A/N: I am cursed I swear. Just as we are over our colds, my son's school has a vomiting bug going around. Guess who gets it? Yep, my son. Three hellish days of endless vomiting - finally he gets better, for my two-year-old daughter to get it. Joys of parenthood.

I guess this is the last chapter - sorry if it seems unexpected. I cannot think of much else to write about, or at least anything that cannot be put into this final chapter. I'm sorry if that seems rushed. I could write indefinitely about these two idiots falling in love, being in love, making love - you name it I'd be happy to just repeat myself in new ways. However, I feel I can do this in a new story, a new setting. So here it is, the last chapter to my first and by no means last Levi and Eren story.

Thank you all for following this story, for waiting patiently for updates. For tolerating my dreadful grammar and mediocre writing. You make it all worthwhile.

Much love.

Gabby

Boot Camp - Final Chapter

The following morning, Jean teases Eren as soon as the opportunity arises. They're brushing their teeth when Jean admits that he knows Eren had snuck out, he then proceeds to make wisecracks about Eren getting laid.

Eren merely shrugs, "And?" he cannot see how Jean teasing him about this could make him look or feel bad. He got laid, and a damn good lay it was.

"Besides, you cannot possibly convince me that you and Marco, solely carried out inventory and nothing else." He counters smugly.

Jean smirks, "Good point."

During breakfast Eren tries his best to avoid Erwin, making sure that he was faced away from him allowing for no accidental eye contact. Now he knew that Erwin knows about him and Levi, it was just awkward.

Connie points out that during the time that Eren was gone, they had all earned another two stages. Some only had one stage to go before they graduated, others had two. Eren had three.

"I thought you'd be gutted," Connie remarks, "Yet, you hardly seem bothered at all."

Eating his porridge slowly, Eren takes his time to chew and swallow his mouthful before answering, "The longer it takes for me to earn each stage, the longer I am here."

"You're mad if you want to stay here," Jean asserts his opinion.

"Aren't you going to miss Marco when you graduate? If I stay, I stay with.." he pauses to make sure no one is listening, "I get to stay with him."

Jean shakes his head in disbelief at Eren's words, thinking him crazy for wanting to stay here longer than he has to, "We've sorted something out. Marco has handed in his notice. He has already found a job where I live, he's going to rent a room - I don't want to do too much too soon. But, with him working and living in the same town as me, we can give it a proper go."

Eren raises his eyebrows, surprised by the news, "Fair play. Sounds like you have it all sorted."

He lapses into silence, contemplating his and Levi's situation. He can hardly imagine asking Levi to quit his job just to move closer to him. If anything, it made better sense for him to either, attend a university close to boot camp or, get a job nearby. His hometown was too far away to consider commuting - long distance relationships did not sound appealing.

Thinking about their future seemed ludicrous, yet they had already confessed that the loved one another, they'd been intimate and had spent a fair amount of time together. Yet, arranging their future seemed like a big commitment. Of course, he was willing to do whatever, if it meant he could be with Levi, but the prospect of changing the dynamic of their relationship, to that of one that was heavier, it was daunting.

Just trying to imagine Levi in some form of domestic relationship, doing everyday mundane couple things was an image he could not fathom. Although, the alternative was not trying and that was one hundred percent out of the question. He loved Levi, he needed Levi.

His chest begins to tighten and he feels panicky again. He should not have started thinking about it.

Levi requests for Eren come to his office, he wants to arrange a time for Eren to catch up on the tasks he needs to accomplish to complete the stages.

Once inside Levi's office, Eren worries his bottom lip and fidgets. He's hardly paying attention to what Levi is saying, so much so that

Levi snaps at him to pull his head out of his arse before he kicks it into next week.

"Sorry," Eren halfheartedly apologises, "I just...fuck what are we doing?" he blurts, throwing his hands up in the air, as he slouches back in his chair.

Levi's brow furrows briefly, "You're not making any sense." He states coolly.

"Us," Eren clarifies waving his hand between the empty space separating himself and Levi, "Have you even thought about what will happen once I graduate?"

"No," Levi honestly answers, "I was more concerned thinking about the present. To begin with, it was, should we even start this thing? How can we continue without being caught? How can I see you? How can I save you? How can I get you back after you left? There has always been a more pressing issue. I've not had much time to consider the long-term plan."

He guessed that made sense.

"There is not a hope in hell that I will walk out of that door come graduation, and not look back. You're going to be a part of my life whether you like it or not." Eren confirms and Levi raises his eyebrows at the assumption, although he had no complaints.

"It's just, I still live at home with my parents." He laughs at how much of a loser he seems. If Levi was closer to his age he might not have felt so awkward having his boyfriend visit him at his parent's house. But asking a man in his thirties to skulk around his family home seem preposterous.

"You have your career to think about, and I...I need to figure out what I am doing with my life." He goes on to say, feeling overwhelmed.

"We'll figure something out, I'm sure." Levi calmly affirms.

Eren huffs, "Fuck, how can you be so calm and collected?" he complains jealous of Levi's ability to keep a level head.

Eren carries on before Levi has a chance to respond, "I'm freaking out. What if I graduate and we don't sort anything out immediately? Resulting in us not seeing each other for ages. What if, I cannot find work, or get into a university nearby?"

"I do not care for what if's." Levi simply states, "What if I walk out that door and get run over? Shit, Eren, anything could happen, what is the point in worrying. Just focus on what we do know. We know that we both want to give this a go, that we are both willing to find a way to see each other regularly. That's enough, for now."

Eren nods in agreement, "Yeah, I guess." He yields, slouching in his chair still feeling sorry for himself.

Levi adds, "As long as we communicate, talk about these things. I'm sure we'll be alright."

This made Eren laugh abruptly and out loud. Levi suspects Eren is laughing at him, so narrows his eyes and asks, "What?"

"Just, you...'As long as we communicate..' fuck Levi, you...talk about your feelings and communicate about all the things bothering you. You may as well have announced that you were dying your hair bubblegum pink and joining the circus." Eren explains, chuckling at the idea of Levi in the circus.

"I was deadly serious," Levi confirms, "besides I have an incredible sense of balance, not to mention body strength. I could thrive in the circus." He adds on straight faced, without batting an eye.

Eren leers, "Imagine all those tight acrobatic costumes."

"Idiot," Levi returns.

It seemed to have worked, Eren appeared less stressed, he was smiling. Something Levi had vowed to make happen as often as he possibly could.

"You're certainly the master of my ring," Eren jokes, playing on the name of the person who directs the circus performances - a ringmaster.

Eren can see that Levi wants to laugh. It is the barest lift of his cheek as he holds back a smile, the smallest twitch at the corner of his mouth, and the glint in his eyes.

"Get out, you moron." He shakes his head in shame at Eren's joke.

Eren stands, "You're only kicking me out so you can laugh without me seeing. Admit it you found it funny?" he pushes playfully.

"I admit that it was okay - childish but okay," Levi announces.

Clutching his chest, Eren whines, "Harsh! What a cruel cruel world we live in."

Levi continues to stare at Eren blank-faced, firm, his eyes glaring up at him under lowered lids.

"I know, I know. Go before you stick your foot up my arse, or before you knock my teeth out, or..." Eren continues on as he opens the door and walks out.

It is not until Eren is gone, does Levi realise they never sorted out what he originally called Eren into his office for. He'll have to call him back later, or tomorrow. It would look too suspicious now.

He found himself thinking over what Eren had said. He's glad Eren did not suggest that Levi visits him at his family home, he'd feel uncomfortable being in Eren's room potentially doing unspeakable things to their son as his parents sat downstairs. Eren could always visit him on base, he lived on base most of the time. Or even, to his apartment - but he shared that with Hanji and Erwin. Hanji would be a bit over the top, but would not be too much trouble. Erwin however, Levi suspected Eren would feel uncomfortable around, knowing he was in the next room. Maybe, if Eren did apply to a university, Levi could visit him at his dorms. Fuck! now he was overthinking it and getting caught up in it all.

He is a rational man, he gets that everyone needs to feel the comfort and safety you get when in a committed relationship - even him. He is not heartless or emotionless as many assume he is. It pleased him to hear Eren passionately declare that he was stuck with him no matter what. He may not tell Eren this or, even show a hint of a reaction to such a statement, but it warmed him nonetheless.

There was an extraordinary amount that they did not know about each other. Not just their past - their upbringings, but also likes and dislikes, bad habits, or general faults - however for the first time, Levi was willing to go through all of that crap. To tolerate the bumps in the road, to work at it, so he could have a more meaningful relationship, one not solely based on sex. He meant what he said to Eren, he had never loved a partner before, Eren is the first. He would be a fool to let Eren go.

Levi knows he is a guarded person. It was difficult for him, experiencing love, to even want to put his trust and heart in another person, it was foreign to him. A prospect that scared the hell out of him, yet when he thought of Eren, a calm peace settled over him, it felt right. They were in this together. Eren was simply more vocal and obvious about his battle with dealing with it all. They just had to trust in what they had.

It felt like a lifetime ago, but in actuality, it was not that long ago that Eren first walked into his life. Before he knew it, his guard was down, his heart was open...and just like that, Levi was falling for the brat. It was terrifying.

The only way Levi could describe it was that feeling you'd get if you jumped out of a plane blindfolded. Essentially free-falling into the unknown - it was exhilarating yet fucking scary too.

Although they had not actually set any plan into action or even agreed on where they were heading, Eren felt much better after his visit to Levi's office. It was okay, it did not matter that they were not like Jean and Marco - they are different people after all.

In fact, Eren was extremely appreciative that Levi had said so much. Levi by nature, and maybe because of a past Eren knew nothing about, was a cautious person. Not in life - he took risks at work, but when it came to being open for love - he was guarded. Of course, when Eren arrived here, he certainly was not looking to find love - yet it happened.

As soon as things started happening between them, Eren was faced with the not so easy task of trying to break down Levi's figurative walls. As cliche as that sounded, it was true. It was damn near on impossible to figure out what was going on inside of Levi's head - the guy was expressionless. Yet, somehow, and Eren was not sure how, he had managed it, Levi had let him in.

He half expected for Levi to look up and say once Eren had graduated that would be it - the end of them. That was before he found out Levi had feelings for him. Levi is a strong person, someone who was comfortable in their own company and quite happy to be alone.

Fuck! Eren exclaimed quietly - Levi really must like him. This caused a smile to spread across his face. He was still smiling when he returned to the others.

Jean raised his eyebrows in question, and then mimicked a blowjob, "No, actually we just talked." Eren corrected Jean.

This caused Jean to scoff, "Boring."

Eren ignored him. He knew he was only teasing, Jean himself would have had serious conversations with Marco, how else would they have organised Marco quitting and moving to Jean's hometown.

Fifteen minutes later Levi called them all to attention, "Ready for an afternoon of fun?" He surveyed them, "And by fun, I mean at least an hour of painstaking exercise with a soul-crushing task."

A few of the men groaned, and Eren's elated mood from earlier suddenly vanished.

Surprisingly it was fun, yeah, they were exercising, but in a fun way. They had been split into teams - Levi joining one of the sides, so there were five on each team. Eren was on the opposing team to Levi, that was clearly intentional - but Eren actually preferred that. He would love to see Levi's face as Eren took him out and won.

The obstacle course and field had been turned into the setting for the afternoon's activity. Each group were given paintball guns and they simply had to take out the other team. Last team standing won.

Eren did his best to stay clear of Levi, he did not want to go straight to him and concentrate solely on him. Instead, he hid behind a makeshift wall and searched the field for one of the other four opposing team members.

It was the most fun he had had at this camp. Jean and Levi were the only members left on the other team, and Eren, Reiner and some random on Eren's team.

Levi took out the random, leaving just Reiner and himself. Reiner, the lucky bastard managed to take advantage of Jean being distracted by his celebrating to get in a shot.

Eren could hear Levi laying into Jean from across the field.

Two against one. No surprise it was Levi, not only was he a natural, he likely participated in this game every year with his recruits.

Reiner and Eren hashed out a quick plan, then split up to put it into action. Not much use it did, Levi took out both of them within five minutes. Reiner was the last one to 'die' in the game.

Levi made all the recruits line up, he congratulated them on a valiant attempt. Then he decided to single out Jean.

"Kirstein," he called, "for your utterly useless contribution, and for being killed when I needed you the most, for the rest of the day, you shall be a ghost."

"What?" Jean asked confused and irritated at Levi's words. He survived the longest out of everyone, well out of the recruits on their team at least.

"You died at a crucial point, due to the fact you were celebrating early. I suggest you stop talking as ghosts do not talk." He intoned seriously.

Jean opened his mouth to protest but closed it again upon seeing the look Levi was sending his way.

"Come find me after you clean up," he instructs.

For once it was not Eren who was being humiliated and made to do some ridiculous thing that Levi had thought up. Jean, had to wear a sheet for the remainder of the day, he was not permitted to talk and had to howl like a ghost if anyone tried to talk to him. Eren forced himself not to laugh, as funny as it was, he knew what it was like to have people laugh and stare at you. In retrospect carrying a potted plant was mild compared to being made to act like a ghost because you died in a game - a game where eight other recruits died too.

After lunch, they were given a talk on how to conduct yourself in job interviews and roleplayed having an interview. The poor instructor playing the interviewer did not know what to do when Jean sat down for his mock interview wearing a sheet, and whenever he was asked a question responded with ghost noises.

That evening they received letters from home, and although Eren had not been back at camp long, he did receive one. It held news of Ethan. Armin wanted to wait to tell Eren in person, but according to Mikasa's letter, she insisted Eren knew immediately.

According to Mikasa Ethan had taken his own life. Eren was not sure how to feel about that, mostly he was sad. Ethan needed professional help, he was clearly a troubled person, to end you life was quite tragic. Maybe he could not face the possibility of prison, or some sort of facility for mental patients. Eren felt for Ethan's parents, he was still their son after all. Mikasa had called him a coward, complained that they could not get justice for what he had done now, but Eren found he could not be angry. He just wished Ethan had the support and help he needed, then maybe his life would have been different.

Nonetheless, the news had left him feeling out of sorts, he wanted to talk it through with the one person he seemed to have become dependant on. However, he would have to wait until later before he sought out Levi.

Time - as it usually did when waiting for something - trickled by slowly, to the point it was just adding to the increasing, on edge feeling, that Eren felt since receiving his letter.

Finally, lights out came. Eren did not even bother to pretend to sleep for a bit. He told Connie he had a headache and was going to see Hanji, to get some tablets, then left to go straight to Levi.

Eren decided to try his office first, it would not surprise Eren if Levi was the type to work quite late.

He knocked and entered as soon as he heard Levi call out. Levi raised his brows briefly, surprised to see Eren.

He had no idea why he was feeling so nervous because this was Levi. Yet, Eren hesitated. Eren did not know how to bring up Ethan, or even what Levi's reaction would be.

Instead, he hovered by the door, his hands idly fiddling with the hem of his t-shirt. He laughed nervously, "I can't believe you did that to Jean!" He started off with, trying to break the awkward silence that he had created himself. It was not what he wanted to talk to Levi about, but it was a start.

Levi made a tch sound, "He deserved it." A few seconds later, Levi sighed, stood and walked around his desk. He set about making them both a cup of tea.

Levi was not very good at the whole, comforting someone you care about, talking about feelings - clearly, Eren had something he needed to get off his chest. The best Levi could do was refrain from snapping at Eren and stop himself from telling Eren to spit it fucking out.

Once the tea was made, Levi placed them on his desk and returned to his seat. Eren sat down too, watching Levi carefully.

The atmosphere was strange and it felt weird, it seemed like he was simply Eren's captain and Eren was a recruit with a boot camp issue. It felt forced and awkward - it did not feel right.

Levi huffed, "Come here," he ordered kindly.

Eren stood and walked around the desk, Levi pulled him down into his lap. He kissed Eren's temple, "That's better," Levi admitted.

Eren smiled, shifting to make himself comfortable. They sat in silence for a moment, until Eren had sorted through his emotions enough to attempt to explain how he felt to Levi.

He pushed away from the comfort of Levi's chest, looking down at him, "I got a letter from home today. One that messed me up a bit." He confessed.

Levi squeezed Eren's hand, maybe he did it instinctively, but it warmed Eren to know that he was trying to subtly offer comfort.

"The letter, it had news of Ethan..." another squeeze of Eren's hand, this one was not for comfort, more so a clench in anger at hearing Ethan's name.

Eren smoothed his thumb over the back of Levi's hand, his eyes silently trying to reassure Levi.

"Mikasa said h-he's dead." Eren looked down into their laps, "suicide."

Eren was aware of the deadly silence, he could hear every breath each of them was taking. Levi obviously had strong feelings about Ethan, but for Eren's sake, he was holding back on the negative things he wanted to say.

Levi could read Eren well enough to see that Eren was upset by the news, and Eren did not need to be reminded of what Ethan did to him, Eren was well aware of what happened.

After a short time, Levi placed his finger under Eren's chin and tilted his head up to look at him, "How did that make you feel?" he asked carefully. If Eren was upset by something he would listen, he would offer comfort, he would put his own personal feelings aside and help the man he loved.

Eren bit his bottom lip, it upset Levi to think that Eren was worried about being open and honest with him for fear of Levi's reaction.

Levi reached out and pressed his thumb against Eren's bottom lip, pulling it away from Eren's teeth - releasing it.

"I asked didn't I?" he stated plainly, "Even if I feel different, I respect that something has caused you distress and you need to talk to someone about it. I'm insanely pleased that I am that person you choose to turn to. So please, go on." He reassured.

Eren smiled briefly, before ducking down and pressing a quick hard kiss to Levi's mouth, "Thank you," he said as he pulled back, "I just...that is a life lost. That's someone's son, maybe brother, an innocent - maybe not innocent, but still, a life is gone. Someone who was troubled and needed help."

Levi listened, he could comprehend Eren's point, it was very generous of Eren. For Levi, he would not mourn the loss of Ethan, if he had the chance back then he may have even killed the fucker himself. But, he could understand where Eren was coming from.

Levi could not care less about strangers, all he cared about were the people that meant something to him, which was the grand sum of three people. Eren showed compassion and empathy, he was naive and saw things differently. For Levi it was a case of just the small handful of people were worth his time and if anyone dared hurt or upset someone on his 'care about' list they would be on his shit list forever. Ethan was currently at the top of his shit list.

With his arm wrapped securely around Eren's waist, Levi pulls Eren slightly closer, "Grief is different for each person," he wisely pointed out. He's sure Eren had never really experienced loss, or at least not one as sudden as this. Levi, on the other hand, had lost his own mother and friends in his lifetime. "We are all affected in our own ways."

Eren frowns at his words, concentrating on what he said, "I guess." He concedes, still not convinced, "I don't think I'm grieving, though?"

Levi shrugs, "Maybe not for Ethan exactly, but for a life lost and the Ethan you thought you knew. No matter how it ended, you had a friendship of sorts with him."

Eren remained silent.

"You're the type of person who needs to talk through their emotions, what they are feeling. Expressing what you are thinking. Who am I to say if what you are feeling is right or wrong. Like I said we all grieve differently and we express ourselves differently. You happen to be very expressive, you have a big heart. It's okay for this to have made you feel odd." Levi wondered if he was sounding too cliche, but regardless he wanted Eren to leave this room feeling somewhat better, or at least realising that he has nothing to feel ashamed about. Especially for feeling sorry that his kidnapper had died.

"Thank you," Eren knew coming to Levi was the right thing to do. If he hadn't he would have just let his emotions fester and eat away at him, making him feel down. The fact that, although Levi hates Ethan, he was willing to sit and listen to Eren, to acknowledge what Eren must be feeling and trying to offer advice so Eren could find a way to sort things out in his own head. He felt validated and in that moment he knew what he and Levi had was worth fighting for.

They really were opposites, he himself wearing his heart on his sleeve, being very open, passionate and easy to read. Levi closed off, solitary and hard to read. Levi kept him grounded - stopped him spiralling out of control lost to his thoughts and emotions, and Eren liked to think, he offered Levi some warmth in his cold world.

Of course whatever he was feeling, guilt, anger, sadness or a mix of all three and more, would not simply just vanish because of what Levi had said and how he reacted, but it was a start to him processing his emotions and maybe even grieving. Eren knew Levi well enough, to know that it was pointless him asking Levi if he wanted to talk about how it made him feel. For one there was no love lost between Levi and Ethan, and two Levi would not need to talk it through.

He wanted to blurt out, 'I love you' but stopped himself, he was aware of how crazy that would probably come across. He had already confessed he feelings to Levi. Levi did not need him loudly proclaiming his love. But fuck - he loved the sarcastic bastard. People only see a certain side to Levi. Eren was positive that he was one of the few people to ever see this side to Levi. That was plenty enough for Eren, even if Levi struggled to actually say the L word, he knew how Levi felt.

"Get off me, Brat," Levi instructs as he stands.

"Let me just tidy up here, then we'll go back to mine." He states matter of factly.

"Er.."

"Don't worry about Erwin. You don't have to stay at mine, just come back for a bit."

"Okay," Eren wanted to be in Levi's arms, wanted to feel comforted, secure, to feel like everything would be fine because he was there with Levi holding him.

He's sure Levi would cut out Eren's tongue if he dared say it out loud, yet they did go back to his and cuddle.

Eren makes sure that he exchanges numbers with Jean, Connie, Reiner, Marco, Hanji and of course Levi. As not long after Eren's return, recruits start graduating.

Reiner and Jean graduate first, no surprise there they had extra time while Eren was recovering from his stab wound to work through the stages. Not to mention Reiner and Jean were consistently in the top three of their group. Marco leaves two weeks after Jean, having worked his notice. He promises to keep in touch.

Then finally a week after that Connie graduates, he is hoping to be accepted into the real army as soon as he returns home.

It is strange, Eren does not know the rest of his group, and they seem content enough to let Eren wonder off as soon as lights go out. None question where he goes, or even care. He feels quite lonely now, which is ridiculous as he has Levi, but during the day Levi is first and foremost his captain and has a job to do. He misses having his friends to joke around with and break up the day's gruelling schedule and physical training.

Eren occasionally visits Hanji, though mostly he either sits with Levi on their bench or goes to Levi's quarters.

On one of the evenings where they had met on their bench, Levi informs Eren that he had just signed off on the final stage for Eren. Meaning as of the next certificate handout ceremony, Eren will officially have completed the programme and will be classed as graduated. He'd only been back a little over a month.

Eren lets the news sink in. He's insanely proud of himself, he has changed so much as a person, he's grown. The camp really does work, he had learnt many important life lessons and basic life skills. Not to mention all the physical training had gotten him into shape. However, it was a bittersweet moment, as graduating meant leaving Levi.

"You know when I first laid eyes on you, I had you pegged as a quitter," Levi states bluntly.

"Gee, don't hold back - arse." Eren scoffs.

"What I'm trying to say is, you proved me wrong and not many people do that." Levi clarifies nonpulsed.

Eren turns to face Levi, "Is this your backwards way of saying you're proud of me?"

Levi glares at him, "Just shut up and take the compliment."

"That was a compliment?!" Eren exclaims, "Fucking hell!" He proclaims mock offended.

"Fine, you're really good at sucking dick. There better?" Levi adds.

This causes Eren to laugh, "Yeah, much better." He confirms smiling, reaching out and interlocking their fingers together.

They both turn to glance at the night sky, surveying the stars and using the peace and quite to think about the fact that Eren would soon be leaving.

He actually did it. He survived boot camp, not only survived but managed to stay in the top three of his group and graduate with flying colours. Today was the day.

Most of the recruits completed the stages at different speeds, therefore resulting in them graduating at different times. If you failed to graduate by a set time, you were put in with the new recruits and forced to re-do the whole programme again. Because of the staggered graduating, Eren was the only one leaving that day.

His family had been notified, and he hoped someone would be on the other side of the large metal gate to pick him up.

Levi had walked with him, Eren smiled sadly at him, "I guess this is.." he began as they came to a stop by the exit.

"Shut up," Levi coldly requests, "you know damn well this isn't goodbye, stop being dramatic you little shit."

They had already planned on seeing one another a week from now.

Eren grins, "You could have humoured me."

"I could have hit you too." Levi points out.

Eren's smile grows, stepping forward into Levi's personal space, "At least let me indulge in a goodbye kiss?" he asks flirtatiously.

Levi tilts his head upwards in answer, pressing his lips against Eren's, his hands sliding around Eren's waist instinctively, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. Who gives a fuck if anyone sees! Eren is no longer a recruit.

They stop but do not pull away from one another, their bodies and faces remaining very close - barely apart.

"Fuck, I can't do this..." Eren began to say in a low and desperate whisper, but Levi cuts him off with another kiss.

Levi is the first to pull away, and Eren chases his mouth, "One more," he begs before he kisses him again.

The kiss holds all the unspoken words between them. It is, 'I will miss you', 'I love you' and 'I'll be thinking of you.'

The sound of the gate's mechanism kicking in startles them, causing them to break apart, they both look at the gate as it gradually opens.

It was now, once that gate was fully open, Eren would walk through and leave behind his whole world. His heart sank, his fingers curling tightly into the fabric of Levi's jacket - silently pleading, for what he did not know, maybe to just have a little more time. Eren glances back to Levi, to see that Levi is watching him.

"Go on, brat," he jokes, but Eren can see the sadness in his eyes, "Don't give me that puppy dog look. Get the fuck out of here." It isn't said cruelly, they both know that Eren has to leave.

Eren steps back, but only a couple of paces, "I love you," he says to Levi's face, unsure when he will see him again and knowing saying it via text message was not quite the same.

To his astonishment, Levi pulls him in again, and quietly replies, "I love you, too."

He stands there frozen to the spot. He cannot believe that Levi had said the words out loud. Not hinted at them, or danced around them - actually said the L word sincerely and with emotion.

"The longer you stand there, the more likely it is that I will say something inappropriate and crude that will ruin the moment." Levi points out.

This causes Eren to step away fully, "Good point," he agrees, picking up his bag and taking a few steps towards the gate.

He turns back to look at Levi, "You better text me back, old man!"

"You better get the fuck out of here before I kill you," Levi retorts.

Eren dismisses his words with a flick of his wrist and a carefree smile on his face, "Yeah yeah, we all know you love me really." With that, he heads out of the gate and towards his parent's car that he can see in the far corner of the car park.

The End

End note - The part with the ghost is taken from a real life experience I read about online posted by an anonymous person.

I hope you liked it. From now on I will post any SNK or anime related fanfiction stories of mine under the following username -

Talk-Dirty-To-Me-Levi

I know what a fabulous choice! This account Sprout2012 will be for Drarry and any works posted up to this point. Eventually, I may transfer the few anime au ones to my new account.

Finally, before you go, I have my next Eren X Levi story started and will post the first chapter on the new account shortly.