"Come on Levi, focus. Remember, for my birthday I want to read the first few chapters."

Levi sighed heavily, taking his gaze away from the window. He had been watching a couple of kids slipping around on the slick cobblestone below, and he supposed Eren must have heard the keys stop typing. The light from the window shone in Levi's glasses, which he had slipped on when his eyes began to get tired at around hour one. He sighed heavily and grumbled, "Got it boss."

Eren snickered from his place on Levi's bed. He was leaning up against his pillows with Prince draped over his lap, the dog passed out cold. They were both spending the Sunday in Levi's apartment, the older man, thanks to the music that floated out of his new gramophone, was finally struck with enough inspiration to think he could begin shaping the first five or so chapters of his story. And when he told Eren, the boy had been beyond ecstatic to hear it and had asked to read them for his birthday, saying he wanted nothing more than to read his partner's beautiful work. So, to keep himself busy, he kept Levi motivated and focused while he practiced and worked on his new typewriter. He also sketched in the sketchbook Levi had given him for Christmas. Levi smiled as he heard his pencil scratching on the paper and saw his hand moving once in a while in huge strokes. Sometimes when he lifted it he could see that the side of his hand was covered in black dust, and, uncaring of his nice pants, Eren wiped it off on them quite a few times.

"Maybe I'd be more motivated to write if you'd just tell me what you were drawing," Levi tried again. "I mean you've been drawing for as long as I've been writing and it's been…" he glanced over at the clock, "Almost four hours now. You must have finished something."

"Oh I've finished several somethings," he told him, going back to his work. "I'll just show them to you when you've written another page."

Levi groaned, whining petulantly, "Eren, my fingers are about to fall off. Why do you do this?"

The boy snorted. "Because I want my Snow White to become the best, most famous author of the decade in this country. I want to see you travelling the country and talking about how amazing your book is and signing copies while making a ton of money because of how successful you are so you can move out of here like you keep telling me you want to do. I want you to get that house in the country near me so we can see each other more often. Moreover, I still stand by my offer of having it built for you. I mean, I could have it built for you anyway if you want."

"Eren, no," Levi insisted. His heart wouldn't be able to take it if Eren spent that kind of money on him. Agreeing to take him to that expensive ballet so many times in a row just because Levi wanted to go still left him reeling. "I have to stay here because it's close to my job, you know that."

But once more, Eren wasn't going to let this go. "I'd have a carriage take you in and out of town, it would be no problem."

"Yes it would. I'd feel too guilty. You spoil me far too much and I don't spoil you nearly enough. If I could, I would, but I have all I can do to make my rent most months."

"I know love, I know," Eren said understandingly. "But you don't have to spend lots of money on me to spoil me. You spoil me just by letting me interact with you and allowing me to call you mine."

Levi rolled his eyes, but there was a fond smile on his face. "Eren…"

"No, I mean it. I told you, Levi. I understand why you feel guilty, but please don't. You know I don't see it that way, and you just allowing me to hold your hand and kiss you or spend the afternoon with you is enough of a gift."

The older man sighed eventually and shook his head, saying, "Alright. If you say so."

After that, they went back to their work for a little while, Levi finishing off a page while Eren kept working. His mind was beginning to wander again, and naturally his gaze drifted back to the boy on his bed. Eren was still drawing diligently, not even noticing that he had stopped writing this time, too much in the zone obviously. What was he working on that was so important, Levi wondered? There was such a look of concentration on his face; his lips were parted and his eyes were narrowed slightly, as he was determined that this sketch would not get the better of him.

Patting his thighs distractedly, Levi finally chanced asking, "So do you feel like showing me what you're working on now?"

Eren replied laughingly, "No. Be patient you goose."

Levi chewed on his bottom lip, the wheels in his head turning. He wasn't in the mood to be patient. Lately, he had become bolder with Eren, something that the boy thoroughly seemed to enjoy. He initiated kisses a lot more now, lots of deep, passionate ones. He liked pulling Eren behind huge heavy curtains in his mansion to both kiss and make out, and as well as do the same in disused closets. He was even brazen enough to pull Eren into a quieter part of the library that he worked in, push him against the bookshelf and kiss him deeply, gripping the front of his coat in his fists. He had to admit, it was a little thrilling kissing him amongst the smell of all of his books. Now, whenever he came in this part of the library he would be reminded of this encounter and it would bring a smile to his face. He just hoped he could repeat it sometime.

"Hmm…" Levi hummed, getting up from his chair and stretching leisurely. "What if I don't feel like being patient?"

Eren didn't look up from his sketchbook as he asked, "What do you mean?"

The older man straightened up, straightening his spine and raising his arms over his head, taking his time in answering. He then slowly made his way over to the bed, practically stalking over like a cat. When Eren heard his slow footsteps, he looked up from his sketchpad, and he was partly shocked and partly aroused when he saw that Levi was grinning at him like he was prey. The way those eyes were focused on him sent a thrill through him, though he kept his wits about him, keeping a hold on his sketchbook. He grinned at the other man, something warm stirring in his gut. He liked where this was going and wondered if he could encourage it. He supposed they were far enough away from the window that no one would see them.

"I mean," Levi said slowly and deliberately, as if he was speaking to someone that wasn't very brightly, "that I think you're going to give me that sketchbook."

Eren laughed low in his chest. "You do, do you? And how do you think you're going to get me to do that?"

Levi slid up onto the end of the bed, jostling Prince awake. Snorting with amusement, he picked the puppy up and put him in his bed, where he curled up and sighed, falling asleep again within minutes. He then turned his intense gaze back into his boy, laughing teasingly as he pulled himself up between his legs the other had parted to accommodate him. Just that small action made Eren feel vulnerable, wonderfully so, exposing such a sensitive part of himself to his love, even if his pants were on. Levi hooked an arm around one of Eren's legs and placed a kiss against his knee, replying, "I have my ways."

Oh dear. The dark, hooded gaze he was fixing Eren with should be made illegal, completely banned from society. He held very still, waiting to see what the other man would do. He knew Levi was still quite shy about doing anything too sexual in nature with him, and he didn't want to suggest anything or make any sudden moves that might deter him. If anything like that happened, it would be on Levi's terms. The older man tilted his head as he gazed up and down Eren's body, unsure if or how he should proceed. In fact, he looked so unsure that Eren felt the need to reassure him with, "It's alright. You can touch me however and wherever you want, whenever you want. From here on out. I mean that. You don't have to be embarrassed, because I'm not."

Levi found himself sighing in relief at that. How did Eren always know exactly what to say to make him feel better? It was almost like he knew what was bothering him before he himself knew. Probably because he had experienced similar fears in the past. So, he steeled himself again, and went with his impulses, stroking Eren's thighs up and down. He started up by his knees and trailed his fingers very lightly down his inner thighs, but even that light touch made heat sear its way down into Eren's lower belly. Levi looked far too good between his legs like that. It made his mind wander to what he might look like naked and stretching him out, preparing to slide his length inside of him before he began moving-

He let out a shuddering breath, trying to control his physical reaction to such thoughts and failing. Levi snorted, saying, "I can practically see your lewd thoughts in your eyes, Eren Jaeger. You're a filthy, filthy boy."

"Can you blame me?" Eren mumbled, face heating up harshly. "I have to admit, I've thought of us being in a position like this. Besides, you look really good like that. Very powerful and confident."

"Ah, are you attracted to power, Eren?" Levi wondered, rubbing little circles into those strong thighs, the muscles honed from hours of horse riding and heavy lifting. "Is that why you let so many men in higher social situations fuck you?"

"P-Perhaps a little bit," he admitted, grinning defiantly at him, still refusing to back down and lose. "I certainly appreciate a man who knows how to take charge. But not all of those men fucked me. I was the one on top several times too, so I know how to bring a man great pleasure. Though I must admit, I can't take the credit. I had really good teachers. As you know, I was a bit wild in my youth. But it just means that now I know men's bodies very well and can make them see heaven no matter what position I'm in."

Now it was Levi's turn to feel his face flame, completely derailing the control he felt. "Is-Is that so? Heaven?"

"Oh yeah," Eren replied, offering him a funny half smile. "And if you'd like, I can teach you the same. Your body has lots of pleasure spots that I'm sure you're not even aware of."

"Like what?"

Eren crooked his finger in a "come here" motion, and Levi did as he was asked, leaving his spot between his legs and choosing instead to come up and sit on the boy's hips. And perhaps it was an accident, but it was most likely on purpose, his behind was resting halfway onto his groin. Oh no, he knew exactly what he was doing, because as soon as the pressure was put in his lap, Eren grunted, his eyes widened and his face only grew redder. That blush on his face certainly looked delicious, Levi decided. He could get used to it. It made him look cute and vulnerable. He leaned forward and placed his hands on his chest, stroking it in slow, dreamy circles, purposefully avoiding his nipples, at least for now. He leaned down closer to Eren's face so that he could hear what he had to tell him.

"Well, for example," Eren murmured, as if he was revealing a great secret, "there's a spot inside your arse that when you touch it, it's very much like stimulating a woman's clitoris. Okay, not exactly as intense, but it's…I've known men that can come from touching this spot alone without laying a hand on their cods."

"Inside their arse, eh?" Levi asked. "I've never heard of such a thing. Are you sure you're not making that up?"

"Oh no, I'm not," Eren insisted. "If you'd like someday, I'll have to show you. You can stimulate this part from the inside or the outside. It doesn't feel as good on the outside, though it is pleasurable for sure."

Levi leaned in a little further, their noses nearing touching. "Tell me more."

Well Eren couldn't say no to that, especially when he asked him in that enticing tone of voice. He was so innocent, and he had to admit, it was kind of fun to teach him about these sorts of things.

He had to resist shuddering. That just made him sound like a dirty old man, and it was hilarious since Levi was the older one. But still, regardless of their ages, he was happy to give him a preview of the pleasure that was in store for them both when Levi was ready.

"There's many ways to do a blowjob," Eren continued. "And I've worked my way up to being able to fit a whole man's cock down my throat without choking. I suppose it feels just as good as sticking your cock inside a woman, except better, because of the suction. And like I've said before, I've been told I'm very good with my tongue, able to touch very specific parts that I want to pleasure. I can't wait to show you."

"And I can't wait to practice on you," Levi stated.

Then, to Eren's utter surprise and delight, the older man leaned back, putting more pressure on his rear and pushing down on the other boy's cock. Eren's jaw tightened and he pressed his lips together in a vain attempt to hold back his voice, but when Levi smirked and began rocking back and forth on his groin, he abandoned all pretenses and groaned lightly.

"You tease," he said tightly. "You're having fun with this aren't you?"

"Maybe," Levi said. "Yes. Can't help that you're making such a cute face. I want to see more of it."

He kept grinding on his lap, feeling his cock swell under his behind. He was back in his position of power, it seemed. It definitely did a lot for his ego knowing that he could turn Eren on so easily, despite the fact that he had been with several other more experienced men. But now Eren wanted him and him alone, despite being gorgeous enough to have anyone he wanted. It was an intoxicating feeling.

"You are such a minx," Eren commented, reaching forward to grip him around the waist. It was very hard to keep his voice even when the most beautiful man in the world was purposefully rubbing his behind on his cock. It was hard to believe that he had never tried to seduce anyone before. It was like he was made for it. He was just happy he no longer had any fear of the more intimate side of their relationship, or at least, it was greatly reduced. He massaged at the muscle there, firm even underneath his dress shirt. The first couple of buttons were undone, exposing his neck and collarbones, and he had a strong urge to lean forward and lick them.

But Levi wasn't going to give him the chance. Surprising Eren thoroughly, the other man bent forward and instead kissed his neck. At first, he was hesitant, just pressing his lips to the area where his jaw met his neck. But when he felt Eren freeze and then sigh, he smiled against the skin and kept going, brushing his lips down and then up again, teasing him with his warm breath, before offering wetter, more open mouthed kisses against the skin. Eren grunted softly, rubbing his hands up and down the other's back, even sticking them under his shirt so he could feel the warm, silky skin.

"I don't know what's gotten into you," he observed, "But I have no problem with it. You are divine, my Doll, do you know that?"

Levi breathed a laugh against the damp skin, choosing not to answer verbally, and instead licked a stripe all the way from the base of his neck up to his jaw. He then flirtatiously offered little pecks from his jaw all the way to his lips, before landing on his goal, giving Eren the deep kiss that he craved. He kissed with his whole body, leaning forward while undulating his hips, bringing the boy further pleasure. Eren couldn't help it; he moaned into his mouth, reaching up to run his fingers through Levi's hair, kissing him back with fervor. The wet sounds their mouths made were intoxicating, and Eren knew he'd never tire of kissing Levi, no matter how many times they did so. Even when they were eighty, he would find kissing this man to be a privilege.

So caught up in their kiss was he that he didn't notice Levi's hand moving until it closed around his sketchbook and snatched it up. Once he felt it in his grasp, he separated their lips and declared with victory, "Hah! You're too easy to distract."

Eren's mouth was open with shock, staring between his hand and his face, before he snorted and said, "You scoundrel. You know my weakness. Alright, go ahead and look, you deserve a reward."

Levi preened, lifting his head high, and keeping it held high even as he slid off Eren and chose to lay next to him. Eren opened it to the correct page for him, the sketchbook opening like a normal book. The first drawing was a simple, messy lined sketch of his kitchen, which he could see pretty easily from where he sat.

"I love your kitchen," Eren explained, "one of my favorite places. You make the best food I've ever had."

Levi blushed and mumbled, "No I don't. I'm sure your professionally trained cooks are much better than I am."

"Not at all," he insisted. "They don't make me as much pie as I want whenever I want. And they don't cook the crusts as perfectly as you do, or blend the filling as well. And your garlic biscuits are to die for."

The older man still didn't believe him, but he didn't argue. He flipped to the next page, and gasped when he saw what was there. It was Prince all curled up on his lap, his messy, wispy beard and sleepy eyes perfectly captured. It was so cute he could have died, and he found himself saying, "Oh my God…look at him. Eren, would you mind terribly if I kept this? I'd love to get to it framed and hang it up."

Eren breathed an amused laugh. "Not at all. Tell you what, I know a guy, I'll get it framed for you professionally."

Levi wanted to argue, but he knew it would be pointless. If he tried, Eren would just kiss him until he relented, and he was helpless against his kisses. So, he sighed and let him have his way. He flipped to the next page, and this time, when he saw what was there, he froze.

It was a sketch of himself, staring out the window with his hands poised on the keyboard. It was full of bold lines and sharp detail, and it was clear that there was so much care put into the sketch, so much love. Everything about it was gorgeous: his profile, his graceful fingers, the arch in his neck and wrists, the graceful lines of his throat, the way his jaw was pronounced, and his long eyelashes. Though his expression couldn't be seen, the relaxed position of his shoulders still conveyed someone who was daydreaming and blissful, and the fact that that small detail came across so prominently was amazing to him. In fact, the person in the sketch was so beautiful that it didn't even look like him. He pursed his lips, shaking his head and averting his eyes slightly.

"What's wrong?" Eren asked, concerned.

Levi closed the sketchbook and handed it back to him. "Nothing. I'm just not that beautiful."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Now don't you start. I draw exactly what I see. And if that's how you appear in my sketchbook, then that's how you look in real life. I don't add extra details to make things look prettier than they really are."

"Eren…"

"I mean it. Now I want you to tell me when I've ever lied to you before."

He hated it when Eren said that, because he never could find a time when the boy had lied to him before. He cared about Levi too much to ever do that to him, and he knew Levi had a hard time believing anything good about himself. So, the older man just sighed and placed his head on his shoulder, grumbling, "Brat."

Eren laughed, laying his head over his.

000

Levi was very proud of himself. He might actually be able to meet Eren's deadline and have a substantial amount of his book for him to read. He had tried starting his story before, but it had never seemed right before, so he had always stopped. It must have been due to Eren's encouragement that he was able to keep going, the boy's proud smile and excitement over the possibility of getting to read his work. And of course, he had to admit, it was much easier to work and more motivating to do so when he had an awaiting audience. So, the week before Eren's birthday, he went to bed that Saturday, excited to work all day the next day, Eren's happy face in his mind.

However, nothing could ever go right for him for long, could it? That was how it always happened. When he finished school to become a librarian, his mother had died. Before then, his father had died when he finished his last few years of secondary school. What was the saying? "Pride goeth before a fall?" So it made sense that things would come crashing down just as he was about to finish the first part of his book.

Levi had no idea what time it was in the night when he woke up. At first, he had no idea what had roused him, and thought that he was dreaming. When he opened his eyes, he realized that it was still pitch black out, so it had to be the middle of the night. Not only that, but it turned out the thing that had woken him in the first place was Prince barking. And they weren't normal barks that he made when he heard something outside the window, or when someone was at the door. They were high pitched, desperate barks, rapid and unrelenting. He sounded quite alarmed, and what was more, as he groaned with exhaustion, Prince heard him and rushed over from his place in the middle of the floor. Also unusual, considering he normally slept next to Levi on the bed all night. He jumped up on the bed, getting in his master's face and licking him relentlessly, whining anxiously. Levi groaned again, petting his head sleepily.

"Wassa matter, puppy?" he said groggily. "What do you-?"

He never got the rest of the words out, his sentence instead cut off by a coughing fit as something unknown entered in his lungs. The coughing woke him up the rest of the way, and left his eyes watering. Through his wet eyes, he watched Prince hop off the bed again and stood in the middle of the floor once more, barking at the door and wagging his tail anxiously. He kept looking back at Levi, as if he would have the answers. Rubbing at his throat, it took him a moment to figure out what the problem was, and he did so the moment he took a deeper breath. The acrid smell hit him like a ton of bricks, and immediately sent him into another coughing fit.

Smoke.

Before he could fully comprehend where the smoke was even coming from, some deep seated instinct commanded him to get up and get moving, that smoke meant fire and fire meant death. They had to get out of here now and pray it wasn't too late. Adrenaline flooding his body, he leapt out of bed and landed in the middle of the floor on his hands and knees, still coughing harshly. His whole room was flooded with smoke that was leaking in from under the door, making it impossible to breathe or see. And what was worse, he began hearing the panicked shouts of some of his neighbors all around him, only adding to his fear.

But what really got him going was not the prospect of losing his own life, but hearing Prince's terrified yelps as he began to grasp what was happening. They forced Levi off the floor and scrambling over for the first warm thing he could find: his fancy suit coat he had worn when he had gone out into town that day. He rapidly pulled it on, limbs shaking the whole time he did, and jammed some slippers on his feet. Still coughing and his breaths coming out wheezy and panicked, he began feeling around for his puppy.

"Prince," he croaked, "Come here love. We're going to get out of here. Come with papa."

Luckily, for once, Prince listened, perhaps just scared out of his wits and wanting the comfort of his master. Levi picked him up once he felt his fur under his fingers and held him against his chest, covering up his head with the jacket so he wouldn't breathe in anymore smoke. Then he himself placed the coat up over his nose and mouth and, without a second thought, twisted his doorknob and swung it open.

He was greeted by a huge billow of smoke that rushed up in his face, rendering him blind. He squeezed his eyes shut, so while he didn't see the flames, he certainly felt their raging heat against his face. He didn't know if they were right in front of his door or further away, but he supposed he didn't care if he burned to death at this point if he did so while trying to get away. All he could do was feel his way along the wall, stepping as quickly and lightly as possible, praying he didn't step on any flames. He kept a tight hold on Prince, who was squirming around in terror, hoping his dog didn't dislodge his grip. He stumbled a bit when he came up to the stairs, but quickly he descended them. There were two of them, as he lived on the third floor. Alright, he could do this.

Please don't let any of the stairwells be completely on fire, he thought fervently.

Levi did try to call out to other people, to let them know that there was a fire, but he couldn't get his voice above a raspy whisper. It was all he could do to save himself at the moment, so all he could do was hope his loud footsteps as well as everyone else's would be enough to rouse other people. He felt other residents bumping into him, and a couple of times he fell to his knees. But he kept going, getting back up again, determined to save himself and his dog. He was all Prince had, and if he didn't make it, he couldn't imagine how devastated Eren would be.

That gave him a new sense of determination, and despite the burning in his lungs and his inability to breathe, he pushed on. Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, he felt the giant door to what he knew led to the outside, and as if he had found the door to Heaven, he pushed through it, nearly crying with elation. It took everything in him not to fall to his knees the minute he felt icy cold air against his face and blessed oxygen rushing back into his lungs. Now that he could feel fresh air, he was finally able to open his eyes and see that he was definitely out in the front of the building, the familiar street that he walked down every day to get in there in front of him, and the other side filled with people in their nightclothes, all residents of the apartment complex.

Levi quickly jogged over to join them, legs shaking, finally falling to his knees once he felt he was safe. He didn't even notice the snow under his knees, instead captured by the sight of the apartment building now consumed by bright flames, even brighter against the night sky. Black smoke was rising and curling around the moon, an awful thing to behold. There were gasps of disbelief around him, as well as cries of dismays and weeping as people watched everything they had burn in front of them. There were even some that were screaming the names of their loved ones, trying to get back into the building to retrieve them. Levi himself was too numb, only having the sense of mind to let Prince poke his head up above the neck of the coat so he too could breathe. By this time, the puppy had gone still save for the fact that he couldn't stop trembling, whether from the bitter cold or fear, he didn't know. All that mattered was that they were both alive, and aside from some soot on Levi's face and clothes, they were okay.

It was another ten or so minutes that felt like an eternity before the fire carriage showed up, the telltale barking of the Dalmatian they kept alerting people that it was arriving. The dog was racing in front of the carriage, clearing the way of people so that it would have a faster journey. No sooner had the carriage stopped in front of the building than the firefighters were hopping off of it and pulling out their hoses, shouting frantic orders to each other. The water began spraying, but it barely seemed to touch the flames, which continued to rage.

Helpless, Levi too watched his livelihood and all of his possessions burn in the fire, hugging Prince tightly and hiding his tears in his wiry hair. The puppy tried his best to console him, turning his head and licking his nose, having never seen his master so sad. But he too was powerless to do anything, except stay still in Levi's arms and curiously watch what was going on around him, unaware that everything he owned was being destroyed in front of their eyes.