Eruriren Week Day 5: Science
It's only hella late. This can be found on AO3 under fairylights101 as well.
Astronomy was but one of the many loves they shared. It was also what had them laying on a desolate hilltop so they could watch the lunar eclipse. Levi had spread a blanket out on the ground - he refused to sit on the earth and grass, having deemed it to be too filthy for his tastes. Eren didn't mind, not when the blanket was soft, their thermoses were full with hot cocoa, and definitely not when Erwin's thighs pillowed his head as his stomach doubled as a resting place for Levi's head. Erwin, the poor blond, only had a tree trunk to lay back against, but judging by the smile on his face just visible in the darkness, he didn't mind. Slender fingers tangled through his, as Levi raised their arms to point up at the night sky. It was a thick black canvas, filled with seemingly random dots of silver to the unaware and untrained eye. However, the three of them could see the patterns in the sky. They could trace the lines and see the constellations. Oh my God, we're such nerds. "Look, there's Leo."
Green eyes followed the path of that finger until they found the familiar group of stars. He traced the paths that the star charts would make, direct from one star to the other before they added the lion around it. Eren moved Levi's hand down a little until they settled upon another constellation. "How about Virgo? She's the complete opposite of the three of us."
The legs beneath his heads shook as soft laughter bubbled out of Erwin, rich and deep. "Eren, I don't think you need to broadcast our sex life for the whole world to hear."
Emerald orbs rolled as he swatted at Erwin's hand playfully. "You do realize that there's no one around? I could scream at the top of my lungs that I let the two of you screw me and nobody would hear."
"He does have a point, Erwin. Unfortunately." Levi got a smack for that as well, though they quickly resettled, eyes returning to the stars and the moon. The slightest sliver of silver had been devoured already by the shadow of the earth. His body was practically vibrating with excitement - he'd missed the previous lunar eclipse because he'd been too sick to go, so spending time with his lovers doing something they all genuinely enjoyed absolutely made his night.
Long, warm fingers tangled through his hair, tugging gently as they all stared up. "Eren… Star names of Ursa Minor."
"Sirius, Antares, Canopus, Alphard, Regulus, Aldebaran, Polaris, Pherkad, Perhard, Yildun, and Procyon. Levi… Star names of Draco."
"Aldhibain, Aldib, Alsafi, Altais, Alwaid, Arrakis, Edasich, Etamin… Do I have to continue?"
"Yes!"
"Dammit, Eren… Ugh, fine. There's Gianfar, Grumium… Kuma, Rastaban, Thuban, and… Tyl. Erwin, you've got Crux."
Eren didn't have to glance up to see the smirk on Erwin's face - Levi had just picked one of the simplest constellations to challenge Erwin with. "Acrux, Becrux, Decrux, and Gacrux. You really have to pick harder ones, Levi."
"Mmm… bit hard when this shitlord is petting my hair and making it hard to concentrate." Eren couldn't help the grin that flashed across his face as his fingers dragged through Levi's hair once more, dragging the silken strands back with slow, soothing movements. He couldn't help it, not really. It was just too fun to pet Levi's head - better than Erwin, but it was by an extremely slim margin.
"What, he gets to have his hair messed with and I don't? Rude."
"Sorry," Eren laughed as he kissed Erwin's stomach. "My hands are kind of occupied." The fact that all of their hands were somehow tangled together made it a bit hard to ensure that everyone had equal amounts of touching. "When we get home, I'll pet your hair all you want."
"Throw in a maid outfit and I'll cook breakfast," Levi murmured, the croak of bullfrogs nearly covering up his voice.
Eren's cheeks burned as he squeezed Levi's hand, perhaps a bit harder than necessary, but it didn't matter - Levi could take it. "I'm not wearing that maid outfit! You said you'd only ask me to wear it once!"
Warm fingers grazed the shell of his ear, sending shivers racing down his spine. "How about you wear it for me then?" Erwin's voice was a silken purr, one dripping with raw seduction and heat. Four hands covered Eren's heated face as he fought to cover his burning cheeks with his hands and theirs. It was pointless considering the darkness, but he didn't care, not one bit.
"You guys are assholes," he muttered into their hands as he not-so-discreetly breathed in the aroma of Erwin's sweet, vanilla-y hand sanitizer.
"Ah," Levi drawled as he managed to prod of one of Eren's burning cheeks, "But you love it when we pound yours."
"Levi!" he didn't have too see the smaller man's face to know that there was a sadistic smirk plastered across his face. The legs beneath him shuddered as Erwin laughed, quiet and discreet as ever. That didn't make it any better. "Fuck you both."
"I know you'd like to, but let's save that for home. I like my ass penetrated with lube, and despite how thorough Erwin is, I really doubt he has anything resembling that on him at this moment."
Eren scowled and thumped the two of them with their clasped hands. "You're a fucking perv, Levi."
"Eren, don't deny that you don't like it." Eren stuck his tongue out at Erwin as they settled back into silence, the conversation slipping away as they stared up at the night sky. To the blanket of black velvet studded with silver jewels with the grandest of all slowly being devoured by a red shadow. They watched, tracing the patterns of constellations into each other's skin as the moon slowly but surely disappeared over the span of an hour. And then the last sliver of silver was gobbled up by the darkness, leaving behind a disk of orange hovering in the sky. It looked ominous and foreboding in the night sky, as though something dark was about to happen. Eren grinned up at the moon, every nerve and cell in his body tingling as he stared up to the heavens, to the astral bodies he would likely never touch.
"I want to go there…"
Two hands squeezed at his, comforting and sympathetic. They didn't need to say it for him to know - they all wanted the same thing. They wanted to go up and see the stars and comets through more than a telescope or pictures. They wanted to shed the burden of gravity as they floated through space, held back from the unforgiving void only by the tethers binding them to the shuttle or station. "But only if you guys are with me… We could walk on the moon or Mars of an asteroid. See different galaxies… Find new life…" But they didn't have the technology. If they left on a mission, it would take ages to simply get to Mars - one hundred and sixty-two days to be precise. And that was the planet closest to Earth aside from Venus. Why couldn't we have been born a decade or two later? Then we might have been able to touch those stars.
Warm, soft fingers traced across his cheek. "One day we will, Eren… I think one day, the three of us will make it up there. Some way or another."
The brunette hummed in agreement as Levi gently squeezed at his fingers. They would make it somehow, some way, some day. There was just too much persistence in their natures, their drive to succeed beyond normal. The three lovers lapsed back into silence as the red glow began to leave the moon, revealing the silver-white color beneath. It was like watching a film be ever so slowly edged off something as it gradually returned to normal. Somewhere nearby, yet another chorus of bullfrogs and crickets started up, making their own medley for the end of the total lunar eclipse. Almost as if they were bidding it a fond farewell.
Eren grinned as his eyes traced the familiar contours of the moon, seeking out details that were nearly impossible to make out without the aid of a telescope. Even so, he tried hard as he listened to the frogs and crickets, as he reveled in the feeling of a solid, firm chest rise and fall beneath his head, as he breathed in the sweet aroma of the crisp, clear night air. "I love you guys…"
"Love you too, Eren."
"Like ya, brat."
His laughter echoed across the hill, loud and full of mirth at the men he had helplessly fallen head over heels for. Even after the red film had disappeared from before the moon, they remained at their spot for a while longer, lying peacefully, quietly atop the blanket. It was a time simply full of them listening to each other breathe, to the song of the countless nocturnal animals who were up and about. It was a time of quiet, unspoken love, communicated through gentle touches, subtle squeezes, and fingers that teasingly traced across sensitive patches of skin. As Erwin's watch neared two in the morning they finally rose onto stiff legs. Joints cracked, thermoses were recapped, and the blanket was folded up once more, though to Levi's distaste it was still covered in blades of grass. They left the hill of stars behind with soft kisses and hand holding, Eren caught between the two older men as they slowly made their way back to the car with stars in their eyes.