A/N: I'm actually pretty happy about this one. Hope you like it too!


"Ready to go, brat?"

"Yeah. Let's go," I replied, opening the car door and sitting down in the passenger's seat. The car smelled brand new, but I could tell that it wasn't. He must have taken really good care of it. But that was nothing new. Even from my limited contact with the man, I could tell that he was a major clean freak. Call it intuition or call it being perceptive, but I had a feeling he had way more kinks and odd mannerisms than I had personally come into contact with yet at that point.

When the car revved into life, I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. Was I…nervous? No. I couldn't have been. I'd been in so many guys' cars. I'd gone to a bunch of places all over town. Good neighborhoods, bad neighborhoods, residential neighborhoods. I had seen it all and then some. But the feeling persisted. I couldn't explain it, so I decided instead to try to ignore it. I thought of food in my belly and the contentedness that went along with being fed and not even having to pay for it.

During my time thinking about that, he arrived, and the sudden stop in the parking lot jarred me from my thoughts with a sharp lurch. I didn't mind it and simply figured to get out of the car and follow Levi's lead without commenting on his parking skills, or lack of them.

He lead me into the establishment, which appeared to serve Italian food, but it was not one of those family restaurants with a warm, personal atmosphere. It was stuffy and probably expensive. I chuckled inwardly, glad I wouldn't be paying, even though I would end up having to offer to go halfsies for courtesy. When the hostess say us come in, she smiled softly and led us to our table. It was set for two, as expected. When we sat down, I noticed how Levi's dark green satin shirt shone slightly by the candlelight. After we were both settled, the waitress left us with a plastered-on smile. Ah, customer service…

Minutes later, before either of us had the chance to engage in any serious conversation, she brought a bottle of red wine and two wine glasses, filling them halfway with the same smile on her face and then walked away, still wordless. I wondered how many guys Levi had brought here on dates for her to know what to do without having to ask.

"Why did you ask me to come over that day two months ago?" I asked, breaking the tense silence.

"To be honest, I was horny as fuck."

"Is that why you asked me out then?"

"No. Now I actually want to get to know you better." "Because you told me your secrets, right? You want to make sure I can guard them?" I interrogated, feeling used.

"Not at all, Eren. I don't really know why I told you about my past, but it was at least a little bit because I trusted you. I had this feeling that I could tell you. And we're here now because I was thinking about it and I realized that there are only a few people who you can trust with stuff like that and who will let you tell it all to them and listen to it all and that I needed to at least try with you. I don't want to let this opportunity pass me by," he explained, seeming genuine. While he face rarely seemed to move, I saw in his eyes a new expressing. It looked almost pleading. So I decided that I would give him a shot. If he really thought I was such a good guy, I'd let him find out for himself if he was right.


Our conversation over dinner was pleasant after that. We didn't talk about any more of that heavy stuff, but I didn't feel that the time we spent together was wasted. When he paid the check and the dinner portion of our date ended, he drove us back to his apartment. When we got there and our shoes and coats were off and neatly stowed, we headed back toward his bedroom, and he had deftly taken off my shirt in a matter of seconds and was working on my pants when I stopped him, placing my hands on his to signal a pause.

"Wait," I started. He just looked up at me, meeting my eyes with confusion on his face. "Not…tonight. Not yet. I, um, don't want to mess this up before it even starts, whatever it is." To this Levi nodded understandingly. He actually gave me a ghost of a smile, appearing pleased at my restraint. It took all of my self-control to deny him, but I knew that if I was ever going to work out with him, I'd need to actually get to know him before we had sex again.

After what seemed to be an eternity of silence, Levi said, "So do you want to stay and watch a movie with me?" In response I nodded and removed my pants so I would be comfortable if I fell asleep during the movie. Knowing Levi's obsession for cleanliness, I folded up my garments and placed them on the arm of a nearby chaise. While I was busy with that, Levi had removed his clothes as well and had only a pair of black basketball shorts worn over his underwear, presumably. I smiled as we both got into bed and he put his arm around me. After about twenty minutes of the movie, neither of us was really paying attention, but it was left on for soothing ambient noise. We cuddled in his bed for some time before I fell asleep in his arms, warmed by peace and the feeling of self-respect I gained by turning down sex in favor of emotional growth. I fell asleep without trying because the peaceful lull that had blended into rest was just as rejuvenating.


A/N: I know this is short, but I felt this was an important chapter nonetheless because it shows Eren's emotional growth, even if it's just a little. Anyway, leave reviews telling me what YOU think and what you think should happen next! Have a great day!