The next morning, Eren woke up with a smile. He had such a good time with Levi the night before, and Levi had even kissed him goodbye! Though, he wished he would've been able to react and kiss him back, but still. It was a nice show of affection, one that he had never expected from Levi. Eren sighed. He wanted to see the shorter man again, but at the same time, he knew it was dangerous. Frowning, Eren sat up in bed, careful not to wake Armin, who was still curled up next to him. Levi would never accept him if he knew what he was. His opinion on shifters was strong, and Levi didn't seem to be one to waiver in his opinions. It was one of the things he really admired about Prince Levi, even before he actually met him. He sighed quietly, looking over at Armin. He need Armin to wake up and tell him what to do. He could always ask Mikasa, but he doubted she would have anything good to say. She would tell Eren to stay away from Levi, again, since she had said exactly that last night. He could understand her fear for him to be caught, since being caught meant they would be separated forever. But still, he liked Levi, and Levi seemed to like him back if yesterday was anything to go by. Stretching, Eren decided to get up and see if Mikasa made breakfast. He had hoped to do it without waking up Armin, but as soon as he stood, the blonde woke up.
"Eren, where are you going?" He asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes as he sat up.
"I was going to see if Mikasa made breakfast. You can go back to sleep." Eren replied.
"Wow, it's later than I thought. You never wake up before me." Armin yawned, climbing out of bed as well. "I'll go with you, I'm starving."
They walked into the living room to find Mikasa eating some toast. There were two plates set out with a small slice of toast on each of them. Eren grinned, making his way over to his sister, patting her head as he passed her to get to his seat.
"Damn, Mikasa, it's like you read my mind or something. I'm starving." Eren said as he sat down and took a bite of toast.
"You're welcome, I figured you would be hungry." Mikasa shrugged. "I'm more surprised that Armin slept so late."
"I was tired, and Eren kept kicking me most of the night. What were you even dreaming about?" Armin turned to Eren with a pointed stare.
"Nothing! Except chasing some rabbits, and swimming in the pond." Eren trailed off, blushing as he remembered his strange dream. Levi had been with him, and they had seen some rabbits. Levi had told Eren to shift so he could catch one, so Eren did. After he caught one, Levi had scratched his ears and told him what a good boy he was, before he shifted back and they went swimming in the pond. And they may or may not have made out a little bit.
"Honestly, Eren! You shouldn't dream about that stuff, you know it makes you want to shift and that's how you end up in trouble. Levi could catch you, then he would be forced to kill you, and we would lose you forever." Mikasa scolded him.
"I know that! It's not like I can control my dreams, I can't help it." Eren huffed, crossing his arms and looking away.
"It's okay, Eren, we both know that, you're just going to have to be careful until Levi leaves. You're going to have to suppress the urge to hunt until he is gone." Armin jumped in, trying to avoid a fight between the two of them.
"Yeah, okay, I won't go hunt until Levi is safely on his way back to the palace." Eren grumbled.
"Eren-" Mikasa started.
Thankfully, she was cut off by a loud knock on the door. Scowling, she stood quickly to answer it. Armin and Eren just stared at each other in surprise, both silently asking each other emWho could that be/em?. They didn't have to wait long as Mikasa opened the door, and Hanji all but ran into the room.
"EREN! It's so good to see you again! Did you have fun yesterday? How are you feeling? Any more injuries? And Armin, I haven't had a chance to really talk to you much, how are you doing? I heard you went out yesterday as well! Did you have fun? And Mikasa, how are you? Sorry, I didn't mean to just ignore you and barge into your house. I was just so excited."
"Oi, Hanji, shut the fuck up. You are being way too loud."
Eren felt his heart start racing as he heard that voice. He would recognize it anywhere, and he fought hard to hide the blush that he felt creeping onto his face as he made eye contact with Levi. He was unsuccessful, but he still tried.
"Hey brat, sorry to intrude, but Hanji wanted to visit." Levi said, his voice softer than before.
Eren smiled at him. "No, it's fine, we were just eating breakfast. Come in and make yourselves comfortable."
Eren looked over at Armin, only to see him staring at the door, a dark blush painting his cheeks. Eren looked over at the door to see what was going on, only to see that Erwin had just stepped inside, and Mikasa was closing the door. And she did not look happy.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Her voice was venomous as she glared at Levi.
"Mikasa-"
"No, Eren, it's fine. Like I said, Hanji wanted to visit, so we decided to come with her," Levi said calmly, his expression never changing.
"Mikasa, it's fine. I don't mind them being here," Eren said firmly, giving Mikasa a look that said to drop it. "Why did you want to visit us, Hanji?"
"Oh, I just wanted to see how you were doing, first of all. I though I should give you a quick check-up, just to be safe. And then I was thinking you would want to go for a hike with me? Levi said you all visited a waterfall yesterday, and I haven't seen one in so long, I was hoping you would show it to me? Pretty please?" Hanji started pouting, giving Eren her best puppy eyes to try to persuade him.
"Well, I guess that would be fine," Eren started.
"I don't think that would be a good idea, Eren. You know the forest isn't safe for you." Mikasa said quickly, giving Eren a stern look, which didn't go past Levi.
"I think Eren is old enough to make his own decisions," Levi glared at Mikasa. "If he wants to go with us, he can."
"It should be fine, since there are so many people going. But if Eren doesn't feel, um, safe, we can always come straight back," Armin interjected, giving Mikasa an apologetic look. He knew what she had been trying to say, after Eren's dream last night, if he goes out into the woods, he may be too tempted to shift, which would get everyone in trouble. But, he really wanted to go so he could spend some time with Erwin. So, he may have been a little selfish in his argument, but to him it would be worth it.
"Thanks Armin, that sounds like a good plan. So when do you want to leave?" Eren said excitedly, giving Levi a bright smile.
Mikasa sighed. She knew she lost this argument. She just hoped Eren wouldn't do anything stupid.
"Right away! Have you guys eaten breakfast?" Hanji jumped up and down excitedly.
"Er, yeah, I guess," Armin replied, looking at his toast that he had yet to actually eat.
"Armin," Erwin spoke for the first time that morning, "If you haven't finished, we will wait. It's fine." He gave Armin a shy smile.
"Oh, um, thanks," Armin replied, a light blush dusting his cheeks. He hurriedly ate his piece of toast, glancing up to see Eren doing the same.
Once they were done, they stood up to leave, Hanji leading the way. Mikasa waited till they were all outside before motioning for Eren to hang back.
"Look, just be careful. No shifting," Mikasa whispered as she gave him a tight hug.
"I won't, Mikasa, I know what's at stake. I promise." Eren whispered back, hugging her just as tightly.
"Have a good day at work, Mikasa. See you later," Eren called as he ran to climb into the carriage.
Mikasa sighed as she watched them drive away. She really hoped Eren would be able to control himself this time.
Hanji made Eren nervous. She kept staring at him like he was going to just shift on accident. Which made him question it himself, even though he had not lost control of himself since he hit puberty. He was so nervous then, and had felt overwhelmed by the need to shift and hunt down some fresh meat. But I have to control myself. Because Levi is here, and if he finds out, he will kill me. Or arrest me. I'm actually not really sure. Maybe I should ask. No, that would be too conspicuous. Just try not to think of all the delicious food running around, just waiting for me to eat it. Ugh, stop, no.
"What the hell, brat, are you sick? You look like you're about to shit yourself."
Eren, blinked quickly, turning to look at the man who interrupted his thoughts.
"No, I'm fine. I was just thinking." Eren huffed, slightly embarrassed.
"Well, you probably shouldn't do that anymore. It looked pretty painful," Levi smirked.
"Hey!" Eren exclaimed, now offended. "I'm not stupid."
"Never said you were, brat," Levi replied casually. "That was all you."/
Eren stared at him in shocked silence. He knew Levi was right, but he still didn't have a good comeback.
Hanji's loud laugh saved him from having to respond, thankfully.
"Oooh, Eren, he really got you there. You guys are so cute! I knew we made the right decision to go out today!" Hanji squealed. Her comment earned her a swift kick to the shin from Levi, and a blushing, sputtering Eren.
"Oi, shitty glasses, don't say stupid shit like that. I, for one, am definitely not cute," Levi said angrily, crossing his arms and turning away to look out the window.
"Oh, I don't know Levi, you do have your cute moments," Erwin decided to weigh in. He had been content to just listen to the conversation with Armin, the two of them holding hands without being too obvious.
"I will kick you out of this carriage, Erwin, so help me," Levi turned back to glare at him.
Erwin just laughed, ignoring Levi's glare, and turned to speak to Eren.
"I hope your sister isn't too mad at us for intruding this morning."
"Oh, uh, no, she'll be fine. I think it just took her by surprise. We don't really get a lot of visitors," Eren stammered, a little taken back at the whole conversation. What the hell just happened? Was Levi actually teasing me? And how in the world can Erwin just ignore that glare from Levi? Even I was scared of it, and it wasn't even directed at me! Oh, he is going to have to teach me that trick.
"Yeah, she just worries about us," Armin added, blushing when he looked at Erwin.
"Well, next time we'll just have to bring her with us!" Hanji interjected excitedly.
Eren and Armin exchanged a look. Who said there would even be a next time? They both knew that it would be dangerous, even though they really wanted to spend time with the royal and his friends, if you could call them that. But for now, maybe it would be best to humor Hanji and just pretend that everything was fine. Especially since she knew about Eren.
"Yeah, sure. She would probably like that, but she works a lot, so she may not have time," Eren shrugged.
"Where does she work?" Erwin asked.
"She works at a bar near the main square. It's hard work, but she makes good money. They like her because she can keep the drunks in line without making a scene or causing the police to get involved," Eren chuckled, remembering some of the nights he had stopped by to see her, and witnessed how she "handled" the drunks.
"Do you work anywhere?" Levi asked, turning back to face Eren. Apparently he was done sulking.
"Eh, I help out in the fields during the harvest, and I'll do some manual labor here or there, but nothing permanent," Eren said, avoiding Levi's gaze. "But, Armin is probably going to get a job at the library soon," Eren said quickly, causing Armin to blush at the attention now being focused on him.
"Really Armin?" Erwin asked. "You would be really good at that."
"Th-thanks," Armin stuttered. "But I don't have the job yet. I still have to speak to the owner, but I should be able to do that next week."
"You'll get the job for sure, though, you know he loves you," Eren rolled his eyes. "You're like, the smartest person in town, he'd have to be stupid NOT to hire you."
"Really now? You're that smart?" Hanji asked.
"I-I-I- uhh, I-" Armin stuttered.
"Oooh, Levi, we should take him back to the palace with us, he could take care of your library. And we could let him work with Erwin to learn how to be an adviser for when you become king. You need to start choosing them soon anyways," Hanji rambled, not noticing the glare from Levi was getting more deadly by the minute.
Fortunately for her, though, they had arrived at the forest. She eagerly jumped out of the carriage, releasing little exclamations of joy over everything she saw. Erwin and Armin followed her, but at a much more relaxed pace. As Eren went to climb out of the carriage, he was stopped by Levi.
"Just remember, you don't have to do anything she asks you to if you don't want to. She gets really into her science shit, but you don't have to go along," Levi said seriously, looking Eren in the eyes. Is that concern I see in his eyes? Maybe he really does like me.
"Alright, I won't let her take advantage of me, I promise," Eren replied, just as serious. He didn't want to disappoint Levi.
"Good, now get out, we don't have all fucking day," Levi huffed, pushing Eren out of the carriage.
As soon as Eren stepped out of the carriage, he was overwhelmed by the strong scent of the woods. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem for Eren, since he would just shift and enjoy himself. But, since he was with Levi, he couldn't. Just stay calm and try to act human. Ignore the smell of fresh meat and soft grass. Be human.
"Oi, brat, you look constipated," Levi commented as he, too, stepped out of the carriage.
"Oh, um, I'm fine, uh, just thought I smelled something weird," Eren said, looking down to hide his blush. He saw Armin and Hanji giving him concerned looks out of the corner of his eye. "Let's just get going."
The group walked slowly, since Hanji insisted on stopping every few feet to investigate a plant or animal. It gave Erwin and Armin a chance to talk some more, however Levi and Eren walked in almost silence. It was mostly Eren's fault, since every time Levi asked him something or made a comment, Eren gave very short answers. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to Levi, he was just feeling really uncomfortable. He felt stifled in his own skin, the draw to shift and join nature was almost overwhelming. The deeper they walked into the forest, the worse it got for Eren. By the time they reached the waterfall, Eren was trembling from the effort. Armin pulled him downstream a little ways so they could talk.
"Eren, are you going to be alright?" Armin asked gently. "You look like you're going to pass out."
"Yeah, it's just, it's never been this hard to control before. I don't know why, but it's really bad today. I should've turned down their invitation," Eren sighed. "Plus, I'm sure Levi thinks I hate him now. I've had to focus so hard on not shifting that I've been short with him, and not very conversational. I feel really bad, but whenever I'm around him, my shifting is harder to control. He makes me want to let my guard down, so I have to work extra hard to control myself when I'm near him."
"I doubt he thinks you hate him," Armin replied. "However, he might be thinking you're upset about him kissing you."
"But I'm not! It took me by surprise, yes, but I-I, uh, really wouldn't mind doing it again, if he wanted to."
"Then you should tell him that and just calm down. Just stay near me, but talk to him like normal. You can still fix things," Armin gave Eren a quick hug before joining the rest of the group.
While Eren and Armin were talking, Levi was being questioned by Hanji.
"What's wrong, Levi? You and Eren are being awfully quiet today," Hanji asked.
"I don't know, he won't talk to me," Levi said shortly, glancing over at the two boys.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?" Hanji grabbed Levi by the shoulders, forcing him to look at her.
"Oi, shut up, shitty glasses, they'll hear you," Levi growled, brushing her off. "Besides, I don't know what you're talking about. He was fine with me yesterday, we talked quite a bit."
"Did anything happen yesterday?" Hanji asked.
"Of course not," Levi replied indignantly.
"Except for the kiss," Erwin added.
"WHAT?" Hanji exclaimed, before Levi clapped his hand over her mouth.
"I told you to keep your voice down," he growled, before Hanji licked his hand. "Ew, gross, don't ever do that again."
"Well, you shouldn't put your hand on other people's mouths. Now, why did you kiss Eren?" Hanji all but squealed.
"I don't know, it just happened," Levi said, glaring at Erwin. "And you can't say anything, since you kissed your own little blonde."
"Ah, so you only kissed Eren so he wouldn't feel left out?" Erwin asked.
"No, of course not," Levi huffed.
"Oh, so you do know why you kissed him, but you just don't want to say?"
"I'm done talking about this," Levi said lividly.
"Alright, alright, boys, let's just calm down," Hanji said happily, ignoring the glare from Levi. "Why do you think that would make him mad at you now? He seemed fine when we were at his house."
"I don't know, maybe because he doesn't like me?" Levi said sarcastically.
"Oh, don't be stupid, the boy loves you. It's written all over his face, even you should be able to see that. No, something else must've happened. What about in the carriage? Did you say something then?" Hanji mused.
"You know, it may not be anything Levi's done," Erwin said suddenly. "Maybe it has nothing to do with Levi at all. Eren's acting like he did the first night we met him. I think he may be hiding something from us, and it just seems to be really bothering him today."
"You may be right, Erwin, but then, what should I do?" Levi asked, exasperation leaking into his voice.
"Well, you need to continue to talk to him and try to put him at ease. Distract him from whatever is bothering him," Hanji said. "Be his prince charming and rescue him from whatever is making him suffer. And then he'll fall even more madly in love with you, and you guys can live happily ever after!"
Levi just looked at her in shocked silence. What the fuck is she thinking? Who says stupid shit like that?
"Apart from the dramatics, she's right, Levi," Erwin said, pulling his attention away from Hanji. "Just try to help him feel safe and relaxed with you. He may eventually trust you enough to tell you."
"Oh, here they come, just act normal," Hanji whispered excitedly.
"What were you brats doing? I thought you were supposed to be showing us around, not wandering off by yourselves," Levi reprimanded, watching Eren's face closely for any signs of distress.
"I'm sorry, sir," Eren blushed. "I just, um, well, it's not really important."
Levi narrowed his eyes. Now, he was sure Eren was hiding something from him. He opened his mouth to say something, but he was quickly cut off by Hanji.
"Oh, no, it's fine Eren. We weren't upset, just a little worried. So, where does this river go? What kind of animals live in it? Is it clean enough to drink?"
Levi continued to watch Eren as he answered all of Hanji's questions, and showed them around. He watched how Eren's eyes would light up when he was excited about something, and how they would glaze over when Hanji would go into long explanations for something. The brat seems to actually enjoy listening to Hanji. He practically oozes with excitement when she tells him something new. I wish I knew what's bothering him. He's doing a really good job at hiding it, but every once in a while, I can see it in his face again. I wish he would trust me enough to tell me. Again Levi was a little shocked at his own thoughts. But it was true. He wanted to be Eren's lifeline, his everything. He wanted the sun of Eren's world to rise and set with him. It was a selfish desire, but he couldn't deny it anymore. He was falling in love with this boy.
After their visit to the forest, Levi demanded they go eat, so they drove back to the hotel before taking the boys home. Lunch itself was uneventful, but Eren and Levi talked quietly to each other the entire time. Hanji had been preoccupied with talking to Armin, asking all sorts of questions (more for Erwin's benefit than her own) and Levi had been grateful for that. It seemed that whatever had been bothering Eren was long gone, as he seemed so relaxed and happy with Levi now.
During the carriage ride back to Eren's house, Levi made sure he was sitting next to Eren. To Levi's surprise, Eren scooted so close to him, they were literally hip-to-hip. He didn't miss the blush on Eren's face, however. Huh, maybe he does love me. Damn it, that means Hanji was right.
"Eren, did you have fun today?" Levi asked him quietly.
"Yeah, I really did," Eren replied with a shy smile.
"Look, whatever was bothering you earlier, I'm sorry I wasn't more understanding."
"Huh?" Eren turned to look at him, confusion all over his face.
"I just thought you were mad at me, I didn't realize there was something wrong until it was pointed out to me. I should've been more aware," Levi explained. "I just hope I didn't make it worse."
"Oh." You did, but that wasn't your fault. You can't help how you affect my more primal instincts when they go into overdrive. "You didn't, so don't worry about it. I didn't mean to let it affect our time together. I'm not very good at controlling my emotions."
They were interrupted by the carriage coming to a halt. Armin and Erwin got out first, walking towards the house before saying their goodbyes.
"Armin, I had fun spending time with you today," Erwin said carefully, lacking confidence for what felt like the first time in his life.
"I did, too," Armin replied with a blush.
"Well, I'll be spending tomorrow afternoon at the library," Erwin hesitated before continuing. "If you aren't busy, maybe you could join me?"
Armin blushed, glancing back to the carriage to see if Eren and Levi were paying attention. To his dismay, they were.
"I, uh, I-I," Armin stuttered for a moment, before reaching up and giving Erwin a quick peck on the lips. Now thoroughly embarrassed, he turned and ran into the house, calling goodnight as he went.
Erwin stood in shock for a moment, before smiling and turning to face Eren and Levi.
"Your highness, I'll just be in the carriage," he said, blushing as he walked past them and climbed back into the carriage.
Eren couldn't help it, as soon as Erwin was inside, he started laughing.
"Wow, I really didn't think Armin had enough courage to do that," Eren finally said, giggling.
"Yeah, especially in front of us," Levi said, smiling softly. I love his laugh.
"Eren, I would like to ask you something."
"O-okay," Eren said, now completely serious.
"I have really enjoyed spending time with you," Levi said, struggling to keep his voice steady and hide his nerves. "I find myself very drawn to you, and I would really like to get to know you on a deeper level. I understand if you don't feel the same way, but I feel very strongly towards you."
Grey eyes bore into green as Levi spoke, trying to convey his real feelings to Eren. Eren was left breathless by the intensity he saw there, and he wanted nothing more than to say yes. But what if he finds out? I know it's dangerous to be around him too much, but I can't help it. I've never wanted to be around anyone so badly. I think I'm in love with him. Mikasa will kill me for saying yes, but I have to. I want to be with him, even if it means he'll find out about me. I have to try.
"I-I would like that, a lot," Eren finally whispered. "I like you, and I want nothing more than to be near you."
Levi let out a sigh of relief. He thought the boy was going to reject him at first.
"Very well, I will come pick you up tomorrow evening, and we can have dinner together," Levi said.
"Alright, I'll be ready," Eren said, giving him a smile that made his knees weak.
"Goodnight, Eren," Levi said, before leaning in and giving Eren a gentle kiss.
Eren kissed him back, before pulling away and smiling again, a deep blush now adorning his cheeks.
"Goodnight, Levi."
A/N: Well, this past week has been hell, and I haven't gotten as much written as I had hoped. right now I'm less than a chapter ahead. I'm going to try to finish chapter 7 in time to upload it next week for you guys, but after that, I may not really be able to update as often as originally planned. I'm so sorry! I'll give you a heads-up, chapter 7 is going to be strictly ErwinxArmin on their first date! I want to give them a little more attention and develop their relationship a little more, since they are a major pairing, even though this story is mainly Riren. Riren is my OTP, ya know. Thanks for reading, please give me feedback and let me know what you think, or if there are ways I can improve! Thanks to those who have favorited/followed so far! :)