Chapter Two – Arrangement

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. Eren went to all his classes but his mind was only focused on the project. He was still pretty steamed over the argument he & Levi had had in the hallway earlier. But he knew that he would have to put his anger aside to work on the project. And after all, three weeks wasn't so bad. Twenty one days . . . Eren thought he could manage twenty one days. He was just thankful that Mr. Smith hadn't assigned the project at the beginning of the semester; Eren would have been in trouble then.

He and Armin were currently sitting in their AP Biology class, listening to Dr. Pixis explain the makeup of DNA. As always, Armin was scribbling hastily away, trying to get every possible detail down. Eren usually doodled and copied the notes from Armin whenever he went over, which was usually every day. Dr. Pixis announced a brief break and the class immediately took advantage of it. Sighing the brunette stood up and stretched, shoulders popping slightly. He glanced over at Armin.

"Have you and Annie already begun planning the project?"

Whenever Annie's name was mentioned Armin always flushed. Right now was no exception. He looked up at Eren with bright blue eyes and replied, "Er, yeah, sorta. She has the baby but I'm going over later so we can actually schedule something."

Eren frowned. He had been hoping to go to Armin's place so they could study for their Pre-Calc test that was on Friday. He sat back down in his seat and sighed. "Looks like you'll be busy with her for a while then."

Armin's flush deepened. Clearing his throat he turned to face Eren. "Have you and Levi started working?"

The fight from earlier flashed in his mind but he knew if he told Armin the blonde would be livid. "Er, sort of. I'm getting the baby once school is over."

"Oh, that's a good start . . . I guess."

"Yeah, yeah. Hey, about our Math test on Friday."

The bell rang loudly, bringing Eren out of his jumbled thoughts. His last class of the day was AP U.S. History, which was taught by Petra Ral, a friendly woman straight out of college. She was reminding everyone over the commotion to read the chapter on the Civil War and to be prepared for a pop quiz. Eren slung his backpack over his shoulder and made his way over to his locker. He mentally decided what to take and what to leave before slamming it shut and making his way to the front entrance. Before he turned the corner to finally go home he stopped in his steps.

Wasn't he forgetting something?

He racked his brain and after a minute his dazzling green eyes went wide. Oh crap, Levi and the baby! He's going to kill me if I'm a no show! Turning sharply on his heel he dashed down the hallway, narrowly avoiding everyone going the opposite way. He slipped through various halls as he made his way towards the gym and only stopped at the corner by the locker rooms. He bent over to catch his breath and hoped to God that Levi wasn't pissed.

Here goes nothing.

Eren shook his head and turned the corner, heart thumping anxiously in his chest. He was relieved to see Levi standing at his locker, going through the contents and neatly putting textbooks in his bag. Their baby boy was held gently in his right arm and yet he managed to put his stuff away without a problem. Eren was unsure whether to greet him or not but thankfully Levi beat him to it.

"Hey brat. I thought for a second you would just take off."

"Nice to see you too," Eren muttered under his breath.

Levi slammed his locker and finally turned to face Eren. He had his usual cool expression on and didn't seem as irritated as before. The baby was juggled into his other arm as he eyed his partner coolly and said, "Change of plans. We're going to my place so we can figure this shit out."

"Wha-what?! But I . . . I have things to do!"

"Like what? An idiot like you never does their work anyway."

Eren bit his tongue so he wouldn't lose his temper again. Sighing he stepped aside and gestured towards the hallway. "Lead the way."

Levi smirked and began walking down the hallway. They made their way to the front entrance and into the student parking lot. Raising an eyebrow Eren looked back towards the street and asked, "Uhhh, where are you going?"

Levi sighed and turned around. "We're in the parking lot what do you think? God, are you seriously such an idiot?"

"Watch yourself," Eren warned.

The response was another smirk and a sigh. "Come on, I'll drive you to my place."

Eren would have continued to be mad if it wasn't for Levi's car. It was the newest Audi model, its white body gleaming in the sunlight without as much as a spot on it. A6 greeted him as they approached from behind; he was sure that his jaw was wide open with surprise. With the tap of a button Levi unlocked the doors, the headlights flashing as it did. He busied himself with putting his bag in the backseat while Eren continued to drool over his car.

"Oi, brat. Are you going to continue to get wet over my car or actually get in?"

Eren flushed and muttered a quick apology before settling into the passenger seat. Levi sat down in the driver's seat and turned to Eren. "Here, take the baby. Hold on to him tight."

I guess he's going to take this seriously, Eren thought to himself as he took the baby into his arms. Levi started the car and they were off. He pulled out of the parking lot and began driving towards Stohess. Stohess was known as the wealthier part of the city, where many businessmen and even some celebrities lived. It was split evenly between being residential and commercial; the nicer shopping mall was located there. Eren figured it made sense, especially given Levi's nice car.

He didn't really know what to expect. Eren lived in Shinganshina, a middle class neighborhood that wasn't too bad to live in. The crime rate was fairly low but that didn't mean that they didn't occur. His father was a doctor and his mom was a secretary for an insurance company, so his family did decent. Their high school was located in the city of Rose, which was the middle ground between Stohess and Shinganshina. Rose was known for being more business than anything, with schools, skyscrapers, and stores crowding its streets.

As they finally arrived in Stohess the houses became bigger and more spread out. Eren's eyes widened as he spotted Victorian mansions, modernized super homes, and the newest models of luxury cars sitting pretty in the driveways. Eventually they reached Levi's home, a two story house styled in Spanish architecture. He stopped his car in front of the garage and, once it had opened, parked it neatly inside. They stepped out and he guided Eren towards a door on the side.

He couldn't figure out if the whole house was a dream or not.

It looked like it was ripped straight out of a fancy living magazine. They were standing in the entryway, complete with high vaulted ceilings and polished tile floors. A winding staircase was to their right with a set of French double doors leading into the living room. Levi led him there and gestured for Eren to sit in one of the couches. He gladly did so and watched as his host walked into the kitchen.

"Do you want anything to drink?"

"No, I'm good thanks."

Levi still brought back a water bottle, which Eren grudgingly accepted. He grunted a thanks and settled more into the couch. The baby was still in his arms and he made sure not to squish it. He looked down and realized that he hadn't even gotten a good look at it. It had a small tuft of black hair and glassy, light green eyes. His cheeks were round and slightly flushed. It creeped him out how incredibly lifelike it was. He raised an eyebrow and looked back up.

His partner was digging through his bag and pulled out a notebook and a pen. He pulled out the baby package after and gave a long sigh. Just like Eren, he just wanted to get this project over with.

"Alright, so we need a schedule."

Eren put the baby down on the couch. "We need to spend how many hours again?"

"Four hours. Don't you pay attention?"

A quick flare of anger began to bubble within him. He sucked in a breath and muttered, "Right, we can split it up on the weekend or something."

Levi scribbled it down quickly. "How about . . . Two hours on Friday and then the other two on Saturday? We can switch off Sundays."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound too bad. What about during the week?"

He tapped his pen on the notebook. "Tch. Well I had the baby today, only makes it right you get it tomorrow."

Eren frowned. "You had the baby for like two hours. That doesn't mean you can just dump it on me."

Levi narrowed his eyes. Was the kid being for real? He pinched the bridge of his nose and bit his tongue so that he didn't snap. Once he was slightly calmed down he said, "Look, I don't want to do this stupid project as much as you do. Let's just get this figured out yeah?"

Eren crossed his arms and fell silent. Sighing he rolled his eyes and muttered, "Yeah, sure."

"Great. So you'll get the baby for the rest of the day. You can take care of it all tomorrow too."

"What?! That's not fair! You've only had the baby during school!"

"I can't do this on my own," Levi growled.

"This is bullshit! Why can't you just have the baby after school?"

"You act like I have all the time in the world to take care of this baby! You're lazy so you can do it!"

"I am not lazy! You're just an annoying stuck up control freak!"

The two continued to bicker on for a couple of minutes, the task of organizing completely forgotten. They accused each other and argued over who would perform duties better. The living room was filled with the sound of them yelling, their voices echoing off the walls. They would have continued fighting if it hadn't been for a sudden interruption.

What Mr. Smith had failed to mention was that the baby simulator acted like an actual baby. It reacted to different situations and was even able to feed and soil its diaper. While Eren and Levi were arguing fiercely the baby had sensed the stress and began to wail miserably. Immediately the two boys became silent, staring at the baby with wide eyes.

"Is the baby . . .?" Eren's voice trailed off.

"The little shit is actually crying," Levi murmured.

Since the baby was next to Eren, he picked it up and began rocking it awkwardly in his arms. He tried shushing it but it continued on crying. The wails got louder and louder until Eren was wincing and wanting to cover his ears. Groaning, Levi stood up from his spot and strode over to Eren.

"Give me that. I can handle this."

He gently took the baby and pulled it into his arms. Eren watched, amazed, as he rocked the baby perfectly and began to coo at it. His arms moved back and forth slowly, lulling the baby and calming it down. Eventually its wails became whimpers and soft hiccups. Levi was murmuring something under his breath that Eren couldn't understand. After about a minute the baby's eyes had closed and it began to snore quietly.

"Whoa . . . How did you do that?" Eren looked up at Levi, impressed.

He shrugged as he continued to rock it. "I have a baby cousin. She's very uneasy and cries often so I usually have to calm her down. I babysit her a lot."

Eren blinked. Was Levi really capable of being gentle? He tried to picture him with a baby girl in his arms but couldn't quite finish the picture. Levi settled back into his spot but continued to hold onto the baby. An awkward silence enveloped them and for a second they forgot the purpose of being there.

Levi set the baby aside gently and picked up the notebook again. "Can we please just figure out a schedule just for the week?"

"Sure, sure."

After about thirty minutes they managed to arrange plans just for the week. They had talked everything out to avoid conflict and decided that Eren would have the baby for tomorrow. This time around they would be at Eren's place. Levi would get the baby the day after and they would continue planning from there. They also began filling out the packet and filled in the tentative schedule.

The baby was still sleeping when they wrapped up. Eren sighed in relief as he stood up and informed Levi he was going to head back home. He waved and made his way back to the entry room.

"Oi, brat. How are you getting home?"

He glanced over his shoulder to see Levi standing in the doorway. Shrugging he casually replied, "I'm probably gonna take the bus. I think I saw a bus stop a couple ways down."

Levi narrowed his eyes. "It's getting dark out. To hell you think I'm gonna let you wait in the dark. Let me grab my keys."

"Levi, seriously it's fine. I take the bus all the time."

His words reached deaf ears. Levi had walked into the kitchen to grab his keys and then dashed up the stairs to leave the baby in his room. Eren sighed and began walking outside, figuring if he hurried he could probably escape Levi.

Fifteen minutes later they pulled up to Eren's house. He was slightly embarrassed, especially after seeing where Levi lived. With his hand on the door he awkwardly turned to Levi and said, "Er, thanks for the ride. I'll see you tomorrow."

Levi waved his hand, eyes locked somewhere outside his window. "Yeah. See ya."

Eren scrambled out of the car and made his way up the driveway, glancing over his shoulder in time to see Levi driving off.


Just a couple of notes for you all :

- I know cannonically that Levi's last name is "Ackerman" but for the story it will be Rivaille . Mikasa will show up later in the story & I really don't want to explain how the two have the same last name . It's confusing enough in the manga so Rivaille it is .

- Don't expect the two to just jump into the relationship . I want this to be as realistic as possible so they will end up together but in due time ! Just stick with me people (:

- ALSO there might be some chapters that focus on the other pairings (ArminxAnnie , JeanxMarco , etc.) but they won't be until later on .

Please let me know what you thought ! Reviews are greatly appreciated as are favorites & follows if you haven't already . Let me know what to work on or if you have any suggestions . Until next time :D