Mid-way through feeling gravity viciously pull him down from the edge of his mattress and down onto the floor, Eren had a fleeting wish that, perhaps, he was still back home with his mom and Mikasa, in the one-story home with no angry neighbors living below him that he firmly believed could give testicle-shriveling glares. He prayed to God, Zeus, Merlin or whoever may have been burdened with watching over him that he would live to see another day, and that he definitely was not slamming down onto the floor with full force. His yelp was a vocal prayer for it to be after six thirty, or at least after his downstairs neighbor's coffee time.

The loud thump his body made as he hit the floor was like a resounding response of, "You're shit out of luck, kid. You're dead. You're dead and you're probably gonna have a concussion because you're a man-child who has the temporary nightmare and gravity hates you. The universe does, too. He says you owe him twenty bucks, by the way."

Eren's groan died in his throat before it could even really surface.

He sat up, rubbing his temple and then his shoulder, before aimlessly groping around on his bed for his phone. Fruitless, he willed himself to stand and make the trek over to the light switch. Sure, there was a little bit of light filtering through his blinds, but he didn't have the common sense to draw them. Instead, with a flick of the light switch mounted on the wall, the room was filled with artificial light and, after much searching through his blankets and sheets, he finally located his phone. With a small sigh, he unlocked it to check the time.

Eren almost hummed in relief to find that it was, indeed, after six thirty. It was Thursday, though, and that meant that Levi was off. He'd committed this to memory. Wednesday had gone off without a hitch, probably because he'd walked with the quietest steps he could manage. He hadn't run into Levi at all, and he had finished unpacking as soon as he got home from work. It was Thursday, though, and there was a strong possibility he'd just disturbed Levi. It was implied that the man liked to sleep in past six thirty, or at least that's what he understood and was going to live by. One part of him felt like he was joining a cult, with Levi as his strict lord and savior, but the other part felt like he was simply adapting to survive.

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he shuffled out of his bedroom. He shoved his phone haphazardly onto the kitchen table upon reaching it, before immediately dragging himself over to a cabinet to pull out a box of cereal.

Over his bowl of cereal, with very little light pouring through the shitty, tiny window in his shitty, tiny kitchen/dining room, he thought about what it could have been like, having a friendly neighbor.

Instead, he had Levi.

Realizing, all too late, that the only thing he had thought about since he'd woken was Levi, he cleared the tiny-and-full-of-apparent-rage man out of his mind, downed his remaining milk, and tossed the plastic bowl and spoon into the sink. He was done with brooding.

He went along his way, somewhat following a morning routine before work. He fished out a shirt suitable for work from his pile of messily folded laundry and tugged it on. He thought about his plans with Mikasa and Armin while he shimmied out of his pajama bottoms and into some jeans. They were going to meet him at the shop after he got off work, and they were going to walk back to his apartment. Armin, apparently, needed to complain about one particular professor, Eren, himself, definitely wanted to complain about his neighbor behind closed doors, and . . . Well, Mikasa rarely complained, so all Eren expected out of her was a quiet commentary on the two men's problems, and his fridge to be raided of his beer. He made a mental note to pick up more beer.

A glance at the cock while he pulled his sneakers on showed that he still had an hour until he needed to clock in. The shop was only a twenty minute walk from his place, but that meant he could stop somewhere and snag lunch for later.

He thought that, at least, until he stepped out of the complex after a short wave to the secretary behind the counter.

There he was. There the gloriously intimidating, frustratingly attractive asshole was, sitting on the aged wooden bench in the courtyard, underneath a ridiculously out-of-place eucalyptus tree (Eren had no idea Eucalyptus trees could survive anywhere but Australia, the poor ignorant bastard). Eren's step faltered and he took Levi in for a second, despite his internal dilemma. The shorter man looked calm, maybe distracted or even content, holding a Styrofoam cup from the opening, every now and then taking a little sip. That was really all he was able to observe before the man in question cleared his throat and he realized that he'd stopped, mid-step, simply to stare at his lower-level neighbor.

"Good morning, Eren," Levi murmured from behind his hand and the rim of his Styrofoam cup. "You must've hit your head pretty damn hard when you fell this morning; it sounded like you've decided to start training for mixed martial arts by leaping head-first from your bed. You definitely don't look alert this morning, slack-jawed and dull-eyed as could be. Maybe you should look into coffee." He lifted his cup, as if proving a point. "I stay true to Folgers and the occasional indulgence of Dunkin' Donuts, simply because that's what I was raised on, but you seem like the Maxwell House or Starbucks kind of guy."

"I guess you have to stay true to your roots," Eren offered. He ignored the insults, praying Levi would be civil this morning now that he'd gotten that out of his system.

Levi hummed in response, taking another sip.

"If you're ever feeling particularly murderous in the morning, this bench is a great happy place."

Don't ask why, Eren. It's a trap. You're gonna die. Don't do i—

"Feeling particularly murderous today?" When Levi hummed, this time an affirmative, Eren took the bait. "Why's that?"

Goddammit.

"Has something to do with a physically inept, mentally destitute, poor excuse of a fuckface neighbor who has been living above me for three days and has woken me up an entire two times already." Levi's voice was cold, now, as he gave Eren a pointed look that made him shiver, but his face was still calm, sort of serene in the most frightening way. "Do you need crib rail guard, kid? We can get you a crib rail guard."

Something inside of Eren woke up, only to crumple up, break and die.

"Do you even fucking think before you—"

"I do, but apparently you do not."

"The fuck is your problem?"

"My problem, Eren," Levi drawled out with extra attention to the brunette's name, leaning his head back to watch a couple of birds in the branches above his head, "Is that you are a noisy, sloppy-looking human being with the grace of an angry, horny giraffe and you had the audacity to move in to the apartment you moved into."

Eren scowled. Oh no, he wasn't backing down this time.

"First of all, I didn't wake you up yesterday, did I? I didn't disturb you at all, right?" He glared, and though it was nothing compared to one of Levi's, he didn't falter. "Today was an off-day. I fell out of bed, that's it. It doesn't happen very often. I won't be waking you up anymore, alright, you pompous asshat? I'll be as quiet as fucking humanly possible, and you won't have a single shitting thing to complain about."

Let's get the gravestone ready, bud.

Eren didn't know when Levi had looked away from the tree, but their eyes locked. The primal instinct to high-tail it the fuck out of there deluged him, but his feet rooted themselves to the ground.

"Not bad," Levi murmured, almost absently, tone almost bored. He sat down his now-empty cup. "Good to see you have something in you, kid. If you just stood there and looked ready to shit yourself all the time, I'd get bored."

The amusement in Levi's eyes succeeded in igniting the pilot light for Eren's anger again.

He muttered a quiet, almost inaudible, "Fuck you," that he really hoped Levi hadn't heard. It had been meant as more of a thinking-aloud kind of thing, instead of a frontal insult. He didn't wait to see if the smaller man had heard him, though. He was quick to continue his trek down the stairs, down the pathway to the sidewalk, down the street in the direction of his workplace.

He didn't give a fuck if he was early, or if that meant an extra thirty minutes with Jean.

The smug but disinterested look on Levi's face was imprinted in his mind, and it was going to tick him off for the rest of the day, he was sure.

[-X-]

"Jean, I swear to God," Eren muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and his thumb. "If I had the tools, I'd disembowel you right about now."

The extra thirty minutes with Jean had not been worth it.

While being around Levi was testing and, all in all, pretty draining, he sometimes forgot that he'd prefer to be around anyone but Jean Kirstein at any time. He'd really preferred to get a thoroughly ass-chewing from Levi over listening to Jean talk about whatever the fuck it was he'd been talking about for almost a solid eight hours. Was it a video game? Maybe he was talking about some familial or friend drama? A television show? Eren really had no fucking idea, because he'd stopped listening the moment Jean's mouth opened and his horrid voice flowed from his flapping horse lips.

This asshole really likes the sound of his voice.

"Aw, how cute," Jean said, a condescending grin on his face, one that Eren wanted to punch right off of him. "You've picked up a dictionary, have you? Maybe Armin and Mikasa's smarts are rubbing off on you finally. It's only taken, what, fifteen years?"

The brunette opened his mouth to counter, possibly fling an insult right back, but he heard a pop and watched as Jean flinched and rubbed the back of his head. His lips parted once more, poised to laugh or make a quip, but he felt a sharp smack against the back of his own head. He peered over his shoulder just in time to see a small blonde woman, hair pulled up in a bun identical to what she wore every day, was already retreating back into the back office, mumbling dully about a pair of monkeys running a cash register.

Eren inhaled slowly, only to exhale with a hiss, as if he were trying to put a damper on his anger, or will Jean to disappear. Neither happened.

"I swear, one of these days, Annie's gonna kick our asses," Jean murmured. "You'd deserve it."

Three minutes until I can go home, he thought, staring hard and long at the clock on the wall. Mikasa and Armin, speaking of which, would be there any second to save him from hell. Hurry the fuck up.

Jean's voice dropped to a whisper, and Eren had to fight back a groan.

"You know, I saw Annie and Mikasa at TCBY's the other day, and it looked like they were heading off to the movies."

"I think it's pretty normal for friends to hang out, Jean."

"Whatever, man. Whatever."

Time didn't move fast enough during the slower hours. The video game store was usually bustling, but around the same time of day, when Eren was close to getting off, the store would go dead. There were things to do, of course. He could leave the counter and organize things, tidy up magazines, probably just turn around and watch the TV looming on the wall behind them, or even go play on the Try Me! Xbox sitting in the corner and convince Annie he was simply making sure it was fully functional if he was caught. She never bought it.

One minute early, the beautiful, lovely, terrifying and usually pretty unpleasant angel of a manager poked her head out of the office. "Eren, your friends should be here any minute, right?" she asked. She temporarily reminded him of Levi, with the way she looked so uninterested, but her eyes showed just a little bit of emotion. Levi was, in all honesty, a little more animated than her and fuck why was he always thinking about him? "Go ahead and clock out. I'm sure you'd rather be with them than the horse's ass. Say hi to Mikasa for me."

Annie jerked a thumb at Jean and stuck her tongue out to raspberry at him before disappearing once more. Jean sputtered and glared at Eren accusingly.

The brunette grinned and shrugged, throwing his arms up and practically twirling around the other man to get to the back office. "Sorry princess," he sang, and rather off-key at that. He pulled off his lanyard, laden with his keys and nametag, and swung it around in the air. "Looks like you're shit out of luck until Sasha shows up. Maybe I should leave your leftovers out on the table for her."

Eren ducked back into the back rooms before Jean could spout off. He clocked out swiftly, as if anyone could believe he'd been swiping the same damn card and punching in the same damn numbers for three years, and left his own leftovers out for Sasha as part of an agreement they'd made (she covered his bathroom duty in exchange for any extras). She usually cleaned the shitty one-table break room, equipped with a tiny mini-fridge and a microwave that only worked if you hit it on the right spot, of any loose food on her own lunch breaks.

By the time he'd waved goodbye to Annie and made his way back out to the front of the store, Armin and Mikasa were leaning over the counter, waiting for him. Jean and Armin were talking about some game, probably a strategy Armin had picked up, and Mikasa looked absolutely disinterested, waving Jean off when he asked her opinion.

Poor bastard.

Mikasa's eyes were on him immediately (and Eren shook off the feeling that she had actually been looking behind or through him for the first few seconds). When he rounded the counter, her hand found his arm and Eren took that as the customary sure sign that she knew he was ticked off about something. Questions were going to come soon, and he definitely didn't want to be in front of Jean to let of steam, let alone the work place he knew all too familiarly.

"Nerd time is over," he said, grinning a little as he nudged Armin's side with his elbow. "Maybe you should swap numbers so you can try to impress each other with high scores. We need to borrow Armin, though, so you can court him with your tiny brain and walkthrough usage later on."

Mikasa was already pulling him towards the exit, muttering about not putting up with their shit. Armin followed after, smiling a little apologetically and bidding Jean a far friendlier goodbye.

"Blow me, Jaeger," Jean grumbled. He opened his mouth to say more, but a customer had stepped into the store, and they were halfway out the door anyway.

"You wish!"

The walk to the complex was peaceful. The three of them moved and spoke sort of harmoniously and complimentary. Armin raved about his current professors while Mikasa made her to-be-expected soft commentary made up of short sentences and little hums and Eren made little quips and matched Armin's enthusiasm when he got particularly excited or annoyed by something. The questions from Mikasa didn't come, unlike what he had expected, but he was taking what he could get.

The area between the game store and the apartment complex was a smooth walk. There were plenty of trees and bushes, but the buildings were unique and the sidewalks newly re-made. Every time Eren made the walk to get used to it, he found something new. It was a refreshing change from his old walk, which might have been shorter, but much less eventful. His mother and Mikasa lived in an area more suited for retirement, whereas the apartment complex delved a little closer to the downtown area, which meant more people, or at least livelier people. Most people walked to where they wanted to go, either because the weather was nice or because it was cheaper on them.

He'd also noticed a clan of cats that seemed to get bigger that prowled the neighborhood at all hours, and that someone in the complex always sat out a dish of food for them. He wasn't sure who it was, but he could probably take a wild guess.

Eren saw that the dish was sitting out for the cats again this afternoon, like always, as they started up the pathway through the courtyard to get to the front steps.

"I probably shouldn't complain," Armin murmured, wrapping up a sermon on apparent teaching etiquette that one particular professor lacked. "I wanted to attend classes during the summer, too, to finish up quicker, but the last two years weren't so bad."

Armin and Mikasa were taking summer classes together. Mikasa was mostly taking them because she'd taken the spring semester off to save up money, and how she'd pulled that off, Eren wasn't really sure. He knew absolutely jack shit about college, thus why he wasn't attending with them. He'd been insistent upon going to work instead of college, mostly because he had no idea what he wanted to do. That still stood true.

"It's good to get it out," Mikasa murmured, opening the entrance door for the two of them. They stepped in and she followed. Eren didn't miss the look he got from her, but tried to play it off by waving at the receptionist. "Speaking of which, Eren . . ."

She wasn't using the Mom Voice on him, at least.

He didn't dare point out his problematic neighbor, who he'd forgotten about until Mikasa had brought his train of thought back to whatever she knew was on his mind, until they'd made the left turn and walked up the stairs to his apartment. He didn't even chance talking while the door was open, waiting until his two friends were seated on his couch. He flopped down onto the raggedy old loveseat, an old gift from his mother for moving out on his own. It had been one that he grew up snuggling up on and taking naps, curled up in throw blankets with cups of tea that his mother insisted on him drinking, especially when he was sick.

"So, remember that crash we heard on Tuesday when you were helping me move in?"

Mikasa groaned, rubbing her forehead.

"Do I have to kick their ass?"

"No, preferably not. I mean, hell, you could probably take him, he's hardly five feet tall—" he was aware of the exaggeration, but made no move to correct himself, "—and he works at a convenience store. He always either looks bored or exhausted. I'm sure his life is shitty enough as it is."

Armin was the only one who laughed at Eren's makeshift joke. Eren could see the wheels turning and gears clicking in Mikasa's mind, and that almost made him nervous.

"Levi?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. "Is that his name?"

" . . . I'm not sure if this is the right question to ask, but do you know everyone in town?"

"No," she muttered, shooting a small frown at Eren. "There's a convenience store near your store where a short guy named Levi works, he's the manager. Is that him?"

"Sounds like it," Eren said, eyebrows arched. "Unless there are just cults of grumpy short men named Levi who manage convenience stores in this area. Why?"

"Eren, I don't mean to alarm you, but you should really avoid making that guy really angry. He's kind of popular around here, because he's knocked a few customers out in the past. I actually saw him yesterday, about lunchtime, out at the register by himself."

Eren paled. Oh, he was alarmed.

"Well, that would explain why he's so fucking . . ." He couldn't even think of a word. "I dunno, asshole-ish? He's been nothing but a prick since Tuesday, but a different kind of prick than Jean, you know? Said he felt murderous today because I fell out of bed and called me an angry, horny giraffe."

He could tell by the look on Armin's face that he was trying, trying so hard, not to laugh. Mikasa was a completely different story. If Levi had felt murderous earlier, his mood faltered in comparison to hers. She looked ready to stomp down the stairs and kick some ass, and Eren knew that look. He was already waving his hands to calm her down, or dismiss any actions that may follow. She hardly softened up at all.

"Don't let that little shit push you around," she muttered, looking away. "Don't let him get violent with you, though. If he does, call me—"

"Mikasa, Mikasa." He was quick to cut her off, still waving his hands and smiling sheepishly. "It's fine, alright? I can handle it. I probably just have to get on his good side."

"And definitely don't pay for anything at his store while he's there with loose change," Armin mused absently, glancing around the living room. On the shelf of one of Eren's bookshelf sat a mason jar almost filled to the brim with change. That was probably what triggered the thought. "That's a terrible idea, but a pretty Eren-esque thing to do, so let's not."

Eren didn't respond, eyes travelling over to the mason jar.

The smile on his face could only be described as devious.

"Eren? No. Please don't do that—Christ. Eren."

[-X-]

Levi leaned up against the counter, bored and annoyed. Only twenty minutes had passed since his morning cashier and Hanji had left for lunch, but an hour's worth of customers had already flown through. Saturday lunch rushes were hell, like an actual physical hell. They fluctuated and the customers always came in clusters in this area. Right now he was being gifted with a temporary break from the hustle and bustle, but only a short one. He knew it'd pick right back up. He preferred staying busy. It killed the time.

He turned his attention down to the counter and he realized how dirty it had gotten in the last twenty minutes. He pulled his cleaning supplies out and the door swung open and rang to announce the presence of a customer he didn't bother greeting. The manager regretted this as soon as he wiped away the last of the cleaning spray and looked up to see one Eren Jaeger with the stupidest, most infuriating, shit-eating grin the brunette could probably manage.

"Oh yay, now you know where I work," he said, faking enthusiasm and stowing his supplies in its place behind the counter. He frowned at Eren, whose features hadn't budged. "Okay, what do you want, brat?"

"Just this," Eren stated, placing a twelve pack of beer on the counter (Mikasa had drank him dry after hearing about Levi). He noticed Levi's critical eye and frowned. "What?"

"You sure you're old enough for this?" Levi asked, one eyebrow raising as he scanned it. "I'll need some ID, kid. And twenty-three fourty-seven."

Eren rolled his eyes, tugging his wallet out of his back pocket with the hand he'd been holding the beer with, only flipping it open to show Levi his birth date. Levi hummed in acknowledgment and crossed his arms over his chest. Eren stuffed the wallet back into his back pocket.

"Interesting. So you're not the hardly-pubescent teen boy I thought you were. Now, if you'd kindly pay and leave."

Eren tugged a ten dollar bill out of his front pocket, now, and dropped it on counter. Levi opened his mouth to state the obvious, that ten bucks definitely wouldn't cover the beer, maybe offer to teach Eren his numbers again or escort him back to kindergarten, when Eren lifted the hand he'd kept hidden behind the counter the entire time. He placed a mason jar, almost filled to the brim with change, and scooted it closer to Levi. His shit-eating grin didn't budge.

"Sorry, the ten's all I have in cash. I'll have to pay with change. The Coinstar outside is broken."

Levi decided that if Eren were to die young, he'd be the one to kill him.