Guilded Cage

Time alone

Eren POV
I slept in Levi's apartment for the first time. Honestly the other bed was like a cloud. I struggled to get out of it. I liked this one much more. It wasn’t for the fact that I woke to sterling silver eyes watching me.
“AH!! WHAT THE HELL!” I yelped. Sitting up.
“Coffee?” he asked calmly holding out a cup to me while arching his eyebrow. “You did say you wanted to spend time with me today, right?” he asked only after I accepted the cup.
Quickly I swallowed the hot liquid. “Yes.” I gasped out.
“Don’t burn yourself.” He frowned at me. “Shower and get dressed. If you need help, yell. I gave Jean the day off. I am all yours.” He informed me before walking toward the door.
“Uh, I need Jean's help to, uh shower.” I stammered. “There’s no bench I can’t hold myself up and wash at the same time.” My face was on fire as he looked at me. A slow tiny smile spread onto his lips. It was like watching butter melt in the microwave, so satisfying.
“I think I can manage to assist you.” He sank down in a chair tucked in next to the dresser. “Finish your coffee.” He ordered. “Our first stop will be breakfast.” I sucked the cup empty handing it to him.
“I’ll be right back. Don’t move.” He warned me. He walked out. A few minutes later he came back. I chuckled.
“You washed it, didn’t you?”.
“Brat.” Was the only response I got. He pulled me out of bed.
“My cane.” I pointed to it.
“You won’t need it.” He picked me up. What the fuck? I choked out a cry of alarm. He was like a foot shorter than me. He smirked.
“Relax, brat, I won’t drop you.” Merriment twinkled in his grey eyes. I laughed relaxing into his arms as he carried me to the bathroom. He stood me in the shower stall. I gripped the bar that was mounted in place. My eyes saw the bath tub.
“I can…” I pointed.
“Not today.” He winked. I flushed. It wasn’t just my face. The water was warm when he held out the shower head to me. It was a hand held one. He lathered up my wet hair. His strong fingers massaging into my scalp. It felt heavenly. Nothing like Jean.
He took the shower head from me to rinse me off. Then meticulously scrubbed each part of my body. He just chuckled when he saw the reaction in my groin. Ignoring it he thoroughly cleaned that area as well. My face was a flaming mess.
“Relax, Eren.” He breathed into my ear. “It happens to the best of us.” His hand trailed across my butt as he hung up the shower head, shutting it off before it sprayed him. To my astonishment he was completely dry.
He found a large bath towel that he wrapped me in before picking me back up. He took me to my room. “Do you require any other assistance or can you dress yourself?” it was an honest question.
“Can you put the clothes on the bed and give me my cane? I can do the rest.” He plucked out some clothes for me, leaving the cane resting against the side of the bed.
“See you in a few minutes.” He called walking out of the room. I dressed as quickly as I could. Almost falling twice, but I managed. When I opened the door, Levi was standing there. It looked like he had been forcing himself to stay outside.
White knuckles were digging into his arms so hard I could see drops of blood under the finger tips.
“What are you doing?” We both said at the same time.
“You nearly fell! More than once.” Levi spat.
“But I didn’t. I’m good.” I said placing my hand on his arm. The touch seemed to waken him. He relaxed his arms.
“Let's get you taken care of.” To my surprise he let me clean his tiny wounds and place little band aids on them.
“You didn’t have to do this.” I told him.
“I did if you didn’t want me bursting into your room.”
“How about breakfast.?” I asked. He took my hand placing it on his forearm. Together we walked down to where a car sat at the back door. I blinked.
“Thanks to Lolia we know where Kenny is.” He held the door for me. Once I was in he confined me by putting my seat belt on. Leaning over me I got a whiff of his cologne. It smelled like musk.  He closed the door. I watched him walk around to the drivers seat.
“Wait, its just us?” I asked.  “No driver, no body guards?” he smirked.
“Well you will only see me. There won’t be a driver, but we are surrounded by my guards.” He stated. He put the car in gear. “All of my guards are from the underground, all but one. They all know how to see but not be seen.”
“Which one? No wait, I know. Mikasa.” I said. He looked surprised.
“That’s right, what gave it away.” I shrugged.
“Not sure. I think maybe…” I tapped my chin looking out the window. “Its how she holds herself. Squared shoulders, not sort of slouched like the others.” He nodded.
Breakfast was eaten in a nice upscale restaurant. It was good, but not really filling. We went to a movie next and he bought the biggest popcorn and drinks for us. I had laughed at him carrying the bucket of popcorn. After the movie he took me to lunch. This time in the park. There were several food vendors, or food trucks surrounding a well paved area. Walking was tiring me out, I started lagging behind.
Levi's arm came around my waist. “How are you holding up?” he asked. I put my arm around his shoulders.
“Getting tired.” I confessed. He sat me down at a picnic table, after he cleaned it. He even had these seat cushion things and a table cloth in his bag. I laughed at him. After telling him what I wanted he went to get it. I watched him standing in line. He was smaller than just about anyone around him, yet there was this air of power he carried. No one was getting to close.
“Well, well what do we have here?” a tall blond guy came swaggering out of the sea of trucks. He wore a dark green apron that had a mountain scene embroidered on the chest. “A lonely little morsel?” he teased adjusting his glasses. I chuckled.
“If I were you, I would start running about now.” I said. He leaned against my table.
“And why would that be?” one hand reached out to touch me, it never connected.
“Because of me.” The cold steel in his voice had the man jumping up. The dirty sliminess of his features rearranged themselves instantly at the sound of my benefactors voice.
“L L Levi, How are you?” he swiveled.
“Go away, Zeek. Far, far away before I tell your mother your trying to pick up teenaged boys again.” Levi said calmly.
“He, he's of age. Look how big he is!” Zeek tried to defend himself.
“He's mine.” Levi growled.
“Please don’t murder my Texas hot, Levi!” I begged seeing his hands begin to tighten around the hot dog. Levi stopped. He placed the food on the table. I pulled the hot dog to me rescuing it. When I looked back up, Zeek had vanished.
“Look the bun now has Levi imprints on it!” I showed him where his fingers had dug into the bun, even though he had held it with a napkin.
“I'll get you another.” He started to turn away. I caught his sleeve.
“Don’t, come on your suppose to be spending time with me not leaving me to stare at a screen or watch you in line.” I complained. His mouth dropped open, eyes growing wide. He placed a hand to his chest over his heart.
“You want me to,  gasp, …” he actually said gasp before giving up on the theatrics. His face fell back into its usual somber countenance. “… talk to you.” I giggled.
“That’s all I’ve wanted since you saved me.” I admitted. He took his tea and sat across from me on his own cushion.
“Alright, what do you want to know?”
“Why did Kenny raise you? Why not your dad?”
“Don’t know who he is. Doubt mom even knew. She was a hooker, got knocked up by one of her johns.” He looked away as he said this.
“How old…?”
“Six. Nearly died at her bedside because I was too small to reach the lock.” He grumbled. “Kenny busted in, saved my life. It’s the only thing I owe him for.” He muttered.
“How'd you meet Erwin? He doesn’t seem to be from the under ground.” Levi twirled the cup.
“He's not. Kenny brought me up here when I was fifteen. Erwin, well Erwin's as gay as I am.” I kept my face blank as I ate. “I was hired to steal something from him. Then kill him. Problem was, Erwin's the smartest guy I have ever met. Like scary crazy smart. Not even Hange is as smart as him.”  He looked awed.
“Is that why you love him?” I asked unable to lift my eyes up to meet his.
“Love Erwin.” He paused. “I don’t. Love him, romantically that is. He would be thrilled if I ever could.” He sipped from his cup. “It doesn’t mean we're not lovers, from time to time.” He admitted. “I just think there is something wrong, inside of me. I can’t love. Never figured out how too.”
He blurred before me. I never heard of something so sad. “Knock it off, brat. I don’t need your tears.”
“You don’t know how to love, because no one’s ever loved you?” I whispered.
“Erwin loves me. Would marry me if I could just love him back. When he gets drunk he tells me things like that all the time.” He shrugged draining the tea from the cup. Standing he walked away to toss it in a near by garbage can. When he returned he remained on his feet.
“Until you, I believed God forgot about me. Forgot to give me someone who could stir whatever died in me awake.” He gathered up my trash throwing it away. Did he just confess his love for me? I blinked at his back.
“Come on, I am in the mood for a drive.” He pulled me to my feet. I hugged him to me.
“I won't let those feeling die in you again.” I said. Picking up my cane I began to walk back to the car. I swore I heard him mutter, goddamn brat, before following me. It was enough to make me smile.