The rest of December was a long one.

The first few days, Rivaille thought he couldn't have made a better decision. He had his house back, and his peace and quiet. It was a little lonelier, and something made his heart squeeze whenever he walked by the empty kitchen, but it wasn't unbearable.

But peaceful days turned into silent nights. He would wake up, confused in his suddenly too-large bed, wondering where that body that fit so snugly against him went. Missing small things that he never thought he would miss, like Eren stealing all the covers or Eren falling asleep on the couch or Eren refusing to wake up in the morning.

Hearing Eren's voice made it better-when it didn't make it worse. He never really thought about how deep into this he was in, until suddenly the video chats only made him feel worse. It was like someone was dangling Eren in front of him, so close he could look and hear but not touch or kiss or-

God forbid, cuddle.

Time ticked away slowly, dragging along until it was finally December 20th - Eren's Christmas break.

Rivaille had even taken an early leave, heading out of the office at lunch to go fix up the house.

(He wasn't even sure why he bothered cleaning up for the brat when he was just going to spend the next two weeks messing it up again, but it was almost like it was necessary. If Eren came in and saw the house less-than pristine, he'd probably get worried for Rivaille and insist on coming back-and as much as Rivaille missed the stupid kid, he absolutely did not drop all that money on a college education for nothing.)

Cleaning had always been a soothing task, anyway. The clean scent of lemon-fragrance and seeing the smooth glint on every surface after you wiped it down enough was oddly therapeutic for the small man.

He glanced at his checklist as he collapsed in his chair, eying the stacks of papers sitting around. It was almost 4 now, Eren wouldn't be home for another two hours (at least, with his track record of tardiness), and Rivaille had almost everything on the list done.

He leaned back, closing his eyes. A short power-nap never hurt anyone, right?

x

Hissing in pain as he dropped his oversized luggage by the door, Eren examined the angry red marks across his hand where the handles dug into his skin. He crammed as much as he could into one small duffle bag, and it was amazing enough that it hadn't split open just from the sheer weight.

Shoving the bag to the side with his foot, he rubbed the palm of his hand and glanced around, taking in the familiar sight of Rivaille's house again. It hadn't even been a month, but just being here made him feel way too happy, like nostalgia bubbling up from his chest.

There was only one thing missing.

He glanced around the living room, somewhat surprised Rivaille hadn't heard him come in. The door was wide open, and there was no way that the other would ever leave the house unattended without locking up first. Creeping in somewhat warily, he frowned at the lack of his lover.

"Rivaille?" he walked past the living room and into the kitchen, peeking around. Everything looked untouched, something he was grateful for. No house fires yet.

"Rivaille, I'm home." he tried again, unease growing as he checked into some of the rooms with no luck. He found it highly unlikely that Rivaille would be hiding from him. His hand shook despite himself as he grabbed the door handle of the office room, opening it slowly. What if someone broke in while he was gone? What if this was all some elaborate trap, and they had taken him hostage? What if-

What if he was asleep in an office chair cuddling a bottle of Windex.

Eren had to smack a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. It was so unusual, the man who couldn't even sleep through the night without yelling at Eren to stop moving around so much or you're sleeping on the couch to be completely conked out in an oversized chair.

Eren stayed where he was, reveling in the sight of Rivaille being caught completely defenseless. For all the times that he had seen him sitting in that chair, he never noticed just how huge it was, and how tiny Rivaille seemed sitting in it. His neck was at an awkward angle, dark hair strewn out across the leather upholstery and mouth slightly ajar, mumbling something that sounded like "Eren you damn blanket-hog…"

The only thing that could have made this a better sight is if he had started snoring.

He took a slow, experimental step forward, wondering just how close he could get to him before he woke up. Rivaille did not stir, even as Eren removed the Windex from his hands and placed it on the hardwood table. Still, Rivaille's breathing maintained its even and deep lull. Eren smiled, slowly turning the leather chair to face him, and lowering his forehead to Rivaille's.

Eren watched Rivaille shift slightly, as he tried his utmost to rest comfortably in his lover's lap (not an easy feat, with Rivaille being so much smaller). Christmas season brought true miracles, it seemed, as Rivaille continued sleeping through all of this. Eren frowned as, wondering just how much Rivaille had been working himself since he left.

And then he brought his head down to match Rivaille's, pressing a short, chaste kiss to those down-turned lips. Rivaille's face twitched as he sucked in a deep breath, before exhaling and returning his breathing to normal. Eren smiled, burying his face in the other man's neck and breathing in his scent.

"You know, I can tell when you're not asleep."

He heard a grunt next to his ear, and then a "Then get the fuck off of me, you're heavy. And stop sniffing me. What are you, a bloodhound?"

Eren pulled away, green eyes gleaming mischievously. "No, but I could be your pet if you wanted me to-"

Before he could even finish the sentence, Rivaille had stood up and dropped Eren to the ground. He toppled backward to the floor, whining as he hit the hardwood floor. Polished, he noted.

"What was that for? And where are you going!?" he called, watching as Levi rolled his eyes and strolled toward the exit. He stopped by the door to briefly look back, frowning.

"It smells like teenage desperation and college horniness in here." Rivaille scoffed. "I'm headed for the shower."

"Want me to follow?"

"God."

x

A near-month's worth of sexual frustration was released in the shower as Eren wasted no time pushing his lover against the tiled walls, leaving butterfly kisses down the back of his neck as he worked his fingers against the other.

"I can't believe we're dirtying up the one place you're supposed to get clean in." Rivaille grumbled, watching as the water from the shower head ran down Eren's back. Hands pressed against the shower walls, already panting, he was certainly a sight to take in.

"I can't believe you're-ah, don't stop-complaining at a time like –oh fuck, Rivaille"

Rivaille arched his fingers upward and watching with subdued pleasure as Eren's toes curled. The latter gasped as he pressed his forehead to the tiles, before turning his head the farthest he could, squinting through the shower to look squarely at Rivaille.

"If you don't take me right now this is going to be over before it's even started." Eren declared shakily

Rivaille raised an eyebrow; Eren wasn't usually this…vocal during sex. He agreed, nonetheless, not in the mood to argue. He grabbed the bottle of lotion he had hidden amidst the myriad bottles of shampoo and body wash, noted rather woefully that it was almost empty in the long months Eren had been away, used during those lonelier nights. He poured out the remaining liquid, slicking it over his dick before pressing up against Eren and exhaling sharply as he pushed in.

"Fuck, Eren, it's been way too long." Rivaille murmured under his breath, loud enough for Eren to barely hear. Eren shivered involuntarily, muscles fluttering beneath Rivaille, looking back at him again with half-lidded hazy eyes. Rivaille's grip tightened around Eren's hips at the sight.

"Mm, Rivaille..." he pushed himself backward, taking in all of Rivaille's length. Rivaille moaned, the boldness catching him off-guard. Eren smirked, watching as water cascaded down Rivaille's jet black hair, framing his face and his open, pliant lips, caught in a moment of ecstasy. Eren felt his cock stir and quickly faced the tiles again, trying to stave off the rising heat pooling at the bottom of his belly. "Rivaille, move."

And Rivaille did, focused on the little stuttering breaths Eren made. Reaching around in front of him, he grabbed the other's length and worked it with one hand, stroking in time with their rocking bodies.

Eren's hands and forehead rested against the wall again for support as the pace picked up, Rivaille's hand movements becoming more erratic. He pressed closer to the younger, the hot water running over their bodies slowly cooled.

Eren came first, shoving a hand into his mouth to stifle his loud cry. Eren had tightened then, sending Rivaille over the edge, releasing himself into Eren as they panted unevenly. He finally pulled out, letting the water wash the mess away down the drain. Eren turned around, resting his head on Rivaille's shoulder and letting out contented sigh.

"If you fall asleep on me in here I'm plugging the drain and letting you drown."

x

"-And I have no idea what I'm going to do." Eren finished his explanation, staring out the Starbucks window at the white that blanketed the city. He smiled at the thought of this being the exact same Starbucks where he had gotten the coffees he dumped on Rivaille not that long ago. From this angle, he could even pinpoint the place where they had both toppled over.

His life would be so, so different if that had never happened.

Armin's voice snapped him back to reality, suddenly remembering he was here with his two best friends for help. He smiled apologetically at Armin, scratching the back of his head.

"Sorry, what?"

Armin sighed. Typical Eren, the boy has an attention span shorter than his boyfriend. "I asked if you had anything in mind. Christmas and a birthday on the same day is a big deal, don't you think? Don't put off gift shopping again, Eren, a tie or some cheap trinket won't cut it this time…."

Eren glared half-heartedly. "I wasn't planning to! Maybe I should get something that would remind him of me, or something? I think he gets kind of lonely without me, so..." his voice trailed off. "I really have no idea."

Mikasa clicked her tongue in annoyance to his right, thrumming her fingers against the table. "If he gets lonely, why not buy him a dildo?"

Eren choked on his frappe.

"That's- That's not exactly what I meant-"

She tugged her scarf up over her mouth, "I have a catalogue of various prostate massag-"

"A PET, let's get him a pet! How about that, Eren?" Armin shot up, cutting Mikasa off. "A dog or something to keep him company while you're gone, and when you get back it could keep you both company."

"I don't know if he'd go for that." Eren placed the cup back on the table, sighing. "He's a huge clean freak, and dogs are messy..."

"Cats are relatively effortless." Mikasa preened "The oriental breeds, especially". Armin nodded readily.

"Besides, what would he do, return it? No way, a gift from his precious Eren."

Eren furrowed his eyebrows. They had a point. Rivaille tended to let things grow on him anyway...

"Where's the nearest pet store?"

x

"Eren, what about this one?" Armin was peering into a glass window, eying white furball curled up in a small bed. Eren peeked over his shoulder, frowning when he spotted the feline.

"It's long haired. Rivaille would kill me and the cat if he had to be cleaning up long cat hair everywhere."

Armin sighed. So far, the search had been fruitless. They hit three pet stores-all of which had kittens. And it wasn't like Eren had anything against kittens, but they were young and tore up furniture and were just generally destructive.

If they were going to get a pet, it had to be mellow.

And that's how they ended up at the animal shelter. Eren had never seen so many cats before. They even all had papers hanging on each cubicle, telling about their personality, age, health issues. It was amazingly organized.

"This one sounds good." Mikasa said, looking at one of the profiles hanging off a glass window. "Relaxed personality, litter-box trained, up to date on all its shots, one and a half years old..." she looked into the glass, frowning.

Eren and Armin both walked over to the cubicle, peering inside. Eren scratched his head.

"Maybe it's hiding somewhere? If it's small, it could be under the bed or something..."

The trio peered from all angles, nothing. "Maybe they already found a family for him? That happens all the tim-"

"Hey there!" They simultaneously whipped around, to find themselves face-to-face with a short blonde.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." she smiled sweetly, blonde hair tucked behind one ear as she stroked a cat in her arms. "Would you happen to be looking for this little sweetheart?"

Little. Eren gaped at the endless ball of fur that she held.

"That is the biggest cat I've ever seen in my life."

Petra laughed, cradling the furry lump in her arms. "Yeah, I thought so too. But he's a real gentle giant. Someone brought him in about a year ago." the corners of her lips turned slightly downward as her expression switched to a more concerned one.

"Unfortunately, most people want something more along the lines of a kitten-young, and well, small." she sighed, shaking her head before returning to that brighter smile. "Can I help you guys with anything?"

Eren looked at the cat as it caught his eye and glared back, seemingly annoyed. The way its eyes narrowed, the way that it looked only slightly irritated-

He said the words before he could even catch himself.

"I'll take it. Him." he shoved his hand into his pocket, glancing back up to Petra. "How much does it cost to adopt?"

Petra's eyes widened as he fished his wallet out of his pocket, pulling out a slick silver debit card. "Er, uh, please hold on a minute! Wouldn't you at least like to hold him?"

Eren frowned as if he hadn't even considered it, nodding slowly and putting his wallet back into his pocket. Carefully, the short blonde stepped forward and placed the cat into his arms.

He stood awkwardly for a few seconds, holding an oversized cat against his chest while the three around him watched with bated breath. Craning its head forward, the cat sniffed his hand tentatively-

Before sinking its teeth in, hard enough to hurt but not hard enough to puncture the flesh. Eren most certainly did not shrilly scream before stumbling backwards, cursing and nearly dropping the cat in the process.

"What the fuck? It just bit me-"

"- Oh, I forgot to mention, he does that but-"

"- Now it's licking me?"

"- But he always makes it up licking where he bit right after." Petra finished lamely, watching as the cat dutifully licked the teeth marks it had left on Eren's hand. "It just means he likes you. Honestly. He's just a little odd."

The four of them stood in an uncomfortable silence before Eren finally broke the air.

"He's litter-box trained? Up to date on all of his shots?"

Petra nodded eagerly. "Yes, of course! And he's fixed, too. He's good natured and I know this wasn't really the best first impression but-"

"I'll take him."

x

"Eren, this wins the record for the most annoying thing you've made me do yet. Congratulations."

Rivaille scowled as Eren flopped the box of Christmas ornaments in front of him, beaming at the Christmas tree he convinced Levi to buy just earlier. He grabbed one of the silver ornaments, hooking it around a stray branch and grinning. Whipping back around, Eren grabbed another bulb and shoved it into the other's hands.

"Come on, Scrooge." he leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together. "Tomorrow's your birthday and Christmas, lighten up!" lightly pecking Rivaille's lips before bouncing back up again, he picked another ornament to hang on the tree. Rivaille groaned, rolling his neck with an attractive pop.

"I'm too fucking old for this shit. And you wouldn't be happy either if you had to give away presents each year on your birthday."

"You're not even that old." Eren rolled his eyes, then paused to peek at him from behind a branch. "Actually, how old will you be again?"

"Twenty-one. I'm Forever 21."

Eren groaned. "Cute. Maybe I'll buy you a pair of skinny jeans from there for your birthday."

"If that's what steams your broccoli at night."

"As a matter of fact." Eren wiggled his butt and winked at him, before turning his attention back to the tree. "So you actually got me something for Christmas?"

Rivaille was silent for a moment, and Eren flicked his gaze back to the other man. "Rivaille?" He was giving him a complex look, somewhere between offended and another emotion Eren couldn't quite place.

Finally he stood up, walking toward the tree and placing the ornament he had been tossing in his hands on a bare branch. Eren's eyebrows furrowed, but before he could ask Rivaille cut him off.

"I must be a pretty shitty person if you honestly thought I wouldn't get you a present." he said, face impassive. Eren's chest tightened at the way he said the word you, and he quickly backtracked.

"N-No, that's not what I meant. I just meant that you've done so much for me already, I wasn't-"

"You're the one who's done so much more for me, so shut the fuck up for a second." Rivaille snapped, visibly annoyed. He glanced away for a second with a sigh, mumbling a quick "Thank you."

Eren stared at him, dumbly, before releasing the branch he was holding and walking toward Rivaille. The taller wound his arms around Rivaille and smiled into his hair, whispering gently:

"You're welcome."

x

Eren examined the box that the cat was crated up in as Petra stood behind the desk, wringing her hands and looking slightly distressed.

"You swear you have everything? Cat food, cat toys, cat litter, cat box?"

"Absolutely everything on that check list you gave me."

This was finally it. Showtime. Eren could say he wasn't nervous- but that would make him a very bad liar. It wasn't easy, even with Petra's help to speed up the adoption process. He had to buy all of the necessary stuff first, and then find a way to hide it from Rivaille for three days. He was almost worried he wouldn't get the cat in-time- but just like she promised, Petra followed through and got him all cleared exactly on Christmas Day.

He glanced at the box again, noting the holes in all the sides. The cat peered at him from inside, that slightly-annoyed look ever present. Eren glanced up, frowning at the man watching from the corner and sneering at him.

"What's his problem?" he mumbled, loud enough for Petra to hear. She whipped her head back, letting out an exasperated sigh when she spotted the sneering figure.

"Oh, that's Auruo." she shook her head sadly, puffing her cheeks and blowing out a jet of air. "He's kind of... Well, we all got a little attached to this cat because it stuck around for so long, due to his size..." She glanced down for a second, before catching Eren's concerned face and waving it off.

"Oh-But it's nothing to worry about! He'll just get attached to some other animal by tomorrow I'm sure, probably a dog this time actu-"

"I'll bring him to visit sometimes." Eren interrupted her, one gloved hand around the handles on the box. "I mean, as long as that's okay..."

Petra's look of surprise melted into something much warmer, smiling sweetly at him. "Eren, you're such a good kid. Of course that's okay!" she laughed. "I-We'd love that. The next time you visit, I'll introduce you to everyone else, too. It's not just me and Auruo working here, normally."

Eren grinned back at her. "Sounds fun! I'll drag my boyfriend along, too. He's kind of, uh... Blunt, though."

She giggled. "If he's yours, I'm sure he's nice in some way or another. Thank you, Eren!"

Eren nodded, picking up the cardboard box and heading for the door. He paused just before the exit, turning around to face the girl again.

"Hey Petra?"

"Hm?"

"Merry Christmas."

She glanced up from the paperwork she had in her hands, before breaking into a smile.

"Merry Christmas to you too."

x

"Agh, shh, shhh!" Carefully placing the cardboard box below the Chirstmas tree, Eren lamely patted the top. "Just be quiet for a little bit longer, okay? I'm begging you; don't ruin this surprise for me."

Two pinches of catnip later, the feline finally stopped its yowling, contentedly shuffling around in the box, staring at Eren through the airholes. Eren stared back suspiciously, before collapsing, relieved, against the wall.

"Finally. Good kitty. Once you get out of there, I'll get you more, I promise." he sighed, leaning his head back. Petra's smile popped into his head, and he frowned. "I really hope he likes you, because I don't think I can bear to return you."

A car door slammed from outside, and Eren jumped up from his spot on the floor and scrambled to the couch. Hastily kicking off his shoes, he grabbed the remote and wrapped up with a blanket just seconds before Rivaille entered through the door.

"Welcome back." Eren peeked from under the blanket, watching as Rivaille took his coat and gloves off. "Where were you all day?"

"Taking a shit in all the most disgusting public restrooms I could find. It's my Merry Christmas dump."

Eren scrunched his nose up. "Gross. I hope you didn't pick up any weird diseases. I don't guess you're gonna tell me what you were really doing?"

Rivaille smirked at him. "Not unless you're going to tell me what you were doing all day."

"I was here all day!" he shifted on the couch, scooting over to give Rivaille a place to sit. "Honest."

"There are tire-marks in the snow where your car pulled out." he pointed out, crossing his arms. "And you brushed the snow off of it from last night."

"Oh."

Pulling his boots off, he sighed and sat down next to Eren. Scooting closer to him, Eren threw the blanket around Rivaille.

"Wanna do the present exchange now? It's not like we're waiting for anything..." he trailed off at the suspicious look Rivaille gave him. "I mean, unless you wanted to wait..."

"I just thought you'd want to wait until after dinner. Doesn't matter to me."

Eren shrugged. "I think the sooner you open my present, the better." he picked himself up from the couch, shuffling over to the box under the tree. "Here. Don't shake it." he warned, setting it on Rivaille's lap. Rivaille raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as he opened it up.

Immediately the cat's head popped up, looking dazed. Eren held his breath, watching Rivaille's face expectantly.

"What the hell."

Eren exhaled with a frown. "Look, I know you probably don't want a pet but hear me out, I think it could be good for you-"

"Eren, where did you get this cat?"

"To have something to keep you company- Wait, what?" Eren squinted, examining Rivaille's expression. He was frowning, but there was no anger evident in his face. "From an animal shelter downtown. Why?"

Cautiously, Rivaille lifted his hand up to the cat's head. After sniffing it a few times, the feline bumped his head against the man's hand. "I had a cat that looked like this once. I let him outside about a year ago and he never returned." he reached in the box, picking up the cat's foot. "It had a scar on the bottom of its..."

As he lifted up the paw, Eren saw a healed-over cut stretching across the pads. Levi looked amazed, not even flinching as the cat turned and bit down on his hand.

"Ow. Little fucker hasn't grown out of that, I see."

Eren shifted in front of him, amused by the way Rivaille was almost-smiling at the cat. "So you're not mad?"

"You just brought back my cat that's been missing for over a year."

He laughed, scratching the back of his head. "I have all the supplies and everything, too. What's his name?"

Rivaille shrugged. "I never gave him a solid name. I mostly just called him cat. Or fucker, whenever he bit me." he rolled his eyes at Eren's expression. "Fine, then you name him."

"I was thinking River."

"River?"

"Yeah, River." Eren explained. "The first three letters of your name are Riv, and the first two of mine are Er so..."

"That's the gayest thing I've heard since you moaning my name last night."

Eren flushed despite himself as Rivaille picked the cat out of the box, placing him on the ground. Fishing into his pocket, Rivaille pulled out a small box.

"Come here."

Eren's eyes widened. Rivaille let out an irritated noise, tching.

"Get over here." he snapped, dropping the box into Eren's hands when he finally moved closer. He watched, face impassive as Eren's hand hovered over the box. Finally, he pulled the top off the box and before he could even register the silver band Rivaille was already explaining.

"Before you jump to conclusions, brat, it's not an engagement ring. It's a promise. Also it shows everyone that you belong to me."

Eren stared wordlessly at the silver ring, with black grooves looping around the center. Noting Eren's silence, Rivaille continued;

"Maybe after you graduate, I can replace it with the real thing-" his voice cut off as Eren flung himself at Rivaille, wrapping his arms around the other.

"I love it, I love it, I love it." he said, slipping the ring on his finger behind Rivaille's head. "It's- It's amazing."

"Not as amazing as you bringing back my missing cat." Rivaille grumbled. Eren laughed next to his ear.

"That was all coincidence. The cat did remind me of you, though. No wonder." he lifted his hand back up, admiring the ring. "Now we both have a reminder of each other when we're apart."

"Hm." Rivaille's eyes flicked from Eren's face to the window. "It's beginning to snow."

Eren grinned. "Good thing I don't plan on going anywhere else." he said, pressing his lips against Rivaille's.

Rivaille let him.


A/N: Next chapter will be the last (but I'm writing something in between this one and 10 that covers stuff that happens between the two, it'll be a oneshot and not actually part of this fic though) and ahh I'm gonna have a hard time letting go!

Again, special thanks to Jerri for beta'ing this trainwreck.

There's a line from RENT in there because I watched it like 5 times this week I'm really sorry.