Merry Christmas sluts and Happy Birthday Levi! I'm not all that thrilled, I had certain things I wanted to add to this and scenes I wanted to include but didn't have enough time today since my family held the Christmas party this year. There is no smut, but I hadn't really planned on putting any in any way and it seems dry to me but maybe that's just cuz I hate everything I do lol.

Fun fact: Dyes were hard to come by. Most likely the price range of woolen clothes from cheapest to most expensive was something like dark-white–faded–vibrant. So colors like red and yellow were very expensive.

"Tch. He's been asleep for far too long." Levi grumbled, unable to hide the worry in his eyes from Erwin. The leshy's sharp eyes missed nothing, remembering how frantically Levi had called for him about an injured boy. They stood in Levi's home, the round room filled with the light of the fire flickering in the middle. It was a neat spot, and Erwin quite enjoyed the creativity the witch had. Rather than cutting down trees and wasting them on a hollow structure sure to be knocked down by Odin himself in the midst of his wild hunt, he built himself an underground cave network. The walls were covered in daub to insulate and protect from corrosion. The witch probably had a few charms to protect from flooding, and was able to dig out a new room should he run out of space.

The boy in question currently laid in Levi's bed, absolutely smothered in blankets that the raven-haired man kept fixing and adjusting every few minutes or so. He has been out for nearly 12 hours now, each hour bringing Levi more dread as the night continued on. Erwin figured the witch would continue with his celebrations, he had many rituals he had planned on performing and so far the witch seemed more interested in watching over the sleeping boy. Perhaps this is the answer we've been wanting? Jumi does her work in mysterious ways… is this the cure for Levi's loneliness? A small smile graced his lips, and he decided not to interfere with the boy and his friend.

"He was probably exhausted, give his body time to heal. I'll ask Krista to gather some herbs for him when he awakens." Erwin said pleasantly, already making his way to the door. Levi heaved a harsh sigh and nodded, but did not move from his spot next to the boy.

"He probably was… I'll see you later." After Erwin wished him goodbye he began preparing the boar he had cooked. Levi was so confused when Hange suddenly came into his house, screeching on about someone in danger and hunters. He didn't know what to expect, but a wolf that could turn into a human was definitely not it. Humans must've found out and chased him out of the village. Tch. Bitch ass mother fucking humans… Levi was moving the boar from the fire to a plate when he heard the boy groan. He quickly whipped around, surprised to see bleary emerald eyes staring at him. Eren sat up slowly, feeling the dull pain in his shoulder fade as he did and stared at the man in front of him.

Black, straight hair that stopped just past his silver eyes. Angular features except for his smaller nose meant he looked rather handsome. He was wearing a white wool shirt with dark blue on the collar that was unbuttoned and on the hems that nearly reached down to his knees. The sleeves were straight and attached to the trunk with square panels, widening the entrance of the sleeve. The black trousers have a panel structure, with large pieces in the front and the back, to which the legs are attached. He also wore simple brown leather shoes that wrapped all the way up to his ankle and under his pants.

Speaking of pants… Eren could distinctly feel his lack of pants, and shirt, and basically all clothing. His cheeks heated up, looking at the handsome stranger with unknown intentions. Eren remembered then what exactly happened last night, from Yule to the hunters and finally to a large bear.

"So you're finally awake. About damn time." Levi murmured, starting to fix a plate for the wolf brat. He had the roasted boar with herbs and a side of mushrooms he sauteed as well that he placed delicately on the wooden slab. He sprinkled a couple of different plant-based powders that would help ward off infection to his injured shoulder as well as help with the pain.

"Am I… alive?" Eren asked quietly, looking at the warm blankets sprawled about his lap and back up at the man. Levi finally blinked, realizing he had been lost in his thoughts before putting down the plate he was holding.

"You are. I'm glad I got there in time." He said honestly, studying the boy for the millionth time since he brought him here. Tousled brown hair and tanned skin, the body of a young man with a bit of muscle on his thin form. He clearly didn't eat much, so he assumed he didn't have much money or a high social class. The witch picked up the plate and brought it over to his new house guest, placing it gently in his lap along with a fork and knife made of wood. Eren looked bewildered, constantly glancing from Levi then back to the plate, even as Levi walked away to sit down and watch him from afar. After a few minutes of just staring, Levi clicked his tongue and turned around.

"Are you gonna eat or not?" He grumbled, Eren snapping out of his confusion to start shoveling the food into his mouth. He hadn't been able to eat at the festival since he had shifted as they were cutting the meat. His stomach growled out its pleasure, small hums of pleasure leaving him as he chowed down, much to Levi's secret amusement.

Once Eren was finished, he gently placed the plate beside the bed and looked at the mysterious man. "Umm… thank you. It was delicious. W-who are you?" He asked, trying to stand up but the pain in his shoulder made him flinch.

"Oi, lie down. You're in no position to move." He barked out, magically appearing at the boy's side to check his bandages. Eren did as told, even if he was confused as to why. After a few silent moments, Levi deemed the bandages intact and stared into emerald eyes instead. "What's your name kid?" He asked gruffly, watching the way he seemed to twitch under his gaze.

"I'm Eren… you?"

"Levi." Was all he said, the silence persisted once more, much to Eren's discomfort. Why won't he just kick me out already? "Were you running from the humans because they don't accept you? Or did you do something worthy of being chased?" Levi asked suddenly, silver eyes scarily bright. He wanted the truth, and his unwavering eyes were an assurance that he would get the truth. Eren's throat felt dry, his eyes wide as he stared into the moonlit eyes of his savior.

"I… I couldn't help it. I can't control it when the moon is out and I could smell the blood! Before I knew what was happening I shifted and there was shouting and I ran! I ran… all I ever do is run. I don't wanna run. But every time…" Eren drifted off, looking off to the side when he felt the tears threatening to fall. Stop being so weak dammit!

"Did you hurt any humans?" He asked, tone gentler and eyes less bright.

"No. That's the only thing I'm able to control." Eren murmured, wiping angrily at his cheeks as Levi stood and walked away. Eren thought that that was that, he would leave, and continue to run. Like I always did.

"You can stay here until you heal. But I expect you to help me with chores." Levi suddenly announced, the brunet looking up in confusion.

"But I'm a monster! Aren't you scared?"

"Why would I be scared of a pup like you? Now, we need to prepare for the Wild Hunt tonight so rest up."

~ No More Running ~

Days bled into weeks, and Eren couldn't be happier. He learned a lot about Levi since he started living with him. He found out he was, in fact, a witch, which made sense as to how he appeared as a bear on the fateful night he rescued him. He liked drinking these weird drinks with leaves. He claimed that no one else could make it because they only grew due to his magic. Eren wasn't fond of it but learned to brew it for Levi's sake. Levi, for the most part, didn't need to live with or depend on the humans living outside the forest. He did, however, make dyes and clothes to sell in the summer for some cash should he need or want something. Beautiful yellows, greens, oranges, and even the rare red dye were never out of Levi's reach.

Levi had attempted to teach Eren how to sew, but the amount of blood dyeing the clothes simply wasn't worth it. Eren thought it was cute how Levi chastised him so passionately about being reckless and an idiot, all while he gently treated each prick as if it were an open wound.

He had been worried at first that once he shifted, Levi would order him to leave. He had been so scared, only 3 days after he started living with Levi and he could feel the familiar ache in his muscles that he had grown to despise. He tried so hard to hold it back, but eventually couldn't anymore. Once he was fully shifted, he saw Levi looking at him with a strange look on his face. He must be disgusted. Eren thought dejectedly, ears down and tail tucked in between his legs. He must hate me now. I need to leave, to run and- "Come here." Levi called to him then. Eren perked up a bit but slowly made his way over, expecting the hits to rain down. Except, the hits were actually pats and ear scratches, and soon Eren was on the floor with his tail swinging wildly with a smirking witch scratching at his stomach. Thanks to Levi, Eren felt more secure about his changing forms and was even able to control when he wanted to shift.

Last month Eren had been worried that he would have to leave due to his wounds healing, but Levi never brought it up, never asked him to leave. One time three weeks before he went on a walk to think about stuff when the voice that had lead him away that night started yelling 'I found him, Levi!' and a dark blur rushed towards him, knocking the air out of his lungs with the sheer strength of it. He had been chastised for leaving without a note, and he couldn't help the warmth in his heart when he realized that Levi cared about him.

Over the last few months, their friendship deepened to something more. At first, when it got particularly cold, Levi would move close to him on their shared bed that he would be able to feel his breath on his shoulder. Their hands barely brushing under the elk hide blankets. As of late, Levi would rest his head on Eren's chest, claiming that the werewolf was really warm and he was cold. During the day when they did chores, Eren felt the odd need to stay near the witch, began craving those little touches when their knees bumped together or their arms touched. He needed to see the small smile at least once a day now, the small upturn enough to send flutters through his gut.

Even now as the sun melted all the snow and they ditched all the blankets, Eren still woke up with Levi's head on his chest. It had been innocent at first, the touches, the constant staring, the little things like finding his favorite berries on a plate next to the fire pit. It all warmed and filled him with a warm light he could only think of as love. So he told him, under the cool lights of the Aurora Borealis, he held Levi's hand outright and said those three words that changed their lives. It was perfect because Levi felt the same and Eren couldn't have been happier.

Even if the cheering of their friends could be heard for miles. Levi gave them a stern talking to, even though his face was stained red the whole time.

I wanted to do more. Idk I feel stumped. I don't like how I wrote this chapter specifically. Even if this is the last. Maybe I'll do a different kind of one-shot with this but I kinda wanna forget I wrote this XD If you liked this I'm glad if you don't, fucking same dude lol.

Fun Fact: People in Finland revered bears so much that they wouldn't ever say their names out loud, calling them pseudonyms like browed-one instead. They would also hold ceremonies should they have killed a bear to convince the bears' spirit that it wasn't murdered but died naturally.

Man: "Nah man we didn't stab you! You... uh... you fell onto a the spear... cuz you were bored...?"
Bear: "... Seems legit."