CHAPTER 30
At 5:40 AM, Eren staggered out of his bed with a nasty scowl plastered on his face.
At 5:45 AM, Eren wished the whole world would go to hell while he brushed his teeth.
At 5:48 AM, Eren almost fell back asleep while putting on a fresh pair of socks.
At 5:52 AM, Eren was on the verge of having a meltdown when he tripped over his own feet while putting pants on.
But then at 5:55 AM, Eren was in front of the mirror with the black top and grey sweatpants he liked wearing for training. That's when he saw it.
He had lifted his arms to give his chocolate locks a quick combing when he saw it.
He SAW it.
The teen practically burst through the door.
"Levi, Levi! LEVI!" His grin was so big it almost split his entire face in two.
"Huh?" Said the young man casually leaning against the couch.
"LOOK!"
The brunet elevated an arm similar to before only this time he actually flexed. He pointed at his own bicep while presenting a 'ta-dah!' expression to the older man.
The raven said nothing. Instead, he looked at the bicep with a blank stare, then back at the green-eyed boy.
Levi sniffed, "What am I looking at exactly?"
"Can't you tell? I got muscle now! See this line here? It's, like, more defined now and here? Yeah that looks WAY better!" The brunet nodded to himself as if what he was saying was as obvious as the sun was hot.
The bodyguard remained with his arms crossed, "You call that muscle?"
Eren scoffed in a high-pitched tone.
Levi back-peddled, "Alright, alright. Don't go throwing a tantrum on me, Jaegar. You're right. Very impressive." But the words dripped with mockery.
Eren made an irritated face. Levi looked like he was biting back a laugh.
It occurred to the brunet that for as much as Levi liked to act as the straight man, he sure got a kick out of pissing Eren off.
"But you see," Levi continued, "this is what happens when you put in the effort into training. Now with a better diet, you'd have results twice as fast."
"Well one way or another, I'll be catching up to you in no time." Said Eren in a cocky tone, "You'll see! Let's go, I'll be training EXTRA hard today just to show you!"
The energetic brunet started making his way down even though he had no idea where the car would be parked. Levi trailed behind.
When the time came to prove what he was made out of, Eren's determination didn't waver. The bodyguard gave him a routine of exercises and the taller male would make a point of putting on more weight or doing more sets than usual whether it was as small as an extra kilogram or as big as 6 sets instead of 4.
Soon, Eren's blood coarsed through his veins piping hot. It fed every muscle of his body, giving them the strength to exceed himself. That feeling invigorated Eren. It reminded him of the person he used to be; it reminded him of the boy that existed before Grisha's insatiability tore him down. The only thing Eren was missing was Mikasa by his side, challenging him to see who could do more.
Two hours felt like fifteen minutes and, before he knew it, Eren had finished the routine for the day. He sat down on the floor with his legs spread and his head hanging low. He concentrated on his heart beat. It was so strong and steady in his chest. Its rhythmic beatings hypnotized the green-eyed boy. When he noticed his bodyguard getting closer, he didn't miss a beat.
"What's next boss?" He teased.
"You still got energy in you?" The bodyguard questioned.
"Totally! You say the word, we'll do it!" Eren punched the air with enthusiasm.
"Hmmm, alright. We'll do one more thing then. Let me just..." The raven looked around, "let me just grab some things..."
He left without saying anything else. Eren prepared himself mentally. Levi hadn't boxed Eren since the last time when Eren had...
Well, they simply hadn't boxed in a while. This time, however, the brunet was stronger and faster. Surely, he stood a better chance against Levi this time. Eren was busy imagining what he was going to do when the bodyguard came back but, much to Eren's disappointment, the raven wasn't holding boxing gloves. Instead, he was holding a pair of 3DMG gear.
"Aww man! C'mon! I had a whole thing planned out." Eren whined.
The bodyguard lifted an eyebrow, "What on Earth are you on about this time?"
"I thought we were gonna box!"
"No, no," the bodyguard shook his head, "we aren't doing that anymore. This is more important anyway; that way I won't have to fuckin' walk everywhere when I'm with you."
But Eren wasn't having it.
"No, no. I get it. You don't wanna box me now. I wouldn't want to either. I mean I would only wanna box people when they don't know how to. That way my face doesn't get fucked up. Yeah, no problem. I get it." He mumbled in a tiny voice.
Levi pursed his lips, "What."
"What? I geeeet it. You don't wanna fight me now that I stand a chance."
"What." Levi repeated.
"It's understandable. You don't want me kicking your ass, that's all."
The bodyguard sucked in his lower lip, "I'm not falling for that."
"For what? I'm not doing anything?" He glanced upward at the bodyguard with angel eyes.
"You really think you could beat my ass? I hear you falling over every time you change in the mornings."
"Hey! That doesn't count! I get very sleepy!" Eren reproached.
Levi couldn't hold back any longer. He let out a low laugh as rich and pleasing as the smell of coffee and warm bread on a chilly day. It made Eren's stomach go fuzzy with joy.
"Careful what you wish for. Since you're such a threat now I wouldn't have to go easy on you anymore."
Okay, that definitely made Eren's determination waver, but it was too late to back down now so there was nothing left to do but dig his grave deeper.
"I wouldn't have it any other way." The taller male shrugged.
"You serious right now?"
"Super serious." Eren said confidently.
"You wanna get your ass beat so bad, go get the gloves. They're in that basket over there." The bodyguard pointed.
"Really?!
Levi shrugged, "Your funeral, not mine."
The teen ran to the basket like a toddler excited for a toy. When he got there, he saw there were multiple pairs of boxing gloves stored in it. He grabbed the red ones and black ones that they usually wore. When he got back to Levi, the bodyguard was stretching by rolling his shoulders.
Not a good sign.
"Here." He went to give the bodyguard the black pair when- "Wait! No, you-you always get the black ones. I want them this time."
Levi snorted, "You think that'll give you better odds at winning?"
"I mean, can't hurt to try, amiright?" The brunet laughed to himself.
The pair strapped on their respective gloves and made their way to the ring. When they got there, Eren gave the shorter man a taunting stare. It was like that of a court jester: playful yet chaotic, innocent yet tainted with sin. In matter of seconds, Levi's previous smirk dissolved into a blank expression. The bodyguard cleared his throat.
"You know, maybe this isn't such a good i-"
BAM!
A punch to the face.
The thrower of such a hand was horrified, "Oh Gods! That was WAY harder than I intended. I'm so-"
And BAM!
Eren got a punch tenfold in power.
Even though his nose stung and he had stumbled back from the force, the green-eyed boy chuckled. Levi hadn't even HESITATED in reciprocating the punch.
The bodyguard took no time in throwing a left punch straight at the brunet but this time Eren was quicker and moved back just in time to feel the air swoosh towards his face. The raven threw another punch. In an attempt to retaliate, Eren ducked ever so slightly and aimed for the stomach. Levi too backed away in the nick of time. Eren stood tall once again, jumping from side to side like he had seen the professionals do on TV. Levi watched him with amusement. The brunet was taking this oh-so-seriously.
The raven faked out a right punch, which startled the taller male enough to make a face. Seeing that Levi was simply messing with him, he frowned. The shorter male threw another right punch; that one was not fake at all as it caught Eren's nose. Eren huffed like a bull, entertained but irritated by the way the bodyguard was teasing him.
"You remember the safe word, right?" Levi purred.
Annoyed, the brunet took a step forward with aggressive eyes. The bodyguard tossed a left hand but Eren was able to dodge by ducking and, before Levi could guard himself anew, the brunet hurled an uppercut. The raven shuffled back in awe and, seeing as the teen was ready for the next attack, he speedily went to clinch Eren. The green-eyed boy's brain stopped for a second as he had never been so close to the bodyguard. The man was practically hugging him. Such was his confusion that he had no time to react when the raven let the taller boy go and pushed him away.
Levi rolled his shoulders, Eren took deep breathes. They had hard gazes on each other, each man trying to predict the other one's moves. Eren knew by the sharpness in the raven's eyes that he was fucked. The steel in them reflected back danger. They were cold, calculating, and lethal, like a piercing knife.
Levi sent a right jab in Eren's direction. Thinking about dodging it by ducking like he had earlier, he repeated those movements. However, Levi had already seen that trick once and it wasn't going to work again. Just as the green-eyed boy was swooping down, the bodyguard flung a left punch to the side of his face. Eren acted as if he hadn't been hit at all but the daze in his eyes was obvious as he messily pitched a right punch that Levi easily evaded and countered with a right punch of his own. This time it was Eren to clinch the raven.
The brunet was panting from the exertion. His whole body was hot, so much so that he was sweating up a storm. Having Levi stuck to his body, he could feel the way the shorter man's chest also expanded and contracted with every breath. A fluttery feeling emerged from the pit of his stomach.
Levi forced himself out of the hug and jumped back. He licked his bottom lip before saying, "Alright, enough games."
There was a moment where they simply looked at each other. There where green met grey, the tension was high and the air electric. Eren swallowed hard. The bodyguard took note of the way the brunet's throat muscles moved with the act.
Levi threw such a swift hook that Eren didn't register it until the pain reverberated throughout the side of his face. A second later, the bodyguard gave the brunet an uppercut, then another right hook and then a left jab and then a barrage of punches that Eren couldn't keep up with and then suddenly he was lost in an ocean of blurry colors and the only thing he could sense was pain coming from a flurry of different directions.
Forcing his eyes to make sense of the mess around him, he was able to distinguish the raven's body and went to clinch him once again. However, in the hurriedness of his actions, the brunet had hugged the bodyguard around the waist and buried his head in the crook of Levi's neck more like a pair of lovers than two fighters. Meanwhile, Levi's arms had been awkwardly caught between the two bodies, smooshed together in such a way that he was ultimately left defenseless.
"E-Eren...?" Levi questioned.
The brunet was astounded to hear the bodyguard stutter. His conviction was always so strong that it was hard to believe the bodyguard was able to make such small, human mistakes. He lifted his head enough to stare at the man. He felt the raven's hot breath and the warmth of his body. The sensation was too much to bear.
Losing himself in his emotions, the boy dipped his head to kiss the shorter man. Unlike the last time he had done so, the kiss was not chaste and shy rather desperate and urgent. Eren had half expected to receive a knee to the groin or a stomp on the foot as result of his actions, yet much to Eren's pleasure, Levi did not stand idle like last time. The moment their lips touched, the man lunged himself into the kiss, giving into the desire as well. More than lips alone, tongues intertwined in a messy fashion and the very act sent shockwaves of lust down Eren's spine. How miserable he was that he couldn't rip off the stupid gloves to feel to his hearts content.
Eren had never experiences such a thing. He had kissed before, certainly. His first girlfriend wanted to spend their days kissing. Though she often sought his lips, he never found much interest in hers. He had guessed that kissing was more a girl thing and that the satisfaction boys would get would be from other things like touching each other or actual sex. However, she had always been afraid of doing more than kissing and, though Eren had yet to put his theory to the test, he never cared to push her into doing anything she was uncomfortable with. After all, his father had taught him that it wasn't a man's place to pressure his lover into doing something for the sake of his own pleasure.
As it turned out, everything about Levi Ackerman shattered Eren's worldview. While the green-eyed boy had barely felt anything when french-kissing his first girlfriend, the simple act of being close to the bodyguard made his body react in such a way that couldn't be ignored. Eren felt in heaven when the arms of the man wrapped around his neck and brought him closer. Eren frantically explored the man's mouth as if there was no time left. He let out a heavy breath, on the verge of being a moan, when Levi sunk his teeth into Eren's bottom lip. The raven was about to pull back but the taller male wouldn't have it. He mashed his lips on the other man's once again so that it wouldn't end so soon. Levi begun melting into it once again but, just as Eren was reaching nirvana, the shorter man abruptly pulled away.
His lips had turned a beautiful shade of pink from the kissing.
Eren was so captivated by them, it took him a while to look up and realize Levi had an angry expression on his face. There was a short moment in which they both recollected themselves.
"What the fuck?!" Levi shouted between breaths.
Eren was flabbergasted.
"What?!" He asked innocently.
The raven bit his lower lip. Eren was sure he was gonna be driven crazy by his desire to kiss the man once again.
"What do you mean 'what'?! Why are you kissing me?!"
It was Eren's turn to frown, "I already told you! 'Cause I want to!" He stated plainly.
The bodyguard searched around with bewildered eyes, "S-So, what? What does that mean? You want to kiss me? So, you're gay?"
"What?!" Eren was horrified, "No! No, I'm not gay!"
Levi looked like he was about to explode, "You just kissed me!"
"Yeah, you! I'm not gay, I just like you!"
The bodyguard's expression softened into something more akin to sadness, "Eren..." his face hardened once again, "Eren. You're obviously confused about a lot of things. We can't do this."
Eren was taken aback, "Why?!"
"What do you mean why, Eren?! You're standing there saying you don't like men when you just kissed me, a man, and it's obvious to me you need to figure some things out and I won't take advantage of that situation!"
"Take advantage?! You're not taking advantage of anything! I don't understand what the fucking problem is! Or why we have to fucking label this as anything other than two people just hanging out! It's not like we're fucking or anything, it's just a damn kiss!" The brunets face had turned red from the screaming.
"NO." The raven declared loudly.
"But-!"
"I said no Eren! We are NOT doing this. End of conversation."
"I-"
"END of conversation! Now get yourself together and get in the fucking car or I'll drag you there myself. We're leaving this fucking place."
Levi stomped away without even a second glance at the brunet. As Levi exited the gym with a violent closing of the door, Eren was left behind without anything or anyone to console him. In a fit of rage, he aggressively ripped off the gloves and slammed them to the ground with such force that the sound reverberated through-out the whole gym. Breaking apart by the intense nature of his emotions, he practically fell down on the floor into a sitting position and buried his face in his hands.
He had never felt like such a fool.
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Author's Note
Ok, ok! This is the last of the weird "boxing turns hot" chapters
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Probably
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LMAO, on a more serious note! I should add, from my limited queer-person-stuck-in-a-homophobic-town point of view, I do believe that there can exist a case of a straight person potentially being attracted to someone of the same sex and it doesn't particularly mean that they are attracted to ALL the men or ALL the women if you catch my drift. But I think in Eren's case, he is terribly misguided about a lot of things and Levi thinks that as well. So, just wanted to clarify that. Next chapter is probably gonna appear to be out of left field but this story became a monster of its own long ago and the more I wrote, the more I started to delve into topics I didn't even think I was gonna delve into when I first started out. Y'know what they say, life is like a box of chocolates. See you guys next week!
~Gum