Chapter 14
"Practice cancelled due to pool being cleaned. Signed, Headmaster Pixis."
Eren sighed in frustration, running his fingers through his hair, pushing his fringe out of his eyes in the process.
He re-read the note that had been taped onto the door to the pool room repeatedly, half-heartedly hoping that maybe the words would miraculously change.
He headed back out of the sports building, moping slightly at not being able to swim. He'd actually been hoping to run into Levi again, like he had last Monday, so he could show off his newly improved dive.
What lesson had he said that he was supposed to have been in that day?
Eren pondered this to himself as he ambled aimlessly through the courtyard between the two buildings. His eyes wandered over the grey, cobblestoned ground, to the large oak tree situated directly in the middle, wooden benches placed just underneath.
During the warmer seasons, this area was a popular place to spend lunchtime, chatting and laughing. However, due to it being almost winter, and classes currently going on, it was completely deserted; other than him, of course.
His elective was music right? Maybe that's where he's at? The music room.
Glad that he finally had an objective, he picked up his pace, his teeth chattering no matter how firmly he clenched them shut.
It was colder than usual for October, which meant guaranteed snow for their area this year. That thought promptly cheered him up; Eren loved the snow.
The parts of his skin that were exposed, such as his face, neck, and hands, burned as he pushed through the doors to the main school building. As he entered, the air instantaneously switched from freezing cold to sweltering hot.
Eren shrugged off his hoodie and tied it around his waist to try and cool himself down.
He'd gone back to his usual attire, consisting of dark blue skinny jeans, a plain black flannel shirt, and a black hoodie. He was relieved that he had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt earlier that morning.
Where even is the music room? Maybe it's upstairs?
It turned out that the music room was, in fact, in a separate building altogether.
It had taken Eren twelve full minutes of searching the main building top to bottom until he'd finally given in and had asked the secretary at the front office for directions. Eren thanked her, and was soon on his way, chastising himself for not asking sooner.
When he arrived at his destination, he immediately hesitated.
This area was foreign to him, he'd never set foot in here before, and was worried about accidentally bursting into a classroom full of kids halfway through a lesson.
He considered texting Levi and asking him if it was okay to come and hang with him, but, in the end, had decided against it. Eren was the type that loved surprises, both receiving and giving them. He just hoped Levi wouldn't mind.
After pushing away his fears, he cautiously cracked open the main door and was met with an empty hallway. Sighing quietly, he made his way down it, timidly peering into each room. It was eerily quiet, making Eren feel uneasy.
Maybe I was wrong? But I was sure he had said he took music...
Eren flinched as he was suddenly enveloped by the most soothing sounding piano melody, which abruptly broke the silence.
It being the only sign of life, he decided it was worth investigating.
He followed the tune, it getting louder as he approached the only room with a light on inside. The door was open, but only by about two inches, which is how the music had reached him so far down the hall.
Eren peeked through the gap, grinning as he saw Levi sitting at the large grand piano in the centre of the small room. He was leaning over it, staring intently at the keys, bangs obscuring the silver eyes Eren knew all too well.
It also sounded as though there was a violin playing also; however, from what Eren could tell, there was no one else in the room.
There must be a backing track playing as well?
He was about to reveal himself when he saw Levi's lips part, his soft, raspy voice flowing out in time with the beautiful acoustic and harmonizing with it, compelling Eren to stop and listen instead.
An ache. . .
So deep.
That I. . .
Can hardly breathe.
This pain. . .
Can't be imagined.
Will it ever heal?
Levi paused to take a deep breath and continued his heart wrenching ballad. His voice was low and filled with an emotion that Eren couldn't place.
Ooh. . . Ooh. . .
Ooh. . . Ooh. . .
Eren was completely enraptured by Levi and his voice, so familiar, yet so different. He leant heavily against the door frame as he continued to spy.
The younger teen supposed that he should have felt guilty for eavesdropping on such a moment, but he couldn't help feeling intrigued and curious.
Have I heard this voice somewhere. . .?
When Levi had said that he could play a little piano and could 'sort of' sing, he hadn't thought much of it, due to the way Levi had brushed it off. Now he could see how wrong he was to do so.
Your hand. . .
So small.
Held a strand of my hair. . .
So strong.
All I could do. . .
Was keep believing. . .
Was that enough. . .?
The raw sentiment that Levi had kept locked away filtered through his voice, unrestrained.
Is anyone there?
There was a minor pause, where Levi took yet another deep breath, before his voice erupted out of him in a way that caused Eren to jolt in shock.
Levi's eyes were scrunched shut, and so Eren allowed his own to slip closed as well.
I wanna scream. . .
Is this a dream?
How could this happen. . .
Happen to me?
This isn't fair. . .
This nightmare. . .
This kind of torture, I just can't bear. . .
I want you here. . .
I want you here. . .
The ending notes were drawn out, impressing Eren with how long he could hold them for. Levi's moving voice filled the room once again.
Ooh. . .Ooh. . .
Ooh. . .Ooh. . .
I waited so long,
For you to come.
Then you were here,
And now you're gone.
I was not prepared. . .
For you to leave me. . .
Ooh this is misery. . .
Are you still there?
Something about the tone of Levi's voice, coupled with the lyrics of the song, had Eren's eyes sliding open and filling with compassion. His eyes brimmed with unshed tears.
He sounds so sad. . . but he also sounds. . . angry?
I wanna scream. . .
Is this a dream?
How could this happen. . .
Happen to me?
This isn't fair. . .
This nightmare. . .
This kind of torture, I just can't bear. . .
I want you here. . .
I want you here. . .
The music diminished slightly, and Eren's legs moved before his brain could react. He slipped in through the door and warily made his way over to Levi and the piano.
Levi didn't notice his presence until he'd sat down on the stool next to him, his dark expression visibly conflicted. His voice slightly cracked.
God help me. . .
God help me. . .
God help me. . .
Breathe. . .
Levi's eyes left Eren's as he sang the chorus one last time. Eren assumed that that was because he was embarrassed at exposing such a personal part of himself to someone he had known for barely a week.
Oh fuck, am I intruding on a private moment? Why am I such a fucking idiot?
I wanna scream. . .
Is this a dream?
How could this happen. . .
Happen to me?
This isn't fair. . .
This nightmare. . .
This kind of torture, I just can't bear. . .
I want you here. . .
I want you here. . .
I want you here. . .
I want you here. . .
The violins faded out, until all that could be heard was the piano's gentle sound. Eren's eyes watched in awe as Levi's fingers ran over the keys flawlessly without hesitation.
There was concentration on that stoic face, despite the obvious despair in his smoky grey eyes.
An ache. . .
So deep. . .
That I. . .
Can hardly breathe.
The song finished with a mellow piano rift. Eren couldn't think of anything other than how divine a song it had been, and how tormented Levi had sounded.
Levi cleared his throat, swallowing down the emotion that had been threatening to spill over.
"Uh. . .what are you doing here, shouldn't you have class or something?" He was unsure of what to say, so instead went for the easier option of avoiding the conversation completely.
"Oh, swim class was cancelled 'cause of cleaning and stuff." Was Eren's quick reply. Levi could sense that Eren was slowly starting to feel uncomfortable under his stern gaze.
"Um. . . do you want me to leave?" Eren finally croaked, after there being roughly two full minutes of awkward silence.
Pause.
Levi sighed and shifted his eyes back down to the piano keys.
"I don't see the point in you leaving now. I would have appreciated you knocking instead of just listening in and then barging in when you felt like it, though." He began playing a random classical tune on the piano as he spoke, the distraction relaxing him.
"Sorry. . . I didn't think. . ." Eren's face contorted into that similar of a kicked puppy; a mixture of guilt and hurt. He stared at his hands clenched on his denim-clad lap, unwilling to meet Levi's eyes.
Now I feel sorry for him. What is this sorcery? He could at least play fair; I'm supposed to be mad at him.
Just as he stood to leave, Levi reached up and pulled him back down. Eren looked at him, bewildered.
"I said you could stay. It's not your fault, I should have shut the door." He reluctantly admitted; Levi was not one to willingly accept being in the wrong.
"No, I shouldn't have intruded on you. I guess I was just so. . .entranced by the music, that I didn't stop and think about what I was doing."
He shifted his luminous eyes upwards, meeting Levi's softened gaze.
"Levi, has anyone ever told you that you have the most beautiful voice?" He blushed and took Levi's calloused hand in his own, intertwining their fingers.
Levi averted his line of focus down curiously to their hands, which were now resting together in Eren's lap.
"Well, yes, they have." He played a few notes with his free hand as he re-thought his response.
"Although, none of their compliments mean anything when compared to yours. You are the only one I care about." Levi purposefully failed to respecify his statement, wanting to gauge Eren's reaction.
That's right, amp up the fucking cheesy ass lines, Levi. That was bullshit, there's no way he's going to like that.
"R-Really?" That signature blush darkened his cheeks, as those awe filled teal eyes stared back at him.
Huh. He's the cheesy, hopeless romantic type. Good to know.
"Definitely." He attempted to give him a reassuring smile, but was sure it most likely looked more like a grimace. Eren didn't seem fazed though.
"So, I mean, you don't have to tell me. . . but that song was. . . really emotional. What was it about? I-If you don't mind me asking?" His voice was timid, as if he was approaching a wild animal that would attack at the slightest provocation.
"My mother." Levi replied simply, squeezing his hand, more for his own comfort than Eren's.
Eren nodded encouragingly to him.
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I remember that you didn't really seem to want to talk about your family last week on our date. . ." Eren meekly continued on.
Levi listened to Eren rambling nonsensically next to him and let out a quiet amused snort.
"Nah, I suppose that you should know all of my shit if you plan to date me. I guess I just didn't want to dredge up this shit on a first date. It's not anything overly interesting though."
"It doesn't matter if it's interesting or not, it's obviously important to you. Which means that it's important to me too." Eren paused before adding: "A-Are we. . . dating? Like, I know we've only been on a couple of dates, but. . ."
Levi thought the question over.
"I would like to think so. I wouldn't quite say that we're. . . boyfriends yet." The word sounded foreign but oddly comforting on his tongue. "But we're definitely dating." He answered after a few moments, to which Eren nodded enthusiastically.
"So. . . Where to start? I guess the best thing would be to explain my family first. As you know, Mikasa is my cousin."
Eren stayed silent and simply nodded to show he was listening.
"My mother, as wonderful a woman as she was, didn't have the most. . . respectable job. She was an artist, but that didn't really pay the bills. So she. . . sold her body for money. Hence, I was born. I have no idea who my father is and I don't really want to know. She. . . passed on when I was eight. From some disease that she caught from one of her clients."
As he was talking, his voice remained monotone throughout. His voice broke a little when he mentioned his mother passing, but he regained his composure soon after.
Having Eren there by his side, squeezing his hand consolingly every now and then, spurred him to continue. His teal orbs looked lovingly at him, no hint of judgement evident in them.
"My uncle then adopted me, he was my mother's brother. Kenny was rather ruthless when it came to bringing me up, which is probably the main reason I'm not a very soft person. He passed on when I was fifteen, which is when I moved in with Mikasa's family. Her mother is my aunt; my mother's sister. They looked after me until I turned eighteen last year, then I moved back into my uncle's deserted place on my own. That's pretty much it." He shrugged.
"I'm sorry about your mom and uncle, Levi." Eren pulled him into a hug. Levi resisted for a second, before giving in and hugging him back.
The shorter male could smell faint traces of peach (which he assumed was from a body wash he had used), along with the pure, musky scent that was entirely unique to him. The only word that could properly describe it was simply: Eren.
Not bad.
"It's alright, shit happens. Nothing can change the past. It is what it is." He cracked a small, crooked smile to show that he meant what he was saying.
"Thank you for your compassion though, it's nice to know you care." He stared deeply into those green eyes he adored so much.
The way Eren reacted (blushing, as per usual) cheered Levi up, lightening the mood between them.
"Oh hey, do you like this one?" Levi untangled their fingers and brought both hands back up to the piano, playing the beginning of one of No Name's lesser known songs.
Levi knew it of course, he wrote it, but he was curious to see how much of a fan Eren actually was.
"No way! You like Fire and Fury?! And you can play it too?! That's so cool!" Eren exclaimed.
Levi nodded in response, playing an acoustic version of one of his original songs.
He began to sing the words, making sure to alter his voice and lower it an octave, to prevent Eren from recognizing it. Luckily, his voice tended to be less noticeable when singing slower songs.
"Sing with me?" Levi murmured when there was a break from lyrics. "As you know, it's meant to be a duet, and you said you could sing."
"I'm not very good. . . not compared to you anyways." He could tell that Eren was embarrassed and unsure.
"I'm not going to judge your voice; I just want to sing with you." He felt himself relax when he heard Eren's soft and rather feminine voice drifting nervously from beside him in time with the piano.
Their contrasting voices melded together to create the perfect harmony.
Levi almost didn't want the song to stop as soon as it did. He was never going to get used to how Eren made him feel.
Fuck.
I think I might be falling in love with this brat.
Notes:
Hey Minna!
This was probably one of my favourite chapters to write,
cause it was just so kawaii and fluffy, I love me some fluff ^^
We hope you liked it as much as we do!
Thankyou for sticking with this story so far! We appreciate your guys support :3
The main song is called 'I Want You Here' by "Plumb" and the song mentioned right at the end is
'Fire and Fury' by "Skillet".
Until Next Time!