Right Back at You
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@ererievents For Ereri Fluff Weekend - Day 1 - Playful
I hope I did it some justice, this is the first time I’ve participated in an event and I’m pretty stoked to try my hand at these cute prompts. :) Enjoy!
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Eren wanted to bash his own head in.
The smell of bleach burned his nose as he rolled his eyes with a heavy sigh. He was enduring yet another one of Levi's 'cleaning days' which meant the two of them were going to be stuck inside the apartment for hours until Levi found the environment suitable enough for company. Eren gazed mournfully outside the large bay window, seeing the sun pouring through on this gorgeous, sunny day. His closest friends, Mikasa and Armin, were visiting from out of state the upcoming weekend. The instant he brought it up to Levi, he felt regret.
"It isn't my fault you're incapable of cleaning properly," Levi snarked, though not maliciously. He wore a pair of blue latex gloves, using the most expensive bleach his could purchase as he ducked beneath the cabinets in the kitchen. "Fuck, it's filthy down here."
"I sincerely doubt my friends are going to raid our cabinets," Eren quipped, handing Levi the rag he was holding in his hand as the raven reached out expectantly. Levi took it quickly, cleaning the edges of the plastic and wood. Eren watched with dull fascination, his ocean eyes traveling through the rest of the apartment. The two of them had been living there for a little over two and a half years. Eren had met Levi nearly four years ago when he was just a freshman in college, the man entering his life unexpectantly and with no time to prepare his heart. Levi was a professor visiting from a different campus with his associate, Erwin. He could remember the day clearly when his eyes met stunning steel ones from across the campus courtyard. Eren would never forget the jolt that shot straight through him like a bolt of lightning; igniting his heart and need to get closer to the enigma.
They were technically not crossing any lines with their relationship, although, Levi was reluctant and unapproachable in the beginning. But Eren was tenacious and hell-bent on getting what he wanted, especially when he knew Levi was just as struck as he was. Levi would conveniently continue to show up on campus and Eren would conveniently find ways to bump into the man. In the end, and with much persistence on Eren's end, they decided to try dating.
Eren knew he had always come off somewhat strong, so he wasn't surprised at Levi's resistance. But the raven couldn't deny that Eren's determination and desire to be around someone like himself was one of the many things that made him fall in love to begin with. It was like the brat found a way to crawl under his skin without even trying. After a year of staying on a steady course in their relationship, they had moved in together. Most of their loved ones were happy; Eren's parents openly accepting just as Levi's own mother was. They were both very fortunate to have such loving family while their friends were too busy rolling their eyes with their 'I told you so's'. Although it was certainly frowned upon for a college student to date a professor, they weren't breaking rules and Eren would be graduating at the end of the year anyhow. So they preserved and continued building a steady foundation.
But that did not mean Eren enjoyed this one bit.
He had grown used to Levi's need for cleanliness, really he had. But once they had moved in together, Levi issued once a week a day for cleaning and cleaning alone. Eren would groan each time that dreaded Thursday would come and want to hide.
But still, he loved Levi. More than his heart could probably take.
Zoned out in his thoughts, Eren missed when words were directed at him. "Huh? What'd you say?"
Levi's brows snapped together as he glared. "Are you paying attention at all right now?"
"Oh... ah, sorry. This just... God, Levi, is this really necessary? This place is already spotless!" he whined.
The older man rolled his eyes, using his forearm to wipe the small bit of sweat from his forehead. "It needs to get done. It's not the point if your friends are going to snoop around the place; it's the point of making it presentable. You're an adult, you should know that."
"But it's boring," Eren said, as though a plausible excuse to be lazy. Levi sometimes wondered if Eren was really twenty-three. "And we can always replace that piece if it's really that bad."
"Why replace it when we can just clean it?"
Son of a bitch, Eren grossed to himself.
"If," Levi emphasized the first word from his mouth, "you're done complaining, hand me the spray bottle to your left, would you? After that, we'll tackle the bathrooms. God only knows how bad they are since you've had the break."
Eren grumbled to himself, reaching for the bottle of warm water Levi used to remove grime before polishing it off with an industrial cleaner. As he went to hand the bottle over into Levi's waiting hand, an inappropriate thought struck him. He grinned to himself, raising the spray bottle up while pressing on the handle to the side.
Splish.
Levi blinked, stunned when he noticed a few droplets of water falling from his hair. He turned to Eren, confusion crossing his features. "What the fuck―"
Splish, splish!
Levi was rising from where he was crouched, looking at Eren incredulously. "The hell do you think you're doing?"
Eren sprayed Levi again, this time by his neck. Eren let out a delighted giggle, unsure of what the hell had possessed him to initiate this. Levi removed one of his gloves, tossing it while using his now free hand to wipe the warm water from his neck. "Eren..." he warned, a glint sparking to life in his eyes.
Eren kept up his assault, laughing while Levi attempted to duck out of the way. The raven's tank top began to cling to his skin from the water, adding to his growing impatience. "Keep it up, and you're going to regret it."
When Eren didn't seem to get the message, Levi moved. He grabbed the bottle of Windex sitting on the counter, aiming it straight at the brunette and pressing the handle. The liquid flew across the room and hit Eren's cheek, causing the younger man to sputter. "Ugh, gross! At least this is just water, you know!"
"You should learn to pick your battles," Levi conceded, but Eren could see a small, playful smirk tugging at his lips. Eren observed as Levi removed the other latex glove, shaking his hand out a bit before moving to spray the bottle again. Oh, you're on!
Levi advanced on Eren, causing the brunette to jump over the edge of the couch and hide behind it. He jumped up and successfully landed another wet blow right at Levi's face. It made him grin triumphantly, ducking down before Levi could get another hit on him. He heard Levi moving from across the room but couldn't see where from his position behind the couch. Several seconds ticked by in silence, the tension in the room rising. Beginning to feel impatient, Eren jumped up and took the spray bottle with two hands―
Smack.
Eren coughed, grabbing the wet object that had just been flung at his face. "Did you... did you just throw a rag at me?"
"Says the man who's mounting a target on his spray bottle like it's a damn sniper," Levi replied back, a slight lilt in his deep tone. He was already reaching for another wet rag on the counter, his lips breaking into an amused smirk.
"I'll get the bleach bottle, I swear to God, Lev―"
Eren was able to dodge the rag this time, thankful not to get another mouthful of whatever the hell was on it. As he went to pick up the object from the floor, Levi had crossed the room so quickly, Eren didn't have any time to react. Levi jumped over the couch, dislodging the bottle from Eren's hands while wrapping a strong arm around his waist. Eren let out a yelp of surprise when the two of them tumbled to the floor. Levi sat up with lightning speed, pinning Eren down while taking his aim.
"Okay!" Eren pushed his hands against Levi's chest, breathing heavily while continuing, "I give up! I'll stop!"
Levi was panting too, his cheeks a bit warm. His hair was in disarray from the water and his clothes were damp. "This should be an easy lesson learned; don't start what you can't finish, brat."
Although Levi's tone was deep, his expression was soft. Eren chuckled lightly, letting his hands fall to his sides on the floor. His eyes peered up at Levi, taking in his strong and messy features. It was incredible that after so many years, his heart could race just from the sight of him. Levi placed the bottle on the floor next to them, making no move to leave the warmth of Eren's body. Levi's head tilted down and Eren's rose to meet him, their lips slotting together chastely.
Laying there on the floor together, damp and smelling of cleaning products while gently brushing their hands over each other's skin was definitely better than cleaning kitchen cabinets; so Eren savored it. His hand rose to card through Levi's soft, ink hair; marveling at the way it fell between his fingers. Levi hummed, a thumb stroking Eren's cheek fondly.
Levi pulled back, his intense gaze pinning Eren still. He took in the way Eren's eyes shown, the soft and silly smile that suited him so well. I adore this man, he thought to himself. This childish, impulsive, but so damn loving and honest man.
So Levi couldn't help himself when he grabbed the bottle Eren had originally used earlier, surprising the young man as he sat up and sprayed him one last time. Eren shot up quickly, wiping his face and knocking Levi off of him. "What the hell!"
"You smelled like Windex, so I figured that'd help."
"Who's fault is that?!" Eren exclaimed.
Levi stood up, shrugging his shoulders. "Yours, technically."
Eren huffed, his lips forming an adorable pout that made Levi want to dive in and kiss those lips again. Instead, he leaned down and offered Eren his hand, who eyed it wearily. "Come on, let's get changed. If we hurry, we can make it to the hardware store and pick up a new piece for those shitty cabinets."
The brunette beamed, his aquamarine eyes shining as he took Levi's hand. "So... does that mean we're done for the day?" he asked hopefully, allowing Levi to bring him to his feet.
"Not on your life."
Eren let out a string of drawn out groans, dropping his hands away from Levi's. He was surprised, however, when Levi wrapped his arms around his waist. "I'll tell you what though; if you quit you're whining and help me tackle the guest bathroom, we'll call it a day. I'll push grading papers until the morning and we can order food in and make a night out of it. How's that sound?"
Eren's arms snaked their way around Levi's middle, closing his eyes and hiding a small smile. Although it was a beautiful day out, he would choose to shut out the rest of the world, huddling close on the couch with Levi any day. "That sounds perfect," he murmured into his hair, standing a few more moments in the strong hold of Levi's embrace.