One year later

Eren had just started up at his new job as a carpenter, working for a small company with only a few other employees. It had been hard work and he was exhausted, but it felt good.

He had seen a psychologist once every week for a year now, after he decided to drop out of the university. The psychologist had made him talk about his past and work hard to learn to trust people and help him find himself. He felt more confident now, and felt like he had managed to be himself in front of his new co-workers at the carpenter-firm.

He was sweaty from the day's work, and his work-jacket hanging loosely around his shoulder, as he waited for the bus. The chilly fall-breeze cooled him down, and all in all, he felt pretty good.

Of course he had felt nervous about his new job, especially since he had never really had such a physically demanding job before. His boss had welcomed him openly and introduced him to his co-workers before sending him out to work with a more experienced carpenter. They had chatted and eaten lunch together, and Eren had been honest, but made sure not to get too personal. Just like his psychologist had told him.

By the end of work, his new colleague had offered him to drop him off somewhere on his way home, and now Eren was waiting for the bus, only a few stops from his apartment.

As the bus finally arrived, his phone rang, and he picked up.

"Hello?" the brunette said and showed the driver his ticket.

"Eren, it's Mikasa," his friend said in the other end of the line. Eren smiled by the sound of her voice. "I just wanted to hear how you first day at work was?"

"I can't believe you remembered," Eren smiled, and got down on an empty seat, "It was good, I think I'm gonna like it there."

"Wasn't it hard?"

"Yeah, the work was hard. I haven't really been doing anything for a year now, so I think any job would be hard, but it feels good, actually."

"I'm so glad to hear that," Mikasa said with a smile in her voice, "I really hope this is gonna work out for you."

"I have a good feeling about it," Eren said, looking out the window to see when it was his stop, "Let's hang out soon."

"I'd love that!" she almost screamed, and Eren had to pull the phone away to save his ear, "I miss you so much, you won't believe it. I know the others miss you too."

"Let's go out Friday or Saturday then," Eren offered.

"Yeah, that sounds good. I'll talk to the others and then I'll text you on the details. How does that sound?"

"Perfect," Eren smiled, looking forward to see his friends again. It hadn't been that long since the last time they got together, but he really missed them. The past year had made his mood go up and down a lot, and there had been periods where he hadn't had the energy to see them. But this felt like a new beginning, and he hoped things would actually start working out for him now.

"Eren," Mikasa said after a few seconds of silence, "I'm really happy you like your new job."

"Thank you," Eren smiled, and pushed the stop-button, "Say hi to Jean from me."

"He's not home yet, but I'll make sure to tell him how your first day was."

"Thanks, bye," Eren said and hung up, just as he got off the bus. He had cooled down a bit while sitting in the bus, and he zipped his jacket and pulled up the collar, while heading for his apartment. It took him a couple of minutes to reach the building, and he opened the door to the hallway, and began climbing the stairs.

As he reached the second floor and unlocked the front-door, he could hear the scratching sounds of an old Aerosmith-record, and he kicked off his shoes and dumped his jacket on the floor, to run to the living-room.

"You're home early," he beamed, as he saw Levi, who was standing in the corner of the room, painting on a large canvas. Eren wrapped his arm around him from behind, almost making the raven-haired drop his paint-brush and cough as all the air knocked out of him.

"Y-yeah," Levi said, trying to loosen Eren's grip on him, "Welcome home."

"Thank you," Eren whispered against his ear and let go of his boyfriend. Levi put down the paint-brush and turned around to take a look at the brunette.

"How was your day?" the raven-haired asked as he wrapped his equipment in plastic and hung the apron, he always wore while painting, on a chair by the easel.

"It was good, actually," Eren said and scratched his neck, trying to remember everything that had happened that day.

"Tell me what happened," Levi smiled with a tired expression on his face.

"Are you okay?" Eren asked and grabbed Levi's wrist as the latter turned to walk to the kitchen.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Levi answered, but when he saw Eren's worried face, he added; "I've just been thinking about you a lot today. I really hoped you first day at your new job, would be good."

"You've been worrying about me?"

"Of course," Levi stated, and locked eyes with the brunette, "Now tell me about your day. I'll go make us some coffee while you talk."

Eren followed his boyfriend to the kitchen, where Levi made coffee while chewing on a piece of toast. Eren told him about how he had trouble finding the right place, but managed to find the office just in time, how his new boss had showed him around and told him to come to him, should he run into trouble of any kind. He told Levi about his co-workers and the job he had been sent out to help finish. Levi listened without saying much, while pouring the coffee into two mugs and handing one over to Eren while placing himself on the counter, as Eren told his tale.

"I'm very happy for you," Levi smiled, as Eren finished off by telling him about Mikasa's phone-call.

"Thank you," Eren smiled and took a sip of his coffee, "What about you, how was your day?"

"Same old. Erwin and Erd asked me to join them at the work-shop after our last lecture, but I told them I wanted to be home when you got back. Hanji dropped by and told me to make sure you called her to tell about your day."

"That can wait, can't it?" Eren smiled and placed the mug on the counter, as he leaned in to kiss his boyfriend. "I don't think you greeted me properly when I got home."

Levi nibbled on his lower lip and smirked as he said; "I said welcome home, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but I didn't get a kiss."

"Maybe I just got a bit distracted by your ass in those pants," Levi purred and pulled Eren closer, letting his lips ghost over Eren's.

"You're one to talk," Eren huffed and pressed his lips against his boyfriends.

Happy to see his boyfriend back on his feet, Levi parted his lips and let the brunette play with his tongue-piercing, making Eren sigh deeply. Levi wrapped his legs around Eren and pulled him closer, burying his hands in the back-pockets of his work-pants and squeeze his ass. Eren hummed and leaned in closer, deepening the kiss. Levi pulled a few inches back, and locked eyes with Eren, who tried to capture his lips once again. The raven-haired leaned further back to keep Eren from closing the gab, sending him a teasing look. Eren leaned in, placing his hand on the counter for support.

"Do you remember last year, when we-" Levi started, before the sound of pottery hitting the counter, cut him off, "Holy fucking shit, that's hot!" he yelled and pushed Eren away to get on his feet.

Eren had knocked over his coffee, soaking Levi's pants in the hot liquid. Knowing what Levi was about to ask him, and remembering something similar happening, Eren laughed as Levi removed his pants fast, and sent him a death-glare.

"I'm sorry," Eren said between his laughs, trying to catch his furious boyfriend who looked at the coffee-stained pants in his hands.

"I don't think you are," Levi huffed and slammed the wet pants against his boyfriend's chest, ordering him to clean up after himself.

"I am," Eren said, trying to suppress his laughter.

"If you really are, then get on your knees and make it up to me," Levi said, and grabbed a fist-full of brown locks, forcing Eren's head back, and trailing kisses and gentle bites all over the sensitive skin.

"I have a better idea," Eren said and grabbed Levi's wrist, asking him to let go of his hair. Levi looked at him curiously. "How about we go grab early dinner at that café where we had our first date, and then when we get back, I'll make it up to you in any way you want?"

"Sounds fair," Levi smirked, and pulled Eren's face closer to his own, "Your treat?"

"Of course!"

"Fine then," Levi smirked and kissed his boyfriend again before going to the bedroom to find a clean pair of pants. Eren tagged along to get out of his work-clothes, after cleaning up the spilled coffee on the counter. Levi's order.

After changing clothes - and Levi teasing Eren a bit - they pulled on their shoes and jackets, and Eren grabbed Levi's hand, just as he opened the front-door. The sight that meat him on the other side of the door, made him let go of the warm hand just as fast as he had grabbed it.

"D-dad?" Eren stuttered, as he finally managed to get words past his lips, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to check up on you," the man on the other side of the door answered, "I came back from a business-trip weeks ago, and you didn't reply to my texts or answer my calls."

Eren suddenly remembered getting a new phone and a new cell-phone-number after dropping out of the university, and now that he thought about it, he never sent his father his new number.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to let you know that I changed my number," Eren mumbled, feeling his stomach turn from his fathers firm look.

"You should be, I was worried about you! When I couldn't get a hold of you, I called your mother to hear if she had heard from you recently, and she told me you've dropped out from the university," Eren's father said, taking a step closer to his son.

"Eren," Levi then said, as he could see the cold sweat on the nape of his neck, grabbing his shoulder to comfort him.

"Who are you?" the man asked, as he looked at Levi.

"That's my... friend," Eren said. As soon as the word had left his lips, he felt his stomach tighten and he looked down, hiding his face behind his bangs.

"Levi," his boyfriend said, and reached out to shake the older man's hand.

"Pleasure," he said and let go of the raven-haired's hand, "Do you mind if I talk to my son alone for a moment?"

"Be my guest," Levi huffed, trying to hide his displeasure with the other man. He went back into the living-room and turned on the TV.

"If you're expecting me to just pay for your apartment and give you money everytime you need it, I suggest you stop ignoring me like that, Eren."

"You're never here anyway," Eren mumbled, still hiding behind his bangs. After a year in in therapy, he wasn't going to let his father push him right back to where he started. He was thankful Levi hadn't said anything when he introduced him as a friend, but this was not how he wanted it to be. He didn't want to be afraid of what his father thought of him. He didn't want to hide who he was, or who he was with, just because this man - who barely had been there through his childhood - suddenly came knocking on his door, scolding him for not contacting him.

"I've been home for weeks now, Eren," his father said.

"I don't care," Eren hissed, and looked up at the older man with determination in his eyes, "You don't have the right to come here and scold me out of nowhere. You don't know what I've been through, 'cause you were never there for me! I left the university because I got anxiety-attacks - you know why? Because I've never learned that it's okay to be who I am. I was bullied through my entire childhood, and mom did everything she could to make it stop and help me, but it just wasn't enough. And you never noticed how bad it was, 'cause you were never there. So yeah, I dropped out and now I'm working as a carpenter, and I'm happy! And Levi is my boyfriend, not my friend. We've been dating for a year now, and he lives here with me."

Eren's father sent him a puzzled look, taking in everything his son had just said. Levi reappeared from the living-room, as he heard Eren yell. He walked up to his boyfriend, and stoke his back to calm him down again, while he had trouble hiding the smirk that had been stuck on his face ever since he heard Eren call him his boyfriend.

"Y-your mother never told me that," the older man finally said, scratching his neck.

"Of course she didn't. She wanted us to have a good time whenever you were back home, and after you got divorced, she had to take care of me alone. You..." Eren paused and looked down again, "You never asked."

"I, ehh... I didn't know it was that bad," Eren's father said after a few moments silence, "You always seemed so happy when I came to visit you."

"Well, I wasn't," Eren bit and grabbed Levi's hand again to feel the calming caress of his boyfriend's thumb against his wrist.

"Eren," Levi mumbled to the brunette, while both him and his father was staring at the floor, obviously both lost for words, "Why don't we postpone that dinner? I'll go make us some coffee and you show your father to the living-room."

Eren nodded slightly and stepped aside to let his father inside. He knew this wouldn't be fun or easy at all, but Levi was right; he had to talk this out with his father and make him understand who he was and why.

"So... that's your boyfriend?" the older man asked, as he and Eren settled on the couch, while Levi had gone to the kitchen.

"Yeah," Eren mumbled, still not looking at his father.

"I didn't know you were - I mean - your mother didn't tell me that..."

"Well, I am," Eren said firmly, "Maybe she just didn't want to tell you a whole lot about me, if you didn't bother to talk to me yourself."

"Eren, I'm really sorry about all this. I really didn't know it was that bad. I thought your mother would tell me if you had any trouble, since I couldn't be there myself. But she's always been very independent - I should have asked, I see that now."

"She paid for my therapy, you know," Eren said, "I don't know where I'd be now if it wasn't for her and Levi. I hope you don't expect to just jump right back into my life, just because you're back home for now. I know you own this apartment, but I can find another place to live."

"No, don't be like that," his father said, just as Levi came back into the living-room with a tray in his hands, filled with coffee and three mugs. He placed the tray on the coffee-table.

"Can I say something?" Levi asked and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Eren and his father looked up at him, and when no one answered, Levi continued; "I think it's a shame you haven't been a part of Eren's life before, but I'll tell you this; Eren has been through way too much in the short amount of time I've known him, and he has finally managed to get back on his feet. I won't let you come here and knock him right back to where he was a year ago, where all he thought about was what other people thought of him. If you're not ready to accept him as he is, you can leave now."

Eren looked from Levi to his father, not really sure how to feel about Levi's speech. He had gotten used to Levi always speaking his mind by now, and of course he was right. He had said exactly what Eren wanted to say, but due to his unsolved feelings towards his father, he couldn't express himself as clearly as Levi could.

"Is that how it is?" the older man asked, and looked at his son.

"Y-yeah," Eren answered, "It would have been nice if you'd been there through my childhood, but I don't necessarily need you now. My psychologist told me not to hang around people who won't accept me as I am, due to my issues. But if you can accept me, I might let you in." Eren looked back up at his father, locking eyes with him. "Slowly," he added.

"I don't want to lose my only son," the older man said honestly, "I'll do my best to be a good father. Please just tell me if I do anything wrong."

"I will," Eren said lowly.

"And so will I!" Levi added, still looking at the older man stubbornly.

"Thank you," Eren's father said, and offered Levi a kind smile, "I'm glad to see Eren has someone to take care of him."

Levi poured the coffee into the mugs and handed one over to Eren's father before grabbing his own and Eren's, and placing himself on the arm-rest behind Eren, handing him his mug.

"D-do you want to tell me about what happened at the university, since you had to stop?" the older man asked nervously, trying to ignore Levi's hard glare.

Eren told his father about what had happened at the university ever since his first day there. It felt awkward to talk about, but Levi's comforting hand on his shoulder, made it a bit easier for him. He told about his friends back at the university, how they had found him back in his home-town after his first anxiety-attack and how they had convinced him to go back. He told him about his second attack, and how he had decided to drop out as he realized he wouldn't be able to handle the many questions and strange looks. The older man looked worried, as Eren told him how he had felt completely hopeless, and Levi had offered to stay at his place until he got back on his feet, and how his mother had insisted on him going to a psychologist. She had insisted on paying, and help Eren out with his bills, and Levi had made sure his boyfriend never had to stress over food or money. A couple of months had gone by, when Eren finally began to feel a bit better. His old friends from the university came by everytime they had the time, to check on him and make sure he knew they were still there for him. Eren had talked to his mother about getting back to school, but she told him she wasn't sure if university was the right place for him right now. He decided to try out something different and went to a student counsellor to seek help.

By then, Levi had though about moving back to the dorm, where he still had all his furniture and paintings, but Eren had asked him to stay - and move in permanently.

Levi kept a firm look on Eren's father, everytime he mentioned them being in a relationship, just to make sure the older man wouldn't say anything about his son being gay. The older man tried to ignore the death-glare, as Eren continued telling about how his psychologist had mentioned a more physically demanding job, to help him get over his anxiety. She had told him, that physically hard work often helped out on psychological difficulties, and then he began looking for a job as a craftsman.

"And you're happy about your new job?" the older man asked, when Eren told him that he had almost just gotten back from his first day at the new job.

"Yeah, I think it's a good place," Eren answered.

"Will you let me know if you need anything? I can help you find another job if this doesn't work out. And if you need money-"

"No, it's okay," Eren cut him off, "I don't need that, we'll manage."

"I'm not trying to buy you, kiddo," his father said, placing a warm hand on Eren's thigh, "I just want you to know that you can always call me if you need anything. I'm sorry I haven't been there for you sooner, but it won't happen again."

"Thank you," Eren said, and Levi finally offered his father in law a smile.

"I should get going. You were about to go out when I came here, weren't you? Let's do this again soon, 'kay?" Eren's father said with a smile, and patted his son's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'd like that," Eren smiled, and got up to show his father to the door.

"It was nice to meet you, Levi," the older man added before pulling on his jacket and hug his son.

"Likewise," Levi said and wrapped his arm around Eren as they said goodbye to the older man and closed the door.

Eren sighed and leaned his head against Levi's. "You still wanna go out?"

"No, let's stay here. You seem tired," Levi answered and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend.

"Kinda. It's been a long day. And weird!" Eren sighed and leaned into the hug.

"I'm proud of you, Eren," Levi whispered against his ear.

"What do you mean?" Eren asked and turned his head to look at the raven-haired.

"You managed to overcome your fear of what your father would think of you, all by yourself."

"No, you were there too," Eren said and pulled back to drag Levi back into the living-room.

"Nope, I was in here when you told him about your past and me," Levi smiled, and dumped down on the couch next to the brunette.

"Oh... You're right," Eren said as he thought back at the conversation at the front-door. He felt tired but happy, knowing that he had actually managed to stand up for himself. He still felt like he couldn't have done it without Levi, but it was true - he had been alone with his father when he had told him the truth. And it seemed like his father had realized what had happened during Eren's childhood, and was willing to build a better relationship between them. It really was a good day.

Levi leaned in and kissed the brunette gently, but as soon as Eren parted his lips, the kiss turned rougher. Levi dragged his fingers through Eren's hair and Eren responded by wrapping his arm around Levi's waist.

"So, you still want me to make up for what I did in the kitchen earlier?" Eren whispered against his boyfriends lips and let his tongue out to play with Levi's.

"No, I think it's my turn to do something for you," Levi purred and climbed onto Eren's lap, cupping his face, and kissing him deeply.

"What are you gonna do?" Eren asked and pulled Levi closer.

"I'm gonna tell you something," Levi whispered and locked eyes with his boyfriend, "I love you, Eren."

Eren looked into Levi's steel-grey eyes, letting the words settle in his head and feeling the butterflies in his stomach.

"I love you too," he said and pulled Levi into a tight hug. They sat there, wrapped in each others arms for a long time, without saying anything. They just enjoyed each other's presence, feeling lucky to be able to share something as beautiful as love.

A/N: It breaks my heart to say that this is the last chapter. I was actually crying while writing the last few lines and I don't know what to do now.

Once again, I want to thank you for following this story and for all the reviews. I'm so happy an honoured that this fanfic has actually helped some of you, and I thank you for telling me that. You guys have definitely been the greatest motivation for me, and I'll try not to make this sound like a speech for an Oscar. I just really want to tell you how much it means to me, that you've taken the time to read this, review this and let this affect you.

I hope the last chapter wrapped it all up nicely, 'cause I really had my doubts about it. Thank you again for reading, and I'm really gonna miss your sweet words.

I'm currently working on another project, La Maison des Chats, a Moulin Rouge inspired story with Levi playing the mainpart as a British painter in Paris in 1900, and Eren working as a prostitute. Go check it out if you want to (: Personally, I think it's got a great plot.

See you next Titan time!