Chapter Text
Waking feeling refreshed and quite elated, Eren rolled over to discover he was also alone in bed. Ugh. A beautiful feeling was soon soured. Perhaps Levi was an early riser? As he looked to the clock on the wall, having to blink several times to clear his fuzzy vision, he could see it was a little after nine. It was then he sighed deeply and inhaled the scent of coffee. After a rinse of mouthwash he made for the bedroom door. Other scents began to mingle with one another in a hodgepodge of various breakfast smells as he opened the door. Levi wasn’t so much an early riser as he wanted to eat. That was not something he could fault anyone for. In fact, as Eren took a step out of the bedroom his stomach rumbled quite audibly.
Heading down the stairs, Eren kept his eyes on the steps instead of anything surrounding him. He was still very much asleep, but what he saw when he made it to the edge of the kitchen jostled him awake. Catching Levi shake his hips when he cooked or cleaned was precious, but watching as he shook his hips, slid in his socks, hummed, and cooked breakfast in what looked like only an apron. There’s no way that he was that bold….was there? Levi did not seem like the type, but he proved to Eren that he was always full of little surprises. Opting to take the direct route, Eren approached him from behind.
Aware of his presence, Levi turned with spatula in hand “Good morning. Hungry?”
Salacious grin splitting his lips, Eren slipped his hand to Levi’s neck “Mmm, yeah. Please god, tell me you’re on the menu. After last night and this demonstration…oh you must be testing me. Cock tease.”
“Perhaps,” Levi hummed impishly “how about we let the food cool? It’s done.”
“Oh yeah,” Eren agreed before adding “I can do that. How about we have some Greek for an appetizer?”
Eyes rolling, Levi groaned “Really? Here? I just cleaned---”
“That isn’t a no,” Eren snickered “and I'll clean it again after our breakfast. Do you have olive oil down here?”
Levi gestured towards the stove top “By the left of the stove----You’re not thinking---”
Waggling his brows, Eren nodded “Oh yeah, I am.”
“Showering to get that---”
Cooing into his ear, Eren teased “Awww, should I offer to clean you top to bottom too?”
“Yeah,” Levi replied “if you want to do that here.”
“At this point I’d grovel on my knees,” Eren growled as he kissed Levi’s throat.
Fingers twisting through Eren’s unruly morning hair, he hummed “Mmm, I’d like to hear that.” Kissing him within the next moment to quell his talking, Eren quickly deepened the kiss. As he kissed Levi, dragging him in roughly, he couldn’t help but think that his thoughts on improvising had been shockingly well received. Knowing fully well that if you could eat it, it could likely be put into the body in various ways, Eren took liberties with his history lessons. There was a reason the Greeks loved olive oil. Sure, food was one of them, but so was sex. Just as slick as a lubricant and made of better things, olive oil’s only downside was the clean up as it was obviously an oil. It didn’t matter to apparently either of them too much, and it was beyond clear to Eren that he’d fallen into Levi’s trap.
During their kiss Levi produced a condom from his waistband and pushed it against the hand Eren held on his hip. Laughing in their kiss, Eren retracted to cast his glance down at his hand and observe if his thought was correct.
Nibbling at Levi’s earlobe, Eren gladly took the condom “You sly bastard. You planned this.”
Inhaling deeply, Levi smirked and placed a hand at Eren’s hip “Mhmm, I did. Do you think there was a reason I didn’t bother putting on anything aside from this apron? Just boxers, socks, and an apron was bound to catch your attention.”
Mapping smoldering kisses down his neck, Eren laughed “Haha, you got me there, Levi. I really didn’t want to go to sleep last night.”
“And you think I did?” Levi whined as Eren’s fingers worked to untie his apron. “But booze and vulnerability would have made a volatile cocktail of desperation seeking affection. No, I want you like this. Aggressive, tempting, teasing, so don’t make me regret it.”
“Never would I dream of it,” Eren purred as he lifted the apron over his head and dropped it to the floor. He had to admit that even if he’d been played harder than a fiddle in a southern country band, he loved it. Levi was flirty, spontaneous, and fun. Being tricked into sex was new and titillating. No one had ever really made him think he had the upper hand before revealing he truly hadn’t. Aggressive and enticing with that gorgeous smile and those come hither bedroom blues, Levi was the model of arousing. Everything he did from a bite at his skin, fingertips toying the elastic band of his boxers, or even being so bold as to dive his hand straight past it made him malleable putty in his hands.
Hands skimming over each inch of alluring porcelain skin, Eren took every liberty he could before dropping to his knees. Taking the band of Levi’s boxers in his teeth, he popped it against his skin. Levi’s mewls as he continued to tease him were musical notes made from the sweetest instrument. Playing Levi was the simplest thing in the world when he remembered every erogenous zone he’d found on the plane. Delicate kisses on his thighs, love bites to his hips, nails digging into the cut of his hips as he dragged himself up his body all made his breathing stunt. Leaving a wake of himself all over what he mentally claimed as his wasn’t so secret this go around. Eren wanted Levi to relive the moment each time he saw a mark on his skin.
Clustering them on his throat, biting and sucking at the skin to discolor it, and lavishing his thighs with them was the best part. Feeling Levi’s fingers in his hair tensing or hearing his soft moans had him hypnotized in the actions. Everything about him was just so intoxicating. Touching him was a pleasure in and of itself, but feeling Levi touch him in return was greater. Of course, he’d not expected Levi to retaliate but recalling that he had said he hadn’t gotten to explore his body meant that he should have. Levi easily twisted their positions and shoved him hard to the counter. It was his turn; cashing in his rain check.
Levi’s mouth was a blessing from whatever gods existed as he skillfully made his way down Eren’s body, stopping only to paw at his strained cock through the taut fabric of his boxers. Keeping himself level headed was growing increasingly more difficult as a dense fog clouded his mind. The second Levi wasted no time in dragging off his boxers, Eren cleared his throat in attempt to cover the thankful moan exiting his lips. His fingers reached for the slope of Levi’s jaw, giving him pause as he glanced up. All Eren could do was smooth the pad of his thumb over his jaw and smile. Levi had a dull chuckle before winking and kissing the palm of his hand before returning to his actions at hand. Licking a winding trail up his shaft before teasing him with a kiss to the head of his cock, Levi was expertly drawing out the act.
Teasing wasn’t something Eren had ever been able to handle. He was impatient and found himself gasping for air as Levi worked his tongue around his cock and his fingers slid between his thighs. Incoherence wasn’t something people pushed him to, as it was often the other way around, but there was Levi with his skilled, deft fingers and sinful mouth working him to his limits. Whatever god or devil had given him those skills, Eren felt a serious need to thank. Bucking his hips into the sweet, wet heat of Levi’s mouth was involuntary, but garnered more stimulus than he’d expected. Just the way that he could hollow his cheeks and take him to the hilt had Eren moaning Levi’s name in a rasped litany.
It was beyond his comprehension as he felt his muscles twist and knot with the signs of his approaching climax. Head back, mouth agape, fingers twisted in Levi’s hair, Eren managed to barely groan out his impending apex to Levi. Without care, Levi did as Eren had and pushed him harder to the breaking point. Swallowing the tepid, sticky emission as it tried to desperately cling to his throat, Levi worked him through the orgasm. Making a show as he licked his lips while getting to his feet, Levi inched closer to him only to press a kiss behind his ear. Snipping the shell of his ear in his teeth, Levi knew he could get another rise out of him and that was what he wanted.
“Fuck!” Eren hissed as Levi’s fingernails raked down his chest.
“Thought so,” Levi whispered into his ear “masochist. You like a little pain don’t you?”
Fingers curling into Levi’s hips, he elicited a yelp from Levi’s lips as he growled in response “I do, but I prefer dishing it. Should I get a little rough with you, Levi, is that what you’re trying for?”
“Perceptive,” he purred “and yes. Bite me. Hard.” Obeying his command, Eren twisted their positions and clamped his teeth around the muscle at the crook of his shoulder. A loud, reverberating moan tore its way from Levi’s mouth earning a grin from Eren. If that was how he wanted it, then that was how Eren would give it to him. Reaching across the counter for the bottle of extra virgin olive oil, Eren snickered to himself and twirled his index finger. Levi rolled his eyes and turned his back to him willingly. Sitting the bottle at his side as he got to his knees, Eren quickly ripped Levi’s boxers to his ankles.
Biting Levi was easy, but there was really one place he couldn’t resist sinking his teeth into. Leaving a perfect bite mark on Levi’s right asscheek was the perfect memento for the night. Levi let out a sharp, surprised yelp as he snapped his gaze over his shoulder to see a wide, teasing smirk on Eren’s lips. Eren made it up to him by running his hands greedily up his body, kissing his way up his back, and giving a soft, gentle kiss at the nape of his neck. Smoothing his hand down Levi’s spine, Eren dropped to grab the bottle of olive oil and pour some in his left hand. Coating his fingers liberally, he turned Levi’s jaw so he could kiss him as he made the first move to enter a slicked finger into him.
Relaxing into the touch was much more simple for Levi when it was Eren. His general presence was arousing. A man cut of the perfect stone, with eyes that enchanted and a deadly wit, Eren was everything he’d been searching for. Finally getting to be with him was exactly what he’d wanted. Screw the breakfast! He wanted Eren, and only Eren. It had all just been a lure to get him downstairs, but they’d need their calories afterwards. He was addicted to every fiery touch, every low breath, and every passionate kiss. A gentle twist and thrust of his finger inside him wasn’t enough to quell the gnawing in his gut. Once he thrust his hips out an angle and leaned on his forearms atop the counter, Eren took it as an incentive to go further.
A second thrusting, exploring finger rubbing against the walls of his body made all the difference. Moans tumbled off his lips like papers off a disorganized tax filer’s desk. Thankfully thrusting out his hips gave Eren easier access to him. Eren seized the opportunity to secure his free hand around his cock and tease him further. Kisses at his already heavily bruised throat and a hand stroking him in time with his thrusts had his mind long gone. Working only his pure desire to seek out more pleasure, his hops rocked back into each thrust. A third finger entered only after Eren’s thrusts discovered his prostate. Eren’s name was a mild scream as his knee shook at the body wracking sensation. Of course, Eren was only going to continue to drive the thrusts there until Levi was practically begging Eren to take him and fuck him over the countertop.
Bending Levi over the counter had been the plan anyhow, but listening to Levi’s delicious, wanton moans was icing on the cake. It didn’t take too much longer for Eren to cave into the pleading. Removing his pleasure giving digits, Eren ripped open the condom wrapper with his teeth, slid the latex over himself and slicked on a little more olive oil for a better glide. As he began the push into Levi’s body, Eren ran a hand up to Levi’s nape. Fingers tangled into his hair before he yanked back and bit at his neck. Levi’s breath left in such a sharp inhale he was almost worried. When he rocked back into the beginning, slow rhythm of his hips he was aware he could amp it up a bit. Levi’s breath came in quick little pants and left in half moans, nearly reminiscent of hiccups.
Continuously, Eren’s murmurs in his ear only spurred more. Hearing Eren’s silken voice in his ear asking if he liked it, wanted it faster, harder, or if he should move a certain way drove him both insane and aroused him further. Talking so filthy to him as he drove into his body into craving him more was a skill. Levi’s fingers clawed uselessly into the granite countertop, sliding right along the polished rock. He tried his damnedest to not scream, but with Eren hitting all the right spots there was no holding it back. Eren could feel the fact Levi was inching closer to his climax with each filthy phrase he uttered against his skin. Levi’s muscles clenched tightly around him, but allowed him to continue moving. Urging him faster to his orgasm, Eren secured a hand around his cock and moved in tandem with his pace.
As he made a particularly forceful thrust, Eren whispered “C’mon, Levi. I know you’re loving it that I fuck you like this, but go ahead and cum for me.” Saying things in the heat of the moment affected Levi with a body shaking quiver. He knew he’d likely pay for that comment, but he also knew Levi did love it. His body couldn’t lie like his mouth could. A few thrusts later and he’d done just as Eren asked, achieving his orgasm high and riding it out as he pushed Eren to his own. Eren’s came several thrusts later thanks to Levi’s earlier acts, but he could still tell Levi wasn’t going to be complaining about it. His stamina was something he was pretty damn proud of. Sweating, flushed, and out of breath was a medal of honor he wore on his chest after that round.
Once he cleaned up things a bit, he looked to Levi softly and kiss him “You alright? Knees and arms fine? No cramps?”
Laughing, Levi placed a hand on his jaw “Ha, I’m fine. Thank you. Forearms might not have liked granite, but it’ll be okay. Can we shower now? So you can lavish me in more attention?”
“Sure,” Eren snickered “in fact, let me start now.” Scooping Levi up princess style to save his wobbly knees from the stairs. Placing him down once in the bathroom, Eren was instructed to run the shower just how Levi liked it. Everything was to his specifics and getting to soap him up and wash him down was the highlight of the morning. Their food was definitely gonna be cooled down, it would damn near be ice cold, but he was too excited to have a care in the world. All that mattered was making sure Levi kept smiling. His laugh was made of clouds and angel whispers, and he wanted to hear it with each tickle of his side, each cheesy little kiss to his nose, or when he offered to even wash his hair.
A shower with Levi after morning sex in the kitchen? What kind of man did that? No one. Levi was the jackpot ticket after barely entering the drawing. Nothing he’d done had earned him Levi. He damn sure didn’t deserve him, but he didn’t care. Levi was someone he wanted to know, to put in the work to know everything about, and to keep in his life. He may have only known him a full day, but time passed so slowly with him he’d have sworn it was an eternity. To be understood by someone was an amazing thing, to feel understood after such a short amount of time was not only profound but it felt impossible. There would never be another chance to chase this, so he was damn sure to make sure he hung to it.
Their time in the shower ended and they headed downstairs to eat. It had certainly needed some time to be reheated, but bliss was etched into their features. They didn’t care in the least. Before they left for their date, there was a lot of time to kill so a little time to reheat food and enjoy it? Pfft. Insignificant. What did matter was them dressed and curled up on the couch watching the highlights from the baseball games yesterday. Wrapped around Levi from behind, Levi was sitting in his lap and intently focused on the television. Levi’s job was to stay up to date, but he liked to catch up on all games when possible. Eren could see over him easily, but he wasn’t thinking about the games in the least.
Brushing Levi’s hair away from his face, Eren interrupted “Hey, Levi?”
“Mmm?” Levi hummed as he kept his eyes on the screen.
“Why weren’t you in the press box at the game? Seems kinda weird,” he commented as he’d been wondering about that.
Levi turned to him and grinned “I like it seeing as close as possible. Plus, not a big shocker here, but most of the people up there are pretentious assholes too busy talking to team owners. It distracts me, and I don’t need cameras around me.”
Understanding, Eren nodded “Well, that’s a good reason as any. How exactly do you do your job?”
“Sudden interest?” Levi posed before answering. “I jot down my game notes, form them into a report, and send them in via fax. I record a lot of games myself, I watch them, and I keep a list of team stats from the office. I can recall them off the top of my head most days, so it’s no issue to sit in a seat, take notes, write a report, form an opinion, and fax it.”
“You have the easiest job, Jesus Christ on a cracker,” Eren snickered “I wish I could get paid out the ass for my opinions and observations.”
Levi shrugged “I don’t claim to know how well you get paid, but that is what you get paid for. That and putting plane pieces back together.”
“Not enough,” Eren sighed “but I get paid for my facts and my puzzle solving skills. Hey, I gotta stop at the house before we leave to the beach. You mind?”
Shaking his head, Levi replied “No, I kinda knew you’d have to. Why don’t we finish this game and head off? It’s quite a drive back to your place.”
“We can’t all be in Los Angeles,” Eren retorted with a playful shove. Levi rolled his eyes and leaned back into his chest as they watched the last of the games’ highlights from yesterday. It was kinda cute to see Levi so enthralled and absorbed by the stats. He could practically see the hamster in Levi’s brain running in its wheel turning and burning smoke. Driving separately kinda sucked, he didn’t get to keep watching him, but he did get to let himself think about things. Getting used to that, being snuggled on the sofa watching game highlights, sex, breakfast, coffee, didn’t sound bad at all. He began to wonder what his sister would say when he showed up.
Turns out, she wasn’t too bothered by it. Annie and Mikasa couldn’t stop smiling when he handed them the keys. What surprised them, however, was Amalia screaming that Eren was back for a mere second. Though she was happy to see her uncle, it wasn’t Eren that she decided to cling to. Levi had decided to come in to wait on him while he went to change, but Amalia decided to wrap around him.
Eyes glimmering with excitement, she shouted “You’re back! You’re back! Can we go play?!”
Levi crouched and touched the tip of her nose “Not this time. Maybe next time, Ms. Amalia.” Her eyes widened just enough for Eren to be horrified. He held his breath as he assumed she would start crying, but much to his surprise she nodded but still stayed by him.
“I’ve gotta change, so I’ll be right back,” Eren announced before kissing Levi sweetly and making off to the guest room. Changing into a pair of swim trunks and flip flops didn’t really take much time, and neither did finding a towel and his good sunglasses. His board shorts were emerald and silver, and a shirt wasn’t really required for beach wear, but he tossed on a thin, white tank top anyway.
While coming down the stairs, Eren overheard Mikasa speaking to Levi “You’re aware of Joshua, correct?”
Nodding, Levi answered “Yes, I am. I know it’s not going to be any form of easy to be there, but he has an exit if he needs it. One step at a time. I’m completely interested in pursuing your brother, which is odd in and of itself, but I can’t explain it to you and I won’t try. I am prepared for the worst, but I’ve got some faith in him. He wants to try.”
Slipping up to them, Eren looked to his sister “Thank you for having that conversation while I was gone for five seconds. Big one to try to cut me out of don’t ya think, sis?”
“Necessary evil,” she shrugged “but I had to know. Must admit that I’m shocked you told him. Been a while, huh? Now, go have fun. I’m a walk away if you need something. Thank you, Levi.”
“You don’t need to thank me, Mikasa,” Levi smiled genuinely “I’m being selfish after all.” To break away from Amalia, Levi opened his arms for a hug “I will see you again Ms. Amalia. I don’t live very far, and your uncle will be over more often. I promise, but I have to go now. May I have a hug?” Without a word she tossed herself into the embrace. Annie was shaking her head and Mikasa just shrugged as she neglected to hug Eren. Apparently Levi was her new favorite.
“Goodbye my knight!” She exclaimed excitedly as they made for the door. He knew that Levi was good, but damn. Kids loved him and there was nothing else to be said. Somehow he’d even won over his niece. Now there was no way in hell that was normal. He certainly couldn’t let Levi go now, Amalia would be adamant to keep them together. During the short walk out to the beach it was all he could try to think of. For the first time in six years, Eren had left his necklace on the bathroom sink and walking to a beach with someone in hand. Someone he wanted to be by his side.
The second his feet his sand a knot began to twist through his stomach. His feet didn’t budge from their place, and his chest began to constrict. It was a devil to fight. Levi looked over to him and silently reached for his hand. Twining their fingers, Levi squeezed his hand and hoped that whatever internal war he was waging would be won. Spending time with Levi was not going to be ruined because he couldn’t get over his own past; that was absolutely not a choice. He’d always love Joshua, always, but it was time to honor the promise he made to him. Levi coaxed him along and as he took a deep breath, the lead feeling steps began to fade. He still felt beyond anxious, and a little sick, but he couldn’t expect it to all just fade. It was all in his head, but that was the problem.
Neural pathways would take time corroding, but they would disappear. His fears would shrink in time, and he knew that Levi was going to be there….or at least he hoped. Levi asked if he was okay as they made it out a little further, to which he nodded, but honestly he’d not been paying attention. The only time he ever caught that fresh breeze and salty air was driving down the PCH with the windows down and his radio blaring. To experience for the first time in six years nearly took his breath. Seeing Levi’s smile as he tugged him along as the backdrop only made swallowing difficult. Was it strange to be so emotional? He didn’t think so.
Levi found a good spot on the beach and rolled out their blanket before sitting down the small cooler they’d brought along. He wasn’t exactly having a panic attack, but he wasn’t too comfortable...yet. Picking up on it didn’t take a bloodhound, so Levi popped the lid off the cooler, and offered him a drink.
“Might make it a little easier to swallow,” Levi offered with an all too real metaphor. They sat down as Eren tried to gain his bearings. He sat his phone and his wallet on the blanket, beneath his shirt as he tossed it off, and tried to take a few grounding breaths. Around him the screams of kids enjoying the splashing water, the sound of the waves rushing the sand and breaking, seagulls being their annoying ass selves, and the overall happiness written on everyone’s faces made him question if this was still okay. Seeing his memories on replay in his head was keeping his jaw clenched, but he had to shake them loose. It wasn’t the time for that. Levi’s time was Levi’s. This wasn’t introspection, it was a date, and he needed to act like it.
Getting to his feet, Eren dusted himself off and offered out his hand. Levi grinned widely and dragged him the water’s edge. Trudging through the rush of the water over their ankles was refreshing and kept him shocked back to his senses. He had a good man on his arm and he needed to remember that. What he wasn’t so sure about remembering was when he glanced up to see something he’d not expected. It was one of the last things he needed in the moment, but then again maybe it would help. Amber eyes, pecan undercut topped by a flaxen forelock, his friend was strolling along the beach, locked arm in arm, with his boyfriend. Standing 6’3, tan, freckled, with cow eyes and umber waves to match, Marco was made for the beach. Next to Jean, however, he made Jean’s barely tanned skin stick out. Well, he supposed the fact Jean was tattooed from the neck down on almost every visible patch of skin did that for him.
The second his friends noticed him, they were rushing over to him. Okay, he knew that it was a big deal, obviously it was huge, monumental step, but his friends’ crazy owlish eyes made it seem like he was dying. Overreacting was Jean’s middle name though, boy was a drama queen.
“God! Eren,” Jean spouted in a high pitched shriek “are you okay?! Do you feel alright? Are you drunk? Dizzy? High?”
Smacking Jean’s hands away from him, Eren rolled his eyes playfully “Geez, Jean, you’d think I was dying or something. Yeah, I’m fine. It’s been a while, but thanks to Levi I’m managing okay. I haven’t vomited yet, and I’m not running off to have an anxiety attack in a locked bathroom. I’d call it a win so far.”
“That’s good to hear, man, I’m proud of you to be out here” Jean breathed, relieved, before turning his attention to a horribly concerned Levi. “Eren, you mind?”
“Shit, right, right,” Eren fumbled as he turned to Levi “Levi Ackerman, this is a good friend of mine Jean Kirschtein and his boyfriend Marco Bodt. Guys, this is Levi Ackerman.”
Marco’s expression glittered as he extended a hand to Levi “Holy shit. Good to meet you. A fan, naturally, but what are you doing with plane parts for brains, over here?”
Levi chuckled “Haha, thank you. Nice to meet you too. We’re on a date, actually.”
Both Jean and Marco answered with a collective “What?”
Eren rolled his eyes as Jean’s floored expression registered “C’mon. Not that big a shock.”
Unable to resist, Jean enveloped Eren in a hug “I’m so proud of you. He’d be happy, Eren….I know he would. To see you getting back out there….and fucking look at you, at a beach of all places? Damn, he must be the one.”
Holding his chin high, in attempt to not let it get to him as much as his quivering heart would have liked it to, Eren returned the embrace “Thank you, Jean. Really.” As they cut the hug, Eren looked to Marco “Guess we’re even, huh? Sorry to call you on the date last night.”
“It’s alright,” Marco shrugged “it was just dinner night, but it was really good to see you, Eren. Don’t be a stranger while you’re here! We’ll let you get back to it.”
“Take it easy, Eren,” Jean nodded as they shared a hug and departed. He’d missed seeing them, but seeing them at such a time was a shock to the system. As he stood there for a moment trying to regain his frazzled faculties he could feel Levi’s eyes on him.
Levi opened his mouth hesitantly “Who were---”
Answering, Eren turned to him “Marco I met through Jean a long time ago. Jean? Well, the first time I met Jean it was the second time I met Joshua. Jean is Joshua’s cousin.”
Before Levi could think he himself wrapped back around Eren “Oh my god…no wonder….you sure you’re okay?”
Pressing a kiss to his temple, Eren grinned “Yeah, you know what? I think I’m gonna be just fine. C’mon.” Dragging him out into the ocean, enough to where the water sloshed against his shoulders, he grinned “See? I may still be a little off, but with you I’ll be okay.”
“Don’t do it for me,” Levi reminded him “because I don’t need it. You do.”
“Then let me do it anyway to find some enjoyment,” Eren teased before pulling him close to land a kiss on his lips. Swimming in the ocean hadn’t been the plan, but kissing Levi was always a part of the plan. Keeping a hand on his jaw, Eren pulled back “I was right, you know? You do have a beautiful smile.”
“Cheesy asshole,” Levi pouted as he turned his head. Eren couldn’t resist stealing another from Levi when he was all flushed and precious. They actually began to have fun swimming around, mainly because Eren remembered that he was actually a great swimmer and could really fuck with Levi. Diving under the water’s surface to grab his legs almost got him kicked in the face, but he also got to grab Levi and throw him in the water or pull him under. Play fighting in splash fights and getting each other with a giant wave of salt water? He felt like he was a kid, but what he felt most the ease of his conscious. He wasn’t paying attention to his nagging, deprecating thoughts. He was remembering having just as much fun with Joshua, and he knew then that Levi was the exact person he’d spent so much time secretly waiting for.
When they got tired, Levi had a good idea for them. They dried off for a bit, enjoyed the cool air together relaxing and the collected their things before heading down the pier. Taking a break to visit the Natural Museum Sea Center, they entered the small building and immediately found themselves in a series of petting tanks. Dipping his hand in the water to pet sharks? That wasn’t an everyday kinda date, but it was fun. Who didn’t think the little speckled babies were adorable? It was the perfect side activity to do as they kept laughing at how absolutely frigid the water was. Neither of them had expected the water to come up to mid bicep when reaching the bottom of the tank to pet the giant babies lingering there.
Unfortunately, Eren jerked his hand out of the water in a flash his phone began to ring with an alarm tone. The exact reason the number of his boss had an alarm tone was the reason most people would suspect. Immediately he answered the phone and began to nod, answering with repeated a seemingly autonomous “yes, sir.”
“Yes, sir. I understand, sir. I’ll be there as quickly as I can. Yes, sir. Goobye,” Eren finished as he looked to Levi with a crease furrowing his brows.
Levi cocked his head to the side “What’s wrong?”
“737 crashed just outside Calabasas; it’s an absolute disaster. It looks like they need me, so I’ve gotta get cleaned up. I’m sorry to cut this short. Of all the reasons in the book, for some reason this wasn’t what I figured would happen,” Eren sighed as he apologized.
“That’s okay, Eren, just means you’re working in my area now,” Levi replied “and those people need you to work this. Be at your best.”
Eren nodded as he straightened up “Yes, I am, and I will be. I’m gonna be pretty busy for the next couple days so, uh, I’ll be sure to have my phone on me at all times. I won’t be sleeping a lot, so when I get the time I’ll be there. When I get time off, I promise, you’ll be my first call.” Kissing him on the cheek, Eren took his hand and began to lead him back out to the pier. It wasn’t a long walk back to the house, but they needed to get there as soon as possible. Thankfully along the walk, nothing felt awkward, things only felt right. For once again, he could say that no matter what happened it was still a worthwhile date. Not many people could say they knew on a first date if someone was going to be everything, but he already knew. He just had to keep it to himself for a while.
Arriving back home, Eren dropped his things off and went to change while Mikasa sighed and looked to Levi “It’s gonna happen a lot, you know? He lives out of a suitcase and goes where the job takes him.”
“I’m a sports analyst. I travel for games,” Levi countered with a smile “but I don’t care. I’ll wait. We have a plan to keep.” His words trailed off when Eren stepped down the stairs in a finely tailored black suit with a white undershirt and black tie. Last time he checked he wasn’t sure what department the NTSB worked for, but he was incredibly thankful for their dress code. Eren’s hair was pulled back, away from his face, and he walked down with a camera in hand. It appeared he wasn’t really suited for a crime scene, until he stopped by the coat rack to pull of his navy windbreaker with the golden letters NTSB AGENT written across the back. He gave Mikasa and Annie a hug before turning to Levi.
Kind enough to offer to drive him, Eren took Levi’s offer and punched in the coordinates to the crash site. What Levi was about to see was going to really settle in his fear of flying, but Eren would always be there to remind him of better. It was an hour drive and Eren kept his hand on Levi’s thigh for most of the ride. Neither of them spoke, but instead they listened to the radio. Both of them had a high stress level for what they were about to walk onto and Eren wanted to make sure that Levi didn’t catch a giant eyeful of smoldering plane wreckage. In fact, as the pulled onto the drive, Eren shook his head.
“It’s far enough, I can smell it,” he commented “I don’t want you to see that, and I doubt they’ll let you past anyway. Precautions though.”
Levi put the car in park and leaned over to kiss him “Keep your word.”
“Promise,” Eren whispered as he unbuckled and stole another kiss “thank you for driving me. My HQ is in Gardena, Levi. I’m only 20 minutes away.”
“If you need place to cras---bad choice of words. If you need a spot to stay that’s close then….I’m only 30 minutes from here and 20 from HQ?” Levi posed with an unsure tone.
Eren grinned, opening the door, “I may take you up on that, after all, we’ve got a plan to keep. I promised I’d see you again. When I need to sleep and recharge, and get my fix of seeing you, I’ll give you a call. I do promise. You can’t keep me away, Levi. Not now.”
“Good,” Levi answered “now, go.”
“I’m going,” Eren laughed as he shut the door and adjusted his tie “bye Levi. See ya soon, darlin’.” While walking up the road, he afforded himself one look back to toss him a wink, and then jogged up the gravel path to the burning field ahead of him. It was definitely going to be a long day, and next few nights, but he knew at the end of his first night there was a bed with his name on it. A bed with a shared name, with shared warmth, with implications beyond the standard. Maybe it was a risk to go the last few years without someone, to prepare himself for a solitary life, but now he had a new mindset. Things may not work out, things may change, but all that mattered is that he was hopeful and ready to make progress. Progress would be slow, it would take him a lot of time, but he was finally ready to move on.
With Levi’s help, support, and guidance, their budding, whirlwind romance could be something. For the first time since he began working for the NTSB, he finally was looking forward to finding a way to weasel out of work a little early. Surprising Levi would be incredible, and maybe, just maybe, fate did have a funny way of pairing people together. His life hadn’t ever worked out how he thought it would, or wanted it to, but now things were changing. One thing was for sure, this was one flight plan he didn’t want to change.