Lovers (Killers) Ereri/Riren AU

Chapter Eight

~Chapter Eight~

They waited anxiously for the results.

Armin, Mikasa, and Levi basically lived in the waiting room. They alternated shifts between sleeping, eating, and making coffee. At one point Armin was sent home to retrieve pillows and blankets so the trio could sleep more comfortably on the hard plastic chairs in the waiting room. Some passing doctors and nurses looked a little dubious with letting them stay, but every once in a while someone who'd attended to Eren or at least associated with him gave them a glare that said, back off, so no one tried to remove the three from their little den. People came by to say condolences ("He's not fucking dead, goddammit!") and Levi even got to meet the famous Jean Kirstein and his boyfriend Marco Bott, and he was admittedly not as bad as Eren made him out to be (although slightly annoying).

Finally, after what seemed like forever, even though it was only two days, Erwin came back to them with the results.

The surgery had worked.

Eren's new heart was working well, and with the medicine, he was slowly improving, although it would be impractical for him to have visitors right now. But now they could finally release the collective breath they had all been holding.

Eren was okay. He had survived. He was okay.

Levi felt like he was on top of the world. His friends' death had sent him rocketing down towards depression, but now he was soaring above that. He was on cloud nine. Finally, something was going right in his life.

Erwin told them that Eren would have to stay in the hospital for recovery for another 1 to 2 weeks, and then he would have to spend another three months being monitored by a transplant team. Normally, that would be done at a heart transplant center, but after all Eren went through, they figured it would be okay to let the kid do it at home, since the house was pretty close to the hospital anyways. They would have to be extra careful about watching for signs of rejection, and the team would be taking regular tests (heart biopsies, EKGs, blood tests, etc), but after that and a few months of cardiac rehab, Eren would be in the clear.

The group was so excited they were practically bouncing on their feet. Mikasa shrieked with happiness and grabbed Armin in a fierce hug, and Levi was almost knocked over with the force of which she turned to him next. They quickly recovered though and broke apart almost immediately as if they couldn't stand being that close to each other.

"So, when will we be able to see him?" Armin asked eagerly.

Erwin's eyebrows furrowed. "Tomorrow, probably. He's still sleeping off the effects of the surgery and we don't want to put too much pressure on him because we're still watching for signs of rejection in the new heart. So probably only one visitor at a time, and no sex." He looked pointedly at Levi, who stared back at him unimpressed.

"Since when have we ever done that?" He said innocently, raising an eyebrow. Mikasa turned firetruck red and looked away.

Erwin raised an eyebrow back at him (which looked way more impressive than Levi had because of those goddamn caterpillars on his face) and shuffled through some more papers. "You should probably go home and get some rest," he advised. "It won't do you any good to sleep in here one more night. Any more of that coffee and your intestines will decide they've had enough."

Levi, Armin, and Mikasa nodded at him, then collected their various belongings.

"You know, I think he's right," Armin said amiably as they turned to leave. "I don't think my stomach can handle any more of that tar mixture." He dropped his bags and ran to the bathroom, getting there just in time judging from the sounds he was making.

Levi and Mikasa shared a laugh, then Mikasa picked up Armin's belongings for him and left, leaving Levi to stare longingly down the hall leading to Eren's room before he turned and followed her out.

~o)0(o~

The next day, they got to see Eren.

Mikasa went in first, of course, they allowed her that privilege since she really was his only real family member (despite being adopted). Then Armin, and finally Levi, who waited anxiously for his turn because he was scared that maybe the surgery had changed something in Eren. What if, now that he wasn't dying, he decided that he could do better? What if he rejected Levi or decided that he never wanted to speak to him again? What if—

"Hey." Armin tapped him on the shoulder. "It's your turn."

Levi slowly walked into the room, past Petra who gave him a reassuring smile than retreated to the back of the room to give them some privacy. But when he saw Eren, all his worries vanished because it was that same smile, the same sparkle in his eyes. It was his Eren.

"Levi," Eren said happily, his smile wider than the older boy had ever seen it before, and without a moment's hesitation he ran into Eren's arms and kissed him passionately.

"I was so scared you weren't going to make it," he gasped out, choking back tears.

"Hey, you were the one to give me the whole uplifting speech about how I would make it through this," Eren said, pretending to be offended as he kissed Levi again.

"I know, but it was so risky…" Levi's voice cracked and he cleared his throat, embarrassed. "Sorry."

Eren grinned. "There's nothing to be sorry about! I'm so excited. After a couple of weeks, I finally get to go home! And besides those tests and medicine I have to take for my heart, we can be a real couple. Go on real dates. Have real sex." He wiggled his eyebrows at Levi as he said the last part, and the older boy laughed.

"I love you so much," he murmured.

"I love you too, Levi," Eren said, kissing the other boy. And in that moment, it couldn't have been more perfect.

Which is why, of course, things had to go wrong.

* * *

A/N: Oopsie, another mean cliffhanger...btw sorry if any of them seem OOC, I tried my best...