Levi realized he was awake but couldn't bear to open his eyes. He must have drunk more than he thought. Fortunately for him, it wasn't enough to obscure his memories like last time, so he had a little psychological warning for what otherwise might have been quite a surprising morning. Recall that Levi was a person that prepared hours in advance merely to attend a party. Not once in the history of his entire bachelorhood had somebody slept in his apartment. All of the one night stands that he had experienced—which were fairly scant, contrary to what one might have thought, given how he looked—had occurred in other people's lodgings. It had always been that way. Levi could fool around all he wanted, he told himself, but nobody was allowed in his personal space. His apartment was sacred ground. It was the only place in the world where nothing was tainted.

So what the fuck had happened?

With as little movement as possible, he extricated himself from the sheets and crept to the washroom without looking back. He couldn't bear to acknowledge the creature currently inhabiting his bed just then. He stripped nude, depositing his boxers into the hamper like a lab technician might handle biochemical waste, and dove into the shower like a drowning man volleying for a life raft.

Water ran down his slender figure, guttering in the graceful furrows that defined his back, slicking his onyx hair against his scalp. His mouth, curiously feminine in form, relaxed in the heat of the spray, emulating a peaceful expression that was almost absurd in light of the actual contents of his mind. Levi was so good at appearing dispassionate when in fact his innards were twisting with unrest, he did it even when he was alone.

It was possible, he told himself, that when he returned to his bedroom he would find it empty. Perhaps the kid would leave before Levi's ablutions were finished, struck by a similar alarm as his host. Even more streamlined was the possibility that Levi had dreamt the entire thing up and Eren had never been there in the first place. Alas, Levi suspected he wasn't going to get off the hook that easily.

Even if Levi were to have given it some thought, it's unlikely he would've been able to tell what exactly he was so terrified of. He stood an entire five minutes with his hand on the doorknob leading out of the washroom, his mind messier than a crow's nest. The nerves were actually beginning to negate the effects of his hangover. There was absolutely nothing left to protect him from the reality of the moment; no alcohol, no sexy clothes, no guise. He was utterly defenceless.

At least he was clean. Inhaling deeply, he wrapped a towel around his waste and went to assess the damages. There was nothing else for it.

He pushed the door open and chink and peered inside. The air had an odd smell to it; a combination of sweat, alcohol, and something else... something nice. There were clothes strewn all over the floor. Levi finally allowed his eyes to trail upwards to the bed. The moment they reached their target, he gave a small sigh.

Eren lay on his back with one arm extended above his head, the other resting on his torso. His thick hair stuck in all directions, framing his epicene features like a tousled mane, and his eyes were closed. His chest rose and fell slowly. Levi concluded that he was still sleeping. The room was, according to Levi's standards, a fucking disaster; the bottle of lube on the night stand was still uncorked, Eren's pillowcase had somehow come off during his sleep, and there seemed to be socks everywhere. Still, none of it seemed to matter. Suddenly all Levi could think about was how he was going to get physically closer to the person in his bed. It was insane the things Eren's presence did to him.

Levi went and sat on the edge of the mattress like a fretful maid. The bed creaked slightly and Eren stirred, crinkling up his eyes. After a moment, he opened them a crack and looked straight at Levi.

"Good morning," Levi said, his voice low and hoarse in the morning's stillness. When Eren failed to respond, Levi continued, "Did you sleep okay?"

"Yeah..." Eren said softly, running a hand through his hair. After a moment he dropped his gaze. The kid seemed lost for words.

"Did you need some water?" Levi asked awkwardly.

"Sure..."

Levi fetched two glasses from the kitchen and returned, this time pulling up a stool beside the edge of the bed. He handed Eren the glass and the kid took a tentative sip.

"Is everything okay?" Levi asked bluntly. His own anxieties were beginning to be masked by his concern about Eren's current condition. He'd never seen the kid so shell-shocked. Granted, he'd only ever seen the kid twice in his life before today.

"Yeah, I'm just... remembering last night." Eren began to blush.

Levi shifted his glass in his hands.

"It's crazy," Eren continued, smiling sheepishly. "I'm just starting to realize how little we know about one another."

"Only now are you starting to realize that?"

"I guess." Eren shrugged. "It's epic. I've made out with a few people but I've never done that before."

"Well, neither have I," Levi admitted.

"I guess what they say might be true. It feels really good to..." Eren paused. "Wait, you've never done it before?"

Levi cocked his head. "Done what?"

"You know..."

Levi looked at Eren deadpan. "Anal?"

"No!" Eren cried, turning a brighter shade of crimson. "Like... you've never... had sex before?"

Levi started to respond before the words fully sunk in. When they did, his sentence died in his throat. He stared at Eren blankly. Emotions began to rise like leaves in a storm, few of which he deemed appropriate for the occasion at hand.

"Don't tell me," he asked weakly, "that you were a virgin?"

"Uh..." Eren scratched the back of his head guiltily. "Just a little bit."

Levi had theorized many things about the person who was currently lying naked in his bed, but this was not one of them. Eren was a dumbass. Eren was popular. Eren was an cheerful idiot with a bizarre penchant for dark, angst-ridden lyrics. Eren was fully aware of the effect his immaculate body had on those around him and had no qualms about flaunting it in front of all of his friends. Eren was in no shape-or-form, in no era or dimension, or in no conceivable version of reality, a god-damned mother-fucking virgin.

"Why me?" was all Levi had the wherewithal to ask.

"I don't know."

"Why not a girl?"

"I don't know!" Eren lamented wringing his hands in his lap.

Levi was flabbergasted. "But surely you've had plenty of chances before? It isn't like you're a hermit of any kind. And being a musician, you must have a bunch of groupies—"

"I didn't fuck you because I was desperate," Eren interrupted, suddenly serious. "I did it because I wanted to."

"But..."

"And I think you're overestimating me," Eren carried on quietly. "Being outgoing doesn't make these kinds of things any easier. My friends are cool about a lot of stuff, but you saw the way they reacted when I stripped. The idea of guys making out is practically inconceivable to most of them. I'm pretty sure Jean's dad is a bonafide homophobe."

"Wait..." Levi rubbed his eyes with both hands. "So you are gay?"

"I don't know." After a pause, Eren sighed resignedly. "I think so."

"You sure didn't seem nervous about what they thought that night on the porch."

"Well. That was all your fault."

"My fault?"

Levi set his water down and stared at the floor. His head was spinning worse than if he'd drank double what he did the night before. Not only had he boned a nineteen-year-old college student, but he'd taken his virginity. Levi had already been going out on a limb with the fact that Eren was male. Levi had always boasted liberal attitudes, but if he were to be completely honest with himself, the social consequences that coincided with homosexuality sort of terrified him. Sometimes, in the latest hours of his insomnia-fraught nights, he would speculate what a person might do if they just ever so happened to swing that way. They would never be able to attend parties as a couple, for one. Family events became infinitely intractable. Even walking down the street hand-in-hand would be an excruciating endeavour—not that Levi had ever gotten close enough to anybody to participate in such a starry-eyed activity anyway.

No, being gay was out of the question—about as out of the question as falling in love. Levi didn't like to get his hands dirty. Nobody had ever taught him how. His parents had handled him with a ten-foot pole and because of it, his life was black and white. All things were either clean or unclean. Yes or no. The problem was, right now Levi didn't have a clear answer. Once again he was terrified and, once again, Eren's presence deprived him of his capability to parse apart his emotions with equanimity.

"It's okay," Eren said quickly. "You don't have to worry. It's not like I'm gonna get all weird or anything."

"Right."

"I mean, I had to lose it eventually," Eren laughed, reaching for his shirt and yanking it over his head. As he began to dress himself, he carried on mindlessly, "Virginity is totally overrated. It's stupid how much people go on about it."

"Yeah..."

"It's actually such a relief that it's over now. I won't have to lie anymore every time someone asks about my V-card. Mikasa has been on me since forever—I think she suspects the truth—even though I've made up a million stories to convince her..."

Eren pulled on his jeans and stood up, patting his thighs cheerfully.

"Well, I guess I better get going. I wouldn't want to keep you."

"Sure," Levi said, standing up as well.

They walked to the door and Eren knelt to yank on his sneakers. "Oh wow," he chuckled, flipping open his phone. "They did notice."

Levi was silent a moment. "...What are you going to tell them?"

Eren shrugged. "I dunno. I'll think of something." He stood up and Levi remarked on how tall he was. Unlike when he was on stage, the kid's posture wasn't actually that bad. He held himself casually, with one hip cocked to the side and his pelvis stuck out slightly.

"Well..."

"Have a good day," Eren said quickly, sparing Levi the duty of closing remarks.

Levi stood in his doorway and watched as Eren strode quickly into the elevator. For some bizarre reason his heart was going a mile a minute. It was a good thing that the kid was leaving. Levi could regroup himself. He could make coffee and wake up with some god-damned leisure. He could clean up the empty wine glasses and change the sheets. Fuck, he could do some bloody laundry. He still had half a carton of soup left over from his shift two nights ago that would sustain him until he made a proper trip to the grocery store. And the washroom hadn't been cleaned in almost three days.

So if all these things needed doing, why the hell was he rushing into the elevator in his bare feet without having remembered to lock his door? Who the fuck did he think he was, jogging out into the spit-stained street, his hair casting little drops all over his grey t-shirt, craning his neck from side-to-side, sprinting as quickly as he could, reaching out his hand, which enclosed a forearm, pulling, pulling its owner closer, closer than what even an ordinary person would consider advisable on a Saturday morning, in broad daylight, in the middle of a crowded downtown street—

Eren spun around and Levi discerned the relics of a furrowed brow before it lifted with surprise. Then it was obscured by darkness, as Levi closed his eyes and did what he had been thinking about doing since the moment he woke up.

"L-levi!" Eren sputtered, pulling away. "There are people everywhere."

Levi glanced around. "So there are."

A few curious onlookers ogled shamelessly. Levi might have admonished them had he not been making out with a teenager, dripping wet in his bare feet in the middle of downtown.

"What are you doing here?" Eren asked, clearly flustered.

"Why don't you come back upstairs?"

"You really don't have to do that," Eren pressed, taking a step back. "Seriously Levi, I feel bad enough making a straight guy—"

To the wonder of a group of businesswomen walking by, Levi repeated the very same taboo as he had moments prior. This time Eren lingered a moment before pulling away. When he did, his eyes allowed themselves a tentative brightness.

"...are you sure?"

Levi nodded. "If you don't, I'm going to rip your clothes off right now in front of all these people."

Eren swallowed thickly. "Got it."

They splayed on the floor of Levi's bedroom, both with their shirts still on. Levi didn't even bother to draw the curtains. He buried his nose in Eren's tousled locks, breathing in hungrily, savouring the motes of scent that clung to Eren from sleep. Eren moaned with every thrust, his voice high and airy, as if he couldn't muster the focus to draw out the noises longer than a few seconds.

Levi ended up pushing Eren across the room until they were up against the bed, rung around by a crescent of last night's clothing. Eren's hands flew up and clutched fistfulls of the bedspread, his mouth wide with surrender, while Levi reached down to touch him. He jerked Eren's cock as though it was his own; really, the placement was almost accurate, given how Levi had Eren's hips right in his lap.

They came like that, Levi following Eren by about a minute, bathed in sweat and tangled in a mess of limbs. Eren stared at Levi's chest mutely, struggling to regain his breath. His golden skin was flushed, a perfect pink haze running over his nose from cheek-to-cheek. Without a word, Levi hauled him into his arms and they clumsily made their way to the shower.

If Eren had been a little embarrassed before, he seemed absolutely gobsmacked now. He refused to look Levi in the eye. He slouched over, tall and lanky as he was, with water drawing his hair into his eyes, facing the shower wall. After several failed attempts to turn him around, Levi gave up and wrapped his arms around the boy from behind, cradling him like a tree hugger might embrace a sapling.

"What are you doing to me?" he wondered out loud.

Eren made an odd muffled sound.

"This is going to get complicated," Levi acknowledged with a sigh.

"You didn't have to," Eren finally squeaked. "I was just going to go home."

"If I hadn't of had to, do you really think I would've rushed out into the street like that?"

"But..."

"What are you going to tell your friends?" Levi wondered. "Jesus, what am I going to tell Hange?"

Eren spun around quickly. "What about Hange?"

"I'll have to let her know what happened at some point—"

"Why?" Eren narrowed his eyes.

"For fuck's sake," Levi snapped. "What the hell are you getting so worked up about?"

Eren drooped his head. "Now I get it. This was a revenge fuck, wasn't it...? You were pissed that she went off and banged Erwin, so you—"

"JESUS CHRIST!" Levi bellowed.

There weren't many things in this world that piqued Levi's temper. Most times, he preferred to slink away and sulk if something rubbed him the wrong way. This is why it was entirely out of character that he was getting so worked up standing face to face with Eren in the shower just then.

"When will you get it through your fucking head how I feel about you?"

"What, am I supposed to read your mind?"

"Do you think I would've been able to do what I just did if it was otherwise?"

"Hell, I don't know!" Eren balled his fists. "You aren't even gay!"

"I never said that!"

A silence followed, wherein Eren scrutinized Levi and Levi maintained eye contact with stubborn might. Eventually Eren was the one to look away, and once again, the room began to spin for Levi.

"Are you serious?"

"I don't know," Levi muttered enigmatically, fumbling around for the shampoo.

"I think I deserve an answer." Eren said, placing his hands on his hips. After a moment, he added haughtily, "Considering all the things you've done to me."

"What did you just say?"

"How you lured me into your bedroom with your parlour tricks," Eren elaborated level-headedly, "and deflowered me."

In spite of his wishes, Levi felt his cock twitch at the words. "Who was the one who forced himself on me on the balcony the first night we met?" he defended, lathering up his armpits without acknowledging what was happening to him down below. "Who was the one who sent me suggestive texts just as I was stepping in the god-damned door of Ymir's party?"

"How was I to know what was going to happen?"

Levi stared expressionlessly.

"I was so innocent, so pure..." Eren bit his lip. "And then you went and... sullied me."

Without speaking, Levi quickly deposited an enormous glob of shampoo on top of Eren's head.

"Hey—!"

Before Eren could move, Levi grabbed him with two hands and scrubbed until Eren looked like he was wearing a gigantic cauliflower as a hat.

"What the hell, Levi—"

"If you're planning on staying for breakfast," Levi said levelly, "you will need to practice proper hygiene."

"That is so not sexy!"

"Stay still, it's gonna get in your eyes."

It was Eren's turn to cuss and swear in stubborn capitulation.

It was only when Eren's eyes were slammed shut, rivulets of pearly shampoo trailing down his face, that Levi allowed his expression to soften once more. How startling it was that this new expression felt in some ways more natural than his apathetic glower. With or without his consent, Levi's defences were slowly melting away, just like the beads of soap spiralling at their feet.

END CHAPTER 3