I had never thought of myself as the stalking type.

Somewhere between the 62nd and ground floors of Trost Tower, I had convinced myself that I was going to the gym so that I could work out - for health reasons, of course. I was wearing dark blue jeans and a brown shirt, neither of which were suited for a heavy work out session, or so I assumed. I had never set foot into Trost 's top-rated gym, and I had only a faint notion of how to find its location. Nevertheless, I was certain that I was going to the gym to get a rock hard body. And that wasn 't entirely a lie. The rock hard body I was after just didn 't happen to be mine.

The sadistic midget had taken up residence in my head and he was refusing to leave. I had tried everything to forget him after he had sent my teenage hormones spiraling down into a pool of primal need. I don 't think I ever fully understood the definition of the word 'lust ' until his body had been pressed against mine. When I felt those words reverberate in his chest and exhale in a throaty purr at my ear, I knew I had no way of turning back.

'Call me Corporal. '

I groaned and pressed my face into my hands. I could still hear the request as if he were standing right at my side. The voice had been in my dreams, taunting me. While I had been grateful for a break from the heart-wrenching nightmares that had occupied my dreams for the past three months, I was not as thrilled to have another set of sheets to clean. I thought about sending him a dry cleaning bill, considering it was his fault. Of course, I would never have the courage to do something like that. I was lucky I was able to form words around him at all. If things kept up the way they were, I would be left babbling in the corner of the elevator.

I had been through about a dozen porn sites by the time I realized no amount of boobs would ever be able to erase his face from my mind. Every time I allowed myself to drift into a sexual fantasy, there he was with that long black hair and those smoldering blue eyes. At first I had thought that it was the hair that was messing with my mind. He had a slender shape and a short stature, and combined with the long hair I could have almost mistaken him for a girl. But it was that detailed chest and husky voice that made my knees want to resign from their job of holding me up. No girl stood a chance, and by the end of every fantasy I was crying out, muffled into my pillow, the only name I had to call him by.

Corporal. What kind of name was that, anyway? Obviously it wasn 't his real name, and I didn 't think for a moment that it was. As far as fake names went, it was the worst and he had to realize that. But the way he had whispered the name into my ear told me that there was so much more to it. His voice had sent shivers down my spine for reasons other than the fact that he sounded like melted chocolate when he spoke.

There was a command in his voice; one that made me want to get on my knees because somehow I knew that was what he wanted. It was the command that had me walking towards the gym, hoping beyond hope that he would be there.

He wasn 't.

I stood in the doorway of the gym, feeling the heavy weight of disappointment settle into my gut. There were three girls lifting little pink weights, all of them standing in front of the window that offered a view of the pool. I had come down here for nothing, and I had no idea when I would be able to catch another glimpse of him. Maybe this was for the best, though. The more I avoided him, the easier it would be to get him out of my system. This obsession couldn 't be healthy, and it was important that I kick the habit before it started.

I turned away from the door to head back toward the elevator.

'He looks so good! Do you think he 'll come in here next? '

I stumbled and grabbed the door before it could close on my hand, and looked back towards the girls who were still fixated on the pool. Following their eyes, I could understand why they were standing where they were. It offered the perfect view of the Corporal, who was currently poised on the edge of the diving board. I noted that his hair was hidden beneath a black swimming cap, but it didn 't detract from his appeal. I felt my breath catch in my throat, and it must have died there because I couldn 't drag in another ounce of air. My poor lungs.

The Corporal 's body was bare; save for the black spandex swim trunks that did little to cover more than was absolutely necessary. I wasn 't complaining, and I was sure I would kill anyone who did. The sight left little to the imagination, but I preferred to have things spelled out for me. I could see every line of his abdominal muscles as he stretched his arms up, preparing for the dive. With one perfect arch of his body, he sliced through the surface of the water and vanished from my prying eyes.

I was out of the gym and standing beside the pool before I realized I had moved. I pulled in a gasp of air to satisfy the burning in my lungs, trying to remind myself that breathing was a necessary part of life. I watched his body move through the liquid as if it belonged there, each stroke perfect in its precision. As I watched him, I started to feel envious that everything seemed to come so naturally to him. I was bumbling through life and here he was, some kind of god. He was too much with a perfect body, the penthouse suite, and probably thousands of women lining up at his feet.

'You 're not dressed for swimming, ' the deep voice snapped me out of my reverie. I stared at the Corporal, who must have exited the pool while I was busy daydreaming.

Don 't stare at the water on his chest. Don 't stare at the water on his chest. Don 't stare-

'What are you staring at? '

Fuck.

'Don 't you need a towel? ' I said this, hoping that it could somehow explain away the fact that my eyes were lingering on the water droplets making their way down his body. Stupid, lucky water.

'Don 't you need to mind your own business? '

'I ' uhm ' ' I tore my eyes away from the titillating sight, screaming at myself internally. How was this man able to unravel me like it was nothing? I had never been so entranced by anything in my life. I hated him for making me feel like I had no control over my own thoughts, let alone my own movements. Why was I following him like this? Why was I staring at him? Why couldn 't I stop, and why didn 't I want to?

'Grab me one, ' he gave a small jerk of his chin in the direction of the towels to my right. Like it was second nature, my hand shot out and closed around the first fluffy towel it found. I held it out to him, obedient.

Somehow I think he noticed.

He took it from me and his lips twitched with the smallest of smirks. 'Thanks, kid. '

I tried not to flinch, and failed. 'It 's Eren. '

'Yea, I know what your name is, kid, ' he put emphasis on the last word, and this time his smirk was all too obvious. He pushed the towel along his skin, collecting the droplets of water that were left behind. 'You 're assuming that I actually care what your name is. For the record, I don 't. '

'Whatever you say, Corporal, ' I tried to use the name as an insult, but approval lit up his eyes instead.

'You listened, ' he said as he draped the towel around his shoulders. 'That 's good. '

I felt satisfaction flare up inside me like a white-hot flame, and cursed it for doing so. I shouldn 't have cared that he approved of anything I did, and yet I felt myself wanting to find other ways to please him. However, being the little shit that I was, I did everything I could to fight back the desire to please. There were other things I wanted to get out of him, questions that I had to ask that I was more than certain he wouldn 't want to answer.

'Why do you want me to call you that, anyway? ' I decided to start with the easiest question, the one that had been plaguing my mind since last night. 'It sounds like some kind of ' '

I trailed off, because I wasn 't exactly sure how to put it into words.

'Some kind of what? '

'I don 't know. Something that you ' that a... you know, ' I stared at him, hoping that he would understand. If he did, he gave me no indication of it, 'Like a sex club thing. Or some S&M shit. Something like that. '

The smile that crossed his lips would have made me fallen on my ass if my hand weren 't still holding onto the cart of towels. In that moment he looked both dangerous and sexual, and I felt myself wanting to run to and from him instantaneously. I 'm not sure how I was able to form the next words that came out of my mouth, 'So, is it? '

'Something like that, ' he said in a deep voice that rumbled over the words. He watched me through hooded eyes, causing a yearning heat to flare up in my belly. Was he trying to make me crazy?

Muddling my mind seemed to be his area of expertise, and I wondered if it was something he did to everyone for a living. I had no doubt that he knew exactly what he was doing to me, and how he was making me feel. Seduction seemed to be something he was too good at it for it not to be well-practiced art. Perhaps this was the line of work he had mentioned last night.

'What 's The Wall? ' I blurted out before the thought could escape me.

'You 're too young, so don 't worry about it. It 's nothing you need to know. '

'Is it a club? ' I pushed, not willing to let the subject die there.

'Yea, you could say that, ' he replied with a small shrug. The white towel slipped slightly and I could see the muscle of his shoulder. I tried not to stare and, with a herculean effort, focused my eyes on his, silently urging him to continue. He gave me an admonishing smile, 'It 's a club not suitable for brats your age, and that 's not because you 're not old enough to drink yet, got it? '

'So it 's a sex club? '

'Drop it, kid, ' he snapped, and my teeth came together so fast there was an audible click.

'Fine. Don 't tell me about it, ' I tried my best to sound indifferent, but I 'm sure I sounded like I was sulking. Internally, I was. 'Can you at least tell me your name? Your real name. '

'I told you the only name you need to know, ' he practically cut me off with the words. 'As far as you 're concerned, that is my real name. '

'Nobody would have a name like that. '

'Well, I do, ' he said with a roll of his eyes. I could tell I was annoying him now, 'You can call me Corporal, or you can no name the fuck out of me. Either way, you 're not getting my real name. '

'If I call you Corporal, does that make you my master? '

Somehow I must have managed to keep the challenging smirk on my face, because he stared at me with incredulous eyes. Internally I was digging a hole into the deepest part of my soul, where I fully intended to lie down and die. My master? Did I really just ask something like that?

'You don 't know what the fuck you 're saying when you use a term like that, do you, brat? ' The words were practically a growl, and I tried my best not to shy away from them. His posture had changed, and somehow he looked taller than his small stature could ever allow. Suddenly I felt like the one who was barely clearing five feet. Every muscle in his body was pronounced; his entire demeanor was one of unquestionable power. He looked ' intimidating.

It took all I had not to stammer like an idiot and stumble out of the room. 'Maybe I do. Maybe I read about it. '

'You don 't strike me as the book smart type, brat, ' he emphasized the last word and I suddenly found myself missing my hated pet name. 'Have you ever even seen a book? They live in this magical land called a library. '

'I 've seen books! ' At Armin 's house. And at school, where they were pretty much unavoidable.

'Porn mags you steal from your pops don 't count, ' he sneered.

'I use the internet for that! '

'Good to know where you go to get your jollies, ' he quipped.

I could feel my face reddening, and realized I had to get the hell out of this room before I made a bigger fool of myself. In that moment, as if answering my prayers, my phone started to ring.

I was on that shit faster than Sasha on a potato. I hadn 't even taken the time to see who was calling.

'Hello? '

'Eren? Are you okay? ' Armin 's voice was flooded with concern, 'You sound like you 're out of breath or something. '

'Yea, ' I cleared my throat, trying to compose myself, 'Yea, I 'm good. What 's up? '

'Did you still want to go shopping today? ' There was a hopefulness in his voice that made me worry there was another reason he wanted to go out aside from finding me some non-plaid clothes for Monday. I glanced at the Corporal and decided I didn 't want to get into it over the phone.

'Yea, definitely. I 'm already dressed and ready to go. How soon can you be here? '

'Five minutes, depending on traffic, ' he said and lingered for a moment. There was definitely something going on. 'I ' I 'll see you in a bit. '

The line went dead and I stared at my phone, watching the cheerful face of Armin fade from the screen. If I had to guess, Jean had done something to upset him yet again. I tried not to crush my phone in my grip as I shoved it back into my pocket. As if I needed any other reason to hate that horse faced bastard.

'Horse faced bastard? Well, that 's rude. I don 't think I have a horse face, ' The Corporal mused over the thought in such a way that I knew he didn 't think I was talking about him. Clearly I had spoken out loud.

'Not you, ' I remarked, even though he already knew that, 'He 's just some asshole at my school. '

He pointed at the pocket that held my phone, 'The one who called you? '

'What? ' My brow furrowed and I glanced down at my pants before I realized what he was asking, 'Oh, no. That was Armin. '

'Your boyfriend? ' he said with a teasing lilt in his voice.

'No! No, he 's not my boyfriend. I don 't have a boyfriend. '

'Do you have a girlfriend? '

A surge of curiosity made every nerve in my body tingle. He didn 't let the subject drop at the teasing remark, and I couldn 't help but wonder why he had pushed further. Why would he ask something like that?

'No, I 'm not interested in any girls, ' I chose my wording carefully, and searched his face for anything that would key me into what he was thinking. Unfortunately his passive expression gave away nothing. All he did was nod; it was as if that was the only reaction the information was due, and nothing more.

After two beats of awkward silence, I decided to give up on forcing more out of this conversation and turned on my heel. Armin would be outside soon, and then I could try to lose myself in someone else 's problems. I needed that.

I was almost out the door when I felt a steel-like grip on my arm, pulling and turning me back to him. I stared down into his eyes and tried, unsuccessfully, to keep the surprise from my face and the arousal out of my pants. His body was so close that I could feel the heat from his skin; the scent of him filled my nose and clouded my mind.

He paused to look down between us before speaking, 'So you 're not interested in any girls, at all. '

The meaning of the pointed remark was too clear for even me to miss. If I thought my cheeks were red before, I was a fucking stop sign now. Every word in the English language left my mind, and I could practically feel my mind throwing up its hands as if to proclaim, 'I 've got nothin '! '

'I might have someone for you, ' he continued, either unaware or uncaring of my current state, 'He 's a little older, but you seem to be into that. '

He said the last comment with another look down at my pants, and I died internally. However, a small part of me wondered if I had a reason to celebrate. Was he referring to himself, in some awkward third-person way? He called himself the Corporal, so it wasn 't necessarily a hopeless dream.

'He 's good looking and ' ' he paused and then leaned closer; as if he were worried that someone else might hear the next part of our one-sided conversation. His lips pressed against my ear and he whispered, 'It would really help me out. Think of it as a favor, that I could make worth your while. '

He pulled back and I felt the air push from my lungs. I hadn 't realized I was holding my breath, but the burning sensation told me I needed more oxygen pronto. As I took in a deep gulp of air, I caught the amused glint in his eyes. I felt like I was a toy, and he was a cat happily batting me around the room whenever he felt like it. This was dangerous.

'Think about it, ' he said as he set a hand on my shoulder. He met my eyes and held my stare for what felt like an eternity. Then he was gone.

The buzzing in my pocket reminded me that Armin was waiting outside, and I went running out the door as soon as my legs had returned to a solid state. He was standing outside of his car when I walked up to greet him, his arms wrapped around his middle as if he were holding himself together. He looked up at me with an expression that tried too hard to be happy.

'Armin ' '

'Hi, ' he tried to squeak out the word, but his voice cracked. His lower lip trembled as his composure broke, and he hung his head when his shoulders started to shake. I didn 't need to hear the soft whine to know that he was crying.

'Armin, ' I pulled him close and held him against my chest, my arms banding around him like a protective cage. 'What happened? What did he do? Do I need to kill him? Because you know I 'm fine with that. '

Armin choked out a small laugh at what he assumed was a joke. 'No, don 't. You 'll only end up getting hurt. '

'I could take him, ' I said with complete certainty.

Armin lifted his gaze to me; there were tears still in the corners of his eyes and little rivers were drying on his cheeks. 'It 's not his fault, Eren. He didn 't do anything wrong. It 's my fault. I 'm thinking too much. '

I tried not to notice the stares turning in our direction from each passerby. I wanted to punch them all for looking at Armin when he was like this. His pain was his own, and they had no right to see it. 'Come on. Let 's get in your car and talk about this. '

I took the keys from Armin when he tried to put them in the ignition, and held them out of his reach when he tried to grab them back. 'You 're in no condition to drive. '

'I 'll be fine, Eren, ' he said in a watery voice, reaching for the keys again, 'I 'm just u-upset. '

'Try to say that without hiccupping, ' I shoved the keys in my pocket, and he shot me a look that was almost a challenge. But we both knew he wasn 't going to go there.

'I asked him if he liked Marco, ' he sighed as he sunk down into his seat, lifting his legs up with him. He wound his arms around his legs and rested his chin on his knees. He was my friend, but damn was he cute. 'I asked him if he liked him that way. As in more than a friend. '

'No, wait, that way? ' I put emphasis on the word 'that. ' I was teasing when I shouldn 't have been, but I wanted to make him smile, 'Like, that way? Like he like likes him? '

'Eren! '

'O-M-G! What did he say? ' I clasped my hands together, doing my best imitation of an excited schoolgirl and probably failing miserably. But Armin started laughing, and that was really all that mattered.

'He said that I was being ridiculous, ' Armin muttered when his laughter had finally died down.

'And you are being ridiculous. So what 's the problem here? ' I asked as I leaned back in my seat. I could live inside Armin 's car for the rest of my life and be more than content. These seats were damn cushy.

'It was just the way he said it. He sounded defensive, more than I expected him to be, ' Armin let go of a sigh that shuddered on the way out before continuing, 'I see the way he looks at Marco. I know that look, Eren. It 's the same look he has when he looks at me. '

'So what if Marco gets the look, if you 've got Jean? ' I rested my head back against the seat as I watched him, 'Are you that insecure in your relationship that you 're going to read into every little thing Jean does? '

'I didn 't think so, but I might be, ' he admitted, picking at the steering wheel with his nail. He closed his eyes and sighed again, 'I 'm scared. '

'Listen, if you 're that worried, I 'll talk to Marco. I can at least figure out how he feels, and if there 's nothing on his end then there 's nothing to worry about, ' I paused, deciding to add it in before he could ask, 'I 'm not about to talk to Jean because ' well, you know how I feel about My Ugly Pony. '

'I wish you wouldn 't call him that, ' Armin said, but I noticed the smile that was now on his lips, 'And I wouldn 't ask you to talk to him, anyway. But if you could talk to Marco, that might actually help. '

'Consider it done. Now, ' I dug the keys out of my pocket and tossed them to him, 'Let 's go get me something that isn 't plaid. '

We went to a handful of stores that Armin suggested, and I willingly became his Ken doll for the day. With casual wear, I was usually able to dress myself with only a few exceptions, all of which revolved around a pair of plaid pants there were now charred remains in my waste bin at home. However, I was absolutely hopeless when I was trying to do anything that involved a button-up. Armin, on the other hand, had a natural gift for dressing himself in ways that I had always admired and envied.

'Not bad, ' I said, turning in the mirror to admire the latest creation. I was wearing a long sleeved beige button up with a pair of dark brown slacks and a matching vest. It was simple, but sharp. 'I like it. '

'You look amazing, ' Armin breathed and I glanced at him, raising one eyebrow. He flushed and looked away from me, holding up his hand to hide the fact that his cheeks were glowing red, 'Shut up! I like a man in a vest! Don 't judge me! '

'Hey, no judging, ' I said with a grin and turned back to the mirror, straightening the vest to give it extra attention. 'If you like it that much, then he 'll definitely like- '

My words caught in my throat and my eyes peeled wide as I realized what had just come out of my mouth. I turned slowly to face Armin, who was staring at me with an excited curiosity that perfectly portrayed the schoolgirls I had tried to mimic earlier. As if knowing this, he said, 'O. M. G. '

'Don 't. '

'You like a boy? ' he practically squealed, and I felt the blood rush into my cheeks. 'I thought that you might, but I wasn 't sure! You do, don 't you? '

I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off just as quickly, 'You do! '

'No, I don 't! ' I snapped back, but it didn 't sound believable even to me. Inwardly kicking myself, I turned away from him and acted as if I were suddenly very interested in the buttons on my shirt. Ooo, shiny.

'All right, ' Armin said around a small laugh, and I met his gaze through the mirror. There was an understanding look in his eyes that made me want to tell him everything right now. But there was nothing to tell, was there? 'You don 't have to tell me anything. Not until you 're ready, at least. Until then, this never happened. '

He paused for a moment, 'So, definitely that shirt and those pants. '

'And the vest, ' I smiled, turning back to face him, 'Because it looks good enough to make you blush. '

'Don 't start, ' he warned, holding up a finger. But there was still a smile on his lips, and I knew I was already forgiven.

I picked up a few more shirts and slacks in varying colors, and snagged a few more vests along the way. After I had paid for them, we walked outside, trying to think of what we would do with the remainder of the day. We weren 't halfway to Armin 's car when his phone started to ring. It was Jean.

'Hello? ' his voice was timid, yet hopeful. I stepped to the side and walked to the car to let him have his conversation in private.

'He wants me to come over, ' Armin said when he had finished. He returned the phone to his pocket and chewed his lower lip, waiting for me to catch on to what he was asking.

'Well, then you better get going, ' I smiled. I wasn 't about to make him drag my ass back home and miss out on time with his boyfriend, even if his boyfriend was my least favorite person. 'It 's a nice night. I 'll walk home. '

'I 'll see you on Monday? ' he asked, his expression relieved.

'Bright and early, ' I said, and turned to start walking in the direction of Trost Towers. The majority of our excursion had taken us far away, but the last store was within walking distance to my apartment. I 'm sure that Armin realized that before he even considered asking me to walk home.

I heard the loud thrumming beat of the club long before I had reached the doors. It wasn 't far from Trost Towers, within walking distance in fact, and I had to wonder why I had never noticed it before. I had never been on this part of the street so late at night, which was probably the only time the club was actually thriving. The black tinted windows that kept the insides shrouded in secret were the reason I had never noticed it during the day. In the bright sun, this place wasn 't memorable in the least, but at night the red letters of 'The Wall ' glowed with an intensity that bathed the street in a crimson light.

I started walking towards the steps, entranced and unaware, but a black velvet cord that was attached to the railings on either side stopped me in my place. A loud laugh drew my attention to the woman that stood on the other side with a clipboard in her hand. She had darker hair that was pulled up into a ponytail, large clumps left out of the tie in order to frame her face. Brown eyes shined with amusement from behind a pair of black pointed eyeglasses that must have come out of the 1950s. She wore a long black trench coat that was open enough at the top to reveal the hint of a corset. She was stunning, in the quirkiest of way.

'Where you do think you 're going, honey? ' She said this with a wide smile, as if she actually wanted to know where I was headed. 'You 're too young to get in here. Even I can see that. '

She tapped her glasses.

'I know. I just, ' I paused. What was I trying to do? 'I 'm looking for someone? '

'Oh? ' her voice rose in a pitch of pure excitement and intrigue, 'Who? '

'The Corporal, ' I could only hope that my voice didn 't tremble on the name. I was sure it did, but I continued regardless, 'Is he here? '

'Oh, honey, he 's here every night, ' she said with a knowing smile and threw in a wink to go with it. 'But I still can 't let you in. Sorry about your luck. '

She tapped her clipboard, looked over her shoulder and then back at me, 'Don 't think he 's in there right now, though. Might be able to catch him at Trost, if you 're lucky enough. '

'Oh, uhm ' thanks. I 'll check, ' I stammered out and then turned. As soon as my back was to her, I felt a sharp smack on my ass. I spun around to face her, finally noticing the crop she hand in her other hand.

She let out a raucous laugh, waving the end of the crop in front of my face, 'Shoo, honey. You 're gonna miss him if you don 't move that ass. '

I stumbled backwards and then turned without another word, mostly because I honestly had no idea what to say. There was a blush in my cheeks as I walked back to my apartment at a hurried pace. Were those the kinds of people that he hung out with on a daily basis? I couldn 't decide if I was intrigued or disturbed, but I had settled on a mix of the two when I finally entered Trost Tower.

I scanned the atrium for any sign of the Corporal, but he was nowhere in sight. There was one man hunched over a drink at the bar, his short black hair a mess. Probably someone who had a rough night. I walked towards the elevator, and tried to convince myself that I was not disappointed. Not at all.

'Hey, kid! '

I turned towards the all too familiar voice and my eyes widened. The Corporal approached me from the bar, carrying a drink in one hand and what appeared to be a black scarf in the other. His face had the same deadly beauty from this morning, but his blue eyes were now accented by black eyeliner, as they always were when I saw him at night. His hair, though, was what took away any of the words I had left when I was in his presence. It was short - much shorter than I had seen it the night before. It was still the same inky black color, but it didn't come down far past his eyes and I noted, with a hint of appreciation, that it was undercut. If I had thought he was attractive before, he was downright addictive now.

I stared for a long moment before finally pointing and blurting out, 'You cut your hair! '

'What? ' He touched his head and his brow furrowed in confusion, 'Oh, right. You 've only seen me with my wig on. '

'Wig? ' I questioned, and he held up what I had presumed was a scarf. I stared at the black strands that I had seen on his head only yesterday. 'Why do you wear a wig? '

'Ever wanted to be someone you 're not? ' he asked, and I had to wonder what he was hiding from. But whether or not he was hiding from anything, I was pretty sure I could relate.

'Every day, ' I said with a small shrug, still eyeing the scarf. 'Do you always wear that to The Wall? '

'Every day, ' he mimicked me, and a smirk twitched the corner of his mouth. I was getting used to the small signs of emotion; I was able to detect them now.

'Listen, about the things I said to you earlier. About the guy, ' he looked around us, and seemed to decide that this wasn 't the place to have a conversation. He grabbed my shoulder and I felt a jolt of electricity run through me. I didn 't have time to curse at the way my body reacted to him. He steered me towards the elevator, and I willingly followed. 'Come up to my room. We need to talk. '