The novelty will wear off was Levi's life mantra.
(That and do not get eaten by titans, obviously).
It was what he told himself when everybody started crowning him 'Humanity's Strongest Soldier' – the novelty would wear off and one day he'd be nothing more than an ordinary soldier.
It was what he told himself when the rest of the military were shitting themselves over the discovery of titan shifters – the novelty would wear off and one day those kids would be nothing more than ordinary people.
It was what he told himself every time blue eyes caught his slate-grey ones from across a grassy plain, or a marketplace, or a block of houses, or an office – the novelty would wear off and one day he would be nothing more than a notch on someone's belt.
The novelty will wear off was Levi's life mantra.
It was what he said to Erwin that first night they slept together, when they were a tangle of sticky limbs on soiled bed sheets and a litany of exhausted pants and there was warmth comforting and oppressing him at the same time because he wasn't sure he wanted this.
He bolted upright when Erwin tried to kiss him, and when Erwin opened his eyes to face Levi, he did not take notice of the anger splashed clearly upon Levi's face, but rather the confusion lurking behind it.
"Don't," Levi had said.
"Why not?"
Erwin was all soft replies and sweet endearments (and dirty words whispered right into Levi's ears as he fucked Levi with such vigor the bed creaked underneath them) and Levi hated it.
"This is a one-time thing."
"Is it now?"
Levi nodded once, curt, lips pressed into a thin line, and in another time and place, Erwin would've marveled at the amount of seconds it took for Levi to switch between a potentially pacified state and aggressiveness.
Then, he was on his feet, strutting around Erwin's room in unabashed nakedness, picking up articles of clothing from here and there, before mechanically putting them on.
Erwin understood why Levi would willingly sleep with him but not allow him a kiss, but just because he understood didn't mean he was all too happy about it.
"Humor me then, just this one time."
By then, Levi had finished dressing and was preparing to leave. For the slightest moment, his hand lingered on the door knob, as if he was hesitant. Erwin was almost fooled into thinking that Levi would accede to his request before the black-haired man turned the knob and flooded the room with light.
"Kisses don't mean shit," he said, his tone accusatory, like he expected Erwin to know better. "Besides, the novelty will wear off over time."
The next day, Erwin found his eyes impossibly glued to Levi.
Every time the shorter man barked out an order - the authority in his voice leaving no room for question - Erwin would wonder just how he was able to reduce that very man to a stuttering mess beneath him.
Every time Levi paced about, his hair (which were starting to get into his eyes and should probably receive a trimming soon, Erwin thought) bounced with each step, as if attesting to their softness, causing Erwin to think of the smoldering gaze Levi kept on him the entire time he was blowing Erwin off, Erwin's fingers threaded through Levi's soft, soft hair.
Every time he caught Erwin shamelessly staring at him, Erwin would hastily avert his eyes. He was pretty sure he had blushed once or twice as well, though it was a light hue of pink that had nothing on Levi's flushed face - eyes strewn shut as he buried his face into the crook of his elbow and his teeth bit his lower-lip to prevent the escape of unwanted noises.
Oh, but Erwin had very much wanted those noises.
That night, without Levi to assist him, those noises were what brought him to completion.
The day after that, Levi decided there was no fucking way he would be able to continue on with his daily activities if Erwin kept staring at him like that - like he was some animal Erwin wanted to capture and tame and keep as a pet.
He made sure the hallway was cleared out before he crossed the corridor in several uncharacteristically long and impatient strides and promptly grabbed Erwin by his collar and shoved him against the wall, successfully knocking the wind out of him.
Erwin barely had time to quirk an eyebrow before Levi's mouth was on his, biting and probably tearing skin and ramming his tongue in forcefully and was that blood he tasted and oh god how was he supposed to explain a bruise on his lips?
A string of clear liquid hung between them as Levi pulled away and wiped his mouth (red and swollen and so deliciously fuc- Erwin shuddered, willing his thoughts to step away from inappropriate territory) against the back of his palm. The blonde watched as the product of their mingled saliva was cut off from Levi's side and descended upon his clothes.
"Would you stop fucking me with your eyes now?"
Erwin wasn't sure how he was expected to reply when the only coherent thought in his mind was that Levi kissed as roughly as he fucked.
The novelty will wear off was Levi's life mantra.
It was what he asked Erwin after they had been casually screwing each other for some time and Erwin was experienced enough to be able to describe in detail the differences between Levi's rough and gentle kisses.
(Trust him when he says it wasn't easy to tell them apart).
Erwin's first instinct was to play dumb. The words 'what do you mean?' were on the tip of his tongue, but he bit them back at the last moment because Levi would know he was smarter than that, and he didn't want to lie to Levi – even the idea of it made him uneasy.
"I- No, I suppose not?"
"Try convincing me when you've convinced yourself."
Erwin gave it serious consideration before he said it again, with more conviction this time. "No."
Levi gave him a look, one of his usual enigmatic ones, and let out a mindless noise in acknowledgment.
Erwin wondered what that was about.
The novelty will wear off was Levi's life mantra.
It was what he chanted mentally, over and over again, when Erwin took him out on their first date and had insisted on holding hands – something Levi willingly did for five seconds, to the dot, before vowing to never participate in such crude activities ever again – and eat dinner in Levi's favorite place. When Erwin brought the restaurant up, Levi vaguely wondered how Erwin knew it was his favorite, but he figured that kind of information was better left untouched.
Erwin was fumbling with the keys when Levi accidentally slipped out a, "The novelty will wear off," out loud, causing the blonde to turn and give him a questioning look.
"It's nothing."
Erwin shrugged, took him for his word, and went back to concentrating his attention on getting the key into the keyhole, which proved to be a futile endeavor after a solid minute.
The funny thing was, Erwin's clumsiness did not tick Levi off. In fact, he found the fact that the ever-intelligent Commander was a total ditz outside of the boardroom and field amusing.
Which was why it was important for him to constantly remind himself that the novelty would wear off because it will, someday, and Levi didn't want to be caught unprepared when it did.
The novelty will wear off was Levi's life mantra.
It was how he reprimanded himself for feeling the slightest bit of giddiness at Hanji's knowing leer and Mike's pinched nose when he walked by, as if the smell of Erwin on him was unappealing.
He didn't even know why Hanji and Mike's awareness in regards to him and Erwin possibly being a thing even merited giddiness. Hell, he would excuse not knowing if he understood how to stop his heartbeats from fluttering every goddamn second.
But that's the problem – he couldn't.
The novelty will wear off was Levi's life mantra.
It was what he said, more for his own benefit than Erwin's, the first time they made love to each other. Of course, Levi would never call it that – those words were Erwin's, who must've thought they were virgin girls or something.
Erwin hadn't even cared when Levi said it, just laughed it off (and Levi couldn't help but press the side of his face onto Erwin's chest, just so he could hear the remnants of his laughter rumbling through his being) and said, "Let's worry about that when it actually stops being a novelty, alright?"
And Levi had been content to leave it at that.
The novelty will wear off was Levi's life mantra.
It was the one sane thread he was desperately grasping onto for dear life when Erwin dropped down on one knee and proposed. In other words, it was the only thing preventing him from immediately blurting out a 'yes'.
Words like sappy, sentimental and corny were thrown around when they laid in bed that night, mostly in the direction of Levi to Erwin, even though Levi actually appreciated the proposal.
Levi thanked whoever he had to thank that Erwin wasn't aware of how deep he's fallen because he had a feeling he would never see the end of it if his secret was exposed to the man.
(Though, of course Erwin knew. He was Erwin. But he was more Levi's Erwin than Erwin, and so he would continue feigning ignorance if it helped keep his boyfriend's pride intact. He didn't mind being the sappier and more sentimental and cornier one between the both of them – after all, someone had to be).
The novelty will wear off was Levi's life mantra.
It was the exact opposite Erwin recited as his marriage vows: "I swear to make all our kisses our first kiss. I swear to wake up to you on all mornings feeling like it was the first time you didn't leave right after sex. I swear to fuck you like it was a one-time thing every single time (Levi was waiting for the day his words would come back to bite him in the ass, and apparently Erwin had been plotting his revenge for quite a while because it did on their most significant day to date). I swear to make love to you so you understand why gentle sex is so in-demand with the younger female demographic. I swear to hold your hand for at least five seconds on all of our first dates to commemorate our actual first date. I swear to protect you outside the walls, inside the walls, and everywhere else, even though I'd end up receiving your protection anyway. I swear to take care of you, always. I swear to love you, every day – not to stay in that fleeting period of falling in love, but to love deeper and deeper with each passing day, until my feelings pile up into a mound and block your short body from my sight (Erwin was lucky Levi felt particularly graceful today. Maybe that was why he chose today to say it). And finally," he said, a cheeky smile suddenly lighting his features, "I swear to give you unconditional blowjobs – that is, blow you while expecting nothing in return."
Levi wanted to laugh and trample on Erwin's pathetic dick (Levi knew 'pathetic' was an inaccurate description, but still) and cry all at the same time.
In the end, he settled for a simple yet affectionate half-grunt, half-chuckle.
"The novelty will wear off," he reminded Erwin.
After lots and lots of years, they learnt that Levi's mantra was true.
Just not for them.
Author's Note
I believe apologies are in order - sorry for abusing the word noveltyso many times.
Thanks for reading! Feedback is always appreciated :3