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It started out in a rather uneventful way.
During their time at Survey Corps ex-headquarters, Eren grew close with all of Team Levi. Even Hanji, though not much effort was put into that one; just a lot of sitting still and listening to her blab about her lovely titans. He tried, he really tried to pay attention but after the first hour of absolutely useless information that he already knew existed it became an incredibly vexing experience.
Petra he could get along with. She was kind and sweet with just enough sarcasm and sass to deal with Auruo. Eren had to give her props on that one; Auruo might’ve been one of the best fighters out there, but he sure did enjoy the sound of his own voice. The second time Eren caught the two of them bickering outside the castle was when he was cleaning the third floor. His gaze slid to the open window and he watched unsurprisingly as Petra seemed to get fed up with his spewing bull, leaned forward and kicked him right between the legs. She left him there, hands desperately gripping the front of his pants and face beet red. Their eyes met and Petra gave him a curt nod and a grin.
Erd was usually quiet, but had a quick wit and sharp tongue when necessary. His strength spoke for him though, as did his leadership abilities, even if it was something as simple as telling everyone to clean out the stables. Gunther was even more silent, though Eren found that he couldn’t take the teasingly friendly banter that Erd could. He was as serious as they come. Every time Eren took a break from cleaning, he found himself wondering of Gunther was around the corner, watching him and writing a report to Levi.
This was the name that was troubling him. A conundrum. That’s was the man was. An unsolvable puzzle. How can one be so apathetic yet care so much?
Before he had become a part of this team, the only rumors he’d heard about the Captain had been in awe of his prowess. But it was the type of awe one held within a respective distance of a starving bear. His reputation as a cold, effective killer with a heart of stone preceded him, but Eren found himself developing his own opinion of his new commanding officer.
He had many little ticks. Although he gave off an air of callous indifference, Levi would sometimes let a bit of emotion show, though usually on accident. Like when Petra and Auruo were arguing over the last red apple that Erd had managed to scrounge up from a tree a few miles out into the forest. Auruo had been holding it above her like the bastard he was and Petra was on the verge of cutting off his arm. She had lunged forward unexpectedly to make a grab for it, but her foot had caught on the edge of the table and her momentum had taken her crashing to the floor.
Except she hadn’t. A pale hand had shot out and gripped her arm tightly. Her face had been inches from the ground when Levi yanked her back up with a stern glare.
“Go to bed, idiots.” He’d said, tossing the apple to Eren instead. Auruo looked pleasantly flustered and Petra was blushing at her slip-up. Levi had stared at them until they’d scurried away, but Eren had seen the brief flash of fear on his face when he thought Petra would hit the ground. Levi had shrunk in on himself when they left. Eren smiled down at the apple in his hands.
“I think you’re the one who needs sleep, Captain.”
“It’s Levi.” He’d spat before stalking off.
Eren liked to think he understood Levi more than the others, even though he’d known him for a shorter period of time. He didn’t know why, but he felt some kind of connection to the man from the second he volunteered himself to watch over Eren.
Well, basically he’d volunteered to kill Eren if he ever became dangerous, but the sentiment was there.
From the moment they arrived at the castle, he could feel the pull Levi had on him and he couldn’t help but be drawn to it. Eren would linger longer whenever he was around, just to make sure that he was okay and everything was all right. Or even to see him smirk or, in some very special cases, let out a small – very small - smile. It was really stupid but he honestly couldn't help it.
So when Levi began getting closer, he had no complaints. It wasn’t much at first. Fleeting touches, eye-contact held for a second too long. Watching Levi’s face relax whenever he looked up at the stars. That’s where Eren always found him; late at night, in front of the large second floor window.
Levi was always leaning against the sill with his chin resting on his palm. His hair pushed back by a stark white bandana, seeming to glow with the reflection of the moon. On that particular night, Eren had just finished cleaning up dinner with a silent Gunther. He’d been out riding all day with Petra and Auruo, so he was about ready to strangle the next living thing within sight. That next living thing within sight turned out to be Levi, so he refrained, knowing he also had a lot on his plate.
Levi didn’t acknowledge it when Eren settled beside him. Their elbows touched.
“It’s pretty, huh?”
“Yeah.”
Levi seemed tired, shoulders hunched, bags under his eyes larger than usual. Eren just watched him breathe in the crisp night air. Levi closed his eyes for a few minutes, absorbing it all. Eren turned toward the sky, stars twinkling and crickets chirping a chorus.
Levi shifted beside him and all of a sudden his forehead was pressing against Eren’s shoulder. Eren jumped at first, not quite sure what to make of this. He hesitated for a second before he wrapped an arm around the man’s back. His hand flexed slightly.
Eren had almost forgotten what this was like; everyone was so scared of him now that they could barely look at him, much less engage in some form of physical contact. Levi let out a shaky breath.
“I’m so… tired.”
“It’s been a long day.”
“…that’s not what I meant.”
Levi loosened himself from Eren’s embrace slightly so they could look each other in the eyes. Levi’s eyes seemed almost dead, but there was a fire there, dim as it was, burning regardless. Eren wanted that fire to burn brighter and consume him.
“This whole existence is tiring. Fighting this battle is tiring.” Levi smirked. “Dealing with those idiots is tiring.”
Eren had to smile at that. He also had to smile at how close they were and how trusting Levi had become of him during their stay here. He had the sudden urge to kiss the man’s fears away so he never had to deal with this horrible life again. He wanted to shield him from the world, from the Titans, from Survey, from everyone that wanted something from him. He wanted to whisk Levi away outside the walls and travel the world, see the deserts of ice, the mountains, the ‘sea’ that Armin went on about all the time. He’d never craved something as much as he craved this right now.
“You know, you can talk to me, if you want… I guess you can’t really, uh, get stuff off your chest since you’re in charge and you’re not supposed to do that… stuff…” Eren realized how lame that whole thing sounded. He wished he had the capability of thinking before he acted, putting words together so they made sense in places other than his mind.
Levi was smiling, though. He was actually smiling and maybe acting stupid was worth it to see him like this. Eren blushed down at him and gave an answering grin.
“Yeah, okay.”
“Okay what?”
“Let’s talk.”
Levi reached up to gently cup Eren’s face in both his palms, thumbs drifting under Eren’s bright green eyes and stroking his cheeks. His hands wandered to the back of his neck to pull softly at the dark brown roots there. Eren’s breath hitched somewhere in the back of his throat as he stared into the dark eyes that were reflecting the whole entire universe.
When Levi kissed him, he thought that maybe this world wasn’t so bad.