Author's Note: Hi, everyone! I'm back from my vacation, so I will now go back to posting chapters daily. Eventually, school is going to start back up again, and the releases are going to come less often, and for that I apologize! For now though, just enjoy. Thanks for reading!
...
I guess I'm not going to get to see him today… Eren thought somberly as he put aside his book.
Eren looks at his bedside clock, watching the second hand complete its rotation.
5:00… I should be with Levi right now… I miss him. I need him!
Eren throws one of his pillows in frustration, and it lands at the foot of his bed.
If I wasn't stuck in bed, I could be talking with Levi… I need his help more then ever. I still see those men every time I close my eyes…
Eren shivers involuntarily at the thought, bile rising in his throat, his breathing painfully accelerating. It takes him several minutes to calm down as he clutches a pillow tightly in front of him like a shield, thoughts of Levi keeping the bad memories at bay. Eren, sick and tired of being stuck in bed, swings his feet over the side and slowly stands up, his bruised body screaming in protest. Eren's legs are shaky; he's barely walked for the past week. He half walks, half stumbles to the door of his room, a warm but invisible hand pressed to the small of his back, guiding him. He uses the wall as a brace as he makes his way down the hall.
Where the hell am I going? It still hurts so much, so why am I even doing this?
Eren finds himself walking to his front door. Once there, he turns the knob and the door quickly swings open past him. As the door violently swings open, Eren dodges to avoid getting hit, but promptly loses his balance and pitches forward. Eren closes his eyes, bracing to hit the ground, but instead is caught roughly by a set of strong arms. Eren yelps loudly, in pain and in surprise.
Why didn't I hit the ground?
Eren looks up at the person who caught him, and his heart swells with joy.
"Levi!" Eren cries happily, hugging Levi tight.
"What are you doing out of bed, Eren? I thought you were supposed to be resting; that's why I decided to make a house visit rather than having you come all the way out to my office."
"You made a special house visit just for me? I'm so happy! I thought I wasn't going to get to see you this week."
"Oi, answer my question!"
"I don't know… I just kinda felt compelled to get up and open the door, and lo and behold, there you were!"
Eren is now grinning like a love-sick puppy, and Levi gently smacks the back of Eren's head.
"Back to bed with you!" Levi decrees, picking up Eren bridal style and walking inside, closing the door behind him with his foot.
Eren makes a surprised noise when Levi picks him up, but quickly snuggles into Levi, wrapping his arms around Levi's neck.
"Which way to your room, brat?"
"That way…" Eren answers timidly.
Eren points down the hallway, a fierce blush coloring his cheeks. Levi rolls his eyes, looking down at Eren.
"Come on, Eren, it's not like we're-"
Levi quickly looks up, his face bright red. He shifts Eren in his arms, refusing to look at him.
"Geez, get ahold of yourself, Eren."
Eren blushes even darker, even dying the tips of his ears red. He opens his mouth to speak, but Eren's mom walks in before Eren can reply. Eren quickly hides his face and prays that his mom won't see the small tent in his pants.
"Oh Levi, thank you for coming. Wait, Eren, what are you doing out of bed, young man? Sorry for all of the trouble my son has caused you." Eren's mom apologizes quickly, bowing.
Levi looks extremely uncomfortable, and shifts Eren toward him to hide Eren's predicament.
"It's not a problem. If you don't mind, I'll be counseling Eren back in his bedroom so that he may rest comfortably while we talk."
"Yes, of course. Eren's room is just down the hall, on the left. Thanks again for coming here."
Levi nods quickly before briskly taking Eren back to his room, closing the door behind them.
"Oi, Eren, is the thought of me being alone with you in your room turn you on that much?"
Eren bites his lip, not looking Levi in the eye. Levi lets out a sigh, casting a glance around Eren's room.
"Your room is an absolute pigsty. I'll give you a pass this time because you've been stuck in bed and you didn't know I was coming. Next time, I expect it to be cleaner, understood?"
"Next time?" Eren asks eagerly, his eyes gleaming.
Levi messes up Eren's hair and chuckles.
"Only if you promise to clean your room."
"Deal!"
Levi lays Eren down among the mountain of pillows on his bed, trying to make him as comfortable as possible. He tries to stand back up, but Eren's arms are tight around his neck.
"Eren…"
"Please, Levi?"
"This is hardly the time or the place, besides you're still injured…"
"I don't want that… Well, I do, but I just want to cuddle for right now. Please?"
"Okay…" Levi says apprehensively.
"Yay!"
Levi kicks off his shoes and lines them up neatly beside Eren's bed before climbing in next to him, careful not to disturb any of Eren's injuries.
"How are you doing, Eren?"
"Physically, I'm getting better. I'm still really sore and I'm weak still obviously, but that will get better with time. Mentally…"
Eren trails off, tightening his hold on Levi.
"I'm not surprised Eren."
"I've barely slept since the incident."
Levi looks at Eren's face, and has to mask his surprise at just how bad Eren looks.
He looks exhausted… Such dark circles under his eyes… I can't believe that I didn't see them earlier. I guess he was just so happy to see me that I didn't see them. Bastards…
Levi wraps an arm defensively around Eren, pulling him closer.
"Whenever I try to sleep, rather than seeing the usual memories from the days of the Titans, all I see is that evening in the alley…"
Eren shivers and his breathing speeds up, panicking as the memories flood his mind once more.
"Nice scarf."
Eren getting pushed into a wall and having his hands tied with the scarf.
"Sorry, sweetie, but we're looking to have some fun tonight, and there's no one else to play with, so you are just going to have to do."
Eren crying out for help, but no one responding to his pleas. A knife held to his throat, the cold metal pressing into his Adam's apple.
"Shut up or I'll kill you."
Getting kicked over and over, in the face, in the gut, in the groin… The searing pain in his chest, the cracking of ribs, a never-ending cascade of blows designed to break him. The shock of coughing up blood.
"Sorry to be rough, my sweet, but the more you struggle, the more painful this is going to be."
Condescending laughter demeaning him, making him feel small and powerless. Vision fading, his tears making it even harder to see. The tug at his pants followed by the cold air of the night. The feeling of giving up.
Eren's breathing gets even faster, turning into a full fledged panic attack. His eyes grow wide with fear as he clutches Levi's shirt, tears streaming quietly down his cheeks.
Bastards… I hope they rot in prison forever for what they did to my Eren. I should have killed them! I should have, I should have, I should have! It hurts me to see Eren so scared, and the fact that those dirty pigs even touched him…
A low growl forms in the back of Levi's throat and escapes his mouth without him even realizing it. Eren notices this act of possessiveness and returns to himself, his breathing slowing down to a more reasonable pace. He turns toward Levi, snuggling into his chest, wanting to be as close to him as possible.
"Are you alright, Eren?"
"Yeah, I am now that you're here."
Levi kisses Eren's forehead, his fingers tracing Eren's spine. They snuggle in silence for a few minutes, letting Eren fully recover from the attack.
"Most of the time, my dreams are about the assault, and what could have happened… But occasionally, I will dream about you saving me… When I have those dreams, I manage to get some decent sleep."
Levi smiles warmly, happy that he makes Eren feel safe and at ease.
"Eren. I never got to ask you, but what were you doing that night that caused you to be out late alone?"
"What's a cute girl like you doing out here all on your own?"
Eren shivers, breaking out into a cold sweat, but is quickly soothed by Levi, who strokes his hair lovingly.
"I was looking for a birthday present for Mikasa. I bought her a purple silk scarf, but I don't think I can give that to her anymore…"
Purple scarf… I remember that Eren's hands were bound with some sort of purple fabric, but I was so focused on Eren that I left it in the alley… It's probably for the best that I lost it because it hurts him so much to think about that day, and if he saw Mikasa wearing it…
Levi squeezes Eren, wanting him to feel safe and happy.
"Eren, to help you get over this, you're going to have to eventually return to the shopping center where you bought the scarf. You associate it with the attack, but if you go there and see that it actually is a safe place, then you'll start feeling a lot better. Besides, if you don't do it to buy Mikasa a birthday present, you will have to eventually do it for some other reason. I want so badly to protect you from seeing those awful places ever again, but the best way to get over this is to go back."
"I… don't want to go!" Eren says quickly, fear laden in his voice.
Levi takes Eren's hand.
"What if I went with you? I could help you pick out a new present for Mikasa and then we could have dinner. If you get scared, I'd be right there to help you. Would you be willing to go like that?"
"L-like a date?" Eren asks timidly.
Levi is surprised, but his surprise melts into a warm smile.
"Our first date. If you want, you can even come over to my apartment. How does that sound?"
Eren gasps happily at the thought of going over to Levi's apartment, his eyes sparkling.
Levi laughs and rolls his eyes.
"I'll take that as a yes then?"
Eren nods his head vigorously.
"While I'm here, should I give you my number as well?"
Eren bites his lip, accidentally letting out a small squeaking sound, barely able to contain his happiness. He hands Levi his phone, and Levi quickly punches his phone number into Eren's contacts before handing it back to him.
"We'll go next week for your appointment, okay?"
A shard of icy fear pierces Eren at the thought of going back, but the fact that it would be with Levi on a date quickly melts the icy feeling.
"I can't wait."
Levi tilts Eren's head back and gives him a long kiss, savoring the feeling.
"Sadly, it's time for me to go. You know how to reach me if you need anything."
Eren makes a pouty face, but Levi kisses Eren again, leaving a dazed look on Eren's face that matches his light blush.
"I'll miss you." Eren blurts as Levi finishes putting on his shoes.
"I'll miss you too, Eren. It's only a week though, and it will be time before you know it." Levi replies, walking toward the door.
"Don't forget to get some rest; I want you healthy for our date, okay?"
"Yeah…" Eren replies, dreamily.
Levi smiles.
"Good. See you then."
Levi winks as he walks out of Eren's room, closing the door behind him, leaving Eren a blushing, flustered mess.
A date…
Eren scoots over to lay on top of the spot Levi was just occupying, his warmth lingering on the sheets. Eren snuggles into the patch of fabric, pulling his blanket tightly around him, falling into a peaceful sleep, dreaming only of Levi.
