-NOTE: Now that i actually know the dates of their birthdays, lets act like i never said Levi's birthday was in October hahaha-

-SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! Ive been /really/ busy and i wanted to make this chapter longer than the others because…. well, lets just say you're not going to appreciate what i have in store for this story hahhahahahaa. Anyway, enjoy and thank you guys for the support/reviews/etc!-

"Shh," I smoothed his sweat-soaked hair out of his eyes and sighed at the time; 3 am, "It was only a dream."

He sighed heavily and closed his eyes, raising a shaky palm to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

This had become a common occurrence. On the first night Levi stayed, it had scared the shit out of me when I was woken up by a piercing scream. I had scrambled into his room and shook him furiously, terrified. I had pulled him into my lap and cried in his hair, and he had been the one who comforted me. Now, the tables had turned. Every night it was the same thing; we would hang out in my room until I fell asleep, then he would go to his room. Then, every night, he would wake me up with loud groaning or loud screaming. I would walk to his room quickly and shake him awake. It scared me, yes, but he couldn't control it. It pained me to see him like that, and it especially pained me when he flinched away from my hand when I woke him up. But slowly, slowly, he would come to his senses, ask me for a glass of water, and urge me into his bed. I would lay next to him only after he had chugged his whole glass of water and sleep the rest of the night with him.

"Can I have-"

"Yeah," I said smoothly, getting up and heading to the bathroom. I filled the cup on the side of the sink with water and walked back to the room. He took the glass and downed it quickly, giving it back to me. I studied his tired expression for a few minutes, taking in his dry lips and the purple bags under his eyes.

Levi had been living with me for two months now. It was rocky, yeah, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Mikasa and him were almost polar opposites and couldn't stand each other's presence for more than 10 minutes. The only common interests they shared were cooking and cleaning, which they still fought over;

"Who the fuck puts sugar in chili?" Mikasa had sneered.

"It's brown sugar, you dumb shit," He barked back, snatching the spoon away from her, "It's not even sweet like regular sugar."

"It's still sugar!"

"I'm putting it in there. You can thank me later," He retorted.

When Mikasa was done throwing a string of insults at him, she finally tasted the chili. I look of surprise crossed her face and she grew silent, earning a cocky snort out of Levi, who leaned back in his chair and looked at me happily. I laughed quietly, and received a death glare from Mikasa.

Then there was Thanksgiving. Levi and Mikasa started arguing as soon as they were ready to cook, so I had to split them up and give them separate duties. I gave Levi the task of cooking the turkey, and had smirked cockily at Mikasa. It ended up being the best turkey I had ever had. Armin came down from Rosewell, and everything had gone wonderful when I introduced Levi and Armin to each other;

"Ive heard a lot about you,' Armin had said with a nervous smile. Levi had chuckled happily and replied, "Oh, I can imagine how much of a good impression Eren gave you." They shared a few laughs and I had thanked the high heavens that everything went over smoothly.

The combined pressure of cleanliness from Mikasa and Levi annoys me to no end, but it also means that the house is always in impeccable condition. There were no strange scents coming from a corner in my room, and there was no cockroach remains scattered through the house. One time i had spilled cranberry juice onto a new white carpet Levi had bought to put in his room, and had whacked me on the back of the head, and decided that from that point forward, whacking my head was a plausible solution to my uncleanliness. Mikasa didn't mind seem to mind, in fact, she smiled tightly, trying to hold back a laugh, whenever he did.

I liked to think that the reason Levi was so anal about keeping this house particularly cleaner than anything else he owns is because he never had that chance to do so when he lived with his uncle.

"Eren," Levi demanded, looking up at me with furrowed brows, "Come on, lay down so we can both go back to sleep."

I smiled and took my place next to him, pulling him against me. It didn't take long, maybe a week after the routine started, for me to notice that Levi preferred to be held than to hold people. Not that I had a problem with it, of course. I kissed his forehead lightly, and he took a shaky breath.

"I've never really thanked you, have I, Jaeger?" He asked quietly

"For?" I asked, nuzzling into the crook of his neck.

"Everything. Just being you, mostly."

I smiled and warmth radiated through me, "You're welcome, I guess. It's really not that much of a struggle living with you, you know."

He snorted, "Whatever you say. Go to sleep now."

I fell asleep tracing circles on his back

-x-

The morning started off like every other one; Levi woke before me and elbowed me, waking me up. We both dragged ourselves out of the warm, comfy bed and made our way downstairs. I waved at Mikasa, who was sitting at the table with her laptop stationed in front of her and a cup of coffee gripped tightly in her hands. Levi yawned and went to pour himself his own cup, and when i asked him, he simply replied, "make your own. I'll cook."

I took a seat by Mikasa, "Good morning."

She looked up at me, her lips turning upwards into one of her signature smiles, "Hey sleepyhead."

"How'd you-"

"Jesus fuck!" Levi cried. I snapped my head around to see him hopping wildly behind the counter. I rushed over and saw him furiously shaking his foot, a large yellow blob floating around, "Get me a fucking towel, Eren!"

I cracked up suddenly, and Mikasa joined me. Levi gave me a fiery look as i hunched over, wheezing and tears spilling from my eyes. I grabbed a towel and he snatched it from me, swiping the egg yolk from his foot, "Oh my god, Levi, It's just an egg!"

"It's fucking filthy!" He seethed, whipping around to give me a harsh look, pointing the towel in my direction. I gripped the counter for support and sputtered out laughter as he ran the towel under water and scrubbed in between his toes with it. Mikasa had her face buried in her elbow, laughter rocking her whole body.

"Go," He said through gritted teeth, pushing me from the kitchen, "Go get dressed."

I stumbled up the stairs, laughing blindly. I went to my room and closed the door, stripping my clothes off and picking out something quickly, trying to hurry before i got cold. One thing Levi insisted was that we only use the heater at night to save money. I didn't really mind because I always felt hot, but when I was stark naked, I didn't exactly appreciate it. I pulled my shoes on and got out my heavy sweatshirt, snuggling into it. I headed to the bathroom to scrub my teeth, finishing quickly and heading downstairs. To my surprise, Mikasa and Levi were actually talking. I stood near the entrance to the kitchen and listened intently;

"... So I was thinking I could surprise him with that. Does it sounds okay?"

"I don't know, I can imagine that he'd be upset that you're spending your money on him. You do know you're supposed to be saving up to rent an apartment, don't you?"

There was silence and the sizzling and popping of bacon. Spend money on what? Surprise me with what?

"I'm going to ask him to live with me when I finally do get one," He turned the stove off and put the bacon on a separate plate, "I can only hope we won't be freaked out about not living with you, or whatever. He seems really attached to you and that blond kid… what's his name again?"

"His name is Armin. If you want to date my brother you'd better learn his best friends name," She said bitterly, "Besides, I'm basically his only family, of course hes attached to me."

"Right," He started putting food on plates, "Well, anyway, what do you think about the watch thing? I'd just like to do something nice for him, you know?"

"Yeah," She took a long sip from her coffee, "He definitely deserves it."

"Then it's settled," he turned and set two plates on the counter, one for me and one for him. He walked over to Mikasa and set her plate in front of her, "I'll go on my lunch break today and buy it for him. No matter how many times he calls or texts you, don't tell him."

"I won't," She paused, then sighed, "Look, I know i'm not exactly the nicest person, but I'm really happy you're here. Eren just seems a million times happier with you here. You're really good for him, Levi."

"Thank you, Mikasa," I could hear the smile in his voice, "It's good for me to be here, too."

I digested what I had just heard. Mikasa and Levi getting along? No, I must be hearing things. Buy me what? What was he talking about? I thought back to when we had been shopping together, browsing the store, admiring all the things we couldnt have. Then it snapped.

The watch!

"Oh wow, look at this, Rivaille!" I had said, pressing my finger against the window. It was a beautiful watch; a fine leather strap and a large, white and gold face with 3 fancy dials. I had no clue what they were for, but it made the watch look even fancier. I stared with wonder into the glass.

"You like that one, hm?" He asked, walking up beside me and bending over slightly to get a better look at it, "Oh wow, it is really nice."

"Yeah," I breathed, watching as the light bounced elegantly off of the golden dials, "God, I'd kill for the money to buy something like this. How great would that be?"

"You really like this watch?" He asked, looking up at me with his usual expression.

"I love it. I absolutely love it," I breathed.

Levi 'hmphed', "Too bad we're poor, yeah? Lets go on to the next store," He tugged on my jacket sleeve and dragged me away from the window.

There was no way Levi had money for that! We struggled to pay the bills and feed ourselves, how could be buy me something that was $400? Mikasa was right, I am angry that he would spend his money on me. But… the watch was so beautiful. And it was such a nice thing to do. I shook my head and sighed, turning the corner and entering the kitchen.

"Oh, there you are. I finished cooking," Levi gestured to plate of eggs, bacon, and toast. I smiled at him and sat next to him, eating silently.

After breakfast, Levi finished eating and we walked to the bus stop together, huddling close to each other for warmth. When we got to the store, we went our separate ways.

"Hi, Eren!" Sasha beamed, "I'm glad you and Levi could make it today! It's pretty cold out, huh?"

I smiled at her and folded the clothes in front of me mindlessly, "Yeah, It's freezing. I'm glad we could make it too."

"They probably warmed each other up, if you catch my drift," I heard Jean say behind me, a smirk clearly evident in his voice. I turned to face him and give him a glare, he laughed loudly at me, "Don't deny it, prettyboy, you know you guys go home every night and cuddle up together. You guys act like you aren't a thing, but everyone knows you are."

"Shut up, Jean," I snapped, "It's nobody's business what we are. You're so fucking thick, god."

He glared back at me, "Thats exactly what your sister says."

I froze, "What?"

"Thats what your sister says. About me," A gross smile crossed his face and he lowered his voice, "About my dick."

I looked at him with disgust.

"I fucked your sister, Jaeger," He said in that slimy voice of his.

"You bastard!" I yelled, lunging at him suddenly. I heard Sasha yell out something along the lines of, 'Eren, no!' And 'Oh god.'

I grabbed his hair and landed a forceful punch on his jaw, causing anger to flare up into his eyes. He roared with anger and swung at me wildly, his fist connecting with my sides, then my cheeks, them my nose. My nose made a sickening crunching sound, and i gasped with pain, stumbling backwards from his punch. I started to feel lightheaded as Sasha charged between Jean and I's path, holding Jean back by his chest. Then, as I was about to stand up, I heard a voice that I had hoped not to hear.

"What the fuck is going on?"

Jean froze, and so did Sasha. She let go of Jean and turned to Levi, a scared look on her face. She scurried out of the way and Jeans chest heaved up and down, his brows drawn together angrily, "Your boyfriend attacked me!"

Levi turned his head and looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I looked back sheepishly, bringing a hand up to cover my bloody nose.

"Well he had to have a reason to do so. Eren wouldn't do that just for fun," Levi said, flatly. A small crowd had gathered a few feet away, watching us and whispering quietly. Levi shot them a look and they turned away.

"He said he was sleeping with Mikasa," I squeaked.

Levi bent down, "Uncover your nose."

I did so and he examined it, sighing deeply and shaking his head, "It's broken."

"He started it!" Jean cried again.

Levi got up and held his hand out to me. I took it and he helped me up, "I don't have trouble believing that," He rolled his eyes, "But you were the instigator, weren't you?"

"What? I-I didn't do anything!" He yelled, rubbing his jaw. I glowered at him.

"Hm. Sasha, what do you think?"

Sasha's eyes widened, and she spoke in a high pitched voice, "Well… Eren would have never gotten angry if Jean wouldn't have said anything! I'm really sorry Jean, but it's true!"

Jean stared at her with disbelief.

"Come on, you two, I'm sure Irvin will be extremely happy to hear about this," Levi dragged me by my collar and pushed Jean forward. We silently walked to Irvin's office.

"Oi, Irvin, look what I brought," Levi said, pushing Jean forward once more, causing him to stumble and glare at Levi. He released my collar and put his hand on the small of my back, pushing me forward softly. Irvin looked up and his eyes landed on my bloody nose. He sighed and took his glasses off, setting them on the desk.

"Well, we all knew it would happen eventually," He clicked his pen in annoyance, "You know that could get you two fired, correct?"

We remained silent.

"So who started it?"

"Jean did," I grumbled, "He was talking about Levi and I's relationship then claimed he… uh, had relations with my sister."

Jean spoke up, "He hit me first."

"Well it sounds like you started it, Mr. Kirchstein."

He shut his mouth quickly.

"I'm deducting $3 from your pay," He said, looking at Jean with a hard look, "I'm sure my customers didn't exactly appreciate you beating the daylights out of Eren in the middle of my store. Don't let it happen again."

He turned to me and Levi, "You're getting the rest of the day off, Mr. Jaeger, to treat that nose of yours. Again, don't let anything like this happen again. Ever. Levi, you may go with him until your lunch break."

We nodded and Jean stared at Irvin with disbelief, "You two are dismissed."

-x-

"Fuck, hold still," Levi hissed, holding my jaw and forcing me to face him. I whined and gripped the chair I was sitting on hard, as he pinched my nose and laid a band aid where the skin had broken, "There, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"It hurt," I grumbled.

He rolled his eyes, "Go sit on the couch. I'll get you some ice or something."

I trudged over to the couch and laid down, leaning my head backwards against the pillow. Levi strolled in and tossed me a bag of frozen peas, "You know those expired months ago, right?"

I shrugged, and he muttered, "disgusting."

He lifted my head gently and sat down where the pillows had once been, my head laying on his lap now. He snatched the peas away from me and held them tenderly to my nose, grimacing whenever I whined.

After a few minutes, Levi's usually hard gaze had softened and he was stroking my hair with his free hand. I could feel the pain slowly receding, from my nose being numbed and also from the calming movement of Levi's fingers. He skimmed his fingers along my scalp, making me hum contently and close my eyes.

"I love you," I muttered.

"I love you, too," He said, a smile lacing through his words, "A lot. You're one of the best things thats ever happened me to, Eren."

I snorted, my heart fluttering at his words, "Would you like some wine with that cheese?"

I smacked my head lightly, causing me to groan in pain, "Shut up. You didn't even use it right, you brat."

"Ugh, that hurt…" I said, squeezing my eyes shut tighter.

"You'll live," He chuckled, patting my hair lightly.

I shut my eyes again and white noise surrounded us, the soft humming of electrical appliances and breathing.

"Hey, Eren?" Levi spoke.

"Yeah?"

"What would you say if I asked you to move in with me? Like, when I got my own place."

I opened my eyes slowly and searched his face. He bit the inside of his cheek and looked right back down at me.

"I would say yes."

"Without hesitation?"

"Yes."

He smiled and leaned back, "Good to know," He sighed then leaned forward again, pecking me lightly and moving my head off of his lap. He stood up and placed a pillow under my neck.

"Well, I have some things i want to do, so i'll get going."

I whined, "Come on, don't go yet. It's early. You'll be leaving me all alone."

He snorted, grabbing his keys from the coffee table, "Don't die!"

I moaned as he walked out the door.

-x-

I scrolled lazily through the channels, eventually deciding on a cooking show. I settled back down onto the pillow holding my new bag of ice over my face.

I heard the door creak open quietly, and I craned my neck enough to see a head of black hair a bright red scarf. Oh boy, this was going to be fun to explain.

"Eren?" She called, her eyes widening. She rushed over to me, "What happened?"

"Jean beat me up," I said, pressing the ice to my face once again.

"He what?" She said through clenched teeth, "Why?"

"Because he was talking about me and Levi, so I hit him," I narrowed my eyes at her, "He also mentioned something about you, Mikasa."

She froze.

"Why'd you sleep with him?!" I cried, pointing an accusing finger at her.

"I was drunk!" She yelled, "And maybe I like him."

My eyes widened in horror, "Hes such an ass though, Mikasa!"

"Maybe I like ass'," She rolled her eyes.

"He has a horse face," I whined, "You should've heard what he said. It was so rude. He said, 'I fucked your sister, Jaeger'. Hes an ass!"

"I'll talk to him about it," She sighed, "Just don't hate me. I think he's gay anyway."

"What? Why?"

She shrugged, "There was a rumor that he dated Marco Bodt. Remember him?"

"Jean doesn't seem gay."

"Well, I wouldn't believe it either if I hadn't have gone to that premiere. Literally the only time he would pay attention to me was when Marco was around. He also was looking over at him a lot and got really bubbly. That implies something," She shook her finger at me and wandered to the kitchen.

"If you think he's gay then why'd you sleep with him?" I asked miserably. I really didn't want her to be with Jean.

"Because I like him and we were wasted! It was shitty, so don't be so miserable. It was probably a one time thing," She yelled from the kitchen.

I sighed and turned to TV, trying to shake the disgust from my head.

I watched TV for a few minutes, and Mikasa joined me with her laptop about half an hour before we heard the front door creak open and a, "Christ, my nipples are frozen."

I raised an eyebrow and he waved to me and Mikasa, "Winter is great, is it not?"

"Isn't your birthday this month?" Mikasa asked, not looking up from her computer. Her rapid typing had stopped though, and she looked as if she was about to crack a huge smile.

"Yeah," He pushed a few bags into the trash and my heart sped up when I saw the black and white of the bag from the jewelry store flash out of view, "It's on Christmas, so you guys had better not forget it."

"Of course not," Mikasa squeaked, a stream of giggles breaking free from her mouth. I raised an eyebrow at her and Levi shot her hard look, silencing her immediately.

Levi strode in with a hand behind his back and I pretended to be focused on the TV, my heart pounding in my chest and wishing so much that he was just giving me a flower instead of a $400 watch. He slowly walked up to the coffee table and pulled a medium-sized black, velvet box from behind his back and set it on the table.

Mikasa ceased her rapid typing and looked to us. Levi was chewing his lip and staring at me, his hands jammed into his pockets, "Well? Open it, kid."

I swallowed thickly, leaning forward to grab the box. The material was soft in my hands, and i caressed it for a few seconds before slowly prying the box open.

The watch was staring at me. It's large face was bright and beautiful like I remember, and it was blindingly shiny. I opened my mouth slightly, letting a small gasp escape them. It was so beautiful, and it was mine. Levi had bought it for me. Just for me.

"Well…?" Levi prodded, a nervous edge in his voice, "Thats the one you liked so much, remember?"

"Yeah," I choked out, trailing my finger along the golden edge, "But, Levi-"

He put a hand up, "If you're going to comment about money, don't bother. You deserve that."

I smiled at him and he sat down, pulling my wrist and the box into his lap, "Lets try it on."

I watched as he fastened the watch around my wrist, the metal cool against my skin. When it was fastened on, I held my arm out and up, watching the light bounce off of the bright face.

"It looks good on you," Mikasa commented, giving me a small smile.

"Doesn't it?" Levi said, searching my face with his hard gaze.

I threw my arms around him, surprised at how much heavier the watch had made my wrist. He laughed and returned my hug, planting a wet kiss on my forehead. I smiled widely, "You're getting a reward for this later."

He laughed even more, causing my heart to swell, "I can't wait."

I ended up admiring my $400 watch while I ate a $5 microwave meal.