Eren swallowed. The room was cold but he couldn't feel the autumn chill nagging at his skin. The fireplace by the end table did its best crackling to offset the mood. Corporal Levi was sitting lazily on the old couch. It didn't look very comfortable but after a brief wipe, the man deemed it okay to plop down on. He had already kicked off his boots and gear, a glass of whisky in his right hand. What kind of scene was this supposed to be? Two men, a fireplace, some alcohol, one bed, night time… Gawd, his life better not be turning into a romantic drama.

A sense of dread pushed up his throat. Another hard swallow. Corporal was giving him a look. He didn't know what kind of look…but it was a look. And it was uncomfortable. What deadly, gray eyes. "What's wrong?" he managed to ask halfheartedly.

"Don't get your shit in a knot. Just looking at you makes me tense. Relax and sit down," Corporal invited Eren to the stiff, empty space beside him on the couch.

I think you mean panties in a knot but whatever. At first, he had to remind his body how to move. His head hurt, his thoughts had been going this way and that all day, never managing to calm down or focus in the least. This was the first time he would be spending a night alone with Corporal Levi. It wasn't like he'd never slept beside other men before. There was, of course, Armin, his best friend. They had never had problems with sharing beds. During military training, he was surrounded by testosterone crazy hotheads every night.

Corporal Levi was different. Maybe it was because he was Eren's superior. The man was ahead of Eren by fifteen years or so. Sharing a room with your squad leader was definitely weird. There was no other way to look at it. At least it was better than having to stay with Hanji.

Eren sat himself down, now realizing that this man might be in a nasty mood due to the fact that he had to pay for this room. Who knew how long they would have to stay here. Corporal had gone to a meeting with some other military personnel that afternoon, and tomorrow the squads would be able to receive their next instructions. He was vaguely aware of the metal key pressed against his chest beneath his shirt.

"Did you talk about…my father?" he ventured asking.

Corporal didn't reply for a second. Instead, he took a sip of his drink and closed his eyes. Right now, for some reason, his true age caught up to him. Eren could see the bags under his eyes and the wrinkles from a permanently furrowed brow. Even the hairline on his broad forehead seemed to be receding. Little strings of silver hair began staining the perfect black.

Sometimes, Eren was afraid of looking in the mirror, afraid of how much he had aged in the past months. He was tempted to touch his face to make sure he wasn't developing pre-mature wrinkles too. Constantly inducing Titan form was taking a toll on his body. Healing wasn't coming as smoothly or properly. The skin on his palms was stretched and scarred over.

"There was that," Corporal Levi spoke. "But the rest you can hear tomorrow. For now, let's get some shut eye."

"On the couch?"

"The bed."

"Both of us?" That might have come out sounding more repulsed than he would've liked.

"No, I get the bed and you get the roof."

"Er…"

Corporal re-opened his eyes and shoved his near empty glass of whisky into Eren's hand. "I'm joking. Can't you handle sleeping by another man? You really are a child."

"I don't really like whisky," Eren mumbled, but he doubted the Corporal heard since the glass was still in front of him. When he still hadn't taken the offer to drink, Corporal gave up and finished off the rest in one hefty swallow.

"Bed time for the brat," Corporal stood up and headed to the double sized bed. Getting a room with two beds would have run the man's wallet out of town and then some. "I have one rule for you and I swear to all you hold dear, if you break it I will kill you."

"And what's that rule?" Eren frowned. Corporal's face and voice were deadly serious.

"No boners."

What? Huh? Boner? Why would…Does he think that I….He really thinks I'm gay! "What the fuck? Why would there—Why would I—That's not even a problem! You're the one who was so broke we couldn't get two beds!"

"Oh? And do you have the money, Jaeger? I didn't think so. I'm only asking for one little thing. You have one job. Can you even handle that?" Corporal was looking over himself, probably deciding how much of his clothes he was willing to sleep in.

"Yes I can. That's not—Ugh, I got it. No…boners…"

"Good."

Eren gave in to the rule, even though it wasn't even necessary...Unless someone had done that to Corporal before. Okay, now he was shamefully curious. Who was it?

He took his time unbuckling his gear. The weapons crashed to the wooden floor. All that was left was his shirt and pants. This would be good enough. It was getting cold anyways and he doubted that flimsy quilt on the bed was going to be much a comfort. Corporal was already in bed with the cover pulled up to his chin.

Like a kid! Pffftt…

It was just him and Corporal. Definitely weird. How could Corporal be acting so coolly? Was it because he was the adult? Eren must be like a kid being babysat. No, that wasn't any good. He wanted Corporal to acknowledge him as a grownup already, as his equal.

Someday I'm going to be a man you'll be nervous about sharing beds with. Ha. Wait a second, what am I thinking? Maybe I am gay.

"Haha that's definitely not it," Eren chuckled aloud and crawled under the covers, hands quivering. The fire continued to burn but there was no need. His temperature was rising on its own.

They were so close. If Eren moved his leg a few inches, it'd be touching Corporals. If he curved his back instead of sleeping straight, he'd be touching Corporal's. If he stretched out his arm, then his hand would be on Corporal's shoulder.

Why is this so damn hard? I've got to get it together or I'll never last a night!

The two of them were silent but Eren could hear his rapid heartbeat loud and clear. It pulsated beneath his ribcage, sending blood ringing into his ears. Could Corporal hear it? The man's back was facing Eren now. Hints of muscle peeked beneath the wrinkled shirt.

Eren's insides squirmed. His breath sounded ragged and shallow. The lack of air was making him lightheaded but he couldn't find the strength to breathe normally in case Corporal would be bothered. Maybe closing his eyes would help. No, even in his head he could see Corporal clearly. His eyes had already swallowed the man's back whole and etched it into memory. Was this obsession? Attraction? Whatever it was, he wanted it to stop. Right now would be great.

"Eren…" Corporal's voice sounded strained, as if he too were fighting to breathe.

"Yeah?" Eren opened his eyes and nearly leaped out of the bed. Corporal had shifted onto his right side to face Eren. Their faces were inches apart, not yet touching, but yearning. Their eyes locked.

Too close!

"Don't worry about tomorrow. I think the times are going to change really soon."

"What makes you say that?" His interest was piqued but there was a dirty speck in the Corporal's eye that drew his attention. It didn't belong in the sea of white. Then there were the tiny red lines that were like branches, reaching towards the black void at the center. The dark eclipse was shot with strokes of lighter silver, yet reflected no light. The iris boasted no colors yet were impressive nonetheless in their empty simplicity. Long lashes dressed hooded eyelids, curving down in a bow. One had fallen from the rest and stuck itself to his cheek.

"Erwin's been discussing some suspicions with those he trusts most," Corporal continued on. It didn't look like he cared that there was dirt in his eye or the misplaced eyelash. "We haven't ruled out your father but we've slowly been gathering the truth without his research. We don't have a lot of physical evidence to offer but there're a lot who are suspicious. It's about time the King resigned, wouldn't you say? Eren?"

"There's a—" Eren reached out and brushed the annoying little eyelash off of Corporal's face. It bugged him immensely and he didn't know why. His hands had been so panicked before but as they touched Corporal they were steadfast and precise, removing the nuisance without difficulty.

Levi froze, mortified.

Oh shit. Shit. He's going to kill me. It might not be a boner but it was still a touch! Hanji, I'll see you soon. "It was an eyelash. It was bugging me," Eren forced a wary smile, as if that would smooth over the situation. No one had dug their own grave so fast.

"Forget it. I don't have the energy to pound you right now," Corporal brushed the spot Eren touched with his own hand, as if wiping away the germs. "You can take your punishment tomorrow."

"Yes sir...Sorry." Eren's hopes were swept away with that sentence. Where was all that heat from before? Take it back. I take it all back! The fire place was so far away now.

"You can't take it back now," Corporal closed his eyes again, the creases along his brow stubbornly letting up.

Don't read my mind!

"I got it, I got it…"

Yet his fingertips were tingling with the miniature shockwaves his brush with death had given him. It was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time, like the feeling of killing a Titan. No, this was different. Every time he touched Corporal, it was the same rush. Why didn't he feel this way when touching Armin or Jean or Connie or the other guys?

Eren sighed and hugged the quilt for dear life. His muscles were locked in place so they wouldn't venture out of the safe zone. A cold sweat had delightedly set in. Would every night here be so stressful? Hours passed and the soft song of Corporal's breathing rung in his ears. The man's unusually relaxed, sleeping face was hard to tear away from. The age that had piled on his features earlier had now slipped away, replaced by something charmingly young and innocent.

Eren couldn't stand the mild attraction brewing deep in his gut. Morning would not come soon enough.

Author's Note: Sorry for such a long hiatus. I'm currently studying abroad in Japan so I've had no time/no motivation to write, especially not fanfic. I know this is a disappointingly short chapter after the long break, but this is all I could come up for now. Just warning you now, it will likely be a while before I write the next chapter as well, partially do to time constraint but more due to creativity constraint. Still, I'm glad some of you are still with me! I'm very grateful!