[Levi / Eren] Haven

Chapter Five.

"Quit your complaining, I'll do as I please. I'm the king, remember? Besides... you wont get better if nothing's done about it."

"I won't get better regardless. Trying is pointless, so please don't worry about it."

"Shut up and let me help you, Eren. Quit going on about yourself as just a lowly servant. Quit being stubborn and let me in!" Levi yelled, before a silence fell over the two. Eren stared up into the eyes of his king, with tears in his own eyes.

"If I did... you'd only shut me out..." Eren's voice was hushed, as if he was choking on every syllable.

"E-Eren..." Levi knelt next to the bath and looked down, his forehead rested against the edge. "Why do you think like that...?"

Silence, only silence.

"Eren?" He lifted his head and looked the brunette over, before noticing the glaze over those beautiful sea-green eyes. Levi reached for the boy's cold, pale, shaky hands, and held them tightly. "Please, please speak to me. Tell me why you're crying."

"You don't even really care. You shouldn't, anyways."

"Why not, huh? Tell me one good reason I shouldn't."

"I'm weak. I'll get trampled. I don't sleep, I mess everything up, I cause myself pain, and I make things difficult."

"So what? Difficulty isn't impossibility. None of that stuff matters. I can help you. Besides, your personality is amazing already, aside from your suicidal half..." Levi sighed. "I can help with that, as well, though. Just trust me, Eren. You've got more heart than anyone here, that includes myself. And believe me you haven't messed anything up."

"Why are you saying all this?" To this, Levi blinked in confusion.

"You... you really don't get it... do you? "

"Get what?"

"Take a bath then I'll take you to my room... I'll show you..."

"O-Okay." Levi walked out of the room, quietly shut the door, then went to Eren's room.

"Might as well do him a favor, eh?" He mumbled to himself as he opened Eren's closet, pulling out a clean shirt then getting other necessary articles of clothing for the boy. Looking around, he noticed there was no spec of dirt, no mess, anywhere. This kid even had a completely made-up bed -- which is strange since he never ever  slept in it. Everything was organized, too. "His room is oddly clean for a servant... I wonder..." He shook off the thought. "No, Levi." He sighed, taking the clothes back to the brunette. He set them in a chair he'd pulled up next to the bath. "You done yet?"

"Almost. Can I have two more minutes?"

"You want me to leave?"

"I don't really mind. Though I fail to see why you'd want to..."

"Huh?"

"Stay, I meant."

"I'd gladly list off reasons," beautiful,  "but," incredible,  "you're bathing." Eren's face flushed, his cheeks darkening in a soft pink hue. Levi sighed again. "Two minutes,  I'll give you two minutes.  And don't even think about drowning yourself, got that?"

"Yes, Sir." Levi walked back out of the room, standing at the wall next to the doorframe. He waited two minutes, giving enough time for Eren to wash his hair and finish cleaning off, before walking back in. He grabbed the towel and slung it over his shoulder, then held out his hand for the boy. "Here," he mumbled, "And don't worry about the water, I'll just have a butler do it. No time to waste, right?"

"Thank you..." Eren grabbed his hand, using the bath for further support. Levi quickly wrapped the towel around Eren -- so that it was up on his chest and covering down to his knees -- then swept him off his feet, carrying him bridal-style to Levi's bedroom.

"Anything for you," he murmured, kissing Eren's head -- which set the boy's face nearly on fire from how hot his cheeks had gotten. "Now, as for what I said I'd show you... Reiner was always rough, right? What's the opposite of that?"

"U-Uhm..."

"Come on, now, Eren, you're smart. I know that you know the answer."

"G-Gentle?"

"Correct. And what's a word that can  correlate with lust, but most commonly is not?"

"Love?"

"And what is it called when you show your love to someone?"

"Displaying affection."

"What adjective did I just tell you?"

"Gentle."

"Is it piecing together now?"

"U-Uh..." Eren thought for a moment, before his eyes widened -- his face turning as red as a cherry. "C-Can I ask-"

"Ah- no questions." Levi set Eren down on his bed, then handed him his clothes. "Set those aside." Eren did as he was told setting the clothes down at the edge of the bed, as Levi sat down next to him. "Eren."

"Sir?"

"Okay we'll start with that... address me by name."

"Levi."

"Better. Tell me... why did you never say anything about Reiner? Why didn't you talk to me?"

"I didn't think you'd care..." the boy mumbled under his breath.

"Why, I ask, would I not care about a member of my own staff being a nuisance to someone -- especially my favorite person here."

"F-Favorite? I-I... I don't know. I just thought he'd hurt me worse." Levi looked down and crossed a leg over the other, and crossed his arms over his chest, before glancing back up and over at Eren.

"How... how many times, exactly, has he done this  to you, Eren?"

"I lost count..." Levi's eyes widened -- something Eren'd never seen before this day.

"He..." The male swiftly pulled Eren closer to him, holding him as tightly as he could without hurting the poor boy. "He'll never... never again. I'll kill him myself. I have to trial him first, of course, but he'll be gone soon enough. I swear he will be, Eren."

"S-Sir-... Levi... why have you been worrying about me so much today...?"

"Let me explain something to you, Eren. I didn't pick you out for no reason. I could tell you were hurting where you were. If I remember correctly, it was your dad, you said, right?"

"Y-Yes."

"And he was abusive?" I will kill anyone that lays a hand on my precious angel ever.

"A-Also correct."

"I felt it was something like that. I could see it in your eyes." Levi leaned him back some to cup Eren's cheek with his hand, and gently stroke it with his thumb. "Those big, beautiful, sea-green eyes of yours, that were once dull. They remind me of a doe's eyes, when you're confused or lost. They are simply breathtaking..." Eren was lost in some sort of trance, unable to take his eyes away from Levi's. Then again, Levi was also in said quarrel -- with his own inability to look away. He found himself smiling, before he cleared his throat and sighed. "I wanted to take you away from that. This world has made me cold, Eren. But when I saw how vibrant those magnificent eyes of yours appeared as you stared down my horses and me... I couldn't help but fall in love. They warmed my bitter heart back to where it should be. You were only thirteen, and I'm somewhere near twice that -- twenty-five -- so it would've made me sick to even think of doing anything like this to you, I'd feel so wrong for saying anything at all. But I can't wait for you any longer. You're legal age ((A/n: this is supposed to be from the eighteenth-ish century, somewhere around that.)) and my heart throbs just seeing your shadow. You're the only thing on my mind, regardless of what I'm reading, writing... saying... anything. Eren  is all I hear."

"W-What're you saying?"

"Stay by my side, Eren. Never leave me."