The familiar sound of a phone ringing accompanied the buzzing of a tattoo machine. Levi glanced up from his work to see Eren behind the desk fumbling to answer it, frowning as his eyes clearly scanned the caller ID of his cell phone.

"Hey, Mom," he mumbled into the receiver as he stood and strode swiftly toward the door to push it open and head outside. The only thing Levi's ears picked up before it swung shut was "What's wrong?"

Despite mild concern, he continued his work, though out of the corner of his eye could see the brunet pacing on the sidewalk outside. Not a minute later, he'd hung up and poked his head back in.

"Levi?" his voice was mildly strained, but only to Levi's ears because they knew it so well. He looked back up; Eren motioned him over.

"Would you mind excusing me for a second?" Levi asked the client he'd been working on.

"Of course not," she said with a smile. He quickly set his things down and peeled his gloves off as he stood up. He strode over toward the brunet, who nodded for him to join him outside.

"What's the matter?"

"That was my mom...she said there's kind of a family emergency."

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah...she just sounded sad. Kind of distressed. But she didn't tell me what was happening so I...I think I need to go, if that's okay with you."

Levi was already nodding and fishing in his pocket for his car keys. "It's fine. Go." He dangled the keys in front of Eren, who wrapped his hand around them.

"Will you be okay here alone for a while?"

"I've been here alone a lot. I'm fine. Go take care of things."

Eren nodded. "Okay. I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Don't rush, and be careful."

Eren nodded slowly; the distress was showing clearer and clearer in his features.

"I love you," he said quietly.

"I love you, too, Eren. Now go."

Again the brunet nodded and leaned down for a quick kiss before he backed up toward the car and jumped in. Levi didn't wait to watch him drive away and turned on his heel to reenter the shop. Apologizing to his client, he pulled his gloves back on and got back to work. Throughout the rest of this work, the part of his mind not preoccupied by the art itself was constantly on Eren, wondering what could be wrong, what could have happened for his mother to ask him to leave work early. He hadn't had all that much to do aside from filing and taking pictures as normal, especially considering Reiner was off with Alex on their honeymoon and had been for a few days. Even so, his mom never called him at work and Levi couldn't help but worry.

He got through another two tattoos and was working on another commission from that morning before Eren made his reappearance. The sound of the door opening was what caught Levi's attention; he immediately set his pencil down and strode across the floor to the other.

"How'd it go?" he asked softly, noting the frown still plastered on Eren's face and the sadness pooling in his generally bright green orbs.

He shook his head slowly and took Levi by the hand, leading him back to where he was so they could sit. Before saying a word, he lowered the music volume with the remote.

"I've told you that I have family in Germany, right? My dad's family." Levi confirmed. "They called this morning because my grandfather passed away last night.

A frown of his own became known on Levi's face, solely in sympathy. His heart wrenched a bit at the sad sight of Eren's eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "Were you close to him?"

"Not all that close," answered Eren with a sigh. "But I remember him being a lively, happy person from when we visited when I was little." He shrugged. "Plus, having a death in the family is never easy."

Levi hummed in agreement, knowing all too well what it was like, but having no idea as to what to say. He was never good at trying to comfort people in situations like this; he could barely comfort and find peace for himself. He was afraid he'd only make things worse.

"I was gone so long," Eren continued, "because we had to buy plane tickets."

"To...to Germany?" The question came out shaky; the raven immediately internally slapped himself for it.

"Mhm. For the funeral. But...I'm not really sure I want to go. Or if I should."

"Why not?"

"I don't wanna leave you alone," he said, finally meeting Levi's eyes for the first time since returning.

"You...don't have to worry about me, Eren. This is your family. You should go."

"But you're my family too."

Though he didn't let it physically show, those words struck a chord inside the raven. He let himself smile gently, a curve scarcely even noticeable.

"I'll be fine," he murmured. "I really think you should go. And they want you to, right? And so does your mom. You don't have to stay away from them just because of me."

"I know..."

"Eren." His voice hardened considerably. "I've taken you from your family before, and I don't want to do that again. Just go."

"Are you sure?"

Levi nodded solemnly. It was easy for him to see Eren wanted to go. And he needed to. He needed to support his family and be a part of it. Even if he felt that way for Levi, too, he wasn't the only one. Levi'd had him for months already. It was time he did something for and with people he was actually related to. Levi knew he'd be fine. Or thought so, anyway.

"Okay," breathed the brunet. "Sorry about all this."

"How long will you be gone, anyway?" he asked, brushing off the needless apology. He turned back to his work and continued sketching the pair of wings from his resource leaning against the wall, adding a few tweaks to make them appear more realistic and 3-dimensional as requested by the customer.

"A little over a week, I think. I dunno. We didn't buy returning tickets yet."

Levi simply nodded again. A week. He could handle that. The thought of being without his love was a bit unnerving, but he had to be less reliant on Eren. Needed to be more independent. If anything, for him, it could be a test or building up of strength, to see how he'd do on his own for a while. Other than the death in Eren's family, he could think of nothing negative about the situation.

"I can try and come back early, though...if you want me to."

"How many times am I gonna have to tell you to stay with your family?" he muttered. "I'll be fine. I'm not a baby. I'm not even an addict anymore."

"I know...I just worry."

"And I appreciate that. If anything, this can prove why you shouldn't so much."

"Okay...but..."

"Hmm?"

"You know we can't really talk much aside from text messaging while I'm there, right? Long distance rates and stuff..."

"Not hearing your voice might suck, but we'll get by. No?"

"Yeah. I guess so."

Levi again set his pencil down to face the other, looking him over closely.

"Wh-what?" he mumbled, a bit flustered.

"Why does it seem like you're more upset about leaving me than a death in the family?"

"I don't know..." Eren squirmed a bit, eyes fixed on the floor. "I'm just gonna miss you...I guess..."

Admittedly, it was amusing seeing Eren so flustered in admitting that. Levi rolled his chair toward him and, before he had time to react, took a fist full of the front of his shirt and pulled him forward, smashing their mouths together in a bruising kiss. The younger squeaked in surprise, his hands flying up in disorientation as Levi attempted to get a response out of him. Heart suddenly beating wildly with butterflies in his stomach, Eren started kissing back, following Levi's lead. It was a bit messy and awkward at first due to his bemusement, but they soon found a steady pattern with each other and pressed as close as the chairs they sat in allowed. Eren let his arms move around Levi's neck and his hands tangle in his hair, never wanting to break apart as Levi's expert mouth moved in time with his own. Inevitably still, their lips parted audibly, both rendered breathless from such long affection.

"When do you leave?" Levi breathed.

"Tomorrow night," Eren whispered back ruefully.

"Hmm...we'll have to do something before you go."

"I'd like that," Eren said, finally cracking a small smile, immediately envisioning them out on another date - going on a walk or out to eat, or simply lying around in pajamas while pigging out with a random movie but not paying attention to it because they were too busy with each other to care about it. The little fantasy had his smile widening. Maybe, he thought, he could get Levi to sing for him again just once before he was across the world for a week.

"Can we go home now?" he found himself asking.

"Can I finish this first?" Levi turned, indicating the unfinished outline he'd been working on.

"Only if you promise to hurry."

"Can't rush perfection, Eren," he teased with a wink, following up with, "I'll try."

Eren turned the music back up and, as he had many times before rested his chin on the shelf-like thing acting as Levi's desk to watch his expert fingers create a masterpiece with something as simple as a pencil and a piece of paper. He worked on each individual feather with precision while still giving the wings a nice, flowing curve to match the contours of someone's back - someone he figured to be female by the way they curved in and then back out like the flow of a waist and hips, a curve most males lacked. By simply watching the raven draw as much as he did, he could pick out little anatomical things like that. It was fascinating to see a piece of art come to life by his hand, whether it was on paper or skin. He was still the only one Levi allowed to observe his tattooing process. His fingers were impeccably precise with the machine - more so than Petra's or even Reiner's, who he'd seen do multiple pieces themselves. They were good. Really good. But Levi remained undeniably superior. It was no surprise to him how many clients he had walk in daily and, so far, was booked up all the way to the end of October, of course having days off among the hours he had planned permanently embedding his art onto someone's body. For therapy. For doctor's appointments. For simply resting. He'd stretched his time wisely - tattooing and working on commissions while still having plenty of times to continue recuperating from such brutal addiction, and for alone time with Eren.

Eren, too, worked easily with his schedule, between working, spending time with his family and friends, and spending time with Levi who, evidently, filled up most of that free time. Sometimes he thought it might be unhealthy, spending so much time with him and getting so used to his presence. He'd convinced himself it wasn't though; it wasn't like he'd abandoned everyone else in his life for the man. He felt well. Balanced.

"Okay, I've had enough of this," Levi was muttering a while later. He'd completely sketched the wings and cleaned it all up. "My eyes are starting to burn..." He lifted his glasses to rub his eyes, sighing heavily, roughly.

Eren automatically began stashing away his supplies in his storage sleeve thingy.

"You'd better do that right or I'll make you redo the whole thing," the raven cautioned, eyeing the way Eren was swiftly sliding his pencils into the slots.

"I think I have it down," he responded. "I've seen you do it enough times."

"We'll see..." Levi crossed his arms and observed. Eren's nimble fingers finished in no time and let him look it over. "Impressive," he mumbled thoughtfully. He rolled it up himself and fastened it, closed his sketchbook, and slid the items into his small black tote bag. Eren worked on shutting off the stereo, making sure the back lights were off and the computer was shut down. He shut the main lights off before holding the door open for Levi and then shut and locked it. Normal procedure.

Levi quickly slipped his keys from Eren's pocket before he knew it and strode to the driver's side of the car.

"What are you doing?"

"My car, I drive," remarked Levi with a sly smirk.

They made it back to the apartment in almost record time; Levi had always been a fast driver and to Eren it was no surprise he'd had his license taken away for as long as he did. Inside, they kicked their shoes off and cuddled up on the couch with bowls of leftover chilli and a rerun of Supernatural. Eren had to explain things to Levi as the episode went on and he made his usual sarcastic comments until Eren broke down and opened Netflix to start the series from the first episode.

"What are you doing?"

"Just shut up and watch," Eren said. This earned a scowl, which he easily ignored.

He cleaned the dishes and left Levi on the couch to start the episode, listening in from the kitchen. He'd seen the beginning of the series so many times he practically had it memorized.

"Dad's on a hunting trip, and he hasn't been home in a few days."

"Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole."

"Saving people, hunting things. The family business."

Once back in the living room, he laid in Levi's lap and stared at the ceiling. As much as he wanted to watch the show, he found his thoughts instead wandered across the world to his family - his dad's side, no less. He hadn't seen them since before he died. They'd talked, of course, on occasion between phone calls and holiday cards. Other than that, there was no contact. He barely remembered their faces. Barely remembered the farm his grandparents lived on, where his dad grew up. He could, however, remember the heavenly scent of fresh baked cherry pie by his grandmother and the strong aroma of his grandfather's pipe, almost constantly between his lips.

He wondered if that was what killed him, or if it was something else. Surely the smoking played a part in his heart failure.

He truly had been a lively man. He loved the outdoors, loved animals and taking care of them. He loved his wife and he loved his son. Eren remembered that he'd loved Carla, too, and Eren himself. He looked out for the people he cared for more than himself. He'd had rough, stubby hands and thin gray hair. He, too, had the same greenish blue eyes Grisha inherited and then passed down to Eren. And Eren realized he'd been much more like his grandfather than his memory served, and less like his own father.

And now he was gone...

"Hey, what's the matter?" Levi was asking, gently touching a damp spot on Eren's cheek with the tip of his finger.

"What? Oh, nothing. I'm just...thinking about my grandfather."

"I see. You're more upset about his passing than you let on."

"I dunno..." The brunet shrugged and wiped the heel of his hand over his cheeks.

"It's okay, Eren. I understand."

"Yeah..." he sighed, turning his head to press his forehead to Levis right hip. "I haven't seen him in years, though. Feels like I don't have any right to be sad."

"Of course you do, idiot." Levi gently flicked the side of his head. "What kind of notion is that?"

Eren shrugged once more, eyes slipping closed. "I just don't want to leave so soon..."

"What time do you go?"

"Almost midnight...'cause Germany's all the way in Europe...and time zones and stuff..."

Levi nodded thoughtfully. "We'll do something fun tomorrow, then."

"Okay. But I'll have to go home and pack and whatnot."

"Mhmm. Now let's go to bed. I'm tired."

"Me too." Eren sat up with a grunt and yawned while Levi worked on shutting off the TV. They shuffled down the hall and got ready. Before Eren could even think of asking if Levi wanted him to stay, he pulled him down onto the bed by the wrist and threw the covers over them, snuggling into the younger's warmth. With one last yawn, Eren reached back to flick the light off and snuggled in for dreams about talking sheep.

The next morning, Levi awoke with the knowledge that he'd be essentially alone for a week first on his mind. His eyes fluttered open to the warm, filtered stream of morning sunlight through the curtains. He rolled his head to the left to find Eren still sleeping soundly next to him. His cheek was sunken into and squished up against the pillow, giving him a much more boyish appearance. As usual, one of his legs stuck out from underneath the blankets.

Levi had noticed this habit early on in their relationship - in his sleep, he would kick the sheets out from being tucked beneath the mattress just to let half of his foot sick out. As a result, he'd stopped tucking them in when he made the bed.

As he let his eyes roam over the brat, he found himself cracking a smile. He rolled toward him and lifted his hand to ever so gently trace the outline of his features with the very tip of his finger. Slowly, Eren's lashes fluttered open to reveal his shiny green irises.

"Hey," Levi murmured, withdrawing his hand.

"Mmm...hey," Eren mumbled in his husky, sleepy guy voice.

"Sleep well?"

"Mm-hmmm..." he groaned as he rolled onto his back, stretching out his limbs. "Dreamt about talking sheep."

The raven propped himself up on an elbow, cocking a brow. "Talking sheep? What did they say?"

Eren chuckled. "I don't remember. But it was weird."

"Sounds like it."

Huffing, Eren pushed himself into a sitting position, running his hand through his hair and yawning. Stretched some more, then swung his feet over the side of the bed.

"Gotta pee," he mumbled as he shuffled his way toward the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Levi decided to get up and stretch his own muscles. He shuffled down the hall himself, aware of the rumbling of his stomach, just as Eren emerged from the bathroom.

"Hungry?" he asked, pulling the younger in the direction of the kitchen.

"Very."

"Omelets? Pancakes? What are you in the mood for?"

"Hmm...I think I just want some cereal."

Snorting, Levi moved to the fridge. "You're such a little kid."

"Hey, adults can eat cereal," Eren retorted. He was already into the cabinets shuffling through the cereal boxes. He settled for Froot Loops and pulled down a bowl. "Want some?" he asked a tea-making Levi, who turned and eyed the colorful box in contemplation.

"Why not?" he said, giving in to Eren's youthful gaze. This earned a smile as Eren reached up for another bowl and filled them with colorful O's. They sat at the table to pour the milk and eat; Eren's features portrayed pure bliss as he delved into the first bite, earning a chuckle and a shake of the head from Levi. Though he had to admit, as soon as he took his own bite, the fruity, sugary flavor was a nice indulgence for once.

Three bowl fulls later, Eren sat back and patted his stomach, declaring he was full.

"So what do you wanna do today?" inquired Levi, absently stirring his second cup of tea.

"Hmm...I think I'm okay with staying here...watching some Supernatural...I mean, if you are."

"Fine with me."

They cleaned up quickly - washed the dishes and put the cereal 'ingredients' away - and Eren pulled Levi by the hand back into the bedroom. He sat between Levi's legs at the head of the bed and shuffled through Netflix to find his show. As he watched, Levi absently fiddled with Eren's hair, noting how he quoted some of the lines spot on.

"You're such a nerd," he mumbled lovingly, popping a kiss on the top of Eren's chocolate locks.

"Thanks." He tilted his head back and sent Levi a half grin. "Hey."

"What?"

"I never got my morning kiss," Eren said with a mock pout.

"I think I can fix that..." The raven leaned down and delicately placed his lips upon Eren's. The younger reached up and held Levi's head down a bit longer, deepening the kiss as much as he possibly could from his position. Deciding it wasn't enough, he sat up and turned to face the raven, capturing his lips again and again. Levi hummed against him, entangling his arms around the other's neck. His tongue flicked out, seeking entrance, which Eren granted easily. They kissed slowly for a while, experimenting a bit. Eren's hands ran softly up Levi's sides to grip his ribs a little rougher than usual. Levi only pulled him closer, pressing his back into the pillows and hooking a leg around one of Eren's.

They broke apart, the sounds of their breathlessness filling the air. Eren's eyes remained closed while Levi allowed his to peek open in a hooded gaze.

"Eren," he breathed.

"Hmm?"

He lifted his head a bit, positioning his lips next to the shell of the younger's ear.

"I want you," he whispered into it.

The brunet pushed him back to look him in the eyes. "Are you sure?" he murmured.

"Yes. If you are."

Eren nodded slowly. "A-are you sure you're ready...?"

"I'll be okay," promised the raven. "I want this before you go."

"O-okay..." Eren swallowed hard, stomach filled with nervous—but excited—butterflies. He couldn't help but search the raven's eyes for any hint of doubt or uneasiness about the situation. When he found none, he leaned a bit closer again with his lip trapped lightly between his teeth, pressing their foreheads together. The brunet could feel Levi's soft, warm breath brushing lightly across his lips, his cheeks. Ever so slowly the distance between their lips closed into what could just barely be considered a kiss. Gradually, they became deeper, more affectionate, closer until their chests pressed against each other, tangled in each other's arms.

Clothes were carelessly discarded and strewn, the cotton sheets of the bed wrinkled and bunched beneath them while the rest of the bed was thrown into disarray. The sounds of breathlessness filled the otherwise quiet air, names and the occasional "I love you" laced within. Moans of pleasure spilled from damp lips, the making of passion and love creating a mess of the physical while scars of the spiritual were mended.

Levi had never felt more whole than he did then. Had never felt so alive and immensely in love. Drugs, parties, and anything else he'd spiraled himself down into for so many years was nothing compared to this. It was feeble. Tainted. This...Eren...it was all pure, healthy, and happy. This kind of vigorous love and such raw emotion was what he'd always needed.

Above him, mixed with the heat, sweat, and breathlessness, Eren was as gentle as Levi needed and as rough as he wanted. If ever he began to tense or freeze up, the brunet would slow his motions, rub his sides, stroke his cheek, neck, shoulders, kiss his forehead and remind him everything was okay. His vision was blurred by tears while his body was wracked with a great pleasure he'd never before known.

Nirvana was reached and heartbeats synchronized as each reached his breaking point in the other's arms. A natural high.

Eren all but collapsed on top of Levi, barely able to hold himself up by his elbows as breaths huffed in and out of his lungs. The raven brushed a hand across the side of his face, smoothing back some of the hair, damp with sweat and sticking to his skin.

"You alright?" he breathed. Eren could only nod. "C'mere..." Levi pulled Eren's head down to his shoulder, continuously pushing his hair away from his face. Eren used the last of his energy to roll off of his lover and settle against his side, an arm resting across Levi's waist.

"You feelin' okay?" Eren asked once he'd regained (mostly) regular breathing.

"Better than okay," Levi responded. He pressed a kiss to Eren's shiny forehead.

"Hmm, same..."

They let themselves rest against each other, simply reveling in each other's' presence and the love pooling around them. As Levi kept his fingers entwined through Eren's hair, his other hand tracing gently up and down his spine, he felt the beginnings of a smile forming on his face. It was genuine. Sincere. He gazed up at the ceiling, allowing this vigorous happiness sink in despite the fatigue.

"What are you smiling about?" Eren asked softly, stroking his stomach.

"Hm. Just this. You. This must be what happiness feels like..."

Eren chuckled and nuzzled into his shoulder, smiling himself. "Yeah," he agreed, "It is."

"You're a brat...but you make me feel like this." He shook his head. "Are you some kind of wizard?"

The brunet gasped playfully. "How'd you find out my secret?"

"Your dick told me."

"Damn. Can't trust it with anything."

Levi softly flicked his forehead. "Dork."

"Mhm...you don't let me forget it..." His sentence petered out into a wide yawn. "Mind if I sleep?"

"Not at all." He replaced his flick with another light kiss.

"Mmkay...I love you."

"I love you, too, Eren."

---

If it feels like this fic is nearing it's end, it is. But not to fret - there's still a few more ups and downs on this rollercoaster before it comes to a close. Plus, I've been planning out and writing some bonus chapters of shit that pops into my head at random; a few people have expressed their interest in reading them once the main fic itself is finished. Do let me know in a comment if that's something I should post. Thanks, loves ;* ♥