Burning Inside

Part 3 (of 3)

                Levi squeezes Eren's leg, feeling Eren grin from where he has his face pressed into Levi.

                "You're cuter, Levi."

                "Nah."

                "No, it's true."

                "No, it's not."

                "Yes, it is."

                "Nuh-uh."

                "Uh-huh."

                "Only brats are cute."

                "And you're not a brat?"

                "No."

                Eren's still giggling as he lifts his head up, his voice now unmuffled. It fills Levi's ears and sends unfamiliar sensations down his spine, sensations that he can't say he enjoys but certainly doesn't loathe. Eren does that to him - he makes Levi feel different things than he's used to. He makes Levi go through things he's never gone through before.

                "You look really nice tonight," Eren whispers, leaning forward so that his lips press behind Levi's ear. Levi has to bite onto himself to stop the moan that threatens to slip out.

                "You look better."

                "But-"

                "Actually, Eren, I've been meaning to ask you something."

                "What is it?"

                "Why do you wear dresses? Like, you said that they have male cheerleading uniforms. So why not wear one of those?"

                "Hm. I don't really like them," Eren shrugs, "They aren't as comfortable. And they're so fucking ugly compared to the dresses."

                "So what about the suspenders, then? Why do you wear those?"

                "Uh, well, I started wearing stuff like that when I was, um, maybe five? My parents made me dress up as a nerd for Halloween. But I kind of liked the outfit. So I asked for them to buy me more suspenders and flannel and, you know, those kinds of things."

                "And the style just stuck with you?"

                "Mhm."

                "So what about the dress that you're wearing tonight?"

                "I hate suits. You remember Sasha, right? The girl who, um. She told you about Petra liking you."

                "Yeah."

                "She helped me pick out this dress."

                "Tell her I said thanks. You look fucking beautiful."

                Eren smiles, pulling just far enough away from Levi so that they can look into each other's eyes. Eren's eyes match his dress, but for some reason, Levi's mind is drawn towards Eren's lips. They're a deep pink, and it's pretty obvious that he's wearing some sort of makeup. There's a noticeable shift in color between his forehead and the area around his eyes, and there's just no way that his plump lips are that red.

                "Wait," Levi says, blinking in an attempt to distract himself from Eren's overwhelming presence, "But why would Sasha help you pick out an outfit if she knew that Petra liked me?"