I don't own SnK or the other movie names about to be mentioned
"Dreams are true while they last, and do we not live in dreams?"
-Alfred, Lord Tennyson
~Chapter Six: Getting To Know You~
The green-eyed lad had practically anchored himself on the ground as Levi proceeded to drag him inside of a five-star, fancy-ass restaurant. The shorter man interpreted that as his not liking the place and asked him if he wanted to go somewhere else. Eren didn't want to act spoiled so he admitted that he was afraid of seeing the bills after their meal. And thus, Levi took him inside the second time, with little resistance from the artist.
The raven-haired man managed to convince the Eren that he deserved to eat a lot that night so he ended up ordering this humongous dish of chicken carbonara pasta. He also didn't let him order anything alcoholic even though the man himself had ordered something fruity mixed with vodka. While eating, they talked about how Eren's classes were going and how Petra, along with the other SOS (Levi's Special Operation Squad) members, was dying to see him again. The brunet also mentioned about Armin and how his dear friend wanted to see Levi.
"I see no problems in meeting your friends" was what he plainly told him.
"Did you get to talk with Mikasa and her family again...?" Eren trailed off. He wondered if the two Ackermans ever met up again after that awkward encounter last time he came over to their house.
"I don't visit them unless it's necessary," Levi told him.
"But it looks like Mr. Ackerman hadn't seen you in years. Wait, Hanji also mentioned that you just came back from Japan."
The black-haired man eyed him across the velvet-clothed table and he answered him, "It was a break from work. I travel quite a lot but I stayed in France the longest since it's my home."
Eren's caribbean eyes widened in interest and he bombarded Levi with questions.
"Really?! So, you're French? Can you speak French? Where did you live in France? Are both of your parents French? Or are you mixed?"
"Slow the fuck down, kid. I'm not running away," Levi grunted but amusement danced in his silver orbs as he met Eren's curious eyes.
With pink dusted on his cheeks, the brunet muttered, "S-Sorry. I was just wondering."
"Well, fire up one question at a time, maybe?" the shorter man sighed and sipped his drink. The younger's eyes lit up again and something tugged in Levi's chest that made him want to turn away from the brat before he could embarrass himself. He thought of downing his alcohol down quickly in hopes that the blush on his cheeks would be mistaken as him being influenced by the drink. He thought better of it since he would be the one behind the steering wheel later.
As if he could afford to put their lives in danger when the time they had spent together was barely enough.
And Eren was absolutely clueless to the fact that his interest in Levi's life had made the man a little happier than he allowed himself to be.
"Well," Levi cleared his throat and proceeded to speak again. "Yes, brat, I'm French and I am wholly capable of speaking my native language. My father was French and my mother was Asian. They died in a car accident and my uncle took me in."
"So-Sorry."
"It's been a long time so doesn't really affect me that much. And why the hell are you asking where did I live? Planning to stalk my old house, kid?" A smirk was plastered on the older male's face as he said this, making the "brat" across from him gasp.
"H-HAH?! What...No—I wasn't saying that!" Eren spluttered, his neck turning red.
"Uh-huh. Sure."
"HEY! Really! I—"
"I lived in Lyon. Well, I still do, technically. I make sure to visit every year."
The brunet's ears perked up at that and the previous embarrassment was now forgotten. His mind was generating more questions for Levi but there was no need to voice them out because the latter continued talking about himself, something that Eren had always wanted to hear since the day he met him.
"I left France after I became a full-time lawyer, which was five or six years ago. I got to meet Hanji and Erwin; though, you haven't met Erwin yet but you will. I visited other countries, studying cases and gaining more experience about the field that I'm in. Then, I got transferred here permanently last year and I was surprised to see those two idiots again."
The stars in Eren's eyes were the evidence of how much he loved hearing tales about Levi's life. It had been more than a month since that faithful day at the amusement park, and yet it felt like it was the first time Levi had opened up to Eren.
"Wow," he breathed out, "I wish I could travel like that. I've always wanted to do that since I was a kid; I feel like I'll get more inspiration to do my art and learn a lot of things and get to meet people, interesting people. Japanese culture is beautiful, then there's that scenery in France that I've always wanted to see." There was this dazzling wonder in Eren's voice that made Levi lean in and listen closely to the younger, but the table between them proved to be hella annoying.
"Did you ever visit Germany?" his companion asked him.
Eren nodded his head. "Actually, I used to live in Berlin with my parents but we decided to move here when I was five. We met Mikasa and her family because of my dad's job; he was a doctor. Then I went to school here and somehow forgot how to speak German. I know some phrases, though, because of my mom (he scratched his cheek shyly). Then, I met Armin and he became my best friends along with Mikasa. It was..." he suddenly faltered, turbulence of emotions passed through the glaze of his eyes in one swift moment. And Levi noticed it.
"...fun."
The gray-eyed man leaned back against his cushioned seat and he looked squarely at Eren, whose teal eyes were now wandering around. The young man thought that maybe he had somehow ruined the almost-perfect atmosphere between him and Levi, and he felt guilty for sounding like a pathetic person when this moment was supposed to be pleasantly romantic for the two of them.
Ugh, did I really just think of "pleasantly romantic"?
"Do you regret moving here?"
The brunet snapped his head towards Levi with widened eyes before he slowly replied, "No." The older man let out a small smile on his face and said something that threw away all of Eren's worries, making him smile appreciatively to the man in front of him.
"Good. Otherwise, we probably won't be having this dinner right now." The sentiment made the younger laugh—a genuine, carefree one—and it made Levi tugged his lips upward more in satisfaction.
"Do you wanna go home?"
There was a slight hesitation in Eren's eyes and the shorter male raised his eyebrow as if to gesture him to go on and say what he had in mind.
"I'd like to go somewhere else, if that's alright."
Levi huffed in mocked exasperation then turned to the young man across from him and said, "As if you'd have to ask, brat."
And thus, Eren was now swiping his gaze from one cake to another. Mike's bakery was open, as he predicted, and the green-eyed lad was more than happy to skip around the familiar place and greet its owner before leaning down to the glass case, the only barrier that was preventing Eren from grabbing the pastries.
"It's unusual for you to be here so late," Mike noted, putting down a ragged dish cloth on the counter. The young man knew that the shop was already closing (well, he worked there, so...) but he couldn't resist to go at 9:30 in the evening just to grab his favorite cake.
His teal eyes moved from the remaining few cakes and finally looked at the blonde-haired man.
"Y-You don't have the strawberry shortcake anymore...?" His voice cracked, holding in the whine that was threatening to bubble on the surface.
This would mean that I dragged Levi here for nothing then...
"Actually," Mike started, and the brunet's head lifted forward. The kind owner smiled slightly and disappeared to the kitchen. A heartbeat later, Levi swung the door open and he instantly looked at Eren.
"I thought you're not gonna be long?" he asked, though his tone wasn't impatient at all.
"I thought they still have it, but—"
"Here."
Eren glanced to where the baker suddenly appeared with a white box in his hand, and it took a massive amount of effort for the brunet not to jump over the counter.
"C-C-Captain!" he exclaimed excitedly as his boss gave him his favorite cake.
"For some reason, I thought I should spare one tonight. And what do you know, you actually came here, Eren. Looks like my hypersensitive nose isn't for nothing." Mike meant to joke around but his tired and drawled out voice didn't really reach the hilarity level, so Eren merely chuckled at the effort.
"Thank you, Cap!" The grin on Eren's face was so big that the older men in the place had to laugh (well, Levi let out a "pfft" sound). It was during that moment that the other two acknowledged each other's presence and the green-eyed lad hastily began to acquaint the two with each other. Well, he tried to, but Levi beat him to it.
"Mike Zacharius?"
The boss of the bakery grew rigid, almost unnoticeable but Eren caught it because he was near him. He never really knew what Mike's last name was and somehow the fact that Levi knew the man seemed a bit...foreboding. The lawyer stepped closer and the baker's face was suddenly expressionless, not that Mike was the expressive type but there was something troubling about it.
"Le-Levi? You know him? You two know each other?" Eren asked, eyebrows disappearing behind his chestnut fringes. The gray-eyed man was now next to Eren, a feet away from the counter, and he tugged the sleeve of the younger's light jacket.
"Have I met you before?" Mike asked, and his voice was full of utter confusion, though alert. His eyes examined Levi's and the two of them looked like they were sizing each other up, which made the air a bit suffocating because the tension was definitely building up in the close-spaced shop.
"What is an FBI agent doing in a place like this?" Levi asked, tone was hard and suspicious. His silver eyes glinted with something dangerous that made Eren grip the older man's hand.
Eren was beyond surprised; lips parted, eyes widening like saucers and head turned towards the man in question. Mike seemed to relax though, as if the question wasn't about him changing from that perilous worker to this harmless-looking owner of a bakery.
"So you've seen me before," he simply said.
"Yeah. Was it five years ago? I saw you with Erwin," Levi replied casually.
The smothering atmosphere gradually lifted off them and Eren could finally breathe again.
"I was in his team in an investigation that year. I apologize if I don't recall meeting you," the baker politely said.
"We didn't really meet each other. More like, I just saw you."
"Ah. That makes sense."
"So you're a baker now?" The shorter man raised an amused eyebrow.
"Yes, and it's quite more relaxing, taking a break from the everyday sleepless mess. Are you also a FBI agent like Mr. Smith?"
"No. I'm more of the type to corner a criminal in the court and defend the victim single-handedly."
"Ah. I see. A lawyer, then."
Eren listened to their conversation, shocked at the sudden revelation. He couldn't believe that his employer who gave him a job when he first moved to his apartment two years ago, was actually this bad-ass mystery-solver. Mike had been this older brother-like or father-like figure to him because he had been so kind to Eren, flexible with his work schedule and he let him do whatever he wanted in the bakery. Like that time when he decided to put some Christmas decoration last year and Mike just continued to bake in the kitchen. Then, there was that one time (he never tried this again) when he attempted to use the oven and it ended up spewing flames. Mike never got mad at him but he was critically alarmed and concerned about Eren's safety.
The brunet was so immersed in his own thoughts that he jumped when Levi said, "Thanks. And good night."
Mike bid them goodbye, too, and Eren was pulled inside the silver Maserati. Once settled in and his seatbelt was securely in place, the brunet started to open the lid of the box where his delicious dessert awaited but Levi flicked his hand away. He glanced up and was about to demand what was that for, when his teal eyes clashed with that promising glare.
"Do not eat here. No matter how much fucking adorable you are, I won't let you get any cream in this car."
The threat was there, alright. But Eren's head kept repeating that phrase "fucking adorable" and his blood rushed upwards, tainting his skin red up to the tips of his ears. He couldn't help the bubbling happiness inside him, cursing inwardly at the thought that a permanent blush would be on his face forever.
"Did you just say I'm adorable?" he asked teasingly despite the fact that he was embarrassed as hell. Those rose-tinged cheeks of Levi that came as result was definitely worth it.
"Shut up or I'll kick you out of this car."
Levi then changed gears and put his blinker on to get on the road, and all the while Eren's laughter bounced inside the car. It didn't take them a long time to reach their destination and upon seeing the exterior of his apartment, Eren frowned. He was enjoying his night so far and the thought of being separated by his now-favorite person was prickling his heart.
"Aren't you gonna go in?" the gray-eyed man asked indifferently.
The green-eyed man chewed his bottom lip.
"Stop that," Levi suddenly reprimanded him, tone was low and sharp. Eren let go of his lip.
"Stop what?" he asked, completely oblivious to the fact that he was the reason why Levi's thoughts started going wild in a matter of seconds.
"Nothing," the other replied, clicking his tongue and tearing his eyes away from the innocent brunet.
Eren took that opportunity to look at Levi and looking at his side profile made him remember of his artwork. The gray-eyed man really looked so out of his league. Eren was just that clumsy young adult who was still in college and was honestly wondering how would he be able to support himself in the following years. The thought just made him feel bad about himself, wallowing in that self-pity that he created in a second. Great going, Eren.
"Hey," he softly called out, successfully achieving the goal of making the older man look at him with those fierce gray eyes he had.
"Mhm?"
"T-Thank you. I mean, that's... for coming with me tonight and the dinner and for the bakery and—" he stopped after he realized that he was rambling, the tips of his ears reddening shyly.
Levi's lips tugged upwards, truly a sight to behold since it wasn't often that the lawyer would let anyone read his expressions—a gentle one at that—and Eren indeed stared at him in awe.
"I think it's a privilege for the model to see the artist's artwork."
They laughed softly, slowly easing the remaining tension in the car and soothing Eren off his lousy thoughts.
"I really wouldn't have done it without you," he declared sincerely, earning a smirk from the raven-haired.
"Because I'm fucking awesome."
"Sure, you are," Eren rolled his eyes.
"Are you okay, though?" Levi suddenly asked, startling the brunet a bit.
He knew that the man was observant, considering that his job was also about reading other people, and Eren felt like he could honestly confide to him. However, he didn't want to rely on anyone; he'd been relying on his best friends and on Mikasa's family since he became an orphan and now Levi would without a doubt lend his shoulder whenever Eren needed it. The thought was comforting, warming his heart and taking away all his worries, but the fact that Levi was more than ready to offer anything to him was scary, too. What if they suddenly got separated? What if this attraction that he felt for him was merely a small infatuation bound to dissipate in no time? But what if he got too attached to him? Wouldn't it be hard to let go?
A flick on his forehead woke the brunet out of his reverie and a pair of scrunched-up eyebrows came into his sight.
"Are you sure your brain cells are not imploding thinking like that?" Levi deadpanned. The teal-eyed student shook his head slightly to get rid of his past thoughts. No, he wasn't going to think. He would just need to act impulsively if that was what his heart was telling him to do.
And that was what he did. He hugged Levi.
Eren could smell Levi's scent and he suddenly didn't care if the older male would punch him for being an affectionate and a spoiled brat. Right now, he needed a reassurance. He needed him.
"I ought to start charging you fees for hugs, you know," his companion told him, a teasing edge was in his tone. Nonetheless, the raven-haired man returned his embrace, patting Eren's head and and stroking the nape of his neck, sending shivers down his spine. The brunet further buried his face on the crook of Levi's neck and the older man stiffened in place.
"You really need to get going. You have to get your ass up tomorrow morning," Levi warned, though his voice was almost seductively low, contradicting his threat.
"It's Sunday tomorrow. I can sleep whenever I want," Eren pointed out as a matter-of-fact.
Stillness in the car followed that statement and Levi slowly relaxed in Eren's arms. The younger man wanted nothing else but to feel the warmth of the body pressed against him, the faint smell of detergent (which was so Levi-like), and the smoothness of his skin as his nose brushed across Levi's collarbone. It made him shudder.
And Levi wanted nothing but for the time to stop.
Suddenly, Eren remembered the man from the gallery, jostling him away from the calm feeling that he was having. He pulled away from the embrace, finding that he had to forcibly pull every fiber in his body away because he seemed too attracted to Levi, apparently. There was that strange look on Levi's face when they put the existing distance between them, but he smoothed his expression back to his bland look.
Then, unexpected words echoed inside the interior of the car.
"Eren, can I kiss you?"
Eyes widening, the lad stammered, "W-W-What?!"
"Never mind."
"W-Wait!"
Eren grabbed Levi's wrist, successfully pulling the gray-eyed man towards him and shortening the distance between them, and when he became aware of this, he tried to pull back only to be jerked back and have something soft pressed upon his...
Left cheek.
"EH?!" He yelped and pulled back, the back of his head colliding with the car window. He muttered a pained 'ow' and attempted to rub the sore spot on his head. A soft chuckle snapped his attention back to the cunning shorter man, and he narrowed his eyes before pointing an accusing finger to the penetrator.
"Y-You-You kissed my cheek!"
That sexy smirk was back on Levi's face and he idly teased, "Why? Were you expecting something else?"
Eren's face flushed in indignation and embarrassment, and he literally could feel steam coming off his skin. The question in his head was back, but he really didn't want to linger on that certain thought. Not when Levi was making fun of him. Again.
"Oi, your cake."
The brunet's eyes darted to the box he set down on the car floor and upon seeing that his feet were close together, one on either side of the object, to the point that they could squash his cake, he immediately parted his legs. An idea then came in his mind.
Green eyes met Levi's gray ones and Eren asked straightforwardly, "Do you want to go inside and eat the cake?"
Levi's eye twitched and the younger man thought that maybe he put on the wrong move, so he was about to apologize and say 'forget it' when the older male unbuckled his seatbelt.
"Let's go, then."
With pulse drumming against his ears, Eren enthusiastically followed.
The ivory leather couch was for more than two people so they had space between each other as it dipped with Eren's weight. Levi was sitting on the opposite end and his eyes were fixed on the black screen of the plasma TV, which Mikasa's parents bought for Eren because his apartment was "too empty". Two plates were on the table, smudges of cream were on the side of one plate while the other was almost wiped clean. He really gotta hand it to Levi for being a clean-freak because apparently, he also hated wasting food.
"D-Do you want to watch something?" the brunet asked nervously. He didn't know what was different this time; the lawyer had been in his house a couple of times before and it was to cook for him, so why did this situation feel a little more than nerve-wracking?
"What do you have?" Levi asked, as if he wasn't aware of the painful silence in the place aside from the constant hum of the refrigerator.
"Ehh... uhm..." he quickly went to the box of DVDs next to the TV stand and enumerated, "Rush Hour, Fast & Furious, Conjuring, Legally Blonde—"
He trailed off, realizing his mistake. Ah, shit.
Levi's lips threatened to tug upwards to a smirk, an elegant eyebrow disappeared behind his black fringes.
"Legally Blonde sounds good."
"This...isn't just to tease me, right?"
"Depends. Did you buy that thinking of me as a lawyer, though, I'm not blond, or..."
"LEVI!"
The lawyer couldn't help but let his laughter escape from his lips. He didn't intend to break his composure, but the reaction that Eren gave him was more than he could ask for.
Eren was astonished. The lovely sound of Levi resonated inside his head like a broken radio. It wasn't everyday that he could see Levi expressing something else aside from his get-the-fuck-out-and-don't-talk-to-me look. Then, it hit Eren.
He really didn't know anything about Levi and he judged him as an intimidating man the first time they met. Does he act like this around Hanji and his friend, Erwin? Does he only laugh and smile a lot around me? Does he have a lot of friends? Am I... special? It was that moment when Eren suddenly made it his goal to make the older man laugh and smile whenever he was there. Maybe, he really could become special to him that way.
If could hear that laugh everyday, then I don't think I mind embarrassing myself for him.
A DVD slid off from his grasp and it clattered on the ground.
Pause.
"I changed my mind. Let's watch that," Levi announced as his eyes landed on the rectangular plastic. Eren let out a laugh and he leaned on the balls of his feet as he put White Chicks in his DVD player.
Hence, the entertaining night commenced. And Eren missed the count after Levi laughed the fifth time.
Eren's consciousness came back to him as his nose got a whiff of something... delicious. He cautiously opened one eye and saw that he was still in his living room, then he finally decided to straighten up. With his mind slowly clearing, he realized that there was indeed a mouth-watering aroma inside his apartment.
From his kitchen.
He let the blanket draped over him drop on his lap and he turned around, which was a bad idea because he audibly cracked some joints. He grasped that there was a numbing ache on his back and his neck, probably because he slept on his couch, a place where he wouldn't think of sleeping if he wanted a good night sleep. He stood up and he let last night's events swarm his brain. He was in the middle of processing everything when a voice spoke.
"Brat, you awake?"
Nonetheless, he almost got a whiplash as to how fast he turned his head towards the owner of that deep voice. He balled up the blanket he used and put it on the sofa before he quickly went to his kitchen.
He practically drooled at the sight. Omelette, sausages and fried rice were presented on the table and the brewed coffee was waiting to be poured into those two mugs. When was the last time he had a real breakfast? Eren was glad that he picked up his grocery shopping from that time Levi lectured him about eating properly, otherwise there wouldn't be anything to cook at all. Which would probably piss off a certain short lawyer.
"I figured I should cook something for us. But I'm not letting you have a bite unless you wash up and get rid of that stinking morning breath."
The brunet looked up and was about to give Levi a bearhug but thought better of it. Giving the older man a surprise attack early in the morning would probably give him some bruised shin or worse... However, he didn't argue that he really needed to go to the bathroom first, but a question popped in his mind.
"Don't you have work?"
"It's Sunday," the gray-eyed man answered as if his reply would suffice. And it did.
"What time is it?" Eren asked, yawning at the end of his question. He stretched his arms, his long-sleeve shirt riding up, and he failed to notice those gray eyes flicking towards the exposed skin above the waistband of his cotton pants.
"E-Eight in the morning."
Eren blinked and looked sharply at Levi's face, which was now turned away from him.
Did he just stutter?
His eyes fell on that pink, bunny apron.
"That looks good on you," he commented playfully, a big smile on his face. Levi lightly kicked him in the shin and shoved him aside as he took off the apron. He really should've just risked the bearhug...
"It really is a wonder why you have that apron," Levi muttered.
The teasing smile on Eren's face turned into a soft one and the shorter man expectantly looked at him.
"It's my mom's. She made that apron to cheer me up, I don't even remember from what. Sometimes I would wear it whenever she wanted to teach me how to cook."
The older male gave out a small smile, and he leaned closer to Eren to ruffle his brown hair. The younger closed his eyes and let himself incline into that light touch of Levi's hand. It was comforting and once again, he had that hope that his companion in this empty apartment would be Levi. However, he knew that it was impossible.
Their moment was broken with the annoying doorbell. The brunet's eyes snapped open in surprise and Levi let his hand drop on his side.
"Who could that be?" he murmured.
"Are you expecting someone?" Levi asked curiously.
Eren shook his head in response.
"Better check if it's something important, then."
He then hesitantly walked away from that warm atmosphere and turned begrudgingly towards the front door of his place. He didn't bother to see who it was through the peephole because he really needed to get back to Levi and his delectable breakfast. Fast.
Eren twisted the metal knob and pulled his door open, only to find...no one. A painful nerve twitched in his forehead for he was irritated that maybe his neighbor's child was messing with the doorbells early in the morning. He was about to slam the door close when he saw it.
The first thing he noticed was the oddly-familiar handwriting on the white paper, taped on the top of a brown box.
Eren Jaeger.
He picked up the item and stepped outside his apartment, looking around the hallway. He saw no one and curiosity got the better of him and he opened the box (it wasn't even taped close) as he made his way inside his place. It wasn't heavy and was in fact, weirdly light. He stuck his hand in and searched for whatever was inside the box. He touched a cold, thin object.
"Who is it?" Levi asked as he approached Eren who stopped in the middle of his living room.
"I don't know," he answered honestly, eyebrows meeting together together in confusion. He lifted the object that he felt in the box and the light from his windows hit it, making it shine.
"A key?" his companion muttered questioningly.
The younger man didn't answer right away, a lump in his throat prevented him from speaking, but he elicited a sharp intake of breath. He felt his stomach drop and his heart stopped at the moment recognition flashed before his eyes. Slightly trembling, he held the gold, ancient-looking key on his palm.
"It's...It's my dad's key."
A/N: Sorry to cut you off here. Some plot (besides from Ereri fluff) are definitely starting to surface now :] I'd like to thank all of you who have read this story and those who left reviews that make my days as an author hahahaha. Stay tune :D
-CrimsonHazelEyes