(A/N: I just want to make a reminder that it's all in past tense since it is Levi telling the story. So, I'm sorry if past tense bothers you or I made any mistakes! Please tell me if you see mistakes ;-; Updated: 6/8/15)

Influences

I was in a peaceful slumber when my annoying alarm rang. The only thing that ruined my morning; that and class. I groaned and quickly grabbed my phone to shut off the ear-wrecking sound. I laid there staring at my simple and boring ceiling. Another day of stressful classes; when all I wanted to do is be in the art room.

I propped myself up and swung my legs over my comfortable bed. I let out another groan and stretched. My back popped and felt a soothing relief. I quickly headed towards the bathroom, grabbing my clothes on the way. Minutes later, I was ready to head out. I rushed to grab my bag and dashed out of my apartment and down the flight of stairs of the complex.

It was a cold morning and I had forgotten to bring my scarf. I struggled to get to my morning classes in the frigid breeze. Along the way, I stopped by my favorite coffee shop. With a hot espresso in hand, I continued on my way. Some say espressos are bitter and not tasteful, but I liked it. It helped me wake up on restless mornings; like today. I didn't mind the bitterness.

Arriving to campus, I noticed that most of the students were already entering inside for their classes. I followed them, but stopped when I noticed something from the corner of my eye. I noticed three guys, roughly six feet tall, surrounding someone pressed against a tree. Honestly, guys like that didn't even belong in a honorable school. Even from what seemed like five feet away; I could see what they were doing. Picking and saying crude matters to their victim. It disgusted me.

It wasn't my problem at all, so I chose to ignore the situation. I shouldn't have. I took one last look and made eye contact with him. Eren's tired and desperate eyes met my cold eyes. It was too late, so I turned and made my way up the concrete stairs and into the warm school; avoiding all eye contact and forcefully forgetting what I just witnessed.

I regret not defending you that day.

Class was boring like always and I wanted to desperately leave. Five hours was enough and my wish was granted. I rushed out of my last class of the day and only had one thing in mind. Painting.

I chose to ignore the incident with Eren, but I had a feeling I would soon bump into him. And oh man did that come too soon. I never noticed him walking towards me, until I noticed his bright eyes. He smiled when we made eye contact and I was...confused.

"Levi!"

I wanted to interrogate him with millions of questions. Why are you smiling? I didn't defend you. You were getting picked on. Does it not bother you?

Wait. Since when was I concerned about him?

"Are you heading to the art room?" he asked. I stared at his eyes, looking for any sign of hurt. Eren raised his eyebrow and tilted his head down. "Is something wrong?"

I stepped back and let out a sigh. "Nothing at all. I'm a bit tired and just want to hurry to the room," I replied. I walked past him and continued my way to the art room. Our foot steps rang throughout the hallway. I'm not surprised. He was following me.

"Is it okay that I'm following you?" He asked.

"Aren't you a little late?" I retorted. He grew quiet. "I was hoping to be alone today."

"Sorry."

The walk was silent. Honestly, I was uncomfortable. I barely knew his kid and yet he was stuck to my side. However, this gave me an opportunity to watch him from the corner of my eye. He mumbled a lot, but I think he was singing under his breath. This kid really loved singing.

"Why do you love singing?"

The question threw him off. His wide, turquoise eyes fixed on me and a wide grin grew upon his young face. "You finally asked!" He clasped his hands together. "Hm, where do I start?" I don't have all day. Please start already. "I've been singing since I was around ten. I can't clearly remember when I became so fascinated with singing, but one day, this song came on on the radio and—" His expression was like a person reminiscing on good memories. "I fell in love. I was determined to sing as great as that singer." He chuckled and looked away. "I was surprised to notice I already had a great voice. Not to be bragging." He flashed a smile. "Anyway, singing just became my everyday life and I want everybody to hear my voice. I think I have potential."

"I think you do," I blurted out. My whole body froze and my eyes were wide open. Did I really just say that?

"Really?" Eren brightened up and showed a very determined expression. "Then I'll do my best on that competition!" He yelled out.

"Competition?" I questioned; one eyebrow raised.

He tilted his head down and smiled. "I never told you, but the school is holding a competition for only singers. Other students from this school will be participating to win a grand prize! I signed up the minute I heard about it." He leaned down close to my ear and I sent him a warning glare. He immediately sprung up and cleared his throat. "I heard that there might be a representative from an entertainment company. They might offer the winner the chance to enter their company and become an idol."

"Wow," I let out. "That's pretty cool."

We finally arrived to the art room. It was empty like always. The grand window peeked through the open doors. The sun still shined bright above the clear sky. I turned around and faced Eren. "So, you think you can win?" I asked with arms crossed.

He hesitated to answer. I watched as he looked down at his brown loafers and bite his bottom lip. "I want to win, but I'm a bit nervous," He muttered.

I glared at him and spoke up, "Don't mutter. It makes you look pathetic." This caught his attention and he straightened up. "Don't be such a wuss and believe in yourself or else you won't win." I almost rolled my eyes from the cheesy advice I was giving him.

He let out a deep breath and smiled slightly. "Because Levi said so, I won't get nervous at all!" He chuckled. I could feel my eyebrow twitch. This damn brat. "I'll leave you to paint, while I go practice for the competition." Eren waved to me and left to the music room in a hurry.

I watched his slim back get smaller and smaller until he was completely gone. I let out a sigh and entered the art room. Who knew I could be this tired just from talking to him.

Eren really is something.

The next day, I headed out like usual grabbing a cup of coffee on my way to class. This time I remembered to wear my dark gray scarf. It was just as cold as yesterday. The thought of Eren being harassed by those group of guys crossed my mind, but I decided not to let it get to me.

I arrived to campus and my eyes trailed to the same tall tree Eren was pressed against, but there was no sign of him or the group of guys. My chest felt a bit of relief. I wondered why though. I continued my way down the concrete path, passing by other students. I stared up at the gloomy morning sky, until my eyes landed on the tall brunet. He was walking next to a short blond and a girl roughly the same height as him with sleek, short, black hair. It was nine in the morning and he was already yelling.

"Come on, Armin! Just this one time!"

"Geez, how many times do I have to tell you? No, I won't give you my answers. You should really stop putting homework off. Don't you have a bad grade in your English class?" The blond, I assumed was Armin, replied.

"I have other things to do..." Eren's voice drifted off in embarrassment.

I quickly walked past them hoping to not be noticed, but—

"Levi!" I heard Eren shout. I froze and let out a groan. I turned to face the three. Armin stared at me with nervousness, while the girl to Eren's right glared at me. "Good morning, Levi. How are you?"

"Tired," I answered immediately.

He glanced away. "You didn't—"

"I heard. You're a slacker."

Armin chuckled and covered his mouth with his pale hand. The girl still remained staring at me with a cold stare.

I turned towards her and said, "Is there something on my face that is bothering you so much? I'm starting to get irritated. I made sure I didn't have anything on my face this morning." I stared at her with the same expression.

She was taken aback and her mouth hung slightly. "Eren, is this really the Levi you admire?" She asked in a questioning tone with her index finger pointing right at me.

He glanced at me and hesitated. "It's morning, Mikasa. He's just in a bad mood, right?" He stared at me hoping for me to answer, but I didn't.

"Why do you glare so much?" Armin spoke up.

"I don't. This is my normal expression." They all seemed surprised by my answer. I couldn't help but look intimidating. I've always been like this.

"Well, this is a surprise." Mikasa crossed her arms. "The artist, Levi is short and sarcastic." She leaned in and whispered harshly, "Don't mess with Eren or I will slice your flesh."

"Mikasa!" Eren grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back. "Please don't get him angry," He whispered.

"I'm a bit irritated, but not angry," I said.

He rubbed the back of his neck and looked down. "Sorry to bother you. We'll leave you to get to class."

I never noticed just how much time passed by. I turned to walk to class, but he called out to me again. "I'll see you later!" I know. We always saw each other in the afternoon.

It feels normal and I'm not used to it.

I painted what was outside: the clear blue sky slowly changing to a light orange, the white, puffy clouds and their soft edges. I painted the ridged, bright green grass, the multiple leaves that had drifted to the ground and the trees that danced in the autumn wind. I stared at my painting and examined each line and crease. I wondered if it was good enough for the upcoming contest.

But, it felt like something was missing.

I stretched out my arms and let out the biggest sigh. I got up to cover the painting and placed it under my arm. I headed for the door, still thinking of what was missing. It was quiet and I searched for Eren. His voice was no where to be heard.

I headed down the hallway, the sounds of my footsteps filled the empty hallway. Eren must have already left. I ran my hand through my hair and sighed deeply. I was unusually tired. I'm thinking too much about the painting. It shouldn't be have been bothering me this much.

I emerged out from the building and spotted the brunet. He was calmly sitting under the tall oak tree. Immediately, I could hear his soft, singing voice. I wanted to hide and let him continue to sing, but who knows how long he had been out there, and the temperature had gone down. I moved towards him and he quickly turned his head towards me and grinned.

He stood up and stepped towards me. "Are you ready?" He asked with his head tilted slightly. His smile faded and gave me a questioning stare. "Are you okay?"

I rubbed my forehead and replied, "I'm extremely tired and it's unusual."

We began to walk side by side, on our way to the station. "Has class been really hard for you? Considering it is your last year," He spoke.

"I guess, but I'm more tired than usual." I shrugged. "I've been having trouble with this painting." I brought up the covered canvas.

"You know, I have trouble too when it comes to writing songs," He mentioned.

"You write songs?"

"Oh, I never told you. I write songs all the time. It's the main reason I don't do my homework," He laughed. "What gives me ideas is usually what happens around me." He turned to me and said, "I'm not a painter, but don't paint what you see, but what you're influenced by."

I was actually surprised by what came out of his mouth. I didn't notice him leave my side as I thought of his advice.

"Levi, look!" He shouted to me. I turned my head towards him and moved my eyes to where he was pointing. Above the now orange and pink sky, was a plane flying overhead, leaving a trail of smoke behind. "Doesn't it look amazing?" He breathed out.

I backed away and fixed my gaze on Eren staring up at the sky. I almost dropped my canvas as I realized on what he said. I had found what I was missing. "Eren, stay still for a minute!" I called out to him.

"Why?"

I ignored his question and backed up to the right distance and held up my phone. In one second, I had a picture of what I needed. "Hey, get over here." Eren looked back and ran towards me. I held up my phone and showed him.

"That's breathtaking," He grinned. "Hey, send it to me!" He puffed his cheeks trying to look cute and innocent.

"Don't do that," I glared at him. He sheepishly straightened up and looked down. I let out a sigh and held out my phone. "Okay, give me your phone." He happily handed over his phone and we exchanged numbers.

"I never knew I would get your number," He let out.

"You sound like a teenage girl getting the number of her crush."

"Oh, sorry!"

Together we continued on our way to the station while admiring the sky. Surprisingly, I was not that tired anymore, but I was content with the outcome of that day.

(A/N: Next chapter should be more exciting than this one! Please let me know your thoughts about the story so far~)