A short drabble. The result of procrastination.

Of Erwin and Levi, and first love that lasted.

Erwin remembers in vivid memory,

they met in early September.

A family of three moved in to the house next to his and became his new neighbors. On that day he made his first friend. They biked to school every morning. Though, his new friend had spent most mornings, in front of the Smith's house because Erwin was not a morning person. And so the smaller boy waited. Most mornings, they barely make it on time. Some mornings, they are undeniably late. And they were scolded by the teacher at least once per week for being late to class. But Levi decided for himself, at the tender age of eleven, that he didn't mind so very much because Erwin, too, was his first friend.

On the first few weeks of school, Erwin locked their bikes together. He was silently afraid that Levi would go home without him and that would be that for their friendship. It was not until they move on to high school, that he realized no such notion had ever even crossed Levi's mind.

Even still, Erwin does so out of habit. Even still, Levi doesn't mind all that much,

because at that point in time, they were figuratively locked to each other anyway.

During their school years, they meet new friends. Erwin with his swim team and Levi with his photography club. There was Hanji and Mike, and Rin and Rei and Makoto and Nagisa and still others. And Petra and Erd and Aurou and Gunter. And the little first years that they took under their wings, so to speak. But still, without fail, even unto high school, they bike home together. And still, out of habit and a made-up tradition, Erwin locks his bike to Levi's.

Not once, has Levi commented against it.

Of course, with every teenager, there come pressures; pressures of school, of parents, of club activities, of friends and not spending enough time with each other, and other such. When all these pressures become too much, they retreat to an old, abandoned shed at the farthest end of the Smith property. This decrepit shed became their get-away, where they felt that they were somewhere else. Far from town, though still at the heart of it.

Levi takes pictures. Of Erwin swimming at swim meets and practice drills. Of Erwin and their group of friends. Of Erwin in their get-away. Of Erwin with a visitor cat. Of Erwin with his guitar. Of Erwin singing. Of Erwin smiling. Of Erwin laughing. Of Erwin. And Levi develops these pictures in his makeshift darkroom at home, in the way he learned best to. Levi finds there is one of himself asleep on a comfortable shoulder that could only belong to Erwin. This one is his favourite, because he knows that Erwin took it with a smile.

They move stuff from their own houses into their get-away. Couch cushions, liberated from the unused couch in Erwin's basement. And later, the unused couch itself. Blankets, pillows, a lamp. A camping thermos and coffee mugs that they use for tea.

Slowly, slowly. Day by day. Week by week. Piece by piece. Their get-away becomes their home. Where they sometimes invite their friends over. Where Levi escapes to and Erwin follows. Where Erwin sleeps when his house full of family becomes a little bit lonelier, and where Levi sleeps beside him. And they fall asleep to talk of real families and the loneliness of being the youngest child in a family of seven.

But then comes one afternoon. One beautiful afternoon. Levi discovers their home on fire. Burning hot in the flames that gobble it down with no mercy. He reaches for his camera, hanging from his shoulders and he takes a picture that he knows he will hate looking at. Erwin finds him later, sitting in front of a pile of ashes where their home used to be. And the taller boy sits beside him, pulling him in closer with an arm around his shoulders. A silent promise of just retribution to the destroyer of memories and moments that have yet to be created in their home. And now never will.

That same week, Erwin finds the arsonists. He lets Levi do most of the work. After all, he was the one who witnessed their memories burn to the ground. It was only just that he let that fire out onto the ones responsible. This is when Erwin reconfirms to himself that Levi's size does no justice to his strength. Though Erwin is the taller of the two, the one on the swim team and the one with a bigger build; Levi is the much better fighter. As they fight together for their justice, he looks on proudly if a little sadly to see Levi's beautiful hands bruised and bleeding. It is the only part of Levi that was hurt in the fight.

The day they graduate is the day they move into a new home. Bought with Erwin's inheritance combined with Levi's savings. Erwin plays him love songs and Levi sings along as he fills their home with the memories and moments forever captured in glossy pieces of paper in picture frames. Levi says, sometimes, that it seems they are playing house.

He keeps taking pictures. He sells the ones that other people pay him to take and keeps the ones taken by himself and Erwin. And still more, their home is filled with memories in picture frames.

Still, in their love, there comes a time of bumpy roads and potholes. This is when Erwin is promoted to Detective Inspector and Levi is paid to share his expertise at the University. This is a time when their schedules rarely synchronized, that they can't meet at all. When most of the time, one is home without the other. But with all the memories that Levi put up, alone didn't seem so long.

And Here. Now. Over ten years have gone by. Though they're locked in time, they can fondly they lay together in the middle of their memories and ask one another,

"Do you remember…?"

Note: If you couldn't tell, this was inspired by "Do You Remember" By: Jack Johnson. I had this song on replay for the whole day, so I had to write something.