Levi frowned into the refrigerator, a sinking feeling in his belly. His eyes scanned the shelves again. Eren must have just misplaced it, put it back in the wrong spot. No, it just couldn't be right, they'd had milk just this morning. Only a few hours ago. But their fridge was too painstakingly well organized for a whole gallon to hide- the empty space was glaringly obvious.
He shut the door, crossing his arms. He glanced back to the stove where his mixing bowl sat waiting, it's gooey contents smelling delicious already. Why was it that fate just couldn't let him do something sweet for his lover while they were cooped up in their apartment due to snow? All he wanted was to surprise Eren with his favorite dessert: brownies. But brownies required milk. And now he was left with a bowl full of eggs and boxed powder that was evidence to his plan, and Eren could come in any minute. He took a step out of the kitchen, his bare feet sinking into the plush of the carpeted hallway, and peeked into their bedroom doorway. Eren's butt was still firmly planted on the bed, his eyes glued to the TV screen as he mumbled obscenities at whatever game he'd decided to waste his time on today. Levi was for once grateful at how oblivious to the world his boyfriend became when engrossed in a game, but alas, he couldn't hope to sneak out and procure milk while the other man was distracted- it was snowing too hard, and besides, he didn't even have socks or a jacket on, both of which were in the closet on the opposite side of the bed. Getting them would disturb Eren. He fiddled absentmindedly with his shirt sleeve, still trying to decide what to do. Finally, with a sigh, he just decided to give up the secret.
"Eren," He began tentatively, but Eren's ears were covered by his poofy gaming headset. "EREN." He said it a little louder. That was it; he wasn't going to yell or anything.
"Can't talk...killing titans." Eren's eyes never left the screen, and as he pressed the buttons of his controlled in unceasing rapid-fire succession, Levi marveled at the fact that he could still jerk off without getting carpel tunnel. Then again, he supposed, Eren was half his age, still a teenager. Before he could be even momentarily jealous of the privileged of youth, he began again, rather reproachfully.
"Did you drink all the milk?"
Eren glanced over at him, guaging his expression. No, he wasn't mad. Eren didn't have to worry.
"Uh, yeah. I had some cereal or something, why?"
"I just...was needing it. If you finish something, you should mention it to me so I can get more."
"Needing it? Are you making dinner? Oh, what are you making?" At the thought of food, Eren's attention was perked, and his mind swirled with foods that required milk to make. What could Levi be making? Mac n' cheese? Mashed potatoes? Mmm...mac n' cheese...his stomach growled, then he remembered Levi's purpose to asking him the question to begin with- they were out of milk. Crap.
"We could walk to the store if-" He paused to click the buttons even faster, biting his lip, letting out a breath of relief once the monster on the screen- a giant, skinless person it seemed- had been killed. "If you really need it. I didn't think about it, sorry." He hit 'pause' and looked over at his lover in the doorway, noticing at this point that Levi was wearing his pink apron, the one Eren had given him as a joke their first Valentine's day. The one Levi had set aside as his baking apron, as opposed to his cooking apron. This prompted Eren to ask,
"Oh, you're baking? What are you baking?"
Levi cursed himself for not thinking to take off the apron. If it wasn't going to stay a secret before, it certainly wasn't now. He sighed in resignation.
"I was making brownies. You know, because it's cold, and they'd be warm and sweet, like hot chocolate, but I know you like them better. But now I can't, because someone was a greedy brat, and drank all the milk." He furrowed his brow at Eren, but Eren didn't buy it. He was still preoccupied by that word Levi had said. That word that began with a 'b.'
"Well then, we have to go to the store! We can't let good brownies go to waste!" He'd leapt to his feet, game long forgotten, and was already over at the dresser pulling on a tee shirt to cover his previously shirtless chest, as well as throwing Levi his much needed socks.
"Eren, are you forgetting that it's still snowing?"
"We can walk to the gas station, it's no big deal." Eren muffled through his mouthful of hoodie. Apparently the promise of brownies was enough to get him dressed quicker than Levi's threats or the thought of being late to work had ever done before. Before Levi really knew what was going on, he found himself haphazardly throwing on his button up jacket over top of that hideous pink apron, one shoe not quite laced- or at least, not by Levi's standards of impeccable lacing- and they were running down the staircase in a horrendously unsafe manner, his body being pulled by Eren's firm grip on his hand. "Eren!" He'd have to smack that boy when they reached the bottom of the stairs.
But once he'd been dragged out onto the sidewalk, the words faltered. Instead, they were replaced by the soft hush of a thousand fluffy snowflakes falling, landing gracefully on the parked cars and bushes...and Eren. Snowflakes caught in his chocolate brown hair and lingered on his eyelashes and Levi was sure it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life. His lovers eyes were as blue as the frozen gaps of sky that broke through the clouds, his cheeks a lovely frost nipped pink. Levi was sure his cheeks must have been pink as well, if only from the thoughts that ran through his mind as Eren caught a snowflake on his tongue. Their breath mingled as steam in the frosty air. Frozen puddles crunched beneath their feet. Eren loved walking in the snow, and while Levi wasn't so partial to the slush and slickness and biting wind, he did love to see Eren smile. He couldn't entirely regret the fact that Eren had discovered his secret dessert plans, now that Eren's hand was in his- and besides, the walk to the gas station was only a couple short blocks.
Eren pointed to the lights that adorned the leafless trees lining the sidewalk, to the red and green tinsel wound up their trunks. "Hey Levi, look, everyone's celebrating your birthday again!" He taunted. Levi scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, I always wanted to be symbolized by a fat man with unshaven facial hair."
"We should get a big ass tree this year, and put a huge star on the top of it." Eren was kidding, of course- he knew Levi's feeling about real trees indoors. He'd taken Levi to a tree lot the year before, and he still recalled his boyfriend's exact words about the experience- "Unless you plan on dusting that big ass tree everyday, there's no way in hell it's coming in the house."
Sometimes Levi's obsessive cleanliness got a bit stale, but it was times like this that his peculiarities came in handy. After all, if he hadn't had on his specific baking apron, Eren might have never known that he needed to drag the other man down the snowy street to get milk. Knowing Levi, any mistake he made, especially concerning something for Eren would have been covered up immediately. The thought of half made brownie batter sitting at the bottom of the trash can made Eren's heart- or was that his stomach?- ache.
The bell on the door chimed cheerfully as the two of them entered into the florescent light of the gas station, their boots squeaking wetly on the tile floor. Eren paused to look at the magazines for a minute- they had Game Informer- but Levi was on a mission. He made a bee line for the refrigerated glass cases at the back. He didn't stop twice to look at the soda, juice or coffees- though that iced frappuccino did look slightly delicious- no, instead he went to the small case dedicated to actual groceries. His eyes widened incredulously.
"I don't fucking believe it."
"What?" Eren asked, rejoining the other man, magazine still in hand.
"They're out of milk." Levi's voice was the cool kind of calm that could only mean one thing- he'd come all this way in the cold, through the snow, in his stupid frilly pink apron for one thing and now, he was thoroughly and sincerely considering taking the closest store person by the throat and putting their face through the stupid glass of this refrigerator door. Eren laughed nervously.
"Well, it is snowing pretty bad, I guess people stocking up on the basics cleaned them out. There wasn't much bread left either, and look, they're out of eggs too." He gestured to the other vacant shelves, to which Levi gave him a withering look. He wasn't blind.
"That doesn't help us, does it?" Levi's voice was lowered, his eyes staring darkly again at the price sticker below the empty slot in the case. 2% Milk- $1.75. But there was no milk, oh no, there wasn't. And someone was going to pay. Levi was sure he knew at least twelve different ways to make someone regret not ordering enough milk with which to stock their store.
"Uh..." Eren wasn't exactly sure what was going on with Levi, but his eyes were reflecting the redness of that Mtn. Dew in an awfully creepy manner. His mind grasped at straws. Canned milk? No, this store wouldn't have any. Would powdered coffee creamer work? He doubted it.
"They still have chocolate milk?" He hesitantly informed his angrily quivering, pink-clad lover, pointing to the bottom corner of the shelves where sure enough, one half gallon of chocoalte milk remained.
"Chocolate milk, Eren. Chocolate milk. I'm trying to make brownies, not some form of god-awful chocolate goop."
"...I think chocolate milk might be kind of good in brownies."
Levi looked at him with eyes that questioned his sanity, but there wasn't really another option. They couldn't just walk home empty handed, and in their rush they'd left the batter out on the stove. They'd have to decide fast if they wanted it to still be good when they got back. He didn't say a word, but slowly opened the case, knelt down, and took the half gallon by the handle. Eren beamed at him. Damn that adorable face, and the way he could make Levi pay almost three dollars for a half gallon of milk. Damn it to chocolatey hell.
He picked up a small container of icing as well, and paid for them both with a crumpled ten dollar bill. The friendly cashier complimented his apron, to which he responded with a casual, "yeah, fuck off," and received a kick in the ankle from Eren. In under ten minutes they were back out on the street in the waning afternoon light. The snow had stopped. The street lights flickered on, casting them in a warm glow of light that, against the grey blue of snow in the twilight, made Eren's ever-tan skin seem to radiate sunshine.
As usual, the return journey seemed to take so much less time than the venture there, and in no time at all they were climbing the stairs back up to their apartment, grocery bag swinging by Eren's side.
"Thank you for the brownies, Levi." He said quietly as they unlocked the door. Levi looked over at his lover, a small smile gracing his lips. Perhaps he had over-reacted at the store. Chocolate milk couldn't be that bad, after all, the brownies were chocolate too. He just wanted them to be perfect. They were Eren's favorite. Eren deserved the best brownies ever, and if Levi knew one thing, it was how to be a perfectionist.
"No problem," He replied, swinging the door open and shrugging his coat off, returning to the kitchen. Eren followed him, wrapping his arms around Levi's waist as he measured, stirred, and set the brownies on to bake. Levi's hips felt nice against his. And his hair smelled like that holiday pine soap Eren had bought, the one that Levi had sworn he would never touch. Eren smirked at that. Nothing like the smell of big ass trees to make his lover smell festive. But soon the smell of the soap was overpowered by the smell of the brownies baking. Eren's mouth watered at the thought of them, and they settled down on the couch to watch some TV until the sweet treats were done.
Eren would never tell, but he had a baking plan of his own in mind, one to celebrate their upcoming anniversary and Levi's birthday. But of course, to do it...he was going to need to buy some 2% milk.