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Jean had assured him that soldiers had been getting drunk together since the dawn of time, and that it would be “completely okay” as long as no one found out. Eren was skeptical, automatically thinking of the Military Police who shirked their duties for the vine.
Apparently, Sasha and Connie had gone out the night before to explore the headquarters and stumbled upon an old storage room. They had almost continued on their adventure elsewhere, but Connie noticed an odd looking chest at the far end of the room. Inside was an arrangement of different liquors that, from their appearance, looked to be older than when the castle was remodeled. Though a little crude, chances were that it was all still good to drink. It wasn't until they told Jean and he took it upon himself to make it the center of a party that the rest of the 104th squad was involved. The storage room wasn't a half bad location either. It was a little dusty, but there was plenty of open space.
“We're the Scouting Legion! We've earned at least this, Eren! It's not unusual,” Jean argued, pulling excuses. It was critical that Eren attend since no Eren meant no Mikasa either.
He pleadingly stared at Eren, whose brows were furrowed in contemplation. He didn't particularly want to go, though it wasn't like he had never had a drink before. He could recount a wild night or two. He just wasn't stupid enough to think that Jean really wanted him there. There was at least a 99.9% chance that Mikasa was the actual target of interest. It wasn't a pleasant thought that Jean probably intended to make his move on her while she was inebriated. Eren certainly wouldn't put it past him. He decided he wasn't buying Jeans excuses.
“I'm sorry, but what reason, if any, do I have for agreeing to go? That is, besides watching you act like an even bigger ass than you usually are?”
Jean's hopeful expression dropped into a frown. “Yeah, well some of us want to live a little.” He paused in thought before perking up slightly with an idea. “You're the only one without the balls to have a little fun. Even Mikasa is coming to party.” He hadn't even asked Mikasa yet, but Eren didn't know that and he didn't need to know it either. Hopefully, Eren would be too determined to protect Mikasa to catch on.
“Mikasa already said she would go?”
Hook.
“Yeah, I didn't think she was all that interested, but it seems like she wanted to cut loose a little. You know, relax. Though, I shouldn't be too surprised, I mean, putting up with you all the time must be pretty stressful. I doubt you even know how to relax, you're so intense all the damn time.” Jean shrugged. “Hell, now that I think of it, you probably wouldn't be too fun anyway.”
Eren's eyes narrowed. “Hey, I can blow off some steam from time to time like anyone else. I know how to have a good time.”
Line.
“Oh, yeah? Prove it.”
“I will. You can bet I'll show up tonight, and I'll show you how to party right.”
And Sinker.
–-
In all honesty, Eren only really expected to have a couple drinks and ride out the rest of the night on a mild buzz. It wasn't until he was tottering around the room arm-in-arm with Jean, spilling liquor all over himself, and trying to sing an old song between sloppy bursts of laughter that he realized he may have overshot his goal. Jean was singing along with him, off-key and loud, barely able to keep himself upright. Sasha and Connie had fallen on the floor laughing in tears. Bertholdt and Reiner were sitting on the sidelines, waving their drinks side to side in tune with the song while Armin sat at their feet. Mikasa, still fairly sober, was the only one who had decided to stop drinking an hour ago to be prepared in case Eren passed out and needed to be taken care of.
A whoop went out from Hanji across the room who was lying on her back with her drink in the air. Surprisingly enough, Hanji had caught wind of their party early in the night and had shocked everyone when she burst into the storage room. She had narrowed her eyes and looked across the room at several sheepish faces. “You guys are drinking at night, unauthorized? Who said you could have a party-” With everyone thinking that the party had been officially busted, no one expected her to chuckle quietly before adding, “-without me!” Cheers had gone around from everyone while Reiner and Ymir picked up Hanji on their shoulders to parade her around the room, chanting, “Hanji! Hanji! Hanji!”
Armin giggled against Reiners leg. “You guys!! You're being...so loud! What if...what if we wake someone up? What if...oh god...what if we woke the Corporal up?”
“Ehhh? What's that Armin? I didn't- ah!” Eren stopped in his steps to hear, causing Jean to trip over himself and topple onto the floor, effectively pulling Eren with him. Eren landed face first into Jean's chest, ass up in the air. He snorted and laughed into the fabric. Armin tried stifling a laugh before continuing.
“No, no, oh my god, no, Eren. Eren, what if the Corporal wakes up and hears you down here! He's gonna...he'll beat the shit outta us!”
Hanji sat up and laughed into her knees, “Yeah, you know, he can probably hear us so well...because, you know, he's so close to the floor? Because, because,” She paused to let out another breathless chuckle. “Because he's so short! Get it? Haha! He's so short he's close to the ground, oh god haha!” She burst into another fit of laughter, falling back onto the floor as a result.
Connie gasped sitting upright at once. Everyone turned to look at him, startled and scared something had happened. “You guys.”
“...What?” Bertholt nervously asked.
“What if...what if we stole something from Corporal Levi's room?” Everyone exhaled in relief, Jean and Eren starting up into giggles again. Jean propped himself up on his elbows underneath Eren.
“Dude, you'd have to be seven kinds of crazy to think that even going into the Corporal's room, let alone taking something, could end well. Besides, what would we even steal...?” He questioned.
Connie rested his chin on his fist for a minute to think. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he clasped his hands together in excitement. It was obvious he had come up with an idea, and he turned to Sasha to whisper it in her ear. She rolled her head to hear him better, and clamped her hands over her mouth to contain her giggles when he finished. She grinned and shook her head, barely able to hide her enthusiasm. Anyone could see that she was simply giddy with excitement.
“That's...that's perfect. Yes, that's an awesome idea!” Sasha nodded quickly to emphasize her point.
The group looked at Connie expectantly, waiting for an answer. He smiled to himself and took a deep breath, looking around the room at his friends.
“What if...what if we stole the Corporal's underwear?? Stole it and-oh! Oh! No, no, not even all of us. What if we wagered a bet, that if someone could do it, they'd get out of chores for a week.”
Ymir scoffed, “Chores? That's the best you've got? It's going to take a lot more than chores to get any of us to walk into the lion's den.” She leaned on Christa's head. “How about...”
Hanji sat up again, interrupting Ymir. “Oh man, would I like to see someone pull that off. Okay, there's not much you guys can do, but I can make things happen. How about...whoever pulls this off...” Her voice trailed off, eyes squinting at the floor. She swirled the bottle in her left land while thinking. “How about...if someone can bring Levi's underwear back to this spot, without him waking up...oh I know. If someone can do it, I'll get them their own room to themselves for a week.” Sounds of approval came from around the room at the proposal. After spending so long sharing rooms and beds with other soldiers due to lack of space, an individual room was a luxury that most people had either forgotten or never considered in the first place. Some of them had never experienced such a thing in their entire lives.
Eren was the only one who shook his head in disagreement. “But Hanji, are you forgetting? That bet couldn't apply to me. I'm stuck in the dungeon, remember? I'm on an entire different set of rules around here.”
Hanji tsked, shaking her head in return. “Ah, Eren, that's right. However,” She looked up and pointed her index finger at him. “You forget I have significant influence around here. I'll admit I can't get you out of that dungeon since that's a locked agreement, but I can still make you interested. You already technically have your own room, but I've seen the state of that cell you sleep in. That bed is practically falling apart. I can get you our highest quality bed and sheets along with anything else that might suit your tastes. How about that?”
Eren smiled at the challenge (His face was still in Jean's shirt, so it was a little lopsided, though). “Alright, I can agree to that!”
“It would teach that shorty a lesson at least.” Everyone turned, surprised to hear Mikasa say something from where she was sitting against the wall. She had barely spoken all night. Armin hesitated before nodding in agreement.
“Yeah, after everything he's done to Eren it would certainly be a fair payback. Oh man, could you imagine how pissed he would be when he found out someone stole his underwear?” In fact, I think Eren should be the one to do it! This bet seems like the perfect fit.” Everyone nodded in agreement.
Eren sat up and crossed his legs, pausing a moment to recover from the dizziness. He raised an eyebrow at the group. “What? Are you guys serious? I mean, I could probably do it, but...I've already gotten an ass-kicking from the Corporal. I don't really want to go looking to receive a second one.”
“Nah Eren, it's definitely gotta be you,” Reiner contributed. “This is payback. Besides, if you pull it off, he'll have no way of knowing who did it. It'll be a secret between all of us.”
Jean let out a short laugh. “Yeah, in fact I don't think anyone is more suited than the guy who loves to go rushing to his death all the time. If you've managed to make it through all the weird situations you've gotten into before, you could definitely pull off something like this.” Jean lifted his bottle to take a drink, but frowned when he found it empty. He motioned to Christa, who was sitting by the chest, to grab him another. She dug her hand into the chest to pick out a bottle and stood up to walk over an hand it to Jean. When she sat down next to him, Ymir glared at Jean, feeling slightly betrayed. He took the bottle and put his hands up in defense at Ymir's accusatory look.
Eren stood up, determined. “Yeah! Maybe you're right! I can defn'ly...” Eren squinted “definitely...pull it off! I'll do it.” Cheers and shouts went around. When Mikasa worriedly began to stand up, Armin put up a hand in her direction and shook his head, chuckling. He dismissively waved it at her and mouthed, “He'll be fine, calm down.” She sighed and sat back down against the wall.
Jean stood up and gave Eren an approving pat on the shoulder. “Alright Yeager, it's all you.” He turned to the rest of the group, pumping his fist in the air to chant, “Eren! Eren! Eren!” The others quickly joined in, standing up to surround them while repeating the action.
Except Hanji. She seemed to have given up trying to sit up, and instead waved her hand back and forth to the tempo of everyone's chanting, yelling from the floor, “You got this, Eren!”
–
Eren gingerly placed his foot on the next step, bracing himself against the wall. The amount of silence surrounding him was a drastic change from the cheery bustle in the storage room. The change in light was drastic too. Though, he was thankful for the darkness since his vision was getting extremely blurry anyway. The lack of light allowed him to avoid having to block out extra sights while he was trying to concentrate on moving directly forward. His left hand helped to brace his body against the stone wall while his right carried a dimly glowing lamp.
The top of the stairs was in sight. Eren tried to place his other foot, gasping loudly as his foot slipped off the edge of a step. He had miscalculated and not placed his foot far enough forward. His right hand swooped to the side to catch the wall, lamp banging against the stone. Luckily, his right foot had been in a sturdy enough position to catch his fall, preventing him from making a dangerous tumble down the stairs. He let out the deep breath he had recently sucked in. His head hurt.
More carefully than before, he made it to the top of the stairs. He followed the path to where he knew Levi's room would be, and stood still when he finally reached the correct door. The lamp was set down just to the side of the entrance, its dim flame still flickering.
Deep breaths. Steady...
Eren slowly turned the handle, unlatching the door, and pushed forward. He could hear soft, steady breathing from within. He sighed in relief. Good, he's still asleep.
Stepping with caution into the room, Eren maneuvered his way inside, leaving the door slightly ajar. He could make out a vague lump on the bed where Levi was presumably sleeping. Looking closely, one could just barely observe the rise and fall of a chest in tune with the sound of breathing under the sheets. It was difficult to see. Eren couldn't tell if it was the alcohol or the darkness. Probably both. There was a chance that it would be pretty difficult to find anything in this kind of state.
Eren stopped. He didn't really know where to start looking. He probably didn't have enough time to snoop through every drawer in the room. Knowing the Corporal, all of his clothes were most likely folded and neatly tucked away. (Why was he doing this again?) In fact, the closest pair could probably be found on the man himself. Eren inwardly groaned. There was no way that he was going to attempt that. He scanned the room for a set of drawers instead. He found it to be pretty close by and decided to start his search there. It was getting harder to concentrate. Maybe slamming back a couple of drinks right before starting on the adventure hadn't been his brightest idea.
Lifting his right leg slowly, Eren attempted to stretch it out far for a long step. Unfortunately, his balance betrayed him, and the stance caused him to wobble to the side. Eren only had a few short seconds to panic before his weight pulled him down without hope of re-balancing. The world blurred for just and instant, until his head smacked into the ground. A loud crack sounded around him as well as some muffled banging from where his feet had slipped. Everything seemed to swim and spin around him from the ground, but all he could manage to think was holy fuck my head.
It took longer to understand just how much noise he had made until the sound of Levi swiftly sitting up in bed caused the fact to register in his head. “Who, the fuck is in my room.” Levi sounded pissed.
He was so fucking dead.
Eren decided it was better to not test Levi's patience, and tried to quickly stand to explain himself and remedy the situation. “Sir! I'm so- ah!” Upon attempting to stand, Eren's footing slipped again, (damn it all) causing him to take yet another noisy tumble to the floor. His head smacked the ground again with a loud crack. He could see stars.
“Eren? What the hell are you doing in here?” The sheets rustled as Levi threw his legs over the side of the bed to glance down at the floor next to him. The light from the lantern outside leaked enough light through the crack of the open door to illuminate the ground. Levi stared at him as if trying to comprehend why there was a teenager sprawled out over his floor. All Eren could do was grunt in response to the sharp pain in his head he was feeling.
“Eren, get up."
He shifted his heavy limbs in vain. “I can't”
Levi frustratedly sighed and hoisted him up against the bed. Eren's head rolled to the side from the force, eyes squinting at Levi's face. His brows were drawn tight in annoyance as his eyes blinked rapidly to adjust to being awake. After scanning Eren's face for some answers and finding none, he pinched the bridge of his nose, groaning.
“Eren, could you please be so kind as to tell me what is happening right now.”
“Uh,” Eren mustered up in response.
“Eren, I swear to god, start talking.”
Head still spinning, Eren reached desperately in his mind for something to say. He was going to be dead if he said nothing, but his head hurt, his eyes hurt, his ears hurt, everything hurt, and there was the wager-
“I need your underwear.” Brilliant. Just brilliant.
“I...what?” Levi rolled his eyes, letting out another exasperated sigh. “It's too damn early for this.”
Eren tried shaking his head but only succeeded in hurting it more. He motioned with his hands as if trying to explain something. That only made him dizzy, forcing the need to reach out and grab something stable. He instead grabbed at Levi's shoulder in his stupor. Eren didn't let go immediately, processing his thoughts. Levi was...
Eren opened his eyes wide. “Corporal! You're really warm!” He gripped Levi tighter.
“Yeah, maybe because I was just sleeping under very warm blankets. What's wrong with you?” He leaned in closer to Eren to try and get a better look at him in the poor lighting and was struck with a strong smell instead. Eren heard him sniff.
“Shit, Eren, are you drunk?”
Something about that seemed very funny to Eren who couldn't hold back from giggling in response. He tilted his head forward, snorting, before continuing to giggle. He wrapped the hand that had been on Levi's shoulder around the man's neck instead, pulling on him. “No. Maybe. A little. Yeah.” He wheezed out a particularly loud snicker. Eren reached his other arm around Levi's neck for more balance. “Am I in trouble?”
“Yes.” Levi paused to check Eren's condition over again. “However, it looks like you're in an entirely useless state of mind right now. Come on, get up.” He placed his hands on Eren's sides, lifting the teen as Levi stood. Eren's grip tightened on his neck, dragging him down slightly. Levi tried pulling a second time, almost standing up straight until Eren's weight pulled him forward harder than the first time. He staggered, almost collapsing on top of Eren, who was partially lying back on the bed. He blinked up at Levi, squinting his eyes to try and see him better. His black hair was hanging partially in his face, mouth open trying to catch his breath after trying to hoist him up. Eren decidedly thought Levi looked kind of hot from this angle.
“Hey you look kind of hot.” Wow did he say that out loud? Oh well. He ran one of his thumbs up Levi's neck. It felt soft.
“What are you-”
Eren used both of his hands to tug Levi's head downward. Since the position was already strained, it was mostly gravity that pulled his head down enough for Eren to press his mouth to Levi's lips above. It was an impulse, and he was probably going to regret it later, but he didn't care because wow Levi's lips were so soft and this was incredible and he was going to enjoy it because-
Levi pushed off the bed in an instant, tugging Eren dizzily up into a sitting position. He pulled Eren's arms away from his neck. Eren would have fallen back again if he hadn't steadied himself with one of his now free hands against the bed. He stared at Levi, dazed, the sensation of the kiss still tingling. He felt...really unsatisfied. And suddenly very horny.
“Eren! You can't just-” Levi tried, but Eren grabbed the man's hips and raised himself to meet his mouth again, cutting him off.
He stopped for just a second. “Shuddup,” he mumbled before diving back in to suck on Levi's bottom lip. He felt a hand placed on his own waist as he felt Levi finally respond, pushing slightly back into the kiss. It felt uncertain, only for a second, until the kiss grew more forceful, biting, sucking, licking until their mouths were open and Eren knew it was getting a little sloppy. He was having a hard time controlling himself, moaning, spit messily dripping out each time they partially parted. Levi moved his hand up to grab Eren's face, tongue pushing into his mouth and wrapping itself around his own and everything was pure bliss until.
Levi's shoved hard at Eren's chest to push himself away. The two were desperately gasping for air, only just then remembering how to breath. Levi was wide-eyed and panting, catching his breath. He swallowed and looked at Eren.
“I can't go any further. This isn't...” He frowned, disappointed. “Eren, you're drunk.” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, finally collecting himself. Eren whined in frustration. It had just been getting so good, and he didn't understand why they had to stop.
“So?”
Levi shook his head. “I can't do this with you while you're drunk. I'm not going to take advantage of you like this.”
Eren whined again. “But you're not taking antage-” he paused “advantage of me. I want this. I definitely want this! This is okay!” Levi crossed his arms in response.
“If you want this then come back to me when you're sober, but I'm not going to stand here and guess that either of us know what you're really thinking or what you really want from me while you can't even speak properly.”
“Ugh.” Eren closed his eyes, balling his fists in front of them. He was dizzy again. His head hurt. “Fine! I'm going to sleep.”
“Wait, here? No, brat! Go back to your own bed! Hey!” Not even a few seconds and Eren had already passed out. He was rolled to the side and curled up in a ball on top of the sheets. Levi ran a hand through his hair in annoyance. He leaned over to pull the covers up and over Eren before stalking out of his room. Unlike certain drunk individuals, there was no chance that he was going to get any more sleep that night.
Defeated, he entered his bathroom to change into his clothes, leaving behind the softy snoring teen.
–
Breakfast the next morning was terribly quiet. Everyone from the party the night before sat, too hungry to function, but too nauseated to eat. A few extra things had happened as the night progressed that no one really wanted to discuss. In summary, a couple relationships had moved into awkward territory, Sasha was still apologizing to Mikasa for throwing up in her lap, Jean had a hard time facing any of his friends without embarrassment, and Armin was sporting some very interesting bruises. Worst of all, Eren had never returned from his excursion, and no one knew what had happened to him. The group looked worriedly at each other after a while when they realized that Eren still had not shown up to the dining hall for breakfast. Hanji noted frighteningly that Levi had not shown up for breakfast at the normal time either.
Jean, who had been sitting with his face in his arms, finally looked up just in time to see Levi crossing entering the dining hall. He stilled, carefully watched the man's actions. Levi looked forward and caught eyes with Hanji.
“Ah Hanji, I was looking for you.”
She stiffened. “Oh? Was there something you wanted?” She tried to force her usual smile, anxious about his statement.
He rubbed a hand along the back of his neck. “I'm afraid you'll have to put off any experiments you have for Eren until tomorrow. He'll be busy today. That's all I wanted to let you know.” He turned and began to leave.
“Ah wait!” Hanji called out. Levi paused to turn back around. “Are you not going to eat this morning then?”
“No, I ate quite earlier.” He continued to walk out the door, which he shut behind himself as he exited. The room was silent, terror hanging from each person's expression.
“Oh my god,” Connie gasped. “I've killed Eren. This is my fault, Levi must have massacred him.”
Hanji put her face in her hands. “Poor Eren! He didn't have a chance!”
–
Eren's head still hurt. When he awoke, he found himself in an unfamiliar room in an unfamiliar bed. Where was he again? Retracing the night before, he thought of the party, the drinking, the bet...oh yeah.
Oh.
He sat up in terror, eyes scanning the room for Levi. It was empty save for himself. He took a deep breath.
The door to the room opened and Levi walked through it, catching Eren's gaze. The breath he had just taken in was very quickly released.
“Oh good. You're finally awake, shitty brat.” Eren's heart sank. It didn't help when he suddenly remembered the very impulse and highly regrettable things he had done to Levi the night before as well. Levi was going to kill him. One final peaceful sleep before he would get the absolute daylights knocked out of him. Levi slowly approached the bed, his shoes tapping the floor with each step. Eren grimaced, preparing himself for the worst, when Levi reached out his hand to present him with...a glass of water?
“Drink.”
Eren hesitated for a second before realizing that, yes, his throat was terribly dry. He reached for the cup and took a drink. It made his throat feel exponentially better. Levi reached out his hand to take the cup back, and Eren complied. He set it down on a table nearby. He looked at Eren again.
“I hope you slept well because I slept like shit.”
Eren's response was instantaneous. “I apologize for everything, sir.” He hung his head in shame. Levi nodded.
“Good.” He sat down on the edge of the bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Nauseous.”
“I figured as much. Good, you've earned it.” Eren kept his head down and stayed silent. Levi sighed and rolled his eyes.
“I'm not mad. You think I've never gotten outrageously drunk and done something stupid? However, next time try to pick a different destination because, once again, I slept like shit.”
“Sorry...ah...” Eren remembered their moment the night before again. The kiss. Well, kisses, if they were being technical. The memory was still amazing, but it was definitely inappropriate on more levels than he wanted to think about. However, his brows furrowed when he realized that it takes two to tango, and Levi definitely did not pull away. No, in fact he was kissing back quite passionately if Eren's memory proved him correct. He hoped his memory was accurate enough to prove him correct. He was a little unsure as to how to approach the question on his mind.
“You kind of...surprised me last night,” he started.
“Well the feeling is certainly mutual then,” Levi replied.
“Well, no. I mean, I was surprised that you kissed me back.”
Levi turned to look away, making a strange face at the wall. “We all do interesting things in the moment, I wouldn't think too hard about it.”
“Did you hate it?”
“What am I? A teenager again? I obviously enjoyed myself for a bit back there.”
Eren debated within himself for a second on his next words. “I want to do that again with you.” He locked eyes with Levi.
Levi stared back, as if he was trying to read Eren's thoughts. He smiled and stood up, crossing his arms. “Alright, we'll see about that.” He leaned over and placed a quick kiss to Eren's lips, admiring momentarily the shocked expression on his face. He turned and walked towards the door, opening it to exit.
“Come find me when you're not hungover, shitty brat.”
He closed the door behind himself and left. Eren sat still in the bed, still slightly nauseous, but very hopeful for the near future.