《𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭》|𝐄𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐢/𝐑𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐧|

ᴄᴀᴘɪᴛᴜʟᴜᴍ xxɪᴠ: ᴘᴇʀ ᴀsᴘᴇʀᴀ ᴀᴅ ᴀsᴛʀᴀ

📜Chapter 24: Through hardships to the stars📜

𝑁𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟'𝑠 𝑃𝑂𝑉

The parchment burned, making a sound that kind of resembled the one wood makes, that many love to listen to.

Levi stared at the fire, with wide eyes: his gaze stayed glued on that scene for what seemed like several hours, before his pupils turned at the younger's in the quickest sudden movement.

Eren stood there, slowly realising what he'd done.
His original plan was to answer Levi's question with a sharp 'No', before grabbing him by his hips and deeply kiss him.

But his brain had shut down, somehow.
So he just acted instinctively and dropped his literal freedom to be destroyed.

After some seconds of silence, Levi brought his right hand to his face, covering his eyes.
"You're... one expensive brat, you know that?"

And under that hand, Eren could see some thick droplets falling down the raven's cheeks.

📜Two things were used to write on, at the time: papyrus and parchment.
The latter, introduced in Italy in the II century BC, was slightly cheaper than papyrus, but still damn expensive.📜

"You better... you better pay me off."
And he almost jumped into the brunet's arms, who tightened the hug and lifted the smaller up in his arms; Levi on his hand secured himself embracing the younger's hips with his legs.

"I just wanted to make you happy.
I know your number one wish is freedom, so why'd you do that..?"

"If your name's now freedom, then yeah, I desire freedom.
I want him.
All for myself.
At every hour of the day, every day of the week and the month, every month of the year.
Just freedom and I, and the smaller version of himself."

Levi sighed a bit, in frustration that he couldn't keep the tears in looking at Eren's small smile.
He traced that scar he still had on his forehead, caressed his cheeks and leaned over for a kiss that Eren could only deepen.

And they stayed like that, trying not to make a noise, as they were in the bright light of day in a room that anyone could enter, at any time.
But I don't think they gave a shit.

And, of course, someone peeked.
Armin's blue eyes widened at the sight of that scene: he immediately took a step back.
It was the confirmation he'd been seeking for literal years, and now, finally, his racing mind could be put to rest.

He secured the door closed, careful to not make any sound, and went back to what he was doing, happy to finally have an answer.

...

The next morning, the love birds were home alone already.

Eren slowly opened his green eyes, because of the light peeking through the curtains: he was going to discover a little later that the sun was high in the sky.

It took even less to realise that he was all alone in that enormous bed.

He got up, in a rush: having made sure the shorter raven wasn't in the room, he checked every other.

He went to pick the boy up from the crib, carrying him around as the search continued.
Little guy wanted to help and kept calling for his father, repeating his signature 'pa-pa-pa-pa' in his high-pitched voice, almost sounding like an ambulance.
Which did not exist at the time, so Eren just thought that sound was damn annoying.

But Levi was nowhere to be found, while Eren was about to panic.

He'd already gone outside in the yard, ready to lose it, when he was thankfully stopped right there by the raven himself, as he was just coming home.