Levi sighed loudly, inhaling the chill of early winter as he slammed his car door with a little more force than intended. Leaning against his car he took out a pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket; he didn't smoke, not really, only when he was nervous or on edge. The pack had been left dormant in his glove compartment for at least a couple of weeks. Freeing a tab from the carton, he rummaged through his pocket until he found the lighter. The chill in the air was frosty, and held the promise of a harsh winter ahead. The flame flickered in his palm, and he took a moment to admire the tranquillity of the moment. This was the first time Levi had ever been nervous about a date, which frustrated him, but what frustrated him more, was the fact that a seemingly average kid whom he knew next to nothing about could have such an effect on him.

His lips met the cigarette and his worries washed away as he felt heat radiating in his lungs. This was worse. Nothing the kid did would feel as uncomfortable as the sensation smoking brought. He hated it, and he wished he could think of a better way to quash his troubles, but for some reason, the uncomfortable yet satisfactory burning that pulsed through his core whenever he took a drag gave him piece of mind like nothing else did. He never finished it, he never did. 2 or 3 more drags on that poisonous stick, and it was crushed between his small heel and the concrete of the car park floor.

He began the short walk from car park to Maria. He hadn't known there was a car park so close by, not until he had looked it up. His last time here had been a stroke of luck, and in more ways than one. Not only had he found the warm and caffeine infused environment he had sought, but it was here that he had found the boy who had rattled his ideals, shaken his morals, and corrupted his will- all with one kiss. That fucking kid. As he approached the shop, he placed a mint on his tongue, and relished in the strong flavour momentarily, hoping it would remove the lingering remains of his indulgence. He silently thanked his own conceition as he found a small bottle of aftershave in the deep pocket of his long and elegant overcoat. He erased any remaining evidence before returning the bottle to his pocket, and removing his coat, tucking it neatly under his arm and taking a moment to collect his thoughts. He's just a fucking kid, it's fine.

He pushed the door open, and felt the warmth wash over him. Standing in the doorway, he surveyed the setting, until his eyes found their target. Eren was sitting in a booth at the back of the café and Levi noted that he looked good, really good. His outfit was nothing special; it was the way he wore it. Sitting in that booth, his back was slouched, as his torso brushed the table. The white tee was hugging his body wonderfully, and the strain on his quadriceps from the tightness of his jeans, and his sitting position made his legs bulge in a way that demanded attention and admiration. Fucking focus. Don't fucking dare act nervous, don't stutter, don't act like this is a big

deal, I swear to god. Levi's inner conflicts were silenced by his determination as he reached Eren and greeted him as calmly as he could manage.

"Eren, how's it going?" His voice must have came out smoother than it sounded in his head, because Eren showed no signs that Levi had faltered. Eren seemed to be having less luck hiding his nerves, which admittedly, Levi thought was kind of adorable.

"Uh, hey Levi. Can't complain, how've you been?"

The pleasantries continued, much to Levi's discomfort. Small talk was not one of his strong points, but as much as he hated to admit it, he was into this kid, and he wanted to see where this could go- if that meant having to do things he wasn't used to, he would do them none the less.

After a few minutes, Levi deemed that the small talk had been sufficient, as Eren was smiling a sweet and appreciative smile that made Levi's stomach flutter in a way that he would never admit to. Standing up, he began straightening out his coat on the back of his chair, removed his wallet from his pocket.

"I'm gonna get a coffee, would you like one?" Levi asked.

"Yes please, hang on, I'll give you the money." Levi put his hand up in protest as Eren began fumbling around in his pocket for his wallet. This fucking kid. He's gonna make me say it, isn't he?

"No, this is kind of a date so you don't have to give me money." The faintest of smiles caused Levi's lips to curl upwards, as he looked down at the bewilderment on Eren's face. He could feel the faintest of blushes crawling over his cheeks, and he prayed to god that Eren hadn't noticed. The kid looks like he's spacing out, is his attention span really that fucking short? Although Levi couldn't deny that the vacant expression was captivating in it's own way. However, Levi was Levi and he wasn't going to let the opportunity to embarrass the kid slip by.

"Hey Princess, stop day dreaming, I said you don't have to pay, but you still need to tell me what you want... Or will it be another special for Mr Indecisive?" Levi smirked, wait no, he actually smiled, a real open-mouthed smile. Much to his own distaste, he knew he had let his guard down to show he was actually human. It must have caught Eren off guard too, because he was unable to come up with a suitable retort and instead pierced Levi with a gaze caught between annoyance and amusement.

"Vanilla latte, please"

Nodding in acknowledgement, Levi made his way to the counter to place their order. He decided to allow himself enough piece of mind to admit that this was going well. The kid seemed to really like him, and he couldn't help but feel the same.

He waited at the counter for their orders to be made, and allowed himself a small smile as he thought back on the evening so far. Eren was confessedly unlike people that Levi usually went for, physically. He was young, probably a little dim (Aren't all boys that age?), and obviously about as subtle as a volcanic eruption when it came to hiding his feelings. His expressions were priceless, and they left Levi feeling smug and confident that he could read Eren. It was better that way, Levi told himself. Of course, he liked a challenge every now and then- men who were hard to read were always interesting but it wasn't about that, not this time. He didn't want Eren to turn into a game, like everyone else did and that pissed him off unprecedented amounts. Why couldn't Eren be just a game? A fling? A fuck? Like every other guy that walked in and out of Levi's life without so much as a sidewards glance. Why am I so hung up on this damn kid?

Returning to the table he had to suppress a chuckle. This guy is fucking precious. For the second time that evening, Eren was spaced out. Smiling to himself, clearly oblivious to anything going on around him. What is he smiling at? Damn, he looks way too cute...

"Oi, what are you smiling to yourself for? You look like an idiot." Not to mention adorable.

Eren seemed to come back to him, with a deep blush and a murmured thank you as he took his latte. Shit, I didn't actually mean to embarrass him...

"I'm joking, you actually look pretty cute. What were you thinking about?" Levi's honesty seemed to quell Eren's embarrassment a little, but Levi silently cursed his own weakness.

"Nothing really, I'm just... having a good night. I like talking to you." Clearly Eren hadn't thought that through before saying it, his cheeks flushed again, and Levi couldn't help but smile.

"I like talking to you too, even if you are a bit of a dork. That's twice you've zoned out now"

"Hey! You're the one wearing a shirt to a coffee shop, don't call me a dork" Eren retorted. Laughing Levi slouched back a little in his chair. At least the kid has some bite.

"I always wear shirts, they look good on me." Sure, he liked the guy, but there was no way in hell Levi could ever act humble. He knew he was hot, and he didn't care who knew that he knew. Levi believed that if anyone was allowed to appreciate his appearance, it was him- and he didn't care how vain or conceited people thought he was. Apparently Eren wasn't thinking that Levi was either of these things, as he nodded his head, while his eyes fell shamelessly to Levi's toned arms.

He smiled "Yeah. You really do." Even though Levi knew it to be true, he couldn't suppress the smile that was becoming evident on his lips or the fact that his stomach had just done a flip.

"Thanks" Why was it so exhilarating to know that Eren thought he looked good? He knew he did, so why did this persons opinion even matter? Get a fucking hold of yourself.

"So Eren, what do you study? Tell me about yourself"

The two of them talked and laughed, drinking in as much information about the other as was possible. Levi found that Eren was nowhere near as transparent as he had so ignorantly surmised.

Levi began to realise that the attraction he felt to Eren wasn't just physical- this kid was a lot like him. They shared personality traits, hobbies and interests, and Levi found himself enjoying their time together far more than he deemed reasonable. He learned that Eren was a politics student at the local university. His preferred area was political ideology, but on a more general basis, he liked anything that allowed him to get into debate. That suits him- I bet he's an argumentative little shit... just like I was. Eren shares a university-owned flat with five other guys, and spends most of his free time with his best friends Armin and Mikasa. He had to admit, for a brat, he had pretty decent taste. Levi was surprised to learn that Eren was also an Iron Maiden fan. Naturally, he would assume Eren was too young to appreciate 'good music' but the kid had surpassed his expectations. He liked good movies too, Levi made a mental note to take him to the movies some time. Levi started to wonder if he had missed something while he was musing, as he heard a rather amused sounding snort coming from Eren's direction.

"Something funny?" Levi quirked his eyebrow in an attempt to look intimidating, but he was certain he hadn't pulled it off.

"No, no, I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

5 mugs later, and Levi was certain he could sit here all night. Levi hated tedious, unnecessary and forced conversation- infact, he hated any form of prolonged interaction, but talking to Eren was different. He couldn't recall the last time someone had looked at him that way- eyes sparkling with both admiration and fascination. Eren was lapping up every last detail about Levi's seemingly average life, and appeared to be loving every second of it. Likewise, before tonight, Levi would never have imagined being entranced by the tales of a university student- in fact, that sounded mind numbingly painful. It was in this moment that Levi realised something- he had been foolish to think he had Eren all figured out. Eren had surprised him at every turn this evening, and had been nothing like Levi had imagined... not that that was a bad thing. Eren was eloquent, intelligent and very funny. These words had never been used by Levi to describe someone so young, and he was sure he never would use them again, but Eren was the exception, as seemed to be Levi's new rule.

Despite his desire to keep Eren talking, he knew he would have to leave soon. There was a substantial amount of paperwork that needed to be worked through and read before the case that was to begin on Monday. Sighing, and silently preying that it wasn't as late as he suspected, Levi pulled out his phone and cursed silently. 9PM already? Fuck.

"I should probably get going, I have to be up early. There's a lot of paperwork to prepare for my next case"

Eren nodded, and drained the last of his hot chocolate before getting to his feet. Levi lead the way out of the shop, and found himself gazing at the young man before him.

"I had a great time, thanks Levi"

Levi's nonchalant façade was betraying him ever more frequently- a smile presented itself.
"Me too"

I want to kiss him. Do I kiss him? You're a grown fucking man, stop arguing with yourself and do whatever the fuck you want.

Leaning in, Levi closed the space between them and kissed Eren briefly before moving to his ear.

"Text me" his voice was breathy, and it took all of his restraint not to return to Eren's lips. Eren nodded, and Levi thought that was good enough for tonight- this was his cue to leave.

"Good night, Eren"

"Good night, Levi."