Promises to keep

Ch 5. Sneaking around

(Eren's pov)
I decide to leave Hanji be for a while so I start to head down to the stables where Levi said to meet him. I am quite curious on what he has in store for me and the only thing I can do is go to the stables as wait for him.

I get there a little early so I lean up against the entrance and guess what? Wait. I'm standing there for about three minutes before I see a shadowy mass walking towards me. It takes a while for my eyes to focus on the mass but it's definitely Levi.

"Hey captain!" I say, Smiling. He smiles back "follow me..." He whispers, hunching over and slowly walking into the stables.

I follow him, my heart racing with excitement. "Hey Jaeger, want to see why I was late to the meeting?" He says with a huge grin on his face. I could tell he was dying to tell me something.

"Sure." I say. Just then he turns and starts fast walking away. I quickly catch up to him. Then he stops abruptly. I almost stumble into him and he pushes me into a horse stall. "Wha-" he puts a finger over his mouth silently telling me to be quiet so I stop talking.

I sit down in The stall confused on why the hell I'm in here but it must be a good reason. I hear Levi walking away. I start to stand up but I stop when I hear Erwin's voice. I forgot that new recruits like me weren't supposed to be in the stables at dark. "What are you doing captain?" Erwin asks with his stern voice. "Just checking on the horses, making sure they have enough hay and water." Levi says, he's pretty good at lying.

"I don't remember you being on horse duty tonight. Wasn't it Hanji's turn?" Erwin says. "Yes, it was Hanji's turn but she isn't taking the news so well so I decided to do it for her."

"That's awful nice of you captain..." Erwin says with a hint of suspicion in his voice. "Carry on." Erwin says waving his had motioning him to continue with his business.

I hear the sound of his boots on the cobblestone fade off into the distance. "He's gone." Levi says leaning over the stall door. He extends his hand and I take it. I stand up, my legs hurt from crouching.

We start fast walking further into the stables and slow down as come up to a set of stalls, one with a lantern sitting next to the door.

We walk up to the stall "look inside." Levi says smirking. I pick up the lantern and hang it over the half open door. I put my hands on the door and lean, looking in.

Inside is a large grey mare with a white blaze on her forehead and a little foal nuzzled next to her. My eyes widen and my face lights up. I look over at Levi with a grin from ear to ear "oh my gosh they're so cute!" I say, sounding quite girly. Levi has his hands on his hips, smiling with a satisfied look on his face.

"Yeah, she was in the middle of giving birth when everyone had left, and the horses stalls we rode today were not by her stall. So I just had to help." Levi said. He does have a kind side, he should embrace it more because he is actually really nice.

"How did You know she was here if she wasn't by the other horses?" I ask. "I was going to the shed to get a different brush because I dropped mine in a mud puddle." He answered still smiling. His smile is gentle, mischievous, and beautiful all at the same time. He really should smile more.

"The foal still doesn't have a name..." Levi says. "I got it! How about Nere, that's Eren backwards!" He says. Why is he acting so happy around me now? It's totally out of character for him, but I like it. It makes me feel good.

"That sounds great..." I say feeling like I'm walking on the clouds. The fact that he named a horse after me makes me feel so happy that I want to run over to him and give him the biggest hug imaginable.

But I don't. I lean against the wall and Levi walks over next to me. We slide down the wall and sit on the damp ground and talk. We talk about so many different things that I can keep track anymore. We talk about ourselves, life, and the world outside the walls for what feels like hours.

When Levi is in the middle of telling me a story about the time he found Hanji dancing on a table I study all the details in his face. He is drawing in the dirt with a short stick so I look at him for far longer than a normal person should.

His dark black hair sweeps across his soft face, his eyebrows thin but full of expression. His cheek bones, his nose, his beautiful eyes... And is lips. His lips are moving but I can't hear the words anymore.

I stare at his lips for such a long time that Levi notices. He looks over at me with that expression of his. Confused yet understanding. Stern yet playful. He has so many personalities, he is so confusing. I love it.

I look up from his lips and into his eyes. He looks into mine. He takes a deep breath. My heart skips a beat. "do you want to do this?" He asks. He doesn't need an answer. I lean in and kiss him. His is hesitant at first but starts kissing me back. My heart melts, I brush my fingers through his hair and wrap my arms around his. Kissing him passionately.

He pulls away, softly panting. I sit back against the wall and wipe my mouth with my jacket sleeve. We sit there in silence. I realize how long we have been here and I have to get back. I stand up, a sigh escaping from my mouth. I turn towards Levi "Captain, you should smile more often. You look nice with a smile." I say waving playfully as I walk away, my face stuck in a smile.