Chapter Fifteen: Valentine
Levi sat on the chaise, kicking his feet up and letting out a relieved sigh when his back hit the soft cushioned material. Eren giggled when she watched him lay back, then walked behind him and bent over the seat.
"Rough day at work?" she laughed out. Levi just nodded weakly and released another deep sigh.
Eren reached down and lightly placed her hands on his shoulders. When Levi made no protest the touch, she began to gently knead them, using her thumbs to rub small but firm circles on the back of his neck to help ease his tension.
She smiled when she heard him sigh again, only this time, it sounded much less irritated and much more pleased. "Feel good?"
"Mhm." He leaned forward a bit from the chaise and Eren's nimble fingers wandered further down his back. "Feels great."
Eren found it more difficult to reach his lower back, as the back of the chaise prevented her hands from venturing further. She let out her own noise of annoyance and lifted her hands from Levi's tension filled back.
"Why don't you lie down? It will be easier to give you a proper massage."
Levi simply grunted and stood, then laid face down against the chaise. Eren pulled a throw pillow from the loveseat and handed it to him. "Thanks," he said, accepting it and resting his head atop it. He wrapped his arms around the pillow and turned his head to side, ready for Eren to continue her ministrations.
'Wow, he must be really exhausted. He's barely talking at all.' Eren thought to herself, feeling sad for how run down Levi was. They'd both had a busy week, but Levi had been in meeting after meeting, and two of his classes had exams the past week, one of the exams was during the regular class hour, but the other, for the more advanced students, was at night time. He'd stayed up late most nights during the week to finish reading through and grading the essays from the entry level course he taught, so he could free up Friday night and the weekend to spend with Eren.
The tension and stress from pushing himself definitely showed, he wasn't as energetic or as responsive as he usually was. Eren felt tempted to just call off their date night, and let him take a hot bath and go to bed early, he really looked like he needed it. She rubbed circles and swirls down his back, and then stopped right above his hips to concentrate on the tensed muscles of his lower back. She gently kneaded the tense flesh, then pushed a little harder to try and loosen the knots, alternating between firm pressing and gentle swirling motions until she felt him begin to relax.
She began to work back up his back, then to his neck, and back to his shoulders, applying both firm and gentle pressure all the way up. It was when she got back to his shoulders, that Eren noticed Levi had been watching her with a curious glint apparent in his gaze.
"Something wrong?" she asked, stopping her hands and letting them rest on his shoulders.
"Actually," he started to push himself up from the pillow, "I was just thinking…"
"Oh?" Eren asked, pulling her hands away as he pushed himself up completely and turned to sit upright. "What about?" She sat down next him on the chaise, letting her legs hang off the side.
"Us…" he stated, staring into her eyes, "you…" he reached out and lightly ran his fingers along her jaw line.
"What about us… and me?" she asked, feeling her cheeks heating up at the contact.
He dropped his gaze from her eyes to her lips, "About kissing you," his thumb gently swept over her bottom lip, "about how we've never shared an adult's kiss."
"An adult's kiss?" Eren leaned forward into his hand; she placed hers over his and pressed her lips to his palm.
"Eren, can I kiss you?" she tightened her grip around his hand at the question, then slowly released it as she nodded, staring into his eyes with honest curiosity.
He smiled, and then leaned forward, letting their lips meet gently, innocently. He watched as she closed her eyes and then pulled back just enough to separate their lips. He pulled her forward, and positioned her in his lap. She sat comfortably on his thighs with her knees on either side of his hips, while her hands rested on his chest.
He laughed lightly at her confused and slightly widened eyes, then pulled her down to meet his lips again. He hummed softly into the kiss, then pressed forward with a little more force. His hand remained on the back of her neck, keeping her in place as he started to lean forward more and intensify the kiss.
Levi wrapped his free arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She pushed lightly on his chest and he loosened his grip and allowed her pull back from the kiss.
Levi watched as her mouth opened while she panted lightly, making her already flushed face all the more enticing. He smirked, then leaned forward to connect their lips again. This time, Eren pressed herself closer to deepen the kiss, he smiled against her lips and broke away from her again, "Shall I teach you how lovers kiss Eren?"
She leaned back and rested her weight on his lap, "Is it that much different from what we've been doing?"
"A little," he smirked, "but I'm sure you'll enjoy it." He pressed a light kiss to her nose and then pulled her back towards him. "It may feel weird at first, but I want you to just try and get used to the feeling, so try not to fight back alright?"
Eren quirked a brow, then nodded in agreement. Levi smirked and pulled her to meet his lips again, he began to move his lips against hers, gently at first, then with more pressure. He slipped his tongue out and licked and lightly sucked on her bottom lip before separating their lips again.
"Good, now open your mouth."
She stared at him for a moment, then parted her lips in a small 'o.' He leaned forward covered her opened mouth with his own. He felt her tense slightly, and he wrapped his arm more firmly around her waist, he caressed the side of her face until he felt her relax against him again. Taking this a sign to continue, his slipped his tongue out and passed her parted lips, gently prodding and licking along the way.
He opened his eyes slightly to see Eren's wide green eyes staring back at him in surprise. He narrowed his eyes and smirked against her opened mouth. He continued to slide his slick muscle in and out, then playfully toyed with her own, trying to get her used to the feeling of his tongue invading her mouth.
When he felt she'd gotten used to the feeling, he pulled back again, licking her lips as his tongue left her mouth and their lips separated.
"How was that?" he asked, resting his hands on her hips and gently kneading the soft flesh.
All he got in response was stupefied Eren, staring back at him with her mouth slightly agape, her lips still moist and slightly swollen from the kiss. "W-weird… but…"
"But?" he quirked a thin black brow.
"M-more." She leaned forward and firmly pressed their lips together, wrapping her arms around his neck to press their bodies even closer than before.
Levi smiled into the kiss and slipped his tongue back into her mouth. After a few seconds of him exploring her again, he felt her tongue curiously bump his. It was a slow, wet, and slippery dance that soon escalated to a vigorous battle.
Eren tried her best to keep up with Levi's pace, but soon found her own inexperience to be glaringly obvious when she forgot how to breathe, and had to break away from his mouth again. "Hah… haah…huh," her chest rose and fell with her quick, shallow breaths.
"You have to remember to breathe through your nose Eren," he chuckled and pressed another quick kiss to the tip of her nose, "or we can't continue."
Levi smirked and took the opportunity press quick, light kisses against her jaw line while she caught her breath. He pushed her hair back, and let it fall behind her shoulder, and then he latched onto her neck, right below her jaw and lightly nipped and sucked on the sensitive flesh.
He moved further down her neckline, then pulled the collar of her sweater to expose more of her clavicle. He pressed his lips just under her collarbone and licked the spot he intended to mark. He lightly bit the spot, then licked and sucked on it until he heard Eren mewl. He stopped sucking on the tender spot and looked up to see Eren's eyes half lidded, and lips parted and moist.
"Eren." He whispered, then pulled her back down to meet his lips, watching as her eyes slipped shut again as he slid his tongue back in to invite hers to play. He continued his slow, and playful assault between her lips until he felt his own growing arousal. He pulled back and held her head between his hands.
"We had better start getting ready for our date, don't you think?"
She tried to press her lips against his again, he allowed a light peck, but then pulled her back to a sitting position on his lap. "Unless you want to just stay in tonight?" He smirked and leaned back in to give her one more, deep kiss.
"I like that idea better." She smirked and leaned against him, resting against his chest and letting his hand run through her hair.
They'd settled on staying in and watching a romantic comedy while waiting for their dessert to finish setting. Levi prepared dinner while Eren was left in charge of dessert.
Levi had given her free reign over any of the ingredients in his pantry, which she found to be well stocked, to prepare their dessert for their impromptu night in. She gathered the ingredients for simple, but delicious chocolate covered strawberries and espresso truffles and got to work.
She started with the truffles first, since they had to set and harden in the fridge before they could be rolled and coated in their toppings. She poured the cream and espresso powder into a small saucepan to let it heat and combine.
Levi watched while she stirred the darkening cream mixture. After a few moments, Eren removed the hot liquid and slowly stirred in the broken and chopped bits of chocolate. 'I can get used to this,' he thought as he walked over and peeked around her to watch her work. "Smells good, what are you making?" He continued to watch as the chocolate melted in the cream.
Eren paused her stirring and reached forward to grab the Kahlua, she measured a small amount of the liqueur and poured it into the warm mixture. "Truffles," was her simple answer. Next she added a few generous drops of vanilla extract and gave the pleasantly fragranced mixture a few more good stirs. "Could you bring me a bowl?" she asked, turning her head and smiling when saw how close Levi was, "and plastic wrap too if you have any."
Levi smirked and leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss to Eren's lips before fulfilling her request. "Sure thing," he walked around her, and searched through two different cabinets, before returning with her requested items.
"Thank you," a light blush was still present on her cheeks from the unexpected kiss as she poured the mixture into the bowl and then covered it with the plastic wrap. She placed the bowl in the fridge, then returned to the counter space she'd been working at to gather the dirtied dishes and drop them in the sink.
Eren rinsed the strawberries while Levi got to work on preparing their dinner. He'd bought fresh tortellini from an organic market earlier in the week, but found himself either too busy or too tired to cook it before now. He set a pot of water on the stovetop and waited for it to heat up before tossing the premade pasta bites into the boiling bath.
The two worked on their own separate ends of the kitchen to prepare their additions to their romantic night in. Eren finished coating the strawberries in chocolate, she left some plain, and topped a few with crushed almonds and pecans, then set them on rack to drip dry and harden. Levi pulled two petite steaks from his fridge and silently thanked his inner chef for picking up the pricey cuts of meat. He placed a pan on the burner that Eren had previously used and turned the heat to high. He dropped a sliver of butter into the pan and rotated it to coat the bottom.
Once he deemed the pan hot enough, he dropped the two filets in and let the meat sear. While the meat cooked, he reached around Eren, who was washing the last of her dishes and grabbed the freshly washed and dried sauce pan that she'd used for the truffle base. He prepared the white cheese sauce for the pasta and left it to reduce down to a thick and smooth reduction. Turning his attention back to the meat, he flipped it and allowed the other side to cook before placing it on a ceramic plate to rest. Using the same pan, he added the sliced mushrooms and let them brown, and then poured a small amount of wine to deglaze the pan, he turned the heat down to medium. After a minute, he added broth and a few spices, and brought the sauce to a gentle boil.
"Eren," she turned her head away from the dishes she was putting away to look at Levi, "Can you hand me the black tongs from the third drawer," she followed his pointing finger to the drawer and rinsed her hands. She quickly dried them on the apron Levi insisted she wear, and then hurried to find the tongs.
"These right?" she held up the item as she looked over her shoulder.
"Yes, thanks," he took the tongs and began tossing the pasta in the steaming pot in front of him. He turned the dial on the stove to lower the heat and gave the pasta one more quick toss before returning his attention to the cheese sauce for the nearly al-dente tortellini.
Eren returned to the sink to finish cleaning the dishes she'd used to prepare their dessert. She finally finished drying the last of the dishes and turned to Levi; she walked up behind him and looked over his shoulder, "Can I help with anything?"
Levi took a step to the side and offered her wooden spoon he'd been stirring the tortellini sauce with, "Don't stop stirring until I tell you," then turned his attention back to the pasta. He removed the pot and drained the water out, saving the tortellini in a colander; he transferred the pasta into a clean, ceramic bowl then set it on the counter next to Eren. "Alright, go ahead and sauce it," he set out two plates, and began to plate the filet mignon and drizzle the mushroom wine sauce over the warm meat.
After Eren finished tossing the pasta to coat it with the sauce, she went to the fridge and pulled out a few ingredients to make a quick salad. "I feel like I've done this before," she laughed out, smiling widely as she tossed the greens together. Levi chuckled and set both plates on the dining table while Eren served the salad in two bowls. She set them next to their plates, then sat, and waited for Levi to return with their silverware and drinks.
He set two wine glasses down on the table along with the bottle he'd used to flavor the mushroom sauce and quirked his brow at Eren's elated expression. He went back to the kitchen, and shortly returned with a green bottle of sparkling water. He smirked when he saw her pout while he opened the bottle and poured it into her glass. "What, you didn't think I'd let you drink did you? You're still underage Eren." He smiled as he served himself from the wine bottle, feeling a strange mix of satisfaction and amusement when she stuck out her tongue in defiance and mock annoyance.
"You could at least let me have a taste," she pouted, turning her attention to the meal in front of them. "This looks amazing."
"Shall we?" Levi chuckled when Eren nodded her head and picked up her utensils.
They ate in a comfortable silence, save for Eren's whining noises when Levi refilled his glass with wine and hers with water. "Do you really want it that badly?"
Eren puffed her cheeks and shook her head as she mumbled against her glass, "No, I can wait," then took a drink of the sparkling water Levi bought and saved for whenever she came over.
"Wait?" Levi raised his brow, 'Hmm, I don't actually know her birthday do I?' he thought as he took another sip from his glass.
"Yes, I can wait. I'll be 21 soon anyway." She smiled against the glass and set it down to finish off the last of her meal.
"And how soon is that?"
"Soon enough." She countered, raising her brow in a mock challenge. Levi let a small laugh escape, 'Is this another way of pouting?'
"When is your birthday?"
"Next month." She answered without a hitch.
"What day?"
"The day I was birthed."
"Alright smartass," he shot back, "If you're not going to tell me, then I'll just ask one of your friends, what was the blonde's name again? Armon…Armint?" He smirked at the annoyance present on her face. "Or better yet, how about I ask Kirstein, he seems rather fond of you. Even if he doesn't know, it'd be fun to see how he tries to figure it out, don't you think?"
Eren let out a huff at the mention of Jean, "Oh please, as if he'd know anything about me." She rolled her eyes dramatically and pushed her plate forward to indicate she was done with the meal and the conversation. "And his name is Armin, you know that."
She stood and carried her plate to the sink. Levi sighed, and soon joined her. 'Maybe I took the joke a bit too far?' he thought to himself as he rinsed the dishes and left them to soak in the warm soapy water.
"Want to watch a movie?" he asked, hoping to pull her mind away from his teasing. After a few seconds of silence, he heard a soft sigh, soon followed by a "sure" from the living room.
Eren settled on the sofa as Levi thumbed through his assortment of DVDs, "Anything in particular you want to watch?" He pulled two titles and continued to search for the third; he'd planned on at least narrowing down the selection a bit, but the final decision would be left up to Eren.
"Not really," she paused and picked up one of the throw pillows, hugging it against her chest as she smiled, her earlier annoyance all but forgotten as she spoke, "as long as I'm with you, I'm sure anything will be enjoyable," just as the words left her mouth, she half-hid her face in the pillow, feeling a bit embarrassed by how forward and terribly honest the statement was. She didn't regret her words, but couldn't help the shy and nervous feeling she still had whenever she spent time alone with Levi.
He smirked, and stood from his crouched, searching position. He set his selection out on the coffee table in front of a, now fully hidden, Eren, she held the pillow over her face to cover the all too familiar blush that seems to have taken permanent residence on Eren's face ever since she met Levi.
Eren felt Levi's weight on the sofa as he sat, yet still refused to lower the pillow, feeling far too comfortable hidden behind the soft, velvety fabric. Her squeak was muffled by the pillow, as Levi wrapped an arm around her slowly relaxing shoulders, and pulled her towards him. He held her comfortably with his arm and leaned back into the sofa, while his other reached for the remote and started the first movie. He figured since Eren didn't have a preference that he'd just pick the one he thought that she would enjoy the most, the movie was called "Valentine's Day," so it seemed a safe and overly appropriate choice.
After clicking through the previews, he finally reached the start menu and clicked play, then set the remote down and turned to look down at Eren. She'd squirmed and managed to put herself in a more comfortable position while Levi had started the movie. She lay with her head resting right below the junction of his shoulder and neck, with her legs curled up comfortably. He smiled down at her and brushed the hair out of her face, leaving his hand to rest on her head, while occasionally strumming through the chocolate tresses.
Right about the point in the film where the two, ridiculously and obnoxiously 'in-love' high school sweethearts came on screen, Levi felt the urge to look down at Eren's face again. His gray eyes were met with a pair of curiously wide green ones, and a content expression which he felt that he would do anything to see more of and keep. He gently ruffled her hair, then leaned down to place a light kiss on her exposed forehead before returning his attention to the clothed nearly-sex scene being broadcasted to the unfortunate viewers of whatever station that was currently videotaping these 'minors-in-love.' He chuckled to himself and silently wished that he'd missed that part of the film.
Another twenty minutes into the movie and Levi felt his shoulder going stiff; he shifted slightly to relieve a bit of the discomfort without disturbing Eren's position, though thankfully, she took the hint and repositioned herself. Pillow still in hand, she curled her legs in more, and laid her head down on Levi's lap, after several seconds of adjustment, she settled and the two continued to watch the movie. Levi's hand eventually returned to her head, gently pressing his fingers against her scalp and running them through her hair.
After another half hour of the attention, Eren felt her body relax so completely that she eventually slipped into a light sleep. Levi noticed almost immediately that her breathing pattern had changed, her chest rose more evenly, and she was breathing a bit slower than before.
"Eren?" he softly cooed, testing to make sure he was correct, when she didn't answer, he smiled and stopped the movie from playing, then powered off the television. He let his hand rest on her shoulders, and then leaned back further into the velvety cushions to take a well deserved nap himself.
The two lay there, both feeling comfortable and safe as they napped away the next hour of their mildly romantic and wonderfully relaxing evening.
Levi awoke when he felt a cool wetness spreading on his shirt, he opened his eyes and quickly blinked the sleep away to try and reorient himself. He had a dull ache growing in his shoulders and realized that he'd unconsciously shifted in his sleep to accommodate Eren, who now lay between his legs, arms latched around his waist and face buried in his shirt. After a few moments of admiring her tranquil, yet endearingly disheveled form, he stroked his fingers through the messy mop of brown locks that obscured most of Eren's sleeping face from view, and brushed them into a more orderly position.
He would've laughed had it not been for the small grimace that momentarily usurped his features when he realized the source of the wetness and discomfort.
Eren's mouth was slightly agape, and pressed into Levi's shirt, with a thin line of drool spilling from it. After taking a second to get over the wetness, which really shouldn't bother him considering he'd all too willingly explored her mouth earlier in the evening, he took the opportunity to study her sleeping features fully. The way her cheek was squished up reminded him of their age difference, Eren seemed fine with it, but he still couldn't help but brood over the fifteen year gap, especially when Eren looked so much younger while asleep. Her supple skin, thick, dark lashes, and plump pink lips served only to remind him of her youth, the small blemishes that peppered her newly adult skin didn't exactly help ease his internal conflictions either.
He continued to play with her hair, hoping that the gentle stimulation would rouse her, however it only served to make her more comfortable, which Levi noticed as her grip tightened around his waist. He let a small chuckle escape and settled for lightly drawing shapes on her back with his fingers. After several more minutes of this, he recalled that he'd left a book that he'd started earlier in the week on his silver side table. Stilling his hand between her shoulder blades, he twisted and reached out for the book, which had been left just as he remembered.
He settled back down and continued to stroke along her back while he opened the book to where he last left off, 'looks like I'm going to be here for a little while, might as well do something,' he thought as he began his read.
He occasionally glanced back to see if Eren showed any signs of waking, after almost an hour of this, he felt her stir. He placed the marker back in his book and set it on top of the cushions of his sofa.
Eren snuggled into the warmth below her, but opened her eyes when she felt the wetness from her own drool on her cheek. She absentmindedly rubbed her eyes and wiped the side of her mouth before pulling away from the warmth and looked down, then up and around, trying to let her position settle in. After a few more moments of letting her eyes wander, Eren's confused and sleep glazed emerald eyes met Levi's amused gray ones, she felt her cheeks heating up at the smug look on his face, then realized how tightly she was wrapped around him. She eased her arms from around his waist, and then moved to push herself up.
Levi reached out and brought Eren back down before she could escape; he easily guided her back between his legs and pulled her to settle further up his chest. He firmly grasped her waistline with one hand and stroked along her jaw line with his free hand. He guided her lips to his own, smirking into the kiss as he watched her eyes flutter shut. It was an innocent kiss that lasted only a few seconds, one meant to show care and adoration rather than lust and desire. Levi pulled back, a small smile still adorning his lips. Eren offered him a gentle smile of her own and laid her head just below his jaw.
They stayed like this, silently basking in each other's presence for several minutes while Levi returned to stroking Eren's hair, it was becoming one of his new favorite pastimes for quiet moments.
Eren hummed against his touch, and pressed a few light kisses to his neck before questioning, "What time is it?"
"Time for dessert." Levi chuckled, feeling the tickle of her lashes against his neck as she blinked.
Eren sat up and looked down at Levi, Hhmm, that sounds about right," she leaned down and pressed one more, light kiss against his lips then pushed herself up completely and made her way to the kitchen. After a few moments of shuffling about, she called to the living space, "Do you want to help me with the truffles?"
Levi sat up from the small sofa and let his tired body stretch, hearing the satisfying sound of popping; he stood and joined Eren in the kitchen area, "I'd love to."
He popped back into his room to change into a fresh shirt, then returned to the kitchen to wash his hands. Once he'd thoroughly washed and dried them, he turned to watch Eren as she scooped the solidified mixture she'd made earlier and shape it into small balls.
"What should I do?"
"Do you want to make them or decorate them?" she questioned without looking up.
He noticed how well she seemed to be forming and opted for the later. "Decorating sounds fun."
Eren paused and rinsed her hands, then returned to the counter space and revealed the pre-chopped and separated nuts and powders. She did a quick demonstration of coating a few of the balls in the cocoa powder, then in almonds, or pecans. After leaving Levi at his station, she returned to her own to continue forming the decadent chocolate orbs.
Once they'd finished, Eren placed them back in the fridge and both she and Levi set to clean up the rest of the kitchen. Once Levi deemed it satisfactory, he sat at the table and poured them each a glass of champagne, hoping that this would make up for his earlier teasing and refusal to let Eren have any red wine. Eren prepared the dessert plate, making alternating rows of chocolate covered strawberries and truffles until she was happy with the look of it.
She set her work on the table and stared, surprised by the beige, bubbly liquid in the fluted glasses. She sat and quirked a brow at Levi when he raised his glass and gestured for her to do the same, "Happy Valentine's Day Eren," he lightly tapped his glass against her own in a tender toast, before taking a sip and encouraging her to do the same.
Her eyes widened when she tasted the sweet, bubbly liquid, "Wow, this is really delicious," she took another sip and hummed against the glass, a content smile present on her face.
Levi chuckled, "Don't drink it all at once; you're not getting another glass, so savor what you have." He set his own glass down and reached out to try one of the strawberries. 'I'm glad I picked up a sweeter variety, it goes well with this fruit,' he thought appreciatively to himself. He smirked as he popped a truffle into his mouth, relishing in the small pout on Eren's face, and continued to enjoy their night time dessert platter.
"These are great," he said, trying to lessen the slowly creeping guilt he felt for teasing her so much. With a sigh, he uncapped the bubbly drink and refilled his and Eren's glass, hoping that she'd grace him with her beautiful smile once more. Just as he'd hoped, a surprised and bright smile filled her face as he filled up her glass, "That is your final glass, I'm serious this time Eren, so don't drink it too quickly."
She nodded her head and took another sip of the sweet liquid, a light blush already appearing on her cheeks. 'I guess she would be a lightweight, but it still shouldn't be affecting her this quickly…' Levi sighed and pulled the now, half-empty glass away from Eren. To distract her, he reached across the table and popped one of their truffles between her parted lips, whatever protest she'd spread them for, died as soon as the chocolate hit her tongue. She happily accepted the chocolate, and leaned forward for another as soon as she finished off the first offering.
Levi laughed at her display and pressed a strawberry to her lips next. Two bites in, and the succulence of the fruit showed itself, some of the strawberries' juice spilled past Eren's lips and dribbled down to her chin. Before Eren could wipe it herself, Levi reached over and swept the juice up himself, then brought it to his lips to lick his thumb clean. Eren finished off the strawberry and reached down to grab a dessert and feed it to Levi.
She placed the strawberry to his lips and giggled as he took it all in one bite. He slid her drink back over, but she paid it little attention for the rest of their dessert session. Levi had nearly emptied the bottle by the time she reached the bottom of her flute.
"It's late, what do you say we clean this up and get ready for bed?" Levi posed, picking up what remained of their dessert and walking it over to the kitchen.
With a faint pink tinge still apparent on her cheeks, Eren softly spoke, "That sounds good to me," after a few moments, she joined Levi in the kitchen then spoke again after thinking about the offer, "I don't have any other clothes to wear though," she pulled at the gray sweater she'd worn all day for emphasis. To help set the mood for the day, she'd purposely worn the slightly oversized sweater since it was one of the only articles of clothing she owned that had heart on it. A large, white polka-dotted heart took up space on the front it. She wore burgundy tights and a comfortable skirt to complete the cute and simple look.
Levi chuckled, "Oh? I wasn't aware we needed any clothes tonight, but maybe that was my mistake." He glanced over to see her mouth fall open and cheeks turn a deeper shade of pink at his teasing implication.
"H-huh? W-well…I guess…um but…" He bit his lip to hold back his laughter at her nervous fidgeting.
"I'm just kidding Eren, it's alright." He paused and dried his hands, then reached up to place his head on her head, "I don't think either of us are quite ready for that, not now at least." He pulled her head down slightly and pressed a kiss to her forehead, "You can borrow something of mine for the night while your clothes are being washed, I'll go start a bath in the guest room for you while you finish up here."
"R-right, that sounds good." She nodded and focused on finishing up in the kitchen while Levi walked towards the guest bedroom to start Eren's bath.
He rinsed the tub out, then plugged it and let the hot bathwater fill the small basin. While the tub filled, he returned to his bedroom to pull out his favorite bath salts and searched through his drawers for a night shirt and a pair of clean boxer shorts. Once he found the items, he returned to the guest bathroom and added the salts to the water, then placed his neatly folded clothes on the counter space in plain view for Eren to see when she walked in. Satisfied with the water's temperature, and feel, he left the bathroom and returned his own room to draw his own bath for the night.
As he passed the kitchen area, he noticed Eren on her phone, he called out to her, "Your bath is ready, I left a change of clothes next the sink and there are clean towels already in there. Come to me if you need anything. Goodnight Eren."
"O-okay, thank you. G-goodnight Levi." She said back, and then returned her attention back to the bright screened device in her hands. He wanted to ask her if something was wrong, but decided against it, 'she'd let me know if it was something she felt like sharing,' he thought, then continued to his own room for a much desired dip in the hot, and relaxing water of his oversized tub.
After Levi left the room, Eren made her way to the bathroom, grimace plain on her face as she re-read the message.
[Received 11:46 PM] Mikasa: I know you're not home Eren. Armin and I stopped by earlier to check on you, but you weren't there. I know it's Valentines and it's your life, but please be responsible tonight. We're worried about you, don't let that little man take advantage of you, and call me if you need help.
Eren couldn't help the indignant huff that escaped her lips as she set her phone, none-too-gently, on the bathroom counter and began to undress. 'my love life is none of your business, what the hell was that text supposed to mean Mikasa' she thought to herself, as she quickly stripped down and threw her clothes into a messy pile in the corner of Levi's pristine guest bathroom. With one more sigh, she dipped her foot into the water to test it out, and then stepped fully into the tub before lowering her body into the comfortably hot bath. She felt the tension and annoyance directed towards her friends melt away into the water as she slipped further down, letting the water cover her shoulders.
After soaking for a good thirty, nearly forty minutes, Eren reached forward and grabbed the conveniently placed hand towel and lowered it into the warm water. She doused the wet towel with a generous amount of sweet smelling body wash and got to work on cleaning away the grime that accumulated from her day, starting first with her arms then working all the way down to her feet. Feeling satisfied with her scrub down, she relaxed back into the water for a few moments longer, then reached forward to unplug the tub and let the bathwater drain out.
As the water drained, she stood and left the tub, in search of a towel. She was pleased to find the towels were oversized and plush, and dried herself before dropping the towel and kicking it half-hazardly to join the pile of dirty laundry. After covering her softened skin with lotion, she quickly slipped on the spare clothing Levi had set out for her.
She laughed at her own image, the silken night shirt hung just past her hips; though she was pleasantly surprised to find that boxer shorts fit her like a pair of snug athletic shorts. She finished buttoning up the top, then tried to encourage her hair to dry faster by running a hand towel through it to soak up the excess water.
After searching for a few minutes, she was able to find toothpaste, but no extra brushes. Sighing, she left the guest wing and walked over to Levi's side of the loft. She paused in front of the bathroom door when she noticed the light was off, then turned to knock on, what she assumed was, his bedroom door. "Levi, sorry to bother you," she called softly from behind the door. After a few moments of quiet shuffling, she heard footsteps and then the door was opened.
Levi stood before her in a pale blue button down nightshirt and matching pants that had a somewhat disturbing print of what appeared to be a naked human covering the fabric. "Something wrong Eren?" he questioned as he adjusted his thin black frames while trying to ignore how very appealing she was, dressed in only his clothing.
"A-ah no, it's just I couldn't find a toothbrush and I don't exactly have one on me at the moment so-"
"Sorry, I should have pulled one out for you." He stepped out from behind the door and walked down to the guest bathroom, with Eren following closely behind him. After a moment, he emerged from the room she'd previously been in with a brand new brush and the pile of dirty laundry she'd left on the floor. "Here, anything else?" He handed her the brush and she shook her head, he then walked past her, towards his laundry area.
Eren brushed her teeth and set the brush aside before giving herself one more once over and leaving the bathroom.
"Is there anything special that you do for any of this?" Levi called over the sound of the water filling the washing machine.
Eren scrunched her brows for a moment at the question then realized what he was asking. She rushed over to the laundry area and all but ripped the clothing from Levi's grasp. "I-I can do it, i-it's fine, thank you though." She said, breath sounding labored.
Levi raised his brow, but said "Alright," nonetheless. He raised his hands and let her get to work on her laundry, though he stood close by to make sure she didn't botch any of the settings on his machine, and to be of assistance if she needed it. It wasn't that complicated of a machine to use, but it was one of the newest models of the brand, so it had a fair amount of technology put into it. When she'd finished preparing the load, she turned and looked at Levi hesitantly then just as quickly turned away again.
"Eren?" he questioned, walking a bit closer to her, he noticed how red her cheeks were, 'Surely she's not sick?' he thought, "Is everything alright?" he reached out his hand and lightly pressed the back of it to her forehead. "You're not getting sick on me are you?" he smiled a little and retracted his hand when she shook her head.
"No, that's not it, I'm fine!" she looked down and played with the hem of the borrowed shirt.
"What's wrong?" He forced his gaze away from her supple, bare legs, and directed it back towards her red face.
"I- I just, I wanted to thank you for today…and for tonight. It was fun, and I-" she paused and took a deep breath, "thank you for not…well, expecting anything from me," as if possessed by a courageous spirit, she continued on, "I'm new to this whole relationship thing and…I'm really happy that we're taking things slow…and that you're willing to put up with me and…well, just wait."
Levi's eyes widened as she spoke. The thought of taking her in his bed that night had never once crossed his mind, and he realized that that was because she'd never made any indication of wanting that. Sure, he'd teased her a few times, but it was entirely impossible not to tease Eren, she was too cute when she was flustered. She was by no stretch of the word promiscuous. Eren was pure, innocent and terribly honest in all of her actions, those qualities are what initially attracted Levi to her, and he realized that he wanted to preserve those things, rather than corrupt them. She was quickly becoming someone very special to him, and the rate at which was happening was extremely alarming.
"I…" he smiled and reached out to caress her cherry-hued cheek, "of-course Eren. It's not something you need to thank me for; we're both in this relationship. You have just as much say in what goes on as I do, so please, don't ever feel too scared or shy to voice your desires. We can take things as slow as you'd like. I don't ever want you to feel forced to do anything. Understand?"
Eren smiled shyly, nodding into Levi's gentle touch. "I understand. Thank you." His hand fell from her cheek and grasped the ends of her still damp hair; he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the brown lock then let it fall back in place to join the rest.
"Goodnight Eren, sleep well." He smiled and walked past her, pausing for several seconds at his bedroom door to hear her own "goodnight," and watch her return to the guest bedroom. He couldn't help but admire the view of her perfectly rounded bottom barely hidden beneath his shirt and shorts. 'I could get used to this too,' he thought as he closed his door and shut off the lights for the last time that night.