Notes:

I'm not really sure if sorry covers it, but holy shit you guys I am so sorry. I hadn't planned on taking a hiatus (especially not for over an entire year!), but my health made the decision for me and left me little choice in the matter. It's still not great, so I'm afraid I cannot promise more regular updates in the future, but I shall do my damn best! I feel so bad about making you guys wait, but it was entirely out of my hands. I'm going to go into more detail about what's been going on and my plans for this story in the end notes, as I'm sure after such a long wait, you'd rather just read the damn thing already. It's mainly just domestic fluff between Eren and Levi following immediately from where the last chapter left off. Also, I apologise in advance for Eren's drunk slurring, it won't last the entire chapter I swear. I hope you guys enjoy it!

Chapter 29:

At times, Levi found himself wondering if he was less of a boyfriend, and more of a babysitter.

Now, don't get him wrong, he without a doubt adores every individual aspect of Eren. But when he's highly intoxicated? That's a whole other story. It was as though all of the traits Eren possessed that tended to irritate Levi on a daily basis were heightened to a whole new level of annoying.

High quantities of patience had never really been Levi's forte in the first place, and it seemed that, when drunk, Eren was particularly fond of testing the limits of said patience.

"Eren, can you stay still for just one fucking second so I can put it in?"

"Leviii," Eren half whined, half sang into Levi's ear, "Hurry uuup, my legs are gettin' sleeepy," he complained, continuing to cut his words short and drag out the sounds of the vowels.

Levi's eyebrow ticked, and he just barely restrained himself from clicking his tongue piercing against the back of his teeth. He gritted his teeth more firmly instead.

"I can't do anything if you keep jostling me!" Levi barked, huffing as Eren once again nudged Levi's arm. However, if the sly tilt to that devilish mouth of his was anything to go by, it was in no way an accident this time around.

"Then why don' I jus' do it?" the brunette suggested with a patronising smirk, reaching his hand out in offering.

Moving away and letting Eren drop to the floor was starting to look like very inviting to Levi at that moment. Yet, he reasoned to himself that he was the mature (and sober) one here, so went with gently slapping Eren's hand out of his face instead.

"Because you're drunk as fuck and probably can't even take a shit without help," Levi griped, his voice laced with the irritation he was feeling as he attempted for the sixth time to get his key into the lock of his apartment.

Thankfully, in his tipsy state, Eren (who was drooping heavily against his right side) was unable to react in time, and so he managed to finally get the door open without further difficulties.

"I can too!" Eren insisted with a pout, dragging his feet as he was lead past the threshold.

"Sure," Levi responded dryly, voice heavy with sarcasm.

He let Eren slump against the now closed front door as he knelt down to remove both of their footwear, before tugging him over to the living room area so that he would no longer have to support the lanky boy's weight.

Defiant, glazed-over teal eyes met Levi's own grey as he was carefully guided to sit down onto the black leather couch. He seemed to ponder something—Levi could practically see the cogs of Eren's mind turning—before nodding to himself and increasing the strength of his grip on Levi's forearms.

"I don' need a shit anyways," he began, and when Levi went to voice a snarky reply about how he wouldn't have helped him even if he had, he was interrupted by Eren finishing with, "Bu' there is somethin' else I wan' up my ass."

He stared at his boyfriend blankly for a few moments, keeping his expression flat as his tired brain processed what he'd said. As if to accentuate the 'hidden meaning' behind his words, Eren wiggled his eyebrows a few times.

Levi snorted so hard he saw stars.

Only just managing to suppress the laughter bubbling up in the back of his throat by coughing harshly, he took a deep breath to try and calm the jitters in his stomach that were threatening to form into undignified sniggering.

Fuck, why did it have to be both a poop joke and an innuendo in one? Is he trying to kill me?

"Eren..." Levi wheezed, forcing down the smile on his lips as he turned back to meet Eren's concerned, yet still rather insistent, gaze.

"Wha' so funny 'bout tha', 'm sherious!" Eren slurred, his lips once again puckering with a dejected looking pout.

"Right now, the only thing you're going to be getting up your ass is my foot, you little shit," Levi shook his head and let out an amused huff, ruffling his fingers through his own gel stiffened hair.

A drunk Eren is a real fucking handful, that's for sure.

"I'm no' tha' kinky, Levi," Eren winked awkwardly at him and then giggled, "I don' 'ave a foot fe'ish."

"I swear to god," Levi muttered under his breath.

Twisting on his heel and stalking over to the kitchen to get Eren some water, releasing a loud, exaggerated sigh for emphasis, he left his intoxicated partner to continue giggling at his own joke.

After retrieving said water, Levi thrust the mostly full glass into Eren's hand and gave him a stern look, "I want you to drink that whole fucking thing, you hear me?"

Eren hummed thoughtfully, as if he was genuinely considering refusing Levi's request. It took a slightly harsher glare to get him to concede and start sipping at the liquid.

"And if you spill even so much as a fucking drop of it, you'll be sleeping on the goddamn floor tonight, got it?" he cautioned, although the heat behind his warning was dulled by his exhaustion.

Eren hummed in the back of his throat again—this time in affirmation—as he reached up to hold both sides of the glass in a firm grip to prevent any mishaps.

Levi sank into the seat next to him and rested his head back against the cushion, far more tired than he'd care to admit. Closing his eyes and allowing his muscles to wind down had never felt so satisfying.

The drive back had been hellish.

He was pretty sure he'd sworn more times during that drive than he had in his whole entire existence, and that was really saying something.

Now, Levi wasn't a fan of driving in the first place. In fact, he (understandably) despised it with a passion. His bike was usually easier, it felt like an extension of his body; allowing him to feel more in control.

However, driving with an inebriated idiot, who was not only holding on way too loosely (in Levi's correct opinion), but also screamed every time they turned a corner and persistently pushed his hands up beneath his shirt to 'check if his abs were still there'?

Hell.

Levi had been dangerously close to pulling over and making Eren walk himself back to his apartment, but, since he was a good boyfriend, he endured the stress and managed to somehow get them both back to his place in one piece.

"You make me feel so old." The admission was released from his mouth on a single, heavy exhale.

"You're eigh'een, Levi, no' thir'y-eigh'," Eren mused from beside him, his hand crawling over and slipping into the other's, "'Though, you to'ally act li'e ih."

Levi made a soft "Hn" sound in agreement, his fatigue starting to take over his body. He could already feel his shoulders slumping and his head lolling towards the side, despite his attempts at fighting against it.

"'Cept for the poop jokes...an' the weird ob...obseshun wi' dir'y jokes...an' your heigh', o'course," Eren rambled to himself.

Well, that was certainly a sure fire way to ensure he stayed awake.

Cracking a single eye open, he left a less than gentle pinch on Eren's forearm, which earnt him a loud yelp for his troubles. Levi then straightened his back and pushed himself up into a more proper sitting position to aid in remaining conscious.

"I should probably sleep on the couch tonight, you can take the bed," he proclaimed, tapping his forefinger of his free hand against the glass in Eren's hand, "I said all of it."

Eren ignored his mention of the water, "Bu'...I wan' sleep together? Is no' like we 'aven't slept together b'fore! Like, it wa' on thi' couch!" Eren reasoned, producing those puppy dog eyes that left Levi weak at the knees.

Rubbing his palms over his face (and inadvertantly smudging his eyeliner), Levi let out a long, suffering sigh and dragged himself up onto his feet to put a little space between them.

The sad look in Eren's eyes as he slipped his hand from his grip was one that probably would've plagued Levi with guilt if he'd let it, but he needed him to take his words seriously.

"It's not just about us sleeping in the same bed, it's about you still being drunk and me wanting to respect your boundaries," he tried to explain himself, but he could already see by Eren's souring expression that he was doing a rather poor job of it.

"Fuck my boun'ries, if I wan' cuddle my boyfriend while we sleep, then I will cuddle my boyfriend while we fuckin' sleep, it's no' like 'm askin' for sex," Eren stated assertively and pulled himself up to stand on unsteady feet.

"And what about whether or not I want that?"

"You don't?" His voice wavered a little, and Levi could tell that he felt hurt by the way his eyes dropped to the floor.

"Of course I fucking do," Levi reassured, reaching over to brush his knuckles over Eren's cheek to comfort him.

"Then le's stop thi' dumb arg'ment an' change n'to our pjs so we can go sleep?" Eren paused before meeting Levi's conflicted gaze head-on, "Together."

"And you definitely want this?"

Eren raised his eyebrows "Levi, I migh' be drunk, bu' tha' don' sund'ly turn me n'to some kinda cat 'n heat, 'm no' comin' n'to you, an' I can one hun'red percent consent to cuddles."

Do not say that you want him to 'come' on to you.

Do. Not. Fucking. Say. It. Ackerman.

"Okay."

Real fucking smooth, Romeo. Congrats on sounding constipated, as per fucking usual.

Eren simply grinned, oblivious to Levi's inner turmoil, and curled his fingers back around Levi's, "Okay," he nodded in confirmation.

Leading Levi into the bedroom with shaky steps, Eren set his water down onto the bedside table and then turned back to him expectantly.

"We need to shower," he said bluntly, glancing between Eren's alcohol-clouded eyes and his freshly changed bed sheets.

"Bu' is nearly one 'n the mornin', can we jus' skip it tonigh'?"

Levi tried not to wince at the whinging. "Eren, if you want to get into that bed, we are fucking showering."

"Oh? 'ow abou' shower fuckin' 'nstead?" He winked playfully and licked his lips in what he assumed was Eren's attempt at a seductive action, but Levi just thought he looked like he was having a stroke.

I'd certainly like to give him a stroke.

Levi mentally batted away his intrusive thoughts and instead focused back on the task at hand: somehow convincing a very drunk Eren to take a proper shower, on his own.

"That was a terrible joke," (Hypocrite, his brain helpfully interrupted, to which he ignored), "Now, you have two choices. One: you shower and we get into bed together, or, Two: you don't shower and I actually make you sleep on the floor."

When Eren gave him a disbelieving look, Levi crossed his arms over his chest, "I'm deadly serious, I won't even give you a blanket."

"Bu' Leviii," Eren started to complain, but he could tell by the steely look in Levi's eyes that he'd already lost before he'd even begun.

"No. You've been sweating all night, not to mention we're both still covered in that fucking paint. Now, get your cute ass into that bathroom and strip, I'll show you how the shower works," he accentuated his words with a soft shove, which resulted in Eren tumbling gracelessly out of Levi's room and into the main bathroom across the small hallway.

"I can' jus' strip wi' you 'n 'ere!" Was his weak argument when Levi shortly followed him into the bathroom, carrying Eren's towel, his clean pair of sweatpants and his wash bag in his arms, all of which he'd just retrieved from the overnight bag Eren had brought with him.

Placing the items onto the counter by the sink, Levi rolled his eyes and leant into the shower cubicle to turn it on, "We've technically seen each other naked, and showered together already, back when we first met. You know, when we both ended up imagining you blowing me? Quit trying to find an excuse to not shower."

Eren was understandably speechless when Levi turned back to him and then curtly made his way over to the door.

"Since you seem coherent enough to argue, I'm sure you can wash yourself. I'll be in my en-suite showering if you need me," and with that, he left Eren to his own devices.

Eren would be lying if he said he wasn't a little relieved at having some time alone to let himself process everything that had happened that evening. Not to mention, a shower did sound pretty damn good right about now.

So did blowing Levi, but after a moment of careful deliberation, he convinced himself to ignore that urge. He didn't want to risk actually having to sleep on the floor.

He didn't mean that seriously...? There's no way...he would never be so mean...right?

Unbuttoning the jumpsuit, Eren swept it down his body in one long, swift swoop and left it in a pile on the floor. His socks and underwear soon joined it, before he grabbed his shower stuff from his washbag and slipped through the opening into the powerful stream of water, closing the glass door behind him.

Levi's shower felt heavenly.

It had just enough intensity, and the temperature was just as Eren liked it: a few degrees short of satan's butthole.

The bathroom itself had a colour scheme of cream coloured marble—which the walls, floor, counters and bath all showcased—and white porcelain (the toilet, inner parts of the bathtub and the sink bowl).

The bath was set into the wall on the furthest left side and had a large window just above it with the attached black opaque blind pulled down, the cabinets holding the sink were against the wall opposite the door (a massive mirror on the wall over it) and the shower cubicle and toilet were placed in the two corners of the right side of the room.

It wasn't an overly large room, however the light colours, the giant mirror and the distance between the different appliances left it feeling more spacious than it actually was.

The shower was one of those with a wide head, and Eren reveled in the way the multitude of steaming hot water cascaded down over his body. He could feel it loosening the knots in his shoulders and back, and leaving him a pliable mess of floppy limbs and wet skin.

As the water met the smudged fluorescent paint that decorated his body and had matted in his hair, it stained the liquid with hues of pale pink, light orange and mint green.

I wish I didn't have to wash off Levi's name.

Eren watched dazedly as the colours intertwined and mixed together to form a murky brown as they swirled down the drain. He decided to blame his easily distracted focus on the fact that he was still a little drunk.

The steam, however, was seeming to slowly help in clearing the fog clouding his mind, and as he held his breath and pushed his face into the stream, he finally started to feel his thoughts sorting themselves out.

While he lathered his hands with the shampoo that he'd brought with him and massaged it into his (still somewhat knotted) hair, he began pondering Levi's incredibly careful nature towards him.

Eren had never seen Levi as on edge as he had been this evening. He offhandedly wondered if it could possibly have had something to do with them coming out to Mikasa, but dismissed that thought almost immediately, as it hardly made any sense.

He was pretty much asking my consent for fucking cuddles, for god's sake!

Of course, Eren was appreciative of the fact that Levi cared enough to be so careful with him, but really? He'd have thought that Levi would know him well enough by now to realise it wasn't something Eren was fussed about.

It's not as if he hadn't touched Eren before without his explicit, spoken consent; not that Eren was necessarily complaining in the slightest. So why now? What was so different about tonight?

In his mind, he recounted the many times Levi had kissed him, pulled him into hugs, ruffled his hair, or basically touched him in any way, trying to figure out what could've changed. Did he say something wrong? Levi didn't seem upset at him though, just cautious about every little minor thing. Anxious, almost.

Eren wasn't really sure which he considered to be worse.

He resolved to ask his boyfriend about it once he finished his shower with a resolute nod to himself. He had to bite his lip when a slight shiver of excitement curled in his gut as the words "my boyfriend" lingered in the forefront of his mind.

He knew that he'd never lose that feeling; that fierce wave of emotion that crashed over him when he realised that Levi really, truly was his.

It was a thrilling, exhilarating, warm sensation that caused the pit of his stomach to tremble and made his heart feel as though it had swollen ten sizes too big for his ribcage. It raced erratically, feeling as though it would explode from his chest at just the mere thought of a simple brush of fingertips along the back of his hand or a light peck on the cheek.

It wasn't just the physical aspects though (even if they were a collosal perk), Eren loved just talking with Levi, being able to make that mask of indifference slip into something soft and tender—something for his eyes only.

He was in love. Hook, line and sinker.

"Did you fall down the fucking drain? You've been in there for almost forty minutes, do I have to come and fucking drag your dead body from my nice, clean shower?" Levi's exasperated voice filtered through the bathroom door, muffled by the thick wood and loud "shh" of the shower's spray.

I'm in love with such a charming man.

"One sec, lemme just get the shampoo out!" Eren yelled back. He wasn't entirely sure if the other could hear him, but due to the lack of him repeating the question, he assumed he had.

Tipping his head back and letting the water rinse his hair of the foamy bubbles, he moved to turn the shower off, before pausing.

The realisation that he'd been daydreaming instead of actually washing his body properly was not in any way welcome. Eren let out a sullen groan and rested his forehead against the cool tile of the shower wall as he sulked childishly.

He contemplated never leaving and staying in there forever.

Would Levi get mad? Probably. Was it worth it? Probably not. Did Eren still want to do it anyways? Of course he fucking did.

Half tempted to just rinse himself down with water (the shampoo will have cleaned me on it's way down, right?), he pursed his lips and gave his bottle of shower gel a calculating look.

Then Eren remembered exactly who he was about to share a bed with, and he wordlessly squeezed some of the strawberry scented gel into his hand.

When Isabel notices that I've been using her shower gel, I'm screwed.

He knew that Levi would be able to tell. He didn't know how, but he knew that his clean freak boyfriend would somehow know what he'd done, and he didn't want to chance being shoved out onto the floor.

Once he'd finally finished—in a record time of four minutes, which for Eren, was particularly impressive—he hopped back out of the cubicle and began to hastily towel dry himself.

He wrapped the fluffy white towel around his waist, deciding to get dressed after he'd brushed his teeth instead of before.

Since he was still in a moderately floaty state of mind, he didn't want to run the risk of dribbling toothpaste down the front of his sweatpants and look like an idiot.

Not that I've ever done that before...hah...

Just as he was wiping his mouth off on the edge of the towel, three sharp knocks came from the door, followed quickly by a disgruntled voice.

"Eren? I swear to fucking god if you're actually passed out in there..." Levi let his voice trail off, and while he probably meant it to sound like an open-ended threat, the concern in his tone just made him seem nervous.

Eren allowed himself a fond, sappy grin, before he tugged open the door to show Levi that he was, in fact, not unconscious on the floor, "Nope! See? All awake and sparkling clean," he gestured to himself.

There was a moment of muted surprise as Levi's vision adjusted to the unprecedented attack of the bathroom's intensely bright lights, but he was quick to recover.

Or, well, he would have been, if all of his coherent thoughts hadn't decided to abandon ship and leave him dumbfounded.

He nodded distractedly, muttering a vague "Yeah..." while his eyes flickered all over Eren's bare torso. From his shoulders, to his pecs, to his stomach, and then back again, as if he couldn't settle on where to look first.

They flitted just about everywhere. Everywhere except Eren's own amused, question-filled eyes, which he appeared to markedly avoid.

He remembered the day they first met, when Levi had so openly appraised his naked body in those damned shower stalls, flirting with him nonchalantly, as if it came second nature to him, and had to force down a laugh.

What a difference having genuine feelings for someone makes, he's such a dork.

"I show you I'm not dead, and all you have to say is 'yeah'?" Eren sighed dramatically, placing the back of his hand against his forehead and feigning a swoon, "How could you be so uncaring?"

"It's nearly three in the goddamn fucking morning and I could not give less of shit about anything other than getting into bed and sleeping for a fucking eternity right now," Levi monotoned in that dry way of his.

"Oh no how could I be so selfish?" said Eren sarcastically, lips curling into a teasing smirk as he stepped forward, so he could see Levi properly without his own shadow in the way.

Now that he wasn't hurrying to open the door (and prevent Levi from breaking it down to check on him, despite it not even being locked in the first place), he could finally take the time to appreciate how cute he looked in that particular moment.

He had obviously removed all of his facial piercings before getting into the shower, and hadn't botheredto put them back in, which made sense, as he would've just taken them out again to sleep anyways.

Without them, Levi looked so much younger, and a hell of a lot softer. Eren loved that he got to see this, when so many others didn't. He knew Levi used his piercings as a protective barrier, in a way, and without them, he probably felt exposed and defenceless.

The fact that Eren was allowed to see him this way was a clear sign of how much he trusted him, how deeply he felt for him, and the thought warmed Eren's heart.

His hair was still damp, pushed back out of his face and glistening whenever the light hit it in just the right way, much like his eyes.

Goddamnit, stop being so pretty, how am I supposed to think straight?!

...To be fair, I don't think I've ever thought straight in my life.

In an attempted to focus on something else, anything else, his eyes drifted down to Levi's chest, and he could have sworn that he got whiplash from the sudden increase in his heart rate, coupled by the influx of thoughts that assaulted his mind.

Technically, it wasn't anything special, just a dark grey t-shirt paired with an even darker grey pair of boxers. They were both rather fitted, and left little to the imagination, but that wasn't what had his breaths coming a little heavier than before.

They're the same shirt and boxers from that picture he sent, aren't they?

There was no mistaking it, really. The urge to reach out and run his palms over that wonderfully built torso just like he'd wanted to do that day was barely quelled, no thanks to the trace amounts of that alcohol induced haze that still remained.

"I should probably get dressed..." Eren suggested dazedly, though it was more to remind himself that he was still practically naked, than to inform Levi of the decision.

The only difference is that he doesn't have a boner now, like he did then.

Unfortunately.

"You seem to have sobered up a little," Levi mentioned after one final once over of Eren's body—prompted by his comment of getting dressed—to evaluate the current state he was in.

Or, at least, that's the excuse he would've given him, should he mention it.

Nodding his agreement, Eren continued to shuffle forward until he was close enough to wrap his arms around Levi's shoulders, "Mhm, I think the shower helped."

"I thought you were getting dressed?" Levi teased, his left eyebrow, and the left corner of his lips, quirking upwards simultaneously.

"Well, yeah, but then I thought about how drunk I am, and how I totally need help standing up right now," he leant more of his weight onto Levi's shoulders, mischief sparkling in his teal eyes.

"Is that so?" Levi rolled his eyes, deciding to humour Eren's attempt at flirting.

"Yup, I even think I'm too drunk to dress myself! Guess you'll just have to help me, hmm?"

"Or, and this is just a crazy thought, you could stop being a lazy piece of shit, and dress yourself?"

"But where's the fun in that?"

"I'm going to get into bed and block Shitty Glasses's number before she starts drunk texting me, join me once you're changed," he paused as he was pulling himself out of Eren's grip, and made sure to give him a stern look, "And only once you're changed, understood?"

"Yes, Sir," Eren responded cheekily.

"Oh? Revealing your kinks so soon?" he teased, continuing to speak when he saw Eren open his mouth, most likely to sass him in one way or another, "Sounds like you enjoyed that little roleplay in the changing rooms the other day a bit too much."

Eren was now blinking at him dumbfoundedly, mouth still hanging open as he tried to get his brain to focus on creating some witty retort.

"But, between you and me, I'm definitely not complaining," Levi quickly commented when he once again went to talk, throwing a wink over his shoulder and sauntering back across the hall and into his bedroom before Eren could even utter a single word.

So much for being a dork who can't flirt anymore. This is payback, isn't it?

Eren ended up tripping a grand total of two times while he was tugging his clothing on. Which, may not seem like a lot, except for the fact that there was only one item to actually put on.

On his first attempt, his other leg decided it wanted to stay close to it's partner, and slipped into the already occupied side of the sweatpants, which left him feeling like an ungraceful mermaid as he hopped around trying to free it.

On his second attempt, his foot wasn't completely through the leg, and he ended up stumbling backwards into the sink counter as he yanked the material up over his thighs.

I'm starting to think that I'm still more drunk than I thought I was.

He hadn't really thought about it when he'd stuffed a simple pair of sweatpants into his backpack to sleep in, since he usually just wore whatever bottoms he could find that were clean, but now that he'd seen what Levi was wearing, he couldn't help feeling a tad self-conscious about how exposed the rest of his body was.

Especially when his bastard of a brain opted to remind him of just how ripped his boyfriend was.

Once he was (finally) done with getting dressed, he ran his fingers through his unruly hair to untangle some of the knots, put away his toiletries, and overall just cleaned up after himself, before psyching himself up to take the four steps across the hall that would put him in Levi's bedroom.

As he entered—switching off the bathroom light behind him—he was greeted by the sight of Levi sat in his bed, back up against the headboard with the duvet fully covering his legs all the way up to his waist.

The main light was switched off, with only the dim lamp on Levi's bedside table to illuminate the room, and Eren had to pause so that he could appreciate the scene before him.

It's so domestic...I could totally get used to this.

The distracted teen glanced up from his phone when he noticed that Eren's bare feet had stopped their slow padding across the wooden flooring, his eyebrows furrowing a little in question, even as a crooked smile to curled at the edges of his lips, "Why're you standing there like you've just realised you shit yourself?" he deadpanned.

"Why're you frowning like you just realised how short you are?" Eren quipped back, resuming his hesitant steps towards the bed.

"Damn, hit me where it hurts, why don't you?" Levi chuckled, not seeming the least perturbed by the playful insult.

Eren's attention was momentarily captured by the sight of his bracelets, beanie and key necklace resting on the bedside cabinet. It filled his body with a pleasant, fond warmth at how they'd evidently been handled with care.

Levi must have put them there for him when, in his rush, he'd haphazardly discarded them on the bedroom floor before they'd left for the party.

Eren chose to focus on his boyfriend's sweet gesture, instead of how he couldn't bring himself to look at the draw just beneath where his items had been placed. His gaze firmly avoided it at all costs to hopefully repress the not-so-innocent memories associated with it.

"You're in a good mood," Eren commented when he reached the bed, climbing up onto it and flopping down onto his belly. He was laid across it diagonally, so that his head rested in Levi's lap and his lanky legs continued to dangle over the edge.

Levi's eyebrows raised slightly, his expression showing both surprise and curiosity at Eren's observation, "What makes you say that?" he asked.

He hummed in thought as he considered his answer, but it quickly developed into a blissed-out hum instead, when Levi started to card his fingers through Eren's hair.

"You didn't get mad at me for mentioning your height. You also smiled when I walked in, which was really cute by the way."

"Oh wow, I was fucking happy to see my boyfriend, what a shocker," Levi said, voice heavy with sarcasm, and yet, that persistent half-smile on his lips didn't budge.

Scoffing at his sarcastic tone, Eren decided to just let it go. Reaching up he traced his fingertip over Levi's piercing-less eyebrow, shortly followed by his lower lip.

"You look more your age without all of the metal," he informed, sighing contentedly when Levi's calloused fingers trailed down from his hair, along the back of his neck, and then all of the way down his spine to stop at the dip of his lower back.

He paused there for a moment, before they retraced their way back up to his hair again, where he tugged on the locks playfully, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that...with them in, they make you look older 'cause they make your features look harsher, but without them, you look more like a teenager...it's like you go from a sexy bad boy lover to an adorably cute teenage boyfriend," he explained.

He doesn't just look like a teenager though, he looks like a young teenager! He could probably pass as a fifteen year old, if it weren't for the eye bags, he thought to himself mirthfully, smirking into the duvet over Levi's thigh as he fought to stifle his laughter.

Levi tilted his head to the side as he mulled it over, "Is that...a good thing? Or are you just making fun of my height again?"

"No, it was a compliment! I called you both sexy and cute, how could that be a bad thing?"

"Oh, uh...thanks?" he replied, sounding unsure. He massaged his fingertips against Eren's scalp to show that he meant his words, even if it didn't sound like he did.

Eren smiled, but said nothing, electing to enjoy the soothing motions against the back of his head and allow a companionable silence to fall around them instead.

A couple of minutes went by, and Eren could feel his eyelids becoming heavy and his breathing start to slow, mainly due to Levi's ministrations to his hair and scalp. Deciding that he wasn't ready to sleep just yet, he forced his eyes back open and steeled himself to bring that up.

"So...your cousin and all of my closest friends saw us making out tonight," he said, knowing that they had to talk about it sooner or later, and getting it out of the way now sounded like a good plan.

Levi snorted softly and shrugged, "Well, to be fair, both your sister and your dad have seen us swapping spit, so it's only fair for someone on my side of the family to get in on the action."

"Ugh, don't be gross, Levi," Eren whined, sticking out his tongue and making the most adorable 'bleh' noise that Levi had ever heard.

"Now the only person left is your mum, I'll make sure to plant a nice, big, wet one on you when I meet her," he continued to tease him, loving the warm-hearted feeling he got whenever they flirted like this.

Even if their version of flirting did consist mostly of them just provoking one another.

"Levi, no. Don't you dare. We are not making out in front of my Mum, if you do that, I swear to god I will..." he trailed off as he tried to come up with something decent.

"You will...?" Levi mocked, the tip of his tongue pressing into the corner of his open mouth as he tried not to laugh.

Eren couldn't help but focus his attention on that for a few moments, the sight equal parts aggravating and arousing. He always had been so easily distracted by Levi's effortless sensuality.

However, the memory of that one time Jean waggled his eyebrows and said "What that tongue do?" to Mikasa when they'd been eating ice cream one summer flashed through his mind, and he was officially unaroused again.

Shaking his head to dissipate the unsavoury memory, Eren realised he was supposed to have said some snarky threat by now, and so he retorted the first thing that came into his mind, "I'll tell Hanji about you being so shit at bowling that I had to physically guide you for you to even hit one pin."

"...touché. No smooching in front of your Mum, got it."

"Smooching? Watch your vulgar language, young children shouldn't be saying such things," he grinned up at him.

Levi let out a long-suffering sigh and flicked the back of Eren's head gently, "What is it with you and insulting my fucking height today?"

"Well, you know what they say, the only truly honest people are the drunk ones and kids," said Eren, looking at Levi with an expression so deceivingly innocent that he almost believed it.

"Ah true, no wonder then! What with you being both drunk and a brat! Or wait, would they cancel each other out instead? That makes you a liar, hmm?"

"That's bullshit logic," he complained.

"Language, Eren. A young brat such as yourself shouldn't be using such foul words," Levi tutted disapprovingly, his mouth curving up into a taunting smirk at being able to turn Eren's own words against him.

"Oh shut it, you asshole," Eren laughed, leaning up a tad so that he could elbow him lightly in the thigh, before letting gravity pull his head back down to Levi's lap.

After Eren's giggles settled down, they fell into yet another comfortable silence, the only sounds being the irregular taps of Levi's thumb against his phone's screen, and their quiet breathing.

It gave the brunette time to reflect on what they'd been discussing, and suddenly, his breath hitched in the back of his throat.

Hold on a sec...when he said "someone on my side of the family"...is it just me, or did that sound like we're married? No way, I'm just over-thinking it, right? It's just a saying, but...I really like the fact that he implied I was part of his family, even if he didn't mean it that way.

"Hey Eren, you okay?" Levi questioned, effectively interrupting and putting an end to Eren's frantic inner ramblings.

"Huh? Yeah, why?"

Levi's eyebrows pinched together, concern shining in his eyes, "I'm pretty sure you stopped breathing there for a second, did I do something wrong? I can stop playing with your hair if you want?"

"What? No!" Eren shouted, blushing when Levi winced at his abrupt outburst, "No no, I just remembered that I had homework I was supposed to do, that's all," he bluffed.

"How the hell did talking about our family members watching us kiss remind you of homework?"

"Well...they're both things that I never want to do again?" his uncertainty (due to the homework part being a lie) caused his voice to raise at the end, making his answer sound like a question.

"You never want to kiss me again? And here I was thinking that I was actually rather good at it..." Levi sighed dramatically and feigned being upset, the only thing giving him away being the slight twitching of his lips.

"Oh shush, you know that's not what I meant, stop being a dick," he pouted, poking his index finger into Levi's abdomen in accusation, before burying his flushed face into his lap.

In the back of his mind, he noted that the smell of Levi's bed sheets was incredibly comforting. The fabric softener smelt fresh and clean, and mixed faintly with Levi's own unique scent, it was wonderful.

Levi just hummed his agreement and resumed the gentle, rhythmic stroking of Eren's hair, his smirk clearly audible even without words.

"We should probably get some sleep, tomorrow's gonna be rough, after all."

"What? Why?"

"Well...you're most likely going to be hungover, plus, we're also going to have to deal with the chaos we ran from earlier," Levi grimaced at the less than pleasant memory.

"Uuugh," Eren objected in the form of a groan, reaching up to wrap his arms around Levi's waist, before lifting his head up from his lap to bury his face into Levi's abdomen instead, "I don't wanna," he mumbled, words muffled by the fabric of Levi's shirt.

"We have to, it's not fair on them to just spring our relationship out of nowhere with absolutely zero context, and then expect them to just be chill with it," Levi leant down and pressed a kiss to the top of Eren's head, "Especially not Mikasa, I don't think she even knows the meaning of the word chill."

"I hate it when you're right," Eren grouched, melting a little both inside and out at the tender kiss.

"Shit, you must hate me all of the time, then."

Eren huffed to disguise the small laugh that escaped him, trying his best to sound grumpy instead of amused as he said, "Keep that up and there will be no cuddles."

"Oh please, the whole reason you begged for me to get into this bed with you was for cuddles, as if you'd deprive yourself of them just because I out-sassed you yet again," Levi called him out on his lie, raising an eyebrow when Eren peeked up at him out of the corner of his eye.

"...fine, but I get to be the little spoon, your short ass can jetpack me," Eren demanded, dragging himself up into a kneeling position with a weary exhale.

"Yeah yeah, just get under the covers, you shit," Levi rolled his eyes, locking his phone and placing it onto the bedside cabinet.

"Okay, you asshole," Eren bit back playfully, crawling up towards the headboard on the empty side of the bed and then slipping his legs down beneath the duvet.

He scooched his butt further towards the center of the bed, until there was enough room for him to lie down, before rearranging his pillows until they were flat and directly next to Levi's.

Laying down onto his back, he watched apprehensively as Levi reached over to the bedside lamp and flipped the switch, plunging them into darkness.

Not being able to see anything made Eren's heart race in his chest.

The only indication of what Levi was doing were the bed springs creaking beneath his weight as he presumably laid down next to him. For some reason, the thought that Levi could do anything to him right now, without him being able to predict it, both excited Eren and set his nerves on-edge simultaneously.

Since he couldn't see, Eren found himself focusing on the things he could hear and feel instead.

Like Levi's soft breaths that seemed to echo in the quiet between them, or the unfamiliar way the bed dipped on the usually empty side of the bed (which was actually quite a reassuring sensation), and even the way Levi's super soft sheets brushed against the bare skin of his torso, arms and feet like a delicate caress.

He was so lost in the various things his senses were picking up, that he ended up jumping in surprise when Levi's chest bumped against his arm, flinching away and letting out a high-pitched squeak that left him feeling mortified.

Thank god, it could've been so much worse. At least I didn't moan or something even more embarrassing.

To spare him the humiliation, Levi decided to just ignore it and try to lighten the mood a little, "You do realise that for this whole "spooning" thing to work, you have to lie on your side, right?" he murmured, his voice gentle, despite the teasing words.

Eren remained quiet as he gradually calmed his breathing down from where it had spiked when Levi had bumped against him. There is no way in hell he was going to be able to talk without his voice shaking.

Equal parts exhilaration and trepidation coursed through him, despite knowing that nothing more than cuddling was going to be happening tonight.

Resting one of his hands onto Eren's shoulder, Levi used it to massage small, soothing circles into the skin with his thumb, "Are you really okay with this? My offer to sleep on the couch is still open, I don't mind."

That elicited enough of a panic to prompt Eren to respond, his hand immediately shooting up to grip the one on his shoulder to prevent him from leaving, "N-No! No way, sorry about...that, you just made me jump 'cause I wasn't expecting it!" he chuckled awkwardly, "I was just being stupid, don't worry about it."

To prove the sincerity of his words, he rolled onto his side and shuffled backwards until he felt Levi's chest against his back. Reaching behind himself, he searched blindly for Levi's hand so that he could drag his arm over his body and cocoon himself with his lover's warmth.

Levi reluctantly moved so that there was space between them again and pushed himself up so that he could hover over Eren's shoulder as he spoke, "Eren, it's not stupid at all, never say that. Your feelings are valid, even if you don't understand them yourself." He knew Levi hadn't meant to sound like he was scolding him, but his naturally blunt tone certainly made it come across that way.

Fortunately, Eren was well versed in Levi-speak by now, fluent even, so he understood that he was trying to reassure him, not start an argument.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. Honestly, I'm fine! I think I was just nervous because it was dark, so it made me get a little worked up, but I'm good now," he babbled a little as he tried to explain.

"Please don't move away..." he whispered after a couple moments of silence, and he winced at the desperation in his own voice.

At hearing the unexpected vulnerability in his tone, Levi wasted no time in wrapping his arm around Eren's waist and holding him tightly to his own body, bending his knees up until his thighs were flush against the bottom of Eren's own and placing his palm directly over Eren's heart on his exposed chest.

"Better?" he asked, although Eren's body instantly relaxing against his own was the only answer he really needed.

He nodded, before feeling incredibly stupid at the realisation that Levi couldn't see him, and hummed his confirmation to disguise his mishap, "Mm."

There was a few more moments of silence, where the only sounds were their gradually slowing breaths, and the sheets rustling whenever they fidgeted various body parts into more comfortable positions.

Eren used this time to steady his heart and breathing until he felt calm once again, as well as build up his courage to ask the question that had been bugging him all evening.

"Hey, Levi...?" he said, his voice soft and low to match the tranquil atmosphere, not wanting to startle him and ruin the peace.

"What?" Levi replied, unconsciously mimicking Eren's tone and pitch.

Clearing his throat, he cautiously continued, "I was just wondering...why have you been so uh...weird around me today? Even at the party...you acted like I would be mad or upset at you for touching me. I appreciate it...sort of, but I just don't understand it?"

Levi seemed to hesitate, as he didn't reply straight away, instead placing a tender kiss to the nape of Eren's neck, before nuzzling his nose along his hairline.

To Eren, it was obvious that he was just stalling and biding his time, but the gentle touches were both pleasurable and endearing, and he found that he didn't really mind if Levi wanted to avoid the question altogether, as long he continued whatever it was he was doing.

"I...was scared of hurting you, or doing something you didn't like."

"You know that I would tell you if I didn't like something, right?" Eren said, amusement colouring his voice, "I'm not the type of person to just grin and bear it if I'm not happy with something."

"It's different when you're drunk, it changes how you feel about things. It lowers your inhibitions and makes you do things you would never even consider while sober," Levi reasoned, brushing the palm that was flat against Eren's chest and stroking small patterns onto the skin of his chest, neck and collar bone with his fingertips.

"Yeah, but I wasn't that far gone, and I trust you not to take things too far," Eren reassured, rubbing his hand up and down Levi's forearm, "Things like holding my hand, hugging, kisses, they're never too far for me. They never were before, and they're not now. Not ever."

"That's not...I know what it's like to be drunk, okay? I've done so many things I regret while intoxicated. I crashed my car, hell, I hit my fucking cousin because I was too out of it to even think it through, and I'm going to hate myself for that for the rest of my life," his voice cracked on the curse word, and Eren felt his chest constrict in sympathy.

"Levi..." he started.

"Of course, a big part of it was about you, but...I'm also uncomfortable with doing it. I felt guilty every time you held me close while we were dancing, or every time I gave in to your pleading, because I was so fucking terrified that you'd regret it tomorrow."

"I'd never! Something so small, how could I ever not want that? I was the one convincing you to dance with me! Looking back on everything that's happened today, I've never felt happier in my life," Eren said assuredly, catching Levi's hand and stilling it's movement. He interlocked their fingers together and squeezed tightly.

"And even if we did just accidentally expose our relationship before we thought we were ready, I don't care. It makes it feel more real, more genuine, and now I know I was always going to be ready, because...I really...l-like you," he stuttered, he could feel his cheeks heating up.

Whereas he had found the dark a tad unnerving before, he now found solace in the fact that it was too dark to see anything, because he knew he would've been teased about his bright red face otherwise.

Levi was quiet as he tried to form a coherent response, and it did nothing to placate the erratic pace of Eren's heart, which he was certain Levi's hand could feel where it was resting against his chest.

It wasn't like they hadn't said it before—he hadn't even used the other 'L' word—but still, the worry that one day, for whatever reason, those feelings might not be returned, was enough to make him anxious whenever he admitted them aloud.

Levi took a deep breath, and there was beat of silence, before the words "I like you too," rushed out of his lips. Eren could feel them forming the words against the skin at the nape of his neck before the sound fully registered in his brain.

A near silent sigh of relief, followed by his whole body turning to jelly in Levi's embrace, it wilting into the downy softness of the mattress.

It was worth it though, the fear of putting his feelings out there in the open, because when they were then confirmed back to him, it felt incredible. Eren was willing to take that risk, to be open about how he felt, especially with Levi.

"We really should sleep, tomorrow's going to be shitty enough without being sleeping deprived on top of that," Levi said, squeezing the hand still gripping his own.

Eren pouted into his pillow, "Does it have to be tomorrow? Can't we just enjoy the rest of the weekend?" he complained, although his eyes had already begun closing despite his objections.

"It's up to you, it's either tomorrow or at school on Monday," Eren felt the movement of (what he assumed was) Levi's shoulders shrugging against his back, "Actually...if we don't contact her tomorrow, Mikasa will probably just storm over here and be even more pissed.

It'd probably just be easier to explain it to everyone all at once, like ripping off a band-aid," he added as an afterthought, chuckling when Eren simply gave a resigned groan in reply.

"I know, I know, we'll deal with it tomorrow," Levi soothed, pressing another kiss onto the nape of Eren's neck and then burying his face into his hair. "Night, Eren, " he whispered, smiling a little as a couple of brunette strands tickled his nose.

"Mn," was Eren's quietly grunted response, having already started to drift off into sleep from the moment his eyes had slid shut.

Levi let out one final, heavy sigh, and as it left his body, he allowed it to take the tension in his muscles with it, leaving him completely relaxed in his place curled around Eren.

And, as he immediately began to feel himself also slipping into unconsciousness, Levi decided that they should definitely do this more often.

End Notes:

Okay SO, first of all, I'm sorry that not much happened plot-wise this chapter. It was, in fact, a 20k word monster that I decided to split into two for the sake of story progression. Which should mean that the next chapter will be up sooner than later (famous last words) and will be far longer. For the rest of the notes, I'm going to use bullet point for the sake of keeping everything orderly and concise.

1. In case some of you have noticed that I changed my icon and username, and are confused about it, I'll quickly just explain. I created this account when I was 17, and 17 year old me was a very different person from 19/20 year old me. I've matured a fair bit (I feel like you can somewhat tell that from how my writing has progressed), and wanted my account to complement said growth. I also thought that it would be helpful if my FF and AO3 matched my Tumblr :)

2. Now, onto more serious business. The main reason I had to take a break from this story was due to my health. It's a incurable thing, so I have to go by a day-to-day basis on whether or not I'm feeling up to things, and most of the time I'm not. The good days are usually taken up by doctors appointments and getting shit like housework and essential shopping done. Writing is a passion of mine, but it doesn't come easily, and takes a lot of energy that I don't always have, so it sadly has to take a backseat to other things. I'm not stopping though, don't fret!

3. If you started reading this story early on, you may have noticed the sudden absence of mentions of the beta this story used to have. We unfortunately no longer talk anymore, and so the rest of this story will not have a beta/proof-reader. This is another big reason for my lack of updates, as I have been incredibly anxious about posting a chapter that I have not been given the okay to post. To be fair, only slight things were ever changed, such as spellings, so my worries are most likely unfounded, but anxiety does tend to be irrational. This does mean, however, that there are more likely to be spelling mistakes or wording errors, so if you do notice anything of the sort, please tell me in the comments/reviews! I would appreciate it greatly, as I do tend to miss things like that.

4. So, the big question. What is the future of this story? I can 100% assure you that I will not be abandoning or discontinuing it. I WILL finish it, I promise you that! I would never abandon a story, especially not one that people genuinely seemed to like and enjoy. It may take me a while, but we'll get there. According to what I have planned out, the story should have about 6 more chapters, plus an Epilogue, however that is subject to change due to my lack of self control when it comes to writing too much fluff haha! I also plan to go back and do some major editing to the earlier chapters because yikes...the cringe I get reading my older writing is INTENSE, so I'll eventually get around to that I'm sure.

Finally, I just wanted to say a MASSIVE thankyou to everyone who has stuck by this story, or has read it despite the fact that it is unfinished and hasn't updated in suspiciously long. The fact that it's gotten over 30,000 views, 180 followers, 130 Favourites and 150 reviews is just...astounding to me. I never in my wildest dreams thought that anyone would read it, let alone LIKE it! So thankyou, from the bottom of my heart, for your guys continued support and your patience. Reading the reviews and getting emails for favourites/follows made some of the bad health days just that little bit easier; it really means the world, so thankyou.

...I didn't mean to write that much, and if you read through that entire goddamn essay, you have my congratulations. Treat yourself to a cookie for your impressive endurance abilities haha!

My tumblr url is akeiji, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me over there :)

Until Next Time!