Work Text:
The final remains of the titans have been slaughtered; the final remains of humanity have been saved. With every victory, comes a loss. That loss, was Eren's eyesight.
They were walking. They were walking in the direction of north, towards an unknown destination. The surrounding environment was quiet, save for the occasional flap of wings and chirping.
"Levi, where are we going?" Eren inquired, his curiousity overcoming him. His functioning senses revealed no details of the destination that awaited them.
"We're almost there, my dear." Levi whispered, wrapping a gentle arm around Eren's waist.
Warmth. He felt a sudden warmth envelop his waist area. It was Levi's arm. Levi was holding him. Eren leaned into Levi's side, resting his head upon silky raven hair. It smelled of vanilla and almonds, a fragrence he'd grown so fond of and fell asleep to every night.
The walk continued, until Eren haulted his steps and stood still. He smelled something. It had a musky aroma, an overpowering scent that consumed the rest. He heard something. It sounded like water in motion, like when he shifted too much in the bathtub. He tasted something. It almost tasted salty, like when Armin had spilled the salt into the boiling pot of pasta once. Individually, they were all foreign to him. Yet, pieced together as a whole, they created something oddly familar.
Seeing as he was using the best of his abilities to absorb his surroundings, Levi grasped Eren's hand and began running foward. Eren stumbled at the unannounced action, but followed behind Levi. Questions lingered on his tongue, but they dissipated when his feet sank slightly into the uneven ground below. Levi stopped in place, continuing to hold Eren's hand as he moved his feet in the unfamilar substance.
"What is this, Levi? Why is it moving when I move?" Eren questioned, releasing Levi's hand to bend down and run his fingers through the soft powder-like substance. It had a grainy and slightly coarse feel to it, like the brown sugar Levi used in his tea every morning.
"That is sand. And this, is the beach." Levi said, watching as his words registered in Eren's mind. A smile danced upon his lips, his eyes swirling with bliss. The sun above shed its rays upon them, capturing Eren's liquid topaz eye and making it look golden.
Eren lifted himself off the ground, reaching out his arms until his fingers brushed against the fabric of Levi's shirt. He moved them over his chest in an outwards motion, resting his hands on the inside of his elbows. From there, he moved them dowards until they touched the smooth skin of Levi's hands. He laced their fingers together, rubbing his thumb over the soft, porcelain skin that he could only envision through memory.
"Let's go to the ocean, just like you've always dreamed of." Levi said, releasing one of Eren's hands to gently tug him forward. Eren nodded his head eagerly in response, kicking up the sand behind him as he followed suit.
"Wait, let's remove our shoes so they don't get wet." Levi suggested, indicating they were nearby the ocean. Levi sat in the sand to carefully remove them, untying the laces and tugging them off his feet. He placed them adjacent to his body, glancing over to Eren who was hastily removing them from his feet while standing. His shoes flew upwards in the air as he ripped them off his feet, but it was obvious he could care less.
Eren stood still momentarily, shifting his feet in the sand and inbetween his toes. It felt odd, like standing in a pile of sugar. He giggled to himself, kicking the sand in all directions until a cough sounded beside him.
He couldn't see him, but he could only imagine a scowl on his features.
"You little brat.. Don't kick the sand at me. First one in the water gets breakfast in bed." Levi challenged, hearing Eren squeak at the possible opportunity. They both bolted forward, soon feeling the sand underneath their feet become damp and soft. Levi had jumped at the invisible boundry that separated water from land, therefore being the victor in his little challenge.
Eren had heard the splash of water beside him before his feet became soaked, pouting at Levi's victory. He turned to the right, stretching his arms to their full extent in search of his lover. Once they found purchase of his shirt, he pushed against the strong, clothed chest.
Levi wished for a split second Eren was deaf so he didn't hear the embarrassing noise he vocalized as he fell backwards into the water. Eren giggled as he heard the audible splash of water, imagining a soaked Levi with a frown on his face. His raven hair would drip salt teardrops, and his shirt would turn transparent and reveal a his body and all the hardships it's been through.
"You shitty brat. If I fall, you're falling with me." Levi growled, grasping the belt loops on Eren's jeans as he tugged him forward. Eren yelped as he felt himself fall, flailing his arms to only create a larger splash. He immediately sat up on his knees, laughing as he heard more growling. He must've gotten Levi wet when he fell.
Eren patted his hands against the sand below the water, inhaling the strong fragrance of salt and seaweed. He continued to pat the surface below until he found Levi's thigh. He crawled into his lap, his back resting against Levi's chest. There he could feel the faint thump of his heart beat, and the light fall and rise of his chest. He took Levi's arms and wrapped them around himself, humming to himself as he leaned his head against his shoulder.
"Is it beautiful, Levi?" Eren asked, tilting his head backwards to look up at Levi, despite not being able to see him. He could picture Levi looking down at him, his steel-blue eyes reading him over as he considered the question.
"Yes. But there's more to it than just the view." Levi whispered, flashbacks of Eren screaming consuming his thoughts.
He slaughtered the final titan, his blade slicing through the nape with flawless accuracy. What he wasn't aware of, was that the titan was a unique aberrant. It's boiling, steaming blood spurtered in all directions and rained down upon Eren's face. He had stood only a few feet away from the titan as backup if the plan didn't succeed. Eren screamed in agony, falling backwards as he covered both his eyes. From there a nearby troop rushed him to the medics, their remaining men holding himself back as Eren continued to scream and cry in pain.
Hours later, it was safe for Eren to have vistors. Levi was the first, much to Mikasa's displeasure. Eren whinced at first, but slowly opened his eyes to an eternal darkness. He remembered touching Eren's face, and Eren looking at him with a blank stare. Both his yellow and turquoise eye held no emotion as he asked who was touching him. At that, Levi had broken any composure he once had. Eren had lost his vision, and it was all his goddamn fault.
A gentle brush of fingers to his cheek withdrew him from his horrifying thoughts and back into reality. Eren was still looking up at him, a sad smile forming on his lips.
"Don't cry, Levi.. I can't see your face, but I can feel the tears on your cheek. You're steel-blue eyes are filled with sorrow most likely, and I don't want to picture that. Smile for me, Levi." Eren whispered the final sentence, knowing he'd never be able to see Levi smile. Levi could see him smile, but he couldn't see Levi smile. It was an unfair game of cards.
Levi pulled the younger man up in his lap, pressing their lips together as he smiled for him. He wasn't smiling just because he was asked to. He was smiling because Eren remembered the little details about him, despite not having seen his face for the past year. Eren smiled into the kiss as well, wrapping his arms around Levi's neck and lacing his fingers together behind his head.
Levi was the first to break the kiss, noticing the tears that streamed down Eren's blushing cheeks. Eren still smiled, sniffing quietly as he buried his face into Levi's neck and inhaled his scent. Not even the saltwater compared to his aroma.
"I don't need to see the ocean to be happy. I can smell the saltiness in the air, and taste it on my tongue. I can feel the sand slip between my fingers, and hear the gentle lap of calm waves. As long as you can see it, that's all that matters. As long as we can share this experience together, that's truly all that matters." Eren's voice broke on the final sentence, tears streaming down his face like a damn holding back water had just broke.
"B-but I'm happy. I'm genuinely happy, Levi. I'm happy that we're both alive after the fall of the titans, and I'm happy-" He was cut off by Levi's lips meeting his once more. Eren melted into the kiss, moving himself carefully so he could sit in Levi's lap and face him. Levi encircled his arms around Eren's damp body, bringing them closer to each other. He then pulled away, a small smile forming on his lips as Eren gave him a wistful one.
"I'm glad I got to experience the ocean with you, Levi."
"I'm glad I did too, Eren."