Three Years Later:

"There's no way," Eld said incredulously, shaking his head with disbelief as a wide smile spread across his lips. "I've known you for years and you've always been a coward when it comes to women. You're famously bad at talking to girls. And yet you expect me to believe you got a set of twins in bed with you?"

"Unless you paid them," Olou said, looking over at our dark-haired friend who was growing increasingly more frustrated with each passing moment, especially with the teasing remarks being tossed around at his expense and all the doubtful eyes aimed his way. "I can't see that happening, ever."

"Oh, yeah," Petra chimed in with a sly smile of her own. On her usually happy, sweet face, it looked horribly out of place. But even if it did nothing else, it allowed Gunther to breathe a sigh of relief now that the focus was off him, if only for a moment. "And you're a real Casanova, Olou."

I couldn't help but laugh and play along. "He's a playboy, you know that? Girls at school were all over him, don't you remember?"

Olou rolled his eyes, making Petra laugh some more. For my part, I managed to stifle my laughter, knowing that if anyone was to laugh at him, Olou would far prefer for it to be Petra, not me. As such, his annoyed look softened slightly when Petra spoke once more, knowing that at least for a moment, she was paying attention to him.

"Lady-killer," she said in a teasing, sing-song sort of way.

"Fine, I'm no Casanova," Olou relented. "But come on, compared to him?" Olou said, pointing at Gunther who was, once more, clearly offended.

"At least I haven't been stuck on the same girl for years now while making absolutely zero progress," Gunther said, finally defending himself. He then took a long swig of his drink, ignoring the glare Olou was sending him all the while. "And anyway, I never said they got in bed with me. I just said we had a lot of fun in that club's bathroom."

"Ew," I muttered, grimacing. Even Levi seemed disgusted, of course, by the thought of doing anything like that in a club bathroom. Hell, he was probably disgusted by the thought of a club bathroom by itself, without the dirty deeds even included. And I had to agree.

I didn't care what kind of high-end joint you went to, all the clubs I'd ever been in had absolutely deplorable, disgusting bathrooms that smelled of puke and old perfume and sweat, with scratched mirrors and graffitied stalls and cracked toilet seats.

At least small bars had nice bathrooms, because the owners actually cared about the quality of them. A club popular with horny college students, most with fake IDs and bouncers who didn't care and owners who were only in it for the money... yeah, there wasn't a chance I'd ever get down and dirty in one of them. Not if I didn't want to leave with several new diseases in my body and the sweat and likely other bodily fluids of a million other women clinging to my skin.

"You know what," Hange piped up, "I actually did a study of the bacteria that can be found in club bathrooms as part of a biology course. I went to five different nightclubs across the city I went to school in, right, and took samples from the walls, the floors, even the little kiosk where women can buy tampons and-"

"Get to the point," Gunther said.

"Or, we can just drop it," Petra said. "Do we really need to hear about the shit you can find there? We know they're disgusting. You'd be crazy to do anything in one of those."

"Funny you say that," Hange said with a grin, "because there were actually trace amounts of human feces on the walls, if you can believe it, among other things, and by other thins of course I mean-"

"I'm getting another drink," I said, standing from the couch abruptly. "Does anyone else want anything?"

No one did, other than Eld who stood up to join me on the short journey to the kitchen for something cold to drink. The two of us left the living room together, leaving the sounds of the very strange, very disgusting conversation behind us.

Once in the kitchen, I wasted no time in going to the fridge. "What're you drinking?" I asked Eld as I searched for my own preferred beverage.

"What's the strongest thing in there?" He asked, leaning back against the counter only a few feet from the fridge where I was.

"All that's left is the cheap canned shit," I said, my shoulders slumping at the realization.

"Never mind, then," he said. He glanced across the kitchen at the clock. "I've probably had enough already. I'm the one driving their sorry asses home, anyway."

"I haven't had much, I can bring someone home," I offered. "Levi hasn't had anything, I think. Let us help you."

"Nah," he said with a carefree wave of his hand. "For one thing, I doubt Levi would actually want to drive a bunch of drunk idiots home. And besides, I don't want to burden you with that, either.

Despite getting his answer, my brow furrowed and I closed the fridge after getting us each a bottle of water. I tossed it to him, and he caught it effortlessly, immediately getting it open and taking a long draught. I hopped up onto the counter across from him and set my own bottle beside me.

"Eld," I said seriously, "do you want a place to crash for the night? I can call them Ubers; you don't need to cut yourself off yet if you don't want to."

He lowered the bottle from his lips and wiped them dry with the back of his hand. "I already told them I'd drive them home."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"But-"

"(Y/n)," he said, laughing now, "come on. I know my limits. I'm nowhere near it."

"Still," I tried persistently, "I don't need you all getting tossed in jail for driving under the influence."

"You're relentless," he said, shaking his head with disbelief. When his lips curled in an easy smile, clear fondness making its way into his eyes, I smiled at him. "I'll call us an Uber. You'll just have to pick me up to get my car tomorrow."

"I can do that," I said, happy that I at least partially won.

"Well," he said easily, "I suppose that means I can get high as shit tonight without consequences."

"Not in this apartment, you won't," I told him. "His landlord's stopping by in the morning. He catches a whiff of marijuana, he's out."

"Damn," Eld sighed. He patted his pocket then, any previous excitement in his eyes being replaced by disappointment as his shoulders slumped. "I didn't even bring my shit in from the car." He glanced up at me then with these big puppy dog eyes and a slight pout.

"Don't," I said in warning, knowing what he was going to ask.

"(Y/n)," he implored slowly, "do you think you could-"

"Absolutely not," I interjected. "I told you, you can't smoke it in here anyway."

"Is his landlord really that much of a hard-ass?"

"He's awful," I said before taking a sip of water. "Besides, you know how Levi is. He likes his place being clean, and that means smell, too. If it smells like weed..."

"I get it," Eld said, then stretched his arms above his head. Even from across the way I could hear the pops of his joints before he relaxed and let them land in his lap. He set his forearms across his legs, leaning forward as though to regard me conspiratorially. "Back to that landlord. It sounds like you've got a story."

"He's just the worst," I said to him, shaking my head. "I was here once on the day of one of his impromptu visits."

"Impromptu? He just pops in randomly?"

I nodded ruefully. "I told you, he's the worst. He nearly gave me a heart attack when I met him because I had only gotten out of bed to use the bathroom and he knocked on the door so loudly I thought he was going to break through the door!"

"Did you answer it?" I nodded in answer. "I hope you weren't naked."

"Thankfully, I wasn't," I said, shuddering at the memory. "I was wearing one of Levi's shirts, and that was it, and I checked the peephole first only to see this crotchety old nose like, pressed up against it, and he had just the grumpiest face I'd ever seen."

"What the hell was he doing, trying to look through the peephole at you?"

"Maybe," I said, considering it with a shudder. "Anyway, I opened the door and he nearly pushed me over on his way in. Of course, then Levi comes out of the bedroom, wondering why I was out of bed and leaving so early."

"And without giving him his goodbye kisses," Eld cooed.

"Gross," I said with a laugh. "No. He didn't come out of the room demanding his goodbye kisses. But he was only in his underwear and if that wasn't bad enough, the old man starts lecturing me."

"Lecturing you? What about? Why you shouldn't answer the door in someone else's shirt?"

"Funny, but no," I said, leaning forward. "It was the weirdest shit ever. He said that if I was going to keep spending nights at the apartment, at least four a week, I needed to be on the lease, and he started giving me like, detailed lists of all the rules and shit!"

Eld laughed. "Four nights a week means you're on the lease? What if you work overnight, so you're never there? Do you just... never get on the lease?"

"I didn't think to ask," I said, rolling my eyes. "I was too busy trying to cover up to actually listen. Best I could do was grab one of the blankets from the couch to wrap around me."

Eld smirked. "I can't believe he's seen more of you than I have."

I rolled my eyes once more, averting my gaze. For years now, I'd known about the crush Eld had on me back when we were in school. It'd been a simple enough crush, and it had faded not long after I left the school that they all had attended, but I only learned about it by mistake when Petra had accidentally let it slip one night in the summer after our freshman year of college and we'd all gotten together to hang out.

Eld had been horribly embarrassed but got over it quickly because the feelings he'd harbored for me were gone, and had been for a long time, now. For us, it was something of an inside joke. I was no longer flustered by the information, and even knowing it didn't change how close we were, nor did it negatively impact our friendship in anyway, for which I was grateful.

It didn't mean I wouldn't tease him for it though, and he made fun of himself for it all the time, like now.

The night I'd learned about Eld's crush was quite like the one we were sharing now. It was the dead of winter, and the middle of the holiday for those of us still in school. We'd all found a night where we were all free and decided to meet up.

Of course, we referred to the group of friends still so close-knit since going their separate ways after their high school graduation, with the addition of myself. Petra, Olou, Eld, and Gunther were here of course, along with Hange and Moblit. Because it was Erwin and Levi's apartment, they were here too, and I was here because... well, because Levi and I were together. That was the long and short of it.

In truth, I think that this get-together was a thinly veiled excuse for most of us here to get drunk and let loose, and to just have fun together. As adults working to finish their studies, further our careers, and find our own in this world, the chances we'd get to do this would get gradually fewer and more far between.

With it being so close to Levi's birthday, and of course Christmas, it was also a good excuse for everyone to exchange gifts. In hindsight, we should've done the gift exchange earlier. While we'd all gathered them under the tree in the living room and piled them according to who they were being given to, the more sentimental gifts were likely to be looked over in favor of the gag ones, with the way those in the other room were guzzling drinks.

Hindsight was 20/20, of course.

Ah, well.

The silence of the kitchen, the comforting quiet that Eld and I had fallen into as we sipped our waters, was interrupted by a very drunk Hange suddenly entering the room. They immediately started stumbling towards me, their every word slurred beyond comprehension.

Thankfully, Moblit hurried into the room shortly after, gathering Hange into his arms. "Sorry," he said. "I think we're going to take off. I need to get Hange home."

"There's a hotel just down the road," I said, worry creasing my brow. "I can help cover the cost of a room; I know it's a bit of a drive back to your place."

"Oh, no," Moblit said immediately, shaking his head. "I don't need Hange doing experiments in the pool."

"Are you sure?" Eld piped up in a singsong sort of way just as I opened my mouth to speak those exact words. I glared at him, closing my mouth with an irritated huff as he snickered. "Nice to see you, Moblit. Text the group when you get home safe, alright?"

"Will do," he said with a smile, looking at us each in turn. "Goodnight, you two."

We both said our goodbyes as Moblit worked to escort Hange, still babbling on about nothing less than the mysteries of the universe in their shitfaced state, out of the room. "I guess we should all be leaving too," Eld said with a sigh. He slipped his phone from his pocket, assumedly swiping over to his usual rideshare app. After a quiet moment, he set the phone on the counter then smirked conspiratorially at me. "Of course, I'm sure you and Levi are just dying for all of us to leave."

"You're disgusting," I said with a light scoff, knowing his words were only in jest.

"I don't know what you mean," he said with a level of innocence so exaggerated in his voice that even a deaf person could tell he was overdoing it. "I just know that he isn't one for PDA, and I have a feeling he's really a very cuddly guy. So he's just waiting for everyone to leave so he can show you the affection you so assuredly desire."

"Oh, yeah," I muttered, deciding to play along as I slid off the counter and eased myself to my feet. "Levi's a real teddy bear."

"I knew it," Eld said with a proud grin, following me out of the kitchen.

Seeing the worsened state of the others in the living room, even after only a few short minutes in the kitchen, I was grateful that I'd limited how much alcohol I'd had and that I still had my wits about me. Aside from Levi, Erwin, Moblit, and maybe Eld, everyone would be waking up with pounding headaches and terrible hangovers in the morning, if they didn't sleep right through the morning, that is.

I had things I wanted to do tomorrow, so I didn't want to add a hangover to the already busy day I had planned.

Thankfully, Levi wasn't a big drinker either, and when I finally returned to my rightful spot at his side on the couch, he responded by throwing a lazy arm over the back of the couch as I leaned against him. Petra and Olou seemed to be deep into a rather heated conversation, as was normal for them, and they had seemingly captured the attention of everyone still left here.

With everyone distracted for the moment and sprawled across the other couch, I leaned close to Levi and brought my lips towards his ear. "They're going to be heading out soon," I whispered to him. "After we finish cleaning, could we watch a movie together?"

"It's nearly three in the morning," he protested.

Despite the lateness of the hour and the fact we'd been up since yesterday morning, he looked as awake as ever... which wasn't very. It could be accredited of course to the fact that he had such sleepy eyes. And he was probably by now bored of the petty squabbling from his much drunker friends, meaning that his eyes glazed over with disinterest.

"Is it really?" I glanced at my phone, waking it up only to check the time. Sure enough, the clock was steadily approaching the witching hour. Across the nation, several women were surely about to get that dreaded text from their ex or latest Tinder hookup: u up?

I set my phone down. "No movie, then."

Levi leaned away slightly to see my face clearer, and I adjusted to get more comfortable against his side. "You look exhausted. I'll take care of the cleaning if you want to head to bed." Immediately, I shook my head. "Why not?"

"It goes faster with two," I said, "and you know I'll have a hard time sleeping without you next to me."

He rolled his eyes, knowing that the latter half of my statement was false. Completely, irrevocably false.

We didn't live together, and many nights of my week even during breaks were spent in my own place, or even at home in my childhood bed. I was more than capable of sleeping without him, my words were only hyperbole. Being next to him just made it a whole hell of a lot easier... and comfier, if I had to add.

Being able to lay against his chest was a simple pleasure for me on this planet, with his arms securely around me and the beating of his heart resounding in my ears. Of course, having his comforting weight against me was incredible as well, especially when I considered how special I must have been for him to choose to lay atop me, trusting me to have his back and protect him while he slept.

And at any rate, when he was the big spoon, it was lovely; conversely, when I was the big spoon, though he grumbled endlessly about it, I knew he loved it just as much as I did.

I smiled at his reaction. "Don't be so dramatic," he mumbled.

"But don't you find it cute when I do?"

"Hardly."

Laughing a little, I rested my cheek against his shoulder. This was about as much PDA I could get away with when in such an intimate environment. While these were his friends and we were in the comfort of his own apartment, he was hesitant to allow himself to show how much he truly craved the affection from me.

Of course, his friends knew we were intimate and did a lot in private obviously, but he was so against letting that vulnerable side of him show because the more people who saw it, there was more of a chance for that vulnerability to be used against him.

Even among his closest friends... he didn't want to allow any chance for that to happen, for people to find anything to use to hurt him. Everyone here knew and respected our relationship, and they knew what would happen if Levi caught wind of anyone being rude to me behind his back.

But growing up, his uncle had so wrongly taught him that vulnerability was weakness.

And I'd spent these past few years trying to teach him that there is strength in being vulnerable.

Not everyone was out to get him. But it was so deeply engrained in him and those walls around his heart came from the very core of his psyche, from the way that he grew up, and so it took a long time for him to even grow to be comfortable enough to be vulnerable with me. To be vulnerable around those he respected and those that respected him was a different beast altogether.

There might never come a day when I would be able to dream of getting a kiss from him in public, though. Friends were one thing, and even that was uncomfortable for him. With strangers around... not a chance.

But I was ok with that.

It would never be public knowledge what kind of lover he was, how best he liked to hold me and kiss me and I was more than happy to keep him all to myself.

Now, did that mean I wouldn't kiss him in public? No.

Did it mean that he wouldn't hold my hand to make sure I didn't stray too far from him while going through a crowd? No.

All it meant was that our relationship would be private and in a way that made it more fun. Leave people to guess what we were like behind closed doors. Leave them always wondering, always guessing, never knowing for sure...

"Our ride is here," Eld said, cutting through my thoughts and the conversation still happening just across the room. I stood, going around and giving everyone hugs and wishing them well until the next time we all saw each other. I made sure everyone had the bundle of their gifts, wondering if it wouldn't be better to just keep them here and mail them so they wouldn't risk losing them.

...except that would cost money and I didn't want to do that. So Levi and I helped them all get downstairs and to their Uber, and I offered an extra tip for the driver if he would just make sure they didn't leave their gifts behind when leaving the car. The man offered me a well-meaning smile and assured me he would before wishing us a happy holiday season before pulling away from the curb.

We watched them go, and only when I shivered violently from the bitter winter air did Levi grab my hand to lead me back upstairs.

By the time we got back upstairs, Erwin had already started on the cleaning, which surprised me. He was typically a very sleepy drinker, no matter how much or how little he drank. He must've really limited his consumption if he was this sober still, which delighted me as I started to help clean because it only meant the work would get done much quicker with his help.

Discarded bottles of cheap wine and crushed cans of cheap beer littered the floor, and the pizza box, empty of everything save for grease, was still on the small dining room table – the dining room being a corner of the living room Erwin and Levi had designated to act as such – and when I picked it up, I grimaced at the sight of a smear of grease streaking across the surface.

"Disgusting," I muttered to myself as I threw the box away. I didn't waste the energy complaining more as we all continued cleaning, Erwin and I knowing damn well that Levi wouldn't be content until everything was as it should have been: and that was to his incredibly high standards.

With the three of us working as though professionals in the field together, it didn't take long at all. When everything was done, Erwin bid us a quiet goodnight before heading to his room on the other side of the apartment.

And finally... with all the lights off and no one around to watch, I took Levi into my arms to press a kiss to his cheek.

With what little alcohol I'd had buzzing through my veins, and with the late hour that it was, I was a little giddy and more than a little exhausted, the mix sure to annoy the hell out of Levi.

But then again, at this unholy hour after so many of denying himself the pleasure, he craved my touch, even if he wanted to maintain acting aloof for the sake of his pride. I mean, God forbid his closest friend Erwin leave his room and see him give me a kiss! How scandalous!

I leaned in to kiss him again, but he leaned away. "You smell," he muttered, making me gasp incredulously. "Go shower."

"But-"

"Either you shower, or you're sleeping on the couch."

I huffed impatiently, but quickly saw an opportunity in his words. "Only if you join me."

"On the couch?"

"No, silly," I said with a smile. "In the shower!" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at me. "Don't give me that look, Levi. How will I be sure I'm actually clean unless you're there to check?"

"You're impossible."

"And yet you love me anyway."

"You're making it extremely difficult to."

"And yet," I said again, "you always put in the effort and you love me anyway."

He sighed, pushing me gently away from him. "Go," he said. "I'll join you in a minute."

"Thank you, baby!"

I knew that, realistically, that I wouldn't get much sleep tonight. Nightly activities with Levi aside, it was already morning, and the sun would rise soon. Aside from that, I was anxious for the day's plans and with a start I remembered that his landlord was stopping by today as well.

I ignored that bit of souring, sobering news as best I could for now. I went into Levi's room, the one that only continued to be populated with more and more of my things as time went on. There was even a drawer in his dresser full of my clothes, or at least those that I wore while with him and accidentally left behind, leaving him to wash them.

It was to that dresser that I went now, ignoring my own clothes in favor of Levi's. I knew that by morning I would forget about the landlord, and I would regret only grabbing Levi's boxers and a shirt of his, but it was what I wanted to wear, and I'd already embarrassed myself once in front of the man, what was once more?

I smiled at the sight of the few framed photos decorating the top of the dresser. One of us from my graduation, and from his, and various pictures taken on different dates we'd been on. A few ticket stubs were tucked into the corners of the frames, from movies and things we'd gone to see, and tucked to the side of one was even the line of photos we'd taken in a booth at a carnival a few years back.

When I gathered a set of his clothes, I went into the bathroom. I ran the water and got undressed, waiting patiently as Levi ensured that the apartment was locked up. And when he did finally join me, he wasn't shy in taking his clothes off and joining me in the shower, stepping through the steam to finally press a kiss to my waiting lips.

---

By the time we finally got out of the bathroom, it was because we were warm and clean and far more exhausted than we had been when we first entered. Hell, I might even fall asleep at this rate, especially since he was so sweet as to carry me to bed.

Full of bliss and delightfully drowsy, I was gently placed down onto the mattress. Ever the gentleman when it was only us, he tucked me in. His soft movements were cherishing and reverent and I couldn't help but feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Other women dreamed of this kind of treatment and often had to hint towards it, but I got it without having to ask.

As I should.

My eyes closed contentedly once I was under the covers and with them closed, my other senses were heightened slightly, despite how exhausted I was. I could feel his warm breath fanning over my face as he leaned in before his lips were pressed tenderly to my forehead for a sweet, simple kiss.

I smiled as he drew away, letting my eyes flutter open to watch as he stood. "Goodnight, (Y/n)," he said quietly.

My eyebrows furrowed with confusion. "Where are you going?"

"The other room," he answered simply, stalling in his step by the end of the bed on his way assumingly to the closet.

"What? Why?"

"I'm not going to sleep," he said. "It'll be time to wake up by the time I fall asleep, if I do at all."

"So cuddle with me," I pleaded. "I don't know if I'll be able to sleep either, knowing your creepy ass landlord will be here in a few hours."

That got a smirk out of him. "So you'd have me listen to your incoherent rambling all morning?"

"Maybe," I said.

In that moment, as he gazed over me with such easy fondness in his eyes, I wondered if I looked as exhausted as I felt. If I did, I must have looked like shit. And yet, for him to still look at me like I was the prettiest thing in the world...

"I just want to be near you," I said sincerely. "If you don't come to bed, I'll just follow you into the living room."

A quiet moment passed as he considered it. Then he sighed, giving in. Finally, he rounded the bed and got under the covers on his side. I was there to greet him with a kiss and to pull him eagerly into my arms before he could even attempt to get comfortable.

"Easy there, brat," he said, the faintest trace of amusement in his voice.

I settled comfortably on my back and pulled him to lay against his favorite pillow... that of course meaning my chest. With his head pressed to my bare chest, and his naked body resting comfortably against my own, I was first all but overwhelmed by the residual warmth from the shower exuding from him. It quickly felt like I was in a sauna, but it was comfortable and began to lure me closer to sleep.

Not wanting to fall asleep quite yet, I pressed a kiss to his hair in case I did fall asleep and didn't give him his usual kiss goodnight.

"Happy now?"

"Very," I answered.

"Try to sleep," he said.

"But-"

"I won't go anywhere," he said. "Not until I have to get ready to see the landlord."

"Does he have any reason to come in here?"

"I don't think so."

"Great," I said, stifling a yawn. "Maybe I'll just sleep through his visit. But be sure to wake me up before 10, ok?"

"Got plans tomorrow?"

"Mm-hm."

"Without me? You wound me."

"There's nothing stopping you from tagging along," I said. "Actually, I'd love to have you there. All I'm doing is bringing Eren to meet his brother."

"He found his family?"

"His half-brother found him, technically. It's a weird story."

"Go ahead."

"So a few years ago," I started to explain, "I was at one of Eren's hockey games and I ended up next to this guy named Zeke. We talk a little bit, become friends, exchange contact information."

I could feel Levi bristle slightly and the muscles in his shoulders tensed slightly.

"Calm down, Levi," I laughed, running a soothing hand up and down his back as though to smooth out those muscles. "Wanna know why I've never mentioned him? Because he's not you, and so you have nothing to worry about. We hardly ever talk anyway."

"I wasn't..." He trailed off, knowing that lying to me and saying that he hadn't been bothered by my words was useless. "Just keep going."

"Remember when I posted a few weeks ago on IG?"

"When your family visited you on campus?"

"Mm-hm," I hummed. "Well, he saw it and since I tagged Eren, Zeke saw his username. And Eren's got his full name on his account, so Zeke saw that he's Eren Yeager."

"And they have the same last name?"

"Right," I said. "Not only that, but Zeke knew that his father had a second family."

"That's fucked up."

"Yeah, they're apparently not from here. Zeke ran away from his home when he was young, first living with his grandparents for a while before leaving them, too. As luck would have it, he eventually came here and met me and saw Eren and Zeke asked if they could talk. Eren was comfortable enough to text him and apparently, they do have the same dad. Grisha Yeager."

"Interesting," he said, stifling his own yawn, letting me know it really wasn't all that interesting. That was fine by me, though. I was talking just to talk. Whether he listened or not didn't matter to me. And hell, if it made him fall asleep, then it was even better because I'd get to make sure he actually did get some rest tonight.

"I guess Zeke just really hates his dad," I continued, "but he's dead, and the only family they have is each other. So tomorrow they're meeting for the first time. Eren wanted me there to kinda be a buffer or a mediator, I guess, for them."

"And now you're inviting me."

"I don't want anything happening to Eren," I said. "He's so excited but I don't want him getting his hopes up just for this guy to be a scumbag."

"You said you knew Zeke. You're friends."

"Right," I said, "but I think Zeke's only being friendly with me to get close to Eren. I don't want him tricking him. He's just so excited to meet someone from his real family, even if it is only a half-sibling. Eren loved his father so much, I just don't want Zeke to try to tell him how awful he was treated by him."

"I get it," Levi said. "I'll be there."

I was so relieved; I felt a sudden weight lift from my shoulders, and I seemed to be able to breathe easier now. "Thank you," I said softly. "I mean it. I want this to go well for Eren so badly."

Levi tilted his head back to press a kiss to my neck. "I know, brat," he said, his breath ghosting across my neck and collarbone. "I know. But you need rest."

"I know," I murmured. "But I want a real kiss before I go to sleep."

"No." I opened my mouth to whine but suddenly he was propped up on one elbow beside me, pressing his other hand across my mouth to keep me from doing it. "Don't even think about it."

My smile grew beneath his hand. With sudden mischief in his eyes, he eased himself to straddle me, and I allowed my eyes to drag up and down his body obviously before my gaze met his waiting eyes. He removed his hand from my mouth only to replace it with his lips. I threw my arms around his shoulders and my eyes closed, pulling him closer as I immediately tilted my head to deepen the kiss.

My tongue slipped through his parted lips, getting a content, low groan from him. Knowing it's what he liked, I rolled us over. I got comfortable atop him, letting my hands trace over the muscles that I knew so well by now. If I only had the talent, I could assuredly sculpt him from memory.

I drew back only enough to murmur against his lips a breathy "I love you", to which he sighed at and met my lips once more for a sweet, gentle, and unusually innocent kiss. And then he drew away, and I sat up with a smile on my face. He reached up with one hand and caressed my cheek so reverently that I couldn't believe that I was the object of such affection – that I was the object of his affection.

His and his alone.

There was nothing else I cared to be.

I leaned into his touch, relishing the feel of his warm, calloused palm against the smooth skin of my cheek. Maybe it was the hour, maybe it was the season, maybe it was the fact that his birthday was in a few days, but his eyes were softer than they normally were.

His eyes always did soften when he regarded me, but never quite like this.

And when he next spoke... I was left breathless by his words, simple though they were.

"Move in with me."