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For as long as Eren can remember, Levi has been misunderstood. By his friends, by his coworkers. They turn to him with furrowed brows and concerned eyes, “But isn't he cold? He doesn't say a word, it's unnerving…”
And Eren shakes his head every time, smiles to himself - in the past he would have gotten irritated, annoyed that people couldn't see what he knew about Levi.
These days, though, Eren doesn't upset himself with a passionate defence of his partner. He guesses after all his exposure to Levi's patience he's mellowed out himself, not different to his past self, but a more mature and refined version. He's come to realise that it’s okay, people just don't understand Levi the way he does.
No one has taken the time to know Levi, or see for themself the way he communicates his affections. It only ever makes Eren realise how versed he’s found himself with Levi's unfaltering kindness, his warmth.
Levi's love language is something Eren has had to learn since day one, he had to watch carefully when in Levi's company to pick out even the most subtle things.
Levi reminds Eren of a piece of music, the closer you listen, the more you can understand the emotions poured into each note. If you listen intently you can simply feel the composition. It's like the more you look at a painting, you find yourself seeing more little aspects hidden away in the larger picture. You find yourself thinking carefully about the intention of each brush stroke.
Eren has learned so much about Levi over the years… He has looked deeper into the picture and listened for every change in pitch. He's given his partner his undivided attention and he feels rich with affectionate knowledge.
Levi's love is in his touches. Physical contact is one of Levi's greatest comforts, he's always found it grounding, steadying.
He likes to rest his socked feet upon Eren's under the table when they drink comforting teas and eat meals together; His eyes soften at the brush of their knuckles as they both reach for the honey at breakfast. The younger watches Levi's mouth twitch upwards in a smile as he uses it as an excuse to weave their fingers together.
Eren knows he is adored when Levi rubs the pad of his thumb over the golden band that decorates his finger. His husband's skin is cold, but his fingers and toes always have been, Eren likes to know his own constant warmth can provide relief.
Levi's affection is spoken each morning, when he smooths down Eren's stray hairs with gentle fingers and kisses his lips with the utmost care, despite the toothpaste bubbled at the corners of his mouth.
Levi's love is in the unspoken gifts he provides Eren with.
Some days Eren will come home to a vase of flowers on the kitchen table, usually delicate bursts of oranges and yellows, his favourite colours. And he doesn't ask Levi about them, why would he? When he knows that they're for him. Eren can see Petra in his head, her knowing smile and kind eyes as she arranges the bouquet with slim fingers.
Eren will wash the dishes in return, make the bed with clean sheets that smell like a Spring afternoon and home. He'll give his husband a hug after he's done practicing violin, Levi will fall against his chest, and Eren will whisper a quiet “thank you” into dark hair.
After dinner occasionally, if Eren has been down, Levi will present him with a little white box, a pastry or dessert hidden within. A comforting gesture borrowed from Eren's own parents, a reminder of the warmth of childhood and his Mother's affectionately baked treats. In the sweetness of the dessert Eren will feel Levi's urges, “Feel better, please.”
Due to his restless hands, Levi's hobby of knitting yields many handcrafted gifts. A hat here, a pair of mittens there. A beautifully made jumper - Only once they had been married, to avoid the infamous curse.
Eren likes to watch his husband as he knits, wire framed glasses perched on the end of his nose and hands working methodically. He seems so at peace, his mind quiet. Eren likes to see how the usual furrow in Levi's brow fades away, in the same way it does when he plays violin.
He enjoys the sound of needle working against needle, along with the purring of their black cat, sat upon Eren's lap most contentedly. They're the kind of sounds that feel homely, causing a feeling of safety to nestle deep in Eren's chest.
Levi doesn't have to speak, not when Eren can listen to his various noises that fill the house like the most perfect white noise.
When Levi practices violin at home, all Eren need do is listen carefully to the tone of the music. Perhaps a sorrowful tune will sound throughout the house and Eren will understand the feelings poured into the warbling notes; Some days the music is bright and Levi's fingers dance upon the taught strings, singing only of lilting happiness.
Eren has learned to read his husband like a well loved book and the attentiveness has been returned tenfold. Levi is so in tune to Eren's own self, nothing goes over his head. He sees Eren's happiest self, the most content version of him; And he sees Eren's bad days, but he never wavers, he's always there.
Eren can't count the times he's arrived home from work with splinters, after spending his day creating the instruments his husband adores so much. Levi can spot a plaster from a mile off, his eyes as keen as ever. He will always perch those silver glasses upon his nose, ready to remove wood from skin.
He's all gentle eyes, a furrow of concentration marking his brow, tweezers grasped in hand. Once done, he will always clean the area with alcohol, much to Eren's disappointment. Eren can hear Levi's muttered complaints about cleanliness so clearly, it makes his heart leap.
Frequently, it is within words that Levi expresses himself, but it's always quietly. “I love you”s whispered into the crook of Eren's neck as rain beats upon the living room window pane; Sweet words shared between their pristine bedsheets, as golden and delicate as the morning sun that seeps into their bedroom.
Compliments are exchanged between chaste kisses, forehead resting against forehead as Eren sits in Levi's lap upon a garden chair. The sun bright on his back, a contented feeling running through his veins on the most perfect Summer afternoons spent together.
Levi's words have always come with intent, his thoughts carefully considered before they're made known to those around him. He's calculated as he throws up his guards, but with Eren only his tongue loosens with trust... He says what he thinks without anxiety, speaks exactly the right words when Eren needs them.
His voice is so special, a luxury that Eren bathes in. The sound of his words as he reads poetry while Eren falls asleep, head in Levi's lap; The tone of his voice when he's speaking aloud his secrets, handing them to Eren like the most fragile treasures he's ever known.
The way he curses and swears will never fail to put the most joyful grin on Eren's face, a request for his husband to repeat the crude words once more always follows. And Levi will flash his most secret of smiles, as he does each time - The kind where his teeth show and his crows feet crinkle beside his angular eyes. The warmest smile Eren has ever seen.
The filthy words are just as appreciated as the ones that are affectionate and comforting. Either way, Eren will listen with keen ears and a heart full to brimming with adoration.
Levi shows his love in so many ways… He is kind and quiet. The type of person who will listen to Eren with unwavering attention, nod along in the right parts of a story. He is patient and steadying, a presence Eren has always craved and yearned for in his life. He's truly perfect for Eren, his other half and the holder of his heart.
It's true, sometimes he may not say much - but Eren always knows what he means. He always will, it's just how they work and it's the most Eren could ever ask for.
He knows he is loved, it's as clear to him as the sky after the clouds have washed themselves away. Crystalline and bright.