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Tradition They Say	By : Sasunarufan13 Category: +. to F > Attack on Titan /Shingeki No Kyojin Views: 2611 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan nor profit from it. Hajime Isayama owns it.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
Author's note: My apologies for the delay, guys. I was supposed to update this story on Friday, but my week has been frankly quite long and very shitty and I ended up having to finish the chapter last night. *sighs* I hope the chapter isn't as crappy as I feel it is; if it is, I apologise to you for a second time. This definitely wasn't an easy chapter to write.
It's also the last chapter of this story. This is also why it's way longer than previous chapters, so I hope it makes up for the delay a bit. Like I said, it wasn't easy to write, because the chapter wasn't cooperating at all with me, but I hope it isn't too awful!
Warnings: time skips; some drama; mature content; I think that's it.
For the last time: I hope you'll like it!
Chapter 8
He had expected Eren to react in two ways after their argument. Either he'd remain pissed off and would try to instigate a fight with Levi whenever possible – and with his fiery temper, this course of action wouldn't surprise the captain. God knew he and Kirstein still hadn't stopped arguing with each other; finding every reason possible to start a fight.
The second way he could react would be to go back to treating the dark haired man with utmost politeness, like he'd done before after Zuschauer had left the castle.
Of course because they were talking about Eren Yeager here, Levi should have realised that the boy wouldn't react according to expectations.
Instead of being furious or polite, Eren had evidently decided to go for another tactic: complete and utter indifference.
Oh, he completed any orders Levi gave him, be it ones about training or cleaning, but there was never any infliction in his voice when he replied and his face remained utterly blank. Used to seeing every emotion displayed on the kid's face like he was an open book, this sudden change unsettled Levi greatly. He didn't know how to react to it. Try to set him straight? What for? He wasn't picking fights, he didn't ignore Levi's orders; he was just indifferent, acting like he and Levi had never shared any resemblance of a close relationship before.
After the argument they had had, Levi should be glad that Eren was taking a more mature attitude towards this situation, but … It bothered him. More than he liked to admit. He was no stranger to being treated with indifference – where he came from, indifference was often preferable even – but Eren's apathy needled at him, put him on edge in a way he hadn't felt like since he left the Underground. It slipped into his interactions with the others, making him more prone to snap when one of the recruits did something stupid for the nth time. It had him giving terse and curt responses to Erwin's questions, even when they were rather innocent and were about something as fucking mundane as his opinion of the weather.
Hange nearly got her face smashed by a heavy book when she bothered him one time too many and he'd thrown the book at her before he even registered he'd whirled around.
His reactions to the others only made him more pissed off because he knew there was no reason – no rational one at least – for him to act like this. Eren treated him like most soldiers did – so what? Wasn't this what he had wanted when he dissuaded the kid from attempting to pursue a romantic relationship with him?
Eren wasn't raging about it, wasn't trying to keep pushing him about it; that was what Levi had wanted.
Wasn't it?
"I've met quite some oblivious people before, but I never thought you'd be joining that group." Hange plopped down next to him, jostling him and he stopped reading the file, lifting his head to glare at her.
"Don't you have an experiment to fuck around with?" he asked annoyed, snapping the file shut before she could take a peek. She probably had got the same one from Erwin, but it was the principle of things. If he let her take a look at this one, she would take that as blanket authorisation to snoop around and he didn't think Erwin would appreciate it if he fed her to the titans as punishment.
Crossing her legs, she wrapped her hands around her knees and frowned faintly. "Assume I'm currently working on an experiment," she said vaguely and he could already feel a headache creeping up.
"What the hell do you want, Hange? I'm not in the mood to entertain you," he said, annoyance slipping into irritation.
"You're never in the mood to entertain me," she pointed out lightly before growing solemn.
Her quick switch in mood had him narrowing his eyes, studying her carefully. A solemn Hange – genuinely solemn – did not happen very often and when it did, it often didn't bode well for him.
"It's been longer than a month – you're not planning on fixing it?" she asked enigmatically.
"What's been longer than a month?"
The disapproving look she shot him had him gritting his teeth. "Since whatever you said to Eren got him in that mood."
"Nothing's wrong," Levi retorted forcefully and stood up, marching over to his desk.
"Don't play dumb, Levi; you never managed to pull off that look well," she snorted, leaning back against the couch.
"Apparently you talked to him, so why don't you do that again?" he sneered, smacking the file on his desk. "Maybe you should add another occupation to your resume: not only a scientist but apparently the resident therapist as well!"
She didn't rise to the bait. "What did you tell him?"
"Something that's obvious to everyone but him apparently," he replied curtly.
"Levi."
"He's apparently under the assumption that he's in love with me and I set him straight about that; that's all," he said briskly, stuffing a couple of documents he still needed to look at in the top drawer.
It was quiet for so long, he felt compelled to turn around just to check whether the menace was still there. She was and she looked quite upset, which he didn't really understand. What did it matter to her what he'd told Eren? It was none of her damn business anyway.
"Why on earth did you do that?" she questioned, frowning heavily.
Resting his hands on the desk, he raised an eyebrow incredulously. "Really, Hange? Why wouldn't I have done that? He's still a kid, for fuck's sake!"
"I wouldn't exactly call him a kid when - "
"He's barely seventeen years old! Still not an adult!"
"And he's been fighting titans for two years and before that he spent three years training how to defeat them!" she raised her voice, narrowing her eyes. "You never considered soldiers kids before, why treat Eren any different now? If he's old enough to risk his life, he's old enough to fall in love."
The laugh that briefly escaped him was cold and bitter, he knew, and it had Hange flinching slightly. "So you're the one who filled his head with that bullshit? He's not in love with me, he's just confused!"
Cocking her head to the left, her upper lip curled up slightly. "I can see why you would think he's confused because he likes you," she said snidely, "but that doesn't lessen what he feels for you! He's in love with you, why are you belittling his feelings like that?"
"He thinks he's in love with me," he corrected her sourly. "The contract just got him messed up, that's all. Made him believe he was feeling things that aren't really there."
"You really think he's mixing up gratitude with love?" she said incredulously, shaking her head. "Eren isn't stupid, Levi. He knows damn well what he feels for you and it's not misplaced gratitude."
"How can you be so sure of that?" he snapped, curling his hands into fists on the desk. "We spent an abnormal amount of time together; it's no wonder he became confused."
"Why are you being so difficult about this?" she exclaimed exasperatedly, throwing her hands in the air. "Would it kill you to just admit that you like him too?"
"There's nothing to admit!" he snarled.
"That's a big fat lie and you know it!" she snapped back, her eyes flashing with anger. "I know you, Levi, and there's no way you're going to tell me that you're that good at faking feelings! I've seen you two interact; you had a good thing going there, Levi, why the hell are you messing that up?"
"We had nothing going, you shit for brains! Stop fucking imagining things!"
"Why are you so dead set against being happy?" she cried out dismayed, throwing her hands in the air. "There's nothing wrong with allowing yourself to be happy for once, you know? After all the things you've been through, you're entitled to some happiness and if Eren can give you that, why are you going - "
"Stop."
He said it quietly, but it had the same effect of shutting up Hange as if he'd screamed at her. She stared at him, her chest heaving up and down slightly quicker, as if she'd been running instead of arguing with him. After a short moment she deflated, her shoulders slumping and she fiddled with the straps of her glasses.
"Would it be that bad to just give Eren a chance?" she asked softly.
He breathed out slowly and turned away, looking out of the window. Grey clouds were rolling in and the wind was picking up strength; they might get another storm soon.
"He's fifteen years younger than I am, still a child despite being a soldier, and I'm the one appointed to take him down if he ever loses control," he stated flatly. "I can't offer him anything, Hange. He's better off directing his affections somewhere else."
"But would you be happy if he liked someone else?"
He shrugged stiffly. "Not really my business, is it?"
And it wasn't. It wasn't any of his business who Eren ended up liking. If it was someone around his age, that would be even better. Someone fifteen years his senior – and twice as jaded and crude – wouldn't be able to give him what he needed, what he wanted. For all the shit that the brat had witnessed, had been forced to be part of, there was still a sense of innocence left in him. He might turn into a fifteen metre tall raging monster with anger issues and a proclivity for ripping apart titans like they were nothing but stuffed pillows, but in the end he still retained that innocence and even naivety that Levi had lost years ago.
That he might never have had, come to think of it.
There was no point in tainting the last bit of innocence the kid had left, no matter how much he believed he was in love with Levi.
"It's good to be selfish once in a while," Hange murmured.
Levi remained quiet, listening to her footsteps fading away. Good to be selfish once in a while, huh? The last time he'd been selfish, his two best friends had ended up dead, ripped apart by an Abnormal. The last time he decided 'to hell with everything' and be selfish for once, he'd been staring at the entrails of his friends scattered across the ground; Isabel's dead eyes gazing back.
Nothing good had ever come out from him being selfish. He'd learnt that lesson the hard way. His friends might think Eren was indestructible, but Levi knew better. Instead of being indestructible, Eren was as fragile as glass; one wrong touch and he'd shatter.
Levi would be damned before he'd been the one who made Eren break.
Surprisingly Hange kept her distance after their conversation. Levi had actually expected her to come back, had braced himself for it, because she was relentless like that, but nothing. She acted as if their conversation had never happened, as if they hadn't had argued about Levi's refusal to accept Eren's feelings.
That was rather … unsettling, if Levi had to be honest. Hange just wasn't someone to give up that easy, especially when she thought she was right. It set him on edge, because he wasn't sure whether she would try to start another argument as soon as his guard was lowered.
Why the hell couldn't she just have minded her own business? It would make his life a hell of a lot less stressful if she'd done just that. It was already irritating enough that Eren continued to put up an indifferent front, he could do without having to worry whether or not that crazy bitch would try to rope him into another argument.
In the end, though, the expected second attack came from an entirely different direction.
"The second floor's finished as well, I'll go help in the kitchen now, sir," Eren said monotone, removing the white cloth from around his head. His eyes were downcast and his movements rather stiff; as it had become his habit of the past two months, he was avoiding the steely grey eyes tracking his progress through the room.
Something seemed to snap in Levi all of a sudden and he took a step forwards. "Eren, I need to - "
But the boy was already gone, the door swinging gently back and forth after his hasty retreat. A growl of frustration left the dark haired man and he clenched his jaw, dragging a hand over his face. What the hell did it matter anyway? So what if Eren refused to interact with him anymore save for when the situation called for it? He was a soldier and Levi's subordinate – there was no reason for them to be close to each other.
But you were close when you had to act out the contract, a poisonous voice in the back of his mind whispered. You didn't really mind those kisses and touches, did you?
Levi refused to think about the implication in those words. All that, had happened because of the contract and that was it. Nothing more.
"The room not up to your standards?" Erwin's voice drifted over to him and he turned around, scowling.
"The room's fine," he said tersely, ripping the bandana from his head. "You want to discuss something?" That could be the only reason why Erwin would seek him out when the older man knew today was cleaning day.
"Yes, it won't take long," Erwin reassured him and gestured for the dark haired man to follow him.
Clucking his tongue annoyed, Levi nevertheless followed Erwin to his office, casting a critical eye on the abundance of documents covering the desk from view. When the blond man caught him looking, he chuckled ruefully and rolled his shoulders.
"I know, I know, it's a mess at the moment, but everything will be gone by the weekend. I just need to compare some documents with each other."
"Far be it for me to criticise your work system," Levi muttered, picking the only available empty chair left in the room.
Erwin smiled, but the calculating look in those blue eyes had Levi narrowing his eyes. Nothing good ever came out from that particular look. He'd know, because he had ample experience with it.
"Spit it out; what's on your mind?" Levi asked flatly, crossing his legs.
"I don't interfere in your interactions with the soldiers under your leadership," Erwin started, leaning forwards and folding his hands on the desk.
Levi nodded slowly, eyeing the other man warily. It was true that Erwin kept his nose out of Levi's business – at least when it came to that part in his life. The commander trusted Levi to know how to handle the other soldiers and minded his own business. The grey eyed man had a feeling that was about to change today.
"I know that you're perfectly capable of handling the recruits," Erwin continued lightly, but his face was solemn and there were tight lines around the corners of his eyes. "So what I want to know now is how you're going to handle Eren's behaviour."
"I wasn't aware the brat was acting out," Levi retorted blankly. Years of practice kept him from clenching his hands into fists. First Hange and now Erwin? Why could nobody leave this shit alone? Had they suddenly all become fucking therapists?
Erwin quirked an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed with the answer. "Levi, cut the bullshit," he said flatly. "We've all noticed the change between you two and it's starting to affect the morale."
"If the morale gets affected by how Eren and I interact with each other, then there's something wrong with the morale to start with, don't you think?" Levi smiled thinly. "It's not up to us to make sure the rest of the brats are happy."
"Levi, this has been going on for way too long already," Erwin said, lightly frowning. "I can't have you acting like this when we leave for our next mission."
"The mission wouldn't be affected," Levi replied irritated, glowering.
"You can be sure of that?" Erwin said sceptically. "You can look me in the eye and assure me that when we're in the field, Eren will do whatever you tell him to do? No hesitation whatsoever?"
"Of course he'll do what he's ordered," Levi answered immediately, because it was true. Eren wouldn't ignore an order, no matter how indifferent he was acting now.
"Don't you think it would be better if you two talked it out?" Erwin sighed, leaning back in his chair.
"We already talked; there's nothing more to be said." Levi pressed his lips together.
"I beg to differ."
"That's your problem then, not mine. If that's all, I'm going to - "
"Levi, you know I've always trusted your judgement," Erwin said quietly and the younger man stilled. "But in this case, unfortunately, you're wrong. You need to talk to Eren before this grows completely out of hand."
"There's nothing left to be said," Levi said through gritted teeth. "He gave his opinion, I gave mine; end of story."
"There's nothing wrong in allowing yourself to be happy," Erwin murmured.
"That has fuck all to do with this!" Levi snapped and shot up. "I'd appreciate it if you and Hange kept your noses out of my fucking business!"
"We're your friends, Levi, we worry about you."
"There's nothing to worry about! You two need to find a fucking hobby instead of badgering me - "
"This won't end the same as with Furlan and Isabel."
The words were spoken softly, hardly louder than a murmur, but they cut through Levi like a knife and he blinked rapidly, his chest constricting tightly for a moment.
"This has nothing to do with them," he managed to bring out after a moment, but something was blocking his throat and he swallowed, feeling lightheaded all of a sudden.
Erwin peered up at him, still looking infuriatingly calm. "No? I think it does. You aren't afraid that the moment you allow yourself to be happy, that the one making you happy won't disappear?"
He'd never come so close to wanting to punch that bastard in the face as now. "No, I'm not. Are you doing with your psychological bullshit?"
"Eren can heal. He's stronger than most."
"But he can't heal everything." Grey eyes locked onto blue ones. "Even you aren't that foolishly optimistic."
A wry smile played across the blond's lips. "He can't heal everything, no," he conceded. "But he's a lot stronger than you give him credit for. More stubborn than you even. If there's one person you can take a chance on, it's him, Levi."
"He's my subordinate. Has your old age got to you already that you've forgotten about the power dynamics between us?" Levi questioned coldly.
Erwin shrugged. "In the end they're nothing more than mere titles," he said, his voice gaining an odd note. "In the world we live in there's no point in worrying about things like that. You want my advice?"
"Not really, no."
As expected, Erwin ignored him and continued, "I believe that in our lives we all get a chance at happiness, something that can turn our lives around, change things for the better. It's up to us to grab that chance and hold onto it for as long as we can." He stood up, walked across the desk and rested his hand on Levi's shoulder.
"Your chance at happiness is right there in front of you, Levi. I can see that, Hange sees it – everyone can see it. Don't let your past define you. You're allowed to have this bit of happiness – even if you don't believe it yourself."
He left quietly, leaving Levi behind in his office with too much thoughts whirling around in his head. God damn that giant.
What the hell did he know?
"Captain." Eren's face and posture practically screamed wariness and he seemed on the verge of bolting straight out of the room if Levi so much as twitched a finger.
A part of him distantly acknowledged that perhaps ambushing the boy when he'd least expected it wasn't exactly a good idea, but he'd grown weary of it all. This whole thing between him and Eren – it had to stop.
"We need to talk," Levi said curtly, closing the door behind him. Arlert and Ackerman had been assigned the task of hunting down deer, so they'd be gone for a while now – less chance of them interrupting his talk with the brunet.
"About what, sir?"
The infallible polite tone had Levi bristling with annoyance and he clenched his teeth before taking a deep breath. "I'm fifteen years older than you."
"Er, I know?" Eren was clearly taken aback and he stared at Levi, his eyes widening slightly. He'd just finished storing the freshly dug up potatoes into the crates and his hands had traces of earth on them.
Closing his eyes for a moment, Levi steeled himself and continued slowly, "I'm your superior and technically still your Enquirer as well. The Court expects me to put you down at even the slightest hint that you're about to lose control."
Green grey eyes shuttered close. "I know, sir," he muttered stiffly, balling his hands into fists. His face turned sour, most likely anticipating another rejection.
Levi took a step closer. "I'm crude and I don't have much patience. I've never been into that whole lovey dovey shit that you might have seen in the walls."
"I – don't expect you to be, sir," Eren replied hesitatingly, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. "Er, I don't know what - "
"I've beaten the shit out of you once before. I have an obsession with cleanliness and a short temper," Levi stated bluntly. "Not much I can offer you, kid. So why the hell did you decide it was a good idea to like me?"
"I …" Eren furrowed his eyebrows, was silent as he considered the question.
"Because you're honest," he eventually said. "Because you're not afraid of me. You don't treat me any different and I – I like that."
Levi snorted harshly and crossed his arms. "So it's just because I'm decent to you?"
Eren shook his head quickly. "Not that. It's …" He was struggling to find the words and his frustration was slightly mounting because of it. "You – you trust me. Not many people do that. And you're funny, even if your humour is weird sometimes, and you care about people, even if you don't like to admit that. You're just … you and I like that. I like who you are," he admitted quietly.
Taken aback by the sincere look in Eren's eyes, it took Levi a bit before he could gather his bearings. "Don't you think you'd be better off looking for someone your age?"
"Why would I do that when I like you?" Eren sounded genuinely perplexed. "I like you, not anyone else. I don't care that you're older, you know."
"That's been noted, yes," Levi said dryly and slowly breathed out. "You're a mess, kid."
The boy shrugged. "If I'm a mess because I like you, then that's all right with me."
"You're an idiot too," Levi informed him casually, because well, it was true and it needed to be said aloud. Eren was an idiot for liking him. Kid had a few screws loose obviously; that could be the only explanation as to why his eyes were lighting up right now, his lips quirking up.
"You've said that before, sir," Eren pointed out cheerfully, taking two steps closer.
"Because it's true," Levi told him sombrely. "You're going to regret this, you know."
"No, I won't," Eren stated confidently, crossing the remaining distance between them until there was less than a foot separating them. "I've got some regrets, but you won't be one of them."
"So fucking confident," the dark haired man remarked unimpressed, pursing his lips. Green grey eyes flicked to them for a few seconds before Eren looked up again. "I'm not easy to get along with."
"Easier than you think," Eren countered swiftly. He fiddled with his fingers, rocking slightly back and forth on his heels. His whole body was thrumming with nerves and his inability to just stand still should irritate Levi, but he had a hard time finding that spark of annoyance.
"You're an annoying little shit," Levi said. "I really don't know why I even tolerate you."
Instead of being offended, Eren beamed, as if Levi had paid him the highest compliment possible. Such a fucking weirdo. "Does this mean you want to, you know, try, sir? Us together?" he asked hopefully, clasping his hands together.
Levi looked at him, studied the hopeful gleam in those multicoloured eyes, watched a red hue steadily darkening cheekbones. He should refuse. For both of them it would be better if he cut this off immediately, before this could grow any further. Happiness and he just didn't go together; he couldn't drag Eren down with him.
However … He'd always spat the universe in its face, despite how many times it had tried to break him. Why would he stop taunting it now?
"Drop the 'sir'," he ended up saying, wrinkling his nose slightly. "I'm not into roleplay."
The smile Eren offered him was blinding and he swooped forwards to kiss Levi before the older man could open his mouth. As warm, chapped lips covered his carefully, Levi closed his eyes and returned the kiss.
Maybe this time he would get to keep this. Keep Eren.
Three months later
"We've got shit luck," Levi said morosely, turning around and walking further into the shabby cabin.
"At least the titans can't reach this high," Eren offered, busy pulling off the multitude of straps around his legs and chest. His 3D gear was already resting against the right wall, dripping rain on the wooden planks.
"That's the only mercy we have now," Levi muttered, squinting out the small window on his left. He could barely see anything through the curtain of rain streaming down. It was hissing loudly, drowning out all other noise from the forest.
"We wait until the rain stops and then we'll go back. We don't need to worry the others for too long," he said, stepping back from the window.
"Might take a while before the rain lets up," Eren mumbled and rose up from the rickety chair, making his way over to the cupboards. "Think the previous owners left anything behind?"
The older man wrinkled his nose. "They might have, although it'll depend on how long ago they left. Bad enough we have a couple of titans out there, I don't need an upset stomach on top of that."
Eren grimaced, opening one of the cupboards. "Yeah no, I don't want that either," he agreed. "Oh hey, we've got some candles and matches here!"
"Set them on the table; we're going to need the light if we're going to be stuck here for the entire night."
As Eren investigated the rest of the cupboards, Levi studied the cabin more thoroughly. It had a single double bed with some ratty sheets thrown on top of it and he grimaced, not wanting to know just how badly those stank. There was one table with two chairs and a small kitchen where Eren was currently puttering around. One door led to outside while another door presumably led to the bathroom – at least Levi hoped it did, because going outside to take a piss in this weather wouldn't be pleasant.
Heaving a sigh, he ran his fingers through his hair quickly before pulling off his own straps, figuring he might as well get comfortable for however long they'd be stuck in this place. At least they wouldn't have to worry about titans smashing through the walls, given how high up on the mountain this little cabin was.
It might have belonged to a hunter once; Levi had spotted some rusty blades and a broken bow in the left corner next to the door, but whoever had lived here had left the place a while ago, judging by the cobwebs on the ceiling.
Still, it provided good protection against nature's elements and the titans outside, so he couldn't exactly complain about the less than clean state of this building.
Watching Eren pick out several cans and putting them on the counter, Levi wondered whether the rest had managed to make it back to the base. Their mission had been fairly easy; just mapping out the area around their new base – a small, desolated village of which the inhabitants had fled years ago – but naturally they had encountered an entire horde of titans on their way back to the camp. There had been at least five Abnormals, each one around ten metres tall, and they had had a hard time cutting them all down. He and Eren had got separated from the group when one of the Abnormals had broken away and had gone after them.
The Abnormal had had other titans trailing behind it, so the two of them had had a rough time cutting them all down. Levi had spotted the cabin after cutting down one of the smaller titans and in order to preserve their gas so that they could make their way back to the camp, he'd told Eren they'd hide out there for a while. Of course he hadn't counted on the clouds unleashing a shit ton of water the moment they'd stepped inside the cabin, so it looked like they would be stuck here for much longer than he'd expected.
"The only thing that looks remotely safe are these canned beans," Eren called out, turning around with two cans in his hands. There was a layer of dust on top of them, but the print on them hadn't faded yet. The brunet jerked his head at the row of cans on the kitchen counter. "There are dents in those and I can't read the labels on them either, so yeah. I think these are the safest."
"It's fine," Levi sighed. "I wasn't exactly expecting a feast."
"Well, you can still choose between white and red beans," Eren offered, wiggling the cans.
"Oh, how could I ever choose?" Levi droned and the younger man grinned.
"Let's eat. We're going to be here for a while."
The storm continued into well into the evening and Levi resigned himself to spending the night in the cabin. Even if the rain let up now, finding their way back in the darkness in unfamiliar territory would be a bitch. Best to wait until the morning when they would actually have light to guide them.
"You know, I think this is the first night we're really alone, no?" Eren mused; his face lit up with every flash of the lightening outside. He stood next to the window, peering out of it as if he had any chance of seeing something in the pitch black darkness outside.
"I suppose," Levi muttered, eyeing the bed critically. Spring had made its appearance a month ago and while the nights were still rather chilly – especially with the storm currently wreaking havoc outside – he thought they would survive without the moth eaten sheets. No way was he going to sleep underneath those.
"What are you doing?"
Levi barely managed to keep himself from jumping. He kept forgetting just how silent Eren could be when he wanted to. He turned his head and saw the brunet hovering a few feet behind him, his head cocked to the right curiously.
"Checking the bed to make sure we're not going to catch anything from it," Levi replied dryly and pulled his sleeve over his hand so that he could drag the sheets off the bed without having to touch them directly.
"Oh." There was a pause before Eren continued uncertainly, "So, er, you're okay with us sharing the bed?"
Quirking an eyebrow, Levi said evenly, "Why wouldn't I be? We've been sharing the bed for weeks now."
They hadn't at first, Levi not trusting himself to not lash out when he woke up to find someone else in bed with him. He'd been sleeping alone for so long, he hadn't been certain whether he would ever be able to fall asleep with someone right next to him.
Eren, being the stubborn little shit he was, had one night promptly refused to leave Levi's quarters, no matter what kind of threat the older man had used, and had stated he'd take the kicking or the punch if that meant he could share a bed with the dark haired man. Levi, who by then had become extremely aggravated, had just snapped that it'd be his own damn fault if he got punched and had settled into the bed with his back to the boy.
He would never admit it, but he'd slept better that night than ever before.
"Yeah, but it's just – now we're completely alone," Eren muttered, hugging himself and averting his gaze.
Levi inclined his head. "Yes, I doubt your sister will interrupt us tonight," he murmured, smirking faintly when Eren blushed.
Ackerman had been … Well, she wasn't happy that her brother was together with the captain – officially this time, not just a pretence because of a contract – but at least she hadn't tried to punch Levi again, so it was some sort of progress at least. If she kept 'accidentally' walking in on them whenever they were alone in the small house they'd picked out for themselves in the village, however, she might discover that he could be worse than Keith when the guy was in a bad mood.
The rest of the recruits had just shrugged and accepted it; not like they could have done much about it anyway. Kirstein still had the occasional row with Eren, but being together with Levi seemed to have calmed down the brunet somewhat actually and he was harder to bait nowadays.
Something which Hange had taken notice of, only adding to her glee. She was stupidly exited about Levi's relationship with Eren and more than once he'd had to kick her just to get her to stop asking such fucking invasive questions.
"I was thinking that we could …" Eren trailed off; his blush steadily darkening.
"That we could what?" Levi sat down gingerly on the bed. The mattress was not much softer than stone, but it would have to do for tonight. He was more interested in what Eren was trying to say anyway. He had an inkling as to what it could be, but he needed to hear the other one actually saying it.
"You know," Eren stammered. He made some abortive hand movements; movements that were jerky and uncoordinated.
"Know what? You're going to have to be specific here, brat," Levi told him, crossing his ankles.
Licking his lips, Eren looked away one more time before he took a deep breath and locked his gaze onto Levi's. "I want to sleep with you. Now – now that we're alone."
Levi smirked and leant forwards. "Making use of the situation, hm?" he murmured and was secretly pleased at the way Eren's blush spread downwards, tinting his neck red. He wondered how far down that flush went. He guessed he would find out tonight.
Despite his heavy blush, Eren stuck out his chin defiantly and his eyes sparked when he retorted, "Aren't you the one who told me to wait for the opportune moment?"
Levi chuckled, remembering that day. It had been a month ago when they had been practicing a new tactic for defeating titans. Eren had wanted to rush out, the hot headed brat that he still was, but Levi had held him back, barking at him to wait for the right moment before he got himself killed.
He hadn't expected to hear his own words being used against him – not in this particular context at least.
Holding out his hand, he said, "Yes, I am. So why are you still standing there?"
Eren nearly tripped in his haste to get on the bed.
The tanned skin was a sharp contrast to his own pale one and he couldn't help but suck harder at the junction between the boy's neck and shoulder, determined to leave a bruise behind that lasted longer than a couple of seconds.
He was rewarded with a quiet moan, one which was cut off when Levi surged upwards and captured reddened lips in another deep kiss. Long, strong arms wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him tighter against the naked body underneath him. Nails dragged down lightly over his back, digging into his muscles when he nipped at Eren's lower lip, coaxing a whimper out of the other one.
He had never expected to have this. For years he hadn't been interested in anyone, declining the women's offers to spend a night with them. He'd been focused on the next mission, on the titans he needed to slay, on doing his work like the good little soldier Erwin wanted him to pretend he was.
He had never expected Eren. The moment he'd laid eyes on the boy, he'd known he was different. There was a fire in those green grey eyes that burned almost unholy, a raging monster hiding inside the boy's body that had nothing to do with his ability to shift.
Eren Yeager was a raging inferno and Levi was fascinated with him. Intrigued by the way he refused to give up, refused to back down. Interested in how the spitting, cursing boy could do a complete one eighty when confronted by Levi. The dark haired man wasn't stupid.
There had been a reason that Erwin had chosen him to kick the shit out of Eren during his trial and not Hange or even Mike. Because the commander wanted the boy's trust and he wouldn't have that if someone else but Levi took care of him.
Levi had known from the start that Eren admired him greatly. The younger man was shit at hiding his honest feelings. He'd just never anticipated that that admiration would turn into something else one day.
Something that had Eren clinging to him almost desperately, returning kisses that stung and sparked, hands which mapped out his body reverently, not skipping even one inch. Something that had him quietly moaning in Levi's ears, his breath catching whenever Levi touched him just right. Something that had his hips rolling urgently against Levi's, skin slick with a sheen of sweat; their cocks rubbing against each other.
Something that had his mouth dropping open when Levi slipped one finger inside, his pupils blown wide. It had him trembling when Levi added another finger, had his thighs quaking when the older man settled on top of him.
Had him completely still when Levi pushed forwards, breaching him for the first time. He held Eren's gaze, waited for the go ahead, the permission to move even when every cell in his body screamed at him to just start moving already, burrow himself deeper into the welcoming, slick heat.
Then Eren gripped his shoulders, nodded, and Levi lost it.
Their lips met over and over again in deep, filthy kisses; ones which had his toes curling into the old mattress, had him panting in Eren's mouth as he pumped his hips, trying to find the right angle to have –
There.
Eren threw his head back with a choked scream and Levi smiled, doing his best to keep aiming there, pressing against the spot he knew would make Eren wild at every second thrust inside.
"L-Levi," Eren stammered, sounding winded, and when he opened his eyes next, Levi's breath got caught in his throat when he met smouldering, green eyes; the fire he loved dancing wildly in those pupil blown out eyes. "H-harder."
Levi paused and then smirked, shaking his head. "If you've got time to order me around, I'm not doing it well enough," he murmured and his next thrust was harsh enough to have Eren keening loudly, his hands scrambling above his head in search of something to grab.
Levi snatched them, tangled their fingers together and pressed them harshly into the mattress, catching Eren's lips into another kiss, groaning when Eren's inner muscles tightened around his cock in response.
"L-L-Levi, I'm – I'm going to," Eren panted, squeezing his eyes shut, his whole body shuddering.
"I've got you," Levi promised. "I've got you."
Eren's back arched and Levi's name escaped him through gritted teeth when he came, coating both his and Levi's stomach liberally. He was still shaking when he dropped back down and the look on his face, in his eyes, was enough to make Levi swear loudly before pressing his face in Eren's neck as he came too, his hips stuttering to a stop, the pleasure coursing through his veins intense enough to almost have him black out.
It took an embarrassing long time to get his bearings back and when he lifted himself up on trembling arms, Eren blinked at him sleepily before waving a hand haphazardly and rather weakly at the bed. "Sorry for the mess," he slurred, looking like he was about to conk out any minute now.
"It's fine," Levi told him, carefully pulling out before surveying the bed and themselves carefully.
They were both a fucking mess and the mattress was definitely a goner now and they couldn't even take a bath, because there was no running water or soap in this damn place.
Yet Levi had never been happier.
The rain petered out somewhere after midnight, he guessed, staring at the ceiling in the darkness. There was a bit of moonlight creeping through the cracks in the roof, but it was hardly enough to see anything.
Next to him Eren snorted softly before he buried himself deeper into Levi's side. The captain's arm automatically fell across his shoulder.
It had almost been a year since he'd snatched up Eren's contract, he reflected. Almost a year since their lives had been completely upended, changing everything they had taken for granted.
They'd always be Enquirer and Companion for as long as the system was in place. Levi hated that, even when it was only on paper. Yet he would do this all over again if it meant keeping the boy in his arms safe. If it meant having moments like this, peaceful ones, ones where they were just them, not soldier and captain, not Humanity's Last Hope and Humanity's Strongest, but Eren and Levi, then the contract was a small price to pay.
Erwin had said Eren was his chance at happiness.
Turning his head to look down at Eren for a moment, he smiled wryly and closed his eyes. Of course the damn giant would be right about this too. He would tell off the bastard, but well – no need to give him the satisfaction of being right. Erwin probably knew already anyway.
Maybe there was something to be said about traditions after all – but only because they had given Levi another chance at happiness.
For now, though, he would sleep.
Tomorrow was a brand new day.
The End
AN2: I don't even know what the hell I was doing at the end of this chapter *throws hands up* I basically let the characters lead and this is what I ended up writing. I hope it wasn't too bad!
For the last time: please leave a review behind with your thoughts. Should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
I hope to see you all back in my future stories!
Cuddles
Melissa
- 7
- 8
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