A/N: This happened quite fast, don't you think? You have my darling Shirai Phoenix to thank for the speedy update :P But I love you ALL. Every single one of my readers, but ESPECIALLY my reviewers. Like really, this love is real.

Anyhoo, this chapter is a tiny bit fillerish but not quite because there's a little important titbit that is vital to Levi's character in the story. So I wouldn't recommend skipping it...in any case, it's good to see what our favorite chopper pilot gets up to when he's not obsessing over Eren.

Disclaimer: No, no and no, I do not own SnK, its characters or any other brands mentioned in the story.

Levi had secured a date with Eren. It took a good twenty-four hours for that information to sink in, and once his mind fully comprehended that he'd have Eren for himself for a good portion of Saturday, he realised it may not be all that peachy. First and foremost, nowhere did anyone mention that this was a date – as far as Eren was concerned, he was simply taking a kind gentleman up on an offer to go flying. And as far as Levi was concerned, the phone call where Eren accepted said offer wasn't entirely consensual. Secondly, spending half a day with an aggressive, discriminatory teen with a superiority complex didn't exactly sound like fun, no matter how drop-dead gorgeous said teen may be. And thirdly, what would they even talk about – they had an age gap that was positively over a decade and probably no interests in common whatsoever. A day, or half a day, alone with a nineteen year old couldn't be entertaining no matter what…

Unless…

A state akin to euphoria settled over Levi late on Monday and stayed with him through to Friday. Despite having no issues whatsoever at work, Levi had been at the office every single day that week, from the early hour of seven in the morning right through to five that afternoon. While this in itself was odd, the fact that he'd spent all those hours in his office and not chewing out his underlings was an absolute anomaly – it had become common knowledge to those who worked at Colossus that if the boss ever spent more than five hours at a time in the building, someone was getting into trouble or possibly fired.

Yet during that particular week, nothing of the sort happened. The usually frightening owner of the largest weapons manufacturing company in the world had been oddly bearable and dare his subordinates say, tolerable. Even his assistant, Petra, who kept interactions with him curt, for reasons other than his unbearable personality, found it almost pleasant to be in his company. She likened his elated mood to how he behaved after a good lay…which she regrettably knew from experience.

And that is why she had become so curious, so utterly fascinated by Levi…who was it that the man had seen to put him in such a lasting good mood? Surely it couldn't have just been one lay if the effects were so pronounced for five days? Perhaps Levi had started dating someone? It seemed far-fetched but given what had happened between Levi and that cute brunette just a week prior, Petra couldn't contain the curiosity raging out of control within her.

Desperately needing answers, Petra and Hanji organised a dinner party in an attempt to lull Levi into a false sense of security where they could question him with his defenses down. And thanks to his elated mood, Levi happily agreed to attend the party that Petra had put upon herself to host.

Having been dismissed from work after lunch – another indication that Levi was feeling exceptionally peachy and not at all like himself – Petra had spent the afternoon preparing for the dinner party. Hanji joined her after four, and together the two women finished preparing the food and setting up the table for the guests. They were only expecting Levi and Erwin, although Petra was hoping her boyfriend would be able to make it.

"So…do you really think it's Eren?" Petra asked as she wiped out half a dozen wine glasses. She was no stranger to Levi's pedantic nature.

"I think so," Hanji replied with a smile on her face. "I mean, don't you remember how he kicked Eren's friend to the ground just because the poor guy wanted to take Eren home? It's obvious that he likes Eren!"

The petite strawberry blonde thought back to that incident a week prior. It was definitely not something she had definitely not forgotten: Levi flooring a stranger that was literally twice his size with ease was an image that no person would be able to easily forget. She shuddered at Levi's display of aggression, something she'd always disliked about the man.

"It was scary," she said softly.

Hanji laughed loudly. "Oh, you know how Levi is. Anyway, the very next day I saw him at work…"

"Aaaand?"

"Eren was there when Levi came up to the tower," Hanji whispered, eyes widening dramatically. Petra's eyes lit up and she nodded eagerly for Hanji to continue. Hanji sighed and shook her head. "The poor kid was a bit down because of his little crash and he sort of stormed out past Levi. Shirt-shit barely asked me what happened before he took off and chased after the kid. Never saw him since."

"I wonder what happened next…"

"Unfortunately the parking lot is covered, otherwise I would've been able to see them from the tower!" Hanji said with a pout. "But whatever it was that happened under those covers…"

"…is the reason for Levi's good mood," Petra finished Hanji's sentence.

Just then, the doorbell rang out. With a sigh, Petra excused herself from the kitchen, leaving Hanji with instructions to put the wine glasses on the dinner table. It was much too early to be either Levi or Erwin, so that could only mean…

"Good evening, captain," Petra said with a loving smile as she opened the door to reveal her uniformed boyfriend leaning casually against the wall.

Wearing form-fitting black trousers and a perfectly pressed button-up shirt with a pocket on each breast, donning black and silver four-stripe epaulets and the golden badge proudly bearing Wings Aviation's company logo, Captain Oluo Bossard gave his short girlfriend a cocky smirk before scooping her up for a hug.

"Good evening, beautiful," he said as he held her.

Oluo was the complete opposite of Levi – he was tall and moderately well-built, had a mop of golden blonde hair atop his head with a high under-cut that made the hair on his scalp look closer to brunette. It was no secret that he'd chosen that hairstyle because Petra offhandedly mentioned she liked Levi's hair, but the man would never own up to that. His face was somewhat rectangular, he had a big mouth and small, mostly half-lidded eyes that sat beneath the cocky quirk of his thin, blonde brows. Laugh lines ran down from his nose to the corners of his mouth, making him look nearly half a decade older than he actually was.

He was so unlike Levi who had small, sharp and defined features, dark hair and a compact stature. So unlike Levi yet Petra had still left the raven to be with the airline pilot, finding the stability and love she had been denied while with Levi.

Fortunately, the termination of their relationship didn't affect their working relationship, and in fact, once the awkwardness had worn off, Levi had given Petra a promotion to be his personal assistance. When asked why, the raven simply said 'I can't be fucking my PA and since we're no longer fucking, I want you to be my PA'. Eloquent, as always.

"I can never get used to how good you look in your uniform," Petra said, a light blush coloring her cheeks.

Oluo smirked and wiggled his brows at her before giving her a chaste kiss on the cheek. "I know."

The captain made his way into Petra's small, two-bedroom home, heading straight towards the TV before turning it on for the news. He greeted Hanji offhandedly, not really caring for much besides what he'd missed in the hours that he'd been airborne.

"Do you think Erwin knows what's going on?" Petra whispered to Hanji once Oluo was sufficiently distracted. The last thing she wanted was her boyfriend hearing her talking about her ex.

"If Levi denies anything, we're cornering Erwin."

Dinner was, to say the least, pleasant. Petra had slaved away on a massive pot of chicken curry and had prepared yellow rice to serve alongside it, along with gem squash filled with creamy sweet corn and topped with cheese, and peppered green beans as sides. It wasn't a big spread but they were only five, after all. And while it was a mostly silent affair, the waves of tension could be felt rolling off Oluo as he continuously lanced up at Levi, who couldn't care less about the man's presence.

Since Petra's promotion, an intense yet one-sided rivalry began between Oluo and Levi. While the blonde pilot felt the need to assert his dominance and continually ascertain that he was the alpha male, the victorious one for having won the woman, the raven businessman couldn't be bothered. Levi had never had feelings for Petra in the first place and when it came to light that their desires in their relationship were vastly different, they ended on mutual and friendly terms. Levi hadn't missed her for a second after that and couldn't fathom why Oluo found him to be such a threat.

After dinner, Levi took it upon himself to wash up just to get away from Oluo's incessant displays of masculinity, feeling himself losing his patience at the way Oluo constantly brought attention to the four strips resting on his shoulders. And what was even more nauseating was the fact that Erwin encouraged the pilot by laughing at his jokes and commenting on the idiotic things the man said. Same company or not, Erwin's flawed sense of loyalty would be the death of him.

When the time came for the adults to enjoy some downtime in the TV room, each with a glass of wine, Oluo had retired for the night. It was an immense relief to have the elephant leave the room, or so Levi thought, but if he had known what was coming as soon as Petra returned, he would've much rather suffered through the insufferable captain's horrifying attempt at joking.

"Sooo…" Hanji began, hands on her lap and tapping her fingers against each other.

"Don't. Start." Levi's voice was low and threatening, but Hanji brushed it off.

"Who is it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Levi swore he saw a flash cross the glass of Hanji's spectacles as her mouth twisted upwards into a maniacal smirk. If he was one to be disturbed, a feeling of unease would be settling itself in his gut.

"Oh, you do," Hanji purred. "I've heard that you've been such a pleasure at work and I have a suspicion as to why. I would just like to confirm my hypothesis."

"I'm not some fucking science experiment," Levi growled before turning his impenetrable glare on Petra. "And are you talking out of the office, Miss Ral?"

The strawberry blonde swallowed thickly as Levi's impugning eyes stayed focused on her, but whether that was to seek an answer or to intimidate her into submission, the woman didn't know. She opted to remain silent in the hopes that those frightening grey orbs would find something else to attempt to spontaneously combust.

"Don't change the subject!" Hanji protested, catching Levi's attention again. The man remained facing Petra but his eyes lazily flicked towards Hanji. "You know…I have other ways of finding out of you don't want to cooperate."

This caught the raven's attention. Caught somewhere between irritated and intrigued, Levi turned so that his entire body was facing Hanji on the adjacent couch. Petra breathed out in relief as she was relieved of Levi's attention, causing the blonde beside her to snicker inaudibly.

"Pray tell," Levi dared her.

"You see," Hanji started, completely unperturbed by Levi's threatening demeanor, "I happen to be friends with this lovely young pilot…what's his name…ah, Eren Jaeger…"

At the mention of the boy's name, Levi's entire posture went rigid. The shift was barely perceptible but to Hanji, who had dropped Eren's name purposefully to observe Levi's reaction to it, didn't miss how the man's muscles tensed up, how his eyes widened just fractionally and how his jaw clenched when his breath hitched. The man quickly narrowed his eyes into dangerous slits as he registered the look on Hanji's face – she had seen it all.

"Eren visits me regularly at work," Hanji continued, eyes locked on Levi's.

The man was fighting with every ounce of strength he had to keep his body in check, but he could feel his own body betray him. His heart rate had risen and his breathing had quickened just a bit, but in his attempt to maintain his composure, he was acutely aware that his deep breathing was highly unnatural. Hanji, no doubt, noticed this, and was continuing to push all the right buttons. As much as Levi wanted to snap at her to shut up, that was the exact reaction the woman was gunning for – as soon as Levi got defensive, she would know he had something to hide.

"He talks to me about all sorts of things," Hanji continued.

Erwin and Petra watched in silence as Hanji pushed to make Levi crack. Both of them knew firsthand how easy it was for Hanji to extort information out of her victims, but whether it was due to manipulative skill or pure harassment was up for debate. Either way, they both knew Levi would cave, it was only a matter of when – Levi had zero patience when it came to Hanji's incessant pestering, and more often than not would give in to the woman.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I just asked him what's going on between the two of you."

Levi's brow twitched at this, causing Hanji's smile to widen. Why did the idea of Hanji cornering Eren make Levi want to shackle the woman up and lock her away? Oh, because Eren belonged to Levi. Eren was his. Nobody got close to Levi's property, and Levi would go to any lengths to ensure that. But that wasn't all that irked the man. If Hanji were to asked Eren, what would the brat say? Nothing, of course. Eren wanted nothing to do with Levi…in fact, Levi wouldn't be surprised if the teen denied ever agreeing to fly with him. It irked Levi that Eren felt that way, but that wasn't all he was feeling. There was a sting in his chest, a vaguely familiar burn that he'd hoped he'd never feel again.

"In fact," Hanji pressed on, "I think I have his number. I'll just give him a call."

The raven sighed then, running a hand through his hair. This was the reaction Hanji had been hoping for: she watched with expectant eyes as he quickly poured the remaining contents of his wine glass down his throat before setting the glass neatly in the coaster on the coffee table in front of him. Both Erwin and Petra peered on curiously, neither surprised that Levi had caved but both surprised at how quickly it had happened.

"Fine," Levi spat. "I'm taking Eren flying tomorrow."

He'd expected the delighted squeal from Hanji but when he heard an even higher-pitched shriek come from the opposite end of the room, he snapped his head to the right only to find Petra squirmed in her seat beside Erwin, who was shaking his head with a smile plastered on his face. Levi's brows furrowed together as he glared at Petra, who stopped shrieking and squirming the instant she noticed Levi's enraged eyes locked onto her form.

"That is so awesome!" Hanji cried out, clapping her hands.

What have I gotten myself into? Levi just sighed and resigned himself to his fate, pouring himself another glass of red wine to sip on while the women calmed down.

"Where are you taking him? Oh my god, it's in Lexy, right? This is absolutely perfect! Do you like him? Oh no, do you love him? Did you see him again last weekend? Is that why you were in such a good mood this week, because you slept with him? Oh, you slept with him, didn't you? Is he good? He looks well-endowed! Is he? Oh, please tell me all the juicy details!"

Ordinarily, Levi would've cut her rant off with a rude comment or an aggressive gesture before she ran out of steam, but at the moment he really couldn't care any less – yet more proof of his oddly happy mood. He simply let her continue until she ran out of questions to fire at him, not paying any attention to a single word she said because he had absolutely no interest in indulging her.

Once she deemed it necessary to breathe again, Levi spoke. "I don't know where we're going."

Honestly, he didn't. In fact, he hadn't even thought of it. In his mind, he thought it would be perfectly satisfactory for the teen to just go out to the training area for an hour and fly around, maybe let Eren handle Lexy himself if Levi felt so kind. But on the other hand, he wanted to impress the teen; he wanted to take Eren somewhere exciting or fun in a desperate attempt to win the brunette over somehow. Just letting him fly the Robinson wouldn't be nearly enough to earn the brat's liking.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind where you go," Erwin said with a smile. "He'll just be happy to be in the air."

"Tch. That brat would rather stay grounded than fly a helicopter."

"So he says, but truth be told, Eren loves flying. His rotten attitude towards helicopter pilots is simply a result of external influence. I've known the boy since before he was in aviation, and let me tell you one thing, Levi, it's that Eren's at his happiest when he's in the air."

"Whatever."

"Told you it's Eren," Hanji piped up, snickering.

Petra blushed and whispered, "I didn't disagree."

Levi glared heatedly at his personal assistant, knowing full-well that he was unable to punish or even reprimand her for her behavior. She hadn't breached any company protocol and while she may have inadvertently interfered in his personal life, it wasn't specifically against her contractual agreement to do so. She had acted freely and without any harm to him, his company or his reputation, so he had absolutely no grounds to yell at her.

And this pissed him off.

Hanji, on the other hand, was a free for all. Levi turned to the brunette woman and opened his mouth, about to launch into a tirade of insults when Erwin quickly chipped in.

"Levi," Erwin called, effectively silencing the storm before it began. "Maybe you should take him to one of the game reserves up north. If I remember correctly, Eren loves nature and wildlife."

"Is that so?" Levi was immediately disarmed.

The remainder of the evening was spent listening to Erwin and Hanji sharing what they knew about Eren, keeping Levi's undivided attention as he listened to and dissected every single word they uttered about the boy. Petra looked on in fascination as Levi listened, intrigued as to what this boy had done to Levi – the man had never wanted anything to do with relationships or getting involved with people in any way, yet here he sat unable to keep contain his interest as they spoke of the boy.

Eren liked nature and wildlife, but he particularly loved the ocean. Apparently the teen had once stated that if he were any smarter he would've loved to become a marine biologist. He was a successful sportsman at school, playing hockey in the winter months and track and field during summer – specializing in the two hundred meter sprint, four hundred meter hurdles and long jump. Levi was impressed with the hurdles because he knew firsthand how strong an athlete had to be to do four hundred meters, and add hurdles to the mix…Eren was undoubtedly a strong teen. The boy had no interest in typical boy things like cars and engines but did have a healthy appreciation for motorbikes. Hanji had also mentioned that Eren enjoyed gaming as long as it was simple, linear games where he didn't have to think too much, where he could just charge in and shoot.

As simple and as straightforward as Eren appeared to be, the boy had many layers beneath the mask of bravado he always wore. Levi found himself more intrigued with the boy than ever by the end of the night, and as he made his way home after what turned out to be a lovely evening with his friends, he couldn't get his mind off Eren and the little things that made him Eren. The man had learnt so much but nothing at all as his two oldest friends spoke about Eren, and this only further whet his appetite to get to know every single thing there was to know about the boy.

Maybe, just maybe, winning Eren over was the key to bury the burden of his past pain for good.

Love is a funny thing; it always has been and it always will be. He often wondered if it was even natural for humans to feel love or if that was an emotion that had come to the species through evolution and the need to remain in a group for safety. Perhaps love was just some basic survival instinct that had, over thousands or perhaps millions of years, become something more simply because society needed glue to hold it together. And as much as he never wanted love, as deprived as he'd been all his life, he never once wondered what it would be like to be bound to another human being in that way.

That is, until he met her. She was by no means the first or even the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on, but something about her screamed 'mine'. Every fiber of his being succumbed to this urge to own, surrendered itself to the evolved instinct now known as 'love' and he gave life and limb to the woman in an attempt to claim her. Oh, she was perfect. She was beautiful. Once he had her, he vowed to never forsake her, never would she be alone for another damn day in this cruel, cold world.

He never broke that promise.

Five years later and he loved her more than he loved the air he breathed, more than he loved the fact that his heart was healthy and still beating, more than life itself. This woman had become his life, had become his existence, had become the world he hadn't known he'd desired until he was thrust into it, holding her hand. It was undeniable that she was his soul mate, that her very existence completed him. Their bond was so strong it felt like they had been fighting to be together for a thousand lifetimes before this, and that this lifetime, their last life as mortal beings, was their lifetime to be together. It was their time now, and it was clear by how unequivocally and undeniably in love they had fallen, how dedicated they were to one another and how perfect their world seemed, with just the two of them in it. There wasn't a doubt in anyone's mind, especially not in theirs, that they were nothing but destined to be.

After living a hard life of solitude and suffering, a life of being unloved and abandoned, a life of ruin and pain, he was finally given a chance to love and be loved in return. All the bloodshed, the tears and the excruciating torment he had endured for nearly two decades were obliterated from his memory the first time she kissed him. She was the medication, the drug, the antidote to his suffering, she not only cured him but she built him up to be twice the man he would've been had he been left to his own devices.

His company's success skyrocketed, reaching heights even the most ambitious people never thought possible. Colossus took the world by storm, buying out massive competition to the point where it was the undisputed world super-power. With the perfect angel at his side, he truly rose to a power and a wealth that he would never have imagined possible for any living man, quickly claiming the title of one of the richest men alive today.

But he didn't care about money. He didn't care about the company's success or the fact that he had the world's reverence and jealousy. What he cared about was this woman who had taken him there, the woman who had brought his lifeless soul to life with a blazing desire to live everyday at her side.

And after five years of nothing but perfection, five years of nothing but dedicating his entirety to the woman who had completed his existence, he wanted nothing more than to put a ring on her finger and show the world she belonged to him. While everyone who so much as had access to a media device knew just who the woman belonged to, he wanted to make it official in the eyes of the law. He needed to claim her in every way possible.

And what better time than now, when she was five months pregnant with their son?

Having bought a beautiful, silver dress that would fit comfortably over the small bulge in her petite frame, and a back tailored tux, he went about organizing the proposal that would legalize their commitment and love for one another. He had told her to meet him at his office at three so the chauffeur could transport them to the airfield for a flight on one of the five private jets she had selected and customized courtesy of his desire to have her involved in his work. They would then fly to her favorite restaurant on the other side of the country in Trost, which nestled atop a mountainside only accessible by helicopter, where they would enjoy the sunset over the western ocean and he would finally pop the question he'd been wanting to ask since the day she let him claim her for the first time.

It was all a surprise, of course.

Everything was perfect. Everything would be perfect from here on out. They would be married, have a son and that would be the start of their perfect little family. His son would be groomed as he was to take over Colossus and continue the family legacy, but he vowed to be a better father than his own had been. He vowed to say things like 'I love you' and 'I'm proud of you' to build his child's character. He would be the perfect father, and he knew that was not a far-fetched dream because she would be the perfect mother.

But before they could start their new adventure, before they could even start the evening of their fifth anniversary, he had to ensure that the dress and the tux were perfect. He made the trip home to fetch the clothing he'd hidden in his office, the one part of the luxurious house that she wouldn't dare enter unless it was to bring him tea, lunch, or some sensual entertainment when he was stressed. He smiled at the thought of the things that had happened in that office in the four years he'd had it, and looked forward to making more and even better memories on every surface possible.

To hear her laughter echo through the house as he stepped inside was a blessing. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he reveled in the angelic sound; it was rare for her to laugh, even around him, so every time she did he took it in like a music connoisseur enjoys a rare orchestral piece. Hearing that elated laughter bubbling up from within her and reverberating off the walls of their spacious home entranced him, pulling him forward to the source of the sound as he longed to hear more and more of it.

It wasn't entirely surprising for her to be home this early – over the course of her pregnancy, she spent a lot of time at home due to illness or discomfort. But hearing her so giddy made his heart flutter; perhaps she would be well enough for them to make love before commencing with his plan for the evening.

The idea had his body ablaze with anticipation.

After storing her engagement ring in his office, he silently stalked toward the source of the laughter, loosening the top two buttons of his shirt as to entice her to the treat he had planned for her. He knew she loved his body, and it was with good reason; he was unbelievably fit and fantastically chiseled, and he used this to his advantage every time he wanted her. This time would be no different, and judging by her elated mood it wouldn't be difficult to persuade her.

In fact, it was never difficult to persuade her. She had a sex drive that synchronized perfectly with his. As he'd known from the beginning, they were soul mates. Everything about them was synchronized. Everything about her was perfect. There wasn't a damn thing he'd change about her.

That was until he opened their bedroom door.

Seeing her bare back to the door would've instantly roused his already heightened primal senses had it not been for two fundamental things, two things that he saw in that very instant that both changed the man forever and shattered his entire world:

A pair of hands on her hips.

His father's voice saying her name.

JAW DROPS?

Please tell me you did not see that coming.