(fic) cat man do
warnings: levi is a cat
“Levi is a cat.”
This is a sequel to ‘a man and his cat’, in which Levi is a cat. I would like to dedicate this to the patient geychou who has literally been waiting a year. Happy (early) birthday u timbit♥
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“Levi is a cat.”
Eren repeats the words over and over to himself as he paces the length of the room. He knows them to be true, and yet–
He glances to the side, where the very decidedly not-cat Levi is sitting curled up on the floor. He’s been watching Eren pace with interest.
Eren can’t look at him too long, the sight of all that bare (very human) skin setting his face aflame.
“Clothes,” he blurts suddenly.
Of course, why hadn’t he thought of that sooner? He rushes over to his dresser, blindly grabbing the first sweater and pair of sweatpants he sees. His fingers linger over his boxers before he grabs a pair from the bottom of the drawer.
Eren whirls around with purpose, ready to tackle this problem head on.
Levi blinks slowly at him from the floor.
Eren breaks into a cold sweat.
How is he going to get Levi into these clothes?
“L-Levi,” he stutters.
Levi tilts his head up at his name. Levi is a cat, he thinks in a panic, but it doesn’t help. Eren holds the clothes out like a shield. “Here.”
As expected, Levi doesn’t move.
Eren wiggles his hands, like that will somehow make the foreign clothes appear more appealing. “You must be cold,” he tries, taking a tiny step closer.
Please put them on, Eren pleads silently. He has a feeling this whole situation would feel a lot less intimidating if Levi were wearing clothes.
He swallows. Is he going to have to… dress Levi?
He briefly considers it.
Very briefly.
He turns, throwing the pile of clothes on the bed. After a quick run to the bathroom, he returns with his bathrobe.
“Levi,” he says firmly. “Come here.”
This usually never works, but after a few moments of consideration, Levi unfurls his legs - Eren pointedly stares at the ceiling - and approaches.
“O-okay!” Eren squeaks, putting a hand up when Levi gets a little too close.
It’s definitely not the time for such a thought, but really, Levi’s eyes do look just the same.
Eren coughs. “I’m going to… put this on you.” Levi doesn’t answer, but he doesn’t run away, either. Eren takes a deep breath, reaching out a tentative hand. Levi’s skin is cool beneath his fingertips.
He casts a worried glance to Levi’s face, but he hasn’t reacted in any way. Still maintaining eye contact, Eren slowly tugs Levi’s arm upward and away from his body.
Eren carefully slips one arm of the robe onto Levi, then the other just the same. Levi remains still the whole time, which he is thankful for. He keeps his gaze glued to Levi’s chin as he slowly and carefully knots the front of the robe, heart racing in his chest all the while.
“There,” he breathes nervously, crossing his arms.
Levi looks down at himself, now donned in Eren’s old robe. He doesn’t appear ready to tear it off, at least. Eren feels strangely accomplished.
Levi raises one hand slowly, making Eren’s breath catch. But he only gently runs his fingers along the dangling belt from the robe, and– Eren can’t help but laugh, soft and short. Levi looks back up at him curiously.
Levi is a cat, he reminds himself.
Whatever that means, anymore.
–
Eren sighs, placing his phone to the side. He’s been attempting to type out a message to Mikasa for the past ten minutes, but he hasn’t had any luck figuring out what to say. There have been more than a few aborted drafts, none of which came close to explaining anything at all.
He glances down the hall. Levi still hasn’t emerged.
Eren doesn’t know what he’s doing in the bedroom, but he welcomes having some space to think things over.
He flops backward on the couch, sighing again.
Who is he kidding? Having time to think hasn’t helped. In fact, it might have made things even worse.
There had been a tiny part of him that still considered calling the police and having Levi arrested as an intruder, but when he’d seriously thought about it, the guilt had been too much to bear. It’s still Levi, after all, even though he’s–
Eren throws an arm over his eyes. People don’t usually go insane overnight, do they? But then again, people don’t usually wake up to find their cats have mysteriously turned into humans, either.
His arm slides away, hand eventually dangling off the side of the couch. On reflex he wiggles his fingers a bit, like Levi might come running, and–
Shit.
Eren scrunches his eyes shut tightly. What the hell is he supposed to do?
With a huff, he sits back up properly again, grabbing his phone. He quickly types out a message to Mikasa, then sends it off. ‘Sorry but can we hang out tomorrow?? Merry xmas btw :D’
She’s probably envisioning all kinds of indecent scenarios. It’s enough to make his whole body burn, but honestly, letting her believe he’d had a wild night with some guy is preferable to explaining his current state of affairs.
His phone buzzes only a few moments later. ‘Nothing says xmas miracle like a hot naked man in your living room. You must have been really good this year.’
Eren tries not to whimper as he covers his face with one hand. “He’s not hot,” he says aloud, which only makes his face burn hotter. He’s– Levi, even if he isn’t a cat anymore, he’s Levi–
With a muffled groan, he tosses his phone on the table beside him. That text doesn’t deserve an answer.
He’s so disoriented he almost doesn’t notice the couch dipping beside him. A startled gasp gets caught in his throat as he whips his head around to find Levi sitting there.
“What are you doing?” he asks stupidly, like he’s going to receive an answer. Levi just shifts a bit, and Eren can’t help but notice his robe falling open a little. He looks away quickly, eyes finding his phone. Nothing says xmas miracle– Eren whimpers, closing his eyes and forcing himself to take a deep breath.
He thinks he might hear Levi make a quiet sound, but a look towards him shows no indication he’d done anything. Eren is strangely reminded of all the times he and Levi have shared couch space in the past. There’s something glaringly different about this time, which can be summed up by the near heart attack Levi’s slightly bared shoulder is causing him.
He can’t exactly ask Levi to fix it himself, but--
He grits his teeth, running his hands over his face a few times. It doesn’t help; Levi’s shoulder is still visible, and now he has his head cocked to the side as if to ask what the hell Eren’s doing.
Very cautiously Eren reaches over to readjust the robe. Levi watches him wordlessly, though his gaze leaves Eren’s throat feeling a little dry. This is stupid, he shouldn’t be so wary around Levi just because he’s now–
Eren freezes, fingers still on the robe as Levi’s nose crinkles. He can do nothing but watch in amazement as Levi’s mouth opens in a wide yawn, eyes scrunching shut just like when he'd been a cat. Cute is the only word in his mind, but Eren isn’t sure whether it’s aimed at cat Levi or very specifically this human Levi.
Shit. When had he become at ease enough to refer to him as human Levi?
Also, why hasn’t he pulled his hand back yet?
Eren rectifies this quickly, letting out an awkward cough while he’s at it. Smooth, he thinks to himself, then wonders why he cares about being smooth around Levi at all. It’s not like–
Ah.
Eren is pretty sure he’s found the reason for all of this happening to him. It must be hell, or some version of it, as Levi gracefully flops (as gracefully as one can, anyway) to his side and rests his head on Eren’s lap.
Yes, this most certainly must be hell. He doesn’t know what he’s done in life to deserve this, but it must be some sort of punishment.
Or maybe it’s a test. One he’s probably already failed, since he’s eyeing Levi’s dark hair and considering running his fingers through it.
It’s not weird, he tries to convince himself, even as he wishes to find the nearest hole to bury himself in. He always pets Levi when he does this. So why does this feel so… illicit?
He tears his gaze away from his own trembling hand to see Levi’s feet curled up near the end of the couch, one thigh more exposed than the other from the way the robe is riding–
Eren quickly brings his gaze back to Levi’s head in his lap. His heart is beating so hard in his chest it’s near unbearable.
And yet, just as with normal cat Levi, Eren can’t bring himself to make him move.
He lets out a shaky sigh. “You just do what you want, huh? Just like always.”
It had always seemed normal to talk to Levi before, it doesn’t have to be strange now, does it? Besides, what else is there to do, aside from hyperventilating and dying here on the couch?
Eren lets out a sigh. “I wonder what you think about all this… not that I ever know what you’re thinking.” He smiles a little. Levi doesn’t answer - can’t. Eren shouldn’t feel disappointed.
“I guess we’re stuck like this for awhile.” He taps his fingers, which seem to be getting closer to Levi all the while. “You’re taking it in stride, though. That’s how you handle most things… well, either that or you hide under the bed.” Eren smiles again, imagining how ludicrous it would be to watch Levi vanish under the bed now.
His heart seems a little less likely to burst out of his chest the longer he talks, so maybe this is a good thing. Well, none of this is good, because something is clearly wrong, with either his head or the world, but Eren’s stuck here with his not-cat falling asleep in his lap, and all he really wants to do it touch him.
And so he does, his hand seemingly moving on its own to rest against the soft strands of Levi’s hair. A few seconds pass where Eren holds his breath, heart thumping, but nothing happens; he doesn’t drop dead, Levi doesn’t attack him, and frankly, it’s kind of nice.
Eren slowly runs his fingers back and forth, smoothing the hair at Levi’s temple. There’s a strange feeling welling in his chest, but he couldn’t be more confused over what it is.
Levi’s eyes remain closed, but he tilts his head into Eren’s caress when he brushes a certain spot. Eren hesitates for a moment before continuing, growing more sure with each movement.
This isn’t so bad. This is just like normal, or as normal as it can be. There’s still something in Eren’s mind blocking any attempts to think about the future, which is probably a defense mechanism, but Eren doesn’t feel too worried about it, somehow. He’d made a decision to take care of Levi, and he doesn’t intend to go back on that promise now.
“You’re still you,” Eren murmurs, still gently petting Levi’s hair.
As if to prove it, the low, familiar vibration of Levi’s purr reaches his ears. For some reason, it makes Eren’s face feel a little warm, but– there’s also a warmth in his chest, right there with that weird confusing feeling.
Levi’s still Levi, even if he isn’t quite a cat anymore. That thought is soothing, somehow.
Before long, Eren finds his eyelids growing heavy. Levi’s purrs have faded as he’s fallen asleep, and Eren’s fingers have grown slower and slower with each pass through dark hair.
As gently as he can, Eren turns himself to the side, resting his head on the pillow in the corner of the couch. He just means to rest his eyes, but he’s asleep in no time.
–
Eren wakes with a start. He’d felt like he’d been about to fall, but when he opens his eyes, he finds he is still on the couch. Things are much different from how he last remembers them being, however.
For one, the Christmas lights that he had set on a timer have come on. The soft light reflects along the ceiling, and, more notably, in Levi’s eyes.
Which he can see quite clearly, as Levi is stretched out over him, hands planted firmly on either side of Eren’s head.
His heart is stuck somewhere in his throat, breaths coming out in short stutters. He’s not awake enough to deal with this, would actually never be awake enough to deal with this. Eren’s fingers twitch uselessly at his sides, skin hot, blood pounding, and–
Levi looks completely unperturbed, blinking slowly as he eyes Eren below him. His gaze is slightly hooded, enough so that Eren’s stomach twists itself into a knot.
He opens his mouth, ready to croak out a What are you doing, Levi, when he realizes Levi won’t be able to answer him.
The lights dancing on the ceiling and in Levi’s eyes seem to magnify tenfold when Levi’s mouth opens, his own name - “Eren” - breathed out in the softest, sweetest voice he’s ever heard.
Please don’t faint again, he pleads with himself.
But then Levi smiles, just the tiniest curl to the corners of his mouth like he knows he’s done something right, and– well, Eren can’t be blamed for being a goner.
A miracle, indeed.