Chapter Sixteen: Lounge Part 1
"There," Levi made the finishing touches on his waffles and set the plate of his favorite, fluffy treats, on the dining table to join the rest of the brunch he'd prepared for himself and Eren, while she continued to sleep the morning away. He scanned the table once more, making sure everything was in place before he gave a satisfied nod and started towards his guest bedroom.
He rapped lightly against the door and waited for an answer. After about a minute of silence, he sighed and gently cracked open the door.
"Eren?" he called softly, peeking into the opened door. He cracked a wide grin when he saw her sleeping form; she was sprawled out, with her limbs comfortably tangled in the white sheets of the guest bed. Her hair was strewn messily about her neck and the pillow she rested so soundly against. Levi walked into the room, quickly closing the distance between himself and the disheveled bed's occupant.
He tried to call her once more, "Eren, wake up," then reached down to move the wild mess of hair out of her peaceful, sleeping face, "it's time to eat." She responded to his touch, so he continued his light stroking until she came to completely.
While he waited for her to wake up, he studied her sleeping position, now that he was up close and personal. The top button on the night shirt had come undone, exposing a near sinful expanse of Eren's collarbone and décolleté. The lightly tanned skin looked smooth, delicate, and incredibly attractive as the gentle dips and curves rose and fell with each inhale and exhale of breath.
Levi felt his throat go dry and had to swallow a few times before he allowed his gaze to continue further down her sleeping form, which was messily covered by the wrinkled white bed sheet. Only one of her thighs was exposed, due to her sleeping position, and Levi had never been more thankful for bed sheets than at that moment. He couldn't imagine how much more restraint he'd need to keep himself from running his hands along those lean, softly sculpted calves and supple, soft looking thighs if both of her legs had been exposed. He could barely control himself seeing only part of one.
It was then that he noticed the duvet had been thrown to the other side of the bed, like it had been nearly kicked off completely. 'So she's a wild sleeper?' he thought, chuckling to himself as his attention returned to her face. He was met with hazy, turquoise eyes that stared up at him, almost unseeing, as if he were just a vision.
Eren stirred slightly, she felt soft, warm touches against her scalp and down the sides of her face. The touches were soothing and light, full of care and warmth. She couldn't help but remember back to her childhood, when Carla would run her warm, soft fingers through her hair to rouse her from sleep on her days off from school. There was no alarm, no screeching or hurrying, just a still, comfortable quiet, and gentle touches that were sometimes accompanied by melodic humming or a lowly sung tune. Remembering her mother brought not only a warm, fuzzy feeling to her chest, but also a distant sadness and a growing list of regrets.
When Eren finally opened her eyes, she wasn't sure what she expected to see, though her sleep ridden mind convinced her that she would see gentle brown eyes and a rounded face framed by soft brown locks and a small, welcoming smile. Instead she woke to concerned piercing gray orbs, a sharply featured face with a strong jaw line, and neatly combed, smooth black hair. The mouth belonging to the being – no to Levi – leaning over her bed, opened and closed quickly, however, her ears all but refused to recognize his words. She blinked a few times to rid herself of the wetness that suddenly blurred her vision, then tried to focus on his lips to read what he was saying.
"Eren? Are you okay? What's wrong?" Levi stared down, concerned for the young woman lying before him, she'd stared blankly at him, and for a moment he thought she was still upset from last night. But then she started crying, and he felt himself panic, 'What the hell, what's wrong, is she hurt? Did I scare her, is she still upset…does this have to do with last night…?' the thoughts of possible causes of her tears ran rapidly through his head as he attempted to get another response from her.
He kneeled at her bedside and grabbed a hold of her hand while he wiped another tear away before it rolled down her wet cheek. "Why are you crying?" his eyes were full of such deep concern, he only hoped that he wasn't the cause of the tears, and if he was, he hoped that he could make up for it in any way possible. It hurt him more than he wanted to admit to see her upset. When did she become so important? She'd practically – more like literally – tripped into his life and caused him to look at the world in a new light.
It wasn't as if their meeting had been a life changing experience, but everyday he felt himself growing more and more fond of their interactions, no matter how many or few they shared. He wanted to spend more time with her, get to know her better, and share more of his life and time with her. Hell, he'd gladly interrupt his daily schedule to see her, or even just to hear her voice.
Levi knew Eren was new to relationships and how they worked, but he found it increasingly more difficult, as each day passed, to believe that she'd never really been in one. What they had was too impossibly comfortable, and dare he say, almost too perfect, for someone who'd never played the field as he had in his younger years. A large part of him was impressed by Eren, while another felt responsible for educating her in how a partnership between two people should work, and yet another, selfish part of him was secretly glad that she'd never been with anyone before.
There was no baggage, well not any that he knew of, and she was essentially a perfectly clean canvas ready and willing to be brought to life with whatever colors he saw fit to add. Or so he'd thought. She was such a cheerful, strong, and absolutely stunning individual, but said lively being was now staring blankly at him, while silent tears rolled down her cheeks. She wasn't despondent; rather, she seemed devoid of all emotion…almost empty. And that scared Levi greatly, the brilliant white canvas he'd thought he'd found, now seemed to be a stained, possibly torn workspace that he wanted nothing more than to repair and delight.
"Eren." Levi tried calling out once more, this time with a much firmer, more forceful tone. He helped her sit up and gently shook her shoulders to bring the light back to her dulled, distant gems.
"Mom?" Eren said, just barely above a whisper. Levi narrowed his eyes and locked her face in between the palms his hands, gently running his thumbs across her cheeks.
"Eren, it's just me, it's Levi." He said slowly in a low, stern tone.
Eren suddenly snapped back to reality. She placed her hand over one of Levi's and grasped it tightly, he let her hold tighten and dropped his hand from her face, to allow her a better grip on it. "Levi…? What…was I…why am I crying?" she stared; confused for a moment before she remembered the odd dream-like state she'd been in.
He shook his head and started, "I'm not sure myself, but I'm glad you've stopped." Levi completely released her face and gripped her other hand as she began to move out of the bed. She'd pulled her limbs out of the tangle of the bed sheet and draped her legs over the side of the mattress.
He gave her a little pull and helped her get out of bed. Eren fell forward, her leg still numb from being trapped under the other, and into Levi's strong, and sturdy hold. His arms wrapped around her protectively and he let his hands rest right above the curve of her lower back, "Whoa, careful there sleeping beauty," he joked, hoping to lighten the mood. He was rewarded with a short lived giggle, and the majority of Eren's weight shifting off of him.
When he was sure she was stable enough to walk, he released her and moved back to give them both a little more personal space. It was then that he remembered his original purpose of waking up the clumsy, sleeping princess.
"First off, good morning," he paused and looked over at the bright red letters against his desk clock, "Or should I say afternoon," he quirked a brow which elicited a chuckle from Eren, "The food is ready to eat, I finished your laundry while you were sleeping this morning, so you're welcome to go change or join me in that," he gestured to the wrinkled, pleasantly revealing, borrowed night clothes Eren was wearing, "We've got a whole lot of nothing planned to do today, and the food is probably going to get cold if we stay here any longer, so whatever your choice is, make it snappy," he smirked, then turned to exit the room.
Eren stared at herself in the mirror; she'd rinsed her face several times with cold water, hoping that the slight puffiness and redness that came with her unexpected waterworks just moments before could be erased from her features.
Since Levi had only changed into another set of lounge clothes, Eren decided to stay in her borrowed threads and quickly joined him at the table after freshening herself up a bit.
She stared at the table, mouth agape in surprise at the generous spread that lay waiting for her. There were two place settings made out, both empty white plates had a glass of orange juice set next to them and were framed with set of polished silver utensils. In between the empty plates, were two small bowls of fruit, one had freshly cut fruit pieces and the other had whole berries, another small bowl was set next to the two fruit bowls, but this one held fresh, and delightfully fluffy whipped cream. There were two additional plates, each held a different stack of the fluffiest waffles Eren had ever seen, they were a little larger than the ones she made when she worked at the café and they looked delicious. She stared in both amazement and anticipation for delectable treat she was about to enjoy.
"This looks delicious Levi," she started, walking closer to table. She reached to pull out the chair but Levi beat her to it, he smiled at her as she sat down and pushed the chair in and invited her to serve herself, "Thank you," she smiled and waited for him to sit, before she started digging into the inviting spread.
She layered the first waffle, a plain Belgian according to Levi, with a generous serving of the freshly whipped cream and an equally generous serving of sliced strawberries, with a few blackberries to top it off. Without a second's hesitation, she cut into the perfectly crispy and fluffy pastry and brought the first forkful to her mouth. The cream had a hint of vanilla and was tastefully sweetened, it provided the perfect balance between the juicy, tart fruits and the savory flavor of the waffle which all worked together to create one satisfying and pleasant experience. Eren closed her eyes and smiled around her fork, letting the flavors sink in for a moment before she devoured the rest of the first waffle.
Levi watched her clean her plate with an amused expression, while eating at a much slower pace than Eren. The serenity on her face caused events from several minutes before to almost be pushed to the back of his mind, almost. He really wanted to bring it back up, but seeing her so happy, he decided to wait until they had a quiet moment later on in the day, after all, they had the whole weekend ahead of them, since they'd both agreed to free up their time for at least this weekend, and hopefully for others in the not too distant future.
By the time Levi had finished his first waffle, Eren had started inhaling her third. He was drawn from his thoughts when he saw her reaching across the table. She landed a playful helping of whipped cream on the tip of his nose and it took him completely by surprise. He stared at her, un-amusedly while he wiped the sweet cream from his face, "Eren, what the hell was that for?" he made sure to keep his voice devoid of the usual melodic and playful tone he used whenever he spoke with Eren.
"You look too serious; I just wanted to wipe that sour look off your face with something sweet." She grinned, all teeth and it took all of Levi's willpower to not fall prey to her brilliant pearly whites.
He took a deep breath, and then served himself another waffle. 'She wants to play a game, then so can I,' he thought to himself, making sure to keep his face completely devoid of expression, something he was more than well practiced in. He ate, stoic expression hiding his amusement when Eren began to stare at him. He pretended like nothing had happened and continued to enjoy his meal.
"L-Levi…? You aren't actually mad…are you?" she sounded so genuinely worried, he was tempted to crack a smile, but he had his mind set on the prize and he refused to settle. He briefly looked up from his plate, eyes drawn narrow and blank, then returned his attention to his meal, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I…um..." her flustered face was almost enough to break his resolve, but he managed to hang on bit longer, "I…is there anything I can do to make up for it?"
'There we go, that wasn't so hard now was it?' he thought, mentally patting himself on the back for sticking through and winning the grand prize. "If you're really sorry," he started without looking up from his plate, "then prove it."
Eren nodded, "I am sorry, I'll do anything you want, just tell me and I'll do!" Of course Eren was thinking something more along the lines of cleaning up the kitchen or helping him around the house, her thoughts were nowhere near the plane that Levi's were.
"Oh?" he said, finally looking up from his empty plate, he set his utensils down then sat back in his chair, "Then, if I asked you to clean this up, would that be a problem?"
Eren shook her head and quickly stood, ready to gather up the dishes and clean them, "No, of course not!"
Levi smirked and handed her his plate, "Then get to it, and when you're finished, come to the living room."
Eren nodded and offered a quick, "Yes sir," before gathering the remaining dishes and dashing into the kitchen. Levi chuckled to himself and walked over to his office nook to grab a book, before he started towards his comfy, cushioned chair. He watched as Eren flitted around his kitchen, she'd gotten quite familiar with it, so she didn't need to ask him where things went once she'd finished cleaning and drying them. Within minutes she'd finished and headed towards the living space to join Levi.
"I'm finished, what else do want me to do?"
'She's so eager to please,' he thought to himself before issuing the next 'order,' "Very good, now come here Eren." He beckoned her over to him; she walked until she stood directly in front of him as he sat in the chair. "Turn around," she stared down at him a moment, then with a small sigh, complied. She was now facing the wall where the clock hung, feeling more self conscious than she should because of how scantily clad she'd opted to stay, in favor of haste earlier in the day. She nearly jumped when she felt Levi's hands above her hips, "Sit," was the simple order he issued as his hands guided her down and between his spread legs.
Levi was sure Eren's face was impossibly red by now, and he momentarily regretted that he'd asked her to turn around. However, the view from the back wasn't something that he didn't appreciate. He'd never really taken the chance to look at it, but now that it was in his face, Levi could say with confidence that Eren Yeager had an exceptionally nice ass. When she was fit snuggly between his legs, he let himself lean forward and rest against her back for a moment before taking his teasing game a little further. He pushed her brown locks to the side and pulled down the back of the collar of the night shirt to expose more of her neck.
"Comfortable?" he breathed against the sensitive skin of her nape. When she nodded, Levi took that as his queue to proceed.
He started with quick, light kisses from the top of her neck down to the base, he noticed her subtle shudder when he kissed right below the nape, and decided to try something to further test the reaction. He pressed a firm kiss to the same spot, and then gave it an experimental lick. He wrapped his arms comfortably around her waist and continued his assault on her neck, lightly sucking the spot he'd previously kissed and licked. After sucking the skin red, he gently bit the reddened skin and then repeated the process.
Eren leaned forward slightly, to expose more of her neck to his sweet, pleasurable torture. Levi smirked at her actions and decided to reward her with more, light kisses along her neckline. He ghosted his breath over each spot before placing his lips against her skin, and then pulled away slowly in an attempt to tickle with each kiss.
The slow, quiet laughs that he elicited from Eren, soon rose in volume and frequency as she couldn't hold back her laughter from the teasing attention he gave her neck. "Ha-haha…hahaha" her giggles filled the room and Levi smirked against her skin, satisfied that he got what he was after. After seeing her so upset earlier, all he wanted was to hear her honest and pure laughter, not something forced or nervous.
"Eren, turn around." She let her laughs settle down and moved to comply with his request. The chair was plush and comfortable just like his chaise and love seat, but it was much too small and cramped for two people, no matter how comfortable it was for one person. Eren's long legs were bent and spread, her shins pressed against the back of the crushed velvet chair while Levi's hands rested on the thighs he'd admired and longed to touch.
He reluctantly removed one hand from her thigh and placed it against the small of her back for more support and comfort. After she'd adjusted a bit more, and stared down at him, awaiting the next request, he smirked and spoke once more, "Kiss me." Without a seconds hesitation Eren's mouth was slotted against his. Though he'd been the one to issue the order, he hadn't been expecting her to so eagerly respond.
He watched, with half lidded eyes, as her face drew closer. Her eyes were shut, and he was a little disappointed that he couldn't see their odd color which mesmerized him to no end, but his silent complaint was forgotten when he felt her tongue slide across his lower lip. With a smirk, he parted and allowed her to explore just as he had the evening before, 'She's quite the honor student,' he let her continue her curious prodding, but decided to take over the kiss before it got too messy, 'but she still so much more to learn.' Within seconds of his taking the lead, he had her red faced and heavily panting once she'd pulled away.
Seeing this as the perfect opportunity, he leaned forward and gave her one more, slow, sensual kiss before breaking away and kissing her cheek, indicating that this was as far as their lovemaking would go. When he pulled back and helped her settle comfortable in his lap, he looked down to see the most beautiful smile she'd ever given him. He felt his breath hitch in his chest and he pulled her towards him in a tight hug, silently thankful that she had chosen not to dress when he felt her warm, soft chest, pressed against his.
They'd stayed sitting in the chair for a while longer, wrapped in each other's embrace. Eren draped her legs over the arm rest and sat between Levi's parted legs, her head rested comfortably against his shoulder while her hands alternated between flipping the pages of the book he read aloud, and fiddling with the hem of the borrowed night shirt. Levi had an arm wrapped comfortably and securely around Eren's waist, while the other held the book he was reading in their laps.
After staying like this through the better part of the afternoon, Levi paused his reading and set the book down. He looked to Eren lying peacefully in his arms and studied her expression for a moment. She looked content and relaxed, but he could tell she still wasn't all there. There had been a few times where she'd zoned out completely and neglected to turn the page. He'd even asked her a few questions, like whether or not she was enjoying the read or if she was bored. Her responses were either delayed or devoid of emotion, and that was alarming to Levi. He was a psychology professor after all, he could tell by her actions, no matter how subtle, that she was distressed, and from the looks of things, possibly about more than one thing.
He wanted to try something different and change up the pace a bit, in hopes that she'd genuinely have more fun, or would feel the need or want to open up and share her troubles with him. He was more than qualified to give advice, though at this point, he was not sure he'd be able to completely separate his professional background from his emotional attachment to the young woman cradled so closely in his arms.
"Eren," Levi spoke lowly, he waited for her to respond. When she shifted, he continued, "Do you want to do something different tonight?"
Eren looked up from his chest and stared at him with a questioning look in her eyes, "That depends on what you mean by different."
Levi cracked a smile and planted a quick peck on her lips, "I mean, do you want to go out tonight? We should do something fun and exciting. Maybe a club or a nice lounge, something along those lines, how does that sound?"
Eren's brows knitted together in confusion for a moment before her features relaxed and her lips turned up in small smile. "Wait a second, you want me," she pointed to herself, "to go clubbing," she rocked her hips playfully in his lap, and finished by placing her hand on Levi's chest, "with you?" She let a short laugh escape before continuing, "I never thought, under any circumstance, that I would ever be invited to a club by a professor."
Levi let out a deep sigh and gripped her waist with a bit more force, "So is that a yes or no? Unless," he started with amusement present in his voice, then it quickly died away as he continued on, "you just want to keep rocking against me and see just how different this night can end for you," the playful nature of the threat was masked by his well practiced, stern and dark tone.
Eren shuddered at his touch and quickly shook her head, "That won't be necessary since we already have plans for tonight," she smirked and leaned in to kiss his lips before he could spout anymore teasing threats, "but if we're going out, I'm definitely going to need access to my closet…"
"Oh?" Levi smirked and pulled her down for one more, hungry kiss and loosened the grip on her waist.
"Yes, so if you wouldn't mind taking me home for a bit…?"
Levi nodded and she slid from his lap, "Alright, let's go get changed and we'll head over to your place." She practically skipped towards the laundry area and grabbed her freshly cleaned clothing before prancing back to the guest bedroom, all the while giving Levi an eyeful of her perfectly rounded and sinfully perky bottom.