Levi pushed open the glass doors and looked around. He still had the remnants of yesterday's headache, but decided to come anyways. It was nine a.m., and he was carrying the books he had checked out on Wednesday. He walked over to the front desk, where Marco was sitting. Putting his paperbacks on the tabletop, he looked up at him. "Good morning, Marco." He said. "Morning! You're turning these back in?" He asked.

"Yes. And they were interesting." Levi said. He turned to go to the Nonfiction section. Sitting on the floor was Eren with two boys of about twelve. "Ca-castle?" He said. One of them nodded, and the other pointing to something else in the book. He looked stumped. "Dragon." One encouraged him. "Like lizard?" He asked. "Yeah. This?" "Princess."

Levi leaned against a bookshelf and watched. Nearly 15 minutes went by. One of the boys looked up. "Eren, him?" He looked up. "Princess." He said promptly, joking with the others. Levi was taken aback for a minute. Oh, they were joking. They better be.

"Hello! You are L-" "Levi Ackerman!" Eren interrupted with a smile. He stood up and walked over to him. "Hellos! Zach, Cody." He gestured to them. "Good morning." Levi said politely. "Eren? The playgroup starts in ten minutes." One of the boys spoke up. "Okay! Seeing jou later!" Eren bounced away to the Children's Corner, the boys chasing after him.

'They must be volunteering.' Levi thought to himself, before looking through the bookshelves for something to read.

<><>Timeskip 3 Hours<><>

His stomach growled, making him aware of his hunger. He checked his watch and concluded he should get lunch.

Levi stood up and put the books away, and headed to the door before stopping. 'Maybe I'll ask Eren to join me.' He thought, turning around to go over to the Children's Corner. He looked into the window and saw it was dark. He furrowed his brows. 'Hm. I must have not noticed that he left. Oh, well.' He left and went down to the little cafe down the street.

Pushing open the door so the bell jingled, he glanced around before going up to the counter. Ordering his usual salad and tea for lunch, Levi turned to find a table to sit at. It was extremely busy, with no empty tables. He walked over to the wall to wait for his meal. "Levi Ackerman." Called the cashier. He went up to get his food and turned to see bright turquoise eyes looking at him from the other side of the room. They were easy to pick out of a crowd.

Eren waved at him and pointed to himself with a questioning look. Levi nodded before getting his food and walking over. "Hellos, Levi Ackerman!" Eren said happily. "Hello. Good afternoon." Was his response as he sat down. Eren frowned. "Jou always say." Levi glanced up at him before beginning to eat. Eren, who quickly finished his lunch, looked out the window. "Jour season?" He asked, turning to the raven.

Levi swallowed before looking up. "My favorite season? Perhaps autumn. Fall." He added at Eren's confused expression." "Ah. Vinter me." He said, nodding. "Levi?" Eren asked, the name rolling off of his tongue. "Yes?" "Vhat France like?" Levi had finished his food. Sipping his tea, he leaned back into the booth seat.

"It certainly is well-known for it's beauty. Attractive flowers and plants aren't unusual. The landmarks are breathtaking. For example, the Eiffel Tower. The ocean is always clear, year-round, and everything on the ocean floor is exposed. The weather is usually appealing, whether one is outside or in. At night, the stars shine so brightly... The cities lit up against the sky... France is one of the most astounding places I've been to. I am lucky to have grown up there..."

He had a far-away look in his eyes. Eren watched him as he described his home country. He could have sworn Levi nearly smiled as he spoke about the night sky. A few moments passed. Levi felt a hand lightly touch his. Focusing, he saw Eren was standing with a disappointed look in his eyes.

"Need go..." He said. "I suppose I'll come with you." He was back to his formal self, polite and guarded. Together they stood, walking through the cafe. They walked down the street in silence before coming to the library. Levi held the door open for Eren, and they slipped inside. "Oh, there you are, Eren." Marco said, surprised that he was with Levi. He opened his mouth to say more before closing it and busying himself with a pile of books on his desk.

Eren gave Levi a little wave before walking down the hallway and entering the Children's room. Levi watched him go.

<><>Timeskip 4 Days<><>

It was now Friday. The week had gone as usual, Eren working and Levi visiting the library while he worked. The brunette was able to shift his schedule so he worked from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday. Sometimes they had lunch together, sometimes Eren brought his lunch.

Currently, it was 8 p.m. Eren was sitting in an armchair, his nose pressed to the glass of the window. Levi sat across from him and read a book. "Jou think rain?" The younger boy asked him, his eyes never leaving the dark sky. There was a flash of lightning, illuminating an excited Eren's face.

"Yes. And it hasn't in about two weeks, so it will be welcome." Levi didn't look up from his book. Eren looked at his watch and back at the sky. His eyes widening at a sudden idea, he reached for his phone and turned on the camera setting.

He waited a moment before taking what sounded like a thousand pictures. "What are you doing?" Levi questioned as he turned his eyes on him. "Hush..." And another bolt of lightning split the sky. Eren's face shone with triumph as he scrolled through his gallery, deleting the pictures that didn't have lightning in them. He selected the rest and got rid of the others.

"Are you going to draw it?" Levi asked as Eren nodded his head. Right before he pocketed his phone, it rang. The ringtone was 'Guren no Yumiya.' Sie sind das Essen und Wir sind die Jäger!* Eren picked it up. "Ja? Hellos, Mikasa... Vhat??..." He looked unhappy. "Vhy?" He sat up for a minute before pouting. "Okie... Seeing you." He looked glum. "Are you alright?" Levi looked up from his book again.

"Mikasa far avay vith Hanji an Petra. She veing late to pick up." Levi nodded and looked back at his book. "I can take you home." He said quietly. "Erm... I-I... Jou not need to..." "It's fine." The two were silent for a few minutes, Levi reading and Eren watching him. "Vell... Fanks..."

Eren resumed his looking through the window. Marco came by thirty minutes later. "I'm closing up. Get out." He joked. "I just want to check this out before I go." Levi looked at his page number and remembered it before closing the book. "To Kill a Mockingbird? That must be the seventh time you've read it." He followed Marco to the scanner. "Make sure everyone's left, Eren?" "Okies." He disappeared behind shelves.

"Levi... How do you feel about Eren now?" He was smirking. Levi raised an eyebrow as he was given his book. "He's a kind person." "Do you at least see him as a friend now?" Marco badgered. "Perhaps." Was his only response as he waited for Eren. Marco looked like he was about to squeal, so Levi was relieved when Eren appeared.

"Ve going?" At these words, Marco looked between the two. "Mikasa no come. Vusy. Levi nice." Eren explained with a slight blush dusting his features. "Ah." Marco still looked slightly suspicious. Levi held the door open for him and they left.

Being summer, the sun was barely above the horizon at nine. "Jour car?" Eren asked. "Down the street. The traffic is difficult in the mornings." Levi explained.

The two walked down the sidewalk, side by side, in the dying golden light. Their shoulders brushed as Eren looked up at the sky, which was dark blue with a smear of pink and yellow. Grey clouds cast themselves over the world and threateningly flashed with electricity.

"This corner." They turned and were faced with a sleek black Chevrolet Camaro. Eren gaped at it and noticed it was also a convertible. Levi was already getting in on the driver's side. Eren opened the door and sat in the passenger's seat. He noticed the interior was entirely black leather.

"Your address?" Levi inquired as he started the car. Eren told him, to which Levi commented, "Damn, that's far." The car had begun to move, Eren leaning against the window to look outside. Fat droplets of water had begun to splash on the car, the sky becoming darker and angrier.

Eren was used to the drive. He knew it would be about 20 minutes until they were even in his neighborhood. The windshield wipers began moving, clearing the glass and showing the road illuminated by headlights. Few vehicles passed them in the gloom. A shriek of thunder broke the silence and was accompanied by multiple shocks of lightning and increased rain.

Another bang was heard, this time louder, and flashes from the sky lit up the area for a solid minute; a crash was heard and a tree was falling towards them. Levi's eyes widened as he swerved and muttered, "Baiser!"* Eren clung onto the inner door, his eyes screwed shut. Levi reached a hand forwards and turned on the radio, switching it to the news.

"...violent weather all throughout Seattle, one of the worst summer storms since 2001. Be sure to stay inside and try to avoid being out in a time like this." They listened and Levi sighed. "Eren, we're still 15 minutes away and the weather is only getting worse. My house is at the next left, I think we should stop there for the night, at least for now."

The younger of the two turned to look at him." "I-I can valk, it's-" "You're not going out as long as this storm keeps up." Levi interrupted and said firmly. And that was that. Eren continued looking out the window as the storm progressed. He felt the car turn, and looked to see a neighborhood of large, expensive houses with large front yards and four-car garages. He found himself gaping once more as Levi pressed a button on his dashboard and the garage opened.

He pulled into the driveway and then into the garage, closing it behind him. Both of them got out, shutting the doors. Eren followed Levi over to a door that led inside. Levi held the door for him. Once they were inside, Levi felt along the wall for the lightswitch.

The room was bathed in light and Eren gazed around. The living room had a ceiling that was two stories high and looked like it could fit Mikasa and his apartment in it alone. Everything was white and black, occasional splashes of color found in pictures and decorations. Each room held at least three high-priced items, whether furniture or electronics he could tell Levi wasn't poor.

"I suppose I'll make dinner, then." Levi began opening cupboards and taking out ingredients. He remember Mikasa saying Eren couldn't cook for crap and made the executive decision to make the meal independently. "I help?" Eren asked in a small voice. Levi looked out the window and saw the storm was only increasing.

Sighing, he said, "I'm fine here. You can go take a shower." He looked a little taken aback before agreeing. "Um..." Eren pointed to his clothes. Sighing again, Levi put down the food and gestured for him to follow. "You can use this bathroom and sleep here." They were in one of his three guest rooms with their own private bathrooms. "One minute..." Levi left and went to his room, opening his dresser.

There he extracted the largest size clothes he had and folded them. He didn't look at Eren as he put them on the bed and left.

<><>Timeskip 40 Minutes<><>

Levi took the spaghetti off of the stove and put it on plates, setting those on the table. Eren came downstairs, barefoot, in blue boxers and a grey sweatshirt. The boxers fit alright, were maybe even a bit too big, but the shirt was meant for someone with broader shoulders and a stockier build. It went down to the cutoff of his boxers and the neck dropped further. He looked even skinnier and lankier than usual in the shirt.

Levi eyed him and nodded to the food. They sat down and the raven turned on the radio to the news station. While they ate, the reporters spoke about the weather and predicted that it would last all night and tomorrow, too. "Did you call Mikasa?" Levi questioned. Eren nodded. Ten minutes later, Levi was cleaning up while Eren was at his shoulder, insisting that he could help.

"Okay, good night." Levi said, halfway up the stairs. "V-vhat?" Eren was startled at how quickly he was leaving him. "G-good night..." Levi disappeared into his room and Eren was left feeling hurt and confused.

<><>Translations<><>

* (German) Sie sind das Essen und Wir sind die Jäger! = "Are you the food? No, we are the hunters."

* (French) "Baiser!" = "Fuck!"

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