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“Jaeger! You’re spilling it again!”“Shit,” Eren muttered, releasing the trigger of the soda gun and grabbing a cloth to mop up the lemonade trickling over the edges of the glass. It had run down one side of the small sink and was beginning to drip threateningly close to his shoes, and Jean took a step back pointedly as he turned to the customer Eren was supposed to be serving,“Sorry about this, he’s new.”The man just nodded good-naturedly as Eren handed him his newly cleaned up glass with an apologetic smile, silently cursing himself for getting distracted the second time during that shift.The bar was near empty; not unusual for just past six-thirty on a Wednesday evening, with the exception of two couples sat in opposite corners, nursing soft drinks and chatting over the low music. Having pride of place in the centre of Trost, ODM was generally the centre of the town’s nightlife activity, with live music sessions, themed club nights and an extensive cocktail menu drawing people in to the point of it being described as heaving on most Friday and Saturday nights.Eren had secured a summer job there on a streak of luck- an old college friend had been employed about six months and recommended him when the manager was looking for temporary staff, albeit giving him the rather unflattering description of;“A little lacking in the brains department but will get the job done if as if his life depends on it.”Grimacing, Eren had accepted this summary of himself- Jean Kirschtein had never been one to sing his praises and they had an admittedly abrasive friendship, so Eren had just been thankful Jean had offered to offered to help him out in the first place, even if he had become insufferable for it.“Honestly, I’m beginning to regret suggesting Erwin employ you, your shitty performance reflects badly on me.” Jean complained, continuing his work polishing the pint glasses.“Like that’s going to put a dampener on your ‘pro bartending skills’ I’m yet to witness.” Eren responded sarcastically, putting the change the man had given him into the till and glancing back over to what had been distracting him.The bar was L-shaped, running across two walls and lit with strips of black-light that brought out a neon glow in all who stood under it. Across from where he and Jean stood, two of the more experienced employees were messing around with the cocktail ingredients, tossing bottles to each other behind their backs and practicing pouring liqueurs into shot glasses from great heights, the liquids glowing an eerie blue. Though casually executed, it was an impressive display, and Eren had found himself wondering longingly how long it would take for him to prepare the bar’s most popular attractions with such ease.Jean followed his gaze, corners of his mouth twitching upwards as he saw Marco juggling with three large bottles of vodka,“Cool, right? Think you better master pouring lemonade before you set your eyes on the cocktails though.”“Shut up,” Eren replied out of habit, before adding, “How long d’you reckon it took them to get that good?”“Well Marco’s been here a few years and worked in bars before, Hanji’s a bit more of an amateur but they come up with all the recipes, about half the cocktails on the menu are their inventions. Levi’s the real genius though, he may be an arsehole but that guy’s got a gift.”Eren nodded slowly in agreement- he’d first encountered the supervisor, Levi, on his first shift, which did absolutely nothing to ease his initial nerves. Though at least half a head shorter than Eren, Levi was probably the most intimidating person he’d ever encountered; with a permanent scowl of boredom and a cold, unwavering gaze that set Eren’s teeth on edge.In the weeks he’d spent working at ODM Eren had watched the other employees in their element- Erwin, the manager, was immensely experienced and could make almost any drink imaginable on request, Marco and Hanji had a flair for performance and often spent time before shifts inventing their own routines of preparing cocktails, even Jean seemed to have a steady grasp on most bartending skills and was often left with the responsibility of manning the bar alone during early evenings.Though Eren enjoyed watching the others working, nothing was as seemingly mesmerising as witnessing Levi behind the bar, because he was fast.It had been in the midst of a busy night the first time- Eren had been thrown into the deep end helping Jean serve beers and shots at one end of the bar, while queues swamped the other ordering cocktails. Hanji and Marco had been struggling to manage until Jean leant over and shouted to Eren over the thumping bass and loud voices,“Don’t worry, the secret weapon clocks on at nine.”Sure enough, moments later Levi appeared at the other end of the bar, frown ever present as he leant over it slightly to listen to someone reeling off a list of orders, and Eren found himself wondering how someone with such an unapproachable manor had managed to maintain a career in customer service, until he started working.“Woah.”Jean laughed as Eren froze where he stood, eyes locked on his supervisor as he lined up six empty glasses on the bar in front and began preparing the drinks. He moved so swiftly Eren could barely focus on anything he was doing, other than catching glimpses of liquids streaming through the air and the shaker vibrating in his hands. Hanji and Marco worked alongside him, albeit at a slower pace, but darting out of each other’s way and throwing bottles to one another, like cogs moving in a well-oiled machine.The drinks were finished within the minute, garnishes and decorations included, before Levi had gestured for the next customer to make their order.“Eren.”Eren jumped slightly, eyes focusing as he was pulled suddenly out of his recollection by a low voice behind him. He put down the glass he’d been polishing and turned around to face his supervisor, who was eyeing his handiwork with an unimpressed expression. He wore the same black shirt as had been provided to all the staff, sleeves rolled up to his elbows to reveal the slender muscles of his forearms and Eren had to make an effort to tear his eyes away from the shadow of a tattoo poking out from under the fabric.“Jean’s going to finish this, you’re coming with me.”“Uh-“ Eren shot Jean a questioning look over Levi’s shoulder, who just shrugged and made an unhelpful face in reply.Levi rolled his eyes, as if sensing the silent conversation going on between them, “I think Kirstein’s capable of polishing a few glasses without your help, I’m teaching you cocktails today.”Eren’s eyes widened slightly and he began cracking his knuckles subconsciously- it was a habit of Erwin’s he had found himself picking up and often turned to in times of stress, most often when working under Levi. Despite his respect for the older man, Eren would have preferred to admire him from a greater distance, as Levi’s presence caught him stumbling on his words and blushing in his earlobes.“Really? But Jean’s been here lon-““I don’t remember asking you if you wanted to learn, Eren, I told you I’m teaching you.” Levi cut him off, passing him to head to the other end of the bar without waiting for a response.Eren grimaced at Jean before following, deciding that one-on-one tutoring from someone as skilled as Levi was just going to have to be worth his friend sulking over not being the one chosen for a few days. Not to mention Levi hadn’t implied that Eren had much choice in the matter.They came to the cocktail station, and Levi turned to face Eren again, leaning back against the bar and crossing his arms over his chest, looking as though there were a million other things he would rather be doing with his time.“So, talk me through what you already know.” He instructed, eyes wandering distastefully across the quiet dancefloor.“I-“ Eren paused, realising that he had an embarrassingly slim knowledge of bartending apart from the basics Jean had already taught him, “Well I know-““Nothing, by the sounds of it.” Levi interrupted him with the entirely accurate assumption.Eren shrugged apologetically, wishing he’d taken the time to do some research. He already had the feeling that Levi thought of him as a weak link in the team, and had found himself becoming more and more eager to make a good impression.“Well I guess we’ll start with the basics, if you can’t learn a decent Mojito in ten minutes then you really shouldn’t be here.” He stated, grabbing the ingredients and talking Eren through the process as he worked, slowing down for viewing purposes.“Once the lime, sugar and mint leaves are in the bottom you muddle it; crush it eight times. Eight. You don’t want to end up with a load of mushy shit at the bottom, if I see you do that I’ll make you eat it, right?”“Yep.” Eren bit his lip as he listened, determined to remember everything Levi said.The smaller man talked him through the rest of the process before instructing that Eren try it himself. Eren worked slowly and carefully, reciting Levi’s advice in his head as he did so, and managed to produce a relatively professional-looking drink in about twice the time Levi had done.He twisted it around on the bar triumphantly, admiring it from every angle. His lime wedge was cut a little wonky, but he would have gladly accepted it nonetheless. He turned to Levi for approval, anxiety temporarily fading with the pride of his achievement, who was leaning against the bar with one eyebrow raised at Eren’s childish grin.“Proud of it?” He asked, tone sarcastic but not nearly as cutting as Eren imagined it could have been.“Well I don’t know what it tastes like.”Levi gestured for Eren to do so, and the latter picked it up and took a sip awkwardly; it was good, though he made a note to mix it better in future to avoid the grainy feel of undissolved sugar on his tongue.“It’s alright.” He stated, reverting to modesty at Levi’s apparent lack of awe.“Good. Next we’ll try a Margarita, it’s a little more difficult.”Levi turned to gather more ingredients as Eren put his drink back down on the bar, eyebrows furrowing.“Aren’t you going to check if it’s okay?” He asked; though he was relatively confident with his first product, he didn’t want to run the risk of it being wrong and causing him trouble later down the line.Levi answered without turning around,“You said it was okay, didn’t you?”Eren chewed his lip for a second, the accusing tone in Levi’s voice immediately making him second guess his own judgement.“Well yeah, but-““It’s your call, Eren. I’m not going to be here to check every drink you serve, I’m not your damn babysitter.”Eren scowled at the back of Levi’s head, eyes sweeping over the grey buzz of his undercut with irritation. Levi was notoriously rude, but experiencing it first hand was even more scathing than Eren had anticipated- he felt exposed in Levi’s presence; constantly defensive. He continued to glare as he let his annoyance fade in silence, expression softening as he noticed what looked like second tattoo poking out from Levi’s shirt collar.It was the top of some kind of symbol or tribal design he didn’t recognise, sharp points of what could have been wings curving over the base of Levi’s neck, the highlights glowing lilac in the black-light.“What’s that?” Eren blurted out, curiosity igniting inside him as Levi turned back to him and placed a new glass on the bar.Levi shot him a sideways look as he set up the ingredients, eyes heavy-lidded with boredom.“You’re aware I can’t read your mind?”“The tattoo.” Eren classified, dropping his eyes from his supervisor’s unforgiving glare and fiddling with the tap underneath the bar.Levi continued sorting through bottles of tequila in silence, making it clear than he had no intention of answering Eren’s question, and the music increased in volume during the lull in conversation. Eren glanced around the room, noticing it was beginning to fill up and Jean was busy serving beers to a group that had congregated further down the bar.***After giving Eren a demonstration of the Margarita that was a little too fast, Levi disappeared to get some lemons and limes from the fridge, leaving his student to his own attempt. Eren frowned as he concentrated, barely noticing the additional presence of Petra and Krista clocking on and appearing at either side of him to watch his progress.“Eren? You in there?”He stirred as Petra waved a hand in front of his face, spilling some of the tequila over the edges of the jigger before tipping it into the mixer.“Shit, Petra!” He scowled at her, slamming it back down onto the bar, “I could’ve ruined it.”“Alright, grumpy. You’ve been spending too much time around Jean.” She retorted, gesturing to Krista to help tie her apron strings into a bow behind her back.Eren grimaced, “Sorry, I’ve just got Levi breathing down my neck today. I wanna get everything right.”“Ahh,” Petra smiled sympathetically at him, shallow dimples forming either side of her lips, “In that case you’re forgiven, he puts everyone on edge.”Krista nodded as she tied her hair back, eyes widening slightly,“He made me cry once.”Petra laughed and elbowed her in the arm gently, “You never told me that!”“I was embarrassed!” Krista echoed her smile sheepishly, fiddling with a strand of her hair.Eren could feel a frown forming on the corners of his lips as he shook the mixer vigorously over his shoulder, the metal clouding with condensation and numbing his fingers with the cold; his earlier irritation at Levi resurfacing. The idea of someone upsetting Krista was enough to make his pulse quicken- he could put it down to friendly protectiveness, possibly amplified by the fact he had a bit of a crush on her.Krista was an unbelievably nice girl, in competition only with Marco as to who could be considered the sweetest person working in ODM, not to mention enchantingly pretty, and Eren had found himself gawping slightly upon their first introduction, only to be teased about it by Jean afterwards,
“Pick your jaw off the floor next time you see Krista, Romeo, you’re not the first and you won’t be the last.”
Eren had glared at him and retorted,“At least I know when a girl’s out of my league, I’m not going to ask her out and get rejected in front of everyone like a certain someone I know.”It had been a low blow, but such was the nature of he and Jean’s relationship, and he often felt the need to bring the occasion the latter had come onto his sister Mikasa back in college, only to be spectacularly turned down, up by means of bringing him down a rung.It had worked, and Jean had spent the rest of the night sulking.“What did he do?” Eren asked, failing to mask the irritation in his voice.“Oh, I don’t remember,” Krista answered lightly, “Think it was just a busy night so I was a little stressed anyway, then he said something mean and I went and cried in the toilet for like, ten minutes.”She grinned as Petra began to giggle again,“It’s not funny! I mean now, yeah, but I was in a right state at the time!”“That’s fucked up.” Eren muttered, pouring the drink into the glass carefully before feeling eyes on the back of his head that were considerably less friendly than the gaze of Petra and Krista.“I assume you’re referring to that drink you just poured? ‘Cause you’d be right.”Eren noticed Petra shuffle her weight between her feet as Levi reappeared, busying herself checking the rota pinned to the back wall as a faint pink hue appeared in her cheeks. The nerves associated with Levi’s presence wasn’t a burden he bared alone, apparently.“It’s- there’s something wrong with it?” Eren stuttered as he turned to face him, meeting the cold glare reluctantly. The ache he felt in his chest when he looked at Levi was harsh and left him breathless, holding none of the fluttering warmth of when his eyes met Krista’s; if she was the feeling on the sun on your face in Spring, he was the first bracing drop of rain after a clap of thunder.“It’s too strong, dipshit, I can tell just by looking at it. The trick is not to get our customers so inebriated that they only buy two drinks all night and end up chundering in the toilet.”Eren shot Petra a scathing look, to which she replied with an apologetic grimace just as Erwin’s unmistakable tones boomed across the bar.“Staff meeting, guys! Come on, bring it in!”He stood by the centre cash register, white striped shirt glowing turquoise under the lights as he gestured for everyone to gather round. The nights often began with one of Erwin’s pep talks when there was an early evening lull of customers, usually consisting of running through supplies they were out of and reminding people to promote happy hour, as well as any other motivational encouragements to get them through the evening.Eren walked over to where the others were huddling, Levi following reluctantly at his heels. Marco stood next to Erwin, usual expression of easy jollity gracing his features, almost humorous in comparison to Jean on his other side who looked less than enthusiastic, then Petra, Krista and Eren, who was still bristling at his supervisor who stood to his right.Just as it began to dawn on Eren that someone was missing, Erwin announced,“Hanji’s called in sick tonight, guys, so we’re one person down and will have to step it up a bit.”Jean groaned and threw his head back theatrically,“With that hen party coming in? They’ve gone and fucked us right over; this shift’s gonna be a nightmare.”Eren rolled his eyes just as Erwin barked,“Jean! Stop being melodramatic!”This was met with a grumble before Erwin carried on,“So as I was saying, we’re going to be spread around a little differently; Marco is going to help Jean on the main bar, so you can stop complaining,”He gave Jean a pointed look, just as Marco shot him a dazzling smile from his other side that Eren felt sure the recipient didn’t deserve.“Petra and Krista are going to help us get the drinks out and focus on looking after the Hen party, and Eren’s going to be helping Levi on the cocktail bar. I’ll be moving between.”Eren’s heart stuttered and he made an involuntary sound of dismay before asking,“I’m on the cocktail bar? But I’m not trained yet, I-““You’ll be fine, Eren, Levi’s going to look after you.” Erwin assured him firmly, not looking at the supervisor as he spoke for him.“Levi’s going to be too busy doing his own job to chaperone some brat who doesn’t know what he’s doing.” Levi argued in monotone, crossing his arms across his chest and also not looking at Erwin.“Levi will remember who pays his wages and do what he’s told.” Erwin replied; there was no animosity in his tone, and Eren had observed that seemingly tense exchanges laid the foundations for Levi and Erwin’s quiet friendship, but it was clear that the discussion was over.“I don’t know all the cocktails yet, I can only do Mojitos and Margaritas.” Eren stated into the awkward silence that followed.He caught Marco’s gaze, who gave him a small, sympathetic smile and gripped one arm to his side, seemingly leaning a fraction closer to Jean.“Not a problem, those will be your main two and Levi can teach you Sex On The Beach-“ Jean wolf-whistled, causing Eren to scowl and feel his ears redden, “and he can take care of all the other orders.” Erwin continued, ignoring the interruption.“Fine,” Levi fixed Eren with a cold stare that sent a shiver over his skin, “But you better keep up, kid, I’m not carrying your dead weight.”“I won’t be dead bloody weight.” Eren muttered through gritted teeth, his right hand clenching unintentionally at his side.Levi rolled his eyes and turned on his heels to return to the cocktail bar as the others dispersed, leaving Eren silently steaming before joining him.***The evening was relentless- it was one of their busier weekdays and the hen party proved to be especially tricky customers, going through their drinks at an alarming rate and often clogging up the bar space, blocking other customers and attempting to get all male members of staff to join them on the dancefloor.True to his word, Eren managed to get all of his drinks orders out with relative speed, impressing himself at how quickly he had memorised the recipes and mostly putting it down to the pressure of Levi’s supervision. The latter, of course, was in a different league; moving around Eren with impossible speed and pausing occasionally only to check the glasses Eren placed on the bar and allowing them with a curt nod.The hours flew by in a blur of the shaker in his hands, the blue lights beating down on his face and loud, drunken voices reeling off orders into his ear, and as the early hours approached it was finally time to escort the last of the customers out of the bar. There was a good hour of cleaning up left to do when Erwin gathered the team and congratulated them on the successful night, dismissing them all on a half-hour break to have a drink and rest.“You want something?” Eren called to Petra and Krista, who were sat at the now empty bar untying their hair and removing their aprons, grabbing a can of coke from the fridge for himself.“Redbull please.” Petra answered immediately as Krista said,“A San Pellegrino would be heaven, thanks, Eren.”He handed them their drinks before joining them on the other side of the bar, leaning his head into his hands and groaning,“That was brutal.”They nodded in agreement, temporarily too exhausted to answer.“How was working with Levi?” Krista asked after a few minutes, taking a sip of her drink and closing her eyes as she massaged the lids slowly.The supervisor had retreated to the smoking area outside the back entrance along with Jean- Marco and Erwin stood further down the bar, chatting quietly and each nursing pint glasses of lemonade.“Surprisingly not too bad,” Eren replied, “I mean, he’s too insanely fast to keep up with, but he didn’t shout at me or anything.”“I guess that’s all you can hope for.” Petra grinned half-heartedly, before adding, “Still, I’m pretty sure at least one person benefitted from Erwin moving you guys around.”She exchanged a look with Krista, who smiled and gave a soft,“Bless him.”“You what?” Eren lifted his head from his hands and cocked it to one side slightly, suddenly sensing he was missing out on something.Krista glanced down the bar before leaning a little closer to Eren, who shuffled in his seat and reminded himself to concentrate on what she was saying as he felt his pulse rise slightly.“Marco.” She whispered pointedly, as if he was supposed to understand the significance of the name.“Yeah, what about him?”Petra rolled her eyes and leant across Krista, “Eren, you really are oblivious to everything going on around you.”“I’m not-“ Eren began irritably before Petra interrupted him,“Marco got to work with Jean today. I think he was pretty excited about it.”Eren snorted, “Why would anyone be excited about that? Jean’s a miserable bastard, he-“He was cut off again, this time by Krista, “Eren! Marco has a crush on Jean! He has done for ages!”Eren blinked. He’d been aware that Jean and Marco had become relatively good friends since working together, but not once had it crossed his mind that there may be more to it than that. He hadn’t missed the shy glances the taller boy stole of his friend, or the way his eyes lit up with a hopeful spark whenever Jean accepted a lift home after work, shrugging and climbing into Marco’s car with a mildly confused expression.He hadn’t missed them, he realised, but had ignored them, his own mind filled with musings of other ODM employees.“Shit.” He said, looking over at Marco with a sense of pity, “Why Jean? He’s an arsehole.”Petra shook her head, a smile tugging up the corner of her lips.“I think Marco may be softening him up a little, he’s much nicer when they’re together.”“I hadn’t noticed.” Eren muttered.“So do you think Jean might be interested too? You know him best.” Krista asked eagerly, only just remembering to keep her voice hushed.If he was honest, in all the years Eren had known Jean he couldn’t remember an occasion they had discussed any kind of emotional or relationship prospects, save for Eren teasing Jean about his very obvious feelings for Mikasa.“I have no idea,” He replied honestly, “We don’t talk about that kind of stuff, all I know is he used to have a huge crush on my sister at college, pretty sure he’s over it now though.”Petra and Krista grimaced, before the latter promptly suggested Eren ask Jean about it immediately, to which the reply was an unenthusiastic grumble.“I don’t wanna ask him about that, he’ll know something’s up.”“Come on, Eren!” Krista insisted, huge blue eyes sparkling under the lights of the bar, “Do it for Marco!”Eren glowered begrudgingly at them both, cursing Marco for being such a nice person and vowing that he wouldn’t be doing it for anyone else, before grabbing his jacket from behind the bar and heading to the smoking area.He passed Levi on his way, temporarily forgetting his mission as the smaller man’s steely eyes locked on his and froze him where he walked.“You don’t smoke.” His supervisor stated, the faint scent of cigarettes and tequila clinging to him and leather jacket slung over his shoulders easily.“Yeah, I-“Levi’s head tilted slightly to one side as Eren struggled to invent an explanation more impressive than the truth, before giving up and stating, “I came to talk to Jean.”“Cute.” Levi remarked, staring at the taller man and making no move to continue on his way back to the bar, as if waiting for something from Eren.The latter met his eyes for as long as he could muster, emerald green burning into icy grey as the silent competition hung in the air between them, neither wanting to be the first to speak again. A few moments passed before Eren opened his mouth and forced out the words,“We’re friends.”Levi raised his eyebrows nonchalantly, as if Eren had just supplied him with an entirely unwanted piece of information that he had not, in fact, been waiting for. After successfully amplifying Eren’s sense of self-consciousness with the look, he turned and left without another word, leaving his colleague stood in a mild state of confused irritation.Finally, said colleague remembered to dart outside just as Jean seemed to be taking the last drag of his cigarette, shivering slightly against the cold night air.“Hey.” Eren greeted him as casually as he could manage, mind still lingering on the brief encounter with Levi.Jean waved sarcastically, “You want something?”“Just came to chat, been a while since we had a catch-up.” Eren shrugged, leaning against the wall next to him and scraping the bottom of his shoe on the gravel floor.“A catch-up? Since when have we ever had a catch-up?”“I don’t know, just thought it would be cool.”“Oh yeah sure,” Jean blew out a stream of smoke, pallid and ghostly in the darkness, “Why don’t we order a pizza and braid each other’s hair?”Eren kicked up some gravel, gritting his teeth and trying to remember why he had agreed to doing this in the first place. Catching Jean in one of his un-cooperative moods could be challenging to say the least, and Eren had a notorious lack of patience to deal with them.“I’m just trying to look out for you, man, you don’t have to be a dick about it.” He muttered bitterly as Jean dropped the butt and ground in into the floor with his heel.“Oh for fucks sake, fine. Which particular details of my life did you want to stick your nose into?” The taller man asked begrudgingly as he took out his lighter for the second time.“Are you seeing anyone?”“Jesus,” Jean muttered, new cigarette bobbing where it was held lightly between his lips as he lit it, “You’re a bit forward.”“Not me, you idiot.” Eren replied, rolling his eyes and shoving his hands into the pockets of his work jeans.“So there’s someone?” Jean asked, genuine interest sparking in his eyes for the first time as he took the cigarette from his mouth. A self-satisfied smirk played around his lips, but Eren noticed a look not akin to concern in his eyes.“Well-“ Eren hesitated, before deciding he might as well put it bluntly and get it over with, “Yeah, there’s someone. I’ve been tasked with finding out if the feelings are mutual.”Jean frowned, a small crease forming between his eyebrows as he considered this, before exhaling heavily and rubbing the back of his neck.“I think, I know who it is.” His expression was oddly pained, Eren noticed, and realised he had never seen Jean looking so vulnerable.Shit, Eren thought mournfully- Jean was clearly aware of the feelings Marco harboured, more so than he himself had been, and yet didn’t seem to be taking the confirmation very positively. Cursing himself for agreeing to bring it up and risking ruining Jean and Marco’s friendship, he made a weak attempt to rectify the situation.“He’s a really nice guy.” He stated awkwardly, not entirely sure where to look.“I know he is.” Jean answered, the same confused expression taking hold of his features that Eren had seen whenever Marco shot him a smile or bumped playfully into his shoulder.“So what’s up?” Eren probed, “You don’t swing that way or what?”“It’s not that- I don’t know, I like Marco, it’s just-““What?” Eren demanded, feeling the awkwardness burn away as it was replaced by annoyance at Jean’s reaction, “So you like him too then what’s the problem?”Jean scowled at him before dropping his eyes to his own feet, dragging his left sole back and forth over the ground.“Marco is a great guy, he’s cool and sweet and... y’know, I think he’s attractive.” A blush crept across his cheekbones, only just visible in the moonlight, “I just don’t know what to do about it, I’ve never really been in a proper relationship and I don’t wanna fuck it up.”Eren bit back a snigger, staring at his friend incredulously.“So you’re telling me; you, Jean Kirschtein, probably the most arrogant guy I know, is scared to ask a guy out in case you mess up? When said guy is literally an angel sent from Heaven?”“Oh fuck off, Jaeger, you know exactly who you can blame for that. Your arsehole sister.”Eren rolled his eyes and held his hands up, “Alright, fair enough, ‘Kasa was harsh, but you know Marco’s not like that. For some reason the guy likes you, and I doubt you’re going to get a better option any time soon.”“Whatever.” Jean muttered, pushing away from the wall with his foot and stamping out his second cigarette, “I’ll ask Marco out if you sort out this weird will-they-won’t-they-barely-there-sexual-tension-love-hate thing you’ve got going on with Levi; it’s creeping me out.”Eren gaped for a moment, cool air biting his tongue as he watched Jean pull open the door and head back into the bar without another word, only just managing to call,“Hey, what?” as Jean vanished from ear-shot.***The rest of the shift flew by, Eren mopping the sticky floor in a daze as he thought about what Jean had said- he was aware there was tension between Levi and himself, but had put it mostly down to his own imagination going into overdrive rather than a genuine vibe that was obvious to others.He avoided Levi as he worked, not wanting to add fuel to Jean’s allegations and almost afraid of the truth in them he might find in Levi’s gaze.He kept his eyes trained on Erwin as they gathered at the end of the shift, once again being praised before being dismissed, and swore under his breath as he pulled out his phone and read the message on the screen;
From: Mikasa
Eren, I can’t come and pick you up from work tonight, having some trouble with my car and can’t get it looked at until tomorrow. I’ve called Armin but he’s not in town at the moment. You’ll have to get a lift home with someone from work if you can. Don’t come home alone. I can call you an Uber if need be. Sorry. Call me when you’re back.
“What’s up?”Eren glanced up from his phone as Petra tapped him lightly, pulling her own car keys out of her pocket as she got ready to leave.“My lift just bailed.” He muttered, shrugging his jacket over his shoulders begrudgingly.“Oh...” Petra fiddled with her keys awkwardly, “Well, I could always-““Don’t be stupid.” Eren cut her off, “You live on the other side of town to me, you don’t have to offer. I can hop in with Marco to his place and walk from there, it’s not too far.”“Are you sure?” Petra looked faintly relieved.“Yeah, hey, Marco? Could I hitch a ride with you and Jean tonight? I’ll get out at yours to walk, just saves me having to get the night bus.”Marco smiled as Eren called over to him, nodding his head good-naturedly,“Yeah, of course. You sure you don’t want me to drive you the whole way?”Jean glowered at Eren, apparently resentful at having his one-on-one time with Marco intruded on, and swiftly assured the latter,“You don’t need to do that.”Marco frowned at him with gentle disapproval before turning back to Eren,“I honestly don’t mind.”“Nah, Jean’s right, I’ll be f-“ He smirked slightly in Jean’s direction as he spoke, freezing as he was cut off by a cold voice and the expression fell from his face.“I’ll take you.”Eren was sure he hadn’t imagined the silent awe hanging in the air as other voices trailed off and he turned slowly to face Levi, who was leaning against the slim column of lockers next to the door of the break room casually.“Y-you want to-““The disbelief at my generosity is humbling.” Levi interrupted him once again, steely eyes flickering around to the room to fall upon Jean, Marco and Petra who all looked like they’re just witnessed the most unexpected thing they could’ve imagined happening.He turned back to Eren, one eyebrow hitching up slightly,“I’ll take you home, all the way. My car smells better than the bus and it’ll save the extra twenty minutes in Kirstein’s company; something I’m sure anyone would be grateful for. The offer expires in two minutes though so stop gawping and make up your damn mind.”Eren noticed Jean scowl, gesturing for Marco to hurry up, and found himself nodding stiffly.“Yeah, that would be... cool, thanks.”He followed Levi awkwardly outside, heart hammering in his chest and feeling vaguely like he was in some kind of dream as they approached his small, black car, lights flashing orange in answer to Levi’s key.“Make sure your shoes are clean before you get in, I don’t want you scuffing up the floor.” Levi muttered as he climbed into the driver’s seat, not looking at Eren.The car did indeed smell better than any bus Eren had ever been on, and was offensively clean and tidy on the inside- none of the smattering of dry leaves and dirt that coated the carpet of Marco’s car, and the cool, the leather seats looking as though they’d never been sat in. He waited quietly as the engine came to life softly and Levi pulled out of the car park, a heavy silence hanging in the air between them.“So,” He finally began after giving Levi a brief set of directions, “How long have you been at ODM?”“Too long.” Levi replied abruptly, speeding up suddenly to overtake a cyclist.“Do you not like it?” Eren asked, one hand gripping the side of his seat as the numbers on the dashboard climbed steadily past the speed limit.There came no reply, and Eren frowned into the semi darkness before beginning again,“You kn-““I offered to drive you home, Eren, not tell you my life story.” Levi cut him off for the third time that hour, causing Eren to grit his teeth and state,“You interrupt me a lot.”“That’s because I already know what you’re going to say.”“Oh really?” Eren demanded, short fuse once again burning up, “You think you know me that well?”“You’re not exactly difficult to read. I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone around you knew exactly what you were thinking at all times.” There was no hint of emotion in Levi’s voice, but it carried over the dull hum of the engine in deep, velvety tones that made Eren’s heart stutter despite himself.He bit his lip, inhaling through his nose deeply and reminding himself not to do anything rash. Levi seemed to know exactly how to set Eren’s teeth on edge with an uncomfortable mixture of irritation and nerves, but he was determined to stand his ground.There was a moment of silence before Levi added,“The apparent thing you have for Krista; exhibit a.”Eren felt himself reddening and couldn’t force the counters out of his mouth fast enough,“I don’t have a thing for Krista! She’s my friend, yeah, but it’s nothing like that. Definitely not.”The lies almost came easily paired with the sudden desperate need for Levi to not see him as emotionally unavailable, something he didn’t allow himself to dwell on.“So you getting all worked up about me apparently making her cry, that was based on purely platonic feelings, right?”“Yeah. And I wasn’t mad because it was Krista it was mostly just ‘cause- wait, how did you know that’s what we were talking about?” Eren turned to stare at the driver, who’s cool eyes remained firmly on the road ahead as he answered,“I have good hearing.”With that, the awkward silence returned and Eren cracked his knuckles into it, wishing away the tension that still clung to the leather interior surrounding them.He shuffled in his seat as Levi pulled over just outside his house, preparing to unfasten the seatbelt and hop out of the car with a brief thank-you and be done with it, but as the engine cut off he almost had the air knocked out of him by such a sudden breach of his personal space.Levi leant across the gear stick, one hand holding his weight over it and the other clasping the head rest on the back of Eren’s seat as he reduced the space between them to a matter of inches, eyes barely lit up in the hazy orange glow of the overhead light.Eren froze, heart bumping uncomfortably against his ribcage as he and Levi began to share breaths and the latter closed the gap between them, lips finding Eren’s in the semi darkness.Everything was such a blur Eren could hardly make out what was happening, and moved his mouth against Levi’s gingerly as he felt a hand snake around the back of his neck and pull him closer. The kiss was soft, slow and burning like a welcoming flame on a winter’s night, and Eren couldn’t help but note a contrast between it and its owner.He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and spared half a second’s thought to Mikasa, who was probably sat up waiting for him to call, before his concentration was once again captured by something else.Eren’s left hand jerked up involuntarily as he felt the warmth of Levi’s tongue drag across his lower lip and he grasped the man’s forearm suddenly, feeling the muscles twitch under his touch.Levi pulled away slightly, lips still brushing against Eren’s slightly as he spoke,“I can stop.”Eren wanted to tease that it was the most considerate Levi had been towards him since they first met, to state that asking permission didn’t seem to be much his style, but the words caught in his throat and he just shook his head hastily, bringing his lips to Levi’s once again.The cool air drifting through the crack in the window did nothing to ease the heat Eren could feel flushing across his ears and the back of his neck as Levi’s fingers twisted into his hair- his head was spinning as it struggled to make sense of what was happening and fight the animal instinct beginning to take over.Eren broke the kiss to duck his head down under the sharp edge of Levi’s jaw, pressing his lips against the skin hungrily and sliding them down slowly towards the crook of the older man’s collarbone. Something akin to a growl hummed in Levi’s throat and the skin vibrated against Eren’s lips, sending a spark of electricity through his entire body.When their lips met again, the kiss was short and sweet, Levi breaking away and leaning back across into his own seat suddenly, leaving Eren panting slightly in his absence.There were a few moments of painful silence as Eren caught his breath and let his head spin, running his tongue sheepishly over his lower lip and catching the faint, smoky taste of Levi. He glanced up at the latter, whose head was inclined towards the driver’s side window, eyes sweeping across the hazy blue light that was beginning to appear in the East, usual expression of indifference so striking it made Eren’s chest ache.“It’s late, you should go in. You’ll be training again tomorrow.”Eren’s eyebrows furrowed as he considered for a moment that he had imagined the entire exchange, before beginning,“Um... sure, yeah. Levi-““Get some sleep, Eren.”The authoritative tone in Levi’s voice struck a chord deep in Eren’s stomach and he grabbed his jacket from the floor of the car before opening the door, twisting back to face his supervisor briefly, still in shock about what had happened but unable to bring himself to ask about it.“Goodnight.”Levi’s cold eyes met his once again, opaque as steel and giving nothing away,“Sweet dreams, shithead.”