0o0o00o0o00o

During the summer before Eren entered high school, Levi experienced his worst nightmare come true.

Levi had noted that Eren was growing, as he should be, teasing the poor boy endlessly when his voice started to break. Levi thought nothing of it until that summer. Puberty was a natural thing. What he didn't expect was for Eren's height to sprout so quickly. When Eren grew nearly 4 inches over the course of those 3 months, now taller than his guardian, it set Levi in an irritable mood.

Levi couldn't help but see that Eren was growing into his body. He probably had more growing to do, he was still only fourteen, but his lanky frame was gradually filling out. And he was definitely going to get taller.

The child he'd known since birth, helped raise with Carla then raised himself after the fire, was growing up.

As Levi took a drink from his hot tea, he couldn't help but feel slightly overwhelmed. He'd stop sleeping in Levi's room when he turned twelve, didn't need to be driven over to Mikasa or Armin's house when he had his bike. He was slowly getting independent.

Still, even if Eren was growing up and changing, the fundamental parts of his personality hadn't change at all.

With a sigh, Levi glanced at the kitchen's clock and stood, walking to Eren's bed room. His eyes landed on Eren's mess of a sleeping posture, pillows thrown on the floor, his comforter tangled around his legs, and a steady line of drool pooling by the side of his face.

Yeah, some things would never change.

Levi grabbed one of the pillows on the floor, fluffing it between his hands. He took aim and threw the pillow at Eren's face. "Wake the hell up!" He yelled.

Eren bolted upright, pillow smashing right into his face with a satisfying whomp. The teen pulled the pillow away, looking around dazed and startled as he finally spotted Levi by his bed. Confusion turned into a pout as he glared up at his guardian.

"Leevi!" He whined, tossing it aside. "Was that necessary?"

"100% necessary. You sleep like the dead." He replied. "You're going to be late."

Eren nodded sleepily and he dragged himself out of bed, scratching at his bed hair. Levi went back into the kitchen and grabbed the cat food from the cabinet. At the noise, Corporal came slinking out of Levi's room and into the kitchen, sitting patiently by his food bowl. He mewled when Levi filled the bowl then began eating.

"Good morning, Corporal." Eren greeted, stooping down to pet the cat. He stood back up and headed to the kitchen, grabbing the cereal box from atop the fridge. "Where's Erwin?" He asked.

"Over here." Erwin said, stepping out from the hallway. Levi felt his arms wrap around his shoulders. He looked up and saw the stubble that was on Erwin's chin.

"You brush your teeth?"

"Of course." He said then proceeded to kiss him.

"Guys, there's a child in the room." Eren said.

"What child?" Levi said, leveling a steady gaze at Eren. "Children should be shorter than me." At that, Eren groaned because Levi still wasn't quite over the fact that he'd grown taller than him.

"I'm going downstairs before you two grossly start to make out." He said. "Corporal, you coming?"

The cat looked up, as if waiting to be called then followed Eren out the door. The first year with Corporal, Eren and Levi learned that he liked to be included in whatever was happening around the house. He would constantly howl at the tops of its tiny lungs whenever Levi went to work in the shop below. So he brought Corporal with him whenever he went to work and eventually installed a doggy door to both doors to let Corporal came back into the apartment when he wanted to.

"Should we start grossly making out?" Erwin asked. That earned him a quick jab to his side as Levi pulled away. He went outside, walking down the stairs to the alleyway beside their house and headed towards the street, turning the corner of the building to the shop. He could see Eren diligently preparing the shop as he had done for the past few years.

"Good morning, Levi!"

Levi looked towards the sidewalk to see Armin and Mikasa pulling up beside the shop on their bikes. Mikasa repeated the greeting, leaning her bike against a street sign. Eren wasn't the only one of the three to grow dramatically over the summer. Mikasa was growing up to be a beautiful woman and Armin finally looked like his clothes fit on his slim frame.

"Isn't it early for the three of you to meet up?" He asked. They had a full hour before they needed to be at the school at 8am.

"We both kinda woke up early." Armin said with a chuckle. "It's a little bit nerve wracking."

"What was your first day like?" Mikasa asked.

Levi hummed in thought. He forgot what he felt like his first day but he remembered sleeping through the orientation and skipping most of the day in favor loitering in Erwin's room. And he said as much to the two. "Needless to say, you shouldn't follow my example."

"We won't." Armin promised.

"Levi, I'm done." Eren opened the front door, walking out with his own bike. Corporal walked out with him, tottering towards Mikasa. She bent down and picked the cat up, purring in her arms.

"Eren, are you ready? We're going to meet Jean and the rest outside the park near the school."

At the mention of Jean's name, Eren groaned and reluctantly nodded. Mikasa placed the cat back on the ground and grabbed her bike. Corporal slinked back to Levi and stared up at him expectantly. Levi grabbed the cat and held it, the cat once again continuing its purring.

"Can I stay over Armin's house for a while after school today?" Eren asked before he left.

Levi nodded. "Avoid getting stuffed into lockers." He said, earning a blush and a muttered groan from the young teen. He waved goodbye as the trio rode off towards. "Let's go to work, Corporal."

0o0o0o0o0o0

The first year in high school went relatively well for Eren. It wasn't at all what he had expected. There were definitely groups they all fell into once they felt comfortable but it wasn't entirely exclusive. Eren usually spent his time with Mikasa and Armin, especially since they were in all the same classes but he also hung out with Connie and Sasha, both members of the track team. And even Jean, if he had too, despite him being the biggest prick he'd ever known.

Eren joined the photography club, his interest in photography still as strong as it had been when Armin lent him that Polaroid camera. Mikasa started to go to a boxing club, occasionally dragging Armin and Eren with her. Armin joined the library committee, immersing himself in the books at the library when he had the time. It was a busy year for him and his friends and nothing dramatically important happened until it was May the following year.

Eren came home after parting with Mikasa and Annie, Mikasa's sparring friend she met through the boxing club. He wasn't able to concentrate much, properly getting his ass handed to him when Annie realized he let his guard down. When asked by the blonde, and later Mikasa, he had replied it was nothing. Mikasa knew Eren well enough to know he was lying but she didn't press it further.

"Le-" Eren stopped himself. Levi was in the shop, busy with a few customers. He decided to wait and went upstairs. As soon as he went upstairs, he tossed his backpack to the floor, looking up to see Erwin in the kitchen.

"Welcome home, Eren." The tall man greeted. Eren grunted back his response. He walked towards the counter and sat on the bar stool, watching Erwin work on dinner. A second later, he got back up, grabbed the book bag he had discarded and went back to the counter. Might as well start on his homework if he was going to wait for Levi. He could definitely wait until Levi closed the shop.

Only he couldn't because he it was still bugging him and he was really curious.

"Erwin, can I ask you something?" He asked.

"What is it?" Erwin said as he placed a lid on the pot of soup. He leaned against the counter beside the oven, giving Eren his full attention.

Eren instantly clammed up and he looked away from his calm gaze. "H-have you and Levi been dating for a long time?"

Erwin hummed thoughtfully. "It's a little complicated but essentially yes."

"Did you always know you were gonna be with Levi for this long?" Eren was starting to get curious, forgetting his initial shyness. He knew Erwin and Levi were childhood friends but he never questioned when they started to go out before. It hadn't interested him before.

"Would it be cheesy if I said since the first time he broke into my room?"

Eren was about to say it was when his mind processed the sentence. "He… broke into your room?"

Erwin nodded, checking the stew before he turned back towards Eren. "I was visiting my grandparent's home over the weekend and when I came back, Levi was sleeping in my bed. I think he was twelve at the time."

"Didn't Levi's parent's notice?"

At that, an expression Eren couldn't quite read crossed Erwin's face. "My parents didn't care." Eren jumped, turning towards the door to see Levi. Corporal slinked past his feet towards Eren. "I've told you I was a delinquent before I met Carla. What got you curious?"

When the attention was on him, Eren began to blush something fierce. With his eyes on his own hands, he mumbled, "…I wanted to ask how two guys have sex."

"With the amount of times you've run into us having sex, you should have a pretty decent idea." Levi replied, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against the wall beside the door. Eren's mouth gaped like a fish, at a loss of words as he continued to turn another shade of red. Frankly, Levi was surprised to see Eren so flushed considering his dark complexion. It was amazing to watch.

"…but how?" Eren managed to squeak out. "…I get the general… idea."

Erwin looked over at Levi and he could see the smirk shaping his lips. They exchanged a look and Erwin began to sympathize with Eren. Levi was having fun with this.

"Do you have a crush on someone?" Erwin asked, trying to calm the teen down.

"…Armin." He replied. Neither Levi nor Erwin were surprised at that.

"Well, condoms and lube is something you're definitely going to need. Protection is important." Erwin said.

"You'll need to prepare whoever is gonna take it." Levi said. Eren looked at Levi. "An ass isn't self lubricating like a women's vagina. Use lube." At that Eren groaned. It was so weird hearing Levi talk about sex but he didn't trust any other adult with this situation. "Generally, you'll want to work them open with your fingers."

"After that?"

"Make sure you get their okay before going any further. After that, it's just about getting into the pace and figuring out what touches your partner likes." Eren nodded, getting the general idea. He was about to thank him when Levi said, "For example, last time Erwin and I had sex, I made him cum by biting his nipples."

Erwin's eyes widened as he stared at him.

"OH GOD, THANK YOU BYE." Eren bolted upright and ran straight to his room, covering his ears along the way. With the door closed, Levi looked at Erwin's surprised face and he started laughing, making his way to the counter and sat.

"You didn't have to go that far." Erwin said, the red tint of his face still visible. Levi merely shrugged with a smile. So long as it was easy to rile Eren up, it was worth it.

"Eren's a big boy. He'll be fine."

0o0o0o0o0o0

The following morning, Eren woke up to start the day. He groggily rolled out of bed and dressed into whatever he could find in his closet; a simple tee and jeans he found on his desk that he, at least ninety percent sure, was clean. He made his way to the bathroom and near the sink was a small basket with a note on it that had is name on it. Curious, he pulled away the note and his eyes widened in surprise. There in the basket was a brand new bottle of lube, smaller tubes of various oils, and a set of condoms.

Eren groaned, knowing it was Levi who set it out. He quickly brushed his teeth, leaving the bathroom with the tiny basket. One look into Levi's bedroom and he could see the two still sleeping. He gently closed the door behind him, grabbed his backpack, stuffing the smaller of the lube and a few condoms into the bag, then set of downstairs to prepare the shop before he met up with Mikasa and Armin.

A few days later, Eren tried out Levi's advice. Mikasa had gone ahead to the boxing club with Annie while Eren stayed with Armin as he finished his duties in the library. Eren sat behind the counter, watching Armin disappear behind the shelves as he put the books back in their proper place.

"Armin, do you want to try today?"

Armin slid a book into its place, looking beside him towards Eren. "You mean…?"

Eren nodded. "I got some advice from Levi the other day. And I brought some of the things." Eren was gradually turning red. Armin was too, a blush spreading over his cheeks. The blond teen quickly nodded. He finished the rest of the cart as fast as he could. He locked up afterwards and they headed off towards Armin's house.

When they arrived at Armin's house, they headed towards his room. It was a big room with a wall of bookshelves making up two of his walls. Eren always loved spending time in Armin's room. It felt lived in and homely and he always felt comfortable within these walls. There were various stacks of books on the floor he'd bought over the years. The bookshelf itself wasn't entirely filled with books. There were also trinkets Armin found from antique shops.

Eren smiled as he spotted a battered old penguin doll Levi bought for Armin when they went to the aquarium for Eren's birthday. Mikasa still had hers and Eren kept the old shark doll near his bed. He walked towards Armin's bed and sat down, dropping his backpack beside him on the floor.

"It's kind of weird when it's not spontaneous like before." Armin said, sitting beside Eren. Eren chuckled nervously, turning towards his dear friend.

"Well, we were in a weird place and completely unprepared."

Armin nodded, laughing softly at the memory. He heard rustling beside him as the bed shifted and Eren moved closer. Armin turned red but he didn't pull away as Eren leaned in, kissing him. It was gentle at first but then Eren's hands were on his chest and Armin pulled him closer as the hesitation was quickly melting away to a hasty need.

It was awkward. Sometimes their teeth clinked together, other times they missed each other lips, catching the other at the corner, but Eren didn't care and neither did Armin. Nervous giggles passed between them, hands crawling up their shirts until Eren somehow found his way on top of Armin.

"Are you sure about this?" Eren asked in between kisses to Armin's neck. Armin nodded, grabbing at Eren's shirt to pull it over his head.

"Yeah, I want this."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Eren made it back home close to ten at night. He'd called earlier to let Levi know he was coming home late so when he opened the door Eren was really surprised to see Levi still up. Normally Levi would sleep earlier when he didn't have to cook dinner. He was sure Levi would've been asleep.

"H-hi, Levi? You're still awake?" He causally asked, dropping his backpack by the door as usual. Levi looked up from the book he was reading at the counter. His eyes flicked towards Eren and the brunet teen couldn't help but shudder as if he'd down something wrong.

"Did you use a condom?"

Eren sputtered, mouth gaping like a fish as he tried to figure out how Levi could've possibly known. Levi looked at him and smiled.

"It wasn't hard to put two and two together," He said, answering Eren's shocked look. "Especially when you asked Erwin for advice on sex."

Eren merely nodded in agreement, unable to come up with anything else. "We did."

"And did you ask for his consent?" Levi asked, closing the book. Eren nodded again.

"I did."

"Well," Levi said. He stood up, placing his empty mug into the sink. "You're old enough to know the consequences. And I trust you."

Eren could feel a warmth blossom throughout his chest and down his spine. Levi trusted him. And that idea made Eren feel incredibly proud, that Levi was beginning to see him as just more than a teen.

"Right."

"I'm going to bed then. Do the dishes before you head to bed." He said, walking past Eren to his bedroom. Corporal mewled at his feet before he sauntered off with Levi.

"'kay, G'night, Levi."

"Night, you shitty brat." Levi replied, entering his bedroom. Eren grinned as he went to do the dishes.

0o0o0o0o0

Eren generally didn't get into trouble. Aside for a few detentions from days he would get to school late, Eren was a typically decent student. Over the past year in high school he'd gotten to know almost the entire body, a feat which was fairly easy considering the total population of students was less than a thousand. Being friends with Armin, one of the smartest of the students and Mikasa, known mainly for her beauty and her ability to kick ass in the town's local boxing tournaments, made the three all the more well known. Trouble really didn't follow Eren around.

And when Eren came home that Friday toward the end of May, with a pink slip informing Levi of his suspension from school, all he got was a leveled stare that made Eren want to crawl away.

"What happened?"

Eren sat on the couch as Levi stood, staring down at the sulking teen. "…I got into an argument with Jean in class. It got… heated. We only got a few punches in before Mikasa and the teacher pulled us apart."

"About what?"

Eren paused and Levi noticed his hands clasp together tightly. "Family," Levi waited because he knew there was more to what Eren wanted to say. "It's kinda hard having everyone know about my family. Like this is something only we should know. He asked me if I would've grown differently if I'd been raised by mom. I got frustrated."

"Hand me that paper." Levi said. Eren did and Levi looked it over. He was suspended for only two days and required Levi to accompany Eren on his day back. Levi sighed and sat beside Eren, causing the younger teen to flinch. Levi leaned back and crossed his legs. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"No, I… Jean's a dick and I don't like that I still get these weird looks from people like they personally know what I've been through."

"It can't be helped." Levi said. He really didn't care one way or another about the gossip. And for the most part, Eren didn't seem to care. But Levi had to remember that Eren was still a kid. Words and gossip stuck much closer to him.

"I'm still punished, aren't I?"

"You're damn right." Levi said, lightly smacking the back of Eren's head. "Don't get too upset." Levi said as he stood up, ruffling Eren's hair. Moments like these Levi knew he needed to leave Eren alone with his thoughts. Corporal came slinking by and perched himself on top Eren's lap as if on cue. Eren smiled and gathered the cat in his arms.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"Let's hit the beach!"

Three pairs of very startled eyes focused on Hanji, whom had burst through the front door without any warning. Molbit was hanging behind her, silently shaking his head. One pair of eyes merely glared at the brown haired woman, something close to annoyance flashing through his dark eyes.

"When?" He asked.

"Oh come on, don't be like…huh?" She lowered her arms and walked around the three teens that were loitering inside Levi's shop. "No argument?"

"I don't have any weddings booked for the next three weeks. I might as well take this time to close the shop for awhile." Levi said, looking up from his planner. Hanji grinned and stood beside Levi behind the counter, slinging an arm around his shoulder as she leaned against him.

"That's more like it!" she said. "We leave tonight!"

With that, she left the shop. "Sorry about this." Molbit said. "I called Erwin beforehand about this trip and asked him to relay the message a week ago."

"I know and he did. Thanks Molbit." Levi said. Molbit nodded and waved goodbye, catching up with Hanji.

"Mikasa, Armin, have your parents okay'd the trip?" Levi asked them.

"My mom and dad are fine with it." Mikasa replied.

"My grandpa too." Armin said.

Eren looked at the three, confused. This was the first he heard of any sort of summer vacation. "Am I the only one who didn't know?"

The collective stare he received made Eren take a step back. "Jerks." He said with a tone of affection as he continued sweeping, pointedly ignoring their smiles. He really didn't care that Levi didn't tell him about the trip. If anything, he was surprised since he knew Levi had booked a lot of weddings for the summer. Eren guessed he forgot to listen to when they were set.

Either way, Eren was grateful for the trip since, once the summer was over, he would start his third year in high school. And he needed to start thinking about his plans after high school.

But for now, he pushed those thoughts towards the back of his mind.

0o0o0o0o0o

hmmmmm

next chapter will be the last chapter, next chapter also has a 80% chance of being hella long