Be My Salvation (Ereri/Riren)

XX

This chapter is weird. Sorry. >.<

---

"Sh-shit," Levi stammered as he yanked himself back, breaking all contact with the other. "I'm sorry," he muttered, burying his face in his hands, tangling his fingers through his bangs and curling them into fists. "I...I should not have done that. I'm sorry, Eren." Shaking his head back and forth, he ground his teeth together.

Eren himself was utterly speechless. His hands were suspended in midair, like he'd been wanting to reach out for Levi but felt conflicted halfway through.

"'M sorry, kid. That...that was totally uncalled for." He shook his head back and forth hard before yanking his hands from his hair and standing up with an awkward, frustrated huff that sounded like something between a sigh and a sarcastic laugh. He began pacing, dragging his socks along the carpet and continued muttering; half the things out of his mouth were unintelligible to Eren's ears. "...fuck. If I was a dick before, I'm a fucking..."

Eren's eyes followed him back and forth several times, brain reeling in confusion while his lips still tingled. He could almost still feel Levi's hands tenderly cradling the sides of his head...

"Levi," he finally managed, reaching out and snatching his wrist, stopping him from his pacing. As soon as their skin met, a spark of static flashed between them, a tiny click sounding in time with it causing them both to flinch at the mild pain.

"Sorry..." Levi muttered for the umpteenth time.

Eren shook his head, brushing the apology off and tugging him back toward himself. "Isn't it supposed to be my job to say sorry a lot?" he joked lightheartedly, smiling a bit.

"Hmph. You're not the one who just fucking kissed me on a ridiculous impulse," Levi grumbled.

Unconsciously, Eren's smile widened. "No, but...well, I'm not really complaining..."

Just like that, Levi's face twisted up in bafflement, his eyes intently searching Eren's before he was tugged back onto the couch. Suddenly, though, Eren's smile vanished. "Wait..." he mumbled. "You didn't do that just because of what I said, d-did you...?"

And then Levi laughed. He laughed, the way you laugh when you've heard something absolutely ridiculous. It was short-lived, but it still managed to erupt butterflies in Eren's stomach, even send tingles down his spine.

Levi flopped backwards, shaking his head. "I can't believe how clueless you are," he said lightly, amusement still laced in his voice.

"Wait...what?" Eren mumbled stupidly, completely baffled about what about his question amused Levi so much. Still, he felt that inevitable heat rising to his cheeks and the urge to cover his face when the other sat up again, his eyes glossed over with something Eren had never seen in them before; they were brighter somehow, and they completely captivated Eren.

"Listen, kid," Levi began softly, "I didn't expect you...to be the one to confess first." He cleared his throat in uneasiness. "Actually, shit...I didn't expect you to at all. I didn't think you...er...felt that way, too." He rubbed a hand across his mouth, just slightly shaking his head. "So I hadn't planned on saying anything, either. So when you said that, it seriously threw me off."

"I...I'm s-" A warm finger pressing to his lips cut Eren off; he swallowed hard in nervous anticipation.

"I swear to god, Eren, if you say the word 'sorry' one more time I might just lose my freaking mind."

Eren blinked at him before reaching up and gently pulling Levi's hand away from his mouth, keeping hold of it and resting them down in his lap. "Okay," he mumbled awkwardly. "I just...I didn't mean to blurt it out like that, so..."