Work Text:
Sunlight leaked through thin curtains, spilling down the wall and across the bedroom floor until it splayed itself over pale skin. Just sharp enough to pull Levi from sleep. His eyes fluttered open, then shut again just as quickly, a reflex born of too many mornings like this. The sun always found him only hours after he’d finally fallen asleep, and he never rose willingly. He lay still, stubbornly, as if staying there long enough might convince the day to move on without him.
He felt movement beside him. The bedsprings creaked softly as the man next to him stirred. Levi opened his eyes again, slower this time, only to find those familiar blues already on him. Erwin offered a sleepy half-smile as Levi tucked himself beneath his chin in response, arms winding around his torso. He breathed in deeply, noting that Erwin smelled faintly of vanilla from his body wash, a clean, grounding scent that curled around Levi and pulled him back into himself. He shifted nearer and let himself stay there. Just for a moment longer, he was comfortable.
A warm hand settled at his back, fingers moving slowly along his spine. Levi let out a quiet sound before he could stop himself, the tension in his shoulders easing. Erwin’s chest rose beneath his cheek, grounding him in the simple fact of existing within proximity. Mornings were always hardest, when sleep loosened its grip but the day hadn’t yet made its demands. Right now, though, there was only warmth and weight. He began to fall asleep again. Erwin noticed.
“Time to get up, alright?” Erwin murmured, voice thick with sleep.
Levi only hummed, already knowing he wasn’t going to get up willingly. Erwin would make him, though. The thought alone was exhausting. Pulling himself from the bed, placing his feet on cold wood, dragging himself toward a kitchen he never ate in willingly. It all felt like too much. He just wanted to stay here for as long as he was allowed. As if hearing the other man’s thoughts, Erwin sighed softly above him, his breath fanning Levi’s hair lightly.
“If I get up, you get up with me,” Erwin said. “Deal?”
Levi sighed and pulled back just enough to look at him.
Half-lidded gray eyes pleaded silently to stay where he was, but Erwin’s gaze held steady, and Levi felt himself give in almost immediately. It was always like this: another morning, another day, the same cycle waiting. Erwin tried, he really did, to make it easier, and Levi knew better than to blame him for what he couldn’t fix. He took the offer for what it was, small and earnest, something to hold onto for later. A reminder that Erwin cared, even when Levi couldn’t convince himself to. He blinked, frowning faintly. Then nodded anyway.
“Deal.”
Sunday mornings were supposed to be lazy. To Levi, though, every day had become blurred into the same dullness, indistinguishable from the last. Today was different only because Erwin wouldn’t let it pass that way. He had plans, apparently. Levi didn’t ask what they were. He was grateful for the insistence, even when every part of him wanted sink back into the bed and disappear. Erwin never forced him, never raised his voice or dragged him where he didn’t want to go.
Instead, he pressed soft kisses to Levi’s face, caught tears before they could fall, rested his hands where Levi needed them most, so on and so forth. Patience, offered freely and without condition. Carefully, strong arms lifted him from the mattress, and Levi went without protest. He folded his arms over his stomach, hands drifting up to cover his bare chest as Erwin carried him away from the bed. By the time they reached the bathroom, he realized he didn’t miss it. He felt lighter in Erwin’s hold, even as the warmth slipped away and he was put down.
“Alright,” Erwin turned to the towel rack. “Do you want me to shower with you?”
“Sure.”
With a quiet nod, Erwin set another towel on the counter for himself.
The water took a while to warm, and Levi watched him, thoughts drifting. He’d really never understood why Erwin stayed. Why he chose this, chose him. Levi pushed his boxers down and stepped out of them, and his gaze flicked up to Erwin, tracing familiar lines of a body he knew he would never have. The ache settled deep in his chest, dull and familiar. He looked down at himself and felt the same hollow disappointment as his hands still shielded what didn’t feel like it belonged. There was no real reason to hide, though, not from Erwin.
“It’s warm enough. Come on,” Erwin said, holding out a hand.
Levi took it. The shower swallowed them in steam, the hot water cascading down his back and loosening something tight inside him. It had been a while since the last bad night. He stood there, listening to the steady sound of it against the tile. Showers had a way of pulling his thoughts in directions he didn’t like, but Erwin’s presence anchored him. He stayed there until the moment loosened its grip.
“Let me wash your hair, okay?”
Levi nodded and turned his back, grateful for the excuse to hide. Fingers worked shampoo into his hair, slow and careful, scratching gently at his scalp. He let his eyes close, leaning into the touch. The scent of mint rose with the steam, clean and grounding. Levi's favorite scent. Erwin rinsed the soap away, reaching for the other man’s body wash now.
“Lift your arms for me.”
But it wasn't a demand, just an ask for permission. Levi obeyed either way. Large hands moved over his sides, his shoulders, then hesitated briefly at his chest. Levi flinched despite himself, grimacing slightly. Erwin paused then continued, finishing quickly, respectfully. When they were done, Erwin shut off the water and wrapped a towel around Levi’s shoulders before taking the other for himself.
The air felt cold by comparison. Levi shivered, clutching the towel tighter as he followed Erwin back into the bedroom. He lingered in the doorway while Erwin rifled through the dresser before holding up the binder like some kind of reward. An unspoken understanding that this needed to be resolved quickly today, more than some others. Levi quickly stepped forward, taking it with both hands. The towel slipped to the floor as he pulled it on, wrestling the fabric into place until it finally settled flat. Cool air from the ceiling fan brushed over his damp skin, goosebumps rising along his neck. He adjusted it once more, then turned back to the dresser.
“Don’t put pajamas on,” Erwin said, tugging a shirt over his head. “It’s too nice to stay inside. We can get something to eat. Walk through the park, if you want.”
Levi huffed, but felt no real disappointment. “Fine.”