You could say a lot had changed. Levi stood outside HQ, hanging out the washing as the wind blew by, and ruffling his hair and making him sigh softly. Eren handed Levi sheets from the basket. He stood at a solid six foot two inches, with a killer jawline, and he'd built up muscles over the years that he'd been serving in the Survey Corps. Eren's deft fingers quickly shook out the sheets, and helped Levi to hang them up on the thin washing line that ran from the walls of HQ.
You could say a lot had changed, with the way that Eren was more sure of himself now. He didn't hesitate as much when talking to Levi, and when he was forced to make split second decisions, he quickly came up with an answer. Levi had stood by as Eren had shot up, and stopped dancing around Levi on egg shells as the years wore on. The boyish features had become more defined, and sharper, and in a way, Levi hated it. The countless attempts, and failures, or moments when they'd just scraped by had got Eren to mature faster than Levi would have liked, but there was nothing Levi could do about that. In a world plagued by gigantic creatures, there was little room left for innocence. Levi disliked how all of the kids in the Survey Corps have never, and would never, live a plain life. The threat of looming doom always close by kept their lives busy and eventful, but Levi wished that it wasn't so. In a way, he wished that they all just lived boring lives on farms, far away from any man-eating creature, but then that would be too boring for energetic Eren. He'd go hunting for adventure, sniffing it out like a blood hound, and Levi couldn't exactly let him and his friends go off and just get themselves killed; he'd be obliged to go with them.
"Captain?" Eren cleared his throat.
Levi looked up at Eren. "Don't call me that."
"Sorry." Eren frowned for a moment. "Levi?"
"Yes?" Levi clipped a t-shirt onto the washing line and smoothed his hands down it.
Levi could feel Eren stood right behind him. The tall bo-, no he wasn't that anymore was he- the tall man towered over him, and blocked the gentle sunlight that shone on them. Levi turned around to face Eren, and dragged his eyes up to meet Eren's. The oaf was wearing a bright smile on his face.
"Jesus, you got tall." Levi murmured. He folded his arms over his chest.
"Huh?" Eren cocked his head. Some things hadn't changed. "What was that?"
Levi winced at Eren's bright smile. "Tone it down. I almost went blind."
"Hm?" Eren tilted his head and finished folding the sheet in his hands.
Levi looked down and waved his hand at Eren. "Never mind." He sighs. "What did you want to say?"
"You know, I never thought I'd make it."
"Huh?" It was Levi's turn to be confused.
"This far, I mean. I didn't really think about it much, but I figured that, realistically, I'd probably have died long before now."
"Don't be stupid." Levi shook his head and tutted. "You worked well with your team. You gained a couple of brain cells, I think." Eren barked a laugh. 'And I'd never let that happen' Levi finished in his head.
"I did have a great Captain." Eren smiled at Levi.
Levi glanced up at Eren and coughed awkwardly. He busied himself with the last of the washing and shook his head. He opened his mouth and closed it shut quickly. Eren folded his arms and looked at Levi with a tender fondness, and quirked his lips into a small smile, as Levi frowned and opened his mouth again.
"I just did what had to be done to stop you dying ridiculously. You've tripped over your own feet enough; I'm surprised you didn't just end up crawling along the floor permanently." Levi sighed and finished pegging the washing on the line.
Eren coughed and mumbled. "I would for you." He looked straight at Levi as if nothing had happened.
"What?" Levi's eyes narrowed.
"What?" Eren raised an eyebrow and tried to look as innocent as possible.
Silver eyes rolled as a disapproving tut left Levi's mouth. "Knock it off, you little shit."
"Knock what off?" Eren raised an eyebrow as a smirk played at his lips.
"You know what." Levi picked up the wicker basket from the cobble floor and cocked his hip to the side.
"I know what?" Eren unfolded his arms and stepped closer to Levi.
"You little shit." Levi grumbled.
"I'm not so little anymore, Captain."
"Y- Ugh." Levi shook his head and turned to walk back inside.
"N- Wait, Levi." Eren grabbed Levi's free arm and twirled him around to face Eren. "Sorry." Eren ducked his head sheepishly.
Tanned fingers gently squeezed Levi's wrist. Levi's eyes flicked up to meet Eren's and he gave Eren a small smile. He dropped the basket to the floor and flicked some of the long strands of hair that had begun to fall into Eren's eyes. Eren smiled and laughed softly. He copied Levi and grinned cockily, and felt a strange sense of pride swell in his chest with the playfulness in Levi now. The pause in Eren's actions made Levi suspicious. He poked Eren's bicep, and got a confused look in return.
"What are you up to?" Levi scanned his eyes over Eren.
"Nothing." Eren looked taken aback at the accusation. "You think I'd be up to something?"
"Aren't you always?"
"Mmm, I guess that's kind of fair." Eren tapped his finger on his chin in thought.
"Mhm." Levi nodded and poked Eren again. "So what are you up to?"
"I was just thinking."
"Don't strain yourself."
"Har-de-har." Eren rolled his eyes.
"What about?"
"You, mainly." Eren shrugged.
"All bad?"
"No." Eren shook his head quickly. "Never."
"I was just joking, kid." Levi smiled softly.
"I'm not a kid."
"I know." Levi smirked at the grumpy look on Eren's face.
Indeed, Levi knew. It was obvious in the way that his stare lingered for longer than it should, his gaze following Eren around like a lost puppy. Levi had noticed the way that Eren wasn't so bratty anymore, he wasn't so annoying anymore, thank Christ, and he had gotten significantly better at cleaning, almost to the point where it impressed Levi. Yes, Levi had noticed. Eren shouldn't be so captivating. Maybe it was the familiar, but more spirited look in Eren's eyes when they talked, or the satisfaction of helping Eren to get stronger, faster, better and more efficient with his gear that made Levi found himself staring across the room, only to find eager eyes staring straight back at him. Or maybe it was even just a force of habit, with that need to watch over Eren engrained into Levi, just to make sure that Eren didn't cause any trouble, or go rogue.
"You do?" Eren chewed his lip.
"Yeah." Levi skimmed his eyes over Eren. "Of course." He shook his head gently and cleared his throat.
Eren raised an eyebrow in challenge to Levi. The gleam in Eren's eyes sent a bolt of electric through Levi, which he tried to shrug off. Eren smirked at Levi and inched closer, and paused, as if he were testing the waters, and was soon a breath away from Levi's nose. This wasn't the first time Eren had tried to come so close to him. It had happened a few times before, and Levi had quickly pushed Eren away, claiming that there was work to be done, people to see, and later caught himself thinking about it. Eren was just a cocky brat, and was always trying to push at boundaries, and find new ground to explore. That was just who Eren was; an explorer.
"I don't know if you realise how much I grew up." Eren murmured softly as his eyes darted down to Levi's lips.
"How do you know?" Levi didn't move. He felt pinned under the hungry gaze daring to devour him alive.
"You're still treating me like a child." Eren smirked. His teeth were practically bared.
"I'm not." Levi tried to stare Eren down, but only found that it egged Eren on.
"Then show me."
There it was. The line that Levi wasn't sure if he should cross. One side of him told him, no, this couldn't happen. He'd tutored and watched out for the boy since he was fifteen. It would be wrong to even consider the idea of anything other than a strict tutor and student relationship. However, the other side told him to fuck it. He'd been trying, somewhat, to stay in everyone's good books, and do what was right in everyone else's eyes, and where had that gotten him? Nowhere. He didn't ever expect an extravagant reward, or some kind of ceremony for being a responsible adult, but he felt a little cheated. He'd done as asked, and the only thanks him or Eren had gotten was snide comments from the public, or another heartache as another one of their comrades fell, chomped and crushed into smithereens before their very eyes. They were the ones who had to bear that, so that the public didn't. And, actually, Eren was a complete adult now. He could make his own decisions, he could chose his own partners, and had a little more say in what went on in his own life. Yeah. Eren was an adult. He could decide. After all, it was Eren that had been approaching him, so it was obvious that it wasn't just some sick perverted fantasy that Levi had cultivated in his mind. Eren had been the one to initiate it.
"Make a choice, Levi."
That was it. Levi stood up on his tiptoes, begrudgingly, and wrenched Eren down properly by the back of his neck. Levi crashed their lips together, accidentally catching Eren's lip on his teeth, and gripped onto Eren tightly. Eren's hands whipped down and grabbed Levi's waist, and held him still as he tilted his head to the side to try to deepen their kiss into something more heated, more desperate. Levi could taste the yearning on his tongue, and felt a feeling that was almost like a craving that told Levi to just hold Eren closer, just bring him a little nearer.
Eren gasped at the feeling of Levi's fingers tugging harshly at his hair, and quickly found himself with Levi's tongue pretty much jammed halfway down his throat. He replied in kind, and sucked on Levi's tongue. A drawn out groan rumbled in Levi's throat, and Eren didn't even realised he'd growled until Levi tugged away and looked at him with his eyebrows raised.
"What was that, Jaeger?" Levi had one hand in Eren's hair and one on his shoulder.
"Uh…" Eren swallowed thickly.
"You'll be the death of me, I swear." Levi went to try and kiss Eren again, but a hand on his chest stopped him.
"You better not die on me, old man." Eren raised an eyebrow.
"Old man? Who are you calling old man, you dickweed?" Levi narrowed his eyes at Eren.
"Well, maybe you could prove you're not so old."
"Oh yeah?" Levi glared at Eren. "You're on."
A deep laugh left Eren's throat as Levi snatched a hold of Eren's hand and dragged him inside. They ran up worn stone steps, and down the dark corridor until Levi threw Eren against his door. Levi caged Eren against the door with his arms, and scowled at Eren, and made Eren grin cockily at Levi.
"I'm not convinced." Eren shrugged.
"I'll give you not convinced, you hyperactive wank-dog."
"Wank-dog? That's creative." Eren laughed as he ran a hand down Levi's side to feel the muscles under Levi's shirt. His eyebrows rose and his eyes flickered down as he gave Levi's stomach an appreciative squeeze.
"Shut up." Levi shook his head as he wiped the smirk off of Eren's face as he kissed Eren and fought with the door handle, and they stumbled their way into Levi's room.
"Feisty for such a small guy. Let's just hope not everything's small."
"You dick."
"Exactly." Eren smirked cheekily and panted into Levi's ear.