Chapter 4

That night, Levi found he couldn't sleep. And when he did manage to doze off, it was filled with dreams, in which he couldn't talk, and Eren laughing at him when he tried. No! Levi screamed internally. Please, Eren, let me speak!

He jolted awake, covered in a cold sweat. He panted, pushing his damp hair out of his face. Rolling over seemed like an impossible task as his legs seemed frozen, and after a few deep breaths, he attempted to reach his phone. 1 AM. "Fuck." He swore, flopping back onto the bed. He considered ringing Eren but then he would just worry, and besides, Eren would be at work. He could handle this.

"Here kitty kitty." He crooned, shining his phone light around the bedroom. A lump by his feet caught his attention, and he crawled to the end of the bed. "Sorry, girl, I don't really want to wake you up, but I really need this, okay?" He whispered, curling around the warm ball of fur. Amelie purred, and moved to cuddle closer to him. He smiled wearily and sighed deeply into her fur. Lonely with out Eren, who usually would wrap his limbs around him like an octopus, he felt so cold. Amelie, small though she was, was able to provide solace, warmth and company. He found that sleep came a bit easier with the added comfort.

Morning brought with it a startling surprise. Rather than being woken up by an alarm, a loud thud against the glass door in the bedroom sounded throughout the house. Levi, startled by the loud, foreign noise, frowned and groaned loudly. He squinted against the flood of light assaulting his eyes, and stumbled groggily over to the sliding door. Sprawled outside was a bird, lying flat against the patio floor. "Fucking hell, not again!" He hissed, unlocking the door and stepping out. He crouched down next to the bird to assess the damage. He sighed when he noticed the odd angle of the bird's wing, and went back inside to grab his phone.

"Petra? Sorry to ring so early, but some idiot bird flew into my glass door again, and this one looks like a broken wing. " He frowned into the phone, twisting his hair around a finger. "10 minutes? Thanks. I'll get breakfast for the both of us then, and bring the bird in. See you soon."

"Thanks Levi, you're a wonder with animals." Petra flashed a smile up at him. "It does look like she has a broken wing, do you mind if I take the food with me? It's probably not so fair to leave her in pain in the truck."

Levi shrugged. "Sure, I figured that's what you'd prefer anyway. That's why I went for a wrap for you instead."

"You're a legend. I'm glad I got to the phone first, Erd always makes sure to rub it in our faces if he gets some of your wonderful cooking."

Levi snorted. "Next time, I should just cook enough for all of you."

Petra laughed, and shook her head. "Well, it's up to you. Anyway, I should get going back to the others so we can get this bird checked out. See you later Levi! And thanks for the food!"

"No worries. Thanks for getting out here so quickly, maybe one day the birds will realise there's a door there." He waved to Petra as she backed down the driveway, before turning to go back inside. "Dear lord I need a shower." He muttered. "Poor Petra, I look absolutely feral." Looking into the bathroom mirror, he ran a finger across his jaw. Not only did he definitely need to shave, but his hair was stringy, and probably needed a trim.

Usually he and Eren would cut each others hair, though it would usually end with Levi scolding Eren for using the hair ends as moustaches, or various other image altering accessories. Once, as revenge for Eren making such a mess playing with the hair, Levi had filled his side of the bed with hair. Eren complained for weeks afterwards about hair splinters, constantly moaning over how he couldn't lie in the bed without getting stabbed. It stopped him making a mess at least.

Levi cleaned himself up, taking time to enjoy the hot water. Eren loved long showers, usually spending them singing away or pretending to be a water bender. As a result, Levi didn't often have the chance to spend any extended amount of time relaxing in the warmth. While in the shower, he pondered over what he should do to welcome Eren back the next day. Something relaxing for sure, to calm him and get him in the right mindset for the hidden gift Levi had previously bought. Part way through shaving, an idea struck him. He grinned at his reflection, and promptly winced as shaving cream ran into his mouth.

Levi rather hated going to the store by himself. It was loud, there were too many impatient people, and he found it an uncomfortable experience in general. Going with Hange or Eren was quite fun though, as usually they made obnoxious comments, laughed at his sarcastic ones, and were more than happy to let him sit in the corner of a tea shop when things got a bit overwhelming. Levi powered through it though, comforted by the thought of how overjoyed Eren would be upon arriving home. He only sighed quietly when people cut in front of him in the line while buying ingredients for a fancy meal, made no cutting remarks about the overpowering stench of the candle store, and blatantly ignored the quirked eyebrow when he bought massage oils. Just making it through purchasing all of his items was enough of an ordeal for him to allow himself a nap upon arriving home. It had barely passed midday and already he'd had a busier day than he'd usually get in an entire week.

He set out the candles neatly, chewing on a sandwich he'd picked up while there. Levi packed away the groceries, set out the bottles of aromatic massage oil, curled up on the couch, and promptly fell asleep. At some point he thought he heard someone moving around and panicked slightly, only to be reassured when the cat curled up with him. He drifted back off to sleep in the golden afternoon light.

Levi woke up at around 4pm, still emotionally exhausted from his morning, and spent the evening neatening up the house. He moved lightly around the house, humming as the excitement for Eren's return built up. He changed the bed sheets, scrubbed down the bathroom and sharpened all the knives in the kitchen. He curled up again on the couch to watch a movie while eating dinner. He felt very satisfied with all he'd achieved that day, and his stomach fluttered when he thought about Eren's response. Not even a full day left until Eren returned...