France, 1944. As the Allies land on the shores of Normandy, an unlikely friendship strikes up between Levi Ackerman, a widowed French Jew, and Eren Jäger, a deeply-in-the-closet lieutenant in the German Wehrmacht. The two deal with love, loss, digni...
They drove across a wooden bridge that spanned a massive moat. On the other side was yet another stone wall and checkpoint. The SS guards let them pass, driving through a tunnel that opened up to the main fort, a massive series of buildings, some two stories tall, with roofs shielded under earth and foliage.
The car continued through the fort that was now empty of prisoners. Troops milled around, mostly older men conscripted into the military, but Eren saw many teens and children. The Hitler Youth had spent years training for war, and now here they were, believing they could defend the fort.
Eren shook his head. It was useless, yet he knew first-hand, they had been taught that dying for the Reich was more noble than surrender.
They drove up to some doors, and the car engine turned off. Kitz grabbed Levi by the scruff of his neck and hauled him out. Eren moved slowly, smearing blood on the upholstery as he slid across the car's backseat. His whole shoulder burned, and his stomach felt sick from just how much pain seared his nerves. Just as he felt like blacking out, a strong hand pressed on his back. He looked around and saw Reiner staring hard.
Eren whispered in desperation, "Please, don't let them kill him. I beg of you!"
"That is not up to me," Reiner warned softly. "You should be more concerned with your own life." He glanced at the bloody shoulder. "Keep pressure on that wound."
They entered the fort and were brought to a room plastered white with a concrete floor and an arching, tomb-like ceiling. Eren was pushed up against the wall, where his blood smeared on the plaster, while Levi walked to the wall as if he already knew the drill.
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Kitz walked up to Levi, his bulging eyes wide and insane. "I know those devilish, beady eyes." He ripped the wig off and glared into the defiant face. "The Jewish translator! Jäger said he killed you, but I see he kept you around to warm his bed." He shook his head and looked at Eren in disgust. "Now I know why you were so desperate to save him. He was your lover!"
"No!" Yet Eren realized they had been caught out in the open. All of it had been seen. There was no way he could fully explain his way out of this.
Kitz sneered in contempt. "Putting your cock into that filthy Jew's mouth! You're lucky he didn't bite it off." He leaned in closer to Eren. "How long have you been training him to be your little whore? This whole time? Were you fucking him all summer, right under our noses?"
Eren's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing to defend himself. They had been seen; there was not much he could do to secure his own innocence. The most he could hope for was to take all the blame and allow Levi to live.
"You're right," Eren snapped. "I kept him alive to pleasure me. He didn't even want to at first, but I forced him. You're the one who showed us, captain; these Jews will do anything to stay alive. I thought I could save some money, use him instead of a prostitute, and so long as it was only his mouth, any hole works, right?"
