I posted this on Tumblr months ago but a friend suggested that I put it here so voila! I might post my other works as well so *pumps fist* I'm looking forward to it! (This is my first time publishing as you can see asdfghjkl this ship has truly sucked me into fandom life ^^)
Written for the prompt ask: 22. "I've seen the way you look at me when you think I don't notice."
Disclaimer: I do not own Attack on Titan. Isayama does. Lucky bastard.
If there was one bad habit that Eren Jaeger possessed other than swooping down in a rage before using his head, it was staring.
It couldn't be helped, really. He had always come off as creepy when he was a little kid. The town children would often gush about the anti-social boy whose wide, unsettling green eyes locked onto their every move, hiding behind the corners of walls with a disturbingly nonchalant expression on his face.
After meeting Armin and Mikasa and enlisting in the military at 12, he toned down the creepy stalker persona, but his staring habit remained. Contrary to popular belief, Eren wasn't as Titan-crazed as his peers made him out to be, and was quite observant of his fellow squad mates. He'd often pick up on the ominous glint in Sasha's eye when the topic of hunting came up, how Krista would unconsciously tuck some hair behind her ear when Ymir was around, or when Annie would stay in the dining hall to idly chat with Marco while all the other recruits were leaving—the little stuff.
Also, in contradiction to his male friends' claims, Eren was capableof growing an attraction to someone, however short it lasted. Back then, he'd find himself being enraptured by Armin's sparkling demeanor when he talked about his dreams of the outside world, getting lost in Jean's eyes when they had their usual alpha-male contests, or gazing too long at Reiner's physique when he did his daily workout routine, but all those fleeting moments of admiration were snuffed out in favor of his anger toward the Titans and the hypocrites who brushed off the cruel reality they lived in.
When he met Captain Levi, however, his attraction flared out full force, which only led to his staring habit getting worse.
Eren never directed so much focus onto a single person his entire life. Most days, he'd pay attention to every single detail associated with his superior, from the odd manner in which he held his teacup, to the cool intensity in his eyes when Hange and Erwin casually discussed battle plans and other Titan theories with him, to the half-assed poop jokes he made that Eren understood as an attempt to lift the tense atmosphere, to his relaxed, rugged posture and speech that still managed to carry off an air of finesse and extraordinary grace—like a wolf preparing to bare its sharp fangs and bark out its intent if need be.
And when he'd demonstrate his fighting abilities and maneuvering skills—oh God, how Eren wished he could watch that phenomenal display of prowess forever….
He thought he could pass off this unnerving admiration as simple hero-worship, just like he'd done with the rest. He really did.
But Levi was different, somehow. He couldn't really place how his admiration kept surging up so strongly the more he interacted with the older man. Maybe it was the fact that Levi was human, undoubtedly so, just like everyone else. Eren had long since stopped placing him on a pedestal, and it was better that way.
Unfortunately, the growing attraction was something he still couldn't define. With Armin, Eren had felt a warm glow in his chest. With Jean, he'd felt the fluttering of butterflies in his stomach.
However, with Levi….
"Hey, Eren."
Eren snapped from his thoughts, his heart and stomach dropping as Levi, arms crossed and fairly leaning to the side, regarded him with his infamous blank stare, the one he'd given up on trying to read so long ago, because making assumptions about Levi instead of confronting him head-on would only get him nowhere.
His heart rate began to increase when Levi wouldn't stop looking at him, noticing how his superior's dark blue eyes seemed to be piercing through his soul. Levi unfolded his arms from his chest, placed them on his hips, and raised a brow in—was that amusement?
"I've seen the way you look at me when you think I don't notice." he said, blunt and simple.
"S-sir, I-" Eren stumbled for the words.
"No need to be flustered about it." Levi interrupted, but Eren continued to feel his cheeks warming. He exhaled, realizing he'd held his breath when the captain spoke.
"I'm honestly impressed that you've developed what observational skills you have," Levi quipped, "However, that doesn't mean that I'm still not creeped out whenever I catch you watching me from behind a wall or some shit."
"I apologize if I've ever made you uncomfortable, Sir."
"Tch. You can make up for that by taking care of that staring habit of yours. How about you put it to good use for when you read your opponents' movements some time, hm?"
As Levi stared at him coolly, Eren's mouth dropped. It took him a few seconds to close it before proceeding to come up with an appropriate answer.
"Understood, Captain. I'll control it from now on."
"Hm. You'd better." The man turned away with a swift precision that had Eren knees shaking slightly, and soon he was out of the young boy's sight. Eren suddenly clutched at his chest with one hand, his stomach reeling from the somersaults it performed while in the Captain's presence.
With Levi…Eren felt the sensations he'd feel when flying with the maneuver gear—fast, thrilling, and so, so, free; he was willing to stare into the face of freedom as much as he could.