Title: Flings

Author: imaginary-witness

Pairings: Eruri

Characters: Erwin Smith, Levi, Miche Zacharius, Nile Dok

Ratings: R/Mature

Warnings: Graphic sex/BDSM

Genre: Alt universe, Angst (light), Fluff, Romance.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in this story, living (or passed), human beings or fictional characters. These events never happened, according to history or as the original author intended them. This is a work of fiction and is not intended to offend. For entertainment purposes only. Thanks.

Author's Notes: Reviews are always appreciated and constructive criticism is always welcomed! Enjoy!


CHAPTER 1:

Erwin stared at the email on his computer screen outlining the schedule for his flights, meetings, and conference calls for his upcoming business trip. He hadn't been on any trips for the last year and a half having made the choice to work locally. When given the option to go on a trip for work, he simply had the potential partners fly in to meet him and conducted the business at his own office space. He had thought since he had been so adamant in his decision to abandon trips out-of-state that it became accepted as common knowledge to his colleagues that he wasn't interested in pursuing travel opportunities. He definitely hadn't been private about his reasoning either; Erwin had met someone that had changed his very own view of the world, and he hadn't wanted to spend a moment apart from him since.

As he sat staring at the screen and drumming his fingertips on the desktop, Erwin mused about all the possible ways he could break the news to his partner, a very understanding and ethical man. But Levi was known to be unforgiving, and he had taken his time to give Erwin any of his trust; which made Erwin feel a disturbing sense of rising panic regarding telling Levi about the trip. In truth, Erwin had a problem that he felt compelled to hide from his new partner, and by keeping himself on a short leash, he figured it was the best way to hide it. Now that he was in a situation where he was expected to leave Levi behind and travel across the country for work, Erwin wasn't sure he could trust himself to not fall back on his habits, and in turn hurt Levi and break the very fragile trust they had between them.

Needless to say, their relationship wasn't weak by any means. Rather, it was a strong, passionate, and surreal connection that Erwin still found hard to believe was real. What concerned him, despite the fact that Levi was a fiery and devote lover, was the knowledge that he knew that he could easily overwhelm the small, dark-haired man if he wanted to, simply because Levi had a broken past. Orphaned at a young age and abused in his past relationships, he wasn't the partner capable of withstanding Erwin's darker, kinkier needs, but Erwin valued him above everything else in his life, and if that meant depriving himself of his vices, so be it. There was just something pure and beautiful about Levi that Erwin wanted to preserve, a sense of innocence that he felt gave Levi his will to go on. To hurt him in a way that would overwhelm him, especially in a way he was hurt before, was an unbearable thought to the blonde, so instead he forced himself to keep a low profile and erase his past habits as best he could so that Levi was never aware such habits existed in the first place.

And for the first few months of their relationship, it had worked. He hadn't been tempted to fall back on his old ways because he had been so enthralled by their new ways together. Progressing rather quickly as a couple, and excited to start a life together, Erwin proposed the pair move in together four months after they started dating. It had taken more time than he had liked convincing Levi that it was a safe step to take, and then longer to begin searching for a place that they would both like to live. It was late summer by the time everything had been finalized for them to move, and they settled into a spacious penthouse close to Erwin's workplace, having agreed to sell both their old places in favour of a fresh space. Levi had taken to working from home, since his career as a screenplay writer gave him the freedom to work from almost any location of his choice, and Erwin had broke the news to his colleagues that he was - finally - in a serious, fully-committed relationship. Once the shock had dispelled surrounding his sudden change in social status, Erwin expected his life to go on as it had for the past several months, until recently when he was informed of this upcoming trip.

Erwin heaved a sigh and then loosened his tie at the base of his throat. His mind felt heavy and buzzed with anxiety, so he figured he would the only thing he could think of doing: he would take Levi out to dinner and break the news to him about the upcoming trip. He would explain how he had no choice in the matter, that the contractors were demanding and hard to please, and that he would make the trip as quickly as possibly. He wouldn't mention anything of any past business trips, and he most definitely wouldn't tell Levi about the burning temptation he was having to find a kinky fling while away. It wasn't that he was unsatisfied in his relationship with Levi in any way, or that he had a desire to be with multiple partners at once; despite his best attempts to curb his vices Erwin just simply felt the need to dominate in the bedroom in ways that were seen as unconventional, if not violent, means of sexual release, and he didn't have the heart to ask Levi to allow him to use him that way. The last month had become especially hard for himself, having denied himself his outlet for so long, and he had felt his control slip several times: once he had even found himself tightly gripping Levi's wrists for majority of their coupling, and it was only after his orgasm that he realized it. Afraid to force Levi to relive the abuse of his past lovers, and therefore give Levi any reason to leave him, Erwin tried to reign in his self-control.

But now that the opportunity to find an outlet that Levi wouldn't know of presented itself, Erwin was finding it a difficult task to stay focused on very little else. When he wasn't listening to his shoulder-devil convincing him to cheat, he was already guilting himself for even having the thought of cheating on his partner. While it wasn't as if it would be his first travel-fling, it was the first time he was in a committed relationship when deciding on having one. Before hooking up with Levi, Erwin had had flings for all of his business trips, and had basked in all the benefits being a single, handsome, and wealthy businessman had to offer. Now he was panicked with the thought that he would do something impulsive that he would live to regret.

He was startled out of his thoughts when the lights around him turned off suddenly, and he shook his head to clear it before looking around. The office outside his own private space, usually bustling with activity and the clatter of keyboards, was empty and quiet, and he realized most of his coworkers had clocked out already.

Erwin closed his internet screen, turned off his computer, then slipped on his blazer. He rose and gathered his things, before taking his briefcase and heading out to the elevator, and then down to his car in the building's underground parkade. As soon as he started his car, he hooked up his phone to the Bluetooth and called Ragini's, the Italian restaurant he had taken Levi to propose the idea of living together, and booked a reservation for tomorrow evening. Then he turned his phone to silent and switched on the radio for the rest of the drive home.

Levi had gone out since his car wasn't in the garage, so Erwin showered in hopes that it would help calm him down. His trip was in three days, and it lasted four, so he would be home in roughly a weeks time. He found himself staring at the palm of his hand in the shower, and he debated beginning to stroke himself, when he heard the bathroom door opening.

"I brought dinner." Levi greeted him, his figure hazy from the amount of steam in the room.

"I'm just finishing up." Erwin replied, letting the water rinse himself off. He gave his head a shake and shut the hot water off entirely. The resulting cold water jolted him out of his trance, as he hoped it would, and he sighed in relief. Now that he felt more in control of himself, he turned off the water and reached out to grab his towel.

Levi had left the room by then, to Erwin's gratitude, so the blonde stepped out and patted himself dry. He headed into their closet, finding himself grey sweatpants, and then glanced around for any suitcases; when he lived alone he usually kept the suitcases in his closet.

"Erwin!" Levi called, getting impatient. "I'm hungry, hurry up!"

"Coming!" Erwin called, pulling on a white T-shirt, then heading out to dinner.

Dinner had been a comforting occasion. Levi had brought home Chinese takeout and they sat on the couch trading the four boxes of various dishes between themselves and talking about their work days. Apparently Levi had been out all day following up on touching base with his historical consultant for his crime-drama script, which led to him staying out later than he wanted. Erwin nodded, allowing Levi to talk as much as he wanted, eager to avoid the topic of his own work place, and thus the trip. He thought of the perfect way to steer the conversation around to something else as they were finishing up,

"Thanks for picking up dinner," he began, smiling at Levi as they set down the empty cartons. He picked up both fortune cookies and held them out for Levi to choose from.

Levi smiled, then reached out and took a cookie.

Erwin seized the opportunity, "In return, I'll handle dinner tomorrow."

Levi looked up in surprise, having been cracking open his cookie when Erwin spoke. "You don't- you don't have to do that." Levi stammered, trying to hide the fact that he was caught off guard. Erwin usually didn't cook much, so dinner by him often meant an expensive meal.

"No I insist. I've, uh, actually got...uh, a something to tell you."

Levi's eyes sparkled with curiosity and he tilted his head, silently challenging Erwin to tell him now.

Erwin escaped by beginning to eat his own cookie. "Tomorrow." He stated, a sly smile on his lips. Levi was used to this sort of wait in their relationship so far, so Erwin was glad he had taken to rolling his eyes and accepting his fate. When Erwin wanted to make him wait it out, he always got his way.

Their evening was cozy. A light rain had started to fall, inspiring Levi to write another scene in his script, so he brought his laptop out to the spacious living room to write. Erwin, wanting to spend as much time as possible with Levi before leaving, pulled his lover into his lap, holding him between his legs in front of the small, glass fireplace. It was still too early in the autumn season to turn the gas on and let a small flame rise, but Erwin did anyways to welcome the system back to life and set the ambiance for their cuddle.

It was late when Levi saved his document and shut the lid on his laptop. Erwin had steadily grown drowsy as the evening wore on, and he had taken to lying behind Levi with his eyes closed and an arm around the smaller man's waist. Levi nudged him awake just enough to coax the blonde to join him in bed, glad to see the look of anxiety leaving Erwin as he slumbered.


Erwin awoke to the steady sound of his alarm clock, and despite his desire to sleep some more, he hastily reached out to shut the alarm off before it would wake Levi. He got ready for work quietly, letting Levi sleep in, then left for the day. He cursed himself in traffic, feeling more like he belonged to his company than his company belonged to him at this point in his life.

As soon as he arrived, he headed to his colleague's private office, knocking the door before letting himself in, as only a boss could do.

"Erwin!" Miche, his friend, and colleague, greeted him, "Here to pick up your plane ticket then?"

"If I must." Erwin heaved a sigh, letting his displeasure show, "I still don't see why I have to go, you know I don't do these trips anymore."

Miche heaved a sigh. "I know. I'd take it if I could, I would. But it's not me they want to see, and this is-"

"A big breakthrough for us if we secure the deal, yeah I know." Erwin sighed. "I just...I'm having a hard time being away from Levi for that long." He confessed.

Miche stood and came to place his hands on Erwin's shoulders. "It's only a few days, Erwin." He reminded him, "You can do it. Just...focus on the job, secure the deal. Who knows? You might get back early?"

Erwin nodded, allowing Miche to do the thinking for him.

"Imagine the opportunity," Miche continued, "We could open a branch in LA? Move there? Just imagine how good that will be for Levi's career? He'll be in Hollywood."

Erwin's eyes narrowed and his lips curved up in a proud smile. "He doesn't write for Hollywood." He found himself mumbling.

"Yet." Miche countered easily with a sly smile of his own.

"He'd love that." Erwin breathed, his chest suddenly feeling constricted as he thought of the happiness it would bring Levi. "Alright," he gave his head a slight shake, "I'll do it, I'll go. But I'm not happy about it."

"I know." Miche chuckled, slapping Erwin's shoulders before turning away to grab the plane ticket and necessary documents for Erwin's trip in a folder on his desk. He handed them to Erwin with an apologetic smile, "Hopefully this gives us the break we need to not have to do all these trips anymore."

Erwin nodded, resigning himself to the task. "Let's just pray all goes well." He mumbled, before heading back to his own office space. He began to review the details of the case, committing important facts to memory in hopes of impressing the representatives of the larger, more well-off company. Hours past, and he decided to work reviewing reports of the other recent company case. Before he knew it had crept up on him, and the offices were slowly beginning to empty for the weekend.

Startled by his hunger from missing lunch, he checked his watch, then called Levi from his office phone. After asking him to get ready for dinner and informing him he was on his way to pick him up, he hung up and rose from his seat, pausing to make sure he had all the documents he needed for his trip securely in his briefcase.

Friday evening traffic always seemed more optimistic than rush hour at any other time of the week. He pulled up to the front of their building rather than head into the parkade, and grinned as he saw Levi stepping out of the building after sighting his navy blue SUV. His lover was dressed in black dress pants and a crimson, silk button up, with a black scarf wrapped around his neck. He came over to the car and pulled open the passenger door, before sliding into the seat.

"Thanks babe," he greeted him, immediately leaning across the gearshift to press a kiss to Erwin's cheek.

Erwin turned his face as Levi approached him so he kissed him on the lips instead. "I love you." He replied, immediately taking Levi's hand in one of his own and beginning to drive them towards the restaurant. A light panic began to climb in his chest, but just the feel of Levi's hand in his own gave him the courage to proceed with his plan; he had to tell Levi about the trip, and he hoped all would go well without him having to disclose too much information about his past trips.

The ride to the restaurant was short, but quiet. Levi hummed as he watched the city around them. Erwin turned the radio down to listen to him instead. They found a close parking space on the side of the road, not too far from the restaurant, and Erwin felt as nervous, as if he was planning to propose. The waitress led them to a private table at the back, and Erwin pulled out the chair for Levi to sit first. He gave the waitress a quick order for their best red wine, and nodded as she inquired about appetizers. In truth, now that he was here, he wanted to get the topic off his chest as soon as he could.

Levi could tell, so he playfully tortured Erwin by picking up his menu and immersing himself in his choices. "Seafood or the roasted chicken? What do you think, babe? The salmon was cooked to perfection last time."

Erwin bit the inside of his lower lip and smiled at Levi, his sea blue eyes twinkling with amusement. "We had chicken yesterday." He prompted him, playing to Levi's logical side.

"Mmh, you're right. Maybe I'd be better off with something vegetarian today then?" Levi mumbled, playing with his diet again.

Erwin smiled and tasted his wine as the server poured him a glass, surprised by how incredibly sweet it was. "The wine is delicious," he commented, causing Levi to peek out from behind his menu.

"I'll have the salmon," he told the server, prompting Erwin to place his order as well. Since the appetizer plate had arrived to their table he seemed eager to hear Erwin out. Their server nodded and took their orders to the kitchen, leaving them alone. A moment passed in silence as they both began eating from the bread basket to avoid being the first to talk. Or perhaps it was because they were both hungry.

Erwin grinned sheepishly at Levi, smearing some butter on a dinner roll. "I skipped lunch," he explained before taking a big bite of the bread.

"So did I." Levi chuckled, taking a bite of his own dinner roll. He shrugged, then hid his mouth with his hand as he continued speaking. "I had a conference call, and I didn't want to spoil dinner afterwards."

Erwin chuckled, "Workaholic." he teased Levi.

"So?" Levi asked, making it obvious he was changing the topic. "You seem to have something on your mind." He prompted, his silver eyes playful but concerned.

Erwin exhaled heavily and drummed his fingertips on the tabletop. "It's obvious something's eating away at me, huh?" He joked, trying to make light of the situation.

"What, did you get some chick pregnant?" Levi asked in a teasing tone, reaching out to take a second dinner roll.

Erwin's eyes widened and he shook his head immediately. "No, of course not!" He refuted in a shocked whispered. "No," he spoke again, calmer and taking Levi's words as more of a joke than his initial reaction. "It's just...I have to go to LA for business." He frowned, "And I don't want to go."

Levi's eyes widened with surprise, and then pride. "That's good, isn't it?" He asked, putting the remainder of his dinner roll on his plate. He reached out to place his hand on top of Erwin's on the table, "I'm so proud of you! LA - that's wow! That's quite the connection."

Erwin was surprised by Levi's interest in his job; usually the smaller man didn't comment much on the matter. He smiled, surprised by how much he enjoyed Levi's genuine praise; the sparkle in his silver eyes gave it away. He bit his lower lip, trying to hide his grin, but failed and then felt the familiar burning of affection he had in his chest every time he saw Levi's bright, answering smile.

"I'm-" he licked his lips, deciding to steer the conversation impulsively in a direction he hadn't thought through yet, "I'm really hoping to make this deal, Levi. Then we can finally open a branch in LA, and that means-"

Levi's jaw dropped open in surprise, piecing together what Erwin was telling him. "That means?" He murmured, prompting Erwin to finish talking.

"We'd be moving to the west coast, sweetheart." Erwin replied easily.

"LA?" Levi asked, his tone tainted with disbelief, "We'd be moving to LA?"

Erwin nodded, watching the joy grow in Levi's eyes.

Their server arrived, placing their plates in front of them and breaking them out of this silent euphoria. Levi stammered a thanks to her, picking up his fork and beginning to poke at his salmon. He waited until she cleared their discarded bread basket away before speaking again.

"So-" he began, trying to find a way back to their original conversation, "When do you leave?" When he looked up to meet Erwin's eyes, the sudden realization that he would be alone while Erwin was away clear in his eyes.

"Sunday evening is my flight." Erwin murmured, feeling down about leaving Levi behind, "So in two days. I get back on the Thursday, hopefully. The Friday for sure."

Levi perked up at the mention of Erwin returning. He tried to smile for him, hoping he appeared encouraging, but Erwin could see the trace of sadness in Levi's face. It appeared they had both grown quite attached to the other since moving in together, to the point that living apart from each other seemed foreign to them. Erwin wondered how such a thing were possible when it was only a year ago that he hadn't been able to sleep beside the person he screwed.

He forced himself to stop his mind from following that thought process while he was around Levi and instead he smiled and reached out to tickle Levi's wrist. "It's only five days at the most, Levi." He teased him, "I'll be back before you know it."

"You'll call me?" Levi asked, "Everyday?"

Erwin was surprised by Levi's question, noting the tone of his voice. He seemed frightened with Erwin leaving him behind, but he assumed it was because he was afraid to be alone after all this time; Levi tended to be apprehensive of new social situations because of his unfortunate past.

"Of course I will!" Erwin gently teased him, continuing to stroke his wrist with his fingertips. "Morning and night." He promised.

Levi seemed to relax at his words, and he took another bite of his salmon. He nodded, watching Erwin eating his steak, then tried to smile again for him. "It's alright," he nodded, seemingly convincing both himself and Erwin at the same time, "we'll be alright."

Erwin spent Saturday at home with Levi, going grocery shop for the week with him, and then returning home in the afternoon to pack his suitcase. Levi insisted on ironing the clothing he was taking, so they stood side-by-side in the bedroom, with Erwin carefully folding each item before packing it as Levi handed them to him, still warm from the fresh ironing. Afterwards, he double-checked he had what he needed in his suitcase as part of his carry-on luggage, giving him something to do on the seven hour flight. He was travelling first class, so he was looking forwards to being able to stretch his long legs and use his laptop for most of the flight without worry if anyone was snooping his screen.

They shared a bottle of wine as they cooked dinner together, before heading to bed early so they could spend the night in each other's arms before having to be apart for most of the week. They coupled as they usually did, with Levi splayed out sensually on the mattress and Erwin, gently but powerfully making sweet love to him, before falling asleep embracing each other tightly.


Sunday morning was bleak, chilly, and grey. Erwin opened his eyes and rolled over to face Levi, reaching out to brush his short dark hair off his forehead.

Levi's eyelashes fluttered and the corners of his lips twisted up, and he blindly reached out a hand to hold Erwin's shoulder. "What time is it?" he asked, surprised by how blissful the morning was.

"Just after eleven." Erwin informed him.

"We should wake up then." Levi murmured, not entirely convincingly.

Erwin chuckled, beginning to stroke Levi's cheek. "Sure." He chuckled, "When are we leaving?"

"After noon." Levi sighed, rolling onto his back. "After one maybe? You don't leave 'til three, right?"

"Yeah," Erwin mumbled, "Take off at three." He sighed heavily, not wanting to leave the warmth of their bed.

"I'm gonna shower." Levi stated suddenly, before rolling out of bed and heading to the bathroom.

Erwin nodded. He planned on getting up in half an hour's time, so he would use the bathroom after Levi finished. They'd have time to eat, and then he would have to pack up the SUV. After that they would spent an hour driving to the airport and he would have just enough time to find the right gate for his flight and check-in. He sighed and ran both his hands through his hair, pushing the blonde strands off his face and sighing heavily. Part of him wanted to have sex with Levi one more time, but another part of him was afraid of how Levi would react.

When they had first began dating, Levi was extremely hesitant to sleep with Erwin, even in a vanilla sense. It had taken Erwin weeks to get the story out of Levi, but after he was told about how he was abused in his first relationship, and then ended up in a similar situation in his second relationship, he was sorry for ever making attempts that he thought were innocently playful with Levi. It was true he might be reacting rather overprotective of him, but he didn't want Levi to find any similarities between himself and his exes, and if that meant curbing his desires so Levi was reassured he was in a relationship for who he was and not for his body, he would gladly do it.

He was startled out of his train of thoughts by his ringing cell phone and he glanced towards the en suite bathroom's door to make sure Levi hadn't heard it. He snatched his phone off the nightstand beside the bed and answered it without checking the caller id.

"Erwin?" Miche greeted him, "Just thought I'd check in, you're flight's in less than four hours."

"Miche," Erwin breathed, then sighed; it was ridiculous that Miche was calling him beforehand, as if it was his first meeting abroad. "Yeah, I know."

"Are you still in bed?" Miche asked, sensing the sleep in Erwin's tone.

"Yeah," Erwin smirked, "I just woke up...about twenty minutes ago." he mumbled.

"Christ, Erwin. Don't miss your flight. You need to be in LA for the Monday morning conference."

"I know, I'll be there." Erwin mumbled, cutting his friend off. "I'm just...a little nervous."

"Of what?" Miche asked, baffled by Erwin's self-doubt. "Erwin, you're the smooth talker, you got this."

"No," Erwin rolled his eyes. "I got the deal down. I'm nervous about...the whole situation with Levi." He admitted, breathing in a tight whisper. He glanced to the bathroom door again; the water had shut off but he was sure Levi still wasn't aware he was on the phone.

Miche sighed heavily. "Alright. I'll bite. What's the big deal, Erwin? He's gonna be fine. Do you want me to check up on him from time to time?"

"No, it's not him." Erwin stressed, beginning to feel his anxiety rising. "It's me. I'm...I..." he licked his lower lip, pushing his hair back with his free hand. "I always had flings on my business trips, Miche. You know how I play, 'toys and boys,' and all that fun?"

There was a grin in the tone of Miche's voice when he agreed with what Erwin was saying. "Wait, so you're telling me you and Levi have been having a van-ill-a relationship?" he asked, surprise in his voice obvious.

"Yeah." Erwin sighed heavily, "It's been vanilla since I met him."

"Wow." Miche stretched out the word. "I thought he was as kinky as you. I thought that was why you settled with him."

"No." Erwin bit his lower lip, "He's...he's been in a few bad relationships and I didn't want to tell anyone about it. I didn't want to appear like those men, so I didn't push him about it. And, and now I'm just having a hard time...keeping everything...you know, under control."

"Well, it's something you enjoyed." Miche mumbled, finding himself in an odd position to be; he didn't want to encourage his friend to have an affair, but at the same time he wasn't ready to tell him to make himself unhappy to stay faithful. "I dunno, Erwin. Maybe you should talk to him?"

"And tell him what?" Erwin growled, his temper rising with the absurdity of the whole conversation. "'I love you Levi, but I'm going to have an affair on my business trip because I want to do some sexually-deviant things and I don't want to hurt you.' Like that would go over well."

"No! Not like that!" Miche defended himself, trying not to laugh at Erwin's example. "Of course not like that! How about when you get back? Can't you...wait it out, and then when you get back maybe sit him down and have a conversation about your needs in your relationship too."

Erwin was quiet for a moment, then glanced at the bathroom; it had been too quiet for him to hear what it was Levi was doing in there. Beginning to question whether Levi would be walking back into the bedroom soon, he tried to move their conversation onto safer topics.

"I'll think about it." He mumbled, "I just...I don't want to scare him."

Miche nodded, "Well...it didn't scare me when you first told me about it." he mumbled, "I mean, it's one hell of a weird fetish, 'Win, but I'm sure he'll be...understanding of it, at the very least."

Erwin nodded, trying to let Miche convince him. "Alright." he agreed, "I'll think about it."

"You've got lots of time." Miche teased him. "Get your ass out of bed. Focus on your job for a bit. Put your dick away, fuckboy."

A guilty grin pulled at Erwin's lips as he heard his old pet name from Miche once more. "Alright." He agreed, "I'm getting up now. I'll call you when I land." He reached up to place his phone back on the nightstand, then sat up groaning as Levi appeared, walking out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist and his hair still damp.

"Miche?" he asked, nodding towards Erwin's phone.

Erwin tried to remain calm. "Yeah," he agreed, hoping Levi would give him some hint as to how much he heard.

Levi nodded, patting his hair with a damp towel, "I figured he'd call to check on you. He's a bit of a workaholic, huh?" he teased, before heading over to their closet.

"Yeah. He's just...afraid of our empire collapsing." Erwin joked.

Levi chuckled, "I figured. What did he want? To ask for daily updates about the whole thing?"

Erwin laughed, a note of relief in his voice; if Levi was asking why Miche called, then he probably didn't hear their call. "Yeah, pretty much." he agreed, "So I told him I'd call him when I land and we'll see from there."

Levi nodded, disappearing into their closet. "You should go shower now," he called, "I left you some warm water."

Erwin nodded, then grabbed his phone charger and added it to the small pocket on the outside of his suitcase. "Alright." he mumbled, then entered the closet to press a kiss to the top of Levi's head. He glanced around at their clothes before he left, thinking of what Miche had said about Levi being understanding towards his fetish at the least. Maybe he could start with clothing? At least then Levi would feel safe in knowing it wasn't about the acts they did but rather who it was Erwin was doing them with?

Levi watched Erwin with an innocent curiosity in his eyes. The blonde seemed distracted this morning, and Levi was glad to have discovered why. He looked around at their clothes himself once Erwin had left to go to the bathroom, then reached out to touch the sleeves of several of his own dress shirts. He questioned his life choices, comparing his side of the closet with Erwin's and noting how Erwin's work clothes and casual clothes had a distinct, unique style and colour scheme that separated them from one another. He looked back at his own side of the closet and saw no difference between his styles; there was some cardigans, blazers, and dress shirts, all of similar shades, but very little casual clothing.

He bit his lower lip, then headed to Erwin's side of the closet and took one of his T-shirts off a hanger. It was baby pink, with a grainy black and grey print on the front. He stared at the shirt for a minute, wondering when was the last time he had seen Erwin wear it, then took it off the hanger and shrugged it on. He headed over to the mirror to take a good look at himself in it, and was surprised at how young he appeared in it. The shirt was long and baggy on him, but it smelt of Erwin's cologne, and that alone made Levi smile. He pulled on a dark pair of jeans, then grabbed his cell phone and headed out to the kitchen to prepare their lunch.

Erwin entered the closet shortly after Levi had left. It bothered him that their last hours together were full of hit-and-misses, with them in the same home but not the same rooms. He rushed to pull on his navy business suit, wanting to make sure he appeared classy in the case that his future-business partners would decide to meet him at the airport or hotel when he arrived. He never had it happen before, but he was always scared that one day it would, and he didn't want to appear unprepared and arrive in jeans and a T-shirt like any other tourist.

He placed his briefcase on top of his suitcase, then dragged it bags to the front door, before heading into the kitchen. He paused, standing in shock in the doorway, as he took in Levi's bright, casual outfit for the day.

"Levi?" he gasped his name, his eyes narrowing, and then widening in shock. He sounded as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing, and it seemed odd to him to match the name of his lover to the bright, young boy in the kitchen.

"Yeah?" Levi asked, turning around to face Erwin. "You look shocked, what's wrong?" he asked, his expression of playfulness changing to concern immediately.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong." Erwin gasped, "I just, you look...amazing!" he gasped.

"Really?" Levi asked. He looked down at himself in Erwin's shirt, seeming to second-guess himself. "I can change if you'd li-"

"No!" Erwin cut him off, a smile in his voice. "Honestly Levi, you look adorable." he rushed to correct himself, not wanting Levi to change out of his shirt.

"Thanks." Levi mumbled shyly, accepting the compliment without a fuss for once. He turned back to finish mixing the cheese sauce with the noodles on the stove, "I thought it would be...something different." he explained himself, hoping Erwin wouldn't assume it meant he heard his call, "And since you're leaving, it would be a way for me to...still be near you." he mumbled.

Erwin blushed and felt the all-too-familiar warmth spreading across his chest again. He couldn't stop himself from stepping forwards and wrapping his arms around Levi's shoulders, hugging him close to his body. "You are adorable." he whispered again, pressing a kiss to the top of Levi's head.

Levi rolled his eyes and blew his bangs upwards in mockery of the compliment a second time. Erwin chuckled. He brought bowls for Levi to spoon their mac n' cheese into, then headed over to the kitchen table with them to eat.

Little else was said on the matter of Levi's sudden outfit change, but Levi could tell from the sparkle in Erwin's eyes and the way he kept looking down to his chest and back that the blonde was surprised by it. It flattered him that Erwin seemed...grateful about the whole change, and he began turning ideas over in his mind as they ate in mutual silence. Erwin was...different from the other men, that was for sure. He valued Levi, so Levi decided it was time for him to reciprocate Erwin's selflessness in their relationship.

One o'clock arrived too soon, and they rinsed their dishes before throwing them in the dishwasher. Levi made sure he had his wallet before taking Erwin's car keys and waiting by the door. Erwin double-checked his carry-on for the flight ticket and his passport one more time, then smiled at Levi before leading him out the door of their penthouse and down to the parking garage. As he placed his bags into the trunk, Levi slid behind the wheel and readjusted the driver's seat and all the mirrors. They hit the road with an hour and forty minutes to spare before Erwin's flight took off, and cruised at a steady speed on the freeway to make it to the airport.

Erwin was surprised by how much the pink shirt managed to calm him down. He was surprised that Levi had worn it, and while he wasn't entirely sure of the reason behind it, he was glad Levi had taken it as a symbol of comfort. It was the first time he had seen Levi in anything remotely so casual for a very long time; in fact he wasn't sure he had seen Levi in anything so casual ever. The very fact that he was wearing it gave Erwin hope that he was open to broadening their relationship from the static hub of domesticity it had recently become.

Levi pulled up to the drop off point of the airport an hour and ten minutes later, since an accident on the freeway had slowed them down. He put the vehicle into park, then unlatched his seatbelt so he could throw his upper body across the gearshift and wrap Erwin in a tight hug. "I'm gonna miss you." he mumbled, not caring if he said something so sentimental at this point in time.

Erwin chuckled and wrapped his arms around Levi in return. He debated for a moment on his actions, then mentally shrugged and took the chance; reaching across the gearshift he slid his arm under Levi's legs and lifted him carefully across the middle of their seats and into his lap. He pressed their lips together, softly, gently, making sure he wasn't overwhelming the boy, and then held him tight to his chest. "I'm going to miss you too, Levi." he whispered, his lips brushing the shell of his ear.

Levi giggled, surprised by how fast Erwin moved him into his lap. He pressed kisses to the blonde's cheek, then pulled away laughing.

"I already made you late." he tease, "You should get going before you miss your flight."

Erwin nodded, but he made no effort to move. "Hang on," he mumbled, his eyes drinking in Levi's appearance appreciatively. "I wanna capture this moment." he mumbled, fumbling to unlatch his seatbelt and retrieve his phone from his pants pocket without jostling Levi too much on his lap.

Levi giggled, letting Erwin have his way, then wrapped his arms around Erwin's neck and lay against his chest to pose for their selfie. Erwin took several of these whenever he wanted to preserve the moment, which was many time in the start of their relationship, so Levi had grown used to waiting for him to snap away. He was sure Erwin was saving the moment because it was the first time they were going to be apart for so long in their relationship, but a part of him knew it was also to have a photo of him dressed so casually during one of their outings.

Erwin snapped several photos, then pressed a kiss to Levi's cheek. "Alright," he sighed, trying to inject some happiness into his voice so that catching his flight wasn't as depressing as it felt. "I should get going now."

Levi nodded, opening the passenger door and then slipping out of the car. He waited for Erwin to exit as well, before stretching up on his tiptoes to press their lips together.

Erwin wrapped his arms around Levi, holding his closely for another minute, then pulled away reluctantly. "I'll call you." he promised him, then headed around to the trunk to get his bags.

Levi nodded, before heading around the front of the car to slide back into the driver's seat. He clipped on his seatbelt, then waved to Erwin as the blonde heading inside the airport. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes but he blinked them away. He sat there for a minute, watching Erwin disappear further into the airport, then turned the radio up and began the long drive home.