A tail for an eye - Eren x Levi

Chapter 25

'The Past With A Sailor'

The words 'The Colossal Titan' stood out with vibrancy against the rather dull metal background. Eren held it in front of Levi, a quizzical look on his face as he attempted to guess the reaction it was rising in Levi. The waves moved them up and down gently as Levi continued to stare at the object, not even sure what feeling this brought on for him himself. Certainly not anger, but not exactly happiness either. Once upon a time, this sign on his boat represented pride, talent and passion, but now it felt like a vague reminder on the ending that his boat underwent. Still, it held more positives memories than bad ones.

"Mikasa and I stayed here the night whilst aunt Gisela, Klaus and Mia went back," Eren began to explain to Levi, "they came back with this and thought you might want it back?"

The unsteady wavering in Eren's voice felt horrible to hear, therefore Levi decided to put an end to it, "It's thoughtful, that's nice."

"You don't have to have it if you don't want it." Eren's words quickly left his mouth like a flood, as though panicked, "I don't mind if you don't want it, none of us do."

"No, it's okay. I do," Levi said, matching the urgency of the merman. Levi leaned forward, still having to swim in the fairly deep water to keep himself above surface. That meant he couldn't take the item yet.

"Are you sure?" Eren persisted, though a glow grew in his eyes along with an increasingly happier tone in his words.

"Of course, Eren." Levi rolled his eyes, but soon met a grin coming from Eren.

"It's a cool name," Klaus spoke up, staring at the metal sign with interest, "did you choose it?"

Levi nodded, not feeling bothered to get into any sort of story as there wasn't any to tell. He enjoyed the idea of having a name for a ship that showed power and confidence. Considering both the words meant giant, it felt fitting despite his ship not having been the biggest one out there. Still, his had lived the longest and never failed a mission until its demise. Levi still felt proud of the meaning of the same, to him it represented the crew rather than the physicality of the boat.

"Bet it was sort of cool to be a pirate," Mia added in, squinting her eyes at the sign as she thought about it.

"Yeah. But it's not for me anymore."

"Isn't that sweet?" Gisela responded, cheerful. Eren blushed at that and Levi felt somewhat babied by her from the way she spoke and cared so much. It both comforted him and annoyed him, but either way he knew she meant no harm. Perhaps Levi just wasn't used to someone viewing him as cute. Even Zoe had never seen him as a child in any way, shape or form, "Eren, why don't you go with Levi back to the cliff so he can get out of the water? He must be freezing."

Eren perked up at that, "Yeah, sorry, of course."

"The rest of us are going to take a swim out-"

"Why?" Mia interrupted her mother, before a realisation hit her face and she grew an embarrassed blush from her loud question, "Oh, sorry."

"You're such an idiot," Mikasa stated, swimming away as she rolled her eyes, "be careful, Eren."

"I don't have to be careful, I'll be fine," Eren defended himself, or perhaps defended Levi, he didn't know. Either way, he didn't want his sister acting like his mum constantly and bring like a shadow watching him at all times.

"I don't mean your boyfriend," Mikasa clarified, sighing in her voice as she spoke, "there's pirates everywhere, it's dangerous."

"Okay, you too," Eren returned, watching them swim under the surface and out of sight. Eren turned his gaze back to Levi, still holding the sign, "should we go back to the rocks?"