"So, are you enjoying the party? Or has my old man succeeded in boring you to tears with his war stories?" Eren asked Levi, as if there was no one else in the room with them.

"Eren," his father chided, while Hanji had to hide a smirk.

"Indeed Eren, your father gained a lot of good experience and has a lot of interesting stories from the Civil War," Hanji added. "It wouldn't kill you to listen to them once in a while, you might learn something."

The boy rolled his eyes, and pulling Levi in a little closer, he conspiratorially added, "Interesting only if you like listening to old windbags blather on about the same stories over and over again. I swear they're all going senile. They never seem to acquire any new stories from the present."

"Eren!" Dr. Jaeger hissed. "That's enough! Show some respect."

Levi bit his lip so hard he was sure it was going to stop bleeding to keep himself from laughing, though Eren saw the smile he was fighting to hide. And in turn it made him smile and snicker, delighted that someone finally was agreeing with him. He finally let go of Levi's hand, and the older man tried not to mourn the loss when the contact was broken, but of course he failed. He would do anything to make that boy take his hand again and hold it for the rest of the evening.

Oh heavens, that was a dangerous thought. No, this was very bad, this was terribly bad. He couldn't want something like that. He couldn't let Eren make him laugh, couldn't let him pull him close to him. Couldn't even let Eren look at him, because the acknowledgement of his presence was doing deadly things to Levi's heart. But before he could say anything, Eren straightened up and turned back to his father, a devilish grin on his face.

"But I am, father," he said innocently. "I'm showing respect for our guest's ears. We want them to return knowing they'll have a good time on the estate rather than being bored stiff by all of the old men in this place. Honestly there's no one under thirty here, no wonder this party is so unbearable. And you wonder why I never join you for these? Every single one of them makes me want to hang myself from one of your chandeliers."

Dr. Jaeger sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose, before he apologized to Hanji and any of the other guests within earshot, "I'm sorry. He's been acting strangely ever since his mother died. Please excuse his behavior."

By now, Levi was covering his mouth with his hand. In truth, Eren's jokes probably weren't that funny, but to someone like Levi, who had always had a strange, dark sense of humor, it was hilarious, especially since all of the conversation he had heard thus far tonight had been so boring. In contrast, it made him want to burst out laughing, but he didn't feel like drawing any more attention to himself. However, he couldn't stop the shaking of his shoulders, nor could he hide the laughter in his eyes, both of which the boy picked up on. He smirked at Levi, seeming to know exactly what he was doing.

"Well then, I'll just take my leave," Eren said. "And perhaps you'll know better for next time when you want to invite me to another one of these things. Contrary to what you believe, I still have no interest in becoming a doctor, father, and no amount of making me come to your parties and having all this medical terminology thrown in my face is going to change my mind. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be in the barn."

Levi's eyes lingered after him, watching his back retreat and disappear into the crowd, feeling a sense of loss immediately. It was as if when Eren left, all of the fun was sucked out of the room, and despite Hanji being right beside him, he felt inexplicably lonely. In just that small amount of time, he swore the two of them had made a connection. Hadn't they? Or was he mistaken? And there was that whole matter of his instant attraction to the boy…he had to stomp it down. Violently, and immediately. There was no place for it, ever, at any time. No matter how sweet that eye contact was, how warm and blinding his smile was, no matter how hot and tingly the feel of the boy's hand in his made his whole body feel. He would have to bury those feelings.

However, nothing said the two of them couldn't at least be friends, right? That was innocent, perfectly harmless. And besides, Hanji had wanted him to make friends here. So, why not their host's son? He shrugged, looking up at her.

"I think I'll go to the barn as well," he said. When Hanji looked confused, he added, "What? You said I should check it out. So now I'm going to go and check it out. When you're ready to leave, come find me there."

Hanji sighed, but still answered understandingly, "Alright. Have fun then."

Levi smiled gratefully, and quickly followed after the doctor's son, though he tried not to make it obvious that he was in fact doing so. Once he made it out of the room and back into the entryway, he looked past the open doors and between the people still milling, before he caught sight of the barn just beyond. What's more, he saw Eren's moonlit form walking towards it, before he opened the doors and disappeared inside. Eagerly, he followed behind, striding down the path and also pushing the barn doors open. When he did, light washed over him, as if welcoming him in. He shut the doors and leaned against them, gawking at the inside of the huge, luxurious barn. The whole place once again screamed of the doctor's wealth: high ceilings, rows of stalls that were each bigger than Levi's entire apartment with high, large windows, and polished, dark wood everywhere. Many doors were trimmed with silver, and each one seemed to have a nameplate. Immediately, the smell of horses reached Levi, and it was warm and comforting.

Just then, Eren's head poked out from one of the stalls, and when he saw Levi, that sunny grin spread his cheeks again. "Well hello there! I was kind of hoping you'd follow me. You looked like you had a bad case of the morbs in there."

Levi blinked unsurely at him, before he answered, "I suppose. Listening to doctors talk about blood and guts and death for a while can do that to you."

This time, Eren really did throw back his head and laugh. "I guess that explains why my sister is always so miserable then. Though she's more tolerant of my father's rambling than I am. Probably because he's not pushing her to become a doctor. Just to marry one."

"Disgusting."

"Isn't it though? Well come in, come in. It's alright, the horses won't bite."

Levi snorted and gave him a look. "Do you?"

Oh shit, why had he said that? That could definitely be taken the wrong way and expose so much. He just said he was going to befriend Eren, not scare him away in a fit of disgust! His steps faltered for a second, before the boy matched his look, still smiling, and replied, "Only if I'm given a good reason."

Well, at least he didn't seem scared off by Levi's poor choice of words. And that tone of voice he had used made him shiver. No, not allowed, he told himself. He composed himself, and finally joined Eren by the stall door to see him standing next to a pretty, tall, dark bay, who was currently stretching its head forward while Eren scratched a certain spot on the center of its back. Instantly comforted in the presence of an animal instead of being suffocated by so many people, Levi felt his blood pressure drop and his words come easier. He moved slightly to the side so that the horse could see him, and therefore his approaching hand wouldn't come as a surprise to it, before he placed his hand on its nose.

"Who's your friend?" he asked, scratching the short but silky hair.

"Officially he's known as Green Hunter Majorabanks, but I just call him Hunter. He's the gentlest riding horse we have."

"What kind of horse is he?" Levi wanted to know.

The boy lit up at his interest. "He's a Morgan, as are all of our riding horses. I love them because they have the smoothest gait of any horse you'll come across and they have such sweet temperaments. My father likes them of course because only the wealthy have them and they're a status symbol. So naturally we have many of them, twenty of them at the moment, though I know he wants to get more. We do have other horses, but they're draft horses, all Shires. They're absolutely sweet and gorgeous and I love riding them too because absolutely nothing bothers them. Do you want to meet them?"

"Yes please, that sounds wonderful."

And with a matching grin, Eren led him further into the barn.

"I like this party far better than the one inside," Levi pointed out once they had come to a stop in front of one of the Shire's stalls. "The guests are much more engaging and friendly."

"Not nearly as hospitable though," Eren sighed, looking up at the horse inside. "Lilly hasn't even invited us in for tea. You're quite rude, young lady."

She paid him no mind, of course, ignoring him in favor of finishing the grain in her bucket. However, even with her head bent, Levi felt incredibly small next to her, and he was sure her hoof was easily the size of his head, maybe even bigger. Even so, he had no problem reaching in and scratching at part of her neck. To his surprise, she didn't even flinch, didn't miss a beat at all. She was probably so used to people reaching into her stall and petting her that it didn't bother her anymore. Eren was watching him with rapt attention.

"So you love your animals do you Mr. Ackerman?" he asked.

Levi shuddered. "Please, you don't have to call me that. Just Levi is fine. I can't be much older than you anyway. It's strange."

Eren leaned against the stall door cockily, a half smirk on his face. He placed a hand on his hip and said, "Well, then don't call me Mr. Jaeger, silly. And for your information, I'm twenty. How old are you then grandpa? Ninety-six?"

The boy expected a rude rebuttal, as he often received. But instead, his answer was a return smirk, and a mocking of his position against the door as Levi also leaned against it. "For your information ma' boy, I'm twenty-three."

Eren pretended to shudder. "Oh, that is old. So old, and yet no wife for ickle Levi?"

This time it was Levi who shuddered, but he was still smiling; Eren's tone of voice indicated that he was joking. "No thanks. I could never attach myself to a wife."

"That's what I'm saying," the other boy replied. "My father is constantly pressuring me to marry, to give him grandchildren, that as his son it's my 'duty' to do so to pass on the family name and maintain our respectability. Well, I don't care about my respectability, and his can go to Hell. My life is my life, and I'm going to live it how I see fit."

Levi looked down and away slightly. "I hear you. My father and I never got along well either. You can do what you want, I think, within reason. Besides, your sister can always get married and have children. All that matters is your happiness."

"Thank you!" Eren exclaimed. "You're the first person who hasn't called me selfish or that I need to respect my father more. I mean, why should I respect him if all he's done is disrespect me and the decisions I make because he doesn't think I'm living my life in the 'correct manner,' whatever that is. I just- ugh, I'm sorry, you're practically a stranger, and here I am venting. It's just frustrating. But thank you for being so patient with little old me."

Unable to stop himself, perhaps because he saw the same kind of helplessness in the other boy's eyes that he often saw in his own in the mirror, he leaned forward and placed his hand on Eren's upper arm and squeezed slightly. "You're talking to someone who understands. Don't worry. It feels good to talk to someone who gets it, for me too."

Eren looked contemplative for a moment, looking down at where his hand was resting, before meeting Levi's eyes with a smile and saying. "That's good to hear. And, well- how about something a little happier? You're my guest, can't have those morbs coming back now can we?"

Levi straightened up, getting off the door, quickly saying, "Yes, alright. Lead on good sir," but suddenly he was worried that his touching of Eren might have been taken the wrong way. Was Eren angry at him? Did he think he stepped over a line? Friends touched each other in innocent ways, didn't they? But they weren't even really technically friends yet, were they? Levi took a deep breath and followed him down a few hallways in the barn, thoughts racing. He couldn't be too mad if he wanted to show him more of the barn, did he?

His thoughts were cut off when they reached a darker section of the barn and the sound of whimpers and whines reached his ears. There were stalls back here as well, but they were only lit by low, yellow light. Eren gave him a conspiratorial grin when they stopped in front of one of the stalls before he opened the door.

"Watch your step," he instructed him, and then walked in, Levi doing as he was told and picking his way in carefully.

There was soft, cushiony sawdust beneath his feet, but this stall didn't belong to a horse. Instead, there was a dog in here, a small white one, laying in the corner while a few small puppies were laying near her. When the door was opened, the mother dog lifted her head and wagged her tail, getting up to meet Eren. Once the door was shut and the boy kneeled down in the sawdust, she put her front paws up on his knees, kissing his chin. The wire coat of the dog told him that it was some kind of terrier, but that was all Levi was able to gather. He lit up when the dog came over to him, ears back and tail wagging.

"Oh look at you precious," Levi cooed, scratching behind her ears. "And look at your little babies. You're all so cute."

"That's Willa," Eren informed him. "She's one of three females we have. Viola and Charlotte are in the next stalls over, and our male, Malcolm, is at the end. I'd like to purchase more of them though, sometime."

"So these guys are yours?" Levi inquired.

"Yup. All my responsibility. I train them, I take care of them, all that stuff. Most of the time they sleep in my room with me, except when they have puppies. But yeah, since I'm not going to the university or apprenticing under my father, this is my job. I raise these guys, and in turn I take them to estates and mines and other places like that and we clear rats and foxes and other varmints out. I make a fair amount from it too, and I love doing it."

"Ah, so they are terriers?"

"Oh yes. A new kind though. They're from Scotland, and they're breeding them from Cairns that were white. I guess some nobleman accidentally shot his red terrier thinking it was a fox, and in order to prevent that from happening ever again, he started breeding white dogs. They're good ratters, and they're so cute, so I decided I wanted some. They're calling them Poltalloch terriers because that's the where the guy who created them was the Laird of. I keep some of the puppies we breed, and the others we sell to people who either want them as ratters or as pets."

"How fascinating," Levi replied, and he genuinely meant that. His dark eyes glittered in the dark, and glanced up at the boy next to him. "I've never seen anything like that in action before."

"Well," Eren offered, "if you like, the next time I do a job, I can take you with me?"

"Yes! I mean, please? If it's not too much trouble?"

"Of course it's not. This will be fun, I usually don't have anyone to go with me on these jobs. You can even help me if you want. I'll pay you something?"

"Oh, you don't have to- I mean, I'd be happy to help for free. It'll be fun."

Eren snorted, "Oh yes, digging through manure piles and coming home covered in shit is loads of fun."

"Well, I'd say it's more fun if it happens in good company," Levi replied.

The boy paused, giving him a warm smile, soaking in those words. The older man meanwhile was worried he had said something wrong again, but tried not to let it show on his face. Eren nodded in response though, and said, "Did you want to hold one of the puppies? They're only a couple weeks old and I'm trying to get them used to being held. I try and come in as often as I can to handle them, but there's quite a few puppies and I simply don't have enough hands."

"Hmm," Levi hummed, and gave him an impish look, "Well, if you'd like, I'd be happy to lend you an extra pair of hands." He backtracked them, worried he had overstepped his bounds again. "Only if that's alright. I'd hate to intrude or"-

Eren hastily replied, "Oh no, I'd love the help! Yes, feel free to come back to the estate any time, I'd love the help! Just tell either my father or my sister or any of the staff that you're a friend of mine and they'll let you know where I am."

"Alright. Yes, that sounds good. Maybe this coming Friday? I'll be able to stay longer that day…I mean, if it's okay."

"Yes of course!" he said enthusiastically, practically vibrating on the spot. "I'd love that. I'll send a carriage to pick you up."

Levi couldn't believe his luck. Eren actually seemed to enjoy his company enough to want to see him again, to see more of him even. Maybe he had a shot of becoming this boy's friend after all. The only thing that made the moment better was Eren's happy smile, and then the cute little ball of white fluff he placed in his hands, which Levi held against his chest.

Well, who knew. Perhaps Hanji was right and he could do this whole making friends thing after all.

000

When Levi arrived on Eren's doorstep later that week, he was understandably nervous. This was the first friend he had made since he had met Hanji, and he didn't want to mess things up. Combined with the fact that something deep and evil inside of him desired more than just friendship with the boy, and that only made his anxiety spike more. What if he scared him off? What if he did something disgusting? No, he had to stop this line of thinking, he told himself. He had to trust himself, that was all.

Besides, when the staff told Eren that his guest had arrived, the sound of his footsteps pounding down the stairs certainly sounded eager to see him.

"Levi!" he called out happily. "There he is, I'm so happy you could make it!"

To his utter surprise, Eren engulfed him in a hug, and as a result a rush of heat went through his body. Though he hated to admit it, it was partially lust at feeling that delicious, firm warmth against every inch of him, from his shoulders to his thighs, and dirty thoughts started running through his head of course. However, the minute he pushed those down and hesitantly wrapped his arms around Eren in return, another, far stranger sensation flooded through him. Relief. As if his entire body was sighing in unison, screaming that this was what they had been missing all along. What that was, Levi wasn't sure, but a certain feeling of warmth and comfort washed over him, a happiness he wasn't familiar with. It was completely innocent, he knew, and the last he remembered feeling this sensation was when his mother had hugged him.

God, had it been that long since someone had touched him?

He didn't want the hug to end, not ever, but of course it had to. It didn't stop him from squeezing a little harder than was probably necessary and leaning into Eren like an exhausted man who had finally found respite after years without knowing it, but eventually he let go, already craving another hug. Though it would look strange if they touched too much; only female friends or husbands and wives did that so casually. Men certainly did not. He could be patient, he told himself.

"Well, come out with me to one of the gardens," Eren said excitedly, "I can't wait to show you what the estate looks like in the day time."

So off they went, walking through the lavish gardens, the boy saying hello to all of the workers they passed, even stopping to help some that were struggling. Eren's extraverted nature really astounded Levi, as he couldn't imagine stopping and talking to a total stranger in a million years unless he had to. It was too nerve-wracking. When Eren came back to his side after helping one man carry a heavy bag of stones over to a flower bed, he nudged Levi and nodded over to some of the other workers.

"Father hires a lot of immigrants from Ireland because they work for so little," he explained. "We've got them and a few Italians working in the stables taking care of our horses. He doesn't like that I associate with them so much though. Because they're 'rough' as he puts it and some of their 'immoral ways' might rub off on me. But they're all fine people I think, and I'd say they like me okay considering I never seem to shut up asking them questions about what Europe is like. I've even learned some of my most creative cussing from these guys. Besides, if father is worried about me engaging in immoral behavior, let's just say that ship sailed a long time ago."

Levi very much wanted him to elaborate, but was far too nervous to ask. He didn't want to risk driving Eren away with probing questions. So instead he settled with, "So, um, you said you didn't want to be a doctor. What is it you want to do instead?"

Putting his hands in his pocket, his friend said, "Well, um…you're not allowed to laugh, okay?"

"I promise you I won't. It can't be any sillier than what I'd like to do," Levi reassured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. And oh, that zing of comfort and pleasure ran through his body again at the contact.

"Alright." Eren took a deep breath, grabbing at the insides of his pockets and rubbing the fabric between his fingers. "I'd really like to be a painter. Or I suppose an artist in general, but I tend to favor painting."

The older man paused and regarded him mouth agape for a moment, unable to believe that he had heard him correctly. The universe had to be messing with him, because no way would they toss a kindred spirit like this in his path so easily. But no, Eren didn't take what he said back. Instead, he waited for Levi's reply, the trepidation clear on his face. Quick to ease his nervousness, Levi squeezed the other's shoulder, saying, "That's almost hilarious that you say that, because I want to be a writer. But of course I've been told I can't make a living with that."

"That's what my old man says, over and over again," Eren said, disgusted. "But the more he says it, the more I want to prove him wrong. In fact, hey, do you want to see my studio?"

Well, Levi lit right up at that prospect. "I'd be honored," he said sincerely.

"You should be," the boy teased. "No, I'm just kidding around. Though seriously, only my sister has really seen my art. I'm too nervous to show anyone else. I took a few lessons when I was younger and enrolled myself in some art classes, but I'm mostly self-taught."

Already, Levi was excited at the prospect, and his sense of wonder only grew at the thought that Eren trusted him, someone he had only known for a short period of time, to view something that he clearly held so close to his heart. On their way, Eren added, "You know, if you'd be willing, I'd love to see some of your writing some time."

At that, the shorter man faltered. "Oh well, I don't really have anything written down yet. I guess I'm far too nervous that the ideas in my head won't be nearly as fantastic when I put them down on paper."

"All artists think that, I believe," Eren told him. "Well, if you do ever decide to write, I'd love to read it."

A sense of warmth filled him at those words, happy that when and if he ever felt the need to put pen to paper, he'd have at least one person that would like to look at it. He was snapped out of that warm feeling though when he noticed they were walking in the direction of the barn again, and seeing the confusion on his face, Eren explained, "Yeah, my studio is in the barn. Even though we have a million rooms in our mansion, my father would be serving my head on a silver platter at his next party if I got paint on the floors of any of them."

"Of course he would."

"Eh, I don't mind. It means I get to keep everything I love close together, and I can keep an eye on the dogs while I'm painting."

When they entered the barn today, it was a lot busier than it was the last time Levi was here, though he supposed that made sense. It was still daylight out, so there was a lot to be done still. Horses were being led in from the fields, while some were being untacked and brushed. Others were being led into their stalls. When Eren passed by the staff, of course he said hello to them, and Levi couldn't help feeling uncomfortable; he hated when other people drew attention to him for no reason. But he pushed that sense of discomfort down, as seeing Eren's smile as he interacted with others was more than worth it. He definitely had something about him that drew others into his orbit, something that Levi was experiencing first hand. It was becoming stronger and more dangerous to his poor little heart the more time he spent with him.

Eventually they made it to the back area where they had been before, the low light of the setting sun streaming into the windows and painting the floors and stall doors a bright orange. And right next to one of these windows was what Levi could only describe as a whole art studio. There were easels, some with canvases on them, some without, and a tarp laid out underneath. There were also many clean and used canvases, as well as paints in every single corner and every single color. It was messy, yet organized, and from what Levi could tell, very well used. There was a half-finished painting sitting on the easel already, and Eren walked up to stand beside it, waving Levi over. The older man followed him, and his gaze was drawn to the painting when he came to a stop.

It was clearly eventually going to be of his terriers catching rats on most likely one of the many properties he had been called out to clear out, however for now only the sky and some of the ground was painted in while the foreground was still a sketch. However, even from here, Levi could see how much extraordinary detail had been put in, each individual cloud looking as light and fluffy as a real one. The style as well was also very striking, somehow real life and yet fantasy, and idealized version of this scene instead of a realistic one.

"This is extraordinary," he found himself saying. "It's very stylized…so smooth, and yet so polished. It's very, um, it gives off a lot of character and I find it quite beautiful. People would be able to look at this and tell right away who painted it."

Taken aback by his praise, Eren blinked in surprise before stuttering out, "Th-Thank you. I…wow. I've never really had my work analyzed before. That was very kind of you, and I'm glad you like it so much."

"I meant it," he told him sincerely, looking the boy in the eye so that he knew he meant what he said. And then he hesitated, before adding shyly, "And, well, if I ever do write that book, perhaps I could commission you to do some illustrations for some of the scenes. I think your style would fit very well, and sometimes it helps readers to have a visual for what it is they're looking at. It could help promote your work as well as mine."

Well, if that didn't make Eren positively beam, practically transforming into a small sun right in front of him. He gasped, "Really? Oh that would be amazing, Levi!"

He rushed forward, pulling him into another hug, squeezing the shorter man tightly in his enthusiasm. Levi couldn't help but melt into it again, wrapping his arms around Eren and trying to muffle his pleased sigh. He felt so warm and tingly all over, and once more he never wanted the embrace to end. Naturally, it had to at some point, but when Eren pulled back, he didn't put space between their bodies, instead keeping his hands on both of Levi's shoulders, still squeezing them in his excitement. Levi's heart pounded far too hard, practically lodging itself in his throat as he registered just how close they were. But Eren didn't mean anything by it, he told himself. He didn't mean anything by it…

"Levi my boy," Eren said, "I think this is the start of something amazing. Separately, we couldn't achieve our dreams, but maybe together we can?"

The older man swallowed hard, unable to breathe in the wake of bright spring sunshine that seemed to be radiating off of Eren, the orange light of the sunset glimmering in his eyes and setting Levi's heart aflame, the sight so powerful that he was helpless to do anything but agree.

"Yes," he breathed. "I think we can definitely try."

A/N: Thank you for checking out another chapter of this fic! I just wanted to say that the main reason I wanted to write this in the first place was because of my favorite SNK fanfiction, La Maison des Chats, which is set in a similar time period, and I wanted to take a stab at it. Also, for some reason when I picture Eren's painting design, I picture Par's lol, so if anyone wants a visual reference, that would be it.