Warnings: Language

Tender Care

Chapter 6

Levi looked around the room. He could feel a pulsating sensation against his skull, making his one eye twitch. The whole house was a wreck.

"Eren! Get your fat arse down here!" The male shouted as he crossed his arms against his chest and started tapping his foot against the wooden floor boards. The sound of heavy rain hitting against the windows and thunder roaring mixed with the tapping of his feet was the only sounds that could be heard.

He wasn't mad. He really wasn't, but the whole reason as to why the house was in its current state was all because of Eren. He looked at the mud patterns on the floor, the couch, the table and some mud was even on the walls.

He wasn't mad.

He was furious. There was a difference. Erens new dog had been outside for most of the morning, in the rain, and when the brunette had finally decided to bring the dog in, not thinking about how messy said dog was, the little mutt went wild and started running around the whole house.

When Eren had finally caught the dog he had run upstairs and decided to give the dog a bath. Now, it seemed like it was a total accident, but Levi had told Eren not to let the dog out that morning. He had also said that once the dog was out, he stayed out. But Eren never listened to him. He'd let the dog out and then he'd brought it back in. And now the house was a wreck.

"Eren!" He shouted once more, a flash of lightening followed by the sound of thunder coming from outside, making his mood seem far worse than what it really was.

He waited patiently for the brunette to come downstairs, and once he had all he could do was whistle lowly and look down and the drenched dog in his arms. "Damn Levi, you sure messed up" he said as he scratched the dogs head in a loving way.

"Eren, I want this cleaned up before we leave. Get started" the real and clean Levi said, the tapping his foot made against the wood stopping and his arms un-crossing and falling to his side. "You can't be serious... It'll take me forever to get this cleaned before we leave... You can't make me do this alone... You're also to be blamed anyway" Eren said, glaring at the other.

"How can I be blamed? You let the dog outside even when I told you not to, and then you brought him in even when I told you to leave him outside because he was going to be all dirty. This is all your fault and you're going to clean it up. You're the one that wanted the dog so you will be taking responsibility for it"

"Please just help me. It shouldn't be a problem for you since cleaning is all you do anyway" the brunette said his glare only darkening at the other, who just ignored it completely.

"You can clean up this mess while I go and drop the dog off at your friends house. I expect this house to be clean and tidy when I get back. Now. Get started" he said as he took the small little dog from Eren and made his way out the house, stopping to grab a coat and all the dogs essentials before exiting and making his way to his car. He paid no attention to the brunettes fussing and just kept his mind focused on getting the dog to Armins.

The reason as to why he was dropping the dog off there was simple. They were going to Levi's home town for the weekend and since his sister was highly allergic to dogs, he didn't want to bring puppy-Levi with them because his sisters allergies could get pretty bad and he wasn't going to risk Mikasa get sick because of him.

Once he was in his car and out of the cold rain he sat in the drivers seat for a few minutes, staring in front of him. The windows were all fogged up and he had to reach out and wipe away all the mist so that he could see.

The rain was tapping heavily against the windows and roof of his car, the sound making him relax in his seat. He loved the rain. He actually loved storms. Other people may get scared of it but he had always enjoyed it. The sound of thunder, the flashes of lightening.

He may have loved the weather but he knew that it was dangerous. The roads were slippery and accidents could occur. He'd have to be extra careful while riding today, but he didn't mind. A long slow drive wouldn't kill anyone.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of puppy-Levi barking up at him, reminding him of the reason as to why they were both in the car. Levi sighed out. The little dog had been more troublesome then he thought it would be. He knew he said that the dog was Erens responsibility, but he'd also taken on some of it and because of that his own stress doubled. Not only that but he hadn't yet told Erens dad about the dog, mainly because he had a lot on his plate.

"Who knew looking after a brat and a dog would be so problematic and tiring..." The blackette muttered to himself as he reached out and scratched the dogs soft, black fur. 'Is that was dad wants? To tire me out?' He asked himself.

He shook his head. 'No... That's not it. I don't know what dads true intentions are. I still think he's trying to turn me into a housewife. That old bastard'

When Levi returned from dropping off the dog he'd arrived to a not so clean home.

"Eren... This isn't clean" the blackette said as he stared blankly at the other teen. Eren just shook his head. "There isn't enough time to clean this up properly. We can just do everything when we get back on sunday" he said.

Levi sighed. "You will be helping then. Don't think that I'm going to be cleaning up all of your dog's mess" he said as he walked out of the room and made his way towards his own. "Go get your stuff and put it in the car. And don't dirty my seats. There's a cloth in the boot, use that to wipe your feet off"

"Yes, boss" Eren said as he too made his way up the stairs and into his own room, grabbing the two small bags that were on his bed and then walking out again and down to the front door. He put his coat on and exited the house. He made his way to Levi's car and opened the boot, grabbed the cloth before placing his bags in and then making his way to the front of the car. He opened the door wide and sat down with his feet still out the car.

"Damn clean freak" he muttered to himself before wiping off the mud from his shoes and then placing them inside the warmth of the car. "He really is like an old man" the brunette said as he tightened his coat around him. Despite the warmth in the car he was still freezing. His whole body was shivering and shaking.

He ignored the cold and looked out the window besides him. It was fogged up, but one swipe of his hand and he could see out of it again.

He stared up at the sky. It was quite dark, despite it being midday. He supposed it was due to the dark rain clouds up in the sky. The weather made him feel depressed. He felt like he was on his way to his death.

The teen was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't hear Levi get in on the drivers side next to him. He only realized when the other handed something to him. "Here"

Eren turned to look at the other male and then down at the thing he had placed in his lap. It was a thick blanket. "Thanks" Eren said as he unfolded the blanket and wrapped it around him, kicking his shoes off as he did so.

"What about you?" The brunette asked when he saw that Levi didn't have a blanket for himself. The blackette just shook his head. "I'm not cold" he said as he started up the car.

"Yeah, I forgot that ice pricks can't get cold" Eren says jokingly. Levi says nothing and just allows the car to heat up some more, a awkward silence falling between them.

Once the engine was warm enough the elder of the two put the car in gear and reversed out of the driveway and made his way down the street.

They made their way out of Erens neighborhood and into the main roads.

"Is it not dangerous to drive on such a day?" Eren asked when they stopped my a red light, trying to break the silence that fell between them. Levi nodded his head at the other, tapping his fingers gently on the steering wheel.

"It is, but it won't be dangerous as long as I'm driving safely" the blackette said as he drove once the light went green. Eren sighed. He didn't like this type of weather and he certainly didn't enjoy driving in it.

He looked out his window, looking at the dark skies and trying to find at least one ray of light, but alas, there were none. He sighed out again, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the window.

'Why am I being dragged with him?' The teen asked himself. He wasn't exactly pleased about the fact that he had to go with Levi to his actual home. To Eren it felt like he had always lived with the ever so bossy and clean freak Levi, even though it had only been a month in total. Which meant there was four months left.

'I bet his family is just as weird as him' the brunette thought to himself, trying to imagine what Levi's father and sister would be like. 'Probably some uptight dad and the same clean freak sister. They probably have family get together's and clean each others homes. What a bunch of freaks'

He was shaken from his thoughts by a loud clap of thunder, the sound making him jump in his seat.

Levi looked at the other out of the corner of his eyes, watching as the teen suddenly froze up. "Eren, you okay?" He asked but received silence. He kept his one hand firm on the steering wheel and stretched his other out and rested it on Erens shoulder, shaking him slightly. "Eren?"

The brunette opened his eyes and traveled them down to the others hand that was on his shoulder. He felt a heat form in his cheeks, making him look away from the other. He swatted the hand off him.

"I'm fine" he said, trying to will away the blush that suddenly formed. "Are you scared of storms?" He heard Levi ask. He shook his head furiously. "No..."

"Liar" Levi said. Eren turned to glare at him but was totally caught off guard by the small smile on the other males lips. He felt his blush deepen, making him turn back to look out the window. "Asshole" he muttered out.

A silence fell between them again. The silence made all the smallest of sounds around him seem so loud, the sound of the car, the rain, the wind and his beating heart. The latter seemed to be the only thing the brunette could really hear. The sound vibrated in his ears, making them ache. His heart beat was fast. He could feel it. He wondered if he was maybe dying or about to have a heart attack. That sudden thunder clap had seriously frightened him, but even so he didn't think his heart would start beating erratically because of that.

'It's because he smiled' he said, looking at the blackettes reflection in his own window. 'He seems so concentrated' he noted. 'I guess that isn't something new' he thought to himself, thinking about when the blackette was cleaning and how he always had a look of concentration on his face.

'I don't know why you need to concentrate while cleaning though... Or why you need to clean... Well clean as much as he does' he said. 'That cleaning habit is one of the many things I don't like about him...'

The brunette thought about his plan to get the other man to leave him so that he could stay with Armin and how his plan had ended up back firing. 'At least I didn't get beaten' he thought with a chuckle, making Levi raise a brow at him.

"What are you laughing at?" He asked, as he stopped at a red light and looked over at the brunette. "Oh nothing" the brunette said, his voice highly suspicious.

'I suppose it's my own fault for the plan backfiring' Eren thought. 'I wanted to disobey him, mess the house up entirely and just make him sick and tired of looking after me, but the exact opposite happened'

'Instead of disobeying him I obey' he thought, inwardly scowling at himself. 'Instead of messing up I actually clean... It's like I'm allowing him to control me'

He looked in front of him, looking at the road that seem to never end. He looked at Levi out of the corner of his eyes. 'I want to him to leave, but at the same time I don't... I don't know but it just feels like I've known him forever'

"Stop staring at me" Levi said, knocking Eren from his thoughts and making him realize that he had indeed turned his face to look at him. "S-sorry" he stuttered as he looked back at the road ahead. "You're a brat" Levi said, and Eren could hear the smile in his voice. "And you're a dickhead"

"If I were your parent I'd have made you eat soap to clean that mouth of yours"

"Let's be glad that you aren't" Eren said cheekily, turning to look at the other and pulling his tongue out at him. "Brat" the other said, his lips tilting upwards again.

'He's smiling again' Eren though as he turned back to look out the window next to him, letting some of the blanket that was wrapped around him fall to his waist. He felt his heart speeding up.

'Why does my heart always beat faster when he smiles?' He asked himself, but he had no answer to his own question. Again the teen looked at the blackettes reflection in his window, his eyes suddenly noticing small details about the other that he'd never noticed before.

Although Levi wasn't looking at him, he could sorta make out the shape of his eyes, them being very sharp and a grey colour. Not only that but the brunette noticed the dark bags underneath his eyes, which contrasted with the slight paleness of his skin.

'He actually has quite nice eyes' he thought to himself, taking in other details. 'His nose is quite cute as well' he said to himself, looking at the others small, sharp nose. 'Now that I think about it, most of his features are sharp and defined. I guess that's because he's much more older then me...'

He also noted how even when sitting Levi appeared to be much more shorter then him. "How do you reach the pedals?" Eren asked, making Levi look at him briefly before his eyes traveled back to the road in front of him. "Eren, I'm not that short" he said, his tone monotonous.

"Still makes me wonder" the brunette said with a chuckle. "Despite your height you're far more stronger then me... How is that possible?" Eren asked, staring at the other.

Levi reached a hand out and ruffled Erens hair, making the brunette blush. "It's a secret" he said, the ends of his lips tilting upwards again.

"He's doing it again" Eren muttered under his breath. "What was that?" Levi asked. The brunette shook his head. "Nothing. Just drive you idiot" he said, closing his eyes and resting his head against the window and trying to sleep for the rest of the ride, but all he could hear was a pounding in his ears and it made it difficult for him to sleep.

'Why won't my heart stop its erratic beating?'

Done! Yay! I know it took a while but it seems I had a little bit of writers block! Sorry! This chapters a bit sucky but I did try. Everything that I planned changed completely and turned into something completely different. But that's okay. It still fits in with my initial plan of the story, just interpreted in a different way.

So I hope you enjoyed. Please review. I can ensure you that I do get super motivated when I receive reviews and once I'm motivated I write much quicker!

Sorry if it was a crappy chapter. Maybe the next one will be better! Eren meets Mikasa, Erwin and Hanji! Won't that be fun?!

Bye!