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Eren could proudly say that he remembered pretty much all of his clients. And no, it wasn’t because there were so few of them, as Jean loved to point out whenever he wanted to annoy him.
It was because even if he spent only an hour with them, he managed to learn a lot about them. Why did they chose such a design, what held so much significance to them that they decided to make it a permanent part of their bodies… not to mention the obvious physical contact when he was tattooing something on their naked skin. In the face of pain, people tended to be more open and often vulnerable. They left him their stories and Eren left a part of his own etched forever in their skin.
Eren was a curious little shit, as Jean also liked to call him. It was kinda true, Eren liked to know what was the story of the tattoo people asked him to make for them. But much more he appreciated trust that they put in him, so unless it was shared willingly, he never insisted on knowing.
That’s why he wasn’t bothered when that man entered his tattoo parlour, asking for Eren to tattoo a barely visible, dark butterfly near his ankle, without offering any backstory. He didn’t seem to flinch in pain, despite it being one of the most sensitive areas you could chose for tattooing. During the whole process he was sitting mostly unmoving, replying with curt words to Eren’s initial chit-chat.
The whole session was short, his client didn’t share anything, but still, Eren remembered him. He was a strange contradiction - tiny body for a man that must have been already in his late twenties, incredibly small feet… But when Eren held his shin to position his leg better, he could feel hard muscles. There was strength hidden in that small figure, something about that man’s steely gaze screamed of harshness that clashed with the delicate pattern he wanted as a tattoo. The same way Eren left a part of him in the form of that butterfly, that man left his impression on Eren, strange, unforgettable memory in his head.
He didn’t expect to meet him again. So what a surprise it was when he saw those tiny feet dangling from the balcony above his own in the middle of the night.
***
He just wanted to drink some water and as he was going from the kitchen, he heard a suspicious thump and noticed movement from the corner of his eye. He cursed under his breath. Of course, it was the perfect time to remember all the Japanese horror movies that Mikasa loved to make him watch with her. He braced himself and looked in the direction of the sound.
But he wasn’t scared, just dumbfounded. Weird, how he was more ready to see a ghost. He certainly didn’t expect to see legs hanging in the air, with one of feet lonely dangling there without a shoe.
He opened the balcony and went out quietly, noticing a single slip-on shoe lying near him on the tiles. So that was the thump. He wondered how to announce his presence without startling that person and making them fall. For few seconds he watched them trying to get up again and failing, looking seemingly defeated.
And that’s when Eren noticed the familiar tattoo on that shoe-less foot, letting out a gasp of surprise that made the hanging body go rigid.
Well, at least now he knew he had company and was still clinging to the railing. Eren counted that as a success.
'Care to explain what are you doing? You don’t look like a Santa wannabe to me.’ Eren broke the silence, getting a little closer to the man. Screw being considerate, that guy was probably a burglar, so he had the right to be nosy. Actually, he should just call the police… but something was stopping him from that. Maybe curiosity.
Eren heard incredibly disgruntled 'ho-ho-ho’ from above and had to stop himself from snorting at that guy’s deadpan voice.
'Listen, I have better things to do than standing here and freezing in the middle of the night. What the hell were you trying to do?’ Eren asked again, sounding a little annoyed, but it was mostly a facade to make the guy talk.
'Practicing parkour at night…’ came exasperated reply.
'Oh really?’ this time Eren really snorted. 'Cause to me it looks like attempt at burglary. And as much as my neighbour’s grand-children sometimes stampede above my head, I don’t wish them to be robbed.’ Eren heard a deep sigh from above and waited for proper explanation.
But, suddenly, his while body twitched and few muttered curses followed. 'Kid, just get me out of here..! You can do whatever you want after that..!’
Damn, his arms were probably giving up. Eren rushed and grabbed his legs, supporting him from below.
'Grab me higher, you idiot! With a hold like that I’ll fall the moment I release the railing!’ he heard a hushed, angry whisper.
'You want me to grab your ass? Is that what you want, you damn pervert?’ Eren replied in a matching, annoyed tone.
'Grab by the waist..!’ Eren felt one of the legs he was holding kicking his torso lightly.
'That will leave me with your crotch right in my face…’ Eren mumbled, but then the guy went rigid in his arms. Eren looked up, wondering if his comment made him react like that… He wished. The light in the apartment above his was on.
A lot of things happened at once. Eren heard a clutter of the balcony door opening. He lifted his arms higher and tightened the hold around the guy’s waist. Suddenly he felt a heavy weight and saw blackness as his rescued burglar let go of the railing and held desperately onto him. He was slowly sliding down to the safety of Eren’s balcony. Eren didn’t notice the moment the guy’s crotch was on his face level, but he sure realised when his face was cradled closely to his chest, frantic heartbeat right by his ear.
'Eren? I heard some strange noises, is everything okay? Oh my–!’ he heard his neighbour’s surprised voice as she was looking at them from above. He glanced at the guy still clinging to him, despite standing on his own feet already, his black sweater not covering his stomach completely, as it rolled up while he was sliding down in Eren’s embrace, both of them panting slightly… Yeah, that might have given that poor woman some ideas. If only she knew what really happened!
'We’re really sorry for disturbing your sleep, Mrs. Brown. Our… discussion turned a little heated… We’ll be going inside now. Goodnight!’ Eren wanted to get from her line of sight as fast as possible, holding the guy close. It seemed his legs were still a little wobbly and he kept his gaze fixed on Eren’s face. He pushed him through the balcony door to his apartment, both of them still out of breath and staring at each other without a word for some time.
’…you’re that tattoo artist.’ the man mumbled breaking the silence, surprised as much as Eren had been when he recognised the burglar by his tattoo.
'Yeah, I found out it’s you by the butterfly.’ Eren replied, still wary of the man in front of him. What the hell was he thinking, helping out and inviting some criminal into his own house? That’s why his friends were calling him hot-headed, suicidal idiot.
'Hey, kid, chill, you just saved me from breaking my neck, I won’t attack you.’ he made a step towards Eren and extended his hand. 'I’m Levi, by he way. Thanks for saving my ass.’
'Eren…’ he shook his hand, taking a moment to look properly at Levi. His gaze was as harsh as he remembered, but his face seemed softer and more open as he was genuinly grateful for Eren’s help. Eren would even dare to say that despite the glare Levi was sporting almost permanently, he was pretty good-looking… especially if he added to the equation those muscles which he got to feel plenty tonight.
Oh, wow, was he really contemplating attractiveness of a burglar who was trying to rob his neighbour? It was even more shocking than the fact that he actually helped him avoid being caught… Did it mean he was his accomplice in crime?
'Eren. You look constipated.’ Levi raised an eyebrow, taking in his face. Eren tried to calm down, knowing that people can usually read him like an open book. 'But still, you’re kinda cute. Can I take you for coffee as a form of thanks?’
Eren gaped at him, not sure if he heard right. But the slight tinge of pink on Levi’s face, visible even in the dark, that appeared during the long moment Eren was assessing the situation… yeah, he heard right.
'You want to take me for a coffee in the middle of the night?’ Eren blabbered without thinking and immediately regretted it as he saw Levi’s face scrunching up.
'Not now, you moron. Later. Tomorrow maybe? I could call you… if you’d give me your number, I mean.’ seeing Levi grappling with words was actually kinda amusing. For someone who had an air of inapproachability and suave confidence about himself, he seemed much less composed the longer Eren was talking to him. Just like he noticed at the beginning, that man was one big contradiction. It really made Eren curious.
And that curiosity was enough for him to grab his cellphone and hand it to Levi to put his number in.