Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“The blood is the life, and I shall drink from the cup of eternity.” – Abraham Stoker, Dracula.

***

He should run.

It was raining, had been for days now, like the ocean had suddenly decided to dump half its contents from the skies. Ugly clouds blotted out the sun, their mix of grey and deep, vicious purple provided an ominous and stifling ceiling above the city. The alleyway was dark, already dark even before the sun was due to have set, but for some reason Levi Ackerman had decided to return home down the gloomy little back-lane today rather than via the cleaner and, arguably, safer streets.

His umbrella lay at his feet, rolling away slowly amidst the river of slushy water by the gutter after having slipped from his hand. Pelting raindrops, now unhindered, left darkened spots of damp on the raven's dark jacket and the material steadily soaked through. The short strands of his dark hair grew slick in the rain, sticking to his face as he stared at the scene ahead.

Blood. So much blood. Even through the torrential rain the spattering of colour was visible. It was a blotch of life, a now stolen life, that stood out amidst the world of greys and browns in the alleyway. Death was nothing new to the raven-haired man and this case should have been no different than any from his childhood, his teens, his nightmares…but it was.

A man was crouched by the lifeless, twisted body. He was lean and clad in some sort of dark clothes; grey jeans and a faded, blue-grey shirt accompanied by a tattered, black and tan hoodie. But this man was not a saviour, not a concerned passer-by. He had not simply stumbled upon the body as Levi had.

The crouching youth turned his head, catching sight of the new witness no more than fifteen metres away. With the jerk of movement that came with straightening out of the hunch, the hood fell back to reveal a face marred with the same red that was pooling on the ground, being swept away by the rain.

Not a man, Levi determined as he squinted through the rain. No, the youth appeared more of a boy than a man, perhaps in his late teens or early twenties at the very most. His brown hair was mussy and quickly growing darker as it dampened under the downpour. Eyes the most extraordinary shade of bluish-green stared watchfully at the raven-haired man as a slow smile curved the stained lips into an amused little simper. It was a sheepish kind of smile, more suited to a child who had been caught red-handed trying to sneak sweets from the kitchen. More of the scarlet ran from that smiling mouth until a hand came up to wipe the stain away. Honest in the way that adults seldom are, the fading smile said that this young man knew exactly what he was doing and knew he had been caught out.

Levi tried to reason with himself, tell his eyes that they hadn’t seen the boy bent over the mutilated corpse a few moments ago, teeth buried deep in one shoulder. He had to be wrong. There was no way that this…this person had been eating another human being! Even if the chunks of missing flesh screamed otherwise.

“Shouldn’t you be calling the cops by now or something?” The youth spoke, his tone curious.

The voice was too pleasant, too playful to match the situation at hand. The teal-eyed brunette began to walk over, no sign of haste in his lazy saunter.

One step closer, two, then three.

He should run. Levi really should run away right now. This minute. This second preferably.

“Hello? Mister?”

The assailant stood in front of him now, not overly close, but near enough to cause trouble. Near enough to make the raven-haired man’s skin prickle. Even if the boy’s lazy stance was quite disarming. Teal eyes appraising, inquisitive as they flickered over Levi from his feet to his face. Confusion lit those blue-green orbs as they trained on his face.

Levi knew that he should turn around and sprint back to the street. Why hadn’t he run yet? It wasn’t that he couldn’t move…it was that he couldn’t seem to find it in himself to want to move badly enough. There was something about that face, that voice, the calm and casual demeanour that didn’t sit right with him. No one should be this at ease with such slaughter…

But then again, the boy wasn’t the only one still standing there.

A friendly smile lit up the youthful face, as if all of the sunshine lacking from the day had been hidden inside the curve of those lips, the glow of those eyes, the gentle dimple that resided in those slightly tanned cheeks.

“Oh, I get it. Shocking, right?” The disarming smile grew a little, an alarming contrast to the words falling from the boy’s lips. “Yeah, sorry about that. It’s been a while. No one was supposed to see…”

“No shit.” He muttered, finding his voice at last.

“Oh, so you can speak! And a nice voice, too. Say something more.”

“What…what were you..?”

“Me? I was just catching up with lunch.” The teal-eyed boy grinned, casually slipping his hands into the pockets of his jumper. “And before you ask, yes that was a pun. You should’ve seen the chase they had in them. Good times, am I right?”

After several long moments of Levi’s continued silence, the brunette gave a sigh and kicked the toe of his shoe at the ground, scuffing the cobbled pavement. The action sent red-stained droplets flying. And then the boy looked up, letting his head roll on his shoulders in a quick stretch, and he began to speak quicker.

“I guess I shouldn’t let you live but I’m feeling lazy today so here’s the deal.” The boy tossed his head, flicking wet hair out of his eyes as he smirked. “I’ll count to ten and you see if you can make it back to the street in that time. If you make it, you’re home free. If you don’t…” The languid grin returned, “…we’ll see. Ready?”

Levi blinked, shaking his head rapidly as the words sunk in. “Wait-”

Teal eyes flashed along with the lightning overhead. “One…”

Levi was skidding around the corner before the word ‘two’ had even begun to form on the younger male’s tongue. He kept pace with the boy’s count down in his head as he dashed back down the narrow lane, slipping more than once in the monster puddles.

“Three!” The boy’s voice travelled as he called out purposefully louder.

“Little shit…” Levi growled under his breath, feet flying across the wet cobbled ground.

Four, five…

Round one corner, then the next, Levi ran like he had never run in his life. He had never backed down from a fight or a threat, never turned his back on danger.

Seven…

Apparently there really was a first time for everything.

Eight…

Nine…

The street was coming into sight, pale light filtering better through the clouds without the clutter of crowded buildings.

Levi felt his adrenaline spike at the same time footsteps reached his ears. Not from the street, but from behind him. Quick and light…and fast.

In a last panicked stride, the raven broke away from the darkened alley, his feet slamming into the pavement as he skidded a little in time to stop before meeting the rushing traffic a mere half a metra away.

“Ten.” A voice whispered in his ear in the same instant that Levi felt a rough shove between his shoulders.

The force sent him stumbling forward and into the chaos of oncoming cars.

Horns blared and other pedestrians cried out in fear as the man narrowly missed being taken out by a taxi.

“Shit!”

He jerked out of the way of another oncoming vehicle, scrambling for the other side of the road where he glanced back wildly in search of his attacker.

No sign of the bastard could be found, no matter where he looked or how long he stared. Levi wanted to lie to himself and say that he had only imagined the voice in his ear. But he was certain that he hadn’t imagined the feeling of warm breath on his nape, especially not in the freezing rain.

“What in the love of fuck just happened?” He muttered under his breath, starting to shiver under the pelting rain.

Wet, bedraggled and very much disturbed, Levi headed straight for home.

A half hour later, the door to Levi’s apartment clicked shut behind him and the raven supressed a near overpowering urge to slide down it. What had he just seen? Who was that kid? What had he been doing? There had to have been a reason, right? Why else would he have been so calm?

The multitude of questions continued to build up and up, only serving to add to the turmoil bubbling within his gut. Pushing off from the door, the petite man marched off and went through all of the rooms, closing every single window and eventually settling himself in front of the TV with a larger-than-necessary glass of wine. Red, ironically enough. The screen remained black as the man still hadn’t worked up the desire to turn it on, reaching instead for where his phone sat on the coffee table, next to the wine bottle.

Scrolling through the list of names in his contacts, Levi pressed the last name he ever thought he would want to call after an experience like the one today and held the mobile to his ear.

Three rings in and an overly cheerful voice greeted him with a screeching cry of what he presumed was some odd expression of joy. Unless of course she was being strangled to death. At this point, either option was just as likely as the next.

“LEVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!! Ahahahaha, you little urchin! How are you?”

Joy it was. The woman continued her tirade without so much as a pause for breath.

“How long has it been, even? Years?" More obnoxious laughter. "I kid, I kid. Even so, the last time you called me I was still in-”

“Hanji.”

The excitable chattering cut off in an instant and the call grew quiet. A moment of silence passed between the two, a short and knowing silence.

“… Something’s happened, hasn’t it?” Hanji spoke up at last. Her voice was much calmer, lower in tone and doing its best to be soothing. “I’m right, aren’t I? Levi?”

And that was why he rarely called Hanji Zoe.

The two of them had been friends since kindergarten and had known each other since before he could actually remember. Because of this, the woman could read him like a book more often than not and she had made a habit of calling him out on his shit each and every time it came up. But she also knew whenever something was wrong, a trait that was both infuriating and bizarrely comforting.

Levi let out a rushed sigh, running a hand through his hair and rubbing the shorter fuzz of his undercut. “Just…some really weird shit. I’m not completely sure myself.” He admitted, not willing to go into any of the specifics until he had a better grip on the situation himself. “I don’t really want to talk about it…even if I did; I’m not sure how I would tell you.”

Not two minutes into the phone call and Levi already felt more relaxed just by being able to talk about things. It was calmer inside the apartment, warm and dry and clean. The comforts of home made the odd occurrences of the day seem all the more absurd and unlikely, more like something he would find in one of his nightmares than in actual life. Even without details, Levi knew that Hanji would understand enough to know what to say.

“Sounds rough.” The woman acknowledged, knowingly treading water around the subject. “You’re sure you don’t want to tell me anything?”

The offer was there, right in front of him if he wanted it. Yet another thing that made him remember why Hanji was among those he counted as a friend. She knew when to push and when to let him decide for himself whether or not he would talk.

“Not tonight at any rate.” The raven sighed, taking a moment to drain the rest of his glass of wine. “How’s Moblit?”

A short huff of laughter carried through the phone.

“Subtle change in topic there.” Hanji teased, but mercifully moved on. “Mobi’s good, we’re living together now.”

This was news to Levi. As far as he had known, the two of them had been dating but nothing past that.

“Oh God. Poor him.”

“Hey, shut up, I am a perfectly tolerable flatmate. Unlike you, Mr OCD.”

Levi’s eye twitched a little at the comment. “Fuck you, I don’t have OCD. I just have a high-”

“A high respect for personal hygiene and cleanliness,” Hanji interrupted, attempting to muffle her snickering and failing miserably, “yes I know. That’s why I buy you Windex every Christmas.”

The raven clicked his tongue at the all too chirpy remark. “Tch. That’s about the only useful thing you do.” He muttered in a bored tone, pouring himself a second glass. “How long are you going to put off marriage?”

The woman cackled on the other end of the phone. “It’s just so much fun watching him trying to work up the courage to ask!” She snickered. “Gosh, don’t get me started, I may cry. It’s so adorable!”

“Don’t tease him too much, he might lose hope. And don’t expect to be crying on my shoulder if he dumps your sorry ass.”

“Ah, I know, I know. I promise that if he doesn’t ask in the next year or two then I’ll pop the question myself.” Her words paused for a moment as another bout of giggles took over. “Can you imagine the look on his face, though?”

Levi could definitely imagine the look on poor Moblit’s face.

“Heh. You should film it. He’ll probably faint. Or cry.” Another pause, another generous slurp of wine. “Is he one to blubber?”

The snickering continued. “Only sometimes! But he’s put up with me for long enough, he’s sure to have nerves of steel when it comes to normal things.”

“True enough.” The raven-haired man agreed, taking on a snarky tone. “You’re a fucking force of nature, a real ballbuster.”

Hanji let out a very loud snort at the comment, completely shameless as always. “You’re always so nice, aren’t you? Just a regular ball of sunshine.”

Levi rolled his eyes at the overly teasing tone. “You mean in the same way you’re a perfectly normal human being with no personal space issues whatsoever?” He shot back, downing the last dregs of his second glass.

“Yes. Exactly.” The woman agreed, sounding far too pleased and not at all put out. Same old Hanji. “Are you absolutely positively one hundred and three percent sure that you’re okay?” She asked, serious tone returning for a moment.

“Yeah…yes.” He shrugged even though she couldn’t see it. “I’ll be fine by morning.”

“Of course you will.” The jovial tone returned like it had never left. “Have a drink, loosen up, watch some crappy soap opera or late night drama and skip work tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is a Saturday, idiot.” The raven griped at her but scooped up the TV remote regardless, jabbing the red ON button and watching the screen burst into muted life.

“All the better!” Hanji shouted through the phone, Levi could practically hear her grinning. “That means you’ll be free all day. Do you want me to come over?”

“God no!” He answered quickly, sitting up straighter in alarm. “I’m still recovering from last time.”

There was no joke in his words and they both knew it. The incident the pair was referring to had even been labelled as the Great Shit-fest of ’07. You had to have been there to understand.

Levi grimaced at the sudden and unexpected sound of Hanji’s screaming laughter tearing through his phone (really, though, what about Hanji isn’t ‘sudden and unexpected?’) and held the device a safe distance from his ear until the screeching died down.

“Ahahaha! I told you that it was an accident!” The woman tried to explain for about the thousandth time since the ‘incident’ had occurred. “I swear I never meant for that fish tank to explode!”

“Tell that to Norman and Oswald.” The raven deadpanned, taking another gulp of wine and holding the glass up to the light of the TV.

He wondered what glass he was up to now…

“It was an honest mistake! I said I was sorry.”

“Yeah, yeah. I remember.” He offered, smirking to himself at the memory of a sobbing Hanji waiting on his doorstep in the hallway outside his apartment for a whole hour trying to get him to open the door. Both of them had been stupidly hung-over. Good times. God they had been stupid back then but, really, what had changed? “The roses were a bit much, though.” The raven added with a tiny frown as he thought harder; back to the horrendous clean up.

A gasp sounded at the other end of the phone. “It was supposed to be an apology!”

Levi knew that, he did, but of all the ways to say sorry…a hundred red roses weren’t the first way one would think of to make it up to such a decidedly cynical person like him. Or if it was, then it shouldn’t be.

“But for me? Really?” Levi pressed the issue, his characteristic little half smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth as he listened to the woman whine out her protests.

“It was one time, Levi, and I leave you alone most of the time anyway. I mean, nobody is perfect, not even me. I know, I know, it’s a shock but I’m sure that you will be able to look past that total shock and see that it was a gesture of…sweetness or something from a very…very drunk friend. I don’t know! What more do you want from me?”

Making Hanji rant had turned into a rare pleasure for the petite male and he settled back smugly against the sofa, milking the topic for all it was worth.

“You got those damned petals all through my goddamned flat, shitty glasses.” He drawled out, draining the last of the wine straight from the bottle.

“Argh! I know, I know!”

More helplessly apologetic noises. Honestly, some of the sounds that came out of that woman’s mouth were more akin to a dying cat caught somewhere between being strangled and electrocuted. The more he dwelt on it…the more bizarre it seemed.

“It took a whole day to clear them all away.” Levi went on, inspecting his nails in a calm fashion while Hanji wailed out apologies.

“I know, I am sorry and wretched and impulsive and you know it will never happen again so long as I live.”

“Not to mention clearing away the fish tank-”

“I can buy you some new fish! I’ve said that already!”

“I don’t want more fish! Once was enough, Hanji.”

“I must have traumatised you! I’m sorry! Please don’t be maaaad!”

“Your banshee screaming is what’s making me mad, dammit! And I’m not mad, I’m indifferent!”

“Eehehee! But indifferent people don’t shout into their phones!”

“Gah! I’ll call you tomorrow, you ridiculous woman.”

“Not if I call you firs-”

“You don’t get out of bed until midday. So there. Goodbye.”

“Sorryaboutthefish! Byeeeeeeeeee-”

Levi stabbed the End Call button and sighed, rubbing his temple with his free hand. It was always extremely tiring to talk to Hanji…but at least he didn’t feel paranoid anymore.

Switching off the television, Levi dragged himself through a scalding shower, scrubbing for good measure in an effort to get his skin to stop crawling. The action failed to work quite as well as he would have hoped but, with nothing to be done and the heavy pull of sleep tugging at his lids, the raven retired at last to bed.

The events of the day, whatever that had even been, could easily wait until tomorrow. But what had happened?

“What indeed..?”

That night Levi slept restlessly, freed from his usual nightmares only to be haunted by visions of bloodstained lips and teal eyes.

“Wake up, Levi…”

“Wake up.”

“Come and find me.”

“Find me.”

“Wake up.”

“Levi…”

Chapter Text

A day passed easily enough, quickly followed by another. Levi’s flat was nearing a sparkling level of cleanliness after the thorough scrub down on Saturday and Sunday had been spent reorganizing the few items he actually had in each room. It was all too easy to write off the strange happenings as bizarre workings of his mind, as nothing more than another of his nightmares, considering how tired the raven had been feeling of late. It had been a Friday, the end of yet another long and gruelling week, and everyone knew that Fridays could be trippy as shit at the best of times.

Monday arrived and with it came the mundane and yet comforting routine of work. Levi could deal with going to work. It was a repetitious pattern, a numbing routine that he had learned to appreciate.

Levi Ackerman was employed at the Shiganshina Dojo in the city. It was near enough to his apartment that he could walk to and from the venue; located on the outskirts of the inner city but close enough that it still brought in plenty of customers. Levi was a trainer, assisting with larger classes from time to time but mostly focusing on his own smaller cluster of pupils. The raven taught self-defence along with his speciality of martial arts.

If anyone wondered how the petite man kept such a solid figure, lean and yet muscular with the build of a fighter, it instantly became clear when they learned what he did for a living. Not a boxer, not an elite assassin, not even a mafia boss; just a simple instructor, plain and easy. Even so, the raven-haired man could knock most people flat without blinking.

Most of his pupils were older, unlike the younger students who were training for competitions. He had a few regulars, twenty-somethings who seemed adamant to be taught by him and only him. He learned their names and faces, Petra Ral, Erd Jinn, Gunther Schultz and Aurou Bossard. All good kids, more than tolerable unlike some of the younger twerps the raven had had to deal with in the past. The other staff had even gone so far as to nickname the little group, calling them his squad.

“Here comes Squad Levi!”

“Make way for the fearsome warriors of Levi’s Squad!”

Levi would roll his eyes and carry on, secretly not as bothered by the words as his scowl might have said. They all knew how he was, there was no use pretending to be sociable.

Jogging up the steps to the front entrance, Levi shucked the charcoal grey coat he’d been wearing as he entered the foyer. He passed the admission desk with a single-handed wave of greeting to the woman manning the desk.

“Good morning, Levi!” She called merrily in welcome.

“Nifa.” He acknowledged with a little tilt of his head, heading through to the training rooms.

He had to smirk at the army of toddlers gathering in the main hall. They all looked so determined for about ten seconds before growing distracted again. He pitied the instructor that would be taking charge of that bundle of horrors.

“Ah, Levi, my ever friendly recluse!” A cheery voice greeted him from across the room.

The raven looked up, gunmetal eyes locking onto the taller form of Nanaba as she crossed the floor. She walked with a confident stride, dressed in three-quarter pants and a t-shirt that allowed a greater range of movement. Her socked feet made next to no noise as she walked, nothing above a soft thud as she approached. Tall and lithe with blonde hair cropped into a short, loosely tousled mop; Nanaba was one of the owners of the Shiganshina Dojo along with her partner, Mike Zacharius. They were good employers, fair and understanding when it came to the personal lives of their staff. The pair also worked well together, both as business partners and as a couple.

“Can I help you? Did that asshat from Central come back?”

“Good morning to you too.” She said through a smirk, all too familiar with the raven’s blunt approach to conversation. “And no, nothing like that. How are you?”

Levi raised an eyebrow, already suspicious. “Peachy.”

Nanaba knew he wasn’t into chit chat or idle conversation, she knew him far better than this. Levi’s eyes narrowed a fraction; his brow creased as he tried to think what might have brought on the change in character. He didn’t like it one bit. Thankfully Nanaba stilled maintained her straightforward attitude and he didn’t have to wonder for long after her next words.

“Hanji called.”

Oh. Oh great. That was just what he needed. One out of character phone call and suddenly Hanji thought she would tell everyone they knew? Just wonderful.

The raven groaned. “Of course she did.”

“Come on, we both know she’s just worried about you.”

Levi let out a longsuffering sigh as he leant against the wall. “Yeah, I get it.”

Eyes coloured with a small hint of concern regarded him carefully as Nanaba spoke again, no doubt watching for any sign that something was wrong.

“She said something happened,” The woman paused, still holding the raven’s cool gaze as she waited for a moment, “…anything you want to tell me?”

Levi had never been more certain of an answer in his life.

“Nope.” He replied, letting the ‘p’ sound pop at the end of the word.

A knowing little half smile tugged at the corner of Nanaba’s mouth. “Right. Well, as you can probably imagine, I told Mike.”

“Christ.” He muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

The two exchanged similar expressions of sympathy, Nanaba because she knew how Levi would feel about Mike worrying over him and Levi because he could imagine exactly how the blonde mountain of a man would have reacted.

Levi and Mike went way back, having gone to the same high school together. They had shared a very tightknit group of friends that consisted of himself, Mike, Hanji and another individual named Erwin. Mike had met Nanaba in college but three of the four friends, Levi, Mike and Hanji, had remained close. Erwin had gone off to study abroad. The man was probably secretly running the world by now, for all the raven knew.

“We both agree that some time away could do you good.” Nanaba said, bringing Levi out of his reverie and back to the conversation at hand.

He blinked up at her, running the sentence through his mind once more just to make sure that he had heard right. Levi shook his head.

“No. Don’t give me that, you know how Hanji is. Whatever she told you, she’s exaggerating.”

The blonde didn’t look convinced, rolling her weight onto her back foot and leaning with the motion, arms crossing loosely over her chest. An eyebrow arched up. “So nothing happened?”

At this, the raven averted his eyes. He wasn’t a liar, far from it. When Levi Ackerman didn’t want someone to know something, he simply didn’t say it. He didn’t believe in tip-toeing around his words with anyone, even more so to the people he considered to be his friends. So he didn’t say anything at all, opting instead to look over at the scrambling kids as they tried to form an attack stance.

Nanaba gave him an empathetic smile, her posture relaxing again and her voice instantly taking on that almost mothering tone it got whenever she wanted to convince someone. “Levi…you haven’t had time off in ages.”

The subject had been mercifully dropped in favour persuading him, providing the perfect chance for escape and the raven leapt at it.

“So I’m dedicated.” He muttered, shoulders rolling in a shrug. “So what? Have I slacked off recently or something?”

“No, just the opposite. You work just as hard as anyone else here.”

“So why am I in trouble?”

“You’re not in trouble, Levi. We’re just looking out for you.”

Her kind tone reminded him of Mike, it was no wonder that the two of them had gravitated towards one another. Kind, understanding and insightful, both of them would have approached this conversation in the same way. Maybe the words would have been different but that tone, that gentle pleading look in blue eyes would always be the same no matter which one came for you.

“Just…take a few days, go home, rest, relax.” She went on, voice softer, gentle as she reached out, brushing gentle fingers against his arm briefly. “We’ll even make it paid leave if that’ll make you less tense about the idea.”

But Levi was nothing if not stubborn. “I don’t need time off. If I did, I’d ask.”

“I know, I know, Levi.” She said with a gentle chuckle, tapping a finger against her mouth as she thought. “Well then…why don’t you try working from home instead? You’ve done that before, right? Go back, do some more of your tutorial videos, take a breather.”

Levi shifted against the wall, thinking on those words.

In all honesty, that actually didn’t sound like such a terrible idea. He could sleep in and not have to deal with some of the bratty kids that came into the dojo during the week. Some of those rich, snooty kids made him want to kick them in the face rather than teach them how to kick other people in the face. Fortunately for them it wasn’t worth the jail time so the twerps would get to keep their teeth another day.

“It doesn’t have to be a permanent thing, it could be temporary. A trial run of sorts. We’re not firing you, but you need to remember that this can be as flexible as you need it to be. If you want to take some time away from things…then that’s fine. Just say the word.”

He nodded once. “Okay.”

Nanaba kept on with her speech, apparently not expecting such an easy win.

“You don’t have to…wait,” she paused, blinking down owlishly at the blank faced man for a moment, “sorry, I beg your pardon?”

Grey eyes rolled as thin lips parted in a frustrated exhale. “I said okay, I’ll do it. Don’t make me repeat myself, you know I hate it.”

A bright smile lit up the woman’s face. “O-Okay, this is good.” She clapped her hands together once, looking back over her shoulder across the room. “I’ll let Mike know.”

Levi nodded, waving her off as he pushed away from the wall.

“Can I still take today’s kids? I’ll need to let them know what’s happening.”

The blonde gave him a confused look before glancing over at the bunch of screaming toddlers and then back to him. She jerked a thumb in the direction of the small children and Levi’s eyes widened.

“No, no no! Not those-I meant my people.”

An awkward pause passed between the two as they stared…and then Nanaba started laughing.

“Oh, thank God!” She exclaimed in obvious relief. “For a second there I thought you were actually going to offer to teach the little ones!” The woman doubled over with laughter, taking her sweet time to get the giggles under control before waving him off. “Of course, absolutely. But your students aren’t kids, you know.”

“They’re kids to me.” The raven countered, shrugging as he headed for his own room upstairs.

Nanaba smiled to herself as she watched him go. “Sure, of course.”

As four o’clock rolled around, Levi declared that he was going home early and left. It was still fairly sunny out, but the surrounding buildings provided enough shade to keep the crowded sidewalk cool enough. Having skipped lunch, the raven-haired man stopped by one of the family run restaurants for food before heading straight for home just like any other day.
The sky was slowing growing from blue to grey as the sun descended. There was enough light to make it home, Levi was certain of it as he strode in the direction of his own suburb. Head down, eyes focusing on the odd black stilettoes of the woman in front of him, hands in his pockets as he wondered if said woman was regretting her choice in shoes.

The walk home had proved as good a time as any to reflect on the day’s proceedings. His students had been upset to know that their teacher wouldn’t be coming into the dojo for a while, a week at least, but had certainly brightened after being informed of the blog they would be able to reach him through.

His old tutorials blog was still linked on the dojo’s website, along with Miss Brzenska’s training tips blog. From there, people would be able to ask questions, update him on progress and access any videos or demos he put up.

Walking along with the throng of people who were also heading home, Levi could let his mind relax. It would be beyond good to live free of any work related responsibility for a while and the thought left the raven-haired man eager to explore the options that would come with the added free time. He would certainly be able to clean more, catch up on missed sleep and maybe even attempt to get through all the books Hanji had sent him over the years.

Up ahead, the glow of traffic lights caught his eye. Red to green, green to yellow and then back to red. He had to cross here, take a right and walk till he reached the park. Through the park, over the bridge, he might stop to look at the river for a while before walking the remaining distance home. It was still light enough and the park was always so quiet at this time of day.
Levi paused at the lights, along with a number of others that waited on the pavement for the sign to walk. Cars flew by, flashes of yellow cabs and a myriad of other colours, white, grey, blue, passed in his periphery as other vehicles passed by.

Looking up at the change of lights from red to green, the raven caught the stare of another pair of eyes as they locked onto his face. The foreign gaze grew shocked and suddenly those eyes were a lot closer. Levi took a step back, startled by the sudden close proximity of another human being, and cried out a protesting ‘hey’ as he was grabbed by the shoulders with such force that the motion slammed him back against the building behind him. All the air in Levi’s lungs left in a rush at the impact, leaving him winded and coughing. A few heads turned at the rush of movement, casting passing cursory glances, confused or curious faces soon returning to their own business as the space-invader began to speak.

“I know you!” The person said firmly, sounding shocked in spite of themselves.

A male voice, Levi recognised through his momentary daze. Whoever it was sounded awfully sure of themselves; somehow the shocked tone left no room for argument.

“And you tell me by throwing me into a wall?” Levi wheezed as his coughing subsided and he shoved the person back a couple of paces. “Smooth, kid. Now who the fuck-”

Levi found himself momentarily lost for words as he finally looked up at the person standing not even a meter away. A male with a boyish face, lean and a little lanky in appearance with a head full of messy brown hair. Familiar…too familiar. He stood a little taller than Levi; the shorter male had to look up a bit to see his eyes. But it was the boy’s eyes that had him frozen there, mouth still slightly open as he floundered for words lost.

Wide teal eyes stared intently into startled grey, searching for a reason why they knew the face before them. The raven’s heart stuttered in his chest, pulse picking up as he was finally able to place just where he had seen that face before.

“You’re the brat from the alley…”

The words should have stayed in his head, Levi hadn’t meant to utter them aloud, but it was all too late to snap his mouth shut now. A heavy silence hung between them, the kind of silence that the white noise of passers-by is lost to, as the boy continued to stare.

Levi almost jumped as a bright smile of recognition settled over the brunette’s features.

“That’s right…I knew it!” He grinned, nodding to himself. “I was sure I’d seen you before…you’re the one who interrupted.” The kid made a face, clicking his tongue in a show of disapproval before smirking slyly. “But you played my game so I guess I can forgive you this time around.”

Levi stared, feeling completely discombobulated as he watched the brat wink, fucking wink, at him. He shook his head violently to clear it before regaining eye contact and glaring in what he hoped was a threatening display.

“Game? What fucking game?”

“You ran.” The boy stated, face blank for once like he thought that the answer had been clear as day. “Not many people do. Too scared, I guess.” He shrugged before extending a hand. “I’m Eren.”

The raven-haired man stared in utter disbelief. Could this kid hear himself talk? Did he know how goddamned jarring he was to talk to? After remaining in an incredulous silence for more than thirty seconds, the brunette withdrew his hand with a quiet chuckle, electing instead to scratch at his nape.

“Sorry, sorry, I haven’t done this in a while.” The boy, Eren apparently, said through a laugh that was downright giddy…like he was some seventeen year old schoolgirl out on a date. “Socialising is tough work and it’s an understatement to say that my people skills are a little rusty.”

Levi blinked at him, one eye twitching in annoyance. “Rusty? They’re non-existent.”

“That’s a little harsh.”

“Don’t fucking interrupt me!” The raven snapped, his stance growing more defensive by the minute. “You just shoved me into a wall because you thought maybe you knew me.”
At that, Eren glanced away guiltily, wincing a little. The sheepish smile never left his face the whole time.

“Well yeah, touché there, but I was right wasn’t I?” The boy argued in a hopeful tone. “I have pretty good instinct like that.” He stated proudly, as if that fact made everything completely fine.

Levi couldn’t believe this kid. No way was this the same person who had probably murdered that twisted corpse in an alley. This had to be some sort of accident, they didn’t know each other, it was a coincidence plain and simple. It had to be.

He gave a frustrated sigh, quick and rushed as he waved the boy back a step. “I don’t care about your instincts or whatever; I just want to go home.”

Levi went to step past the kid, but damn if the brat wasn’t quicker than he looked. The raven jerked to a stop to avoid crashing right into the other male’s chest, electing to glare up at the brunette instead.

“What the fuck is your problem?” He hissed, taking a step back.

The boy rolled one shoulder in a casual half-shrug. “No problem…but I do know you.”

“Yeah, right, keep telling yourself that. Now could you kindly move, asshole?” Levi rolled his eyes, hand clenching into a fist at his side.

From the amused yet wary look on Eren’s face, the brat had noticed the action. It wasn’t enough to discourage him though. If anything, Eren’s smile turned challenging.

“Ouch, that was a bit rude.”

“Said the twat blocking my way.” The raven-haired man muttered through clenched teeth.

Blue-green eyes flicked once around them. “You’re making people stare.”

Levi hesitated, taking a quick glance around. As much as he wanted to shout at this kid to leave him the fuck alone, Eren was right. Several people were looking at them now as they waited to cross the road and neither of them could afford to make a scene.

With a sharp sigh, Levi looked back at the boy. “Look,” he began, rubbing the bridge of his nose, “just…tell me what the fuck you want and I’ll get out of your hair, deal?”

The boy before him looked completely taken aback, like he hadn’t even considered that Levi might ask such a question.

“Want?” Eren said, laughing suddenly. “I don’t want anything. I was just saying hello.”

“Just saying-?” Levi cut himself off, hissing under his breath. “I don’t believe this shit. Just saying hello my ass! You’re a fucking murderer!”

“Hush,” the boy murmured gently, still smiling as his eyes scanned the passers-by, “this isn’t the place for that sort of talk.”

Levi froze, not sure if Eren was confessing something through that statement or not. He squared his shoulders, steely eyes narrowing. “It’s the only place.” He countered sternly. “I’m not going anywhere else with you.”

If nothing else, the raven’s words seemed to amuse Eren further. He exhaled through his nose, smirk growing lazy.

“Oh really? Why’s that?” The brunette leaned in a little closer. “Do I make you nervous?”

“Did you seriously just ask that? Are you some special kind of stupid or do you really not notice how creepy you are?”

“I already said that I’m not good at this.”

“Look, I don’t care about that or you or anything to do with this, but…just tell me…did you really kill that guy? Or was it some kind of accident?”

Eren gave a suddenly light-hearted laugh that seemed completely out of character for such a conversation.

“All these questions and I don’t even know you. Shouldn’t you be buying me lunch or something first?” The kid practically sang the words, tone oozing playfulness as he rolled his weight onto his back foot.

Levi stared. This brat was impossible. Just when he thought he was getting somewhere, like maybe Eren would give him a solid answer, the kid started fucking flirting. Flirting of all things! Unable to think of anything better to say, Levi settled for the first sentence that came into his head.

“It’s a little late for lunch.” The raven countered, gesturing to the rapidly darkening sky above.

Eren glanced up; never losing the air of amusement that seemed to cling about the kid like an aura. “Huh, I guess you’re right. Dinner then?”

Eye twitching, the raven’s gunmetal orbs narrowed to slits. “Bite me.” He snapped.

Eren laughed, just once. “Don’t tempt me.”

Levi felt his skin tingle as he was flashed a lazy grin, not at all an unattractive smile but the way those teeth glinted in the streetlight were more than a little unsettling. Especially considering that he had seen them stained with red a little over three days ago. Eren continued, his tone as light and playful as ever.

“At the very least, you can buy me a drink before we go into any details about that mishap.”

Levi stared incredulously, resisting the urge to throw his hands into the air. “Mishap? You had your teeth in a person!”

“I thought I was alone.”

“That doesn’t make it any better!”

“Shh…” Eren hushed him, still smirking as he reached out to put a finger to the raven’s lips.

Levi smacked the hand away, finding it more and more difficult to suppress his urge to wipe the smug smile of the brat’s face with his fist. Calm down, he told himself, violence will get you nowhere. At least in public anyway. If they were alone…well-

It was at that moment that Levi took a look around them, a proper look, and he noticed with a fresh surge of panic that there were significantly less people around. The crowd was slowly growing thinner as more people headed home. It was getting dark.

“Is something wrong?”

The raven’s attention snapped back to the boy, not failing to notice the eyes that seemed to grin at him even when the brunette’s smile was absent.

“I need to go.”

Oddly enough, Eren gave a disappointed little frown. “Aw, really? That’s a shame.” The boy seemed to resign himself to the fact that his ‘entertainment’ would be leaving, before perking up again suddenly. “Do you want me to walk you home?”

Levi glared daggers at the bright-eyed brat as he ground out his next words. “No. Fucking. Way.”

Eren held up his hands as if in defence. “It was just a question. Honestly, you need to calm down. Go home, sleep, get some scented candles, take a nice herbal bath, smoke some weed, I don’t know, but do something. You’re too tense-”

The brunette made a sound of protest as Levi shoved past him, ducking around a few people and walking away with quick strides.

“Okay then! Goodnight!” The brat called after him and then nothing.

Nothing but the sound of Levi’s feet against the pavement, the gentle wind, and the crickets coming out as twilight blanketed the streets in a deep purple shade. He passed very few people, heading straight through the park without stopping.

Levi did not run home. If anything, he power-walked home. But the second the raven reached his building he dashed up the stairs, (because screw waiting for the elevator) fishing out his keys on the way, and as soon as he was inside he locked the place down for the second time in less than a week.

Panting, he really did slide down the door this time.

“There…has to be…something wrong with me.” The raven managed to voice between breaths.

Despite everything that had transpired, Levi ended up actually taking Eren’s advice and took a bath instead of a shower, letting the hot water ease him into a relaxed state. Oh how that brat would laugh if he knew. Levi could just picture the smug smile, the teasing eyes. He considered calling Hanji again and telling her what had happened, but he wasn’t sure that he was ready to deal with her barrelling into his life right now.

Levi told himself that everything was okay, that it was a coincidence that he had run into Eren at all. And with that thought in mind, the tired raven went to bed, for once sleeping soundly.

If Levi thought it was going to be as simple as that, he couldn’t have been more wrong.

Not two days later, while the raven was out taking a walk around noon, he ran into the brat again. It was a Thursday and Levi had yet to get around to doing any actual work. He had dug out his camera and tripod but that had been as far as he had gotten. As Thursday rolled around he’d gotten up, showered and decided that it would be a decent day to go jogging. So there he was dressed in dark sweats, sneakers and a black pullover hoodie. Levi had decided against a shirt, thinking that it would get too hot. Just when he thought the day was turning out alright…lo and behold, the brat.

It seemed that the kid was enjoying the sun, sitting cross-legged on a short stone wall that separated the street from an outdoor café and sipping on some kind of blue slushy. Still not quite believing that he could run into such a character again, Levi walked over. It wasn’t that he wanted to exactly…more like his legs started moving and he was too shocked to notice until he was staring down at a head of messy brown hair.

It was Eren alright. He was reading some comic; the colourful book sat open in his lap. The brunette didn’t seem to notice him for a moment, too engrossed in his the bright images of what looked like a clown being beaten up by some superhero wannabe. Finally sensing that something was out of place, Eren glanced up. Eyes that seemed more blue than green in the shade of Levi’s shadow flickered up curiously at the shape that had stopped before him and almost flickered back down again. But recognition sunk in and left the boy staring, shocked, eyes wide and straw between parted lips, up at a scowling Levi.

A moment passed, long and silent, as the two continued to stare at each other. The straw slipped from the brunette’s mouth as a slow smile curved his lips. At last, Eren laughed quietly, looking down and shaking his head in disbelief.

“Three times in six days?” The boy eyes flicked back up as he flipped the comic shut and his voice took on a playful tone. “You’re not stalking me, are you?”

“I was just thinking the same.”

“Really?” Eren perked up further, straightening. “Does that give us common ground?”

“Tch. No.” Levi denied immediately, still scowling. “Your social skills still suck.” He replied, tone clipped, before opening his mouth again. “And tone it down with the flirting before I get romantic whiplash.”

The brunette just shrugged, apparently not at all affected by the raven’s surly demeanour. “I’m nothing if not honest about my feelings.” He said honestly before a sly smile crept over his lips. “What about you? You’re sure you’re not following me?”

Levi stared, unimpressed. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m just unlucky as fuck this week.”

That comment finally got a reaction other than flirting out of Eren.

The boy’s shoulders slumped a little and he pouted. “That’s not very nice. I think you’ll find I’m quite reasonable company.”

The raven stared on, face unchanging and completely unconvinced. After a moment of silence, Eren leant to catch the straw in his mouth again, purposefully taking a long, loud slurp of the icy blue mush before nodding to himself in a cumbersome fashion.

“Soooooooooo…” he began, drawing out the word, “now will you buy me lunch?”

The hopeful tone was back; Eren’s eyes slowly widened in eagerness as he awaited the raven’s reply. The damned brat was practically bouncing where he sat.

Levi paused, thinking long and hard about the question. Of course it still seemed as ridiculous as it had the first time the brat had asked him, especially after everything the raven may or may not have witnessed…but apparently the universe just wouldn’t let them get away from each other. Levi would be lying if he said he didn’t have any questions to ask the kid. The brat probably had a few of his own, too. Maybe if they sat down and talked, they could both walk away from this and continue with their lives? It was worth a shot, right?

I must be crazy, Levi thought to himself. With a short sigh, the raven glanced away, scratching idly at the shorter hair of his undercut as he spoke.

“Sure, brat. Third time’s the charm, right?”

Chapter Text

This was a terrible idea.

Levi watched an excitable Eren over the rim of his double espresso. The pair currently sat inside a French style café after Eren had spent far too long than was tolerable trying to decide where they should go. The boy had been all too happy to let Levi steer him towards the homey looking building nestled into a street corner amidst several other restaurants. They had chosen a table near the window, far over in one corner so as to be out of earshot of the other customers. Eren was dressed casually enough and once Levi pushed his hood back he didn’t look so suspicious either. It was a good cover; they looked like two friends meeting up, simple. Or at worst, potential dates. Grimacing at the thought, Levi decided that he could live with the smiles and the friendly stares he got from the staff who thought that he and the brunette were a couple just so long as he got some answers.

Despite his eagerness to have the raven-haired man take him to lunch, Eren hadn’t ordered a single thing thus far. The brat was too busy staring at everything and everyone he could see; the waiters, the customers, people passing by, fucking birds for Christ’s sake. But perhaps the strangest thing so far was the way Eren would look at Levi. It was subtle and infrequent, just a glance here and there as he looked up from a menu or turned back from staring out the window, but what was unnerving was that the looks he was receiving were all too similar to the way a very hungry person with a sweet tooth might look at a slice of mud cake…and Levi didn’t like it one bit.

After a good fifteen minutes of total silence and absolutely no indication of the brat snapping out of his reverie, Levi gave into temptation and opened his mouth.

“Are you going to actually order something or should I just douse myself in chocolate sauce and sit on a platter?”

That granted Levi Eren’s full attention. Teal eyes shot over instantly, wide from the initial shock of the raven’s words but contemplative in a way that told Levi he was very probably considering the idea. At last the boy gave a single chuckle.

“Would you?” He asked, honestly curious.

“No. It was a joke.” The raven deadpanned.

“I see.”

“Well?”

“Well what?”

“Order something?” Levi said in a way that sounded more like a question, flicking the menu back towards Eren. “That is why we came here.”

Eren picked up the laminated sheet, smiling to himself as he twirled the card in his hands.

“I thought we came here so you could interrogate me?”

Levi sat back in his chair, feeling a few warm rays of afternoon sunshine warming through his clothes.

“No. We came here to talk.” He corrected matter-of-factly, crossing his arms over his chest. “That means the questions can go both ways, brat. But you said you wanted food.”

Eren made a face as he read over the selection, looking displeased with the fancy font. “This isn’t really the kind of food I usually go for.”

The raven-haired man scoffed, staring at the brunette as blankly as he could. “Really? I would never have guessed that.”

Eren looked up from the menu at those words, glancing over at Levi. His features twisted a little with confusion as he eyed the other male, squinting a little as if in concentration.

“Sarcasm.” Levi muttered by means of an explanation.

A look of understanding crossed the brunette’s face and he nodded.

“Right.”

“Brat.” Levi muttered, shaking his head at the kid as he pushed the menu away.

“I don’t really know what to get, none of this is familiar.”

Eren spoke like an adult but acted quite similarly to a child. He was almost painfully honest, he said whatever he was thinking and he made no effort to sugar coat things. He also seemed stubborn and prone to acting on his emotions, very much like a child would. So Levi did the only thing he could think of to counter that…he acted like a parent.

“Shall I pick something for you?”

Eren looked up with a grateful smile, nodding. “Yes please. I’d like that.”

And there ended Levi’s attempt at parenting. Not that it hadn’t worked like a charm; he just couldn’t figure Eren out.

“Stop looking at me like that.” Levi said, stretching in his seat.

He didn’t fail to notice the way the brat’s eyes followed after each movement, almost like he was being studied.

“Like what?” Eren asked, playing dumb.

The raven’s eyes narrowed a little as he rolled his left shoulder a few times to loosen the muscle where it had become tense. “Just stop with all the dreamy little smiles and shit. It’s giving me creepy date vibes.”

He should have predicted the way Eren perked up at the word, eyes immediately brighter with keen interest.

“Is this a date?” he asked, tone filling with excitement.

“No.” Levi waved a finger at him sternly. “No, don’t even think about it.”

And of course, the boy slumped back into his chair looking very much the picture of disappointment.

“Aw. Don’t get my hopes up like that.” He complained, letting his head fall back against the chair to stare at the ceiling.

“Shut up.” Levi shushed him with a wave as a waitress started to head over.

“Hello, Sirs,” she greeted with a friendly smile as she reached their table, “my name is Charlotte and I’ll be serving you today.”

“Hello, Charlotte.” Eren greeted, smiling warmly from where he sat. “How are you?”

The girl blushed a little, smiling back. “Hello, Sir. I’m well, thank you.” She replied before looking to Levi. “Your friend is…nice.”

Levi scoffed. “Oh yeah, he’s a real charmer.”

“Unlike someone-hey!” Eren complained as he was kicked sharply under the table, a direct hit right in the shin.

He whined at Levi who looked on completely unaffected, murmuring something about comeuppances under his breath and smirking when a still indignant Eren started tugging on his sleeve as he protested.

Charlotte seemed to find the whole exchange incredibly amusing, looking between the two of them as she asked, “Do you know what you’d like to order?”

Levi glanced back over, reassigning his attention to the waitress instead of the whining Eren, much to the brunette’s frustration. “Yes. I’ll have a slice of the crepe cake with coffee cream and hazelnut praline and he’ll have…the pain au chocolat.” The raven stated, handing over the menu.

Charlotte nodded, tucking the menu under one arm and scribbling away on her notepad. “Uh-huh. And will either of you gentlemen be purchasing any drinks with that?”

“Sure. I’ll have another espresso and…Eren, what do you want?”

At the mention of his name, Eren abandoned his aching leg and leaned forward on his elbows, his brow furrowed in concentration. “Um…….”

If Levi wasn’t so concerned about him, it might almost have been cute.

The raven rolled his eyes at the brat’s drawn out ‘um’, turning back to the waitress again with a droll, “He’ll have a hot chocolate.”

The brunette sunk back in his chair, sulking over being denied the chance to choose his own beverage.

The girl giggled a little at the comment, writing down the last of their order. “Of course. It shouldn’t be long.”

Eren squinted suspiciously over at Levi as the waitress left; waiting until the smaller male looked at him before speaking.

“I feel like I’ve just been insulted…” he started, frowning a little, “…but I’m not sure how.”

Levi smirked, shifting in his chair. “I bought you a children’s drink, you twit.”

“Oh.” The boy said, thinking on that for a moment before shrugging. “Could’ve been worse.”

The raven cocked an eyebrow at him. “Well aren’t you the little optimist?”

Eren simply smiled at him and Levi shook his head. How could one person go from being spine-tingling creepy to adorable as a box full of kittens so sporadically? It was starting to give him a headache.

Rubbing his temple, Levi sat forward. “Anyway, we did come here to talk. So…shall I start?”

“By all means.” Eren conceded with a little wave of his hand.

Right then. There they were and the possible murderer had given him carte blanche to ask whatever came into his mind. Well, first thing’s first, he may as well be blunt.

“Did you kill that person in the alley?” The raven asked slowly, articulating each word so that there could be no misunderstanding.

Eren smirked, sitting back in his seat and inspecting his nails. “Are you really sure you want to know the answer to that? Absolutely sure?”

Levi remained unmoving, eyes narrowing a little at the brat’s cockiness. “I wouldn’t have fucking asked if I wasn’t sure.”

“Yes.” Eren answered suddenly, without so much as a pause after Levi’s words. “I killed them. Do you feel better for knowing?”

Not having expected the answer to come so quickly, or so calmly even, Levi leaned back a little. The admission was right there, swimming in his ears, and yet he still couldn’t quite bring himself to believe it. Why would he do it? There had to be a reason.

Recovering just barely from the first shock, the raven moved on with a slow inhale through his nose before voicing his next query. “If you killed them…why didn’t you just move on? Why linger and risk being caught?”

“That…” Eren paused as the waitress returned with their order, smiling and passing on his thanks. Only after they were alone again did he continue. “That is another matter entirely.” The boy murmured, taking up a spoon and digging it into the chocolate filled pastry before him and smiling again suddenly. “Okay, my turn.” He announced, popping the spoon into his mouth.

Levi blinked at him, still processing. “What?”

“It’s my turn to ask something.”

“But you-”

“Uh-uh…” The brunette cut him off, waving a finger back and forth as his smile turned playful. “Wait your turn, we can get to whatever you want to ask in good time but I have questions too, remember?”

“Ugh, fine. Ask me. But don’t talk with your mouth full, it’s gross.”

In a true display of childishness, Eren opened his mouth to show Levi the half chewed food.

Levi grimaced, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the boy sitting opposite him. “Brat.”

Grinning, Eren closed his mouth and swallowed. “Excellent. Okay, so, what do you do?”

The question didn’t compute for a moment and Levi was left blinking at Eren in confusion.

“Huh?”

“Your job.” The brunette clarified, scooping out another portion of his food. “What is it?”

“Why does that matter?”

“It matters because I’ve run into you three times now and it hasn’t even been a whole week. Naturally I’m suspicious.” Eren stated simply, looking at his plate as he stabbed idly at the pastry. “This is really nice, by the way. Thank you.”

All of Eren’s questions were taking the raven off guard, they didn’t make any sense. Why would the brat need to know what he did for a living? Unless he thought that maybe Levi was a cop.

“Why would knowing my job make you less suspicious?”

“It just will.” The boy said, smile gone for once. “Now stop stalling.”

Sitting back in his chair, Levi folded his arms.

“Listen, brat. Think about this from my perspective…I don’t know you either. I saw you kill a guy and now I run into you twice?” He shook his head slowly. “That’s not exactly reassuring. And now here you are asking about my life, what I do, and I’ve got to wonder…why?”

Levi expected some kind of rebuttal, some form of argument from the kid, but Eren simply nodded and pursed his lips. “Fair enough.”

It was surprising, but Levi gave a nod of appreciation at the comment, lifting his cup and taking a sip. The liquid was still hot, but cool enough not to burn. And then-

“You’re not a priest, are you?”

The raven choked and nearly spat out his coffee as he snorted at the idea. One hand came up quickly to cover his mouth and he swallowed, coughing out a short laugh as looked up at a curious Eren.

“Something funny?” The boy enquired, twirling his spoon.

“Yeah,” The raven coughed, clearing his throat, “the idea that you could even consider me being a priest. That’s priceless!”

“You never know.”

“Ha. Good one.”

“So you’re not?”

“Christ no. I teach martial arts.”

“Oh.” The answer and the honesty behind it seemed to surprise Eren, but a little pleased smile crept over his face shortly after the shock passed. “Well then, that’s alright.”

Though he was still confused, Levi managed to smirk at the boy. “Does that check out, or are you still suspicious?” He asked, taking another swig of his coffee.

“No. That checks out just fine.”

The next roll of the raven’s eyes was less a sign of annoyance as it was of acceptance as he searched for another question. The brat already knew about his work, he might as well ask the same.

“So what do you do then?” Levi enquired in a neutral tone, perching his chin atop of his palm and leaning his elbow on the table.

“Me?” The kid looked taken aback again before shrugging and glancing off out the window again. “I don’t really have a job here.”

“Figures.”

“Hey, don’t be mean.”

Now it was Levi’s turn to shrug. “I’m always mean, brat. It’s just the way I am. Get used to it or get lost.”

Something close to approval flashed in Eren’s eyes at the raven’s words. “So feisty. I like it.” The boy smiled lazily, blowing him a kiss.

“Cut that out before I rip your tongue out.” Levi muttered harshly across the table.

“Feisty and kinky?” The brunette gave a low whistle, eyes dancing in silent laughter. “I’ve hit the jackpot.”

“Just shut up. Are we talking or are we flirting?”

“Why can’t we do both?”

“Because it’s fucking distracting, that’s why.” The raven snapped, rubbing at his temple again. “Pick one.”

“I can’t. It’s who I am.” Eren shot right back, ever the smug smiling bastard. “If I have to accept you being a mean old sourpuss then you’ll just have to deal with me flirting. So there.”

Levi let out a longsuffering sigh, holding his head in his hands. It was pointless trying to argue with this kid. Stupid as he seemed at times, he was clever enough to use Levi’s own words against him. It wasn’t worth the headache.

“Whatever,” he sighed, still not looking up, “can I ask my question now or do you have some cheesy comment to make about my eyes or some shit?”

A quiet little chuckle carried across the table. “No, carry on.” A pause. “They are lovely, though.”

This time Levi did raise his head, looking at the boy in clear befuddlement. “What?”

“Your eyes.”

“Fucking-” the raven-haired man started before cutting himself off and grabbing a fork. He held it up in front of Eren’s face. “I will stab you with this.”

“Very kinky.”

“No, no, we’re not going there. Shut up and answer my question.”

“How can I answer if I have to shut up?”

“If you think I won’t strangle you, you’re wrong.”

“Now who’s the scary one?”

Levi was silent for a long moment, glaring hard at Eren. He could feel his forehead throbbing, this time out of anger rather than his perpetual headache, and he breathed slower to force himself to calm down. Anger would get him nowhere, he needed to be calm and rational.

When he was certain that he wouldn’t tear the brat’s head off, he asked his question. “Why were you in that alley?”

The boy had been honest and open until that moment. Now he fell silent, fiddling with his spoon and spinning it on the table. Eren seemed to be thinking, perhaps considering how to answer the question. Or maybe he was stalling for enough time to think his way out of answering. Levi’s scowl returned as time dragged on and still nothing.

He was ready to get up and shake it out of the kid if he didn’t speak up, but then Eren’s blue-green eyes flickered up again and he sighed. It was a nervous sound and that made Levi sit up a little straighter.

“Well?” The raven prompted, waiting. “I don’t have all day.”

He did, in fact, have all day but Eren didn’t need to know that.

The brunette stopped his twirling, leaving the spoon to slowly spin to a stop on its own as he opened his mouth to speak. “I’ll tell you…but I want you to promise that you won’t freak out on me.”

That definitely wasn’t the response the raven had been expecting. He raised both eyebrows at the kid as he drew out his silence a little longer, just enough to make Eren squirm, before replying.

“Gee, that makes me feel better about the answer.” Levi drawled, pokerfaced.

The boy frowned, for once appearing completely serious. “Promise.”

The raven scoffed at the word. “What are you, five?”

There was no joking this time, it seemed, as Eren fixed the raven with a look that was almost stern. “Whatever you’re expecting me to say, it isn’t going to be coated in rainbows. It’s going to be heavy.”

“Fine, fine, I fucking promise.”

“Okay.” The brunette sucked in a deep breath and let it out again before he spoke. “I was in that alley because I needed a secluded place to feed.”

Teal eyes watched Levi closely the whole time, through each word that left Eren’s lips and each second of the silence that stretched after he finished. The tense quiet made every other sound in the café seem to echo, each clink of cutlery, every little laugh or cough. The raven supposed through his state of numbed shock that his apathetic expression probably wasn’t a very comforting response…but the weight of Eren’s words hung heavily in the space between them.

“…what?” Levi managed, his own voice sounding odd in his ears.

The boy held up his hands just above the table, as if he were trying to pacify the other man. “You asked, I told you.”

Levi wasn’t having any of that. So many new questions were buzzing about in his head and it proved too much to keep all of them inside.

“Feed? What? What? You ate that person?”

“Hush.” Eren commanded suddenly, voice low and tone uncompromising and Levi sat back, rigidly still.

The boy glanced around in a casual manner to be sure that nobody had caught wind of their conversation before leaning a little closer across the table.

“Yes. I was feeding.” He stated again to reinforce the words. “If you want to know what that means…well, this isn’t exactly the place to talk about things of that nature. So unless you’re comfortable heading somewhere more private…I can’t explain.”

“This can’t be right. This has to be some kind of joke.”

“There is nothing funny about this. I can prove it to you…if you want?”

“How?”

“I can’t just tell you. That would ruin the surprise.”

“And I can’t just trust you without some idea of whatever the fuck you’re going to do. I’m curious, not stupid.”

Eren’s smile returned, but this time it was almost sincere, honest, as he let slip a soft chuckle.

“I like you.”

“What the fuck?”

A confused frown. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Uh…yes.”

“I was being honest.” Eren murmured, brow furrowed as he tried to discern why the raven was upset.

“You can’t just say that…admit to murder and then flirt!”

“Calm down.”

“Calm down?”

“Yes.” Eren said, his voice once again taking on the strange tone of authority it had when he was being serious. “We’re just talking; there are people all around you. You are safe.”

Levi sat back, looking around quickly as he hissed under his breath. “Why would you even bring up something like that?”

“Because you’re looking at me like I’m holding a knife.” The brunette said bluntly and Levi had to agree the kid was probably right. “You’re as safe as you want to be. I won’t hurt you here.”

Grey eyes rolled and Levi groaned. “You suck at comforting, you know that?”

The boy hummed his amusement, glancing down. “You keep reminding me, yes. But I’ve already told you…I haven’t done this before.”

“What does that even mean? You haven’t done this before? What haven’t you done? Explain-”

“Shhh…” Eren hushed him yet again and the raven bristled at being cut off. Eren only laughed at him. “I will explain, but first…feed me something.”

“What?” Levi gawked at him in disbelief. “No, why the fuck would I-”

“Because you’re drawing too much attention and we need to look less suspicious.” The boy smiled slyly, shifting forward a little in his chair. “So stop hissing at me and feed me something. Do try not to scowl; we need this to look convincing.”

Grimacing anyway, Levi snatched up his spoon and scooped out a portion of the cake, holding it up in front of Eren’s face. The brunette smiled lazily, leaning forward and sliding his mouth over the spoon, dragging the cake off the metal with his teeth.

“Wonderful. Was that so hard?”

“Tch.”

“Oh, don’t be like that. Wow, you should try some of that. It’s good.”

“Well I can’t now, can I?”

“Hmm? Why not?”

“Because I’ve got your shitty germs all over my spoon.”

The brunette scoffed at that. “I’m not infected with anything, geez.”

“I’ll take your word for it, shall I?”

“Just use your fork.” Eren suggested, reaching over to push the fork in question towards Levi.

The raven smacked at his hand. “Back the fuck away from my cutlery. Stop fussing over me and get back to explaining yourself, brat.”

“Okay, okay, you did good. I’ll talk.” Eren managed through chuckles, taking his sweet time to chew the rest of the cake and swallow. “When I say I’m not used to…things, it’s because I’m not from around here. Think of me as a foreigner. I’m learning your ways, trying to blend in, but it’s…tricky. I have very little knowledge of your race’s social structure and so interacting doesn’t always go smoothly. You might have noticed.”

Levi gave a dry chuckle. “Yeah.”

Eren shot him a look but let the comment slide. “So I’m trying to learn.”

“What do you mean by…not from here?” The raven pushed further, frowning a little as he pieced things together. “Does it have anything to do with why you killed that guy? And why you were…”

“Eating him? Yeah, the three things are what you might call connected.” Eren smirked, reaching over and scooping out some more of Levi’s cake with his own spoon. “You catch on quickly.”

“I always have.” Levi glared after Eren’s retreating hand, noticing the shit eating grin on the boy’s face.

“Good. I like a man who can connect the dots.”

Eren paused as Levi shook his head slowly.

“What?” The boy paused, tilting his head. “Is something the matter?”

“You really have no boundaries, do you?” He muttered, gesturing to the stolen food. “It’s pretty jarring having you scaring the pants off me one second and then the next your all smiles and flirty comments. Weird.” The raven shook his head again, stabbing his cake with the fork that was still clean.

Eren observed Levi carefully. “Something tells me you don’t mind it as much as you say.” He murmured after a moment. “Or maybe…you don’t mind it as much as you want to? As much as you think you should? Am I right?”

Levi paused, fork halfway to his mouth, and nodded. “That makes sense. I haven’t really flirted with anyone since high school.”

Eren gasped, looking appalled. “Why not?”

The raven rolled one shoulder lazily in a shrug, wincing a little when the motion tweaked at a stiff muscle. He swallowed his mouthful and exhaled. “Too focused on education, on survival.” Levi answered, rubbing at his shoulder.

“That is a terrible shame.” Eren stated, putting a hand over his heart. “I’d like to correct that error.”

The raven-haired man gave a short chuckle at that, working through his food a little quicker. “What are you suggesting?”

“Can I keep you?”

Levi choked on his mouthful of food, glaring at a beaming Eren until he could finally speak again.

“You can’t just…say things like that.” He rasped, rubbing his throat as he coughed a little.

“Why not?” The brunette enquired with a curious tilt of his head as he watched Levi take a long gulp of his cooling coffee.

“Because…it isn’t something that’s done. You don’t just pick out a person to take home like you do at a dog shelter.”

Eren let slip a dark chuckle, thoroughly amused with the thought. “Well, maybe you don’t. But you and I are very different.”

That comment made Levi stop and think. That kind of statement could mean several different things…and so far none of them seemed particularly promising. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, Levi set down his cup and stared straight at Eren.

“… What are you?”

The boy’s next smile was very different from his previous ones. It was darker, still amused, but in a considerably different manner than the playful grins he’d had on before.

“Now…now you’re asking the right kind of question.”

More approval in that voice, as playful as ever but in a way that made Levi’s skin prickle. Common sense told him to leave it alone but as always his curiosity was too strong to ignore.

“Are you going to tell me?” The raven asked.

Another chuckle followed by an amused hum as Eren tapped two fingers against his mouth, thinking.

“Maybe…” he smirked, eyes bright, “maybe I will. But if I do there can be only two options.” The brunette paused for effect, leaning forward. “Would you like to hear them?”

Levi nodded, way past common sense now.

Eren gave him a pleased smile, rubbing his hands together. “Very well. Option one: I tell you and you react to it well, in which case I keep you.” The boy paused again, giving Levi sufficient time to let his words sink in before continuing. “Option two: I tell you and you react…badly…in which case I cannot allow you to live.”

Levi had been expecting something of that ilk and therefore didn’t wait very long before asking, “Why not?”

Once again the brunette paused, choosing his words carefully. “Because it would threaten my presence here.”

Levi supposed that made sense, so he moved on to his next point of enquiry.

“What would happen if I didn’t take your news well? How would you-”

“You would suffer a similar fate to the man you saw in the alley on the day of our first encounter.”

Levi swallowed. “I see.”

Eren looked almost sympathetic as he waited for a moment to let the raven gather his thoughts.

“Still want to know?” The boy asked, sounding a little glum.

It was almost as though he thought that Levi would say no. But after everything that had happened already, how could he go home now without asking?

Drawing in a breath, Levi shrugged wearily. “Sure.” He said, giving a single, dry chuckle. “I’ve only got everything to lose.”

The boy perked up again. “I like those odds.”

Of course he would say something like that, Levi thought and let his eyes roll again. “Clearly you’re a gambling man. Or a gambling…something.”

Eren grinned. “Now you’re getting it.”

“So are you going to tell me or?”

“Hmm…” The boy hummed, looking giddy again as he rocked back and forth a little in his chair. “I don’t think I’ll tell you just yet…I like your company and it would be a terrible waste if you don’t deal well with what I have to say.”

Levi should have known the little shit would leave him hanging like that but somehow he couldn’t muster up anything more than a bored stare.

“So…what now?” The raven asked, glancing at his watch.

It was just past 2:00pm. Eren followed his glance.

“Need to be somewhere?”

“Not at all.”

“Perfect. Let’s continue then, shall we?” Eren suggested, looking at Levi like that was the best idea in the world. “The sky is still light and you haven’t finished your food yet. It’s far too early leave already.”

Levi stared at the boy, dubiousness written clearly on his face. “You want to turn this into an actual date? Are you serious?”

Eren flashed him a sly smile. “I’m deadly serious.”

“Don’t say it like that.” The raven muttered, screwing up his nose at the phrase. “It makes me think you’re going to cut my throat with a fork or something.”

Eren laughed of all things, a light-hearted bubbly laugh that Levi had to admit wasn’t such a terrible sound.

“Throat cutting isn’t really my style.” The boy admitted as his giggling subsided, covering his mouth with a hand to hide his snickering.

“Oh, you have a style?” Levi asked, not at all surprised as he scooped up a bite sized portion of his cake. “Charming.”

“Of course I do.” Eren said as if that fact should have been obvious. “Every creature has its own pattern of killing-”

“Do we really have to talk about this if we’re going to be eating?” Levi grumbled, stealing a bit of Eren’s pastry much to the brat’s delight if his near-glowing level of happiness was any indication.

“Aw, poor thing, do you get queasy?” The brunette teased, far too pleased for Levi’s liking.

“Fuck you. I don’t get queasy,” he defended, waving his fork at Eren, “but I still don’t want to be talking about the perfect way to kill something while have food in my mouth if you don’t mind.”

“Fine,” Eren relented, starting to get back that dreamy smile again, “we can talk about other things if you want.”

“As long as it’s not about killing, I’m fine with whatever pops into that warped little mind of yours.” Levi muttered, twirling his fork once before stabbing another piece of the cake.

Eren chuckled, eyeing the utensil in the raven’s hand. “How about I tell you that you have a similar appeal to me as your favourite food would have on you?”

Levi paused with the forkful of food almost inside his mouth, staring at Eren like he was crazy. Eyes narrowing, he clamped his teeth down and dragged to morsel off the fork, teeth on metal causing a dull ringing that didn’t carry far past their table.

Eren huffed out a soft laugh. “It’s a little different, but that’s a fairly accurate way of describing it I guess.”

Levi shook his head as he chewed, waving his free hand. “Pick something else.”

“Why?” The brunette asked with a little frown.

The raven swallowed, wincing as the food was forced down. “Because that was just fucking creepy.” He rasped, glaring. “You need to talk about something a little less depressing than killing people and a little less forward than…whatever that just was.”

Eren huffed and sat back, folding his arms atop his chest, not unlike a sulking child. “You’re not making this easy. There are only so many things I can talk about that won’t bore you or freak you out.”

“Fucking hell,” Levi groaned, running his free hand through his hair, “should I pick something then?”

“Sure, unless you want to divert back to flirting.”

“You’re ridiculous.” The raven stated, stabbing the last bit of cake and pausing for a moment before holding it out towards Eren. The boy shot forward eagerly, accepting the gift as Levi inclined his head to one side. “One moment you’re threatening to kill me and the next you compare me to food.” Shaking his head, Levi drew the fork back. “I’m going to get emotional whiplash or something.”

“I thought we agreed already that I wasn’t going to kill you.” Eren complained around his mouthful of food, ignoring the death glare it earned. “Not yet.”

“It’s the ‘not yet’ part that has me on edge.” Levi drawled, leaning his head on his hand again.

“Poor baby,” Eren’s voice took on a teasing tone as he finished pulling apart his own food, “nervous around the new kid on the block.”

“The new kid with a habit for murder.” The raven muttered in correction.

“Touché.”

Levi regarded the boy as he ate, narrowing his eyes whenever the brat purposefully made a show of licking his fingers. The raven moved his free hand up to the table, drumming his own fingers against the table top.

“I’d rather not be killed just yet.” He found himself voicing aloud without really knowing why. “I have a few good years still in me.”

“I don’t doubt it.” The boy murmured, voice ringing with what sounded like praise as teal eyes travelled over his body.

“Stop that.”

“Why?” Blue-green eyes challenged, smirking. “Does it make you uncomfortable?”

“Gee, let me think about that for a second. Yes.”

“Why?” Eren asked again, voice sounding genuinely confused this time. “You look pretty spry, what could you have to be uncomfortable about?”

The raven stared. “Maybe because you look like you’re fucking ten.”

“Thanks, I think?”

“Not a compliment.”

“Ha. How old are you, anyway?”

“Not ten.”

“Right.” Eren smirked at that. “So therefore..?”

“Therefore it would be weird to think of any situation where the two of us…you know. Shut up, I’m eating.”

“No you’re-”

Eren paused as Levi reached across, snatched up the last piece of Eren’s pastry and popped it into his mouth, raising an eyebrow in challenge as he chewed. The brunette shook his head, smiling at the other man’s antics.

“I don’t think it would be weird.” Eren continued, still smiling although his happy smile slowly grew more playful. “I think it would be fun.”

“Don’t go there.” Levi muttered, swallowing. “Not if you’re going to send me to an early grave.”

“You never know…we could still have a little fun before you go.”

“You’re impossible.”

Eren hummed his amusement, leaning his elbows on the table and swinging his legs under his chair.

Levi stared at him unblinking. “I saw you eat a guy…there’s no way I’m letting you anywhere near me in any less clothes than this.” He reached over, flicking the kid’s forehead lightly. “No chance in hell.”

“Interesting choice of words.” Eren murmured, giving a pleased hum as his eyes roved over the raven-haired man before him.

Intrigued teal eyes took a moment to pause at the place where Levi’s jumper left his neck and shoulders bare, tracing along the prominent collar bones to a spot where a few lines of dark colour could be seen just barely along the shoulder. Before he could focus any further, the boy noticed the other male’s glare.

“Not going to happen.” Levi assured him, sitting back.

Eren pouted across the table at him. “That’s not fair,” he whined gently, tracing some pattern against the tablecloth, “I might behave.”

“Might? That’s not very reassuring.”

The brunette sent Levi a lazy glance, blowing a raspberry in his direction. “Just think about it.” He murmured, teal eyes imploring him to consider. “If you knew it was going to be the last thing you did, you wouldn’t hold back. Wild passion, total, reckless abandon…what a way to go.”

The raven blinked at him for a moment.

“You’re insane.”

The brunette chuckled. “Insanity is a matter of perspective.” He murmured, twisting his cup around until the logo was facing Levi. “Anyway, it’s my turn to ask something.”

“Fine. Go ahead.” Levi conceded with a wave.

A pleased smile as Eren’s eyes dropped a little lower than the raven’s face and he pointed.

“What are those marks on your shoulders?”

Levi glanced down, noticing the marks Eren was referring to.

“Tattoos.” He replied, looking back across at the brunette.

Eren raised an eyebrow. “Can I see them?”

“Not here.” The raven answered with a single shake of his head. “They’re kind of extensive and it would attract more bad attention than good.”

“Some other time, then?”

“Maybe, brat.”

The rest of their ‘so called’ date (yes, Eren insisted that it had, in fact, been a date) went by relatively smoothly. They ordered a slice of cheesecake at Eren’s insistence and shared that. There were a few bumpy patches where Eren would stare a little too intently at Levi for his liking or when the brat stole some of his cake after directing the raven’s attention out of the window, but other than that…it was almost nice.

Oh yes, great one Levi. He had gone on a stupid date with a murderer and possibly a deranged psychopath and it had been kind of nice. There was definitely something wrong with him. Maybe he should let Hanji do a few scans of his brain and see if she could find anything out of place. The woman would have an absolute field day with that.

It felt almost wrong to be parting on good terms with this kid, without fearing for his life, but it happened nonetheless. As four o’clock rolled around the pair left the café, said their farewells and headed off on their own separate ways.

Levi stopped by in the park this time, pausing on his way home to watch the clear water rush its way over rocks as he thought over the day.

Once home, he showered immediately, instantly remembering the run he’d taken in the morning with a grimace. Once clean, he cooked up a simple dinner of soup and bread, packing the dishes into the dishwasher and wiping down the bench before readying himself for bed. Laying there beneath white sheets, Levi thought about Eren. Judging by their conversation, the boy clearly wasn’t done with him. But they hadn’t established another day for talk or exchanged any details…so far all of their meetings had been by accident.

Would he even run into Eren again? Had today been the last he would ever see those intriguing teal eyes? Those were the thoughts running through the raven’s mind as he drifted off, once more, into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter Text

“In order to take a realm, one must first know it's workings inside and out.” – Unknown.

***

Birds are such obnoxious creatures…especially at half-nine in the morning.

It was bright, too bright and far too warm for the brown-haired boy to maintain any state of sleep for long. Especially not after rolling out of the tree-house he’d been sleeping in. Gravity was, and always would be, a ruthless bitch.

Eren flopped to the ground with a thud and an ‘oof’ which probably would have looked hilarious had anyone been watching. However, on a Friday, the owners of the house were at work by now and the kids, if they had any, would be at school.

The brunette groaned as he rolled onto his back, scrunching his eyes up to block out the sun as he stretched himself awake. He sat up, glaring up at the tree for a moment when a loud barking sounded. Taking that as his cue to hightail it out of there, Eren did just that, swinging over the nearest fence and walking down an overgrown side path until he reached the main road.

The suburb he had chosen to stay in was nice; quiet enough to be free of prowling Police Officers and safe enough that he didn’t have to worry about being jumped if he felt the urge to wander about during the night.

Nobody took notice of the boy as he passed by, not even a glance. Eren fit in well with his pleasant smile and the cheery little spring in each step. Even if people were to look at him and ask questions, there would be no reason to suspect him of anything. Casual clothes helped Eren blend in, a simple baseball-style shirt and some faded jeans complimented by white converse sneakers lent the lad a trustworthy and laid back aura. All nice garments, all stolen from the back of a supply truck outside one of the malls at midnight the night before last. When one had no money, one made do via alternate means.

Eren knew how to survive, whether that meant playing by the rules or not. That was the exact reason he had chosen this city in the first place. It was calm, mostly peaceful, maybe even boring with its mundane routines and simple little citizens going about their daily lives the same way day in and day out. Such an unsuspecting place, it was somewhere Eren could thrive.

Today, the brunette thought to himself, was the perfect day to spend scoping out the neighbourhood. He had been there in that same spot for a while now; he might as well get to know the location a little better. One could never know a place too well, especially when memorising every little nook, cranny and escape route that could just save your life…or end someone else’s.

Eren breathed in the morning air deeply, relishing the dull burn the chill caused in his lungs. It had been a long time since the brunette had gotten the chance to travel somewhere new, let alone explore at his leisure, and the day was already so inviting. The air was fresh, pleasantly cool on his face, the sky stretched forever above him, a pale blue that would brighten as the day progressed, and the morning sun shone warm on his back, the heat eased by a gently blowing breeze.

Breakfast, Eren decided, was for wimps, and the boy wasted no time in skipping it. Instead, he headed straight off for a stroll around the suburb.

The area was a nice one, decent and full of friendly neighbours that said ‘hello’ an awful lot. All of that was fine, but there was one thing that the brunette took issue with…

So many dogs.

Eren had never been a fan of dogs, but that was probably because they weren’t very fond of him either. Dogs were often very good judges of character, like kids could be, and it was only a matter of time before the pesky creatures started to gain the attention of adults. Attention that Eren neither wanted, nor had time to deal with.

The boy grimaced to himself as he walked, knowing full well that he couldn’t solve this problem by outing every canine and toddler he saw, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t dream. He would have to find a quieter place to stay…one where there were no dogs, just cats. Cats he could handle, they weren’t so outwardly vicious unless provoked.

Eren wondered briefly if his human had a cat.

Yet another lapse in the brunette’s nearly endless supply of smiles occurred as he thought back to the petite male with the (frankly quite intriguing) black hair. Those fine locks parted just slightly off center, that face all sharp angles and harsh stares. Handsome definitely, but not conventionally so, and roguish; a lone wolf, a viper poised to strike…

An absolute catch.

Eren fondly referred to the male as ‘his human’ after realising, with no little amount of mortification, that he had no idea what the man’s name was. It was a tragic error that he hoped he would be able to remedy in the not too distant future.

Heading further into the city, the boy took in everything he could see as the housed area slowly morphed into businesses and larger buildings. The largest abundance of these shops was collected around the mall complex, a whole four blocks dedicated to clustered shops, stalls and businesses. A large sign reading ‘Sina Central Square’ stood out the front of every large entrance, the enormous golden letters near impossible to miss.

Eren liked this place. It was very easy to nab things here and there with very low risk of being caught if you were quick enough, and Eren was more than quick enough. This was how the brunette acquired all his things, food, clothes, shoes, money. Nothing ridiculous or expensive like jewellery, only ever essential items. Eren knew well and good that just because one could get away with something didn’t mean that one should do it anyway. He had nothing to prove and nothing to gain from it.

Standing in one of the courtyards inside the mall, Eren looked up and out of one of the giant squares of glass ceiling. The sun glared through a little, but if he squinted Eren could make out the shapes of high-rise buildings not too far off from where he was standing. He marvelled at the enormous structures that towered far above everything else. They were truly magnificent, an impressive feat for mankind. Nothing like what he was used to, of course, but impressive nonetheless.

Eren wandered about, learning the ins and outs of the mall as best he could while the sun climbed ever higher in the sky. At noon, he went for a walk outside the complex to get an idea of its perimeter. An hour later he was back inside. Eren spoke to as few people as he could manage; only asking questions when absolutely necessary. It wouldn’t do to have people or staff recognising him too easily.

This was his playground now, this was what he had to work with, and in the games he was involved in you could never be too careful.

Just as the centre clock chimed out three o’clock, Eren found himself heading back outside. The brunette was nearer to the end of the mall that merged with the inner city businesses and it was far more crowded there. Nice though, the more faces passing by meant the less careful Eren had to be.

He picked a spot on the stairs of a newsagency entrance to sit, opting to rest for a while.

Looking up, Eren scanned the surrounding area and took note of the buildings across the street. They were mostly trendy cafes, although Eren spotted a day-care building on the corner to his far left. He made a face at the horrendously bright colours that made no attempt at complimenting each other, the horrid splashes of red, green, orange and brown made his eyes hurt. Glancing the other way, the brunette identified what looked like a gym with an impressive set of steps and a big wooden door painted a rich green colour, and next to it on the right stood a bottle shop and a corner store.

Eren was fully prepared to glance away when a flash of green caught his eye. The big green doors had opened and several people filed out. Three dudes, two with questionable shades of blonde hair and the other a dark brunette, a tiny ginger-haired chick and another guy with black hair about the same height.

It was the mean look on the last male’s face that made Eren pause.

This was just too funny.

Eren had never crossed paths with someone as frequently as he had with the petite raven-haired human who had caught him hunting. The same man he’d had coffee with yesterday…and the very same man that had just walked out of the gym.

No, not a gym…but something similar. Perhaps that was the place where his human taught…what had it been again? Facial art? No, it had sounded cooler than that. Eren would have spared more thought on the matter but the raven was walking away from the others…and heading along the same street as Eren. Thankfully they were on different sides of the street but Eren ducked into a store quickly regardless. Normally the brunette would have simply dashed across the street and tackled the man but today he had been presented with a unique opportunity. He knew that his human would probably be reluctant to give up details about his personal life and here Eren was with the perfect chance to find some out for himself. Slipping back out of the shop, the brunette ducked across the street with the next crowd of people. Consequences could be thought about later, for the moment Eren merely focused on staying a safe distance behind the raven as he walked.

The boy took a moment to appreciate the other man’s stride, strong and fast, each step held purpose. The man may be short but damn he was fast! Eren matched his own stride to keep pace. From his place amidst the sea of other faces, the brunette took in every detail he could.

The raven had a short stature but he was built in a way that was solid without being bulky. He looked kind of lean but Eren knew better than to let appearances speak for what was beneath the cover. Speaking of covers, the smaller male was particularly well dressed today. He wore a pair of dark slacks and an actual matching coat rather than a simple jumper. Apart from that and the quick flash of shiny black shoes, Eren couldn’t discern much more about the raven’s appearance.

As the other man paused to purchase and then eat some food in a small café, Eren pondered the manner of their meetings. They had been crossing each other’s paths quite frequently of late, not that Eren minded that in the slightest. He rather enjoyed the raven’s company, finding his snarky comments to be a wondrous source of entertainment. But that was also a part of the problem. Eren worried; this was the first time that he had bothered interacting with the other beings he came across and this dark-haired bag of sass had been the person he had spoken to most. Eren was already growing fond of the man far more rapidly than he was comfortable with, even despite the man’s generally grumpy nature and habit of insulting him. Eren wasn’t sure what he would do if this man, if his human, didn’t like what Eren was when he finally decided to reveal his identity.

What would the brunette do if his human didn’t understand? If he told him to go away? Eren would be left with no choice but to kill him. He could do it, that much was certain, but the longer he waited…the less he would want to.

Who was Eren kidding? He didn’t want to kill the man at all. Any desire of that ilk had long since passed. But why? What was it about this one person that made him different at all? What was it that drew Eren to him?

Once again the brunette’s train of thought veered off course as the raven appeared from the café again, now with a cardboard box tucked under his arm, and started walking in the same direction as before. Eren had to multitask in order to both keep an eye on his human and memorise details about the route they were taking. He was fairly certain he could make his way back to the mall from an intersection where the raven paused with a group of people, standing on the side of the road until the glowing circles above them switched between yellow to red and then green.

They turned right after making it across the road and it became more difficult to follow without being seen as the crowd of people thinned. He fell back a little ways, especially as they arrived at a park. Eren drew his hoodie up, hoping that it would serve to hide his face. He stared, fascinated, as the raven paused in the middle of a wooden bridge. The arcing structure curved over a narrow river that ran through the place, with clusters of trees and shrubs growing here and there along its banks. For a long while the raven did nothing at all other than stare down at the water, looking calmer than the brunette had ever seen him.

After that point there was another walking period that lasted only about ten minutes before they stopped again. Well, Eren stopped. But the raven-haired man went into a multi-storey building complex and Eren realised, with a sudden surge of excitement, that he had very probably just learned the location of his human’s home.

Oh the opportunities that presented themselves…

Eren would absolutely love to see the look on the other man’s face if he turned up on his doorstep. Then again, would it really be worth a shoe to the face?

The answer?

Yes. Yes it would.

Chapter Text

“Distance not only gives nostalgia, but perspective, and maybe objectivity.” – Robert Morgan.

***

Shut up alarm clock.

Those arrogant blue block letters gleefully informed the raven-haired man for the third time that day that it was time to get up.

One rude awakening and three slaps of the snooze button later and the clock read 10:15AM.

Friday. Another day, another morning on which Levi had to decide what would be more beneficial in the long run; cleaning or walking down to the dojo to plan lessons with Mike. Without much preamble, the raven dragged himself out of bed. Cleaning could be done any day and he knew it. To work it would be.

Levi knew full well that he had spent enough time putting off the videos he was supposed to be making, or at least planning. He had to at least plan something today.

Breakfast consisted of eggs and toast, washed down with a cup of tea. Normally the raven would make coffee of a morning but it had been a good while since Levi had last bothered to go shopping and consequently the coffee beans had run out two days ago. It was a good thing he loved tea, then.

Washing the dishes took very little time and as they stood drying the raven took a shower. Riffling through his wardrobe, Levi decided on something a little more formal for today’s visit, considering that he wouldn’t be teaching. And since he wasn’t going to be involved in anything physical, he could also leave in his piercings for the day. Thank God.

Levi had several piercings, two studs and a tight loop in the upper helix of his right ear, a silver barbell in the shell of his left ear and a steel ball closure ring in his right eyebrow. He had two others but they weren’t really appropriate for public viewing but the raven didn’t regret them in the slightest, New Year’s Eve dare or not! He was proud of all of them. Unfortunately he had to take out the ear and facial piercings at work for health and safety reasons. It made sense; having one of them catch and tear would not be fun. But today the raven didn’t have to worry about any of that.

He fished out a pair of black slacks and decided against an actual button up shirt in favour of a white sweatshirt; he only needed to be a little formal after all. A black suit jacket and some shiny shoes with pointed toes completed the look.

Wallet and phone tucked safely in a pocket inside his jacket; Levi snatched up his keys and slipped out the door, locking it securely behind him. The raven exchanged his keys for his phone, long fingers typing in the number for his work as he strode along.

One ring. Two-

“Hello? Sina Dojo-”

“Nifa, it’s Levi. Tell Mike I’m coming in.”

“Right away, Sir.”

No time was spared for river-gazing that morning. Levi was, after all, in somewhat of a hurry. The raven regretted promising to show up at work on a Friday at ten in the morning. It had seemed like such a promising idea at the time, now however Levi saw an obvious flaw in his otherwise brilliant plan.

Namely that setting one’s alarm clock to go off at the time one says they will be at work is not such a fool-proof idea after all. Who would have thought?

It was a nice enough day out, Levi supposed as he walked along. A little busy and far too bright. Maybe if he had been awake before nine then the light wouldn’t seem so harsh. As it was, Levi lifted a hand to shield his eyes, the silvery orbs darting around under the shade his palm provided. Much better.

The closer Levi came to his workplace, the more crowded the pavement became. The raven wondered if the locals were holding another market at Sina Square. The damned things were happening all the time and yet Levi had yet to attend one. He chalked it up to a combination of workplace responsibilities and his fatal flaw of never having enough fucks to give.

Not too long after that Levi was jogging up the steps of the dojo and shoving at the heavy green doors. A quick glance at his phone informed him that it was now 10:57 and he was late. Oh so awfully late.

Cursing under his breath, Levi walked briskly through the foyer, casting a passing ‘hello’ to Nifa as he went. The poor girl jumped about a foot in the air at the sight of him tearing through the doors. He was halfway past the desk before she had even looked up properly. By the time her stuttered ‘hello, Sir’ finally reached him, the raven was already through the door to the training rooms.

Mike was waiting for him in his office, a room better suited to be a broom cupboard than an actual office really. It was already small, but having the tallest goddamned person Levi knew sitting inside made it look even tinier.

Employer or not, the raven couldn’t hold back a snort at the sight.

“Why do I get the feeling that this will become my office if I ever get promoted?”

Probably not the best way to address one’s boss after arriving a whole hour later than previously discussed, but without moral high ground to fall back on all the raven had on his side was snark.

“I didn’t know you were looking for a promotion.” Mike said simply, eyes holding faint traces of amusement.

Both men knew exactly how ambitious the raven wasn’t. It was no secret.

Levi shrugged. “I’m not. Responsibility isn’t my thing, but I’m sure you noticed that years ago.” He said through a smirk before taking a seat. “I slept in.”

It wasn’t an apology, but both men knew it was as close as Levi would get to giving one only an hour after waking up. The blonde man made a small sound of acknowledgement and sat back, steepling his hands on the desk.

“You wanted to go over a few things?”

Straight to the point, as always. Levi maintained a great level of respect for the man and his ‘no bullshit’ nature. It provided a refreshing contrast against most modern folk.

The raven gave a short nod, arms folding loosely. “Yeah, but if you’re busy-”

“I have time.”

Levi stuck around for a good three hours getting his ideas together, mapping out routines he hadn’t demonstrated yet and even going over a few things that he had already taught which would still prove useful. Mike gave notes here and there, providing the constructive criticism that the raven-haired man needed. At two o’clock, Levi’s students came in and quickly abandoned their original plan to practice in favour of helping to come up with suggestions for their teacher.

The raven was greatly amused (even if his face didn’t show it) by the shock on the faces of his ‘squad’ at his attire. Petra was the first to notice and she seemed especially eager to compliment.

“Levi-san looks nice today.”

After that it became difficult to distinguish who was asking what as voices overlapped.

“Whoa, what’s with the fancy getup?”

“Are you going to an interview or something?”

“You’re not leaving us, are you?”

“No! Levi-san!”

“Maybe it’s a funeral?”

“Did someone die?”

“You’re not getting married, are you?”

That last one had to be his favourite.

As three o’clock drew near, the raven thought it was just about time to head home again. His ‘squad’ insisted on escorting him out as they too were leaving and so Levi emerged from the dojo with a miniature posse, listening to them chat amongst themselves.

“Make sure you keep practicing. Aurou, don’t let me catch you slacking. I’ll know if you’ve decided to be lazy. Petra, have you been working on your dodge?”

“Yes, Levi-san.”

“Good. What about you two, Erd? Gunther?”

“We’ve been practicing.”

“That’s good. You kids get going. Don’t get into any trouble.”

“Yes, Sir!”

Waving them off, Levi began the trek back home. It took about five minutes of walking for the raven to realise that he hadn’t eaten since breakfast and, consequently, was now starving. With a sigh, Levi guessed that today would be as good as any to stop by his favourite Italian café and see if he couldn’t convince the barista girl he knew there to let him buy some coffee beans.

It didn’t take too long weaving through the crowded sidewalk to spot the hanging sign of the familiar building. It was a pleasant little place, small but with friendly staff and really good coffee. Ducking around an elderly lady and her basket full of kittens, Levi pushed open the door to the café and was instantly greeted by the grinning barista.

“Back again, Mr Levi?” The cheerful brunette called across the room, tying her hair back into a messy ponytail.

Her voice was a little distorted, muffled by something in her mouth.

“Sasha.” The raven-haired man greeted in return, striding over to the counter.

The brunette leaned on an elbow, swallowing her mouthful and fishing out a biscuit from somewhere under the counter.

“Just the usual espresso?” She enquired, popping the whole biscuit into her mouth.

Levi resisted the urge to grimace. He was used to this behaviour and let it slide only because of Sasha’s wondrous trait of not bothering him with personal questions. Light banter was the raven’s forte and he felt comfortable around the barista, despite her disregard for hygiene at times.

“Actually I skipped lunch.” Levi said, watching the girl’s face contort with unconcealed horror.

If there was one thing that Sasha Braus was completely serious about, it was food. If all of the food in the world could be personified into one person, Sasha would surely marry them on the spot. Of this, the raven had no doubt.

“That’s awful!” Sasha gasped at his admission, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth. “Quick, sit down; I’ll go get you something before you pass out!”

Naturally, as Levi watched the girl go tearing out into the back kitchen shaking his head, he wasn’t surprised at her outburst.

Sasha was a friendly girl, if a little over-extroverted and far too excitable than was normal. She was a little taller than him with long brown hair that she usually kept tied back in a ponytail much like the one she was currently sporting. That, Levi decided, was a good thing. Better than good, it was great. Maybe even stupendous! If her hair was tied back, then it would have a much harder time falling into his food. It was one of few habits that Sasha observed which actually helped to keep Levi’s remarks concerning cleanliness at bay. While her near constant chattering could sometimes get on Levi’s nerves, she had a good heart.

The girl returned in record time with a sandwich and instantly began to make his drink, gossiping away as she did. Somewhere in the midst of her babbling, Levi managed to slip in a few words about their supply of coffee beans and not two minutes later Sasha was scampering off to get him a box.

The café bought their supplies in bulk, so one box from them would be both cheaper and last longer than anything from the supermarket. After finishing his food and downing the last of his drink, the raven thanked the excitable barista, said his farewell and departed.

He hadn’t even made it two steps outside when Levi suddenly picked up on an odd vibe, one he hadn’t felt walking home before. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what was off but something definitely felt weird. It didn’t last long as he continued towards home but good God, for a moment there the hairs on the back of his neck had stood up and he nearly shivered.

There were all sorts of people out and about that day, kids just out of school running about to get to the mall, college kids hanging around the retro cafés, rushing parents, constipated-looking businessmen, even grannies. Honestly, Levi had never seen so many grandmothers out at the same time in all his life. It was weird.

At last, the crowd began to thin and he did not have to sidestep as many people. He slowed his pace just a little, dropping from his determined stride to a more leisurely lope.

The raven indulged in pausing by the river for a long moment, watching the water and letting the soothing soundtrack of nature ease his nerves. The water was especially clear today, creating a pleasant soundtrack to his thoughts as the current cascaded over the rocks and pebbles below. Beneath the shade of the trees, the sun did not seem quite so hot and Levi closed his eyes for a few brief moments before he continued on home.

Upon reaching his apartment complex, the raven let out a little sigh. The day hadn’t exactly been physically taxing, but Levi felt drained nonetheless. He still jogged up the stairs, ignoring the elevator as he almost always did; cardboard box tucked securely under one arm. Levi managed to fish his keys out of his coat pocket without having to put down the box, counting that as a personal victory as he pushed open the door and stepped inside. The coffee beans were packed away into the pantry.

One shower later and Levi was sitting down to a proper lunch of homemade fried rice and satay beef. Not halfway through his meal, Levi was startled by a knock at the door.

Odd; Levi never had visitors.

He guessed that whoever it was had made a mistake and would fuck off quicker if he didn’t answer. Or maybe it was a salesperson, or even worse…a girl scout. Fuck no was Levi answering that door only to waste money on shitty cookies.

The raven resigned himself to his seat, fully prepared to pretend that he wasn’t home. That plan was thrown to the wind after a second knock occurred, this time a little louder, only a minute after the first.

“Who the fuck?” Levi grumbled to himself as he got up from the sofa, leaving his food on the coffee table and stomping over to the door.

He sincerely hoped whatever asshole was waiting on the other side could hear the moody footsteps. Maybe they would freak out and run away quicker. If not, then they had better well be prepared for the verbal assault of their life.

As a third round of knocking started up, Levi grabbed the door handle, wrenching the door back with a scowl that screamed ‘I have a knife’ and opening his mouth in a sneer.

“What the fuck do you-”

Levi choked to a stop as he found himself looking up at an all too familiar face…a face he hadn’t expected to see again so soon.

“Hello, Levi.”

Chapter Text

“From childhood’s hour I have not been. As others were, I have not seen. As others saw, I could not awaken. My heart to joy at the same tone. And all I loved, I loved alone.” – Edgar Allan Poe.

***

“Levi,” the familiar stranger gave a nod in greeting, a little smile tugging at the corner of their lips, “it’s good to see you again.”

The raven swallowed, finding his voice at last. “I wish I could say the same.”

“Harsh. And here I thought you’d be pleased to see me.”

“Where the fuck have you been, Erwin?”

The man in the doorway smiled at the harsh tone, giving a little tilt of his head as sharp blue eyes scrutinized the smaller male before him.

“Here and there.” The blonde replied before smirking. “You haven’t changed a bit.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Levi bit out, shock quickly morphing into anger. “You don’t up and disappear and then get to come back and sidestep me. Talk. Now.”

Erwin seemed to agree with those words; he knew that an explanation was in order. And still he had the hide to lean down a little closer. Just close enough to be invading Levi’s bubble of personal space.

“Can I come inside first?”

A single hard chuckle escaped Levi’s throat. It was a sceptical sound. “Oh, what? You can’t talk and stand up at the same time? Too much for you, is it?”

Levi hated arguing like this, having to fight at a clear disadvantage. In a real fight, height played no part in restricting the smaller male. But Erwin Smith had a way with words that disarmed even the fiercest of opponents. Until it came to Levi.

The difference in height would probably have looked hilarious to an outside observer, but having to literally look up to Erwin had always been the bane of Levi’s existence. Especially when they disagreed. Like now.

Levi glared up, ignoring the harsh angle that he had to adopt in order to even see the other man’s face. “How did you even know I lived here anyway?” The raven’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Did you have to snoop far, or did you track down Mike and ask him?”

A disapproving frown passed over the blonde man’s face. “Levi…don’t be like this.”

Damn that tone. Damn Erwin for keeping his cool even as Levi was derailing.

Still he managed to shrug and fold his arms. “This is me. Who else am I supposed to be?”

Blue eyes glinted with amusement and Erwin actually smiled.

“Maybe you have changed a little.” He admitted, eyes roving over the raven’s form once. “You never used to be this feisty.”

Levi snarled and looked away, pausing for a moment as he remembered Eren saying the exact same thing about him.

Just yesterday it had been, although now it felt like so much longer. If only the brat was here right now, Levi could set him after Erwin and sit back while they fought it out.

“So feisty. I like it.”

Shaking the memory from his head, the raven scowled at the ground for a long moment before turning on his heel and walking back into his flat. He didn’t bother with any words of invitation. The door was open, caught by a strong hand, and Erwin let himself in, closing the door behind him.

It felt strange, almost wrong, to have Erwin back on his territory, even if this was new ground.

“Take off your fucking shoes.” Levi snapped over his shoulder as he collected his left over food from the coffee table and headed for the kitchen. “I swear to all that is holy, if you track dirt in here I will make you clean it with your goddamned tongue and then throw you off the balcony.”

The words were punctuated with the shrill scrape of metal against porcelain as Levi scraped the cold leftovers into a container before dumping the plate in the sink.

Erwin just chuckled at the open hostility. The deep rumble was such an achingly familiar sound that Levi had to put both hands on the kitchen counter, gripping until his knuckles turned white.

The blonde spoke up once again. “That sounds more like the Levi I know.”

“The Levi you knew grew up, asshole.” The raven replied curtly, straightening to look over at the man now padding about his living room. His hands still held onto the counter. “You dropped me and guess what? I bounced. I moved on. Simple. Easy.”

“Of course.” The blonde hummed, sounding far too amused for the raven’s liking.

Levi’s grip tightened further on the bench until a creak was heard and he forced himself to let go. Turning around with the container now in hand, he put it away into the fridge. Upon closing the fridge, however, he found himself watching as Erwin regarded him from across the room.

Levi swallowed hard.

Erwin fucking Smith.

Back in the day, the two of them had been the very closest of friends. So close, in fact, that it eventually branched off into something far more personal and far more intimate. They had been good together, a great team. Erwin had been a classic golden boy, a model student and an ideal child to raise. An excellent fuck but Levi wouldn’t allow himself to linger too long on the details. That was all in the past now. Levi had been even more irresponsible back then, but he had also held onto much bigger dreams. Dreams of a house and his own family, a promising future that had ultimately slipped out of his grasp.

The pair had started dating in high school and had been going strong until one fateful day.

The day Erwin Smith fucked off to study overseas. The day Erwin left without a single word of warning or farewell, leaving Levi to wonder what in God’s name he had done wrong.

The man was still as dazzling as ever, tall and incredibly well built. The man was a goddamned wall of muscled perfection. Muscular without being disproportionate, the blonde bastard was practically a sculpted Adonis. The strong jawline that Levi had once known so well was still flawless, that face, that stupid face, was still the same but different, a little more defined perhaps? And the eyes…two pools of sky blue that knew everything after just one glance. Erwin, that handsome motherfucker, could still tweak at every sensitive place, every exposed nerve. One look and the stiches on Levi’s heart wanted to unravel and start weeping all over again. It wasn’t fucking fair. It had never been fair.

“May I?” Erwin asked, ever the polite gentleman, gesturing to the sofa.

“Sit wherever the fuck you want.” The raven shrugged and ducked his head, leaning a hip against the counter. “I don’t care.”

He had gone for nonchalance on purpose, hoping that it would communicate how extremely done he was with this whole situation. The mischievous little smirk that Erwin suddenly got was not at all the reaction that the raven had been anticipating.

The blonde giant arched one of his thick eyebrows, the motion oddly playful for his usually reserved personality. “Anywhere I want?” Erwin’s deep voice came out almost teasing. “Does that mean you’ve stopped caring about that one time in the kitchen?”

Levi’s head snapped up, a fresh glare plastered across his features. The fucking bastard was trying to play, was he? The raven was not amused at the memory.

Grey eyes narrowed instantly. “Don’t you fucking remind me! That still gives me nightmares, you ass!”

That stupidly sarcastic brow was still raised. “It was one time.”

“Tch.” Levi clicked his tongue in irritation, crossing his arms and huffing. “One time I’d like to forget. Do you have any idea how many times I had to scrub that stupid bench before it was safe to use again?”

If Erwin didn’t, Levi certainly did.

“You’re exaggerating.”

“I bloody well am not!”

“I sat down for all of three seconds.”

“I told you countless times, the counter is for food! Not your ass!”

The blonde only smiled, shaking his head gently as if to communicate how ridiculous he thought the raven-haired man was being. “I just wondered what you’d do. You all but threw me on the floor.”

Levi gave a sharp nod. “I remember. I hope it hurt, too. You deserved it.”

The blonde man brought a hand up to cover his mouth, a sad attempt at muffling his laughter.

Levi’s eyes narrowed further. “Bastard.”

More chuckling and Erwin looked so warm easing out of his amusement. “That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think? You’re the first person I’ve come to see, after all.”

The raven’s chest tightened painfully at Erwin’s words and he looked away quickly, swallowing. All this talking, Erwin’s laughter, this ridiculous banter, all of it was too familiar. Everything felt too right, too close to how things had once been between them. An aching nostalgia was awakening within him. It needed to stop, before either of them could do something they’d regret.

Levi shook his head to clear it and looked up again.

“What do you want?” The raven asked.

His voice sounded strange, too thick, too broken, and he hated it.

Erwin’s smile faded at the tone, blue eyes searching Levi’s face as he frowned a little.

“I wanted to see you.” Erwin began, his tone careful as he leaned forward on the sofa.

The posture was familiar, one that the blonde had used many times over…but never directly between them.

Levi didn’t like that, the cautious tone, the guarded expression. It told him that Erwin thought he was some kind of animal, some mysterious creature that might get spooked if he moved too quickly. But that just made him angry. He wasn’t some fragile china doll, far from it.

“Right. Right, of course you did.” The raven bit out the words, giving a humourless chuckle. “See, I’m just having a little trouble believing a single word coming out of your stupid mouth after last time.”

Maybe he sounded a little immature but honestly, Levi couldn’t give a fuck.

He could see the wheels turning behind blue eyes. Erwin was reading the signs; the clipped tone, the sharp pronunciation, the apathetic mask attempting to slip into place. The raven was trying to hide himself away again.

Erwin clearly didn’t like that, sitting up straighter. “I can explain-”

“Where were you?” Levi cut him off, not ready for excuses just yet.

He wanted to be the one in control of this conversation and Erwin wouldn’t steal that control from him with his clever words. Not this time.

The blonde seemed to sense the raven’s determination, gazing almost challengingly into those cold grey orbs before a defeated expression took over his features and he sighed. Erwin was giving in.

“I was studying,” the man murmured, his voice low in an attempt to pacify the other man, “you knew that.”

“Tch.”

Erwin furrowed his brow at the dismissive sound. “Why are you acting as though I lied about searching to further my education outside of the country?”

Levi really didn’t think that question deserved to be dignified with an answer. Unfortunately his temper disagreed and he found himself opening his mouth anyway.

“Oh, let me fucking think…maybe because you’ve lied before?” He snapped in an incredulous tone.

The blonde winced a little at the raven’s harsh tone, blue eyes flickering down a little to look at the floor. Levi could see the guilt written on his face even if Erwin didn’t want to show it.

“I’m not lying about this.” The taller man murmured, eyes still trained on the carpet.

A scoff sounded and Erwin cast the raven a sidelong glance, arching an eyebrow in question.

Levi simply exhaled in a frustrated rush, barely resisting the urge to start pacing. “Of course you aren’t. And I’m just supposed to believe that, am I?”

Old wounds were resurfacing and both men knew how harshly they could argue. It wasn’t worth the strain; both of them were already pushing at their emotional limits.

Sky blue orbs were lost for a moment as Erwin’s eyes closed. “It was the best decision I could make at the time.” He said at last, running a hand over his face in a rare moment of uncertainty. “I had to secure my own future before I could think about building one with you in it.”

That stung. It hurt because Levi understood, at least to a degree. He got it, why Erwin had been hesitant to take their relationship further in the past. But that still did nothing to ease the ache the raven felt in his chest.

There was an all too noticeable distance between them, one that Levi shouldn’t feel alienated by. And yet he did. A confusing mix of feelings tangled in his head as he fought to find the right words to say. It had never been his strong point. Erwin was the master of words, not Levi, and after the silence dragged on too long, the blonde male sighed.

“I don’t know what else you want me to say.” He confessed.

That was a shock. Erwin always knew what to say, he probably had every idea of what he wanted to confess…but to admit that for once he couldn’t read what the raven-haired man wanted him to say? That was something entirely new…and just a little bit worrying.

“You must be losing your touch.”

A soft chuckle, a sad but knowing sound. “Maybe you’re right.”

Once again neither of the two men could seem to find words to put forth, or at least none that wouldn’t drag up more pain.

But as usual, Levi couldn’t remain silent about his thoughts for long. He cleared his throat quietly, but the sound seemed far louder in the tense silence that had engulfed the room. Erwin looked up again, waiting for the smaller man to speak.

And speak he did.

“You just…left.” Levi said, and it felt both painful and relieving to get the words out. “You left everything, your home, your family, your friends, me.” A pause as Levi swallowed thickly and shook his head. “You didn’t even say a damned thing.”

“My flight was leaving early and I-”

“Do you have any idea what it’s like waking up alone after pouring your heart out?”

Pain flashed across the taller man’s face and Levi instantly knew the answer to his question.

No. Erwin didn’t know anything about how that felt.

“I left you a note.” The blonde murmured, unable to meet the raven’s eyes.

A bitter laugh escaped Levi’s throat and he looked up at the ceiling in disbelief. “Yeah, yeah you did. And do you remember what you wrote? ‘I’m sorry it had to be like this. Ask me after college.’ And then you had the gall to sign off with that fucking phony ‘regards’ bullshit!”

The raven punctuated the last word by slamming a fist down against the counter. It hurt, but that was good. Physical pain was something that Levi knew, something he could handle. Pain was good, it would keep him alert.

He heard Erwin swallow from his place on the sofa. “I had no idea that you would be so…shaken.”

Another laugh broke free, a sound so shocked and pained it was almost a sob that rattled out through the raven’s chest. “Shaken? Christ, Erwin, you practically abandoned me. I served up my feelings on a silver platter and you goddamned butchered me. How else was I supposed to react to that? Tell me!”

Levi was shouting and he never did that. It shocked him enough to stagger a little, enough to make him grip onto the bench to prevent himself from sliding to the floor.

A strange dampness was gathering, blurring his vision, and it took the raven a moment to realise that his eyes were welling up.

“Shit.” Levi rubbed the back of one hand roughly against his eyes, tilting his head back to prevent any stray tears escaping.

“Levi?”

Suddenly Erwin sounded worried. The sound of rustling material informed the smaller male that the sculpted giant had gotten up and Levi opened his eyes again.

Erwin was standing now, closer to the kitchen. Just a few strides separated the two men. It was a distance that felt too far and not far enough all in the same instant and Levi let out an unsteady breath.

“I’m fine.” The raven pinched the bridge of his nose, holding up a hand when Erwin took a concerned step closer. “Just…don’t.”

The blonde looked conflicted, warring within himself on whether he should obey Levi’s wishes and stay back or disregard them completely to comfort the man.

“Levi…”

Tone gentle, eyes pleading, it took every bit of Levi’s weakening resolve to take a step back.

“It was a long time ago, okay?” He said, already building up his walls again. “It may as well be another lifetime. I’m good now, I can cope.”

Levi couldn’t lie and tell the other man that he was completely fine. In all honesty, he felt torn up inside. But he put on a brave face as always.

“You wouldn’t like me much nowadays, anyway.” The raven said with a little half-hearted smirk.

Oddly enough, Erwin’s eyes flashed with something remarkably similar to challenge. “How do you know that?”

“Like you said…I’ve changed.” Levi muttered, sounding just as tired as he felt. A shaky chuckle slipped past his guard as he ran a hand over his face and up through his hair. “Christ, look at me. I’m a fucking mess. Not worth your time anyway.”

“What if I don’t care?” The blonde countered.

What if he didn’t care? Oh how hard it was for Levi to keep himself from wanting that to be true. But falling back into old patterns was the opposite way to move forward in the long run. And Levi was tired of being stuck in a rut.

Another tired sigh came from the raven and he shook his head. “Then that’s too bad.”

“And why is that?”

“Because it’s several years too late for you to decide that you don’t care about my flaws.” Levi replied.

He had wanted the words to be harsh, angry. He had wanted them to hurt…but Levi was so tired of carrying emotional baggage around in the back of his mind. He was sick and tired of the chains weighing him down, wrapped around his heart. It felt like it was finally time to let go.

Grey eyes flicked up to meet sad, sky blue and the smaller man steeled himself. “You can’t just come back here after all this time, after never calling or visiting or anything at all. You can’t just expect things to fall back into place. This isn’t some stupid chick-flick where everything works out in the end. That’s not how it works and you know it.”

They both knew it.

Erwin’s eyes dropped down to the floor and he took a step forward. Then another and another until he was standing directly in front of the silver-eyed raven. Levi didn’t move, didn’t do anything but force himself to breathe as Erwin took his hands in his own, thumbs brushing warmth over the raven’s wrists.

“I never meant to cause you pain.” The giant man all but whispered.

It sounded sincere, but the apology was several years too late in coming. Levi exhaled slowly through his nose and looked up.

“Maybe you didn’t. But it hurts anyway. People make decisions and sometimes those decisions have consequences.” Levi waited to see if the blonde would look at him but he didn’t. So the raven continued. “It’s about damned time we both faced the music.”

Levi could hear the sound of Erwin swallowing a little thickly. “I see…and that’s how you feel?”

A single nod. “It is.”

The blonde nodded in acknowledgement, letting out a sigh that made Levi suspicious that perhaps Erwin had been holding his breath. Like maybe Erwin had hoped that Levi would melt right back into his arms.

“I’m sorry to hear that. I honestly think that we could still fix this.”

“Don’t, Erwin.” The raven murmured, pulling his hands back and watching the taller man’s arms hang limply by his sides. “Don’t give me one of your speeches. I’m tired, I’m done.”

“Levi, please.” Erwin had never begged before in his life, at least not to Levi, and yet here he was with a ‘please’ on his tongue and a foolish hope in his eyes. “For old time’s sake, at the very least think it over? Who knows, maybe you’ll think differently when you’ve calmed down.”

With the way his heart was hammering away in his chest, Levi doubted that he would ever be able to calm down.

He sighed, looking off to one side. “Just…just go.”

“Will you think about it?”

“I said go, Erwin.”

The blonde man opened his mouth as if to retort, but closed it again a moment later. His eyes closed and Levi suspected that he was fighting an inner battle, warring with himself over whether or not he should stay and try to get his point across. Levi was certain that there would be more words, more shouting, more painful memories dragged up.

And then Erwin took a step back.

The taller man sighed in exasperation but surrendered, holding his hands up in defeat. “As you wish.” The blonde mountain of a man headed for the door but paused, turning back. He reached inside his coat pocket, pulling out a little white folded piece of card. “Take this. I’ll be around.”

The raven scoffed, crossing his arms and watching Erwin place the card on the edge of the counter.

“Is that a fucking promise or something?”

The look that the raven-haired man got in return was nothing short of heart-stopping, blue eyes suddenly so intense with about a dozen emotions.

“Bet your life on it, Levi.” The blonde murmured, his voice low and sincere. “I’m not going anywhere.”

And just like that, Erwin Smith walked right back out of Levi’s apartment, for the second time leaving the raven alone without so much as a goodbye. Although this time his lack of farewell spoke entirely different volumes.

Levi stood there in his kitchen, letting his folded arms drop down to curl around himself a little. It was a long while before he moved again, and when he did it was only to start cleaning the dishes. Everything was scrubbed harshly by hand, for once the dishwasher was left empty. The raven was confused and drowning in too many feelings at once; he needed hands on work and he needed it fast.

By the time the sky was dark, the flat was cleaner than it had ever been before and Levi had nothing else to scrub.

With a frustrated sound, he trudged his way back to the kitchen to put away his cleaning supplies when a flash of white caught his eye.

The note.

Leaning over the counter, the raven snatched it up and held it out for a moment like he expected it to burst into flames and combust, thus proving that this entire ordeal had been nothing more than a messed up dream.

But after a good five minutes he sighed, accepted his reality, and flipped open the piece of the card. Erwin’s handwriting was even more sickeningly neat, an elegant swirling cursive that made Levi want to gag.

I had a feeling you’d be upset. Below is my personal phone number. Call me at any time, no matter the reason, and please think about what I said.

Regards, Erwin.

With a sneer, Levi glanced at the number written by the same graceful hand below the message. It wasn’t familiar and the raven had every intention of screwing up the stupid piece of paper and stuffing in the trash. But then his eyes caught the last line, just one sentence written neatly below the string of digits.

P.S. For whatever wrong I have done you, I am truly sorry.

The raven-haired man crumpled the card in his fist, hand shaking as he forced himself to breathe.

“Bastard.” He muttered under his breath.

And then Levi went straight to the kitchen, holding his clenched fist over the trash can. He stayed like that for a moment, wanting to toss away the piece of card and never look at it again. After a solid couple of minutes he exhaled in a rush, the sound coming out in a frustrated whimper as he drew back his hand and held it against his chest.

Stupid Erwin. Stupid feelings.

Stomping over to his fridge, Levi snatched off a magnet and stuck the little note in place, slapping the little navy blue magnet over one corner to hold it up.

The raven turned his back on the kitchen, stabbing at the light switch and throwing the rooms into darkness. Only the silvery light of the moon outside prevented him from wandering about in pitch black gloom. Levi slumped down onto the sofa, mobile in hand, and basked in the moonlight pouring in through the floor to ceiling glass doors that lead to the balcony.

After a moment he lifted his phone, typing in a well-known number, and held the device to his ear.

Breathe in…breathe out.

Two rings in and the call was answered.

“Twice already? And all in less than two weeks?”

“Hanji…” Levi hesitated, swallowing, “Erwin’s back.”

A pause.

“Tell me everything.”

Chapter Text

“We made these memories for ourselves, where our eyes are never closing, hearts are never broken, and time’s forever frozen still.” – Ed Sheeran, Photograph.

***

It had been the shortest phone call of his life.

Not one sentence into the call, Levi found himself being cut off by an over-protective Hanji suddenly demanding that he come over to her house.

‘This is the kind of thing people should say face to face’ she had said to him before he hung up. It was dark already, but the raven didn’t care about that as he pulled on some shoes and headed out the door.

Hanji’s house was an inconvenient number of blocks away. The woman had lived an even greater distance from him before she moved from her old high-rise apartment to an actual house. Hanji had found a place closer to Levi on purpose so that she could check up on him and, even though he wouldn’t admit it aloud, Levi appreciated the effort. The house was farther than the walk to work but the raven didn’t want to be driving unless it was literally too far to travel on foot. He had a car, a shiny black 1974 Chevrolet Camaro, but he tried not to drive too much in order to preserve the vehicle. It was the first car he had ever owned, bought with his own money, and he was damned proud of it.

The streets were lit well enough, lamps providing a pleasant yellow glow that illuminated the road. Quite a few cars were still out on the road, although Levi guessed that he shouldn’t be surprised. It was still relatively early.

Plenty of people decorated the sidewalk as well, passing faces, chatting friends, laughing couples, even a few squealing children.

The evening air was cooler than expected and the raven was more than glad that he still had his jacket with him. Even so, the man was still shivering by the time he was strutting up Hanji’s driveway.

It was a nice house, two stories high and painted light grey with a dark blue corrugated iron roof. There were solar panels all over the rooftop but somehow the dark panels didn’t degrade too much from the building’s aesthetics.

One large tree, an oak, stood next to the house on the left. It was enormous and Levi could only imagine the damage it would wreak should it fall onto the house, but Hanji loved it. Speaking of flora, Levi noticed that Hanji had developed the garden since Levi’s last visit. There were now flowers of all colours in the place of dirt and weeds. It was a considerable improvement.

He rapped on the door, three harsh knocks in quick succession, and stood back a little. It had been ages since he had actually laid eyes on his friend and he wondered briefly if their dynamic would feel any different now. Hanji had always been…eccentric.

The door opened and suddenly Levi was set upon by a flailing pair of arms that enveloped his form instantly.

“Hanji-”

“Shh…”

Nope, Hanji was just as nuts as ever. Levi almost sighed with relief. He wouldn’t have had a clue of what to do if his best friend was suddenly normal. Thank goodness for that. Her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail and the glasses that normally adorned her face were perched atop her head.

Another thing that hadn’t changed a bit; Hanji’s awkward longer-than-strictly-necessary hugs.

Levi was still being held in the woman’s vice-like embrace.

He cleared his throat, “…you know how I feel about hugs.”

“Just because you don’t want one doesn’t mean you don’t need one.”

Levi made a dissatisfied sound, twisting a little in the woman’s grip. She didn’t budge, only gave a thoughtful hum.

“This isn’t a PDA; I know you’re allergic to those.” The brunette informed him. “Besides, no one’s here. Who do you have to hide from?”

Who indeed? The raven sighed at that and tried to relax a little.

“…nope. Still weird.”

Hanji laughed and released him from her death grip at last, chuckling as she shrugged. “It was worth a shot. Now get in here.”

Same old Hanji.

A hand latched onto Levi’s wrist and the man was tugged through the door by the bespectacled woman. She kicked the door shut behind them before marching off into her home with the raven in tow.

“I have everything we need already set up.” The brunette called over her shoulder as she headed down a hall.

Levi raised an eyebrow at that, watching his feet so that they wouldn’t trip. “What? A murder kit?”

Hanji cackled wildly at the response, letting go of Levi’s arm in favour of smacking her hand against her leg as she laughed.

“That’s brilliant! No, it’s not a murder kit, but darn I should have thought of that too. Next time, I’ll be ready.”

The raven shook his head at her, following along on his own now as they headed through the house. Levi looked up as they reached the main room, watching Hanji fling herself into an armchair and gestured to the table in front of her with a grand sweep of her arms.

So much alcohol.

“Jesus, Hanj, did you rob a liquor store?”

The woman gave him a lazy grin at his use of the pet name Levi had used since they were teens. “Maybe I did. Like I said, I have everything we need. I even have a few bottles of your favourite rosé.”

Levi made an approving sound as he took a seat on the old sofa next to Hanji’s chair.

“So where’s your dearly devoted?”

Hanji snorted, lurching forward to start arranging the bottles available and pushing a wine glass towards Levi. “He’s still at work.”

“A little late.” He commented with a small frown, accepting the glass.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you that he’s on double shifts now.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Yep. Now, shut up and drink.” The brunette said with a grin, clapping her hands together.

“This isn’t why I came over.”

“I know, I know.” Hanji said with a dismissive wave. “But you won’t skip over the important bits after a few glasses.”

“What a thoughtful, responsible friend you are.” The raven muttered dryly as he scooped up one of the bottles of rosé and poured himself a glass.

Hanji scoffed from her chair, already nursing a bottle of some nasty looking mixed drink. “Whatever, Prince Charming.”

A little smirk twitched at the corner of Levi’s mouth as he sipped his wine. “Damn,” he hummed his approval, holding the glass up to the light, “this is the good one.”

“I said so, didn’t I?”

“Yeah but I just assumed you were lying.”

“I never lie about alcohol.” Hanji grinned, leaning back into her chair and scooting around until she was comfortable. She schooled her expression into a much calmer look of curiousness. “So…what did he say?”

Levi let out a sigh as he sat back in his chair. “Straight down to it, huh?”

The woman shrugged, taking another swig of her drink. “Might as well get it off your chest.”

“Guess so.” The raven sighed, crossing one leg over the other and taking a long gulp of the fragrant liquid in his glass before beginning. “He wants to give things another go.”

Hanji made a hissing sound, pulling a face at Levi’s words. He made a sound in agreement.

“Yeah. Like the first time didn’t fuck up enough.”

“Ouch.” Hanji winced as if she had been there to witness the whole thing. “That’s rough, even for him.” She paused, letting the raven have a moment before prying further. “What did you say?”

The raven’s reply was instant. “I said no.”

Hanji just looked at him for a long time, waiting for the words that never came.

“But?” She prompted, voice gentle, encouraging.

Levi looked down, letting out a breath. “But he left his number…and I…”

He let the sentence trail off into silence, hesitating for a long moment before taking another long sip of the wine. But the hesitation had been more than enough to allow his friend to read between the lines.

Hanji’s face took on an empathetic quality. “You kept it, didn’t you.”

The sentence should have been a question, but the way Hanji said it condemned the words to be a statement. She knew him too well, always had, always would. It had been like that ever since they had become friends. Hanji was one of the few people stubborn enough to worm her way past Levi’s defences. She knew that he disliked talking about his feelings but she could also pick her way through what little bits and pieces the raven would reveal to find her way to the truth. It was a quality that she and Erwin had shared.

He swallowed, eyes staring off at the wall across the room. “I couldn’t throw it away. I tried.”

The woman made a noise of acknowledgement. “Was it just his number?”

“There was a message with it.”

Hanji gave a little frown. “Levi, you don’t get sentimental, you don’t get nostalgic.” An almost concerned little smirk crossed her face. “Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?”

“I know, I’ve never been like this. But then again I never thought…”

“You didn’t think you’d see him again?” The brunette watched the raven shake his head and she sighed. “Wow, Lever, I thought you were the realistic one.”

Levi ignored the nickname, opting for a nod of agreement. “So did I.”

A pause passed in the conversation as the two stared at the table. Hanji downed the contents of her bottle, making a face at the rush of flavour.

“I can burn the note for you if you want?” Hanji said at last, her voice rasping a little from the burn of alcohol. She sat back, twiddling her thumbs together.

Levi shot her a blank look. “Har har.”

Another pause and Hanji smiled to herself, picking out a new drink.

“So what was he like?”

The raven thought about that. Erwin had changed a bit, of course he had, but he was still the hulking hunk Levi had known for ages.

“Exactly the same only better.”

Hanji raised an eyebrow at the answer. “Better?”

“Yeah.” Levi replied, pouring another glass of the rosé before pausing. “I swear he wasn’t that attractive before…”

The response made Hanji let out a loud scream of laughter, flailing and nearly spilling her drink. “That’s priceless, you should have seen your face then! Levi? Levi..? Oi, you’d better not start drooling or anything.”

The raven snapped out of his reverie and glared. “Shut up. You know what I mean.”

The brunette rolled her eyes fondly. “I’d be the only one who did.”

“Whatever. The point is I felt something.” Levi sat there for a moment, shaking his head. He set down his glass, holding his head in his hands. “What the hell am I supposed to do with that? A man who dropped me like a rock suddenly wants to try again after years of silence? What the fuck?”

Surprisingly, Hanji chuckled to herself at that.

“What?” Levi glowered, grey eyes narrowing suspiciously.

“Wow, love…you need to move on. Find a guy, or a girl, whatever you’re into nowadays. Find someone and for God’s sake get laid.”

Levi stared at the woman long and hard, as if he were trying to decide whether or not he had heard her correctly.

“Hanji, this is serious.”

“I am being serious.” She assured him, even going so far as to put her own drink on the table. “Dead serious. A good fuck or three and you’ll be right as rain.”

“Can we not discuss my sex life?” The raven groaned, running a hand over his face.

“Well yeah.” Hanji snorted, snatching her bottle right back up again. “I mean it doesn’t exist, so how could we be discussing it?”

“Fuck you.”

“No thank you.” She smirked. “I already have a guy for that.”

The brunette let out a long, wheezing laugh, like she’d just told the best joke in the universe.

Levi scowled at Hanji’s grinning face for a long moment, waiting for her to calm down. “You can be a real fucker sometimes, you know that?”

“Pfft!” She waved him off. “Of course I know that. It’s why we’re friends.”

The raven gave a little nod and a single chuckle. “Usually your fuckery isn’t directed at me, though.”

Hanji’s grin started to fade. “No, but that’s because you weren’t the sad single guy until today.”

The woman’s next smile was too sympathetic for Levi’s liking and he stuck his tongue out at her in a childish display of spite. “I’ve been single for a long time.”

“True, but you weren’t moping about. You were getting on with things.”

“But it’s never been like it was.” The raven-haired man sighed, sensing that they were about to dive right back into sensitive topics. “I’ll never get back to that.”

Before Erwin had left, Levi had been in a good place. He’d been doing well in school, his parents had been happy and he’d known exactly where his future would lead him…anywhere that Erwin Smith went.

Not any longer.

Hanji stretched a leg to bump her foot against the raven’s knee, sending him a kind smile when he eventually glanced up. They had always been in sync like that, seeming to know what the other was thinking. Levi knew that Hanji would drag him back to the present before he could wallow too deeply in memories of the past.

“Maybe you won’t,” Hanji’s voice sounded soft, understanding as she spoke up, “maybe you won’t get back there…but maybe you will. You won’t ever know for sure until you give it a try.”

A longsuffering sigh made its way through Levi’s lips and he leaned his head against his fist, propping his elbow up against the arm of the sofa. “Hanji, be serious, who’s going to want to date a moody, stony-faced fucker like me?”

“You’d be surprised.”

“Pfft.”

Hanji sent a glare his way for doubting her words, kicking his foot. Levi stared over at her, expressionless, and kicked back. They both smirked a little at that and Hanji continued.

“You’ve already come so far since back then.” She assured him, gesturing in his direction. “You fixed yourself up and landed a job that you rule at, I mean seriously, Levi, you get paid to be a badass! And let’s not forget to mention that you’re sexy as fuck.”

The raven-haired man scoffed where he sat, shifting in his seat. “So you’re saying that my personality has nothing to do with it, my looks will win out?”

“Oh hush, you’ve got a fine personality. You’re actually pretty funny under all the scowls and looks of doom. So there, that’s like a double-whammy of win. You’re gorgeous and not a terrible person.”

“Oh-hoh?” Levi started to chuckle. “The truth’s coming out now, is it?”

“Shut up, I’m your friend, I can say these things.” She chuckled, waving him off before turning serious again. “My point is, Levi, you could probably have anyone.” The woman paused for a moment, making a face at her own words. “Ehhhh…well okay, maybe not anyone, but a hell of a lot of people. You’re only alone because you choose to be.”

That was painfully true and a little too close to home.

Regardless, the raven shrugged. “I don’t like people in general. You know that, hell everyone knows it!”

“It doesn’t have to be people. Just a person. Find one person that you can talk to and see where things go from there.” She said, looking over at the raven as he gave her a reluctant look. “Otherwise I am going to put your details on every single dating website known to man. And once I’ve done that I’ll start making my own sites!”

If looks could kill, Hanji would be midway through having a stroke right about then.

“Do it and no one will ever find your body.”

“So get the murder over with.” She shrugged, smiling. “Maybe if you lose the one person you actually talk to, you’ll finally be forced to branch out.”

Both of them wanted to laugh but just beneath the surface of those words lay the bitter truth.

“Fuck, you really are the only person I ever talk to on purpose, aren’t you?”

This time Hanji did start laughing.

Levi just sighed. “Okay, so we’ve established that I’m a total fuck up. Can we bitch about Erwin now?”

“Yes we can!”

Many drinks later and the duly appointed bitching session was still going strong. The time had flown by and a quick glance at Hanji's clock revealed that it was 12:30am and no longer a Friday. Both the raven and the brunette were now situated on the sofa. Hanji sat at one end and Levi lay sprawled out on his back, resting his feet in the brunette’s lap. Levi had gone through one whole bottle of rosé, done about half a dozen shots and was now halfway through his second bottle of wine. His glass had been discarded completely, left sitting empty on the table. The wine bottle was being nursed in his lap as he scowled up at the ceiling.

“That asshole.”

An equally drunk Hanji nodded fiercely in agreement. “Yep, total butt-ward.”

“Complete bastard.”

“We hate him, don’t we?”

“We so do.” The raven agreed, throwing an arm over his face for a moment. “We totally hate him and his stupid face.”

“Yeah!” Hanji cheered, nearly losing her drink in the process.

“Yeah.” Levi repeated, letting his arm fall back again to hang limply off the side of the sofa before squinting a little. “I mean, who even has a face like that?”

“Don’t forget his weird-ass eyebrows!” The brunette contributed.

Levi’s head shot up from its resting place against one arm of the sofa and he pointed at her, eyes wide. “I thought no one else had noticed!”

One wondrous thing about Hanji was that she completely supported her friends in almost whatever they did. Naturally, this carried over to be twice as intense as soon as the woman had alcohol in her system. Having both the raven and the brunette intoxicated at the same time was a rare and amusing sight.

“No!” Hanji screeched with laughter, shaking so hard that the couch shook with her. “No, I see it too! The eyebrows of doom!”

“But no one even says anything!” The raven said in disbelief, throwing his hands in the air before letting them flop back down onto his stomach. “But they’re right there like-” Levi paused, sitting up and making a serious face, leaning closer and closer to Hanji to make his point before the woman burst into a fit of giggles.

The petite male stared at her for a moment, trying to remember what the hell they were even talking about before he chuckled a little as well and slumped back against the sofa with a muted thud.

“We-” Hanji started, losing her words to another quick burst of laughter for a moment, “We should do something about it.”

Levi hiccupped a little as he went to speak. “Y-You think?”

“Yeah!”

Another thing that happened when both Levi and Hanji got drunk together…petty vengeance plots.

“Okay,” The raven conceded, shifting a little so that he could prop himself up on his elbows to look at her, “but what?”

“Ummmmm…” Hanji paused, leaning clumsily against the arm of her sofa and tapping a finger against her mouth, “we could prank call him?”

Levi scrunched up his nose at the thought. “Nah, not worth it. He’d know your voice in a second.”

“Yeah, yeah I guess you’re right.” The brunette admitted, leaning back and giving a long and thoughtful hum. “Hmm…we could…call a bunch of strippers and send them over there?”

“And let him get away with a free show? No thank you.”

“We could make him pay for them, though..?”

Levi glanced at the ceiling as he thought about it. “Hmm…nah. He’s probably rich as hell anyway.”

Suddenly Hanji began to snicker, waving her hand in the air like it could somehow help her to expel her amusement.

She pointed at Levi briefly, still trying to muffle her laughter. “Wait, wait, hehe, Levi?”

“Yeah?”

“Hehe, no no, L-Levi, hey.”

The raven’s brow twitched a little in annoyance as the woman continued to chuckle. “What?”

“Are you listening?”

“Yes! Spit it out!”

“Okay, okay.” She grinned, motioning with her hands in front of her. “We should go to his house…a-and then you can move all his stuff!”

Levi stared at Hanji for a very long moment, hoping that his expressionless face was communicating the current feeling of 'I'm so done with you' that the raven was experiencing towards his friend.

“That’s it?" He queried, casting a dubious frown the brunette's way. "That’s your master revenge plan?”

“Yeah!”

“Pfft!”

“What? It’s better than your plan!”

“I didn’t have a plan.” The raven muttered dryly. “Those were all your shitty ideas.”

“Oh.” Hanji paused, frowning as she thought back on the conversation. “Oh yeah…”

Levi shook his head at her. “Idiot.”

She shrugged off his insult, completely unaffected. “Well it’s either that or you could take a dump on his bed.”

“That’s stupid.” The raven muttered, grimacing at the thought.

Hanji leered at him from the other end of the sofa. “Or is it?”

The brunette held her hands up in the air, as if that would help to make her suggestion seem less ridiculous.

“It…” the raven paused for a moment, giving thought to the idea, “actually maybe if we-no, no no.” He shook his head. “It’s stupid. Not to mention gross.”

“You considered it! Ahaha!”

“Shut up.”

Of course telling Hanji Zoe to be quiet never worked. Ever.

The woman doubled over, nearly falling from the couch as she gripped her stomach with one hand, flailing with the other. Her screeching cackle carried through the whole house.

“Sh-Shut up, you’ll wake your goddamned neighbours!”

“AHAHAHA!”

Levi growled as Hanji continued to ignore him. “That’s it, say goodbye; I am officially going to smother you with a pillow.”

Even as the words were leaving his mouth, the raven lunged forward clumsily to catch the giggling lunatic.

It was at that moment that the front door opened and the pair of squabbling friends froze.

Not thirty seconds later, Moblit came through, stopping with a start at the end of the hall and staring at the scene at hand. Hanji was currently holding back Levi who was hanging over her, brandishing a pillow true to his word.

“Darn, looks like the murder will have to wait until next time.” Levi murmured, tossing the pillow at Hanji’s face as he sat back a little.

The brunette gasped in mock surprise. “Don’t say that, you know that Moblit will take comments like that to heart.”

“Relax, it’s me.” The raven drawled from the couch, falling back into his original position and stretching out like a cat. “Death threats are how I communicate.”

A still giggling Hanji leapt up from the sofa, letting Levi’s legs slide from her lap and sprawl off the edge of the couch. She bounced over to greet Moblit and Levi let his eyes slip shut for a moment.

“How was work?”

“Fine, how are things here?”

A giggle sounded. “Poor baby Levi has had a nasty blast from the past.”

“Oh?”

“I’m not a little kid, geez.” Levi muttered, cracking open an eye to glare over at the happy couple watching him. “I’m fine. It just took me off guard.”

“Oh yeah, you seem totally fine.” Hanji smirked at him.

Levi stuck his tongue out at her.

The pair by the door shared a knowing look before Hanji spoke up again.

“So you’re staying here tonight, then?”

The raven gave a shrug, exhaling through his nose. “Probably a good idea. I don’t really want to be walking home like this. Feel free to kick me out if I cause too much trouble.”

Hanji cackled suddenly, causing Moblit to jump a little beside her as she leaped over the coffee table to prod at the drunken male on the couch.

“More likely it’ll be you throwing me out!” She grinned down at him.

Levi squirmed, rubbing the spot where she had jabbed him. “Mrph. Don’t shout.” He grumbled

More laughter.

The raven growled. “At this rate, I will be tossing your stupid ass out, guest or no.”

“Maybe we should all get some rest?” Moblit stepped in then, gently tugging Hanji away before she could invoke the smaller man’s wrath. “Especially you two.”

Levi blinked over at him, rubbing his tired eyes. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Hanji nodded in agreement, looking back to her friend. “Are you going to sleep in the guest room?”

“I don’t have the energy to stand.” The raven murmured, offering a little smirk. “Here’s fine.”

“Haha, of course, of course.” The woman chuckled, leaning down a bit to stage-whisper. “Just remember that it was your own decision when you wake up tomorrow and complain about feeling stiff and sore.” She laughed at his grumble, straightening again. “Want me to get out some blankets?”

“Please.”

“On it.”

Hanji dashed off while Moblit smiled after her. The two men were left alone for a moment and after a short pause, Levi glanced up at the other man. Moblit offered a small smile.

“Bad day?”

The raven made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a scoff. “You could say that.”

Moblit’s smile turned sympathetic and he gave a little nod. “I hear that Erwin’s come home.”

Levi paused, glancing curiously at the other man. “He has.” The raven blinked, frowning. “How did you-”

“Hanji told me.”

The smaller male sat up a little at the reply. “Huh?”

Moblit gave a little confused frown of his own, pointing after where Hanji had ducked off to. “I got a text half an hour ago.”

“What?” Levi began incredulously before suddenly spotting the brunette’s black mobile on the table along with a lot of empty bottles. He blinked at the sight for a long moment, wondering how in the hell Hanji had managed to get up, find her phone and send a message without him knowing about it. “How could she even do that, she’s been here this whole time and I haven’t seen her touch a phone.”

The other man smiled knowingly. “It’s Hanji. She always finds a way.”

As if on cue, the enthusiastic woman bounded back into the room carrying a grey blanket and a large glass full of clear liquid. She flung the blanket haphazardly over the raven-haired man, ignoring the look he gave her, and held out the glass.

“There we go. Now drink this.”

Grey eyes narrowed in mild suspicion. “What is it?”

“Just water, silly.” The brunette reassured him. “Make sure you drink all of it or you’ll have one mother of a hangover tomorrow.”

Levi rolled his eyes and accepted the glass. “Yes, mother.” He snarked.

“Good boy.” The brunette reached over to pet Levi’s hair as he downed all of the water. “What an obedient son we have, don’t you think, Moblit?”

Hanji played right along with the raven’s sarcastic comment, turning to grin over at her partner.

The man looked over at the two of them with a smile and started shaking his head. Moblit was well used to their ridiculous displays, but it had been some time since Levi’s last visit. He sometimes forgot just how silly the pair of them could be.

Hanji took the glass when Levi had finished, only to refill it and bring it right back. She set it down on the table before retiring to her own bedroom with Moblit.

“Goodnight, son!” Hanji called out the door.

“Shut up, Hanji.”

“Is that any way to talk to your mother?” The woman called back, sounding appalled.

Levi rolled his eyes but couldn’t stop himself from smirking a little.

“Goodnight.” He muttered, shifting around on the sofa until he was comfortable.

Closing his eyes, Levi tried not to think about Erwin as his mind began to fade into unconsciousness. It wasn’t easy, especially when the bastard’s face came up in his mind’s eye. Levi frowned and squeezed his eyes shut tighter and thought of other things.

He thought about the walk home from work he took most days, the calming stop by the river, the faces he saw on the street. And then…

“Are we talking or are we flirting?”

“Why can’t we do both?”

“Because it’s fucking distracting, that’s why.”

He thought about Eren, that insufferable starry-eyed brat, and found himself frowning a little less. He thought about Eren’s voice, the way it was almost always playful, and he remembered the intriguing colour in the kid’s eyes. Blue in the shade, flecked with green in the sun, and seemingly backlit in their intensity.

“They are lovely, though.”

“What?”

“Your eyes.”

Levi thought about how Eren was honest, about how he spoke his mind. He thought about how annoying that little habit could be.

“I like you.”

“You really have no boundaries, do you?”

It was stupid and annoying and totally inappropriate.

“Can I keep you?”

…but Eren hadn’t told him a lie so far.

As odd and worrisome as Eren could be, and as little as the raven actually knew the boy, he was honest…and in Levi’s mind, honesty was the most important thing. More than winning or losing, more than hate, even more than love. Levi lived in a dishonest world and within that world there were very few people he felt that he could trust.

As he drifted off to sleep Levi wondered if maybe, just maybe, Eren would become one of those people…

Chapter Text

“Here comes the sun, little darling. Here comes the sun and I said it’s alright.” – The Beatles.

***

Well that was one hangover the raven hadn’t expected to thwart so easily.

The curtains of the living room were drawn, casting the place into a pleasant gloom perfect for waking up to. Levi blinked himself awake, shocked when he could not only think reasonably clearly but also remember every detail about the night before without his head aching. So the water had its merits after all.

The raven let out a breath and stretched his limbs, feeling a few joints crack from sleeping on the narrow sofa. He groaned softly, hearing the squeak of a door opening.

“Wakey wakey, my little bundle of joy.” Hanji’s voice called gently, sounding very much like the woman had only just woken herself.

Sarcastic even when only half-conscious. Classic Hanji.

She padded around the end of the sofa and into sight, starting slightly when her brown eyes were met with a sleepy glare. “Oh, you’re already up?”

“Yeah,” he rasped, reaching for the glass on the table. He downed the remaining half-cup of water, “just barely.”

“Me too.” A drowsy smile formed over the brunette’s face as she came to sit on the couch, lifting the raven’s legs so that she could sit down. “So what are you going to do?”

Levi frowned, wishing that for once Hanji could skip over the hard topics until he was fully awake.

“About what?” He asked to see if she would let him play dumb.

“You know what.”

But of course nothing ever went according to plan with Hanji.

Levi let out a sigh and rubbed at the back of his neck. “I don’t know.” He murmured, voice low as he stared at the carpet. “Nothing for now. I’m going to go home and think about things.”

“Okay.” Hanji nodded, watching the raven from her end of the couch. “But if something happens in the meantime or if anything else develops-”

“You’ll be the first person I’ll call.” Levi finished with a nod, holding up a hand to appease his friend.

“That’s my boy.” The brunette grinned, reaching over to shove playfully at the raven’s shoulder before flopping back against the sofa with a chuckle. “So do you want a lift home or?”

Levi shook his head twice. “I can walk, it’s fine.”

Hanji made a ‘pfft’ sound at him and pushed herself up off the couch. “I can drop you home, it’s no trouble. And don’t give me that fitness bullshit.” She added when the raven started to protest. “You’re a goddamned wall of fitness, Levi; one ten minute ride in a car won’t destroy your figure.”

“Fine, geez.” Levi rolled his eyes but smirked over at her.

The short silence the pair fell into was almost comforting, until-

“I still think you should get laid-”

“Argh!”

The weekend passed in a strange haze where everything seemed to go by slower than usual. After returning from Hanji’s house, the raven had gotten right down to cleaning. He tidied things here and wiped away imaginary dust there. It might have been a fruitless effort, but the raven secretly hoped that if he cleaned enough then all the miserable feelings of Friday would get wiped away as well as the dirt that he may or may not have been imagining. No such luck, though.

The gloomy vibes carried through to Sunday and Levi threw himself into his work to combat them. He planned to start filming his first tutorial on Monday, just a simple run through of how his blog would be working and some details of his daily routine so that people wouldn’t have to wait too long to have their questions answered.

The raven had already familiarised himself with his old blog, gone through and edited, added new pages and even answered a few questions. Surprisingly enough, the distraction was working. As he built up his new routine, he was able to focus less and less on how much of an antisocial he really was.

By Monday Levi was fully prepared to make his first video. He set up his tripod, adjusting the camera to sit steadily atop the frame and fiddling with the lens until he knew that he couldn’t possibly put off filming any longer when-

Tap, tap, tap.

Levi froze suddenly at the sound of three knocks at the door.

Relax; he told himself, it’s probably just Hanji. Maybe she had come by to make sure that he was still okay? Yes, that had to be it.

The knocking came again, a little louder this time.

That was definitely not Hanji…that crazy woman would have tried to break in by now, but not before running into the door a couple of times first. She rarely knocked, and when she did it was loud and obnoxious…this sound was tentative, unsure almost.

Against his better judgement, Levi straightened and made his way over to the door. He reached out and gripped the handle…and just stood there for a moment. Hoping, dreading whoever was on the other side.

Pull yourself together, he thought, it’s probably a freaking paper boy or some shit.

Breathing in deeply through his nose, Levi tugged the door open.

“…”

It wasn’t a paper boy…but it was a boy.

The only problem was that he shouldn’t be here.

“E-Eren?”

Bright blue-green eyes seemed to shine at the mention of his name, and a smile all too cheerful for the situation at hand lit up the brunette’s face.

“Hello.” The boy greeted merrily.

Levi just stared.

Eren was there. Eren was right there in his apartment building, right outside his flat. It was one thing for the raven to be thinking about the boy, (and dreaming about him a few times but there was no way in hell he would ever admit to that), but for him to actually show up was something Levi wasn’t sure he could handle.

The damned brat didn’t even give him time to think before he was ploughing on with more words.

“So I was looking around the neighbourhood and I was thinking back to Thursday when I remembered that I don’t even know your name and-”

“Eren, what in the ever living fuck are you doing outside my apartment?” Levi cut him off in a monotonous rush.

The boy paused sheepishly. “Well…I was getting to that.”

“No, scratch that, how the fuck did you even find my apartment?”

Eren flinched a little at the sharp tone, rubbing at the back of his neck and looking around at everything but Levi.

“Um…I sort of, maybe might have…followed you home.” The boy admitted, quickly moving on to explain after risking a glance at the raven. “It was a complete accident, I swear it! I was just walking on Friday and I saw you and I didn’t have anything better to do so-”

“Wait, wait, Friday?” Levi’s customary frown deepened as he thought, shock momentarily forgotten. “It’s Monday now, why did you wait so long?”

Why couldn’t you have come over before Erwin?

The raven’s glare returned. “Have you been stalking me?”

There was a long pause in which the brat did little but cringe in the hallway, fidgeting.

“Uh…if I say no…will you stop glaring at me?”

“This is looking worse and worse for you, brat.” Levi cut the brunette off again, his initial fear morphing into a confusing mix of feelings.

Shock at seeing Eren again, and outside his home of all places, fear at recalling all that the boy had admitted to and what he might be planning, relief that it hadn’t been a certain blonde-haired asshole at the door instead, and lastly, anger born from all his emotions clashing together. A part of him knew that the anger wasn’t totally Eren’s fault, but it needed to get out somehow.

“Explain to me why you are standing here in the next thirty seconds or I am going to go and get my tripod and shove it so far up your ass that you’ll never walk straight again.”

Apparently that would be via creative threats.

Levi was completely ready for the brat to make some stupid, flirty comment. In fact he was so ready for it that the lost expression on Eren’s face didn’t even register.

“I-I just wanted to see you.” The boy said, eyes wide and honest.

The raven wasn’t having a bar of it.

“Cut the crap.” Levi snapped and Eren winced. “You’re not some innocent high schooler. We’re not an item; you have no reason to be here. You are a murderer and that makes me more than a little bit worried that you are currently standing right outside the place where I live. Do you see why this is a problem?”

“I just wanted to know your name. I-I’m sorry.” Eren’s voice trembled a little.

Levi stared incredulously as the brunette hiccupped miserably and brought up a hand to rub at his eyes. This couldn’t be happening.

“Are you fucking crying? Are you serious right now?”

“N-No.” Eren managed, choking back a noise that was suspiciously similar to a sob.

“You’re supposed to be a serial killer or something. Don’t weep on my doorstep.”

For some reason blunt utterings didn’t seem to be convincing the brunette to cease crying.

“Brat?”

No reply, other than another poorly muffled sob.

Great, Levi thought, now he felt almost guilty. Eren may have been a creepy, confusing brat but he didn’t deserve Levi’s wrath. If anyone should be being yelled at, it was a certain tall sculpted blonde asshole who’d had the nerve to come and send Levi’s life into disarray. To top it off he had next to no idea how to deal with a crying person, especially not someone like Eren. After an awkward moment of staring at the kid as he tried not to sob, Levi rolled his eyes.

“Ah Christ, come here.” He muttered, reaching out and latching his hand around the brat’s wrist.

Eren squeaked and panicked as he was yanked roughly into an awkward one-armed hug. Levi’s other hand remained on the door. The angle wasn’t ideal and Levi felt more than weird stepping out of his comfort zone, but fuck no was he going to just stand there like an ass while the kid cried. Eren stood there in silence, his arms hovering out by his sides like he wasn’t quite sure what to do with them.

“Uh…is this what you meant before?” Eren spoke after a moment, his hands still hovering. “About comforting people?”

In their current position, with Levi’s ear pressed against the brunette’s chest, Eren’s voice sounded different. It was richer, a little deeper too.

“Yeah.” The raven replied, stepping back and making a face at what he’d just done.

“That was weird.” Eren murmured, looking at Levi like he was some strange new thing.

Levi nodded in agreement. “You’re right there. Don’t worry on it too much though, I suck at comfort too.”

“It was nice though,” Eren hurried to correct, holding his hands up, “just odd. You don’t seem the type.”

“Heh. I guess not.” The smaller man shook his head and gave a sigh, having a feeling that he was going to regret his next words. “Come in, then.”

Eren’s eyes bugged. “Wh-Wha?”

Yep, that was definitely regret.

“You heard me.” The raven said simply, stepping back and holding the door open. It was too late to take the words back now. “Go on, sit down and for God’s sake stop crying.”

The brunette looked at Levi like maybe there was something wrong with him. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Yep.” Levi replied, placing emphasis on the ‘p’.

That wasn’t a lie at all. Nope, not one bit untrue.

“Y-You’re just letting me in?”

“I don’t see why the fuck not? You already know where I live; I’m fucked anyway if you decide to knife me. Might as well invite you in and make you some tea.”

It was a wide-eyed Eren that stepped cautiously into Levi’s apartment, like he was terrified that the raven would change his mind and kick him straight back out the door. The boy took his shoes off at Levi’s request, arranging them by the door, and followed the smaller male inside to the living room which opened out into the kitchen. The dining room was adjoined as well, separated from the kitchen by a counter. Everything was coloured in cool hues of white, grey and dark blue and the place had a sterile feel to it.

Eren took a seat on the grey sofa that Levi pointed to while the raven padded into the kitchen. He filled the kettle and set it on the stove to boil, noticing the boy on the sofa staring about the room.

What was Levi doing? What in sweet Christ’s name had driven him to think that inviting a killer into his home was in any way a good idea?

“You’re only alone because you choose to be.”

The raven let the silence drag on for a moment, interrupted only by the few soft sniffles that still came from Eren every once in a while.

“It’s Levi, by the way.” The smaller man murmured as he stretched up to grab two cups from the top cupboard.

Eren turned his head quickly from where he had been glancing around at the sparsely decorated space. “Huh?”

“My name.” The raven clarified with a glance over his shoulder.

Eren tested out the word. “L-Levi?”

Names always sounded much nicer when other people said them, and Levi found that he quite liked the sound of his name on Eren’s tongue.

“Yeah.” He murmured in response, snatching up a few tissues from the counter.

He wet a couple under the tap.

“I-I like it.” The brunette spoke up from the couch, offering a tiny smile. “It’s nice.”

“Thanks.”

Levi walked over towards the sofa and crouched in front of Eren, noticing the boy’s eyes widen.

“What are you-?” Eren was cut off as his chin was taken between long fingers.

The boy was tugged forward a little, the grip on his chin strong, and Eren was about to protest when the raven started dabbing at his face with the dampened tissues.

“This is why people shouldn’t cry.” Levi muttered, wrinkling his nose. “You’re a mess.”

Another mess…just like Levi.

“It doesn’t have to be people. Just a person.”

The brunette sat in complete silence as the other man cleaned him up, looking completely lost as his tears were swiped away like they were the sole cause of annoyance for the raven crouching before him. The moment didn’t last long, but by the time the smaller male was standing up and heading back towards the kitchen Eren was no longer crying.

Levi could feel Eren’s eyes on him as he wandered about the kitchen, checking on the heating water and wiping down the counter for no good reason.

“Find one person that you can talk to and see where things go from there.”

Eren was a person that Levi could talk to, even if he could be annoying. In fact he was the first person in a long time not to be put off by the raven’s abrasive personality. Perhaps this was the time to put Hanji’s advice to good use?

“You won’t ever know for sure until you give it a try.”

“Do you take sugar?” The raven asked after he had nowhere else to clean.

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean, ‘you don’t know’?” Levi turned, shooting the boy an incredulous look. “Haven’t you ever had tea before?”

The brunette shook his head, watching as Levi shook his own head at the response and muttered something under his breath. Another quiet moment wrapped itself around the two as the water boiled.

“You’re scary when you’re mad.” Eren voiced after a short silence.

Levi snorted from his place in the kitchen where he lent against the counter. “I get that a lot.” He smirked, casting a glance at the boy on the sofa. “You didn’t seem to think so before.”

“That’s because you were only annoyed back then. Not properly angry.”

“Well I’ve never had a killer come to my door before.”

Eren’s eyes narrowed as he proceeded to glare at the other man. “You really like reminding me about that, don’t you?”

“It’s the truth, brat. You murdered someone.”

“It wasn’t murder.” The brunette argued. “I was hunting.”

“What?” The raven made a derisive sound, waving a finger at the boy. “No, you can’t just label it and make everything better. A person ended up dead because of you. Therefore, you killed them. Aka murder. Brought to you by ‘died in a back alley’.”

“You’ve killed flies before, haven’t you?” Eren countered, flicking imaginary dirt from his arm. “It was no big deal, sheesh.” He shrugged. “I killed an insignificant creature and put it to better use.”

From where he lent against the kitchen bench, Levi stared at the brunette and shook his head slowly. “Your perspective on things is a whole other level of fucked up, brat.”

The raven pushed off the counter as the kettle finished boiling and set about pouring the steaming liquid into the teacups, already prepped with a teabag each.

The brunette piped up again from the sofa. “I just want you to know the difference.”

Levi scoffed as he brought the cups over, each one full of the steaming brown brew. The raven-haired man drank his tea straight and black, but he had added two teaspoons of sugar to Eren’s tea after recalling the brat’s fondness for sweets from their ‘so called date’ on Thursday.

It felt like a long time ago now.

Levi sat on the edge of the sofa, leaving a decent space between himself and the brat, and handed Eren his cup.

“It’s hot, be careful.”

“Thank you-” Suddenly Eren’s eyes grew wide and he froze in his seat.

Levi frowned as the brat continued to stare at him.

“What?” The raven muttered, taking a careful sip of his tea.

“What’s wrong with your face?” The brunette blurted out.

“Huh?” Levi frowned, wondering what the hell the brat meant.

Eren scooted forward on the couch, setting his cup down on the coffee table before turning to Levi and leaning towards him, eyes narrowing in scrutiny. The smaller man leaned back, raising an eyebrow.

“Can I..?” The boy left the question open, bringing a hand up.

The raven eyed him carefully but, after finding no obvious sign of an ulterior motive, he nodded. Levi remained still as the brunette stretched out a hand and soon cool fingers were tracing along the skin just beside his temple, lightly moving to brush over the ring in his brow.

Levi laughed at that, just a quiet huff of a laugh, and pried the brunette’s hand away from his face to explain. “There’s nothing wrong, kid. They’re piercings. It’s perfectly normal.”

Eren’s face scrunched up in concentration. “I don’t remember them being there before.” He murmured, eyes travelling between the accessory and the raven’s gaze.

“That’s because I take them out when I’m teaching. It’s a safety thing.”

Eren nodded in understanding. “I see.” The boy scrutinized the other man a moment longer. “How many do you have?”

Levi gave a shrug. “A few.” He replied.

It was a vague yet honest answer.

The brunette didn’t seem the slightest bit perturbed by the elusive reply, shifting a little where he sat. “Will you show me?”

The raven sent Eren an odd look, having not expected the boy to ask such a question. Then again, Eren surprised him every time they saw each other.

At last Levi exhaled. “They’re not that interesting.”

“Maybe not to you.” The brunette countered, teal eyes silently pleading with their honest curiosity.

The raven sighed. “Fine.”

He sat very still as Eren moved closer, bringing both hands up to the raven’s face and tilting his head so that he could view the silver band in a better light. In doing this, the boy noticed the glint of metal in Levi’s ear and he scooted over a bit to see them too, turning the other man’s head as it suited him. Eren didn’t keep up his usual chatter and after a while the silence seemed too charged. Levi was normally the last person to break the silence, however this time it felt necessary. What to say, though? Well, there was always the obvious backstory option. Inhaling through his nose, Levi opened his mouth and went for it.

“I used to have studs in my eyebrow instead of the closure ring,” the raven paused for a moment as Eren met his eyes, waiting for the rest of Levi’s sentence, “but I had to give them up after I lost a bet.” Levi finished, looking away over Eren’s shoulder as he went on. “You can probably still see the scars if you catch the skin in the right light.”

Eren’s fingers traced over the near-invisible marks left by the former piercings, two tiny patches of skin that were a fraction paler than the surrounding flesh, and he murmured a confirmation.

“What was the bet?” The boy asked.

Levi lifted one shoulder in a dismissive shrug, still not looking at Eren. “Just a stupid gamble. I lost and I paid up.”

“You didn’t think to replace what you lost?”

Another shrug from the raven as he sighed, breathing out in a rush. “I thought about it.” The smaller male admitted, reaching up with his own hand to touch his brow when Eren’s hands moved away. “In the end it seemed better to go for something new rather than try to hold onto the past.”

“I see. Thank you for sharing that.” The brunette said with a smile, his tone the most sincere it had ever sounded as he clasped his hands in his lap. “Is that all of them?”

“Those are all the one’s you can see without me having to strip.” Levi gestured to his face as he spoke, punctuating with a little flourish of his wrist.

Suddenly Levi had every last bit of Eren’s attention.

“Oh?” The brat seemed to be damned near glowing from eagerness as he leaned forward. “So you have more?”

Levi smirked. “Yes, but the other two…aren’t exactly for show and tell.”

“Come on, they can’t be that bad.”

Eren whined and coaxed for a good ten minutes but Levi remained unmoving as he stared.

“I’d need to be very drunk to even think about showing you those.”

Eren pouted and the raven scoffed at him.

“Keep it up all you want, brat. It’s not happening.”

The brunette huffed, leaning back and rolling off the sofa to land on the floor and crawling over to get his tea. Eren brought the cup up to his lips and sipped at the warm brew, rocking back to lean against the coffee table. Apparently that conversation was over, for now at least. With Eren’s track record of being a persistent little shit, Levi was sure that he would bring the issue up at a later date. But for now, Levi had other matters on his mind.

He sat back against the arm of the sofa, eyeing the still pouting brunette. “So…now that you’re here and all…are you going to tell me what you are?”

Eren nearly choked on his tea, looking up in surprise as he swallowed quickly.

“Something wrong?” The raven stared, gesturing to the tea. “Too sweet?”

Eren shook his head. “Oh no, no no, it’s good. I just…” A pause. “I don’t really want to.” He admitted, setting his cup down behind him on the table.

Levi arched an eyebrow at the response. “Why not? Did you suddenly get all shy on me?”

The brunette shook his head once, his boyish face suddenly twisting with an anxious gulp as he avoided looking Levi in anywhere in the face.

“You’re not a stripper or something, are you?”

“What? No!”

“Then what?” The raven asked, resting his head on one hand and propping his elbow against the arm of the sofa. “Even if you lied to me just now about stripping, it can’t be that bad.”

“I don’t want you to not like me.”

“Who says I like you anyway?” The raven deadpanned.

“Hey!” Eren protested, finally looking at Levi properly.

The raven shrugged, taking a long slow mouthful of his tea to keep his face schooled into a careful mask of apathy. Killer or not, the brat was fun to mess with.

“Shut up.” He said, taking another sip of his cooling tea. “Your whining is annoying.”

“I can’t help it if you’re being mean!”

“Are you stalling again?”

Eren grumbled, looking ready to throw a tantrum. Levi sincerely hoped that the brat would restrain himself. He didn’t really want to spend the rest of the night cleaning up broken crockery.

With a last reluctant grimace, Eren’s face relaxed into a defeated expression and he sighed. “Okay. Fine.”

That was more like it; at last Levi would get some answers.

“So you’ll tell me?”

“No.” The boy swallowed, looking…nervous. “But I can do one better…I can show you.”

Without any further explanation, Eren scooted further away from the coffee table and moved to a more open patch of carpet near to where the tiled floor of the kitchen began. Levi regarded the boy carefully as he crouched a little ways back from the couch and closed his eyes.

For a moment nothing happened, the brunette just sat there with his eyes closed and a little frown on his face. Levi was getting ready to state the obvious, even going so far as opening his mouth…and then the Eren burst in flames.

“Jesus!” Levi exclaimed, jumping back against the couch in alarm.

The raven’s eyes were comically wide as he looked on.

Despite being on fire, the brunette seemed completely unaffected. Blue-green flames licked up his body, but no harm came to Eren as he opened his eyes again, and as the raven watched with avid attention as the boy began to change.

The brunette’s ears became more elongated, more like that of an elf, and Levi was sure that the boy hadn’t always had a tail…

But the evidence was right there, protruding out from behind the boy. It was the same soft brown as the hair on Eren’s head, but the downy fuzz here was less like hair and more like a cat’s fur. A small tuft of slightly fluffier fur puffed out at the end and Levi watched the tail twitch back and forth as the flames began to dissipate.

Finally tearing his gaze away from the tail, Levi focused once more on the brunette’s face. Eren was rubbing at his jaw as if he was in pain and he looked up after a moment to meet the raven’s gaze.

The boy gave an awkward smile. “Ta-da…”

“…”

Levi was staring and he knew it…but there was something very clearly not human sitting in his living room. He couldn’t find any words to put forth and so he just sat there with his mouth open.

Eren shifted uncomfortably, his tail twitching behind him. “Say something?”

That was probably a good idea, a damned smashing idea, but the raven-haired man was currently having a little difficulty with the English language and his ability to speak it. He snapped his mouth shut only to open it again, still floundering. And then-

“You have a tail.”

Nailed it.

“Oh, you noticed that, did you?” Eren rolled his eyes, bouncing anxiously where he sat. “I was hoping for something a little more positive than that.”

“Uh…” Levi hesitated, grasping at any thought that came into his head, “it’s…nice?”

Smooth. Real smooth.

“Levi!” The boy whined. “Be serious!”

“I am, I’m serious. Totally serious over here…it’s a lovely tail.” Levi startled himself as a shocked laugh bubbled up and out of his mouth but he stifled it quickly and cleared his throat. “Is this…what you really look like?”

There we go. Thoughts. Proper thoughts that made sense. Levi was back in business.

Eren seemed to relax a little, rolling one shoulder in a little shrug. “It’s closer than what you saw before.”

The smaller man frowned, confusion written on his face. “What’s that mean?”

The brunette shifted a little. “I can’t show you my true form without there being significantly more damage to your home...”

Levi chose that moment to notice the burnt carpet. “Oh shit.”

“I’m sorry!”

The carpet around Eren was charred and melted; an ugly dark patch marring the otherwise flawless sea of white.

The raven sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “It’s…it’s fine, Eren. We’ll buy a rug or something to cover it up.”

Eren’s tail swished slowly, moving back and forth as the boy stared at him with wide eyes, and in the light Levi noticed that those blue-green orbs had changed as well. The brunette’s eyes were different…brighter, like the fire that had been all over his body a few moments ago. Levi broke his entranced staring at the boy’s bright orbs when he noticed Eren rubbed his jaw again.

“What’s the matter?” Levi asked, leaning forward and pointing. “What’s wrong with your mouth?”

Eren looked up, a little shocked himself. “Nothing.”

The raven arched an eyebrow, shooting the brunette a dubious stare. “Don’t give me that. Let me take a look.”

Eren shook his head, his tail curling up around in front of him defensively.

“Don’t be a brat. Come here.”

Grumbling, Eren loped across the floor to flop down by Levi’s feet. The raven slid two fingers under the brunette’s chin, tilting his head up. Bringing up his free hand, Levi tapped the boy’s cheek.

“Let’s have a look.”

After a long moment of silence in which Levi glared down at a reluctant Eren, the boy made the mistake of sticking his tongue out at the raven. Seizing the chance, Levi set aside his rules of hygiene in favour of prying the brunette’s mouth open. What he saw made his heart beat a little faster in his chest.

“Sweet Mother Theresa…”

Levi was one hundred and thirty percent sure that Eren had had perfectly normal teeth all through yesterday…smooth, naturally white teeth. The kind of teeth that shouldn’t be allowed to exist, really. Now, though, they were sharp. Still the same pearly white but more pronounced, more akin to the jaws of a predator, especially the canines.

Levi gave a low whistle. “Damn, brat.” He murmured, releasing his grip on the brunette’s head. “This explains a lot.”

“Yeah.” Eren stretched his jaw, wincing a little as he did so.

“Does it hurt?”

The boy nodded in reply. “Like a bitch.”

“Why?”

“They have to grow through every time I shift.” Eren explained, making a face. “It’s much less painful the other way. I guess it’s a deterrent, you know? So that I’m less inclined to make the change.”

It was odd how simply revealing himself to Levi rendered Eren instantly more open and the raven had to wonder if the brunette felt better having shared this secret.

Levi looked down at the boy still sitting by his feet. “So you’re…what? A were-cat or something?”

At this, Eren laughed, looking up at Levi. “Really? That’s the best you could come up with?”

“What? You’re obviously not a werewolf!”

The raven watched the boy continue to laugh, honest laughter rather than a flirtatious giggle or a dark chuckle. Eren’s laugh was light and bubbly, oddly pure, and Levi had to wonder about the irony of that as the brunette finally began to settle again.

“I’m a demonic being.” The boy revealed finally, still smiling as he shook his head.

A demon. It made more sense the longer Levi thought about it; the curiosity about every little thing, the odd hunger, their first encounter…

“And you couldn’t have just told me that?” The raven asked, reaching forward to flick Eren between the eyes.

Eren was too busy defending his case to complain. “I was worried that you were going to-wait…wait, hold on.” The boy looked up at him, hope starting to grow in teal eyes. “You’re…not mad?”

Levi paused, giving the question all the thought it deserved before replying. Eren had come into his home, cried everywhere and burned his carpet. Not exactly your average guest.

“No.” Levi said truthfully, giving a little shrug. “No, I’m not mad. A little freaked, maybe, but not mad.”

Eren’s face looked relieved and excited all at the same time and Levi wondered if it made the kid’s brain hurt to feel so many things at once.

“That’s…that’s good.” The brunette murmured, smiling at the floor. “Better than good, it’s fantastic but…I really thought you were going to be mad.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t assume so much and have a little faith in people.” The raven murmured, thinking back to Hanji saying similar things to him over the years. He shrugged. “Honestly, it’s a relief just to know that you’re not a psychotic nutcase escaped from the loony bin.”

“I’m so glad!” Eren exhaled in a relieved rush, his hands balling into fists in his little fit of excitement.

The raven smirked at the brunette’s total disregard for thinking on others’ words and arched an eyebrow at him. “Oh? Why’s that?”

“Because now I can keep you!” The boy announced happily.

“Oh.”

Oh yeah. Oh shit. Levi had completely forgotten about the brat’s conditions from their previous conversation at the café, but the words came rushing back to him now…

“Option one: I tell you and you react to it well, in which case I keep you. Option two: I tell you and you react…badly…in which case I cannot allow you to live.”

Levi’s palm came up to connect with his forehead, the smack from the contact seeming to echo around the room. Meanwhile Eren was still beaming and bouncing like a kid on Christmas, completely oblivious to the raven’s disfavour.

“This has been the best trip ever!” The brunette exclaimed, still bouncing.

“Yay…” Levi muttered monotonously, staring towards the kitchen in a moment of contemplation as he considered the situation he was now in.

On the bright side…at least Hanji would get her wish. Levi had found a person who, apparently, there was no escape from. But he could talk to Eren…and the kid was honest. Apart from the obvious downside of Eren having no qualms about killing, things weren’t looking too bad. He might as well embrace the situation.

Levi glanced over at Eren, trying to catch the brunette’s gaze. “So what does it mean for me? If you’re…keeping me?”

Eren’s smile didn’t waver as he looked up. “Well for a start, you get to live.”

The raven blinked once. “Wonderful. What about the rest?”

The boy just shrugged in nonchalance, too happy to care it seemed. “There will be plenty of time to go over the details later. Just let me have my moment.”

“Moment, schmoment. It’s my life you’re crashing here.” Levi muttered while the boy gave a pleased hum from his spot on the carpet.

The raven cast a weary glance at the clock in the kitchen, his eyes widening as he noticed the time. It was already seven-thirty! The time had passed so quickly after everything that had happened and suddenly Levi felt every one of the day’s long hours start to weight him down.

He yawned, muffling the sound against the back of his hand. “Speaking of crashing, you’ve been in town for a while at least, right?” The raven-haired man ventured, suddenly feeling quite drowsy.

Eren look up at him, his smile faltering. “Yeah…”

“And where have you been staying so far?”

“Here and there.” The brunette admitted, albeit sheepishly.

Levi stared at him. “Oh great. So you’re a stray. I let a stray into my flat.”

The deadpan expression and bored tone didn’t seem to register as sarcasm to the brunette, who narrowed his eyes. It really was too easy to mess with this kid. Eren glared up at him, tail twitching in irritation as the pair engaged in a mini-staring competition. Levi remained unmoving, completely still with his face perfectly blank, waiting for the brunette to snap first under the steadily growing tension. Naturally, Eren was the first to break the silence, setting off a rapid-fire burst of insults.

“Meany.”

“Baby.”

“Grouch.”

“Guilty as charged.”

More glaring before Eren exhaled through his nose and let his head fall forward to bump against Levi’s knee. The raven didn’t push him away, so the brunette stayed like that and for a moment there was comfortable silence.

“Can I…stay here?”

Levi had been anticipating the question, but the man still made a face when it came, wrinkling his nose at the thought. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea…”

The boy lifted his head quickly, instantly starting to beseech the other man.

“Please, Levi? I’ll be good. I can be good, I swear. I’ll do what you say and I’ll be quiet. I can even help out! Please?”

Eren hugged Levi’s leg, tail swishing eagerly from side to side as wide pleading teal orbs implored. Levi rolled his eyes at the display, staring blankly over at the balcony and hearing Eren’s litany of ‘please, please, Levi? Pretty please?’ as he sighed.

“If I say yes…” Levi paused as Eren’s face brightened and his tail swished even more violently in excitement, “I haven’t yet, but if I do…what guarantee can you give me that you won’t try to smother me in the night?”

The brunette couldn’t seem to stop the short laugh that escaped his throat, but he made up for it by instantly looking repentant.

It was a fair question and frankly the only real reason Levi could think of that was stopping him from just giving in and letting Eren stay. He didn’t want to be lonely forever and if that meant that he had to step out of his comfort zone then so be it.

“Have you ever thought of locking your door?” The brat offered, smirking.

“Cheeky little shit. You’re going to have to do better than that.”

A frustrated whine left the boy and his tail thumped lightly against the floor. “I’ve already told you that I won’t hurt you. Or at least, I’ll try my very best not too.”

Levi looked the brunette in the eyes sternly, searching for any sign that he could be making the wrong decision. Eren had already made it clear that he wanted to stay around Levi, even going so far as ‘keeping’ him, whatever the hell that even meant. It wouldn’t make sense for the brat to go to all that trouble only to hurt his prize.

“Fine.” Levi answered at last, quickly moving on. “But only because I don’t want to be the one responsible for some kid…demon…whatever, sleeping on the street.” He lied, leaving out the part about him being an anti-social loner. “There will be conditions, though. You can stay, but tomorrow you, mister, will be answering a lot of questions.”

Eren nodded vigorously, letting an excited sound escape his throat as he hugged the shorter man’s leg and practically tripped over a string of ‘thank yous’.

“Yeah, yeah, hurray. Whatever. Now get off.” Levi commanded, prying the brunette from his limb as he rose from the sofa. “You are going to go get cleaned up while I find some place for you to sleep.”

“Huh? What do you mean, ‘get cleaned up’?”

Levi fixed Eren with a stare, grey eyes travelling up and down the boy before settling on his face.

“Brat. I don’t know where the hell you’ve been. All I know is that you’ve killed at least one person and it’s very likely that you’ve been living in the streets so shut up, don’t argue and go get your ass in the shower right now.”

Eren hesitated, frowning. “Shower?”

“Good God…” Levi muttered, running a hand over his face and up through his hair, “for the love of fuck, please tell me you know what a shower is?”

At the boy’s head shake Levi threw his hands into the air and let out a frustrated growl.

“Of course, of course you don’t. Fine, whatever. It’s not like this was going to be anywhere near normal anyway, we might as well step over what boundaries are left. Follow me.”

Grabbing Eren by the arm, towing the brat through the living room and into his own room, shoving him towards the bathroom.

“Eren, meet shower. Shower, this is Eren. You two are going to become very closely acquainted so get used to the idea.”

Eren took a dubious glance at the white tiled room that was Levi’s bathroom.

“What do I-?”

“You go in there-no! You take your clothes off first, idiot. Wait until I’m gone! Don’t just start stripping!”

After explaining and then demonstrating how to operate the shower, Levi left Eren to go and search for some extra blankets.

Levi only had a small apartment. It had been perfect for himself, but all of a sudden the place seemed smaller than it had ever done before. There was the kitchen, living room and dining room all conjoined and a single bedroom with a balcony. The living room also had a balcony, this one a little larger, which was accessible through a set of glass sliding doors. Other than the bathroom and a small laundry room, that was it.

Having no guestroom or any other means to make another bed, Eren would have to deal with sleeping on the couch. At any rate, it had to be better than sleeping outside in the streets. If the kid had any complaints to make, Levi could always lock him out on the balcony for the night.

The raven turned upon hearing the sound of the bathroom door opening, ready for whatever report the brat would have to make about the wonders of the shower when-

“Jesus Eren!” Levi exclaimed, spinning on the spot and slapping a hand over his eyes. “Put some goddamned clothes on!”

“But I don’t have-”

“Then grab a towel!” The raven growled over his shoulder. “For fucks sake, warn me next time you’re going to just wander out and flash me!”

The next time Eren emerged he was safely wrapped in a towel, much to the relief of the raven-haired man. Levi lent Eren some pyjamas until they could figure out something better and then pushed the brat onto the sofa.

“Eren, couch. Couch, Eren. Okay, introductions complete. Goodnight.”

Levi turned on his heel, marching across the room and flicking off the light in the kitchen, throwing the adjoining rooms into darkness.

“L-Levi?”

“What?”

A pause.

“Thank you.”

“Go to sleep, brat.”

Levi moved past the sofa and disappeared into his room, closing the door behind him. He stared at the lock for a long moment, wondering if he should take Eren’s advice from earlier and lock the door tonight. He turned the lock, hearing it click shut.

Out in the living room, the brunette heard the sound too.

Eren sighed.

Such a response was only natural, the boy supposed, but rubbed a hand over his heart anyway. The demon took a moment to look around himself. This was more than he had ever expected from his human. Nestling further into the cushions, the brunette closed his eyes. Maybe Levi wasn’t so mean after all. Eren knew now that he was fond of the petite raven and he thought that maybe, just maybe under all that snark and moody exterior, Levi was fond of him too.

“Goodnight, Levi!”

“Shut up, Eren.”

But maybe it would take a little more time for him to show it.

Chapter Text

“The shadow is darkest over those who feel it least and allow its evil effects to go on.” – Pearl Ne E.

***

Pain.

Not an unusual thing to feel after walking smack into your own bedroom door, but unexpected nonetheless. Levi groaned, glaring down at the doorknob and wondering in his still hazy mind why he had thought that locking his door had been a good idea.

Switching the lock back, the raven turned the handle and pushed on the door.

Resistance. Not just a little bit either.

Levi leant more of his weight against the wood but the damned door still didn’t budge. At this point the raven-haired man was starting to get irritated, still slowly waking up. Bracing himself, he pushed his shoulder against the door and shoved, pushing until the wood moved. It was a slow process and Levi didn’t wait to get the whole door open. As soon as he had a sizeable gap, the raven squeezed through enough to see what was in the way.

Oh. That was why.

On the other side of Levi’s bedroom door lay a figure, curled up and draped in a mess of blankets and sofa cushions.

So that whole shenanigan about inviting the brat into his home hadn’t been another of his messed up dreams? Darn.

With a sigh, Levi lent against the door and pushed harder, shoving the brunette along the floor until there was enough space for him to squeeze out of his room. He stumbled a little when he tripped on one of the cushions, cursing quietly and turning to see if he’d woken the brat.

Eren just made a sleepy sound and hugged his blankets closer, tail twitching slightly in his sleep. Levi’s face smoothed out of its little begrudging scowl as he regarded the kid. The brunette looked peaceful enough so the raven decided to let him be for a while longer.

Padding out further into the living room, Levi noticed his tripod still set up from the day before.

“Shit.”

Cursing under his breath, Levi ran a hand over his face. He had forgotten to film again. At this rate it would serve him right if Mike fired him.

Today. Today he would get it done…after Eren answered a few questions.

Moving into the kitchen, Levi set about making himself a cup of coffee. A few minutes later, Levi returned to his doorway with his caffeine in hand.

Amazingly Eren was still soundly asleep, nestled deeply in his mound of blankets. How he’d managed to ignore all the noise from the kitchen, Levi did not know.

“Oi.” The raven muttered, rubbing his eye and nudging the brat with his foot. “Wake up.”

Eren’s eyes flashed open, alarm written clearly on the boy’s face as he jerked upright with a sleepy groan. The brunette scampered in a panicked half-circle before spotting Levi and taking in his surroundings. It seemed as though both of them hadn’t believed the situation.

A drowsy little smile spread on Eren’s face and he stretched, tail stiffening out behind him along with the rest of his muscles as the boy arched his back.

“Morning.” The brunette relaxed with a little sigh, flopping back down onto the blankets.

Levi blinked at him. “Really? You sleep through the kettle boiling a few feet away but wake up after one little tap?”

The brunette made a lethargic sound and attempted to shrug, failing in his stretched out position.

The raven clicked his tongue, foot tapping against the carpet. “Who said you could put my cushions on the floor?”

Eren blinked up at Levi before glancing down at the cushions in question and opening his mouth. “I-”

“That’s right, no one said that.” The raven cut him off, not in the mood for any of the brat’s excuses so soon after waking up. “Go dust them off and put them back. Pronto.”

The brunette watched Levi pad over to the kitchen, still dressed in his pyjamas. He looked different in his sleepy state, soft and warm without his usual sharp comments. Not wanting to irk this drowsy specimen, Eren hurried to carry the sofa cushions to the balcony and beat out any dust before gingerly returning them to their place on the couch.

“Are you hungry?” The raven mumbled from the kitchen, bent over to glance into the fridge.

Eren looked over, noticing the idle way in which Levi scratched at his stomach. The dark material of his pyjama shirt rose up with the action, revealing a little glimpse of pale skin and the delightful ripple of muscle as the smaller male straightened to cast a bored look over at the brunette.

“Um…” Eren mumbled, trying to remember the question.

Thankfully Levi didn’t seem to notice his ogling, blinking sleepily back towards the fridge. “I only have eggs, consider it a warning.” The raven muttered, reaching in to snatch up the carton in question. “Complain and I’ll dangle you from the balcony by your ankles.”

“O-Okay.”

Suddenly the food didn’t seem quite so interesting, as much as appeasing the man making it.

Levi made scrambled eggs and toast, mixing in a little cheese but other than that not really trying anything too fancy. The raven had an odd feeling that Eren was watching him as he moved about the kitchen but whenever he turned, the brat would be looking somewhere else.

It was some trippy shit, especially first thing in the morning.

Eren learned about the wonders of the toaster. Levi spared a few moments to tell the boy more about it after the kid had nearly jumped out of his skin when the toast shot up out of the slots.

“Holy shit!” Eren exclaimed, eyes wide as he ducked behind the bench. Teal eyes peeped over the top of the counter. “Did you see that?”

“Relax, brat. It’s breakfast, not an assassin.”

Slowly the brunette re-emerged, rounding the bench and edging in for a closer look.

“Will you show me how it works?”

“Maybe tomorrow.”

Eren gave a sly little chuckle at the comment. “So I’ll still be here tomorrow?”

Levi rolled his eyes at the kid’s cheeky tone.

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“On how many stupid questions you ask me.”

By the time breakfast was ready and the pair of them had sat at the table, the clock in the kitchen read 9:42am. Eren sat inspecting his food, taking tentative bites here and there. Levi regarded him over the rim of his cup, a fresh batch of coffee washing over his tastebuds. As happy as the brunette seemed to be, apparently he was still smart enough to be cautious. That was something that the raven could respect.

Normally the raven would eat his first meal of the day in total silence, but with company around it seemed like as good a time as any to start asking his questions. Eren had nearly finished his food anyway.

“Alright,” Levi said suddenly, causing the brunette to jump a little, “lay the deal on me. What exactly have I gotten myself into here?”

Eren blinked at him across the table. “Huh?”

The raven’s grey eyes narrowed a fraction and he pointed at the kid with his fork.

“Don’t,” he muttered in warning, “you said you were going to talk. So talk.”

The brunette sighed. “Okay. What do you want to know?”

The raven paused, glancing away as he began to sift through a range of questions in his head. The boy ate the last few bites of his egg as Levi thought for a moment.

“Anything you can tell me.” The raven decided at last, looking back to Eren. “What are you doing here? Why do we keep running into each other? What are your intentions now that you’re here and I know what you are? I want to know everything.”

“Everything?”

Levi nodded once. “I don’t like surprises.”

The brunette smiled a little at that, chuckling. “That suits you.”

Another flickering glare as Levi held up a finger. “Uh-uh, no flirting.” The raven scolded, and then hesitated. “Not until I have a little clarity, anyway.”

Bright eyes flickered up playfully at the comment Levi had tacked on at the end, but Eren relented at the raven’s stern glare.

“Okay, okay.” The brunette snickered lightly, glancing down at the table as he steepled his hands together, resting his elbows on either side of his plate. “I’ll try to behave myself.”

“Ha.” The raven gave a single dry laugh at the suggestion.

Eren’s eyes flashed impishly but he let the comment slide in favour of answering. “First of all, I’m just as confused as you are about why we keep crossing paths.” The boy shrugged. “It’s a mystery to me as well.”

Levi cast a dubious glance at the brat, scooping up another bit of egg. “I don’t believe you.”

Eren chuckled at that, like he’d expected the answer, and moved right along. “As far as being here goes, I’m kind of in hiding.”

That comment caught Levi’s attention and he looked up with a frown.

“In hiding?” He prompted, hoping for further detail.

Eren just nodded. “I guess that’s the best way to describe it.”

Apparently it wouldn’t be quite such an easy thing for the raven to have his questions answered. Eren was happy to talk, but it was becoming clear that the boy also wanted Levi to work a little for his information. It was only fair.

Levi played along. “What could you be hiding from?”

The pleased glint in Eren’s eyes was impossible to miss and Levi was certain that he had done something right.

The brunette gave a little shrug, glancing off to one side. “The same kinds of things that your kind would hide from.” He answered, looking back to Levi with a small smile. “We’re not all that different in that respect. Some trouble went down back home so I came here to lie low until things blow over.”

Not so different after all. Eren sounded like any teenager you might find on the street, aside from his lack of knowledge concerning household appliances.

“Right.” Levi nodded. “I guess that explains why you’re ‘blending in’.” The raven glanced up. “What kind of trouble?”

“Nothing I can’t handle, not to worry.” Eren assured him.

Levi didn’t feel quite so assured as the boy might have hoped.

“I’m entitled to worry if I want.” The raven uttered. “There’s a demon from hell sitting at my table.”

“Surely you should feel honoured?” The brunette laughed jokingly. “How many of your race can say that they’ve exchanged conversation with a demonic being over breakfast?”

Levi scoffed. “Honestly, I wish I was one of the poor fuckers who didn’t know you existed.”

The brat went quiet for a moment and Levi looked up curiously to see what had caught his attention. But Eren wasn’t distracted, just a little disheartened by the raven’s words, it seemed.

“Sorry.” The boy mumbled, eyes downcast.

Levi hated the twinge of guilt that tweaked in his chest, but that didn’t make the feeling go away. The raven experienced one of the rare moments where he wished his pride wouldn’t stop him from apologising. But to say he didn’t mean the words would be a lie, and even Eren didn’t deserve that.

“Don’t worry about it.” Levi murmured instead, lifting one shoulder in a little shrug. “It’s not like we can go back and change anything, I can live with that. Things were simpler before, but I didn’t mean that you’re…arrival…made things worse. Just different.”

“Levi?”

“Hm?”

“Do you hate me?”

Grey eyes flicked up to look at the dejected looking brunette. What was with this kid and all the personal questions? As extraordinary as their situation was, they still barely knew one another. If the raven was honest, he wasn’t a hundred percent sure of the answer himself, Levi opted for the truth once again.

“I don’t really know how I feel about you, brat.”

An honest answer for an honest kid. For now, it was the best that Levi could do. Everything was still so raw, so new with them, that the raven felt as if treading water was the only way for him to stay afloat.

Surprisingly, Eren managed a smile, glancing up. “I’ll see what I can do to change that.”

It was a start.

“Good luck with that.” Levi muttered, taking a sip of coffee.

He may have sounded blunt and unfeeling, but in truth the raven was glad that the brunette seemed to have cheered up a little. While he didn’t like what that could mean for his feelings towards the brat, he could be relieved that at least Eren didn’t look like a kicked puppy anymore.

Eren gave a little hum and continued. “As for my intentions…obviously since you know what I am, you’re a threat.” The boy smiled lazily, leaning forward a little. “Naturally I’ll be staying quite close by to ensure that you don’t go blabbing my secrets to anyone.”

Levi groaned and rolled his eyes. “Why would I?” He countered. “Do you have any idea how little people care nowadays? If I ran out screaming that there was a demon in my apartment, I’d be taken straight to an asylum and locked up for the rest of my miserable life.” The raven scoffed as he picked up his cup. “Trust me when I say you’re secret is safe.”

All at once, the brunette’s smile grew brighter. “Excellent.” He cheered, clapping his hands together once. “That makes things much easier.”

The raven arched an eyebrow, taking a sip of coffee and making a face when he found it had grown cold. “Oh?” He muttered around the bitter taste in his mouth.

“Yes.” The boy leaned back in his chair, resting his hands in his lap. “If I know I can trust you then we can have a lot more fun with this.”

Levi’s eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms. “Right…and does that have anything to do with you keeping me?”

“Yes.” The boy grinned.

The raven remained stoic and calm. “Like a pet or something?”

Eren gave a snort. “Kind of.” He chuckled at the thought. “It’s a similar concept I suppose.”

“Great.” Levi deadpanned, letting out a sigh. “Hurray for me.”

If Eren picked up on Levi’s less than thrilled attitude, he did a marvellous job of ignoring it.

“Don’t worry;” the boy all but cooed over at him, “it shouldn’t change your life too much.”

“What a relief.”

Eren waved off the monotonous reply. “I’ll let you know any other details as they come up.”

“Marvellous.” Levi responded, scooping up his fork again. “Okay, so what about normal food? That people have. Do you have to eat it?”

Eren gave a sheepish chuckle and scratched behind his ear. “It’s nice and all but doesn’t really do anything to sustain me. I can still eat it.”

Levi swallowed his mouthful, steely eyes never leaving the boy. “But it doesn’t make any difference?”

The brunette shook his head and stretched. “I don’t strictly need to have food, but I can still taste it. It isn’t necessary for my survival though, no.”

The raven-haired man paused in his eating to shoot the boy a dubious look. “Right. So making you breakfast was a complete waste of time, then?”

Eren sent him a repentant smile, nudging the raven’s leg with his foot under the table by way of an apology. “I can still appreciate the effort.”

The raven rolled his eyes and stabbed another piece of egg with his fork.

Letting Eren’s words roll around in his head for a moment; Levi recalled their conversation from the café and grey eyes sought blue-green.

“So you…” Levi paused, trying to collect his thoughts, “you eat…”

Eren picked up on the raven’s suggestion, finishing the trailed off sentence.

“Humans.”

Suddenly Levi didn’t feel quite so hungry anymore. He set the fork back down and pushed his plate away, watching as Eren pulled it over to finish the food for him. How ironic. The brunette smiled as he stacked the two empty plates, setting the cutlery on top.

“I still find that a little difficult to believe.” Levi managed after a long moment.

“Why’s that?”

“Because look at you! Well, it doesn’t really count now with the teeth and what not. But before, when I thought you were, you know, human, you looked like you couldn’t have hurt a fly even if you’d wanted to.”

Eren smiled brightly. “Was that a compliment?”

“What? No!” A pause. “Maybe…” Levi looked away, diverting his gaze off to one side with a curse. “Shut up!”

The brunette just laughed quietly to himself. “Well then, I think that’s enough for one day.”

Levi looked back at the boy and blinked. “Wait, that’s it? How was that everything?”

“It isn’t,” The boy confirmed with a shake of his head, “not by a long shot, but I find that it’s best to dish out information like this in short intervals. It’ll give you time to absorb everything.”

The raven narrowed his eyes at the brat, glowering for good measure. “Hrmph.”

Levi got up, collecting the plates and ignoring the amused chuckle that came from Eren as he marched into the kitchen to put the plates into the dishwasher.

“What’s that?”

Levi turned, jumping a little when he found Eren right beside him. The brunette offered a smile, but he pouted a little when the raven took a step back to place some distance between them. The boy pointed, directing Levi’s attention back to the front.

“Oh. That’s a dishwasher. It pretty much does what its name says.” The raven-haired man said with a shrug. “It’s quicker than washing by hand.”

“Tell me more.”

“First, I need to get changed.”

The rest of the morning was spent leading an excitable Eren all over the flat and demonstrating the use of each thing that the brunette didn’t understand. For the most part Levi felt that the whole process was unnecessary and a little annoying, but Eren’s reactions were almost worth the effort.

Levi snorted when Eren managed to smack himself in the face with the microwave door, and again when he caused an avalanche of brooms to descend after opening the supply cupboard in the laundry room.

“Who even has that many brooms?”

“I do.”

Levi couldn’t help but chuckle at the brat’s pouting as he mumbled something inaudible, rubbing his head where the broomstick had struck him. The brunette cheered up considerably after the raven hauled him up off the floor and ruffled the kid’s hair a little before turning his attention to the scattered brooms.

At 1:30 Levi had to call the boy’s fun to an end.

“Alright, that’s enough for now.” The raven announced, heading for the living room. “I have a video to make.”

“A what?” Eren asked, trailing after him.

“You’ll see.” Levi replied, turning on his heel and smirked as the brunette nearly tripped over trying to stop himself from crashing into the raven.

Steadying hands caught the boy’s shoulders, setting him back on his feet.

“Brat.” Levi muttered with a little chuckle, flicking Eren between the eyes. “Now be quiet and go sit over there. No talking until I say you can; I don’t want your voice piping up in the middle of filming.”

Levi guided the brunette over to a space on the carpet by the TV, instructing him once again to be as quiet as humanly (or in this case, demonly) possible. The raven went to check out his camera, giving the lens a wipe down and making sure that everything was in proper order before pressing the record button.

Eren looked on from a safe distance as the raven sat himself down on the sofa, now cleared of all blankets and with the cushions set back in their proper place, and began to talk to himself.

Strange.

Levi’s eyes were mostly focused on the little device perched upon what had been described to Eren as a ‘tripod’. He wondered greatly what the little stand was for, especially after all the times he had been threatened with it.

Levi didn’t move from the sofa…in fact he didn’t move much at all apart from subtle shifts and the occasional flick of his wrist whenever he moved to brush hair out of his eyes. There were quite a few differences between Levi and Eren that the boy could spot from where he sat. First of all, while Eren often had a hard time keeping still and looked around at everything, Levi remained in the same position for quite some time as he spoke. Other than his lips moving as he spoke and the occasional shift in facial expressions, Levi hardly moved.

From his place on the floor, Eren listened to the raven speak. He didn’t really take in many of the words, focusing more on the tone Levi had. His voice was quite intriguing; it held a strange authority and yet the man barely had to raise his voice from its usual quiet tone. Most of the time the smaller man sounded like he didn’t really care much about what was happening around him, much like his limited range in facial expressions, but his eyes held contradiction. Gunmetal grey and yet oddly translucent, like if you looked hard enough you could stare right through him. Those watchful orbs were always sharp, always taking in details, and once they had you, you would know that you had every last bit of their attention.

They were timeless eyes, Eren realised. The kind one would expect to see in an old painting. Clear like water and yet reflecting soft colour. Beautiful…and terrifying in their intensity.

At last, after the longest fifteen minutes of Eren’s existence, the raven-haired man stopped talking and stood up, returning to the camera and holding down a button. Grey eyes flickered over to meet bright blue-green as Levi began to pack away the camera.

“Filming’s over, brat. You can talk again.”

Eren wasted no time in doing just that, blurting out the first coherent questions he could form. “What was all that? Who were you talking to?”

“The camera.” Levi explained, looking up and over at Eren with a little frown. “I thought I explained this earlier, before the broom incident?”

Eren glanced off to one side. “I might have been a little distracted…”

“By what?”

“…nothing.” Definitely not the sight of Levi having to stand on his toes to reach the top cupboard when he was putting the clean dishes away. Nope. “Would you tell me again? Please?”

Grey eyes narrowed in suspicion but Levi continued all the same. “Ugh. Fine, this thing here,” Levi held up the camera as he freed it from the tripod, “records images. So everything that I said back there will be on here, stored in its memory. Now all I have to do is put the video onto my computer, edit the shit parts and voilà.”

Eren stared between Levi and the camera for a moment. “Right.”

Levi shot him a blank look. “Tell me you understood at least some of that?”

“Yeah, some of it I got.”

The raven rolled his eyes. “I’ll show you more when I edit.”

Eren smiled at that, loping over on all fours to sit by the sofa. Levi glanced back at him, picking up the tripod and holding it over one shoulder as he appraised the boy’s form.

At last he spoke his mind. “You’re not going to look like that all the time, are you?”

“Why?” Eren stretched out before crawling up onto the couch. “Does it bother you?”

“No…it’s fine.” The raven answered, giving a nonchalant shrug. “But what if somebody sees you?”

The brunette seemed to think about that for a moment, his brow creasing slightly in concentration. And then his face brightened in a way that had Levi instantly worried.

“We could always-”

“Eren, if you are about to suggest that we kill someone just because they’ve seen you then I am going to have to beat you to death with this tripod.”

The brunette laughed, holding his hands up in defence when Levi glowered at him.

“Sorry, sorry.” Eren forced out between giggles. “The imagery made me laugh.”

Through the bout of snickering, a thought occurred to the raven. “Would that work?” He asked suddenly.

“What?” Eren looked up, still grinning away. “You beating me to death?” The grin turned wry. “What a charming question.”

“I’m just curious.” Levi assured the boy, carrying the tripod over to where he normally set it down behind the TV.

He turned, dusting his hands as he made his way back towards the sofa, but paused at the look on Eren’s face.

Teal eyes flashed as a sly smile curved the boy’s lips. “Planning to murder me?”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Levi found himself saying, shocking himself when he realised that he meant it, “but I am curious about your level of mortality.”

Eren considered the words, rolling his shoulders in a shrug. “I’m not mortal. So no, you couldn’t beat me to death.”

Levi nodded, absorbing the new information. “But it would still hurt?” He pried further, padding closer to the sofa.

“It could.” The brunette answered, taking on the tone that he got when he had to choose his words carefully. “I have two…modes, shall we say.” Eren explained slowly, giving Levi adequate time to think on his words. “I can either experience no feeling whatsoever or a whole lot of everything. It’s interesting.”

Levi found himself frowning at the words, not quite sure if he understood correctly. “You mean you can just…turn off pain?”

“Not exactly.” Eren made a face, as if his next words would be hard to explain. “It’s not just pain, it’s…everything. It’s another of the limitations designed to keep my kind more…vulnerable I suppose.”

“Vulnerable?” Levi enquired, taking a seat on the arm of the sofa.

Eren nodded, drumming his fingers against the cushions in a beat without rhythm. “When I choose not to feel, that deprives me of every touch, taste and sensation.” The brunette’s eyes took on a strange almost hazy quality; teal orbs unfocused like he was recalling a memory. “I would still be able feel the pressure if someone touched me, but there wouldn’t be any feeling. No accompanying sensation. You could stab me and all I would feel is the push.”

“Yikes.” The smaller male murmured.

He noticed with relief that Eren’s eyes seemed clearer again and the drumming of his fingers ceased.

“Before…I’ve never had a reason to really feel anything. It’s mostly barren charred earth and hellfire over the other side anyway. Who’d want to feel that? But here you have so much to experience. It’s a little overwhelming. When I feel, it’s like nothing you could know and that’s disorienting. Hence, choosing to experience the senses renders my kind vulnerable.”

Levi listened to Eren talk as he went to fetch his laptop from his room. The raven sat himself down on the floor in front of the sofa, letting the brunette take the couch. The boy lay on his stomach with his feet swinging up behind him in the air, and his tail hung down off the lounge to curl about Levi’s feet. Eren had a lot of stories to tell, and he was more than willing to describe every little detail about sensory deprivation with the raven.

“So you can’t taste anything?”

“Not when I’m deprived, no.”

“But what does nothing taste like?”

A pause.

“Think about how your mouth normally tastes. It’s like that, but with everything.”

“Gee, how exciting.”

“Yeah.”

Eren had his own questions to ask as the raven arranged clips of his video, cutting off the first part of the recording.

“Why’d you do that?”

“Because no one needs to see me walk on like a total noob and sit down.”

“I like that part.”

“Tough luck, it’s going.”

“Aw.”

The moments of silence were few and far between for once, but when the quiet did envelope them it was comfortable. Unlike with most company that Levi had experienced, there was no pressure to talk with Eren, no need to fill up the silence.

“What about smell?” The raven asked.

A gentle hum came from the brunette and Levi stiffened slightly as he felt the soft graze of fingers brush his hair.

“I can still smell,” Eren spoke up before Levi could scold him, “but scents are categorised into different levels of energy rather than their actual smell. It comes in very handy.”

Levi frowned, feeling his brow furrow as he typed away. “What do you mean? You can’t smell energy.”

“No, you can’t smell energy.” Eren corrected. “I can. It’s how demonic creatures can discern what can and can’t help them to gain power.”

“Explain.”

A sigh. “Well…it’s kind of like static; an electric kind of burn that signifies a creature’s inner strength. That’s how I would be able to tell if another creature like myself could present a threat.”

“How so?”

“If it has a stronger…let’s say flavour…than me, then I should avoid it and bide my time. But if it’s weaker, then I can consume it and take its energy.”

“Cool.”

“Damn right.”

It was 3:45 by the time the raven had finished editing and then uploading his video, exchanging disjointed conversation with Eren all the while. It was nice to simply spend time with another person, just chatting. Even if the things Levi was hearing made his brain hurt a little.

After spending several hours answering questions sent in by students and replying to some emails from Mike, it was growing dark outside. The laptop was shut down and stored away in Levi’s room and the raven set about searching for some food after his stomach reminded him that neither he nor Eren had eaten since breakfast.

The fridge was still looking rather empty so Levi ordered Chinese, feeling more than a little lazy that particular evening, and the pair ate in amiable silence.

Once dinner had concluded, Levi showered and then shoved the brunette into the bathroom as well, making sure that Eren understood that this would be a daily routine. Once they were both clean, Eren leaped back onto the sofa and the raven turned on the TV for him. He was ready to go and look for a book to read when a hand caught his sleeve.

Eren glanced up at the smaller male with wide eyes and a little smile. “Sit with me?”

Levi rolled his eyes at the brunette’s pleading expression.

“Stop with the eyes, already. Geez.”

He gave in quickly, however, trudging to the sofa and sitting at the end left vacant. As soon as he was seated, Eren moved. Levi watched the brat give a yawn, stretching and crawling back across the cushions to flop across the raven’s legs.

Levi looked down as the brat made himself comfortable, shifting so that he was laying on his side with his head in the smaller man’s lap.

Great.

The raven scowled at the television, not really paying attention to the movie playing. Instead he focused on the sound of Eren breathing and the gentle shift that came with each breath he took. It felt strange, both totally foreign and painfully familiar. This sort of thing hadn’t happened to him since high school; not since he’d been the one in Eren’s place.

It hurt…but at the same time it didn’t.

Eren wasn’t Erwin. He wouldn’t bring the same kind of pain and Levi had to believe that. They stayed like that for a long time and at some point Levi dozed off. Eren nestled himself closer to the raven, turning off the TV in favour of watching the smaller male as he slept.

A strange possessiveness washed over the brunette as he ran a feather light touch over the other man’s hair, tracing down past the gentle pulse that could be felt in Levi’s temple and eventually coming to rest against the man’s chest.

Eren’s eyes flared a little, near glowing in the darkness as the boy settled to sleep.

“You’re mine.”

Chapter Text

“You let me know everything’s alright and I’m hooked on a feeling…” – Blue Swede.

***

Movement, followed by an odd warmth.

Levi could feel himself rising slowly from his state of sleep…but why? Where was he?

There was a strange and foreign weight laying on him…and it moved.

Levi jerked upright with a garbled sound of panic, managing to send Eren tumbling off the sofa. The brunette landed on the carpet with a squeak, rolling onto his back and sitting up.

Both males looked at one another, eyes wide and clouded with the haze of sleep.

“Wha-” Eren paused to yawn and rub at his eyes. “What the heck was that for?”

Levi blinked once. Twice.

“What the fuck were you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why were you..? Why were we..?”

A very distinguishable look of ‘oh fuck’ crossed Eren’s features. “You fell asleep.” The boy offered, scrambling for words for a moment. “And I-I didn’t want to wake you so I just…I left you and then I got tired and-”

Levi waved a hand for Eren to stop, rubbing his own eyes and sighing. “Christ, you couldn’t have at least moved me down the couch a bit?” The raven grumbled. “I slept at a weird fucking angle.”

Eren watched Levi carefully, like he was a dangerous animal that could get spooked or provoked if he moved or spoke too suddenly.

“You’re not…upset?” The boy asked after a moment, both eyebrows raised in surprise.

In all honesty, Levi got why the kid was shocked. Levi hadn’t exactly demonstrated a gentle or understanding personality thus far, it was only natural that the brat would feel jumpy in a situation such as this. True, Levi was a little irritated at having woken up in a panic but he wasn’t pissed.

The raven offered the brunette a shrug. “It could’ve been worse.” He allowed, glancing up at the ceiling for a moment. “But for God’s sake, warn me next time.”

“O-Okay.”

The raven-haired man stretched as Eren got up slowly, the smaller of the two males rolling his shoulder in attempt to work out the kinks.

Levi winced at a twinge in his back.

Fuck. This was why he never slept on the couch. He felt stiff and awful as he got up, ignoring the anxious fidgeting of a certain brunette nearby.

“Levi-”

“I’ll deal with you later.” The raven groaned, stretching. “But first I need a shower.”

Whatever dealing with that Levi had originally planned was quickly thrown aside in favour of finding food when he stepped out of the shower.

Breakfast was pancakes, made with the few ingredients of milk, flour and eggs that Levi had left in his kitchen. Eren got through the shower himself as the raven cooked, granting the smaller man a rare moment of solitude to reflect in.

Levi realised that he hadn’t been solidly alone in several days now. It felt strange just thinking about it, and the more he did dwell on the thought the more he realised that being around company was damned exhausting work.

The brunette re-emerged as the raven was dishing up, not bothering to plate the food separately. Eren had already admitted that he didn’t need food to survive, so Levi wouldn’t dirty any further dishes on his behalf. No sir.

The kid didn’t complain or comment, in fact Eren remained oddly quiet while Levi ate, resting on the sofa and staring up at the ceiling.

The silence was another familiar thing that suddenly seemed so strange. In the raven’s mind, Eren came hand in hand with noise, trailing trouble close behind him. To have the brunette not only silent but behaving made Levi feel like he should be keeping an extra close eye on the kid.

When breakfast was over and the dishes were stacked away in their proper place, Levi got to work planning the details of his first tutorial. He had to write down adequate instructions to accompany the film which he planned to get done in a day or two. Unfortunately for the raven, a certain bright-eyed brat had other ideas.

“Hey, Levi?” Eren piped up at last, still looking up at the ceiling.

No response came and Eren rolled onto his stomach to look over at the raven. The smaller man was writing hastily on some paper, the hand that held a pen moving with strict precision. But Eren would not be so easily deterred.

“Levi! Leeeeeviii…”

“What?”

Finally. The brunette smiled a little in triumph and called over at the other man. “Let’s go somewhere!”

“No.”

“Aw!”

“I said no, Eren.”

“But-”

“Some of us have things to do.”

A frustrated little whine left the brunette’s throat and he slid from the sofa to crawl over towards the table.

“You’ve been sitting there for ages and I’m bored!”

Levi lifted an arm to scowl down at the teal-eyed brat curling around his chair on the floor.

“Go watch the TV and stop pestering me.”

“It’s no fun without you.” Eren pouted, tugging at the raven’s jeans.

“I’m busy.”

“But Levi, I really am bored.” Eren persisted, arms winding about the raven’s leg as he sat up. “Can’t we do something? Please, please?”

“No.”

“Pretty please?” The boy pleaded, resting his chin atop Levi’s knee and bringing out his very best puppy eyes.

“Eren.”

The brunette had a feeling that one last good whine should do the trick. “Pleeease?”

The raven groaned, resting his head against the table. “Fine.” He growled. “Fine, shut up. We can go somewhere.”

“Excellent!” Eren cheered, hugging Levi’s leg closer. “Where are we going?”

“To the supermarket. My fridge is nearly empty.”

If the raven expected anything less than a groan of disappointment, he was sadly mistaken. Eren seemed far more excited than anyone ever should be about going to do grocery shopping, practically vibrating with excitement where he sat. And the kid didn’t even sit there for long, scrambling for the door. Levi shook his head at the bouncing brat as he plopped himself down by the door to get his shoes on.

“We might go to the market, actually.” Levi corrected absently, his eyes roving over the boy’s attire. “I can buy you some proper clothes for a start.”

Eren looked up, confusion written across his features as he glanced down at himself and then at Levi. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

“They’re my clothes.”

The brunette shrugged. “I don’t see your point.”

Eren might not have seen anything wrong with the pyjamas he was wearing, but Levi certainly could. The shirt sleeves didn’t reach Eren’s wrists and Levi couldn’t help but smirk every time he looked at the pyjama bottoms that stopped at the boy’s calves. As hilarious as it might have looked, the brat couldn’t go out in public like that.

Levi sighed, getting up from the table and heading for his room.

“Where are you going?”

“I’ll be back in a sec, don’t worry.”

“Okay.”

The raven rummaged about in his drawers until he found a pair of khakis for Eren to wear and a simple pale grey t-shirt. The shirt would be a little tight but that couldn’t be helped.

Reappearing from his room, Levi waved Eren over.

“Go get changed, you can’t go out in those. And for fuck’s sake, lose the tail.” He added, almost as an afterthought. “It’s cute and all but people might stare.”

Eren smirked but made no comment on Levi’s little compliment.

Instead he loped over to the raven. “Get changed into what?”

“I put some things on the bed for you to wear.” Levi murmured, tilting his head in the direction of his room.

The brunette beamed, ducking past with a ‘thank you’.

The door closed gently and Levi wondered what it would feel like to see Eren looking like a normal human being again. He had already grown accustomed to seeing the brat roaming around with a tail and pointed ears.

It didn’t take the boy as long as expected to change and he emerged with a grin.

Levi did a double take.

The clothes he’d given the kid were nothing to brag about, but the way the brat wore them definitely were. Levi had been right about the shirt being too tight, but damn if Eren didn’t pull it off. The brunette was in better shape than Levi had thought, built with a more subtle, leaner muscle than the raven’s solid form.

It was still nice though…very nice and oh my fuck was that a fucking eight pack or had Levi accidentally smoked some trippy shit before breakfast? The raven swallowed and cleared his throat a little.

Goddamn, maybe the brat really should have just gone out in his pyjamas…

“Is something the matter?”

Oh that smug tone. Levi didn’t even have to look at the kid to know that he was smiling. The little shit.

“Nope. Not at all.”

“So we can go?”

“Yep. In just a second.”

Levi marched into his bedroom and Eren listened to the sound of fabric being shuffled around for a moment before returning. The raven had found him a jacket to wear.

“Put this on and shut up.”

Eren had never looked so pleased with himself.

The moment the brat stepped outside the apartment he seemed brighter, even in his human guise. A charming little smile formed on his face and the kid walked with a light stride, hands behind his back as he strolled beside the smaller male.

The day was bright and sunny, and Eren reflected the weather with his cheery attitude as the pair of them passed through the streets. It felt beyond strange to be bringing another person along such a familiar journey. Walking over the bridge in the park made Eren smile to himself in a way that made Levi more than a little suspicious, but the brunette assured him that there was nothing for him to worry about.

The sidewalk was crowded as the pair drew nearer to the main square and that’s where Levi truly noticed the change that Eren brought.

The kid’s sunny disposition seemed to attract people like mosquitos to light. When people said hello, Eren greeted them right back. It seemed the kid always had a friendly ‘hi’ waiting on his tongue.

Levi still wasn’t used to so many people saying hello of a morning. He was used to the looks, the glances, the murmuring of women who weren’t quite brave enough to speak to him, but his permanent scowl and shady appearance had often kept the on-lookers at bay. With Eren by his side it seemed as though suddenly his appearance counted for nought. Every person and their grandmothers came over to wish them a good morning.

There was a reason that Levi was anti-social. He liked people, he really did, but from a distance. Up close they were far more unpredictable.

It was almost a relief when they finally made it to the store that Levi had in mind; a decent enough establishment where they could find good quality clothes for a fair price.

Finally the raven could escape the crowded walkways and just breathe a little. Eren seemed to sense his discomfort, tugging on his wrist.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Too many people?”

“Mhm.”

Eren remained quiet for the raven as they walked around the store, but Levi felt the gentle grip on his wrist remain as they walked. It was oddly comforting.

That in itself was a weird feeling to be having. Levi hadn’t needed to seek comfort from another person in years. He didn’t push the kid away though.

After a while, Eren worked up the desire to wander off when he believed that Levi had calmed down. The raven kept a close eye on the boy, picking up a few items here and there. Only essential things were selected, a few shirts and some pants, but Eren would need to try some of the items on.

“Oi, Eren, what size are you?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you know?”

“No…but the things I had on before fit pretty well.”

“Right.”

Levi could vaguely recall the clothes Eren had worn when he had first arrived at Levi’s flat. The raven had thrown them straight into the wash when Eren sat them outside the bathroom door. The smaller male went about searching for items of the same size, or close enough, and finally tracked the brunette back down.

Eren was standing near to the dressing rooms. Perfect.

Levi strode over to the boy, latching onto his wrist and dragging him into the little area. Eren made a surprised sound, but followed along when he saw who was towing him. The raven shoved Eren into one of the change rooms and stepped inside as well, drawing the curtain.

Eren turned on the spot, taking in the new surrounds. The raven set down the armload of clothing that he had picked out, reaching out toward the boy.

“Brat, come here.”

“Hmm?” The brunette turned on his heel, eyebrows raised in silent query.

The raven was clearly a little closer than Eren had expected as the kid jumped a little when Levi grabbed his shoulder.

“Hold still for a minute, would you. Gah! Stop squirming!”

“What are you-ack!” Eren’s words cut off sharply as he was pushed back against the dressing room wall by a hand.

Levi held up a dark shirt to the brunette’s chest, humming in thought as he appraised the sight.

“That’s a keeper.”

Next followed a grey shirt, then a white and then a few sweaters that Levi secretly thought Eren would look adorable in.

Eren marvelled as the pile of clothes in the ‘keep’ pile grew steadily. He identified different types of shirts; both long and short sleeved, some button-ups and even a jumper or two as well as some skinny jeans, slacks and sweatpants.

Only three items were taken back, and Eren took the opportunity to rush about in search of some items of his own.

After returning from a little walk around the store, Eren added a pair of shorts to the pile and Levi didn’t say anything. He did raise an eyebrow but the brat just smiled at him and Levi let the brunette have his way.

Next came a shoe store.

The raven selected several sets, ranging from converse to dress shoes, but ultimately it was Eren who decided. They left with only two pairs, some converse and a pair of boots. It was only a short stop, quick and simple, which seemed to be Eren’s favourite kind of visit when out and about in the malls.

He didn’t like to linger long and Levi found himself smirking a little whenever the kid started to complain.

“You’re worse than a toddler, I swear.”

“But we’ve been here for ages, come on! Can we go somewhere new?”

“One last stop.”

“But Leviiiii…”

“Shut up, it’s important.”

“Ugh.”

Eren laughed when they finally arrived at the shop that Levi had been talking about. It was a carpet and rug store.

The brunette snickered behind his hand. “You really meant the bit about the rug?”

“Quiet.” Levi chided under his breath. “You’re the one who burnt my carpet.”

Eren gave a cheery shrug, not in the slightest bit repentant. “You wanted to know what I was.” The kid said matter-of-factly.

“And you didn’t think that maybe you should have mentioned that there would be fire?” Levi rolled his eyes at the boy, elbowing him in the ribs as they walked.

Eren just elbowed him back, smirking. “It would have ruined the surprise.”

“Brat. You already know that I don’t like surprises.”

“What an old sourpuss you are.”

“Shut up before I skin you and use your hide for a rug instead.” Levi deadpanned, casting a sidelong glance over at Eren to see his reaction.

The kid only laughed, smiling playfully. “Now that’s the kind of flirting that I’m used to!”

“Tch. Gross.”

Eren hummed his amusement as the pair entered the store.

They parted ways for a moment, each searching the rows of carpets. Eren smiled as he walked past row after row of brightly coloured fabric, imagining the raven’s reaction should he suggest one of these for the flat. There were some much nicer rugs too, with patterns both simple and wonderful. Some of the mats even had pictures.

“Oi, brat,” the harsh sound of Levi’s voice had Eren turning around to see the shorter man standing behind him, “which one?”

“Hmm?”

The raven was holding a rug in each hand, one a deep and dusty blue and the other a lighter grey.

Eren frowned.

“They’re a bit dreary, don’t you think?” He said, making a face.

“I’m not looking for any wow-factor, brat.” Levi replied with a click of his tongue. “I’m looking for something that won’t draw too much attention.”

“Why?”

Levi let his arms drop as he scoffed. “Oh, let me think, because I don’t want people to ask about a suspicious looking mat on the floor and then find the massive patch of charred carpet in my living room. How would I explain that, hmm? Oh, that? No, it was just me testing out the new blowtorch I bought to murder my flatmate with.” The raven let out a rush of a sigh and held the two fabrics up again. “I’m letting you pick one of these two, so hurry up and choose.”

Eren picked the grey rug.

“It’s softer.” He reasoned as they left the store, carrying the rolled up piece of carpet on his shoulder.

Levi made an offhand noise, admiring the way the t-shirt Eren was wearing rode up a little to show the tanned skin stretching over muscle with each step the kid took.

“As long as I don’t have to look at that ugly black spot on my floor anymore, I don’t care what it feels like.”

Eren laughed, looking over at the raven. “Don’t be such a grouch.” He chided, inclining his head in the raven’s direction. “Smile for me.”

Levi glanced away, keeping his eyes on the path ahead. “How can I smile with all your annoying chattering?”

Another soft chuckle reached Levi’s ears.

“The store clerk didn’t seem to think I was so bad.” The brunette said, smirking in challenge.

“The store clerk thought we were a couple.” Levi muttered with a shudder.

“Hey.” Eren said indignantly. “No need to make such a disgusted face. Geez, I’m not that awful.”

The smaller man knew that Eren was joking, his tone and the playful little bump of his hip against Levi’s was more than enough of an indication, but he still felt a little twinge of guilt.

“It’s not that, it’s…” Levi sighed, running a hand over his face, “I just haven’t done anything like this in a while.”

“So we are a couple?”

Now Levi rolled his eyes. He should have expected the brunette’s teasing.

“No. Shut up.”

“Haha, never!”

Levi groaned, running a hand over his face. “God, you sound like Hanji.”

“Hanji?” The boy cast a curious glance Levi’s way. “Who’s that?”

“Someone I am never, ever letting you meet.” Levi muttered. “The world isn’t ready.”

Eren laughed and the pair fell into a short silence as they walked along.

Levi carried the bags with Eren’s new clothes while the brunette carried the carpet and his shoes. At some point they would have to go back to the apartment, but Levi didn’t really want to make two trips if they didn’t have to.

And besides, it was just about time to eat.

“Hungry, brat?” The raven muttered, inclining his head to cast a questioning look at the brunette.

Eren flashed him a smile. “More than you know.”

The raven made a face at the cheeky comment, shaking his head when Eren started to laugh.

“What?” The boy said, playing innocent even as he snickered.

“Oh-come on.” The raven chastised. “You can’t just…don’t say things like that, okay?”

Eren’s laughter was muffled, easing off into an amused grin. “Why not?”

“Because it puts me off.”

Levi glanced at the brunette, glowering when he saw the brat holding his tongue between his teeth as he smiled.

“Sure it does.” Eren continued to tease.

“Just shut it, no more weird comments like that.”

Suddenly Eren’s smile grew sly, a look that usually meant some kind of trouble.

“If it makes you so grossed out or whatever, then why are you blushing?”

Trouble indeed.

“I’m not!”

“Liar!”

“Fuck you!”

Levi decided on a sushi bar after Eren had expressed dislike for the idea.

“Shut up. We’re supposed to be talking about food.”

“Well obviously I don’t care.” Eren informed the raven with a shrug, taking a look at the various cafés and food places around them. “Pick whatever you like.”

“Fine. What about…” the raven paused, glancing around. He spotted a sushi place and looked back at the brat, “sushi? Have you tried that?”

Eren arched a slender brow. “No…what is it?”

“Raw fish with rice wrapped in a bit of seaweed.” Levi said straight-faced.

“Ew!”

It was Levi’s turned to laugh now, a proper laugh that didn’t last nearly as long as the brunette would have liked.

“That sounds disgusting.”

“You should have seen your face!”

“I’m not eating it.” Eren argued, crossing his arms as best he could while holding the carpet. “You can’t make me.”

Levi smirked at the brat’s display, watching him shake his head vigorously.

“Just as I thought. Toddler.”

Eren puffed out his cheeks indignantly and Levi started to snicker.

The brunette didn’t find the situation quite as amusing as the raven did, but he didn’t complain because Levi was smiling. Well, smirking really, but it was a start.

Eren did in fact end up trying the sushi and it wasn’t as gross as the description had led him to believe.

“Okay,” Eren acquiesced with a nod as the pair left the sushi bar, “so that wasn’t so bad.”

One side of Levi’s mouth curved up into an amused little half-smirk. “Not so bad at all.”

“Where to now?”

The raven glanced up at the sky. It was past one o’clock now, probably closer to two.

“It’s getting later…we should get the grocery shopping done and then we can head back to the flat.”

“Lead on!”

Eren adored the markets. There were so many colours, so many different things to look at, to pick up and put back. The variety was intriguing and it carried through to the people.

There were people of all sizes, some tall, some short, some fat and others thin. Some wore fearsome scowls on their faces where other’s kept bright smiles. Children raced about the floors, squealing and rejoicing in games of chase and catch.

The brunette seemed to find great amusement in Levi’s meticulous selecting of vegetables, inspecting each and every one until he found the best. Eren soon learned that the raven-haired man was a sucker for fresh ingredients and choosing the correct produce was like an art form to the smaller male.

Levi skilfully weaved his way through the throng of people, glaring with distaste at the children who raced past.

“Little terrors. Where are their parents?”

Eren merely laughed and followed along.

It was nearly three o’clock by the time the pair started to head home.

They must have looked absolutely ridiculous carrying so many different bags all the way back to Levi’s flat. It was a work out and a half and even Levi wasn’t sure if he was going to make it up all the stairs when they finally reached his building.

Handing some of his bags to Eren, Levi managed to fish his keys out of his back pocket and shove the door open. Eren pranced through into the flat, pausing beside Levi as the raven staggered on through.

The door had barely closed behind them when-

“Oh no,” the brunette said suddenly, and when Levi turned to look at the kid Eren was wearing a playful smile, “these bags are suddenly really heavy.”

“Eren, what the fuck?”

The boy made a show of straining under the weight of the bags which hadn’t been a problem all day until now apparently.

“I don’t think I can hold them much longer.”

Levi’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, then widened. “Eren, no.”

“I’m just going to have to-”

“Eren, don’t you dare-oof!”

The brunette dropped his bags and collapsed onto Levi, unbalancing the smaller male and sending them both crashing to the floor. Eren landed on the raven, thoroughly knocking the wind out of the man, and Levi looked up incredulously at the grinning brat.

“My hero, you caught me!”

“Ugh…get off.” The raven wheezed, out of breath from the fall.

Eren got to his feet, hauling the raven-haired man with him and took him to the table to sit down. Eren was far better behaved after that, still grinning like an idiot, but he put every last bit of the shopping away. All Levi had to do was instruct him on where the things went.

Fresh food went straight into the fridge, all of Eren’s clothes were sat on Levi’s bed to be sorted and then washed. The dry foods were arranged into their appropriate cupboards and last but not least, the new rug was set over the burn mark on the floor.

The pale shade of grey created a pleasant accompaniment for the white carpet, nearly matching the grey on the walls.

Eren flopped down to roll onto the new patch of carpet.

“I told you it would be perfect!” The boy grinned, tongue held between his teeth.

“It’s not bad.” The raven admitted.

He got up from the table, stretching, and went over to crouch by Eren where he still lay on the rug.

“Okay, we went somewhere,” Levi muttered, scratching the shorter hair at his nape, “now can you please be quiet for at least…half an hour? After that I don’t care what you do, but I have to get this tutorial sorted, okay?”

“Yes, Sir!”

Eren was good at being quiet, a fact that made Levi smirk to no end. The kid had shut himself out on the balcony and was watching the city, the birds and the people as they went by.

Levi worked from four o’clock to five thirty before he bothered looking in his fridge for some food. It was beyond fantastic to have such a range of selection once more, but in the end the raven settled for simple toasted sandwiches. It had been a long day and he felt exhausted.

Dinner was spent on the sofa, with Eren curled up at the opposite end watching the television until the raven went to wash the dishes. The brunette stared after him, watching the smaller man disappear into his room to shower and waiting for him to come back.

It took longer than expected for the sound of the water shutting off to reach Eren’s ears, but the bedroom door never opened.

Eren settled down into the sofa, content to wait as long as he needed to.

On the other side of the bedroom door, Levi stood. He was already dressed in his pyjamas and ready to go to sleep, and yet instead he was staring at the lock on his door.

It was dark under the door; Eren must have turned off the TV and the kitchen light. Levi wondered if that meant that the brat had gone to sleep already? He stared for a moment longer, reaching out and switching the latch so that the door was locked. Levi flipped off the light switch and climbed into bed, ducking beneath the sheets and laying his head back on the pillows. He lay there for all of five minutes staring at the ceiling, closing his eyes and exhaling in a rush.

The raven swung himself back out of bed, stomped over to the door and turned the lock back again.

The click was quieter going the other way, but Levi didn’t spare too much thought on it as he climbed back into bed and settled against his pillow. For a long while the raven did nothing but listen, feeling his heartbeat thumping loud and fast in his chest as he waited for a sound. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling; it was like a strange mix of fear and anticipation. But as the minutes dragged by and nothing happened, Levi was able to relax and let his eyes drift shut.

Settling to sleep, the raven was pulled into dreams of darkness and tiptoeing shadows, of monsters and fire…of Eren.

“Levi…”

Chapter Text

“Just be yourself. It doesn’t matter if it’s good enough for someone else.” – Jimmy Eat World, The Middle.

***

Warm. It shouldn’t be this warm.

Levi blinked himself awake slowly, trying to figure out why it was so much warmer than he was used to. His dreams had been a rush of dull colours that didn’t make sense and the images faded the more he thought about them.

Attempting to get up, a pressure around his middle tightened and Levi heard a soft, sleepy grumble from behind him. Looking down, he identified the foreign weight about his stomach as a pair of arms. He turned his head and found the brat snuggled against his back, apparently still sleeping soundly.

The raven felt his chest tighten, but out of pain or fondness he could not tell. He remembered waking up the very same way in a very different set of arms, but even then it had never felt this warm. He had never felt warm both inside and out.

“Eren?” Levi tried, his voice sounding rough from just waking up.

Nothing. The raven cleared his throat and tried again.

“Eren. Oi! Wake up, brat!”

Teal eyes flashed open and Eren made a sound of alarm, pulling the raven back against him. “Gah!”

Levi looked down at the brunette with sleepy grey eyes. “What the hell are you doing right now?”

He paused to yawn, the noise coming out in a sound somewhere between a whining puppy and a frustrated groan. Eren stared up at him, transfixed.

“I…um…”

The grey orbs returned, a little sharper now. “Well?”

As always, Eren started scrambling for an explanation. “You looked cold and…and I was tired-”

“Get the fuck off me.”

“Okay, okay! Don’t be angry!”

Levi was not, in fact, angry. He just really didn’t need the brat squeezing him so tightly when he needed to pee. He swung his legs off the bed and got up, padding over to the bathroom and kicking the door shut with his foot.

The mirror revealed to him a fine sight and the raven ran a hand through his mess of bed hair. Levi hopped straight into the shower after relieving himself, emerging from the bathroom wrapped in a towel.

Eren was still perched on his bed, legs tucked underneath him. The raven strode over and flopped down onto the mattress, landing with his head near to Eren’s knees, and he looked up through the damp strands of his hair at the brat.

Levi frowned.

“You haven’t changed back yet.”

Eren was still in his human guise and the brunette glanced away at Levi’s words.

“I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“Brat. We’ve fallen asleep together twice now. I think you’re safe.”

Eren managed a little smile, reaching over with a cool hand to touch Levi’s brow. The tanned digits traced the silver ring adorning the raven’s face and Levi let his eyes slip shut under the attention.

“You should get yourself cleaned up too.”

“I will, in a minute.”

“Tch.”

Several minutes passed in silence.

“What’s on the agenda for today?” Eren enquired, now tracing the shell of Levi’s ear.

“I have a video to make.”

“Ah.”

And thus the morning’s lazing session came to an end.

Eren showered and Levi made breakfast. By the time the kid came back out into the liviing room, Levi was already setting up his camera. The sofa had been pushed back against the wall, creating a larger space in the middle of the flat.

“What’s with that?” Eren gestured to the space.

“I need room to move.”

“Right…” the brunette nodded, pausing for a moment, “what for?”

“You’ll see.”

Eren did see. He was pushed into the dining room after his own ‘safe distance’ by the edge of the carpet had not proved adequate in the eyes of the raven. Sitting at the dining room table, Eren watched with wide eyes as his not so defenceless human demonstrated how to perform a certain type of kick as he stood in front of the camera.

Levi spoke in intervals before and after each move. First came the stance one should take, defensive and strong, one foot forward, one foot back for support. Funnily enough, the support foot was the one that ended up delivering the kick.

The raven went through each motion slowly at first, and then lightning fast to put everything together. Fast, fluid like a cat with the speed of a striking snake. Even Eren was impressed.

“Damn.” The brunette said, giving a low whistle. “Should I be the one worrying?” Eren called jokingly when Levi announced that filming was done for the day.

The raven smirked, cocking an eyebrow at the brunette as he packed away the tripod.

“So that’s what you do, then?” Eren continued. “What was it? Arts and crafts?”

“Martial arts.” Levi corrected after snorting at Eren’s suggestion. “I’m rubbish at all that artsy stuff.”

“Okay, okay,” Eren giggled to himself, “but that’s your job?” He asked to clarify. “You teach other people how to fight?”

“I teach them how to defend themselves.” The raven said by means to correct the boy. “There is a difference.”

“Right, of course.” The boy smirked, watching Levi put his equipment back where it belonged. “And how did you learn that stuff? Did someone teach you?”

“No.” The raven-haired man paused, wiping a few beads of sweat from his brow. “I picked it up.”

“How?”

A sigh. “There were times when I had to fight to survive.” Levi explained simply, giving a shrug. “I learned to adapt.”

Eren hummed his approval. “What a clever specimen you are. Clearly I chose well.”

The raven gave a scoff at that, tossing his head. “Chose, schmose. I ran into you, dumbass. It was my sorry ass decision to take a short cut that landed us in this royal fuckery.”

It was Eren’s turn to snort and he shook his head fondly at the smaller male. “We really must work on your manners, though.”

“Tch.”

And so the day continued.

Living with a demon wasn’t so bad, Levi decided. Living with Eren could be a nightmare and a half.

The raven sat at the table once more and Eren sprawled on the couch, watching him type. The video had been edited and was currently uploading, now all Levi had to do was write up the description and the instructions to go with it.

But Eren wanted to have his fun and that meant getting Levi’s attention.

“Levi?”

“Mm?”

“Let’s play a game.”

The raven sighed, clicking at the laptop screen. “Not now, Eren.”

“It’s very simple.” The brunette went on, undeterred. “I’ll ask you a question and you can either answer it or not. But if you don’t answer, you have to come closer. It’s as easy as that.”

It would be quite pointless arguing with the brat and Levi knew it.

“Okay, I’ll bite.” The raven muttered, reading over his last line of description. “We can play, but I can’t move for a bit so give me easy questions to start with. I’m nearly finished here.”

“Wonderful!” Eren beamed, stretching out on the sofa, swinging his legs up behind him and thinking of his first question. “Okay, how about this; when was the first time you kissed someone?”

Predictable, but also easy to answer.

The raven’s typing continued, deft fingers darting across the keys as he answered. “Sixth grade.”

A pleased hum came from the direction of the sofa.

“Started young, did you?” The brunette chuckled. “Atta’boy.”

“God, you should hear yourself talk sometimes, Eren. Priceless.”

“You should record it one time.”

“Don’t tempt me.”

Eren laughed again, more light-heartedly this time around. “Was it a male or a female? The kiss, I mean.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of Levi’s mouth. “It was a guy.”

“Interesting. Was it a special moment? Did you love him?”

“That’s a lot of questions all at once, brat.”

Eren chuckled. “To much for you?”

“Heh. No, I didn’t love him, we were both idiots experimenting.”

Levi finished up his typing and turned his chair to better face the sofa, leaving the computer sitting on the table to finish uploading the video.

“Anything else?” Levi raised an eyebrow.

Eren was swinging his legs in the air behind him, a happy little smile colouring his face.

“Do you like me?” The boy asked out of the blue.

The question was also something that Levi had expected to hear at some point or other but he had as yet to think of anything profound to say. After a moment the raven settled for answering with a shrug and an ‘I guess.’

Eren’s face brightened a fraction. “How much?”

Levi clicked his tongue, glancing away. “Oodles.” The raven murmured, looking over to see the brunette’s face twist in confusion.

“Huh?”

Whether it was because the boy didn’t hear him properly or simply didn’t understand the term, Levi didn’t know. He shook his head.

“Never mind.”

Eren made a face and complained. “No, tell me.”

Levi just moved his chair a little closer to the sofa. “Next question.”

The brat pouted. “Fine.” He paused for a moment, tapping a finger against his mouth. “Have you ever lived with anyone before?”

“No.”

“Has there ever been anyone close to you before me? And I don’t mean any of that family crap either.”

“Yes.” Levi rolled his eyes. “I’m a loner, not a total loser.”

“Who was it?” The brunette pried.

“It isn’t important.” He said, moving the chair and himself closer to the couch to avoid going into further detail.

The brat’s brow furrowed, a little concern seeping into his features as he shifted on the sofa. “Was it serious?”

“I thought it was.”

There was a brief break in which silence threatened to take hold.

“Will you tell me about it?”

Eren’s soft murmur reached the raven’s ears but he wasn’t looking at the boy when he answered.

“I’d prefer not to.”

Another short pause as Levi scooted the chair across the floor again. He was next to the couch now, staring over at where the brunette sat.

“If I ask,” Eren paused, making sure that he had Levi’s attention before speaking, “will you tell me?”

That was the question, wasn’t it? Most of the raven’s heart would prefer to keep the messy details of the past locked safely away, forgotten where they couldn’t hurt him. But there was a part of Levi that wanted to share the stories. It was that part of him which prompted his next reply.

“If you ask…I might.”

Eren smiled gently at the raven’s words and Levi got the feeling that he had passed some kind of test.

“That’s all I needed to hear.” The brunette smiled, sitting up into a better position. “Now a much more serious question…” Eren stated, schooling his expression into something calmer, “…how did you feel about waking up in my arms?”

Levi snorted; a more serious question indeed! Even Eren chuckled after a moment, unable to maintain a straight face. The raven smirked, opting to move from his chair onto the sofa instead of answering.

“Tease.” Eren chided, still smiling. “What about right now? How do you feel about being this close? Does it make you uncomfortable?”

The brunette watched the raven scoot closer and a pleased smile graced the boy’s lips.

“Good boy.” Eren praised, reaching for the raven-haired male and tugging him closer.

“You didn’t ask your question.”

“Look into my eyes and tell me if it looks like I give a damn.”

A thin brow arched. “Breaking your own rules now?” Levi tsked.

“I never liked rules anyway.”

“You and me both.”

The atmosphere was suddenly shattered by a ping that came from the laptop to inform Levi that his video was finished uploading. The silence seemed louder than if the two had been talking, making every breath and every shift of movement seem exaggerated.

The raven broke eye contact first to cast a glance over his shoulder.

“I should get back to that.” He murmured.

The brunette’s hold didn’t ease up. If anything, Eren held him tighter, the hands on his hips moving around his back to lock him in place. Grey eyes swivelled to meet determined blue-green. There was challenge within those eyes, a dare to stay, a dare to leave.

“Don’t…” Eren coaxed, voice low, “just leave it. Don’t go just yet.”

“Eren.”

Something in those eyes held uncertainty, as if the boy wasn’t quite sure where to go next.

At last, Eren exhaled, relaxing his hold. “I’m sorry.” He murmured, shaking his head. “I’m not used to all this…tiptoeing. I’ve lived in a world where you take what you want while you can get it. Here everything is different.”

Levi sat back a little, sensing an incoming rant. Computer momentarily forgotten, he settled back to listen.

And Eren didn’t hold back.

“It’s confusing here. I’m not used to your weird human courting rituals.” The brunette pulled a face, scrunching up his nose in distaste before ploughing on. “Honestly, it takes forever to do anything around here. You people go on dates, not just one but several! And you have to get to know each other beforehand. What a pain.”

“Wait, whoa whoa,” Levi held up a hand to stop the boy, staring at him dubiously, “…you’re trying to court me?”

“I thought that much was obvious?” Eren stated.

And then Levi was laughing, honest to God laughter that shook his form as he leaned forward to rest his hands on his knees.

“No, not really.” Levi forced out, struggling not to laugh anymore as Eren was starting to look put out. “I mean, it was but…nobody says it like that anymore.”

Eren didn’t seem to see the funny side of the situation, letting out an exasperated sound.

“And that’s why I’m confused.” The brunette admitted. “I’m still not up to date with your stupid language. All the lingo and street slang bullshit drives me crazy!”

Levi only chuckled at the brat’s pouting face, poking his cheek. “I don’t know what you expect me to be able to do about it.”

“You could help me?” Eren said, leaning forward all of a sudden.

Levi’s smirk faded as the kid got this strange, almost desperate look to him; eyes wide, pleading, and if his tail had been there Levi was sure it would be swishing around like crazy.

The raven decided to pry. “How?”

Eren swallowed, sitting up a little straighter and wringing his hands in his lap. “There’s a process…”

The raven’s eyes narrowed suspiciously at the comment and he leaned away a little.

“Oh?”

“Mhm.” The brunette gave a nod of confirmation, reaching out to take Levi’s hands in his own. “I would be able to adjust quicker if you would let me see your memories?”

Levi looked down at the tanned fingers running over his palms. His own skin seemed pale in comparison.

“My memories?” The raven murmured.

“Yes. It’s a very simple ritual, sort of like a temporary possession only quicker.”

It sounded dodgy and more than a little suspicious…but he couldn’t think of any real reason for Eren to lie.

Unless of course his whole plan had been to possess Levi from the start. That idea seemed so ridiculous that Levi almost snorted out loud, resisting the urge by clearing his throat.

“And how does it work?” The raven asked instead, lifting his eyes to look at Eren’s face.

The brunette met his gaze, Caribbean eyes holding the steady grey gaze with determination. “I will be able to look into your mind for a moment. It’s similar to how you explained your video upload process. I can transfer images, sights, sounds, anything you’ve learned or seen or experienced, and store it in my own memory. It’ll help me to understand your world better.”

“I see.” Levi said, thinking about that.

It didn’t seem too awful, but just to be sure…

“Any downsides?” The raven asked.

Surprisingly, Eren nodded. “You might get a bit of a headache afterwards.”

Levi had expected there to be some kind of catch, but he certainly hadn’t expected the brat to tell him about it. Yet again, Eren surprised him with the truth.

Said brat squeezed the raven’s hands gently with his own. “I won’t make you do anything you don’t feel comfortable with.” The brunette vowed in a solemn tone. “If it’s too soon, just say the word.”

It was too soon, if Levi thought about it. But he didn’t want to think about facts and normalities when he had a creature like Eren sitting right in front of him ready to show him that life could have more to it than what he knew already.

He imagined the kind of feeling that a person would have if they knew everything that another person had ever experienced. Surely you would never look at that person the same way again. Did he want Eren to look at him differently?

Levi glanced down at their hands again. “Is it safe?”

“Yes.” Eren assured him, thumbs brushing the more sensitive skin of the raven’s wrists. “It’s just…very personal.”

It occurred to the raven that perhaps this was just what he needed if he were to consider pursuing another relationship. Levi had shared everything with Erwin, but now his very definition of everything had changed, morphing into something new and far more meaningful.

“So…you’ll be able to see everything?”

“Not necessarily.” Eren shook his head, smiling a little. “There are ways for you to keep some memories to yourself if you want to.”

Levi exhaled, having held his breath without realising it. “And how would I do that?”

The brunette’s gentle smile never left his face. “If there’s anything you don’t want me to see…you can just close your eyes.” Eren explained.

“Close my eyes?” The raven repeated. “That’s it?”

Eren nodded. “It’s literally as easy as blinking. The eyes are the windows to the soul…and through them I can see anything you want to show me. Close your eyes and the link breaks.” The boy shrugged, still smiling. “Simple.”

The brunette watched the raven, probably noticing the hesitation.

Always a way out, even now. Here the brat was giving the raven a way to bail and he hadn’t even needed to kick and scream.

“Do you trust me?” Eren murmured in question.

“More than I should.”

The boy exhaled in a happy rush, eyes closing. “That makes me very happy.”

“Get on with it.”

Teal eyes opened once more. “Are you certain?”

“Do it.”

Eren shifted forward a little, pulling Levi closer to him. The raven allowed himself to be handled, tugged into the brunette’s lap. Eren brought his hands up, placing them on either side of Levi’s face as he gently guided the raven’s head down until their forehead’s met.

“Keep your eyes on me.” Eren instructed, expression gentle, thumbs stroking soothingly at the raven’s face. “It’ll only take a few moments.”

For a brief while, the two just stared at one another…and then Eren exhaled and Levi could see images. Eren was still there in front of him but behind his eyes pictures played out like movie scenes. Everything from his first breath to his first step and everything in between. Levi recognised the three different houses that his family had moved to in their time together. The shouting of his parents played in his ears while the image of a lonely little boy hid in his room. Every fight, every argument unsettled, every cut, graze and fight Levi had ever gotten himself into as a child, to the death of his mother at age six. The first time the raven made friends, all the times he got into trouble at school, all the times his new pals bailed him out of it.

And then came the more painful memories. Flashes of school life, of Levi and his friends as they got older. Glimpses of his first kiss followed by a flickering of his first kiss with Erwin.

And that’s where the train began to derail.

The raven’s breath hitched.

Their first kiss and every kiss that came after, the way it had always felt so perfect, so stupidly perfect that Levi had hated it. The first time he had caught Erwin cheating on him with another of their classmates, Nile, their fight, their break up, their make-up, the second time with Nile…

Levi wanted to close his eyes, shut them tight and never open them again, but he couldn’t. Some strong feeling in his chest rebelled against his wishes.

The images came faster. Erwin’s laugh, Erwin’s smile, that stupid disappointed look that he got every time the raven had failed him, the moment Levi found Erwin’s note saying that he was already gone, Erwin, Erwin, Erwin-stop!

A single tear slid down the raven’s face.

“Levi…”

And then there was Eren. Eren before his eyes and inside his head.

The first time Levi had seen the boy, the fear that had run through every last part of his being as he had run from him, the shock of their second encounter, the intrigue, the look of teal eyes and tanned skin and that all too charming smile…and every confused mixed up feeling that had come with those moments.

It took the raven a moment to realise that Eren was speaking to him. The sea of blue-green had gone and so had the images. Levi was being held, wrapped up in warmth with a steady heartbeat beneath his ear.

“You can blink now, pet. Breathe. I’ve got you.”

Levi’s head felt like it was about to split in two, like every single cell in his brain was screaming at him and trying to leave the confines of his skull.

The raven pulled back a little, groaning at the feeling.

“Are you alright?”

“This is a bit of a headache?” He grumbled, massaging his own temples. “It feels like my head is imploding!”

“I’m sorry.”

“Will aspirin fix this?” The raven enquired, still grimacing at the aching throb in his skull.

“Probably.” Eren said after a moment, giving a shrug. “It’s worth a try.”

Levi shot the brunette a look, but his surprise quickly morphed into sarcasm. “Oh, so now you know what aspirin is? Great, then you also know where it sits in the cupboard. Go fetch.”

Eren was laughing, just a soft little chuckle escaping his lips, but the brat’s shoulders shook with restrained laughter.

“Levi?”

“What?”

“Thank you for sharing that with me.”

Levi looked back to glare at Eren but paused when he saw the boy’s smile. Not an ecstatic grin or a sly little smirk, just a purely honest smile.

“I wish I could communicate just how much that meant to me.” The boy murmured, still smiling away.

“Yeah, yeah, woo-hoo for feelings. Whatever. Where are my drugs?”

The kitchen clock read 11:35.

Levi got his painkillers along with a glass of water and the raven lay back on the sofa for a brief ten minutes while he waited for the medicine to kick in and drown out his splitting headache. He went back to his computer, answering emails while Eren lay on the floor next to his chair tracing patterns on the raven’s leg.

“You’re worse than a cat, brat.”

Eren just gave a little hum and sat up.

“I’m going to pop out for a bit.” The boy stated, standing and stretching.

“Oh?” Levi murmured, arching an eyebrow as he sorted through some emails from Nanaba.

The blog was working well so far, everything was running smoothly and Levi had nothing to worry about.

“Mhm.” Eren hummed in response, looking around for his shoes and finding them under the table.

Levi flicked the boy’s head as he re-emerged, chuckling at the kid’s startled expression. “When should I expect you back?” The raven enquired.

“Why?” Eren suddenly shot Levi a playful smirk and nuzzled his head against the smaller man’s leg. “Are you planning to surprise me?”

“Har har.”

“I shouldn’t be long.” The brunette assured him, standing again. “But I’m glad to see you worrying over me.”

“Tch.” Levi clicked his tongue, rolling his eyes, but he smirked a little. “Just be back before it gets dark.”

“Yes, Sir!”

Chapter Text

“I’ll look up to the sky, leave this world behind you and run for cover.” – Other Lives, Great Sky.

***

The sun sat high in the sky, beaming its bright rays down upon the Earth in a merry, yet cancerous, gift of light and warmth. Yes, it seemed that nothing in life came without a price, but that day Eren felt as though he were truly happy.

Happiness was still somewhat of a foreign feeling to the boy, something which he had only really experienced before in the heat of a kill. And yet the reason for his current state of content had a name other than death…and that name was Levi.

It was around midday by now, the sun had reached its peak in the sky and it was a little less than half an hour since the brunette had left his human to go out about the neighbourhood. He had left the raven under the assumption that he was merely taking a stroll…and the mortal wouldn’t know any different when Eren eventually did saunter back into his apartment.

In truth, Eren had gone out for another reason entirely.

It had been a good while since the demon had been able feed, Eren hadn’t tasted human flesh since the day he had met his human in the rain and as a result he was now quite hungry. It was nothing life threatening…for him at least. But in order to safely remain around Levi, Eren would need to feed more often just in case he was tempted.

It wasn’t an easy thing to live with the very creatures that he had once seen as prey and prey alone. But Levi was different; he was separate from all that now…and Eren wanted to make sure that he was kept safe. If that meant that more people had to die, then so be it.

The dirty deed was already complete and the brunette had been impeccably clean with the kill. Not a trace of blood could be found on his clothes and remnants of a body had been dealt with; burned into nothing more than ashes.

Eren was more than pleased with his efforts, especially when they had gained him something more. In the pocket of the boy’s jeans lay a necklace made of simple black cord. It had been in the jacket of his victim and Eren decided that the cord would look very nice around the neck of his human. It was simple, yet elegant and durable, made from some kind of hide. What was it called again? Leather.

Levi’s memories were coming in very handy already and there were so many things to sort through. A whole language rested inside Eren’s mind, in all its nonsensical complexity. A whole other life with which he could learn. The rush of power it caused was delightful.

The brunette still couldn’t believe that the raven had allowed him in, entrusting him with every little detail. Sure, it was still one big complicated rush for the moment, but eventually he would be able to pick everything apart. No one would know Levi as well as Eren would, and that thought stirred strong feelings in the boy’s dark heart.

Levi’s apartment building came into sight and the brunette smiled at the thought of seeing his human again. Looking up, his smile faltered. There was an odd feel to the air all of a sudden and the sun’s rays didn’t seem so warm.

Time seemed to slow as the brunette’s senses kicked in. Ears straining, the very rustling of the trees above seemed deafening. Eren’s skin prickled at the shift in atmosphere and his lips drew back to bare his teeth.

Something was wrong.

Levi was packing away his laptop, having replied to all the emails he had deemed relevant. The others were either from Hanji to ‘cheer him up’ or from people who could wait another day or two. The computer went back into his room and the raven set about making himself some lunch.

A BLT was in order, and Levi set about cutting up lettuce and tomato while his bacon fried away in a pan on the stove. It didn’t take too long and the raven was sitting down in front of the TV with his sandwich in no time at all.

Some stupid sitcom was playing and Levi rolled his eyes every time the recorded laughing track sounded, but the background noise was better than silence.

Levi glanced at the clock in the kitchen. 12:23. Eren had been gone a while, not long enough to make Levi worry but certainly long enough to make him curious. Perhaps the brat had gone to take a walk in the markets? Or maybe he had a secret army of cats to feed? Either way, it really wasn’t any of the raven’s concern.

At 12:30 Levi packed his plate into the dishwasher along with the other utensils that had been dirtied in the pursuit of food.

A cloud passed, momentarily casting the room into shade, and the raven wondered when the weather had decided to change from its expected forecast of ‘fine and sunny’ to ‘overcast’.

Before he could worry over it too much, there was a knock at the door. Levi let out a breath that he hadn’t realised he’d been holding and headed over to the door. For once he didn’t spare a begrudging thought as to who might be waiting on the other side, marching over and reaching for the handle without a moment’s hesitation.

A familiar sight awaited him as he tugged the door open and Levi almost smiled. Eren was there, back from his venture and he hadn’t run off to leave the raven alone. Phew.

But something struck Levi as off…something that he couldn’t quite see to place his finger on.

Eren was silent as he entered the flat, looking around slowly as if he were searching for something. Levi watched the boy wander into the living room, letting the door slip from his hand and slide shut. What was it about the kid that didn’t fit? It was kind of like trying to look at stars at night. Until you looked directly at them, they seemed bright and clear and perfectly normal. But when you pick one out and actually look at it…the light seems to fade a little and the star becomes harder to see. That was how Levi felt when he looked at Eren. He was there but if the raven really looked…it felt different.

And then the brunette turned back to Levi and the raven saw it. He spotted what was wrong. It hurt his head to look at the one glaringly wrong factor about Eren’s appearance but he fought through the fuzziness and stared, coming to a sharp halt next to the dining room table.

“Eren…your eyes…”

The once beautiful teal orbs were now gone, replaced with irises so dark that they were almost black. Lifeless.

Eren wasn’t smiling…in fact Eren wasn’t doing much of anything that he would normally do. For the first time since he’d arrived, the kid actually looked like a demon. Dead. Terrifying.

Levi felt dizzy and sick to his stomach; his head hurt more the longer he looked at the boy.

And then Eren moved.

The brunette came closer, one measured step after another. There was too much care, too much thought put into every little action. The boy came to stand before the raven-haired man, looking down at him through those foreign eyes, and he reached out. Levi felt a cold hand curl around the back of his neck and suddenly the raven found himself being pulled forward into a rather clumsy kiss.

He made a sound of protest, pushing at the brunette’s shoulders. Eren didn’t budge.

This was not at all how Levi may or may not have imagined his first kiss with Eren going down. Of course he’d expected the brat to be clumsy…but not this cold. It wasn’t cold in the traditional sense, but in the sense that there was no meaning to the act.

It was wrong, all wrong, and the raven tried to pull away when suddenly the front door flew open, banging loudly against the wall, and in the brief moment when Eren’s kiss paused the raven wrenched himself free of those cold arms.

“What the fuck?!” He hissed at the brunette, before turning to identify the intruder to his home.

Levi froze. Maybe that aspirin was causing some kind of weird hallucinogenic shit, but something was definitely out of place here.

“Eren?”

Eren was standing right beside him…so how could he also be in the doorway?

Levi did a double take, staring between the two almost identical figures. The first real difference that Levi noticed in the Eren by the doorway was his eyes. They were the magnificent blue-green pools that the raven knew. Those were the eyes that he trusted. The kid was breathing a little raggedly, like he had run all the way there, and his face was twisted with several different emotions.

Shock, hurt, anger…

“Eren, what?”

Levi couldn’t think, couldn’t do much except look between the two almost identical Erens. And then the one by the door spoke.

“Levi…I need you to wait here.”

The raven frowned. “What?”

“Listen to me.” Eren’s voice held concern, but also anger. “Wait here and whatever you do…don’t look outside.”

“Eren-”

The brunette shook his head. “I don’t care what you hear. Stay inside. Keep your eyes closed if you have to. Just don’t look outside.”

The boy in the doorway was shaking, trembling all over, and he took a single step forward. For the first time since Eren had revealed his true nature, Levi felt truly threatened. He took a step back as the brunette moved forward and the room began to shudder.

The false Eren turned on his heel and ran, tearing through the living room in a blur and smashing right through the balcony doors. The sound of glass shattering hit Levi hard and he slid to the ground, eyes wide. The whole building must have been shaking by then as Eren followed after the copycat, diving right out of the broken glass doors and diving over the balcony railing.

Levi opened his mouth to shout out but no sound came. The sky outside was filling with hideous purple clouds and Levi went rigid as a terrible cry ripped through the air. There was a sound like an explosion and a horrid screeching. Through the broken doors, Levi saw a brilliant blue light.

“Whatever you do…don’t look outside.”

The raven scrambled up from the floor, rushing to shut and lock the front door. He bolted into his room, ignoring the mess of broken glass that littered his carpet in the living room, and locked himself in. A loud pattering sound reached Levi’s ears and he realised that it had started raining.

Not just a little, it was pelting down like the end of days had come.

Levi climbed into his bed, pulling the sheets up, burrowing beneath them and dragging a pillow over his head.

So much for ‘fine and sunny’.

Outside it was raining. The water poured down in an almost constant stream of heavy droplets, like the sky was weeping over the loss of the sun.

The streets were empty as people rushed inside, startled by the sudden unexpected downpour. And so it was that there was no one left to see the two figures standing in the rain. Not that any normal human being would be able to notice anyway.

Eren stared at the intruder into his life, his eyes flaring up as he flexed his wings.

The brunette had assumed his true form now; large dark brown wings protruded from his back, covered in odd scales like that of a serpent. He bore no feathers or down, and cruel spines ran along his back, formed from bone and a shiny, teal-coloured scale. Horns, similar to what you might see on a ram, adorned the boy’s head; a shimmering mix of blue and green pigment coloured them. It was like looking at the very hottest of flames.

Eren’s hands were clawed now, nails extending into wickedly curved talons. His eyes burned, the very fires of Hell captured in those endless pools of light.

Eren wasn’t angry…he was absolutely consumed with fury. The brunette turned his flickering gaze on the fiend that had dared to lay a hand on what was his and he snarled. The sound left his lips like thunder, cracking overhead; it tore the air apart and crashed across the sky.

“Do not mock me with my own reflection…Mikasa.”

All at once, the false image of Eren disappeared to reveal a girl with hair the colour of the night sky and eyes that were voids of inflectionless charcoal. Like embers that had long since burned out, they held no trace of life or colour. Only ashes. Her wings were like that of a bat and her scales were the colour of rubies. Scarlet fire wrapped around her throat like a scarf, flickering in the rain, refusing to be extinguished. The girl had no horns, a statement of her lesser power, and she bowed to the brunette.

“You really need to work on your mimicking magic.” Eren muttered with a scowl. “I could smell you from outside the damned building.”

“Eren…” the girl’s voice held barely any tone at all, more akin to a breath of wind than an actual voice, “you’ve settled in, I see.”

Inflectionless as the voice sounded, Eren knew this creature well enough to pick up on the sarcasm. He wasn’t in the mood for idle chit chat or swapping banter. Not today.

“Just what are you doing here, Mikasa?” He asked, tone clipped. “I thought I told you not to come looking for me?”

The girl shrugged, weaving her hand through the flames coiling about her neck. “It’s getting close to that time.” She stated, glancing off to the side. “I wanted to make sure that you were prepared for the attack.”

“I am.” The brunette snapped, eyes narrowing as he lowered his voice. “That’s why I’m laying low until the time is right. I don’t want to draw any unwanted attention and I don’t need you blowing my cover!”

Mikasa listened to him rant, dead eyes unmoving. When she did speak, it wasn’t what the boy wanted to hear. Then again, it never was with Mikasa.

“You’ve grown distracted, Eren.”

Eren rolled his eyes, scoffing. “Since when is that a new thing?”

“Don’t joke. Not now.” The black-haired creature shook her head. “You’re too fond of that mortal.”

“Says the creeper who was kissing him!” The brunette hissed, the sound morphing into a growl as it ended. “Actually, no, kissing isn’t really that accurate,” Eren scoffed again, “you practically attacked his face!”

“Isn’t that how humans usually express their lust?” She asked, frowning. “I was simply curious. I wanted to know how far you had progressed with him.”

“We’re not at that stage yet.” Eren threw his hands into the air and began to pace. “Christ almighty, Mika, I was working up to that! Do you have any idea how much effort I put into this? How careful I’ve had to be to even get the guy to relax enough to show him what I am? If he goes all frigid now, I will skin you alive!”

“You showed him?”

“Yes!”

Dark eyes flashed with disapproval. “That isn’t good, Eren. Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Eren waved her concerns away, giving a dismissive sound. “Relax, he’s fine. He won’t tell a soul.”

“What if he does?”

The brunette shrugged. “If he does, then that’s a clear betrayal. I’ll handle it.”

Mikasa didn’t look convinced. Something unreadable swam in her empty eyes, but in the end she gave a nod. “Be sure that you do…you wouldn’t want to make a mess out of this.”

A frustrated sigh left Eren and he ran a hand over his face. “I said I would handle things, okay?”

But the raven-haired demon wasn’t finished. “Eren…you won’t be able to keep him forever, you know? Sooner or later, you’re going to lose control…and if he doesn’t get killed then he’ll get spooked enough to run. And when they run, they talk. And when they talk-”

Eren’s next growl was furious and the very ground shook with the sound. “I. Will. Handle. It.”

Mikasa held up her hands in defence as the brunette’s voice began to change, to get deeper, and his eyes burned brighter.

“Calm down.” She encouraged, taking a step back.

And Eren did. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, and let his head tilt back into the rain.

“Sorry.”

The girl sighed. “I’m just telling you what you need to hear. You won’t be able to control yourself around him forever.”

“Excuse you.” Eren said, his tone indignant. “I was doing pretty damned well until you marched in and rained on my parade.”

“You fed today.” Mikasa watched Eren wince and look away. “Don’t bother trying to deny it; I can smell death on you.”

The brunette looked guilty as he stared off to the side. “You don’t tell him.” He murmured after a moment, expression hardening. “In fact, you can stay the hell away from him. He is mine.”

Mikasa raised an eyebrow, but nodded. “Okay.” She gave in with a sigh. “But you know, Eren, demons aren’t meant to have human lovers. They are only meant for prey.” The raven-haired girl narrowed her eyes a little as Eren mimicked her scolding, mouthing and making gestures. “You already have a suitor” the raven reminded the brunette, “…and I’m sure you know that he isn’t going to be very happy about all this.”

The brunette froze suddenly at Mikasa’s words.

Eren’s face shifted into a look of worry. The change in tone, the emphasis on the word ‘he’, it all told the brunette that they were talking about someone else entirely. Someone other than his human. Someone very specific…and dangerous.

“H-Has he been back?” Eren asked, looking to Mikasa.

The raven-haired girl nodded, just once, and her eyes darkened further.

“He’s been asking after you…well, threatening is more accurate.”

The brunette swallowed. “Does he know?”

Mikasa shook her head. “He still thinks that you’re roaming the wastelands.”

“Good.” Eren nodded, exhaling. “That’s good. I-I need more time.”

For the first time since her arrival, Mikasa’s blank eyes seemed to soften and she reached out to place and hand on the brunette’s shoulder. He gave her a grateful look.

“You’ll have to come back sooner or later.” Mikasa stated, retracting her hand. “Unless you want to risk losing the new territory. Kirschtien’s realm is nearly ready to fall.”

“I’ll go back soon. I will.” The brunette murmured, thinking. “I just can’t leave right now…” Eren pressed a hand to his eyes and let out a sigh. “Go back, keep everyone under control. I’ll be with you all in due time.”

“Don’t wait too long.”

Mikasa spread her wings and took off in a rush, whooshing overhead and out of sight. Eren trusted her instincts enough to know that she could find the way back without his help. Instead, the brunette turned his gaze on the apartment complex, spotting the shattered glass of Levi’s balcony doors way up towards the top.

Eren sighed; he had some explaining to do.

The rain had eased up to a lighter drizzle and Levi hadn’t heard a single sound out of the ordinary since the last deafening crackle of thunder overhead. The worst of the freak storm seemed to have passed on but the raven remained under his blankets.

A strange noise reached his ears and Levi tensed as he heard a thud in his living room. There was a hiss, perhaps of pain, and Levi was sure that he heard a muffled ‘fuck’ before pale blue light shone briefly from the living room.

And then the bedroom door rattled.

“Levi?”

The raven could hear Eren calling, but which Eren? That he did not know, so he stayed put.

“Come on, it’s really me this time. You can open your eyes now.”

It sounded like Eren. The brat had the same careful tone it always got whenever the kid thought he had spooked the raven. But if something could look like Eren…couldn’t it also sound like him?

“Please, Levi, open the door. I won’t hurt you. I won’t let anything close enough to hurt you.”

Levi didn’t know what to believe and was perfectly prepared to stay put in bed the whole day, but after a long moment of silence a sigh sounded from the other side of the door. The raven’s heartbeat picked up as he heard the faint but distinguishable sound of the door unlocking and then footsteps.

“Levi?”

Eren’s voice was closer this time and Levi curled himself into a ball.

“Are you…okay? I didn’t mean to frighten you. The danger’s gone. You can come out now, pet.”

He wanted to come out, but he also wanted to stay. The silence carried on as Levi waited for his heart to calm.

“Okay then,” Eren murmured at last, “I’m going to get dried off. The rain really did a number on me. I won’t be far.”

Levi listened to the sound of footsteps moving away, a brief rummaging in his drawers as Eren searched for dry clothes and at last the bathroom door being shut.

He sighed. The initial shock was fading, leaving the raven feeling confused. What the fuck had just happened? Why had there been two Erens?

The next time the bathroom door opened, Eren sounded far more chipper.

“There we go. Are you okay now?”

“You’re starting to worry me a little.” Eren paused for a long moment. “I guess if you won’t come out to see me then I’m just going to have to come in there to see you.”

The bed dipped towards the end and Levi heard the shift of fabric as the boy moved up towards his end of the bed. Eren was being careful, moving slowly.

Levi tensed when he felt a hand on his shoulder and then a rush of cool air made him shiver as Eren pulled back the sheets and the blankets to duck beneath them. The boy’s hands were warm where they touched the raven’s arm, gingerly moving up to his shoulder to take hold of the pillow that Levi was still hiding beneath.

Eren waited until the smaller man’s fingers relaxed from their white-knuckled grip on the pillow before he moved it away.

The sight of Eren’s relieved smile was the first thing that the raven saw. The brunette was in his human guise once again, leaning over where Levi lay curled up.

“Hello down there.” The brat smiled.

A pillow smacked him right in the face and the brunette blinked in shock.

“You scared the ever-loving shit out of me!” Levi snapped back at him, snatching the pillow up again and bringing it back down over his head with a whump.

“Levi?”

“Go away.” The raven’s voice came out as a muffled grumble. “This is a time out.”

Eren laughed. “Levi, come on.”

The boy tugged at the pillow again and the raven let it go with a huff of a sigh. And then Levi jerked up, pouncing on the brat, and Eren made a startled sound as a hand wrapped around the back of his neck, yanking him down. The brunette expected some kind of blow, maybe a kick or a punch, and he may very well have deserved that, but what he had not expected was the warm press of another mouth against his own.

Eren remained frozen in shock, not wanting to spook the raven, and he held his hands just above Levi’s shoulders, hovering in the air for a lack of knowing where to put them. The kiss was chaste and only lasted for a few brief moments, but Levi smiled a little when he pulled back.

“Yep, you’re the right brat.” He announced, sitting back on his haunches.

Eren blinked owlishly at him. “H-How’d you figure that?”

“Well who else could be that awkward and get away with it?”

Eren watched the raven smirk, shaking his head at the brunette.

“Compliment?” Eren enquired.

“Shut up.” The raven said through a chuckle.

Levi leaned in for another kiss, then another, and Eren couldn’t believe his luck. The raven pulled away, leaning back when the brunette tried to follow.

“I need to know more.” Levi said in a serious tone.

Eren sighed. “I was afraid that you were going to say that.” The boy exhaled, giving up his pursuit of the raven’s lips. “But you’re right. You deserve some explanation.”

“Good.”

The pair pushed the pillows up to the head of the bed, arranging them so that they could lean back against the headboard. Once that was in place, Levi sat next to Eren. The brat slid an arm behind him, curling it about the smaller man’s waist and tugging him closer.

“Uh-uh.” Levi chastised the boy, waving a stern finger. “No, Eren, no more sugar for you until you explain yourself.”

Eren shook his head gently. “You misunderstand.” He leaned down to press a kiss to the raven’s forehead, leaving a trail across to his temple. “I’m not letting you out of my arms for the foreseeable future. So get over here.”

The raven allowed himself to be pulled closer, fitting snugly against Eren’s side. Tanned arms slid about his middle and the kid buried his face in the smaller male’s hair.

“You smell nice.”

“No flirting either.”

“Aw.”

Levi chuckled at the brat’s pouting face, resting his head against the brunette’s shoulder. “Tell me.”

Eren sighed, pausing to gather his thoughts. “Remember back at the café? I told you I was in hiding because of some trouble back home?”

Levi thought back to their conversation, recalling Eren’s words, and he made a sound of acknowledgement. “Hm.”

Eren nodded at that. “I failed to mention that the trouble I’m hiding from is, in fact, another demon like myself.”

Levi let out a soft groan, feeling Eren wince a little at the sound. “Of course you did. Great.”

“His name is Jean.” The boy continued. “He’s the being in charge of the territory next to mine…and I’m going to kill him.”

The raven let out a bark of a laugh. “That’s a little extreme.”

“Not where I’m from.” Eren said with a shrug. “Happens every day.”

Levi shook his head at the boy. No wonder the kid was so at ease with the concept of death.

“Why do you want to kill him?” The raven pried a little further.

“Firstly, he’s an asshole.” The brunette said, giving a bitter chuckle. “We’ve never gotten on very well. The bastard has always been so smarmy and arrogant, thinking that he’s better than me.” A sigh sounded from the boy. “But he was better. For a long while I’ve had to keep my mouth shut and ignore him because he was stronger, he had more sway with the others…but not anymore.”

Eren sounded more serious talking as he was now than ever before, and Levi didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. But he was being open and that was what mattered. Levi didn’t want to hide from Eren, and he didn’t want Eren to hide anything from him…no matter how worrisome.

The raven unconsciously scooted a little closer. “What changed?”

“He got cocky.” Eren answered, sounding smug. The boy gave a hard chuckle. “Well, more than he already was.” The boy gave a shrug and Levi felt the movement. Eren rested his head atop the raven’s head. “I’ve been biding my time; collecting the power that I’m going to need to bring him down.” The brunette paused for a moment and when he spoke again Levi could hear the smile in the kid’s voice. “I can almost hear his dying cries, you know. What sweet music that will be.”

Levi arched an eyebrow. “Kay…getting a little creeped out over here…”

Eren made an apologetic sound and the raven felt a fleeting press of lips against his hair.

“Sorry.” Eren murmured, holding Levi a little tighter. “It’s exciting for me. I’ve been waiting to take down this prick for a long time.”

“But why, Eren? I get that the guy is a bag of dicks, but why do you have to kill him? Can’t you just…I don’t know, turn him into a butt-kissing minion or something?”

Eren snorted at the idea, bringing a hand up to thread through Levi’s hair. “As amusing as that would be, I have to kill him. It’s the only way to obtain his power and where I come from power is everything.” The brunette’s tone took on a darker note. “I don’t plan on remaining a simple trickster all my existence. I have ambitions. I have plans…for my world and yours.”

Levi looked over his shoulder at Eren and saw that the boy had closed his eyes.

“But none of my schemes can be put into action until I have control.” Teal eyes opened again, looking far away until they focused back on Levi. Eren smiled. “I’m not strong enough to take over…not yet.”

Eren had always seemed like a passionate person, but now that the raven knew what it was that drove that passion, he was shocked.

“You want to take over Hell?” Levi asked, raising both eyebrows. “Why the fuck would anyone want that gig?”

The brunette let out a long breath through his nose, staring off towards the wall. “The wrong people are in charge, Levi, and I’m one of the only ones with enough balls to make a stand.”

“Or enough stupidity.” The raven suggested.

Eren chuckled more light-heartedly. “It could be that.” He agreed with a grin.

“So you want to take over a whole world because you’re not happy with how shit’s being run? That’s intense.”

Eren nodded. “No one does anything anymore. It’s maddening. I remember days of glorious chaos and there are more than enough stories of times before even I was around.”

Levi let that sink in; Eren was powerful and getting stronger by the day, he planned to take over all of Hell and wasn’t about to let anything get in his way. And yet he lay holding a human.

Levi gave a soft huff of a laugh and Eren looked at him.

“Something funny?” He asked in a gently amused voice, nuzzling the raven’s shoulder.

With a content little hum, Levi nodded. “If you’re so bent on ruling Hell, why are you here canoodling with me instead?”

The raven-haired man expected the brat to laugh or avoid the question.

“You make me feel things that I’d only ever heard about.” Eren said simply, smiling with his lips against Levi’s skin. “Besides, I told you that I’m still looking for power.” He shrugged. “Might as well pass the time.”

“Tch. Cheeky brat.” Levi flicked the brunette’s forehead. “I thought that you were going to kill that other bastard for that?”

“Jean.” Eren reminded the raven, rubbing at the spot where he had been flicked. “And I am…but not today. There are all kinds of ways to steal power. Far easier ways…” Eren stopped suddenly, giving a little laugh. “But I think we can talk about that some other day. Your poor mind has been through enough trial already.”

Levi couldn’t agree more.

After a short discussion about what to do with the remainder of the day, Levi gave up on them ever deciding and nestled himself against the brat’s warmth, letting his eyes slip shut.

Eren let him sleep, carding his hand through Levi’s soft hair and smiling to himself. He knew that soon he would have to leave, but for now he basked in the brief moment of happiness.

Chapter Text

“I’ll look to higher ground and see this world around you, there’ll be no hesitation.” – Other Lives, Great Sky.

***

Two days passed, seemingly normal, as the pair grew more acquainted with each other. Levi no longer found it odd to see the brat lounging around the apartment, nor did he worry about locking the door each night. Eren observed Levi, learning his habits and teasing him about his need to keep things clean. The brat had even taken it so far as to make little screaming noises every time the raven washed something by hand, saying that it wasn’t him making the noise, it was the dishes begging for mercy.

“Noooo, Leviiiiii! Have mercy! Please don’t wash me to death!”

“Eren, no.”

“We’ll be good dishes, just don’t drown meeeeeeee!”

Levi often answered by applying a handful of suds to the brunette’s face.

“There, now you’re clean too.”

“Pleh! These taste awful!”

“You’re not meant to eat them, stupid.”

“Yeah, I know that now.”

“What am I going to do with you?”

Lesson learned; soap suds do not taste good.

Levi loved tea. If the raven had to make the choice between coffee and tea, he would burn every coffee bean in existence before giving up on his beloved tea leaves.

Despite enjoying sweet things, the raven-haired man preferred to have his tea straight. Apparently he enjoyed the bitter taste. It was natural, refreshing, and a habit that Levi had indulged since his teen years.

Eren enjoyed tea as well, but then again the brat liked pretty much anything that he could taste after years of nothing but blood and ashes.

But Eren learned that Levi’s favouring of tea could be used to his own benefit. By making tea for Levi, the brunette could put the raven into the ideal cuddling spirits. It could take away the rough edges, bringing out the calm and warmer being that the raven mostly kept inside and hidden behind a well mustered scowl. It was a fact that the brunette treasured.

The brat wasn’t the only one learning; Levi noticed things as well. It was easy enough to discover what the kid did and didn’t like; Eren was so open about everything.

For a start, Eren loved kissing. In fact, the brat enjoyed any kind of activity that meant he could have contact with Levi’s skin. It had an intoxicating effect on the brunette and Levi had to admit that he didn’t mind the attention as much as he said. Kissing, licking, nibbling at the raven’s throat, collar bones, jaw; ever since their day lounging about in Levi’s room, it was all the brat wanted to do.

As the pair sat watching a bit of TV after lunch, Levi felt Eren cosy up beside him. Before long the brunette was nestled against his side, nuzzling the raven’s shoulder.

Levi brought up a hand to thread through Eren’s hair at the first nip against his neck.

“Haven’t you had enough?”

“Have you?” The brunette shot back, lips never leaving their quest along the raven’s shoulder.

“Brat. I asked you first.”

“Then no, I haven’t.” Eren answered honestly, leaning back to rest his head against Levi’s shoulder so that he could look up at him. “I’ve never kissed someone before and I have to make up for all the time I’ve been missing out!”

“Wait,” Levi held the brunette still when he leaned in for a kiss, staring at him in disbelief, “you’ve never kissed someone? Ever?”

Eren looked at the raven like he was a crazy person. “Well duh. Why is that so difficult to believe? I’ve been in Hell most of my existence and the only other times I came to your world was to eat. It never really came up.”

“Right.”

In that respect, Eren was full of surprises. Adorable, pouting surprises.

Levi loved cooking. He did it a lot, Eren realised as he observed the man. It seemed incredibly unlikely, but the raven was oddly at peace whenever he was making food. Eren laughed at the irony of that, especially when the man could look so calm whilst wielding a knife.

Eren noticed that Levi enjoyed working with fresh ingredients the best, even if they could sometimes make a mess.

“Look at you…you’re like a little housewife.”

A scoff sounded and Eren’s eyes zeroed in on the flash of silver as the raven held up the knife in his hand for a moment. “I will cut you if that’s what it’ll take to make you be quiet about my domestic skills.”

Eren’s eyes flashed and he grinned, running his tongue over his lips to wet them. “Hey, it wasn’t an insult. Besides, you didn’t let me finish. I was going to say that it was quite sexy.”

“God, you should hear yourself talk sometimes.”

Levi was very proud of his culinary skills, and Eren felt quite proud of him too. It was beyond wonderful to see the raven have something to smile about.

It was when the raven was preparing food that Eren decided to inform him that the time to return to his home had come. Levi was standing in the kitchen, wearing simple comfortable clothes and a dark apron, cutting up vegetables to make a soup. There was a large pot sitting on the stove, slowly being filled with different food items that the raven sliced up.

Eren lay on the sofa on his stomach, watching the speed and precision with which the raven-haired man could slice potato. For once he didn’t attempt to play with the man, or tease him about torturing the food.

“I have to go…” the boy mumbled, half-hoping that the other male wouldn’t hear him.

“Do you now?”

A vain hope, for Levi had quite good hearing. The raven didn’t look up from what he was doing, didn’t pause in his task, and Eren sighed.

“Yeah.” He mumbled in a reluctant tone. “It’s time I set things into motion.”

Levi nodded in response. “Fair enough.”

Eren watched from the sofa, eyes half closed. Levi sounded fine, not suspicious or angry or even sad about the fact that the boy would be leaving, but the brunette couldn’t help but want to be sure.

“You’re okay with it, right?” He asked gently.

As urgently as he needed to go, he couldn’t do so until he was certain that the raven would be okay. Levi had suffered enough at the hands of others…and Eren wouldn’t be just another reason for his human’s heart to ache at night.

But Levi just shrugged from his place in the kitchen. “Why wouldn’t I be?” He asked in his usual nonchalant tone. “It’s your life, kid.”

The brunette nodded at that. “I was worried that you might…not want me to go?”

Eren’s breathing stuttered for the briefest moment as Levi gave a little smile, barely noticeable as he moved more vegetables to be cut.

“I don’t want you to go.” The raven said simply, like it was perfectly normal for him to admit such a thing even though this was the first time Levi had openly expressed any sort of longing for Eren at all. “But I’m not going to stop you. You told me that this demon bullshit means a lot to you, so go do it.”

And suddenly it was all Eren wanted him to say, even if that was as personal as the smaller man would ever get.

The brunette smiled from his place on the couch. “Thanks, Levi.”

“Don’t thank me with words, brat.” The raven chided, setting down the knife in his hands and folding his arms over his chest. “Show me that you mean it.”

Eren scrambled eagerly from the sofa, darting to the kitchen to stand before the smaller male. The boy’s arms wound around Levi’s waist as Eren leaned down to bite gently at the raven’s bottom lip. A soft groan sounded in Levi’s throat when the brat made no further move, teal eyes dancing.

“Tease.” Levi muttered against Eren’s lips, feeling the brat start to smile.

The raven’s hand snaked up behind Eren’s head, tugging him down to bring their mouths together properly. Sharp inhales sounded from both parties; the contact was warm and soft, a perfect parting gift. The brunette hugged the smaller man closer, making a content sound in the back of his throat. But when Eren tried to pull Levi from the kitchen, the raven broke away.

“No, none of that.” The smaller male chided, tapping a finger against the brunette’s nose. “I have to get the soup on before three.”

“Now you’re the one teasing, putting images of little domestic you in my head when I have to go. That’s cruel.”

“Now you’ll have something to come back for.”

Eren pouted but stepped back quickly enough when Levi picked up the knife again. The raven chuckled, turning back to his cutting while the brunette leaned against the end of the counter.

“Can I ask you to do something for me?” Eren asked after a while.

“Depends. What do you want?”

A little sigh came from the brunette and the kid paused long enough for Levi to stop cutting, turning to look at him.

“It isn’t anything too difficult.” Eren assured the raven, swallowing. “Just…stay away from the mirrors. At least until I get back.”

“That’s it?” Levi paused in his cutting, half-turning to raise an eyebrow at the brunette. “What the fuck for?”

“It’s important.”

That was all the kid seemed to be going to say on the matter.

Levi gave a chuckle, shifting his weight onto his back foot.

Eren swallowed; the way the smaller man moved should be labelled as criminal. Not to mention that stupid velvet laughter of his.

“Are you afraid that I’ll fall for my reflection instead?” The raven muttered, a little smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“Maybe I am.” Eren answered, looking away. He wasn’t smiling. “Just do it, alright?”

“Why, Eren?”

“I’ll tell you when I come back.”

“If you come back.” Levi corrected, turning back to his vegetables. “You seem confident, but this guy might just kick your ass.” The raven stated, pointing the knife over at Eren with a flourish of his wrist before hacking off the end of a carrot. “And something tells me that this Jean prick won’t just brush off attempted murder as friendly rivalry.”

Eren looked over at the raven with a dreamy little smile. “Are you worried about me?”

“Should I not be?” The smaller man countered, arching his brow. “Don’t fuck this up, Eren.”

A low chuckle left Eren’s throat through closed lips as he smiled. “Believe me, I won’t.”

There was a short pause and the brunette looked over to see Levi glancing at him with both of his eyebrows raised.

“Well fuck me…someone sounds confident.”

“I am. Oh man, if Jean knew what was coming for him he’d probably shit a brick.”

Levi let out a brief laugh. “Heh. Good God, now you’re starting to sound like me. I must be a bad influence.”

Eren smiled as the raven shook his head. “I wish you could be there to see…”

Levi cast an amused look over at the boy. “You can tell me all about it after you bite the guy’s head off, or whatever the fuck you’re going to do.”

“Bite his head off? That’s adorable.” The brunette looked at Levi like he was the most naïve creature in the universe. “No, no…I’m going to swallow the fucker whole.”

The raven-haired man blinked. Once, and then once more. “Can you even do that?”

Eren grinned, flashing white teeth. “I can.”

“Creepy.” Levi muttered, giving a shake of his head as he scraped the chopped carrots from the cutting board into the pot on the stove. “It’s that kind of talk that makes me nervous when you're mouthing at my neck, brat.”

At last Eren laughed aloud. Levi looked at him for a moment, waiting for the kid to explain what was so goddamned funny, but after a good thirty seconds the raven simply glared and reached for the next item to be cut. He was halfway through peeling the skin off an onion by the time Eren’s howling laughter had died down into smaller bursts of giggles.

The brunette was beaming as he straightened up, controlling himself a little more. “Well I wouldn’t start at the neck if I was going to try to swallow you in one go, now would I?”

Levi rolled his eyes at the comment. “How the fuck should I know?”

More giggles sounded and even threats concerning knives couldn't shut the brat up.

“This is why I'm keeping you, Levi.” Eren snickered. “You’re hilarious!”

“Really? Is that all?” The raven gave a smirk as he cut the first onion in half. “And here I thought it was because I have a great ass.”

Eren went quiet then, looking thoroughly surprised. Levi counted that as a personal victory, having finally made a comment that Eren hadn’t instantly had a comeback for. When the boy did speak again, it was in an indignant tone.

“Well I wouldn’t know because you never let me near it.”

Levi snorted at the comment, moving onto the second onion. “After all your weird talk about consuming people? Do you really wonder why?”

“I wouldn’t do that to you. You’re too much fun to have around.”

The raven smirked at that, shaking his head a little as he finished up with the last of the onions, adding them to the pot.

He let out a little sigh, glancing down at the countertop. “You’re really leaving, then?”

Eren looked towards the door with a frown. “Yeah.” He murmured, exhaling. “I should actually get going.”

“Don’t forget to fucking say goodbye.”

Eren pushed off the counter with a laugh, but he paused when Levi looked up at him. The raven’s eyes were red, glistening with moisture. Eren surged forward, taking the other man’s face in his hands and tilting it upward.

“Ack!” Levi tensed at the sudden movement. “Eren, what the-?”

“Are you crying, Levi? Are you really going to miss me that much?”

“Don’t be stupid,” the raven rolled his eyes, giving a little smirk as he reached for a tissue and dabbed his eyes, “it’s just the onions.” Levi gestured back at the remaining uncut white spheres sitting on the bench that would go back into the cupboards. “Nasty little buggers.”

“No,” Eren shook his head rapidly, placing light little kisses all over the raven’s face in rapid succession, “I refuse to accept that. You were crying because you’ll miss me.”

Levi chuckled, closing his eyes at the attention. “Whatever you say, brat.”

It took a good ten minutes to boot Eren out of the apartment; the brat couldn’t seem to make it more than three steps without marching straight back and pining Levi against the counter.

At last he made it to the door, staring longingly back at the raven for a long moment.

“I can feel you staring, brat. Get out of here before I chase you with this.”

Eren chuckled as the raven held up the knife for a brief moment, still looking down at his counter.

The brunette left the apartment, closing the door behind him and making his way down the stairs at a leisurely pace.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Eren let out a long sigh and glanced up at the ceiling.

“My Levi…maybe you wouldn’t even like your reflection so much if you actually met him.”

The brunette did not rush as he exited the building; in fact the entire trip was calm. Eren went into the city, weaving his way through crowded streets. He came to a narrow alley, barely anything more than a gap between two buildings, and he slipped right through it. No one noticed the shadow that was Eren as he ducked into the darkened back streets.

Behind the buildings, Eren strolled along, whistling a merry little tune as he shoved his hands into his pockets. He walked towards the end of the alley, where the sunlight shone its golden beams through the canopy of a beautiful green tree, leaving the ground dappled under shadow and light.

If anyone had been in that alley, they might have spotted Eren pausing in front of a silver pane of glass. A closer inspection would have revealed that glass to be a mirror, frameless and tarnished, but still casting a dull reflection. And if anyone had been around, they might have seen the brunette place his hand on the mirror…and disappear.

Chapter Text

“If you want something, you have to take it. Because nobody’s ever going to give it to you.” – Morgan Rhodes, Falling Kingdoms.

***

Hell. The realm of fire and punishment. It was an immense expanse of wastelands, barren and charred earth, marshes, swamps and cruel mountain ranges.

For Eren, it was home.

People think that all bad souls are sent to Hell after they leave their physical form and pass on. That is true. What people do not know is that souls are not each individually kept within the confines of Hell. That was a highly impractical idea; surely if that were the way things worked then Hell would fill up and the souls would escape, right?

Right. To solve this problem, there are demons.

Demons are monstrous creatures that prey upon souls, and humans too if they get the chance. They can take many forms, but ironically the most common image taken is that of their human cousins. Some think that this was done on purpose, to mock their less powerful kin. Even the lowest and weakest of demonic beings can consume souls, and doing so grants power. Because of this, there are many different classes that demonic beings can belong to.

Consume enough mortal souls and a being’s class is raised as their power grows. Do enough bad things and sometimes a human soul can be born again as a demon. Some of the more power-hungry demons have been known to consume their own kind in order to gain strength.

Eternal punishment isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. You do bad things, you die, you get eaten. Sure, having your entire core being ripped apart cell by cell to join a new body is painful, but hardly everlasting.

There is more than one way to get to the dying realm. First, of course, is the direct route. Otherwise known as death. But if you’re clever and know your way around, there is another route…and it is called the Way Through. It travels back and forth, connecting the living world with its twin, and most people gaze into it every day without even realising it.

Getting to Hell was one thing. Getting back…now that took a little more effort.

The only method of traversing the Way Through is via mirrors, which are able to take a creature to the other side by connecting a being with its reflection. Each and every human being may find their ‘twin’ on the other side, as long as neither twin has perished or been killed, and nine times out of ten the two beings are polar opposites. A strange, almost coincidental occurrence, maybe, but useful in its own way. One sure-fire way to tell if your demonic half is still trapped within the realm of fire is to look into a mirror. If you have a reflection, then you have nothing to worry about. If you don’t…it might be time to hit the panic button. This little fact has led to many myths and mysteries within human culture, such as vampires, ghosts and witches to name a very few.

Mirrors that are portals between the two worlds can’t reflect half of the same image, and so there must be a twin on either side for a reflection to be produced. Ergo, if you cannot see yourself in a mirror, your demonic counterpart is loose in the living world.

Travelling via these silver portals can take a lot of getting used to. Most of the time a creature would be taken directly to its twin in the opposite realm. This happens when the user has no prior experience or knowledge of how to manipulate its travel course and destination. But if you know your way around like Eren does, you can go anywhere.

The rules are simple enough once learned. Hold an image in your mind and you will be taken to that place. Think of a specific person or voice and you can be transported close to them. There must be a mirror nearby to the person or place for this to work, otherwise you will simply appear at the closest mirror to the desired person or place.

Not every mirror acts as a portal, but it is possible to create a link through any mirror. Normal reflective surfaces such as regular glass or polished plastic may act as windows through to the twin worlds, allowing illusions or visions into the separate worlds and sometimes enabling communication, but only mirrors can allow actual physical transportation.

Not every mirror, but any mirror.

Some mirrors are permanent portals that cannot be closed apart from being shattered, while others can remain in a state of flux.

Such a thing might cause a person to worry, what with there being so many mirrors in the living world. Demons pride human beings for their vanity; it’s almost as if people want to be possessed.

To protect human life, demons have a number of limitations placed on them. The more powerful a creature, the more difficult it becomes to make the crossing between worlds. But at the same time, not having enough strength can also hinder travel. Many foolish sapling demons are lost this way; yet another factor that prevents the dying realm from filling up.

However, the most specific restriction for travel is due to the simple fact that there are only a select few mirrors in Hell. With their connection to travel and ultimately escape, mirrors are considered contraband within the dying realm…and the largest of all is kept by a colossal guardian. This being was one of few demons well known by mankind, although stories of his power have been greatly exaggerated and twisted over time.

A red skinned giant; gate guardian of Hell and keeper of the Way Through.

Eren stepped through the silver pane of glass and into the dying world, smiling brightly as he looked around. His human form was scorched away and blue-green eyes burned like fire. The brunette turned his gaze upon the giant, smile growing.

“Lucifer, baby! How are you?”

The enormous humanoid creature never paused in its pacing, massive feet crunching the charred earth beneath with each step.

“Not in the mood for chatter? I get it, that’s cool. I’m just passing through anyway.” Eren shrugged, brushing soot off his shoulder as he strode away, giving a single wave to the behemoth. “Talk to you next time, big guy.”

Wings spread and the brunette rocketed off from the ground in a rush, trailing blue sparks. The black earth of his home flew by beneath him and soon the demon could see his own land. Claimed through beating and brutal warfare, Eren was proud of each and every stone he called his. Soon he would possess much more land and his eyes turned to the territory that sat on the northern boundary of his turf.

Another expanse of barren black dirt and bleached rock that stretched twice as far as his own.

Eren landed in a crouch in the midst of his camp, eyes flicking up to meet the shining black gaze of his right hand warrior.

“Welcome back, Eren.”

“Mikasa,” the brunette greeted with a nod as he straightened out of his crouch and stretched, “is everyone ready?”

The raven-haired girl gave a nod and started walking alongside Eren.

"Yes."

The pair hadn't communicated since Mikasa's last visit to (and subsequent incident in) the living realm, and yet Eren sensed no tension in his ghoulish sister's stance or tone. They'd butted heads often over the many years that they'd known each other and never once had there been a fight the demonic (technically non-biological) siblings hadn't bounced back from. Despite their most recent spat, Mikasa spoke easily. She nodded over at the expansive camp as they walked.

“The army is ready; Armin has informed everyone of the plan and your comrades are preparing for battle.”

“Excellent, that’s what I like to hear.” Eren said with a smile, eyes seeking out the mop of blonde hair that belonged to another of his comrades. “Armin! How is everything looking, my little master strategist?”

The blonde gave a squeak when an arm looped over his shoulders. Eren gave the startled creature a wink and ruffled his hair.

“E-Everything looks g-good, Eren.” The smaller male stammered, voice growing a little higher. “Reiner is going to set a siege to the castle while your foot soldiers will deal with Jean’s forces.”

Armin had always intrigued Eren for as long as they'd known each other. On the surface, the little blond demon radiated anxiety and a timid nature that could fool even the most perceptive foes into underestimating him. It was the eyes, Eren believed. Those giant blue saucers could pull you right into their depths, as beautiful as the sea and with just as much intent to drown you if one didn't pay the appropriate amount of respect. Behind those eyes, Eren was sure that there wasn't even a second of idle silence. Armin's mind was constantly racing with information, piecing together strategies, taking note of enemy weaknesses and habits. If he figured you out, you were doomed. Despite his brilliance and impressive deviousness, Armin maintained his timid act unless he knew he wasn't under direct observation. Eren was used to it by now and grateful for the advantages it brought them. He bore with the performance with a knowing little smirk.

“Sounds good." Eren nodded, sweeping upwards with one hand to create a visual of the surrounding area to use as a map. "What about the elites?”

“M-Mikasa and Annie will stay with you," Armin confirmed what they had already decided, directing Eren's attention around the newly formed map with a clawed finger, "and Marco has finally jumped ship to our side so I gave him the left squad to command. That’s the side Reiner will be on so we can be sure that he’ll have decent warning if things go south.”

“Good, that’s really good, Armin.” Eren praised, patting the blonde on the back. “But let Annie have the right sector, I can handle myself well enough. Mikasa will stay with me, that’s fine. Send Bertholdt up with Reiner; we don’t want to take any chances. Two heads are better than one, especially in the heat of battle. Bert can watch blondie’s back and keep him out of trouble.”

“Y-Yes, of course.” Armin stammered, trembling a little. “I-I’ll go let e-everyone know what’s changed.”

The shaking was a bit much and Eren sensed that this wasn't part of Armin's usual act. Despite his sharp mind, which was a formidable weapon of its own right, Armin was aware of his lack of physical power. He was the weakest out of the hellish trio. While it wasn't something that Eren or Mikasa judged him for, Armin still knew it to be true. Eren knew better than to mistake Armin's lack of power for true weakness. In this world especially, there was always a way to become stronger if one possessed the right knowledge. Well, knowledge was Armin's forte. Always had been. But Eren knew a trick or two to this world also and, when these demons he called family were concerned, he had never been selfish with this information. As things stood, Armin's mind alone could very nearly topple this wretched plane if he gathered all the right pawns. Eren could only imagine how his friend would be after a little feeding. Maybe a lot of feeding. Powered up on souls, there was no knowing what kind of creature Armin could become.

For now, Armin resorted to his clever acting and sneaky tactics to survive. He thought himself weak, Eren knew. It was difficult to convince the little blonde otherwise in a world where power meant the difference between being the hunted or the hunter. Eren looked forward to the day when Armin could toss aside the timid façade. The day Armin held his head high would be a truly harrowing day for the dying realm and Eren couldn't fucking wait.

Finding Armin still waiting for his friend's approval, Eren turned the blonde towards him, smiling cheeky reassurance.

“Hey now, don’t worry. Everything’s going to be fine, you’ll see! We have nothing to worry about.” The brunette grinned, clapping Armin on the back to send him on his way as Eren strode off towards the gathering squabble.

Mikasa followed silently behind him, her coal eyes ever-watchful.

Eren sensed her doubt and he sighed. “If you have something to say, Mika, then say it now.”

The girl was quiet for a moment longer before she exhaled.

“Are you sure that this is a good idea?” She asked, coming to stand next to the brunette and they both looked out over the land that would soon be crawling with their warriors. “Jean isn’t some simple spawn.”

“Neither am I.” Eren replied curtly, flexing his wings for emphasis.

“You don’t have to prove anything to me, Eren.” The ravenette murmured, looking at the ground as her fingers wove through the scarlet fire about her neck. “But what makes you so sure that you can beat him? What do you possess that he doesn’t.”

“Good looks?”

“Be serious.”

Eren laughed, the light-hearted sound seeming ridiculously out of place in light of the situation. He turned to the raven-haired girl and smiled.

“Trust me, Mikasa. Jean won’t know what hit him.” He turned back, looking out towards his enemy’s territory. “Give the signal…let’s move in.”

Mikasa nodded, turning her face to the sky and a bolt of lightning shot down to strike the ground across the border. Eren watched as his army of demonic beings charged, snarling and gnashing their wicked teeth. Some could fly, others simply ran.

Eren spread his wings, looking to Mikasa before taking off and flying out to lead his force.

Their goal was Castle Kirschtein, the place where the leader of the land could be found. Rumour said that Jean hadn’t actually left the stone walls in months, having taken to locking himself up to lounge with his booze and demonic whores. Pitiful.

The castle that Jean inhabited was quite a modest structure, built solely for the purpose of making Kirschtein look noble and powerful. It was constructed out of stone and had no moat, only high walls and a ring of great boulders about the base.

Eren soared downward, landing at the head of his army, and wrinkled his nose. “This place reeks. I can smell Kirschtein from here.”

Mikasa landed moments after, her pointed ears pricking up.

“He’s here, Eren.”

Glowing teal eyes snapped up, searching.

From the top of his castle tower, the tall and arrogant demon known as Jean appeared. He wore a lazy smile, leaning one elbow in the stone wall.

“Eren…long time no see.” The ashbrown gave a casual little wave. “I thought you’d been picked off already? What a shame.”

The brunette gave a scoff. “Hello to you too, asshole.”

Jean didn’t seem very concerned by the sight of a good several thousand snarling demons parked on his doorstep.

“What do you want, Eren?” He looked almost bored with the situation.

“Everything.” Eren replied, and above him the dark sky gave a low rumble of thunder.

The ashbrown snorted, apparently thoroughly amused by Eren’s response. “Not sure I can help you there,” he said with a shrug, glancing off for a moment, “you might want to ask the inner territory.” Suddenly Jean looked back, his lazy grin making Eren’s hands ball into fists. “Oh, but I forgot, that would bring back some painful memories, wouldn’t it…Jaeger?”

“Shut it, Jean! I’m not here to talk.”

“Still got your daddy issues, I see? How adorable.”

Eren rolled his eyes, inclining his head towards Mikasa.

“This is why we don’t get along.” He muttered in exasperation, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I can’t believe that you were honestly considering getting with this piece of shit.”

Mikasa gave her own frustrated sigh. “It was a long time ago, Eren. Let it go.”

“I wish I could…but the imagery just keeps worming its way back inside my head. Gross.” The brunette shuddered.

The previously smirking Jean rolled his eyes at the conversation, eyes roaming over the gathering of snarling creatures. Eren had really upped his game since the last attempt. This fight could just turn out to be interesting. And then the ashbrown’s eyes settled on a demon with dark hair and a face he knew well. The freckles should have been a giveaway, but Jean couldn’t quite bring himself to believe it.

“Marco?” He murmured, standing a little straighter. “What are you doing out there?”

Down on the ground, Marco gave a sigh and looked up, a pained expression twisting his features.

“Just…don’t struggle, Jean.” The freckled demon said, his voice as gentle as it had ever been. “It’s better this way.”

The ashbrown frowned, looking confused. “Better…what do you mean?”

Eren scoffed, stepping forward. “I’m taking this place, Jean. I told you I would.”

Jean laughed, throwing his head back and chortling. “Yeah right, good one.” He said between chuckles. “I’d say you and what army but it looks like you actually came prepared. Smart…but it won’t save you.”

The brunette’s eyes flashed and he gave a sly smile. “Don’t count on that. There’s a good deal you don’t know, Kirschtein. You’ve been too busy lazing about to notice.”

Waving the threat away, Jean made a dismissive sound. “What’ve you got that’s different from the last time, hmm? Or the time before that?” The ashbrown glared down at Eren, resting both hands on the stone of the wall. “I’ve wasted your ass before and I’ll do it again. I can handle anything you throw at me.”

“So you say, but we’ll see who’s still standing after this.” The sky flashed with lightning, illuminating the area. Jean looked up at the sky, Eren didn’t so much as flinch. “It’s over, Jean. Your reign ends here.”

All at once a deafening boom tore through the air, so loud that it caused the earth to tremor. A brilliant flash of white-blue light erupted around Eren and time seemed to slow as that light grew to such an intensity that nothing else could be seen. And then the light was gone, revealing a gigantic humanoid beast in the place where Eren had stood.

The being was a tower of muscle, sinew and smoke, breathing fumes and towering over the demons below. It must have been twenty metres tall at least, as high as a three storey house and easily tall enough to see over the walls of the castle. Dark hair, the same shade as Eren's, fell to below the gargantuan's pointed ears and the monstrous figure flexed out its fingers almost lazily, each finger ending in a massive claw. Two great eyes burned like green fire, slightly sunken into a sharply featured face. The skin around the jaws did little to cover the rows of great teeth that lead back into the skull, and a howling roar ripped through the beast’s throat.

Jean stood frozen, unable to believe what was there before his very eyes.

“Wh-Wha? What the FUCK?”

This he was not prepared for. An army of demonic fiends, maybe, but a whole giant with Eren’s power? Not at all.

As if the transformation was some kind of signal, a second booming crash shook the air and Jean saw another giant rising from the smoke. This one was slightly smaller and skinless unlike the first, with blue eyes and blonde hair. It took a fighting stance as the warriors below began to charge forward.

A third and final explosion sounded and another skinless behemoth armoured in plates of bone and scale charged the castle walls.

“It’s over, Jean. Your reign ends here.”

Eren was right; there was no escaping this. No defeating the terrible power smashing his defences into rubble, no running from the monstrosity that was Eren as he ran Jean down, footsteps echoing like thunder, shaking in the ashbrown’s very being.

Jean’s army fled in screaming flurries, retreating back into the confines of the castle. Those who didn’t make it were crushed, slain or eaten.

The stone walls of Kirschtein’s fortress shook, crumbling under the assault from the armoured giant, and the smaller of the three monsters launched great hunks of rock over the walls.

Jean stood frozen in fear, gawking up at the enormous figure of Eren’s giant form as two emerald orbs held his terrified stare.

He couldn't have moved if he'd wanted to.

An enormous clawed hand reached for him and then the petrified demon was swinging in the air, dangling by his feet and screaming protests as he was lifted ever higher. Eren held his foe out in front of him, green eyes appraising as the pitiful fiend pleaded for his life.

“Eren! Eren, Eren, c’mon man! It doesn’t have to be like this!” Jean cried out, laughing in a panic as he swung in the monstrous grip. “I mean, sure, we don’t really see eye to eye all the time but-ah! AH!”

The ashbrown shouted as he was pulled higher, up in front of Eren’s large eyes. The huge green pools twinkled with amusement.

“M-Mikasa? Talk some sense into your lil’ bro for me, would you? Marco? Anyone?”

Jean’s pleas came faster and faster, through shouts and cries and tears as the ashbrown realised that this would be his end.

“B-But we could still work this out, Eren! We could work together! Please!”

“Is this about the time I hit on your sister? B-Because I was totally joking! N-Not that she wouldn’t make a good match-Eren please don’t kill me!”

“I’m a weasel, alright? A coward, a creep, call me whatever you want just put me down, yeah?”

“Eren? Eren, no. Eren, can we talk about this? WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS, EREN NO!”

“DON’T! EREN! PUT ME DOWN! NO! STOP! AAAAHHH-!”

Jean’s terrified screams died abruptly as he was dropped into Eren’s mouth, enormous jaws snapping shut with a sound like thunder. Brilliant gold and blue light erupted in the monster’s eyes and for a moment everything was lost in the vibrant rays. When the lights finally faded, the monstrous creature was gone and Eren stood in his original form.

“Yowie! That sting always gets me, you know?” The brunette laughed as he shook his hands out by his sides, near giddy with the rush of strength surging through him.

Mikasa didn’t seem to find the humour in the situation as she watched him dance about for a moment.

“Are you happy now?”

Eren looked up, eyes ablaze, and he grinned. “Overjoyed, sister mine.”

Coal eyes regarded him coolly. “Was it worth it?”

“For those pitiful cries? It was worth every second.” Eren clapped his hands together once, turning on his heel and looking over the new expanse of land that he could call his. “Go be a dear and make sure that none of Jean’s minions are still loyal to him. Bring the ones that are to me, along with any that you suspect might betray us.”

“Will you be consuming them as well?”

“Of course.”

“Do you really think any of them will reveal disloyalty after that performance of yours?” She paused as Eren hesitated, turning his gaze on her and waiting for the girl to continue. She did, “Do you honestly want your empire of fear to start before you take over?”

The brunette waited as he considered the questions Mikasa had put forth. Blue-green eyes flickered, dark pupils narrowing in thought.

“Good point…” Eren agreed at last, biting his lip. He paused, glancing back at his new territory once more. “Oh, what the heck. Round them all up! We shall have a feast! Make sure Armin comes along, it’s about time he got a taste of strength.”

“What about the castle?”

Eren’s lip curled back and he sneered.

“Burn it.”

The raven-haired demon gave a single nod. “Right away, brother.”

Eren watched her spread her wings and take off in a rush of soot and wind. He smiled, breathing in the rancid air. The plan was finally set in motion and their first goal had been achieved. It would take a little while to adjust to his new strength, but soon he could return to the living world.

The next few phases of his scheme were crucially important and he would have to lie low, keeping out of sight until the right moment. Oh, the stories he would bring back to his human.

Eren’s eyes flared at the thought and at the same time he watched Mikasa send a searing ball of scarlet fire towards the ruined remnants of the castle. He stretched and began to stride towards the prisoners gathered.

What a feast this would be.

Chapter Text

“Heart, cover your tracks. The blood that you’ve spilled will wash what you lack.” – A Boy And His Kite, Cover Your Tracks.

***

Time was a fickle thing. It had been a mere day since Eren had walked out of the apartment, and yet somehow to Levi it felt longer.

So much longer.

As far as Levi’s lips were concerned, it may as well have been a week. He hadn’t realised how addicting Eren’s kisses could be until the brat was gone.

He’d woken up at 6:00am, cold and on the floor. Only one day without Eren and Levi’s nightmares seemed to have struck twice as bad. He couldn’t remember what horrid images had haunted him but they had been enough to make him roll off the bed.

Brushing himself off, Levi went about his morning routine.

The flat was remarkably peaceful without the brunette’s near-constant chatter, but for once the raven missed the noise. He had grown quite used to seeing the brat sprawled out across his sofa or on the carpet…or anywhere really. Eren had wormed his way into Levi’s life through stubbornness and cheeky determination. It almost felt wrong to have him gone.

It was nothing too painful, nothing that he couldn’t deal with for a few days, but it was strange.

Strange to realise that he had let someone else in.

Levi wasn’t used to missing someone for the right reasons, without baggage or history weighing the feelings down. It hurt in all the right ways, if such a thing were possible. The raven’s heart ached with fondness rather than painful memories, and the thought of Eren returning was something Levi was looking forward to.

The brat’s cheeky suggestion of a ‘surprise’ waiting for him when he got back swam up through Levi’s thoughts and he smirked, wondering what the kid would do if he came home to find the raven dressed up in drag or something ridiculous. He could almost picture the look of shock on the brat’s face. It was almost tempting enough to make Levi call Hanji and tell her to bring him that stupid maid’s dress she’d bought him one year for Christmas.

Of course the woman would still have the wretched thing, even if Levi had threatened to burn it and anyone who came near him with it.

But maybe that sort of thinking was a bit sudden. After all, as oddly fond as he was of Eren, the two had known each other for less than a month. Levi decided that perhaps that sort of teasing would need to wait a while.

Oh yes, he could wait. But the thoughts would be there to entertain him in the meantime.

Two new videos were made and posted onto his blog and Levi felt quite satisfied with himself for getting so much editing done in such a short time. He cleaned, he cleaned again and even took a nap to pass the time. That was enough to get Levi through to 10:30am.

With little else left to occupy himself with, the raven decided to check up on his emails.

There were a few from Nanaba, one from Mike with some training suggestions, a shit tonne from Hanji and some from his students. But there was one email in particular that caught Levi’s eye in a bad way. He stared at the name for a long moment, feeling his temper starting to rise.

Fucking Erwin Smith.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

The raven growled under his breath and clicked on the message from one ‘e.smith’, scowling at the title in the subject row.

To: l.ackerman

From: e.smith

Subject: Dinner For Two?

Sorry, I only used that title because I knew you would open it. I do feel bad about preying on your temper, apologies. You haven’t called, so I figured that I’d better reach out via other means. I still think we should talk, get a little closure, work things out? Please get back to me,

E.Smith.

Erwin really did know him too well, the bastard. Of course Levi would get mad and open the damned message. And now if he didn’t at least respond, Levi would feel like the one being a douche. Great. Just perfect. The raven haired man glared at the ‘Reply?’ button for a long moment, hands clenching and unclenching as he forced himself to breathe.

What a fucking smug as shit asshole!

Levi had never felt more purpose as he typed out a reply as calmly as he could manage.

To: e.smith

From: l.ackerman

Subject: Go Suck A Dick

My bad, I only used that title because I knew you wouldn’t be able to scroll past it, you fucker! How the fuck did you get my email? Have you been harassing Mike?

Levi was fully prepared to shut down his laptop and maybe punch a wall when a ping sounded from his computer.

Erwin had replied…which meant that he was online now. Had he been waiting for Levi on purpose? Or was this simply a coincidence?

Throwing the thought to the wind, the raven glanced at the little notification and clicked on it, eyes roving over the newly typed words.

Reply from e.smith:

Charming as ever, Levi. No, I have not been harassing anyone. I found your blog; the email is listed on your contacts page.

P.S. Looking as spry as ever.

Levi groaned, sitting back in his chair as he read Erwin’s attempt at flirting. This couldn’t be happening. It had to be an awful nightmare.

Another ping sounded and Levi peered through the fingers he’d brought up to cover his face with, spying the chat request flashing on his computer screen.

e.smith wants to chat with you! Accept? Decline?

The man had brought him nothing but pain for years, and that was without the fucker even being there. Levi didn’t want to know what kind of hurt he might feel if he let Erwin Smith back into his life.

With a longsuffering sigh, the raven hovered the mouse over the button to accept the request.

Levi began typing almost immediately, determined not to let Erwin have the first word.

l.ackerman: Erwin, what in fucks name were you even doing on my blog?

The pause was only short before Erwin replied.

e.smith: Browsing.

Levi scoffed at the reply, if it could even be called that. Erwin had always been so good with words and fancy, flourished sentences. Yet now he was giving one word half-assed responses? What the fuck?

l.ackerman: I’ve never realised how much of a creeper you sound like until just now. Stop with your old man wank sessions and get to the point already.

e.smith: I was just trying to get in touch with you. You could have just called.

l.ackerman: Fuck you, what if I didn’t want to?

e.smith: I guessed as much, which is why I was perusing your blog.

l.ackerman: Oh, so you’ve been cyber-stalking me? Great. Stop being an internet pervert and come say whatever you’re going to say to my face, you big blonde stack of shit!

e.smith: So you’ll meet me then?

l.ackerman: Is that what it’ll take for you to stop with all this?

e.smith: Maybe it is.

The raven made a frustrated sound. Erwin knew how to play him, knew that giving him an option like this would look too good to turn down, even if there was a risk that it was all bogus claims. And Levi would fall for it every goddamned time.

Even now he felt his resolve wither, reaching again for the keyboard to type.

l.ackerman: Fine. When?

e.smith: Are you free for lunch? Why don’t we meet up in the square near your work?

Levi was in fact free for lunch. He was free all damned day without Eren around. But if he was going to agree to seeing Erwin, then he wanted to make sure that the big blonde fucker didn’t get to call all the shots.

l.ackerman: I want Italian. Anything else and I won’t come.

e.smith: Anything you want. I’ll see you at Mina’s at around 12:00pm?

l.ackerman: If you’re late, I’ll skin you alive.

e.smith: See you soon.

[User has closed the chat.]

“Tch. Asshole.”

Levi had a good mind to just tell Erwin that he already had someone and to fuck off because nothing was ever, ever going to happen between them. Ever.

But he wondered very much what the blonde had to say.

And so when the clock read 11:20, Levi pulled on some nicer clothes than his lay-about-the-apartment sweat pants, grabbed a dark coat and marched out of his apartment. By 11:55 the raven had reached the square and was heading for the building with swirling read letters that spelled ‘Mina’s’.

Mina’s was an Italian restaurant tucked away in a quieter corner of Sina Square. It was only small, but the food was decent and the calmer spot apparently helped to draw in less rowdy customers. It also helped to set the romantic atmosphere that the place was known for and Levi was more than a little suspicious.

“Just needs to talk, my ass.” He muttered to himself through clenched teeth.

It was impossible to miss the giant of a man waiting at one of the tables set up outside. Levi’s eyes quickly assessed the table.

No candles or bullshit roses were in sight, thank God. Levi really didn’t want to have to commit murder in broad daylight, but if there had been sappy shit like roses waiting for him then Erwin would have been a dead man.

Speaking of Erwin, the man was sitting with his back to Levi at that moment, and Levi didn’t so much as greet him as he strode past.

“Outside seating? Wise choice.” The raven muttered as he passed by.

Erwin didn’t so much as flinch at the sudden appearance.

“I thought you’d appreciate the space.” The blonde man said with a smile.

“You’re fucking right there.” Levi agreed, glaring at Erwin when he stood to pull out Levi’s seat for him. “Sit your ass down, I can get my own damned chair.”

The blonde-haired man chuckled low, blue eyes twinkling with amusement as he watched the raven yank out the white framed seat and sit down.

“Thank you for meeting with me.” Erwin murmured at last, his tone genuine. “I was worried that you wouldn’t show.”

Levi cocked an eyebrow at him, folding his arms.

“I considered leaving you waiting.” He admitted, inclining his head a little. “But then again, that would make me the asshole and I’d hate to take that role from you.”

The blonde hummed his amusement. “You really haven’t changed a bit. Well, except for the accessories. They suit you, though.”

“You’re damned right, they do.” The raven agreed, leaning back in his chair. “Now, are you going to compliment me all day, or are we actually going to talk?”

“We can talk.” Erwin nodded, still smiling gently as he relaxed back into his seat. “But I wasn’t joking about lunch. I ordered you the seafood linguine

Levi’s eyes narrowed; Erwin obviously still recalled the raven’s love of seafood. Sly bastard.

But still, maybe Levi could salvage the situation a little. “What kind of-”

“King prawns, scallops and crab.” Erwin cut him off, apparently having anticipated Levi’s habit of nit-picking when it came to food. “You’ll like it.”

Or maybe he couldn’t salvage it. No indeed, it looked like the blonde beefcake had the higher ground on this one. The raven rolled his eyes, annoyed because Erwin was right. Always right.

Their food arrived shortly afterwards. Erwin, the freak, had ordered for himself a simple bolognaise dish. The stringy pasta sat in a ridiculously high mound on his plate and Levi cringed to see that the blonde still had no problem butchering foreign cuisine. The pair ate in relative silence, except for one brief outburst from Levi when one of the waiters had made the awful mistake of referring to the pair as a couple.

“I’m not his date! You take that back or I’ll shove this fucking fork up your-”

“Levi. Sit down, you’re being ridiculous.”

“If you want to keep those looks, Erwin, I’d shut the fuck up. Right now.”

“…”

“Wise choice.”

After the food, the talking came. Levi was beyond surprised to find that Erwin really did have actual questions to ask. He started, of course, with the obvious topic of work.

“So I take it from the look of your blog that you’re into fitness?”

“Yep.” The raven replied dryly.

Erwin cast him a knowing look, easily picking up on the reluctant tone. “And you teach it?”

Levi decided that it would be best to behave and get it over with. “I’m an instructor at Sina Dojo, yeah.”

The blonde nodded, looking just the slightest bit impressed. “I see.” He murmured, thinking on that for a moment. “Any specialities?”

“Martial arts and self-defence.”

“My, my…” Ice blue eyes glinted and an almost playful smile curved Erwin’s lips. “Now that would be a sight to see.”

“Keep dreaming.” Levi deadpanned, eyes narrowing a fraction.

The blonde only chuckled. “Oh? Would you turn me down so freely if I came to your dojo as a potential client?”

Levi laughed once, the sound harsh. “No.” He admitted with a shake of his head. “I’d bring you straight into the main hall and kick your sorry ass. You'd literally be paying to get walloped.”

Erwin laughed at that, taking a sip of his white wine. Yet another thing that the blonde remembered was Levi’s love of wine. He’d bought a whole bottle of red for the raven to indulge in, but so far Levi had only taken a few cautious sips.

The raven-haired man sat, tracing a finger around the rim of the glass idly, ever wary of the mastermind that lay behind the charming smiles. Where Levi was quick to act, Erwin was slow and patient…twice as dangerous in his own way.

And so the wine remained mostly untouched.

Erwin frowned a little, gesturing to the bottle.

“Not to your taste?”

“It’s fine.” Levi murmured, setting the glass down and settling into his chair. “What about you? What do you do now?”

A shrug, Levi watched the man’s broad shoulders roll with the motion.

“Nothing too exciting.” The blonde said, sipping his drink. “Just office type work.”

“Pay well?”

“Well enough.”

Levi nodded and another silence crept in to sit at their table. They weren’t exactly…awkward, per se, but there was a distinctly unnatural feel to each quiet moment. If was like they were two pieces of an old jigsaw puzzle that had never quite fit together in the first place, but some determined young kid would always try to push the pieces together. That force, that push that had always driven the two towards one another, seemed to have gone.

“Did you get to travel much?” Levi asked after a while, his eyes dropping to the tablecloth.

“Hmm?” Erwin frowned a little, looking up.

“When you went…away.” The raven attempted to clarify. “To study? You said that there would be a bit of travel.”

“Oh, yes of course.” The blonde nodded, swirling the transparent yellow liquid in his glass. “I went to a few places, England, Germany, I even got to spend a little time in France. It was all very beautiful, a tremendous experience. But most of my time was spent in Italy, ironically enough. I spent the last year in Rome, finishing up my studies. So many cathedrals, good God. Some of the architecture over there, it’s just…let me tell you…”

Erwin went on to describe everything to Levi, and the raven felt that old familiar ache as he was granted every last bit of the blonde’s attention. It was as if the other man’s words now were for Levi and Levi alone, like Erwin had held onto his memories from overseas in such detail for the sole purpose of coming home to tell the raven.

It hurt.

Levi allowed himself to look at Erwin, to honestly look, and take in the detail. The man was as impeccably dressed as ever, in a simple grey suit that was probably meant for his work. It was flattering, lending the man an air of professionalism and authority. A simple gold chain hung from the man’s neck, adorned with naught but a little gold cross. Elegant in its simplicity.

Erwin had always been like that; extraordinary and sophisticated, but simple. Almost too simple for it to be fair, really.

“I missed you.” Levi said suddenly, interrupting whatever Erwin had been saying about churches, and the blonde looked over at Levi in surprise. “A lot. After you left.” The raven continued. “I thought that…maybe it was me? Maybe I drove you away?” A heavy sigh left the smaller man. “You really messed me up, you know?”

Levi shook his head, wondering where the spiel had come from, and reached for his glass. He took a long gulp of the scarlet liquid, steel eyes regarding the look on Erwin’s face.

It was so close to regret that the raven almost laughed.

Erwin looked like he was trying to put together his words and his feelings…but that had never really been a strong point for the blonde. Erwin Smith was a man of logic and reason, not emotional drive. When he did start to open his mouth, Levi shook his head.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m good now.”

The raven shocked himself with how sure he’d sounded.

But it was the truth. Levi was fine with his life as it was; he had no desire to run after memories of the past. Both men paused, looking at each other like they were both complete strangers.

The raven looked off to one side to escape those intense blue eyes of Erwin’s. “So…do you still have that thing about cats?” Levi asked after a long moment of silence. “Or did you get over that?”

Erwin managed a little smile. “I’m more of a dog person, really.” He replied, glancing up from the table.

Ah, subject changing. Works every time.

“Figures.” Levi said, nodding to himself. “You could have just said it, though.”

The blonde-haired man furrowed his brows in confusion. “Said what?”

“That you’re still scared of cats.” The raven shrugged, a sly little smirk tugging at his lips.

Erwin had never been a fan of cats. Both men remembered the first time that Erwin had ever come over to Levi’s house when they were still teens. Levi, of course, had owned two of the fuzzy little creatures, and the little devils had been the absolute masters of cockblocking.

Levi snorted at all the ridiculous times those cats had come in and rained the awkward parade. There really was nothing quite so uncomfortable about being stark naked and having two cats stare at you.

It had gotten to a point where they had to go to Erwin’s place instead.

The blonde’s eye twitched a little at the reminder. “I’m not scared of them.” He argued, voice strained but calm. “They just…they’re weird.”

“Because they sleep upside down and vibrate when they purr?” Levi made a sound somewhere between a scoff and a laugh. “That’s what most people would call ‘cute’, you big fraidy-cat.”

Erwin almost rolled his eyes at the terrible pun, only just resisting the urge.

He shook his head. “It’s not just that, they’re like…little furry ninjas from hell.”

Levi, who had just taken a mouthful of his wine, nearly sprayed it all over the blonde-haired man at the sound of his deep voice uttering the words ‘ninjas from hell’ while holding a straight face. The raven clapped a hand over his mouth, swallowing hard before he could laugh and choke himself.

Erwin went on undeterred, completely serious. “How can they move so quietly? And I swear to God those two terrors that you owned could teleport.”

“Pfft!”

“I’m serious, Levi! We locked the doors, the windows, everything, but they still got in? How?”

Levi was chuckling aloud now, hiding his half smile with the back of his hand. “Fucking hell, one of these days I’m going to lock you in a room filled with the buggers, record the whole thing and see if it goes viral.”

“Please don’t.”

More chuckling. The afternoon continued like that, with the two of them swapping banter, sometimes bickering, but Levi made sure that they kept to light topics. Neither party really wanted to delve too deeply into emotional topics. Not today.

And so as two o’clock rolled around the pair of men ordered desserts and Levi wondered if maybe he could make things work out between them. As friends, strictly. The guy had really straightened out, surely he could understand that the two of them could never work together? Erwin would understand if Levi told him about living with Eren, wouldn’t he?

Maybe…after dessert…he would find the right words to break the news.

“Fingers crossed…” The raven murmured under his breath.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Nothing. Eat your tart, old man.”

Chapter Text

“And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, there you go and do it all again. Hope this feeling never ends.” – Lindsey Ray, You Make Me Happy.

***

Time passes differently in Hell. It is in a constant state of flux; moving between real-time and gradually growing faster until it snaps right back again. And so the loop continues.

Eight days had passed for Eren since the invasion of Kirschtein’s land. Everything was in proper order; his army had dispersed here and there about the land, scouts kept a constant watch across the new borders of the brunette’s territory and so far none of the neighbouring lands seemed to have noticed Jean’s disappearance.

All of the ashbrown’s minions were gone, devoured or slain for sport, and the brunette had returned to his own dwelling in the mountains.

Eren didn’t like the word ‘castle’. It sounded too smarmy and to proud. Instead, the brunette called the structure his fortress. That was a word with far more purpose, and Eren’s domain had been built for the purpose of progress. Unlike his dead rival, Eren kept no distractions about his headquarters. It was a place for work, not play, and he had a whole other world to distract himself with when the need arose.

Many of the elites had retired there in his mountain fortress to keep up with their training and remain out of sight. Mikasa also made herself at home in the building as it was she who kept watch over Eren’s land whenever he was away.

The boy had finally decided that it was safe enough to leave again. Everything was in order, his claim to the land was valid and no one was asking questions.

Making it back to the living realm had never burned quite so much as it did that particular trip. With added strength came the added strain of travelling between worlds. Eren sprawled onto the ground as the alley mirror spat him out at last, and the brunette shut his eyes against the glaring sunlight.

A relieved smile made its way across the boy’s face as he sat up, but he frowned a little as he took in his surroundings. He remembered clearly picturing his human as he had entered the Way Through, and Eren had expected to come out in Levi’s bathroom. Or at least somewhere inside the apartment complex.

Instead he was in the back alleys of Sina Square? Weird.

Eren shrugged off the incident, chalking it up to an error caused by his increase in power. Perhaps it had thrown him off? No matter, for this was the perfect chance to do some hunting. The brunette was absolutely famished; he hadn’t felt this hungry in years. It was a little troublesome as Eren realised that he would need to feed more regularly in order to maintain his disguise and control here…but also oddly freeing.

The back alleys ran red with blood that afternoon. Eren consumed no less than four unlucky people who happened upon him in the shady streets, hardly thinking to muffle their choked cries.

Spending time in Hell could make the brat twitchy enough, but engaging in war left Eren on high alert to every little sight and sound. His senses were screaming and that made it a little difficult to prioritise cleanliness over simple primal enjoyment.

The brunette hadn’t even tried to be tidy with his kills, only regretting not doing so after the rush of hunting left him and he noticed his bloodstained self. He couldn’t roam the street looking like this.

In the end, Eren broke into the first quiet house he could find to clean up. He ‘borrowed’ the shower, scrubbing until every last trace of gore was gone. After all, Eren couldn’t return to Levi if he was filthy.

A wave of nostalgia hit Eren at the thought of his human, whom he missed, and the brunette felt his chest tighten with an unfamiliar feeling.

Clothes were burned, new clothes were acquired, and soon Eren was strolling along the streets once more.

As he walked, Eren found himself in the very same busy market area that he had visited with Levi during one of their days out of the flat. A little ways down was Sina Square and he smiled, able to identify his way home. Well, not his home. He couldn’t call it that yet. But the way back to Levi was all too clear and Eren would have headed straight back to the apartment if his eyes hadn’t passed over a dark head of hair a little ways off. It was familiar enough to make him pause.

Eren glanced back, giving a little frown as he focused harder on the person he could see sitting in the shade outside some trendy looking food place. The brunette’s confusion as to why he had been spat out into this area of the living world suddenly evaporated as he realised that Levi was right there.

No wonder he hadn’t come through the mirror in Levi's apartment.

A fond smile worked its way onto Eren’s face and he was about to head over when his eyes flickered across the table and he noticed that Levi was not sitting alone. There was another man sitting across from him, tall from the looks of him…and oddly familiar-

Eren blinked, stumbling back a step as several images flashed rapidly behind his eyes. The brunette blinked them away, teal eyes narrowing in recognition as he stared daggers at the blonde-haired man sitting across from his Levi.

It was the ex.

Eren couldn’t quite find the man’s name in his thoughts, but ‘blonde bastard’ would do for now.

The brunette barely resisted the urge to snarl; he had to remind himself that he was in the open and people would probably start to ask questions if he didn’t get the undoubtedly murderous look off his face.

“Are you alright, dear?”

Too late.

Eren jumped as an elderly woman spoke to him, having stopped by to his left. She had a round face and greying hair. A set of round wire-framed glasses were perched on the ridge of her nose and she looked at Eren with worry, but more out of concern for his well-being than at the thought of him plotting murder.

“Ah, oh, I’m sorry ma’am.” The brunette offered a small smile, rubbing at the back of his head. “But no, I…I don’t think I am.”

The woman seemed to be buying into his innocent act, her face softened the moment she heard the young man confess his feelings.

“What’s the matter, love?”

Humans could be so gullible. Eren knew well enough how to play with his prey, even when he wasn’t in the middle of a hunt.

He ducked his head a little, swallowing. “It’s fine, I can handle it. Just…my partner over there took me a little off guard.”

The woman looked to where he gestured, a look of understanding crossing her withered features. “Are you two in the middle of a date?”

Eren wished that they were in the middle of a date.

Letting a little of the truth slip into his façade, Eren shook his head. “No, I don’t think so,” he replied with a sad smile, “not with his ex at the table.”

“What?” The elderly woman looked incredulous as she turned around to stare over towards the dining couple once more. She shook her head, turning back to Eren and placed a gentle hand on his arm. “You’d better get over there, young man. Show that other chump who’s in charge.”

Eren laughed gently. “Yes, yes I think I will. Thank you, ma’am.”

“Go get ‘em!” The woman cheered him on with a shake of her fist, smiling as she went on her way.

It was encounters like those that almost made Eren feel guilty about being a man-eating monster. Almost, but not quite. Besides…being such a creature came in awful handy for hunting down bastards like that blonde freak chatting up his human.

It wasn’t enough to keep the fire from his eyes as he marched over towards the pair at the table, schooling his expression into a friendly smile.

The sound of laughter from the blonde nearly made the brunette gag as he neared the table. And then the bastard looked up, blue eyes noticing Eren as the boy slowed his stride and stopped right beside Levi’s chair.

“Can I help you?” Blondie asked, eyes curious but so far not suspicious.

Levi made a confused sound, turning to the right, and Eren smiled down at the raven. The smaller man went rigid at the sight of the brunette, lips parting in surprise.

“E-Eren?” The raven uttered, eyes widening a little in shock as the boy took a seat on his lap.

“Hello, sweetheart.” Eren said, his tone oozing sweetness as he leaned in shamelessly to claim to other man’s mouth.

Levi was too shocked to react apart from blinking, but Eren wouldn’t grant him the courtesy of personal space until he had explained himself.

The brunette pulled back only far enough to breathe, lips brushing against the raven’s as he spoke.

“This is not the surprise that I had in mind.” He said, teal eyes flickering.

Levi registered the boy’s disapproval of the situation. “I didn’t know that you were back in town.”

“I finished my business early.” Eren murmured by means of an explanation. “Thought I’d drop by to see you…wasn’t expecting company.”

Eren's gaze slid over to regard the blonde, a smile that was decidedly friendly lighting up his face even as his eyes flashed with silent threat. The warmth in his expression must have been very jarring considering his icy stare.

Erwin cleared his throat across the table and the brunette sat back a little, slipping his arms about Levi’s neck as he smiled wider.

“Hello over there…who might this handsome devil be?”

Eren knew that Levi was aware that he was upset, not at Levi directly but at the manner of their reunion. The raven knew well enough to tread cautiously until he could better gauge Eren’s mood.

“Eren, this is Erwin Smith. He’s…an old friend.” Levi said carefully, eyes never leaving the brunette.

Eren leaned forward a little, eyes growing vacant as more images of the raven’s past with this man flickered behind his eyes.

The boy’s mouth curved but he wasn’t quite smiling. “Charmed.”

By his side, the brunette heard Levi swallow. He was nervous…and with good reason.

Eren had unrestricted access to every memory Levi had of Erwin…and most of them made the brunette want to tear the blonde’s face off. A particularly nasty memory of Levi walking in on Erwin and some dark haired fucker going at it like rabbits chose to present itself right then and Eren considered that perhaps he hadn’t quite had his fill of human flesh for one day. Maybe he could convince himself that the other four weasels hadn’t quite been enough to sustain him and perhaps he could fit this bastard into his meal plan somewhere…

Levi wouldn’t mind, surely?

The raven-haired man must have sensed Eren’s bad mood for he quickly ploughed on with the rest of the introductions.

“Erwin, this is Eren…he’s…my…” Levi paused, apparently unable to find the right word with which to describe his relationship with Eren.

Erwin frowned a little, piercing eyes moving between the two men across from him. “Your?”

“We live together.” The raven managed, taking a gulp of his wine.

Erwin raised an eyebrow, looking between the two. “Is that all? Because it looks like a bit more than that.”

“I’m sorry," Eren butted in cheerily, relishing the briefest twitch of irritation that flickered across Erwin's face, "who did you say you were again?”

“Erwin.”

“That’s an…interesting name. I’ve heard absolutely nothing about you but that’s probably because Levi doesn’t talk much.” The brunette glanced down at Levi, touching the other male’s cheek gently. “What’s the matter? Are you being shy?”

“If I am, it’s because you ooze enough confidence for the both of us, brat.”

Levi was increasingly jumpy, Eren noticed. Probably because Eren knew who Erwin was, what he had done to Levi, and yet the boy still smiled.

Grey eyes swivelled to look at Eren, and the brunette beamed down at him. ‘What are you planning, Eren?’, those eyes seemed to say.

The blonde looked to the raven. “Levi…you never mentioned that you were seeing someone.”

Eren’s attention snapped right back over to Erwin and he feigned shock.

“He hasn’t mentioned me? At all?” The brunette tsked, tapping Levi gently on the bridge of his nose. “Rude. I talk about you all the time to my friends.”

“What friends?”

“Ouch. I’ll have to punish you for that later.” Eren’s voice dropped for a moment, teasing, until he looked at the table. “Oh, dessert? You’ve barely even touched yours.”

In front of the raven sat a mostly uneaten slice of apple pie.

Levi rolled his eyes, shifting Eren in his lap. “That’s because you decided to come waltzing in.”

“Well you mustn’t let it go to waste.” The boy murmured, his tone suddenly taking on a playful quality despite the ever darkening expression on Levi’s face. Eren’s own face brightened. “Shall I feed it to you?”

“Eren.” The raven’s voice took on a tone of warning.

The brunette simply laughed him off. “Oh don’t be such a sourpuss.”

Levi glared at Eren as he picked up the abandoned spoon, twirling it with an elegant flourish, and scooped out a portion of the pie. He brought the spoon up, holding it near the raven’s mouth as he traced a finger across Levi’s lips.

“Open up.”

The smaller male let out a longsuffering sigh, leaning forward to take the spoon in his mouth.

Eren smiled, clearly pleased as he slid two fingers under the raven’s chin fondly.

“Good boy.”

“If I might interrupt…” Erwin cut in suddenly.

Eren’s smile never faded as he turned to look at the blonde. “Oh, I’m sorry. I completely forgot you were here. How rude of me.”

“Levi and I were actually in the middle of a discussion.”

Eren hummed lazily, leaning back against Levi a little. “May I just say that your eyes are exquisite.”

Erwin blinked, frowning as the boy’s blatant dismissal of his original topic. “I…I beg your pardon?”

The brunette’s smile grew a fraction. “They really are quite a lovely shade. You must get a lot of compliments.”

Erwin frowned over at the brunette, looking as though he had no idea what to make of the boy.

“I’d appreciate it if you’d keep comments like that to yourself.”

“Why?” Eren leaned forward, smile turning sly. “Do I make you uncomfortable?”

“I think you know the answer to that.” The raven uttered, putting an arm around the brunette’s waist to better support him, ignoring the pleased sound it earned. “Sorry, Erwin. Eren is…very forward about his thoughts.”

“Guilty as charged.” The boy conceded with a casual shrug.

Eren’s eyes narrowed slowly, taking in all he could. There was something decidedly off about this Erwin character. He didn’t smell right, he was too calm, too sure of himself.

But maybe Eren could stir him up a little…

“This is a wonderful venue you chose…” Eren wondered aloud, glancing about the place. “It reminds me of our first date in that charming little café. Don’t you think so, Levi?”

The raven-haired man rolled his eyes, poking Eren’s hip in reprimand.

It didn’t stop him though.

“Say, you’re not trying to take my Levi from me?” Eren inquired, his pleasant smile shifting to something a little more menacing. It was a barely noticeable shift; his eyes darkened a fraction, smiling with just enough teeth for the expression to border something unfriendly. “Are you? I’m afraid that would be something that I could not forgive.”

“And that’s where I draw the line.” The raven muttered, giving a shove to the boy’s hip to move him. “Eren, get your ass up. We’re going home.”

Eren’s smile turned cheery again as he hopped off the raven’s lap, prancing around the back of Levi’s chair.

Levi looked briefly to Erwin as he got up from his chair to join Eren. “It was…nice to see you again, Erwin.”

“A pleasure.” The blonde agreed, standing as well and glancing at Eren. He extended a hand. “Good to have made your acquaintance, Eren.”

The brunette looked down at the offered hand, staring for a moment before reaching out to shake it. Almost immediately he felt the blonde’s grip tighten, as if the man was attempting to crush Eren’s hand with his own. The boy smiled at the effort, reaching out to clasp his other hand atop their joined grip and squeezed back. It was a cute attempt, really. On anyone else, it might have even done something.

If you’re going to intimidate someone, make sure you know who you’re dealing with.

Erwin went rigid as Eren gripped his hand tighter, not letting go until an actual crunching sound was heard. Eren leaned in, eyes glinting as he smiled almost playfully.

“The pleasure was all mine.”

The brunette turned on his heel, smiling at a shocked looking Levi and looking ever the picture of innocence. The raven allowed himself to be led away, back along the street and towards his home.

“Did you just break my ex’s hand?”

“I might have done.” Eren shrugged. “But if you want to be certain, we could always go back and make sure?”

“You’re impossible.”

The boy cast a sidelong glance at the raven as they walked, noting the look on Levi’s face. The man seemed almost…pleased.

“You don’t sound mad.” Eren ventured.

Levi smirked, keeping his eyes ahead. “Good observation, brat.”

The brunette started to smile, slipping his hands into his pockets and ducking his head a little. “So I’m not in trouble?”

The raven scoffed, reaching over to give a playful shove to the kid’s shoulder. “In trouble? Are you kidding me? I could kiss you for doing that.”

“Please do.”

Levi chuckled as Eren practically bounced beside him. “Later, kid. I don’t do PDA’s.”

“Of course you don’t.” The brunette laughed, tilting his head back to look at the slowly darkening sky. “I hope you know that I’m going to pounce on you the second we get inside your apartment.”

The raven smirked. “Is that so?”

“Just thought I should warn you.” Eren murmured, giving a nonchalant shrug.

Levi cast a sidelong glance at the brat. “What if I pounce on you first?”

The boy grinned. “That’s more like it.”

“If I do and you drop me, you’re sleeping out on the balcony.” The raven deadpanned, looking to the front once more.

“You can’t be that heavy.”

“Shut up.”

Eren felt like he could burst from the heady mix of excitement and anticipation he felt rushing about inside of him. The brat was damned near skipping alongside the raven-haired man. One thing was for sure; Eren couldn’t wait to get back to Levi’s apartment.

He decided that they weren’t moving fast enough, and a cheeky smile crossed his face. Bending for a moment, Eren hoisted Levi up off of his own two feet, ignoring the smaller male’s protests, and swung him into his arms.

“Eren, what in the actual fuck are you doing?” The raven frowned, looking concerned as he glanced around. People were starting to stare and the raven hated attention. “Put me down, we look ridiculous.”

Eren simply shook his head. “Hold on tight, I promise I won’t drop you.”

Levi barely had time to process the words before the brat started running, carrying the raven bridal style through the streets and laughing.

He was fast; the brunette’s feet flew against the pavement, the slap of each footstep echoing behind them. Some people turned their heads as the pair passed by in a rush of laughter, curses and light footsteps. Some shook their heads and others smiled.

“Christ on a bike, Eren! I’ll fucking fall! Put me down!”

“Never!” The brunette shouted back, eyes bright in the last dying rays of the sun, and he found himself smiling ecstatically as the wind rushed through his hair. “You’re mine, Levi, and I’m never letting you go!”

Chapter Text

“I stretched my hands up to the sky. We danced with monsters through the night.” – American Authors, Best Day Of My Life.

***

Quick steps slapped against the cobbled sidewalk, the sound echoing in the slowly emptying streets of their neighbourhood. Running over the bridge through the park, the burn of oxygen in Eren’s lungs had never felt sweeter.

The sun was setting by the time the two made it back to the apartment building, casting a beautiful orange glow over everything. Eren set Levi down, running for the stairs immediately as the raven-haired man chased after him with threats of murder should he ever pull such a ridiculous stunt in public again. The two men scrambled up the stairs; Eren leapt up them two, three, sometimes four steps at a time and Levi was never far behind.

The raven was fumbling for his keys even before they reached the door, the jangling sound of metal against metal almost lost to the scampering of their feet. The brunette skidded to a stop by the door, bouncing eagerly from one foot to the other as Levi shoved the key into the lock and twisted.

Eren kept true to his word, turning to throw himself at Levi the second the apartment door was shut. But Levi moved faster, literally pouncing at the brat and throwing his arms about the kid’s neck for support as his legs wrapped about Eren’s waist.

The brunette took a staggering step back, taken by surprise, but he kissed the raven fervently, one hand slipping around to the small of Levi’s back to tug him closer, and the other moving under the raven’s thighs to hold him up. Levi’s eyes slipped shut and he moved one hand up the brunette’s neck to fist in the boy’s hair as Eren took careful steps backwards into the apartment.

Levi’s kisses were uncharacteristically feverish, like he thought Eren might disappear if he opened his eyes. It wasn’t at all like him, but the actions pleased the boy when he realised that Levi was truly giving himself over to their relationship. No holding back, no dwelling on the past, only the future and the new. But the brunette coaxed Levi into a slower rhythm; backing up further into the apartment until he felt the back of his knees hit the sofa.

The pair broke apart as Eren let himself fall back, and the brunette laughed at the look of shock on Levi’s face after the fall. He ignored the smaller man’s inaudible mutterings in favour of drawing him closer, arranging the raven into a comfortable position in his lap.

“Missed you.” Eren murmured between pecks, humming his contentment.

Levi exhaled at the words, feeling his racing heart begin to calm after the fall. “Glad to hear it.”

The brunette gave a little chuckle, tracing his fingertips along Levi’s shoulder where skin could be seen. “You missed me too, don’t deny it.”

The brat leaned back against the arm of the sofa, bringing Levi with him. He had this adoring look plastered all over his face as he looked up at the raven.

Levi almost smiled as Eren’s warm fingers brushed over his lips.

“I did.” He murmured against the boy’s hand, leaning into his palm.

Eren’s face lit up at the admission and he sat up, pushing Levi onto his back and claiming his mouth again, trailing eager butterfly kisses from the raven’s jaw to the corner of his shoulder and back again.

“I knew it.” The brunette said, his voice barely more than a whisper against Levi’s lips.

Eren looked happy, unbelievably so, as he straddled the raven’s lap. Levi barely had time to breathe between the kisses he was showered with, although he couldn’t say that he minded. As long as it was Eren, he would never mind. Levi’s tongue crept out to trace a soft line over the brunette’s bottom lip and Eren hesitated, as if he wasn’t quite sure what to do. The raven chuckled at the brat’s uncertain face when he pulled back a little, looking down at Levi and biting his lip.

“Come here, kid.” Levi said with a smirk, watching as the brat moved closer until their faces were barely a centimetre apart. The raven nodded his approval, still smirking away. “Open your mouth.”

“Why?” Eren breathed, his voice barely anything more than a whisper.

“So that I can teach you something.”

“Will it hurt?”

“No.” Levi found himself chuckling at the brat’s confused expression and he brought up his hands to cradle Eren’s head. “In fact, I’m sure you’ll like it.”

Levi coaxed Eren to bring his head down further, leaning up a little himself to meet the boy halfway. He kissed the brunette’s parted lips, biting gently before his tongue darted out to soothe over the bite. Eren made a sound somewhere between a moan and a whine as the raven’s tongue flicked against his lips before he slotted their mouths together.

Moving slowly so as not to alarm the brunette, Levi mapped out Eren’s mouth with his tongue. The brat was frozen, apparently too shocked to even move, and he remained motionless as the raven explored his mouth. Eventually Levi grazed Eren’s tongue with his own, tracing and coaxing the boy to join him in play.

It took a moment, but soon the boy snapped out of his shock and started to respond. Their tongues moved in a slow, sensual dance, tracing, flicking, and learning what the other liked. But it became a little too much for the brat when Levi drew the boy’s tongue out and into his own mouth and began to suck at the wet muscle.

Something seemed to shift within Eren then; the brunette leaned forward until their bodies were flush together and a soft sound caught in the boy’s throat.

Levi leaned back, pressing a finger to Eren’s lips when he tried to follow. “I know what you’re thinking, and we can’t.”

The brunette frowned a little. “Why not?” He murmured against the raven’s finger.

Shaking his head, Levi chuckled gently as the brat started nipping at his finger. “Well for a start, I haven’t bought condoms for like…two years. Meaning I don’t have any. Meaning no follow through for you.”

Eren’s brow furrowed slightly in concentration as he riffled through the memories in his head, making a face when he discovered what the ‘condoms’ Levi spoke of were and why they were needed.

He pouted, moving up to sit atop the raven’s stomach. “Couldn’t we just try without-”

“Absolutely fucking not.” Levi cut him off, gunmetal eyes narrowing as the raven propped himself up on his elbows. “I don’t know where the fuck you’ve been, so unless you want to get tested, it’s not happening.”

Eren stuck his tongue out at the smaller man, running his hands over his chest as spoke. “If I do get ‘tested’ as you say, then will you stop blue-balling me?”

Levi snorted at the boy’s choice of words, shaking his head. “How do you even know what that means?”

“I’m not a total idiot.”

The raven’s lips curved into a cheeky half-smirk. “Aren’t you?”

“Hey! Don’t be mean.” Eren pouted, but he leaned into Levi’s palm when the raven reached up to touch his cheek. “I’m not some stupid kid.”

“Maybe not.” The raven allowed, carding his hand up through Eren’s hair fondly. “But that’s something I’ve been meaning to ask. How old are you, anyway?”

The question seemed to take Eren by surprise and he blinked down at the raven for a moment.

“Does it matter?” The brunette asked, nuzzling the hand against his face.

“Yes.” Levi answered, not bothering to expand on any further reason than that.

Eren didn’t reply for a while, looking down at Levi out of the corner of his eye while he kissed along the knuckles of the raven’s hand until grey eyes began to narrow at him.

“Eren.” The smaller man muttered with warning in his tone.

The brunette made a sound of complaint before exhaling in a rush.

“Ugh. Fine. It’s…” Eren scrunched up his eyebrows in thought, sitting back a little and letting his human touch his face gently. “It’s kind of difficult to explain. Time moves differently here.”

“Wait,” Levi frowned a little, his thumb pausing where it had been rubbing little circles behind Eren’s ear, “what do you mean?”

“Most of the time it’s faster on the other side.” The brunette let himself flop forward onto the raven, stretching out with a little sigh. “How long has it been since I left?”

The raven shrugged. “Like, a day.” He answered, stretching up a little for a kiss which Eren gladly leaned down to give him. “Or a day and a bit at most, if you want to be pedantic about it.”

“Really?” The brunette murmured between little nips along the raven’s jawline. “It’s been eight days for me.”

Levi sat up abruptly, bumping his forehead against Eren’s by accident. “Eight?” The raven said in shock, his eyes widening a fraction. “You mean to tell me that you’ve been gone for more than a week?”

Eren smiled down at him, tilting his head a little to peck Levi on the bridge of the nose.

“Only on the other side.” The boy explained, not wanting to confuse his human with specifics that even he himself was not completely sure of. “The time-scope must be on one of its faster rotations, it should slow back down to real-time soon.”

The raven paused, staring at Eren for a long moment, and then he made a face.

“That’s just fucking confusing.”

Eren laughed at him; it was an incredibly fond sound.

“It is.” The boy agreed, still smiling down at Levi. “But it’s also why I can’t really tell you exactly how old I am…because I’ve got no idea how many of your years I’ve been alive.” Eren gave a casual shrug. “I’ve been around a while, though.”

“Long enough to know about sex, obviously.” Levi muttered, flicking the brunette between the eyes and chuckling at the scandalized look on Eren’s face. “Have you ever..?” The raven let the question trail off, tracing a finger along the boy’s shoulder.

Eren seemed to understand his meaning well enough, if the knowing flicker within teals eyes was any indication whatsoever.

The boy shrugged, glancing off to one side. “I’ve seen my fair share.”

Levi made a sound that was almost a scoff but more akin to laughter and he watched Eren frown a little.

“What is it?” The brunette inquired with a suspicious little frown.

“Seen?” The raven smirked, giving the boy a playful push as he sat up further. “What about actual experience, brat?”

“That’s…different.” Eren moved back, settling himself in Levi’s lap as the smaller male got into a proper sitting position.

Levi rolled his eyes at the boy. “Pfft!”

The brunette made a face at him, grimacing slightly when the raven started to laugh.

“It’s not like it hasn’t been on my ‘to do’ list, alright,” Eren tried to defend his case, fruitlessly; “I’ve just been a little more concerned with devouring.”

“Wait,” Levi chuckled, “wait, wait…so you’re telling me that you’re as old as buggery and yet you’ve never even had sex?” He gave a snort. “Bullshit.”

“It’s the truth!” Eren exclaimed, puffing up his cheeks in an indignant display when the raven continued to chuckle at him. “Don’t look at me like that, Levi, it’s not like I’ve spent my entire existence in your world. I’ve spent more time on the other side. Heck, this is the first time I’ve even bothered taking proper form to blend in.”

“Oh?” The raven said, getting his chuckling under better control. “What about the other times?”

Eren rolled his eyes and flung himself back against the other end of the sofa, draping an arm over his face dramatically. “The rest of the time I just stopped by to pick off a victim or three before heading back.”

“Like a snack break?” Levi smirked a little at the kid’s antics, prodding him with his foot.

Teal eyes peeped out from under Eren’s arm as he considered the similarities. “Yeah…I guess.” He nodded, giving a little shrug. “But I’d never bothered trying to blend in or get to know anyone beforehand. I’d just pop by for the occasional feast.” The brunette shrugged again, heaving a sigh and sitting up again to crawl back over, stretching out by the raven’s crossed legs. “It’s not easy staying here, not until you have enough strength anyway, and for a long time I was just a guppy compared to some of the others.”

A hand came to rest in Eren’s hair, ruffling it gently. The boy leaned into the touch, sighing in contentment.

Levi looked down at him, grey eyes calm. “What about now?” He asked in a quiet voice, stroking the soft brown locks. “Are you still a guppy, or are you one of the bigger fish?”

Eren chuckled, the sound was dark and it sent a chill twisting its way up Levi’s spine as the boy pushed up onto his hands and knees to crawl closer. The raven shivered as Eren guided him back, blue-green eyes locked with apprehensive grey.

“Now…” The brunette paused to lean up and kiss Levi’s forehead, “let’s just say I’m King of the hill.”

Levi stared at him as Eren backed up enough to look at him, steel orbs a little suspicious.

“You’re not Satan, are you?” The raven asked, regarding Eren for a moment. “I’m not going to start bleeding from my eyes or some shit?”

The boy let out a bark of laughter, his shoulders shaking as he shook his head. “No, God no. That’s really not my style. Besides, I’m way cooler than that lazy excuse of a demon. You don’t have to worry about any of that stuff.” Eren crooned, leaning to nuzzle the raven’s neck. “It doesn’t really work like that anyway.”

It was odd how being physically close rendered the boy more open, more honest about himself. Not that Eren wasn’t honest to begin with, but he seemed completely at ease talking to the raven at times such as this. Levi wondered how far he could pry.

“What do you mean?” He asked, waiting.

“Hmm?” Eren hummed, smiling down at the raven as his hands came up to rest either side of Levi’s face.

“About Satan?” The raven clarified.

A flickering amusement settled itself in Eren’s eyes and his smile turned lazy.

“You humans have really hyped him up,” Eren stated, shaking his head as he chuckled, “you make him out to be this badass head honcho. Really he’s more of a gate guardian. Keeper of the Way Through.”

Levi blinked at him. "The what now?"

"It's how we get between worlds."

"Like a glorified, demonic taxi?"

Eren made a face. "Kind of?"

"And Satan is the taxi driver?" Levi guessed.

He had a feeling that he was wrong, something that was confirmed by Eren's snort of laughter.

"The guy you know as Satan is the main gatekeeper for travel and since he's always in range of the portal, I guess I can see how he'd have made it into your myths and religions. You'd have the highest chance of seeing a glimpse of him in random reflections than most other demons. There are a lot of us out there. Weird to think that some of us are kind of almost like celebrities in your world."

Levi considered that for a moment. As for the mention of reflections, Levi was a little lost on Eren's meaning. He supposed, though, that it was very likely that the human race had placed such a hype around Satan because the idea of him had existed for so long in human history, as he was mentioned in sacred texts and such. But there were so many demons out there, according to Eren, so really it wasn’t such a surprise to discover that the creatures he knew of were only little fish in a big pond.

“I see.” The raven stated, glancing off towards the coffee table in thought.

“He’s a cool guy, though, Satan. Well, he'd prefer Lucifer since that's his name. The 'Satan' but was all you guys.” Eren went on, giving a shrug. “I’ve never had any trouble with him and he doesn’t stop me going about my business.” The brunette paused for a moment, chuckling as he ducked his head. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all this.”

“That makes two of us.” Levi murmured in reply, looking back at the brat.

The boy gave an amused hum, tugging the other man’s arms around him. Levi allowed him to do so, feeling an odd warmth spread in his chest as he held the kid. It was nice, but he felt a little distracted by the multitude of thoughts rushing around in his head like a tornado.

The whirlwind of queries served only to disorient the raven and at last, after a long moment where Eren simply trailed gentle kisses across the skin that he could reach, Levi spoke up.

“Hey, Eren?”

“Mm?”

The raven paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “How…do you do it?”

“Do what?” The brunette asked, pressing yet another kiss to the raven’s throat.

Levi inhaled sharply at the sudden wet drag of the boy’s tongue against his neck, the hot muscle darting out to taste, gently caressing the soft skin.

“How do you eat your victims?” Levi managed to ask at last.

As awful as the habit was, Levi wanted to know. Eren was a part of his life now and he liked to know each and every detail inside and out. This was no different.

The demon paused in its kissing, lips curving where they were still pressed against Levi’s skin just above his pulse point.

“You really want to know?” Eren murmured, lips moving against warm skin, hot breath fanning out over the wet trail left by the boy’s tracing tongue and causing Levi to shiver as Eren sat back on his haunches.

There was a delighted glint in his eyes, an almost manic flare like fire in those teal depths. Levi nodded once, reaching out with a hand to brush the hair out of Eren’s eyes. As those long, cool digits brushed against the boy’s cheek, Eren whipped his head to the side and caught two of the man’s fingers in his mouth, lips open and teeth clamping down to trap them. The motion happened so quickly that it left the raven reeling from the shock, his eyes a fraction wider than normal, but the pressure on his fingers was still so light. It shouldn’t have been possible for such a fast action, it should have hurt. There was no way Eren could have moved so quickly with such precision. Amused blue-green eyes never broke their gaze as the brunette held the pair of fingers prisoner between his teeth, biting down slowly with just enough pressure to sting without breaking the skin.

Levi panicked for a brief moment, thinking that Eren would indeed eat him. But instead of biting off his hand, the smirking boy sucked at the long digits in his mouth before letting them slip free.

The brunette crawled closer, smiling. “I’m surprised you’d even ask about something like this…but if you really do want to hear it, I’ll tell you…I like to start with the hands.” Eren murmured, his voice so low it was barely more than a whisper. “Can you guess why?”

The brunette’s eyes were bright and Levi could see pinpoints of light within them, excitement and eagerness radiating off the boy.

At Levi’s head shake, Eren smirked. “It’s probably for the best that you didn’t know. I’d be a little suspicious if you had answered. I’ll tell you why…” He promised, sitting forward, stroking Levi’s own hand in both his own. “I like the crunch they make.”

Levi swallowed.

He could imagine the snap of bone and the crunch and grind of cartilage under the demon’s sharp canines. He stiffened as the boy leaned forward again, ducking down to press another kiss to the ridge of his collar bone.

“Sometimes, though, I start here…”

Levi forced himself to breathe, in and out, slowly and calmly as Eren’s lips pressed against his pulse point. He inhaled sharply at the warm, wet drag of the brunette’s tongue as he lapped at the throbbing spot, chuckling at the speed at which the raven’s heart was racing.

Another kiss, a graze of teeth that Levi didn’t know whether to moan at or fear and another dark roll of laughter as hands came up to cradle his head. Eren drew back to gaze down into steel grey orbs, reading the fear, the flickering of uncertain lust, the curiosity that floated inside those pools.

“I’ve never been a fan of limbs.” The demon made a face and for a moment Levi thought he was going to change the subject. “Takes too long to ingest. Too much risk of being caught. Although, sometimes I spoil myself and take the time.”

Of course it had been wishful thinking. Levi had asked, he had given his consent for Eren to explain and now he had to grin and bear it. It was odd how the brunette seemed so pleased to be expressing such things to another creature. His eyes shone, wide and bright, as he leaned in to rest their foreheads together.

“But the best part, Levi,” He purred the name, eyes half-lidded for a moment, “is the heart.”

The raven felt a warm palm drop from his face to rest against his chest, directly over his heart.

“My, my, yours is racing.” The boy cooed, pressing a fleeting kiss to the other man’s forehead. “It’s a shame that it cools so quickly after death; I have to eat it sooner rather than later, especially if the victim dies. And getting through the rib cage can be a pain in the ass. Still worth it, though. They break with such beautiful sounds. Like music.”

With a sharp intake of breath, Levi came to understand that Eren ate people while they were still alive. In fact, he clearly preferred it that way. Levi resisted a strong urge to gag, gripping the sofa until his knuckles were a ghostly white.

Forcing himself to breathe, the raven met Eren’s eyes again. “And is that what you plan to do with me?”

“Eventually.” The brunette answered, looking displeased as he glanced off to one side. “It’s not that I want to…but at the same time it’s all I can think about. You have no idea what being this close does to me, Levi.” Eren confessed, the last few words leaving him in a frustrated sound that was almost a growl. He hushed himself, resting his forehead against the raven’s. “But I’m learning to be stronger…to control my cravings. It isn’t easy, but I can manage for a while yet. I want to keep you for as long as possible.”

As his slight fear ebbed, Levi found himself staring at the brunette with a brow raised. “Gee, what a fucking relief.” He muttered, his tone oozing sarcasm. “You won’t eat me today but who knows about tomorrow?”

The raven shook his head, cursing under his breath as Eren glanced up at him and started to laugh. It was a soothing sound, far lighter than his darker chuckles that set Levi on edge.

“You’re ridiculous.” Eren stated, still snickering to himself as he nuzzled the smaller male’s shoulder. “I’ll keep you quite safe.”

“Oh?” Levi raised a brow in challenge.

Eren met his sardonic gaze head on, teal eyes playful but with a determined undertone. “Yes.” The brunette said simply. “No one will have you but me. I promise.”

“Why? What the hell do you need me for?”

“Pfft!” Eren snorted, as if Levi had just told a joke. The boy waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t be stupid, I don’t need you for anything. But I want you…isn’t that enough to keep you happy?”

“I see…” The raven murmured, trying to connect the dots, “you grew fond of a frail little human and now you’re going to stick around until you’re what? Bored?”

A cheeky little chuckle left the brunette’s lips as he leaned back a little, stretching his torso back like a cat. “You are a lot of things, but frail?” Eren’s mischievous eyes roved over the raven and he smirked. “Oh no. I can think of a lot of things this body of yours could withstand…”

Levi shook his head, bringing up a hand to rub at his temple. “You’re some special kind of messed up, you know that?”

Oddly enough, the brunette beamed at the raven’s words. “Thank you. You’re special to me, too.”

“It wasn’t a fucking compliment.” Levi muttered, sighing at the boy’s blatant ignorance of his insults. But then the raven paused, glancing back to Eren. “Wait, why am I special? I thought you said that I wasn’t important.”

“I said that I didn’t need you for anything, not that you weren’t important.”

“What?” The raven frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion. “You’re not making any sense now.”

The brunette heaved a sigh, sounding a little frustrated. “Then I will try to explain, so listen carefully.” Eren sat up a little straighter, looking down at Levi seriously. “You are special because you are still alive.”

If he’d felt confused before, Levi was truly lost now. “…what?”

Resting his hands over the raven’s, Eren leaned forward a little as if a closer proximity might help Levi to understand what he was trying to say. “If you had been anyone else, I would have killed you when we first met.” The brunette explained, watching Levi carefully. “But I didn’t…why do you think that is?”

The raven’s frown grew a little weary and he sighed. “You’ve lost me, brat.”

Eren sat back, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger and looking exasperated, like he was dealing with an incompetent child. Levi tried not to bristle too much at that, but his eyes narrowed regardless. Trying to be as patient as inhumanly possible, if the look on Eren’s face was any indication, the demon dropped the hand from its face and caught the raven’s gaze.

Watchful teal orbs seemed darker and brighter all at once and Levi could have sworn that the little bits of light in the boy’s eyes were clusters of tiny stars trapped in the midst of those blue-green depths. The raven couldn’t have looked away even if he had wanted to.

Eren took a quiet breath and spoke. “The most delicious things are to be saved for last,” the boy said carefully, as if it were the most important piece of information in the world, “…and that is why I will not eat you until my last moments.”

Levi’s eyes were wide now, the grey irises oddly soft in the gentle light coming from the kitchen. Eren’s own features softened in response and the brunette brought his hands up to stroke the raven’s face.

It took a moment for Levi to find his voice, but when he did it was as blunt as ever. “Was that supposed to be comforting?”

The boy nodded above him, smiling brightly. Levi grimaced, reaching out and flicking his forehead.

“Fucking brat.”

Eren just laughed, rubbing at the spot where Levi had struck and giving the raven a lopsided smile.

The brunette’s eyes flickered suddenly and Eren leaned forward a little. “Speaking of fucking…”

“Oh, for Christ’s sake, Eren.” Levi rolled his eyes and sat up.

“What?” The brunette held his hands up in defence, as if he was totally innocent. “You had to know that I would ask eventually.”

Levi let out a huff of a laugh at that, more of an amused exhale than actual laughter as he shook his head at the boy.

“I honestly thought you wouldn’t ask at all.” The raven admitted, smirking. “Given your apparent superiority and shit, I figured you’d just bend me over and have at it no matter what I had to say.”

Eren laughed at that. “I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it.” He confessed, ducking when the raven snatched up a cushion.

“I might have known you were just waiting to jump my bones, you pervert.” Levi chuckled, whacking the brat with the cushion in his hands.

The brunette just laughed, breaking into a fit of breathless giggles when the raven pounced on him after throwing the pillow. Eren let out a delighted peal of laughter as Levi’s arms encircled him even as he scrambled to escape. The motion effectively landed the pair of them on the floor, Eren cushioning the fall for Levi, after a graceless tumble off the couch. The giggles died down, muffled by the raven’s lips as Levi pinned the brunette to the floor and kissed him. Eren hummed his approval, slender arms winding around the raven’s waist to form a loop. When the pair finally parted for air, Eren’s cheeks were dusted with a light pink hue and Levi chuckled down at him. The brunette smiled as the raven kissed a lazy trail along his jaw, letting his eyes slip shut.

Although he could never keep totally silent for long, and a question bubbled its way up and out of his mouth.

“So…can we?”

Levi chuckled near his ear and Eren shivered in delight at the velvet purr of a sound.

“Oh no,” the raven chided, leaning over the brunette with a smirk, “after all that talk about eating people I’m pretty sure I’d like to keep my distance. At least until you calm down.”

Eren pouted, his brow furrowing a little. “Calm down?”

“Yeah…you’ve got that manic look in your eyes.” The raven stated, nodding at the boy. “Wouldn’t want you to freak out and bite my dick off.”

“That seems unlikely, though, doesn’t it?” The boy said with a confused little smile. “I mean, why would my mouth be anywhere near there.”

Levi stared down at Eren for a long moment, trying to convince himself that Eren was joking. Only the punch line never came and the boy continued to look at him with confusion.

Levi gave a brief chuckle. “Oh God, this is too funny.” He shook his head, tugging playfully at the brunette’s earlobe with his thumb and forefinger. “Ever heard of a blowjob, kid?”

The boy raised his eyebrows, shaking his head up at the raven. “…no…why are you laughing?”

The raven-haired man was trying, honestly trying, not to laugh at the brat. His shoulders were shaking with the effort it took to keep the sounds muffled, but even so he couldn’t stop from snickering. Eren’s face twisted with a mixture of confusion and indignation as he tried to decide whether to glare at Levi or smile.

At last the raven sat back on his haunches.

“You’re just too much.” Levi managed to force out through the hand he had used to cover his mouth with in an attempt to cease his laughter. The hand fell away and the raven smirked, shaking his head. “One second you’ve got the creepy vibes up to here and the next you’re all innocent and questioning. What am I going to do with you?”

Eren poked his tongue out at the raven, huffing. “You could start by telling me what this…this ‘blowjob’ thing is?”

Another chuckle broke free of the raven and he cleared his throat. “Heh. Oh no, I don’t think you want to know.”

“I do!” Eren argued, pouting at the smaller man’s smirk.

Levi held his hands up in surrender. “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

The brunette gave a nod, sitting up as well. “So? What is it?”

The raven thought of the many ways he could describe what Eren wanted to know. In the end, and after about a whole minute of pause, he decided that the simplest was best.

And so, opening his mouth, he let the blunt words fall from his tongue. “Basically it’s when a guy gets off by having his dick sucked. Get it?”

There was another pause as the boy processed that information, teal eyes widening a little from the plain and honest response.

Eren wrinkled his nose in distaste. “That doesn’t sound very hygienic.”

Levi threw his head back, feeling it bump into the sofa cushions with a dull thud, and laughed, ignoring Eren’s complaints about cleanliness. Normally it was the other way around, and Levi would be the one griping at others for their filthy habits. Oh how the tables had turned.

Eren was still muttering in the background when Levi finally calmed down, wiping at his eyes.

“Honestly, you humans have some fucked up habits. And you think my kind are strange.” The brunette groused, looking over at a still smirking Levi.

"You literally eat people." Levi rolled his eyes and chuckled, ducking his head and picking at the carpet. “Say what you want, brat. You’ll understand after it happens to you.”

The boy made a scandalized sound and shook his head. “I think I’ll pass.”

Feeling another fit of laughter readying itself to take hold of him, Levi smiled and looked away. He wasn’t used to so much of this giddy feeling rushing about inside of him. It was disorienting, but in a pleasant way.

“I’ll remind you that you said that when we finally get there.” The raven smirked, shaking his head at the brunette. At last, he let out an amused sigh. “Come on, brat. I’m tired as fuck.”

The raven-haired man stood, holding a hand out to help the demon up. Eren whined in protest, not wanting to have to go to sleep just yet, but he let the raven pull him to his feet. Levi towed the brunette to the bathroom, closing the door on the brat’s complaints with a smirk and he went to eat something quickly before they would retire.

In the end Levi couldn’t be fucked to do much more than munch on a slice of bread while he waited for Eren to finish up in the shower. As soon as he heard the water shut off, the raven got up to brush the remaining crumbs off his hands and into the trash, marching into the bedroom in time for Eren to open the bathroom door.

The brunette opened his mouth to talk but was cut off as Levi walked past him, pushing against his shoulder blades until Eren was outside of the bathroom. Then Levi turned on his heel, closing the bathroom door behind him, and Eren had to smirk a little at the man’s antics. He had an odd way of expressing playfulness, but it was something that the brunette quite liked about the smaller man.

Withdrawn and yet cheeky, warm despite the rough edges. Levi could form the perfect poker face when he needed to, but Eren lived for the little smirks and rare, tiny smiles.

When Levi finally returned from the bathroom, trailing steam and droplets of cooling water, he found Eren sitting cross legged on the bed, rocking back and forth. The brunette brightened immediately upon seeing the raven, rolling forward and onto his stomach. Tanned fingers curled around the raven’s wrist, tugging at the sleeve of his pyjama shirt, and pulled Levi onto the bed.

The smaller male came willingly, flopping onto the mattress and rolling onto his back. Eren scooted over to put his arms about the raven’s shoulders, delivering slow, lazy kisses as one of his hands traced meaningless patterns across Levi’s chest and down to his stomach, moving to rest at the man’s hip. Levi could feel the day’s exhaustion starting to take hold as he lay beside the boy, letting the brunette have his fill of affection, but he pushed Eren’s hands away when warm fingertips tried to sneak under his shirt.

“Eren, I already told you, not tonight.”

“But I’m not even tired!” The brunette whined, plopping himself down above the raven’s head so that Levi had to tilt his head back to look at him. “I’ll behave, I promise. I won’t even bite, not once, if you say so. Please, Levi?”

“Maybe tomorrow, brat. I’ve had a hell of a day.”

“You’ve had a hell of a day? I was in Hell today. It’s been days since I last saw you and then when I finally come back you’re fucking mountain of an ex-boyfriend shows up? I think my bad day trumps yours.”

“You’re not the one who had to introduce your ex to your current boyfriend. That was more awkwardness than I ever want to feel again.”

Eren just stared, wide eyed and with his lips parted.

Levi raised an eyebrow at him. “What?”

“I’m…you said I was your boyfriend.”

“Yeah, I did. Congratulations, your ears work. Now get your ass in bed.”

Eren grumbled but obeyed, scooting up towards the head of the bed and burrowing beneath the sheets. Levi slid in beside him and not a moment after he did Eren’s arms curled around his middle and pulled him close.

For a few minutes the pair lay peacefully, but Eren couldn’t resist leaning in to kiss the smaller man’s neck, nipping gently at the sensitive skin. Levi mumbled a drowsy complaint and the boy murmured an apology.

“M’sorry,” he breathed in a quiet voice, snuggling closer, “I really did miss you.”

“Brat…” the raven grumbled sleepily, rolling over to face the boy and allowing him a quick, chaste peck, ‘I missed you too, but after a day like today I need to sleep.”

Eren nodded in understanding, pulling the raven closer but a moment later his voice sounded again. “Why were you having lunch with your ex anyway?” The boy asked.

The raven sighed, wondering if he would ever get to sleep. “If you must know, he said he wanted closure.”

The brunette sneered at the response, resting his chin atop Levi’s head as he scowled at the ceiling.

“Closure my ass. The prick takes you to a fancy schmancy restaurant, waves his money around and calls it closure? Bull-fucking-shit. He had this big dumb smile plastered all over his big dumb face.” The brunette muttered in irritation. “I ought to hunt the bastard down and punch his ugly lights out.” Eren snarled, his arms holding the raven tighter as the brunette nestled closer to him.

A quiet chuckle sounded from Levi and the raven leaned back a little to look at the boy.

“Ugly, huh?”

A scoff. “Oh alright, fine. Maybe he wasn’t doing so bad in the looks department. Guess I'll be punching his adequately attractive lights out, then.” Eren huffed, pouting like a child. “But he’s definitely not my type. No, Sir…not with those eyebrows.”

The raven smirked and shook his head gently, stretching up to press his lips once, twice, to Eren’s neck. He heard the brunette swallow, watched the bob of his Adam’s apple. A soft sound of contentment came from Eren and the boy closed his eyes at last.

Levi exhaled softly at the feeling of Eren’s fingers moving up to lazily brush against the shorter strands of hair at his nape, rubbing soothing little circles to coax him to sleep. It was beyond comforting to have the boy there once again, warm and protective like a shell keeping a snail safe from the weather. The absurdity of such a likeness struck and Levi almost snorted at his own comparison, but settled instead for relaxing back into the warmth of Eren’s embrace. For now, even just the gentle lullaby of the brunette’s steady breathing was enough, and the quiet rhythm encouraged the smaller man to sleep.

Eren lay awake in the darkness a while longer, running feather light fingers through the raven’s hair and smiling a tiny smile. It was strange for him to realise that he felt more at home lying next to this human than he had ever felt before in his entire existence.

“You don’t know what you do to me, Levi…” The brunette whispered, but the raven was already asleep.

With one last kiss to the smaller male’s shoulder, Eren closed his eyes and let himself slip further into unconsciousness until at last his mind went blank.

Chapter Text

“Hold back, we’re falling down, and I’ll show you how it breaks. If I can give it, I’ll take it, all of the way.” – James Arthur, You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You.

***

Warmth and sunlight greeted Levi when he opened his eyes. His vision blurred as he tried to blink himself awake, a muffled sound catching in the back of his throat as he stretched. Quiet and peaceful silence swirled in the air along with little shimmering particles of dust that glinted like gold in the light, and the raven thought absently that he would have to clean again. The sun shone in through the window; it was open and the drapes had been pulled back to allow the golden rays into the room. Consequently, some patches of the bed felt warmer than others, but nothing was quite so cosy as the brown-haired boy resting beside the raven-haired man.

Eren was already awake; his teal eyes bright and open but low-lidded and lazy as they regarded the sleepy man. An almost sweet little smile crept onto the brunette’s face as grey eyes blinked blearily up at him.

Levi was a strange kind of adorable when he was waking up; sleepy and always with a confused little frown on his face like he wasn’t quite sure where he was. He looked a bit lost and the sight never failed to make Eren want to pull him close and kiss him until the raven felt safe again. The man would often glance about to take in his surroundings before relaxing with a little stretch and a soft groan that made Eren’s chest feel warm inside.

The brunette treasured moments such as those, where the raven lost all of his sharp edges and looked soft, warm and slightly dishevelled with his messy bed-hair. There was a word for the way Levi looked, and that word was perfect.

Although ‘edible’ would have also been an apt description. However, Eren was fairly certain that Levi wouldn’t feel quite so comfortable with that given the boy’s nature.

The brunette offered a lazy smile, propping his head up on an elbow. “G’mornin.” He murmured, not bothering to articulate so early in the day.

The raven’s eyes focused slowly, blinking as recognition formed in those stormy pools. Propping himself up on an elbow, the smaller man looked to Eren with a drowsy expression that could have been confusion but it smoothed out too soon for the boy to tell.

“Whattimeisit?” Levi slurred his words together, rubbing his eyes and trying to wake up.

Eren rolled over to the other side of the bed, leaning back and looking upside down at the blue numbers glaring out from the alarm clock. The boy’s face twisted in concentration as he attempted to identify the numbers at such an odd angle.

“It’s…eight thirty?” Eren murmured, stretching out his limbs before rolling back and shrugging. “Give or take.”

Levi groaned and rolled over, ignoring the brunette’s laughter and pulling a pillow over his head, complaining about waking up so early. The raven grumbled when Eren flopped on top of him and shook his shoulders to rouse the sleepy man.

“C’mon, Levi,” the brunette coaxed, trying his very best not to whine, “don’t go back to sleep.”

“Fuck off…five more minutes…”

The mumble was identifiable even through the pillow.

With a sigh, the boy stretched out perpendicular to the raven and lay across the man’s back, fiddling with the edge of the top blanket while Levi got his five extra minutes. While Eren had a feeling that the raven hadn’t meant to take exactly five minutes, the brunette couldn’t help but count down the time in his head.

There was no sleeping, not with the brat’s weight across his lower back, and when the raven finally rolled over again he was much more alert.

Levi reached back to shove at Eren’s hip. “Get off me, you lummox.”

The brunette pushed up onto his hands and knees, collapsing back against the mattress next to the raven’s hip a little ways down the bed. Eren watched the smaller male stretch, one leg bent at the knee and the other laid out straight, toes curling and his back arching off the bed a little. The brunette couldn’t help but run his tongue over his bottom lip, biting and worrying the skin there as the raven’s shirt rode up enough for him to see the flex of muscles as they rolled with the movement.

The urge to reach out and touch the other man was strong enough to leave the boy’s fingers twitching against the sheets, but that would ruin the show.

Levi noticed the boy’s staring and he laughed once. “Take a picture, brat.”

Eren only smiled. “I don’t need a picture; I’ve got the genuine article right here.”

“Touché.”

The brunette crawled his way up towards where the raven lay sprawled, plopping down beside him and nuzzling his shoulder.

“I’ve got some news for you…” Eren murmured, pressing his lips to the juncture where Levi’s neck and shoulder met.

Levi made a vaguely curious sound. “What? You’re pregnant?”

“Pfft!” The brunette snorted, lips curving into a smile where they still rested against the other male’s skin.

Without actually seeing it, Eren could hear the smirk in the raven’s voice when he spoke again.

“That’s a no, then?”

Propping himself up on one elbow, Eren shook his head with an amused little grin. “No, I’m not pregnant, you ass.” The brunette laughed, smacking Levi’s arm.

“Then what is it?”

Leaning in to nip lightly at the shell of the raven’s ear, the boy smiled through his words. “You, mister, are officially grounded for the next few days.”

The raven-haired man quirked a brow at the statement, a little smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he propped himself up onto his elbows to observe the brat as he raised his head again.

“Oh am I?” Levi murmured, his brow raised in challenge as he rolled closer to crawl over the brunette’s chest, reaching a hand over to rest behind the boy’s shoulder and effectively trapping him.

“Yes.” The brunette nodded, a delighted little smile forming on his face at the raven’s behaviour.

There was a decidedly dominant feel to the way Levi kissed his way along Eren’s neck, his lips drawing back a little to let teeth graze the sensitive skin.

“I’m not complaining…” the raven said, his voice slightly husky from waking up combined with his attentive sucking at the brunette’s neck, “but why am I grounded..?”

“Maybe I just want to keep you all to myself? Hmm?” Eren hummed appreciatively at a particularly pointed graze of teeth against his collarbone. “Maybe I want to lock you away, keep you for my eyes and mine alone.”

Levi made a soft sound in response, leaning back a little to bite at the brunette’s jaw.

“Maybe you do,” he said with a shrug, watching the boy’s eyes follow the slow roll of his shoulders, “…but that’s not it, is it?”

“No, you’re right. That’s not the reason.”

There was a pause in which the raven glanced up at mischievous teal orbs.

A slender eyebrow arched up the smaller male’s forehead. “Are you going to tell me the truth?”

“I don’t see why not.” The boy murmured with a casual roll of one shoulder.

Eren pushed gently at Levi’s chest and the raven backed up in response, compliantly rolling onto his back so that the boy could meet his gaze. With a mock-serious expression plastered to the brat’s face, Eren opened his mouth to reply.

“Levi…you are grounded because,” the brunette left a gap in his sentence, pausing for emphasis, “it’s the only way I can keep your ex’s paws off of you.”

The raven chuckled, scooting closer to bite at Eren’s shoulder.

“Well then,” Levi murmured against tanned skin, nipping gently, “…I guess I’ve got no choice?”

The boy gave a hum beneath him, looping his arms around the raven’s shoulders.

“None at all.” Eren smiled playfully, mock-pouting for a moment. “Unless you want to see a demon cry?”

Levi laughed at that, stretching up to ruffle the boy’s hair. “Never.” He pressed a light kiss to the brunette’s forehead. “I’m yours until you see fit to free me.”

The boy gave a low chuckle through closed lips, his playful smile turning sly. “Don’t tempt me with such control…I might decide to keep you locked away forever.”

Even though the words had been teasing, there was an undeniable flare of glee in the brunette’s eyes at the thought of having total control over the raven’s activities. Levi noticed it right away, smirking as he handed over the reins to his future for a few days. Making Eren happy had never been a difficult task, but the raven felt that he should at least try to give the boy something that required actual effort, something that would have significance, especially after the incident with Erwin.

And so he agreed to the brunette’s demand that he remain at home and under the boy’s supervision for a few days. He could spend time with Eren and still get his work done on the side. It was a win-win scenario any way he looked at it.

The morning was spent lazing on the bed, after both males showered first at the raven’s insistence of course. Levi found himself being pushed back into the middle of the bed while Eren ran his hands over the man’s shoulders, exploring.

The brunette’s fingers were gentle but firm as they roamed over the other man’s clothes, meticulous in their quest of mapping out every last inch of the raven-haired man, every dip, curve, bump and ridge. It was strange and soothing all at once to be treated with such reverence…almost like worship.

It was a reminder, yet another reminder, that Eren was nothing like any of Levi’s previous partners, lover or otherwise. This boy was something new and wonderful and he gave every last bit of his attention to whatever task was at hand whenever the raven was concerned. Taking the time to build upon a relationship was something that Levi could safely say he had never bothered with. Instead he skipped straight to the physical side that came with partnership, finding relief and comfort in the raw and primal drives rather than tiptoeing around conversation. Yet here he was sleeping with this brat, honestly sleeping with none of the following innuendo, and letting the boy get to know him.

The more he thought about it, the scarier it seemed.

So he didn’t think, he simply lay back and lost himself to the feeling of Eren’s hands on him, of the gentle rhythm of the boy’s breathing and the warmth that he brought.

Soon, however, the innocent play was not enough for the brunette and Eren dropped onto his elbows, crawling atop Levi’s stomach.

Tugging the raven’s shirt up a little, Eren ducked his head down to brush his lips over the pale skin. Levi was all solid muscle. He had the build of a fighter; hardened and unforgiving with strong shoulders but lean enough to avoid looking disproportionate. A wall of hurt and confidence. Taking time to actually look at the sight below him, Eren identified Levi’s abdominal muscles and counted them with a tracing finger. Six in total, sculpted like goddamned stone and hard as a rock.

He couldn’t resist the urge to taste him, bending his head down once more. Eren began with a kiss, humming softly at the feeling. The pale skin stretched over hard muscle, solid under the brunette’s lips and Eren mouthed at the warm flesh eagerly. The boy smiled when the raven’s hand dropped down to card through his hair, tugging slightly each time the brunette’s tongue worked a little too eagerly at any particular patch of skin.

Levi grimaced as the brat made a trail of open-mouth kisses up one side of his stomach, pausing just below his ribcage. The damp skin tingled as it cooled and the raven clicked his tongue.

“Tch. Sloppy brat.”

Eren couldn’t care less about the man’s chiding comments, hiking up the raven’s shirt to grant him more access. Teeth scraped ever so lightly over the lowest of Levi’s ribs and the man made a soft sound somewhere between a groan and a whine. Eren would have tried the same thing again but he paused when he noticed a dark discolouration that trailed partway down the raven’s side, marring the otherwise flawless pale skin.

The brunette frowned, his brows pulling together a little as he pulled the material higher.

“What’s this?” He asked, fingers tracing around the marks.

The raven craned his neck to see, a look of understanding passing over his face as he settled back.

“A birthmark.” Levi muttered in a dry tone.

“Really?”

“No, you idiot,” the raven paused to scoff and shake his head, “it’s one of my tattoos. I thought I told you I had some?”

Eren looked up at Levi, face twisting in concentration as he thought back. Recollection lit up the brat’s face and he nodded.

“Oh…yes, I think I recall you mentioning that.” The boy said before sitting up. “May I take a closer look?”

Levi cast the boy a bored look, taking in the way Eren’s hands were fisted in the material of his shirt, twisting the fabric as the boy waited eagerly for the raven’s response. Teal eyes shone all too hopefully as the kid began to rock slightly back and forth.

After putting off answering for a long moment and enjoying making the brat squirm with impatience, Levi made a face. “Ugh…if you really want to, fine.”

Eren beamed down at him, leaning down to reward the raven’s permission with a kiss, nipping gently when Levi followed after his retreating lips. Eager hands dipped under the dark fabric of the raven’s shirt and Levi sat up, lifting his arms above his head to assist the brat as Eren tugged the garment over his head.

The brunette stared, absently tossing the shirt across the bed as his lips parted slightly.

“Some..?”

The brunette eyed the extent of the odd marks that covered most of Levi’s arms from just above the wrist all the way back to his shoulders. Some of the designs spilled down to his sides, with the very lowest reaching to the middle of his ribcage on the left side. The patterns were extensive; a few tribal designs, some dark roses surrounded by interwoven vines decorated in little thorns, a Day of the Dead styled skull, a pair of crossed over swords standing over a gravestone and some intricately drawn daggers were just a few of the images that Eren identified.

Everything was drawn in simple varying tones of black, no colour was present in any of the images but it didn’t detract from the whole. In fact, the differentiating tones seemed almost elegant in their lack of cluttering colour.

On the raven’s left arm, Eren found a four legged beast covered in feathers. It had great claws and a feline’s tale but on its shoulders was the head like that of an eagle. A pair of great wings sprouted from the creature’s back.

Eren’s fingertips trailed over the etching. “What’s that?”

Levi glanced down briefly to discern which of the designs the boy was questioning. “A griffon.” He answered, identifying the image in question. “It’s a mythical creature, probably a made up load of codswallop but I like it.”

“Why?”

The raven remembered exactly why and he didn’t hesitate to answer. “I like what it represents; freedom, ferocity, and a noble heart.”

Eren smiled at that, pleased to be learning more about Levi. His eyes roamed over the patterns, finding also an old looking key tied with some kind of cord woven through the other designs.

Resting a hand on the raven’s forearm, he gestured to the key with a tilt of his head. “What does the key mean?”

“It’s also part of the freedom message you’ll find throughout quite a few of these designs,” Levi explained, his mouth quirking up a little when the brunette lent forward to rest their foreheads together, “but it also symbolises that there are some things, memories and secrets, that should be locked away. Kept hidden and out of sight because no good could ever come of them.”

The look of understanding that Levi found in Eren’s eyes was so strong that he couldn’t look away. As those teal orbs held his gaze, Levi was left to wonder what kinds of secrets that the boy had to keep that had brought such a look to his eyes.

The brunette also found the King from a King of Hearts card amidst the images, as well as what appeared to be a side portrait of a stone sculpture. It had a woman’s face, familiar like one might find on the back of a coin. There was also a humanoid head missing its skin layer, and around the head was a halo effect as if to create an illusion of light rays or perhaps an explosion. There were words too and some roman numerals that stood straight while the letters curved elegantly around the other images in simple fonts, some in banners or ribbons and others standing alone. Names and even paragraphs the likes Eren had never seen before stood alongside pictures and thorny twisting vines.

The brunette frowned slightly, trying to decipher some sort of meaning or message from all the images. Each design seemed to stand on its own, not lending any further connection to the images around it…but Levi was a complicated person and Eren was positive that the raven would not simply pick and choose random pictures to have slapped on his body for no good reason.

“Do all of these mean something to you?” The boy asked after a moment of silence passed between them.

“Yes.”

“Every single one?”

Levi nodded, grey eyes watching the boy appraising him. “Each and every last one.”

And there it was; the confession. Eren was absolutely certain that Levi had a whole story mapped out within the complex array of images…and the boy wanted nothing more than to hear it. In time he would pry further but for now he could settle for simple details.

“What are they, Levi?” The brunette asked, keeping his voice gentle.

He wanted Levi to feel safe, so that he could be comfortable in answering even the simplest of questions. Creating the right atmosphere was key and from the way the smaller man relaxed his shoulders Eren figured that he was doing a good job.

The raven heaved a sigh, sounding tired. Gunmetal eyes were met with shining pools of blue-green and Levi found himself answering.

“My nightmares.”

A knowing look passed behind teal eyes before the orbs dropped lower to regard the tattoos once again.

“They’re beautiful.” Eren murmured almost reverently, fingers tracing gingerly over the smaller male’s arms. Nightmares were something that the brunette could easily understand and respect the significance of. “Is this all of them then?”

“No, I have one more.” The raven stated and he scooted back to turn around.

Etched onto his back were a set of overlapping wings, one solid black and the other a mere outline left blank, facing opposite each other to cross over. It looked like some sort of emblem, or perhaps a coat of arms. Around the wings Eren identified the same curling vines he had seen twining about the raven’s arms. They wove beneath and around the main image. The design reached halfway down Levi’s back and fanned out across his shoulder blades.

Eren glanced up, looking at the back of the raven’s head and his eyes softened. “Are these the things you dream of?”

The raven nodded, shivering a little as Eren traced his fingers along the wing pattern, following the path of the vines, and Levi arched his back into the touch.

This was a moment pure and unmarred by Levi’s past, and the raven wanted to savour it to its fullest. However painful his nightmares could be, the tattoos had all come along after Erwin had left him. There was no personal baggage weighing him down, in fact he felt a sense of purpose carrying around such markings.

Eren was the only one to even touch them.

“Never be afraid of your nightmares, Levi. All they want is to tell you their story.”

“What if I don’t like the story?” Levi challenged. “What if I don’t want to hear it anymore?”

Eren wanted to comfort the man, tell him that there was a simple and easy fix to the cruel images of the night, but he didn’t want to lie.

At last, the boy sighed. “You’ll just have to wait until the story is over. Maybe you’ve missed something, a crucial detail, a memory?”

“Good God, are we playing psychiatrist and patient now?”

The boy smiled gently and chuckled. “Sorry, that was my bad.” He rubbed the raven’s arm reassuringly and turned his attention back to the tattoos. “How did you get them?”

A chuckle sounded as the raven turned back around. “I spent multiple hours sitting in a chair having a needle jabbed into me by an artist.”

Eren gave a soft hiss of disapproval. “You mean to say another human did this to you?”

“Well yeah, it’s not like a horse did the work or anything.” Levi scoffed in reply, shaking his head at the incredulous look on the boy’s face.

“Unacceptable.” Eren said firmly, moving closer to kiss the raven’s forehead. “I ought to teach the fiend a lesson for laying a harmful hand on you.”

“You can’t.”

“Oh? Why not?”

“Because I fucking asked the guy to do the work. Duh.” The raven exhaled in mild amusement, bumping their noses together gently. “If you’re going to be cross at anyone, it may as well be at me.”

There was a short moment of quiet in which the two males sat together, forehead to forehead, breathing in the silence. Levi was the first to speak.

“So…wanna watch a movie, brat?”

“Sure!”

The brunette eagerly towed the raven into the living room, letting go of his hand to dive for the remotes on the coffee table. As Levi sat down on the sofa, he took a glance out of the balcony doors. They were intact, which was a good thing, but Levi couldn't help but feel as though there was something off about that. And then it hit him.

“Didn’t you break those?” Levi voiced suddenly, frowning a little.

Eren looked back at him over his shoulder, eyebrows raising. “Hmm?”

“My windows.” The raven clarified, gesturing with a little flick of his wrist. “When you and your fucking dead-eyed shark-faced twin or whatever decided to take a dive from the balcony?”

A look of comprehension crossed the brunette’s face and he nodded once. “Oh, that. I fixed it.”

“You fixed it?” Levi frowned, not recalling seeing any new glass panels being brought in. Or seeing any repairs being done. Or hearing any repairs being done. “How?”

“Particle manipulation.” The boy said by means of explanation.

The brunette grinned as Levi scoffed.

“I don’t even want to know.” The raven muttered dryly with a shake of his head.

Eren laughed and turned back to scour through the movies Levi had stored on the shelves behind the TV. The brunette picked a random movie from the raven’s collection and Levi held back a snicker when he saw the menu flick up onscreen moments later.

It was a horror flick, some cheap and trashy slasher, and Levi had a feeling that Eren would appreciate it.

With a pleased smile, the brunette snatched up the remotes from where they sat by his knees on the floor and scampered across the carpet, clambering up onto the sofa beside the raven. Levi got to his feet then, reassuring the brat with a light brush of his fingers along the boy’s nape.

“Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

It was a pouting Eren that turned after the raven. “Where are you going?”

“Not far.” Levi promised, stepping past the sofa. “I just had an idea and I think you’ll like it.”

The raven-haired man ducked into his bedroom, tugging open his cupboard and rummaging around. He soon found what he was looking for and when the smaller male returned to the living room a moment later, he held two faded grey beanbags.

“Oi, brat. Catch.”

Eren looked up in time to cop one of the beanbags in the face. Direct hit. Sputtering, he shook it off and stared as the raven laughed dryly.

“Nailed it.” Levi said with a smirk, grey eyes lazy and amused as he sauntered back towards the couch and dropped the other beanbag by Eren’s feet.

The raven explained his idea to the brunette as he shoved the coffee table off to one side, pushing it away towards the balcony where it would rest against the doors. In doing so, Levi successfully created an open space between the sofa and television where the pair could lay down and stretch out. The beanbags were arranged against the front of the couch, situated next to each other so that the two males could lean back against the sofa of simply laze on the floor.

Eren loved the idea, snuggling down into the squishy seat as the raven-haired man scooped up the remote and hit play.

“So what’s this about?” The boy inquired, leaning across until his side was flush with Levi’s.

“Murder, pretty much.” The raven explained, leaning into the warmth. “It’s kind of pointless, but there’s a lot of gore so you’ll like it.”

“Fair enough.”

Letting Eren pick the movie turned out to be an even better idea than Levi could have imagined.

The raven learned quite quickly that the brunette was very easy to scare when his guard was dropped. Maybe he should have felt honoured that the boy would let his defences down around him, but it was a bit difficult to acknowledge when he was trying not to laugh out loud at the brat’s wide-eyed expressions. Levi was sure that there wasn’t a single jump-scare in the whole movie that the brunette didn’t fall for with a start and an ‘eep’ of fear. Even more amusing was the way that Eren complained about the waste of good resources when the victims were left to rot in a hacked up heap.

“Barbaric.” The brunette said with a shake of his head and a click of his tongue. “You find this sort of thing entertaining?”

“I find your reactions entertaining.”

Eren grumbled, pouting, but nestled closer to the raven and fit himself closer against the smaller man’s side. The movie was drawing to a close and outside the sky had lost its bright blue glow as grey clouds rolled over. The air felt cooler and it was no surprise when Eren scooted even closer in search of extra warmth.

“Such a waste.” Eren sighed as yet another helpless lass died screaming and choking on her own blood.

“Shut up.”

Levi blinked slowly, allowing himself a chance to reconsider what his instincts told him to do. The moment was damned near perfect; they were close, practically sharing the same goddamned air with how close Eren had sidled over after that last jump-scare. Sure the first movie night in with his new kind-of boyfriend seemed a bit predictable to start canoodling, but then again Levi was only human.

Five minutes later as the credits began to roll down the screen, the raven cast one last look down at Eren at the same moment that the brunette glanced up at him; eyes all too innocent and lips slightly parted.

In the end, Levi didn’t reconsider.

The boy opened his mouth to speak but paused as the raven moved, swinging one of his legs over between Eren’s and leaning across to straddle the boy’s lap.

“Um-” Eren started when Levi bent down, setting his hands against the sofa on either side of the boy’s head and leaning close. The raven put his knees between the brunette’s legs when Eren shifted slightly.

“Levi?”

Eren didn't look unhappy with the sudden proximity. It was more likely that he was concerned only because this sort of behaviour was quite unlike Levi.

The brunette sucked in a breath as Levi hovered his lips as close to Eren’s mouth as he dared without actually kissing him and waited to see if the boy would take the bait.

When he didn’t move for a moment Levi figured it was no great loss and moved right along. His hand found a fluttering heartbeat when he brought it down to touch the boy’s chest, moving his other hand to the floor by Eren’s hip to support the raven’s weight as he leaned forward. The thrumping of the brunette’s heartbeat only grew stronger when Levi nudged the brat’s chin aside to kiss his neck.

Eren’s skin was hot; Levi could feel the warmth radiating from the kid even before his lips touched him. The brunette might have been one mysterious creature, but in terms of his physical reaction there wasn’t much to reading him.

Tasting people was something that appealed to the raven, had done since his teen years. Levi could tell a lot about a person just by getting their skin under his teeth. Hell, good to know he and Eren had some common ground in that at least, Levi thought to himself with no small amount of sarcasm. Eren’s skin had a gentle taste under Levi's tongue, no strong flavour to be savoured but enough beyond the normal salty tang that all skin had for the raven to know that this was what Eren tasted like. Vaguely sweet, almost undetectably so, much like the boy’s scent. Levi could smell it strongest at the place where Eren’s pulse throbbed in his throat, right at his pulse point. Heat radiated from the spot, more so here than anywhere else. It was that same kind of flavour that covered the boy’s skin, subtle and pleasant.

Levi sucked hard on Eren's neck with every intention of leaving a mark and continued to kiss past the fabric of the boy’s shirt collar.

“Mnn?” Eren made a sound through closed lips, the noise reverberating in his chest.

Any words that the brat may have wanted to say were stunted by a rather obvious excitement surging through the brunette. Eren was breathing hard with a rapid rise and fall of his chest that Levi could feel beneath his kisses. The raven hiked up the brat’s shirt and ran a hand over his stomach, feeling the muscles tighten and quiver under the attention as fingers teased over the hot skin in a subtle test. As Levi worked his way down the boy’s body, pausing to push up his shirt further and run his tongue over the heated flesh, Eren let out a needy little pant which quickly turned into a breathy whine when the raven’s tongue dragged over one pert nipple.

Levi made an amused sound in the back of his throat, looking into teal eyes that were clouded with arousal, and brought up his hands to toy with the boy’s nipples as he spoke.

“Having fun?” The raven asked in a low murmur, smirking when Eren couldn’t quite manage an answer. “Doesn't matter, your friend down there is answer enough.”

Eren’s features twisted slightly with a questioning look, following the raven’s gesture down to between his thighs where the boy’s jeans were straining over a bulge.

“Eh? Eh?” Eren exclaimed, looking shocked. “W-What’s happening? Levi, is this bad? What are you doing to me? Am I dying?”

Levi let out a shameless snort, snickering behind the back of one of his hands. “What’s the matter? You’ve never had a boner?”

“A what?” Eren’s face twisted in confusion.

“You know, a boner?” The raven attempted to clarify, but he couldn’t keep the smirk off his face. “Hard on? Erection? It’s never happened to you before?”

“No.”

“I thought you said you knew what you were doing?”

“I said I’d seen it happen before, not that I knew how it worked! Most demons try to kill each other, not fuck each other, you know?”

“Oh wow…this is going to be awkward for you.” The raven couldn’t help but laugh at him, hiding his smile behind the back of his hand before finally letting it drop. “No, brat, it’s not bad.” He said in reply, ducking lower down the brunette’s body in an elegant roll as he shrugged. “I don’t think so, at least.”

Levi smirked up at Eren from the break between his shirt and his waistband, stretched out languid and lazy like a feline between legs that had definitely scooted further apart since the raven had settled there.

Eren didn’t stop Levi as he mouthed ever closer to the pulsing heat throbbing between the boy’s legs. It was new, sure, and Eren looked a lot like he didn't trust the situation. But he seemed to trust Levi enough not to flat out run away and that was promising. Levi made a silence promise not to laugh at the boy too much more. Eren squirmed and gulped under the constant scrutiny, and Levi watched him while he slipped a hand between the brunette’s legs. A gasp sounded and the boy’s hips jerked a little. The raven gave an approving chuckle in response. Levi could already feel the thick ridge of hardness beneath his hand. The brunette pushed his hips uncertainly into the hand palming him, steadily relaxing and leaning back into the beanbag, and fisted his hands in the carpet.

It occurred to Levi that the brat had never even been hard before, if he was telling the truth…meaning he hadn’t ever touched himself, or cum, or anything before today. It was downright weird to think about considering that humans usually depicted demons as living embodiment of sin. Sure, murder fit the bill. But lust usually went hand in hand with the idea of these kinds of deviant creatures. When Levi paired the thought of Eren's actual situation with the knowledge the brunette had given him about being in sensory overload almost all the time anyway, the raven’s lips twitched upwards.

He would be able to have a lot of fun with this.

The raven couldn’t wipe the smirk off his face; Eren was just too much fun to tease and Levi didn’t want to stop so soon. Leaning in, he locked eyes with the brat and opened his lips wide around the straining bulge while it was still trapped in Eren’s pants. The brunette’s eyes blew wide and his already uneven breathing began to grow ragged as he watched Levi mouth at the fabric liberally, torturing Eren with his tongue until the brat was writhing. It was well worth the unpleasant feeling of material in his mouth to see Eren squirm and soon enough Levi chuckled against the now damp fabric of Eren’s jeans, delighting in the boy’s desperate little whimpers. Hopefully this would be a nice little warm-up for the main event. Levi wasn't above speed-running some good suck but he felt like Eren might legitimately pass away from shock if he got deep-throated out of nowhere. The demon was far from composed as things stood anyway and Levi hadn't even gotten his pants off yet.

Eren seemed to be in a state of mixed emotions, unable to decide if he loved or hated the sweet torture. He had no idea what to do with his hands, gripping his beanbag as if for dear life, and every noise escaping Eren's mouth was a blend of confused pleasure. The brunette couldn't seem to decide between pushing his hips towards the teasing mouth or scooting as deep into his seat as possible as if to squirm away. Not that Levi ever let him get far. If Eren needed a breather he was going to have to ask for it.

After a generous amount of teasing, far too much of it if Levi was honest with himself, the raven-haired man finally relented. He leaned back the barest inch and interrupted the latest in a series of half-delirious, pleading moans in favour of stretching up to bite at the zipper of Eren’s jeans. The brunette’s attention was drawn with the faintest buzz of his fly being tugged down and Eren groaned when he looked down to find Levi pulling the zipper open with his teeth.

Levi was mostly certain that Eren wasn't going to spontaneously combust out of embarrassment, though his face flushed immediately scarlet at the sight between his legs.

Levi’s teasing was slow and deliberate; there was no time limit, nowhere to be, nothing important enough to interrupt them.

Slowly, purposefully and agonizingly slowly, Levi slipped his fingers through the loops of the boy’s jeans and tugged, coaxing Eren’s pants down only as far as he needed to free the brunette’s cock. The length sprang out with enough force to smack Eren's belly, bobbing once before the raven's eyes before it found its resting place against Eren's stomach. Demon dick didn't seem so different, at least not in this form. Eren's cock throbbed, proud and needy between them, and even the brunette's panicky eyes couldn't convince Levi that Eren wasn't dying to know what came next.

Levi took a moment to appreciate the sight before him, admiring the shameless way Eren's cock twitched for attention. Glancing up, Levi chuckled when he noticed the dark blush that was only spreading further over Eren’s face. The demon was flushed almost to the chest, chewing at his bottom lip with worry.

“You look like a tomato.” Levi smirked, reaching up to pinch the brunette’s cheeks gently. "Maybe a beetroot?"

The boy didn’t even bother to complain about it, squirming instead. “What…what is this feeling?”

“Pretty sure you mean arousal.” Levi murmured, more for his own benefit than Eren’s before moving to explain. “You get turned on, your dick gets hard. Then you jerk off and it goes away.” The raven shrugged, not really wanting to have to go into further detail. “It’s a pretty simple process.”

“B-But it-it’s strange. I don’t know if…wait, wait!” Eren yelped as the raven leaned in closer, pausing at the boy's insistence a mere few centimetres away from his goal.

The raven arched an eyebrow. “What’s wrong?”

“W-What are you-?”

Arching a brow, Levi’s lips curved into a rare mischievous smile. “I'm gonna suck your dick. Isn’t it obvious?”

He leaned in again, just a fraction, to tease the brat and it worked like a charm. Eren spluttered in a state of fluster and embarrassment, covering his eyes with his hands only to peer through his fingers. It was like he had no idea if he wanted to watch what was happening or not. Curiosity was a powerful thing, though.

Eren blanched as the raven drew nearer inch by inch, that cheeky smirk growing with each passing moment.

“D-Don’t put that in your mouth, you moron!” The boy panicked, waving his hands in front of him. “Y-You’re supposed to be a clean freak. It’s not natural-ah-ah!”

Levi successfully shut him up with a single flat-tongued lick from the base of the brat’s balls and all the way up to his cockhead, earning a choked gasp in response. As gross as humans and the human body could be, Levi had his exceptions. When he had the pleasure of a partner as responsive and apparently vocal as Eren, Levi found he didn't mind the proximity even a little bit. He took a moment to slide his lips over Eren's tip, taking in only the head and tasting the precum that had been beading there. Not bad, Levi had definitely tasted worse. He swirled his tongue around the head once, sucking until the brunette started to keen before bobbing his head down the entire length once, twice, thrice, and then off completely.

It had been a minute since Levi's dick-sucking days and diving right back into it made his eyes water a little. He was eager to see his handiwork, however. Lips curving into a wry smirk, Levi leaned on an elbow and took a long look at the panting brat before him.

Eren was a fucking mess which, considering that Levi had barely started, was hilarious. If he didn't know any better, the raven might have thought that Eren was coming down with a fever. He face was pinked, eyes a little dazed and bleary, and his body was radiating warmth as Levi traced mischievous fingers along any bare skin he could find. When Eren met Levi's gaze again he looked so lost but hopeful somehow. Like Levi held all the answers to his every problem.

“Remember when you said blowjobs were a gross human habit and weren’t worth it?” The raven teased, tracing a finger up the underside of the brat’s cock.

His fingers slid into the mess of precum that was beginning to ooze out of Eren in earnest now. Gathering a little on his digits, Levi observed the stringy fluid as it clung to him and smeared it a bit meanly against Eren's frenulum just to watch him jerk in pleasure.

The movement was violent and yet the demon looked somehow looked exhausted. Eren’s eyes were half-lidded and his face was flushed. The brunette managed to nod, twitching a little as the raven-haired man continued to toy with the sensitive ridge just beneath the head of his cock.

Levi hummed low in his throat, almost chuckling but not quite. “Still want to pass it up, brat?”

Even as the brunette started to shake his head with a whimper, Levi swiped his fingers across the tip of the boy’s dick, once again smearing the gathering precum there. The raven deliberated on how to proceed, not for a lack of instinct or thought on what to do, but to decide the best way to please Eren. After all…this would be the kid’s first orgasm. Levi wanted things to be at least a little memorable for the kid, but he had to be realistic. Obviously it would be stupid and idiotic to expect a horny virgin creature that could very well be five times the raven’s age or more to be able to last very long under the hand of someone like Levi. Trying to give the kid his first blow job and draw out the process would be pointless. Levi never had liked pointless things.

Bugger that, he thought. He could edge Eren another time. For now, the raven decided to try the total opposite and throw in all of his favourite tricks back to back. All pleasure, no mercy. In the end, Eren’s body could choose which action would send him over the edge.

Levi took Eren’s erection properly in his hand and gave him a few firm strokes to get him used to the feeling. He set a steady rhythm, nothing crazy but enough that the stimulation wouldn't lose Eren's interest. The kid had leaked enough precum that it was barely worth trekking to the bedroom to grab some extra lube, so Levi stayed put and slicked Eren's length with his own fluids. That seemed to both delight and confuse the brunette even more. Eren squirmed and whimpered and his legs kept trying to close but each time Levi would coax them open again with little bites and kisses to the brunette’s thighs. Eventually Levi settled there permanently, using his body to keep the demon's legs parted for him.

The raven worked his mouth along from the thigh up along one side of the boy’s v-line, licking and rubbing the tingling skin with gentle fingertips. Levi moved in, placing a deliberate trail of kisses along the underside of Eren's cock, up and down and back again. And again. His tongue sneaked out to join the fray and all the while he kept his mischievous stare locked on Eren. The raven-haired male moved his lips methodically from balls to head, relishing every little sound, gasp, whimper and sigh that escaped the boy’s mouth.

“L-Levi…” Eren panted out the name.

He'd probably been meaning to say it a bit louder, but in its own way that intimate, whispered gasp was even better. Levi was sure the sound would be etched into his memory for a long time after this, accompanied by the visuals of Eren's pretty face twisting with growing pleasure.

To reward the brunette, Levi moved to focus the head and swirled his tongue around the tip in a torturous rhythm.

Movement in the raven’s peripheral vision caught his attention and Levi noticed with a smug little smirk that Eren’s hands were clutching the bean bag chair tightly, desperately. It was like that chair was the only grounding presence that Eren had to keep himself anchored there and Levi wanted to set him free from that anchor. Without pausing to give the boy even a moment's break, Levi reached over and felt blindly for the brunette's hand. Once located, he coaxed the demon's stiff fingers from their death-grip on the beanbag and guided that hand over to rest atop the raven’s head. If Eren wanted an anchor, he could find it in Levi. He started to reach for the brunette’s other hand but Eren got the message, finding new purchase in inky locks, and the raven-haired man relished the shaky fingers that tangled in his hair.

Eren’s grip was trembling, shifting between a loose hold and sharper little tugs whenever Levi worked a little too well. Suddenly Eren let out a desperate sounding whine and tried to pull back, attempting to push Levi away.

The raven slid his mouth up and off of Eren, letting the head of his cock pop free, and wiped a hand over his mouth. He was absolutely sure that he looked like a complete mess himself right about then, feeling spit cooling on his chin, but Levi couldn't find it in himself to care much.

“What?” Levi rasped, looking up at the boy.

The brunette was a panting mess, chest heaving and cheeks flushed with a delicious shade of pink that darkened the longer Levi stared up at the boy, and he shook his head weakly.

“Enough…t-that’s enough.”

“Brat. You haven’t even cum yet.”

“I can’t…no more.” Eren almost whimpered out the words, letting out a shaky laugh. “I feel like I’m going to explode.”

Levi only chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re too cute. You’re fine; you won’t explode…” the raven paused to snort, “well…not in a bad way. Trust me, Eren…it’s worth finishing.”

Another laugh left Eren, the noise oddly helpless, and it sounded like he thought he was bargaining with a crazy person. But he wasn't saying no. At a nod from the brunette, Levi ducked his head again and went to work. No teasing this time, no fancy tricks, just pure undiluted pleasure.

Eren keened and bucked his hips into the raven’s mouth, stuttering and babbling his apologies.

Levi pulled back as Eren started throbbing in his mouth, smirking at the betrayed whine that sounded from the brunette at the loss of that delicious wet heat. The raven finished Eren off with his hand, scooting around to sit beside the boy, kissing and biting along his neck and sucking at his collar bone. The sound Eren made should have been criminal. An almost pained moan ripped its way up through his throat almost against his will and the brunette would have thrown his head back had Levi not stopped him with a hand curled gently but firmly around the back of his neck.

“Watch, Eren,” the raven crooned in his ear, “look…”

And look he did.

The brunette stared transfixed, unable to keep quiet but also unable to look away as he witnessed his own cock jerk and twitch. Suddenly as the boiling heat in his gut became too much, all too much for him to take…it snapped and sent him tumbling into release.

Eren came hard, mesmerized by the white hot jets of milky fluid that spurted out from the tip of his dick. He all but screamed at the feeling (Levi would need to remember to apologise to the other tenants in the building); it was too good to bear and all of Eren's senses soared.

The brunette’s breaths were high pitched and shaky as he came down from the high, still twitching in the raven’s hand.

“Good, Eren…you did so good.” Levi praised, trailing kisses over Eren’s face.

The boy managed a mumbled slur of a response that was more of a noise than actual words, letting his eyes slip shut for a moment as he curled against the raven. Given that he'd seemed exhausted way before Levi had gotten serious about sucking him off, it wasn't surprising when Eren seemed to crash as soon as they were done.

Levi ran his non-sticky hand through the demon's hair, stroking gently, comfortingly, until he deemed that the kid had come down enough from his high to start cleaning up.

“Eren..?”

“Mm?”

“You should take a shower; get yourself cleaned up before that shit sets.” Levi murmured, running two fingers through the mess of translucent white that painted the brat’s stomach. “Trust me on this, the longer you leave it, the more of a bitch it is to clean it up.”

“Mrph.” The boy made a complaining sound, pulling a face. “Can’t I rest just a little bit longer?”

“No, come on, get up.”

“But it’s so warm and you’re so comfy.”

“Eren.”

“I don’t wanna.”

The raven chuckled fondly at the brat’s words, placing a light kiss to the top of his head. “Go take a shower, brat.”

“But Leviiiii-”

“No, you don’t want that shit drying on you, trust me.” Levi said, flicking the brat between the eyes. “Get your ass up and get clean, brat.”

Eren groaned but conceded eventually needing Levi’s help to get up after discovering that his legs had apparently turned to jelly. It took a joint effort to wrestle Eren's pants the rest of the way off, but he was on his feet soon enough and Levi sent him stumbling towards the bedroom with a playful slap on the ass.

The raven watched him go and a mischievous little smirk twitched at one side of Levi’s mouth as he heard the bathroom door close…but not lock.

Chuckling, the raven shook his head.

“Oh, Eren…you’re either a tease or a fool.”

Sparing a quick moment to clean up any mess left over from their activities, Levi winced slightly at the throb of his own erection and headed for his room, or more specifically…the bathroom.

Chapter Text

“And it's breaking over me. A thousand miles down to the seabed, found a place to rest my head. Never let me go.” - Florence + The Machine, Never Let Me Go.

***

Eren didn't bother to fold his clothes as he undressed, letting the material fall to the floor and pool around his feet. He was vaguely aware of the wadded up jeans he'd brought with him, though whether they were pushed into his hands by Levi or picked up on his own he couldn't recall. He dropped the pants as well. Eren's brain felt like it was buzzing as he stepped into the shower and under the warming stream of water, still reeling from what Levi had done to him, for him.

It was no understatement to say that he felt well and truly blown away. The sensations, the heat, the way he felt so good that he couldn't even control his own movements any more; it was unlike anything he had ever experienced. The only thing that even came close was feeding; the primal rush, the pleasure, the drive...only this was somehow better.

Humans got to feel like that whenever they wanted? How in Death's name had the brunette not experienced such a thing until now? It felt absolutely absurd in his own mind. Eren wondered what else he might have missed in his hell-bent quest for strength.

The boy was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the sound of Levi's footsteps pausing just outside the door. His senses, usually so sharp, felt clouded in such a wonderful way that Eren couldn't even bring himself to care.

Partially drowned out by the rush of water from the shower, the sound of the bathroom door opening didn't reach Eren either.

Not until he caught sight of movement in his peripheral vision.

The brunette looked up, startled by the sudden appearance of another figure in the room. It was only Levi, of course, but Eren couldn't begin to calm himself down as he realised his own quite obvious state of undress. And his embarrassment only grew when Levi sauntered in without a word of explanation and started stripping down. It wasn't as if Eren hadn’t imagined something of the sort occurring, in fact he had even hoped that the raven might grow bold enough to finally give Eren a show worth watching, but now that it was happening the brunette couldn’t help but stammer.

“W-What are you doing?”

The raven glanced up, pausing briefly in his task and sending the brunette a little crooked smile.

“Well I figured that we can’t keep taking separate showers, otherwise my water bill is going to skyrocket.” The raven explained in a cheeky tone, folding his shirt and setting it aside on the sink. “So we’ll just have to clean up together, don’t you think?”

Eren cursed the raven's words for making such sense before instantly back-pedalling in his own thoughts. Surely this was a good thing? A little dangerous for temptation's sake, but Eren could handle it. As long as he didn't let his guard fall too low, Levi would be fine.

Levi watched the boy fidget under the water, eyes dropping to the floor. Apparently he was still edgy from the sensory overload, but Levi couldn’t stop himself from smirking a little at the almost shy glances that Eren sent his way as the raven removed the rest of his own clothes. As far as Levi was concerned, fair was fair. Eren might as well have a proper view of his investment.

But the boy had turned away a little, letting his head run under the streaming water like he was trying to clear his thoughts. Teal eyes were lost behind closed lids that scrunched tight to prevent any intruding water and Eren's brow was furrowed.

Levi released a breath, realising that he had been holding it in unintentionally, and he noticed the tension in the brunette's shoulders ease a little along with his features which softened at the sound.

“Any particular reason that you won't look at me?” The raven inquired, setting the last of his clothes aside.

“I thought you would appreciate the privacy.”

The raven couldn't help but smile at that and he was almost glad that the brat's eyes were still closed. Somehow smiling still felt strange to Levi and he wasn't quite comfortable enough to do so freely. Not yet. But he couldn't keep a straight face while Eren was hiding in the corner like that, trying to be courteous even when the notion was completely ridiculous in such a situation.

It was a fucking shower, they were both stark naked.

Who cared about privacy?

Shaking his head and easing the smile into a cheeky little smirk, Levi padded across the tiles.

“You’re adorable.” The raven muttered, his voice suddenly closer as the smaller male stepped into the shower alongside the brunette.

Eren let out a mortified squeak as he felt a hand brush over his hip and his eyes snapped open, comically wide in their shock. Without really pausing to think it through, the brunette grabbed hold of the other man’s wrist like it was a snake.

Levi was still smirking away at the boy when their eyes finally met.

“What? Are you suddenly going to go all shy on me?” Grey eyes flared with mischief. “Don’t tell me you’re all talk, Eren?”

The brunette wanted to argue that he was not, in fact, all talk. He never made a threat or a promise that he would back down from and he wasn't afraid to pick a fight.

But this wasn't a fight and, in this case, Eren was well and truly floundering out of his depth. What the hell was he even supposed to do with a naked man? The only answer he had ever needed concerned food, but of course Levi was different. Precious and not to be spoiled so quickly. But the man's tone, the look on his face...just like before in the living room. It was a different kind of hunger. Should Eren reciprocate? And how? In the same way? God, what the hell could he do?

“N-No!” The boy argued indignantly, although the blush on his face didn’t help to make him look at all intimidating. “You just took me by surprise!”

“That was the point. I wanted to see what you’d do.”

The raven-haired man took a long deliberate moment to let his eyes wander over Eren’s bare form, taking in the tanned skin and subtle muscle that shifted with each anxious little twist of movement. The demon looked completely at a loss of what to do, how to proceed, and Levi loved every second of it. It was nice to bring Eren out of his element. The brat that was always such a cheeky little shit finally didn't have anything to say...and all because of Levi. It was a personal victory that the raven would cherish.

Eren wasn’t nearly as solidly built as the raven was; the boy was leaner and just a little bit lanky but there was distinguishable form still. The tanned skin was soft, but just beneath it lay firmer muscle that Levi could appreciate. Strong and lithe. Levi got the impression that Eren would be a fast runner. He looked agile enough and Levi would be lying if he said he wouldn't have enjoyed the sight. Eren had the kind of build that gave the raven a strong urge to lick every inch of him and, while he wouldn't follow through with that desire just yet, Levi allowed himself to reach out and run his fingers along the brunette’s abdominals. The muscles shifted and tightened beneath his fingertips and Eren shivered, hands clenching and unclenching where they leaned back against the tiles to support him.

Levi smirked up at the brunette. “Apparently surprising you in the shower makes you adorable as fuck.”

“Sh-Shut up.” The boy pouted, straightening a little to fold his arms and look away.

Levi only scoffed.

Eren looked back over to him, mouth open to make some sort of sassy remark when he paused suddenly. It occurred to Eren that this was a thus far rare opportunity to ogle Levi and he was damned well going to make the most of it. The brunette’s eyes roved over the raven-haired man before him in a sweeping stare, finally pausing long enough amidst his frazzled thoughts to actually take a good look at the man in front of him.

And Levi looked glorious.

He was stood there, patiently allowing Eren to take his time. The boy choked out a whimper at the sight, unused to the reaction. Levi was all pale skin and muscle. It didn't seem fair for the man to look this good when all he was doing was standing around under some water, staring at Eren expectantly. Eren bit back the urge to groan, covering his mouth with one hand and reaching out to place his other hand on the raven’s shoulder. He had to be careful. Levi may have been pretty durable by human standards but Eren wouldn't forgive himself if he hurt the man just because he was distracted. The demon breathed in through his mouth, wary of sucking in any water, and forced himself to focus. Levi’s skin was cooler than his even under the water and the brunette let his hand trail down the wet skin, watching droplets snake slippery trails down the man’s arms. It was easier to see his ink now, though. The dark shade of Levi’s tattoos made the raven look mean, like he could tear Eren’s head off at any moment if he wanted to. That shouldn’t have been a turn on…but, sweet flames of Hell, it was.

And of course, the raven-haired man noticed.

Grey eyes flickered down briefly; it was just a glance, but by the time they lifted once more there was amusement swimming in the stormy orbs.

The low chuckle that rolled its way off Levi's tongue was as good as any sin to Eren's ears and he felt a needy throb growing between his legs.

"Again?" Eren griped, though he wasn't sure why he was complaining.

“Getting it up twice in one day? In under ten minutes, goddamn...not bad for a first-timer.” Levi purred, stepping closer until Eren had his back up against the wall. “Is that because you’re glad to see me?”

The brunette hissed at the cold tiles against his hot skin, but the next sound he made was something else entirely.

Levi had his fingers rubbing at the prominent v of muscle that led down to the demon's groin, pressing in against the skin there with a firm touch while his other hand reached up to curl behind Eren’s neck. The raven stretched up onto his toes to kiss the boy and as he did he let his hand drop lower to palm at the Eren's semi-erect cock.

The sound Eren choked out against Levi's lips was exquisite and the raven chuckled against the Eren's mouth. Levi arched a brow as he stared at the brunette through his dripping hair.

“Good?” He murmured, so close that his lips still brushed against the brunette’s as he spoke.

“Mmhm…” Eren nodded his head vigorously, bumping their foreheads together a little.

Neither of them could care less about clumsiness at the moment.

“Lightweight,” The raven smirked, “we’ve barely even started.”

Eren managed to shake his head, forcing out words on his next breath. “W-What about you?”

“What about me?” Levi arched a brow, the beginnings of a sly smile forming on his lips.

“Aren’t you going to..?” The boy left the sentence open, glancing down between them to where Levi’s own cock stood in a proud curve.

A little frown crossed Eren's face as he noticed something silver glinting and he nearly laughed when he realised what it was. The final two piercings.

The raven's brow twitched a little, lending him a confused look. “What's funny?”

Oh, so Levi had noticed the smiling? Apparently, because he pulled his hand back and waited for the boy to talk to him. Eren shook his head and snickered a little.

“Nothing, I just...” the brunette trailed off into another tiny fit of snickering, “I can see why you didn't want to show me those before.”

Levi glanced at where Eren gestured, an amused sound humming in his throat as he understood.

“Yeah. Not exactly a family-friendly program, that.” The raven smirked, giving a little shrug. “But if you want to see, now's your chance.”

Eren looked on as Levi reached down and took his own cock in hand, holding it back against his stomach so that Eren could get a proper look at the two metal accessories. Barbell styled piercings, both of them, one closer to the top located right under the head and the other down lower, resting just above the balls.

Eren swallowed hard, unable to take his eyes off the metal on proud display. Levi let himself go with an amused exhale at the brunette's expression, rolling his weight onto his back foot and folding his arms.

The smaller male was so close that Eren could feel the heat coming from his body. Close, all too enticingly close, and yet too far at the same time. The feeling was so conflicting that Eren felt as though he might go mad. But if it was from the way the man in front of him smiled, the way he teased with just his fingertips, his lips, his eyes, if it was because of Levi...Eren might not even mind leaving his sanity behind.

The raven wasn't helping Eren's thought process at all. In fact the brunette was certain that Levi was teasing him on purpose, all flickering eyes and wet skin and mischief.

His smirk grew a little, thin lips quirking up at one side. “I thought I’d pay a little attention to you first. If you'd like?”

Christ that sounded good. Better than good, it sounded like the best idea in the world. But it wasn't what Eren wanted; that wasn't what he was trying to ask.

He tried again. “Can’t we…together?”

Levi smirked at Eren’s apparent inability to focus on speech while being teased, stretching up to peck the brunette on the nose. He could play with the kid like this for hours, all day if he wanted. Well, maybe outside the shower considering his previous excuse of not blasting the water bill to exponential costs. Teasing Eren was a good distracting from boring logical thoughts like that. It was quickly becoming Levi's new favourite pastime, if he was honest with himself. But the frustrated whine that left Eren's throat convinced Levi to ease up and help the brat out.

Leaning in further, the raven whispered into the brunette's ear. “You want me to cum with you?” He murmured, letting his tongue flick out to trace the shell of Eren's ear. “Is that it?”

The brunette let out a sigh as Levi mouthed down his neck. “Y-Yeah.”

“We can do that.” The raven nodded, pressing his lips to Eren’s collar bone. “Is that what you want?”

Levi felt Eren nod more than he saw it. The suggestion was an excellent one in Levi's mind and he had every intention of giving Eren everything that he wanted. But first there was quite a lot of unmarked skin in view that looked too good to leave bare.

Eren let his head loll back at Levi's sudden attention, bumping against the shower tiles as he lost himself to the raven’s light touches. He moaned at the first bite, light and cautious to begin with as the raven learned what Eren liked. The combination of Levi's mouth working above and that teasing hand that dropped to play with the brunette's balls were more than enough to satisfy Eren for the moment. Levi attacked the bared skin of Eren’s throat, nipping, grazing and sucking careful marks that would bruise wonderfully later. The idea of marking his partners had always been quite an attractive thought to Levi, but Eren drew out something far more primal than he had ever felt before. There was something much more possessive about the way he sunk his teeth into the boy's skin, wanting more, always more, wanting to leave signs for anyone and everyone to see that Eren was his. The brunette moaned aloud as if he could sense the thought, sliding his arms about the raven as if to urge him on.

Eren relished each nip, bringing up a hand to hold the smaller male’s head in place and encourage him to go further. Bite harder. More.

Levi growled suddenly. “Touch me.”

He hadn't meant to sound so rough, so demanding, but if the way Eren's eyes darkened when he pulled back was any indication then the boy didn't mind at all.

The hand that crept its way down Levi's chest to scrape blunt nails across his stomach was tentative, but Eren seemed to want Levi to feel the same pleasure that he was handing out. It was a shaky hand that finally brushed against the head of the raven's dick and Levi made a soft sound against the boy's skin. He focused on sucking a fresh mark nearby Eren's collarbones.

The raven tried his very best to be patient, wanting Eren to feel comfortable and unpressured. The brunette was clearly determined, albeit hesitant, and Levi let Eren explore to his heart's content while the raven licked his way down the boy's chest to clamp his teeth down over one hardened nipple.

Eren clearly hadn't been expecting that as he threw his head back, crying out, and his hands stuttered against the raven's skin.

“Easy,” Levi breathed, “…is it too much?”

The brunette was breathing hard, his eyes shut tight while he fought to speak. “N-No...don't...don't stop.”

“Okay.” The raven murmured, trying to keep his tone gentle as he watched for any sign of pain or reluctance. “But tell me to stop if you want to. I'll understand.”

Eren nodded his agreement before continuing where he had left off.

Fingers moved around slowly, carefully, learning the shape and the feel of Levi's length while looking for the best way to please him. Eren ran fingertips along the metal of the first piercing, learning with great satisfaction that Levi had quite a bit of trouble keeping his voice down when the underside of his cockhead was touched. They were the same in that regard, at least. The brunette repeated what he had seen Levi do before, curling his fingers around the raven's shaft and moving his hand up and along in measured movements. All the while he watched for any sign that he might have done something wrong and tried not to lose himself too much in the feelings wracking his own body.

A ragged breath rattled out of the raven's lungs when Eren twisted his hand around the head of Levi's cock and the brunette's hand stopped instantly.

“I'm sorry-”

“Don't be.” Levi cut him off, his voice sounding far lower than usual. “For God's sake, do that again.”

Eren did exactly that, repeating the motion and feeling the smaller male panting, his breaths falling hot against the brunette's skin.

“Shit that's good.” Levi rasped.

Something odd surged through the boy's body at that, a rush of elation from being able to cater to the raven's needs. Eren had seen his fair share of sex and debauchery in Hell but it was very bizarre to put it into practice. While the brunet had other creatures that meant a lot to him, he'd not felt this kind of need before...the desire to be so close and intimate. It was strange, something that Eren hadn't felt for another creature before, and he wanted that feeling again. Eren repeated that simple little motion: stroke down and back up, curl and twist at the tip and slide his palm down the underside of the raven's cock. Rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat.

And damn if it didn't work like a charm.

Levi's breathing was growing more ragged by the minute, his eyes shut tight against the sensations. The smaller male’s hips met the rhythm that Eren set with his hand and Levi heaved a shuddering sigh.

“Stop, Eren, or I'll come before you do.”

Grey eyes looked up in time to catch the mischievous little flare that passed behind teal orbs and he chuckled.

“Oh no, don't you fucking dare, you little shit.” The raven chided, swatting the boy's hand away with his own. “Come here.”

Levi stepped closer to Eren until they were practically flush together. The brunette blushed a little, a pretty pink shade dusting over his cheeks, and Levi laughed at him.

“Fucking brat...you're too goddamned cute. Stop pouting and give me your hand.”

Eren reluctantly held out his hand, which Levi took and guided down between them. The brunette watched with no small amount of embarrassment as the raven curled Eren's fingers around both of their cocks and then Levi did the same with his own hand. The boy's face turned fully scarlet as he felt Levi throbbing alongside him and he ducked his head a little, swallowing thickly.

“This is how we'll do things for now.” The raven explained, swallowing with similar strain and closing his eyes for a moment as Eren's hips stuttered a little.

The friction it caused wasn't something that either of them had been prepared for.

"S-Sorry." Eren panted.

"S'ok." The rest of Levi's words came out as more of a rasp of air than any particular tone. “I don't really think you're ready for full blown fuckery.”

“Says you.” The brunette huffed.

A chuckle sounded, low and breathless. “Exactly. Says me.” Levi, in a true display of childishness, stuck his tongue out at the boy. “And it's my house. So I'm in charge. So fuck you.”

“Isn't that the point we're making here?” Eren managed to giggle as he finally took a good look down between them. “Fuck you? Yes please.”

Levi shook his head at the brat, pleased to at least have seen him grow a teensy bit more confident. At least enough to tease him back. It was a start.

Without much more preamble, the raven pushed forward and into their collective grip, smirking when the action succeeded in shutting up Eren at least in the sense that he stopped talking. But the boy made quite a bit of noise. It made Levi bite back the urge to smile.

Levi had always been a fairly vocal participant when it came to sex. He figured that it was partly to make up for not speaking much to begin with. But Eren...damn, the kid's body practically sang.

The raven-haired man found himself rejoicing at finally having a vocal partner. It had been so long since he'd had anyone react so freely during sex that he'd almost given up on expecting it. But holy hell, the sounds Eren made were practically criminal. Moans so broken that if Levi didn't know any better he would have thought that the brat was in pain, stuttered breathing that rose and fell in pitch from high whines to nothing more than heavy panting. The sounds, the sights of Eren completely lost in the moment and the delicious friction, were enough to push that heat in the raven's belly higher. It burned in his gut like only the sweetest fire and Levi didn't have to wonder if Eren was close as well because the boy's keening whine told the raven all that he needed to know.

Moments later Eren cried out a choked sound that morphed partway through into a whimper, and then the boy was cumming. Levi felt the brunette's cock pulse and throb next to his own and then hot jets of cum painted his hand, his stomach, and the raven found himself snapping into release as well. He came with a shuddering growl, thrusting erratically a few more times into their hands before slowing with a shaky exhale.

Eren's hips bucked weakly into their hands, the movement involuntary, and the demon hissed out a moody sound at the sudden over-stimulation.

Both males were breathing hard and Eren's head flopped forwards against Levi's shoulder with a whine. The brunette slumped against the raven when his shaking legs refused to hold him up any longer and Levi braced himself in time not to stagger much.

Levi clicked his tongue wearily, still trying to catch his breath. “Ah...fuck you,” he chided in a husky rasp, managing a lazy smirk that the kid couldn't see, “be glad I'm not a fucking weakling, you lazy shit.”

The words were harsh but the tone couldn't have been fonder and the raven-haired man slid an arm around Eren's waist to hold him up. Levi trailed butterfly kisses along the boy’s shoulder and up his neck until the taller male could stand on his own again.

Even then the brunette had to lean against the wall, braving the cold bite of the tiles while his legs still felt like jelly.

“H-Holy shit.” He managed after a moment, looking up and across at the man before him.

Levi chuckled at him. “Well said.”

So much for saving on the water bill...

The raven seemed to be far less out of it than Eren felt. It really didn't seem fair at all, but heck, if this was what sex would be like all the time them the brunette couldn't find a reason to complain. Bring it on.

“We…” Eren paused, still catching his breath, “…we need…to do that more often.”

Levi hummed his agreement, reaching for the soap.

“About time we actually cleaned up, though.” He murmured, lips quirking up on one side to form a half-smirk. “That is what the shower is for.”

Eren laughed through his nose, waving a hand dismissively. “Alright, alright.”

The boy reached out to take the soap from the raven, giving him a confused look when Levi shook his head and stepped closer.

“Here, let me...”

Eren found a whole new kind of contentment letting Levi fuss over him like this, fingertips pressing firmly into his skin to work any dirt away, trailing soap suds all over the brunette’s body. Eren swallowed, closing his eyes against the running water as he let his head loll back.

Levi's hands moved in steady circular motions over the boy's chest, pausing to tweak the brat's nipples with a gentle pinch between a thumb and forefinger before moving on. Smirking when the action drew a gasp from the unsuspecting brunette, the smaller of the two leaned in to place an encouraging kiss to the boy's jaw.

Being unable to see what the raven would do next somehow made each sensation that much more prominent. Each brush of fingers and the slide of soapy hands drew pleased little hums from the boy.

“Don't fall asleep on me, brat. I will leave you in here if you do.”

Eren let out a lazy chuckle. “Pfft.”

The raven smirked at the sound, responding with a little hum of his own. “Turn around.” Levi punctuated the request with a light smack to the boy's hip.

Eren's eyes opened slowly and the raven-haired man had to suppress a strong urge to snort at the suspicion swimming in those teal depths.

“What for?” The brunette challenged, nostrils flaring a little.

“What for?” Levi repeated in a dubious tone. “What do you think I'm going to do? Stab you in the back? With a bar of soap?”

Levi shook his head, muttering something inaudible under his breath at Eren's lack of faith in him. The distrustful expression remained for a moment longer before Eren sighed and ducked his head sheepishly.

“Sorry...I'm just...I'm not used to this.” He confessed in a small voice, keeping his eyes low. “It's nice, don't get me wrong,” Eren hurried to explain, “...but where I'm from you don't turn your back on anyone without suspecting them. Especially not if they ask.”

Levi could understand that just fine. He knew exactly how it felt to be inherently distrustful of everyone, having grown up the way he did. Hell, Levi was amazed that Eren had managed to worm his way into his life so quickly because of that very same lack of trust. But he was learning to live with it, to accept this new presence...and he found that it wasn't so bad. Eren would just need some time to adjust to the same.

“That's fine.” Levi murmured, leaning back to give the brat some space and folding his arms. “I get it, you're instincts are on high alert. But seriously, Eren...I'm not going to hurt you. You can trust that.”

Eren made a face, the expression a reluctant one.

“I do trust you.” He sighed at last, still seemingly at war with his own thoughts.

“Then let me wash your back you goddamned stubborn brat.” The raven said through a chuckle, reaching up with his free hand to poke the brunette’s forehead. “You're not clean yet.”

The smaller male stretched up onto his toes to kiss Eren's forehead, a gentle reassurance as he tapped the boy's hip in silent instruction for him to turn. The brunette obeyed, but not after leaning down for one last kiss which Levi was forced to break.

“Oi, cut that out. You can smooch all you want later, brat. Now, about face.” The raven ordered, punctuating with a flick of his wrist.

Eren gave a snort at the command, giving a mock-salute. “Yessir!”

The raven rolled his eyes through a smirk as the brat finally turned around and the smaller of the two ran gentle fingers up the brunette's spine. He followed through a moment later with the hand holding the soap.

“You can get your hair done while your hands are free.” Levi smirked, passing around a bottle of shampoo with his free hand.

The brunette turned his head, taking the bottle with a little smile and a murmur of thanks. Levi began to lather the boy's back, spreading the suds about with one hand and rubbing the soap over tanned skin with the other.

Eren squeezed a liberal amount of the transparent goo into his hand before replacing the bottle on its shelf and rubbing the shampoo into his wet hair. He could feel the raven's fingers massaging along his shoulder blades, nails working out any traces of dirt. As Eren worked the shampoo into his hair, he recognised the scent it gave off. The smell was familiar; most definitely the same brand that Levi used for himself. The scent was always subtle on the raven, and it was all the more overwhelming now.

The boy closed his eyes as he rinsed the white bubbles out of his hair, feeling Levi scrubbing at his lower back in the end stages of his cleaning fit. Just as the brunette was finishing up with his hair, the raven set the soap aside and returned his hands to Eren's hips. The smaller male stretched up to set his teeth to the boy's shoulder, letting his tongue sooth over the marks as his hands wandered around to grab at the brunette's ass.

Eren made a noise somewhere between a yelp and an uncertain moan, like he wasn't quite sure if he enjoyed the feeling or not. Levi chuckled against his skin, kissing his way up the boy's neck when he turned his head.

“Too much?” The raven teased, not removing his hands.

Eren made a noncommittal noise. “No...but if you don't want to be pounced on, you might want to hold off for a while.”

“Fair enough.”

Levi backed off with one last squeeze, letting Eren turn back around. He was met with a kiss, oddly gentle for such a possessive creature, and when the brunette pulled back at last he let their forehead rest together.

“Can I help you wash up now?” Eren asked in a quiet voice, teal eyes boring into languid grey.

“Only if you do it right.”

A languorous smile crept across the brunette's features and he reached out to loop his arms about the raven's shoulders. “Show me?”

Levi eventually agreed to let Eren do the same for him, teaching the brat the right way to move his fingers so that they pressed firmly enough into the skin without causing pain. Eren seemed to find the method extremely entertaining for some reason.

“You know if you wanted a massage, you could have just asked.” The brunette teased when he could no longer hold back his snickering.

“Shut up. It’s the best way to get any grime away.” Levi shot back in defence.

“Sure, sure, of course it is.”

“Tch.”

When at last the cleaning was over, Eren sprang out of the shower and shook himself off, ignoring the glare it earned from the raven.

“Oh shush, it's just water. It'll dry.”

“It'll leave marks, you twerp.”

“Right, right, of course it will.” The brunette couldn't help rolling his eyes.

Eren was certain that he must be sparkling clean by now as he stepped out of the shower, but he was disappointed to find no such sparkles on him when he looked in the mirror. The brunette watched the silver glass, his initial mock pout morphing into something darker.

The boy hated the idea of mirrors in this place…all too close to his human. So far this one remained dormant...but it was only ever a matter of time.

Levi frowned up at the boy when he scowled towards the shining silver panel of glass for too long of a moment to be considered accidental.

“Calm down, it’s just your reflection.” He teased, hoping to lighten up the steadily growing tension in the air.

Eren didn't smile, nor did he look away from the glass. “It’s not my reflection that I’m worried about.” The boy muttered under his breath, barely loud enough for the raven to hear.

But Levi did hear it. He frowned, walking over towards the brat and snatching up a towel on the way.

Wrapping the towel around himself, the raven looped his arms about Eren's waist from behind and leaned against the boy's back. “You really need to start making sense.”

“It’s…it’s not important.” Eren murmured in a small voice after a moment, shaking his head. “Not right now.”

Levi wasn't convinced. “Which just means that it’s important as fuck but you don’t want me to worry?”

It was the truth of things, plain and simple, and Eren wouldn't deny that. Both of them knew that some secrets were worth keeping.

Pausing for a brief moment, Eren let his head drop. “…yeah.” The brunette sighed at last.

And that was all that Levi wanted to hear. He didn't need the details, hell he didn't even want them really. As long as he wasn't being blatantly lied to then they would have no problems for now.

Nodding to himself, Levi stretched a little to rest his chin atop the brunette's shoulder. “Should I be worried?”

Grey eyes sought out teal in the mirror and the brunette shook his head in response.

“Not at the moment, no.”

The raven trusted that answer. If Eren told him that he was safe, then he was.

“As long as you let me know, then I can live with you and your secrets.”

“I appreciate that.”

With one last kiss to the boy's shoulder, Levi stepped back and dried off properly, tossing the towel to the brunette when he was finished. As the raven dressed, he eyed Eren curiously. The boy still had yet to revert back into his demonic form...or at least the portion of it that he could show to Levi. The smaller man wondered why Eren felt the need to keep up his disguise.

“So…are you going to be staying like that forever or..?”

Eren looked up, blinking at the raven. “Like what?”

“Human.”

“Oh,” the boy gave a nod of understanding, “well...I thought you might not want me traipsing about with a tail.”

“I don’t mind.” The raven admitted with a shrug.

The look on Eren's face was priceless; his eyes opened wide in the way a small child's might if their parents brought home a box full of puppies. Even still, the brunette felt the need to clarify.

“You...won’t be bothered by it?” The look of hope in those wide eyes was near comical.

Levi chuckled under his breath as he crossed over to where his clothes were folded. “No…it’s actually kind of cute.”

Eren gave a snort at that, trying to fight away the light blush that dusted his cheeks in delicate pink. “You wouldn’t say that if you saw the full transformation.”

The raven sent him a cheeky wink as he gathered up his pants. “Never assume.”

The brunette cast a mischievous smirk the raven's way as the smaller male tossed across Eren's own pants from where they had been left on the floor. The boy caught them, blowing a kiss and grinning as he held the wadded up jeans against his hip.

“Fine, fine, but I can’t really show you,” Eren said, his features morphing with a look of disappointment, “…the living world doesn’t really react all that well to my true form. It causes all sorts of problems.”

Levi thought back to that day in the apartment when he had been faced with two copies of Eren under the same roof. It wasn't a pleasant memory, in fact it still gave Levi the major creeps, and he felt a sudden urge to change his locks. Or better yet, install more of them. Still, where demonic problems were concerned, Levi did remember the abnormal influences that the demons had had on the flat, hell even the air. The whole damned building had been shaking, not to mention the awful change in weather.

“Like the rain that day?” Levi offered a bit vaguely, tugging his pants back on.

The boy nodded, apparently knowing the exact day that the raven was referring to.

“Yeah, and some.” Eren sighed before giving a lopsided smile. “I did manage to make it hail once.”

Apparently that counted as some sort of minor personal victory to the brunette because the boy grinned over at Levi like the news had been fantastic.

“You fucking weirdo.” Levi shook his head at the proud smile on Eren’s face.

The raven-haired man went to pull on his shirt when the boy darted over suddenly in a burst of brief but inhuman speed and seized the smaller male by the elbows.

“Leave the shirt?” Eren asked hopefully, biting his lip.

Of fucking course, this kid...

Levi rolled his eyes but handed the shirt over to Eren who grinned and set it back down on the vanity. If it were colder Levi might have declined, but as it was the temperature was bearable and Eren's request had been a simple one.

“Hurry up and get dried off before you catch a cold.” The raven chastised, folding his arms across his chest.

The boy snatched up the towel and obeyed but still called over his shoulder. “I can’t get sick.”

Levi stared at him in disbelief. “You’re one lucky motherfucker then.” He said after a moment with a shake of his head. “I pray to whatever deity there is out there that you never have to see me sick.”

“That bad?” The brunette enquired, looking sympathetic as he finally began to get dressed again.

“It’s fucking awful.” The raven nodded, making a face of disgust. “My nose clogs up so I can’t breathe through it and everything aches. I don’t get ill often but when I do…it’s a living nightmare. Being sick is a shit-show and a half.”

Levi padded past Eren and back out into the bedroom, taking his shirt with him and leaving it folded at the end of his bed. He moved on out into the living room and headed straight through into the kitchen with every intention of making food.

It didn't take long for Eren to come prancing out, properly dressed at last and grinning like some love-struck teen.

“You look ridiculous.” Levi told him.

Eren's grin only grew wider at Levi's comment. “Well you look delectable.”

“Oi, none of that.” The raven chided, pulling bread out of the freezer to defrost. “If you’re hungry, then go eat. Just don't bring your mess back here okay? I hear that blood is a fucking nightmare to get out of carpet.”

Eren swung himself over the back of the couch, landing with a soft thud on the cushions. Stretching out, he gave a lighthearted hum.

“You really don't mind me killing people?”

“I don't like it. I don't think any sane person would.” Levi stated. “Not one bit. But I also don't make the rules and if you need to eat, who am I to tell you to starve? Just make sure that you pick and choose your victims carefully. No families, no famous people, no children. You can go nuts with whatever criminals or murderers you find, then I don't give a shit. But for God's sake be clean about it. Keep a low profile. Got it?”

“Loud and clear.” The brunette nodded before giving a shrug. “But I'm not all that hungry...not right now.”

“Then make yourself useful and grab some jam or something out of the cupboard for me.”

Levi made a strawberry jam sandwich to satisfy his sudden craving for sweets, eating it at the table while Eren sprawled on the floor by his feet. The raven glanced down at him, rubbing a foot against the brat's belly when he wouldn't lay still.

“Restless twerp. You're gonna get lint all over your clothes, idiot.”

It was a fond gesture and Eren ate it up, practically purring with the attention. It was at times such as those that Levi had a hard time believing that he had ever been afraid of this adorable little shit. The boy was basically the human personification of a puppy, constantly looking for affection and an avid attention seeker.

Eventually the brunette moved back to the sofa when Levi finished his food. The raven lingered in the kitchen to clean the dishes by hand rather than stack them up into the dishwasher.

“Levi?” Eren called from the sofa.

“Hn?” The raven murmured by means of a reply, glancing over his shoulder. “What is it, brat?”

“Come here, please.”

Eren stretched his arms out, wiggling his fingers at the smaller male in a cheeky invitation.

“What for?” The raven pressed, still elbow deep in soapy water. He cocked a brow up in challenge. “You’re not going to trap me in a cuddling session are you?”

“You don't like cuddles?” Eren asked, agape.

The kid looked absolutely horrified, like Levi had just snatched away Christmas and birthdays from him. Then again...Eren probably didn't have a birthday. Levi would have to remember to ask sometime.

“It's not that, I just haven't indulged in a while.” Levi called back to the brunette. “Let me finish here, I'll be over in a moment.”

True to his word, not five minutes later Levi had washed all the dishes and packed them away into their correct drawers and cupboards. He slinked over to the sofa and plopped himself down beside Eren, smiling gently when the demon instantly scooted closer to press against his side.

“Levi?” Eren murmured gently, looking up the raven through his lashes.

“Hmm?” The smaller male responded, wrapping his arms about the boy's shoulders.

The brunette nestled further into Levi's arms. “Let me know you.”

The raven exhaled, smirking a little. “I already gave you everything.”

“I know you did.” Eren’s smile turned adoring as he recalled the memory. “And I treasure that each day…but it takes a while to sort everything…images, words, collective knowledge. So in the meantime…talk to me.”

Eren looked so honest, so very hopeful in that moment. Levi didn't think twice about denying the boy.

“Ask whatever you want.” The raven said, bringing up a hand to brush some of the hair out of Eren's eyes.

“I’d prefer it if you’d just…say whatever you want to.” The brunette confessed, leaning into the touch. “Whatever you think of. Tell me anything at all.”

“If that’s how you want it. Fine…” Levi allowed, heaving a sigh and collecting his thoughts for a moment. And then the floodgates opened. “My name is Levi Ackerman, I am twenty six years old, my favourite colour is black and I like Saturdays better than all of the other days in the week. Mondays are no good; it means the start of the working week and fuck that. Tuesday is too close to Monday, so it’s out, Wednesday sucks because it’s the middle of the week and equally far away from the weekend on both fronts, and Thursdays just suck in general, don’t they? They’re getting close to the end of the week but still not quite there, geez, what a fucking miserable tease that is. Fridays aren’t bad but you still have to work, and then there are people who are always out on the streets fucking shit up, it’s weird. That leaves Saturday and Sunday, but obviously Sunday is too close to Monday and Mondays sucks so Sunday does as well.”

Levi had never spoken so many words in one go and it felt strange, not only for Levi but for the boy watching him. Eren looked at the raven with slightly widened eyes, seeming to grasp just how rarely the smaller man would open up like this. He didn't dare say a word for fear that it would end the one-sided conversation.

The spiel went on for a while longer. Eren learned about Levi’s disdain for fishing metaphors and how the raven wasn’t a fan of many sports. He had only ever been interested in lacrosse and swimming as a kid. Levi enjoyed horror movies, cooking and watching those awful late night soap operas when he was drunk out of his right mind.

“Have you ever watched one of those shitty things when you’re blind drunk?” The raven had asked after trying to describe the experience. “It’s stupidly amazing. And if you're not drunk, you can always get there easily by taking a shot every time something cringey or dramatic happens. Actually no, don't do that. You'll die.”

Levi loved cats, adored the fuzzy little felines, but he hadn’t owned any since his teen years.

“My mother died the first year I started school. I was a total loner as a kid, I broke a guy’s nose in my second year of school when he started talking shit about my mother. I tried making jam once for shits and giggles. I have set a kitchen on fire twice in my life and I lost my virginity to a guy named Albert when I was fifteen years old.”

That seemed to be the end of the raven’s confessions for the moment and Eren blinked at him, starting to smile.

“Fifteen, huh? Wow…you were still pretty fresh then?”

“Yep.” The raven agreed.

“Was it mutual?”

“Oh yes,” Levi assured the boy, “we were fucking idiots though. It happened on a fucking picnic blanket down by the river in a park. We were both so fucking nervous that about halfway through we started laughing and couldn’t stop after that.” The raven gave an amused scoff at the memory, shaking his head. “I don’t really know how I would describe cumming while you’re laughing but it was…weird. Nice though.”

The quirky conversation carried on long into the afternoon and by the time the raven got up to start making dinner it was already growing dark outside. It had been a rather long day and Levi found himself feeling pleasantly exhausted.

Eren, the little shit, asked for each and every tiny detail about every sexual experience that the raven had ever had.

Apparently introducing a demon to the wonders of sexual pleasure was like opening a floodgate. Rather than simply relieving the brat, Eren only grew more curious. He wanted to know everything, more and more. Something about the vulnerability of being bare before a lover and having one’s most primal reactions coaxed from them seemed to appeal to the demon.

An acceptable form of weakness, that was what Eren called it. A vulnerability that was shared with only one other person, someone who was trusted.

Nothing of the sort had ever occurred in his own home, apart from the more fragile bonds between kin. Because of this, Eren's questions were endless, and most of the time kind of awkward.

“Wait, wait...so...you mean that you take it up the ass? That's how this shit works?”

“Nice accidental pun, brat.” Levi snorted, poking the kid's arm. “And yeah, that's basically it. I know it sounds gross and weird, and it is. But you'll understand once you've tried it. Well, if you want to try it. It's up to you.” The raven gave a shrug. “That's kind of how all sexual activities work; everything sounds crazy until you do it yourself.”

The brunette took a moment to ponder over this new information. “Is it anything like what we did today?”

The raven smirked across at him, leaning down to murmur in the brat's ear. “It's better.”

“Wow...”

Levi chuckled at the brunette's expression. “You should see your face, you look like you just found out that unicorns are real.”

“What's a unicorn?”

If the kid's face had looked adorably confused before, then it was fucking perfect now.

The raven suppressed his laughter behind a hand, shaking his head. “Doesn't matter, just another weird ass mythical creature.”

“Do you have a tattoo of one of those too?”

“Christ, no!” Levi said with a snort of laughter.

Eren smiled at the raven-haired man's chortling until Levi calmed down again.

“Ah, geez.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Say, back on the other topic. Do you think you'll be a top or a bottom?”

“A what?”

Blinking in silence, the raven stared at the brunette for a moment.

Levi tried again, hoping that maybe Eren had simply misheard him. “Do you want to top or not?”

“Top?” The boy frowned his confusion. “What does that mean?”

Oh God, yet another mystery to the brat. A bemused laugh escaped the raven's throat but he quickly stifled the sound against his hand.

“Oh Christ, why do you have to ask all the painful questions?” Levi chuckled to himself and sat back. “Okay, fine, I’ll say it.” There was a long moment of pause as the raven-haired man sorted out what he wanted to say. Looking Eren squarely in the eyes, he spoke. “Would you rather fuck me, as in your dick in my ass, or do you want me to fuck you? As in vice versa?”

For about five whole seconds all Eren could do was gape at him, opening and closing his mouth like a fish. A magnificent wave of red began to spread across the boy's face and when he did manage to make noise, it was not even close to a proper sentence.

“O-Oh…um…I d-don’t-”

Levi couldn't control the sudden burst of laughter that escaped him, throwing his head back. If Eren hadn't been mortified and stammering he might have been able to appreciate the rare sound. As it was he couldn't stop babbling while the raven howled with laughter beside him.

“Holy shit! Your face! Your face!” He wheezed, doubling over in his seat.

Eren had turned a glorious shade of scarlet; the boy was positive that the embarrassed heat reached all the way to his toes.

“Aha! Ah...Christ, brat, you're going to be the death of me.” The man smirked at last, suppressing the rest of his laughter and reaching out to push at the brunette's shoulder. “Relax, forget it. We'll jump off that bridge when we come to it.”

Eren was still blushing when he crawled into bed later that night. Levi took one look at the brat and snorted, leaning over to kiss him once and then once more before he chuckled and rolled over, tugging the boy's arms about his middle.

“Goodnight, Eren.”

Behind him, Eren swallowed audibly.

“Goodnight.”

Chapter Text

“Cos everyone gets a little angry, but that’s just life, at least there’s you and me.” – NicePeter, A Little Song About Love.

***

Morning came barging through far more noisily than expected.

The two males stirred from their sleep at the sound of a loud banging. Still tangled together in a drowsy heap of limbs, the raven and the brunette exchanged confused glances, jumping a little as the banging noise started up again even louder than before.

“Are we under attack or something?” Eren mumbled through a yawn, stretching briefly. “What the hell is that?”

Levi made a reluctant sound, scooting towards the edge of the bed. “I’ve got an awful feeling that I know…”

After a brief tussle with a sleepy Eren who did not want to surrender the raven’s warmth just yet, Levi finally stumbled out of the bed and trudged his way to the front door. The deafening noise was most certainly coming from beyond the door, Levi surmised, as he saw the whole frame shake with the next round of insistent rapping.

Some asshole was knocking at the goddamned door.

Heaving a sigh, the raven tugged the door open and was greeted with the bright and manic grin of none other than Hanji.

“Surpriiiiiiiise-”

Slam!

Levi shoved the door shut in her face and stomped back into the bedroom, collapsing onto the mattress with a horrified groan.

“So? What was it?” Eren blinked blearily at the raven, prodding his side.

Levi rolled onto his back beside the brunette and groaned again.

“It was the Cheshire Cat on acid.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind.” The raven sighed, but the noise turned into a growl at the sound of keys jingling followed by his front door opening.

Eren’s face morphed into a tired frown. “You shut the door on them even though they have a key?”

“Yep.”

“Was that really necessary?”

“Yes. Yes it was.”

Levi sensed more than saw the dubious look that Eren was sending him.

“Levi…”

The raven rolled his eyes, letting them close with a frown as he rubbed at the bridge of his nose. “Ugh, fine. No, it wasn’t necessary, but it was unbelievably satisfying.”

The brunette opened his mouth to speak again when a sudden screaming shriek tore through the quiet room.

“Leeeviiiiiiiiiii!!”

Levi groaned and the brunette shot up in alarm.

Eren’s bleary eyes focused on the dark shape of another human being standing in the gloomy entrance to Levi’s bedroom. The boy barely had time to react before the person let out some kind of mutant banshee screech and launched themselves forwards.

“LEVI! YOU’RE SEEING SOMEONE? THIS IS SO GOOD! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL MEEEEE?!”

“Because I knew that you’d do something like this.” The raven muttered through a mortified sob of a sound.

Levi lay back with an arm thrown over his eyes, not even bothering to keep an eye on Eren because he knew that there was no way the kid could escape his friend. He should have known that she would try something like this, he should have sensed it and changed the damned locks. Of course it wasn't entirely her fault, she'd only come by to pull the raven out of whatever slump she thought he was in. But now...

“Ahahahahahaaa! This is the best day ever! Levi, I'm so proud of you!”

Hanji had thrown herself onto the bed and grabbed the sleepy Eren in a crushing embrace. The boy made a startled sounding squeak, unsure of how to escape, and Levi smirked over at the brat from beneath his arm.

“He's adorable, how in the ever-living fuck did you manage to snatch him up?” Hanji continued to babble in excitement.

The brunette’s eyes blew wide in alarm. “L-Levi! Help!”

A quiet chuckle sounded in Levi's throat and the raven closed his eyes again. “You’re on your own, brat.”

Hanji turned wildly to look at the raven, kicking at him with a foot to get his attention. “Levi! What’s his name?” The woman turned rapidly back to the brunette caged in her hug before Levi could answer, pulling the boy up until their faces almost crashed together. “What’s your name?”

The brunette blinked owlishly up at her. “E-Eren.”

“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-HEHEEEE!!!” The bespectacled woman practically screamed in his face, pulling Eren into another hug. “Eren! You’re just too cute! Really, Levi, he’s a total kitten, where did you find him, you sly old fox!” She let the boy move back only far enough so that their eyes could meet. “Eren, my name is Hanji, I’m Levi’s best friend!”

“Yeah, hello and good to see you too, shithead.” The raven muttered, kicking her back a little harder than necessary.

The woman complained in a loud whine before seemingly forgetting her pain in favour of interrogating the brunette still locked in her arms. The questions came so fast that Eren barely had time to register what they meant.

“How did Levi convince you to date him?”

“Was this a one night stand? Did I just land the awkward on you guys?”

“Are you an actor? Is this a secret porn thing? Levi, are you secretly working as a porn star behind my back?!”

“Is Levi actually some kind of pimp? Are you one of his bitches or whatever?”

“He’s not threatening you, is he? Eren, you can talk to me!”

Finally managing to break free from the woman’s death grip, Eren scrambled frantically across the bed and dove behind Levi, half hiding behind the raven’s back when the smaller male sat up. Eren peeped over Levi’s shoulder.

“Levi, I think there’s a monster in your house. What do I do? Do I kill it?”

“No, you moron, that’s just how she is.” Levi gave a frustrated sigh, hauling himself up and off of the bed. “I'll be in the kitchen.”

That got Hanji's attention.

“Ooooh? Breakfast?” The brown-haired woman smiled, clasping her hands together hopefully.

Levi just rolled his eyes. “Yes.” He muttered, scowling slightly from his place by the doorway. “And don't think I haven't noticed your timed arrival. Just because you wake me up before midday doesn't mean that I have to make you food.”

“So you do it 'cos you're nice, then?” The woman offered with a lopsided smile.

“Heh. Let's keep telling ourselves that.”

The raven-haired man disappeared, slinking off towards the kitchen while Hanji snickered away to herself.

She turned back to Eren. “He'll never admit it, but he likes the distraction.”

The brunette pulled his attention away from lamenting the loss of Levi's company to look at Hanji. “Of cooking?”

She chuckled a little at his naivety. “That, and having his loud-mouthed friends barrelling in unannounced.” She grinned across at him. “Keeps him on his toes. Anyway, we'd better follow Mr Grouchy Pants if we want any say in the food.”

Eren watched Hanji scramble off of the bed and out the door like a madwoman, nearly tripping in her haste. And so, sucking in a deep breath to calm himself, Eren reluctantly followed.

He had a feeling that this was going to be a very long day.

Maybe Hanji should come over more often, Levi thought to himself. Eren seemed completely out of his element with the crazed woman prancing about Levi’s apartment. She had a thousand and one questions to ask and they came in quick succession, rapid fire inquiries that left the boy in a rare state of panic.

Levi listened to the exchange or, as he like to think of it, the ‘interrogation’ from the kitchen while he prepared a batch of crepes for breakfast.

Hanji sat on one end of the sofa with her hands steepled before her, resting her chin atop her joined hands as she stared at Eren. The brunette sat as far up the other end as he could without seeming openly rude.

“So, Eren…tell me about yourself.”

Eren blanched, paling a fraction. “Um…what kind of thing do you-”

“Let’s just start with the simple stuff, shall we?” The brown-haired woman cut him off with a cheery wave.

The boy blinked at her. “O-Okay.”

Levi smirked to himself, listening to the exchange and looking up to catch Eren's expressions.

Hanji started with a standard question. “When did you meet?”

That wasn’t so bad, Eren thought to himself. He could surely answer that without getting into any messy truth.

“A f-few weeks ago.” The boy managed.

“How?” Hanji pressed, leaning forward a little as her smile turned eager. “Where were you?”

Oh, Levi couldn't wait to hear the answer to that.

Eren swallowed hard and wrung his hands nervously. “Just…in the street.”

“And?” The woman prompted, throwing her hands in the air with a smile that was meant to be encouraging. “Details, Eren! I want all the gossip on my baby darling over there.”

The raven's eyebrow twitched from where he stood behind the counter. “Hanji, I can fucking hear you.”

“Shush, dear, I’m talking to your beau.” The woman laughed back at him before returning to her serious demeanour. “Sorry about that, Eren. Where were we? Oh yes, the details of how you two met. Was it romantic? Probably not, considering that it’s Levi we’re talking about-”

“Hanji…” Levi muttered through clenched teeth, his tone carrying warning.

“Nothing, nothing,” the brunette woman grinned a true Cheshire-style smile back at him, “just carry on back there.”

Eren flinched a little when the bespectacled woman spun her attention back to him yet again; frankly he was surprised that she hadn't given herself whiplash by now. The brunette realised that she was still awaiting her answer and racked his brain for a believable reply.

And then it hit him; he didn't exactly have to lie...all he had to do was avoid certain elements of the truth. Hanji would still get the real story, just not the...incriminating parts.

“Well…” he started, scratching absently at the back of his neck and ducking his head to avoid the woman's crazed eyes, “we just kept running into each other and things sort of carried on from there.”

Hanji was oddly quiet for a moment, long enough for Eren to look up in case she had fallen asleep or something. But the brunette woman was not asleep; she was staring across at Eren with a look of surprise.

“Really?” She asked after a slow blink. “Wow…that actually sounds pretty sweet.” The woman twisted herself around in an awkward position that couldn’t have possibly been comfortable in order to screech back at Levi. “Lever! You never told me that you had a sweet side!”

The raven pointedly ignored her use of the wretched nickname, making a dismissive sound. “Tch.”

“Sourpuss.” Hanji laughed back at him, correcting her position and shaking her head at Eren. “Is he like that with you as well? Pfft, of course he isn’t. I’ll bet he’s a regular sweetheart. Am I right? I am, aren’t I?”

The teal-eyed boy sat dumbstruck by the sudden barrage of questions. “Uh…”

In all honesty, Eren wasn't even sure if Hanji wanted him to answer at all. Maybe she was just talking because he was being quiet.

Taking his continued silence as a cue to move on, the brown-haired woman smiled and picked a new line of enquiry. “Have the two of you been on any dates?”

Well in Eren's mind they certainly had, but the boy was not so sure that Levi would class some of their encounters as 'dates'. A shame really.

He answered regardless, curious to see how the raven would respond. “Yes…”

Not even a twitch from the smaller male in the kitchen.

Hanji, however, seemed over the moon. “Aw, that’s a huge improvement from his last relationship!” She cried out in joy, throwing her arms into the air. “Well…I guess you couldn’t really call it that. They were more fuckbuddies than anything else-”

“Hanji, I swear to fuck if you don’t shut your goddamned mouth I will sew it shut.” Levi cut her off in such a toneless voice that Eren found himself shrinking back into the sofa a little, demonic powers be damned.

The woman didn't seem deterred in the slightest, in fact a rather sly grin formed on her face. “Oh? So you kept that sewing kit I bought for you last Christmas?”

The raven growled dangerously from where he stood, glowering at the crepes in the pan.

Hanji laughed at him. “Careful there, your stare might burn them.”

“Shut up.”

“Ahahaha!” She cackled over her shoulder at him, removing her glasses to wipe at her eyes as she turned back to Eren. “Ah, sorry, Eren. It feels like it’s been forever since I got to see him. But then again, it always does.” The woman finished with a shrug.

At last a short silence enveloped the room and Eren couldn't have been happier for it. But he knew better than to leave the next conversational topic to either of the others and spoke up.

“So the two of you are close?” Eren enquired.

Levi leaned back from the kitchen to deliver a curt ‘no’ which Hanji promptly ignored.

“Of course we are! Closer than close! Why, if I pinched myself I’m sure that Levi would feel the pain too! That’s how close we are.”

Levi held the spatula out in front of his face, trying harder than he should have needed to just to resist an almost overwhelming urge to smack himself repeatedly in the face with it.

Eren didn’t seem to pick up on the playfulness of Hanji’s words and he frowned. “Really?”

“No, you idiot.” The raven-haired man muttered with a frustrated sigh. “Just ignore her.”

The brown-haired woman blew a loud raspberry back at Levi and he rolled his eyes in response.

“Fine, I’ll try to behave just this once.” Hanji called back, turning to face Eren once again. “So…does my darling Levi treat you well?”

Eren nodded in response. “Well enough.”

A sly look entered the woman's eyes and Eren got an awful feeling that her next question wouldn't be so easy to answer.

“And was this relationship born out of a healthy fuck like all the rest of Levi’s relationships?”

Whatever he had been expecting, that had mostly definitely not been it. Eren choked on the breath he’d been taking, coughing awkwardly and staring over at Levi. The raven simply sent him a shrug.

“No…” The brunette managed to force the word out between dying coughs, clearing his throat and glancing back over to Levi, “but that’s news to me.”

“Oh?” Hanji's smile was oddly sympathetic as she sat back against the arm of the sofa. “You didn’t know that Lever back there was a regular seducer back in his day?” The brunette woman sent a cheeky smile back at Levi. “Shame on you, son.”

Eren risked a glance in Levi's direction and instantly regretted the decision. Apparently Hanji had mentioned something taboo in talking about Levi's past relationships.

The raven-haired man looked properly terrifying from where he stood. His eyes had narrowed down into slits, thin lips had drawn back in a nasty sneer and Eren could almost picture the metaphorical dark cloud hanging over the smaller male’s head.

For a split second he looked painfully familiar and Eren looked away, shutting his eyes tight until he heard Hanji laugh again.

“Eren? Aw, I think you scared him, Lever.”

“If anyone freaked him out, it was you and your shitty glasses. For God’s sake, clean them! They’re filthy!”

Teal eyes blinked open cautiously and the boy breathed out a sigh of relief.

“Oh hush, they’re fine. I can still see out of them, so there.” The woman reasoned with a triumphant grin before she waved her hands at the raven dismissively. “Anyway, quiet you. I’m still not done with Eren.”

Eren almost flinched when the woman spun around and leaned in; her eyes looked like they were trying to pry into his core.

Hanji kept a light tone, moving her hands as she spoke. “So tell me, Eren, what are some of your interests?”

Levi snickered suddenly from the kitchen, enticing both of the people on the couch to glance his way.

“What?” Hanji enquired, looking back at him. “What’s funny?”

“Oh nothing.” The raven chuckled, shaking his head and smirking as if at some great joke.

“Come on, don't be like that. Share with the class.” The brown-haired woman coaxed.

Levi's lip quirked up a little at the side and he exhaled in amusement. “I just remembered what Eren told me about his time in college.”

Eren frowned over at Levi from where he sat on the sofa, not having a single clue what the raven was talking about. He hadn't been to college, that strange place for further education that Eren had seen in Levi's memories. Why would Levi...oh.

A cover? Then why was he laughing?

“Eh? Eren’s a college boy?” Hanji voiced, sounding pleasantly surprised. A mischievous chuckle sounded and the woman grinned. “You really did steal him away, you cradle snatcher you!”

The raven clicked his tongue. “Hey, I’m not that old.”

If only Hanji knew...Levi was dating a creature so old that it didn't remember its own birth and here the woman thought that the raven was the cradle snatcher? The irony didn't fail to present itself to the smaller male.

The brown-haired woman seemed to be buying the little white lie. “Haha! So what do you study, Eren?”

The brunette blanched, sitting back and scrambling for some kind of answer.

“Um…I…”

“He was learning about the concept and practice of cannibalism.” Levi offered with a sly smirk sent Eren’s way.

Suddenly Levi’s plan became all too clear and Eren’s eyes narrowed. The raven was indeed making up some ludicrous backstory to feed to his friend, but he was having fun adding in elements of the truth. Twisting fact into believable fiction...clever, if dangerous. The brunette didn't like it one bit.

Eren's narrowing eyes did nothing to stop the raven's chuckling, nor did it deter Hanji from prying further in her excitement.

“Oh? That’s so cool!” The woman exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “I remember reading something about one of those ancient tribes who used to eat other people…it was way back when we were still in high school!” She looked to Eren. “I could lend you some notes if you like?”

Eren waved a hand in protest, putting on a small smile. “Oh no, I couldn’t possibly.”

“No, he’s a hard worker. Likes to figure things out for himself.” Levi continued to tease.

Teal eyes flashed over at him, but at the end of the day Eren would always let Levi have his fun.

“What else?” Hanji prompted, damned near bouncing where she sat.

Levi gave a nod, still smirking away. “He’s majoring in a Theology Degree.”

Okay, now Eren had no idea what Levi was talking about. With a huff and a pout, the brunette sank back into the sofa cushions and folded his arms.

“Wow, that’s so cool Eren!” Hanji shouted, waving her arms and nearly falling from the couch from her flailing. “I can’t believe that Levi snagged an actual intellectual! And you’re practically man candy, too.” More manic laughter sounded from the crazed woman but she eventually calmed enough to form words again. “You know, Eren, you should really talk to our friend, Erwin. He’s seen a lot of church architecture. He has spent lots of time in Europe, after all.”

Levi’s smirk faded instantly into a mild sneer. “I suppose he called and told you?” The raven glared at the stove.

“Yeah.”

All humour was gone from Hanji's tone and her smile left also, replaced with a sympathetic expression that Eren wished he didn't understand. Unfortunately the images of Levi's time with Erwin burned all too clearly behind his eyes.

The raven wore a dark expression as he tapped his fingers against the counter.

Eren didn’t like the look swimming in the smaller male’s eyes. “Levi..?” He called in a gentle voice.

“Hanj, leave the kid alone before he combusts.” The raven swiftly changed the subject, schooling his expression back into its usual mask of apathy.

Hanji let it slide without argument, instantly smiling again. “Aw, he’s fine. Look at him.”

Eren had only just opened his mouth to speak when Levi started talking again.

“He looks like he’s about to piss himself.”

If that was what Eren's face was communicating then maybe he ought to work on that.

Hanji let out a bark of laughter. “Pfft!”

“A-Am not!” The brunette sputtered indignantly.

“Don’t worry your pretty little head, Eren,” Hanji attempted to soothe, grinning a little too widely to be comforting, “from the smell of things, Levi’s nearly done with breakfast and I’m under a strict oath that does not permit me to talk with my mouth full so you’re safe for a while.”

“That’s goddamned right.” Levi spoke up from the kitchen, carrying out a stack of crepes. “I do not want a repeat of ’97.”

Eren had to ask. “What happened in ’97?”

Hanji was all too happy to explain.

“Oh, we were all out eating together at this nice little Chinese restaurant when Mike, in a rare moment of genius, told a joke. I can’t really repeat it…but at the time I had a mouth full of half-chewed fried rice and I couldn’t exactly hold it in when I laughed. Levi had the misfortune of sitting across the table from me and…I kind of spat rice in his face.”

Eren’s eyes blew wide and a hand crept across his mouth to hold in his own laughter at the mental image. He knew, one hundred and twelve percent, that if he laughed it would mean his death.

Hanji had no such self-control and she threw her head back, falling off the couch in her own howling fit of laughter.

Levi pointedly ignored the two of them, a fact that made Eren pout a little as he watched the raven trudge back and forth from the kitchen to the dining table carrying plates and cutlery.

His offer of help was turned down and the brunette sat wringing his hands anxiously while waiting for Levi to finish. Hanji was still laughing on the floor and, while she seemed like a total maniac, Eren couldn’t help but like her.

Breakfast passed rather quietly until Hanji had finally scarfed down her fill of the crepes. Even Eren ate that morning, after Levi's encouragement; neither of the men wanted to risk making Hanji suspicious.

Thankfully the woman seemed to have accepted the boy and deemed him an appropriate match for her friend. The woman even went so far as to suggest letting Eren meet some of their other friends.

“Oh come on, Levi. It would be great.”

“I will think about it.”

“That usually means no, but I'll take it!” The bespectacled woman grinned, helping the raven and Eren clear the table once they had finished eating.

The dishes were stacked and soon the trio were seated in the living room together on the couch. Hanji took it upon herself to sit between 'the lovebirds' as she now referred to them. The raven took it better than Eren did; the brunette curled up to sulk at the far end of the sofa while he listened to the others talk.

“You two should totally come over to my place.” The brown-haired woman announced, giving Levi a shove. “Moblit and I could make dinner, it’d be great! Levi, you will bring Eren over, won’t you?”

“No. No fucking way.” The smaller male argued, adamant in making his case. “I don’t trust anything inside that rancid kitchen of yours.”

The grinning woman didn't even bother to argue or defend her culinary skills; instead she gave a shrug of defeat.

“Aw. Well at least let me bring Mobi here?” Hanji bartered instead. “Pleeeease..?”

“…maybe.” Levi allowed, wincing at Hanji's excited scream.

“YAY!”

“Ugh. Inside voices, please.”

“Aw, don’t be such a downer.” The bespectacled woman laughed. “You’ve gotta learn to embrace life more, Levi! You know, Hakuna-Matata and all that?”

After spending the better part of the conversation in silence, the teal-eyed brunette at the end of the sofa sat up suddenly.

Eren frowned, looking to Hanji. “Who what now?”

The phrasing she had used made absolutely no sense to him, but Hanji looked at the boy like he was a toddler. It was most irksome.

After a short pause, the woman leaned a little closer. “Haven’t you ever seen the Lion King?”

Furrowing his brow further, Eren shook his head. “…no.”

“Well what have you seen? The Little Mermaid?”

“Uh…”

Hanji's face suddenly grew disbelieving and her jaw dropped. “Wait…don’t tell me that you haven’t seen any Disney movies?”

Eren rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly. “Well…”

Hanji let out a horrified scream. “This is terrible! I must remedy this at once!”

The woman dove for her bag where it sat by the door, rummaging wildly through it until she gave a cry of victory and pulled out a little red USB.

Eren peered over the back of the couch, still as confused as ever. “What’s that?”

“My emergency Disney collection.” The bespectacled woman announced as if that should explain every last mystery of the universe. “I keep it on me at all times, you know, for flights and stuff.” She shrugged and handed the USB over to Eren, placing it in his hands and curling the boy’s fingers around it like the object was made of gold. “Watch all of these. All of them! Oh, and make Levi watch them with you! You’re welcome.”

Levi’s face was a mix of dubious incredulity. “You carry Disney with you everywhere?”

“Of course.”

“What the fuck, Hanji? How is this the first time I’ve ever noticed?”

The woman looked at him with a deadly serious expression. “You never know when you’re going to need a USB full of Disney films.”

Levi rolled his eyes and shoved at her shoulder, sending the woman sprawling off the couch. “You’re an idiot.”

She laughed, climbing straight back up. “And yet I’m your friend.” Hanji challenged. “So doesn’t that make you the idiot for choosing to socialise with another moron like me?”

“Choose?” The raven-haired man uttered incredulously, flinging his arms into the air in exasperation. “I didn’t choose to have you come over and try to beat my door down. You just stomped in all over my day.”

“Well I’m sorry for imposing on your snuggle session with your amazing new bf.” The woman teased, sticking her tongue out at the raven. “But you can make up for it while we watch these!”

“No.” Levi shut his eyes tight and prayed that some sort of hole would open up in the floor and swallow him whole. Anything but what his friend was suggesting. “Dear God, please no.”

Hanji's evil burst of laughter told him everything he needed to know about her plans. The crazy woman had been trying to make the raven watch Disney with her for years.

“Ahahaha!” The brown-haired lady cried in victory. “Yes! At last I have the perfect excuse!”

“Christ help me.”

“Go on, get comfortable boys!” Hanji instructed as she got up to plug her USB into the television. “We're going to be here for a while.”

Levi pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled in a rush. “This is going to be a long day.”

It was a long day. The trio managed to fit in four whole movies with chatter and snack breaks in between. Hanji chose the films, selecting of course The Lion King so that she could explain her earlier quote, followed by The Little Mermaid because Eren had shown interest in the notion of talking sea creatures, moving right on to Aladdin and last but not least, Tarzan.

Hanji knew the words to every single song and Levi maintained a white-knuckled grip on his knees every time she felt inclined to sing along. The bespectacled woman cried in all four movies, much to the surprise of Eren, but the raven-haired man didn’t seem at all shocked by the display.

“For god’s sake wipe your nose, don’t just sniff it back. Disgusting. Don’t use your sleeve you filthy maniac!”

By the time Levi finally shoved Hanji out the door, literally shoved, the kitchen clock informed the two males that it was closing in on seven o'clock.

“Great...” Levi muttered to himself, “that's one day of my life I'll never get back.”

Even Eren looked worn out, curled up into a warm ball of limbs on the sofa. The raven decided then and there to call it a day, feeling as though the both of them had earned an early night. He didn't feel hungry after all the damned snacking on and off throughout the day and a shower could easily be put off until morning he supposed.

Coaxing a drowsy Eren off the couch proved to be more difficult than the raven anticipated and more than once he found himself being tugged down and wrapped in warm arms.

“Eren? Hey, brat, we can't sleep on the sofa.”

“Mmmph...”

“Oi, don't close your eyes. Dammit, Eren-”

“Just a little bit longer...” the boy mumbled, pleading, “I haven't held you all day.”

“You can do that all you want after we make it to the bedroom.”

The brunette yawned, stretching out and forcing his eyes open. “...m'kay.”

The boy allowed Levi to get up and head towards the bedroom but Eren didn't bother with much more than crawling. He tumbled off the couch and dragged himself along the floor, flopping beside the bed.

“Tch. Don't, you'll give yourself carpet-burn.”

“Hmm...worried about me?”

“What do you think, genius?”

Levi had to drag Eren to the bathroom to get the brat to brush his teeth; it was the least effort they could go to considering the plan to skip showering until morning. Levi cringed at the thought but pushed it to the back of his mind, focusing on making sure that Eren remained upright on the way back to the bed.

The brunette let himself plop down against the mattress, landing on his back and bouncing a little from the force. Eren blinked sleepily at Levi where he stood at the end of the bed and the boy held his arms out for the smaller male.

Complying with the silent request, the raven crawled to him. Too tired to bother embarking on a quest for pyjamas, the raven peeled off everything but his boxers before doing the same for Eren and crept beneath the white sheets.

Curling together, Eren hummed in appreciation at the pleasant warmth he found as the raven tucked himself closer. The smaller male lay against Eren's chest, his head resting just below the brunette's chin, and the boy slid his arms about Levi's middle to keep him in place.

Just as teal eyes began to close and the heavy tug of unconsciousness threatened to drag him under, the brunette heard a quiet murmur in the dark.

“I swear...if you start singing any of those songs in your sleep...I will fucking smother you.”

Eren only laughed.

Chapter Text

“All your insecurities, all the dirty laundry, never made me blink one time.” – Katy Perry, Unconditionally.

***

Grey eyes cracked open, blinking in the dim light. The windows were closed today and the blinds were drawn. It was gloomy, the perfect kind of light to wake up to.

Once again, Eren lay beside the raven already awake and smiling. Everything was in place and Levi stretched, feeling perfectly content to lie there a while longer.

Although the sudden cheeky flare in teal eyes should have tipped the raven off that something wasn't quite right. And then Eren took a breath and open his mouth to speak. Only the brat didn't speak...he sang.

“I can show you the woooooorrld-”

“Argh!”

Never in a million years would Levi Ackerman have picked himself as the kind of person to start a pillow fight. However, after the morning's events, he could no longer safely claim that.

One line into the song and Levi had lunged at the brunette with a growl. Somewhere in between the leap and the moment when he actually captured a squealing Eren in one arm, Levi had managed to get a hold of his pillow and the rest was history.

Now as the two lay panting and trying to recover their breath, Eren couldn't seem to stop himself from giggling.

“Brat,” Levi huffed, dragging in another breath, “just shut it before I consider walloping you again.”

Eren tried, he really did try to control his laughter, but each time the boy thought he was close to being calm the sound would bubble its way back out of his mouth.

And thus the second pillow fight of the day was initiated.

It ended when an excitable Eren managed to pin the raven-haired man to the bed, capturing his wrists and holding them above the smaller male's head. There was an undeniably victorious glimmer held in lazy teal eyes and at any other time Levi might have indulged the boy and let him have his way.

But it was still early and the raven could feel a thin sheen of sweat clinging to his brow from the earlier tussle. Besides, Levi didn't kiss first thing after waking up. Morning breath was a bitch.

“Okay, I draw the line at gross and sweaty in the morning.” Levi grimaced, shifting under the brunette perched atop his stomach. “Up, now. I'm washing these sheets and then we are showering.”

Blue-green orbs swam with languid amusement. “Oh?”

It was clear, all too clear, what the boy wanted. But the raven-haired man had never been one to give in so easily.

“No, none of that.” He chastised, mustering a glower, “I just want to be clean.”

It was very worth the blank mask to make Eren pout like that and the raven prided himself on his ability to keep a straight face.

With a reluctant sigh, Eren released the raven's wrists and rolled off of him, hauling himself off the bed when Levi prodded at his shoulder.

“Oi, I said get up.”

“I'm going, geez.”

The bed was stripped and the sheets were thrown into the washing machine. Eren watched from the floor as Levi remade the bed with fresh sheets, amused by the smaller man's need for order with absolutely every aspect of his life except his partner it seemed.

Everything about the brunette screamed chaos and Eren was certain that Levi could sense that. Yet for some reason the raven had elected to keep him and for that the boy chose not to question his luck.

Sheets in the washing machine and bed re-made, Levi headed straight for the bathroom with the brunette following right behind him. True to his word, the only thing that Levi touched in the shower was the soap; although he did seem to be thoroughly amused by Eren's sulking. The boy didn’t try anything, standing in one corner and pouting slightly as he washed shampoo from his hair. Levi only smirked, stepping out and grabbing a towel. He could feel the brunette’s eyes follow after him and by the time Levi was hanging up his towel again the water shut off behind him.

“Chin up, brat,” the raven chuckled, tapping two fingers under the boy's chin as Eren dried off, still sulking, “it's still early, who knows what could happen...”

Levi sauntered out of the bathroom to look for clothes, knowing full well that he was a bastard for strutting out the way he did. It would be worth every second if it meant getting Eren flustered. The sound of splashing water sounded and a glance over his shoulder told Levi that his plan was a success. Eren stood bent over the sink dousing his face in cold water frantically, red to the tips of his ears.

The raven chuckled and went to find something to wear. He settled on dark jeans and a Motionless In White t-shirt Levi had bought as a souvenir from the last concert he had been to.

By the time Eren emerged from the bedroom, dried and dressed at last, Levi was out in the kitchen finishing a glass of orange juice. The raven leant against the counter; sly eyes appraising the boy’s chosen attire.

Faded skinny-jeans and a sky-blue and white baseball shirt. Not bad, in fact the attire lent Eren a college boy look, but did it really take the kid ten minutes just to pull on a shirt and some pants? Or had he honestly been calming himself down over the show Levi had made leaving the bathroom? Sometimes the kid really was too precious.

Teal eyes met cheeky grey and Eren knew something was coming. But knowing never really prepared him for anything that the raven had to throw his way, and this was just the same.

Thin lips curved into a quick smirk. “What? Did you stop to jerk off or something?”

“I-I didn't-” the manner in which Eren sputtered told Levi that he had enough of an idea to know what Levi meant, “no! I was just...dissuading myself from that urge.”

Levi took a playfully suspicious sip of his juice. “Okay, brat, whatever you say.” The raven began, folding his arms across his chest and arching a brow. “What's the plan for today?”

Eren watched the way the light caught the metal of the ring in Levi's brow, glinting silver when he moved to throw his head back and down the last of the drink.

The boy blinked. “You're just going to let me decide?”

The empty glass was set down with a dull clink and pushed along the counter towards the sink.

“No, I have plans of my own,” Levi replied, giving a shrug, “but I thought I'd let you throw in your ideas and maybe we can compromise.”

The brunette considered the proposition and gave a single nod. “Seems fair.”

In all honesty, Eren didn't have a plan. The boy hadn't bothered with planning ahead when he had demanded that Levi remain at home. Planning was for the other side and he was not there. All the brunette wanted was to be around his human, whatever that meant they ended up doing. He didn't voice that particular fact, however. In the end, the boy shrugged.

“Nothing?” Levi interpreted, his eyebrow rising impossibly higher. “Well that's typical. Suits me though. I have to do some filming today, so I guess I'll get that out of the way first. Then we'll see if we can't think of something. Sound good?”

“Mm.”

Breakfast came and went; Levi made waffles and even let Eren try them much to the boy's delight. Even if the brunette didn't strictly need food, Levi was discovering that he rather enjoyed spoiling the kid almost as much as the boy enjoyed being spoiled. It was easily worth a little extra effort if he got to see that radiant smile light up Eren's face.

Levi worked on his videos until eleven o’clock; a solid three hours since the two males had woken up, and decided to check over his emails before shutting down his laptop.

More stupid lol-cat pictures from Hanji and a few questions from students. But then, a little ways down, Levi spotted a familiar email. A contact from work, specifically his boss.

He clicked on the message, reading over the short paragraph and sighed.

“Ah, fuck.”

The brunette peeped over his shoulder. “What is it?”

Levi rubbed at the back of his neck. “I'm going to have to break your ban on leaving the house.”

The raven-haired man waited for the suspicion, the relentless questioning that always came when promises couldn't be kept. He waited for the anger that had accompanied all his previous relationships when things started to take a turn for the worst.

All the brunette did was make a small sound of complaint and roll onto his stomach on the couch, crawling closer.

“Why?” Eren pouted, resting his chin atop the raven's head.

So far no anger, things were looking up.

Levi spoke his next words carefully, hoping that the boy would understand why his little game had to end. “Mike needs me to come in and do a session tomorrow. He's my boss.”

The silence that followed was only short and not loaded with the usual heaviness that quiet usually brought along.

“Oh?” Eren piped up again, his voice sounded...cheery. “That sounds interesting.”

“You're not upset?”

“No, it's not like I can stop you from going to work.” The brunette said, then smirked a little. “Well...I could. But that would make me a bad sport.”

“Right.” Levi murmured in agreement, reaching out to flick his fingers under the brat's chin.

Eren gave a pleased little hum, nipping at the long digits before they were pulled back. “So what will I be doing while you're off kicking people's faces in?”

Levi gave a snort, half-turning to smirk up at the boy. “That's not what I do.”

“That's what it looks like in your videos.” Eren said with a shrug.

“Whatever. You will be staying here.”

“Awwww! But Leviiiiiii!”

The boy whined and complained until he was pulled off the couch and kissed into silence. By the time the two males broke apart to gasp for air, Eren finally had an idea to contribute to their day plan.

Levi had already jumped up to pack away his gear, disappearing into the bedroom.

“Let's go somewhere!” The boy suggested, calling over his shoulder and still panting for breath.

“Hmm?” Levi hummed in query as he re-emerged from putting his equipment away. “Stop with the heavy breathing, kid, or I'll have to have you right here.” The raven said through a breathless chuckle, speaking again before the brat could get any ideas. “Where do you have in mind?”

The brunette shrugged, not really caring. “I don't know. Just out.”

“Just out, huh?” The raven smirked a little at the kid's enthusiasm. “Why don't we go to the supermarket? That classifies as 'out'. Plus I need eggs.”

“Why?”

“Because I've decided that today is a baking day.” Levi stated with a shrug of his own. “Consider yourself lucky, brat; I don't get the urge often.”

Eren looked unsure, like he didn't know what to do with the raven's words.

“Are you...baking for me?”

Levi's lips curved into a half-smile on one side and he sighed. “I guess I am.”

Levi very rarely put aside a whole day for just cooking. The last time he had done so had been for one of Hanji's fund-raisers. The raven had spent all day and half of the night making all kinds of food for her to sell. Hanji had collected it in the morning but all Levi recalled was that one moment the food was there and the next it was gone.

Surmising that he must have fallen asleep, Levi brushed the mystery aside and moved on with his life. Even Hanji could be stealthy when she needed to be.

The two males pulled on shoes and headed out of the house to begin the walk down to the supermarket. It was cheaper than going to the markets, and also a little bit closer to home as it sat just a couple of blocks before Sina Square.

The journey there was filled with light-hearted chatter and bickering over the plot of The Little Mermaid. It was an argument that Levi endured only because he thought it was priceless to hear a demonic fiend defend the idea that animals could talk and somewhere in the oceans there could be people with fins. It really was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Eggs, Eren learned, were not just a simple thing to buy for the raven. Not because there weren't any around, oh no, there was a whole damned shelf of them, but because Levi had to go through and check every carton that caught his eye.

After the third inspection, Eren began to grow restless and impatient.

“What are you doing?” The boy enquired when he couldn't keep quite any longer.

There had to be a good reason for all this delay, the brunette was sure. Levi paused in his task just long enough to incline his head in the boy's direction and reply.

“Checking the eggs.” The raven answered simply, examining the carton.

Checking the eggs. Of course, why wouldn't you check every damned egg you came across?

Eren groaned. “But why? They're fine.”

“Hey, I'm a picky guy. Shut up and get used to it.”

The brunette let out a longwinded sigh and stuffed his hands into his pockets, glancing idly about the aisles. There wasn't a hell of a lot that a demon could use to entertain himself with in crowded public places such as this. It was a damned shame. All the brunette could settle for was observing the other customers that passed them by.

A few women smiled at him and he smiled back, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the rush of giggles that always followed. Apparently standing a few centimetres away from one's partner was not close enough to communicate that one was in fact off the market. Maybe he needed to fix that, put an arm around the raven or hell, even kiss him right here? Although the more he thought about it...the more that idea would probably result in his dismemberment via the same raven-haired man. Levi had been very clear about his disdain for public displays of affection. A pity, really, for Eren was quite the exhibitionist when he got the chance.

Deciding that it was best to let the smaller man be, Eren returned to his watch.

His eyes landed on a mean looking child, probably ten years old, who was aiming a moody death glare Eren's way. The brunette's eyebrows shot skyward at the blatant display of hostility and he wondered what he had done to earn the child's hateful stare.

The look was unmistakably aimed at him; there was no one else around unless it was actually Levi that the little tyke had it in for. That seemed unlikely as the tiny brat's eyes met and held Eren's own surprised gaze.

The brunette wondered if the kid was having a gut feeling that Eren wasn't normal. It wouldn't be the first time that a child had been right about this sort of thing. Children were incredible judges of character...it was a real pity that adults didn't make use of that unlikely skill more often. More than once the teal-eyed demon had steered clear of a youngster's curious gaze.

It was a little late for it in this case; the tiny fucker had already spotted him and grown suspicious. But it didn't matter what this grumpy little twerp thought, Eren looked normal and no adult would believe any yarn the brat might try to spin about him.

When the kid's frown only got worse, Eren stuck his tongue out at the child, loving the surprised look it got in reaction.

At last the little twit looked away...but now Eren was feeling spiteful. Never provoke a spiteful creature with time on his hands.

The brunette lifted the lid of one of the many egg cartons sitting on the shelf beside him and picked out a sizeable specimen. Tossing the oval a few times to get a feel for the weight of the object, Eren took a quick glance to make sure that nobody was looking in his immediate direction, took aim and threw the egg with such speed that he had his hands back in his pockets even before the sound of a wet crunch met his ears.

Risking a glance over his shoulder, Eren nearly snorted at the furious looking kid with yoke running down his tiny face. The frown really didn't do anything for the brat, all scrunched up in rage and turning red with anger. Apparently torn between shouting and crying, the kid settled for making no noise at all and instead looked about for his attacker.

Little eyes widened when they spotted Eren smirking right in front of the rest of the eggs and the child joined the dots, mustering a scowl again.

Eren picked up another egg. The kid started to open his mouth, probably to start screaming and whining or call his mother, but an egg to the face shut him up quicker than the little twerp could blink. It hit him in the forehead with a crunch and a splat.

Having witnessed the event firsthand, the child wasn't quite sure what to think. One second the brown-haired man had been holding an egg, the next the egg was gone and in the kid's face instead...but it had happened so fast, too quickly for the child's mind to comprehend. And then the kid started crying.

“Oh, now I've done it.” Eren chuckled under his breath.

Levi turned around when the brunette by his side started to snicker around about the same time a little brat somewhere started to scream his head off with tears. Raising an eyebrow, the raven narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“Eren.”

“Hmm?”

“What were you doing just now?”

Eren laughed a little, covering his mouth with a hand to muffle the sound before answering. “Just...checking the eggs...”

The brunette shook slightly with the effort it took to keep in his laughter, teal eyes flickering over to the crying child every few seconds only to glimmer with amusement and flick back.

Levi watched the boy for a moment before his blank face lifted with a little smirk.

“Little shit.” He chuckled, reaching over to tweak the brat's ear. “Nobody likes a show-off. Just don't get caught.”

Eren gave a happy little hum, helping to carry the groceries along when the raven finally chose two cartons of eggs that he was happy with.

Levi ended up buying a lot more than just eggs. Milk, flour and a whole lot of butter were just some of the extra items that the raven-haired man added to the basket Eren ended up carrying. Not that he minded in the slightest, if it meant that he could watch Levi strutting along ahead of him.

Eren particularly enjoyed the look on the crying twerp's face after he got a good look at the raven. The mean scowl, piercings glinting silver in the harsh white of synthetic lights and the t-shirt that not only showed off the raven's tattoos but also his incredible form; all together at once the image was enough to send the little brat running for his mommy.

So far the day wasn't panning out to be all that bad.

The sun was high in the sky as the pair returned to the apartment complex with the new food and the time was a little after midday. Probably around twelve-thirty, Eren guessed as he followed the raven up the stairs.

The brunette held all the bags while the smaller man unlocked the door to let them back inside.

“Eren?” Levi called over his shoulder, locking the door after the boy had come through.

The brunette paused by the dining table. “Yep?”

“Drop that stuff on the counter and wash your hands, you're going to help.”

That was not an expected statement and for a moment Eren couldn't quite form words as he processed the sentence. Levi wanted him to help with cooking, like he wasn't worried that the kid might accidentally light the place on fire.

Eren shook his head to clear it, breaking out of the brief reverie. “Uh...okay but...can I get changed first?”

It was an odd way of putting his request, but Eren wasn't really sure how else to say it. In a way, he would be changing...so it wasn't a completely wasted term.

“Changed? Your clothes are fine.” Levi frowned his confusion, looking back at Eren and pausing as understanding lit his eyes. “Oh...you mean your form?”

The brunette fidgeted a little, twisting his foot anxiously. Levi came closer until he was standing in front of the boy. Stretching up, the raven dabbed their mouths together in a soft peck.

“Go on then.” He murmured. “I'll take care of these.”

The raven took the bags from Eren's arms, watching as the beaming brunette bounded off and out of the door again, presumably to take form in the hallway or maybe even the basement.

Levi carried the groceries to the counter and started unpacking, glancing up at the clock to take a guess at where Eren had decided to make the change. After five minutes had gone by and everything lay unpacked on the counter in front of him, the raven had his decision made. Definitely the basement. It was the safest option, he supposed, and no one would really question a new addition to the black tire marks on the floor. Granted, a burnt black patch might look a little worrisome, but hopefully no one would notice.

When the front door opened again Levi was just coming back out of the bathroom, having relieved himself, and he almost smiled at the sight that waited around the corner.

Eren stood by the dining table, pointed ears and teeth, long tail and burning eyes, the works. No fire this time, thank fuck, which also meant no burnt carpet. The brunette perked up when he saw the raven come into the living room, a small smile curving his lips. The boy's tail began to swish from side to side, and even without that tell-tale sign the raven could tell that Eren was happy.

Happy but anxious as he usually got after a transformation. The thought seemed silly to the raven, after all this was only the second time that Eren had bothered to reveal his true form. Levi wondered if the boy’s mouth hurt this time. If it did, Eren was putting on a brave face.

The smaller male padded over to the brunette, reaching up to run a hand through the boy's hair, ruffling it in an affectionate display. The dark locks were a little longer in this form, the raven realised. It wasn't hugely noticeable if you weren't looking for it, but the subtle difference was there.

Eren leaned into the touch, nuzzling the raven's hand. Brilliant blue-green orbs flickered up, holding the gaze of lazy grey pools. There was a question held in those eyes, ready on the brunette's tongue, but he remained quiet.

Levi rolled his eyes playfully at the kid. “If you've got something to say, then say it. You'll only live to regret it if you don't.”

The boy winced, not used to being so easily read. But he sighed and ducked his head, words coming out in a quiet murmur.

“Do you still like me...like this?”

Levi saw Eren's lips move with the question, heard his voice, and the answer was off his tongue in a second.

“Of course I do.”

He did, without a doubt. Eren was Eren, no matter the changes. It was the person he cared for, the character, not solely the boy's appearance. And while Eren's demon form was something that Levi was still adjusting to, it wasn't unwelcome. Not at all.

The brunette didn't seem so convinced, keeping his head down and his eyes low.

“Would you still have me this way?” Eren asked, glancing up at last with uncertain eyes. “Do you still want me?”

Levi couldn't stop the frown that formed on his face, not because the answer to Eren's question was a bad one, but because the brat felt the need to ask something like that at all. The raven had known exactly what Eren was when he first decided to take the next step and take their relationship into physical territory. He hadn't regretted it yet. Using the hand that was still locked in the brunette's hair, Levi pulled the boy's head down until their noses touched.

The move was unexpected and Eren's eyes had blown wide open, staring straight into grey eyes as rough as storm clouds, and just as fierce.

“Eren...” Levi's voice was soft, barely more than a whisper against the brunette's lips. “Do I really need to answer that?”

The words swam inside the boy's head and Eren's shaky breath was lost to the gentle press of the raven's mouth. The brunette's lips trembled into the kiss, soft and somehow more passionate than any before that. It was too much and not enough and all Eren could do was let the raven hold him.

Levi pulled back with a sigh, brows pulling together at the sight of the glistening wet clinging to the brunette's lashes.

“Don't you dare cry on me.” The raven ordered, sounding more concerned than his words might have suggested.

Eren just sniffed, looking away. “Why? What could a few tears matter?”

“Because I wouldn't know what to do.” The raven admitted through a soft huff of a laugh, tapping two fingers under the brunette's chin when the kid looked back at him in surprise.

Eren managed a little smile, leaning in until their foreheads bumped together gently. It was a pleasant moment, one of those times where words didn’t have to be said. Unfortunately the raven had never been particularly good at moments of such emotional significance and Levi couldn't keep quiet for more than half a minute before he had to diffuse the steadily intensifying atmosphere.

“Ah fuck...look at us. We've turned into saps.”

The brunette's tiny smile curved into something content and he exhaled through his nose. “Heaven forbid.”

“Heh.” The raven gave a breathy chuckle, shaking his head at the irony of Eren's statement. “Come on, Eren. It's about time you learned about proper food.”

Eren was amazed that he was even allowed to come near to the kitchen, let alone be physically dragged into it by an insistent raven.

“Come on, brat.”

“A-Are you sure?”

“Yes. Just don't touch the flour and you'll be fine.”

Maybe Levi wasn't feeling well, maybe this was the sickness that he had told Eren about, because not only did the raven willingly bring the brunette into the kitchen but he also asked if the boy wanted to help. Well...ask might not be the right word. More accurately, Levi told Eren that he would be helping.

“Why do I-”

“Because if you're going to live here, you might as well know how to cook.”

“But-”

“No buts.” Levi turned his eyes on the brunette, pupils narrowed. “I am teaching you how to make pastry. Goodnight, full stop, end of story.”

Heaving a sigh, the boy relented. “Okay.”

Cooking actually wasn't so bad, in fact the hands-on element was almost fun. Eren had always been a physical creature, so this sort of thing made sense quicker than it might should the brunette attempted reading instructions from a book.

Watching Levi's actions closely, Eren followed and copied until he got the right ratio of ingredients. Levi didn't even seem to mind the first two batches that didn't go so well, probably because they were still salvageable with a little added flour and butter.

“You're not making a cake, the dough can't be too soft, Eren.”

“Right.”

While Eren rolled out the pastry into sheets to go into the refrigerator, Levi brought out jam and chocolate from the pantry.

“What's that for?” The brunette enquired, leaning over to catch a glance.

“Filling.” The raven replied. “It goes inside the pastry.”

“Oh.”

The sheets were laid together with a sheet of baking paper to separate and placed into the fridge. To pass the time it would take for the pastry to firm up, the raven whipped up a batch of brownies and even a butter cake.

“I hope you know that you're the one who's going to be eating most of this.” Levi muttered over his shoulder, tipping the contents of a bowl into the cake tin that Eren had prepared for him.

The brunette raised his eyebrows, lips parting in surprise. “Me?”

“Well duh. I don't have that big of a sweet tooth.” The raven-haired man said with a little smirk, shrugging a moment later. “Plus I'd like to keep my figure the way it is now. Something tells me that you won't have the same problem.”

True enough, Eren could probably consume a whole banquet single-handedly and not have any problems.

“I see. Thank you.”

The day continued, passing by at a leisurely crawl.

It took hours to get everything prepared and placed in the appropriate tins and trays, mixing the cake, folding the pastry sheets into croissants and filling them with chocolate or jam. The smells that filled the apartment were nothing short of mouth-watering and Eren bounced eagerly about the place as he waited for everything to be finished.

The raven cleaned up the kitchen to pass the time, washing dishes and wiping down every surface while the brat sat out on the balcony enjoying the afternoon breeze. Eren made sure not to be noticed, keeping to his seat and simply sitting for once watching the rest of the world go by.

Children ran about playing in the park; even from this far off Eren could hear their voices. A few joggers passed by on the pavement below, ear buds dangling and breathing picking up. A dog broke away from its owner, barking up at Levi's building until it was finally towed away by a confused keeper.

Eren sneered after the furry creature, hissing spitefully over the railing. Damned creatures and their keen senses. A called question from Levi had him murmuring reassurances through the open glass door.

An hour passed.

Levi was thoroughly surprised with how well the brunette behaved when the food had to be left to cool after coming out of the oven, pouting a little but otherwise not complaining.

“Eren? We can eat now.”

Eren had never felt so thoroughly spoiled in his entire existence.

The food was laid out on the counter, some still cooling and others right to eat. Levi lent against the counter with Eren behind him, arms looped about the raven's waist. The boy let his chin rest on Levi's shoulder, humming as the smaller male supported their weight with one arm and fed Eren with his free hand.

The brunette had made no secret of his surprise that Levi could cook so well, not even minding the kick it had earned him. Everything tasted absolutely divine and the pastries all but melted in the mouth.

Perfection in edible form, there was no other way that Eren could describe it. But the food wasn’t the only thing that had the brunette in high spirits.

Levi didn’t once reprimand him or say that he was being too sloppy. The raven was unbelievably docile, all smooth edges for once. It was weird.

Eren couldn’t help but voice his thoughts. “You’re being awfully nice to me…” The brunette stated, watching Levi stab another piece of cake with the fork in his hand.

“I'm allowed to spoil my lover, aren't I?” The raven challenged, smirking at the pink that dusted itself across Eren's cheeks at the term. Levi raised the fork again, holding it out for the boy. “More?”

“Please.”

“Well fuck me sideways, look who finally learned some manners?” The raven-haired man chuckled, giving a wry smirk as he set the fork down again.

Eren swallowed quickly and ducked his head to hide his smile, burying his face against the smaller male's shoulder and nuzzling the skin. Levi reached back to run his free hand through the boy’s hair, tugging fondly.

“But...” The raven added after a moment, “I suppose it's also because I feel a bit guilty leaving you alone tomorrow.”

“Aw!” Eren's head came up and he laughed, holding the raven tighter. “Hanji was right; you do have a soft side.”

“Don't you dare tell her.” Levi glared back at the boy, eyes narrowing. “Or anyone for that matter. I have a reputation to uphold.”

The brunette scoffed out a laugh. “What? For being a grumpy bastard that'll kick your face in?”

A cheeky glimmer lit grey eyes and Levi smirked. “Oh yes.”

It took far less time than expected for the two males to eat their way through most of the food and after wrapping up the leftovers and stuffing them into the fridge, the pair flopped onto the sofa.

Levi groaned, clutching at his belly. “Euh...I never want to eat again.”

Eren only scoffed at him, reaching over to give his shoulder a lazy shove. “You only had a little.”

The raven didn’t even try to correct his balance, letting the shove unbalance him and falling sideways onto the cushions with a small sound of complaint. “Maybe that looked like a little for you...but I've never eaten so much in my life!”

“Poor baby.” The brunette snickered a little, tugging at the smaller male’s ankle.

Levi made a face, rolling onto his back and squeezing his eyes shut. “Listen...” the raven began, swallowing and cracking an eye open to look at the kid, “if you have some weird demon trick that can make my stomach stop trying to kill me from the inside...now would be a good time to use it.”

“Well I don't know about that...” Eren laughed, reaching over to haul the smaller man back up into a seated position, “but I could probably help with the pain in another way.”

“Oh?” Grey eyes shone silver in the light as curious orbs swivelled over to look at the brat.

“Mm.” The boy smiled at him, an adoring shine in his eyes.

“Go for your life.” Levi muttered, waving a hand dismissively and gesturing to himself. “I won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.”

The brunette pulled Levi back against him, wrapping the smaller male up in his arms. Careful not to touch the man's stomach, Eren slipped a hand beneath the raven's shirt and placed his palm over Levi’s heart, letting his arm rest over the smaller male's chest.

It didn't make the man's stomach stop aching but the warm hug along with the gentle butterfly kisses Eren trailed over whatever skin he could reach were enough to make the raven ache in a whole other way. His chest tightened and Levi tilted his head back to rest against the taller male's shoulder.

Too many feelings were floating about in the raven’s mind, constricting in his chest as he allowed himself to be comforted. Content to the point where it almost hurt, Levi almost didn’t want the boy’s sweet gesture. Such an innocent way to sooth, the reality was beginning to dawn on the smaller male as he realised just how far he was letting himself fall. He hadn’t been ready before and he didn’t feel ready now…but it was already too late. Too late to build up his defences, to take back feelings and kisses too soft, too gentle not to have meant something more than mere physical attraction.

Through his distress, the raven noticed an odd warm tingling barely strong enough to be felt until he focused on it. The sensation came from beneath the brunette’s hand where it lay on the smaller male’s chest, emitting a subtle glow of white-blue light from under Eren’s palm.

“No pain-killer demon magic, huh?” The raven murmured, feeling drowsy all of a sudden. “Liar.”

Eren only smiled, his eyes still closed as he lent their heads together. “I had to distract you before the magic could work.”

“Hoh?” The sound came out like a question and grey eyes flickered open for a moment. “Like pinching your arm to make a headache seem less intense?”

The brunette exhaled through his nose sharply; it was an amused sound. “Kind of.”

“Heh.” A breathy laugh slipped through smiling lips and the raven nestled closer. “Thanks, brat.”

It was simple magic, one of the few types Eren could control that didn’t cause chaos. By clouding the mind, the brunette could trick Levi’s body into its sleep mode and take his mind’s focus away from any discomfort caused by their feast of sweets.

As Levi fell more under the sleeping spell Eren cast, the pair moved into the bedroom. The brunette was nothing if not attentive and he clearly recalled the raven’s dislike when it came to sleeping on the sofa.

When Levi started to come to, he was already wrapped up in Eren’s arms, back to chest in a cocoon of warmth.

There was something so gratifying in the simple act of holding another. Sharing warmth and bringing comfort and security to one another.

Eren's grip on Levi slackened gradually as the boy drifted ever closer to sleep, but a simple shifting movement or brush of fingertips could rouse the brunette and bring back the firm hold. One of Eren's arms was wedged underneath the raven to curl about his waist with his hand spread against Levi's abdomen. The other arm was tucked under the raven's own limb to cross over his chest, and his hand splayed out over the smaller male's heart. It was a little trait, sweet at first glance, but one that Levi had noticed the boy had done several times before.

The reason was lost on the raven, but he guessed that perhaps it was a way that Eren could monitor him.

In truth, the boy was comforted by the steady rhythm of Levi's heartbeat. While he could feel it beneath his palm, the raven was alive and breathing, safe. It was an enormous relief.

Eren could mimic the human condition, synthesise a pulse, but Levi could perform no such trickery. It was the honesty of the human heartbeat that the brunette liked. A pulse could tell you anything; lies caused it to beat faster, fear made the heart beat harder, passion created an erratic beat...it was primal truth, pure and simple.

But while he slept, all Eren really wanted was to make sure that Levi slept soundly as well. Warm and secure in the arms of someone he cared for; Eren hoped that it would be enough to drive both of their nightmares away.

Even if only for the night.

Chapter Text

“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” – Lewis Carroll.

***

Cold. The bed was already cold by the time Eren opened his eyes, for once having slept longer than the raven. Levi hadn’t bothered to wake him up to say goodbye, letting the boy sleep.

Eren sat up, rubbing his eyes and stretching. He sighed.

This was going to be a long and lonely day.

The teal-eyed boy hauled himself lazily from the bed, getting shakily to his feet. A brief flash of silver caught his eye and Eren noticed that Levi’s piercings had been removed and left on the vanity. The brunette could just barely recall what the raven-haired man looked like without the accessories. He stretched his legs, walking over to the dresser and reaching out to trace a finger along one of the silver rings, letting slip a sigh before padding into the bathroom and shedding his pyjamas. The hot sting of the shower snapped him into full consciousness with a groan and the boy sighed, letting his muscles relax. He was adjusting well to the raven’s routine and style of living but it felt strange not to have the surly-looking man around, especially so early.

After re-emerging from the bathroom in search of clothes, Eren sneaked a glance at the alarm clock and his eyebrows rose. The little blue block numbers read 10:37AM.

Oh…not so early then?

Without much else to do, the brunette wandered about the apartment for a while, watched the TV until he had surfed every channel and even hung around on the balcony for a bit before he was forced to face the truth.

He was bored. Bored and hungry, never a good combination. But with no one around to entertain him or tell him no, the boy dropped from the balcony, landing in a crouch on the ground, and headed off in search of his meal for the day.

Ducking down the nearest alley he could find, Eren switched forms and took on his human guise.

“Run, run, run, as fast as you can…”

The walk to work was turned into a run today and Levi considered the jog to be as good a warm-up as any. He wore simple clothes, nothing fancy, and carried a bag over one shoulder that held the more comfortable clothes he would put on to teach. Jeans were great, but they didn’t exactly allow the range of movement required for the raven’s field of work.

Cold air burned in his lungs with every breath, the kind of raw refreshment that Levi hadn’t felt in quite some time. Soon enough the raven was pushing at the big green doors of Sina Dojo, calling a passing greeting to Nifa at the desk. The girl smiled brightly, seeming far more chipper than usual as she returned the greeting.

Weird. Leave a place for a few weeks and suddenly everyone acts like a goddamned happy family. Levi went straight for the changing rooms, switching into black sweats and a simple white tank top. The kids had never seemed to mind the raven’s imposing appearance; in fact Levi was sure that he had seen Petra blush more than once when he chose to show off a bit of skin.

It was still too early for the session but the raven-haired man abhorred being late. Instead he came in ahead of time to get warmed up and harass his employers. True to that little tradition, Levi headed straight for Mike’s office when the enormous blonde man caught his gaze through the window. Stowing his bag away into one of the staff lockers, the raven strode over. His first words were already on his tongue as the door was shut.

“Alright, I’m here. Now can I have an explanation for the sudden request of my presence?” Levi leaned against the door, folding his arms loosely. “I thought we cleared this? Aren’t I supposed to be avoiding this place? Wasn’t that the whole point of taking leave?”

“Hello to you too, Levi.” Mike murmured, taking his seat again. The man’s eyes gleamed with concealed humour, that twinkling light remained the only key on the man’s face that revealed he was amused at all. “How have you been coping?”

“Just. Fine. Thank you.” Each word rolled off the raven’s tongue with precise articulation, punctuating with a pause in between.

The giant of a man didn’t seem to mind the raven’s clipped tone, giving a small nod. “Has Hanji called?”

“Hanji? She was over just the other day.” Levi frowned, arching an eyebrow. “Why?”

A quiet exhale of a laugh sounded from the blonde man sitting before him at the desk. “If she hasn’t told you, then I’m going to assume it’s a surprise.”

Gunmetal eyes narrowed. “Oh?”

“Mm. But let’s not get too involved in that sidenote.” The blonde dismissed with a little wave. “You were ranting about something?”

Levi watched the taller man lean his elbows on the desk, clasping his fingers together and perching his chin atop them. The blonde's eyes regarded him, waiting.

“Wow.” The raven muttered after a moment. “Aren’t you supposed to be the subtle one?”

Mike actually smirked at that, just a tiny twitch at one corner of his mouth. “Let’s talk about work, shall we?” The blonde uttered, steering the conversation back into safe waters. “Your students are more attached than you think. I’ve had so many questions; everyone wants to know when you’ll be back.”

Levi continued to glare suspiciously. Mike was keeping something from him…and he didn’t like it. Not one little bit. Something told the raven that whatever this secret was…it wasn’t being kept out of spite or negative cause. But even so, Levi had never been a fan of secrets. Or surprises.

Especially not when Hanji was involved.

But he let it slide with a longwinded sigh. “Well a little more notice would have been nice. I’ve kind of had my hands full lately.”

“Oh? With what?”

There was no mistaking the underlying air of playfulness to Mike's tone, buried beneath simple curiosity. It was enough to make the raven purse his lips in thought.

Levi raised his head in a little defiant tilt. “…stuff.”

“Right.” The taller man chuckled, actually looking at the raven properly.

No sidelong glances, no peripheral monitoring, but actual direct eye contact.

Mike had a very intense, piercing gaze that Levi would vouch could see through anything. Coupled with a killer intuition, there wasn't much that the giant of a man couldn't find out. It was downright unnerving. After a moment of silence the raven figured that their conversation was over and he pushed off the door, making to leave.

“By the way…” Mike spoke up again, waiting for Levi to look back at him before he continued, “who’s your friend?”

Levi blinked; half-turning his body back towards the blonde. “What friend?”

“The one you left in bed this morning to come here?”

The raven-haired man paused, the breath of air he had taken in catching in his throat.

Oh. Oh damn. Levi had seen Mike read people before and it was no surprise that he could deduce such significant details from next to nothing…but never had the skill been directed at him until that day. It was a mystery why the man hadn't gone on to become a detective or at least something where he could utilise such a talent.

Levi’s lips twitched up into a little bemused smirk. “You damned sly bastard. Jesus…I figured you hadn’t lost your touch, but fuck.” The raven shook his head a little, laughing more out of shock than humour. “How long have you known?”

The blonde man gave a shrug, rolling his great shoulders casually. “Not long.” He confessed, smiling a little more genuinely. “I’ll admit I’m impressed that you managed to keep it from me for so long.”

“Long?” The raven scoffed, casting the other man a dubious look. “Pfft, please Mike. It’s been a few weeks.”

“That’s long for me.” The man said with a little smile before his face grew curious. “But for you…that’s moving pretty quickly. It’s serious, I take it?”

Levi leaned one shoulder against the door frame and sighed. “I…I think it might be.”

The blonde's eyebrows shot up in a rare display of surprise. “You’re not sure?”

The raven had always been the headstrong one of their group, always so certain of himself. Never doubting, never questioning himself or his feelings.

Until now apparently.

Swallowing, Levi looked at the floor. “I’m afraid to be.”

He expected the chuckle, even smirked a little when the sound reached his ears. Looking up, he found an expression of baffled amusement plastered to his friend's face.

“Well that’s a first.” Mike admitted with a little shake of his head. “Levi Ackerman admitting that he’s scared? I wonder if the security cameras picked that up?”

A mischievous look crossed the great man's sharp eyes and Levi narrowed his own eyes in response.

“Don’t you dare, you fucker.”

Mike only laughed, holding up his hands to pacify the smaller male. “Alright, don’t make any threats you don’t want to be caught on film.”

Levi rolled his eyes, his smirk fading as he though more about how Mike could have known about him seeing someone. The man was good, no arguments there, but…how could he have figured anything out when the raven hadn’t even come in to work?

The smaller male swallowed a little thickly, glancing up. “Did Erwin..?”

Mike’s features softened for a moment, but he didn’t insult the raven by letting him see any pity. “He may have tipped me off, yes. After that the rest of the signs fell into place.”

“Signs?” Levi scoffed, flicking imaginary dust from his shoulder. “All you’ve had are emails.”

“That’s all I need.”

“Damn.” The raven-haired man brought up his hands to clap slowly. “That’s some freaky talent of yours.”

Mike acknowledged the statement with a smirk and a little tilt of his head before his eyes flickered out of the window. “Your squad is here. Better go set up.”

“Right.”

Despite his complaining, Levi rather enjoyed teaching the kids. Lots of his students had come in today; Mike must have tipped them off. Most of the more dedicated kids had left their contact details with administration, phone numbers and email addresses. Levi saw Erd, Gunther, Petra and Aurou, as well as some of his less common pupils.

The session planned began at eleven o'clock, starting with stretches and a few demonstrations of techniques that the kids had been told to practice. Most of them were doing well, keeping up with their routines, and even the few slackers weren't so far behind.

After running through a couple of new combos of kicks and dodges that the raven had prepared, the students got to take on each other in some sparring matches. At twelve, just as the third pair was being selected to spar, Nifa came through.

“Levi? There’s a guy here asking for you.”

The raven arched an eyebrow, straightening from the crouch he had adopted in order to observe his students. “Tell them I’m busy. If they want to see me that bad they can either wait or make an appointment.”

Nifa gave a nod but wrung her hands a little. “He’s, uh...very insistent.”

Levi rolled his eyes, bringing up a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Ugh. Fine. I'll be there in a minute.”

With another nod, Nifa turned on her heel and headed back for her desk out front.

The raven stretched a little, running a hand through his hair. Of all days for some fucker to come in asking for him, why today?

“Levi-san?” Petra's voice called gently, breaking through the raven's reverie.

“Hn?” He turned to her, raising an eyebrow.

The strawberry blonde stood ready with her partner; she and Aurou had been set on sparring to see which of them was better for quite some time.

“Should we wait?”

“Yeah, this shouldn't take too long. Run through that last move again, I’ll be right back.”

With that the raven strode off towards the main hallway that led through to the foyer out front where Nifa handled administration. Levi really hoped that whoever had come in wasn't somebody important; he really didn't want to scare off any potential sponsors looking as he did.

He wasn't even wearing shoes at the moment, for fucks sake. Talk about bad timing.

As the raven drew nearer to the end of the hall, he began to hear muffled voices. That was the first sign that the foyer was close. And then Levi picked up actual sentences.

From the sound of things, Nifa was trying to get some details from the newcomer.

“I'm sorry for the wait, Sir. I'm sure he won't be long. It was Levi that you were after? Yes? He's just got a class right now, you see, and we weren't expecting anyone else.”

The stranger said something, but the voice was too quiet for the raven to hear until he got closer. The voice was too low to belong to a girl and Levi breathed out a minute sigh of relief. At least he wouldn't have to deal with any blushing high-schoolers.

“Oh, I see.” Nifa was speaking again. “Welcome to town, then. It's always good to have new blood.” The girl paused and the raven heard the clicking of a pen. “And what’s your name?”

“Eren.”

Levi nearly stumbled as he heard the brat’s voice, catching himself on the wall.

“Eren? How nice. I just have to write it down for admin purposes, you see.” Nifa continued to explain but whatever she said next was lost on the raven-haired man.

The damned brat couldn't even wait one damned day? Was it really so hard to entertain himself for a few hours until Levi could get back? Instead he just had to come and pester the raven at work, of course.

Mustering his best scowl, Levi pushed off from the wall and stomped right out to the admission desk without so much as a hello. Sure as day, there stood Eren dressed in jeans, a loose shirt and a hoodie, all bright smiles and sunny radiance. It really wasn’t fair.

The kid's face brightened even more when he spotted the sour-faced raven come storming out of the hallway.

“Levi!” The brunette called, a damned near luminous smile lighting up his face as the boy bounded over.

Levi held up his hands in time to stop the boy’s excited embrace, holding the now pouting brat at a safe distance.

“This may sound blunt,” Levi began in an icy tone, “but what the fuck are you doing here?”

Levi couldn’t stop the steady hands that crept out and slipped loosely about his waist. Curse Eren and his long limbs.

“I wanted to see you.” The brunette mumbled, blue-green eyes looking up through dark lashes in an attempt at a repentant expression.

Eren could see that Levi wasn't happy, but that didn't deter the hopeful look in the boy's eyes.

Levi wasn’t having a bar of his wide-eyed penance. “You couldn’t have waited until I finished work?”

Eren shook his head, stepping closer as the raven’s grip on him eased up a little.

“I wanted to see what you do for a living.”

The raven rolled his eyes, reaching up to prod the boy's forehead. “You already know what I do.”

“But I want to see it up close.” The brunette murmured, voice slipping into a lower tone as he took that last step that brought them flush together.

Levi had to tilt his head back a little to meet Eren's dark-eyed gaze and the smaller male flicked his gaze down to the brat's parted lips for a split second.

“Ahem…”

Both the raven and the brunette glanced over to the desk where Nifa sat awkwardly fidgeting and wringing her hands.

She cringed a little at their collective stares, eyes darting away quickly. “Um...should I go or..?”

“No. You can take this brat outside.” Levi stated, calmly extracting himself from the boy’s hold.

“What?” Eren said, aghast. “But Leviiiiii!” He whined, tugging on the man’s arm.

“Christ, Eren. Don’t whine like that in public.” He hissed, shaking free of the grip round his wrist. “You’re not some toddler, stop acting like one.”

The brunette inclined his head in a curious tilt. “You never seemed to mind before.”

Levi cast a quick glance around before snagging the boy's arm and towing him through the foyer and into the main hall, away from prying eyes and ears. The raven rounded on the brat, causing Eren to have to pull up quickly to avoid running straight into the smaller male.

“That’s because we were home.” Levi muttered in a low voice, rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration. “This is my workplace, Eren, and I am expected to behave appropriately. That means no clingy lovey-dovey shit. It's not all about you here; I have other brats to deal with.”

“Levi?” Another voice, this time belonging to Nanaba, called out. “Is everything alright?”

The raven exhaled in a rush, the low sound almost a growl as he turned. “Yeah. No problem.”

The blonde-haired woman headed down the hall towards the pair, pausing beside Levi. “Who’s this? Another student?”

Levi let his eyes flick over to Eren for a brief moment before they snapped back to his boss. “Not exactly.”

Nanaba raised an eyebrow, looking between the two males. “I haven’t seen him around.”

“He’s new.” Levi said, wondering how in God's name he was going to explain his way out of this.

The brunette by his side didn't seem to have the same qualms, beaming across at Levi's employer.

“I’m Eren.” The brunette announced, smiling happily.

Nanaba returned the boy’s smile, shooting Levi a dubious look of amusement. Surely the raven wouldn’t keep such…merry company? In all the time she had known the man, Levi had purposefully avoided cheery people.

“Hello, Eren.” The woman offered the boy a friendly smile, ignoring Levi's glare. “I’m Nanaba, one of Levi’s employers.”

“Pleased to meet you.” The brunette replied, teal eyes dancing. “I was just passing by and thought it would be nice to surprise Levi.”

The raven clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Well done, you succeeded. Now fuck off and-”

“Levi,” Nanaba cut him off with a smile, though her tone was reproachful, “I’m sure I don’t need to remind you to watch your language around potential clients?”

Levi stared at her incredulously for a moment, fairly certain that his mouth was open from the surprise he felt. It must have been 'gang up on Levi day'.

“No.” He answered, sounding strange to his own ears. “No you don’t. But he isn’t a client. He’s…”

Nanaba smirked a little as the raven trailed off only to look at the newcomer with a exasperated expression. “He’s what?”

Even Eren looked curious to find out the answer, turning his eyes on the raven.

Levi exhaled through his nose, closing his eyes and rubbing at his temples. “Complicated.”

Eren exhaled his amusement, glancing away again with a little smirk.

Nanaba raised an eyebrow, looking a little too smug for the expression to be an accident. “Right…” she smirked, giving a little nod and half-turning to go, “well why don’t you and your complicated friend here come on inside?”

Levi groaned, running a hand over his face. He should have known that Nanaba would draw out his torment. She always had been sneaky when it came to having her fun.

Eren, on the other hand, perked up instantly, his eyes bright with hopeful excitement. “Really? Is that okay?”

“Sure.” The blonde woman said with a smile and shrug. “I’m going to assume that you two know each other in some way or other. You can come in if you like, but I’m afraid you won’t be able to join any of the classes.”

Eren waved away the woman's apologetic look, still beaming. “That’s okay; I just want to take a look at what Levi does.”

“Well that should be just fine.”

Nanaba headed back down the hall with a parting wave while Eren celebrated.

“Yes!” Eren cheered, jumping eagerly beside the moody raven. “Aw, come on, Levi. Smile.”

“Why would I smile?” Levi asked, removing his hand from where it had covered his face at last. “This is a disaster.”

“Whatever. Let’s go!”

Levi had never frowned so much at work in his life.

Eren sat over in the corner with his legs crossed, leaning back on his hands and staring around at everything while the raven dealt with his pupils.

“Sensei seems a little distracted today.” Erd murmured as Gunther returned from reminding Aurou why he was ranked above him in combat.

“Yeah.” The dark-haired youth said with a nod, turning to his right. “Hey, Petra?”

“Hmm?”

“What's up with teach?”

The girl made a face, acknowledging that Levi was behaving a little strangely. “I'm not positive...but he started acting off after...that guy came in.”

The strawberry-blonde nodded over at the sunny individual sitting over in the far corner. Erd and Gunther followed her gaze, eyebrows rising as they watched the boy look about like everything he saw was a wonder to behold.

“Who is that guy?”

“Why is he here if he’s not training?”

“Ah, he's probably just some free-loader nephew or something.” Aurou muttered as he slid down the wall beside the others, nursing quite a few bruises. “I think you went a little harder than necessary back there, Gunther.”

“Better keep your bragging to yourself in future.” The brunette smirked, pushing the dirty blonde's shoulder. “But that's not what we're discussing.”

“Right. Petra, you're Levi's favourite.” Aurou announced, nodding over to where their teacher stood, still scowling. “Go ask him.”

“M-Me?”

“Yeah, good idea.” Erd encouraged, pushing off the wall to give Petra an encouraging shove in Levi's direction.

The raven had his back to them, folding his arms over his chest as he criticised the two youths that had managed to mess up and trip each other over for the fifth time in a row.

“You can walk in a straight line, can't you? Try to at least stay upright for more than sixty seconds. Your parents don't pay me just to watch you fall over for the umpteenth time.”

The two young males nodded a little sheepishly and collected themselves.

Petra cleared her throat gently. “Excuse me, Levi-san?”

The raven turned on his heel, a thin brow already raised in question. “Hn? What is it, Petra?”

“We’re just wondering…who is that?” She gestured to where Eren sat across the room.

The brunette was smirking at the clumsy duo still trying to sort themselves out of their heap on the floor.

“Him?” Levi frowned, heaving a sigh. “It’s complicated.”

“Oh.” The girl gave a nod, moving right along. “So why is he here? Is he a new student? Are you teaching him too?”

“No.” The raven shook his head. “I’m baby-sitting.”

From across the room, Eren’s head whipped around in their direction and the boy glared at Levi. He stuck out his tongue, mindful to return to smiling before Petra looked across to see what was making Levi scowl.

Petra gave a surprised little smile when the boy waved over at her from across the room.

“Is he...a relative?” She asked, glancing back to Levi.

“God no. Do we look like we're related to you?”

“Well no...but not everyone does.”

“He's just...a new addition to my life.”

“Oh. Oh, okay.”

“Oh for fucks sake, just stop, you two.” Levi groaned, marching forward to pull the two kids up from yet another fall. “Let's call it quits for one day; you're giving me a headache.”

The raven sent the pair on their way with a shove, striding back to talk to the rest of the kids. Questions were answered, except for those curious prying questions about a certain bright-eyed brat that had turned up out of the blue. By the time the kids were finally heading off to get changed and pack up their gear, Levi turned back to look across to where Eren had finally gotten to his feet.

But Eren wasn't looking at Levi...and Eren wasn't smiling. Instead, the brunette was glaring bloody-murder at the all too familiar face of none other than Erwin Smith as he waltzed into the main room.

“Oh, what the fuck? Erwin, turn your larger than necessary self around and get your ass out of here.”

“Don't listen to him, Erwin!” An all too cheerful voice called out.

Levi made no attempt to muffle the string of profanities that fell from his mouth when the door to Mike's office opened and Hanji walked out with the other man in tow.

“Hanji? Come on; how the fuck did you make it in there? Are you a secret agent? Is that why I never see you sneaking around?”

Levi continued to scowl over at the woman as the blue-eyed man hummed beside him.

“Did she call you here? Is that it?” The raven demanded answers, glaring up at the smiling blonde.

“Hello again, Levi. Always a pleasure to see you.” A smile and then blue eyes flickered over to the brunette in the corner. “Eren.” The blonde nodded in greeting.

“Asshole.” The boy grumbled.

“Did you say something, Eren?” Erwin called, eyebrow raised suspiciously.

“Nothing. Nothing at all.” The brunette smiled back angelically.

Erwin's features took on a mischievous look a moment later and Levi stepped forward.

“Not a word.” Levi muttered, voice low and threatening. “Not one fucking word out of you or I swear I will use you as a goddamned demonstration dummy.”

Ice-blue eyes flashed in understanding that looked all too akin to smugness on the blonde’s face.

“And wipe that dumb look off your face.”

Eren looked on from his corner, watching the two interact. Erwin didn’t look at all worried by the raven’s threats and the big blonde beefcake smiled charmingly down at a bickering Levi. Eren hated to see Levi having to literally look up to speak to Erwin. The boy had a strong urge to bite off the taller man’s kneecaps and see if that wouldn’t help to level out the playing field a little.

Erwin looked away for a moment when Hanji called his name, yelping a moment later when a disgruntled Levi landed a solid kick to the taller man’s shin.

“Aw, Levi, don’t be such a meanie.” The bespectacled woman called out through her snickering.

“Go fuck yourself, four-eyes.”

“Ahaha! No thank you, I have a boyfriend for that!”

“Too much information.” Nanaba laughed behind a hand.

Levi cast a look over his shoulder to his students where they had stopped packing up in favour of gawking at the group of adults.

“Just tune her out, kids.” The raven called, shrugging. “I do.”

Eren smirked at the sight, watching the friends talk and bicker and snark at each other. As different as they all were, it was plain as day that they were close.

Levi’s voice carried out again, still in a complaining tone. “Can someone please just explain why the fuck I’m standing here right now? Because something tells me that it’s not work-related.”

Hanji grinned at him. “You are correct, Sir! I just asked Mike to call you in so that I could get us all together in the same place. I knew that you would be suspicious if I asked you to go somewhere, so naturally I enlisted some help.”

Levi rounded on Erwin. “Did you fucking plan this?”

The blonde held up his hands in defence. “Not at all.”

“Actually, it was me that she called.” Mike said with a sigh.

Levi could practically hear his own jaw hit the floor.

“What.”

“Just hear her out, Levi.” Mike said, glancing to their bespectacled friend.

“Thank you.” The brunette woman smiled before taking on a more serious tone. “Now, as you might have noticed...this is the first time that the four of us have been under the same roof since...well, high school. That's quite a feat. But the reason we are all here is because of an idea I had last night and let me tell you, it was brilliant! Basically I got you all here today so that we can coordinate everyone's movements and organise...a reunion dinner!”

Hanji threw her arms into the air, waiting for everyone's reaction.

Levi couldn't believe what he was hearing.

“No.” The raven said outright, shaking his head.

“Huh? Levi? Wait!”

Levi had already turned on his heel, marching straight for the door. “No, I don’t think so. Points for trying but I’ll be getting the fuck out of here now. Eren, let’s go.”

“But…” Eren's voice sounded for the first time in quite a while.

The raven-haired man paused in his stride, near cringing as he waited for the inevitable words.

“…I don’t think it sounds like such a bad idea-”

The boy cut himself off at the sound of Levi’s groan. The raven ran a hand over his face, threading it roughly back through his hair and turned back to glare at Eren.

“Please, Eren, not you too?”

“I don’t understand. Why do you think this is a bad idea?” The brunette blinked at him. “I’m sorry, but I don’t get it.”

“No, well you wouldn’t, would you?” Levi almost growled out the words. “Because you haven’t had to deal with them for more than ten minutes.”

The raven expected anger, some kind of argument or fight, hell even sadness from the brunette. But the puppy eyes he received instead were even worse because now he felt bad even considering denying the brat.

Levi backed up a step, feeling the reluctant grimace forming on his face. “Dammit, don’t.” He complained, watching as Eren's eyes grew impossibly wider and more hopeful. “Stop... With the eyes and…fuck.”

Eren wasted no time in bounding nearer. “So we can go?”

“Ugh…”

“Hurray! Thank you!”

Hanji looked on with an expression of awe. “Eh? Eren, you’re amazing! How did you even do that? Levi never changes his mind! Are you a miracle?”

Levi sulked as Eren and Hanji started to talk, no doubt conspiring to help one another in future. The thought was enough to make the raven start to head for the door again and this time he made it through, not stopping at Hanji’s voice or Erwin’s. All he wanted was to go home and mope for a bit.

But when an excited bouncing brat came chasing after him, Levi waited. He waited with his bag cast over one shoulder and a tired frown on his face, but the raven didn’t move another step until the brunette had caught up to him.

The boy was practically bouncing, smiling all the way to his ears.

“You suck.” Levi grumbled when Eren leaned down to peck his cheek as they walked.

“Meh.” The brunette’s smile didn't even waver. “You’re just mad now. You’ll cheer up.”

“Me? Cheer?” Levi eyed the boy through a sarcastic sidelong glance. “Har har, very funny.”

“I’m serious about wanting to go to that reunion.” Eren murmured, regarding the raven's frown at the mention of the event. “I mean, apart from Erwin, they all seem nice enough. And I want to know your friends.”

Grey eyes rolled in a sardonic display. “You could probably eat a few of them for me…take them off my hands.”

Eren barked out a laugh at the raven's words. “Ha!” The brunette leaned down with a cheeky smirk. “Don’t give that invitation away so freely.”

“You think I’m joking?” Levi challenged, raising a brow.

Eren's smile turned lazy, the kind of smile he got when he was absolutely sure of himself. “I know you’re joking.”

The pair continued to argue back and forth all the way home, with Eren commenting on how good the raven looked when he worked up a little bit of sweat and Levi told him how disgusting he thought that was.

“Gross, brat.”

“I'm serious. It was all I could do to keep still.”

“Tch.”

“And what were you wearing? You put that on to wear in public? I'm jealous.”

Levi had a cold shower when they finally got back to the apartment, relishing the refreshing chill. The raven reluctantly checked his emails, having an awful feeling that Hanji would have actually tried to contact him for a reason other than sharing cat memes.

His hunch was right and moments after scrolling through the list of messages, Levi clicked on an email from his crazed friend. The message was simple and to the point, unusual but a welcome change from the eccentric brunette.

Dinner on Friday this week, all expenses paid. Time: seven o'clock. Venue: The Rose. That means formal attire, people. Also, everyone is allowed to bring one additional person if they so wish and yes, I do mean for your partner. That's about it, call if you have any queries.

See you all Friday!

The raven-haired man sighed heavily and made a mental note to take Eren out to get some clothes properly fitted. If they were going to The Rose, he would need it.

Levi leaned across from his place where he sat on the bed, calling out into the living room. “Eren?”

“Yeah?” Came the brunette's reply.

“We're going out again tomorrow.”

“Cool!” The boy's voice exclaim in glee and for a moment the raven saw Eren's head pop up over the back of the couch.

“Don't get too excited, it's only to find you some new clothes, it won't be all that much fun.”

Closing down his laptop, the raven could only hope that Friday would come and go as soon as possible.

Chapter Text

“What’s the problem? I don’t know, well maybe I’m in love…” – Counting Crows, Accidentally In Love.

***

From the very first step outside of the apartment, Levi had known that today would be an interesting day.

He had a gut feeling, the kind that never turned out to be wrong, all through the walk down to main conglomeration of shops while Eren pranced merrily along beside him. Dressed in the only pair of shorts that the boy owned, courtesy of Levi, and the raven’s favourite turtleneck sweater, the brunette looked both ridiculous and adorable. Levi couldn’t quite decide on either option solidly, so ridiculously adorable would have to do. The raven was half tempted to buy the kid a pair of glasses to complete the look.

More than a few people glanced Eren's way, much to Levi's chagrin, but then again the brunette had probably been hoping for this kind of reaction. Eren seemed to get an odd kick out of Levi's possessive behaviour and damn if he wasn't doing a spot on job of drawing out those feelings now. The raven stayed close by, eyeing every last person that even so much as blinked at the teal-eyed brat.

The smaller male couldn’t help but let the boy lead the way, unable to resist stealing glances at the sudden expanse of tanned legs that somehow managed to be the perfect mix of slender and defined.

It wasn’t fair.

Levi ran a hand over his face with an exasperated sigh. “Why did you decide to wear those in public again?”

“To fuck with your mind.”

The answer came without a single moment of hesitation and Levi had to wonder if the brat had been waiting for him to say something.

Another weary sigh rustled free of the raven's lungs. “Well it’s working.”

“Good.”

Eren's mood was less than pleased, but even so Levi had a feeling that the kid wasn't quite as upset as he acted. The clothes were a tease just as much as the purposeful sway of the brunette's hips and the raven was certain that if Eren were only angry he wouldn't have bothered with the effort.

Grey eyes drawn on said hips, Levi opened his mouth to speak again. “Is this because I said we couldn’t play before breakfast?”

The raven's tone sounded absent at best and distracted at worst. Eren didn't fail to notice, shooting the smaller man a playfully reproving glance over his shoulder.

“Maybe it is.” The boy replied, turning back to face the front. “Or maybe I just want to punish you.”

Levi shook his head, ducking a little to hide his smile. “Subtle as a brick, you are.” The raven muttered under his breath. “Subtle as a fucking flying brick.”

The day certainly got interesting when the pair finally arrived at the store Levi had been looking for. It handled all forms of formal wear, from weddings to proms to business suits.

A withered looking man in the store’s uniform scurried over to them, already turning up his nose. Levi’s shady looking appearance made him look like some kind of street criminal, he was sure. And trailing the scantily clad Eren in after him, the raven could just picture the thoughts running through the sour-faced assistant’s head.

Still, business was business and the man had to at least try to do his job. “Hello, Sirs. How may I help you?”

Levi’s eyes narrowed immediately as he caught the less than kind stare he was receiving from the older gentleman. The man looked thoroughly displeased, as though the raven had rained all over his parade just by setting foot inside the store.

And it only got better when the grey-haired assistant spoke up again.

“Stop me if I’m wrong, but wouldn’t you prefer something from the store down the street?” The weasel of a man went on. Levi hated the man’s nasally voice and the way he drew out his vowels. “I think it would be more to your tastes-”

“Stop right there.” The raven held up a finger, grey eyes narrowed dangerously. “One, you are wrong, so shut the fuck up, and two, don’t talk down your crooked-ass nose at me you old assbag.”

The man took a step back, his crinkled eyes blowing wide at the raven’s words. But Levi wasn’t finished.

“Just because I look like this doesn’t make you better than me, and if you even think about turning those wretched eyes on my company I’ll tear them right out of their sockets.” The raven paused, cracking his knuckles for effect and enjoying the look of alarm that crossed the older man’s face. “Now are you going to stop blindly stereotyping for long enough to make a sale or two? Or do I need to rip you a new one?”

The man sputtered indignantly while Eren tried to muffle his disbelieving laughter behind a hand. It didn’t take any more than that to get the old fart to move aside to let them through, listening to Levi’s instructions. They were directed towards a counter while the assistant went to get one of the booths ready.

Eren picked up the words ‘brat’ and ‘fitting’ and assumed that whatever was going down would involve him. But the boy couldn’t care less about that after witnessing Levi in such a defensive state just because some old bastard had looked at them funny. Even if it wasn’t entirely over him, Eren still felt giddy at the thought of the raven’s possessive words when he had threatened the mean-looking salesperson. He watched the puckered old crone stalk off towards a line of little booths that had been sectioned off and had little curtains to create the illusion of privacy. Levi called them changing rooms and Eren didn’t like the look of them.

Sidling up to the raven, the brunette wound his arms around one of Levi's. “Do I have to go in there?”

“Well duh.” The smaller male looked across at the boy, eyeing the nervous hold on his arm. “Unless you want some assistant taking your inside leg out in the open?”

The sarcasm only served to make Eren more distressed.

The brunette stammered, clutching the raven tighter. “Wh-What? What do you mean ‘inside leg’? Why are they going to take it?” Eren fretted, hiding behind Levi. “I like my legs exactly where they are!”

“Calm down and lower your voice, you shit.” Levi’s words seemed harsh but they were spoken through a soft chuckle. “They’re not literally taking anything, it’s just a measurement.”

Eren gave a little whine, shifting his weight from foot to foot anxiously and tugging absently at the raven’s arm as he looked off towards the booths.

“Go on, it's fine.” Levi encouraged, extracting himself from the boy's grip. “They just need to get your measurements so that we can get an idea of what clothes will fit you better.” The raven coaxed Eren forward, sending him on his way with a gentle slap to the brunette's rump.

The brat stumbled forward with a needy pant, taking one step away, then two. All progress was shattered when the kid turned around again.

“But I don’t want to be in there with that grumpy looking prude.”

Levi gave a snort, rolling his eyes with a smirk as the brat scampered right back over to him.

“It won’t take long.” The raven lied, glancing off to one side. “The sooner you get in there, the sooner we can go home.”

Eren wanted to go back to the apartment but the thought of being anywhere near that old man's sneering face made the boy want to tear someone in half.

“I don't like him...he's got a nasty looking face.”

Levi couldn't agree more on that comment; the withered old prick had the kind of expression one got from sucking on a lemon. Nevertheless, they were only wasting time standing around.

“Just get over there.”

A frustrated whimper escaped the brat’s mouth. “Why does that guy have to do it?”

“Because it's his job and he’s been trained and shit.” The raven rolled his eyes, pushing at the small of Eren's back to guide him forward step by reluctant step. “I'm not doing it.”

Eren looked back over his shoulder. “But...”

“No.” Levi cut him off in a firm tone before the brat could think up any more excuses. “No buts and no more cutsie eyes. Get your ass over there.”

“Can't we go over together?”

The raven shook his head, jerking his chin in the direction of one of the service counters. “I have to let the clerk over there know that we'll be using one of their rooms first. I'll be there in a second.”

“Can't I just-”

“Eren.” Levi said the kid’s name with a warning tone. “You have five seconds to go over and get started with the measurements or I will drag you there by your hair.”

Eren laughed, clearly not believing that the raven would make good on his threat. Five seconds later Levi towed a yelping Eren along behind him, one hand tugging on a good fistful of soft brown locks.

“Ow! Ah-no L-Levi! O-Ouch!”

Eren whimpered and yelped his complaints as he followed along behind, having to walk at a hunched angle because of their height difference. The store assistant looked on with a wide-eyed stare as the smaller male shoved the taller towards the counter.

“Sorry about the wait,” the raven muttered, “he’s…new to this sort of thing.”

The brunette covered his head with his arms, rubbing at the sore patch of his scalp.

From her place behind the counter, the young clerk regarded the pair. She seemed impressed with both of them, leaning in to speak to Levi. Smiling a little too pleasantly, the girl gestured from the raven to the brunette.

“Relative?” She asked, her tone a little too hopeful for it to be an accident.

Eren seemed to recover from his sulking fit very quickly, stepping over beside Levi with a glare.

“Boyfriend.” The brunette all but growled, straightening suddenly and curving a possessive arm about the raven’s waist.

Levi folded his arms across his chest and leaned slightly against the brat, raising an eyebrow at the girl’s shocked expression.

“That’s right.” The smaller male confirmed, schooling his face into an eerily blank expression. “Now are you actually going to do your job or do we need to make a scene?”

The clerk sat back in her chair, waving her hands in front of her to pacify them. “N-No, uh…right this way, Sir.”

With a calm nod, Levi smirked. “That’s more like it.”

“Oh for fucks sake, Eren!”

“Sir, could you please remain still?”

Ten minutes. Ten whole minutes Eren had been standing there fidgeting and still nothing. Suddenly the boy was regretting not wearing something that covered a little more skin. But nothing was as torturous as the instruction to remain as still as possible.

“Levi, I’m bored!” Eren whined over at him.

Levi arched a thin brow at the kid. “Take a good look at my face, brat, and see if I give a shit.”

“But Leviiiiiiiiiii!”

The raven resisted the urge to bash his head against the wall he was leaning against. “Stop complaining, we’re only here because of you.”

“I never said I wanted anything.” Eren whined, turning his pleading eyes on the smaller male.

Levi sighed, it was a tired sound. “That doesn’t mean you don’t need it.”

“Sir, please just hold still-”

“Ah! Don’t touch there!” Eren jumped back from an accidental brush against his thigh, teetering on the edge of the podium and ultimately toppling off it.

Levi ran a hand over his face and suppressed a strong urge to groan as the brunette scrambled up in a mess of legs and flailing arms that would have been cute if not for the time already spent standing there and still no progress had been achieved. The boy ran over to the raven, ducking behind the smaller man and peeping over his shoulder to glare daggers at the senior assistant.

“Eren, get back over there.”

The brunette shook his head with a petulant frown. “I don’t want to.”

“I don’t care, you’re going to. Now.”

Eren had never been so prone to distraction as he was then, head darting about to follow every single tiny movement that his teal eyes caught sight of. Every shift of fabric or cleared throat made the brat flinch and twitch towards the sound. The boy twisted and squirmed, clearly uncomfortable with having to maintain such close proximity to anyone but the raven he had chosen.

While annoying, Levi couldn’t help but snicker at the occasional murderous look that would build in the brunette’s eyes, only to dissolve back into a moping pout moment later. For a man-eating killer, Eren was adorable. It was hard to picture the boy as anything that could possibly pose a fatal threat; the brunette looked exactly like any young unruly college student.

As if things couldn’t get any worse, Eren discovered that he was ticklish. Levi noticed when the brunette let out a startled giggle and shimmied away from the hand near his side. The raven assumed that the boy was one of those people who were only ticklish when they were tense, as he had touched Eren before and not caused him to laugh or shy away from wandering hands.

It made things practically impossible for the grumpy senior assistant and after enduring all of the brunette’s antics and the raven’s amused snorts or scoffing laughter, the grey-haired man stormed out with the final measurements and probably a year’s worth of required anger-management therapy.

“Is it over?” Eren asked wearily from the podium.

Levi chuckled, straightening. “That part is.”

The way the brunette’s eyes brightened made the raven-haired man’s lips quirk up into a half smile. Eren was off the pedestal and darting over to Levi in a second, moving just a little too fast not to be questionable and the raven clicked his tongue in reproach.

“Careful.” He chided, frowning a little. “You don’t want to draw attention.”

“It’s fine, nobody saw anything.”

Eren leaned down to kiss the raven but Levi turned his head last minute and the boy’s lips pressed to the other man’s cheek instead. The brunette tried again, this time catching the corner of Levi’s mouth, but the raven shifted again when Eren went for his lips, grey eyes dancing with mischief. Eren’s lips curved into a smile against the other man’s cheek and he leaned forward.

Levi found endless amusement in teasing the brat, evading his every attempt to join their mouths, but only just. It was maddeningly frustrating, but the boy indulged in the raven’s game and gave chase until the pair noticed the blushing girl who had pulled back the curtain. It was the same clerk from the counter, probably sent to deal with them because the old fart had bust a vein from having to deal with such a troublesome pair of men.

Eren had never looked less pleased to see someone in all the time Levi had known him. The boy's face looked despairingly bored, almost unsettlingly so until the brunette pouted a little against the raven's cheek.

It had taken several minutes for the young female to return, this time with a selection of suits and other formal-wear that catered to Eren’s measurements and the brunette groaned when he was told to try them all on.

“Do I have to?”

“Yes.” Levi replied, sorting through the clothes that had been hung up in the little room where Eren would be changing. “Go on, this is the fun part. For me at least.”

The brunette turned curious eyes on the smaller man, raising an eyebrow. “Oh? Why’s that?”

Levi already had the answer perched on his tongue and the words escaped as soon as Eren finished asking his question. “Because I get to watch your gorgeous ass prancing around in a suit.”

Soft pink dusted itself across the boy's cheeks and the brunette swallowed, ducking his head and smiling.

“Fine.” Eren attempted to sound reluctant, but he couldn't wipe the grin off his face. “But only because you think I’m gorgeous.”

“Take a look in the mirror, kid.” The raven-haired man murmured, beginning to smirk. “Your ass is fine…and now it’s mine.”

“Damn.” The brunette snickered at the raven's words. “You’re a poet and you didn’t know it?”

“And I’ve got the rhymes to show it.” Levi shot right back, smirking.

Eren gave up trying to search for another rhyme in favour of laughing, ducking into the little booth and grabbing hold of the curtain.

The brunette shot Levi a mock-accusatory look, drawing the curtain mostly across and leaning out. “No peeking.”

Levi smirked, leaning back against the wall. “Don’t tempt me.”

With a wink, the boy tugged the curtain closed and the raven resigned himself to wait. Figuring that it would take the brat a while to figure out just how to get into a suit, Levi darted off to snag a few other items around the store.

By the time he returned, Eren was still rustling around behind the curtain.

“Oh my fu-” Levi started to growl but cut himself off to start a new line of enquiry, “aren’t you done yet?”

“Hmm?” Eren's voice sounded from beyond the curtain. “Oh no, I…I am. Just…I don’t know how this strip of cloth works.”

The raven gave a sigh. “Well is it a belt or a tie?”

“Um…” Eren drew out the sound in an uncertain tone.

“Ugh. Just come out already, I promise not to laugh.”

A short moment of silence passed until Eren spoke up.

“That’s a lie, isn’t it?”

“…”

The boy heaved a reluctant sigh. “Okay, fine.”

With a rustle and the clink of metal curtain rings, Eren pushed the drape aside and stepped out.

Levi did not laugh, probably because he was focusing all his energy on not sporting the world’s most inconvenient boner in the middle of the store. Granted, it’s not like there was anyone else in their immediate vicinity, but the principle remained.

Eren looked amazing. The bouncy, adorable brat had been replaced with some kind of mysterious, suave looking young man. Black slacks and a black dress shirt to match, along with a beige coloured suits jacket over the top came together marvellously on the kid’s lean frame.

Levi quickly decided that Eren didn’t even need the tie, staring shamelessly at the pronounced collar bones that peeked out with the two top buttons left undone. It took a tremendous effort not to give into his urge to mark the kid with his teeth, right then and there. Eren’s almost timid sounding voice broke the raven out of his reverie.

“Levi..?”

Grey eyes snapped back up to meet uncertain teal and Levi felt his face soften at the little smile he found on the boy’s face.

“So do I look like an idiot, or..?” Eren trailed off, trying to make light of his uncertainty.

“Or.” Levi answered. “Definitely or.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind.” The raven shook his head as Eren frowned over missed humour. “You look incredible.”

“I do?” Eren's entire face portrayed his shock, the wide eyes, the surprised blush, even the way his lips parted slightly. “Really?” And then the excitement began to morph through and a cheeky little smile brightened the boy's face. “Like, how incredible?”

“Like holy Mother Theresa, hold onto your fly kind of incredible.” Levi said without pause, pleased with the laughter his words drew from the brunette. “It’s all I can do not to bend you over right here.”

Eren had this adorable trait of holding the tip of his tongue between his teeth whenever he got truly excited over something and he had the exact same look on his face now. An air of playfulness surged from this classy looking being and he slipped his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

“I wouldn’t mind giving the store a little show if you wouldn’t?” Eren murmured, waggling his eyebrows at the raven suggestively.

Levi recognised the low tone and sent the boy a smirk. “Oh no, I’m not quite that turned on.”

“Darn…maybe I should try harder.” Eren's eyes grew a little darker, teal eyes half-lidded.

“No, no you don’t.” The raven held up a hand in reprimand. “You stay over there and pivot for me. I want to see every angle.”

The brunette’s playful smile became a giddy grin and he stepped back obediently, giving a twirl.

“You like?” Eren enquired, biting his lip.

“Fuck yes.” The raven nodded, gripping his seat to keep his legs from taking him over to the kid and slamming him up against the wall, public be damned. “That’s a keeper.”

“I wonder how the others will be.” The brunette continued to tease.

“Don’t just stand there, go pick another.”

“Yes, Sir!” Eren saluted and turned on his heel.

“And for God’s sake, don’t take so long this time.” Levi complained, folding his arms across his chest.

“All good,” the boy’s voice sounded from behind the curtain, “I think I’ve got the hang of it now.”

“Apart from the tie.” The raven reminded.

“Yeah.”

Everything that Eren put on looked absolutely fantastic, with one exception of a hideous floral jacket that the brunette had found sitting under the table in his dressing room and tried on for shits and giggles.

Levi had been horrified, pretending to gag at the pattern until Eren finally took the monstrosity off again. It was an odd sort of relief to see the brunette come bouncing back out of the booth dressed in his mini shorts and turtleneck.

They left the store with quite a bit more than intended and Levi considered that he might have to invest in a bigger closet soon. And maybe even a bigger apartment. Eren loved the flat, but Levi knew that even with just the two of them there the place was crowded. He didn’t want to make the boy worry about things like moving about right then, not when the kid looked so happy.

Levi hailed a cab and thus the demon experienced his first real drive in a car. It had taken a moment to convince the boy that getting inside the vehicle would be safe but once Levi was in the brunette reluctantly followed. The raven sat back and watched the brat stare out of the window, eyes darting after every passing thing like he’d never seen a tree or dog or building before. Granted, everything was still new and therefore exciting for the kid, but Levi couldn’t hold back the amused little smile that curved his lips.

Not long into the trip, Eren abandoned his seatbelt in favour of scrambling across to Levi’s side of the backseat and settling himself in the raven’s lap. The boy’s back pressed against Levi’s chest as Eren pressed his hands against the glass of the window, still at least pretending to be interested in the view.

Levi couldn’t give a flying fuck about what was out the window, not with the way Eren shifted on his lap, pressing his ass against the raven’s groin. So much for not popping a boner until they got back to the apartment, Levi thought to himself with a roll of his eyes as he squirmed, suddenly feeling constricted by the tightness of his jeans against the growing throb between his legs.

Eren…that little shit.

Biting his tongue to hold back any compromising sounds, the raven brought his hands up to hold the brunette’s hips, squeezing until teal eyes flickered over to meet his gaze in the reflection of the window. Eren flashed him a playful smile and shifted his hips again. Levi watched the boy raise an eyebrow at him, no doubt able to feel the raven’s arousal pressing against him.

The smaller man snaked his hands under the brunette’s sweater, teasing his way up steadily heating flesh and toying with the boy’s pert nipples. Eren didn’t try nearly so hard to be quiet, whimpering softly and arching his back. Levi scratched blunt nails across the hot skin of Eren’s stomach, exhaling hard when the brat started to grind his ass in circles against him. The brunette shuddered in the man’s arms, breath catching in his throat every time the raven bucked his hips.

It was all too quick a drive and the apartment building came into view far too soon for either of their liking. Gathering up their things, the two males shuffled from the car, wincing from the confinement that jeans brought them. Receiving a suspicious glance from the driver, Levi paid and ducked sheepishly out of the car.

Levi had never been so eager to climb stairs in all his life, especially after seeing Eren dash off towards the complex with all the clothes and Levi’s keys in hand.

Steps weren’t such a problem when you took them two or three at a time. Living on a higher floor was a bitch, though, and the raven was feeling a little breathless by the time he staggered into the open flat.

Eren was on him in a second, literally on him. The brunette leapt into the raven’s arms before the man could even shut the door properly, legs wrapping themselves around his waist as searching lips crashed against Levi’s mouth, open in a sound of surprise.

For all of Eren’s drive, he still faltered when it came to trying new things. The searing kiss slowed as Eren’s tongue crept cautiously inside the raven’s mouth, tentatively exploring the cavern. Levi kicked the door shut, wrapping the brunette up in his arms and tilting his head to slot their mouths together. Levi coaxed Eren in further with playful little licks and the boy moaned shamelessly when the raven sucked on his tongue, hips stuttering against Levi’s at the feeling.

The pair broke apart, gasping for air, and Eren lent his forehead against Levi’s.

“Bedroom?” The boy panted, hopeful.

“Are you going to get down, or should I just carry you?”

Eren’s arms tightened around the raven’s neck and he smiled, biting his lip. Levi rolled his eyes fondly, stretching up a little to peck the kid’s forehead.

“Carrying it is.”

Chapter Text

“Why don’t you love me, touch me, tell me I’m your everything, the air you breathe…” – Hot Chelle Rae, Why Don’t You Love Me.

***

Making it to the bedroom wasn’t normally a difficult thing to do. One foot in front of the other, and so on and so on, until one reached the intended destination. But try telling that to a lust-filled mind. Suddenly solving algebraic equations seemed like a simpler task. Sure, a little patience would get them there eventually…

But Eren was by no means a patient creature. Quite the opposite, in fact.

The demon boy seemed to want to make twenty separate decisions all at once. His mouth sought to kiss and lick and bite, sometimes mouthing roughly along skin in a mashed attempt of all three.

Unsure of the procedure but sure that he wanted it to proceed, Eren hunted Levi through the flat with biting kisses, growling low in the back of his throat. He was confident enough in that, mouth rough on Levi’s jaw, his neck. Herding the raven. Eren’s hands grabbed at whatever flesh was under them, clutching at Levi’s thighs, hips, and sides as the raven backed up bit by bit. Giving only the smallest victories. Levi knew what Eren wanted, smirking into the almost aggressive kisses that the demon boy doled out. Passionate and needy, with no sense of finesse in his desperate state. Eren was working himself up with almost no help from Levi and the raven knew it. He revelled in it. He wouldn’t give up the game so easily, though. It had been no small amount of time since Levi had taken a partner, let alone one that he intended to keep around for more than a brief night’s fling. This kind of situation required exploration.

Besides, Levi was fairly confident that aside from Eren’s gung-ho attitude and over-enthusiasm, the demon was clueless in matters of the bedroom. Sure, Eren had experienced a sparse few pleasures now. That didn’t make him experienced. It was, Levi found, actually kind of funny. That a being existing in the apparent dominion of sin had not partaken.

It would be a rare and delightful moment to be able to play with a creature that had lived for so long and yet remained so innocent in some ways.

Levi got a hand behind Eren’s head and coaxed him nearer, head tilting to kiss the boy deeply in the way that made his face heat up. His bottom lip got shaky, stilled easily enough when Levi’s mouth closed over it to suck. Eren’s hands faltered, hesitating in their determined exploration of Levi’s hips. Curled hard around said hips instead for some kind of support while he let Levi teach him. Pliant lips yielded to Levi’s tongue and Eren allowed himself to be guided into something slow and sensual. A press of lips, the gradual tilting of the head to find the angle that felt the best. Eren lost himself to it. Eyes closed, any embarrassing noises of pleasure quieted against Levi’s mouth and lost to his throat. The slide of their mouths grew almost lazy, but inside Levi made sure to leave no area of Eren’s mouth without attention.

Tongues sliding, teaching in languid patterns the lazy bliss that kissing could be. Chaste, also, in quick moments of passing, but Levi wasn’t looking for anything chaste right then and there. And neither, thankfully, was Eren. He was eager, maybe a little too eager. He kept getting a little overzealous with his tongue action, easily coaxed back with a few nips until Eren was calm and ready to be led again.

Whining near constant in Levi’s ears. Wanting more. Eager enough that he was able to wait.

Hands threaded through Eren’s hair whenever he did something right, stroking Levi’s tongue with his and earning gentle fingernails against his scalp.

They broke for air, only Eren didn’t breathe once they had parted. It was like he’d only remembered that he didn’t need the air when he could focus again. That focus quickly slipped as his eyes trained on Levi again, panting almost instantly as his gaze dropped on the raven’s mouth. He was welcome to look, though, and Levi praised him for it. If without using words.

Their next meeting was a little less aggressive on Eren’s part, but no less enthused. The kid was getting the hang of things, taking to licking at the inside of Levi’s mouth not unlike the way he occasionally tried to groom the raven. That had been weird, some demonic habit as Eren explained almost every time it happened, but it wasn’t so bad against Levi’s tongue. And Eren seemed doubly pleased by anything the raven did to him. Be it teeth sinking into the brunet’s lower lip, or the soothing swipe of tongue that always followed. Levi swallowed appreciative whimpers, feeling Eren squirm against him more and more. When the brunet allowed himself to feel with the full scope of his senses, he was remarkably sensitive. Even simple things like kissing could get Eren riled, so Levi should have expected the lost little whine that the demon made when Levi sucked on his tongue.

Pulling back, Levi eyed Eren for a brief moment.

“You demons don’t have some weird ‘tongue is actually your dick’ thing, do you?” He asked.

Eren’s features twitched into confusion. “No.”

Well at least it hadn’t been a question; Eren was confused by Levi’s question but sure of his answer.

Good; Levi wasn’t sure what he would have done with any weird demonic biology twists. Like tail dicks or spontaneous tentacle hands. God forbid. But Eren seemed sure that their biology was more or less the same in functionality at least. So Eren was just sensitive, then. More so. Whatever happened down in Hell when demons were made, born, whatever, Levi was appreciative of it.

He would be able to have a lot of fun with that.

Likewise, Levi felt especially sensitive under Eren’s fingers. He doubted that it had anything to do with supernatural demon powers, though. More likely it was just that no one had touched him with the intent to be intimate in a long time. And Eren put his hands on Levi like he was readying to tackle him, much less hold him. The brunet tried to match Levi’s energy, outmatching him instead. He wasn’t the most skilled at kissing yet, especially in moments of abandon. Whenever Eren took actual charge of a kiss there was a definitive overuse of tongue action – Levi learned that pulling away generally got the demon to calm down.

A little space, a little air (for him at least), and then back to business.

Slower, more methodical kisses were initiated, and finally Eren started to explore Levi. He learned quickly that Levi liked to bite, nipping with no intention to really hurt whenever Eren’s tongue lingered in his mouth for long.

Levi felt a hesitant pressure against his hips – Eren pressing his arousal almost shyly against the raven. He sought pressure, friction, against Levi’s body, and found it. He ground against Levi, but gasped and broke their kiss when Levi pushed his hips back against Eren.

Foreign urges tore at the demon. He craved this learning, wanted to know every last thing that could make Levi squirm in his hands. But newly awakened and demanding areas of his body were desperate for satisfaction.

How to ask for more, though?

His throat seemed against the idea of words, his mouth uninterested with any action that didn’t involve tasting Levi’s lips, his skin. There wasn’t enough of said skin uncovered. Eren decided that was a good enough place to start and he tugged at the material of Levi’s shirt. It was hard to focus on what his hands were doing, as well as keep up with Levi’s mouth. He tried his best, pawing somewhat uselessly at the raven’s chest. Eren had so many urges. He wanted Levi naked, but he’d have to let go of the raven and actually focus on the task. And Levi was no help there; he let the demon wrestle with his urges for a while, distracting Eren with cheeky kisses. Levi relented eventually, leading the way backwards towards the bedroom when Eren’s fingers proved useless in removing the shirt.

They bumped their way through the doorway, Eren’s frustrated whimpers following a retreating Levi.

Another brief pause, a biting kiss.

Eren pressed forwards, and there was nowhere to go. Nowhere but down.

They’d hit the bed a little faster than planned and went tumbling back onto it in a rush of flailing limbs and breathless laughter.            Levi lost his shirt at last, tossing it somewhere to be found later. He might have folded it if his lap hadn’t been full of a very eager Eren.

Damned kid was practically buzzing.

The demon boy hardly knew what to be eager for, probably just eager to be getting intimate in any way. Poor thing, so starved of affection. Levi hoped that he could make this experience a memory for the boy to look back on in fondness. After so long without healthy interactions, Levi was sure this interaction would stand out. And that was good. Eren needed good memories. Positive experiences had to have been hard to come by when one lived in Hell.

With new access to skin, Eren set a hungry mouth to the patterned flesh of Levi’s shoulder. He bit a little too hard but at least the brunet hadn’t needed any encouragement to act. It was refreshing, in a way. And at least Eren had enough sense not to break the skin.

The demon seemed enamoured with the idea of tattoos, claiming in quiet tones that the taste of the ink lingering in Levi’s skin complemented his natural flavour.

Whatever that flavour was, Eren didn’t seem to have the vocabulary to explain it to Levi. It was a bit weird thinking of people flavours all of a sudden. Levi distracted himself by burying his mouth against Eren’s neck, wondering what the brunet would think if he got a feel of Levi’s teeth against his skin. He didn’t risk the temptation, unsure of what slumbering instinct the action might drag up. Levi sucked instead, feeling Eren stiffen at the unfamiliar sensation but pant even harder at the attention.

Pausing above him, poised and waiting.

Learning. Good. Eren returned his attention while Levi worked his mouth along the column of Eren’s throat, working a hand down the brunet’s chest. He wondered when Eren had lost his shirt. Or his pants, holy shit the kid moved fast. Or maybe that had been Levi’s doing?

Who knew? Nevertheless Eren had only a solitary undergarment to act as a last modesty.

A formality by this point.

And Levi bypassed that modesty with a snaking hand, worming under the elastic to ghost to tease at the barely throbbing flesh hidden there. Hot against Levi’s fingers, the skin already wet. Levi should have known Eren would be one to start leaking early.

That would only make things easier, really.

Fingers curled around the shaft and Levi squeezed.

Eren tensed in an effort not to jerk, biting harder into Levi’s shoulder, and he pushed his hips forward. Back and forward again, just barely rocking in a silent plea for more. More contact, more friction, just more. He released his bite and Levi’s skin stung in places where teeth had been pressed in, and Eren gave a breathy whisper of Levi’s name. They pulled back at the same time, Levi’s gaze fond and Eren’s nervous but determined, and Levi tugged on Eren’s cock in a slow rhythm as he coaxed the brunet down for another kiss.

Shaky exhales gusted across his lips, spilled from Eren’s throat as the demon struggled with his pleasure. Unfamiliar but so, so good. Unlike anything he had experienced before coming here, before he’d been discovered by some random human.

Levi wondered what might have happened had someone else found Eren that day. Would Eren have found his way into their bed?

Teeth gnawed at his shoulder again, stifling Eren’s latest growls, and Levi decided that no one else could have replaced him there. Any sane person wouldn’t have indulged a maniac that had tried to kill (and eat) them during their first encounter. Levi also made a deduction about himself – he had clearly lost the plot.

It seemed to be working out for him.

Back to his original train of thought, no. No one else would have had Eren like this. They would have died, more likely, right in that alleyway. Just an addition to the already bloody water.

“What’s wrong?”

Focusing back on Eren, Levi saw that the brunet was frowning.

“Hm?” He hummed in query, grateful for the distraction.

Eren hovered over him, eyes devoid of most want for the moment as he searched Levi’s face to find out what was wrong. Concerned that the frown on the raven’s face might be his doing.

Levi tilted his head at him.

Eren thumbed at his brow, trying to smooth out the lines. “You’re making a face.” He accused. “Did I…was it something I..?”

“You’re doing fine, no. I just remembered how we met.” Levi admitted, unsurprised but relieved at Eren’s sheepish laughter. “It’s not exactly spank bank material.”

The demon looked confused for a moment. Levi figured he’d caught on when the brunet’s eyebrows rose up.

“If that means anything like what I think it means, then you’re right.” Eren agreed, smiling with some strain until Levi remembered that he still had a handful of twitching dick and let go. A sigh, a grateful shudder. “I’d assume that humans are generally not turned on by the prospect of near-death experiences.”

Levi scoffed. “You must be getting better at the whole human act, then.”

Sarcasm aside, the effects of said thoughts had successfully killed off Levi’s chances of a boner. He was half hard and fading, and he huffed out a sigh.

“Don’t look disappointed,” Levi laughed at a steadily pouting Eren, “I’m not going anywhere. Gimme a minute, we’ll be back in business in no time.”

“I should hope so.” Eren said, bristling a little. “Unless this is just your body’s way of telling you that you’re not attracted to me?”

Levi was mostly sure he was joking, and thus rolling his eyes was the correct response.

“You’d better get ready to eat those words.”

“Is that all I’ll be eating?” Eren ventured, looking not even remotely like a virgin as his expression panned from sultry to a shit-eating grin the longer Levi squinted at him.

“Seriously? You can talk like that, but you’ve never had sex?”

Eren shrugged. “Sexual appetite is just like any other hunger. I improvised.”

“You cheeky little fucker. I’m obliged to inform you that making vague references to cannibalism makes for pretty shitty foreplay.”

Eren snickered, but didn’t tease him further.

Instead, he explored. Wandering fingers slinked up Levi’s thighs, looking in vain for ticklish spots. Eren pouted again when he found none, ignoring the smug look Levi sent his way, and continued upwards. Squeezed at Levi’s hips, kneaded at his sides, watching the raven soak up the attention, shifting in subtle ways a little differently each time he was touched.

Watched, also, as even this random caressing had Levi sighing, back to throbbing in no time.

Finally, finally, Eren glanced between them, pushing Levi’s flushed cock back against his belly to appreciate the trinkets that glittered beneath. The metal of his piercings were warmed from Levi’s skin, heated with arousal. Eren thumbed at the higher of the two, intrigued with the noise it pulled from the raven. Personally, Eren couldn’t imagine why anyone would allow such a tender place to be adorned in this manner. Even the usual locations for piercings seemed over the top. Who would just shove a chunk of metal through their ear, of their own free will? It had to be uncomfortable. But Levi didn’t seem to have suffered any kind of trauma from the experience. Judging by his reactions, Levi quite enjoyed having the adornments.

The black inked patterns that marked Levi’s flesh were not rendered more sensitive in arousal, Eren found. He had wondered if perhaps the markings were to enhance sensation. Some mating perk, perhaps? Apparently not – they were markings of memories wished to last. Symbols to display areas of a person’s inner identity.

The dark shapes suited Levi, made him look more vicious. His face and cock held metal, and ink sang vivid memory on his pale flesh.

And now, naked beneath Eren, Levi made for quite the vision. Petite, yes, for a male. Not feminine though, Eren recognised, as he was in no way coy or slight. Not rounded and soft, without the gentler curves of a female. Levi was made small but he was no weakling. Built of cords of muscle and sinew and strong bones, his skin stretching taught with each breath that rose and fell in Levi’s chest.

Waiting, probably for Eren. The demon realised he had been staring, playing with the hardened flesh in his hands but mostly in absentminded thought. Focusing again, Eren could feel the insistent throb of blood that swelled Levi’s arousal until it was flushed and straining, hot in Eren’s hand. The brunet fisted the length loosely and repeated what he knew, up and down, listening for any change in Levi’s breathing.

Eren cocked his head to the side slightly, observing.

He wanted to learn this, to know Levi intimately. It might be tricky, but Eren knew he wouldn’t mind if he had to spend the rest of eternity learning the ins and outs of Levi’s body, what made him squirm and gasp and plead.

Eren had been robbed of any chance to learn since he’d woken up into consciousness in a world of fire and pain, with death lurking around corners for the unwary. So many missed chances, and now this opportunity to learn and experience – to be able to feel more than two modes of nothingness or pain. And pleasure, as it turned out, was good. It was a heady sensation, distracting in the nicest way. Something worrying and distracting that made one vulnerable, but in the nicest of ways. Eren’s body was eagerly receptive to Levi’s touch and maybe the raven had an unfair advantage, being who he was, but Eren had no plans to let him onto that anytime soon. Better, first, to become familiar with this currently languid creature, watchful and interested in a lazy kind of way.

Levi didn’t seem self-conscious under Eren’s gaze, teal eyes roaming over limbs and the taught skin of Levi’s stomach as he lay stretched out. The lazy sprawl of arms about Levi’s head, the slight trail of coarse hair that slinked from navel to groin. Eren took it all in, tracing familiar patterns and parts that made up the raven-haired man laying before him.

“I don’t know where to go from here.” Eren admitted with a sigh.

His thumbs pressed absent patterns into Levi’s thighs and for a long moment the raven didn’t speak, basking in the simple attention.

“What do you want to do?” Levi asked, leaving a moment of quiet for Eren to think. “Something new? Something simple? Blowjob, handjob? Both? You know a few things. There’s more than one option here and we don’t have to push into anything new if you’re not feeling it.”

Eren deliberated, worrying his lower lip with his teeth as he thought.

Levi arched a brow at him. “Want me to teach you sixty-nine?”

The brunet squinted at him, like Levi might just be making things up at that point.

“I want to mate you.” Eren said the words with resolve, but there was still confusion in his eyes.

“It’s not that hard to do.” Levi admitted. He was watchful for any sign that Eren wasn’t sure. “The basics are pretty straightforward.”

“The basics.” Eren repeated, eyes trained somewhere on Levi’s stomach. There was a little frown etched between the brunet’s brows.

“Sure.” Levi went on. “Foreplay. Prep. Dick out of pants. Dick in ass. Make like a piston and go for it until presto, orgasm.”

Eren’s nose wrinkled more and more with every blunt comment that fell out of Levi’s mouth, and by the end of it the raven was smirking.

“Or I could just suck you off and we can call it a day?” Levi suggested with a playful twitch of his eyebrows.

He made a grab for Eren’s middle, watching the demon make a face at whatever thought was rolling through his mind as Levi sent them tumbling to the side. He mouthed at the ridge of a rib, teeth scraping gently while Eren considered his options. He whined when teeth assaulted the softer skin of his side, soothed by gentler lips a moment later.

“Don’t stress yourself out, kid. We have time.”

“I don’t want to wait.” Eren shook his head. “My every moment of existence has been spent in waiting. Waiting for a moment’s peace, waiting to be stronger, to have safety. I’ve waited enough, and I won’t wait for this now.”

“Amen to that.” He said, before Eren sent him a wry look and he remembered. “Oh shit. Sorry, force of habit I guess. That’s not insulting to you or anything?”

“If it was, you’d know.”

It was decided. Levi left Eren waiting in the middle of the bed while he hunted for this miraculous creation that was the so-called lube. It got tossed back at Eren, who stared at the tube with zero idea of what he was supposed to do with it.

Eat it? Open it? Leave it alone?

Levi returned with a little packet and a lecture for Eren about condoms and STIs that the demon seemed highly offended by. After some dubious argument, Levi relented on the condom issue. He made a good show of his reluctance, sighing heavily as he replaced the little packet in the nightstand, wondering aloud about the mess that was to come, until Eren whined his frustration.

Poor kid was practically humping the bed at this point, and Levi laughed at him.

“What am I supposed to do with this? Do we need it? Can we start now? Eren fired off questions the moment Levi returned to him.

Levi blinked and found himself pushed down, smothered with eager kisses, and he indulged in the needy attention for a moment before bothering to answer.

“Yes we’ll need it.”

Eren leaned back and snatched it up, squinting at the tube.

“Lube is good.” Levi assured the brunet, shimmying his way up the bed to grab at pillows. “The lube is your friend.”

Eren looked confused. “It…is?”

Levi levelled him with a flat look. “It sure as hell is, cos you’re not going anywhere near this ass without it. So get familiar.”

By the time Eren broke away from his odd staring contest with said lube, Levi was snuggling down into a comfy nest of pillows. His head was propped up to watch, which concerned Eren for some reason, like he needed to put on some sort of show that he had no idea how to perform.

Levi could see his panic, but Eren made himself speak before he could freak himself out.

“Alright.” He took a breath. “How much do I need?”

“Enough to cover your fingers.” Levi made a rubbing gesture with his hands, like one might spread liquid soap. “Usually I’d say less is more, you get better friction that way, but it’s entirely depending on personal preference. It’s been a while since I did this so go nuts with that stuff.”

“Okay.”

“Rub your fingers together.” Levi instructed, keeping an eye on everything Eren was doing. “Yeah, that’s good. It gets evened out that way, so you’re less likely to lose a great glob of it onto the sheets, and you’re warming it up too.”

Eren glanced up, raising an eyebrow. “And that’s good?”

Levi nodded. “Cold lube in the ass isn’t a good thing unless it’s a fucking hot day, and even then it’s startling if you’re not expecting it. Unless you’re into ice dildos, I guess.”

The brunet let that pass, seeming to realise that ice dildos had nothing to do with what they were doing right then.

“Alright.” Eren nodded, staring at his now-slicked hand with some kind of bemused determination. “Can I…can I touch you now?”

“Go for it.”

Levi figured he should have anticipated the rushed way Eren threw himself into the task. Barely a teasing touch and he was trying to push in, had two fingers in to the first knuckle right off the bat, and Levi almost kicked him in surprise.

“Christ fuck, Eren!” Levi hissed, tensing briefly. “One at a time!”

Eren stilled, one hand hovering in the air where he’d pulled it back to. The other unmoving inside the raven.

“I’m s-sorry.” The brunet stammered, still frozen.

Levi rolled his eyes and smacked him across one side with a spare pillow.

“Come on, come on.” He complained. “Before I kick you off this bed. Slowly, for the love of fuck.”

Carefully Eren shifted his hand until only one finger remained inside the smaller male, and when Levi breathed out a relieved sigh the brunet figured he was okay to start again.

He found himself distracted quite quickly, feeling Levi’s wetted insides and the heat that tensed occasionally around his exploring finger. Eren caught himself panting, eager to know what the raven would feel like wrapped around his cock.

He found himself stopped more than once, Levi adding more lube to his fingers as they were added. Two, then three. Levi insisted on a fourth, seeming like he was having a delightful time while Eren panicked about making a wrong move and getting a foot to the face for his trouble. But Levi didn’t kick him, mostly rolled his hips back onto Eren’s questing fingers.

When Levi shooed him away at last, Eren heaved out an enormous breath of relief that he hadn’t even know he’d been holding in. Levi had laughed at him for a good minute, snickering at Eren’s pout and helpfully slicking his shaft.

Eren hovered over his waiting human, letting himself be comforted and pampered with kisses while he fretted away. Apologised over and over again, without having even done anything.

He quietened at last when Levi got a hold of his cock, guiding Eren’s hips closer with his free hand. Lined them up, all the while smirking at Eren’s look of worry. He really had no idea what to expect, poor kid. Eren looked like Levi would sooner bite him than be tender, but he followed the raven’s gentle coaxing anyway. Pushed his hips forward, slipped his cockhead inside, and Eren’s gasp was accompanied by an odd light.

He froze, eyes glowing brilliantly all of a sudden, and a throaty sound reached Levi’s ears…not unlike a growl. Eren’s head fell forward, his mouth open around shaky breaths. He lunged for Levi’s throat, but the bites Levi felt were part of aggressive kisses, not the kind of aggression that the raven had been expecting.

Eren jerked, yelping at whatever sensory overload he was feeling when he pushed himself deeper.

Levi made a sharp noise of reprimand, similar to that of pulling up a dog upon finding it misbehaving. He took advantage of Eren’s dazed state.

“Oi. Cut that shit out. I swear if you go all cannibal on me I will throw you out the nearest window.” Levi closed firm fingers around Eren’s chin and yanked his jaw to the side, forcing those glowing eyes towards the window. “That one right there. Understand, brat?”

Eren whined then, wrenching his eyes shut and breathing harshly through his nose to distract himself. His arms were shaking badly where they held the younger male up. Levi let his grip loosen, fingers retracting to allow Eren to speak if he was able.

Eren wasn’t speaking. He was making a lot of noise, though. Breathing hard, whimpering like a distressed canine.

The brunet seemed reluctant to open his eyes, probably still struggling to get the glowing orbs back to normal. He did speak, though his voice was rough all of a sudden.

“It’s not…that kind of hunger.”

Levi almost frowned, almost wondered what Eren meant by that, but understanding came to him too quickly for confusion.

“Hm. Not so bad, then. Just keep the window threat in mind.”

Eren made a throaty sound, perhaps a laugh but Levi couldn’t be sure. He looked amused enough, although some kind of desperation lingered in the tense angles of his body, in the darkness of his eyes when they blinked open again – glowing pools of blue-green light with blackened pupils swelling with growing lust.

“Well?” Levi prompted, squeezing down on what Eren had gotten inside, tormenting the sensitive flesh and crumbling whatever resolve the brunet clung onto. “Are you going to keep going with this ‘just the tip’ strategy? Or, dare I fucking hope, are you actually going to fuck me some time before I die?”

If Levi had expected some kind of harsh response or quick thrust, he was disappointed. He let Eren carry on at his own pace, however slow that was. Bit by bit, what had to have been centimetre by agonising centimetre, Eren pushed further, jaw slack and eyes hopelessly staring at Levi’s face. Levi didn’t even know if Eren could see him. The kid looked lost. Happy enough, but lost to whatever he was feeling.

He didn’t seem to be coping well with the sudden overload of sensation – too sensitive to last. Even the pressure was too much, without him even moving.

Eren got his hips flush against Levi’s rear but he was already shaking by that point, hands gripping the sheets by Levi’s shoulders so tightly that he heard them tear, tremors running through every inch of him. Levi wasn’t surprised when Eren came, having barely moved. His panting broke into a pitching noise of pleasure and a terrible shudder crawled through him from the base of his spine to the top. He tensed and wailed and throbbed inside Levi as he spilled himself, Levi just chuckling quietly and massaging the brunet’s scalp.

“That’s not what I meant by go nuts with the lube, Eren.” He teased.

“S-Sorry.” Eren managed and Levi couldn’t help the twitch he gave at the roughened tone the demon had.

Levi smirked into the quiet of the room, Eren collapsed over him, panting against his neck like he was dying. He managed a lick, tongue trailing lazily over Levi’s neck a couple of times. Hot, wet, kind of gross. Levi figured it was meant to be affectionate.

Eren’s breathing, while uneven, seemed content.

“That’s…not how it’s supposed to happen?” Eren asked in that pleasure roughened voice of his, seeking clarification.

Levi snorted and said, “No.” He didn’t sound particularly disappointed. “Don’t worry, though; I’m not letting you get off so easily.”

Eren made a dazed sound of mild alarm when Levi tensed around him, tormenting oversensitive nerves. The demon backed up with a whimper, forcing shaky limbs to obey him, and slipped free of Levi’s heat with a harsh pant. He collapsed again, further down this time, and arranged himself to lay a cheek against Levi’s thigh while the rest of him sprawled lower down the bed. Eren’s eyes were back to normal now, just darkened pupils smothering irises, low-lidded eyes gazing up at Levi.

“I don’t suppose you’re at all satisfied?” Eren asked.

He managed to look hopeful.

Levi smirked at the ceiling.

“Well I’d heard first times were pretty short but that was some kind of record.” Levi said, grinning when Eren made a face at him, weary for the moment.

He didn’t have the shame in him to look embarrassed, just relaxed and sated, limbs heavy and skin warm. They hadn’t even had time to work up a sweat. Levi looked between them, then at the ceiling again, and wanted to laugh at the situation. Couldn’t quite manage to, although he shook briefly with suppressed laughter. Eren, sensing the tremors, smiled against his leg and pressed a lazy kiss to the hot skin there.

“Little shit,” Levi muttered, “you’d better have some amazing recovery stamina.”

Eren arched an eyebrow at the words but didn’t say anything. He just watched as Levi sighed and pushed a hand down his stomach, fingers curling around what lasting arousal he still had. It wouldn’t take much to get him throbbing again and Levi set to work on that, letting Eren watch him play.

He gasped in pleasant surprise when Eren crawled over him again, looking adorably determined. Levi finally laughed when Eren did him the courtesy of preparing him again, like it didn’t even occur to him not to bother. What a gentleman. Levi almost scared the boy to death when Eren managed to find his prostate, and Levi guessed moaning could sound rather alarming if you weren’t expecting them. Eren hovered like he thought the raven was in pain, only to be pulled into a breathless kiss. He got the message, encouragement, and worked that sweet spot until Levi had to physically stop him.

“Cut it out, you little shit. I’m going to cum, I said.”

“Then do it.” Eren had retorted, confused when Levi squirmed away.

But then he was pulling Eren to him again, and the brunet needed no further guidance. He was somewhat better prepared this time around, still overwhelmed at that first, intense sensation of penetration. That heat that wrapped around his length was devastatingly good, and Eren had to be reminded to move at all.

Every sound that left his mouth made Eren want to hide his face, but it was flushed anyway and he wouldn’t have been able to willingly stop if he’d tried. Levi got his legs around Eren’s waist, and it must have done something spectacular for him for the little man all but howled.

Eren felt bad for the neighbours for a moment.

When he finished for the second time, pushed as deeply as he could go, Levi worked him through it. The sensation was so intense it was almost unbearable, and Eren writhed helplessly, unable to even help Levi finish. The raven stroked himself through his own completion, and he looked just as satisfied as Eren felt.

Despite the sheepish feeling that he could have done a lot better, should have been more attentive, shouldn’t have gotten so caught up in his own pleasure, Eren felt happy. He couldn’t explain it, the overwhelming high that smothered him, made him pull Levi close and kiss him, lazy and deep. Eren felt like sleeping, even as Levi smacked at his arm weakly, demanding to be released so they could both clean up.

Ah yes, this was the mess Levi had predicted.

It did feel messy. Eren rolled his hips where they were still pressed against the raven’s, and felt them both tense and hiss at the overstimulation. Giggling moments later, Eren enjoyed the sticky intimacy. How wet Levi was inside, pumped with Eren’s seed twice over. Still squeezing around him every so often in aftershock, and Eren winced but refused to pull out. Not yet. Just a bit longer.

He held tight to the docile, languid little human in his arms, and allowed himself to purr.

Levi prodded at him. “You can nap after we’ve had a shower. The global effort to save water can wait, but hygiene cannot.”

“Five more minutes.” Eren complained, like he was being prodded to rouse for breakfast rather than being scolded to get clean.

The eye roll Levi gave was almost audible, Eren thought. But the raven didn’t argue, allowing them a moment of peace.

“I still feel gross.”

Eren smiled.

Chapter Text

“It's not always easy and sometimes life can be deceiving. I'll tell you one thing, it's always better when we're together.” – Jack Johnson, Better Together.

***

“I hate you.”

“Pfft!”

The bathroom was rather busy come Friday afternoon. Levi adjusted his collar by the mirror while Eren took his sweet-ass time getting ready to shower, smiling away to himself while the raven-haired man rolled his eyes.

“This was your crummy idea to begin with, brat.”

“Did you seriously just say crummy?”

Levi glowered at his reflection in the mirror, breaking his own eye contact to roll the cuffs of his shirt back to just past his wrist. The raven fixed his tie, shiny grey with black stripes that ran diagonally. Tailor-made black trousers contrasted his shirt nicely, and a tan belt looped about his waist.

Over a white dress shirt, Levi pulled on a light grey waistcoat with four dark buttons which the raven quickly fastened. He slipped a black vest over the top of that which hung open, connected at the front by a simple loop of silver chain across his stomach.

Not too shabby, Levi thought as he eyed himself in the mirror again, deciding against wearing a coat. It wasn’t that cold out and he didn’t really want to have to go looking for one of his suit jackets anyway.

The raven-haired man glanced down at the metal laying on the vanity, the piercings which he had taken out, and sighed.

Louder than he'd meant to as the sound caught Eren's attention.

“You're not going to wear them?”

It was a hassle having to take them off, especially when it wasn't for something practical like work, but above all Levi didn't want to bring down the night if people looked at him in that funny way people do. Like having metal on his face somehow made him a freak, the subject of hushed conversations in the background. It would only serve to make Eren cross, angry, or worse...upset.

Levi could handle anger, could deal with a moody brat casting sullen glares over his shoulder...but he wouldn't have a clue how to help the boy if the whispers made him sad.

At last, after an extended silence, the raven exhaled. “Nah, I'd better not.”

Eren didn't seem to have expected that, frowning. “Why?”

Always with the questions, Eren was like a stumbling child at times. It was all Levi could do to be there and guide the boy's steps.

“It's not the sort of place that would appreciate that kind of...appearance.” The raven said, hoping that his words would be enough to quell the boy's curiosity.

It did not.

Instead, Eren's features took on a rather serious expression. “And why should that stop you?”

Levi frowned over at the boy. “Because it'll draw attention.”

“Good. Wear them anyway.” Eren said, sounding unexpectedly firm. “We shouldn't both have to hide.”

The sound of metal scraping gently against tiles reached Levi's ears as he held the boy's gaze. Eren scooped up the accessories and held them out in an open palm. At last, the raven scoffed.

“You persistent little shit.” He muttered, shaking his head with a smirk as he snatched up the offered items.

Eren watched with a pleased smile as Levi reattached the piercings, instantly adding an air of danger to the smaller male's appearance. The brunette approved the change.

The raven spent his next moments fussing over the boy and matching shirts with jackets and pants. While he went about forming a full outfit for the brat to wear, Eren showered at last. Levi grew impatient with the boy's leisurely manner of drying and stepped in to help the kid towel off. If the pleased look on Eren's face was anything to go by, the brat had been hoping for exactly that. Being fussed over by the smaller male was becoming one of the brunette's favourite things, and Levi was more than happy to do things for the boy if it meant that he could save time.

Clothes chosen and slipped onto the brunette's lean form left the pair finally ready to get going. Eren was looking damned fine; Levi was very pleased with his work.

The brunette had donned a beige and maroon checked shirt and a black and white striped tie that Levi had fixed for him. The raven hadn’t been able to dissuade the brat from wearing his faded jeans but the stained navy went almost too well with the coat Levi had had made especially for the boy. It was maroon in colour and hugged the brunette’s body nicely. There were eight large metal buttons attached the front and Eren had done up only the bottom four. Normally the raven would have fixed the rest, but having the top four left unfastened added an odd sense of uniformity to the look.

“Damn…” Eren murmured, appraising himself in the mirror beside Levi, “is it just me, or are we severely attractive right now?”

Levi chuckled at that. “It isn’t just you.”

The Rose was as decadently decorated as ever, covered in roses true to its name and almost beckoning with its friendly yellow lighting. The restaurant was tucked away in a part of the city that Eren had never seen before and the two men had to take a cab to reach it. Levi was unwilling to drive when there would be alcohol available and it was much too far to walk. But they were dropped off a block away when the raven-haired man decided that he didn't want to show up climbing out of a garish yellow taxi.

Levi was fully prepared to act like a properly behaved human being, but of course Eren soon fixed that, looping a lazy arm about the smaller male's waist and hugging him possessively against his side.

“You're really trying to make an impression, aren't you?”

Eren's mouth quirked up at one side and he exhaled through his nose instead of laughing. “As long as people know to keep their hands off of you, then I'll behave.”

“And if they don't?”

The boy didn't reply, but an amused sound did form in his throat, the noise somewhere between a hum and a chuckle.

Eren kept his eyes straight ahead, but Levi didn't miss the flash of pearly teeth as Eren grinned. The boy had a strange way of smiling sometimes; managing a perfect balance of charm and menace. It could be downright unsettling, especially when the raven wasn't sure what the kid was planning. Not all that long ago such an expression would have set the man's nerves on edge. Now it made him shake his head.

“Don't do anything that might compromise your cover.”

“I wouldn't dream of it.”

The girl on staff that spotted them from the doorway of The Rose was instantly drawn to look at the way the two males never separated, keeping up a casual stride as they approached. Her initial expression of scrutiny crumbled into shock when the men drew nearer.

A boy and some kind of street punk. Not exactly their usual customers, but as long as they paid and behaved, they would be welcome.

Levi wasted no time with greetings other than a simple 'hey' when the youth greeted them at the door.

“We have reservations, under Zoe or Berner.” The raven made a face, unsure which of the two names their party would be booked under. “One of the two.”

Thankfully the lady on staff was very obliging. “Let's have a look...um, ah, yes of course. Reservations for Zoe and Berner, table for eight?”

“That's right.” Levi nodded, silently thanking Hanji for making reservations under two names.

She always did know when his attention would lapse.

Their young attendant smiled and snapped her book shut with a pleasant, 'Right this way, Sirs'.

The pair followed after her, being led in through the foyer. The high ceiling was supported by great pillars and carved into the structures were thorny vines. Indeed, everywhere one looked, the ‘rose’ theme could be seen. All of the directional signs were painted in an elegant red font and many crystal vases decorated the walls and tables.

“Will you two be wanting anything to drink just yet?” The girl attendant asked, looking over her shoulder at the pair following.

Levi shook his head. “No, thank you. We'll wait.”

“Of course.” She smiled, far friendlier than anything the raven would have expected, and led them into the main room.

It was like a great hall out of a movie, the kind of enormous room that great kings would hold feasts in. Many carved wooden tables lined the room from the walls out into the middle of the space.

Their guide stretched out a slender arm, pointing towards the middle of the room. “Yours is the table by the centre column,” she informed them, giving one last beam and a little bow, “have a wonderful evening.”

Eren sent the girl a pleasant smile. “Thank you very much!”

The girl left with a nod, heading back out towards the foyer.

Levi noticed the way the brunette's façade fell the moment that the boy looked away from the girl’s retreating back, his smile dropping as teal eyes scanned the room. Ever the observant and paranoid brat, the raven had to wonder why the boy had insisted on coming tonight if he was going to be this edgy.

Jabbing his elbow into the brunette’s ribcage, Levi caught the boy’s eyes. “Oi, what's wrong?”

Eren almost made a face, his brows drawing together minutely as if to scrunch up but then smoothing out again seconds later.

The boy gave a soft little sigh, averting his gaze. “Nothing. It's just a lot of people.”

So many humans beings gathered in one place created more than enough of a tantalising scent to make Eren remember the fact that he was more than a little peckish. The brunette was all too keenly aware of the last time he had fed…and all of the days in between that time and now. Too long to be considered safe, really, but he couldn't bear the thought of parting from his human so soon after bonding.

Levi, however, didn't seem so inclined to remain close as he lent away from the boy's hold a little.

“So?” The raven questioned, arching an eyebrow. “You've dealt with people before.”

Eren managed a humourless laugh. “If by dealt, you mean eaten, then yes.”

As sullen as the idea of going another day without a proper meal made the brunette, he was still easily chipper enough to make comments that would make Levi squirm.

“Oh for fuck's sake, Eren.” The raven grumbled. “Not when we're about to eat.”

Eren only grinned, letting Levi slip free of his hold as the pair moved further into the restaurant.

Of course Hanji was the first person they saw, but it took a good few seconds for Eren to recognise her at all. She looked like nothing short of royalty in a golden dress that fell to pool about her feet. An intricately designed pattern of gold and bronze leaves wrapped around the dress, forming the one shoulder strap holding up the material. The leaves then tapered off to decorate the rest of the garment. It was hard to believe that Hanji would ever dress differently.

The brown-haired woman had also removed her glasses, yet another factor that rendered her an almost completely different person.

“I guess you can't call her fore-eyes or shitty glasses tonight, huh Levi?” Eren leaned down to whisper, smirking a little as he did so.

A sharp jab to his ribs had the boy straightening, rubbing the sore spot that Levi had elbowed.

“Meany.”

The raven rolled his eyes, managing to catch Hanji's gaze as they drew nearer. The woman's eyes widened and she smiled, looking absolutely ecstatic but for once without the manic edge.

“Levi? You came! And you brought Eren?” The brown-haired woman clasped her hands together and let out a happy sigh that tapered off into a little laugh. “I honestly thought that no one would bother showing up at all.” She shrugged, pausing to think. “Well…maybe Mike and Nanners, but you two? Nope.”

“Thanks for the fucking vote of confidence.” Levi muttered as he reached the table.

Eren's brow furrowed a little. “Um, Hanji, what happened to your glasses?”

“Hmm?” The woman looked at him with a little frown of confusion colouring her features before understanding replaced it. “Oh, I took them off because they might have clashed with the look I was going for. Do you like it?”

The brown-haired woman gave a little twirl, causing the dress to spin and rustle softly. It really did look like some kind of man-made whirly wind; a tiny, playful tornado of golden leaves.

Eren smiled. “It's lovely. You look like Lady Autumn.”

Hanji let out a light-hearted sounding laugh, steadying herself after the brief spin.

“Aw, you're too much.” She smiled, turning her shining eyes on Levi. “What do you think, Mr Grinch?”

Levi resisted the urge to roll his eyes at yet another stupid nickname, focusing instead on the way his friend looked. She had really put some effort into the night’s ensemble.

“Not bad.” The raven allowed, giving a nod. “Not bad at all. Careful though, looking like that might just make Moblit propose.”

The excited look on Hanji’s face caused an almost playful smirk to appear on the raven’s face.

“Oh gosh, do you think so?” The brown-haired woman asked, her eyes brighter than ever.

It was just proof to Levi that despite all of her eccentric mannerisms, Hanji was still a human being with perfectly normal wishes. He was quite pleased that she had calmed down a bit for tonight.

“You never know.” The raven murmured back, glancing around. “But speaking of Moblit, where is he?”

Now Hanji laughed, the delighted aura fading a little to be replaced with the woman’s usual air of humour. “Well he was parking the car but Lord knows what adventure he's off on now.”

Levi gave a snort, shaking his head at the thought. It would be just like Moblit to get accidentally caught up in some kind of misadventure on the one night when he had somewhere to be.

“While we wait then, I've been wondering,” the raven-haired man returned his attention to his brown-haired friend, “since you took off your glasses are you walking blind right now? Or did you finally take my advice and go for contacts?”

Hanji grinned, smoothing out the fabric of her dress.

“The latter. Contacts aren't something that I'd like to make permanent, but I can handle them for a little while.”

The doors opened then, catching their attention, and in walked a familiar face. Levi's eyes widened in a rare display of shock as his eyes travelled over the man approaching. He was wearing a shimmering emerald green suit with a black tie and shiny black shoes. It was the shade of the man's clothes that surprised the raven. Moblit had never seemed like the overly flashy type and this seemed almost funny because of it.

“It's always the quiet ones.” Levi muttered to himself, exchanging a knowing look with Hanji before speaking again as the man got closer. “Don't tell me, you ran over a cat and had to rush it to hospital? Am I right?”

Moblit looked up, a confused expression playing about his features. “Huh?”

“Or maybe the staff wouldn't let you come in because your clothes are so bright that they're an OH&S issue, is that it?”

“He's only teasing.” Hanji murmured to a perplexed looking Eren, her smile a little less bright as she spoke. “What do you think, though? If I'm Lady Autumn, is Moblit Lord Spring?”

When the boy's eyes flickered curiously towards the green clad man who had stopped by Hanji's side, the brown-haired woman decided that a little clarification was in order.

“Okay, introductions.” Hanji announced, clapping her hands together without actually making that loud of a noise. “Moblit, this is Eren. Eren, this is Moblit.” The woman gestured between the two, smiling in delight before looking back to Eren. “He and I live together, kind of like you and Levi.”

Moblit did not look very surprised to hear Hanji say something like that so casually and Eren decided that the woman must have already told this new man about them. Watchful blue-green eyes regarded the man with hair that was somewhere between being brown and blonde as he extended a hand.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Eren.” Moblit said, offering a small smile.

He sounded kind of shy, a quiet spoken man that just so happened to be the perfect contrast to the boisterous woman he stood beside. Eren stared at the hand held out to him for only a brief moment before he took it, smiling.

“Likewise.”

Levi took the opportunity of actually speaking first rather than letting silence sneak its way in between them. “So, where are the others? Don't tell me we're the first to show up?”

“Actually you are, for once.” Hanji chuckled, looking around. “I'm still having a hard time believing it. You should bring Eren to these things more often if it'll mean you get here on time.”

“Maybe I just want to get this over with as quickly as humanly possible?”

“Sure, sure.” The brown-haired woman nodded, smirking. “You can't fool me, Lever. Somewhere in that icy heart of yours, you're pleased to have everyone getting back together. Except for...well...”

Hanji shot the raven an apologetic look and Levi shrugged. “Yeah. Except for him.”

Eren wished that he didn't understand the mournful little looks that the others shared. He wished that he didn't know exactly who they were talking about...or rather...not talking about. It was maddening to think that even after all of the tangled up bullshit that Erwin had dragged them all through, he was still coming along to a reunion. The idea didn't make any sense at all and suddenly Eren couldn't keep quiet about his thoughts.

“Why are you guys even still friends with Erwin?”

The silence that followed seemed almost...loud. There was still noise, voices murmuring in the background along with the clink of cutlery and the shuffling of feet or chairs scraping the wooden floor, but an almost tangible bubble of quiet seemed to have enveloped the four people standing by the table.

Ironically enough, it was Levi that broke the silence.

“It's not as simple as you'd like it to be, Eren.”

Whatever the brunette was expecting for an answer, he hadn't expected those words. Nor would he have ever imagined that Levi would be the one to say them...and yet there they were.

“He was...” the raven swallowed, trying to sort out his words, “he was always just...there. Not like a nuisance or anything, but he was there if you needed something.”

The conversation was starting to wade into emotional waters and Levi had never considered that to be a strong point of his. It was difficult for the raven to put across just how complicated the situation was, he just didn't have the skill for it. Thankfully, there was one person in their company who knew exactly what Levi was trying to say. And she always had.

“Erwin was like a rock for us all,” the brown-haired woman said softly, “he was a pillar of strength and support whenever times got a little rough. He always had an answer, not matter what the question was. There was always a solution. If you needed to talk, he would listen. If you needed someone to shout at, he'd take every harsh word without flinching.”

The raven nodded, arms folded across his chest and a far off look swimming in his eyes. “I hate to admit it, but that bastard was like a cornerstone in all of our lives. It's hard to just cut someone like that out of your life. Letting something like that go...isn't easy. In fact, for me, it's practically impossible. I've been trying for years and look where it got me.”

“But the things he did, Levi. How can you just...look past that? How could you forgive him?”

“I haven't. I'm not a good person like that, kid. I get angry, I hold grudges. But...” The raven seemed to struggle to find the right words to continue, tapering off with a heavy sigh.

“But there had to have been a reason for him to do something so rash.” Hanji finished, picking up where Levi had trailed off. “Erwin is always ready with an explanation for his each and every action. He never does things without thinking them through a thousand and one ways. There was always a plan, always a way out. Until one day he couldn't explain himself.”

At that point, even Hanji found it difficult to keep talking. Levi sighed out an affirmative 'yeah' before running a hand through his hair.

“Ah shit,” the raven grumbled, tossing his head a little, “I'm too sober for this kind of talk.”

“Ugh, you're right.” Hanji laughed, wiping a little unwanted moisture from her eyes. “We'll have to plan a proper drinking night for you and Eren to come along to my place.”

“Definitely.” Moblit agreed, placing a comforting hand on Hanji's shoulder.

Levi leaned against Eren's side a little, shaking his head at his own state of being.

“As good as that sounds, we still have to get through tonight before we make any new plans.” The raven muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Fuck, where the shit are Mike and company?”

Hanji let slip a knowing chuckle. “Oh, I'm sure they're still looking for the perfect outfit.” The woman smirked at some memory, shaking her head. “Remember how we were all sure that Mike was secretly a fashion queen?”

Levi gave a snort. “Shit, I'd forgotten. That was one of your better moments of drunken hilarity, four-eyes.”

“Uh-uh, no four-eyes tonight.” Hanji said with a triumphant laugh, waving a finger back and forth at the smaller man in playful reprimand. “You may refer to me as Duchess or Madame Zoe.”

“Get fucked.” Levi drawled back in reply.

It was always a bizarre wonder watching the two of them interact, falling into bickering each and every time no matter what the conversation was about. Eren smiled, looking between the pair and deciding to stir the fire a little.

“Duchess...” the brunette tested out the word, giving a little amused smile, “actually I kind of like that.”

Levi’s grey eyes snapped over to glower incredulously at the boy. “Don't you dare indulge her.”

The reaction only served to make the company chuckle, Eren, Hanji, even Moblit all snickering quietly at the raven’s concern.

“Don't worry, Levi,” Hanji said, hushing her laughter, “soon the others will get here and there will be twice as many people to distract me.”

The brown-haired woman nudged Moblit and the man smiled obligingly at her.

Looking up, Moblit’s eyes took on a light of recognition. “Speaking of which, here they come right now.”

True to his word, the pair in question was coming through the doors.

Nanaba looked stunning in a backless navy blue dress that almost seemed to shimmer under the lights, looking like the sky just before it turns pitch black. She had curled her flaxen hair and a pair of silver and crystal earrings hung from her lobes delicately. Somehow wearing a tuxedo made Mike look even taller. The fact that he actually had to duck under the doorway didn't help and Eren covered his mouth with a hand to hide his growing smile.

Levi sure had found himself some unusual companions, but the boy supposed that their strangeness allowed them to complement each other. Freaks banded together, strength and safety in numbers, that sort of thing. Eren could put up with the abnormalities for now if it meant that he would learn more about this world, this place and its people.

After all, learning about Levi's friends was the whole point of this little evening. Eren didn't want to be in a hundred mile radius of Erwin Smith, in fact he wasn't entirely certain that he would be able to resist shoving the man's nose through his skull and into his brain when the bastard finally showed up. If he bothered to come at all.

There was just something about Erwin...something that made Eren feel uneasy. At first he had thought that perhaps it was just because the man was still clearly infatuated with Levi and that was a danger to their budding relationship. But Eren was certain that the raven-haired man was his now...and yet that uneasy feeling had yet to leave him. Until it did, Levi was not safe in the boy's eyes.

More introductions were passed around and another conversation struck up between those gathered.

“Levi…” Mike’s eyes locked onto the smaller man’s form and he smiled just barely, “we didn’t think that you would come.”

Levi scoffed, folding his arms across his chest. “Is everyone going to say that?”

Nanaba chuckled quietly beside her partner. “Well it is you. Did you even plan on coming or did you change your mind last minute?”

“I can always go if you want?”

“Aw, don’t be like that.”

“It was a fucking joke, Hanji.”

The friends sat down at their table and were considering ordering when the last member of their party finally strolled in through the doors of The Rose.

Eren could smell him even before he turned, teal eyes narrowing infinitesimally as the unwelcome scent reached him, and the brunette cast a look over his shoulder.

“Guess who..?” The boy's voice murmured just loud enough for the raven-haired man seated beside him to hear.

Levi turned as well, frowning. “Well well...lucky last and loner, Mr Smith has arrived.”

Erwin was wearing a grey suit with a dark blue shirt that peeked out at his collar. There was no tie, which seemed odd for a man who seemed so organised. Eren decided that it had to be on purpose, this man wasn't the kind of person to skip over detail or make a mistake.

It made him all the more dangerous.

Although a quick moment of scrutiny almost made Eren feel calm when he saw past the initial red buzzing behind his lids and noticed that Erwin had come alone. He had to make a serious effort not to smile, just managing to keep his face schooled into a calm mask of curiosity.

Levi raised an eyebrow at the blonde man’s surprised expression when their eyes met at last.

“What?” The raven muttered, somehow managing to sound irritated with just a single word leaving his mouth.

The taller man slowed his step a little, clearing his throat. “I didn’t think you would come along.”

Levi groaned out in frustration, letting his head loll back against his chair and rolled his eyes. “Well fuck, now everyone’s said it. Do you all just think that I’m an asshole? Is that it?”

The suggestion was denied through chuckles and for a moment Erwin seemed to think that no one would notice his lack of company.

Hanji, however, made no attempt to overlook the evidence at hand, calling out as the man drew closer. “Erwin, you didn't bring anyone?”

Bless Hanji, Eren thought to himself, albeit a total contradiction to the very creature that he was. Bless her for not tiptoeing around the fine details, instead digging them straight to the surface.

In Erwin's defence, he didn't look at all surprised or uncomfortable by the query.

“I did not.” The man said with a nod, but he waved away Hanji's questions, smiling. “I thought it would seem a little tasteless, under the circumstances.”

Silence enveloped those at the table for a moment, no one daring to speak or change the subject. It came as no surprise that everyone there knew the circumstances that Erwin was hinting at.

At least three of the four original friends were still in close contact with each other. Levi told Hanji all of the important details of his life when he felt troubled, and the woman passed anything relevant along to Mike who in turn would mention it to Nanaba, and of course Moblit knew everything that Hanji heard.

Not a single person was out of the loop, although some might think that Eren was.

Unfortunately for Erwin, they were wrong. A hundred thoughts and memories tore their way behind Eren's eyes as those unnervingly calm orbs locked onto Erwin. Lies and words whispered behind closed doors, promises and betrayal, pain and the aching, battered beating of a broken heart.

Oh yes...Erwin Smith would have earned himself a lovely little spot in hell right then and there if not for the grip on Eren's wrist. Levi must have known and he had a tight grasp on the boy's arm under the table. Something told Eren that it was in reprimand, not any attempt at seeking comfort. Levi was stronger than that.

Eren blinked towards the blonde as he neared their table.

Bringing someone along to such an event so soon after chasing down an attempt to fix things with Levi would have been tasteless indeed. The brunette scrunched up his nose at the thought, knowing full well that if Erwin had shown up with anyone tonight, he wouldn't have been able to stop himself from tearing the blonde bastard's head right off his stupid sculpted shoulders the second he came through the door.

Well played, oh master of the eyebrows. He would get to live another day...

But who knew about the day after that?

Greetings were passed around and finally everyone was seated. One of the waiters trotted over to take orders for beverages, but for now the people didn't feel like thinking about food. It was obvious to Eren that these people were still adjusting. They could chat but conversations didn't carry very far past banter.

Of course the boy should have known better than to expect Hanji to let that sort of thing go on for too long. In a moment of conversational lapse, she took her cue.

“So...” the brown-haired woman drew out the word on purpose, grinning at the glare it earned from her raven-haired friend across the table, “Ahaha, I'm sorry everyone. It's just so weird to have us all together again. So do we do this like an intervention circle? 'Hi my name is blah and I'm a blah' sort of thing?”

Levi snorted from across the table, reaching for his glass. “Shit no.”

Hanji laughed a little louder than was strictly polite, but it suited her. “Aw, Levi. Don't be such a party-pooper.”

“Don't start in on the poop references.” The raven muttered, wrinkling his nose before smirking. “They're all shitty jokes anyway.”

“Ahaha! Puns!” Hanji’s boisterous laughter carried through the room again, causing a few heads to turn but thankfully no one seemed to mind the noise. “Seeing as no one else wants to go first, I guess we'll ask Moblit.”

The man in question looked up, eyes growing minutely wider as he swallowed. “Me?”

“Oh yes,” Levi said, lips curving into a wry smile, “that way Hanji will pay attention.”

“Hey, I pay attention.” The woman defended, her grin looking completely out of place with her tone.

Levi chuckled dryly. “Just not in the conventional way.” The raven smirked at the mock-glare he was shot from across the table.

After the banter died down, the company looked expectantly at Moblit. The man swallowed again, letting slip a nervous laugh before he finally started to speak.

“Well, okay. I guess this is really for the benefit of Eren and Erwin, but I'm employed at Sina zoo.” Moblit informed, his tone growing more confident the longer he spoke. “I'm in charge of managing the reptile exhibits, although sometimes I just fill out forms.” He gave a shrug and a little smile. “Nothing too exciting there.”

“What about the time you had to move Madame Colossus to her new pen?” Hanji chuckled, nudging the man with her elbow as her eyes took on a mischievous flare.

Moblit paled a little, shivering at some memory. “I'd rather forget about it.”

The people at the table looked on curiously, wondering what it was that Hanji meant but not wanting to further distress her partner.

Erwin, however, chose to speak up. “Who is Madame Colossus?”

Hanji let out an impish giggle. “Our biggest python.”

Eren watched the exchange, noting the almost cheeky glint in the blonde man's blue eyes. So Erwin was just as mischievous as the rest of them, only he played it off as simple curiosity? Clever.

Levi clicked his tongue. “Shit, Hanj, didn't you learn better after that shitfest of a biology field trip?”

If Moblit had looked pale before, he was ghostly white now. Eren couldn't help but snicker a little. Levi was nowhere near as subtle as the big blonde, diving right in with no bother to make himself look innocent.

The story of the field trip was an interesting one, told through a lot of giggling and varying forms of laughter from the members around the table. Only Eren and Nanaba didn't know firsthand what had happened, but the others were more than ready to explain.

It had been their final year of high school, the last hurdle, and their biology teacher had decided to take them to a circus passing through town so that they could observe the different creatures that would be present. Personally, the kids had thought that the field trip was a load of horse shit, a crummy cover so that their teacher could meet up with her boyfriend and shirk her responsibilities the whole day. After passing through one of the tents, the kids had all wandered over to a man talking about snakes. They all had their turn of holding one, more as a dare than a desire, but when Moblit had stepped up as the last one of them to try it everything went south. The snake had been fine, not vicious or even venomous, but it had been very very friendly. It had curled around Moblit's neck, just sitting there like a living necklace until it decided to go south and ducked down the boy's shirt, somehow winding up inside his trousers. The kids had thought that it was hilarious but Moblit, in a moment of sheer panic, tore off his pants to get the serpent away and accidentally took off more than he intended. The bystanders saw more than one snake that day and the poor guy had never lived it down.

“Shit, you should have seen it, Eren.” Levi snickered along with Hanji. “It was fucking priceless.”

“It was!” The woman agreed, almost crying as she slapped her hand against her leg. “Oh I wish we'd thought to record it or something.”

Moblit had his hands over his face, shaking his head slowly. Hanji clapped him on the back.

“Ah, relax, Mobi.” She grinned, still wiping a few tears of laughter from her eyes. “It was quality entertainment.”

More laughter ensued.

“Okay, my turn, my turn.” Hanji announced with a gleeful smile. “As most of you know, I too work at Sina zoo. I don't really work with many of the animals, though; I'm paid to experiment with new food samples and other dietary needs of the animals.”

“And for those of us who don’t know what that entails..?” Nanaba prompted with a smile.

The brown-haired woman smiled companionably and moved right along to explain. “It's my job to try and find better ways to take care of our friends in captivity, such as food, living arrangements, medicine. I even get to design some of the exhibits!”

Hanji went on to describe a few of the methods she had been testing to grow more nutritious foliage and just when Levi was beginning to grimace at the length of the tale, the brunette boy beside him came unexpectedly to the rescue.

“So, you work with your husband?” Eren piped up.

Moblit exhaled in a shocked rush and Hanji paused in her hypothesis long enough to laugh.

“Ah, Eren, you really are too sweet.” She smiled over at him, apparently having forgotten what she had been explaining before. “We're not married, just together. But yes, we do work at the same place. It's rather exciting because we both have different schedules that can chop and change, so we never know who's going to make it home first.”

But the woman had very good memory and she went to launch right back into her discussion when Levi let out a groan and slid down in his seat a little.

“Am I boring you, Lever?” Hanji laughed, raising amused brows at him.

“How could you tell?” The raven drawled back at her.

“It looks like you’re about to either throw a tantrum or mime out a death scene that ends with you slipping under the table.”

Levi exhaled in amusement, giving a languid roll of his eyes. “I’m not that theatrical.”

Hanji snickered across the table at him, straightening. “Relax; I won't bore you all with the details. I'd much rather tell you about the animals themselves. Is that okay, Levi?”

The raven made a show of pretending to consider the woman’s words. “Ah, I don’t really care. As long as you don't take all night describing their goddamned scales or whatever.”

“Of course.” The brown-haired woman beamed, settling forward to lean her elbows on the tabletop.

The woman went on to describe all seven of the dolphins that she had become attached to most recently. Dolphins were Hanji’s favourite animal, being a beautiful combination of smart and playful. She told the company a story about her two favourites among the dolphins in the exhibit, threatening to nickname them Levi and Eren when the raven started to grumble towards the end.

The threat was more than enough to shut the man up, although not without a complaint or two.

Levi's glare dissolved with a roll of his eyes. “I should have fucking known.”

“Oh, come on,” Hanji laughed, “it'd be adorable!”

“That is pretty sweet, actually.” Eren agreed from the sidelines, earning a sharp glare from Levi and laughter from most of the others.

Mike and Nanaba had their turn to speak next, and Eren finally got to hear how Levi was roped into the martial arts business. The boy was surprised that Mike actually spoke at all, having witnessed the man remain almost entirely silent for most of the night. He seemed like such a withdrawn guy, the kind of man who would sit back and watch things unfold without intervening until the last moment when he knew all of the facts. The enormous man had a relatively normal sounding voice, nothing like Erwin's voice; deep like an echo in a cave.

Levi was brief in his turn talking, ignoring Hanji's pestering until the woman finally moved along to Eren who stuttered through his made up story of college along with an occasional prompt from the raven beside him. And at last there was Erwin.

“Lucky last, Mr Smith.” Hanji beamed, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the table. “Let's hear what you've been up to.”

“Well...my job isn't nearly as interesting as the rest of you.” The tall man said with a casual smile, sitting back in his seat.

“Oh come on,” Nanaba called, her tone light, “surely it can't be all that dull?”

“Very well,” the blonde allowed, raising his hands to pacify, “I suppose it isn't awful. I'm an advisor, an ambassador of sorts.”

“Liar.”

Levi snapped his head towards the sound, barely a breath of a whisper that had ghosted from Eren's lips. Grey eyes flitted around the table but no one else seemed to have heard the boy's accusation. Erwin was still speaking and Levi hurried to settle back into listening.

“I'm part of a specialised team of people working to bring cultures together by finding similarities within separate ways of life, which is part of the reason why I've been travelling to so many different parts of the world.”

Levi glanced sideways, just a subtle swivel of his eyes until he was looking over at Eren.

The brunette had a smile on his face, one that could only just pass as interest, and he had his chin propped up on one hand, his elbow resting on the table and his free hand drummed a feather-light beat against the tabletop. Lips curved only slightly, the boy was almost smirking as he watched Erwin talk. With a look like that, Levi figured that Eren didn't buy a single word that the other man was saying.

But why would Erwin lie?

He's done it before, hasn't he..?

With little knowledge of his own to go on and no instinct pointing out a lie, the raven chose to trust Eren's instincts. That kid had a million advantages; he could read every little movement, hear every beat of the hearts around him and dig up veins of truth hidden in tricking eyes.

Levi nearly jumped when those searching teal eyes flashed over to meet his gaze as though the boy had known all along that he was being watched. The raven arched an eyebrow in a silent query. Eren's lips quirked up a little at the side a fraction in response before his eyes darted back across the table.

Erwin spoke of politics, foreign countries and their customs until at last he announced that he had bored the company enough and left the next topic of conversation free for anyone to choose.

“I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm fucking starved.” Levi groused, shifting in his seat. “Are we actually going to eat?”

That was all the encouragement that people needed and no more than three minutes later the company were browsing menus and discussing the different types of food available.

Eren wasn't hungry for anything on the menu but he let Levi coax him into ordering some kind of fancy sounding pasta.

Idle chatter filled the air until the food arrived and Eren had never seen so much cutlery. Levi had been right when he had said that this place was fancy; there were more knives and forks than the brunette cared for.

“Don't listen to a thing that fucking Ken doll says,” Levi muttered after Erwin had tried to explain what each of the little forks were for, thoroughly confusing the boy, “a fork's a fork, pick one and stick with it.”

Hanji snickered. “This is great; Levi's been waiting for someone to pillage etiquette with for years!”

The raven smirked around the fork in his mouth, a small victory apparently as he and Eren were the only two who didn't bother utilising anything but the larger fork and a knife.

“Fuck the spoons too.”

The night was drawing on, leaning towards the later hours, and Levi started mentions of leaving for home.

It was then that Erwin made his move, or at least that's the way Eren saw it.

“Levi...”

It was the first time that the blonde man had spoken directly to the raven all night and an instant hush fell over the table as Levi's silver orbs flicked up, already narrowed.

“Erwin?”

The tall man sighed, looking the raven with determined blue eyes.

“Levi, I wanted to say that I understand.” Erwin began, inhaling deeply in a way that hinted that his next words would need the extra air. “I understand why you're angry and you have every right to be. Every right. I won't apologise...but that's not because I'm not sorry. I am,” the blonde man heaved a heavy sigh, “I wish I could take it back but I can't and we all know that offering an apology now would seem pretentious any way you look at it. But I can admit that I was in the wrong.

“I was young and foolish, believe it or not. I didn't have the experience that I do now and had I known how things would have turned out, I might have made a very different decision. But the choice has been made and I can't regret it for the rest of my life. Levi, you once said to me that we can't regret a choice once it has been made because nobody can tell you how it will turn out and you won't know the right choice until you make it or it passes you by. I didn't think too much on those words the day I left, but I've carried them with me ever since. I know I can't make it up to you or change the fact that I made the wrong choice. The best I can do is admit to my wrongs and pay the price I'm due...and pray that, at least someday, you decide to forgive me.”

Eren had to suppress a damned near overpowering urge to roll his eyes, settling for crossing his arms instead. He didn't want to have to sit here and listen to this bastard's sob story but he couldn't just up and leave without taking Levi with him. Thankfully the raven-haired man looked about as impressed with the tale as Eren was.

Levi had one hand up on the table, long fingers drumming a dull rhythm against the wood. But the raven didn't look all that angry...his face was carefully blank. And then he spoke.

“Jesus, Erwin, you make me sound like some sort of great fucking philosopher, spinning my words like that.”

It was a blunt sentence but Levi's tone wasn't exactly mad. Just irritated, which was often the way the raven sounded anyway.

Erwin, on the other hand, started smiling like he knew something. Like suddenly he wasn't afraid of being hated by the man across from him as if he was certain, beyond a single shred of doubt, that Levi wouldn't stay angry forever.

It made Eren feel sick.

The blonde man gave a quiet chuckle. “I might have polished the phrasing up a little, but you know cursing has never been my thing.”

The raven-haired male made a face across the table at him and Erwin's smile grew a little.

“That's probably why Levi swears enough for the both of you.” Nanaba said, hiding her smile behind a sip of her wine.

“Ahaha! It's true!” Hanji started to laugh, smacking her hand against the table.

Levi only shrugged.

It dawned on Eren then as he looked around the table, that no matter what had happened between these people in the past they still wanted to try for each other. Like a family tied together by blood commitment; suddenly it looked like the bad break-up had affected more than just the pair involved. Eren recalled how close the four, Mike, Levi, Hanji and Erwin, had been. As much as it pained him to recognise, he could see that they wanted to remain friends despite the strain. Even with that hurt, these people still knew each other like the back of their own hands. There was nothing more comforting than knowing that, at the end of the day, someone understood exactly how you felt, no matter what those feelings were.

Eren had known that very same feeling with his own comrades. Mikasa and Armin were the closest thing that Eren had to a family, and Levi probably felt the same way about the people there around the table.

It occurred to Eren that maybe he would never be able to bring the same level of comfort that these people could, even if he did know Levi so well.

“What's with that face?”

A low murmur in the boy's ear tore Eren from his thoughts and soon teal eyes met with knowing grey orbs.

Levi was half turned towards him in his seat, still leaning against the table a little. Those cold, hardened eyes seemed to thaw out a little as they roamed over the brunette's face, until the raven rolled his eyes and leaned a in little closer.

“Hey, stop it.” Levi said, frowning a little as he looked at the boy. “Whatever you're thinking, stop. I know that look and I don't need it on your face. Whatever self-depreciating bullshit you've got tumbling around in there, forget it.”

Eren blinked at the raven, leaning in as well to hear the low voice that was, at that moment, meant only for his ears.

“I won't say it often,” Levi's voice murmured, low and soft directly by his ear, “but you're worth the world to me, brat.”

The boy froze, his breath hitching in his throat for a second but the raven was already speaking again.

“Stop trying to convince yourself otherwise.”

The words were all but a whisper and Levi's lips pressed once against the shell of the brunette's ear before he sat back in his chair.

The brunette swallowed, leaning back as he fought the urge to smile like an idiot. Eren had never wanted to kiss Levi as badly as he did now, but for the sake of their company and Levi’s made up PDA allergies, he contained himself.

Pleasant warmth kept the boy distracted enough that the rest of the night seemed to fly by and before Eren knew it he was being helped back into the cab that would take him back to the apartment. Levi held the door like a proper gentleman and for once didn’t complain when Eren pulled him close.

“Has anyone ever told you that you look ravishing in formalwear?” Levi purred up over his shoulder, meeting Eren’s eyes in the window reflection.

“Not until just now.” The brunette admitted with a little smirk, bending his neck to nuzzle the raven’s shoulder.

Levi hummed lazily, letting Eren guide his head to the side so that the boy could nip at the smaller man's jaw.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah.” The raven replied, raising an eyebrow at the questioning teal eyes fixed on him. “Why wouldn't I be?”

“I was just making sure. After all the talk about-”

“Eren...I'm fine.” He assured the boy with a gentle peck to the bridge of Eren's nose. “Fuck I'm tired, though.”

The brunette huffed out a soft laugh, bumping his nose against Levi's.

“Straight to bed then?”

“Mm...”

The pair strolled up the stair at a languid crawl, pausing to lose themselves to a kiss every few steps and stumbling along until they needed air again.

A shower was definitely in order but Eren was able to coax the raven to simply stand under the stream of water with him, tangled in the boy's arms.

“Oi, don't go dozing off on me.” Levi groused through a yawn, the sound coming out as a soft whine in the back of the raven's throat.

Eren only smiled at that, his face buried against the smaller male's shoulder.

“That was a cute sound.”

“Shut up. I'm-” another yawn lapsed his sentence, much to the raven's annoyance, “-tired.”

The brunette only hummed, nuzzling Levi's shoulder and trailing cheeky kisses. Levi flicked the kid between the eyes and ducked out of the shower in the brat's moment of mock-offence when Eren made a scandalised sound. The boy chased after him, laughing the whole way as he scrambled after the sodden raven. Levi made a startled sound as a towel was flung abruptly over his head and the next second Eren had him, arms flung out to curl around the smaller man's waist.

“Tired, huh?” The brunette murmured teasingly, placing his lips between the raven's shoulder blades.

Levi grumbled with mock-petulance, tugging the towel from his head. “Gah, okay, you got me. I surrender, ah, don't bite me, you-o-oh no. No, not there, no!”

And so it was that Eren discovered the only places on Levi's body that were ticklish; the man's sides, around towards his back, as well as the backs of the raven's thighs.

“Eren, n-no-ah! I swear you'll pay for this!”

Levi's threats were nowhere near as intimidating when the man was struggling to force them out on the same breath that carried soft gasps of laughter. Due to this, naturally drying off took quite a bit longer than expected. It was worth Levi's every threat for such a valuable discovery, at least in Eren's eyes.

By the time the pair finally flopped into bed, idly drawing the covers, it was very late indeed. Levi didn't dare look at the clock, letting Eren's gentle nuzzling distract him from any negative thoughts.

“G'night, Levi.”

“Good morning, brat.” The raven grumbled, reaching up to tweak Eren's earlobe before scooting closer despite the action.

The brunette only smiled drowsily, letting out a long exhale.

“Close enough.”

Chapter Text

“Maybe you think that you can hide; I can smell your scent for miles.” – Maroon 5, Animals.

***

Time waits for no creature, not even the ones of Hell.

The sun was rising above the gnarled mountain border, casting a vicious red glow over the land as it climbed its way up into the sky. The charred earth belched forth fumes and spurted fire and molten stone. The display would have seemed spectacular to anyone not forced to dwell there day in and day out, a morbid yet spectacular display. Yet for the snarling inhabitants of the dying world, it was but another morning, another scorching dawn just like every other day.

In the northern most corner of Eren's territory, a new castle stood. Carved into part of the mountain border, the structure reached towards the burning skies. Volcanoes lit up the shadowy peaks behind the castle, spewing out glowing embers and magma to further twist the jagged mountain range. From a ridge above the tallest tower of the castle, a raven-haired woman kept watch.

Mikasa let a sigh rustle forth, running a hand idly through the red flames about her neck.

Another day, another bloodstained dawn. There was no rest for the wicked it seemed and even demonic creatures had chores to complete.

In Eren's absence, the castle was under the care of the creature taken in as his sister. Namely, that creature was Mikasa. He had saved her once from a terrible death and in doing so had cursed his own fate with the attention of a terrible being.

The same creature that had ruthlessly consumed Mikasa's parents, but not before crushing every bone in their bodies and gouging out their eyes.

For Eren's sacrifice, Mikasa remained with him as if in penance for a debt.

But now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts. Strategies still needed to be planned and fine-tuned and as always the squabbling creatures of the land needed to be wrangled into training. Left to their own devices, who knew what those horrid beasts would get up to.

The castle would be tended to, the defences improved, and more soldiers would be converted. For Eren, the raven-haired girl would do anything. Mikasa didn't ask questions most of the time; she was fiercely loyal, a ruthless enforcer when she had to be, and that was exactly what Eren wanted. Although after Eren's last stunt, even Mikasa was beginning to wonder.

The mysterious power that he had used to wreak havoc on Jean and his followers remained just that; a mystery.

Such strength was practically unheard of, even in the demon world, and the fact that Eren had found several others with similar power presented yet another concern.

Power like that hadn't existed for years...not since the reign of the titans.

Titans; ancient beings of immense power and insatiable hunger. Very few of the fiends remained, having raged war upon each other almost to the brink of their own extinction. Those that did remain were left to waste away in the marshlands, swallowed up by swamps and bogs in the wastelands, or had taken up positions of power.

One such titan had been tricked into guarding the gate between Hell and the living world. Known as Satan by mankind; he had once been a ferocious warrior. Now he paced back and forth, keeping watch on the mirrors, day and night.

Very few of the monstrous titans even posed much of a threat nowadays, but they maintained a solid rule over the dying world.

It was for that precise reason that Eren had launched his take-over plan in the first place. The brunette happened to be one of few demonic beings that had ever encountered without either being drafted into service or consumed. He was also one of a very few who could use the way through without having to talk his way around the gate guardian. Not many could convince Lucifer to let them pass, but Eren travelled without hindrance.

If she was honest with herself, Mikasa wanted to ask her brother why. Why was he able to be so calm and casual with creatures of such untellable strength?

But as always, she had to remind herself that it was not her place to ask questions. Especially not if it meant neglecting her duty.

She called in on Armin, checking over his plans that would be put in effect when Eren returned to conquer the next territory. Although that could be quite some time away...it had been over a month since the boy had returned home and Mikasa was beginning to grow concerned. Perhaps her brother had grown a little too distracted by that mortal he had been playing with?

“Mikasa?” Armin's voice broke through her reverie. “Are you not well?”

The blonde youth was looking up from his newest map, a slight frown worrying his brow as he regarded her with concerned blue eyes.

“Sorry, Armin.” The ravenette murmured in apology, bringing up a hand to rub at her temple. “I'm just a little distracted.”

The blonde boy sent her a look of understanding. “Worried about Eren?” Armin watched the raven-haired girl give a single, sharp nod, and he smiled gently. “I'm sure he's fine. Eren's never had a problem on the other side.”

“Except for that one time.”

“Well, yes.” The blonde agreed sheepishly, turning back to add in a new line to one of his maps. “But he learned a lot from nearly being exorcised. He's much more careful now.”

On that, Mikasa had to agree. Eren had been a creature driven solely by anger from the day of his birth. However, his time spent travelling between worlds had allowed her brother to learn the virtues of patience and planning. He knew to always be prepared now, after almost losing his life to a mere mortal.

“I guess you're right.” Mikasa nodded, trying to accept that thought. She managed a minuscule smile. “As always.”

Armin turned in his seat so that he could look at her properly, offering his friend an empathetic smile. “Don't worry too much about him.” The blonde encouraged, reaching out to touch Mikasa's arm. “Eren wouldn't want us to be fretting.”

He was right, of course. But who would worry over Eren if not her? The raven-haired girl sighed. She knew full well that no matter how long her thoughts dwelt on her brother, in the end only he could decide his actions. It was pointless to worry too much.

“Of course.” She murmured, placing a hand atop the boy’s head and smiling that are little smile. “I have to go light the fires; will you be okay to continue on your own?”

Armin smiled a little brighter then, as if he were surer of his answer this time around. “Sure, Marco is coming by later anyway. I'm sure he'll be able to help out if I need anything.”

“Very well.”

Lighting the fires was a task that Mikasa had to perform once each week. They would remain lit for seven days before finally dwindling, and the flames served to act as a defence for the castle. The ravenette was a master of wielding fire; if the walls of the fortress were breached for any reason, she would be able to defend it.

Scarlet fire glowed in a hearth within each room, flickering and for the most part well behaved.

Annie had the soldiers out on the training field and Bertholdt was supervising the elite troops who were facing off against Reiner. The terrible trio hard at work yet again. Sometimes Mikasa wondered where Eren had found them...all with the same strange ability that her brother possessed.

“Eren...just what secrets are you keeping?”

Dark, charcoal eyes snapped towards the window as the skies beyond flickering with white light. A lightning strike, yet no thunder followed. It was no coincidence either, as the same thing happened again...only closer this time.

Coal eyes widened at the sight, recognising the signs.

“Again?”

Mikasa straightened as the air began to grow cold. Very cold. The skies beyond the window darkened, losing the scarlet glow as furious clouds rolled in. With them came the thunder, at last, as well as a fierce and frosty gale force wind. The walls began to ice up, the silver frost crawling across the stone with a biting chill.

He was back.

Mikasa knew very little of the terrible creature that had taken a liking to her brother. She didn’t even know his name. They had met before only once before the fiend had become infatuated with the boy, and many times since.

The raven-haired girl barely had time to snap her head up at the sound of rushing footsteps, feather light and lightning quick, before there was a loud crash. At the end of the great hall a door burst open, letting in a violent flurry of icy wind and snow. The bitter chill was enough to make even Mikasa shiver, although it was more out of dread than cold. The fires fizzled out, cold and dead in their hearths, and the room fell into a gloomy darkness. The girl could still make out the shapes of tables, chair and the floor to ceiling pillars, but the light was murky and dim.

A deep charcoal haze began to creep in through the doors, a strange mixture of shadow, fog and smoke that curled lazily about the shape of a person.

A man.

The ravenette's featured hardened and her coal eyes narrowed to slits.

“How many times do I have to tell you,” the raven-haired girl drawled, rolling her eyes, “the doors do open normally. You don't really need that stupid entrance every time, do you?”

A chuckle sounded from the darkness and the shadows drew nearer, curling in languid wisps. The smog tasted heavy and sweet, almost like that of stale candy. It made the task of breathing at all seem highly undesirable. The ravenette wrinkled her nose.

“Ah, Mikasa,” the demon’s voice sounded at last, somehow managing to sound deep and hushed at the same time, “…always the stoic faced fiend, aren't you?” The tone rolled playfully, a mildly amused lilt hitching here and there. In a sluggish crawl, the being took a few final steps before slipping into a casual lean against one of the enormous stone columns that held up the ceiling. “I’m sure I don’t need to tell you why I’m here?”

Mikasa's eyes flickered in equal parts understanding and ire. “No…no you don’t.”

He was here for her brother...just like every other time this being had come.

A knowing chuckle echoed around the room as the slithering shadows darted about. The gloom made the ravenette's situation all the more disadvantageous should things turn sour. She could hear his tail slithering about, whispering against the stone floor along with the eerie scrape of sharp talons scratching over rock and the occasional flutter of leathery wings. But apart from sounds and the deep smoke that drifted about nothing could be seen past the small glow her scarf provided.

Not a single torch was left lit in the entire hall; after all, Eren's suitor loved his games. It simply wouldn't do to have others see what he looked like and Mikasa had only ever caught glimpses through the smoke.

The occasional flaring of glowing eyes, a cruel smile here and there or the flick of a wrist that escaped the lazy shroud of shadow. Nothing definitive enough to identify the being, but Mikasa didn't have to see the demon to know that she hated him.

Only Eren had ever seen the true appearance of this creature and to this day he hadn’t told a soul about him. The brunette did not fear many things...but he ran from this fiend. And so it was Mikasa's belief that Eren kept his silence for a good reason.

“He isn’t here.” She murmured.

“Well I’m hardly surprised.” The creature drawled, suddenly in front of her. He leaned back against one of the tables, clicking his tongue and giving a little flick of his wrist. Mikasa imagined that he was probably examining his nails. “His manners have grown appalling of late.”

“Says the guy who just crashed his way in uninvited.” The girl reminded him, not failing to notice the sharp glimmer that passed behind the being's shining eyes.

“I merely reciprocate the same offer that I have extended to your darling brother.” The man said, as if his words could somehow appease the girl. She could practically hear his shrug. “He is welcome to crash my party any time he wishes.”

Mikasa couldn’t stop herself from grimacing at the way the demon’s tone dropped purposefully lower on his last words, all too teasing for her liking. She didn’t have the time nor the patience for the man’s innuendos and she made that clear with her next words.

“I guess you’ll be waiting a long time then.”

The raven-haired girl regretted the words only seconds after they had left her sneering lips. Glowing eyes flashed, gleaming silver for a moment in their intensity, and for a long, tense moment Mikasa feared that she might have pushed a little too far.

“Well that is a shame.” The male sighed at last, pushing off from the table and stalking small, threatening circles around her.

Mikasa watched the ebony scales of his tale as they caught little glints of red in the light of her own fire. She didn’t dare to move, knowing full well that the man was only keeping such close proximity as a test. A warning.

Do not cross me.

The thought was there, hanging in the heavy air. The girl was surprisingly not startled when the thickest part of the fog paused in front of her. If she looked hard enough, she could almost make out features. But the smoke shifted every time she thought she had something. He had to be teasing her. The most Mikasa determined was a pointed ear or an angular jawline. And, of course, a flash of grinning pointed teeth that were surprisingly white considering this creature’s appetite.

A low hum of amusement sounded from within the shroud and the demon turned on his heel to pace about the room. “I guess I'll just have to keep tormenting Eren’s followers until he comes to visit.”

The words were meant to both rile and threaten, and damn it if the tactic didn’t work like a charm. Mikasa held back a growl just barely, hackles raised to the challenge, but she forced herself to calm down. Any threats of her own could result in many deaths.

Choosing her words carefully, the raven-haired demon spoke at last. “It's not like my brother's absence is some planned scheme to test your patience.”

Another amused hum sounded, melting into a chuckle as the bright-eyed creature spun on his heel only to flop into a chair. “I thought I'd made it clear that I don't have any patience?”

Man, had he made it clear. So very very clear. The fact that he was here at the castle yet again just went to prove that this beastly fiend had no patience.

Mikasa sighed through her nose. “Nevertheless, Eren can't very well adhere to your wishes if he isn't present-”

“I am getting very tired of this stupid game of cat and mouse.” The voice growled, eyes flaring dangerously from the darkness as he cut her off. It might have been quite the frightening display if not for the way the creature’s tone drew up into a higher sound that was almost a whine on his next words. “Why is he being so stubborn?”

At this, Mikasa couldn't resist a small smile. “That's just Eren. His key characteristic is stubborn.”

This was hardly the first time that her brother had utilised that stubbornness to his advantage, although this was the first time that he had been using it to keep someone away. Normally it was more of a persistent bugging that eventually convinced another being to serve him.

The demon huffed petulantly from within the shadowy shroud. “Can’t you put in a good word for me?”

Mikasa's smile evaporated. “You're asking me? Do you even remember what you tried to do to me?”

Normally such a reminder would have cause this being to laugh at what he deemed ‘fond memories’, however at that moment they were discussing something rather more pressing in his mind.

“It was a long time ago;” he tried to brush the incident aside, letting his head fall back until it thunked against the back of the chair, “surely you're not still angry?”

Mikasa stared at the smoky figure for a long moment, her silence screaming incredulity. “Sometimes I wonder if you hear the stupid words coming out of your mouth.”

Unperturbed by the comment, the creature’s head whipped back up with inhuman speed. “Look, I promise I’ll be gentle with him.” The fiend tried to bargain with her, but he couldn’t keep the excitable edge out of his own voice. “At least for a little while. Isn't that good enough for you?”

“No.” The raven-haired girl answered, her voice cold. “I think we’d all prefer it if you just disappeared. Last I checked, no one actually needed you.”

A noise somewhere between a scoff and a snort sounded in the darkness. “Ouch, my poor heart.”

“A creature like you couldn’t possibly have a heart.”

The shadow chuckled, low and breathy as those glowing eyes flicked up again. “And you wonder why you’re still single.”

The ravenette bristled at the comment. “It’s a personal choice.”

“Of course it is.” A low hum came from the flickering darkness, it was a mocking sound. “So where is my delectable betrothed? Don't give me any of your usual deflections; I'm quite tired of them.”

“I told you, he’s not here-”

“Do not lie to me.” The creature practically whispered the words and yet somehow that soft sound was more terrifying than a shout. The shadows flickered, darting out, spreading only to retreat back again. “Lies won't get you anywhere. I can smell lies.” He growled out the last words, voice lowering into something unmistakably inhuman.

Mikasa stood her ground even as the low snarl caused the walls to tremble. She had a gut feeling that if she moved at all, if she so much as blinked, the creature might attack.

“You can ask all you want,” she murmured in a soft voice once the glowing eyes watching her began to lose their red sheen, “the answer hasn’t changed.”

The ravenette heard the sneer more than she saw it. It was clear that the creature before her was frustrated, angry to the point that it was considering bloody murder, but that wouldn’t get him answers. His ire was almost amusing.

“How long does that brat intend to keep me waiting?” The shadows hissed at her, the voice seeming to come from more than one direction as he darted about, unsettled. “He can’t still be floundering in the wastelands, can he?”

“I wouldn’t know.” Mikasa opted for ignorance. It had been like a ‘get out of jail free card’ for her over these past months.

“Stop lying...” the voice growled by her ear suddenly, but Mikasa didn’t so much as flinch at the sound, “bad girl.”

“If you'd rather I not speak at all..?” She suggested, knowing that even playing to this man’s whims wouldn’t get them anywhere.

He was a fickle creature, if nothing else, and that made him infinitely more dangerous than any other being that Mikasa had faced.

At long last, the man hissed out a wearisome sigh. “If all you have to say about Eren are lies...then perhaps we should speak about something else.”

The voice shifted, circling again, although the threat level seemed less this time around. Mikasa detected more curiosity than anything else in that tone.

She frowned, watching the shadows pass in front of her. “What else would you be wanting to know?”

This being had never asked for word of anything but Eren since his very first visit. Why should that change now?

She didn’t have to wonder long, as the man spoke again.

“Perhaps...you could tell me how his army managed to overpower as skilled a warrior as Jean?”

The ravenette hesitated. She knew that she was hesitating and it didn’t look good. The girl could imagine the smile that was creeping across the face of the shrouded fiend before her.

She spoke before he could tease. “If you wanted to know that, then you should have come to see it for yourself.”

It was a good deflection and she thanked her lucky stars for throwing a sentence like that at her.

“Mm...” the hum came low and amused, but Mikasa thought that the demon sounded almost impressed with her answer, “I was detained at the time and word only reached me after Kirschtein's land had fallen.” He went on to explain, and she could hear the smirk in his words. “Strange, that it could have happened so quickly. Especially considering that Eren wasn't even confident with his own flames last I saw him.”

“It's been some time since then.” Mikasa defended, scowling over at the male. “He's learned a lot.”

“So I've heard.” The amused tone continued, seeming to affect the way the lazy shadows rolled about in the air. “But words aren't nearly as good as seeing first hand. Not for me.”

“You'll just have to wait...but I think you'll be surprised.”

The shadow snorted. “Oh I very much doubt that.”

“Why would I lie to you?” The raven-haired girl said in challenge.

She was shocked by the sudden flickering gaze that captured her attention. “You’ve been doing it this whole time.”

Mikasa stiffened, hearing a purr of laughter. The very air seemed to merge with the sound until it was all she could hear.

“It’s insulting,” the voice continued, a strange mix of amusement and menace, “the way you keep thinking that I won’t notice.”

It was stupid, trying to spin lies to a creature whose face she couldn’t even see. She couldn’t get a read on this being, hearing only the shifting tones in his voice. It was not enough to go on and Mikasa knew that someday she would have to pay the price for her dishonesty.

But he hadn’t killed her so far.

Latching onto that thought, Mikasa decided that she might as well voice it. “If that’s what you think…then why am I still alive?”

At this, the demon made a displeased noise. “If I kill you, it’ll only serve to make Eren angry.” He muttered, pacing again. “That would rather put a dampener on our next meeting, don’t you think? ‘Hey, baby, welcome home, oh and by the way I killed your sister and used her skin to make the carpet you’re standing on right now.’” The voice scoffed. “Yeah, thanks but no thanks.”

The way this man spoke, mixing equal amounts of lilting playfulness and snark, made swallowing his words more than a little difficult. Here he stood, claiming that he didn’t want to upset her brother, and yet his track record more than spoke against that.

“You can’t honestly be trying to say that you actually care about what Eren thinks of you?” Mikasa bit out the words, wishing that she didn’t sound quite so clipped. “Bullshit. I don’t buy that for a second.”

The demon didn’t seem at all offended, only vaguely amused. “Then you have a lot to learn.”

“If I let Eren near you, you’d eat him in a moment!” The ravenette hissed, the fire about her throat flickering dangerously.

If anything, it just amused the fiend further.

“But isn’t that what our kind does?” He teased. Mikasa went to take a step forward, but paused when the male raised a hand to wave off his own words. “I wouldn’t do that. Not right away.” The man tried to explain, but the cheeky tone was returning. “But you’re right…I’ve often been found guilty of consuming the things I hold dear.”

Mikasa could only shake her head and look at him. “Why?”

“To keep them closer to me.” He replied, not hesitating for a moment. “See? It’s almost romantic if you think about it.”

She could almost see him grinning. That complete and utter bastard.

The raven-haired girl could feel her face growing blank, her eyes felt cold even without the chill in the room. “You know…I’ve met a lot of our kind.” She murmured, voice gentle and inflectionless. “But you’re the one I think of when I hear the word monster. You’re the reason children don’t sleep at night.”

“Oh, stop it you.” The chuckle made the girl’s stomach turn and she could imagine the sort of ridiculous smile he would have plastered across his face. “Flatterer.”

“You’re disgusting.”

“You’d better believe it.”

Mikasa shot the being an incredulous look. It almost sounded like the bastard was flirting.

He sighed before she could comment on it. “I won’t kill you…for now at least.” The demon’s eyes appraised her. “You’re practically Jaeger’s right hand-” the voice paused at the sharp hiss Mikasa gave and the demon’s tone grew teasing, “oh…what’s that? You don’t like it when people say that name, do you?”

“What do you think?” She growled out the words, leaning forward a little in a threatening pose.

The longer this man stayed, the less Mikasa felt like she could resist the urge to pound his head into the floor until nothing but a black pool of blood remained to show that he had ever existed.

He didn’t seem to care. “I think that you should let go of whatever weird infatuation you have over the boy. He’s mine.”

“He has a right to choose, you know.”

“Actually he doesn’t.” The voice snapped, suddenly all humour gone from his tone. “His precious father won’t even bat an eyelash if the kid disappears, not unless Eren goes back to serve him. But something tells me that he wants out of the family business. Face it; you’re about all the protection he’s got.”

“Eren doesn't need protecting.” Mikasa defended, eyes narrowed. “He's strong. Far stronger than you think!”

“So everyone keeps telling me.” The demon muttered, moving so suddenly that the raven-haired girl had to step back to avoid being rammed into as the man darted over to grab her throat. “But how did he get so strong?”

The red flames didn’t even faze the man, hissing and burning at his skin. It was this way that Mikasa noticed that she could actually see her aggressor. Or at least a part of him.

For the first time since she’d seen this being, the smoke failed to hide all of him. A lean arm was exposed and she could feel the long fingers digging into her skin. His own flesh was pale, even paler than Mikasa, and dark black and grey scales patterned here and there.

“I-I don’t know.” The woman managed to force the words out of her mouth even with the grip he had.

“Hoh? Not such a trusting brother after all?” The voice teased as the death grip relaxed.

“Eren's not like the others.” The black-haired girl fought to sound sure of herself. “He doesn't crave war.”

The demon before her laughed, resuming his pacing as he headed back away from her. “Then why is he gathering armies? Hmm?”

This, Mikasa knew. She knew exactly why Eren needed an army…and a much larger one than the force he commanded now. But this creature before her, this fiendish nightmare, could not be trusted with that kind of secret.

“That,” she muttered, “I will not tell you.”

Two pinpricks of light pierced through the veil of shadows, the white-hot glow of eyes flaring.

“Shame.” Came the slightly bored response after a moment. “This conversation was just starting to look interesting. I should be off, but do remember to tell Eren that his time is up.”

“Up?”

“Yes. Up, as in over, kaput, no more.” The words were spoken in a tone that was for once completely serious, even if the choice of wording might not have seemed so. “I’ve gone about this in the proper way, indulged the brat’s game of playing coy for more than long enough. Tell him I’m tired of waiting. The next time I have to come asking after him, he’d better be here.”

The dark fog moved, crawling along the ground as the demon turned to leave.

“Or what?” Mikasa spoke up.

Footsteps halted and the silence that followed was terrifying.

“Are you seriously challenging me?” The voice came again, and somehow Mikasa knew that he hadn’t bothered turning around. “Could you have forgotten what I did to your own miserable parents?” This time he did turn, and glowing eyes flared up a deep and burning red. “Or should I demonstrate it again?”

The ravenette grew silent at the inhuman echo of a voice, taking an involuntary step back. She could all but hear the sneer on her aggressor’s face.

“That’s what I thought.” The voice snarled and then the shadowy shroud shifted as the demon turned abruptly on his heel. “I'll give you one last chance. Eren has a month to get his sorry ass back here. If he isn't waiting for me by the time I next return...I will lay waste to this fortress and slaughter every damned creature within his territory. Even you.”

The smoky fog retreated, and with it went the heavy atmosphere of the room. Breathing came a little easier as the sinister presence finally left the land, taking his howling thunderstorms with him.

Mikasa allowed herself a moment to drop her façade of calm, collapsing back against the stone wall.

“Eren…don’t come back. Please.”

She could handle being killed, she could deal with enslavement or being forced to watch each of her comrades die. But Mikasa was certain of one thing; she could not live to see her brother handed over to that fiend.

“I'll die first.”

Raising a hand, the ravenette flung her arm and sent a round of fireballs off to re-light the fires. They would be fine for a week, more than enough time to warn Eren. Who knew if she would be able to convince Lucifer to let her pass again, but it was worth a try.

Mikasa paused only long enough to speak to Armin and Marco of her mission. With a determination fiercer than anything she had felt before in her existence, the raven-haired demon set off for the flight that would bring her to the way through.

“Be safe, Eren.”

Chapter Text

“It’s just for a little while, just for now…” – Imogen Heap, Just For Now.

***

“Oi, shitface.”

Perhaps not the most romantic of ways to greet one’s lover of a morning, but the words did serve to make Eren smirk.

“I can see you grinning down there.”

Damn it, now Levi knew he was awake.

“Get up, you overgrown lummox, or you'll be eating cold breakfast.”

Eren exhaled through his nose and stretched, peeking over the sheets towards the door.

His short-statured lover stood leaning against the door frame. The raven must have been up a little while at least, he was already dressed and Eren assumed that meant he had showered. A subtle scent of soap in the air confirmed that assumption.

The teal-eyed brunette sat up with a sleepy yawn, covering his mouth with the back of one hand.

“You made me breakfast?” The boy mumbled out behind his hand.

“I did.” Levi confirmed, giving a little one-shouldered shrug. “So get your lazy ass out here and eat it before I drag you out by your tail.”

The boy laughed, pushing back the covers, stretching out again and arching his back. Said tail flexed out straight for a moment before flopping back down to the mattress with a muted thud.

“Mmm,” Eren made a relaxed sound, settling on his elbows, “...that wouldn't be a very good idea.”

“Oh?” A thin brow rose in what could have been challenge, but Eren suspected it was more a query. “Why's that?”

The boy smiled, ever pleased by the raven's interest in his nature. As always, Eren was more than happy to supply the details.

“My kind are quite sensitive when it comes to their tails.”

It was a strange reply, Levi thought. Something one might expect a child to come up with. Damn, the thought was almost adorable and the raven-haired man had to cough to hide his smile.

“Right,” Levi managed, smirking behind a hand until he had better control over his facial expressions, “...and why is that?”

“It's sensitive.” Eren answered, still stretched out and curving his back. Levi suspected that the brat was only doing it to tease him. “Because they come out and away from our bodies, it makes the tail more vulnerable to attack.”

Well that made sense, more sense than Levi had thought it would. Finally something about Eren's demon traits made a little sense.

“I see.” The raven nodded, scratching at his chin as a little smirk curved his lips. “So if you're a little shit one day and I grab your tail, you'll shut up and pay attention?”

Eren visibly bristled at the thought, his tail curling around his body as the kid sat back, ears pressed against his head.

Levi chuckled. “Geez, have a little faith in me. If you tell me not to do something, I'll listen. You don't want me to touch your tail? Fine, done.”

“It's not that. I'd just prefer it if you weren't too rough with that particular appendage.”

At that, the raven laughed, pushing off from the door frame to move over to the bed. “Ah shit, your word choice is fucking priceless sometimes.”

The boy pouted up at Levi, but he leant into the hand that carded through his hair.

“Come on, stop making that face.” The raven coaxed, cupping the boy's face. “I'm being gentle, aren't I?”

And he was. Despite the notion of treating a demon with care seeming a ridiculous one, Levi decided that it wasn't any different than for him to expect Eren to be careful with him. Although it really didn't apply as severely to the raven, after all...he wasn't the one that could tear a person in half without breaking a sweat.

At last a smile lit the brunette's face. “Yes you are, which is more than I'm used to.”

“I can imagine,” the raven agreed with a chuckle, “with you living in Hell and all.”

“That's exactly why I'm being cautious.” The boy admitted, brushing his face against Levi's hands. “I'm not accustomed to any kind of contact that isn't meant to maim or kill. If I'm caught by surprise, even by you, I'm worried that I could lash out defensively.” The brunette explained, placing a gentle kiss to each of the raven's palms. “So please be careful before making that kind of decision.”

Levi nodded, a silent promise. “Thanks for the heads up.” He murmured, bending to press his lips to the boy's forehead. “Now come on. The food will taste like shit if it gets cold.”

Waffles had become something of a favourite for the bright-eyed brunette and Eren was delighted to find a plate full of them steaming on the table. The brunette’s babbling ‘thank yous’ were dismissed quickly.

“Thank me by eating the food.” Levi smirked, pushing the boy towards the table with guiding hands at the small of Eren's back.

Eren did just that, scarfing down the meal at an alarming rate and sitting back in his chair with a long and lazy sigh when he finished. Levi had barely taken three bites of his own food.

“Jesus Christ, kid.” The raven muttered, fork halfway to his mouth. “Where are you even putting all that?”

The boy sent the raven a content smile instead of replying and Levi rolled his eyes at the kid fondly, stretching in his seat and lifting his legs from the floor to prop his feet up in Eren’s lap.

“You look pretty content for someone who doesn't even need to eat.”

Eren just shrugged. “What can I say? I'm a sucker for sweets and your cooking rules.”

Levi raised his eyebrows at the boy, tapping a foot against the kid's stomach. “Well aren't you the flattering little twerp this morning.”

The brunette squirmed under the raven's foot as it prodded his stomach, coaxing soft giggles from the boy.

Levi smiled, a tiny curve of his lips as he took another bite of his food. “You wouldn't be trying to get into my good books, would you?”

Eren's smile said it all. “I have no idea what you're talking about.” The boy said anyway, his tone far too cheeky to be truthful.

“Cheeky shit.” The raven muttered, cutting off another piece of waffle. He stabbed the morsel with his fork and held it out for the brat. “You haven't broken something, have you?”

“No.” Eren replied, leaning forward eagerly to accept the food.

Levi cocked an eyebrow, withdrawing the now empty fork. “Then what?”

The brunette gave a little shrug, smiling. “I just like it when you dote on me.”

“I see.”

Eren shifted in his seat a little as the raven's feet slipped lower in the boy's lap, rubbing in a rather distracting fashion.

“Levi...” Eren squirmed, leaning back in his chair, “could you stop that? It's kind of...”

“Bad?” Levi suggested, judging by the boy's troubled expression.

“Arousing.” The brunette answered, flushing a little as the raven-haired man let out a huff of laughter.

“Then my work here is done.” Levi smirked, adjusting his feet in the boy's lap.

Eren panted a little, hips pushing up a little in search of friction again. “You got me hard on purpose just to tease me? That's cruel.”

“That is what we humans call ‘morning wood’.” The raven chuckled, rubbing a foot against the bulge that was Eren’s half-formed erection. “Well, close enough anyway.”

The brunette didn’t bother to sit up or swat the teasing feet away; if anything he relaxed further, shifting his hips into the friction. Levi felt along the hardened ridge of the brunette's clothed cock, rubbing just the pad of his foot against the boy's cockhead until Eren whined out a warning.

“C-Close.”

The teasing feet disappeared then and Eren sat up with a protesting whine.

Levi raised an eyebrow at the boy. “Go and brush your teeth.”

“Can’t I cum first?” The brunette pleaded.

“Nope.”

Eren knew he was pouting, but he couldn't help it. “What about after?” The boy asked, not bothering to mask the hope in his voice.

If the brunette was honest with himself, he wasn't sure if Levi had stopped just to tease him...or if it was something else. The pair hadn't really done anything physical since Eren had returned to his demonic form and, while he wanted to think better of Levi, the boy couldn't help but consider that his appearance was making Levi uncomfortable.

Levi just smirked across the table at him, standing and gathering up the plates. “We’ll see.”

At least the smaller man didn't seem to be too uneasy. Maybe it was all in Eren's head?

The raven-haired man gave the boy's shoulder an affectionate squeeze before heading around the counter and into the kitchen. Eren took that as his cue to leave, trudging towards the bedroom.

It was one of the fastest showers Levi had ever known a person to take; Eren was scrambling back out of the bedroom in record time. The boy had pulled on a pair of comfy grey sweatpants, not bothering with much else as he practically leapt at the smaller male, tanned arms looping about the raven's shoulders.

“Shit! Jesus, Eren, warn me!”

The raven staggered a little but caught the brat regardless, strong arms holding him up as legs hooked around the smaller man's waist.

“Are you right, up there?”

“Mmhm.” The boy beamed, nuzzling his face into the crook of Levi's neck.

Eren didn't really like clothes, especially pants because it meant that he had to wrap his tail about his leg or else pull it up out of the top of his waistband. That, however, wasn't so comfortable. Levi didn’t comment on the boy’s lack of a shirt, electing to focus his attention on the way the brunette’s chest moved as he breathed.

The dishes were safely packed into the dishwasher and so the pair went and sat out on the balcony, the one attached to Levi’s bedroom rather than the living room so that the pair could lounge in peace and Eren wouldn’t have to worry about being seen. This balcony was around another side of the building and shielded from view from the street by the corner of the structure. There was only a single row of balconies on each side of the complex, so unless anyone climbed down from above or up from below, the two males would be completely alone.

It wasn’t a particularly warm or cold day and a pleasant breeze ruffled through their hair. Eren managed to coax the raven out of his shirt, letting his hands roam over the pale skin.

Soft grey eyes held bright teal orbs as Eren stretched out atop the raven, stomach to the raven’s chest.

“Comfy there?” Levi drawled, tracing a finger under the brunette's chin.

Eren smiled, looking very much like a spoiled, lazy cat. The boy nuzzled his face against the raven's hand, ducking his head to press a kiss to the smaller male's collar bone. Levi watched the mop of brown hair move lower, lips trailing down his chest. A pink tongue snaked out, flicking at one of Levi’s nipples and all the while Eren held the man’s gaze.

“You know,” Levi murmured softly, his voice not carrying far past Eren’s ears, “you don't have to work so hard for my attention.”

Eren only hummed in response. The arms curled lazily about his lower back were just the right sort of heavy; a comforting weight that held the boy in place as his hips began to roll. A gentle motion at first, testing to see if the raven could be coaxed into a little bout of playing. Levi hadn’t pushed the boy away yet and, taking that as a positive sign, the brunette moved a little more purposefully.

A chuckle slipped past the raven’s lips. “Still horny, eh?”

“What do you think?”

Levi coaxed the boy up for a kiss and for the next few moments there were no more words, only kisses that turned into quick little nips, wandering hands and Eren's impatient scrambling to better situate himself in the raven's lap.

The boy's hips moved at an almost frantic rhythm that had both males panting raggedly in no time at all. It was a good feeling, the kind of raw drive for passion that Levi hadn't felt since his teen years, but he didn't really want this feeling to end with the pair of them ruining two perfectly fine sets of clothes.

“Come on, brat, ease up a little.” The raven-haired man groused, voice a little uneven.

“Why?” Eren looked up; face flushed a pretty shade of pink in his state of arousal. The boy's brows were drawn together and his mouth hung open slightly as he panted, hot breath falling against the raven's shoulder.

He looked gorgeous.

But that wasn't quite enough to distract the raven from his dilemma. “Because if you don't, I'm going to fucking cum.”

“Isn't that the point?” Eren managed to gasp out, the words more air than tone as the brunette ground down, throwing his head back with a throaty moan.

“Well yeah,” Levi found himself chuckling between breaths, “but I'd like to get my pants off first.”

A desperate sound choked its way out of the boy's throat as he rocked his hips, head still lolled back. “Just leave it?” The brunette suggested, sounding equal parts hopeful and uncertain.

“Eren, no.”

The boy's rhythm slowed just barely and he leaned forward, hanging his head. “You're sure the mess is your only reason?”

Levi picked up on the suggesting tone in a second, shooting the boy's a sharp look. “If you have something to say, Eren...”

The brunette looked up, catching the look in the raven's eyes. Levi knew what he was thinking. The smaller man's grip on Eren's hips tightened, as if daring the boy to doubt him.

The taller male let out a short huff, the sound almost a laugh. “I'm being stupid, aren't I?”

Somehow Levi managed to make his smirk look fond, reaching up to flick the kid gently. “Probably. Now could you slow down for just a second?”

“You'll kill the mood wasting time undressing.” Eren argued, moving with renewed vigour. “Please?”

“No, Eren, cut it out-shit...”

Levi hissed out a breath through clenched teeth. He really was close, getting to the point where he should probably stop thinking about doing something and actually do something.

“Come on, Levi, please?” The boy pleaded, clutching the raven close and mouthing at his neck, shoulder, any skin he could find. “Just let me know what it's like once?”

Only one time? He could do that, couldn't he? After all, it wasn't like he was in love with what he was wearing; the clothes currently adorning his body were purely for comfort and he didn't intend to ever wear them outside of the confines of his home. Surely he could survive slipping just once in his record of being the OCD clean freak...

He didn't really have much choice in the decision in the end, as Eren took the man's continued silence as a sign not to stop and before either of them were really ready for it-

“Oh fuck-!”

Levi couldn't believe that he had come first. The coiling heat in his belly snapped suddenly, making the man yelp in surprise, and hot wet bloomed in the raven's underwear. It was exactly the same as Levi remembered this kind of sex to be; amazing for those first few hazy seconds...and then realisation sets in.

Gross

He must have uttered the thought aloud, hearing Eren's disbelieving laughter in his ear, warm and rich as oozing honey until the chuckling morphed into a long moan as the brunette found his own release.

Levi watched through lust clouded eyes as Eren came hard, gasping and rutting desperately until his orgasm subsided and the boy hung his head, relaxing with a thoroughly contented sigh.

The raven stretched, grimacing at the sticky wet sensation against his groin.

“Tch. Disgusting.” He shifted, wincing at the raw wet pull of damp material at still sensitive flesh. “You filthy brat.”

But Eren had already collapsed against the smaller male’s chest, boneless and sated. His eyes were closed and he had a little smile painted on his lips that made him look a lot younger. Eren's breathing was slowly returning to normal and Levi almost smiled when the kid tried to nestle closer, nuzzling his cheek against the raven's chest.

“Fuck, look at you...” Levi crooned gently, threading his fingers through the boy's hair, “you’re already spoiled.”

Eren's tiny smile twitched a little wider and he let out a pleased hum. “Mmm…”

The raven could feel the vibrations from the boy's throat in his chest. Eren felt so warm that Levi was almost tempted to just lay there and bask in the afterglow.

But damn it, he felt disgusting.

“No, don’t fall asleep.” The raven-haired man chided, voice gentle as he prodded the brunette's cheek. “We have to clean up and these damned clothes are going straight in the wash.”

Eren made a soft sound of complaint, his face twitching when Levi poked him again. “But I can’t move...”

“Yes you can, lazy shit.” Levi smiled slightly, shaking his head at the boy's antics. “You just don’t want to.”

“Mrph…”

Despite the boy's warning about adjusting to 'the gentle touch', Eren seemed to thrive on physical contact. When the boy finally peeled himself from the raven, he only moved away long enough for the smaller male to get up before lean arms were right back around ink-marked shoulders. The brat was practically dragged into the bathroom, reluctant as always, but he seemed happy enough once they stood together under the hot water of the shower.

“We need to do that more often.”

A breath. “What?”

“Sex.”

A dry chuckle. “Heh. No.”

“But-”

“No.” Levi chided over his shoulder, but his little half-smile took any bite out of the reprimand. “I'm not as fucking horny as you, so you can just suck it up, brat.”

Eren explained how he would gladly 'suck it up' in a not so delicate fashion and promptly found himself being kicked out of the shower.

The boy was still lying sprawled on the tiles when Levi finished up some minutes later.

“Quit moping. Get up of the floor.”

“I refuse.” Eren tipped his head from side to side in a sulking display. “My sex life is over; I will lie here until you change your mind.”

“Pfft.”

Apparently Eren wasn't kidding. Levi had towelled off, found new clothes and even made and eaten lunch, but the kid hadn't moved from the floor when the raven trudged back to check on him.

Levi couldn't help but grin at the sight. “For fuck's sake, at least put some clothes on.”

Eren made a soft sound of protest when a foot nudged his shoulder.

“Why?” The brunette moped, an arm flung dramatically over his face. “What's the point?”

The raven-haired man shook his head, crouching to prod at the kid's cheek. “How are you even keeping a straight face right now?”

Teal eyes peeped out for a moment. “I'm a great actor, shh!”

“Of course.” The smaller man chuckled, straightening. “Come on, brat, get up. We'll see about improving your sex life, hmm?”

Eren was off the floor in a second, chasing an escaping Levi to the living room. The pair tumbled over the back of the sofa, landing with an 'oof' and winded laughter.

“I didn't mean literally right now, you twerp.” Levi smirked up at the grinning boy.

Eren looked so happy, eyes bright with excitement from the chase and the faintest of pink flushes painted his cheeks. The boy's tail flicked and swished merrily behind him, catching Levi's attention every so often when it flicked past in his periphery.

But most of his attention was stolen by the enticing expanse of tanned skin hovering above him.

The raven-haired man cleared his throat, keeping his gaze locked on the boy's dazzling Caribbean eyes. “You really need to get dressed.”

“Why?” Confusion and a little reluctance coloured the brunette's tone as he tilted his head inquisitively, brows furrowing ever so slightly. “No one else is here.”

Levi tried not to let his eyes wander away from the boy's face, but he could feel the heat radiating from Eren's skin, so very invitingly close.

“That's not the problem.” The raven rasped, surprised by the almost husky quality to his voice.

Eren seemed to notice it too, his frown turning bemused. “Then what is?”

“Allow me to illustrate for you.” Levi muttered, grabbing hold of the brunette's hips and yanking them down.

It didn't take any more words to identify Levi's problem with a very naked Eren traipsing about the flat. And it was a rather pressing problem, literally pressing against the boy from between Levi's legs.

“Oh-hoh? Twice in one day?” Eren's face lit up in a grin. “Not bad for someone who’s not as horny as I am, wouldn't you say?”

Levi rolled his eyes at the brat. “So now we need to make a decision.”

“Oh? And what's that?”

The raven exhaled through his nose in amusement. “Well...either you put on clothes, or I take them off. I have a feeling that I know which option you'll choose-”

Eren was tugging at the raven's garments even before the man had finished speaking.

“How did I know?” Levi chuckled, sitting up to help the kid.

If Levi had been expecting another bout of rushed contact and frantic touches, he was severely mistaken. The boy seemed happy enough just to lie there with him, switching their positions so that the smaller male was laid stretched out with his back to Eren's chest.

The TV was on, creating a pleasantly dull murmur that became white noise in the background as Levi relaxed into the arms embracing him. He tipped his head back for a kiss and Eren rewarded him, dabbing their mouths together so delicately that the raven felt a small blush colour his cheeks. The boy smiled, a hand cupping Levi's face as Eren angled his head and kissed the raven-haired man again, deep and languid.

Levi jumped slightly as the brunette's free hand ghosted over his chest, down his stomach to his groin. The action was simple, lazy almost, in the way the boy's fingers slid over Levi's skin to curl around his semi-erect cock. There was something vulnerable in being bared before a lover, something that made Levi want to hide as though Eren would be able to see his every fault and flaw in the daylight. The boy didn’t seem to care about whatever those might be as he kissed the top of Levi's head, fingers massaging his scalp gently. The raven turned his head, hiding his face against Eren's shoulder as a low moan fell from his lips with a slow tug of his cock. He groaned as Eren pressed his thumb against the slit, smearing the precum beading there.

There was something uniquely amazing and addicting about the slow, lazy transition from snuggling with a lover, indulging in a kiss here and there, to languid sex. It was its own wondrous style, the kind of lovemaking that did not start with a sudden desire to claw clothing off, ignited by spark of lust, but rather a sluggish coaxing along. This was the kind of slow, hot sex that Levi rarely indulged in but, if he thought about it, it was probably his favourite. A wandering hand trailing across his chest, his stomach, toying idly with the faint trail of hair that led down, tracing the prominent V-shape of muscle to curl on a mildly limp dick and stroking the satiny skin of it. Skin akin to the velvety and petal-soft quality of an eyelid. Nipples hard, toes curling in silent pleasure, head tipping gently from one side to the other with a tiny rosary of sighs. A string of butterfly kisses trailed along his neck as Eren moved, lifting and depositing the raven at the far end of the couch as the boy moved to lay between Levi's legs. The brat smiled up at the smaller male adoringly, pressing feather-light kisses to the heated skin of Levi's inner thighs. The raven's chest rolled with deep breaths and pleasured gasps and he let his head loll back to rest against the arm of the sofa. Harder, getting harder, curving gently against the caress of a warm palm with the throb of blood. A gentle smile, Levi watched through the fingers covering his eyes before those grey pools closed again. Soft, pouty mouth, working up a little bit of spit to save the trip into the bedroom for lube.

When Eren's tongue hit the underside of Levi’s cock, he let out a low moan, his arm falling from his face and hanging limply from the couch. Eren felt the crunch of Levi's abs beneath his fingertips as the raven's hips thrust up, forcing his swollen cock further into the heat of the boy's mouth. Levi mumbled a breathy apology, thankful of Eren's lack of a gag reflex, the words cut off into a deep moan as the boy sucked, hollowing out his cheeks and running his tongue against the smaller male's shaft. Massage with fingers, tongue and a skillful avoidance of teeth, Levi had to wonder how the fuck Eren was so good at this.

The kid never came up for air, a fact that was both strange and strangely wonderful because it meant that the kid never lost rhythm. And shit Levi shouldn't feel so close to cumming already, but the burn in his gut was already building.

“Shit. Ah, where did you even learn how to use your tongue like that?”

“W-ll aybe seeb id-”

“Don't talk with your mouth full, brat.”

Eren chuckled and the vibrations of sound felt oddly amazing.

Generally, getting sucked off usually felt pretty darned amazing, but Levi had never felt like this. The raven wasn't sure why it felt so good but he had his bet placed on the fact that Eren didn't need to breathe.

And the kid made every use of that advantage.

Lips slid down the raven's cock, not pausing until they met the cool metal of the piercing just above Levi's balls. Eren stopped there, unmoving, and worked his throat around Levi's cockhead. It's hot, so much hotter than just the boy's mouth, and Levi can't stop the hiss of expletives that tumble from his lips.

And then Eren pulled back, slowly and with the patience of a damned saint, sucking in such a way that Levi's back arched off the sofa and he whined aloud.

A hand flew down to grasp at Eren's hair, tugging desperately as Levi let out a crisp gasp in a wordless message that he was close, so close now. Hips beginning to jerk, Levi risked a glance down at Eren working his magic and as their eyes met that was it. His hips gave a final jerk and a moan caught in his throat only to escape as a high pitching whine as the pleasure coiled in his belly snapped and sent the hot streams of his release cascading down his lover’s throat.

Eren didn't pull back until he had lapped up everything Levi had to give and by the time the raven opened his eyes again, the brunette was cooing and stroking his face.

“I thought you passed out for a minute there.” The boy smiled, resting their foreheads together. “So how was it?”

“I think I died and went to heaven for a second.”

The brunette gave a snort, shaking his head at the raven. “Unlikely.”

“We should...clean up...” The raven huffed between breaths, feeling thoroughly spent.

Eren made a face, but a curious look crossed the boy's features at Levi's suddenly thoughtful expression.

“What is it?” The brunette asked.

“How fast can you run?”

Eren had a feeling that he knew exactly where this was going. He leant his chin on a hand, propping up one elbow, and sighed.

“Pretty fast.”

Grey eyes narrowed in what looked suspiciously like victory and then Levi was speaking.

“Wipes. Bathroom, second drawer.” He stretched up to press an encouraging kiss to the corner of the Eren's mouth, whispering a cheeky 'go fetch' in the boy's ear.

The brunette grumbled but pushed up from the sofa, launching off into motion so fast that if Levi had blinked he would have missed the brat reappearing to flop back onto the couch. He held up the wipes in question, tossing the packet to Levi.

“Well hot damn.” The raven chuckled, eyebrows raised as he caught the offering. “I'm officially impressed.”

Most of the day was spent lounging about and idly watching the television. In all honesty, Levi couldn't remember which one of them had turned it on, but it was a welcome distraction whenever conversation trailed off into bouts of lazy kissing.

Levi almost didn't hear the sound of someone knocking at the door.

Eren didn't miss it.

The way the kid sat up instantly, eyes sharp and tail twitching, instantly had Levi feeling less than thrilled about whoever it was outside. Before the raven could even make a move to get up, Eren shot off the couch.

“I'll get it.” The boy announced, padding towards the door.

“You sure?” Levi called after him, raising a brow. “It's probably Hanji, knowing my luck. You're sure you want to deal with that?”

“It's not Hanji.” Eren muttered in a voice so low that the raven figured that the kid probably hadn’t meant for Levi to hear him.

But the smaller man did hear the quiet words. The raven was still for a moment, processing how certain the brunette had sounded.

“Oh?” He managed at last. “And you know that how?”

The boy paused, hesitating halfway between the door and Levi.

“Just,” Eren turned and the boy had never looked so pleading, “...stay here?”

The brunette took Levi's silence as confirmation and turned back towards the door with a sneer. Lips curled back over his teeth, the boy inhaled through his nose. The scent he was picking up made the hair stand up on the back of his neck.

Another demon.

Bracing himself for some kind of attack, Eren wrenched the door open with a snarl, his free hand raised to strike.

He halted in a second, all rage evaporating into pure shock.

“Mikasa?”

Sure enough, his sister stood on the opposite side of the door frame, only she looked...different.

Normal, at least by human standards. Her eyes never lost that dull coal quality but she was definitely getting better at falsifying a human appearance. Her scales were gone, along with the fire she usually kept about her neck. In their place, a red scarf was wrapped about her throat and she kept the fingers of one hand twined in the fabric.

The girl lacked a tail and even her ears looked normal now. Eren would have been impressed with her efforts had he not been so surprised at her sudden reappearance. Last he had known, she had been busy taking care of his lands.

“Eren.”

Well at least she didn't sound any different, if a little concerned. But the concern in that one uttered word was enough to make the brunette's skin tingle with unpleasant anticipation.

Eren could hear Levi getting up, the footsteps moving closer as the raven ignored the boy's plea for him to stay put.

“Who is it?” Levi called from somewhere near the kitchen.

Eren could practically feel anxiety pouring from the being in front of him. He felt an overwhelming urge to comfort the ravenette, calling over his shoulder. “Just...stay inside, okay Levi?”

A pause. “...what?”

“It's okay.” The brunette swallowed, trying not to worry the raven. “Stay back there. I'll handle this.”

Levi did not sound comforted. “Eren, who is it?”

“I said I'll handle it.”

Apparently the finality in Eren's tone was enough to clue Levi in on the fact that he really didn't have time to argue. The raven-haired man marched off again with a muttered 'tch' and Eren closed his eyes and sighed when he heard the bedroom door shut.

And the day had been going so well...

“What are you doing here again, Mikasa?” Eren sighed, sounding tired.

“I'm not going to hurt your pet, Eren.” The dark-haired girl murmured.

Eren hissed, gripping the door frame so hard that the wood creaked. “He isn't a pet.”

The ravenette made an apologetic sound. “Listen, I'm not here to ruin your little game of make believe.” She ducked her head with a defeated sounding sigh. “I'm here to tell you that you should stay.”

“What?”

Whatever Eren had been waiting for her to say, clearly he wasn't prepared for that.

“Did you hit your head or something?” The brunette stared owlishly at his adopted sibling. “Aren't you the one who's always dragging me back to my responsibilities?”

Mikasa didn't look amused, even if Eren's words were true. In fact the boy hadn't seen her look so very serious about anything in a long time.

“Stay here, Eren.” She said, her voice firm just like it always sounded whenever she got protective. “This place is safer for you. Just...” she paused for a moment, the hardened look in her eyes softening and she sighed, “stay here, okay? Don't come back, stay here. Stay safe.”

“Safe? I don't understand.” Eren murmured, frowning at the raven-haired girl. “Mika...you're talking like I'm a child. I can handle myself.”

Apparently those were not the right words to say, not even remotely, as Mikasa's eyes flashed in anger.

“I don't care how strong you think you are!” She snapped, grabbing his arms and shaking the boy. “He's going to kill you one day!”

Eren tried to get free of her grip, settling for drawing the distressed demon into an awkward embrace. There were a number of people that Mikasa could be talking about, but Eren had a bad feeling that he knew the reason why she seemed so rattled.

“He? Who, Mikasa?” The brunette murmured in query, resting his cheek atop the girl's head. It was an uncomfortable angle, seeing as they were around the same height and Eren had to stretch up, but he couldn't just do nothing at all to comfort her. And he needed to be certain of what she meant. “Who's threatening you?”

“It him, Eren.” The girl whispered, as though saying the words any louder might summon the terrible creature of which she spoke.

Eren stiffened as his suspicions were confirmed, his breath catching in his throat. It had been a while since the brunette had paused long enough to give his fiancée any serious thought. In hindsight, that was probably a mistake on his part.

Mikasa went on, stepping back and explaining all that had happened.

“He's tired of waiting, Eren. He says that next time he comes; if you're not there...he'll destroy us all. He gave you a month-”

“It's okay.” Eren said suddenly.

He knew that he had cut her off but he couldn't listen to another word. Too many thoughts were fighting each other in his head, too many memories long held back. He had put off thoughts of going back for as long as possible. Too long.

And now his procrastination was getting ready to come back and bite him. Wonderful.

Eren shivered, wrapping his arms about himself. He could remember the cold hands, the wicked teeth and claws set to mark him. The dark scales, so beautiful at night, just like their owner. He was a miracle after the burning sun went down.

But during the day he lashed out, he schemed and bit and chased, climbing the walls whenever he got bored. He had always said that Eren was the one toy he never grew tired of.

And then Eren had run. He had been scared...he still was. Scared...terrified of those sharp eyes. But what frightened him most were the moments when he wasn't afraid when he should have been.

“I'll come back,” Eren announced, the sound of his voice making Mikasa start slightly after the long silence, “I can...I can try to calm him down.”

The ravenette panicked, rushing forward and taking her brother's face in her hands.

“He'll kill you, Eren.”

She was sure of it. Unfortunately Eren wasn't so sure that she was wrong.

“Not for a while.” He said; it was the best that he could offer her. “He's spent too long chasing me to end the game so soon.”

Of this, Eren was absolutely sure. That fiend back in Hell was crazy about games; he loved them more than most other things. Except maybe feeding. But that mad bastard would never kill Eren until he stopped being entertaining. That was something that the kid could use to his advantage.

“How can you be so sure?” Mikasa whispered, her voice softly pushing through into the boy's thoughts.

A vague assembly of thoughts that felt like the beginnings of a plan. A plan he could use…a plan that might just save their hides for a while longer.

“I know what he's like.”

He did. Eren knew this creature...what he liked and what made him angry. He could play his own little game...and maybe that would help to save his skin should his betrothed find out that he was being played.

Mikasa didn't look convinced at all. “We all know what he's like, Eren.” She hissed, glaring at the floor so viciously that Eren waited to see if the ground would catch on fire from her stare alone. “That's why I'm telling you to stay away from him.”

Eren exhaled through his nose, offering his sister a smile that he hoped was comforting.

“It'll be alright.” He soothed, reaching out to squeeze the girl's arm. “I'll see what I can do to talk him round.” The brunette gave Mikasa’s shoulder a little playful shove. “Maybe I can even convince him to stop assaulting the castle?”

It had been a hopeful comment, almost a joke until he actually thought about it. That would be a much more desirable option in fact...and it would ensure a little more peace of mind to his own comrades. Except...

“But...wouldn't that mean you'd end up going to his castle instead?”

Trust his sister to voice his own thoughts.

Eren didn't like the idea any more than he liked the worried look in Mikasa's eyes. “...yeah.” He sighed, idly scratching at his neck. “I guess it can't be helped now.”

It took a lot of convincing, but after a solid hour's argument the brunette managed to persuade his sister that he would be okay if he returned to the dying world. She returned home reluctantly, disappearing down the stairs.

The brunette ducked outside to perform a thorough sweep of the area just in case Mikasa had been followed. It seemed safe enough and hers was the only other scent that he found out of place.

With a longwinded sigh, Eren returned to the apartment, shut the door and locked it, turning to see that at least the bedroom door wasn't shut any longer. Hopefully that meant that he wouldn't be evicted from the bedroom and sleeping on the sofa.

Levi was laying on the couch by the time Eren turned to look for him and the boy winced a little, feeling a little twinge of guilt that he had taken so long. He approached quietly, padding softly across the carpet.

“Who was at the door?”

The brunette froze, a sheepish smile creeping across his face as he leant against the back of the sofa.

“I thought you were asleep?” The boy murmured, reaching down to trace a gentle hand across the raven's arm.

“Your hands are cold.”

“I'm sorry.”

The look in those stormy eyes told Eren that the raven understood that the boy’s apology extended to much more than just the fact that his hands were chilly.

“So who was it?”

“My sister.”

“Oh?” Levi rolled over to look up at Eren. “Do I know her?”

The boy tilted his head a little, scrunching up his nose. “Yes and no. You've...sort of met. But she looked like me at the time.”

There was a long pause until at last a look of understanding took over Levi's face. And then he wrinkled his nose.

“Wait, you mean that copycat was your sister?” The raven threw his hands into the air incredulously. “What the fuck?”

“I know,” Eren laughed, grabbing at Levi's hands and holding them, “even I was weirded out by that.”

Levi shuddered at the memory, entwining his fingers through the boy's. “So what did she want?”

The brunette glanced away reluctantly. “She was just bringing news.”

His voice sounded quiet, the kind of sound that children sometimes get when they're telling a version of the truth but leaving out some rather crucial details.

“You're leaving again, is that it?”

Eren closed his eyes slowly, looking almost pained and squeezing Levi's hands in his own before sighing in a rush. “I don't want to leave.” The boy whispered, his voice so soft that Levi almost missed the words entirely.

The boy released his grip, pushing back and away from the couch to pace.

“Mikasa doesn't want me to go back either. She came solely to tell me to remain here. Something must have happened to spook her...”

He'll destroy us all...

Levi sat up, looking at Eren over the back of the sofa. “What's happened that would make her change her tune like that?”

You have a month.

It's him, Eren.

Him.

Eren looked guilty. His tail flitted miserably behind his back and the boy was fidgeting, wringing his hands and looking absolutely anywhere except at Levi.

Naturally, the raven felt a little suspicious. “What is it?”

Eren opened his mouth for a moment, only to close it again with a shake of his head.

Grey eyes took in the nervous boy.

“Jesus, Eren,” the raven gave a snort, “you look like you're about to tell me that you're married with kids and I'm the affair.”

The brunette actually winced at the sound of Levi's voice, eyes flitting over for a second.

“Holy fuck. Don't you tell me that's it?” The raven's eyes narrowed down to slits and he wasn't sure what kind of face he was making but it was enough to make Eren take a step back.

“It's...it's not quite like that.” The brunette held his hands up defensively, glancing off to the side and screwing his eyes shut for a moment, dreading his next words. “He's...uh...he's my fiancée.”

“What?”

Chapter Text

“I’ll be waiting on the other side. All you’ve got to do is cross the line. I can wait a whole long time but you’ve just got to decide.” – Bruno Mars feat. B.o.B, The Other Side.

***

It seemed surreal...how one of the best days could turn so swiftly into one of the worst.

Levi had taken longer than usual to process the words that had tumbled out of Eren's mouth, but his eyes slowly narrowed into cold slits. If Levi Ackerman had ever looked like a vicious alley cat, that time was now.

“You're engaged?”

There it was; the dreaded curl of anger in a familiar voice, soon to turn to blame. Eren had feared it from the start, but never expected that he would ever need to tell Levi about his other-worldly rival. The distance between them now just served to prove that mentioning it probably wasn’t the best of ideas. Maybe it would have been okay if he hadn’t been caught off guard, if Eren had had the time to think about the best way to approach such a delicate issue.

Eren winced at the sharp tone, wringing his hands. “...not in the traditional sense...but...kind of.”

“Kind of?” Levi practically hissed, getting to his feet. “There's no such thing as 'kind of' engaged. That's like saying you're 'kind of' a demon. Or you 'kind of' eat people.” The raven snapped, eyes narrowing, hands clenched by his sides and Eren could already see the blame forming in those stormy orbs.

“Okay…so I am engaged.” Eren said instead because, as much as he didn’t want to say the words, it was obviously what Levi was waiting for him to admit.

“You're engaged and you didn't think that maybe that might be something that I would like to know?” The raven-haired man pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling his frustration through parted lips. “Hell, why would you even come after me if you're already committed?” Levi shook his head, his tone taking on an incredulous note. “You really must have been dropped on your head a few times.”

Eren didn’t care much for the insults, but he refrained from retorting in favour of keeping his own voice calm. As imminent as an argument seemed to be, nothing good could come of a fight.

The brunette breathed in slowly, taking care to choose his words with care. “I didn't want to tell you because I was afraid that...you'd be...”

“Pissed? Damn right I am.” The raven cut off Eren’s words with his own. “I trusted you. Even after you saw everything that happened, even after I let you see that!” Levi turned his head away rapidly with a frustrated hiss, running a hand through his hair and tugging at the strands. His next words came a little gentler. “I could've understood if you'd said something then. But you kept quiet even though you knew? Give me one reason why I shouldn't be trying to strangle you right now?”

“...um...because you can't physically do that?” Eren offered, somewhat foolishly.

The boy cringed at his own words, knowing that trying to deflect answering with humour was a stupid idea the moment the words had left his mouth.

Levi scoffed in disbelief, staring dubiously at the boy. “Another cheater, huh?” The raven's voice sounded odd, cold but strained...as if it was difficult for him to maintain the detached tone.

Eren winced, opening his mouth to speak but Levi spoke before he could get a word out.

“At least I'm not the poor bastard you're being unfaithful to. Now that would a damned familiar turn. Shit.” The raven-haired man cursed, running a hand over his face and back through his hair roughly. “Now I know what it feels like to be on both sides. All that's left is for me to be the unfaithful one.”

“Don't.”

The boy’s voice was low, unwavering on that one word.

Eren had had enough. He couldn’t help but give in to his anger as Levi accused him. Without knowing all of the facts, the raven could not possibly hope to understand…and Eren knew that, he did.

But he would not be called a cheat and a trickster when the titles were not due.

“Don't start with the cheating bullshit!” Eren hissed. “You don't know what you're talking about.”

Levi sat back, eyebrows raised at the outburst. Eren’s voice was rising slowly and the raven noticed tiny flickers of blue fire beginning to light in the boy’s hair.

“You don't know him...what he's like.” The brunette’s voice seemed to soften for a moment, but more in desperation than any sort of gentle tone before his voice rose again. “You have no idea how my world works!” The boy snapped, feet planted, fists clenched. Everything about his posture was defensive. “Hell isn’t like your perfect morally corrupt existence. It's violent, it's brutal. You take or you get taken from. Don't talk to me about faith; you know perfectly well that I don't care for it. Let's not pretend for a second that you understand what this is. You think you're some cheap toy? Some poor used plaything? Wrong! Don't make me sick. I would never do that. Never!” Eren cried in equal parts anger and promise. “Never...”

The boy sobbed suddenly and the flames that had been steadily increasing about his form died out. Levi wasn’t sure what to think. His initial anger was still there, bubbling away in his chest, but there was an ache there too that had less to do with Levi’s dug up past than it had to do with the crying creature before him.

The boy’s soft sobs and miserable little gasping breaths filled the otherwise silent apartment.

“You were my sanctuary, Levi.” Eren sniffed, covering his eyes with his hands in an effort to stop the tears. “You were my safe place. My escape.” A pained sound ripped its way out of the boy’s throat. “Why are you spoiling everything? I thought you trusted me?”

Trust? Well of course, he had trusted the boy enough to let him into his home, to share every last detail of his life and even go so far as to fall for the brat. But trust is a thing that is easily broken…and Eren had just blundered across the one line that Levi had. Such a thing was, in his mind, unforgivable.

“This is just like Erwin all over again.”

Levi hadn’t really thought that he had said the words aloud until he saw the pained expression flit across Eren’s face.

“No, no it’s not.” The boy defended, his own voice a little shaky. “Just listen, I can explain why-”

“You're a fucking demon, Eren.” The raven muttered. “How do I know that anything you say is true?”

It had been a petty thing to say; in fact all Levi wanted was to see the brat’s composure slip a bit in penance for the agony he was stirring inside of him. But the words had a profound reaction on the brunette.

White hot rage licked its way up Eren’s spine and for a split second clouds passed over the sun, casting shadows over the apartment. Eren’s eyes burned like blue-green beacons and Levi felt dread creep its way into his heart for a moment as the silence almost seemed to speak.

The entire atmosphere of the room seemed heavy, stifling, and the temperature seemed to be dropping too. Everything seemed to be passing slower than usual; the way Eren closed his eyes, hands curled into white-knuckled fists and…was that blood dripping off his hands?

It was. The droplets were such a deep red that they appeared to be black, only the faded trails they left behind giving away the scarlet substance as blood. Only a few drops escaped, hissing and steaming away once they hit the carpet, and Levi realised that the brunette’s grip must have dug his nails into his palms.

“See?” Eren muttered, almost to himself for a moment before the clouds passed, the sunlight returned and suddenly the boy’s eyes were open again. Time returned to normal. “See how easily you label me and shove me onto your list of people you don't trust?” Eren spat the words out, turning on his heel with a sneer, as if to walk right out of the apartment, only to growl under his breath and face Levi once more. “Because what? I'm different? You humans and your fucking fear of the unknown.” The boy hissed, scowling at the ground and shaking his head. “No wonder my kind doesn't bother with much more than eating you. Predators, that’s all we are. It’s all I should have ever tried to be, but I just had to go and fuck it all up. I just had to get attached to my prey. How could I have been so stupid?!”

In a moment of anger, the brunette lashed out, slamming one furled fist against the wall. Cracks appeared, snaking up the wall with a dry crunch, and the vibrations made the kitchen cupboards rattle, crockery clinking together. Levi was certain that he felt the entire building shake under his feet.

The brunette was breathing hard, his eyes staring at the wall unseeing.

“Eren-” The raven started, intending to remind Eren that he had to be careful, but the boy cut him off.

“No!” Eren exclaimed, turning a fierce glare on the smaller male before screwing his eyes shut, pinching the bridge of his nose and inhaling in an attempt to calm himself. “No, Levi, you really don’t want to do that.” The boy’s voice was at least a little quieter now, more annoyed than furious. “I’m not in any mood to be talked down, so why don’t you just use your judgemental brain for a second and consider that if I am different from you...just maybe my culture differs too! Maybe engagement isn't the same damned thing here as it is there!”

A moment of vaguely confused silence passed between the two as Levi thought on Eren’s words.

“Is it?” He asked at last.

Eren threw his hands in the air like he was arguing a moot point. “No!” The boy exclaimed in annoyance. “You think demons go around professing their love and fucking proposing to each other with diamond rings? Are you nuts?” Eren tossed his head with a bitter laugh, scoffing at the thought. “We hunt, we eat, and we kill. Rinse, lather, repeat. What have I always said about my world? Kill or be killed. Take or be taken from. Well this is the most literal case. He took. I was taken. And all because I saved one life? This is what I get for being a do-gooder just one day of my life.”

The brunette hissed and lapsed into an irked silence, pacing erratically back and forth. Levi had never felt so conflicted, filled with clashing emotions. Pain from having his trust broken, anger as well, confusion at the surge of information without context, irritation at the boy’s unwillingness to fill him in…and a strong urge to stop this fighting, cross the room and pull the kid into a hug.

He settled for sitting back down on the sofa, hands clasped together atop his knees.

“Eren, would you please just...explain this to me?” The raven murmured at last, his voice quiet and pleading. “I don't want to fight. I don't want to feel any distrust for you. But you can't just fucking tell me something like this and expect me not to misunderstand if you don't provide the details.”

Eren's glowering eyes turned in Levi's direction and they did not soften upon meeting the raven's gaze. The smaller man had never seen the boy in such a foul mood. It really was quite alarming. But Levi knew that if they didn’t talk this over now…they probably never would.

“Talk to me, Eren. I’ve been through this, and I wish I could have spoken to Erwin then. Let’s not make the same mistakes now, okay?”

The mere mention of Erwin made the kid sneer, but Levi’s words seemed to strike sense within the boy. His eyes slowly lost their eerie glow and the harsh sounds of his breathing began to ease. After a moment the brunette closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose in an effort to calm himself.

“How much do you want to know?” The boy’s voice held a remarkable lack of tone, inflectionless as Levi had never heard the kid sound before.

Everything. Levi wanted to know everything that had led the two of them to where they stood now. If he could understand Eren’s actions, then he could forgive the boy.

“As much as you can tell me.” The raven answered, leaving the details and delivery up to Eren.

The kid gave a restless sigh, taking a few absentminded steps about the room as he pondered over where exactly to begin. There was a lot to tell if Levi really did want all of the details. He came to stand by the balcony doors, glancing out into the street and over the roofs of houses.

“It was a long time ago when I first...encountered him.” Eren began, choosing his words with purpose.

He didn’t say ‘met’, for that would imply that they had exchanged names or greetings upon seeing one another for the first time. This, however, was not the case.

“It was the same day that Mikasa joined my family. Well...family of two,” the boy corrected, wanting to ensure that his choice of terminology would not further confuse Levi, “until Armin came along. He's practically family at any rate.”

Eren smiled as he thought of his petite blonde-haired friend, his sister and all they had achieved together. None of his plans would have taken off without their help, but the boy’s features shifted back into a darker expression as he went on.

“Anyway...he was in the middle of slaughtering Mikasa's parents. They weren't the nicest of folks either I guess, coming from the catacombs, but this guy...he's the kind of monster you'd expect to haunt nightmares.” A haunted expression dominated Eren’s features and the look did not go unnoticed by the raven seated on the couch. “He loves the thrill of the hunt...but torture has always been his forte. When I found them...he'd been busy breaking as many bones in their writhing bodies as he could. It’s amazing how much damage he can actually do to a creature without them dying…”

Levi was absolutely certain that Eren could remember the scenes he was describing with perfect clarity and his own stomach twisted a little at the thought.

Eren swallowed. “I managed to get Mikasa away, but not without catching his attention. I was caught that first time…but he let me go.”

“Why?” Levi interjected, speaking up for the first time since Eren’s tale had begun.

The brunette’s attention snapped over to him, as if the boy had almost forgotten that there was anybody in the room with him at all.

Eren released a breath that he hadn’t realised had been trying to escape his lungs and offered the raven a tiny, sad smile. “He said I had a pretty voice.” The boy murmured in response. “Of course, he meant my screams.”

The raven’s gut felt as if it were slowly being tied in knots as a steadily growing feeling of unease built in him.

“What did he..?” Levi began but trailed off, deciding that he might not want to know.

But Eren told him anyway. “Oh, only bit off my hands and set my tail on fire.” The brunette announced with an almost casual air, obviously trying to brush the matter off as nothing. “Apparently he had such a good time that he couldn't bear to end the game so soon. He let me leave and I took Mikasa to my home.” Once again a dark and determined look took over Eren’s face and he clenched his hands into fists. “I knew then that I had to become stronger, gain more power so that I would never be in that situation again. For years I didn't see or hear anything of him. Not until I returned home from my first trip to your world. It was a rather...enlightening experience.”

Here Eren smirked a tiny bit, and Levi suspected an inside joke.

The raven raised an eyebrow. “Do I want to know?”

For the first time since the story started, Eren seemed more amused than disturbed by his own past.

“You said you wanted to know everything.” The boy said with a sound that was almost a laugh and he shrugged. “I guess I'll tell you. The first time I came here, it was solely to devour as many people as I could. I was power hungry, there's no point denying that. But in my hunger, I was blind. I drew too much attention, I didn't bother trying to hide or clean up my mess and in my carelessness my presence was discovered by an organisation of priests.” Eren shook his head a little, as if disapproving of his own methods before he gave a soft snort and moved on. “Long story short, they tried to exorcise me. Most of it was complete twaddle, but the being set on fire part had me worried for a minute or two.”

Ah, so that was why he'd smirked on the word 'enlightening'.

At the raven’s confused expression, the brunette went on to explain.

“Fire is a particular weakness for my kind.” The boy’s voice caught Levi’s attention again and the raven’s brow arched up. Eren exhaled in amusement. “I know, it seems silly really; I mean...we live in the fucking realm of eternal fire for fuck's sake and some of us can even control fire, as you’ve seen,” the brunette offered a small smile, looking in Levi’s direction without ever quite meeting his eyes, “but none of us are immune.” He shrugged, as if even he was a little bewildered by the words. “We’re all able to withstand and control our own flames, of course. Fire is the only thing more eager to consume than us and therefore we are vulnerable to flames.”

Despite all the times that Levi had spent questioning Eren, the raven felt as if he had learned more in this one conversation than all of the other moments combined. The boy had faded off, distracted by a blaring car horn outside, and the raven prompted him.

“So...how did you survive?” Levi asked, encouraging the kid to keep talking.

The story was far from over and they both knew it.

Eren looked back towards the raven and shrugged again. “They failed to keep me contained and I managed to put the fire out. You remember how my full demonic form brings rain?”

Levi nodded, understanding dawning on him. “Well that's handy.”

“Indeed it is.” Eren exhaled through his nose, an amused sound. “Anyway, obviously I panicked and returned home straight away with my tail quite literally between my legs...only to run straight into a very amused and very familiar face.”

“Your fiancée again?”

The brunette gave a single nod in response. “He thought it was adorable how I had thought that I could handle myself so easily, particularly when I came back covered in soot and missing half a leg. Fire is a bitch.”

“Did he hurt you again? Or take advantage of your injured state?”

“No…not in the manner that I believe you are implying. While violent, he’s never really come onto me in any way other than overly excessive flirting.”

“Kind of like when we first met?”

“Har har.” The boy drawled sarcastically, poking his tongue out at Levi. “He’s worse. Ten times more forward.”

Eren had the nerve to look mischievous; the brat looked almost pleased with the jealous glint that flickered within grey orbs. The boy started speaking again before the raven could form a retort.

“He took me back to his castle and I was in no shape to struggle. I remained his prisoner and entertainment until I had healed.” Here Eren paused; looking conflicted as he glanced off to one side. “It was...really weird.”

A hint of confusion coloured Eren’s tone and Levi picked up on it in a second. The boy’s voice was softer now and he had this strange little frown on his face.

“He was completely different the second time around.” The brunette went on to explain, rubbing at his arm idly. Levi hated to admit it, but the action made him look homesick. “There was no torture, no unearned punishments or ruthless beatings like I had expected. He only came after dark and let me tell you, it's a total transformation. He hates sunlight, in your world as well, but in Hell it's far worse. He hasn't been here for many years, though, no need to worry. He's too strong for the travel now. But...after the sun sets, he's so different. Possessive, yes, but it’s almost adoring.”

Teal eyes shone with memory, a whole new kind of pain filtering through the soft pools.

Eren shook his head and the spell was broken, the brunette hurried to get back to his tale. “He let me go once I'd recovered and I started planning my schemes more carefully. His visits started to come more often until finally I...I just ran.”

The brunette let out a huff of a breath, leaning back against the wall like for once he actually needed the support.

Grey eyes regarded the boy carefully, fitting the pieces of Eren’s story together. He was beginning to see the picture, like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, but the image wasn’t quite finished yet.

“Why?” Levi asked, somehow sensing that the answer to this question would be important.

Even if it wasn’t what he wanted to hear…he needed to know.

“I ran because...” Eren paused, features twisting in uncertainty as he let out a rushed breath, “I'd almost stopped being afraid of him.”

Levi watched Eren’s features relax into an almost shocked expression. The words seemed to have made the boy realise that truth, a thought that had been plaguing his mind but he had always shoved it to the back of his mind for a fear of what the answer might be. And there it was…he wasn’t just scared of this creature waiting for him in Hell. There were other emotions and feelings tied to the demon as well, feelings not so easily dismissed.

However, the brunette wasn’t finished talking. “But I know that's a mistake! It's like turning your back on a snake just when you think it won't bite you.”

At last Levi had some sense, some clarity in this mad whirlwind of information.

Eren was scared of this guy, no, more than just scared, he was terrified. The only problem was that hate and fear weren’t the only emotions that Eren felt towards this…this creature. There were elements of the fiend’s nature that the boy felt almost drawn to, and now it spelt conflict for them both.

The picture was growing clearer, and yet there remained a few questions buzzing about in the raven’s skull like angry wasps trying to escape.

“If you’re so worried about this motherfucker then what the hell are you doing letting him push you around?” The smaller male asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’re a demon from Hell, for fuck’s sake!”

Eren scoffed. “It’s not that simple.” The boy shot back, rolling his eyes. “I have plans, I have to bide my time. Even if I could defeat him, it would blow my cover and all those years of planning would be a complete waste.” The very thought of this caused Eren’s expression to darken. “No…I can’t fight back just yet.”

Considering the brat’s stubborn nature, or at least that which the raven had experienced personally, that answer came as no surprise. But surely that stubbornness would compel the boy to fight back against this oppression? It just didn’t make sense.

Levi stared at the kid in disbelief. “So you’re just going to take it lying down? Is that it?”

At this, Eren looked physically pained. Another nerve struck, direct hit if the look on the boy’s face was any clue. He wanted to fight back…more than anything. But, like many things in life, it was never that simple.

“He's decided that he wants to...keep me.” Eren murmured in a gentle voice after a moment of silence. The boy sighed heavily. “And there's no one capable of really stopping him from getting what he wants...so that's that. He'll keep chasing me down until I stop running...and one day he'll kill me and I'll become just another creature that he's used and eaten.”

It was a morbid future indeed that Eren’s words painted; a canvas covered in blood and reeking of death and disappointment.

Levi swallowed, wincing at the sudden moisture in his dry throat. “So you've just accepted that?”

Another sigh whispered past the boy’s lips and his head hung a little. “I’ve accepted the possibility and the likelihood.” The brunette admitted, sounding thoroughly miserable. “So I fled and he thinks I'm lost wandering in the wastelands and marshes. If he knew I was here...and with a human,” Eren gave a scathing chuckle, “I can just picture the look in his eyes...although...I think if he saw you, he'd be thoroughly amused.”

Another amused sound came from Eren and Levi was starting to feel uneasy again.

“Amused?” He echoed the brunette’s last adjective, arching an eyebrow. “Why? What about my appearance is funny?”

“Trust me, you don't want to know.” Eren said with a bitter chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck with a tired sigh. “But he'd probably love it. No, I'm sure he would. I'd never hear the end of it.”

“Who is this guy?” Levi queried, brow creasing in thought. “Why is he such a threat?”

The brunette frowned as well, but more because he was attempting to answer Levi’s question accurately.

“He's...kind of...employed, I guess?” Eren’s words came slowly at first, but the more he spoke the more confident he sounded. “Kind of like an assassin? I think that's the closest word you have for what he does. He kills people in service of the higher powers in charge of my world. He's been alive for a long time. Thousands of years. That’s easily long enough to make his sanity questionable. I couldn't count the number of souls he's consumed...and that's a hell of a lot of power built up. But he doesn't just mess around with this stuff; he's been working on his magic for centuries. Still...I reckon I've got a trick or two that might surprise him. Sad things is...he'd probably just be excited. It'd be another challenge, something new and unknown after so many years without distraction. I almost feel bad for him.”

The silence that followed seemed to seep its way into Levi’s skin, preventing him from saying a word as Eren glanced at the floor. The kid looked upset, but he managed to wipe most of the feeling from his features before looking back up.

“That’s about everything, excluding excruciating detail.” Teal eyes met Levi’s gaze at last, holding a mix of sadness and exasperation. “Are you satisfied now? Still want to shout at me? Go on, I can take it. I’ve suffered far worse than any words you can say. Or would you rather have a go with your precious kitchen knives? A little practice would do you good. I can take that too, believe me.”

“I…” Levi hesitated, for once at a complete loss of what he could say.

The raven felt like he had slapped the kid across the face with the way he had instantly accused him, not asking or waiting for facts and explanations. It still hurt him inside to know that somewhere there was another creature that had a claim to Eren, his Eren.

Clarification came with a price, as always, and Levi realised too late that ignorance truly was the equivalent of bliss.

Too little too late as was always the way. All either of them could do was accept this new change and move on.

The sky outside was slowly losing its light, fading from blue into the purple hues of twilight. Inside, the apartment had never seemed so quiet.

Eren sat sulking out on the main balcony while Levi stood in the kitchen, leaning over the counter. He had planned to get some cleaning done, something, anything at all to ease his mind, but nothing proved a solid enough distraction to keep Eren’s voice out of his head.

He felt worse than the dirt he despised so much, guilty and wronged at the same time.

“Eren?”

“What?”

“I’m…”

The words caught in his throat, like several attempts beforehand. In his corner, the brunette seemed to understand what Levi wanted to say, what he was trying to force out of his constricted throat, and he would give a soft hum.

In those moments, Levi felt an inexplicable sense of relief. The feeling would wash over him, soothing, and for a while he could stand without hunching against the benchtop.

Until the guilt returned.

“Levi?”

“Hn?”

“It’s okay that you got mad.”

A beat of silence.

“…it is?”

“I expected no less.”

Bam, right in the soft spot. Eren’s aim never failed, not even with words, it seemed.

“Right.”

Two hours passed this way, with long stretches of quiet only filled for a few brief moments of tense conversation before the silence oozed back in.

And then, as twilight morphed into the black shroud of night, Eren poked his head back through the glass doors.

“I’m going up to the roof to look at the stars.” The boy informed Levi suddenly. “Don’t wait up.”

The raven blinked at Eren, once, twice, thrice, and when nothing better came to mind, he said the only thing he could think of in that moment. “Do you want me to leave the door unlocked?”

The boy shook his head. “No. I can always climb back down.”

Eren turned on his heel, pacing towards the railing, and Levi felt a sudden surge of panic that he could not explain.

“Eren?” The raven called out, worried that the brunette would disappear before his words could reach him.

Mercifully, the boy stopped, glancing over his shoulder.

Levi swallowed, lips parting to speak. “Can I make this up to you?”

It was a strangely desperate question coming from the raven, but Eren didn’t seem all that surprised.

“I don’t know.” The boy answered, his old honesty like a slap in the face to the smaller man. “But…I’ll let you try.”

No words presented themselves, so Levi just nodded and watched the brunette swing himself over the railing of the balcony and disappear into the darkness beyond.

An hour passed. Dinner was made and eaten and the dishes were cleaned and stacked away.

No sign of Eren was seen or heard. Somehow Levi couldn’t find it in himself to be surprised. He sighed, heading towards the living room to stare hopelessly at the TV for a while.

Many sighs later the raven-haired man had showered and scoured his room for a new pair of pyjamas, climbing into bed at the seasoned hour of 10:41PM. All of the lights in the apartment had been turned out, but the raven left the doors to the balconies open, just in case Eren decided to return.

Grey eyes blinked at the ceiling for a long while as time dragged by at what felt like a sluggish pace, however when the raven glanced at the clock, the blue block numbers informed him that over half an hour had passed.

11:29PM.

Ten minutes later, grey eyes drifted shut.

Levi blinked awake. It was cold and there was no familiar warmth to be found when the raven reached out with a searching arm. Thin brows furrowed in confusion as for a blissful moment all memory of the afternoon’s argument evaded the raven. But it did not last very long. Soon enough the hissed words and Eren’s hellish tale were recalled and confusion turned into regretful understanding. Rolling over, the clock on the nightstand read 2:05AM and Levi sighed.

The sheets on Eren’s side of the bed were cold and unruffled. No doubt the kid was still on the roof sulking.

Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, Levi got up and stumbled drowsily to the bedroom balcony. He frowned.

The doors had been closed.

Levi distinctly recalled leaving them open, so unless an unwitting robber had stumbled into his flat via the balcony…Eren must have closed them. The raven’s frown only grew as he searched the rest of the apartment in case the boy had slipped back inside. He was nowhere to be found, but the main balcony doors were also shut.

Odd. Maybe Eren was trying to keep out the cold? Or was he really that upset with Levi?

The raven chose to cling to the first option, brushing the latter away before he could think about it too hard.

Padding back to the bedroom, Levi headed for the closed glass. The night air was crisp and chilled his lungs when the raven pushed the glass doors open, shivering in the soft breeze. He stepped out onto the cold concrete, feeling a shudder rack its way through him.

“Eren?”

It was a bit of a long shot, but Levi had a feeling that the boy would be able to hear him if he hadn’t run off. There was a chance that maybe the kid wouldn’t even want to see him anymore and that thought tugged painfully at the man’s heart.

This was hard, as much as Levi hated to admit it. He wanted to forgive Eren, forgive and forget, so that the two of them could put this incident behind them, learn from it and move forward. It sounded like an easy enough goal to achieve…if only he hadn’t been through similar circumstances before.

If he was honest…it hurt less the second time around. That probably had something to do with the fact that this time he was the one being sought after in the place of another. Instead of being cheated on, he was being cheated with. But if Eren’s so called ‘fiancée’ was anything like the boy had described…were they really cheating? Or was their relationship a mercy?

Eren seemed to think it was a mercy. Or at least…he had until Levi had gone and cast blame. It was like a knee-jerk reaction after so many years of mistrust and wariness.

It had to stop.

Levi let out a little sigh, a defeated sound, and turned to head back inside. But before he could step past the glass doors, a shadow slipped down, clinging to the balcony of the apartment floor above and casting the raven into shade. Levi froze, hoping beyond hope that he wasn’t about to be thrown off his own balcony in spite, and turned back around.

A figure hung in the shadows. Sure enough, it was Eren…although he was hanging upside down from the next level balcony. The boy’s face was cast mostly in shadow, but Levi could see that his expression was carefully blank. Watchful were the eyes that followed the raven’s movements as he padded closer, looking up at the kid.

Taking a risk and running with it, Levi stretched out a hand towards the boy, leaving his palm extended towards Eren’s face but pausing a couple of centimetres from the boy’s cheek. The cautious eyes flicked over to observe the outstretched hand, and for a long moment Levi prepared himself for rejection.

But in a barely perceptible shift, Eren leaned forward and into the raven’s hand, his eyes slipping shut as the boy exhaled through his nose. The sound gentle but relieved and Levi found himself sighing as well when Eren nuzzled his face against his palm.

A second hand came up to join the first and Levi cradled the boy’s head gently, thumbs caressing the soft skin with care.

Levi wanted to kiss the boy, and badly, but he also knew better than to push his luck. Instead, he spoke.

“Are you coming to bed at all before the sun rises?” The smaller male asked in a quiet voice.

Teal eyes opened but flitted away rather than meeting Levi’s gaze.

“I’m not tired.” Eren mumbled, stubborn petulance returning.

At the very least, he was starting to sound like himself again.

“Eren…please?” Levi couldn’t remove all of the dismayed tone from his voice.

Eren looked just as regretful as Levi sounded, but he still didn’t look up. The quiet dragged on for a moment and, far below, Levi could hear crickets. The cold was starting to seep into his limbs and he knew he was shivering. Eren knew he was shivering and the kid’s tail wrapped about Levi’s hands in an effort to warm them up.

“I’ll think about it.” The boy murmured at last, giving a soft sigh. “Your hands are freezing. Go back to bed.”

“Eren, come on.” Levi implored, unmoving even as Eren’s tail slipped away again. “Can’t we talk about this?”

Finally those beautiful eyes looked into Levi’s, but Eren looked surprisingly stern.

“We’ve been talking all day and to tell you the truth, I’m growing tired of passing words back and forth. All it’s done is throw a wedge between us.”

The words were harsh, but Levi knew them to be true. He bit his lip, nodding in understanding and glancing at the ground. The raven heard Eren sigh and went to look up, but something tugged at his waist before he could raise his head and he gave a start as he was pulled closer to the hanging brat.

The pressure about his waist turned out to be Eren’s tail and when Levi did look up, he was a lot closer to the boy. Eren leant in a little nearer, pressing a feather light kiss to the raven’s forehead in an attempt to comfort, before he pulled back.

“If you still want to talk in the morning, perhaps I’ll indulge you.” The brunette murmured, flicking the fuzzy end of his tail under the raven’s chin. “Goodnight.”

“Eren…”

The last thing the raven saw of the boy was his tail swishing up and disappearing along with the rest of the demon as Eren headed back up, presumably to the roof.

Levi headed back inside, closing the balcony doors himself this time around, and slipped back into bed. All he could do was hope that, by morning, Eren had at least come back indoors.

“Goodnight, Eren…”

Chapter Text

“So let me go, I don't want to be your hero. I just want to fight with everyone else.” - Family Of The Year, Hero.

***

Upon waking, Levi noticed two things. One, the bed was cold which meant he had slept alone. Two, his feet were warm.

With a confused frown furrowing the sleepy man's brow, Levi pushed up onto his elbows to cast a look down towards the end of the bed. The sight there made him feel a little less chilly.

At the foot of the bed lay a curled up Eren draped across the raven's feet, hence the warmth.

But Eren was not asleep. Teal eyes regarded the raven-haired man looking down the bed at him, blinking once as the smaller male stretched. Levi rubbed the sleep from his eyes, glancing first at the clock which read 11:43AM and then back at Eren again. It was late, much later than the raven usually woke, and Levi wondered why the boy had left him to sleep so long.

“You looked so peaceful laying there.” Eren murmured, apparently guessing the question from the look on the raven's face. “I didn't want to disturb you.”

Levi didn't like the boy's quiet tone, like the kid thought he could get in trouble at any moment. It made the raven feel like they were walking on eggshells, the stage before they could start building something new.

Sitting up, Levi scratched idly at his nape. “Did you get any sleep last night?”

He almost winced at how his own voice sounded, so unsure after only one night apart.

The boy didn't reply much apart from a shrug, letting his eyes slide shut. His breathing was even, calm, and if Levi hadn't just seen his eyes open he would have thought that the boy was out for the count.

Heaving a sigh, Levi hauled himself out of bed even though all he wanted to do was sleep for the rest of the week. Eren made a soft sound of protest when the raven pulled his feet out from under him and Levi got dressed in silence.

He paused by the bed, resting a hand on Eren's shoulder and hating the way the boy tensed at the touch.

“Do you want breakfast?”

“No.”

Levi sighed but didn't push it, ruffling the kid's hair as he headed out to the kitchen.

It wasn't until breakfast had been made and consumed and Levi stood leaning against the counter that Eren emerged from the bedroom, tail dragging, head ducked down, looking positively miserable.

Levi exhaled through his nose, feeling an uncomfortable tightness forming in his chest the longer he looked at the moping boy.

“Come here.”

It took a moment for Levi to realise that it had been him to speak, only noticing that the words had left his mouth when Eren looked up.

The boy moved closer, one step at a time, until he stood before the raven. Levi closed the space between them, slowly so as not to startle the boy, and wound his arms about the boy's middle.

“I won't say I'm sorry,” the raven began in a quiet voice, fingers rubbing small circles against Eren's back, “...and that isn't because I'm not. It's because I'm sorry for a lot of things, not just one...” Levi said through a sigh, ear pressed to the boy's chest and hearing Eren swallow like he knew where all of this was going and it hurt, “and it's about time we sat down and talked these things over.”

For a long moment the two males stood in silence. Levi realised that Eren's arms had made their way around his waist at some point and that shouldn't have felt so overwhelmingly comforting but God damn it did.

As if on terrible cue, the universe chose to make the phone ring in that precise moment. The shrill chiming sliced through the air and their moment. Levi's eyes shut and he made a soft sound of frustration.

Eren's attention drifted to the phone and he frowned when the raven didn't move to answer it right away.

Pulling back a little to look at Levi, the boy tilted his head towards the ringing device. “The phone's ringing.”

Levi opened his eyes with a sigh. “I know.”

Eren's brow began to furrow with the beginnings of a confused frown. “Aren't you going to-”

“They can call me back.” The raven stated, pulling Eren closer again.

They did call him back. Right away. Three times in a row. By the time that Levi finally gave in and answered the damned thing, he didn't even need to hear the person's voice to know who was calling.

“Hey, Levi! What's the haps?”

“Hanji...”

A moment of silence hung over the room as Hanji paused, eventually giving a mildly concerned chuckle.

“Wow...” the woman said through her anxious laughter, “you haven't sounded that pissed since the Hamster Incident of '05.”

There it was, the classic Hanji way. The second that she knew something was amiss, he wouldn't be able to get rid of her until the problem was solved or at least halfway there.

“I'm really not in the mood.” He muttered, hoping that the woman would take the hint and let him be for once.

No such luck, however, for what kind of friend would Hanji Zoe be if she didn't snoop a little to help out a friend?

“Whoa, whoa, who shot your puppy?” The woman asked, her voice beginning to sound less cheery with each passing moment. It was too late already, she knew something was wrong. “Is everything alright?”

Was everything alright? There was only one truthful answer to that question and the raven had no desire to lie, especially not to his best friend.

Levi sighed. “No.”

Another long pause took over the conversation and Levi felt the urge to start cringing, knowing full well that his friend was currently doing the dreaded act of thinking. But he didn't have to worry for too long, because the very next moment she spoke.

“That's it, come over.”

There was an authority in that voice that Levi had only heard on a few occasions and never had it been directed at him.

The raven inhaled through his nose. “I really don't think that's-”

“Don't argue with me, Ackerman.” Hanji cut him off, her tone stern. “Get your butt over here.”

Levi found himself standing a little straighter at the command but cast a quick glance back at Eren. The boy was curled up at the far end of the couch, watching his own tail twitch back and forth. Levi couldn't just leave the kid here to mope.

“I can't.” He said, eyes still trained on the brunette.

“Why not?”

“Eren is here.”

The woman gave a snort. “Well bring him too, you doofus. Duh. It'll be a party!”

Looking at the dejected boy's face and considering his own mood at that moment, the raven highly doubted that there would be any kind of party. He voiced the thought.

“No...no I really don't think it will.”

Hanji went quiet for a moment and Levi was about to ask what was wrong when she started to speak again.

“...Levi, what did you do?”

She sounded...worried. More than just a little, too, and Levi had to wonder just what thoughts had raged their way through her mind to explain why her friend sounded the way he did.

Bracing himself, Levi took in a breath. “We're coming over.”

The raven set the phone down with a sigh, turning to meet a pair of questioning teal eyes.

“Come on,” he said, calling the boy from his place on the couch, “lose the tail for a while, we're going to Hanji's.”

It was a solemn taxi drive that brought Eren and Levi to Hanji's home. Walking would have been just as easy but being driven allowed Eren to sulk in the back seat by himself. Levi would have joined him but the boy had closed the door immediately after getting into the cab.

So Levi rode in the front, keeping the ridiculously cheerful driver company. Thank God it was a quick trip, the guy's voice was grating on the raven's nerves.

Hanji was waiting for them at the door, her face mostly blank with a dab of wariness. She took one look at the pair as they exited the cab and shook her head gently, Levi walking ahead of Eren and the boy trailing behind, his usual bright curiosity seemed dampened today.

The brown-haired woman shot the raven a look as he drew nearer, speaking up as the smaller man reached the porch.

“Levi...would you see me in the kitchen for a moment?”

The raven-haired man arched a thin brow but headed down the hall anyway, turning right into the kitchen while Hanji guided Eren into the living room. The raven had just enough time to decide that this place could do with a damned good sweeping when the brown-haired woman returned.

She was being oddly quiet, not trying to start a conversation even though she knew how unlikely it was that he would try to speak first. The woman crossed the kitchen, moving passed him and resting her hands against the counter. Levi began to frown a little when he picked up the sound of her fingers drumming against the counter top, an irregular rhythm that usually meant that the woman was deciding whether or not to do something she may regret later.

Levi didn't have time to wonder what it was because in the next moment, Hanji turned back around to face him. Her eyes held none of their usual merriment, the brown orbs regarding him carefully as she moved away from the counter and came to stand before him.

Arms folded across her chest, Hanji stood there for a moment, just staring at him. They were both pros at the silent treatment, but oddly enough the raven-haired man felt as though he would be the one to break today and talk. He knew that he owed it to her for making her worry.

When the silence had stretched on painfully for a solid minute, Levi let out a heavy sigh and opened his mouth to speak when suddenly Hanji lashed out with one arm, striking him across the face with an open palm. The slap seemed to echo through the kitchen and for a moment neither of them moved.

Levi stared at the floor as he processed the stinging pain, his head still facing away after the strike and his grey eyes wide from the shock.

Hanji's breathing was a little irregular and Levi could see her hands shaking out of the corner of his eye.

“Levi...I don't like doing this.” The woman said in a quiet voice, her voice quivering a little as she held in conflicting anger and worry, pinching the bridge of her nose. “You know I don't like doing this, but you need to go and take a look at that boy and whatever you've said or done that's upset him, fix it. You promised me, Levi.”

The raven winced a little at the woman's tone of voice and at the worry and disappointment he heard. Hanji strode across the kitchen, right up to him, and put her hands on his shoulders, steering him until the smaller male was forced to look at her.

Hanji's voice was no more than a harsh whisper. “You promised me that you'd stop with the rough break-ups. No more one night stands, no more teary-eyed guys that I end up having to call because you're done with them.”

Truth be told, it had only been a few guys. A few drunk hookups that had clearly not paid attention to his 'no relationships' speech. But fair was fair, it hadn't been a healthy arrangement.

Frowning in concern, Hanji's grip on Levi's shoulders tightened a little to keep his attention.

“I don't know what you've done or said,” she looked at him, eyes near glowing with their intensity, “...but don't you dare hurt that boy. I don't care what sorry excuse you have, past trauma, relationship difficulties, whatever. Eren is the best thing that's happened to you since you shut down after...” Hanji trailed off, biting her tongue before she could finish the sentence but it was too late.

...after Erwin left.

Levi looked at the floor. “I know.”

“I don't think you do.” Hanji retorted, shaking her head and sighed. “What did you say? Actually no, I don't want to know. Just fix it. If it's just the sex between you, then you have to make sure that Eren knows.”

Grey eyes snapped up to meet Hanji's gaze fiercely. “Of course it's more than that!” The raven hissed.

Hanji's eyes bore into his for a long moment until at last she exhaled, brown eyes slipping shut. “I don't want my best friend growing old alone,” she murmured, releasing her hold on the man, “...so go fix this. You go apologise, get down on your knees and beg if you have to, but fix it.”

The woman reached for her glasses as she crossed the kitchen again and went about preparing tea. Levi stood there looking after her for a moment as his mind processed all of the things she had just said. The kettle had already boiled and Hanji was steeping the tea by the time the raven spoke up again.

“Hanji..?”

His voice was quiet but it still reached Hanji's ears and she turned, looking over her shoulder to meet his gaze.

“Mm?”

The raven scratched at his arm idly, glancing down at the floor. “...thanks.”

A soft smile broke out on the woman's face and she exhaled through her nose, shaking her head at him as she crossed the kitchen.

“Thank me later.” The brunette said, giving the raven's shoulder a mock-shove as she passed him, heading for the front door. She already seemed a little more cheerful. “Tea's ready. I'll be out on the porch. Come get me when you're done and try not to have make-up sex on my furniture.”

“If only it were that simple, Hanj.” He murmured, following after her.

The woman paused by the front door. “You need to make it that simple.” She said, sending the raven an empathic look. “Talk it out, find your problems and solve them. Healthy relationships aren't that hard, they just take a little effort, a little love and care. Work for it...and a few words with a kiss should be all the apology either of you will ever need.” The brunette smiled gently. “Don't let me down, Lever.”

Levi watched her disappear out onto the front porch and he swallowed, looking towards the hall.

“Easier said that done...”

Eren hadn't moved from his spot on the sofa, he was still sitting with his hands clasped together on his knees, looking around the living room.

Levi spent a good ten minutes pacing about the kitchen desperately trying to find the right words to say that would make Eren forgive him. By the time he came back out, he still hadn't found the right words...but he had realised something possibly more important.

No matter what he said...he couldn't make Eren forgive him. That was something that the brunette would need to decide for himself. Levi knew already that he would still fight for Eren even knowing that he had an other-worldly rival. Hanji was right; Eren was the best thing that had happened to him since his heart had been smashed into tiny shards. And demon or no demon, Eren had been patiently gluing those shards back together one by one until Levi had begun to feel whole again.

That was what mattered, the things that Eren had done for him here were important, not the things that happened in a world that Levi would probably never understand.

The raven's first words were soft, a gentle tone that he hoped would communicate to the boy that he was not trying to manipulate his decision or force him into anything. Not that he could if he tried.

“Eren...” Levi began and the word hung in the air for a moment as the boy's eyes blinked up to meet his gaze, “I...I apologise.”

Teal eyes regarded him from across the space.

“For what?”

Those words could easily have been used to mock or hurt, but instead all Levi could hear in them was query. Honest curiosity that had Eren questioning exactly what Levi was sorry about.

“For over-reacting.” The raven began, ticking each item off in his mind as he went through. “For letting my past experiences cloud all other thought. For not letting you explain yourself. For being a selfish dick about it. For comparing you to that monster.”

They both knew he meant Erwin.

Levi rubbed at the bridge of his nose, letting a breath rattle out between his teeth. “And I know that you have every right in this world and the next to be upset with me. Hell, I'm upset with me. But fuck, I can't let you go like this.”

Eren's lips parted in what looked like surprise and for a moment there was nothing but quiet while Levi sorted his words.

“Look...” the raven began, keeping his tone careful, “I can't promise that I won't get frustrated...or jealous, or even suspicious of this other guy. Having a fiancee...” Levi made a vague gesture with his hands that he hoped conveyed his confusion with the whole idea, “that's just not something that I expected to hear. It's fucking weird and I don't claim to understand it fully...but I can live with it.” The raven drew in a sharp breath, sitting at last in the seat across from Eren.

The boy was watching him with careful eyes, not daring to speak, just listening and waiting for Levi to get out his words.

Leaning forward, the raven brushed his fingers against Eren's wrist, reaching out to curl his long digits around the cool skin.

Eren didn't flinch away, so Levi continued. “I get that we're both broken, you and I,” he murmured, brushing his thumb over the underside of the boy's wrist tenderly, “and I can't promise that I'll be able to help you or make anything better. I never asked to be your sanctuary. I'm not a hero or a knight in shining armour and we both know it.”

The raven paused for a moment, just to let those words sink in. No matter how much they might want to change things, they were who they were. Levi was not a perfect and flawless person and Eren was not just an ordinary boy. They each had their flaws and differences.

Scooting forward in his seat, Levi leaned forward until his face was close to Eren's, keeping eye-contact. “But I don't want you to go.” He said, thankful that his voice had enough strength left not to tremble. “I don't want to let you go...and I hope that you don't want to let go just yet either. So...if we're both going to commit to this...then now is the time to decide. No more waiting and avoiding the issue. No more wedges driven deeper and deeper by words spoken or unspoken until we're bleeding and helpless. I want you, Eren. I'll try, if that's what you want.”

The boy's teal eyes were shining but no emotion showed on Eren's face. His voice sounded thick when he spoke. “Is it what you want?”

“Yes.” Levi didn't hesitate, didn't stutter or falter in his reply.

Those eyes narrowed as they watched him, almost glaring with the intensity of that searching gaze. Eren was looking for a lie or a glimmer of uncertainty. He found none.

The boy let out a shaky sigh, looking at the floor. “I'll have to go more often. I won't be able to spend all my time here.”

Swallowing, Levi gave a nod. “I know.”

Eren swallowed too, Levi watched the bob of his Adams apple, feeling the boy's arm twist and soon warm fingers wrapped about Levi's wrist in return.

“I can't promise that there won't be...signs...” the boy murmured in a quiet voice, eyes flicking up briefly to meet grey and the raven could see the guilt swimming in teal orbs as Eren's fingers trembled in their grip, “bruises, marks. It's going to happen and there isn't a thing that either of us can do to stop that.”

Even the mere suggestion of another being laying a hand on Eren made Levi's skin crawl and he felt a jealous swell of possessive greed lick at his insides. He fought the feeling back.

“I...” Levi swallowed, ducking his head a little, “I understand.”

“You won't be safe...” The brunette whispered at last, eyes squeezing shut as though the boy couldn't bear to think about what he was saying.

Levi gave Eren's wrist a little squeeze to comfort him. “I don't care.”

“You should think about this-”

Eren's words cut off when Levi pulled his wrist free of Eren's gentle hold and brought both of his hands up to cradle the boy's face. Gunmetal eyes had never looked fiercer than they did in that moment as Levi leant forward to rest his forehead against the brunette's.

“I don't care.” The raven repeated firmly.

Eren was silent for a long moment, looking at Levi, looking at anything but Levi and even closing his eyes until-

“Okay.”

The word left Eren's mouth on a shaky exhale, barely more than a whisper, and if the raven hadn't been so close he might not have heard the sound.

Teal eyes opened, meeting grey, and Levi let go of a breath he hadn't realised that he had been holding until the boy had spoken. The brunette leaned forward until their lips just brushed against each other, holding for a moment before the boy kissed the raven. Levi responded instantly, but Eren kept the kiss chaste and pulled away when the raven-haired man got ahead of himself and licked at the brunette's bottom lip.

Sitting back into his seat, Eren looked at Levi with such a stern expression that the smaller man sat up a little straighter in response.

“You were right before.” The brunette began. “We need to talk about this. Fully, properly. Because unless we both understand what's going on, then we're only going to keep fucking up.”

Levi couldn't agree more with the brunette's words, nodding fervently.

“So...” the raven trailed, licking his lips a little anxiously, “when do we start?”

It was a good hour and a half after Hanji had left her two boys alone to talk. She worried for them profusely, especially Levi. The last thing he needed was to destroy this, the one thing that had been reviving him after all those years of neglect. If he lost his chance now, she doubted that he would ever let another person in until the day he died. And Hanji had never seen anyone like Eren chasing after her friend. That boy acted like Levi was his last meal, his Golden Ticket, and didn't seemed to be put bothered or put off by the raven's surly demeanour.

If Eren didn't stick around after putting up with her friend for so long, then maybe no one would.

When Levi came out and offered Hanji his rare, almost invisible little half-smile, the woman jumped out of her seat nearly screaming hallelujah. Levi didn't even complain when he was swept up off the ground, into her arms and spun around several times.

“You fixed it, right?” She began babbling in excitement. “Everything's fine and dandy again?”

“We've agreed to work through it.” Levi said, unable to stop himself from smiling a little.

The woman screamed in joy when Eren emerged from the house, looking far less miserable, and he too was swept into the crushing embrace.

“Ah...all is right in the world.” Hanji sighed, holding Eren in one arm and Levi in the other. “My babies are going to be fine, the night is young and-oh!” The brown-haired woman exclaimed suddenly, releasing both males in order to search her pockets. “That's right, now that all the intense stuff is done with, Erwin has been trying to get through to you.”

Levi frowned at the woman's words, raising an eyebrow.

She shrugged. “That's why I called you in the first place. You know, before all the drama happened. Have you not been checking your emails?”

Levi let out a harsh hiss of a sigh. One problem solved and another presented itself. The universe definitely had to be hating on him.

Turning to Eren, the raven stretched up to press a chaste kiss to the brunette's jaw.

“I called a cab, would you flag it down when it gets here?”

Eren's eyes drifted between Levi and Hanji a few times before he nodded. “Sure.”

He left, but not without a brief nuzzle to the raven's shoulder. Hanji looked like she was about to explode.

“My God you have no idea how lucky you are!” Hanji hissed as soon as Eren was out of earshot.

Or at least as soon as Hanji thought the boy was out of earshot. Levi noticed the almost smug little curve that took over Eren's lips just after those words left Hanji's mouth. The raven rolled his eyes fondly before turning back to his bespectacled friend.

“You mentioned the dickbag?” He muttered in a wry tone.

“Hmm?” The woman said, turning back to him. “Oh, right. He came by and gave me this.” She said, handing over a folded envelope. “He's invited you to dinner. Wanted you to give him a call. You'll forgive me for reading it, right?”

The raven nodded absently, scowling at the neat cursive. Erwin fucking Smith. Why couldn't he take a hint and fuck off? What the fuck was he even doing coming back?

Levi wanted to find out.

He folded the envelope, stuffing it into his coat pocket. “We're going.”

“Home?” The brown-haired woman enquired, glancing at him.

Levi shook his head, lips set in a grim line. “To Erwin's.”

“Eh? Now?”

“Why not?” The raven shrugged, stepping out and off of the porch towards where the cab had pulled up. Eren was already climbing into the back seat. “It's still early.”

“Wait, you said 'we'...” Hanji thought aloud.

“Eren is coming. Erwin can bite me if he thinks that he can pull a stunt like this and get his way.”

“That's more like the Levi I know!” The brunette cackled down the garden path after him and the raven-haired man couldn't help the smirk that twitched into place.

“Glad to hear it.” He called back over his shoulder. “I'll let you know how things go.”

“Can't wait! Go get 'em!”

Chapter Text

“I never promised you an open heart or charity.” - IAMX, I Come With Knives.

***

“Levi?”

“Erwin?”

“What?”

“What. I thought we were both questioning each other's existence.” The raven-haired man said through his usual blank stare as he stood on the porch of Erwin Smith's not so humble abode.

The blonde giant of a man stood in his doorway frowning in confusion, just a slight dip of his brow.

“Can I help you?” Erwin asked after a moment of silent staring did nothing to tell him why the smaller man was there.

“Uh, yes.” Levi said, sounding a little too catty for the blonde to hope that he was in a good mood. “You invited me to dinner, you assbag.”

“Oh.” Recognition passed over the blonde's features and he gave a nod of understanding. “Hanji told you, then?”

“Yep.” The raven replied, letting the 'p' sound pop at the end as he glanced around at the Smith home.

Erwin's house seemed to radiate some kind of ancient vibe, like it should have been a few hundred years old. But the house was fairly new, it just gave off that old aura. It was probably the ornately carved wooden door with its fancy silver pattern. The windows were all lined with the same deeply stained, silver patterned wood, lending the house an odd atmosphere. It was beautiful, of course, but perhaps a little showy.

The raven cleared his throat after the moment of silence that had passed. “Is this a bad time?”

Levi had expected Erwin to say no, as he always did when taking control of a situation, but the blonde cast a glance over his shoulder. “Well...”

A thin brow rose as Levi noted the uncertainty in Erwin's tone. “Did we catch you in the middle of your knitting?”

“I don't knit...” the blonde began to defend before he paused, sending the smaller man a vaguely confused look, “we?”

Instead of explaining with words, the raven-haired man jerked a thumb over his shoulder to where a bouncy Eren was bent over halfway down the front path, staring at the fish pond with wide eyes.

“Ah.” Erwin made a sound of understanding, straightening a little. “No, it's not a terrible time. I just got back from work.”

The man was certainly dressed like it, still wearing a suit and everything. There was no jacket, but the slacks and the dress-shirt more than spoke of formal gatherings.

“Right, right.” Levi nodded, half-turning in time to see Eren almost over-balance and fall into the pond. He gave a snort. “Oi, get away from there. Knowing Erwin, they're probably part of the security. Piranhas or something.”

The brunette sent Levi a questioning glance before straightening, bounding over to the raven's side and slipping both arms about the smaller man's waist from behind.

“Hi.” Eren murmured absently at Erwin, becoming instantly preoccupied with kissing the raven-haired man's ear.

Erwin's sharp blue eyes appraised the pair; Levi with his standoffish posture, straight but casual with his arms folded over his chest, while Eren curled lazily about him, nuzzling.

“Good evening.” The blonde man said in response before standing aside, holding the door open. “Please, come in.”

They did, Levi moving ahead in silence and Eren scooting past with a grin and a murmured of 'thanks' as he chased after the retreating raven. The blonde shut the door behind them, ducking into his study to clear away a few papers which he promptly tucked under his arm, heading to the bedroom to hide them away.

The papers were stuffed under one of the pillows of his bed before Erwin returned to find his guests sitting in the living room. Well...Levi was sitting. Eren was straddling the raven's lap, too busy mouthing at the smaller man's collar bone to notice that Erwin had returned it seemed. The blonde cleared his throat and watched as Levi's eyes opened lazily. The raven sent him a little wave, apparently not at all irked by the display he and the boy were putting out. Eren paused with his lips still on Levi's skin, teal eyes swivelling to look at Erwin and the boy sent the blonde male a sheepish smile.

“Sorry.” Eren said through a huff of laughter, straightening up but making no move to find his own seat.

“The brat's been away at college for a while.” Levi lied through his teeth to excuse their behaviour.

Funnily enough, Erwin seemed to buy it. The taller man gave a nod, staring at the floor for a moment. Levi had never seen the guy so far out of his element. It made an odd sense of glee build in his chest.

“So...” the raven drew out the sound, purposefully adding to the awkward vibes already building in the enclosed room, “food?”

“Yes,” Erwin agreed, nodding and making a b-line straight for the kitchen, “I'll get right on that.”

Eren jumped up before the man could escape, calling after him.

“Hey, do you mind if I browse your music collection?”

The blonde half-turned back, frowning a little the way one does when they get the feeling that someone has left them out of a joke, before shrugging and continuing forward.

“Go ahead.” The man murmured.

Levi waited until the big man was well out of earshot before he looked back at the boy who was already rifling through the blonde's stack of CDs. The raven cleared his throat.

“Really?”

Eren grinned over at him. “What? 'I browse', 'eyebrows', it was too good of an opportunity to pass by.” The boy laughed under his breath. “Do you think he noticed?”

“Nope.”

The brunette laughed again and Levi smiled, just a little smile, as he thought of how close to normal this moment felt. For just these few moments the raven could ignore their fight and the struggles to come and just watch Eren smile. Levi knew that they would have to sit down an talk this out sooner or later, but right now he had to get a message across to a certain stubborn ex. And that message read 'fuck off'.

“This place smells weird.” Eren murmured softly from across the room, breaking through the raven's thoughts.

Levi glanced up, frowning slightly. “I don't smell anything.”

The brunette sniffed again and wrinkled his nose. “Lucky.”

Leaning forwards, the smaller man inhaled but still failed to pick up anything out of the ordinary. “What is it?”

“I don't know...” Eren trailed uncertainly, sounding mildly worried, “something just seems...off.”

Levi took one look at the unsure expression on Eren's face and decided that he didn't like it. If there was something worrisome enough to make a demon concerned, then Levi wasn't feeling very comforted. But the minutes ticked by and nothing happened. The pair tried to brush the feeling off.

“It's probably the old man vibes coming off of Erwin.” Levi joked half-heartedly.

Erwin wasn't lying about food, some kind of tomato and herb smell started wafting from the kitchen. Eren didn't want to admit it, but the smell wasn't awful. Maybe it would be one of those things where food smelt great and then tasted like cat litter. Yeah, hopefully.

The boy had taken to exploring the blonde's living room, picking up things and staring at them for long moments, like the kid was deliberating whether or not to break something. But Eren was all smiles and boyish charm whenever Erwin came into the room. If Levi didn't know better, he would have assumed that nothing was wrong. If only he didn't know better.

The brunette appeared in his lap suddenly, making himself comfortable and staring in the direction of the kitchen.

“I honestly don't see it.” Eren murmured from his place on the couch.

Levi tilted his head in the boy's direction, putting an arm around the kid to keep him steady as he leaned to see over the back of the sofa. “See what?”

“What you saw in him.” Eren replied absently, scowling for a moment as Erwin passed the kitchen door.

The raven let out a quiet scoff of laughter. “Well he used to be an okay guy.”

“Levi, he's playing piano concert tracks in his house.” Eren muttered, lolling his head to one side to cast a dubious look at the smaller man. The boy's eyebrows rose. “On purpose.” He said for emphasis when the raven cock a thin brow in response. “And that's not because he's trying to be ironic. It's because he actually enjoys classical music.”

Levi exhaled in amusement at that, having to agree with Eren. Erwin's taste in music was dull, plain and simple.

“I'm pretty sure he's even humming along in there, Levi, come on.” The brunette sighed, leaning his head against the raven's shoulder as he complained. “The dude's about as interesting as watching paint dry. On a Sunday.”

A pause passed between them in which Levi successfully kept a smile off his face

“He's fifty shades of ugh.”

“Okay, okay,” Levi chuckled at last, pulling the boy closer, “I get your point.”

“Sauce is almost done.” Erwin's voice announced suddenly, interrupting what would have been a perfect moment for Levi to kiss Eren.

Thankfully the brunette didn't want to give up that moment and kissed the raven anyway, teal eyes slipping shut while Levi took up the responsibility of glaring at the blonde behemoth.

Only when Eren pulled away did Levi bother to respond to Erwin's statement. “I assume we're having pasta then?”

The blonde made an affirmative sound, glancing away, and for a moment the man looked uncomfortable in his own home. For once it wasn't Levi. A timer went off in the kitchen and Erwin disappeared again.

“Oh my God, Levi, his entire movie collection is about cowboys.” Eren groaned. “It's country and western central over here”

“Shoot me now.”

Not fifteen minutes later and Erwin was announcing that dinner was just about ready. It sure smelled like it.

Levi almost couldn't believe his ears when Eren announced that he was going to help set the table. The kid sounded so chipper that for a moment the raven forgot that the boy was centuries old. Maybe more, but they had never really touched on that topic in detail. It was strange to think that a creature who had lived that long could still act like a child. By all counts, Eren should be some kind of wise nomadic being. Apparently demons didn't follow that kind of status-quot, figures.

Speaking of people not acting how one might expect, Erwin was being unusually quiet. Not that the guy went out of his way to speak unless he had something important to get across but, even for the observant and withdrawn man that Mr. Smith was, today he barely voiced a thought.

It was beginning to make Levi feel uneasy.

Erwin was acting a little less unlike himself once the food hit the table and after the first few moments of awkward silence, Eren interrupted with a casual statement of 'damn, I was hoping that you couldn't cook' which thankfully did not seem to offend the blonde. It was almost a relief to hear the guy laugh, finally breaking from his bout of silence, and as conversation finally began to drift over the table the raven found himself able to relax a little.

The dinner was nice, in a way. The food was decent, Eren's chair was scooted so close to Levi's that the kid practically sat on his lap the whole time and Erwin seemed to be picking up the less than subtle hints that the raven was spoken for. Fucking finally.

They spoke about trivial things, like cooking, and Levi watched in amusement as Eren tried to guess the ingredients in their food. Things were going swimmingly when the sound of a phone ringing reached Levi's ears.

“That yours?” The raven murmured across the table at Erwin, taking a sip of the wine that the blonde had provided.

Frowning a little, Erwin searched his trouser pockets, eventually pulling out a silver mobile which he held to his ear. Levi noticed his frown had deepened since seeing the contact name.

“Hello?” The blonde answered, pausing as whoever was calling spoke. The man's lips set in a thin line and he sighed. “Alright, I'll see what I can do.”

With a longwinded sigh, Erwin ended the call and stood, pocketing his phone and rubbing his temples.

Levi arched a thin brow. “Trouble?”

“That was work,” the blonde replied, checking his watch and frowning, “something has come up. I have to step out for a bit but this shouldn't take too long. I'll be back in an hour, give or take.” Erwin snatched up a briefcase from beneath one of the fancy desks pressed against the wall, glancing at his watch again. “Would you watch the house for me?”

The raven shrugged. “Sure.”

Erwin left with a word of thanks, stopping only to collect his coat by the door. And then Eren and Levi were alone with the house to themselves.

The moment the door closed behind the blonde, Eren heaved a sigh and slumped against the raven with a groan.

“Ugh...” the brunette grumbled, “can we go home now?”

“No, you twerp.” Levi chided, tugging at the kid's earlobe. “We just promised to watch the house.”

“You promised.” The boy corrected.

Without Erwin around to keep up the chipper act for, Eren instantly deflated.

The brunette gave a sigh. “My face hurts.”

Huffing out a laugh, Levi gave the boy's knee a comforting squeeze. “Probably because of all the smiling.”

“Probably.” Eren agreed, although the word was muffled by Levi's shoulder.

The boy looked a little tired, still feeling pretty down in the dumps after such an emotionally draining day, and after a few long moments of silence Levi found himself wishing for his apartment sofa where they could have curled up.

The raven glanced down at the brunette, sighing after a moment. “Get up.”

Frowning a little in his confusion, the boy lifted his head to glance up at Levi. “Huh?”

“Get up.” Levi kissed the boy's forehead before the kid could get any crazy ideas that he was being rejected, coaxing the brunette out of his lap so that they could both stand. “Erwin's fucked off, we can go sit in the living room. Fuck these fancy chairs.”

At the very least, Eren's face brightened.

Levi took the lead, bringing Eren out of the dining room and away from the stiff-backed chairs. They flopped down onto the much more comfortable sofa, Levi pulling Eren down with him, and the pair relished the first real close contact they had had since their argument. Levi couldn't believe how good it felt just to lay there holding Eren, to hear his peaceful breathing and feel the pleasant warmth against his chest.

“Sorry we had to come here tonight.” The raven murmured in a quiet voice after guilt had eaten away at him for a while.

“It's fine.”

“It isn't.” Levi shook his head, ready to launch off into another speech about apologies.

“Shh...” Eren hushed, propping himself up on his elbows to look down at the raven, “I get what we're doing here. Erwin needs to get it through his head that your ass is mine.”

At those words, Levi found himself smiling a little. Just a tiny bit, the kind of smile only suited for the kind of dim light that they were in now with only the light from the dining room shining in. Dark and private and for nobody else to see.

“What about the rest of me?” The raven found himself saying, cocking an eyebrow in a display of playfulness.

“Don't be cheeky.” Eren laughed softly, smiling down at Levi for a long moment.

It was just a small curve of the boy's lips, soft, more out of tenderness than amusement. A gentle hand traced along the raven's jaw, fingers brushing the pale skin adoringly as Eren's eyes dropped to Levi's mouth and he leaned in.

A simple kiss had never made Levi feel so much pain. Eren's lips pressed against his softly, careful and cautious, and Levi felt a tight knot clenching in his chest.

They parted and the raven exhaled.

“Eren-” he started, but was cut off by a second kiss.

Only this time Levi was sure that Eren was trying to make him ache.

Eren's lips moved with purpose, meeting Levi's with barely concealed desperation. The boy took advantage of the raven's parted lips to push his tongue inside, exploring Levi's mouth as though his only desire was to commit that cavern to memory.

Levi wanted to kiss him back, wanted to respond with that same passion and memorise every last minute detail of this extraordinary boy. But the hot wet droplets falling against his cheeks had him frozen.

Eren was crying.

Silent tears had escaped the boy's lids which had shut tight, hiding those beautiful eyes that must have held so much pain in that moment but Eren didn't want to show Levi such weakness. But the raven would have none of that. Pushing gently at the boy's chest, Levi coaxed Eren back until he could speak.

“Eren?” The raven brought up his hands to cup either side of the boy's face, thumbs brushing away each new tear that came. “Don't cry...come on, talk to me.”

Eren sniffed, giving a slight start when he felt the feather-light press of Levi's lips against each of his closed lids. The act was so tender that it actually eased a sob out of the brunette.

The sound was heartbreaking and Levi drew Eren into his arms with hushed words of comfort.

“Talk to me.” Levi implored, at a loss of what to do.

“I'm scared to go back.” The boy said in a rush, drawing in a stuttering breath. “I-I'm scared, Levi. Scared of what might happen. Scared of...what he might do.”

Levi understood the boy's concerns, holding him tighter and pressing a kiss to the shell of his ear. “It'll be alright.”

“I want you to take me before I go.” The brunette said suddenly and Levi couldn't think of a single thing to say as he watched the boy lean back, staring into the raven's astonished eyes and nodding to himself once, still breathing unsteadily. “Please.” Eren begged, his eyes slipping shut again. “Please...I can't let him take me first.”

“Your fiancée?”

Eren nodded frantically, words tumbling out of his mouth in his steadily rising state of panic. “I want it to be you. I need to know the difference. I-”

“Eren.” Levi's tone rose just a little to gain the boy's attention. “Eren, Christ, don't cry.”

“Please, Levi?” The brunette stared imploringly at the raven even as the smaller man brushed away more tears.

“Eren, we can't. Not here.”

“But-”

“No,” the raven said, but there was something in his stern tone that made Eren feel as though the smaller man wasn't outright denying him, “I'm not going to have this crummy house be the first place that I make love to you.” Levi scowled at their surrounds. “We'd need more time than that. I want you to remember every second of your first time.” The grey-eyed male stretched up to press a chaste kiss to Eren's lips, running a hand through the boy's soft hair as he pulled back. “But not here.”

The brunette nodded in understanding. “Home, then?”

“Okay.” Levi agreed, staring up into the intense teal gaze above him. “Okay, but not tonight.”

“Then let me do you?” Eren suggested instead, pleading a new case this time. The boy's whole demeanour shifted and his expression was deadly serious. “Please? I don't want our bond to fade.”

After the increasing distance and strain that their argument had caused, Levi wanted nothing more than to dive into a round of make-up sex and move right along. But then this wasn't their turf.

“What if Erwin-”

“If that asshole comes back before we're finished, let him watch.” Eren said so seriously that Levi couldn't have laughed even if he had wanted to. The brunette raised an eyebrow as if daring the raven to challenge the idea. “Nothing says 'taken' like a dick up the ass display in your own home.”

Levi's own eyebrows shot skywards and for a moment the two males simply stared each other down.

“...wow, brat.” The raven managed after a moment. “That was dark.”

“You love it.” The boy shot back through a vaguely smug smirk.

Levi scoffed softly. He did love it.

Eren ducked his head to bite at the raven's collar bone, sucking hard enough to draw a sound out of the other man.

The brunette glanced up through dark eyes. “Let's defile this place.”

No other words would have suited the brat better in that moment and the raven didn't have to think very hard about the boy's suggestion.

“Hold on.” Levi said, sitting up and pulling Eren with him. “If we're doing this, then there's only one place to go.”

The pair clung to each other eagerly as they stumbled through the house, blindly clawing at clothing as they ducked down the dimly lit hallway.

Eren laughed when he was led straight to the blonde's bedroom. “Fuck yes.”

Levi shrugged as they stepped into the room. “Waste not, want not.”

“God I love it when you get clever.” Eren practically growled the words out as he pulled Levi closer to him, making it a little difficult to remove his shirt but it was worth it for the heated kiss when they met in the middle.

Clothes were left in a messy pile, Eren's things mixed up with Levi's, but the two couldn't bring themselves to give a shit.

Two naked bodies landed on the bed with a whump, already tangled up with each other. Saliva put to good use in the absence of proper lubrication, Eren bit at Levi's lip to distract from any discomfort as his fingers worked below to scissor him open. It wasn't exactly the smoothest sex they had but Levi ignored the dull burn in favour of relishing the closeness, the lack of distance between them was something he had been craving for days.

Their mouths met in frantic intervals, messy and careless and hungry for the taste of the other's lips and tongue. Searching lips latched on to whatever skin they could reach between heated kisses, mouthing and nibbling. Two fingers worked in and out of the raven at a good pace and Levi arched his back a little when Eren introduced a third digit for good measure.

Hips bucking up, both males gasped when the involuntary action allowed their cocks to rub together in a moment of scorching pleasure. Levi hooked a leg around the brunette's waist to try and encourage the boy to let the blissful friction continue.

The waiting game could only go on for so long before both males were begging for more, too desperate for finesse or elegance as they scrambled to readjust themselves. Even bracing himself for the intrusion to come, Levi couldn't stop the needy moan that forced its way past his lips as Eren pushed his saliva-slicked cock into the tight heat of his ass. It hurt but it was bearable, the feeling was just as overwhelming as it always was, delightfully filling and nothing like the fingers that had been stretching him beforehand.

Panting already, the pair set themselves a hasty pace. Eren's thrusts were long and driving, each jolt to the raven's cock was a delicious claim as the brunette pounded into him. Levi met each push with vigour, grinding his own hips and loving the way Eren's thrusts pushed the air from his lungs every time.

The raven panted out the boy's name whenever he had the breath to spare, watching the way Eren's eyes grew darker with each breathless rasp from him. It was becoming very difficult to hold back the increasingly embarrassing sounds that were trying to push their way out of Levi's mouth. Some he could hold back, others would not be silenced.

Levi could not even begin to imagine the kind of expression that Erwin would have if he were to walk in now, with Levi moaning on his back like a three dollar whore and Eren taking the reins from above. The boy had a firm hold of the raven's hips, keeping them at the perfect angle for the brunette to strike his prostate dead on. It certainly helped to distract from any discomfort.

Eren was losing it, letting go of his control and growling more often than he was breathing and the sound of it set Levi's skin on fire. Heat burned in his gut, ready to break, and Levi was tingling all over in anticipation, practically vibrating with need. Toes curling, mouth hanging open and panting like a dog in heat, Levi didn't even try to control the wanton moans that Eren's thrusts tore from his throat.

“You're mine.”

That inhumanly deep growl of words was the last thing that Levi needed. The possessive hunger in burning eyes and the almost painful grip that Eren had on his hips along with the assault on his abused prostate had the raven's back arching off the mattress. Levi's hands clawed at the sheets and Eren's back desperately and his mouth was open around a silent scream of ecstasy as orgasm tore through him. He painted Eren's stomach and his own in hot milky white, gasping as the pleasure jolted through him.

The brunette followed soon after, thrusting his way through his release and muttering a litany of 'mine, mine' by Levi's ear.

The raven felt raw and satisfied to his bones, becoming a weak-limbed, panting mess as he lay there feeling waves of post-coital bliss soak through him. Eren pulled out of him with a low groan before collapsing on top of him. The boy made himself comfortable against the raven's chest and Levi couldn't even care enough to make him move because it was too hot for them to be laying together, it just felt too good to be close.

Eventually, though, they had to get up and get clean, even going so far as to 'borrow' Erwin's shower for a quick freshen up before they got dressed. It had been a task and a half getting Eren up after he became a boneless heap of limbs. All the boy wanted to do was lay there for the rest of the night, blissed out and sated and curled up with Levi.

Clean and dressed, Eren sat on the edge of the bed, leaning back against the headboard. He frowned.

“What?” Levi asked, fixing his collar. “What's with that face?”

Eren had turned, pressing against the pillows. It took a moment for Levi to recognise the muffled crinkling sound coming from beneath the fabric but soon Eren had reach under the pillows and withdrawn...paper?

“What the fuck?” The raven's brows rose up before drawing together. “Who keeps paper in bed?”

Eren's confused frown had turned into something a lot less favourable, the boy's brow creasing as he glanced over the papers. He held them out to Levi wordlessly, not bothering to look up.

Cocking a thin brow, the smaller male strode over to the bedside and accepted the papers, bringing them into the light to read...

His name?

Levi could feel himself beginning to frown more as he read a file containing his name, age, place of employment, address and just about anything else someone unsavoury might want to know about him. Under that was a handwritten report concerning his movements since...

...since Erwin had come back.

Levi didn't understand. Why was this here? Why would Erwin have something like this? Could it be an accident? But then...why was the written report in Erwin's handwriting?

“What the fuck is going on?” Levi all but whispered to himself.

“Golden boy Smith isn't so perfect after all...” Eren muttered darkly, pushing up from the bed suddenly. “Somebody's here. I think Erwin is back, quick, give those to me.”

The boy took the papers from a bewildered Levi, quickly shoving them back under the pillow and tidying the room up at record speed. Levi barely noticed that he had been guided out of the room until he heard the sound of keys in the front door.

Grey eyes snapped up.

“Eren.”

The brunette was heading for the guest bathroom, just about to disappear down the hall, but he turned back at the sound of Levi's voice.

“Eren, I don't understand.”

The boy grimaced, glancing about the place. He had thought it was odd before, the overkill of silver collections, the cross hanging above the bed and, to top it off, the papers.

“I think I'm beginning to.” The brunette murmured in response. “Take care of blondie for a minute. We're leaving soon. I just...I have to check something.”

“Eren?” Levi whispered uncertainly because he was still trying to process everything and nothing made sense.

And then Eren was there, right in front of him and cradling the raven's head in his hands. “It's fine.” He murmured in assurance, kissing both of the smaller man's temples. “I won't be long.”

The brunette disappeared in a blur of movement, streaking down the hallway just before Erwin came in through the door. The blonde-haired man didn't seem to notice anything amiss as he closed the heavy wooden frame behind him.

Levi stood stock still, having paused at the end of the hall, and he waited. He had to get his shit together, act normal, or else risk chancing that the blonde would find out about their little discovery. Erwin hung up his coat with a sigh, stepping through and heading down the hall towards him. When the blonde-haired man looked up, he gave a slight start to see Levi standing there.

“Oh, I thought you'd have gone by now.” The man said honestly, eyebrows shooting up.

The raven managed his usual deadpan expression, folding his arms. “You asked me to mind the house. I did it. Geez, I'm not that much of an asshole.”

Erwin gave a small, amused exhale at that and nodded as if to agree with Levi.

So far, so good, Levi thought to himself as he observed the blonde giant of a man. He didn't look like the kind of person that would keep files on his ex-boyfriends. Unless Erwin was secretly a serial killer. Or a stalker.

But he just looked so normal with his business clothes and silver watch and, heck, even the simplistic silver cross that hung from his neck.

Levi wanted to ask, wanted to scream really, about the papers that Eren had found. Speaking of which, where was that boy? He still hadn't come back from whatever the hell he wanted to check up on.

“Where's Eren?” Erwin asked, as if only just noticing that the brunette wasn't with Levi.

Shit. Think of a believable lie.

“He went to the bathroom.” The raven replied, casting a glance over his shoulder. “Must be a shit though, cos he's taken his sweet-ass time.”

Erwin chuckled at that and Levi noticed how close they were. He moved to lean against the wall, a casual move that got him a little breathing space without cluing in Erwin. The blonde looked like he wanted to say something but he was having trouble fining the right words. That in itself was strange for Erwin; he always knew what to say and how to say it.

Levi's eyes swept over the man again, searching for any signs that he should not be standing this close to the guy. Erwin wasn't displaying any obvious signs of aggression. He was a little tense, maybe, but that didn't worry the raven as much as the dark spot of colour that he spied just under the blonde's shirt cuff.

Tiny spots, like paint only what the fuck would Erwin be doing near paint? They were minuscule, difficult to see in the dim light, but dark in colour. Perhaps a black or a very dark red.

Grey eyes widened infinitesimally.

Blood?

Erwin shifted his weight again and Levi was speaking before he really knew what he was saying.

“Is there an actual reason that you wanted me to come over?” The raven asked, looking up into blue eyes. “Or are you still going through withdrawals?”

He had to know, had to ask and be sure.

The blonde let out a quiet sigh. “There's a reason.” He announced.

Levi felt a shiver run through him, glancing at the blood spots again and hoping that his own blood wouldn't be joining those marks.

“Well?” The smaller man prompted.

Erwin exhaled and rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking a little exasperated. “I really wish you hadn't brought Eren.” The taller man said through a sigh. “I didn't want to have to bring him into this.”

The uneasy feeling was back and Levi had to remind himself not to act suspiciously.

“What?” He asked, and there was absolutely no need to fake his confusion. “What the fuck are you on about?”

“I know what you are, Levi.”

Erwin's words hung in the air, heavy and accusatory and just plain alarming.

The raven's eyebrows shot up. “...excuse me?”

“Don't play games.” The blonde-haired man said and his tone dropped a little lower with the warning. “It's the whole reason that I'm here. At first it was just a few bodies disappearing around your neighbourhood, but that's not what struck me as odd. It was the lack of evidence left behind.” Erwin was muttering almost to himself as he rambled on about theories, but soon blue eyes flickered up to meet alarmed grey, the blonde completely unaware of the shadow that had crept passed the end of his hallway. “And then when I came back and saw you...it all made sense. I mean, you're reclusive, you seem to generally dislike humans anyway...”

The blonde continued on but Levi didn't hear everything that he said. He was too busy staring at the absolutely terrifying expression on Eren's face.

The boy had appeared at the end of the hall, standing so still that he looked like a statue. He wasn't moving, wasn't breathing or even blinking...and his eyes were glowing like red fire. Those red lights were the only thing illuminating the brunette's face and it rooted Levi to the spot.

“...I know that you're not human, Levi...” Erwin was still blathering on, “I don't know how I could have missed it before, all those years we spent together, I should have seen...”

Somewhere in the back of the raven's fear-clouded mind, he made the connection. Erwin thought that Levi was a demon. The blonde actually believed that his ex was a demonic monster from Hell. Levi supposed it made sense; he had been living with one, so the signs would have been right there the whole time. The abnormal weather affected by the transformations, the steadily growing stream of people going missing, never to be found again.

Only Erwin had the wrong person. It would have been laughable had the true demon not been standing there at the end of the hall with bloody murder written across his face. Levi couldn't tear his eyes away from the boy's face, so cold, and the eyes that seemed dead and hollow even as they burned.

“...are you listening?” Erwin's voice started to drift back to him.

Levi blinked, looking away for a second and up into fierce blue eyes. He opened his mouth but no words came out. Then-

“Levi?” Eren's voice called, suddenly closer.

A whole lot closer.

The brunette walked passed Erwin from behind, apparently needing no more than a second to get from one end of the hall to the other. An arm wrapped about the raven's waist, Eren's arm, and the boy stood beside him.

“Should we be going?” The brunette asked, smiling like everything was okay, like he hadn't just been plotting a thousand and one ways to kill a moment ago.

Levi only blinked at him, looking back to Erwin and wondering if this would be the last time he ever saw that face. Because as scared as he was to admit it to himself, Levi wasn't sure whether Erwin Smith would make it through the night.

The raven licked his lips to wet them and nodded, shifting a little closer in the boy's hold.

“Yeah.”

Something flickered in Erwin's eyes, something that passed too quickly for Levi to fully identify it. But he fully recognised the look in Erwin's eyes that followed as they moved between Eren and Levi over and over again, squinting a little until finally disbelief flashed in those blue orbs.

The blonde opened his mouth to speak, but for once no words came out.

Eren smiled at the befuddled man. “Do you believe in God?” The boy asked, his tone one of pure curiosity.

Erwin's mouth closed and he frowned towards the boy before replying. “I do.”

Whatever the blonde-haired man saw on Eren's face must have been truly startling if the expression on Erwin's face was any indication. The big man paled.

“Pity.” Eren murmured in an absent tone, tilting his head. “I thought you’d know better than that.”

The boy stepped forward, guiding Levi with him as they moved passed the dumbfounded blonde.

“What are we talking about here, Eren?” Erwin spoke up after a moment, not bothering to turn.

“We’re not talking, we’re leaving.” The brunette replied shortly, calling over his shoulder in a merry tone that did not suit the atmosphere. “Goodbye, thanks for the food. Levi and I are heading home.”

The pair made it all the way to the front porch before Erwin moved.

“Levi!” They heard him shout from within the house, the sound followed with heavy and rapid footsteps.

The brunette sneered, turning on his heel probably to knock the big man flat, but the raven caught the boy's arm.

“Go.” Levi murmured, nodding towards the street. “I’ll catch you up.”

Eren growled low in his throat, teal eyes never leaving the door as he waited.

“Eren...go on.”

The brunette's attention snapped towards the raven after a long moment but the boy was still scowling. He didn't enjoy being told what to do.

“Fine.” Eren bit out the word, turning on his heel and striding away briskly.

But the boy didn't stop by the road, he marched right out of the driveway and headed behind one of Erwin's hedges. Moments later a dark shape tore off from the ground and Levi heard fading wing-beats.

The raven grimaced; Levi really hoped that the kid wouldn’t set fire to his apartment in blind rage. The smaller man vaguely recognised the sound of the front door being opened and the footsteps that followed.

“Levi…who is that boy?” Erwin's voice sounded right behind him.

The raven didn't so much as flinch, turning to look at the taller man. The smaller male had always wondered what Erwin would look like scared. Now he knew.

Levi decided to play dumb, too tired to bother with any kind of clever conversation. “I thought we’d established that he’s my partner?”

“I could see that.” Erwin said, his tone vaguely frustrated. “But…how long have you known him? When did you meet? Where did you meet?”

“Why all these questions all of a sudden?” The raven-haired man complained, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“I just want to make sure that you’re safe.” Erwin said and for once his eyes held only earnest.

Levi scowled, giving a dubious scoff. “Excuse you. A few minutes ago you said I wasn't even human.”

“I'm still debating on that issue.” The blonde admitted, and for the first time Levi noticed that Erwin was being cautious around him. “When did you meet him?”

When the raven realised that Erwin probably wouldn't shut the fuck up until he gave some kind of response, Levi hissed out a sigh.

“A month ago? More? I don't keep count of the days.”

Thick eyebrows rose in surprise. “That’s quite sudden for a relationship…especially for you.”

“I know!” Levi snapped. “But it’s none of your business anyway.”

“It could be.” Erwin murmured, holding up his hands in a defensive gesture when the raven rounded on him. “How did you meet?”

“…”

“Alright, what about his name?”

Levi frowned up at the other man. “Eren?”

“What’s his last name?” Erwin pushed.

The raven thought about that and realised that the kid had never mentioned a last name. Did demons even have last names?

“…I don’t see what your point is here.” Levi answered after a long moment.

“You don’t know, do you?”

“Listen, I think it’s about time you backed the fuck off.” Levi snapped defensively, hands clenching into fists. “I like Eren and Eren likes me. End of story. Notice how you weren’t in that story? That’s how I want it to stay.”

“Levi-”

“No, Erwin.” The raven cut him off sternly. “Let it go.”

The blonde looked like he had more to say, a lot more if the stubborn expression twisting his brows was anything to go by, but in the end Erwin just sighed. He reaching into his back pocket, pulling out something small and holding it out in the palm of his hand.

“Just…see if you can get him to drink this.”

Levi arched an eyebrow as the blonde man handed over a vial filled with what looked like water.

“What is it?” Grey eyes flicked up to meet cautious blue.

“It’s harmless.” Erwin assured him, reaching out to take Levi's wrist. “Just a precaution.”

The blonde coaxed the raven's curled fist to open, placing the object in Levi's palm.

“Erwin.” The raven's tone held warning, but the blonde was already retreating back along the porch.

“It's for the best, I swear.” He heard Erwin mutter before closing his door.

Casting a suspicious glance at the vial, Levi pocketed it and headed for the street to catch a cab. Perhaps Eren would be able to tell him what the substance was?

Getting a cab wasn't too difficult and from there all Levi had to do was wait. Wait and hope that Eren wouldn't be in a wrathful mood. Hell, would he even be at the apartment? As the minutes ticked by, the raven found himself getting more and more edgy. He told the driver to step on it, throwing a few bills in their lap the moment the car stopped with a murmur of 'keep the change' and he nearly ran up to his building.

The raven didn't bother knocking upon reaching the apartment, instantly fumbling for his keys instead. Before he could even locate them in his coat pocket, the door was being pulled open to reveal a familiar brown-haired brat. Levi breathed a sigh of relief.

It was short lived.

“We need to talk.” Eren said, practically dragging the raven through the door. “Erwin is a goddamned cardinal.”

Levi stumbled a little as he was released from Eren's grip, turning to face the boy and frowning, confused.

“What?”

“A priest.”

Chapter Text

“Now you're just somebody that I used to know.” – Gotye, Sombody That I Used To Know.

***

The words kept swimming between the raven's ears, present and yet not sinking in. Somewhere in between hearing Eren speak and floundering to process thought, the brunette had guided Levi over to the couch. A good thing too, because the raven was beginning to feel a little dizzy.

“My ex is a priest?” Levi managed to voice at last.

Eren nodded grimly beside him. “Yes, and a fucking exorcist too, I’ll bet.”

Well that was just absurd. Why on God's green Earth would Erwin Smith decide to become a preacher of the faith? From his seat beside him, Eren gave the raven's shoulder a comforting squeeze.

“How are you taking it?”

He wasn't really taking it in at all. Everything was just so confusing. First the weird vibes at Erwin's house, then the file under his pillow and that fucking vial of...whatever.

“Think about it, Levi.” Eren's voice began somewhat gently, but it was becoming apparent that even the brunette was affected by the news. “He upped and left without even giving a reason? Why else would that be unless it was because he did have a reason. It was just a reason that you wouldn't have accepted. I mean, who just fucks off to join a church calling?” The boy's tone grew less calm with each passing moment. “That fucker just went away suddenly, just left under mysterious circumstances to go and study abroad and then the guy spends a year in Rome? The bastard probably works for the fucking Vatican!”

The raven listened to Eren's rant, thinking it over. True enough, Erwin had left without so much as a hint of warning. And Hanji had told him way back that their old friend had been in Europe checking out all that old architecture. Had that just been a cover for Mr. Smith? Was he giving them a version of the truth? Passing off his visits to multiple churches and monasteries as simple sight-seeing?

That motherfucking plain-faced liar.

“He gave me this.” Levi said, cutting off the latest of Eren's mutterings about ripping out fingernails with his teeth and reaching into his coat pocket. The raven drew out the vial that the blonde-haired man had given him and held it out to Eren. “Any idea what it is?”

The brunette edged closer to the raven, regarding the clear substance with a sneer.

“Holy water.” The boy muttered, his eyes flashing dangerously. “That fucker gave you holy water.”

“Holy water?” Levi frowned, pulling the vial back and away from the boy. “Can that hurt you?”

“No,” the brunette replied, standing and snatching up the vial as he paced a few steps away. Teal eyes never left the bottle as he held it up to the light, “it more of your kind's religious bullshit…but the fact that he thinks it can…”

Levi pushed up from the sofa, moving after the boy but pausing when he saw the expression on Eren's face. Something dark was building behind teal eyes…something dangerous.

“I ought to rip out his fucking intestines and feed them to him…that son of a bitch thinks he scares me? I will end him...” Eren’s voice lowered to nothing more than a growl, too deep to be considered human as his eyes dulled, “…I’ll tear his goddamned throat out!”

The light overhead flickered and the raven could have sworn that the shadows in the place were moving, creeping in.

The walls were beginning to shake, rattling the cupboards, and Eren looked like he couldn't see or hear anything around him, completely unaware of anything but the thoughts in his own head.

Levi took a step back, almost flinching when the brunette’s attention flitted back to him. All at once those dead eyes softened and grew bright once more as the shadows returned to normal. The brunette held out a hand towards Levi, instantly wary of spooking him, and Eren took a step towards the raven.

“Levi, no, I didn’t mean to…” the boy cursed under his breath, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked at the floor, “I’m sorry. Did I frighten you?”

“Just a bit.” The raven answered, opting for honesty plain and simple.

Sometimes Levi forgot that the bouncing brat he knew most of the time was in fact a man-eating magic-wielding embodiment of terror. But there were moments...bone chilling moments...where it became all too clear.

Eren took a careful step forward, teal eyes gentle, pleading and apologising all at once. Those eyes said one thing...

Don't run.

Please don't run.

Levi didn't run. He stood his ground and tried to relax as Eren edged closer, letting the boy wrap him up in his arms. The raven was pulled into a warm embrace, Eren resting his chin atop Levi’s head.

“I’m sorry.” The boy murmured and Levi felt him press a kiss atop his head. “I really am.”

“It's alright...” Levi promised, pulling back and running his hands over Eren's arms. “We're alright.”

The raven drew the brunette back towards the sofa, coaxing Eren down and following right behind him. Carefully, the smaller male settled atop of the boy's stomach, bending down to kiss him. Slowly, tenderly, until Eren made a soft sound and kissed him back. They stayed like this, their mouths gently working together, soft and pliant and warm. It was one of those rare moments that both males wished would never have to end.

But it did, as all moments do, and left the two piecing together their thoughts.

The raven was the first to break the silence. “Erwin's a priest?” Levi shook his head. “How did you even make that connection?”

Eren made gave a longwinded sigh, blowing air towards his eyes. “The cross was a bit of a give-away.” The boy admitted, stretching up to peck the raven on the bridge of his nose. “And the weird vibes of that fucking house... But mostly the silver.”

Levi's brow folded into a small frown. “Silver?”

“Yeah.” The boy said, reaching up to trace a finger across the silver metal of the ring in Levi's brow.

Eren smiled.

The raven leaned into the touch, exhaling through his nose and letting his eyes close. “What the fuck does that have to do with anything?”

“It's kind of like our vulnerability to fire.” The boy explained, waiting for the raven to look at him before continuing. “Only slightly different. I can’t touch silver. It’s pure and therefore it reacts badly to my kind.”

Suddenly Levi understood why Eren was smiling as he touched him; the raven's piercings were just metal. Not proper silver. Levi thanked his lucky stars for that; the last thing he wanted was to hurt the boy.

“How bad is the reaction?” The raven asked, sitting back.

“Kind of like a solid form of acid.” Eren replied with a shrug, trying to play casual but a haunted look in the boy's eyes betrayed him. “I was almost burned alive in a vat of the fucking stuff. Boiling silver is a bitch, let me tell you.”

“Wait, what?” Levi straightened properly, eyes growing a little wider in alarm.

“Oh nothing.” The brunette assured him, running soothing hands along the raven's shoulders. “Just a little past experience I’d rather forget.”

Levi's face set in a grim mask as he recalled Eren's stories. “You’ve had this kind of trouble before.” He murmured, mostly to himself.

“Yeah. When I first came to your world.” Eren nodded, pleased that the raven remembered. “I wasn’t careful, I killed as it pleased me and of course I was discovered. Back then all I cared about was the anger I felt inside.”

“You said they used fire.”

“They did. But why utilise only one weakness when you can make use of two?” Eren muttered, his expression darkening for a moment at the thought. “The bastards had originally planned to get me into the liquid silver. I got away but managed to land in the fire heating the stuff.”

Even the raven couldn't stop himself from wincing at the image. “Ouch.”

“You can say that again.” The boy shuddered at the memory. “It's okay, though. Now I know better, I’m careful, I prepare…”

Levi let out a heavy exhale, a mildly relieved sound. “Well thank fuck for that.”

The tension that had been building in the air around the pair dissipated a little with the sound and Levi could feel the brunette relaxing beneath him.

“Indeed.” The boy agreed through an amused sounding exhale. “And thank fuck that you don’t wear proper silver piercings.”

Levi mock-scowled at the brunette as he reached up to toy with the metal in the raven's ear.

“Hey,” the smaller male said in a tone of mock offence, “I wasn’t exactly rich when I bought these.”

Eren laughed, a soft breathy sound, and his eyes warmed. “Okay, okay, don’t be angry.” The boy cupped the raven's face and smiled. “It’s a good thing that they’re not silver, or I wouldn’t be able to come very close to you.”

A cheeky flare passed behind grey eyes and the raven's thin brow arched up in challenge. “Oh? I’ll remember that next time you do something to piss me off.”

“Aw,” Eren pouted, looking mopey for a moment, “that’s mean.”

The raven chuckled softly and lent down to kiss the boy. Tanned arms slipped around the raven's waist, gripping at Levi's hips. Pausing, mouths still joined, Levi opened his eyes to arch a thin brow at the brunette. The smaller man broke the kiss to pull back and level the brat with a mildly stern look.

“No.” He chided. “Once is more than enough.”

“But-” Eren began to protest, cut off by a lean finger pressed to his lips to shut him up.

“The answer is no.” The raven-haired man reiterated, making a face. “My ass still hurts from the first time.”

Eren huffed, puffing his cheeks out and blowing air towards his eyes. The wind from it blew his hair up. “Well I'm sorry, it's not like either of us make a point of carrying proper lubrication with us. I made do.”

“Tell that to my ass.”

“Fine, turn over and I will.”

“Nice try, you little shit.”

Teal eyes flashed defiantly but softened after a moment of staring. Back to banter and simple bickering at last, it felt as though things were finally beginning to mend between them.

Levi glanced away, thinking. “So…if Erwin really is out looking to take down some demon,” the raven paused, glancing back to gain Eren's attention, “…does he know it’s you?”

That was the real question; the doubt that had been playing on Levi's mind ever since they had left the smith home. Erwin had been sure that the raven was the one who was the danger, but after the possessive display from Eren...would the blonde make the connection?

Eren frowned, staring up at the ceiling. “I’m not sure.” He said after a moment, brows pulling together further. “I mean, after seeing that damned file...I think it's safe to say that he was going after you.” The brat paused to snort at the idea. “That's just funny.”

Levi's eyes narrowed a little, but it was a playful response that had him replying. “Hey, fuck you, I think I'd make a perfectly fine demon.”

An odd little smile curved Eren's lips and he looked at the floor.

“Oh you would.” The boy murmured, nodding to himself as he spoke. “Trust me.”

The raven was a little preoccupied with his thoughts to notice the strange tone in Eren's voice, ploughing right along.

“So what do we do now?” Levi asked, sitting back and scratching at his chin. “If Erwin is suspicious of either of us, we're kind of fucked.”

The brunette nodded in agreement, pushing up onto his elbows. “He’s certainly fishy…” the boy agreed, “I’ll need to look into it. But I'm afraid you're going to have to leave this place.”

Levi's attention snapped back to the brunette and he frowned slightly. “What?”

Eren sighed. “A possible exorcist knows where you live. It's not safe,” he explained with a worried look in his eyes, “they trail all kinds of danger with them. I could smell the blood on that bastard the second he came through the door.”

The raven swallowed at the memory. So those spots really had been blood? But whose?

“He killed someone?” Levi voiced the question hanging in his mind.

“Something.”

Eren's eyes were dark again, but he kept his anger suppressed well enough. Levi resisted the urge to give the kid some space, heaving a heavy sigh and rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“Right.” The raven muttered and Eren looked up at the man's tone of voice. “We'd better have that fucking talk now.”

Levi slid off of Eren to settle properly on the sofa and the boy sat up with him, taking a spot beside the raven-haired man.

“Right now?” The brunette queried, eyebrows risen.

“Why not?” Levi rolled his shoulders in a shrug, turning his focus on the boy. “Tell me how I can make this better for you.” The raven said, grey eyes strangely earnest in their request. “We need to compromise here. And while you're at it, why don't you tell me about vulnerabilities?”

The brunette blinked. “Huh?”

Levi gave a long sigh, sorting out his words. “Look, Eren,” he began, keeping his eyes on the floor, “…you’ve wedged yourself pretty deeply into my life now.” The raven admitted, swallowing. “And I might have been resistant to start but, fuck, you're a stubborn little shit. I can't imagine what my life would be like if you hadn't come barrelling in but I don't want to imagine what it would be like if you left. So I might as well know how I can help you.”

Eren sat very still, eyes wide and mouth slightly open from surprise. After a moment, he managed to speak.

“You want to help?” The boy asked, looking just as shocked as he sounded.

“Of course I fucking do.” Levi replied, grey eyes softening as he reached over to place a hand over the boy's knee. “The thing about the silver, that’s information I can use. Now I know not to buy anything that has silver in it. That right there is a compromise, like if you had a peanut allergy or something. Do you follow me?”

Eren had to look away, teal eyes dropping to the floor. “…that’s…that means a lot.” The boy placed a hand atop where Levi's rested on his knee and threaded their fingers together.

“You mean a lot, Eren.” The raven responded, squeezing the boy's hand gently. “So talk to me.”

The brunette let out a shaky breath, rifling through anything that they should discuss in proper detail.

“Alright...” he started, drawing in another breath, “alright, weaknesses.” Eren paused, brows furrowing a little as he concentrated. “Well...the less I feed, the weaker I get,” he said after a moment, “and the harder it is to keep up any disguise.”

Beside the boy, Levi made a soft sound of disapproval. “Great.”

“I know it’s not ideal,” Eren said, making a face, “but my kind aren’t meant to live here. For me to stay, others have to leave.”

“Well isn't that just peachy.” The raven grimaced, thinking of all the people that would have to die for Eren to stay with him.

Sometimes it was easy to forget that Eren only existed in this world because others had been sent away. The information weighed heavily on the smaller male's shoulders now.

“It's okay, we can compromise on that too,” Eren announced, his voice cutting through the raven's depressing thoughts, “we spoke about it before. I'll make sure to only kill criminals and only after dark.”

Levi gave a slow nod in response, swallowing thickly. “Okay...” he said, pushing away the negative thoughts as best he could, “okay, that's good. We don't need anyone accidentally recognising you and then coming to burn our place down.”

The grim humour made the brunette smile but Eren chose not to point out the way in which Levi had called the apartment their place.

“For God's sake don't kill any kids.” Levi said, knowing that he had made the point before but having to be certain that the boy understood that. “That's sick. I'll kill you myself if I find out you've been slaughtering innocent people.”

“I haven't. I promise.”

Grey eyes flicked over to bore into teal orbs. The boy's face was serious and Levi could read only truth in his eyes. It was enough to draw a relieved sigh from thin lips and the raven's shoulders relaxed a degree.

“Right.” Levi nodded, mostly to himself as he thought over the arrangement. “Well other than that, make sure you fucking clean your shit up afterwards, alright? No evidence.”

A smug little smirk tugged at the corner of Eren's mouth. “I think I've already got that down.”

Levi had to admit that whatever Eren had been doing with the bodies, it was working. The news had been picking up stories of people going missing, with kidnappings suspected, but so far the authorities hadn't discovered a single piece of evidence to link the cases to murder.

“How do you take care of the evidence?” Levi found himself asking, not really sure if he wanted to know the answer but curious enough to pose the question.

The brunette's smug little smile grew a bit bigger. “I use the Way Through.” He stated.

“You send the remains to Hell?” Levi rephrased the question, raising his eyebrows at the brunette's nod. “That's fucking brilliant.” The raven said, sending the boy an impressed look. “I'd call you a genius if I didn't think you had enough of an ego. No need to stroke it any further with praise like that.”

Something playful flashed in teal eyes and Levi knew what was coming even before the brat opened his mouth to say, “I can think of something else that you could stroke instead?”

A dry laugh escaped the smaller man's lips.

“Har har, and the pun award goes to you.” The raven muttered, smirking wryly. “Not tonight, at any rate. Not in the middle of an important discussion. We're talking about you sending entrails and people bits to Hell, for fuck's sake.” Levi shuddered, shaking his head to shoo away the imagery. “Which reminds me, make sure you brush your fucking teeth after you feed. And I mean really scrub them, use mouthwash, gum, the works, before you come near me.”

“Okay, I get it.” Eren grumbled, crossing his arms. “You have a thing about germs.”

“I do but, fuck, no one wants to taste another person when they kiss someone!”

“Fair enough.”

As the night drew on, with late hours beginning to draw closer to early hours, more queries were passed back and forth. Eren took his time, answering each question he was asked with as much detail as he could provide.

A lot of what Levi heard from the boy was giving him a headache, especially the part about Heaven and Hell.

“There is no God.” Eren had explained. “No heaven, no precious glowing palace in the sky.”

That in itself had been a pretty confusing piece of information. Even if Levi hadn't ever been a strict believer or follower of faith, there were plenty of other questions raised by those words. No Heaven. Okay, fine. Sure.

“But there’s a Hell?” Levi asked, feeling himself frowning as confusion wrapped around his mind.

Eren shrugged. “Of course.”

The kid said that like it made perfect sense and for a moment the raven flailed mentally.

“How does that make any sense?” He asked after a moment of staring incredulously at the floor. “There’s a place for bad people to go but not for the good people?” The raven threw his hands towards the ceiling in a frustrated gesture. “What the fuck?”

Eren chuckled at the raven's flabbergasted mood. It had been Levi's questioning that had led them to this topic and he refused to sleep until they were answered. The brunette tried his very best to respond to the questions in a way that would make sense.

“There isn’t exactly a place for good people,” Eren said slowly, trying to get the raven to understand, “but you don’t just…die and fade away into darkness.”

Levi was pinching the bridge of his nose, clearly not any less confused. “Are you trying to tell me that there are agents of chaos but not of peace?” The smaller man asked after a moment.

Eren gave a single nod. “Yes.”

The raven exhaled, also nodding, but Eren felt as though it was more of an act the raven was using to try and convince himself to believe the words.

“So all that twaddle about God is just bullshit?” Levi said, meaning to have the sentence come out as a statement but his voice rose pitch in the end, making it a question. “And there are no angels or fucking trumpets in the sky?”

The demon laughed at that, an open and cheery sound that smoothed out the frown on the raven's brow for a moment.

“Trumpets in the sky? Really?” Eren giggled at the smaller man. “Do you have any idea how faith works?”

“Fuck you. I'm just trying to understand.”

“I know, I know, I'm sorry.” The brunette apologised, still trying to wipe the smile off his face. “Well I'll try to explain.” The boy took a deep breath. “There’s no so much a God as there is a divine presence. It’s not one single, identifiable figure with all knowing power, nor is it an army of angels.”

Levi could feel his frown returning. “Well? What the fuck is it?”

“It’s an energy.” Eren replied. “A whole universe worth of it and it runs through everything, interwoven into the very fabric of existence.” The brunette took a pause, making sure that the raven was absorbing everything, before he continued. “Evil finds a way to come through no matter what you do. The good presence only keeps a balance. Apparently it's decided that if there are going to be demons, then we’ll have a very rough time of it. Hence the restrictions.”

Levi nodded, remembering the many times that he and Eren had discussed the restrictions placed upon demon kind to keep them from being able to have a stable existence in the living world. That much he understood, and the rest he supposed made sense.

“Okay,” he nodded, clasping his hands together and resting them atop his knees, “so what's all this about heaven and hell? What's up with that?”

“Hell is real, as you know.” Eren said with a nod. “It’s where the bad souls go, like a kind of jail. But there isn’t a heaven.”

“Why not?”

“Well can you imagine it?” The brunette asked, and there was an odd challenging tone in his voice. “Heaven is supposedly this place where souls go after they die and spend an eternity there.” Here Eren paused, leaning forward a little. “How is that any different from Hell?” The boy asked, and Levi saw his point. “How is that any different from a prison? Eternity is a long time, Levi, it gets boring. No use punishing the good souls with a prison.”

That one statement made more sense to Levi than anything he had heard that night. Who in their right mind would want to spend the rest of eternity trapped in the same place after living out their short lives on Earth? But that posed the question...

“So...what happens to the good souls?” Levi asked, turning his eyes on the boy.

Eren drew in a breath, launching on into his explanation. “If you’re a good person, when you die and pass on, you go to become a part of the energy that keeps the balance.” He said, sending the raven a reassuring smile. “Eventually some of that energy needs to be given to form new life. It’s kind of like your human concept of reincarnation.”

The raven nodded slowly, sorting through the information in his head. “Okay…”

“Let me try and explain it better,” Eren paused for a moment with a look of concentration on his face, before he began to speak again, “…eventually new energy is needed to make new life. When that time comes, some of the energy goes back into new creatures as they are born.” The brunette paused again, just for a moment, to look at the raven and make sure that he was paying attention and not lost. “But it is very unlikely that all of the same cells and particles would find their way back together in the same way they were for the person beforehand,” the boy said, sounding a little sad then, “which is why people and creatures cannot remember their past life experiences, because it is no longer all of them together. They are mixed up with all different kinds of particles.” Eren shot the raven a sidelong glance. “If you've ever wondered why you humans are always different, that's why. But some people contain more of their original cells than others, which is why some people can experience past memories through dreams and visions while others cannot.”

A moment of silence fell over the two as Levi let the overload of information sink in.

“That’s one heck of a mind fuck, Eren.” The raven muttered at last, rubbing his temples.

The boy gave a soft, sympathetic laugh. “I know, it’s a lot to wrap your head around.”

“So then saying ‘I swear to God’ doesn’t really hold any weight, then?”

A snort came from the demon. “Is that really all you’re taking away from this?”

“Hey, I say it a lot.”

“No, you say ‘I swear to fuck’.”

“Point taken.”

Other questions were asked and answered, more of the personal variety as Levi struggled to understand the way the demon world worked.

“I take it your kind don't date?”

The raven had meant for the question to be taken lightly, as more of a joke or a teasing comment than anything requiring a serious answer. In point of fact, he was sure that he would rather not know that answer. But Eren replied anyway.

“For demons, if we ever form a relationship it's very simple.” The boy began and Levi let him continue. “We form bonds via intimacy and physical contact. We're creatures that thrive on sensation, even though we can elect not to feel anything at all. It's difficult, though, for those of us who want to feel. I know of one creature who has never chosen to give up his senses.”

The brunette's eyes softened for a moment and Levi might have called him out on it had the boy not ploughed on.

“Mostly with a 'relationship' between two demons, it's a case of fuck, eat, sleep, fight, fuck again.” The brunette made a face. “We're not very romantic that way.”

“You're telling me.”

The boy gave a scathing laugh. “Yeah. And there are a lot of demons who don't bother with finding a partner at all because of sensory deprivation. The more cowardly of us who don't want to feel pain. Avoid pain, avoid touch.” A dark flickering passed behind Eren's eyes. “That's where the true monsters come from; the crawling, slithering beasts that haunt your people's nightmares.”

Levi had to call the boy's name twice before he snapped out of the dark reverie, shaking his head a few times to clear it.

“Sorry, what was I saying?”

“Demons are physical creatures.” The raven reminded him.

“Ah, yes.” Eren nodded, recalling their conversational topic. “At least in that respect, my bond with my fiancee has not been sealed yet.” The boy announced, sounding somewhat relieved, before his gaze dulled again. “That's not to say that he hasn't tried.”

“Sealed?” Levi repeated, frowning. “You mean like consummated?”

The boy nodded, wincing a little at the raven's dark scowl. “That's the most common stage. But there's another stage that only a very few demons even make it to.”

Scowl lessening, the raven arched an eyebrow. “What's that?”

“It's a blood offering,” the brunette murmured, swallowing, “where each partner tastes the other. But it's only really done for...” Eren trailed off suddenly, glancing away.

Levi's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but there was concern in his voice when he spoke.

“For?” The raven prompted, tone bordering on urgent when the brunette winced again. “For what?”

“I don't want to upset you.” Eren's voice sounded small as blue-green eyes lifted up to meet worried grey.

Levi had a bad feeling again. He didn't want to know, he didn't want to know...

But he needed to know.

“Just tell me.” The raven found himself saying, although his voice sounded strange and distant to his ears.

With an uneasy expression colouring Eren's face, the boy inhaled and swallowed.

“The blood exchange.” The brunette forced himself not to mumble. “It's a ritual that's only ever performed between mates.”

“Mates?” Levi knew he hadn't wanted to know. He clung to a last shred of hope. “As in friends?”

“No.” Eren exhaled slowly, destroying that hope. “My fiancee is my mate, completely compatible with me. That's another reason why I can't really do anything to stop him.” The boy ran his hands over his face, ducking his head hopelessly. “I can't kill my mate, Levi. It goes against every instinct I have.”

“What about survival?” Levi pushed.

“That's beside the point. He won't kill me if I don't cross him.”

“So he likes you enough not to kill you?” Levi felt sick just saying the words, surprised by the startled laughter that escaped his own mouth. “Well isn't that lovely. What a charming couple you must make.”

Eren's head snapped up and teal eyes flashed, burning as the kid bared his teeth in challenge at the raven's accusing tone.

“It's not as if I had a choice in any of this.” The brunette snapped, leaning forward low in a predatory fashion as he glared. “Hell isn't like your world. It's barbaric. Why should the people living there be any different?”

The kitchen light flickered, buzzing for a moment before it blew, fizzing out with a pop. Levi grimaced as glass tinkled down onto the floor.

Hissing out a frustrated sigh, Eren flung a hand back in the direction of the kitchen and the raven watched with raised eyebrows as the glass flew back up to melt into place, forming a new bulb. A few moments later the light flickered back on.

Eren dropped his hand and ran it over his face. “Sorry.” The boy mumbled.

Levi knew that he should probably apologise for pushing the kid that far, but his curiosity wasn't quite sated.

“So how do you feel about him?” The raven placed emphasis on the word just as the boy had done several times before. It was the one way that the raven knew to identify the boy's betrothed as the issue of his distress.

He expected the boy to be angry again, but Eren only groaned.

“Ugh...I don't know.” The brunette said in a complaining tone. “I don't want to want him,” he said, dropping his hands from his face at last and looking at the floor, “but it's like dangling meat in front of a dog. The impulse is there, it's how my kind work. Some stupid chemical thing that I can't control.” Eren hissed in frustration. His voice was softer, quiet and hopeless when the boy spoke again. “He's like...a drug...and I know that if I'm not careful I'll get addicted but I can't get away.”

Levi watched the boy mope, looking thoroughly miserable with their situation. After a few moments it became clear that neither of them wanted to talk anymore. It was late, far too late for rationale thought, and Levi didn't want to fight. They barely recovered last time.

So, with a sigh, the raven stood up from the couch and came to stand in front of the boy. Eren allowed himself to be hauled up and into the arms of his human, and the pair staggered wearily to the bedroom. Having already showered after their escapade at Erwin's, nought was left to do but strip down and collapse onto the bed. Levi tucked Eren beneath the sheets before crawling in himself and drawing the boy into his arms.

“I have to leave soon.” Eren mumbled miserably, peering up at the raven through sleepy eyes.

Levi hushed him gently, trailing sleepy kisses across his face. “Just sleep, Eren...” he soothed, “just for now, let's pretend that everything is okay.”

Chapter Text

“And that makes me want to rewind to back in the days when we were young.” – Puddle of Mud, Psycho.

***

Eren was in a bad mood.

“I don't want to go back.”

“You don't have to.”

“I do.”

According to the brunette, he had two days left until his fiancée would be returning to look for him. Just two days of freedom until he had to dive back into that pit of horror.

And it had done a real number on the boy's temper.

The slightest sound had Eren on edge; the kettle boiling, the hiss of shower water, the clinking of Levi's spoon against his cereal bowl, everything had the kid's attention.

“Calm down, kid.”

“I am calm.” Eren hissed, causing the lights to flicker a little in the kitchen.

Levi gave a snort. “Yeah, that's exactly what calm looks like.”

It was a bristling Eren that stomped out of the apartment like a child throwing a tantrum.

It didn't last long. No more than an hour later and the front door opened again to reveal a repentant looking brunette. Levi glanced up from where he was lying on the sofa, his book dropping low enough for him to see over the pages.

“Hey, brat.” The raven called from the couch, setting his book down on his lap.

Eren ducked his head a little, rubbing at the back of his neck. “M'sorry.” He mumbled, head bowed slightly but eyes seeking out Levi's grey gaze.

At least Levi didn't look angry.

“It's alright,” Levi offered, knowing that it wasn't solely Eren's fault that they had argued, “you're stressed. We're both a little stressed out with this impending deadline of doom bullshit.” The raven shrugged with one shoulder. “One little snapping-fest is no big deal.”

The brunette gave a little sigh, relieved that he wasn't in trouble, relieved that Levi understood what he was going through and why he was so moody. There were, of course, plenty of things that weren't setting Eren on edge as well. Plenty of things indeed.

Eren was more than a little pleased to see Levi lounging in the dark sweatpants he had originally bought for the boy to wear. They were too big for the raven but fuck if that stopped him from curling up on the couch in the boy's comfy pants.

The white long-sleeved shirt that Levi was wearing also happened to belong to Eren.

When Eren finally stirred from his reverie and saw the sight, he laughed.

Grey eyes flickered over from the couch, narrowing at the giggling brunette. “Shut up.”

“You're adorable.” Eren chuckled, smiling merrily away.

“Take that back.”

“Never.”

Despite his harsh tone, Levi was almost smiling. Truth be told, he was just glad that Eren had come back. And then the smile began to fade and Eren was left staring into concerned grey eyes, eyes that worried about him, eyes that cared.

“Are you okay?” The raven asked, his tone earnest.

It was enough to compel the brunette to give an honest answer, rather than to play off the way he was feeling.

“I don't think so.” Eren murmured, his voice shaking against his will. He gave a little shrug. “But I'm a big boy, I can deal with it.”

Levi didn't look very convinced and Eren absolutely hated the soft sadness that he could detect behind those grey eyes. Eyes that knew too much...and all because Eren had to go and get attached. In hindsight, it was probably a bad idea to keep someone like Levi. He was too knowing, calculating in all the worst ways that allowed him to find what was wrong. Eren could break too easily under the attention of those sharp eyes.

But fuck if Eren was giving him up now.

Little did the boy know that any and all sorrow that the raven was currently feeling was for the boy, not for any sadness that Levi should be feeling knowing that his Eren could very well be lost in a few days.

The thought that this poor boy should have to answer to anyone...it made the raven see red. But a fat lot of good that did him. After all, what could he, a simple human, do to stop someone as supposedly powerful as Eren's betrothed?

The answer?

Nothing. Nothing at all. But he could still spoil his brat in the meantime.

Sitting up at last, the raven set aside his book and stretched. “Come on, brat.” He called gently, an idea already forming in his mind as to how he could cheer up the brunette. “It's about time I actually used that bath.”

Eren followed after the raven as he headed for the bathroom, moving towards the porcelain tub that resided in the far corner. The brunette had wondered what it was for; it kind of just sat there in disuse.

Eren watched as the raven bent to fiddle with the taps jutting out from the wall and soon a steady stream of water fell into the bowl-like structure. Steam began to fill the air and the boy watched as Levi went back and forth gathering little bottles and adding drops of God knows what to the rising water. Something smelled of lavender; Eren caught a whiff of it as Levi passed him again to put away the bottles.

“What are you doing?” The boy enquired, brows rising curiously.

“Adding minerals.” Levi muttered by means of an explanation. “It's good for the skin.”

Nose wrinkling at the smell, the boy made a face. “It smells funny.”

The raven rolled his eyes, moving to check on the temperature of the water while Eren stripped down, setting his clothes on the counter. Steam swirled in the air and Eren wondered just how hot Levi wanted the water to be. He was more than a little concerned stepping into the bath moments later when the raven finally shut off the taps.

Stepping in a toe at a time, Eren lowered himself into the tub, gasping at the heat and releasing a few heavy breaths through the steam until he was fully seated in the water.

Levi chuckled, reaching out to ruffle the boy's hair slowly. “You're ridiculous, it's not that hot.”

“Says you.” Eren managed to gasp, but he leaned into the touch, blinking as he adjusted to the water's temperature. The brunette's brows dipped in a slight frown, confusion at Levi's fully dressed state. “Aren't you coming in?” He asked, voicing his thoughts.

The raven looked like he was honestly thinking about it.

“I'm not really in the mood.” Levi answered at last, one shoulder rising a little as if he had meant to shrug and then changed his mind last minute. “I was just going to pamper you a little.”

Eren's eyebrow rose slowly, arching up almost comically high. “You...of all people, don't want to wash up? You don't want to get all nice and clean?”

Levi rolled his eyes at the boy's tone, surprise slowly dissolving into teasing.

“Think of the soap, Levi.” Eren pushed, grinning. “Sooooaap....”

“Cut it out, brat.” Levi smirked, flicking the kid between the eyes.

The raven moved to stand but halted when a tanned arm shot out, hand catching him by the fabric of the loose sweatpants he had on, fingers winding in the material. The boy wasn't exactly sure what he wanted to say, only that after all the arguing, after everything that they had spoken about, after Erwin and everything that they had spoken about some nights prior...all Eren wanted was to keep Levi close.

It had been a trying time for the two males as of late, the confession, the talk, the fight. They had only made up recently and then Erwin had sauntered in with his truckload of bullshit to add to the steadily growing pile of things about the human world that was pissing Eren off. After all of it, the whole great mess, the brunette could use a little comforting.

“Don't go.” Eren implored in a quiet voice, eyes lowering to the rippling surface of the water. “Please...”

Levi glanced down at the hand holding onto him, arching a brow. “I'm not going anywhere.”

“But you're not coming in?”

The raven made a face. He had never really been one for baths, much preferring the easier and more accessible shower. But Eren was pouting and his eyes were so big, deep blue green pools imploring silently as the boy leaned over to lure the raven down for a kiss.

Relenting to the gentle tug of the hand still fisted in his slacks, Levi decided that he could at least afford to show the kid some affection. He may not want to get in the bath but he didn't have to do that to kiss Eren. It was a simple compromise.

Bending down a little, the raven was shocked when Eren pushed up out of the water a little to meet him halfway, lips sliding over Levi's so softly that it was almost coy. That alone should have tipped the raven off, yet he still took the bait and leaned closer when Eren parted his lips in invitation.

A hand clasped around the raven's forearm, the arm that just so happened to be supporting his weight against the edge of the tub, and the brat's other hand grabbed at the back of Levi's thigh.

With a wicked giggle sounding against Levi's lips, Eren yanked the raven and upset his balance, with the intention of pulling him into the tub. It played out far less smoothly than the boy had originally intended.

The raven's hands scrambled against the edge of the tub as he was unbalanced, nearly letting out a shout in his fright, but the noise morphed into a pained hiss when his hip bumped against the hard porcelain tub from the odd angle at which he had been pulled in. A string of curses fell from the raven's lips when he resurfaced after submerging for a brief moment, looking thoroughly startled as he flailed in panic for a moment.

Eren couldn't even manage to properly apologise through his fits of laughter, nearly crying from the force of it as he picked up on a few choice words from the surly man before him. Forcing himself to calm down, the boy made an apologetic sound as he reached over to caress the now tender skin of Levi's hip, already showing signs of bruising. Eren hadn't meant to hurt his human, far from it, his actions had been out of only intentions to cause a little mischief, but the look of utter surprise on the raven's features had been absolutely priceless.

“You're eyes!” The boy exclaimed, nearly wheezing. “I've never seen them so big before. Like an owl!” Eren giggled, drawing in a deep breath. “Ah, that was too good. Your face was priceless!”

Eren continued to snicker and laugh, trying to hide it behind the back of his hand and failing miserably. The raven grumbled under his breath.

“I'm sorry.” Eren offered, a little smile curving his lips in a way that was almost repentant. “How's your hip?”

Mustering the very best glower that he could, Levi raised his head to glare at the brat but was thoroughly surprised when the kid's cheeks puffed out before the brat fell right back into another laughing fit.

“What the fuck is so funny?” The raven asked, his tone sharp and clipped, but not all that mad.

He was startled, bedraggled and upset with the mess of water on the floor now, but not mad.

Eren really did have to wheeze through the laughter before he could speak again.

“You look just like a cat stuck in the rain!” Teal eyes shone with merriment as Eren laughed, reaching out to scratch under Levi's chin like he was a cat. “Poor puss, did someone lock you out?”

“Tch.” Levi jerked his chin free of Eren's cheeky hold.

With a grunt, the raven pushed himself up and out of the water a little, gripping the edge of the tub until he adjusted his weight on his knees. Once balanced, Levi shoved a hand up through his hair, pushing the soaking mop back and out of his face.

Leaning one arm against the tub, grey eyes dropped to regard the brunette and the raven's free hand dropped, dipping under the hot water to give the brunette's hip a firm squeeze.

“Little shit.”

Eren scoffed, amused by the way in which the raven used insults as forms of endearment sometimes. The boy hummed, scooting backwards until he could lean his back against the end of the tub, watching the water move as Levi waded after him.

“Was it really necessary to try and drown me?” He groused half-heartedly, a smirk threatening to curve his lips.

“I would never.” Eren replied solemnly.

“Sure.” Levi rolled his eyes almost playfully. “Better watch yourself, little brat, or I might be tempted to drown you.”

“I don't think you would.”

“I said I was temped.”

The brunette gave an amused hum, only half paying attention. It was difficult to keep his mind focused on their banter when his eyes were preoccupied with the wonder of a man before him. Only moments ago the boy had been in fits of laughter, teasing Levi for looking like a feline who had accidentally gotten trapped in a shower, but now...it was as if some kind of black magic had sneaked its way into their apartment and transformed the hilarious imagery into something far less amusing.

Eren supposed it had something to do with the way the raven's clothes clung to his skin, bunched up in some areas and revealing pale flesh here and there. The brunette could make out each bump along Levi's spine when he bent over. The material, rendered mostly transparent by the water, easily exposed the hard muscle beneath. The boy felt a near-overwhelming urge to rid the raven of his shirt altogether, a sudden desire to have Levi on his back and at his mercy surging through the brunette.

Some part of the boy's mind registered that Levi was speaking...and very probably to him...but he was a little distracted with how low the black material of the raven's pants had slipped on his hips, already lose enough without the help of the water. Now the dark cotton dragged even lower, threatening to fall altogether, barely hangling on where the material clung to the raven's thighs.

“Brat? Oi, earth to brat?”

“Huh?”

Teal eyes shot back up suddenly as the brunette was drawn from his thoughts, the confused orbs roving up to settle on amused grey.

“Did you even hear a word that I just said?”

“Uh...”

The raven sighed at the boy's drawn out response, but he smirked anyway. “I thought not.”

Eren nearly jumped at the feeling of a cool hand brushing his leg, the flesh still not warmed through by the water caused a shiver to run through Eren as the hand smoothed out to glide up the boy's thigh. Grey eyes dropped from Eren's gaze for a moment and the smirk on Levi's lips grew a little in the same instant that the brunette felt the cool hand pause and splay out at the juncture where his leg met the rest of his torso.

The raven's index finger curled around the base of the boy's erect cock, pulling it back gently just far enough for it to snap back against the boy's stomach when he let go.

“Hello, hello...Eren junior is trying to get out of the water.”

Now that it had been pointed out, Eren did notice the cooler draft of air against the head of his length, so much cooler in contrast to the heat below the surface of the water. The brunette gave a low, pleased hum as Levi's fingers danced their way up the middle of his abdomen, pressing a little and with just a slight scrape of blunt nails.

Those deft fingers worked their way up Eren's chest, tweaking at his nipples on the way past before gliding up the column of his neck, carressing the boy's jaw before finally settling on tracing Eren's bottom lip which Levi tugged down gently to expose the gum of his lower row of teeth.

“Hmm...” Levi hummed thoughtfully, “I guess you're learning about the other kinds of hunger now, aren't you?”

Eren had a very strong feeling that Levi was not talking about being hungry in the sense that he wanted to eat food. The thought made a flush of blood spread its way over the brunette's cheeks and he swallowed as Levi finally let go of his lip.

And then the raven ducked his head and the boy was met with the soft press of Levi's mouth against his own. It was gentle, like a promise, and the boy's face heated even further at the intimacy of the action.

The past few days had been trying on both of them, still recovering and trying to fall back into their old routines after all of the change that had befallen them. With the new fears and the ever impending date of Eren's departure looming nearer every passing day, it had been difficult on both males.

Now, though, there was but one desire between them. It would be enough just to be close, just to lie together wrapped in warmth for the next two days.

“Levi...”

The word was barely more than a whisper against Levi's lips and the raven found himself lost in the bright teal eyes gazing up at him.

The raven watched Eren, watched the rosy shades that coloured his face, even his chest as the warm water heated him up. Hands rubbing at Eren's hips, the raven allowed himself to revel in the soft appeal of the boy's skin. So warm, smooth under his fingers, and Levi wanted nothing more than to keep this moment in time and have the rest of eternity to spend spoiling this creature. He didn't want to have to give him up, to hand him over to some other fiendish beast a whole other world away. Levi didn't want to wait for the poor brat to return, no doubt battered and broken, for the raven to mend. He wanted to know that, no matter what happened, that the boy had come to him, had chosen him over this other monster.

Eren may already have a mate...but Levi wasn't about to surrender the boy so easily.

If his betrothed, this beast of a being, was foolish enough to let the boy slip through his fingers even once, then surely that gave Levi the right to lay claim to Eren as well? Surely it would be okay for him to have that? To claim the boy for himself, to show Eren the kinder side of partnership?

Suddenly it was all that the raven wanted, to have this boy, this demon, whatever he wanted to label himself as. Levi wanted him, plain and simple. Wanted to have him, to hold him close, to love him and make love to him until the brunette could only remember Levi's name.

It would be fine, wouldn't it? To have that? Just once? It would be okay, wouldn't it? If Eren consented to such a thing, if he gave his permission and said that he wanted Levi to own him in that way, then surely it would be alright.

But he was being a little hasty...calm, calm down. Perhaps, just for now, it would okay to touch and taste. Just a taste, just to feel with his tongue, to map out the boy with his mouth and teeth and tongue and fingers. Only that, surely it would be alright.

“Eren...” Levi murmured, his voice lower than he had expected after not speaking for so long.

His hands still rested on he boy's hips, rubbing little circles with the pads of his thumbs.

The boy gave Levi his full attention, teal eyes wide and attentive. “Levi?”

“I want you.”

It was an abrupt confession, but the brunette seemed to take it in stride, flushing a little at the admission.

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes.” The brunette answered without so much as a pause for breath.

The look of determination in those blue-green eyes was enough to make the raven's heart flutter. This boy...he had gone through enough suffering for a thousand lifetimes. All Levi wanted was to give him something that the boy could savour. Something to prove that life was good.

“Turn over.” The raven murmured, the command low but gentle as he helped the brunette to lift his hips, flipping him into position. “Hold onto the edge, okay?”

Eren obeyed, his fingers trembling only a little from anticipation. There was no fear in the boy's movements and that set Levi's heart at ease. Even set in such a vulnerable position with so little information to guess what the raven might do, Eren trusted him.

Left hand still resting on Eren's hip, Levi twisted around to snatch up the bar of soap that sat on the opposite side of the tub, juggling it in his right hand as he dipped it into the bath water.

“Is this alright, Eren?” The raven asked, ever mindful of the boy's inexperience.

If Eren wanted to stop at any time, he would stop. Simple as that.

The boy's mind was still wandering over the possibilities of where this could lead as he answered.

“Yes?”

Still unsure as to what exactly was happening, or about to happen, the brunette supposed that as long as it was Levi, it would be okay. The air felt cool where it reached his heated skin, coaxing a shiver out of the boy.

The raven's intentions became somewhat clearer when the brunette felt Levi's hand come to rest over his right ass cheek, ghosting a slippery digit over the puckered skin of Eren's asshole. The boy supposed that the raven must have coated the digit with the soap, but it still felt strange. Eren was still struggling to cope with the overwhelming feelings in his body, anything to do with sex sent him reeling.

Levi traced a featherlight circle around the boy's entrance, waiting. “Are you sure this is okay? I'll understand if you want to stop at any point-”

“No...” the boy cut him off, “I want to know. I want this.”

The boy was definitely curious, having witnessed what his own fingers had made Levi feel when they had joined before. He wanted to know what that felt like. Clearly there was potential for it to be good, Levi's panting and shameless reactions had poved that, but still...there was that lingering doubt in the boy's mind. Doubt that he wanted to wipe away.

Eren was sure that he would be willing to give this man absolutely anything he desired. There was no reasoning or logic behind the thought, no question of morals or right and wrong. If Levi wanted something, Eren would do everything in his power to give it to him. He hoped that the raven would cherish him in the same way.

The thought of what was going to occur made the boy's face flush a little and a needy, yearning throb ached between his legs.

“Please, Levi, I'll let you do whatever you want.”

The words were enough to stir a budding warmth beneath the cold wet cotton that still clung to the raven, Eren's position and his voice enough to arouse the smaller male. A little shiver ran down Levi's spine as he considered all the best ways to make Eren feel good, at last bending forward to press a light kiss to the juncture just under Eren's ass where it met his thigh.

A surprised gasp sounded and the brunette jerked forward, trembling a little before settling back, and the reaction encouraged the raven to pay a little more attention to the area. He flicked his tongue out, just barely grazing the sensitive flesh, before dragging the tip of his tongue along the spot. He peppered the area with kisses, mouthing at the skin and teasing along the boy's thigh and cheek every so often until the boy whined.

It provided the perfect distraction for the raven to begin swirling his index finger around the boy's entrance, drawing a circle around the tight ring of muscle and closing in towards the centre with smaller and smaller circles. But just before reaching the middle, he would work his way back out again, enjoying how impatient his actions were making Eren. Every time the raven's finger came close to the boy's entrance, Eren would shift his hips slightly in an attempt to try and accept him inside, but Levi never relented.

Gleeful grey eyes danced and the raven smirked a little as he watched the way Eren's hands would tense around the rim of the tub, slipping sometimes in desperation as the boy pushed back curiously, needily, into Levi's teasing hand, his mouth and his tongue.

“Someone's eager.” Levi teased, his voice near sinful with the way it lilted.

A strained whine trapped itself in Eren's throat as the boy nodded his head rapidly in agreement. Levi's teasing was driving him crazy as it was, but still he wanted to feel more, more, anything and everything that the raven would give him.

The skin that had already received so much attention felt more exposed than ever, so sensitive that each new touch drew short, gasping breaths and impatient groans from the boy. Eren wanted more. He wanted to feel what Levi had felt when it had been Eren taking him, he wanted Levi to show him what that was like, thoroughly and intimately and through every single fibre of his being. He wanted to possess everything that his raven-haired lover had to offer.

“To be honest...” Levi's voice sounded again, drawing the boy from his desperate thoughts with a warm breath against the small of his back, just at the base of the brunette's spine, “...I am too.”

Gently, the raven eased in the very tip of his finger just a tiny ways past the boy's entrance, feeling the muscles constrict at the intrusion nonetheless.

“Relax...” the smaller male breathed, sucking a quick mark into the skin of the kid's lower back as he just barely breached Eren, his finger making slow and delicate circles as it gradually worked its way deeper.

Levi trailed nips and kisses up Eren's spine, listening to the boy's breathing fall unevenly in gasps and huffs.

“L-Levi, I can't-” Eren whimpered out, sounding a little distressed to the raven's ears.

The tone was enough to scare Levi into stopping, freezing in the worry that he may not have been careful enough and had accidentally hurt the boy. The pace was slow, and Levi knew that, but he wanted to make Eren's first experience of sex a purely good one from start to finish and every moment in between. The raven didn't want to cause his Eren a single twinge of pain if he could help it, only pure ecstasy.

“I-I need more.” Eren muttered suddenly, his only warning before he pushed back to completely surround the soapy finger.

A soft grunt sounded from the brunette as he shifted, albeit a little awkwardly, to place his head down against the side of the tub, cheek pressed to cold porcelain as he held himself steady with his grip on the edge. The boy's chest heaved with the steadying breath he took, brows furrowing slightly as he tried to decide what he was feeling. Not pleasure...not really, but it hadn't hurt either. Mostly it just felt strange and very much out of place. In Eren's good opinion from many centuries of living, fingers were not meant to go anywhere near assholes. It just wasn't something that he had ever thought that he would find himself doing. And yet...if it was Levi...then maybe it was okay.

Eren wondered if this strange, numb intrusion was how it always felt? But surely that couldn't be it...not with the way that Levi's body had responded to him. There had to be more to it than what he was feeling.

The finger inside him moved then, curling slightly as a second digit rubbed just below, Levi's middle finger stretched out a little to play with the skin just bordering the boy's testicles. Eren found himself moaning almost against his own will at the feeling, the sound slipping out without his consent as the intrusion began to grow less and less of a discomfort by the moment with the added attention.

“Are you alright?”

Eren nodded at the sound of Levi's voice, huffing out a breathy sigh as the contrast of warm breath travelling across his skin and the wet drag of (now cold) cotton against his back as the raven shifted up.

“Good.” The smaller male murmured by the brunette's ear, voice low as he moved up the boy's body. “I don't want to hurt you, Eren, and there's a very good reason for me taking my time. Be patient.”

Eren could feel the raven's fingers rotating as Levi's arm shifted with his movement; the middle finger drawing away to linger near the plunged index that had begun to move in and out, only an inch or so with each shift. It was only a subtle movement, but the speed of it was enough to allow the brunette to feel the finger penetrating him from the fingertip to about the first knuckle. Gentle, always so gentle, even though Eren wasn't your average breakable human.

Levi leaned in until his lips met Eren's skin, radiating warmth, and the raven trailed his mouth along the boy's flesh, switching between open and closed mouth kisses. He nipped at the boy's nape, feeling Eren shiver beneath him only to jerk a little moments later when the raven pressed forward carefully so that their bodies were flush together. The cold fabric still clothing Levi's body provided a stark contrast to the heat of Eren's skin and the temperature shift made the brunette whine.

“Leviiii...” the boy's whine drew out the raven's name in protest.

“Steady, brat...we have plenty of time. Trust me...by the time we're finished, you won't remember any name but mine.”

The words were a promise and the raven's tone was enough to make the boy tremble, legs shaking a little in equal parts eagerness and anticipation.

“I want you, Eren.” Levi found himself saying, lips pressed to the boy's ear. “I want to hear you scream my name until your throat is raw, I want to hear every moan you have in you. Don't you dare hold back on me.”

With the way Levi was speaking to him, Eren didn't think he could hold back even if he wanted to. Just Levi's dirty talking had the boy panting with need.

“I want you to feel only pleasure...” Levi murmured, kissing the shell of Eren's ear, pulling back a little to nuzzle the column of the boy's neck, lips moving from ear to neck until he paused to peck the juncture between Eren's ear and cheekbone, “so please understand and be patient just a while longer.”

The brunette whined low in his throat when he felt the sharper press of teeth against the bump of the top of his spine, nibbling up to his nape before soothing over the reddened skin with his tongue.

“Can you do that for me, Eren?”

The raven's voice sounded low and hungry, enough to prompt a rapid nodding from the boy. Eren damned near lost his grip at the rewarding twist of fingers he received for his eagerness. While craving more still, it was already maddening in itself how easily Levi could tease him. Every touch, hell, every word that fell from those thin lips drove Eren further towards the edge. Nowhere near ready to release physically; the strange and thrilling mental euphoria that Eren felt towards what Levi could do to him was similar to teetering on an orgasm. It was the sweetest form of torture that the brunette had ever experienced.

The boy was preparing to speak again, to beg, to whine and plead for more, anything to have Levi stop with his slow tease, when the finger inside him curled again, suddenly blowing away any and all other stimuli in a second. The feeling was so sudden that it startled a keening cry from the boy. His hands scrambled on the edge of the tub as his arms gave out for a moment, shaking as his whole body pressed back of its own volition in search of that searing pleasure again.

His mouth opened to let out a garbled string of sounds that were supposed to be words. Thankfully, Levi seemed to understand the noises as a question.

“Hoh?” The raven couldn't help but smile against Eren's skin, hiding the grin against the boy's shoulder. He hadn't expected to find the kid's prostate so soon, especially going so carefully as he had been. “Maybe you won't have to be so patient after all, huh, Eren?”

From that point, Levi had a better handle on what to do. Carefully alternating on the stroke of his finger; every time that he brushed up against Eren's prostate he would edge his middle finger in a little closer, pushing deeper until it began to work alongside his index finger. Eren didn't utter so much as a word of complaint, each breath bordering on a moan as Levi worked his magic, stretching and scissoring his fingers carefully in such a way that it allowed him to hit the brunette's prostate to distract the boy from any discomfort.

The raven leaned back, sitting back on his heels to get a proper view of his handiwork. He watched his fingers pushing in, disappearing into the tight, puckered muscle only to reappear. The sight was enough to make the smaller male lick his lips, but he controlled himself enough to gently force his fingers apart, only as much as comfort would allow, and then used his free hand to scoop up some of the bath water to rinse the soap suds that had built up. Washing carefully, the raven rinsed the suds around and (hopefully) inside the boy's ass with the warm water.

Eren's breathing was steadily coming back down as Levi finished up, satisfied with his work and gently extracting his fingers. The raven moved his hands to massage the brunette's ass, kneading the globes with care and drawing soft moans from the boy. Levi's tongue swiped across his lips again and he dragged his top row of teeth over his bottom lip as a certain want made itself very clear in his mind.

I want to taste you.

The thought seemed to echo in Levi's mind, and Eren's sputtering moments later confirmed the raven's suspicions that he had uttered the words aloud by mistake. No matter, though, as it was completely worth it for the look on Eren's face when the brunette turned his head abruptly in surprise, teal eyes owlishly wide.

“Wha-? Ah-ahhh..!”

Eren gasped out his cry as Levi coaxed his cheeks to either side, dipping his head and dragging his tongue as close to the boy's testicles as he could reach, all the way back up to swirl his tongue around the now loosened ring of muscle. The skin was warm, clean and fresh. There was a subtle flavour, much like when Levi kissed the boy, which was no strong or identifiable flavour to be recognised...just enough of a taste to be well and truly Eren.

The boy's confused babbling vaguely reached the raven's ears, but he could only chuckle against the brunette's skin at his almost panicked stammering about Levi's own standards of cleanliness. The words died away in a high gasp as the raven plunged his tongue past the ring of the boy's entrance, driving it inside as far as he could to re-wet the taunt skin.

Eren's arms were shaking again and this time they really did give out for good. The boy nearly collapsed against his own weight, but thankfully the raven caught him around his hips.

Levi pulled back from the muscles contracting around his tongue and against his lips, feeling the boy's abdomen brushing against his arm with every new breath that the brunette sucked in and gasped out.

“Easy, Eren...” he breathed, kissing up the base of the boy's spine.

“Please, Levi, please...” the boy pleaded, leaning back into the raven-haired man.

Pulling Eren back along with him, Levi sat back on his heels and brought the boy to sit in his lap, winding an arm around to curl around Eren's swollen length at last. The boy cried out after having his cock being neglected, denied contact for so long, his whole body tensing for a moment.

Without lube on hand, and taking into account the dry properties of water, Levi knew better than to stroke the boy in long strides. Instead he kept to shorter strokes towards the base, shallow and with inconsistent changes in pressure.

Grinding his hips up against Eren as he continued to fondle him, Levi couldn't stop the low groan that sounded in his throat.

Only slightly irked by the fact that his lips could no longer reach the boy's neck from this angle, he settled instead on nipping at Eren's spine, his shoulder blades and sides, any skin he could reach. He wanted this, wanted it so bad that he was afraid of losing himself and not taking proper care or caution.

“Levi!”

A gasp of his name had the raven's attention and he hummed a noise in response.

“Please-ah...pleeeease, not like this, I don't want to cum like this.”

Levi found himself chuckling into the boy's shoulder. “What do you want, then?” He murmured, voice crooning in Eren's ear as he gave the boy's cock a small twist, letting his opposite hand drop lower to play with his balls.

“I...I want...”

“Tell me, Eren.” Levi whispered, licking up the brunette's spine as far as he could reach and biting as close to the nape as possible, lapping at the spot with his tongue afterwards. “I'll do anything you'd like, you just need to ask.”

The boy's head had lolled forward and hung limply as he panted, knowing that Levi knew exactly what he wanted but was leaving it up to Eren to make the final call. Considerate in his own way, just like always, the raven was willing to set aside his own wants and desires if Eren said something as simple as no. As simple as stop.

“Take me.” Eren said instead, his voice losing any of its previous shakiness with the conviction behind the words. “I want you to fuck me, claim me. Show me what it's like to be owned.”

There Eren went with those words again and it was all Levi could do to stop himself from bending the kid over the side of the tub and having him right then and there. But he managed to keep a hold of his last shreds of control, even against the temptation of the boy grinding down against his upward thrusts.

It took a near-herculean effort for the raven to get the brat turned around and lift them both out of the tub. Disregarding any thoughts of the mess they would be leaving, dripping water everywhere, Levi hoisted Eren's legs up to hook around his hips. Keeping a careful balance as he stepped away from the tub, the raven managed a smile as Eren assisted him by tugging the wet cotton of his shirt up and over his head, tossing the dampened item of clothing over the edge of the bath to be collected later.

Getting out of his pants took a little more creative effort, but stepping on the ends of the material helped to pull his legs out from the too-big sweatpants, leaving them in a heap on the floor. No caution, no careful and practiced showmanship, just a blind need forced the pair along.

Eren ducked his head to find Levi's lips, sealing their mouths together as he struggled not to rut his hips and impede the raven's walking. Thank God that Eren was lighter than he probably should have been. For once Levi found himself praising the existence of demonic magic as he carried them out of the bathroom.

The boy's skin was hot against his own, their dancing tongues near-dizzying in their frenzy. It seemed to take longer than it should have to reach the bed, probably because the raven had rounded the mattress to place Eren down on the far side nearer to the nightstand, but once the brunette had been gently placed upon the sheets all was a blur again.

Wasting no time, Levi dove forward to devour the squirming boy below him, setting his mouth to the brunette's skin with a passion. Eren keened and writhed at the attention, hips stuttering up in search of friction as the raven's teeth dragged over one pert nipple.

The smaller man's kisses were urgent, desperate, but still gentle. It was enough to confound the brunette, who had no idea that his human could possess such self-control.

Reaching back behind him, Levi fumbled for the drawer. Managing to tug it open a little unsteadily, he extracted the lube and began to trail his lips down, leaving the hickey he had been sucking into the boy's collar bone and working towards his navel. With one arm, he hooked under the small of the brunette's back and hauled Eren's ass to the edge of the bed, sinking his mouth over the boy's weeping cock.

Eren shouted out in shock at the jolt of pleasure that shot through him as Levi sucked down all the way to the base without so much as a word or warning. It felt good, so incredibly good, but Eren was desperately whining and trying to shoo the raven away before he came right then and there.

Levi could hear the boy's protests, could feel the fingers coiling into his hair, trying to decide whether they wanted to tug at the strands in encouragement or push him away. Keeping his pace as even as he could manage, the raven popped the cap off the tube in his hand and applied a liberal amount of the lube over his own straining erection. Coating himself evenly to be sure that this would go as smoothly as possible, he poured more into his hand and rubbed his fingers in the stuff to get them coated and warm the gel.

Reaching back up and tugging Eren even nearer to the edge of the bed, Levi pressed his slicked fingers to the boy's ass, pleased when the two digits slid easily back into place. He worked his fingers only as much as he needed to ensure that the boy was properly slicked inside, feeling the hands in his hair finally decide what they wanted to do and try to tug him away.

“Ah, stop, L-Levi! Stop stop stop..! I-I'm gonna-..!!”

The boy released a broken sound and Levi took that as his cue, releasing his mouth off the head of the boy's cock with a wet pop, leaning back in to kiss the tip as pre-cum oozed from it.

Eren groaned out an almost pained sound at the loss of that wonderful wet heat surrounding his length, but he sighed moments later, relieved that at least he hadn't cum right away. The raven withdrew his fingers soon after, standing again and observing their setting.

The bed was almost the perfect height for what he wanted to do and it only took a single pillow from the head of the bed to prop up Eren's hips a little higher until they lined up perfectly with Levi's hips.

With a quick pump to his own aching cock, Levi lined himself up to Eren, his other hand moving down to rest on the brunette's thigh. He kneaded the supple flesh gently.

“Is this-” the raven paused to swallow, shifting a little with need, “Eren...is this really what you want?”

The boy gave a nod. “It is.”

“I can't promise that it won't hurt.”

“I trust you, Levi.”

“I don't know if-”

“Levi...” Eren's voice was barely more than a murmur and yet it managed to cut off the raven's worried words as the boy pushed forward to sit up. His left arm bent to hold him up at the elbow while the brunette's right arm reached up, his hand cupping Levi's jaw for a moment before it trailed down his neck, over the muscles of his chest and the abdominals that flexed with every anxious breath the raven took, the hand finally coming to rest over Levi's hand that held his erection against the boy, “I said that I trust you.”

Teal eyes shone, fierce and reassuring all at once, and Levi didn't hesitate to meet the boy's lips. Pushing forward at last, the raven kept a prolonged pace, driving in only an inch at a time before drawing back and pushing forward again.

He could feel the sounds the boy made beneath him, each moan, gasp and whimper escaping against his lips as the raven attentively eased himself in. Kissing wherever he could reach, Levi whispered words of encouragement, of endearment, as he moved closer and closer to filling the brunette completely.

Eren couldn't help but feel foolish at the stray tears that slipped from the corners of his eyes at the hot stretch below. The boy's chest rose and fell with uneven breaths, gasping, moaning, hissing and panting at the sensations. He stood by his trust in Levi, in the raven's promise that he would make him feel good. He had already proved that with only his fingers, surely this could be made pleasant as well? Only this feeling of being filled, stretched slowly and so carefully...no matter how cautious the raven was being, it still made Eren ache in a way that he had never felt before. The feeling he was experiencing wasn't so much unpleasant, it didn't hurt or sting or make him want to stop, but it wasn't exactly gratifying either. It was far better than he could have hoped for should he have been first claimed in the demon world, which was a large part of the reason why Eren wanted Levi to have him so badly.

He wanted, needed a good memory of this to hold onto. He needed to have proof that this could feel good...and he remembered the way Levi's face had contorted in ecstasy under Eren's ministrations.

Even now...the raven hovered over him with his brow folded high, thin lips parted just slightly and his eyes clouded and just barely open as he looked down. It was the most beautiful sight that Eren had ever had the fortune to behold.

Levi looked happy, content despite his earlier concerns, and every time that Eren felt himself contract against the length that was steadily burying itself inside him, he watched, heard, as a moan would slip past those thin lips. The muscles in his arms would twitch and tense a little, constricting the grip against his skin and causing those lean fingers to grasp at him a little harder.

This was not at all what Eren had expected...and that was probably why he was crying. He knew what sex was, had seen it occur before, hell he had even participated. But this slow and gentle pace, the look of affection so strong in grey eyes that Eren had to look away, was unlike anything that he had known.

There was no rush, no hard and harsh movements, no hungry seeking mouth, biting and marking. The lips that carressed his skin every so often were as gentle as a feather. Eren kept waiting for Levi to break his pattern, to surrender his self-control and pound into Eren with abandon like he so clearly wanted to do...but nothing changed.

Slow, slow, always so achingly slow. Every single movement of the raven's hips came steady and smooth. In and out, until every inch was seated to the hilt. Every inch then pulling back out to the tip and pushing right back into that snug warmth, hot and slick and heavenly. No matter how much time passed between them, no matter how many times Levi drove his hips forward, he continued to move at that same agonising pace.

Eren shuddered underneath him, legs shaking, trembling, as needy moans and whimpers escaped his lips. He had barely noticed the transition from that aching stretch to what he felt now, warm and a steady, almost buzzing sensation of bliss. It had been growing so slowly that Eren didn't notice the change until he focused on it.

And Levi felt it too. The gradual build up, like a coil winding inside his gut, kept him close, so very close to the edge, close enough to almost tangible relief but far enough that he couldn't completely achieve it. Levi felt Eren shift and wiggle his hips a little, trying desperately to set a different pace, a faster rhythm.

Grey eyes remained fixed on the vision before them, of the breathless brunette strewn out beneath him and at his mercy. Fine, damp strands of brown hair clung to Eren's forehead, the brunette's boyish features contorted by pleasure, yearning for Levi. The boy's body arched as his hips, kept trapped in Levi's hands, fought to move against the raven in a desperate search for more friction.

Levi himself felt an overpowering rush of satisfaction watching the boy. For Eren's first time on the receiving end of sex, Levi never could have imagined that the boy would respond so well. Not once had Eren asked him to stop or complained about any pain.

For himself as well, he felt a little surge of pride. Levi longed to take quicker thrusts, short and shallow, to push himself deeper and harder into the constricting heat surrounding him. He longed to watch Eren's body bounce and writhe as Levi's hips met the brunette's firm ass with a resounding smack. He wanted to hear him scream out his name as he drove the head of his cock against that hidden trigger of pleasure within the boy.

He had already fallen a little out of his composure, leaving love bites and more than a few hickeys to decorate the boy's skin. Judging by Eren's moans, he hadn't minded in the slightest.

Levi wanted everything that Eren could give him. He wanted every breath, every shaking whimper and wanton moan. When he came, he wanted to taste the saltiness of that milky fluid that would decorate his stomach and chest; the physical reminder of that he had made Eren feel.

The raven couldn't help but want to devour the sight of Eren as he was now, wanton and lustful and desperatly moaning. He wanted to be the only one that would get to see Eren this way, the only one who would be able to keep Eren in this endless limbo of aching pleasure, so good that it was nearly a torture in itself. Levi wanted to be the only one to hear the boy's breath hitch as he rocked his hips, the only one to hear the sinful sounds of Eren's voice so far gone.

“God...” Eren said through a breathy huff, the soft sound muted in the room, “L-Levi...nearly, s-so close...I'm so close, Levi, pleeeeease...”

Long legs lifted to wrap around the raven's torso and Levi released his trapping hold on the boy's hips to help hook his legs around, moving his hands to grab hold of each ass cheek and pull Eren up. Levi helped to bring the boy's hips higher up and buried himself as far as he could possibly go into that tight heat, groaning a little as he did so. He kept himself fully sheathed and began to move his hips in circular motions as the two males ground against each other.

Levi watched as Eren threw his head back against the mattress with a long, low moan that sounded in the back of the kid's throat. Panting for breath a little, Levi had to fight not to do the exact same thing. He wanted to watch every moment of Eren while they were joined. He couldn't get enough of the boy enclosed around him, drawing him in, wet and squeezing, warm and moist, utterly delectable.

A breathy moan escaped the raven's lips and he cursed quietly as Eren contracted against him.

“A-ah...fuck, you feel so good, Eren.” Levi bent forwards a little ways, supporting Eren's hips with one hand while his other reached forward, fingers closing around one of Eren's hands which he drew up to his lips, kissing along each knuckle. “You feel like heaven. Don't go telling me it doesn't exist...I can feel it. It's you, Eren.”

The raven's lips carried on, worshipping as much skin as they could reach along the boy's hand, his wrist and arm, all the while holding Eren's eyes.

A heated blush flared over the brunette's cheekbones, flushing out and down through his body as the raven's words played out in the boy's head. His hand released at last, Levi let his free hand drop to massage the boy's abdomen, scraping blunt nails across the tensing muscles and finally easing lower to rub around the boy's straining cock. The leaking organ twitched in response, as if it were desperately seeking attention from that teasing hand.

That, coupled with Levi's soft murmur of words, meant so much to the boy and he wanted to look away, felt as though he had to look away now or lose a very important piece in a complex game, but he couldn't tear his gaze from those stormy grey eyes.

Subtle fingers just grazing the weeping erection, Levi's hand moved to play with the course hairs that lay directly above.

“Say my name, Eren. I want to hear it. I want to hear your voice, your beautiful voice. Let me hear you, say my name.”

Levi divulged from the restrained and gentle thrusts in order to pull his own voice out more, drawing back slowly and pushing back harder, grinding into Eren as each thrust met skin before repeating the process. Over and over, rinse, repeat, each moan grew heavier on Eren's lips, coming a little louder, a little faster, as Levi's name became a frantic mantra.

Moans and gasps and incoherently jumbled versions of Levi's name mixed and morphed together between moans became like a siren's song to the raven as Eren's body began to convulse, to squeeze around him in quicker intervals, getting closer and closer to coming completely undone. Levi wanted to push him there.

Leaning closer and pressing his cheek against Eren's, Levi nuzzled closer to the boy's ear, his pace finally, finally picking up as he knew that neither he nor Eren could withstand holding back any longer.

“I can feel you, Eren,” Levi began to rasp in the boy's ear, feeling Eren tense at the words and knowing that he had every last bit of the brunette's attention, “you're getting tight...ah-a...so good, the way you're squeezing around me, Eren, it's so good. You're so good. I want to cum, cum inside and fill you up, and then I want to pull out and watch it dripping down your thighs. Can I, Eren? Will you grant me such a sight?”

The brunette only managed a garbled sound that tapered off into a string of high moans.

“Will you cum with me, Eren?”

Levi could feel Eren blushing, the heat from his face tangible in the air, and he managed a little smirk. The kid was still very knew to the concept of dirty talking without actually planning to say something beforehand and Levi was finding a new love in teasing him with it.

But the boy was nodding now, rather frantically, probably unable to form proper words if he tried, and his hands which had previously been tightly entangled in the bedsheets fumbled to wrap themselves around Levi's neck.

Humming his approval, the raven wrapped a hand around Eren's needy cock and stroked abruptly from the base to the head and rolled the tip around in his palm. Those long fingers curled around the length again to repeat the motion as his hips picked up more speed, nearing in on their fast approaching climax.

The pressure in his belly was rising, hot and tight and so ready to break into release. Judging by the high whines and keening cries leaving Eren's mouth, the boy wasn't far off either.

Leaning in, Levi nipped at Eren's bottom lip, catching the pick flesh between his teeth as he caught the brunette's hazy gaze.

“S’no good Eren, let me hear you.” Levi's voice dipped into a husky tone, one that made Eren visibly shiver, and he pressed on. “Moan for me, Eren. Let me hear that voice.”

Opening those pink lips, Eren cried out, whatever words he had been planning to say were lost to the boy's keening.

“Good boy, Eren. Fuck, you're so good.”

The brunette started to gasp for breath a little, dragging in air only to expel it as a desperate moan. It turned Levi on far more than he would readily admit when the boy began to gasp and babble between the broken sounds.

“Ah-a-ah...please, Levi, cum, let me cum...fuck, please...”

It was as if a floodgate had broken and Eren stammered on in his fevered pitch.

Levi lost himself to that sound, his hand moving over Eren's cock as he couldn't prevent himself from losing his pace altogether and mindlessly pounded his own cock into the boy's ass. He could feel the brunette tighten, clenching around him, and the heat in his own gut burned close, so close, to relief.

Eren began to gasp out Levi's name in a high pitch, nearly yelping by the end of it. And then Eren came, his cock jerking in Levi's hand and shooting ropes of cum out to splatter across his stomach. The muscles in his ass spasmed and clenched, seeming to cave in around Levi with such sweet intensity that he couldn't even make a sound for a moment. A hard moan caught in his throat, rattling out a moment later along with Eren's name as he continued to push into that wet heat as he came, riding out his orgasm.

It was amazing to feel the pulse of his cock as it jet warmth inside the boy's ass, and the tingling pleasure of release buzzed all over him.

Feeling thoroughly spent and pleasantly worn out, the raven let his head drop to hang between his shoulders as he caught his breath. There was a numbing sort of bliss surrounding the two males, where every breath felt like they had just run a mile and every touch tingled over each and every nerve.

Tilting his head up to look at the boy, Levi noticed that Eren had shot far enough to land some cum on his chest and even his collar bone.

Levi knew for a fact that if it had been anyone else underneath him at that point, he would find it disgusting. Even his own essence made him feel a little unclean in a way that always made him want a shower.

And yet...on Eren, the shining coat of near-translucent fluid looked...inviting.

Bending his neck down, the raven dragged his tongue over the splattered puddle, sucking on the bead left on the boy's collar bone before sitting back up, arching his back with a moan.

Eren watched the raven's actions take place with a look of stunned awe, swallowing as he felt the warm wet drag of the raven's tongue against his skin as Levi cleaned his skin eagerly with soft, lazy laps of his tongue. Had he not just cum, Eren was certain that the imagery alone would be enough to cause him to erect immediately.

“How are you doing?” Levi's voice rasped in the quiet; the smaller male still hadn't straightened out of his arching stretch.

All Eren managed was a tired hum in response, earning a chuckle from the raven. He relaxed again, warm grey eyes flickering over the tanned expanse of Eren's skin. The boy watched as Levi's eyes trailed down his body to where they were still joined at their hips.

If it were physically possible, Levi would want to stay like this for a long while after the climax with Eren holding him inside. Safe, warm, protected and just plain close. But he knew that his waning length would eventually be pushed out by the tight heat, and besides...he was curious...

Rolling his cock one last time, Levi decided to remove himself. Pulling back and out slowly, he watched, fascinated, as his cock left Eren and a trickle of white and clear fluid flowed along with it.

The raven gave a low hum, swallowing at the sight. “So lewd...” Levi mumured, reaching down to swipe two fingers through the stuff. “Naa.. It's still coming out. You took in so much, didn't you, Eren?”

The brunette's face felt like it had literally caught fire at the comments and the boy let out a low groan, flopping sideways and grabbing the remaining pillow to cover his face. Any more of Levi's teasing and Eren feared that he may spontaneously combust.

Levi chuckled, guiding the pillow away from the boy's face. The pair lay ther for a moment longer, catching their breaths, relishing in the warmth and comfort that their two bodies provided.

“Come on, brat, just a quick freshen up and then we can sleep.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

They recycled the bath water, Levi deciding that he didn't care enough to wait to run new water, and the pair rinsed quickly in the now cool bath.

Dried off properly, the bed was stripped and the sheets thrown into the wash. Levi re-made the bed while Eren made himself comfortable on the sofa. Soon enough, a dark head of hair roved into view and a still naked Levi made himself comfortable next to the brunette.

Eren nuzzled him from behind, feeling thoroughly relaxed and boneless still.

“I don't want to go back...”

“Shh...” Levi hushed the brunette, rolling onto his side and drawing the boy into his arms, “just rest for now. We can work this out...just sleep.”

That honestly sounded like the best idea in the world to the tired boy and he settled down with a sigh, watching the smaller man nestled against him with thoughtful teal eyes.

Pink lips parted, breath pausing for a moment as Eren thought. “I think...”

He let the sentence cut off, jarringly so, in fear of what he was beginning to realise.

“Mm?” Levi hummed, just barely awake but enough so to prompt the rest of the sentence from the boy.

Eren swallowed, glancing over at the open balcony doors and out at the blue sky. He felt strange...so warm both inside and out. It was unlike anything that he had ever known before. Taking in a steadying breath through his nose, the brunette braced himself.

“Levi,” Eren began, his voice a quiet murmur, “I...I think I lo-” he paused when the raven didn't stir, a slight frown furrowing the boy's brow, “...Levi?”

The raven's breathing had evened out already. Levi was asleep.

Eren rolled his eyes but a little smile curved his lips. “Ugh, fine, I'll tell you some other time. Sleep well, old man.”

Chapter Text

“I'm waking up; I feel it in my bones, enough to make my system blow. Welcome to the new age.” – Imagine Dragons, Radioactive.

***

It was growing dark in the barren expanses of the dying world. With the darkness came the cold and suddenly the pits spouting fire and oozing molten stone didn't seem so unwelcome so long as they brought a little warmth.

But no creatures skulked about the plains of Eren's lands on this particular evening. The day was almost over, the end of a month of waiting, and by the time the sun sank below the jagged mountains every single thing that slid, crawled or flew in this place would be dead.

A shadow was coming. Not hurried, not in any kind of rush. Dark and silent as it crept over the land, bringing with it a bitter chill that froze the very ground. With the creeping smoke came an eerie quiet and the air grew far colder the closer the darkness came.

From the highest point in the castle ahead, Mikasa kept watch. The shadows were vast, a wall of darkness that steadily blotted out the sun. Soon there would be no light at all. The ground beneath the smoke was turning white as icy fingers crept across the surface of the charred earth. The ravenette knew what was coming and unless her brother miraculously arrived...they were all done for. But not without a fight.

The troops had been pulled behind the castle walls, armed to the teeth and ready to fight until the last gasping breath. Within the castles, all torches were lit. A mix of scarlet, gold and ice blue flames; fire that could be used to defend themselves if need be. There was no way of knowing how long they would be able to last, even with the elite fighters that Eren had recruited.

Annie had that look in her eyes; she knew this was going to be a disadvantaged fight. Every instinct that the blonde-haired demoness possessed was screaming at her to turn tail and run. Live to fight another day.

Instead, she steeled herself, exchanging nods with her fellow comrades. Reiner and Bertholdt looked the same, nervous and full of dread, but they were all here and alive because of one person.

Eren. They owed their lives to him, whether they liked it or not. Running was not an option. It was the same for just about everyone standing there. Eren wasn't the kind of creature to rule using fear. The boy had experienced far too much of that himself. No, he persuaded, he helped. Eren Jaeger saved.

His troops, all once betrayers, monsters, liars, thieves. Strange as it may seem, they behaved like more of a family now. And, like it or not, a family doesn't turn its back and run.

Silence hung heavily in the air, a dense kind of noiselessness. Not a sound stirred, inside the castle or out. It was so quiet that the silence seemed to press down on those gathered within the castle confines. The time was almost upon them.

From her perch atop the castle, the raven-haired demon scrutinised the sluggish shadows. It was as if the closer they came, the heavier the silence grew. Mikasa disappeared back inside as the oozing shroud of shadow crept close enough that it formed an enormous smoky wall blocking out the last light from the sun. Any torches outside the castle were extinguished, hissing out as the ice snaked its way up the walls.

Rushing down to stand before the soldiers waiting behind the drawbridge door, the ravenette took up a fighting stance, waiting. Not a footstep sounded, in fact the only noise that could be heard at all was the ominous crackling of the icy fingers creeping along the stone outside. And then…

“Yoohooooooooooooo..!”

The cheery call echoed eerily through the still air, lilting enough that it could have been amused…but Mikasa knew better.

The time had come. No more second chances, no more games, and no more tiptoeing around words.

He was here…and he was pissed.

No one dared to respond, everyone holding deathly still as though their lives depended on such silence.

“Come out, come out!” The voice called again, closer this time.

A slow, deliberate noise of footsteps crunching over the cracked earth outside seemed louder than it should have, terrifying as the sound paused just outside the doors. So he was over the moat? Fuck.

Boom… Boom… Boom…

Three loud knocks sounded on the door, causing the company to jump a little. All except the ravenette, who never once flinched in her stance. To let down her guard now, even a little, would mean death.

“Knock knock…”

Mikasa could feel every hair stand up on the back of her neck as the hiss of a whisper reached her ears and her eyes widened. She wrenched herself to the side just in time for the enormous wooden door to explode into a thousand shards and splinters with a deafening, cracking noise.

Debris showered down onto the gathered troops, wooden shards and splinters flying, deadly as knives to those who didn't move. But there was no time to help those who fell, injured and bleeding.

The eyes were the first thing that could be recognised through the smoke and the dust; two burning red embers floating in the darkness.

“Time’s up.” A deep voice murmured from within the shadows.

A screech cut through the air as one of the beasts tore forth, charging at the intruder. It was a brave but fruitless effort. A clawed hand cut through the smoke cover just long enough for the company to witness it slicing their comrade in two.

Mikasa stared on, mouth open slightly from the shock. There hadn't even been time to cry out, to shout an order to halt. The two halves of the now dead beast cracked and crumbled into ash, crawled over by the wisps of shadow.

A chuckle, low and deadly, echoed in the darkness around them.

“Anyone else?”

For some reason their slaughter was being drawn out. While that realisation caused a tingling horror to coil in the ravenette's gut, it also meant that there was time to stall until she could think of some plan, some way to defeat this monstrous fiend. She had to do it. For her people, for her parents...for Eren's sake if nothing else.

“Listen…” Mikasa began, standing her ground. She had to keep him talking, had to say anything to calm this monster down, even lie if need be, “surely this isn’t the only way to get what you want?” The raven-haired girl tried to reason, holding up her hands in an attempt to pacify. “I can find Eren, just give me some time to-”

“You had a whole month to warn your precious baby brother of my threats.” The voice within the shadows snapped, and Mikasa's eyes followed the angry swish of a black-scaled tail as it swept across the floor. “Too little, too late now, dear.”

This was bad, there wasn't much more that could be said to persuade him. Feeling her hatred rise, the ravenette gave up on reasoning in favour of snarling.

“He won’t forgive you for this.” She spoke the words like they were a promise. “You won’t ever have him this way.”

A low hum sounded, all too smug for the ravenette's liking, and the burning eyes flashed in the shadows. “You underestimate your value over mine.”

Mikasa snarled and opened her mouth to shoot back something else, anything to stall a while longer, but she paused…and frowned.

A noise registered through the words, the dust, smoke and fear…a high-pitched whistling that was rapidly growing louder. The sound was familiar…similar to an object falling from a great height, accelerating rapidly as it approached the ground.

The red coals of the monstrous fiend’s eyes dimmed, returning to their usual silver-white glow.

With a flash of white-blue light, something hit the ground with enough force to cause the demons gathered to lose their balance. The ground trembled, the very walls of the castle shook with the force. Even the black-scaled monster tumbled over, scrambling for his footing with a hiss as the smoke began to clear.

Standing, the creature turned with a snarl when something grasped its wrist, but the feral sound died away when burning silver eyes met fierce teal.

“Eren?” Mikasa gasped, trying to get to her feet.

Eren was home. Eren was right there.

Diving forward, the black-haired girl rushed to get to her brother, to keep him away from the fiendish horror he held as though it was nothing. She didn't make it very far.

The ravenette cried out in shock as a pale hand shot out of the smoke and suddenly it felt as though gravity was increasing. Crushing, forcing the demons down to their knees, their hands, further, until not a single movement was possible. The invisible weight held Mikasa down until she could hardly move, let alone protect her brother.

“Eren, no, you idiot! Why are you here?” She cried out fearfully.

The boy paid her no mind, keeping his gaze locked solely on the silver-eyed fiend before him. Eren had never looked so fierce, stern eyes holding lively silver.

“Enough.” The brunette said, voice uncompromising as he released the demon's wrist. “I'm here. Just as you wished.”

“Eren…” The voice purred, eyes alight through the shroud.

The shadows expanded then, rushing out to fill the room, and a flash of white hot light burst forth from the midst of the smoke. The gravity magic was gone just as suddenly as it had appeared. But by the time the sickly sweet smog had dissipated, Eren’s betrothed was gone…

…and so was Eren.

The ground was charred and crumbling beneath Eren’s hands as he pushed up from the scorched earth, casting a glare towards the shadows that chortled at him.

“On your feet, Jaeger.” The voice teased as the creature turned on its heel and began to stride off towards its domain. “You really need to work on your landing.”

Grumbling, the brunette dusted himself off, muttering under his breath. “You really need to work on your warnings.”

Turning, the boy came face to face with the shadow-shrouded fiend, nearly yelping in surprise at the sudden proximity.

Silver eyes flared in challenge. “Are you talking back to me?”

“…no, Sir.” A longwinded sigh sounded from the boy.

“Good. Now let's get the fuck inside. The light is playing havoc with my senses.”

It was still light here as the burning sun had no yet dipped below the far peaks. Back at Eren’s castle, the light was already lost behind their own towering peaks, but here there was still light and scorching heat.

Eren got to his feet quickly, following after the retreating figure as it moved rapidly over the ground, almost seeming to hover with the way the smoke curled about its form. That shroud of shadows would remain about him until he was inside and safely away from the light that offended him so. Many of the demons who knew of Eren's betrothed thought that he kept up the smoke to hide his face. They were wrong. It was far simpler than that; the burning sun of the dying world hurt his skin and eyes, so he hid from the light. Their red sun was far harsher than the sun of the living world, heating and drying the land until it was charred and useless.

Truly, it was a hellish environment.

The brunette looked up, taking in the familiar sight of the great castle that his betrothed dwelt in. Carved from the black stone of the mountains themselves and surrounded by volcanoes made dormant by his fiancée's freezing magic, the structure stood almost as high as the peaks it was built from. Around its base ran a moat filled with constantly flowing lava, frozen over whenever his mate crossed it. The building truly was a marvellous sight to behold.

The shadowy figure before the boy scurried inside, disappearing into the castle, but Eren had a good idea of where he might go. With his favourite plaything finally back in his reach, the demon would probably head straight for the dungeons where he kept his guests. Not that there were many.

It was dark inside, save for the light of the torches that hung from the black stone walls. White fire burned within them, casting a harsh glow over the rooms.

Following the light, Eren navigated the grand rooms and high-ceilinged halls and corridors, descending several flights of stairs until he came to the dungeons below the castle. The place was oddly quiet, with only the crackling of fire torches to break the silence. Usually there was some form of torture being acted out down here as the screams lifted his fiancée's mood. Tonight, all was quiet.

This worried the brunette. His fiancée had no shortage of slaves and visitors, spending the days trading with others of their kind or even indulging in a feast or fight to the death among lesser demons for entertainment. The point was…under normal circumstances the black castle would be filled with creatures. Thriving.

And yet the halls were empty. Not a single beast stirred, in a cell or otherwise. Not a breath or a cry could be heard.

Eren swallowed, beginning to feel more nervous by the minute. His betrothed only ever emptied the castle like this for two reasons. One: if he was in a terribly bad mood. Two: if he wanted to spend some alone time with one of his toys.

The boy had an awful feeling that he was the only toy that would be used for entertainment that night. What was worse...Eren's mate was also in a bad mood.

If he was lucky, the brunette might be skinned alive. If he was unlucky, he might have his limbs cut off one centimetre at a time.

Electing to press onward, Eren took a deep breath to steel himself and began to walk the length of the dungeon. It was a bit of a maze, with the cells lined up on either sides of wide hallways and a centre space of about ten metres in width by twenty-five metres in length. It was so dark, even with the light from the torches lining the walls. They left little orbs of illumination, lighting up only parts of the space. Eren’s steps echoed softly in the quiet, his senses straining to pick up anything at all that would help him locate his betrothed. He was here…that much Eren was certain of.

The brunette could feel it in his bones. It was like the walls were laughing at him, the very air seemed to taste of mockery. The longer he walked, the more anxious he grew. Skin tingling, eyes wide and searching the shadows, Eren jumped at every little shape created by the white flames on the stone.

A chill shot through the boy, the sensation like icy needles pricking their way up his spine, and he shivered. Eyes widening, the brunette spun on his heel and went rigid.

Black smoke loomed close enough for Eren to smell it, the sickly sweet fog invading his nostrils. Followed the whole time, the brunette had not been aware of his mate barely a few centimetres away. He couldn’t move, fright rooting him to the spot as a hand reached out, shining black scales glinting across the knuckles in the white light of the torches.

Curved talons extended past the pale fingertips reaching for him, black as the shadows around them, but the brunette could only stare at the two silver points of light within the shroud as the clawed hand slid under his chin.

A low, predatory hum sounded, so deep that it was almost a growling purr, and through the dark smog Eren witnessed the pointed-tooth smile, white teeth reflecting the light eerily.

“Eren…” the creature spoke his name as if it was the only word that could satisfy it.

A name is a powerful thing, and Eren felt his knees go a little weak at the sound of his own name leaving his mate’s tongue. He hated himself for reacting like that, for reacting at all, and he couldn’t keep the disgust from his eyes.

It only seemed to serve to amuse the fiendish being before him, silver orbs dancing in the shadows.

The low purring was back and the shadows closed in, the hand under Eren’s chin sliding until cold fingers curled about the column of his neck. Pressure. Talons digging in just enough to sting without drawing blood, Eren was pushed, guided backwards, herded until his back met the cold stone of the wall.

The brunette let his head fall back against the stone, baring his throat as was expected. His betrothed liked him best when he was vulnerable, defences down, and whether he paid the price for it or not…it was his best option if he wanted to avoid worse punishment.

By some miracle, his mate seemed pleased by the brunette’s actions, leaning ever closer. The boy could feel the other demon's breath falling on his skin, warm at least, and fanning out leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. It was enough to cause the brunette to shiver, the gentle tremor moving through his body, up his spine.

Eren swallowed anxiously, managing not to cringe at the sudden wet heat of his fiancée’s tongue tracing up his neck. Hot, slippery, and leaving a cool trail behind. Next came the less comfortable pressure of sharp teeth coming to rest over the boy’s hot skin and Eren froze, eyes squeezing shut as he awaited the pain to start.

It won't least long, Eren promised himself. Just a moment, just a taste, that's all his mate wanted, just a moment to savour what was his.

Only the pain didn’t start. The demon didn’t press his teeth any further, although it was a clear struggle. Hot, damp breath fell on the boy’s skin in pants until his mate gave a frustrated sound and wrenched himself back, releasing his hold on the boy.

The brunette released the breath he had been holding, the rush of air coming out sounding rather a lot like a relieved sob. Only he wasn’t relieved…he was concerned.

Breathing a little unsteadily himself, Eren let himself slump against the wall. The shadows were watching him, a flurry of emotions tearing about and morphing the shapes that flared up here and there. Like a living ink blot test, ever changing, the smoke shifted even as the demon hidden within remained deathly still.

Eren wanted to speak, wanted to question and ask what was wrong. The only problem was that he had an awful feeling that he knew what the problem was.

He still hadn’t been punished. That was just about the only thing that would keep his mate from tasting him. It was one of the demon’s favourite things to do after getting the brunette back on his home territory.

Regarding the silver gaze within the smoke, Eren swallowed.

Those burning eyes promised wrath, as did the twisting black fumes that coiled about the demon’s form. Things weren’t looking very hopeful for the brunette. Usually the guise had been dropped by now, Eren had often prided himself on being the only creature that this terrifying being would allow to see in his true form. As it would seem, Eren was under threat of having this privilege revoked.

The boy surmised that he must be in one heck of a lot of trouble for making his mate wait for so long.

“Seeing as you seem to have set your heart upon not greeting me,” the shadow-cloaked demon spoke, sighing within the darkness, “I guess we’ll get right to the point.” Silver eyes pinned Eren to the spot, burning with their intensity. “You’ve been a bad boy, gallivanting off in the human world.”

Eren swallowed yet again, his brows pulled together in concern as he waited for his punishment to be decided. The figure in the shadows had begun to pace, slow and measured steps clicked against the floor.

“Honestly, I’m torn.” The other demon said with a longwinded sigh after a moment. “I don’t know whether to bite you or teach you the meaning of the word Hell.”

Barely anything could be seen through that shroud, all Eren caught were glimpses of glowing eyes or the occasional flash of pointed teeth forming a wicked smile. Still, the conversation was leading them nowhere and all the brunette wanted was to have his torment over and done with.

Considering that he hadn't been bitten, there was only one option left for the boy to assume. It wasn't going to be pleasant.

Eren’s mouth set in a grim line. “Well clearly you aren’t going to bite me.”

Silver eyes flashed, amused in a way that threatened to make Eren lose his nerve.

“Are you really going to give me attitude right now?” The words sounded light, but the warning in them was so clear in tone that Eren’s ears pressed back against his skull anxiously.

The brunette forced himself to keep eye contact, knowing that to look away was to give this threat a chance to move.

“I won't apologise.” Eren stated, his tone surprisingly soft despite the words that seemed defiant.

“Because?”

“Because that would be a lie.”

“And?”

Here it came, the simple truth. “And I know better than to lie to you.”

No one lied to this being and got away with it and Eren had no wish to face any more wrath than he had to. The boy had learned his lesson through many mistakes, but it gave him an advantage now.

“Good boy.” The smoke-shrouded demon purred, flashing a grin at the brunette. “You've learned quite a bit since I last laid eyes on you.”

Praise felt good, as it always did, even through the perilous aura surrounding the two.

The approval didn't last long and Eren swallowed, feeling dread creeping up his spine with every passing moment that the silver eyes within the smoke stared him down.

“Nevertheless,” the voice spoke up again, and Eren had to cringe because here it came, the verdict, “you were avoiding me, you crafty little fox. Going a whole other world away seems a little extreme, don’t you think?”

“You’re an extreme kind of threat.” Was all that the boy had to say in response.

A low chuckle sounded, deep and amused in his fiancée's throat. “Point taken.” He murmured, lips curving in a languid grin. “But I’m afraid that you’ll still have to be punished for making me wait. Don’t worry; I’ll give you a fair chance.”

It took a moment for the brunette to process the words, racking his brain for any clue as to what to expect. A fair chance? What?

And then it hit him...they were going to play one of his betrothed's games. Oh no. Oh hell no.

The slither of scales on stone brought Eren crashing back into the present and his eyes landed on the approaching figure of his fiancée.

In a flare of panic, Eren pushed off from the wall and lashed out with his tail to unbalance his betrothed, attempting to scramble away in the brief moment of confusion. The demon's reaction to this was to let out an excited WHOOP as he stumbled, twisting his body to regain his balance and righting himself far quicker than the brunette had expected. Eren yelped in fear, having barely made it to the hall when two arms grabbed him roughly from behind and yanked the boy back.

It had been a stupid move, a panicked decision, and Eren shrank a little in fear at the low growl that sounded next to his ear. The brunette whined out a repentant sound, not daring to struggle as he was caged in against the other demon's chest.

“What’s that?” His mate's voice muttered, low and dark by his ear. “You want to play tag? Alright, let’s play tag. Daddy’s it.”

The arms holding Eren prisoner released him suddenly, a purr of ‘run’ sounding in Eren’s ear. The smoke-shrouded fiend turned on his heel to face away from the boy, bringing up a hand to cover his eyes.

“Ten…”

Eren’s eyes blew wide as he understood what was happening and he scrambled from the room, flailing in panic and clawing at the walls, the stone, anything to pull him along further. That was the wrong choice and he knew it, would have to control his fear and be quiet if he wanted to survive this game. The boy made a hasty ‘left or right’ decision as he entered the corridor where it split off in several directions. He chose right, heading for the stairs that would lead up. Up would lead him to more rooms and maybe the complex layout of the castle would be able to assist him.

“Nine…” the other demon's voice echoed cheerily down the corridor, eerily clear.

The ‘fair chance’ that Eren's mate was oh so graciously granting him was a ten second head start. Eren grimaced bitterly at the memory of using this very same technique the first time that he had met Levi. In the alley, during the rain and the running red, on that very first encounter. Before the boy had even made the connection, caught in the hazy bliss of the kill, so distracted by the blood and the thrill of being caught that he hadn’t even noticed that he had found the human reflection of his mate.

At first he had been amused, wondering how different the demon and his human counterpart could be. He had never expected to see the man again. He had never expected...to fall as he had.

Here, behind the shadows, behind all of the smoke shrouds and shields, lay the same black hair, the very same face with its sharp angles and harsh lines. Only here there were claws, teeth and hunger.

Fear, always in the back of your mind. Here, any moment could be your last.

Eren could still hear that fiend’s voice, already down to ‘five’ in his count, and the brunette took the stairs two, three, sometimes four at a time in his rush. The further he got, the more it seemed as though the other demon’s voice was coming from the walls themselves, deep and dark and nothing like the human tone that Eren had come to know.

He could feel that voice in his bones.

“Two… One… Time’s up! Ready or not, Hell-bait, here I come!”

The brunette had to make an effort not to whimper at that, feeling a tingling shiver of dread shoot down his spine so intense that it almost hurt. He ducked inside the closest room, darting to the back and sliding down the stone wall.

Eren didn't want to play, he didn't want to run. The journey back to Hell had been tiring enough on its own, not that he could use such a thing as an excuse. No doubt his fiancée would laugh in his face and mock him before turning him inside out.

No, there was no choice but to endure. If he was good enough entertainment, he would be allowed to live. That was the way it had always been.

There were all kinds of ways that Eren could play this game. He could wait around and let his fiancée find him, pray that maybe he wouldn’t be too cruel. He could attempt to barricade himself in one of the rooms and wait out the siege. Or he could indulge in the chase that he assumed his mate wanted from him.

That was the least appealing of the choices, even if it could yield the best results.

Opting for the second option, Eren leapt up and scanned the room properly. There was not a hell of a lot to block the doors with here, meaning he would have to risk heading out into the hall again.

He couldn't half-ass this, didn't want to, not with the monster waiting for him at the end should he fail. This was a game...just another game to entertain a mind that had been left bored and idle for too long. Eren could feel fear, real fear, clawing at his insides at the thought of all the twisted things that his mate could have prepared and planned, having nothing better to do than plot away relentlessly.

Eren owed his fiancée a chase.

The brunette stole away into the darkness of the hall, now eerily quiet apart from the feathery whispering of scales against stone. The master of the castle was on the move.

They always played by rules, a few choice rules that would level the playing field, if only a little.

1. No noise-cancelling magic or excessive stealth.

2. No leaving the confines of the castle.

3. No flames.

From the sounds Eren heard, those rules were still in play. Inhaling, the brunette began to run.

Each step was as light against the stone as possible, until the brunette found himself a much better space to hide in. A storage room, filled with wardrobes of weapons and lots of heavy boxes stacked up. Deciding that this place was about as good as it would get, the boy dashed inside and coaxed the heavy wooden doors closed. It wasn't perfectly silent, of course how could it be with the weight of the wood on the hinges, but quiet enough.

Eren immediately set about moving things to block the door. First, the great wardrobe. After checking, the brunette found it filled with old spears. Next, he shoved a heavy chest in front of the wardrobe, and after that many boxes were stacked.

“What's going on up there, darling?”

The boy froze upon hearing the voice. It echoed through the cold, empty corridors, but had most definitely come from downstairs. So his mate was still in the dungeons? Or at least he had been. Damn it.

With near-blinding speed, Eren rushed about to check for other possible entry points. He didn't want to be taken by surprise.

There was only one other door, but it led into a hallway that was not connected to the dungeon staircase. He was safe, at least for now.

Tap, tap, tap.

Three knocks, muffled as they were by the barricade, sounded from the door.

Chest tightening in fear, Eren spun around so fast that he nearly toppled over.

“Knock, knock, sweetheart.” From beyond the door, a gentle tone called.

If Eren had a heartbeat, it would be racing by now.