Once upon a time in the city of Shiganshina there was a fearless little boy who dreamt to join the military anti-titan group Survey Corps, fight against evil titans and set the world free from the cage it was kept into for years. Humanity thought it was impossible to defeat a freighting enemy like the titans were, but the boy was certain special people could achieve that goal through determination, strength and courage, being prepared to risk their life if necessary. And the one who gave him that hope was his beloved Captain Levi, the hero he got inspired from and wanted to become like.

It’s not a secret that Eren has been a big fan of Levi since childhood. And it’s not even a secret that we all have dreamt to get together with the person we admired the most at list once in life. People generally give up when they realize they will never be able to get close to their heroes, but for Eren the matter is different; he never gets through that phase, because he is so lucky to end up joining Levi’s squad in the middle of the anime! Indeed, Eren’s admiration for Levi grows even stronger when he is put under his surveillance and he doesn’t even try to hide it. He often talks about his beloved Captain with the other members of Levi’s squad, in fact, as in episode fifteen, for example, and Eren completely trusts Levi’s judgement, as shown in episode nineteen in which Eren decides to follow Levi instead of fighting alone.

Now we know that Eren’s feelings for Captain Levi are unquestionable, but what does Levi thinks about them? Apparently, it doesn’t look like Levi dislikes being in Eren’s mind at all! Why? Well, it’s no secret that Levi is annoyed by people idolizing or trying to imitate him. In episodes nine and fifteen, in particular, Levi seems to be very bothered by Oluo’s admiration in his regards, but he has never shown himself annoyed by Eren’s. Could it be that Levi doesn’t dislike Eren’s attentions on him because he has hidden feelings for the reckless boy? In fandom’s eyes, he clearly doesn’t!

Eren’s admiration for Levi doesn’t end with him watching his Captain from a distance, of course. Through all the anime Eren tries really hard to draw Levi’s attention on himself by doing his best in every attempt to fulfil his superior’s requests and show himself cooperative with the Survey Corps. Well, to be honest, that isn’t the only reason for Eren to want to show himself off before his beloved Captain since a simple misstep could cost him his life. Surely Eren finds himself between a rock and a hard place, but the fact that Eren seems intent on winning Levi’s heart even if he doesn’t say it explicitly it’s undeniable.

Need some proofs? Then, what do you say about all the times Eren tries to impress his Captain by doing the cleaning perfectly every time Levi demands for it? Or in episode nineteen, when he decides to take huge risks such as letting Levi cut his arms and feet in case of emergency just to win his Captain’s trust and, possibly, his respect, friendship and – why not – also his feelings?

It looks like Eren really does his best to make his Captain proud of him, and Levi seems to appreciate Eren’s affords to make himself useful to Survey Corps’ cause. Although Levi didn’t trust Eren in the beginning, he is the one who gets closer to him and came to understood his feelings faster than anyone else, showing himself sympathetic more than once (Episode nineteen). Who said Levi is just a cold titan-slayer? On the contrary, he’s an understanding, though a little violent, partner who makes the best match for the still growing and inexperienced Eren!

Attack on Titan is the story of humanity which tired of submitting to its brutal enemy and decided to stand up and fight for its own freedom. But the price to pay for freedom can be very high, and that’s something both Eren and Levi know well; it can cost you your dignity, your desires and also that humanity you are trying to defend with nails and teeth. Especially if you were gifted with special powers which have earned you crucial titles you can’t get rid of so easily.

Respectively being Humanity’s Strongest and Humanity’s Hope, Levi and Eren are both in the same boat and can’t turn their back to people who bet everything on them. So, they have no other choice but to swallow the bitter pill and fight together in order to make a miracle happen, with no time to complain when superiors use them, mistreat them or put them before choices hard to take. Surely, Levi is more experienced than Eren and he doesn’t let his feelings out so clearly, but their roles are so similar they could easily be thought as related: both gifted with amazing powers without even asking for it, both warm hearted, both humanity’s saviors.

Definitely one of the most drama BL relationships existing! After all, what’s more tragic and romantic than sharing the same burden and suffering together for people’s sake? Ultimate Attack on Titan BL couple couldn’t be other than two reluctant heroes who, charged with the same responsibility to become the keys for humanity’s victory, can only count on each other to be able to move forward.

It’s not always Eren who makes the first move when it comes to his relationship with Levi, so moments when it’s the sexy Captain the one approaching his subordinate are not even that rare as many RivaEre sceptics could think! Levi isn’t the type who expresses his emotions clearly or shows himself easily moved by a tragic event, but he can be very supportive and encouraging, in particular when he has to deal with Eren. The fact is that Levi knows Eren does his utmost to achieve every mission he is given, but he is also experienced enough to know that luck plays a significant role in a battle and that the most elaborate plan can only raise the percentage of success but can’t determine a party’s victory.

Determination, desire for freedom, special abilities alone can’t win against infinite combinations of variants, so that’s why Levi is always there for Eren to remind him also the strongest or most calculating human can take a wrong decision and fail miserably. Levi never abandons Eren’s side during his hard times, trying to comfort him and give him a reason to stay strong.

Well, of course Levi is not the extroverted type and he has his own “special” way to show Eren his affection and support. Kicking his ass or calling him dirty names are his favorite methods, but there are also – kind of – cute moments when Levi does his best to cheer Eren up in a more conventional way. In episode twenty-four, for example, he tries to make a moping Eren smile by talking about Erwin’s constipation problems! Isn’t Levi lovely and the perfect husbando for Eren?

Military Corps in Attack on Titan have a strict rule code that can’t be broken under any circumstances, on pain of death or torture. Subordinates can’t refuse to obey superiors’ orders, since that could compromise the accomplishment of a mission or, even worse, the death of their companions or civilians. So, don’t you think that breaking the rules for someone else’s sake and risking your own life could be considered the ultimate act of love?

Levi doesn’t show his affection for Eren only when his baby is in a bad shape, and not only by words. Survey Corps’ missions outside the walls are extremely dangerous, most of all for Eren that’s chased by powerful enemies whose main task is to kidnap him. Being entrusted with Eren’s safety, Levi needs to be a watchful protector, but he goes even further than just keeping Eren away from troubles; indeed, by putting his own life in danger, Levi demonstrates that he actually cares about Eren more than he cares about anyone else. And Eren is, of course, more than happy to have him watching his back!

In the anime, Levi does actually break the rules two times for Eren: once in episode twenty-one, in which he disobeys Erwin’s order to gather the survivors and move towards the walls just to rescue Eren from the clutches of the Female Titan; then in episode twenty-five, in which disobeying again to Erwin’s order to stay away from the battlefield Levi jumps on Female Titan’s neck to prevent Eren from being absorbed. Well, of course no one would be so fool to punish Humanity’s Strongest who is one of the reasons for people inside the walls to be alive, but still caring about Eren more than Commander’s orders could be considered an act of love, and all RivaEre’s fans will be certainly happy to state this is a matter of fact!

An innocent boy who knows nothing about the world but can always count on his personal hero who is always there to protect him; aren’t they just meant for each other?