to Eren.
                          
Eren smiled slightly and put the plate in between his crossed legs. He stared at the three pieces of bacon and the slice of bread and couldn't help but grin. "Thanks Jean." He began to dig in, eating the bread first. "I've not had good food in ages." He admitted, not taking his eyes off the food for a second. It looked so delicious to him, much better than the cold food he usually ate every day. 
                          
Jean chuckled slightly. "I can tell, you're scoffing it up like a pig." He joked, staring at the ground. He felt a slap on his arm and looked up, meeting Eren's glare for a second before the brunette went back to eating.
                          
Eren rolled his eyes and bit into one of the pieces of bacon. "Jesus Christ..." He whispered, instantly taking a second bite. He groaned with satisfaction at the warm breakfast. Jean couldn't help but frown a little, it was a different sight. He was used to his old classmate Eren, the one who could be very picky about what he ate and who it came from but now here he was. Eating food he hadn't took a second glance at nor cared that it came from people he hardly knew. Except Jean of course.
                          
Within a couple minutes Eren has finished his breakfast without a word being said. He sighed, placing the empty plate on the floor for now. "So uh, what is happening today?" He asked, finally looking at Jean who had been nice enough to not interrupt him while he ate.
                          
Jean stood up and took the plate. "Well we will just be going out and scavenging. Everyone expects you to go since you are kinda with us now but you can stay here if y-"
                          
"It's fine! I'll come!" Eren quickly replied, not wanting to be left by himself with people he hardly knew. 
                          
"Great, I'll bring you some clothes and then we will head off, okay?"