It Started With A Kiss

It started with a kiss. It was just a simple kiss really-a quick peck on the cheek followed by a 'See you later!' But, for Levi, it was Eren's sloppy lips making contact with his delicate skin, and he hated it. So, he wiped gingerly at his cheek while mentally cursing at the brat who dared cross the personal barrier he spent weeks building.

Why, Levi wondered as he was walking home on that dreadful day. Why did that freshman brat press his slimy lips against his cheek? Who did he think he was?

With an exhausted sigh, Levi trudged up the steps to his apartment, racing to his shower as soon as he pushed open the door.

In the shower, Levi sat with his back against the slick tiles, welcoming the warm water falling down on him. He squeezed his eyes shut and tilted his head back, allowing his mind to wander back to older times- times spent at his old school with his old friends. He still made contact with his old friends on a daily basis, but it's just not the same as seeing their faces everyday-seeing them greet him at Trost Coffee Shop every morning with huge smiles despite the frown always etched on his face.

Soon though, things changed- and it wasn't the "move across town" kind of change, but more like the "your entire life is going to change" change.

The move hit him harder than he would like to admit. He finally felt that, for once, everything was going right in his life. His grades placed him at the top of his class with his friends placing directly below him. He finally gave in to Hanji's nagging and joined the Student Council-finding if rather enjoyable to have control over his class. His mother and father seemed happy too- happy that their son was finally emerging from the shell he spent the last seventeen years in. But, as the saying goes, "all good things must come to an end", and that's exactly what happened in a series of events starting on December 1.

It was on that cold morning that Levi was called out of class by his principal. What he expected to hear from his superior was something regarding the Student Council. He never expected to be told that his mother was hit by a car, dying at the scene.

Levi never shed a tear as he ran to the scene of the accident, watching his deceased mother be covered with a black sheet. He never shed a tear as he watched his father leave in a taxi two days later- shortly after the rushed funeral- with all of said man's belongings. He never shed a tear as his uncle came for him three days later, ordering him to pack his things so they could move him into his new apartment-an apartment located across the country.

Levi thought that maybe, with the help of his friends, that he would be okay considering what happened, but the news of the move brushed away that thought. Forced to leave everything he ever knew behind- his town, his school, his friends- that was his breaking point. He felt as if everything was being ripped away from his clenched fingers. What familiarities he had left in his life were now gone because of the move- that being the sole reason why the move hit him harder than he would think.

Still, Levi never shed a single tear. Instead, he created a barrier around himself, swearing not to let anything or anyone in.

Levi rubbed a towel against his dripping hair as he walked into his bedroom. He paused by his window, peering down at the bustling street below him. He watched as each person walked briskly in every direction-heads raised and arms quickly swinging at the sides. He noted how each person walked like they had a purpose. He thought to the way he walked but was soon brought back from his thoughts by his ringtone blaring from across the room.

"Hey," was all Levi offered to the person on the other line. He groaned as he listened to the pointless chattering from Hanji. She finally hushed herself after asking what's new in his life.

"Some brat kissed me on the cheek today…" Levi's brows furrowed as he was greeted with silence.

"What..?" Hanji finally asked.

"You heard me," Levi huffed. He flopped down on his bed, throwing his arm across his eyes as he listened to the endless squeals from Hanji. She hounded him with questions-"Who was it?" "Did you like it?" "Is it a friend?"

"His name is Eren. He's a freshman in my History class, and no we aren't friends, and I hated it." More screams from Hanji came from the other line. She wanted details, but Levi did not feel like recalling something that made him cringe. So, he just told her to drop it then proceeded to listen to her ramble about new things that have happened-mainly Student Council things. After a while, Hanji grew silent before asking "How are you really?"

Levi moved his arm away from his eyes, staring up at the ceiling. He bit his lip as he tried to think of a way to respond that wouldn't worry his friend but would seem like he was telling the truth. After a few moments, he answered. "I'm fine. I'm still trying to adjust and deal with my uncle never being here, but it's okay. You don't have to worry about me."

After that, he told Hanji that he needed to prepare for bed, hurrying her off the phone. He stood up, walking to turn the lights off before making his way back to his bed. Sliding under the covers, he closed his eyes, shaking his head clear of the memories plaguing his thoughts before drifting into a restless sleep.

The next day, Levi turned from his locker at the sound of someone calling his name-someone being the brat Eren. He groaned as he turned his back on the eager freshman, rifling through his locker to appear busy. But, Eren just stood silently behind him, waiting for Levi to bring his head out of his locker.

"What?" Levi finally managed to spit out-never turning away from his locker. His annoyance grew when he heard no response. He quickly spun on his heel, meeting Eren's curious turquoise eyes with a glare. He backed up against his locker as he watched the taller boy leaning closer to him. With a mixture of anger and panic, Levi raised his leg, swinging it hard against the taller boy's side-which resulted in a groan followed by the taller boy falling to the ground.

Levi reached down and pulled Eren to his feet by his shirt collar. He eyed the boy before releasing his grip on his collar. "Were you about to kiss me again?" Levi asked as he turned to grab his books from his locker. The simple yes as a response caused Levi to tense up. He slammed his locker shut before stepping closer to the taller boy. "Why?"

Three words. "I like you." It took three little words to cause Levi to stumble back against his locker, jaw dropped and eyes wide. He brought his gaze down to his shoes, reminding himself what would happen if he let someone close to him. "No." He whispered before lifting his head to meet the worried look Eren was giving him. "I don't like you, so you should just forget about it." That being said, Levi quickly stepped around Eren, leaving the bewildered boy alone in the hallway.

Later that night, Levi sat on his windowsill, resting his forehead against the cool glass. He continued to replay those three words in his head-it was driving him insane but he couldn't bring himself to forget about it. Eren was, Levi realized, the first person here to not only approach him but to also say something like that. "Why me..?" Levi clenched his fists as he thought of all the bad things that may happen if he were to invite the boy to pierce his carefully crafted barrier. "I can't," Levi decided. He lifted his head and scowled at the spot that was now littering the glass window. He stood and went to find some cleaning spray to rid the window of the mark left from his head.

Once cleaned, Levi peered down at the carpet, noticing a few specks of dirt here and there. "Dirty," he mumbled as he went to get the vacuum.

Levi has always been known as a huge clean freak, but since the accident, the title has intensified. He found himself cleaning more and more each day-spending hours wiping at an already spotless table. However, he enjoyed the satisfying, clear-minded feeling that came from these cleaning sprees. He liked to think that he used cleaning as an escape from reality-and it served its purpose well.

Once he vacuumed, and mopped the kitchen and bathroom, and dusted the bookcase and thoroughly wiped down every window, Levi peered at the clock reading one a.m. He muttered a few curse words before making his way into the bathroom to shower.

The next two weeks passed just as Levi had hoped. Eren had obeyed his order and stayed away, only offering a small wave here and there. Levi felt kind of bad for the boy but would always shake away that thought once he thought of what may happen to him if he allowed them to become friends-or more.

It was on his way home one day that something different switched on inside of Levi. He stood watching as a tall boy screamed curse words at two other boys- both considerably bigger than the shouting one. "Eren?" Levi moved a little closer, noticing the blood dripping down from the freshman's head. "Of course it's you," he mumbled under his breath as he turned to examine the two boys Eren was currently shouting at. He couldn't recall their names but he knew they were seniors-seniors on the wrestling team. He mentally told himself to leave it be-that it's not his business. But, he found his legs walking forward, closing in on the clashing boys before him.

"What's this?" Levi asked, interrupting Eren's shouts. Upon closer examination, he could see that the two seniors had a fair amount of bruises and cuts. He brought his eyes back to Eren, nodding as he realized how well Eren had fought on his own considering it's two against one.

"Never mind," Levi mumbled, turning away from the fight. He began to briskly walk away but stopped as he heard Eren cry out in pain-or was it in anger? Regardless, Levi found himself charging at the two seniors. He lifted his short leg as high as he could, swinging it towards one's face while he grabbed the other's shirt collar, slamming him to the ground.

"Leave before this gets worse," Levi demanded, keeping the same deadpan expression as he had when he first approached. He w

He watched as the two seniors scrambled away-well after they directed some threats towards Eren.

Levi turned to leave but was stopped by his name being weakly called out. He glanced over his shoulder at Eren struggling to stay on his feet. With a quiet sigh, he walked towards the taller boy, grabbing his arm to steady him. He turned to face Eren, closely examining the extent of his wounds. Not too bad, Levi thought to himself before letting go of Eren's arm. "Can you walk by yourself?"

Levi cocked his eyebrow at the faint nod Eren gave him but did not want to argue with him. So, he nodded in return before turning away from the injured boy, feeling slightly worried as he made his way back to his apartment.

The next day, Levi found himself watching the doorway closely, letting a sigh of relief escape his lips as he watched Eren walk into their History class-bruised yes, but not broken. He turned back to his notebook, preparing to look over his notes when a folded slip of paper was slid onto his desk. He glanced at the folded paper before turning his head to see who left it. He didn't see anyone watching him or acting suspicious, so he assumed he missed them.

Levi let the paper remain at the edge of his desk for the majority of class, but his annoyance towards the little slip of paper got the better of him. He grabbed it and unfolded it under his desk- the last thing he wanted was to have everyone's attention on him for being caught doing something as silly as reading a note in class. He read over the one sentence multiple times. 'Would you please meet me in front of the school building at three?'

It's a question, Levi thought to himself. It's not a demand. He pondered his options-he could show up to see who it was then excuse himself or he could not show up without offending the note writer because they asked, giving him the option to either say yes or no. His eyes zeroed in on the word 'please'. He pinched the bridge of his nose before shoving the piece of paper into his pocket and turning back to his notebook.

At three, Levi walked outside from the front entrance. He looked to his left and then to his right, eyeing every person that was outside. He paused on a tall boy leaning against the wall to his right. Cursing under his breath, he slowly made his way to the boy.

"It was you?" Levi asked as he approached the boy.

"Yes." Eren answered.

Levi huffed and met eyes with the turquoise ones before him. "Look, you don't have to thank me for yesterday. I honestly don't know why I did it." He turned to leave but was stopped by a hand grabbing his wrist-or rather a filthy intruder penetrating his barrier. "Have you," Levi began through gritted teeth. "Have you ever heard of personal space?"

"Let me walk you home," Eren said.

Levi looked up at the boy with wide eyes. He felt the grip on his wrist tighten. "If I say yes, will you leave me alone?" He felt his arm fall back to his side and watched as the boy reached to pick up his backpack.

"Yes." Eren answered quickly.

"Fine," Levi griped as he turned to head to his apartment with Eren following closely behind him.

For the next few days, Levi would walk home with Eren following. He tried desperately to get Eren to stop, but said boy would simply wave his demands away and continue to walk with him.

Occasionally, Eren would attempt to engage Levi in a conversation, but Levi would only offer vague responses.

This went on for weeks, and soon enough, Levi found himself kind of enjoying the presence of another person whether it be in silence or not. He welcomed the company, but would never verbally admit it to the brat- he did not want to get the brat's hopes up, and he certainly did not want to deal with the consequences of being happy.

Still, Levi struggled to ignore this weird feeling in his chest when he saw Eren. His heart would start to pound in his chest and he could feel his face heating up. This worried him and he considered going to see a doctor about it but decided against it. He realized the only way to rid himself of this weird feeling would be to stop having any interactions with Eren- to go back to being the quiet boy that everyone knew but no one talked to. It was better that way.

Unfortunately, Levi's plans to get rid of Eren were interrupted by a knock on his door one Saturday evening. He opened his door to find Eren standing in the hallway drenched. "What the fuck, Eren?" Levi cursed out loud, uncaring anymore if his foul mouth was heard.

"I got caught in the rain," Eren answered.

"So?" Levi leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms as he eyed the shivering boy.

"Can I stay here until it stops?" Eren asked, giving his best pleading look.

Levi cringed as he looked down at Eren's muddy shoes. But, this nagging feeling caught his attention- it was the same feeling he got the day he saw Eren involved in that fight. He sighed and shut his door on the taller boy, reappearing moments later with a handful of towels. "Dry yourself off first," Levi said as he turned to go into his kitchen, "and leave those filthy shoes in the hallway." He began to prepare some warm tea for the boy, constantly peering into the living room to look for Eren.

Once the tea was finished, Levi poured some into a small cup and made his way into the living room to see Eren still standing in the doorway. "What are you doing?"

"I'm still wet." Eren answered.

Levi let out a noisy sigh before walking into the guest bedroom. He came back moments later with a shirt and a pair of shorts resting in his arms. "These are my uncle's. You're too tall to fit in my clothes. Not that I would ever lend you my clothes…" He handed Eren the clothes and pointed past the kitchen. "The bathroom's over there," he said flatly as he stepped aside to let Eren through while mentally reminding himself to kick the boy out as soon as the rain stopped. Levi sighed and fell back onto his couch, pressing his palms against his pounding head. He squeezed his eyes shut and began to massage his temples, only to stop from the feeling of being watched. Opening his eyes, he looked to see Eren standing over him, watching him closely.

"Are you okay?" Eren asked, brows furrowed.

Levi groaned and closed his eyes again. "Yes," he finally responded after a few silent moments. He felt the couch move slightly- he opened his eyes once again to see Eren sitting on the other side. Levi pointed towards a cup resting on a cup holder on his coffee table. "Made you tea," he grumbled before standing up and walking into his bedroom, leaving Eren alone in the living room.

Levi collapsed onto his bed, taking his cellphone from his nightstand to read the five texts he had from Hanji and Petra. He tossed his phone to the side and threw his arm over his eyes. Please stop raining, Levi thought to himself as he listened to the thunder rumbling outside.

"Levi?"

Levi bolted up into a sitting position, glaring at the boy standing in his bedroom. "What is it, Eren?"

"Can we talk?" Eren asked.

Levi ran his hand through his dark locks before finally offering a small nod. He gestured to his computer chair then fell back against his pillow. "What do you want?"

"Do you still not like me?"

Levi could feel his body tensing. Why, he wondered to himself. Why is this kid so persistent? Sighing, he finally answered. "It's not that I don't like you, I just…" His words trailed of as all of those plaguing memories rushed at him all at once.

"You just?" Eren asked, voice tinged with concern.

Levi allowed his mind to succumb to the memories, remembering how with happiness came consequences- consequences that changed his life.

"Levi?"

Levi shook his head and opened his eyes to see Eren staring down at him. He reached up and shoved the taller boy away. "Why must you always get so close to me, Eren?"

"Because I like you," Eren responded bluntly.

Levi could feel himself getting angry, which he found rather odd. He could normally stay fairly calm in any situation. But, this situation was bringing up unwanted emotions. "Why the hell do you like me? What did I do to make you like me?" He breathed in and out to try and control his rising voice.

"My friend Jean told me that if you see something you like, then you need to get it before you lose your chance," Eren answered with a soft smile.

Levi glanced up at the boy now sitting at the edge of his bed. "That didn't answer my question."

"You always carry yourself so stoically but you never let anybody close to you. You are really smart yet you refuse any requests to join academic clubs. You just appeared a couple of months ago and shut yourself away from everyone. I found myself wanting to become your friend, but the more I studied you the more I knew I wanted to be close to you… I'm sorry." Eren laughed nervously while rubbing at the back of his neck. "I'm rambling."

Levi felt a tightness in his chest. He sat up and clutched at his heart. Soon after, he felt drops of water hitting his cheeks. "What the fuck?" He asked himself as he brought his free hand to his eye, feeling the tears sliding down his cheek. "What is this?" He looked to Eren with a tear-stricken face. "What have you done to me?"

"What?!" Eren squealed at the odd question.

Levi felt his shoulder's shaking as he let out a sob. "Why am I crying?" He asked himself as he tried to pull himself together, only to fail. Suddenly, it clicked. He was beginning to feel slightly happy with the idea that Eren liked him- that someone wanted to reach out to him. And, this was the consequence. "I can't," Levi whispered, voice cracking. "If I'm happy, something bad will happen."

"What..?" Eren was growing more concerned with each passing second.

Levi moved to sit on the windowsill. He rubbed at his eyes then pressed his head against the window- for once not caring if it got dirty. Taking in a deep, shaky breath, he began to explain everything to Eren- from the time he felt truly happy with his life to how quickly everything around him came crashing down. He wasn't sure why he was telling his life story to some brat who enjoyed invading his personal space, but he felt himself truly hitting his breaking point. "So you see," he began at the conclusion of his life tale. "I was happy and then all that shit happened. So, I can't be happy or something bad will happen again."

Levi could hear Eren walking to him but was too numb to react. Recalling those days- really saying them out loud like that- took a toll on him. He felt exhausted and –to his dismay- he felt empty. He hated showing this kind of emotion, but his body couldn't handle it anymore. He began to remind himself that none of this would be happening if Eren had just left him alone, but his thought were interrupted by a pair of warm lips meeting his for the first time. He pulled back to stare at the soft turquoise eyes staring back at him.

"W-what..?" Levi brought a trembling hand to his lips.

"What happened to you is the worst, Levi," Eren began. "But, it wasn't because you were happy. And I'm going to prove that to you."

"How?" Levi clenched his shaking hands into fists.

"You and I are going to be happy together, and nothing bad will happen. You'll see!" Eren answered as he brought his hands down onto Levi's shoulders.

Levi relaxed his hands and pulled Eren into a warm embrace, thanking him for being the one to reach out to him. After a moment, he pushed away and touched his lips once more. "Filthy," he muttered under his breath as he quickly made his way to the bathroom to brush his teeth, ignoring Eren's complaints about being to rude.

It started with a kiss. It was just a simple kiss really-a quick peck on the cheek followed by a 'See you later!' But, for Levi, it was the beginning of a series of life-changing events- changes that occurred on that fateful day when that brat dared to cross his personal barrier.

A/N: So, this started out as a small idea and somehow turned into this big thing. It's pretty OOC, but I wanted to write something with Levi as the vulnerable one so..

Anyway, sorry in advanced for any grammar errors I may have missed

And as always, I hope everyone enjoys!