A/N:

Yo, lovelies! First of all, I'm so sorry for taking this long to update ;A; I've had a lot going on recently (you won't even believe how stressed I've been), but some of the problems have been fixed, and my time has been freed up significantly...I've also figured out where I'm wanting to take this story and Infected so that's also good haha. I'm already working on the next chapters actually c: Hope you enjoy!

*I'm also planning on adding author notes to all of my previously uploaded chapters (for all stories). You can look back if you haven't already looked them up on archiveofourown (AO3)

It was already dark when Levi made it back home. During his time at the park, he'd calmed himself down, but much to his annoyance, his heartbeat started racing as he neared his apartment. As the anger subsided, worry took its place; there was no doubt that his apartment was a mess by now. Hanji never failed to wreck everything she came into contact with, and he could bet that Eren wasn't as tidy as Levi liked.

"I mean, his hair was even messy right after washing it." Levi stopped in his tracks. The memory of Eren fresh out of the shower was like walking into a brick wall. The smell of green apples had been thick in the air around them, and he felt his mouth watering. Oh, what he would give to run his fingers through-. He bit his lip, forcing his thoughts back onto the problem at hand and farther away from unknown waters.

Knowing Hanji, she would have taken Eren back to his apartment- whether the brat wanted to go or not. For some strange reason, Levi wasn't okay with that. It wasn't that having Eren in his apartment put him on edge per se, but Levi felt a pang of guilt at the chance that he would be there against his will. It wouldn't matter if the brat didn't consent to everything. Ding. Levi frowned as he stepped onto his floor. What was he thinking? Consent?

As he stopped in front of his door, he noticed that his bottom lip was swollen from earlier. It hadn't bled much, but what little was there, bugged him. Wincing as he sucked on the cut, he reached forward to tightly grip the doorknob. His knuckles turned white from the tension, and his heart beat so hard he felt like he could pass out any second.

After resigning himself to the worst, he sighed, and letting out the breath he'd been holding, pushed open the door. What he didn't expect, however, was the scene that greeted him, and his breath hitched.

Eren was seated next to Hanji on his couch. They were watching tv; it didn't appear that either of them had noticed him yet. What caught Levi by surprise was how relaxed Eren was. The teen leaned forward slightly with his mouth parted, and his eyebrows were creased gently, as if thinking. His breathes were deep, and Levi couldn't help but find himself fixating on the younger boy's lips. The older man's chest tightened when he realized that Eren was there of his own will.

Levi was so absorbed that he jumped when Hanji muted the tv. He quickly moved back, out of sight, as the brunette opened her mouth, and silently prayed that neither of them had seen him. His wish was apparently granted, as Hanji continued with her question.

"Eren? Do you still love Levi?"

Eren didn't know what to say. His chest hurt, painfully so, and his throat and mouth were suddenly dry. He licked his lips nervously, hoping that it wasn't too obvious. If he was honest with himself, he did still like Levi, but he'd spent the past year burying his feelings deep. Very deep. Levi had made it clear when he'd rejected the teen, and Eren hadn't wanted to push his teacher further away.

"I- I don't…"

Hanji's smile wavered when something caught her eye. Eren noticed and turned to see what had interrupted them. Levi was standing in the doorway; the man's eyes were glazed over, and he was unnaturally still. Eren shot off the couch, almost tripping over himself as he tried to get to Levi.

"Mr. Ri-."

"Out."

"I didn't mean-."

"Get the hell out of my apartment, brat." Levi's voice was cold, colder then Eren had ever heard it. Even when rejecting the boy, Levi hadn't been like that. Eren's face fell; the tears that were burning his eyes finally started to fall. He didn't bother wiping them away but chided himself as they stained the carpet underneath him.

"Levi, let's just take a moment to talk." Hanji was quiet, not having bothered to move from her spot on the couch. Her disruption was enough to push Levi over the edge.

His eyes narrowed, and Eren flinched as he screamed. "You too, goddamn glasses. Get the fuck out before I kick your sorry ass off my balcony."

"Fine, fine; we're leaving. Don't get your panties in a twist," Hanji said as she stood up and guided Eren through the front door. As she passed, she got one last sentence out, leaving Levi glaring daggers at her back. "I really hope you didn't screw this up, Levi."

When the door was finally closed and locked, Levi sank against it. He noticed, for the first time, that he was dirty from his trip, and grimaced. He was far too tired to take a shower, but he used what little strength he could muster to at least change into clean clothes and sink into his bed. There was no way in hell he was going to fall asleep filthy and on the floor.

He slowly peeled of his shirt, and as he reached for another did something rare: he decided to sleep shirtless. After stripping off his pants and changing into a new pair of boxers, he slid under the covers. Despite the heat, he nestled deeper into his comforter. As an afterthought, he turned on his tv. Levi flipped through the channels, finally finding his favorite. He'd always enjoyed cooking and something about the Food Network helped him relax; if anything, the noise was something to get lost in.

So Eren didn't love him after all. His prior rant left him numb and foolish. How could he let himself get his hopes up? While Eren was technically eighteen- he'd let himself look the information up after the brunette's confession- he was still for all intents and purposes a teenager. Ignoring the boy's beautiful blue-green eyes and smooth tanned skin, he was still a brat.

Levi was a high school teacher for God's sake; he saw that kind of thing daily: girls and guys alike crying over the breakup of a relationship that had lasted less than a week. The drama was something Levi had grown accustomed to- or at least he thought he had. As frustrated as he was, there was still that part of him that scolded himself for acting like an inconsolable schoolgirl. One encounter with the brat left him holed up in his bedroom. It was downright ridiculous.

Sighing, he sat up and looked at his alarm clock: 9:30pm. The numbers glowed bright red in the dark room. He'd allow himself that night, but starting tomorrow, he would forget all about Eren Jaeger. It would be hard, he was sure, but for his own sanity, he had to.

"Uh, I'm sure that he's just, um, stressed or," Hanji paused, "something."

The second he was outside of Levi's apartment, Eren walked over to his own. Before going inside he stopped himself. It was late, and he wasn't sure if Armin was staying at Jean's place or not. He wasn't the smartest thing on two legs, but he had enough common sense to know that if his friend saw him in his current state, it wouldn't be good. While Armin was naturally cautious, he was the same as his sister Mikasa when it came to their friend's feelings.

Eren let out a slow breath, and sat down against the wall; he was pale and shaky now that he was out of Levi's view, and no matter what Hanji said to him, nothing but time was going to help. Angry tears ran down his face, and he had pulled his legs tightly against his chest in an attempt to comfort himself. Hanji caught on quickly and quietly sat down opposite him.

It was hard for her, but she kept her mouth shut and let him ride it out. As Levi's friend, Hanji knew full well that he was better off by himself in this situation, and it seemed to her that Eren was the opposite. During their chat while Levi was out, the two had talked about a lot. It was clear that Eren was only staying in the hall for fear of his friend seeing him.

Time passed and well after Eren had calmed down, he remained in his position on the floor. His eyes were glassy when he finally stood up. "I'm fine, Hanji. You can leave."

"Are you sure? It's fine if you need something."

"No, Hanji. Seriously, I'm fine."

"If you're sure…" The female squeezed Eren's shoulder, "It'll be alright, okay? Just give him some space."

Eren's voiced lowered, "If you say so." He tried to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace, "Thanks for everything."

A/N:

No...Levi..how many times have I told you not to jump to conclusions?...Hahaha Don't hate me guys. I'm a sucker for clichés...

On another note, this chapter had a lot of my personal head canon...I always imagine that Levi is someone who doesn't like sleeping in the nude (or his partners doing it either) and Eren always sleeps shirtless...Um I actually wanted to ask you guys- I always imagine Eren preferring (for himself) fruity scents and Levi liking spiced/citrus...What do you guys think?

Ugh, I had way too hard of a time staying with the characters this time around... I've always thought of my fics being out of character but this- I don't even know where to begin..Levi also showed a lot of emotion here and I did my best to make up for it by making him upset with himself for it. I'm finally able to read the manga so that should help...As always please let me know of any errors you see and thanks soo much for reading *bawls*

You can contact me anywhere (don't be shy) I love talking to you guys! Reviews are also welcome..