Chapter 14

"I love you."

Levi sighed, drawing his knee up to his chest. His dark eyes briefly flicked over to the clock, noting how he had been planted in a chair at Eren's bedside for over four hours now. He settled his gaze back onto the brunet while wrapping his arms around his leg, dropping his chin atop his bent knee.

"I love you."

He could still clearly hear those three words; he could still clearly picture every tiny detail- from the way Eren's glossy eyes watched his every move to the way the brunet slurred those three stupid words together, making it sound more like a jumbled mess. Although, Levi thought, it sounded fitting considering it was a merely a drunken confession- a drunken confession that quickly had his heart hammering against his chest, sounding loudly in his ears. It was a drunken confession that had his eyes widen to the point where he thought they might go flying out of the sockets.

Most surprising though, it was a drunken confession that had him responding with 'I love you too' in his mind while his mouth chose to say something different.

A quiet groan slipped past Levi's lips- lips that still tingled from the kiss. Lips that still bore the faint taste of Vodka. Lips that betrayed him, craving the brunet's warm lips more than Levi would ever want to admit.

Levi shook his head, running the back of his hand across his mouth. Eren was just a kid- a kid who somehow managed to get a good grasp of his cold heart, and damn if that kid wouldn't let go.

And, Levi thought, the worst part is, Eren doesn't even know what he's doing to him. How could the brat know? How could he know that his mere presence was enough to get Levi's pulse racing?

"Dammit," Levi cursed quietly, digging his nails into his leg. He didn't sign up for this. He didn't sign up to have some brat come waltzing into his life, stealing his heart in the process. Why, he asked himself, couldn't he find a normal, older man to fall in love with? Why, he continued, did he have to fall head over heels in love with some kid he's only known for a few months? How did Eren go from a tolerable eye candy to someone Levi thought he might want to spend the rest of his life with?

A soft cough followed by a rather loud moan had Levi's head snapping up. He pushed himself up to his feet, padding over to Eren just as said boy was struggling to push himself into a sitting position. "Easy," Levi muttered, wrapping one arm around the boy's shoulders to help him sit up.

"Feel like shit," Eren mumbled, unconsciously pressing his arm against his stomach.

Levi rolled his eyes. "Of course you do," he grumbled, steadying his gaze on Eren's face, noting how the boy's face paled significantly. "Eren?" He questioned carefully.

"Gonna be sick," Eren slurred before cupping his hand over his mouth.

Levi acted fast. He slid his arm down to Eren's waist, hoisting the boy to his feet. He practically dragged Eren into the guest bathroom, loosening his grip around the brunet's waist once they reached the toilet. He had planned to ease Eren onto the floor, but the boy had other plans. Levi cursed softly as Eren fell from his grip. He watched with a hint of sympathy as the boy crashed onto his knees before pushing himself up and over the toilet seat. He knelt down beside Eren, rubbing gentle circles on his damp-clothed back while the brunet emptied the contents of his stomach.

Moments later, Eren flushed the toilet and then leaned back slightly, pressing his forehead against the cool porcelain of the toilet seat. "I'm dying," he groaned as he tried to even out his breathing.

"Not exactly," Levi said, standing up to turn on the bathroom light. As soon as he flicked the switch, Eren let out a string of barely coherent curses.

"Do we need the light?" He questioned harshly as he buried his face into the crook of his arm, attempting to block out the light that managed to intensify the pounding in his head.

"I need it," Levi answered flatly. He grabbed a glass off of the sink, filling it half way with water. He then pulled on the edge of his mirror, revealing a cabinet filled with toothpaste, dental floss, and thankfully, a bottle of Aspirin. He popped the cap off, pouring two pills into his hand before returning to Eren's side.

"Look at me," he ordered the brunet, tugging on said boy's arm.

Eren reluctantly lifted his head up, squinting at the light as he willed his eyes to focus on Levi.

Levi held the pills up, motioning for Eren to open his balled fist. Eren obeyed, opening his hand and barely catching the two pills Levi dropped into his palm. He quickly curled his fingers around the pills upon realizing that his hand was trembling.

Levi let out a loud sigh while he watched Eren shakily drop the pills into his mouth. He moved the glass up to the boy's lips, carefully tilting it up and watching as the water sloshed around before passing through Eren's lips.

"Thanks," Eren muttered as Levi moved the glass away. He ran the back of his hand against his moist lips, watching as Levi exited the bathroom, retuning moments later with a new shirt.

"Put this on," Levi ordered, tossing the shirt to the brunet. "Then I'll help you back to bed."

"Am I sick?" Eren asked as he peeled the sweat-soaked shirt off, shivering as the cool air hit his bare skin.

"Hung-over," Levi answered- obvious irritation in his tone.

Eren's eyes widened; he ignored his protesting head as he slowly got to his feet, pulling the clean shirt over his head once the room stopped spinning. "I… What?" He asked- voice barely above a whisper.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Levi asked as he eyed Eren carefully, preparing to catch the brat should he topple over.

"Umm," Eren shuffled over to the sink, leaning against it. He bit down on his lower lip as he tried to recall what happened, groaning when he could only remember speaking with Armin and Marco. Everything after that was a blur of events; he could only faintly recall Levi sitting him in a chair and then Levi taking him to bed. "I remember talking with Armin and Marco," he began upon noticing Levi watching him, waiting for an answer. "After that it's all fuzzy. Like, I remember you helping me into a chair, and then I remember you helping me to bed."

Levi cast his eyes to the floor, breathing out a soft sigh. He figured Eren wouldn't remember, and he should be happy, but he couldn't help this annoying pang in his chest. He guessed a part of him wanted Eren to know; he wanted Eren to say that he meant to kiss him and he meant it when he said he loved him.

"Levi?"

Levi glanced up to see the brunet shooting him a confused look. "What?" He asked, sounding way too harsh, and he regretted it when he watched Eren flinch back slightly.

"Did…" Eren paused, peering down at his trembling hands, "Did I do something I shouldn't have?" He looked up, and his heart fell when he saw that Levi had taken to looking at a bathroom tile instead of him. "I mean aside from getting drunk!" He started, waving his hands about.

Levi kept his eyes locked to the floor; he was afraid that if he looked up, his facial expression would give him away.

"Oh, god," Eren whispered, wringing his hands. "Did I make a huge mess somewhere in your apartment..?" He couldn't hide the panic in his voice; he knew if there was one way to really piss Levi off, it would be to make a mess in his frighteningly clean apartment.

Levi let out a small, bitter laugh. "No." He spit out before turning on his heel, starting towards the bedroom. "Go back to bed," he ordered, moving back to his chair.

"You're mad…" Eren mumbled as he climbed back onto the bed on wobbly legs. He studied Levi, noting how the male has refused to look at him for quite some time now. "If it's about the alcohol… I can repl-"

"It's not about the alcohol, Eren," Levi griped, cutting the brunet off. He raked his fingers through his dark locks, breathing out a loud sigh while drawing both legs up to his chest.

Eren watched the older male's every movement with worry-filled eyes. "Then, what is it?" He questioned quietly, noticing how tired Levi looked.

"Nothing," Levi started, draping his arms across his bent knees. "Just go back to bed. You need rest."

Eren fell back against the pillows, tugging the covers up to his chin. "Whatever it is," he began, speaking out into the silent room, "I'm sorry…" With that said, Eren rolled onto his side, yanking on the blanket so it would cover his face and hopefully mute the small sniffles that came with the tears he didn't realize were streaming down his cheeks.

Levi's head jerked up at the faint sound of his cell phone ringing in the living room. He blinked a few times, rubbing at his stiff neck as he stood from the chair. He bent his knees slightly, groaning from the pain shooting up his legs as both knees popped loudly. He then allowed a small yawn to slip past his lips as he walked over to inspect Eren, brushing the backs of his fingers against the boy's cheek, nodding at the cool feel from the boy's skin.

Entering the living room, Levi retrieved his now silent phone, checking to see three missed calls from Erwin. He quickly punched Erwin's speed dial number, balancing the phone on his shoulder as he made his way to his own room to get ready for work.

"Hey," he said into the phone when he heard the blond pick up.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yea," Levi muttered as he slid his pajama bottoms down, stepping over them as they pooled around his ankles.

"Levi."

Levi huffed while he reached for a pair of ironed work pants hanging up in his closet. He knew Erwin knew him better than anyone, so lying to the blond would be pointless. "Okay, no. Everything is not okay." He stepped into the pant legs, pulling them up and fastening the clasp while waiting for Erwin to respond. "Before you ask," he started again, "Eren is fine. Well, he's mostly fine."

"Mostly?"

Levi dropped down onto the edge of his bed with a pair of black socks in his hand. He pressed the speaker button on his phone as he set the phone onto his nightstand. "Short story for now," he began as he bent over to put his socks on. "He got in a fight at school and he's suspended all day today. He also got into my Vodka last night and got drunk."

"What?!"

"You heard me," Levi griped as he slipped his feet into his shoes. "I'll explain everything when I get into work." He stood up, walking back over to his closet to pull out a gently pressed white dress shirt.

"How much did he drink?"

Levi draped his dress shirt over the recliner's arm rest then grabbed a white under shirt from his dresser, quickly pulling it over his head. "Enough to…" His voice trailed off, thinking back to the sloppy kiss that plagued his mind all night. A kiss that he should have hated but instead wanted more of.

"Enough to?"

Erwin's questioning voice broke Levi from his thoughts. He shook his head before snatching his shirt off of the arm rest, slipping his arms into the long-sleeved shirt and then buttoning it with quick precision. "Look, I'll explain at work, okay?"

"Very well. How is Eren now?"

"He's fine," Levi started as he reached for his suit jacket. "He got sick around three a.m. I guess, and he's been asleep since then." Levi slipped his arms into his suit jacket before reaching for his phone, turning the speaker off and pressing it back against his ear as he made his way into the living room.

"Will it be alright to leave him by himself all day? What if he gets sick again?"

"Then he will have to deal with it himself," Levi snapped, walking into the kitchen to collect every bottle of alcohol.

"You are angry with him."

Levi carried the bottles into his room, shoving them into the back corner of his closet. He combed his figures through his hair, breathing out a loud sigh. "Yea, I guess I am," he said into the phone as he slowly made his way back into the living room, pausing briefly to allow his gaze to fall onto the closed guest bedroom door.

"I suppose I will hear about it when you get to work?"

"Yea," Levi mumbled, reaching for his coat hanging on the coat rack by the door.

"Alright. I'll see you in a bit then."

"Yea, see you in a bit," Levi said before pulling his phone away to end the call. He dropped the phone into his coat pocket then made his way back into the kitchen, locating a notepad and a pen and scribbling a quick note to Eren. He left the note on the kitchen table then went back into the living room, grabbing his car keys and his dark green scarf before exiting the apartment.

Eren blearily looked at the clock on his nightstand, eyes widening when he saw that it was almost noon. He shot up into a sitting position, grabbing at his head as the room began to spin. After a few moments, he cautiously opened his eyes, sighing in relief when he realized the world was still. His eyes flicked over to the empty chair beside his bed, and he quickly hopped to his feet, shuffling into the living room in search of Levi.

The brunet could easily remember how weird Levi had been acting before he fell back asleep, and he really felt that he did something terribly wrong. He wanted- no, he needed to fix everything.

Eren walked into the kitchen- eyes instantly falling onto the small note lying on the middle of the table. He snatched the note up, eyes darting across the small piece of paper.

Eren,

I've gone to work. Stay in bed and rest. I'll see you when I get home.

Levi

Eren gnawed at his bottom lip, wondering if he should just stay put. It's what Levi would want him to do. But, he fucked up and he wanted to fix things… now. He bolted into his room, shoving his feet into his converses and then quickly tying the laces. He ran back out into the living room, snatching his coat off of the coat rack before racing out of the apartment.

If there was anyone he could go to for help, it was Erwin. And, he kept this in mind as he raced out of the apartment complex, taking a sharp left and heading towards the Colossal Mall.

Fifteen long minutes later, Eren stumbled into the mall, gasping for breath. He bent over, pressing his hands against his knees as he tried to regain his breath; he did his best to ignore the pain building in his chest from inhaling the harsh, winter air.

"Hey, Eren!"

Eren glanced to the side, still panting as he watched Hanji walking up to him. "Hey," he breathed out once the brunette reached his side.

"Did you run here?" Hanji asked- both brows raised.

"Er, yea." He said, turning to face the woman. "Do you know where Erwin is?"

"Levi told me you got suspended," Hanji said, jabbing her finger into Eren's chest. "First day of school and you got yourself kicked out before lunch."

Eren huffed, brushing his bangs away from his eyes. "It's kind of a long story. Now, can you please tell me where Erwin is?"

"He also told me you had some fun with his bottle of Vodka, a very expensive bottle I might add," Hanji stated, further pressing her index finger into Eren's chest. "Quite the troublemaker, huh?"

Eren cursed mentally; he would have to add that bottle of Vodka to the list of things he owed Levi. "Yea," he started- voice low. "I fucked up, now can you tell me where Erwin is so I can fix it?"

Hanji's hand fell back to her side, and she peered over her glasses at the red-faced boy. "You certainly are very interesting, Eren," she said through a laugh. "Erwin should be in his office. It's three rooms down from Levi's; his name is on the door."

Eren shot the brunette a thankful look before turning on his heel, starting towards the back of the mall. He weaved in and out of the clusters of customers, occasionally shouting out an apology if he bumped into another person.

And, after what felt like an eternity, he could see the 'Employees Only' door come into view.

He burst through the door, silently thanking whoever decided to leave it unlocked. Jogging down the hallway, Eren kept his eyes peeled for a door with Erwin's name on it, but he quickly skid to a stop, ducking behind a trashcan when he spotted Levi walking into a room. Eren waited until he heard the door close before he carefully made his way over to the room, reading Erwin's name on the front of the door.

"Shit," he cursed quietly, pressing his ear against the door.

"I've been very anxious to hear about what happened."

Erwin, Eren told himself. He continued listening, brows furrowing at the odd silence that followed.

"Levi?"

Eren bit down on his bottom lip. Why wasn't Levi answering? Was something really wrong?

"Eren kissed me."

Eren's eyes widened at the familiar sound of Levi's voice. He clasped one hand over his mouth to keep himself from gasping out loud.

"And, he told me that he loved me."

Eren pressed both hands firmly against his mouth as he staggered away from the door. He stumbled over his feet, turning until his back was pressed against the wall opposite of Erwin's office door. He stared blankly at the door, trying to process what was said.

He kissed Levi.

He told Levi that he loved him.

Eren knew the he really fucked up this time, and he had no idea how to fix it, so he did the only thing that came to mind.

He ran.

A/N- Here's chapter 14! Hope everything is okay!

So, I know I tell you all this every update, but seriously, thank you all so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows. I can't even begin to express how happy you all make me.

Sorry in advance for any grammar errors I may have missed, and as always,

I hope everyone enjoys!