[ erwin is a planner, as ever. he plans things to the last detail before executing them, or at least usually. he's sharp as a tack, quick as a whip, and he always, always knows what to do in any situation.
he sits on figuring out what to get levi for his birthday for weeks.
why? he knows that whatever he gets levi will like it because it's from him, but that's not good enough. he wants it to genuinely be something levi will enjoy.
he settles on a couple of things, eventually, one practical and one more personal. both are perfectly tailored for levi in different ways.
so when he comes up behind levi in the kitchen, plants his chin on top of his head, and wraps his arm around him, his voice is pitched low and pleased. ]
[ frankly, he doesn't give a single shit about his birthday. if he wasn't wished a happy birthday on the same day every year (by Erwin, usually, until he was gone) he'd forget all about it.
this year is no exception. between the perpetual drama of being here and being even more permanently attached to Erwin than he was before, he has no attention span left for stupid shit like his birthday.
Erwin does, though.
so he's not terribly surprised when Erwin comes up behind him, or when he claims to have something for him. he'd never be able to guess what it is, but it almost doesn't matter. Erwin being there at all is by far the best gift he could possibly receive.
he's happy no matter what. ]
Oh? Seems kinda unprofessional. Is it a firm handshake?
[ erwin doesn't care about his own birthday, but he cares about levi's. isn't that just how it goes? since levi cares about erwin's. ah, love, what it does to people.
he huffs a little snort-almost-laugh through his nose at the commentary, turning his head to rest his cheek against his hair instead. his hand plants flat at levi's chest in a way that's evocative of their bond because it's right over where his handprint will linger forever. ]
Unfortunately, I need you to be prepared for something even more unprofessional than that.
[ it does feel very Correct having Erwin's hand there, but he's going to turn around to face him anyway, slipping his arms around his waist. there's almost a smile on his face. ]
Well, thanks for warning me, then.
[ he drops the facetious tone. ]
You didn't have to do anything, though. Having you here is more than enough for me.
Oh, I'd always warn you first. What kind of man would I be if I didn't?
[ still light, still teasing, though he sighs contentedly when levi turns, his hand planting at the small of the back instead so he can look down at him. ]
I knew you'd say that. I want to, though.
[ he leans in just enough to brush lips over his temple. ]
[ he huffs a soft laugh, then draws away. it's only to take his hand and lead him over to where he can sit, though. he did, when he arrived, set a couple of small wrapped packages on the table, and he sits in one of the other chairs as soon as levi is settled. ]
We're both stubborn, but I'll never back down about this.
[ he sits as instructed, shooting Erwin a mostly-facetious scowl of disapproval as he notes not one but two gifts. who does this guy think he is, getting him two gifts?
for that matter, how the fuck did he wrap them with one hand? ridiculous. what a ridiculous man.
well, whatever. he sighs, picking up one of his gifts and beginning to unwrap it. ]
[ the answers, in order, are: levi's blood husband, and very carefully.
in any case, when levi unwraps them one will be a pair of fitted gloves similar to the one that levi gave him for his birthday, just as perfectly sized. practical, of course.
the other is a tea blend, unmarked save a list of ingredients. it's not anything levi would have seen if he was out buying tea, but the ingredients are, somehow, only things levi likes. ]
the gloves make him smile: they look just like the one he got Erwin for his birthday, and he can tell they're the perfect size (read: fucking small) without even having to put them on.
he does put them on, though. why not? now they can be one of those obnoxious matching couples. truly heartwarming.
the second gift leaves him much more puzzled. it's tea, so he's basically guaranteed to love it, but the lack of any identification is bizarre—until he actually reads through what's in the blend.
he squints over at Erwin, still processing what he's looking at. ]
How did you—
[ but he trails off, looking back down at the tea instead. after another brief moment, he sets the tea back down on the table decisively and stands up.
he walks over to where Erwin sits, purposeful but expressionless. standing in front of him, he reaches out with two gloved fingers to tip Erwin's chin upward, and then he leans in until they're virtually nose-to-nose, staring him dead in the eye. ]
[ erwin is very pleased with himself, actually, as levi opens his gifts. as he puts the gloves on. being men in uniform they'd usually matched before, but this is different, and personal, and he likes it.
he likes it a lot.
the tea he's a little more nervous about, and he startles a little at the initial reaction, though by the time levi is so close he tips his head up easily, pliantly, waiting for him to speak, and then.
[ the hell of it is he doesn't need to focus any of it on Levi. Erwin could be well into the negatives on the smoothness scale and it wouldn't change a thing.
incidentally Levi is the one with negative smoothness. most of the time he doesn't even try. he's lucky Erwin doesn't seem to care. ]
Well, I haven't tried it yet, have I?
[ he takes Erwin's hand and straightens, encouraging him to stand with him. ]
[ the other hell of it is that levi is fucking smooth as hell. with erwin. in his opinion.
and that's what matters, isn't it? erwin's opinion.
he huffs a sound at the response, then stands slowly, cracking at the waist with a satisfied grimace, then heads over to the like, tea tools cabinet? you know the one. he's still holding onto levi's hand though, so levi is going to have to get the tea strainer or whatever shit they need with his other hand.
then: ]
I don't know, I'm pretty confident.
[ ok but is he, or is he faking it until he makes it? we'll find out. ]
[ it sounds like a challenge, but as usual he's full of shit. in reality, there's no doubt in his mind that this is gonna be the best tea he's ever tasted. then again, it's pretty likely he'd think that even if he didn't just see a list of the ingredients. being from Erwin is enough.
there's an almost robotic way that he prepares the tea because he's done it so many fucking times, and he still catches himself trying to make just one cup pretty often. not this time, though. this time, he's even happier than usual to be handing Erwin a cup of tea.
he's probably never been happier on his birthday than this. ]
[ the thing about being here now, about having time together, about having this thing that's just for them, is erwin can just sit and watch levi do things. so he does. he doesn't plan anything, doesn't think about anything else, just watches levi make tea with a warm feeling in his chest.
levi remembering to make two cups of tea without course correcting in the middle is nice too, and he tilts his head while he watches him do this part, perfectly goddamn content. he can feel levi's emotional state too and that just works as a sort of feedback loop.
he takes his tea with a grateful hum even though he needs to let go of his hand to do it, but this is for his honor. it's important. ]
[ spoken like someone who doesn't compulsively deep-clean their cabin like every other day, or perhaps someone who has some exhaustive knowledge of his own. whatever.
anyway, once Erwin takes his cup he picks up his own, but for a second he just looks at it. after that, he sniffs it, and takes another second to appreciate the aroma. he likes the smell of tea anyway, but a tea custom-made for him? by Erwin? it's definitely a new candidate for Favorite Smell.
he finally takes a sip, and for a moment, nothing happens. he doesn't react to it in any way. it doesn't last too long, though—he doesn't want to make Erwin nervous that he doesn't like it.
quite the opposite, in fact. even though he doesn't say as much, the verdict should be fairly unambiguous when he instead sets the cup back down and walks right back up to Erwin, reaches up to draw his face down, and kisses him full on the mouth.
it's probably not how Erwin expected to have his first taste of the tea he created, but that's just too fucking bad. ]
[ mildly. where did he learn that vernacular? whatever, it sounds cute coming from him.
he does watch levi closely though as he does his various tea-testing actions, from looking to smelling to tasting, and he's juuuust about to get nervous when levi sets the cup down. he's briefly unsure what kind of sign that is but then levi is kissing him and he returns it fervently, setting his own cup down to put his hand at the side of his neck.
he can pick the cup back up later, because he can definitely taste the tea on levi's lips.
when the kiss ends it's actually pretty cute because he's flushed slightly pink from some kind of pleasure-embarrassment, looks like he was a little more nervous than he'd let on. ]
[ he can't help but smile a little at Erwin's flush—the fact that he can evoke such a reaction is still weird to him, but in a way it also makes him feel powerful.
humanity's strongest nothing, who cares about that? this is the real shit. ]
It's perfect.
[ he leans up to kiss him one more time, and then hands him his cup again. ]
I'll have to thank you properly later.
[ give his brain a second to catch up with what his mouth just said. when it does, suddenly he looks mortified—he can't just talk like that.
[ yeah, he's flushed. move on, dude. he hums into the second kiss, then noses against his temple as he takes the cup, then straightens to take his first actual sip.
audibly chokes when levi speaks again.
has to cough a couple times before he regains his composure but he's way more flushed now, genuinely so, just absolutely obliterated by the tiniest flirt because for as well as he knows levi, he was not expecting that in the least. ]
I. [ oh my god is he at a loss for words. ] I'd certainly welcome it, you know that.
[ oh god. oh god why did he just say that? he's trying to hide his face by going back to drinking his (perfect) tea, but he's probably even redder than Erwin is.
fuck. ]
I—
[ fuuuck. should he apologize? it's not like he didn't mean it. he just didn't mean to blurt it out like that.
...on the other hand, getting that reaction out of Erwin feels kind of awesome. maybe not the nearly-choking part, but his response?
[ that flush is not going away. it looks really cute on him actually, makes him look a little younger, a little less worn. not that levi cares that he looks a little worn.
he looks at levi a moment after he speaks again, still visibly flustered but not upset in literally any way.
he reaches out to gently take levi's teacup and set it down, then plants his hand on the counter to hem him in a little and lean in for another kiss. it's not demanding, but it is lingering, and he huffs a breath against his mouth. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
levi's birthday!!!! :) :) :) :)
he sits on figuring out what to get levi for his birthday for weeks.
why? he knows that whatever he gets levi will like it because it's from him, but that's not good enough. he wants it to genuinely be something levi will enjoy.
he settles on a couple of things, eventually, one practical and one more personal. both are perfectly tailored for levi in different ways.
so when he comes up behind levi in the kitchen, plants his chin on top of his head, and wraps his arm around him, his voice is pitched low and pleased. ]
I have something for you.
?!?!?!?!?!
this year is no exception. between the perpetual drama of being here and being even more permanently attached to Erwin than he was before, he has no attention span left for stupid shit like his birthday.
Erwin does, though.
so he's not terribly surprised when Erwin comes up behind him, or when he claims to have something for him. he'd never be able to guess what it is, but it almost doesn't matter. Erwin being there at all is by far the best gift he could possibly receive.
he's happy no matter what. ]
Oh? Seems kinda unprofessional. Is it a firm handshake?
[ a firm left handshake, of course. ]
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he huffs a little snort-almost-laugh through his nose at the commentary, turning his head to rest his cheek against his hair instead. his hand plants flat at levi's chest in a way that's evocative of their bond because it's right over where his handprint will linger forever. ]
Unfortunately, I need you to be prepared for something even more unprofessional than that.
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[ it does feel very Correct having Erwin's hand there, but he's going to turn around to face him anyway, slipping his arms around his waist. there's almost a smile on his face. ]
Well, thanks for warning me, then.
[ he drops the facetious tone. ]
You didn't have to do anything, though. Having you here is more than enough for me.
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[ still light, still teasing, though he sighs contentedly when levi turns, his hand planting at the small of the back instead so he can look down at him. ]
I knew you'd say that. I want to, though.
[ he leans in just enough to brush lips over his temple. ]
You deserve good things.
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maybe a little less eloquently. ]
I have you.
[ there's no better thing. ]
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he has a rebuttal for this one too. ]
You can have more than one good thing.
[ :) ]
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sounds fake. ]
—Yeah, I should know better than to try arguing with you.
[ he is a fool in so many ways. ]
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We're both stubborn, but I'll never back down about this.
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for that matter, how the fuck did he wrap them with one hand? ridiculous. what a ridiculous man.
well, whatever. he sighs, picking up one of his gifts and beginning to unwrap it. ]
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in any case, when levi unwraps them one will be a pair of fitted gloves similar to the one that levi gave him for his birthday, just as perfectly sized. practical, of course.
the other is a tea blend, unmarked save a list of ingredients. it's not anything levi would have seen if he was out buying tea, but the ingredients are, somehow, only things levi likes. ]
no subject
the gloves make him smile: they look just like the one he got Erwin for his birthday, and he can tell they're the perfect size (read: fucking small) without even having to put them on.
he does put them on, though. why not? now they can be one of those obnoxious matching couples. truly heartwarming.
the second gift leaves him much more puzzled. it's tea, so he's basically guaranteed to love it, but the lack of any identification is bizarre—until he actually reads through what's in the blend.
he squints over at Erwin, still processing what he's looking at. ]
How did you—
[ but he trails off, looking back down at the tea instead. after another brief moment, he sets the tea back down on the table decisively and stands up.
he walks over to where Erwin sits, purposeful but expressionless. standing in front of him, he reaches out with two gloved fingers to tip Erwin's chin upward, and then he leans in until they're virtually nose-to-nose, staring him dead in the eye. ]
Have you been stalking me?
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he likes it a lot.
the tea he's a little more nervous about, and he startles a little at the initial reaction, though by the time levi is so close he tips his head up easily, pliantly, waiting for him to speak, and then.
he huffs out a laugh. ]
Every day. Every moment, you're on my mind.
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he smiles at him instead, leaning down (down?!) to close what little space remains between them and kiss him softly. ]
Thank you.
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he returns the kiss, eyes lidding a little, then brushes another across his cheek. ]
Of course. I'm glad you like it.
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incidentally Levi is the one with negative smoothness. most of the time he doesn't even try. he's lucky Erwin doesn't seem to care. ]
Well, I haven't tried it yet, have I?
[ he takes Erwin's hand and straightens, encouraging him to stand with him. ]
Let's find out.
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and that's what matters, isn't it? erwin's opinion.
he huffs a sound at the response, then stands slowly, cracking at the waist with a satisfied grimace, then heads over to the like, tea tools cabinet? you know the one. he's still holding onto levi's hand though, so levi is going to have to get the tea strainer or whatever shit they need with his other hand.
then: ]
I don't know, I'm pretty confident.
[ ok but is he, or is he faking it until he makes it? we'll find out. ]
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[ it sounds like a challenge, but as usual he's full of shit. in reality, there's no doubt in his mind that this is gonna be the best tea he's ever tasted. then again, it's pretty likely he'd think that even if he didn't just see a list of the ingredients. being from Erwin is enough.
there's an almost robotic way that he prepares the tea because he's done it so many fucking times, and he still catches himself trying to make just one cup pretty often. not this time, though. this time, he's even happier than usual to be handing Erwin a cup of tea.
he's probably never been happier on his birthday than this. ]
Time to see if all the stalking paid off.
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levi remembering to make two cups of tea without course correcting in the middle is nice too, and he tilts his head while he watches him do this part, perfectly goddamn content. he can feel levi's emotional state too and that just works as a sort of feedback loop.
he takes his tea with a grateful hum even though he needs to let go of his hand to do it, but this is for his honor. it's important. ]
My exhaustive knowledge of you always pays off.
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[ spoken like someone who doesn't compulsively deep-clean their cabin like every other day, or perhaps someone who has some exhaustive knowledge of his own. whatever.
anyway, once Erwin takes his cup he picks up his own, but for a second he just looks at it. after that, he sniffs it, and takes another second to appreciate the aroma. he likes the smell of tea anyway, but a tea custom-made for him? by Erwin? it's definitely a new candidate for Favorite Smell.
he finally takes a sip, and for a moment, nothing happens. he doesn't react to it in any way. it doesn't last too long, though—he doesn't want to make Erwin nervous that he doesn't like it.
quite the opposite, in fact. even though he doesn't say as much, the verdict should be fairly unambiguous when he instead sets the cup back down and walks right back up to Erwin, reaches up to draw his face down, and kisses him full on the mouth.
it's probably not how Erwin expected to have his first taste of the tea he created, but that's just too fucking bad. ]
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[ mildly. where did he learn that vernacular? whatever, it sounds cute coming from him.
he does watch levi closely though as he does his various tea-testing actions, from looking to smelling to tasting, and he's juuuust about to get nervous when levi sets the cup down. he's briefly unsure what kind of sign that is but then levi is kissing him and he returns it fervently, setting his own cup down to put his hand at the side of his neck.
he can pick the cup back up later, because he can definitely taste the tea on levi's lips.
when the kiss ends it's actually pretty cute because he's flushed slightly pink from some kind of pleasure-embarrassment, looks like he was a little more nervous than he'd let on. ]
Is that the final verdict?
[ he even sounds pleased. ]
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humanity's strongest nothing, who cares about that? this is the real shit. ]
It's perfect.
[ he leans up to kiss him one more time, and then hands him his cup again. ]
I'll have to thank you properly later.
[ give his brain a second to catch up with what his mouth just said. when it does, suddenly he looks mortified—he can't just talk like that.
...right? ]
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audibly chokes when levi speaks again.
has to cough a couple times before he regains his composure but he's way more flushed now, genuinely so, just absolutely obliterated by the tiniest flirt because for as well as he knows levi, he was not expecting that in the least. ]
I. [ oh my god is he at a loss for words. ] I'd certainly welcome it, you know that.
[ does he? well, now erwin's said it. ]
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fuck. ]
I—
[ fuuuck. should he apologize? it's not like he didn't mean it. he just didn't mean to blurt it out like that.
...on the other hand, getting that reaction out of Erwin feels kind of awesome. maybe not the nearly-choking part, but his response?
hmm. ]
—I think that can be arranged.
[ he meant to say it this time. ]
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he looks at levi a moment after he speaks again, still visibly flustered but not upset in literally any way.
he reaches out to gently take levi's teacup and set it down, then plants his hand on the counter to hem him in a little and lean in for another kiss. it's not demanding, but it is lingering, and he huffs a breath against his mouth. ]
You've finally won, I'm at a loss for words.
[ he sounds fond, pleased. ]
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