HELLO EVERYBODY HAPPY THURSDAY AHHHHH

I am so glad to be back, and even though it was a long time away I don't regret taking as much time off as I did. I've definitely got my feet back under me after the loss and my family is in as a good a spot as I can hope for, so I've got the energy and space and time to get back into this story and I am thrilled to be here. Thank you all so much for your comments and messages and support, it was so incredibly kind and helpful.

I have to say, the last six weeks have really impressed upon me how much love and support I have around me and just how fortunate I am. I was always aware of it, but my friends coming together around me put a huge spotlight on it, and I couldn't be more grateful. In fact, when I let all my friends know what happened in our big group chat, one of them was like "remember when we talked about going for night drives? Yeah? I'll come get you at 7." He picked me and my other friend up and we ended up driving out to the beach once it got dark. Fucking perfect, right? We were listening to ERRA too, like, I can't. Although we stripped naked and dove in the ocean, which I don't remember happening in chapter one LOL. Either way, it was so restorative, gave me the strength to go deal with my family the next day, for sure.

Anyway, this chapter!

I remember writing this on the train last summer when I was on my way to take surfing lessons out in Rockaway, which was SO much fun, although I got the worst sunburn I've ever had in my entire life. Please wear sunscreen. PLEASE wear sunscreen! But it was such a lovely routine, write porn on the train ride, play in the ocean for five hours, write porn on the train ride, shower and then go to work.

I'm really pleased with this chapter, because as much as I love darkness and depravity, Eren and Levi being gentle and playful with each other (or just, Eren acting like a person generally) makes me so fucking happy. A lot of stories and doujins will try to soften Eren, which like, I get, but the appeal for me is that he's gross and disgusting and fucked up. Let him be sweet in his own Eren way that's true to their dynamic, wtf. I think I accomplished that here, but I'll be curious what you all think. Also I don't know what it is in my stories but someone's always cooking with tomatoes, maybe because my mom grows them every summer so it's just positive association? Or because I love making pasta sauce and giving it to people as gifts? Who knows. Either way, I'm probably gonna go buy tomatoes after this LOL.

Also, FOR THE VIBES! Listen to Ceiling Stars by Project AER. Levi's DJing again this week!

Anything else? No I don't believe so! Enjoy, everyone!

Back in Levi's room, Eren dug his phone out of his bag irritably, intending just to silence it, but, 'Mikasa.' He wasn't surprised, obviously, but it was still fucking annoying. Holding his cover story like a talisman, he answered the call. "Hello?"

"Where are you?" Eren pulled a face.

"I'm at Armin's. I told you we were gonna hang out today." He was sure Mikasa didn't believe him, because she never believed him, but she still didn't know about Levi.

"Oh," she replied, after a moment. "Well are you coming home for dinner?"

"No, I'm staying over," said Eren, as patiently as he could. "Which I also told you." Mikasa sighed, and Eren gripped his phone tighter. "Did you need something, or…?"

"No," she said, after a moment in a low, heavy voice.

"Okay so I'll see you tomorrow," said Eren, again as patiently as he could. There was another pause, and his heart sped up in his tightening chest.

"All right," she replied, in the same tone. "Bye then."

"Yeah, bye." Eren ended the call and closed his eyes for a moment, willing his chest to loosen, his heart and mind to stay still. However, the bitter, resentful thoughts fought their way through the calm that time with Levi had given him. Why did Mikasa always do this? Why couldn't she just leave him be like everyone else?! He forced his eyes open and texted Armin to remind him of their agreement, then silenced his phone and threw it back into his bag before returning to the living room.

Levi looked up at the sound of Eren's stomping footsteps, and a slight crease appeared between his eyebrows. "Everything okay?" he asked, warily. Eren started at the question, and his vision tunneled in on Levi's face.

"What?" Levi braced himself.

"Is everything okay?"

"Fine, don't worry about it," Eren replied, evasively, and before Levi knew what was happening he'd crossed the room and straddled his hips.

"Oi, be easy," said Levi, tripped by a strong current in the sudden rising tide.

"No," Eren said, firmly, grabbing Levi by the shoulders and kissing him on the mouth. Levi wanted to ask more questions, find out what had Eren so troubled, but his thighs were warm, his kiss was demanding and his erection was hard. As ever, he was able to wash away Levi's resistance, set him ablaze with his wildfire energy. Levi gripped Eren's thighs and dug his fingernails into his toned skin and asked, between kisses,

"No?" Eren smirked against his lips and moved his hips back and forth, thoughts of anything or anyone else draining away from his mind in the friction.

"Told you I'd want it again." He ran his hands up and down Levi's toned chest, brushing playfully over his nipples. Levi shivered and felt blood rush into his rapidly forming erection at the unexpected sensuality. He arched forward into Eren's greedy hands, grabbed his ass and spread him apart to grind him back and forth. "And," Eren moaned, knowingly, "I think you wanna go again too." Levi smacked Eren hard across the ass, and he gasped as the sensation shot right to his erection. He pulled away to stare at Levi with huge, excited eyes, his swollen lips parting provocatively.

"You like that, huh?" asked Levi, just to be sure.

"Do it again," Eren ordered.

"So fucking demanding." Levi smacked Eren on the ass again, much harder this time. The sensation shot up Eren's spine and he moaned and dug his fingers into Levi's shoulders. "Tell me what you want," Levi growled, gripping Eren's ass almost painfully tight, "and don't come with some bullshit like 'you.'" Eren's lip curled and he arched his back with a groan, his thighs squeezing around Levi's. Levi admired his smooth chest and the tempting lines of his hip bones, but he was not to be distracted. He smacked his ass a third time. "Don't be cute, answer me." Eren sat up straight at once, biting his lip as he stared Levi hard in the face.

"I want…" He dragged his hands down Levi's chest and belly. "You…" His eyes flashed as he pressed his thumbs into the soft skin on the insides of Levi's hip bones, making him inhale sharply. "Inside me. Fuck me deep like last time." Levi seized Eren's wrists and held his arms stiff by his sides. "Ah!"

"Greedy fuck," said Levi, though his body was in full support of Eren's proposition. Holding him firmly in place, Levi began to kiss along his chest, his collar bones, his bruises. "Are you this selfish with everyone you fuck?"

"It's not selfish if you like it too," Eren reminded him, though his defiance was ruined by how much his voice was shaking.

"That's how it is?" Levi breathed, looking up at Eren with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah," he replied, as though it were obvious. Levi bit down on his hard nipple and pulled back, tugging the skin with his teeth. Eren let out a hard, shuddering cry and his erection throbbed in his sweatpants. "Fuck!"

"Sensitive?" asked Levi, unnecessarily, repeating the move on the other side.

"AH!" Eren tried to struggle, but even without Levi's restraint, the sting and pressure held him paralyzed but for his little shivers and twitches.

"Mm," sighed Levi, pulling away to kiss back to the other side, feeling Eren's breath and heartbeat against his lips. He then forced Eren's hands behind his back, arching his chest forward into his mouth. "Maybe I should just sit back, let you do everything yourself if you want it that bad," he said, conversationally, biting down on his other nipple. Eren gasped and fought the restraint, his hands flexing pointlessly.

"That's- no!" he whined, thrusting his hips forward against Levi and spreading his knees wider.

"Yes," said Levi, Eren's frustration igniting something inside him. He brought Eren's hands back around and placed them against his own chest, where he continued to flex and extend his fingers pointlessly. "Didn't you tell me you finger yourself and pretend it's me?" Levi asked in just above a whisper, the thought as arousing as it was disgusting.

"Yeah," replied Eren, trying for defiance again and mostly succeeding. Levi let go of Eren's wrist and brought his first two fingers up to his lips. Eren laughed softly and opened his mouth, but then Levi slapped him in the face instead. Eren cried out, the sting and sound echoing through his body as his heart and erection throbbed with longing. He turned sharply to face Levi, his expression both demanding and dreamy. However, Levi's lip just curled and he let go of his other wrist.

"Get your ass to my room," he said in a low, dangerous tone that sent a shiver down Eren's spine. He scrambled to his feet at once and swayed a little, dizzy from arousal and the sting in his cheek. The moment he was steady, he seized Levi's hand and pulled him down the hallway. A soft groan escaped Levi's throat as he allowed himself to get dragged along in Eren's excited wake.

The moment they were over the threshold, Eren let go of Levi's hand and kicked off his sweatpants, then untied his hair and looked expectantly over his shoulder, his eyes huge and lips parted. Levi knew a fresh surge of arousal and, keeping his eyes locked on Eren's, stripped naked, climbed into bed and sat up against his headboard. A moment's silence passed. "Well?" Levi asked, with that hint of challenge that made Eren's erection twitch. He picked up the lube from the bedside table, climbed into Levi's lap and held it out to him, but, "No. Do it yourself." Eren's eyes widened.

"What?"

"Do it yourself if you want it that bad, I fucking told you." Heat rushed up Eren's neck and face.

"Why?!"

"Because you're way too used to getting what you want," said Levi, and Eren flushed deeper.

"It's so much better when you do it though!" he whined, and they both remembered viscerally how spent Levi had left him with his hand. However, Levi just spread his legs wider, nudging Eren's knees apart. Eren groaned, thrust his hips forward and glared at Levi, who met his gaze unflinchingly as he took hold of his own erection and stroked it. Eren's eyes darted to it, then back up to his face.

"You want it again, right?"

"Yes!" Eren snapped, his inner walls throbbing.

"Then earn it. I've spoiled you enough already, which you fucking know." Eren's eyes flashed.

"That's fucked!" He tried to grab Levi's free hand, but then cried out when he seized his wrist and pulled him forward so they were nose to nose. For one heartstopping second, Eren wondered if he'd crossed a line, but,

"You do not know from fucked, you little brat," hissed Levi, and Eren's erection twitched and oozed. "Now get ready or I'll fucking send you home." He threw Eren from him, and though he was tempted for maybe half a second to see what would happen if he kept resisting, when he met Levi's gaze, he knew he was completely serious, and the thought of being sent home was terrifying. He swallowed, picked up the lube again and squeezed some onto his fingers, his face burning. "Yeah that's what the fuck I thought," said Levi, leaning back against the headboard to watch Eren press his fingers between his legs. Eren cast Levi a furtive look as he pushed one finger inside, then moaned as he added a second, his thighs trembling a little. "Good," said Levi, without breaking eye contact. Eren's eyes flashed, but he kept going, spreading his fingers and thrusting them in and out.

Levi had expected Eren to put on a show, to goad and fight and complain, but his blush, his desperation, indeed the closest thing Levi had seen to real vulnerability, tugged uncomfortably at his chest. He wrapped his arms around Eren's waist and pulled him closer so he could bite and tease his nipples again.

"Yeah!" Eren groaned, the pain and pressure immediately steadying him, focusing his mind and slowing his heart. He shoved his fingers deep inside and reached between them to take hold of Levi's erection. Levi shivered at the touch and bit down even harder, and Eren closed his eyes and threw his head back in a hard moan, spreading his fingers wide enough for that to sting too. "Fuck!"

"What do you think about when you do this yourself?" Levi asked, softly. Eren laughed and stroked Levi's erection a little faster.

"You fucking me hard like you did before," the last word faded into a moan, "or fucking me raw and coming inside me-" Levi smacked Eren sharply across the ass and he cried out in ecstasy.

"And here I was thinking you couldn't get more repulsive," said Levi, still softly. Eren just laughed again, his crazy, beyond turned on laugh as he took both hands away, reached for the condom and slid it onto Levi's erection. He then squeezed more lube into his hand and took hold of it, stroking him clumsily but purposefully.

"Or you fucking me from behind," he leaned in closer, nosing against Levi's ear, "holding my hands so I can't move."

"Fucking-"

"Yeah," said Eren, his lip twitching. He gave Levi one last intense, sloppy kiss on the lips, then straightened up and stared him hard in the face. "Do it like that now, that's how I want it."

"Is that right?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?"

"Fuck, that's-" but the word dissolved into a hard groan as Levi smacked Eren's ass again.

"No," he said, on a sudden surge of disgust. He took hold of his erection and pressed it up against Eren, then closed his eyes for a second when he felt him twitch invitingly. "Take it like this, put in some fucking effort." Eren cried out in frustration and glared at Levi, fresh heat flooding his face, neck and chest.

"Why?!" Levi seized Eren's hair with his free hand and brought them nose to nose again.

"Because that's what I want," he said, his tone daring Eren to deny him. They stared at each other for a few seconds, tension and arousal winding up tight between them, but then Eren took hold of Levi's erection and guided it into place. Levi's lip curled. "That's fucking right," he said, and Eren's thighs began to shake as, blushing deeply and without breaking eye contact, he sank down onto his erection. They shared a moment of true ecstasy as Eren took Levi easily and deeply, Levi's erection throbbing in the tight, velvety heat and Eren pressing his hand against his belly and leaning his head back. "Good?" asked Levi. Eren gave a little moan, then nodded. "Move." Compliant under the pleasure, Eren nodded again, placed his hands on Levi's shoulders for stability and started to rock his hips back and forth.

"Oh god," he moaned, his toes curling as he felt Levi move inside him, pressing up against all his sensitive spots. Levi felt him dig his fingers, sticky with lube, into his shoulders, but the disgust only fueled his arousal.

"That's it," he groaned, gripping Eren's hips encouragingly. "Get yourself off on my dick like the needy little slut you are." Eren cried out and moved faster at once. "Yes…" Despite his harsh words, Levi loved this position; the intimacy and closeness and of course the view. Eren's whole body was flushed, his nipples were hard, his erection was dripping and his expression was ecstatic, but it was still his eyes, desperate and wanting and vulnerable in the same unsettling way as before. "Eren," said Levi, still softly, and the sound of his own name made him shiver.

"W-what?" As good as this felt, it wasn't enough, and trying to make it so was driving Eren crazy. He hoped Levi would flip him over, fuck him hard like he wanted, but as they looked at each other he knew he wouldn't be so lucky. His frustration flash heated inside him. "Levi, please, I can't come like this, it's not enough!" His heart pounded violently in his chest and his throat burned as he said it. Levi dug his fingers into his thighs and scratched down the soft skin.

"Not enough?" he repeated, genuine curiosity reaching him even this far out to sea. "Not painful enough? Or do you just not like doing any work?" Eren stopped moving at once, his eyes widening. Levi grabbed him under his thighs and lifted his knees so his feet were flat on the bed. Eren cried out in surprise and placed his hands behind him to steady himself, but then,

"Oh!"

"That's what the fuck I thought," said Levi in a low, satisfied tone, but Eren barely heard him. The angle had sharp pleasure radiating white hot through every nerve of his body and his head spun with the force of it. His expression was strung out, fucked, and it made Levi's erection throb and jaw clench. "You've got away with too much for too long," he said tightly, and Eren blinked, trying and failing to get him into focus. Levi made a contemptuous noise as he started to move him back and forth. "Selfish." Eren groaned and picked up the rhythm, pressing his hands and feet into the bed to move faster, every muscle in his body tensing as Levi's erection rubbed almost painfully hard against his sweet spot.

"Yeah!" he agreed, with no idea what Levi had said.

"That's it, you know you want it…"

"Levi!" Eren moaned, his mouth hanging open and eyes watering. "Levi! Levi!"

"Do you scream everyone's name?" Levi asked through gritted teeth, though it was stoking the already white hot pleasure inside him to hear it. When Eren didn't, or couldn't, answer, Levi took hold of his erection and pulled it forward at a weird angle that sent a shock of pain and arousal through his body. His toes curled and his eyes streamed and his erection oozed precum onto Levi's hand.

"Ow- fuck!" Levi had to bite back a moan at how tight he was squeezing him. He looked down at his hand, then up at Eren, and backhanded him as hard as he could. Eren screamed, actually screamed, and came all over himself, the sudden pleasure sharp and painful, overwhelming and relieving. His arms and legs shook violently with the force of it and he swayed dizzily, but before he could actually fall, Levi, acting purely on instinct and pleasure, caught him and flipped them over so he was back on top. Ignoring Eren's cry of surprise, Levi threw his legs over his shoulders and fucked him mercilessly.

"What the fuck," he moaned, right in Eren's ear before biting down hard on it. Eren just moaned back, overwhelmed and overstimulated, his inner walls and erection throbbing with pleasure and pain while the rest of his body remained unresponsive. "I've seen some shit," Levi continued, "but I've never seen someone come from getting slapped in the goddamn face." He gagged on the words, but he was so close he didn't care. He kept going, thrusting hard and fast, deep and shameless. "You sick fuck!" The last word dissolved into a hard gasp as Levi came, his entire body gripping and releasing in intense, pleasurable spasms. His mind dissolved and he continued to fuck mindlessly into Eren, draining himself completely before collapsing on top of him and holding onto him tightly.

Eren's chest heaved and tears poured down his face, washing away the precum Levi's slap had left there. He closed his eyes as he felt Levi throb inside him, felt the last of his pleasure leave him, and melted into the mattress, comforted by his warm weight and strength.

It might have been hours or days later, though it was probably only a few minutes, when Levi shifted sleepily against Eren. He groaned, straightened up and pulled out slowly. Shuddering, he peeled off the condom, tied it off and threw it away. He wanted to rinse off, badly, but paused when he looked over at Eren on the bed.

He was passed out, not just in that weird in between state he'd been in last time, but really and truly out, and what was more, despite the obvious evidence of what had just happened, he looked and felt quiet. His breath was gentle and even, his expression was content and untroubled. From deep in Levi's stomach rose a sudden, intense urge to wake him up, but he shook himself before he could act, and the feeling softened into something like affection.

Instead, Levi took a fistfull of tissues from the box on his bedside table and started to clean Eren up, wiping away the cum and tears and drool. He worked carefully, almost tenderly, at complete odds with the disgust he felt. Eren didn't stir at Levi's touch, but his lips parted a little. Levi felt his breath against his wrist as he cleaned up his cheek. "Is this why you like this?" he asked quietly, "helps you sleep?"

"Mm…" Levi sighed and threw the tissues away, deciding this was good enough until he woke up. He kissed Eren on the side of the forehead, his lips tingling at the heat still radiating from his skin.

Eren's eyes flew open with a gasp, suddenly as completely awake as he had been completely asleep a second before. He groaned and shifted uncomfortably, the sheets sticking to his sweaty back. He tried to sit up, but his body felt too heavy. He turned his head instead, and saw the light seeping through the curtained windows was now blue and orange. What time was it? And where was Levi?

On a sudden rush of energy, Eren pushed himself up into a sitting position. His body felt sluggish but his mind was gloriously clear and quiet, and he smiled at all the little aches and pains as he looked down at himself. He caressed his bruised and bitten chest, goosebumps erupting up his arms and thighs.

"Feels good," he told the quiet room, and his own voice seemed to alert him to the noise in the rest of the apartment. Off in the distance, he heard music and what sounded like the scraping of pots and pans. Very slowly, Eren got to his feet and reached for the sweatpants he'd discarded, but then changed his mind and picked up the towel Levi had given him earlier instead.

Levi heard the shower turn on over his music and the sizzling of the tomatoes he was roasting in the oven. He looked up for a second, the corner of his mouth twitching, then returned to Hange blowing up their group chat with Erwin.

Four Eyes

Come to this movie screening with me!

Where is it?

Four Eyes

the kava bar on 1st street!

Erwin

What's the movie?

Four Eyes

It's an anime and it's really good!

Is your girlfriend going to be there or something?

Four Eyes

NO

I just thought it'd be nice!

Levi's lip twitched.

Four Eyes

You don't have to give me an answer right now

it's not for a few weeks

but you should definitely come

I'll think about it

However, as Levi sent the text he knew he'd go. He wanted to see Hange outside of work, and it had been way too long since the three of them had hung out together.

The shower shut off, and a few minutes later Eren appeared in the kitchen in his sweatpants, looking flushed and fucked out. However, his eyes shone the moment he saw Levi, and quick as a flash he had crossed the room and wrapped his arms tight around him, kissing his hair and nuzzling his cheeks. "Good morning," said Levi. Eren just replied with a soft, satisfied noise, apparently trying to get as much of his body in contact with Levi's as possible. "Are you hungry? I started dinner."

"Yeah," Eren breathed against his hair.

"You can help."

"Yeah," Eren breathed again. He pulled away slightly, but Levi still felt his heat. "Tell me what to do."

"Don't start."

"Yeah," Eren breathed yet again, but then they smiled at each other. Levi kissed Eren on the lips, extricated himself from his embrace and gestured to the counter where he'd laid out a cutting board, knife and onion bbefore Hange's texts had distracted him.

"Cut this up for me."

"Yes, sir." Levi rolled his eyes, then watched Eren warily as he picked up the knife and set to work. "How big do you want the pieces?"

"Chop them fine." Eren nodded, then glanced back at Levi over his shoulder. "I actually can cook and stuff, you know," he said, rather resentfully.

"Is that right?" asked Levi, though he was reassured by watching Eren chop the onion properly. He took a saucepan out from his cabinet, set it on the stove and coated the bottom with olive oil.

"It is! I know this guy who literally didn't learn how to cook and whatever until he left home, it was pathetic! But people act like I can't do things." Levi turned on the stove, thinking there was probably a reason for that, though out loud all he said was,

"What do you mean he didn't know how to cook until he left home?"

"Yo it was so stupid," said Eren, blinking as the onion stung his eyes but excited by Levi's interest. "He dormed freshman year and I was hooking up with one of his suitemates so I witnessed it firsthand-"

"You were there?"

"I was there!" Levi smiled and began to pick apart a head of garlic. "He set off the fire alarm like, three times scalding pans and shit. Everyone else in the suite staged an intervention."

"Were you there for that?"

"Nah."

"Do you know what happened, thought?"

"He started watching YouTube tutorials to learn shit, but then he got really into it once he found out it impressed girls."

"How have we let the bar fall so low that basic life skills are impressive? Holy shit…" Levi sighed, horrified but enjoying the banter. Eren laughed and rubbed his eye with his shoulder.

"Done," he said, holding up the cutting board.

"Here," said Levi, indicating the saucepan, and Eren tipped the onions into it. A satisfying sizzling noise and an even more satisfying smell filled the room. Levi loaded a few garlic cloves into a press and squeezed them into the pan too, then stirred everything with a wooden spoon.

"What are you making, anyway?" asked Eren.

"Pasta sauce. I finally found decent tomatoes, look." Levi crossed the room to the windowsill where his plants were basking, and pulled a bright red tomato from a small net bag. Eren tilted his head to the side and Levi held it up to him. "Smell." Eren did so, and his pretty eyes widened innocently.

"That's nice!" Levi couldn't help but smile, though he also remembered how when he'd first moved in with Erwin even the food had seemed nice, how he'd felt bad taking it despite Erwin's generosity and his own hunger. He put the tomato down and opened the oven door to check on those roasting and was pleased to see they didn't need much more time. He gave Eren more vegetables to chop while he set a pot of water on the stove to boil. Eren immediately began to chatter away again, some other story about the acquaintance who couldn't cook. Levi listened and commented occasionally, until,

"Here," he said, once Eren had added the vegetables to the onions and garlic. He took the tomatoes out of the oven so they could peel the skins off. "Be careful," he warned, "unless you like getting burned too?" Eren rolled his eyes.

"Hell no, burns suck." Levi snorted.

"I'm glad you draw the line somewhere." Eren laughed and set to work. Once all the tomatoes were peeled, Levi slid them into the saucepan, stirred them around with a few spices, then lowered the heat so it could all simmer before adding pasta to the boiling water. At last, all they had to do was wait, and he took Eren into his arms, feeling unexpectedly serene. It wasn't the first time he'd played out a domestic scene like this, but it had been a while, and it was different with Eren. More satisfying somehow. Maybe it was just residual from earlier, or the contrast from the depravity. Not that it really mattered in the moment.

Eren made a contented little noise and rubbed his face into Levi's hair, once again trying to get as much of his body in contact with his as possible. He'd never helped someone he was hooking up with cook like this before. The closest he got was ordering takeout in between rounds, usually in the middle of the night and usually when he was too spaced out and fucked up to really care what was going on. Was this something other people did? Obviously Ymir and Historia lived together so they'd cook and all the rest of it together, but what about his other friends? Was this something they wanted? Was this what Levi wanted? It hadn't occurred to Eren to want something like this at all until it was right in front of him, but now that it was, he liked it.

"Let me check on the pasta," said Levi suddenly, breaking Eren out of his thoughts. Eren let go of Levi and he fished a noodle out of the hot water, bit into it and nodded. He drained the pasta and dished it up while Eren got drinks together, and they carried their dinner to the dining table.

"Do you like cooking for people?" asked Eren.

"I don't mind it," replied Levi, and it was true. He'd liked when his mother had been well enough to have Kenny over, obviously, and now he didn't mind hosting Erwin and Hange, and he definitely prefered having people come over to going out. "Do your parents have people over?" Eren shrugged.

"They used to when I was younger, but not so much after Mikasa's parents died." He paused, his knuckles whitening around his fork as he took a bite of pasta. Levi tilted his head to the side, but before he could ask anything else, "This is good!"

"Good," replied Levi, and for a while they just ate in silence. Like drinking tea on the couch, it was relaxed and comfortable. Eren observed Levi the whole time, the way his grey eyes looked down, the way he held his utensils and water glass, the way he leaned back in his chair, the way he didn't probe for details about Mikasa. He reached under the table and gave Levi's thigh a squeeze. "Mm?" He raised his eyebrows at Eren over the edge of his glass.

"Nothing," replied Eren. "Just…" Levi nodded.

"What do you want to do the rest of the night?" Eren's mouth twitched and he squeezed Levi's thigh again. "Besides that."

"More stories?" Levi rolled his eyes.

"Go get one off the shelf, then. Brat." Eren laughed and blushed a little, but as he looked over his shoulder at the shelves full of books, he suddenly really, really liked the idea.

"Which book is your favorite?"

"The dictionary."

"I'm serious!"

"I know you are," sighed Levi, pressing the heel of his hand between his eyes. "Help me clean up first." Eren nodded, and they cleared up the dishes and put the leftovers away. When everything was spotless once more, Eren took Levi's hand and dragged him over to the largest bookshelf. "Easy, easy," said Levi, a little bemused by Eren's eagerness. He scanned the bookshelves with narrowed eyes, but had no idea what to pick. He didn't think he knew Eren well enough to make a good call. "What do you like to read?"

"I don't read much unless it's for school."

"I get that." Eren smiled his tight lipped smile. "What about your best friend? Do you guys have books in common?" Eren thought for a moment.

"We got called Piggy and Ralph in middle school when we read Lord of the Flies, does that count?" Levi shook his head. "What?!"

"Is that a fair comparison?" Eren stretched and pulled a face.

"I dunno, maybe. It used to piss Armin off."

"Right…" Levi stared at Eren for a second, then turned to his books, thinking. A recent, inconsequential novel caught his eye, but he knew immediately it'd be a cop out. However, next to it was his very old and battered copy of The Stranger, which he'd stolen from Erwin's apartment. He stared at the narrow spine, and memories of reading it when he couldn't sleep while Erwin was working came flooding back to him. He hesitated, then pulled it from the shelf. "It's not my favorite novel," he said, "and I'm not sure you've got the frontal lobes or life experience for it yet, but try it anyway." He thrust the book at Eren, who took it reverently and held it to his chest.

"Frontal lobes and life experience, huh?" he laughed, his eyes falling closed for a moment before he actually looked at the title. "I think Armin's read this…"

"Good," said Levi, his heart swelling as he watched Eren tenderly open the book and run his fingers along the inside cover. "Be careful though. If something happens to that copy I'll be pissed." Eren snapped his gaze to Levi and held the book to his chest again.

"I'll take care of it," he said, very seriously. Levi opened his mouth, but said nothing, recalling telling Erwin the same thing about another book just as seriously. At the time it had seemed the only promise worth keeping, or the only one he was able to make at all. He closed his mouth, swallowed and kissed Eren on the lips.

"That's fucking right," he said, and Eren smiled and kissed him back.

Aren't they sweet? I can't.

Have any of you read The Lord of the Flies or The Stranger? What did you think of them?

I'll be back to my regular posting schedule now, so I'll see you all next week!

Leave me a review and I'll dedicate my heart to you!