Adult-FanFiction.org : Anime

Dangerous Territory	By : Rhov Category: +. to F > Attack on Titan /Shingeki No Kyojin Views: 4228 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own “Shingeki no Kyojin” and do not make money from this fanfic.

Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
Chapter 12
The Importance of a Book

Levi had finished his chores early, so the soldier watching over him simply locked him back away in the dungeon. It was dank and cold, but at least he could rest, conserve energy, and it gave him time to think. He tried to recall happier times, but it was getting harder and harder to remember Petra's face. He wished he could have saved just one photograph of her.
Somewhere above, Levi heard unfamiliar footsteps, one person, lightweight, wearing boots. He instinctively shrank down, glaring at the torchlight slowly spilling in as the possible enemy approached. He hated not having a weapon of some kind. Even a spoon could be used to kill if a person was skilled enough. However, instead of some hard-faced man, it was a small soldier with huge, bright eyes that looked around as if wondering if he was in the right place.
Levi raised up a little and called out in French, "You're the one they call Armin, right?"
The soldier, barely old enough to no longer be considered a boy, leaped at the voice, but he came in at seeing Levi.
"I sure hope you didn't come down here hoping to prove your manhood by beating up some Jews," Levi mocked. "Or maybe you want to flirt with the women as well, let one break in your virginity. Sorry to disappoint you, boy, but I'm the only one here. If you flirt with me, I'll kick your ass, and if you try to beat me up, well, you're like a helpless kitten. I'd almost feel bad for beating you to death. Almost, you Nazi swine."
Armin obviously did not understand a word, and Levi rolled his eyes. He wanted to learn German, if only so he could cuss out these Nazis properly.
"Vous … Levi … oui?"
Levi arched an eyebrow. "Oui. Pourquoi?" Yes. Why?
Armin reached into a military bag, and Levi's eyes widened as he pulled out a book he knew immediately.
The Tanakh! How did this man get it? Why was he bringing it here? What the hell happened? Eren once told Levi that he could trust Armin if anything bad happened and he was unable to help. Obviously, this time Eren had been the one who needed the help of this young man. But why?
Levi felt his heart racing, and he sneered as he realized he was panicking over a German soldier. He looked up to Armin, a burning sensation in his eyes, and shouted, "Que diable est-il arrivé à Eren?" What the devil happened to Eren?
In halting words, Armin explained, "Eren … il a dit … livre … donner vous."
His French was horrible, but Levi got the gist of it. Eren told Armin to give the book back to him. "Takhshet?" he whispered, taking the book from between the prison bars. There was a lump in the back of his throat that annoyed him.
If Eren was handing the book back, and he gave it to a trusted member of his platoon, that meant something terrible must have happened. Had he been shot like Marlo?
Something shivered and twisted in Levi's chest, a deep dread he told himself he should not feel for some Nazi enemy, yet the burning in his eyes and tightness in his throat would not go away.
"Où est-il? Qu'est-ce qui se passe?" Where is he? What's going on?
Armin shrugged, showing he barely understood. "Er hat eine Lungenentzündung."
Levi sneered in frustration at the language barrier. "Dammit, what did he go and do?" He looked up to Armin. "Paper. Write. Dammit, what's the word? Schreiben."
"Wollten Sie Leutnant Jäger schreiben?"
"Ja, yes. I want to write to Jäger."
"Ich kann dich zu ihm bringen."
"Can … to him … bring … ja!" he shouted, picking up just enough. "Bring me to him. Please. Bitte."
Armin pointed to the Tanakh. "Das Buch?"
"To hell with the book!" Levi threw it under his pillow to hide it from view. "Jäger. Bring me to Eren Jäger!"
* * *
Levi stepped into a house that once belonged to some well-off villager, now abandoned and used by the lieutenant and a few of his closest men. Other officers had also commandeered houses while staying in this village. As Armin brought Levi inside, all eyes turned to him.
Jean scowled at seeing him. "Warum ist der Jude hier?" Why is the Jew here?
Armin answered, "Er will Eren sehen." He wants to see Eren. Armin waved Levi to continue upstairs, but the small man realized Jean was stalking close behind. He tried to ignore Jean while also hoping the man did not simply stab him in the back. Armin knocked on a door and called in. "Eren?"
"Komm herein." Come in.
The door opened, and Levi saw Eren sitting up in bed with a young nurse attending him. He looked pale with sweat moistening his bangs, yet he grinned as soon as he saw the Jew.
"Levi! Perfect. The nurse is French. I have no idea what she's saying. Könnten Sie für mich übersetzen? Could you translate for me?"
Although he was grinning, his eyes had dimmed. He was obviously sick, and it looked severe. Just then, Eren coughed, and they could all hear the moistness in his lungs. Levi flinched at hearing that cough; it did not sound good at all. He spoke with the nurse, and she informed him of the problem. Eren had come down with pneumonia, and it was getting progressively worse. If he did not improve soon, he would be sent to a hospital in Paris.
Levi nodded in comprehension. So, that was why Eren sent away the book. If he was sent to another city, his bags would be inspected before sending them along for the trip. He needed to get rid of the book before he got in trouble, and he trusted Armin to deliver it without questions.
"You're going to die," Levi told Eren with a flat expression.
"What?" Eren shrieked, and he broke into more coughs from the shout.
A smile cracked over Levi's face. "You have pneumonia, idiot."
"I know what I have," he said, still coughing. "I got Lungenentzündung a few days ago. I don't need to know the English word; I need to know if I'm getting better."
"No, it's getting worse. If there is no improvement in another two days, they will send you to Paris."
"But I can't…" Eren choked off his protest, looked up at the nurse, then over to Armin, and lastly at Jean slouched in the doorway with crossed arms. "If I leave here, they'll probably kill you."
"If you're that sick and you stay here, you could die."
Eren scowled to the side. "I don't want to leave. Ich hasse Ärzte. I hate doctors."
"Then let me be your doctor," Levi offered.
Eren's eyes widened. "You know medicine?"
"I know enough, and I can follow her orders far better than the rest of these idiots who don't speak a word of French. I can be a prisoner here just as easily as a prisoner in the dungeon. Any idiot would realize I can't kill you or I'm dead. They can even keep a watch over me if they're that paranoid."
Just then, Thomas walked into the room with a tray balancing a bowl of soup and some milk. "Bietet er Hilfe an?" Is he offering assistance?
Eren nodded. "Ja. Er sagte, er werde uns helfen." Yes. He says he'll help us.
Armin perked up. "Ich könnte einen Dolmetscher gebrauchen." I could use a translator.
Thomas set the tray down and looked straight at Levi. "Eren hat dein Leben gerettet. Wirst du uns bitte helfen?"
Eren translated to Levi, "He says, Eren saved your life. Will you please help us?"
Levi nodded to the question. "Oui. Ja. I'll help."
* * *
Levi found out that this was an illness spreading through the town, brought on by a rain earlier that week. Levi and the other Jews had been lucky enough to work indoors that day, but the soldiers were forced to patrol and inspect like usual. Three soldiers had already been sent to a hospital, but Eren kept refusing. The others thought he was stubbornly trying to show strength. He admitted quietly to Levi, he was terrified that if he left for even a week, he might return to find all the Jews dead.
"The captain did not want to risk other soldiers getting sick by attending ill patients," Eren explained as he sipped his soup. "We've been using French civilians, forcing the villagers to care for me and the others."
"What about the language barrier?" asked Levi.
"Yes, that is making things hard."
Levi scowled. "Idiot. You could have asked for me days ago. That's why you're keeping me alive, isn't it?"
Eren sighed and shrugged. "Hauptmann Woermann said he did not trust both a Frenchman and a Jew working together."
Levi sneered and rolled his eyes. "He's rather his men die than trust a Jew? May he catch this and drown in his own lungs."
"I've arranged to have you excused from roll call and duties, but this has to stay quiet. If the captain comes to check on me, you have to hide in my closet."
Levi grumbled under his breath, "I suppose it beats cleaning the toilets again."
Levi had little to do. Eren slept fitfully, often waking up to moist coughs. Levi fetched him handkerchiefs, and he was allowed to use the house bathroom to wash the phlegm out of the cloths. He was also happy to use a real toilet, rather than the bucket in his cell. He fixed tea and wiped Eren's feverish head with a wet cloth, but otherwise his duty was to sit there and keep Eren company.
Not a bad arrangement … even if he was a Nazi swine.
Later that night, when the nurse returned to check on Eren, the young lieutenant made a bold request.
"Tell her to give me something for pain."
Levi looked deeply concerned. "Are you hurting? Is it your lungs?"
"No, but I'm sick of seeing you flinching every time you sit. Your ass is still healing, and you've had no medication for over a week. So ask her. Something for an ache. Tell her my back hurts from lying in bed all this time."
"Eren…"
"That's an order."
"I'm not one of your soldiers, dammit."
"No, but you're my attendant for the moment, and I'm giving you a direct order."
Levi muttered something in Yiddish so none of them would understand. Then he told the nurse in French, "His ass hurts from lying on it. He's a wimp and wants something for the pain. He's truly a pain in the ass."
She giggled and said she would be back with something. Eren wondered precisely what the Jew had said to make the nurse laugh. That was the trouble with this sort of translation-by-proxy, and why Kitz Woermann feared it. The Germans had no clue what Levi was saying.
Minutes later, she returned with two pills. Eren set them aside and thanked her. Levi walked her to the door and closed it after her.
"Take them before anyone enters," Eren insisted.
He sighed. Stupid brat! Still, sitting on the hard chair beside Eren's bed was painful. He almost missed simply lying in his cell staring at the ceiling. At least then his ass hurt less.
Levi swallowed the pills with some herbal tea that had been brought in for Eren. The soldier reached out for the drink, and Levi handed it over, suddenly worried if using Eren's own cup was pushing his level of rudeness. Hesitantly, he handed the teacup over, and Eren took a sip with a smile.
"Now we've shared cups," he said happily. "Although it's a good thing I hadn't already used that cup. I don't want you to get sick."
Levi scoffed and walked aside to the window. His cheeks felt hot. Maybe he was getting sick after all.
Eren watched him from the bed and pouted. "You're not leaving, are you?"
"Do you expect me to watch over you twenty-four hours a day? I need sleep." He stared out at the moonlight. He had woken up before sunrise, slaved away all morning and afternoon, and his eyes were barely staying open.
"I thought … maybe … you could sleep here."
"My cell would be more comfortable than your floor. Marginally warmer too."
"I meant in my bed."
Levi spun around on his heels with wide, shocked eyes.
"It's a wide bed. I'm used to a military cot."
"Are you stupid?" he screamed.
"Quiet! Someone will worry."
"I can tell them you're an idiot. I know at least that much German. Du bist ein Idiot."
Eren burst into laughter.
"What the hell is so funny?"
"Ee-dyot? Hearing you speak German with such a strong French accent, it's cute!"
"Shut the hell up!"
Just then, Armin rapped on the door and slipped inside. "Was gibt's?" What's up?
Eren pointed over to Levi. "Er ist süß." He's cute.
Levi stabbed a finger at Eren. "Ist ein Ee-dyot!"
Armin also snorted out a short laugh at the comical French accent.
Eren cried out, "Ich hab Recht, nicht wahr?" I'm right, aren't I? After a brief laugh at seeing Levi turning red in frustration, Eren said calmer, "Wir diskutieren über Schlafregelungen." We are discussing sleeping arrangements.
"Er konnte am Fuß des Bettes schlafen." He could sleep at the foot of the bed.
"Das ist hervorragend." That's brilliant. He turned to Levi. "He recommends that you sleep at the foot of the bed."
Levi sneered. "Like a dog!"
Eren shrugged apologetically. "Ich brauche möglicherweise eine Krankenschwester mitten in der Nacht. Um … I may need a nurse in the middle of the night."
Levi knew Eren was using both languages purely to give a reasonable explanation to his underling. "You're going to be stubborn about this, aren't you?"
"If I have to be," Eren said, showing he was not about to take no for an answer.
Levi twirled away and stubbornly folded his arms. "Tell him I at least want a blanket. A dog deserves that much."
"Er sagt, er wird hier bleiben. Gib ihm eine Decke, damit sein Zittern mich nicht wach hält." He says he will stay. Give him a blanket so his shivering does not keep me awake.
"Eine Decke und ein Kissen," offered Armin. A blanket and a pillow.
Levi glared at Armin. "What the hell was that about kiss him? Fuck you."
Eren chuckled and blushed slightly. "No, Kissen. He's offering you a pillow."
"I don't need it," he muttered.
"Too bad," Eren said arrogantly, and he looked over to Armin. "Danke."
Armin left to fetch things for bedding, and Eren looked over at Levi, standing by the window, arms crossed over his chest, with a scowl on his face. Was he being too forceful in this, or was Levi simply looking out for him in his own gruff way?
"Are you really going to hate being in here?"
Levi gave a slight shrug. "You're obviously determined to keep me."
"I'm serious. Are you that repulsed by the idea of sharing a bed with a German? Or is it that you're opposed to sharing a bed with a man?"
"I've had to sleep beside many people. It happens when you're on the run. Male or female, you forget such trivial things when you're happy just to be out of the rain and covered with some ragged blanket."
"Then what is the problem this time?"
Levi glared back at him. "You."
Eren leaned back, feeling stabbed by the animosity in those eyes.
"Why do you keep doing this? How many times do I have to warn you? You're going to get into trouble. I'm going to get into trouble!"
"You came here out of your own free will. I sent Armin only to give you the book back because I had a feeling I might be sent off."
"I came because I thought you might have been arrested, or shot, or who the hell knows what!"
Eren smiled and tilted his head in amusement. "Were you worried about me?"
"Of course I was! If you die, all of us Jews will probably be rounded up and shot."
"Which is why I want to stay here, if at all possible. If you stay in my room, maybe I'll get better quicker. If you save me from this illness, you save your own people. Think about it."
He did, and it was the main reason he had not demanded to leave. That, and some nagging piece of his heart ached to see Eren this sick.
Armin returned just then. "Hast du ein Problem?" Are you having a problem?
"Er machte sich Sorgen um mich. Ist das nicht süß?" He was worried about me. Isn't that cute?
Armin smiled at Levi. "Sie sind zu freundlich, Herr Jude."
Levi narrowed his eyes. "What the hell are you two saying about me?"
"He says, you're kind for worrying so much about me."
"Fuck you both," he muttered.
"Hey! That's not nice."
Levi gave them a hand gesture that needed no translation.
Armin merely chuckled, glad to see his commander taking pity on this man and joking around with him.
"Look," Eren told Levi, "if you're here to help out the nurse, maybe I can heal quicker. My only worry is that you'll get sick being around me."
"I rarely get sick, not from colds at least."
"It's … Lungenentzündung … however you say it in English."
"Pneumonia. The English word comes from the French pneumoniae."
"Pneumonia. I'll remember that."
Armin set the bedding down. "Ich habe ein Kissen mitgebracht."
"He brought a pillow. Say thank you," Eren told Levi in a teasingly scolding tone.
Levi sneered, but he looked up to the baby-faced German and tipped his head in genuine thanks. "Danke," he said in German to show his honest gratitude.
Armin replied cheerfully. "Gern geschehen." You're welcome. Then he left the room with a light step.
Levi unfolded the blanket. It was clean and thick, and the pillow as well was real down feathers. Levi blinked out his eyes. Why was this tiny showing of gratitude getting to him?
"Turn out the light when you're ready," said Eren. "I'll try not to kick you."
Levi finished setting up the pillow and blanket. Then he blew out the lanterns and walked blindly back to the bed. He removed his shirt, trousers, and socks, and slipped in wearing only what he had to for decency.
It took some moments for the two of them to figure out how to sleep. Levi at first planned to lie horizontally across the bed with his knees curled up. That did not work with Eren's height. So he edged toward the side. One way, another way, until finally they ended up sleeping parallel to each other, practically side by side, Levi with his head down near Eren's feet, and Eren facing Levi's toes.
"This works," Eren said.
Levi grumbled wordlessly, but he hated that it really did feel like he was sleeping in bed with Eren this way. "Just keep to your side and try not to kick me in the head."
"Same to you." Then Eren closed his eyes and clasped his hands together.
Vater unser, der du bist im Himmel, geheiliget werde dein Name.
Dein Reich komme.
Dein Wille geschehe, wie im Himmel, also auch auf Erden.
Unser täglich Brot gib uns heute.
Und vergib uns unsere Schuld,
Wie wir vergeben unseren Schuldigern.
Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung,
Sondern erlöse uns von dem Übel.
Denn dein ist das Reich und die Kraft und die Herrlichkeit in Ewigkeit.
Amen.
"A Nazi praying!" Levi muttered with a hint of disgust.
"Some of us are religious," Eren retorted.
"Do you think the Lord will end this war, help Germany to win, and save us all? Or only save a few, I guess. You probably think the Lord doesn't give a shit about Jews."
"God will do what he wants. Maybe God will get me through this, maybe it's my time to die for my Fatherland. I will accept either destiny."
Levi stared out bitterly into the moonlight slanting through the curtains. "The Lord does not answer prayers."
"Not all of them, no. I will still pray, just in case he happens to listen one day."
Levi closed his eyes. "Then I hope he listens to you. He never heard my prayers, not in all these years, all the times I've screamed out to him, all the times I've closed my eyes and begged to him."
"You're still alive," Eren pointed out.
"I sit upon a mountain of bones, Eren Jäger. Now shut up and sleep."
They both closed their eyes. Levi was exhausted and fell asleep instantly. Eren remained awake long enough to feel Levi start to roll into him, until he felt a soft rump press up against his own. He smiled at the sound of Levi breathing, and the rising warmth of their bodies being so close together, especially as he boldly rolled a little closer. Finally, Eren closed his eyes, wishing he did not have to sleep through this night, but smiling as he knew Levi would be there with him in the morning.
# # #
# #
#
What Eren prays is "Vaterunser," known in English as "The Lord's Prayer" or the "Our Father" prayer. There are many slight variations to the wording depending on Catholic, older Protestant, and modern Protestant. I found these words from a pre-1950 text, so if any German-speakers protest "Those aren't the right words," this is the way your great-grandparents would have said the prayer.
Levi being surprised by Eren praying is because the Nazi Party tended to scoff at religion. Although early in his rise to power, Hitler said "our movement is Christian," Heinrich Himmler, who considered himself to be a pagan, saw the Schutzstaffel (SS) as being "the vanguard in overcoming Christianity and restoring a 'Germanic' way of living." Himmler even tried to create a Teutonic-based religion within the SS. (Hitler thought it was silly and mocked Himmler behind his back.) Hitler's private secretary Martin Bormann said "National Socialism and Christianity are irreconcilable." The Gestapo made sure Church leaders supported the war and praised the Führer … or else!
Adolf Hitler had been raised Catholic, sang in the church choir, and initially wanted to be a priest. He turned his back on religion after his younger brother died from measles in 1900. Four years later, at Hitler's confirmation, his sponsor had to "drag the words out of him … almost as though the whole confirmation was repugnant to him." After leaving home at 18, Hitler never attended church again. He said, "Ich will die katholische Kirche zertreten wie eine Kröte!" (I want to crush the Catholic Church like a toad!)
At his command, thousands of Catholic priests and nuns were arrested, with many dying in concentration camps. Monasteries and convents were prime targets for seizure, with Nazis claiming they needed the buildings for hospitals, orphanages, or for refugee children, but actually they would just loot them on grounds of the churches being "hostile to the state." Many historians believe that Hitler's ultimate plan for after the war was the complete eradication of Christianity from Germany.
Imagine, in an alternate universe, his younger brother never got sick, and Adolf Hitler became a Catholic priest. Alternate history is crazy!
- 11
- 12
- 13
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Dangerous Territory