Be My Salvation (Ereri/Riren)

XXVIII

I'm not happy with this chapter in the slightest, but I feel bad for making you guys wait a month. Sorry. >.<

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Levi's departure was a couple days later, but he made sure not to leave before breaking a bit of news to Eren.

"So uh, remember when I told you I'm not exactly one hundred percent thrilled with DAU?" he asked as Eren was helping him make sure all of his things were in order to go back.

"Mhm," Eren hummed as he folded in half the new list of recommended books.

"Well I'm still not completely sure of my decision, but Petra said I'm allowed to change schools after the semester is over if that's what I want to do."

Eren's head snapped up. "Really?" He knew he was failing in his attempt not to sound too hopeful.

"Yeah, really. Like I said before, DAU's nice, but it's probably a little too nice. I don't think playing in a huge, fancy orchestra is exactly what I wanna do, either, and that's pretty much all they offer. So I'm thinking about transferring."

Eren nodded, handing him the list to tuck in beside his violin. "Where would you transfer to?" he asked slowly.

"Probably ANU."

Eren swore his heart literally did a jump for joy in that moment. Levi transferring to ANU meant he'd be closer, which meant he'd live with them again. Still, Eren didn't want to be selfish; really, he truly wanted Levi to do what was best for him regardless of Eren himself, but he couldn't help but be at least a little ecstatic internally despite knowing it wasn't good to get his hopes up.

~

When they got back to the campus, Petra said her goodbye and allowed Eren to walk Levi back up to his room. He stretched out every second he possibly could before Levi left one last, tender, tooth-rotteningly sweet kiss on his lips and sent him back on his way.

It was less than three weeks from then when the semester would be over and, regardless of Levi's choice, he would be home again. Immediately after getting back into the car, Eren was brainstorming things he could get or make Levi for Christmas and, more importantly to him, his birthday, which happened to fall on the same day.

In the midst of their Christmas shopping, Eren was constantly thinking about it. Petra had them do a Secret Santa by drawing each other's names from a bowl to lessen the load money-wise. Eren had drawn Annie's name, and if that wasn't difficult enough, he had Levi's present to think about on top of it. He'd pulled Petra aside after they'd drawn names and asked if he could do something for Levi, too.

"So long as it isn't highly expensive, sure," she told him with a smile. "Just...don't let the other kids know about it, alright? I know it's for Levi's birthday, but it might seem a little unfair."

"My lips are sealed," Eren assured her, a somewhat jittery feeling of secrecy bubbling up.

It took several days and a conversation with Petra to figure out what he should get for Annie, and the same night after getting said gift, a brilliant idea for Levi's birthday present popped into his head just before falling asleep. He'd sat up quickly and shuffled for a sticky note and a pen so there was no way he'd forget it.

The days quickly wound down toward Levi's winter orchestra concert. As usual, Eren occupied himself - reading, playing games, helping Petra shower the house in her seemingly endless amount of Christmas decorations, and most importantly, working away at Levi's birthday gift.

The day the concert rolled around was the day Oluo was off on another unexpected business trip, clearly upsetting Petra because it was already so close to Christmas. He promised he'd do everything he could to be back before the day arrived, but it was easy to see it put a damper on the mood, especially when the car ride to the university remained eerily quiet the entire way.