"Ahh, this is so nice!"
Hanji hummed a happy little tune, falling back so that she was leaning up against Levi's left side. The brunette woman smiled, taking an abnormally, and really sort of ballsy, large chug of her wine. It was almost disturbing to watch her drink her wine, haphazard written all over her actions as they contradicted the finesse of the dainty wine glasses. The TV was on with some senseless sitcom neither of them had consistently paid attention to. The cheese platter had been thoroughly wrecked and sat discarded on the kitchen table. A bottle and a half of wine down between the two of them was enough to relax them both. Levi melded into the couch cushions and Hanji wormed herself into a comfy spot against him.
"It's a shame Erwin couldn't join us," Hanji lamented, turning her head to snuggle into the cushion a little, too, and let off some of her weight from Levi. "He never does anything fun with us anymore."
"When was the last time he really did?" Levi challenged, tracing the rim of his glass with his fingertip. He watched the way his wine rolled gently with each little move he made with mild interest. "He's always been busy. I'm sure he drinks in his own time, but I can't even remember the last time he drank with us."
"Mmm, true." Hanji shrugged once and returned to her face-snuggling the couch. "Him and his stupid family functions."
Levi let out a soft hum of acknowledgment and agreement before taking a sip of his wine. The living room was mostly silent, save the shitty jokes and laugh track sounding from the TV. So far there had been few words between them, aside from making little quips about the show on the television, but Levi understood that this was just the calm before the storm. Once Hanji had downed enough, she would plunge right into talk mode, and she was a merciless beast. No doubt, she'd start asking every question under the sun plus one about Eren, especially ones Levi didn't have answers for, or at least good ones.
They rarely drank together without some sort of excuse. They could both hold their liquor well, but Hanji had a godawful tendency to throw up and then pass out somewhere—anywhere—when she started to get sleepy and Levi just really hated hangovers. He hated hangovers, or at least his, to the point of never wanting to drink at all. As soon as his steps lightened and he felt like maybe he was bouncing on clouds with a light head and an empty chest, he knew he'd be in for the migraine, the queasiness, the motion sickness—everything aside from actually throwing up. Part of him was relieved, because vomit was absolutely disgusting and he probably wouldn't make it to a trash can or toilet while intoxicated, but the other part of him wished he could just get the garbage out of his system and return to normal or something. That wasn't the way the world worked.
And then he thought over the reason for the drinking, and the questions he was waiting to come from Hanji. Specifically, questions about Eren. Eren.
The realization of everything hit him so quickly he felt like he was going to be sick. He held his glass of wine away from him with disgust, and he didn't know if the disgust was towards the wine or himself. If Hanji noticed his aggressive little epiphany, she did well at hiding it as she held her wine glass close to her chest, cradling it like a child, while giggling mindlessly at the television.
Eren was the reason for this night. No, Eren was the reason for everything that had lead up to this point. It wasn't so much that it was Eren's fault, per se, but that he was the cause and this was the effect. No, he was the cause and there were a lot of effects, such as Levi, for once, feeling guilt, or feeling alone on a Saturday night, despite Hanji's persistent presence beside him. He was why Levi was feeling in the first place right now. He was not an emotional drinker. Maybe he was a little more honest when he had alcohol in his system, but he was nothing but himself, and he wasn't an emotional person. Now, though, he felt like words could overflow from his mouth, and so they did.
"Hanji," he said, barely louder than a whisper, and Hanji pressed the mute on the remote like she'd been waiting for it all day. "Hanji, I fucked up."
Levi could practically see the way her eyes got wide as she snapped to attention, spinning around in her seat to face Levi, expression gone from silly and happy over the stupid fucking sitcom on TV, to the absolute seriousness in his voice being reflected onto her face.
It was almost wonderful to realize that she was so avid to support him. He hadn't explained anything to her about why he had nearly destroyed his chair, or why he had almost committed sin by yelling at Krista. She deserved a good explanation.
He didn't have to wait for her to ask.
"When I say I fucked up, I mean royally." He stared down at his wine before taking a large gulp of what was left and pouring himself another glass. "Maybe I haven't displayed the severity of the situation. I didn't so much as nudge him out of the closet as suplex him out, and right into the lap of his mother."
Hanji's eyes opened wider. Reasonably so.
It was an accident. Eren liked to bitch, so he thought maybe Eren had talked to his mom about the ring, about how the joke was that Levi was his fiancé, when in reality, he was not. He didn't know Eren was in the closet. He didn't know his mother would take the joke literally, and he didn't have time to cover his ass. And then when Eren came to confront him, fired up and ready for anything, he'd just made things worse. He still hadn't explained himself, and had even gone to lengths to make Eren feel guilty. He hadn't been rational. He hadn't thought it through. There was a part somewhere inside of him that had been deathly jealous of the love Eren's mother had for him, and he told Hanji everything but that. Maybe it was the jealousy he had acted on.
"I didn't get to apologize," he said quietly after a few moments of silence. The glass he'd refilled just moments before was already empty, as he'd taken irritated sips after nearly every sentence. Hanji had noticed, and emptied the rest of the bottle for herself. "No, it's not that I didn't get to, because I could've, any time in between Monday and now, but—" He scowled, bristled, unable to formulate an excuse. "Hanji, I'm losing it. I'm losing my fucking mind over a kid."
"Well, technically, he's an adult." She smiled, running her fingers through his hair to soothe him. It worked a little. "And it could just be the wine, you know."
"I was losing my mind before this, you glue-guzzling douche."
Hanji smiled a bit wider, and maybe Levi saw a bit of pity in there. He waited for her to agree, because that's what Hanji did. She told him the truth, whether he wanted to hear it or not. Right now he really didn't want to hear it, but he knew he probably needed to, if there was anything to add on to what he'd already said. She wouldn't berate him like he'd berated himself, at least.
"You were an ass," she said, nodding matter-o-factly, sipping on her drink. He simply nodded in agreement, willing her to hurry and get the rest over with. "You're aware of what coming out of the closet is like, willingly, so take that memory and think about how much worse it would've been if someone had outed you. You didn't do it on purpose, no, but you could've handled the aftermath differently. He went through a different kind of anxiety. You spent years worrying over how your mother would react and what the consequences may be, and he's spent years going out of his way to hide it from her, it sounds like. And then you kind of took your frustration out on him."
Yes, this was definitely what he did not want to hear.
"But you care about him." Hanji's tone was permeated with finality and she left no room for argument. Levi didn't try. "And damn me, I'll owe you half of my year's salary if he doesn't care about you, too. I bet you anything off your Christmas wishlist the reason why the closet fiasco hurt him so badly was because it was you. He probably would've tried to beat the shit out of anyone else, knowing him."
Levi finally flinched. At that, Hanji looked a little proud (either of him for showing that tiny bit of vulnerability, or for herself for dragging it out of him).
"I should probably talk to him," he said finally.
"And . . .?"
He scowled. "And apologize."
"And?"
The more she prompted, the more drawn out her vowels were. Ah, yes, it was about time to cut her off.
"I don't know what else you expect me to do, Hanji," he muttered. "I don't do shit like this often."
"Tell him how you feel!" she squealed, leaning over onto him again. She rested her chin on his shoulder, a worrying grin plastered onto her face, acutely shaped into her lips, and Levi swore he would never give her the chance to gain the upper hand on him ever again. She was fucking crazy. "He'll eat that shit up, you know! He'll—"
"Alright, shut up."
Maybe cutting Hanji off wasn't a good idea. Just a little more and she'd probably pass out face-first into the cushions. Getting her quiet would be worth breaking out his personal wine.
It wasn't until they'd finished the entire third bottle (his bottle) between the two of them that Hanji had fallen asleep, face smushed between his back and the couch cushion. She slept peacefully, by some miracle, and hardly stirred when he moved away and she was left sprawled out over the couch. It was a long and difficult process, picking her up and dragging her to his bedroom, only to deposit her on the bed and arbitrarily drape the covers over her. As if it were a second thought, he scooted his trash can closer to the bed and flipped her over onto her stomach. Can't have you puking on my shit or dying.
He realized, upon returning to the living room to hunt down a pillow and a blanket to make his post for the night on the couch, that something was off. He was a bit slow to react, senses marred by his inebriation. It was a different sensation than he'd felt after the day Eren had gotten his phone and wallet for him. No, it was—
Loud-ass music, resonating from the apartment above and thrumming through his. There were loud steps, like dancing, shouting, jumping—
How the fuck had he missed that? Had Eren just gradually turned it up, bit by bit, until it was blaring? Perhaps he really was that incoherent and the brat had turned it on a while ago and he was just now realizing it. He was opting for the former, considering he never got too fucked up. He was still stable, still walking in a straight line despite the amount of alcohol he'd already consumed. He'd always had an ungodly tolerance, but that usually resulted in hangovers that compared to the unforgiving fires of hell.
Levi cut off his confusion in favor for annoyance. His regret, shamefulness and self-loathing was pushed to the back of his mind and he decided he was going to dismember the brunette in the level above him and feel bad about it in the morning.
[-X-]
There was something incredibly satisfying about managing to stuff eleven people into a tiny one-bed-one-bath apartment, small enough to only warrant a kitchenette.
It was even more satisfying to find out that they could all somehow fit in the living room to make an, albeit shabby, fully-formed circle. The coffee table had been scooted out to sit in the very middle of the room while they all took different places on the couch, loveseat, and the floor. Eren lounged in the center of the couch, Mikasa taking her place to his left and Armin to his right. In the love seat across from them, Sasha and Connie sat, fussing over the contents of Sasha's purse. To the left of the couch Ymir sat cross-legged next to an uncharacteristically relaxed Jean and an equally uncharacteristically talkative Marco. To the left of the couch sat Annie, silent and bored-looking as ever, incredibly close to the arm of arm next to Mikasa's legs, her cousin Reiner in between her and his roommate ("or fuckbuddy or whatever of his") Bertholdt to her left.
It was surprising that they could all get together without much planning. Eren had found out, though, that he wasn't the only boring person in their small, quiet town that had no plans on any given Saturday night. They'd started off the evening by meeting up in a small flock outside of a town favorite bar. The rather loosely-put and laid back agenda was to stop there for a few drinks, to talk and socialize carelessly for a little while, and then walk to the complex to stay for the rest of the night (the walk back had consisted of trying to push each other off of the sidewalk curbs, Marco giving a homeless man ten bucks, earning the nickname of 'Freckled Angel', and Jean falling even more grossly in love). On the way inside, they'd all tried to pull off complete sobriety and wave to Erwin, who only smiled and waved them off.
Since they had entered the apartment and picked their spots, Ymir had not ceased talking about a cashier she wanted to make love to ten different ways, Annie hadn't left Mikasa's side and Jean hadn't quit trying to subtly ask Eren if the blonde and Asian were a thing. Before Sasha and Connie had even loaded up two pipes to pass around with lighters, Reiner had already threatened to toss somebody off of Eren's balcony for cat-calling when he and Bert held eye contact for longer than possibly platonic. After one hit, Armin was babbling about how attractive Erwin had been.
Eren groaned, snatching (although carefully, because Sasha's eyes followed that bowl like it were her most prized possession and she'd probably end anyone who broke it) the pipe from his friend. The toke was smooth, though, and the pleasant surprise of Sasha bringing probably some of her best stuff distracted him from his annoyance. Everyone was allowed to be happy for the time being.
He held the smoke in longer than necessary, savoring the feeling, the gentle burn in the back of his throat, absently passing the bowl to Mikasa. He grinned at Sasha as he exhaled, and she returned it with a knowing smile.
"Jean said you needed to recover from a broken heart!" she called over the music. He cringed, eyes officially on him. "So I kind of thought, you know, what are friends for? I've been saving this stuff for a special occasion."
"Broken heart." Mikasa's eyes were on him, of course, when he turned to look at her. "What haven't you told me?"
Eren opened his mouth, but of course, Jean's was ever bigger and ever faster.
"His neighbor outed him and dumped him."
"Jean!" Eren hissed with a glare sharp and curt and he hoped maybe he could actually summon whatever demon Levi sold his soul to for such a milk-curdling glare with how pathetic it was. Mikasa jerked up from her seat next to him and he tugged on her wrist, pulling her back down. "Fuck. Okay, yeah, he outed me, but Mom handled it well. But he never broke up with me—Fuck! We weren't together." He looked at Marco. "That whole ring thing wasn't what he tried to play it off as. It was just . . . Fucking public humiliation."
Of course, Mikasa's expression still screamed livid.
It took three more hits and Annie mixing her a Black Russian to get Mikasa to relax back into the couch. Throughout the half hour following, Eren proved to have started some sort of circle of letting off steam, and everyone else proved to be completely oblivious to Annie effectively crawling into Mikasa's lap.
They all took turns, drinks and bags of chips being passed out as they went. It wasn't so much as a clockwise motion, but more of a speak-up-or-forever-hold-your-peace kind of thing. Jean, of course, was the first to rush into a rant about his father berating him for something he'd done with good intentions, earning him a hand squeeze from Marco. Armin was next, once again complaining about the shitty of excuse for a professor he had, and then how he didn't feel he had the confidence to pass his summer classes. Annie bitched about the corporate office being a bag of dildos and proceeded to take the longest hit from the one pipe that was still being passed around (although a little slower and less coordinated than before) that most of them had witnessed. Ymir verbally noted how impressed she was before going on a roll about the cashier she was hard for, of course, glaring at Jean when he snorted at her. Reiner and Bert held mutual feelings about a spectacularly shitty boss and how their rent was going up. Connie informed them that he had nothing to complain about, and immediately caught shit from Reiner and Jean about trying to make everyone look bad.
Eren and Mikasa didn't go, and Eren assumed she didn't either because she considered the little episode from earlier to be enough of an indication of what was currently grinding her gears.
Halfway through Sasha's speech about her own father, and updating everyone on his current state of mind about her, she stopped to listen to the music. A gentle, soothing guitar played through the opening of the song, and she held up her palms, eyes light with excitement as she hopped up out of her seat.
"Okay, hold your shit everyone!"
If she hadn't had everyone's attention before that, she definitely did. She clumsily grappled around in her purse until pulling out a half-empty travel-sized bottle of lotion and holding it up to her mouth. Connie was already up with her, a goofy grin on his face now.
"Aren't you somethin' to admire?"
Sasha sang along to the song into her lotion bottle with practiced precision, pointing at Connie with child-like glee. "Cos your shine is somethin' like a mirror and I can't help but notice you reflect in this heart of mine!"
"If you ever feel alone and the glare makes me hard to find," Connie returned, holding an imaginary microphone to his mouth, pointing right back at her. "Just know that I'm always parallel on the other side!"
"Cos with your hand in my hand and a pocket full of soul," they sang together now, grasping each other's hands like they'd done this a million times (and Eren wouldn't put it past them). "I can tell you there's no place we couldn't go. Just put your hand on the glass, I'll be tryin' to pull you through, you just gotta be strong!"
It was possibly the most exciting and humorous chain reaction Eren had ever been given the opportunity to sit back and watch. Everyone was up on their feet in record time, like this was some goddamn Disney movie where they had been practicing an outburst to cheer everyone up, to lighten everyone's spirits and bring them back into happiness. It was like a small drunken college party, although Eren knew nothing about those. He knew there was dancing, and the music had gotten turned up to ungodly volumes.
Armin, and even Ymir, had joined Connie and Sasha in their little routine. Mikasa and Annie migrated from the others, though they hardly noticed. Jean and Marco were, disgustingly, wrapped up in each other already, literally. Reiner and Bertholdt finally threw away their determination to keep up their façade and were engrossed in each other, as well.
Eren stayed in his place, smiling as he watched them all, dancing, singing to each other, making utter fools out of themselves.
"Cos I don't wanna lose you now! I'm looking right at the other half of me. The vacancy that sat in my heart is a space that now you hold."
Eren found the pipe they'd been passing on the floor, and carefully returned it next to the other one on the table. It still meant so much to him that they'd all come, even some that he didn't know as well as others. For the amount of shit he gave Jean on a regular basis, he had to hand it to him this time. He probably owed him one.
"Show me how to fight for now and I'll tell you, baby, it was easy coming back into you once I figured it out. You were right here all along."
The musky smell that overcame his apartment was a comforting off-set to watching the sickeningly sweet couples dancing around each other, or the small group of four embarrassing themselves the longer they went. Naturally, somewhere along in there, Armin lost his shoes and his shirt, and he'd normally be mortified by that much when sober, despite the tank top that was always strategically placed underneath his shirts. Armin was always one to just gradually lose his clothes when he drank.
"It's like you're my mirror, my mirror staring back at me. I couldn't get any bigger with anyone else beside me."
Eren wished that he was up and dancing, too. He didn't want to be part of the embarrassing group, and he certainly didn't want to be in between one of the love-sick couples. He didn't want to be by himself, and even if he did, he doubted right now that he could haul himself up. No, he wanted to be with—
"And now it's clear as this promise, that we're making two reflections into one. Cos it's like you're my mirror, my mirror staring back at me, staring back at me."
Eren slipped his eyes shut and just listened. The music was so loud he was surprised the police hadn't knocked down their door and simply arrested them all (or shot the stereo to its end). He considered for a moment sneaking over to it just to turn the damn thing down a little bit. He only humored this thought long enough to feel himself suddenly being hauled to his feet by a strong hand gripping the front of his shirt and his eyes flew open, struggling to catch up to the steel pair staring up at him.
"Aren't you something, an original? Cos it doesn't seem merely assembled, and I can't help but stare, cos I see truth somewhere in your eyes."
Levi was saying something, his face the utter definition of irritated, but it sounded more like a murmur. His voice had always been pretty quiet. The world swayed with Eren's new perspective much higher than the old one, and it felt like maybe there was a fly or a fucking bee stuck in the back of his skull. He watched sort of blearily as Levi stopped talking and just stared at him expectantly, willing him to hurry up and give him the response he wanted for whatever he'd been saying. That seemed pretty typical, Eren thought.
"Ooh, I can't ever change without you, you reflect me, and I love that about you. And if I could, I would look at us all the time."
Eren learned quickly that staring at Levi quizzically got him nowhere.
[-X-]
The brat was utterly incoherent, or maybe just temporarily disoriented. Levi decided to take matters into his own hands, of course, since yelling that the music was too loud was apparently not loud enough. He released the front of Eren's shirt and stalked over to the stereo, seemingly completely ignored by every single party-goer. He found the volume after much fumbling around and turned it down by at least half abruptly. There was a grumbled, "What the hell?" but he didn't grace it with his acknowledgment.
"Do you realize it's midnight and perhaps people, you know, in the immediate vicinity are trying to sleep?" he demanded (and maybe it was just his ears or the wine or the fact that Eren's eyes looked dopier than usual, maybe sleepy, a little glazed over, sort of cute, sort of sexy, that he didn't sound as upset as he intended on). "Because I'd love to be the one to break it to you that this is a reality and the obnoxious prancing going around up here needs to pipe the fuck down."
Eren looked like he wanted to say something, so Levi parted his lips to tell him to get on with it.
Instead of speaking, Eren stepped over to him, steps louder, a little bit of swaying maybe, and grabbed his wrist. The brunette was pulling him away from the group of friends and towards the door and he had no time to protest or ask questions.
"Not here," he heard Eren mutter. And then the kid looked over his shoulder and gave a wave to his friends. "I'll be right back! Gimme a few minutes."
The trek out of Eren's apartment, down the steps and into Levi's apartment was a blur, and the older man was almost glad because he doubted it was pretty, let alone very safe. There was only a vague recollection of Eren muttering something, to which he shot a retort back to, and then Eren countering, which had either rendered him speechless or too annoyed to reply. He was pushed up against the wall in his own living room upon entering his home, next to the light switch, just inches away from where he'd had Eren the afternoon before. Eren mindlessly kicked the door shut, attention never leaving him.
The music had been turned up, bass rocking through the apartment again.
"Listen," Eren said abruptly, and Levi raised an eyebrow. "Don't fuck up tonight for them, alright? They're just—"
"Waking up half of the goddamn complex?"
Eren scowled and tried to glare, but Levi deemed it an unsuccessful attempt. He still had that sleepy, glazed-over look to him, despite being a little bit more coherent now that he was angry. Anger wasn't the ideal emotion to receive, at least not with Levi's current state of mind, but at least he could appreciate the fact that he was seeing Eren at all.
"They're just having fun. Have you been drinking too, or something?"
"Well, that's great and all," he said, a fake pinch of pleasantry lacing his voice. He ignored Eren's question. "But you don't have to be so goddamn obnoxious about it."
"You don't have to be such an asshole about it!"
Eren's voice was rising in volume. He was unsteady, hands shaking on the wall next to Levi's head. He was closer than he'd normally be, even in a situation like this. Levi entertained the fleeting wish that they were both more stable, less angry, but still this close. He liked being able to feel Eren's heat, and the boy was far too warm.
"Like I'm the only one quick to anger," Levi growled. Ah, his mouth was definitely getting away from his mind, and at break-neck speed. "You rise up to everything like it's a goddamn challenge, like you've got something to win from it. It's like you're always looking for a fucking fight."
"Maybe I am!" The fire. The fire that Levi liked to see in Eren's eyes was there, but he was looking away, anywhere but Levi—the ceiling, the floor, the door, the light switch. "The only time you give a rat's ass about me is when I'm angry or you want me to go away!"
"Stop putting words in my mouth, brat—"
"I don't have to. It's true and you know it."
Eren looked frustrated, ready to run off at any second. He looked like he was regretting speaking to Levi, dragging him off away from his friends. Why had he taken him to his own apartment, anyway? It wasn't like they were screaming at each other. He doubted the neighbors could hear this, if they couldn't hear the goddamn music.
"Jesus, Eren—"
"Don't 'Jesus, Eren' me."
Eren's eyes narrowed, but his eyes were still averted. He was staring at the door now, fingers twitching where they supported him against the wall. Levi knew he was going to leave. He was going to walk away and leave him there, angry and confused, again, and he wouldn't have the chance to make things better again. He'd let his mouth do the talking and scare the brunette away again. He could feel it. He had to prevent it this time.
"Maybe I'm fucking tired of being treated like an ungrateful little kid with no self-control. Maybe I just want you to—"
"Look at me."
Eren's back straightened and he snapped to attention at the sudden sense of authority in Levi's voice. His eyes found Levi's again, bloodshot from the alcohol and drug in his system, but irises still as brilliantly blue-green as always. He looked fully awake now, like he'd unrealistically ridden out his high in such a short amount of time. He looked scared, maybe intimidated, and that wasn't what Levi wanted. He didn't want the abrupt change back to angry that followed, either, though. It lit the fuse to Levi's anger once again.
"Fuck you," Eren seethed. "Fuck you, Levi, and fuck—"
Eren took favor in moving his shaking and unsteady hands to grab the older man's face and press his lips to Levi's in an uncoordinated kiss, instead of finishing his sentence. Pulling away or fighting it was possibly the last thing on Levi's mind. He went with instincts, instead, not trusting his own judgment, and leaned in and shut his eyes, found the back of Eren's neck with his hands, feeling the skin under the brunette hair there, pulling Eren in closer because, dammit, he needed him closer. He'd forgotten what it was like to be so close to someone he actually wanted, no, needed, to be close to. He'd forgotten what it felt like to desperately pull someone closer to himself because he felt like maybe he'd die or malfunction without them as close as humanly possible. Eren reminded him.
And Eren complied. Levi felt himself sag a little, melt into the spotless white wall behind him, while Eren practically toyed with him, working lips against lips like he'd done this ten million times with his hands behind his back. Like nearly everything, he was ready to blame it on the wine. He couldn't blame the wine for the way Eren's tongue swiped over his lip gently, and then aggressively claimed him when granted the access. It was rushed and needy, the way Eren kissed, like he was taking advantage of every moment he could before he pulled away. He was earnest, or maybe trying to make the most of it, assuming Levi would punch him. The stupid kiss had Levi feeling more intoxicated than earlier. A punch was pushed to the back of his mind, along with pushing Eren away or running away. He wasn't getting out of this so easily.
Eren pulled back a little too soon for Levi's liking. The brunette was breathing hard, eyes boring into Levi's, emotions spilling and swirling around his face like a humorous tornado of thinking-too-damn-much.
"Tastes like cherry vodka and pot," Levi mused, leaning his head back against the wall as he watched Eren. He looked like he was ready to dart again. "Saw the pot coming from a mile away. Didn't take you as a cherry vodka kind of person, though. And don't you dare leave after pulling shit like that, you look like I'm about to gun you down."
The idiot opened his mouth to speak, probably apologize, but Levi shook his head. He felt sobered now, like Eren had drawn all of the wine and anger out of him with one kiss. Eren was there. He had to make things right, he knew that much. He might not succeed, but he fed off of Eren's usual determination.
"I'm sorry," he said, voice quieting. He was moderately annoyed by Eren's look of surprise. "About everything. The ring thing, the entire thing with your mom, how much of an asshole I was after that. Hell, I'm sorry about just now, even if that was mostly you running your mouth." He couldn't let himself take all of the blame for everything. "Just . . . Fuck. Don't run off again. Stop fucking avoiding me. Hey. Look at me."
Eren's gaze had wandered away once more, but Levi was relieved by the way he made eye contact again, unwavering this time.
"You shouldn't—" Eren's voice was rough, rougher than either of them had expected. He cleared his throat and Levi lamented the loss. "It's alright. I overre—"
"Oh, don't even fuckin' start with me. You didn't, and we both know that. Don't argue with me, either. Hanji agrees with me, and Hanji doesn't lie about shit like that. She's a wizard at giving good advice but making bad decisions."
Eren's dopey grin at Levi's jab to Hanji caused the breath to hitch in Levi's throat. He'd been waiting near a goddamn week to see that, or a smile, or any form of happiness from the boy. He'd got it, now, but he wasn't nearly sated enough to let everything just drop. Eren still wasn't allowed to leave.
"More."
Levi pulled him down for another kiss, this one slower than the first, but stilly needy, still hot and burning. The wetness of the kiss, the sloppiness, neither bothered him. He'd committed every movement of Eren's lips against his to memory, and by the time they'd pulled away he could still feel them against his own.
Those fucking lips found his neck. It was embarrassing the way his fingers spasmed before gripping the back of Eren's shirt and he lolled his head away from Eren subconsciously to give him more room to work with. It was embarrassing the way he permitted some god awful noise to pass his lips when Eren flicked his tongue or grazed his teeth across his skin. He was hyperaware of the way Eren's gripped his hips, pulling them against his in a sudden surge of confidence the boy hand.
"Shit," Levi hissed, struggling to breathe, struggling to hold himself up on his own two feet. "You don't pussyfoot around, do you?"
"Nope," Eren replied simply, pressing one kiss to Levi's jaw. "Common sense."
There was a pause in Eren's motions, just a slight one, before his hands slid down to the back of Levi's thighs and he felt himself suddenly hauled up in the air, into Eren's arms. The trek to the couch was even more of a blur than the trip down the stairs from earlier, but Levi opted to figure it was mostly just from the sheer terror of being held up so high in the air (with Eren's face pressed up against his chest) by an inebriated man.
"Jesus fuck." Levi gripped the edge of the couch cushion when his ass hit it, glaring filed daggers at Eren when he laughed and sunk down between his legs, onto his knees. "Don't do that ever again. I think my boner's gone. Go home."
Eren, the bastard, just laughed again. Levi was pulled into another kiss, and he contemplated playing the asshole and pushing Eren away, but Eren's hands were on his thighs, sliding up and up, only stopping when they reached the hem of Levi's shirt. He pulled away from the kiss, but only just long enough to rid Levi of it. Levi was mostly oblivious to the way it landed in a messy heap on the floor. And goddammit, those lips were on him again, trailing kisses that tickled, that brushed just lightly against Levi's skin and made him shudder, trailing kisses down his neck, down his chest, down his torso. At a tongue flicking his navel, he groaned.
"You're not allowed to regret this tomorrow," Levi breathed, hands already flying to Eren's hair. Don't be so fucking eager. This is fucking embarrassing. "I'll kick the shit out of you."
"You aren't either," Eren shot back, turquoise eyes lazily trailing up Levi's torso to see his face again. The smug bastard smirked, fumbling with the button and zipper of Levi's pants, a little too clumsily. There was no grace in the way he yanked the offensive article of clothing down Levi's thighs, but there was no grace to be expected. "I have a great track record of recollecting every stupid, embarrassing, drunken thing I do, so nothing to worry about there, at least."
"How—ah, Jesus—How many times exactly have you done this while shitfaced?"
"None," Eren replied, fingers delicately, slowly, teasingly wrapping around Levi's length. Two long, steady strokes (where had Eren even gained so much control after practically shivering like a Chihuahua?) and Levi was already as good as gone. "As far as I can remember, at least."
"Smartass little—" Any other little insults he'd planned on shooting at Eren died in a garbled mess and were instead replaced with a low hum from the back of his throat. Eren leaned down, taking Levi into his mouth, lips wrapped around him, tongue teasing just slightly before swirling around the glans. The boy hummed appreciably around him, earning a whine from Levi when he teased the slit just slightly.
Levi felt boneless as his back relaxed and his head hit the cushions behind him. His eyes shut without his consent (he'd really wanted to watch Eren go down on him, goddammit) and his fingers gently tugged at Eren's hair when he'd deemed enough time given to him to tease. Obediently, Eren took more of him in, tonguing the underside of his cock in a way that drew strained moans that resonated through Levi's throat. He was shameless, all his modesty stripped of him, and he sure as hell hoped Eren didn't mind because he wasn't about to play quiet.
The chanted swears started as soon as Eren began the repetitive process of pulling back, flicking the head of his length with his tongue, back down again, and repeat. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck—
"Fuck, Eren," he gasped out, shudders rocking his body. His eyes snapped open, head lifting off of the cushions as Eren pulled off of him. Even when Eren's hand wrapped around his shaft once more, even though he stroked quickly, practically perfectly, Levi wasn't satisfied. Not after that. And he wasn't fucking bashful. "Alright, you little shit."
"You're very vocal. Makes me feel like I'm doing something right. Not a very loving tone to use on someone with your dick in his hand, by the way," Eren murmured, lips pressed and brushing against Levi's shaft, with that signature shit-eating grin he used every time he set out to piss Levi off. Levi knew exactly how to shut him up, but he wasn't fast enough. "Maybe I should just do this. Blow your mind for a few minutes with a blowjob and end with an anti-climactic handjob."
"If you have any hopes of the favor being returned," Levi muttered behind gritted teeth. Wasn't as good as Eren's mouth, but it still felt good. It was still difficult to stay composed. "I suggest you not tease me, Jaeger."
There was something that lit up in Eren's eyes, maybe excitement of the potential that Levi was offering; maybe he had a kink for being ordered around. Levi didn't give a single shit, because Eren's mouth was on him again and, after adjusting once again, moving at speed faster than before. He was gracious, only pulling back to gratuitously and messily lick from base to tip, and then continue his ministrations. Fuck, fuck, fuck, and he sincerely hoped he wasn't doing that out loud. Every moan, every goddamn embarrassing whimper that left him was enough to handle.
It wasn't until he'd almost hit his peak, reached the point of coming, did he notice the moans mingling in with his and the way they vibrated around his cock. He gave Eren's hair another light tug, sort of a warning that he couldn't verbally transmit to him, willing his hips not to buck and ruin something wonderful. He saw the way Eren's free hand, the one that wasn't gripping his thigh for dear life, was working down below, probably between his legs, and Levi couldn't care if he soiled his damn couch any less.
Levi came when Eren's eyes met his, pupils blown entirely, arousal evident in the redness of his cheeks, a hint of determination somewhere down inside of him. He came with Eren's name on his lips, the last syllable probably unintelligibly interrupted by a regrettable noise that he wouldn't be able to deny in the morning.
He didn't remember the lapse between his release and ending up nestled safely between the back of the couch and Eren's chest. Checking to see where his shirt had gone to and if Eren had properly pulled up his pants were the least of his worries. He fell asleep just like Eren had left him, nuzzled into his chest, an arm wrapped around his waist and another under his head, breathing Eren and the musky smell radiating from him.
[-X-]
Hanji stood in the living room, head throbbing, stomach turning, but a small smile on her lips nonetheless.
It was probably four AM and she'd made a mad dash for the small trash bin in Levi's room to empty her stomach, as he'd probably expected, of all harmful chemicals, and had been distracted by the light glaring from under the bedroom door. Upon entering the living room, she'd found two men curled into each other, nestled close like sentimental idiots right out of a romcom.
It was cute. She couldn't disturb them.
Instead, she picked up the wine glasses that she and Levi had left completely unattended and the three bottles lying on the floor and took care of them accordingly. After draping the throw blanket over them and fixing up the button on Levi's jeans, she scribbled out a little message on a post-it note that she placed on the coffee table, dead in the center, something she was proud of accomplishing. Her work done, she hunted down her shoes and stepped out the front door.
'Dearest, sweetest, most wonderful Levi,
Thank you for the wine! You're the best. I took care of the wine glasses and
bottles so that you wouldn't bitch. Glad it looks like you and Eren had fun, but
hopefully not too much! Stay safe, kiddies. ;)
I hope you're not too hungover. Have fun in the morning.
Call me if you need me to put you out of your misery.
-Hanji,
your favorite assistant manager'