He's really done it this time. He's had two chances, and he's ruined it the second time around.

Hanji must've been right about Levi seeming like a stalker. He probably should've listened when Hanji told him that people "just don't say things like that".

Levi has been up all night, missing out on his usual two or three hours of sleep.

Waiting for the phone call. Or text message. From Eren, of course.

It's not like there's a bed waiting for him anyway. He needs no sleep. Though with the tiredness showing up on his face in the form of bags, he wishes he'd at least rested his eyes, even if he couldn't go to sleep.

Today, Levi has a shift at four o'clock, which is beyond stupid; because it's a Sunday and people stay in on Sundays. Don't they? Maybe shopping life in Trost is different. He's only been here three months or so, he's allowed to still not know the culture of this crappy town.

He sits with Erwin in his car, a sleek black Porche that definitely would've gotten torn to bits if they were still in Glasgow. He got it two months ago, and Levi is still mad about the purchase. It's just Erwin showing off how much he can afford, and flaunts it in front of Levi by giving him lifts to his work-their work- where Erwin yet again flaunts his privileges.

They haven't really spoken this morning. Levi's been tense and grouchy, and since Erwin knows about the knife beside his pillow on the couch, he's kind of gotten the idea that Levi isn't the sort of person you console when he's mad.

Levi sulks into the edge of the door, glaring at the outside world with all it's grey skies and grey streets and grey pavements like it's done something bad to him. The world sucks, it really does.

But then again, if the world didn't suck, everyone would just fall off.

"Levi… You know, you can talk to me about anything that's bothering you." Erwin says, almost conversationally.

Levi sits in silence, and some sort of quietly burning anger is boiling up inside of him. Because even though Erwin isn't the reason for his stewing today, that's not to say he isn't every other day.

And just because he lives with this guy (unwillingly) that doesn't mean he should automatically share all his hopes and dreams and fears, or tell him things like 'I took a nice shit this morning'. Because he thinks that if he had a best friend-a real best friend- he would tell them exactly what he thinks of his own shit. He's not really sure why he would, but apparently it's a guy thing.

"I tried calling Eren. You were right. I must've scared him off."

The car is stopped as they reach a red light. He's not sure why he's telling Erwin this, but maybe he deserves to know, just so he knows it's not his fault, and because Levi may have spent a lot of time rambling about him to Erwin. So Erwin should always be updated. That might actually work to Levi's advantage… It annoys the hell out of Erwin, and Levi can improve his "social skills". Plus; when is Eren not a good topic of conversation?

Erwin glances over at him, caressing the gear stick in his fist. "Eren? As in the "I'm obsessed with him and over analyse every second we have together" Eren?"

"Who else?"

"Wait… You didn't get his phone number from some phone book, did you?" Erwin makes a pained face. "Because I know you don't really get out much, but doing things like that is just… And the things you say to him are the weirdest things ever-"

"No, Erwin. I got it from him."

Erwin pauses, tilting his head to one side. He starts driving again as the light goes green, and Levi can see his work around the corner of the next building. He raises his eyebrows in mild surprise, with maybe a hint of admiration.

"Really? I never thought you had game. Nice. Maybe I should learn a lesson from you."

Levi scoffs at him. "Tch. That's hypocritical, taking into account about what you said earlier-"

"Yeah, yeah, okay. That might be true, but you must be doing something right… I just wonder what the hell you did to get his number."

Levi doesn't say anything. Even though he knows that Erwin knows that he probably gained it by some illicit method (Erwin's fantasies get away with him sometimes, especially since he knows Levi was a gang leader. That was unintentionally, but he was one, even so). But a competition letter isn't illegal, so Levi will be fine. Unless Hanji comes and snoops around. But even then, fear not: Levi has hidden the letter under the couch pillow.

A few hours later and they're both in the workplace. Erwin also has his shift on today, due to the manager going out of town last night. Thankfully, he's got a shit ton of paperwork to do, so he stays away from Levi in his office. Levi is at the blue counter, and he is still in a bad mood. One where he wishes he could strangle someone.

He's standing beside a mousy haired guy with a constantly terrified looking face called Moblit. At first, Levi thought it was him that made Moblit scared, but Erwin told him he was just always like that. Maybe if the guy grew some eyebrows then he wouldn't look like he was always raising his eyebrows in fear.

Today, Moblit looks especially scared, though that might be due to the fact that Levi keeps staring him down whenever he catches Moblit trying to look at him. Moblit must be bored. He must want someone to talk to. But he and Levi aren't friends, just co-workers.

And Levi doesn't do small talk.

Levi doesn't really do much other than clean, but he finds he can't really do it in Erwin's house because… Well, it's Erwin's house. It's not his to clean. There are personal items that are Erwin's, and he's not allowed to touch them even if the blonde hulk of a man leaves them lying around.

He needs this shift to end. They've only got fifteen minutes left. What the point in staying if they don't even have any customers? There's one that Moblit's serving, with just a packet of sponges and some toothpaste, but customers like that just go as quickly as they come.

True; Erwin might have been right about Levi lacking social skill, but despite his appearance and sour attitude to pretty much everything; he'd actually love to have a regular customer as a starting point to help him improve. He doesn't do well with strangers, and isn't that the case for most people anyway? Why does his employer expect him to instantly be able to talk to people upon meeting them?

Tch. He missed out, that employer man. His business could've soared if Levi was in Erwin's place.

He tugs a strand of black hair in his fringe, thinking about how he's definitely going to have another shower after he goes back to Erwin's place.

The suddenly, as though he'd been coming to the Pound Saver shops for weeks, Eren walks in with his head held high. Though that changes when he sees Levi. Again. But this time he doesn't run, so that had to be a plus, right? (it shouldn't have even been a problem in the first place)

Oh wow. His mood has suddenly raised through the roof.

Eren gives him a small, flat smile, then briskly walked past the tills at the front of the shop to go to the sweet aisle, clearly on a mission. Levi feels the heat on his face rise as he watches Eren from behind. Dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans. Working class clothes, like always. Levi's breathing hitches when he sees Eren's picturesque profile as he rakes the shelves for sweets. Does he always look so angry? Levi felt his body shiver.

He shivered again when he saw bright green eyes looking back into his grey ones.

"I got a message last night. That was you, wasn't it." Eren tells him accusingly, still having not decided on what sweet to get, if any. Levi nods at his statement.

"You must've had a really bad reception, because it sounded a little disjointed."

Levi nods again, suddenly embarrassed about not being able to use his voice, about the things he said before on the rushed phone call.

"And I didn't have any credit, so I couldn't call you back, sorry."

Levi's gaze is averted when he sees the clock has turned to seven o'clock. His shift is over. Eren is providing a reason for him to leave. Eren is accepting his invitation.

"Although I'm wondering-"

"Wait right there, I'm just going to dump my uniform round back."

Levi sprints to where his locker is in the cold, garage-like staff room with stone grey walls. As he turns the key that he got from his small stash on his belt. He's buzzing. He's bouncing too, and that makes it a little hard to fumble with the back of his uniform string and get the damn thing off so he can get back to Eren and his green eyed glory.

Green eyes. Brown hair. A face of pure gold. Eyebrows that like to furrow, and a perfectly kissable, pink little mouth that sometimes twitches into a sweet, boyish smile. Levi hasn't ever seen a face quite like it before.

When he gets back, he hops over the counter like he's some kind of rabbit. Though he won't let anyone know how much he actually loves jumping over it, because they'd make fun of his height (not to his face, unless they don't know better). He grabs Eren's wrist and takes them both outside, where he knows Erwin is in his car by now. He's a punctual person, and it's about the only thing that Levi likes about him.

Eren yelps, and Levi thinks he can hear him saying "not again". They stop just before the car park, and Eren looks like he's going to (try to) tear Levi's face off.

"Dude! You can't just go about dragging me like that!" Eren's skin is inflamed bright pink where Levi pulled him.

"Uh, sorry. I didn't hurt you did I?" he rubs at the skin on Eren's wrist tentatively. What if Eren is sensitive to touch? He leaps back. What if, what if he has personal space issues or maybe he has OCD and hates dirty people-

Eren places a hand on his shoulder. It's warm, and suddenly Levi forgets his panic and melts into the touch with his heart beating much, much louder. He gulps as Eren stares him down, towering above him.

"Why… Why did you call me yesterday? I got the most random voicemail and I couldn't even understand it. And how did you- Oh. Wait. I gave you my number on that sheet. Right. Right…" Eren takes his hand away, still looking at Levi intensely.

Levi finds himself almost looking away. He's never been good with maintaining eye contact.

"I was trying to invite you to my house. My friend's house. We're… having a movie night." He shuffles his feet, looking down at them with a straight face.

His shoulders sag. "I'm sorry if I appear a little… odd. I've been told by my friends that I come across a little too forward at times, but I've got no harmful intentions, I swear."

He raises both palms to face Eren. If there's anything he's learnt, it's that his body language speaks much better than he ever will.

"I'm not trying to win you over with a sob story, but you said you'd talk to me, right? I'd like that."

Eren raises an eyebrow at him curiously. "You remember our conversation from my birthday?"

Levi's eye widen as he realizes with a skip in his heart that it means Eren remembered too. "Yeah, I was-"

"You must've been really drunk. You said some really weird stuff."

He'd been about to say "I was being serious when I said I wanted to touch your hair" but right around now, Hanji's advice will probably come in handy.

"I was drunk." Levi doesn't get drunk. "Very, very drunk."

He puts a hand on Eren's shoulder, mirroring his action from before. "So, you want to come to our place and watch movies?"

The car journey there is painful on Levi behalf.

"…" Erwin takes every opportunity to look over at him with either a smug smile or an "I can't believe you're actually bringing this guy home" smile. Maybe even a "I'm going to torture you about this later, and you fucking know it" smile.

His shoulders shake with silent laughter, and Levi is glad that Eren can't see Erwin's stupid face from behind the driver's seat.

Laugh all you want Erwin; but you don't even know why the guy's even in the car.

"Whereabouts do you guys live?" Eren pipes up from the back, because Levi has yet to discover how small talk works. He's trying, desperately so, but he can't think of anything to say, of what he should talk about, but this is a good start.

Levi opens his mouth to speak, and Erwin interrupts him. "In the industrial estate." Levi gives him a side glare, but Erwin doesn't flinch. Erwin is bastard.

"Oh, you mean in the new flats? I heard those were really expensive. Are you renting them?"

Along the way, Levi learns that Eren lives in the three storey flats up beside the River Maria. It's in a flood zone so it's pretty damn cheap, but the flood prevention programme that the government is wasting it's money on makes it really noisy outside his window. He lives with his brother and sister; Armin (apparently a "real smart dude") and Mikasa. Levi sends him a knowing glance when he starts talking and talking about how Mikasa is overly protective.

Since it's only a five minute drive, they have to stop mid conversation, and Levi wishes it could've never stopped. When you get Eren talking; he talks. His voice is mellow and musical. Both of those facts combined make Eren the perfect person to listen to, so much so that he's better than the radio, and much better than whatever shit is on the UK top 40. Normally Levi hates talkers, but this guy is obviously an exception. Maybe the only one.

Erwin pulls up in the parking space outside the wood panelled flat, and when Levi looks back in his seat, Eren looks a lot happier, more relaxed, than he was outside the store.

"This place looks really nice." Eren smiles, looking at the building through the window. Levi goes around to his door to open it, giving him a discreet smile of his own. (Levi loves being a gentlemen; he finds that out right there and then.)

"You look relieved." he says when Eren's outside the car.

Eren laughs, deep and right from the gut.

"I guess I am, I was expecting some kind of run down place with broken windows and graffiti everywhere. Some places in Trost are like that, but they're never really too bad. Not like the places in uh, say… Glasgow or Aberdeen. Yeah, although Armin once loved in Forres and he said that was terrible, like, not the town but the place he was living in and-"

He stops suddenly, and looks at Levi as they make their way inside to the yellow walled interior of the building. Their footsteps echo in the stairwell as they climb to the second floor.

"Wow. Sorry. I have a habit of turning a conversation into a one sided speech, you can tell me to stop talking if I get annoying." he smiles bashfully, running fingers through his hair.

He jumps a little when Levi gets closer to him, so that they're shoulders are brushing. The adam's apple in his neck bobs when Levi laughs quietly through his nose, with his mouth turned upwards at one corner. People like Eren… normally when people say things like that, Levi wants to wring their throat out because unless he snaps at them to shut up, they just keep talking.

But- and the fizzing feeling inside his stomach confirms this- he really likes it when Eren talks. It's better than him not being there at all, and it's damn fine to listen to him, or space out and pretend you're listening to him, when really you're just tuning out and looking at the shapes his mouth makes and wondering how they'd feel against your own lips and wondering what kind of "oh" shape they make when he-

"I don't mind you talking. It's nice to listen to. I bet you sing in the shower. Do you? I bet so. What else do you do in the shower? You know, some people mastur-" He cuts himself off, face burning while he mumbles for Eren to ignore him, whilst the latter chuckles uncomfortably.

He covers his mouth with the back of his hand. That's not good. He'll end up scaring him away again, and he just managed to get him inside his house-not his, yeah, but he also happens to live there-and…

Why is he clinging onto a complete stranger?

What is it about this guy that just makes him want to hold on so badly?

He can't hold a conversation with the guy, he's too nervous in his presence-Eren's kind of scared of him and thinks he's weird-and he doesn't really know Eren. Knowing what he looks like is just superficial (in Eren's case, he's "super-facial" because he's hot enough to star in one of Levi's rare pun jokes)

When they walk into their flat, Mike and Hanji are already there, playing Erwin's x-box. Ah. Levi needs to fix that.

"Oi, Shitty glasses. Beak. We're watching movies. Get your asses off that game console."

By some miracle; they do just that, and unplug the x-box from the mains without a word. Then Mike looks up to face them, peers in their direction slightly, and behind Levi, Eren squeaks.

"Michael?!" That's a name he hasn't heard before…

Mike's quite a shy person, so it comes as a surprise to Levi when he suddenly breaks into a huge smile and dumps the x-box controller in favour of making his way to Eren.

"You! I thought I recognised you! How're you doing? Ah, man, I just… God, I've got so much to ask you!" Mike not so subtly leans down to smell him, then smirks to himself. Eren doesn't seem to mind.

"Same!" Eren beams up at him. His eyes are glowing in the shady, curtain closed flat. "Why are you here, though?"

Mike stoops down from his height to hug Eren.

Levi wants to tell them no. He wants to pull them apart, instinctually, and his fingers are suddenly restless by his sides. It's just a friendly hug, but WHY is there a friendly hug between Mike and Eren?

"I ended up-"

"You guys know each other?" Levi folds his arms with his eyes narrowed in Mike's direction. Mike knows how he feels. He should know, at least.

Mike and Eren turn to look at him, as though they suddenly realize that they are still in company. They pull away, still wearing smiles.

"Mike was my therapist a little while back, when I was thirteen." he turns back to Mike. "Though that was in Buckie. Then he moved down to England to be with his girlfriend?"

Mike shrugs, and it's as though he's an entirely different person Levi knew from the usual staggeringly tall mop of blonde hair. Even past his huge nose, Levi can see him smiling and behind his fringe, his eyes glint happily.

"I moved back up after it didn't work out with her. I didn't know you knew about her..?"

"You introduced us at that music festival? You know, the one in Findhorn?"

Levi takes a sharp intake of air and goes to sit down on the couch. Hanji looks up at him, still trying to put away the tangled consoles and x-box.

As it turns out, Eren's voice seems much more worth listening to when it's talking to him.

"Hey Levi, people don't just randomly take people home. You didn't kidnap him, did you?" Hanji peers up at him from the floor, squinting into his glasses.

"People don't usually throw tables and chairs when they're angry, and yet there you are." he sneers.

A phone rings, and Eren pulls out his phone from his pocket, lifting it to his ear as he presses answer.

"…Aw what? You can't do that! I live there too y'know! I haven't got anywhere else to go!" Eren gestures angrily as he speaks. He cups his hand over the microphone.

"I don't suppose you guys could let me stay over here tonight? My roommate's kicking me out because he's got "company" pfft. Like that idiot could ever get laid. Uh, can I stay, please?"