Those Three Words
Summary: All the three word phrases Eren and Levi said to/about each other as their relationship changes and gives them a whole new meaning.
32. I love you. (Not canon, Levi to Eren, after everything) (Levi) (Eren POV)
Eren's not sure what brought it on, but suddenly, one day, out of the fucking blue, Levi sprang those words at him and Eren felt his brain crash and burn at the surprise and suddenness of it.
"I love you."
That's what Levi had just said. Those were the exact words his lover of three months had just told him, with no prompt or apparent reason when they had both been stumbling over themselves not to let the words slip before they were ready.
Well, seems like Levi was ready.
Eren just didn't know what brought this on.
"You don't have to say anything back," the older man said after a long moment of Eren giving no other response than to gawk at Levi. Eren had been in the middle of dusting off some shelves in the library and Levi had just walked in and told him he loved him. It was a miracle Eren hadn't fallen off of the chair he was using to reach the highest shelves and break his neck. "I just wanted to let you know. I figured what with you being the first one to make a move, it would only be fair if I said those words first in return."
Eren furrowed his brow at that as he carefully got to the floor so they can have this conversation like semi-normal human beings. "You don't need to think like that. If you think I doubted your commitment or something, I'm sorry for making you feel that way, but I assure you that never once have such thoughts crossed my mind."
"It's not that at all, brat," Levi said with a roll of his eyes. "I've been ready to say it for a while now, but I always fell back into old habits of just trying to show it. But if the mess from eight years ago is anything to go by, words are just as important as gestures and actions, therefore I figured I should tell you. And you still didn't seem ready, so I figured I could be the one to do it first."
Een just blinked at him incredulously. "Levi, I've honestly been ready to tell you that I love you since before we first returned to Shiganshina. I knew my life could come to an end at any moment and it made me realize quite a few things, those first few months, and that's even before the Attack Titan shit started. One of the first thing I realized was the things I'd regret not doing and telling certain people what they meant to me was at the top of the list, especially you. Fuck, I think I've had a crush on you since I first saw you ride out of Shiganshina as a kid. The moment I realized I loved you was in the Crystal Cave, where all I could think about was making sure you don't die because of my own stupidity or something. In my whole life, you were the only one who ever let me choose something and live with the consequences without some shitty 'told you so' moment or speech afterwards. That's eye-opening for someone in my situation, you know? To realize that someone out there exists who would accept you as you are, no questions asked. I literally had to bite my tongue back to not confess to you the night before the expedition. Why the hell do you think I wouldn't be ready to say it now?"
"Well, it seems we still need to work on our communication skills, then," Levi said awkwardly and Eren smiled, walking closer to his lover and bending down to kiss him, humming in pleasure when Levi twisted the fingers of his good hand into his hair. When he had his fill - for the moment - he pulled back and leaned his forehead against the shorter man's instead.
"I think it's the exact opposite. Neither of us have ever been particularly talented with words other, 'normal' people would use and say, but we've never missed the mark with our own form of communication. Thank you for telling me, but please do so more considerately next time, lest I have a hart attack and then a broken neck from falling of off something."
"Tch. And to think you used to be this scary devil everyone was terrified of," scoffed the Ackerman and Eren just grinned.
"I love you, too, Levi."