The Man I Love Part 4
Final
The soft clicking sounds from his shoes echoed throughout the wide hallway. The tall boy noticed how a thin sheet of dust was beginning to collect along the walls. He made a mental note clean that before the Corporal saw.
At the end of the hallway the boy paused before a tall, wooden door. The door led to a small, isolated room located at the far east end of the Scouting Legion Headquarters. Corporal Levi Rivaille was moved to this room shortly after he was injured in hopes that the calm, quiet atmosphere would quicken his recovery process.
Every day at eight a.m.-not a second later- Eren would knock on the door three times before cautiously pushing it open. He would then proceed to tend to his lover, retrieving anything the wounded man needed. Most days, however, all the older man wanted was for Eren to lie beside him and talk with him about what was happening with the Scouting Legion. Eren was careful not to say too much under the Commander's orders. The Commander did not want to put any added stress on the injured man.
"Day forty-eight," Eren whispered. He took it upon himself to keep count of the days that his lover has been bedridden. The tall boy raised his fist and knocked on the door three times before carefully pushing it open.
"Le-Levi!?" Eren froze in the doorway as he watched his lover slide his foot into his boot.
"Hey, Eren." Levi called out to the stunned boy. He stood up off the bed and walked over to the wooden vanity opposite of the bed. He tsked at his pale reflection before beginning to work a comb through his dark, tangled locks.
After a few moments, Levi sighed and dropped his arms. He viewed the tall boy through the reflection, noticing how his brows were furrowed in concern and his hands clutched the doorframe. He smirked and met the taller boy's turquoise eyes through the mirror.
"Don't just stand there. Come and help me." Levi wagged the comb in the air, laughing when he heard Eren shuffling towards him.
Eren grabbed the comb and began to brush the shorter man's hair. "Um, Levi?" He watched as the shorter man's eyes looked up at him through the mirror. "Shouldn't you wait a few more days…?"
"Eren," Levi turned around suddenly, causing the taller boy to drop the comb. "I've been confined to this room for over a month now. I need to get out. I need fresh air. More importantly though, I need to get back to work."
Eren's shoulders sagged as he realized there was no stopping Levi. He brushed a stray hair away from the shorter man's eye before giving him a small nod. "Alright," he mumbled. "But!" He looked up from his shoes and clasped his hands on the shorter male's shoulders. "If I see you wince or show any trace that you are in pain, I'm bringing you back here immediately!"
Levi stepped closer to Eren. He traced his hand down the taller boy's cheek, stopping on his chin. He wrapped his fingers tightly around the taller boy's jaw line and jerked his head down, stopping inches away from his own face.
"Did you just try to give your superior and order, Eren?"
Eren tried to pull away but Levi only dug his fingers deeper into his flesh, causing him to wince. "I…" Eren began, struggling to speak due to Levi's grip on his jaw. "I'm just afraid you will overexert yourself…"
Levi closed his eyes and shook his head. "Eren," he stopped, bringing his lips to the taller boy's. He smiled against his lover's warm lips- the feeling of Eren's lips against his own always caused him to feel at peace. "I'm fine," he finally finished as he pulled away from the taller boy.
Levi stepped around Eren and grabbed his jacket before exiting the room.
Eren gently brushed his finger against his tingling lips. That was the first time in a long time, he realized, that Levi had kissed him that gently. He enjoyed all of their kisses, but he liked the gentle ones the most- just enough pressure against his lips to leave him feeling satisfied yet greedy for more.
He laughed quietly to himself before racing out the room to catch up to his lover.
"Levi!?" Commander Irvin jumped out of his seat, causing the wooden chair to fall back behind him. He marched to the shorter man, stopping inches before him. With arms crossed and a stern look on his face, the blond man proceeded to examine Levi, hissing every now and then at some features- Levi's too pale face and the sweat that accumulated on his brow.
"You shouldn't be up," he finally stated, meeting the shorter male's dark eyes.
Levi stepped around the concerned blond and claimed his seat at the end of the table with Eren quickly snatching the seat to the right of him.
"I'm fine," Levi spoke up after the Commander finally sat back down.
"Your features say otherwise." Commander Irvin leaned forward, resting his elbows on the edge of the table.
"Well, I haven't been outside in over a month, so it's only natural that I would look pale." Levi leaned back, carefully crossing one leg over the other. "What have I missed since I know you told Eren not to tell me too much?"
Commander Irvin sighed and rested his chin in his palm before explaining, in detail, everything that has happened while Levi was out of commission.
While the two spoke quietly to each other, Eren turned to look out at his friends chattering amongst each other, occasionally jumping into a conversation or two. He let his eyes fall on his small blond friend speaking quietly with a tall brunet. "Why are those two acting so friendly?" He wondered as he watched Jean slip his hand under the table, resting it on Armin's knee. "What!?" He quickly turned to Connie.
"Um, Connie?" Eren watched as the small boy halted his conversation with Sasha.
"What's up?" Connie noticed Eren shift his gaze back to Jean and Armin. "Oh. Them?"
Eren nodded, leaning closer to Connie.
"Well," Connie whispered into Eren's ear. "I don't know all of the details, but Sasha told me that she saw them kissing behind the dining hall the day after the incident. She said she heard some mumbles about 'afraid of you getting hurt' or something like that," Connie finished, moving away from Eren.
Eren froze. He remembered Armin mentioning that he had a crush, but he never expected it to be Jean. He liked Jean alright-they were friends. But, Jean and Armin-in his eyes at least-are polar opposites. He didn't understand why Armin would go for someone like Jean.
He sighed and fell against the back of his chair, straightening slightly from the scolding look Levi quickly shot towards him. After a few moments, he finally decided to jump into Jean and Armin's conversation, hoping to show Armin that he's okay – at least that's what he's telling himself- with their relationship.
Over forty minutes of excited chatter passed before Levi finally stood up and cleared his throat. All eyes shifted towards the small superior.
"Okay, that's enough talk. Get to work."
"What do you want us to do?" Connie asked, resulting in a smack on the back of the head from Jean.
"Whatever you have been doing this entire time," Levi answered. The silence that followed caused him to shoot a warning glance to Commander Irvin. "You all have been working while I was healing, haven't you?"
"Yes!" the Commander hopped out of his chair and laughed nervously. "We will," he stopped, scratching his head as he tried to think of an order. "We will continue the titan research with Hanji!" He shot a 'just go with it' look to the blank expressions watching him.
"Right," Levi mumbled, realizing that the entire Scouting Legion had been slacking off all this time. "Well, get to it." He walked over towards Eren, bending down and planting a kiss firmly on the taller boy's lips before exiting the room.
Eren felt his cheeks warming from the unwanted blush creeping up his cheeks. He sat frozen in place-lips still slightly parted from the kiss. The silence that filled the room only put him more on edge. Luckily for him, a certain small blond stood up, breaking the silence.
"We should go find Hanji," Armin stated, pulling everyone's attention towards him.
"Yes," Mikasa blurted out. She too stood from her seat and glared at everyone in the room-with the exception of Eren and Armin. "Eren's personal affairs are none of your business." She watched as the rest of the Scouting Legion scrambled out of the room, leaving the trio alone.
"Mikasa…?" Eren glanced at his friend.
Mikasa moved away from her chair and walked over to Eren, pulling him to his feet and embracing him in a hug. She smiled as she felt his arms tighten around her after a few moments.
"Eren?" She mumbled into his ear. "Does he treat you well?"
Eren gently pushed Mikasa away and gave her a reassuring smile. "He does." He watched as Mikasa gave him a skeptical look. "Mikasa," he began, keeping his hands firmly clamped down on her shoulders. "I love him."
Mikasa pulled away and turned to leave the room, stopping to look over her shoulder at her friend. "Okay. But if he hurts you, you better tell me." That being said, she exited the room before Eren could protest.
"She's known for a while now," Armin chimed in. "She hasn't had the chance to talk to you about it because you've been with the Corporal so much this past month."
"Armin," Eren spoke, making his voice low and intense. "Are you seeing Jean?"
The small blond gasped and covered his cheeks with his trembling hands. He felt the tips of his ears sparking bright red.
Eren laughed and placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's fine. I owe you anyway."
Armin felt his shoulders sag as he let out a noisy sigh.
"But," Eren began while he walked to the door. "You should be more careful where you kiss Jean." He heard Armin gasp as he left the room. He wasn't worried about Armin because he knew the blond would make the right decision-that's just how Armin was. Feeling like he had a ton of weights lifted from his shoulders, the brunet turned and headed outdoors to see what needed to be done with Hanji.
Once the "titan research" was finished, Eren was told that Levi was feeling tired so he went back to the small room secluded from other rooms. Growing instantly worried, the tall boy raced to the room, constantly having to remind himself that nothing is wrong.
"Levi?" Eren called into the tiny, dark room. He squinted against the darkness until his eyes rested on a figure lying on the bed. He began carefully making his way to the bed, holding in curses as he stubbed his toe on a table leg.
Upon reaching the bed, Eren's eyes finally became adjusted to the darkness. He claimed a small place on the edge of the bed and gently placed his hand against Levi's cheek, quickly pulling it back as Levi's eyes fluttered open.
"Sorry," Eren mumbled. "Are you okay?"
"Go pull the curtain away from the window, would you?"
Eren nodded, cautiously walking to the window. He yanked the curtain back then turned around, examining his lover. He moved closer and placed his hand on Levi's forehead, brows furrowing from the contact with heat. "You're warm," He whispered as he stood up, only to be jerked back down. He found himself being shoved down against the bed. He gasped at the weight pressed against his chest. "L-Levi!"
"What?" Levi straddled the taller boy's chest as he pinned said boy's hands above his head. He leaned down, stopping inches from Eren's face.
"You should rest," Eren mumbled, fighting the urge to press his lips against the warm one's right before him.
"In a minute," Levi responded, pushing his lips against Eren's. He released Eren's arms, welcoming the warm embrace that soon followed. He guided one hand to Eren's hair, running his fingers through the smooth, brunet locks. He kept his other hand pressed down on the bed beside Eren's ear, keeping himself pushed up above the taller boy.
Eren leaned into the kiss, clutching at the back of Levi's loose shirt. He let out a soft moan as Levi playfully tugged at his hair.
Soon though, Eren felt the pressure against his lips lightening. He opened his eyes in time to see Levi roll off his chest, landing softly on the other side of the bed. "Levi?!" Eren quickly pushed himself up and pulled his superior into a sitting position. "Are you okay?!"
"How many times do I have to say I'm fine before you people believe me," Levi griped as he shifted around until he was facing Eren.
"I thought you fainted," Eren said, raising his hand to Levi's cheek.
Levi caught Eren's wrist before said boy's hand touched his cheek. "Well, I didn't," he mumbled as he pushed Eren back down, nestling against the taller boy's chest.
Eren wrapped both arms tightly around his lover. "Levi?"
"What?" Levi muttered into Eren's neck.
"Why did you kiss me in front of everyone?"
"Why not?"
"I thought-" Eren was cut off by lips gently brushing against his.
"It was stupid to try and keep it a secret. Hell, we didn't even do that great of a job." Levi again rested his head against Eren's chest. "I figured it would be easier if people found out by us rather than Hanji."
"Levi…" Eren placed a soft kiss against his lover's head before falling back against the pillows-never loosening his grip around the superior's small body.
"It will be better this way, Eren." Levi closed his eyes. "I can now freely show off the man I love."
Eren smiled as he listened to Levi's breathing slow to a steady pace. He too closed his eyes and allowed his mind to drift off. "The…Man…I…Love…"
Aaaaaaaaaad here is the final part to The Man I Love. This was supposed to be an epilogue, but I realized once I finished it that it wasn't really epilogue-y. So, I wanted to tie up a few things- Armin's crush mentioned in part 2, a better resolve between Eren and Mikasa, and Levi's decision to make his relationship with Eren public. I hope I achieved these!
Also, I should probably point out that I referred to Levi as Rivaille in the previous parts, but not in this part. I figured since I have Eren saying Levi, I should just use Levi throughout the entire story to avoid any confusion. (Thank you Orithyea for suggesting I stick with one name in your review on part 3)
Thank you for all of the reviews, favorites, and follows! I'm glad I was able to create something that people enjoyed
As always, I'm sorry for any grammar errors I may have missed and I hope everyone enjoys! (Sorry for the long AN)