Shingeki Ink

Chapter 8: Titan vs. Stallion

Levi

I swung my short legs back and forth while resting on the managing desk, quietly observing Eren. The kid sat at his desk, drawing in his sketchbook. I had no appointments at the moment, so I was busy letting myself take in the boy I cared so much about. Sunlight filtered through the window and casted him in an almost heavenly glow. His tan skin shined beautifully and his eyes swirled into deep pools of an algae pond. Lost in thought, he continuously nibbled on the end of his pencil while staring out the window. I kept glancing at his pink lips as they smoothed over the rigid piece of wood. His green orbs slid my way, sensing my heavy gaze. At this point, I didn't try hiding that I'd been basically checking him out.

"Levi…" He whined. I smirked as I continued to play with a large rubber band.

"Yes?" I replied.

"Stop staring at me. Don't you have any shame at all?" He stood and closed his book, then pushed in his chair.

I made a face like I was thinking, then answered simply. "Oddly, not as of late." I stayed put on the desk as Eren made his way over to me. He leaned against the countertop next to where I was rooted. He crossed his arms, showing the muscle and veins that resided within them. My eyes flicked up to Eren's face, which was looking straight at me.

Ever since that drunken night about a week ago, Eren and I had become much closer. Not as close as I'd like to be, but we're getting there. He allows me to be more obvious with my admiration of him and we have many moments of serenity.

I picked up my hand and began to run my fingers through his unbelievably curly hair. His cheeks turned reddish.

"You're so beautiful I can't help myself…" I muttered, wanting to slap myself for how I just can't filter the things I want to say. Hearing my compliment, he turned his head away while placing his hands over his face. His shyness will never cease to adore me.

He groaned, but in an endearing and joking way. Pulling back my hand, I knocked my shoulder into his.

"What're you doing tomorrow?" The shop was closed tomorrow due to it being Sunday. Eren and I hadn't been together outside of work before, so I was hoping he'd be up to it.

He hummed, then looked back at me with his hands away from his face.

"I'm going to the gym." He said standing up and stretching his arms out in front of himself.

My eyebrows furrowed. "The gym? Really?" I sounded slightly amazed, but I knew I shouldn't be. He kept his alluring physique somehow.

He nodded. "I box, remember?"

"Oh, yeah." I recalled. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious as to how boxing worked, especially if it involved Eren.

"Why? Did you want to do something?" He asked. I shrugged.

"It'd be nice."

"Come with me." He said out of absolutely no where. What?

"What?" I voiced this time.

"To the boxing gym. I can teach you how to box. I promise I'm not that bad of a teacher. I teach self defense classes when I have the time." One of my eyebrows shot up. He teaches?

I thought for a moment, pulling my leg up to rest my other leg on in a half criss cross sit. I could get to see a different side of Eren I hadn't before. One that grit his teeth and punched something.

"Sure." I told him. "Why not. Live life on the edge and all that, huh?" Eren smirked at my words. It was almost like an "you don't know what you're getting into" smirk. And I probably didn't.

The next day, I picked up Eren. He was wearing a tight, slate grey tee shirt and a pair of red basketball shorts. His hair was pulled back with a few curled strands framing his attractive face.

I wore long workout pants and a black tank top. I wasn't exactly sure what to wear to box, but I assumed most exercise attire was of the like. Eren gave me directions to the most famous boxing gym in New York. We were almost through the doors when he turned to me.

"Uh, Levi..." He said, sounding hesitant as his hand tightened around the handle of a duffle bag.. "Just so you know, the people here know me pretty well. And they'll probably start telling you about my reputation here but just know that that me, isn't the one you see everyday. Okay?"

His words made me gulp. Was it bad?

"Uh huh. What kind of 'reputation' do you have?" I put air quotes around reputation.

"You'll see." He waved away. We walked in and the scent of sweat hit my nostrils hard. Sweat was one of my least favorite bodily fluids, but then again, are any of them good? People lifted weights, bench pressed, and practiced self defense. The sound of punching bags being hit filled the entire room. I was busy taking everything in when I heard fast footsteps. I looked up quick enough to catch a girl with blonde hair in a bun on her head flying at Eren with her fist out to punch him. He dodged it easily.

"Annie, that's playing dirty. You know I wasn't ready." He berated, grabbing her wrist as it extended over his shoulder. There was this sour look on her face.

"You weren't expecting it, yet you dodged it." She scoffed, taking her arm back. "The Titan never changes, no matter how long it's been since he was here last." What the hell was she talking about? Was "The Titan" his stage name or whatever? Boxers do have stage names, right? Eren glanced away from her with a bored expression on his pretty face.

"If I knew you were here today, I would've skipped." He exhaled dramatically while scratching the back of his neck. The words sounded rude, which was awfully out of character for Eren. I wasn't sure how I felt about his boxer side.

"That makes two of us." Annie agreed, but there was a smidge of amusement in her seemingly shallow, pale blue eyes. Said eyes traveled over Eren's shoulder to look at me with confusion. "Who're you, Shorty?"

I ground my back teeth together, not liking the dryness of her voice.

"Annie, this is my…" He paused, looking back at me with slight nervousness in his features. "This is Levi Rivaille." It almost hurt that he didn't know what I was to him. Although, I knew this was going to be a tough road to be with him in a more serious manner. He was trying as hard as he could, I knew that. I just had to be patient and trustworthy.

She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Nice tatts." She commented.

"Thanks." I ground out. I wasn't sure why, but this woman was aggravating. Honestly. she seemed almost like a genderbent version of Erwin, which was frightening all on its own.

"Anyways." She turned back to Eren, no longer finding my presence of any interest. "Ymir has been asking when you'd show again. You know how she gets when her best fighters go MIA." Eren seemed to know pretty well how this Ymir woman acts.

"Yeah, all too well." He shook his head in shame. "Is she here today or have I been blessed by God himself?"

Annie smirked to herself. "You're not that lucky, Jaeger." The blonde began to walk slowly away. Eren turned to me with an exhausted look.

"Sorry about her. She's pretty abrasive."

"Reminds me of Erwin." I mumbled to myself. Eren snorted a laugh and started father into the gym. The brunette put his bag on a bench and sat down on a mat in front of a bunch of mirrors. I stood, staring at him from above.

"We're gonna start with stretching. If you pull a muscle, you'll be sorry." He remarked ominously. I plopped down in front of him and tried replicating his stretches. First, Eren pulled his arms behind his head. This wasn't too bad, so I did it easily. The next thing was a little less simple. He pulled one leg out to the side in an almost 180 degree. Following this, he bent down at his hips and reached his arm across the length of his leg.

A couple more stretches I uselessly couldn't copy as well as Eren later, he was sitting normally.

He looked up at me suddenly, green eyes surveying my muscles, making my face grow slightly warm. "You might actually be able to throw a couple of good punches." He muttered, then cleared his throat. "But for now, I think we'll start with the basics."

He stood, then helped me up. When our hands became connected, I didn't want to let go.

"The first thing I think is the most obvious is how to punch. People think it's easy, but by thinking this, they may actually cause more harm to themselves." Eren began. He held his hand up, open and straight. "Close your four fingers, then rest your thumb where your fingers curl. You could hurt your thumb putting it over top of your fingers, and you'll most likely break it if you put it inside them." He demonstrated, then told me he was going to push my shoulder lightly with his fist to show how smooth the movement of your arm should be.

"Okay, now you do it to me." I did. "Good, now put a little more pressure into it and speed. Punch me, not too hard, in the chest." I let my fist smack square into his chest, making me realize it had the hardness of a rock. He smiled, not seeming fazed by my hit. "Good."

"Now, we're going to work on-" He was cut off by a yell.

"Jaeger!" At this, his eyes rolled so hard I thought they could have fallen out of his skull. He started rubbing his forehead while groaning as someone approached us. I recognized his long features

and horrid undercut.

"What, horseface?" Eren asked him as the kid stood facing him.

"Where the hell have you been? Ymir's been kicking my ass since you haven't been here!" I recalled his name was Jean as he continued to bitch.

"I have an apprenticeship, remember? A little more important than boxing." He crossed his arms. and narrowed his eyes. "Plus, you need the practice. Mikasa doesn't like flabby guys."

A dangerous aura entered the room as Jean stepped closer to Eren, their noses almost touching.

"I think you owe me a match, Titan." He breathed in Eren's face. This guy seemed so much more annoying than he was described as. Now, I understood why Eren punched him before. Eren shoved Jean away.

"And I think you need a breath mint." He scoffed. "And I can't. I'm busy here. Now, gallop away little horsey." Jean turned to look at me, to which I raised an eyebrow to.

"You're Levi Rivaille." He said, his voice showing some type of wonder.

"Yeah." I said simply. This guy seemed to know who I was. Jean preceded to glance back and forth between Eren and I, like he was missing something.

"Why're you here with this scrub?" Jean asked me, in a low voice. I've known this kid for about five minutes and I already want to hit him. What was his big issue with Eren in the first place?

"Why're you talking to me? Unless, you so kindly want a foot up your ass." I found my voice. Jean's eyebrows skyrocketed.

"Damn, you're rude." He breathed, shaking his head. "I guess I see how you and Jaeger get along." I didn't understand what he meant. Eren was completely different from me. He was kind, most of the time. Me, being the opposite, scared people with my shit attitude. "Anyway, did he tell you? He's a damn good fighter. Ymir treats him like crap, but that's only because he's her favorite and everyone knows it." Jean went on. "He's always been at least a decent fighter, unless outnumbered…" Horseface glanced behind his shoulder, a brooding Eren staring into his soul. There was something about the way he said "outnumbered". How long did Eren say he's known him? High school? I feel like he was talking about how he had been bullied and harassed all his teenage life. "Oh, and he's so good apparently that Ymir wants him to go to-"

"Jean!" Eren snapped, stepping closer to the kid who wouldn't shut up. What was Jean going to say? Eren's eyes were alive with fire and had actually seemed to darken. His jaw was taught as his hands clenched at his sides, revealing usually hidden veins and muscles in his forearms. "Will you just shut the fuck up for once in your life?"

Jean made a face like he was thinking. "No. Fight me." He growled. The cold look on Eren's face seemed to have almost murderous intentions.

"I thought I heard yelling." A woman's voice said. What the hell? Now who was here? How many people does Eren know at this gym? "I knew you would be the source behind it, Titan." She walked into the room with bandaged hands on her hips. Her eyes were bored and uncaring as they swiped over Eren's stiff form. Her skin was like his in a way, dark. But she had freckles all over her cheeks while her brown hair was pulled into a ponytail. In all honesty, she looked like one of the most badass girls I've ever seen.

"Ymir." Eren greeted with a short nod. So, this was Ymir? Who was she? It seemed she was maybe the owner of this place. The woman walked up to Eren. The two had a heavy staredown before Ymir pulled her fist back to punch him. I closed my eyes and flinched, but didn't hear the sound of skin being smacked. Opening my eyes, I saw Eren had his hand around her fist, stopping it just before it hit his nose. "Nice reflexes, as ever." There was praise in her eyes, but Eren's were still heavy.

She backed away slightly and crossed her toned arms over her green tank top. "What's the problem here, Seabiscuit?" Her head tilted towards Jean. His face grew slightly red at the name she called him. "I want to have a match with Jaeger here but he's a stubborn, little bit-" Eren broke off his tantrum.

"Fine!" He relented, then looked at me with apologetic eyes. I understood the things pride makes you do sometimes. He went to his duffle bag and began pulling out gear, when Jean snatched them from his hands.

"Bare knuckle." He simply said.

Eren's eyes went wide. "Jean, you're fucking insane."

"Did I hear bare knuckle over here?" Ymir poked her head in.

"Yeah, it's the sound of horseface committing suicide." Eren replied, throwing his hands up in frustration. I shook my head at Eren. He really was stubborn, wasn't he?

"You know that bare knuckle is… well, not illegal, but…" Ymir struggled for words. "It's a grey area in the face of the law."

The kid who apparently just wanted to beat the shit out of Eren, laughed. "What? Are the police going to break down the door because there's some fighting? At a boxing gym?" He threw his arms up and rolled his eyes. "Who woulda thought?"

Eren stepped in after careful consideration. "Okay, fine. I'll do it, as long as you're okay with your face on the bottom of that ring because I'm not holding back. You've pissed me off enough today." Eren slammed his bag down and bypassed everyone crowding around him and came my way. His hand grabbed my wrist, not too tightly and pulled me with him to leave the room. I followed with ease, mostly because I was happy at the skin contact. Eren hardly ever initiated any touching, so it was a good day when he did.

He brought me to some locker room where he began to stressfully pull at his hair.

"I fucking hate, Jean." He muttered.

"Eren, that wasn't a smart thing to do." I told him, considering his issue with pain. "He's gonna mess up your pretty face. What about your condition? Won't it hurt really bad?" I told him, coming close to him and placing my hand on his strong featured cheek. He smiled a little while his eyes fluttered closed and nuzzled into my hand a little. My god, he was cute. When his eyes opened, they held determination. I allowed my hand to slip from his face.

"They don't know about that." My eyes widened. "I don't want to tell them because then they won't let me box anymore."

"Eren." I chided. How the hell could he not have told them? Wouldn't they notice if he was in pain more than he should be? Does he just hold it in?

"Don't worry. I'll win, and hopefully with minimal damage." He sighed, letting his eyes trail over my face. Suddenly, he shot out and placed a feathery kiss on my cheek. My skin warmed instantly. When he pulled away, he looked kind of flushed as well. When he noticed my questioning glance, he explained. "For good luck." He shrugged.

My eyebrow cocked and a smirk became present on my face. "Well, if that's the case…" I cupped Eren's face and pulled him down to kiss me for real. He didn't back away or deny me, so I advanced. Our lips met, his being so soft and comforting I didn't want to let him go.

When we separated, I mumbled something near his mouth.

"Please, be careful." I felt him hum in agreement, so I let him go to do his thing. I followed him back towards the ring. People gathered around it, Jean already being in his corner. Eren took off his shirt and climbed into the ring. This was no time for me to admire his godlike body, but I couldn't help it when I was already so attracted to him. Jean wore a tight tank top and no gear to protect himself.

"Ready to be embarrassed in front of your teacher, Jaeger?" This kid trash talked. Eren stretched his arms out and cracked his knuckles. His eyes found mine and I simply nodded. A small smile reached his face which didn't seem right for what was going to ensue. A boy with short, black hair and looked far too kind for this type of hobby got into the ring. He glanced nervously between the two boys who were hellbent on fighting bare knuckled. He shook his head and began to announce them.

"In this corner!" He yelled to the crowd of fellow exercisers and boxers. "We have a two time heavyweight champion, Eren Jaeger, also known as the Titan!" People cheered, and I couldn't help but feel amazed. I didn't know that Eren was so into this boxing thing. He rarely talks about it. It seems these people have a lot of faith in him. And he was more popular among this community than I thought. "And in this corner we have Jean Kirstein, the Stallion!" I saw Eren roll his eyes at Jean's name, which was quite understandable. I heard this kid talking to them, trying to minimize the injuries. "Okay, guys. Please don't go overboard. No playing dirty. That means you, Jean." The kid pointed his finger to the horsefaces chest. Jean waved him off.

"Alright, Marco, let's just get this over with." I heard Eren complain. Marco sighed and waved them to start. Their hands went up in position as the crowd started yelling who they wanted to win. Eren's name was quite popular, but Jean's could be heard as well. They danced around in a circle in the middle of the ring. Jean threw the first punch, but Eren moved his head just in time. Eren retaliated suddenly with a blow to his opponent's jaw. He stumbled back a little, but didn't break fighting stance. It went on, the two dodging each other's punches.

"They're pretty stupid, right?" Someone said. I looked over to see Annie watching the match with her hands planted on her hips.

"You could say that." I did think bare knuckling was idiotic. I'll bet I'm going to be the one to clean Eren up when he's all bloody and bruised.

"How long have you known Eren?" She asked.

I shrugged. "A few months. Why?"

Annie shook her head. "It's almost like he has a bunch of different personalities, huh?" So, I wasn't the only one who noticed?

I nodded. "Sometimes he's unbelievably nice, the next he's a sarcastic brat." I covered my mouth with my hand as Jean landed a hit to Eren's nose, blood beginning to dribble from it. The brunette hissed. I tried not to think about how painful that was for him.

"It almost gives me whiplash…" She commented. When I looked back at her, she was already looking at me. "You care about him?" I hesitated at the question for a few seconds.

"Yes." I answered truthfully.

"Must be hard for you to see him get hurt and not able to do anything about it." She was damn right. "It also sucks that you were unfortunate enough to fall for someone like him." At this, I turned away from her so she couldn't see the glare.

"What do you mean 'someone like him'?" I asked in an almost growling tone.

"Eren's cold. He doesn't let anyone in and if he does, it doesn't last long. His heart's an empty void he refuses to fill. So, he goes around hurting people without even knowing it." Annie sighed as though she was speaking from experience. "We're a lot alike in that sense."

Eren clipped Jean a couple more times in the face, one of his eyes starting to swell. Jean got a few good ones in. From what I could tell, Eren had swelling on his cheekbone, a split lip, bruising nose, and maybe a split eyebrow. Both looked sweaty and exhausted. They'd gone all out within the first round, making them not able to continue very well. Eren swooped in and gave an amazing uppercut. Jean fell back and laid on the floor while Eren breathed heavily. A bell rang, signalling the match's end. I was anxious to get to my favorite brat as he dropped to his knees in the middle of the floor. I pushed past everyone and slid into the area. I guess Annie followed me.

"Eren, look at me." I told him, kneeling in front of him. Disoriented, his head wobbled to look up at me. I tried not to wince at how he looked. Blood dried and bruises started to color his once perfect face. I placed my hand on his slick, bare shoulder. "Damnit, I knew this was a bad idea."

Annie helped me get him to the locker room when we let him sit on a bench. I made him lean against a locker so I could keep him up. I turned to the blond who simply stared at him without a stitch of emotion. Yep, just like Erwin.

"Ice?" I asked her. She nodded and left.

"So?" Eren said, his voice rusty sounding. "What'd you think? Pretty badass right?"

I shook my head. "It was idiotic. Look at you!"

He coughed on a chuckle. "But totally worth it. I got to beat the shit out of horseface." He turned serious a couple seconds later. "I'm sorry. I didn't honestly expect this to happen. We were supposed to have fun and bond, but here you are helping me clean up my bloody face." Eren seemed to feel truly bad about it.

"It's okay. Disappointing, maybe, but at least I got to see a different side of you. There's so much about you I don't know and I want to understand you better." Not only was he cute and talented, he was strong and badass. Honestly, I don't know what else I could ask for. Eren smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry." He said suddenly. "Im such a handful." He muttered as he began to lean forward.

"Woah, wait what're you doing? Aren't you supposed to lean back for a bloody nose?" I asked, placing my hands on his still naked shoulders.

"No, that's just a way for the blood to not get everywhere. If you do that, the blood will go down your throat and irritate your stomach." He replied with, pinching the bridge of his nose. "If Annie could hurry up…" A guttural groan belted from his mouth as he placed a hand on the bench, looking for stability.

"You're in a lot of pain." I muttered, just staring at the mess before me. He glanced up at me from the side, then shrugged his shoulders. "How does that pain tolerance thing work anyways?" I asked, simply curious as to what he goes through.

"Apparently, every moment of pain is multiplied by 10 for me. It sucks, but I know nothing else so it doesn't matter all that much." He grumbled. "The only thing I really, really hate about this is that I can't get tattoos."

I couldn't help but chuckle a little when he mentioned this. At first, I found it to be bullshit that he has no tattoos when he wants to be a tattoo artist. When he explained why, I still had doubts. But it was obvious he wasn't lying or making excuses.

Anni came in and handed me a first aid kit and an ice pack. I placed the ice against the space around his nose and made him hold it there. I proceeded to start cleaning his cuts and shit. His skin was slightly ashen and gave a cold vibe, but it was soft and smooth beneath my fingertips. Annie glanced between us a couple of times, rolling her eyes in the process. I hadn't forgotten about her talk with me about Eren's habits. I wanted to forget what she said about him, but it wasn't that easy. If I wanted to get this thing with him to work out, and an annoyingly bland voice telling me he's basically a heartless robot wasn't helping. It seemed Annie wasn't too happy with the arrangement between Eren and I. I wanted to know more, but I knew Annie wouldn't tell me shit. Eren seemed like a better bet.

"How's Jean?" Eren asked the blonde when he was able. She smirked.

"Unconscious." She answered. Eren flinched when I gripped his chin suddenly to continue cleaning any open fissures in his skin. Immediately, I gave him space. He shook his head, seemingly at himself, then allowed me to reach for his chin once more.

"Should I feel bad?" He asked quietly. It struck me as odd, this question. I wanted to say that Jean deserved it, but I couldn't help but feel he may lack empathy.

"I wouldn't." Annie replied "Plus, he's absolutely insane and stupid. He never wins in actual matches with you, what makes him think a bare knuckle would be any better?" She shook her head and scoffed loudly. "You're just too strong, Titan." She sighed sarcastically.

"I'm average." Eren corrected. "I don't know why everyone insists that I'm some hurricane with a hit list." He stood, and started nervously pacing. I leaned my hands on my knees. Annie laughed loudly, catching both of our attentions.

"That can't be true. I'm great at fighting, and you keep me on my toes. No one around here wins against me, but you're the only one I know I have competition with. So, you have to be at least a little good, right?" Annie walked up to him, making unbroken eye contact. There seemed to be some kind of silent telepathy going on between them, making me feel like they had some secret I didn't know about. Who were they to each other that Annie spoke so familiarly of Eren? "Let's meet up for drinks tonight." She dropped the bomb that made my hands tighten into balls on my lap. That's it. I knew it. They have something together.

"Annie…" He began, wiping a hand over his opposing arm, breaking heavy eye contact.

"As friends." She tried again, trying to salvage his answer. When he looked back up at me, I made sure I didn't make any sudden movements or indicated I was paying attention.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Right. I'm not surprised. I should be able to predict like a fucking psychic how these conversations go." She backed up, emotional hurt forming her sloppy and pissed off movements. She exited the room quickly without sparing me a simple glance.

"That didn't seem fair." I said into the quiet and awkward room. Eren jeered.

"Anything she does is unfair." He argued. "I was beginning to forget why I stopped coming here. Thank fucking God I remembered." The brunette pulled his hair up. "I need a shower." I shook my head at his complaining. I supposed that was his cue for us to leave.

The brat went upstairs, so I followed. He cleaned up his gear and grabbed his bag. He pulled out a different shirt from his back and threw it on, being careful of his face. The Ymir woman called out to him as he began walking through the gym.

"Titan. When will you be back?" She asked. Eren stopped, turned around and shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe when the people here grow up." He grumbled, completely and utterly irritated. I wasn't exactly sure what caused his attitude, but I didn't know how long I'd be able to ignore it without saying something.

Ymir didn't try defending her gym or the people in it. She just stared at him as he started for the door again. I followed silently, hoping he'd calm down soon.

Through the quiet drive, Eren realized he didn't have his apartment key. According to him, his sister was working a late shift and wouldn't be home. It was then, I offered for him to stay with me.

"You can use my shower, I'll make dinner and we can watch television series. What do you say? It's a hard thing to turn down." I said with a small smile. He hadn't said a word the entire time except when he broke about his forgotten keys. He thought for a moment, but not before smirking.

"Okay. Fine. Let's have a…." He stopped, his cheeks getting slightly red. "A date night." He finished. At that moment, I didn't give a single fuck as to what past he had with Annie. All I could think about was that he just called this a date night. The possibility that he's had a date night with Annie didn't enter my mind. I didn't care what kind of past he had, because I want to be his future. Hopefully, I don't fuck this up.