I don't own SnK

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth."
-Jess C. Scott

~Chapter Ten: With the Stars As Our Witness~

"Hello?" Eren's voice was groggy, an evident that he just woke up, and he didn't even bother to open his eyes when he picked up his phone from his bedside table and answered his call.

"Oi, brat. You don't have classes today, right?" At the sound of Levi's voice, green eyes snapped open and excitement ran in his nerves like an addictive substance. He instantly rolled onto his bare back, gaze was now focused on his ceiling and he tried to ignore the little spider webs at the corner of the room; he made a mental note to clean that up later before a certain angry short-stuff give him a lengthy lecture about cleanliness.

"I don't," he answered, voice was still rough.

"Good. I'll be there in ten," Levi said from the other line. It made the brunet look at the glaring lights of his alarm clock and it said: 7:00 A.M.

"It's Sunday. Why?" he asked, ignoring the initial snort that he got from the lawyer. There was a beat of silence and Eren thought that there was something with the connection or Levi had unceremoniously hanged up.

"Don't you want to go somewhere today?"

He blinked and slowly said, "A date. Are you asking me out on a date?" He didn't mean to sound so incredulous—which he really was—but it was early in the morning and he wondered if Levi was really asking him out.

"Get up and get ready if you want to. I don't want to drag your ass out of your apartment. Bye." He dodged the question and he really did hang up on Eren, which made him try to grasp onto the other line in futility.

"Wait—What?! Levi!"

He stared frustratingly on the smartphone, as if it was the source of all of his bad luck and whatnot even though on contrary, it was what brought him to Levi. His eyes caught the time on the bar of the screen. 7:02 AM. The time was ticking, and knowing how impatient a certain short man could get, it was better for him to get out of the bed and take care of his morning routine. Once he was in the bathroom and was brushing his teeth, he paused for one moment to think about what was really happening.

This is gonna be our first date as a real couple.

The thought, without surprise, had sent another shot of exhilarating energy through his body and he finished his quick shower, smiling all the while and thinking of what would happen today. The last time he saw Levi was Friday and it was only brief; the older male merely gave him his lunchbox because he knew that Eren had classes that day. They talked on the phone that day with the younger telling what happened during his high school reunion, and he left what took place between him and Jean. He figured that it would be better to tell his boyfriend that one tiny yet very important detail face-to-face. Considering that Levi and Jean had never got along since day one, the lawyer wouldn't take it that well, and the thought of him actually frying his ex-lover's fingers on the skillet was gruesome enough. No need taking it to reality.

He was looking for clothes to wear, throwing his closet doors open and staring at what was available. He didn't own many nice shirts because most of them would get ruined anyways, with paint and all that. That was one of the downside of being an artist—no matter how much he was proud of his paint-smudged shirts (because it actually told people that he had done something artistic and worthwhile), he couldn't maintain one neat shirt. That might have been an understatement, he thought as his eyes caught a gray plaid button-up shirt. He paired it with dark blue, ripped jeans and a black V-neck shirt. He was busy looking at the mirror and holding up his chosen outfit on him that he almost didn't hear his doorbell ring. The short, hard raps against his door had managed to tear his gaze away from his reflection and he sprinted to his front door.

When he pulled open the wooden door, he was greeted with that scowl and indifferent expression on that familiar man's face. The man who was supposedly his lover was about to push Eren out of the way and make his way into the apartment, when those gray eyes finally caught on to the brunet's appearance. A sight that only consisted of a white towel wrapped around his waist and was hanging dangerously low, exposing the curves of his hip bones and forming a V-shape, and that flat yet firm-looking stomach where a few water droplets were shamelessly rolling onto. It certainly made Levi rooted on the ground and made his mouth snap shut. He didn't know whether it was because his mind was lagging behind because of that sinfully-looking sight before him or if it was he tend to spew out some stupid shit when Eren was involved; the option of just staring at the young man seemed more alluring than moronically running his mouth off.

"You know you can come in, right?" Eren said, squirming because the raven was openly looking at him as if he was willing the artist to melt in a pile of goo. Levi, nonetheless, had taken his offer, stepping inside without tearing his eyes off the brunet.

"Uh, can you wait for me here? I'm just gonna get dressed," the younger stammered. Levi definitely didn't want Eren to go away, but he knew that he had to force himself to look at anything besides from that delectable piece of meat—or Eren. Holy crap. He was sure that he was gonna lose all his sense if he remained close to the green-eyed brat but then again, the attraction was too strong to fight against it and there was also that fact that they were now officially dating.

Eren went back to his room, not bothering to shut his bedroom door close because Levi had already seen everything.

Okay, maybe not everything.

He changed into his clothes behind his door though even if he knew that Levi was decent enough to let him have his own privacy at that moment. He put on his shirt and noticed mindlessly how the black V-neck fabric had exposed the outlines of his collarbones. He remembered that look that the short man had given him when he was at the door—it was one that said, "I wanna ravish you right here, right now." The idea of making Levi speechless had swelled something in him; he felt proud that it was possible for him to get that kind of a reaction from that stoic person because he seemed to be the only one who could get flustered really easily, and while Levi's reaction wasn't like of Eren's, it was amusing to see it anyway. And it was hot.

Oh, yeah. It certainly was.

He put the plaid button-up over his shirt, and a smirk made its way on his face as he thought of his lover's reaction about his clothes. He felt a bit confident when he walked out of his room and motioned for Levi that it was time to leave, even though he wasn't really the one who initiated this whole date thing.

"You really took your time, huh, brat?" he grunted. The older male didn't let Eren to be on the lead because he immediately stepped ahead of the younger as the latter locked up his apartment with his key.

They exited out of the building in no time and Levi guided them to his silver car. It was already 7:25 in the morning and Eren wondered what would they do that would require an early wakeup call. They settled into their seats and buckled up wordlessly before Levi started the engine. He made a mistake of swiping his gaze from the front to the younger man next to him. His gray eyes flicked accidentally to that exposed tanned skin, showing the curves of his collar. Eren bit his bottom lip to keep himself from smiling or laughing and he figured that it was no longer a laughing matter if Levi's eyes had dilated for a fraction second.

The lawyer turned his eyes to the front again before he changed gears and muttered under his breath, "You're in it, brat."

They stopped by at a Deli store where Levi bought a tuna sandwich and bagels with cream cheese, which Eren grinned at because he was unusually hungry. He normally didn't have the appetite to stuff himself in any way early in the morning, but there was something oddly pleasant about having someone share and eat food with you. He realized that it had been that way whenever he would have a meal with his friends or just Levi in particular; it might be because it was lonely eating alone in that empty apartment of his.

"So what's on your date agenda today?" Eren asked, taking the last bite of his raisin bagel. He had been joking about the whole agenda thing, but when Levi really did pull out a piece of paper from his compartment with scrawls of writings, he almost choked when laughter bubbled up to his chest.

"What?" the black-haired man growled, a furrow between his eyebrows had appeared.

"Sorry, sorry," he coughed out. He took a careful gulp of his coffee, which Levi bought for him even though the man himself had refused to have it because he didn't trust any other coffee besides from his usual one. He felt the distinct burn in his throat and he didn't feel constrained anymore.

"You know what, never mind," Levi suddenly said, crumpling the sheet of paper in his fist. Eren's eyes widened in panic, thinking that he had screwed up.

"I just didn't expect you to really have a list!" he hastily exclaimed.

"Huh?" The older male looked confused for a moment before he took in the reaction from Eren and the sight of the now-crumpled paper in his hand. "Oh."

The brunet attempted to retrieve the list from him, but he didn't let him and Levi threw it in the plastic bag that he reserved for their trash. As if he would allow any dirt to splatter on his newly bought car floor mats.

The lawyer rolled his eyes and said, "I'm not gonna follow that stupid list that Hanji gave me. The damn woman wouldn't shut up so I took it from her. I don't want this day to be scheduled; it doesn't feel natural."

The younger male nodded in agreement and he flashed Levi a small appreciative smile. "Well then, surprise me."

Levi took that challenge and showed Eren his signature smirk. "Will do, princess."

They drove around for two hours, carelessly making crude jokes and exchanging smiles every once in a while, but Levi would always flash him his smirk whenever he said something that would make Eren beet red on the face. Like that one conversation that addressed what happened this morning.

"Are you possibly physically attracted to me?" the brunet asked boldly, though there was no particular tone in his voice.

"Yes." Levi didn't even pause for a second after the question was asked; he told him his answer equally boldly as Eren.

"Which is why you're ogling at me this morning," the younger mumbled. There was that satisfied feeling in his chest again as if he accomplished something special, and he actually fought down the blush that was threatening to break out on his face. It was almost an impossible feat because he could practically feel Levi's gaze on him again—strangely smoldering.

"I would've jumped on you actually," the gray-eyed man shamelessly admitted.

"What—"

"Would've torn off that goddamned towel off your body—"

"—Eh?!"

"—and would've had thrown you on your bed to eat you—"

"STOP! Oh my god!" Eren screamed, putting his hands over his ears in an attempt to block those embarrassing words that were coming from Levi, which could potentially turned worse and become an R-Rated dirty talk. Not that he would've mind it; except that they were currently on the road and Levi seemed to have something—or more like somewhere—in mind to go to. Given in different circumstance, he would've had actually allowed this whole scene to be played out. Not that he had a fetish for dirty talk, of course not! It might have been the way those provocative words had rolled off the man's tongue seductively, or it might have been Levi's glances that told him that he was definitely watching him, his every reaction, his every squirm, or how that blush just traitorously crept on his cheeks.

Levi started to chuckle, something that he tried to keep to himself to no avail, and it was Eren's turn to stare at him with an amused yet slightly abashed expression.

"Keep laughing, old man," he said begrudgingly, though there was a playful hint in his voice.

Needless to say, the glare that was thrown to him told him that he now had something to tease Levi with.

When 10:30 AM rolled around, Eren's eyes found the words AQUARIUM somewhere on the exterior of a glass building. He rolled the car window down just to make sure that he wasn't seeing things, because last time he checked, Levi wasn't the type of person to insert himself in a crowd of people who could threaten the cleanliness he maintained for himself with great effort.

"That's an aquarium," he stated dumbly, blinking as if the place was going to disappear in front of him.

"No shit."

He looked at Levi and was about to ask more questions but decided against it and clamped his mouth shut. It was better not to say anything because knowing the older man, his patience was as short as his stature and that wasn't saying a lot. So he hopped out of the car when Levi killed the engine, and he proceeded to skip to the entrance with Levi behind him, a lazy smirk was on his lips. The lawyer bought their tickets, silencing Eren when he protested about buying his own by saying, "I should spend money for both of us since it's a date." The brunet wanted to argue back but he didn't how it would be worth it because Levi definitely wouldn't budge and they would only waste time. They were inside and Eren excitedly explored the cavern of the ocean wall. For Levi, it was definitely amusing to witness a 22-year-old college student wander around with a goofy smile on his face, and he laughed when Eren stood next to a similarly overhyped child.

"This is probably the first time I've visited the aquarium since I was little," the artist breathed out. There was spark in his eyes that Levi couldn't help but search out in the midst of the ever-changing blues and greens in the younger's irises. The water was reflected on them, making him unable to tell the difference between the ocean and Eren's eyes. It was fascinating to look at, especially when there was a brightened gleam as a sea creature swam towards the glass wall.

"I've never been here."

Soon, those teal eyes were gazing back on him.

"Not even once?" he asked, a hint of doubt and surprise was in his voice.

"Mhm."

"Oh, wow. Aren't you glad that I'm with you during your first experience then?" The brunet grinned jokingly, but the older male merely nodded with a small smile on his mouth. It was Eren's turn to stare at the man then. Levi finally turned his eyes to the scene right before as the younger male began memorizing his features once again. Those gray eyes had equally captivated him just the same like the first time his sight landed on him. The blue tinge was interesting to look at and with the reflection of the water on them, those gray eyes were unusually blue. He mused how even if there was no emotion hinted on the face of the man, those eyes seemed to show the hidden feelings that he had. And right now, there was fascination that widened his pupils as a giant glob of jellyfish passed by. Eren definitely felt happy that it was him whom Levi was with, and the thought of another person on his place right now had twisted a wrench in his stomach. He didn't like the feeling—it was almost nauseating and uncomfortable. He was jealous. And he could've laughed out loud because his own conjecture had made him feel that way, but at the same time, it made him realize how much Levi meant to him.

They were taken into a tour of the place, and Eren happily ran to the seats where a dolphin show took place. The sight of the green-eyed lad grinning from ear to ear had also made Levi tug his lips upwards. And the smiles of the couple had somehow remained on their lips throughout the entire show.

It was around 1:30 in the afternoon when Levi stopped by a pizzeria—Eren's suggestion. The younger male ordered two slices of Chicken Marsala and Levi went with two regular ones and garlic knots. Once heated up, they grabbed their food and drinks and sat at the corner where there was a small table and two chairs presented. Levi, having some cleanliness OCD, pulled out a handful of napkins and began wiping his portion on the table. The brunet merely snickered and shook his head in amusement.

"Where are we going after this?" he asked, biting on his pizza.

"You told me to surprise you, brat. You'll find out after we finish this greasy shit."

"Wow. Do you happen to hate this glorious food, Attorney?"

Levi narrowed his eyes on him before shrugging. "Never said I hate it. It's just fucking oily and I hate slimy shit."

"That's why it's called 'greasy shit', Levi."

The lawyer just rolled his eyes on him. Eren then began quizzing him on the songs that came on in the place, and Levi got the names of all five songs correctly.

"Never knew that you like indie bands," Eren said, finishing his last bite before he wiped his hands on the napkins.

"And I never knew that you're this disgusting. Wash your hands in the bathroom, will you?" Levi told him. It was more like a command, really, but he did what he was told to anyway. But not without doing anything childishly, like sticking his tongue out to the older male. That seemed to bite his ass back though, because the lawyer started up his less-than-friendly-humor.

"I'll bite that tongue if you don't hurry the fuck up, brat."

It definitely sent him to the restroom instantly, and with red tinted cheeks.

The wind is nice. It was Eren's only thought as he laid down his cheek on his arm that was stretched across the hard surface of the car door. The window was rolled all the way down and he could see how the road was like on a precipice but with the blue sky all laid out for the people to gaze upon. There was no cloud in sight and he smiled as he thought that maybe Levi checked the weather news or something before he jumped the gun and asked Eren out on a date. Well, more like didn't give him a choice and demanded him to get dressed within ten minutes. It didn't make him love this day any less, though; it only made him happier, because everything that occurred since the moment he woke up was so Levi-like.

He closed his eyes and focused on how the gentle breeze that was caused by the car speeding up was soothingly caressing his face, loving how the strands of his hair was pushed back and the feeling of the wind. There was something strangely enticing about the idea of the air lifting him up and allowing him to fly up high. He regretted that he didn't discover sooner how could a drive feel peaceful and exhilarating at the same time. It prompted him to break the comfortable silence between him and Levi.

"Five years ago, I wouldn't even have second thoughts about turning down a good car ride. I wouldn't even thought of myself riding a car," he started; his eyes were still closed. When Levi didn't respond to him, he continued, "After my mom's car accident, I was…scared. That's why I don't have a car and I take the train to go to school."

There was a pause as if it was needed for his words to sink in before Levi spoke, "And you're okay now." It was probably meant to be a question, or just an observation; Eren couldn't tell.

"Yeah. Strangely enough, I'm okay now. It was like a rehab for me, you know. I used to get anxieties getting into a car until last year; I seem to be all right with it now," he explained.

"At least, you won't throw up on me or my car now," Levi offered nonchalantly, but it was probably his way of lightening up the mood. And he succeeded because a small smile broke out of Eren's face as he hummed.

"Oh my god. It's the beach!"

Eren's excited voice could've reached the opposite shore but Levi didn't mind that because the young man started chasing the waves that were sashaying back and forth, dragging the sand with them. Eren stopped for a second to pull up his jeans, folding the ends of them until they reached his knees, and then he ran to the water again as Levi followed him but not too closely. He really didn't want to slosh back inside his car with disgustingly wet shoes or pants—which brought him his current predicament.

"Oh, you brat. I'm not letting you run water in my car," he warned him. Eren didn't mind the insult he threw in as he conspicuously ignored it and the brunet now started heading to Levi's direction. Oh, he had a bad feeling about this.

And sometimes, he hated it when he was right.

He tried to hightail out of there, but Eren caught him off-guard because he was stupidly full of energy even with the warm breeze that indicated that summer was approaching. The brunet grabbed his arm, and silently patted himself on back for wearing a dark gray shirt that merely reached his elbows, before he was hauled out of his safe distance from the water. He put up a fight of course, but for some reason, his usual monstrous strength wasn't at its best when the brat was around. Curse his soft side for Eren.

"Let me go," he demanded, voice was sounding feral without actually meaning it. Apparently, Eren had already known his way around Levi's expressions and behavior, and he wondered if the young man could actually read his emotions that he was trying to conceal behind that cold demeanor of his.

"It's the beach, Levi. You're supposed to enjoy the water and hunt for seashells or something!" Eren reprimanded him. The older male wondered if the teal-eyed lad had noticed that they weren't the only ones around the area; there was a woman who was already walking away after her sunbathing and there was a teenager climbing up the rocks like he was showing off that he owned the world. Knowing that the cheery buzz around Eren wouldn't die off soon, he silently surrendered.

He grumbled, "Fine." Levi then rolled his black jeans (he really should've worn shorts, instead), and he watched his little brat run back to the water. Hesitating a little, he stopped short to the distance where the waves caught his toes.

"Here," Eren softly called out, a hand was raised and being offered to Levi. For some reason, a whole stupid cliché popped out in his head. Eren's figure was behind the freaking horizon with the sun slowly setting down, for crying out loud! And don't get him started with those sparkling Caribbean eyes. He was already drowning in them as he was.

He nonetheless took Eren's hand, feeling the warmth in them that made his chest squeeze. He laid his palm against the younger's before he intertwined them together, fingers closing in between. There were no words needed at that moment because the smiles that they exchanged with each other had already said a lot. Levi was definitely pulled into that fast current called Eren Jaeger and he had no way of freeing himself nor he wanted to. Because next to his lover was where he found his place.

It was where he found himself genuinely happy.

They stayed in the beach for hours and had dried themselves outside of the car, squeezing the ends of their jeans to get the water out. Not that it helped. Before they knew it, the night had already fallen and the crickets were already causing a racket. Eren's eyes caught the twinkling stars littered on the sky and he let out an audible gasp which was most likely heard by his companion because Levi turned around to face him. The older male also started looking up, wanting to find out what had kept the younger entranced, and he found himself also staring at the small fireballs seemingly blinking in the dark sky.

"They're so pretty," Eren said. Unbeknownst to him, Levi's gray eyes were averted off the stars to the certain brunet who was still distracted by the sight before him.

"Yeah, so beautiful," Levi murmured softly. Eren had heard him though, and he lifted his eyes off the sky and settle them to the older man whose head turned away from him. He raised an eyebrow and was about to ask him questions about it, but an idea popped out in his mind. A grin formed on his face before he unceremoniously dropped his whole weight on the hood of Levi's car.

"What are you doing?"

"Lying down?"

"Tsk."

Eren felt the cold, hard metal against his slightly damped shirt (he had taken off the button-up shirt earlier), and he got himself comfortable by welcoming the chilliness that initially made him shiver to the bones. His eyes found the stars again before Levi blocked them for a second, then settled himself next to the brunet. Their fingers touched and a spark lit up their nerves, leaving their skin tingling and desiring for more, and that one touch didn't make them flinch this time. It was something that they got used to and had learned to indulge. And as cheesy as it would sound like, it was like a sign that was telling them that they were meant to be.

Like they were fated to be together.

"I told Mikasa about us," Eren said. The atmosphere around them was so serene that he was afraid to break it, because the topic that he was going to discuss was in no way a casual one.

"She gave me a phone call after she got my number from her dad, threatening to burn me alive if I hurt you. She sounded like she was drunk though," Levi told him, amusement danced in his eyes.

"Well, I certainly did not know that. That was probably after the reunion."

"She got wasted?"

"Nah. She's responsible, and even made sure that I slept over at her house. She's really, really, really overprotective."

Levi smirked. "I can tell."

Eren shifted nervously, eyes darting from the sky to the beach at the corner of his eyes. He had to tell Levi; it was now or never. He promised that he would trust Levi and the same went with him so there was really no need to hesitate around and let his conscience smack-talk him. But he knew what was eating him in the inside. It wasn't only about the trust between them that he was worrying about. Sure, the conversation, or rather his confession, could potentially crack what they had built together, but it could be fixed if they let each other try and give it another chance, right? There was another thing that was making Eren's heart throb painfully, sending pangs to his chest and squeezing it tight until he couldn't breath despite the plentiful of air around him. The thought flying around his mind was unbearable.

The thought of hurting Levi was unbearable.

"I let Jean kiss me."

The insects were still chirping and there was the audible crashing of the waves against the rocks. The road was silent and so were the stars. And so was Levi. It was all too much, and Eren was already on the brink of tears because he knew that he fucked up something. He knew that he hurt Levi when he caught that flash of pain across the older man's face.

"I'm sorry. I didn't keep my promise." His voice cracked and Levi turned his body sideways so he was completely facing Eren as their legs dangled together but not touching.

"Why?" Levi simply asked, face was devoid of any emotions but there was the pressing need for answers in his eyes.

"Because he needed it. I think I also needed it," Eren replied. His voice didn't waver nor stuttered, and he felt like he had to be strangely calm about it because Levi seemed to take it so well. There was no anger or pain or confusion in his eyes or face anymore, but there was something else—something familiar that made Eren's heart flutter relentlessly.

"Eren." The way he called his name made his stomach twist in an oddly pleasant way, and the organ caged in his ribcage wasn't doing any better because its endless fluttering was now accompanied by that usual throb he felt around Levi. He wondered if it were possible to get a heart attack just by seeing the love of your life right in front of your eyes because if it was, then he would surely be fucked.

"Mmm?" he hummed mindlessly, staring into those silver pools.

"I can't say those words to you yet because I'm afraid that I would fuck this whole thing up, and knowing myself, I probably will." He was about to argue against him but he was silenced by Levi's hand. "I'm not a guy who will be openly romantic with you, but I can take you to wherever you want, be it the gates of heaven or hell. I'm not the guy who will incessantly please you because I have a fucking stubborn personality and trust me when I say that we'll clash against each other, have those stupid fights. But we will definitely make up, whether it be words or kisses or a mind-blowing sex." Eren blushed at the last one, and Levi flashed him a grin. "What? Are you telling me that you don't want to have sex with me?"

"I didn't say that!" Eren spluttered, turning redder and redder by the second. Even with his face tomato red, he managed to gather his thoughts and murmured softly, "Nothing's definite, you know. We might…leave each other."

Levi leaned in closer, pulling Eren towards him until their bodies were touching; legs and feet were tangled together. He closed the space between them until they were a breath away as the night swallowed more of the light shade of the sky, turning midnight blue and letting the stars shine more brightly than before. Hearts drumming against their chest, almost painfully yet welcoming, they shared the air between them as their lips slightly brushed against each other. The surface underneath them was now warm and was comforting enough that they completely forgot that they were lying on the hood of the car. The world fell away; the waves stopped, the insects were quiet, and the breeze was absent. There was only the sky above them, reflecting their own image in each other's eyes as they refused to tear their gaze down. Levi spoke, and it was only that familiar deep voice that Eren all heard.

"Nothing's may be definite, but I'm willing to make you an exception, Eren."

And he sealed it with a kiss, with the stars as the witness of his promise.

A/N: Yayyy! Their first lonnnnnggg date XD Thanks for reading and for your reviews :D I hope you enjoy reading more chapters coming up!
-CrimsonHazelEyes