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Go to the Underworld. See his Queen for the first time in centuries. Sit through hours of lectures and demand answers. Find a way to deal with this bond, or better, get rid of it. That was Levi's not-so-concrete plan when, out of nowhere, a jolt ran through his body and a painfully familiar voice sounded clear as day in his head.

Eren. At first, he thought he was imagining things, but he was not so foolish as to deny reality when it hit him in the face. His vision whited, an image of a seashore he knew well flickering behind his eyes. A location, a time, a request, an urgency.

"Please be there. I need to see you."

Plans be damned. Levi was not weak - he could deny this urge, of that he was sure. And yet he knew it was pointless. He could deny his gut that pulled insistently, his feet that carried him west, the undeniable yearning in his chest that sparked with Eren's message, but what would that achieve? He could get nothing done like that. His original plans would go into the garbage regardless.

There was apprehension growing in Levi's stomach as he ambled mindlessly towards the ocean. They were to meet the following evening, which was plenty of time for him to get there before the time Eren gave him. He knew this was a poor choice; Grisha's warning tone and thinly veiled threats still hung heavy over him and he knew that being caught would inevitably end in death. Levi was not fond of death.

He also was not fond of the way Eren kept consuming his mind.

It was his own fault. Before the incident, he had been an average loner, wandering the decrepit streets of abandoned human cities and, on occasion, taking pity on the rare human straggler before they got caught in some crueler demon's claws. Levi was either left alone for his reputation, or took lives of those that were too cocky. He cared nothing for the ever-looming war with the angels and would have to be bribed to get involved in any kind of conflict.

And then Eren ran into him in a dirty alley with Levi's uncle on his heels, and suddenly the task of saving the number one untouchable angel fell into his lap. Talk about unlucky.

Levi knew he should not complain. Eren's consequences were far worse. He could never be a free angel, not now that Levi had tainted him. Yet Levi still suffered the yearning through that incomplete bond, still felt every moodswing that tore through Eren, still heard his thoughts on the rare occasion Eren actually focused on one.

It was all this damned bond's fault that his life was turned upside down. Not that seeing Eren would do anything about it, except maybe grant him a few moments of peace. The peace would make it worth the venture, Levi supposed, trying to ignore the fact that, according to the pull he felt, it would be worth it anyways.

It was only hours that he spent pacing the shoreline and staring up at the swirling hole in the clouds, but it felt like days. The sun rose and fell over the waves, which would have been absolutely breathtaking were it not for the gnawing feeling in Levi's gut. He had seen it a million times before anyway.

When a soft blue pillar made its way from the sky to the shore, Levi fought not to leap to his feet. A figure made itself known a few meters above ground. The light dissipated, and there was Eren, drifting gracefully downward until bare feet hit sand.

Levi watched as if he was a bystander, demon and angel taking tentative steps toward one another, drifting closer until they were less than a foot apart. The pull was a mighty force now, urging Levi to close the gap, made stronger with the waves of anxiety pulsing through the bond and the way Eren's eyes flickered with a plethora of emotions, ones Levi could not fully identify.

Relief? Wariness? Joy? Remorse?

Eren moved to come closer. Immediately, instinctively, Levi placed a hand on the brunet's chest, shaking his head. Eren's face fell into something of a pout. It was a welcome sight, one that almost made Levi forget the way his heart was thundering in his chest.

"Why are you here?"

He wanted it to be harsh. Mean, so he could chase Eren off and refrain from ruining his life any more than he already had. Instead, it was a gentle murmur, soft and questioning, and yet it seemed to distress Eren all the same. He looked away and started to fiddle with his fingers, and Levi yearned for those pretty jade eyes to meet his again.

"I . . . made a deal."

One that was not with Levi. A third party involved his and Eren's - whatever they were. A third party that knew they were meeting when they absolutely were not supposed to be, and even knew why when Levi did not.

He quirked an eyebrow, trying not to jump the gun despite the uneasiness growing in his stomach. "A deal?"

Eren's eyes flicked up to look at him for half a second, and then they were pointed down once more. It did nothing for the tension in Levi's shoulders.

"I met someone. They're interested in researching our bond, so I agreed to help."

"You agreed to help," Levi echoed. He knew his tail was starting to swish distastefully and fought to keep it still. He was liking this situation less and less. "Help how?"

It did not take a bond for Eren to feel the discomfort radiating off the demon in heavy waves. He cleared his throat nervously. Uncertainty, regret. Levi did not like the feelings filtering through the bond.

"They want to study us. They get their information, and I . . . we might be cured. If they find one, I mean."

It was slow, so slow it was almost imperceptible, as discomfort turned to hostility. Levi did not speak, nor did he take his eyes off of Eren. Instead he held his breath, counted to ten, and waited until Eren looked at him once more. When he spoke, his voice trembled with something neither of them could truly identify.

"Is that what this is?" A small scoff that was supposed to be a laugh, and Eren wanted to take a step back. He could not bring himself to do it. "I'm standing here risking my ass for some angel I don't know to run some experiments?"

Something akin to distress made him rake a hand through his hair and take a step back. Was it his or Eren's?

"Levi - "

"I don't want to hear it," he said softly, and a dull throb in his chest accompanied the words. A sardonic smile crossed Levi's face ever so briefly. Was Eren always this emotional? He did not like it. Refusing to acknowledge the dull pain, he turned on his heel, facing away from the angel. "I'm leaving. Don't call me again."

When did it become so difficult to put one foot in front of the other? He would have to be absolutely dense to deny that he did not want to leave, but Levi refused to be used like this. He would not risk his neck just to be some angel's test subject, and he would certainly not tolerate Eren vouching for his consent to such matters, so he shook his head and started walking.

And promptly stopped walking as a cry of, "Wait!" sounded out from behind him and a hand grasped his wrist firmly.

Were it anyone else, Levi would have sent them flying with a blast of energy, but he refrained despite his instincts still screeching at him. Instead, he waited, listening to the soft lapping of waves on the shore. Eren did not speak again, and the demon sighed.

"Why?" Levi asked quietly. This was absolutely unfair. He was already struggling to leave his half-bondmate behind, cursing the way he unwillingly felt about the whole ordeal, and now Eren had to go and make it harder for him. Why could he not just leave? Whether the pain in his chest was still Eren's or not, he did not know anymore.

"Because," Eren said, voice a pathetic whimper, and the strong urge to turn immediately and wipe Eren's unshed tears nearly overwhelmed Levi. He stood his ground. "This - this was the only way I could see you."

Ah - why did that brat not say so in the first place?

Levi half-turned, glancing at Eren over his shoulder. Teal eyes swam with unshed tears, and the grip on his wrist squeezed and loosened at random intervals. Eren took a shuddering breath and allowed himself to release Levi, who left his hand hovering for a moment before allowing it to drop.

"I-I don't know what's w-wrong with me," Eren stammered, hands now twisting at the hem of his shirt. His eyes wandered, never landing on Levi's, instead fixating on various other points of his face. "Every time I think of you, my stupid chest hurts. Sometimes this mark even hurts."

One of his hands reached up to brush the puncture wounds on the side of his neck, hidden by messy hair. Sharp silver eyes followed the motion like a hawk.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, Levi. I just . . . I-I wanted to see you so bad."

And then there were tears. Levi turned fully to face Eren once more, mouth almost comically agape. He had absolutely no clue what to do about crying - he was a demon, for heaven's sake! All he knew was that it hurt deep in the core of his very being, and he wanted it to stop.

It took several seconds of Eren sniffling loudly and wiping at his wet cheeks for Levi to finally reach up and place his hand on Eren's head.

Eren's eyes opened wide, surprise etched on his features, and Levi hesitantly stroked the soft chocolate locks under his fingertips. Slowly, those pretty turquoise orbs fluttered closed again, and Levi indulged in another pet.

It felt right, carding his fingers through that hair that was so soft he was certain it was weaved with silk, listening to Eren's breathing slow and sniffles dissipate into nothing. Cautiously, experimentally, Levi let his hand slide further down, cupping a tan cheek. Eren opened his eyes once more, a question in them.

"This is dangerous," Levi whispered.

"I don't care," Eren whispered back.

Levi gave a soft snort and his hand fell back to his side, Eren responding with a noise of disappointment. The amusement faded quickly, and Eren cocked his head, a silent inquiry of what was wrong.

"I care," Levi said. Eren furrowed his eyebrows.

"Why?" he asked.

Because your life is ruined enough as is, Levi wanted to say. Because I'll be killed if anyone finds out. Because I don't know what they'll do to you.

"Because this is all my fault," he settled on. But Eren only pondered it a moment before offering a cheeky grin.

"You can make it up by helping me figure this all out," he said decisively.

It was amazing how quickly Eren had done a complete one-eighty in mood the moment Levi blamed himself. Levi was not stupid - the behavior was easily observable. He did not know if he should appreciate the gesture.

He was spared that line of thought when Eren shifted and looked toward the ocean. The moon was high, casting it a gorgeous dark blue, almost black. Without warning, Eren plopped down right into the sand. Bewildered, Levi watched as the angel patted the sand next to him expectantly.

"I - what?"

It had been thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands of years that Levi had been alive. So many that when Eren mumbled embarrassedly, "I've always wanted to see the ocean," he was struck with surprise that it was something some had never seen. Wordlessly, he took a seat next to the angel.

It was quiet for the remainder of the night, the still air only disrupted by the occasional remark about the stars, the wave, the beach. Many a time Levi thought back to that mysterious third person and whatever tests they were running - surely there was something they should be doing? - but Eren never even seemed to think about it. He merely observed with wide, curious eyes, and shivered and moved closer to Levi when the cold night air ruffled his clothes and hair.

And if Levi let a little heat magic flow through him to keep the angel warm, well, nobody had to know.

It felt like mere minutes had passed when the first rays of dawn began to filter through the clouds on the horizon. It painted Eren's skin pretty shades of orange and pink. Levi found himself wondering what his wings would look like in the lighting.

"Will we do this again?" Eren asked softly as they stood. He was giving Levi a choice.

"I don't know." The sky was growing lighter rapidly above them, marking that time was running short. They still drug their feet to the hole in the clouds, and perhaps stood a little too close together when they halted there. "Do you want to?"

Eren shrugged, looking away and back toward the ocean. "I don't know," he said, but the fluttering in his stomach told Levi everything.

Eren closed his eyes, and from the clouds a soft blue pillar descended, approaching the duo. Levi stepped back and watched as the light surrounded Eren, a blue shimmer now separating them. It grew brighter, and in seconds, it would whisk him away.

"I think I'd like to," Levi finally said.

Eren's face split into a smile, and he nodded once before the light was bringing him up, up, further and further away from Levi until he disappeared past the cloud barrier.