A/N: Okay, so you know I don't post on weekdays while school is ongoing. I am fully aware of this, so this will be a one time thing. I didn't post yesterday and I felt terrible for doing that to you guys when Lost Cause gets so much of my attention, and with the large wait for an update here, I felt so guilty. So here is a new update, as an apology and in hopes that you don't totally hate me. ^^' I know the story is slow, but I'm getting to the point where things are starting to come together the way I want them to again. We're about to hit some plot again soon and the story will kick back into gear, so if you're still out there-! *Crickets sounds* ... Thank you for being so patient, and I'll be sure to give you all lots of love and smut! :D

-Misty

The Change You Wish to See

(Original summary, but screw the stupid character limits) Levi's never put much care into things. He doesn't put much care into things at all. Nothing ever peaks his interest. Well, that's until he meets Eren Jaeger. Levi isn't sure what it is that's so interesting about him, and it irritates him to feel these feelings he's never felt before. Regardless, he goes to talk to the boy. When he doesn't receive an answer, he just thinks that the boy is rude; however, he understands why when Eren doesn't answer him. Eren is deaf.

Rated M for sexual content, adult language, some violence, mild character death
Main pairing: Riren with some side pairs
Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin (Attack on Titan)

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Inspiration

Silence had settled over his apartment, but for once he found it annoying.

Whenever he tried to draw or paint many years ago, silence was golden. Silence meant clarity in his thoughts and a clear picture of what it was he wanted. Now it meant his thoughts drifted to other important or not so important things instead of the sketchbook in his hands.

Why was this so difficult now? The first painting he made for Erwin's wife came out of thin air, and he remembered he made it within a few days. It would have been sooner had he not needed to wait for paint to dry. Now here he was with a blank piece of paper, a pencil in his hand, and rough drafts crumpled up all around him on the couch and on the floor.

This was getting extremely annoying.

"Damn it..." He cursed his mind for not staying on topic, prepared to throw his sketchbook to the floor when his phone went off beside him. In the dense quiet, the sound was enough to make him slightly jump in place, but he ignored the motion and reached for his phone.

Sender: Eren Jaeger

Received at: 1:13 p.m.

"I'm coming over."

"What...?" Levi questioned out loud. He was in the right frame of mind to call him, but quickly remembering Eren wouldn't have heard him stopped his fingers from dialing his number.

Draft

Written at 1:14 p.m.

"Don't you dare do that without Mika-"

There was a sudden knock at his front door, stopping him mid text. The older man looked up from his phone to glare at his door, a heavy sigh slowly leaving his body. He had a feeling he knew who that was, but there was a part of him that didn't want to believe it.

Knowing Eren, it was probably him.

The man stood and went to open his front door. Sure enough, the brunette stood behind it, a large smile on his face and golden eyes gleaming. His cheeks were dusted a light pink, but Levi figured that was from the cold outside and not anything more. At least that's what he figured.

"Hi Levy..." He greeted and stepped forward. Levi stepped back to let him in, but his eyes stared down the teen with everything he had.

"Eren..." He uttered lowly and shut the door. The teen looked back at him and smiled, seemingly unaffected by his glare.

"Hi," He said again.

"Does Mikasa or Armin know you're here?" The older man asked. Eren paused for a moment to think about that. That should have been enough of an answer.

"... I left a note?" He said skeptically.

"You know it's me that hears the end of this, right?" Levi asked him.

"But I haven't seen you in week, Levi! I miss you..." Eren pouted, his big eyes widening and bottom lip sticking out.

"Eren, that is doing the exact opposite of what you want it to do." Levi told him before placing a hand around his waist and guiding him into the living room.

"So what are you doing?" Eren asked him, his eyes scanning the room curiously. He couldn't remember the last time he had been in Levi's apartment, but he definitely didn't remember the crumpled up papers scattered on the floor. "Are you drawing?"

"Yeah, I'm working on something for Erwin. You know, Armin's new boss?"

"Yeah," Eren hummed as he bent down to pick up and unfurl the pieces of paper.

"How is his new job fairing anyway?"

"Good. Armin loves it there." Eren answered distractedly, eyes scanning over the first sketch he found. "This is beautiful..."

"Thanks, but it's not what I want..."

"Not what you want?" The brunette questioned skeptically. "How so?"

"I don't know..." Levi dropped back onto the couch, his hands picking up his sketch pad to look at his previous work. It just wasn't right though, and with irritation, he tore the page out and tossed it to the side.

Eren's curious mind flickered to life, his eyes looking over the paper to see what it was he had been working on. On the paper was a picture of a bridge, a small one sitting over a small brook. There wasn't much in detail, giving Eren the idea that he had just started it, but it was already a piece of work that took his breath away.

"What makes you not like this one?" Eren asked, truly confused. How could he not like this picture?

"You know..." Levi began. Eren picked up the rest of the fallen pages and set them down on the couch as he sat beside him, hoping the man would change his mind about the pictures and keep them. "Back when I was young, I didn't do this for money or for others. I painted what I wanted to, because it helped clear my mind. It was Farlan who told me to take it to college and make something of myself."

"Oh...?" Eren hummed.

"Drawing under pressure really sucks ass. I didn't like doing this as an assignment, I didn't like commissions, and I don't like doing it for others. I did it to get the ideas out of my head and that was it, like how you write to get the voices out of your head." Levi explained. He remembered once that Eren spoke about his writing in an odd way, but he felt like he understood. He felt that way when he had an idea or mental image that he couldn't get rid of. When there was an idea in his mind it had to come out, and nothing else would get done until it was on paper.

The joys of being an artist.

"What made you stop again...?" Eren questioned. If he thought about it hard enough, he couldn't remember a time that Levi had spoken of stopping.

"I stopped when times got tough. Isabel was sick, and I couldn't afford things like paint and canvas. The only reason I have it now is because Erwin got it for me. If not, I wouldn't be doing it..."

"So you feel like you can't draw because it's for someone else?" The teen looked to him with a slight frown. He understood, and that was why he felt the sudden worry for his boyfriend.

He was still suffering.

"Right. When I made that portrait for his wife the first time, it was actually something based off of something I saw. One of those inspiration slapping you across the face type of deals."

"So then why not make something similar then?"

"I can't. I can't remember what the picture looks like to save my life." Levi leaned back into the couch, a sigh escaping him as he tilted his head back. He felt Eren scoot close, and soon enough the warmth of his body was present as he leaned into his side.

"Let me ask you something..." Eren said softly while tossing crumpled up pages to the coffee table.

"What...?"

"When you think of Erwin's wife, what do you imagine?" Eren asked, fingers grazing the sketch pad once he was finished.

"What do I imagine?" Levi asked.

"Yeah. When she comes to mind, does she resemble a flower or the sky? Do abstract colors come to mind? Or do you think of solid colors?"

"I don't think about that stuff when it comes to her." Levi retorted. "She's a very sweet, happy woman. She always worries for others before herself and took great care of her friends."

"And what does that make you think of?" Eren asked.

"It makes me think of... I don't know. Something happy." Levi ran his fingers through his messy fringe (Messy because he'd been doing this all day) and sighed. "I know the first picture wasn't like that though. It had something to do with when they were on a date."

"On a date...?" Eren's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Yeah. They took me on a date with them, because they didn't want me being alone at home. I just ended up being a third wheel, but I remember seeing them walking down the street ahead of me, and I remembered the way they looked at each other... I remember realizing at that moment that they were in love. I felt like I just saw their whole relationship play out before me and I knew those two were going to be together for a good, long time."

"That sounds really sweet..." Eren mused with a smile as Levi's eyes widened.

"Wait... That's what the painting was..." He uttered in astonishment before picking up his sketchbook. "I drew a picture of them from their date. It was..."

Levi's voice trailed off, his mind going blank to everything around him so he could put the missing pieces of the puzzle back together to see the picture. He didn't even remember that Eren wouldn't hear his incessant mumbling.

It was right there, just barely showing itself in his mind. He knew what it was. It was just a matter of getting it back onto paper.

"Levy..." Eren mumbled.

"Huh...?" Levi questioned and looked up for a split moment.

"You know what you should do? I think it's a good idea to make the painting of them again, but you should add his kids too."

"His kids...?" Levi asked.

"Yeah. Armin says he has two of them. Expand on the painting to show the growth of their family for his wife."

"... That's actually brilliant." The older man uttered in surprise. "Why can't you use that brains of yours on your school work?"

"Hey..." Eren whined. He just got done with his work, and quite frankly he didn't want to continue on the dreaded subject.

"I know your grades are falling, Eren. Don't think I haven't gotten an earful from your sister." Levi told him before pulling out his phone.

"It's not that I'm doing badly, because I don't know anything. I know the answers, I just..."

"You just what?" The older man asked him after finishing a small text to Erwin, asking for pictures of his kids.

"... I don't want to do it anymore." He admitted hesitantly. "Business... It's just not right for me."

"Well that's obvious," The man said and leaned into the brunette.

"What...?" Eren growled in frustration.

"I know that what you're doing is just stalling for time until you know what you really want to do." Levi explained, watching golden eyes widen. Had he really thought he had been that sneaky about it? "I know what you want to do though."

"You do...?"

"Eren..." Levi reprimanded him with a harsh glare.

"I know, I know..." The brunette sighed and rested his head on Levi's shoulder.

"So what's stopping you from getting that book of yours published?"

"There's no middle ground when it comes to writing. There's only two ways it can end. One, you become a really successful author, or two, you flop and end up owing more money than you make... What if that's the end I get?"

"So...?" Levi asked. "Who says you're writing for others? Why not just do it, and if you become famous, that's good. If not, oh well. You never know until you try." Levi shrugged his shoulders again before picking up his sketch pad to begin the first few lines of his drawing. He needed it down while the images were still fresh in his mind.

"I guess... Can you change majors though?"

"Of course you can."

"So far into the course though?"

"Yeah."

"But what abo-"

"Eren." Levi stopped him by hitting Eren's knees with the sketch pad. "Do it. Stop torturing yourself with that business shit and do what you love. Take it from the old man you're dating. If you stick with that, you're going to regret it."

"... How do I tell Mikasa and Armin?" The brunette asked him with worried eyes.

"I'm not touching that subject." The older man rejected quickly.

"Wha- Levy!"

"What...? I may be old, but I'm not that old. I'm too young to die."

"Levy...!" Eren whined and dropped his head down on his shoulder.

"If you want my honest opinion, I think they'll be okay with it." The man assured him, finding it difficult to sign to the brat and draw at the same time. "Yeah, it's a giant and crazy idea, but they want what's best for you. If you want to focus on your writing, and that's what makes you happy, then I'm sure they'll be happy too."

"I guess..." Eren mumbled dejectedly. His eyes wandered to the sketch paper under Levi's busy hand, golden orbs following the pencil as it drew the ideas from the older man's mind. How he managed to replicate what he saw behind his eyes Eren could never know. His imagination usually brought about stick people hanging from a pole after a bad game of hangman.

Levi's hands made masterpieces though. Those fingers that slowly grew stronger from the amount of signing that he did were deft, gifted in pulling out the look of Armin's boss. For now, it was only a rough sketch, but it was just the beginning. Levi still needed the picture of his kids.

"So when do I get the next chapter of your story?" The older man stopped for a moment to sign his question to Eren.

"What...? I told you, you can't read it anymore."

"Why...? I want to know if Annie ever wakes up from that crystal thing, and what about those two other Titans? That big one and the one who broke through the gates. Are they like the Female Titan?"

"I'm not telling you, Levi! I'm not spoiling it for you!" Eren argued with the man, his arms crossing over his chest and eyes closing to show that he was done with this conversation.

Levi considered that a good thing.

The older man set his book down, pencil carefully set aside before turning on the couch and pouncing on his boyfriend. Eren yipped in surprise, the air knocked out of him as the man pushed him into the plush cushions of the couch and held down his arms. He looked up in shock, eyes trying hard to look at him in an annoyed manner, but he felt his resolve crumbling at the way the man's eyes looked down at him in such a heated way.

It had been a long time since he looked at him like that.

"Say, Eren..." Levi began and sat back, fingers signing, yet wanting to pull at the buttons of his jacket. "When do Armin and Mikasa get home?" He asked, and that was when he began pulling apart the buttons.

Eren stuttered, his body trembling as he began removing his jacket. Had it been this hot in the room?

"T-Today... What's today? Uhm..." The brunette tried desperately to cling to his words as Levi pulled his sweater out from under his pants, a warm hand running over his belly. "W-Wednesday... They come home later..."

"How late?"

"Uhm..." Eren shivered as his hand lifted higher. He was lost between the warm, pleasant feeling of that hand to the cold, unforgiving air biting at his skin as his shirt lifted from his skin. The multiple sensations were sending him into a sort of shock, body convulsing into the older man's touch.

How long had it been since they had done this? When was the last time they had enough time to themselves to fool around without the interruptions of his family or friends?

Come to think of it, it had been a while. The last time they had done anything was a few weeks ago, which they could never finish, and the only time they had gotten to do anything to the end was when they were trapped in the store.

It was pathetic really how long it had been.

"How late, Eren?" Levi's lips kissed the skin of his naval, feeling the intake of air and the sudden gasp, feeling those muscles constrict beneath him.

"Armin... S-Seven thirty, Mikasa at nine." Eren stuttered, trying desperately to remember his own name let alone when he needed to be home.

"Perfect..." Levi sighed against his skin. He felt the sudden brush of Eren's jeans against his neck, the obvious erection beneath those pants already prominent. At any other time, maybe the idea of having a boner so quickly from just a little teasing would be embarrassing, but Levi wouldn't deny that he had one too. It had been too long, and he needed some form of relief before he lost his mind.

"L-Levy..." Eren shivered, a heat suddenly settling in his stomach.

Levi's fingers trailed over his stomach once more, momentarily and teasingly tugging on the waist band of his jeans before going lower, tracing the outline of his erection under his pants. Eren breathed in deeply, hands clenching the pillow under his head tightly.

The sight of him alone was enough to have Levi's mind going hazy. He hadn't thought that going this long without the sight of Eren squirming to his touch, breathing his name and panting in that way would affect him, but he was so wrong. He needed it. He needed it a lot more than he was willing to admit, but he was willing to get it.

No more chances for interruptions. No more friends to get in the way or family to come home. It was just them at his apartment, so there were no more setbacks.

"Eren..." He breathed before pulling at the button and zipper of his pants. He pulled just slightly, only enough to expose the heated length, but not enough so that it was completely free. Like this, he grabbed at it and stroked the heavy organ with firm, quick strokes.

"F-Fuck..." Eren's hips stuttered before thrusting up into his hand. When he realized that Levi had no qualms about this, he continued pushing his hips up into that hot hand, body aching at the touch. He felt a burn in his stomach, body suddenly sweating and limbs weak. It really had been too long, because he felt as if anymore would do him in for good.

He couldn't let that happen, at least not yet. Levi had to get something out of this too.

"L-Levy... You t-too..." He panted heavily before reached for the older man's belt.

"You don't have too..." Levi whispered, but Eren wasn't looking directly at him. He wouldn't have understood him regardless, and yet Levi felt that was on purpose.

The brunette managed to pull the belt off in record time, followed by the button and zipper of his own pants. He tugged, pulling his pants down his hips until his cock was completely free, and only then did he begin kneading the flesh between his hands.

The last time they had done this, they had been in the dark. With the lights off, they had been confident enough to explore and touch and feel without judgment, but now was different. Now it was mid-day, broad daylight seeping in through the curtains, the TV in the background turned on, but on mute. There was so much light, and Eren couldn't help but feel self-conscious about himself.

They were two totally different people, so it was a given that their bodies were different. Eren would never consider himself overly confident, but damn did Levi make him feel small. He wasn't, but Levi was definitely thicker than he was. It was intimidating to say the least.

How had that thing really gotten inside of him so easily?

"Hey, Eren..." Levi could tell by the look on his face that he was distracted, if not a little frightened. Using that to his advantage, the older man pushed his hips forward, brushing their cocks together and creating a friction that had the brunette suddenly whimpering. Levi moved his hand out of the way, but only so he could have a firm grasp of both of them before rubbing them together.

"Aha, L-Lev..." Eren rolled his hips up into his touch, hands lifting to instead tangle into his hair and hold onto him. He pulled down, brining Levi in for a kiss that wasn't rejected. Their mouths slotted together just right, tongues gracing together and dancing.

Shit, this really was going to end fast.

Eren moaned into his mouth, nails scrapping against his scalp ever so slightly, but accidentally. He felt the coil in his stomach tightening again, growing hotter and stronger. Any more and he felt like he would lose his mind.

Just as he thought that, Levi's hand pushed back into his shirt, fingers tugging at a pert nipple. His lips left him, but only for a moment before they started sucking below his ear. Eren's back arched into the touch, neck bowed, and just a few more steady strokes was it for him.

"L-Lev-y!" He couldn't even get his name out properly before his body went stiff, lips parted, but air trapped in his throat.

Levi felt his hot fluids slipping between his fingers, creating a decent lubricant to finish himself off. His voice cracked at a rather high pitched moan, body taut for a few moments as he came. It wasn't until the burning sensation in his cock ceased that he dropped down onto Eren's body, ignorant of the come between them probably staining their clothes. For once he was too tired to care, and too tired to worry that they had finished a lot faster this time around than the first.

"Le..."

Levi lifted his head at what sounded like a gargled version of his name. He looked up to see those golden eyes he loved so much closed gently, his skin damp with sweat, and completely relaxed. In fact, he looked like he was dozing off.

With his clean hand, the older man brushed his hair from his face, feeling the heat of his skin, enjoying the flush of his cheeks.

He was too damn cute.

"Eren...?" Levi called out his name quietly. He wasn't looking for a response, just a confirmation that he was falling asleep, and he was.

Carefully, so as not to wake him, Levi sat up and off of his body. He tucked himself back into his pants before getting up on wobbly legs and going to get a warm washcloth. He came back quickly after washing his hands, and with the damp cloth, he used it to first pat at his forehead. Eren's lips pulled into a tired smile in his sleep before Levi moved on to clean up the bodily fluid on his stomach, glad to see it hadn't gotten on his clothes. He couldn't say the same about himself though, seeing the hem of his shirt splotched.

Once again he was surprised to see he didn't care.

The older man sighed to himself before disposing the dirty wash cloth. He'd already tucked Eren away with his clothes and a heavy blanket that had been resting on the side of the couch. Like that, Eren was nicely secured, fast asleep, and looking cuter than he should have at the moment.

The man sat down on the floor, ignoring the couch so he couldn't wake up the brunette. He picked up his sketchpad again, as well as his pencil, and looked at the paper with scrutiny. His older pictures didn't compare, the ideas no longer fresh in his mind. He needed a better idea, a better picture in his mind.

Leave it to Eren to be both the inspiration and distraction from his work.

The older man set his sketchpad down in his lap and looked behind him, grey eyes peering at the sleeping teen. He rolled over onto his side, cuddling into the thick blanket and face peeking out from behind the fleece.

What was this kid doing to him?

"Brat…" Levi scoffed before his phone vibrating pulled his attention away. The man rolled his eyes before grabbing it and looking at it.

Fourteen new text messages.

Levi frowned before opening up one of them. He barely got to see the picture of Erwin's little girl, all grown up since the last time he had seen her, before another one came in. A picture of his son. Levi got to see this one for a little longer before another one came in.

And then another, and then another.

"Oh no…"

What had he done?